Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The first memory Sora even has is that they were woken up by a large man in a lab coat. The room was grey and bland, the only (slight) contrast being the white curtains and silver tools around them.

The large man gazes expectantly, and creepily, at Sora. Successfully terrifying the not-quite-aware child and discouraging the speech he so desires to hear. He grumbles out disappointed noises and scribbles down notes on his clipboard. He tells Sora that they are going on a trip to see their master and that they must be on their best behavior.

Upon entering the room their master is in, Sora gets an increasing feeling of… wrongness about her. It’s wrong here. Everything is wrong.

“I’m scared, Mister…” Sora whimpers, their voice meek and fearful. The large man’s eyes widen and his smile grows considerably. Sora speaks.

“It’s okay, little one. Master has big plans for you. You’re not going to have to be scared for much longer.”

~

Sora wakes with a gasp, tears running down their face as the pounding on their door only increases.

“Get up NOW!” Shigaraki roars through the door. “It’s morning and we have to get you ready for our little field trip.” He growls, hearing Sora remove themself from the comfort of their bed.

Terrified of another one of Shigaraki’s “training sessions,” Sora rushes to put on their clothes for their mission. Once they are in the bar’s main room, they’re told once again (as if it hasn’t been explained a thousand times before) how important this mission is. Doctor Ujiko (the large man from their dream) has created a Nomu that can successfully overpower All Might. It should be able to anyway.

Sora is secretly hoping that it doesn’t. They rather enjoy watching All Might on the League’s television. They have downtime when Shigaraki and Kurogiri are scheming with Master and Doctor Ujiko.

Sora rolls their eyes as yet another detail that they are already aware of is brought up, only to receive a scolding look from Kurogiri. They’re not scared though. 

Kurogiri doesn’t terrify them like most of the other villains. He actually seems to care for Sora whether he’ll admit it or not.

Once Kurogiri finishes his briefing of the League's plans, he turns to Sora and gives them his best disappointed glare. Sora can tell from the slight crinkle in Kurogiri's glowing eyes that he's (not so) secretly amused.

"You're going to get reamed out by Tomura if you keep acting like this, Sorashi."

"Whatever, Giri. I just wanna know why you drone on like that." Sora teases, a smirk pulling at their lips. They finished their training months ago and are going on their first mission. This mission.

To kill All Might…

"So I heard Eraserhead is gonna be there, huh? You gonna be able to keep your head, Giri?" Sora teases one they're sure they're alone.

Kurogiri looks around quickly, hoping that no one heard the child say that.

"Too bad Present Mic won't be there too or we could just go with them instead of-"

"Sorashi you'll get us both in trouble at this rate kindly shut up." Kurogiri snaps, quick to cover his apprentice's mouth.

Pulling his hands from their mouth, Sora sighs a quick, "Yes sir," before following Kurogiri into the office to meet with Shigaraki one last time before their plan is set in motion.

~

"Those are real villains!" Sora hears as they step from their portal and see Kurogiri and Shigaraki standing next to them. Looking out at the source of the shout, Sora sees pro hero Eraserhead launch himself out and prepare to fight.

"Thirteen, protect the students. Kids, don't you dare move closer to any villains. Do. Not. Engage." The hero instructs.

Kurogiri looks at Shigaraki, who nods, before looking at Sora. "Be careful" they mouth.

Kurogiri appears behind the students after Shigaraki has finished complaining that All Might never make his scheduled appearance, shocking every one of them. A blonde and a redhead, both with spiked hair, jump at Kurogiri. Sora almost goes to help, but Shigaraki holds them back with an arm.

"If you want to help Kurogiri, then wait for him to tell you what to do. He can handle himself. You have your job." The blue-haired man scolds, glaring daggers at Sora now.

"Fine." They spit, earning a raised brow from the older male.

"Finally got some fire, Double?" He asks, taunting Sora. Sora is not just a double of Kurogiri. Sora is their own person with their own talents. Shigaraki needs to stop suggesting they're the same.

"Maybe if you weren't such an ass…" Sora says out loud to themself.

"I heard that you little bitch." He snaps, reaching for Sora.

Sora dodges, angering the light-haired male and agitating him enough to make him chase them across the center of the arena. He almost has them when Eraserhead reaches their area. Sora shouts on instinct when Shigaraki touches them with a closed hand around their forearm. Nothing happens.

"So Eraserhead has joined the fight, huh?" Shigaraki chuckles, as if he's already won.

