A/N: thanks for waiting! i hope you enjoy~

Ch2: Teammates

Nothing especially noteworthy happened in my life between the ages of four and thirteen, so I'll spare you the details. All you need to know is the following:

Firstly, by the time I was five-years-old, I had a good enough handle on my Quirk that I could forgo my gas helmet in favour of a sick mask. Also, I no longer had to worry about polluting the house every time I got a scratchy throat! Now I could filter out the poison, whereas before, dad had to sit outside my bedroom door so he could Erase anything that leaked out. Though my parents were immune — mom shared my Quirk and dad could negate its effects — they couldn't risk exposing my baby brother.

Secondly, said younger sibling soon acquired that Erasure Quirk I'd always wanted. I'm still bitter about it to this day, but no biggie. At least that solved the toxins problem, in the event of a relapse.

And finally, I became pseudo-grunge. Soft grunge? Something like that; I'm still a little shaky on the terminology.

My beloved Internet introduced me to alternative fashion, and I took to it like black dye to denim. I wrote it something of a love letter with an image-board blog, but compared to what was on my feed, my personal style was much more casual. Unfortunately, whilst Japan as a whole has numerous subcultures, where I lived wasn't too experimental. I had to make do with what was accessible: dark clothes and dramatic makeup. Luckily I had friends who steered me away from unflattering panda liner towards a more complimentary smokey eye. At the ripe age of fourteen, I was much more confident with my makeup skills and overall look. I'd also nailed the cat eye.

My parents were convinced I was going through a phase built with the remnants of my childhood rebellion. I can't deny that, but it had more to do with creating an image for myself. Not a lot of people naturally had a colour palette like mine, you know? I wanted to make the most of it.

So that's what fourteen-year-old Saki looked like: black and white and green all over. With twintails and blunt bangs, because they were the perfect combination of cute and harsh. And a dash of blush to add colour to my face. And a highlight on my eyes' inner-corners. And fake ear piercings. And an ever-present face mask that stopped passersby from getting contaminated by my Toxic…

Needless to say I earned a reputation in my tiny town.

Judgemental biddies.

My personality wasn't that of a delinquent's, but the combination of my appearance and Quirk prompted people to make assumptions. They ignored my Heroic aspirations whenever it was convenient for them, and though some prejudice was overrode by good deeds of mine they happened to witness, there'd always be someone glancing at me with hard eyes or raised eyebrows. I grit my teeth and bore their looks with the stubborn willpower of a young teen.

Not everyone was like that, of course. Any adults who knew me — not just of me — were pleasant enough, and my friendship circle judged people for their nature rather than the packaging in came in. My self-confidence and social skills would have been shot without them; they practically kept me sane throughout middle school.

I will shamelessly admit I cried at graduation. Thankfully, my Quirk didn't affect my tear ducts, so I could drip all over my friends without worry. My snot was a different matter, but that was contained by my flu mask.

"Saki!" Tomoyo scolded. "Get off! You're acting like we'll never see each other again!"

I sniffled loudly, tugging her closer. "B-But you don't wanna go to U.A. and if I get in, you'll be aloneee! Alone at Isamuuu!"

My friend scowled against my shoulder, grumbling under her breath, but nonetheless rubbed my back until I was soothed enough to console.

"I'm too stupid for U.A.," she admitted. "And don't look at me like that – you know it's true. But you study your butt off. You'll get in for sure."

I hated to admit it, but Tomoyo was right about the first thing; she'd never had a knack for academics. There was nothing wrong with that, and she could be a great Hero regardless, but that meant the chances of her getting into the best Hero high school were slim. She'd always known that and didn't mind. But those other things she'd said?

I shook my head, protests on tongue, before I got interrupted:

"Just shut up and take the compliment."

Glaring weakly at the new arrival, I tightened my grip around Tomoyo's waist and hoped my makeup wasn't too tear-smudged. The eyeliner was waterproof, but I'd borrowed mom's mascara and I didn't know if it–

"That's gross, by the way," he added, dragging a fingertip down his cheek. Dammit.

"Tomoyooo," I whined, hiding my face in her neck. "Kouta's making fun of me!"

The blonde audibly huffed, and I swore I felt her eyes roll skyward. "You're both acting like kids! Kouta, that wasn't nice; Saki, you're making my shirt dirty."

Contrary as usual, she still let me cuddle her, and didn't comment on whatever face Kouta pulled behind my back. With his usual disregard for personal space, he slouched over and draped an arm over both of us, practically forming a canopy since he was so tall. Tomoyo tilted her head back to land a kiss on his cheek, sighing when I gagged.

"Do you have to do that? Every time?" She sounded utterly exasperated.

"I don't like PDA."

Kouta barked out a laugh. "Why? Because you can't get any?"

That earned him an elbow to the ribs. He winced loudly and recoiled, shooting a betrayed look at Tomoyo when she didn't jump to his aid.

"You deserved it," she said flatly. "You know Saki's insecure about that stuff."

I flushed, embarrassed to have her state it outright, but glad she had my back. My Quirk didn't really facilitate affectionate dating, not unless I found someone with Erasure, so I was pretty touchy about romance. That was especially true where Tomoyo was concerned; Kouta and I had got along fine until he'd started seeing her… I admit it: I'd turned possessive. Looking back, I have no idea how she dealt with us constantly butting heads; she was always stuck in the middle, trying to balance out the conflict between her boyfriend and her best friend. It wasn't a fair position to put her in, at all…

Honestly, Tomoyo was a champ for being able to put both of us in our place. She best exercised her power using her flexible hair Quirk, like now, when the waves gestured in a 'come on' motion. Kouta shuffled awkwardly, looking to the side as he muttered an apology. I followed suit, faintly worried that I'd actually hurt him; he was a skinny guy and I wasn't weak by any means. I too avoided eye contact.

