The gentle waves caressed her bare feet as she walked along the beach, the sound of Hawaiian dancers chanting their ancestors' songs as she passed a group performing for various tourists. The sun was setting giving the entire beach a surreal feel to it all.
Never in her wildest imagination would she be in Hawaii, taking in the culture and cuisine with her husband, her new husband that is.
The 'Number one hero of Japan' husband.
"Inko! I got your drink!" She watched as Toshinori jogged his way up to her, a bright grin on his face as he held out her beverage. "Look, it even has those little umbrellas!"
"Toshi, didn't you come here before?" Inko asked the man, finger on lip as she thought about how he acted when they arrived. He seemed awfully excited when they got off the plane, and to think this was going to be the first stop of many as they made their way across the country. It would take a little over a month of travelling and sight-seeing and it made Inko worried about Izuku, who had to stay at home for school.
But her little boy only smiled and said it was fine, and that this entire trip was for her and Toshinori, him being there would make things weird and he was fine with staying with the Ashidos since he and Mina are close friends.
Inko couldn't wait to see both of them start noticing each other in a new way, ways that would lead to grandbabies.
"To U.S.? Of course I have! But to Hawaii specifically? Nope, I have been to other states and cities, but I have never been here." Toshinori rubbed his chin as he handed the fruity drink to his new wife. "To be fair, I came here not on the best of terms."
He looked to Inko, smiling softly at the confused expression on her face before nodding to himself. Inko barely managed to keep herself from screaming in shock as Toshinori scooped her off her feet and began to carry her away.
"T-toshi!"
"Come, let's find some privacy." Toshinori said quietly, with Inko remaining silent as she took note of the look on his face. For several minutes, only the waves filled the silence as the duo made their way down the beach.
However, for Toshinori, it only made his mind wander to the day he lost his Master.
"Master!" He can feel the tight grip of Gran Torino as he blasted away, carrying him away from Nana. "Master!"
He watched as Nana Shimura turned back with a smile on her face, facing down the infamous All for One.
He knew right then and there she was prepared to die facing him.
"Master!" Nana gave one last smile as she pointed to him, reading her lips even as they flew away.
'I'm counting on you.'
"MASTER!" Toshinori screamed as he tried to reach for her, watching as she turned back to face the monster that was before her. They clashed one last time and the world went white.
"Toshi!" Toshinori blinked as he realized that Inko was cupping his face, gently wiping away the tears that fell. "Toshi what's wrong?! I tried to get your attention but-"
"Sorry, just… bad memories." He scanned the area before nodding to himself and set himself down with Inko in his lap. His muscular arms encompassed the petite frame of Inko easily as he held her close. "Part of the reason why I went to the States really."
"Toshi… you don't-"
"I have to." Toshinori said abruptly, cutting Inko off before she could start. "I… I need to tell you. To be honest… I'm scared."
"Scared?"
"Of you running away if I tell you." Inko blinked, unsure on how to feel about what he said.
"Why would I run?" Toshinori sighed while he rubbed his head as he thought on what to say, finally settling in and began to tell the tale.
"Right. Well, let's get to it." Toshinori got comfortable and began to speak. "Please let me finish before you begin asking questions, there is a lot to go through and I am only giving you the post-it notes on a few of them."
Inko nodded her head, understanding that this was extremely serious and needed her full attention.
"To start with, my quirk isn't technically 'Mine' to begin with. It was passed down to me from my Master, Nana Shimura, which was passed onto her and so forth and so on. It is a quirk of unimaginable potential if wielded correctly. To be honest, I was born without a quirk."
"Like Izuku." Inko whispered, gaining a grin from Toshinori.
"Yes, and like our son, I wanted to be a hero." Toshinori felt his heart lift as Inko gave him a beautiful smile at his claim of Izuku as his son. "For whatever reason, she chose me to be the inheritor of this powerful quirk."
"I think it's because it's the way you are." Inko said quietly, a small smile on her face. "You want to help people."
"Hm." Toshinori nodded in agreement. "To that end, she trained me to inherit the quirk due to the power it holds. To be honest, I am probably the longest holder so far, and I am far stronger than I was in my youth. I fear for the next holder if I am to pass it along, it might be too much for them."
