One For All: First Man!

"Hello." - Dialogue

"I am here!" - All Might/Special Character Speaking

"Detroit Smash!" - Special/Signature Move

What's happening?- Character Thinking

"Izuku!"- Phone call/Flashback Dialogue

Random Location – Random Time…– Time and Place

Chapter 8: A Long-Awaited Family Reunion!

AN: Hey, people! It's been some time since the last chapter, though I hope the chapter length makes up for it. Certain things that were included were made to make certain things clear. I hope have done that. Enjoy the show!

This is the list of songs that you should listen to to enhance the reading experience. Make sure you have them ready in a separate tab for easy access:

One Piece OST – A Human's Heart

One Piece OST – Mezase part 2

Late Afternoon – Streets of Musutafu…

There were many times in my life when I wondered if I would ever have friends like in my childhood. When Tacchan and I were no longer friends and Big Bro Mashirao left to train, I was alone. There were no other guys at my school, all the girls there ostracized and bullied me, and any guys I did meet were too afraid to make friends. I don't exactly know what they went through to be that way, but it certainly wasn't good.

I felt like I couldn't turn to anyone for help. Sure I had my parents, but my dad was in another country and my mom is busy at home. I didn't want to bother them. I know now that my mindset at that time was just wrong, but I still felt that way. All the bullying I went through was really getting to me. I don't like thinking too much about that time because of what I... wanted to do then. My parents were there when I needed it, though, and I was able to push forward thanks to them despite my aching loneliness.

That time didn't matter now. Whatever I had gone through in those days was over. I made friends. I had finally made friends after all these years. It was days like today that gave me hope for a better future. As I made my way back home, I thought back to earlier when I talked with my newly-made friends.

Earlier that day – Real Heroes Musutafu Chapter Office…

The four of us sat down on a chair in the meeting room. Eiko-chan was sitting to the left of me, while Iida-kun and Denki-kun sat to the right of me. After exchanging numbers, they all began to ask me questions about myself, some of which I had not thought much about before.

"Yo, Izuku!"

"Yes, uh… Denki-kun, right?"

"Yup. What kinda music do you listen to?"

"Oh, music?"

"Yeah. Tenya over here likes that Classical music."

"It is not only Classical, Denki-kun, but also Baroque and Romantic music. Classical music is a defined genre of music, not a catch-all term for older and non-Contemporary music," Iida-kun swiftly corrected. When it came to the music I liked, I never really thought about that. Thinking back, I did not listen to music very often after my dad left. I remember him telling and showing me about all sorts of music, but it was usually stuff from the past, the distant past. That was how I was able to recognize the song that was played earlier.

"W-Well… I haven't really been listening to much music," I meekly answered. All of their eyes slammed wide open and their jaws reached to the floor. I could even hear Eiko-chan let out a gasp. They all immediately asked why, but I couldn't really give a good answer. I did not really know why. Maybe it was because my Dad was not here and he was my main source of music, but I couldn't say for sure.

Denki-kun gave me a smirk after recovering from his shock. "Well, you know what that means? We gotta get you into the good stuff!"

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, dude!" Eiko-chan also seemed to be excited at this proposition. "We can't let you deal with that modern crap that plays everywhere these days."

"Why, of course. This will give me an excellent opportunity to share high-quality music with a good friend," Iida-kun said while adjusting his glasses.

"Aw, c'mon Tenya. No way are we letting Izuku get into your boring music," Denki-kun replied.

"Boring!? My music is not boring! It is actually quite exciting and very interesting. It seems to me that you do not have as refined of a taste in music as I do."

"You calling Metal unrefined!?" This started a back-and-forth argument between the three of them about music, which appeared to be a common occurrence between them. It was honestly refreshing to see these friends bicker in this way. No malice or hatred in their voices as they ardently defended their music preferences. In the midst of all this, my mind kept repeating the phrase I heard Iida-kun say.

A good friend? So he and the others see me this way? Even though we just met?

"Are we good friends?" My voice cut through the intense back-and-forth between them and made them pause. They turned to me with sympathy written all over their faces. It seemed that the hesitancy in my voice resonated with them. For what seemed like minutes, they all held their gaze on me. I started to wonder if I should've just kept my mouth shut. Maybe they did not see me as a friend and they were just trying to be nice.

