AN: Thanks for the interest and reviews!
As for Himiko having green hair, it's another bit of personal headcanon. Himiko, due to being a shapeshifter, subconsciously tries to adapt herself to any adopted family I will give her. In this case, that means she dyes her hair green to match Inko and Izuku.
Izuku woke up in the vestige realm, anxious to talk to Ochako. They've had a long day, and after the Urarakas finally left for the evening, he spent the entire evening with his mom and sister, unable to call Ochako.
Fortunately, the two had the whole night to themselves, with only the vestiges to interrupt them, and they left the pair alone for the most part.
Waking up in the lobby, Izuku rushed to the stairwell, taking the stairs two at a time until he reached the observatory level. There, he saw Ochako already there, lazing on the couch they had found in one of the side rooms and moved up here.
"Hey Izu!" she called as she sat up.
"Hi Ocha," Izuku replied softly as he slowed his pace, sitting down on the couch as the two unconsciously leaned into each other. "How was your evening?"
"My parents put up a strong front, but I can tell they're taking it hard. We detoured on the way home to pick up some Mochi just for me, and they kept asking me if I was really ok." She let out a resigned sigh. "They're worried something's going to happen to me."
"I get that. I'm worried something's going to happen to you too, and I know what you're capable of."
Ochako felt heat creeping up the back of her neck and lightly swatted at him. "Says you! You're the one who we need to worry about!"
Izuku could only chuckle. "I've been getting better!"
"You are!" Ochako stopped and rested her head against his shoulder. "Even though you got hurt today, you were amazing!"
"You too," Izuku complimented her back. "We make a great team, don't we?"
"Yep!" Izuku felt her shaking as she giggled before she took his hand and intertwined their fingers. "We do."
"How are you feeling, after- well everything that happened today?" Izuku asked.
He felt Ochako shift beside him, adjusting herself so she could face him. "I was disappointed and frustrated. But on the walk home, I was thinking more about what Kayama said. Himi- she was our first real success story. Well- your first real success."
"You helped too!"
"Only later!" Ochako almost looked ashamed of herself. "It was a hard lesson for me. But then even if I don't remember it, we helped the Shields, stopping David from making the mistakes he did in your timeline and gaining an amazing support specialist!"
"And then today with Eri- We didn't capture Overhaul, but she was rescued! And the Shie Hassaikai dealt a decapitating blow!"
"And if Overhaul comes back, we'll stop him!" Izuku responded. "We did all of this with only a fraction of One For All's power, and we're getting stronger. Every day One For All's strength is growing."
"Yep!" Ochako agreed, her face softening. "But she was right. We really have started to change things for the better!"
"And we'll keep doing it," Izuku assured her. "Even if we can't take on the League and PLF directly!"
"Yeah!" Ochako balled her fist as she looked at him, a confident smile on her face. "We will!"
Feeling better, the two relaxed into each other and looked up to the starry sky. Izuku spoke again. "My mom called All Might tonight. He's going to come over tomorrow to talk to her."
"Do you think he's going to tell her about One For All?"
"Mhm.I think she deserves to know. They all do."
"Yeah." Ochako nodded. "Even though it's easier for me to hide it from mom and dad, it still feels wrong."
"Soon, there won't be any more secrets."
"I'm glad. It's like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders."
"Couldn't you have used your quirk to fix that?"
Ochako giggled. "I wish!"
After that, the two let a comfortable silence fall over them as they sat there drawing strength from each other. As had become their habit, they both leaned back into the couch and gazed up into the starry sky of the vestige realm, watching the starscape—foreign and familiar, pass overhead.
Eri sat on her bed, holding a green rabbit and watching cartoons while Emi napped in a chair when they heard a knock on the door. As she watched, the hero jumped out of her chair, as if she was never asleep at all.
"Who is it?"
"It's Himiko!" Said the voice from the other side of the door. "I brought the rest of the stuffed animals I promised!"
"You up for a guest kiddo?" Emi asked softly.
Eri felt warmth as she looked over at the three animals on the foot of her bed. Turning toward the hero, she nodded. "Yeah!"
Walking over to the door, Emi unlocked and opened it, and Himiko cautiously walked in, oversized bag in hand. She turned and looked at the little girl on the bed. "Hey Eri, remember me?"
"Mhmm! You're Onee-chan!"
