~ Revised 11/05/2024~
"Have you ever used your quirk before without remembering?"
[Y/n]'s breath hitched in her throat at the detective's question. The walls of her hospital room suddenly felt like a prison, their sterile smell burned the inside of her nose. Her (e/c) eyes darted behind the detective's shoulder to look desperately at her teacher, Mr. Aizawa, who stood characteristically stoic against the back wall of the room. She realized that he too was awaiting her answer.
Deeply suppressed memories began to slowly resurface in response to the detective's question. [Y/n] gripped the bed's sheets as she tried to steady her racing heartbeat.
Unable to meet the eyes of the two men who stared down at her, she looked at her hands resting in her lap. "Yes." She answered shamefully.
Detective Tsukauchi's voice brought her back to reality. " Alright. We just needed to confirm that you did not intentionally use your quirk to inflict any bodily harm without a hero licence during the USJ attack."
His words should have soothed her growing dread about why he was interrogating her, but she only felt it squeeze her ribs and crawl up the back of her neck. She absentmindedly hugged herself, feeling her muscles tighten and tense under the stress.
"What did you find?" She asked.
Detective Tsukauchi faltered at her unexpected question.
"You know, I'm not really allowed to-"
"Tell her, Tsukauchi." Aizawa's authoritative voice bounced off the sterile walls. "She needs to know what she did."
- Earlier that day -
Once [Y/n] had awoken from her comatose state, her door constantly revolved as nurses, doctors, and specialists entered and exited her room. They ran almost every test they could on her, bringing in portable medical equipment from around the hospital such as X-rays and ultrasounds. They claimed it was to ensure she was completely fine before releasing her, but she became suspicious as to why they were bringing the equipment to her instead of the other way around.
To make matters worse, she noticed that all of her tests produced normal, healthy results, but when she asked if that meant she would be discharged soon, or at least able to see some of her friends, she never got a clear answer. By the end of the afternoon, she was completely confused about what was going on. Volunteering at the hospital, she was familiar with normal visiting hours and procedures, and there was nothing normal about what the staff were doing and telling her. However, she kept these speculations to herself.
Mr. Aizawa's presence in [Y/n]'s room was unwavering. As a teacher and pro-hero, he felt a sense of responsibility for what happened to his student. Yet, her strength, bravery, and aid during the attack also left him feeling a newfound respect for her. The potential she displayed, without even a full semester's worth of training, resonated deeply within him on just how important it would be to guide and nurture her on the right path. After witnessing the doctor's efforts in persuading her away from her goal of becoming a hero, he refused to leave her alone for long periods of time, especially when another personnel entered her room to conduct testing.
Besides, unbeknownst to [Y/n], he was one of only a few people authorized to be within a two-metre radius of her.
As the afternoon light filled the room with a golden hue, [Y/n] tore her gaze from the TV to her door. Mr. Aizawa, who sat on his laptop, looked up at the girl and followed her gaze.
"Someone's coming." She announced with soft excitement.
To pass the time, they began playing a game to determine how powerful her quirk was at enhancing her natural physiological abilities. They decided to focus on her hearing, which was initiated when [Y/n] overheard the nurses in the hallway talking about the flirting between one of them and the chief physician. [Y/n] thought it would be fun to share with Aizawa, which he turned into an educational opportunity. Now, after almost an entire day of playing, they were placing wagers on the accuracy of her predictions.
"I think they're also wearing some sort of long coat." She said, concentrating intently to get as many details as possible.
Once it was established that her predictions were almost always right, Aizawa increased the stakes by asking for detailed descriptions of what she heard. Through this exercise, she discovered that it was easier to recognize the sounds of machines and objects, like the squeak of a wheel or the clattering of metallic tools in a tray than specific details about people based on how they walked. This being a new discovery in her abilities, Aizawa was recording all of her observations down in her file for the rest of the U.A. faculty to see.
"Over half of the people in this building wear long coats. That shouldn't count, you're just making a general guess based on probability." Mr. Aizawa rolled his eyes and looked over his shoulder at his student.
[Y/n] wiggled her toes in excitement as she heard the footsteps grow louder. She knew she was right.
