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Fractured Wings

Chương 1: Chapter 1

Yuki Arakawa swept through the hallways of UA high with the poise of someone very much used to the campus. It was the start of a new school year, even third years like her were excited at the thought of learning here, Whether they were of the hero course or not.

But she, she had other problems weighing her mind.

She sighed and ignored the sun blaring in through the large window pane as she walked forward. Her long curly hair cascaded down her back in dark waves, catching the light with a soft sheen, while her bright purple eyes pierced through the bustling crowd of students around her.

Her boots clicked on the well polished floor, brushing past students as well as the occasional flirtatious glances from the boys around her.

As Yuki turned the corner, she spotted a soft tussle of green curls, unmistakable. His freckled face was flushed from a conversation he was having while walking and talking with some friends, and he had a notebook in his hands clutched tightly to his chest.

Yuki's voice sliced through the ambient noise of the crowd. "Midoriya."

The boy now in front of her jumped, startled by her soft sounding voice.

Midoriya quickly jumped straight and turned around only to gain a familiar look in his eye before he gave a slight bow and fumbled out. "A-Arakawa-senpai!" He blurted it out in a high enough pitch that she took a slight step back. "I almost forgot you attend UA. Nice to see you again..."

"I need you to go and get Bakugou, I need to tell you to something."

His right eyebrow raised and he seemed a little worried, he didn't ask any questions though which was good for her. A short minute later Midoriya came to her spot in the cafeteria seemingly dragging Bakugou along by his arm. Bakugou had a mean scowl on his face and looked like he was going to get sick on the shorter and more timid child just for touching him.

"Wow, It really is a surprise to see you two here." Yuki started disregarding any pleasantries.

Bakugou's scoffed loud enough for her to hear. And then Yuki spoke again. "I've heard that you somehow got a quirk Midoriya." She gave a pointed look toward the boy shaking in his skin.

"I.. I mean... Yeah, it just awakened really late." He stuttered as he eventually let go of Bakugou and started shifting around in place.

"And you Bakugou, I thought your crappy attitude alone would get you excluded."

Bakugou gained a wicked look on his face before pointing at her and yelling with venom in his voice. "The hell did you drag me away from my lunch for Arakawa!"

'As loud as ever.'

Yuki then gained a softer look on her face as she recollected on her thoughts on what she wanted to say to them. She wished it could have just stopped at the acknowledgement of them making it in to UA. A proper congratulations maybe, but no.

"You remember my brother right. Kobe." They both nodded, Bakugou sneered.

"Well he's missing."

Bakugou's jaw tightened and Midoriya's eye's widened at the revelation.

"He's stubborn. He just walked out a few weeks ago and still hasn't returned. Selfish, and too arrogant for his own good." She said that last part with a more silent tone but it was still heard by the two boys.

Midoriya, bless him, seemed more broken up by it, more than Yuki thinks he ever should.

"Arakawa-senpai, do you think he's okay? Did he say anything before he left?"

Yuki shrugged, her expression unreadable.

"He hasn't said much of anything since he got back from the behavioral program a couple years ago. We've alerted police, my Ma just said that you guys should know since you've had a past with him."

Her gaze lingered on them. In all the years she has known Bakugou she had never heard him be so quiet. It was almost alarming.

A mixture of grief and annoyance clouded her mind when she looked over to Midoriya though, not because of him, it was because of Kobe. Her spoiled little brother. She felt bad whenever she thought of the interactions that went on between her brother and Midoriya.

He was rude, obnoxious and just a downright bully. Kind of like Bakugou, but there just seemed to be a cold wickedness whenever she thought of how Kobe acted.

"I hope you find him." She wishes she could see that kindness in him that is so clearly evident in the boy in front of her.

"So do I."

___

The rain had stopped, leaving the world smelling clean but fragile. I sat up in the bed, the sheet's crumpled around me, my gaze falling to the window. Outside, the streets glistened, reflecting a sun that was just beginning to rise. A new day.

Before I could gather my thoughts, the door creaked open, and small, quick footsteps pattered towards me.

"Mister! Breakfast is ready!"

I looked over to see the kid from last night, grinning at me like I was worth grinning at. He'd lost his way home in the storm last night, wandering out too far. I certainly wasn't planning to stay at an orphanage but when I brought him and the head matron figured out that I had nowhere to stay she insisted that I get some rest.

