The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry
Sisters, sisters
There were never such devoted sisters
Never had to have a chaperon, no sir
I'm here to keep my eye on her
All kinds of weather
But in tight places
We think and we act as one... uh-huh
Those who've seen us
Know that not a thing could come between us
Many men have tried to split us up but no one can
Lord help the mister
Who comes between me and my sister
Sister don't come between me and my man
-Sisters, Irving Berlin
For some people, mornings on the weekend were a time to sleep in, relax, and enjoy life. Perhaps have a quiet breakfast or cup of tea, or simply rest in bed for a few hours.
Hari personally hated those kinds of people.
"Mom, mom, Katsuki got stuck again!"
Groaning, Hari reached over and slapped at Mirio next to her. The sun was hardly even up. "It's your turn to unstick your son again." It was his fault, after all. He would have passed that phasing quirk on to their son, who seemed determined to find new and novel ways to get himself into trouble with it.
"Oh he's my son this morning?" her husband laughed as he got out of bed. He'd always been a morning person, which had stopped being charming about a week after they got married. She still loved him, but dammit, couldn't people just sleep in and be quiet for once?
Still, Hari didn't lounge around long, instead getting up and dealing with her other children, including the tattletale Hitomei and her youngest, Ko. Ko had, of course, wet the bed and had been trying to hide her sheets in the closet again.
"Look, Ko, I'm not mad you wet the bed, it's OK. But mommy does get mad when you try and hide it. Just tell mommy or daddy and we'll take care of it," Hari said, for about the millionth time.
"I never wet the bed," Hitomei told her sister, which just made her cry even more. That was a blatant lie of course, it was just that Hitomei was a year and a half older and had stopped a year ago.
"That's it, time out little missy!" Hari barked, and carried her now wailing oldest daughter to the time out corner after a swat on the rear for good measure. Then she got Ko into the shower and cleaned her off. By the time that was done, she had to deal with the now weeping Hitomei, then get both girls dressed and down stairs to the kitchen.
Despite their differences, Hitomei being blond haired and blue eyed like her father while Ko had her mother's and brother's pink hair, the two sisters did share one thing: Hari's own oddly shaped irises. Perhaps one reason Hitomei was such a tattle tale was that she had quirk-enhanced vision, and Ko seemed to be able to see in the dark like a cat.
"Oh thank God," Hari groaned, taking the already brewed coffee and pouring herself a cup. She kissed Mirio on the cheek as he passed her a plate of eggs and rice. "You're my hero."
"Gee, if I knew all I needed to do was make you coffee and breakfast, I could just retire already!" Mirio joked.
"Don't do that dad, mom says you're really bad at fixing stuff," Katsuki pointed out.
"Hey, just because your father didn't grow up with a wrench in his hand doesn't mean he's not good at fixing things," Hari told her son. Which was sort of a lie, as Hari would not trust Mirio with anything harder than putting gas in her baby, also known as the family car.
"Yeah but you said dad would never be a mechanic," Katsuki argued. Hari should have known naming him after Bakugo was a damn mistake, but at the time it had seemed like a sweet gesture. "He's good at punching stuff though, so he should keep working for Uncle Izuku."
"Speaking of which, I do have the day off today," Mirio said, putting Ko in a highchair and giving her a bowl of rice and eggs to pick at. "Any plans?"
"Not really, we just finished revisions to the new lunar rover designs so I don't have much to work on myself," Hari said with a shrug. "I figured I'd give your mom the day off and we could keep the kids, maybe do something fun." She glanced over at the highchair, then did a double take, as an empty set of clothes sat there, but no Ko.
"Oh my God!" Hari gasped, jumping up and spilling her coffee. "Ko! Where'd you go?!"
That was when their daughter launched up out of the ground. Mirio managed to catch her, but Ko immediately started crying. Hari looked to see that her tippy cup had been knocked on the ground, and bent to pick it up.
"She must have been trying to get it," Hari said, setting the cup back on the high chair and wincing. "Well. Guess that answers that question. She's got both."
