Chapter Text
Sephora Thibodaux
Quirk: Polygot
She can talk to plants and animals telepathically. The longer she uses her quirk the more she takes on the physical appearance of the plant or animal she's talking to. If she uses it for too long she can go feral, losing her humanity.
***
Seph's head was pounding as her eyes flickered open, the world around her slowly coming into focus.
She was sitting amidst the rubble of a collapsed building. Everything was dark, and the acrid smell of smoke filled the air. She could hear screams of pain and terror in the distance.
She tried to move, but her hands were bound behind her back. She tried to scream, but her voice was muffled by the duct tape over her mouth.
"Where is she, Keigo? You promised she would join us. I should have known you were lying."
"Don't bite my head off, Endeavor. She's right up here."
Seph's blood ran cold. This couldn't be real, and yet there was no mistaking his voice.
Endeavor's flames lit the way towards Seph; Keigo, the love of her life, not far behind.
"See? There's my baby bird," Keigo cooed.
"Ahh, Sephora," Endeavor said. "Keigo told us all about you and your quirk. He told us what happened the last time you lost control. With a little training you'll be unstoppable."
Keigo ripped the tape off of Seph's mouth. She looked into his eyes, her voice trembling. "Keigo, please. I-I know things have been rough lately, but we love each other. You..."
She was silenced by Endeavor's knee slamming into her face, knocking her on her side. Endeavor knelt over her, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "You have two choices. Join us..."
Seph spat in his face. "NEVER!"
She was silenced again by the stinging burn of Endeavor's hand against her face. Her head hit the ground hard. She tasted blood and felt it running down her face.
Why wasn't Keigo helping her?
Did he really bring her here?
She'd never felt more lost and alone.
"She's all vinegar, this one," Endeavor said slowly. "I see she has potential."
Seph tried to lift her head, but was quickly beaten down again by a kick in the ribs. "Kei..." She couldn't finish before he knocked her into the dirt.
She opened her mouth and tried to speak but nothing came out.
"You can join us or you can die," Endeavor said flatly. "It's as simple as that."
She faced her captors, trying to push herself up, but she collapsed again. She heard them laughing.
She felt no hope.
"Take care of it Keigo," Endeavor said abruptly, stepping away.
Keigo knelt in front of her, holding her face gently in his hands. "Sephora, I wanted things to be different. I wanted you by my side." He tilted her head up so he was looking her in the eyes. "If you loved me at all you'd join us. Don't make me do this," he pleaded.
He almost sounded sincere.
Maybe he did have some good in him.
For a moment she thought about living. She thought about joining them, about leaving all her friends behind.
She thought about never seeing Toshi again, or worse, having a part in killing him.
It made her physically ill.
She remembered all the pain Keigo had put her through. She remembered every slap, every hole punched in the wall.
She thought about every life Endeavor had taken.
Seph forced herself to her knees, holding her head as high as she could. "You always said that you loved me to death," she whispered. "You better end this now before Toshi ends you."
Any hint of love was gone from Keigo's face as he pulled his feather blade from his back. "You did this, Seph."
She closed her eyes and braced for what was coming. For once, the voices in her head were silent.
***
Seph's alarm went off as loud as usual, pulling her back to reality. She had a moment to catch her breath then the voices came flooding back.
𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐦!
She smiled at Rin's baby voice in her head. Waking up to him every morning was one of her greatest joys in life.
𝐎𝐤𝐚𝐲, 𝐨𝐤𝐚𝐲. 𝐌𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐩, 𝐌𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐩, she replied with her quirk.
The bearded dragon was scratching at his cage as Seph rolled out of bed and stretched. "Rin, I hear you, Love."
Seph's room was like a jungle, with all kinds of plants everywhere. When her quirk had first manifested all their voices at once would have been overwhelming, but she'd grown used to them.
𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐬. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲? Seph always greeted her plants in the morning. They were very prideful, and one missed day of greetings meant not being dressed properly.
One of her plants bent down to greet her.
𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐮𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫. 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.
She smiled. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲? She listened for their individual answers as she walked to the bathroom, looking in the mirror.
