My eyes fluttered open, but I couldn't see where I was. It was too dark. Complete silence surrounded me.

I was lying on the ground. The metallic floor stung my naked body. It took nearly all of my strength to lift myself up with my forearms. I coughed violently, and a strange tasting liquid climbed up from my lungs and up my throat. It began to pour out of my mouth and pool under me. After dry heaving for a bit, the uneasiness in my stomach subsided.

My fingertips slid along the cold floor as I searched around in the darkness. Light tapping from my fingers broke the silence. Scared and alone, I gave up.

I sat up and hugged my knees to my chest in a futile attempt to warm up. My eyes darted around in the darkness. My chest was pounding, and my heartbeats were thumping in my ears.

A set of yellow eyes began to glow in the darkness. My tight hold on my legs eased a bit as I stared back at them, they flickered in the dark like wisps. I tried calling out, but my throat was hoarse. Trying to speak resulted in another coughing fit. My hands clasped over my mouth as I began to dry heave.

"Can you stand?" I wasn't sure. Slowly, I forced myself onto my knees and pulled myself onto my feet at my own pace. I stood in the darkness. Cold and confused. My arms wrapped around in a hug, trying to keep myself at least a little warm.

I took a step forward. My foot slowly slid, and before I realized I was on the ground again. My head ached, and every bone in my body was sore.

After a little bit, I tried again. Standing made my feet felt like pins and needles. Once again, I saw myself beginning to slip as soon as I took my first step forward. This time, however, a pair of warm arms wrapped around me.

"There, there. No need to strain yourself, I got you." A set of fog-like arms were tightly wrapped around me.

"Da–" Talking hurt. I tried it again, forcing myself to speak through the pain. "Dad?"

An unsettling realization sunk in. My voice sounded different, it was nothing like before my nap. Both of us were standing as well. The top of my head reached Kurogiri's shoulders. "Dad, I'm confused."

He ran a hand through my hair. "I owe you an explanation."

Kurogiri's arms unwrapped from my body. He placed his hands on my shoulders, his fingers lightly digging into my skin. "Can you stand on your own now?" I nodded.

He receded back into the darkness. I hugged myself as I waited for him to come back. He returned with a set of clothes folded in his hands.

A white button-up and a pair of black pants. For the first time since I woke up, I experienced the first familiarly normal sensation. Kurogiri helping me get dressed. Balancing on one foot was near impossible, so he offered me his arm as I put on the pants. I stood completely still as he buttoned up the shirt for me.

He stared at me for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Where should we begin?" He hummed in thought.

Kurogiri turned me around. A large tube-like device was behind me. I held onto his arm as he led me up to it. My eyes were fixed to the device as I took in everything. The glass walls, the eerie blue glow that emitted from it, the small monitor on the side.

"I–" Kurogiri paused and sighed. "We had big plans for you. Things didn't work out. We kept you in a state of suspended hibernation. This capsule kept you alive. The man who used to work at this factory would occasionally work on you— a side project to keep him busy."

I squeezed Kurogiri's arm, utterly lost in thought and trying my hardest to piece things together. Things didn't make sense. I couldn't fathom why Kurogiri, someone I had grown to call my father, would do this to me. My eyes met Kurogiri's. "How long was I in there? I remember you telling me to drink something to help me sleep, and then this." I Twisted my body a bit and took a quick glance over the darkened room, still confused about what all this was.

Kurogiri averted my gaze. "I see, he didn't even bother to give you extra memories to cover these past fifteen years."

I furrowed my brows and clocked my head to the side. "Give me memories? Fifteen years?"

In this whole situation, everything felt fake. I thought back to what few memories I had. A question nagged at me. Where they even real? If whoever was keeping me in this capsule could give me fake memories, then how could I trust the few that I had?

Something else was gnawing at the back of my mind. A word? A name? At this point, I wasn't even sure. I squeezed Kurogiri's arm. "What is a Tomura Shigaraki?"

"The young master?" Kurogiri hummed. "I see. He didn't give you memories, but he still remembered to imprint that name into you."

Nothing Kurogiri was saying was making any sense still. The look on my face must have given away my confusion. Kurogiri cleared his throat. "Well. Let's go home. You have people to meet, and I'm sure you want to sleep in an actual bed. I'll try to fill in the blanks the best I can later."

"Y/n." I turned around and faced Kurogiri. He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed. "I'm sorry you were put in this mess. I'm glad to finally have you with me again."

I sniffed, it was like I was on the verge if crying, but tears wouldn't come out. Kurogiri's words hurt my heart. What should I say? What could I say? He waited fifteen years to let all that off his chest. Although the same could be said about me, it more or less only felt like a few hours.

Kurogiri pulled away from me and stepped back. "We should go." A black mist rose from the ground. By now, whether they be real or fake memories, I was well acquainted with Kurogiri's quirk. I stayed still and allowed it to take me wherever Kurogiri wanted me to go.

