Midoriya sat next to All Might on the plane. His teacher had fallen asleep on the long flight hours ago. He didn't want to bother him, knowing the elder needed the rest, so the student went about entertaining himself. He pulled out his phone, scrolling through the varying social media sites when a post caught his eye. Ryoko had posted a link to a video, the post saying "heading on a little trip so I shot this to tide you over. Enjoy dorks!"
He clicks the link and his phone takes him to the video. "Answering Your Questions" was the title. Midoriya was greeted by Ryoko's smiling face as the video started. "What's good guys? If you're watching this the day it goes up, that means I'm on my way to I Island for I Expo." Midoriya pauses. Ryoko was going to be at I Island? "I'm making this video for you guys so that I don't go weeks without posting a video and also because I'm procrastinating packing." The camera punches in closer on her face. "I was supposed to pack yesterday." The camera punches in once more. "It's now today and I haven't done shit." Her face now takes up the entire screen as the camera zooms in once more. "Don't tell All Might."
The camera returns to it's normal setup as Ryoko laughs. "Anyway, I figured this video would be easy to do since I am supposed to be packing and I'm literally leaving in like hours." She holds her phone up, shaking it as she does. "So here we go,
"Alright, I'm just gonna answer this one first because it was the most asked question. How did you and All Might meet?" As she says the question, screenshots of varying people tweeting the same question to her appear on screen. "Time travel back eight years ago. I was an employee of Endeavor's Hero Agency and had a major addiction to coffee." She stares at the screen and blinks. As she does, words appear by her head saying "I still do, let's be real."
"There was not a single day eight years ago, where I didn't come into work with a cup of coffee. Okay, I had a problem. I still do." She laughs at herself before the video cuts to her telling the story. "But there was one night where I was up too late working on music and it caused me to oversleep and I knew I was going to be late so I said fuck the coffee and booked it to work. And this is no exaggeration when I say I walked into work literally two minutes before Endeavor came downstairs. I had a death wish." The camera punches in and Ryoko laughs again. Midoriya notices that she talks with her hands much like she does when she's onstage.
"So Endeavor sees me and he can see my empty hand and my sad, non-caffeinated self and just looks me up and down. Now, I would bring this man coffee and he pretty much asked me where his coffee was without actually asking me where it was." The camera slowly zooms in on Ryoko as she starts to mime the next part of the story. "I'm not lying when I say this man pulled out his wallet, reached in, and handed me money for his coffee and my own." The camera angle returned to normal as Ryoko looked at the camera. "This bitch does not turn down free stuff so she went 'I'll be back' and walked out the door.
"Now there's this one coffee shop that I went to everyday. As a vegan, they have great options for me so I went there. And I'm standing in line when someone taps me on my shoulder and they go, 'hey, are you Ryoko?' I turn around and damn if I'm not staring face to face with All Might." She looks to the side before she looks back at the camera. "Of all the places," She starts laughing, leaning into the camera before she's sitting back up normal.
"Now I'm standing there like, All Might really knows me? For real? So I tell him, I'm like yeah, I'm Ryo and he starts telling me how much he loves my music and how great it is and how he loved the new single I dropped. Which was Diamond Eyes, by the way. But then he like, thanks me, for making music." Ryoko looks around, slightly shocked. "Like is this real life?"
Ryoko laughs again before she continues with the story. "But of course, I thank him for his kind words and it goes kinda quiet and so I've gotta ask," The camera punches in on her face. "Cause I swear I lost my mind at this point." The camera zooms back out. "I ask him, I'm like, are you All Might? And he says yes and I'm like," Ryoko continues to look around shocked, even more so than before. "I should be thanking you for what you do for society. Like, dude bro," The camera zooms in on Ryoko's face. "What?" It punches back out as she continues.
"Any way," Ryoko starts to smile, "We start talking but then I grab my coffee and Endeavor's, I tell All Might it was so nice to meet him and I head back to work." She points her finger at the camera. "But it doesn't stop there,
"Like a week later, I didn't bring coffee again and Endeavor is like, dude we've been over this, gives me more money and tells me to go get coffee. Bitch likes free stuff," She grabs her jacket, popping it, and Midoriya thinks he recognizes the large jacket. "So I go get coffee. I'm standing in line and I realize who's in front of me. Mister Tall, Blonde, and Handsome. So me being me, taps him on his shoulder, and goes 'hey, are you All Might?' And he turns around as he says yes, so I start thanking him for all he does and telling him how great I think he is and pretty much everything he told me, but directed back at him.
"Now, he's like grinning and laughing the entire time. Clearly, I'm flirting with him, and after I finish he goes, aren't you Ryoko?" Ryoko starts grinning, shaking her head slightly. "And I say yes, then he goes 'I should be thanking you for your music,' and tells me everything I said to him but directed back at me. So, we're in line laughing, and we get our coffee and he asks if I've got any plans and I tell him that I gotta get back to work, so we say goodbye and part ways again."
