A BNHA fanfic.
My Hero Academia/BNHA is owned by Horikoshi-sama and all affiliated Media. I make no profit from playing in their universe.
A/N: We are getting down to where I am only a chapter or two ahead of the postings. I will try to keep at least that far ahead.
Name shoutout: Chapter 9's name shoutout some of you older anime followers may remember. Kuno Kodachi was one of the Fiancées from the Ranma ½ anime which I don't own either. It is actually owned by Rumiko Takahashi and whatever companies are affiliated with that anime.
Updates on Wednesdays. Happy almost New Year. Here's hoping 2021 is a BIG improvement over 2020!
Constructive Reviews welcome. Flames will be flushed.
[speech] - denotes English Language
)_O_(
CHAPTER 10
*KNOCK….KNOCK…KNOCK…*
The door swung open to reveal Toshinori standing on the doorstep of the apartment, a large cardboard box balanced on one shoulder. Hizashi raised an eyebrow but stepped aside to allow the other man in. Yagi turned to him after the door was closed. "Which room is Kiku's?"
"What is it?" Hizashi was genuinely curious as to what could possibly be in the oversized box.
"A bed that won't collapse next time she has a nightmare or gets upset. I had it specially designed by the same maker who created mine," Toshinori explained, following Hizashi down the hallway. As they passed the kitchen a purple head peaked out of the kitchen. "Hmmm. Who is that Shouta? He looks yummy."
Shouta shot Nemuri a look of disgust. "Really? That's Kiku's bio dad and all you can say is Yummy?"
"So, he's single then?" Nemuri's interest was piqued. "Wait a minute…" She sauntered off down the hall and peeked into Kiku's bedroom where Hizashi was staring at the manual in confusion as Toshinori sorted parts. She stared at the blonde for a good long minute before hastening back to the kitchen. "Shouta…is that really All Might? Is that hot piece of ass back there actually Kiku's biological father?"
Shouta swore and dropped the teapot on the floor startling Yuki. He just stared at Nemuri for a good long minute. "I'm going to pretend I didn't just hear you say that. And yes, that is All Might in there." He let out a shudder and moved to the pantry for a towel muttering about brain bleach.
An hour later Kiku and Hitoshi entered the apartment, apparently in the midst of an argument. Nemuri was still sitting at the kitchen table pretending to sip her tea. Hizashi and Yagi were still in Kiku's room where the sound of an automatic drill was interspersed with banging and the occasional swear word. Hitoshi dropped his backpack by the shoe rack before heading to the kitchen. Kiku wandered down the hallway and peered into her bedroom. "Hi dad, hi Papa-Zashi, whatcha doing?"
Hizashi looked up at her. "Good afternoon. Your dad brought you a bed that won't break so easily. We are trying to assemble it."
Yagi shot him a dry look. "We will succeed – Plus Ultra!"
Kiku sweat-dropped, slipping past them to deposit her backpack on top of her desk chair. Sometimes he was so over the top. She padded out of the room to the kitchen, stomach grumbling. She carefully sat herself in the empty chair beside Nemuri, mumbling out a 'hello Auntie Nem' as she turned her attention to her other foster father. "What's for snack Papa-Shou?"
"Hopefully that blonde hunk in the other room," Nemuri muttered under her breath. Kiku shot her a blank look for a moment and then her words registered. Her face went from blank to horrified and shocked. "Auntie Nem! That's my dad in there. He's not something to eat."
Shouta placed a large plate of fruit and toast in front of Kiku and a slightly smaller one in front of Hitoshi before turning to glare at Nemuri. "Please keep the inappropriate comments out of the children's hearing." He glanced over at Hitoshi again, squinting closely at him before lifting his chin and examining his face. "Where'd the bruise come from?"
"He was defending me, Papa Shou. Some jerk in class called me a villain because of the swing incident." Kiku explained, taking a bite of banana.
"Traitor." Hitoshi mumbled low enough that Shouta barely caught it. He frowned at the boy.
"I take it you started the fight?"
The boy winced and nodded, taking a sip of milk.
"Did you get suspended?"
Hitoshi nodded, looking down at his plate with watery eyes. "Yes, sir. Two days."
