Two days before her fourth birthday, Miko Tsukikawa woke up like every other day. It was a weekend, she'd be celebrating her birthday in a few days after school with her friends, some of which had already manifested their own Quirks. A girl who could heal small cuts and bruises, a boy with skin made of scales. Her parents had decided to take her to the local pool with her little sister, away from the compound, as an early celebration.

Her mother, a tall, beautiful woman with silver hair that glistened with moisture and sparkling red eyes, smiled at her from her seat on the pool's edge. When he wasn't looking, her mother dipped her finger into the pool and a trail of water followed her gesture when she lifted her hand before turning it into a small sphere, intent on surprising her husband.

She called out his name and flung the ball when he turned to answer her, splattering it against his face. Turquoise eyes were bright against tan skin and dark hair, Akio laughed and grabbed a water balloon to throw at his wife. Smiling at the scene, Miko was enjoying laughing and playing with her small family, listening to her mother laugh at her father while he joked around and threw water balloons at her and her almost one-year-old sister, Riko. The feeling of cool, clean water caressing her skin as she swam kept her calm.

Despite the excitement around her, she felt at peace floating in the pool, the harsh smell of chlorine was comforting. Feeling devious, she glanced around before diving beneath the surface, planning on swimming over to her sister to surprise her. However, the moment she decided to duck her head under the surface, she was suddenly overcome with a whole new sense of self. Every sense of serenity and security abandoned her, replaced with shattering, violent chaos that hadn't been there previously. No longer was she only aware of her small body, her extremities were now spread out across every cubic inch of the pool she resided in, feeling everything the water felt. The splashing of nearby children, every disturbance of the water, she felt it as if it were her own body that the children were playing in.

The abrupt change had her screaming and choking and on everything and nothing all at once, and she felt a burning deep in her chest and throat. Frightened by the overwhelming sensory stimulus, Miko gasped loudly and inhaled large amounts of water.

Just as suddenly as her sensory overload attacked her, she was brought back to earth when large hands pulled her out of the pool and laid her back along the pool's edge. Concerned hands fluttered over her small form, checking her pulse and helping her turn over to spit out the water in her lungs when she finally managed to breathe in something other than water. "Miko! Miko!" Hysterically blind, Miko could only hear her mother crying out to her, but all she could think of was the water that she could feel in the air, in the pool, and in places that she couldn't see but could feel.

When she saw her chest heaving rhythmically, her mother's voice was no longer frightened, instead, she heard the same stern tone she used when they were in the gym practicing her somersaults, or when she spoke to her patients. "Miko, stop. Come back to me. Let go of what you're feeling." She clenched her eyes as she heard her mother desperately trying to get her to escape whatever spell she had been put under. Her mother's firm hand continued to force the water out of her lungs. Chest heaving forcefully, her small lungs couldn't seem to inflate properly as all she could think and feel was the water drowning her.

Her lungs burned and her throat was swollen, and no matter how hard she inhaled, she couldn't breathe. Strong hands pushed her back down when she began to curl into herself. As quickly as she had that last thought, her mother was roughly patting her back and water trickled out of her mouth. Unclenching her eyes, she stared fearfully into the cool, calming red eyes of her mother. "That's good, Miko. Just breathe, okay? Just breathe. You're all right." Miko felt decidedly not all right, her small hands trembled as she tried to hold herself together, this time no one tried to stop her, but the voice of her mother helped eased her panic. "You're okay, Miko, you're okay. Oh, thank Benten." Her mother began to stroke her back soothingly. "It looks like you've inherited my Quirk, Miko-chan." Her voice was only a little sardonic as she grimaced at her daughter's quivering form.

Miko had always wondered when she was going to inherit her Quirk. She'd been waiting for it to manifest itself early last year when her friends' Quirks had begun manifesting themselves, eager and jealous to grow into hers. Secretly, she worried that she would be Quirkless. Now, however, after experiencing the vast metaphorical pool of water her mother had access and power over…she was terrified.

