Work Text:
For Artorias. Happy Holidays :)
"You must always respect the sea," Momo's grandmother told her the summer after she discovered her quirk. It was a strange response when all her other relatives greeted her with jubilation and clear relief that her quirk had finally come in at the ghastly age of seven, but then, Grandmother never seemed to care about her apparent lack of a quirk either.
"I will," Momo promised, even if it was stupid. The sea didn't have feelings.
"No, no, no. You do not understand," Grandmother rebuked. "Come, child. Come. Your foolish little parents can entertain themselves for a while longer."
"It's just a bit of water," Momo protested. "I can't make any more yet. The doctor says I'm converting my li-lipids and that's why I'm so skinny. Mother wasn't happy with that. She says I need to train so my quirk is more impressive. Then people will respect me."
"Bah," her grandmother dismissed. "Water is life and your mother thinks it's not impressive? Whatever did I do for my son to marry such a foolish girl?"
"Mother isn't foolish," Momo objected. "Lots of important people see her and trust her with their money."
"Even fools find success," Grandmother dismissed as grass turned to sand beneath their feet. The ocean murmured gently while the soft crashes of the waves whispered of danger. "Life comes from the ocean, dear, and it so easily steals it back. Even All Might is powerless when the earth quakes—"
"That's the ground, Grandmother," Momo corrected. "And Seism can stop it."
Her grandmother laughed. "And what can he do when the quake is leagues out on the sea and the waves begin to roll, when they gain on us and crash onto our shore? We are lucky that the ocean has been kind, but one day, the sea will rise up and reclaim the isles she birthed."
Momo shivered, the gentle waves now seeming sinister.
"Yes," Grandmother said. "Now you respect it because you fear it, but remember, the sea gives so much to us as well, from the very islands we live on to the fish we eat. Life and death always walk hand-in-hand, and your quirk is no different." She paused, her eyes scanning the cloudy horizon. "Pay your respects, child, then come. We must feed the catfish."
The catfish? Confused, she kept a wary eye on her grandmother as she approached the ocean and dipped her hands into the cool water.
"Never turn your back on the ocean. It cannot be controlled," Grandmother shouted.
She shivered again and pulled her flimsy jacket tighter as she was struck by the sudden urge to learn how to swim. Her power allowed her to create water. It was only natural, right?
The waves continued despite her troubled thoughts, not caring for her ruminations. Her quirk could be on par with All Might's, and it would still be powerless when faced with this fathomless body of water.
"I pay my respects," she whispered. The wind seemed to still around her, which was a downright foolish thought. The ocean wasn't alive. The tides were controlled by the moon, and the winds by fluctuations in temperature halfway around the world. "Thank you for my quirk. It really is wonderful, even if Mother doesn't appreciate it much. The other kids were calling me quirkless, but— Thank you."
She rubbed her eyes with her sleeve and raised her chin. She would master her quirk. She would prove to everyone that she was worthy to bear this mighty gift. She extended her hand and drew on her image of water. Two hydrogen atoms bonded with oxygen. It was a dipole.
Water dripped from her palm and splashed into the ocean, and for the first time, she felt seen, as if an ancient beast had briefly stirred and awakened.
When she returned to her grandmother, the old woman was smiling, the greying lines in her face stretched wide.
"Good, Momo," Grandmother congratulated with a bucket of fish food in hand. "Now, time to feed the catfish."
"Will that be part of my chores?" Momo asked. She had never been given a chore before beyond schoolwork.
Grandmother laughed. "A chore? It's an honorable task. You have to keep them happy or else the earth might shake and tear us asunder. Seriously girl, what are your parents teaching you? Now—" She leaned over the fish tank and pointed to a particularly fat fish. "That one likes to bully the others into getting more than his fair share. Make sure each has the opportunity to feed. You'll never know which one has some mighty power."
Momo frowned in thought as she tossed the food in. Her grandmother certainly was wise, even if she distributed wisdom in strange riddles. One never knew what sort of quirk a person had and appearances could be deceiving. Treating everyone with respect was therefore only natural, even if that included inanimate items. One never knew if it was actually someone who possessed a shapeshifting quirk.