"The other boy got expelled." Kiku piped up, finished with her fruit and now working through the stack of toast.
"Ah. Well, while I can't condone fighting, I can't say I blame you, especially since I got into my fair share of fights when I was your age. We will be doing some physical and mental exercises with you to help you learn to control that temper though, Hitoshi. You can join Kiku and I starting tomorrow." Shouta stated, glancing at Hizashi and Yagi as they entered the kitchen. He deliberately ignored the way Nemuri sat up straighter and thrust her chest forward. Glancing at Yagi again, he noted the man was either completely oblivious to her demonstrations or an incredibly good actor.
The three men fell into a discussion about the bed and the difficulties they were having with assembling it. Shouta finally agreed to take a turn with assisting while Nemuri and Hizashi took the children to the park.
"Eew, Hitoshi, that's disgusting!" Kiku exclaimed. The three men turned and focused their attention on the table where Kiku was staring at her brother in disgust and Nemuri was laughing herself sick. Hitoshi was happily munching on a slice of toast slathered in honey and what was that white stuff? Mayonnaise, he concluded, spying the open jar of it sitting beside Hitoshi's plate. He snickered when he noticed Hizashi shudder as he came to the same conclusion. The boy had weird tastes in food. It was hilarious in the fact that Hizashi, the man who could eat anything, found it disgusting.
)-O-(
There were quite a few children in the park. The first person they spotted was Suishima Awaji from their class sliding down the twisty slide, his curly white hair blowing in the wind. Hitoshi ran to join him, but Kiku, still wary of playground toys, made her way over to where a little pink girl was building sandcastles. "Hi, can I join you?"
The pink haired girl looked up at her and smiled widely. Kiku noted she had a pair of small gold horns on her head and golden eyes with black sclera. "Sure, I think I have an extra shovel around here somewhere." She looked around and spying a little blue shovel sitting beside the bucket, handed it over to Kiku. "I'm Ashido Mina, but you can call me Mina."
"Midoriya Kiku. You can call me Kiku if you want." The two girls spent a while quietly talking back and forth with each other as they built a large sandcastle. Mina had been surprised at first to discover the bigger girl was the same age she was, but she shrugged it off to the strangeness of quirks. Kiku was being careful with the shovel and was quite proud of herself for not destroying anything yet. She'd been trying to 'feel' her quirk inside her as Papa Shou had been instructing her during meditations. She thought she'd found the source and was slowly applying pressure to it. Suddenly, she realized she couldn't move. All she could feel was a pressure on her body that felt like it was pressing in on itself.
"Kiku-chan?" Mina shook her friend's arm which was now crackling with energy. There was no response. "Kiku-chan?" Her voice got frantically louder as the green crackling lightning around her body intensified. "KIKU-CHAN! SOMEBODY HELP!"
Hizashi turned from where he had been talking with Nemuri and a woman with small golden horns on her head. Before he realized it was happening, he and Nemuri were both rushing in her direction. Hitoshi met up with them as they approached the two girls, one eerily still, the other loudly freaking out.
"What's wrong with her?" Nemuri asked, examining Kiku who was still as a rock and breathing very shallow.
"I don't know," Yamada pulled out his phone and texted Shouta their location and to bring R.G.
"She's trying to suppress her quirk." Hitoshi piped up. He recognized the lightning from the first time she'd tried it while sitting in her room talking with him. "She doesn't want to hurt people so she's been trying to 'feel' her quirk so she can turn it down."
Hizashi looked at Nemuri, "She must have tried to turn it down too much."
Midnight nodded and looked at Ashido-san who had joined them. "Can you take the kids over by the slide for a minute. I want to try something with my quirk that might snap her out of this, but I don't want the kids caught in the cloud."
At the woman's nervous look, Nemuri clarified. "I'm pro-hero Midnight. I'm going to try and use my quirk to put her to sleep and hopefully snap her out of whatever state she's in." The woman nodded nervously and escorted Hitoshi and Mina to the twisty slide where all of the other kids and adults were gathered, watching the proceedings curiously. Hitoshi and Mina, having introduced themselves to each other, were whispering quietly back and forth.
