("Underlined text" is supposed to be read as Sign Language. "Italicized text" is used only for Misaki's Dad's quirk. "Bold Text" is used for messages Misaki types out.)

Chapter Eight

Stutter


If there was one thing that Shimizu Mari felt bad about it was lying to her friends.

She never set out to make a lie about things but it was just too hard for her to admit the truth. She had really screwed up during the entrance exam and had barely made enough points to get into General Studies. It was like the odds had been stacked against from the start. She had gotten far too nervous and it left her vulnerable to the robots; Meaning that her quirk on the fritz and while she should have been able to make an amazing display of her abilities, she had let her feelings get the better of her and that resulted in the worst score that she had ever received.

When she got the text from Misaki that she had passed the exam and would be admitted into the hero program, she had stopped herself from typing out the bad news in favor of just congratulating her friend. It just didn't feel right to ruin her day with this kind of news and while she had intended to tell her the truth sooner or later minutes turned into hours, hours turned into days, and days turned into weeks. She just couldn't find it in herself to be honest about this mess.

Only Hatsume knew the truth, and she had sworn the girl to secrecy. Mei might have been a total fruitcake sometimes but that didn't mean that she didn't know how to keep a secret. Even though both of them had the tendency to bicker, it didn't mean that they didn't like one another. Mari admired how quickly and tactical the things that Mei could create were, and Mei admired Mari's empathy and sincere feedback. Those two might not have been friends as long as Mari and Misaki had been, but there was something there that meant a lot to the both of them.

Mari made a point to visit Hatsume in the support department every now and again when she got the chance to do so. Although, she wound up covered in the ash of one of her babies the last time she popped in and there was an explosion.

It could have been worse!

Mari just counted her blessings that she had been able to get into the school at all, much to the chagrin of her Mother.

Shimizu Yumi was a staunch woman that believed in leaving things to the proper authorities, as it had been done in the days of the past. She thought the glitz and glamour of hero society was a waste of time and money. Every chance that she got, she would make that point abundantly clear to her daughter, telling her that it was better that she realized early that those dreams were useless. Her studies could be better spent learning how to do something more applicable to society! Like, becoming a lawyer, or joining the police force as Yumi had done.

Mari wanted nothing to do that with that idea.

But, it was nearly unheard of for a student to go from general studies into other classes, be it hero or support. It wasn't like it didn't happen but it one of the things that only happened during a blue moon.

It was such a rarity that it sounded fake.

But, Mari wanted to have faith in herself like she had faith in her friends.

When school started, she decided that she would try to go into it with her head held up high and without Misaki standing behind her; It had been like that for a very long time. Misaki would always be the one to lead the way and smile, boasting the confidence that Mari desperately wanted to her hands on to, but it was only moments where she was fired up by something ridiculous Hatsume would say or one of the awful things that her mother would say did she ever feel the courage to bite back.

It seemed like her quirk had doomed her to this fate. The power to cry as hard and as long as she wanted to do it. It was the telltale sign of the world's biggest cry baby. She really was a cry baby who feared a lot of things, and her quirk reflected that nature. It was a shame that it held so true in ways that she hadn't even really thought about.

She spent most of that first day with her hands in her pink locks tugging at the ends of the tips, sighing. For that matter, she had spent the first couple days of school without really talking to anyone else.

It had been such a long time since she had been around people that she didn't really know, Misaki had seemingly always been there for as long she could remember. It had been when they were in elementary school that Misaki had thrown herself in front of bullies that had been teasing her about her quirk. That purple-haired girl hadn't even manifested her quirk yet, but she marched out and did what she thought was right. She had wound up with a bruised cheek but she had grinned right through the pain and offered her hand to Mari.

The memory was a good one, at least.

Mari just wished she wasn't so... anxious around other people.

"Are you just going to stare at me all day?"

"Huh?"

Mari was pulled from her thoughts when she found a boy with dark purple locks staring right at her. She hadn't realized it but during her daydreaming, she had been staring at him. Her cheeks began to burn a little bit in embarrassment.

Everyone else in the classroom had gone onto lunch while she was in the midst of her own thoughts and now it was only him and her in the room. He hadn't really said anything before just as she hadn't done, as quiet as she was it was easy to pay attention to her surroundings. She could always pick apart details and little mannerisms that her classmates had, just by sitting and watching them all the time.

"I was daydreaming," she began to say though the words came out as a nervous babble. "I-I didn't realize that I was staring. I'm r-really sorry about that. Um, I guess I didn't realize you were still here. I t-thought everyone left to have l=lunch in the dining h-hall."