Inko watched as Toshinori thought to himself before shaking his head. "No matter. To continue on, this quirk is called One for All, a power that is cultivated by each user until it is passed on to the next. It has boosted my physical abilities that allows me to be 'All Might'. But… there is a price for this power."
Inko felt a shiver run down her spine as she saw the dark look form on her husband's face.
"All for One." Toshinori growled out, gently tightening his hold on Inko. "He is… Evil. Probably the very first evil to rise from our quirk society."
"I…What?" Inko couldn't help but ask at the odd statement.
"When I say he was the very first, I mean that in a literal sense." Inko felt him tighten his hold on her. "He was born almost two centuries ago, and his quirk gives him the ability to extend it further."
"His quirk is immortality, or something of the like?" Inko asked, trying to understand how his quirk would cause Toshinori to act this way.
"No. It allows him to steal quirks." Inko felt a cold chill run down her spine, the warmth she was feeling was all but sapped away. An ability to steal quirks? It was almost unheard of, then again there are quirks that allow the users to copy other quirks, so it shouldn't be such a stretch of the imagination that there may exist a quirk that takes instead of copy. Add in what Toshinori told her about his own quirk and it's long history, then it stands to reason that quirks are still quite unknown to humanity on their limitations.
"To be honest, it is also thanks to him I have this quirk. To make a very long story short, All for One had a brother who he thought was quirkless, when in reality he had a quirk that can pass onto others. How he figured it out is beyond me as my Master did not know either. What is known is that the younger brother did not like what his brother was doing, rebelled against him for most of his life. Perhaps in a moment of pity for his only sibling, All for One forced a stockpile quirk onto him, unaware of what he was accidentally creating in the process." Toshinori hummed in thought, gently rubbing Inko's back. "Combining both quirks to create 'One for All', and the long history of various users clashing with All for One."
"So you are the latest." Inko mumbled as she held onto his hand. "Have you…"
"Beaten him?" Toshinori asked, giving a shake of his head. "No, but I am closing in on him. To be perfectly honest, he should've destroyed me before I left for the States the moment he knew who I was. But in his arrogance in believing that he could trump me at any time he wished, he allowed me to get stronger with time."
"Being in America gave you some protection from him?"
"Let it be said that the American government is a lot harsher than anyone gives it credit for. They may not be leaders in terms of heroes, but they are a powerful country nonetheless. Hence why I adopted a more American way of presenting myself as one." Toshinori chuckled a bit as he thought back. "When I was living there, my friend David and I found ourselves crossing into government black ops more than I care to admit. Nothing we can say, only that they are taking down dangerous organizations trying to cause trouble."
"Including All for One?" Inko couldn't help but frown as she noted the name 'David', she heard the name utter from him several times before, but he never explained who that was. Though she was sure she heard Izuku say the name too, when he was watching some television program about her husband.
"Yes. The CIA and the FBI have tried for centuries to execute the man only to fail at every turn, whether he was here in America or somewhere else in the world, losing people as the result." Toshinori sighed as he looked up to the starry skies overhead. "The only thing they managed so far is to keep most of his influences out of the country, and with help from other agencies across the world limiting it to just Japan to the best of their ability. Unfortunately he has a hold on Japan and we don't know how far his reach goes when it comes to our own government and who is under his thumb."
Inko felt fear fill her very being, until she saw a grin on Toshinori's face.
"Until recently. I'm closing in on his main base of operations as we speak."
"Oh! Mirai has been helping you!" Inko exclaimed, with Toshinori chuckling and nodding with her answer.
"Indeed, along with a few other trustworthy people we know. Given our status in America, David and myself, we have been given all possible sources of All for One money venues that have slowly been tied up. Though not all of them as he seemingly has been changing his MO these past few years." All Might hummed in thought as he rubbed his chin. Seeing the confused look, he began to explain. "He seems to be going after chemicals and medical supplies, though for what reasons is beyond me or the others as we cannot make heads or tails of what they are supposed to create or benefit."