Hizashi moved back a few feet and Nemuri took off her jacket revealing the tank-top beneath. She released her quirk. It took a couple of minutes to take effect due to a combination of Kiku's shallow breathing and her natural metabolism, but slowly the green lightning surrounding her body faded. She took a deep, gasping breath and collapsed unconscious in the sand just as Shouta and Toshinori came running up.
Later that evening…
"You must never try that again. We will find a safer way for you to control your quirk, but you will only train it under adult supervision, is that understood?" Kiku looked at the floor and nodded at Recovery Girl's scolding. The older woman grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her gently. "We love you, Kiku. We nearly lost you today. If Nemuri hadn't thought to act as she did, the weight of your bones would have completely crushed your internal organs. You will never be able to completely shut off your quirk my dear; it would kill you. That power enhances everything in your body. Your bones were made extra durable to be able to withstand that power. We will find a safer way for you to handle it."
Toshinori placed a huge hand on her shoulder. "I can help train you how to control it. We just have to find out the lowest percentage you can safely turn it down to without shutting down your body." He pulled her into a hug, and she squeezed him tightly back, being careful not to exert too much force.
Nemuri had been shooed home by Recovery Girl shortly after her arrival. The five remaining adults were currently gathered in the living room discussing Kiku's latest mishap. Toshinori glanced at his watch and realized he was going to be late to a meeting if he didn't hurry. He looked at Aizawa and Yamada who nodded.
"Kiku, I have to leave, I have an important meeting to get to soon, but before I go, I wanted to ask you if you want to meet some of my family. My cousin Rachel Shield and her husband David, who is a close friend of mine, are having a family reunion on September 12th. If you are willing to come to I-Island with me, I would love to introduce you to the family."
"I-I have more family? Do you think they would like me?"
"I think they would love you just as I do." Toshinori replied to the insecure greenette.
"T-then y-yes, I w-want to m-meet m-more f-family," she stuttered out through here tears. Toshinori smiled and gave her another gentle hug, patted Hitoshi on the head, bowed to the other four pros in the room and exited the apartment with a swift stride.
"Papa Shou?" Kiku asked a few minutes later after she'd had time to compose herself. He looked up at her from where he was grading papers.
"What is it?" he asked, taking in her serious expression.
"When were you going to tell me my dad was All Might?"
I-Island, late evening September 11, 2174
David stood on the tarmac waiting for Toshinori's private plane to land. He could see it circling the runway, each pass reducing the altitude further. The sky was overcast today, a perfect reflection of his mood. Rachel's condition was rapidly worsening and today was one of the bad days. Melissa had stayed home to help her mother instead of coming with him which she'd originally begged to do. Their daughter had not taken the news well. When they had first explained it to her, she'd called them liars and run to her room crying and refusing to speak with them for three days straight. Now she was determined to do everything in her power to see Rachel was comfortable, though David could see the toll it was taking on the child.
The sound of wheels on tarmac had him turning his attention back to the plane. He was curious what the 'big surprise' Toshinori spoke of was. Maybe some new merch that hadn't been advertised yet, or perhaps he'd finally gotten back together with 'the one' as Toshinori had called her, something Dave had despaired of him ever doing.
The plane rolled to a stop and the steps descended. He stood, legs apart, hand clasping wrist behind his back, brown hair blowing in the moderate breeze as he watched Toshinori descend the steps in his civilian form. Toshi came to a stop at the base of the stairs and turned to look back up the steps and Dave's mind stopped. Descending from the plane was a child, about ten years of age with long, curly green hair and a smile he would recognize anywhere. This had to be the surprise his friend was telling him about. He wondered why Toshinori hadn't introduced her before.
They spoke as they walked toward him, but the breeze prevented their words from carrying to his ears. Moments later, the blonde and the greenette stopped before him, a nervous smile pasted on the younger's face.
[Dave!] Toshinori pulled him into a tight hug, greeting him in English. David tried not to wince at the tightness of the embrace. Sometimes his friend didn't know his own strength. [How are you? How are Rachel and Melissa? Why didn't they come too?]
