A/N: I'm thoroughly surprised at how well the last chapter went. I didn't think that this would get as much attention as it did, but I'm incredibly happy you guys enjoyed it. Like, I was super surprised how much it blew up. So, I genuinely thank all of you!
Now, since some of you asked me, I'm going to say this now: I have no freaking idea what pairing I'm going to do. It's not going to be a harem, sorry. I feel like a harem, in a lot of cases, end up taking away from the story, not to mention the fact I'm probably gonna suck at writing it. I'm also not typically a harem type of writer, anyway.
If I'm gonna have multiple girls fall for him, and this is a big if, then they'll be fighting to the death for him because only one will be able to win. I feel like that'd be more entertaining to read than just straight harem romance. I'd do better writing a competition style harem, but I'm more likely to write a single pairing story.
I hope that made sense and clarified what some of you were asking me. I may just ask you guys to vote later down the line.
I should also warn you now to expect some original characters to pop up every now and again. This is mainly due to Izuku's vigilante work, saving people and whatnot, then it is actual story influence and being a long-term character (which they won't be). This chapter will widely be about the people Izuku has saved, being told from their point of view, to get a civilian perspective as to what Clockwork is doing before getting an inside scoop into his head later on.
Do keep in mind, though, that some of them are original characters, and others are actual characters in the canon manga/anime series.
I'm still on the fence about adding long-term original villains, but for now I'm going to try and use canon characters from both the main MHA storyline and the Vigilantes spin-off. Also, with that being said, my knowledge on the Vigilantes stuff is a bit lackluster, so I apologize if I get some stuff wrong, like the timelines and specifics on certain events.
So, yeah, this chapter will be told, not from Izuku's point of view, but from the people he's saving. I thought I'd be a unique say to show it.
I do have an idea for an original villain that would actually pose a challenge for Izuku, since Izuku will likely be able to beat… well, almost everyone after he's unlocked the true extent of his abilities. The villain (maybe two, not sure yet) would be someone to actually pose a challenge to him, and would ultimately develop the lore a bit more. He/she wouldn't show up for a while, though, and I have a hell of an interesting plot to explore if I add 'em. Let me know what you guys think.
Also, don't worry, Izuku WILL NOT get One for All. It's, for one, wouldn't fit with his current power set and it'll completely set him off. Plus, it'll just make him way too overpowered. I'm willing to take suggestions on who should get it, though. In my other story, Yui Kodai actually has it, so don't be afraid to be out there in your suggestions. But please don't pick Mirio, there's a lot of fics where he gets it so I want to try and vary it up.
One last thing: I'm open to comments, suggestions, theories, etc.. I genuinely enjoy reading and seeing that stuff, and if you guys want to open a discussion with me about stuff from my story, I don't mind at all.
With all of that out of the way, let's begin!
WARNING: Admittedly, this chapter can get a little dark in some place and imply some rather… not so good things like: child abduction, child abuse, depression, etc.. If you're sensitive to this kinda stuff, I advise caution while reading this chapter, it can get pretty dark/depressing, especially on the last one.
Yukio Hamashi and his younger sister Yukino were, all in all, pretty normal kids. They had a loving family and a roof over their heads, so they really couldn't complain about much. They did truly appreciate where they were in life.
Yukio was only ten and his sister was five years younger than him. They had a fairly unique relationship. For the most part, they acted as normal siblings did and it never really faltered to anything less than that.
Yukio's Quirk wasn't particularly too useful for hero work, only allowing him to know the exact properties of objects and liquids. Properties was actually too vague, more like it allowed him to know information about particular things: like how much of a certain chemical was in something or how much total mass an object had, just by touching it. It also worked on humans too, of course.
And so his dream of being a hero died out long ago. It didn't bother him much though, since he was able to set himself on another path. He took an immense interest in the medical field in particular, looking up to Recovery Girl as an inspiration.
His sister, however, was an entirely different story. The girl, instead of being able to just know what properties objects and liquids carried, she was also able to alter it. He didn't even want to remember how they found that out, because it ended up destroying a lot of his stuff, but it was still a cool Quirk nonetheless. It didn't work on organics though; they knew this after she tried shrinking Yukio to make them the same size. Honestly, it was adorable. Her dream was to, of course, become a hero. He made sure to sully support her.
However, one day things went wrong for the both of them.
It started out as a simple grocery run, really. Their father had taken them out to go shopping, mainly because their mother was leaving for a night shift soon and their parents were rightfully cautious to just leave them alone at home.
The trip to the store was fine and quite relaxing. The siblings actually became mesmerized by the setting sun and the colors that changed in the sky as it set.
When they had gotten to the store, their father had been more than clear that they needed to stick close. Yukio understood why, he had been drilling it into his head since he could talk. Kidnappings were the main concern, but there were others that could happen and Yukio only knew that it made his parents really scared. Plus, it was a store they were unfamiliar with, having just recently opened a few days prior.
When their father had gotten into a pretty heated discussion with an employee about the price of something, Yukino had slipped away in search of the toy aisle. Yukio has remembered her being quite vocal about a toy she saw in a commercial, so he figured she'd be after that.
He ran after her as his sister went up and down aisles. He was surprised, at first, at their own stamina. He'd figured she would've gotten tired by then, same as him, but they didn't. Eventually, she found the aisle she was looking for and began to easterly browse the election of toys. When Yukio caught up, he was out of breath.
She had found what she wanted, at least, and was just trying to reach for it but couldn't because of her height. Yukio himself had tried to help her grab it, but even he was unable to reach it. This specific toy seemed to be on a higher shelf, so anyone their ages wouldn't have able to get it. Someone like their father would, though.
They were going to go back to their father, with his sister wanting to ask him to get it for her. But when they turned their backs, someone tapped their shoulders and held out the toy for Yukino to grab. She did so excitedly, hugging the toy to her chest.
Yukio didn't know what to think, really. He looked at who had seemingly been kind enough to get it for her, and saw the face of an older man smiling down at them, more specifically Yukino. He had some grey hair, some wrinkles too, so Yukio assumed he was in high high fifties or so.
Yukino looked up at the man with an excited smile, "Thank you sir!"
He only laughed, "Not a problem, little missy." He ruffled her hair, and Yukio started to develop a bad feeling in his chest. The man developed a thoughtful look, examining his sister thoroughly. Yukio thought it was a little too thorough. "Say, since you seem to love toys so much, do you want to see some of mine? I've got a whole collection of them, all limited edition."
Yukio's heart started to beat faster as he kept a very close eye on the man. Red flags were beginning to sprout inside of his head, as warning sirens blared and rang in his ears. His sister smiled and eagerly nodded her head, showing her excitement.
The man seemed to smile happily, but Yukio saw underneath the mask. That smile was one filled with sinister intent. Something so wrong he didn't even want to begin thinking about it.
He zoned out for a moment there, allowing the man enough time to start leading his sister away, his hand holding hers. It looked like he was gently guiding her, but Yukio saw that it was nothing more than assurance. Something to prevent her from running.
He was admittedly scared and froze. He didn't know what to do. He wasn't strong enough to protect her on his own, and nobody else was nearby, or in the aisle. He was on his own. If he screamed the man would run and forcefully get away with her. He had her in his grasp and he berated himself for even letting that happen. He was a terrible brother.
An alternative came to mind. It was entirely risky, but it was the only option he really had to go on. So, he just put on his best brace face and spoke, "Yukino, we should wait for dad." He intended to, at least, try and stall for time.
