Here's Chapter 3 guys! Thank you so much for the kind reviews! Your kind reviews are what keep me going! Please enjoy this next part! PLUS ULTRA!
Minami sadly watched her best friend drive away in their family station wagon.
What do I do now? She thought sadly. She immediately turned and started walking, trying to clear her head. Letting herself aimlessly wander until she looked up from her thoughts and found herself on the side of the arena where the tornado hit. This area had been deserted for a few days now, and she could see why. With the sun shining brightly, she could clearly see all the damage and felt a shiver down her spine, having a flashback to what it was like to be here when the tornado hit. Phantom pain waves hit her forehead where her still healing wound was, and she raised her fingers to it to reassure herself it was all in her head. Suddenly, she felt a strong arm grasp her from behind. Terror gripped her instantly, and the first thing she did was scream loudly, panicking. A man appeared in her peripheral vision.
"Shut her up!" a rough voice snapped from behind, and she felt a fist collide with her face. For the second time that day, stars appeared in her vision.
You have got to be fucking kidding me! Minami snarled to herself, still squinting at the pain she felt, and feeling blood rushing out of her nose. Instinctively, she latched her hands onto her assailant's arm and felt her quirk activate, feeling small beams of energy shoot out from her palms and onto the man's arm. She cried out at the burning sensation in her palms while the man screamed in agony from his flesh being burned, releasing her, not expecting her to have a quirk. As soon as she felt him release, she took off running.
"Watch it! She has a quirk! Get that freak! We need to see if she has any money on her then keep moving!" Minami heard one of the two men behind her shout.
Struggling to open her eyes as she ran, she felt the wind being knocked out of her after taking no more then 10 steps as she was tackled into the ground. Feeling heavy weight tackling her into the gravel, she cried out as she felt her arm and elbow scraping into the concrete. She coughed heavily, trying to catch her breath, and felt herself being flipped over onto her back and her wrists being pinned down on either side of her. Being able to fully open her eyes now, she looked up and saw a greasy looking middle aged man hovering over her, grinning. She struggled against him while he laughed at her attempts to escape.
"We got ya now you little hellcat! All of us here been on hard times since the storm hit; just agree to give us what's in yer pockets and there won' be any problems!" the leery man sneered at her through his southern drawl. Suddenly a booming laugh was heard behind him, and Minami could make out the figure of a mountain of a man in the rays of the sunlight.
"Smash!" a deep voice shouted and the scream of the other man could be heard as he was flung into the distance by the power of the rescuer's attack. Minami took pleasure in seeing fear flash in the remaining attacker's eyes as a large, masculine hand gripped his shoulder from behind. The face of All Might appeared attached to said hand, only now he wasn't smiling as he took in the sinister scene before him.
"So, you like picking on little girls, huh? Well let's see what happens when you fight against a hero, villain!" All Might declared as he all but ripped the man off of Minami and flipped him into the air. The coward screamed as he flew through the air into the distance, landing roughly, then getting up and running away.
Minami wasn't sure if she was seeing things correctly. She rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times as she looked at the concerned face of All Might who was standing above her now.
"All Might?" she asked tentatively, her heart pounding at the thought that her favorite hero was actually here, right in front of her, forgetting for a moment of her aching arm and nose.
As if remembering what it meant to be a hero, All Might's cheerful smile appeared back on his face again and he laughed proudly.
"Why yes my dear girl, I am All Might and you are now safe. Here, let me help you sit up." All Might slowly kneeled down and gently helped her to sit up. Minami moaned as she sat up, feeling blood rush out of her head. All Might clucked his tongue at her injuries, and pulled out a wad of clean napkins from his cargo pants. Gingerly holding her chin with his large fingers, he dabbed away the blood that had dribbled onto the front of her face and neck during the assault. Minami smiled up at the hero; her white straight teeth a sharp contrast to the red blood that covered her lower face.
