Mina rushed to the crime scene. She didn't have much reason to. In all likelihood, nothing had been found yet. Before she had her lights knocked out by the mysterious noumu, she had previously been there. If anything, she would have to wait. These things took time, far more time than police procedurals let on. Unfortunately, time wasn't a luxury. Mina stopped. Was all that just a dream? Wishful thinking? It had to be. There is no way you can truly bring the dead back to life. That was just too fantastical, even in this world of quirks and powers. Still, Mina had something that she had lost for a while, even as she had done her best to embody it. Mina Ashido had hope, and she would cling to it like a mother to her child. "Hang in there, Izuku. One way or another, I'll fix this."
However, there was another priority besides cryptic dream messages and odd omens. Mina would have to apprehend the creature dubbed Minus and hand it over to the police. The sooner the better, too. Who knows what further damage it could cause. It already wrecked her home, knocked her out, and made quick work of some of her friends (and whatever Bakugou was). Ore than that, though, there was something deeply unsettling about Minus. Its movements seemed so familiar. Its eyes rang a bell that gave Mina a sense of dread, deep in her subconscious. And yet a part of her was drawn to the monster, as If it was a missing piece, looking to restore something broken. She shook her head and returned to work.
Mina's scanner in her wrist was broken, so she would have to get it replaced. "Looks like I'm off to Mei's." she sighed. She had no problem with Mei Hatsume. Far from it. Her costume modifications were top notch and she was a longtime friend and ally. However, Mina still felt eager to get back into action. Aside from the threat of Minus on the loose, there were likely more people in need of her help. However, she would need to do better than stumbling around blind, looking for people to help. Plus, she was still banged up from her previous fight. She had to make some stops.
Mina approached an office building. It wasn't grand or spectacular, but it was still impressive. Hatsume tech was a recent startup, only about two years old, but Mei had done a lot in that short amount of time. She had worked her way up to get where she was now, and she was proud of her little start-up. Mina smiled to herself about how some old friends of hers had their own businesses and she currently didn't have a place to stay until she could get her apartment repaired.
Mina stopped by the front desk, where a woman with thick-rimmed glasses and cropped blue hair was answering the phones, four arms reaching in different directions and bringing things to her. She couldn't have been much older than 21, so Mina was 5 years her senior.
"I'm here to see Miss Hatsume." Mina leaned on the counter.
"Do you have an appointment, miss?" The girl spoke, adjusting her cat-eye glasses go cover her actual cat-like eyes.
"Alien Queen. And no, but-" Mina was interrupted by the young receptionist, raven hair cropped short.
"I am sorry, Miss Alien Queen, but Miss Hatsume is very busy at the moment and-" It was the receptionist's turn to be interrupted as an eccentric woman in a labcoat, steampunk goggles, and a humorous science-related t-shirt stepped out to greet Mina.
"Nonsense. This is an esteemed friend and colleague, Tatsuki. Don't be such a stiff. Come. Sit, I'll make coffee and show you my latest babies."
"So, what brings you here, Ashido?" Mei greeted cheerfully.
"I…I um need repairs." She held up her wrist communicator and showed off her costume, currently damaged from her previous battle.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY CHILD?" Me exclaimed exasperation, holding up Mina's wrist to look at the broken communicator watch.
"I kind of got slammed around after getting ambushed in my own home. Cut me some slack." Mina exhaled as her shoulders slumped, a pout on her face. She almost felt like her old self again. That was worrying her a little, but she could deal with that later.
Mei sighed and shrugged. "It's just as well. I did have an update in mind I have been working on. Your timing is near perfect. It still needs some final touchups. Wait around a bit. Have some coffee.
"Coffee sounds great, actually." Mina, even in times of emotional struggle, could never turn down caffeine, at least not for very long. Izuku was the greatest love of her life, but coffee was the first.
"I knew you would say that, Ashido." Mei laughed. "Coffee machine is in the lounge."
"Thank you, Hatsume. You are a god send." Mina was never so relieved in her past few months in her tenure as the World's greatest Hero. There was a lot of pressure involved there, but she tried the best she could. Mina paused. "Hey…. I doubt it, but do you have showers here? My apartment was trashed by a villain." *she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
Mei looked at her like a cat that had been given an instruction manual. "Ashido, we are a support start-up in a small office building. What kind of office building has such facilities. Mina couldn't argue with that and was ready to call it quits. Mei, however, placed her hands on her hips and grinned. "Ours does! That's who!" Mina smiled slightly. That was another item on the checklist.
