Chapter Text
---
Beads of sweat were coated along his forehead as he surveyed the sight before him. The fighting had become more intense now, each of his comrades up against a counterpart from their opposition. Quirks continued to collide into each other, kicking up a cloud of debris in its wake. Takuya felt his stomach churn, prompting him to place his hand on it. At this point, he was beginning to feel worn down emotionally and physically. Due to this, he was too exhausted to properly initiate his powers. The violence was beginning to overwhelm him, which he deemed odd since he thought he was 'all in' with what was going to transpire on that day. What was it? Concern? Fear? Before he could figure that out, he caught his brother's fist quickly coming his way. At the last second, he was able to move out of its way, though he tumbled onto the ground soon after.
"This is just sad, Tacky." Takato paused to huff briefly before going toward Takuya. When he got close enough, he picked him up by the shirt collar to pull him in closer. "You really thought you could beat us? Beat me?"
Takuya glared at him bitterly. "Yeah. I did."
Before Takato could rub more figural salt in the already wounded Takuya, someone else appeared to state their piece. "You can't win. If you're going to choose the side of villainy...then I can't allow you to win."
You traitor... Takuya thought to himself. Now his anger was directed at the one he once considered a friend, and a comrade with the same goal his group had. "Just because you're a hero doesn't mean you're guaranteed to win the day." Something within him snapped at that moment, all of his frustration coming to a head. Since his hands weren't restrained, he was able to stretch his arm out, and he began to concentrate on manipulating the pressure around himself, and his foes.
"Quick! Stop him!" cried the one who betrayed Takuya.
But it was too late.
---
Life had been quite different for Takuya Aoba, months before. He was a relatively meek teenager, one that tended to mind his own business, and kept to himself most of the time. With his hands stuffed in his pockets, he walked home after a particularly long day at school. Well, every day felt like a long day at Coruscant High School. It wasn't exactly Takuya's dream school or anything. It was the only school that accepted him. His grades weren't spectacular enough for an academically superior high school, and his quirk just wasn't honed enough for him to enter any decent hero schools either. Pondering on this subject filled him with dejection, enough that he sighed and paused his trek home. That was when he realized he was about to turn the corner leading toward Gold Star Academy, the hero school his brother, Takato, was attending. The realization served to make Takuya feel worse, and not just sadder, also more aggrieved. He had partaken in the entrance exam for Gold Star, which had not gone the way he had anticipated.
"Tch." Takuya clicked his tongue irritably as memories of the event came back to him, and he went across the street to another sidewalk to continue his trip home.
He wanted to put all of that behind him, figuring there wasn't much else he could do about that matter anyhow. So he tried to change the subject in his mind to something more pleasant. What else was there to think about after that? Takuya forced a grin as he spoke out loud. "Okay, think happy thoughts. Happy thoughts."
What happy thoughts? His life sucked right now! It wasn't like he was handsome, as he was only moderately tall, and overly lanky compared to other guys his age. Takuya stopped to look at his reflection in a drink vending machine beside him. His lip curled as he thought about how huge his eyes looked. Like a damn owl, he thought grimly as he ran his hand along his shaggy blue hair. Speaking of his hair, he didn't like that either. Why was it growing so wild? His twin's hair was neat, kempt, and short. Hanging his head down in shame, he decided to go back to his walk. He didn't like anything about himself, especially not his physical appearance.
Something else caught his eye. A poster of Best Jeanist hung on a fence he was walking alongside. This did make him smile, if only a little. Best Jeanist was his favorite hero, after all. "I wish I could be like him." Takuya's eyes shimmered as he thought back to various news reports of the denim clad hero saving the day. As a child, he would often dress up as Best Jeanist (to the best of his ability) which often confused his classmates, friends, and family. After all, most boys wanted to be All Might instead. However, Takuya didn't let their baffled expressions bother him too much.
Placing his hand upon the poster, he began to feel morose once more. "I guess I'll never be like him..." There was a wistfulness present in his voice, accentuated more so by the solemn look in his eyes.