A light shined in my face, and my eyes narrowed. I slowly blinked as I adjusted. Several strangers were together in a cramped little room. They were staring at me, my gaze shifted from one person to the next. Are one of these a Tomura Shigaraki?

In the background, Kurogiri explained a bit about me. He introduced me to the group and informed them that I'll be working with them from now on. Kurogiri promised he would explain what was going on. It seems, by how vague his words were, he didn't want to discuss it in front of everyone.

I stepped forward and approached a girl with blonde hair. The palms of my hands pressed against her cheek, and I leaned in to get a closer look at her. She gave me a big, toothy smile. Her golden eyes sparkled. No. This isn't a Tomura Shigaraki.

A tall man was standing by the girl. I held my hands behind my back and observed him for a moment. He was wearing a full-body suit that didn't hint at what he might look like underneath. It didn't matter anyway, I had a gut feeling he wasn't who. I was looking for.

A reptile-like guy was standing in the background, leaning against a wall. I tilted my head as I quickly glanced at him. He reminds me of Rin. However, I was sure he, too, wasn't a Tomura Shigaraki.

I leaned forward and looked at a tall guy with spiky black hair. My eyes darted to one with blue hair. Either one of these two could be a Tomura Shigaraki. Trying to figure this out was making me stress out. The black-haired man raised a brow as he stared back at me. Something set one of them above the others.

The blue-haired one. Something about him stuck out. A desire to protect him.

I leaned forward and looked into his cherry-red eyes and spoke my first words since Kurogiri took me to the small room. "Are you a Tomura Shigaraki."

He leaned back and created a bit of distance between us. He looked at me for a moment. His eyes shifted up. "Is this something y/n does often. It's weird. I don't like it."

"Don't be so mean, Tomura!" a voice giggled. The blonde girl from before hurried over and held out her hand. Tomura Shigaraki can be shortened to Tomura? I'm going to do that too.

She took my hand and shook it. A playful smile brightened up her face. "My name is Himiko Toga. And from now on, I am your sister!"

"Nice to meet you, big sister," I said.

She tilted her head to the side and giggled. "No, I don't think that's right."

"No?" I asked. She shook her head, a gentle yet pitiful look was on her face.

Himiko left and pulled the man in the full-body suit over to me. "This is Twice. Jin Bubaigawara."

"Buh-buh? Bub? Buh-buh Bai?" I struggled my way through trying to say his name.

He held up his hands. "I know it's a mouthful. Twice works. Jin too." I ignored him and continued to struggle one syllable at a time.

"Bubai!" I beamed at him.

A hand grabbed the top of my head. Kurogiri was standing next to me. "Y/n has a lot of learning to do. I'd like to thank you all in advance for helping y/n get through these trying times." Kurogiri began to push down on my head just a little until I lowered myself into a bow. "Y/n had missed out on the last fifteen years, and I'm sure the world is a confusing place right now."

I rolled my eyes up and observed the other strangers that hadn't said anything yet. They were staring at me. I wondered if they were just as curious about me as I was about them. The black-haired guy shoved his hands in his coat pocket. "I can leave now, right?"

"I don't see a reason for you to stay if you don't want to. Will you be available to help out with the thing we discussed, Dabi?" I mouthed the black-haired guy's name. Dabi. It was fun to say.

One by one, they all left. Each of them showed varying degrees of interest in me. Dabi was the first to go. Tomura stayed for a bit before retiring to a room in the back. The man in the fancy hat left next.

That left me with Himiko, Jin, and the funny looking reptile guy named Spinner. And no, he does not have gills either.

Himiko and I sat down while she asked questions. What sort of things do I like? Colors, foods, treats, and so on. I noticed a trend. Almost every answer started with I think.

As far as I was aware, I was still positive that I liked specific colors and foods. However, with every I think, I began to grow a bit unsure.

What if my memories were fake? Kurogiri seemed to miss me a lot. So, they couldn't possibly be made up, could they?

While Himiko and I talked. Spinner, Kurogiri, and Jin watched at a distance. Sometimes, if Himiko asked me a question that I wasn't sure about, I'd look to Kurogiri for the answer. I hesitated when she asked how old I was.

"Nineteen," Kurogiri said. I repeated his answer to Himiko. Out of every answer I've given her, that one stressed me out the most. I still felt five.

Kurogiri stood beside Himiko and I. He hummed in thought. "Now that I think about it," his voice faded as he crossed his arms and tapped his foot; "your birthday is coming up soon. I'm sure Miss Toga would love to help me plan you a party."

Himiko bounced in her seat, excited by the news. The smile on my face faded. Twenty? It didn't feel real to me. A warm pair of hands grabbing my wrist caught my attention. The blonde girl leaned forward. "Don't frown, that's exciting news! I'll make sure it's the best birthday ever!"

I gave her an unsure smile. "Oh, okay."