His sister turned around to look at him, curiosity and realization defining her features. She looked up at the man, who hadn't stopped walking, "Yeah, gotta wait for daddy."
He ignored her, tightening his grip and actually picking up the pace. Yukio tried to follow after them the best he could, his heart beating faster and faster as he could see his sister's expression start to change from one of curiosity and excitement to one of pain and fear; likely from his sudden tight grip.
She began to pull on her arm, trying to yank it out of his hand, but her little five-year-old strength didn't do a thing. Yukio tried to help too, but the man backhanded you incredibly hard and sent him to the ground with a loud slap.
Yukino screamed. Loudly. It likely alerted the entire place. The man recognized it was time to pick up the pace, roughly yanking her and dragging her forward as he started to run.
Yukio yelled out to his sister as she desperately tried to get away. He was almost out of the aisle, getting ready to turn the corner. Yukio thought all was lost. He thought he'd never see his sister again, or that she'd end up dying or having something worse happen to her in the clutches of that man.
Then something unpredictable happened.
The man was just about to exit the aisle when suddenly his sister seemed to teleport from out of the man's grasp, a little bit to the side. The man had also suddenly begun to stumble back, clutching his stomach with his left arm as he fell on his back, clearly in pain. Yukio almost smirked in satisfaction when he saw the man's other hand grasping his genitals like they'd just been completely obliterated. Additionally, rapid tears started to flow from the man's eyes, just signifying how badly hurt he was.
Yukio stared ahead, amazed at what he had just witnessed. Next to his sister, stood someone new. He stood tall with fluffy green hair and off clothes. His expression was clear yet dark at the same time, glaring down at the man beneath him with a look of utter disgust.
Yukio quickly noticed his odd choice in fashion, wearing red boots that didn't match with anything else and the additional watches that occupied both the side of his arms and the design on his black undershirt. Yukio thought he was a hero at first, but couldn't help but doubt that. He didn't remember him from anywhere, but then again it wasn't like he studied them for a living; there could easily be a hero he didn't know about. Additionally, he looked young, maybe only a few years older than him, or maybe even the same age. It confused him, really. He didn't know what to think about that.
The mysterious person bent down next to Yukino, his expression changing to one of concern. "Are you alright?" He asked, his voice filled with a genuine worry.
Yukino looked down at her feet, giving a small nod to his question, almost as if she were shy or even scared. But Yukio saw the shine in her eyes, he always could. She thought he was a hero. That was likely what was making her all shy, she didn't want to look bad in front of him.
Yukio finally ran over to them, deducting that it was safe to do so. The person looked over at him, a serious look gracing his features. When Yukio finally approached them, the person put his hands on Yukio's shoulders to get his full attention, but it made the boy jump a bit in his place.
"Listen, when your father gets here tell him exactly what happened," he ordered, beginning to gesture toward the man who was still groveling in great pain. "That man is a pefophile and attempted kidnapper, make sure you stress that and explain what he did."
He stood up, almost as if he were in a hurry and began to turn around. Yukio and his sister watched as he began to run away, in the direction of the store doors. They didn't even get to express their thanks.
Their father with a few other people ran up to them from behind the aisle. He quickly approached them, almost immediately crouching down and pulling them both into a hug. He expressed his worries and fear to them, unable to help from blaming himself.
Yukio expressed that it wasn't their father's fault, but theirs for carelessly running off without him. He had also explained to his father, and someone that looked to be a worker, what had happened, and they didn't not look pleased in the slightest. The worker commented that the police had already been called and that the man would definitely be arrested.
"Yeah! A cool hero came in and beat him up!" Yukino loudly and excitedly added, shoving her fist high into the air.
Their father was skeptical at first, expressing to the worker that no hero would dash after a fight like that. Yukio couldn't help but wonder if that was right. Was he not a hero? But Yukio could easily recognize the genuine concern in his tone of voice and expression. He had been there to help.
Something that also got Yukio concerned was that the person somehow knew that the person with them was their father. It creeped him out, but he wondered if it was just a part of the person's Quirk. Maybe that's what the watches signified? Could he look at memories or something? But he had some kind of teleportation, he'd seen it.
Well, despite the wonder behind the person's Quirk and who he was, he was grateful. He could tell that his father was too. Yukio couldn't help but look at the door to the store. That person just found one of his biggest fans in both Yukio and Yukino that day, both of them eternally grateful to him.
But, they never did get his name.
A sigh echoed throughout the large warehouse, making multiple thugs draw their attention to the source.
"You guys really never do learn, huh." It was a simple statement, but enough to carry the individual's disappointment. He only shook his head as the thugs went on guard.
They seemed to ease themselves up a bit when they saw his appearance, some of them even snickering. "What're you, an All Might fanboy? Go home, you're out of your league."
The person in question was Haimawari Koichi, a vigilante. He wasn't too well known, probably because he only started this stuff a few months prior, but he had already started to make names for himself. Yes, 'names,' in the plural sense. People called him a variety of different things, like "Nice Guy" or "The Hauler," which admittedly made him cry on the inside.
His real vigilante name was "The Crawler," and he was most notably identified through his vigilante costume, which just happened to be a wide assortment of different All Might hoodies. People typically underestimated him, made fun of him even, but that was alright with him since they'd let their guard down and make them much easier to take down.
His first, or at least one of his first, public appearances of his was actually against the Three Sturm and Drang Brothers, who went around the city stealing women's underwear. That's also when he met Knuckleduster, who ended up becoming a sort of mentor to him. He was also the one that suggested that he should change his vigilante name, as well.
He was getting sidetracked though, reminiscing about old times. He had a drug deal to stop.
Knuckleduster had told him about the Trigger drug and the two sometimes went on patrols to look for users of it. As of now, they were both actively searching for the main factory, but they didn't have much luck.
Until now, that is.
Haimawari found some clues revolving around a drug deal and immediately considered it a lead. So, naturally, he went to investigate. It was more of a split second act though. He supposed that his good heart, as people often said he had, got the better of him there. He just didn't want people to get hurt because of reckless criminals using Trigger.
That brought him to this situation, where he was facing an estimated five or more thugs who just happened to have the Trigger drug in hand.
How fun.
Well, he supposed it was his fault. He was reckless there and had nobody else to really blame. However, he was experienced in hand-to-hand combat, at least a little bit. Knuckleduster had taken the liberty of teaching him some things, as well as helping him get a better handle on his Quirk. He was thankful for that, really. His teachings have gotten the vigilante out of sticky situations more than once.
Seemingly having enough of the silence atmosphere, and the vigilante's failure to act or move, some of the thugs began to charge. From what Haimawari could see, there were five in sight, but could be more nearby or in the area. Two of them started to charge, their impatience displayed by their reckless action.
One of the thugs hardened his fingernails, which were also fairly long, and raised his hands as if he were going to swipe at him. The other one had a multitude of small fingers, which were increasingly growing as he ran forward, popping out of his hands as he reached forward rather clumsily.
It was clear to the vigilante that they didn't have much experience fighting, just from the way they recklessly charged forward and the way they postured themselves to attack. The reason for them wanting Trigger was probably something along the lines of desperation to make their Quirks stronger, the vigilante assumed. From first glance, they were fairly weak Quirks, and from what he could tell, the criminals didn't really have any other use for them. It was a shame they hadn't been more creative, their Quirks could've been fairly useful for heroism if they just looked at the possible other uses and aspects of their Quirks.
