Chapter 3: What I Can Do For Now

Misaki

"Mama!" The little girl excitedly squealed. "Mama look what I did today!"

She held up a small piece of paper containing a child's drawing.

"It's you and me mama!"

"Get that away from me," the woman slurred, shoving away the paper.

"But it's your present," the girl said, she was no more than four years old.

"I said get it away from me," the woman ripped the paper from the girl's hand crumbling it in her fists. She stood, grabbing the sake bottle and stumbling to the kitchen.

"B-but Mrs. Marise said you would like it."

"I don't care what Mrs. Marise said."

"B-b-but it's mother's day,"

"I'm not you're fucking mother." the door slammed.

I wake with a start. Not the sit-up-in-bed-gasping-for-breath kind of start, but the kind that physically requires me to untense every muscle in my body. The kind where I and the sheets under me are drenched in sweat. The kind where my heart is still racing and my head aches. The kind where I'm still crying.

The rising sun gives my room a purplish hue. Shadows make the space eerie, like the calm before the storm. This feeling wasn't new for me. I felt it everyday. The storm that was human emotion. High school would be no different. The angst was going to be excruciating.

Be calm Misaki.

As much as I willed it, the steaming hot shower did nothing for my nerves. I could still feel the sting of my mother's hate as I attempted to focus on my morning meditations. The floor to wall windows in the apartment that looked over the city allowed me to watch the sunrise, focusing on the serenity of it all.

I am fine. I am not worthless. I am fine. I am loved.

Knock, knock.

"Misaki, are you ready? It's almost time for the bus." I hear my foster mother's exhausted voice on the other side of the door.

"I'll be right out."

I walk over to the mirror, adjusting the black tie that messily holds up my teal hair. I check my makeup one last time then walk through the toy-cluttered living room.

"Toma! Kudo!" I hear my foster mother yell as the two young boys run right in front of me towards the kitchen chasing each other with the latest addition of All Might action figures. I get an overwhelming sense of energy and mischievousness as they pass and have to center myself once again. Behind me my foster mom, Inai Taura, appears in the doorway, hair a wild mess, spit up down the front of her blouse, and a crying Suko in her arms.

"You boys need to get ready!" she exclaims, from her, my mind is plagued with exhaustion and angry frustration.

"Here," I say, taking Suko from her. Though my quirk doesn't rely on physical touch, when her hand brushes with mine I force the same calm centeredness I'm feeling. I immediately start bouncing Suko hoping she'll open her eyes and look at me so I can do the same to her.

"Thank you," Inai says, then turns to run after the boys. But she stops and turns to me. "Did you just use your quirk on me?"

I look at the ground and nod.

I can already see her placing her hand on her hip ready to scold me but thank me at the same time. Sure enough when I look up, that's what she's doing.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to do that,"

"I thought it would help,"

She lets out a sigh then approaches me putting her hands on my cheeks. "Sweetie, I appreciate you trying to help, believe me. But my emotions and struggles are not your problem to fix okay? Save your energy for school."

I nod knowing I should focus on school. The last time I had been in a school with so many other people was shortly after my quirk manifested.

The twins come running past us again which distracts Inai.

"Get back here you two! You need to put on pants!" She runs after them.

I warm a bottle for Suko who's growing hunger is making my own stomach growl. As she sips the bottle and her hunger subsides I realize it's not my own, though I do force myself to eat a granola bar just in case.

I still have a headache. Thankfully as I bounce Suko, she drifts off to sleep shortly after finishing her bottle. The calmness washes over me once more. I can hear Inai coaxing the boys into their school uniforms when I put Suko in her crib.

"You did it," Inai sighs from the doorway. Her blonde hair is even messier, her shirt rumpled and wet.

"She was just hungry," I say.

"What time is it?" she asks, looking at the digital clock on Suko's pink dresser that reads 7:30. "The boy's bus should be here soon."

"I'll take them," I say. I grab my backpack from the living room.

"Are you sure?" Inai asks.

I nod. "My bus should be getting here soon too. I'll walk them out and you can get some rest."