"Not all of us prefer to be surrounded by so many people like that," he responded, simply. "I've been in this room the entire time you've been here too. You must be really absentminded, then."

She pursed her lips. "I wouldn't put it that way. I just don't really get along with people that well. You never know how people are going to react to something and that inevitability is always scary. It's hard to know when you're going to say the right thing or the wrong thing so I wind up spending a lot more time in my head with my own thoughts," she said. "Why get worked up when I can avoid it entirely? Better not to say much when it can be a screw-up. Kind of like I'm doing right now because I am talking too much and that's probably annoying."

"I think it's the most that you've said in days, frankly." his voice was dry. "It might be a record."

"I-I think this is the most you've talked in days, too. Don't go and start calling the kettle black before you have the whole story," Mari countered. She crossed her arms over her chest and stood her ground, er, stayed planted in her seat without budging. Something about the way that this guy sounded made her a little bit peeved but at the same time she respected that he had that sense of humor that she could relate to.

"You got me there," he replied. "Enlighten me, then."

Mari was taken back by that question. She thought that he would turn his head and go back to his devices after she told him off. Yet, he seemed to be curious as to why she would tell him.

So, she leaned forward against her desk and looked at the front of the room so her shaking heart would calm down. Prolonged eye contact with people was one of those things that was hard for Mari to put up with. "Well, since you asked so politely. My best friend got into the hero course and I wound up here in general ed. I don't really have friends aside from her and this girl in the support unit. I'm kind of a mess when it comes to talking to people so I just don't do it unless I have to do it. Every time I try to talk to others on my own, I always wind up getting bullied about my quirk."

He seemed equally surprised that she was so honest with him. He nodded his head to that as if he understood where she was coming from. It wasn't like people didn't know that bullying happened, or worse, discrimination against others per their quirk. It happened every day, and it was crying shame that it couldn't be stopped so easily.

Mari took advantage of her sudden confidence. "So, what's your story, then? Why have you been avoiding people the plague? There has to be a reason why you're doing it. You don't seem like a shy person, so, what's the deal?" she asked.

"I suppose I relate to the latter half of your statement," he said.

"Quirk discrimination?" she voiced, quietly.

He didn't respond but it was obvious that that was what he was alluding to.

"I understand. It's wrong that people use quirks as a reason to ostracise others or bully them... nobody can help what quirk they're born with and it shouldn't be something that can be used against you for whatever reason. I don't know what you've dealt with in the past due to your quirk but I promise I won't be cruel to you about that. I know what it feels like and I wouldn't want anyone to feel that way too..." Mari trailed off.

She shook her head at that grim tone and tried to push it to the back of her mind. "Haha, that got really serious a little quickly there. Um, I'm sorry, I didn't even catch your name yet. I'm Shimizu Mari."

The glint in his eyes was intriguing.

"Shinso Hitoshi," he said.

"It's nice to meet you, Shinso."

"You'd be the first to say so."

"Oh, really? A guy like you not having the pleasure of being greeted by others? Color me surprised."

"I figure it's the same for you, you sounded like you hadn't used your voice in years. I think you're just as socially inept."

"You got me there, I'll admit it."

"Heh."


Time passed, a couple of days at most and what had changed would change everything forever.

All of U.A.'s students that had been back at the campus during the villain incident were on edge. The teachers weren't sure if there were any other villains prowling around so the group that had gone to check on the students from 1A. It had been the end of the day for most of the general studies, but there was a handful of them behind that stayed to clean up the classrooms or to train on their own personal studies. Mari and Shinso had been amongst those numbers that day, and the entire time she sat in that classroom with him she was on the edge of her seat.

She had heard some of the older students talking and she figured out very fast that the class that had involved in the incident was 1A; That was the class that Misaki was in. Her best friend was out there dealing with all kinds of hell that she couldn't even begin to imagine and she couldn't do anything about it. She had faith in the teachers and knew that they could handle the problem but what of the time when they weren't alerted to the problem?

There could be injuries or even fatalities!

It was unheard of, and villains had never once set foot on the grounds of this school. So to think that it had happened when she was attending was a little unnerving and it must have been even worse for Misaki since she was the one living through it. Shinso had been very kind to her in that time of stress. He had rested his hand against her shoulder and offered a small comment or two to ease her worries.

"Your friend will be alright, Shimizu."

"I know, I should have more faith in her and the teachers. I just wish I could be there to help... you know?"

She looked out in the distance at the faint building of the USJ.

