[attr="class","header2"]APPEARANCE

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Forget everything. Leave everything behind. And be reborn.

That's what my parents said they had to endure in order to provide me with this life. 35 years ago, they had to leave from a city in Europe called Chișinău to escape the unrest that had taken over everything. I wouldn't have been surprised if there was rioting on the moon back then, judging from what they told me. Before these quirks came into the world, it was a quiet, green place.

When they made it over, Japan wasn't much better. The vigilante period had just started, and they had to spend their first few years in a refugee camp where they barely received what they needed. It was a hard time, but eventually they were able to look outside of the fence, and see that everything was okay.

My family's quirks seemed to have been based around using tools. Dad's tool was a hoe, while my mother's was a rake. Both things used for farming. It was a struggle to make ends meet at first, as they had to work in construction and retail respectively in the city. Looking back, mom would always mention that the only food they could afford was white rice and mentaiko. They couldn't even afford coffee at that time.

But their years of hard work eventually paid off. They moved out of Yokohama and bought a property in the next prefecture over, which was Shizuoka. "Its right over the mountains." They'd always say when talking about their old home. Chizawa was the name of our new home, where I was born. By that time, they were already running a tea farm that brought well over what they needed to support themselves. Maybe that's why the world decided to give them two children in a single birth.

Me and Mion were born about a minute apart from each other, Mion being the older one. The day was Taian, the luckiest day on the calendar all our neighbors used. For my parents who purposefully integrated into the local community, there was a big celebration. Lots of gifts got brought our way, more than what they knew what to do with!

When we were little, me and Mion were always together. We'd run through our parents' tea fields barefoot, compete to see who could find the most acorns, and explore the woods to see if we'd find Totoro. That century-old anime was Mion's favorite, and I was always the one tagging along.

Our way of life changed a lot when we both became six years of age. Mion's quirk manifested around when she was five years old, while mine wasn't until much later. I remember being very jealous of her being able to do "magic" with a feather duster, while I couldn't do anything yet. On top of that, Mion learned things a lot quicker than I did. You could argue that she was a genius compared to my level back then. Therefore, we attended different schools which would cater to our different levels and needs. I was sent to the local public school where all the neighbors children went, together with the friends I had then. While Mion was sent to a private school that was at her level of talent.

School life wasn't easy for me, but it was far from bad. Apart from feeling inferior because my quirk hadn't awakened yet, everyone in my elementary class seemed to think I was a fun person to be around. There was one time where they joked my quirk was to change my sex on command, but that made me so angry that I ended up cutting all my hair off. I remember the two months which I spent being completely bald. All my friends acted like they felt bad for me, and that somehow even felt worse on my end.

I never admitted it at the time, but I missed Mion a lot. Summer vacation of each year was when we could finally spend time with each other for a few weeks. The first few summers were the best I could remember spending with her, where we hung around the house and ate watermelon in the day- to when we'd go to the summer festivals at night. Sometimes, dad or mom would even take us to the ocean. I didn't know what it was at first, and still remember how salty the water was when I tried to drink it. Mion was laughing.

Mion never laughed or smiled much.

But as I graduated sixth grade, things started to change again. Both me and Mion started the process of becoming adults. Our emotions got harder and harder to control. And because of the distance between us, our relationship became difficult. Entering middle school, I was thirteen and still didn't have my quirk. To everyone else I was fine, but on the inside I was so angry that I sometimes couldn't even bear to look at other people with their powers. And as for Mion? I was never able to figure out how she felt about me, though at times I wondered if she managed to guess how jealous I was with that smart head of hers.

Our summers began feeling shorter as well. Though we recognized each other's presence when we got together, we began doing less and less things together until we completely stopped when I turned 16. At that point, I started to spend my summers with friends rather than family. Something that was a topic of arguments with my parents that I often had back then. Even though Mion kept coming back, we never said anything to each other.

Right now, I intensely regret everything I said and did. Now knowing what was going to happen, I wish every time I think of her, that I could have done things differently.

The day I saw Mion for the last time was a sunny one in late June. "I wanted to say goodbye." is what she told me when I was reluctantly taken on a walk with her. I had thought that maybe she was going to move to the city to attend that prestigious academy mom always said she'd be perfect for. 

But when we reached the pond, one which we used to fish at when we were younger, she stopped.

Mion looked to me, but at that moment I don't think it was my sister I was looking at anymore.

Her peacefully smiling face, together with the rest of her body, had turned blood red.

And that was when she leaned in to whisper to me, something that I still can't remember.

Then she jumped in.

Instinctively, I jumped in after her. It was a deep pond, deep to the point that the locals called it the "Gods' Well". And before long everything around me had become completely dark. At my limit but still going, I reached for Mion even though I couldn't see her. But just a few moments after grabbing nothing but water, I died.

What I saw after that point was heaven. Buddha, the sky-people, and many other Gods were there. But all I could pay attention to was the visage of Mion's soul walking away from me towards the wheel which stretched impossibly high in every direction as it spun. I screamed to her "Come back!" but nothing came out of my lungs.

When I came back to life, I was at the edge of the pond again. Completely dry. I called for Mion, but all I heard in response was the roar of an animal. I turned around to see, but that was when I noticed the enormous shadow that passed over me.

It was the largest creature I had ever seen. It was shaped and flew like a bird, but the smooth skin made me remember things like seals or beluga whales. Completely white like ivory, it flew away with the same force as an airplane. 

After it left, I began crying as I realized that "dragon" was Mion.

