It had been three years since Mina's escape from the vault. Even after so long, she always felt a special thrill when opening the front door of her new home, Might Tower. She finally lived in a place where she had doors. She could see the sunlight and taste the fresh air. Stepping outside and twirling in a circle, Mina smiled. It was a crisp fall day. Trees lined the walkway, an earthy scent exuding off the red, yellow, and brown leaves. The sun shone over a pure blue sky. Mina luxuriated in the feeling of sunshine on her face.
Looking behind her, Mina held out her hand. "Come on, little brother."
Izuku swallowed and took her hand, letting her lead him outside. His eyes darted in all directions. The adjustment to life outside the vault had been harder for Izuku than Mina. He'd never known any life except one bound by steel walls. He still got nervous in open spaces and around large numbers of people. For the first two years, All Might had Izuku homeschooled. Now Izuku had finally gotten used to people enough to start attending a local private elementary school. The classes were small, which suited him. Thanks to the vault, he was behind on his schooling. Also, personal teacher attention helped prevent bullying.
As a leaf fell off a nearby tree, Izuku flinched and clung closer to Mina. She squeezed his hand reassuringly. They walked down the pathway together. Mina took great pride that in the early days when Izuku had been scared to go outside, he'd still come out after she offered her hand. Their world was larger now, but the two of them would always have each other's backs.
Shouta Aizawa leaned against the gate of Might Tower. He waved upon seeing the children. "All Might was called away on business, but he asked me to walk you two to school."
Mina smiled. "Thank you." All Might had been selected as the guardian for Mina and Izuku, because he was the only one who could protect them from their terrifying father All for One. But Aizawa came by the tower regularly to check up on them. Since All Might was a very busy hero, Aizawa had been frequently tagged as a babysitter. Aizawa had also been training both Mina and Izuku in martial arts, since they both wanted to attend a hero high school. Somehow Aizawa had never stopped visiting, and Mina felt glad of it. His friend Yamada often dropped by too.
Izuku ran up and hugged Aizawa. Although shy around strangers, he was affectionate to people he knew. Aizawa patted his head. "Have you been doing your pushups, kid?"
"Uh-huh!" Izuku flexed a muscle.
Mina felt guilty that she had several quirks but her little brother had none. In addition to her acid, her father had given her retractable bat wings, a regeneration ability, a longevity ability, and keen eyesight. She could make out the veins on even the distant leaves and a katydid crawling down a tree branch. If she could, she would have given her little brother one of her quirks, but she had not inherited that power from her uncle or father. She hoped that All Might would one day give One for All to Izuku, but she assumed Izuku was currently too young to be considered a potential successor.
As if summoned by her thoughts, Toshinori Yagi dropped down from the sky in a yellow blur. He landed crouched with his fist against the ground. "I am here! To take you to school!"
Aizawa rolled his eyes. "Then why did you ask me to take the kids, Smiley?"
"Because I thought I wouldn't make it back in time." Toshinori hung his head. He looked like he'd been in a fight, with dirt on his costume and his hair rumpled.
"Are you hurt?" Izuku asked. Running forward, he touched the small scrape on Toshinori's wrist. "Pain, pain, fly away!"
Toshinori's face melted into happiness. "Thank you, little hero! I feel better already!" He picked up Izuku and spun him around, then settled him on his shoulders.
All four of them continued their walk to Izuku's school. Mina said, "One of my friends invited me out for crepes after school. Can I go?"
Toshinori hmmed. "Will there be an adult supervising?"
"Yes, Mrs. Fujii will be coming along—that's Hisoka's mom."
"Do you have her mother's contact information?"
"I do." Mina pulled out her phone. "The crepe shop is very near the school. We won't go outside the safe zone." Understandably, Toshinori was very cautious about the children's safety with All for One looking for them. A certain radius around Might Tower and their schools was regularly patrolled by heroes to keep it safe. They were also using a new technology developed by David Shield to block Kurogiri's portals within the area.
Aizawa said, "Oh, let the kid have fun. I'll pick her up after she's done if you're too busy."
Toshinori said, "I would like to talk to Mrs. Fujii first, but I'm sure it will be fine. I'll text you with permission after I call her. Only have one crepe, you don't want to spoil your appetite for dinner."
Mina beamed. "Thank you, Dad!"
Everyone stopped walking mid-step. Mina blushed with mortification. Had she really just called All Might her dad? It had just…popped out. Toshinori had been very kind to her and her brother. But at the end of the day, they were both All for One's children. What if he didn't want them?
Toshinori flushed crimson. He stammered, "I-I'm greatly honored."
