OMG WE JUST GOT OUR FIRST FANART FOR CICATRIZE!! This was sent by the very lovely so TYSM for this! I laughed for a good minute after reading the small comic because I literally want to turn this into a crack fic just for the sake of messing with Enji. But still, I absolutely adore the art style and the little middle finger [Name] gives in the pic really seals the deal! n e ways, tysm for this! On with the chapter!
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By now, it had been a total of two months since you had woken up in the creepy orphanage. The kids were kind to you, although they did have... questionable ideals at times. You figured it was probably related with the fact that a literal villain might be raising them.
Blending in with the kids wasn't a hurdle for you either, even if you did embarrass yourself by acting unnecessarily immature at times just to fit in. Still, the kids were somewhat like siblings to each other.
Hanako looked out for you, and you used her older-sister complex to your advantage. Through very subtle methods, you managed to find out that while this orphanage was managed by the 'Master', not many had contact with him.
The only person who had any direct contact with the Master was the Doc but from what you've been told, that man visited every 3-4 months, so you had yet to meet this guy. The Sunflower man was also pretty good at keeping things a secret, so when you got even a tiny bit closer to getting some new info, he'd immediately butt in.
Thankfully, no one had yet suspected you to be any thing but a normal 7-years old.
And you'd like to keep it that way, even if you have to embarrass yourself once or twice for that.
Touya hadn't shown any signs of waking up, and you were growing increasingly worried about his health. Even if Mr. Sun told you that he'd be just fine, you knew better than to trust this creep.
The most you could do for him was make sure his muscular mass wouldn't wither away by regularly exercising his limbs. Just watching him lying on the bed helplessly as tubes stuck to him, being the only thing keeping him alive, made your heart ache.
He had a new set of burn scars after the fire. Namely on his arms, and on his abdomen. His face had a few scars, like the one that extended from his mouth to both the sides of his cheeks. It was like skin stitched up. But other than that, there wasn't much on his face.
Your quirk had kept him safe, even when you had passed out.
But that didn't mean you didn't get burned. You also had a matching pair of new scars marring your skin. Other than the scar Rei had given you, you had a huge burn scar that went from the your left shoulder to your torso. Mr. Sun said that the petroleum jelly in your backpack was what had fanned the flames and burned your back this badly.
Other than that, you had one on your upper arm that ended at the middle of your forearm. You didn't have much on your legs, because your quirk was still half-activated when you were unconscious. That's what saved both you and Touya from getting burned to death.
Speaking of quirk, you did get some time to yourself to perform those testing experiments. And the results certainly shocked you.
You were expecting that since you hadn't trained your quirk, it would have been stuck to the 2 meter range. But to your surprise, your range had suddenly expanded to 8 meters.
How is that possible? You didn't even train your quirk-
Wait... Your range when you were 7-years old, in your previous life... was about 8 meters. Does that mean... that your previous range is returning as you grow older?!
If that's the case, then you wouldn't even have to train your quirk in the future, your control would grow all by itself! And with you having gotten drafted at the age of 13, you would have an exponential growth at that age.
But this also bore problems.
Such as the fact that you needed your previous control back, right now. With Touya and you being in potential danger at the moment, you couldn't just wait for you to turn 13 to get the control back. You still needed to train to get the control back much faster than it would have returned naturally.
That means, you need to the exact thing that you've been stopping Touya from doing all this time; training your quirk while neglecting your own body. And you don't have much time either.
As of right now, however, you sat in the dining hall while eating your lunch. You were already done with your meal, having gotten used to eating much faster as a soldier, but the other kids were still taking their sweet time, chattering amongst themselves as they chewed their food.
During these past two months, the most information you would gather was by listening in on the conversations of others. Keeping yourself out of it and just following what they were talking about, would let you know things that they would never tell you, even if you asked.
Most kids had a positive opinion of you, because you had been quick to adapt to their routine. While any normal 7-year old would have resisted against these guys, you knew that they were well aware of the neglect and abuse you went through at the Todoroki household. If that's the case, then any child would be happy to receive attention, after many years of neglect.
Even if it's from literal strangers.
"[Name], do you mind if I talk with you for a minute?" Mr. Sun started, making you pull yourself out of the conversation and turn to him. Although you didn't show it, you had your guards up.