"Why protect a child like this? A villain child? They're here for my sake, not yours." Shigaraki sneers, sounding naive to even Sora's ears.

"Let me go, Shigaraki, or I swear I'll eat your leftovers when we get back." Sora tries, their voice strained.

"Nice try, Double, but Kurogiri brought a friend back," Shigaraki says, dropping Sora onto the dirt floor and turning his attention to the show at hand.

"Nomu, restrain him."

~

It doesn't take long for things to go south for Eraserhead. His elbow is decaying more by the second, and Sora sees students nearing the scene.

Eraserhead is pinned to the ground now, the Nomu's hand squeezing his head. It's smashed into the ground with ease, making even Sora flinch.

"Shigaraki, that's enough. He's already down! You'll kill him at this rate!" Sora shouts, scared for the hero under the Nomu.

"Good riddance." Is all the man says.

"Tomura! Stop!" Sora tries again.

"Stop it!" A new voice yells. The students. They're here.

"New players!" Shigaraki says with a creepy smile.

"No!" Sora cries, quickly moving to get into Shigaraki’s way. They don't want to kill or hurt anyone. Not really.

"You stupid kid, I'll kill you too. Move."

It's only when Kurogiri openly flinched at the threat that Sora moves to the side.

"I'll deal with you later, Copy." Shigaraki snaps. Sora flinches again. Not good.

Shigaraku moves closer until the girl with green hair is under his palm, all fingers making full contact.

Again, nothing happens.

"You're so awesome…" Shigaraki thinks aloud.

"Dealing with the pain to protect a bunch of brats who want to be heroes? That takes guts. To bad for you. Nomu."

And then All Might burst in the door. He's not smiling.

He fights off the Nomu while the students carry Eraserhead towards the exit. About halfway there, one comes back. Then new students show up, turning their attention to Sora.

"Who do you think you are, huh?" A loud ash-blonde roars their way.

Sora trembles, keeping their mouth shut.

"ANSWER ME!" He shouts once more, trying to scare Sora into submission. If Shigaraki can't do it, then this guy is a piece of cake, right?

"Please leave them alone. They're no threat to you. I, however…" Kurogiri says, distracting the student by opening a portal to get closer.

"Shitty Hair, let's take out their exit." The blonde calls to the redhead from before.

"On it, Bakubro!"

Not Dad!

"No! Wait!" Sora shouts in protest. They're ignored.

"Please no! Not him! Leave him alone!" They call again, more firm in their demands. Nothing.

"I said STOP!" Sora roars, opening portals below the boys' feet to they fly backward.

"I don't want to see anyone else get hurt! He only did what he was told! You can't hurt him!" Sora cries out.

"I won't let you!"

The students around look at them with a look of confusion.

"What do you mean you didn't want anyone to get hurt? Why are you here then?!" The ash-blonde shouts.

"I am confused as well." A bi hair colored and eye colored boy states plainly. When did he show up?

The Nomu flies from the arena and Shigaraki looks at Kurogiri. Other heroes swarm the building as well.

"Kurogiri! Copy! Let's go!" Shigaraki orders. Giri and Sora rush towards Shigaraki, but Sora trips over some rubble and watches as Kurogiri and Shigaraki disappear from sight.

"Sorashi!" Kurogiri's voice calls, sounding as easily panicked as Sora feels 

"Dad!" Sora screams, reaching for the closing warp gate and realizing it'll do no good. They left them for dead. Their own father…

He abandoned them.

Chapter Text

“D-Dad… He just- Oh god…” Sora trembles at the thought. As is on cue, one of Kurogiri’s warp gates appears, and out falls two letters. One for Sora and one for Eraserhead and Present Mic.

Sora is about to rip theirs open when their arms are grabbed and pinned behind them.

“Hey! Let go of me!” Sora cries, thrashing around wildly. On instinct, Sora’s leg swings around and kicks their captor in the head, knocking whoever it is to the ground.

It’s Present Mic.

“Shit! I am so sorry! I just don’t do well being restrained, you see. Shigaraki calls ‘training’ binding my arms and beating me within an inch of my life so…” Sora explains sheepishly, immediately moving to help the pro hero recover from their kick. The hero looks shocked that Sora could land a blow on him so easily, and Sora has half a mind to be offended.

Not knowing quite what to say, Sora opts for just reaching their hand down for Present Mic to take. He does, oddly enough, and… smiles at them? Why did he smile at them?