Still shivering, she heard her father speak distantly. "Well, since it's your birthday, Miko-chan, why don't we take a break from training today?" The faint lines of worry behind his eyes and furrowed brows on her father's face betrayed the easy smile and Miko knew the only reason he was allowing her to skip her daily training was due to the frightening manifestation of her Quirk. In his arms lay Riko, expression fearful and hesitant to approach her older sister. Miko managed a meager smile for her sister's sake, hoping to alleviate some of her fear. Though she loved running and somersaulting across the floor and vaulting herself off of the practice beam, she would take the free time to collect herself before she was required to return to the gym.

Due to Miko's violent reaction to the manifestation of her Quirk, her parents had decided that instead of going to school in the morning the following Monday after their family outing, they would pay a visit to the hospital. Since manifesting, the girl hadn't been able to completely dry off, her silver locks sopping wet and dripping everywhere. Her mother was forced to tie her hair up into buns to reduce the mess.

Miko tried to ignore the foreboding dull oppression of the water surrounding them brought on by her Quirk as they traveled, focusing instead on the sights around her. There in front of the reception desk, they waited to be called in to see the family Quirk specialist, Riko sitting on their father's lap while Miko held her mother's hand between them. The hospital smelled like harsh cleanliness: bleach and antiseptic.

After explaining the situation, with Miko staring meekly at her feet while her mother spoke and Riko poked at Miko's silver twin buns, the doctor explained that she had a composite Quirk, a fusion of her parents' Quirks. Her mother's emitter type Quirk Hydrokinesis allowed her to manipulate water while her father's transformation type Quirk Phase allowed him to phase into whatever inorganic material he touched, and on occasion retain some of those inorganic qualities of the material he touches.

The missing joint in her pinky toe meant that Miko's Quirk, Aquaporin, named after the cell organelle, meant that she could manipulate water, like her mother. Though born with a typical human body, her Quirk manifestation had begun to retain more water in her cells and the Quirk specialist believed that eventually she would be made purely of water. Normally mutative Quirks were seen at birth, but in cases such as Miko's, rare that they were, meant that late Quirk manifestations were capable of transforming a person permanently.

Thus instead of phasing into and through inorganic materials like her father could, she instead was slowly retaining and turning into an inorganic material, water, permanently. Or mostly of water. And she would likely eventually be able to manipulate water she didn't have to channel through her the way her mother did. Though for now, she'd have to increase her water intake and moisturize her skin frequently to help her body stabilize to the slow change of her composition, as her doctor theorized that she'd be susceptible to dehydration.

Walking hand in hand with her parents, they left the hospital still tense from the days' events. The small tyke kept her head down and concentrated on counting her steps to keep out the awareness her Quirk was feeding her. By focusing on each step she took, she was slowly keeping out the impending feeling of water all around her. Her body no longer felt like her own. Her mother looked down worriedly at her uncharacteristically quiet daughter while her youngest child lay sleeping peacefully in her arms, unaware of the increasing tension building in the air. Trailing behind the small family were splotches of water dripping from the eldest child.

When she returned to school the following day, it was with her parents. They took her directly to the principal's office, followed by a trip to the nurse before they finally walked her back to her homeroom where her principal explained the unique circumstances of her newfound Quirk. With her new situation, she found herself unable to stop her hair from dripping water all over the floor or sweating just a little too easily.

Miko was to be allowed to leave the class to go to the nurse's office to moisturize her skin in its entirety as well as keep a large water bottle by her desk to maintain her water levels as her body grew accustomed to her new Quirk. Given the state of her hair, and her inability to control it, the nurse let her borrow a small towel to keep with her so she wouldn't make such a huge mess at her desk. Next time she'd have to bring one of her own. They were relatively easy accommodations and her teacher was happy to help out, telling her not to worry and to "just ask!" if she needed to leave to get more water.

Miko joined her class again almost as easily as it was for her to breathe, the slight hesitation she felt when she entered the room left as her peers congratulated her on her Quirk, and a small self-satisfied grin took over her features.


