Hello my wonderful readers! Thank you again for sticking with my story! Seeing all your reviews and messages really brings a smile to my face! I apologize for how long the updates have been taking. To be honest we had a cancer diagnosis in my family and it really hit me hard. 2019 has been super crappy for me, and it's been difficult to focus on writing. But now I have a new chapter out, so I hope you all enjoy it!
Also, I have been getting some reviews and a few messages asking why Momo is so OOC and I promise there is a reason why! It goes along with the entire story and all will be revealed in the future. But for now, Momo very much dislikes Minami, and bit by bit, her reasoning why will be revealed. Here is Chapter 19, please read and enjoy! I look forward to all your lovely reviews! They truly make my day and are huge motivators for me . Y'all have an awesome day!
The sun rose gently in the horizon as a new day began. Birds were singing and chirping their morning greetings as summer was right around the corner. On UA campus, a young blond boy panted from the exertion of his exercises and kneeled to catch his breath near a trash can. His breaths had turned into small puffs that evaporated into the cool morning air. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he finished vomiting for the second time that morning due to the intensity of the workout that was directed by the number one hero himself.
All Might stood over the resting student with his fists on his hips, smiling as usual. He handed Bakugo a towel as the volatile boy's morning detention concluded. The boy snatched the towel from him and wiped the sweat from his face, giving an angry side eye to All Might before he wiped his mouth. The boy's sour behavior did little to offend the large hero, as he was sure his point had been made from this unorthodox detention.
"I hope you have learned a valuable lesson from this detention session Young Bakugo, and learned the importance of impulse control, as well as controlling your temper. There are consequences to all our actions, and as heroes it is even more important that we understand this concept. Let it be known that my detention sessions will no longer be conducted in a classroom setting, but will consist of heavy exercising that will instill the importance of respect and discipline. Is this understood? " All Might allowed his dominating presence to come into play as he eyed the teen at his feet, expecting nothing less than acceptance.
So much potential boy, but I won't have you throwing tantrums that cause serious injury to the other students…I'll make sure you learn to reel yourself in… All Might thought to himself as flashes of Izuku and Minami went through his mind, determined to protect them, as well as the rest of the students. Both stood there in temporary silence; All Might waiting for confirmation from Bakugo, not breaking eye contact with the younger male.
Bakugo was the first break his stare, gritting his teeth and nodding his head, not trusting himself to say anything out loud as he slightly submitted for once. All Might was satisfied enough with his response before continuing,
"Now hit the showers boy and clean up before class starts, you have little over an hour til school starts." Patting his back, All Might turned and crouched, leaving Bakugo to take care of himself as the hero leaped off toward his apartment where a certain blonde hair girl still rested.
Soon enough, All Might's feet balanced on the ledge outside his apartment window. He let himself in and noted the comforting silence of the homely apartment. He chuckled to himself as he deflated to Yagi, making his way towards Minami's room.
She must still be sleeping…. Turning the corner into Minami's room, his suspicions were confirmed when he opened the door fully and saw a lump under the lavender comforter in the dark room; a bit of blonde hair peeking out from the top.
Wasting no time, Toshi made his way to the other side of her bedroom and slowly opened the blinds and window, allowing the cool morning spring air to flood the warm room. Minami moaned at the bright light and cold air intruding on her space and rolled away from the offending brightness. Yagi laughed at her dismay.
"Come on little one, time to get up! Sun's shining and birds are chirping! Time to wake up and enjoy the day!" walking over he gently tugged her blanket off her form. Feeling the chilled air blow over her body Minami moaned loudly, clearly annoyed as her teeth chattered a bit; she curled in on herself. Her eyes cracked open to see Toshi sitting down on the edge of her bed, his thin face smiling at her as cheerful as ever. The rays of the sun shining behind him framed him in a golden light. She couldn't help but enjoy his jollity despite her slight irritation.
He's like a big ray of sunshine itself, or like a sunflower with how his hair looks… a big sunny, sunflower dad… Minami snorted to herself as her drowsy brain babbled, scratching her eyes as she yawned and stretched like a cat attempting to reawaken its muscles. Reopening her eyes, she startled slightly as she came nearly nose to nose with her father's intense stare.
She observed Yagi's cool blue shadowed eyes studying her face closely, looking for any remnants of yesterday's mishap. Seeing only her normal slender nose and large doe eyes free of injury, he ran a hand over her forehead and down her head, briefly checking for a fever and felt none. Reaffirming to himself she was fine, he pulled away as he moved to shake her shoulder to re-emphasize it was time to wake up.
