AN: I am so sorry. This was supposed to be longer, but I'm simultaneously graduating college, moving cross country, and taking a family road trip. Some of my other works are also behind as well unfortunately.

05/29/2021: HERE'S THE COMPLETED VERSION


Downtrodden and dreading the look on her grandmother's face when she'd have to tell her about her scores, Miko dragged her feet into the girl's locker room where she was met with Asui, surrounded by the gaggle of class A's female students. "How'd your exam go, Tsukikawa?" She asked politely.

With a heavy sigh, Miko answered kindly, "Kaminari and I failed."

"Me and Sero failed too!" Mina groaned. "At least we're not the only ones."

The girls quickly made their way back to their classroom where both Miko and Kaminari agonized over their failure, and while the blonde was disappointed, he took it with as much grace as Miko who silently scrambled to find a way they could have done better. Which was to say, without any grace at all. Kaminari was clenched his fist angrily as he lamented to his exam partner. "This totally sucks! We're gonna be stuck here taking remedial courses while the rest of the class has fun at camp…"

For the rest of their classmates, seeing Tsukikawa look so visibly bothered and downtrodden was both a relief and a little saddening a far cry from her normally slightly cold and distant personality. She actually seemed normal right now. Looking up painfully at the ceiling, Miko groaned. "Please don't remind me, Kaminari. Failing is bad enough without knowing we're complete losers."

Said blonde quickly turned back to his friend. "Hey there's no reason to take it so far. Sure we failed, but that doesn't make us total losers!"

"Cheer up you guys! It can't be that bad." Midoriya gave the pair a thumbs up in what was meant to be an uplifting gesture, and although appreciative, Miko wanted to shake him until he understood why failing was so horrible. Outwardly, a small, insincere smile was the only answer she gave him.

Mina, similar to the rest of the losers who'd failed their exam, was just as devastated, if only for slightly different reasons. Her lip began to wobble as she addressed the rest of the class. "Everyone…we're looking forward to hearing all your stories of how fun camp was!"

"Maybe they'll end up letting you go. There might be a last minute twist or something," Midoriya tried. Miko shook her head shamefully. "Don't get our hopes up, Midoriya. It's cruel."

Sero agreed with the shorter girl, placing a sympathetic hand on the boy's shoulder. "Stop, Midoriya. By saying that out loud, you're just jinxing us." A gloomy atmosphere permeated the air surrounding the students who failed their exam, who had somehow gathered together amidst their woeful cries regarding camp. Mina weeped openly while Miko, Karminari, Kirishima, and Sato hung their heads in shame.

"They said whoever failed the exam would skip training camp and live in summer school hell. We didn't pass the practicals so we're doomed." Kaminari's mutterings gradually gained volume until he shoved two fingers into Midoriya's forehead. "Don't you get it Midoriya?! Or did All Might knock all the brains outta you?"

Grabbing the front of Kaminari's uniform, Miko dragged him down to her level to scold him. "I know it sucks, but calm down. Getting upset like this is only making it worse!" Inwardly, she praised him for expressing the feelings she herself couldn't. Still, it was unbecoming.

"At least bring us back lots of camp souvenirs please!" He whined from his place in her grip.

"Once the bell rings you should be in your seats." Scrapes and footsteps sounded for a moment. Despite their gloom, they were silent and at their desks. "Unfortunately, there are a few of you that didn't pass your exams. So, when it comes to the training camp in the woods everyone is going."

The hearts of those who failed swelled with a mixture of relief, gratitude, and happiness. "Its a last minute twist!" Miko couldn't believe their luck.

"We really get to go to camp?" Kirishima asked hopefully.

"Seriously?" Mina added.

Aizawa didn't match their energy, only giving them a droll look. "Yeah. The good news is no one bombed the written exam. Five failed the practical badly, so we've prepared extra lessons for you. Frankly they'll be far tougher than what you'd face at summer school."

Once announcements were over, Momo stood from her seat and asked, "Hey why don't we all go shopping together?" A round of agreement sounded through the room, save from three pairs of lips: Todoroki, Bakugo, and Tsukikawa.