Relief floods over her. "Thank you,"

The boys run up to me, each throwing their arms around my legs and I allow the energetic purity radiating from them to energize myself.

"Are you guys ready?" I ask.

"Are you taking us to the bus today?" Kudo looks up at me with big gray eyes.

"Only if you promise to behave for Inai until I get home."

"We promise!" Toma jumps.

"Go get your stuff."

They run off and reappear with backpacks.

"Have a good day everyone," Inai waves at us as we walk down the apartment hallway. Kudo stays close to me, holding my hand. Toma skips ahead. Their bus is waiting when we hit the concrete outside the building and I triple check to make sure both boys are on it. I can hear the craze of children behind the doors and feel the overwhelming energy and mischief. Then I see the bus driver and am hit with gloom. I kind of feel bad for her, so when she looks at me I pull happiness to the forefront of her brain. She smiles and waves, so I do too.

After their bus leaves, I have to recenter myself and let all the emotions from other people fade so that my own make an appearance. It takes 23 minutes for my bus to pull up. I sit in the leather seat listening to my meditation music, though it doesn't help the nervousness I can feel radiating from the kid behind me.

I can't read minds, so I don't know exactly what he's nervous about. But I feel it. He's nervous enough to keep tapping his foot on the floor and I feel self-doubt as well as hope and determination. From this I can conclude something good happened to him, like he was given a gift or given good news that makes him feel hopeful and determined. But this gift or good news also makes him uncertain because he doesn't know if he's good enough for it. It's all quite confusing and overwhelming. And while I'm curious, I can't focus on him. I have to focus on myself. On getting through the day.

I work through my breathing exercises trying to cling to the calm I feel right now. I know once those bus doors open, it'll be a constant struggle all day just to stay sane.

When my quirk first manifested I had breakdowns. As a kid all these emotions were too overwhelming. I couldn't go outside without freaking out. But being outside was better than being at home so I had to learn to manage it. Now, it's easier. Still overwhelming, but much easier.

I feel a tap on my shoulder and pull out an ear plug. The boy behind me with the through-the-roof nerves is looking at me.

"Y-you're a UA student?" he asks.

I look at his uniform, noticing it's almost exactly like mine, except he wears trousers whereas I am in a high waisted skirt.

I nod.

"This is our stop," he says. "I started walking in but noticed you had headphones in and probably didn't hear the bus driver."

I look towards the front realizing he's right and the bus driver is waiting for us. "Thanks,"

I hadn't noticed.

I stepped off the bus and walked towards the large welcome gate into the most prestigious hero school in all of Japan. The brick path was littered with students all in the same uniforms. Girls giggled, boys goofed off.

I could feel a whirlwind of emotions. Joy, angst, excitement, fear, ease, tension, confidence, insecurity. They came from everywhere.

My headache grew and my heart raced. The emotions gravitated towards me and flowed through me like a wave growing and growing, waiting for the break.

I put in my headphones again and focus on calming my heart beat, blocking out everything that wasn't mine. Then I walk to class. Class 1-A. I'm amazed and slightly curious as to why the door to the classroom is so tall and heavy. I practically break a sweat opening it up.

There are kids sitting in seats, two I recognize from the obstacle course test I had to take to get into this school. Though I had recommendations from some of the top heroes, I still had to prove my worth both physically and academically. From what I heard, it was rare and hard to get into this school the normal way and even harder to get in based on recommendation. Sniper really did me a solid.

I slide into the room before anyone can notice me and take a seat at the desk that has my name on it. It's in the second row from the left and the very last seat. It's right behind him. The boy from the obstacle course. The one whose emotion was so close to my own before the incident, I couldn't even stomach standing next to him.

Great. So much for being able to focus.

I keep my headphones in and hug my elbows close to my sides. I can feel the despair tickling the backs of my shoulders trying to creep up on me.

Stop thinking about it. Calm… Calm like the water…

I take a deep breath and began pulling my things out of my backpack. I neatly place my notebooks and pens, organizing them by color and size.

