Chapter 1

A thud signalled her hitting the dirt painfully. She lay on her back in pain as tears streamed down her face. Laughter. Cruel laughter. That was all she got from them. Not a trace of remorse or sympathy. How could they feel anything towards someone they saw as abnormal and weird? How could they feel anything but amusement as they had their fun with her,  knowing she would not be able to say a thing? They enjoyed it. They relished toying with her, treating her worse than the dirt she was sprawled out on. There was nothing she could possibly do. She was weak against them. Totally outnumbered. There was no crying for help for no sound would leave her mouth. There was no fighting back for the beating she would get would be twice as bad. 

Why were they so cruel? Why did they have to treat her differently just because she was distinct? It wasn't her fault, she didn't choose to be this way. She didn't choose to be different. It wasn't her choice, so why? Why was she being treated as if she brought this on herself? Why was she treated as if she did something wrong? She never hurt anyone. She never did any wrong, she was a good girl, she followed all the regulations, she did as she was told, she never talked back, she never fought back....so why? 

She didn't know. They didn't tell her, they refused. She should know what she did, but she didn't. 

So she could do nothing as she lay there and took whatever they hurled at her. She was weak. She was pathetic. She was worthless. 

She wanted it to end. She wanted this pain, this sorrow, she wanted it all to end. She wanted to be wanted. To be treated like everyone else. To be seen for who she is. To not be judged by those who deemed themselves better than her. Could she not have such a thing? Was it out of her grasp....out of her reach? Was she destined to be treated the same way for the rest of her life? 

All because she had no voice. She could not be heard, she would never be heard. Ever. No matter what. No matter all the abnormalities in the world. She is and will always be voiceless. 

 She would never be heard. 

"Hey! "A loud voice shouted. The beating stopped. She could breathe. She thought she could breathe. When she took a deep breath her ribs hurt. They hurt badly. The pain brought more tears to her eyes. The pain was too much. She was afraid to breathe. She didn't want to experience that type of pain again, but if she didn't breathe, she would die. She may not love her world, but she didn't want to die. She wanted to live and try to make something out of herself. She couldn't die. She let out a breath. A soundless whimper escaped her when she did. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. 

"Hey, hey, look at me" There was someone in front of her. An adult. A young woman. She looked at her. Her vision blurred with her tears. She sobbed. Her ribs hurt even more as she did. She wanted it to stop. Make it stop. 

The young woman felt a pain in her chest as she watched the child suffer. She was bleeding too much. Her skin was too pale. She was too small. She looked weak. She was struggling to breathe. How could children do such a thing? How could they be so cold? And they were laughing, how could they?  How dare they? And it is these very kids that say they want to be heroes? They are the future of society? 

The woman's hands shook as she gently picked up the child. She was careful. She was conscious of the pain the child was in. She saw her whimper. But there was no sound. She didn't focus on that. She had more important things to do. She had to get the child to the hospital. She had to get there as fast as she could. She wasn't a medical specialist but she knew enough. She knew that if the child did not see medical consultants she would most likely die. She would not let that happen. She could not let that happen. She would not let a child die to the barbarity of her fellow humans. To the cruelty of the world. Not on her watch. 

She was hardly aware of anything as she was placed inside the car. She was staring up at black ceilings. She felt movement as the car jerked to life. Her lids were heavy. It was hard to breathe now, not because of the pain but the oxygen was lacking. It was hard to get the needed amount. Her vision was blurred. It wasn't from the tears. She was frightened. She did not want to close her eyes. She feared they would not open. But it was hard. It was getting harder and harder for her to keep her eyes open. Black dots made themselves known. Her fear spiked. She opened her mouth. No sound left her lips. 

Voiceless. 

The woman was nervous. She had been constantly checking on the child through the rearview mirror. She was afraid. She feared the worse. The child was in a bad state. Very bad state. When she closed her eyes she almost lost control of the car when her fear hit the highest level. 

"We're almost there. Please hold on a little longer little one. You can't die. You're too young. You have a lot to live for"

They were five minutes away. The five minutes felt like hours to the worried woman. She was praying to any and every god she knew. She didn't want the child to die. 

The second her car stopped she virtually fell out the open door as she rushed to carefully get the girl into the hospital. She tried to calm her trembling hands as she fumbled to push the hospital door open. The child's blood was on her hands now...her arms, her clothes. It made her blood run cold. The child wasn't moving. She could no longer see the rise and fall of her chest. 

Fear gripped her even tighter. 

"I need help! "

At the sound of her panicked voice, the personnel of the hospital turned to her. Eyes widened. Orders were shouted and things were suddenly moving very fast. A doctor or nurse took the child form her. She was placed in a bed that was hurriedly pushed away, all while medical words were being shouted. Doctors pushed past her. Things were hasty. Devices were attached to her. 

She was alive. She was alive. She held on. 

A powerful wave of relief washed over the woman. She was suddenly weak. Depleted. Her knees buckled and she tumbled to the ground. She sighed. Her heart was running a mile a minute. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears. She managed to get her to the hospital in time. The child would hopefully be ok. 

"Thank God"

"Excuse me" a doctor stood in front of her. He adjusted his clothing and held his notepad close as he looked at the relieved woman. He had some question for her. "May I ask you a couple of questions about the child you brought in"

She nodded and immediately got to her feet to shake the hand offered to her. The doctor held a small smile. 

"I'm Doctor Akatsuki"

"Nozomi Sano" 

At the mention of her name the doctor's eyes widened somewhat. The name was familiar. Sano. As in Sano industries. The biggest support company in Japan and quite possibly the world. The company is famous for its work. They not only provide the heroes with support tech, but they help in any other field. If the hero needs a lawyer, they'll handle it. If a hero needs something handled in court, they'll handle it. If a hero is in search of sidekicks, they'll handle it. If a hero wants to get something out, they'll handle it. Sano industries are known to be a family business. It is passed down from generation to generation. The family is known for producing prodigies. A member of the family is placed in charge of a department suited for their quirks. The Sano family has an odd quirk set that somehow always returns. 