Slowly, everyone began to leave again. Spinner was the first to go. Then Jin. Himiko gave me a tight hug and welcomed me to The League before she left. I didn't get a chance to ask her what that was. Now, it was just Kurogiri and I.

I hugged my knees to my chest. Kurogiri was in another room, digging around for something. I picked up the sound of drawers rolling open and objects being rummaged.

Kurogiri came back with a notebook in one hand, a pen in the other. The seat next to me dipped down as he sat. Kurogiri began to write.

He turned the paper towards me. Five plus seven equals blank. I tilted my head and looked up at him. "Twelve."

He pulled the notebook back towards himself and hummed a steady tone. Once again, he showed me another math problem. Ten divided by two equals blank. I raised a brow. "Five."

"Very good." Kurogiri pulled the notepad towards him and began to write what I could only assume was another math problem. "This one should trick you." He turned it towards me.

(7x2)+6/2

I've never seen math like that before. Even so, I still knew the symbols that curved around the first set of numbers were called parentheses. Though, I wasn't sure how I would possibly know that.

I also knew that the parentheses were first. Then what came next. Once again, I wasn't sure how. I hesitated, more conflicted that I somehow knew the answer more than anything. "Seventeen?"

Kurogiri placed the notepad onto his lap, and he went quiet. He didn't seem happy. I went over the equation again in my head. Maybe I was wrong? After going over it again and again, coming up with seventeen each time, I knew something else was upsetting him. I leaned forward a bit and placed a hand on his arm. "Dad?"

Kurogiri sighed and held his head in his hands. "He gave you basic math skills, but didn't bother to give you memories?" His voice was quiet and weak. Kurogiri sounded broken. My vision blurred, and I wiped my eyes with the palms of my hands. I didn't quite understand why he was so upset. However, the tone of his voice was enough to put me to tears.

Kurogiri sat up straight and glanced over to me, his yellow eyes flickered. He got up and offered me his hand. "Allow me to show you to your room."

I wiped my eyes again with my arm as he led me to the back door. Kurogiri swung it open, revealing a hallway. An unnatural blue light seeping through the cracks of one door caught my attention. As we passed by, I saw Tomura sitting in a chair facing some sort of box. A computer? I think that's what those are called.

Kurogiri opened another door. A nostalgic feeling washed over me as I took my first few steps into the room. This felt very familiar. It was like the first time Kurogiri took home.

I stood in the center of the room, fumbling with my fingers, as I observed the room. My eyes widened as something on the near-empty bookshelf caught my attention. A stuffed animal. I had one just like it at the orphanage. Actually, if I remember correctly, Kurogiri had taken it when he collected my things.

I held the stuffed animal in my hands. It felt worn out with age. Its body seemed a bit limper than I remembered. I pinched its arms between my fingers, it barely had any stuffing inside.

"I took that old thing with me. I kept it just in case we could wake you up." Every time Kurogiri tried making small talk, I found myself with more questions. I turned around, Kurogiri was sitting on the edge of the bed. He pat the spot next to him. "I do believe I owe you several explanations." I sat down next to him, and we talked.

I unapologetically asked questions, and Kurogiri patiently answered them. Many emotions jolted through me. Sometimes, the things Kurogiri said made me sad. Other times, angry. Unloved. Inferior.

By the time we were done talking, I had a complete picture of what happened. Even so, I didn't know what to make of it. I learned the man who sometimes stopped by to talk with Kurogiri was named All for One. Kurogiri had picked me to succeed that man. Though, I wasn't sure why or what that entailed. All for One found Tomura, and I was no longer needed.

They now had a problem. This All for One guy didn't need two successors. Kurogiri swore up and down that he had fought for me. All for One wanted to send me back to the orphanage, and Kurogiri wouldn't let him.

He said he tried everything. He suggested having two successors anyway, in case Tomura didn't work out. Or even allowing me to live with Kurogiri as his child, just like how we had been doing. Unfortunately, Tomura needed Kurogiri just as much as I did. The latter choice wasn't even an option.

Aside from sending me back, the next option was to give me away as a test subject. To sleep in that capsule at the mercy of some scientist I've never met before. Even Kurogiri was unsure what he had done to me. In fact, even the scientist had abandoned me a few years back. I learned.

"I didn't want to give up on you. When I found your capsule, I spent years trying to get you out. It's not as simple as merely turning it off. One wrong move and you could have died." After all those horrible emotions ran through me, Kurogiri's final words made me feel a bit better. It was like I hadn't been completely abandoned.

He placed a hand on my shoulder. "I don't expect you to forgive me for everything I have done to you. But I do hope that we can start over and give you the life you deserve."

My heart was racing. I wanted to forgive him. But, at the same time, I didn't.

His hand slipped from my shoulder. "Rest. Tomorrow is a big day."

Kurogiri got up from the bed and walked towards the door. He stopped and turned around. Our eyes met just before he closed the door. I pulled my knees to my chest. The little stuffed animal rested in my hands. None of this feels real.