Ryoko puts a finger back up, telling her audience to wait a moment. "A few days later, I'm out running errands when I happen upon a huge building fire. Endeavor calls me and I tell him I'm already on scene so I'm going in, send back up. I head in and actually end up bumping into All Might. Together, the two of us are able to get everyone out and while the paramedics are helping, All Might approaches me and asks me on a date. I was like, about fucking time, no I'm just kidding." Ryoko laughs, hand running through her hair. "I agreed and the rest is history."
She shrugs with a smile, before the video cuts and she's looking down at her phone for the next question. "What's your favorite song to perform?" Ryoko puts her phone down and looks up, letting out a sigh. "That's a hard one because I love all the music I write and when I write music I always think about how I would perform a song live so," Ryoko pauses and purses her lips together before she perks up. "Oh! Okay, so I just did a show for UA and their students and everyone went so hard," Ryoko claps her hands together twice as she talks and Midoriya catches himself smiling. "For Ribcage and We Don't Have To Dance. So I'm going to say those two."
Red hair bops as she nods, the video cutting to her reading another question. "When are you going on tour again?" She looks up. "Only god knows dude.
"Is there a song you want to play live but haven't yet?" Ryoko looks up, eyebrows furrowing together. "Hm," She starts before she turns to the camera. "I've never played Calling You live believe it or not." Ryoko pauses. Midoriya was slightly surprised. From what he understood, it was one of her most popular songs. "I would also really like to do The Worry List but I can't even listen to that song without crying so performing it is probably a bad idea." She laughs.
"Does All Might have a favorite song of yours?" She rolls her eyes, her phone dropping off screen. "This son of a bitch changes his answer every goddamn day. I can't get a straight answer out of him." The camera zooms in on her face. "And honestly, I've stopped trying.
"As a UA student, how did your internship and work studies help you after you graduated?" Ryoko looks up and smiles. "Dude that's a great question." She shifts in her chair, grabbing a cup off screen to take a sip from. "Get comfy, cause I've got another story for you,
"So normally, Second and Third Year students get internship offers after the Sports Festival and occasionally First Years get offers too, and I did my internship my First Year after my Sports Festival. I got a good bit of offers because I actually tried my first year at the Festival. I knew my time with my parents were limited so I pushed myself to go as far as possible and was in like the top twenty for the one verse one battles." Ryoko pauses, looking up to think. "I wanna say I was like, number seventeen, but who cares.
"Now I did my internship with Best Jeanist, and he's a great hero and he's good at what he does." She rolls her eyes slightly. "Clearly, the man's Number Four. But anyway, him and I actually did not agree or see eye to eye on certain things so he actually offered to bring me back on for my Hero Studies and I declined." Midoriya's mouth opened as he listened to the story. "I told him, I was like dude, you're great but I can't work for you. And he was cool with it and we're actually pretty good friends now. I just can't work for the dude.
"So when it came time in my Third Year to pick where I was going to do my Hero Studies, a lot of my classmates went back to their internships and I straight up told my teacher, um yeah, no." The camera zooms in. "I'm not going back." The angle returns to normal. "But I was able to go back through my internship offers, the ones that weren't retracted, and was like," Ryoko shrugs, her eyes rolling slightly. "Everyone says I'm like Endeavor, I didn't want to intern with him because of that, but was like fuck it, let's do it.
"And I did my Hero Studies with him and he offered me a position at his agency while I was still in school and I told him that I didn't want to do field work, I'm not looking to be a top hero, I've got other things I want to do." Midoriya could see that she was trying to prevent the smile from spreading across her face, but was failing. "He didn't retract his offer, and when I graduated, he contacted me and offered me the position again and I reiterated. I was like, dude, don't wanna be a hero. This is just gonna help pay for what I wanna do with my music and he went, cool when can you start?" Ryoko looks into the camera. "I said next Tuesday.
"That was a really long ass story to basically tell you to not put all your eggs in one basket. My internship didn't really help me but my Hero Studies did." Ryoko shrugs again. Midoriya watches as she pulls her phone up again. "What's your favorite thing about All Might?" Ryoko stares into the distance as images of All Might's butt flash across the screen. Her green eyes turn to look into the camera. All she does is shrug before the video jump cuts. "I'm going to I Expo and David Shield is not only the man who created All Might's hero outfits, but one of his good friends so I plan on meeting him." Ryoko pauses. "And thanking him for his service." Another picture of All Might's butt, in his Golden Age outfit, pops up on screen. "My life is ten times better because of his work.
"Alright, last question, because I've got to pack." More screenshots begin to flood the screen as Ryoko says, "Are you and All Might going to get married?" The screenshots disappear as Ryoko starts talking, a small smile on her face. "We've talked about it and now is just not a good time for that. I am planning new music and a new album and more than likely a tour. All Might is the Number One Hero and now a teacher at UA. Let's pretend there's no League of Villains out to get him, that's a lot for two people to deal with and then add planning a wedding to that?" The camera punches in on her face. "No thank you.
