"Shoto I'm all right, just a little tired." The boy hesitated, staring intently at his friend's face urging the girl to drink the melting ice. Jiro, Iida, and Momo looked on with worry. "Drink this. You're dehydrated." She took it without argument, slowly swallowing the liquid. Moving to stand, Shoto helped her up. "Where's Midoriya?" She asked. "He's over there with Melissa. He and All Might worked hard to save us," replied Iida.
Miko scoffed lightly. "Tch, give us some slack. All Might wouldn't have escaped without our help." She bit her cheek to stop herself from licking her lips.
"That's right, we each played an important part in this operation," Momo added. She looked worse for wear, covered in dirt and no closer to collapse than Miko. "We should probably head back and see if our assistance is needed with the aftermath."
Miko shook her head. "You guys go ahead. I'm going to search for my family." Light pants escaped her as Shoto moved to help her stand on shaky legs. He gave her a look, silently asking if she was fine to move on her own, but she shook off his worries with a small nod of her head. Instead he eyed the way her fingers trembled slightly, either unnoticed or willfully ignored as she gazed out the horizon with a worried look on her face, but chose not to challenge her.
Lost as she was in her thoughts, she didn't notice when she got too close to the edge of the roof until her right foot slipped off and her upper arm was roughly grabbed in a vice. "The hell are you doing? Get your ass together!"
Turning back angrily at Bakugo, Miko refrained from snarling her teeth. "Excuse me if I'm a little distracted after my family was held hostage!"
The blonde had no such reservations. Her feet dangled slightly and she narrowed her eyes at him as he pulled her closer to his face, readily lifting his upper lip and snarled until even his gums were on display. Her attention now fully on him, she pushed at his shoulder with her free hand to create space between them, even kicking his shin, but the taller boy didn't budge.
"That doesn't mean jack shit! There are others in danger because of those damn villains so you better think of them as family too if you're so worried! Now stay outta my way if you're just gonna be a nuisance!" Storming away from her after roughly dropping her, she stared after him in a huff, only to notice that even after rudely jostling her, he had still brought her a good distance away from the edge and even released her so she'd be facing the emergency exit door instead of the horizon.
That smug bastard, she thought.
None of them bothered to say their goodbyes when they separated so Miko ran off to find her family and her friends to aid in the clean up. The island was a maze after the lockdown, but after following signage and crowds of well-dressed civilians meandering about, she spotted a head of blue hair. "Yuuichi!"
"Miko!"
She ran forward, bare feet slapping against the cold tile of the ballroom. Yuuichi looked worn out but otherwise unharmed as he met her part of the way with outstretched arms, catching her when she stumbled into him and firmly embracing her. She pressed her face into his chest, mumbling as she spoke. "I"m so glad you're alright. Where's uncle?"
Yuuichi pulled away from their embrace, checking her over worriedly. "Just look at you, barefoot and exhausted. What happened?!" She shook off his concern, peering around his shoulders frantically.
"Don't even worry about it. How's uncle Chiro? Is he okay?"
A heavy hand landed on her shoulder. Turning quickly Miko was met with the blessed sight of her uncle, looking worse for wear, though otherwise visibly unharmed. He gave her a tired smile. "I'm fine, Miko. But you look terrible. Come along you two, we're going home."
He ushered them away, and only once they were out of view of others did Chiro allow himself to hold his niece. They held onto each other similar to the way she and his son did, but his hold was much more brief. Despite her protests, Chiro sent Miko home to their hospital, where she stayed for two days at the insistence of her grandmother.
Her family members each came to visit her almost immediately after she was admitted, asking her about the attack among other things. She learned that a conference call was offered in lieu of the party due to the villain attack, though a business deal was the last thing on her mind. Sitting in her bed, she trembled with excitement. Her two days were coming to a close and she couldn't wait to get home.
Perking up when she heard a knock on her door, she was surprised to see Jiro poke her head in. "Heya," she waved. Visibly confused, Miko asked, "Jiro? What're you doing here?" The purple haired girl grinned lazily, "We thought you might like some company."
Said girl raised a quizzical brow. "We?"
"Yes, we heard from your uncle that you'd be staying at Shinoda Hospitals, as to be expected, and he suggested a visit may help speed up your recovery," Iida piped in as he walked in behind Jiro and Momo, followed by the rest of her friends who were present at the island recovery operation- even Bakugo. Though he was obviously reluctantly dragged there by Kirishima judging by the look on his face.
