The first thing that was striking about that girl, at least in Setsuna's mind, was how fucking tall she was.
Granted, this was U.A's recommendation exam. If there was one place where people like her would show up, it would probably probably be here. The boys's part apparently had Endeavor's son and some guy who almost totaled the race track with his tornadoes, so…
...she had to be a foreigner. The features were very much like the ones seen on Hollywood actors and the like, but much more… what was the right word here? Marbly? Probably not it. If someone however told Setsuna that this giant girl – towering over every other participant with her mane of ashen white hair and a still gaze of faded blue eyes, like that of a tranquil sea – was sculpted out of stone, out of pretty white marble, she'd be willing to believe them.
Alright, she could gawk at her incredibly hot schoolmates later. There was a test to be won. "ALRIGHT, LISTENERS! HOPE Y'ALL READY FOR A RUN OF EPIC PROPORTIONS!" Note: gawking at your favorite pros was probably not recommended, but holy shit Present Mic in the flesh. "I AM PLEASED TO HAVE THIS AMAZING AUDIENCE! GET READY TO RUN!"
The written part of the exam was one thing, but now awaited a bigger challenge: an obstacle course over the length of three kilometers. Quirk usage well permitted. Setsuna rolled her shoulder with a sigh. On that field, she was going to lag behind a little bit. She prided herself on her overall form, but that was before her classmates could launch themselves hundreds of meters forward with their flashy powers. Apparently Endeavor Jr. and Tornado Guy cleared their course in a matter of seconds.
Less thinking, more running. "TAKE YOUR PLACES! ON MY MARK…!" And then they were out, racing forward at breakneck pace. The rich girl with an updo ponytail – she arrived here in a limo, for crying out loud – was the one who wasn't running; hers was a more ingenious method by using a… skateboard? When the hell… less thinking, more running.
The first obstacle was a sandpit to jump over. Easy enough. The white marble girl cleared it first with a graceful leap and legs for days. Setsuna was right behind her, separating into a bunch of parts to avoid jumping entirely. The rich girl chose to pole vault the damn thing. Where did she get the pole? Why was she running with her hoodie open? Questions for later. Others lagged behind almost immediately. The lizard prodigy couldn't help but chuckle. She knew this would be tough, and prepared accordingly. It seemed so did the other two.
The second obstacle: a length of monkey bars over a body of water. Another one Setsuna could just cheat through, much to her delight. So could the rich girl – now she was using her momentum to propel herself through the water on a surfboard. The white marble girl chose to go for it the old-fashioned way, clearing two bars with each movement. She ended up third, trailing just behind Setsuna and the rich girl. Much to the lizard's dismay, those long legs to die for made a lot of difference. At the third obstacle they were all going neck-in-neck, seemingly energized by the spirit of competition.
The last obstacle: ball shooters. A softball passed right before Setsuna's nose. An inch further and she would probably go home purple in the face. She opted to simply detach her head and make it float above the shooters's effective range, propelling the rest of her body forward. Such remote control was still something she was working on, but the run here was as straightforward as it could be.
The rich girl used shields now, two sets of heavy European plates to keep her head and upper body safe, though at the cost of some speed. Speaking of her upper body, wow. Like, wow. She lost her hoodie somewhere along the way, so now Setsuna could see how her Quirk worked – she simply conjured items from her body. Talk about a blessing. Well, blessings. Holy shit, were those even real-wait, don't get distracted.
The white marble girl, meanwhile, simply bulldozed through the ball shooters. One of them hit her directly in the neck with such power Setsuna's first instinct was to feel her own. Nothing. She didn't even flinch, didn't make any sound. There was no way to catch her now. There was no way to catch the rich girl either – she switched back to a skateboard immediately once out of range of the balls. Setsuna bit her lip as her head reattached and then surged forward in one final attempt to catch up with them.
She finished third, whole two seconds after the rich girl and three and a half after the white marble, collapsing behind a finish line and struggling to find her breath. Oh fuck, oh shit, that was the hardest she ever pushed herself… and still only third. That was just U.A for you – the cream of the crop as far as Hero Schools went.
"Are you alright, Tokage-san?" The soft voice must have been the rich girl's. She blindly took the hand offered, now able to appreciate the upper class beauty in front of her. Oh goodness, if she wasn't struggling to not black out from sheer exhaustion right now, she'd already have like six pick-up lines available.
"I think I jus'… need a breather… or seven..." She mumbled. "You guys… are amazin'..."
"Oh no, it's nothing special. I just made sure to prepare, is all." Setsuna would probably be angrier with the booby angel propping her up at this word choice if her entire life wasn't flashing before her eyes right now. "Your Quirk is quite amazing, if I may say so myself."