"That's right!" Himiko happily chirped before she knelt next to the bed. "I went to the store and found the rest of the animals for your little family!" Digging through the bag, she removed a Kirby doll. "This one is Ochako! You can see the resemblance."
"They really do look alike!" Emi said before laughing. "Oh wow, how did I miss that?"
With a grin, Himiko set that down before pulling out two more. One was a black cat with an annoyed expression, and one was a cheerful bird, the same color as Emi's hair. "And these are your future parents!"
"Parents?" Eri asked as she stared at them.
"Yeah kiddo, I'm gonna be your mama soon! And Shota's gonna be your papa!"
"Mama," Eri tested the word. It felt strange on her tongue. Ever since that incident. As she sat there, she felt herself crying, but she couldn't begin to explain why.
"Kiddo, if that was too much-"
"No!" Eri insisted before looking at the girl. "I like it!"
Cautiously Himiko offered the two stuffed animals to Eri, who grabbed them, hugging one in each arm. "Since you are big sis, does that mean she is your mama too?"
Emi was blushing while Himiko threw her head back and laughed. "No. Sorry, but I have different parents." She pointed to the green bear and the All Might doll. "Those are my parents, and I wouldn't give them up for anything. But I'll let you in on a secret."
"What's that?" Eri asked curiously.
"Two people can be family even if they have different parents."
"Really?"
"Yep!" Himiko said with a huge grin on her face. "Just like Izu and I! We have different parents, but we're still family!"
Inko stood pacing back and forth in her living room, phone laying on the coffee table next to a cool cup of tea. Toshinori had sent her a message a few minutes ago saying he had just gotten off his train and he was on his way, and with each passing second, she found her nerves building.
"Mom-"
"Eek!" Inko practically jumped before turning to see Izuku standing there. Sighing, she took a second to compose herself. "Sorry, you just startled me."
Izuku came over and gave his mom a quick hug. "It's going to be ok. It's just All Might!"
"How are you so calm about this?" Inko asked. "I mean, I know how much you look up to All Might. Just thinking back to see how calm and collected you've been around Toshinori…"
"I've had a lot of practice." Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "Remember, I've known him for almost two years longer than you realize."
"Right," Inko sighed. "I imagine that gave you plenty of time to calm down."
"Y-yeah. I did go pretty overboard the first few months."
Inko ruffled her son's hair. "That sounds more like you. So what did you want?"
"I just wanted to let you know I'm heading over to Ocha's for a few hours. To give you two privacy."
"I appreciate it. Is Himi coming home after she's done visiting Eri?"
Izuku shook his head. "She's gonna meet up with Shizu and Jiro. She said she'll call when she's on her way home."
"Thank you for letting me know." Inko pulled her son into a hug. "You have fun with Ochako."
"We will. And I'm sure things will go great tonight."
"Oh? More future knowledge?"
"Ahaha…" Izuku rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Actually you didn't like Toshinori much in the past. You were scared of how much danger he put me in."
"Well, I'm glad this Toshinori seems more responsible. And that he tries to keep you out of danger!"
"Yeah…" Izuku guiltily remarked. "He does."
They jumped when they heard a knock at the door. "Well, I'll see you later!" Izuku said quickly as he rushed to the door. Inko heard the door open and Izuku talking with Toshinori briefly. Inko nervously fiddled with the hem of her shirt. Finally, she heard the door open and close a second time, and a few seconds later she saw Toshinori step out of the hallway.
Inko couldn't help but stare. He looked less muscular than All Might, but still much larger and healthier than the skeletal Toshinori she had gotten to know. His hair was down, and he wore it in the same familiar way. Despite his healthier appearance, he looked just as nervous as she did. "Good afternoon Inko."
"Good afternoon Toshi," Inko greeted. "So this is what you really look like?"
"Yes." He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "This is what I look like when I'm not All Might. It's a handy disguise when I wish to remain anonymous."
"I see." Inko walked forward and pointed at his chest. "May I?"
"Y-yes." Toshinori raised his shirt, and Inko saw his well-toned chest, the massive scar completely missing.
Gently, as if she was afraid of breaking him, Inko reached her hand out and touched the skin where the scar used to be. She didn't feel anything resembling scar tissue or skin covering withered organs, but rather toned muscle. Feeling her face heating up as she imagined herself being held by Toshinori, she pulled her hand back.
"It's like it was never there to begin with!"
