I do not own My Hero Academia.

This story was written with the help of another writer who wishes to remain anonymous, but has done most of the work and wishes for it to be posted here on fanfiction.

The villain attack at the USJ had been on the news for days, and for good reason. Such a thing had been as close as a scandal as it could be. Thus, Izuku did not expect to find himself in a car going out into the countryside. The villain invasion was still in his mind even after a week, and yet such memories felt surreal. In fact, he was still processing it all.

Out the window, Izuku could see field after field of crops. The green scenery sure was a nice change of pace from the city and the mountains had its own beauty, a stark contrast from buildings and streets. However, being stuck within a car for hours was less than pleasant. He needed to do something, and the peace of the boonies only made him more restless.

He glanced to a side. To his right, his eyes found Ochaco leaning back on her seat. Differently from Izuku, she appeared to be relaxing well enough, snoring and with some drool streaming down from her mouth. The person to her right was as much a source of surprise as concern. After all, Izuku wasn't sure he wanted to be cooped up with Bakugo of all people. Still, the blond had remained subdued, his attention taken by the passing electricity posts and the countryside beyond the window.

"Man, this place looks pretty neat, doesn't it?" Mitsuki asked from the driver seat.

"Oh, it's nice, I guess," Inko said on the co-driver seat, looking outside.

Differently from her blonde friend, Inko was looking nervous. Given where they were headed, it was understandable.

"What do you think kids?" Mitsuki asked.

"I am glad we can leave U.A.," Izuku timidly said.

"And straight to adventure, am I right?" Mitsuki replied, laughing. She glanced at her son. "Oy, what about you, Katsuki?"

Bakugo just scoffed, glaring at the world outside. If Izuku had to guess, Bakugo probably had had no intention of joining them on their trip. In fact, Izuku felt pretty confident Bakugo wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere near him or Ochaco. Katsuki probably would have preferred to go with his father instead.

"Man, is she still sleeping?" Mitsuki wondered, looking at Ochaco through the rear-view mirror.

"She must have been tired," Inko commented.

Izuku didn't doubt that. Two days after the USJ incident, Aizawa and Miruko were miraculously cleared from the hospital and immediately got Class 1-A to train and learn some self-defense. Not even when the students went back to their normal schedule did they stop.

Izuku looked out, grimacing. All Might, differently from his homeroom teacher, was still missing in action. No one knew where he was or what he was doing. Miruko had pretty much taken over Fundamental to Heroics, alongside Aizawa. Needless to say, Izuku could only worry about his mentor, particularly because no one appeared to know what he was up to. Not even Miruko had any knowledge.

Sadly, Izuku feared the worst: that All Might had been injured too grievously and would be forced to retire. Izuku felt his gut twist in a tight knot at the thought. The world wasn't ready for that. No, forget the world; Izuku wasn't prepared to see All Might retire.

"Hey, Izuku, how are you holding up?"

He pulled a smile for her mother, who looked rather panicky herself, although for different reasons.

"I'm fine," Izuku said.

Not that Inko would believe him. Hadn't it been for Aizawa and Miruko's intervention, Izuku was sure that his mother would have taken him out of U.A. Luckily, his father had opposed such a thing, and Nezu had helped to bring Inko to reason. However, Inko hadn't stopped worrying.

"If you want we can call this trip off," Inko tentatively offered.

"Nope, it's not going to happen," intervened Mitsuki. "You both are going to meet your extended family and I'll get to be at an entire colony of rabbit people." She smirked at her son. "How about it, Katsuki? Maybe you'll find a rabbit girl for you!"

Katsuki glared at his mother and, aside from growling and muttering, didn't reply. His mother, on the other hand, laughed, amused by her son's behavior.

"I am not worried, mom," Izuku told his mother. "I am actually looking forward to meeting that side of the family."

"Speaking of which, where the heck is the entrance?" Mitsuki wondered.

She slowed down the car. They were at the side of a short mountain. To their left there were open fields and the foot of the mountain, to their right were tall trees on the slope towards the peak. Mitsuki glared at her GPS before she angrily tapped on it. She carried on for a while, adding a few curses to the mix. Inko and Izuku chuckled. Izuku had sincerely missed Auntie Mitsuki's fiery personality. It was a pity that Masaru had agreed to give her wife and son some time for themselves and had gone off with some school friends of his.

"Eh… I- I think that's the entrance," Inko said.

"Huh?" Mitsuki replied, looking up from the GPS.

She blinked, dumbfounded, at what she saw. Izuku, and Katsuki, leaned forward, only to stare with equal disbelief.

A few dozen feet away, they saw an open wooden gate. However, what actually baffled them was the large wooden arc with rabbit paw prints and the two large statues of anthropomorphic rabbit people at each side of the gate. One was clad in an overall and the other in a dress, both of them looking as some kind of farmer couple. The rabbit iconography didn't end there, though.