Before David could reply, Toshi's grin lit up again, switching back to Japanese. "David, this is Kiku, my daughter. Kiku, this is David Shield."
"Daughter? Oh. Pleased to meet you Yagi-chan." David responded formally in accented Japanese. The girl giggled nervously, hand scratching the back of her neck. "It's Midoriya. Midoriya Kiku. Pleased to meet you Shield-san. Please take care of me." She bowed politely.
"Midoriya? Isn't that the name of that woman you told me about? Inka?"
"Inko. Yes, this is the daughter of Inko and I –" His words were disrupted by the first heavy drops of rain splattering down from the sky. "Let's get in the car my friend. I will tell you more as we drive."
The three of them hurried down the Tarmac carrying the luggage. David was surprised to see the girl carrying two large cases on her own but given her build and what he knew of Toshinori's quirk, which she had obviously inherited, he wasn't too surprised.
Toshinori glanced back at Kiku from time to time as he answered Dave's questions. She clearly had questions but was hesitant to interject into their conversation, though she did giggle loudly when Dave discovered she was seven, not ten. Only the slight twisting of her fingers betrayed her nervousness. The drive took hardly any time at all and soon they were piling out of the long white Cadillac before the front doors of a sprawling ranch-style house.
Melissa greeted them at the door, throwing herself into "Uncle Might's" arms, sobbing loudly. Kiku stood back just a little, a bit nervous about the reception. Her father had explained to her that David's wife, his cousin Rachel, was dying and this would be the only time Kiku would have a chance to meet her and vice versa. She was just starting to feel edgy and out of place when Melissa spotted her. [$&) &*( )&?]
Kiku stared at her uncomprehending, glancing at her father. "What is she asking?"
Toshinori mentally slapped himself. He was so used to switching between Japanese and English that it came natural to him. It hadn't even crossed his mind that Kiku's class was barely starting their English language instruction. He hugged her to his side. "She is asking who you are. I know she knows some Japanese."
He addressed Melissa and Rachel who had come out of her room at Melissa's question. "Melissa, Rachel, this is my daughter Kiku. She's only six and doesn't speak English yet, so please remember to use Japanese when speaking to her."
There was a gasp from Rachel and Kiku suddenly found herself engulfed in a tight hug from the frail looking woman in the brightly colored turban. Kiku carefully hugged her back, feeling a bit out of water. Her nervousness increased as she watched a flash of anger cross the blonde girl's face before being concealed behind a pasted-on smile. "Hello Kiku-chan. My name is Rachel Shield, but you can call me Aunt Rachel." The woman addressed her in heavily accented Japanese.
[H-hello?] Kiku tried out the only word she remembered from her beginning English lessons.
Rachel smiled at Toshinori's young daughter. It was hard to believe he had a child. She was almost positive the girl wasn't as old as she looked. For one thing, Toshi hadn't spoken of anyone special until about seven years ago when he showed her a picture of a green-haired woman and explained about his recent break-up with her. She'd been the one to provide an ear as he unloaded his loss to her. This had to be Inko's and Toshi's child.
[Mom?] Rachel could hear the upset in her daughter's voice. She turned to the older girl. [Melissa, this is your cousin, Kiku. She's Uncle Toshinori's daughter. I want you to be her friend and help her understand things while she is here. She doesn't know English yet, so she's probably going to feel a bit out of her depth.]
[Sure Mom. Whatever you say,] Melissa pasted another false smile on her face and turned to her new cousin, holding out her hand. "I'm Melissa, how do you do."
Kiku looked at her hand in confusion before thrusting her hand forward, mimicking Melissa. "Nice to meet you. I am Kiku. Please take care of me." She bowed formally; her hand still thrust forward. Melissa giggled. This girl was so clueless.
Dinner that evening was awkward. The three adults were able to hold a smooth conversation, but the conversation between the two girls was awkward and stilted. It became even more tense when Melissa laughed over the fact that Kiku bent the fork and knife she was awkwardly attempting to use.