"Of course, we are, Izukun…" Eiko-chan broke the silence with a tenderly compassionate voice. She knew as well as the other two that I was alone for many years. They knew loneliness as I did. From that day forward, I was no longer lonely. I had friends. Friends…

I could feel the warm tears trail down my cheeks when I began to realize all of this. A smile crept on my face. I placed my hand on my face to cover my teary face. With my strained voice, I croaked out, "Thank you." All of them smiled in response and gave me a group hug.

Back to the Present…

I can't wait to tell Mom! Maybe I'll even call Dad, too! Oh, and All Might! As the wide grin displayed my joy to the world, my mind was not as focused as it should be on the world around me. Could you blame me? I actually made friends! Not only that, but I have the chance to fulfill my dreams. Things have been going great for me. It was so strange that it was all happening so quickly, though. It was only about a week ago when I had my meeting with All Might. I was not, however, going to complain about any of that.

The price of my thoughts distracting me was finally paid when I suddenly bumped into someone. It felt like I slammed into a brick wall. When I took a look at the person in front of me everything stopped. It can't be… The man that towered over me radiated a familiar feeling. One of comfort. That wasn't the only thing that was familiar about him. His messy silver hair, his freckles, that huge scar on his eye. This is impossible… Those hazel-brown eyes took me to my childhood. It's… It's…

"DAD!?"

Afternoon – Streets of Musutafu…

"DAD!?" I couldn't believe it. I bumped into the one person I was absolutely sure I was not going to see on the streets. I thought he would be home at this point. What was he doing wandering around Musutafu? Was he heading home now?

Whatever thoughts I had swimming in my head were immediately stopped when sobs began ringing out. I looked to my son and my fatherly instincts began to take hold. When I knelt down, I was able to get a better look at him. He had certainly grown a good amount, though he was still somewhat short. One thing that certainly hasn't changed was those red sneakers. He has been wearing those kinds of shoes since he was little.

It was so surreal seeing my son in his teens because I could mainly remember him being this little "cinnamon bun" as my wife so loved to call him. Whatever feelings I was having was second to what my son was going through, so I did a simple thing that I knew would show Izuku how much I missed him: I gave him a hug.

I felt his body shake at each sob his body let out as well as the tears and snot staining the back of my shirt. "D-dad? I-I-Is that… Is that… really you," my son questioned in between sobs. There was so much doubt creeping into him at this moment. He's probably starting to think this is some dream. I couldn't blame the kid for that, though. This is something he was not going to expect for another seven months.

"Yes. It's really me," I answered while pulling myself somewhat from the hug. I gave him some tissues to help clean his face which he gratefully took from me and used. I look into his eyes with as much confidence as I possibly could to assure my son. "I am here." I did not realize what I said until I saw my son's eyes widen. I unintentionally said Nana's Hero catchphrase. That wasn't a problem, however, as I see Izuku give a shining smile. All doubts were gone and a great relief washed over Izuku as his shoulders slumped down.

At this wonderful sight, I began to choke up and felt tears welling up. Any tears that escaped, I wiped them off. I was finally reunited with my boy. It did happen earlier than I anticipated, but that's okay. It's possible that I was meant to meet him now, but that was a different topic and not that relevant.

(Song: One Piece OST – A Human's Heart)

"You've grown so much since I last saw you," I cooed. His cries began to calm down and he regained his composure.

"R-Really?"

"Oh, yeah! Though, you could use some more growing." Izuku chuckled and I joined. For that moment, the world around me faded away. All I cared about was savoring the moment. The troubles the world laid on me for my several decades of life washed away. There truly was nothing like having a good laugh with your son, you know?

"Heh heh… Okay, Son, what are you doing out, anyways? Your mother told me about your training, so I know when you would usually come home," I questioned.

"Oh, right. I was at the local Real Heroes office and-"

"Wait, wait, wait. Real Heroes?" My eyes widened in shock at this reveal.

"Well, yeah! I want to join them," my son earnestly answered. "You see, I met Eiko-chan today-"

"Hold on – Oh! Excuse me. Sorry for interrupting you again, Son."

"It's okay, Dad. What did you want to say?"

"You met Eiko today?"

"Yeah. I did see her before, but today was the first time I actually met her in person. She apparently knows you."

"Well, of course. Her father and I were quite close. Has she told you about…"

"Yeah, she has."

"I see. Well, it's great that you two have finally met each other. I wanted to get you guys to meet a long time ago, but I never got the chance to before I left." I scratched the back of my head. "Better late than never, I guess."

"Wow! Really, Dad?"