I see a hand tapping on my desk and I look up. A tall boy with broad shoulders and glasses is staring down at me speaking. I take out my headphones just in time to hear "Tenya Ida from Somei Private Academy."

"Misaki Yoriko," I answer assuming he was introducing himself. There's confidence and order radiating from him.

"You must be one of the students who got in based on recommendation." his voice is monotone though a little too loud.

"How did you-"

"I didn't see you at the practical exams."

This guy talks so loud, everyone begins to turn towards us. Thankfully just as he says it a girl with purple pigtails walks in and shouts "Are you shitting me?!" When I look she's staring at the spiky blonde haired kid who has his feet on the desk.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" He exclaims and jumps to his feet slamming his hands on his desk.

"Language! This is a classroom people!" Ida runs off towards them and I relax in my seat.

"I knew I recognized you from somewhere." I turn at the sound of her voice.

A girl roughly my height with sleek back hair pulled into a cute ponytail is sitting one row in front of me and to the left. Her thin dark eyes are staring right at me. The teenage girl inside me can't help but feel slightly jealous of her beauty.

"I'm Momo Yayorouzu, we met at the obstacle course."

"We did?"

"Well kind off, I remember seeing you and I wanted to introduce myself but you left super early."

"Oh, yeah," I say, remembering having to bolt as soon as the exam was over. Inai needed help watching Suzo while taking the boys to their kindergarten orientation.

I had seen her then too, but I wasn't going to introduce myself. If I remember correctly, her quirk allowed her to create things. Things she used to help her in the obstacle course. I didn't have a quirk like that and barely passed by the skin of my teeth.

"Misaki right? I'm glad to see you passed, but I have to say, I don't remember your quirk."

"Oh, no, I didn't use it."

"You didn't use your quirk?" This voice was deep and came from the desk in front of me. "And you still got in?"

His eyes are different colors. One an Icey blue, and the other a distant brown. They both made me squirm.

I nod.

"Excuse me," the monotone voice comes from a girl with large blue eyes with no pupils. She looks strong and intimidating which is normally a bluff for a mountain of insecurity. But when she passes and sits in the seat next to me and behind Yaoyorozu I feel nothing.

That's right. Nothing. No emotion whatsoever. Not emptiness, nothing, like nothing at all. No desire or even an urge of hunger. I feel nothing.

"OMG! You got in! I knew you would!" At the front a girl with large bat wings walks in and over to the still arguing blonde headed kid and purple pigtails girl. "It's a sign we're going to be besties for the resties!" The girl with bat wings exclaims and throws her arms around the girl.

"What the hell get off me!" Pigtails girl tries to shake batgirl loose.

This is going to be a very overwhelming class. Am I even ready for this?

~

Kokoro.

"Good morning class,"

When I look up, the girl sitting in front of me isn't staring at me anymore. Instead, every head in the room is focused on the man that just emerged from a yellow sleeping bag.

Name: Shota Aizawa A.K.A Eraser Head

Height: 183cm

Quirk: Erasure

Relationship: Instructor

Affiliation: UA High School

Known Facts: Pro Hero, Specializes in short-range sneak attacks, quirk allows him to cancel out his opponents quirk, uses some sort of binding cloth in hand-to-hand combat, horrible with the press

The words only I can see appear in red block lettering next to him. It happens every time I meet someone for the first time. Hundreds of databases are programmed into my brain which gives me this information so it's easy to identify well-known people. However, I still don't know everything, and the information changes as I learn.

"Time is precious, rational students understand that. Hurry up and put these on then head outside."

He holds up the blue training tracksuit we all received as part of our uniform. He then steps out of the classroom. Everyone looks around confused as to who this man is and why he's telling us to change into the tracksuits, but I stand and walk to the locker room without question. He's a UA Faculty member so it's easy enough to assume he's one of our teachers and we should listen, no questions asked.

It isn't long until everyone follows suit and are now following Eraser Head down the hall.

"Um excuse me sir, but are you our teacher? What about the opening ceremony?" I hear a girl ask.