Mina finished her coffee and tossed the disposable cup in the trash as she stepped into the bathroom, which was on the other side of a moderately sized training area. Since the tech would need to be tested, Mei had been able to justify the need for such facilities. She pretty much lived at her office, so that was another reason, but she assured investors that it was far more practical than just her wonky sleep hours and eccentric work ethic.
Mina stepped onto the smooth tile floor, taking off her uniform and draping it over a bench. Since she was getting a new one, she didn't see too much reason to fold it. She walked over to the sink and checked the mirror. She looked exhausted and beat up.
"I really could use a nice shower." She sighed, taking off the gold locket she had received as a birthday gift from Izuku two years ago. In the center were two gemstones: pink and green. Each one formed half of a heart. On either side of the heart were hers and Izuku's engagement rings. She hadn't opened it since less than a month before Izuku died. She hadn't seen much need to open it since then. She had thought about it, since she missed him sorely, but she just thought it would hurt too much, so she just never dared. However, now, she was having thoughts. She was arguing with herself over them.
"People don't just come back from the dead. This isn't Dragon Ball."
"Yeah, but we live in a world of superheroes and advanced science. Surely weirder things can happen."
"But that's reality. This? This is fantasy. He's never coming back."
"But what if he can?"
She really didn't want to get her hopes up over such a miraculous notion, but her heart was racing. She had to be sure.
Shrugging, She decided to open the locket and have a good look inside. Something fell out as she opened the charm to see the picture of her and Izuku on the day he proposed. It was on Dagobah beach and it was the happiest moment of both their lives. Mina turned to look at the piece of paper that fell into the sink. It was folded intricately enough to fit into the locket.
Mina unfolded the paper and furrowed her brow, preparing to read it. Her eyes widened, and the tears poured down steadily now. It was his wedding vows. That green haired dork folded his wedding vows in her locket. He probably did it while she was asleep, as a sort of surprise. Maybe he sensed his own demise somehow. Mina didn't want to think about it Her heart had hurt enough as is, especially with these feelings of hope and all these questions opening like doors in a hallway. Regardless, it was very in line with what a romantic dork he could be, sometimes even defying logic despite being an intelligent young man who often muttered to himself in contemplation. Mina had teased him about it and he had mellowed out over time, but she still caught him doing it now and then when he was still with her. God she missed him.
She gathered her thoughts and read the note.
"I, Izuku Midoriya, vow to take Mina Ashido, to have and to hold, through every storm and battle, through sickness, health, and foliage, for the rest of our lives, til death and beyond. As my beloved wife."
There were multiple notes in the margins, such as "Is this too cheesy?I know you'll tease me for it, but I wouldn't have it any other way.", "It can probably be longer." And "I also vow to add ladders to every tree. As a hero and a husband."
Tears hit the page as she smiles widely through it all.
"You fucking dork. You weren't supposed to show me your vows."
Mia tucked the note away, placed it back in the locket, and closed it, setting it on the sink. Mina stripped out of her underwear and walked to the shower, turning on the water and letting it hit her, washing away the blood, dirt, and tears from her body as she stared at the tile floor, lost in thought. Was this what he was like? Lost in thought, muttering through every possibility, arguing with himself over what move to make? She chuckled to herself. He really did rub off on her. That made her miss him even more. As the water came down, the thoughts flooded her head once more.
"You're deluding yourself. Get a grip. You have work to do. You have a responsibility now, AQ."
She lazily reached for shampoo and conditioner that had been left there. They were probably Mei's. Mina would make it up to her. She could run a quick errand as long as it wasn't out of the way. Mina didn't like taking other people's stuff without permission, but she had a feeling Mei wouldn't flip over it. Besides, it's not like she had been able to pack an overnight bag in case something like this happened. Not even Izuku would have done something like that. Izuku. He just would never leave her heart or mind. Then again, it wasn't like she ever wanted that. It brought her pain and sorrow, true. However, the thought of letting go just seemed like an act of betrayal to him and his memory, that being all she had left of him besides his belongings, which she held onto. Mina grabbed some body wash and lathered up a nearby luffa sponge to wash herself. As she rinsed, she continued to herself.
