BNHA: Force Within

The quirk counselor's office felt more like a playroom than a medical space. Colorful posters lined the walls showing different types of quirks, and toys were scattered across child-sized tables. Megumi sat in an adult chair that was slightly too small, watching Anakin play with blocks while they waited.

"Do you think something's wrong with me?" Anakin asked suddenly, not looking up from his tower. At four years old, he was getting better at picking up on adult worries.

"Nothing's wrong with you," Megumi said firmly. "Some kids just get their quirks a little later than others."

But she understood his concern. Most of his preschool classmates had started showing signs of their quirks. Even his friend Kenji, who was three months younger than Anakin, had developed the ability to change the color of his skin.

Dr. Nakamura's office door opened, and a woman with kaleidoscope eyes smiled at them. "Skywalker-san? We're ready for you."

Anakin knocked over his block tower as he stood up, scattering pieces across the floor. He quickly moved to pick them up, his face flushed with embarrassment.

"Leave them, sweetheart," Dr. Nakamura said. "That's what they're there for."

The doctor's private office was just as child-friendly as the waiting room. A large window let in natural light, and more toys lined the shelves. She gestured for them to sit on a comfortable couch while she took her own chair.

"So, Anakin," she said, her kaleidoscope eyes shifting through gentle colors, "your mom tells me you're wondering about your quirk."

Anakin pressed against Megumi's side. "Everyone else has theirs already."

"Not everyone," Dr. Nakamura corrected kindly. "About twenty percent of children develop their quirks after their fourth birthday. There's nothing unusual about that."

She pulled out a tablet, scanning through Anakin's medical history. "I see your great-grandmother is Recovery Girl? And your mother has a healing quirk as well?"

Megumi nodded. "Life Genesis. It lets me manipulate cellular growth."

"Interesting family line." Dr. Nakamura made some notes. "Anakin, have you noticed anything different lately? Any feelings or sensations that seem new?"

Anakin thought about it seriously. "Sometimes I dream things move when I want them to. But when I wake up, they don't."

"That's very normal at your age. Many children dream about what their quirk might be." She turned to Megumi. "Have you noticed anything? Changes in behavior, unusual incidents?"

Megumi hesitated. She hadn't told anyone about the night last week when she'd found all of Anakin's action figures arranged in a perfect circle on his desk, though she was sure she'd left them in their usual jumble before bedtime.

"Nothing definitive," she said finally. "Just little things that could be coincidence."

Dr. Nakamura nodded understandingly. "Given the unusual circumstances of Anakin's birth, it's possible his quirk might manifest differently than we typically expect. Has anyone explained quirk genetics to you, Anakin?"

He shook his head.

"Well, usually quirks are passed down from parents, like how you got your blonde hair from your grandfather. But sometimes, quirks can combine in new ways, or completely new quirks can appear."

"Like a surprise?" Anakin asked.

"Exactly like a surprise. And from what your mom has told me about your birth, I think you might have a very interesting surprise waiting."

She stood up and walked to a shelf, picking up what looked like a simple rubber ball. "Let's try something fun. I want you to hold this ball and just think about how it feels. Can you do that?"

Anakin took the ball, rolling it between his hands. "It's squishy."

"Good. Now close your eyes and keep thinking about how it feels. Sometimes quirks are shy - they need us to be very quiet and patient."

Megumi watched as her son squeezed his eyes shut, his small face scrunched in concentration. The ball remained stubbornly still in his hands.

"Nothing happened," he said after a minute, disappointment clear in his voice.

"That's okay," Dr. Nakamura said cheerfully. "Rome wasn't built in a day, and quirks don't always appear on command. I'm going to give you some exercises to try at home - like games, but for discovering your quirk."

She spent the next twenty minutes showing them different activities - focusing exercises disguised as games, breathing techniques made fun with bubbles, simple meditation presented as "hero training."

"The most important thing," she told Megumi while Anakin played with the bubbles, "is not to force it. Stress can actually delay quirk manifestation. Let him know it's okay to be a late bloomer."

"Should we be concerned?" Megumi asked quietly. "Given how he was conceived..."

Dr. Nakamura's eyes shifted to a calming blue. "Honestly? I think his quirk will be worth the wait. His readings are unusual - not concerning, just different. Whatever power he develops, it's building up to something significant."

On the train ride home, Anakin practiced his breathing exercises, making a game of holding his breath between stops. Megumi watched him, thinking about Dr. Nakamura's words.

"Mom?" Anakin asked as they neared their station. "What if my quirk isn't good for being a hero?"

"Then you'll be amazing at whatever you choose to be instead," she said. "But let's wait and see what happens before we worry about that, okay?"

He nodded, but she could tell he was still thinking about it. When they got home, he went straight to his room and started arranging his hero figures in the meditation circle Dr. Nakamura had shown them.

Ben was waiting in the kitchen, trying to look casual and failing completely. "So? How did it go?"

"Fine," Megumi said, keeping her voice down. "She thinks his quirk will come when it's ready. We just need to be patient."

"Patience isn't exactly a Skywalker family trait," Ben said with a small smile.

"Then we'll learn together." Megumi peaked into Anakin's room, where he was sitting cross-legged in his circle of toys, eyes closed in concentration. "He's already trying the exercises she gave us."

"Determined kid."

"Wonder where he gets that from?"

Later that night, after Anakin had finally gone to bed, Megumi found his rubber ball from Dr. Nakamura's office sitting perfectly centered on his nightstand. She was sure he'd left it in his pocket earlier.

She looked at her sleeping son, his blonde hair splayed across the pillow, one arm wrapped around his favorite All Might plush. Maybe his quirk wasn't as shy as they thought. Maybe, like Dr. Nakamura said, it was just waiting for the right moment.

Megumi closed his door softly, leaving it open just a crack the way he liked. For now, she would follow the doctor's advice - no pressure, no stress, just patience and love.

After all, the best surprises were worth waiting for.