Miko scoffed lightly, though she did sit up a bit. "Really. You guys didn't have to go to the trouble. I'll be released soon. It was pretty much overkill to have me stay here as long as I did."
Bakugo growled, having had enough of their useless visit. A quick once over and anyone could tell that Princess Mouse Ears was obviously fine and their presence was unnecessary. The longer he looked at her the more irritated he became at having to wait around while they gawked. "Hurry up and get outta here," he grumbled. "Y'ur wasting everyone's time!"
Miko squawked, her jaw dropping indignantly, and Iida immediately reprimanded him, inadvertently making just as much noise. "Quiet down this is a hospital!"
"I'm outta here," Bakugo scoffed and turned on his heel and walked out the door, not sparing a glance for anyone in the room. Kirishima cast an apologetic look her way and followed after the boy. Miko turned to the rest of her friends with a huff. "Well then...I suppose that's all we can expect out of him." She tried not to let it irritate her. Did he have to be so rude?
The rest of the visit was enjoyable as they all conversed about one thing or the other, but mostly about their upcoming training camp. They said their goodbyes soon after, leaving the silver haired girl sitting on her hospital bed as she waved her farewells. Shutting the door behind themselves, they stopped when a tall man with dark hair and turquoise eyes addressed them.
"You're the class 1-A students aren't you?"
They all nodded affirmatively, surprised. "Yes, that's us," Midoriya said. "Who are you?"
"Ah, I'm Akio Tsukikawa. Miko's father."
Akio lowered his gaze to the floor. "You're the heroes. Listen kids, I don't get to do this often, but...thank you. My daughter hasn't led an easy life, no matter what she'll have you think— and she tries very hard to keep up appearances. But since entering UA, I've seen her grow more than she has in the 15 years she's been living under my care," he bowed. "So thank you for being my daughter's friends."
They each smiled warmly. "We'll do our best to treat her well!"
Back in her room, a tentative smile grew on Miko's face as she fiddled with her hands, content with her friends' visit. Oh , she thought. I forgot to ask them to sign Kohaku's autograph again . The door opened.
"You've got wonderful friends, little river," he father said, smiling as he stepped in. Miko glanced down to her hands. "Hn." Her lip twitched upward.
TRAINING CAMP: DAY 1
UA CAMPUS, MUSUTAFU
"For the next three years, UA will throw one hardship after another at you." That was what Mr. Aizawa said to them on the first day of school. Her good mood at the hospital was long gone. Looking at him now, she was willing to bet neither of them thought they would've had the kind of hardships they've had. There was no way any of them could have ever thought it possible that they'd have the year that they've been having. Utterly ridiculous. Villains have never been so depraved. Now she was dedicated to it, she had to work hard to put a stop to it.
She stood in front of him. "Mr. Aizawa, I have your refill." She held out two hands.
"Ah. Thank you, Tsukikawa." Miko nodded politely. He had asked her to pick up more eye drops and bring them with her to this trip as he had rationed the drops her family gifted him and somehow timed it so he wouldn't need refills until the absolute last possible second.
Outside of their building whilst they listened to Mr. Aizawa lectured them about their camp, Miko stood with her arms folded tightly beneath her non-existent bosom between Jiro and Shoto, listening carefully. "We're never getting a break are we?" Jiro mumbled. Miko shook her head as sympathetically as she could despite her nerves. Regardless of Mr. Aizawa's intense speech, the students of class 1-A were brimming with excitement.
"This is what we signed up for," Miko reminded the girl, her foot bouncing agitatedly. She held her breath for three beats. Her foot stopped bouncing.
She and Jiro kept to themselves while the rest babbled loudly around them, when a voice cut into the noise. Her toes lifted slowly. "I heard class A is taking extra courses. Does that mean they actually failed the exams? That must be so embarrassing. Especially since you're supposed to be so much better than my class. All of you must be wallowing in shame!" Monoma said. Kendo smacked the back of his head. "Don't mind him."
"Does this guy ever give it a rest?" Miko wondered aloud. Her toes were flat on the ground. Jiro nodded along, even Kirishima eyed the boy distastefully from behind her.
"Yo, Tsuki!"
Jiro looked at Miko with a raised brow. "Friend of yours?"
"Hn."
She turned and glowered at the boy who approached her. "I never gave you permission to call me that, Kaibara."
