Chapter 1

When I was 6, I got into a fight with my brother. He told me that my ears were too big for my head as a joke. I told him his tail was too small for his body. We fought over that for about an hour or two before our mother came in and told us to apologize to each other. We did, and ever since my accident, he hasn’t tried to fight with me. My brother's name is Saskae. He’s my oldest brother and pretty much my only friend. My other older brother, Cudoro, is older than me by three years. My other older brother, Akemi, is older than me by two years. Having three brothers isn’t always amazing, but it’s nice when I need to talk to someone. My accident requires me to get my heart rate, my stress level, my PAI, and my sp02 levels checked every hour. I have a special wrist band that allows me to do this. If I were to not check these things, I might be dead. Ever since this accident happened, I’ve been jumpy. Before I got into high school, however, my doctor told me I could take off the wrist band and not have to check anything except for when I go to sleep and when I wake up. If I could tell you how excited I was, I think you’d go deaf and die from how long a single sentence would be.

As I tell you this, you may think: “They built her in a lab like the rest of her family!” No. I wasn’t. Actually, generations ago, a baby was born with the ability to glow. At first, these weird hybrid-like effects were found in very few people. Then these powers started showing up everywhere! Streets looked like movies from Hollywood, people looked like walking comic book characters, and the truth was . . . they were! After these uncanny abilities appeared, the crime rate jolted to a top level. That’s when the heroes stepped in. That’s right, like Batman and superman! Only these heroes were certified and everywhere. The greatest hero, All Might, was everyone’s savior. He was a giant role model for everyone. In order to become a hero, however, you’d have to go through 4 years of high school, have a hero license, and obviously know what you are doing!

When I was 10, I had decided I was going to be a hero. My father went to U.A.. This is the elite hero school for kids who really want to be heroes. There are entrance exams you have to pass in order to get in, or recommendations can add you in. If you were a child of a pro hero, that’s how you’d get in from recommendation, or if you were exceeding in middle school.

6th grade

If you were in 6th grade, what would you do? Act cool so everyone likes you? Be shy and hide from others so no one notices you? I was in the middle. I was really shy, but I didn’t fit in. Mainly because I was the only person with an animal Quirk in my class.

As I read my book while walking down the hallway, I heard the normal name. Rodent. I did not know what this meant, and I was, of course, was too stupid to look it up sooner. I waved to my best friends, Hiroto and Tsuki. Tsuki Tudomori has a light Quirk while Hiroto Mariashi has a speed Quirk. Tsuki patted my back as Hiroto touched my ears.

“Hey there mouser!” Hiroto said with a goofy smile on his face. My face gushed red.

“That’s not her name Mariashi!” Tsuki yelled as she smacked the back of his head. Tsuki was big on the “honoring the last names” thing. Hiroto and I, however, don’t really care about it much.

“Hey, I drew a picture the other day and I couldn’t get over the fact how much it looks like that Isamu kid.” Plumping my backpack onto the ground and flipping through my sketchbook, I turned to my latest picture. Hiroto and Tsuki laughed at me, thinking I liked this girl.

“Look! I don’t like her! Chill out you bullies!” My face at this point looked like I had just eaten 8 pounds of spicy Miso. The bell rang, and we all rushed to our classes. The only time the three of us could hang out was when we first arrived and went to our lockers. My middle school is filled with different people. They were all sorted by Quirks. Animals, elements, earth, and also food and transformation Quirks. The others were called the misfits. But when I wanted to be normal and go into the animal section, the two angels that I now call my best friends came into my life. At lunch, I sat alone to avoid the feeling of distraction so that I could read while eating my small salad. The second I took a bite of the small slice of tomato, Hiroto sat next to me with a warm smile.

We talked until lunch had finished. He was going to be going out with a girl on Friday and was asking if I wanted to come. I laughed at the thought. All my life of being friends with them, I have always been the third wheel. Quickly shaking my head, I smiled. Hiroto never gets dates with people he really likes and we were only in 6th grade, so I didn’t figure this would last long.