"Tsukikawa, you coming?"

"I suppose I can. Something new would be nice."

Across the room, Uraraka scratched her cheek wryly. "It's hard to forget Momo's not the only rich girl in the class."

The student's gloomy atmosphere cleared and was replaced instead with excited chatter. The girls in particular were excited to jump into summer vacation head first. The only one who seemed to be dreading it was Tsukikawa, who was surprised when she was approached by Uraraka. "Hey, Tsukikawa. Got a minute?"

She did her best not to cow under her stare. "Something I can help you with?"

"Actually, we were just saying that, now that exams are over, we should celebrate!" The rest of the girls wandered over to Tsukikawa's desk, eager to discuss summer plans. "Since it's summertime, we should ask Mr. Aizawa if we can use the pool this weekend," Mina added.

"We thought it would fun if we had a break, ribbit."

"Just us girls. We could use the bonding time!"

"Yeah," Jiro agreed, looking to Miko. "It'll be nice to get away from the guys." Miko hesitated. She wasn't very close to any of the other girls in the class, sans Jiro, and it would be impolite to refuse now that she saw how eager they were to bond outside of class, and touched that they thought to include her. Besides, she couldn't refuse the excited look on Jiro's face. So she gave her a small smile. Who was she to deny her friend? "Sure, sounds like fun."


"You are defective." Miko blanched. She'd been training with her grandmother, as required after Hosu, but her efforts were fruitless.

"It's unfortunate, but your Quirk has evolved differently than mine. And your cousins," Himiko added as an afterthought. Miko tried not to be too offended. "We know that you can manipulate the water in living things such as plants, but it seems you have extremely limited control when trying to manipulate the water in humans."

"Unlike myself, Akito, and to a lesser extent Ichigo and your mother, you can harness a much larger amount of water. Like what you did at the sports festival. My guess is that in exchange for that your Quirk has a severely limited influence over water in humans. How lucky you aren't pursing medicine as I intended for you. You would have been such a disappointment, little snake."

Miko pursed her lips in a small pout. "That's why I've never seen you use your quirk the way I do?"

"Yes, child, at least you understand that much." Himiko didn't have to roll her eyes for Miko to understand that she'd asked a stupid question. Tentatively, she asked, "Would it be too much to assume these training sessions are over?" Maybe her voice was a little too hopeful. This time her grandmother did roll her eyes, "Obviously. I can't have you wasting my precious time for something so useless."

They cleaned after themselves, rearranging the table and various items in silence for a few moments. Holding a towel in her hand, Miko debated asking a question that burned her tongue. "Why did you never become a doctor? You obviously have a talent for it."

Himiko stilled for a moment and then barked, "Miko. Tell me what you know of our family history."

At the sudden change in tone, Miko straightened her back and raised her chin. "Our family has always worked for the betterment of Japan. Great-grandfather was a doctor and you helped him expand your small family clinic into Shinoda hospitals," she recited. Himiko nodded approvingly and without preamble stated bluntly, "Your great-grandfather was a yakuza."

Miko choked on her tea but Himiko didn't acknowledge her as her eyes bulged out of her skull. "By association, I was too, though I was never initiated for being a woman. It's how I met your grandfather."

"I-I knew he had to be involved," she stammered. Miko thought of all the glimpses she's caught of tattooed wrists over the years, "but I never would have guessed you were implicated, or anyone in our family—"

"Nor should you have. Could you imagine the mess that would have made? My father and I decided to leave because we wanted to help in ways the syndicate never could. Ha, a pipe dream! My uncle became corrupt and we got stuck cleaning up his messes, me more often than not," she muttered bitterly.

"How? You're not a doctor and you just said you weren't even really yakuza." Himiko smiled at her granddaughter, content to keep this piece of information away for the time being. "Now, now, little snake, even old women keep secrets. It's how we stay young. Just know that you must have gotten your hero blood from somewhere."