"You're just saying that so you don't have to give up your last piece of candy." She retorted, feeling a wave of electricity roll through her body as she teased her teacher. Rather than actual money, they were betting with candy he had brought to help cheer her up.
"Be more specific or you don't get it." He replied lazily.
[Y/n] quietly sighed at having to put more effort into the task. She was tired.
"Fine! I think it's someone who doesn't work at this hospital." She stated.
Compared to the parade of workers that visited her today, this individual's pace was different. It was uneven, sometimes moving quickly and other times slowing down. Workers who were familiar with the layout of the hospital were confident and direct in their movements. This person was not, giving her the impression they were somewhat lost.
When the door to her room opened and a man with a long black trench coat entered, [Y/n] pumped her fist above her head in victory.
Mr. Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose and reluctantly handed over his last piece of candy.
"Oh um...is this a bad time?" The man in the doorway said. His cologne wafted through the room, a welcomed replacement for the sterile smell of the hospital.
Aizawa stood up to greet him. "Not at all detective Tsukauchi. We've been waiting for you."
Aizawa gestured for the detective to take his seat next to [Y/n], which he did with a kind, soft smile. His demeanour was confident yet comforting. [Y/n] bowed her head and returned the smile as he sat down next to her.
"Hello [L/n], I'm Detective Tsukauchi from the police department." He pulled his badge from inside his coat and displayed it to [Y/n] as he spoke. "I hope you don't mind me dropping in like this. I need to ask you some questions about what happened at USJ for the police report. We are trying to get as many details as possible to understand the potential motive behind the attack and who these attackers are. Is this a good time?" He asked, his voice serious yet sweet.
"Of course, detective." She replied, smoothing the thin hospital blanket on her lap.
Mr. Aizawa retreated to the back of the room, where he leaned against a wall with his muscular arms crossed over his chest and a stoic, unreadable expression on his face.
"Great!" Detective Tsukauchi exclaimed, promptly pulling a tape recorder from his trench coat pocket and clicking the record button with his thumb. "Can you start by describing everything you remember from the attack? Please, don't spare any details."
[Y/n] recounted her experience and explained how she recognized Tomura from an earlier, personal attack on one of the local beaches. Detective Tsukauchi listened intently, writing down particularly important details on a notepad.
"And did you notice anything before your class arrived at USJ? Perhaps something weird the day of or several days before?" He asked.
Memories of the panic in the cafeteria flooded her mind. She remembered the fear that consumed her entire being; clinging onto Kirishima and Katsuki during the mob in the hallway. She nodded her head 'no' to the detective, as she also remembered that it was caused by the media crowd outside the gates that day.
"So based on the other eye-witness accounts I've accumulated, it seems the villain was after All Might and yourself. Now, I know that may be unsettling to hear, but do you have any idea why they would be after you?"
"Well, when Tomura attacked me on the beach, he threatened to murder me if I didn't join him and his group of villains. I think he called it the 'villain league' or 'league of villains' or something." She waved her hand in the air as she struggled to remember, "He said my quirk was more appropriate for a villain than a hero. Before escaping he said 'I'll be back for you, child, and I'll take you by force this time.'..." She trailed off, the answer being pretty obvious.
"Right, right, of course." He answered furiously writing in his notepad. "Now, I want to go back to the USJ attack; you mentioned that before the Nomu attacked you, you were defending yourself against the other villains surrounding you, correct?"
[Y/n] nodded in agreement.
"Can you describe how you were defending yourself?"
Her stomach flipped, instinctually reacting to the question. The question was oddly familiar, but she couldn't place why or where she recognized it from. She looked over the detective's shoulder to her teacher. Mr. Aizawa nodded, signalling her to continue. At that moment, his presence brought her more comfort than she realized she needed.
"Um, well I was mainly using my regenerative quirk to keep myself from being injured by their attacks." She answered.
"Right, your quirk," He nodded. [Y/n]'s eyes darted from his concentrated face to his notebook. "Now, I understand on top of it granting you regenerative abilities, you can also manipulate other people's bodies?" He clarified as he continued to scribble notes.