"You need to let go. We need to let go. I loved him. I still do. That won't stop. But what good will moping over him do? I have a duty as a hero. I need to protect people. I need to…"
"I need to have hope. I need to provide hope. Peace is important. All-Might and Deku, they served as symbols. Pillars. But people need hope to get there. They need a dream to work towards and the inspiration to do so."
Mina finished bathing, let the water hit her throat and chest and smiled slowly at the ceiling before turning off the water and drying off.
"That's it. I need to hold on. He's out there. And I will bring him back. One way or another. That's what I will symbolize. This is my role. I'm not just Izuku's replacement. I am Alien Queen."
"What are you doing in there? You better not have used my soaps." Mei called into the bathroom, catching Mina off guard. The pink woman blushed slightly in embarrassment. She should have known her off the cuff shounen speech would be overheard.
"Um…" Mina struggled to find words for the situation. She knew the issue wasn't serious, but she was still at a loss.
"You're buying me more, Ashido." Mei pouted.
"I'll write you an IOU." The hero known as Alien Queen shrugged as she threw her towel over the bench in the locker room, over her old costume.
"You better. Dry off and get dressed. Actually, just underwear. I have a present for you." Mina put on her bra and panties, followed by her locket. She wished she had her hairdryer, but it was short notice. She just shoved her head under the hand dryer a few times.
"Close enough." She smiled softly.
Mina walked out, having dried off. She stood in the training area and stretched her arms and legs as Mei walked out holding a silver briefcase, containing Mina's new costume. The tech girl handed it over to Mina, who opened it up and feasted her eyes on her new suit. It was mostly like the old ones, but it had lines on the arms and chest now, similar to her two immediate predecessors. A stylized "AQ" belt-buckle had made its way into her ensemble, housing some simple but effective tools, just in case she needed them.
"This baby might be my finest work. I fixed the communicator and gave it a sturdier casing, without sacrificing its audio capabilities. What's the point of a communicator if you can't hear anything?"
"I also added wrist blasters for acid spray, sturdier gauntlets, reinforced but light-weight shoes for stronger kicks without sacrificing the intricacies of your movements, that surfboard attachment on your back that you insisted on."
"Because it's cool!" Mina fired back as she held the case in her hands and started putting on her costume. It fit her well.
"Whatever, Mina." Mei rolled her eyes. Mina was right though. It was cool. "AAAAAAAAND…."
"Mina noticed a second compartment as Mei opened it up for her. Mina almost burst into tears again. Yep. He certainly had rubbed off on her, she thought.
"I had a couple spares lying around….it doesn't exactly match the theme of your costume. It might clash too much. But I thought you might appre-"
Mina hugged Mei before she could even finish. It was a piece of Izuku's costume. The part that he had designed all those years ago to resemble a smile. Mina had been so much more cheerful in those days. It had been part of her charm that had made Izuku flustered, but ultimately drew him into a decade of bliss. It was modeled after All-Might, perfected by Izuku, and now it was hers to make her own. In more ways than one, Mina had found her smile again, and for that, she was eternally grateful.
"A-Ashido. I appreciate… the… appreciation, but... you're… suffocating me." Mei weezed. Mina released her and grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry, it's just…. Thank you, Mei. It's perfect." The 10th wielder of One-for-All was incredibly honored and that couldn't have been more readily evident from her tone.
"I considered adding tubing to the wrist blasters leading up to a more reinforced version of this bad boy so you can smit acid with the flick of a switch, but that might take time." Mei smiled as she regained her ability to breathe.
"That sounds awesome. I think I'll pass for now. This costume is great as is. Thank you."
"No problem, Ashi. However, there is the matter of your bill." Mei ran a finger under her nose with pride for her work, then tapped her fingers against each other.
"Charge it to my apartment. Same with the soap." Mina backed away and made a break for it. Luckily there was an exit nearby.
"You…you said your place was in ruins." Mei raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry, can't talk. Hero duties." Mina gave her first full-fledged grin in a long time and rushed out the back door. "Call me later! Take Care!" And with that, Mina was gone. Mei shook her head and grinned.
"If you're out there, Midoriya, you're probably really damn proud right now."