Chapter Text
Leaning back in his desk chair, Toshinori rubbed his hands down his face, groaning at what a mess this entire situation was. Not only had the foundations of U.A. itself been shaken by the attack of the League of Villains on school property, but now an entire human trafficking network had been revealed, children with promising quirks stolen from their families, trained to be mindless killing machines, and then sold to the highest bidder.
And here Toshinori was thinking that he'd thought he'd seen it all. What could possibly come next?
A knock sounded at the door and the top hero murmured a tired "come in," sitting back up as Detective Tsukauchi entered, a tired smile on his face as he closed the door behind him and took a seat at one of the chairs sitting in front of the pro hero's desk. As soon as he sat down it was clear how worn out he was, his shoulders slumping and the dark circles under his eyes standing out even in the dull light of Toshinori's office lamp. Running a hand through his usually neat hair, the dark-eyed man leaned forward, setting his elbows on his knees as he regarded the blonde hero gravely.
"I'm not gonna lie to you, Toshinori. It's bad. Really bad."
"I can't say I wasn't expecting that." Letting out an exhausted sigh, he took a moment to close his eyes as Tsukauchi got up again, leaving his hat and coat draped over the back of his chair and walking to a small, wood cabinet sitting against the wall. When he returned he had a glass of amber liquid in each hand, one outstretched to Toshinori.
"You look like you need this just as much as I do."
The seasoned hero didn't refuse, taking the glass without a word. A few moments passed in silence. Outside, the world was asleep, locked in the depths of night. Neither of the men had gotten any sleep for a good few days now, too much work to do, questions to answer, and people to reassure. It felt like the whole world was asking the same question- how could this have happened?
"What have you been able to find out, Tsukauchi?"
"Not as much as I'd hoped." The detective didn't look up from the glass in his hands as he responded. "As you probably already know there's a very lucrative black market for children with powerful quirks. We'd known about it for some time, but until a couple days ago we had no idea it was still functional or as massive as what we're dealing with now. The organization that attacked the other day, the League of Villains, is most likely apart of it which would explain their numbers and manpower. The way it runs is children who show signs of stronger than average quirks are taken from their families at a young age while they're still impressionable and trained to be obedient slaves with one purpose- to fight and kill for their masters. Due to the nature of their training, most of them don't live long, but those who do become...beasts, for lack of a better word, some of the most dangerous creatures on the planet which makes those holding their leashes some of the most powerful people in the world."
"So it's just a question of rescuing them before they undergo training or fall into the wrong hands?" Toshinori asked, expression troubled.
Tsukauchi shook his head solemnly. "It's much more than that. In the past, we've been able to rescue a few people who fell into this system, but we found that they were ultimately unable to function in society, possessing little to no knowledge about the world. I'm sorry to say that most of the time they returned to a life of villainy."
A few moments passed in uneasy silence until Toshinori asked the question hanging in the air between them. "...What does that mean for her?"
The detective was quiet, his gaze resting on the now empty glass in his hands. "It means there isn't a lot of hope for her."
"Tsukauchi, there has to be more than that! What were you able to do with her in interrogation?" The number one hero's voice was near pleading, desperately searching for hope to save a forsaken child who had grown on torture and pain.
"She wouldn't tell us anything. The only reason she didn't transform and kill us all or herself was because Aizawa was there to keep her from using her quirk." Toshinori didn't respond, his face shadowed. "It's amazing that a few of your students were able to capture her when she's so powerful, but I'm afraid the effort was wasted. There just isn't much we can do for her other than keep her in isolated care for the rest of her life."
"Where is she now?"
"What?"
Toshinori rose to his feet, eyes glinting with determination as he looked at his friend. "Where is she now?"
The detective paused for a moment, hesitant. He knew his friend, knew he was reckless at times, but he was also the number one hero for a reason. "...In one of the cells here at U.A."
Striding past him, Toshinori left the room without a word, walking down the empty hallways towards what could either turn out to be a shining success or a terrible failure.
