Disclaimer: Boku no Hero Academia characters and plot events belongs to Horikoshi Kohei.

To Be a Hero

their promise

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The following Monday, the students returned to U.A. Class 1-A was filled with laughter early in the morning as Kirishima and Sero made fun of the explosive blonde's hair.

"Stop laughing!" Bakugou was shaking with anger. Even after the internship with Best Jeanist, somehow his hair stayed in it's gelled down form and made him look like a damn prissy. He loathed everything about his internship. "My hair's gotten used to it, so it won't go back even after I wash it… I said, stop laughing!"

"Hahahahahahahahaha!"

From her own seat, Shiro had her lips pursed in order to not burst out laughing herself. Bakugou's hair was normal when she saw him that night during the Nomu attack, but he must've been dragged back and shaped up by the Pro Hero even harder after his display of anger and defiance. It was as if the blonde was playing dress-up while she went through grueling training. She only regretted not being able to see the blonde's face while he was being prim and primed.

"I'll kill you!"

"I'd like to see you try, Side-Part Boy!" Sero howled as he clutched his stomach.

"Pft," Shiro let out a short chortle at the nickname. It was too good; the male was getting a taste of his own medicine. Good going, Sero!

Bakugou's anger exploded along with a small blush when he heard the girl laugh as well. "I should've let your scattered-brain ass get roasted in that explosion!" he growled. At least, his anger effectively made his hair blow back up to normal, but it only made the guys laugh harder.

"It's back! Pahahahah!"

"Ah, Shiro-san! You never mentioned an explosion… Are you and Kacchan really okay?!" Midoriya fretted when he heard. Not many people thought much about the Nomu attacks that happened in two different cities because Stain was such a big deal, but being there to witness it first-hand, he knew the danger.

"It's a long story. No one got hurt, though," she replied reassuringly.

"It's not like we need your fucking concern, nerd," Bakugou slammed his hands on the boy's desk harshly. He pushed the boy aside as he went to take care of the other two who were still laughing at him, "Get lost!"

"You'd think he'd be happy with interning at the No. 4 Pro Hero's agency," Jiro wondered with an exasperated expression as she twirled an earphone jack. Kaminari followed her gaze as she shifted her eyes to Uraraka, who still had a certain intensity in her eyes and form from interning with Battle Hero: Gunhead. "Somehow, Uraraka's more terrifying right now. She's awakened."

"That's a huge change for just one week…" Kaminari agreed. "I was kind of fawned over and had a good time. But the ones who changed the most, or at least went through the most…" he turned to Midoriya, Iida, and Todoroki in the back of the room. "Had to be these three!"

"Oh yeah, the Hero Killer!" Sero remembered while being dragged by the collar by Bakugou. On the same boat, Kirishima nodded.

"I'm glad you guys made it out alive! Seriously."

As a few people gathered around the corner, Shiro looked at the hesitant green haired male next to her curiously before drawing her attention to the other two. "The news said Endeavor saved you guys," she stated. She had a feeling there was more to the story, though.

Todoroki thought back to what the Chief of police said to them and hesitated. "Yeah. He saved us," he mumbled.

"I saw on the news that the Hero Killer was connected to the League of Villains," Ojiro pitched in as well. "Imagining someone that scary coming to USJ freaks me out."

"He is scary, but did you see the video, Ojiro?" Kaminari jumped down from his desk and walked over to join the guys. "That video about the Hero Killer's origin and ambitions gave me the chills. It keeps getting taken down and re-uploaded, too. Basically, you can see how he's really single-minded and, like, tenacious. But at the same time… Doesn't it almost make you think he's cool?"

"Kaminari-kun!" Midoriya whisper-shouted with urgency. The blonde blinked for a moment before realizing what he said. Aside from the three who got caught in the situation, Iida's brother was still in the hospital recovering from Stain's attack and he dared to say something so offhanded and tactless.

"S-Sorry!" he apologized.

"No, it's fine," Iida dismissed. "It's true that he was tenacious, so I can understand how people could think he's cool. But he chose purging as a result of his beliefs. No matter what he thinks, that part of it is definitely wrong. In order to keep anyone else from turning out like me, I will once again walk on the path to becoming a hero!"