"They are really proud of their rabbit quirks, huh?" Mitsuki commented.

"You have no idea," Izuku said with a smile. "Shin's father actually changed his surname to 'Usagiyama' after he manifested the full-rabbit mutation quirk and bought these lands afterwards to be away from the city. According to Shin, his father thought the countryside was better suited for their family."

Katsuki commented with a derisive scoff, but didn't say anything, differently from his mother.

"Seriously? Ha, that's hilarious," cackled Mitsuki. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

She drove over to the gate, took a turn and went straight in without hesitation.

"W-wait! Maybe we should confirm if this is the Usagiyama property!" Inko spluttered.

"Y-Yes, this could be someone else's farm!" Izuku stammered.

It was unlikely, but that didn't stop the Midoriyas from worrying.

"Fortune favors the bold!" Mitsuki laughed.

In they went, deep into the property. The road that awaited them was little more than a long gallery of trees. However, once they made it past it, they came across a large open section of the forest. There, standing tall, was the Usagiyama estate.

The correct word to describe the Usagiyama's house was manor. The building itself was huge, and painted white, with pitch-black tiled roof. With three floors, it spanned wide in both directions and had a massive garden of sorts, with a roundabout at the center for the cars. To a side, Izuku was able to see a large grass field on the slope of the mountain, and crops further away. There was already movement over there, no doubt his cousins, aunts and uncles, running around the grass field.

Izuku's heart raced at the thought of his extended family. For so long, it had been mostly his mother and him, yet now there was this entire branch not far from Mustafu. Moreover, it was a rather large new section of his family.

Mitsuki drove the car to the roundabout and parked right outside the manor. Izuku turned to Ochaco, who kept sleeping, and gently tried poking her awake. All he got in response were mumbles of mochi and fluff. Izuku sighed before grabbing Ochaco by the shoulders and shaking her up.

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" Slurred a groggy Ochaco.

Finally, the group of mothers and teenagers left the car, and just in time. A certain rabbit man was hopping around a corner. Once he spotted them, he grinned and hurried towards them. Behind him, hidden behind the corner of the large house, were an odd group of children, from normal looking ones to those that were like Shin and Izumi.

"You made it!" Exclaimed Shin.

He hopped over to the group and gave Inko a surprise hug. The poor chubby woman blushed, unsure how to respond, all while Mitsuki stifled her giggling. Dressed in dirty overhauls, Shin then went to greet Izuku before he shook hands with the rest.

An elderly woman showed up from behind the corner, shooing the children away, and went towards them with a polite smile. She had grey hair and a few wrinkles, but other than that she looked rather young. She was petite, though, nearly as tall as Inko herself.

"Greetings, dears," the woman said.

"Inko, Izuku, this is my wife, Aina," said the rabbit man.

Now both Midoriya's felt rather awkward. This was the woman who had his husband taken advantage of. However, Aina received them with a warm smile.

"It's nice meeting y'all," the woman said. "Oh, don't look so intimidated, I don't blame yah for what happened to my husband here."

Still, the awkwardness wasn't going to dissipate any time soon. Inko's biological father wasn't troubled by it, though.

"Come in, come in!" Shin excitedly said. "Most of the family is here already."

"Wh-where are we staying?" Inko asked.

"We have guest rooms. I am afraid you'll have to share with some of your cousins," Aina said, addressing Izuku. "I'll warn you, however, those kids are snugglers."

Ochaco and Izuku frowned at each other, silently repeating "snugglers?"

The Usagiyama couple proceeded to guide the newcomers into the house and gave them an impromptu tour. The place felt bigger inside than outside, with a large central hall. Izuku was not surprised by the many rabbit decorations. There were paintings of prancing bunnies or just cute images of rabbits snuggling together. Pictures lined up the hallways with what Izuku assumed were his extended family members.

Once they had dropped their stuff in the rooms they would be staying, Shin and Aina led the group to the backdoor. There, Izuku and company met the rest of family. Izuku knew there would be more than a handful of people, but he had failed to grasp just how many relatives he actually had. He was already familiar with his half-aunts and half-uncles, but the Usagiyamas were a larger family than that. He didn't even know Shin had his own brothers and sisters, who in turn had their own broods. Needless to say, there were more than enough rabbit people running around.

Scattered across a vast garden annexed to the grass field to the left and trees on its borner, Izuku's relatives came in all shapes and ages. For the most part, it appeared the most prominent quirks were either like Izumi's full-mutant quirk, or Rumi's partial one. The variety came mostly in the fur color. However, a slight majority of the people hanging outside appeared to be quirkless. In any case, it was hard to analyze a crowd of people that could have easily reached the one hundred individuals, especially with so many kids running around.