February 26 *11 years later*

Soft rustling sounded throughout the room. Unsure of what exactly needed to be brought with her, the silver-haired girl packed as much as she could into a bag before checking the time. The nervous fluttering in her chest made it difficult to breathe. The last minute feeling of forgetting to pack something before going somewhere was something she would never outgrow.

Anxious and trying to calm herself, Miko's heart raced at the thought of her impending entrance exam. She moved to stand in front of her mirror, combing a delicate, calloused hand to smooth the already smoothed out hair on her scalp. It no longer dripped, but she kept it up in twin buns out of habit and a small sense of security. Staring into her reflection, she knew that she was prepared. She took a deep inhale and let out a forceful exhale. Ten months of endless training and practice exams left her confident though still wary, regardless of how well she prepared, there was always the possibility of someone being even more prepared than her.

It was still early in the day, but the nervous energy coursing through her didn't allow her to stand still. Lifting a small duffle bag onto strong shoulders, Miko carried her belongings with ease, a sleek hydration pack hidden behind the zipper. Sneaking through the hallways so as to not wake her sleeping parents and younger sister, she quietly called out her goodbyes. Having already dressed in casual business attire, she wrapped a woolen scarf around her neck before slipping on shoes. Patting herself down and checking off a mental checklist, she silently stepped out of her home to embark on her journey towards her testing site, ignoring the feeling of a pair of red eyes watching quietly the entire time.

Determined footsteps carried her towards the greatest school for hero courses in eastern Japan, forced timed breaths appearing as cold puffs in front of her as she walked. She never did like the cold. Her nerves had yet to subside, the familiar fluttering in her heart forced her to focus on her breathing, and false confidence only did so much to actually soothe her. Straightening out her back as she squared her shoulders and rose her chin in the air, she focused. It was a futile attempt at composure, but she managed.

She passed through the large gates of UA High, the greatest school in the nation for heroics, rivaled only by one other, and made her way into a large building, continuing to ignore her surroundings as she attempted absolute focus. Her only goal was to find her seat, listen for instructions, take her exam, and pass it. If she happened to score high enough to qualify as the first year representative, she wouldn't complain. She reminded herself again that she had spent the better part of a year preparing for this. Having aced the practice exams, training her body and mind until she could no longer stand, she was sure in her abilities. But that did nothing for her worries surrounding the others around her. Familiar words floated through her mind, someone will always be better.

Her body moved on autopilot, not taking in the people or conversations around her, mechanically gathering her materials at an information table, and sat herself down in a large auditorium. Her back was rigid in her seat, and she sat facing the front where a podium stood. Expression resolute, her eyes didn't dare look elsewhere, lest she lose her concentration. The card in her hands slowly drew her attention as she thumbed at it, and she calmed down enough to peer down. Her name, examinee number, and photo were printed on the card, as well as a testing site. Testing Site C.

Suddenly, the lights on the stage turned on, and behind the podium stood the Voice Hero: Present Mic. Miko stared intently, her nerves forcing her to tune out all other movements and sounds, this is it. She explicitly ignored the interruption of a broad shouldered boy with dark blue hair and fervently repeated Present Mic's explanation in her head. Three different villain types each worth different points. The one that mattered was worth three points, the more three-point villains she took out, the higher her chances of winning.

Present Mic's parting gift did little to inspire Miko, instead she focused intently on the simple plan she'd formulated during his presentation. Quick, decisive, precise. She had to move before the others in her testing site could take out the three-point villains, she was sure that they would also gun for the valuable robots, and there had to be a limited supply.

They had been given time to change into clothing more appropriate for the practical, and those testing at Site C loaded onto a bus to ride over once they were done. The ride itself was quick, and she hurriedly got off and moved towards the giant gates that enclosed a large mock city. Dressed in leggings and a tank top, Miko waited, the weight of the hydration pack was comforting on her back. She was grateful for the loose regulations regarding UA's practical exam; she had to bring and carry the water with her to use her Quirk. In front of the crowd of 39 other hopefuls, her weight shifted from foot to foot, eager to begin. Move quickly, don't hesitate, and above all be accurate.

