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Siren
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Chapter 4
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There was something she wanted to be in the the before. Something she wasn't able to tell anyone before her unfair demise: a doctor.
Granted, she had only discovered this unexpected dream of hers a year before her departure, half of those six months filled with immense doubt that she was even serious about the medical field in the first place. When she realized that her mind wasn't set on changing, however, it felt as though she had finally found a calling. finally there was a future for her after so many years of mistakes and bad decisions.
And of course, that had to be stripped from her suddenly, ruthlessly, mockingly. If there was a god out there - her questions regarding the topic increasing after her incident - she was sure they enjoyed watching her suffer.
Whether she would have been able to successfully receive any sort of doctorate degree in her previous life, she wasn't sure anymore; she wasn't exactly the best student in school, after all. Nevertheless, she refused for her ambitions to fade away and die just as she had, the emotion spreading into an overwhelming sense of yearning the longer it took for her to resume the path she started.
So when Goro's best friend, Bunta, took her out to buy her a present for her third birthday - apparently, she was supposed to think of him as her 'ojii-san' - she did not hesitate at all to choose a book talking about bones, muscles, and the things that connected them.
"Are you sure?" The large, cat-like man had questioned with raised eyebrows. He was trying, at the time, to have her choose between the other books in the bookstore that talked about the common images of childhood like fairies and princesses, pirates and treasure, or, to reflect the lives of today, heroes and villains. They were cute, she had to admit, with their nice drawings and pleasing aesthetics, but they weren't what she had wanted, "Are you really interested in that, Yo-chan?"
"Yes!" Was her final answer with a definite nod.
The book itself wasn't all too dificult to read even if she was still learning Japanese. She was even sure it would have helped her practice some more since the pages inside held a healthy blend of hiragana and katakana.
"ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY FOR KIDS! (And Adults)" is said on the front, the vibrant hues and dancings skeletons and muscular frames making the cover look much more exciting than the topic surely was in reality.
It was silly and ridiculous and, most of all, was a completely unprecedented selection to Bunta. She could see that fact clear in his eyes.
Instead of questioning about it even further, though - as she knew Goro would had he been there with them to witness her eccentric pick - Bunta only shrugged, his face flashing past the genuine state of awe and settling into a look that payed no mind.
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And that was how she found her way back on the road towards becoming a medical practitioner.
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It's not that she hated children. She was actually, quite fond of them every time she saw them from afar and even used to fantasize about what her own children would've looked like if she were to ever marry and start a family of her own in the before. To her, little kids would be so much fun to have around, were it not for their underdeveloped minds and inability to get the simplicity of the thing called 'personal space'.
She was used to children made disasters to some extent after having to babysit continuously for her aunts, uncles, and even her own mother after her baby brother was born. Even so, she didn't exactly appreciate the crying, tantrums, or mysteriously sticky substances that always clung to her whenever an adolescent fiend was involved.
Knowing full well that today was the day she started pre-school with them - three years in a small area filled with different, yet equally rambunctious toddlers each semester - was the icing on the absolutely distasteful cake.
"Okay, Yoko-chan, are we sure you have everything?" Goro asked for the umpteenth time that day, this time with the oversized video camera making a comeback.
Through the lens of the old tape recorder he inspected her outfit. With her tiny self all decked out in a light blue poncho and baby duck yellow hat, it was no wonder why Goro had suddenly decided to warp off only to return with his most trustworthy and prime camcorder.
"Yoko-chan~" He gushed repeatedly, "Are you excited for your first day?"
No. No she was not.
She turned her face away from the camera in slight annoyance, the bags that hung from her shoulders jostling at the movement. It stunned her how many things were required for her to bring to the nursery center - a school bag, a blanket bag, a bag for changing clothes, a bag for clothes after they have been changed, and a bag for shoes - the shock intensifying upon learning that it was the child who was expected to carry it all everyday.
"Yoko-chan~' Goro cooed lively, "Come now. Say 'Hi!' to the camera"
"No!" She squeaked out. As if it would help her become invisible, she yanked at her ever growing bangs that now reached down to her chin and did her best to cover her face with them. Goro had long ago since lost the battle to trim her fringe and could only chuckle admittedly as he watched her unconsciously remind him of that defeat.