My face was pale as I looked at my phone screen. A total rodent. A girl, I don’t know, texted me these words. I searched up the meaning of the word rodent. My eyes filled with tears as they burned down my face. Rodent: Noun. a gnawing mammal of an order that includes rats, mice, squirrels, hamsters, porcupines, and their relatives, distinguished by strong constantly growing incisors and no canine teeth. They make up the largest order of mammals. Without my parents noticing me, I ran to the kitchen and grabbed a knife. I snuck back into my room and locked my door. The knife lifted to my ear as a sharp pain entered them. Blood poured from the top of my head and a chunk of my ear was gone. After 10 minutes of continuous bleeding, I passed out.

I was in the hospital for about 3 months. My ear didn’t heal the way they wanted it to, but it still stopped bleeding. They found someone with the same blood type as me so that I could live. This is where they gave me the band. A near death experience requires on the clock, 24/7, doctor supervision. This was my accident that has been said over and over. Of course, my friends stopped hanging out with me because they thought I would do something like that to them.

Hiroto

He told me to meet him after school at our special place. It was the only day I could go to school. This was a small creek near our favorite park. We sat on a giant rock and looked at our hands. He was looking at my wrist band. If I was being completely honest, I wanted to hug him and just cry. He looked at me with a concerned smile.

“You finally found out what it meant, right? That’s why you did this . . .” His gaze drifted to my ear. His hand reached towards it as a tear rolled down his cheek. I couldn’t speak. It was like something was holding my mouth shut. He gently patted my head as he went to stand. This is when I blurted out what I wanted to say.

“Why do you want to leave me so bad!? Please . . . don’t leave me Hiroto. I already lost Tsuki . . .” My hands fit into each other and went to my chest as I tried to hold back all of my tears. A smile left his face as more tears poured out of his gray pools. I couldn’t catch my breath. My legs carried me over to him and I hugged him from behind.

“Please . . .” My voice broke as his hands touched my arms. His head shook as he pulled my arms off of him. That day, he left me standing alone, crying. I didn’t go home that night but Saskae found me asleep on a tube slide.

Tsuki

She hadn’t called me for about a week after the accident. My doctor allowed her and I to have a private room and talk if we wanted to. She sat on the other side of the room and every time I tried to get closer to her, she’d walk away. I can’t believe I had lost her first when she had stuck up for me so much. She held out her phone to me. It was a picture of my bloodied floor and my ear. She turned her head and sighed.

“We tried to tell you, Yu.” She said to me as she shook her head. With major disappointment on her face, I said nothing. I played with the bandage on my ear as I fought tears.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this but . . . Yuki, we can’t be friends anymore. If you are putting yourself in danger and you're my friend how can I trust the fact that you won’t hurt me? Or Hiroto?!” her voice grew louder. My ear tried to tune her out. The wristband that the doctors had given me had left a mark on my right arm. Since my right arm was tired from wearing it so much and the IV was in my right arm, they switched it over to my left.

“I . . . Would never hurt you two. I just hurt myself because I want to make others happy, Tsuki. If I weren’t a rodent anymore, then people would want to be my friend right? You guys were only my friends out of pity because I was always alone. I wouldn’t hurt you, I’m surprised I hurt myself. But then again I want to ask you if you’ve ever asked me if I was feeling tired of all of this. Well . . .Did you?” I stood and looked at her as my face baked.

“I love you guys so much. To where I can’t love myself anymore! Saskae thinks I should stop but I can’t. Because you guys are all I have.”

“No. You only have Hiroto. I’m not doing this anymore.” Her bright green eyes looked at me one last time, then she disappeared.

My brothers have been stepping in for my parents since they have to work. Saskae has been helping me with my schoolwork, Akemi has been bringing me clothes and brushing my hair (even though I can do that myself), and Cudoro has been reading me stories every night. If I hadn’t had my accident, I would have finished my first year. But I have to finish all my schoolwork and then do my final exam.

The morning I woke up to a nice cup of orange juice on the table next to my bed, I knew my parents were here. I took a long swig and sat up. My entire family burst through the door.

“OH MY BABY!” my mom yelled with tears burning her face. My father was silent and hugged me tightly. My brothers stood in the doorway with goofy smiles on their faces. For the people who found me almost dead on my floor, they sure were over reacting. With a sigh, I pushed them off of me. My body just wanted to shut down and never move again. The doctor came in with a smile on his face to tell me I could go home in a week. My vitals looked good I assumed. Saskae said that he wanted to talk to me alone with my other brothers. Our parents left the room and my three older brothers sat at the end of my plain hospital bed.