"Shhh, shhh, it's OK baby girl," Mirio whispered. "Well, I guess I know what we're doing today then."
Hari nodded, digging out her phone. "Yeah, let me call Mei and see if she's busy."
"Morning, Hari, what's up?" Izuku's voice answered when she dialed the Midoriya household.
"Ko's quirk just manifested," Hari told him.
"Really? How can you tell? I thought she had yours?" Izuku asked. "Wait, don't tell me she's got both?"
"Looks like it. We're gonna need another one of my sister's babies," Hari sighed. "I mean, we could just go to the store and buy one of the mass market ones but I think she'd be offended."
"Probably," Izuku agreed with a chuckle. "She's still asleep though, rough night last night. Why don't you come over? She'll be up by then."
Getting everyone in the car was always an adventure, especially with Hari nervous about Ko potentially falling out of the car while they were moving. Mirio managed to calm her down and get everyone loaded up, sitting in the back with Ko on his lap to keep her from fussing too much.
Which of course, meant a damn policeman noticed and pulled Hari over not five minutes away from their house.
"Oh!" the officer said when Hari rolled down the window. "Um, sorry, Mrs. Togata. We just-er, why is Lemellion sitting in the back with your daughter instead of having her in a car seat?"
"I'm sorry, but my daughter's quirk just manifested and she's just like daddy. We're going over to my sister's to get an inhibitor fitted for her so she doesn't keep falling through the floor," Hari apologized, feeling embarrassed. Hopefully the tabloids didn't start running stories about how she was a reckless driver or something.
"Oh, understandable. Just, um, make sure she sits in a car seat the rest of the time. And have a nice day."
Hari forced herself to keep the grin on her face as the officer walked away, then muttered under her breath as she rolled the window up and pulled away.
"Daddy, mommy said some bad words," Hitomei said in a loud, clear voice. At least she'd waited until the officer was gone.
"Hitomei, that sounds like tattling. Are you tattling?" Mirio said seriously.
"Yeah, Hitoei, you're gonna get in trooooouuuuubbbblllleee," Katsuki teased.
"If I have to stop this car, someone's getting lickings," Hari warned. "And it won't be your dad that does it!"
That got them to quiet down, at least until they arrived at the Midoriya residence. Izuku came out to meet them along with Sumiye who was a year younger than Ko, though they got along fairly well since Ko was rather used to being babied.
"I hear someone's showing off their quirk now," Izuku said, crouching down to get on Ko's level. "Just like dad, huh?"
"Uh," Ko said, and shook her head.
"No?" Izuku asked. "What's it do-"
And then he vanished, save for his clothes, which floated gently down towards the pavement. His arm clattered to the ground as well, which made Hari gasp in shock and consternation.
"Daddy?" Sumiye asked, looking around. "Where'd he go?"
A second later, Izuku's startled yelp sounded from the bushes. "Ow ow ow!"
"Ha! Guess she's got her mother's quirk too!" Mirio laughed. He picked up Izuku's clothes and tossed them to him through the shrubbery.
"Ko?" Hari asked, picking her daughter up. "What happened?"
"My quirk," Ko said with a shrug. "Uncle Zuku asked."
"Yeah, well, don't show mommy, please," Hari sighed. "You're going to be just like Uncle Komaru, aren't you?"
"No, like Auntie Eri," Ko huffed. She much preferred her soft spoken adopted aunt to her rather boisterous and rebellious uncle. Hopefully that lasted.
The other children were sent out to the garden in the backyard to play, with a stern warning from Hari that they were to play nicely. They found Mei in the kitchen with Inko, who was pouring her daughter-in-law some herbal tea.
"Izuku, I do not think we should make any more babies," Mei grumbled as they entered. "Life is not worth living without coffee and I keep throwing up."
"Bit late in your pregnancy for morning sickness isn't it sis?" Hari asked. Mei had already swelled up like a balloon, though she wasn't due up for another two months.