The scar over her left eye was a painful reminder that what she saw was more than just a nightmare.
She relived that day all too often. It had been almost a year since Keigo and her...ended things. To say she didn't miss him was a lie. To say some part of her didn't still love him was an even bigger lie.
But he wasn't the pro hero she'd fell in love with anymore. He'd become a monster, same as Endeavor.
𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲.
Rin's voice pulled her from her thoughts. She grabbed a hornworm from the plant beside his cage and opened the door, throwing it in.
It was casual Friday, so Seph grabbed her "Aladdin pants", as the kids had dubbed them, and a black top.
Rin hopped up on Seph's shoulder as she went back to the mirror and started getting ready for the day. She had a date with Toshi that evening after work and she wanted to look cute.
She put her long green hair up in little space buns with some down.
𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.
She always took the plants' advice.
Class was starting in less than an hour, but first Seph had a meeting with Fuyumi Todoroki.
Days like this made her appreciate living in the UA dorms. Her classroom was just a short walk across campus. She grabbed her supplies from the table and headed out the door.
________________________________________________
Amara Taylor
Quirk: Glamour
She can shape shift, changing specific features or becoming someone else entirely. She can maintain her chosen form indefinitely without conscious effort, but only while she's awake.
***
When Amara arrived at UA that morning she was running on four hours of sleep and even more coffee than usual. She muffled a yawn as she parked her car and reached for the half empty iced coffee in the cup holder.
Until a week ago Amara taught eighth grade biology, so being up early was nothing new, but today was different. Today she was interviewing for her dream job as a hero course teacher at the number one hero school in the world.
To say she was nervous was an understatement. If she got this job Amara would be working with some of the top pro heroes in Japan, including the number one hero himself, All Might.
She hadn't even set foot inside UA yet and she already felt so out of place.
Amara checked her reflection in the car mirror, considering changing her hair color for the sixth time that day. She could almost hear her dad's voice chiding her. "You should at least try to look professional."
She let her hair fade to it's natural black for a moment then thought better of it, shifting it back to it's usual shade of purple.
He and mom both would have a lot worse to say about how she looked now. There was a reason she hadn't talked to them in seven years.
Amara's phone dinged in the center console. She unlocked it with her fingerprint, smiling at her background; a selfie she and her sister Maya had taken a week before, then opened the family group chat.
𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐚: 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐤, 𝐬𝐢𝐬!
𝐑𝐮𝐦𝐢: 𝐔 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬, 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥!
Amara glanced at the clock. Her sister and sister in law were probably getting ready for their patrol. She always worried about them, especially lately with Endeavor and Hawks out there.
The villains had taken too many innocent lives, most of them pro heroes. They hadn't been seen in over a month, but it was just a matter of time.
𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚: 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬!
𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚: 𝐁𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞
𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐚: 𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬. 𝐖𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮
𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚: 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨𝐨
Amara put her phone on silent, dropping it in her purse along with her keys as she stepped out of the car. She took one more look at UA and took a deep breath. "I've got this."
***
The first class of the day wouldn't start for almost an hour, so the halls of UA were all but deserted. Amara stopped for a moment to get her bearings, trying to recall the directions Principal Nezu had given her.
"Excuse me. Can you point me towards Miss Thibodaux's classroom?"
"Hm?" Amara turned to see a woman around her age. Her shoulder length hair was white with small patches of red up and down the sides. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm actually here for a job interview. I'm as lost as you are."
The woman looked familiar somehow, but Amara couldn't place where she'd seen her.
"Miss Todoroki," a small, cheerful voice interrupted them. They turned and looked down to see a small bipedal animal looking up at them with a smile. "And you must be Miss Taylor?"
"Yes," Amara said, clasping her hands together nervously and bowing slightly. "I'm here for a job interview with Principal Nezu."
"You're looking at him." Principal Nezu turned to the other woman. "Miss Thibodaux is waiting for you. Do you need help finding her classroom?"
"Yes, thank you," the woman, Miss Todoroki replied. "I've been here more than once and I still get turned around."
"That's perfectly okay." Principal Nezu chuckled, turning to Amara. "My office is just down this hall, second door on the right. Make yourself comfortable. I'll be with you in a moment."