"You're my favorite All Might! I've always wanted to meet you! What are you doing in Oklahoma? Are you here to meet with other heroes? Is there going to be a convention near-"
All Might's chuckle at her excited inquiries interrupted her string of questions. She blushed a bit at realizing how much she was talking and snapped her mouth shut.
With much of the fresh blood having been wiped away now, all that remained was the bit of dried blood that stuck to her skin. Pulling out a small water bottle from his cargo pants pocket, All Might unscrewed the cap and dabbed a bit of water onto a napkin, wiping away the rest of the blood from her skin. Minami could only stare at her hero as he was in close range. Piercing blue eyes with shadows were focused on her nose and chin. She could see a few age and smile lines on his face; proof of his long tenured years as the number one hero.
"There we go now, much better," All Might hummed softly in a fatherly tone as he screwed the cap of the water bottle back on as he finished up, feeling satisfied with his work. His eyes reached hers once more.
"Are you hurt anywhere else, my dear?" Suddenly the ache in her arm made itself known again. Not caring about the pain so much, Minami smiled up at her hero and raised her arm slightly, still feeling a bit star struck.
"My arm hurts a bit from where I landed on it, but other than that I'm fine, sir!" All Might reached over her and gently took her arm in his hand, examining it. His grip easily encompassed her entire bicep. He squeezed ever so slightly, "Does this hurt?"
Minami shook her head "No, not really, just mainly my elbow," He gently turned her arm to look at her elbow and could see blood oozing out; bits of gravel stuck and small debris in the wound. Without hesitation, All Might grabbed his water bottle and napkins once more while still holding onto her arm.
"I'll have to rinse this out a bit, it may sting a little, but I'll be as quick as I can about it." He looked at Minami with sympathy in his eyes.
Holding her arm up with one hand, he poured water over the wound. Minami hissed at the hot stinging sensation it produced. All Might's ministrations stopped for a moment, his eyes locking with hers apologetically. He grabbed a few more clean napkins from his pocket and began to wipe out the dirt and gravel from her wound as gently as possible.
With her adrenaline dropping, Minami felt the aches and pains beginning to settle in, and couldn't stop the sniffles that started at first, which then turned into whines of pain every time she felt All Might painfully wipe out the dirt and gravel from her wound.
Trying to comfort her while he took care of her injuries, All Might gently shushed her as he tried to finish up as quickly as possible.
"Shhh, I know… I'm almost finished…" Patting her head for a moment before going back to cleaning out the last few bits of gravel.
Embarrassed, but not being able to stop the flow of tears now, the flood gates opened and she began openly sobbing at not just the pain coming from her arm and nose, but also from her awful morning, as well as the realization of not having anywhere to sleep that night with her friend being out of town. Finishing up his work, All Might quickly, but gently, pulled the blonde haired girl into a firm hug, patting her back as she wept.
"It's alright my dear, don't cry, for I am here." She laughed a bit at hearing his catchphrase, never imaging in a million years she'd be in this predicament.
"This isn't how I planned on meeting you…" Minami hiccupped into his shoulder, hugging him back fiercely now as fat tears rolled down her cheeks for the second time that day. She could feel his chest rumble with a laugh at her response.
"Well, I am glad we have officially met all the same, even if it is not under the best circumstances at the moment," All Might smoothed her loose blonde hair back with his large hand. He felt a large grumble come from her stomach and he pulled back a bit to look at her once more.
"Are you hungry? You want to get a hamburger and fries with me?" He grinned.
Minami rubbed away the last of her tears and smiled up at All Might, beaming at the thought of having lunch with her favorite hero, "Yes! I'd love to!" All Might laughed at her enthusiasm despite still being so upset. Letting her go for a moment, he stood up to his full height and patted her head.
"All right then! I know of just the place, it's a few towns over from here, I passed it on my way in." He winked at her and extended his hand.
"I can get us there quite quickly, do you trust me?" Minami placed her small hand in his. All Might closed his large fingers around hers, and Minami instantly felt a feeling of safety encompass her as he helped her stand up.