"Yeah, Iida-kun!" Midoriya encouraged in the background.

"Now, it's time to commence class! Everyone, take your seats!"

As the rest of the class lamented Kaminari for saying something so weird and getting the male started on spewing out his loud orders, Shiro hummed with contentment. She was glad that the class president was genuinely back to his old self. From the sound of it, everyone had some interesting stories from their internships, and it seemed like they've learned a few things, too.

"I AM HERE!"

All Might stood with all his glory in front of Ground Gamma where the class was gathered for their hero basic training for the day. It was an industrial-looking site with a labyrinth of factories and heavy machinery. Shiro noted the abundance of pipelines and cranes and wondered what they will be doing today.

"We'll get started now. Right. It's hero basic training!" the Symbol of Peace greeted with his signature grin. "Long time no see, boys and girls! For this time's hero basic training—since you've all just gotten back from your internships, we'll have some fun with a rescue training race!"

Iida raised his hand high.

"If we are doing rescue training, then shouldn't we do it at USJ?"

"That place is for training for disasters," All Might replied enthusiastically. "Remember what I said? That's right! I said 'race'! This is Ground Gamma, a densely packed area full of factories. You'll break up into three 5-person and one 6-person groups and go through the training one group at a time. In different locations that are equidistance to where I will be standing, you will then come to me once I send out a distress signal. It's a race to see who will rescue me first!" he explained and pointed specifically at someone.

"Of course, you'll have to keep damage to the buildings to a minimum!"

"Don't point at me when you say that!" Bakugou gritted while looking away.

In other words, he wants to see if we have improved in skill after our internships, Shiro thought with understanding.

Group A: Midoriya, Ojiro, Sero, Iida, Ashido

Group B: Aisaka, Bakugou, Todoroki, Asui, Mineta

Group C: Koda, Jiro, Tokoyami, Kirishima, Shoji

Group D: Yaoyorozu, Uraraka, Sato, Kaminari, Hagakure, Aoyama

"Here they are!" All Might showed them the charts where each person in the groups were to go for their location. No two locations were identical across the four groups. "Group A will go first! The rest of you guys will wait at the stage inside where you'll be able to see your classmates' progress!"

The hero departed after that to get into his own location to give out the rescue signal for the first group. The rest of the class stood or sat in front of the big screen where the faces of the first five students were displayed.

"This group has everyone in the class with good mobility," Kaminari noted in awe. "I'm kinda glad I'm not going first."

"Hmm, perhaps Midoriya-san is at a slight disadvantage," Momo stated empirically while Jiro joined to sit beside the girl.

"That's true. Honestly, I'm still not sure how good he is."

"Whenever he does something, he always gets badly injured…"

"Who do you think'll win?" Kirishima asked the class excitedly as he theorized. "I think it'll be Sero!"

"Ojiro's there, though. I think it'll be him," Kaminari rebutted. He had heard the tail Quirk user defeat villains by himself at the fire-hazard zone back at USJ. He had to be really fast and strong for that!

Mineta shook his head, "I think it'll be Ashido! She's really athletic!"

"Deku will be last!" Bakugou declared without a second thought and Shiro had to roll her eyes at his usual antagonism towards the green haired male. Though, she was wondering herself who was going to take the first place. She guessed Iida, but he was still injured and hadn't fully recovered. It was a disadvantage for sure, but she didn't know if it was enough to slow the determined male down.

"What do you think, Todoroki-san?" she asked Todoroki. Since he was with Iida and Midoriya for part of the internship, his opinion will probably weigh more than the rest.

"It might be Midoriya," he said.

Shiro blinked in surprise at his answer but the signal for rescue blared at that moment and everyone's attention went on the screen to the five jumping into action. It was like the class predicted, Sero was at an advantage because of his tape Quirk and he easily swung around the pipes and got in the lead. Mina was using her acid to slide down pipes faster as well, and Ojiro was a master at parkour and maneuvering around obstacles like these. Similarly, Iida's injury didn't seem to affect his resolve at all, and he was giving it his all as he dashed through the labyrinth. It was like watching a very intense round of Mario Kart.

