Colors in the Dark

Special 4: Origin

Toshinori's life had certainly become a lot less strenuous after stepping down from his spot as the Symbol of Peace, but with his work as a teacher and coaching Young Midoriya in One for All, it wasn't the peace and quiet that most retirements came with.

Though he hadn't gotten the chance to meet the little Eri yet, Aizawa had surprisingly invited him to talk about her condition. He rambled for a while about how he had picked out an outfit for her visit to UA for the school festival, but the nurse had stopped him and eventually settled on something else for her to wear.

"We're at a standstill and Eri's too polite to pick a side. It's getting to the point where I might even have to consult Ayami just to get a second opinion. That I trust the judgment of," he added.

"I know you took her under your wing along with Young Shinsou a while back," the retired Pro began, a little unsure as to how to bring the topic up. "I was quite glad, actually, since when she joined, she certainly wasn't... enthusiastic about meeting Pros..."

Their eyes met, and the coal-black of Aizawa's own seemed to instantly recognize what he was referring to. "Her fear of authorities, you mean. Yes, I'm aware... We've been working on it, I guess you could say. But after what happened at the licensing exam she regressed quite a bit." A brief flash of regret crossed his face. "Though even after making amends since, she's still felt... different compared to her peers."

"Before we moved the students into the dorms, when we went door-to-door to discuss with parents the moving situation, you remember that I was the one to visit Young Ayami, right? She had been present at the incident with All for One by chance, but something that he said about her past was troubling... I asked, but she said she wasn't comfortable with sharing..."

"I remember you mentioning something like that..." Aizawa put a finger up, motioning for Toshinori to wait, and reached into his desk, flipping through a messy pile of files before finding some sheets he had printed out along with messily-written notes. "Yes, of course... I did some digging on my own around the time that Midoriya and Bakugou had their fight, actually, because I wondered what could be so terrible in the life of a child that could permanently leave them terrified of adults... These are my findings."

He slipped the file to Toshinori, who opened it and began to read through. A few news articles relating to the same orphanage that All for One had mentioned with a story that also went along with his word to boot.

"Children maltreated and abused by the system, a tormenting caretaker, terrified foster families, corrupt police ruining any semblance of trust the kids had in adults, and a justice system that failed to do anything but imprison one of their own," he summarized.

"Any child, even moreso the younger ones, would be left with jagged scars, especially the unseen psychological ones. Escaping from something like this is one of the few situations that could actually cause kids like Young Ayami to have such terrible disorders and flashbacks as PTSD and quirk possession that are usually only seen in soldiers returning from war, or in rare cases, Pro Heroes..."

Aizawa nodded, taking the file back. "I've been meaning to take a trip over there, but with Eri's situation and the upcoming festival, I haven't had the time. But, considering you've also seen firsthand what this," he gestured to the articles in his file, "has done to her, it might be better if you check it out and inform me of your findings. You know the area better than me, after all."

The blond nodded. "Anything for one of my students, and a case this serious probably deserves a second look. I'm happy to do it!" He momentarily flexed into his muscle form, but deflated after hardly a second. "I really need to stop doing that..."