[Y/n] faltered at his wording, she'd never heard anyone describe it quite like that before. Her stomach flipped a second time.
Detective Tsukauchi noticed her hesitation and glanced up from his notepad. He saw the uneasiness behind her eyes as she stared at him, contemplating how to answer.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to word it like that. I meant you're able to heal other people as well as take their health away, correct?" He gave her that sweet smile again.
"Mhm." She nodded in agreement. He wrote more down in his notebook.
What on Earth could he possibly be writing?!
"And to your knowledge, you have to make skin-on-skin contact with someone else to do so, right?" He asked, to which she nodded in response.
'To your knowledge'? What does he mean by that?
"Now, [L/n], what I'm about to ask you is very important, so please answer me with complete honesty." He looked back up and met her (e/c) eyes. "Did you use your quirk on anyone in the facility during the attack?"
The intensity behind his eyes frightened her. Why is he asking me this? How is this important for the police report? She looked again to her teacher for comfort, but he stared back at her with a stone-like face. Suddenly, she felt like she was under a microscope, dread slowly snaked up her spine.
"I obviously used it on the Nomu, since it had a regenerative quirk and strength that paralleled All Might. But I also used it on a few of the thugs once Mr. Aizawa was hurt to prevent us from being completely overwhelmed. I tried reaching him to heal his injuries first but there were too many villains between us...and I might have gotten carried away with a smidge of anger. If I remember correctly I gave the ones I touched concussions."
Detective Tsukauchi did not write anything down.
He stared at [Y/n] for a few lingering moments when she was done talking as if considering something in his head. [Y/n] looked over to her teacher, more desperately this time as the detective's reaction to her answer was unsettling. But Aizawa's concerned expression offered no comfort. [Y/n] was suddenly struck with a vague sense of deja vu. Something about the accusatory tone in the detective's voice and concerned expressions was familiar. A blurry image of the exact expressions on her parents' faces flashed quickly behind her eyes. Then her elementary school teacher and random police officers, but the memories were too fuzzy to recall any other details. Her body, however, seemed to remember better than her mind as her heart rate quickened and anxiety swirled in her stomach. The dread crawled between her shoulder blades and she squirmed uncomfortably in the hospital bed.
"What's going on?" She asked. "Am I in trouble?"
Detective Tsukauchi put his hands up in defence and smiled at her, a small attempt to de-escalate. "I'm sorry for the detailed questions, I know they may seem unrelated to the investigation but it's imperative that the police can clearly picture everything that happened during the attack."
[Y/n] simply listened to the detective. Once he was done, she nodded for him to continue with his questions. She didn't know what to say or why she suddenly felt the way she did, so she stayed quiet until she did.
Detective Tsukauchi cleared his throat as he looked down at his notepad for the next question.
"So, sorry I don't mean to harp on this but I just need to double-check my notes, are you confirming that you did not use your quirk on anyone else in the facility during the attack?"
"Yes." She replied, but the concerned look she was receiving from the detective and her teacher made her unsure of herself.
"[Y/n], I promise you won't get in trouble, you can be honest." He urged.
"I didn't!" She firmly stated.
"You didn't give anyone anything else besides concussions?"
"N-no, detective, I-" She tore her gaze from him and looked down at her lap with wide eyes and small pupils.
Did I and I just don't remember? There's no way...that hasn't happened since...The memories attached to the faces she recalled earlier became clear, like an image on a Polaroid film finishing its development. The pain associated with them intensified her anxiety and dread, sending a wave of goosebumps across her skin.
No, there's no way. I've been good since then.
She looked back at the detective, who stared at her with a desperate expression as if he was begging her to admit she remembered. If she was involved in the investigation, she was sure he would have access to the incident reports and medical records associated with each of her memories. Although she had never looked at them herself, she was sure they did not spare any details. [Y/n] suspected that the detective already knew the answers he was looking for, but from his pleading look, he didn't want to believe it. She glanced over to her teacher, who stared at her with the same begging expression. He probably has access to them as well.
"I don't remember if I did or not." She admitted.
