Chapter Text
She folded the letter slowly, to make sure it is perfect. If it was wrinkled, even a little bit, she wouldn’t have had the strength to leave. But it turned out exactly like she wanted it, it even looked good at the center of the table, in front of her first wooden sculpture ever, that took her almost a whole year. Nowadays, she could make one of those if a few hours.
She’s been saving up for months to pay someone to write her letter in a nice white paper. Maybe, her parents could even sell the wrapper and get some money.
She was aware of every single step she took to get out of the building that’s been her house for her whole life. She turned the door knob with care to not make it creak, and closed the door behind her.
The city was quiet, overtaken by the darkness of the night. The soldiers roamed the city with lanterns in their hands. She walked through the black roads with only a bag of clothes and money; she, unlike the night workers going back home for the night, had no source of light at hand. Her family could afford only one lantern, and she was not going back anytime soon, so she couldn’t take it from them.
The sun was poking out of the horizon when she reached the structure that almost surrounded the entire port: the Navy.
A tall building with walls painted of the cleanest white Ochako’s ever seen before, filled with windows surrounded by engraved frames; stood imposing over the docks where boats, too heavy to float, waited patiently for the marines to sail off.
By that point, Ochako craved a bed to sleep; she’s been walking all night and forcing her eyes to figure the way to the navy recruitment between the shadows of the night. But she gathered her energy and stepped inside the giant gates.
A boy about her age, with green messy hair and beautiful freckles, tripped with his own feet and fell forward. He didn’t even attempt to stop his fall; he kept his hand tight at his side.
Ochako ran up to him and held him by the waist to steady him. There were strong muscles below his clothes, despite his slim figure.
“Are you alright?” She asked as she balanced him by his shoulders.
“Yeah.” The boy murmured so quickly it was barely audible. “Thank you. It would’ve been awful if I had tripped.”
Ochako couldn’t help the snort that came out of her mouth, but quickly covered it with her hand. “It would’ve been really bad luck!”
The boy giggled as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“What are you here for?” Ochako asked.
The boy immediately tensed up. “I’ll enroll for the Navy!” He answered a little too loud.
His entire body was shaking, which made Ochako chuckle.
“I will too! What a coincidence!”
“Oh!” The boy yelled. But he said nothing more.
“Good luck, then!” She replied instead and went on her own way.
A lot of people walked in and out of the building; mostly, people to enlist for the military. The job was paying extraordinarily as of late, and many families sent their younger children.
She walked among the crowd of people closer to her age, avoiding those, wearing the military uniform, who passed by on the opposite direction. She wondered if they were headed to their respective ships to begin trips that lasted months at sea, travelling from one point of the earth to the other.
She accidentally bumped against a marine of bright yellow hair and a moustache of the same color. The sailor yelled at the top of his lungs instructions for all who desired to enroll for the Navy, not paying any mind to her.
“To register your personal data, take the door to your left! To take the medical test go to the door at the back! To take the physical test go to the back of the building!” He yelled as he pointed each direction.
Ochako apologized under her breath for hitting him and followed the direction to the medical tests.
The opened door took to a much larger corridor full of different wooden doors. Each, had a silver plate with carvings that indicated what the room was for. The metal reflected perfectly the sunrays that seeped through the windows and it gave the impression that they were shining.
A young man bumped into her as she stood there to observe the plates.
She turned around to say sorry, but bit her tongue at the sight of the boy’s annoyed expression.
With his hand completely tense, he motioned with his arm.
“Go on! You’ll stop the line and make a mess!”
Ochako flinched at his loud voice and trotted away with her face warm from embarrassment.
Down the hall, an old lady guarded the white doors before a sign with the word "infirmary" carved. The lady stopped everyone who tried to get in, asked some questions and decided who was let inside.
When it was Ochako's turn, the old lady scanned her from head to toes and nodded.
"What's your name, young lady?"
"Ochako."
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-one."
"Very well..." The old lady nodded again. "Where do you come from?"
"A province not too far away from the port."
"You're a farmer, then. Have you attended a military school before?"
"My family doesn't have the money for education, miss."
The lady raised her eyebrows, then smiled.
"Come in."
She opened the door to reveal a white room that, despite being used as an infirmary, was perfectly clean. A group of nurses checked the contestants for signs of the health necessary to be part of the Navy. A group of men, at the market back in her hometown, spoke about how strict the medical exams were.