"With my life, sir," She nodded to him. All Might smiled at her and lifted her up, jumping into the sky. Minami gasped at the unexpected quick movement, digging her nails into his arms as he held her while bounding around through the air. She glanced around in amazement at how high they were. She could see some paddocks with horses racing through them, and empty fields as far as the eye could see. It was a beautiful sight. All Might smiled down at her amazed face, and within a few minutes they landed gently at the front of a small 50s style American diner with plenty of seating outside and inside. Setting her down on her feet, he placed his hands on his waist and smiled down at her.
Minami took a few hesitant steps out, her legs feeling like jelly after the unexpected ride. Feeling a large hand on her lower back, she looked up to see All Might smiling down at her as he guided her to the service counter on the outside of the small restaurant. It appears they had just missed the lunch rush or people just weren't in the mood for a burger that day, as the place was completely deserted at the moment. Approaching the counter, a middle aged woman greeted them with a smile. Suddenly, her eyes widened at the pro hero standing behind Minami.
"All Might! Oh my goodness!" She fanned herself with her hand. "Please, take whatever you'd like! It's on the house!" All Might chuckled and smiled at her response, holding up his hand to politely refuse.
"I couldn't do that mam, I know you and your fellow coworkers need to make a living. I'll have one Big Tex burger with one side of large fries and a water please." All Might looked down at Minami, "and what will you be having, my girl?"
Minami looked back and responded after reading the list of menu items on the board above them. "One cheeseburger please with a side of small fries and a diet coke." All Might laughed cheerfully at her response.
"Good choice!" he ruffled her hair.
The server nodded, then called back to who looked to be her husband, "Dale! We got an order for one big tex and one cheeseburger, 1 large fry, 1 small fry, and one water with one diet coke; make 'em real fresh!" She rung up the order and looked to All Might, twitterpated once more.
"That'll be $13.65, Mr. All Might sir!" she responded, chipper. All Might pulled out his worn leather wallet from his pocket, and handed her a crisp twenty dollar bill, smiling.
"Keep the change mam," She smiled and accepted the twenty dollar bill.
"Oh thank you Mr. All Might sir! You're too kind! It shouldn't take more than a few minutes for your food to be ready." She placed the twenty dollar bill in the register and walked back to assist her husband.
Standing off to the side, All Might hummed a little tune that Minami wasn't familiar with, tapping his fingers on the lip of the serving window, while they waited for their food to be made. Minami looked up at All Might. Seeing her gaze, All Might returned it amicably while he continued to hum, flashing her a smile with a friendly wink.
"I don't think I caught your name, what is your name my dear?" All Might asked, playing along with small talk to make her feel more comfortable.
"Minami, sir" she smiled up at him.
"Minami, huh? That's a lovely name," He smiled down at her. Suddenly, a loud automated voice sounded out from All Might's pocket, but Minami couldn't understand what it said; it sounded like All Might's voice speaking in Japanese.
All Might blushed, forgetting he hadn't turned off the volume of his email notifications on his phone, which is why it announced "an email is here!" in Japanese. He pulled his phone out, and saw Minami's clueless face.
"Ah! Uh, that's my phone letting me know I got an email," he explained with a cheesy grin as he pulled his phone out and opened the email. Minami looked at his focused face as he responded to said email with his phone. He tucked his phone back in his pocket just as their food finished up.
"Ah! Perfect timing!" All Might clapped his hands together, seeing their food placed in front of them in the serving window. Taking both of their trays, he made sure to choose a high table outside, away from any prying ears as Minami trotted behind him to keep up with his long strides.
Setting their trays down, he slid Minami's tray over to her as she climbed up on the high seat.
"Enjoy, my dear, hamburgers are my favorite! I hope you will like yours too!" All Might cheerfully exclaimed as he took a bite of his burger.