~

“I’m telling you, I really know nothing. My earliest memory is literally waking up on a hospital bed with Doctor Ujiko studying me. Shigaraki is a man child, Kurogiri is my father figure, and All For One is a terrifying man that I hope to never see or hear from again.” Sora recaps. The detective in front of them widens his eyes.

“All For One? Toshinori!” He shouts, turning suddenly to shout out the open door. A man who looks like a deflated balloon walks in quickly.

“What is it, Tsukauchi?” The man asks, worry evident in his voice, “The kid didn’t try anything, did they?”

“Hey! For your information, the only person I ever hurt on purpose was Tomura Shigaraki, and only because he attacked me first.” Sora shouts quickly, upset by the man’s accusatory tone.

“The kid mentioned All For One.” The detective states tensely. Toshinori looks at the detective like he’s a ghost.

“I know.” The detective sighs, seemingly resigned to the fact that something is seriously wrong.

“How do you know that name?” Toshinori asks, trying and failing to appear calm.

“Well, seeing as he’s the man in charge of the League of Villains, which I didn’t know was a secret, I’ve seen him a few times. None of which have been pleasant, by the way. That man has such a dark aura around him and I don’t ever want to come in contact with that man again.” Sora says matter-of-factly. The detective and Toshinori share knowing looks.

“We were under the impression that he was dead.”

“Well, he’s very much alive,” Sora says, annoyed that they’ve been in this room for so long.

It’s another few hours before Sora is let out of the interrogation room. They still need supervision, however, and have been left with another pro hero who is there, Midnight. Sora knows from Kurogiri’s stories of his high school days that Midnight is a very passionate woman, often speaking freely on topics that most shy away from at best. She’s always been that way apparently.

“If it isn’t the mysterious little shadow from the USJ attack!” Midnight coos, bending down to get to Sora’s eye level.

“What’s your name, kid?” She asks.

“My name is Sorashi, but I prefer Sora. Only my father calls me Sorashi.” Sora admits. Right off the bat, Sora knows that they’re going to like Midnight.

“Well, Sora, according to Nezu, you’re going to be staying at UA for a while. I’m here to bring you back to the school grounds.” Midnight says calmly.

“Really? You all want me close to the kids I technically helped attack?” Sora asks, tone disbelieving.

“UA is the safest place around here for someone like you. If I have any say in it, you’ll never have to see the League of Villains ever again.”

That statement fills Sora with dread. Never again? What about Kurogiri? Sora doesn’t want to not be able to see Kurogiri again. That’s their father. Their Sensei. The only person in that old bar to show them genuine kindness.

“No! I have to see Kurogiri again! That’s my dad!” Sora protests. Midnight stares at Sora for a few moments, thinking.

“The warp user was your father? That does explain your appearance,” Midnight observes, “But we’ll figure that out when we get there, alright? First, we have to figure out what to do with you once you get to school.”

~

“ This is the principle of UA? When Shigaraki told me about Nezu, I didn’t believe him.” Sora thinks aloud once Midnight brings them into the meeting room the next day. All the pros who arrived at the USJ are in the meeting, along with a few others. Are they all teachers?

Eraserhead and Present Mic are the two who stand out to Sora. It might be because Kurogiri spoke about them all the time when they were alone together, but that’s neither here nor there.

The letters in Sora’s back pocket weigh a ton at the moment. They grab theirs, hoping they can read it and ignore the meeting where a bunch of heroes decide the fate of a villain child.

Dear Sorashi,

I’m sorry for just leaving you as I did, but it was necessary. I knew you’d give Tomura trouble once we reached the USJ, and planned accordingly. You needed to get out, and if you’re reading this, I succeeded.

I want you to know that I do think of you as my child and that I am well aware that I have become your father, though not by blood nor by law. I know you have had your suspicions about my true identity, from before I became a Nomu, and I am finally ready to tell you the truth.

As you know, I went to UA along with Present Mic, Eraserhead, Midnight, and All Might. My hero name was Loud Cloud.

My name was Oboro Shirakumo.

I leave it up to you to decide whether to use this last name, but I do have one request.

Don’t try to come back for me.

Sorashi, I love you. I want you to be safe and as far away from Tomura and All For One as possible. If that means leaving you in the care of these heroes, then so be it.

Just remember, I love you, I miss you already, and stay away from the League.

With love, Kurogiri.

“-id. Kid! Hey, Kid!” Eraserhead’s voice breaks Sora from their trance. Large tears are dripping from their chin, and Sora looks up quickly to see that they are being stared at by the heroes in the room.