"She's telling the truth, Tsukauchi." Aizawa urged from the back corner, not appreciating the investigative approach being used and [Y/n]'s uncomfortable reactions.
Detective Tsukauchi did not acknowledge Aizawa, instead, he leaned forward in his chair and stared intently at [Y/n].
"Have you ever used your quirk before without remembering?" His voice was steady and serious.
- present -
[Y/n] stared at his face with wide eyes.
Memories she'd fought hard to suppress flooded back as she listened to the detective describe the carnage discovered at USJ.
She was thirteen years old when she had her first anxiety attack in the kitchen of her childhood home. The sensation of unstoppable panic, the betraying signals of her nervous system, all rushed back to her. She recalled the relentless pounding of her heart, the restlessness in her body, and the irrational fear that gripped her. Despite her attempts, she couldn't get her quirk to calm herself down, which only intensified the panic. The last thing she remembered was her parents, standing on the other side of the kitchen, unsure what to do.
Then came a void - a blank stretch of time followed by awakening in a sterile glass enclosure in the basement of a private hospital. Her parents sat on the other side of the glass, faces etched with worry as they filled in the terrifying gaps in her memory.
Their voices trembled as they recounted the nightmarish events triggered by her uncontrollable reaction. Her quirk had quickly spiralled out of control, enveloping her in a deep, consuming blackness. Her mother dashed to the phone to call emergency services when her daughter's eyes rolled back into her head and began glowing an ominous white. They told her how she dropped to her knees, desperately sobbing and gasping for air, and within a second, they began seizing uncontrollably across the room from her. If that wasn't enough, upon admission to the hospital, they discovered internal injuries - ulcers and tumours - a grim aftermath of her unchecked powers. The hospital injected her with a quirk-enhancing drug, enabling her to save her parents.
Frightened of herself, her abilities and her lack of memory; she sat alone in quarantine, to prevent her from hurting anyone else. In a desperate attempt to protect her from being deemed a biohazardous threat by the Ministry of Health and Safety, her parents paid an unGodly amount of money to have the incident report absolve her of blame and be swiftly silenced, especially since there was no evidence of [Y/n]'s involvement since she never made skin-on-skin contact with them. It was a silence they would maintain, burning the trauma deep within, never to be discussed again.
Detective Tsukauchi sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "When police arrived on scene at USJ, a large group of individuals were found conscious yet unresponsive. They were otherwise unharmed until treated at a separate hospital where it was discovered their windpipes had simultaneously closed due to anaphylactic shock. Based on the internal damage they suffered from the lack of oxygen, doctors deduced that they all suffered at relatively the same time. What's more is they were found clustered in one location, which eyewitnesses confirmed was yours at the time of the attack."
"Unresponsive?" [Y/n] whispered.
More memories flooded back - a vivid blue sky adorned with giant cumulonimbus clouds and the feeling of soft sand beneath her as she lay in the playground. Confused as to why she was lying on the ground, she sat up, only to be met with the horrified, tear-filled faces of her friends. Their screams and cries were a sound that haunted her for years afterward. Her friend at the time, dragged her limp legs against the sand behind her as she desperately tried to crawl away from [Y/n]. She was paralyzed from the waist down. The other kids were terrified and unable to provide a coherent image of the event leading up to the paralysis. The only consistent detail between them was [Y/n]'s body suddenly being consumed in darkness followed by her immediately passing out. Her friend ran over to check on her but collapsed within three feet - devoid of all sensations below her waist.
She was eight years old.
In the aftermath, her parents transferred her to Katsuki and Izuku's school after the other kids ostracized her.
"Hey," Aizawa's deep voice cut through the room, drawing her attention back to reality. He met her gaze as he leaned over her bed with his own steady one. She hadn't realized he had shifted from his previous spot at the back of the room. "It's alright." He tried to reassure her.
"Is that why I've been confined to my room the entire time I've been awake? Or why I haven't been able to see anyone?" [Y/n] suddenly asked, finally feeling brave enough to broach her suspicions.
It dawned on her that he may not have moved closer to comfort her. He stared at her intently with eyes that could take her quirk away instantly if she lost control again.
"It won't be for long. Given the circumstances, it was a necessary precaution to prevent any other injuries from occurring," Aizawa explained, his tone grave. "Your quirk's abilities aren't fully understood yet, and the potential to manipulate other people's health without physically touching them is a significant concern. You realize that this means you can induce incurable illnesses and conditions... that as of right now, only you could reverse. That kind of power over people...it's..." Aizawa found himself unable to finish his sentence, the gravity of the situation was beyond articulation.
As she listened, she lowered her gaze to her lap, visibly shaken. Aizawa had never seen her so upset.
"As teachers, we have a duty to protect the other students, and as heroes, society as a whole."
[Y/n] didn't respond and several silent seconds passed before she turned to the detective, leaving her teacher unacknowledged.
"You said the villains were taken to a separate hospital. Can I-"
"No!" Before [Y/n] had the opportunity to finish her question, Aizawa shut her down.
She had shot him a sharp glance, attempting to conceal her frustration but falling short, her emotions written clearly on her face. Aizawa squarely returned her gaze without any attempt to mask his own expression.
"You don't even know what I was going to ask." She complained.
"You were going to ask to go there to heal them. To reconcile with your mistake." He stated matter-of-factly.
[Y/n] pouted. How did he know that?! She wanted to deny it, to fabricate a lie. The feeling of being misunderstood by her quirk suddenly made her want to be rebellious, even if it was in the smallest ways, like giving her teacher attitude. This feeling wasn't new to her; she had been labeled a threat to human well-being before, isolated because of it. Whether it was physical isolation by changing schools and enduring quarantine, or emotional isolation by avoiding discussions about her quirk with her parents, she knew the sting of ostracization intimately. Perhaps that was why she rarely used that quirk and was so self-conscious when she did. She recalled how she felt after using it on Katsuki during their training exercise: ashamed and insecure.
"Perhaps." She admitted, crossing her arms across her chest, ultimately discarding the idea of lying to her teacher. "My quirk has only become uncontrollable when I've failed to regulate my emotions. To control my quirk, I need to be able to control my emotions... but I need help." Aizawa watched her (e/c) eyes soften into a look of sad desperation. "I don't want to be treated and seen like I'm unpredictable and dangerous. I need to be able to control my quirk in its entirety to reach my full potential. Please, Mr. Aizawa, don't isolate me, help me."
His frustration melted at her vulnerable confession. Although his expression did not change, he placed a hand on her head and softly rustled her hair. "Yeah. Don't worry, this entire situation has changed a lot about how you'll be training once you're released, but it hasn't changed the way any of us look at you. Your classmates have been practically berating us teachers with questions about you. It's annoying."
A subtle blush developed on her cheeks.
"Alright, well," Detective Tsukauchi's voice pulled both [Y/n]'s and Aizawa's attention back to him.
Just as he opened his mouth to continue, [Y/n]'s ears caught a sudden commotion outside her door. It quickly escalated, interrupting their conversation.
"Like fucking hell I'm not going in there!" Mitsuki, a raspy, erratic voice [Y/n] could never mistaken.
"Ma'am it's a restricted area for your own safety. You can't go in that room unless you've been authorized." a hospital worker tried explaining.
"I'd like to see you try to keep me out!! I suggest sticking your fingers down your pants and taking a sniff because it seems to me like you've got bigger fish to fry than me seeing my girl after she was attacked by a bunch of villains!!!!"
Before [Y/n] had time to be mortified by Mitsuki's comment, the door to her room busted open with the force of ten thousand soldiers. [Y/n] jumped in her bed at the sudden loud noise. The door slammed against the wall with such intensity, that Aizawa was sure it was permanently indented.
"[Y/N], ANGEL!!" Mitsuki screamed in the door frame, her chest heaved up and down as if she had just sprinted across town and her hair was in a wind-swept mess. "YOU'RE AWAKE!!!" she frantically dashed over to her bed, completely ignoring the detective and Aizawa.
"Ma'am!! You can't be in here!" An angry nurse shouted behind her, making considerable effort to stand outside the door and cover her nose with a medical mask.
