For as long as she could remember, Himiko's family moved around Japan constantly. Her parents told her that they were hiding from her evil, scary uncle. Sometimes they slept in a car when they couldn't find a ratty hotel or an abandoned building. She never stayed in one place long enough to make friends. Even when she did meet other children, she had to hide that she was metahuman or the police would come and take her away. But Himiko didn't mind, because she had the best Dad and Papa in the whole wide world. As long as her family was together, she was happy.
On Himiko's sixth birthday, they had hunkered down in an abandoned cabin in the woods with boarded up windows. Papa left early in the morning to get food for dinner and a cake. The sound of his car returning woke Himiko up. In her excitement, she couldn't fall completely back to sleep. She entered a fitful doze, interrupted by the sound of the bolts on the door unlocking. Turning on her side, she cracked one eye open. Papa stood in the doorway with a bulky backpack.
"Did you run into any trouble?" Dad asked anxiously.
Papa said, "I wore a face mask and pretended to have a cold. No one paid any attention to me. Relax, Yoichi."
"That's my hero." Dad kissed Papa, then took his backpack. "She'll love this." He took out two raw steaks and put them in the fridge. Papa placed a heart-shaped cake on the table.
Himiko could pretend to be asleep no longer. She threw off her covers and ran forward, shouting, "Papa!"
"Happy birthday, Himiko." Papa picked her up and kissed her.
Cradled in his arms, Himiko yanked off his face mask to reveal the long scar running down his face. She felt it with her small hands. Himiko loved scars. Blood came from them. Morbidly curious, she asked, "Does it hurt?"
Papa chuckled. "No, sweetheart. It's an old injury."
"Do you dislike it?" Himiko asked. "Do you want it to go away?" She liked scars, but she knew most people didn't.
"I got this injury protecting your dad, so I'm proud of it," Papa said.
Himiko nodded, pleased by this answer. "Do you think your scar might start gushing out blood?" She tugged on his nose hopefully.
"Ouch, stop that." Papa gently grabbed her hand. "I'll let you drink from my hand."
"Really?" Himiko's eyes widened.
"Of course, it's your birthday." Papa pulled out a pocketknife and jabbed his finger lightly, squeezing out a single drop of blood.
Himiko lapped up the blood eagerly. She felt her blond hair turn shorter and spiker. Giggling, she touched her head. "I look like Papa!"
Dad put a bandage on Papa's finger, then took a close look at her. "This time, your eye color changed, too. Your metapower is getting stronger. When you grow up, I bet you'll be able to completely transform your body to look like someone else."
"I'll become even more like the people I love." Himiko clapped her hands.
"You have a rare gift." Papa smiled and set Himiko down. "I wonder where you got it? It doesn't seem like it came from either side of the family."
Dad said, "Taking on other people's appearances is a bit like my brother. But her face is cute like you."
"Nonsense, our daughter looks cute like you," Papa said, as he always did.
Himiko hopped up and down. "Did you get me presents?"
"This year, we found the best present ever," Dad said. "Just wait until you see." Despite being an adult, he was practically jiggling with excitement.
Himiko couldn't wait. She lunged forward and peeked in the backpack, too fast for anyone to stop her. She wrenched off the lid of a cooler. A dozen blood bags had been packed close together. "You got me so many people's blood! Yay!"
Papa shook his head. "I was going to wrap that."
Dad chuckled. "We shouldn't make her wait until the evening. It's her birthday. She should be able to use her metapower freely." A shadow passed over his face. "I always wondered if suppressing his power as a child caused my brother to go mad. Metapowers need to be used."
In the tone of someone rehashing an old argument, Papa grumbled, "You always make excuses for All for One. Maybe he was just born a jerk, did you ever think of that?"
Himiko's hair had already flattened. She still couldn't use her metapower for long. "I want Dad's blood next, because I love Dad and Papa the most!"
Her fathers showered her with hugs.
Then one day, Papa came home alone without Dad. He was covered bruises. He collapsed onto the sofa and cried for hours. When he didn't eat dinner, Himiko brought him water and a box of crackers. She was scared to ask when Dad would come back home. Even at her young age, she had an inkling that she wouldn't like the answer.
Papa's eyes were bloodshot. He told her that Dad had gone away. Himiko cried. Papa feared that soon he would have to go away too, so he wanted to send her somewhere far away where she'd be safe from her evil uncle. Papa took her to a man in a military uniform, who made a white light fall over her.
Himiko opened her eyes over a century in the future. People in military uniforms surrounded her. They told her that she was the descendant of a famous hero, so someday she would also become a great hero. They promised to train her. No one asked Himiko what she wanted. Dad and Papa had gone away because they were heroes. Himiko didn't want that to happen to her.
A family named the Togas adopted her. Her new father was a high-ranking government official. The mother bragged to their neighbors about how they were raising a future hero, so Himiko figured she had no choice in the matter. The Togas gave her nothing but rules. She had to learn the manners of a lady, but she had to practice martial arts every day for her future hero career. Between the lessons and training, she had no free time.