Mina dared raise her eyes off the ground. "You don't mind? Can I keep calling you Dad?"
"Of course. That would make me extremely happy," Toshinori said.
Sitting on his shoulders, Izuku cheered and tugged on the yellow hair tufts. "All Might is our dad!" He pointed at Aizawa. "And you can be our uncle."
"I'm too young to be an uncle!" Aizawa crossed his arms to form an X. "You can call me Big Brother Shouta. Got it? Repeat after me: Big…brother…Shouta."
Mina chuckled. It felt good to have a family.
After the school bell rang, Mina ran to the bathroom and changed out of her middle school uniform, into jeans and an Alien T-shirt. She put on a golden bracelet and fastened two crimson barrettes into her hair. Then she peered anxiously at her reflection. She wanted to look her best. She felt nearly as excited about having friends as she did about having a new family. Back in the vault, she'd been desperately lonely.
Mina met Hisoka Fujii at the entrance of the school. "Is it just the two of us?"
Hisoka nodded. "I invited Aoi, but she has horseback riding lessons. Hey, there's my mom!"
Mrs. Fujii waved from her blue sedan. "It's nice to meet you, Mina."
They drove two blocks to a shopping district with an outdoor crepe stand. The crepes were filled with fruit and ice cream. Mrs. Fujii treated Mina. After eating, the girls looked at T-shirts at a clothing store while Mrs. Fujii scrolled through her phone.
Mina held up a T-shirt in an extremely ugly shade of orange with a three-dimensional furry mustache plastered on front. It was marked 75% off, presumably because no one wanted it. "Do you think it suits me?" Mina asked with mock-seriousness.
Hisoka giggled. "That wouldn't suit anyone!"
Mina folded up the T-shirt and put it on her head so that the fake moustache hung over her forehead. "Look at my new hairstyle."
Hisoka doubled over laughing.
A sudden scream made Mina's head shoot up. "Nobody move!" a rough voice growled. A woman stood in the doorway, wearing a black catsuit with a black mask over her face. She had unnaturally long nails, and one of them was pointed at Mrs. Fujii's throat. "If you value the hostage's life, then empty the cash register. Call the police, and she dies."
A single tear fell from Mrs. Fujii's eye. Otherwise she seemed frozen.
"We have to call the heroes," Hisoka whispered, reaching for her phone.
Mina grabbed her wrist. "No, it's better to obey, for your mother's safety." Mina had undergone both extensive combat training and training on how to handle dangerous situations. From All for One's teachings, she was confident in her ability to handle one villain who seemed to only have a sharp nail quirk. However, All Might had taught her that in a robbery or a mugging she should cooperate. As long as there was only money at stake, it would be better not to risk Mrs. Fujii's life. The authorities would track down the villain later. All Might had once told her that no one should die over money—not even a villain.
With shaking hands, the cashier opened the register. The villain took a step forward. Mrs. Fujii fainted. The sudden shift in weight caught the villain off-guard. Mistaking this for an escape attempt, she slashed forward with her nail.
As if in slow motion, Mina could see the tragedy about to play out. Mrs. Fujii would be stabbed in the chest, somewhat by accident. Inaction was no longer an option.
Wings unfurling from her back, Mina leapt forward. The clawed tips of the bat wings ripped through the back of her shirt. She stuck her hand between the nail and the unconscious woman. Sharpness dug into her arm, but Mina had borne pain during her combat training before so it did not stop her. She grabbed Mrs. Fujii, then unleashed a blast of acid at the villain.
Falling backward, the villain wailed and screamed as her face burned. Mina had not expected that—she'd expected the villain to block or dodge, because the fights had always been much harder when she'd trained with All for One's Nomu. The stench of burning flesh seared the air. She'd used so much acid that a hole burned into the ground, and the villain fell in.
Mina landed on the ground, her wings retracting. The injury on her arm had already healed thanks to her regeneration. She lowered Mrs. Fujii to the ground, her arms aching from the strain. "Please, call a doctor and the police." Her voice trembled. She inched toward the hole, terrified to see what damage she might have done to the fallen villain. Only her training kept her from panicking.
"Get away from my mother!" Hisoka screamed. "You have more than one quirk! Freak! You murdered someone! You're a monster!"
Mina paled. The words confirmed her deepest fears. She turned and ran out of the store. As sirens rang out in the distance, Mina took flight.
Only several blocks away did Mina calm down and land. What had she done? Had she killed that villain? She must have. Toshinori had always told her that she needed to be very careful with her acid, yet she'd failed him. A non-hero wasn't allowed to use quirks and definitely wasn't allowed to kill a villain. Then she'd even fled the scene of the crime. Would she be sent to Tartarus?