Putting down the vintage recorder, he patted her covered head affectionately, "Okay, I'll stop now, my little Ariel. It's time we get going now anyways!"
Goro hopped up enthusiastically in the hallway where they were and held out his hand towards her, waiting. Not having any other choice in the matter, she slipper her tiny palm in his own large one and allowed him to lead her out of their apartment.
If she was to be honest, she was never excited about the day when she would ve sent off to a classroom of screaming children - who would be if they already had half a mind on how people should normally behave in front of others? Thankfully, preschool wasn't exactly mandatory and she thrived in that period of time - which now seemed too short after losing it so easily - when she wasn't required to go. However, thanks to both the social customs of this new country she lived in, as well as Goro's job forcing more hours on him than he would have liked, she was inevitably stuck with the prospect of meeting chaotic miniature humans everyday. Fun.
"Ah! Yokkan!" A familiar voice called excitedly just several paces away. Startled by her nickname's sudden usage, she looks dup towards the source and, sure enough, saw the child, Izuku Midoriya, waddle towards them with a large bag of his own in both hands.
The outfit he wore was an exact replica of what she had donned, only the golden hat atop his head did little to tame the disheveled mop she had conclusively associated him with. Unlike herself, a large smile lit up his face and, unless she was imagining it, it seemed to burn even brighter the more he stared at her.
"Oh, Yoko-chan! You look so adorable!" Izuku's mother greeted while threading a compliment in at the same time, "The uniform suits you so well."
"Doesn't it?" Goro agreed without an ounce of shame, "Izuku-kun looks very handsome in the uniform too! Dontcha, Izuku-kun?"
Immediately, a thrilled fist was thrusted into the air, "Handsome!"
"Yes! Very handsome! Oh? But, what's this?" The older of the two males knelt down in front of Izuku strangely, an unexpected look of seriousness crossing his features, "You have something behind your ear…"
Before the kid could check himself to see if his words rang true, Goro reached behind Izuku's ear carefully. For a few seconds, he searched profusely there, until…
"Ta Da!" A single silver coin. Small, shiny, and worth a hundred yen held up in Goro's fingers triumphantly.
The child gasped loudly at his body seemingly producing small bits of currency and slapped a hand over the ear from which the coin had come from in astonishment. Riding on this excitement, Goro juggled the coin in between his fingers back and forth until, finally, he held it out to Izuku.
"Here you go, Izuku-kun." He said while relinquishing the yen to its rightful owner, "I believe this belongs to you."
Straightaway, Izuku looked up at his mother, absolutely thrilled, and showed off his new coin, "Okaa-san, look! I had money!"
"You did!" She agreed, "You might even have a whole stash in there!"
"Really?!"
She watched as Izuku and his mother continued to rave about the discovery, catching sight of Goro's smug smile from the corner of her eye. He was enjoying their reactions way too much. Although, considering that her own response to the same little magic trick as it was performed on her the other night wasn't nearly as grand, it was a little bit understandable.
"Thank you again for helping us get everything for Yoko-chan's big day." Goro gratefully said to Midoriya. Meanwhile, Izuku had completely tuned out the adults' conversation and happily showed off his coin to Yoko, "I probably would have still been scrambling around if you hadn't saved me."
Don't worry about a thing, Juba-san." She dismissed kindly. It was a bit difficult to focus on their conversation when Izuku insisted on attempting to juggle the coin between his fingers like Gore did. Cute, "I figured it would have been a bit overwhelming to find bags in the specific dimensions the center needed. It was no trouble at all."
"Thanks again." He persisted, this time with a short bow.
The Midoriyas have, surprisingly, been involved in their lives a lot more than Yoko could have ever expected. They weren't exactly on first name terms yet, but were most used to seeing each other thank any of their other neighbors. Even Bunta had grown accustomed to the Midoriya family after hearing about the assistance they've given and seeing them himself once or twice - she remembered Izuku's dazzling expression as his eyes lied upon that of a real pro hero standing before him in all of his glory.
It might have been because both parents were missing their significant other - the head of their household was apparently handling work in America - but, it just felt so natural to see on another time and time again. At that point, while Izuku kept using his special nickname he had for Yoko, she ended up creating one for him in return.