Her thoughts were brought to a halt as the gates opened to reveal the city. Empty streets and tall buildings were not unlike the actual city of Musutafu itself. A moment's hesitation after nothing happened, she sprinted inside, uncaring for the others behind her. Ten seconds into the exam she ran into her first faux villain- a two-pointer. With the advantage of moving first, she left the hydration pack open to easily access the water inside at the start of the exam, and pulled out a stream of the packed liquid in front of her like a whip, slicing fast enough to cut the robot in half. Sweat dripped off her forehead, and she huffed as the smell of dust and oil wafted into her nostrils.

Her success seemed to call the other villains to her location, and her once crippling anxiety seemed to work in her favor. The desperation of passing the exam and the fear of failure helped her tear through several of the faux villains, slicing them in half but eventually that became costly. She learned that all she had to do was slice off their heads and they would be useless. So far, she had about 40 points and they were only six minutes into the exam.

To the right, she spotted another three-pointer. Running and swiftly cutting into its bulky head and sliced into varying parts of its metal frame for good measure, Miko panted and hunched over to catch her breath, hoping the time would run out faster.

"I would've been a goner if it weren't for you!"

Startled out of her small break, turquoise eyes followed the voice to a boy who seemed to be trapped under debris. He looked up at her from his position on the ground, weary and frightened. She stared stupidly for a few moments. She didn't even know he was there.

He was trapped up to the waist and if he stayed there, the chances of getting run over or attacked were obvious. With a grim frown, Miko placed her hands under the heavy piece of debris and managed to lift it enough to the point where the boy wiggled himself out. Once he was completely free, Miko let the debris drop and looked to the boy expectantly when he spoke, sweating profusely. "You really are a saint!" Disheveled though otherwise unharmed, she felt awkward under his grateful gaze. Before she could decide what to say or do, the earth began to tremble violently.

Over the tall buildings was the head of a monstrous zero-point villain. Clouds of dust flooded the streets and the sounds of glass windows shattering pierced the air. Examinees ran past her as they tried to escape the monstrous "obstacle" Present Mic mentioned earlier. Things were seriously getting out of hand. The boy, now standing, spoke. "Thanks for the help, but we gotta get outta here!" Without waiting for her reply, he turned on his heels and sped in the opposite direction of the zero-pointer, not sparing her a glance. He could've been a little more gracious after she inadvertently saved him, she pouted.

He sure didn't waste any time. A bit surprised by how quickly the boy had run off, stood for a few moments observing. That boy was trapped underneath villain debris, what were the odds that others were as well? With the zero-pointer on its way, any others trapped would likely be crushed. Conflicted, she took a moment to decide on her next course of action.

"Benten, give me strength."

Deciding to abandon her game plan, she spent the last two and a half minutes of the exam searching for victims and helped the ones she did find out of the rubble before escaping the zero-pointer.

The second part of the exam had gone fairly well considering all the studying she had put in over the course of ten months. Had she been any less diligent, her self assuredness would not be so stable. After her run in with that no-name boy, the nerves that plagued her the entirety of the morning evaporated her without her realizing. There was no way of knowing how she fared against the other examinees until the results were released. Hopefully, she managed to gather enough points to pass the practical portion of the exam.

When she finally returned home, her father was waiting for her at the gate. "Welcome back, little river." He was tall and handsome, dark hair cut in a boyish style that kept him looking youthful, much to his wife's chagrin. Miko tried not to give any of her worries away and kept an innocent little smile for his peace of mind. "Hi, papa." Her father, knowing his daughter much better than she knew, spoke as if he wasn't aware of his eldest daughter's act. "Your grandmother is waiting for you by the garden." He added helpfully, his turquoise eyes following her as she walked away.

Miko only nodded and continued walking to prepare for her meeting with the Shinoda matriarch, exhausted though she may be. Dressing in a winter kimono, as was custom for meetings with her grandmother, the girl tried not to think about the awaiting conversation. Accustomed to the formal wear, Miko was ready in less than 15 minutes and hurried towards Himiko Shinoda's part of the compound. The tabi on her feet muffled her footsteps as her brisk walk led her to a closed shoji door.