David shot a glare at his daughter and sent her to her room, dinner unfinished. He knew she was upset over her mother, but he would not tolerate rudeness to their guests. Kiku was valiantly attempting to keep an excited expression, but he and Rachel could both see the tears hovering just behind her eyes. Finally, after finishing half of her dinner and pushing the rest around on her plate for half an hour, Kiku retreated to her guest room. Toshinori shot her a worried look. He would sit her down in the morning and work with her some on her English. He had a feeling she was a bit more out of her depth than he'd expected.
When he entered her bedroom a short time later, she was seated on the guest bed wearing an All Might onesie. He smiled at the picture she made, then realized from the redness of her eyes that she had been crying. He knelt before her and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry. I was so excited to introduce you to the rest of the family I didn't realize how awkward it might be for you. Can you forgive an old man who's trying his best?"
She gave a watery giggle, "You aren't old daddy. I will try hard to learn more English so I can understand better. I –" she hesitated, wringing her hands, "I don't think Cousin Melissa likes me very much."
"Cousin Melissa is just scared and upset because her mother is dying. Just try to be understanding and compassionate. I'm sure she will come around soon." Toshinori's words soothed her troubled soul and she squeezed him back gently. "I love you papa. Can I text 'Toshi and Papas before I go to bed? Today has been exhausting."
"I love you too." He handed her his phone and exited the room to give her a few minutes of privacy. She picked up the phone to text the others.
-MINI MIGHT: I miss you guys.
-RADIO JOCKEY: How was the flight.
-MINI MIGHT: It was fine. I've never been on an airplane before. It was kind of fun actually. I don't think 'Toshi would have liked the turbulence though.
-MINI MIC: Sounds scary. I miss you Ki-chan.
-MINI MIGHT: I miss you too. I feel so out of place here.
-CAT MAN: What's wrong?
-MINI MIGHT: I don't speak English. The Shields are nice, and they speak at least some Japanese, but I don't think Cousin Melissa likes me very much.
-CAT MAN: I forgot about the language barrier. We will work on that when you get back. Just remember it is only for the weekend. If things go poorly this time, you don't have to go back.
-MINI MIGHT: Dad said he'd work with me more on English too. I really want them to like me. I don't want to disappoint him.
-RADIO JOCKEY: Even if they don't like you, your dad always will, and you will always have us. Just do your best and be polite. That is all anyone can ask.
-MINI MIC: Granny Kishobu and Granny Sakura send their hugs.
-MINI MIGHT: You are visiting Papa-Zashi's mamas? I am so jealous right now. sending hugs right back at everyone.
-CAT MAN: They are coming down over the winter break to spend some time with us. Nana Sakura wants to know what your favorite flower is.
-MINI MIGHT: I don't know. Tell her to surprise me. I'm getting tired. I love you all. G-night.
-RADIO JOCKEY: Good Night little listener. I love you.
-MINI MIC: Night Night Ki-chan, I love you, sis.
-CAT MAN: I love you, Kiku. Sweet dreams and remember to meditate before sleeping.
MINI MIGHT: Right. I will get right on that.
*MINI MIGHT HAS LEFT THE CHAT*
)-O-(
*CRASH* *CRACK*
The series of loud noises woke the inhabitants of the house from their slumber. A blood curdling scream split the darkness followed by a loud *THUMP* and *CRACK.*
Lightning split the night almost directly overhead as Melissa tumbled out of bed tangled in her sheets. The sound of rushing feet in the hallway had her stumbling too the door still struggling to unwrap the sheet. She opened it just as Uncle Might rushed past wearing only a tank top and a pair of sweats. Her parents were peering out from the door across from hers when another crash of thunder split the night, the loud sound indicating the storm was directly overhead. Another blood curdling scream had the three of them following the blonde hero down the hall. The scream was coming from Kiku's guest room.
[Figures the baby would be scared of a little storm,] Melissa muttered snidely.
[Melissa Shield, if you cannot be kind go back to bed!] Rachel growled at her daughter's thoughtless comment.
[What does it matter, she can't understand me anyway] Melissa retorted.
[What matters is that we be kind to others. Many little children are scared of storms] Dave replied, a firm hand on his daughter's shoulder as they listened to Toshinori singing a quiet Japanese Lullaby in the next room.