"Thank you, Sir," Amara said as the two walked away. She turned and walked down the hall in the direction Principal Nezu had pointed her.
As she took a seat in Principal Nezu's office Amara realized where she recognized that woman from. Miss Todoroki, as in Fuyumi Todoroki. Endeavor's eldest daughter.
It had been all over the news. Japan's number 2 hero arrested on charges of domestic violence and child abuse. It was all anyone was talking about.
Nobody knew how much worse he would become once the mask came off. Once he broke out he became openly the villain he'd always secretly been at home.
Endeavor's youngest daughter Shouko was finally safe, but with her mom in the hospital she had nowhere to go. Her big sister Fuyumi stepped up and took her in, becoming her legal guardian.
________________________________________________
"Thanks for meeting with me, Miss Thibodaux," Fuyumi said as she took her seat across from Seph. "Shouko talks a lot about you and your class.
"I'm glad to hear that," Seph said with a smile. "She's very shy, so it's hard to read sometimes."
"She's been through a lot." Fuyumi looked away nervously. "Does she ever talk about...about Dad?"
Seph was silent for a moment, her eyes widening with surprise. "Is-is everything okay?"
"Yeah," Fuyumi said quickly. "I mean...I hope so. I'm just worried about her." She paused for a moment, considering her words before pressing ahead. "All people see when they look at her is Endeavor's daughter. They think she's gonna end up just like him."
"She would never," Seph said emphatically. "Your father is a monster. I've seen him corrupt people to the point they lost themselves. Shouko won't ever be like him. She's scared, just like the rest of us."
Seph's mind went back to her nightmare. Memories of what happened that day flashed before her eyes.
"I know she won't," Fuyumi said. "She's always wanted to be a hero, not because it was what he wanted for her but because she wanted to help people. I'm just..." she sighed. "I guess I'm just scared of what she might do to try to prove those people wrong. I'm so scared the longer he's out there... I'm scared she might try to go after him herself."
Seph nodded. It wasn't like the thought hadn't crossed her mind, but Shouko was a smart girl. "I'll keep an eye on her," she said finally. "He's taken enough away from you."
"Thank you," Fuyumi said. "That's all I want; to keep her safe."
________________________________________________
"Do you live near campus?" Principal Nezu asked.
"Harmony Heights Apartments," Amara said. "It's just a few blocks away."
"I know the place. I have a good friend there. Do you know Sachiko Takahashi?"
Amara's eyes lit up. "I do. She's my next door neighbor. Her porch is right next to mine. We have coffee together every morning."
Nezu chuckled. "Small world. He was silent for a moment as he looked over his notes. "You took a year of hero courses in high school, correct?"
Amara nodded. "Yes, Sir. I also majored in Quirk Instruction and Hero Training for two years in college."
"But you didn't go on to work as a pro hero yourself. Can you tell me why that is?"
Their had been no hint of judgement in his tone, but Amara fidgeted nervously in her seat anyway.
"It was just never what I wanted to do," she said finally. "My big sister always wanted to be a hero, since we were little kids. Back then I just wanted to be like her. But I realized my calling was elsewhere, that I wanted to help people in a different way. Teaching. Doing my part to bring up the next generation of heroes."
Even though their career paths had diverged, Amara had always been inspired by her big sister's determination to become a hero. Maya had even convinced their parents to let her attend UA when she was 15, on the condition that she became fluent in Japanese by the time she was old enough.
They hadn't expected her to actually do it, or for her to be accepted to such a prestigious hero school, but they kept their end of the deal.
UA was also where Maya met the love of her life.
"It's an important job," Nezu agreed. "One we don't usually hire civilians for. That being said you're more than qualified for the role, and your quirk is especially well suited to stealth and recon training."
________________________________________________
"Alright, class, there will be a quiz on this section of the chapter, and a test over the first five next week. I expect everyone to pass," Seph said sternly.
Seph's phone vibrated on her desk. She would normally ignore it until after class, but her eyes widened at the text from Toshi.
𝐓𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢: 𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
𝐓𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢: 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