I sit perfectly still, the weight of the world flowing over my shoulders, pure, radiant solar energy suffusing through my body. I am Light. I am the Sun.
"Akatani! You're going to be late for school!"
And that's the end of my morning meditation.
Sighing, I reach down to my waistband where my Walkman is clipped to my jeans and shut off the track currently playing, "Come and Get Your Love."
"System." I call as I stretch, popping the tired joints in my spine.
*Ding*
Name: Akatani Midoriya
Age: 6
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Hamon Capacity: 2/2
Stands: N/A
Skills: Hamon Breathing (Level 1/10) (10->12%)
Dio Brando Fashion Sense (Level 1/1)
Well at least I got in a good session.
I remove my headphones, resting them around my neck as I clamber down from my bed.
It has been a year and a half since I got the tutorial quest from the system and I only managed to break through into level one half a month ago.
After that though, progress has been rather rapid, producing roughly a percent increase every day.
I even have a little bit of energy to use at this point, just enough Hamon for a small burst of energy, like a shot of espresso.
I catch my reflection in the window on the bedroom door and admire my new look.
I'm wearing a black shirt with a large silver heart in the center, underneath a leather jacket with black jeans and combat boots.
My hair is pulled back into a wolf tail samurai cut, the original fringe still covering my right eye.
Damn I look good.
After admiring myself I meander down the hall towards the kitchen, where I see Izuku and Inko sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast.
Izuku has grown quite a bit in the past year, both physically and mentally. It's clear that his "victory" over Bakugou and his goons at the park had an effect on him.
He's more confident now than he would have been originally, with a little bit of lean muscle underneath the baby fat.
The big change is in Inko though. Instead of shrinking and getting heavier, the walks that we go on are keeping her looking young, happy and healthy.
Mentally, she seems to have mostly recovered from Hizashi's abandonment of us, but just doesn't seem to have time in her life for dating.
As I step into the kitchen, Inko finally notices me.
"There you are Akatani!" She says, smiling. "C'mon, I made waffles. I even made blueberry, your favourite."
"Nnn. Thanks Mama." I reply as I climb into a seat at the table, a plate already made in front of me.
I sit at the table and eat my food, just enjoying the simple time with my family before Zuku and I get shipped off to school.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The walk to school was the same as every day, Zuku talking about all the heroes we see as we pass by them, even going so far as to ask for some autographs on heroes he hadn't met before.
"Aniki look! It's Airjet: The Buster Hero! What's he doing in Mustafu? Is he here for UA? Hey Aniki! Did you know that in the past six months Airjet has taken down seventeen flying villains? Not to mention the twenty-four other villains he-"
Yeah. The same as always. Ignoring Zuku, I turned on the Walkman and put in the headphones, the Redbone's Greatest Hits album still playing.
Before long we were in our new classroom for the year, the group tables of kindergarten replaced by rows of desks, marking the transition to the first grade.
Since Izuku and I were there so early, the room was empty, so I made my way over to the seat in the back of the class next to the windows, where I had the least risk of being noticed or being bothered, Zuku sitting down right next to me.
Bored, I put my old Eraserhead themed backpack on the floor next to my desk and put my head down, practicing my Hamon Breathing before class starts.
After three or four songs, Izuku tapped me on my back excitedly, so I paused the track and looked up, to see our teacher standing at the front of the class, a boy standing next to her.
The boy was thin, even for a six-year-old, but taller than the class average by a good three inches. He had indigo purple hair that seemed to defy the laws of physics and tired purple eyes, with pronounced bags underneath them.
"Class, we have a new student this year. His name is Shinsou Hitoshi, and he's transferring from Saitama Prefecture, so treat him well."
Hey hey hey- what the fuck? I am 100% sure that he isn't supposed to be here, so why is he?
The class erupts into hushed whispers, everyone talking about the new kid. Shinsou stands at the front awkwardly until someone -Bakugou, of course it is- shouts at him.
"HEY NEW EXTRA! WHAT'S YOUR QUIRK?"
Shinsou jumps, clearly startled, but stutters out a response.
"I- i- it- it's called b- Brainwashing. Wh- when someone answers a question I ask I can control them."
Silence.
After a while, one of the other students- Akari, one of Bakugou's minions, the one with the fingers, speaks up. "Isn't that a villain's quirk?"
At that, Shinsou's shoulders slump a little and he walks his way to a seat in the back, the students in the desks next to his scooting away from him.
"Well, now that's taken care of." The teacher continues, ignoring what just happened. "We're going to start our unit on plants."
I just turn my Walkman back on and put my head down.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Briiiiiing.
Hearing the lunch bell, I languidly sit back up, stretching out my tired joints from my nap. Scratching an itch on my rib, I look over to the right and see Zuku, face down in an open workbook, drooling between the pages as he sleeps.
