Hello my readers! Do remember when I suggested a long time ago in which I would make a spin off of the "The Lady in the Pond" in which Izuku still fails the entrance exam but sgns up for the Gen Ed course? I certainly hope not because I long overdew for that. This story will be updated sporatically as I will take a priority of the main story alongside "Mechanicus", and I more so wanted to write this as more of an exercise than anything. Lucky for you guys, you get enjoy a different take on my main one every so often. I don't know when the next update will be, but I look forward to seeing your feedback and opinions. Anyways, enjoy!
Musustafu was drenched in rain and was overcasted with dark black clouds. There was no wind and the rain was light & gentle rather than harsh & heavy. It was the average day for most of the denizens of the city, one that was ruined by the unexpected rains. But inside a small apartment in the shabbier, but humble parts of the city, a boy's dream had been crushed with black ink pen.
Izuku sat on his bed looking at his desk or rather the papers on his desk apprehensively. The blue haired boy looked absolutely awful. His blue hair was frazzled into a mess that was even worse than its usual mess. Blue eyes were red and bloodshot while his cheeks were stained with dried tears. A slight tremble reverberated in his hands ever so subtly as he tried to suppress his body's uncontrollable movements.
It was the worst day of his life. The lifelong dream that was born in the young mind of a five year old Izuku had finally been crushed. Izuku did not take rejection well,and it did not help that he had been rejected by nearly everything or everyone since his diagnosis. Well, almost everyone.
Nestled on his bed and sitting next to him was a large and strange...creature. The creature was massive; approximately the size of All Might. It had the body design of a mermaid with a female humanoid torso connected to a fish tail. However, this peculiar mermaid was warped into something that strayed from the traditional mermaid aesthetic.
For one, her skin was dark blue and resembled the flesh of an amphibian rather than a human's or a fish's. Her tail was long and full of muscle, but it resembled a lamprey instead of a normal fish tail. The arms and hands of the creature were also strange and weird. Both appendages were long and lean in muscle while her hands contained only four thin and witch-like fingers.
But most odd of all was the head of the creature. She had no mouth, ears or even a nose. She only had two black bulbous eyes that were shaped like almonds and a head full of fleshy tendrils, each the size of a forearm, that functioned as hair. Her torso sported the vague outline of a woman's but with some noticeable differences. She had no belly button nor did she have any mamillia features on her chest. The skin in that region was also as white as snow.
This warped mermaid-like creature was one of the few things in this world that hadn't rejected Izuku. In fact, he found her by accident when he had wandered too deep in the woods surrounding his hometown. For most of the time she followed him, she was silent and was more akin to a ghost rather than a living breathing creature because as far as he knew...he was the only one who could see her.
Until recently, he was convinced she couldn't speak, but...
"Is this really the end of your place in the sea?", asked a warped Mermaid, "Or perhaps there is another way?"
She could in fact speak in a voice that sounded like a soft flowing stream of water while also radiating a strange almost unnoticeable accent. There was clearly much more to this Mermaid than Izuku could ever hope to imagine, but learning such a thing came at a cost. He subconsciously rubbed his chest as the dull ache never seemed to leave despite it being healed.
She had been a light of friendship and kindness for the young Izuku, and she still very much served that purpose. As she also very much took to the younger Izuku like a fish to water, and treated the quirkless human like one of her brood. As to why she did so was a mystery to Izuku, but he concluded that he will never fully understand her. Her origins were unknown and her appearance was both strange and beautiful. Her strength and power also seemed to have no discernable limit. She could've been a long forgotten Goddess of the Ocean for all Izuku knew.
But that didn't matter for Izuku because said divinity sat beside him on the bed and comforted him like any friend would.
"I-I t-think t-there m-might b-be a-a w-way.", Izuku stuttered, "B-but w-what if i-it d-doesn't l-lead a-anywhere?"
The mermaid gave Izuku one of her blank expressions that spoke volumes of emotions, but this time it was indiscernible to Izuku.
"You failed this hunt.", the mermaid said, "But I do not think you will starve from this failure, and maybe, this is a path to another opportunity rather than a dead end."
Izuku sat in silence for a moment as he digested the proverb that his old friend had slowly rose from his seat on the bed and towards the desk that he had been staring at all this time. On the desk was a pile of papers and a torn envelope with the remains of a broken wax seal on its tongue. A letter stained with messy blotches of ink and tears rest inside the remains of the envelope.
We are sorry to inform you, Mr. Midoriya did not acquire enough points to qualify for the Hero Course. However, some of the staff at UA were impressed with your scores on the written exam, and we at UA would like to extend an offer in the General Studies Program.