He put his hands in his pockets. "Don't you think it's cute? It suits you." A vein popped on her forehead. "No way you're calling me that. Tsuki kawa . My name is Tsuki kawa ." Kaibara huffed a small, amused laugh when she stomped her foot in the most childish display he'd ever had the pleasure of witnessing. Jiro laughed.
"Time to get on the bus!"
"Everyone line up in seating order!"
Miko huffed, walking away without glancing back at the boy, and missed the way he continued to laugh at her even as they separated. Jiro waved goodbye, she'd be sitting with Momo this time around. Giving her a shallow nod in return, Miko found a spot next to Shoto.
"Here's the deal. We'll be on the bus about an hour before our first stop. Make sure you stay focused." Aizawa announced, taking his seat in the first row.
Focused. Of course. Always stay focused.
The familiar feeling of anxiety pumping dangerously through her heart and slowly eating its way out of her chest left the silver haired girl on edge. Since returning from the expo with Uncle 'Chiro and Yuuichi her grandmother cornered her without a smile and admonished her about the USJ, Hosu, the island, and worst of all: her exams.
She tore into Miko with zero remorse, admonishing her for her poor scores, digging into her biggest insecurities, questioning why Miko even bothered to interfere with real hero work when she couldn't even pass a first year hero course practical. But the most scathing thing her grandmother had lashed her with was something she knew with absolute certainty would wound her.
What would Riko think of your promise if she saw you so low?
Grinding her teeth to dust and pretending she wasn't thinking such loathing thoughts Miko stared out her window, feeling sorry she couldn't keep up with Grandmother's high standards. Though her bubble of self pity quickly burst when the rest of 1-A's excited chatter invaded her ears.
"Why aren't we blastin' some music?"
"Stay seated! Do not open that window!"
Later, Miko would be able to remember what Bakugo said just then, but suppose then that it didn't really matter in the end. Perhaps it was the fact that they had just survived another villain attack, one that directly put her family in danger, or the reminder that Miko had failed a practical exam for the first time in her academic life, and had to take remedial lessons to make up for it. Or, more likely, it was because she was so thoroughly castigated just before coming here that made Miko feel… irked by the explosive blonde ahead of her.
She didn't have time to think about why because this sticky, heavy feeling took over her like a tidal wave and suddenly without meaning to, words began to slip out in the most scathing, irritated tone she'd ever taken with anyone ever, "Do you ever shut up?" And not even have the mind to regret her actions, only spurred forward by the look on his face.
Her words cut into the noise of the bus and slit a silence over the teenagers because calm, obedient, goodie two shoes Tsukikawa had just picked a fight [unprovoked!] with the most volatile student in their class.
"Haaaahhh?!"
"Definitely the tsundere type," Mineta whispered to Kaminari.
Most of them have learned to ignore his obnoxious outbursts, since he could be easily contained, as seen by the muzzle forced on him at the sports festival, and were positively shocked that Tsukikawa of all people had out of the blue decided to argue about it now.
"No really. Do you ever stop running your mouth?" She was now standing out of her seat, staring him down with that condescending look on her face she sometimes got, and Bakugo did not appreciate it. At all .
"You better shut y'ur trap right now, princess mouse ears. Who do you think you're talking to?!"
But she was too far in. So she dug herself even deeper. "You, obviously. Who do you think you are shitting on your classmates all the time? Haven't we already proven we're just as capable as you?"
"'Just as capable' my ass, none of you extras could compete with me!"
"You guys, maybe you should calm down—"
At this point, Miko was trembling with a simmering rage she didn't have a reason for. But she did have a target. Baring her teeth the same way the blonde did, poison on her tongue. "You're rude, loudmouthed, and obnoxious. An annoying brat , who can't stand the idea that someone might be better than you. So why don't you sit down, shut up, and humble yourself."
For one second, they stared each other down in tense silence, Bakugo clearly gearing up to retaliate as his hands had begun popping dangerously, but Aizawa cut in with glowing red eyes. "Tsukikawa, Bakugo, that's enough. Both of you need to quiet down."
Miko was the first to tear her gaze away, slumping in her seat angrily as she continued to stare out her window. Glancing at her with worried eyes, Shoto asked her with a gentle voice, "Are you okay?"
Still angry, Miko knew she couldn't face him without misplacing her anger onto him. "…'m fine," she bit out stiffly. He eyed his friend disbelievingly, but decided not to push the matter further. Her outburst was very unlike her, but he trusted the girl to take care of herself, and if not, that she would seek him out if whatever was bothering her became too much.
