Kaito Arakawa woke to the sound of Musutafu's morning pulse—car horns, distant hero sirens, the clatter of his mother's coffee mug hitting the counter. He was still four, barely a week past the quirk assessment that branded him quirkless, but the word already felt like a scar. His All Might action figure lay beside him on the thin mattress, its chipped arm a silent witness to his whispered vow: I'll be a hero. The promise tasted like ash now, brittle under the weight of Reiko's cold eyes and the city's indifference.
He shuffled into the kitchen, his too-big All Might t-shirt dragging on the floor. Reiko stood at the stove, frying eggs for Hana, who was due back from her quirk training camp today. The air smelled of grease and expectation, but none of it was for Kaito. He climbed onto a chair, reaching for a cereal box, but Reiko's voice cut through the quiet like a blade.
"Don't make a mess," she said without turning, her tone sharp. "And stay out of Hana's way when she gets home. She's got enough to focus on without you bothering her."
Kaito's hand froze on the box, his chest tightening. "I won't," he mumbled, pouring cereal into a cracked bowl. The flakes were stale, but he ate anyway, each crunch a reminder of his place—second, always second, to the sister who burned bright enough to blind.
The door buzzer sounded, and Reiko's face lit up, a rare warmth that made Kaito's stomach twist. She rushed to open it, and Hana strode in, her auburn hair tied back, her training uniform pristine despite a faint scorch mark on the sleeve. At seven, she carried herself like a hero already, her flames a crown no one could ignore. Behind her, Daichi loomed, his broad shoulders filling the doorway. His shockwave quirk had made him a mid-tier pro hero, but to Kaito, he was a giant, a myth who rarely came home.
"There's my star," Daichi said, ruffling Hana's hair. She grinned, leaning into his touch, while Reiko fussed over her, asking about camp, her quirk control, the trainers' praise. Kaito sat forgotten, his cereal turning to mush, watching the family he didn't belong to.
Hana's eyes flicked to him, brief and indifferent, like he was furniture. "Hey, Kaito," she said, more out of habit than care, before turning back to Daichi's stories of villain takedowns. Kaito swallowed, his throat burning, and forced a smile that no one saw.
Daichi stayed for an hour, long enough to eat breakfast and boast about Hana's potential. "She's got my power, but sharper," he said, his voice booming with pride. "Give her a few years, and she'll outshine me." Reiko nodded, her smile tight but genuine, while Kaito shrank into his chair, invisible. When Daichi left for a patrol, he didn't look at Kaito, didn't say goodbye. The door closed, and the apartment felt smaller, colder, like it was squeezing Kaito out.
Reiko sent Hana to unpack, then turned to Kaito, her eyes narrowing. "You're starting school next week," she said, her voice flat. "Don't talk about… you know. We don't need people gossiping." She didn't say quirkless, but the word hung in the air, heavy as smoke.
Kaito nodded, his fingers tightening around his spoon. "I won't," he said, his voice small. He wanted to ask why it was a secret, why it made her look at him like he was broken, but fear kept the questions locked inside.
The week blurred by, a haze of Reiko's clipped orders and Hana's distant presence. Kaito spent hours in his corner, clutching his All Might figure, watching hero fights on a cracked tablet he'd found in Daichi's old things. All Might's grin filled the screen, his voice booming: "Fear not, for I am here!" Kaito mouthed the words, his heart aching with a dream he refused to let die. Quirkless or not, he'd find a way. He had to.
School began on a Monday, the air crisp with autumn's bite. Musutafu Elementary was a sprawling building, its walls plastered with posters of heroes like Endeavor and Best Jeanist. Kaito walked through the gates, his backpack heavy with secondhand books, his All Might shirt tucked under a plain sweater to avoid attention. Reiko had dropped him off without a word, her car speeding away before he could say goodbye.
The classroom was chaos, kids chattering, showing off quirks like trophies. A girl with pigtails made her pencil float, giggling as it spun. A boy with scales on his arms flicked his tongue, snatching a candy from a desk. Kaito slid into a seat at the back, his amber eyes scanning the room, hoping to blend in. But eyes found him, curious, then sharp, as if they sensed his difference.
The teacher, Ms. Tanaka, was a wiry woman with a telekinesis quirk, her glasses glinting as she called roll. When she reached "Arakawa, Kaito," a boy in the front row turned, his spiky black hair and smirk marking him as trouble. "That's Hana's brother, right?" he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "She's got that fire quirk. What's yours, kid?"
Kaito's stomach dropped. The room went quiet, all eyes on him. He opened his mouth, but Reiko's warning echoed: Don't tell anyone. "I… don't have one yet," he lied, his voice barely above a whisper.
The boy—Riku, Kaito would learn—laughed, a harsh sound that made others join in. "No quirk? Seriously? What a loser." He flicked his hand, and a small shockwave rippled out, knocking Kaito's pencil off his desk. The class erupted in giggles, and Ms. Tanaka sighed, floating the pencil back with a flick of her finger.
"Enough, Riku," she said, but her tone was tired, like she'd already written Kaito off. "Let's focus on the lesson."
Kaito stared at his desk, his face burning, the word quirkless pulsing in his mind. Riku's smirk lingered, a promise of worse to come. At recess, Kaito stayed by the fence, watching kids play hero-villain games, their quirks flashing like fireworks. Riku and his friends approached, their shadows long and menacing.
"No quirk, no future," Riku taunted, shoving Kaito against the fence. "Why're you even here, huh? Gonna be All Might's sidekick with nothing?" His shockwave quirk hummed, a faint vibration that made Kaito's teeth rattle. The other kids laughed, some throwing pebbles, others mimicking Riku's taunts.
Kaito clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. "I'll be a hero," he said, his voice shaking but defiant. "Better than you."
Riku's eyes narrowed, and he shoved harder, his shockwave sending Kaito sprawling into the dirt. "Keep dreaming, quirkless," he spat, walking away as the bell rang. Kaito stayed down, his knees stinging, his All Might shirt smeared with mud. The other kids passed by, their whispers cutting deeper than the fall.
Back home, Kaito hid the dirt on his shirt, scrubbing it in the sink before Reiko could see. She was on the phone, gushing about Hana's latest training scores, her voice alive in a way it never was for Kaito. He slipped to his mattress, pulling out his tablet. All Might's face filled the screen, his laugh a beacon in the dark. Kaito traced the hero's grin, his eyes stinging.
"I'll show them," he whispered, his voice fiercer now, fueled by the day's pain. "I'll be a hero, no matter what." But the city's hum answered with indifference, and Kaito's promise felt like a thread fraying, one tug away from snapping.
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A/N: Go check out my other MHA story!
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