Why does he suddenly want to talk?
As you followed the male to the colorful hallway, you found yourself standing in front of his looming body, "Is everything okay, Mr. Sun? Did I do something wrong?" You questioned, keeping your image of innocence still intact.
But the male just gave you a cheery smile in return, "Oh, no! You didn't do anything wrong! It's just that, the Doc will be visiting a little earlier than his usual visits. He's been insistent ever since he found out that you woke up, so I figured I'd let you know!" He cheered, patting your head affectionately as your eyes widened in surprise.
The Doc wants to meet you? Why? You don't think you've done anything to warrant his interest in you.
But hoping that maybe it was just a regular check-up since you literally woke up from a 2 year coma, you swallowed your nerves for the moment and gave him a soft smile in return, "O-Of course! I hope the Doc likes me like everyone else!"
"Of course he will! You're so cute and nice, it's impossible for anyone to not like you."
"Hehe, thank you Mr. Sun!"
The day Doc visited, everyone was ready to jump out of the edge of their seats out of eagerness. The doc was someone who had saved the lives of pretty much every one in the orphanage. So it was safe to say that everyone really looked up to him.
He came around at dusk, when it was already dark outside and you all were getting ready to prepare dinner. The moment he entered, all the children lined up with glee evident on their faces. He greeted everyone with a kind smile, before Mr. Sun finally beckoned you over.
With hesitance, you stepped forward and slowly made your way towards the creepy adult duo. As soon as you stood in front of the male, you could feel the danger alarms ringing in your head, blaring to alert you that this guy was bad news.
"Hello there, [Name]-chan. I am the one who treated you while you were unconscious, you can call me Doctor, or Doc. Whatever you prefer." The doctor spoke up, giving you a kind smile as you gauged him up and down.
The man in question was a short male, with a bald head and green tinted glass goggles. He had a bushy mustache that hid his mouth, only really showing his lips when they stretched into a wide smile.
"H-Hello... Thank you so much for treating me, Doc!" You kept your little persona of an innocent little child and the man seemed to buy it as he returned your grateful smile with a wide grin.
"You're very welcome! Now, what do you say I give you a quick check-up? I was very worried ever since I found out that you woke up and rushed over as soon as I could!" He explained and all the kids started talking about how lucky you were, that the Doc rushed over for you.
You don't think that's the case.
"Well?" He pressed and you ultimately nodded with a shaky smile, "Sure..." He smiled before grabbing ahold of your hand and pulling you to your room. Mr. Sun followed suit and you couldn't help but raise your guards, not that you lowered them anyways.
He brought his little suitcase with himself and the moment you reached your room, you were led to sit on a nearby chair, where he performed small medical test, like your vision (which you were still blind in one eye because no one had removed that god-damned cataract), or your knee reflex by hitting it softly by a reflex hammer.
"Well, you seem to be healing just fine. Your nerves haven't been as damaged as we had originally anticipated and your reflexes are quite normal. I'd say that over time, you'll be just fine and dandy!" He cheered, giving you a wide grin that you tried to return by a soft smile.
"Hmm, now that we know your body's doing fine, what do you say we talk about your quirk?" You couldn't help but narrow your eyes at his question. Is he interested in your quirk? You're cautious of just how far his interest in your quirk goes.
"What... about my quirk?" If he noticed your guarded tone, he certainly didn't point it out, "Well, I've been really excited to learn more about it, ever since we found you! Your quirk... it's very strange." What did he mean by that? As much as you wanted to ask him that question, you held back your words.
"What do you know about your quirk, [Name]-chan?" Why would he ask that? Is this a type of trust test? To see if you trust them with any info about your quirk? But... if that's the case, then what did he mean that he wanted to learn more ever since they found you? You would think that two years would be enough to map out your entire quirk for him.
Especially if this guy was able to able to save literally incinerated kids, aka, you and Touya.
Thinking about how you can dodge this question, you figure the best way would be to lie and see where that leads you. If he catches you in your lie, you can just pull the 'dad never took me to a quirk doctor because I was a failure so I'm not sure' card.
"My quirk is... the ability to cool things."
"Is that so? Well, isn't that weird... Your quirk is completely normal, compared to what I had observed."
"Huh? What?" You questioned, feeling a bit nervous since the way he had worded it made you feel like he had figured it out.
