Chapter Text
Miruko is a bundle of energy. Always has been, always will. As she’s gotten older that energy has been channeled into many different tasks at varying degrees of difficulty, but the thing that hasn’t changed about it is how good it feels to spend it. Like a wound-up clock she is made to tick away every day, until she crashes hard come sundown. Passing out after long days is one of her life's greatest joys, she’s come to find. Well, among a whole lot of others, of course. She consumes life with great zeal. From a young age the simple girl who could have just been another one of many unremarkable mutant quirk-having has filled her life with a sense of pure determination and effort. Intoxicatingly. For years now her work ethic has never been questioned. How much she puts into everything, how much of herself she gives to the world... Of course it’s not always like that. It wasn’t always like that. Sure she was physically energetic, that was almost purely genetic. She knew that. Did she have the thing called talent? It was said so to her by many different people, even those she respected… However she thought she knew better:
“No. I’m just a bit fortunate I guess! What can I say though, I’m born me -- I’ll always make the most out of that!”
Where did she learn to think that way? She had no clue.
Grade school. Middle school. There was a lot of pent up energy and angst. Needless to say that’s common, but for her it was amplified even more so. She was tough, and peerlessly confident on the surface. Though in private, underneath she was as unsure and confused as everyone else. The only thing is, people believed her lies readily. It was a fragile suit she wore, but she wore it happily. Wouldn’t you? It was easy at that age to get caught up in the fancy of heroism. Sports. Things like that on the playground. And she was the flawless queen of everything. She was always beautiful, running around with gusto and without care, unbelievably strong, and smart to boot. Everyone paved the way for Rumi, leaving her the utmost self assurance and ability to shine the brightest amongst her sterling peers.
That’s how it appeared to the outside. To her the story would be painted a bit differently, especially when she looks back on it at the moment. She regrets that time of her life the most. Throughout her schooling, she was a bully. She enjoyed to dominate others and lord over them, and most of the time people rooted for her. It was only seen as elsewise because she was so popular, and fun, and intoxicating to be around.
The people who called her boyish or smelly were assholes, sure. Easy to tell in retrospect they probably were dealing with their own things. And plus, most of the time it was mostly just sad and pathetic insecurities bubbling to the surface, or just pain and self loathing being directed at the one who stood at the top. Did they deserve to get literally kicked in the face? Probably not. Definitely not by a girl who could shatter bricks with her feet casually.
Wiring shut someone's jaw or replacing a tooth (or several) was a sad reality of her strength. But she couldn’t pretend that back then she didn’t revel in it freely and without restraint. That is of course, until she went on to become a hero, applying to a hero school. Shiketsu High. During those years she developed a nobler respect for her desire, rather than just going around and hoping for praise or respect or to be able to impose her will on others. Of course she’s not perfect even after her years there, but she thinks that being able to acknowledge her failings back then showed she grew in some capacity.
But her most glaring example -- the worst in her mind on a long list of bad things she did -- was what she did to someone who had a crush on her in highschool.
When you’re in a hero school, you become very close with the people you’re with. And you can’t help but feel very attached to your classmates. You have drilled into you the sense that your comrades. People who you will rely on to save your life in the most extreme instances. If you get an internship together… And in practice, that’s how you’re supposed to act, like it’s the real thing. Everyone played the role gladly, they ate it up, even convincing themselves that’s how it is, it worked better that way. Not a single student that managed to enter such a prestigious class wouldn’t take it seriously.
But yet, that same connection, that same bond… Led to the formation of a particularly deep crush. Rumi all of these years later couldn’t blame the poor boy. It’s not even fair to say he was being awful or malicious. It was just an inclination that turned into teasing that turned into pure torment. And Rumi enjoyed the reprieve from her harsh studies. In her mind it was like she consciously chose to be spiteful, like there was an evil part of her that was unleashed and chose to be so bitter and cruel. But logically she knows that’s not the case… No. It’s just that she doesn’t want to wipe away the guilt and blame. It helps her, in a way. That’s what she thinks.