"Izukkun." She spoke clearly, "Bag."
That one word held enough power for the bright-eyed child to look down and find that while he became so enraptured in the wonders of the coin found behind his ear, he had accidentally dropped his bag of bags. Now, the contents strayed onto the hard ground, most of them containing stuck on faces of heroes she had seen on TV.
"Wahhh!" And, just like that, the coin in his hand was suddenly forgotten - dropped onto the ground like a burning match and rolled away - and Izuku scrambled on the hard floor to retrieve all of his things.
From the side, Goro and Midoriya laughed fondly at the scene, the latter rising her cheek in her hands as her face seemed to say "Oh, what to do about him?"
The slight commotion had passed in an instant, though, with the boy straightening up all to ready to continue with his morning.
"Let's go, Yokkan!" He cheered. For a moment, he held out his hand towards her - the same one he had held the treasure Goro surprised him with. When he realized what was already missing from his custody, his precious coin, he stopped, "Ah…"
Yoko sighed at the sad little frown that made Izuku's face scrunch up. Really, what were they to do with him?
To distract the kid from the unnecessary sadness he felt - and maybe to make herself feel a bit more comfortable with being near kids again for preschool - she held her own hand out for him, capturing his attention, "Let's go, Izukkun."
It should have been worrisome how Izuku's quick recovery and shining smile made her heart squeeze and jump. As if his terrible loss never happened, he threaded their hands together and made their fingers interlock easily.
"Let's go!" He rallied while throwing both his free hand and their joined ones in the air. Yoko was beginnning to think this was some kind of special move she had to permanently associate him with. Either way, she found no harm in going along with it and stuck her own free arm in the air to mirror Izuku's position.
"Go…" She stated plainly. Her voice and body were much more stiff than that of the boy next to her.
As Goro and Izuku's mother giggled and cheered for their respective child, Yoko looked back towards Bright Eyes and the adorable girl he had just for her.
If she was in the same class as him….she didn't know. Maybe…if such a miracle were to actually happen….then maybe she would actually like the wild years of preschool.
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She took everything back. Preschool was horrible and Izuku was horrible.
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Nursery centers in Japan, she learned, required much more participation than she remmedered any kid center ever having in America.
Right off the bat, from the very first day any new student joined a class, the children learned to make a habit of keeping things orderly. While most still have trouble doing so, it educated them in living independently. Because of this, Yoko found herself changing out of her smock uniform into overalls for playtime - something she did her best to get out of by sitting in the corner and reading her book - changing her shoes to white ballet shoes once inside only to change them again whenever she went into the exercise room, then changing her clothes again after their afternoon nap time.
Seriously, it had only been three days and she already felt so physically and mentally exhausted.
What made it even more tiring was how, since she had missed some time in school, her class already had a rising star. And a stupidly talented one at that.
"Kacchan! Kacchan!" Yoko heard most of the other children in the Hydrangea Class chanting animatedly.
"So awesome, Kacchan!"
"Wow!"
"Show me! Me! Me!"
"I wanna be your friend too, Kacchan!"
The tiny voices twisted over one another in a loud inharmonic noise that made Yoko dig her face deeper into her "ANATOMY FOR KIDS!" book.
Almost every second of the day since she first started preschool, that boy, Bakugo Katsuki - or "Kacchan" as so many of her classmates loved to chant - had evidently managed to do something incredible for a boy his age. So much so that Yoko couldn't say something bad about it even if she tried.
During playtime outside, no only could he run fast and play well, but he could juggle a soccer ball skillfully, dodge every chance of ever becoming "it", and once even built a mall and detailed version of Matsumoto Castle in a sand pit! Yoko wasn't able to hide the fact that she was still questioning the conception of that last remarkable feat.
If the class was inside, too, Katsuki would show off his skills during both Japanese and English lessons, answering all questions asked perfectly and without hesitation.
Even the teachers were in constant awe at the boy's giftedness, talking about the kid's worth out loud with no reason to hid it.
"He's such a remarkable young man." Yoko could hear the woman in charge of Hydrangea Class begin, starting off the daily Bakugo talk with her male co-worker.
"Yes, he really is. I can't wait to see what kind of quirk he will have in the future."