“You know you can tell us everything that happens, right?” Akemi rubbed his neck as he looked to the tiled floor. Saskae looked like he was about to cry as he looked into my eyes. Cudoro was silent, but I knew he was upset. Soon they all jumped around me and gave me a big hug. I don’t think I’ve ever cried so hard in my entire life. My family . . . My best friends. This is who they were all alone. Not Tsuki or Hiroto. My brothers.

After all of this, I went home. Then after a while, I finally decided that I wanted to become a hero. No matter how jumpy I was. The entrance exams were quite simple unlike the the writing exams and the practical exams. I wasn’t sure if I’d pass the practical exams but I have full confidence I would pass the written exams. The day that the letter came in, I had just gotten home from my daily run. Akemi was holding the letter in his hand while Sakae and Cudoro were right behind him. I slipped off my shoes and gently grabbed the letter from Akemi’s. My body carried me to my room where I closed the door and sat with my back to its cold wooden surface. The envelope fell to the floor in front of me. Lying perfectly unharmed. I shouldn’t open it. I could just say I didn’t get in. However, my hand peeled off the red seal and held what seemed to be a half-dollar, in my pale hand. Oh, U.A. and their fancy holograms. The small trinket popped open like a firecracker and showed a video recording of All Might.

“I am here! Releasing your scores for the U.A. Entrance exams! We awarded you 40 rescue points for saving a girl that most people left behind. By taking down many faux villains, you have received an additional 60 points. All of us here at U.A. High would like to thank and welcome you to this new chapter in your life. I am very excited to meet you, young Ishoka. I will see you soon.” Just as soon as the recording started, it was over. I gripped the envelope in my hand and trembled over to my desk where I gently placed it beside a picture of my family along with the holographic device.

It was quiet that night at dinner. No one spoke unless they were talking about work or the meal. That night we were having Yakitori. This was to celebrate whether I had gotten into the U.A. or not. Saskae passed me a glass of green tea and a warm smile. Akemi was the first to speak to me. I lifted a yakitori stick and slightly smiled.

“I got in.” I mumbled with a tear rolling down my cheek. Then I gently bit into the amazing chicken. We all cried together, except for my father and Cudoro.

My legs shook as I walked down the hallway to get to my class. I stood at the door labeled 1B. I breathed out and then pushed the door open. A tall and buff man stood in the doorway, blocking me. He had white that made me have the chills, his bottom teeth over his top lip. He looked down on me and huffed. There were 40 eyes on me as I walked behind him as he checked his list. With a sigh, he crossed out my name. He huffed, and he turned to me.

“You’re in the wrong class.” He said in a low voice that struck my soul. I trembled as I felt like a fool around the rest of the kids. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. The backpack that slept on my back like a baby koala was heavier than I remembered.

“I switched you to a different class, so it isn’t your fault. I’ll call the principal to come get you and give you the correct schedule.” He walked over to his desk again and let out another sigh. My hands shook and worry washed over me. Why didn’t I make sure with the office? Why am I so stupid? Can’t I just be a normal kid and answer adults when they talk to me? A small mouse-like man stood in the doorway to take me. A girl with orange hair stood up and walked to me and rubbed my shoulder.

“Don’t worry. The kids in this school are nice. You do not need to stress over tiny things like this.” She gave me a warm smile and then sat back down. The small mouse man then took me. He had a pleasant smile that made me feel safe, just I didn't want to talk so that I didn’t bother him with any of my stupid questions. We were silent the entire walk down the hall and then I smiled and thanked him. He told me not to worry about anything that would happen and to just do my best. A single tear left my eye as I thanked him once again. He opened the door for me and I walked in, rushing to my seat, behind a boy with glasses. I held my hands over my ears and hoped that the day would just end already. The silence in the room seemed so loud to me. I pulled on my ears. No one turned around to look at me which thrilled me. Before I knew it, my fingers were already shaking.

“Who’s ready for some training?” The teacher asked when I eventually took my hands off of my ears.

They separated the girls and boys to change into our gym uniforms. The girls were on one side of the lockers and I was on the other. I hate being near others while I’m changing. The uniform was a little loose around my chest and waist. My hands patted the spots down. I am so much smaller than all of the other girls. I made my way to where the others were and crossed my arms in front of my chest. We waited. Then we walked out to see a dirt field. Training. Fun.

It felt like knives were stabbing my lungs. I landed on the ground, trying to catch my breath.