A BNHA fanfic.
My Hero Academia/BNHA is owned by Horikoshi-sama and all affiliated Media. I make no profit from playing in their universe.
A/N: Yes, in this story All Might is half-American on his mother's side. I decided to humanize him a bit by giving him the tendency to procrastinate when it comes to dealing with people, he is on the outs with such as Night-eye and Gran Torino.
Updates on Wednesdays…Hehehehe. Well, Happy Thanksgiving. Making Pumpkin Pie took longer than I planned, so you are getting the chapter a day late. Here's where things get fun!
Constructive Reviews welcome. Flames will be flushed.
)_O_(
CHAPTER 5
-August 25th…Musutafu, Japan, early morning
A crash from the kitchen had Shouta running from the bathroom with a towel around his waist. Hitoshi was peering around the back of the couch, still clad in his gray cat onesie. Mic was slowly backing away from Kiku who was glowing with red veins of energy, a black cable-like substance had sprouted from her wrists anchoring her to the walls; the shattered remains of the kitchen table and the breakfast dishes lay at her feet. Shouta shivered when he saw her. Was this some new aspect of her quirk they hadn't seen before? Whatever had occurred while he was showering seemed to have thrown her into some sort of overdrive, as though she'd been given a dose of trigger. Mic was using soothing words to try and calm her down and Shouta could see tears trickling from her panicked blue eyes.
Her eyes flashed and she screamed in fear and rage. More black ropes shot from her wrists, shattering the bookcase and scattering broken debris across the carpet. Shouta stepped forward, eyes red, hair floating. To his surprise, the tendrils sucked back into her body and she collapsed on the floor weeping, red veins of energy still surging across her body. He could affect this?
"Papa Shou, what's happening to me? Aaarrgh!" She bashed a fist into the last unbroken chair and a white streak of fur shot out from behind the curio cabinet with a loud screech, hair on end, hissing as it bolted into the bedroom. "Help me."
Shouta bound her up in his capture scarf and braced himself in the door frame, barely able to keep his feet as she struggled against his hold, whispering for Hizashi to grab the tranqs from his utility belt. Kiku vacillated between weeping and struggling to escape until Hizashi came up behind her and injected the tranquilizer into the back of her neck. She collapsed into the bindings and Shouta carefully laid her on the couch and moved forward to check her pulse and breathing.
"What happened?"
"I don't know. I'd just finished making breakfast when she screamed and broke the table." Hizashi replied, brushing a straggle of blonde hair from his eyes. His cockatoo style completely collapsed from the havoc their daughter had wreaked.
"She drank Papa Shou's smoothie." Hitoshi's quiet voice piped up from the back of the couch. He was leaning over, staring down at his sister with concern, one small hand stroking green locks of hair back out of her face. "She'd only taken a few sips of it, then bright lights started all over her and she screamed and broke the table. Is she gonna be okay? You're not gonna send her away, are you?" His scared eyes glanced over at the warzone that had once been a kitchen. Both cats had long since made themselves scarce.
Shouta dropped to his knees and put a comforting hand on the little boy's shoulder, careful not to dislodge the towel. "Of course not. Family doesn't abandon one another when accidents happen." He glanced up at Hizashi. "Can you take Hitoshi to the station with you while I take her to Recovery Girl?"
Hizashi gave him a thumbs up, turning to Hitoshi. "How would you like to go to the radio station with me today little listener?"
"Really, I can go to work with you, Papa Zashi?" It was the most excitement either of them had heard from the stoic little boy since he'd come to live with them. Shouta heaved a sigh of relief. It was heartening to know that the therapy was working, and the boy would eventually be alright.
Hizashi took Hitoshi to use the restroom and get dressed while Shouta slipped into their room to change into black jeans and a dark gray t-shirt with a white cat curled around a cup of steaming coffee and the caption "I don't do Mornings." As he was draping a clean capture scarf over his shoulders – an accessory he was never without – he heard Hizashi assuring Hitoshi they would stop and get pancakes on the way to the station. Pancakes were Hitoshi's favorite food breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Shouta bagged up the remains of the breakfast smoothie, wondering if someone had tampered with the ingredients in the mix, and scooped the sleeping Kiku into his arms with a grunt. He always forgot just how heavy she was. A knock on the door signaled the arrival of Nemuri. He'd texted her for a ride while he was dressing. Hizashi scooped up the car keys and opened the door, Hitoshi hovering beside him. Nemuri smiled down at Hitoshi. "How are you doing little man?"