Why, she had even heard that the new principal of UA was a rodent!
Grandmother sighed and hobbled away, returning with a carved cane. "I really am sorry, my dear. Water quirks so rarely end well. Terrible accidents... so many terrible accidents."
"Dad calls it selection bias," Momo said. "Heroes are always doing dangerous things. Of course, they will be injured more frequently, and water heroes are almost always at every scene because fires are so dangerous. And Gang Orca is doing well! He's been climbing the ranks, and while he may look scary—"
"I know who he is, girl. My eyesight may be fading, but I'm not deaf yet. I think he is the exception. He and his sidekicks respect the ocean. He donates most of his salary to conservation efforts. The ocean is a delicate ecosystem."
"I didn't know that," Momo said.
"Of course you didn't. Heroes only care about glory these days. Where's the glory in rescuing some fish from fishers? Bah." Grandmother fell silent, her face troubled. "I worry, Momo. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. I will train a lot, and then you don't have to worry. I even made a checklist. Most hero accidents could've been prevented if they used more support equipment. I wrote my English essay on it. Mrs. Ito was very impressed."
"I can see why." She sounded pleased. "You are a very bright girl. Don't let this hero nonsense blind your eyes. Real heroes have lives filled with suffering."
Sometimes, adults were so weird. Momo shook her head to herself. "What is your quirk, Grandma? I don't think I've ever seen you use it... Was that rude?"
"You really need to learn how to frame things more delicately." Grandmother leaned down and clumped some twigs and rocks in her hands as they began to glow in a golden, almost godly, light. When she opened her hands, a small wooden soldier danced in her palm. "Quirks can be beautiful, can't they?"
"That's amazing!" Momo squealed. It was so much cooler than her quirk. "You could sell these for so much money!"
"That is your mother's influence," Grandmother complained. "Money. Pft. It is all about money these days. No one wants to take a moment and sit down and appreciate what is. No. There is a reason I do not use my quirk much. There is no such thing as a free lunch."
"Quirk overuse," Momo said knowingly.
Grandmother stared at her in horror. "No. Can you tell me where quirks come from? This power is merely borrowed. You do not use or exploit what you do not know. Who knows what sort of calamity could befall us."
Momo nodded, careful to keep her face impassive. Sometimes, she forgot that Grandmother was ancient. Old folks had all sorts of ridiculous anti-quirk notions. She hadn't thought her own grandmother would be included in that number, but alas, such was the case.
"I don't want you to use your quirk if you can avoid it," Grandmother said quietly. "It's for the best. The ocean is not meant to be controlled."
"It's just water, Grandmother."
"No. It is not." She sniffed. "And with that attitude, you will never go far. You must understand things first. Nothing is ever just anything."
"But the kids—" Momo pressed her lips together against the burning tears in her eyes. "They already made fun of me for being quirkless! What am I going to tell them? That I totally have a quirk but I can't use it? It's not even a strong quirk. Goya's quirk came in late, but he's super powerful. He's going to be a hero. He can make people stop fighting by singing!"
"You do not need a strong quirk—"
"Yes, I do!" Momo screamed. "Everyone has a strong quirk. Everyone that Mother works for has a quirk useful for something. I checked! There are two people who are quirkless working at our firm, and they're both on probation for misconduct. I need a quirk. Everyone needs one."
Grandmother closed her eyes. "Fine. But not water. The ocean is not meant to be controlled for your childish whims. First, you must understand it before you try."
"But my quirk is water!"
"You've barely had it for a week. How are you supposed to know what it is?" Grandmother rebuked. "If you can make water, why not ice? Ice may be dangerous, but it at least does not call upon the ocean."
"You're just being superstitious," Momo accused.
"Maybe, but I am still alive. I lived through two wars, young lady."
Groaning, Momo closed her eyes and focused on her quirk, that strange sensation inside her begging to be used. It had taken forever to learn that was her quirk. That she could direct it to produce. Although... Maybe, her grandmother had a point. Her quirk felt dangerous, even if it was completely harmless.
The chemical formula for water appeared in her mind. Now, ice... She needed to hold the molecules together, keep them rigid. Like a 3D puzzle, where once complete, it could hold its shape easily, but before then, it would easily shatter.