"Life is just too hectic for us to sit down and properly plan a wedding right now so not any time soon." Ryoko smiles. "But if you ask All Might, I am going to eventually be his wife." The camera zooms in again. "Just not this year." The camera returns to its normal angle as Ryoko's hands come up. "Basically what I'm saying is yes, we're going to get married, but not any time soon." The camera zooms in on Ryoko once more. "That shit's expensive too.
"Anyhow, I hope you guys enjoyed this video and going down memory lane a little bit with me. I've gotta go pack before I'm late for my plane. And before anyone can ask," She stands up, hands gesturing to the large jacket she was wearing. "Yes this is All Might's jacket. He wore it when he was in America for college." She turns around to show the back, the large letters say "Plus Ultra" with flowers around it.
Ryoko's hand comes up in a piece sign. "Alright, I gotta go. Stay Frosty, friends." The screen goes black before the video ends.
Midoriya glances over at his sleeping teacher. He thoroughly enjoyed Ms Ryoko's video. He knew that Ryoko was one for privacy. Her previous videos had told him that much. She had kept so much a secret and was now beginning to slowly open up more and more. It was nice to learn about his hero's girlfriend. It allowed Midoriya to learn about All Might as well.
His head turned, looking out the plane window. His eyes go wide and a smile lights up his face. He turns to his teacher, beginning to slightly shake him to wake him up, calling his name. The elder wakes up, hand coming up to rub the sleep from his eyes.
"Something the matter, Young Midoriya?"
Midoriya presses his cheek against the plane's window. "Look! We can see it." All Might leans over to look out the window with the student. "Right there! The floating city that can move anywhere, home to over ten thousand scientists, I Island!" Midoriya grins. "I can't believe this is where I get to start summer vacation, it's so amazing!"
All Might smiles, pulling away from the window to return to his seat. "I didn't realize that you'd be this excited. I'm glad I invited you."
Midoriya blinks, thinking instantly of his teacher's girlfriend. He would have thought that Ms Ryoko would have joined All Might instead of himself. "Yeah, you're sure it's okay that I came along with you, it's not gonna be a problem?"
"Don't even think twice about it. The invitation was clear and I'm welcome to bring whoever I want as my guest." The teacher had said it as if it was nothing.
"But doesn't that usually mean a family member or-?"
All Might held up a finger and silenced the student. "I think you're forgetting that the two of us are connected by something far thicker than blood, Young Midoriya. We will forever share the bond of One For All."
Midoriya smiles, "Right!" But then the redhead crosses his mind again. "But shouldn't Ms Ryoko be here with you? I thought she was coming as well."
All Might smiles, turning back to sit comfortably in his seat. "She took Endeavor's invitation. He's not one for these kinds of things so she went in his stead." The teacher looks over at the student. "Ryo was the one who said I should bring you along. She thought it'd be a good experience for you." Midoriya catches himself grinning. To think the singer thought of him and wanted to help him made him happy.
Attention passengers. The plane will soon begin its descent to I-Island.
All Might stood from his chair, looking around the plane. Midoriya watches his teacher as he shifts into his muscular form. "This is going to be monumentally exhausting. Once we've landed and go out in public, I must maintain my muscle form constantly." He had a smile on his face but Midoriya knew that he had a limit. But, staring up at the smiling face of his teacher, Midoriya couldn't help but smile back. "Now, it's time for you to change as well. You did ask UA if you could bring your hero costume along with you, right?"
Midoriya grins, "Yes!" before he jumps out of his seat and heads down to the plane's restroom.
Ryoko stretched, fingers locked together as her hands extended over her head. Todoroki glanced over at her as she returned to her sitting position in the seat next to him. The two were flying on a private plane, prepared for them by Endeavor. Todoroki slid his finger into the book he was reading, just something to pass the flight time with. Still looking at the redhead, the book closes shut, Todoroki's finger holding his place. He noticed she had put her hair extensions in, the ones that faded to orange and took her hair's length to past her waist.
Ryoko glances down at her watch, pushing the sleeve of her jacket out of the way as she checks the time. She lets out a sigh before she lets go off the sleeve.
"Why are you and I going?" Todoroki catches Ryoko rolling her eyes. It wasn't directed at him, he knew this. She hated having to sit still and had done so for hours on the plane. She was getting antsy.
"Who else is gonna go for Endeavor?"
"Shouldn't you be All Might's plus one?"
A hand comes up to rub at her forehead. "That man already got an invitation of his own."
"Then why didn't he fly with us?"
Ryoko looks over at Todoroki. "You really want to spend hours on a plane with me and my boyfriend?" Todoroki and Ryo stare at each other for a moment before he turns back to his book, popping the cover open. Ryoko smirks slightly, something Todoroki doesn't have to see to know she does, as she returns to her seat. As she does, the pilot announces that the plane will be landing shortly. Ryoko's head rolls back.