The sound of a crash caused him to snap out of his funk, and Takuya searched his surroundings for the source. Running around, he managed to find out just what it was. Down an alleyway, he spotted a burly man whose hand held onto a young girl's arm tightly. "I've got you now!" hollered the fellow loudly. Takuya noted that the girl had dark skin, and he assumed she was a foreigner.
"Let me go!" She exclaimed back, just as a splash of what appeared to be black ink was splashed across his face.
"GAH!" Due to the shock of what was happening, he released her.
This was her chance to run, and she took it. However, the seeming assailant recovered quickly from the temporary blindness after rubbing his eyes, then began to give chase. Having taken all of that in, Takuya stood paralyzed momentarily. What should he do? Should he go help her out? If he did, he could get into trouble for it since he didn't have a hero license. On the other hand, if he didn't help, that girl could get hurt or worse! That idea alone spurred him into action, and he jaunted in the direction they went in.
Now backed into a dead-end, the girl seemed more nervous about her predicament. "Stay away from me!"
"I've got you now." The man cracked his knuckles as he approached.
Sounds of shoes skidding against pavement made both the girl and the 'villain' turn their attention onto Takuya. For a few seconds, they listened to Takuya pant before he actually spoke words. "S-stop! Leave... Leave the girl alone!"
Scoffing, the man retorted, "Unless you're a hero, this is none of your business."
"Th-this is my business! Leave her alone! Or else!" Takuya warned. He suddenly felt like another pair of eyes were on him, and he searched around to see if there was another person there. To both his disappointment and relief, he didn't see anybody else.
"You don't want to tango with me, boy." The man's leg suddenly hardened into a steel-like state, then stomped onto the ground, which caused a tremor that knocked both the girl, and Takuya down.
Takuya was caught off guard by this. "Uhn!"
"Get out of here, kid! This has nothing to do with you!" This time, the girl directed her words at Takuya.
Though he was stunned by this, he felt compelled to keep helping her. After all, this is what Best Jeanist or any other hero would do, right? Pulling himself up, he extended his arm out to activate his quirk. "Don't make me use my quirk, mister! Stand down!" Takuya was presently more confident. Maybe more so than he had ever felt in his entire life.
"You want more!?" The man prepared to attack again. Without saying anything else, Takuya activated his quirk. Suddenly, a crushing pressure enveloped the vicinity of Takuya's opponent. Due to this sudden change, the man found himself immediately dragged to the asphalt below him. "Wh-wh-what the..!?"
Blinking several times, the girl also appeared confused. "What's he...?"
Takuya Aoba. His quirk is Air Pressure. He can manipulate the pressure surrounding his target, amongst other neat tricks. Of course, there are...drawbacks to this power.
"GAH!" Takuya stopped when he felt both of his ears begin to pop, followed by a pain that radiated throughout his body, and caused him a headache plus some dizziness and nausea.
Getting up on her feet, the girl prepared to run off to evade capture. Just a few paces into it, however, her eyes flickered as she glanced toward the ailing boy who intervened. The fact he attempted to help her, coupled with the fact he was looking quite miserable, spoke to her usually unseen softer side. Groaning, she went over to him, and got him to stand up. "Come on, we have to go!" All Takuya could do was let out a strangled moan as he felt himself get led away by the girl he thought he saved.
---
"Wargaflurbalah."
"Huh?" murmured Takuya, not understanding whatever it was that was said to him.
"I said, wake up already!"
He gazed up at the girl from earlier, who now hovered over him. "Wake...up..?"
Sighing, she put her hand on her waist. "You sorta passed out, so I brought you into this alley. It was just for a minute at least."
Takuya put his hand on his cheek, then glided it toward his temple. "...R-right. I think I overexerted myself..."
She then kneeled down to look into his eyes better. "You shouldn't have gotten yourself involved."
"I...didn't...want you to get hurt or something," said Takuya forlornly.
Pressing her lips together for a moment, she appeared pensive. "It was dumb. Playing hero like that is gonna get you in trouble."
"I..." Their conversation was interrupted when they heard the man from earlier speaking to someone else nearby. Clapping a hand over the boy's mouth, the girl then put a finger over her lips to signal for him to be quiet. Both of them managed to look around the corner to see what was going on, cautious not to get caught.