Once the doctor got over the shock he led the woman to his office to speak privately. He sat at his desk and motioned for Nozomi to take the opposite chair. 

"Can I ask how the child is doing? " those words left her mouth with urgency. She was very worried. Terrified even. She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that the child was beaten to an inch of her life by children of the same age. The child looked to be just over four years of age. 

"She is in serious condition. She has multiple broken bones. The most serious are her ribs. They are broken and angled awkwardly making it painful for her to breathe. She lost a lot of blood. We're doing our best to give her back the large amount of blood lost before things get worse. She's malnourished and weak. It's most likely that she isn't being taken care of properly. Lastly, her vocal cords have a dysfunction. It appears to have been there for some time. Quite possibly from birth. It can not be fixed"

Nozomi said nothing. She only stared ahead of her. She did not know what to say. There was nothing she could say. She didn't know if she could bare injuries of that magnitude. She didn't think she was strong enough. But this child. She survived. She pushed through. Through the pain and tears. She lived. 

She was happy but worried. She's malnourished. She hasn't been taken care of properly. What kind of parents would treat their child like that? She didn't know, but she would find out and make sure the child got as far away from them as possible. 

"Do you know the child? Is she perhaps a relative? "

Nozomi shook her head no and the doctor scribbled something on his notepad. 

"Can you tell us what happened? "

She nodded and told him the story. She was on her way to a friend's house when she saw a group of kids bullying her. Beating her brutally. She couldn't just stand by while that happened so she rushed in to save her. 

"It's a good thing you acted as fast as you did" the doctor said with a serious look. He folded his arms on his desk and spoke. "If the child had arrived a moment later she would have most likely died"

"I know. I drove as fast as I could. She was hardly breathing. And when she closed her eyes I was so terrified. I didn't think I would make it" She breathed out. She had really been terrified. She almost panicked and she was taught to be calm and level headed. 

"I hope she's alright"

The doctor said nothing. He just nodded. He could not say anything for he was not sure what would become of the child. 

"All we can do is hope for the best "

~~~~~~~

She woke up to the beeping of a cardiogram. Her eyes met a white ceiling. Her vision was blurry. She slowly blinked to clear it. She laid there. She just stared. Her body ached. It was dull. It wasn't as bad as before. The pain stilled. She breathed slowly. Tentatively. Nothing hurt. She could breathe normally. Breathe without fear of pain. She still didn't move. She was afraid to do so. She could hurt herself. Everything may be dull at the moment, but it could trigger pain if she were to move. So she just lay there staring at the ceiling. Why was she in the hospital? She's been hurt multiple times in the past but no one ever took the time to bring her to the hospital. She wasn't worth it. 

Was it that woman? Did she bring her to see the doctors? Why would she do that? She didn't know her? What does she want? 

The sound of the door being opened made her jump. Her breath hitched as her anxiety struck her. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. It was only the doctor. He was only there to make sure she's OK. Just a doctor. 

"You're awake" the doctor stood near her bed with a notepad in hand. She didn't look at him. She couldn't meet his eye. She wasn't strong enough to do so. "Do you feel any pain, aches? "

She nodded, slowly. The doctor nodded in return and scribbled something down on his notepad again. He did so for a while before putting it away and getting closer. He rested a gentle hand on her forehead and she flinched. She doesn't like being touched simply because whenever she comes in contact with someone it's always painful. 

"It's all right. I won't hurt you, little one" his voice was soft and soothing as he removed his hand. This time he gently inspected her hand and arm. He watched her carefully as he did. He saw her make multiple pained expressions and stopped. 

"You'll be fully recovered within a few days"

She nodded and looked away from the doctor. She wanted to leave as soon as possible. She didn't like hospitals. 

"Do you remember the events that lead you to the hospital? "

She nodded with a pained look in her eyes. It wasn't something she wanted to be reminded of.

"Do you remember the woman who helped you? "

She nodded again

"She would like to come see you. Is that alright? "

Was it? She didn't know the woman. For all, she knew she would take advantage of her. But she saved her. She could be a good person. Maybe. Just maybe she had stumbled upon a good person for once. Someone who would be kind to her despite her handicap.

She nodded, hesitantly.

The doctor smiled slightly as he left the room. When he did the familiar woman entered the small room. Her red eyes were filled with worry as she took tentative steps towards the scarred child. She stood at the side of her bed. She was silent for a moment, not knowing what to say.

"How... How are you doing? "His voice was shaky as she took in the child's broken form. Most of her body was wrapped in bandages. Tubes were inserted up her arms and supplying her with the needed blood. Her eyes were full of trauma. She couldn't begin to imagine what the child went through.

"I'm so sorry"

What was the woman apologizing for? She didn't know. What had she done wrong? She had helped her, hadn't she? Then what was she sorry for? She wanted to ask, but of course, she couldn't. The woman above her was on the verge of tears as she gently took the girl's small hands in her own.

"I'm so sorry" she apologized again. "I'm sorry you had to go through such a thing. I'm sorry the world has been so cruel to you. I'm sorry you had to go through all that "

The girl was shocked. She was apologizing to her for what she went through? Even though she had nothing to do with it. Even though she didn't know her. Even though it had nothing to do with her. She was apologizing

She cared?

A silent sob left the girl as tears rolled down her cheeks. The words were powerful. Someone cared for once. Someone apologized. For once she wasn't ridiculed.

It made her happy.