Oh, gods, she'd killed someone. Mina fell to her knees and vomited.
Mina must be a monster, just like Hisoka had said. Just like her father. A freak with more than one quirk. A villain who killed without hesitation. Blood would tell. She was All for One's daughter, not a hero.
Tasting vomit in the back of her mouth, Mina staggered to her feet. She ought to turn herself in. Yes, that would be the right thing to do. At least then Izuku would be spared the shame of a criminal on the run for a relative. Mina reached for her purse, but she'd left it back at the store. She didn't have her phone.
A deep voice said, "My dear girl, you look like you need help."
Mina turned around. All for One stood on the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets, looking perpetually amused as he always did. She realized that she'd flown outside the safe zone in her panic.
Legs shaking, Mina took a step backward. She expected her father to leap on her and drag her away, back to the vault.
Yet Hisashi Shigaraki remained stationary. In a surprisingly gentle voice, he said, "The police and heroes are looking for a young girl who brutally murdered someone by melting her face off."
Mina trembled.
"I'm proud of you, my future demon queen. You were defending yourself. But in this cruel modern society, you can be thrown into Tartarus for using your quirk even in self-defense. I could not bear to see you there, my sweet daughter. If you thought my home was too constricting, how would you survive being trapped in a dark tiny cell unable to even move?"
Mina had seen pictures of Tartarus, when her father had been trying to turn her against hero society. Though it shamed her to admit it, she was terrified. The right thing to do would be to run away, then turn herself in. But her legs would not move. Tears fell down her cheeks.
Hisashi stepped forward and brushed away her tears. "I won't let that happen to my daughter. Come with me, and I'll protect you."
He was giving her a choice? Had he changed? Or was this all a trap? Mina doubted her father would seriously let her walk away. He was far too possessive. Then it would make more sense to go with him willingly so she didn't end up knocked out or bound. Yes, that was the perfect justification. Deep down, Mina knew she didn't have the nerve to turn herself over the police and face Toshinori and Aizawa's disappointment. Toshinori would see that she was All for One's daughter, a natural killer. Aizawa would regret ever training someone like her to be a hero.
With her head hanging, Mina followed All for One.
To Mina's surprise, Hisashi didn't take her back to the vault. Instead, he took her to the top floor of a tower, where there was a restaurant with glass walls. There were no other patrons. She glanced around nervously. Pulling out a chair, Hisashi explained, "The owner of this place owes me a favor. I ordered him to leave us food, then clear out the restaurant." Sure enough, a tomato soup and chicken tetrazzini casserole sat on the table.
Mina could not even imagine eating. She still felt sick. She took a sip from her water glass to wash away the vomit in her throat.
Hisashi clucked his tongue. "Look at you, wearing such cheap jeans. I always provided you with the finest suits and skirts. All Might clearly hasn't been looking after you despite his wealth. You must be a low priority."
But Mina preferred casual, easy-to-move-in clothes. She looked away. "Why didn't you drag me back to the vault?"
Hisashi took her hand. "My darling future demon queen, I'm not here to imprison you. Not like those heroes. Your courage and cleverness in escaping proves that you are exceptional for your age. As a middle-schooler, you've defeated an adult villain in single combat. Just like you, I was precocious as a child. Perhaps I've underestimated you. Perhaps you're ready to help me with my business. If you joined my side, then you would no longer need to live in the vault like a child."
Mina swallowed. "I-I wanted to become a hero." Tears stung her eyes.
Sighing, Hisashi shook his head. "That was never possible for you. I'm sorry."
Mina's head shot up, confused at the uncharacteristic apology.
Hisashi said, "Society only accepts people with quirks considered heroic. People like you and me, we're born as designated villains. You have acid, a quirk that destroys and kills. It marks you, just like the horns on your head." He brushed back her hair to reveal her horns. "With your power and your mutations, you'll never be accepted as a hero. I'm the same way, so I understand how it feels. I have a power that disrupts the order of society, so I'd never be permitted to use it as a hero. Even though my urges drive me mad if I can't take quirks. My dear little brother always wanted me to be a hero, but he never understood that the heroes wouldn't have accepted me. Only people like us can understand what it's like to be considered a danger to society from the moment we manifest our socially unacceptable quirks. We outcasts must stick together, because we only have each other."
"But Mr. Aizawa said I could become a hero," Mina mumbled. Her tears fell harder. "All Might said I could use my quirk to remove rubble."