At the moment, the children were busy playing soccer or hide-and-seek. The adults on the other hand, were in small groups chatting. Long tables had been arranged for the upcoming meal and a few people were preparing plates and utensils. At a side, a few men were working on grills and barbecues.

One by one, Izuku and his group were introduced to the gathered people. He must have shaken the hand of over thirty people, before he finally made it to the other end of the green garden. Such had been the number of individuals they had met, that by the end of it all it was already time for lunch. Then again, Izuku wasn't sure at what time they had arrived.

Lunch was a lively affair. There was salad, meat, roasted vegetables and a lot more. There was a lot of chatter and laughter, and the air was filled with merriment. Izuku and his mother were the target of many questions from nearby relatives. The children in particular were dying to learn more about U.A. and Izuku's chosen career. Not surprisingly, most kids were fans of Miruko, who was seemingly absent.

Question after question, Izuku tried to satiated the near endless curiosity of the children. Ochaco tried her best but left Izuku to do most of the talking. Katsuki, on the other hand… well, he wasn't exactly forthcoming and replied with the most forced politeness Izuku had ever seen in a person. With twitching cheeks and a forced a smile baring gritting teeth, Katsuki appeared to be in physical pain by merely trying to maintain a conversation with the children. Any one time Izuku feared Katsuki would finally lose his patience and shout, a mere glance from his mother gave him the will enough to keep his barely-holding temper.

After the rather extended lunch, Shin approached Izuku and company.

"Hey, grandson, there are a couple of people that asked for you to check on them when you made it here," the rabbit man said.

"Really? Who?" Izuku asked, confused.

"Don't really know. One of them was a teacher from U.A. that wanted to see but the rest were introduced by Rumi," Shin said.

A teacher? Izuku thought.

"Could it be Aizawa?" Asked Ochaco.

"Maybe it's All – ehm – someone else," Izuku said.

Or at least, he hoped that was the case. Izuku really wanted to see All Might and check on him. Still, he was confused by the strange request.

"Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Wondered Izuku.

"Ha, and for you to miss lunch? Pffft," huffed Shin. "Follow me, they are at the camping area."

Hence, Izuku, Ochaco and even Katsuki found themselves following Shin once again out of the open garden, through a narrow passageway amidst bamboo and then onto a tree area. Inko and Mitsuki came right behind them, looking around with interest.

"Who are these people exactly?" Mitsuki wondered.

"Friends of Rumi's," Shin grunted with annoyance. "I wouldn't have rented the place over otherwise."

"Friends of Miruko?" Ochaco asked with disbelief.

"Colleagues maybe? I don't know," Shin shrugged. "Rumi never asked to allow anyone to stay anywhere close to us, so I guess that's as close as you can get to being her friend." He frowned, trying to remember something. "I think a couple of them are heroes? Not all of them, though."

Ochaco and Izuku traded baffled expressions. Just who could they be?

The camping area happened to be a section of the mountain side with enough trees to offer shade yet sparely enough to allow for tents. There were a few benches here and there and a couple of latrines, but other than that, the entire place was surrounded by nature and lacking of human influence. At the moment, it was far from deserted.

There were three distinct tents. However, Izuku didn't care about that, but rather the first person the group came across as they entered the camping area.

"All M-" Izuku was about to exclaim, only to be interrupted by his mother.

"Mr. Yagi!" Exclaimed Inko. "What a surprise to see you here!"

And indeed, there he was, the man who had been missing and who had only given cryptic answers to Izuku: All Might in all of his weak, skeletal form… with a simple shirt and shorts looking like a camper and carrying what a pot filled with water ready to be used for cooking. Truthfully, he couldn't look even more out of place if he tried.

"Oh, Young Midoriya, Mrs. Midoriya," All Might said with a smile.

"Wait, you know that man?" Mitsuki asked, giving All Might a careful onceover through squinted eyes.

"Yes, he was Izuku's personal trainer for U.A.," Inko told her friend.

Izuku's face heated up as he felt the way the head of Bakugo snapped towards him. Izuku could already imagine the burning furious red eyes set on his back, demanding answers.

"You trained Izu-kun, huh?" Mitsuki hummed. She shrugged, grinned at the man and then offered a hand. "Well, if you got my favorite honorary nephew into U.A. then what can I say but thank you!"

"Oh, it was no problem, ma'am," All Might chuckled. He put down the pot and shook hands with Mitsuki.

"Hey, Katsuki, don't be rude. Introduce yourself," Mitsuki ordered.

"There's no need. We know each other," All Might said. He gave a nod at Ochaco. "And young Uraraka as well."

"He teaches at U.A. actually," Izuku added.

"You do? You never told us," Inko said.