The awkward air Miko and Bakugo's fight created was dispelled with more banter from Kaminari and the others, who all collectively decided to leave the two to their own devices. She stared out the window, again, feeling sorry. The city slowly melted away from view, and fuming as she was, Miko barely took notice of the gradual increase of trees and general greenery as it took over the wide bus window.
She felt guilty for giving Shoto her back, but couldn't bear to face him after that embarrassing outburst. Hell she couldn't bear to face anyone after that. It was petty and misguided, she knew that. Still, her gut twisted at the thought of acknowledging that in any capacity.
Spending the rest of the ride in quiet regret and stewing emotion, she almost ran out the bus when they stopped for a break.
TRAINING CAMP: DAY 1 *A SHORT WHILE LATER*
REST AREA, MOUNTAIN PASS
"I really needed off that bus," Kaminari said, very aware of Tsukikawa's icy demeanor as they got off the bus. "Let me through I gotta pee!" Mineta said. Miko almost sneered.
"Huh, this isn't much of a rest area," Kirishima commented while looking around. Jiro, "No. And where's class-B?"
Aizawa, "You don't really think that we stopped here just so you could stretch your legs do you?" Miko's eyes darted to the man. He couldn't mean they were going to start training already did he?
Mandalay, "Heya Eraser!"
"Long time no see," Aizawa said.
In front of them, a group of grown adults dressed as cats introduced themselves in the most flamboyant way possible. "These will be the pros you'll be working with at the summer training camp."
Miko took a moment to assess the situation. According to Pixie-Bob and Mandalay, they had three hours to get to the camp, lest they arrive too late and not receive dinner. Her stomach flew into her chest when Pixie Bob threw them off the roadside and into the forest with a massive landslide. A strangled scream escaped her lips without her consent as she fell off the cliff. Their fall was only somewhat cushioned by liquid earth, all of them now dirty and uneasy.
Miko landed in a disgruntled heap of scraped hands and knees, and was in an even worse mood than she had been while on the bus. The fact that she was covered head to toe in dirt and mud only added to that. She glanced around. Kirishima had already picked himself up and a few others were coming to a stand as well. She let her head drop between her shoulders. "What was the point of bringing our extra clothes if we were just gonna be dumped off a cliff side in our uniforms from the get go?" she lamented.
At the edge of the forest, various beasts, all created at the hands of Pixie Bob, could be heard lumbering through the foliage. They had to assume they were huge.
Well, then. Let the training begin.
TRAINING CAMP: DAY 1 *A FEW HOURS LATER*
WILD WILD PUSSYCATS TRAINING CENTER, UNDISCLOSED LOCATION
Trudging her way to the buildings grouped together in the distance, Miko huffed. She used her quirk for about two hours before she started to get tired and began to use her friends' sweat too (out of desperation and necessity) hoping they wouldn't notice (they didn't, blessings from Benten). It wasn't a conversation they had time to have and it was also awkward for her so she decided to avoid it all together.
She kept an eye on Kaminari, who short circuited pretty early on, as he came out of the forest beside Sero and Jiro. Her buns fell out a while ago without her noticing and she didn't bother putting her hair back up because she couldn't find her extra hair ties and was too shy to ask Momo to create a spare. So with twigs and mud in her hair, she came to a stop beside Shoto's right side.
"Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow . I thought it would take you kids even longer. But you did much better against my dirt monsters than I thought you would. You guys were seriously great. Especially the five of you!" Miko blew a stray tuft of hair out of her eye where she stood next to Shoto's right side. Pixie Bob eyed their small group with interest. "It seems like you've had quite a bit of experience."
She straightened out of her hunch at that, though it only lasted for a few seconds. The way her body ached after expending so much of her quirk differed from long hours in the gym. Her quirk was a muscle she spent so long keeping under strict control, this sudden extended use left her a trembling, pathetic mess. Useless, and feeling entirely too weak. Whether it was sweat or her hair slowly dripping down her back, she couldn't tell.
Their bags were quickly retrieved from the bus, haphazardly tossed into their rooms, and when the smell of hot food wafted across their noses, it was as if they'd never been tired at all. A delicious spread of tonkatsu, rice balls, and curry laid out by their hosts waited for them, and they wasted no time to rush for a seat at the table. It took no small amount of restraint to keep from shoving food down her gullet, but the echoes of lessons and strict teachings breathed down her neck, reminding her to chew slowly and deliberately. All for the best, really. The food was delightful.
