Chapter 1

INFAMOUS VIGILANTE, SHADOW STRIKES AGAIN!

Today at relatively 6 pm, the well-known vigilante, Shadow, took down one of the largest drug cartels in Japan, Musutafu. The vigilante, who has been escaping police and hero custody for two years now, evaded once again capturing. However, we need to ask ourselves; with everything that he's done for Japan. Can we really consider Shadow a villain? Tell us your opinion-

Aizawa turned his television off with a huff, it's been two years since the first appearance of Shadow. A mysterious vigilante that always manages to escape both the police and the heroes' grasp.

It's been almost two years since Aizawa, better known as the underground hero, Eraser head joined the pursuit of the vigilante. Shadow is one of the very few people that ever managed to escape him.

Shadow always gets the job done, never lingers long enough to get captured and most importantly never leaves any trace behind, except for the usual note, that was either really useful in their cases or just another joke. Aizawa was getting more and more frustrated by the day.

This vigilante isn't like the others, he's gained a lot of support from the public. He made a name for himself by patrolling the slums and the neglected part of the city. Places where heroes don't usually go. Also, by taking down the villains that the heroes don't realize exists until their caught. As time went by, people started calling out for him. They started calling for the Shadow. The hooded figure that somehow always manages to hear their call for help. He was a hero to most people but a damn frustrating one in Shouta's opinion.

He was cut off from his line of thought when his phone vibrated in his pocket. There, in bold letters on his screen was the name of the detective in charge of the vigilante's case. Speak of the devil, I guess. He thought bitterly as he answered the call.

"Tsukauchi, is there a reason you are calling me at this hour?" His usual monotone voice didn't betray the slight curiosity he felt.

"Eraser head, Shadow was just spotted stopping a store robbery on Twenty-fourth street. If we go now, we can ambush him."

"I'll be there." He replied, his tone serious and calm.

This was their chance. Maybe they can finally find out who he was.

He'd make sure that this time…this time would be different. This time, he was going to catch the slippery bastard.

Aizawa picked up his capture gear and with that, he was on his way. He had a vigilante to catch after all.

Izuku believes that today was a good day. An exhausting day, but a good day nonetheless. Today he had finally put an end to one of the drug cartels that used to rule the streets of Musutafu. It's been three months since he initially started their pursuit and he finally managed to put an end to their crimes.

However, his day didn't end there because not half an hour ago, he was caught up in an armed robbery down the twenty-fourth street. Some idiots thought it would be easy to just steal from the old lady working there. Man were they wrong... Izuku can still hear their high pitch screams as they tried to run away from the granny with the knife quirk. Yet, he couldn't help the bad feeling he was getting.

Years of experience made his instincts as sharp as ever. He learned to trust them and they have never failed him, once. He just hoped that whatever was about to happen, he would get through it unscathed.

As he ran, jumping from roof to roof, he tried to listen in for any kind of distressing noise. Over the years, he had honed his senses and trained his powers. He was able to hear everything around him. From the news playing in the living room of some civilians a couple of blocks from here, to the heartbeats of the people currently walking in the streets below him.

Izuku likes his night patrols. He likes the quiet. He made sure to always be on high alert though. If someone needed help. He'd be there.

It's been two years since he started hitting the streets as Shadow, a hooded vigilante. His training and hard work had paid off, enabling him to finally make a difference and help people. Even though it was illegal. He didn't really have any other choice though, did he?

He jumped down an empty alley, deciding that he was done for the day. However, whatever plans he had were shot out the window as soon as he felt a slight change of wind behind him. He could hear the all too familiar heartbeat of the underground hero himself. Eraser head.

Ducking to the ground and rolling, he easily avoided the capture weapon that was being thrown his way. He could hear a huff coming from the man that was now standing in front of him.

"It's over Shadow, Give yourself up. The police are surrounding the place." The hero said, his voice neutral, tone calm. However, Izuku could hear the slight alteration in his heartbeat, betraying his calm demeanor. Yet, it indicated no sign of lying.

Izuku stayed silent. This was the first time, the hero managed to get this close to him.

Now, you may be wondering how a fourteen-year-old teenager ended up being an infamous vigilante.