What a kind lady.

"Morning." I muttered, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

The kid climbed onto the bed, uninvited, and plopped himself down, legs swinging. "You gonna eat with us? Saeko-san makes the best eggs!"

Saeko. That was the matrons name—kind eyes, tired face, probably in her late forties. She'd thanked me too many times last night, like she couldn't believe someone other than a hero would help her for nothing in return. I guess I seemed suspicious in a way.

"Sorry kid, I don't think I'll be staying long enough for breakfast." I said swinging my legs over to the side of the bed.

The kid tilted his head, his smile faltering. "Why not? You don't have anywhere else to go do you?"

I chuckled, it was a low and bitter one. "Plenty of places, just none where I want to be."

That seemed to confuse him but his face lit up again as if he'd found the perfect distraction. "I'm gonna be a hero someday you know."

A hero, the word hit me like cold water. My mind flickered to a now distant past. Back to training, unwanted training, to "Friends," Deku—Izuku Midoriya—and the way his eyes would shine when he spoke about being a hero. Even Bakugou and his relentless drive, something I never had.

Then I thought of myself, years ago, knocking him down for dreaming too big. Why was I like that? It make's little sense to me, and even thinking about it now just flares up some unwanted anger, rage.

I looked back at the kid staring up at me.

"That so?" I said forcing a smirk.

"Yeah, like All Might! He's the strongest, and he saves everyone." The kids voice was so full of certainty that it made my chest tighten.

I didn't reply. What was there to say? That All Might wasn't invincible? That even heroes could fall apart? I wasn't about to crush a kids dream, but I didn't know whether I should encourage it either, so all that I did was smile.

The kid hopped off the bed, looking up at me expectantly, "You'd make a cool hero too, you're quirks awesome."

For a moment my mind froze, I didn't remember showing the kid my quirk. Until I did, it was the night before once I had found a dry enough place I showed him something to stop him from shaking in fear. He was scared that he wasn't home.

Scared that he got lost, so I just did what I thought would work in that situation.

"You've got a wild imagination."

Before he could say more, I stood and grabbed my jumper. and headed out to the hallway. Saeko was waiting by the door, her arms crossed.

"Leaving already?" She asked, her tone was firm and gentle.

"Yeah," I replied avoiding her eyes. "Thanks for letting me stay the night."

"You could stay longer if you would like, Ken seems to really like you." I looked back to the dark haired boy and realized in slight frustration that I had forgotten to even ask his name.

Forgetting the basics is pathetic. Nothing to do about it now though.

"I don't think looking up to me is a good idea Ma'm. But thanks again."

She stood silent while looking me up and down, it felt awkward. I didn't like it, but she hadn't done anything inappropriate or unnecessary to me thus far so I didn't think there was anything to worry about much.

She opened her mouth to speak.

"Wherever you find yourself, I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for."

She let me go past and out the door into the crisp morning sun.

'Whatever I'm looking for,' I don't even know what it is I'm looking for. Kobe patted down his pockets and seemed mildly disappointed.

"Right now, I'm broke. So money is what I should be looking for."

Money comes and goes, I need it for immediate expenses, like food, getting my hair done, and of course a place to stay. 'You could just go home,'

The thought slithers into my mind like a cold draft, uninvited and unwelcome. I didn't like the thought.

My lips twisted into a bitter smirk, sure I could go home, but after so many years away from there and with very little contact with my family, it didn't even feel like a home anymore.

My mother, she just brushed over the fact that she sent me away to what she believes is was a behavioral facility to make me 'normal'. If only she knew.

"I don't know if I even blame her," I say in a low voice to no one.

Really and truly her giving me up felt like an easy decision in my eyes. I was the definition of a brat. I spoke back, I disobeyed orders, I fought, I stole, I fought, just about everything I shouldn't have been doing I done.

She probably got sick of me, when I got back it was easy to see the fake smile she put on whenever she spun around to greet me.

I felt like a burden. So I left, it only took a couple years but I made the decision and left again, for the last time hopefully.

And don't even get me started on my sister. I still don't know how to feel about her, there's just a cold numbness whenever she is brought to my mind. At lest my mother pretended to care. With Yuki, there's nothing. Just that sharp way she looks at me as if I was something she needed to clean up. A mistake that should have disappeared with out father.