"See! In a place all jumbled together like this, it's standard practice to go up! Sero has the advantage!" Kirishima cheered proudly. The others grumbled and watched on, not giving up on their first-place guesses yet. It was as if they were each betting on their winning horse at a horse racing rally.

Just then, a flash of green entered the screen, and everyone was surprised to see that Midoriya had somehow jumped in front of Sero and took the lead along with him. This training was perfect for people who were good in the air—and apparently, Midoriya was one of them!

Wow, Shiro marveled and glanced back at the silent dual-Quirk user, "He's so much different now."

Todoroki's eyes left the screen as he nodded. He'd seen it first-hand when Midoriya rushed to save him from Stain. "He's definitely improved since the sports festival," he said. "During our internships... It seems that he learned to bridge the weakness gap that his Quirk left him."

"I agree..." the girl nodded slowly before a small grin appeared on her face. "But it's not just Midoriya-san. We're all learning and compensating for any weaknesses."

"Yeah," Todoroki smiled softly, and he can't help but notice how striking she looked with such determination and confidence. He quickly looked away from her face when she furrowed her brows slightly and spoke again.

"Hey Todoroki-san, don't you think his moves…" she wondered and focused more. "He's hopping like... Bakugou," she finished the thought and they both looked at the blonde.

"Damn nerd...!" Bakugou seethed in realization. Just the thought of the worthless runt copying his moves and getting better and closer to catching up to him was infuriating. Who does the nerd think he is?!

At the end, Sero still received first place because of Midoriya's slip-up towards the finish line from not being used to his new moves completely yet. But everyone was surprised, nonetheless.

"Next group, get ready!" All Might's voice boomed through the area and the five tensed up.

BEEP!

Upon hearing the signal, Shiro dashed from her spot. She was on the south side of the factory labyrinth and the complete opposite of Todoroki, so she didn't have to worry about his Quirk and she just had to be faster. Having the map memorized, she knew that to get to All Might, one of the faster ways was to take a turn a quarter of the way there where she will most likely run into Bakugou. Since this was not a combat training, she didn't have to worry about fighting the male, but with is temper especially flared by Midoriya earlier she knew she had to be careful. On the other hand, if she chose to go straight and take a turn later, she will likely encounter Mineta. She felt he wouldn't be too hard to shake off, but his sticky spheres were a nightmare to avoid…

Activating her Quirk, she brushed any uncertainties away and went for the best course.

Her visor's vision gave her a clear view of the others that were in the air and making their way towards the center where All Might was standing; Todoroki's ice was effect at filling the gapes between the pipes as he slid around much like Mina did and Tsuyu's frog-like ability allowed her to stick to the sides of buildings and grab onto pipes with her long, stretchy tongue. Even Mineta was bouncing on his spheres that propelled him around like a pinball.

Bakugou, on her left, was exploding his way through the air with agility. He was the true master of his movements. "Outta my way!" he shouted as he fired a blast to accelerate himself off the pipes.

"Of course, let me just move out of the way for you—like hell!" Shiro rolled her eyes at the déjà vu of being left in the blonde's dust as he jumped ahead of her with his superior speed and strength. Not this time!

She had trained for this exact moment. She was going to let the grueling days of running underwater and dodging obstacles go to waste. Her body was lighter, faster, and most of all, better at using her Quirk now. Her right eye spun wildly, and a field of calculations spread around her; she could see the precise percentage of everything she needed to pass the blonde and it formed the exact path that she needed to take.

There!

Bakugou widened his eyes when Shiro shot past him within seconds and he twisted his body around in a way that will speed up his own velocity. Explosions from his hands grew more intense as he jumped right behind her, but he suddenly found that no matter what he did, he couldn't pass her. An invisible force was literally keeping him behind her and he was not fast enough to react against it!

She's done something to the probability field around herself, he realized and was forced to hop away to a distance. Gritting his teeth, he took an alternative path. "This ain't over, Pigtails!"

Shiro could see the end point and where All Might was standing. She could also see that Todoroki was a shorter distance away on the other side. Her probability zone shut off because 30 seconds had passed, and now she had to find her own way.