"Thank fuck!"
Midoriya and All Might entered the island, the student's eyes lighting up once they made it inside. He had only ever read about the place, never seen it before. He was ecstatic to be at I Island and with his favorite hero no less!
All Might glances down at his phone, trying to find the location of their hotel when they hear a voice behind the hero. "Hey, are you All Might?" Midoriya knows who the voice belongs to even before his teacher shifts to look behind him. Ryoko is looking up at All Might with a smile.
Midoriya's eyes are drawn to Ryoko's hair, noticing how it was much longer than any other time he had seen her in person. It fell down her back in waves, going past her waist. As it went down, it faded from her vibrant red to a bright orange. Actually, he had seen her with this hair in her music video for I Want It.
The sound of the hero's laughs pulls Midoriya from his thoughts. All Might looks down at his girlfriend. "Yes, I am."
Ryoko brings a hand up, placing it over her heart as she continues to smile up at him. "I just want to thank you for everything you do, like," She gestures to the hero. "You're so amazing and you're my favorite hero and words cannot express how thankful I am for everything that you do."
All Might is laughing, Ryoko beginning to laugh with him. "Aren't you Ryoko?"
Her smile widens, "Yeah, I am."
"Well, I should be thanking you for everything you do! Your music is absolutely incredible. You're so talented! A lyrical genius!" Midoriya can't help but smile as he watches the two. After watching Ryoko's video on the plane, he knows this is how they first met. Even after eight years, the two still remember and repeat that moment.
Ryoko's laugh dies down as the two stare at each other, smiling. "Hey, Big Cat," she says, quieter than before.
"Welcome to I Expo!" The three turn around, seeing an employee come up and greet them. The employee pauses, eyes landing on All Might. "Is that you All Might?!" Midoriya catches, out of the corner of his eye, Ryoko roll her eyes as everyone in the area begins to realize that the Number One Hero was there. Ryoko reaches out and grabs Midoriya's arm, people beginning to flock to the hero.
"Don't lose me," She says, green eyes meeting his own eyes. He can only nod before he begins to get jostled around by the swarm of people. Midoriya glances up, seeing Ryoko getting pushed around by people. There were fans, employees, and even some people with cameras.
Midoriya could see the panic on Ms Ryoko's face. He recalled the videos where she would talk about her anxiety, telling her viewers that the only way she was able to perform onstage was because there was a clear divide of the crowd of people and her. Midoriya takes his arm out of her grasp before he quickly grabs her hand. She glances down at him and gives him a small smile.
"Ryo!" Red hair pops up and Midoriya can see her empty hand extend in the direction of the voice. Suddenly, Ryoko, along with Midoriya, are dragged to the middle of the crowd. Ryoko looks up, inches from her boyfriend's face. She gives him a small smile, cameras flashing. Ryoko turns her head, looking around for a moment before the crowd begins to disappear.
The crowd disperses, leaving Ryoko, holding both All Might and Midoriya's hand. Midoriya glances over and realizes he's still holding her hand. He lets go quickly. Ryoko only glances down at the boy before she looks up at All Might.
"What time were you meeting your friend?"
Midoriya looks at the couple, confused. "Huh?"
"Ah!" The hero says, turning to the student. "I wanted to drop in on a dear old pal of mine who I haven't seen in quite a while. Sorry to spring it on you but would you mind coming along?" Midoriya smiles and agrees to join them, Ryoko smiling at him as All Might leans over to the student. "By the way, I haven't told him about One For All or how I passed the Quirk onto you, so keep everything under wraps okay?"
The student loses his smile. "Whoa, not even your close friend knows?"
All Might stands up straight, still smiling down at his successor. "Only because danger tends to follow anyone who knows the truth about my power."
Ryoko shrugs, standing next to him. "Or something like that," She glances up at All Might, his smile turning to be pointed at the redhead. Midoriya knew, from the first time he met Ryoko, that she knew about One For All. How could she not? With how close the singer was to his teacher, and how important she was, Midoriya knew that there was no secrets between them.
In the distance, the group can hear the sound of something bouncing against the ground. Ryoko turns, the other two following suit. All Might's smile widens as they see a blonde bouncing their way to the group.
"There you are, Uncle! Finally!" All Might releases Ryoko's hand and steps forward, catching the blonde in a hug as she leaps at him. Ryoko steps back, avoiding the legs that were swinging around. "Welcome, Uncle Might!"
"It's so good to see you, Melissa!" The two blondes are laughing. Ryoko glances down to look at Midoriya. Seeing a shocked look on his face, it took everything in her being to not laugh at the poor child.
"Oh my gosh, it's been forever! I can't believe you're actually here!"
"I'm truly grateful for the invitation! I almost didn't recognize you. When did you go and get so grown up?" Ryoko knew what All Might was talking about. She had seen the pictures of the little blonde child. She was nearly the same height as Ryoko.