The boy had a very useful defensive type quirk, and a demure disposition. His values as a “hero” were gated by the mental barriers in his mind more so than anything due to his quirk or abilities. He was dealing with a lot of issues. Rumi… Took advantage of both of those things. People picked on the poor kid after they found out his crush. And Rumi made use of the information to her own satisfaction, stringing him along, making use of his quirk to spar consistently. Wearing him ragged… But always knowing deep down that she did not feel the same way. Their connection there was superficial, born out of unrequited love. To her friends she felt comfortable playing along with their teasing of him. It wasn’t a thing she did with great gusto, but she let it go on. The guilt of these things, these subtle things she was barely even conscious of still weighs on her mind heavily. Was she responsible to make him happy? She doesn’t know...
Especially after he never got his license, due to his mental health issues causing him to drop out.
“Miruko” the hero will be better. That is the motivation that stands atop it all. The one that will bring people joy and happiness, even be their savior. Miruko and Rumi are good friends, but they both know they are not the same.
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Undressing quickly, the bunny woman felt an urge to finally hop down into the bath she drew before going to bed. Feeling her body call out as she moved so strenuously, she clicked her tongue. Free at the moment from anyone judging her, she was allowed to show her pain. In that way, her body would look gruesome. Once all of her clothes were off, what was presented was assuredly that of a soldier. Daily work as a hero for multiple years, every single day, working at the absolute zenith of her ability -- it was obvious what the results showed. Letting herself lean against the wall, she stared back at her reflection on the mirror at the otherside. At this point, she barely saw the markings, the blemishes, and scars that littered her body in an entire assorted array across her body. Of all shapes, sizes, and styles. Spot it blue, it was a bruise. Those things healed quickly for her. Her superhuman regenerative factor that all people with a quirk were born with made sure of it… (It sounds a lot cooler than it is, but basically doubling the natural healing speed). But there was the plethora of other ones, stab and gunshot wounds. Fun ones with a nice story like plasma burns. All of these things were healed by the finest doctors. If there’s one thing she spent all of her money on, it was healthcare. Particularly gnarly ones required surgery. But as she eased into the warm bath, she finally felt relief. Her tense muscles unknot, her day fades away. The pain stops for a moment, a magical moment of clarity that transcends all of the pressure. Of course Miruko treated herself nicely to all of the finest shampoos and luxuries to make these moments as serene as possible. She had an image to maintain too, beauty wise. In fact, so much so that any scar that isn’t covered by her costume usually gets covered up by surgery. It wasn’t due to a sense of ego -- at least not mostly -- but rather she didn’t want the public to see her as weak.
Her newest one was a cut from a villain with a blade quirk. It was amazing how he was able to control the blade like it was a piece of rope. He had missed, and then quickly whipped his blades at the back of her shins. It was no joke. It had cut down to her bone. Among bloody messes, she was lucky she was able to carry the momentum through in order to push in his ribcage, but things like this were a common occurrence… Life or death. Near mortal injuries. If it wasn’t for her sidekick at the time, she’d probably be out of luck. Her body always held her back, she’d power through anything until she physically couldn’t...
Healing big injuries like that one took time. She still felt it even after the surgery yesterday. The pain medication isn’t doing her job too well. Though to be fair, she insisted on the type that could still allow her to be physically active, so beggars can’t be choosers. Besides, even with all of the amazing quirks in the world, substantial injuries can’t be overlooked, unless you're Recovery Girl.
Despite the pain she was in… She wanted to ignore it as much as possible.. She sulked, wincing at herself as she felt the warm water comfort her.
Sleep is nice. Waking up in the morning she felt the pain brutally remind her as she started to limp towards the front door. Checking her phone, she saw the message. Another day started!
Putting on her cheekiest grin, Miruko started to face the day with a light jog, only because she was physically unable to go any faster... (How she managed even that pace was… Problematic. Miruko bit her lip as she felt some of her stitches, hoping not to pop any of them).It was a rather warm day outside, the type of day you almost consider putting on sunscreen because of. But this run was not your average everyday exercise run. Well it was that, but it also doubled as a way to get to her agency. Since becoming a hero Rumi --Miruko has been known to stir trouble in various ways. Most of it being injuring criminals. Bad guys. Imagine that! People with crazy super powers get to do all they want, but the second you kick them too hard people start trying to pursue a legal case against you. None of them won so far… But it was annoying to have to hear about the specifics and all the paperwork each time. Miruko’s first reaction was usually annoyance, but a common thread had been emerging and she couldn’t help but also feel a bit bad sometimes. Maybe just slightly, at least. But that’s the nature of her quirk.