Ochako's hand gathered more and more sweat as the old lady pointed her way towards a nurse who held a bunch of papers in her hand.
She wrote down Ochako's general information, and the results of her tests.
Though Ochako already knew she was a healthy woman, she still was nervous that she wouldn't be enough.
They finished by putting a cold device in her mouth, and told her to hold it in for a minute. When the nurse pulled it out, she murmured: "The pink cheeks are not from a fever..." As she wrote down whatever the device showed her.
"We're almost done, love." The nurse spoke up. "Just a few questions: have you gotten sick over the past months?"
"Not at all." Ochako shook her head as she answered.
"Have you been in contact with anybody who had catch the fever?"
"Not that I know of."
"Very well!" She put her quill down and shook the paper to dry it before rolling it. "That would be all, love. You are more than healthy enough for the application." She waited for Ochako to stand up before she continued and pointed at another door at the end of the room. “You may proceed to the training yard to take the physical tests.” To finish, she handed over the scroll with the information she’d been registering.
Ochako headed to a courtyard that extended to half the length of the building; in the open air and with the sun hitting directly, lots of candidates around her age ran laps through the yard, others tested their endurance, their strength… The things one would expect from a sailor of the marine.
Ochako trusted her own strength, from what little she could train without being noticed. She hoped that would be enough.
A woman, with half her face covered by her own hair, approached her with a smile too sweet for her appearance.
"Good morning, young woman."
Ochako straightened her back.
"Good morning, madam!"
The man extended a hand.
"Give me your scroll."
"Yes!"
Ochako's hands trembled more than ever before as she handed over her information.
She recognized the woman before her, Ryuko Tatsuma, a renowned marine, famous for stopping every and single one war ship from entering Japan. When she commands a fleet, like an impenetrable wall, nothing can trespass her.
Next to her, Ochako was nothing.
"Very well," Ryuko, spoke and rolled the paper again. "Follow me, young woman. You'll take your tests with me."
The marine took her to a small spot closest to the main entrance where a few other candidates gathered in a formation.
Ochako was sent to stand next to a girl with long dark green hair, who, despite having her back terribly arched, didn’t seem nervous —wasn't shaking nor sweating at all—; unlike everyone else.
Ochako looked around at the rest of the candidates, who chatted with one another, without ever breaking the formation. She didn’t recognize a single one of them and it made her nervous; she’s never seen so many new people at once.
After a few minutes of just waiting, Ochako’s patience was running out. The longer this took, the later she’ll know whether she made it to the Navy or not.
“What are we doing?” Ochako whispered to the girl next to her.
“Waiting.”
The girl’s voice came out with a curious ring to it, as if her nose was stuffy. It would be the exact voice one would expect with her appearance.
“I’m Tsuyu.” She continued. “And you?”
“I’m Ochako! Nice to meet you.”
They both fell into silence again. Ochako was too nervous to think about a topic for the conversation. Instead, she observed the other marines, all with multiple insignias attached to their uniforms. They made the candidates run, chase each other, carry heavy objects, swim, swan dive… And she didn’t know how swim.
“Good morning!” A man screamed right next to Ochako, making her jump.
The same boy that rushed her in the halls before, now stood next to her, with his arms crossed behind his (perfectly straight) back. He wore a very good-quality suit of the same shade of blue as his hair, and already looked like a proper marine despite being just a candidate.
He outshined Ochako, even though she wore the best clothes in her wardrobe.
“Good morning…” Her voice came out weak and quiet.
“Hi.” Said Tsuyu with a surprisingly nonchalant tone.
“When are the tests going to begin?” The boy asked.
Tsuyu shrugged.
“We’re waiting for instructions.”
The man huffed. “One would think the Navy was far more responsible.”
None of the girls replied to that.
Ochako pursed her lips. She found the boy pretentions, to say the least, but she wasn’t going to show it; she didn’t want to be rude.
After another two more candidates arrived, Ryuko began her explanation for the tests. They would serve to check on their physical condition, and nothing seemed too out of the ordinary; things that, though Ochako hadn’t trained on, she was certain she had the strength to make it without much problem.
And she did.
They had to carry heavy logs of wood from one point of the yard to the other, until they could form a pile with them. Neither Ochako, or the two next to her, broke a sweat. And all her confidence went down. Despite there being many who got tired just from that, there were too many who didn’t at all.
She had to be the best of the best to get in, not just good enough.