"You got plenty of sleep last night kiddo, close to 12 hours! Now time to move little Minami!" he grinned mischievously as he tickled her sides as a last ditch attempt to wake her up.
Minami's drowsy body jerked at the unexpected sensation to her belly. She shrieked and giggled while she twisted and turned in her bed. Instinctively her feet kicked out upwards at the would be attacker. Yagi easily dodged her attacks, laughing at her sluggishness. Minami latched onto Yagi's neck in an attempted headlock, but the experienced hero snickered at her attempt to immobilize him.
"Oh no you don't squirt! I've got you now!" Yagi easily slipped the headlock and pinned her back on the bed, continuing his tickling until she signaled her defeat. Yagi backed off immediately, laughing at her sprawled form on her sheets.
"How are you able to dodge everything I throw at you? It's not fair…" the girl whined out loud as she wheezed to catch her breath, laying flat on her back with her feet dangling off the edge of the bed. Yagi laughed as he leaned down to kiss her forehead,
"Because, my dear girl, I've been fighting villains for two of your lifetimes." Minami sighed at his response, only being reminded of how far she had to go as she sat up. Seeing the discouraged look in her eyes, Yagi continued with his response as he was still leaning in close,
"But you know what?" he whispered loudly to her in a playful tone. Minami's ears couldn't help but twitch at his tone, not sure what he was going to do next.
"What?" she whispered back with the same inflect, curious.
"You're going to be even BETTER than me in time, just you wait!" Yagi whispered back vigorously, rubbing his nose with Minami's in an Eskimo kiss, making the girl laugh at his childish antics.
Standing straight once more, Toshi grimaced as his back cracked, before he turned his attention back to Minami, smiling at her happy face.
"I have a little surprise for you. If you're in the kitchen in 10 minutes all ready for school I'll have a fresh stack of blueberry pancakes waiting just for you." Yagi gleefully explained to the blonde girl, eager to see her excitement.
Minami's eyes lit up at his statement, her father only being able to cook American breakfast food well from all his years living in the US. But in her mind, no one else did a better job than him, especially with her favorite breakfast meal; blueberry pancakes.
"Really?!" Minami bounced on the bed.
Yagi laughed at her excited face, leaning down to ruffle her bed head, then turning around to leave the room. However, he felt two arms wrap themselves around his thin torso, stopping him in his tracks. Glacing back, he saw Minami holding him tightly, pressing her face into his lower back.
Unwrapping her arms from around his middle, Toshi turned and kneeled down in front of the girl, who had her head dipped, confused at the sudden change of demeanor.
Does she not want blueberry pancakes after all? Toshi thought to himself, puzzled.
Lifting her head slowly to meet Yagi's mirrored blue eyes, tears swam in Minami's eyes as she spoke,
"I just wanted to say, that I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused, and I'm really grateful you always take good care of me…I promise I'll try really hard from now on to not be so difficult to look after…" Minami sniffled as she spoke, many emotions swimming in her as she spoke; appreciation, embarrassment, guilt, love.
Toshi's eyebrows shot upward as she spoke, realizing why she was so upset,
She thinks I'm upset about everything that has happened? Well that's just not true!
"Oh Little Minami," Toshi fussed as he pulled her into a fierce hug. Feeling the girl wrap her arms around his frame and bury her face in his neck, he continued.
"You are never a burden, to me, never. And as long as you always try your best, I'll always be happy with your behavior." He could hear Minami sniffling some more and pulled away slightly from the hug to look her in the face.
"Now now little one, no more crying, I think you've cried plenty in the past two days." Toshi took his thumbs to wipe away the few stray tears rolling down her cheeks, smiling at her softly. Minami choked out a laugh as the last of her tears dried up. Yagi pulled out a clean handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed her cheeks and eyes, then held it over her nose, insisting she blow into it.
"There, much better. Now, let's see your smile!" Minami smiled back at Toshi as he pocketed his handkerchief once more, her insecure feeling that her father may be disappointed with her genuinely gone, and ready to start the day anew.
"And what do we always say when we're feeling bad about something?" Yagi questioned more so as a reminder,
"In this world, the ones who smile are the strongest of all." Both father and daughter recited together, as they had done so many times before, usually when Minami was on the verge of a panic attack or was having a bad day.
"Good girl, now don't you forget it," Toshi smiled as he tapped her nose playfully with his index finger, but his eyes widened as he nearly forgot something important. Standing to his feet again he turned and quickly walked out of the room, shouting over his shoulder,
"Oh! I almost forgot to show you something,"
"Hm?" Minami tilted her head, eager to see what Toshi had for her.
