Chapter Text
Freedom.
Joy.
Safety.
Such words were meaningless to Shiya. He can’t even remember the last time he had smiled; a few years probably. He couldn’t remember what it was like to just be able to play and run around whenever he pleased. He can’t even remember what it was like to be ok.
His daily life was all controlled by horrible people hidden behind medical masks and goggles. Every day was the same. He would wake up and be forced to swallow two black pills that always burned in his throat. He would then be put through physical tests such as endurance and pain tolerance. Those would take hours until it was time for him to take more pills. It was two red pills that made his skin prickle and burn. They always burned. After that, he would get the only food he would get all day. It was some sort of burrito that never had any flavor to it. After he finished eating he would sit in a big room and take notes or read while a masked man would teach. There was no desk or table to use so he would have to sit on the ground. He hated this part of the day the most. The room was always intimidating and the masked man would yell at him whenever he got something wrong or didn’t understand. If he didn’t understand after it being explained again the man would hit his forehead hard. He would often not understand after a second explanation so he would get hit almost every day. After that, he would be brought back to his room and have two more pills shoved down his throat. They would make his body numb and he wouldn’t be able to move until the next day.
After a year of this lifestyle, he had given up hope that any heroes would come and save him. That didn’t mean he never fought back, no he always resisted everything they would make him do. That often resulted in being yelled at by one of the men using their quirk on him. They always used the same man’s quirks, it was called megaphone. He could amplify his voice like well a megaphone. The megaphone man would scream at him until he either cooperated or passed out. It was always a 50/50 chance of either happening.
He lived like a test subject every day. He had been doing it since he was 5 and he was around 12 or 13; he had lost count after a few years but he knew he was around that age. So he had been doing this for an extremely long time. It had been the same routine for years up until today. Something new had happened. New people had come in and found him. People in new clothes that were new colors he really liked. They had identified themselves as heroes. He wanted to cry but he couldn’t move at all, so he could only stare. His body was still too numb to move anything but his eyelids. The hero that had carried him outside looked a bit scary but he seemed nice.
All the new things outside were amazing. The blues, the greens, the yellows, the greys, and everything else were all so pretty. He wished he could stare more at the colors if only he hadn’t blacked out. All the colors were overwhelming sure but they were new and he loved new things.
-
Shouta had been apart of a drug raid. It was supposed to be just a drug raid at least. But they had found something that made his blood boil. They had found a small child that was malnourished and numbed from drugs. All the poor kid could do was blink at him with blank dead eyes. How messed up could these people be to do something like this to a child?
“I’m sure he’ll be ok Shouta. There’s no need to worry.” a familiar voice practically shouted from his side.
“I’m not worried.” Shout mumbled to the man next to him. He truly wasn’t worried for the kid, he was outraged at what those villains had done. The child was covered in burns, cuts, and bullet wounds. Most of the scars were around his chest and back. Though the most unsettling one was on his right eye. It looked like it had been burned from the inside out and it stretched to the other eye and covered most of his face only stopping just before the mouth. His left eye was also a slightly darker shade of purple than the other one.
“Poor kid. From what we’ve gathered he’s been trapped in that warehouse for 9 years.” the man next to him said. If that was true then what was the mental state of this child? Shouta already knew the answer but he didn’t want to acknowledge it.
-
Waking up Shiya had quickly realized he was somewhere new. That’s right had been taken away by a hero. He was free from those horrible drugs and from the numbness and from the burning feeling and from the yelling and screaming. He was somewhere new and hopefully safe. That’s all that mattered for now at least.
Looking around Shiya found that he was next to a window. He hadn’t seen a window like this one before. The only times he had actually seen them were only for observing him. He hadn’t realized they could be used for something like this. Outside the window, he could see trees, animals, the sky, and walls. There were so many different colors, he couldn’t even decide which one was his favorite.
A tall man in a black jumpsuit walks into his room. Looking over Shiya recognized the man as the hero that had found him.
-
This kid was impossible. Whenever Shouta asked him a question this kid would always reply with an “I don’t know”. Whenever anyone came near him he would lash out. Hizashi wasn’t allowed to even enter the room to help him. Getting this kid to cooperate was an impossible task.
Or so he thought.
Turns out the kid was obsessed with colors. All Shouta had to do was get crayons and some paper and the kid would answer every question he threw at him. It was almost laughable at how immature this kid was, almost.
From the questions, the kid had answered Shouta had this: the kid’s name was Shiya Amaki. He was taken when he was 5. He has been trapped at the warehouse ever since. His day was almost always the same. When it wasn’t the same he was being presented to someone from behind a TV. He doesn’t know what the drugs do but they hurt when he takes them. He has no idea where his parents were or what they looked like; he could only remember their quirks which were both about controlling animals and talking to them. His birth quirk was called Animal Translator. The quirk was a mutation in his ears and vocal cords that allow him to communicate with animals.
-
It had been a few days after Shiya had woken up and he was already running around and getting into trouble. He had been allowed to see other kids around his age in the child wing. The second he saw a crayon he started to color. Normally that would be fine but he had started to draw people getting burned alive. The drawings were rather detailed as well.
