Rule #1a: Never screw over your partner
The sun always burns those who get too close.
Hagakure Toru had been born with a Quirk, much like the other eighty per-cent of the world's population that seemed to rule the roost, and like them, she took it for granted. Some people's mutations made them have colourful hair, whilst others had horns and she was invisible; that's just the way things were. As a child, she was bright and bubbly; flitting about on stumpy toddler legs as her family tried to capture their wayward invisible daughter and when she was four, the rest of her light-based Quirk settled into place. Simple as that.
But in a world that seemed to love Quirks so much—that adored them to the point of hero worship—there were still a few places that rejected such ideals. Such as the town of Okutama in Tokyo; her hometown. Okutama wasn't SO bad, at least, not through little childish eyes, but children were often shielded from such things and Toru's family was no different. Unlike the majority of the world, here in this old fashioned town, those with Quirks were outcast from society (unless you were lucky enough to be able to hide them, or pass yourself off as Quirkless).
Still, there were one or two brave agencies who dared step foot into her neck of the woods, of course (heroes were MUCH braver than the scary adults who'd glare at her just for standing there) but even then, they tended to keep to themselves. Retirees that were looking for a nice & quiet little place to settle down or rookies that needed an ego check; whomever they were, they tended to stay out of town and lent more towards the bigger populations that made up Tokyo. Her favourite though, probably had to be the Ms Take Agency which was the home of some old hero who seemed to be purely made up of stitches and beer. She told good stories, and gave GREAT advice (she was probably about the only one who DID acknowledge her, even if she WAS ostracised by the townspeople) that she could back up.
["Don't do that, kid"]
["Why not?"]
["Because Ms Take pisses OUT OF A TUBE now"]
It wasn't until she first attended school, that reality really seemed to hit her in the face. For being born with a Quirk was surely a sign of good fortune for anyone in the big cities, but not out here in old fashioned Okutama. Out here, where children were just as cruel as their parents; where being different was a sin. "Don't look at it!"
"How disgraceful, letting that THING walk about like it belongs here"
"YOU'RE going to be a hero? Don't be ridiculous!"
"The only thing invisibility is good for is stealing stuff and perving on people!"
"WHY would we pick YOU? Your Quirk is useless!"
"WHO are talking about?"
"Are talking to ME?"
"I'm sorry, do I know you?"
"Get LOST, Inviso-girl! Can't you tell when no one wants you?"
"Ugh! You're SO annoying!"
"It's not MY fault! I didn't even see you standing there!"
"Ow! Miss! Hagakure burnt me! Look!"
"Sir! Hagakure's staring is creeping me out! Make her stop!"
"Hey pervert, I bet you LIKE it that no one can see you staring, huh?"
"What's the POINT of you?"
"NO ONE would even notice if you left"
So, Toru built her walls stronger, grew thicker skin. But people don't like it when you clap back at them with the same energy that they give you. It throws them off, they try to top themselves and blame you; playing the victim to get you in trouble. Until eventually, when they'd grown bored of playing with you, they just brushed you aside like you were nothing to begin with. And soon enough—through no fault of her own—people forgot Toru was even there. So she vowed to be louder, bubblier and SO in-your-face that you couldn't ignore her existence. It was going well, for the most part, MAKING people acknowledge her existence. And then her heart gave out.
That's why, when a new heart was gifted to her, she vowed to stay silent from then on in. To slip in to the background, to hideaway even if it meant that her grades tanked, if it meant being friendless and lonely, even if it meant lying to her mother's face. Because working herself up into such a frenzy until her Quirk damn near killed her, was only proving THEIR point. Because watching her mother tear herself apart to keep her daughter ALIVE made the guilt all the more terrible. Because being sent to the remedial class couldn't have been a death sentence when NO ONE even acknowledged your existence in the first place. Because ANYTHING had to be better than this, right?
And when the Hero Public Safety Commission came to town—when they hired and trained CHILD KILLERS—those little outcasts were pushed even further away and closer together than ever before. It was the closest Toru could ever remember to having true, proper friends. Even as they scratched themselves up with rubber blades, even as substitute teachers taught them how to slice through the meat of the soft belly, even as Koro-sensei's blood stained the tulip bed and his trembling limbs grew limp. They were hailed as heroes for killing the ONE person who dared to care for them, for shaping up in time to graduate with their peers, for returning to society, even though society never wanted them in the first place.
Still, behind those fake smiles and shallow praises thrown their way, Toru knew that her family still suffered because of them—because of her. The debt, the rumours, her mother's job, her brother's schooling, memories and comparisons to a father that she had never known. They tried to hide it, but she knew. She'd found the evidence wrapped around a red brick, one day; crisp white letters marked with big angry red letter that had been thrown through their kitchen window. Glass had smattered the floor like crinkling snow and a small trickle of blood from her pricked toe had stained the linoleum.
