Chapter 1

A Bloody Redemption

Quirks; the name given to the rapid mutation the human race had gone through. Superhuman abilities that would give even a child unimaginable power, yet, not every quirk was powerful. Some were only minor mutations, with something as simple as different eyes being considered a quirk. Yet no matter the ability, almost every person sought to be a hero. Hero; a name given to the world's superhuman law-enforcement, standing up against those who do wrong. Almost every person though..

It was a sunny afternoon, deep in the bustling city of Tokyo; and down a dark alley in the 3rd city district of Shinjuku, what seemed to be a man sat to the side of a dumpster. At least, he seemed like a man with his muscle definition and wide frame, the rest of his features were completely hidden under brown and dirty rags.

He felt peaceful under the warmth of the sun, taking in a deep breath as he was showered in its golden rays; yet peace was cut short for him. It always was. A can bounced off his head, the fizzy drink inside slightly staining the hood on his head.

The man turned his head, seeing a group of four giggling and snickering. All teens; he could tell from their uniforms. Two boys and two girls. "See? I told you, this old bum will let you do whatever and he won't give a shit!" One of the boys had said, his dark oily hair draped over one of his eyes. The man tried to ignore the comments. They were just words after all, and he heard the same thing almost every day.

"And that thing lives so close to our school.. Talk about creepy!" One of the girls had said, her hair orange and short; styled into a bob. "Yeah, wonder why the cops haven't called yet. He should be locked up for looks alone." The other boy said, this one with a black bowl-cut. "I heard he ate someone who went here, a uh, first year I think." Responded the blonde girl, her long hair slightly blowing from the breeze.

The man let out a small huff and looked down from this comment. His anger is now bubbling. "Who cares? Better he isn't locked up.. Now we get to show this freak what happens when you show people something so ugly. Not even a villain deserves to see that!" The group giggled at the long haired boy's snide remark, and then did something the man was never expecting. They got closer.

He tried ignoring them, only for a kick to be sent to the back of his head. The man fell forward, catching himself with his hands; yet his arms were now visible. Sharp blackish brown spikes jutting out from his forearms, white bandages over his hands. "Yuck, he even smells too!" One of the girls had said. He couldn't see to tell which, as a ringing suddenly filled his ears. A large pounding in his brain that just wouldn't leave his head. "How much do you think we'd get if we wiped a pest like him off the streets? I mean, just look at him! Shit, the guy's probably a villain anyways." The long haired boy said with a smug grin. The man was able to turn his head, seeing that the eye covered under the boy's hair was now glowing a bright yellow and purple.

He can't keep ignoring this. He can't keep getting pushed around like this.

The other boy, with the bowl-cut, grabbed at the man's hood. "Let's get a look before it all goes across the pavement!"

No more.

The man let out a loud roar as he reared his head back, his hood going down and revealing his face. His skin was light yet dirtied, and his head lacked any hair, but his most striking features were more than that; with pointed ears and a ridged skull shape. What looked to be three small open wounds were above his left and large brow, and the same effect carried over to his mouth.

Exposed flesh lined the outside of his large maw, showing off his large and sharp teeth that protrude through his gums like icicles. The group of teens stepped back in shock, this causing the long-haired boy to drop his quirk. The man took quick advantage of this.

He quickly grabbed onto the boy and had him pinned to the ground, his knee planted firmly on his stomach. The boy let out a wince and gasped in pain before freezing in fear at the sight of the beast on him. "I deserve to be respected!" The man yelled out in fury, spit slightly flying from his mouth from the lack of lips. He raised his arms before crossing them both into an X shape and forcing it onto the boy's chest. Two sharp and long blades thrusted out of his forearms, the same color as the spikes on his arm.

"Please- I'm sorry! D-Don't!" The boy cried out, trying to thrash and kick away at his attacker; only for his cries to be cut short by a sickening squelch, and then a crunch. There was silence. A silence that felt like it went for eternity to all in the area.

…

Only for a scream so shrill it felt like it cut through the air itself. The screaming continued, only to soon fade away along with the sound of shoes running away. The man looked down at the boy, and soon shame crept up his body, as well as guilt. He let out a loud sigh before dragging the body off, a long trail of blood following behind before the man opened the dumpster. He threw the boy's corpse in, landing next to a similar body. Wearing the same school uniform.

Baraka Hibana left the alleyway, no longer able to keep secret and hidden here. He looked down at his bloodied hands before hiding them under the brown sleeves of his rags, and put his hood up to hide his equally stained and now guilt-ridden face. He walked and walked, until finally settling in an alley near Musutafu in the Shizuoka Prefecture. The night sky glimmered with the shine of the moon, and he could see the faint glow of very few stars. He was at peace again, letting out a sigh of relief as he closed his eyes.

He could only hope no trouble would find him here.

Author's notes:

My first ever fanfiction ever. Hopefully that would explain certain issues with the story.

I don't really have a lot of experience with more longer stories, so any help in a form of critique and such is very welcome.

I'm basing this iteration of Baraka after his MK1 (2023) counterpart, which is my personal favorite version of the character. But don't worry if you've liked his older stuff more, as I'll try to incorporate certain traits from the older eras into this Baraka; such as his hate for sharp spinny hats.

Once again, make sure to give any critique as I'm very inexperienced (and stupid). I personally felt pacing and length was off in this chapter, and if that's an issue; I'll make sure to try and fix it in future ones.

That's it for this chapter. Hope you stick around, no matter the audience size. You guy or guys have a good one.