"Unfortunately," Shinso said, pointedly. "the school doesn't think much of our quirks. They wouldn't expect us to be capable. That's why we're here in this classroom and they're out there in the field. Your friend is more than capable of handling this, at least, that's what the belief would be. So, putting it plainly, worrying doesn't do you much good."

"Very positive of you, Shinso, I can always count your sense of humor in a crisis," Mari said, the dry laugh escaping her throat was weak. She rubbed at her eyes some of the stray tears that had escaped in since she had last brushed them away. "Thanks for that. But, I do think we both could handle a crisis if it came down to it."

Shinso didn't say anything to that. It was something that they both struggled with. It was easy to beat yourself up, and it was easy to kick yourself when you were down, but it was hard to pick yourself up and keep going. There would be times when unwavering confidence flooded to the surface and other times when it fell flat. It helped that most of the students that were in their class felt the same way. So many of them had been hero prospects and pushed to the side because they couldn't prove themselves against the generalized test.

It was rigged in such a way that not everyone could truly use their quirk.

It wasn't fair, but, that was life. Cruel was as it came. Sometimes it would be his brazened words that made her believe that they could break into the hero course, other times it might be something that she said that made him stand his ground. This back and forth was what made it easier for both of them to make it through their classes. Going to the biggest hero school in the country made you realize very quickly that the balance of power wasn't as equal as it should have been.

It was just as this situation was.

There was something that they couldn't change without a big spark.

"We'll see about that, Shimizu."

"Yeah. We will. We just need to have some faith."

"Well, you're going to have to drag me kicking and screaming if you're about to start talking about friendship and the power that comes from it."

"Yeah, right, Shinso. You know I wouldn't do that to you."

It helped her get through that messy period just to talk to someone. Shinso was there, even if he was a bit touchy with his attitude at times. However, no matter how she tried to ease her worries, Mari was still worried even she walked into her apartment that afternoon.

She shared a worried look with Inari who had been worried when she didn't show up after he arrived home from school. The two of them sat on the couch in bated breath until it was announced that the students were safe and sound, All Might and the rest of the teachers saving the day just as she knew that they would. She let out a breath that she hadn't even known that she had been holding in when they reiterated that all the twenty students were safe if a bit just the smallest bit scraped and bruised from fighting back.

She immediately grabbed her phone and texted Misaki without hesitation.

Mari: I was really worried about you, Misa.

Misaki: I'm alright. There's no need to worry about me. I really didn't do a lot just some minor fighting in self-defense.

Mari: Still! I was worried that you might've gotten really hurt out there. I mean, villains on campus? That's terrifying.

Misaki: The Pros made sure it was okay, honestly.

Mari: Yeah. I know we wanted to be heroes but this is a little too early to be fighting villains.

Misaki: Just a little advanced study. It would be have been over a lot faster if you had been there.

Mari: ...Yeah.

Misaki: Do... do you wanna talk about that?

Mari: It's complicated, Misa.

Misaki: I miss you, Mari.

Mari: I miss you too, but... I don't wanna put a damper on anything. Just give a little more time, okay?

Misaki: Too much longer and I'll have to storm your door, alright?

Mari: You know Inari would let you in before you even got past two knocks.

Misaki: That's what's great about your little brother!

Mari: That's what you think.

Things weren't the same as they had once been but at the very least, she was relieved that even after radio silence, she and Misaki could still speak to one another without a strange air of grief.


"This baby is coming along so well! I can't believe we haven't had any explosions yet. Although, it's a telltale sign that we should be on our toes for an inevitability! Disaster is the key to success! I've been working to get this thing kicking for a few days now and I'm extremely glad that you dropped by when you did! Anyways, a little bit to the right, Mari! No, not your right, my right! Okay, now hand me that wrench, I need to adjust the screws again, they're a little loose."

"Oh, there's definitely a few screws loose in this room."

"...You're probably right, some of the subpar designs that some of the other students have made do need tweaking but I'm not allowed to give input on something anymore!" She said, disregarding the context of those words. "Well, I can give verbal input, but nobody wants me to offer a helping hand anymore." Mei tightened the screws until she was sure it was just right, not too loose and not too tight. She had been given the chance with some of the other students to work on fleshing out some of the gadgets for the first years here and there, simply the opportunity of a lifetime to make a baby that was utterly perfect!

"Because the prototypes wind up blowing up in your face."

"You only learn from your mistakes! If you're not prepared to fail then you're not prepared for this career!" Mei cackled, pulling her goggles over her eyes to inspect her handiwork close up as Mari sighed and shook her head at the girl.

"Yeah, I suppose you have a point there," Mari admitted.