After the test, Ryuko wrote something in each of their parchments and went on to the next test…
When the sun shone above their heads and all of them were drenched in sweat, they finally finished the ground tests and moved on to the aquatic ones.
Ochako’s heart hammered against her chest as they walked over to the port.
For the first aquatic test they had to jump from high platforms right into the water, and they had to do it first try. A test for courage.
The platform was high enough to cast shadow for all the candidates in line before it. Many didn’t even dare to climb it, and retreated back, defeated. And Ryuko didn’t give it a second thought when she sent them back home.
Tsuyu climbed the platform with the same security she’s been portraying this whole time, and, the second she reached the top, she ran and jumped straight to the water; with the glimpse of a smile on her face as she fell. It took her a few seconds to resurface and swim back to the dock.
“Next.” Ryuko yelled while looking at Ochako’s eyes directly.
And her heart sunk.
She wasn´t ready. It was too high, too risky.
Yet she walked over to the seemingly infinite ladder.
Her hands trembled enough to hinder her climb, her fingers often missed the rungs above and almost made her fall multiple times. But she kept reaching higher.
As she grew closer to the top, she began to fear she wouldn’t be able to jump. And her eyes watered to make it all worse.
Yet, she couldn’t back down. Even though she was jumping head first to danger, if she was too scared and didn’t dare, her family would be stuck forever farming for a Lord that paid them a pittance. And her parents deserved much more.
She had the opportunity to give them that life, and even if it meant putting her life on the line, she’d take it.
And she did.
With her parents in mind, she reached the top, took a deep breath and ran.
The air chilled her bones as she fell to what, in no way, was steady ground. Just then she felt frightened. She was sinking in deep water, with nothing to prevent it. She had jumped. And she didn’t know how to resurface.
She tried to push herself up slightly. She could see the light of the sun distorting with the waves and tried to crawl towards it.
Something thin and alive brushed her leg, making her frenetically kick the water. It did not make the thing go away; it reached higher and, when it was near her waist, the water above burst in all directions.
The thing pushed her up and dashed away, letting a figure with messy green swam to her.
Ochako almost coughed her lungs out to finally breath normally. The world around her still spin too much for her to stand, or locate where she was; she could just notice an arm tightly wrapped around her.
“Are you all right?”
Ochako blinked until the blurred figure took the form of a boy with green messy curls and freckles painting his worried expression. The same boy she helped earlier.
She nodded.
The boy sighed of relief and let Tsuyu and the guy in the suit come up to her, who covered her with his thick coat to help her dry.
Ochako choked on her breath in her attempt to thank the boy, and ended up coughing.
The green haired boy patted her back to help her get out the last bit of water in her lungs.
“Thank you.” She could finally mutter out.
“You could’ve drowned.” Tsuyu spoke, while nailing her fingers in Ochako’s arm. “Why did you apply for the Navy if you don’t know how to swim?”
“It’s not a requirement.” The guy in the suit interrupted. “They give swimming lessons aboard. But you should have told the instructor about it.”
Ochako’s face heated up.
She didn’t even know it was possible. She was planning on hiding her lack of swimming skills or magically developing them. But now that she had more water than air in her throat, she realized how stupid it was; and how much she underestimated the ocean.
“I’m just glad you’re well.” The green haired boy added with the sweetest smile.
“Thank you so much for your help.”
“It’s the least I could do to repay your kindness from before.”
“We’re even now.” She joked and extended her hand. “I’m Ochako.”
The boy’s face turned red and he stumbled on his words as he shook her hand.
“I’m Izuku.”
The guy in the suit cleared his throat to interrupt them and extended a hand for Ochako.
“You better go back to the infirmary to be checked.”
“I’ll take her.” Tsuyu offered. “You go finish your test.”
“Very well. I’ll inform the instructor.”
“Get well, Ochako.” Izuku added.
Ochako smiled. He was such a cute and kind boy.
“I will.”
With that, the stoic boy and Izuku walked away and Tsuyu was left alone with Ochako.
They both crossed the courtyard in silence. Ochako was afraid to say something out of place and make Tsuyu mad. She couldn’t afford more embarrassments that day.
She still coughed every few seconds to get out even more water. She didn’t even remember to drink any water.
And every time, Tsuyu patted her back. For the fifth time since they left the dock.
When Ochako turned to apologize to Tsuyu, she interrupted.
“I wouldn’t be able to jump if I didn’t know how to swim. You’re brave.”
“Thank you.”
“I think that’ll give you points in your favor.”