Oh sure, once Class 3-E had completed their contract to take out the "supervillain", they had taken a sum of the prize money as comeuppance and graduated along with the rest of their peers, but that didn't help matters. Sure, it looked good on TV, but TV was nothing like reality. So when Ms Take had suggested Toru attend UA High School in the coming year, the invisible teen had all but jumped at the chance.
Yes, the fees would be expensive but there were scholarships for that kind of thing. And sure, living with her grandparents in that little rundown compound was going to be an adjustment, as was life in the big city. But anything had to be better than THIS—anything had to be better than OKUTAMA. Because if she left, then maybe—just maybe—her family wouldn't be cursed anymore. For she surely was the curse, how could she not be? Just like grandfather Aoi, her glass wings had been ripped from her spine but she still laughed as she fell into the pyre, burning all the while.
When she'd confided in her brother, through weepy tears and big snotty sniffs, he'd simply held her tight and brushed her concerns aside. She was just overthinking things, he'd said. She wasn't a curse! How could someone so bubbly and bright be a curse? But then the UA Breach had happened.
["WARNING! LEVEL THREE SECURITY BREACH! PLEASE EVACUATE THE BUILDING IN AN ORDERLY FASHION"]
The Unforeseen Simulator Joint Incident.
["I KNOW its impolite, but we've decided to invite ourselves into this haven of justice to say 'hello' and besides, isn't this the PERFECT place for All Might, the Symbol of Peace, to take his LAST breath?"]
Lee Tamaki
["What! Don't leave me alone! What if they come back! I don't wanna be left alone!" Tamaki wailed as tears streamed down her cheeks. Toru didn't turn back.]
The Yoshiwara District
["Don't bother. The Aizukotetsu-Kai syndicate rules these parts. No cop's gonna willingly come out here. We're on our own"]
Stain the Hero Killer.
["Toru! What did you do?!"]
The Kiyashi Shopping Mall
["Soon as ALL five of my fingers touch your chest, your heart will be the first thing to disintegrate. In a matter of seconds, you'll be nothing more than dust & powdered bone!"]
The League of Villains Kidnapping
["Do you enjoy getting your hands dirty? Do you want to destroy the very heroes who threw you aside? Then the League of Villains wants you!"]
The Dormitories
["In a manner of safety, we're asking that all of the first year students are moved into the newly built dormitories, on campus"]
The Shie Haissaikai
["Their young head, Chisaki, can disassemble things and then reassemble them with his Quirk. It is a Quirk that allows him to completely break down matter and this is a bullet that can break down Quirks, I think you know where I'm going with this"]
The Hero Public Safety Commission Contract
["You girl, are getting an extension on that assassination contract. You'll be working alongside Hawks to infiltrate the League of Villains and report your findings back to the Commission"]
And the Paranormal Liberation Front Infiltration
["Under the rule of Shigaraki, the Meta Liberation Army and the League of Villains fused to become the Paranormal Liberation Front. Alone, those two factions were something to beware, but together? I'd get your affairs in order, kid"]
There were just SO many examples that Toru could look back at, and those were only the ones that had happened during her first year at UA High School—and the school year hadn't even finished yet! How could she NOT be cursed, when stuff like THIS kept happening?
How could she not blame herself when the sun ALWAYS burns those who get too close?
Wandering feet and burning glares eventually gave way to polite smiles and childish stares as they crossed the boundary between Deika City and its neighbouring city. By the time that both Toru and Aoyama had recollected themselves amongst the streets of the neighbouring city, the sun had climbed higher into the sky and the gruelling stares of Deika City had melted away into the indifferent crowds of Hosu. Much like Deika City, Hosu had come quite a long since its ordeal with the nomus earlier in the year, though the people were starting to become less trusting of the heroes.
Which might have of been part of the reason that Endeavour & his goonies had been sighted most recently around the city, despite it not being his home of residency. And, of course, where Endeavour went, Hawks was sure to follow; just as he had made mention of earlier. Still, the pair spared each other no further comment about what had happened, instead preferring to sulk in relative silence as they mused over what the other had told them—he, with his blackmailed betrayal and her, with her commission-sanctioned assassin training.
Blowing out a breath that seemed to hiss through her teeth like the whistling of a kettle, Toru quietly grabbed a hold of Aoyama's wrist and dragged him over to the nearest convenience store, to grab a few things for them to snack on and just generally make themselves feel better. It was nearly lunchtime, anyway. Aoyama had been strangely subdued the whole time that they perused the aisles of the small store; following her through the aisle like a lost puppy as they picked up this & that. He almost seemed to shrink in on himself when they went to pay for their comfort foods.
Honestly, with their track record, Toru shouldn't have been so surprised to run into her classmates as she was. Damn!
"Maybe we should go the other way…?" Aoyama suggested, skidding to a stop as he too caught wind of Bakugou's explosive rants and the broad outline of Endeavour's frame.
"Oh, hey guys!" Midoriya waved enthusiastically in their direction.