"The doctor says it's normal, especially since she's having two girls this time," Inko said. "Would anyone else like some tea? I've still got some hot water, and there's breakfast if anyone's hungry."
"Tea would be great, and maybe something for Ko, thanks," Hari said, setting Ko in her lap as she sat at the table. "Well, maybe I can get you to make me one super cute baby for my super cute baby."
That got Mei's attention immediately. "Oh? What does Ko need? Maybe some special goggles? Or a flamethrower? Sumiya and I made one together last week, she loves it!"
Izuku groaned softly, and Inko looked rather concerned at this news.
"Um, yeah, pass on the flamethrower. Sheesh. You are raising a little pyro, aren't you?" Hari asked. "No, this little one apparently can just look at something and make it permeable. Because Katsuki wasn't enough trouble as it is."
"Really?" Mei asked, growing very interested. "That is a very interesting quirk! I will have to run-"
"NO!" Izuku and Hari cried at the same time, which made Mei let out a huff of irritation.
"Here's your tea, dear," Inko said, setting a cup down in front of her. "And we have some strawberries! You like strawberries, right Ko?"
Ko immediately grabbed one of the berries and stuck it in her mouth, which made her father click his tongue. "Ko, what do we say?"
"-ank oo, gama idoria," Ko said around a mouthful of fruit.
"Well, then your amazing Aunty will just make you a super cute baby!" Mei proclaimed. "I think I have the plans to Katsuki's inhibitor around here somewhere, I can modify that to start with."
"It's in your workshop, second cabinet, middle drawer, under 'Togata,'" Izuku told his wife.
"Yes, thank you Izuku, I am glad you remember because I always forget," Mei said, grunting as she stood. "I will go get started."
Mirio went with Mei, as Izuku stayed behind and reattached his arm.
"So, two more girls huh?" Hari asked. "Gonna get her to try again for a boy?"
Izuku blushed, then watched as his mother bustled about the kitchen. "I'll just go check on the children," Inko burbled after tidying up. "Call if you need me!"
Hari narrowed her eyes at Izuku as Ko continued to happily gorge herself on strawberries. Normally she wouldn't let the kid have so much fruit at once, that was a surefire way to an upset stomach, but right now she just wanted to keep Ko quiet. "What did my sister do?"
"N-nothing," Izuku said, flushing and looking away. "We agreed to it. I don't mind."
"What, you're stopping after three?" Hari demanded. "No, something else is going on. Spill it, Izuku. You know she'll just tell me if I ask her outright."
"We um, we're only having girls," Izuku explained, wincing as he reattached his arm, then wiggled the fingers a bit.
"So far, yeah. Wait. Only having girls? Did she maim you or something?"
"Um, she sorta invented a therapy that makes it so, you know, they're all girls. The, um, swimmers, that is," Izuku explained. "It's not permanent! But, um, if we're trying for one, I um, I take the pills. I don't mind! Having daughters is really great, and Mei is adamant that boys are more work, so…"
Hari sank back in her chair, slowly shaking her head. "That is utterly bonkers. And exactly the sort of madness I expect my sister to get up to. Jeez. Are you going to, you know, market that?"
"We're talking about exploring clinical trials, but some doctors are worried about the moral implications," Izuku explained.
"Uh huh. And what did Mei say?" Hari demanded.
"Well, she asked Ibara about it, and Ibara wanted samples so she and Tetsutetsu could have a girl themselves, since they already have a boy," Izuku admitted. "So, I mean, I think she tried?"
"Well shit, if the new religious bigwig in Japan says go for it, who am I to judge?" Hari shrugged. "Guess I'll have to thank Ibara after church tomorrow. About time someone instilled some morality in Mei."
"Um, do you want some?" Izuku asked. "We can do boys too."
"Ha! No, thank you very much. Three is enough for us, at least for a good long while. With Mirio gone half the time and me busy so often helping Mei with whatever new thing she dreams up. Besides, where's the fun in taking all the guesswork out of it?"
