It was a dark night in the city when a woman walked down the streets. She had gotten off work a bit late due to an overdue deadline and was currently heading home through the empty streets. She noticed a few men hanging around a local convenience store, drinking from covered containers. She started walking a bit faster, slightly worried they were dangerous. "Hey there, babe. How about keeping us company for a while?" One of the men called out, a slight slur in his speech.

She shook her head and uttered out a meek reply "No, thank you!" She then proceeded to speed walk on. Two of the men watched her retreating figure with a smirk. "She'll do nicely..." A large man wearing a wife beater mused as he licked his lips, a perverse grin spreading across his features. He motioned for the two other men to follow him, a plan forming in his mind as he jogged after the woman.

The woman sighed as she caught her breath next to an old apartment complex. She swallowed hard and wiped the sweat from her brow as she looked forward. 'Almost home!' She thought happily as she began her journey, only to feel a large arm wrap around her shoulder and throw her into the nearby alley. She winced as she hit the ground and quickly looked up to spot three of the men from the convenience store surrounding her.

"Now, that wasn't very nice!" One of the men said with a childish tone. "You ran off before me and my boys could even say hi." He finished as he motioned to his men behind him. "How about to make up for it, you keep us company tonight?" The man finished with a twisted grin. "NO!" The woman began with a frightened tone and was about to call for help, only to feel a large hand cover her mouth and the other wrap around her hands, rendering her immobile.

She looked back at the man with pure terror in her eyes. 'NO! I don't want this!' The woman yelled internally as she looked at the man before her unbutton his pants. She tried to bite down on the man's hand covering her mouth, but quickly shut the plan down as she heard him speak. "You bite me, they won't be able to identify the body!" The man said in a serious tone. Suddenly, a loud thud was heard as the man before her crumpled to the ground.

A figure dressed in dark clothing now stood before the woman and the two remaining men. "Let her go. Now." The figure said in a steely voice. "What if we don't, ya freak!?" The man demanded. "What the hell are you doing?! We don't know what kind of quirk he has!" The other man hissed as he pulled his pants up and retrieved a switchblade he kept with him at all times. "Nah, this freak ain't no hero. He isn't registered! The only one that might look like him is Eraserhead, and he doesn't look anything like this freak!" The man finished with a smirk.

The man holding the switchblade activated his quirk, making his entire body take on the sheen of freshly polished steel. 'Interesting. Maybe his quirk allows his body to take on the properties of any item he holds.' The dark figure thought as he kept an eye on the other man. The remaining thug tossed the woman to the side and activated his quirk, muscles rippling through his frame. 'Enhanced strength..' The dark figure mused.

"Alright, ya freak, it's go time!" The man yelled as both thugs charged him. The figure sidestepped the blade coming at him from the metal thug and shoved him forcefully into a nearby wall. He turned to see a fist flying to his face and with practiced ease, he ducked under it. Thinking quickly, he grabbed the man above him by his shoulder and crotch and flipped him, slamming him harshly into the ground.

The man with the blade recovered at this point and swung towards the figure, only for him to quickly move out of the way, the blade now hitting the man on the floor. Taking advantage of the chaos, the figure quickly grabbed the man by the throat and with a mighty heave, lifted him up off the ground. With one last motion, he threw the man into a metal dumpster head first, knocking him out cold. The turned to the man on the ground, who was clutching the stab wound in his stomach.

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!" The man demanded as he saw the darkly dressed figure grab his friends and put them back to back. Within a few seconds, they were tied up and resting on the curb outside the alley. He nudged the woman and helped her up. "Are you ok?" The figure asked as the woman cowered away from him. He held his hands up to show he meant no harm and extended his arm to help her up.

"I mean you no harm. The thugs are taken care of, I just need you to call the police and tell them what happened." He finished and pointed to the tied up criminals. The woman nodded as she looked at her clothes, stained and covered in garbage from the alley. "You'll be safe now." The man finished as she stood on her wobbly legs and dialed the emergency number.

He stayed with her as she told the operator her location and what happened, and as soon as the call ended, he turned to leave. "Wait…" the woman muttered cautiously. "Who are you? What agency do you work with? So I can let the police know who saved me!" She asked as her eyes kept locked on the figure before her.