"It was supposed to be a secret at the time," awkwardly chuckled All Might. "And I guess I never got the chance to tell you afterwards."

"Hey, Toshinori, what's the hold up?" Someone asked behind the Number One Hero.

The oddest part was that it was spoken in perfect, fluent English (with an American accent). It took one glance on the man for Izuku to realize just who it was.

"Th-that's -that's – that's-!" stammered Izuku, pointing at the newcomer.

"God-damn freaking David Shield!" Bakugo exclaimed in shock.

The man in question went to stand next to All Might and stare at the newcomers, perplexed. Izuku couldn't believe it; it was actually him: David Shield, one of the most famous support-gear inventors of the century. Like All Might, he looked out of his element, dressed as if he was in his holidays and as far away from work as possible.

"David, allow me to introduce you to some of my students," All Might said. "They are Katsuki Bakugo, Ochaco Uraraka and Izuku Midoriya. Children, as you already know, this is David Shield."

"Ah yes! I have heard quite a lot about you," David said with a commendable attempt at Japanese.

Before he was introduced to Inko and Mitsuki, a young woman hurried to the man's side. The strong resemblance to David gave Izuku pause, before he realized who she was.

"Melissa," David said, startled.

"Dad," the girl said. "What's the hold up?" She glanced at the newcomers, before grinning.

Izuku had to admit, she was rather pretty. Tall, attractive and pale-skinned, Melissa Shield had wavy blond hair and aqua-blue eyes.

"Hello there!" Melissa said with a far better Japanese. "I am Melissa Shield! Do you know Toshinori here?"

"You could say that," chuckled All Might. "Allow me to offer proper introductions."

Izuku's face immediately lit up as Melissa shook his hand. Her hands were really smooth, and there was something about her pretty face that left him flustered. He immediately shook his head, trying to dispel those thoughts.

The Shields then shook hands with Inko and Mitsuki. It was as she shook hands with Melissa then that both Katsuki and Izuku saw a bright glint in Mitsuki's eyes. The way the woman looked between Katsuki and Melissa meant that Auntie Mitsuki was back to her old shenanigans. Katsuki scowled, all while Izuku tried not to laugh. Something would never change, apparently.

"What brings one of the top inventors of the world to these parts?" Mitsuki asked with a frown.

"We came for Toshinori here," Melissa said before her father could reply. "He's an old friend of the family and we came to visit when he suffered a recent relapse on his health."

All Might took issue with the explanation.

"I did not suffer from a relapse, young lady! I am perfectly-"

And as if summoned by the matter in question, All Might started violently coughing and retching, wetting a hand with blood.

"M-Mr. Yagi!" Squeaked a horrified Inko.

"Sweet mother Teresa!" Exclaimed Mitsuki.

"Well, shit," Bakugo bluntly stated with a faint hint of concern. Such was the shock from his mother, he didn't receive a warning smack on his head.

Ochaco and Izuku both were almost as horrified as Inko. How could they not be? All Might looked terrible. Izuku had already seen All Might in such a state, but he could have sworn this was worse than other times.

"As you can see, his health has taken a turn for the worse and we are helping him take it easy," Melissa said.

"That's correct," David chuckled, patting All Might's back. "Only God knows how much this guy has been overworked.

"Nonsense," muttered All Might. He glared at David, just as a playful smile stretched on his pained face. "And look who's talking about overworked."

It was David's turn to look offended by the statement. Melissa, on the other hand, nodded in silent agreement. Then, the Number One Hero's gaze met Izuku's. They locked eyes, just a few seconds. However, it was enough for Izuku to know that All Might wanted to speak with him, probably alone. Izuku could now guess why All Might had asked Shin to bring Izuku about. He would probably receive a text with a time and place later on.

"Let's get a move on!" Melissa joked. "At this pace we'll never finish lunch."

"You still haven't eaten yet?" Ochaco asked.

David and Melissa awkwardly chuckled alongside the Number One Hero.

"This whole camping thing is new for us," admitted All Might.

"By the way, have you seen Rumi?" Shin abruptly asked from the sidelines. "She missed lunch with the entire family!"

"We haven't seen her," All Might replied. "We thought she'd be with you."

"Damn, what a pity," sighed Shin. "We had gathered the entire family and she missed it. I am sure she would have loved the roasted vegetables."

There were a trio of growls. Izuku and the others looked with raised eyebrows at the stomachs of the three blondes before them.

"You don't have any leftovers by any chance, do you?" Melissa wondered.

-.-

Ochaco was by no means jealous. Of course not. That was preposterous. And yet, seeing Melissa Shield of all people hanging out with Izuku, she couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. She squashed it down, or rather tried to curb stomp the feeling back from whence it came. Sadly, that ugly beast kept rearing its ugly head.

