I saw your pictures online. Did you really go to a concert? – Dad

The text came through the next afternoon. Every muscle cried out in faint pain, sore from the previous night. The worst was her feet. Even though they had been cushioned by the sand, her soles didn't appreciate the nearly three hours of jumping in place amongst her friends. After three songs, enjoyment had overtaken her still dormant tension and dancing and half-singing with her friends had become priority in her mind. Many of the songs were covers so she had known a few of them, and it had given her a sore throat the next morning. But it was one she was proud to have and nursed it with a cup of tea. Pep guiding her feet, she floated through the day brightly and had a newfound affection for all those who had joined her that night. Several pictures had been snapped and Kairi was proud enough to finally post a few online, tagging her friends in them all. Of course, Aoyama snapped hundreds of photos and only deemed a fourth of them good enough to go online.

I did! It was rough at first, but my friends really encouraged me and I had so much fun! – Kairi.

She sent off the text in front of the glowing blue glass in front of her, awed by the large unusual fish that floated in front of them. After the stress of the day, the group unanimously agreed on relaxing activities. Kairi easily said yes to the large aquarium the island was apparently famous for – staring at fish was relaxing and she had several as a child. Of course, the several was because she couldn't keep them alive, but they were calming to look at.

They sound like a wonderful group of friends. I'm glad you've found your herd. Hope you're still having fun! – Dad.

I am! We're at an aquarium right now! – Kairi.

Oh no. Did you tell the staff you have a secret quirk where fish instantly die in your presence and you may be a hazard?

Dad! I'm putting away my phone now and ignoring you!

Only a half truth, she dismissed the messages her father sent and decided to flip through her friends' posts from the previous night. Kairi stopped in front of the plaque providing detail information about the magnificent tropical two-wing fish. Though a "flying fish" was not something often seen, the memories of the concert were intense and exhilarating enough to distract her from them. A picture of her playfully cringing as Tsu raised her long tongue to wave at the singer (which actually got him to wave to her!), Momo giving her a side hug, Iida photobombing what would otherwise have been a nice picture of her with Izuku and Uraraka, Aoyama looking far more glamorous than she deep into the night as sweat began to run her eyeliner, and a picture Shoto caught of her screaming with the rest of the crowd. He didn't post often, but he had said he liked to now and then for his mother's benefit. She liked to see what he was up and he would keep her updated through it. It was a picture he had taken, on his account, of Kairi getting into the music and the happiest of screams.

-Concert at the beach was decent. Nice to see my friend moodyriri enjoying herself.

Heart flipped and then mellowed. He had taken other pictures, many of them of the raucous crowd around them, a few of their other friends. Only one of them, however, had he also included himself in the picture. She huffed and rolled her eyes at the poor choice, but couldn't ignore the warm elation it stirred in her. The only picture he had taken that night where he included himself had been with her, and it unclasped a little bit of her pride. There was the small issue of it being a rather unflattering picture. That was nearing the end of the night when the stage lights caught the beaded sweat on her face in the most tragic way, her make up fading and face red from jumping around so much. At least her smile was decent, even if her eyes caught some glare that made her look like a hell spawn.

-With moodyriri.

She grinned brightly.

"What beautiful fish!" Aoyama said, hands pressed against the sides of his face in wonder further down on the aquarium course. "Uraraka, would you like it if I took a picture of you and Midoriya in front of these fish? It would make for the perfect background!"

"Sure, but why those fish?" she asked, the green-haired boy following close behind her.

"I just think they are wonderful!" he told with a cheeky glint. The two of them walked closer and paused in front of the tank where he stood. Kairi looked over to get a lance of the pale colored fish, small and yet some of them twice as long as most of them. She moved closer to get a better look at the oddly shaped longer ones and then giggled. A peek at the descriptor plaque threw her hand in front of her mouth before she burst out laughing. They weren't longer fish. They were two fish, lips pushed against each other. The fish were called Kissing gouramis.

"These fish are kissing!" Izuku exclaimed.

"Which is why it will be an adorable picture!" Aoyama said.

"Let's just pick a different fish! Let's find a big one!" Uraraka quickly offered, and the debate continued as Kairi moved along, passing Tsu staring intently at a separate frog tank as if she were trying to have a conversation with them. Momo and Iida were drawn in by the colorful designs of the tortoises. Shoto stood one tank over, a displayed that covered the rainbow of coral and reefs and housed smaller fish that liked to hide in therm. The anemones waved hypnotically through the seemingly luminescent water and he was almost transfixed. Kairi leaned against the glass next to them.