Sighing, The Crawler merely waited for them to approach. The one with the hardened fingernails got there first, almost completely halting to swipe at the vigilante. All Haimawari had to do was dodge and deliver a normal, but powerful, punch to the man's stomach to take him out of the fight. The man clenched his stomach, falling to his knees on the ground, the wind having been taken out of him.
The other guy was next, reaching his hands out widely in a presumed attempt to grab him. It seemed like the man would use his extra fingers to perhaps squeeze him, or perhaps keep him held so the other guys could take care of him. It didn't matter, though, because he was almost just as sloppy as the other guy. When the man got close enough, all Haimawari had to do was use his Quirk, Slide and Glide, to accelerate his foot and essentially sweep the man. Upon being tripped, the man fell flat on his face, hard, and went unconscious.
Haimawari spun once or twice before decelerating. He sometimes forgets that he can brake now. He hadn't been able to figure out how to brake until Ingenium advised him to just accelerate in the opposite direction.
Who knew.
The remaining three thugs looked at him warily. Now, this could either mean that they were recognizing him as a threat or scared because they too didn't know how to fight. Or both.
The one in the middle, an older looking man with no hair on his head, opened his mouth. Particles began to flurry into his mouth, a bluish-white color beginning to make itself visible. Then, suddenly, a burst of the light shot toward the vigilante at an incredibly fast speed. It was incredibly fast, and actually formed like a thick laser beam. He was lucky to even be able to dodge it by getting on all-fours. The blast shot behind him and made contact with the wall, exploding on impact.
There wasn't anymore time to mess around and play defensive, he needed to attack, especially if they had a ranged attacker over there. So, while still on all-fours he accelerated himself forward at a fairly quick speed, taking the thugs off-guard.
The one in the middle had been in the process of charging another blast, but due to the vigilante getting so close he was unable to fire it again unless he wanted to risk severely injuring or even killing himself, so he promptly closed his mouth and did his best to defend in hand-to-hand.
The two other thugs, one being a girl to the vigilante's right, and a male to his left, similarly tried to protect themselves. However, before they could activate whatever Quirks they had, Haimawari extended his arms and legs out and zoomed past them, their legs having been pushed and making them fall on their face. The one in the middle had ended up dodging the attack, moving off toward the side.
Haimawari stopped accelerating, braking and standing back up straight. The two thugs were winded, struggling to get back up. The vigilante could only assume that these guys were just starting out and held absolutely no experience or knowledge of how to fight or… really do anything. They seemed incredibly physically weak and didn't even know how to properly throw a punch or defend themselves. The only competent one seemed to be the older man with the laser Quirk.
Speaking of him, the vigilante was distracted for a little too long. The man quickly took a syringe and injected himself with its contents. Haimawari quickly became on-edge. He made a mistake.
The reaction was nearly immediate, the man having a quick sense of activation and starting to once again charge his Quirk. The particles seemed to hasten their charge, and the light looked much brighter than before. Haimawari was so unprepared, he wasn't sure he would have been able to dodge in time.
Well, luckily he didn't need to.
Before the villain had the change to fire, some kind of mysterious force made him launch across the room. The thug's head slammed against a nearby wall, knocking him out. Haimawari looked at the person that seemingly teleported into the building, curiously.
The person was… unnervingly young. The vigilante didn't know what to particularly think about that. No child should get involved in this sort of thing at such a young age. Yet, he knew there was probably a reason for it. He did his best not to think about it for now, instead opting to go for small talk.
"Hey, uh… what are you doing here?" He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. He didn't really know what to say to this kid.
The kid, who notably had fluffy green hair and freckles, looked at him. "If that guy fired his attack you would've been dead." Haimawari only blinked for a moment, before the newcomer casually started to point at different areas in the room. "A part of you there, there, there- you get it."
"...Oh." What else was he supposed to say? He didn't know, that was for sure. Just suddenly being told that he would've exploded if that attack had been fired was a hard pill to swallow. Ignoring the infodump he was just victimized to, in an attempt to forget about it, he looked at the newcomer questionably, "Who are you, anyway?"
He gave a friendly smile, although Haimawari could sense his nervousness from where he stood, and bowed in greeting, "My vigilante name is Clockwork. It's nice to meet you, Crawler."
Haimawari did his best not to cry at the fact someone had gotten the name right. He looked at the vigilante in front of him, and couldn't help b question: "Aren't you a little… uhm, young, to be a vigilante? You're, what, ten, eleven, twelve?"
The newcomer's friendly smile altered a bit, but he didn't show much of a reaction beside that. Haimawari suspected that perhaps there was some kind of foretelling power at play, which would explain a few things regarding his behavior and how he knew about the exploding part.
After a moment, he responded, "I can't just stand around and let people die, especially when I know it'll happen. I'm sure you understand that too."
Haimawari sadly nodded. A lot of vigilanties were like that; acting when they thought it was necessary to act. It was sad to know, or even think, that a kid had to be cursed enough to go through that. "I do. I'm sorry you have to go through that."
Clockwork shook his head, denying the apology, "Don't apologize. I think it's more of my own fault anyway." He walked over to the syringe that had been dropped by the thug, picking it up to examine. "Do you know anything about this?"
Haimawari sighed, "Yeah. My main goal is to try and bust Trigger operations. Shut them down and all. It's an enhancing drug, of sorts. I'm sure you know the basics, but right now information is pretty much scarce. What about you, do you know anything?"
Clockwork shook his head, "It's out of my range, and I would prefer to keep it that way. Sorry." He looked to the side a bit while Haimawari nodded in understanding. "If evidence suggests it, there is someone out there a lot more dangerous than anything else. I'd rather put my efforts into that investigation, no offense."
Haimawari waved his hand dismissively, "Don't worry about it. You were probably just in the area and acted, it's fine. Though I'm curious, what kind of threat are you talking about."
"A supervillain you don't want to mess with, is what." Clockwork seemed to get a tad defensive about that, whether it was intentional or not Haimawari didn't know.
"Well, if that's the case, why are you getting involved? Don't get me wrong, I'm sure you're plenty capable," he gestured toward the downed thug, who was hit across the room, "considering what you did to him." Haimawari looked at the kid, an expression of concern on his face, "You're young. You've got a life ahead of you. You shouldn't be the one putting your life on the line like this."
The kid looked at him, sort of just staring. He didn't respond immediately either, perhaps actually considering Haimawari's words. "There are a few reasons why." He held up two fingers, "Around two years ago, All Might was involved in an undisclosed battle which led to him being MIA for around a week or two."
"I remember that," Haimawari nodded in remembrance. "People thought he died or that something was wrong. The crime rate ended up going up for a bit, but he came back like nothing was wrong and everything went back to normal." Haimawari looked at the kid curiously, "How do you know it was an undisclosed battle that took place?"
"I have my sources, but a main contributor to this is this fact is that All Might hasn't been the same since then." The kid spoke surely. Haimawari was intrigued and gestured for the kid to continue, which he did, "He's been spotted publicly less and less lately. It's like he's on a timer. It's been going farther down since then too, only getting shorter and shorter."
Haimawari actually thought about it, grimacing at the thought, "So what do you propose? A crippling injury?"
"Precisely, although not totally crippling but more so something that can deteriorate his health." The kid said that with too straight of a face than Haimawari was comfortable with.
"And you think that this… villain was the one that did this? And you're chasing him? That's-"
"Necessary." Haimawari was interrupted quickly, much to his shock. "Despite the dangers of it, it's necessary. If I don't act to try and bust him, nobody will, and people will die." His look darkened at the mere thought of that, preparing himself for what he has to say next, "All Might probably assumed he was dead, but he isn't. He's rebuilding what he lost, and I've already busted multiple shipments and deals under his doctor's alias. I can't let him get back on his feet, I just can't. I have to, at least, get enough information to give to heroes that can act."