"Yeah, you two would've been great friends," I lightly lamented. "I guess you can be great friends now, so that's good."

"We did become friends!"

"Wait, you did?"

"Yeah," he excitedly nodded, "so anyways, we met today and she told me about Real Heroes. She took me there and I got acquainted with the place and became friends with her and two boys!"

My eyes lit up as my son told me the news. "You made guy friends, too? That's amazing, Izuku!" Out of joy, I grabbed my son in a headlock and gave him a noogie.

(Song end)

"Come on, Dad," Izuku chuckled. I reluctantly relented and let him go. After relinquishing my hold on my son, a realization struck me.

"Hey, Son, why were you out in the first place? I'm pretty sure from what your mother told me that your workout should've been done much earlier today," I questioned.

"First," Izuku began explaining, "I didn't have training today. Second, Mom wanted me to leave the house." Confusion washed over me.

"Huh? Why would she get you out of the house?"

"She wanted to have a private conversation with All Might." At that, alarm bells started ringing and red flags started raising in my mind.

"Oi, oi, oi! What do you mean by a private conversation? They're just talking to each other?" My voice began shaking slightly as I questioned my son.

"Yes. It seemed that they were both having a talk about whatever happened in the past."

Panic soon began to strangle me. "They are!? Izuku, we gotta get home now!" I couldn't do a neat, little surprise for Inko if this was happening.

"Wait, Dad! I don't think we need to do that. While there was a lot of tension between them, I got the feeling that they wanted to do this. Both of them are willing to talk about it," my son reassured me.

An unease filled my heart, "You sure? Look, I'm pretty sure she hasn't told you what happened that caused all of this, but it was something that ripped their friendship apart, even though I have some blame for this." Izuku's confused look of innocence felt like a dagger twisting in my heart.

"What do you mean by that, Dad?" His innocent questioning was placing a weight that I had not felt since the day I made my mistake. My face twisted into shame as I recalled the events that led to their friendship breaking. I still never understood why Inko never placed any blame on me for what happened that night.

"I… so, you… I-I… can't say." I paused to figure out my next words as meticulously as I could. "All I'm able to say right now is that something happened. I'll… tell you at some other time, Izuku," I hesitantly answered. I didn't have the heart to tell him yet. To be honest, I didn't think I could ever have the heart to tell him, but I knew that he needed to know the truth. After all, he deserved nothing less. "I promise I will tell you. Right now… Right now, I'm not ready."

Izuku gave me a comforting smile, sensing that this was a heavy and sensitive topic, "I understand, Dad."

His kindhearted words cut right through my heart. I couldn't believe that he was still like this seven years later. Oh man, my boy has such a pure heart! I tried my best to hide my happiness, but given my son's look, I could tell that I was failing miserably.

"Okay… so, Dad," my son began, "I have some questions regarding your connection to Real Heroes."

"Ah… That can't be answered just yet, my boy."

"Huh? Why not?"

"That is because it will take quite some time. I don't have that at the moment," I gave a slight chuckle, "but it's kinda funny that you mention that. I'm heading right where you were just at."

Izuku gasped as his jaw dropped to the floor. "Eh!? You're going there now?"

"I got some business to take care of. Don't worry, my boy! We are gonna be spending a lot more time with each other. Trust me."

"Oh, that's gre-" The ringing of his phone interrupted his reply. He fished his phone out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID. His eyes widened, "It's Mom!"

"Wait, don't tell her I'm here yet! I wanna surprise her at least!" My son nodded, "Oh, and put it on speaker." He agreed and answered the phone. When he accepted the call, I heard what sounded like… laughter? Both Izuku and I were somewhat befuddled by this.

"Um, Mom?"

"Hey, Izuku," my wife giggled, "I'm just about done talking with Nachan!" Izuku's confusion only increased. I, however, only became utterly stunned by what just graced my ears. My jaw loosely reached for the ground while my limbs stood by my side limply. Even if I wanted to speak, I wouldn't be able to come up with the words to say.

She's calling her Nachan!? She hasn't called her that since… since after she found out about what happened between me and Nana, I reflected. As I was reeling back from my shock, a new feeling began to place itself in my heart. Something that brought me back to those days. The days before I messed everything up. That feeling was nostalgia. Before I could stroll down memory lane, my son spoke up.

My son hesitantly asked, "Nachan?"