"Too late now" Toru muttered in reply as she dragged the reluctant blonde over to their classmates. "They've spotted us"
The red feathers littered about the ground and the pools of liquid glass told them that Hawks had been there recently, if he wasn't still hanging around. As for the glass, the zealous villain, Enlightened Fallen King, was currently being shoved into the back of a paddy wagon—the steel kind with zero inches of glass—ready to be shipped off to the nearest detainment centre or precinct.
As the approached, Toru's demeanour quickly changed as she put on a bright, bubbly and rather giggly facade; one not too dissimilar to the aftermath of the Pro Licensing Exam. Hopefully, if she was in their face, her classmates wouldn't look twice at Aoyama's strange habits. "Oh, hey guys!" She giggled, waving enthusiastically.
"…Bonjour" Aoyama was far more subdued than normal.
"What's with you, Twinkle Toes?" Bakugou huffed, immediately picking up on the boy's lacklustre attitude whilst Endeavour dealt with the officials, in the background.
"W-what do you mean?" Aoyama tried. "I am perfectly magnifique!"
"Uh huh" The blonde quirked an unimpressed brow at him, before he turned to the giggly albino.
"And why're you so giddy?"
"We've been training, obviously" Toru lied, hanging herself off of the explosive blonde without a care in the world. A loopy Toru was a clingy Toru, afterall. "I mean, our hero's got us running errands at the moment, but—oh! Oh!—'Yama and I can do this thing now, where—"
Bakugou, whose gaze had hardened into something a bit more disapproving and quite a bit withering, interjected before she could go on. "—Have you two been doing combos again?" He sounded like a disappointed mother who'd caught their teen sneaking back into the house, after curfew.
"Maaaaaaaaaay~beeeeeeee!" Toru sang as she hung off of Midoriya & Todoroki's shoulders.
The explosive blonde just turned to the twinkling blonde with a commanding air, "Make sure she doesn't pass out in the street!"
"Of course" Aoyama nodded, "Who do you take me for?"
"That was one time!" Toru whined, petulantly as she dripped off of the boys' shoulders, much to their panic. It was actually kinda funny watching Todoroki trying to wrap his head around what was happening whilst Midoriya was both trying to keep her upright & muttering madly about Quirks again.
"One time too many, if you ask me" He grumbled, crossing his arms.
"Well, good thing no one's asking you then, now isn't it?" She stuck out her tongue.
"Wait—! Combo moves made you pass out?" Midoriya puzzled, concern clear in his expression.
"Don't you remember, Midoriya?" Todoroki drawled as Toru flopped about in his grip like putty. "She passed out in English; Present Mic nearly had a heart attack"
"Oh yeah…" Midoriya hummed in thought. "But that was ages ago!"
"Thank you!" Toru pointed shoved her finger in the greenette's face. "See? He gets it!"
"Sunshine—!" Bakugou growled in warning.
"Did you really pass out because of what we did?" Aoyama piped up, worry tinging his features.
"Kinda, but it didn't hurt or anything! Promise!" Toru hurried to reassure him. "It's like…y'know how in class when we spar—" She gestured to the two fire users and herself. "—Your fire barely registers? That's 'cause you're all flash! But no bang! On the other hand, when 'Yama & I spar, it's different 'cause his light is so concentrated that it's like holding the sun in my hands"
"Which makes you drunk and pass out" Bakugou deadpanned, both voice & face drier than bone.
Toru shrugged, noncommittally. "Eh…could be worse, I s'pose. I could end up looking like that burnt chicken nugget from camp. Y'know, the one that looked like an emo Todoroki?"
Midoriya's brow furrowed as he tried to put a name to that colourful description. "Do…you mean, Dabi?"
"Yeah, that's the one!" Toru could only hope that Todoroki's—Shouto's—conspiracy mind got spinning with that little tidbit of information. He'd done more with less, before; like when he thought she was some Yakuza princess.
Seemingly had enough, Aoyama cleared his throat as he tried to hold that brittle smile in place. "C'me on, mon amis, we should get going"
"Okay!" Toru chirped as she detached herself from her classmates and quickly glued herself back to Aoyama's side as the two began to make their way back down the street. "See you guys later!"
No sooner had they lost themselves in the crowd of bustling people, did Toru drop her over exaggerated facade, as if she were shedding a jacket or a mask of some kind; the switch went off and so did her facade. Aoyama, who was clearly grateful to be leaving their most inquisitive classmates behind, slumped ever lower. "Merci…" Aoyama whispered, his voice low and pitiful.
"You're welcome" Toru replied as she slurped at her Midnight-themed capri sun. "Don't mention it. Seriously, don't"
HERO PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION STATUS REPORT
PARANORMAL LIBERATION FRONT INFILTRATION
HERO: HAWKS
Endeavour Agency has been contacted regarding the upcoming assault.
Hand off of information was successful.