Family Business

Chapter 1

Parenthood, Overhaul mused as he took in the aftermath of Eri's newest episode, was a pain. It was incredibly difficult to be a parent he'd discovered, especially as a single parent juggling a job as important and time-consuming as his own. He'd thought that the underling he'd left to mind his young charge was capable enough but clearly he was mistaken if the overturned furniture, pile of empty clothing, and hysterical child were any indication.

Eri's quirk was vital to his plans of curing the world of the quirk plague and restoring the yakuza's former glory. Her ability to revert anything she touches, so similar to his own quirk, was part of what drove him to adopt her in the first place - the other being her blood relation to the man who took him in as a child. But at times like this, when he had arms full of weeping 5 year old and a growing migraine from his overall stressful week, he regretted doing so.

"Chronostasis?"

"Yes boss?"

The brunette handed his apprehensive assistant the still bawling girl. "Get her dressed in something comfier and less... messy and meet me in the lobby. I'm taking her outside to relax while this is cleaned up."

"Understood." the silver-haired man replied with a nod, walking with purpose as he patted Eri's back in an attempt to console her. Left alone the yakuza boss sighed and rubbed his temples. When his headache reduced from a fierce throbbing to a minor ache he left to change himself. His bark of "Someone come clean this mess!" an afterthought.

With any luck he'll manage to work out a solution to this problem while his daughter runs around in the park.

'This' Izumi thought cheerfully as she strode away from that morning's hero fight, the kind stranger's words of encouragement fresh in her mind 'is going to be a great day!'

It was rare that anyone supported her hobby of hero watching or dream of being a hero. Even if they didn't ask about her quirk, something she didn't possess at all, most still thought her habits were weird and outlandish. Most simply told her to be realistic and give up. Even her mom, though the woman still let her daughter try since it made her happy.

But someone believed in Izumi even though he had no clue what she could do at all. Surely this was a sign of good things to come!

"The fuck are you smiling about Deku?!"

Or maybe not...

"N-nothing!" the green eyed girl stuttered as her childhood friend turned bully and his lackeys approached. The boy with the extendable fingers quirk smirked. "Maybe she actually convinced some loser to date her?"

Before Izumi could correct him herself Kacchan scoffed. "As if she could find someone desperate enough to date an ugly, quirkless piece of trash like her! She's so worthless that other quirkless nobodies wouldn't settle for her!"

The blonde set off an explosion right in front of her face, making her flinch and forcing the tears she was holding back to roll down her freckled cheeks. "Later crybaby!" he taunted as he sauntered off. The trio's cruel laughter and words echoed in the greenette's mind on loop as she struggled to stop crying.

As painful as the boys' treatment was it paled in comparison to the salt in the wound caused by the whispers and stares from the students and teachers around that watched, like they did every other time she was bullied, and did nothing.

Good mood ruined, Izumi resumed her trek to class enveloped in a dense cloud of depression and shame. At least it couldn't get any worse...

She was wrong. It could get much, much worse.

Izumi had frozen when the teacher had mentioned her application to UA. She should have figured he would throw her to the wolves, he never did anything to help her before. Just like he did nothing when the class burst into laughter at the news and proceeded to bully her in class. And just like he did nothing when Kacchan's response to the news was violence and death threats.

No one cared what happened to Midoriya Izumi.

It didn't matter that she had the best marks in the whole school, that she was the best behaved student in class, or that she was the most punctual. It didn't matter that Kacchan broke rules, was the rudest and least respectful student to ever attend Orudera Middle school, or that he constantly got into fights and street brawls.

Bakugou Katsuki had a strong and flashy quirk, perfect for heroics, so he mattered. Izumi didn't have a quirk at all, so she didn't. That was just how things worked in this quirk-driven society.

No one cared when their golden child cornered the quirkless girl after school and destroyed her notebook. No one cared when he and his friends beat her up and left with a suggestion that she kill herself. And no one cared when she limped off to find a place to cry, battered and bruised and covered in burns for the thousandth time since her once and only friend chose to make her his go to punching bag.

To them Izumi was just a worthless Deku. A nobody. A nothing.

She didn't matter at all.