"We get to have pancakes an' then Papa 'Zashi is taking me to the radio with him." The purplette was bouncing with enthusiasm. Nemuri smiled down at him, ruffling the fluffy purple hair he'd slicked up in imitation of Hizashi's 'Present Mic' hairdo. Shouta hid a smirk at the smiling child, dressed in black jeans and a studded leather jacket, standing beside his Cockatiel of a husband. Hizashi had even gotten the boy a pair of purple-tinted sunglasses to complete the look.
"Here, don't forget these," Shouta tossed Hitoshi's motion sickness pills to Hizashi.
He snatched them out of the air with a "thanks" and whisked them out of the door.
Nemuri's eyes surveyed the destroyed apartment. "What happened here?"
"I'll explain in the car. I don't know how long the tranquilizer will last. We need to get her to Recovery Girl right away. I'll call Nezu on the way and let him know we are coming in." Shouta replied, stepping around her into the hallway. She took the keys from his fingers and locked the apartment door.
)-O-(
-Same time…Might Tower, Tokyo Japan
"Welcome back, sir."
Toshinori didn't recognize the perky pink-haired young man who greeted him as he entered his agency.
"Thank you, um…" He trailed off, allowing the young man time to introduce himself.
"Oh, sorry, I'm Akihiko Botan, a Third Year from Ketsubutsu Academy. I'm here on internship under Sir Night-eye." The boy explained, trotting backwards as Toshinori Strode through the lobby in his hero form.
"Right. Where is Sir Night-eye now, and where is Gran Torino?" He wanted to know what the urgency was. Hopefully this whole issue could be resolved in time for the family reunion.
"Sir Night-eye is in his office on the twenty-eighth floor. As for Gran Torino, I'm not sure who that is…" The interns' response was cut off by a gruff voice from the left.
"I'm right here. You took long enough. Why didn't you return my calls, boy? We have been trying to get in touch with you for months." The old man was glaring at him, hands fisted on his hips and breakfast crumbs on the front of his yellow hero costume.
Toshinori suppressed a shudder. Torino's voice had haunted him since high school. "S-Sorry, Torino-sensei." The appellation was an automatic response. He straightened up and cleared his throat. He couldn't show fear in front of the youngsters. "I was on a secret mission and my phone got lost. I didn't find it until after I got back. There were six months of messages on it. Come up to my office, we can talk there."
He turned back to the intern. "Let Sir Night-eye know I have returned. I will speak with him as soon as I am done with Torino-san." The young man bowed and scurried towards the open elevator.
As soon as the doors had closed on the young intern, Toshinori and Torino stepped into a second elevator which had just opened its doors. They were just sliding closed when a slender hand inserted itself between them and a tall dark-skinned woman with short white hair stepped into the elevator.
"Ah, good, I caught you Yagi. Torino." She bowed a greeting to the two men.
"Daitan-san." Toshinori greeted the new head of the HPSC. Torino simply bowed. It couldn't be a coincidence that she had arrived just minutes after he did. Things must be more serious than he thought. "Is this about All-for-One?"
"No. I assume your office is secure?" At his nod, she shifted the folder under her arm. "We'll talk there. You are welcome to join us Torino-san, we are both here for the same reason after all." She stated cryptically. A slight smirk adorned her wrinkled face.
Toshinori wondered what was so urgent that the head of the HPSC had chosen to involve herself.
)-O-(
-45 minutes later…UA High School Nurse's Office
Recovery girl leaned forward and kissed the groggy young girl on the forehead, healing the hairline fractures in her arms and legs. She'd awakened just before they arrived at the employee entrance. Kiku sat mute on the exam bed, head hanging, tears trickling down her cheeks. She didn't even flinch when Chiyo took a blood sample. Shouta was beside her in a chair holding her hand and murmuring reassurances.
