The air was cool and dry as it breezed over the grass and the river she sat by. It fluttered through her violet tinged hair, caressing it, as the long strands danced in front of her vision. She closed her amethyst eyes, taking a deep breath in as she let her mind wander- an action she rarely took delight in. The scent of the salty water and the earthy grass entwined with the lithe, whimsical movements of the wind darted directionlessly, picking up the stray orange and yellow leaves that had ripened under the autumn sunlight. They twirled around her in an ephemeral waltz, temporarily relieving her of her inner turmoil. The crashing of waves along the side of the river bank and the rustling of the leaves allowed her a short respite from the craze of her life; it felt like zen for a short while. Somewhere in the corners of her senses, she could feel the children's laughter and their footsteps some meters behind her as they entertained themselves on a playground. Their shrieks of joy echoed through the air in an uncomfortable frequency, causing her to wince back into reality.
'You didn't sense me coming.' A deeper, slower timbre rang through the space.
She didn't need to turn around to know who had approached her. She merely stared ahead with half-lidded eyes, unwilling to acknowledge the vibration that she could only assume to be disappointment. The purposeful inhalation into a sigh produced a ring that she was very well acquainted with. The shuffling of his worn clothes and shift in weight from one foot to the other foretold the conversation that would come; she pursed her lips together in slight annoyance.
'Koe.'
She turned her head to face him, her deep purple eyes bore into his black ones. The silvery, purple hair tinged girl's expression was still and apathetic. Her nose, while not tall was well shaped and rounded and her lips weren't too big or small but a balance of both. Her jawline was quite narrow, giving her the appearance of a heart-shaped face. A lone scar that ran down the right side of her lips was the only thing that marred her pale, smooth skin. Her wild, lose wisps of hair continued to flutter through the wind as the pair stared at each other. Her breath came out in puffs of condensation that produced a rather pleasant timbre, in her opinion.
Aizawa Shota stared at her impassively, his hands stuffed down the pockets of his black pants. Koe looked absolutely radiant under the sun, although it didn't matter what time of day it was- she was so pale, she almost seemed to glow near any light source and her white clothes didn't help her case. The thirteen year old that carefully rose to her feet appeared absolutely fragile. Beyond her thin appearance, her frame was also tiny, at a height of 5'. To any passerby, they might assume she wasn't eating enough. Aizawa made a mental note of it as he motioned from whence he came.
'Lets go.'
The silvery haired girl followed close behind him, by his right arm. She eyed his sleeve, resisting the temptation to reach forward and grab it. Her hair was getting so long, it grazed her rear as it swayed in the wind. She idly wondered about getting a hair cut as her bangs had long since been outgrown and now splashed about her face. The teen followed in silence, her fingers tracing the end of a pair of earphones hidden in her jacket pocket. The innumerable vibrations, tones, and timbres began to get louder as they approached the crowded street to a black car that was parked across the street. Koe closed her eyes as they entered the vehicle to try to control the craze of hustling and bustling of the city they were about to re-enter. From within, she tried to focus on the movements of the outside world- how fast the car was traveling of the movement of the clouds in the sky. Everything was so alive…but so out of reach. She exhaled wistfully, continuing her silent study.
It didn't take long for the car stopped in front of a small, modest restaurant with sliding wooden doors. Decorative burnt orange lanterns hung from the outside of the small entrance, creating a warm atmosphere. Wordlessly, Aizawa Shota got out of the front seat, glancing back to make sure the young girl followed suit. He lead her through those wooden doors, sliding them open with a single hand, keeping the other stuffed in his pocket. She silently followed, being sure to close the door behind her.
'Welcome!' A high pitched frequency rang as the pair walked in, 'Please take a seat anywhere!'
The restaurant was very cozy, only seating about two dozen people. It was simple in its design with the counter and welcome area to the left, right by the entrance and a straight, cushioned bench that extended all the way back of the room with tables and chairs next to it. Koe peered around, taking the cushioned seat after Aizawa Shota sat in the chair. Two menus were promptly given to them with another warm welcome, leaving them alone in silence once more. The purple eyed teen tentatively grabbed a menu, scanning the food items. Her counterpart did not such thing, as his eyes glanced over, behind the kitchen in an almost lazy manner.