They say that it takes losing everything you love to realize what they truly mean to you.

This is the story of how Izuku Midoriya lost everything he ever loved.

The blazing sun beats down on the concrete floor of the neighborhood sidewalk. Izuku Midoriya limps home, his posture stiff, shoulder hunched and head down as his mind goes through the events of the past few hours. Today was a particularly bad day for the green haired boy. Bakugou or as he liked to call him, Kacchan, was a little more aggressive than usual. The ten-year-old in question was playing in the school playground with his other classmates while Izuku gingerly wrote in his notebook with colored crayons. The greenette hummed under his breath the familiar tune of All Might's theme song as he analyzed one of the latest up-and-coming pro heroes that had just recently debuted.

However, his concentration was interrupted as shouting was heard coming from the swings.

Izuku, having grown accustomed to the blonde boy's behavior, immediately got up to deal with whatever the explosive boy was up to. Despite their young age, kids could be cruel.

Bakugou was towering over a small kid, explosions going off in his palms as he laughed maniacally.

Kacchan's quirk was a powerful one, he had the ability to create explosions by detonating his own sweat. The explosions, albeit small at the moment, would cause great damage in the future if trained properly. It was the perfect quirk for heroes and the blonde sure as hell knew that.

In this day, and in our society, quirks defined a person and thus determined their fate. People with powerful quirks were bound to take positions of power. Their place forever amongst the most respected and feared individuals, they would take up jobs in the government or become heroes, living and relishing in the spotlight. However, people with weak quirks were destined to be at the service of those with powers. In this society, Izuku found himself at the bottom of the food chain. Destined to be shunned and looked down upon by societies' worst individuals. He did not have a strong quirk, in fact, he did not have one at all.

Izuku looked at the scene before him, the kid was trembling under Bakugou's glare, his eyes were cast down, tears rolled freely down his bruised cheeks as he apologized for whatever he had done to piss the ten-year-old off. The blonde wasn't having any of it though. Bakugou's palm started to crackle, small explosions slowly making their way towards the vulnerable boy, the latter seemed to be frozen from fear as he prepared himself for the impendent pain.

Before he thought better of it, Izuku was already running towards them. His small body instantly blocking the path of the explosive boy, his arms were held up in front of him in a makeshift defensive stance as he acted as a living shield for the kid behind him.

Now, staggering home from that exceptionally bad beating. He thought that maybe, it wasn't the best idea to provoke the boy with the explosion quirk. He had no regrets though, at least the other kid got to run away mostly unscathed. He wanted to be a hero after all and heroes saved people even if it meant getting hurt themselves.

Izuku stepped inside their small apartment, he pulled on the hem of his shirt, making sure that all of his bruises were carefully hidden from his mother's gaze. He plastered on his most convincing smile and stepped into the kitchen, calling a brief greeting to alert her of his presence. He didn't want his mother to worry about him, she had enough on her plate. Her job was exhausting, her shifts long and tiring. However, she couldn't raise her son on her own otherwise. Being a single mother was hard. Being the single mother of a quirkless kid was even harder.

Apparently, his smile wasn't as convincing as he would have liked it to be because as soon as she turned towards him, she froze. Her smile immediately faltered as her brows shut up in surprise. Many emotions swirled in her olive-green eyes. Shock, Confusion, worry, and finally painful understanding. The emotions were quickly overlapped by the blatant worry she was feeling.

Izuku felt a pang of guilt for being the reason behind his mother's frown. He tried to say something, anything to placate her worries but before he could manage a single word, he was engulfed in a bear hug. His mother, despite her small and slim figure, was a steady and strong presence in his life. She always knew when there was something wrong with him and she always found a way to make him feel better.

"Hey sweety, what's wrong?" She asked tentatively, her voice was soft and gentle. She would not push if he didn't feel like talking at the moment.

"I- I… It's just… Today was a long day mom. Can we talk later?" His words were barely above a whisper but she heard them nonetheless.

"Well, we will have to talk about it later baby, okay?" A small nod was her only response. "How about we go out for ice cream? There's this new All Might shop that opened, it's a bit far but I could drive us there? Put on your favorite music while we drive? "The boy brightened up at that, his mother really did know how to cheer him up. He nodded feverishly before hugging her and rushing upstairs to put his bag down.