Yoko glanced at her gossiping teachers - weren't they supposed to watch everyone - before looking up from her book fully at the rest of the class. There again in the center of it all, was the beloved "Kacchan". From her spot in the corner, she could see his crimson orbs sparkle as he successfully showed everyone his first, and very flawless, work of kanji. He was obviously relishing in the amazement that hung over him.
Really, the kid was a marvel. A red-eyed wonder that easily managed to isolate Yoko without even lifting a finger.
Perhaps the sad realty would have stung her as much as it did if she wasn't able to clearly see Izuku and his bright eyes amongst the crowd of overly devoted followers.
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"Look! There's Kacchan!" Izuku had exclaimed on her first day after they both changed into their second outfits, "Let's play with him!"
Already, the fair haired child was surrounded by admirers at the time and, upon seeing the sight, Yoko instantly became uncomfortable. However, one look at Izuku's excited face made her unable to refuse his persistence and she ended up tolerating him to drag her over towards the group.
"Kacchan, Kacchan!" a little girl with green skin and small horns protruding from her head called, "You really guessed all the numbers right yesterday?"
"Of course!" He answered haughtily, "Can't any of you do it?"
The group of students all gasped and smiled in amazement, some of them - namely Izuku - clapping at Katsuki's brilliant mind that was leagues above them all. All Yoko really cared about then, however, was the amount of numbers they were doing to have to learn.
Did we do something like that in American preschools when I went?
Why can't I remember it?
Wait a minute this isn't fair! I didn't know I would have to take a math class this early on!
"Hey, Kacchan!" Izuku spoke up as the crowd of children thinned out to go say hi to their own individual friends, leaving only a few behind with Katsuki, "This is my neighbor, Yokkan, and she just started school today! Is it okay if she plays with us?"
By herself, Yoko was still swelling in and about her slight inner turmoil and didn't quite catch on to the discussion suddenly focusing on her. That is until, through her overgrown bangs, she made eye contact with the red eyed wonder, his face filled with an absolute boredom at her unenthusiastic reaction to him.
"'Yokkan'?" He repeated in a drawl. Well, there was no need to wear it out in such a lukewarm way.
Yoko had turned her head away with a huff, already wanting to leave the group and go read her book she had brought with her - or better yet, go home. But, unbeknownst to her, the light of the classroom shined down on her in a way where the dark blue scales that poked between the long strands of her hair effortlessly dazzled and caught Katsuki's attention.
To say she was shocked and frightened when the boy lunged at her and yanked her lengthen hair apart to expose her plated face would have been an understatement; she was utterly horrified and her blood pressure rising as the red eyed wonder forced himself on her, making her stumble onto her bottom below them.
The fury woven with her passing sense of alarm only increased the moment he had opened his mouth, "You're a fish! You have a scaly fish face!"
Children who had stayed with Katsuki, as well as those who had come back around with more friends to join in on the new source of entertainment, each began to snicker and giggle at Yoko's down frame and their unofficial leader's delighted guffaws. With her bangs moved out of the way, Yoko wondered if all of them could see the royal hue of her scales become purple with the redness of her embarrassed blush.
Whether they did or didn't, she quickly jerked her blue tresses back over her face, trying to find the air of protection she had thought would stay.
"Fish face!"
"Kacchan's right! She has scales!"
"Woah, look at her!"
"Fishy!"
With all the annoyances she remembered most kids having, the class watching around them had begun a new kind of chorus, this one much less pleasing to Yoko's ears. The only person who didn't seem too comfortable with the large ripple effect of Katsuki's mischievous behavior was Izuku himself, though it didn't seem as if he was capable of putting an end to it all with his nervous looks back and forth between Yoko and the rowdy crowd.
"K-Kacchan…" He began, worried, "Kacchan please stop…I-I don't think…Yokkan doesn't like it…"
"Hah? Oh, come on, Izuku! I was only joking!" Was the pitiful excuse the red eyed wonder had given. As if it was enough reason for his unkind words, the children around them dispersed once more to their own respective activities, their gauges already filled to the brim with enough fun and amusement to last the rest of the day.
And it made Yoko fell just so honored to have been the center of humor for them.
