Chapter 2 - A Great Change
The news of Ayami's upcoming procedure was received with no small amount of joyous tears and celebration in the Midoriya household.
"I'm so happy for you hon! I was worried that Dr. Tsubasa might not have been able to help, what with how much trouble his grandson has given you." Inko said, wiping the last stray tears from her eyes.
"It feels like a dream come true honestly, I still can't believe he knows somebody willing to help for free. I've done research and people with quirks like that almost always charge millions of yen, even if it requires multiple visits." Ayami replied.
"I'm going to make some katsudon for dinner and invite Mitsuki and Masaru to join us in celebrating. I understand you and Katsuki don't always see eye to eye, but if he does come along with them I am sure things will be okay." Inko added, grabbing her phone and dialing her best friend.
Ayami wasn't quite sure how to feel about the thought of Kacchan coming over. She couldn't remember exactly how many years it had been, but it was a long time since they last spent any real time together outside of school. "At least he's better than the rest of the school in some ways, even if he won't stop yelling. Auntie Mitsuki always has been good at reigning him in, usually with the same volume he has," she thought.
Less than an hour passed when three loud knocks bellowed through the small apartment.
"We're here!", the loud voice of who could only be Mitsuki Bakugou rang out from the other side of the door as Ayami got up from the couch to let them in. She barely got the door cracked open before it got pushed into her and made her stumble back. Before she could say a word, Ayami was enveloped in a crushing hug from her Auntie.
"Oh Ayami it's so good to see you, it's been too long. Your hair looks great too sweetie, I swear you're gonna knock the boys dead here soon! Hell maybe the girls too, eh why not both? I don't judge!" Mitsuki exclaimed with a chuckle before letting go of Ayami so she could breathe again.
A few sputtering coughs later Ayami was able to collect herself, "Hey Auntie Mitsuki, hey Uncle Masaru I'm glad you could make it." she said.
"We wouldn't miss something so important in your life Ayami, this is a big moment for you," Masaru replied softly, a kind smile on his face before he turned around and spoke again. "Come on in Katsuki, you'll get cold if you stay out there all night."
"Ah, I guess Kacchan did get forced to come along after all," Ayami thought as her…friend-ish walked in the door.
Kacchan was dressed up for the occasion, or at least he was compared to his normal standards. He wore a button-up that had only two buttons undone, and still had his tie loosely around his neck rather than stuffed into one of his pockets.
"Tch, yeah whatever. Congrats, I guess…damn nerd." he forced out, clearly having been ordered to behave himself during the visit.
"Good to see you too Kacchan, I made sure to have Mom set aside an extra spicy portion for you," Ayami responded. She figured that if he was going to show up that she would at least try and make it less miserable for them both.
Kacchan rolled his eyes at this, walking past her and taking a seat at the slightly cramped dining table. After briefly greeting Inko, he pulled out some earbuds and started blasting music to tune everyone out, much to his parent's chagrin.
When the katsudon was finished and everyone had been plated, Mitsuki spoke up. "Ayami, close your eyes, we have a little something we want to do for you."
Ayami was unsure what sort of surprise could be in store but shut her eyes and waited to be told otherwise.
"Alrighty hon, you can open them back up" Inko's voice came from her left.
Upon opening her eyes, she saw a large pink candle stuck in the middle of one pork cutlet, Masaru reached over from her right and ignited it with a spark from his Oxidizing Sweat. Before she could say a word, Mitsuki elbowed her son in the ribs lightly to signal him. Kacchan let out a heavy sigh and rolled his eyes, pulling out a small party popper and exploding some confetti into her hair.
"Seriously you damn brat, you couldn't have aimed anywhere else!?" Mitsuki yelled into his ear.
"It's not like you told me where you wanted it, shitty hag!" Kacchan screamed back.
"Well, the quiet was nice while it lasted." Ayami thought before blowing out the candle and removing it from her meal.
As expected, Ayami received a call from Dr. Tsubasa's office the following week.
"Hello Miss Midoriya, I trust the past week has treated you well?" the doctor's voice came through the phone gruffly.
"Yes, it sure has, but it'll be even better if you have good news for me," she responded.
"Quite, quite. My former associate agreed to meet with you next month, and as previously mentioned does not expect compensation for services rendered." Dr. Tsubasa informed her.
Upon this confirmation, she covered the receiver of the phone and squealed with joy, before realizing she was still on the call. "Um, sorry about that Doctor. Where and when will the appointment be exactly?"
"The third Friday of next month, at 11am, your appointment will be at Jaku General Hospital in Jaku City. Your mother will have to stay in the waiting room but will need to stay there during the procedure and be able to get you home safely. This procedure will not be painless and as such you will be sedated for its duration, though it will wear off with a good day's rest." he explained.