That day, there was a phone call from her lovely secretary. Jogging to the office was the luxury of a close office, and she preferred it that way anyways. There were many things to expect when one of these calls came in, but mostly… People prodding in on her business. Interviews. Fan clubs. The typical fair of being a hero. She detested most of the superficiality of the media, but it was all a part of being a hero, everyone assured her. She loved her fans however. Miruko loved being a free spirit -- saying what she honestly thought even if it was unpopular. Not showing up to an office everyday but rather having villain reports called in to her directly. And as much as she loves her fans, and what they do... There’s a part of it that’s certainly appreciated, but there’s also a LARGER part of her that usually wants to train or work on jobs, y’know, catching or fighting villains, training her sidekicks… Etcetera. As the number six pro hero, there’s lots to do. Lot of expectations weighing on your shoulders. But she’s taken it in stride, never abandoning her lofty ideal of a hero.
A hero is someone who corrects the mistakes of the world. Lifts the hearts to compassion and fairness and justice. Someone who can make people feel safe and protected. Role models. Parental figures, almost. Not people to be lauded over or seen as perfect. Miruko was very clear who she was, even in her worst moments. Though... She understood criminals (the people society has blatantly termed villains, to which Miruko herself was guilty of). It always saddened her the most when the criminal she caught turned out to be a person -- which is to say, every single time she would hear about their poor upbringings or tragic past. So she tried not to. Though a lot of times when she had to listen… It hurt. There were too many villains and just as many heroes. Most of the time, their life would never recover. She was the arbiter that came to ruin people’s lives... But Miruko the hero would not let that show. She has to shoulder the burdens of the world, even at the sacrifice of her own moral judgement. That’s the type of person she was supposed to be.
Was it because everyone’s expectations of her were always so high…? She had fun doing her job… But she always wanted to do more.
To be the peerless hero, in every way possible.
But that philosophizing is boring! She rarely thinks that hard about it nowadays. Besides, she always kept herself busy! As she limped through the front door of her office, she immediately corrected her posture as she saw somebody greet her. She was hoping to make it to the fridge without alerting -her-. But as she saw her waiting there with her arms crossed, a bit hurrumph, Miruko just offered a weak wave. What is it this time?
Another new day, another new law sui--
The rabbit-eared (rabbit everything) girl cocked her head and groaned loudly at the blonde haired secretary.
“They want me to do -what now-?”
“Yeah I don’t really understand it either… It’s a job recruitment letter. For UA highschool. They want you to be a teacher.”
Miruko smirked and shook her head immediately. The Miruko office’s secretary, Shuiro Mifrutsu. Her quirk was quite simple actually. From her fingers she could grow any fruit in the world, completely fresh. She was dedicated, smart, a hardworking girl who signed up for Miruko and made her life a whole lot easier… And she smelled nice.
“Nah, no way. What the? They thought I’d actually accept? I’m out there putting away bad guys like no tomorrow and they want to stop my momentum or something? This is just how I do things, I’m not like, super smart or anything.”
Her secretary taps her fingers on her deck and then snickers.
“I thought you’d react that way… But hey, you’re totally smarter than you give yourself credit for. You graduated top of your class at Shiketsu, right?”
The white haired woman flipped some of her length out of the way of her arms as she gestured.
“Well, thanks, but I mean… I just do simple things. I don’t really think anyone expects me to go and teach college level courses or something. Because that’s what U.A courses are, right? Same with Shiketsu. Pretty much. Besides, does this scream professor to you?”