Something cold rested in her palm and she inhaled in surprise. A half melted cube of ice.
"I did it..."
Grandmother leaned in and picked it up. "Yes, you did. What did you think of?"
"The chemical formula. I tried to make the molecules fit together so it would keep its shape."
She hummed. "Imagine carbon instead."
"Huh?
"A carbon atom. Atomic number six. A wonderful element when you need to bond to others. Make a tetrahedron. Each carbon bonds with the four adjacent."
"Tetrahedron?" The unfamiliar word felt downright strange on her tongue.
"A pyramid with a triangular base."
Confused, Momo closed her eyes and pushed the formula to her hands. Something fell into them as a sudden wave of exhaustion hit her. There, in her palm, was a diamond of the size of a sequin.
Her grandmother looked troubled.
By the time Momo was ten, she was well versed in using her quirk. Her parents had been elated to discover that their daughter's pathetic water quirk actually allowed her to create any material. Of course, the instance the government caught wind of it, she had officers in her living room talking about protecting the economy and an exclusive contract to work at a government facility.
If she wanted to, she wouldn't have to attend another day of school in her life. The government would happily provide everything she desired as long as she continued to help their chemists push the boundaries of science. Her mother had at least agreed with that sentiment although she saw Momo's future in the private sector, elevating their company to an international conglomerate. She already had marriage proposals.
While school had been miserable, Momo missed being able to interact with kids her age. She missed her teachers and their warm words of praise. The last three years had only confirmed the worst of her grandmother's fear. At least, she had put her foot down and insisted that Momo spent a weekend with her every month.
"I hate it," Momo whispered to the ocean. The waves lapped at her feet like an eager pet. At any moment, it could turn and howl like the most savage wolf. It was not her friend, but she was closer to the sea than anyone else outside her family. "I want to do things, not sit in a lab all day."
Sighing, she extended her hand and let some water drip from her palm.
The water receded, and she noticed a flash of ivory in the sand. Curorious, she leaned down and dug it free. Were she less educated, she would call it a tooth, but it matched no species that she knew of. The long edge was slightly serrated as if a thousand fish hooks had sprung forth. No natural bone could form like this. Was it from someone's quirk?
"It's the back tooth of a kraken," whispered a soft voice. "A young one from the looks of it."
Startled, she jumped to her feet with a shriek. To her right, face obscured by a heavy blue hoodie, stood a man. Or a boy? It was difficult to discern anything about him and the moment her attention wandered, she could no longer say anything regarding his height or weight or even his voice.
"A kraken?" Her brow furrowed and her hand reached backwards for her house keys. "What is that?"
The stranger shrugged half heartedly and stared out at the ocean. "You come here often."
"Yeah," she admitted, not sure if it was safe to tell this stranger anything. "It is nice here."
"It is."
"Do you come here often?"
"I... don't know." A note of distress entered his voice. "Why am I here?"
"We can figure this out," she assured him, reaching out to grab his arm.
A blink. He was gone. Only the scent of sea foam remained. He must have been the victim of someone's quirk.
"Grandmother?" Momo asked when she returned to the house. "Is there a boy who lives nearby here?"
Her grandmother froze, the pot she was drying wavering in her hand. "A boy?"
"Yes. I met him on the beach. He seemed confused. It must've been a quirk." Momo frowned. "We should notify the police of potential quirk misuse. It's important."
Grandmother set the pot down and drew out a chair. Her gaze was unusually severe. "What did he tell you?"
Her hands fumbled as she pulled out her bag and withdrew the so-called tooth. "He was being silly. He said it was the tooth of a kraken."
"So it appears," Grandmother mumbled as she examined it. "Where did you find it?"
"It washed ashore."
"You should keep it on you at all times. It seems the sea is pleased with you."
"Don't be silly," Momo protested. "It's the sea, and I'm a nobody. I don't even have a water quirk like you thought."
"There are many things you do not understand. Quirks were hardly as new or strange as your history books made out."
Momo scoffed. "You weren't even alive then. What could you possibly know?"
"Wasn't I?" Grandmother chuckled. "Just don't go eating any pomegranates, my dear. I love my granddaughter far too much to be separated from you for half-a-year."