"Yes, that is little Eri's power," Toshinori explained. "Her quirk lets her rewind living things, removing months and years from them. But that wasn't the villain's intent - he wished to use Eri to erase me from existence. If Eraserhead wasn't there-"
"Stop, please," Inko cut him off, her eyes watering. "I already have to worry about Izu enough. And now Himi decided she wants to be a hero too."
"Inko-" Toshinori gently placed his hands on her shoulders.
"I'm sorry." She wiped her eyes as she looked at Toshinori. "I know you said this is how it is, but the last couple of days have been a lot."
"I know. Why don't we sit down and you can tell me?"
"Yes, that sounds good."
Inko let Toshinori guide her to the couch where she sat down, while he went to the kitchen to brew some tea. From her position, she saw him carefully going through the cabinets. As she watched the familiar movements, she found herself relaxing. While All Might may be in her kitchen, that doesn't change the fact that right now Toshinori was the one going through her special blends of tea and preparing a teapot.
The same Toshinori she had found herself growing closer to the last several months.
Once he had finished preparing the tea, he returned to the couch, setting the tray down before he sat next to her "Here you go."
"Thank you." Inko poured herself some tea and held the cup in her hands, letting the smell waft through her nose. "I'm sorry about earlier."
"It's understandable. First the revelation about myself, and then the revelation about those children-"
"What did you think when you heard their story?"
"I originally didn't want to believe it myself," Toshinori confessed. "But when young Midoriya told me things that he couldn't know unless I told him, I was forced to believe it."
"And then you decided to help them?"
"Of course! Their knowledge was invaluable. If we were able to take advantage of even a fraction of what they told us, so much tragedy could be avoided."
"Himi," Inko said softly.
"Yes, tragedy such as what happened to young Himiko."
Inko sat there and took a sip of tea as she thought about her son's words and looked over at Toshinori. "We really owe a lot to those two, don't we?"
"Indeed we do. I owe them more than I can ever hope to repay them."
"What do you mean?"
"How much did they tell you? About what happened to me, I mean?"
"Not much," Inko answered. "They said it would be better if you told me yourself."
"I see." Toshinori was silent as he took a sip of his tea. "In young Uraraka's time, I died."
"What?!" Inko was glad she wasn't holding her teacup when she heard that news, otherwise, it would have shattered on the floor.
"Imagine how shocking it was for me to hear that news!" Toshinori laughed awkwardly to try and lighten the mood before he sighed. "Before meeting those two children, I had become disillusioned with myself, was in constant pain, and was all alone."
"That-"
"But I thought I had to be that way because All Might was the pillar of Japan, holding the whole system up." Toshinori paused. "I had become blind, unable to see beyond my position. But when those children arrived, everything began to change."
"It really did."
"Seeing their spirits, burning so brightly in response to the tragedy that befell them was enough to rekindle my own flame. They reminded me of the ideals of my youth, and my own desire to build a better future for those around me."
"They did that?" Inko asked in surprise.
Toshinori nodded. "They did. And they answered a very important question, one I have been putting off for a long time. The question of who was to inherit my quirk."
"Your… quirk?" Inko asked.
Toshinori had a sad look on his face as he reached out and took her hands in his own. "I'm sorry to do this Inko, but I do have one more revelation for you. If you want I can wait but-"
"No, it's ok," Inko insisted. "I'm tired of secrets. Just promise me this is the last one?"
"It is," Toshinori assured her. "You see, I am technically quirkless."
"You!" Inko gasped. "But everything you've done. Surely you had a quirk?"
"Of course!" Toshinori exclaimed. "All of my feats couldn't have been accomplished without a quirk! But the quirk I used wasn't one I was born with. You see, I was given that quirk forty years ago. Its real name is One For All."
"One For All…" Inko whispered, testing the words out.
"Yes. It is a powerful quirk, born from the dawn of quirks, and passed down for nearly two hundred years. Forty years ago, it was entrusted to me to pave the way for a better future. And now, it resides in those two."
"Izuku's quirk!" Inko exclaimed, clasping her hands to her mouth. "He said he was a late bloomer, and that physician that-" She paused as her eyes went wide. "-All Might's recommendation confirmed that."
Toshinori laughed nervously. "Yes. That was the cover story for him receiving it. And young Uraraka possesses it as well, although it was much easier to disguise in her case. We can't explain it, but the nature of how they arrived back with us has allowed them to share the quirk between them."
Inko's eyes lit up as she put the pieces together. "The quirk that they were both affected by! They didn't give us the details last night. It was this One For All, wasn't it?"