Haimawari looked at him grimly before sighing, his own thoughts plaguing his mind. The kid was already pushing himself to the front lines already and now he bluntly told him that he was going to be targeting a villain that pull All Might through the ringer. When Haimawari looked at the kid, he knew that he wouldn't stop. He just met Clockwork, but his concern for the kid didn't cease to increase.
"I guess I can't stop you," Haimawari began, uncomfortably shifting in his face. "But, I can offer you my help." Haimawari found a piece of paper and wrote his contact information on it with a pen he had been carrying around, for some reading, and handed it to the younger vigilante. "If you ever need a hand, for anything, feel free to call." Clockwork slowly accepted the slip of paper, looking at the numbers written on it before putting it into his pocket.
Haimawari didn't know why Clockwork decided to talk to him about anything, really, but he did have his suspicions. Considering the younger vigilante's age, it was entirely possible that he was lost or confused and sought guidance from someone in a similar situation as him, with both of them being vigilantes and actively fighting crime for similar reasons. It was possible that he wanted an input from someone who had experience and knew what to do, or merely wanted support for his goal.
Haimawari became too lost in his thoughts for a moment, barely even able to realize that Clockwork was actively walking away. He snapped out of it, still wanting to ask another question, "Before you leave, can I ask, do you still want to become a hero?"
He stopped, pausing in his place for a few moments before actually giving a nod to the question. Haimawari only smiled, at first. The kid could still achieve that dream.
"Well, I suggest investing in something to cover your face. Heroes, and pro heroes if you come across them, well lo be able to identify your features if you run into them. You'll be charged with vigilantism and it's possible that you'll never become a hero." Haimawari was, admittedly, a little blunt with his advice, but it was necessary to drive the point across. If the kid wanted to be a hero still, he needed to take the necessary precautions. Having his face be visible for the world to recognize and see was a hazard in it of itself for not only his future but for his life in general, since some villains could identify him and target him. "Also, be wary of certain pro heroes. Some are a little more… sneaky than others. Eraser Head is one you should most definitely look out for, especially with his Quirk."
The younger vigilante only nodded, seemingly thankful for the older's advice, before quickly leaving. Haimawari chuckled to himself as he looked around the warehouse, viewing the downed thugs again. Okay, maybe he was a bit of a hypocrite about the mask thing, since he didn't wear one himself most of the time. But, still, for someone who still aspired to become a hero, it was important. Clockwork seemed like a good kid, but Haimawari could only hope that the kid wouldn't put himself into a hole too deep.
He also hoped that the kid would actually call him if he needed help.
"Fuck you, villain freak!"
The shout in front of the school went vastly uncared for. After all, many people were already used to it, with most people even saying similar things from time to time.
Shinso Hitoshi was used to it far too much. He was the victim, after all.
He had grown accustomed to it by now, after years of being subjected to it. Luckily, he had a supportive parent. His father, to be more precise.
When he had first gotten his Quirk, his mother had been... less than supportive. It started off small, with her just not talking to him as much, then it went to completely ignoring him, yelling at him for doing nothing wrong, then — the worst case — beating him.
Needless to say when his father found out, some things happened. Most particularly, the very, very intense divorce. He remembered that night all too well, regrettably. Hitoshi would forever be grateful to his father after the years of support he got from the man.
That wasn't always enough, however. The issue started to branch out into public places. At school he'd be teased and outright bullied. It all really started before middle school, and his father had brought the issue up to the school only for it to go completely ignored. They changed schools, but that didn't help either. He couldn't be homeschooled or take online courses because, one, they were tight on money and his father worked a pretty tight scheduled job.
So, despite all his father tried to do for him, he was still, for the most part, alone.
At school, things got progressively worse as the years went by. From just tame jokes and teasing in the earlier years to constant insult and berations now. Some kids even gave him the 'eyes,' as Hitoshi would put it, which gave him the impression that they wanted to physically hurt him.
All of this, and for what? Why did they do this? Well, all because Hitoshi's Quirk was Brainwashing. The name says it all, apparently, and he was quickly labeled as a villain due to his Quirk. People were scared of him, often backing away from him out of fear he'd do something to them or make them do questionable things. Others wanted to show him his place, trying to play hero and 'stop the villain'. There were even cases where he'd been framed and got into trouble. People claimed that he 'forced them to do it', or some other bizarre thing.
That was why Hitoshi wanted to be a hero so badly. He wanted to prove all of the wrong. He wanted to prove that he wasn't a villain, but a hero.
But, he had doubts. How could he not? After years of suffering insults and yells from almost everyone around him, seeing people back away at the mere sight of him… he began thinking that they were right. Maybe he was a villain.
He walked by the kids that just yelled at him, passing by a few other kids, which appeared to be his entourage and started his walk home. He looked down at his feet most of the time, lost in his own, admittedly depressing, thoughts, only looking up from time to time to see where he was exactly going.
By the time he reached an open field area, he snapped out of his thoughts. He looked into the field, which seemed to be a park, with light green grass flourishing and kids playing outside with other kids, their parents not too far away. It looked nice, really. It was a damn shame that he missed out on that. He really wished he'd had that kind of childhood, playing and bonding with others his age.
As he was gazing at the peaceful sight ahead of him, he failed to realize that someone had been approaching him from behind, allowing himself to be pushed to the ground. He fell with a grunt, turning around to face his assailants: the same group that had previously yelled at him at the school's entrance.
The group had around four people. There was the leader, who had pushed him and typically the snobby asshole of the group, bossing the others around almost constantly. There were also two other males and one girl, but they weren't very vocal and usually only echoed what the leader said and copied his actions.
"Thought you could just walk away from us, villain?" The leader teased, a satisfying smirk everso present on his face.
Hitoshi was admittedly afraid of being beaten. He wasn't a strong kid by any means, and even if he decided to physically fight back now he doubted he'd win in a four versus one scenario. He'd use his Quirk, but they knew what it was and they wouldn't fall for any obvious taunt or trick from him.
And so, the purple haired boy was practically forced to just lay there and endure it, but like hell would he give in. He gave the assailants a defiant glare, and they didn't take too kindly to that. The leader delivered a powerful kick to Hitoshi's stomach, making him grunt in pain and clench his arms over it. He refused to give in and cry.
They laughed, laughed, as they started to hurt him. Hitoshi didn't know how long it went before he started getting used to some of the pain. He was going to be so sore and bruised later, and his father would surely be pissed, but in the end it would all mean nothing.
Someone started talking. Hitoshi only fully realized it when all the hits stopped coming and he was fully able to look at his surroundings again.
An individual who looked similarly to a hero stood not too far away from the commotion. An odd looking helmet covered the person's face. Hitoshi immediately thought that this hero looked ridiculous, since the helmet seemed to be an altered and customized version of an old, plain Spartan helmet, but recolored in a very dark green. It completely covered and hid his hair, and there wasn't any plums on the top, either, making the accessory just the plain metal helmet.
The kids that were beating him seemed to stiffen at the supposed hero's appearance, but regained their confidence and composure fairly quickly. Well, actually, the leader gained it back fairly quickly and the others basically just copied his example. It seemed as though they believed that the hero would ultimately side with them.
"I'll ask again, what's going on here?" By the tone in the individual's voice, Hitoshi could tell that he was in a 'no bullshit' mood. It carried a certain edge to it that Hitoshi could easily recognize after having heard it from people for most of his life.
