Chapter Text
Prologue
After weeks of begging from Rei Todoroki, her husband finally relented and allowed her to take her children on a weekend vacation. Rei packed her children into the car and they headed for the family beach house.
No one was more excited about the trip than six year old Shoto. He’d been worked to the point of near collapse by his father almost everyday, so he was ecstatic about getting a short break from training.
The family arrived at the beach house and young Shoto immediately took off towards the ocean. He’d always loved the beach, as trips to the ocean meant a break from training.
As Shoto got closer to the water, he could hear excited giggling. Shoto looked out into the water and a little girl with fluffy blue hair surfaced.
The little girl had light turquoise skin, fin-like ears, and patches of scales across her body. She also appeared to be around Shoto’s age. The girl smiled brightly when she spotted Shoto and she swam closer to shore.
“Hiya, I’m Mizumi. What's your name?” The girl asked Shoto. He shuffled his feet shyly.
“I’m Shoto…” He replied softly.
Mizumi smiled again and pulled herself onto shore, revealing a long, shimmering mermaid tail. Shoto stared at her tail in shock and awe.
Despite Shoto’s shy nature and Mizumi’s outgoing personality, the two children became fast friends. They spent the whole weekend swimming, building sandcastles, and looking for seashells. Rei was incredibly happy to see her youngest son having fun.
Soon enough however, it was time for the Todoroki’s to leave.
Mizumi lived in the area and was sad to see her new friend go. Before they left, Mizumi gave Shoto the pretty conch shell they’d found together.
“So you don’t forget about me.” Mizumi told him.
That was the last time Shoto visited the beach house.
As he grew older, the memories of the little mermaid he met grew faint, but he never completely forgot. On particularly bad days, he’d look at the conch shell and remember his friend. Shoto was certain he’d never see her again, until the day she walked into his classroom at UA.