"My name is Shota Aizawa. I am your teacher. And if you really want to make it big then don't waste your time on pointless ceremonies."

I'm glad. I didn't want to go to the ceremony. It's pointless. The principal will get on a pedestal and express how glad he is to see everyone back as well as welcome the new faces. Then he'll go into the school's history as well as introduce the faculty and go over the same packet of rules we all received with our admissions packet. I know because the videos of previous years are everywhere on the internet and it's not hard to find. It was a huge waste of time. I'm here to learn and not waste precious time going over rules we should have read ourselves.

I had never been on UA's campus before, but as we walked out to the track it felt familiar. It's just like dad described it. The main campus is huge. Hundreds of students fill the halls and the building towers into the sky with 15 floors. There is a cafeteria, classrooms for each department as well as each year in each department, equipment rooms, training rooms, nursing stations, admin offices, and that's just the main building. As we walk through, I try to visually place my dad as a teenager walking these halls, doing exactly what I'm doing.

Where did he spend his time? Where did he study? Eat? Hang out with his friends? What class was he in? Where did he meet mom? Did any of my teachers go to school with him? What was he like back then?

"It's time for your first test at UA High: a quirk assessment test." Eraser Head's voice focuses me. "This country is trying to pretend we're all still created equal by not allowing those with the most power to excel. This is why you haven't been allowed to use your quirks in standardized tests before."

He's not wrong. I learned that at a young age. No one is created equal, and life doesn't care.

"Bakugou, you scored the highest on the physical entrance exam. What's your farthest distance throw with a softball in middle school?"

I look to my right to see a fair skinned boy with spiky blonde hair.

Name: Katsuki Bakugou

Height: 172cm

Quirk: Unknown

Relationship: Classmate

Affiliation: UA High School

Known Facts: Slumped shoulders, slacked jaw, hands in pockets, unkempt hair suggest bad boy tendencies. 72% likelihood of having an inflamed ego.

He looks at Mr. Aizawa with unimpressed red eyes and barely opens his mouth to talk.

"Sixty-Seven meters I think,"

"Try doing it with your quirk." Mr. Aizawa tosses him a softball.

Bakugou catches it in his hand then walks to a circle drawn in white chalk in the dirt.

"This is gonna be interesting." I hear a boy to my left. "I've never been allowed to use my quirk for these things before."

Me neither… and I hadn't expected to on the first day. Not when I don't know these people yet, not when I don't know how they're going to react to my quirk. I had slipped by for the most part unnoticed. What would they say when they take a closer look at my arms and legs? Hell, if I had known we'd be doing this I would have at least brought other limb attachments instead of my basic ones. I didn't want to. Everyone has seemed nice enough so far, but once they find out what my quirk is… what I am…

"I'm Eijiro Kirishima by the way."

He's looking at me, a warm smile spread across his face.

"Anything goes, just stay in the circle." Mr. Aizawa continues.

"Fine, just remember, you asked for it."

The confidence in his voice intrigues me. I wonder what kind of quirk can give him that much assurance in himself.

Bakugou stretches a throwing arm for a minute. Then he winds up and throws the ball full force. As the ball is released from his grip an explosion of fire rockets the ball into the sky.

Name: Katsuki Bakugou

Height: 172cm

Quirk: Explosion

Relationship: Classmate

Affiliation: UA High School

Known Facts: Slumped shoulders, slacked jaw, hands in pockets, unkempt hair suggest bad boy tendencies. 100% likelihood of having a freakishly awesome quirk.

"705.2 meters," Mr. Aizawa says, looking at a device in his hands. "Listen up," Mr. Aizawa takes his time to look at each and every one of us. "This is the only rational way to gauge your potential as a pro hero. Today you'll participate in eight physical tests. Whoever comes in last has none and will be expelled immediately."

I hear the shocked gasps coming from my fellow students. I don't like that I have to use my quirk in front of these people. Not on the first day when I barely know how they're going to react. But expulsion is not an option. I've worked too hard to follow in my dad's footsteps. I've overcome too many obstacles to let down his legacy.