The assailants didn't seem to recognize it, though, and still believed that the individual would be on their side, "We were just putting this despicable villain in his place, sir." The leader had said that as confidently and snarkily as he could, perhaps trying to bask in some kind of heroic glory as if he had just done some good deed.
Hitoshi could see the person's glare intensify, "Villain? How is he a villain?" His tone seemed more flat and, if Hitoshi correctly pinpointed it correctly, livid.
The leader hadn't seemed to pick up on it once again, and so he continued to run his mouth, "His Quirk, sir. It belongs only to someone that can be a villain!"
The individual hummed thoughtfully, "And what is his Quirk?"
Even though the purple haired boy couldn't see it, he knew that the leader had just smirked. "He can brainwash people if you respond to anything he says. Truly a villain's Quirk and a villain in the making!"
"I see," the individual spoke, beginning to walk over to Hitoshi. The assailants parted to make a path for him to walk through. Hitoshi didn't know exactly what to expect when the other male started looking down at him. He was actually caught for surprise when he spoke, "he doesn't look like a villain to me."
Hitoshi saw the leader's face shift into one of surprise and paralyzing shock, with his followers having similar expressions. "Wha- What do you mean?"
Without even looking back at them the individual responded, "A Quirk is not what makes the person, but a person that makes the Quirk." His gaze softened as he looked down on Hitoshi. "All I see here is a scared boy who wants nothing more than for all of this to cease." Finally, he looked back to the assailants with a stone cold glare. It made them practically shiver in place due to the sheer intensity of it. "I can tell you right now that your actions are more villain-like than anything. Now, get out of here before I do something I might regret."
And get out of there they did. They scattered and ran like cowards after he said that, fearing for who knows what.
The individual turned to Hitoshi again, knelt down and offered a hand with a small smile on his face. Hitoshi only could look at him, almost amazed by what just happened. When Hitoshi finally, albeit hesitantly, took his hand, he couldn't help but ask, "You're not afraid of me? You don't think I'm a villain?"
The individual pulled him to his feet. Hitoshi already felt sore and grunted a bit as he adjusted himself. Hitoshi hadn't exactly noticed it before, but this person was actually shorter than he was, and his facial features actually looked to be young, maybe around his age.
And, to Hitoshi's surprise, the person just laughed at his question with a light and actually high pitch that he also didn't notice until now. When the individual finished laughing, he looked at him and strictly said, "No, not at all. I actually think your Quirk is really cool!" He chuckled to himself, but Hitoshi was shell shocked by those words. "Trust me when I say I went way too easy on those guys. I take Quirk discrimination very seriously. Plus," he pulled out a phone, "I got a lotta that on video. I'm going to make sure they're arrested." He sort of wave the phone around in his hand, mumbling about making an anonymous tip to the police about this and other stuff similar to that. Eventually, he looked back at Hitoshi, "But, as I said, I think your Quirk is really cool! Brainwashing is, like, a perfect undercover Quirk that can totally be useful in so many situations. I bet you can-"
Hitoshi only blinked at him, unsure as to what to say as the person rambled on and on about the possible uses for his Quirk. This was the first person other than his father that actually decided to stand up for him, too. But as Hitoshi observed this person, his behavior, actions, looks and sounds, he began to suspect that this person wasn't exactly what he appeared to be. A part of Hitoshi just thought this was some kid playing dress up, so he had to be sure.
"You're not actually a hero, are you?" Hitoshi suddenly asked, snapping the individual out of his thoughts.
The individual visibly flinched at the question, making Hitoshi's suspicions actually correct. He spoke, "Well, uhm, no, not exactly, but-" he cut himself off and started to speak in jumbled sentences, trying to form some kind of excuse as to who he was and whatnot.
Hitoshi barely paid his ramblings any kind and just continued to piece together the pieces he had on his own. He started making connections to things he's seen in online news articles and witness statements about a new vigilante. Hitoshi internally compared the person's outfit to the one the vigilante wore in a witness' description. He didn't remember anyone mentioning a helmet, though, so he figured that was a new addition. So, Hitoshi finally dropped the bomb, "You're that new vigilante, aren't you?"
The supposed vigilante ceased his ramblings again to look at Hitoshi with a red face, "I- yes…"
Hitoshi was internally amused at this guy's actions. It was like he was a little kid, which he actually probably still was since he looked to be about Hitoshi's own age.
That amusement died down pretty quickly, though, when he realized what had happened again and remembered that he'd just be right back into it the next day. Hitoshi was seconds away from just thanking the vigilante, stuffing his hands into his pockets and leaving, but the vigilante's next words stopped him.
"Say, do you want to become a hero?"
The question mostly surprised him at first, but he responded all the same with a simple, "Yeah."
"Why do you want to be a hero?" The vigilante pushed, his eyes boring deep into Hitoshi's own.
"What do you mean?" Hitoshi was confused by the question.
"I mean, what do you want to be a hero for? What's your goal?"
Hitoshi thought for a second before responding, "I want to prove everyone wrong. I want to show them that I'm not a villain and can be a hero."
The vigilante visibly blinked once or twice before slightly shifting his shoulders, "What about something long-term?" He asked, making Hitoshi confused once again. He spoke again to elaborate, "I mean, you can get into a hero school and become a hero, prove them all wrong. But what's your goal for long-term? What will you do as a hero? What is the main thing you want to achieve?"
That question actually made the purple haired boy think for a bit. What was his long-term goal in heroics. Why did he exactly want to be a hero besides proving every bully and nonbeliever wrong? In truth, he didn't really know.
He started to think a little deeper, while the vigilante waited patiently for Hitoshi's response. His thoughts began to drift to events from his own life, how things went and how people treated him, not to mention why they treated him the way they did.
And so, after a few more moments, Hitoshi had found his answer, looking into the vigilante's eyes before speaking, "I want to help people who are like me. People who are hurt by the people around them because of a Quirk they couldn't help but get, of possibly lack thereof. I don't want those people to go through what I did."
The vigilante smiled at Hitoshi, "That's an admirable goal. I'm rooting for you. What's your name, and are you going to apply to U.A.?"
For the first time in a very long while, Hitoshi genuinely smiled. "Shinso Hitoshi, and yes, I am," he answered.
"Well, Shinso, I'm really going to root for you. But, prove them wrong now." At those words, Hitoshi grew confused once again, so he decided to elaborate, "Work hard now, and make a statement for yourself. Train your body, mind, and Quirk in preparation for when you apply to become a hero. Show them that you aren't messing around, while at the same time covering all of the necessary bases so you can pass the Entrance Exam. I hear it's robots."
Hitoshi looked at him blankly for a moment, before he closed his eyes and genuinely chuckled. He, Hitoshi Shinso, chuckled. He thought he'd never see the day. Admittedly, Hitoshi likes this vigilante guy that was apparently also his age. "I hope to see you there, Shinso."
When Hitoshi reopened his eyes, after finishing his little chuckling session, the vigilante had mysteriously disappeared, leaving Hitoshi on that last line of dialogue from him. Hitoshi was a bit shaken by that, since he didn't hear any kind of footsteps or signs of departure. Eventually, he just chalked it up to a teleportation Quirk of some sort and left it at that.
Hitoshi left that park with a changed mindset. He would definitely take that vigilante's advice to heart. Though, unfortunately, he never got to thank him properly.
But he couldn't help but think about the last words the vigilante had said. "See me there, huh?" Hitoshi muttered to himself. Perhaps then he'd actually get to thank him.