Summer vacation was brief and welcomed. The traumatizing events of her first semester at UA were wholly unexpected and likewise enlightening. Miko felt a little guilty for being so stuck up with her classmates, but after hanging out with them for a couple hours at the mall, she was glad to know them. She spent most of her time with Iida of all people since they were both looking for new sneakers. Going shopping with him was a tad bit exhausting, since he spent so much time debating the pros and cons of every shoe in the shop, but he was a nice enough boy. He was even kind enough to help Miko pick out her own pair of sneakers. Definitely got their money's worth that's for sure.

Her mind still lingered on her conversation with her grandmother as she sent messages to her classmates thanking them for inviting her, she had a great time, etc., trying to figure out what the old woman meant by 'hero blood' and was sorely tempted to ask her uncle. Ichiro, her eldest uncle, was a quiet man by nature. Ten whole years older than his siblings and the firstborn son of the current family head, familial duty and responsibility fell heavily upon his shoulders from a young age.

She was greeted by Kohaku's welcoming voice when she entered her childhood home, fumbling with shopping bag full of various purchases (she always took care to bring back small knick knacks for the triplets. Aunt Ran both loved and hated that— the cleanup was horrible), and shook off her shoes. "Welcome home!"

Miko smiled at the sight of her younger sister with a cucumber face mask on. She thought she was too young for the girl to be worrying about cosmetics, but it brought Kohaku closer to their mother in ways Miko couldn't really understand and she was glad at least one of her daughters could. "Hi, Haku, good day today?"

Kohaku's voice was slightly strained as the mask threatened to slide off as she moved her mouth to speak, "For sure. The twins invited me to their friend's soccer game and it was a blast!" Miko rolled her eyes when Kohaku eagerly took the bags from her hands, digging through them greedily while they walked into the house, then pouting when she didn't find anything interesting she could identify was for her.

Miko pulled at the buns atop her head, shaking out her hair and lightly scratching at her scalp. "Glad you had fun. Good way to start summer," she smiled. As their uncle Minakami's children, who was their mother's own twin, the twins Enkai and Chinami Shinoda were arguably Kohaku's closest friends. Growing up in the same age group, living on the same compound, and being related meant they saw a lot of each other and seldom argued. When she put the bags down on the couch, Miko noticed the beginnings of Kohaku getting ready to complain and counted down the seconds until…

"Speaking of summer, I can't believe you get to go to I Island AND you got to work with Endeavor for a whole week before! You didn't even get me an autograph!" Miko rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

"Haku, this isn't a vacation, you know that. Uncle 'Chiro worked really hard to get those tech guys interested in working with his and Yuuichi's new program." She would know, she was there. Working very hard to get her family in favor with rich businessmen while Haku played peacefully on a golden stage. "And since when were you a fan of Endeavor? You've never mentioned it before," she questioned with a furrow of her brow.

Kohaku rolled her eyes, silently saying you're so stupid. "I'm not. Hawks will always be number one in my heart, but nee-chan that's not the point—" she stomped her foot. "You had a chance to bring home a top ten hero's autograph and you didn't!"

This conversation was slowly sapping the last of Miko's energy. Most of it already spent on entertaining Iida. Nonetheless, she conceded, but not without a bit of snark. "Forgive me for not being able to read your mind Haku. Next time I'm in the presence of a top hero I'll be sure to bring home an autograph."

The stars in her red eyes practically lit the entire room. "Does that mean you'll bring one home from All Might?"

Immediately, Miko's entire demeanor changed. Stiffly, she responded as her teeth ground together, "Of course. If you really want me to." Kohaku didn't pay much mind to her sister's abrupt change in mood. "If you do I'll forgive you for leaving me behind while you have fun with uncle and Yuuichi at I Island!"

Miko rolled her eyes, once again, grateful for the small deviation in topic. "Again, it's not a vacation. Besides," she muttered, "grandmother told him about my failed practical and you know what that means." Her little sister took a moment to process that and they both shuddered at the meaning. Every Shinoda descendent knew what failure meant in their family.