No, going back home isn't an option. Not now.

***

I'm standing in front of an old warehouse, It's facade faded and grimy, the kind no one looks twice at.

This was the place I was looking for. A piece of paper was rumpled up in my hand containing the same name as what was being advertised in front of me.

I push the door open, and the noise hits me like a wave—cheers, jeers and the unmistakeable sound of fists meeting flesh. The air inside is mixed with sweat and desperation, tinged with the faint metallic tang of blood.

This is what I was looking for. An underground Fighting Arena.

The room is dimly lit, the only illumination coming from a few industrial lights hanging above the makeshift ring in the center. The crowd presses close, a chaotic mix of spectators—some rowdy and drunk and others watching with a cold calculating interest, some with a more confident gaze.

I slip around to the edge of the crowd, taking in the scene. Two fighters in the ring, their quirks looked simple at first glance, well one of them anyway. The man with a tar-like substance coating his fists. The other one I guessed could have been a speedster since he would rush off to attack in quick bursts before stopping and gaining a normal speed.

"First time here?"

The voice startles me. I turn to see a woman, her sharp blur eyes appraising me. She's older, maybe mid-thirties, dressed in a sharp suit that stands out in the dingy room.

"Something like that." I reply.

She smirks, "Looking to fight or just watch."

I hesitate, "Neither. I'm looking for someone who can get me work."

"Work huh?" Her gaze lingered on me as she pushed a long strand of her dark, oak-brown coloured hair out of her face. "What's your quirk?"

"Not looking to advertise." I say, keeping my voice low as the crowd quieted down in anticipation of the ongoing fight.

Her smirk widens. "Smart. Stick around," She gestures to the ring. "People talk after the fights. You might find what you're looking for."

And so I waited...

***

The air inside the warehouse felt thicker now, a mix of body heat, spilled drinks, and smoke clinging to dim light. The crowds shouts blur into a dull hum.

My gaze lingered on some more people in ill-fitting suits exchanging whispers like secrets. I had my ways of hearing them with my quirk, once it was attached I listened to the conversation ongoing. I heard words, and names that sparked some interest and familiarity within me. Trigger.

"Did you hear of the new strain coming in?"

"Yeah from the Hassaiki. High risk, high reward. You've seen what it does to people it doesn't mix with right? People start losing control and popping off like balloons."

"Governments starting to clamp down, but for now there's still money to be made. Doesn't matter who you know, just how much you're willing to pay."

My stomach churns, not from fear, but from the flickering curiosity that rises in me. I've heard of Trigger before. Often connected with the underground. An illegal drug that enhances people's quirks, pushes them beyond normal limits. Dangerous. People are speaking of it like it's a secret weapon, but what is the cost of a secret weapon in this world?

Another man's voice joins the party, his tone bitter. "You think Trigger's the answer? Nah, the real play is the Hassaiki connection. People don't even know they're mixing it with something darker. Something... older."

"Older?" The voice of a woman now cuts in deep to question the former.

"Yeah," The man chuckles, "You don't think they just found this stuff by accident, do you? The Hassaiki's been around for decades, but this new trigger... it's a goddamn power-up. And I'm guessing they've found something. Maybe some old research facility."

As I heard the tail end of the conversation and the whispers of a research facility my mind breaks away to thoughts of Eden. Hidden, dangerous and fueled by power at any cost.

Trigger... Shie Hassaiki...Eden. The pieces didn't fit neatly together, but they're too close for my comfort.

I feel a presence close up on me, I turn around to see the same woman as before. She's watching with the same calculating gaze, the one that see's too much.

"Look's like you've found something that interests you." She says, her voice is smooth. "You know, there's more to the Hassaiki than just trigger. If you're smart you'll find the right people to deal with."

I swallowed hard,

"What's the play?" I ask, my voice quieter, matching hers.

She smirks. "I'll give you a lead, but you'll have to make sure you're ready for what comes next."

She hands me a piece of paper, the ink smudged just enough to make it look like it's been passed around too many times.

I glance down briefly at the address before pocketing it, it looked clean, too direct. Something's off. But it was my only lead, so without another word, I slipped the paper into my pocket and nodded.

"Thanks,"

Eden... The Shie Hassaiki... Trigger. It was all a dangerous game, no... this world was a dangerous game. And I'm playing it whether I like it or not.