Since that event, I was never the same. I stopped going to school and wouldn't leave my room. I wouldn't talk to anyone, not even my parents. All I could tell them was that "Mion was gone". An investigation was launched to find her whereabouts, but they couldn't find anything of her. I remembered being questioned, but all I could tell them was that she had jumped into the pond. I knew that nobody would believe what I really saw.

Every day became the same. I woke up, ate, and then went back to sleep. To tell the truth, I started hating the house I had lived in until now, purely because it reminded me that Mion was here for what felt like only a moment ago. When over a year had passed since her disappearance into the sky.

But it was at this lowest point in my life that Toto saw themselves in. As if trying to replace the place in my heart Mion had filled since the beginning, my quirk simply decided to awaken on a day where I happened to brush against the broom my mother always used. I still remember how I felt the first time Toto's silly eyes looked at me.

For the first time in a while, I didn't feel alone anymore. And over time, they gave me the strength to pull myself out of my sadness.

I decided to leave. Staying with my family hurt intensely, even though I loved them, and they had been nothing but nice to me. I packed what little things I could carry with me and took the first train to Tokyo. With a contact listed as "Ms. Li", someone who my parents said could help me.

The goodbye I gave everyone was a lot bigger than I had wanted it to be. All of my neighbors and friends came to see me off, even though I hadn't seen them in 6 seasons. My mom was crying, probably because she was sad from understanding how I felt after Mion had left us. But this was a reminder. One that told me "You can always come back."

As the train pulled out of Chizawa-Minami station, I fell asleep, only to wake up hours later in the pitch black of night. The train had been delayed, only a few stations away from the city proper. I looked at Toto in my hands, and they looked back at me. This was when we made a choice.

I opened a window and jumped out, hopping onto Tenten as we both soared into the sky. I really didn't know why I did so, but I did it. Looking back, it was dangerous. I wasn't used to flying at all, and I wasn't licensed to use my quirk at that time. But I remember that for a moment, I felt completely free from the problems that I had on earth. Even Mion, because I felt that here, I was somehow with her.

That was when the sun began to rise, a gradient of orange and pink covered the surface of what I was flying over, which turned out to be the ocean. Fishing boats, cargo ships, they were all there in my sight. And after a few more moments of flying, I finally saw it.

Tokyo.

---

I barely managed to shut my full suitcase completely. The load of belongings inside clearly stretched the capacity of the old box-on-wheels that hadn't seen use in two years.

"Fondue! I'm leaving!"

Fondue was Ms. Li's cat. A completely black one with yellow eyes like any other, what set her apart was how old she managed to grow. 25 years. 6 years older than I was! I walked over to her and pet her gently, she closed her eyes and stretched her head forwards as she liked it behind the ears.

Giving one last look to the small room I had lived in for the past 3 years, I went downstairs to say goodbye to the person that made all of this possible. Ms. Li sat at the front counter with a newspaper in Cantonese, green tea and half-eaten egg tarts sitting by the side of an ashtray that was still clean.

"You're off?" She said as she looked up from her newspaper towards me, taking off her reading glasses.

Ms. Li was the owner of Kyuryuu-Chaya, an Asian pastry shop that was squeezed into one of the many commercial districts where competition was intense as ever. She was an old friend of my parents and gave me a place to stay as well as a job. I had rented out the vacant room on the second floor from her for several years, until today.

I nodded. "The semester begins in a few days- I should get a move on to get situated there, they have everything!" My second bag was beginning to slide a little to the side, so I pulled it up to let it hang in a more stable way off my left shoulder.

Ms. Li stood up from her seat and walked around to my position. She always took the longer way around, something about it being a "luckier path" that I never understood. The older woman gave me a hug, one that only lasted for a few seconds as I was soon back to looking at her blank face. It was just the way Ms. Li showed affection. She never really smiles when she's happy.

"Be careful once you get in. Being a hero is a dangerous job."

Her words were true. But as always, I reassured myself with the confidence I managed to regain with her help over the years.

"Don't worry, I've been through worse while on delivery jobs last summer! Those typhoons were no joke!"

"I get it, I get it. . . please stop reminding me." Ms. Li put a hand to her forehead, sighing out of guilt for the single mistake that really put me in danger once. I had broken a rib due to the incident, one which was thankfully healed thanks to my insurance.

I couldn't help but giggle lightheartedly at her reaction. "It's okay, if I held a grudge I wouldn't have to say every other day that I'll visit!"

How could I not? Especially to a person who I had grown attached to, arguable on the same level as my parents.

I checked my watch, realizing that I only had 10 minutes left to get to the station. Just as Fondue came downstairs and began pawing at Ms. Li's legs. A gesture to be held in her arms.

"Oh jeez, I gotta run! I'll call you once I get there, bye!"

As I was no longer employed at the shop, I wasn't allowed to use my quirk to travel legally. Not until I received a permit from the school.

"Call me if you're tight on money!" Ms. Li called after my as I ran to the door, picking up the black cat into her arms. Fondue purred contentedly, only giving me a passing glance as I gripped the handle of the sliding door.

"I'll be fine, I got a scholarship!" I said without looking back, opening the door and running out in order to catch my ride.

An older man passed me, who then entered store to chat with Ms. Li. "Who's that, a niece of yours?"

She put Fondue down onto a pillow specifically for her as she walked to the back of the counter, sitting back down to look at the newspaper once again. "Just another customer."

"So, what is it going to be today?"