"You have a beautiful and precious quirk with many uses." Hisashi pulled her into a hug. Soothingly, he stroked her hair. "I'm quite confident that you could become a hero. Whether they will let you is another matter. Izuku is weak and frail and might appeal to the heroes' instincts enough for them to let him become a mascot for their cause, just like Yoichi. But you're my daughter and you have several powerful quirks. You will never be accepted. All Might is only using you to get at me."
Mina shuddered when she remembered her friend turning on her and calling her a freak. Those words about society's prejudices rang true. But when her father accused All Might, she pulled out of his embrace. "That's not true! He's been nothing but kind to us. He even let me call him 'Dad.'"
Ugliness flashed across Hisashi's face. "The blond buffoon did that to hurt me, and perhaps to win your trust. Do you want to know the truth? He's been keeping you two as hostages. All Might sent me an offer to trade you and your brother for Tomura Shigaraki, his mentor's grandchild. Alas, I couldn't accept. I've been raising Tomura all this time and love him like my own. All Might is only keeping you two by his side as hostages to use against me."
"That's not true!" Mina cried, slamming her hands down on the table so hard the dishes rattled. She did not believe any such thing. Toshinori wouldn't walk her to school and help her with homework and teach her about heroism if he'd only kept her around to get back at her father. He wasn't the type to lie. But she did fear he would hate her now that she'd accidentally become a criminal. She sat back down, the fight going out of her.
"My poor demon child," Hisashi crooned. "I hate to see you hurt. But I fear you will die like my little brother unless you understand the truth of the world. There is no place among the heroes for people like you and me. Either you must join my side, or they will destroy you."
Mina didn't know what to believe. Her head spun and her hands trembled. She did not want to become a villain but she no longer believe she could be a hero.
The window shattered as All Might smashed through. Blue eyes blazing, he growled, "Mina, come here, I'll—"
A net sprang out of the floor, wrapping around Toshinori. Sparks danced over his body. He fell with his mouth slightly open, but he did not seem able to talk. He must be paralyzed.
Propping his elbow on the table and leaning on his palm, Hisashi smirked. "Finally silent, buffoon. Don't bother to struggle. Dr. Garaki and I spent decades crafting that trap. It will give me time to get my brother's quirk from you."
Mina realized why her father hadn't immediately dragged her back to the vault: he'd used her as bait to catch All Might. Coldly furious, her hands clenched into fists.
Even if it meant Mina would go to Tartarus, she couldn't betray Toshinori after all his kindness to her. Leaping forward, Mina slammed her hands down and melted the floor.
Both Toshinori and Mina fell straight down. Hisashi's furious howl followed them.
The net slipped off Toshinori as he tumbled through the air. His power restored, he grabbed Mina, shot out the window, and landed on the ground below with her in his arms.
Aizawa ran up to the building, panting. "All Might, I told you to wait for me, dammit!" He smiled upon seeing Mina. "I'm glad that you're safe, kid."
Pressure filled the air, like a fist coming down from above. Even Mina, used to her father's overwhelming presence, trembled. All for One looked down at them from the top floor, his hair lifted and his eyes blazing like a furious god. He assessed his chances against a freed All Might with Aizawa there to back him up with Erasure. Thwarted rage and disappointment flashed across his face. Looking down at Mina, he mouthed, "No matter what, I still love you, my future demon queen." Then he vanished into one of Kurogiri's portals.
The hideous pressure seeped out of the air. Sighing, Mina held out her wrists. "You can arrest me now."
Toshinori gaped. "For what, saving my life?"
"I murdered someone." Mina sobbed uncontrollably. "I-I'm sorry."
"Hey, wait, that's not true." Toshinori held her close. "The villain didn't die. Did you think she was dead? She was taken away in an ambulance, injured but stable."
"R-really?" Mina whimpered.
Aizawa hugged her from behind, sandwiching her in a group hug. "You didn't kill anyone. Even if you had, you acted to stop an innocent person from dying. We wouldn't arrest you. There was a bit of trouble over vigilantism, but Smiley over there handled it."
Toshinori chuckled at the nickname. "The number one hero has some weight to throw around. You're my daughter. Even if you did something wrong, I wouldn't abandon you. But none of this was your fault. Well, except you should have waited for the police to arrive after subduing the villain, but I understand you were in shock. You did the right thing to act. You saved someone's life like a hero."
Mina sniffled. "D—All for One said that you tried to trade me for Tomura."
"What?" Toshinori stiffened. "He has a lot of nerve! He's the one who offered that trade! I turned him down."
"But Tomura is Nana's grandson."
"And you're my daughter! I must save Tomura no matter what, but I can't trade one child for another."
Mina felt happy, but at the same time desperately afraid for her adopted brother Tomura. "I want to help find him with you. But All for One said that I didn't have a heroic quirk. Can I still become a hero?"