It felt like a gesture of pity rather than one of genuine interest. Afterall, people had either scorned or pitied the quirkless, and he hoped that gaining a quirk would've changed that. It took every ounce of his mental will to reach for that pen, but he stalled out like a falling airplane when he tried to scribble out the information. Echoes of the word "useless" ricocheted in his head.
Izuku's hand began to shake as his mind began the tirade of self-deprecating thoughts that emerged after ten years conditioning by his peers and teachers. They were right weren't they? He was useless even with a quirk! He couldn't become a hero, he needed to be realistic! Deku could never be a hero because he was…
A warm hand traced over his own shaking hand while a long slender arm wrapped itself around his torso in a half hug. In the midst of his agony, he failed to see the mermaid come to him and hold onto him like his mother did when he was little. Izuku gasped as almost instantly as the panic attack was blown away. He felt the mermaid's forehead nuzzle the back of his own, and her strands of hair moved like independent limbs to gently wipe away the tears that he had been crying.
"No one is useless.", she said firmly, "Some start out as strong as the currents, while others must be tempered to reach their apex. Don't let any parasite tell you otherwise, Izuku."
"B-But I-I-I-I c-couldn't…", Izuku began to stammer until a strand of the mermaid's hair moved over his mouth.
"Shush. No more speaking, you must listen.", she chastised, "I am sorry that your hunt turned out poorly, but the reason I did not accompany you was because I believed you needed to prove yourself. But not to me, your incubator or the vermin. You needed to prove your worth to yourself.
"M-Myself?", Izuku quietly repeated
"Yes, yourself. I can see it in your eyes and feel it in your spirit.", she continued, "You haven't forgiven yourself have you? Not for your failure, but for your birth. But that is why you must not give up. Izuku, you are strong, stronger than you think you really are and I believe you can succeed."
Izuku wanted to deny it and say that he was alright. But he would be lying to her as well as himself if he didn't admit the truth. He hated that he disappointed his former best friend. He hated that drove his mother into the overweight worrywort. He hated that his dream of being a hero was nothing more than a dream. But most of all, he hated himself. He hated that deep down he was still nothing more than a pathetic quirkless kid who was denying the reality of his situation. Deku was more than an insult, it was reality. And he never forgave himself for becoming Deku.
"W-What if I-I-I c-can't d-do it?", squeaked Izuku, "I-I a-am afraid t-t-that I-I r-really a-am n-not g-good e-enough."
The mermaid's grip on him grew more intense,"Then you will have to work harder than most to become the best.", she said with conviction, "But don't let fear or worry eat up your heart because no matter what path you take or challenges you will face. I will always be by your side and I won't ever leave you alone to face them again."
Izuku didn't know why, but the words of the mermaid put him at ease. He felt like he could actually take on the road ahead of him with the mermaid at his side. But a small seed of doubt still nestled within him about the whether or not she would be there for him. Kacchan and father had shown that was not the case.
As if she had heard his inner musings, she moved her hand that was on top of his in a way in which they were now interlocked.
"Do you remember the question you asked me many nights ago?", she said vaguely.
Izuku merely looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"You asked me what my name was?", she answered him, "You said friends would know each other's names. You have been a good friend to me, but I haven't been a good one to you."
Izuku was about to open his mouth and argue with the mermaid. She was a good friend. She supported him when no one else would, she helped him when he needed it, and most importantly she actually cared for him when others didn't.
"Marris.", she whispered in his ear, "My name is Marris."
Despite the tone of confidence, her body betrayed a vulnerability. She was shaking and seemed less sturdy than before while her hair seemed to be 'terrified'. The act of telling him her name was a big deal to her, and something deep down told Izuku that this was something rather personal for her. And yet, the notion that she trusted him with her name had completely swept away that small seed of doubt he had in her.
Without a second thought, Izuku wrenched himself free of her grip and turned towards her. Her blank face had a shocked expression and even more so when he embraced her.
"It's finally good to know your name Marris.", he said whilst trying not to tear up again, "I am happy that you are my friend."
Marris' tension had eased immediately and slowly returned the embrace to the smaller Izuku. She said nothing, but her hair had fluttered in happiness.
It was easier for Izuku to sign up for the General Education Course after that, but he still had to try not to get tears on the paper.
"Do you have your handkerchief? Your folders and your lunch?", said a frantic Inko Midoriya.
"Yes, mom. I got them all.", Izuku replied as he fumbled with his uniform tie.
"Izuku, you don't tie the neck parasite like that, you attach it like this.", Marris said while guiding his hands through the correct motions.
"Okay, thank you for helping me, Marris.", He said quietly.
Today was a big day for the Midoriya Household because it was Izuku's first day at UA. To say that both women in Izuku's life we're going to not fret over him was like trying to ask a fish why it needed water. Marris was using her newfound ability to speak and interaction to help Izuku prepare for the day. Her knowledge about some of the most mundane things was kinda out of place for a being of her stature.
"Don't give me that look, Izuku. I'll have you know that Octopus never minded when I had to do his parasite.", Marris huffed indignantly.
Inko, meanwhile, was trying her hardest to bubble wrap Izuku as much as she could.
"I'm sorry,but I am just so nervous and happy that my baby is starting his first day of high school.", Inko said whilst tearing up as she handed Izuku a list of emergency numbers ranging all the way to Auntie Mitsuki to some officer in the JSDF.
Overall, it is nothing out of the norm for Izuku Midoriya. Soon, Izuku was all set and ready to leave for school. However before he could even leave through the front door of their little apartment, the now blue haired boy felt someone grasp him into a hug from behind.
"I am sorry that you weren't able to make it into the Hero course, and I should've been more supportive of your dream.", the muffled voice of Inko said into his back, "But I am very proud of you no matter what.
"T-Thank you mom." was all that he could say lest he start crying himself.
After a moment of lingering, Inko finally decided to let go of her son. She bid him a farewell with red teary eyes, and he likewise returned the gesture. Marris remained silent and out of the way throughout the ordeal. Her bond with Izuku was special, but it was not quite the same as the one he had with his biological mother. Still, she couldn't help but feel that long forgotten pain of something she could never truly have. Yet, she tried her best to shrug off that vile feeling but she clearly wasn't doing a good job because Izuku addressed her outside the apartment door.
Without warning, Izuku gasped Marris into a hug, "I didn't forget about you as well Marris. You are just as important to me as mom."
"Thank you…", was all she said.
…
…
…
…
The gates of UA were an intimidating sight, and that wasn't even taking the building into account. If Izuku were to compare it to anything he would liken it to the grand cathedrals of Europe in terms of scale. Barring that this was a place dedicated to the institute of learning rather than the glories of the divine. Either way it made Izuku feel like he was a part of something bigger.
Marris wasn't so keen on the comparison, and instead balked about the building being nothing more than the result of vanity.
"Izuku, I do not know what is the obsession humans have with size, but I can tell that any apex wouldn't care for such things.", Marris said as if she was an expert of the divine, "They only get what they need and nothing more."
Despite likening Marris to a Goddess, she was nothing like one in any way that Izuku was able to discern. She behaved more akin to an animal or someone that had animalistic tendencies, and neither pride or a sense of superiority. She was knowledgeable in different complicated subjects such as anatomy but also ignorant of others such as politics. Izuku could recall when Marris spoke of the important factors needed for a plant to grow, but also didn't understand why someone would need a plant in their home if they didn't intend to eat it.
She was extremely powerful and didn't appear to follow the same set of rules that restricted everyone else, but it didn't take anything like All Might's quirk to eliminate her. No, to effectively take out Marris all one needs to do is to place something cute in front of her and she will zone out everything. Izuku remembered when he lost Marris at the mall when he went school shopping, and found her eyeing a little girl's dress patterned with cutesy fish. She became sad once he inquired that her size was not available.
"Don't tell me that you are a feral goddess,'' he joked, "Or one that doesn't know what being a proper goddess is like."
"I can't be helped by what your kind decided to call me. Despite my insistence that I should not be called one or treated as one.", Marris complained with irritation, "What need would I have for their offerings of meat and shiny rocks? I can hunt fine on my own if I needed to and what would I even do with yellow stones that can't be eaten?"
Izuku rolled his eyes before looking apprehensively at the school he was now going to attend. But not as a hero student but as a general studies student. A small pained feeling nestled itself into his heart, as he hesitated to go inside. A warm and four fingered hand grasped his own. He looked to see Marris look down at him with her bulbous black eyes while her hair squirmed as it floated.
"Are you ready to go?", she spoke supportively.
Izuku took a deep breath,"Y-Yes, let's go inside." he replied with nervousness.
The duo walked hand-in-hand into the most prestigious hero school in all of Japan. And thus, Izuku's path to heroism began after one of his greatest failures. But his dream wouldn't die on that rainy night in Musustafu. The Lady in the Pond was going to make sure that his dream would become reality…
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