"It's fascinating what a world lies beneath us," she began, scanning over the yellow fronds and the pink bulbs at array beyond the glass. "It's kind of terrifying that this exists. We could just plunge into the water and swim for hours, run into this and some unknown creature could take us down."

"Good thing you're here right?" he smirked, dazed by the dancing waves of color. "No need to fear the water with you here." Kairi giggled and bit her lip.

"I mean I suppose... There's more dangers than drowning though. It's not just the water. Eaten, poison, there's a number of terrifying things the ocean holds."

"I suppose that's true," he sighed. "As powerful as it is, that doesn't stop people from wanting to learn about it and spend years devoting time and attention to it. Maybe not everyone can appreciate it, but there are those who can. Powerful, but some people still enjoy it and feel more at home around it."

"You mean mermaids?" she snorted. "That's a myth." His expression challenged her.

"80% of the population has quirks and you think there isn't a single person who has some mermaid quirk?"

"I want to know who they are and ask them if they're planning on ignoring everything they were told by their parents in pursuance of love at first sight. Because if so, I am very concerned and I can even prepare a musical number for them." Shoto gave a blank stare but the eventual smirk gave his amusement away.

"I hope you can sing then."

"Not a note, which is why I hope they aren't stupid to chase an unrealistic story like that. It ended badly."

"She ended up with him at the end!"

"The Disney version," Kairi corrected. "The original version ends with her killing herself and turning into seafoam."

"I thought she returned to the air and was given a chance to redeem her soul by doing good deeds."

"That doesn't change the fact she died!" Kairi scoffed. "Not a very inspirational ending if you ask me. Maybe if she had decided to just stay away and not chase such childish dreams, she wouldn't have perished and lived for a long time."

"Did we read the same story? You said the original, right? I thought she sacrificed everything for the prince and he still rejected her. Wouldn't the fault be on the prince?"

"That doesn't obligate him to love her. She should have realized that she may love him with her whole heart but that doesn't mean he has to return that love."

"No, but he claimed he would only love the one who saved him, and she resembled her. He chose the other woman because she also looked like her. Meaning that his love was based on looks and nothing meaningful like personality. So he never loved either."

"Such was marriage in those times," Kairi shrugged. "Power, politics, status... it was only just beginning to shift."

"And sometimes in these times," Shoto huffed, and stiffened. Her chest dropped with her guilt.

"Oh Shoto, I didn't mean..."

"I know, it's fine," he said quietly, distracted by the cornflower water envelope the bursting of vibrancy of the oceanic garden.

"I guess I didn't expect you had such strong opinions about an old fairy tale about love."

"I don't. It was the part about the mermaid giving up her life, her home, her comforts, her family, sacrificing and compromising everything in her life to give happiness to a man who chose not to love her," Shoto responded firmly, voice dropping quieter. Kairi extended a hand and pressed it to his shoulder. "He took everything without thinking about what it would do to her."

"I'm sorry, I guess I didn't think about it that deeply."

"No, it isn't your fault. You simply were making a joke. And a point. Ignore me." Kairi pulled her fingers in to form a fist, then slammed it playfully into his right shoulder blade. Of course, his muscular build prevented any impact from being made. He smirked and looked about. "I think a feather fell on my shoulder."

"Oh haha, Kairi is weak, yes, yes," she sarcastically chortled. "I'm aware you could take me in a fight. I believe we already tested that theory."

"You might move too quickly for me to catch you."

"Only because I have less muscles that allow me to fit in small places." Shoto clicked his tongue and blinked rapidly.

"So first you felt bad and now you're making jokes about the incident?"

"If you're going continue to stamp into me that I had nothing to do with then I've decided to go the other route and decide that I wouldn't have had to do such a thing if you didn't work so hard on your physique." His bottom lip fell open and eyes fell upward, confused and searching. His brow knitted.

"Hold on, Kairi. Are you... seriously saying that... it's an issue that I have... too many muscles?"

"Who easily slipped through that passage? Izuku and I. Who's the most muscular of us? You. I'm no expert but..." As she left the question hanging, Shoto's hand rubbed his forehead.