Melissa and Izuku had hit it off surprisingly well. No one was more shocked than Bakugo, who upon finally sating his curiosity about All Might and the Shields, decided to scoff dismissively and go away to do his own thing in the mountains. Mitsuki and Inko, on the other hand, chose to return to the house, perhaps to keep chatting with the rest of Inko's extended family, or maybe to find something else to do. That left Izuku and Ochaco to hang around with All Might (it was still hard to believe the scrawny skeletal man she could see was All Might of all people) and the Shields. In the end, David and All Might decided to busy themselves trying to start a fire, what in turn meant that Izuku and Ochaco ended up talking with Melissa.

A part of Ochaco wanted to be happy about Izuku making yet more friends. Given what she knew of Izuku's prior friendless life, she was more than glad about it. Still, another part of Ochaco took issue on said friendly acquaintance being a rather attractive girl, and a hero enthusiast to boot!

There's no reason to be mad, Ochaco told herself. We agreed that I was dating Izumi, right?

"Wow, that's amazing!" Izuku exclaimed. "I wish I had met so many heroes. All I've ever done has been to study them from afar or- or…" he trailed off, blushing "…getting their autographs during signing events."

"You aren't the only one," giggled Melissa. "I have a small library with my own comments and observations from heroes."

"Really?!" Gasped Izuku.

"Of course! I wouldn't aim to be the finest inventor and support engineer if I didn't try to understand my future costumer base!" laughed the young inventor.

Ochaco felt an eyebrow twitch at that. Go figure that same attractive girl was as nerdy as Izuku.

Yeah, the whole thing about treating Izuku as two people had been a mistake. Worse, Ochaco felt awful as she thought about it. She hadn't had the chance to actually do anything with Izumi, given the whole aftermath of the USJ, but as everything slowed down and they were allowed to catch their breaths, Ochaco was starting to have second thoughts on the whole thing.

True, Ochaco was attracted to Izumi, yet it felt wrong to ask of Izuku to just be one form to date and dismiss the other one as a friend. Izuku might have tried to convince himself that he could play two people, but Ochaco wasn't so sure, nor did she know she actually wanted him to. As it so happened, Ochaco was starting to have problems separating Izumi from Izuku… and Melissa Shield was only exacerbating it.

"That's amazing," Izuku gasped, breaking Ochaco from her thoughts once again.

"I know, right?" Laughed Melissa. "You should come to I-Island." Her eyes lit up. "You should definitely come for this year's expo! I have been allowed to present my own work there and I'm sure you'll have a blast there with all the guest Pro-Heroes."

"I wish I could but I don't think I will ever be able afford going to I-Island," mused Izuku.

"Nonsense! I am sure Uncle M- I mean – Mr. Yagi wouldn't mind taking you with him. He always visits us during the Expo," Melissa said. "Although you could win the U.A. Sports Festival and you'd win a seat for the Expo, you and someone else."

"Really? That's great!" Said Izuku. He turned to Ochaco. "Now we have more of a reason to get first place at the Sports Festival, right Ochaco?"

"Right," replied Ochaco, pulling a wide grin.

Unfortunately, that was when Melissa and Izuku went back to talking about heroes and villains and costumes and support gear… Ochaco would be lying if she didn't feel a bit out of place with the two of them. Ochaco didn't mind, however, as it allowed to return to her prior thoughts.

By a mere glance, Ochaco could tell that Izuku was actually happy in Melissa's presence, and the feeling was mutual. They both shared interests, maybe even the same passionate hobbies. What was stopping Izuku from dating Melissa? In all truth, hadn't they agreed Ochaco was only dating Izumi? Yet, Ochaco took issue with the thought of Melissa dating Izuku. Could she be developing feelings for the boy?

I am being so unfair to Izuku, Ochaco mentally groaned. What possessed me to try to split Izumi like that?

She felt so stupid and childish at the moment. Sadly, Ochaco needed to talk her issues with someone, and her list of people was rather short. Her parents were out of the question and she wasn't sure if she wanted to address the problem with Izumi/Izuku. No, the only person she wanted to talk about her relationship was Z, and she was missing!

"Eh… are you alright?"

"Huh?" Ochaco realized Izuku was talking to her. "Oh, yes, I am just… thinking. That's all."

Izuku smiled and stood up. Ochaco watched, confused, as he helped her up before turning towards the young blonde.

"It was nice talking to you, Melissa. I think Ochaco and I will go and explore a bit," Izuku decided. He glanced at the sky, "at least while we can. There can only be a few more hours of sunlight."

"Sure! I don't mind. I think I will try and help dad and Uncle All- I mean, Uncle Toshinori – with the fire," Melissa said. "God knows how helpless those two must be right now."

