Chapter Text
Somewhere deep in the sea, crushed by salty water and strangers to the sun, creatures lurked. Shining fins, muscled arms, mysterious nature.
Merpeople.
Nobody knew how they came about, nor how their society functioned. Whispers made their way around the world about what they were capable of, fear creeping into the crevices of human society.
Their tales soon changed, from deep monsters that seduce humans to their deaths to grand utopian sand spires and the gift of magic. But this tale is not about humans, nor mers.
Sirens are classified as a subspecies of mer well known for their dangerous voices. They have the ability to lure sailors, fish, and even mers to them (which often means death due to their brutal nature). They're classified as extremely dangerous, and, as such, are often viewed with wariness and outlawed from the colonies. Thankfully, they have no capacity of magic, nor the speed of a typical mer.
Differences in appearance between mers and sirens include:
-Diamond-shaped pupils
-Retractable webs between fingers
-Gills on the neck instead of the side
-Five-pointed tails
-Unnatural voices
-Sharp, sharklike teeth
If you see a siren, steer clear. They are not mers. They are monsters.
Izuku Midoriya closed the book and let out a sigh, murmuring to himself. "They couldn't have been even a bit nicer? Sirens are scary a lot of the time but... We're not monsters. And having propaganda like this is really harmful, because it's common and available to everyone, which means that everyone is going to see it." The green-tailed siren gently but the end of his thumb, stifling his mutter of, "not like they don't already think I'm a monster."
"Izuku? Honey? Are you alright?" Inko peeped her finned head through the entryway and Izuku quickly placed his hands over new bruises along his arms.
"I'm good!" He put on his brightest smile before she could comment on anything. "What's for dinner tonight? I'm starving!"
I don't want to worry you. You deserve better.
"Toshinori."
Toshinori looked up and mustered up a smile. "Tskauchi. What seems to be the issue here?"
"I've received word about a siren near the U.A. spires. He doesn't seem to be a problem yet, but all the sources I've talked to tell me that he's a troublemaker. Always starting fights with others, stealing, a real bad apple. He's on the wrong track, but if anyone can talk him out of it, you can." Tskauchi kept it brief, but there was a tone behind his voice that said, be careful.
Toshinori nodded thoughtfully. I'll see to it. Can you give me information as to his whereabouts?"
Monster, monster, monster.
Izuku's heart caught in his throat as a couple teenage mers approached him.
"Look, Kikuko! It's Deku!"
"Let's have some fun with him. What is he going to do, sing at us?"
Evil, luring, horrible.
"Please stop..."
"Make us. Not like you can do anything, freak."
MONSTER
Izuku was barely aware of the arms he had raised in front of his face in preparation as a booming voice called out.
"What seems to be the problem here?"
His tormenters shared a glance, stopping for long enough that Izuku could get a clear look at the man. He almost wished he hadn't, because his head reeled the moment he caught sight of the mer's beaming smile.
All Might. The king of the most revered mer colony in the seven seas. Izuku's idol. Here. Now.
What was Izuku doing again?
"Help! Deku attacked us! He lured Kikuko in with his evil song!"
Oh, right.
"I d- didn't-"
"Stop lying, monster! You were going to hurt me, just admit it!"
Before Izuku could say anything else, Toshinori spoke up once again. "Now, now, we can settle this civilly. Run along, I'll deal with this."
Dread settled deep in the siren's stomach. Once the two mers were far enough away, All Might placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Did you really mean to hurt them?"
"N- no! H- h- honest, I was- was just tr- trying to go home!" It was a moot point, really. No one ever believed Izuku. Not his old friends, not his teachers, not adults, and certainly not All Might.
The muscled man nodded lightly. "Does this often happen?"
"I- u- um..."
Katsuki's voice rang in his head. Don't tell anyone, or it'll be worse next time.
"...Sometimes. I- well... It's not just blaming for me for things. It's... um..." Izuku held his arm out gently to let the man inspect his arm, full of bruises and starburst burns. "It's not good..."
"I see. Well, I'll be honest, it seems like you've been mistreated your whole life, young man." He sat down next to the young siren, a frown on his face. "They beat you down when you didn't deserve it. And... I understand how that feels. How about I tell you a secret for this? You told me your secret so...a secret for a secret."
Izuku blinked and looked at All Might, eyes wide. "R- really?"
In a poof of smoke, the man deflated into a skeletal version of himself, making Izuku start. "A- All Might?"
All Might let out a slightly thinner (but still loud) laugh. "Feel free to call me 'Yagi' in this form, young man!"
A gnarled scar ran down his side, making Izuku wonder exactly where he had obtained it, but the siren didn't dare ask. "A- alright, Yagi, sir!"
All Might- Yagi- smiled gently. "Now, to get down to the real point I wanted to give you. Though sirens may not have an inborn gift of magic, they are able to learn it. I have a few spells that I know, and I was wondering if you might want to learn them. If not for now, for the future."
Izuku didn't hesitate to nod fervently. "Yes please! I- I mean- um- yes please, sir!"
Yagi ruffled his wild green curls. "I understand. I must get back to work, but meet me at Dagobah shore tomorrow."
"Okay!" It was barely a squeak.
For once, Izuku was looking forward to waking up the next day.