Chapter 1 - The Abandoned Child

---Japan, Tokyo, Thriller Bark St...

Thriller Bark. The most crime-ridden street in all of Japan, with gangs and criminals roaming around in the shadows. Despite looking like an ordinary neighborhood from the outside, most people who live or work here are criminals.

It was nearing midnight in this bustling street, and a drunken man walked through the dark, gloomy street, staggering as he moved. He took a big gulp from his beer, stumbling to lean on the flickering street light.

"Bastards. Firing me because I pointed out a flaw in their plan." He grumbled, to himself, waving his beer bottle around. "And those fuckers went on with the flawed plan, and the heist failed. Now, they fucking blame me."

He took another big gulp before roaring up at the sky. "I fucking told them it won't work---"

"Shut the fuck up. I am trying to sleep!" A voice came from the apartment building beside him, cutting him off.

"This is bullshit." He mumbled, walking forward. "And this beer tastes like shit." He threw the beer bottle into the street, causing it to shatter, its content spilling out.

He ignored it and kept walking, turning into a dark alley that led to his home. As he walked, he suddenly stopped, blinking multiple times. He cleaned his face with his palm, turning back to the spot.

"Another abandoned child." He burped, stumbling to the child. "Ah~ another one. I would give this to Masami, but he ain't my boss any more."

He bent down and looked into the basket between two stinking garbage cans, opening the blanket that warped it. "Girl?" He asked himself, looking at the appearance of the sleeping child. He moved his hands between the child's legs, feeling between its legs. "Sigh. A boy."

He groaned, sitting on the ground. "I could have sold it into prostitution if it was a girl!" He shouted, gripping his hair. "Fucking shit. Just my luck."

The man turned back to the child, who was now awake and staring at him. Its eyes socket were empty, with no eye balls, as if it was possessed. "Holy shit." The man crawled back from the baby in fear, immediately sobering up as a shiver went up his spine.

Out of dread, he immediately stood up and took off running down the street. He wanted to get as far away from that child as possible, even though it wasn't the direction of his house.

"No wonder that... thing... was abandoned." He breathed, stumbling down the street.

When he was already many blocks down, he slowed down, walking. Although he had run a long way, the street was still empty. It was like a ghost town, but this is how Thriller Bark is at night.

When the sun goes down, many of its inhabitants leave the streets for jobs, be it assassinations, robbery, and many more. He was already used to this, but the empty eyes socket of the child kept replaying in his mind.

"Fuck. Is that a quirk?" He mumbled, feeling as if something was breathing down his neck. He increased his pace once more, but suddenly he stopped. "If it is a quirk, then I could use it."

A crazy idea crossed this man's head. "Yes! I can use it to create my own gang! It already has its quirk at birth, meaning it will be strong." He quickly covered his mouth, keeping his voice down. "Besides, even though it is a male, many would want to sleep with him."

He turned around and started running back to where he left the child, wishing it was still there. Entering the alley, out of breath, he rushed to the basket.

"Hello, little treasure." He laughed, picking up the baby. Its eyes were fixed on the man, which made him shiver, but he kept his cool. "I am Ankoku, but you can just call me daddy." Ankoku introduced himself to the baby, giving a strained smile.

He paused, staring at the baby that hadn't made a single sound. He knows it isn't normal, but everyone with quirks is weird. Clearing his throat, he stood up with the child.

"Little boy, your name will be Kuragari." He said, looking into the empty eye socket that seemed to swallow him like a void. Quickly shaking his head to snap himself from the trance, he turned, leaving the basket on the ground. "I will be sure to use you well, Kuragari."

Ankoku walked out of the alleyway, into the street, and to his apartment. The child kept staring at him throughout the time, but he paid it no mind. Reaching a rundown 4-story apartment, Ankoku opened the front door with one of his keys, closed it behind him, then went to the stairs.

He climbed up the silent apartment building, going to room 430, the last room on the fourth floor. Opening the door with another key, a wave of stench blew out, but Ankoku didn't seem to pay it any mind.

He entered the apartment, closing the door behind him. He turned on the light, revealing a one-bedroom apartment filled with garbage, and half-eaten foods, now infested with insects, beer bottles, and flies. In the middle of this room filled with garbage was a torn couch, bringing the only furniture in the room.

"Welcome to your home, Kuragari. Isn't it beautiful?" He saw nothing wrong with the room, giving a smile of pride. "Don't worry, baby. With you here, we will get a bigger house." He smirked, already having everything planned out on how to use the child.