Fanning her hand over her whole visage, it paints the picture for you. Miruko was an absolutely… Buxom woman. Not only that but incredibly fit. Muscular. Tall. She wore a suggestive outfit because it felt freeing. And also because she enjoyed seeing people’s reaction to it. Miruko was a tease, because she honestly couldn’t imagine what it’d be like to be in a relationship. She was always too busy. With her strength, gorgeous long hair, confident and cocksure attitude… And also her cute bunny ears. No person in the world would find themselves so bold to deny her affection… And yet.
“I’ve nearly accidentally flashed people like a thousand times. We both know that. Why would they allow someone like me to teach kids? I’d give the little punks nosebleeds. Plus I literally just take down villains. I take ‘em down, and y’know… They get arrested. There’s not much to teach there.”
Her secretary nodded slowly.
“Yeah I mean, that’s true… But you’re obviously teaching your sidekicks pre--”
“Ok, now you’re pulling my tail. I don’t take sidekicks unless I -really- see a promising kid, and even then they just tag along to calls. Sure they have good records and stuff, but that’s more just ‘cuz I’m there.”
“Hm… But look at the pay though…”
Miruko thumped her foot on the floor for a moment, looking cross. Seeing the strong woman a bit frustrated was always scary, and because of her honesty it could have an intimidating effect on anybody present -- not necessarily her intention, just a side product of her honesty.
“Look! Y’know I don’t do this for the money. I’d go selling myself to nudie mags or something if I wanted that… I do this because I feel like I have an obligation to. Because I feel like I’m doing something good. Who cares ‘bout gettin’ a lot of cash… I’m inspiring people! That changes people’s lives. If I don’t wanna do something I won’t do it. Besides, there’s tons of people more qualified than I am…”
The inflection in her voice told Shuiro exactly what she needed to know. After a while of being around the girl (years now), it was almost obvious to the employee what her boss was like. She’s been around her more so than her sidekicks, and assuredly in her most human moments. Not as a human, but as a person, saying no or yes to certain opportunities, working out legal things, schedules… Stuff like that. It wasn’t usual for Miruko to get so worked up about things like this. She’d usually just say “hell no”, and that’s that. It was telling immediately due to her acting like it was ridiculous, that it was just her trying to slowly convince herself to ignore the thing entirely and not analyze her own feelings.
Miruko had a lot of energy, that much was undebatable. But her mental energy was an entirely real, separate entity. She was drained. Injured. Sore. Working herself too hard.
“M-Miruko, I’m going to say two sort of mean things here… As your friend not as a coworker… First, why do you think you can’t do any of that? Also… I think you’ve been working so much on your hero work, it’s unhealthy…”
Clicking her tongue, the bunny woman seemed to be shocked by the seriousness in her tone. And then seeing the worry in her eyes, it amplified the feeling much more. It was a genuine thing for her to say. And it shocked Miruko’s entire core. The foundation she’s built up so diligently, shifted just slightly in that moment.
“It’s unhealthy…? Huh? I’m fine. I’m always fine…”
She said, as if to convince herself. Miruko knew just how unconvincing it sounded, shaking her head and looking at the ground as she felt a fire light inside of her chest. It was embarrassing.
“You say that, but c’mon… You get injured so often. I know you can continue on, but I hear all of the bills piling up, besides, I see what it does to you. You work so hard, without regard to yourself. You want to help so many people… But you can’t help people the way you want to if you’re not… Healthy.”
Rumi threw her hand at the woman, feeling awful because of how much sense she made. These were the things her teachers in school used to tell her. In her rebellion, she ignored it. But she also knew they were right. The confliction of her feelings, her desires, and the truth soured her soul to acknowledging the things that were real.
“So what if that’s the case? I mean, I’m okay with that. I’ve been okay with that for a while. Besides, I’m an adult. Let me do what I need to do…”
“Is that really your argument?! Geeze, Miruko… I care about you, and I feel like you know I’m right as well. Just listen to me.”
Miruko grit her teeth.
“Take a break?! From hero work?! Do you really think I can do that? I wouldn’t even know the first thing on how!”
“N-Not really a break… I’m not expecting that much from you… I’m just--”
“And as a teacher?! Why do you think I wanna’ do that in the first place?!”