"Still! She'll give you that terrifying stare and then you'll be back on her good side in no time. And you'll be at I Island!" Chuckling at her sister's misfortune, she brought up another request. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask…" Miko eyed her sister expectantly. "Since you're bringing home All Might's autograph, do you think you could get an autograph from the rest of your class?" At her older sister's incredulous expression she quickly stuttered out, "Just the ones in the last round!"

"Why would you want their autographs? I made it to the semi's and you didn't ask me for an autograph…"

"That's because you're my sister," she said dismissively. Miko tried not to let it hurt her feelings, it wouldn't do for her cool, older sister image. "But my friends think you guys in the hero course are cool and they know you're my sister so I just thought if you were to get me their autographs…"

Miko rolled her eyes fondly. "I'll see what I can do." She ruffled Kohaku's hair, who brightened. "Yosh! Thanks so much Miko-nee!"

Feeling bullish, Miko crossed her arms and pouted. "Yeah, yeah. The things I do for you. Don't you get how embarrassing that is for me? I have a reputation to uphold so I expect something from you in return." Kohaku didn't bat an eye, throwing out the first thing that came to mind. "My undying love and affection!"

Miko clicked her tongue distastefully, turning away from the younger girl. "Nope, we're sisters. That's obligatory from birth." Kohaku peered around Miko's back, trying to get into her face, but her older sister refused to budge. For being so short, she had a frightening amount of strength, Kohaku thought.

"A week of dishes?"

She still refused to budge, "Two."

"Week and a half!"

The corner of Miko's mouth quirked upwards, but still, she refused to turn. "A week and I get to pick dinner tonight."

"Deal!" They shook on it and settled on the couch, quietly sifting through the shopping bags once more. Sitting there, silently enjoying each other's company over items they'd already taken long looks at, their home felt peaceful in ways it hadn't been for a few months since the start of the school year. Idly, Miko pulled at a loose string on the couch cushion, tilting her head so her chin pointed at Kohaku while she spoke. "You know I would've done it without payment."

Kohaku, for her part, simply hummed in acknowledgement, leisurely draping herself across the back of the couch and resting her arms along the back rest. "I know, but I didn't feel like taking advantage of your love today. I love you too, so I don't mind." They stayed there for a few more minutes, basking in the calm until an excited "Girls come here!" was shouted across the house by their father. Looking to each other quizzically, they followed the sound of their father's voice to the room he shared with mom, soft footsteps sounding along the way.

Miko was the first to stick her head in. "Dad?" She asked warily.

"Come look at this!" He was seated on the floor, pulling out an old photo album and flipped through years worth of Miko's baby photos until another silver haired infant appeared in her arms as a toddler.

"You girls were always so cute."Akio smiled fondly at the photos, allowing Kohaku to finger at photos she hadn't seen before. He knew it would be hard for his eldest daughter to see these small mementos of the past, hauntings of a lost future, and though he himself was just as devastated when they lost little Riko to her botched quirk, his quirk, he also knew that facing these memories were essential to healing from that grief. His eldest had shown signs of moving on since joining the hero course, so he felt safe in reintroducing these mementos. The photo albums were thick, heavy, and a little musty. They'd been left alone for far too long. He handed one off to Kohaku and a small device clattered to the floor. Whoa, it's been a while since he's seen one of those. Holding it up to the light, he showed it to his daughters. "Look there's even this old flash drive. Miko, why don't you grab my laptop from my office?"

His eldest daughter nodded mutely and he was glad to see that Miko didn't run away from the photos, but instead rose easily. Her footsteps were unhurried as she retrieved the device. She came back quickly enough and handed off the laptop. "Let's see what we have saved here," he said as he plugged the item in. Opening the drive, they saw hundreds more photos and even videos stored in multiple files and folders. Deciding to open one at random, the small family was greeted by the sight of Miko and Akio working out together and another of the two of them doing partner stunts. "Your mother would love this," he chuckled, watching a younger version of himself, with longer hair but no less musculature, laughing with Miko as a toddler. Even then she had tiny muscles on her childish frame, her movements sharp and confident. Taking a peek at her, she really hadn't changed much at all. Short for her age, and more than a little buff.