"Oi. Zuku, wake up." I grumble, shaking him awake.
"Mmnmn…" he groaned. "I'm awake…"
"Suuuure." I respond, standing up from my desk to see that the class is empty aside from Izuku and I, the rest of the class having already left for lunch.
Lazily I shut my Walkman off and grab both mine and Izuku's backpacks, tossing his at his still-slumbering form.
The fluorescent All Might backpack slams into my smaller twin, knocking him out of the chair and into the floor, startling him awake.
The boy launches himself upright, eyes wild with panic. "I'M UP! I'M UP!" he shouts, searching around the room for his apparent attacker.
It only takes a second for him to see my smug smile. "That was mean Aniki." He pouts.
"Maybe." I relent, walking towards the door. "It was fun though. Now c'mon sleepyhead, lunch isn't gonna eat itself."
As I step out into the hallway I can hear the sound of trays clattering and children chattering from the cafeteria.
As I'm making my way down the hallway I hear Zuku rushing after me, carrying our two lunchboxes.
"Thanks Zuku. Totally forgot we packed lunch today." I say.
"Mhm! Mama packed us Katsudon leftovers for lunch! I'm so excited!" he replies with a blinding smile.
I hiss in pain from the sheer brightness of it.
Walking into the large cafeteria we see our class along with two others spread around at the dining tables.
In the center of the room is Katsuki and his minions, including some upperclassmen trying to suck up to the kid with the "Hero" quirk. Even from here I can hear Akari telling everyone about Shinsou and his quirk, telling everyone how he's a "Villain".
Izuku and I make our way to our table in the corner to see Shinsou sitting there alone, picking at his cafeteria food.
I sit across from the boy and open my Crust-Themed lunchbox in silence, but Izuku sits right beside the other boy and slams his All Might box on the table.
Opening his lunchbox, Izuku looks right at the other boy and starts a conversation. "Man, Ms. Kaido's class is so boring!" He complains "She spent half an hour talking about grass! Grass! It's no wonder I fell asleep!"
Shinsou just stares at the other boy in shock, his lunch momentarily forgotten. "Why… Why are you talking to me? I'm a villain."
Izuku just tilts his head. "You are? You use your quirk to hurt people?" Izuku asked, genuinely confused.
Shinsou panics. "What!? No! I would never!" the boy shouts, looking affronted at the mere suggestion.
Izuku just looks more confused. "Then how are you a villain? Villains use their quirks to hurt people."
Shinsou looks bewildered. "But… Everyone says I have a villain's quirk.."
I snorted in derision. "And? Nothing those fucksticks-" I say, gesturing towards the table in the middle of the room. "Says actually matters. They're all just a bunch of spoiled, snot-nosed egotistical brats."
Shinsou just stares at me, most likely because of my blatant swearing. Or the fact that I don't care about his quirk. Or both. Probably both.
"I don't get it." Shinsou says, brow furrowing in thought. "Why do you say that? Do you also have a villain's quirk?"
"Nope. I definitely don't have a villain quirk."
He just looks more confused. "Then what quirk do you have?"
I shrug. "I don't have one."
His face blanks.
"What?"
I raise an eyebrow. "That going to be a problem?"
"N- No." He stutters. "I just- I've never met a- a" he takes a breath. "A quirkless before." He whispers.
I laugh. "Well, now you've met two. Nice to meet you Shinsou. I'm Akatani, and this is my brother Izuku."
"Hi!" The human golden retriever responds. "I'm Izuku. Want some Katsudon? My mom made it."
Shinsou blinks. "Sure I guess?"
Izuku smiles brighter.
How.
"Great! Here you go!"
Shinsou just stares, overwhelmed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Nuh-uh! Weather Duster is totally the coolest rookie hero!" Izuku rebukes, already digging through his backpack for his notebook on the hero. "Present Mic.is good, sure, but Weather Duster can make "Tornadoes." Yelling really loudly is nothing in comparison."
"Oh Zuku…" I chide, disappointment tainting my tone. "A hero is more than his quirk, remember? Present Mic is the coolest because of his Radio Show 'Put Your Hands Up.' it's because he takes the time away from combat to use his influence to help charities and similar causes-"
Izuku and I are walking home after the school day is over, on our way to "work out" when we hear explosions coming from Dagobah Park.
"Bakugou." I sneer. Izuku and I share a look and dash off to the Park.
Approaching the edge of the park, I climb and leap over the meter-tall fence, only pausing at the top to pull Zuku up after me, racing through the small wooded area and coming into the clearing to see Bakugou and two of his cronies huddled over a boy cowering under a picnic table.
"Heh. A loser villain like you in my school? Not on my watch." Bakugou sneers, popping small explosions on his palms as he stands over the terrified boy.
