-Shinobu's POV-

"Welcome back, Tamaki. Have you figured out the answer to my question?" I questioned quietly as Tamaki and I made it to the same clearing we had been using for training. The timid boy nodded shakily before replying.

"Yes ma'am… B-but will you please tell me why you became a h-hero first?" he requested looking like he was about two seconds from pressing his forehead into a nearby tree, so I decided to tell him in hopes that he would relax a bit.

"Okay. But it's not a very nice story," I admitted as he nodded in acknowledgement, his shakiness reducing as I sat down on the plush grass in the clearing and potted the spot next to me, indicating for him to sit which he did.

-Flashback Shinobu's Age: 6, Hizashi's Age: 8 (Shinobu's POV)-

It was the first weekend since school had started that I had gotten to go to the park with Hizashi-nii-san, and I was ecstatic! All morning, I had been running around the apartment, still quieter than most kids but I was clearly buzzing with happiness throughout breakfast and while watching tv waiting for nii-san to arrive.

Once he arrived, we quickly made our way to the nearby park where we are quickly approached by some of Hizashi-nii-san's friends from school. Hizashi-nii excitedly waves at them and introduces me as his adorable little cousin, Nobu-chan.

Wanting to make a good impression on his friends, I tried to give a kind smile and be outgoing enough to say hi. However, my nerves were pretty shot and I found myself accidentally activating my voice quirk as I shouted, "HI!"

I quickly found myself beginning to panic. The world becomes silent, and I watch in horror as Nii-san's friends as well as some of their younger siblings who had tagged along began putting their hands over their eyes in panic and blinking frantically, a sure sign that I had accidentally cancelled all of their sights.

"Oh no! What do I do? I messed up big time now!" I thought in a panic until a warm hand squeezes mine before I am pulled into a comforting hug which helps me calm down enough to deactivate my quirk.

"Wow, Nobu-chan! Your quirk is really powerful, huh?" Zashi-nii encouraged, trying to make light of the situation by releasing me from his hug and shooting finger guns at me with a big smile.

"Hey! What the hell is wrong with her?" One of the kids yelled as I looked around and realized they had surrounded us, and every one of the other kids looked angry and/or scared. Suddenly, we were bombarded by taunts and accusations to the point that it was hard to discern who was yelling what in my current state.

"That girl is a villain!"

"Yeah! Only a villain would have a quirk that can blind people!"

"They should just lock her up now and save everyone around her from dealing with her!"

"Hizashi-kun must be her accomplice so she can lure victims in!"

"Yeah! She's obviously some kind of demon! I mean did you see her eyes turn black and those black veins on her face? Freaking creepy!"

Biting back tears, I finally yelled out, "Zashi-nii has nothing to do with this!" and turned and ran away as fast as I could, not turning back till I was a couple of blocks away, tears now freely streaming down my face.

"Nobu-chan! Give me a heads up next time you want to have a race!" Zashi-nii teased in between pants as he caught his breath from running after me before he noticed the tears flowing from my eyes. His expression suddenly became serious, and he pulled me into a tight hug.

"I-I'm so sorry, Nii-san… Your friends called you a villain's accomplice because of me," I apologized, my childish voice full of sadness. Zashi-nii just released me from the hug and ruffled my hair.

"Then, they weren't very good friends now were they?" Zashi-nii countered with a sincere smile causing me to give a half-hearted smile, "Now, let's get you home. Kagero-oba-san is making your favorite for dinner, yakisoba! I can't wait! Her yakisoba is the best!" I couldn't help but give him a small smile since he was clearly trying to encourage me so much; however, I knew that I could not forgive myself so easily.

-Time skip, Still flashback Shinobu's Age: 9, Hizashi's Age: 11-

We were back in the same park where everything had gone wrong that day. After that event, word had spread at Zashi-nii's school about him being a supposed accomplice to his villain cousin. Everyone avoided him, and he had become a social pariah and was unable to find any friends. I had apologized too many times to count to Zashi-nii, but he always says there's no need for me to apologize. Today, I had apologized on the way to the park, and Zashi-nii had been oddly silent. Not knowing what to do, I followed him to the swings and sat on the one that he pointed to next to him. We began swinging leisurely for a couple of minutes before he finally broke the silence.

"Nobu-chan, if what happened that day really hurt you that badly, we should both become heroes one day! But you'll have to be MY sidekick, not the other way around!" Hizashi-nii announced with signature finger guns while flashing me a smile. At this suggestion, I found the guilt in my heart lighten as I nodded in agreement without hesitation. I would become a hero, and prove that my quirk was able to be used for good. Then, no one would be able to ever accuse Zashi-nii-san of being a villain's accomplice ever again.

-Flashback Ends-

"Did things get better after you and PresentMic-sensei got into U.A?" Tamaki questioned, not stuttering for once, eyes wide in interest of my story. The answer to his question is not really, but that was not a question to deal with today.

"That's a story for another day. Now, I told you my reason. It's your turn," I dodged the question and shifted the focus to the indigo haired boy beside me as I stood up. He did the same.

"I-I want to be able to be a light that helps others feel safe and protected and protect those I care about," Tamaki answered, his voice getting steadier as he got to the end of his answer, earning a proud smile from me.

"If you keep that motivation in mind and work hard, you will be an amazing hero, Tamaki. I predict one of the best even," I responded truthfully.

"Your expectations only drag me deeper into despair," Tamaki muttered, finally pushing his face into a tree causing me to let out a small giggle as I walked over to the middle of the clearing and stood in a comfortable fighting stance.

"Alright. Now, it's time to stop talking and start training. Go ahead and come for me, but for now, there will be no use of quirks," I announced as Tamaki quickly stepped away from the tree but remained slightly hunched over before doing as I said and coming at me.

To my surprise, Tamaki came at me with a left hook, but as he got close to me, he hesitated, clearly conflicted about hitting a girl, even if I was his teacher. In order to teach him a lesson, I easily caught his wrist and twisted it around behind his back and pin him to the ground, restricting him just enough to hurt a little, but not enough to do any damage.

"Lesson 1: Do not hesitate," I instructed, my voice soft but firm as I held him to the ground, "If you hesitate because of an enemy's appearance, they will likely gain the upperhand. Now, let's try again." With that instruction, I released him from the hold and stood back up into a fighting stance and waited for him to do the same.

As soon as Tamaki was back in a fighting stance, I decided I would come for him. I aimed a punch for his stomach which he did manage to block, but he wasn't paying close enough attention to notice that I was now going for a kick at his side which connected and sent him into one of the trees on the edge of the clearing. Well, that's the end of this round. Now I need to take the poor kid to Recovery Girl. At least that's what I thought.

To my surprise, the timid indigo-haired boy was still conscious and immediately forced himself to his feet, a determined look in his dark eyes.

"Again," he said, his voice louder than I had heard it up to this point. I smirked, very impressed with his drive. Now, this is gonna be interesting.

-Time Skip to after training-

Despite how quickly I had managed to subdue Tamaki in our first two rounds, he was improving quickly. He managed to give me a split lip and a slight black eye, much to my surprise. And by the end of training, we were both panting and a bit beat up.

"You did great today, Tamaki. You have a lot of talent, and your drive is admirable. We will continue your training tomorrow. You're dismissed," I dismissed him with a small smile as he nodded and walked off quickly as I checked the time. Shit! Is it really already that late? I grabbed my kusarigama from the tree it was leaning against and rushed towards the roof of the building that I was supposed to meet Shouta at for patrol, silently hoping that I would make it in time.

Song: idontwannabeyouanymore by Billie Eilish