"You think I'm..." His voice vanished.

"I'm sorry did that sea witch from the mermaid story cut out your tongue too? Have you forgotten what words are, Shoto?"

"You know, when you're not being shy, you're kind of annoying," he teased, sharing an expression with her that told her just how done he was with her remarks.

"Yeah, imagine what it was like with my father for all those years when I had no friends and could only speak to him."

"Poor Mr. Hoshino..." Shoto stared at the glass in disbelief, tousling his glistening white and fire red waves with the shake of his head. Kairi pouted playfully and waved a hand in front of his nose.

"Awww, is Mr. Shoto Todoroki still butt hurt by the muscle comment?"

"It's shocking is all. I realize I am generalizing, but it's simply how society has manipulated me to think... but I never thought I would hear a girl complain about a guy having muscles."

"What, you're upset you're not hot stuff to every lady in the world?" she snickered, as the voices of the others echoed with their catching up to them. "You're upset that there's someone who isn't completely mad for your rolling biceps and abs?" Shoto groaned at her dramatic mocking. "Would it help if I pretended to be smitten?" She clasped her hands together and held them flirtatiously under her chin. Already seeing where this was heading, his reflection in the glass showed her his rolling eyes before he broke away from the tank. "Oh Shoto! Your muscles are so dreamy! I wish I could just melt into your firm and bulging arms!"

"I get the point, Kairi."

"Oh what a man you are, Shoto Todoroki! What with your rippling ridges falling right over your chest!" He began to quicken his pace while Kairi ran after him acting every bit the lovesick schoolgirl to mock him.

"I think I'm going to get sick."

"How I would love to just tear away that shirt and let my fingers caress-"

"Now I am going to get sick."

"And explore every bulging-"

"Kairi, you are getting really weird now. Please stop. Point taken, thank you very much. The sharks are up ahead, how would you like a really close look? Perhaps the staff can grant you the privilege of allowing you to take a dip into the tank while I make sure they lock it behind you. Eventually they will get hungry."

"Nah, they wouldn't like me," Kairi shifted, not missing a beat. "It's all the snacks, they wouldn't like overly preserved human meat." He ran his fingers through his mess of hair, allowing pieces to fall in his face. Exasperated eyes stared at the ground as a gentle chuckle broke through his lips.

"To think, you seemed like such a sweet, quiet girl when you first joined out class. Now I know better – never trust the quiet ones. They will turn out to be snarky and never give you a moment of peace."

"I'm sweet!" Kairi pouted. "Did you forget? Snacks!" Chuckled hard enough to almost be boisterous, Shoto patted her shoulder affectionately as they slowed and let the others catch up to them.

"I can't believe you made us take that picture in front of those fish!" Uraraka chided Aoyama.

"It would have turned out so cute if you hadn't looked so awkward! You could have even posed like the fish..." Aoyama grieved, swiping his finger across his glittering phone case.

"We said no!" Uraraka said, bright cherry face matching Izuku's, who held a tight awkward smile.

"Hey, Shoto is already throwing me in the shark tank, you want me to take Aoyama too?" Kairi spat back, throwing a charming smile at them.

"Why is he throwing you in the shark tank?" Momo said with blinking eyes.

"Because apparently I'm a terrible actor who's also annoying." Flickering eyelashes attempted to give Kairi a more innocent expression.

"Neither of those seem like you!" Iida offered kindly.

"Aww! See, Shoto!" Kairi cooed.

"You've never seen her act," Shoto grumbled. Tsu gasped and retreated from them, flying to one last terrarium before the concourse diverted to the large tanks where the exceptionally large sea creatures and sharks were housed. An electric blue amphibian perched itself under a warm lamp, just behind his glass barricade. Tsu smiled sweetly as she raised her phone in front of her face, snapping another photo with the blue frog.

"Have you taken a photo with every frog you've seen in this place?" Izuku asked. Tsu nodded proudly.

"Yep, and sending every one to my parents to say I'm at a family reunion." They engaged in a hearty group laughter at her comment. Uraraka continued to scold Aoyama for what she thought was a distasteful joke, as Izuku awkwardly fretted behind the two of them. Their amusement weaved through the tunnel, pooling in Kairi til she spilled over in her elated emotion. The overspill of her quirk echoed beyond her friends, filling the aquarium with joy.