Third person pov

Hitoshi was twelve when he separated from his pod during an incident he could scarcely remember. He recalled being afraid and cold. He'd called out for help-- for anyone, really, but no one answered. They'd all been whisked away as well. He knew they had, and he was alone. Hitoshi's magic had sung sadly at the time. His school was his family, and he loved them dearly. He was one of the only sirens within, but they adored him all the same. They treated him the same as they would treat anyone else. In the sea, his difference was celebrated. Here, it was frowned upon.

He was hurt badly when he washed ashore. Sirens were tricksters. Manipulators, if you would. When he'd found himself beached in the dead of night, he'd sung with what little magic he could gather up in his weakened state. It was really a miracle he'd been able to enchant anything at that point and at that age, but adrenaline was a hell of a drug. In his desperation, he'd chanted almost mindlessly into a small chunk of coral that had lodged itself in the gash in his chest. And just like that, he'd grown legs, and had been plunged into a world he still didn't understand.

Even now, he could feel the coral. It pulsed. It wasn't evil— it felt like a friend. But it was also stuck. His skin had long since healed over and left the enchanted piece unreachable. Its magic still pulsed strong in him. Even if he did remove it, would it do anything? It had been stuck in him so long, he wasn't sure there was a way to ever get it out.

This world on land was cruel and amazing in every way, he'd come to learn. Hitoshi would've returned to the sea, but the he wasn't sure how to go about getting his tail back. Not without help. Assuming he ever could get his new form back, was there anything out there for him? He felt disconnected from the ocean. From his home. It... wasn't a good feeling.

Even with the distant sensation buried in him, he still visited the ocean sometimes to talk, but it never bore good news. It was always quiet when he asked if any of them were still out there and alive. He'd thought the silence had meant they were all dead. Clearly, that had been wrong. He didn't know why the sea had neglected to tell him Atlantis was still out there, but he had to assume it had known that it would lead up to this moment. The ocean was like that. It seemed to know all that was, and all that would be.

With no records whatsoever and no parents to speak of, Hitoshi had been put in something called the Foster Care System upon appearing on the shore. His magic was a lot weaker on land and without the support of his fellow merfolk. He couldn't sing his tunes anymore. Not like he wanted to, anyway. He could ask questions, though. So that's what he did. He dubbed it his quirk and utilized it like the other humans utilized their odd abilities. 

His plan to try and fit in better backfired. Apparently, people didn't like his 'quirk' all that much. They dubbed him a future villain. Sirens were manipulators. In human history, Hitoshi had come to learn that they'd been named dangerous. That they'd coax sailors from their boats with illusions and soft-sung songs that placed a fog over the mind. His quirk mirrored that, so maybe that's why he was painted as wicked. The notion of his power was already noted as bad throughout history and the various fairy tales they had here. It was ingrained in most of society to view his power as evil.

Despite that, Hitoshi had stayed true to the goodness the ocean had always inspired in him and in its other children. He was a merman through and through, even with these legs. He wouldn't turn himself over to the wrong side of things. Even as a child of the sea, he'd grown fond of this world. The idea of heroes was enchanting to him. The idea of good reminded him of the ocean. Of all he'd lost.

As enrapturing as heroes were, that didn't stop him from dreaming of his family. Not even close. He wouldn't hesitate to rip the coral out of his own chest if that meant he could dive back into the sea and be with them. He missed his tail and the feeling of whizzing through water. The salty liquid filtering through his gills was a sensation he felt he had forgotten. There was so much bad on land. It wasn't nothing like the ocean. The ocean was a home he couldn't go back to alone, so maybe that's why he'd set out on the path to better the land. It was something he could do.

Only now, standing before him, was Atlantis. His cousin, Atlantis. Of all the people in his pod, he and Atlantis had been the very closest to one another. After Hitoshi lost his parents, it was him who stepped forward to really comfort Hitoshi. They'd been near inseparable beneath those waves, and it was the idea of Atlantis being lost that hurt the most. He'd been positive he'd died out there.

Memories came crashing down into Hitoshi like a tidal wave. Memories of kisses to the forehead and songs sung softly to lull him to sleep. Recollections of bright coral crowns placed on his head, and wistful lessons on their culture and past when he was younger. He was only five when his parents died. Atlantis had been... something like a parent. The closest thing he got after they passed. Hitoshi would trail after him everywhere, but Atlantis would never get annoyed. He'd play with him and talk to him, and take care of him. Make sure he ate and drank, and help him learn the songs of their people. Tunes that would serve to empower his Siren magic.

And now he... he was here?