Turning the corner back into her room once more, the number one hero held something behind his thin form, grinning oafishly. Minami peered a bit from where she stood, and could see fabric legs waiving slightly behind his thin frame.
"Close your eyes," smiling, Minami closed her eyes, until she could feel something right in front of her. She grinned as she could feel the anticipation building.
"Open them," snapping her eyes open, she saw her hero costume being held in front of her, all clean and cleared of blood and dirt stains.
"TA-DA!" Toshi shouted, has he held forth Minami's hero costume, proud of his handiwork.
Minami squealed excitedly and snatched the uniform in her hands, holding it closer to her face to convince herself that it truly was as clean as it looked. Minami caught a soft floral scent wafting off the fabric, hinting to the fact it had recently been put through the washer, perhaps even several times.
"Papa! How did you do it?! It's perfect!"
Yagi laughed heartily at the girl's shock and enthusiasm, placing his hands on his hips in a very All Might manner before winking at her as he spoke,
"That, little Minami, is a story for another time, but you'll be late for school if you don't get dressed and into the kitchen for breakfast soon," he grinned as her head whipped to look at her alarm clock on her night stand, and she shouted in surprise, running to her dresser to pull out her school uniform.
Laughing at her franticness, Toshi backed out of the room towards the kitchen, shaking his head at the awkwardness of teenagers.
Minami breathed heavy as she raced towards the UA gates,
Oh shit! oh shit! I can't be late on top of missing class time! Aizawa-sensei will really target me then! She thought to herself, her heart pounding as she ran as fast as she could.
Turning the corner, she noticed cameras flashing and video recorders taking statements from UA students just a ways down the sidewalk. She slammed the breaks on and skid to a halt, confused as to why there were so many reporters clustered around the gates of the school, but not wanted to go closer until she could figure things out.
"Good morning Yagi-San," *Ribbit*
"EEEKK!" Minami shrieked and jumped into the air, dropping her backpack. Some of its contents spilled out onto the sidewalk, and Minami cringed at how stupid she must have looked for being startled so easily.
"Sorry Yagi-san, I didn't realize I would scare you," the froggie girl apologized robotically, but continued to stare unblinkingly at Minami, somewhat creeping the blonde girl out. As Minami regarded Tsuyu, she could see quite a bit of intelligence in her eyes.
Don't be mistaken Minami, she may seem weird, but I bet she's super smart…Now stop being so rude and respond back! Minami chided herself internally before forcing a friendly smile to come to her face.
"It's no problem Asui-san! I'm sorry I made such an ass of myself, I guess I didn't hear you come up behind me, and I was so distracted by…well…whatever that is over there!" Minami waived her arm in the direction where the press still pushed against the school gates, shouting questions at various students who were arriving to school, though about what Minami couldn't catch.
Both girls kneeled to the ground to pick up her pencil carrier and a few other things that had rolled out of Minami's bag, placing them back in her backpack once more before standing straight.
"It's the press, they're swarming the place looking for a story now that the world knows All Might is a teacher at UA." *Ribbit* Tsuyu calmly explained.
"All Might, huh?" Minami responded softly, trying to play it cool, but in reality her nerves were running a mile a minute.
All Might? Oh crap, I don't want to answer any questions about Papa! Minami thought to herself worriedly.
"Come on, we better get to school else we'll be late," Tsuyu stoically explained as she led the way, with Minami tentatively following behind her, warily eyeing the reporters just ahead.
Soon enough, the press's heads turned and excitement was lit in their eyes as they saw the two UA students approaching. They quickly rushed the two girls, crowding them as they shoved microphones in their faces. Minami scrunched up her nose at the invasion of her space and pushed along until she was just at the school gates. As she moved to go onto school property, she felt a greedy hand latch onto her wrist, preventing her from moving. She balked, nervous to turn around and look the crazed reporters in the eye.
"Hey! Hey girls! Is All Might your teacher?!"
"Yeah! Tell us about All Might! What's he like?!"
"Has he shared any secrets with you?! Does he have any tips about how to fight crime and balance home life?!"
"What about tips about working out?!"
"Or what his favorite fashions are?!"
Minami's head spun as question after question was thrown at her. She tentatively peeked over her shoulder at the press as she was still held in place, unsure what to say she stammered.
"Umm," her face flushed as her nerves began to hit her. In that moment, she felt a tug in the opposite direction.