"What the hell did you give the poor child?" Recovery Girl demanded, swiveling away from the microscope to glare at Shouta.
"It was just a standard tranquilizer. Why? What's wrong?"
"I'm not referring to the tranquilizer. I'm referring to whatever she was given that has made her blood cells react at though she were given an overdose of Trigger." The elderly woman growled.
"Hitoshi said she drank my breakfast smoothie this morning. I'm worried it may have been tainted. She hasn't had anything else that I'm aware of today." Shouta replied, scratching the back of his head and eyeing her cane warily.
"I-It h-happened right af-after I took a drink of Papa Shou's breakfast shake." Kiku stammered, head hung in shame. "It smelled so good. I just wanted to try some. I-I di'n't even have that m-much," She hiccupped. The tears began to flow in earnest and Shouta pulled her into his arms to comfort her. He was thankful the furniture in the nurse's office was built more durable to withstand a variety of quirks.
Chiyo snatched the bag containing the mostly empty cup that had once been filled with Shouta's breakfast smoothie. She placed a slide with a sample of the remains in the analyzer which beeped and whirred for a few minutes before printing out a lengthy analysis. Her eyes bulged out when she read it.
"Dear Buddha, how are you still alive? Caffeine! Taurine! Guarana! Do you have any idea what that combination can do to the human body?" She slammed her staff on the floor and glared at Shouta. "Red Bull, 7-hour energy and six shots of high voltage coffee! It's a wonder your heart hasn't given out, sonny."
They sat quietly for another half hour as she performed some more tests under the microscope. Finally, she turned back to them and gently took Kiku's hands in hers. "Little one, you can't drink your Papa's breakfast shakes. It appears you are allergic to caffeine. Don't worry, this wasn't your fault my dear, you had no way of knowing. From now on no coffee, no chocolate and no soda. Decaf tea only for you my dear." Kiku nodded in confirmation, a look of relief crossing her face.
"As for you," Chiyo turned to Aizawa with a glare and bopped him on the head with her cane. "You are to start eating healthier young man. If you must have the caffeine, I expect to hear that you have eaten a balanced meal with it. No more Coffee shakes for breakfast. I will be texting Yamada to make sure you follow the rules. You do want to live to see those precious children grow up, don't you?"
Shouta nodded and rubbed the knot on his head, feeling like he was five again. The old bat really knew how to put the guilt on a person.
A knock sounded at the door and Lunch Rush entered, smiling at them.
"Good, you are here. Can you take the little one to the cafeteria and feed her a healthy breakfast? No chocolate and nothing What. So. Ever with caffeine." Recovery Girl directed the Cooking Hero, punctuating with her cane as she spoke.
"Yes, Ma'am. I'll take good care of her. Come little one; you must be hungry. I'll fix you right up." He took Kiku's hand and led her out of the room accompanied by a stream of questions as the child gave in to her fascination with quirks and interrogated him.
As soon as they left, she turned to Shouta. "Now. Tell me about the new quirk she just manifested."
Shouta stared at her, stunned. How did she know.
"I'm not stupid. I suspected this might happen given who her father is. It was only a matter of time until the quirk evolved to that point. Besides, the analyzer showed a deviation to her quirk factor that wasn't there is the previous blood test I ran." She held up a hand as he opened his mouth, "and no, I cannot tell you who Yagi is. All I can say is his identity is classified and he's the only one with authorization to disclose it to you."
Shouta sighed. He should have figured. Her father was either a high-ranking pro-hero, or a government agent. He had his suspicions as to who it might be. Taking a deep breath, he explained what he'd seen of Kiku's newest ability.
…A.U.T.H.O.R.S..N.O.T.E…
Yay! Longest Chapter Yet! What do you think so far?
Akihiko Botan - Meaning: Shining Prince Peony (Just because I can).
Daitan Chikako – Meaning: Bold child of wisdom (Recently appointed head of the HPSC)
Shoutout to my loyal readers – thank you for the reviews. I only respond to reviews via private messaging because I am one of those people who hates long author notes at the beginning or end of a chapter.