"You catch on quick," Toshinori said with a hint of pride in his voice. "Yes, some previously unknown factor within One For All activated seconds before those children would have died and pulled them back through time to us. In the process, their individual copies of One For All had become entangled, binding them together."
"They really are fated to be together, huh," Inko said fondly in her voice.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, it's nothing!" Inko shook her head. "Just something from Himi's cartoons." She paused as she processed the information, putting the pieces together. "So in their original timelines, you chose them to have your quirk?"
"Exactly! Events were slightly different for each of them, leading me to choose young Midoriya as my successor in one timeline, and young Uraraka in the other."
"And now, you have both of them," Inko said.
"Yes. It is unfortunate what those two have gone through, but from our perspective, it was the best-case scenario." Toshinori sighed. "When I talked to my mentor about becoming a Symbol of Peace, I didn't truly understand the implications. The crushing weight. Japan has its lowest crime rate in decades, but everything is poised to come crashing down."
"And you three intend to do something about it," Inko stated matter-of-factly.
"Yes."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Inko asked.
Once again, Toshinori was struck speechless by the woman in front of him. "Even after everything I have said, you still want to help?"
"Of course!" Inko stood up. "Izu, Himi, you- all of you are trying so hard to fix things. To make the world a better place. I know I'm not a hero. But that doesn't mean I can just sit by and do nothing! If I can support all of you- if there's anything I can do to help- I'll gladly do it."
Toshinori stood up as well, staring at the green-haired woman in awe. "Inko… truly, you are a special woman."
Inko felt herself blushing under the intensity of his blue eyes. "I-I'm not special. Anyone in my place would want to help!"
"That's where you're wrong." Toshinori stepped closer. "Japan- if more people had your attitude, then maybe the system wouldn't be in the state that it is. Maybe-"
"Toshi-" Inko stepped closer to Toshinori, placing her hands on his chest. "Right now I don't care about the system. What are you really trying to tell me?"
"Inko. I know you have had troubles in the past," He swallowed nervously as he saw her make a sour face. "But I have fallen for you. Your strength and your compassion- I- If there is anything I can do to help you or your children-"
Inko stretched herself upward. Still finding herself at a height disadvantage, she used her attraction quirk on Toshinori's jaw, pulling his head down to be level with her and allowing her lips to find his. As she leaned into the kiss she felt Toshinori's strong arms wrap around her and lift her up, holding them together as her hands found his shoulders. After what felt like an eternity they released their kiss, and Inko gave him a tender smile.
"Does that answer your question?"
Inko and Toshinori lost track of the time after that as they shifted to lighter topics. They had found an easy rhythm, and after a few minutes Inko found herself forgetting that she was talking to All Might, and once again, she was simply talking to Toshinori, the man behind the hero.
The casual atmosphere was broken when Inko's phone went off, causing her to almost jump. Trying to hide her embarrassment, she retrieved her phone and turned away from Toshinori. It was Himiko, letting her know that she was on the way home.
"Alright, I'll see you soon dear," Inko said as she hung up the phone. "It appears we lost track of the time."
"Indeed, I enjoyed it though."
"Me too." Inko sat down again as she picked up her cooling tea. "You'll tell the Urarakas, won't you?"
"Err… I hadn't considered it," Toshinori admitted sheepishly.
"Toshi." Inko gave the man a stern look. "I know it's an important secret, but don't they deserve to know the full truth behind their daughter's supposed quirk awakening?"
"You're right, I owe it to them as well after everything that happened." He chuckled lightly. "I used to be so isolated, trying to keep my secret safe. Sometimes it's easy to slip back into old habits."
"Well, fortunately, you have help now." Inko gave him a coy smile.
"Indeed I do."
AN: Nezu sat in his office, going over some reports from the day before. He had more important matters to attend to involving Toshinori and those two children, after all. On top of that, he had to make sure Aizawa's schedule was lessened to account for his new role in taking care of that child, Eri.
As he set a report aside, he looked at the next one. Another report out of Deika City. There was something suspicious going on there. Every hero he sent to the town just reported how normal everything was. It didn't sit right with him. It felt like there was something missing, something underneath the surface that he just had to dig up.
And so he kept sending heroes, hoping that a different perspective would reveal something.
Opening the report, Nezu began swiftly digesting its contents, before he suddenly paused.
"How interesting…"
And one final announcement: This fic now has a TV Tropes page! Thank you all so much for your support.