Alone, Tsukauchi refilled his glass, lifting it in a weary toast. "To dragons. May they one day live alongside heroes."
Toshinori took his first real look at you through the bars of your cell. Asleep on the bed, you looked deceivingly harmless, golden horns emerging from messy (h/c) hair and your mid-length tail twitching every now and then as you dreamed. The last time he'd seen you, you'd been a raging dragon, intent on killing Midoriya, Todoroki, Bakugou, and Kirishima. And you almost did.
Even though they were already so strong, you were more powerful than all of them working together.
Swallowing, Toshinori tore his eyes away from you, pulling out his key and putting it in the lock. Before he turned it, he looked up at you again, something in the atmosphere changing. Blue eyes met cat-like (e/c) ones and he froze. He should've known you weren't really asleep. Your eyes held his, your expression blank and body still.
He didn't know how long he stood there, but something in the depths of those dragon's eyes captivated Toshinori. Calm pools of (e/c), he could only imagine the world behind them, the turmoil and pain branded into your heart. Removing the key from the lock, he stepped away from the cell, keeping eye contact with you all the while.
There was only one thing Toshinori could read from your eyes and that was that right now, there was too much darkness. The slightest tip in the balance and you would blow U.A. to kingdom come, a dragon in all it's mythic power. He'd definitely jumped the gun, but there was no way he was going to give up on you. Slowly but surely, he would make you into a hero because he had to believe there was still some light in you even after everything you'd been through.
From that day on, each of the teachers at U.A. took turns visiting you, carefully reaching out. It was hard to tell as you were generally unresponsive, but you seemed to like Recovery Girl best. The older woman could even enter the cell without fear of being attacked. Of course, there were some set backs, such as when you tried to bite Present Mic, and you did try to activate your quirk a few times, but it was all to be expected. Each day, they introduced something new to you, utilizing multiple kinds of therapy as they tried to bring you out of your shell. It was hard to tell what helped and what didn't, but they did the best they could.
The first sign that it was working came when Recovery Girl was using animal therapy with you. A few of the other teachers had been worried about this particular kind of treatment as your behavior was still rather untrustworthy, but as you carefully stroked the sleeping puppy in your arms, the elderly nurse saw there was nothing to fear. Given the choice, you truly wouldn't hurt a fly. You seemed fascinated by the animal, your touch gentle as you combed your fingers through its soft fur over and over again. The healing hero couldn't help but wonder if this was your first time petting a dog. Well! Best she make the most of it!
"(Y/n), is it alright if I ask you a few questions about your childhood?"
No response.
"Do you remember how old you were when you were taken from your family?"
"...Five."
Recovery Girl's eyes shot wide open. She hadn't really been expecting an answer, but that was the first time you'd said anything! She almost thought she'd imagined it as you didn't look up, still focused on the puppy. Swallowing, the older woman decided to roll with the momentum.
"How long did your...training take?"
"Six years."
"And you worked for the League of Villains for...?"
"Four years."
Committing your answers to memory, she moved on to trying to get full sentences out of you.
"What did you do for the League of Villains?"
"Anything that Shigaraki Tomura told me to."
"What was your training like?"
Your hand stopped its petting motions and the healing hero took a quick inhale, afraid she'd crossed a line.
"It isn't training..." Recovery Girl leaned in closer, gasping when you looked up, eyes clear and intelligent, without an ounce of aggression. "It's torture."
"I'm not so sure about this, Toshinori. What will their families have to say?" Interlacing his little animal fingers, the mouse-like principal of U.A. brought his paws to his mouth in thought, genius mind weighing the pros and cons of what the top hero had just proposed. "Not only are you suggesting that I set (y/n) free, but that I place her in the hero course as well? Is she even ready for that?"
"Yes! Nezu, it's been months since (y/n) was captured and she's come a long way. She hasn't shown any signs of hostility since the first few days she was here!"