Mari wasn't surprised that Hatsume was really living it up in the support class. She was kind of a nut and her attitude was built for working on gizmos and gadgets on her own. Now she was someplace where people acted and thought similarly to how she did, and while some of her mannerisms were a little eccentric, it didn't really bother anyone. Well, for the most part. She was doing a lot better at U.A. then she had at their middle school where only a few teachers treated her well along with Misaki and Mari.

Misaki was settling into her own classes just as easy. At least, that's what Hatsume had said. It wasn't hard for her to be kind to people and make friends, she just seemed to know the right kind of people to speak to and how to do it. Unfortunately, she really had wound up in the same class as that guy she couldn't shut up about. She was likely kicking ass and taking names later in her studies, proving herself to be capable of everything and more that she knew she could do and others doubted.

And Mari was... just in the background of her classes without anything else to do. It wasn't bad but it wasn't good. She just sort of existed and that was it, she had what she supposed you could call a friend in Shinso now, but nothing else to really mention as progress. U.A. was supposed to be a new start for everybody and her start just wasn't what she expected it to be.

With tense shoulders, she watched Mei work for a little while before it seemed that her friend was fed up with something. She flipped her goggles off her eyes and back onto the top of her head and stared right through her. "You know, I'm not the most perceptive when it comes to human relationships but you didn't come here just to help me out with this baby, right? You never do that unless I beg you to do it. This is about Misaki. You do realize that you could have just told her that you made the general study, right? She wouldn't judge you for it. It's sort of a rigged test anyway, remember?"

Mari blanked.

She wasn't used to this kind of astute awareness from Mei.

She shook her head. "It's not that I think she'd judge me, Misa would never do that. I just don't want to put a damper on her experience in the hero course right now. She needs to focus on training, not feel bad for me."

"And leaving her not knowing, either way, is better? I don't know about you but that seems counterproductive," Mei countered, point-blank. She wasn't wrong but the way the words were phrased made her stomach twist in a knot. "She's asked about you a few times but I haven't said anything since you asked. But you do know that she'll find out during the sports festival, right? There won't be hiding it then."

Mari was under a lot of pressure.

Her mother wanted her to give up on her dream and was giving her a time limit to do it. If she couldn't prove to the school that she was strong by the time she graduated then she would have to go and follow in her mother's footsteps instead. That was only three years to make or break it, and every single morning when she woke up to get ready for her day, her mother would remind her of that very promise and it made Mari feel as though she was getting kicked from all sides.

It wasn't just her mom.

The rest of the students that were outside of the hero course were also gunning for an open spot and if she stumbled then someone else would get ahead of her just like that. Shinso had made that very clear when they talked about it.

The winner takes all and the loser takes nothing.

That was the air that she could barely breathe in.

It was every person for themselves and most of all... she just wanted to be able to prove herself if only for herself. She wanted to be able to show everyone that they made a mistake by putting her outside of the hero course. She had to be ready to fight for what she wanted out there, and she had to be brave for the rest time in her life without Misaki pulling her hand pushing her forward when she fell down and couldn't get back up on her own. If she wanted to be sure that she could cut it out there then she needed to know how to do this on her own.

Perhaps the sports festival would be the place to prove it, once and for all.

Prove that she wasn't just a crybaby who relied on others to help her solve her own problems.

She just had to hold her head up and swallow her fears.

"...By that point, I'll be brave enough. I have to be."


The date of the sports festival was growing nearer and nearer.

As was the unbridled tension that existed between all of the students. Well, between the students in different courses, that is. Mari didn't have to even get out of her seat at the end of class to know that's what everyone was scurrying off to do. A lot of the other students had been clamoring to talk about the students in 1A for weeks now, all because of the attack and what the others thought of them. Surely if they were beaten in the festival by any of the other students then all of Japan would take notice.

She sighed.

Sure, it was an idea to go and declare war on those students to assert dominance but was that really the smartest thing to do? Then again, it certainly would make them take things more seriously. It seemed like a handful of them were a little too prideful for their own good. Throwing eggs on their faces wasn't a bad idea when you wanted to beat them all. She glanced over her shoulder to look at Shinso who had just stood up and seemed to be on his way out of the door.

"You too, huh?"

"Can't let them think they're better than us, Shimizu."

Mari agreed with the sentiment. "Yeah. But we have to remember that if we're going to destroy them during the sports festival we're going to have to believe in ourselves and go beyond. If we don't believe in ourselves, then how will we ever get into the hero course, Shinso? It's a cut-throat game and we'll have to edge them out."