The taste of curry on her tongue, the smell of beef in her nose, and the sweaty feeling she had all over her skin slowly faded from her senses the longer she sat. A creeping feeling of guilt slowly crawled into her when her eyes caught a flash of blonde hair in her peripherals. Her tongue caught between her teeth instead of a carrot, and she returned to the present. Now that she had time to cool down she knew she needed to apologize, and fast. Easier said than done.
Mercifully, he seemed quite at ease, content to ignore her. With that que, Miko minded her own business until the meal on her plate disappeared and the Pussycats dismissed them to bathe in the hot springs. Too tired to bother with her hair, Miko led the girls to the onsen.
A moderately sized spring expertly designed to procure maximum relaxation and comfort. Cloudy steam hovered above the water's surface in a hazy fog illuminated by the soft light of low hanging lanterns. Small ripples bobbed away from her as she stepped seamlessly into the pool. Pleasant heat enveloped her the further she went in, caressing her skin and slowly coaxing her lower until it kissed her collarbones.
She could feel her hair coming dangerously close to melding into the water and kept an eye on the floating strands as she tightened the reins on her quirk. It kind of looked like a snake, now that she thought about it. Floating as it was. A white snake , her mind teased; but, legally, Shinoda's hair was silver.
It was debated within the family sometimes whether it was actually white, whether it was silver, platinum, or just a strange gooey gray. It was opaque and pale enough to be considered white, but their government determined the light metallic quality of their strands was metallic enough to warrant a "silver" tag on their documentation. To Miko, it was all of those colors. She didn't care to call her hair white when she was a toddler because she associated the color with old-ness and on principle refrained from claiming the color as her own.
But it was on nights like these, where her hair was equal parts a brilliant silver and a luminous white. Under the moonlight her head lit up like a star, glowing ethereally, and it reminded her of when she used to wonder if Benten really did give her white hair like the white snake. It definitely made her an easy to spot target for her parents and made games of hide-and-seek in the dark challenging enough that she'd get tired of playing unless she was allowed the handicap of hiding her hair.
Even now sitting amongst her female classmates in the hot spring, with her hair loosely falling off her shoulders and into the water, her head shone like a beacon in the onsen.
The others had gotten comfortable just as quickly as Miko, most of all Ashido who sat naked upon a rock completely unabashed and at ease. "Man this is so nice!" she exclaimed happily. Miko hummed in agreement. It was difficult to resist melting into the onsen, but her grip on quirk was absolute. Conversation was minimal whilst they enjoyed basking in the heat of their bath. Content after a long day's training.
Abruptly yelling came across from the boy's section as Iida tried to "Mineta stop!"
"Before you become a hero, you should know how to be a good human," and promptly slapped him off balance.
"Mineta really is the worst isn't he?" Tsu croaked. Jiro, Uraraka, and Momo each nodded apprehensively. From atop her throne, Mina thanked the boy guarding the wall, and their honor, with a cheer. "Thanks so much, Kota, babe! We owe ya one."
Turning instinctively to the voices speaking to him, Kota's eyes were drawn straight to several sets of naked girls, particularly a girl with pink skin and another with hair like moonlight. Suddenly feeling lightheaded, he fell backwards as a spurt of blood leaked out of his nose.
And everything went black.
At the bottom of the wall, the girls looked at each other nervously. "That poor kid. Probably never seen a naked girl before, let alone six," Jiro said, a flush on her pale cheeks.
"He should be alright. Sounds like Midoriya rushed over to save him!"
Miko tuned them out, sinking as low as she dared into the water, and relaxed into the heat. Eyelids half closed, she absently noticed Jiro approaching her, the incident already forgotten. "You're really enjoying the hot spring huh?" Miko simply blinked in response. She was too tired to deal with this.
Not long after that mishap, the girls were finished up quickly and prepared for bed. Miko thought of the pressure she was under while she spread moisturizer on her legs. Regardless of the mess she made for herself concerning a certain explosive blonde, her spectacular failure on the practical exam, her grandmother's high expectations, and her own need to do well weighed heavily on Miko's mind. Picking up her phone, she sent a hasty message to her parents and Kohaku informing them of her 'safe' arrival and bidding them good night. Though she had Jiro by her side, she felt particularly lonely that night.