"Come on Yagi-San, they're not important," the frog girl took Minami by the arm and forcefully pulled her free, dragging her away from the offending flashing lights and shouting voices onto school property.
"Hey kids wait! Where are you going?! You didn't answer any of our questions! Get back here!" a woman with her hair in a ponytail made to follow but the metal gates nearly slammed shut on her when she moved forward. She screamed in an undignified manner, backing off enough to where the gates receded once more. But Minami was sure they loomed in the background, ready to slam upon the woman once more were she to try to go onto school property again.
Minami laughed at the woman's crest-fallen expression she wore on her face as both she and Tsuyu reached the stairs of the school.
Good, I hate the stupid press, they're so annoying… Minami turned her attention to the little green girl who still held her arm, leading the way into the school.
"Thanks again Asui-san! I think they would have eaten me alive if it weren't for you!" Minami grinned at her.
"Call me Tsuyu. And I'm glad to see you're doing well after the fight you had with Bakugo. Our class was worried about you." Tsuyu didn't acknowledge Minami's appreciation and instead jumped onto the next topic that was clearly on her mind.
"They were?" Minami asked unsure, not really certain if she should believe her.
I never really had friends back in Oklahoma, and I don't know these kids really well yet, so would they really be worried about me?
Turning the corner, both girls arrived at the 1-A class door. Tsuyu stopped to look at Minami before entering.
"Well, why don't you see for yourself?" the green girl stated as she slid the door open and stepped inside.
Immediately, the chattered dimmed considerably as both girls walked inside as the vast majority of the class chanted in unison Minami's name, showing their excitement to see her.
"Yagi-san!"
Chairs could be heard scraping across the floor as multiple students moved to greet Minami, with Mina and Izuku leading the pack.
Soon Minami found herself surrounded with familiar smiling faces, hands patting her shoulders and others taking her own appendages to lead her to the center of the excitement. It caused a warm fuzzy feeling in her belly.
So they really do care? Minami smiled happily as she greeted her new friends.
"Min-chan! I'm so sorry! I woke up in Recovery Girl's office yesterday but you were still asleep. I'm so sorry what happened with Kacchan," Izuku looked down feeling upset with himself, but then looked upward at Minami before continuing, "Here, I got you your classwork that you missed yesterday, I'll explain anything you need to know!" he gave her a thumbs up as he handed Minami the paperwork, who took it gratefully. Before Minami could respond, a smaller upbeat voice came through.
"Are you ok Minami-chan?! You were so bloody yesterday!" Ochaco commented, taking Minami by the shoulders, staring straight into her face unabashed, looking for any remnants of the bloody disaster from the previous day. Minami could feel her face flush as she felt Ochaco's minty breath fan across her face.
"Yeah! You sure were bawling!" Sero laughed out loud, and Minami felt her face turn beat red as she scratched the back of her head, feeling embarrassed that they all had seen her blubbering her eyes out.
"Yeah, I guess I really did cry hard, huh?" Minami uttered quietly.
A pink hand slapped Sero behind the head at his teasing statement.
"Sero! God you're so rude!" Mina rolled her eyes at the fledgling tape hero.
"What?!" Sero asked as he rubbed the sore spot on his head, confused.
"Hey! Sometimes it's manly to cry!" Kirishima punched the air as he spoke, trying to discourage Minami's embarrassment.
"At least All Might was there to help! He always saves the day!" the floating voice of Hagakure came through, Minami could only tell it was her by her ghostly clothes floating nearby.
Minami nodded happily, "Yep! He's the best! He always saves everyone!" she grinned as she made her way though the crowd, thanking everyone for their concerns, eventually getting to the front of her row. Stopping, she realized she was right next to the said offender who caused her so much pain the previous day. He appeared to be sitting in his seat resting his chin on his fists, pouting.
She forced herself to look straight ahead as she walked past him, but couldn't help to glance down briefly at him as she walked by, and her eyes made contact with Bakugo's red irises briefly.
Minami inhaled sharply, forcing herself to look away and continue onward to her seat. She could hear him grunt dismissively at her, and was relieved he had nothing to say.
I'm not ready to deal with him right now, not yet… Minami thought hesitantly to herself, feeling a tiny tremor of fear go through her at seeing the boy. She felt irritated with herself that she even acknowledged the slight fear she felt at that moment.
Approaching her seat, she could see Yaoyorozu talking a mile a minute to the boy she was most interested in…Shoto. His face perked up a bit as Minami took her seat next to his.
Setting her bookbag down, she looked over and offered a bashful smile to Shoto, who looked relieved to see her, in his own quiet way.
"…Hi…" Minami stated softly as she tucked some of her loose blonde hair behind her ear, looking up at Shoto's eyes shyly.
"Hey…" he offered a small, tight lipped smile of his own, unsure of where to start the conversation, and both were silent for several seconds, before a loud voice from behind Minami interrupted her thoughts.
"Excuse me? Todoroki-san and I were having a conversation before you interrupted us!"
Minami grimaced at the thought of the black haired girl staring daggers into the back of her head, and turned around, her own fiery blue eyes meeting Momo's dark ones.
"With all due respect, he didn't really seem that interested in what you had to say to begin with Yaoyorozu-san…" Minami stated to her, trying her best to be as mature as possible, especially with the recent lecture she had received from her father regarding the importance of always trying to be the best person one could be.
Minami could hear a small snort come from Shoto as he turned away, covering what she was sure his smiling face. Minami could feel a bit of courage come back to her in that moment as she turned back around to face the front of the room with the class still chattering around her, feeling triumphant.
Suddenly, she felt her desk inch forward as a swift kick was delivered to the underside of her chair from behind.
Are you fucking serious? Just leave me alone!, Feeling irritation rip through her, Minami whipped back around to face the other girl,
"Why don't you keep your large feet to yourself?" Minami hissed back at Momo. Yaoyorozu sneered back at Minami before responding.
"Why don't you go cry some more," Minami grimaced at the intelligent girl, but silently reminded herself of her promise she made to her father just that morning.
No fighting…you promised Papa that you'd be on your best behavior from now on…now you just gotta stick to it…
Minami instead choice to roll her eyes and turn back around in her chair, "Whatever…" she sighed to herself. She was just grateful that no one else seemed to notice their little spat except for Shoto, who sat there staring at the two girls a bit shocked.
She heard heavy breathing coming from in front of her at that moment, and looked up to see Mineta's dilated pupils zoning in on her.
"Girl fight? I love girl fights… I'd love to see a boobie or two fall out if you guys decide to duke it out…" he licked his lips as his eyes moved back and forth between Minami and Momo, waiting for more.
Minami felt repulsion scorch her as she made what she was sure an ugly face at the small boy nearly drooling all over her.
"Ew, no, you're fucking gross. Turn around and drool all over someone else…" Minami snarled at the perverted boy, who slurped his tongue and slowly turned around, hoping she or Momo would give him any reason to continue watching them.
Scratch that, no one else but Shoto and ball boy here saw us fight…which is good at least… I don't want anymore negative attention drawn to me…
Suddenly the door slammed shut loudly, rattling the thin walls of the entire room. The class immediately went silent. Aizawa-sensei was in a bad mood, something that put everyone on edge, as no one was eager to be expelled.
Letting his large stack of books drop onto his desk unceremoniously, he sighed loudly as he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his index and thumb, appearing to dread even being there in the first place.
Good, leave, be gone. I'd be totally fine with having any other teacher as my home room each besides you… Minami thought to herself coldly as she took in the blood shot eyes of Aizawa as he turned to regard the class.
Sitting down at his desk in an exhausted manner, Aizawa began to address the class.
"Good work with yesterday's battle training, I've looked over your grades and evaluations." In an instant, his bloodshot eyes were on Bakugo.
"Bakugo, grow up already, and stop wasting your talent." He firmly put the boy in his place, irritated with his attitude problems so early on in the year.
Minami snorted to herself at Bakugo's scolding.
Good, he deserves it, he's a huge spoiled brat…
"Got it…" the boy uttered quietly. Minami was amazed at his demeanor, she didn't think anything he did could be quiet.
"and it seems Midoriya ended yet another day with a broken arm…"
Minami's eyes flickered over to Izuku's form as Aizawa changed to the next student, and could see him jump at the sudden comment from their sensei.
"Learn to control your quirk…because just trying isn't going to cut it...But you do have some potential, assuming you can overcome this. Work harder, Midoriya…" Minami noticed Aizawa spoke softer this time than he had to Bakugo, which she was grateful for, for Izuku's sake.
He is trying hard…he just has to figure out how to stop nearly killing himself anytime he uses OFA… Minami thought to herself.
"And we have one more problem child now it seems, Yagi Minami. What a surprise, she got herself involved in Midoriya's issues and found herself in recovery girl's office yesterday as well."
Minami felt like lightening had struck her when Aizawa's dead gaze shifted over to her. She gulped and instead focused on her desk, listening to Aizawa's comments as she tightly gripped her skirt.
"I understand you relish in attention and like to rush in and play the hero, but remember, you need to stop worrying so much about your peers and focus on strengthening your own quirk. If you manage to keep your nose out of other people's problems even a few times, you may just yet become a good hero…"
Minami felt a swirl of anger at his initial statement, but then it ended with an odd sense of gratitude at his backhanded compliment. Not wanting to risk it, she attempted to respond appropriately.
"Yes sir…and um…Thank you?"
Aizawa barked a harsh laugh at her response, "Don't thank me kid, you still have a long way to go, and to be honest I don't need a false show of gratitude from you when I know you don't really mean it."
Minami felt her face fall at his rude remark.
And there he is, ok nevermind then…and that's total bullshit, I'm not trying to get attention, I'm just trying to do what's right…she pouted for a moment, irritated she let herself think that maybe Aizawa would be nice to her.
While Minami was immersed in her own thoughts, she could hear Aizawa speaking to the class once more, though not really paying attention until she heard the class roar around her in excitement, most of them raising their arms towards the ceiling, startling her.
Snapping up straight and looking around, she tried to deduce what exactly was happening.
She felt a soft nudge against her arm and saw Tokoyami staring at her with his hawk face, seeming to understand she had missed what was going on.
"Aizawa-sensei said we have to choose a class president, but it seems everyone wants it," he snorted as he looked at their classmates nearly falling over themselves for the title.
Amongst the bickering and shouting, Minami held her hands over her ears, but still grinning at the antics of her classmates.
Ugh I don't want the class president spot, too much responsibility; I'd rather just focus on my own studies…
Looking down at her desk, her eyes widened as she saw a small slip of paper had made its way right in front of her without her knowledge. Tentatively taking the note, she opened it to find the following written in impeccable kanji:
Want to get lunch?-Shoto
She felt a flutter of excitement course through her chest as she wrote her response just below it, ending it with a smiley, and shyly passed the note back to him, where he took it with a soft smile, letting his fingers run across the back of her hand:
Yes :)
Several weeks went by, and to Minami's relief all was quiet on the front. No surprises, no freak accidents, just normal school with normal life events. Or, at least as normal as it gets for going to one of the top hero schools in the world.
Soon the weeks passed into May, and she and Shoto were slowly spending more time together, and learned more about one another. To her amazement, she found out Shoto really liked to read, which was not something she was expecting. He also liked the stereotypical things most boys enjoy, like videogames and sports, but Minami wasn't bothered by that in the slightest. In fact, she enjoyed trying mobile games on his phone in between classes, and learning the complexities of Japanese baseball team rivalries.
She found that Shoto was very, very private, and in all honesty quite aloof. However, when it was just the two of them together, she found she could peel the protective layers back oh so gently, and find out a bit more about just who exactly he was; that is, if the timing was just right, and the environment perfect for revealing secrets.
And that is exactly how Minami found herself one Friday afternoon in May, the final class of the day. Students were allowed to be paired up to finish a question exercise before enjoying the weekend. She and Shoto had drifted together naturally, and while the class loudly chattered around them as they completed their final assignment, Minami and Shoto spoke about more personal things:
Minami sat at her desk doodling on some scrap paper after she and Shoto had finished their question exercise, the hum of conversation heavy around them.
"So…do you have plans with your mother this weekend for mother's day?" Shoto's amicable tone interrupted her doodling and she stopped abruptly at his question, feeling dread wash over her.
So far I've managed to dodge anyone's questions about my mom all day…I'm tired of hearing about Mina's excitement to get her nails done with her mom, or Ochaco making dinner together with her's , and especially stupid Momo talking about going shopping with her mother and planning her next trip to Italy with her…I don't want to hear any of it anymore, I just want to go home and wait for this crappy weekend to be over.
She paused for a moment, thinking about how to word her response to him, not wanting to voice even a hint of what she had just been thinking to herself.
"I…." she paused, trying to think of the words she wanted to use, but coming up empty. Shoto waited patiently, though the look on his face hinted to the fact that he may have anticipated what her next words were.
"My mom….She…She died… a long time ago…" Minami turned to stare down at her paper, not wanting to look up at see the pitied look on his face.
It was silent between the two of them for a beat or two, then Minami could hear Shoto exhale, obviously regretful.
"Oh….I'm sorry Minami, I didn't mean to-"
"No no Shoto, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come off so sad!" Minami waived her hands, interrupting Shoto with her apology.
But you are sad…aren't you? She questioned herself internally, but pushed it away, not wanting to think about how she felt.
"It's just that…my mom died when I was 4, when I still lived in the United States…So I haven't had a mom for a long time…" Minami glanced back to face him, and was relieved to see she hadn't offended him.
Shoto swallowed quietly before responding,
"I can understand that completely. You see...I was separated from my mother too, when I was young..around 5 or so…" He softly explained to her, his eyes showing a bit of emotion at what was clearly a very painful subject to him.
Minami tilted her head as she tried to piece together what had happened.
Did she die? No, I think he would have explained that…Did she leave them?
"I'm sorry Shoto…I know how that feels first hand…" Minami stated, and saw Shoto twitch at her response.
"It wasn't like your mom…My mom…she…she gave me this…." Shoto explained more forcefully then, and pointed to the red scar that laced his eye.
"My mom hated me, and that's why she poured boiling water on my face…My father was such a bastard to her that it warped her personality to the point that she despised me…My father placed her in a mental hospital after it happened, and I haven't seen her since…" Shoto finished as he clenched his jaw and fist. His explanation drew horror from Minami, as well as striking a chord with her on their new found commonality.
Minami gaped at him like a fish for a moment, not sure what to say, having a hard time picturing even Endeavor doing something so awful. She knew his father wasn't very kind, but didn't know much beyond that point. She did the only thing she could think of doing. She leaned forward and tentatively placed her hand on his clenched fist, rubbing her thumb over his tight knuckles.
"Gomen…I'm so sorry, Shoto," Minami whispered completely heartfelt, staring down where her small hand covered his.
If only I could explain more about my own story to you Shoto, then you would know I do completely understand. I understand what traumatic experiences can do to you… Minami thought, choking bit with emotion before pushing it back down.
Feeling him slide his hand out from under her palm, she felt a pang go through her heart as she could feel him clamp back up once more.
Did I do something wrong? Minami internally panicked as she saw him break his eye contact with her, looking away as he cleared his throat.
But before Minami could say anything else to Shoto privately, the bell chimed over the PA system signaling the end of the school day, and the class was up in a loud flurry.
"Hey! Don't forget to turn in your assignments before you leave!" Aizawa called from where he laid wrapped up in his yellow sleeping bag on the floor, looking groggy as he woke up just enough to make his announcement, before rolling over to go back to sleep.
Turning to look back to say something to Shoto, she noticed he had already vanished, and saw his back leaving the classroom door, their joint assignment sitting on Minami's desk.
Looking to her left, she saw Mina approaching her with Momo right behind her, giving Minami her standard sour look as she returned to her desk to grab her bag after partnering up with Jiro.
"Minami-chan! We need to talk about the most recent episode of Haru Ga Kita! Here, let's walk to the train station together!" Mina waived cheerfully as she slung her bag over her shoulder, completely oblivious to what had just happened. Minami forced a smile to come to her face as she walked out of the room with Mina.
"Minami?" Toshi arrived home slightly later than usual after the UA staff meeting ran late. The apartment was silent. He had stopped to pick up some yakisoba from the local café on his way home, and had expected his girl to nearly bowl him over in her eagerness for food, but was surprised to see no activity. Setting down the food after slipping off his large leather shoes and pulling off his pinstripe suit coat to lay over the back of the recliner, Yagi paced to Minami's room and knocked on the door.
"Come in…" relief flooded Yagi as Minami's familiar voice sounded, though he caught the tone of sadness in her voice, and it only urged him to turn the knob faster.
Walking in, he saw Minami sitting on the edge of her bed with her mother's gold bracelet, turning it between her fingers. He noticed she hadn't worn it since he brought her to Japan, though what he hadn't realized was it was due to her developing a sense of disgust every time she looked at it. Looking at the blonde girl, he noticed she had tears swimming in her eyes, and a few tear tracks down her round cheeks. Toshi sighed, he hated to see her unhappy.
"Minami my girl…What's wrong little one?" Yagi cooed to her, approaching her slowly and sitting on the bed, wrapping one arm around her frame.
"It's just that…this Sunday will be mother's day, and my entire class couldn't stop talking about all the things they were going to do with their moms over the weekend…" Minami trailed off, still fixated on the small bracelet she held in her hand.
Yagi sighed then, hearing her explanation.
I was worried about this, I was hoping that maybe she would forget it was mother's day this Sunday…but it seemed that was not to be… Yagi lamented to himself as he thought of a way that he could make her feel better.
"My dear," Toshi took one of Minami's hands that were still fiddling with the bracelet.