But Doc just smiled, "You see, when we study quirks, we use the DNA of the person to study the quirk gene and quirk factor. Since quirks are autosomal traits, they are found on the 22nd chromosome. We usually check that. But in your DNA... there's no quirk gene on your 22nd chromosomes. It's almost like you were meant to be quirkless, genetically that is. But, for some reason... You do have a quirk factor, that is the reason for your quirk's activation. The quirk gene helps with the activation of the quirk factor, but what I don't understand is what may have activated your quirk."
You saw Mr. Sun sweatdrop as Doc began to ramble, explaining to a literal child (not chronologically) all about quirks and their genetic makeup. But of course, even if you understood everything that he explained, you pretended to be overwhelmed by the sudden information overload.
"U-Um... Doc, I don't really understand what you're saying..." The man halted in his long explanation before heaving a sigh and gifting you a kind smile, "That's fine, I meant to say that your quirk is actually an anomaly. Well, it's not that surprising. Considering your bloodline-"
Wait, what? What did he mean by that?
"What do you mean?" He stopped for a moment, as if he was surprised that you didn't know. He then turned to the sunflower head beside him, "You didn't tell her?" The sunflower head looked nervous as you peered at the two, "Tell me what?" The two males looked at you before letting a fake kind smile return on their lips, "About your bloodline."
"What about it? I know my dad is a hero." Doc shook his head, "Not that... Do you know who's bloodline you have descended from?"
No, who the fuck keeps track of that?
Seeing your confused state, Doc's smile grew and his mustache raised to show his lips curled up in a maniacal grin, "You see, [Name]-chan... You don't just share your given name with [Last Name][Name]..."
Your eyes widened at what he said next.
"You also share her blood; you are a descendant of [Last Name][Name]."
What...?
How.... How is that possible?! You didn't even have any children-
Wait... [Brother Name]...
"But, she didn't have any kids." You asked, just for safe measures, even though you already had a vague idea of what his answer was gonna be.
"She didn't, yes. But through careful examination, we found out that she did have a brother. A brother who ended up marrying and having a family. That would be, your family from your mother's side. It seems like [Last Name][Name]'s mother was from the Himura Clan, which would mean that she was of the same lineage as your mother. And after [Last Name]'s death, her brother reached out to the main family, before he started a branch family. That branch family is the same family that your mother comes from.This means that [Last Name][Name] was your great-great-great aunt."
So, this means that your brother got to grow up and have his own family? That puts you in a much better mood compared to the newfound information. And the fact that Rei felt so comforting to you, how she reminded you of your own mother, and how she looked up to [Last Name][Name] enough to name you after her... it all made sense now.
Also, holy fuck.... You're your own aunt? Well, there's about 5-6 generations in between, but still! That is one weird loophole! It would certainly explain why your quirk is literally the same as your previous life. But if that's the case then it's all the more worse in this situation.
Because if they even catch wind of the fact that you have the same quirk, you best believe you are going to die before you can even help Touya. You've seen the hatred these people have for your past self, there's no denying that you sharing her blood is already a problem for you.
"Well, your quirk is nice. You should keep training it, so you can grow stronger. I'm sure the Master will be pleased."
There it is... Your chance to ask him about the Master in the most casual way possible. You've already tried your luck with the kids and Mr. Sun and neither of them had given you a definitive answer.
"Um, Doc? I wanted to ask you something..." He looks back at you and you peer up at him with wide, innocent eyes, "The Master.... Can I meet him?"
Mr. Sun is sputtering in shock, not expecting you to ask such a question. They must see the Master as some sort of God, because this question had really upset the sunflower man.
Doc doesn't say anything for a good minute, neither do his facial expressions give away anything. But then, he immediately smiles and starts, "Now, would you want to meet him?"
He's asking you for a reason, instead of immediately turning him down. That's a first.
"I-I want to thank him! I really want to thank him for saving me and my brother! I mean, of course you were the one who healed us! But... he's the one who took us in, so..."
"I'm sorry, even though your intentions are pure. He is a busy man, and he doesn't even have enough time. But if he does get in contact with me, I will pass on your gratitude to him!" Your eyes widened in desperation, "Please! Can I just meet him once? I really need to-"
"A no means a no, [Name]-chan. Don't misbehave or the Doc won't ever treat you." Mr. Sun stepped in and you had hold yourself back from gritting your teeth in front of them out of frustration.
