/\ Me trying to edit the first chapter at 2AM.

Also sorry for clunky dialogue my brain is mush because I am so busy I can only write really late at night. @v@
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BRAP! BRAP! BRAP!

     Huh??

     I squinted my eyes open. Odd. Blankets and pillows were all strewn about me, wrapping around my body like the clothing of a Greek goddess. I laid flat on my stomach, again in bed. Strange...I don't remember going to sleep, or even the rest of the DAY for that matter!

     My eyes wandered to the calendar as I slid glasses onto my face. Weakly propping myself up with my arms, I read the calendar carefully. It was...the same day!

     Excited, I realized all of that must have only been a dream! No wonder everyone, myself included, were acting so strange near the end! Whew! What a RELIEF to know my first day of school was not ruined!

----------

     I burst from my bedroom, already dressed and ready to go.

     "Woah! Someone's early!" My mom smiled to see me so wide eyed and energetic for probably the first time in a decade!

     "Can I borrow some cash?!" I asked suddenly. My mom frowned, placed a plate of pancakes down on the table for the three boys in front of her to eat and set her hands on her big hips all sassy-like.

     "What for?" She inquired. "And how much?"

     "Only ¥2,000! PLEEASE!?" (I did the math and WOW, only $5 equals more than ¥700. Tragic.) "I promise to show you when I get back!"

     "Hhhh, alright.. If you're not going to tell me now then may as well pick up some groceries for me on the way back. Now eat your breakfast; I need to make a list!" Mom chuckled at my excitement, certainly not expecting it. I was just glad the universe decided to give me another CHANCE! She set to writing down a small list of things on a little slip of paper as I sat next to my brothers and ate a singular pancake with them. They boys too stared at me curiously, wondering why I was so...active all of a sudden.

----------
 
     "-K thanks mo-mom!" I said, snatching both the cash and slip of paper from her hand.

     "Wai-wait!" I froze before I could run off. Wincing inside, I wondered if this was about the brief stutter. "...Give me a hug before you go at least." I turned around, seeing my mom's arms open wide. My smile remained faint but grateful. I gave her a quick squeeze before running toward the door. "Have fun at UA!" She called behind me.

     As I exited the house, I slammed the door shut by accident, caught myself from falling down a couple steps, and landed with style on the basic paved path to our driveway with a spin.

     "Why the rush?" I froze. "You will be an hour early if you go now." My eyes darted up, spotting Dad on our roof. He dropped down onto the grass with ease in front of me and idly massaged a forearm of his as he neared.

     "I- I- I-"

     "Remember to calm down and take a moment."

     I did as he asked, closing my eyes and taking in a slowly new breath. "I'm going to the store first. Mom gave me a shopping list so I can pick up a few things on my way back, too!" I added by showing him the evidence from within my new school uniform pocket.

     "Hm." Dad nodded faintly at the sight. "So what are you getting?"

     "I- um.. I don't knoww...exactly." This did not assure him that I was going to be smart with his money. He frowned just enough to make me feel like I was one step away from being expelled even OFF campus. "Okay-okay, I DO, but it's a surprise!"

     "Hhh, you and your useless secrets... Alright, you can go. But there is something I want to talk to you about first."

     "-To refer to you as Mr. Aizawa?"

     "I--yes... And I will refer to you-"

     "-By my Mom's maiden name?"

     "Ughh. Yeah. What happened this time, Zeyálé?" Uh oh, he was using my full first name. Was I in trouble already!? "Your mother and I keep telling you not to use your quirk for meaningless reasons."

     "I di-didn't use my quirk, though! Just-just-just (dejavu)!"

     "Uh-huh, sure." Hiding his hands within his pockets, my dad brushed past me on his way to the front door. "Just remember that if you so much as stumble while in class, you're going to be expelled." I gulped. "That includes using your quirk while not permitted. Understand?" His head rotated, chin hanging over his shoulder just enough so the charcoal blue color of his iris could be seen. I stared slightly wide eyed back. Then, I nodded rapidly. He left. His slender frame vanished behind the door, followed by the muffled squeals of three little boys. I stood still for a moment, as if waiting for something else to happen. My hands trembled at my sides, but I held back the tender ache.
 