"Well, I am seventeen now, ya know." Ryoko feels her eyebrow twitch. Seventeen and she was almost the same height as Ryoko, at twenty eight. The redhead almost felt cheated. "Much heavier than the last time you saw me." All Might laughs and easily lifts her up higher before he puts her down on the ground. Ryoko walks over to them, leaving a confused Midoriya behind.
"You're Melissa?" She asks, the blonde nodding. "Well, it's nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you."
"It's nice to meet you as well, Ms Ryoko!" A hand comes up, telling the girl to call her Ryo. "I never was able to tell you, but I really love your music! Uncle Might sent me a couple of your cds that you signed for my birthday a few years back."
An eyebrow raises as Ryoko turns to look up at All Might. Midoriya could see she was confused but something clicks and her mouth opens as she turns back to Melissa. "Oh, you're that Melissa?!" The girl nods, smiling at Ryo as she was recognized. "Damn, yeah, I forgot about that! I'm happy to hear you liked that."
Midoriya watches the three interact. There was no way this girl could be All Might's friend. He thought it was maybe her Quirk that made her look so young, but that didn't seem right.
All Might looks around, "And Dave? Where's he hiding?"
"Oh, he's in his lab," Melissa states, pulling the hero's attention back to her. "He had a breakthrough on some research he's been focusing on for years. Actually, he has no idea you're even here. This is just a little surprise to celebrate his work."
"So that's what this is about?"
"I sure do love surprises," Ryoko mutters, but only All Might catches this, a hand extending out to rest on the small of her back. Her eyes roll slightly as they glance up at the hero.
All Might turns to Midoriya. "Oh right, Young Midoriya. Allow me to introduce you to my friend Dave's daughter,"
"It's really nice to meet you. I'm Melissa Shield!" She says, extending a hand to shake. Midoriya introduces himself, shaking her hand. Ryoko and All Might watch the two students interact, the redhead turning to the hero.
"We going to meet your friend now?" She asks, her voice quiet so the younger two don't hear.
"That was going to be the plan." All Might pauses. "Is something wrong?"
Ryoko smiles slightly. She couldn't slide anything past All Might. Eight years together and the two were an open book. The redhead should have known he'd pick up on her question before she even asked it.
Before Ryoko can say anything, Melissa runs past the couple, grabbing the device she used to travel and made it shrink. She slid it into her pocket before she motioned for everyone to follow her. "This way!" They head to the Professor's office. When they arrive, Melissa tells the group to wait outside so they could surprise her father. It was no surprise to Ryoko that All Might burst into the room, shouting his ever famous "I am here!" He said something else but the redhead couldn't hear it. She was laughing too hard.
Ryoko enters the room, followed behind by Midoriya. The redhead watches with a smile as her boyfriend lifts the man in the air, spinning him around in a hug before he puts him down. She begins to walk over to the two as they laugh about their age.
"I could make a joke about age, but I don't know you well enough for that." All Might turns, letting Dave see the woman.
"Ah, you must be Ryoko." Dave says, extending his hand to shake hers. She takes his hand.
"The one and only."
"I've heard a lot about you from All Might. It's nice to finally meet you."
Ryoko smiles, "Likewise, dude." Midoriya watches as Dave lets go of her left hand, eyeing it as he does though. Ryoko brings her hand back up and stretches it out. It's then that Midoriya can see a tattoo on her ring finger of her left hand. It looks like music notes on a musical staff, it going down the entire length of her finger. He knew about the music notes across her knuckles on her right hand, but had never seen this tattoo before.
"What's that?"
Ryoko looks at it for a moment before she looks up at the scientist. "I wrote a song called Calling You for All Might and I's first anniversary." She wiggles her ring finger. "This is the chord."
Dave smiles, looking up at All Might. "She wrote you a song and tattooed it on her body. I think she's a keeper."
"Oh, this isn't the only tattoo I have for All Might." All attention turns back to the redhead, Dave asking what else she has. Ryoko can only smirk. "I have his signature on my ass." All Might coughs, Dave blinks, and so does Midoriya. Midoriya wasn't sure if he wanted to know the story behind that tattoo.
All Might turns, remembering the student in the doorway. Ryoko turns as well, moving to stand across from the hero so All Might could introduce Dave. "Young Midoriya, let me introduce you to someone incredible, David Shiel-"
"I know him!" Ryoko raises an eyebrow, eyeing the energetic boy as his fists clench in excitement. "Professor David Shield! A top scientist in the research world who received a Nobel Quirk Prize!"
Ryoko's head tilts, a smirk crossing her lips. "He is a fanboy."