Minami took a large bite of her burger, and could practically feel her eyes roll into the back of her head at how delicious it was. She happily hummed, swinging her feet as they dangled in the air, while she munched on her fries and burger, and sipped her diet coke. All Might chuckled as how cute she looked with her cheeks stuffed to the brim like a chipmunk.
She hadn't had much to eat in a while, and soon found herself wolfing down her food, almost choking at how fast she was eating. All Might leaned over and firmly patted her back when she coughed a bit.
"Slow down, young Minami! No reason to rush," he laughed while she took a sip of her diet coke, blushing a bit at her bad table manners. Taking a napkin, Minami patted the corners of her mouth in a lady like fashion, her blush still evident on her high cheekbones.
"I'm sorry, I haven't had much to eat lately, and the burger is so good that I couldn't stop eating!" Minami laughed, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment. All Might's smile dropped a bit at her response.
"You haven't eaten very much? Why is that?" Minami realized her slip, and her smile instantly dropped, and she lowered her gaze to her hands in her lap, which were slightly shaking now from nerves. She didn't like to talk about her home life, and wasn't sure how to proceed in uncharted territory.
Hearing the scrape of a metal stool against concrete, she looked up and saw that All Might was no longer directly across from her, but was now beside her as he wrapped a muscled arm around her shoulders, reassuring her. She looked up from her hands and her glance happened to catch his plate. She noticed he had hardly touched his burger and fries, and couldn't understand how such a large man could have such a small appetite.
"Why haven't you eaten very much, young Minami?" All Might asked gently once more, redirecting her attention to him. She looked up at him then dropped her gaze and fiddled with her fingers, feeling nervous. She felt All Might's grip tighten on her shoulder a bit to give her courage.
"My...My grandpa isn't very nice, and well, he doesn't like to have a lot of food in the house, usually I would eat more when it was during the school year, I was able to get a free breakfast and Lunch from school. But now that school is out for the summer…" she trailed off, and All Might was able to easily fill in the rest by himself.
All Might was silent for a moment, and then spoke again,
"Does anyone know what is going on at home?" Minami shook her head negatively, not saying anything.
"Does your grandpa do anything else to you that isn't very nice?" All Might asked gently, careful not to overwhelm her with the delicate subject.
Minami grew silent, and averted her gaze to the side, nervously chewing on her thumbnail, not sure what else she should say. All Might brushed the hair out of her face comfortingly, and took note of the bruise on her cheek, wondering if it came from her grandfather.
"Young Minami, you don't have to be afraid, I promise you that I will help you. In fact, you're the reason why I came all this way." He smiled, and Minami felt relief fill her heart at seeing her favorite hero smile once more.
"I am?" she responded softly, looking up into All Might's eyes. All Might took the hand that she had been chewing and held it firmly in his own, giving a soft squeeze of reassurance.
"That's right. Your mother and I were…very good friends." All Might explained, blushing a bit, not sure how far into detail he should actually go, as they were definitely more than just friends.
Surprise graced the features of the young girl at his explanation. "Really? You knew my mom?"
"Yes my dear, your mother was Faith Callahan, correct?" Minami nodded back.
All Might took a deep sigh to steady himself for what he was about to say next, as he could begin to feel nerves getting the best of him, "Well, I believe that I may be your father, and I wanted to come out here to meet you, and possibly take a DNA test to see if that is in fact the case." He squeezed her hand as he said this, hoping that she wouldn't have a negative reaction.
There was silence for about 5 to 10 seconds as Minami processed what he said. She looked back up at All Might, "You mean… you could be my dad? That is so cool!" Minami exclaimed, amazed at the prospect and excited once more; forgetting about the tense conversation they had just been having regarding her home situation.
All Might breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that she had a good reaction. He had no idea what to expect from her. Now the rest should be easier to accomplish. He could hear heavy tires on gravel around the corner from where they were sitting. Looking up, he saw a van with the lab logo on the side that Naomasa had described to him, pulling into the gravel parking lot. The lab representative was right on time to the diner he had directed him to in the email. Looking back down at the girl, he grinned at the excitement he saw in her eyes.