"Oh, sorry, Izuku," Inko apologized, "I'm talkin' about Nana! Y'know, All Might!" Today was just full of surprises, wasn't it? My wife was especially just keeping the two of us on our toes. My poor boy was just getting more and more confused. I was getting more and more shocked.

Okay, now she's slipping into her country accent. One thing many people don't know is that my wife was born and raised in the countryside of Japan. When we first met as children she had just moved into the city and had this thick country accent. It was one of the things that drew me to her initially. Why? I thought it was funny.

Izuku shook his head slightly to clear his mind, "Okay, Mom. Does that mean that I can come back home?"

"Yeah, 'course ya can! See ya soon!" The call ended. I started to wonder if she was drunk, but I know what a drunk Inko is like. She didn't act like that. This was something else. I could tell that my son was just trying to let everything sink in. I decided to do the same.

Well, I'll be. She sounded so happy. She was calling Nana by her old nickname. She even reverted to her country-girl self. From what I could gather, she was really happy there. It sounded like they repaired their friendship. Izuku was reeling back from the many surprises his mom threw at me and him.

After he regained himself, Izuku spoke up, "So… I think they resolved everything. That's good, right?"

"I… I can't really believe it," I focused my attention towards Izuku, "Here's the thing, Izuku. They've not had a great relationship for a while to put it lightly. As I said, the details will be explained at another time. There's no way that they became friends again in a single day like that. Seriously."

"Well, it sounded like she was happy," he replied.

I scratched my chin, "Hmm, you're right. That's what's bothering me. She sounded legitimately happy. It's all genuine…" It was really hard to discern what I felt at that moment. I had no clue whether to be happy that they were friends again, doubtful because that kinda stuff doesn't really happen like that, or worried that this is a ruse of some sort. That last idea is one that I would never come up with normally regarding my wife, but the situation was so unbelievable. "Alright, Izuku. I'd say you should go home. If anything is wrong, call me, alright?"

"Got it, Dad. When will you be at home?"

"Most likely in the evening. I have some errands to run before I get home. It's for the surprise," I winked and gave a thumbs up. "Well, I gotta go. I'll see you later, Izuku!" We gave each other a goodbye hug and went about our ways.

With Hisashi – At the Real Heroes Musutafu Office…

Ahh… This place hasn't changed one bit. A sense of nostalgia flowed through my body as I was taken back to my days working as a regular member of this organization. Those days when the three of us would spend much time at this old place doing the best we could to help other guys. I remembered that we would sometimes spend entire days here. It would go as far as spending the night there. This place did have bedrooms, and I'm pretty sure it still did. Why? That was because this place often served as a temporary home for men who were either homeless or seeking asylum. They would stay here until we got the paperwork done to transfer them to one of the shelters. Since this was one of the smaller, less "popular" locations around here, there would be very few men sent here which allowed us to stay the night there. We often did work late here.

After spending what felt like hours reminiscing about days gone by, I opened the door. Entering the office, total shock filled my body. For a brief moment, I could've sworn that I was taken back to that time in my early teens as I saw my brothers beside me with Nana, Inko, and Ai waiting for us. As quickly as I was brought to the past, I was brought back to reality. At the desk was this young woman that I have not seen before. As I made my way to the desk to talk to the lady, the wall to the left grabbed my attention. It was a wall of pictures that were of volunteers that were given a special accolade at the end of the year. I could see several old pictures of me and my brothers, along with other hard-working individuals that received Volunteer of the Year.

"Excuse me, sir," a voice called bringing my attention to her, "may I ask…" Her eyes widened and a gasp escaped her. "Oh my goodness! You must be Hisashi Midoriya! Your son came by earlier!"

I hummed in response to her recognizing me, "Oh, you know me?"

"W-Well, I know of you. You seem to be well-liked among the older people here."

"Ah, so the old-timers talk about me, huh? What do you know? Anyways, I'm here to do some important business." I grabbed a folder of paper from the black messenger bag I carried with me. "Register my son. I got all the paperwork right here, all signed and done with."

She began to look over the papers in the folder and had this slightly startled look on her face, "Uhh, Midoriya-san? These are papers for… for an agent! He isn't even old enough to be one."

Hearing her say that reminded me of the fact that Izuku is going to be taking on a hefty burden at such a young age. It gave me pause. "Well, this is a special exception. Anyway, I'm going to be his Captain, so it'll be fine."

She was relieved, if only a little, "Ah, I see… Why is your son an exception?" A grim look appeared on my face. She became alarmed at my face suddenly twisting.