[But she's bigger than me, she's too old to be acting like a baby. Why did he have to bring her anyway?] Melissa replied. She would never admit that she was jealous of the green girl who was taking Uncle Might's attention from her.
[Melissa! She's barely seven years old. He just found out he had a daughter and wanted to introduce her to the family before… anyway, she may look big, but that's just her quirk. If you cannot find it in your heart to be compassionate, go back to bed. You are almost three years older than her.] David suspected her determination to care for her mother and her fear was making her more hostile than normal.
)-O-(
Toshinori entered the second guest room to the sight of a bed that was broken in half. As he stepped into the room, eyes scanning for his daughter, another crack of thunder rumbled overhead. His head turned to the vibrating closet he could hear her screaming from. He pulled open the doors to find his little girl huddled in a ball at the bottom of the closet, eyes squeezed tightly shut and shaking like a leaf.
He scooped her up in his arms and sat cross legged on the floor, cradling her like a baby as he began to rock back and forth. One large hand rubbed her back and he started to sing a nearly forgotten lullaby Nana had once taught him. In the background he could hear some low voices in the hallway but was too focused on Kiku to concentrate on what they were saying. After a few minutes, he felt the stiffness relax a bit and the screams faded to sniffles as she buried her nose in the crook of his neck.
"Daddy, it was so scary. The black lightning man was there, and the pretty lady with the kind eyes. He – he –" she sniffled again, weeping into his shoulder. "He hurt her lots and then he – he k-killed her." She lifted her head, her watery blue eyes meeting his only to dive back into his shoulder when another flash of lightning and thunder split the night.
A chill ran up Toshinori's back and goosebumps formed on his arms. "What did they look like, the man and the woman?"
"The man was really scary. He had short white hair and wore clothes like those fancy businessmen do, but his eyes were mean, and he used different quirks, sort of like I can do but lots scarier. I-I think he liked to hurt people. The lady was really pretty. She had black hair in a ponytail and a long blue hero costume with white cape, a red belt and yellow gloves. She's so kind, why did he have to hurt her?"
Toshinori felt a stab somewhere near his heart. No wonder she was terrified of thunderstorms. How she was dreaming of Nana's death he didn't know, but it definitely explained where her fear was based. He clutched her closer, his protective instincts raging. A sound at the door had him on high alert for a moment until his eyes registered the faces of the Shields peering into the room. He shook his head slightly, wordlessly indicating they should head back to bed. Gathering his legs under his body, he stood and carried his daughter into his room and laid her on his reinforced bed, gathering her close, still singing the lullaby. They could discuss the dreams tomorrow and talk with Chiyo about ways to deal with the nightmares.
)-O-(
Early the next morning…
Toshinori gazed down at his still sleeping daughter. He slid his feet into a pair of fuzzy slippers and slipped out of the room. After finishing his morning requirements, he padded quietly into the kitchen, thankful for the automatic coffee maker Dave had installed. The only thing better than the first aroma of fresh coffee was the first hit of the scalding liquid gliding over his tongue. He silently thanked the gods that he wasn't allergic to caffeine. He didn't know how he would survive mornings without it. Returning to the bedroom, mug in hand, he scooped his phone up from the nightstand and opened it.
There was a text from Aizawa waiting for him.
-CAT MAN: Keep an eye on Kiku. I think she's feeling a bit overwhelmed, especially with the language barrier.
Toshinori clicked in the reply box.
THE MIGHTY HAMMER: I noticed. We have worse problems. It seems memories carry over from users too.
-CAT MAN: What do you mean?
-THE MIGHTY HAMMER: There was a major thunderstorm that hit the Island last night. I found out why she's so terrified of storms.
-CAT MAN: SHIT.
-THE MIGHTY HAMMER: Yeah. It is some form of transient PTSD. We need to get ahold of RG. Last night she dreamed of the death of my predecessor, Shimura Nana.
-CAT MAN: FUCK!
*CAT MAN HAS ADDED NEEDLE LADY AND AIR JORDAN TO THE CHAT*
-NEEDLE LADY: What's going on, sonny? Is it Kiku or Hitoshi?
