Hi guys! Sorry for the delayed update! I try to update once a week, but sometimes life just gets really crazy! Anyways, here's chapter 8! And thank you tremendously for the wonderful reviews! Please keep them coming! I so appreciate it! Please enjoy!


Toshinori Yagi dabbed the sweat off his forehead once more with his handkerchief as he sat by the open window in his apartment, clicking on the various articles detailing the criminal reports in Tokyo's online newspaper on his laptop. A soft breeze blew into the apartment. Outside, the sun shined brightly as cicadas sounded off their rhythmic humming. It was nearing the end of summer, and Toshinori was looking forward to some cooler weather. Yagi allowed the criminal reports to keep his mind preoccupied, but he still couldn't help but wonder what Minami and her guide were up to; her guide being Midnight, whom he had asked to help Minami pick out a swimsuit at the local mall so she could take advantage of the warm weather through swimming workouts. Toshinori looked at his last text message he had sent Minami about an hour ago; there still wasn't a response to it yet, even though they had already been gone for several hours.

Is shopping supposed to take this long? Yagi questioned to himself. He forced himself to set his phone back down before he texted another message, and refocus back on the criminal reports once more to look for any patterns of criminal activity.

Yagi started second guessing his choice of companionship for Minami that day, becoming anxious as he imagined Midnight possibly encouraging Minami to do something he definitely wouldn't approve of. He knew she was known as an 18+ hero, but realistically there weren't any other females he knew of that were available to take her shopping, and he didn't feel like he was the best choice to go with her for clothes shopping now, especially when it came to more female necessity items which really required the opinion of a more experienced woman.

Like Recovery Girl had mentioned, Minami had begun growing and developing rapidly, and was already catching the eye of teenage boys when they went out in public, to his paternal annoyance. Though he was sure she hadn't noticed their roving eyes just yet. That could just be due to the fact that he had always glowered at them in an unfriendly manner anytime he saw them staring at his girl, effectively scaring them away for the time being. But he knew that would not work forever.

The first time it had happened, the nasty face Yagi had made at a pair of two 17 year old boys ogling her from behind had shocked the daylights out of Izuku, who had not expected the friendly hero to look so sinister, until he saw what he was leering at. Izuku had burst out laughing at then, and had covered for Yagi when that drew the attention of Minami, distracting her instead as if he were her older brother. One of the many reasons Toshinori was grateful for the boy.

Minami doesn't need the distraction of boys when she's focused on becoming a hero. She's much too young to be dating anyways at 14. Though a suggestive swim suit would definitely be an issue. Toshinori reaffirmed to himself. He tapped the corner of the table he was sitting at with his index finger as he refocused to what would be taking Minami and Midnight so long.

Midnight knows better than to get something inappropriate for Minami, right? I specifically told her something for swimming, hopefully she knows that doesn't mean a tiny bikini. Suddenly the image of Minami picking out lingerie to show off her new curves at Midnight's insistence popped into Yagi's mind.

*BLEHK!* Horrified, Toshinori covered his mouth as he suddenly coughed up blood through his teeth at the thought, his cheeks flushing red. Wiping his mouth, Toshi snatched his phone again and began texting once more, needing to confirm everything was going well, for the sake of his sanity before his imagination ran away with him.

Midnight better not be using my credit card to get her anything else but functional clothes and a swimsuit! Or so help me… Yagi's thoughts were cut off by the sound of female laughter and a car door slamming. He looked down from the window and saw the two of them on the ground below, laughing together as they walked through the front doors of the apartment complex, with several bags in tow. Deleting the text message he had been about to send, Yagi quickly forced himself to relax in the chair he was sitting in, trying his hardest to look natural.

Within several minutes, the door to the apartment swung open, and the two females walked in, chattering and giggling away. Toshi looked back at them and grinned.

"Well? Did you ladies find a good swim suit? Looks like you found a lot more than that!" Toshinori laughed as he got up to approach the bags they set on the couch, peeking in one of them, curious.

"Daaaad! Don't look! There's girl stuff in there!" Minami whined a bit, embarrassed. Yagi pulled back from the bag like he had been burned.