     Resenting the feelings inside, I turned and ran this time down the sidewalk, following another path.

     Only a couple minutes later, I was in a small town shop.

     "You...sure you're in the market for this? Aren't you the girl who always used to whine about not having enough to buy a candy bar?" The old shop keeper asked as he held the item of purchase in question. It was long, broad, sturdy, and best of all stylish for how cheap it was.

     I chuckled bashfully, rubbing the back of my neck as I avoided eye contact with the older man. "Heh-heh... That was...a manipulative ploy on my part..." In my defense, it was my old friend who always suggested I use my young and innocent appearance to get what I wanted.

     The old man frowned as he pressed a few buttons and opened up the cash register. There was no more talking between the two of us as I paid for the board. But- Just as I was about to leave the small shop filled with random trinkets and small nik-nacks, I spotted something hanging on the wall behind the front counter.

     "Is that...a hat?"

      The old man turned around with a sigh. But then his eyes brightened a little when they landed on the yarn crafted object. "Yeah. Coming into style from what I heard, though no one's cared to buy this one since I put it up." My eyes wandered outside. The sun was still rising, yet to have warded off the crisp morning air. I shivered just thinking about it. Plus, I liked the color. A deep crimson beanie woven with yarn.

     "I'll take that too, then!" I announced. The older man didn't hesitate to hand me the hat as well.

     I was out in a blur, racing with my newly bought items. The beanie went surprisingly well with my simple silvery hair. A flame design was painted underneath the brand new board, its top dark gray and rough like sandpaper. Once I was on a patch of sidewalk with no people on it, I threw the board onto the floor. Its wheels clacked and growled as it started to ride on ahead of me. Before it could escape, I jumped on and--

Thup!

     The skate board started to roll in the opposite direction as my attempt to hop on had failed. I, the saint of all things cardio, took a good face-planting into the concrete. "Oof!" I remained unmoving, deciding I may as well just accept my fate right then and there. Let's, uhh... Let's try that again.

     . . .

     Kh-umm. I said, let's try that AGAIN.

     . . .

     Nothing???

     I pushed myself up curiously, feeling a sharp burn in my chin and palms. Odd. I...wasn't able to rewind like I usually could. After I stood up, I spun in a circle in search for my step dad. He was the only one I knew who could cancel out someone's quirk like that!

     But...he was nowhere to be seen. Again, very odd.

     Though a little shaken by this, I decided to shrug it off for now and continue as usual. I still had to make it to school on time. Guess I had no time to rewind enough to give me time to practice first for a bit, I would have to just learn on the way!

     I scrambled to pick up my board again, set it down gently and boarded slowly. Once I found my balance, I started pushing myself forward with only one foot.

     ...It was a nightmare. I kept trying to rewind as I failed again and again in public, each time getting more worried about my quirk and why it wasn't working all of a sudden. Surely Dad couldn't keep it turned off for THIS long! Eventually, I just gave up on learning how to skate, picked up the board and RAN! The air warmed up quickly as the sun rose higher into the sky. I was hot and sweaty when I finally arrived. Oh look, there's that boy with green hair talking to another girl in class! Making friends already, it seems?

     Wait-

     Mortified, I froze in place.

     How...? How did I recognize those two..? All that from before was just a dream...right? I decided to be brave and find out.

     "Hey." I waved casually. My face and voice were both relaxed to a near monotone degree as I approached my fellow teens. "You guys are both in class 1A, right?"

     "Uh-h-h, y-yes!" The green haired one squeaked, his face already red from talking to the brown haired girl. My posture had already taken on a much more chill form. Both hands were shoved into my uniform pockets -- pockets which opened at an odd angle btw -- and my new skateboard rested between my right arm and hip. My hair was a mess and chin a bit scuffed, but I hadn't the care to tend to those things just yet. "Ar-are you in Class 1A too?"

     I nodded. "Yup." Casual as I was trying to be, my heart raced with questions. "And...this is our first day, right? Orientation?"

     Bushy hair's eyes widened. "Uh- uh!" Quickly, the lad pulled out his phone to check the calendar. Meanwhile, the girl standing next to him scratched her chin, thinking over my question a lot more casually.