What did pomegranates and krakens have to do with another?
She was twelve when her grandmother died; she was thirteen when she learned of it. Momo had been away at the time, wrapped up in some lab with some delicate experiments. Her parents had neglected to tell her of her passing to ensure that she would focus on her work.
"I hate you!" Momo screamed before spinning around and slamming the door on her way out as she hurtled down the steps and into the busy streets. Her grandmother was dead, and she had only learned now.
Tears stung in her eyes and she walked blindly, filled with nothing but a desperate urge to get away. Her entire life was confined to a shiny little bubble controlled by her parents. It was a luxurious, comforting bubble, and she so often forgot it was there. But she was trapped.
She hated them. She hated her quirk. She just wanted to do something worthwhile.
Harsh concrete and steel turned to grass, and she paused at the edge of the park. The river burbled and little children shouted in excitement as they played nearby with their parents.
This was what a normal family was supposed to look like. Her parents, wrapped up in the business, had never bothered to play with her. She was the heir and raised to act the part.
"I miss you," Momo whispered, looking up at the sky. She needed to return home to ask her parents where her grandmother's ashes were. She needed to mourn her properly.
She didn't want to go back. Why had they lied to her? What was there to gain but her suffering? An experiment which had to be redone was worth nothing compared to the life of her grandmother.
Her stomach growled, and she eyed the nearby fast food stand. While the rule-abiding part of her screamed in protest, she crafted a bank note. She had to be careful. Bills were regularly checked by the bank for their serial number, and when duplicates were discovered or inflation exceeded their economic models, an investigation would be launched.
Using one's quirk to tamper with the money supply was one of those offenses which would leave you locked up for life, but at the moment, she was too furious to care.
The water was soothing as she ate her bun and stared at the small ripples of the river. Maybe, she should take a break from her chemistry books and crack open a physics one to examine the properties of waves. Why were the ones here so different from the ocean?
Her eyes wandered up the river and her breath stalled in her throat at the sight of a boy in a blue hoodie sitting by the edge of the stream. It was him. There was no doubt in her mind. Her hand slipped into her pocket and the tooth that she carried with her always.
"I looked up the kraken," Momo greeted. "They're a Greek monster which dined on ships."
"The first was defeated by a dragon," he whispered. This time, he turned, and she stared at his face, unable to discern his age, but drawn in entirely by his unnaturally bright eyes that held the sea.
"Dragons don't exist either," she said. "They say there are creatures in the deep sea we can only dream of. There are government agencies recruiting useful quirks to map the Mariana Trench."
"They will die," he said simply as if stating a fact of life.
She shivered, trepidation taking root in her heart. "Who are you?"
"I..." He blinked, his eyes dimming and his body flickered. "I don't know."
"It's not a quirk, is it?" She shook her head and stared out the water. The boy was strange, and there lurked danger behind his casual demeanor. Her parents would despise him, so she stayed. "My grandmother died. I never did get her to answer how she knew you. She was always dodging my questions, said I wasn't ready for answers."
"She asked to be buried at sea," he whispered. "She kept asking for you, but the nurses told her you were too busy."
Momo swallowed, unfathomable anger threatening to overcome her again. "I didn't know," she begged. "I wanted to say goodbye."
"I told her." He seemed to sway. "I told her that the wind carried the lies of her son. She should have made them swear."
Hesitantly, she reached out and grabbed his hand. it was cool to touch, calming. When he didn't pull away, she threw herself at him, sobbing in his shoulder. "Why did she have to die?"
"All things come to an end," he whispered.
"But why? We have quirks. Science has become meaningless. Why couldn't they save her?"
"Even gods die."
He rubbed her back as she cried her heart out, and his presence no longer felt cold, but warm and soothing, like an evening bath.
As the sun, she dried her eyes on her sleeve, surprised that no one had interfered. The park was deserted. "My parents are probably looking for me."
"They passed by earlier," he said.
She gazed up at him. He seemed more present. "What did you do?"
He smiled enigmatically and remained silent.
"How did you and grandmother know each other?" she asked.
