Chapter Text
Mei nursed her throbbing black eye with a zip loc bag of ice cubes, her head rolled back against her couch to stare at the ceiling. She let out a short sigh and glanced towards where her mother stood in their living room.
“Are you even listening to me?” She hissed, a hand on her hip in what was intended to be an intimidating pose. Mei could only scoff at it.
“Not particularly,” She muttered in response, adjusting the position of the ice on her eye. Mei wasn’t bothered by her mother’s mood, the disappointment and anger was a typical response to whatever Mei was doing. And like usual, her mother let out a short sigh and her lips pressed together in a tight line that indicated she wanted Mei to know how she was feeling.
“I was saying if you get into one more fight I’ll take you out of UA,” Her mother hissed, her arms moving to fold over her chest. “This goes for the rest of your high school career.” Mei sat up quickly, a stabbing pain going through her head at the movement.
“ What? ” Mei spat, her eyebrows furrowed and eyes wide. “You’re kidding.” Her mother didn’t respond. Mei stood up, and approached her.
“Mom, I already applied. They accepted me. I start in a week. You can’t do this. This is my future we’re talking about,” Mei continued, laughing a little at the incredulity. She ran a hand through her hair and backed away upon seeing a familiar glint in her mother’s eyes.
“You wouldn’t have a future without me . I am your mother , and I decide what you do and don’t do. Despite what you may think, your actions do have consequences, Aimei. One more fight, one more scuffle, even a hint of an argument, and I’ll call UA immediately,” She stated in a low tone. She stalked away and left Mei alone in the living room in shock.
Mei began laughing and pinched the bridge of her nose. “She’s finally lost it.” Mei mumbled under her breath once she knew her mother was out of earshot. The sound of footsteps made Mei jump, and she turned defensively to the sound.
“Relax, it’s me. The yelling died down so I figured it wouldn’t end the world if I came in,” Kia, Mei’s sister, said. Mei’s shoulders fell and she huffed.
“Maybe speak before sneaking into no-mans-land next time,” Mei replied dryly and walked over to where Kia stood in the doorway of the living room. They walked together upstairs to their shared room.
“It’s more fun to see you flinch,” Kia shrugged, a small smile tugging up the side of her face. Mei rolled her eyes and bumped shoulders with her, then immediately winced. Trying to roll eyes with a busted eye wasn’t the best idea. Kia glanced quickly at her, probably hoping Mei wouldn’t notice.
“How’d you get that one?” Kia asked, pointing her thumb casually at Mei’s black eye and the ice still pressed against it. Kia and Mei filed into their room, Mei shutting it behind them without a sound. They both sat on their respective beds that were positioned across the room from each other.
“I was on my walk and saw some jerk being a shit and messing with another guy at the park for no reason. I told him to knock it off, he said no, and it escalated from there. You know how it goes,” Mei shrugged. Kia laughed softly and shook her head.
“I love you Mei, but even I have to admit that fighting everyone for any wrongdoing you see isn’t always the best idea,” Kia told her, sending her an apologetic look. Mei’s lips twisted into a frown and she looked away from her sister.
“I don’t mean to. It just…happens. People shouldn’t piss me off. Then I wouldn’t get into fights,” Mei muttered and laid on her bed with a huff. Kia sighed and sat quietly before lying down as well.
Mei fiddled with the ice bag in her hand, the condensation having wetted her hand, making it slippery. She really didn’t go into situations intending to get into fights. She just got so frustrated when she saw people being dicks that she couldn’t help getting involved. And most times it ended in punches being exchanged.
Part of her loved the sick feeling of redemption when she saw whatever asshat was being a jerk back down after a few punches. Another part of her worried that hitting the bullies just made her a bigger bully. That latter feeling would usually dissipate after Kia would reprimand her with hidden pride in her eyes.
“Only one more week ,” Kia spoke into the silence. Mei turned over to face Kia, a smile creeping onto her face.
“One more week. Then we start our dream school, become badass heroes, move out of this hellhole, and kick ass in the real world,” Mei responded, her chest feeling lighter when she saw a similar smile mirrored on Kia’s face. Kia chuckled and rolled her eyes.
“Those last few things might not be happening in a week, but we at least start school,” She corrected with a wry grin.
“Whatever, the time will fly. We should join clubs or something too, to stay after school longer,” Mei suggested, propping herself up on her arm.
“Well, obviously. The issue is what clubs to join. I bet there’s loads,” Kia mused, her gaze traveling to the ceiling in thought. The two girls continued discussing their plans for the upcoming school year, the mood slowly lifting. A fragile sense of hope.
••••••••••••••••
“What the hell, Mei?!” Kia shouted, stumbling out of the door as her sister shoved her outside.
“Sorry, sorry, sorry!” Mei yelled in response, picking her up frantically to keep her from falling onto the concrete. The weight of Kia’s body over Mei’s shoulder slowed her momentum slightly but did nothing to dissuade her mood. First day of school. But not any school. First day at UA, Japan’s most prestigious hero school. And she couldn’t wait to get out of that damn house and into her future.