"I'm not with an agency, nor am I registered." The man said in a rough voice and took off. He jumped as soon as he reached the side of a building and held on to the fire escape. From there, he jumped to the opposite fire escape and climbed up the side until he reached the rooftop. The wind blew past him, kicking his cloak up all around him as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop in his escape.

*Time skip – After the Cops Arrive*

One of the detectives at the crime scene sighed. "Lady, we're going to need you to come down to the station and see if you can identify the "hero" who helped you." The man said as he continued to look through his notes, not finding much that could be helpful. "But he told me he wasn't registered! And he didn't belong to any agency!" The woman repeated for the umpteenth time. "We'll review the available database. In the meantime, please come with us." The man finished and escorted her to his vehicle.

As he turned, a policeman approached him. "So, did you find out who helped her?" The man asked. "She claims he isn't registered, and none of the heroes stationed here match the description she gave." The man muttered as he lit a cigarette and took a long drag. "So what, we have an unknown hero?" The policeman asked. "Vigilante. The law clearly states anyone conducting hero work without being registered or approved is considered a vigilante." The detective corrected him.

"In this day and age, who would have thought that would still be a thing?" The policeman wondered as he walked away. The detective nodded as he got into his car and drove off. Ever since quirks became commonplace in the world, so did heroes. They often registered willingly, as they were given assistance and an actual paycheck. It was almost unheard of to be a vigilante nowadays. All heroes basked in the limelight.

-With the Dark Figure-

The dark figure continued to run as he approached a familiar rooftop. He continued to run until he jumped off, then with a twisting motion, grabbed the handrail and quietly pushed himself into the balcony. He opened a sliding door and went inside, taking off his face mask. As he pulled the mask over his head, dark hair with a slight green outline could be seen. His once wide eyes, filled with wonder and amazement at the heroes, seemed hardened, something no teenager should have.

He removed his uniform and turned the television on, then hopped into the shower. "In tonight's top story, a new unidentified hero stopped a robbery in process near Senjin Station. Full story at eleven." The woman finished as he stepped out of the shower. His green-black hair had grown tame through the years, but those eyes were the same. He stood at 5'9, with an athletic physique. Long gone was the baby fat that once adorned his cheeks. This is Midoriya Izuku, our main protagonist. He smirked as he saw the goons carted off to jail in the background of the report. He put his uniform away and crawled into bed to get some sleep.

*Dreamscape *

Midoriya sat quietly in the stiff, white chair. He had been having this dream ever since that fateful day, 8 years ago. He knew that having a recurring nightmare could point to deep psychological issues, but he didn't particularly care. HE watched in silence as he saw the doctor tell a younger version of himself that he would never be a hero, to give it up. He listened to the same old explanation of how the excess of bones on his feet pointed to the lack of the evolution that cause quirks. The only part that impacted him was his mother.

She was so crushed when she first heard that he would never be a hero. Back then, heroes had only started coming to the surface, the most easily recognized being All-Might. And his younger self, as all kids do, idolized the man. He wanted to be just like him. He wanted to be the fearless hero who fought the enemy with a smile on his face, the one who could overcome all odds. His mother stifled her sobs as the doctor continued to question her about her quirk.

Scene Change – Home -

Midoriya sighed as the dreamscape changed around him. He looked up to see his younger self crying, but all the while begging his mother to put on All-Might's rescue video. He held back tears as he saw her break down and beg his forgiveness, thinking his lack of a quirk was her fault in some way. He reached his hand out in an attempt to console her, to not let history repeat itself. But the thing about memories is, it's already too late.

He winced as he saw her stand up and wipe away her tears. "Ne, Deku-kun? How about mommy makes you that desert you like so much?" She asked in an attempt to lift his spirits. She put her chin into her hand in a thoughtful pose and began reviewing the ingredients list, only to realize a small issue. "I'm out of vanilla extract! No problem, we'll run out to the store and get some!" She finished with a force smile as she got ready to go.

-Scene Change – Convenience Store –

Young Deku and his mother had just left the convenience store when a man holding a gun approached them. "Alright, don't try anything cute and nobody dies!" The man said as he pointed the gun at Young Deku. "You try activating your quirk, the brat goes first" The man hissed with no remorse. His mother nodded and held her hands up. "Now, give me all the cash you have!" The man demanded. His mother moved to get her purse, only to suddenly hear a loud voice. "Have no fear! I am here!" the voice yelled loudly as a man in latex jumped down and tried to rush the mugger.