The sun was setting by the time they reached the highway, the ride was silent. Peaceful. Izuku listened to the soft tune coming from the radio as Inko hummed to the song that was playing in a low, soothing voice. He gazed onto the slideshow of pine trees and distant lights they were passing. The city illuminations and ambiance were beautiful. He was so lost in thought that he barely registered the loud honk that startled him out of his reverie, followed by the blinding light that came from his mom's window, rapidly approaching towards them. It all happened so fast, yet, it felt like everything was happening in slow motion like someone had stopped the flow of time. The moment forever suspended and frozen. The next events would be forever engraved in Izuku's mind. The impact was abrupt and violent, the world swirled around them, turned upside-down as the car swerved and tumbled on the road. Glass flew everywhere, multiple shards grazing his cheek and arms as he tried to cover his face. His attempts proved feeble as his whole body was being jostled and his stomach strained against his seatbelt.

Izuku registers things in vague awareness, he feels his stomach twist as pain erupt in his side. His head throbs and he feel dampness spread on his shirt and down his forehead. He tried to open his eyes but some kind of liquid was hindering his attempts. That proved to be the wrong thing to do though. Because as soon as he opened them he regretted it, pain flared in his pupils. His eyes stung horribly, the sensation excruciating. His eyes burned, it felt as if they were on fire.he tried to scream but no sound would come out, his breath caught in his throat as tears rolled down his face. His vision was dimming, black spots dancing in his eyes as he tried to make the aching stop. Slowly all light had left his eyes, the world quickly bathed in deep, endless darkness.

He couldn't see. Why couldn't he see? Why were his eyes burning? Where was his mom? Whatever reasoning the boy tried to convey was overlapped by the overwhelming sense of pain- pain- PAIN.

He tried calling out for his mother but his cries were answered by painful silence. The pain in his eyes was increasing, the aching turning into pure agony as he tried to rub at his pupils, as he tried to find any way to make it stop. His breathing was getting more and more constricted by the second as he dissolved into a state of utter fear and panic.

The pain was unbearable, more than a mere child could handle.

Then it all stopped. Consciousness escaped the boy as he finally succumbed to his miserable state.

Inko jolted into awareness with a start, omnipresent sent of chemicals accosted her senses. Her first thoughts were hazy and confused. What had happened? Where was she?

Realization dawned on her as she finally took in her surroundings. She had been driving when a truck swerved and crashed to the side of her car. Her eyes widened as she gasped in worry. She tried to turn around to check on Izuku but here seatbelt was digging into her side. She tried taking it off but her attempts were useless. The pain too much to handle every time she moved. However, this was her son and she needed to make sure he was okay. She tried calling out to him but got no response.

Concern and fear gnawed at her insides as she thought of the possible states her son could be in. He was fine right? He was alive, right? Oh no… what if- NO! Her movements were getting frantic, she needed to save her son, she needed to help him. She heard footsteps coming towards them and felt the car jostle slightly as a figure suddenly emerged from the window next to her. She felt relief flood her system. Someone was here. Someone could save Izuku. The man had long black hair and deep bags under his eyes. She couldn't see any emotions in the man's features but somehow his calm and collected attitude reassured her that they would be okay. Yet, she couldn't stop worrying. Her baby wasn't responding and what if he was badly hurt? He needed help. The man spoke, he was asking her to stay still so he could get her out and then get to her son. Did he want to get her out before Izuku? Anything else the man said didn't seem important. Her son comes first.

"N- No, Izuku! You need to help him first. You need to make sure he's okay! He comes first! Please!" The man seemed to think about it for a second before he merely nodded and got to work. She watched as the man carried a bloodied and battered Izuku out of the car, gently laying him on the ground a couple of meters away from the car. She could feel the heat coming from the back seat.

Now, Inko seemed to realize what the man meant when he said that the car was at risk of catching fire, the chemicals that were spilled from the truck had seeped into the car. She couldn't bring herself to care though. Her baby was safe. He was going to be okay and that's all that mattered after all right? She smiled to herself, thinking of her sweet and loving son. She hoped he'd be okay without her, he was strong. He would be okay.