"But she was only like that within the confines of her cell. It's impossible to know how she'll act in the outside world. It wouldn't be unlikely for her to be overwhelmed to the point of activating her quirk."
"Then I'll be the one to take responsibility in the event that that happens!"
Sighing, the principal stood and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window that looked out over the U.A. campus. "Toshinori, I fully believe you would take full responsibility if (y/n) were to have an incident, but after everything that's happened the world would definitely see it as U.A.'s fault." Turning around, he looked up to address the much taller man. "Right now we can't afford for that to happen."
"One week."
"Pardon?"
"Give (y/n) one week in the hero course. If she's placed in Class 1-A I'll be able to keep an eye on her and make sure nothing happens. If she isn't ready, then she isn't ready. She'll go right back to her cell until you think she is. If she is ready, let her stay and learn how to be a hero."
"Toshinori..." Crossing his arms, Principal Nezu looked down, lost in thought once more. "I trust your judgement. Are you completely certain that she shows the potential to become a hero? After everything she's been through?"
"Yes," he answered, his tone sure.
"Alright then. I'll give you the paperwork to enroll her. She'll need to take a couple tests to make sure whatever education she's had is sufficient as well."
"Thank you very much. You won't regret this."
"For both of our sakes, I hope not."
You passed the tests perfectly, surprising most of the U.A. faculty. When you'd first been captured, many of them had believed you wouldn't be able to read and write, let alone pass multi-subject entrance exams. Though extremely informal, the education you'd received while under the care of villains was unexpectedly adequate.
After all the paperwork had been done and permission had been granted by the police force for you to become a student at U.A.- thanks, in part, to Tsukauchi- your existence was revealed to Class 1-A a few days before you were scheduled to join the them.
Most of them reacted with disbelief, a few with hostility and outrage, and others with interest and curiosity. Momo and Mina were chosen to meet you first, taken to your new room along with your new uniforms, partly to start introducing you to new people and partly to get you cleaned up. The past months had been so tedious with your transition from beast to human that a chance to give you a thorough bath and properly comb your hair hadn't come about.
Both girls were nervous but excited to meet you, curious to discover what kind of person you truly were. First interactions went well, you introducing yourself without any sort of aggression, but you didn't smile even as Momo and Mina smiled at you. It helped that you weren't in a cell anymore, Principal Nezu giving you your own room on campus as a place to stay while taking classes.
Now, as you sat timidly while Momo cut the dead ends of your hair and Mina filed and polished your horns, it was almost hard to believe you were the same terrifying dragon that had attacked U.A. mere months ago.
"What did you say your quirk was, (y/n)?"
"Dragon. It's self-explanatory. I can turn into a dragon at will."
"That's so cool!" Mina squealed, seeming to have taken a liking to your horns as she rubbed them with a cloth affectionately.
"Is it?" you asked, tilting your head to the side curiously.
"It is! It sounds so strong and useful, too!" Momo agreed, running her fingers through your now clean locks.
"Ah! I almost forgot!" Dropping the cloth, Mina bounced over to where she had left her backpack, digging through it for a few moments until she found what she was looking for. "I brought sweets!!!"
"You did? That was a good idea," Momo said, internally kicking herself for not bringing something as well.
"Yep! They're the expensive kind, too!" Pulling off the lid, the pink-skinned girl shoved the tin in your face, enthusiastically offering you its sugary contents. "Have some!"
You blinked, tentatively reaching out to grab one. Taking a brief sniff at the unfamiliar food, you hesitantly put it in your mouth, eyes sparkling a second later when its sweetness hit your tongue.
"So cute!!!" Mina cried, glomping you. You didn't react as she rubbed her cheek against yours, too interested in licking off the sweet crumbs left on your fingers.
Momo couldn't help but giggle as she watched the adorable scene, lifting a proper hand to her mouth. Her amusement didn't last long though as her mind drifted to how the rest of Class 1-A would react to you. Meeting you like this, it was easy to see the good and innocence in you, but others were likely to only see the monster that had nearly burned USJ to the ground and killed several of their classmates.