It didn't take long for Mei to make a pair of earrings and a bracelet for Ko that would inhibit her quirk, at least to a certain extent. She took a DNA sample by swabbing Ko's mouth as well, and promised to come up with a customized, more effective inhibitor as well.
"Well, I've got to head into the office for a bit," Izuku said. "But you can stick around if you want."
"Yes! I am teaching Sumiye how to pick locks today!" Mei said excitedly. "I found her trying to pick the one on my workshop a few days ago but she was not very good at it. I will show her how!"
"Yeah, I think maybe I'll wait until my kids are older to teach them how to be vandals and savages," Hari said.
Her husband laughed. "They're already savages, why not go for the vandal too? But I was thinking maybe we could go to the waterpark, it's a nice sunny day! You should come too, Mei. It would be good for you to get outside."
"Hmph. You cannot make super cute babies at the water park," Mei grumbled. Then she relented, showing to Hari just how much she'd changed in the past decade since she'd met Izuku. "But I suppose it would be good for Sumiye to get to play with her cousins, and the doctor said it is good for me to get some sun."
"Oh that's excellent!" Inko declared. "I'll just pack you all a nice picnic lunch. It will give me time to work on the housework while you're gone."
"Inko, you know Mei could either build a robot to do that, or we could just hire someone," Hari pointed out. "It's not like you need to take care of this place on your own."
"Well, yes, but it gives me something to do and it makes me feel like I'm helping. Just let an old woman have her hobbies," Inko fussed. She wasn't really that old, Hari knew Inko had had Izuku about the same age as she'd had Katsuki, and wasn't even 50 yet, but Inko seemed happy enough so Hari let it slide.
The water park did turn out to be a lot of fun, especially since Hari and Mei spent most of the time relaxing on the lazy river. Hari got to have a couple of beers, which annoyed Mei to no end as she was limited to soft drinks.
"Hey, one more reason I'm done havin' kids for a while," Hair chuckled, watching as Mirio took the kids out into the wave pool. Ko's inhibitors were, of course, waterproofed, and also probably fire, vacuum, shock, and nuclear fallout proof, knowing Mei's propensity towards over engineering things.
"Well, we will both have three, so we will be even," Mei huffed.
Hari laughed and took a drink. "Is this seriously a competition for you? Didn't think you cared that much, sis."
"It is not a competition, as long as you are not winning," Mei stated.
"I'll cede victory to you on this one. Of course, I never tried to rig the results when it came to having kids. Boy's really aren't that bad, you know. Girls might be easier when they're little, but ask mom. We were way worse than the boys when we got older," Hari said.
"What? That is not true!" Mei protested. "Komaru and Nikiawa are always in trouble!"
"No, Nikiawa and Komaru and now both honor students, with Komaru graduating from the UA hero program this year and Nikiawa doing pretty good in ol' Majima's class. They have, in fact, not caused a single fire, explosion, or national crisis in their entire highschool careers. Something that cannot be said for the two of us."
"When did you cause a fire or explosion?" Mei demanded. "And you were not in highschool during Kamino and the rest of it was not your fault anyway."
"You remember when I set that old Nissan on fire at my old highschool because I modified the engine and it exploded? You were what, 12 at the time?"
"Oh." Mei considered this. "Hmm. I may have to discuss this with Izuku. Perhaps more data should be gathered. Then I would be winning."
After several hours, the kids were all exhausted, and they all went back to the old Hatsume Motors homestead to have dinner with Hari's parents, meeting Izuku there.
"Grandpa!" all the children screamed, rushing the door as Hari's father stepped out to meet them.
"How's my favorite grandkids today?" Shu Hatsume rumbled, picking up two children under each arm and spinning them about with too much squealing and laughing.
"And my two beautiful daughters. Looking a little sunburnt today, hmm? Remember to put the sunscreen on the kids but not yourselves, eh?" Shu demanded of his daughters.
"Hey, at least we remember something," Hari said, giving him a hug.