TRAINING CAMP: DAY 2 *5:30 AM*
GIRLS' LODGING, WWPTC
No one in the girls' room slept restlessly. Having been thoroughly wiped out by their introductory hands-on exercise, they fell asleep quickly and deeply. Miko woke with a start, undeniably more alert than Jiro who mumbled blearily and rolled back over, and especially more than Mina who hadn't stirred at all. Sitting up to her elbows, Miko frowned when she felt the damp futon beneath her hands. Yesterday must've really tired her out if her hair was leaking again. She hadn't wet the bed like this in years! A subtle glance told her no one was looking, so she evaporated the evidence before anyone noticed.
Futon now neatly rolled, Miko set about shaking Jiro awake before moving on to Mina. There was much to do and not enough time to waste it sleeping in. "Wake up, Mina. We can't leave Mr. Aizawa waiting," she urged, but the girl barely roused. Letting out a displeased hum, she flicked a light spray of water onto the girl's face. She sputtered, but kept her eyes closed. "Five more minutes..."
A little more forcefully, Miko shook her until Mina picked herself up. "Come on, Mina. We have to do well this week if we want to make up for the practical."
"Agh, why do we have to wake up this early...?" Miko flexed her hand. "Don't make me spray you again. Get up."
"Fine, fine. Geez, I'm up." Satisfied, Miko set about getting dressed. Though she woke with a start, true consciousness was beginning to set in, and with it an awareness of the creeping bout of anxiety that buzzed beneath her skin.
Now outside, joining the barely rising sun and bleary eyed students, Miko placed her full attention on Mr. Aizawa. Who then shocked them by asking Bakugo to test his softball throw, only to find that his score hadn't improved at all in the three months they'd been training.
This is it. This is where it really begins . To strengthen her quirk, Miko was given her own generous section of land to generate as much water as she could [alternating between vapor, liquid water, and ice] to reduce dehydration and refractory period, maximize her quirk output, and improve its versatility. Her hair was back in her trademark twin buns, and she did her best to keep it under control while sweating mercilessly.
Working hard like this was nothing new, obviously, but her quirk was definitely being pushed to the limit. She barely winced as beads of sweat rolled down from her hairline and collected in the corner of her eyes while she worked through expending thousands of gallons of water, evaporating it, condensing it, liquifying it, and starting all over again. Palms up and arms outstretched, she did it. Over, and over, and over. Heavy pants slipped past her. No stopping. Keep going , she told herself. If it doesn't hurt, you're not trying hard enough!
With that in mind, Miko condensed her vapor with a loud bellow and it dropped heavily onto the ground. Her arms lowered and her upper lip lifted. Something wasn't right. Not able to keep the scowl off her face, Miko eyed the surrounding ice distastefully. What was she doing wrong?
"Tsukikawa." She turned towards her teacher.
"Yes, Mr. Aizawa?"
He sounded a bit more awake this morning, not a total 180 from his usual voice, but enough that Miko noticed. "Try relaxing a bit. If you're too tense you may end up hurting yourself. Your quirk is a muscle, same as any other in your body. I would think you'd know this given your family background."
She winced at the scolding tone, but lowered her head anyway in acquiescence. "Yes, sir," she said. He nodded and turned to move on to someone else, but she spoke up without thinking. "It's just-! " He turned back around, raising a brow expectantly. Words caught in her throat and she deflated. "Nevermind." He gave her an expression that looked like he only just refrained from rolling his eyes and walked away.
Steeling herself, the silver haired girl turned her back to the other students and carried on the endless cycle of condense, liquify, evaporate for a few more rounds until her trembling legs convinced her to take a short break.
Ignoring the temptation to drink from her water bottle, Miko laid herself flat on the hard dirt, and watched the overhead clouds. What was she doing wrong? She couldn't tell why her quirk felt like it was being held back. She could feel it in the blood running through her veins that she could do more. Everytime she generated water, or ice, or vapor, it felt like she was strapped to a weight sled. Running as hard as she could but being held back by an invisible resistance that kept her from moving as fast as she could. So heavy that it actually ended up being more detrimental than beneficial. It wasn't helping her push her limits, it was holding her back . But why ?
Closing her eyes with a sigh, Miko absently rubbed at the sore spot on her scalp where she tied her buns, frowning when she realized her hair was leaking and it wasn't from sweating. She tightened her hold on her quirk, poking at the bun. No more leaks. Approaching footsteps sounded, and opened her eyes to see none other than Kaibara walking toward her.
"Hard at work, Tsuki?"
Miko grit her teeth, but couldn't find the energy to actually be annoyed. "If you're gonna insist on calling me anything but Tsuki kawa , you might as well just call me Miko."