Suddenly, she saw it—the pipeline that was running above her head and across the area, dropping off just a few feet away from the building All Might was standing on. Ripping the black and white ribbons from her hair, she jumped up and swung them over the pipe and held on tight as she let gravity take her down the sloped pipe at an extremely fast speed. The wind made her hair wave wildly around her and she forced herself to focus at the right moment to release her ribbons and gain a firm footing for that last burst of speed to reach All Might.

"AGGGGGHHHHH!"

Just as she dropped off, Bakugou had shot his body forward with the release of one of his powerful explosions and was headed right for her. She can twist to the side, but if she did so, she would be letting the blonde have a straight shot to first place because she will lose her own momentum to push off on her landing. If she didn't move and continued her own path down, then Bakugou will be forced to switch his straight shot course and let her take first.

The answer was obvious; he wouldn't switch his course.

But she was still going take the gamble.

She's going to force me to move again? Bakugou's red eyes narrowed as the intense scowl on his face deepened. He shot his arm out. Shiro had forced him to take an alternate path already and he was not about to do that again! No matter what, he was going to get first.

Even if it meant that he had to take her along with him.

The girl's lips quirked up victoriously when he looped his arm around her body before the collision and used the other to continue to propel him forward. He saw that she wasn't using her Quirk at that moment, so she had used her raw intellect to form two possible ways that the situation was going to end up and gambled with a third option that was going to annoy him the most but also force him to do exactly what she wanted.

She fucking outsmarted me, he thought as they stumbled onto the platform together. Todoroki was just a second behind. Bakugou couldn't condemn her decision because even he had to admit it was genius, but that didn't make him any less pissed off. First Deku, now Pigtails… I'm the only one who spent my time uselessly at my internship… This again… Damn it…!

"You beat me this time," Todoroki congratulated the girl.

"It was too close," Shiro said with a light frown. "I was lucky you weren't on the same side. I had a hard enough time getting ahead of Bakugou..."

The male's heterochromatic eyes shone lightly, "I would have blown both of you away. Next time, I'll get first."

"Shit! Shitheads!" Bakugou shouted behind them in the meantime, still being consumed with anger.

"THANK YOU!" All Might presented them with a sash that said 'thanks for saving me' once all five got onto the platform. He gave them a heroic grin, "Young Bakugou and Aisaka tied for first, but it was a close one with Young Todoroki as well! Everyone did wonderful! Compared to the beginning of the year, you've gotten a lot better at using your Quirks. Keep going like this and start preparing for your final exam!"

After the hero encouraged them, Shiro wiped the sweat from her forehead as her gaze lingered longer on the man. The rest of the group walked off to let the third group start their training and she was the last one to do so in order to get the hero alone for a few seconds. Todoroki noticed, but he respected their privacy and stepped off.

"All Might…!" Shiro called out and the man turned around.

"Yes, Young Aisaka?"

"I don't know if I should ask this," she started with a hesitating look in her eyes. "But it's about some memories that I started to retain… Eraserhead said you'll be able to help?"

All Might's eyes widened with surprise as he looked at the nervous girl. She must have remembered something important if Aizawa is sending her my way. Ah, the day has come… The hero suddenly suppressed a cough as he realized that he can hold his form for the day for only a while longer. He could hold out until the end of class and talk to Shiro, but that will mean that he might have to postpone his talk with Midoriya about One For All like his mentor had urged him to reveal. Perhaps it was his way of delaying the inevitable...

"Sorry, I don't know why Eraserhead told me to bother you," Shiro apologized when the hero didn't speak. "I'll get going now—"

"Ah, I was just spacing out!" he finally came back to his senses and gave her a small thumbs up. "Aizawa-kun is right, I do have something I need to tell you. Come find me after class. I'll tell you the truth then."

The truth?

In the locker rooms, both the girls and the boys where changing back into their school uniforms after the completion of today's training. It was fun and eye-opening, as well as encouraging to them that there were some notable improvements. They were just a small step closer into becoming real heroes.

In the girls' locker room, they were chatting about how their test went.

"Ahhh, I got all sweaty after running so hard to catch up to Sero," Mina complained as she took off her hero suit. "But it was a good workout! Getting praised by All Might was pretty awesome, too!"