"He was All Might's partner when he lived in America, and he's a genius when it comes to costumes! All Might's "Young Age," "Bronze Age," the "Silver Age," and of course the "Golden Age!" He's the inventor who created each of those iconic looks! I never thought I'd get to meet him in real life!" Ryoko brings her hand up to her face, a finger running across her bottom lip as she tries to keep from laughing out loud. She had heard about the nature of the boy and his interest in heroes. She didn't think he could spit out a Wikipedia article on someone.
Midoriya inches his way over to the group of adults, a large grin on his face as he does. "I'm just so moved!" Midoriya says and Melissa can't help but to giggle a little.
Dave smiles, "It seems I don't have to introduce myself."
"Honestly All Might," Ryoko turns and taps her boyfriend's chest with the back of her hand. "Should've just left him to the introductions." The redhead turns back to see the boy bowing and apologizing. Dave forgives him, Ryoko's eyes being pulled away from the student up to All Might at the sound of his cough. It was low, but it was something she had picked up on over the years.
"Listen, it's been a long time. Can the two of you give All Might and me a little time to catch up?" Dave asks the two teenagers. Ryoko turns to look at the professor, the man glancing over at her. She simply continues to stare, the other man clenching his jaw as she does. A small nod is given in his direction, before she turns and looks at the kids again.
Midoriya agrees, Dave asking his daughter to show the student around the Island. Melissa agrees, gesturing for Midoriya to follow her, which he does happily. Ryoko turns to look at All Might and Dave. "I'm gonna join these nerds. Who knows when boss man will let me come back here," She starts to leave, All Might quickly reaching out to grasp her hand. She turns, a smile on her face as he presses a quick kiss to her cheek.
She's still smiling when he pulls away, "I'm coming back," She tells him, walking backwards and releasing his hand as she does. Ryoko grins at him, arms coming up in a shrug. "You can't get rid of me that easily," She laughs, turning and heading out the door with a wink and a wave, moving to catch up with the kids.
Melissa begins taking them around the island, both Midoriya and Ryoko looking around as she does. Midoriya looks around at all the heroes, Ryoko doing so as well. She sees a group of kids off to the side. They couldn't have been older than Midoriya. Ryo notices how the four of them are huddled together, whispering to one another and looking at her. She slowly brings a hand up, waving at them and gives them a small smile. The shortest girl grins and eagerly waves back, causing Ryoko to laugh. She turns her head slightly more, catching someone pushing another out of the corner of her eye.
"Dude, just go ask her!"
"No!"
Ryoko can tell they're trying to be quiet, but clearly failing. The two guys look up, locking eyes with the singer. The one being pushed freezes. A hand comes up, giving them a thumbs up as she mouths, "ya good?" The two boys nod, causing Ryoko to smile, before they both begin to walk over to her. She turns to face them as they do.
"Um, hi Ms Ryoko," The one starts. He's nervous and Ryoko can see he's gripping a CD in his hands. From what she can see, it looks like her first album. "Um, I-I'm sorry to, to interrupt, but I j-just wanted," He pauses, eyes still downcast. "Just wanted to tell you I'm a big, big fan of yours." Ryoko smiles at him. She understands how nervous he is. She was this way when she first met Ingenium. "And, um, I was wondering, well, if it's okay-"
"He wants to see if you'll sign his album." The shy boy whips around, telling the other to shush. Ryoko simply sticks her hand out, causing the boy to look back at her.
"Ya got a marker?" He nods, eagerly pulling it out of his pocket and handing it over with the album. Ryoko was right, it was her first album. "Geez, this is ancient," She says, uncapping the marker. "What's your name?"
"Benny,"
"That sounds like a guitarist's name. You play?" The boy shakes his head, Ryoko beginning to scribble across the front of the album. "Aw, bummer, dude. Pick something up. I'm sure you've got mad talent." She hands the album back to him, Benny eagerly taking the album and reading the personalized note Ryoko wrote him. His friend peeks over his shoulder to read, both boys grinning ear to ear. She goes to cap the marker when she turns, a little girl and her mother inching closer to her.
"Excuse me, Ms Ryoko,"
"If you guys don't start calling me Ryo," She starts, hands coming up to gesture to the small crowd that was beginning to form. They tried to be sneaky, but Ryoko watched it happen.
"Sorry, Ryo," The mother starts, the little girl walking over to her. "She's a big fan of your music and was hoping to meet you,"
Ryoko crouches down, eyeing the little girl. She looked five years old, Ryoko smiling at her. "Now, why on earth do you listen to my music?"
"It makes me want to dance,"
Ryoko grins, "You and me both, kid," The mother asks if she can take a picture of the two. Ryoko agrees, motioning for the girl to come over to her. As she does, Ryoko notices the All Might shirt. "I like your shirt," She says, the little girl thanking her. Ryoko looks up at the camera. "He's a big dork," She smiles, a peace sign coming up as the little girl grins wide. She stands up, waving goodbye to the mother and her daughter.