The man frowned, his body bruised up from the earlier scuffle. "I want to press charges on both of those ruffians!"
Beside him stood a police officer, who was busy jotting down the details of the altercation. "I'd like to get descriptions of the two perpetrators, including what sort of quirks they used."
"Well, the girl had chocolate colored skin and dark brown eyes! Probably not even from Japan! Who knows! She was using some quirk that made her control paint or somethin'! When I first saw her, she was tagging my store with some graffiti!" He continued to speak to the cop, though they began to walk in the opposite direction, and their voices became muffled.
Takuya's face became pale when he heard the shop owner talk about how the girl used her quirk to vandalize his property, and he leaped away from her. "Oh... Oh no."
"I told you what you did was dumb," muttered the girl.
"I can't believe it! Why would you do that to him?!"
"I have my reasons."
"No! That's not an excuse!"
"I never said it was." Once she saw the coast was clear, she stood up, still facing him. "Sorry to ruin your little hero fantasy."
Her statement steamed Takuya, and he glared at her. "It's not a fantasy! I thought I was helping you out! Besides, even if you were defacing his store, he didn't have the right to hurt you...if that had been his intent!"
A scowl formed on her face. "It doesn't matter. Look, just get out of here, and hope this doesn't come back to bite you in the ass." With that, she spun around, proceeding toward the other side of the back alley.
"Wait, I--"
"Go home," advised the stranger just as she disappeared around the building.
Takuya stood in the same spot, still reeling after everything that happened. He had done the right thing, didn't he? Or should he have stayed out of it entirely? Now he was possibly in trouble. Who knows what consequences he would have to face for using his quirk illegally as he had done, and to (unknowingly, at least) assist a petty criminal. In the end, he decided to heed her advice, and hurried in the direction toward his house. You're nothing like Best Jeanist...
---
"Thanks for helping out." The teenaged girl spoke quite snidely to the older man who stood on the rooftop.
In return, he looked at her briefly before turning his sights back on the street below, particularly at the paranoid Takuya as he ran home. "I told you, I was observing you to see if you would succeed in your task. You managed to tag the store, so you passed."
"The owner probably wanted to strangle me or whatever."
"Then the boy intervened. Hm. He has a powerful quirk."
She grit her teeth. "He doesn't know what he's doing. He's nobody to be worried about."
"Perhaps," he began, "if he underwent the appropriate tutelage, he could become a powerful force to be reckoned with..."
Raising her eyebrow, she asked, "What are you getting at, teacher?"
"...You'll soon see."
---
As soon as Takuya rushed through the foyer of his home, he double-locked the door, then looked through the small window to check to see if he was followed. In his panic, he failed to notice that his brother had already been standing there. With a sly grin, Takato pushed Takuya up against the wall. "Hey, bro. What's got you looking so worried, huh?"
Takuya was taken by surprise, and his heart pounded against his chest. To his relief, it was his twin brother. "...Uh, well..."
"It doesn't matter! Guess what?"
"Er--"
"I got my Provisional Hero License!" Takato cut him off before answering, also flashing his ID card at him.
Takuya nodded, realizing he had forgotten that his sibling had been in the process of receiving his license that day. "Oh, wow. Neat." He had tried to muster up some excitement, but it fell completely flat.
This did not please Takato. "Is that the best you could do, Tacky?"
Grimacing, Takuya replied, "Sorry! I mean, congratulations. I'm glad you got your license!"
Takato and Takuya had...a complicated relationship. Even from the moment they were born, Takato always felt the need to be number one especially when it came to his brother, thus why Takuya theorized that Takato was the firstborn of the two. Growing up, Takuya was basically always in competition with his brother, even when he didn't want to be. The problem with this was that Takuya tended to lose in every 'contest' he engaged in with Takato, whether they were ones he wanted to partake in or not. Seeing that Takato got into a prestigious hero school, particularly one that Takuya had been vying to also enroll into, stung quite a lot. There was only one other bout he felt worse about losing...
