SOULMATES [My Hero Academia]

Black and White - Tsuyu Asui

[Minor spoilers/references for Heroes Rising]

-

The whispers followed me throughout my life.

The doctor overseeing my birth let out a gasp so jarring that my mother thought something was wrong with me, something that hadn't shown up on any of the scans. The nurses in the maternity ward called me names, exchanged dark theories, and even had the gall to tell my parents that I was cursed. One of my teachers in elementary school told my folks that maybe it would be better for me to never find my soulmate...

Because based on the ink-black soulmark that stretched from my hips to my heart, back and front, people understandably assumed the worst...

That the first touch from my soulmate would be my last.

I couldn't help but be paranoid and self-conscious, wearing full-coverage clothing at all times. Layers were my friend, as were loose hoodies and oversized sweatpants with ties that I could cinch higher than necessary. The looming threat of my mystery soulmate also gifted me with anxiety and depression, so I was just a bundle of sunshine and rainbows.

Kids in middle and high school were weird about it. Some treated me like a porcelain doll, using patronizing voices and careful touches, as if I would spontaneously combust at any second... a human timebomb. But most looked down on me, as if I'd brought my soulmark down on myself, somehow, and not like I'd been born with it, just like the rest of them.

But whatever. I didn't blame them... I get it.

I kept my head down and got out of there ASAP, moving to the coast (far away from everyone who knew me and my mark) as soon as I had enough money saved up. With my artistic talents, I went to the closest school, got my degree in art and psychology, then did a master's degree in art therapy, and set myself up in a clinic.

And you know... it wasn't bad.

For a while, it seemed like maybe I'd never find my soulmate.

I dated, kissed a few people, but nothing went anywhere.

Not that I expected it to.

But it was nice... being normal, for once.

-

Tsuyu Asui didn't know how to feel about being famous.

While a lot of her classmates from UA stayed behind in the bigger cities, Tsu's quirk - and her internships - set her up better for a life at sea. She originally worked as a sidekick for Selkie, just until she was sure of herself a little more, and then moved to a totally different coast with a need for hero help.

Then, Tsu opened her own agency.

Her tiny town loved her, cherished her hard work and optimism in the face of turmoil and natural disasters. And Tsu loved them back. The townsfolk were sweet, mostly old people, but so kind and generous. They reminded her of the islanders from the Hero Work Recommendation Project that Class 1-A did on Nabu Island; everyone knew each other and treated each other like family, even if they were only neighbors or strangers.

Tsu found herself swamped with homemade soup and family remedies when she fell ill (when she didn't even know how the townsfolk knew she was sick in the first place), and they never failed to take her in for holidays when she couldn't travel home. If she'd been out on a particularly long patrol, or if she was low on interns or sidekicks, the townsfolk would pitch in to buy her lunch to make sure she was eating.

Their generosity overwhelmed her.

But... it made her sad.

She wasn't sure why at first. It didn't make sense on the surface, because everything seemed fine. Everything seemed great, actually. Tsu had a job that she loved, both gratifying and relatively safe compared to her classmates' positions in the city; she had a cute little apartment and plenty of savings; her town loved her and took care of her like one of their own...