Even so, Himiko tried to love her new parents. She asked them for their blood, but they pushed her away with disgusted looks. How was she supposed to love someone if she couldn't become them? Himiko had always firmly believed that her power was special and wonderful. Her fathers told her so. But her new parents wrinkled their noses when they found out what she could do. The hero training stopped after that. Himiko was relieved to no longer go to bed at night covered in bruises. But now her parents completely ignored her. They didn't hug her. They didn't kiss her goodnight. They didn't even look at her. Himiko had always been surrounded by love for her entire short life. Without it, she starved.
The Togas took Himiko to the dentist. He knocked her out, then removed her front teeth. The Togas had never liked her fanglike molars. They told her that her new job was to look pretty so they might make a quirk marriage for her. Himiko's fangs had looked like her Papa's. Now even that last little bit of him was gone. She cried late at night.
Desperate to fill the emptiness in her chest, Himiko lured the pretty bird on her windowsill close with crumbs, then bit straight into its neck. She didn't want to hurt it. She didn't want to hurt anyone. She just needed blood. But without her fangs, the bird took a while to die. It flapped and screamed. Himiko felt terrible, but she was too hungry to stop. The blood finally satiated her hunger. But her mother found her with the bird hanging from her mouth. She screamed and hit Himiko a lot, then dragged her down into the basement and locked her inside.
From the conversations Himiko overheard coming from above, her parents had tried to return her to the military, but the military didn't want her either. They'd hoped that Himiko would have the power to give and receive quirks (metapowers) and considered her useless if she didn't. Her parents were very upset. They were so upset that they didn't let her out of the basement. Days turned into weeks. Food got placed on the stairs whenever she slept, but it wasn't enough. Her wrists and ankles turned boney. Himiko's seventh birthday passed in the basement. There was no cake and no gifts. She only received a slice of bread and a cup of water.
One night, Himiko woke up to the sound of screaming. The woman she no longer considered a mother shouted, "Monster!"
If a monster had gotten into the house, it might eat Himiko too. She ran up the stairs and jerked on the handle, but it refused to budge.
The door opened abruptly. Himiko leapt away, grabbing the railing to stop herself from falling down the stairs. She had not seen light in months. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust. A tall man wearing a black coat stood in the doorway. Curly white hair peeked out of his fedora. He dragged two bodies in each hand—the Togas.
Her late adopted parents dripped delicious blood, but Himiko's nose wrinkled from the smell. She didn't want their blood, because she hated them. Instead, she offered the monster who'd freed her the most profound gesture of love she could make: "Can I drink your blood?"
The monster dropped the bodies and knelt down in front of her. His crimson eyes took in her filthy, scrawny condition. Softly, he asked, "You're not afraid of me? Or upset that I killed these two?"
Himiko said, "I'm glad they're dead. I hope they suffered."
The monster smiled. "How unexpected. It looks like you took after me, not your fathers." He knelt down and offered his arm. "I have a regeneration quirk. Take as much blood as you like."
Weeping in relief, Himiko lunged forward and bit him. Her hair turned curly and white. Her eyes took on a new shape and crimson shade. She even grew a bit taller. But she still couldn't completely transform into him.
"Now you're even cuter," the monster cooed. He picked her up with bloodstained hands.
"Who are you?" Himiko asked.
"I've gone by many names. These days, people only know me as All for One. But you can call me uncle."
Himiko remembered her fathers telling her that her uncle was a bad man. But All for One was already holding her tightly, and she had nowhere else to go. He'd saved her. Maybe that meant he cared. As All for One carried her from the house, Himiko clung to him tightly and prayed that he'd love her.
EIGHT YEARS LATER:
Saito sat up with a gasp. He'd been walking home from school, something had struck him from behind, and then he'd woken up here. Where was here? He looked around. The walls were pastel pink. He lay in a princess bed with a lacy canopy hanging overhead. This bedroom was giant, containing space for a sofa piled high with stuffed animals, a widescreen TV, a desk, a sewing machine, a kitchenette, a walk-in closet, a dollhouse large enough to fit a person inside, and three bookshelves with comics, DVDs, and books. Concerningly, he saw no windows or doors.
A whirring sound drew his gaze to the ceiling, where a ventilator had been installed next to the light. Did this mean he'd been buried underground? Saito felt lightheaded. He wondered if he'd ever see his parents again.
A groan came from next to him. A girl with blond hair rolled over and hugged him.
Saito shook her shoulders. "Wake up! We've been kidnapped."
The girl opened golden eyes. She sat up and stretched her arms. "Hmm?"
Perhaps she was still in a state of shock. Saito asked, "Are you injured?"
"I'm not hurt. How about you?"
Saito touched the back of his head. "Just a little bruised. I'm Saito, what's your name?"
"I'm Himiko Shigaraki." She smiled, seeming oddly unconcerned about her kidnapping. Was she drugged or concussed?
"What's the last thing you remember?"
"I fell asleep, then I woke up here." Himiko shrugged.