Satisfied with our level of remorse, Tomoyo let her mane go slack and maneuvered her arms so each became linked with mine and Kouta's.

"No more drama," she declared. "Just sorbet. I'll pay half."

That swiftly brightened our moods. Tomoyo smiled.

That half-free sorbet was so good that I could still taste it the next day, and the minty flavour helped me focus as I studied for U.A.'s (and other high school's) entrance exam. My Quirk wasn't typical Hero-material, so I'd been trying from a young age to compensate for that by boosting my grades. It was tough, but it had to be done, no matter what the devil on my shoulder said. Fortunately, my brother was a Hero fanboy and honour-student-in-the-making who could lend a hand whenever I got stuck.

"Who's that Hero with the fancy musical name?" I hollered out my bedroom window.

"Treble Clef?" Satoshi yelled back from where he was running laps in our garden outside.

"Thanks!"

Most students were too ashamed to ask twelve-year-olds for answers, but I took pride in my resourcefulness. My strengths lied in traditional 'smart stuff' like maths and English, not case study material. We only had a handful of Heroes in my town, and none of them remotely as impressive as the ones in my textbook. None of them even had sidekicks! Instead of being sceptical, I chalked it up to living in a borderline-Village, and daydreams of the city filled me with wonder. The few times I'd visited on shopping sprees had been unforgettable…

I took a study break as it neared lunch time, knowing my mom was out and dad was busy in his office. Stretching languidly, I slunk downstairs and poked my head into the backyard.

"I'm gonna make curry. Is that okay?"

Satoshi halted his lap to jog on the spot, shirtless sans his binder, smelling distinctly of sweaty preteen boy. He wasn't perturbed that I'd caught him training; he did it regularly enough, and I'd walked in on worse. He only worried about being caught by dad since he'd tease him to death.

"Sounds good," he concurred. "Can I get extra rice?"

He must have been wanting to build up some bulk. I bobbed my head in agreement and slid back indoors.

I shortly pottered into the kitchen and switched on the rice cooker, intending to use the leftovers from breakfast. Unluckily for me, my plans were ruined when the appliance literally burst into flames and the intense eruption of steam seared my palm. I screamed, whirling around to shove my hand under the sink tap, staring fretfully over my shoulder as a dark shape unfurled from the counter.

"YOU DID WELL TO DISCOVER ME," it boomed.

'What the actual–'

"Saki?! I heard you–" Satoshi charged into the kitchen, seizing up the instance he caught sight of the shadow. "A Villain?!"

The silhouette chuckled deeply. "YES. NOW, CHILDREN, GIVE ME PROFITS AND NO ONE WILL BE HARMED."

A serious look clouded Satoshi's face as he tensed, lowering into a combative stance. "Not today!"

With a snarl, he launched himself over the kitchen counter, smashing his fist into the Villain without hesitation. I ducked and pivoted, swiping my leg under its feet to trip it so Satoshi would have something to land on. The figure toppled with startling ease, and pinned under the weight of Satoshi, it started to contort into something more humanoid. It kicked violently, but I threw myself over its legs as my brother held its arms to its sides, rendering it immobile on the kitchen floor. Unable to struggle, it released an enormous roar before Satoshi's touch-activated Erasure Quirk dissolved the dark shroud to reveal a young girl.

"No, no, no!" she chanted, throwing her arms around wildly. Clearly shocked, Satoshi loosened his grip and let her beat her fists uselessly against his chest, which she could barely reach since he was sat on her stomach. Unsure of what else to do, I raised my upper body off her legs so I could grasp both her ankles with my uninjured hand.

"Did an elementary kid try robbing us?" I puzzled aloud.

"…Apparently?"

She hissed at Satoshi, wriggling her legs like a worm in an attempt to dislodge him. "You're fat! Ge' off!"

My sibling and I exchanged confused blinks; he wasn't remotely overweight. Regardless, he gingerly adjusted his position so he wasn't crushing her as much, but he quickly reseated himself when she tried to escape. The girl cursed loudly.

"Dad?" I shouted over her profanity. "We caught a thief. What now?"

There were two beats of silence, and then I heard his office chair scrape against the floor. Footsteps echoed down the staircase not long after, coming to a pause when they neared the kitchen, and I craned my neck in an attempt to see what his reaction would be. I only caught a hint of his headphones before I noticed the faucet was still running and dangerously close to overflowing from the sink.

"And can you turn the tap off, please?"

Some time later, with my left hand bandaged and a young Villain(?) being escorted away by a befuddled-looking police officer, I sought solace in my studies.

'Tomoyo had a point,' I realised, reading over that morning's notes. 'I do study my butt off…'

{{ word count: 2,142. }}

author's note: this update would have been out sooner if i wasn't such a lazy turd, sorry! that said, i don't know how to explain what happened here other than 'the muse works in mysterious ways' ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. for those of you wondering when Saki will connect with the canon, that happens in the next chapter, so i hope you'll stick around until then~

btw, i really appreciate all the feedback you guys have given me! i'm taking on board everything that's said in reviews, so if you have any praise or criticisms, feel free to make them known below.

many thanks,
-ONNMT/Kou.

{{ published: 2nd march 2018. }}