"What do you mean girl stuff? I thought she was only going to get a swim suit?" Toshinori looked from Minami to Midnight, feeling a bit suspicious that his earlier fears may have been confirmed.

Midnight laughed at the shyness of the girl, and waved away the concerns of Toshinori, "Oh there's nothing scandalous All Might, only some bras and underwear in that bag; and since she has outgrown a lot of her clothes since moving here I thought she should get some new clothes that will fit her for a while."

Yagi nodded, that seeming more than acceptable as he took back his credit card from Midnight, as well as several receipts, reviewing the charges. Minami smiled as she pulled out her swimsuit from one of the bags and held it up to Toshinori.

"Look Papa! I love the shades of blue of my swim suit" Minami pulled out from the bag a very tasteful light blue tankini, perfect for swimming laps, to Yagi's relief. He grinned at Minami's excitement.

"It's lovely my girl,"

Smiling at her father's approval, Minami turned to put the swim suit away, and a glimmer in her hair near the corner of her face caught Toshi's attention. He reached forward, and turned her back around to face him.

"Just a sec, you have something in your hair little Minami, did you use glitter today?" he moved her blonde locks aside with his hand, intent on getting whatever was stuck in her hair out. He felt her stiffen a bit as his hand brushed her ear. He felt something hard and metallic meet his fingers. Yagi looked closer at what caught his fingers and saw an earring stud on her slightly red and swollen earlobe.

"Gah! You got your ears pierced little one?!" All Might cried out in surprise, blood dripping out a bit from his lower lip as he took her head and turned it to the other side to see the matching mate imbedded in her other earlobe. Minami smiled nervously up at her father, hoping she wasn't in trouble.

"Well, we were passing by a jewelry counter, and I had mentioned to Midnight how I had always wanted to get my ears pierced and well…" the girl played with a fingers in a nervous tic as she looked away from her father's shocked face.

"Oh All Might! Just relax, it's not a big deal. Most women have their ears pierced." Midnight folded her arms and rolled her eyes at the accusatory look Yagi gave her.

"Piercings were not what she went out for, Nemuri," Yagi ground out, irritated at being left out of the loop. "I'm not totally opposed to it, but I would have preferred you let me know this was being done; a simple text would have sufficed." Toshi sighed, shaking his head as he rubbed his temple, feeling a headache coming on.

God dammit, this will definitely be the last time I send Midnight out with Minami to go shopping for a while, can't have her getting anything else pierced…Now I need to worry about her getting her earrings ripped out in combat training.

"You don't like the earrings?" Toshi heard a sad, small voice question him, and he looked over to see Minami looking up at him with sad blue eyes, her bottom lip quivering a bit. "I'm sorry Papa, I didn't mean to make you upset!" Toshinori could see tears swimming in her eyes.

"Now look what you did All Might! You made her cry!" Midnight threw her hands up in the air over the absurdity of the situation, not understanding what the big deal was to him. Yagi quickly spoke before she could begin to cry, reassuring her.

"Nooo my girl, they look absolutely beautiful, but next time you want to get a piercing, how about you ask me first, hm?" a wide smile stretched across Yagi's thin face as he wrapped her in a hug, thumping her back and ruffling her hair. Releasing her from the hug, Yagi leaned forward a bit, placing his hands on his knees to get a better look. Looking at the small blue topaz studs in white gold, Toshi had to admit they did look very nice on her; they complimented her eyes. He could see Minami waiting for his final decision with baited breath, staring at him. He looked at her cheerfully and booped her nose, grinning.

"Beautiful! Just like I thought," Minami smiled at her father's approval,

"Now young one, go put these new clothes away and bring out your old ones that don't fit, we can donate them." Minami nodded her head eagerly and trotted off with the bags into her room.


Minami stared at herself in the mirror in the changing tent at the beach, judging the tankini on her. The multi colored blue material fit her curves like a glove, showing off a bit of her midriff. She smoothed the soft material over her hips, feeling unsure of herself.

I've never worn a swimsuit before. Is it supposed to fit so tightly? Minami thought to herself, blushing a bit at how exposed she felt, though the material covered her torso well enough, she wasn't sure how she felt about having her pale legs so exposed .