The trio actually laughed at the thought of the Number One Hero and the greatest inventor of his age both struggling with basic camping stuff. By the looks of it, it seemed that so happened to be the case.

And with that, Izuku transformed into Izumi and, before Ochaco knew what was going on, it was a furry rabbit girl who was pulling her away. Ochaco smiled, yet her conflicting emotions swirled in her gut.

"Wow, who would have thought we'd meet David and Melissa Shield!" Said Izumi.

The two walked down the path back to the Usagiyama house. Instead of mingling with Izumi's relatives, they went to the open fields next to the house that were mostly abandoned. They could hear the shouts and screams of playing children, and the chatter of adults lost in their own discussions. That left the two girls to talk without any eavesdroppers.

"I wonder why they are here, though," Ochaco asked.

Izumi didn't appear to care that much, instead letting go of Ochaco's hand and snuggling against her. Ochaco wouldn't lie when she felt her girlfriend's warmth against her, but a new distinct feeling surfaced in her chest: guilt.

"What do you think?" Ochaco said, trying to dispel her emotions.

"Maybe they came to visit All Might," decided Izumi. "He was really hurt during the USJ so they could be concerned for his health…" she frowned, a hand moving to her chin. Even snuggled against Ochaco, she went on, her voice growing softer and faster "…or perhaps they are here to try to create the means to help All Might recuperate some power so he can return to action… that or they are designing mechanical implants of some kind? But why would they be here, right now…"

Ochaco giggled, finding the whole muttering thing rather cute. She looked around and smiled. Seeing only comfy grassland around them, she grinned and launched herself on the rabbit girl, tickling her tummy.

"A-argh! Stop! Argh!" Izumi protested as she laughed.

Ochaco didn't stop, doubling down instead.

"No! No! Stop!" giggled the rabbit girl.

Then Ochaco pulled Izumi down onto her. The two fell on the cushioned grass and stayed there, stuck to each other's side. They laughed a bit at it, before remaining like that, looking up at the sky.

Ochaco wondered if she could bring herself to do the same to Izuku. A part of her dismissed the thought, while the rest remained curious. Izumi in turn remained silent, happy and smiling with contentment.

Minutes passed before Ochaco decided to break the silence, lest she went back to feeling guilty and overthinking matters.

"So… you and Melissa, huh?" Ochaco said.

"What about Melissa?" Asked Izumi, blinking at her.

"You sure had a lot to talk about," Ochaco commented.

"Well, yeah, we both had really close childhood experiences," Izumi said before giving a sad smile. "We were both told we were powerless in a world filled with amazing powers. Of course, she pulled her act together and developed her abilities. I just…"

Izumi looked down, crestfallen.

"You were picked on and bullied," Ochaco said, squeezing her hand with reassurance. "You were never given a chance to grow."

Izumi smiled her thanks at the brunette.

"And hey, look where you are now!" Ochaco pointed out. "In U.A. and one of the mightiest of all 1-A."

Izumi looked away, flustered by the praise. Ochaco, though, felt that annoying feeling of guilt surfacing in her gut. She needed to release some of her worries.

"Hey, Izumi?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you… do you really…?" Ochaco trailed off.

"What is it?" Asked Izumi, concerned.

Ochaco remained hesitant. Should she bring it up? In the end she sighed and pressed on.

"Do you really want to only date me as Izumi?" Asked Ochaco.

"Yeah," nodded the rabbit girl. She squeezed Ochaco's hand. "Why wouldn't I?"

"It's just that…" Ochaco sadly didn't know how to put her feelings into words.

"Hey, I told you! I don't mind. You like me as Izumi, right?" Izumi said with a grin. "So I don't mind sticking to this form for you."

That was far from reassuring. If anything, it made Ochaco feel worse. She felt as if she was forcing Izuku to pick a form just for her. Hell, it just might have been the case!

"Wouldn't you prefer we dated regardless the form?" Ochaco asked.

"Infinity Girl, you can't choose what form you find attractive, but I can pick the form I like," Izumi said with a careless shrug. "And I like you and want to be with you. Why wouldn't I choose to be Izumi?"

Because you aren't two different people, Ochaco wanted to say.

"You once told me you didn't like that your parents preferred your Izumi form over your first one," Ochaco pointed out.

"This is different," scoffed Izumi.

Is it? Ochaco wondered.

She found herself unwilling to voice her opinion, however. Izumi looked a bit frustrated and Ochaco didn't want to push the matter.

In any case, silence fell between the two. Izumi snuggled closer to Ochaco, and even started chinning the brunette, much to her amusement. Sadly, Ochaco soon was grimacing. She looked up at the clear blue sky and moved a hand onto Izumi's head. As she absentmindedly petted Izumi behind the ears, earning a hum from the rabbit girl, Ochaco pondered on her latest dilemma.