'Katsu-don?' He murmured in a pitch that any normal person wouldn't be able to make out.
She nodded quickly, pleased that he understood so well. A ghost of a smile traced over his lips as he called out their orders.
The crunch of the pork cutlet was a cacophony of close quarter vibrations that tickled her train in a delightful manner. Other than the delicious aroma and flavors that permeated her taste buds, she loved the textural variety the meal had to offer and Aizawa Shoto was thoroughly aware. The many years he had taken care of her served as proof of that. He also knew that what he was going to tell her next may not roll over too well.
'Koe.'
The girl abruptly ceased her munching, her wide eyes looking up to meet his.
'I enrolled you in UA. Your first day will be a week from today.' His tone came off as-a-matter-of-factly. She didn't like it.
The teenager narrowed her eyes ever so slightly in displeasure as she slowly and purposefully tilted her head to the side questioningly.
'It will help you gain a better handle on your quirk. The classes you'll be taking with the addition of other students to spar with will give you a sense of what the rest of the world is like.'
Koe bit her lower lip in unspoken frustration as she lowered her utensils. She could feel his gaze softening from under her lashes as she adverted her eyes downward at her unfinished food.
'Don't worry,' His tone was a little more tender than before, 'You'll be my class.'
The one week passed quicker than she would have liked. Koe's frown deepened as she tugged at the grey skirt she was wearing. It was far too short for her liking and the red tie that was around her neck made her feel like she was being strangled; she did not like this uniform. Glumly, she stared at herself in the mirror, trying to adjust the wear as best she could. Aizawa Shota found her the smallest size the school had to offer and it still hung quite loosely to her body. Her bosom barely filled out the shirt while the skirt had to be tightened all the way on her slim waist. In an attempt to cover up some more skin, she wore the longest black socks she owned, ones that came half way up her thighs. Her light hair slung down her shoulders unceremoniously as she decided not to do anything with it this particular day. Glancing at her face once more, her eyes gleaned over her lips; she had decided to wear a light pink lip tint- one of the sheerest colors she could get away with that could cover the scar she deemed ugly. Downstairs, she could feel his slow footsteps pattering towards the kitchen, most likely for his usual morning cup of coffee. Sighing, she grabbed her bag and quietly made her way out of her small room and down the stairs. The car ride to the school was quiet as it was early in the morning...or was it because her guardian had taken a quiet route? She wasn't sure because she was never with him when he went to go teach at this school. The teenager was always terrified of going to schools on her own that it was difficult to send her anywhere crowed by herself.
The UA school was extremely clean and neat. The grounds were absolutely enormous and the school building itself could pass for an office building instead. There were four large, glass windowed buildings connected by a small corridor in the middle of the first two. The overall building appeared perhaps because it was slightly tinted. Koe stared at the school grounds, nearly gaping as she tailed Aizawa Shouta through the front gates. The frequency the walls gave off quickly caught her attention as they were unlike anything she had ever felt before. Her eyes traced over the seemingly innocuous gates, narrowing her eyes slightly; she'd have to take a closer look later. There were many students on school grounds despite the early hours- more people than she had anticipated. Keeping her head down, she merely followed her now teacher as close as she could without touching him before he turned a corner and made an abrupt stop. She peeked up through her hair to see that he had turned to face her.
'The principal wants to meet you first. His room is all the way down the hall.' His timbre was brusque as it usually was- a tone that wasn't helping her nervousness.
Aizawa Shota motioned down the hall on the second floor they were on, patiently waiting until the purple eyed teen caught onto where he was pointing at.
'My classroom is here.' He pointed right up at the sign that read: 1-A, above a gargantuan door, 'Come back when you're done.'
