The quirkless and the pink (Izumina)

connections

Izuku's POV

I've been living with the Ashidos for a few days now, and I've observed a few things. First, Mr. Ashido seems to have a lot of friends who are pro heroes. I have some theories about this, but I'll have to confirm them later. The second thing I noticed is that Mrs. Ashido is very outspoken and never hesitates to speak her mind. Third, Mina tends to be a late riser and, although it's not easy for me to say, not the brightest student. She's taken to calling me Izu as a nickname. Finally, there's something troubling about Mina's younger sister, Misha. She always seems to be hiding her wrists, and I have a bad feeling about it. I've decided that I need to confirm my suspicions.

I find myself outside Misha's room, and I knock on her door. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Midoriya. Can I come in?"

"Um, give me a minute." She responds quickly, and after a minute, she opens the door and lets me in. I shut the door behind me. "So, what do you need, Midoriya?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I've noticed that you're always hiding your wrists. I hope I'm wrong, but I need to make sure."

"Midoriya, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Listen, Misha, I know what you're doing."

"You do?"

"Yes." I unclip my wrist weights and set them aside, showing her my wrist. "I used to do it too, and I would hide it as well."

She runs her hand over the scars, and tears start to well up in her eyes. "It's just so hard. People are always putting me down, treating me differently because of something I can't control." She pulls up her sleeves, revealing the cuts. I really wish I had been wrong. "Mina doesn't really understand what it's like. I know she gets bullied too, but at least she has people who pretend to be her friends. For me, it's different."

"Misha, I know what it's like. Do you know what the red spider lily symbolizes?"

"Yeah, why?"

I pull up my shirt to show her a scar in the shape of a red spider lily. "A kid used his quirk to carve this into my skin when I was ten, just like you are now. That's when I started cutting myself."

"Does it get any better?"

"I wish I could tell you that it does, but no. However, I'm determined to change that. Tell me, Misha, if you could do anything, no matter how difficult, what would it be?"

"If I'm being honest, I've always wanted to be a hero, but I gave up on that dream a while ago."

"If you had the chance to become one, would you take it?"

"Yes."

"Here's a deal for you: promise to stop hurting yourself, and I'll help you pursue your dream of becoming a hero. I won't lie, it's going to be tough, especially for people like us. But I promise that you can become a hero."

"Really?"

"Yes, but tell me, why do you want to be a hero?"

"I want to save and help people like us—people who get bullied for being quirkless or having weak quirks. I want them to know that things will be okay."

"That's a great reason. Now, wait here." I quickly go to my room and grab 15-pound wrist weights and 10-pound ankle weights. "Alright, these are going to be part of your training. They'll help you work on your muscles even during regular activities."

"Is that why you always wear them?"

"Yeah, I started using them when I was nine, and I only take them off when I'm showering or sleeping. Plus, I have one rest day a week."