"Isn't it exciting that Taka-chan got his license already?!" A girl with bright orange hair tied in twin pigtails appeared, wrapping her arms around Takato in a warm hug. "I'm so proud!"
A blush formed on Takuya's cheeks, feeling awkward that he was watching this unfold. "...Y-yeah...!"
Mari Hinode was Takato and Takuya's childhood friend, and also next door neighbor. Takuya believed her to be the kindest, most beautiful girl to ever exist. Most people tended to regard her as a sweetheart, which made her quite beloved throughout the years. Even as a child, he pined for Mari, believing her to be 'the one' for him. Takato shared similar feelings for her. They used to compete as kids over ways to impress her, the vast majority of those wins went to Takato. During their last year of middle school, Takuya watched as Takato confessed his love to her, and managed to get the ultimate win in that regard as well. Although Takuya shouldn't have been surprised, watching his brother win over the girl he was in love with hurt. A lot.
"I think Tacky's jealous. He wishes he could be a hero, but he simply sucks too much." Tacky was Takato's special nickname for Takuya, one which tended to bother him, though he never vocalized his disdain.
Takuya's shoulders slumped. "Heh. No, no, I'm happy for you. Really!"
"Quit teasing him so much, Taka-chan!" Mari turned to Takuya, smiling brightly as she usually did. "Cheer up, okay, Ta-kun?"
Now Ta-kun was definitely his preferred nickname, and Takuya nodded happily. "Right! Don't worry about me!"
Takato wasn't pleased that his girlfriend was giving his brother attention like that, so he decided to put his arm around her, and pulled her in close. This was to show Takuya that she could never be his. Takuya duly noted the action as well.
Both of their parents appeared from the other room, promptly going toward Takato. "Son," Mr. Aoba said, "I am so proud of you."
"I am as well! Oh, Takato! When you become a famous hero, please, don't forget about us!" Mrs. Aoba wiped a tear from her eye.
"I'd never forget my parents, mom. I plan to include you two in my speech when I become the number one hero!" proclaimed Takato proudly.
Mari clasped her hands together. "So exciting!"
A firm knock on the door startled Takuya, his head slowly turning toward it soon after. Takato casually went over to answer it. On the other side stood Takato's group of friends from his school. "Hey, everyone! Glad to see you all made it!"
The four wandered into the house at once. One of Takato's friends, a young girl with long, wavy brown hair and freckles across the bridge of her nose, turned to Takuya. Her face was one Takuya recognized immediately. They had met before, having been paired up together during the entrance exam for Gold Star Academy. The memories associated with that event made Takuya's stomach churn, thus he turned away from her, refusing to look at her. In turn, she directed her sights away from Takuya, and focused mostly on Takato as he bragged about what happened earlier today.
"My friends and I all got our licenses! We were the only ones in our class to pass, too!" Takato's eyes lit up as he spoke.
"I...think I'd like to skip dinner..." Takuya managed to say, still feeling unwell.
Mr. Aoba waved his hand, signalling for Takuya to leave. "Tell us everything that happened, Takato!"
As Takuya ascended the staircase that led to his bedroom, he glanced down at the group below. A pang of jealousy, and of resentment struck him momentarily. He directed a glare in their direction, one unseen by them all. Not that they would care how he felt, right? Huffing over his dire situation, he made his way to his room once more.
---
Into the evening, Takuya remained in his room, lying on his bed, and staring up at the ceiling as his arm rested upon his brow. A lot of thoughts floated about in his mind. Most of them related to what happened earlier that day. As terrifying as that ordeal in the alley had been, he had to admit, it was likely the most exciting thing that had ever happened in his life. Despite having helped a vandal escape punishment, it was the closest thing to feeling like a real hero as he would likely ever get. It was a depressing thought, he admitted to himself. His life was going to be filled with failures and disappointments, whereas Takato's would have success in all aspects. Would Takuya ever have a chance to shine?
Turning over in his bed, his thoughts lingered on the girl from earlier. Even though she did commit a crime, he did hope she was okay at least. Something about her made him think she wasn't a bad person...