"That, Miss, is on a need-to-know basis."

"I'm sorry! Please forgive me," she whimpered. At her clear fear, my face softened with a realization.

"Oh, sorry about that. You see, that information is classified for now, so I can't really say anything. I just want you to understand," I clarified. This seemed to work as she slowly recovered from her fear and relaxed. "Make sure this goes through the proper network, okay?"

"Right! Of course, Midoriya-san," she curtly answered. I nodded to reassure her that I know she was diligently registering him.

In the wait for Izuku to be registered, my attention returned to the wall of memories that lay to my left. I focused on a picture of a seemingly plain-looking man. His short, black hair and brown eyes are very common among the population (ignoring the people with crazy Quirks). He did have a strong and sturdy-looking face, giving him a sense of maturity and power. It was kinda funny that he looked that way considering he was the youngest of all of us. Seeing this old picture blended nostalgic joy and grief into a complicated mixture in my heart.

Kiryu… If only you were still here. Then all of us would be together. Unlike with Ken, there wasn't some feeling at the back of my mind telling me he was okay. I witnessed him die before me, saving our lives. I knew for certain that he wouldn't return, no matter how much I wanted him to. Then I turned to the picture of my other brother, the eldest.

Looking at Ken's younger self with shorter hair and no scarring reminded me how old these pictures really are. He's had that scar on his face for a while, so I got quite used to it. I'm pretty sure he had that scar by the time he had his daughter. My mind shifted to the conversation we had last night, which concerned her.

U.A. Principal's Office – Last Night…

After gleefully hugging my brother and not crying (I totally wasn't crying. Those tears were because of… allergies! Yes, definitely allergies), a few questions began to trouble me.

"Hey, Ken," I asked.

"Yeah?"

"Have you told your kid, yet?"

"Uh," he hesitantly began, "no, I haven't"

This confused me, "Why not? She should be one of the first to know. She was utterly devastated when she heard the news!"

Scratching the back of his head in shame, he answered, "Yeah… She was… wasn't she?" He looked at me and continued with uncertainty, "I don't want too many people knowing."

"Okay, that's understandable, but she's your daughter for crying out loud, man! She has to know!" Anger began to surface at my brother's answer. My anger clearly reached through to him as his tentativeness gave way to shame, once more.

"Oh, your right man, but I can't face her!" Tears began to well in his eyes, "I can't bear to face her after leaving her for so long! What will she think!? She's gonna think her dad's some deadbeat who never-"

"Oi, stop that right now, Ken!" A stern look was etched on my face, "She would never think that! She loves you too much and I know she knows that you love her too," my face softened, "She'll understand, alright?" This seemed to calm his nerves and relieve him of some of his shame. He wiped away his tears and regained his composure.

"Okay," he remembered something, "Wait. It's probably best that I still don't go to her. It's too dangerous. I need to keep the enemy thinking I'm dead. It'll allow me to complete the mission unhindered."

I nodded, "That's right; though someone will still need to tell her."

"Well, that is where I think you'll come in." He grabbed a silver heart-shaped locket that I hadn't noticed before. "Take this and give it to her, alright?"

"Sure, but I am also gonna tell Merry, okay?"

For a moment, he wanted to say no to that, but he understood that I would bring the same arguments for Merry as I did for his kid. "Alright. Just make sure that no one else knows."

A reassuring smile was drawn on my face, "You got it, Bro." I extended my hand to Ken and we strongly gripped each other's hands. "You've gotten stronger."

He smirked, "So have you. Oh, I'm gonna need a pen and paper."

Real Heroes Musutafu Office – Current Day…

The lady at the desk finished her work and brought my attention back to the present moment. She confirms my son's registration. Now that this task was complete, I had several more to complete. With that, I took my leave, but something, or rather, someone, entered the room.

"Okay Michiko-chan, I'm… going…" she trailed off. This caused my attention to go to the girl who entered the room. It didn't take me long to recognize that mop of black hair on her.

She shouted, "Uncle Hisashi!" She ran across the room and tackled me into a hug, burying her head into my chest. "I can't believe you're here," her muffled voice exclaimed.

"Hey there, Eiko." A warm smile draped over my face. "It's been a while hasn't it?"

She turned her head up, "I didn't even know you were coming!"

"Heh, yeah… My coming back now was done last minute. Not even I expected to come back so soon."