"Heh… oh… sugar honey ice tea..." And then she slumped in the rich girl's grip as consciousness left her.
She awoke in an infirmary bed with a startled gasp.
"Awake already?" The elderly voice came from behind a curtain, revealing a tiny grandma in a white labcoat. Setsuna stared blankly. "It's not even a first day of school and I'm already getting customers."
"...oh, uh… I blacked out?"
"You did." Well, talk about an embarrassing first impression. "I appreciate the effort you put in the recommendation exam, but try not to make it a habit." ...wait, a habit? Setsuna stared even more blankly. The tiny grandma – Recovery Girl, U.A's school nurse – presented a tiny envelope marked with the school's emblem. "I've been authorized to give you this once you come to."
"...ma'am, are you s-saying that… I made it?"
"Fifth and last to make it, yes." ...okay, Endeavor Jr. and Tornado Guy probably took the first two spots, but… did that mean Honenuki didn't make it? That would be a shame. They went to the exam together and all that. "If you are wondering about the details, Young Inasa declined the spot in class for personal reasons. U.A normally only accepts four recommended students in total, but your performances were quite spectacular, if I may say so myself."
"...even in spite of me blacking out like a wuss?"
"Yes."
"Can I voice my extreme joy at my admission?"
"Once I sign you out of the infirmary, yes."
"HONENUKI I MADE IT!"
The skull-faced boy had just enough time to catch a flying childhood friend giggling and squeeing right into his arms. Three merry-go-rounds later Setsuna dropped off, still bouncing in excitement – and just now realizing that Honenuki wasn't on his own. She recognized both the rich girl – Yaoyorozu, was her name – and the white marble girl, standing a little aside from the group.
"Congrats—"
"Oh my god, but I almost didn't! I don't know whether to punch or to kiss that Inasa bloke, honestly!"
"Why not just say "thank you"?" Yaoyorozu suggested, the slight change in her face suggesting that she didn't get Setsuna's struggle with the conundrum. The lizard prodigy pouted.
"I wanted to get in on my own merits, not because he left at the drop of the hat."
"Funny you mention that, apparently he's going to Shiketsu." Honenuki shrugged. "He and Todoroki butted heads for a bit."
"Oh yeah, where's the Lil'deavor?"
"He left as soon as the results came in. A real stick in the mud, honestly." Setsuna grinned. "...oh come on, Tokage, it's a figure of speech—"
"Yeah, good we didn't muddy it up~"
"Godfuckingdamnit, I walked into that one. Uh, sorry, Yaoyorozu."
"Oh no, it's quite alright. I… am having a bit of a trouble processing your conversation with Tokage-san, is all." The white marble girl was silent, eyes idly looking up at the twilight. Maybe she was just shy? Who knew?
"So, what's with the group up?"
"I figured that we can all grab a bite or something, to celebrate us getting into U.A. and all that. Asked Inasa about it, but he said he couldn't possibly join us since he didn't qualify." Setsuna raised an eyebrow.
"I think that's a splendid idea. Even if we do not end up in the same class together, socializing like that can go the long way." Yaoyorozu nodded with a smile. The lizard prodigy stared at the angelic being in front of her before Honenuki elbowed her in the ribs with a chuckle. "Do you have somewhere in mind?"
"Well, there's McDonalds's nearby, if you feel like having a go at American food."
"Can I ask you a question, Maria-san?"
The ashen-haired giantess was identified as Maria Muradasilova, half-Russian, half-German, with a hint of Finnish ancestry. Much to her embarrassment, Setsuna had no idea where Finland even was. Maria spoke little, in no small part thanks to her flimsy grasp of Japanese, taking dainty bites out of her dish of choice.
...how did you even spell Muradasilova? "Yes?" Another reason why, at least in Tokage's mind, she must have spoken so little was due to self-awareness how weak her voice made other people's knees. Yeeeesh. Between her, Yaomomo – a cute nickname Setsuna thought up on a spot, much to Yaoyorozu's flushed embarrassment – and any other classmates she had yet to meet, this was shaping up to be… uh, an interesting three years.
"Why did you not use your Quirk during the test?"
"She didn't?" Honenuki raised an eyebrow. Maria's face was still as she wiped the corners of her mouth with a provided piece of paper. "Wait, how can you tell, Yaoyorozu?"
"Quirk usage takes energy of the user most of the time. I have learned to sense the subtle airshifts that occur during usage. As we remained quite even for most of the race, sensing them was not an issue."
"...huh. Didn't know that was a thing." Quirks without a perceptible effect were rare. Even those with low output and a niche function had some kind of visual representation in how they affected the user or the environment around them. Could Maria have one such Quirk?