Relief washed over the girl's body like a tidal wave on the shore. [Y/n] felt all the negative emotions in her body and painful memories melt away at the sight of Mitsuki's relieved and motherly face.
[Y/n] desperately opened up her arms as Mitsuki crashed into them, holding her in a tight hug.
"Oh my god! I'm so relieved! Thank god you're okay! We came as soon as we got the call that you were awake!" Mitsuki squeezed [Y/n] tighter in her arms. The teen couldn't help but let a few tears fall from her eyes as she was consumed with love.
Masaru quickly ran up behind Mitsuki and pulled both her and [Y/n] into his arms. "We were so worried about you!" He added, sounding just as relieved as his wife.
"Sir!" The nurse yelled again. The three of them ignored her and remained in a tight embrace for a while.
Aizawa and Tsukauchi exchanged knowing looks before standing from their seats to give them their much-needed privacy.
"It's alright, I'll fill out the paperwork to authorize them inside the room," Aizawa said as he made his way around [Y/n]'s bed and towards the nurse at the door.
When Masaru and Mitsuki finally pulled away, Mitsuki cupped [Y/n]'s face in her hands, wiping away the tears on her cheeks with her thumbs. "Oh dear, you look great!! Still as gorgeous as ever! How do you feel?"
Before [Y/n] could answer Tsukauchi piped up behind them. "I'm sorry to interrupt but I just wanted to let [L/n] know that I'll be heading out. Those were all of my questions anyways and if you ever have any for me," He reached into his trench coat pocket and retrieved a card. He handed it to her. "You can reach me at this number, day or night. Thank you for your co-operation." He bowed.
Mitsuki sat beside [Y/n] on the edge of her hospital bed and looked at the detective.
"Sorry for barging in unannounced, we couldn't help but rush over as soon as we got the news she was awake." Masaru apologized.
"No worries at all. Take care." He said politely as he left.
As soon as he closed the door behind him, Mitsuki squeezed [Y/n] in another hug.
"I was so worried about you, kid! But now that I know you're okay, I'm so proud! Your teachers told us that you took down almost thirty villains on your own?! THAT'S MY GIRL!" She shook [Y/n] by the shoulders vigorously. "And I heard you gave that big fucker a run for it's money, didn't ya?!" Mitsuki proudly rambled, ceasing the shaking. "And is it true that among all that fighting, you still tried to heal one of your teachers? Gosh, you're a natural-born hero!" Mitsuki praised.
[Y/n] wildly blushed under all the praise. A lump formed in her throat that made her eyes lightly sting and want to tear up. She fought the urge to sob now that she was in their arms.
"Were you scared, [Y/n]?" Masaru asked, looking at her with empathy-filled eyes.
She nodded as she looked up at him.
"I'm sure it was. You were so brave." His voice was soft and kind, a direct contradiction to Mitsuki.
"Oh my God! I didn't even realize the flowers in here from all the excitement!" Mitsuki stated, suddenly noticing the bouquet-littered floor. "Are each of these from one of your classmates?" She hopped off the bed and slowly moved around the room to inspect each one. [Y/n] nodded in response, still fighting the lump in her throat. "You've got one hell of a support system that's for sure! Oh, look Masaru! This is the one Katsuki sent her, I'm so glad it got here alright. That little devil sure has good taste sometimes, he gets that from me." Mitsuki pointed to the bouquet sitting on the top of her bedside cart.
It was the first bouquet she had seen when she had woken up; sunflowers, red roses, and white hydrangeas: her favourite. [Y/n]'s heart tugged in her chest as she stared at the bouquet.
While Mitsuki continued to comment on the flowers, Aizawa stood outside her door. He had finally convinced the nurse to leave the three of them alone in [Y/n]'s room. A small smile ghosted his lips as he heard Mitsuki's praise toward his student. He turned to face the door, staring at the sign adnoring it that read: 'CAUTION: POTENTIAL BIOHAZARD. Authorized Personnel Only.' in large red print. Ripping it off her door and pocketing it under his arm, Aizawa strolled down the hospital hallway to meet with his colleagues.