Midoriya turns and suddenly, he sees Ryoko is surrounded. He notices, though, that Ryoko is laughing and smiling, talking with the crowd as she gives autographs and the occasional picture. It's nothing like the crowd with All Might from earlier. The fans of Ryoko are much more respectful of her personal space, asking kindly and giving thanks. Midoriya notices a reporter with a camera, circling the edge of the crowd.
"Ryoko, are you going to the industry party tonight?"
"Yeah, dude!" She calls, still signing someone's CD as she speaks. "I got a hot date tonight and I can't ghost him like that." She laughs, signing the last few autographs before the crowd disperses, the redhead rejoining the two teenagers. She puts her hands on her hips, glancing down at the two before she speaks. "I'm gonna take a nap," She states, nodding as she glances between the two. "I need beauty sleep if I'm going to a fancy party later."
Melissa and Midoriya nod, the blonde giving her instructions to the hotel room before they wave goodbye to her. She manages to find the hotel and her room easily. Because they came on two separate invitations, she was alone in her room. All Might receiving his own. Ryoko knew they wouldn't stay separated for long. It was only a matter of who snuck out of their room first.
She falls onto her bed, laying on her back. Hands come up to rub her face. She had felt nauseous before her and Todoroki even stepped foot on the plane. She really just wanted to empty her stomach in hopes of feeling better. She pushed the thoughts to the side, shedding her leather jacket and boots before climbing under the covers. A nap was in her immediate future. She'd deal with the rest after that.
All Might waited outside the party, not wanting to enter without Ryoko. Besides, they agreed to meet outside the party and walk in together. The Number One Hero stood in his Golden Age hero outfit, waiting for his girlfriend. The sounds of footsteps brought him out of his trance, his hands absentmindedly attempting to smooth out a nonexistent wrinkle. He knew his girlfriend was going to be dressed to the nines and he wanted to look good for her, nonexistent wrinkles be damned.
His head turns, looking down the hallway and he swears his heart stops for a moment. There she was, walking towards him. She was dressed in a black dress. The top bodice had pieces of fabric crossing over each other, clinging to her chest perfectly. The sleeves went straight across, leaving her shoulders bare, though her red and orange curls hung over them. Her waist looked exceptionally tiny as the dressed was fitted like a glove. The bottom of the dress was sheer, completely see through as All Might could see the black pair of underwear she was wearing. It flowed around her like smoke as she walked. Simple black heels were on her feet and, even as she stumbled and tried to play it off, All Might swore he fell in love with her all over again in that moment.
She stops before him, All Might noticing how much fuller and curlier her hair was. He can see the glitter on her eyes and the false lashes and notices just how much makeup she was wearing. He loved seeing what her creative hands could paint on her own face.
She smiles up at him, "Hey there,"
"You're beautiful," All Might breathes the words out instantly, causing Ryoko's smile to widen, turning away from him. His hand instinctively comes up and pulls her to look back at him. She smiles at him.
Her hands come up to rest against his chest, running down his chest slightly. "We should talk later," She says, green eyes following her hands before she looks up at him.
"Okay," He tells her, Ryoko beginning to walk past him. "About what?" He asks, his body turning to follow the redhead, Ryoko turning to look at him. She only snaps her finger, giving him a finger gun before she continues walking, turning away from him. In just a few long steps, he catches up to her, his hand immediately going for hers. Ryoko turns, smiling up at him as she moves her hand up, linking it in his elbow.
As the two enter the party, they can see all the varying heroes and sponsors and scientists mingling and interacting. Ryoko immediately grabs a glass of champagne as a waiter walks by them. All Might smiles down at her, keeping his voice low for only her to hear. "You're not nervous are you?"
"What me no never," She says quickly, almost tipping the entire glass back. "Not like it's our first public outing as a couple." All Might knew she was right. The final exams for the students most definitely didn't count and her performance at UA was just that, her performance. The two had yet to step out into the public eye together. Well, until tonight that is.
The hero doesn't say anything, simply taking his other hand and patting her own. He can feel her relax slightly.
His eyes see his old friend, walking towards them. Ryoko lifts her glass as Dave approaches and All Might smiles wider. The three begin to chat, All Might eventually pulling his phone out and asking his friend to take a few pictures of Ryoko and himself. The redhead tries to blow him off, but he's not having it. He wanted at least one picture to commemorate their first outing as a couple.
Not long after, the announcer is asking All Might to say a toast. The crowd begins to give him a round of applause to get him onstage. Dave merely smiles at All Might as the hero tells his friend he didn't know this was going to happen. Ryoko rolls her eyes. All Might knows it's only because she has fake eyelashes on. He remembers her telling him that it made her feel much more sassy than she already was.
"This was bound to happen once they found out you were in town."
"You shouldn't even be surprised," Ryoko tells him. He can only smile wider, leaning down to press a kiss to Ryoko's temple before he heads for the stage.
The hero looks at his friend, pointing, "You owe me one."