Her ears perked at the sound of several fawning women nearby. Minami moved the curtain of the changing tent, peeking out to see what the commotion was. Several young women were crowded around her father who was wearing his red and white striped body swimsuit, running their fingers over his chest and abs, giggling and practically drooling over his physique. All Might nervously rubbed the back of his neck at all the attention, though the big grin on his face showed he definitely wasn't adverse to the adoration. Behind him, she could see Izuku swimming laps back and forth in the sea.

Pushing the curtain fully aside, Minami cautiously came out of the changing tent fully and approached her father. Well, it's now or never, Minami.. The girl spoke to herself, still feeling unsure about how she looked feeling so bare, her heart hammering in her chest. She could see All Might's eyes turn to look at her; the smile lines around his eyes crinkling up.

All Might gently moved the women aside, "Ladies, I thank you for your admiration, but I have some hero duties to attend to regarding the training of future heroes." All Might stepped forward towards Minami, while the women behind him sadly whined at being shooed away and dejectedly shuffled off.

"Come my girl, let's refocus on another type of training to increase your powers." All Might held his hand out for Minami, and she placed her slender hand in his, letting him lead her to where the waves were rolling onto the beach. All Might looked up and still saw Izuku swimming his laps, not having hit his lap goal yet.

"Papa, I never told you, but…I can't swim…" Minami looked down at the tide engulf her feet, feeling heat rise up into her cheeks. I must really seem like some sheltered hillbilly now, who doesn't know how to swim? Minami criticized herself. She could hear her father's chuckle and felt his large hand set on her shoulder. Looking up, she could see his optimistic grin.

"Well then my girl, by the end of this afternoon you will be a grade A swimmer." All Might gave her a thumbs up and started ushering her further into the sea. Minami began stepping further into the water. She felt goosebumps prick her skin, the temperature difference between the air and the ocean making her shiver a bit. She waded further out until the water was up to her chest. Looking back to see if All Might was following her and seeing him beginning to trail her from the shoreline, she heard a whoosh come from in front of her. Turning to look, she was suddenly face to face with a large wave, as tall as her, as it toppled into her and sent her backwards underwater.

Shittt! Minami thought terrified, as she clawed at the air trying to stop herself from falling backward in vain, not expecting to be taken down by a wave as she was pushed under water. Instinctively inhaling and opening her eyes, she felt the sting of the salt water hit her eyes and the burning sensation of breathing in water scorch her lungs. Ocean water rushed into her open mouth and down her throat.

Suddenly she felt two large hands pull her up by her armpits quickly. It had only been a few seconds she was under water, but to Minami it felt like so much longer. As soon as she felt air on her face she tried to inhale, but felt like she was choking, and all that emitted from her was a gurgling sound as she pinched her eyes shut; her eyes still burning from the salt water's assault. Almost instantly she felt herself being tilted downward on the beach over a large knee; a hefty hand thumping her back.

"I've got you my girl!" she heard the loud voice of All Might ringing in her ears as he continued thumping her back, attempting to get her to cough up the water she had inhaled. His ministrations did the trick, and she painfully coughed out the salt water. She felt herself being pulled into a sitting position as she was greedily sucking in as much air as she could, hearing All Might's hushed tone trying to comfort her.

"My dear girl, I am so sorry, I was not expecting such a large wave to roll in like that!" with her coughing fit ending, she squinted to look up into the worried face of All Might, her eyes stinging from the effects of the ocean. Seeing the commotion from where he had been swimming laps, she could hear Izuku approaching rapidly, calling out to All Might, asking if she was ok. Minami could feel herself flush at the unwanted attention.

Dammit! Why did I let that happen!? She thought to herself, frustrated. She felt her stomach gurgle angrily and she held her torso, curling in a bit on herself at the cramping and nausea rising up in her. She could feel Izuku's hand on her back, his panicked voice asking what had happened. All Might pushed the hair out of her face, asking what was wrong. She felt overwhelmed at all the questions being asked of her as she felt the sea water that she had swallowed rising back up her throat slowly.

"Little Minami! Where does it hurt?" Minami heard All Might question her, his normally confident voice wavering a bit as she could hear the worry in his tone. A stab of guilt hit her at the realization of how much she must be worrying them because she allowed herself to be taken down by one little wave.