     "I mean..yeah, unless we all missed a day, it should be!" She concluded. That's when bush boy chimed in after scrolling so frantically.

     "Yeah! Today's the first day!!.. Whew! You nearly gave me a heart attack there..." The poor boy slumped forward, face pale. Clearly all the stress was getting to him. I chuckled with the intent to relieve tension.

     "Heh-heh. No worries. I just get dates mixed up sometimes..." I scratched the back of my head, remembering I was still wearing the red beanie.

(Hair style looks like this:)

     I continued as casually one can muster the phrase, "Have I...ever seen you two before...because I feel like I have..?"

     The other girl started. "...No... Can't say I've seen you-"

     Bush boy's expression shifted to serious so quickly it startled me. He stared at the floor, mumbling as he rubbed his chin. "Well it makes sense that you might with the population density of this area, it's possible that you've come across both of us at one point or another and are just really good at remembering faces, but then again that would mean you would have had to see us either multiple times or witness us doing something memorable for our faces to imprint...." Aaand, he started...doing that. Eventually, I had to snap him out of it.

     "Heh, sorry to-to-t-to... Sorry." A pause to catch myself. "Sorry to interrupt you there, bud, but class should be starting soon." The girl pulled out her phone to double check.

     "She's right! Only four minutes!"

     "Wait what!?!" Bush boy yelped, leaving his mumbling trance at once. Then, in a blur he was gone, racing toward the doors. I followed shortly after, the brunette at my side. "So-" I panted as we ran. "What's your name?"

     "O--chako...Ura--ra--ka!" She responded.

     "Nice!" I commented. I was not going to remember that.

-----------

     The three of us spilled through the class 1A door.

     "Hey!! Were you three just running in the halls!?!" The strict kid I also remembered from my (dream?) shot up from his chair to shout at us three. More than half the class were either sitting or standing around already. Though I hadn't taken a good look around the class before, I now felt as though I'd seen or heard most of them before. With every passing moment, I grew more and more concerned. I didn't rewind today...did I? In the past, I always had to think of an exact moment in time; an exact memory before wooshing back to it. I...never had such thoughts that last time...

     "HEY, YOU! WHERE'S YOUR JOURNAL?!" My eyes darted to a blond boy with spiky hair and a heated attitude. His brows were so slanted they could have been mistaken as horns jutting from his head. With steam blowing from his nose, the crimson eyed kid stomped up to me. I tried to remain calm, but the vivid memories of our fight from (the dream?) were all too alarming. Spiky hair completely ignored the whimpering bush boy as he made his way over to me. Bush boy darted away, only realizing a little late that Mr angry eyes wasn't after him. No, he was headed straight for me. Half the class fixed their attention on the growing intensity emitting from him. At last he stopped barely a foot from me. "Well.." He growled. "You gunna show me your journal or what?!"

     "Kachan, that's not very ni-"

     "SHUT UP, DEKU, THIS ISN'T ABOUT YOU!!!" Everyone was shaken by the boys' confrontation. So...these two knew each other? Those red eyes returned to me, reminiscent of my own dad's cold glare. I was frozen for a bit, then...

     "Um.. Sure. You-you won't find anything new in there, though. I just got it." My voice quaked. I hastily fished for the drawing journal I knew he was talking about and handed it over to him. Immediately, the teen snatched it from my hand. "He-hey!" He did not even acknowledge me. Instead, spiky hair was careful to scan over the journal in fine detail, even flipping through several pages as if looking for something.

     "Where are the others?! Surely you have more!" Throwing my drawing journal to the floor dissatisfied, "SHOW ME!!!"

     "Hey, man, it's not really nice of you to pick on a girl like that!" Another boy in the back with spiky red hair protested. "I don't know what's going on but show her some respect at least!!" My heart warmed a little to hear someone who cared enough to speak. That gave me just enough courage to stand up for myself.

     "Listen, that is the only drawing journal I have! I don't know what you want, but it's not with me!" The teen in front of me's fists clenched tightly, smoke rising from within them.

