Later that evening-

Izuku, Toshi and Shouta were all watching Ichigo with keen interest from the island as she flitted about the kitchen making everyone's food. The day had gone about as well as Shouta had expected it to go. And the girl had gotten everything, more or less, important for the moment.

He didn't mind that she hadn't wanted any formal dresses. At least not yet anyways. Especially since she still hadn't decided on a school yet and her introduction to society as an heiress was still a little ways off.

Which meant that he would have her more or less to himself at least for a little while.

And he was fine with that since he seemed to be warming up to the idea of being her parent-figure. But he wasn't going to tell Izuku or Toshi that. Not only would they both embarrass him. But they'd make fun of him and then he'd have to kill them.

So...mum was the word for now. He thought to himself as he watched his not-daughter work. He'd say this for the girl, though he still didn't know her very well at all, she'd make some lucky schmuck a wonderful wife one day. She was in the process of making a feast!

Toshi for one, hadn't stopped drooling for the past hour.

So far, she had made a nice, big fruit salad for everyone. Some country style fried chicken, some veggie dishes, and a few other things. Some of which Toshi and Izuku could take home with them since she was making enough for them to have leftovers for a few days even while sharing it with the other two.

Izuku looked absolutely giddy about taking some of her home made food back home with him. And Toshi damn near burst into song. And he actually might have...if not for the dark look that Shouta shot his way before hissing at him not to sing.

It would distract the nice girl who was going to feed them and then he and Izuku, both, would have to injure him. Especially if she wound up accidentally burning something.

So Toshi blew him a raspberry and muttered something rude about him underneath his breath as Izuku decided right about then to strike up a conversation. "So...h-have you thought about which school you want to go too yet?" The moment that the words left his mouth, the two men wheeled on him with matching expressions of horror/awe.

Ichigo stopped poking at a piece of chicken for a second to cast a glance at him from over one of her shoulders before replying slowly. "I'm not sure."

"Really?" Izuku asked. She nodded her head. "Why are you having a hard time choosing? You can already fight, and you have some great qualities that would make you an awesome pro-hero-"

"I have no desire to be a hero."

"Huh? What do you mean?" He asked curiously as both Toshi and Shouta decided to pay careful attention to the conversation so that they could step in and help when needed. "Being a hero is great! And you've already helped so many people."

"I'm sure that being a hero is great...for some," Ichigo said, not bothering to turn back around because she didn't want to see Izuku's happy expression fade as she tacked on. "But I never had a choice one way or another."

"Huh?" Izuku said as both Toshinori and Shouta tensed up a little bit. Both men getting the feeling that whatever she had to say next would be just as unpleasant as a lot of other things that they had learned about her thus far.

Finally placing the few pieces of chicken still in the pan, aside. Ichigo finally turned and looked at them.

"I never had a choice, Izuku. No one ever asked me what I wanted. No one ever cared enough to even bother to try. I was dragged into being a fighter by the same mad- man that fancied himself to be a god, before I was even born."

They all stayed very quiet as she reached out and turned the stove off and then leaned back against the counter for a heartbeat or two as if she were trying to think of something before finally muttering, "Fuck it." And then facing them again as she grabbed a few of the dishes of food and walked over to the island and began to lay them out.

"There's not really any way to avoid having to speak about this. Especially now. I had hoped to get to know everyone a little bit better before spilling more stuff about myself than I'm really comfortable with. But whatever-" She said as she went and collected some more of the food and set it down in front of the three before then going to get some plates, forks, spoons and such and returning one last time. She set everything down and nervously wiped her palms on her pants legs and then made a weird expression before then saying very seriously. "I wasn't joking when I said that I was dragged into things before I was even born. Both of my parents had very strong abilities. Not a whole lot unlike my own, and yet very much so. They were the youngest and strongest of their generation."

"They're abilities were deemed useful for making strong, weaponized children. The man who fancied himself as a god... He pushed my parents together for the sole purpose of an long term experiment to create a powerful child or even several. His main long term goal was to train, and one day use the children to gain what he wanted. He intended to do whatever he had too. He would lie, cheat, steal, kidnap, and kill whoever he deemed fit. Nothing and no one would stop him."

"However his plans fell a little short of his exact desires. Especially when both of my parents realized what he was planning. It happened a short time before my mom was killed. You see- because she hadn't shown any signs of breeding anymore strong children after I was born, her usefulness was decided to be at an end. And he had her murdered knowing that it would change me."

"And in many ways, he was right. It's difficult to be that young and be able to even process you're first concept of the horror that death is. But I managed to anyways. It was stark, and ugly- and definitely not something that any eight year old kid should ever experience like that. I was with my mom when she died. I was right fucking there. But I had been rendered unconscious and couldn't do anything for her. And it never felt right to me. I was born strong. Stronger than most. And powerful too. So why was I so damn helpless?"

"I-Ichigo-" Shouta started to tell her to stop. She didn't have to do this. But she stopped him by holding up a hand to silence him.

"So her death did what it was supposed to. It changed me. It made me angry. And determined in ways that small children can't comprehend. My mother's death changed my father too. He decided that since Aizen wanted a weapon so badly- that he'd give him one. The only difference is, Aizen wanted to be able to corrupt and control me-" Something dark and dangerous coiled itself around Izuku and each of the men's hearts. "My father would see to it that Aizen bit off more than he could chew. So he trained me. Not my abilities though. I was far too young to withstand using them back then. But he trained my body and mind instead."

"It wasn't pleasant either. My dad didn't pull any punches with me just because of my age, gender, or even because I was his daughter. If anything, it made him that much harsher. The very first bones that I ever broke- was when he hit, kicked and even threw me into trees or large rocks."

"He really-" Izuku started to ask if her dad had really hurt her. But stopped when she gave him a look.

"He did," Ichigo confirmed with a solemn nod. "While he was training me to be able to fight against Aizen and his madness. I had to watch as he smiled, loved, and fiercely protected my little sisters in ways that he never did with me. To him, for a long time- I was nothing but a weapon. Any blood between ties between us meant nothing."

"He managed to train me quite well before he had to stop. I was twelve when I finally grew into my abilities. And I was dragged into my first few serious fights that same year. A year later, I was eye ball deep in a string of messes that would have broke a normal person. And my power grew to such unfathomable heights that the last time I faced Aizen...I left him cowering in fear of me, screaming that I was a monster."

"So ya, see. All I've been ever since I was a little kid is a weapon. Not a person. Not a kid. Not even someone's daughter. And while I've managed to save, protect, and even help a whole lot of people...all of whom, I wouldn't trade for anything in the world- I just want to be a normal person for once." She said. And then sighed as she reached up and ran her fingers through her hair. Pushing it back from her face some before then saying, "I just want some peace. And though I know it probably sounds selfish to you, I think that I've fought long and hard enough to be able to genuinely deserve some. Don't you think?"

Toshi and Shouta both looked at Ichigo with varying expressions of concern and sympathy despite the fiery burn of anger and rage churning in their guts as Izuku remained silent for a moment longer before finally asking her, "Does that mean that you don't like hero's?"

Ichigo looked at him tiredly and then slowly stood as she softly said, "No. Not at all. I have nothing but a great deal or respect and admiration for anyone that can do what hero's do. It's...just not the career path that I'd choose for myself. That's all... Why don't you three go ahead and eat before everything gets cold. I'm tired and I think I'm going to call it a night."

Izuku started to reach out and stop her from leaving but was stopped by a strong hand shackling his wrist and stopping him as he heard Aizawa-sensei softly bid her goodnight.