I'm going to show these people what I'm really made of.

~

You were also let in on recommendations right?"

Name: Momo Yaoyorozu

Height: 173cm

Quirk: Creation

Relationship: Classmate

Affiliation: UA High School

Known Facts: Quirk allows her to create stuff from her body. Intelligent, strategizes and applies quirk well. Perfect hair, perfect makeup, designer shoes suggest rich girl tendencies. 95% likelihood of familial wealth.

"Yes," is all I respond with.

I remember her from the obstacle course. She was quick to think and good at using her quirk practically. What I don't remember is the girl standing next to her. The one that is looking at the other students already beginning their tests with a look of lost hope. She must have an impractical quirk. Which really this test isn't helping with Eraser Head's speech earlier. Not all hero quirks excel in physical application.

"Alright, next up, Hanta Sero and Fumikage Tokoyami."

After their turn, the girl is called up to the line with Shoto Todoroki. She walks up there nervously, not making eye contact with Mr. Aizawa until she stops right in front of him and stares.

"Which line do I go to?" she asks in a soft high pitched voice.

Mr. Aizawa looks up at her. "The one on the left." he points but she doesn't move. Instead they both stand there staring at each other.

What is going on? Seconds pass… minutes… and still they stare. Though Mr. Aizawa looks more and more confused by the minute. Then Mr. Aizawa speaks so quietly, the only reason I can hear is because I turn up the dial behind my ear that controls my hearing range.

"You passed the tests and won't be getting expelled. Go ahead and join the rest of the class." he says, but it doesn't sound like him. I don't know how to explain it… But she walks back to the rest of us and shoots the gun for Todoroki who started late because he looked just as confused.

Did this girl use her quirk on Mr. Aizawa? He doesn't seem like the type to play favorites. So what's her quirk?

I don't have to rely on Mr. Aizawa's stopwatch to tell me the speed at which everyone is moving. My brain is already computing and recording it. It's also recording the quirks I see manifesting through this test.

Tenya Ida: Engine

Tsuyu Asui: Frog

Mashirao Ojiro: Tail

Yuga Aoyama: Navel Laser

Hanta Sero: Tape

By the time it's my turn, I've figured out almost half of the class's quirks.

"Let's both do our best okay?" Yaoyorozu gives me a thumbs up as we approach the start line.

"Yeah," I say, already warming the thrusters in my legs.

Yaoyorozu gets down in a ready position. I don't bother.

As soon as I hear the gunshot, I activate the thrusters in both my legs and feet. I cross the finish line so fast, I have to immediately activate the thrusters in my hands to stop myself from crashing into a tree.

"2.37 seconds!" the machine announces.

I hear a chorus of "Woah"s from my fellow classmates as I power down my thrusters.

"That's even faster than Ida." someone says.

"6.42 seconds!" The machine says again.

I look back and Yaouyurozu is bent over panting.

"Wow, you're fast," she breathes.

"Interesting…" Ida strokes his jaw. "You don't seem like you have engines."

"I have a different power source," I say then walk away before anyone else has any questions.

The next test is grip strength. I manage 450kg. If I had my combat arms I could easily do 900.

"Only 450?" I mutter.

"What?! 450!? You're almost as strong as Ojiro! But how?!"

A girl with pink skin and pink hair is gaping at me.

Name: Mina Ashido

Height: 159cm

Quirk: Unknown

Relationship: Classmate

Affiliation: UA High School

Known Facts: She's talked to just about everyone in class already. 98 % likelihood of being a popular girl.

The third test is the standing long jump which is a breeze. Again I use my thrusters, but don't put in near the amount of energy I did at the 50 meter dash. I land safely outside the parameters of the jump area just like a few of the other students.

Test number four measures how fast we side step. I use my thrusters to bounce between the lines and Maeko grows two souls that toss her. I'm starting to get a little bored with these tests.