Izuku was inside with his mother-in-law, helping to cook dinner, something he did whenever Inko wasn't around. That was probably why he'd survived so long: even after all these years, a meal made by Mei was more likely to give you food poisoning than anything else. How she could manage to build a functional space elevator but not heat up frozen meals correctly, Hari didn't know, but it was definitely the truth. While Hari personally didn't think her culinary skills were anything to brag about, she was at least capable of following basic recipes without needing to call in a biohazard squad afterwards.
Eri was there as well, still in Junior High at a prestigious local academy. She was still determined to become a hero and graduate from UA herself, and Hari had it on pretty good authority that Recovery Girl was eagerly awaiting the day that Eri could take her place as the hero course health official. Eri herself admitted she had no desire to fight villains, though these days Japan was fairly quiet in that regard.
"So, any cute boys at school?" Hari teased her younger sister.
Eri rolled her eyes. "Just because you all got married when you were still kids doesn't mean I'm boy crazy, sis."
"Ha! Mei said the same thing about boys, right up until she met Izuku! She was only a couple years older than you, Eri, so you never know," Hari said.
"Yes, maybe you should try hiding in a dumpster, it worked for me!" Mei added.
"Oh come on, you are not telling me that stupid story again!" Eri complained. "I am not-wait, are you teasing me?"
Mei gave Eri an innocent look. "When would I ever tease my super cute little sister?"
"Every chance you get," Eri sniffed. "I'm just focusing on my studies. I'll be a hero, just like my sisters, just you wait."
"You could always stay and help around the shop," Shu suggested, sounding hopefully. "Yer pretty good at that, you know."
That made Eri smile. "Thanks, dad. I'll come around like Mei and Hari do, but I mean, I think I can help more people with my quirk by fixing them instead of their cars. Not that what you do isn't important! It just isn't for me, you know?"
"Well, at least Nikiwa wants to inherit the business still," Shu sighed.
Despite being the parents of some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the entire world, Shu and Noriko Hatsume still ran a quaint little mechanics shop, though these days they needed help from Eri and a few hired laborers to keep up with the place, especially since Nikiwa was staying at the dorms at UA. Hari hated to admit it, but her parents were getting old, and so was she. She wasn't quite 30 yet, but the day was coming, and life was moving quickly.
Still, dinners like this were what made putting up with her mongrel hordes worth it. She laughed at Mirio's jokes, ate her fill of good food, and got to help her mother clean up in the kitchen afterwards, despite her protests.
"You think we turned out OK, mom?" Hari asked as she rinsed off the dishes.
Her mother laughed, shaking her head. "You ask that, Hari? You don't think your father and I are proud of you? You and Mei both have wonderful families, and husbands. Though I confess thinking that Ko might turn out to be another Komaru...well, it brings to mind an old saying."
"Yeah, what's that?" Hari asked.
The twinkle in Noriko's eye reminded Hari that she and her mother had been quite the hellraisers once. "Better you than me, sweetie."
By the time they left, the kids were all passed out, and Hari and Mirio had to load them in carefully so as not to wake them up.
"I don't know if you should drive, Hari," Togata said, putting his hand on the driver's side door before Hari could open it. He looked serious, and concerned, which made Hari worry herself.
"Why? I'm not that badly sunburned," she protested.
"I just don't think we should get pulled over again. What if we got a tick-" he just managed to dodge Hari's slap by phasing through the car.
"You're going to pay for that later, Mister Wiseguy," Hari vowed, though she was giggling too much to really make it sound threatening.
They did manage to arrive back home without incident, taking the tired kids back into the house. Hari made sure to wake Ko to use the bathroom to avoid another incident, but she went back down easily enough.
She and Mirio bedded down themselves, relaxing in each other's arms.
"You know," Hari told her husband. "Mei pointed out we're both going to have three and three now."
"That's true," Mirio agreed. "Twins! Izuku's gonna be a busy man."
"Yes," Hari agreed, rolling over to face her husband. "But Mei told me that meant she was winning."
"Winning?" MIrio asked, confused.
"Apparently it's a competition," Hari informed him. "And I really hate to lose to my little sister."