That was her last thought as she felt the heat increase and, in an instant, the car exploded, the chemicals, highly flammable, had reached the fire that erupted in the engines.

Izuku was just ten when he lost everything.

Izuku wakes up with a jolt. His breath gets caught in his throat as he gets assaulted instantly by the strong smell of antiseptics and disinfectants. It's dark, he can't see. Why can't he see? There's something on his face. His arms lift up to cup his head and he can feel bandages wrapped around his eyes.

Everything around him feels amplified. The sheets between his fingers scrape against his skin uncomfortably and he's painfully aware of every little thing that's happening around him. Theirs a loud dripping sound near him, he flinches as every drop is just too loud. Everything feels too loud. He holds his hands up to cover his ears, he just can't take it anymore. His head throbs with the onslaught of information he's retaining all at once.

Complete darkness, beyond black surrounds him. He can feel the vibration of everything around him. The way the heart monitors beeps and buzzes, the sound rhythmic and grounding. He feels the electric current going through the walls and the lights, even though he doesn't see them. He slowly glances around and he's startled to actually see something. It's still dark, it's still agonizingly empty but he sees it. He sees the soundwaves that echo all around him. The dripping sound is coming from the IV drip next to him, it seems that he's in a hospital room. Every drip gives him a clearer image of the room. Why was he in a hospital?

His heart rate picks up, the monitor quickly becoming overbearingly loud. He remembers the car ride, he remembers his mother's voice, soothing and soft as she hummed to his favorite song. He remembers white and the world spinning all around them. Mom. Where was she?

Was she okay?

He tries to get up but a searing pain from his side sends him tumbling to the floor with a thud. He wheezes and clutches his abdomen as he tries to ride out the pain.

He can't see. Why can't he see? He feels dampness on his face as tears start rolling from his eyes. He just wanted his mom. Where was she? Why wasn't she here?

He can feel vibrations coming from outside the room, people approaching, coming and going. He hears a loud beating sound, he's too focused on the rhythmic beating that he doesn't notice when a figure enters his room.

A hand on his shoulder startles him, the scare sends him scurrying away from the contact.

He realizes with a jolt that the beating sound is the person's heartbeat. The sound echoes through the room and he can vaguely see the person's silhouette. The shape is feminine, he can see the slight curve of her figure.

The woman's voice confirms his doubts.

"Midoriya-kun, you're awake. I'm nurse Yuri, you need to lay down. You are still recovering and moving around will only make it worse." Her voice is firm and her touch is gentle as she slowly guides him towards the bed.

"Where's my mom? I want my mom." He asks quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

The doctor's heart clenches at the sight before her. The boy is wrapping his arms around himself as if trying to hide, to make himself as small as possible.

"Midoriya-kun… Your mom didn't make it. I'm sorry, the hero that rescued you did everything he could. Do you remember what happened before?" She asks carefully, not wanting to overwhelm the boy.

"No- No mum can't be gone. She- she can't! We were going for ice cream, my mom wanted to cheer me up so she took me for a ride in the car. We went out because of me! We were driving when something came crashing into us and everything was white and I couldn't see anymore a- and it- it burned and mom wasn't answering me and I kept shouting for her but she wouldn't respond and I- I can't see. Why can't I see?" Izuku was hyperventilating by now, his breathing coming out as short gasps. His words getting louder and faster as he remembered the horrible events he went through." It's all my fault! No! mum's gone and it's my fault!" He whaled, his head rocketing back and forth as he dissolved into a hysterical mess. Everything was just too loud, he couldn't believe his mother was gone. She was everything he had.

The doctor crouched in front of him and held him by the shoulders. Her grip was solid but light. The contact anchoring Izuku back to reality as she helped him breathe.

"Midoriya-kun, you need to breathe with me. 1, 2, 3. Come on deep breathe. You're fine. You're safe. It's not your fault. Your mom loved you. It wasn't your fault." She spoke softly as she held him in her arms, gently rubbing circles down his back.

Izuku doesn't know how much time they passed as the nurse slowly worked him out of his panic attack. He'd gotten lost in her beating heartbeat as he tried to steady his breathing and follow the rhythm of the loud thumb against her chest.

