A Glimpse of Destiny

As I sat in my stroller, I couldn't help but wonder which character I would like to meet the most. Deku, the main protagonist of the series, was a natural choice. Or perhaps All Might, the Symbol of Peace, who had inspired generations of heroes. Someone from Class 1-A, like Ochaco or Katsuki, would also be an exciting encounter. But a villain? No, I didn't think I was ready for that. Not yet, at least. I pushed the thoughts aside, focusing on the excitement that coursed through my veins. My parents seemed happy, content even, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was meant for something more. I longed to meet someone from the main story, to anchor myself to reality and find a sense of purpose. But what if it was terrifying? What if I couldn't handle the truth? I pushed the thoughts aside, focusing instead on the excitement that coursed through my veins. As the sun began to set on another day, I closed my eyes, my heart pounding with anticipation. I would have to wait, it seemed, until I was two years old to find that final confirmation. And when I did, everything would change. I could feel it. The darkness was almost comforting, a reminder that I was safe, for now. But as I drifted off to sleep, I couldn't help but wonder: what would tomorrow bring? The next day, my parents carried me on a stroller, navigating through the crowded streets. I was lost in thought, gazing at the passersby, when a soft noise from an alley made my head turn. A glimpse was all it took. I saw the hair first: light and dirty. Then the head, sunk between two bony knees, and the trembling arms that held the body together, wrapped around skinny legs. His shirt was dark, clothes tattered. He was shaking. I knew him. A garbled sound rose at the back of my throat, and my parents stopped walking to throw me a perplexed glance. Mother knelt at my level, thinking I was about to start crying, but my eyes were solely focused on the side alley. The only thing I heard was my own heart drumming in my ears, and the faint sniffles of the kid. The kid. He was just a kid. Unbridled and uncontrolled memories filled my head. His smile was wide and crazed. Eyes the color of blood. Mother was calling me, but I didn't hear her. I thought I was dissociating. For a second, I thought I would die. I kept waiting for him to disappear, to show himself as a mere fragment of my imagination, but he didn't. He was still there, motionless except for occasional trembling. His head hidden in his knees. He looked small. Was he 7? 8? Maybe it was not him, I tried to reassure myself, maybe he was just a kid who looked similar. But I knew he wasn't. It was as if something inside me resonated with him, calling me, enrapturing me, telling me that yes, yes, I knew him, we belonged to the same place. My parents finally followed my gaze. "Is that a kid?" my father's voice snapped me out of my trance. "I think so," mother replied, sounding worried. "He's alone... It doesn't look like his parents are nearby." They walked into the alley, and I didn't know whether to feel proud, because my parents were good people, because they wanted to help - or start screaming as loud as I could so we all get away. "Hey..." mother crouched down to offer the child a warm smile. "Is everything alright?" The kid gasped, raising his head. His eyes were like red rubies, like fresh roses and spilled blood, and that feeling of belonging hit me so deep in my chest I almost doubled down. Will I feel like this for every canon character? Is it just me protecting my memories onto them, or is there truly something binding me to them? "Are your parents nearby?" mother asked the kid, and the kid's eyes filled with a suffering so deep it made mother's smile flicker. I knew why he was there. I had watched his past a few years ago. I doubted I could change the plot. But I just wished I could at least change the future, just once. "Don't worry," I babbled. "Everything's going to be fine." Then I heard a voice in the back of my mind say it isn't. My mother gave the kid a sweet look. "(Y/N)-chan is right, you know?" she said. "Everything's going to be fine. Can you tell us your name?" Shigaraki didn't answer. He was looking at me. He reached his hand out, longing for contact, and then he realized and immediately lunged back. Mother saw the interaction and said, "Don't worry." She sent him a reassuring look and unbuckled my belt. "(Y/N)-chan is a very nice kid. She almost never cries, you know? It's fine if you want to hold her." That's when I thought, Fuck, mother, wait... That's when Shigaraki stepped back to the wall of the alley and whispered, "no-no, I-I can't." He then lowered his eyes to his hands and said, "I can't" again. Shigaraki started to run. "Oi-wait!" mother exclaimed. Mother put me in my father's arms and started to run after Shigaraki, but he was gone. It had happened. I had met someone. It wasn't someone I wanted to meet, but I now had proof this was my life now. And judging by Shigaraki's age, I was born right in the middle of the action.