Said child snorted. "Somehow I doubt that. She hated when you carried us over your shoulders." That was true. Their mother always objected to him 'rough housing' with his daughters, but what was he to do? It's not like he had any sons and they were just as eager to wrestle. If anything they were the bad influences, especially Miko. That girl was always begging to sit atop his shoulders or tossed into the air, and it wasn't as if he wasn't able to carry her. They were just kids. "Your mother should've trusted me. It's not like I would let my babies fall."

Miko gave him a look that exactly mirrored her mother's, skeptically raised brow and everything. "You made me do handstands over your head with only one arm to hold onto." Man, even her tone was as cutting as Aoi's.

"And you always did so well!" He laughed, but Kohaku'd grown tired of her sister hogging all the attention and butt in, "Find photos of me! I want to show them to my friends." She fumbled with the laptop Miko had graciously passed over. Smiling lightly, she spoke to no one in general, "Those days were fun. Even if mom yelled at us for being reckless."

Akio smiled at his daughter, looking mischievous. "Think we could still pull it off?" Miko raised a brow, laughing haughtily. "At your age? It'd be best not to risk it." His jaw dropped to the floor in disbelief. "At my age?! C'mon, little river, your papa's gonna show you he's still got it." Rising quickly from his seat, he ushered both his children out of the room and out the house. Miko dragging her feet and Kohaku eagerly following his heels.

"Oh, oh how fun!" She clapped. "Miko's totally gonna show you up Dad." He scoffed, how could those two gang up against him like that?

The air was hot as they headed to the courtyard, walking immediately to the spot of soft grass where father and daughter faced each other expectantly. "Alright. Remember how to do this?" Miko rolled her eyes.

"Obviously. Let's just warm up a bit first," she added hastily. He knew she was trying not to seem worried about him, but didn't call her out on it. Instead, he let her lead them through a series of stretches until she was content. Standing from a forward lunge, he clapped his hands, gesturing her forward. Miko was tiny compared to him, barely coming up to his chest at her full height.

"Let's get started! C'mere, river. Keep tight and don't lose balance okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I know. 'S not like I haven't done this before," she grumbled, though there was still a smile on her face. She turned so her back was to him.

He narrowed his eyes at the back of her head. "Don't get snippy with me. A reminder never hurt anyone and your mother would kill me if you got hurt."

Kohaku smiled. "Some things never change."

"No, they don't," Akio laughed. He placed strong hands on either side of Miko's torso, bending his knees and moving in time with his slow countdown. On the count of three, he hoisted Miko up in one swift movement over his head, making sure to adjust his hands so he carried one foot in each hand as she stood stiff in the air. Miko's arms were so tight against her body her shoulders raised slightly to accommodate the positioning. Neither of them wavered in their stance, and Kohaku clapped and cheered happily, her phone flashing as she took photos. Once Miko started to wobble a bit, Akio shifted his arm, warning her to countdown before tossing her upwards. She kept the same rigid posture, arms and legs tight and unmoving as she dropped, when someone else came into the yard.

"Looks like we caught you at a bad time," he said with a roughish grin on his face. Minakami Shinoda was tall, slender, and as expected of his heritage, sported a crop of silver hair and red eyes. The sleeves of his finely pressed dress shirt were rolled up to the elbow, and he looked every bit the charismatic businessman he was.

Kohaku threw her arms around him. "Uncle Minka!" He threw his head back with an annoyed groan. "I swear you girls are already old enough to pronounce my name correctly. You've even influenced Ran's kids!" Despite his feigned annoyance, he hugged his niece just as tightly.

Like an imp, Kohaku shamelessly tossed her hair behind her shoulder. "Sorry uncle, it's just easier and waaay shorter."