---
The following day, Takuya woke up looking and feeling like absolute hell. He rolled out of his bed, falling flat on his face to the floor. After spending several moments in that position, he managed to peel himself off, and went to the bathroom. On his way there, he saw Takato come out after just having showered. Takato shot him a conceited grin, which Takuya glowered at. Upon finishing his business in the bathroom, Takuya quickly put on his school uniform, and made his way down to the kitchen to get his breakfast. He was surprised when he saw Takato with Mari there, both supping on tamago gohan together. Seeing his brother and the object of his affection so close, making cutesy chit-chat made Takuya feel sick. So he decided to try to sneak by, and head to school early. Things didn't go as he had wanted.
"Tacky! Hey!" Takato waved his chopsticks. "Come eat with us!"
The corner of Takuya's mouth twitched. "No thanks... I'm not hungry..."
"It's not healthy for you to skip meals, Ta-kun!" warned Mari sharply.
Takuya sighed, going over to the table, and taking a seat. "You're right. Thanks, Mari-chan."
Mari put her hand on Takato's shoulder. "Taka-chan sets an excellent example, doesn't he?"
Slowly, he glanced at Takato, and his mouth formed a squiggly line. "...Sure."
Mrs. Aoba, who'd been getting ready for work, came into the scene. "Ah! Takuya, I'm sorry! I forgot to fix you breakfast today!"
"It's okay, mo--"
"Here," Mrs. Aoba then stuffed a bagel in Takuya's mouth. "This should fill you up!"
"Mffanx..." Takuya tried to talk even with the bagel in his mouth.
Takato turned to his twin. "How about we walk with you to school?"
Pulling the bagel out, Takuya replied, "Really..? We haven't walked to school together since middle school..."
"We'll probably split off halfway there, but that's not a big deal."
"I'd love to do it. It'll feel like old times." interjected Mari.
It had, indeed, been a very long time since they had walked to school. While Takato went to Gold Star, and Takuya went to Coruscant High, Mari was a student at Kohei Private High School. Takuya felt rather insecure, given that his brother and his friend both went to upscale schools while his was, well, just a plain old high school. In the past, at least, the three of them attended Mustafa Private Middle School, so it felt like they were on some degree of equal footing then. But even back then, Takato outshined Takuya in every way. Whether it was academically, or physically, or any which way; Takuya could never win. Never.
One time when they were kids, a mean dog in the neighborhood chased Mari down the block. Mari, being quirkless, was often seen as a helpless lamb by others including Takato and Takuya, who wanted to always protect her. Takuya didn't use his quirk, instead trying to gain the dog's attention with a rubber chew toy he knew the dog liked. It didn't work. On the other hand, Takato ran up to the dog, and knocked it away with a rake. When the dog ran off, whining, Mari went to Takato, and thanked him profusely while Takuya stood by, and watched with tears in his eyes. He had failed to protect her. That memory was a rather painful one.
Takuya sullenly looked down at the bagel in his hand. "Sure, the three of us can walk to school together today..."
---
The trek toward school was an overall quiet one. Neither Takuya, Takato, or Mari said much. It was as if none of them really thought the 'walking to school together' idea out very well. Takuya wondered if maybe he and Mari had drifted apart somewhat after middle school, when she had begun to date his brother. In the past, they used to be able to hold decent conversations with each other. What had changed, he wondered to himself. Though as he looked over at Mari, he saw that she was focused on Takato, and then noticed that they were both holding hands. That was his cue to stop staring at them, his face reddened from embarrassment and a twinge of resentment.
"You okay, bro?" asked Takato, having caught wind of Takuya's spying.
Takuya put his hand behind his neck, acting bashful. "I'm okay!"
Mari's blue eyes fluttered as she now directed her attention on the other brother. "If you'd asked, I would've shared my breakfast with you, Ta-kun. It seems like you didn't eat enough this morning."
"No, no. I'm fine, really." Though the idea of sharing a bowl of tamago gohan with his crush did seem incredibly appealing.
"Try to take care of yourself, please."
"I...I will!"
