Zero Hero || MHA ||

21. Anguish of the Quirkless

Hiro was drenched with sweat and smelled weird, but I didn't care. I squeezed his sweater, trying to concentrate on keeping my trembling fingers still. All the while, I tried to explained what happened.

         "I couldn't find you... I tried not to get caught but then there was a villain blocking the road, and then Furutani came and said she knew where you were...and heroes came but then I got caught again... Now Strawberry Shades is hurt because of me! I-I'm sorry. I just made things worse."

        "You're going too fast, Rin!" Hiro said. His eyes peered down at me with a soothing look. "It's fine now, I'm here. We're going to get out of here, okay?"

        That's right. Everything's alright now that he's here.

        The villain wasn't defeated yet. She stumbled to her toes, ripping her glasses off her face whose lenses cracked from Hiro's attack. She let out a stifled cough and crudely wiped her mouth, smearing her red lipstick across her cheek. With the insane look in her eyes accompanying it, she resembled the Joker. Hiro pushed me behind him, ready to defend.

        "You dare to taint my face with your filthy foot? I'll crush you to pieces!"

        She lifted her hand and sent a metal orb at us. Hiro blocked it by lifting his arm. Pulling me up to my feet, we dashed behind a food stall to take cover.

        "I don't even know why Kiyoshi bothers with you two," Ruby growled. "You're both terribly weak!"

        Holding her hand out, she retracted the orb that hit Hiro. It flew up into the air. Holding her other arm to the side, I watched as the other orbs began to float into the sky.

        "Rin, you need to listen to me carefully," Hiro began. "If we're gonna get out of here, I'm going to need your help. And before you go and say that you can't do anything, that you're powerless... That's a lie."

        He placed his hand on my shoulder, staring at me deeply. He looked a bit pale, and I couldn't tell if it was because he was worn-out, worried, or afraid. Either way, the seriousness in his body language made my throat go dry.

        "When that happened, I know you didn't mean for it to turn out that way. And I'll tell you again and again that I'm sorry. I'm sorry that they hurt you. I...I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you."

        "Why are you...?" I stuttered. "I don't get it."

        "Rin, I need you to remember. I need you to remember that time when you felt helpless. And that time, those times when it all boiled over. Those times when you couldn't stop yourself."

        I was suddenly back in elementary school. The sounds of children laughing and running echoed in my eardrums as a boy stood in front of me. He wore a menacing smile that exposed his sharp canines. And then, I was being shoved inside the hallways. My sneakers were getting stolen, I was getting told to shut my mouth, I was watching my comics getting burned, I was surrounded by classmates whispering about me...

        I was being treated wrongly all because I was Quirkless.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

        I was face-to-face with that boy again. His name, what was it? I can't remember. He was rubbing his hands together while electricity began to build. He came to hit me. As he did, I suddenly saw Bakugo on the day Kiyoshi attacked us. He had his hand on my collar, his fist nearing my face. The images of the two boys began to overlap each other as I watched them go in for the punch. And then, I clenched my fists.

        Shortly after, those same fists were stained with black ink. I was in my classroom. In my hands was permanent marker and in front of me was a lunchbox covered in scribbles. Kneeling on the ground was that boy, the one who tried to hurt me. He was apologizing to me. I pointed at the window and a classmate picked the lunchbox up. He tried to take it back when it went flying out the window.