"Of course!" Toshinori said. "There are no good or bad quirks."
Aizawa cleared his throat. "I'm not a mindless optimist like Smiley—"
"Hey!" Toshinori yelped.
"—so I'll level with you, kid. Quirk discrimination is real and will hurt your hero career. It won't be easy for you to learn to control your quirk enough to capture villains without killing them. But I'll help you every step of the way. You can become a hero with your quirk." Aizawa smiled. "I promise as a U.A. teacher."
Mina felt so relieved she started crying again. Two sets of arms hugged her, comforting her. "I'm okay." She smiled through her tears. "I'm just happy everything worked out—"
Wait. Everything had worked out, too easily. All for One had left with barely a fight. He never gave up family without a fight. Something was wrong. Mina frowned. "Izuku! All for One is going after Izuku. That's the only explanation for why he left so easily."
"That's not possible," Toshinori said. "We have a perimeter of heroes protecting the safe zone since you went missing."
"Then he sent someone else to grab Izuku! I'm sure of it. All for One left because he's planning to pick Izuku up." Mina grabbed the front of Toshinori's costume. "Please believe me, I know my father. He wants both of us back more than anything, but he believes that I'm strong and Izuku is the fragile one who won't survive without protection. He would prioritize snatching Izuku. And now, when you're both distracted with me, is the perfect moment."
Toshinori's face went pale. He set Mina on his shoulders, then picked up Aizawa (despite an indignant squawk) and shot toward Izuku's school.
When they arrived at the school, it was mostly deserted. The students had already left. Toshinori said, "Izuku stayed late today because he has his quirk analysis club."
Shaking free of All Might's grip, Aizawa said, "Let's find a teacher to tell us where he is."
"Look!" Mina screamed. She pointed at a white-haired figure slipping away behind a tree. The older teen was difficult to recognize from behind but Mina knew Tomura by his ratty old sweatshirt.
Toshinori shot forward. Tomura turned around. He held Izuku close to his chest, his hand wrapped around the boy's throat. Izuku had been gagged. Tears filled his eyes. Toshinori screeched to a halt. Raising his hands, he said, "Young Shimura, I mean young Shigaraki, you don't have to do this."
"Shut up!" Tomura screamed.
Mina said, "My big brother won't hurt Izuku. He's bluffing." She approached determinedly. "Tomura, please. Izuku and I don't want to go back to the vault. We want to stay here."
Tomura let her approach him. "But Sensei is your father."
"He kept us locked up. It was wrong. Tomura, please, you're my brother. I want to live together with you. But I want to live freely, not in a cage." Mina held out her hand. "Please, come with me. I promise that a lot of stuff my father told you wasn't true. All Might wants to help you."
At All Might's name, Tomura's eyes blazed and he slapped her hand away. He lunged.
But Mina's delay had been long enough for Toshinori to sneak around behind him. While Aizawa activated Erasure, Toshinori knocked Tomura unconscious. Toshinori picked up Izuku with one hand and caught Tomura with the other.
Mina leapt forward and hugged her little brother, ripping out the gag. They clung to each other and sobbed.
It wouldn't be easy to deprogram Tomura, but now Mina's entire family was back together. She hoped and believed this would be the start of a better future.
OMAKE TIME!
Omake: In the Void
Mina: I hope my little brother inherits One for All.
Yoichi: I INSIST ON IT. My niece and nephew are the two most adorable beings in existence. I can only bequeath my quirk to one of them so it should be Izuku because he doesn't have any quirks. Anyone who disagrees will be forced to spend hours looking at all my cute nibling pictures.
Hikage: Please, First, we agree with you, just stop making us look at the pictures.
Yoichi: Exhibit number one: Izuku and Mina as babies. Just look at those adorable little toesie-woesies!
#
Omake: Won by Default
All for One: Why do my relatives always seem to like All Might better than me? Is it out of spite?
Mina: Yes, but also you gave him very little competition in the dad department.
#
Omake: The Dad Wavelength
Hisoka: You're a monster!
All Might & All for One: How dare you call my daughter a monster?
All Might: Ewwww did I agree with All for One about something? I feel traumatized.
All for One: I have changed my mind, Mina is a monster and that's great because monster are cool. This way we are no longer in agreement. But I'm still murdering that brat.
#
Omake: How to Defeat Tomura, Version Two
Mina: Big brother, Eraserhead is here.
Tomura: Oh my god, can I have your autograph?
Aizawa: Uh, sure, if you let me arrest you.
Tomura: (Holding out his hands for cuffs) I'm being arrested by the Eraserhead, this is such an honor for a fan.