He was surprised, but quickly recovered. This training camp was no joke if she was this tired. "Nah. I kinda like having my own nickname for you."
She narrowed her eyes at him, but there was no true heat in her words. "You should be honored I'm even allowing you to call me by my first name, Kaibara!"
"Hmm, maybe you'll even come up with a nickname for me, Tsuki."
"JustcallmeMiko!" she said as he was called away by Tiger. Her face felt a little hot. Chuckling to herself, she stood and began the cycle anew, once again noting the resistance to her quirk, and by the end of the day, her lips were so chapped they bled. As a result, she was the tiniest bit irritable when it came time to make her own meal. The work was divided between classes, as was only fair, with class A starting the grills and class B doing meal prep, on the principle of an alternating schedule.
Though the atmosphere was less than energetic, it sort of reminded her of the impromptu family BBQ not that long ago. She missed them.
"Hey, Tsuki, get to work. I know today was hard, but we still gotta eat." She didn't make eye contact.
"Don't concern yourself with me, Kaibara. Focus on your own tasks."
"How was your training anyway? Tiger had us running circuits all day."
She indulged the boy. "Not that bad. I did something similar."
"At least we'll get a chance to relax after this. Monoma's being pulled aside for extra lessons since he failed the practical exam." Miko's jaw stiffened and she sniffed primly. "Oh right, the practical exam."
"I was paired with Kendo, so you know we aced that exam with flying colors," he boasted. "Who'd you end up with?"
"...Kaminari."
He raised a brow. "The electric guy? How'd that match up with your quirk?" Her face soured.
"It didn't."
"You're kidding. You failed the exam?" Her silence said it all. He gave her a sympathetic look. "Tough break, Tsuki. Good luck with Monoma. He's a menace." Miko groaned in response and took the opportunity to return to her duties.
TRAINING CAMP: DAY 3
TRAINING FIELD, WWPTC
Miko was fighting to stay awake. Remedial lessons took place right after dinner, lasted until two AM, and started up again five hours later at seven. She couldn't remember if she bathed or not. Mr. Aizawa took them straight from the classroom to the field with the expectation that they work just as hard, if not harder, than the others who had twice the amount of sleep they did.
No worse off than the rest of the remedial class, Miko had bags under eyes, but refused to allow the fatigue to hold her back. She was practically boiling with anticipation. Eager to continue. Unlike the others, she stood at full attention with a fervid intensity, and slightly crazed look on her face, prepared for another day of harsh training. She slapped a heavy hand against Kirishima's sluggish back. "Look alive! We can't let something as trivial as sleep deprivation keep us from going all out." She couldn't believe the words that were about to come out of her mouth, but there was nothing else that could convey her zeal. "Plus Ultra!"
"Yeah, okay."
A vein began to throb on the side of her neck and spittle flew as she stopped her foot. "Not good enough! If you don't push yourself, you won't get stronger! Plus Ultra!" she tried again.
"Plus Ultra!"
She looked like a mad dog barking orders like that but Aizawa appreciated her tenacity. It was even a little funny seeing the shortest of the group puff up like that. It livened them up some, though he didn't believe it would last. At least Kirishima stopped slouching. "Tsukikawa is right," he said. He threw out his scarf to catch Sero, who yelped, around the forehead and pulled. "You're not just improving your quirks. You're also working to overcome the many weaknesses I saw in the finals."
They all winced at that. Yeah, he didn't hold back while he reviewed each of the individual mistakes they made. He drilled them relentlessly, exposed their faults ruthlessly and corrected them so they knew exactly why their decisions were wrong and what they could have done instead. For his part, he did point out their successes. It wasn't his fault there weren't many between them. "Think carefully about why you're more tired than the others before you start whining. You have much to improve here."
"Right. Yes, sir," they chorused.
He turned sharply to the two occupying the space near the porta potties. "Uraraka! Aoyama! Same goes for you. You passed only by a hair." He sauntered between the rest of his students as he spoke. "Don't lose focus. Each of you can move faster! And no matter what you're doing just remember where you're starting from. Don't forget who you were before UA. Always keep in mind why you're sweating and why your limits keep getting tested. That's what it means to improve," he said.
Miko's expression hardened. She started as a kid playing dress up, arrogant and cowardly, only there to keep a promise to a girl long dead. Now she had seen the dangers lurking out there and had more of a reason to protect against it. Though the work was intense, she was excited to do it. She liked to think she thrived under pressure such as this and looked forward to proving herself worth a good hero.