“Because I feel like you need to feel like you’re helping people… That’s what you want to do right? This is a way to simmer down. You’ll get paid. Still help people. You can still work as well, just not as much as before… And I think you need that for a while.”
Miruko couldn’t believe her words. It sounded almost convincing. Well she knew it was true. Everything she was saying made sense. That was something that genuinely scared the girl.
“B-But you heard me, right?! I can’t be a teacher. I’ll suck. I’ll just drive those kids insane!”
“No you won’t. You saying that you’re worried about that, tells me you’ll be better than you think. Plus, if you don’t like it… You can always quit. The agency will be fine… You’ll still work, just not as much as before. And as such, you can feel free to let go for a while.”
Miruko took a husky breath, realizing just how anxious all of this made her. Confronting all of this head on so suddenly.
“I-I’ll think about it… Okay? Damn it!”
She walked over to the fridge and busted it open, looking for her lunch in an aggressive manner. It was obvious quite quickly to Shuiro that the words had sunk in, and Miruko was just looking for a way to ignore her feelings for a while, to simmer down. She thought that was fine. And softly, Shuiro smiled, Miruko’s back turned to her. Relief washed over the girl. ‘That’s how it should be. I have a lot of work to do, but Miruko works even harder than I do. I just want her to be happy… She has such a kind soul.’
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The big gates of UA high were a security precaution that could be sure, but as Rumi stood up to them, she couldn’t help but let out an exasperated sigh at the sight. It was much too gaudy, and honestly it always looked corny, even now.
UA was the rival high of her Shiketsu, and she couldn’t help but feel somewhere inside that she was betraying her fellow alumni, even if those thoughts only aroused silliness and perhaps a few smirks, considering how much she’s matured since those days.
A guard robot popped up and immediately analyzed who she was. The Pro Hero, Miruko. Admission was that easy. She was registered in their databases already. Who ever programmed these things were either really presumptuous, or smug. Did they really know somehow that I’d accept?
The campus was huge, so it was only natural to have a small tour robot show her to the administration offices.
Last night she had agonized and toiled, in pain, in her bath once more. The pain reassured her that this was probably the right decision. As well as the striking memories of the genuine look of concern on her friends face.
“I’m willing to join ya’, but I’ll be warning ya’ right now. I have no clue what the hell I’m doing.”
She said to the small rat-like principal, Nezu. He was smiling at her brightly as he stared down at her application.
“That’s amazing! You’ll be such a great boon to our staff! I’m super excited, miss Miruko. Now, there’s going to be a staff meeting on a lot of the basics, as well as paperwork and such to be filled out later, but for now I’d just like to say, genuinely, thank you! It’s amazing to see that such a bright young star would be so willing to help the future of our great country.”
Miruko reached up and rubbed her ears, bashful to the praise. At least this type of praise for this reason.
“Yeah, yeah…”
“Now, there’s a few things we’ll be expecting of you. You’ll be put in charge of our fitness courses, and as such you’ll need to review the curriculum. Some of it can be of your choosing if you so wish. We trust your judgement as such a talented hero a lot. We expect you to understand and treat each student with compassion and fit the courses to their capabilities, as well as recognizing what each will need to become stronger and more healthy. Whether that be through their quirk, fitness, or even nutrition. In the same way, you might even need to be a mentor, a role model, some sort of person to be able to deal with the emotional and social problems each kid has… Are you capable of that?”
“Ah… Yes. I suppose I am, yeah. --Wait, wah? Emotional problems? What does that have to with gym class or whatever?”
The pint-sized principal couldn’t help but chuckle softly at that, nodding his tiny little head at her confusion.
“Well yes, that’s a good point. But these kids are not just any kids. They’re going to become bright young heroes. The role models for the next generation after you are gone. You need to teach them what it means to become a hero… Both body and mind. Mostly body. But both aspects are very important to the formation of a true -hero-!”
Miruko swallowed, instantly becoming anxious at the prospect. Talk to people? Oh no. She wasn’t good at that. About emotions? Doubly not good. What a coward she would be if that was the reason she’d be unable to perform her job, she berated herself mentally.
“Yeah, I-I uh, sure, that makes sense.”