"Oh okay, I'll let her know. Can you tell me a little more about the quirk that will be used on me?" Ayami asked.
There was a brief pause before the doctor continued, "Ah yes, the quirk is called True Form and will change your body into what you consider your truest and most ideal form. The process however is slow and requires the body to physically change, which can be distressing and painful if done without sedation."
"Wow! That's such a neat quirk, I can see with how broad one's 'true form' could be considered that so many people could be helped by this person anditsevencoolerthatIcanactuallyexperienceitfirsthandwellIguessnotifimnotwawake…" she trailed off into rambling.
Her muttering continued until Dr. Tsubasa spoke once more "Thank you for your time Miss Midoriya but I really must be going, other patients are in need of my presence."
"Eeep! I'm sorry, I got a little carried away. I'll see you next month then." she squeaked out as the call disconnected.
Ayami let out a hefty sigh and flopped backwards onto her bed. Her mind was brimming with thoughts of the future as she lay staring at the ceiling. Things would still be difficult going forward, but this was a massive weight that would be taken off of her shoulders. Physical training had only been an option for her in the past couple of years, as trying to build muscle at a young age could have lasting negative effects, but the associated dysphoria that came with a muscular physique was a nasty roadblock for her.
"As much as I need to get in shape and prepare myself over the next few years, I want that shape to be like Mirko or Ryukyu and not like All Might or Crust." she thought as she looked over at the multiple shelves packed full of hero merchandise and walls lined with posters.
"Outright getting my ideal body couldn't be a better opportunity though…but I am curious about what unforeseen effects the quirk could cause. Would it fix someone's eyesight or a genetic disorder like hemophilia? Could someone's ideal form give them heteromorphic traits that could be considered quirk-adjacent? Gah, I need to write some of this down!" At this thought, she sat up and moved over to her desk to start filling out a new entry in her notebook.
The following month passed by in a flash, swiftly arriving at the morning of her procedure.
Ayami woke up bright and early, slowly slithering out of bed over the course of a full five minutes. Standing up fully she let out a yawn while stretching, checking her phone for any hero news. Satisfied with reading only a couple articles, she got out of her pajamas and grabbed a towel and change of clothes. Leaving her room and crossing the hall, she entered the bathroom and took one last good look at herself in the mirror before everything would change. That look lasted all of ten seconds before dysphoric thoughts started sprouting up, shaking her head clear she got into the shower to freshen up.
Leaving the bathroom, she was hit with the sizzling of a frying pan and the scent of freshly cooked eggs. As she left the hallway, she saw her mother in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on two plates of breakfast.
"Good morning hon, I was just about to come and wake you up. I got up early to make us some omurice so you don't have to last for hours without having eaten. Since Jaku City is a ways from Musutafu and the sedatives doctor mentioned, we're gonna take your dad's car to get there." Inko said, placing one plate in front of Ayami on the table and sitting down.
It wasn't especially common for them to use the car, as the trains were usually faster and more convenient. Not to mention how it felt a little odd for Inko to be seen driving a vintage Skyline muscle car as a woman her age. It was Hisashi's pride and joy, other than Ayami, but he couldn't take it with him when he moved overseas for his job.
With her mouth full of omelet and rice, Ayami only responded with a small nod while continuing to eat. "It should be a two-hour drive or so, we'll have to leave pretty soon." she thought.
Finishing up their meal, the Midoriyas grabbed their belongings before promptly leaving their apartment.
Thankfully due to the significant investment in public transit since the advent of quirks, the roadways were free from any significant traffic to slow their journey out of the city.
At one point just outside of Musutafu, another car pulled up alongside them and revved its engines. Inko and Ayami turned to look at the driver, seeing a young man with a pompadour hairstyle and a bewildered look on his face at who he just tried challenging to a race. The man sped off at the next possible turn, with Inko and Ayami instead being the bewildered ones.
They arrived at Jaku General Hospital after only an hour and forty minutes, noticing the time of their arrival Ayami commented to her mother "Jeez Mom, I didn't realize you were such a speed demon. Do you think they would be okay with us heading in a little early?".
"Oh gosh Ayami, I guess I may have sped just a little. That gentleman who wanted to race us must have made me all antsy. Let's go and get you checked in right away, they might be ready for you sooner than scheduled." Inko replied.
Getting out of the car, the mother and daughter duo crossed the parking lot and entered the building. The lobby was bustling, occupied by parents and their children, sickly-looking people wearing masks, nurses hurrying with clipboards, and a myriad of other individuals all going about their own business.
Ayami stepped up to the reception desk, Inko following closely behind. "H-hi, I'm M-Midoriya Ayami, here for an 11am appointment. Sorry f-for getting here too early." she stuttered, her nerves getting to her.