Seeing that there was no way they would let you meet this Master, you opted for another route, "Can you at least tell me his name? So that I can wish that he always stays happy and healthy! I remember seeing a shooting star yesterday and I saved my wish for the Master!"
Doc let out a sigh but ultimately nodded, chalking it off as childish idolization, "Of course. His name... is Shigaraki."
Shigaraki? Is that an alias? You can't remember All For One's name being Shigaraki. No, in fact, you always knew him as just All for One. How the hell are you supposed to know if the 'Master' is All for One's descendant or not if you don't even know the former's name?!
Knowing that you couldn't do much else about this situation without seeming a little too suspicious, you just gave them a tight smile and left it at that.
After that, Doc checked up on Touya and a few other kids before he finally took his leave. He didn't join you for dinner, so when you all were done with eating, Mr. Sun had called you over.
"[Name]-chan, what did I say about asking about the Master?" You lowered your gaze, "To not ask about him..."
"That's right. And what did you do?"
"But... I just wanted to wish for his good health!"
"That's still no excuse. Now, tomorrow you must and help the older kids with breakfast and clean up the hallway in the afternoon as punishment, okay?" You nodded and he smiled at you, glad that you were an obedient child.
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When tomorrow came, you got up early on and laid awake in bed until it was the usual time for everyone to wake up.
Don't stand out, even if it's as small as a sleeping schedule...
You made your bed as usual and followed the scampering kids. Many of the older kids lined up and began to start working on breakfast, and remembering your punishment, you wordlessly followed them.
"Ooo, [Name]-chan's got punishment! You rebellious little girl~" The blonde girl that you first saw when you woke up, spoke as she giggled at your side, "Leave her alone, Miyo! She's still young and mistakes happen!"
"I'm just saying... Jeez, calm down." Miyo scoffed as she went back to cutting the vegetables. You, being the youngest, were in task of washing the rice and handing the others, small things like water and the seasonings.
"[Name], do you want me to do your hair after this?" Hanako started, and you turned to look at her with a monotonous expression. Sumika skipped over at her side and grinned brightly, "Oh, can I help? I wanna do her hair too!"
Miyo jumped in as well, "Well, how about we all dress her up? She's so cute and small, I think I have some of my old dresses that'll fit her! Let's do a fashion show!"
Seeing them all dote on you made your heart ache in sorrow.
They're just kids, just like Shoto, Fuyumi, Natsuo and Touya...
They don't deserve to live life with hatred towards the society. You get that they must have been wronged at some point, but one person's actions does not mean that they have to hate humanity as a whole.
There are no good or bad people. It's how they interact with you that your opinion on them changes. To you, they may be bad people, but to others, they may be good people.
Just like how Endeavor was-no... is a nightmare for you and your family, but he is a symbol of hope for Keigo.
Well, except for All for One. He's a monster, through and through.
These girls must have gone through things that are certainly not justifiable, but at the same time, that doesn't really mean that the solution is to just hate everyone.
But unfortunately for them, they are being taught that it's okay if they hate people. In fact, they're being encouraged to hate them. They are encouraged to hurt others, just because they were once hurt by someone.
And you can't allow that.
You can't allow them to become something that they can never return from. Once the blood coats their hands, it's a long way before the blood washes off.
"Well? Are you okay with us dressing you up?" They questioned and you smiled softly, eliciting a squeal from Miyo, "I'm fine with it. But I need to clean the hallway in the afternoon..."
"We'll help you! After all, you can always count on your sis Sumika to help you, right?" Miyo chimed in, using Sumika 's name to coax you while the said girl sputtered in shock. When the hell did she agree to this?!
Oh well, if it means they can spend some more time with cute, little you.
"Fine... I guess we can help her. What do you say, Hanako?" The said ravenette nodded happily, "Sure! The more people that'll help, the faster we'll get done with work!"
All three older girls cheered as they finalized their plans and you could only watch them with slight pain in your eyes.
You plan on saving Touya and getting him out of here...
But... your conscience just won't let you live if these sweet kids grew up to be villains.
A new thought surfaced in your head as you heaved a sigh.
You just added more work for yourself, didn't you?