-THE MIGHTY HAMMER: It's Kiku. Thunderstorms trigger memories of Nana Shimura's death at the hands of A.F.O.
-AIR JORDAN: Sonofabitch! You really need to find that book ASAP kid.
-CAT MAN: Hizashi is in the kitchen making breakfast with Sakura-san. I will fill him in on what we've discovered. Give Kiku an extra hug from us.
-THE MIGHTY HAMMER: Will do. I need to buy the Shields a new bed too.
-CAT MAN: sigh of course you do.
*CAT MAN HAS LEFT THE CHAT*
-AIR JORDAN: How is the little zygote doing?
-THE MIGHTY HAMMER: Sleeping for now. Last night was stressful. There was a major thunderstorm over the Island. I found her in the closet screaming at the top of her lungs. When she was finally coherent enough to talk, she told me she dreamed Nana's death. She described them both perfectly, A.F.O. and Nana, sensei. From the little I was able to gather, she didn't just see the moment of death but most or all of the fight leading up to the death.
-NEEDLE LADY: Oh, dear gods. Bring the little one to UA when you get back. I'm going to find a trauma counselor that can work with her, someone that can be trusted with a few secrets.
-AIR JORDAN: The poor girl. I think we are going to have to explain a few things to her sooner rather than later. Have you told her who you are yet?
-THE MIGHTY HAMMER: I didn't have to. She and Hitoshi figured it out on their own. They are smart little ones. Ah, got to go. She's waking up now.
*THE MIGHTY HAMMER HAS LEFT THE CHAT*
Toshinori closed the phone and slid it into the pocket of his sweats as Kiku sat up and began rubbing her eyes. Her nose twitched in the direction of his coffee cup, but she drew back as she woke up a little more. He took another deep gulp and moved the mug out of reach, just in case.
Her blue eyes roamed the room, taking in the unfamiliar features. "Where am I?"
"You're in my room. There was a thunderstorm last night," he explained, patting her on the shoulder.
"Oh. Did I break another bed?" she asked in a quiet voice.
"Yes, but I will take care of it. I don't want you to stress over it; David and Rachel will understand. Why don't you go take a shower and get dressed and I'll start some breakfast for everyone? We will work on your English after breakfast." Toshinori instructed her, shooing her off to her room so he could change into day clothes.
He was just finishing the first of the pancakes when Kiku wandered into the kitchen followed shortly after by Melissa who scooted into a chair beside Kiku. "Papa do you know how to braid hair?"
"I'll help you, Kiku-san," Melissa started in broken Japanese. She stood and moved behind Kiku's chair, taking the brush and small black hair band from Kiku's hands. "I'm sorry. I was very…rude last night. I'm just really worried about mama."
Kiku flashed her iconic 'All Might' smile. "It's ok. I'm really nervous too. I've only known daddy a few weeks and now I am meeting family who are strangers. I'm sorry about your mama. I never knew mine. She died when I was born."
Toshinori saw Melissa wince and her eyes soften even as her hands gently pulled the brush through Kiku's long locks. Perhaps things would be alright between the two after all. He slid a plate of pancakes on the table and set down a dish of butter and a bottle of syrup just as Dave and Rachel entered the room. "Toshi, you didn't have to do this." He heard Kiku giggle at Dave's words.
"What's so funny?" Rachel enquired, smiling at her daughter who was making an effort to befriend her new cousin. Melissa tied off the finished French-braid and plopped herself into a chair, thanking Rachel as she placed a stack of pancakes in front of her.
"I call my brother 'Toshi. It sounds funny to hear daddy called Toshi." Kiku replied, trying to pierce some pancakes without stabbing through the entire plate. Rachel gently assisted her, holding the plate steady and using a spatula to support the small stack the child managed to spear on the fork. There was an explosion of syrup when she grabbed the bottle and accidentally squeezed too hard, blasting syrup all over the table and the front of Rachel's shirt.
Melissa giggled, using a spoon to scoop some of the syrup off the table and ladling it over her pancakes.
Rachel asked "brother?" One eyebrow raised as she dabbed at the syrup on her shirt with the damp washcloth Dave handed to her.