He's onstage for barely a minute before the screen behind him goes red, large letters spelling out the word "emergency." Ryoko finishes her drink, her eyes turning to her boyfriend on the stage. An eyebrow can only raise as the two lock eyes.
"This is an announcement from the I Island security system. We have received a report that an explosive device was discovered somewhere on the I Expo grounds. I Island will now be in high alert mode. Your safety is our top priority."
As the automatic voice continued to speak, Ryoko's mind begins to whirl. An explosive device somewhere in the Expo area. That didn't give a lot of information, but as the voice continued to tell people to return to their homes, she figured it was probably for their safety.
Ryoko immediately thinks of Midoriya, Melissa, and Todoroki. All three were somewhere on the Island. The redhead turns to look at David.
"Where's your daughter?" He turns to look at her, slightly wide eyed. Before he can say anything, the doors to the party room open. People with guns and masks on enter the room, the mass inside beginning to panic.
"In case you haven't caught on," Ryoko's head turns, seeing a man with red hair and a metal mask entering the room. "The security system is under our control now. I know we got a lot of heroes in here, but if you decide to make a scene," Ryoko's fists tighten, taking a premeditated step backwards. She doesn't look away from the villain that entered the room, her mind already moving as she begins to think through her options.
The villain continues, the screens changing to show the security robots surrounding citizens in varying locations. Ryoko grits her teeth as he talks. "I'll make sure the security sentries think the good people they got in their sights are dangerous criminals.
"So, I'd play nice. Because everyone on this island are my hostage. Naturally, that includes all of you." All Might turns from the large screen behind him to turn to the villains. The smile was gone from his face. His eyes shifted to see his girlfriend and friend, standing in the middle of the room. Suddenly, he's trapped. His body is wrapped together tightly by one of the restraining devices the island had built into the floor.
Ryoko looks around. Every person dressed in their hero outfit was restrained. She was still free. They didn't know she was a hero. She could use this to her advantage. The thought stops as she turns, eyes landing on a restrained All Might. "Toshi," She mutters, beginning to push past people to get to him. A gunshot stopped her.
All Might froze as well, his eyes turning to watch the villain as he walked onstage. "Don't move. If you take so much as a step, I'll kill everyone in this room." Ryoko frowns and her fists tighten as she watches the villain kick All Might to the ground. "You're gonna follow All Might's lead and do whatever I say, right?" Ryoko can only continue to frown as she and the other guests are forced to sit on the ground.
The villain continued to walk around while his comrades held their guns and were spaced out in the room. Ryoko glances over at All Might. She stares at him for a moment before her attention is pulled away from her. The villain is speaking to Dave and his assistant. The villain ultimately takes both of them, walking them out at gunpoint. Her mouth opens slightly, turning back to look at All Might. He looks upset, and rightfully so. Ryoko's mind begins to race as she tries to find a solution to their problem.
The party guests were sitting there for what felt like hours, but Ryoko knew it had only been a small window of time. There were too many villains around for Ryoko to try and aid All Might, but should she manage to escape-
Her head turns as she can hear the villain talking over his radio. She watches as he sends two villains out. Her head whips to look at All Might. Immediately, he's shaking her head but she can only give a small smile. She stands up.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Ryoko turns around, looking at the redhead villain.
"What?" Her hands come up with a shrug, feigning ignorance.
"Stop what you're doing!" She was walking backwards, taking small steps.
"What do you mean?" She asks again, hands still up as the villain lifts his gun in the air, pointed to the ceiling.
"I said-!" He pulls the trigger, Ryoko's hand instantly extending outwards to catch and pull the fire towards her. She wills it to grow bigger as she turns and runs, heading for the stage All Might was on. She creates a platform for herself, using it to launch herself up and through the glass window that was above the stage. She uses the fire to wrap around herself as she rolls out of the break, ensuring there was no injuries to herself from the glass. Ryoko turns around, two middle fingers coming up to flash at the villain, tongue sticking out as she begins to run backwards.
From what Ryoko knew about the place, she needed to go up. Every action movie she had ever seen also told her that. It would be her luck that she was so close to the ground and the building had hundreds of floors. At least she was wearing her comfiest heels.
Ryoko continued to run, eventually sliding to a halt as shutters began to close in varying places in the hallway. Within seconds, she was locked in. She was thankful she had kept some of the fire from the gunshot, the tiny flame barely enough to cover her palm now. She presses her palm against the metal and wills the flame to grow hotter and hotter. She can feel the sweat beginning to form on her body, but she can also feel the metal melting. It continues to melt beneath her hand until a hole large enough for Ryo to squeeze past is open. She's through and can see an emergency exit stairwell. She lets out a sigh and heads for the door. She did miss her exercise because of the trip. Up she went.
Disclaimer: I only own Ryoko Iwasaki. All other characters belong to Horikoshi. Diamond Eyes belongs to Shinedown. Ribcage and We Don't Have to Dance belong to Andy Black. I Want It belongs to Blue October.