“What’s got you so upset?” Midnight asks, her voice soothing. Why is everyone being so kind to them?

“I-It’s nothing. My father just- He left me with two letters when he left the USJ with Shigaraki.”

“Your father?” Nezu inquires, sipping his tea with interest.

“Kurogiri, the warp gate user. He gave me his last name and officially told me that he loves me like his own and that that’s why he left me at the USJ.” Sora admits, choking on their breath as they continue to speak to the strangers around them.

“Can I see the letter?” Nezu asks. Sora nods reluctantly, not really wanting to let go of the last piece of their father that is truly theirs.

“I see…” Nezu says, seeming shocked. The room sits for a few moments in tense silence, all eyes on Nezu.

“Would you like to introduce yourself to the room?” Nezu asks Sora. They want to sink into their chair, that’s what they want to do. They want to go back to the bar and be with their father. They want to deal with whatever punishment All For One and Shigaraki have for them if it means that they get to be near their father again. The only family they’ve ever known.

“I guess…” Sora sighs, sitting up to widen their airway a bit and allow them to calm down.

“My name is Sorashi Shirakumo. I am 15 years old, and my quirk is called Dimensional Gate. Basically, I can travel between dimensions in my warp gates, and even store things between dimensions. I can’t travel to another dimension, but the space I use to travel is between them.” Sora explains.

“I’m sorry, say your last name one more time?” Present Mic asks.

“Shirakumo. My adoptive father is Oboro Shirakumo, or as you all know him now, Kurogiri.” Sora responds, knowing damn well this is going to cause a scene.

It does.

Chapter Text

“I’m sorry, say your last name one more time?” Present Mic asks in disbelief. Eraserhead looks like he’s seen a ghost. In a way, he just might have.

“Shirakumo. My adoptive father is Oboro Shirakumo, or as you all know him now, Kurogiri.” Sora explains, hands shaking in fear.

“That’s impossible. We watched him die.” Aizawa snaps, venom clear in his voice.

“It’s not impossible when you’re basically all powerful and playing god.” Sora snaps back.

“He talks about you two all the time, you know. Midnight and All Might too. And Tensei Iida. All of the people he considered friends in his years at UA.” They add.

The entire room explodes into chaos. Eraserhead, Present Mic, Midnight, and a very thin, boney man all share looks of disbelief before turning back to Sora, extremely confused.

“What kind of things did he talk about then?” The boney man asks, seemingly the only one of the four calm enough to speak. Midnight looks like she’s about to break down sobbing, Eraserhead is staring at a wall, and Present Mic is rubbing the latter’s shoulder, holding him protectively. They’re still together then, Sora thinks.

“Well, it was mainly about Eraserhead and Present Mic, seeing as they were the closest to Dad, but you three were going to open an agency together after high school, All Might really didn’t want to go to America, but Gran Torino forced the issue, and Midnight wasn’t always this explicit.” Sora explains.

“Oh, and Dad never did stop loving you two.” Sora states as the room goes quiet. It wasn’t common knowledge among all the heroes in the room, but the four Sora was talking about knew what they meant.

“He keeps a picture of all of you in the pocket of his suit, or in my rifts. I never realized why he told me to keep it before USJ, but now it makes sense.” Sora continues, opening up a small rift and reaching around for the folded picture before handing it to Nezu, who passes it to the boney man.

“So it really is him, isn’t it?” The boney man asks. Sora nods and watches as Midnight all but snatches the picture from him and runs over to Eraserhead and Present Mic.

“This doesn’t make sense though… ‘Zashi, we watched him die!” Eraserhead whispers to his partner.

“I know, Shota, but… The evidence is all here.” Present Mic replies, still whispering.

“Hey Mr. Toshinori, I can only explain how he’s alive if I can talk about what I said in the interrogation room.” Sora says, directing their attention to the small man.

“I don’t think that’s a great idea, kid. We don’t know for sure-”

“Oh fuck that ‘we don’t know for sure’ shit! I know for sure! I met him. I was face to face with him. His aura is so… dark. It’s wrong. He and his sick scientist are the reason Kurogiri and I are the way we are. I used to look human, you know!” Sora shouts, silencing any further protests, they hope anyway.

“Fine. I suppose if you’re sure-” “I am.” Sora interrupts.

“Then you can say it.” The boney man says, giving in.