Takato scoffed. "You're not his teacher, Mari. You don't need to lecture him about his health."
Takuya grunted, a bit irritable. "She's being nice... Something you could learn a bit about from her."
This made Takato stop, and he turned to Takuya with flared nostrils. "What did you just say?"
Takuya felt intimidated. He'd fought Takato before, and though his quirk was a passive one, Takato always managed to get the upper hand on him every single time. "Nothing. It was nothing."
"No, tell me again, tough guy!"
Mari looked between them. "Cool it, you guys!"
"He started it!" Takato directed a glare at Takuya.
"Listen, I...uh..." His voice trailed off when he noticed a man, clad in a black trenchcoat with a domino mask of the same color, standing directly in their way on the sidewalk. Was he a hero that stopped by to check up on them due to their current spat? Were they going to be in trouble for publically arguing? Takuya took to blaming himself, which only lasted briefly. His eyes widened in shock as he witnessed the masked man approach Takato only to then punch him square in the jaw, sending him skidding against the pavement.
"TAKATO!" screamed Mari, turning on her heel to run toward her now fallen beau.
Takuya was about to give the masked man a piece of his mind (how, he did not know), until he was thrust against the cement wall behind him. "You're coming with me." commanded the masked stranger.
"Wh-what?" Takuya managed to say, even with the gloved hand against his throat.
Mari was busy fussing over Takato, checking him for possible injuries. Takato managed to get up, paying her no mind as he went toward the concealed assailant. Grabbing a hold of his school bag, Takato figured it was time to activate his quirk, and fight back.
Takato Aoba. His quirk is Golden Touch. Any inanimate object he touches can take on the properties of gold for up to an hour's time! This quirk has earned him the nickname of 'The Golden Boy of Gold Star Academy', to boot!
"YOU WANT TO FIGHT?!" Takato yelled after he turned his bag to solid gold, advancing on his foe with the intent to hit him with it.
Being smacked with the hardened bag seemed to do nothing to him, much to Takato's bewilderment. Then Takato, and Takuya as well, noticed that the man's skin had hardened into what appeared to be a crystal-like state. Both brothers also felt that something about that quirk seemed familiar somehow, like they had seen it somewhere before. Gaining his grit back, Takato proceeded to continue swinging his makeshift weapon at the man many more times. Nothing seemed to phase the stranger. After another mighty swing, Takato found himself wondering what his next move should be since hitting him with his golden bag wasn't working. Usually Takato had some kind of plan up his sleeve, so lacking any sort of back-up plan sent him into a panic.
Seeing as the kid was distracted, the masked man swung his arm back, which then launched Takato away as soon as it connected to his chest. This time, Takato flew right into Mari, knocking them both down. Witnessing Mari get hurt like that served to make his blood boil. And even though Takato was quite the bully towards him, Takuya had no desire to watch his brother get thrown around like a piece of garbage.
"Y-you'll...You'll pay for that!" This time, Takuya was determined to be a true hero this time. He attempted to crush the arm the man was using to hold him with the air pressure around it. Since Takuya had little actual training in using his quirk, he was finding it difficult to perform the feat, not to mention that it appeared to have little effect on his enemy anyway. "What the--"
"Quit fighting, kid." The man went on to ram his fingers against the artery on his neck. In an instant, Takuya passed out.
Takato got up, however he was fairly dinged up from his recent injuries. "What do you want with us?"
"With him, you mean."
"Ta-kun?" asked Mari, covering her mouth afterward.
"My brother..?" Takato felt more confusion than concern. "What would anyone want him for?"
The man didn't respond. Instead he threw Takuya over his shoulder, and bounded over to a nearby building, which he quickly scaled before disappearing once he went onto the rooftop. Takato fell onto his knees, fatigued from what just transpired. Once again, Mari tried to tend to him. All Takato could think about was why Takuya would be chosen to be kidnapped over him. Quite selfish, yes. But this made him dead set on figuring out just what was going on.
Meanwhile, Takuya was being whisked off by a person unknown to him, to parts equally unknown. His fate was currently in the hands of the man associated with the vandal he had rescued the day before.
---