"Mina-chan's the most athletic between us girls," Hagakure commented. "I still didn't stand out at all!"

"Don't say that!" Uraraka encouraged while patting the girl's back. "All Might-sensei said we all improved in some way. Don't be so hard on yourself."

"Hmm, I guess you're right!"

"I, for one, admire Aisaka-san's ability to act so quickly in a situation to make it work in her favor," Momo disclosed with a contemplating look. There was a certain frustration in her tone and her eyes look downcast. "Among other things, it's also what I need to work on..."

"Me too," Tsuyu said while tipping a finger on her chin. "Shiro-chan goes in without hesitation. But that's also why she's always butting heads with Bakugou-chan."

Shiro drew out of her distraction with a blink upon hearing her name. She was thinking about her short interchange with All Might earlier; as she was about to answer the two girls, a strange voice came from the wall that was separating the girls' and boys' changing rooms.

What was that noise? they thought. Jiro was the best with pinpointing sound and she immediately found the source with a creepy feeling crawling up her skin.

"Oi... What the hell is that?"

Mineta was having a field day after accidentally discovering a small hole that was behind a falling poster. He could thank the gods above for this godsend opportunity to take a peek at the paradise that laid on the other side.

On Mineta's right, Midoriya was deep in thought as he took off his shirt. After his test trial, All Might had disclosed that he needed to talk to him after school about something and it looked serious. But then, he caught another signal from the hero telling him to wait a little while after Shiro had come up to him. There was a worried look in the hero's eyes and it made Midoriya worry as well.

I wonder what that was all about. Shiro-san went up to him to ask something, I'm sure of it... his green eyes widened slightly when he made the connection. Could it be what All Might told me before about Shiro-san's lost memories?

"Hey, Midoriya!"

Midoriya turned his head towards the purple-headed male. He was being beckoned to look over at a hole behind a poster.

"I discovered something crazy. Come here! Look at this hole! It's probably thanks to the efforts of those who came before us! Next door is, you know—" Mineta said with a crazed hush as steam was practically coming out of his nose. Some of the others near them also heard and a jolt of risque and excitement coursed through their minds.

The girls' locker room!

"Stop, Mineta-kun!" Iida's hand swung out rigidly. "Peeping is definitely a criminal act!"

"My little Mineta is already a criminal act!" the boy quavered excitedly before tearing off the whole poster. No one was going to stop him from his paradise!

"What the fuck is he trying to peep at?" Bakugou was annoyed at all of the commotion at the far end of the room because he can't even stew in his anger in peace. Kirishima was next to him and tried to explain.

"I think that hole leads to another locker room—" he whispered with a small blush on his cheeks only because the thought of such an act was so unmanly and impure.

"So?!"

"As in, the locker room where Shiro-chan and the other girls are!"

Bakugou's red eyes widened and he suddenly felt his anger intensify. On his other side, Todoroki had fire in his eyes while the ground below his right foot was shooting out a trail of ice.

"Yaoyorozu's ample yaoyoro-boobs! Ashido's slender waist! Hagakure's floating underwear! Uraraka's fine uraraka-body! Asui's unexpected boobies! Aisaka's sinful bubble butt—!"

At the same time, Bakugou's explosion hit the ice shard that was heading Mineta's way and caused a large impact of smoke and ice debris. The short male was unaffected from that but he was rolling on the ground in agony while nursing the eye that got jabbed by the Earphone Jack user's Quirk on the other side.

"Jiro-san's Earphone Jack!" Midoriya was both impressed and in shock. "With its brutal combination of precision and surprise attack abilities, it's super strong!"

"You got in my way," Todoroki's tone was harsh. His eyes narrowed dangerously at Bakugou.

"Ha?!" Bakugou growled with his palms popping with sparks. He rushed to grab Todoroki's collar but was stopped by Kirishima throwing his arms around to restrain him. "Your ice stopped me from killing that Balls-For-Brains!"

"Calm down, Bakugou!" Kirishima cried while struggling to hold the male back. "It's all good now! You can't fight in the locker room!"

"Let go! Come at me, Half-and-Half Bastard!"

