The Difference Between Strength & Power ( MHA x Maki Zenin Reader)

"What is a hero?"

The week was pretty much the same as it always was - classes in the morning, training in the afternoon, homework, patching up injuries received during said training and whatever else was on her list of things to do. They finally had a break from classes this Sunday - for most of them anyway. Maki wasn't the only one making themselves busy on their day off. Todoroki and Bakugo were attending the Provisional Hero License Course over the weekend, Momo was doing her study session and it looked like Midoriya wasn't the only one who had found someone to them under their wing. Tokoyami had decided to wait until Maki had made her decision before asking Hawks. Tsu and Uraraka had told her that they were going to be busy today as well.... They had left to meet up with one of the Big Three not long ago. Kirishima was in the same boat apparently. Good for them.

It seemed a lot of things were happening.

She sat at her desk, one of her few notebooks opened before the laptop as she compiled a lot of different things. Such as some new martial arts texts that had come out recently as well as a few she didn't have that she was thinking of getting; she was also noting down possible ideas for new ultimate moves. It was nice to think of them to be on the safe side and to allow her to develop her skills in other weapons and fighting styles.
That was besides the point.... Right now...
Maki let out a huff, closing her notebook and bookmarking the tabs she wanted to view later; staring at the now empty Google search page. She tapped her pencil against her desk, her foot tapping at the same speed against the wooden floor. She was still on the fence about Tokoyami's offer to do a work study with him at Hawks's agency. There were and equal number of pros and cons and Maki just couldn't decide. In times of indecisiveness, Maki found herself becoming more thoughtful than usual.

What is a hero in the first place?

Google said it was 'A person who is admired or idealised for courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities.' Similar to a knight or a warrior.

Maki considered herself more of a warrior than a knight.

Heroes saved others at the risk of their own lives. That could be anyone, really. They could do something, even if they were scared, but they were still brave enough to do it. Bravery was usually the biggest trait of a hero.
All Might was brave.
Aizawa and all the other teachers were brave.
She was certainly brave. But in the end, Maki was just still Maki. She was headstrong & selfish. It was just a part of her that didn't make her any less human. It was the same with the people who were fast, people who could fly or control some element for their quirk, people who were smart and people who had a strong perverted mind. It was all just characteristic to call their own.
And yet...
She wanted to become a hero to spite a her clan and now to make it a better place for Mai. But other than that, was there anything else she wanted to do? Did everyone else have something? Something she didn't have? Something she envied?
Maki let out a sigh, letting her head fall onto the desk with a soft thump and a grumble. Why was this so hard? She thought this was going to be easy... All she wanted to do was take down her clan and shove her success in their faces...

Why didn't she stay in the clan like her like her sister?

She already knew the answer to that. She wanted to be more than a servant like all the other women in that family. She wanted to rise above the boundaries they set her. She wanted to be like the heroes she saw on TV and those she had seen in her city. They overcame obstacles no matter how hard they were. Even though she didn't have a quirk... that's why she trained and learned how to fight. To fight and overcome.

To fight and defy.

That was what she was best at.
Was it easy?
No...
But this was the path she chose and she was going to stick with it. She was already this far. There was no way in hell she was going to turn back now.

Lifting her head, she stood up and went to draw the curtains and pressed a hand against the cool glass as she looked to the sky. The bright sun gleamed as the high, fluffy, sunlit clouds drifted lazily in the breeze without a destination or purpose across the clear blue sky. Gaps between the clouds opened and clouds, one sliding right under another and all were changing their shape in some way or form, her eyes taking in the colours squeezing through the floating puffballs.

Heroes came in many forms of life. It was a different answer for everyone. She couldn't compare to others on what hero she wanted to be. She wasn't like her mother... She wasn't like Mai... She wasn't like Tokoyami or like Tsu or like Momo or like Todoroki or like All Might or like Aizawa...

She had many questions. She didn't have all the answers. There as doubt. She was quirkless.

But despite that, she wanted to go ahead and overcome this.
"Ah..." Maki felt a smile tug on her lips.
She had her answer.