Kikidori Kutima walked alone in the halls of the middle school, a place that once felt suffocating to him. The whispers of his classmates followed him like shadows, but he had grown used to the isolation. His heterochromatic eyes—one green, the other blue—always attracted attention, but it was never the kind of attention that made him feel welcome. He preferred to be left alone, even though that was rarely ever the case.
Kikidori's quirk, *Nightmare*, was unlike anything anyone had seen. With a mere thought, he could project the deepest fears of the person in front of him into their mind, making them live through their worst nightmare. It was something that terrified him as much as it did others. He didn't know how it worked—just that it did. It was a part of him he couldn't control, not at his age.
That day in middle school had started like any other. Kikidori had arrived early, his head down, walking toward the back of the classroom where he could sit alone. He didn't have friends, but he was fine with it. He didn't want them. The other students avoided him, always cautious around him because of his quirk. That's the way it had always been.
But there was one thing Kikidori didn't expect that morning—an outburst in class.
It was Mr. Iwata, a teacher known for his rigid demeanor, who had pushed Kikidori to the edge. The man had always treated him with disdain, constantly mocking him for being distant, for not participating in class like the other students. Kikidori had learned to ignore it, but that day, something inside him snapped.
Mr. Iwata had called him out in front of the class, saying something about how Kikidori was a disappointment, about how his quirk was a curse rather than a gift. That's when it happened.
Kikidori's vision blurred for a second. He had no control over it, but the fear he saw in Mr. Iwata's eyes was enough to trigger it. Without even thinking, his quirk activated, and the whole class watched in horror as Mr. Iwata froze, his face contorting in terror. For a few seconds, the man's pupils dilated, his hands clutching his chest as if gripped by an invisible force.
It was as if Mr. Iwata's worst nightmare had come alive before him.
But then, everything went silent. The teacher collapsed, his body going rigid as his heartbeat faltered. In a matter of seconds, it was over.
The room erupted into chaos. Kikidori stood frozen in place, his heart racing as the reality of what he had done hit him. The other students screamed, running out of the classroom in panic. The principal arrived moments later, but it was too late—Mr. Iwata was gone.
Kikidori didn't even know what had happened to cause the teacher's death. All he knew was that his quirk, his very existence, had somehow contributed to it. He hadn't meant for it to happen, but that didn't change the outcome. The incident was covered up by the school, and Kikidori was sent home early that day.
Rumors spread quickly. Some claimed it was an accident, others said it was fate, but in the end, Kikidori became the subject of whispers and fear. He became the kid everyone was afraid of—except for a select few who found his ability fascinating. In the midst of it all, Kikidori found himself alone once again.
The following years didn't get any better. Kikidori moved to high school, and though he tried to start fresh, his reputation preceded him. People knew about the incident with Mr. Iwata, and although they weren't allowed to talk about it openly, it cast a long shadow over Kikidori's life.
By the time he reached U.A. High, things had changed, but not by much. His quirk was still a source of fear for others, and though he was in a new class, people's treatment of him hadn't changed. Except this time, there were more people, and he didn't have the luxury of being ignored. Girls swooned over him because of his looks—his heterochromia, his sharp canines—and his quirk only made him seem more mysterious. The attention was overwhelming.
It was during lunch on his first day at U.A. when he met the Bakusquad for the first time. He didn't expect much from them—except, perhaps, to be avoided like everyone else. But instead, he found himself surrounded by a group of very loud and chaotic students.
Katsuki Bakugo, the explosive blonde with a temper to match his quirk, was the first to speak up, though he didn't seem particularly friendly. "Oi, what's with the quiet kid?" he grumbled, looking Kikidori up and down.
Kikidori didn't respond. He never did.
Then there was Kirishima, the redhead with a bright smile and an equally bright personality. He introduced himself with a firm handshake, which Kikidori reluctantly accepted, though he didn't say anything in return. Kirishima didn't seem to mind.
Mina, the bubbly pink girl, gave Kikidori a wave. "You're the new kid, right? I'm Mina! You'll love it here!"
Sero, with his taped-up hands, smiled at Kikidori too. "Don't mind Bakugo, he's just like that," he said, his voice lighthearted. "You'll fit in with us, trust me."
Denki, the electric boy, was already cracking jokes. "So, you're the quiet type, huh? That's cool. We need more of you around here!"
Jiro nodded from the corner. "Quiet doesn't mean boring, though."
And then there was Bakugo again, his voice like a crack of thunder. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not babysitting anyone."
Kikidori didn't care to respond, but something about these people intrigued him. They were loud, brash, and obnoxious, but there was something familiar about them. Maybe it was the way they didn't seem to care about his past or his quirk. Maybe it was because they weren't afraid.
But that didn't change the fact that Kikidori still didn't like being the center of attention. And every time someone approached him, every time they stared at him with fascination, it brought back that familiar discomfort—the feeling that he was never truly welcome.
As Kikidori sat at the back of the room, Bakugo's eyes narrowed at him from across the table. "Don't get too comfortable, Quiet Kid," he muttered, though there was something beneath the harsh words—something that felt a little too protective, like a gruff way of showing care.
For now, Kikidori would just keep to himself. He had learned long ago that it was better that way.
End of Chapter 1