Mission Midoriya || A RuthTheNerd MHA fanfiction||

Chapter 11: Her Backstory, Pt 1.

Meiying didn't seem surprised with the thick silence, as far as Ochako could tell. She almost appeared to be enjoying it, with the way her mouth curved up in a suggestive smirk. Her gloved hands were planted firmly in her lap, and she was twisting her ankles back and forth. Ochako finally spoke up.

"You're kidding," she muttered. Meiying shook her head.

"Why would I joke about this?" she asked. "You can choose whether or not to believe it."

"I'm afraid we have no choice but to do so," Satashi said, rubbing his eyes and biting his lip in pain. A faint buzz filled the room, but when Ochako listened closely, she realized that it was her husband's intense muttering. His eyes were spiraling in confusion, trying to comprehend what Meiying had confessed. She could hardly decipher one sentence from another, or tell when a stream of gibberish had ended. Mei slapped Deku on the back, yanking him into reality with an ouch!

"So," Mei said, fiddling with her greasy gloves. "You're from the past."

"Yes."

"And you have a time-travel related quirk?"

"Yes."

"Wait, why are you even here, in this time period?" Mei asked.

The princess sighed. "It was an unfortunate accident. I-"

"Wait," Izuku knit his brows. "How are you from ancient China, yet have a quirk? Quirks first appeared around 2060..."

She scoffed. "That's what you assume, young man. The truth is that quirks have been around for ages, they just weren't as noticeable. In most cultures, having powers could be taken two ways- you'd be known as a human blessed by the gods, or you'd be executed for treason against government or church. I'm quite surprised how you haven't noticed this development, it's been mentioned several times in ancient texts. Did you ever stop to think that maybe the people with supernatural abilities in the stories were just ordinary folk with quirks?"

Ochako had to admit she was right, but she'd never thought she had the authority to question or challenge science. It was always just something she had to agree and go on with. 

"My goodness, that explains so much," Satashi gasped, his expression baffled. His own muttering joined Izuku's, and the buzz reminded her of a hive of vengeful bees.

"Silence!" Meiying commanded, and they obeyed. "You are much too loud."

Mei laughed. "We agree, but nobody except Bakugo ever tells him to shut up."

Ochako shot her a look. "I'm sure he'd be in shock if he realized that everything he's been taught was false."

"Well, who wouldn't?" Satashi remarked. "This-this is an amazing discovery, we must document this-"

"Don't." Meiying told him. "I'll be captured"

"Haven't you already?" Mei asked.

"Not for the sake of science." she said that part with distaste and a disdainful expression on her face. Satashi looked like he was about to say something, but decided against it. Meanwhile, Izuku had finally pulled himself together and lifted a finger to speak.

"I'm sorry, I interrupted. Continue what you were saying before, about why you're in our time period?"

Meiying nodded. "Ah, right. I was just a normal princess until the age of five..."

.                     .                     .

The air was misty, clouds unseeable. Little Meiying was gazing at the reflections dancing on the crystal clear waters of the koi pond. Funny-looking fish swam underneath, each with their own vibrant shade of red, orange, or yellow. If she put her hand over the water, the fish would come and nibble on her finger. She used to do that, but if she returned from the royal gardens with a wet hanfu, her maids would scold her.

So instead she treaded lightly over the small bridge that ran over the river, gazing at the sweet-smelling bamboo stalks and Magnolia trees that held soft, white flowers and lanky branches. Towering Dawn Redwood's imported from other city-states stood tall in the center, birds hovering around the trees in a blur of color. 

Meiying bit her lip. Her sandals were tight, they practically pinched and ate at her toes. She looked ahead at the grass, and that was when she spotted it.

A snow- white rabbit, nibbling on a fresh blade of green. Those beady, black little eyes were busy with their meal. She'd never seen one so close up before, despite the fact that new rabbits were added every time the gardener found them stealing bits of lettuce. They'd always sprint away before she could get a good look.

Meiying freshly remember her brother catching rabbits and presenting them to her father with pride. It was always made into delicious rabbit stew. And it was her birthday, after all. Well, in a few hours it would be. She'd be five. And she was getting the meat for the stew.

She wanted to be the one to catch a rabbit for him. She wanted to see his proud face.

She focused her yellow eyes on the mammal, who hadn't even acknowledged her presence. She carefully slid off her sandals, already readying her heel. She eyed the ears- that would be the easiest part to grab.

3, 2, 1.

She shot off, leaping off the bridge and speeding after the rabbit, who had already spirited away. She laughed, feeling the wind rip at her skin, and her hanfu getting tangled in around her legs. She bunched up the priceless silk and kept running. Her feet brushed over the dew-covered grass and through shallow water in attempt to catch up with the mammal, who was way ahead. 

Getting closer, she swung over smooth rocks and jumped, pointing her hands, which were hot compared to the rest of her body, at the rabbit. 

And then the strangest thing happened. Her hands began glowing gold, and then a circle appeared a few yards in front of her. The rabbit ran right into it.

She grinned, her face flushed. Only being four, she didn't realize the phenomenon in front of her, but her maid certainly did.

"Madame Bao!" she shrieked, her face red. She was clutching a pair of sandals, but then dropped them when she saw the portal.

"Madame Bao?" she asked, her voice quiet and shaking. "What is this?"

"I catched the rabbit!" Meiying squealed. "But I don't know how to get it out."

The maid made a symbol with her fingers. "Gifted. You are one of the gifted."

The princess tilted her head. "There are people who can catch rabbits like me too?"

The maid held the naïve girl in her arms, voice shaking. She patted and smoothed her hair several times. "Yes. Yes, there are."

"You won't punish me for my shoes?"

The women sniffed. "You won't go without punishment, young lady. But let us tell your mother the joyous news."

"But my rabbit..."

"Forget the rabbit!"

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Sorry for not updating you guys! Hope you enjoyed part one of this!