Motherly as she was, Momo couldn't help but worry about you. You'd been through so much already yet so much still awaited you in the future. How much would you really be able to endure...?
Red eyes gazed out the window, thoughtlessly watching the trees sway in the light wind. For what was probably the thousandth time that morning, Kirishima squirmed in his seat, trying to dispel the strange, excited energy he'd woken up with. It felt as if something big was going to happen, something that would change his life forever. He'd never felt anything like it before.
"Oi, Kirishima! Are you listening?" Kaminari whined, poking the red-head's cheek. "Class hasn't even started and you're already spacing off!"
"Huh? Oh, sorry. What were you saying?"
"I was asking what you thought about the new student that's joining today. She's that giant dragon villain you, Midoriya, Bakugou, and Todoroki captured, right? Man, Principal Nezu must be crazy, letting her join the hero course and all! Shouldn't she be in prison?"
"There has to be more to the story if they're letting her join. Aizawa-sensei didn't give us a lot of details, after all," Kirishima chuckled.
"What? Are you defending her? She tried to kill you!" Kaminari pointed out, expression disbelieving.
Kirishima just shrugged. "I'm not defending her, I'm just say-"
"Take your seats. Class is starting," Aizawa grumbled tiredly. "Kaminari, leave Kirishima alone and sit down," he said without looking up from the papers on his desk.
"Sensei! Is it true the new student is coming today?" Tooru called, one lifted sleeve denoting a raised hand.
He still didn't look up as he answered, "Yes. All Might should be here with her any minute." The dark-haired man stopped what he was doing and looked up, addressing the class with a warning look. "If I hear that any of you have messed with her, you'll be explaining yourselves to Principal Nezu. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!" the class responded, excluding a certain spiky-haired blonde boy.
"...Bakugou?" Aizawa asked, tone stern.
"Fine!" he growled, clenching his jaw. "I won't mess with the poor little villain."
"She almost killed your ass the first time you met her, so I wouldn't."
"Wha-!"
A loud knock at the door interrupted the escalating situation, the panel nearly flying off its hinges a moment later as All Might burst through in full-on hero mode. "Good morning, young heroes!!! The time has come for a new young hero to join you!!!"
Any other day of the week, the entire class's eyes would've been glued to the top hero, but today they were entirely focused on the doorway behind him. In the time between All Might's entrance and your first step into the classroom, the room held its breath, a few even leaning forward in their seats.
"I ask all of you to welcome her warmly!!!"
The class watched as you walked through the doorway, cool and expressionless. It wasn't long before the whispers started, countless eyes scrutinizing your horns and tail.
"Go on!!! Introduce yourself!!!"
"My name is (l/n) (y/n)," you stated, emotionless, bowing slightly. "I look forward to training with you all."
Placing a hand on top of your head, All Might continued, "It has come to my attention that the details of (y/n)'s situation have remained undisclosed to you. Understand that while (y/n) was under the control of villains in the past she herself is not a villain! I'll leave the rest of it to be explained to you by your teacher! Well then!" With that, the pro hero was gone, leaving a gust of wind behind him.
"You can take the empty seat in the back, (l/n)," Aizawa directed. The class's eyes remained on you as you walked by them, a quiet murmur filling the air. A few sent you friendly smiles, others hostile glares, but neither expression provoked any reaction from you.
Your eyes drifted languidly across the room, scanning your new surroundings, and for a fateful moment, your eyes met Kirishima's. It only lasted an instant though as your gaze moved on, leaving the red-head's mouth hanging open. He'd never seen eyes like yours before, their intensity sending a shiver down his spine. His heart felt like it was about to explode in his chest, it was beating so fast, but the red-eyed boy didn't have any time to dwell on the feeling as Aizawa stood up, drawing the attention back to himself.
"Building off of what All Might's told you, I guess now's a good time we cover human trafficking."