"Kacchan...!" Midoriya attempted feebly before he grew even more scared when he saw that Todoroki wasn't backing down either as fire lit on his left side.

"If that's what you want... I'll finish what I couldn't at the sports festival!"

"T-Todoroki-kun!"

Back on the other side, the girls were both angry and embarrassed at their almost-exposure to the perverted Pop-Off male. They couldn't believe there was a hole in the wall. How long had it been there?!

"Thanks Kyoka-chan!" Hagakure babbled as she covered her undergarments with her uniform blouse. "I can't believe Mineta-kun!"

"How despicable," Momo muttered with a blush. "Let us close this up right away!"

Jiro's face was gloomed over as she retracted her jack. I'm the only one he didn't say anything about… she thought before the girls all heard even louder shouts from the other side. It wasn't Mineta, but Bakugou and Todoroki seemed to be going at it if they judged from the booms and explosions.

"Why are Bakugou-kun and Todoroki-kun fighting over there?!" Uraraka exclaimed, projecting everyone's thoughts out loud.

"Young Aisaka! Come in."

It was now after school, and Shiro sat across from All Might in the staff breakroom. The hero's large form seemed to engulf the chair that he pulled up besides the wooden table and he offered the girl a warm cup of tea, which she took but did not drink from.

"So, do you want to start with what you know?" All Might asked.

Drawing in a deep breath, she spoke.

"I'm not even sure of what I know. It really just feels like a dream to me," she said, her ruby eyes downcast on tea stem that was floating around in the cup. "I started to have dreams and visions of what I assume was snippets of my life before waking up in the hospital after the orphanage fire. The setting was never constant, but there was this one boy who I keep seeing."

"A boy?" All Might's expression darkened with thought. Could it be?

Shiro nodded, "I don't remember much… But in my fragmented memories, he was always there. I can at least tell that we were both orphans at that orphanage," she furrowed her brows and stared at the hero. "I don't get it. Why did Eraserhead tell me that you'd know anything about this? Do you know about my past?"

"I…" he didn't know how to start, so he started from the beginning. "Eleven years ago, your orphanage was attacked by a villain and you were one of the survivors."

"I know that."

"Ah, yes, well… I was the Pro Hero on the scene."

Shiro's eyes widened. From all things that the nurses, doctors, and even government official had told her, that was one thing that they left out. She was only ever told that a Pro Hero saved her, which was typical, and she never questioned it. She thought back to a hazy memory of a figure she saw right before the broken pillar crashed down on her. "That hero… Was you?"

The hero rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish laugh, "I didn't intend for it to be a secret. But after saving you, I was called away for an emergency, so I never found the time to properly visit you when you awoke. I then thought it would be weird to suddenly show up at Aizawa-kun's house a month after you got adjusted…" he blinked at the silent girl who had her head down and panicked. "A-Are you upset, Young Aisaka?! I—"

"Thank you," her sincere words cut the hero off and he paused with a start. Shiro then looked up with an expression of gratitude. "I never got to thank the hero who saved me because I never knew who he was, but now that I know… I can say that without you, I will not be here in U.A. or anywhere else. So, thank you!"

All Might bit back his words as the girl thanked him. He wasn't quite sure he deserved it.

"When I was ordered to be passed onto the care of Eraserhead, was that from you, too…?"

"You can say that," he smiled sadly. "It was the least I can do."

"…What do you mean?"

"The truth is, I could see from the start that your Quirk had the potential to be very powerful. Along with that power comes a destructive possibility. It was partially out of duty as the Symbol of Peace that I entrusted you with Aizawa-kun to make sure that you never returned to an orphanage where you can potentially be taken by the wrong people," All Might clenched a fist hard as he thought about the All For One, someone who can literally take Quirks for himself and the reason why he was in his emaciated state. "But more so than duty, I owed it to you for not being able to help you back then."

"But you did help me," Shiro was confused. "I'm alive. What more could I ask of you?"

"That's true, but you did have one request for me, and I was unable to fulfill it… You said in your memories, there was a boy who kept appearing?"

The girl was apprehensive of where this was going, but she stayed calm and nodded.