"Take it up with grandma and grandpa if it's so hard," their uncle scoffed. "They're the ones who stuck me with it. Completely unfair Aoi got the easy-to-pronounce one." He also happened to be her mother's twin brother. Fraternal twins: Minakami and Aoi Shinoda. So it wasn't too surprising when his wife Teka gave birth to a set of their own.

"Don't let this old man bother you," Chinami, the older twin, said as she joined the group with her brother. She ignored the annoyed look Minakami gave her.

"He's just annoyed none of his nieces or nephews could properly pronounce his name on the first try," Enkai, the younger one, said. "We ran into aunt Ran on our way in and she said we're having watermelon tonight."

"Since it's summer and all," his sister added with a shrug. Unlike their father and aunt, this pair of twins were not near identical. Enkai looked the most like his father, with a near identical face and silver hair. The only and most notable difference were his eyes, which seemed to shift between Shinoda red and his mother's orange hue. His quirk was a milder form of Teka's, color palette, which allowed him switch his eye color from red to orange.

Chinami, on the other hand, was a more subtle mix of her parents. Her nose was sharp like her father's, and combined with her mother's baby face, gave her a slightly birdlike quality. The poor girl had yet to grow into it. She shared the same black hair as Teka and inherited her quirk color palette, meaning her skin could take on the color of whatever item touches it and could even create intricate designs. As a child, she always looked like she fell into a pit of mixed paints.

"Someone should probably help her wrangle the triplets, though." The trio stared pointedly at Miko who sighed lightly and walked towards her aunt's house. "Be back," she said begrudgingly. She didn't appreciate being ordered around like that by the twins, but she loved the triplets too much to really let it bother her.

"You know you handle kids the best!" Chinami yelled after her. Miko pretended not to hear her.

She left the yard towards the back of Ran's house, and heard her cousins before she saw them. They were high energy, excitable kids on any given day, and the promise of sweet fruit only gave them more reason to jump and run around. "I'm coming in."

Yuushi was the first to jump her. "Miko-nee guess what we got!"

"Did you buy something special while you were out?" She asked kindly, a gentle expression on her face.

"A watermelon!"

"We're gonna smash it out in the yard!" Nori added gleefully. Miko tilted her head indulgently.

"Ah how exciting! Be sure not to swing too hard, there might not be enough for all of us to share."

"We will, we will!" They chanted at they ran for the yard with a bat. She shook her head exasperatedly, watching them scramble over each other as they struggled out the door bemusedly. Ran placed a weary hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks for coming, Miko. Do you mind grabbing napkins? Or towels? It might get a little messy outside."

"Of course." She grabbed armfuls of plates, utensils, and napkins, following behind Ran who carried out a large amount of meat out her back door.

They went outside in a tornado, joining the rest of the available family gathered in the yard. Grandmother, grandfather (her yakuza grandfather, her mind helpfully supplied), 'Chiro and Kisa, Minka and Teka, her father, and now Ran who brought meat home to grill. Her father set up a grill and Minka was quick to bring out a cooler filled with an assortment of cold drinks. Ran tugged her towards the grill after she set the plates down on the table that suddenly appeared in her absence. "Here, Miko, why don't you help me put some of the meat on these skewers and your father and keep an eye on the grill while they cook."

Miko was by no means a good cook. Her food was usually quite bland, since she only ever cooked for the nutrients her meals provided. Besides, Ran was usually nice enough to feed her and Kohaku when her younger sister grew tired of Miko's tasteless food. Despite that, she was perfectly adequate when it came to prepping ingredients— it was the least she could do in exchange for her already overworked aunt's generosity.

They worked at a blinding pace, losing count of how many skewers they used, and Ran shooed her away with an order to 'eat before the rest of the pack finishes all the meat'. After piling her plate with a few skewers, she ate quietly as she observed her family enjoying their first summer bbq together. The adults were gathered around the grill, talking about something or other, and Kohaku and the twins were doing their to avoid catching notice of the toddler trio while huddled around plates of food and their cellphones.