Saito started to suspect that she might be simple-minded. He was on the verge of gibbering terror. What if some sort of sexual deviant had kidnapped them? He still had on his school uniform, but Himiko wore a frilly gothic Lolita dress. Hopefully their captor hadn't changed her into it. He took a deep breath. "Miss Shigaraki, I'll do everything I can to protect you. I promise."
"You're nice. I like you." Himiko giggled.
Saito stood up, walking around the room seeking any trace of a door. Two portraits hung on the walls. One man had spikey hair and a huge scar crossing over his nose. He wore a bulletproof vest and scowled. The other portrait showed a pretty young man with white hair falling over one green eye. Saito nearly stumbled over a glass case. Looking down, he saw the same white-haired man lying with his arms crossed as if asleep. But this case had no airholes. Saito was trapped in this place with a corpse. His breath quickened.
"That's my dad," Himiko said. "You're meeting my parents already! What a milestone in our relationship!" She threw her arms around him from behind. Saito felt something sharp pierce his neck.
As he lost conscious, he realized that Himiko wasn't the captured princess. She was the monster.
A patch of seemingly identical pink wall pushed open to reveal a hidden door. The other side of the door had the wheel of a bank vault. All for One stepped into the room. "Did you like your birthday gift, my dear girl?"
Blood still on her lips, Himiko ran forward and hugged her uncle. "I loved it! He was just my type. Thank you." She nudged the corpse dripped blood into the carpet. "I liked him so much that I killed him right away. I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry." Uncle patted her buns. "I'll bring you as many as you'd like, whenever you want them. You can always indulge your desires. This place exists to protect you and make you happy."
Himiko's uncle took good care of her. He made certain she had everything she needed in her room, even a regular supply of blood. He'd brought her Dad's body to stay in her room. When Himiko had asked about her Papa, Uncle had grumbled a bit but then let her have a picture. He said he hadn't kept the body. Himiko sometimes made dolls that looked like her Papa as a hobby, but it was never quite the same. She felt lucky to at least be able to look at her father's scarred face in his portrait every day.
Sometimes Uncle brought her back the delicious blood of powerful heroes. He never hesitated to let her drink his own blood. Himiko loved her uncle very much.
"I have a special treat today." Uncle took out a vial of blood.
Himiko gasped. She recognized that vial. "More of Dad's blood?" Uncle only had a limited supply, so he dolled it out to her carefully. He said his doctor was working on creating artificial blood duplicated from her dad, but for now, only the real thing worked.
"That's right." Uncle smiled as he held out his hand.
Himiko drained the vial without hesitation. Stale blood didn't taste as good, but this was her beloved father's blood. When she drank it, she felt like he lived on inside of her.
Himiko's body changed, growing taller. Her hair became straight white and her eyes green. She'd learned how to completely transform several years ago. Laughing, she touched her face. It felt wonderful to feel her Dad's features under her fingers.
All for One pulled her into a hug. He crooned, "You're perfect. You look just like him."
"I love you, big brother," Himiko said. Her uncle had trained her to address him as brother whenever she took on this body. But her love wasn't fake.
"I love you, too," Uncle whispered into her hair. "Because you're the proof that Yoichi existed."
Once, Himiko hadn't liked pretending to be her dad. She'd been upset that she couldn't leave this room. And she hadn't wanted to hurt anyone. But her uncle had patiently explained to her that her quirk made her the perfect replacement, so that must be her reason for existing. He'd held her through the terrible quirk urges and comforted her after she gave in and killed someone for the first time. Uncle loved her, and Himiko loved Uncle.
Someday, Uncle promised he would get her dad's old quirk back, and then they would be able to make better dolls of her parents. Himiko's whole family would be together and happy forever.
OMAKE TIME!
Omake: Anything for His Cute Niece
Himiko: You have my dad's corpse preserved. Do you have my papa too?
All for One: Why would I keep around non-burnable trash?
Himiko: Wah! Wah!
All for One: Shhh, don't cry. I'll make you a life-sized doll of him. You can even have a portrait in the meantime. I never thought I'd have to look at his scarred face every day. Oh, the extent I go to for family. I hope Yoichi appreciates how well I'm looking after his daughter.
Ghost Yoichi: I hate you!
All for One: Sometimes I can almost hear his voice, expressing his love and gratitude.
#
Omake: In the Void
Yoichi: Let's start the first support group meeting of vestiges whose relatives have been brainwashed by All for One.
Nana: At least he doesn't have my corpse.
All for One: (Holding up Tomura like he's Simba) I have something BETTER! Your grandson! And if Inko is a Shimura, then soon I will have two of your grandsons.
Nana: WHY CAN'T WE GET SLOSHED IN HERE?!
Author's Note: All for One being an uncle instead of a dad is a divergence from the usual birthday theme, but I decided to count this one as an adoption. This is a rather strange plot bunny that bit me when I realized that Himiko Toga looks a bit like Second. How did Second and Yoichi have a biological child? Maybe someone was a trans man. Maybe a quirk did it. Don't question fanfic.
Thank you to DCJoKeRHS for suggesting the Lion King moment in the last omake. Also, thank you to MrTicklesMMM for the Toga vault idea, which I admittedly changed a bit. All for One seemed due for a happy ending.