"A-Atlantis?" Hitoshi asked. The bullying and abuse he'd gone through on land had made him feel heavy. It weakened his magic and connection to the sea. Seeing Atlantis was like a breath of fresh air, and Hitoshi couldn't stop the tears that stemmed from his relief. He almost couldn't believe what he was seeing, but the way his magic pulsed and sung out to him was proof enough. His vocal cords felt stronger than they had in years. Magic climbed up his throat, recharged and surging. For the first time in several years, Hitoshi felt like a merman again. He felt like a siren. He ran to Atlantis without another moment of hesitation. It felt like coming home.

Atlantis opened his arms to Hitoshi with a choked out cry, hugging him like he'd disappear if he let go. Aizawa stared in a dumbfounded sort of way, watching the whole scene unfold in mild shock. Did this mean... was Hitoshi Shinso a merman as well? He had a brainwashing quirk, and it had nothing to do with water or with healing to Aizawa's knowledge. Atlantis briefly mentioned there also being warriors. Maybe Shinso was... was one of those? But how was he on land? How was... what?

Aizawa shook his head. He could ask questions later. Atlantis and this Shinso kid crying on the floor and hugging was going to turn a lot of heads. Shota made a mental note to come up with a story for Nezu later. Right now, he couldn't do anything other than gaze down at his fiance with clear concern. He wanted to say something— anything— but speaking right now seemed wrong. A certain sort of feeling he couldn't place teemed in the air excitably, and the pearl around his neck hummed stronger than it ever had before. It filled him with a terrifying and exhilarating rush. He was witnessing something most people didn't get to. And if he was, that meant other people were too.

"You're alive." Hitoshi sobbed out, hugging Atlantis as tight as he could. The idea of letting go of him felt like a death sentence. As though this were a hallucination that would vanish if he dared release him. Hitoshi was afraid, and hopeful, and happy all at once. "I-I thought for sure y-you... you..."

"Shhh, no; it's okay. I've got you." Atlantis choked out in mild disbelief and distress, his magic reaching out to intwine with his. Atlantis closed his eyes, taking in the presence of his family. Hitoshi was someone he'd thought about a lot in his time aimlessly traversing the sea. The loss of Hitoshi had almost ruined him. He would've ended himself if the ocean hadn't stopped him at the time. Only now he was on land, and Hitoshi was so clearly alive. He looked well. Tired, and in need of a few good meals, but he was alive. Holy shit, he was alive! "Hitoshi, how... how did you end up here?"

He felt Shota hovering behind him, concerned. A burst of joy rushed forward into him. This was Hitoshi. His little baby cousin. He was here and he was alive. God, he couldn't believe he alive! And Shota was here, and they were all together, and... and he just couldn't believe it. He really couldn't. It didn't feel real. A part of him was afraid he'd wake up to find he'd dreamt it all, even with how vivid everything was.

"I-I don't really know. I got beached, and then there was coral, and I don't know what spell it was it just—" Hitoshi shook his head, holding on. Shota bit the inside of his cheek. So he was a merman too, then. One that could enchant things. Atlantis could do that as well, but he claimed to only be capable of a few spells. Was he the one who'd made the crystal that gave Atlantis legs? Well, scratch that. It probably wasn't Shinso specifically. But his... class of merfolk, perhaps? He didn't know.

"I-It's okay. It's alright." Atlantis breathed. He twisted around as best he could with Hitoshi in his arms, gazing up at Shota with watery eyes and a smile so genuine the dark-haired man felt his own lips upturn without him really meaning them too. Atlantis just looked so happy. And that was all Shota wanted for him. "This is Hitoshi. H-He's my cousin. Hitoshi, this i-is Shota. He's my fiance."

Hitoshi pulled his head up off Atlantis' shoulder to look at 1-A's homeroom teacher, still holding onto. Eraserhead was one of the few heroes he truly, wholeheartedly admired. He knew he looked like a mess. Red, puffy eyes and a tear stained face. But he was smiling. He hadn't smiled so widely and truly since he left the sea, and it felt as freeing as being in his cousin's arms did. The man gave a small smile back, eyes soft. Hitoshi could tell the underground pro loved Atlantis a lot.

"It's nice to meet you, Hitoshi." Aizawa said levelly. He crouched down so they could see eye to eye. Atlantis shifted, still clinging to his younger relative as he turned to look at his fiance. The pearl around Shota's neck was jumping with joy, seeming to convey the elation Atlantis felt. "How would you feel about coming with us?"

Hitoshi beamed. And even though he couldn't find it in himself to form words, his expression was more telling than any verbal confirmation could be.