Distracted by the light atmosphere, she didn't notice when Minakami approached her with a plate in hand. "Ah, Miko, my favorite niece," he hummed. Miko smiled ruefully over a bite of food. "You know if Kohaku hears you say that she won't leave you alone until she convinces you to say she's your favorite."

Her uncle chuckled wryly, "She gets that from Aoi." He took a bite of food, swallowing quickly before speaking.

"Still, you are my favorite niece. 'Chiro told me all about how well you and your little hero friends sold those support item techies at the banquet." He tipped his head as he raised his drink for her. "Well done, favorite niece."

Miko's chest puffed out subconsciously. "I had a job to do and I did it. That's all there was to it, Minka." Minakami put a hand against his chest and cried out dramatically.

"Ah! That childish name again. Fine, favorite niece, I'll let you get away with it for the time being. My boys in the marketing and finances department are singing your praises, and mom was quite pleased with the arraignments so expect to be called upon for future endeavors." He rudely pointed the end of his skewer at her and eyed her with one raised brow. He had a striking resemblance to her mother, and looked so much like her in that moment, Miko remembered to miss her. Hopefully she'd be home soon.

She bit her lip thoughtfully as she remembered the night of the banquet. All she could recall was counting down the minutes until she could escape home. "Like I said, all I did was butter them up a bit. 'Chiro and Yuuishi did all the real work."

"Talking to you piqued their curiosity! Hell, they even invited us to I-Island— just take the compliment Miko, I know you want to preen! You're not at all as good at acting as you think you are."

"What's this I hear about the hospital singing Miko-tan's praises?"

Miko brightened considerably. "Ichigo!" He was dressed down in comfortable clothing, meat skewer already in hand. He must've had the day off if he didn't show up in his costume.

"Hey there little snake! Finally summer vacation right?" She nodded after releasing him from a hug. His naturally silver roots were missing. He dyed his hair navy again.

Minakami interrupted. While Miko was his favorite niece, Ichigo was her favorite cousin. "Miko here got the hospital invites to I-Island."

"Keeping the boss lady happy, huh?" Ichigo grinned boyishly, congratulating her on her hard work before walking off to entertain the triplets. Miko watched them play with a soft fondness in her eyes, not noticing Minakami observing her keenly as she absently minded chewed her food with a tiny smile.

Abruptly, he ruffled her hair and she cried out indignantly. "You forget I helped raise you, kid." She looked at him curiously, but before she could open her mouth, he cut her off with a shout towards the triplets. "Hey kids quit hounding your cousin! His bones are too weary for you to be jumping on him like that." He gave Miko a mischievous look. "Why don't you ask Miko to show you some tricks instead? I saw her do a split ten feet in the air!"

"Show us!"

"Miko do a split!"

She turned to her uncle with a wry look on her face. "I wasn't ten feet in the air and I didn't do a split."

"Maybe not, but I know you can do it." With an uncharacteristically serious voice, he took her plate from her hand and shoved her towards the children. "Go on. Enjoy the time off and have fun with your family." Shaking her head ruefully, Miko walked towards the kids, talking animatedly about the kinds of tricks she knew. Her gestures and Minakami's shouts caught the attention of the adults, even the pre-teens circled around their cellphones, and a small crowd gathered in front of Miko. She beamed as they laughed and clapped merrily, watching her show off and teach the triplets how to do small somersaults on the ground. Even now, years later, she still enjoyed impressing them, entertaining them, making them smile with her little bag of tricks.

Her family smiling, together, and happy, was all she could ever ask for.


AN: I'd like to take a moment and point out katsuki's nickname for Miko. At the beginning of this story, Bakugo sees Miko as a stuck up heiress so the name "princess" is an intended insult. This nickname was also inspired by personal experience. Someone called me this everyday for the last two years of high school (due to a VERY embarrassing misunderstanding) and I died a little every single time I heard it. To this day, an arrow pierces my heart even thinking about it.

Also, thank you for the kind reviews, faves, and follows! It means a lot that people are enjoying my work and further motivates me to work hard on this for you guys.