As was customary, Miko sat in a polite seiza before lightly knocking on the bamboo frame and slid it open. "Please excuse me." Sitting by the open doors was a small white haired woman, peacefully waiting by a tea tray, who simply nodded her invitation. Without hesitation, Miko bowed and entered the room. She sat across from her grandmother and their weekly tea ceremony commenced.

Her grandmother, similarly dressed in a warm kimono, daintily poured the tea, one hand lightly holding back the sleeve of her pouring hand. "I trust your exams went well." Her heart skipped a beat. "Of course, grandmother." She didn't dare look up. The old woman dipped her tea, keeping her red eyes on her oldest granddaughter. "Naturally," the older woman hummed. Every once in a while, the sound of the garden sōzu broke through their quiet meeting.

A week later, her results came in. Inside a square envelope was a small, round, device. As soon as it was placed on the desk in front of her, a projection of the UA crest appeared above her head. She waited patiently for something to change, forcing her heart to contain itself as she would at a competition while she awaited her scores.

She was surprised to see the logo change to a projection of Japan's number one pro hero, All Might. Dressed in a dapper pin striped yellow suit bolder than his hair, his grin seemed to take up the whole projection. Miko's lip dipped just a fraction at the sight.

"Young Miko Tsukikawa! You passed your written exam with exceptional scores. Combined with your practical exam, you demonstrated potential most befitting of your heritage. Take a look at this video!" The small screen All Might directed her to depicted a video of her cutting down faux villains left and right before stopping at a clip of her attacking the villain of the nameless boy she unknowingly saved during the last few minutes of their trial.

"You had great control of your quirk and fought well, earning 45 villain points. That alone wouldn't be enough to pass the practical. But that wasn't the only thing you were scored on. Saving this boy and rescuing others while the obstacle villain put their lives at risk earned you 24 rescue points."

"Congratulations, Miko Tsukikawa. This is your Hero Academia!"

Her grandmother held a small celebration for her acceptance by means of a tea ceremony. Her aunts and uncles had each congratulated her in passing as they crossed each other throughout the compound. Her cousins, at least those who were living at the compound, were all too young to really understand the importance of the occasion; but still, they seemed happy for her. She took their words in stride and hid how proud she was behind a fake humility that each of them likely didn't believe.

Miko got ready for her first day at UA, immaculate in her new uniform, hair pinned up in her trademark, silver twin buns, a shade not quite the same silver as her mother. In preparation for her exam, her normal bangs grew past her eyebrows and down to her ears, and she swept them to the side for the first time in her life. She looked at her reflection, and staring back at her was the face of her mother. Sharp almond eyes, a tall nose, and her strong jaw were practically clone-like.

Where her mother was tall and lithe, her daughter grew into strong, powerful muscles. She wasn't tall like either of her parents or even her younger sister, likely due to the hard impacts of her stunts. Years of hard work and training left her with strength she was proud of, and if she moved a certain way they would bulge out of her blazer sleeves. Her socks, like always, stopped at her ankles to make it easier for her to moisturize her skin when she needed to. She didn't like the ugly feeling of wearing clothes over just-moisturized skin anyway.

Determined turquoise eyes, so unlike the Shinoda red of her mother and grandmother, stared one last time at the small figure in the mirror, pleased with the image in the reflection. Pale bangs swayed lightly when she turned to grab her things for the day. Walking out of her home, Miko gave her usual goodbyes, the familiar burn of red eyes following her on her way out like always.

Entering the school gates, this time as an actual UA student, felt surreal. All that training and studying actually paid off, not that she expected it wouldn't, but lingering doubt was always in the back of her mind. A few students around her took note of a small looking first year walking into the main building like she owned the place. Rich kid.