"Yes my dear, that's right, and in fact the lab technician has arrived to take a small sample to determine if that is in fact the case." All Might stood up from his stool and took a few steps away from the table to greet the lab technician who was approaching him with his lab kit, shaking his hand amicably. Turning back to look at Minami, All Might waived her over to him.
Minami felt a pit form in her stomach; she hated anything to do with doctors and procedures, having an intense fear of needles. Looking down at her feet, she hopped down from her stool and shuffled over to them, hesitant to make eye contact with the technician. She walked up just behind All Might, and without thinking took a fistful of the back of his blue tee shirt he was wearing, as her nerves began to get the best of her.
"Minami, this is Mr. Steward, he's going to take a saliva sample from both of us today to determine if we're related." All Might grinned down at her and set his hand on her shoulder, sensing her anxiety as she stood slightly behind him, nervous of the new stranger that had appeared. The technician pulled out two large swabs with sterile bags after slipping on rubber gloves. He handed one swab to All Might who used it to swipe the inside of his cheek for 30 seconds, then handed it back to the technician who placed it in the sterile plastic bag and into the kit. He looked at Minami with the second swab and tried to hand it to her, she just stared back at him nervously, then tentatively took the swab, looking up at All Might for reassurance. She could feel All Might squeeze her shoulder as he smiled down at her.
"It's alright Minami, they only need a saliva sample and that's it. You don't have to give them one if you don't want to." After standing there looking at the swab for about 10 seconds, Minami made a decision. Carefully holding the stick part of the swab, she rubbed the cotton head against the inside of her cheek for 30 seconds as they were instructed, then handed it back to the technician who placed it in a sterile bag. All Might patted her back and grinned down at her, giving her a thumbs up.
"Good! My girl, I'm glad you decided to do it!" he smiled, and she couldn't help but smile back. Looking back at the technician, All Might's face grew serious once more.
"Please remember, to keep this confidential, it is extremely important that the public does not learn of this, for the sake of the girl," All Might spoke in a hushed tone with a stern look on his face to get the point across. The lab technician nodded and responded, "You have my word, no one will know of this. Our files only show the name you reported and nothing more. We'll be giving you a call by tonight with the expedited results." All Might nodded to him as the man in the white lab coat turned and walked back to his car, pulling out of the driveway of the diner.
All Might looked back down at the girl, suddenly kneeling down in front of her, placing both of his hands on her shoulders, having a hunch that she was all alone that day. "Do you need a place to stay, while we wait for the test results to come back?" Minami nodded her head to All Might, still feeling overwhelmed at all the news presented to her. All Might smiled reassuringly to the girl and patted her head.
"OK! How about we go back to my hotel room, we'll get you a fresh pair of clothes and you can relax a bit until we get the results back, sound good?" he responded, taking a look at her now blood stained shirt and ripped jeans from the earlier encounter. Minami suddenly found her voice again and smiled back at All Might, never imaging that this is how her day would have gone; hanging out with All Might.
"That sounds great! As long as I won't be bothering you, sir," she responded with a soft smile. All Might chuckled at her response and ruffled her hair.
"You'd never bother me, it'd be my pleasure to spend the rest of my day with one of my fans!" he grinned, while thinking in the back of his mind the last issue he needed to present to her,
How should I reveal my true form to her? I know I don't have too much time left in my muscle form for the day, I'll have to deal with it once we get back to the car and just hope she doesn't scream when she sees me.
Lifting the girl up bridal style, he jumped into the air and shouted cheerfully to her, "Off we go!"
Minami giggled as she felt the breeze flow through her hair, forgetting about her worries once more through All Might's charismatic personality.
All right! Story is progressing! We'll find out what the results are with the next chapter, (I'm sure you all can guess what that will be by the description of the story, LOL), then All Might will have to collide with Minami's crappy grandfather to get him to release his custody of her! Let's see how that goes :P