     "Fine!" Spitting spite, spiky hair turned around and marched back to his seat. Oh no... He plopped into the seat right behind me... Ughh...

     Finally, after all that drama, I sat down just in time for my dad to enter the room. As expected, his entrance was unconventional and likely left a mark on the rest of the class. Seemed he was inside his sleeping bag again. Hm... Always wondered how he managed to stay awake enough to teach during the day.

(Maybe in the future I will go back and change the dialogue to match the episode...but not today. In fact I think imma just skip that part. Y'all probably know what went down anyways. XP ..)

     So anyways, my dad- Mr. Aizawa, briefly introduced himself before instructing us to partake in a little quirk assessment test to see if we were really worth not expelling. That really startled the class into stepping lightly, especially poor bush boy, whose face was paler than paper!

     He started by bringing us outside and explaining to us how this was going to go down.

     "Now, I'm sure you all remember the ball throw you all did back in primary school." It was uncanny seeing how my dad interacted with his class. It was really hard to imagine in the past, so this low effort, same way he talked to me method made a lot of sense. "Well, this is no different, except I invite you to try using your quirks this time to throw the ball as far as possible." We all stood on beaten earth where no grass dared not grow, in front of us a bunch of painted lines... Oh no... It took a moment for what had just been said to really sink in. And just like my little brothers after discovering out the power that comes with holding the TV remote, they as a collective quickly became ecstatic!

     Oh no... After threatening expulsion for whoever fails the coming trials ahead, the new entrance exam was on! Thankfully, the throwing one was a ways away, so I had time to prepare.

     First was the fifty meter dash. Why did...everything about becoming a hero have to do with running..? I was a gamer; not built for this!!

     Second was a grip strength test. Again... I was a gamer.... So for this, I was ready. 😎 (Get it? Because gamer hands?)

     Third was a standing long jump. Okay, actually not that bad. Still did terribly...but not too terribly. I was even losing to bush boy, who hadn't used his quirk ONCE yet!! Ughh! I was really not cut out for all of this, was I?

     Repeated side steps was fourth. I be Ffaasssttt. But boy was it tiring!

     And fifth. Ball throw.

     By this point I had to be near the bottom of the score board. Still panting faintly from all the cardio, I kept my attention on Aizawa ahead.

     Everyone did so impressively. Again, my dad encouraged everyone to use their quirks as creatively as possible. I just started down at my hands. This was...unsettling. It was as if my dad PLANNED for me to fail! Did he really want to expel me that badly?!

     After even green hair ranked in an impressive amount of points on the ball throw, costing him his pointer finger. The bizarre usage of bush boy's quirk worried me a little bit. He was so optimistic and bright eyed; first time in a while I found myself actually impressed. Also got to see spiky hair lash out at bush boy again, proving further the two had a history. After bush boy was sent to the nurse's office and everything quieted down, I stiffened, realizing it was my turn.

     ...It was my turn now.

     ...Holy frick.

     Sweat built around the thick shelled, rubber ball as I stared on ahead... Everyone had done so well. Even tape boy was able to attach the ball to one of his tape strand-things and shoot it an impressive distance away! Frickin brunette from earlier made it to infinity!!!

     "...Are you going to go, or should I call it an end here?" His deep voice uttered. The faint sternness heard in the question was mind numbing. I could hear my own heartbeat increase. It was now or never. My reversal quirk was still malfunctioning, meaning there were no second to third chances... I inhaled. I exhaled.

     "Yy-eh!" I flung the ball outward with one wildly flailing arm. A small pop was both heard and felt in my shoulder. I had thrown it imperfectly. Wrongly. How pathetic! The ball landed only a few meters in front of me, rolling back towards me a couple centimeters even just for the heck it it. There was silence...and then there was laughter! Everyone, and I DO mean everyone was laughing at me in one way or another! Mr. Aizawa, my own step dad even chuckled a little bit. But as his attention focused on me a little more, he saw why.

     I stood stiffly as they all laughed, too absolutely mortified to even move. My left hand faintly massaged my right shoulder, my eyes remained downcast. ...What a failure this had turned out to be... And it was in that moment, by paying closer attention to my eyes, that he saw they were broken up with few tears. That's when he realized... I had never even been taught how to throw properly.