-.-

It was late at night when Izumi finally went to speak to All Might. She had received a message from the Pro-Hero, giving her a time and place, and now it was time to make a move. The room around her was rather bare, and it looked more as some kind of barrack than a guest room. Then again, it was hard to accommodate so many relatives otherwise.

There were ten bunk beds, all of them filled with cousins, second cousins, cousins twice removed… and the list went on. By the sounds of it, they were all asleep. Louder than most, Izumi could make out Ochaco's snores. Izumi stifled her giggles at that and jumped off the mattress, landing softly on the ground. Her eyes fell on a nearby bed where two of her younger cousins slept together. Full mutant types like Izumi, the two looked no older than nine years old and snuggled against each other almost instinctively.

I wonder when they actually moved together, Izumi wondered. She scratched her head, before giggling at what Aina had said. That's what she meant by snugglers, huh?

Izumi quickly shook her head and tiptoed out of the room. Even with the complete darkness at the corridors, Izumi managed to traverse the manor and out of the building without much of an issue. In fact, within minutes, Izumi was outside at the back garden. She found All Might on the same grasslands Izumi and Ochaco had hanged out together. He sat on a rock, alone and staring at the stars with strange fondness, right next to a camping lantern.

"Hey, All Might," Izumi called.

"Young Izumi," greeted All Might with a grin. "I hope I didn't cause any trouble calling you here."

"No, it was no problem," Izumi said, hopping to sit next to the man. "I actually wanted to talk to you."

All Might nodded and wearily sighed.

"Yes, I guessed you would. I apologize for ignoring you," All Might said. "Unfortunately, there was a lot to do after the USJ attack. I had to help the police with the investigation and some friends of mine showed up to aid me. That is to say, I had my hands full."

He looked ashamed regardless, as if it was his own fault he had been injured by Nomu and was caught up with a vital criminal investigation.

"It's alright," Izumi said. "I get it. I really do."

Mentor and pupil fell into an awkward silence. The man wanted to explain, but appeared to be failing to find the courage to carry on, while the rabbit girl didn't want to push All Might for explanations (he had already gone through enough). Thus, they remained content like that for a moment, before Izumi finally made the first move, if only because she grew a bit bored.

"How bad is it, All Might?" Izumi asked.

All Might sighed, shoulders slumped. Izumi tried not to look too worried, but failed miserably.

"One hour," All Might stated.

That answer chilled Izumi's blood.

"I can go full All Might for one hour," All Might said, only to bitterly scoff. "Allegedly. David estimations always take into account a good rest and lack of stress and effort…"

Less than hour then. All Might, the Symbol of Peace, could only stand tall and protect the innocents for less than an hour per day. That… that was too short. Worse, it was a steep decline. He had gone from the previous three hours to one in a matter of weeks.

"H-How?" Izumi asked.

"The Nomu," muttered the Pro-Hero. He glared at his clenched fists. "He knew where to punch."

"But how-?"

"That's what I want to talk to you about," All Might said.

His head dropped and Izumi felt worse for her mentor and idol. All Might looked so frail… and yet it also looked like he was carrying the weight of the world.

"The Nomu… that creature wasn't a man with one quirk, young Izumi," All Might said. "Fast healing, shock-absorption, enhanced strength…"

Izumi felt a knot form in her knot. She could tell this was going to be a somber talk.

"We – that is to say, my circle of allies and friends – believe that the Nomu was a bio-engineered individual created by an individual whose ability stands unique amongst all quirks," All Might said.

Izumi just stared at the hero, her heart racing. Slowly, All Might turned to look at Izumi. His eyes looked haunted and filled with dread.

"All for One," All Might whispered. "That's the name of the villain who injured me to this state… and the man who has the ability to remove and give quirks at will. He could… can… collect them and also use them as he pleases."

Izumi felt her breath catch on her throat. Such a quirk… the implications were horrifying. That villain could be near invincible, collecting all manner of powers.

"I thought I had killed him but given this Nomu, we believe he might have survived after all these years," All Might said. "On the bright side, the lack of actual movement from the underworld suggests his previous empire has yet to resurface and his presence, if our belief is correct, has remained minimal. With any luck, he is weak as well. We believe so… but that could be just hopeful thinking."

Izumi looked at her feet. So there was a villain out there that could fight All Might, the Symbol of Peace and greatest hero, and even injure the hero.

"If you are to face this villain and his minions, you'll have to get stronger, Izumi," All Might said. "There are people who are going to help you. They will guide you and make you stronger."

"Who are you talking about, All Might?" Izumi asked.

"You'll meet them tomorrow," chuckled All Might. "They were eager to start your training and… and so am I."