"I did not know her." He leaned forward, and she watched in fascination as a tiny jet of water grew from the river and wove between his fingers. It was a masterful display of control, and even among heroes, she could think of no water quirk that displayed such a level of mastery. "She visited the sea often. It was nice to be remembered."
"But why?" Her brow furrowed. "How could she know you if you didn't know her?"
He glanced at her, stricken. "I do not remember... I cannot remember." His brow furrowed. His form flickered. "She smelled like family."
With those utterly befuddling words, he disappeared. It took seven minutes for a hero to notice her and drag her back to her parents.
Two months later, she was finally allowed to visit her grandmother's home, and she tore it apart in search of clues regarding her strange new friends. She found little except countless books on mythology and a strange stash of golden coins. She took them with her and returned home to play with the dutiful daughter.
Every evening, she would crack open her window and climb outside to return to the park. Often, she was intercepted by a hero before she even arrived there. Fortunately, they neglected to intrude on her parents. The Yaoyorozu family name held much weight these days, and even heroes didn't want to poke that bear needlessly.
Sometimes though, she managed to find her way to the park and sit by the river. She would light one of the candles she had found at her grandmother's and wish her new friend well.
Half a year later, her thirteenth birthday on the horizon, he finally reappeared. One moment, she was alone. The next, he was there.
Her grandmother's story books came to mind, and she clutched the kraken's tooth tightly. She wanted a friend, but he seemed to have powers beyond the explanation of a quirk. Or he had multiple quirks and there were all sorts of folk horror stories regarding that.
"You're back," she said.
"Your prayers helped."
"Those weren't prayers!"
His eyes met her and he tilted his head. "You follow the traditions, but you do not believe."
"Who are you?" she asked again.
He shrugged. "I am remembering more. I was a mortal once. There were no quirks or heroes then. My mother liked to bake blue food."
"What is your name?"
His eyes drew together. Finally, he said, "Percy."
"Percy." She tasted the name. It didn't fit him quite right. "American?"
"Manhattan," he said. "It was a nice city. I tried going there last week, but it made me feel even more sluggish."
She dug through her bag and pulled out one of the buns she had packed. "Food?"
"You should burn it," he said.
"Why?"
He shrugged. "I don't know." He grabbed it and tore off half, dropping it into the flames and eating the rest. More color returned to his cheeks. "Where are you from?"
As a soothing scent of the ocean wafted to her, she studied the candle quizzically, then offered some of her food as well with a silent wish to her grandmother. She must have imagined it, but she could've sworn, for a moment, that she felt Grandmother's hug.
"I was born here." She drew up her legs and wrapped her arms around them. "I travel a lot because of my quirk. People have lots of uses for it."
"You don't like it?" he asked.
"No."
He studied her. "It is your life to decide what to do with. Everyone has a choice."
"And what if I do not know what I desire?" she asked. "My parents already decided my career plan, and it's not what I want, but I cannot think of anything else." She smiled half-heartedly. "Well, I could run away and become a nun."
His laughter was deep and pleasant. "I am not one to judge. I was expelled from every school I attended apparently."
Horrified, she glared at him. "Education is important!"
He lifted his hands defensively. "It was never my fault. There is no way I could have possibly fired a Civil War cannon."
"Civil War?"
"Right." He sighed and glanced around. "The world has changed."
"How—" She swallowed. It wasn't a quirk, but her rational mind screamed against the implications. "How old are you?"
His smile was inexplicably sad. "I tried looking at the newspaper, but the calendar is different now. I have memories, fragments, of who I once was. I was married, you know."
"What was her name?"
He paused. "I don't know. She had a beautiful smile. We had—" He swallowed and squeezed his eyes shut. "We had two girls."
"I'm sorry," Momo whispered and leaned on his shoulder, offering her support. "So you're an old man."
"The oldest," he joked weakly. "I barely remember anything past my thirteenth. It's so... abstract."
"Do you know what you did?"
He chuckled, sending vibrations through her. "I want to say a hero, but there were no heroes I can remember."
A hero? Her eyes drifted upwards to the skyline and the giant billboard displaying some up and rising hero with a wing quirk. Every child wanted to be one, but her parents had always impressed the danger of such a profession on her and it had seemed far too risky to her, especially with a non-combat oriented quirk such as hers.