     ...I... didn't belong here... Why did I try so hard to get in? Just to make Mom feel better?! I had no skill! No talents! My quirk was all I had...and even that was gone now...

     After this realization, my dad scolded himself internally before turning to my classmates and interrupting their fun with the next challenge. Bush boy returned, running in just in time for the briefing on what would be next. The mental fog was too intense in my mind to even listen. My body remained stiff, unable to move from its spot. I knew I was a gonner. I knew this was it. I was through.

     ...And maybe it was better that way...

     "-Zeya." My dad's voice made me jump. Mr. Aizawa tread his way over to me. As the other students dispersed, he just stood silently beside me. His presence was unnerving. I could feel the weight of his judgement on my shoulders more than ever before! And yet...the way he stood, swayed, and even breathed all indicated that he was in no such mood. "Why aren't you joining the others?"

     "For what?" I croaked. "I've already failed. I just know it... What's the point in finishing..?" My voice was weak, a strong emotion I didn't recognize swelling, messing up my breathing though I tried to ignore it.

     "..." Leaning forward, my Dad attempted to peer past my hair, but that proved to be impossible with his height over me. "In that case...you don't deserve to be a hero. ...You're expelled, Zeya."

     "Wh?!" My entire body jolted upward, turning to him frantically. As our eyes met, though, my posture shifted again. I slouched, shoved my hands into my pockets, and huffed. "Pssh, alright. Not like I care..."

     "I know that's a lie."

     "Out of everyone there why single out ME, huh?! I didn't do nuthin!!"

     "Nothing, huh?" He gave me a look of interest. But he was quiet for a moment. As was I. As the kids went on in the distance doing their next exercise, we stood like two sticks in a mud pit. "Tsuyu Asui." The name came so out of nowhere, it was easy to spot my flinch. "She was the only other girl from your school who applied for UA. And if my memory serves me right, you tripped her during the entrance exam, disabling her from finishing the exam. And, knowing that you have been on this downward, rebellious spiral lately, it isn't far fetched to assume that was on purpose, was it?"

     For the first time, I had no real defense. My shoulders slumped, eyes staring at the beaten earth again as the confusing mess of memories returned. "...Yes..." My dad was too smart to dare lie to anyways. "But...I didn't actually think that would hurt her...much less fail her." I added.

     "Hhhh, Zeya..." Aizawa's hand rose to cover his face, concealing the audible irritation. "If you continue like this...no matter what school you go to, or what your teacher is like...you will never be a hero."

     I gasped faintly, head shifting his way again. An ugly pain in my chest built. "But-but-" Dad just met my eyes, staring at me as I tried to think of a way to respond.

     There was nothing I could say. He had been so blunt it hurt... And yet, deep down, I knew it was the truth.

     I stood in silence, eyes and mind alike wandering away from the situation. My thoughts again blurred into a numb nothingness as I waited for time to pass.

     That's when my dad interrupted the silence again. "You know, in all the years I've been your dad, I can't recall once ever teaching you how to throw. How about we fix that today, hm?" Picking up a ball by his feet, he held it to me. There was no clear emotion peering from him, but I had the feeling he was trying to help me somehow.

     My body at last shifted, no longer so stiff as my eyes met his. "You're not joking..?"

     "Yeah.."

     Another feeling bubbled up equal to the last, yet this one felt positive in some way..but just faintly. It...had been a while since he had given me any attention other than a cold scowl or warning conversation when I was acting up. "...Sure."

     "Okay, so, uhh, anyways, you had your arm all wrong. Terrible posture and..." He started lecturing me, helping me through the basic process of throwing something properly. After the brief lesson, he returned to the rest of the class, scored them, and gave them their next task. Then he returned to make sure I was actually improving. "Heh, you know.. when I was your age I was outside all the time throwing rocks at cans and walking around on fences. Maybe if you just spend more time training physically instead of gaming all your free time away, you'd actually improve. Foreign concept. I know."

     "Heyy!" I blushed, swatting at his side. "I- I train, too! What do you think I did for the past month or so?!"
 
     "Heh, not nearly enough."