"That's why I'm going to make it clear to them that this is serious. If one of them fucks up then that's an open spot for us," Shinso said. "I bet they haven't even realized that that can happen. No point in letting them think they're all something special because they went through one misfortunate event. The rest of us have been putting up with that for years."

She nodded her head in agreement, "Well, don't let me stop you from laying it on them thick. Stick to those guys, Shinso, I know you'll tell it like it is." she said.

"You'll have to be fighting your friend, too, Shimizu," Shinso paused in the doorway right before he turned to take his leave. "I hope you're ready for that inevitability to get to the top."

Just as Mei had warned her a few days prior, Shinso reminded her of the very same thing.

Was she ready for that?

She let the purple-haired boy go but after staring at the door with a nervous pit in her gut she couldn't help but to get up and follow after him to catch a glimpse herself of those students The only thing that she knew about 1A was that Misaki was in it, and so was that cocky guy that she clearly detested. There were eighteen other students in that class to count off that she had no idea about. What were the rest of those kids like? How had they faired during the exam if they all beat those robots?

Would she be able to beat them?

Would she be able to beat Misaki if she wound up facing off against her? The thought was scary so she shoved it away. Against her better judgment, though, she still stayed back and out of the way from the crowd. She listened closely to the conservations between the students as she guessed who was saying what. It was obvious that those students really hadn't been ready for a visit from the rest of the school. Huh, just as Shinso had expected. Perhaps most of them were cocky.

"They're scoping out the competition, round face. No point, though. Move aside, cannon fodder."

"Can we please not resort to calling those we don't even know cannon fodder?"

Mari heard Shinso's voice break through the crowd of voices as it silenced the others. "It's true. We came to get a look, but you sure are modest. Are all kids in the hero course like this one?"

"Huh?!" That voice must have belonged to the one and only jackass that Misaki had mentioned.

Shinso didn't miss a beat.

"Gotta say, I'm a little disillusioned if this is what you're offering. Those of us who didn't get into the hero course are stuck in general studies and the other tracks. There's quite a few of us, did you know that? Depending on the results of the sports festival... they might consider transferring us to the hero course." His eyes shifted to everyone in the visibility of the door. "I understand the reverse is also possible for you. Scooping out the competition? For a general studies kid like me... this'll be the perfect chance to knock you off your high horse once and for all. Consider this a declaration of war."

The weight of his words rang through the classroom as he walked away towards the exit. Mari stared after him as he disappeared from her line of sight in awe.

They could do this.

He could do this.

She could do this.

Mari pursed her lips and shook her head at that man. Yeah, Misaki had meant it when she said that that boy was rude as hell. He wasn't the only one that she would be dealing with, the rest of 1A was there and as she took notice of them all, she steadied herself and made a silent promise.

I will prove myself.


AUTHOR'S NOTE.

I have character cards for both Misaki and Mari on my Deviantart now. That's Lilac-Nightmares. Check them out if you want a cute detailed drawing so you know how cute those two are. I just finished watching the first episode of season four and wow, I am not ready for that arc to be played out in front of me like this. My heart isn't ready for it. What about you guys?

REVIEWER RESPONSE.

akagami hime chan: I always think of Bakugou the way I think of that vine where it's like

"Get your fucking dog, bitch!"

"It don't bite."

FERAL GROWLING NOISES

"YES IT DO! AAAAHHH!"

JSua:

1) I'm glad that you've enjoyed the story! I have read a lot of OC stories over the years and it can be hard to find a diamond in the rough. I love reading any of them because I'm open to hearing what anyone may say, but I know it's not everyone's cup of tea! So, I'm happy that you've found a rejuvenation for OC stories here.

I've put a lot of work into making sure that I'm handling what I'm writing properly, but I'm not perfect and this definitely isn't the best place to look for what may be a broader experience of the deaf community, but I make sure that Misaki is as good as I can make her because you just don't ever see a lot of OCs in stories that are disabled. I am, and I had to go write something that would allow others to find some kind of that. There will be more characters like that in the future, as well as canon characters with my own personal headcanons on them. Such as Todoroki being partially blind and a few other things that will be revealed in the future.

2) Yes. Hisakawa Misaki replaces Minoru Mineta in class 1A. I'm not sorry.

3)As for your question about her quirk, Misaki has the ability to stop time to a certain radius, but the extent of which she isn't exactly sure of because she's never attempted to reach the end of her range! As far as using the quirk on someone else and how that would change how it hits her, and what the effects of that will be on her body as well as the environment, that's actually something that I'm going to answer in the future! There has to be limitations to a quirk that is as strong as hers, after all! She wouldn't be balanced if that were the case.