She beamed, showing off her sharp teeth, "Well, it's good to see you," she giggled.

"Same here," I chuckled. "I heard from my son that you two met."

"You saw Izuku, today," she gasped.

"That I did. You two are friends now, huh? It's about time." She hummed in agreement. "Say how's Ai doing?"

"Oh, Mom? Yeah, you know, she's busy with Hero work," she sighed, "It means I haven't been seeing her much lately."

"Isn't the anniversary coming up?"

"Yeah…?"

"Won't she be there?"

She gasped, "Yeah! That's right. It's one of the few days I get to spend with her."

"Yup… It's a real shame she can't be with you more often."

"Yeah, well," she gave a sad smile, "she's a Pro Hero, after all…" Then she perked up "Oh! Now that you're back, does that mean you can come?"

"Of course! I won't spend too much time there, though. I want you to spend the day with your mom. You'll have more chances to spend time with me, but only that day with your mom for a while." She nodded in agreement. "Alright, well I have to go now. I have more errands to run. See ya later, Eiko."

After our farewells, I made my way to my next destination.

Later in the Afternoon – In front of an apartment…

Wow, I still can't believe I had a male taxi driver. The guy seemed a little… out of it, however, I reflected. Well, let's do this. I lifted my hand and gave the door three solid knocks.

"I'll be there in a moment," I heard a muffled voice shout. Soon after, I could hear muted footsteps make their way to the door. A click sounded off and the doorknob twisted around. As the door creaked open, a woman revealed herself.

The first thing I noticed was the fluffy, white wool that covered her arms, legs, and head. Not only that, but she also had these sheep horns that slightly curled backward. Her fair complexion matched the wool wherever it was just her skin (which, if I remember correctly, are at least her face and torso). Her face was mostly normal, with the exception of her black dot nose.

It appeared that she was cooking something in the kitchen as she was wearing her light blue apron over her green dress. Because she was inside, she wore a pair of black socks that neatly contrasted with the rest of her look.

Her black eyes morphed into surprise as she began to recognize me, "Oh my! Hisashi-kun, I wasn't expecting you of all people to arrive today," her gentle voice said.

"I know, right? I arrived last night," my comparatively rough voice replied.

"Does that mean you've reunited with your family?"

"Only my son. You see, I wanted to surprise the two of them, but I ended up seeing my son earlier than anticipated. At least I'll get to surprise my wife."

"Oh, I'm sure you will," she motioned her head inside, "Why don't you come inside? I was making some cookies."

"Wow, that sounds awesome, I'm in." I excitedly entered the home, making sure to take my shoes off before fully entering.

"Would you like some tea?"

"What kind?"

"Matcha, Earl Grey, Oolong, and Pu'erh. I plan on going to get some other types of tea later."

"You know what? Matcha sounds good to me." With that, she prepared the tea while the cookies were baking. After accepting her hospitality, I decided to take a gander at the apartment.

I could feel the smoothness of the brown hardwood floor beneath me which provided some comfort. The plain white walls were covered with various paintings of ships. It was either a ship at sea or at a dock. To the left, there was a short hall that held the bedrooms of this apartment. The room I was currently in was the living room with a kitchenette, much like the apartment that we live in. Two black leather couches surrounded the Persian rug with the coffee table on top. They had an average-sized flat screen nailed to the wall at an elevated height. I could see to the right of the kitchenette in front of me was the round dining table of red-brown wood.

When I was done observing the apartment, I noticed that there was someone missing, "Hey, Merry, where's Ochaco?"

"She's in her room finishing her homework. Actually, I think she should be done, right now. Ochaco! Are you finished with your homework," she yelled.

A muffled yell came from the hall, "Wait, hold on… Okay, done!"

"Could you come out now? There's a visitor!" The rattle of a doorknob turning and the creaking of a door rang out, followed by the pitter-patter of footsteps. Then a young girl around my son's age arrived.

Her auburn hair went to her shoulders, and the style was bobbed with these two long strands framing her round and soft face. Her equally round auburn eyes radiated cutesy innocence with that perpetual pink blush on her cheeks emphasizing that cuteness. She wore a black t-shirt that was plain with similarly plain pajama pants.

She noticed me the instant she arrived at the living room, "Uncle Hisashi," she excitedly asked, "What are you doing here? I thought you were in America."

"Indeed I was. I came back home a little earlier than expected." The two of us sat down on the dining table waiting for Merry to finish making the tea and cookies (by the way, they smelled amazing).

