Chapter Text
Human awoke in terror.
The last thing it remembered was in a cat, laying dormant. Human was an interesting quirk, giving whoever had it human features. In the case of the cat the quirk belonged to, it gave him sentience and standing upright. However, that ended when the host walked down the wrong alleyway. One brush with All for One, the one who could steal quirks, and the cat was just a cat. And Human was just another quirk to be held in his stockpile.
So how did it escape?
Human, naturally, made its holder as smart as a human. However, quirks held aspects of the powers they gave. Fire quirks were hot, endurance quirks were tougher, and intelligence quirks were smarter. It just so happened that Human made the quirk sentient as well. Realizing with a jolt that it was free, Human turned, not looking back at the monster that had took it, and ran.
In the quiet night, nobody heard the sobbing from the alleyway, nor could they see the quirk, invisible to the eye, coping with the new reality. They were alone. Not a person like the quirk could make an animal, not a mindless quirk to avoid thinking, not a quirk to be used for a purpose, nothing, nothing, NOTHING.
Without a base, Human didn't know anything about how to be itself. Quirks were quirks, used by beings to augment their capabilities, none were for the quirk itself. Human didn't understand a word, know how to act, or what it felt, just grief at being alone.
And there it sat, for days.
Eventually, Human became aware of an invisibility quirk coming by. Even though it didn't know much, it knew what quirks were, and what they were like. This one was tall, large, and belonged to a person. It spoke to Human, but Human didn't know words, just the sadness from its circumstances. Vaguely, it realized it was being picked up, put on the human's back. The warm, comforting, safe back...
Mr. Hagakure, holding groceries for the next few days, wasn't really focusing when he noticed the quiet sobbing of... someone in an alleyway. Looking inside, most would assume nobody was inside... but invisibility meant that he was more attentive than most. The parting of loose items, pressing of paper against the wall... something invisible was inside. So, turning to enter, he came up to this invisible person.
"Hey kid, are you alright?" No response. After waiting, he knelt down to see if anything was wrong, startling at the touch of skin. Cold, unliving... and not skin. Just soft like it. Worried for the person's safety, he knelt down to pick the person up.
"I'm going to bring you to the hospital, is that okay?"
Mr Hagakure left the alleyway with groceries and a new quirk.
"What do you mean there's nobody there?"
Mrs. Hagakure blinked in shock. The doctors had declared no person to exist when her husband took the mysterious being to the hospital, checking for injuries.
"They don't think they exist." Mr Hagakure sat down, cradling the person in his arms. He knew there was someone, but no records of their existence were there and the doctors ran every test only to reveal nothing. What to do, they can't just-
"... should we adopt them?"
"What? They have a fa-"
"If nobody picks them up in a year, we might need to try to raise whoever this is as our own. I'm not leaving a kid to die in the streets!"
Mr Hagakure stared, surprised at the sudden passion, before looking down at his new the kid. "If nobody looks for them."
Very quickly, the two realized that mentally, this person was as knowledgeable as a baby. They couldn't speak, didn't understand things, aside from walking and the size it was as if it was a baby! They couldn't even figure out a gender. So, the two quickly had to learn how to become parents.
It was 2 years before "Mama" was heard, and instantly, the two knew. They may not have been biologically related, but they would care for this one as long as they could. They also decided that this would be the person's second birthday, since they didn't know the real one.
It was 4 years until Human could properly talk. She had even decided on a gender! Looking up at mom and dad, she thought hard on the question they asked.
"Do you have a name we can call you?" This was a choice she would never get to change. She would be known by the name. Thinking long and hard, she eventually chose one.
"... Tooru."
Tooru was 7 years old when she told the truth about her identity. She was never a person. Just a quirk that acted like one. Before she could break down too much, her parents wrapped her into a hug, sobbing with joy that their daughter had finally been able to trust them, and with grief at her situation. Good thing it was a weekend, school and work would have been missed with how long it took for them to calm down.
In the end, they missed two days each.
Most people, when asked why they wanted to be a hero, would answer with a variant of things. Because it's cool, they want to save people, for fame, for money, because of a legacy. Off in the future, Tooru would meet aspiring heroes with each motivation. As her classmates talked about what they wanted to be as a hero, her motivation was "To stop the suffering I had." And while nobody truly understood but her parents, Tooru vowed that if she became a hero, she would make sure nothing was left behind.
When Tooru was 14, she left for the UA entrance exam. Her best shot at being a hero! She studied everything, and thanks to not technically being a human, she had more training and studying than most. While waiting, she took the time to analyze all the quirks. Tough like iron, explosively powerful, lightning fast, and then darkness. Specifically, a birdlike shadow, entirely quirk, zipping up to her.
"Hey! Your quirk's cool!" Tooru's eyes widened as she realized what this was. A sentient quirk. Not like her, they were connected to a bird person, but still a quirk.
"Thanks! Hey, can you keep a secret?" As the shadow bobbed up and down, she conspiratorially whispered "I'm actually just a quirk, no human." Their eyes widened in surprise, before looking at her with stars. Unfortunately, as the explanation for the exams began, they had to return to their owner as the exams started.
As the exam ended, Tooru left with a smile. The extra training she had helped her reach each off switch on the bots, and she was able to help tons of others! However, as she left, the bird person with the shadow quirk looked to her.
"Ah, you must be the one my partner has spoken about. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"A pleasure to meet you too! Do you think you did well?"
"I would hope so. Dark Shadow and I performed adequately, and the two of us were able to bring down a large amount of robots."
"Well, good luck! Who knows, we might see each other in UA!"
All three of them smiling, they left for home.
There was much celebration in the Hagakure household, as was there in the school. Tooru had made it. She was going to be a hero! The others celebrated from a mix of their friend or child getting a spot in the hero course, or that someone from their school had made it. Still, no rest for the weary. She would continue to practice her skills in combat.
...
"Bye mom! Bye dad! I'm off to UA!"
As the girl left for class, dressed in her new uniform, Tooru's smile was practically blinding, up until she got to the classroom. To her delight, the bird boy was there, as was Dark Shadow! At her entry, the two turned towards her.
"Ah, it seems you made it in as well. Since we will be classmates, introductions should be in order. My name is Fumikage Tokoyami, and this is Dark Shadow. What is your name?"
She smiled, ready to put the past behind her, and become a hero.
"My name's Tooru Hagakure! It's great to meet you!"