I had spent the last years in America, building my reputation and getting experience under my belt, just as Gran Torino said would be for the best. Returning put me back in All For One's clutches, but I felt far more ready than if I were a green graduate from UA. I watched the land barrel closer with the plane's dipped nose and tilted wings. While some passengers were jostled with the dramatic bump that comes from a heavy object meeting the ground, I was grateful for the landing. I'd tried wheels and landing gear of my own to minimize the damage to my surroundings, but even the finest of mechanisms wore out within a single use, if it survived that long.
I wore the form I was born with not only to arrive stealthily to my home country, but for the sake of the fellows in my row. Smaller and slighter, I had not amassed any of the dirty looks that would have come if I were All Might. I cast the silent passengers one last glance as the aircraft rolled smoothly to the terminal. Mumbling people stretched and eagerly departed from their cramped chairs. Some filed off to the baggage claim while others, like me, only had carry-on bags. I had my phone, wallet, and of course my suit - just in case someone needed a hero.
As I walked, I listened. I enjoyed the day to day noises of travelers, the soft hum of electricity, even smell of overpriced food that tantalized my empty gut. Whole it was tempting to stop, I forced myself to keep going. The airport, like all others, was notoriously overpriced. AllI had to do was make it to one of the grocery or fast food chains outside the doors and I'd pay a far more reasonable sum.
At my last step, the automatic doors flew open. "Shit!" An undeniably feminine voice called out one of the least lady-like words. Acting on instinct, I jumped to attention and looked for the source of trouble. It took less than a few seconds for me to see a kid rushing with an oversized bag of apples. Even if I could have changed into my costume, there was no need. I stepped to intercept the boy, nearly tripping him in the process, and put a hand on the youngester's shoulder, halting him in his tracks.
"Are those yours?" I asked, staring down with a shadow of a smirk on my lips.
"N-yes," the lad answered in a rapid breath, all while he glanced hastily over his shoulder. "You've got to let me go! Here she—"
As interested as I was in hearing the rest of the story, I peered up to look at the assumed victim in the petty crime. Once I looked, it was hard to take my eyes off her. She rushed me, her turquoise eyes fixed firmly on Apple Lad. "Thanks," she breathed quickly, barely looking at me. Her hand reached out and snapped the net of produce away. "If you want these, you have to work for them," she declared firmly, like a mother scolding a child. I guessed her age to be early twenties at most, nowhere near old enough to have a kid of this age. The red fruit's flesh was precisely the vibrant hue of her shoulder length hair. While tall enough in my true form, she had a few inches on him. "You can come organize my stand and pray nobody stole anything else while I had to chase after you." Just like that, she grabbed his ear and began to lead the futilely struggling half-pint back to the nearby market. "Hey, you," she paused and nodded her head to me. "Come pick some stuff out as a reward."
My gut still rumbling, I moved obediently towards the hope of food. We walked through the bustling city to the local market, where a stand of produce stood seemingly untouched. Clearly relieved by the sight, the red-head released her hold on the boy and walked around her stand. She pulled out a spray bottle of water with a fresh rag and plopped them on the narrow lip of wood that could barely be called a counter. A girl only a few years younger than the red-head mans the stand, her white hair a bit longer and eyes grey. "Hey Rei," she greeted the other woman, only to shortly round on Apple Lad. "First, wipe any smears off the apples," she demanded. "Then advertise. For every five things you sell, you can choose one thing to take home." Needing no more encouragement than that, the tyke set to work.
For her to chase after the boy, business must have been hurting. I shuffled through his duffel bag and tried to pull out my wallet, all without flashing the vibrant garment hidden within. "You don't need to pay," the red-head declared, sounding amused. "You just stopped this hoodlum from a lifetime of crime. Who knows where he would have gone after his first successful theft?" She tapped her chin thoughtfully and smirked. The boy blushed beneath the critizism.
"Probably J-walking," I offered, stricken with wit. The young woman laughed at my joke and looked me over with wat I'd dare to call a smile.
"I'm sorry, in my haste I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Teiko. This is my friend Rei," she gestured to the girl with snowy white hair. On cue, Rei bobbed her head in greeting, her gray eyes strayed a moment on my frizzy mess of blonde that I dared to call hair. Unlike her friend, she doesn't say a word.
I found the two girls' opposing personalities strangely complimentary and refreshing. "I'm Yagi." At times like this, I was glad to look like a beanpole, as it was an effective secret identity.
"Pick what you'd like, Yagi. Would you like some tea?"
"I would, thank you."
"Rei, can you heat up the kettle?"
"Of course," the teen answered.
The more I watched them, the more I was convinced the girls had at least five years difference in age. I stood quietly, unsure what to do with the silence. Thankfully, Teiko decided to fill it. "Were you anywhere fun?" She asked as I pursued the wooden crates. In the end, I chose a ripe green pear.