"If it's okay for me to ask, why are you visiting us," Ochaco asked.

"Well, it's mainly because I have some news for the two of you."

"Bad or good news," Merry asked.

"Wonderfully good news, but I would like for the both of you to sit down for this." I could see them develop a curious look that mixed with some excitement. Oh boy, were they in for something.

Soon enough, Merry's cookies were complete and ready to enjoy, along with the matcha. Once a plate with the cookies was placed in the center of the table and each of us was served a steaming cup of the tea. As Merry sat herself down, I noticed there was a slight tension between us. It makes sense after all. I just suddenly came unannounced and told them I have good news. I have a feeling they are anticipating some good news and bad news. The last time I came unannounced was to tell them that Ken died… I eased them with good news, then dropped the bomb. Today I was going to make up for that. Only good news will be told (funnily enough regarding Ken).

I gave my best smile, "I want to assure you, there's only good news this time."

"Are you sure," Merry questioned with a skeptical look. It was at this moment that I started to question whether I should ease them into it or just-

"Ochaken is alive." Yeah no, I wasn't gonna beat around the bush this time. No way I was gonna do that with something like this.

At first, was a stunned silence, their eyes wide and faces fixed. It was so quiet and still that I could even hear my own muscles relax and contract whenever I awkwardly moved in my seat. The two of them were more still than the paintings they had littered on the walls. All I could do was watch as they processed each of my words carefully. While there were not many words to take in, every single one held immeasurable weight to their hearts, so I was willing to wait as long as necessary. Then I heard Merry silently inhale and then exhale.

"I'm sorry Hisashi-kun, I don't believe you," she politely disagreed. While she was cordial in her words, what she felt was much more visceral. She was in utter distrust.

"B-but-" Ochaco meekly interjected.

"No, Ochaco, there is no way we can believe this. You just come back, out of nowhere and expect us to just believe your nonsense!?" Years of despair revealed itself in these bitter words. "I-Is this some kind of… sick joke?" Her voice broke as she strained out her question. The tears flowing from her cheeks told me more than any words she could come up with.

Ochaco was unsure what to think. She wanted to believe my words. She desperately wanted hope that her father was still out there somewhere, but she had no reason to believe me – especially after her mother gave me a piece of her mind. Her own tears started to form as her eyes dashed back and forth from Merry to me.

Their denying of the good news I told them was expected, though certainly unwanted. Fortunately, I had on me just what I needed to convince them otherwise, hopefully. I reached into my pockets and dug around for the locket Ken had given me along with the note. Their gazes held on me, causing me to nervously shuffle through my pockets. I could tell they were getting impatient waiting for my answer, so any semblance of meticulous searching gave way to anxious fumbling around.

Once I reached into my inner coat pocket (I like trench coats, okay?), I finally felt a folded piece of paper and the cold metal of the locket. "Aha! There," I finally responded. The two of them voiced their confusion at the same time before I continued, "He told me to give you these." I finally took out the two objects that I hoped would convince them I was speaking the truth. "I suggest you read the paper first," I suggested to Merry.

She took the paper and began to read it aloud, "Hey, just thought I'd return this for safekeeping. Ochaco, please keep it safe for me. I do want it back. I know that you have thought I was dead, so did I. Turns out, all of us were wrong. Pretty cool, eh? The enemy still believes that I am dead; though, I don't know how long that will be for. It's one of the reasons I had not revealed myself to many people. In fact, you two are some of the very few that know I am alive.

"I bet you won't believe my little brother telling you the good news, so I wrote this. I also gave back the locket you made for me, Merry. I'll be gone for a little while longer. If you still don't believe it, I guess you'll have to wait a year. I'm pretty sure I can finish what Hisashi began all those years ago. I have a little something that Hisashi wasn't able to get. Not his fault.

"I made you a promise. I made Ochaco a promise. I will return and fulfill those promises. I love both of you so much that it's impossible to put it into words, but I want to try with this haiku.

"Mountains and Oceans

Break a Family Apart

Love Will Make Them Whole."

Neither of them spoke, allowing the words on the page and the presence of the locket to be processed. I could only watch them as they tried to discern what they thought. Their eyes revealed the confusion, hope, despair, and other such conflicting emotions all waging a war within them. They both truly wanted to believe that he still lives, but still were unsure. To be fair, they don't have a reason to believe that he wrote that letter and that I didn't just grab the locket from his body. That was probably their main doubt. They didn't trust me all too much, but I knew why. The pain of losing him was still ever-present in hearts. Even when they looked inside the locket as a confirmation that it was the real one, that doubt still haunted them like a specter.