Stamping the paper on his desk, Nezu seemed to be teeming with energy.
“Great! That should be all I have to say today. We’ll go over everything in a huge meeting a couple weeks before school starts. If you have any questions about supplies, your new courses, the school, how you’ll commute… Check in with our faculty.”
“Mm…”
“I’m looking forward to working with Miruko!” Nezu bows towards her. The girl just raises up a hand, and slips out the door. Walking down the hallway, she started to bite her fingernails, letting out a humongous sigh. What the heck is wrong with me, anyways?
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It was her first day of the semester. She slowly convinced herself, and sat in the reality day after day that this was something she decided to do. Oh lord, what have I done? She says under her breath as she is waiting for the day to arrive. She would be introduced to hundreds of students, and be expected to care about them, remember their names, and figure out how to teach them properly. These were things she was never good at. But she couldn’t help but secretly feel excited about the prospects as well. Because honestly, if she can pull it off, she’d be doing a whole world of good. Even despite her injury healing a bit, she had taken it easy this week and not responded to any hero calls. Instead focusing on figuring out how to be a teacher at one of the worlds best schools.
She was assigned a homeroom. Because she was a new teacher, she was given a year of students that are just about to graduate. No big deal. A test year. This was to ensure that if she quit this year, a new crop of heroes would not be without their homeroom teacher. These kid’s previous homeroom teacher got fired. It made sense. Miruko found it kind of funny though, teaching a bunch of about to graduate kids, and their course… General Studies. So much for the heroics, Miss Top Ten Hero. Though in reality, she’d still be teaching heroics, it’s just that her homeroom kids would never take a part in it.
As she entered her new homeroom, she felt a knot fill her chest as the first kids started to filter in. They were myriad, and Miruko couldn’t focus on a single one. These little brats are nearly adults. Miruko chose to wear her hair in a long ponytail, to look more teacherly, she guesses? Though to be fair, her hero costume completely ruined any prospect of that.
Many of the kids looked at her and gawked, whispering to one of their friends, all very excited to see that they had Miruko as a teacher.
One of the students, a blonde hair girl with big glasses immediately ran up to Miruko and shoved a notebook towards her.
“O-Oh my! I love you so much! Can I get your autograph?”
“U-Uh…”
Of course Miruko was shocked. She wanted to say no. What is this, a meet and greet!?
“M-Maybe later.”
The girl looked immediately defeated as one of her friends punched on her shoulder and started to quietly reprimand her.
“Anyways. If you do not know me, I’m the Pro Hero Miruko. I’m not here to teach any of you General Studies kids--”
A lot of groans and “awww’s” flooded the room.
“But I will be your home teacher. I’m new to this whole teaching thing… So please stay with me as I work out the kinks. I’m looking forward to seeing you all every single morning. And I hope you will all behave nicely. Anyways, I’m sure you guys know the deal… I will read off a list of your names, and you’ll say if you're present.”
Miruko immediately scanned the room as she looked down at the sheet. She was almost blushing, but she was trying hard to suppress the embarrassment. Did I do a good job? Oh man, I’ve done a million T.V interviews, why does -this- make me nervous?
Everyone was a jittering bundle of hormones and excitement, excited to be back at UA, and excited to have Miruko as their teacher. As she read down the ledger everyone responded curtail, respectfully, with a great tone of voice. Being the best of the best, and having great teachers and role models and being trusted to be a great example to the rest of your generation will instill within you a sense of pride and also maturity not many kids their age would have.
All except one kid. She saw a poor, thin looking boy, with messy green hair. He looked awkward, sad, and genuinely exhausted already. Miruko felt a small twinge in her heart as she considered this boy. These were the type of kids who’d become villains -- not out of malice, but rather out of desperation or the stress of society -- a genuinely bad life, not out of hate of others, but hate of themselves.The type of kids she’d wanted so desperately to save. (The ones that confused her as she saw them locked away). Somebody whose life seemed bad, or was just confused or lonely. She immediately found herself click her tongue silently after she said:
“Izuku Midoriya?”
“Here.” The boy said, sounding unsure if that was true or not.