I turn to look at Izuku and see nothing but rage in his eyes.
"Don't worry Izuku. I've got this." I whisper to him, attempting to calm the boy. "Do me a favor though? Hold this for me." I say, handing him my Walkman and headphones.
Izuku takes a deep, shuddering breath. "Ok Aniki. I trust you. Please go help him."
"Of course."
I walk towards the boys, watching Akari attempt to pull Shinsou out from beneath the table as he cries. "HEY KACHAAN. WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT BULLYING?" I shout as I walk towards the trio.
Bakugou and his goons turn around, giving Shinsou some much needed reprieve as they see me approach.
Bakugou sneers. "Kurotani. What are you going to do about it? I'm not scared of you, you quirkless freak." He laughs. "Actually, you just gave me the perfect excuse to blow you up, Kurotani." He adds, explosions popping in his hands.
I snort as I slide my backpack off. "Really 'Kachaan?' Such third-rate villain lines… I really expect better from you. What are you even doing here anyway? I thought you wanted to be a hero?"
Bakugou actually smirks at that. "I AM being a hero Kurotani. I'm taking down a villain, aren't I?" He asks, walking towards me, preparing to attack.
15 feet away.
I sigh. "No, Katsuki. You're not. You're just bullying a scared kid." I reply, grabbing the ice pack from my lunchbox.
10 feet.
While i'm in my backpack I also grab a zip-tie from an art project.
5 feet.
"I'm taking down a villain." I say, lunging for the boy.
Startled, Katsuki throws his hand out to blast me, but his attack whiffs overhead as I duck. I slam the ice pack in his hand, the cold suffocating any further explosions.
Panicking at his failed attack, he throws his other hand out desperately. I grab his wrist before he can fire and slam that palm into the ice pack as well, ensuring the nitroglycerin can't ignite.
He snarls, thrashing. "You little—!"
I cut him off with a hard shoulder-check, sending both of us crashing to the ground. Bakugou lands face-first in the dirt, and before he can recover, I wrench his arms behind his back.
Click. The zip-tie snaps tight around his wrists, palms pressed together, ensuring he can't explode without harming himself.
No explosions. No escape.
Pinned beneath me, Bakugou screams in rage.
"KUROTANI! I WILL KILL YOU!" He rages, writhing on the ground.
Suddenly, he gets an idea, wriggling around to stare at his jockeys. "EXTRAS! FREE ME! KILL KUROTANI! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!"
"Yeah." I tease, staring the two in the eyes. "Kill me. Try it. I dare you." I chuckle and kick Bakugou in the ribs. Lightly, of course.
The two look at each other uneasily before they look down at the sputtering Bakugou, and then back at me, completely unharmed.
Bakugou. Me. Bakugou. Me.
They make their choice.
They run.
"Huh." I blink. "I didn't think they were that smart. Oh well." I shrug.
"Hey Shinsou! You can come out now, the villain's are handled! Same with you Zuku!"
FUCK YOU KUROTANI IM NOT A VILLAIN! I'LL KILL YOU!"
I silence him with another kick to the ribs.
"R- really? They're gone?" Shinsou asks, crawling out from under the picnic table.
The kid looks terrible. His clothing is scuffed up, and his shirt is ripped to hell. Worse, there are mild burns on his arms and a hand-shaped burn hole on his jeans.
I glare down at Bakugou. "Damn kid, you really did this shit?"
Bakugou wiggles some more, even letting off a small explosion which makes him flinch in pain.
"Damn right I did! He's a fucking villain! Heroes best villains!"
I sigh, disappointed. "No, Katsuki. Heroes help people. They defend people from villains. Like I'm doing." I stare Katsuki in the eyes. "Like I did. And I'm done watching you become a villain."
I look up at the sky, absolutely done. "Whatever. It's gotten to this point, huh. Oh well."
I look back over at Shinsou to see Izuku helping the other boy, using his basic knowledge of first aid to patch him up.
"C'mon Izuku, Shinsou. I'm taking Bakugou back home."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well, here we are." Izuku says, looking up at the small brick townhouse. One glance at the nameplate by the door would tell you where we are.
The Bakugou Residence.
I look at my captive, genuine anxiety on his face for the first time I'd ever seen it, and behind him stood Shinsou, awkwardly dancing from foot to foot, still covered in dirt and amateurishly wrapped in bandages.
I March up to the front door and rap hard, three times.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
After a few seconds, a plainly dressed, brown-haired man opened the door, clearly surprised to get a visitor at this time.
When he looks down he sees four children, one of them his own, two of them something akin to nephews, his own child in make-shift handcuffs.
"Masaru-ojisan." I say, drawing the man's confused look towards myself.
"We need to have a conversation about Katsuki's behavior."