“Finally. I don’t want this on my chest anymore anyway. All For One is the one who brought Kurogiri back to life and made us the way we are. Kurogiri is a Nomu created by Doctor Ujiko, as am I. They wanted us to be intelligent and slightly humanoid, so they had to make sure we were dead before doing any modifications.” They explain.

“Because of this, Shirakumo was taken from the scene of his death, and I was captured and killed at the age of five.” Sora finishes.

The room is silent once more. The same thought seems to pass through all of their heads. Sora is 15. They have been with the League of Villains for 10 years. Who knows what kind of hell this kid has been through?

“Okay, now that that’s out of the way, what are you going to do with me?” Sora asks the silent room. It takes a minute for anyone to speak, but Nezu finally does.

“You should join the hero course, I think.” He says, “I do believe that it will give you a good opportunity to hone your skills, and from what I’ve seen and heard, you certainly do not want to be a villain. So, I see no problem with it.” When Nezu finishes speaking, the room erupts into chaos again. Sora begins shaking more violently, not liking the loud noises.

It isn’t until their breathing picks up and their head hurts from lack of oxygen that Sora feels someone come over to them. An arm wraps around their shoulder, and Sora fights every instinct they have to throw the person touching them into the nearest wall or table and decides to look up at them.

It’s Eraserhead.

“Hey, kid. It’s alright. You’re going to be fine. No one here is going to hurt you. No one wants that, alright?” The underground hero is now facing Sora head on, hands on their shoulders and thumbs rubbing soothing circles over their pressure points.

“You’re okay, kid. You’re safe. No need to panic, and I appreciate you not attacking me, okay? You're going to be alright. Is it okay If I take the letter addressed to Mic and I and read it?” Sora nods at the hero, still barely breathing, but it’s getting better. Eraserhead grabs the letter from where it was clutched in Sora’s hands and hands it to Mic. As soon as he turns back to face Sora, they latch onto Eraserhead like a lifeline. Everything is too much for Sora at the moment. It’s too loud and they aren’t sure whether this is a dream that they’ll wake up from soon.

“I’m scared. I want my dad.” Sora nearly sobs, holding in their pain as much as possible, but it’s beginning to show.

~

Yamada watches as his husband comforts the child of their formerly believed late boyfriend and can’t help but smile at the scene. He’s terrified for the child and wants nothing but to ask more questions about the League and Kurogiri, but Mic knows that this will only freak the child out more, so he resigns to reading the letter Aizawa handed him.

Dear Aizawa and Yamada,

I am sorry that I never tried to contact you despite remembering our past, but I was afraid of what Shigaraki and One For All would do to the both of you if I did. I was also afraid for Sorashi’s sake. I have told them countless stories about the two of you and our time at UA, so that when they find you they will find a little bit of trust in you both, as well as Toshinori and Kayama. Although given that I have used your hero names in these stories, Toshinori might have trouble with Sorashi.

I am really writing to the two of you because I still find myself trusting the two of you completely, and I want to ensure the safety of Sorashi. I have no doubt that Shigaraki will be angry at the loss of his favorite punching bag, so I am begging the two of you to watch over her. I know that I am in no place to be asking favors, but I fear that if Sorashi is brought back to the League, then both of us will be subjected to more alterations.

As they probably told you, we were both brought back to life in a lab by Doctor Ujiko. A man who, with the support of All For One, is playing god. We are no longer people, but creations. That is the belief instilled in our brains.

Sorashi believes that they are a monster.

This is one of the major reasons I knew that I needed to get them out of here. Sorashi, at this rate, was going to kill themselves before they could escape, so I took it into my own hands to liberate them of their torture. Please take care of my child, Hizashi, Shota. I need to be able to believe that they’re safe.

I still love you both,

Kurogiri (Oboro Shirakumo)

“Shota, you need to read this.” Yamada gasps as he reads the end of the letter.

Aizawa, who now has a limp Sorashi in his arms, walks over to his husband to read the letter from Kurogiri. The more he reads, the closer he is to breaking his resolve and breaking down in this room full of heroes.

“I was already willing to protect them with my life, but now I know it’s necessary. Hizashi, we have to take Sora in with us.” Aizawa says with a stubborn gleam in his eye. He’s made up his mind, and Yamada can’t change it now (not that he would, seeing as he is feeling a similar way).

“We’ll take good care of them. We’ll protect them. We’ll be alright.” Yamada agrees, nodding his head for emphasis.

“Yeah. We’ll be alright.”