Surprisingly enough, the next time Hitoshi had school, he found out that the vigilante had stuck to what he said and had somehow gotten his assailants arrested under multiple charges, some not even having to do with him. There also seemed to be an internal investigation at his school, mainly due to leniency on Quirk discrimination.
His father had pulled him out of the school soon after finding out about the true extent of Hitoshi's treatment, which Hitoshi had extensively withheld for a while. His father had profusely apologized for his nonexistent negligence toward him, even when Hitoshi kept insisting that it wasn't his fault. His father swore to help him a lot more, and had actually found himself dedicated to getting a better paying and closer job so he could help watch out for him more, and eventually be able to homeschool him.
And ultimately, after that, Hitoshi's life just kept getting progressively better. He started training, studying more often, and even training his Quirk with his father. Plus, after his father found a new job, they started getting more money and their overall lives started to improve. So, things were overall looking up for them.
He could only really thank that vigilante, in which Hitoshi was sure he caused this all to happen. Hitoshi only wished he could thank the vigilante.
One day, he had found a mysterious note addressed to him. It was written in a handwriting he didn't recognize, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't intrigued by it.
He started to read it:
Shinso,
Talk to your father about this first, but if you really want to begin helping those in need, those who have suffered in similar situations as you, this can be your first step.
Under that listed a name, a vague description of who it was and what they had gone through, as well as an address to someplace in a closeby district. When Hitoshi had looked the place up, he immediately knew what the letter was suggesting to him. He would definitely need to talk to his father about this, first.
Toga Himiko did not live a particular good life. Well, it was better than others, she would admit, but that didn't make it any less shitty.
Quirk discrimination was, unfortunately, a very common thing in the world, and this was something Himiko had the unfortunate pleasure of understanding when she was only four year old.
Himiko had gotten… urges. It was the first sign of her Quirk coming in. She had this weird, unyielding urge to drink people's blood. It wasn't exactly too invasive of a feeling, meaning it didn't overpower her enough to where it influenced her actions, but it acted more like an itch. It was an irritating itch that Himiko just wanted to scratch and make go away.
So, inevitably, that's what she did. She, oddly enough, didn't really have a thing for her own blood, only the blood of others, so she had ended up being… a little violent to one of the other daycare kids.
The reaction was quite quick. She had ended turning into a perfect copy of the kid, body shape and all with it. They could've been mistaken for twins had the situation not been what it was. Her itch had also gone away almost as soon as she drank the kid's blood, and Himiko loved the sense of relief she felt.
Needless to say, her parents quickly found out what had happened and immediately took her to Quirk Specialist. The doctor, from the information given and the tests that were taken, concluded that Himiko's Quirk would allow her to Transform into someone in the event that she drank their blood.
That very same day her parents had begun to treat her differently. They wouldn't look at her. At all. Himiko, being the naive four year old that she was, didn't understand. At first, she took it as her parents were exhausted and tired from their day and decided to leave it at that.
But as the days went on, weeks went by, Himiko began to get worried, and most of all upset. Her parents, on top of not wanting to be near her, would give her sideways glares that made Himiko shudder. The most they would do is feed her and take her to daycare, then pick her up at the end of it to take her home. That was it.
Her life at daycare wasn't the best either. She would get teased a lot for having a 'villain's Quirk' and people would often shut her out of activities or completely avoid her altogether. But there were other kids that thought a Quirk didn't define who someone was, and hung out with her despite all of the teasing they'd receive as well. Sometimes, they'd even let her drink their blood to help her with the itch she had. Himiko had even learned how to drink their blood without transforming! Himiko loved her friends at daycare.
As time continued to pass, her home life got progressively worse and worse. Her parents started to stop feeding her as often as they used to, cutting down the food on her plate to almost half of what it had originally been.
As even more time passed, they didn't want to eat in the same room as her, so they banished her into her room and told her that she was not allowed to leave unless they had said otherwise. She was stripped over most, and arguably all, of her possible entertainment methods, as well. She was forced to just sit in her room, suffering in an alone silence.
Then meals started becoming less and less frequent. They'd skip out on meals for her, with the only ones she'd get being from school (daycare having passed), and those lunches didn't provide her with very much most of the time.
She'd get asked about her health a lot by the teachers and her friends, but Himiko often found herself putting on a fake smile at school, saying everything was fine when everything really wasn't. When she got home, she'd often find herself curling into a ball in her room, once being banished into it, and crying to the sound of her stomach's growling.
The signs become more and more apparent that her health wasn't too great. She was abnormally skinny, her stamina was anything but great, and she found her strength just being sapped away most days. Her friends had tried to give Himiko shares of their lunches, but Himiko would always refuse.
Her parents would always talk behind her back, thinking that she couldn't hear them. But she could. She could hear them almost every time. What they said- what they said about her hurt much more than the actions they had done.
By the time she had reached middle school, things were more or less the same. Her parents had stopped feeding her completely, leaving Himiko to barely survive off of what her public school gave out for lunch. Himiko often wondered why they didn't just pull her from school and leave her to die, like they wanted. Perhaps they just didn't want to be caught, and pulling her out of school so suddenly while her health was rapidly deteriorating was probably a really suspicious move.
She had started to distance herself from others. Her parent's words and their actions toward her had started to plant seed after seed of doubt into her mind that just kept growing into a flourishing plant of doubt. People also started to give her varying looks, which didn't quite help her mental condition. So, despite her friend's attempts to reach out to her, Himiko kept herself at a distance. She didn't think herself as much of anything except what people, mostly her parents, had called her since she got her Quirk: a villain.
She was a half a year into her first middle school year when the police and a hero busted down her house's door. Himiko had been, admittedly, afraid. She didn't know why the police were there, why they had busted into her house and then her barricaded room (courtesy of her parents). A large part of her thought that she had done something wrong and that she had gotten into trouble with the police.
But, it turned out to be the opposite. Himiko was actually saved and her parents were arrested. She had been taken to the hospital, a place she hadn't been to since she was very young, and given the treatment she needed that would inevitably save her life. She had been without proper food for so long, she needed to recover, in more ways than one.
Eventually, a few police officers and a detective had come into her hospital room. Himiko had been gently questioned on what her parents had done to her over the years. She had, very scaredly, answered those questions, fearing what the police would do to her if she didn't.
Himiko didn't know too much, but based on what she was told and heard, someone had finally had the gall to kickstart an investigation into her home life. Apparently, many of her friends filed reports regarding her mentality and physical health, even her teachers had done the same. There was also someone that anonymously had been gathering evidence against her parents for the last few months or so, and had submitted it to the police. She, quite honestly, wasn't sure of what to think.
Over time, as she recovered, people began to visit her in the hospital. It was mainly her friends, who came and did a lot of things with her. They'd chat up a storm, talking about the latest gossip, or sometimes even taking the time to try and help Himiko catch up on what she missed in school. Even some concerned police officers showed up from time to time, checking up on her condition.
Apparently, her statements to the detective had been recorded and used as additional evidence against her parents. When she asked a visiting officer what had happened to them, all he said was that, with all the evidence they had on them, her parents would be away for a long time under child abuse and neglect charges, as well as Quirk discrimination charges.
She was able to leave the hospital after a few months, having recovered enough to leave with her bills being paid by some anonymous person. She was forced into an orphanage, since she didn't have anywhere to call home anymore. She was also scheduled to see a nearby therapist once a week for her mental health, as well.