She stared at him with obvious discomfort etched into her eyes as she chewed on her lower lip.
'You won't hurt him.' His response was calm and patient.
Glancing at him one more time, she turned on her heels and avoided the eyes of numerous other students that stared at her as she walked by. The hallway felt much longer than it seemed with all the bodies she had to navigate around. She stopped right in front of the door, her fists balling her by her sides to steel her nerves. Before she could even raise a hand to knock, a rather friendly aura buzzed through the air.
'Come in!' It said, in a frequency she could on describe as "squeaky".
Hesitantly, she opened the door to reveal a white rat creature on a swiveled chair behind a desk too large for him- in fact everything was too large for him in this normal sized room from the chair he sat in to the books on the desk. He had a scar over his right eye but looked overall nonthreatening. She studied his vibe- it had a familiarity to it that she couldn't quite place. He obviously had a mutant-type quirk but one she wasn't entirely sure of.
'Koe-chan!' His mouth moved to match the words he spoke, 'My, how long it's been!'
She blinked slowly, not quite understanding where he was going with his conversation topic.
'I see Aizawa-kun has taken great care of you!'
Koe's eyes widened significantly at the way he spoke of her father-figure.
Fire. Fire was the first thing should could remember. The fire was everywhere except around her. She was screaming and crying at the top of her lungs but she couldn't see or hear anything. What happened? One moment she was in the car with her favorite nursery rhyme playing and now this. Why was this happening? It hurts! Everything hurts! Her arms, her legs, her head, it HURT. She screamed again, louder this time, the flames flaring in response.
A gentle brush of wind coaxed the fires around her out. The refreshing breeze brought her down from sobbing to a quiet sniffle. Everything was blurry! So blurry…
She could vaguely make out some figures in the distance approaching her. Were those adults? Would they help me?
She could feel the thrumming of their footsteps and their heartbeats getting louder as they came closer. Through the soot and ash that crusted her face, she could make out the first three people that stepped forward. The first was a large, muscular tan man with blond hair whose bangs seemed to defy gravity. He was in a skin tight blue suit with various white and red stripes and markings. The second was eclipsed by the size of the first but most likely a normal height with medium length dark hair, overall black attire with some strange looking scarf around his neck. The third was a much shorter, white figure…a grandpa?
The large, first man scared her. Mama and Papa always told her to be wary of foreigners- wait. Where was Mama and Papa?
She frantically looked around her surroundings in bewilderment, her palms ached as they pressed against the burning asphalt she sat on, it hurt even more so as she pressed her weight forward to turn her body around. They were just here! Her parents were just here but…her large purple orbs slowly traced their way along the line of fire that ended in a metal heap some several feet away. It was still crackling under the fires, the contents inside still burning in the flames. Her respiratory rate picked up significantly in realization that nobody was around her. The space around her shuddered as though feeling her panic. It shook violently, further terrifying her as she let out another loud scream that reverberated through the entire area. The ground beneath her began to etch away as though it was sand in the wind, the black particles disappearing with the breeze. The lamp post she was under quaked over her as that too began to disintegrate from whatever force was pressing on it.
What's going on? Why is this happening?
As quickly as it began, the strange forces stopped. The metal lamp post was punched out of the way of falling onto her in a heart beat and two pairs of feet stopped right in front of her. The black footed person crouched down to examine the two year old; she was a mess. Her vibrant pale hair was scorched and matted, she donned cuts and bruises all over her small body and who knew if she had any broken bones to boot. Her large amethyst eyes were darkened with ashes and soot as was the rest of her. Tear-stains were the only thing that was visible down her face outside of the dirt and dust. She stared at him, her eyes meeting his glowing red ones. His hair standing up as though a breeze was kept under him. The scarf like bandages around his neck were also floating in conjunction with his hair. The young girl continued to sob, squeezing her eyes shut to allow another fresh flow of tears.
"Where's Mama and Pa-" She stopped mid sniffle, her eyes wide open from a stark realization.
