In Japan, having powerful quirks and being a hero is supposed to give you huge amounts of status.
However..
"SLAP!" The sound of the hit bounced off the walls before dissipating slowly. "You're not my son anymore!"
"Daddy, please don't hurt me."
A little kid could be seen with his back against the wall. He desperately tried to defend himself from the impacts hitting his body, but it was impossible.
His small frame and stature didn't give him an advantage. This boy was named Shinji, and today, it was found out that he had a quirk.
The father of the child grabbed him by his small shirt and dragged him all the way to the basement of the house.
"From now on, you will stay here until I decide what to do with you." Shinji's body made hard contact with the floor.
His father had thrown him inside the basement and closed the door for good.
The little boy continued crying in solitude, without anyone by his side, he felt desperate. 'Please, someone, help me,' he thought, but help never came.
Hours passed by, and he started losing consciousness. Three weeks had now passed, the smell coming from his body was unbearable.
His father always left just enough food and water so he could survive. The monotony of his day was interrupted when his father entered the basement.
Food was always given to him from behind the door, this was the first time he'd seen his father in weeks.
Shinji looked up to the eyes of his father, he saw indifference and a little bit of disgust. There was a silence between them that started scaring him.
Without having to wait much longer, his father spoke. "You, show me your quirk."
Tears were held by the little boy, he wasn't recognized as his son anymore, and that hurt him. Shinji thought about doing what his father had said, but he was scared.
His quirk wasn't exactly pleasing to the eyes, and it could give any kid nightmares for years to come.
Noticing his father getting impatient, Shinji activated his quirk. What happened next was a scene that could've been taken out of a horror book.
A slim, long, and pale hand tore through Shinji's chest. The hand dug its sharp claws to the ground and pulled itself out of him.
Ferocious teeth, followed by a bald head came out before the full body was up for display. The creature walked on all fours and had extremely elongated limbs.
His claws were up to seven inches in length, and his eyes were darker than the night.
Shinji's father looked at the creature intently. Though he tried not to show it, his fingers were trembling slightly at having a monster standing directly in front of him.
He then directed his attention at his son. 'This is who I gave birth to, I failed as a man,' he thought, looking at Shinji with disappointment.
"I will let you outside with the condition that you never use your quirk. Am I making myself clear?" The venom coming out of his mouth was evident.
Oppression, that's what Shinji felt, his chest was tightening from anxiousness. The monster felt the struggles of his user and started showing signs of aggression.
The creature's posture took a low stance, ready to lunge at his father at any second.
Seeing this posture, the eyes of his father were opened impossibly wide. The creature lunged at his dad, directly clawing at his throat.
Shinji, having felt this since before the action was taken, deactivated his quirk.
The attack barely missed his father's throat before the monster was sucked in Shinji's chest.
"I-I'm sorry!" Shinji instinctively protected himself from his dad.
Startled, that's how Shinji's dad felt. He'd almost kissed death, and he didn't like it.
"You almost killed me, you little shit!" Shinji was kicked full force in his stomach. His head hit the wall and started bleeding a little, his senses were on overdrive.
On the edge of his vision he saw his father leaving the room. Just as he got his bearings back, he started crying uncontrollably.
The pain was too much for his mind to handle, after all, Shinji was only four years old. His mind started getting dizzy, and after a few seconds, he lost consciousness.
—------
There was a faint sound in the background. Shinji started opening his eyes and what he saw made him confused.
There were three people in his vision, all crouching down besides him.
"Shinji!" He didn't hear the voice clearly the first time. Just as he opened his eyes fully, he realized that it was only his sister in front of him.
"Shinji!" What have they done to you?" Shinji's sister quickly hugged her brother tightly, as if afraid that he was going to disappear if she let go.
The little boy started crying once again, this was the first time in a considerable time that he felt loved by someone.
He hadn't talked with his only friend Daigo, and he hadn't seen his sister since he was locked in the basement.
"Miki, I want to go outside." Shinji pleaded that his sister let him out. Too much time spent in this small basement was making him go insane.
"I'm so sorry that I wasn't here for you, I promise that I will not let you down again."
"W-where were you?" Shinji asked, tears falling from his eyes.
"I was on a school trip to America, now that I came back, I promise to look out for you okay?" Miki held his cheeks with both hands, Shinji could feel the sisterly love she radiated.
Miki's eyes softened, "Don't worry, let's go out and have a bath, okay?"
When Shinji heard those words, he forgot about the pain plaguing his body and could only feel relief and happiness.
He stood carefully, grabbed his sister by her hands, and started heading upstairs.
finally leaving the basement, he could only think about the future that awaited him.