Miko's proud strut guided her into a large classroom filled with desks and few other students who managed to get there earlier than she did. She chose to sit in the middle of the class, next to a boy with ash blonde hair and his feet up on the desk in front of him. She grimaced. What a heathen. She deliberately ignored the boy and placed her book bag on the hook of her desk, water bottle in the corner, when a tall dark haired boy strode over purposefully and stopped beside her. She waited incredulously.

"Good morning! My name is Tenya Iida. A pleasure to meet you." The poor girl blinked slowly before answering, she wasn't prepared to be greeted so properly, but the formality of it made it easier to respond. "Oh, good morning. I'm Miko Tsukikawa." He nodded and turned away from her, addressing the rude boy with his feet on the desk. "You! Take your feet off of this desk now! It's the first day and you're already disrespecting this academy by scuffing school property, you cretin! Don't you think it's disrespectful to the upperclassman who once sat in these seats?"

The boy sitting next to her had an irritating expression on his face, and let that expression morph into degrading words when he spoke Iida. Miko frowned lightly, annoyed, he doesn't have to be so crass. Luckily, before things got too heated and Miko felt like she would have to intervene, another student called out to her. "Hey! You're Miko Tsukikawa, right? I'm Eijiro Kirishima! We tied for second in the entrance exams!"

Kirishima looked like a ray of sunshine, red hair stood out in the classroom and a bright smile only added to the fact, like a red dawn. Serrated teeth didn't look as menacing on him when he smiled like that. He seemed friendly and even though they had to share the spotlight for second place, it didn't seem to bother him, unlike her.

Miko took a sip from her water bottle. The silver-haired girl kept her face perfectly measured when she finally spoke, "Kirishima. Yes, that's right, I'm Miko Tsukikawa. Congratulations on second place." A small smile slipped past her control at the last line, his smile too infectious.

Impossibly, he brightened even more. "Hey, thanks! Congrats to you too! You must be pretty good!" His smile was infectious, the muscles in her face relaxed the more she soaked up his sun. "I mean, you must be just as good if you're tied with me."

Their attention was stolen when a tired looking man spoke up from behind a cluster of students at the door. Long unkempt black hair and a ratty scarf barely hid the scruff on his jaw, and exhausted eyes looked to them as he stepped out of a yellow sleeping bag. "It took eight seconds before you all shut up. That's not gonna work. Time is precious. Rational students would understand that." He looked absolutely terrible. "Hello, I'm Shota Aizawa. Your teacher." He said, voice droll.

Miko's brow quirked. "Right, let's get to it. Put these on and head outside." She took another sip from her bottle. Class 1-A gathered outside in their UA standard gym uniforms, faces curious and a bit apprehensive. Mr. Aizawa stood in front of them and explained they were to take a Quirk Apprehension Test to gauge the limits of their abilities. A girl with a brown bob spoke up first at the mention of a Quirk apprehension test, citing the orientation they were supposed to be at.

Aizawa remained unbothered and was quick to respond. "If you really wanna make the big leagues, you can't waste your time with pointless ceremonies. Here at UA, we're not tethered to traditions. That means that I get to run my class however I see fit." Personally, Miko wasn't too bothered by the change of plans. It had been years since she'd been in a formal school, having been removed to focus on gymnastics, so the traditions weren't something she was sore about missing out on.

Besides, if her teacher, a pro at the best Hero school in the country told her that she would skip an orientation to begin her hero track early, she'd swallow her hesitations and skip orientation with pleasure. Mr. Aizawa continued his speech. "You've been taking standardized tests all your lives. But you never got to use your Quirks in physical exams before. The country's still trying to pretend we're all created equal by not letting those with the most power excel. That's not rational."

The silver-haired girl's face twitched as she tried to remain stoic. She definitely had some thoughts about that. In her not so humble opinion, people took that ridiculous saying far too literally. Obviously people weren't created equal biologically, Darwinism demanded it. In an evolutionary sense, no one could be created equal, genetic mutations, and especially goddamn Quirks, however controversial their recent global development may be, were required to ensure the survival of a species.