The receptionist silently clacked away at their keyboard for a moment before looking up at Ayami, "Okie dokie, you're all checked in. A nurse will call your name within the next fifteen minutes or so." they informed her.
With a quirk bow to dismiss herself, Ayami went and plopped herself onto one of the numerous benches in the lobby waiting area. Inko grabbed a magazine off of the short coffee table in front of the both of them before taking a seat next to her. The two sat in a slightly terse silence for what felt like an eternity before Ayami heard her name called and got up to follow the nurse.
"Just follow me Miss and I'll get you all situated for your appointment." the nurse said, facing away from her while leading her through a few indistinct winding halls, before stopping at a room next to an elevator.
Entering the room, Ayami saw what looked to be a fairly standard examination room with a prepped IV cart next to the exam table.
"Please lay down on the table, and I will take your vitals and get you set up with an IV drip to keep you hydrated through the process," explained the nurse.
She quickly did as she was asked and laid down on the uncomfortably firm table, propped up slightly by the raised back of it. The nurse took her vitals, before prepping and inserting an IV into her left forearm. Within seconds her vision went fuzzy and everything faded to black.
Ayami awoke with a start, sitting up straight as if pulled suddenly from a nightmare. She was surrounded by the familiar sight of her bedroom, but something about it felt off. Looking around at the merchandise all around, she realized that everything seemed slightly larger than the last time she saw it.
It was then she looked down and was hit with immediate recognition. The procedure, her body, it must have worked! Her hands were visibly smaller, and though her arms were daintier they also had a layer of muscle that she certainly wasn't used to either.
She threw the blanket covering her off and swung her legs over the side of the bed, noting that her legs didn't reach the floor anymore. With a cautious first step, she stood up, wobbling to the side before rebalancing herself. Apparently losing what must have been at least a dozen centimeters off of her height among the other changes must have wildly changed her center of gravity.
It was then that she caught her first glimpse in the mirror on the other side of the room. Stumbling over to it slowly and carefully, she looked into it and began absorbing the many changes she had undergone. "If I had to put a rough guess to it, my height seems to now be somewhere around 157cm," she thought. Her legs had undergone similar changes to her arms, having gained a moderate amount of muscle but becoming noticeably more lithe. Moving upwards, she saw that her hips now flared out into a distinctly feminine figure, even in the loose shorts she was wearing. Slightly lifting the now oversized shirt she was wearing, her waist held a surprise of its own, being noticeably toned although not to the point of having defined abdominal muscles.
At this point, she decided to skip further examination in the full-length mirror and relocated to the bathroom where she would have better lighting. Flicking on the light switch, the changes to her face were astonishing. She looked…adorable, there really wasn't any other descriptor that she could think of. Her jawline was more rounded, her nose thinner and more petite, and all of her features had softened resulting in an unmistakably girly appearance that left her overjoyed. Her face wasn't the only thing to change, however, as her hair had become far less wild and untamed. It was still curly to be certain, but it much more closely resembled that of her mother's than it ever had before. Ayami grabbed a scrunchie off of the countertop and pulled the back of her hair into a high ponytail, the result looking almost uncannily like a younger Inko.
A knock came from behind her, "Ayami, when you're done in there I'm making us some popcorn, we can put on your favorite movie while we talk a little," Inko called out to her from the other side of the door.
Ayami took a couple more minutes looking over herself a little more, with the last change she became aware of being that the four freckles on each of her cheeks that formed diamonds were now six freckles forming small hearts. With that out of the way, she exited the bathroom and flopped herself onto the living room couch, her favorite spot encompassing her smaller stature more easily.
Less than a minute later her mother came out of the kitchen holding two bowls, handing one to Ayami as she walked by and sat down next to her. "I couldn't help but see you while taking you home from the hospital, but you look wonderful dear. With your hair tied up like that it feels like a blast from the past, I'm sure your aunt will get a kick out of it next time she sees us." Inko said while grabbing the television remote and pressing play. "Before I forget, I called your school and informed the nurse you'll be needing a new uniform, so make sure you stop and pick it up when you arrive. Anyway, how are you adjusting so far?"
"It's hard to describe honestly, everything just feels right, it's like my whole mind has been unclogged from how bad it constantly felt from dysphoria," Ayami rejoiced with a wide grin on her face. "By the way, what happened after the procedure? I can't remember much of anything after the nurse came and got me."
"Oh yes, while an attendant was helping me move you to the car in a wheelchair he explained some side effects of the sedatives they used. One mentioned was that your memory might be foggy after waking up, and if that was the case it's nothing major to stress about." Inko explained.
"That makes sense I guess, well thank you for taking care of me Mom-OH, the movie is starting!" Ayami replied as the television displayed the title card of her favorite movie of all time:
All Might's Fight Night 2: Electric Boogaloo