Instant alertness filled me. How had she known he'd been gone? Did she see the suit? It took me a moment to remember that I'd just walked out of an airport. The panic faded as fast as it came and I answered as calmly as I could, "it was fun in some places and not as much in others." My vague answer only seemed to draw more curiosity from them both. Teiko opened her mouth to say some more, but I cut her short. "I apologize, ladies, but I'm tired from my flight and need to be headed home. How about a rain-check on that tea?" I gripped the pear and waved my fisted hand.
"See you around," Teiko declared casually, as if she spoke to anyone with such familiarity. I returned to my long vacant apartment and set about making the place feel less like a graveyard. A picture of Nana sat burdened with dust atop my equally covered desk. I took the time to wipe the surface down before I collapsed into bed.
The next day, I was no longer Yagi Toshinori, but All Might. With the power of One for All, my goal was to become the Symbol of Peace not only for my beloved country, but for the world. My time overseas had been everything Sorahiko, Gran Torino, had wished for. I learned how to fight and put the final touches on my quirk. I'll admit, I was a bit nervous for my first day back home. If anyone knew of my reputation in America, I'd have to meet their expectations. I knew that every move I made would be scrutinized and criticized. I had to be perfect. Once I was prepared in mind and body, I only had to walk to the agency to get squared away. I pushed out of my apartment complex and grinned merrily at any who looked at me, even waving to one particularly awestruck lass.
Looking like a hero was a definite boost for my self-esteem. It was much easier to envision myself as everything I dreamed I'd be when I was over seven feet tall and had my head a bit closer to the clouds. On my way, I stopped at a cross walk and waited for the light to change, belatedly noticing Apple Lad by my left calf. I cast an especially broad beam down to the boy. In his nervousness, the Apple Lad began to walk almost the moment the light changed. In his haste, he failed to notice a black car that streaked towards him. I moved swiftly, catching Apple Lad by the hand and pulling him back just in time. A symbol of peace has to start somewhere. The boy muttered something that could have been an apology, made a show of looking both ways, then crossed the street with haste. I offered him a reassuring thumbs up. "Better watch where you're going," I suggested before I crossed my first destination.
By the time I filled out the appropriate paperwork and was properly licensed for hero work, it was noon and I was famished. Though I had quite the reputation on my heels, I was at the bottom in my home country and only assigned to the most basic tasks – for now.
I began my patrol slowly, making sure to see and be seen. While some looked at me, most were far too accustomed to the society of heroes to glance at a man in spandex anymore. I turned down the street that would lead me to the marketplace, hoping foolishly that I could check in on the boy. At least that's what I told myself. Truthfully, I was curious how Rei and Teiko would react to this stronger, better, faster, stronger version of myself. I wondered; if she had been nice before, surely she'd be doubly welcoming to a man that looked the part of a hero.
I was able to catch Apple Lad's tale. "I tried to go, but a really strong hand grabbed me. It felt like iron, then WHOOSH! I was pulled back!" He theatrically drooped back, as if abruptly pulled. "His hair was taller than a deer's antlers, it was crazy!"
With a smirk on his lips, I chose then to reveal himself. Apple Lad released a most undignified squeak and vanished among his audience of three. Rei and Teiko were present, as I'd hoped, as well as a hero so young that he could only have graduated within a few years. The young man narrowed his eyes at the me, his apple-red hair matching Teiko's far too precisely for me to mark the hue as a coincidence. "This is the guy, huh?" He looked me over, but unimpressed by any part of me. He appeared to be somewhere between the women in age.
"Relax," Teiko said with a stern frown. She turns her head to address me. "Thank you for saving Riku. He seems to be a bit of a problem child," she declared with a small bow of her head and cheeks flushed with embarrassment. I found her change in demeanor flattering. "I'm Todoroki Teiko, this is Yuri Rei, and Endeavor, my little brother." This time, I noticed how I was given more thorough introductions. I grinned through it all. "It's nice to meet everyone. I'm All Might," I declared, keeping his spine straight and posture heroic. Endeavor never took his eyes off me. Aside from their hair, both siblings had strong jawbones, a commanding presence, pale skin, and vibrant turquoise eyes.
Rei is the one to make the offer. "If you'd like anything, take it, on the house," she suggested, her light complexion flushed as well. Endeavor finally broke his sharp stare to glare first at his sister, then her friend. The young snorted and stomped away, leaving me alone with the women. I turn to watch him leave, some part of me knowing that we'll meet again. I keep my grin broad and face set in triumph. At Teiko's voice, I look back.
"I'm sorry about him. He's… a bit much," she apologized, seeming to jump free of her daze. "Yes, as Rei says, take anything." Since she insisted, I selected a red apple. I looked between them both, seeking any signs of recognition, but was as relieved and disappointed as always to see that they hadn't connected me to the scrawny fellow from yesterday. "Have a safe day," I declared, then departed as swiftly as I'd come.