“Dude, put me down,” Kia groaned, writhing in her sister’s grip. Mei obliged and let her go, allowing Kia to slide off and stand on her own. Mei then promptly grabbed Kia’s hand and began tugging her quickly down the sidewalk towards the nearest train station.
Kia complained all the way, claiming they would arrive before any of the teachers set foot on campus. Mei dismissed her concerns, telling Kia they could explore the grounds if all else failed. They bickered wryly back and forth until they reached the station. They boarded the train going to UA with Mei bouncing on her heels and Kia rolling her eyes, squished in tighter than a tin of sardines.
Mei spotted a flash of familiar red through the crowd, and she followed it with her eyes till she found the source. It was a tie, a bright red one. And came with it was a girl in a uniform identical to the ones Mei and Kia were wearing. A UA uniform.
Mei got Kia’s attention and gestured to where the girl stood holding onto a pole. The girl had light pink hair cut in a stylish pixie cut. Her skin was a light pink as well, barely a shade darker than her hair. She was turned around, but Mei struggled to weave her way through the forest of people to get near to her. Mei could hear a sigh behind her as Kia followed closely after.
After muttering a handful of apologies and stepping on a couple toes, Mei was finally near enough to the girl to attempt a conversation. She reached a hand up and politely tapped on the girls shoulder.
“Excuse me, I can’t help but notice you’re wearing a UA uniform. Are you a first year too?” Mei asked as the girl turned around to face her. She had deep black eyes. Not the color, no. What should’ve been the whites of her eyes were black. It was a striking yet beautiful difference from the pastel coloring of her skin and hair. Her irises were a bright yellow, electric and vibrant.
“I am!” The girl responded excitedly, her eyes lighting up. “My name is Mina Ashido.” She grinned and introduced herself.
“I’m Nakajima Mei,” Mei smiled broadly, and then stuck a thumb behind her to point at Kia. “This is Nakajima Kiaria. We’re both first years at UA together.”
Mina smiled and waved at where Kia was stuck behind Mei. Kia waved hesitantly back, before looking back out the window of the train. Mei’s smile twisted sideways and she snickered lightly.
“Don’t mind her, she’s shy. She’ll never admit it but I think she’s scared of people,” Mei joked lightheartedly, her voice at a pretend whisper tone. Kia heard of course and only jabbed her sister in the back instead of responding to the statement.
Mina laughed and waved her hands. “Don’t worry about it. I don’t get my feelings hurt that easily. Although I am curious, are you two sisters? Cousins?”
“Sisters, twins actually. But not identical. Obviously,” Mei said wryly, motioning towards the clear difference in appearance. Kia had long, dark gray hair that looked almost metallic in the light. Bright, wide, golden eyes that were actually quite similar to Mina’s, and a very elegant face altogether.
Mei, on the other hand, was much rougher at first glance. Light purple, messy, short hair that was usually haphazardly tied back into a half-up half-down style, with vividly green eyes encased in narrow lids. She often had cuts and bruises on her body and face from various fights and accidents, and had a toned figure in comparison to Kia’s slender limbs.
“Actually I can see the resemblance!” Mina nodded, looking between the two sisters. “You guys have the same nose and cheekbones. Are you guys in the same class too?”
“Surprisingly, yes,” Mei told her. “When we took the entrance exams and everything we knew there was a high chance we wouldn’t be in the same class, let alone get into the school. But we were lucky.”
“Lucky or cursed?” Kia muttered behind her, earning an elbow poke from Mei. Kia only snickered at this which of course convinced Mei she needed another jab.
“Even if it gets annoying being lumped together due to the twin thing, it’s nice to know there’s someone I know at UA in class with me. It’s kind of an intimidating school, isn’t it?” Mei chatted, leaning against the pole Mina was holding onto. Mina nodded in agreement, adjusting her backpack straps on her shoulders.
“It is. Especially for the Hero Course. That’s what I’m going for. What about you two?”
Mei’s face lit up and she felt her eyes widen.
“That’s what we’re going for too! What class are you in?” Mei asked, clasping Mina’s hands in her own out of excitement.
“1-A! What are you?”
“No way. We’re in 1-A too!” Mei exclaimed, and the volume got her a few dirty looks from nearby passengers. Mei ignored them, too wrapped up in the moment. Mina and Mei enthusiastically began discussing their exams, their thoughts about the school, and various other subjects as the train rolled on. About halfway through Kia felt compelled to join the conversation, interjecting occasionally when she felt so inclined.
The infinitesimal amount of leftover worry Mei had for the school year quickly faded as she spoke more with Mina. The two girls got along well, their energetic personalities matching easily as they talked quickly about the upcoming day. Kia even seemed to become more comfortable as the time went on.
Mei felt a strong sense of satisfaction at knowing that if this girl was a good example of what she was to expect, she wouldn’t have any problems at the new school. Putting aside academics at least. She was going to succeed and show anyone that ever doubted her that they were wrong. She swore it.