School life had picked up since she had last been there. She started to reconnect with her friends, especially after they took the time to visit her in the hospital. People would still glare at her, or give her a fearful look every now and then, though.
The months went by, and things had more or less stayed the same. The looks at school never seemed to stop, but she had gotten pretty used to it and she had a nice, small group of friends to help her with that. It was more so her mentality that was concerning.
Even though she saw a therapist regularly, it never really helped her. She would vent her issues and even though the therapist tried her best to help, Himiko would always still have the doubts planted in her mind. Her parent's actions and their words had made a nest in her head, which seemed to only grow as time went on. So, she put on a false face, smiling like everything was okay when things really weren't. She had gotten really good at doing that.
Things weren't the best at her orphanage, either. Of course, things were miles better than what she previously had with her parents: she was getting three meals a day, treated fairly, and more. But, there was still hurt.
While a lot of the kids didn't seem to mind her presence, a good few of them really seemed to despise her. They didn't say anything to her face, or say anything in any composing way for her to hear, but Himiko could tell just by their expressions and eyes what they truly thought of her. She swore that those kids told the younger kids some… unfavorable stuff about her, which had made a lot of them scared of her, which really ended up breaking Himiko inside, seeing innocent kids scared by the mere sight of her.
Adding to that, she found herself saddened by the thought of never being welcomed into an actual loving family. She knew that she wasn't alone with those thoughts, since most likely everyone in the orphanage with her had similar experiences, but it still hurt. She could only imagine how many people had looked at her profile, perhaps wanting to adopt her, but immediately turning away after finding out what her Quirk was.
Himiko knew that she had some form of depression. She knew she had it bad, too. But, she didn't know what to do about it. Her therapy sessions didn't help, and she was afraid of bringing up her issues with her friends because she didn't want them to change how they treated her, or thought of her. So, she was kind of just suffering on her own, forcing herself to drown in the depressing thoughts her mind contoured up or remembered. Honestly, she was amazed she hadn't lost her kind completely during those years.
But, one day, she just suddenly… inwardly snapped. She was tired of feeling the way she was. She hated how she always felt so awful about herself and that she kept remembering all of the hurtful things her parents always said about her.
That's when she decided: if they wanted a villain, she'd give them one to be proud of.
They had this coming. After years of suffering, being labeled as a villain because of a Quirk she was born with, she felt that this was what her life was more or less being built up to. This. Exact. Moment.
She decided after school one day to finally do something. She was going to make a name for herself as a villain. Himiko: The Vampire Queen, would perhaps be a fitting villain title for her. A villain that sucked the blood of her victims.
She had gotten a rather plain and normal kitchen knife from the store with some money she had 'found'. She only needed to locate her victim and do what had to be done.
It took a while, but she found someone suitable enough to be her first victim. A boy who went to her school, sporting shirt, dark brown hair and having an attitude of a snobby charmer. He was quite popular with people at school, but typically an asshole to those he deemed 'below him'. Though he and Himiko never interacted with one another, she had always hated that kind of attitude.
She waited until the next day to make her exact move, slipping an anonymous note into his locker when nobody was around, with directions to a very specific location for a 'special gift', which may or may not have had other suggestive hints included.
After school, Himiko watched as her target fell for the bait. He waved goodbye to his friends and departed on a different route, one that took him straight to the location that was on the note Himiko had slipped into his locker.
She stealthily followed him, watching as her soon to be victim navigated streets and pathways on the way to the designated location. But... she felt off. She felt wrong, in a way.
There was also a chill on the back of her spine, like she was being watched.
She ended up ignoring in favor of fulfilling her resolve, as she witnessed her target arrive at the destination. It was a fairly quiet place, deserted of people and buildings. It was too open and it was likely that nobody would just pop in and see, either.
Himiko gripped the knife in her hand a little tighter as she peeled around a nearby corner, her teeth gritting and eyes glaring ahead. It was time.
She started to move forward and around the corner, but suddenly, a person popped up next to her, an arm almost teleporting in front of her, then pulling her backward and around the corner once again. The knife was knocked out of her hand and kicked far away from her person, unable to be reached.
Himiko was dazed, feeling her body hit the wall of the building she initially hid behind after having been pulled back. She looked at the individual who had interrupted her movement, her eyes glaring but filled with an uncertain fear.
To say this guy looked ridiculous was an understatement, but he looked a lot like a hero to Himiko than anything. No ordinary person would dress up like this, that was for sure, and the fact that his person had freely used his Quirk only seemed to support that. He wore some odd metal helmet on his face, which completely sealed his hair from her view. His eyes were also covered by black shades, so she couldn't see his eyes, but even if she couldn't see them she could feel his intense stare boring into her.
"What are you doing…?" He asked, his voice seeming to drag toward the end of the question.
Himiko fearfully started to shake by now. She had no idea what this person was planning on doing to her, or what would even happen to her. She tried to respond, "I-I-I-"
She could barely get her first word, which wasn't really a word and more like a letter, out without becoming a stuttering mess. He ignored her poor attempt at speaking and did so himself, "You were about to kill an innocent person, and why? Because people told you that you were a villain?"
To say Himiko was shocked would be an understatement. She was totally and utterly flabbergasted as to how this person, who she could only believe as a hero, knew that about her. As far as she knew, he wasn't involved in her case with her parents, and she never met this person before in her life. She could only stare at him with a mixture of fear and confusion in her eyes.
He seemed to notice it, so he spoke again, "I know a lot about you, Himiko." She noticed that he didn't use her former last name. A name she never wanted to hear again after what had happened with her parents, and something she stressed to the doctors, nurses, and her friends while she had been in the hospital, which had eventually carried over to her everyday life. So, people generally called her Himiko now, except for bullies that still used her last name to mock and torture her.
She had no idea how he knew about that, though, or knew her name in general. In all honesty, it freaked her out a little bit. She started to think hysterics, like how this guy was actually some stalker who sought out to kidnap her or something.
He seemed to notice her distress again, and spoke again, "I've been watching out for you for a little while now," he admitted, bringing the blonde out of her thoughts and once again shocking her. "I was actually a pretty big reason why a case against your parents was started. I submitted an anonymous tip with some rather unsavory evidence."
Himiko only blinked at the guy. He had been the anonymous reporter that had helped get her parent's arrested. Nobody aside from her and the police knew that someone had anonymously tipped with evidence. She was, for like the third time now, completely shocked from what she was hearing. She didn't know what to say, aside from one question, "W-Who a-are you?"
He chuckled for a second, before recomposing himself and answering her question, "I'm someone that wants to help you out. So, talk to me, why did you want to do… well, this?" He used his hand to gesture to the area around them, obviously referencing Himiko's now failed attempt to unsuspectingly murder someone.
Himiko hesitated to tell this guy anything for the first few moments. She didn't know whether to trust him or not, or if even saying anything at all would benefit her in any way. But, from what he said, he did help her out of her previous situation, so he really did want to help her, she figured.
She thought that she had nothing to lose at this point, either, so she just decided to let out her inner thoughts. "I'm… broken. My mind feels like it's shattered into so many pieces and, even though I have them all gathered, I don't have the glue to put them back together." As she told him her visualized representation of her mental state, she started to tear up. She spoke again, "All my life I was led to believe that I was some villain. Some evil monster that needed to be locked away. So, I thought, 'why not give them what they want?'. Why not just go out and unleash the beast they all believe I am."
She started to cry a little harder after saying that last bit. She tried her best to keep the same from breaking and letting her tears fall from the waterfall of her eyes, but some broke through. She heard a sigh as a comforting hand rested upon her shoulder. She looked up at the individual, her eyes still watery.