The white marble shook her head. "Forlorn Quirk." The other three stared at the foreigner, trying to make sense of that cryptic message.
"...do you dislike using it?" Setsuna suggested with a frown. Their eyes met, and it took her all of her willpower to not have her face redden like a Christmas light. And yet, despite the direct eye contact, it didn't seem like they were actually looking at each other. The white marble wasn't blind, but it seemed like she was gazing somewhere else, an imperceptible void ahead.
"Yes." Maria's eyes left Setsuna's face as she focused on her burger. "Great curse."
"...to think of your Quirk as a curse..." Yaoyorozu seemed sympathetic, but unsure what to do. "I am sorry this befell you."
"I wouldn't worry about it." Honenuki offered a smile of his own. "There are some weird Quirks out there, but it's not like you can't use them for good. I mean, I can soften things. Seems innocuous enough, but you know what they say about creativity."
"Oh, or what about Best Jeanist?" Setsuna suggested, trying to get back into the spirit of things. "Fiber control means he can do literally anything with anything."
"Is that right? I thought he can only control cloth fibers." Yaoyorozu tilted her head slightly.
"Nope. All fibers. I saw him stop an entire collapsing building by manipulating the foundation~"
"So yeah. Don't worry about it, Mura" Honenuki stopped, clicking his tongue. "Da-shi-ro-wa. Ain't no Quirk that defines you. It's the other way around."
"You think so?" The other recommended students nodded resolutely. Maria's face was still for a moment before she smiled. Setsuna shuddered despite herself. Something about that smile was both completely captivating and absolutely terrifying at the same time. "Maybe, but not mine."
"...hey, Juzo?" Honenuki craned his neck to look at Setsuna. After saying their goodbyes with Muradasilova and Yaoyorozu, the two of them were taking the same train home. His childhood friend was awfully quiet. It seemed that the other two recommended students had left quite an impression on her. "I think I'm in gay hell."
"What, that bad?"
"Whatever god sculpted Yaomomo, he must have beat off to it." Honenuki was thankful there was nobody else sitting nearby, or they would be getting weird looks already. "...and whatever god sculpted Maria, he must have been terrified of her sheer greatness."
"We haven't even met our classmates yet." Setsuna groaned, hiding her face in her hands.
"I know. I'm a woman dying of thirst, though..." Levity gone, the lizard girl was back to looking uncharacteristically sullen again. "...I keep thinking of what she said about her Quirk."
"How it's cursed?"
"...yeah. I wonder what happened that she'd even think that. Honestly, if she just said something like "there was no need to use it" or something—"
"—then you'd think she's an arrogant stuck-up."
"Oh god, I would. Sounds a lot like Lil'deavor."
"I don't know if this is the most clever or the stupidest nickname you've ever come up with." Brief silence. "...well… I'm glad we both got in. Here's hoping we can end in the same class."
"Word. Oh, that's my stop." Shaking out the bad thoughts, Setsuna stood up and marched over to the door with a brisk step. "Tokage of the Brotherhood of Gays, sounding off."
"I should record you one day." Honenuki rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "I'd have blackmail material for days."
"No you wouldn't, 'cause you love me~"
"Alright, alright." The doors opened. "Hey, Setsuna!" The lizard girl turned over to see Honenuki raising his fist slightly with a grin. "To our heroics." She grinned back and returned the gesture.
"To them."
Japan felt… peaceful.
It was a stark contrast from the last few years of her life. Frankly, she was having a hard time adjusting, and not just because of the language barrier. That seemed easy enough to cross.
It was simply weird living in a world so disconnected from the old one. In a world past dreams, far away from the ruins of Cainhurst… far away from the ruins of Yharnam… far away from everything that once defined her. Now, under the guidance of one of Master Gehrman's apprentices, she was to begin again.
Maria sighed, looking at the peaceful sea, before opening her journal and beginning to write. No doubt Adeline wanted to hear from her...
Lady Maria Muradasilova of House Cainhurst, Clocktower Crest. Quirk: Blood Manipulation! She can alter the properties of her blood, both inside and outside of her!
So I don't know where I'm going with this, honestly, but here we are. A big fic in the making, that I'll likely never finish like it happens with most of my big fics.
...but here we are. MHA ideas keep popping in my head, crossovers included, and so we now have this one. Remember Lady Maria "Visceral Me" of the Astral Clocktower? Let's reimagine her into an U.A. student. Why is it Setsuna-centric? I figured an easy way to insert a strange foreign student into the setting would be through recommendation (Vlad King's, more on that later). Why Setsuna, specifically? I don't even know, man. Lizard memergy is too strong.
All of this was frankly written on an impulse, so hopefully you can stand this semi-stream of consciousness. c:
