A/N: Yo, I'm Cinnaby! Nice ta meetcha, welcome to Maelstrom. This is my first published work in... a while, haha. It's pretty self-indulgent, too. So buckle up, bubs. Not too many warnings so far. Excessive use of swear words. Canon-typical violence and blood. Endeavor being a piece of shit. This is NOT an Endeavor redemption story. I have a couple pre-written chapters but no schedule so far. Have fun lovelies. I'd love it if you let me know what you think!
"Who's got the fuzziest ears in town? Mirko! Who's got the guts to put the bad guys down? Mirko! Racing in to save the day, Mirko's just a hop away!"
Hinami groaned and swatted blindly at her phone, which continued to sing Mirko's praises, moving on to a verse about her giant feet and love of carrots. Her fingers brushed against the cool glass, trying to slide the dismiss prompt on the screen but in her half-asleep state only managed to knock it off her nightstand. The motion caused the screen to blink on, filling room with weak bluish white light. On the floor it continued to serenade her. Hinami clenched her eyes and scrubbed sleep sand out of them, flopping back onto her pillow with a grumble.
"It'sh time to get up, Nami," Shoto said outside her door, though his voice was muffled and strange sounding. Like he had a mouthful of spit. Gross.
"Light, please," Hinami rasped, trying to clear her throat. The shoji door to her room squeaked, Shoto's form casting a shadow in the thin hallway light as the door slid open. Click! Light flooded her eyes nearly blinding her, to which she grumbled some more and buried her face in her pillow. Abandoned, her phone continued to croon Mirko's theme. Footsteps creaked across the tatami floor and she squinted, trying to see what Shoto was doing, but it was all just a colorful smear to her. She rubbed her eyes gently, blinking away the bleariness.
The alarm cut off and suddenly Shoto was standing over her, toothbrush dangling from his mouth. He set her phone on her nightstand before raising both hands and flicking them at her twice, his pointer and middle finger extended, but the rest of his fingers curled in. 'Hurry,' he signed in sign language again, smirking even as a trail of toothpaste foam dripped from the corner of his mouth. It was one of the only words in sign language he knew, aside from some choice swear words and the essentials.
"Shut the hell up," Hinami muttered, hastily shoving the blankets off to sign back at him. 'Jackass.'
Shoto snorted through his nose, shaking head and walking away, the sound of him brushing his teeth echoing back through the hall. Once he was gone, Hinami stretched her arms out her head and arched her back to crack it—only to hiss a curse as the motion tugged harshly on her ribs. Fuck. She'd forgotten about that. Breathing evenly, she gingerly rolled out of bed and hauled herself to her feet, carefully stooping down to roll the futon up and fold the bedding. If she didn't roll her futon up every morning, the tatami underneath would absorb too much moisture and get moldy. It only took one ruined set of tatami before she learned her lesson… okay, maybe two sets.
God, she despised how devoted to the traditional aesthetic her father was. Tatami was expensive and impractical, why was he so obsessed with it?
She stumbled into the bathroom, not even bothering to close the door and reached to turn the tap on. Not paying attention, her hand knocked against the toothbrush cup and it loudly clattered into the sink, dumping all the toothbrushes, including Shoto's which was still wet. At least he rinsed the foam out of the sink. She sighed and picked the cup up, scooping up all the toothbrushes and depositing them back into the cup. She leaned across the sink to put it back in its place, accidentally hip checking the handle of her hairbrush as she did so, sending it spinning across the counter. Yelping, she scrambled to catch it, trying to stop it from knocking over Fuyumi's expensive face creams. Why did they have to be in glass containers?! She managed to stop it from smashing the delicate jars, but instead of catching it like she intended, she only redirected its momentum and sent it skittering over the edge of the counter. Where it immediately bounced off the metal lid of the trashcan and plonked right into the open toilet.
Of course.
Hinami stared at the submerged brush, bubbles floating away as it filled with water. "Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Language, Nana," Fuyumi sighed, poking her head into the bathroom. "I told you to stop leaving it on the edge of the counter," she chastised, pushing her glasses higher on her nose.
"I know," Hinami mumbled, exhaling roughly through her nose. "But if SOMEONE would close the toilet, that wouldn't have happened!" she growled, cutting her eyes at Shoto's closed bedroom door. Stupid boys.
Fuyumi shook her head, "You two need to knock it off," she said weakly, turning away. "Breakfast is ready downstairs, I'm leaving for work soon so hurry up," she called over her shoulder.
"Okay, Yumi," she agreed. Then scowled, and muttered under her breath, "If I get told to hurry up one more time… I swear I'm gonna lose it." But by the end of her statement, all of her bravado puffed away and she shot a concerned glance at Fuyumi's back—who was shaking her head again, hand raised to her temples. Probably grumbling about bratty little sisters.
Hinami snorted, turning the hot tap on to begin her morning routine. Though, she had to borrow Shoto's comb. It took a little longer than it would've if she had saved her brush from the toilet. But no, that thing was going straight in the trash. She'd have to remember to pick a new one up on her way back from the exam…
At the thought of the upcoming exam, her stomach clenched like she swallowed a block of ice while her face heated with dread. She forced herself to take measured breaths as she tied her hair back into a bun, trying to forcefully contain the rising swell of emotion. Why did she have to take the regular exam? Shoto was taking the much easier and less humiliating recommended exam. She ran her toothbrush under the water and applied a swipe of toothpaste to the wet bristles, mechanically starting to brush her teeth as her thoughts raged. Father recommended Shoto, which made sense, and based on father's word they'd take him instantly, only holding a perfunctory exam with a handful of other recommended students. No one ever failed, it was basically a golden ticket to UA. But Hinami could easily flunk out of her all-too-real exam and wave her dreams goodbye.
Why not her? Why only recommend Shoto?
Hinami spat the foamy toothpaste into the sink and rinsed it out, only managing to function by muscle memory. She cupped cool water in her hands and splashed it on her face, gasping as it sent a spike of awareness through her and helped to slow her thoughts. That's right. Father could only recommend one of them, not both. She knew that was the case and she also knew that he'd always pick Shoto. Always.
Hinami grit her teeth and blinked harshly, ignoring the tingle in her eyes and throat. Stupid. No use in getting worked up over something that was already set in stone. She pumped the top of her face wash bottle, dispensing a creamy foam into her palm and lathering it up, spreading it across her nose and cheeks. Her eyes slid closed as she worked the velvety lather into her face, trying to capture a few moments of peace before her hectic day caught up with her.
One thing kept running through her head though… Father was the Number Two hero in all of Japan. Surely he could've bent the rules just a tiny bit and recommended two, instead of the standard one.
He didn't.
It was too late to matter anymore. Obviously, she hadn't managed to change father's mind. Getting upset at this point was counterproductive.
She finished washing and rinsing her face, then carefully patted it dry with a clean towel and applied a thin layer of moisturizer and sunscreen. Once that was done, she pulled her hair out of the bun and began to finger comb it back out so she could re-style it. She'd always loved the texture her hair, it was sleek and shiny and straight, always well behaved. The only thing that she didn't love was…. Well, the pink. It was an obnoxious bubblegum shade that kids in elementary sometimes made fun of. All her other siblings had either red or white hair, or in Shoto and Fuyumi's cases, both colors. But Hinami… her hair had turned out pink. It could've been worse, she guessed, on the hair front. But it didn't mean that she had to like it.
For her hairstyle today, she decided on pinning half of it up into a messy bun, leaving the other half down to hang freely. She smiled and squished the bun on the back of her head like a stress ball, thinking it looked just like a fluffy little bunny tail. As always, she left her bangs free and swept to the side across her temple. With everything else finished, she moved back into her room to change out of her pajamas.
Getting dressed was somewhat of a hassle, seeing as she didn't know what dress code the exam hall would have. She decided to play it safe and chose to just get dressed in her regular winter school uniform. That probably wouldn't raise any eyebrows, at least. The uniform consisted of a dark red skirt, white button up shirt and dark red tie. On top of that she slid on her tan double breasted coat, dark wood buttons polished to a gleam. Under the skirt she layered thick black leggings, and she'd probably wear her favorite tall fur-lined boots instead of her usual school loafers. She dressed warm more for the aesthetic than practicality. She actually didn't mind the cold, winter clothes were just cute. She grabbed a pale-yellow scarf out of the closet and stuffed it in her coat pocket as well as a pair of brown leather gloves before starting to pack her gym bag. Yellow sports bra, black leggings, white tank top, extra socks and underwear and a teal hoodie. Oh, and toiletries in case she wanted to shower after the exam. She'd have to remember to toss her trainers in her bag too, but those were downstairs on the shoe rack with her boots.
It didn't matter that taking the exam was so far beneath her level that it was embarrassing.
One thing was true. She was going to ace that fucking exam.
Finished getting ready, she grabbed her duffle bag and hopped down the stairs two at a time. Shoto was already seated at the kitchen table, eating breakfast and scrolling through his phone. "Is Yumi already gone for the day?" she asked, reaching into the fridge for her metal bottle of water and a Gatorade to pack in her bag, which she then slid across the floor so that it was lying next to her seat at the table.
"Yeah, she left just a little bit ago," Shoto replied, swallowing a bite of omelet. "Your breakfast is in the microwave."
"Thanks," she hummed, popping the microwave open and grabbing the still warm plate. Fuyumi had made her favorite omurice, a cheesy omelet served over fried rice, with a message drawn in ketchup on top. 'Work hard!' Hinami's heart warmed at the obvious love put into it, unable to resist smiling as she took a seat across the kitchen table. Shoto was still in his pajamas since his exam didn't start until the afternoon. Such crap. He had the easier exam AND he could've slept in, but still chose to get up at the ass crack of dawn? Damn nerd.
"Is Sakashima-san taking the exam too?" Shoto asked after a couple minutes, scraping the last bite of rice and omelet together on his plate.
"Mhm," Hinami hummed, nodding as she finished chewing her bite. "Yeah, she's taking it too. We're meeting up at the gate."
Shoto nodded, "Tell her I said good luck," he said, scooting his chair out and taking his dishes to the sink to rinse them.
"Sure thing," she said, wolfing down the rest of her breakfast. "What time'sh it?" she asked, her mouth full. Her phone was already buttoned into her coat pocket with her wallet and she didn't feel like trying to dig it out.
"That's gross," Shoto commented blandly, grabbing his phone off the table. "It's 7:13."
"Damn it!" Hinami huffed, taking several huge bites and swallowing thickly. "I've gotta go!" she yelled, bolting from her seat and grabbing her nearly empty plate to take it to the dishwasher.
"You're a mess," Shoto shook his head (why was everyone shaking their heads at her this morning?!) and tugged the plate from her hand. "Just go, I'll take care of it."
"Thanks, Sho!" she laughed, affectionately swatting his arm before darting out of the kitchen and into the entry way. Thankfully, her boots were on the shoe rack like she'd hoped, so all she had to do was jam them on her feet and lace them. "Lock the door behind me!" she yelled, hopping to her feet and grabbing her keys off the table. She was in the middle of sliding the wooden front door open when Shoto called out.
"Nami, wait."
"Huh?" Hinami turned to face him, hands instinctively snapping up and catching her gym bag before it could hit her in the chest. She gasped and slid the straps up over her shoulder, "Good save, Sho!" Then she dashed out the door, sprinting for the train station. If she missed this train, there wouldn't be another one to Musutafu for nearly 30 minutes. She would still make it in time for the exam if she caught the second train, but it would be down to the wire and she'd have to sprint the entire way to the campus. And that was a much longer stretch than from her house to the train station.
The front gate slammed behind her, nearly rattling the entire gate off its hinges, but she didn't have time to give a shit. The neighborhood houses passed her in a blur, dogs barking and aunties gasping as she flew by. Good thing she was wearing tights under her skirt or they'd really be scandalized.
"Oh Hinami-chan!" Yoshimura-san called, one hand bracing her back as she stood up, rake grasped tightly in her other hand and floppy sunhat pushed down around her ears. "Are you on the way to the exam?"
"Yes, Yoshimura-san," Hinami replied, jogging in place. She didn't even bother to wonder how the woman knew about her exam, she was the neighborhood gossip. Sweet as pie, usually though. "I'm really late for the train though, so I've gotta go!"
"Of course, dear!" Yoshimura-san said, waving her away. "Stop by for some mochi and tea, once your exam is over."
"Thank you!" Hinami called back, already nearly half a block away, cold air stinging her face. Yoshimura-san was a delight, but she definitely didn't have time this morning. Maybe she could come back later and help Yoshimura-san clean up her yard. The detour didn't cost her too much fortunately, and soon she could see the entrance of the train station looming into view only a couple minutes later. She didn't dare to slow down yet, only amateurs slowed with the finish line in sight. Though wrangling her coat pocket open at full speed was harder than she anticipated, since her gloves kept bunching and slipping. Frustrated, she bit the tip of her finger and ripped the glove off, holding it in her mouth. She unsnapped the button over her pocket just as she burst through the entryway, yanking her wallet out.
Behind the turnstiles she could see a train, doors wide open as passengers trickled onboard. But it seemed like the majority were already settled into seats, as the platform was mostly empty. Shit! She couldn't make it all this way, only to miss it now! Throwing out all pretenses of being polite, she sprinted right up to the turnstiles. In one smooth motion she slammed her wallet on the sensor and vaulted the little green turnstile doors. She landed midstride, continuing her mad dash as the machine beeped its acceptance behind her and the doors belatedly swung open. Shocked and appalled chatters broke out, elders and businessmen tutting disapprovingly at her. Though there was one single encouraging whoop that coaxed a breathless laugh out of her.
Through it all, Hinami still didn't slow her pace, not until she hopped the gap between the train and the platform and skidded to a stop inside.
"Made it!" she panted, forgotten glove falling from her mouth as she did. Though she snapped it out of the air before it could hit the ground, much to the annoyed stares of the other passengers. She cleared her throat nervously, combing her bangs back into place and readjusting her scarf. Then she calmly pulled her glove back on and took an empty seat, smoothing her skirt down as she did, before tucking her bag under her legs.
The doors on the train dinged as they closed, the carriage beginning to rumble as the train pulled out of the station.
Hinami tilted her head back against the glass, which was cushioned by her little bun, and allowed herself a relieved sigh and a smile. She earned it. Nothing woke her up faster than a good run. After all the excitement and panic, the quiet train ride was well appreciated. She settled into a comfortable position, studying some last moment exam questions on her phone. It wasn't strictly necessary as she felt rather confident about the written portion. She couldn't get over the nagging feeling that she'd forgotten something though.
The rest of her ride and subsequent walk to UA's campus was entirely uneventful, which after a morning as crazy as hers, was a welcome reprieve. Last week she had made the trip to the campus a couple times to register to take the exam, so she knew the way well enough. She spent the time clearing her mind and soothing her worries. At least as best as she could, listening to a little music helped with that. After a brisk fifteen-minute walk the towering glass skyscrapers, made even taller by the forested hill they sat on, came into view and her heart felt like it was going to burst with joy. The ground beneath her feet slanted upwards as she began to climb the hill leading up to the campus, though she was still quite far away. The uphill walk made her calves burn, but she eagerly leaned into the exercise, picking up the pace the closer and closer she got.
Here at last.
Hinami gaped at the extravagant entryway, the towering statues, the perfectly manicured topiaries, the white marble arches and the white paved courtyard. And the lush green grass! How the hell did that manage that in the dead of winter? Everything was just so… bougie. No matter how many times she saw it, she felt that it would never get old. But now it was just a matter of waiting for Tatsumi to show up, since they had agreed to meet in the courtyard when they came and registered together. At that thought, she settled in to wait, leaning against the base of one of the statues and pulling out her phone. Opening her texts, she clicked on her friend's name and tapped out a quick message before hitting send.
[7:52AM]
Hinami: Where are you? I just got here, at the founder statues.
The reply was almost instant, her phone buzzing in her hand before she could even turn the screen off.
[7:53AM]
Tatsu Tots: I'm about five minutes away! What kind of taiyaki do you want? They have chocolate, anko, and custard ones. ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
[7:53AM]
Hinami: Chocolate please!
"Get out of the way or I'll set you on fire, Deku!" a snarly voice rang through the relatively quiet courtyard. Hinami turned instinctively towards the commotion, pulling her eyes away from her phone screen. In the middle of the courtyard were two other kids, one of them was flailing and apologizing profusely, sweat dripping down his freckled face. The spiky blonde one sneered and shoved past, nearly knocking the wimpy green haired one over. Well, no wonder! With a backpack nearly half his size, it was impressive that the green kid could get around at all. The backpack was a nice shade of goldenrod yellow, though… Hinami thought, reaching a hand up to stroke her similarly yellow scarf. (Though hers was more of a banana cream yellow.)
That other kid was a dick. And it sounded like he had a fire Quirk, even worse.
It wasn't long after that Tatsumi appeared in the gateway, plastic bag swinging on her arm as she scanned the courtyard. Like Hinami, she too was wearing their school uniform, modified to be more cold-weather appropriate. Though she took it a step even further than Hinami, wearing a white sweatshirt and a powder blue puffer jacket over it. She tended to be much more sensitive to the cold. When she saw Hinami, her entire face lit up with joy, candied orange eyes glowing. All at once, her 'hair' noticed Hinami as well, dozens of sleepy serpentine heads lifting from Tatsumi's shoulders and turning in Hinami's direction, tongues flicking out to taste her scent on the breeze.
And then Hinami had an armful of teenage girl and snakes. So many snakes. She bit back a wince at the pressure on her ribs, careful not to telegraph her discomfort lest Tatsumi pick up on it, and squeezed the girl back. Though she had to shut one eye as an inquisitive hognose flicked its tongue at her. She'd rather not have her eyeball licked again, thanks. The rest of the snakes either ignored her or curiously burrowed through her hair, cool scales gliding across her skin in a strangely comforting gesture. Most of them seemed to be asleep though, the cool weather didn't agree with them.
Hinami tapped Tatsumi's back twice, a clear sign of surrender, and the girl reluctantly let go, pouting as she did. She brushed a handful of colorful snakes out of her eyes (she always kept the rarest and most beautiful snakes around her face) and lifted her hands to begin aggressively signing at Hinami, eyes stern. 'Where have you been?! I didn't see you all winter break long!' she signed, hands moving lightning quick as she gave Hinami a well-deserved dressing down. 'You barely even replied to my texts! I was worried something was going on!' Her hands moved in harsh, clipped movements compared to her flowy and graceful signs. This, more than anything, emphasized how upset she was. Tatsumi signed so beautifully when she was happy. That and the fact that a couple more of her snakes had woken up to hiss and strike at the air.
Hinami flinched, eyes dropping to the ground, 'I'm sorry, I just… didn't feel…' she started signing, but then lost the thread of what she wanted to say and shrugged, lowering her hands in defeat.
'Those bags under your eyes…' Tatsumi signed, scrutinizing Hinami's face as her riled-up snakes settled back down around her shoulders. 'What's going on? First you go quiet and now this?' Tatsumi's hands nervously tugged at the rattlesnake tails framing her face, one on each side, as she waited for Hinami to speak.
Hinami forced a laugh. If it was a little strained, well… Tatsumi couldn't hear it anyway. As long as it looked reassuring. 'No worries! I've just been busy cramming for the test.'
'Yes worries!' Tatsumi snapped back immediately, 'Me and mom have been worried about you, she missed you this weekend.'
Hinami flinched, face going cold as she pulled away from Tatsumi, turning to hide her expression and shoving her hands in her coat pockets. A series of hissing and rattling sounded from behind her, and she winced again, feeling sick to her stomach. Tatsumi swatted her shoulder twice, but Hinami shrugged it off roughly, blinking harsh, stinging pain out of her eyes. Her heart felt like an unraveling ball of yarn in her chest, a sharp pang of longing echoing through her. She wanted nothing more than to spend her break at Tatsumi's house, lounging around binging junk food and cheesy dramas. It didn't happen that way, and she regretted it. But… Tatsumi and her mom knew Hinami too well, they would've asked questions. She couldn't have that.
"You know I hate when you do that," a robotic voice said, its cadence wrong and tone dead.
Hinami groaned, shame and guilt eating at her insides like acid. Tatsumi especially hated having to use her robo-voice with Hinami. She scrubbed her eyes and whirled around with a manic smile, 'Brother says good luck!' she signed quickly. Shoto didn't have his own personalized name-sign yet, and she didn't want to fingerspell it out. 'Are those new eyelashes? They look amazing!' For whatever scientific reason, which Hinami didn't really know the mechanics of, Tatsumi's Quirk completely impaired her ability to grow hair. So she had to wear false eyelashes if she wanted to have eyelashes at all. Same thing with her eyebrows.
Tatsumi scowled at her, shoving her phone back in her pocket. Though she did take a moment to overdramatically bat her thick, sooty eyelashes at Hinami, pretending to pose for a picture. Then she laughed silently, her shoulders shaking as she gave Hinami a small, lopsided smile. 'Tell him I said thanks,' she signed, taking the olive branch in the spirit it was offered. Her face brightened back up as she shoved a hand into the plastic bag hanging from the crook of her elbow, drawing out two wax paper wrapped bundles. She peeled back the corner of one bundle and one of her snakes poked a nose in the opening, probably sniffing out which flavor it was, then she presented Hinami the other bundle with a melodramatic bow.
The remaining tightness in Hinami's chest uncoiled and she breathed out, smiling as she accepted the paper bundle with an equally showy bow. The fish-shaped taiyaki was still wonderfully warm, a spot of chocolate leaking from the seams where the batter hadn't sealed completely. Crunchy and sweet and chocolatey, Hinami sighed blissfully and took another huge bite. She chewed and swallowed before gingerly grasping the pastry in her teeth so that her hands were free. 'You're the best,' she signed, giving Tatsumi a sheepish smile around the treat in her mouth.
Tatsumi puffed her chest out, cheeks beaming with pride as she nodded in agreement. The pair quickly scarfed down their snacks before trotting inside to get set up for the written portion of the exam. Inside the bougie theme continued with marble floors and huge glass windows, which were freshly waxed and washed. All throughout the halls there were signs herding them along, pointing them in the direction of the lecture hall where the exam was taking place. Though before that, they were instructed to leave their bags lined up in a nearby hallway.
They were only allowed to bring a pencil bag and a calculator into the exams, they were even asked to leave their coats with their bags in case anyone was trying to sneak in contraband. Which was ridiculous in Hinami's opinion, Quirks were becoming way too evolved to try and enforce silly rules like that anymore. Didn't they know some kids came with their own pocket dimension now? Though she did obediently shed her coat and leave it with her bag before going with Tatsumi to wait in line to enter the lecture hall.
Tatsumi went up on her tiptoes using her superior height (and Hinami's shoulder to steady herself) to scout out the reason for the hold up, several of her snakes lifting off her shoulders to scent the air. 'They're taking cellphones at the door,' she signed, cheeks puffing out as she huffed indignantly.
'That's dumb!' Hinami signed, scowling as she shoved her hand into her pocket to retrieve her phone and turn it off.
Before too much longer, they were ushered into the hall and given a handout detailing the practical exam's four different types of robots and an exam card. Strangely, for all the other cheating counter measures in place, the students were allowed to pick their seats in the staggered auditorium style desks. Hinami glanced at Tatsumi and shrugged, pointing to some seats about four rows from the front. It was as close as they could get, seeing how far back in line they were. It helped Tatsumi to be close to the front in case she needed to lipread.
The two teens took their seats, scooting in their rollie chairs and chatting idly, catching up on their winter breaks as they waited for the rest of the students to file in. Hinami apologized again for her radio silence over winter break. Tatsumi waved her off, inviting her to come over after the practical exam, which Hinami accepted gratefully.
'Curry for dinner tonight!' Tatsumi signed, bouncing in her seat, wide grin in place. 'Do you want to come over?'
Hinami gasped in delight, 'I've missed your mom's curry!' she signed, her mouth watering. 'Yes, please! But… will your mom be upset with me?' Hinami asked, wincing.
'No way,' Tatsumi gave a silent laugh, fingers flicking rapidly through the next series of signs, 'she'll just be happy to have her dish-washer back,' Tatsumi signed with a wink.
Hinami smiled, warmth running through her at the thought, 'It's a deal!'
"Alright, students! It's time to begin the written exam!" a voice rang out, causing Hinami to jump in her seat. Tatsumi cocked her head in confusion, following Hinami's gaze to the front of the hall.
Hinami pursed her lips, scanning through the exam proctors for Tatsumi's interpreter. She remembered Tatsumi specifying that she was deaf when they went to register, surely they had one… right? Hinami swiveled around in her seat, head turning this way and that.
'What are you looking for?' Tatsumi asked after tapping Hinami on the shoulder.
'Interpreter,' Hinami signed back. 'Didn't you say so on your registration form?' Tatsumi nodded in response, frowning as she joined Hinami in the search.
"You will have an hour and a half to complete the exam, any questions in that timeframe not answered will not be counted," the proctor continued, though Tatsumi wasn't looking at him. Hinami swatted at the girl to get her attention and quickly relayed the information to her, struggling to sign clearly with as rushed as she was. But the proctor just kept droning on, laying down the rules and explaining the anti-cheating measures in place. They had two special proctors in the hall, one who could create an area of silence with her Quirk and another that would erect light barriers between the students. Once they were finished with their exam, they were supposed to sit quietly (not that they had any other choice, what with the silence) and wait for the other students. The Quirks would not be lifted until the end of the exam. The questions in the exam booklets were randomized, just one more layer of security in case someone somehow managed to get a peak at their neighbors' test.
Hinami finished signing and gave one last shot at finding the interpreter, about ready to throttle someone. Was that how little UA cared about their students? Or did they just not think that Tatsumi would get into the school? 'What if you need help and the light barrier is up?' she asked, 'What then? I'm going to ask for an interpreter. This is ridiculous!'
Tatsumi's face went pale as she pounced on Hinami's arm before she could raise her hand. 'No, no! Don't worry about it, I don't want to bring attention to it…'
Hinami's shoulders slumped, though she did nod in agreement, finally. 'Okay, I won't…' she promised, though she did turn to pin a hard stare on one of the proctors, hoping they'd realize their mistake.
They didn't.
Without any further fanfare, the exam booklets were passed out and absolute silence fell over the room while opaque light screens sprang up. It was one of the most unnerving, surreal things she'd ever experienced. Not being able to hear herself breathe or swallow or sniffle. Not being able to hear the squeak of the chair under her, even though she felt the vibration. Or even hear the shuffling of paper and scratching pencils. It was deeply unsettling. Strangely, it also smelled intensely of popcorn. She couldn't help but wonder if this was the world as Tatsumi experienced it.
Well, without the popcorn smell, obviously.
Hinami put that thought out of her head and flipped open the booklet, writing her name in the designated space. At least she couldn't get that one wrong. The questions were tough and in depth, straining Hinami in subjects that she thought she had down perfectly. Though she flew through the Hero Theory section with no trouble at all, maybe being the Number Two hero's daughter did pay off. If only rarely. The English portion was okay, she had a decent grasp on it, at least. Same with Modern Literature, she felt good about those. The history and science sections were easy, but that was expected. She'd always favored history. Mathematics… well, she probably passed. Most likely, if only by the skin of her teeth.
Overall, she passed the written exam. She felt sure of that. One test down, one to go.
Setting her pencil down, Hinami popped her head up and glanced around, trying to gage how many other students were still working. It was hard to tell since that stupid light Quirk made everything so bright and reflective. She had no choice but to duck her head back down and doodle on the robot handout. Well, maybe she had a choice on the doodling front. Not on the other one. The rest of the time she passed by checking over her answers a time or two and repeatedly clicking all the lead out of her mechanical pencil and slooowly pushing it back in. It wasn't as satisfying in the silence.
Roughly half an hour passed in the same way before the light barriers shattered, glowing shards floating towards the ceiling as they faded out, taking the scent of popcorn with them. Well, that was unexpected, she assumed it was the silencing Quirk causing the smell—
BOOM!
Hinami jerked, swallowing the yelp that leapt up in her throat as noise returned to the room in a terrifying explosion of sound. Other students weren't as quiet, shrieks and gasps flooding the room with even more noise, noise like she'd ever heard before. Grating and raucous and overwhelming after the time in silence. She slapped a hand over her racing heart, taking deep breaths to study herself as Tatsumi watched in confusion, an eyebrow raised.
'They turned the sound back on,' Hinami signed, recovering from her scare. 'It was L-O-U-D,' she fingerspelled 'loud' for extra emphasis. Tatsumi just laughed and called her a scaredy cat.
"Pass your exams to your right!" the proctor called, his words ringing sharply in Hinami's ears. "They will be collected at the end of your row!"
Hinami nudged Tatsumi and passed over her exam, motioning her to do the same, as Hinami's neighbor passed his over as well. And so on and so forth.
"We're going to have a fifteen-minute intermission, use this time wisely to visit the restroom or get a drink. The next proctor will be in soon to explain the second half of the exam. Keep the chatter to a minimum or we'll be forced to reinstate the silencing Quirk. Good luck on your next exam," he said, before stepping down from the podium. Hinami's hands flew to keep up with the proctor, though thankfully this time it was a much shorter amount to interpret.
As soon as it was appropriate, she hopped out of her seat and stretched carefully, arms extended over her head as her spine cracked. She and Tatsumi used the break to go back to their bags in the hallway, where Tatsumi had bottles of fruit juice stashed away. The halls were slightly crowded with other students milling around, getting drinks from the fountains and chatting. The variety of Quirks never ceased to amaze her, was that kid's skin pitch black? It was so dark that she couldn't make out facial features besides his eyes and teeth, as his skin seemed to absorb all light. Then there was a girl with thick, unruly green vines for hair. And yet another kid with green skin and scythes coming out of the sides of his mouth, his face angular and vaguely insect-like. And those were just the visible ones! What about the kids with Quirks like Hinami's, that weren't immediately obvious? She liked to imagine the most outrageous Quirks she possibly could, like the ability to make everyone you looked at sneeze uncontrollably. What a nightmare for public health… but would they be a villain or a hero? And could you only make one person sneeze, or make everyone in your sight sneeze?
Hinami jumped as something cold pressed into her hand, snapping her out of her daydreaming. 'Thank you!' she signed, smiling as she rubbed her thumb over the colorful label. Kiwi flavored, yum.
'No problem,' Tatsumi replied, waving her off. 'You're going to need to be hydrated for the practical exam, so make sure you finish it!' she demanded, rooting through her bag to pull out her own bottle. Hinami laughed and made a show of rolling her eyes, though she did obediently crack it open and take a long drink.
'What do you think the practical exam is going to be like?' Tatsumi asked, cocking her head to the side curiously, a couple of her snakes mimicking the motion as well.
Hinami shrugged, putting the cap back on her juice so she could sign, 'I'm not sure, but that handout they gave us at the beginning had robots on them.'
'Yeah, that's true…' Tatsumi nodded, staring off into space. 'I think… I mean, I'm not sure yet, but I think I want to go into General Studies, instead.'
'What?!' Hinami gasped, choking on spit, 'What do you mean?!' she signed, struggling to recover from her coughing fit.
Tatsumi looked away, shaking her head, 'I just don't know if I want to be a hero,' she signed slowly, biting her lip.
Hinami paused, chewing on that thought while she formulated a reply. The idea of not being a hero was so foreign and strange, it almost didn't make sense at all. But… if that was what Tatsumi really wanted, then it would be okay. Come to think of it, had Hinami ever asked? She racked her brain, trying to come up with a time where they'd discussed it… and she couldn't. They didn't talk about it much, at all.
'What do you want to do, then?' Hinami asked, pursing her lips and trying to imagine anything other than following in her father's footsteps, rescuing people and punching bad guys. And paperwork, he bitched about the paperwork.
Tatsumi shrugged, running a hand over an inquisitive rattlesnake, stroking its diamond patterned scales. 'Snake venom has a lot of different uses in medicine,' she explained as the rattlesnake flicked a forked tongue at Hinami. 'I still want to go to UA, but…' she trailed off, avoiding meeting Hinami's eyes. 'I wasn't sure how to tell you. You've always been so sure that you wanted to be a hero…'
'Well, not anymore!' Hinami thought sheepishly, her brain full to bursting with new ideas. Tatsumi wanted to go into medicine instead of hero work. And it made sense, but Hinami had always assumed that Tatsumi was going to be a hero too, and they were going to fight together as a pair. Or she had hoped it would work that way.
'Medicine, huh?' Hinami signed, distractedly, struggling to pull her thoughts in line. 'That's good,' she signed, hands dropping limply by her side, feeling lost and alone, even as students brushed past them and back into the exam hall. An uncomfortable silence fell over them, both girls shuffling awkwardly and fiddling with their bottles of juice. 'We should go back,' Hinami finally signed, unable to take it anymore.
Tatsumi nodded hastily, jumping on the suggestion immediately as if it were a life preserver in a stormy sea. They stashed their drinks back in the bags and quickly headed back to the auditorium, taking their previous seats once more. Hinami's thoughts buzzed like a kicked beehive, mind working overtime as she tried to make sense of it all. She picked her pencil up and continued doodling on the robot handout, futilely trying to calm herself.
It worked, for the most part. Before too long, she was completely absorbed into her drawing, perfecting every line and curve of the little spaceship. So absorbed, in fact, that she nearly jumped out of her skin when Tatsumi nudged her. Hinami picked her head up, instantly spotting the reason for Tatsumi's nudge. Their next exam proctor was walking up to the podium, his blonde hair spiked impossibly high, like a cockatoo's. And around his neck he wore a strange boombox collar, which reminded her of a neck brace. Hinami blinked, frowning as she tried to place his face, certain that she recognized him.
"Welcome to today's performance, listeners! My name is Present Mic, and I'll be your proctor!" he screeched, causing a lightbulb to go off in Hinami's brain. That's right, Present Mic, the voice hero. His Quirk allowed him to use it as a weapon and screech like a siren. She listened to his podcast every once and awhile on her runs. It was interesting enough, even if she didn't really care about old music and muscle cars. "Everybody say 'hey!' if you're excited to be here!" he shouted, cupping a hand to his ear to listen to the reply.
Resounding silence was his only answer, aside from a muffled cough. Hinami winced, sheepishly signing to Tatsumi what he'd said and how badly it flopped.
"Sleepy this morning, huh?" he chuckled, seemingly unruffled. "Well that's cool! I'm here to present the guidelines of your practical exam! Let's get started! Are you ready?!" he asked, once again extending the mic to the crowd.
Once again, he was greeted with silence.
Yikes. Didn't learn his lesson the first time. Hinami's hands blurred through his introduction, settling into a comfortable rhythm as she interpreted. The exam was going to be ten-minutes long and set into a mock cityscape, where three different types of robots, the ones on their handouts, were roaming. The idea of the exam was to take down as many as you could within the time limit. These faux 'villains' were worth one, two, and three points depending on their class. Weakest robots being worth one point, and strongest worth three points. They encouraged full use of Quirks, though attacking the other examinees was prohibited.
"May I ask a question!" a voice shouted out from behind her as a chair squeaked. Hinami perked up and turned to face it, while simultaneously signing the last of the instructions to Tatsumi.
'Some kid is making a ruckus, says he's got a question.' She shrugged, eyes still on the guy a couple rows behind her. Calling him a 'kid' was kind of misleading, though Tatsumi had eyes and she could see that as well. His glasses glinted, accentuating his severely disapproving features as he waved one of the handouts around. He did have a strong jaw… Hinami thought appreciatively, eyes drinking in his inky black undercut. It looked good on him.
"Sure, go ahead," Present Mic agreed, waving for him to continue.
"On the handout it states that there are four types of villain, yet you've only mentioned three!" he scolded, and Hinami could almost just imagine him shaking a rolled newspaper at a puppy that pissed in the corner with how disapproving his tone was. "If this is an error or oversight, I'm truly disappointed!" he continued ruthlessly, "We've come to this esteemed school in search of proper instruction, to be molded into upstanding heroes! An oversight such as this is unbecoming of Japan's number one hero academy!"
'Damn,' Hinami signed, smirking, 'This guy's really laying into the teacher.' But if she thought he was done with his tirade, she was mistaken.
"You with the curly hair!" he said, whipping around to point a kid a couple rows back. Hinami leaned closer, fairly sure he was yelling at the same green haired kid she saw in the courtyard. Poor kid was having a rough time. "Your muttering is distracting, stop it at once. If you're going to continue, then please leave. This is not a game!" he snapped. He continued to tear into the poor wimpy kid, but Hinami didn't hear.
Her spine jolted ramrod straight like she'd been slapped, sweat beginning to bead on her temple—which she nervously rubbed, careful not to disturb her fringe. She pulled in a long breath through her nose, shaking her head as if she could also shake loose the memories.
"This is not a game!" her father shouted, hauling a much younger Hinami up by her arm and shaking her roughly. "If you want to treat it as such, I'll send you to be with the rest of the failures! Is that what you want?!"
Tatsumi patted her arm comfortingly, gently pulling Hinami back to the present as she rubbed her thumb over the inside of Hinami's wrist. 'What's wrong?' Tatsumi signed, brows knitted together with concern.
"And you down there with the pink hair!" he said, whirling to point at Hinami before she could respond to Tatsumi, "Stop waving your arms around, the people behind you can't see! It's disrespectful"
At first Hinami jerked in surprise, having harshly been ripped out of a memory she'd almost forgotten. But then she remembered who the fuck she was and leapt to her feet with a snarl on her face, "What did you say?!" she growled, planting a hand on the desk behind her and moving as if she was about to vault it just like she vaulted the turnstile this morning. The kids at the desk unanimously scooted backwards in a wave, as if Hinami were the positive end of a magnet and they were the negative. But before she could throw herself over the desk to throw some hands, Tatsumi's fingers clamped around Hinami's wrist. With a hard yank, she jerked Hinami's arm out from under her, making Hinami lurch awkwardly forward as she lost her support. Not to be deterred, she caught herself and continued, "I'm interpreting the instructions in sign language for her, you arrogant jerk! Who do you think you are to boss everyone around, anyway?!"
Said jerk's smug face went fire engine red, his jaw dropping open as realization set in, "My apologies!" he yelled, snapping into a crisp ninety-degree bow, his forehead nearly slamming into the desk in front of him.
"Aaand that's enough of that!" Present Mic called, interrupting the other kid before he could get another word in. Hinami stiffly dropped back into her seat, facing forward, her anger and energy retreating all at once like the ocean at low tide. "Such passion! I guess you lot are awake after all!" he chortled, smoothly regaining control over the auditorium. "Good catch, examinee 7111! You are correct, there's a fourth kind of robot present. However, defeating that one won't get you any points! It's more of an obstacle, really, you're better off just avoiding it," he explained.
"Thank you, sir!" the guy from before shouted, the sound of a squeaking chair coming from behind her, "I apologize for the interruption."
But Hinami was having trouble paying attention. Her heart pounded inside her chest like the thundering hooves of a herd of stallions, her face cold and palms sweaty. Tatsumi shook her arm, softly at first then more insistent, but Hinami just stared blankly ahead, hands neatly folded in her lap and her brows pinched together.
Tatsumi shot her friend a concerned frown but had no choice other than to lean forward and squint at Present Mic to attempt to read his lips. At least one of them should know what he was saying. Good thing he had such a flair for the dramatic, as it meant he tended to over-enunciate his words as if he were on a theater stage, making lipreading easier.
Hinami eventually came back to herself, emerging from her memories slowly. Her stomach felt weak and queasy, while her hands were sweating nonstop. That was the day her Quirk manifested. Her father had shaken it out of her, almost literally. Bitten tongue, copper blood, boiling hot tears. Shouting. Mother pleading. It was almost funny that she'd chosen now, of all times, to remember that day. History truly does repeat itself.
Breathing in deeply, she tapped Tatsumi's arm, who was leant forward over her desk. She jumped a little, turning to Hinami with wide eyes. Then she smiled warmly, melting the rest of the frost in Hinami's brain.
'Sorry, I got distracted. I'll go back to interpreting now,' she signed, eyes cast down. Tatsumi waved her apology away, still smiling, as Hinami jumped right back into it. Present Mic was in the middle of explaining how they were going to get to the practical exam area on shuttles, the presentation slide behind him showing five different fake cities, each labelled a different letter from 'A' to 'E.'
She looked down at her exam card and sighed, 'I guess we're in different groups,' she signed, looking at the 'E' on her card. Tatsumi nodded, pouting as she showed Hinami hers, which had a 'C' on it. Present Mic wrapped things up quickly, urging them to change into their workout clothes before boarding the shuttles.
Hinami and Tatsumi quickly gathered up the few things they'd brought into the exam hall and ascended the stairs, following the crowd. It took no time at all to find their bags and coats, all the while Hinami conspicuously avoiding her friend's attempts at getting her attention. That is until Tatsumi's hair rattled dangerously and she gave Hinami a hard swat, forcing her to pay attention. Wasting no time, Tatsumi quickly launched into a series of signs, eyes studying Hinami's face.
"It's fine," Hinami snapped, shoulders hunching up around her ears. "Don't worry about it." Even as she spoke, her hands subconsciously signed apologies. When she noticed what her hands were doing she huffed and shoved them deep into her pockets—deep enough that they only had lint-bunnies to tattle to.
'Please,' Tatsumi signed, 'I just want to help.'
Hinami's shoulders drooped, wearing the weight of the world like a thick fur coat. 'Father,' she signed eventually, squeezing her traitorous eyes shut so they wouldn't water, 'he recommended brother to get into UA and not me,' she signed slowly, feeling her stomach clench and roil. She scrunched up her face with the effort of holding back the hurt and pain and betrayal, 'It's stupid! I thought… he would recommend both of us. We had… a disagreement about it.'
'It's not stupid,' Tatsumi signed, just as slowly and thoughtfully, 'he's a bastard.' Her eyes were so kind and understanding, that steaming hot tears finally broke in Hinami's eyes, dripping down her flushed face.