At test number five, Ochaco Uraraka manages an infinity score. I don't score as well as others, but questions fill the crowd when I allow my arm to spin in multiple 360 degree circles that would normally dislocate a joint then let the ball fling out of my hands. I get a decent 300 meter score.

The other tests consist of sit ups, a long distance run, and a sitting long reach. Since my body is mechanical I'm not slowed by muscle fatigue. I do sit ups until Mr. Aizawa tells me to stop because he's tired of counting. I'm not drained from the long distance run and manage to get a decent time, second only to Ida and that's because I didn't use my thrusters. The sitting long reach is a cake walk because I don't have muscles that strain, but am able to fold my body into itself.

"Alright students gather around for your results."

We all gather around and I somehow find myself standing right next to Bakugou.

"I ranked you from best to worst. Here are your scores." Mr. Aizawa pushes a button on the device in his hands and a screen of names appears before us.

1) Kokoro Kayama

2) Momo Yaoyorozu

3) Shoto Todoroki

4) Katsuki Bakugou

5) Tenya Ida

6) Nyoko Imamura

7) Fumikage Tokoyami

8) Mezo Shoji

9) Mashirao Ojiro

10) Eijiro Kirishima

11) Mina Ashido

12) Luna Yasumoto

13) Ochaco Uraraka

14) Koji Koda

15) Rikido Sato

16) Tsuyu Asui

17) Yuga Aoyama

18) Hanta Sero

19) Denki Kaminari

20) Kyoka Jiro

21) Toru Hagakure

22) Minoru Mineta

23) Misaki Yoriko

24) Izuku Midoriya

A smile appears on my lips. 1st place and I don't even have my best attachments.

"Wow you got first place!" Ochaco Uraraka says next to me. "Right? You're Kayama?"

"Yeah," I say.

"Good job!"

"Thanks," I can't help but smile a bit. So far no one has made comments I thought they were going to. No one is looking at me like I'm a monster and it's kind of nice.

"I didn't realize being a robot was considered a quirk."

There it is.

"Clearly your understanding of quirks is lower than adequate then." I comment back to the girl in purple pig tails.

Name: Nyoko Imamura

Height: 168cm

Quirk: Some kind of energy manipulation

Relationship: Classmate

Affiliation: UA High School

Known Facts: Has been arguing with bat girl all day. Flexed posture, intimidating expression, and crossed arms suggest frequent aggressive outbursts. 64% likelihood of having emotional trauma she doesn't know how to deal with.

"My understanding is just fine," she grits her teeth then walks away.

"Ah sorry, she can be kind of blunt." the girl with bat wings walks up to us.

Name: Luna Yasumoto

Height: 160cm

Quirk: Bat

Relationship: Classmate

Affiliation: UA High School

Known Facts: Like Mina has talked to just about everyone here already. Kind smile and open posture suggest a friendly personality. 88% likelihood of being just like Mina Ashido.

"I take it you knew her before?" Yaoyorozu asks.

"Nope," The girl shakes her head. "We met at the entrance exam," she's smiling. She has big kind eyes and a small little fang that hangs out of her mouth when she closes it. "I'm Luna Yasumoto by the way."

"Momo Yaoyorozu,"

"Misaki Yoriko,"

"Kokoro Kayama," I answer.

"Nice to meet you guys and good job not getting expelled. Still, it sucks for Midoriya. He seemed kind of nice when I talked to him."

"I lied," Mr. Aizawa speaks up. "No one is getting sent home today. That was just a strategy to ensure you gave it all on the test."

No it wasn't. I had hacked into the school's mainframe when I got All Might's entrance hologram message. I knew my assigned home room teacher and classmates weeks ago. But their list of quirks was classified under security measures even I couldn't crack… yet.

Anyway, I was able to get Mr. Aizawas' teaching record. He's expelled students in the past. He had full intention of doing it again today… So why didn't he? What's so special about this boy that would make Mr. Aizawa change his mind?

I look at him. He's much shorter than me. He doesn't look like anything special either. Just a nervous kid. But as I watched him stare at his hand, broken finger and all, I'm curious. What is he hiding? What does Aizawa know?