"Your mother….I'm sure she loved you with all her heart, and she wouldn't have left you if it hadn't been for the car accident that took her away from you my dear…" Toshi remembered how Minami had told her what she had always been told about her mother; that she had died in a car accident when Minami was only 4 years old. He squeezed her hand as he spoke, hoping it would give her some peace.
Minami shook her head, tears beginning to spill down her cheeks now as she stared straight ahead as her frame shook, "…for the past year, I had been angry with her… After I found out that she must have known you were my dad…" All Might stopped then to listen to her closely, confused as to why she had been upset with her deceased mother.
"Angry….that she kept us separated…that she forced me into a life of misery in Oklahoma…If she had just told you about my existence when she was still alive, I could have been with you so much sooner, and not stuck in my own personal hell. She must have really hated me to have done that… It's why I couldn't' bear to wear something that belonged to her anymore…" Minami's voice warbled at the end as grief slipped into her voice, allowing the bracelet to drop to the floor at her feet.
Yagi squeezed her hand tighter and pushed her head to lean on his chest with his other hand, stroking her hair.
"Oh my girl, no no, I don't believe for one minute your mother hated you, not in the slightest." Toshi paused for a moment, licking his lips, trying to ensure he breached this delicate subject properly.
"You're right, it was wrong of her to keep your existence from me. And I also want you to know for a fact that if I had known about your birth sooner, there is no force on this Earth that could have prevented me from coming to get you, to take care of you; I can promise you that," He continued to stroke her hair as she leaned on him, sniffling,
Stop making this about yourself you fool, and make her feel better about her mother! Yagi reminded himself harshly.
"But from what I remember about your mother, she was one of the kindest and most gentle people I had ever met. It was one of the many reasons I fell for her. And I'm sure she had her own reasons for keeping you a secret from me. But what matters most is she loved you and we are together now, and nothing will tear us apart now that you're in Japan…
You lie… You're so pathetic, lying to a little girl like this…You know of Sir Nighteye's prophecy; you may be gone in even a year or two. Don't get her hopes up just to let her come crashing down…If you were a real man you'd tell her the truth… Yagi's subconscious chided him. He pushed it aside.
Minami's sniffles became louder as she craned her neck up to look at Toshi. He was met with her red watery eyes and quivering lip.
"I…I can't even remember the sound of her voice anymore…Why do I feel guilty about that if I hate her?" Minami inhaled a sob, and Yagi shushed her, holding her tighter to his torso and he petted her head more vigorously.
"That my dear, is because you don't hate her at all…" Yagi replied softly as he continued to hold her tight, thinking for a moment.
"Just promise me this little Minami…I have already forgiven your mother for keeping you a secret from me…do you think you'd be willing to consider the same, when you're ready?"
Silence permeated the room except for Minami's sniffles. After several seconds, Yagi could feel her nodding against his chest, agreeing to his request. He felt a smile come to his face.
Forgiveness is the path to achieving inner peace…He reminded himself as he patted her back, glad she was making a good choice for her mental well being.
"That's my good girl," Yagi rubbed her shoulders as she sat back again, rubbing her eyes free of tears. Reaching downward, Toshi picked up the fallen bracelet, and turned it in his palm, its presence bringing back memories of Minami's mother.
Standing up, he walked the bracelet over to her desk, and set it on the edge.
"I'm going leave this here for you, and when you're ready, you can wear it once more," He smiled softly at her as she nodded up at him.
At that moment, an upbeat chiming went through the room melodiously. Minami reached over to snatch her phone up from the end of her bed, looking at it.
"Who's that from my girl?" Yagi questioned, curious,
Minami read her phone screen and smiled as it only said one thing:
I'm sorry, I was really rude. Do you forgive me?
Minami knew immediately that this text was from a certain red and white haired boy, of whom she forgot to add his phone number to her contacts list.
"A good friend" Minami smiled to her father, who only grinned back as he glanced down at her open notebook on her desk, where she had been doing homework not long before he came home.
However, Yagi could feel his eyes bug out slightly as he noticed scrawled up the side of one of the pages was the name "Shoto" written over and over again with hearts sketched in between. He coughed harshly into his hand and could feel a bit of blood spurt up into his palm.
"Dad? Are you ok!?" Minami worried from where she still sat on her bed.
Only one phrase came to mind for Yagi at that moment,
Shit.
Alright well this was a bit of a filler chapter to get the ball rolling for the next chapter, the beginning of the USJ villain attack! Thanks again for reading this story! I so appreciate it! And if anyone has any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to post it as a review or to send me a message! Until the next chapter, PLUS ULTRA!