Hinami gave a soggy laugh, though her eyes nervously flicked through the halls, 'I'm gonna go get changed,' she signed, scrubbing her eyes and scurrying off before her friend could sign any more, her hands still poised to speak.
Hinami strode through the hallways, taking deep, steadying breaths and re-centering herself. This wasn't the time to fall apart, she had an exam to ace. With that thought in mind, she squared her shoulders and stepped inside the locker rooms, aggressively staring down anyone who looked at her tearstained face too long. Wasting no time, she pulled open a bathroom stall and slipped inside, hanging her gym bag on the back of the door.
"Ah… fuck," Hinami sniffed, staring into the depths of her gym bag. Her yellow trainers were conspicuously missing. "I knew I forgot something." At least she still had her boots. They were sturdy with thick soles and were okay to run in, surprisingly, as she found out this morning during her wild sprint to the train station. Though they were much heavier than normal shoes, she might tire quicker than usual. But it was only a ten-minute trial, she should be alright.
Hinami undressed quickly, biting her lip as the motion tugged at the gauze pad stuck to her ribs. Pulling her sports bra on was almost torture. Moving slowly and carefully, she pulled on her black yoga pants and a white tank top, which she wore under a teal zippered hoodie. Without her trainers, she had no choice but to pull her fur trimmed, laced boots back on, tucking her yoga pants into them. It looked more than a little strange, but she didn't let it bother her too much. Revenge of the thrift stores, baby!
After leaving the locker rooms, they were all separated and loaded onto different shuttle busses depending on what letter they had on their exam cards. The bus ride was rowdy and packed, kids chattering nervously about the upcoming exam and trying to distract themselves. Hinami didn't do either of those things, instead she stared blankly out the windows and tried very hard not to elbow the shit out of the kid next to her who Would Not stop fidgeting. Thankfully, the ride was short and soon they were being ushered off the bus.
Moments later, Hinami stared up at the big fake gated city, a sick nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach. Despite all her earlier bravado, she felt awful. This stupid test could make it or break it for her. If she didn't pass, she'd have to go to an inferior school. Possibly on the other side of the country, separating her from Sho and Yumi. Her dreams would be harder with worse credentials. UA had the best work study program, which fast tracked getting apprenticeships and sidekick positions. Without that head-start it'd be like… running a race with weights on her ankles. She could still do it, but she'd come in last.
Last wasn't an option.
She sank into a series of stretches, bending in half to touch her toes and holding them and flexing. The motion sent a sharp lance of pain through her side, but she gritted her teeth and pushed through to continue her stretches. Standing lunges, shoulder and bicep stretches, neck stretches, etc. Once she felt limber enough, she bounced in place on her toes, getting her blood flowing. "I'm gonna kick so much ass!" she whispered to herself, affirmatively.
"Hell yeah! That's the spirit!" someone laughed from beside her, drawing Hinami's attention. "Man, I'm pumped now!" he said, grinning sharply and punching his fists together in front of his chest.
'He's kinda cute,' she thought absently. The first things that caught her attention were his big cherry red eyes and soft shaggy black hair, which was long enough that it barely brushed the hood of the black jacket he was wearing. "You weren't supposed to hear that," she said defensively, grimacing as she felt her cheeks warming.
"Heh, sorry," he said, rubbing the back of his neck and ruffling his hair. "You just looked so into your warmup, I couldn't help myself. I'm Kirishima, by the way!"
"…Todoroki," she mumbled, glancing away. God, this was horrible. Maybe she should just walk away and spare herself the trauma? He must think she's a friendless freak.
"You were the one who was doing the sign language, right?" he asked, though he didn't really pause long enough for Hinami to reply, "I think it's really cool you'd do that for your friend!" Thankfully, he didn't mention the confrontation afterwards. Good dude.
"Ah… thanks," Hinami muttered, shifting her weight from foot to foot. Since when was sign language cool? Not that she'd change a single thing about her and Tatsumi's friendship, but the other kids at school Did Not see it the way Kirishima did. And besides that, she was still angry that UA hadn't provided an interpreter. Did they expect Tatsumi to lip read her way through every class? Shameful.
"Well, good luck, Todoroki!" he said, holding out his fist expectantly.
Hinami shuffled in place, staring at his hand as if it were a particularly interesting bug she found on the sidewalk. Was he really trying to fist bump her? She'd seen rowdy boys in the halls exchanging fist bumps and fart jokes, but she'd never personally been offered one. Painfully aware that she was taking too long to reply, she hastily reached out her fist and bumped her knuckles against his. "Good luck. Bye." And then she turned tail and ran. Well, she didn't run per se, but it was definitely a hasty trot.
Nice. Tatsumi would've been ashamed of her.
Just before she got out of earshot, she heard a smack and a groan, "Stupid! Girls don't like fist bumps!" and she smiled to herself. At least she wasn't the only one feeling dumb.
Blessedly, the gates of the faux city were opened soon after her encounter with Kirishima, replacing her anxiety over her social blunders with anxiety about flunking and losing her dream. If she flunked, she'd never be able to afford to move out of her father's house. And if she never moved out, neither would Fuyumi, who only stayed for her and Shoto. They'd be stuck under his thumb for the rest of their lives. She shivered at the thought, face going cold. She didn't want to be the weight that held Fuyumi back forever. She didn't want Sho to leave her behind, like Natsuo did. Lucky, lucky Natsuo who moved across the country for college at the first chance. She didn't blame him, but she missed him. She missed late night instant ramen and venting sessions, she missed pretending to need help on her math homework (because while she genuinely did need help, she also knew it would turn into ramen and venting eventually), she missed his dumb gelled hair and the way he would watch Ancient Aliens with her when Shoto and Fuyumi turned up their noses.
Most of all she missed having laughter in the house. She loved Fuyumi and Shoto, but they just didn't have the same humor as Natsuo. No one else laughed in father's face like he did.
Hinami knew one thing for sure, she was going to get out of that fucking house—even if she had to burn it down.
"AND BEGIN!" Present Mic's voice boomed. Hinami didn't waste any time before launching into a quick, sustainable run, regulating her breathing. No use in burning all her energy right out of the gate.
Time to make it, break it, or be broken.