"Kiku's foster brother. They are both being fostered by a pair of pro-heroes. Her brother's name is Hitoshi." Toshinori explained, placing a second stack of pancakes on the plate with one hand while attempting to clean up syrup with the other.
"S-sorry." Kiku stammered, looking down at the mess covering her plate and her companions. "I sometimes forget my strength."
"No worries little one. Everyone forgets from time to time. Your daddy tells me you are doing very well," Dave praised her, dipping a forkful of pancake into a splotch of syrup on the table before Toshinori could wipe it up. Rachel placed a fresh bottle of syrup on the table in case anyone needed more. Kiku noted she only ate one pancake and looked slightly ill afterward. She felt bad for the woman who couldn't even enjoy most normal foods anymore due to the special medications she had to take.
Melissa finished a mouthful of Pancake and turned to Kiku, "are you really only seven?"
[Melissa!] Rachel was horrified at the rude question. The little girl seemed unfazed. She turned a brilliant smile on Melissa. "Yeah. I turned seven in July; it was my first birthday party ever. Did you know I share a birthday with dad?"
Melissa smiled, remembering her parents' admonishments and trying to be polite. She still wasn't sure if she liked her new cousin or not, but knowing she was a lot younger and had never known her mother made her feel slightly more sympathetic toward the green-haired girl.
After breakfast everyone separated for a short time to clean up. After Kiku had changed into clean clothing Toshinori led her through a meditation exercise designed to help her access her quirk.
"Breathe in deep and slow. Hold it for a few seconds and then let it out gently. Reach down deep inside to where you feel your quirk. Now, don't press on it like you did before, try to imagine a faucet. Right now, the faucet is running at full capacity. Imagine using a knob and turning down the pressure. Do it slowly. That's it, very good. Now, let's see how far we can turn it down." Toshinori's voice was low and soothing, taking her deeper into the trance. Suddenly a high-pitched beeping sounded from Kiku's new watch. "Ease up now. Remember, that sound means you are putting too much stress on your body, start increasing the flow of your quirk just a bit." The beeping subsided. "Okay, see if you can leave it at that. Open your eyes, Kiku, let's try some of Recovery Girl's tests.
Kiku opened her eyes and glanced down at her body. She was covered in vibrant green bioenergy that streaked like lightning around her body. Small red numbers from the watch flashed 33% and the small jagged yellow and green lines below it showed the function of her heart and organs. "Look dad, I made it down to 33 percent. That's more than last time."
"Very good. When you got down to thirty the alarm started to sound. I'm thinking this may be as low as your body can handle. How long do you think you can hold it at this level?" Toshinori asked, trying to allow her to feel she was in control as much as possible.
"Uh, I'm not sure. Let's try ten minutes. I was able to do that last time when we were at fifty percent. Do you want us to try the chopsticks first or the pencil?"
"Let's do the pencil test. We did the chopstick test first last time." He handed her a thick wooden pencil and a notepad. Your goal today is to write a sentence without breaking the pencil or tearing the paper. Let's see how you do."
It took most of the ten minutes for Kiku to figure out a combination of grip and pressure that would allow her to form letters on the paper without causing damage to paper or pencil. Just as Toshinori's watch beeped, she held up the notepad with a triumphant grin. In neat graphite letters on the page were the words. 'My name is Kiku Yagi-Midoriya.' Father and daughter shared a smile.
…A.U.T.H.O.R.S..N.O.T.E…
Wow, I think this may be my longest chapter yet. I decided to end the chapter here and continue with the family reunion in the next chapter.
Yes, memories transfer too, at least the last memories of the previous users. We will get more into this later.
I originally thought of having Melissa and Kiku hit it off right off the bat and become besties but decided with the language barrier and all the crap going on in Melissa's life right now that was a bit unrealistic.
I have come up with some interesting ideas for the bioenergy which looks just like Izuku's full cowling in canon. These ideas will show up in future chapters. There will be side effects to turning down her energy beyond what we have already seen. These will show up in future chapters as well.
After the I-Island arc is complete there will be a bit of a time skip.
Thank you to TodoBakuDeku2108 for their help with names of students and quirks for class 1-C. I am your #1 fan.