Ochaco suddenly broke the silence, "I… I'll wait."

"What do mean," Merry quietly demanded.

"I'm still not sure if… this is all true, but I will wait. When a year goes by, we'll know." Merry's eyes widened slightly. She recognized the point Ochaco made and decided to wait as well. While Ochaco's decision had the weight of hope behind it, Merry's decision was marred with reluctance.

Taking my last sip of tea and finishing a cookie, I began to leave. "Alright. I can see that you don't believe it yet. That's okay. It was to be expected," I made my way to the front door and put on my shoes, "Please wait. He will make good on his promises. He's my brother, after all." I gave them one last smile before leaving, "See ya later."

Evening – At the Midoriya Apartment…

I could hear my heart pounding against my chest in anticipation as I fidgeted at the door. Once more, I checked to make sure I got the right flowers: Asters, Carnations, and Japanese primroses (Inko's favorite flower).

I hope she likes these, I mentally desired. With a final deep breath, I took the leap and knocked on the door.

My heart skipped a beat when I heard a lovely voice say, "In a minute!" The drums in my chest now started to blast and strike as hard as they could. Sweat dripped all around my body. My shaking hands became clammy as they still held their grip on the bouquet of flowers. I started to wonder how I would actually feel when I finally-

The doorknob twisted when I least expected it to and creaked open. Every slow moment as the door opened further intensified the rhythm. Higher and higher was it rising as each second passed. My heart was working like a machine and only getting stronger as these slivers of time trekked along until… I saw her.

At first, it was a surreal moment. The only time I saw Inko's face during these seven years was in pictures that I took with me to America, so seeing it here was difficult to fully realize. Only a moment later had I realized that this was no picture. This was no dream. This was more real than I could ever hope for.

What I noticed initially was her eyes. They held a radiance about them that revealed how full of life she was. Those emerald pools gazed at me with a simple, slightly rugged, yet refined grace that reflected her rural upbringing. They were also still. More peaceful than a spring morning before shifting into a shock. A beauty that was unmatched.

Her soft face that shone with a quaint comfort was welcoming. I felt that I could rest when I was with her. I could truly relax. It was still – to me – the same face that pulled me through some of the worst losses of my life and strengthened my joy in better times. It was the same face that I saw when we gave ourselves to each other in marriage.

Before I could even realize it, a stream of warm tears rushed down my face. I was becoming overwhelmed by the fact that I was in the presence of my wife. My wife. My own wonderful wife. She was really there. Her eyes shimmered right before her tears began to flow, too. Her hand quickly covered her mouth as a quiet sob escaped her lips.

(Song: One Piece OST – Mezase part 2)

One moment I was standing there with flowers in my hand. The next, I was embracing the most amazing woman I had ever met. The one I made those indestructible vows to. My beautiful wife: Inko. A warmth washed over me as we held each other that was like an unending fire. Neither of us wanted to let go as we feared that if we did, both of us would disappear and we would wake up. Time only strengthened our embrace.

Her sobs became less subdued and more visceral. She was letting go of all the pain of our separation. She was finally free from the burden of waiting for my return. There were no more doubts. Those long and agonizing years were now over.

In spite of the tears, I saw my son run up to the two of us to join in our embrace. I moved my arm to bring him into a group hug. Soon our cries gave way to bubbling laughter that bounced around us. No more did any of us have to endure this long departure. We were together, we were whole, and…

I was finally home.

(Song end)

There ya go! Chapter 8 is now complete. It took quite some time to finish this chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it. Some more little details and characters were revealed here, like Inko's rural origins. Why did I include something like that? You'll have to wait and see. Also, I hope this chapter cleared up any confusion regarding Eiko's father. He is indeed dead. Ochaken was Ochaco's father. Granted I hadn't made that clear before so I could understand the confusion. Nonetheless I hope it's all clear now.

As of writing this, the story has reached over 500 followers! That's halfway to 1k! I'm honestly impressed that there are already a huge number of people keeping track of this story. Thank you all so much for tracking this dumb little story I'm writing.

Remember to do that reading, that reviewing, and that Bob the Builder criticism-ing, that is to say constructive criticism. Thank you once more, and have a good day!

Posted on 7/30/2023