"I have a feeling… He may be the brother you entrusted me to save," he revealed and drew in a deep breath. "But I had to get you out of the building before the whole thing collapsed, and when I went back, there was no one else inside. It is possible that—"

"W-Wait!" Shiro felt her heartbeat drum up into her ears. What was it that All Might just said? That she had a brother? He was joking, right? She laughed dryly, "That doesn't make sense… Y-You're wrong..."

"I'm not mistaken, Young Aisaka," All Might said as the air grew tense around them. "I checked with the surviving staff and they confirmed that you had a brother, or at least someone who was like one to you when you guys arrived at the orphanage. Though, they couldn't say much about either of you as the paperwork in the first place never existed. There was no description to go off on, but every kid was saved and none of them claimed to be your brother. When you lost your memory, we were advised to not try to bring him up lest it trigger anymore trauma that would affect your brain. I'm sorry."

I have a brother...

It kept echoing in her head as she tried to take in what the hero was saying. It was as if suddenly all those choppy, fuzzy memories she'd had made sense. Her head pounded.

"Play with me!"

The echoes of her laughter down the hallway of the orphanage.

"Leave him! Tenko… He is a disaster."

Tenko, the name of her brother.

"Nii-san... Nii-san..."

She now vaguely remembers her whimpers during the fire at the orphanage; how desperately she wanted to find him because she was alone and scared.

The cup of tea was long forgotten on the floor as the liquid spilled on the ground and glistened under the orange rays of the setting sun. All Might sat silently as he allowed the girl time to process all of the information. She could be confused or even apprehensive and he was ready for anything. He bit back a cough that threatened to crawl up his throat from his weakening body. Shit, I cannot hold this form much longer...

Shiro was so deep in her thoughts as the hero hunched slightly and went to cover his mouth. The thoughts that swirled inside her head was like a dark cloud that obscured her vision.

I have a brother...! He was with me at the orphanage... All Might was there. He couldn't save him. He couldn't save my brother. My brother...! Who's at fault who's at fault who's at fault—

"Young Aisaka..."

She was shaking with dark thoughts. Who could she blame for this? Herself? The hero? Shaking her head, she couldn't hear what All Might was trying tell her as her chest rose and fell at a rapid speed.

"Young Aisaka, I—"

Loud and guttural hacks from the hero's coughing snapped her out of her panic and her eyes shot up towards the hunched-over hero. There was blood at the corner of his mouth and something steam-like that was releasing from his body.

"All... Might?" she stood up abruptly just as the door to the break room slammed open to reveal an out-of-breath Midoriya. He successfully diverted the girl's attention briefly as his own eyes grew wide.

He's changing back to his emaciated form! I can't let Shiro-san see this...!

"Shiro-san!"

Shiro was worried and suspicious of why the boy looked so scared with tears in his eyes. However, she was refusing to leave the hero in whatever was happening. What's with this steam that's coming out of All Might?! Was he attacked without me knowing?!

"Y-You have to leave, now!" Midoriya gritted his teeth and went to grab the girl, but he was stopped by All Might's voice.

"It's all right, Young Midoriya," the hero assured sadly as the smoke cleared. It was too late to stop it. The two students stopped struggling and took in the hero's current form. Midoriya dropped his hands and it clenched at his sides with frustration while Shiro staggered back a few steps.

Isn't that the skinny man I saw back then—?

"What... What is going on?!"

All Might could only offer a sad smile while Midoriya looked away with his lips quivering.

"This is how I am for the majority of the day now. I didn't expect to show you so soon, but it can't be helped. I do owe you for not being able to save your brother... So this secret is all right to be known to you."

"But..." she whispered coarsely, numbly.

"Please have a seat, and I'll tell you."

After learning of All Might's fight with All For One and why he became like this, Shiro was shocked beyond what words could comprehend. The only people in the world that knew of the hero's current form were his own mentor, the Pro Heroes in U.A., the principal, the detective from the USJ incident, and Midoriya.

"Still, why Midoriya-san?" she murmured and the green haired male jolted next to her.

"There is a reason behind it that I cannot tell you," All Might said, but his eyes held a knowing look. "You're a smart girl, Young Aisaka... Maybe even without me telling you, you might... Anyhow. I hope you can understand this for now."