When he was calm enough, she gently pushed the exhausted boy back onto the bed, making sure to make him as comfortable as possible. Sleep overtook him as bone-deep exhaustion set in his entire being. Her heart ached at the thought of what this child still had to face. He appeared so small, in that big hospital bed. So vulnerable. Life could be cruel.

The next time Izuku woke up, the sounds around him felt more subsided, he felt as if he had more control over his senses. Although, everything was still too loud.

He took in a deep breath and tried to focus. Slowly but surely the things around him were starting to take form, he focused on the things happening in his room only and it was working. His head didn't hurt as hard as before and his mind didn't feel overwhelmed.

Izuku was just so tired. His mother was the only person that truly loved him and cared about him. The only person that truly mattered to him, and she was gone. Dead.

It just felt so unreal, like this was just some horrible nightmare that he'd wake up from. He hoped he could just wake up and go looking for his mother. He'd hug her, he'd never let her go. Alas, this was not a nightmare, not like the ones you wake up from at least. This kind of nightmare was the one that stayed with you, the one that never ended. The ones you'd never wake up from.

A couple of minutes past, as he sat there. In complete silence and darkness. Alone. Was this what life was going to be for him from now on? Was he permanently blind? Why weren't the doctors saying anything to him? Did they think he'd break?

As soon as he finished his train of thought, a knock on the door pulled him out of his reverie.

The door opened and a tall man walked in. Izuku could tell from the shape of the figure, the way the soundwaves resounded from his every movement. The beating of his heart was steady. The rhythm maintaining some kind of coolness in his composure.

"Hello Young Midoriya, my name is Doctor Hiro. You came in here with some pretty serious injuries. I must say, it's a miracle we managed to get to you in time. However, I may have some bad news." His only response was a soft grunt, dull green eyes continued to stare at the ceiling, unseeing. The doctor took it as his cue to continue. "First of all, as you may have already noticed. The accident had damaged your retinas beyond repair. I'm afraid you are permanently blind." His blunt statement didn't get any reaction either, since Izuku had already known that much. "The truck that hit your mother's vehicle was carrying toxic chemical substances. At the moment of impact, the driver had unconsciously used his quirk- Atom reconstruction- and changed the chemical structure of the liquid. We don't know what he did specifically but it seems the toxins were rendered to a higher level of toxicity. Some of the liquid had seeped into your vehicle, effectively getting into both your eyes and your system." Izuku shifted slightly at the new information. Was this the reason behind his new-found senses? Did the combination of both the driver's quirk and the chemicals alter his DNA?

"My system?" He asked quietly, Izuku had an idea of what it meant but he had to be sure.

"Yes, I'm afraid that you were exposed to the chemicals long enough for it to get into your system. The chemicals, being of a new and unheard-of construction, made it impossible for us to properly extract it from your body to test out or alter." When Izuku made a confused sound, the doctor seemed to realize that he was indeed speaking to a ten-year-old. "What I mean to say Midoriya-kun is that the toxins have found their way into your bloodstream and into your organs. The chemicals in your system are slowly destroying your cells. Now, with the help of our medical staffs and a couple of healing quirks, we've managed to slow down the process as much as we could…We estimate about eight years before your organs begin to shut down permanently Midoriya." Hiro knew he was being harsh, telling a ten-year-old kid that he had roughly eight years left to live. However, it was necessary, the kid didn't have any other living relative and seemed aware enough to comprehend the seriousness of the situation. At least this way, he'd know not to waste the precious time he still had.

Izuku could only sit there as his life crumbled around him. He could only sit there, frozen as it shattered into a million tiny pieces that could never be mended. His mother was gone, his sight was gone. His future too, it seems. He let the tears roll freely down his cheeks as he wished for his mother to come back. To hug him and tell him that everything was going to be okay. That he'd wake up from this and that it'll all be just a nightmare.

Alas, it wasn't. It wasn't a nightmare because this wasn't something he could wake up from. This was something worse, this… he could never escape.

~ Everything I loved became everything I lost. ~

Izuku was ten when he lost everything he ever loved.