Not even an hour after he had started drawing he had to be sent away. He had scared half of the kids to the point of tears. After that Shiya had disappeared for hours. He was eventually found in his room wrapped up in a blanket. He was clearly distraught and when asked about why he just shook his head. He refused to go near any other kids after that.
When Shiya wasn’t sulking in his room he was running around and causing trouble. Though he rarely came out of his room now. He also stopped eating most of his food and started to sleep a lot. The doctors and nurses would try and get him to eat more or get some exercise but it never worked.
Eventually, Shiya stopped leaving his room altogether. He didn’t even touch his crayons anymore. He was getting thinner then he was when they had found him. He even stopped glancing at the door whenever someone entered the room. His eyes were always glued to the window. On a few occasions, he would be caught mumbling to himself about what he saw outside. Though the most noticeable change was how his eyes dulled. They used to be full of fear and curiosity, but now they were just empty.
-
Getting up with shaky legs Shiya made his way to the huge window in his room. He had to squint since his eyes weren’t used to all the light the sun provided. He pressed his hands on the cool glass, making his manus’ tingle. It was an unusual feeling but not an unwelcome one.
Looking outside he noticed two tall figures walking down the sidewalk to the entrance of the hospital. Their hair reminded him of his own. The feminine-looking one had light purple hair that he thinks is called lilac. The other figure had Byzantium color hair. Grabbing a few strands of his own hair he compared his to theirs. They both were a few shades off from his royal purple hair but not by much.
After the two purple-haired people walked inside he looked at the trees that had flowers in full bloom. The light pinks and pretty whites blended together brought a strangely soothing feeling. Everything was quiet except for the faint singing of a few birds. Everything felt right. He allowed himself to go slack and just bask in the warm rays of the sun.
-
Those two figures turned out to be his parents. Shiya didn’t like them at all. They were loud and touchy and didn’t actually seem to care about him. He had to dodge them multiple times when they would try and grab him. When he didn’t want a hug they got annoyed and tried to guilt-trip him into one.
When they finally left to go talk to the banana haired hero he was filled with relief. Though it was short-lived when a tall man with a scarf walks in. Looking over Shiya recognized the man as the tired hero he had met a few days ago. The hero had a stack of papers under his arm with a pen in the other hand. The hero took a seat and put the papers on a small table next to his bed. Shiya only tilted his perplexed by the hero.
-
Shiya found himself in a big metal box with wheels on each end. He recognized it from the others of its kind that had passed by the hospital. This one was smaller than the others and it was a bright yellow that looked like a second sun from a distance. The inside of the box was full of different shades of grey and had a few spots of red around it. The box apparently belonged to the banana haired hero which hasn’t stopped grinning.
After he sat down in the back of the box the tired hero put his seat belt on. Shiya didn’t like it one bit. The belt was ruff and restraining. He also had no idea how to get out of the belt.
The box moved fast and made everything blur by. The box would occasionally stop and Shiya would get to see everything clearly. There were lots of people of all sizes walking. It made him nervous to see so many people with so many different quirks.
Sometimes the heroes would try and get him to talk but nothing ever got past his ears. He was too distracted with the burning pains in both of his pupils. It felt like hot needles were being pushed into his eyes. The burning feeling has started as soon as he got into the car but wasn’t really enough to notice. It was slowly growing and getting hotter.
The box stops and both of the heroes get out. The tired one got him out and they walked up a few flights of stairs and down an outside hallway before stopping at the last door. Walking in Shiya immediately notices all the colors and strange objects covering every room.
The banana hero showed him to a barren room furnished with only a bed and a drawer. Apparently, they would decorate it when he was ready. He was then left alone to do whatever he wanted. So naturally, he took his crayons and sat on his new bed to draw on a wall.
-
Shiya could only describe stores as loud. Everything echoed off the walls amplifying every little sound. He has no idea how anyone can handle such a place.
He regretted leaving his room. He has followed the tired hero he now knows as Shouta and the banana hero all day. They had gone from store to store buying clothes, toys, decorations, and art supplies. He had refused everything but the heroes still bought the few things he had taken somewhat of an interest in. And to top it all off his eyes were burning more than ever.
Finally, at the last shop, they go to buy a backpack. Shiya skipped all the
Grey and bland backpacks and went straight to the smaller more colorful packs.
He chose a Ms. Joke themed backpack that was just a full-on clash of colors. Holding the backpack to Shouta whose face twisted into what can only be described as utter disgust. The banana haired hero had burst into laughter having seeing it.
“Were definitely getting this!” the banana haired hero yells as he grabs the backpack.
The scream makes Shiya flinch and cover his ears cowering.
Everything disappeared and then everything was back but it wasn’t the store he had just been in. It was a grey room covered in blood splatters and burn marks. He looked down and saw he was in a hospital gown except it was red, black, and grey from being used over the years. The cold that had covered his whole body was quickly changed to a red hot burn. He could only see red and everywhere he looked there was fire.
“N-no…” he whimpered out as he falls onto his knees and hugs himself. Eyes shut tight.