That being said, even if humans weren't biologically created equal, that still didn't refute the fact that every single human being on the planet did have a set of universal rights granted to them solely on the basis of being alive. When considering the saying in that sense, people are created equal, regardless of what their genetics may or may not express. The foundational power of Quirks shouldn't be the determining factor when considering individuals.

The ratty looking man powered on. "One day, the ministry of education will learn." He looked to the blonde barbarian from before. "Bakugo, you managed to get the most points on the entrance exam. What was your farthest distance throw with a softball when you were in Junior High?" The curious gaze of 19 other students focused on the ash blonde heathen from earlier. That was the number one student on the entrance exam? Bakugo managed to speak without yelling. "67 meters I think."

"Right, try doing it with your Quirk." Bakugo walked over to stand inside a white circle painted on the ground. "Anything goes, just stay inside the circle." When he hesitated, Aizawa was quick to hurry him along. The heathen wound up his pitch before releasing the ball with a rocket powered boost from his Quirk, a resounding explosion echoing in the small area, and ended up scoring a monstrous 705.2 meters.

Miko felt like sneering, first that imbecile placed number one and now his Quirk is fire based too? What were the odds? Mr. Aizawa looked over at them dramatically. "You have three years to become a hero. You think it's gonna be games and playtime? Idiots." Of course, it wasn't going to be fun and games, Miko thought. Expulsion on the first day to the one who didn't measure up. Hero work, especially those who were good enough to make it to the Top 10, had to be exceptional in one way or another in order to qualify. There was no room for mediocrity in the hero realm.

"Like I said, I get to decide how this class is run. Understand? If that's a problem you can head home right now." While she didn't like the implications of his spiel, or the intimidating aura he was trying to impose on them, Miko understood his message: sink or swim. When that same brown-bobbed girl spoke up about fairness, Miko couldn't help but scoff. Did she think this would be easy? Heroes had to fight against the odds every time they went on patrol or responded to natural disasters, in real life nothing was fair.

Their teacher seemed to feel the same way. "The world is full of unfairness. It's a hero's job to try to combat that unfairness. If you wanna be a pro, you're gonna have to push yourself to the brink. For the next three years, UA will throw one terrible hardship after another at you. So go beyond- Plus Ultra style. Show me its no mistake that you're here."

The challenge was a welcomed one.

50 meter dash, grip strength, standing long jump, repeated side steps, ball throw, distance run, sit ups, seated toe touch. That's all she had to exceed at in order to continue her education at UA. Under normal circumstances, she doubted she would have to worry. She spent the majority of her life training as an athlete in her father's training facilities, and she was a highly decorated one at that. However, the inclusion of Quirks meant that her spot in the hero course was threatened.

At this point in time, her Quirk, Aquaporin, didn't allow her to generate as much water as she would need in order to have an advantage over her classmates without severely dehydrating herself, as her body was still stabilizing to adjust for the manifestation of her Quirk. The water in her bottle wouldn't be nearly enough. She'd have to pull from her own body in order to survive this test.

In the end, she placed fourth in the fitness exam. Her water wasn't fast enough compared to the more powerful Quirks of her classmates like Iida or Bakugo. Unfortunately. She couldn't do much to give her enough of an advantage to place her in first, but her natural athleticism put her above the rest of her peers. Though she supposed, with a wave of anger that simmered just beneath her look of apathy, that didn't mean much when this was supposed to test their Quirks.

She was grateful, though, to not be in Izuku Midoriya's shoes. Last place and what looked to be a tense conversation with Mr. Aizawa, only to break his finger after using his Quirk? She had to agree with part of Aizawa's lecture to him. He didn't belong in the Hero course with a Quirk like that.

Their teacher revealed his deception to them and dismissed them with a reminder to pick up a syllabus before walking away. Miko's composure wavered. She placed fourth. Fourth. She didn't even manage to place in the top three! She managed second place in the entrance exams, granted she did have to share the spot with another student.