Izumi rolled her eyes yet smiled nonetheless. She would allow All Might to once again remain cryptic about her soon-to-be mentors. All Might took a deep breath before sighing wearily. He clenched his fists and he suddenly looked both pained and beyond worried.

"All for One is powerful, and so was his organization back in the day. I don't know how much of his former power he possesses, but you must prepare regardless," wryly said All Might.

Izumi nodded.

"I am sorry you have to face this threat," All Might somberly said. "I thought I had dealt with him… I truly believed you wouldn't have to face him…"

"You did your best, All Might," Izumi said. "No one can blame you for not trying."

"No, Izumi. Because of my failure, you now will have to carry a heavy burden," All Might said. "The same burden all of our predecessors have carried since the conception of One for All."

Izumi felt her heart skip a beat. She took a deep soothing breath, and tried to calm her nerves.

"What do you mean… conception?" Izumi asked.

Had One for All been created? The fact that it was a derivative of "All for One" suggested a link between the two.

"You know how there have been seven previous wielders of One for All, correct?" All Might started saying, slow and deliberate. Izumi merely nodded. "As it so happens, young Izumi, the fight between All for One and the wielders of One for All started decades ago. It all began with two brothers…"

And so, Izumi sat there as All Might narrated a long dark tale about two brothers, one righteous and brave, the other evil and ambitious. Whereas one brother was seemingly powerless, the other had what looked like the most powerful quirk in existence: All for One. The ideals of the two siblings came to a clash, even after the evil brother gifted the other a stacking quirk. It was quite the twist for the seemingly quirkless brother to actually have had the quirk to pass over abilities all along, thus giving birth to One for All.

It was quite the tale and by the end of it, Izumi could only stare at All Might. It sure what quite the shocker to hear about such things happening so long ago. One for All had been quite the weird thing when Izumi had first heard about it, but the notion that such a quirk had been created, and by accident, gave a surreal feel to the entire story.

"And now, you are the ninth inheritor of One for All," summarized All Might.

He looked at the stars, once again with that same fondness of before. No, not fondness. Izumi realized what that was look was all about: melancholy. She couldn't explain why All Might looked like that, however, and it certainly confused her to no end.

"My time is coming to an end, Izumi. Soon, it will be your time to become the pillar that this society needs," proclaimed All Might.

Izumi looked up at the stars. It was a pretty sight alright, yet she didn't understand what drew All Might's attention. Izumi returned her attention to All Might himself. He in turn gave her a smile, looking away from the night sky.

"Don't worry about me! I'll hang around, although I can't promise you'll see a lot of your favorite hero," All Might said with some humor. "I might be forced to an early retirement, unfortunately so… enjoy the Symbol of Peace while he is around!"

Although he tried to pull a brave face and smile, Izumi could tell that the thought of being unable to one day save people bothered him, and a lot. That in turn bothered Izumi.

"All Might, you'll always be my favorite hero no matter the form," Izumi said.

All Might looked away, smiling at the ground.

"I know," All Might nodded before returning his attention to the heavens above. "I know…"

Izumi and All Might kept stargazing for a while longer, lost in the twinkling jewels of the cosmos. The sight was mesmerizing, and not one spot of the sky was like the others. While it was sure a beautiful sight, Izumi still couldn't find a pull towards them, not like All Might apparently. After a while, Izumi called it a night and left a melancholic All Might on his own.

She found no problem slipping back into the house. However, when she entered the bedroom, rather than going to her bed, she hesitated. Instead, she looked at Ochaco's bed and, with a smile, hopped over to her. Ochaco wouldn't mind sleeping together, after all, and Izumi wanted some company at the moment, given all she had learned that night.

No sooner had Izumi laid on the mattress, Ochaco grabbed Izumi like a plushy and cuddled against the rabbit girl. Izumi smiled, happy to be like that, and feeling some of her worries vanish. Slowly, sleep came to her, until finally, she slipped into the land of dreams…

Awareness came slowly the following morning. Sunlight drifted from the windows, and Izumi gradually managed to make sense of her surroundings. It was the level of comfort around her that kept her rather groggy. When had the world turned so cushy? Izumi could still feel Ochaco's body pressed against her, but there was more warmth and softness all around…

Izumi opened her eyes, before blinking. Why was she seeing fur everywhere? She looked around, only for her eyes to widen.

Snuggled against Izumi and Ochaco, seven of Izumi's younger cousins were cuddled in a huge pile of rabbit children on top of them. True, they looked adorable, but Izumi had no idea why they chose to snuggle against them like that. However, Izumi had other concerns that morning… Like the three people silently cooing at them. Mitsuki and Inko were there, next to Aina, with their cell phones aimed at the fluff pile.

Perhaps having only Ashido back at the dorms wasn't such a bad thing in comparison.