"Do I have to worry about him hitting hospitals?" Inko whimpered, only to get a shake of his head as he rubbed her back.
"No, though I am worried for Tamoyo as his place of work was hit a few years ago by All for One." Inko blinked at his answer, recognizing the event Toshinori was speaking of. Mina may not remember the event herself, but Tamoyo still had nightmares about the event. Even recalling the memory now causes the man to shake, describing the nightmare inducing 'aura' the villain released without care as if the man was a demon from Hell itself. Inko concluded that Tamoyo saw All for One himself during the villain attack, and was probably extremely lucky that Mina and himself wasn't in the way of the man himself less they have their quirks stolen or killed.
Or both.
"We are closing in on him, Inko." Toshinori narrowed his eyes, a fist slowly clenching as he stared at the appendage. "It's been awhile since he has been able to do open attacks like that. We have been hitting everything we can. Though I admit that I should really be there for them-"
"You know Mirai would all but demand you to stay out of it and relax if you try to call and check on them, not including Papa Torino and his joy in kicking you in the face if you give him the chance." Inko interrupted as she gave him a half-lidded glare. Toshinori winced when he realized his blunder, focusing on work instead of his newly wedded wife in his arms. Though he was extremely happy to hear the names of his closest friends/mentor, showing how close they got over the years.
Then again, 'Papa'/'Grandpa' Torino would always give him a good laugh, especially with how Gran Torino would blush up a storm while grumbling at Inko and Izuku for the name.
"Who is David?" Inko asked, shaking Toshinori from his thoughts. "I don't quite follow the hero trends like Izuku and Mina, but it does sound familiar to me, though you mention him from time to time."
"Ah, right! David Shields is an old friend of mine when I first came to America. Saved him from a particularly nasty fire, from the ashes a friendship rose up from it. Was my first sidekick and helped make all of my current hero outfits, we talk from time to time and catch up with what we are doing with our lives. He knows I am married now, but was unable to get time off from I-Island to come to our wedding." Toshinori explained. "We don't talk as much as we should, considering our lifestyles. He has a daughter who is also quirkless, but she is a pretty smart girl, probably giving Izuku a run for his money."
"No chance in meeting up with him while on our trip?"
Toshinori seemed to think about the idea, pulling up his phone and checking something. "Huh, what do you know, I-Island is restocking supplies on the California coast. Perhaps I can ask David for some tickets?"
"That be nice." Inko whispered as she hugged him, enjoying the warmth. "Just… try to do your best, for me and Izuku, okay?"
She couldn't force him to promise anything, not on something of this scale. It would be impossible and very unlikely he would come out unscathed.
"I will." Toshinori tilted her head up, his lips gently touching her own before they began to slip into a long embrace. Inko's face lit up as Toshinori stood up and began to walk away.
"Toshi?"
"Um… we are on our honeymoon, yes?" He smiled as Inko's face turned from a light pink to a deep tomato red.
"Oh… yes! Um… should we… um…" Inko couldn't put any words that made any sense, cheeks on fire as she tried and failed. As they made their way off the beach, Inko couldn't help but ask the biggest question on her mind.
"Do… Do you want children, Toshi? With me?" Inko watched as the confusion spread across his face as he turned to look at her.
"Are you… do you not want children? More of them I mean?" Inko felt her heart hammer in her chest, quickly nodding her head at his question.
"Yes! I do! I was just… not really sure how to broach the topic."
"Never really crossed our minds huh?" Toshinori chuckled a bit, giving Inko a loving smile. "Perhaps we should try, at least give Izuku a younger sibling if possible."
"Yes… if possible." Inko whispered, lowering her face and away from Toshinori. Toshinori knew of Izuku's birth from what Inko explained, and the large amount of complications that came with it. Izuku was lucky to be born at all from how severe it all turned out to be, Izuku of course didn't know this information since he was too young to understand. The man decided they could think on it later, they had an entire month to think it over after all.
"Well, let's just have fun tonight?" Toshinori's face turned into an interesting shade of red as he said that out loud at the completely wrong time as a group of young bikini-clad women just happened to walk by, giggling and winking towards Inko as they heard what he said. After all, a well-built man was carrying a petite woman like herself in his arms and saying such things could only lead to one such activity. "Whoops."