A hero though... She wouldn't be beholden to her parents anymore. She wouldn't need to worry about the government becoming too pushy in acquiring her services if she basked in the public's eye.
"I could become a hero," she suggested.
"Heroes never have happy endings," he whispered.
"But can they be happy?" she asked with a sudden desperate urgency. Most children started training to be a hero at the age of five. She would be so far behind, and she would have to convince her parents somehow, but— "Can I at least be sometimes happy?"
"I was... happy for a while," he said.
Her fists clenched in determination and she clambered to her feet. "I'm going to be a hero."
She would have to train. If she wanted a modicum of support from her parents, they would only accept the best, which meant UA and their notoriously brutal entrance exam. She would need to use her quirk in a flashy manner, befitting the style of modern heroics. Her previous expertise was almost useful.
A hero needed some pizzazz to be popular. She needed that popularity to defend her.
Strength training. Running. Combat. Theory. Mentorship. There were so many things to do, and all of it would have to be accomplished without her parent's knowledge.
"Percy?" She turned around with her most innocent smile. "Since you have experience, would you train me, please? I will bring you anything you want, I swear. Please, just help me pass UA's entrance exam."
"You should not make promises you cannot keep," he reprimanded. His expression turned troubled. "I'm still too weak to be of use."
She grabbed his hand, pulling him upright. "I don't care. You're my only friend. If we train, we'll both grow stronger, and maybe you'll remember more?"
"Then we must meet by the sea," he agreed.
There were two weeks left until her UA exam. She had thankfully secured a special recommendation after mentioning it to one of the researchers she had been working with. The woman had been delighted, extolling the virtues of a young girl like herself getting to know kids her age.
She might have missed the part where Momo intended to apply for heroics, not support, but while it felt dirty to engage in such a deception, in the end it got her what she wanted.
The training with Percy had been hard. He never seemed to tire, no weight was too much for him, and his skin, while occasionally bruised, never cut.
She had no supernatural protections. She bled and ached and emptied her stomach on multiple occasions.
But it had paid off. She no longer needed to worry about knowing exactly the perfect tool for the job. Sure, she could pull a motorcycle out of her stomach, but she could also wield a sword with deadly accuracy—she still couldn't defeat Percy though.
As she approached the beach, she took a moment to stop by the rails and observe her friend/instructor from afar. Sometime after her fifteenth birthday, she had begun to notice how pleasing he was on the eyes. It was nothing like that crush on the neighbor she had wielded a few years ago. This was something different.
Down at the beach, the waves swelled in time with Percy's strikes of the sword. Even as weakened as he seemed to be, he was unstoppable by the waterfront.
Sometimes, she wondered if All Might would have a chance against him. The sea wasn't meant to be controlled according to Grandmother, but Percy breathed the sea, and like it, he was unstoppable.
Brushing off her skirt, she ordered her heart to calm and climbed down the stairs. "Hey, Percy! Caught any fish yet?"
He paused and sent her a glare. "You would not find it so funny if they talked to you."
She stuck out her tongue impulsively. "Oh woe me, I am just a mortal, not an all mighty god like you."
"For the last time, I'm not a god."
"Are you sure?" She leaned forward, admiring how the sunlight reflected off his glistening biceps. "You can't remember enough to prove you aren't a god."
"Who has a godly parent, again? So when I say it doesn't work like that, who would know?"
"Yet you are a self-proclaimed idiot."
"I hate you so much." He threw up his hands and a giant wave broke over the shore. "For that, I am going to make sure you can't walk for a week. En-guard!"
Frantically, she dodged to the side and summoned a sword. She's getting faster at this. The blade leapt to her hands and blocked the incoming strike. Her bones vibrate under the force of the blow.
If it was anyone else, she would be afraid for her life.
After the spar, he threw her a water bottle and rummaged through her bag for his own snack. He might not need food, but he certainly enjoyed eating it.
"So your test is coming up. Ready?"
She nodded stiffly.
"Relax, you'll do great. I didn't train you for nothing. You almost had me there a few times too. And worst comes to worst... You could always pray."