“I really hope so.”
༄ ༄ ༄ ༄ ༄
The same old nurse that helped her before, Miss Shuzenji, cursed the moment she saw Ochako. She left a few towels and checked Ochako’s temperature, heart rate, and pressed a metal device on her back to listen to her lungs as she breathed. Then left to continue the medical tests for a bunch of other candidates.
The woman couldn’t seem to catch a break, and she made sure to let everybody know with her incessant complains under her breath.
“Good to know you’re all right.”
“I’m sorry for taking you all the way here for nothing.”
“I don’t mind. This is better than watching all those candidates’ whines.”
“Those platforms are really scary, though.”
Tsuyu, to Ochako’s surprise, nodded her head.
“They are. But how can you expect to fight a war if you can’t even dare to jump?”
War.
Ochako hadn’t thought about it before. She wanted to help others, and her family, through this job; she never thought about fighting other people. If it will bring the same feeling as when she was on top of that platform, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to do it.
But it was too late to back out.
And she wanted to try either way.
If she could help people like Izuku did, then it was worth it.
The test ended a few minutes later, and they were all sent home, with the promise of a letter that told them of their success or rejection.
The guy in the suit took a carriage home after they reached the gates, and said his goodbyes. It made sense he was a nobleman; with the way he acted and his clothes of excellent material.
He even let Ochako keep his jacket and give it back on their first day as official sailors. He had much too faith in her. And, despite her attempts at giving it back, she kept it in the end.
On the way home, Ochako walked alongside many other candidates. Some she recognized from her village or the exam itself; like the green haired boy, who walked, aided by a cane, in utter silence, with a blonde boy by his side.
He had his shoulders tense, and his eyes diverted to the blonde every time he moved. Wary of his actions.
Ochako walked up to them and greeted Izuku.
“Ochako! You live at west too?” He stuttered.
“I do! I live in a town two hours from here.”
Izuku made a funny sound, that made him turn all red, and cleared his throat before he answered.
“Kacchan and I live here in the port, it’s a thirty-minute walk to our houses.”
His whole hand shook as pointed at the blonde, who let out a grunt and quickened his pace to get ahead of them.
“Is he angry? Did he not do well on the tests?”
“Oh no, he definitely did! I’m positive he’ll be the one with the best score. He just doesn’t fancy to hang out with me.”
“I see…” Ochako’s eyes diverted to the wooden cane that carried Izuku’s weight as he walked. “Are you hurting?”
Izuku tensed up. “Oh, this?” He moved the cane. “I… I just sprained my ankle, but I’ll be fine… I need to take a turn here; but good luck with the results, I know you’ll get in.” He said and didn’t wait for an answer before he rushed to his blonde friend, and walked behind him.
Ochako found that all weird, but she shouldn’t inquire in other’s relationships.
༄ ༄ ༄ ༄ ༄
She had to talk to her parents as soon as she got home.
They ran to hug her muttering all the worries she left them with and brought her inside their house.
With all of them sat at the dining table, Ochako explained where she’s been and why.
Her parent’s expressions dropped. Her mom burst crying, blurting out that Ochako wasn’t cut out for the Navy, that she would get herself hurt.
But Ochako was no weak woman, she wasn’t a fragile Lady to be protected. She, who had always been told she could accomplish what she put effort on, was going to be a marine, for her parents. They needed that, despite how her parents loved to tell themselves otherwise.
Theirs was the only home freezing during cold winters, while others had brand new heaters; her days that began before the sun was out and ended hours after it hid, always checking on whatever their Lords could need, harvesting their crops and gaining barely enough coins to buy the same vegetables they picked up from the ground with their own hands.
Her mother could never get enough clothes, it was cheaper for her father to drink at a tavern than fix their cookstove, and Ochako herself hadn’t taste a hot meal since she was a child.
They needed the money. They needed Ochako.
So, she convinced her parents, and they waited for the mail to arrive. They had never received any letters, nobody had anything they’d like to share with them; and they couldn’t reply, either way, the fee to send a letter was far too high.
After a week of agonizing pain, when every day felt an exact copy of the one before; but longer, slower, intolerable…
Ochako’s family received their first letter; sealed with the symbol of the Navy on blue wax.
With a kitchen knife, Ochako opened the envelope. She almost forgot to breathe as she eyed the letter.
“You have been accepted.” Her father murmured behind her.
Ochako turned with her voice stuck in her throat.
She made it.