"I can never understand the exact extent of the suffering you've been through, and I'm so sorry you had to go through stuff like that, but what I can tell you is that those people were, and still are, complete morons."
Once his words left his mouth, Himiko could only stare at him once again, this time in more wonderment and curiousness than anything. She felt a strange ping inside of her chest that only got stronger once she realized what she was feeling. She tried to suppress it, but it only got strong. She didn't want to feel hope. She didn't want her hopes to raise, only to potentially fall. She didn't want that.
But, his next words surprised her, "You're not the villain so many people think you are, you're so, so much more than that." He fixed her with a small, reassuring and comfortable smile as he continued to speak. "You, are you. You can't help what you were born with, and can't change it, but you can decide what person you choose to be. You don't have to be the villain, but instead, you can be the hero."
Himiko's tears flowed a little more fluidly as she looked ahead at the stranger. She didn't know why she felt so much from that. She didn't know why she cried so much because of his words. She sniffled and sobbed, but not because she was upset, but because she was happy that someone aside from the people close to her actually believed in her.
But, she still had doubts in her mind. After a small sniffle, she couldn't help but ask, "B-But, my Quirk. It's a v-villains Quirk, isn't it?"
He only lightly laughed, keeping his small smile all the same. Himiko didn't know what to make of that laugh at first, but her thoughts didn't really get too far because he started to speak again, "I can think of at least ten different professions that could really use your Quirk." His statement was carried off of his lips fluently, without doubt and with total certainty. "You don't have to give in to them by becoming a villain, but show them that they were wrong by using the Quirk that they thought was villainous for good."
Himiko didn't know what to say, at all. It all just felt so… surreal to hear, and a part of her couldn't even believe that it was real.
So, she cried. More accurately, she wailed and sobbed as hard as she possibly could. She even collapsed to her knees and continued to ball her eyes out. The guy didn't seem to mind, and Himiko, in her wailing mess, had failed to notice the guy's motion off to the side, most likely to the guy she had been planning to kill, to go and stay away.
Himiko was lost. Her feelings were jumbled and her mind was collapsing in on itself. The pieces she thought were permanently broken slowly began to reforge. All of it was because of some words, words, that someone had finally told her, after all of the years of suffering she had been through.
"So," he started, his smile never leaving. "What do you say? Are you willing to turn around now, leave this path in the dust, and strive toward a new goal for yourself?"
Himiko let out a few sniffles as she wiped the tears from her eyes. This person had said the words she had been wanting to hear for so long. He made her believe in herself for once. He made her believe that she did have another path. So, she said, "I… want to do good." She stood on her feet, a fist clenched and somewhat raised in the air, "I'll prove to them that they were wrong, by becoming the very opposite of what they thought I would become."
The guy nodded, satisfied with her answer. He stepped back, and Himiko once again looked at him curiously. The mysterious fellow still had his soft smile as he spoke his parting words, "Don't let your depressing thoughts get to you. Things will look up soon, and plus, you have a new goal to strive towards. Keep living, Himiko, and don't let the negatives push you down a dangerous path. Good luck."
And with that, he just seemed to poof away. He was gone, just like that, leaving Himiko stunned in her place with new thoughts plaguing her mind.
She looked around after a moment, catching the knife on the ground nearby. She picked it up and gave it a stone cold look, taking it to a nearby dumpster and not even hesitating to throw it inside. She was done thinking like that. The guy was right, she needed to stop letting those thoughts dominate her actions and motives.
She went back to the orphanage thinking about her encounter and what had been said, and, even more importantly, her future. She didn't know exactly what she wanted to do. The guy had told her that he could think of at least ten different fields her Quirk, or possibly even just herself, could be useful in, but didn't share any specific examples.
However, one option did stand out to her above all of the rest. Being a hero, the opposite of being a villain, seemed to be the perfect thing she could choose as a career. What better way to show the people who called her a villain wrong than to become a hero, right? And, along the way, maybe she could help people that suffered, just like herself.
Days, and eventually weeks, had gone by in a flash for Himiko. Even though doubtful thoughts had still infested her mind, she took the guy's advice and began looking up for a change. She didn't dwell on the depressing thoughts for long, and instead decided to focus more on the now. She made it a goal to move on from the past and look into the future.
She even had the courage to open up to more people around her. She confided in her friends a lot more, dematerializing the fake mask she wore for years and telling them about her problems. They were, surprisingly to Himiko, more than supportive of her, and completely backed her dream of being a future hero. It made her so happy that she cried, again, but she didn't care, and neither did her friends.
Then, a day she hadn't been expecting, had come, and not even a month after her meeting with the guy.
"Himiko," a worker called out to her, grabbing her attention. She looked at the worker questionably, before confirming that he had her attention. "Pack up your stuff, you've been adopted."
Those three words 'you've been adopted' made Himiko freeze. She didn't know what to think. She didn't know what to expect. She didn't know anything.
She packed up her stuff and headed down to where her new adoptive parents, or parent, as the worker had told her, was waiting for her. She was, admittedly, afraid of what may happen when she left. Would it all just be the same as before, or would it be something different?
When she walked into the room, she saw two people who she quickly identified as her new family. One was an older male, with dark purple hair and having a friendly smile grace his lips. The other was a younger male, matching the older male's purple hair but also had unnatural bags under his eyes like he had missed continuous nights of sleep.
Himiko could only stare at them. Surprisingly, it wasn't the older male that stepped up first, but the younger one. He got closer to the shy blonde and reached out a hand as an offer to shake it. A smile formed on his face as he spoke.
"Hello, I'm Shinso Hitoshi. I'm your new adoptive brother. I was vaguely informed by a… mutual acquaintance of what happened to you. I hope we can get along."
A/N: Sorry for the long wait on this chapter, I've been mostly burned out for… a while, and I had trouble thinking of some scenarios to use here. Hope you enjoyed and were satisfied by this nonetheless though.
You probably know who Izuku is hoping to track down. I'm just going to clarify some things first. First, he isn't just going straight to All Might or something because, well, that'd be suspicious as hell and he'll most likely be put on watch and restricted from doing things. He's a vigilante, after all. Second, he's not going to personally confront All for One when he figures out his hideout. He's careless at times, but not stupid. His mother drilled into him that his powers were supposed to stay as confidential as possible, due to how powerful they can be, and since All for One has the ability to steal Quirks… yeah, you get where I'm going with this. So, he's just trying to interact as scarcely as possible while gathering information to give to the right people.
Himiko's bit was actually a lot longer than I initially intended it to be. I also think I did a decent job at conveying the message I wanted to send out with that one, too. Izuku wasn't really featured a whole lot in the scenario, but you can see how much he affected her at the end and how his choices will continuously affect both her and Hitoshi in the future.
Admittedly I could've used other characters than the ones I did, but I think these ones fit fairly nicely. I may do more in the future, and I definitely have one case I plan to make a whole chapter about in the future, so if you think I left someone out or won't add them in the future then don't worry, I'll probably get to it then.
Yeah, Izuku didn't discover any new powers this time. I'm working on which ones I'm going to add, like the order of them, what situations they're going to be found in, and more. So, yeah, still refining everything.
And, yeah, I know, not a lot of Izuku in this chapter, but that was the point. It was supposed to show the good he's doing as a vigilante from the point of view of those he's helping, and how he's changed their lives or will change their lives in the future from what it once was. I think I covered that fairly well.
Anyway, that's it for now. Next one will be Izuku again.