She didn't make a move to stand back up from the ground, the carpeted floor feeling much more homely than being up and about with snotty rugrats. That was, of course, until the Bakugo child approached her arrogantly, in which case the entire classroom suddenly felt suffocating and she immediately wanted to go back home.
"I guess if you want to play with us, you can." Katsuki said with a cheeky smile. Even his speaking was much more advanced than the other children, "Izuku probably needs somebody to make him look better. So, you can hang out with us today."
Yoko scowled through her bangs and glared up at the blonde with more anger than she had felt in her three years of life. Like hell she was going to want to stay another second with a brat like him, "No."
Katsuki startled, "Eh?"
Almost rolling her eyes at his confused response, Yoko finally stood up from her spot on the ground, letting go of her bangs and enabling them to fall flat across her features.
"No." She repeated, "Don't like you. Stay away."
The expression that instantaneously appeared on Katsuki's face - as well as his other minions and Izuku once they understood how quickly and how hard Yoko's words slapped their leader across the face - would have been a lot more humorous if she wasn't already in a foul mood from his earlier actions. Without even waiting for childish retort to come out of the kid's mouth, Yoko turned on her ballet-shoed heal and stomped away from the group and back where she was told to keep her things. She wasn't willing to stay around kids like that. No, she was much more amenable to taking the book Bunta bought for her out and sitting down and reading and being left alone. Classroom participation be damned. She was just going to have to deal with Goro's complaints and worries herself once he got back a note from her teacher informing her of her lack of group association.
"Oh yeah?!" A very agitated voice had come from behind her while she rummaged through her things. Ah, so Katsuki finally decided to say something, "Well, who needs you anyway, you fish face! You're even dumber than Izuku! We don't need someone like you!"
Yoko froze upon the mention of Izuku's name, and the very impolite and rude description that had come with it. With a look over her shoulder, she had stared at the freckled boy who's green eyes - Yoko noticed that they weren't as bright as they were that morning - bore right back into hers troubled. His head had gone back and forth fretfully as he looked between Katsuki and Yoko, his mind obviously filled with much uncertainty and ignorance. Was he really trying to decided which one of them to go to when the oh-so-special red eyed wonder made it specifically clear what his stance was with them?
"Come on, Izuku!" The blonde barked. It didn't take long for his unsatisfied face to change back into one full of limitless enjoyment, "We're going to play adventure today!"
"Oh! I bet you're going to find another really treasure, Kacchan!"
"Yeah! Last time, that big rock was really pretty!"
"And you gave it to sensei!"
"It was no big deal." Katsuki smiled, "I found three others already. I didn't want any more."
"Woah!"
Once again, Izuku had looked back towards the group Katsuki was taking away with him, small lot retreating before he could have a chance to get ahold of himself again after the bitter exchange between his neighbor and his "friend". He locked eyes with Yoko once more and, for a moment, she wondered if he was going to go back to her. To stay with her and hang out with her in relaxation like they found themselves doing every once and a while back home. They never did much, sure, Izuku always rambling and babbling bout the many heroes he had seen on TV while Yoko just listened with only half the attention span she normally had, but it was normal for them. It was their normal. It was them.
"Izuku!" Katsuki shouted again, this time making Izuku jump before he quickly turned and ran to catch up with him.
The sight made Yoko's shoulders drop in disbelief - she hadn't even realized they were tensed up high. She couldn't believe he would actually be willing to think about hanging out with a disagreeable boy like that Bakugo child, let alone going off to hang out with him some more after his distasteful words.
Frowning at the outcome, Yoko puffed in vexation and turned back to pull out her anatomy and physiology book from her possessions. At the time, once she had retrieved her book, she stomped over to a lone spot in the room, sat her bottom back down on that carpeted floor and just began to read. Of course, with her mind stuffy with unwanted irritation, it took her several times to actually read the contents and information the book held, but she did so nonetheless.
If Izuku wanted to hang out with Katsuki, with that annoying little bug, then he had every right to do so. Yoko wouldn't stop him. She was perfectly fine without him before she met him and she could continue on just the same. Him leaving her like he did shouldn't have bothered her, and at that moment, it really didn't.
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It wasn't until the next three days passed by and Yoko continued to find Izuku's bright eyes shining for the red eyed wonder without her that she could finally admit that maybe it did bother.
It bothered her a lot.
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