"Oh no…" Inko covered her face in sheer embarrassment, giving off a low whine at what happened.
That night…
Nothing happened other than cuddling and watching a movie, both fully grown adults far too embarrassed by their public display and somewhat on the nose description of what was planned that night.
Still, it was a good night for the honeymooners, and their talk that night allowed them to grow closer than ever before.
++===Seaside Park, Chiba Prefecture===++
"Stop it Bakugo!"
"Screw you, Emo-Rock! Why don't you mind your own business!"
Izuku blinked as he turned towards the shouts, shaking in surprise as he heard what sounded like a loud firecracker going off. He turned to Mina, who only nodded her head and began to make their way towards the yelling and noise. Both kids were exploring the beautiful park while Kokoro and Tamoyo tended to some business in the Chiba sector, allowing the kids to have fun while they waited for them to finish up.
They arrived just in time to see a blond boy their age swipe his hand in front of another, releasing a small fireball in his face. On the floor behind him was boy and girl, a couple of years younger than them, scared out of their mind. Izuku and Mina tensed, their faces forming identical frowns as they began to move forward, only to hold back as the black-hair boy swung back at the blond, ignoring the explosion to the face entirely.
"Gr!" The blond barely avoided the blow, scowling at the attack. Izuku and Mina stared at the boy, his face now looking like something chiseled out of rock before 'softening' back to normal.
"Geez, this is why you don't have friends. Why are you like this, Bakugo? Seriously, what is wrong with you, picking on a couple of kids younger than us."
"Piss off, those brats ran into me while I was training."
"W-we said we were sorry!" The young boy whimpered out, flinching as the blonde's hand began to sparkle with fire and smoke.
"Ignore him, go on, get out of here." The two nodded quickly before fleeing, leaving the two boys to stare at one another.
"Why do you always get in my way, Emo-Rock, huh?" The blond aggressively got in his face, sparks and smoke forming from his hand. "You think you are better than me?"
"It doesn't take much to be better than you Bakugo." 'Emo-Rock' replied, a look of annoyance on his face as he stared at him. "You can at least act like a decent person but somehow that flies-"
The boy, 'Bakugo', swung his hand again, a louder fireball exploded in the brunette boy's face actually causing him to stagger back a bit, before he lashed out with his own punch catching the blond across the face.
"Gah! Why do you always do this?!"
"Because I will be the strongest, I will be Number One hero, and I don't need some loser who praises some old has-been like you have to get in my way."
"HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON OVER THERE!?" Izuku and Mina turn their heads, watching as a police officer and a hero rushes over to the two boys. It didn't take long for both boys to get dressed down by the adults for using their quirks.
"Come on Izu, I think the adults got it." Mina pulled at Izuku's hand as she tried to lead him away. Izuku frowns as he stares at the blond, red eyes all but ignoring the two adults before him as he scans the area before falling on Izuku and Mina.
For a long moment, both boys stared at one another until the blond sneered at him and looked away, causing Izuku to shake his head as he allowed Mina to lead him away.
"That blond boy, he was such a jerk." Mina complained as they walked, still holding Izuku's hand. "What was his name? Bakugo? More like Baka-go."
"Yeah… he has a strong quirk and all…" Izuku took one last look at the scene, watching as the blond stormed away in a huff while the brunette went another direction. "But I don't think he will be a very good hero."
A/N: Sorry for the long wait, a lot has happened since I last posted. Close calls with another family that almost died as well, but he has recovered and is walking again now.
I have finally got my head back on track and now bring you this. Focusing a bit on the ToshInko relationship, and giving a glimpse on what other changes has been wrought with the families switching places.
I will be focusing on this story for the time being. I still feel like I am not putting my full effort into writing just yet.
I also want to thank everyone for giving me time to recover from this ordeal I wasn't prepared for.
I also want everyone to stay safe with this crazy time we find ourselves in with this virus running around. Keep safe, wash yourselves, and eat healthy; that's all I can really give you with this thing going around.
Thanks again, Red