A real hero would never let that happen… She thought to herself, disappointed.

Minami groaned, "I don't feel so good," and began dry heaving, not being able to stop her body's rejection of the water any longer. She could feel All Might angle her away from him a bit and pull her drenched hair back while she emptied the contents of her stomach onto the sand. On her other side, she could feel Izuku patting her back, telling her it was going to be ok.

Breathing heavily as she finished, she shivered as she felt the breeze blow over her damp skin. She could hear All Might ask Izuku to bring him a beach towel. Wiping her mouth, All Might wrapped her up in the towel and held her close to him, patting down her drippy hair.

"There there my girl, everything is alright because I am here." All Might looked down at Minami, worried. Minami looked up at All Might blearily, her eyes still aching from the effects of the ocean. She glanced over and looked up at Izuku and could see the concern in his eyes. Rubbing the water out from her eyes, she felt irritation with herself rise up.

"I want to try again," Minami said firmly. All Might and Izuku stared at the girl a moment, confused.

"I have to work harder than anyone else in order to have a chance to get into UA, just like Izuku right? Well, I can't let one wave topple me over. And what kind of hero doesn't know how to swim?" she snorted at the ridiculousness of the thought, then started coughing a bit at irritating her sore throat. She could feel All Might tighten his grip on her.

"So can you guys show me how to swim? I promise I won't let something stupid happen again," Before All Might could say she should take a break from swimming for the day, Izuku chimed in.

"Of course! We can swim laps together! Here come on, I'll show you the different kind of swimming strokes." Izuku pulled Minami to her feet and started leading her back to the ocean. All Might looked on, seeing Izuku lead Minami back into the water once more, feeling a mixture of emotions pass through him as he looked down at the towel the young girl had just been wrapped in. The memory of what Recovery Girl had told him echoed in his mind.

Just enjoy this time All Might, she won't be small for long, and in the blink of an eye she'll be a young woman.

All Might smiled softly to himself as he watched Minami tentatively go back into the ocean with Izuku by her side.

You were right, Chiyo, she's growing up fast and is beginning to tackle the problems she faces on her own now. Maybe now's the time to kick her training up a notch. Besides, she'll need to have a decent hang of her powers by the time the entrance exam rolls around…


Minami heard a soft knock on her bedroom door, She looked up from where she was sitting on her bed, in the middle of brushing her hair after her shower. She saw Yagi peeking in with a cheerful smile on his face.

"Hey there kiddo! Mind if I join you here for a bit?" Toshinori pushed open her bedroom door fully and walked in, holding a white box with a pink ribbon tied on it. The bed shifted as Yagi sat next to Minami. He turned away for a moment to cough into the crook of his arm before continuing. He looked down at the young girl sitting on the bed next to him, gazing up with inquisitive eyes.

"My girl, a very special day is approaching isn't it? Your 15th birthday." At that being mentioned, a wide smile appeared on Minami's face.

"Yes! I'll finally be 15 and caught up to Izuku! It'll be totally badass!" Minami pumped her fist into the air for emphasis. Toshinori snorted at her antics.

"Language, young lady," he laughed, "Anyways, since you've been too stubborn to tell me what you want for your birthday-" Minami's defensive tone interrupted him.

"it's because I don't need anything else as long as I have you! You've already given me anything I'd ever want." she held her hands out trying to convince him she wasn't trying to be difficult. Toshi chuckled at her sincerity, patting her head.

"Hush little Minami," he deflected, trying to get her to calm a bit, "I know, and I am grateful you hold me in such high regard, but I would still like to give you something for a very special occasion." Handing her the box he had been holding, Minami accepted it tentatively.

"It would mean a lot to me, if you accepted this gift, little one…" Minami looked up at Toshinori a bit confused, hearing the slightly somber tone in his voice. Delicately unwrapping the box and opening it, inside lay a yellow gold chain with a small heart pendant. Enscribed on the heart were two initials, SN. The piece sparkled in the lighting of her room.

"Papa, it's beautiful," she paused to take in its glimmer once more.