Ready to get better results than yesterday, she tightened the headband Kirishima loaned her after dinner last night. She'd been massaging her head to ease the tension headache caused by her buns and he'd asked why she didn't simply let her hair down; so she explained it was to keep her from sweating too much, though it didn't stop sweat from getting into her eyes. After that, he'd slipped into the boys' room before they left for their remedial lessons (of which Monoma was notably absent) and returned with a plain white headband. Miko was incredibly touched by his thoughtfulness and promised herself to return it washed and dried by the end of camp.
Back in her designated area, she stretched her limbs with the intention of making exponential improvements in her quirk output. Once again, she lifted her arms, palms up, and released thousands of gallons of water. It still wasn't quite as much as she knew she could produce. Regardless, she would persist.
This time she tried randomizing the order of which she phased them water. Perhaps falling into a pattern had previously held her back? It was difficult to keep from falling into a pattern, and by the time she'd given up the idea, she'd already fallen into an easy rhythm of ice, water, and vapor. Solid, liquid, gas. Sweat once again drenched her, clothing and all, and she still felt like there was something holding her back.
Mr. Aizawa had left her to her own devices, for the most part, though he did shake his head no when she asked if they, the remedial students that is, would be joining the Pussycats' Test of Courage after dinner. Miko nodded once, returning to her disappointing exercises in resignation. She made little in the way of progress, still feeling weighed down and some time later she fell forward on her knees, huffing tiredly. Her breaths came heavily and she resisted the urge to hunch over and instead threw her head back to keep her airways open. Turquoise eyes watched a hazy purple sky. What was she doing wrong?
"That's it for today, kittens! Time to make some cat food!" Ragdoll announced. Miko rolled her neck a few times and did a few quick stretches before following the crowd to the Pussycats' outdoor kitchen. As previously determined, class A was on meal prep while class B prepped the grills. Once again Miko was reminded of that day at the compound. The triplets running around, happy chats with her aunts and uncles, and way better food than what they'd be producing tonight.
She was washing cabbage leaves when she noticed Iida struggling with a potato peeler. She watched him incredulously as he comically held the peeler in one hand, a potato in the other, and closely examined them one by one by holding them up to his face. Her mouth opened in quiet disbelief at the display, closing only when her eyes drifted downward from his hand to his forearm- lingering on the arm he sacrificed against Stain. After a moment's hesitation, she dropped the cabbage into the sink and grumpily stalked over to him. His eyes widened in surprise when she snatched the items out of his hands, but she ignored the look, focusing entirely on the task at hand.
"Press the blade hard enough so it cuts into the skin, and run it over the entire potato. But don't press so hard that you're peeling off more of the meat than the skin itself," she explained whilst demonstrating. She had taken a little too much of the meat off, but peeled most of the skin in one clean go. "Try to leave as much meat as you can. It might take a few tries, but there's plenty of potatoes to practice on."
Iida put a thoughtful finger to his chin. "I see. Thank you for demonstrating, Tsukikawa! I'll work hard to peel the best potatoes for our class!" Miko gave him a tired look. "I don't doubt it. Do us proud, class rep." She handed back the items, and returned to her work.
Back at her station, Miko finished washing and gathered the multiple containers to join Kirishima's bench where he tiredly chopped two tables down. Unfortunately for her, she had to walk past Bakugo. She walked briskly, mindful of the bowls of vegetables in her arms, and tensed when Uraraka spoke his name loudly.
"Whoa Bakugo, you're really good with that knife!"
She kept her back to the pair and only moved again when she heard the boy's even louder response. "What do you mean it's weird? How can you people be so damn bad at everything?!" She sighed. At least he was still himself, whatever that meant.
Beside her, Kirishima's face darkened. "I'm too tired for this," he grumbled. The bowls clattered messily onto the bench. She took a moment to assess the boy. He had shadows beneath his swollen eyes and he looked paler than usual. Grimacing at his appearance, she patted his back comfortingly. "Just a few more hours and then you can get some rest," she said.
"Right. Let's get this over with already," he groaned. She hummed sympathetically, trying to chop faster so they could finish their night quickly and get some much needed rest.
AN: Once again thanks for the favs and follows! This chapter is celebrating Tidal's one year anniversary (7/25/20) so thank you for sticking around to celebrate with me! In other news cipher-kei has landed a job post graduation ;)