     Again, I tossed the ball over my shoulder. This time with satisfaction I watched as it soared away. "Wow! Thanks, Dad!" Excitedly, I hugged the dark shadow of a father and squeezed him tight. His arms were trapped. He couldn't hug back, so he just sighed happily.

     "Hhh, at least you learned something at UA..."

     "Right..." Letting go of him, I returned to standing somberly as before. "Gosh, how am I going to tell Mom..?"

     "I'll handle that part." Dad offered, placing a hand on my shoulder.

     I shrugged it off of me a moment later, my mood soured the more I thought about what was really turning into my new reality. "Guess I'll....head home then..." My voice dragged into a much lower tone as I pulled the hat over more of my head and shoved my hands into my pockets again. I began walking away stiffly again, spite now driving my every step. My dad didn't try to correct my attitude this time. Instead, he just turned to his class and taught as normal. I huffed once out of sight, the weight of what all had just happened only now socking my skull.

     ...Guess...this was it... No more heroism...

     After I had walked down the sidewalk for a bit with the new skateboard under my arm, I pulled out my phone and entered my list of contacts. After scrolling down for a while, I tapped an old videogame avatar and started texting despite the previous walls of texts having not been responded to in ages.

- - - - -

Hey, it's me again. I know. You're probably annoyed about all the notifications at this point. That is, if you haven't gotten a new phone number already, as I guess you have...

Thing though is life just sucks sometimes, man! You know how I've been talking to you about UA for a while now? Well, I got in. First day. My own dad expelled me. I'm guessing you already know why.

No real reason for venting to you of all people. Just...

I miss you, Ten.

K bye.

- - - - -

     Ignorance and dumb hope convinced me to wait a good few seconds for a response. When none came, I shoved the phone into my pocket and moved on.

     I entered the grocery store I was often asked to go for the occasional forgotten dinner item. Beeps and clanks filled the larger, pristine place full of food and people. One look at it all and I decided I had had enough. I turned and left through the same sliding doors I had just entered.

     I couldn't go home with the bad news. I couldn't get the groceries without going home. I couldn't go anywhere. So I went nowhere instead.

     Practicing some along an empty sidewalk where grass slowly ate up the path, I made my way to a quieter part of town on my new board. After about a thirty minute's trip, I arrived at an old, desolate playground. Everything metal was rusty with chipping paint and everything plastic was scuffed and dented. A small skate park beside it -- just a couple ramps -- was in even worse condition.

     My face was completely expressionless as I entered the old playground. Surrounding it were mostly trees and overgrown foliage with the occasional house poking into view. A dog barked about a block away as I dropped my skateboard and sat on the only lasting swing.

Creeeee!

     It shrieked as I began to swing. My ears blocked out the shrill cries of the ride as I rocked myself into into a blissful state. Higher and higher I challenged myself to go. I had no plans to stop.

     My eyes were deeply set with tire to them. A glossy, hazy appearance were the windows to my soul. They gazed ahead at the sky. The setting sun. The dull sight of it all filling my mind.

    Higher and higher I swung, caring not for the shrieking, rusty metal.

Clck! Snap!

     And suddenly I was flying.

     It was freeing at first. Then, it was scary. And then-

     "Ough!" My body rolled over wood chips, splinters and cuts tearing my skin. I just rolled onto my back with little effort and stared up at the sky. Orange was slowly fading to purple. I watched it all. Everything from the way the wood under me smelled to my old friend's last words passed through my head...but I refused to remain too much in the present. Even if I wanted to, my mind just wouldn't let me...

     But, as the sun's final embers remained in the sky, I felt liquid enter the corners of my eyes. I closed them, which made the two droplets slide down my cheeks. Breathing in deeply, I fought back the wave of unidentifiable feelings. They were too strong for me to handle; that's all I knew about them.

     Laying there on my back...on a bed of wood chips, I convinced myself to just go to sleep... Maybe, this was all a dream too. Yeah, maybe it was.

     Because if it was anything else other than that, I wouldn't know what to do with my life. Everything would be for nothing.

     ...And I hated the thought of that.

      I fell asleep, hoping this whole day was nothing but a hoax.