PHASE //MHA// MIRIO X OC //

Chapter One

She was told she didn't have a quirk. At the age of four, her parents awaited patiently for her special ability to emerge, but it never did. Though the odds weren't in their favor, her parents had hoped she was merely a late bloomer; a diamond in the rough. But, after a year had gone by, the couple had decided to face the facts: their only daughter, Hiro Yuya, was quirkless. 

Growing up, she often was the center of ridicule at school. Much like Rudolph the reindeer, the other kids never let her join their games due to her quirklessness. As the years went by, Yuya was classified as the school oddity, a freak.  

Despite the bullying and ostracization from her classmates, Yuya never felt entirely alone. When she had no one to talk to, she had her parents to give her support. Her mom and dad became her best friends; they always were willing to draw with crayons at the table, play boardgames on the floor, or even watch cartoons after school with her on lazy afternoons. 

But, when her parents were busy with work or chores, Yuya often played in the woods behind the house by herself. There among the trees and brush were various creatures that Yuya liked to observe and study. She had journals filled with fallen leaves she had collected; pressed flowers with a variety of color within its pages; and a diverse classification of the plant and animal life.

On sunny days, Yuya made her way into the clearing in the middle of the woods where the trees surrounded the small meadow like a fortress. There, she would lean against the giant tree and write in her journal, fix her scrapbook, make flower crowns, or simply fall asleep after reflecting over her day.  Nature had always calmed her down. 

Although Yuya surprisingly  kept her spirits high, the same could not be said of her parents. 

One morning, days after her thirteenth birthday, Yuya stopped midway down the stairs. She had overheard her parents mention her name in conversation. Carefully, she leaned over the railing, her lime green hair cascading over as she listened quietly. 

"Honey, I can't help but feel like a failure," said mom. "She can't form tornados like Grandpa, can't break boulders like Grandma, can't control water like you - "  

"And can't produce magnum like you, either, I get it," said dad followed by an exasperated sigh. "Look, I know she's quirkless, but there's not much we can do about it."

"Then what can we do, hm? She's already getting bullied at school, finding a stable job as an adult will be difficult as is -" 

"And what's your point? What do you want us to do, take her to the doctor so they can tells us what we already figured out?" Dad couldn't even look at my mother. He circled around the table before leaning his hands on its surface. "We're trying to be good parents, I know I am, playing card games and watching reruns of cartoons every damn time I come home from work." 

Mom huffed. "Yeah? Well, me too, I never can catch a break. I'm the stay at home mom, remember?" She walked next to Dad, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Yuya doesn't have any friends. We're all she's got, whether we like it or not." 

"Yeah, I know. I love her, I really do," he paused. "But if I had known our daughter would have to suffer like this, being quirkless, defenseless, and vulnerable... You know, I would've never agreed -" It was Mom's turn to interrupt.

"I know," she said. "me, too..."

At that point, Yuya had tears trailing down her face. Her vision was hazy, nearly causing her to slip down a step in her socks. With a hand over her mouth preventing her heavy sobbing, Yuya made her way out the back door, past the white picket fence, and into the woods.

She followed the trail until she couldn't. After years of visiting, Yuya knew the land like the back of her hand. Certain trees were recognizable, leading her to her secret circle secured by the other tall trees. There, the long wavy grass swayed as if dancing for her arrival. Without hesitance, Yuya ran to the big tree that grew in the center, wrapping her arms around to mimic an embrace. She needed comfort but, for the first time in her life, her parents could not be there to support her, to hold her. 

Yuya stayed like that, hugging the tree and crying, for several minutes. Her heart ached and she felt emotionally drained. Eventually, she had to let go of the tree and, when she did, everything changed. 

Right where she stood, a cloud of flowers had grown. They were of many colors and shapes, perfumey and sweet. Not only that, but the tree had also grown mossy vines with blooming flowers. The birds had even stopped by and sang louder than before, giving their best performance for the audience of one. 

When Yuya had seen all the beauty that grew before her within the last few minutes, her heart fluttered. The Earth, Nature, all at once began to speak to her.

You are not quirkless and you are not alone, it said. Be strong, and you will grow.

It was an overwhelming presence, one that can not be mistaken. 

Weeks afterwards, Yuya spent less time with her parents, and more time in the woods, attempting to use her quirk. Though not entirely sure what it was, Yuya had the vague notion it had to do with nature. She attempted to converse with the squirrels and birds, but got nothing. Then she tried to hear the Earth again, but heard nothing. Out of frustration, Yuya stomped her foot, causing her unintentionally grow a tiny rose. 

She became ecstatic and tried to replicate and perfect her rose-growing ability the months after. When Yuya eventually could produce a decent-looking rose, she presented her newly acquired ability to her parents, both of whom were pleasantly surprised, as well. 

They held her in their arms, tears in both parents' eyes as they kissed their daughter's head. Yet, Yuya was not pleased. Her smile faded the longer her parents held her. 

Will they love me now that I'm more like them? She thought. Or is this celebration still out of pity?

This time, her parents were more than happy to take Yuya to the doctor. They wanted the reassurance that came with seeing her x-ray for themselves, proving they hadn't made a quirkless daughter after all. 

"Ah, I see, how fortunate to have a quirk after all this time! Of course, if you see the x-ray upon closer examination," said the Doctor while pointing, "that your daughter has a rare defect. As you know, having two joints in the pinkie toe results in being quirkless, while having an absence of a joint leads to having a quirk."

Dad was becoming increasingly tense; they all were. "Yes, so what about our daughter?" The suspense held him at unease.

The Doctor continued. "Well, it seems she has a semi-joint in her pinkie toe. Some kind of amphiarthrosis, a cartilage that allows minimal movement within a joint. In other words, your daughter's quirk may be temporary."

There it was: the heartbreaker of Yuya's miracle, the harsh reality.

"Is there anything we can do about it?" Asked Mom, nearly pleading with folded hands.

"Yes, actually," he leaned close to meet Yuya's eyes. "You have to work at your quirk or it will fade away forever."

His words echoed in her head. She had just received her quirk, how could she lose it so quickly? After hearing the Doctor's diagnosis, Yuya turned to see her parents. They remained quiet, but their silence said it all. 

They didn't want to have a quirkless, unimpressive daughter.

And Yuya Hiro didn't want to be a failure.

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