~9 years ago~
"Mama, do you have to go?"
Your mother took your hand in hers."Of course sweetie. It's not right here for me anymore. I have to go to keep you safe." She placed a soft kiss on your forehead. "I love you. Stay safe & strong, like I taught you."
You nodded, tears welding up in your eyes. "Does daddy know?"
"No, he doesn't. He can't ever know why I left."
"Why?"
"You'll find out someday."
Not satisfied with that answer, but knowing your mom wouldn't give you anything else, you wiped the tears from your eyes and smashed your arms around her waist. "I love you too, mommy."
"I'll never forget you, Y/n."
With that, she slid her hand out of your grip and walked out the door.
~Present day~
"L/n...L/n!" You groggily lifted your head off your desk. Komori was gently shaking your shoulder. Had you fallen asleep in class? This had never happened before. You really needed to adjust your sleep schedule.
You were so focused on tuning back in to what your teacher was saying that you forgot all about the dream you just had. Maybe it was for the better.
"... Votes have been counted! According to the results, our class representative is...Itsuka Kendo! And our vice representative will be... Nirengeki Shoda!"
"Oh, man, I wanted to be picked!"
"Does it have to be them?"
"Students, students. Settle down. These individuals have proven themselves to be worthy of this position. If you have any issues, write it down and place it in our suggestion box!" Vlad King then displayed a metal garbage can, placing it with a loud clang on his desk.
Class representative? That's what you were doing today? Oh well, I guess someone who ever sleeps in class shouldn't be trusted with such a position anyway. Congrats to Kendo, she deserved it much more than you.
"Now, please head to the lunch rush cafeteria! Food is important, and you need to eat up, because we got a lot of training ahead of us!"
You were very hungry. Off to eat way too much food for your own good, here we go.
~
Alright... Where to sit alone and inhale your food? That table looks empty enough. Here I go.
"I-is this seat taken?" Komori was standing shyly in front of you, her bangs covering her eyes as usual. On her tray she had a dish which was, unsurprisingly, covered in mushrooms. You peered around the cafeteria, to notice that your table was the emptiest one around. That must be why she was here. Just wanted to avoid extra social interaction like you did, right?
"Oh, um, yeah, of course it is." You tried for what you hoped was a welcoming smile as you patted the seat beside you.
The two of you sat in silence, awkward at times, but mostly... Comfortable. You'd never really had that with anyone else. You wondered what it was about Komori that welcomed that type of atmosphere.
Right as you were about to shovel up another bite, alarms blared through the speakers throughout the school.
"Warning. Level 3 security breach. All students please evacuate the building in an orderly fashion."
The message was repeated as the students took the briefest of moments to comprehend what was going on. Panicked screams went up as a mob of teenagers formed, pushing and shoving to get away.
Komori, who was positioned closest to the growing crowd, was swept away before your eyes. "L/n..!"
Before you could become a human sandwich as well, you took initiative and leapt on top of your table. "Please! Everyone, calm down! We aren't getting anywhere like this!"
Your pleas were drowned out under the rushed murmurs and shouts. Helplessly, you stayed in place, your feet ground against the surface. Are we under attack? How am I gonna get out of here?
Suddenly, a 1-A student was spinwheeling through the air. He landed firmly on the wall. You covered your mouth, trying not to giggle at the fact that he looked like the emergency exit sign below his feet. Oh wait, I know him. That stiff looking one from the entrance exam. I wonder what he's about to say.
"Listen up! Everything is okay!"
Amazingly, that shut up the mob like clockwork. Wish I could have been that loud earlier.
"It's just the media outside. There's absolutely nothing to worry about. Everything's fine! We're UA students. We need to remain calm and prove that we're the best of the best."
Relieved sighs travelled throughout the cafeteria, and everyone was no longer in that hurried panic. Wow, this guy really knows how to handle a crowd. But was it really just the press? You had a sinking feeling that it was something more dangerous and sinister that managed to get past UA's famous barrier..
~
When you were nine years old, one simple news article changed the course of your life. It was two years after your mother had left, two years of just you and dad. He was working a lot more and you didn't get as much time to just be together, but you made do. You knew your dad loved you and you loved him.
Then, after you were finished up your homework, you were allowed to go on the computer and browse the web.
That's when you found the article.
Villian "Nishay" caught after a two year reign of terror from the shadows
[Insert photo of your mother but in chains and with a real pissed-off expression]
"Nishay", Civilian name Inari l/n, is responsible for the death of 8 innocents, causing mayhem throughout Kitakami. Just last month, pro hero Mirko was able to travel out to the city and put a stop to the terror. L/n is now being held in a high-security prison in her area, awaiting judgement.
The fact that Nishay was able to last this long remains a mystery. Was this notorious criminal just that powerful, or is hero society starting to get sloppy in their attempts to catch and restrain criminals in our day?
Mom.
"Dad?"
Your father dashed into the room, detecting the vulnerable tone in your wavering voice. "Hi sweetie. What is-" He froze upon seeing the picture. If you were being honest, it seemed as if time itself froze in place, the furniture of the tiny living room around the small computer tucked away in the corner blurring into a surrounding haze.
You felt tears prick the sides of your vision, and suddenly you were wrapped in the arms of your father. You held onto each other for dear life, and you heard him whisper things into your hair repeatedly like it's going to be okay, we have each other, I'm here, it's alright, we're okay.
Your school had other plans.
When you showed up to school on Monday and started to walk towards your friends, they pointedly turned away and pretended you weren't there.
".. Guys? We.. We're friends, right?"
"Ew. Who would want to be friends with the villian kid?"
"I," you choked down a sob, "I'm not a villian. I'm not my mom."
"Go away, villain."
You sniffled and ran to the most secluded corner you could find.
The sneers, whispers, and occasional trip-up quickly became a very regular thing. Practically your whole grade knew, and you were a social outcast. It was hard being treated like you didn't exist and the only attention you got was hostility. You just had to keep reminding yourself the phrase that kept you going.
'I'm not her, I'm not her. I'll become a hero someday and prove them all wrong.'
And so that's exactly what you were working to do.
A/n: Hi there! Sorry my updates aren't as consistent as I would like them. For anyone curious, these are your parent's quirks!
Your Mom's: Acid Rain
When she makes a peace sign, green acidic rain will come down on anything within a 5-meter radius. It'll cause burns to appear on any open skin, and is rather painful to endure. Prolonged exposure is really dangerous, and in extreme cases can kill
Your Dad's: Grass
He can grow grass on things at will, but he has to be touching them
(Your uncle, who may or may not appear in future chapters, can change the humidity of the air)
Also today's my birthday! I don't know why I waited 2 days just so I could say that at the end (edit: aww say happy birthday to little baby younger me)
edit edit: wow 12 year old me really just pulled the tragic backstory outta nowhere
That's all for now! Thanks for reading!