"It was my mother's. However, its been sitting in a drawer unused. I think now is the perfect time for it to see some sunlight and have a fresh beginning." Toshi gently explained. Suddenly it clicked in Minami's head.

"Wait, the initials SN, do you mean your master, Nana Shimura was your mother?" Minami asked, her brow crinkling in confusion. Yagi sighed, preparing himself to explain the further details of his past.

"Yes and no. She was not my birth mother, I never knew my birth mother, she passed after having me. I only grew up knowing my father. Once it was confirmed I was quirkless, he wanted little to do with me, and slowly our relationship deteriorated. It wasn't until I was emancipated-"

"Emanci-what? What's that?" Minami blinked, trying to understand the term.

"it's when a minor can gain independence from an adult that has custody over them, though usually you have to be at least 16 to do this," Yagi explained simply. Minami nodded at the explanation, seeming to understand it.

"Anyways," Yagi continued, "I was able to emancipate myself, to separate from the difficult living situation I had. At that point, my father was mostly gone on business anyways, so it wasn't too much of a change, though I always had Nana and Gran Torino checking in on me constantly at my apartment." He chuckled at the memory, remembering quite often how startled he would be to come into his apartment and see them sitting at the kitchen table, having a cup of tea, waiting for him to return home.

"Once Nana found out I was working a part time job and going to school to try to make ends meet so I could afford to live by myself, she immediately forced me to quit my job and started paying my bills. I argued with her at first, but she always told me no kid of hers was going to put school second. It was always school and hero duties that should come first, in her opinion." Minami noticed the far away look on her father's face as he lost himself a bit in his past memories. Toshi seemed to notice he was drifting away from the main point of the topic, and gave his head a bit of a shake as if to brush off the past.

"But to answer your question, she was not my birth mother, but my mother in every other sense, as well as my sensei as she was the one who gave me OFA." Pulling the chain out of the box, it gleamed in the light as it danged from his hand.

"Let's see how it looks on you, my girl." Nodding excitedly, Minami turned her back to him and moved her damp hair aside, allowing her father to slip the necklace over her and clasp the back together. She ran her ringers over the chain resting against her collarbone. She turned around to look at Toshi, his large smile showing his approval.

"It looks like it was made for you, my dear, go look at yourself in the mirror." Standing up, Minami took a few steps over and looked at herself in her vanity mirror. The yellow gold showed up brightly, a lovely contrast against her alabaster skin. She touched the chain and pendant once more, admiring it. Turning back around, she sat back down on the bed next to Yagi and hugged him fiercely. Wrapping his own arms around the girl and resting his cheek on top of her head, Toshi continued,

"Nana was the best hero you could ask for, brave, smart, kind, powerful. You don't know how often I wish she could be here still, not just for me, but to be a guiding light for you as well." Minami could feel her father rumble his wishes, and squeezed him tighter.

"But you're all of those things too dad, you're my role model, I want to be just like you when I become a pro hero." Yagi smiled as he heard her response and tucked her under his chin, running his hand down her smooth hair.

"Sometimes I just think you'd be better off with a suitable female pro hero as your role model, not some skeletal old man like myself…" he murmured. The girl wrinkled her nose at his response and look up at him, "Is this about me getting my ears pierced without your permission?" Yagi laughed at her perceptiveness.

"No, not really, just trying to think about what is best for you is all." He half lied as he smiled softly down at her.

"You're All Might, the greatest hero there ever was, how can I ask for a better role model than that? And on top of it, you're my dad. I don't see what the problem is. I don't need any other role models when I have you." She took his hands and squeezed, trying to get Toshi to believe her, that she truly felt complete with him as her only parental guide.

"Besides, I already know who to go to if I want to get my belly button pierced," She grinned up at Toshinori, trying to get a rise out of him. His eyes widened at her statement as he began hacking into his arm.

"Nooooo, no. Absolutely not. No more piercings, do you understand Minami?" Toshinori gasped out in between his coughing. Minami giggled at her father's frantic response, nodding in agreement.

"Yes Papa, I understand," She grinned as she thought to herself, Well, at least I got his mind off of sad stuff...


Here's the end of the chapter! We're getting closer to the entrance exam day! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! it's only one to two chapters away at this point :)