Her tiny hands reached over her ears to verify her suspicions- she couldn't hear her own voice. She couldn't hear anything. Why couldn't she hear anything? What happened? Another wave of panic washed over her as she looked at the strangers that had saved her. Her breathing began to pick up again before her hyperventilation was abruptly stopped as she was pulled into an embrace. Her wet, crusted face pressed against the soft black material of a stranger's shirt. She sobbed into this stranger's chest, scared and confused She could feel those around her murmuring. The deep timbre of his voice vibrated through her tiny body, though she couldn't understand what they were saying. This person was warm not so uncomfortably so like the fire was but just enough to keep her injured body at a good temperature. She didn't know how long she was in his arms, minutes? Hours? Time was an uncertainty but she was sure the last thing she remembered hearing was the slow rhythmic beat of his heart that put her into a deep sleep.
Koe shuddered at the sudden and unwelcome flashback.
'Ah, so you remember from all those years ago?' The principal smiled at her realization, folding his hands in front of him on the desk.
It was this person who gifted her with her adopted father- her legal guardian and safety net. The person who had taken care of her the last twelve years through thick and thin. She bowed deeply and gratefully at this person's decision. Unable to express the level of gratitude she was feeling left her a little unsatisfied but she could tell that the principal was more aware.
'I hope you aren't too upset at Aizawa-kun for enrolling you at this school,' He began, 'I was actually the one that suggested it.'
Koe blinked at his statement, puzzled at his statement.
'He had mentioned you having some difficulties with your quirk. This institution can help you with that! I've seen your quirk, during that difficult time in your life when I first met you and I believe you could do great things with your gift. You could use it to help people.'
The teenager chewed at her lip, unsure of how to respond to his words. Of course she had considered the path of a pro-hero but it wasn't something she thought she would actually pursue actively. She was too anxious, too afraid of what she might do to others.
'When I proposed having you join this year's class, Aizawa-kun only had one condition and that was for you to be in his class. I believe I would have put you in there regardless.'
Koe smiled gently through her white eyelashes. She was beginning to see this more as an opportunity than an annoyance as she initially took it as.
'You're joining a little late but that's okay. I believe you'll catch on quickly.' He flashed an encouraging thumbs up at her, his tail standing straight up behind him to match his pose.
The light haired girl stifled another smile, bowing once more but not as deeply this time. She quickly turned around and opened the door to leave the principal's office. She could feel the kind aura beneath him radiating something a little more malicious but she shrugged it off as she lived under the belief that not everybody was perfect, she was a perfect example.
Class started several minutes ago so the hallways were nice and quiet and clear for her to stroll down. The space was clean and spotless, no doubt due to the hard working students that attended this famous school. The windows were so clean, it could fool some people into thinking there wasn't a glass window there. The area behind this unbelievably gargantuan door would be the place where she would spend a lot of time. Through the door, she could feel her father speaking.
'You can't keep saying you can't help it because you can't control your quirk. I don't like saying the same things over and over. As long as you fix the control issue, there's a lot you'll be able to do. Feel a sense of urgency.' He spoke calmly, his tone nearing the point of boredom, 'Now lets get down to homeroom business. There's a new student joining you today.'
Her spine prickled straight as though someone had zapped her. It was almost time for her to step in!
'Come in.'
Koe timidly pushed the door open, walking towards the teacher's desk at the front, stopping right next to pro-hero Eraserhead. Her eyes locked with his momentarily before she turned to face the class. Her fingers were laced together in front of her in a lady-like position. Her back was rigidly straight and she felt supremely uncomfortable with how many pairs of eyes were locked on her.
'Introduce yourself.' He said in a casual timbre.
Hesitantly, she turned around to find a piece of chalk on the ledge of the chalkboard. She very neatly printed her name on the board before bowing at her classmates. It read "Aizawa Koe" in immaculate writing.
Murmurs exploded across the classroom, several students jumping up to wave and greet her eagerly. Unable to match their enthusiasm, she pursed her lips together. She hoped she could get along with these people.