The mugger quickly turned and fired two shots into the chest of the so-called hero. His mother quickly threw herself over Young Deku, using her body to shield him. The mugger heard the sound of his mother hitting the ground and in a panic, shot twice more into their direction. He cursed loudly as he saw the woman crumple and fall to the ground. Thinking quickly, the man grabbed her purse and ran away, trying with all his might to outrun the incoming sirens.

Young Deku sat in a stunned silence as he saw his mother bleed out before him. This wasn't supposed to happen! He lived in a world of heroes! Heroes always came in and helped make the day better! He cried as his mother smiled up at him, the life quickly draining from her. "Deku-kun, mommy's…" She winced in pain, "..Mommy's not going to be around anymore. But promise me this. You'll be a good boy. You'll always do your best, eat your vegetables, and be polite.." She continued with a raspy tone.

"And help those you can. Above all, survive. Remember, I love you, and I'm sorry that I couldn't give you a quirk.." She finished as the sirens arrived to the scene, followed by an ambulance. A policeman quickly jumped out of his cruiser and approached the scene of the crime. "Any survivors?!" another policeman rang out. The policeman checked the downed hero, followed by his mother. "I don't think.." The man began as he checked his mother for a pulse.

"Shit, we have a pulse! But she's losing blood fast!" He yelled as the paramedics jumped to action. Young Deku didn't want to be left behind, so he raised his little hand and tugged at the police officer. "There's a kid too!" The man yelled as he picked up Young Deku by his arms and took him to the side. His young arms reached for his mother as the police officer took him to his cruiser and began checking him over for wounds.

Once none were found, he looked to the kid and asked his name. "What's your name, kid?" The man asked, but Deku only motioned for his mother. The policeman nodded, understanding the child as he buckled the kid in and turned on his lights, signaling it was an emergency as he followed the ambulance.

-Hospital – Waiting Area-

Young Deku was in shock as he sat in the cold waiting room. He hadn't eaten or had anything to drink for over 12 hours, and the nurses were now whispering in hushed tones around him. "That poor boy..." He heard a nurse whisper as she walked with a colleague. "A mugging gone bad..." He heard another woman whisper. He shut his eyes and cried to himself, hugging his knees to his chest to help keep him warm.

A large coat was suddenly draped over him, and a firm hand grabbed his shoulder. "It's going to be ok, son. We're going to catch the bastard who did this." The man said in a firm, strong voice. That was all it took for Young Deku to break down and cry. Cry for everything he just lost.

-Time Skip – After Funeral-

"We tried to contact your father, son. But he's not in the country at this moment. And since we couldn't contact anyone else, we're sending you to Edogawa Orphanage." The police officer said as Young Deku sat with his court appointed guardian. "I've already spoken with the man in charge, and he said there shouldn't be an issue with this. I'm sorry son, but this is all we can do for now." The man finished and motioned to the social worker.

-With Midoriya-

Midoriya, also known as Deku, jumped lightly as he awoke from his slumber. He held his head as he sat up. 'That nightmare again…' He thought as he turned on the TV and began getting ready to go about his day. He grabbed his suit from the closet and outfitted it with his usual gear, shuriken, and a thin blade that could deal a decent amount of damage. He turned to see the next story, a long-time murdered had been caught a while back and his trial was ending.

The same mugger from that night. Time had not been kind to him, but Deku could see the man as clearly as he had the day his mother was ripped from his life. He checked himself in the mirror one last time, then headed out of the apartment.

-Author's Note-

Yes, I am alive! And still kicking, albeit barely. I know what a lot of you are thinking. "But why aren't you continuing your other stories?!" Truth be told, that was the plan, but for what I'm thinking, I need to do a crap ton of research. Anyway, this is my latest project, a crossover between My Hero Academia and Batman. When I first saw this series, my first thought was "This is like batman, except he eventually gets powers."

Then I thought, "What if he didn't get powers, but still achieved his dreams?" And thus, this was born. Now, for the sake of this story, Deku is 19 years old. Anyway, it's a bit grittier than it should, but I needed proper plot set-up. Let me know what you think, and as always:

Read and Review!