Even Young Bakugou from the beginning had his suspicions. Yet I cannot tell him.

The conversation she had overheard during the sports festival echoed in her mind. Midoriya's destructive Quirk. The fact that All Might was mentoring him. Shiro could lay the information down and somewhat connect them now... The inner workings were still unclear, but she didn't feel the need to ask further since the hero had already revealed so much.

I can't believe this...

It made her almost want to laugh at her foolishness from earlier... She was really contemplating on blaming the hero for her missing brother. Her mind was completely clouded but now it was clear. The courageous Symbol of Peace had done so much for the world to the point that he was left with a weakened body, and he was still carrying on and protecting people with what power he had left.

Here she was, selfishly only thinking about her own grief.

What an idiot I am.

"All Might..." she stood up from her seat and gave him a deep bow. "I'm so sorry!"

"W-Why is that?!" the hero waved his hands around in a panic. "Young Aisaka, this is not your fault!"

"Let me say this first, please..." she maintained as she continued what she wanted to say. "I've wondered since the sports festival... But now that I know, I will make sure to keep this a secret. Thank you for trusting me. And... I wanted to apologize for earlier. When you told me about what happened to my brother and how you couldn't save him, my thoughts went dark. I'm so sorry."

"Is that so..." All Might blinked and his expression softened. "It's okay. I've been wanting to apologize to you for a long time. Even if there were no bodies found in the ruins and he likely survived, I was unable to bring him to you. But I had vowed before that if someday you were to regain your memories and remembered him, I will do anything in my power to find him even if it's the last thing I do. I still intend to do that."

Shiro clenched her fists on her knees. All Might is the greatest hero... And for him to be there that day when he saved her was a blessing. "Thank you. Thank you... So much... For looking after me... For everything..."

"Of course," the man smiled and patted the girl on the head. "So don't worry... Because I am here."

Shiro nodded with tears in her eyes at the hero's words. For however long you have waited, nii-san...

All Might watched the crying girl with a serious expression. For however long that I have left...

They both set their resolve.

I will find you.

"Master," Kurogiri greeted at the TV screen that was showing nothing but static. He was reporting about their progress; Shigaraki was currently not present but the master didn't mind. The figureless voice was more interested in the unstable male's well-being.

"How is Shigaraki doing?"

The Portal Villain dutifully reported Shigaraki's state of being, but he also added his concern about the male's decision to target Shiro with their Nomu attacks during the U.A. students' internships. Even though the girl was unharmed at the end, he still felt that Shigaraki's hatred ran too deep with the girl and it might mess up the specific order of keeping her alive. "Should I stop Shigaraki Tomura next time?"

"No need."

"But Master, the anger he has—"

"I am aware. However, Shigaraki does not truly hate her," the voice chuckled, surprising Kurogiri. The master knew Shigaraki best; he had raised him for many years after the tragedy of the orphanage, after all. He understood the male's emotions and it was easy to manipulate the unstable male completely to push forward his agenda and goals. "Let him do as he pleases. He knows to not disappoint me. He'll learn and grow."

Indeed, Shigaraki was the perfect successor.

"Understood," Kurogiri obeyed. "But if I may ask, Master... How are you certain?"

"The hatred he has for the girl is merely a response to the abandonment he currently feels. A response I instilled in him. But once we bring the girl into our organization and back to his side, he will no longer hold that grudge because..."

"This is All Might's fault..." Shigaraki muttered as he stared intently at the torn picture of his sister, his fingers careful to not disintergrate it. He brought it everywhere he went just to make sure that it never disappeared. All of his hatred, loathing, and obsessed facination was drawn into this single picture.

"All his fault..."

"Shigaraki loves his sister to the point of obsession," All For One chuckled ominously. "And soon, they'll be reunited."

Ahhh I had so much fun writing this chapter! So Shiro finally knows about the existence of her brother, as well as All Might's current state (but she doesn't know of the OFA ability). Aaaand, Shigaraki's obsessive behavior reveals a twist! He hates Shiro, yes, but he hates her because he loves her yet she "abandoned" him. What a weird dude.

Please leave a review :) It's the only way I can know if this story still peaks interest.