"Are you sure?" she asked. "What if I don't have what it takes to be a hero?"
His expression grew unusually serious. "Do you know what happened to the gods? Why they no longer walk the earth?"
She shook her head.
"They faded. As long as people believed, even death would not have been a permanent death for them. They never reformed because their power was stolen and their names burnt out of the pages of history. Only a few of the monsters survive."
"And you."
"And me," he whispered. "I guess I refused to die. I was too stubborn."
She chuckled weakly.
"You are already a hero, Momo. You and your grandmother. You prayed and fed the sea. It gave me the strength to continue... and now, you return to the beach nearly every night, and I can feel myself becoming stronger, becoming whole once more. So thank you."
Her cheeks warmed and she ducked her head. Her heart thundered in her chest as he approached. Worn and calloused hands grabbed hers and she squeaked at his sudden proximity and intensity. "Can I give you something?"
She nodded.
He clasped his hand together and pulled them apart. His form flickered, but in his palm, lay a large pearl laying in a casing of carved quartz. Attached to it was a thin gold chain to form a necklace.
"It's beautiful." Even her quirk would never be able to produce anything like it. The details were too intricate, especially the countless carvings running along each chain.
He leaned forward, holding up the necklace expectantly, and she raised her hair to give him access. "If you are ever in mortal danger, break it."
"Come in," Nedzu, the principal of UA ordered.
Swallowing, she looked at the other examinees and headed inside to her doom. She excelled at normal interviews; her parents had made sure of that. However, this was Nedzu. Even the government thought twice before engaging with him. He could flay a man using just the right words.
"Sit down. Your practical portion was certainly impressive, and for theory, you excelled with flying colors."
Some of the tension in her chest eased. "Thank you, sir."
"Before we move onto more traditional questions, I do have one area of concern I was hoping you would clarify for me." He grinned sharply, a truly terrifying expression on a rodent. "Why do your parents appear to be uninformed of your aspirations to be a hero?"
"Sir?" Her heart pounded in her chest.
"You know what I am talking of. I can hear your heart rate skyrocketing."
Her lips pressed together and she studied the table. "I apologize. I was hoping to secure a spot in UA before approaching my parents. They want the best for me, and heroing is a dangerous business."
The beady eyes bored into her. "You are a smart girl and understand the risks involved, so why do you want to become a hero then against the judgment of your parents."
She should tell the truth. She was too used to the lies. She'd spoken them so often that they hardly seem like falsehoods anymore. Everything was fine. She loved her family. Of course she did, who wouldn't be happy raised in luxury?
To suggest anything else would give the government reason to interfere, and she knew they did not have her best interests at heart.
"My parents can be a little overbearing, you know," Momo said. "Honestly, I just want them to stop treating me like a little kid. I know that I am supposed to say it's about saving people, but tell me, who is that true for among the top ten heroes besides All Might?"
What she wanted was not to be a hero but to go to school. She wanted to be out of her parent's home and their endless control over every minute detail of her life. She wanted to choose what her quirk would be used for and not have to look over her shoulder in fear of the government deciding her talents are better used serving them.
"Your quirk would be far more useful in support," Nedzu noted, his tone casual.
"A report last year found that lack of prompt medical assistance was the second highest cause for civilian deaths after a villain attack," she said. "I know how to make bandages, tourniquets, and can even produce blood for transfusions. I know what I am capable of, and having someone on site, who can literally produce any tool you might need for the situation is invaluable. I would be wasted in support, sir."
His gaze was considering, and his tail flicked side to side. Did he believe her? Would she be turned away for not having the purest of intentions?
"Where is your necklace from?" he asked.
Her hand flew to her chest and the pearl rested on her collarbone. "A friend."
"A fan of tridents, is he?" Nedzu hummed and his tail swished with agitation. "Welcome to UA, Yaoyorozu. One day, I hope you will trust me enough with the truth."
Hunching her shoulders, she forced a smile. The desire to spill her secrets right here and now was overwhelming, but she held steadfast. Percy believed in her. He would help her if the worst came to pass. She did not have to put her future in Nedzu's distrustful hands.
"I will make UA proud," she promised instead.