The only semblance of solace she could find in the situation was that the number one didn't place number one on the Quirk apprehension test, and her twin was a couple of ranks below her. Even still, fourth place was not good enough. Even repeating the same mantra, there's always someone better than you, didn't do anything to help ease her ego. Angry and bitter, Miko clenched her fist before making her way back into the building. She remained quiet in the locker room and kept to herself when she finally made it back to Class 1-A. In the front was a stack of syllabi, she swiped one as she walked by.

Homeroom, English, Modern Hero Art History, lunch, Hero Basic training, Calculus, Modern Hero Literature. Their time table seemed pretty standard, though she did wonder what Modern Hero Art History had anything to do with a hero education. Heroes were usually the ones being depicted, not the ones doing the depicting. Maybe it was just her lack of appreciation for the arts, she has been called a brute in the past.

Once done reading over her syllabus, Miko packed it away in her bag before taking a sip of water, thoughts still lingering on her Quirk placement. A spirited voice called out to her, disrupting her increasingly bitter train of thought. "Hey, Tsukikawa! That test sure was something, huh? Expulsion for the last place?" He scoffed.

"I couldn't turn down a challenge like that! Though I never doubted you and I wouldn't get expelled, right, number two?" Turquoise eyes turned to follow the voice. Kirishima smiled back at her. Not wanting to be rude, but still feeling pretty upset about her placement, Miko nodded along, trying to keep up appearances. "Of course not. We both did pretty well." She tried to smile, inwardly she couldn't help but think of his placement below hers victoriously.

The redhead shook off her empty compliment. His sunshine turned into fierce determination as he smirked at her. "You still ranked higher than I did, Tsukikawa. Guess this means I'll have to work harder to beat you and break our tie."

He did have some substance to him if he was challenging her to a tiebreaker. His declaration fanned the flames of her competitive spirit, briefly bringing her out of her depressive spiral to rise to his challenge. She grinned. "Then I guess this means I'll have to work harder so you don't."

His look of determination seemed to harden at her words, grin widening. Now that he had ignited her, she didn't stop there. She swung her bag onto her shoulder and gave him a look. "But I won't stop there. I'm aiming for the top spot." Water bottle in hand, she was already walking out the door before he could respond. "What's the point of doing anything unless you're going to be the best?" She called over her shoulder.

Miko had a 40 minute train ride and a 15 minute walk home. On the way there, her test results managed to meander their way back into her mind despite the encouraging encounter with Kirishima, her companion for second place. He was a nice person, but it was bad enough that she had to share her seat with someone else, and now she didn't even make it onto the top three on the apprehension test.

Thinking back to the students above her, they definitely outclassed her with their Quirk control. Even after years of training her body to make sure she didn't drip all over the place, and could even manipulate a sizable amount of water, she was behind. Having placed so high on the entrance exam, she let that inflate her ego and give her a false sense of security in comparison to the other students. She conveniently didn't take into account the students who'd be let in on recommendations.

Collecting herself, she let herself into her home as quietly as she could. "I'm home." Her father dressed comfortably. He had shaved recently, stubble gone from his chin. "Welcome back. How was your first day?" He kept an attentive eye on his oldest daughter, watching her as she traded her shoes for slippers. "Interesting. We had a Quirk Apprehension test instead of orientation. I ranked fourth."

Akio felt his brow twitch. "Fourth? Didn't you come in second on the entrance exam?" His daughter's response was perfectly measured, though he could tell she was bothered by the results. A simple 'yes' was all he got. The dark haired man pretended he didn't hear the loathing in her voice and continued to speak. "Well, your grandmother's waiting for you by the garden. Make sure to get ready quickly."

He watched Miko continue to pretend she was unbothered. "Yes, papa." Inwardly, he frowned. She seemed more upset than he initially thought. There was only one way he knew how to cheer her up. Akio's turquoise eyes stared into the back of his daughter's head. "Also, don't think you have today off. I'll meet you in the dojo once your grandmother's done with you."

Miko paused only briefly. Turning to look back at her father, she allowed herself a small upturn of her lip. There was nothing like the thought of failure and the call of victory to drive you towards improvement.


AN: Small edits have been made as of 04/09/21. Also, this story updates monthly!