I help them fold clothes when the dryer is done. I pack them into our bags and laugh at one of the jokes that Emes can't seem to remember the entirety of. Keiko steals part of the snack she bought for me, laughing when I call her out on it, then she hugs me and tells me that she'll get me something later on.

We went back to the house afterwards. Emes leaves for a little while and returns with snacks, a few books, dinner, and a new card game he wanted to play. The rest of the day is spent with us taking turns losing at the card game to him and Keiko accusing him of using his quirk to cheat and see past our poker faces. He argued that if that was the truth, then I'd be winning too.

It feels like home. It feels so right, so perfect. Too perfect.

I don't want this to end.

The next day, I wake up and my parents are gone. There's a note on the table from them saying that they were going to see a friend of theirs to get some supplies and other things that we'll need when we inevitably move on from this place. There's nothing else in the letter about what I'm supposed to do in the meantime and I'm incredibly curious about how Keigo is in this timeline.

Keiko said that he was working with the League. What if it's the same situation as in my timeline and he's being forced to for the safety of others? Or is my brother actually a villain?

I turn the note over and write my own stating that I'm going out for a little bit and that I'll be careful not to get caught on camera or anything. I search through the bag in my room for a short sleeved shirt, jeans, and find a baseball cap at the bottom of it all. I pile my hair on the top of my head in a haphazard bun that is barely held in place by a nearly dead hair tie then pull the hat firmly on top of my head. There's also a ratty black facemask that we washed yesterday folded in with some of my clothes that I hook around my ears and keep bunched under my chin for a moment before I leave the house.

Everything looks the same as my timeline, as my version of Kyushu, so it's easy to navigate. Everyone is as kind and happy as the other timeline, helping me by pointing out which way to Keigo's agency. A few women even gush about how he goes out of his way to take pictures with them and show me said pictures of him.

The most noticeable thing is that there's no light in his eyes. His smile stops just at his mouth. There's worry lines around his forehead and eyes and his shoulders are slumped like he's trying to relax from carrying the world on his back. That's…not the Keigo I know. That's not my brother. My brother always has a smile and a mischievous glint in his eyes. There's always a joke or pun on the tip of his tongue that he couldn't wait to tell anyone.

Eventually I got to his agency. I stop outside the doors and stare up at the building, pulling my face mask down to take a deep breath and steel my nerves. My heart is racing in my chest and something is telling me that I need to leave before he sees me. I'm a stranger to him in this timeline and, if Mom is right and he really is working with All for One, I'm in danger here.

But my feet carry me inside the building anyway. I walk up to the front desk where the receptionist is playing on their phone, trying hard to not let the sound of my heart slamming into my rib cage deter me.

"Excuse me," I say, my voice slightly muffled by the cloth of my mask. They put their phone down and smile up at me, not even the slightest bit of recognition crossing their face. "Um, is..is Hawks in?"

"He's on patrol right now," they reply kindly. "Today was his team up day with Endeavor. They should be somewhere around downtown and will be back in about an hour or two if you'd like to wait."

Team up day with Endeavor..? Wait, that would mean this was sometime after the Shie Hassakai raid.

"No, th-that's fine. I'll just come back later," I tell them, shaking my head. They barely get a chance to say bye before I'm running out the door. I pull my mask down as I run towards the downtown area, my head spinning. I turn a corner and almost run into a boy with pink hair and wearing a white scarf walking with a shark headed person.

"Whoa, careful!" he laughs, helping me steady myself as my breath comes out harshly. "Are you-"

"What's the day?" I ask, most definitely sounding like a crazy person now. "What day is it?"

"Oh, um, it's the..hold on." I'm nearly jumping foot to foot as he checks his phone. I want to scream at him to hurry up. He tells me the date and my heart sinks. "Is everything okay? Do I need to call the police-"

"No, just…just…go about your day. I'm late for something I completely blanked on. Thanks!" I'm walking past him as I say this, almost breaking into a full sprint as I thank him. I can barely breathe as I weave in and out of people, stray hairs falling from my baseball cap. This version of me isn't as physically fit as my normal self, my legs already screaming from exhaustion. If I had my capture tool, I'd be on the roof right now and trying to parkour my way to the downtown area.

But you don't, a snarky voice in the back of my head hisses, a deeper version of Reina's. It almost makes me lose my next step and trip over my heel, so jarring and out of nowhere. You're setting up Mariko for failure. You have to let the past go and become this version of you.

"No," I hiss to myself, shaking my head as I stop at a crosswalk. I jog in place for a moment while I wait for the light to turn, then sprinting again as soon as it does. Need to find Keigo, need to find him, need to warn him. If I can warn them, they can prepare better.

Find them, find them, find them-

I round another corner without thinking and slam into the back of someone else. I stagger back a few steps, shaking my head before I trip over one of my shoe laces and fall on my ass. It knocks the wind out of me and leaves me panting and gasping for breath. Every inch of my body is burning and screaming from exhaustion, so heavy and leaden that I don't want to get back up.

"I-I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention-" I stop as the person I bumped into turns towards me, familiar bright blue eyes staring down at me from underneath the bill of a hat and above a face mask. My heart stops as I feel the all too recognizable malice and spite surrounding him, suffocating and weighing me down more than any level of exhaustion. I glance around my surroundings, seeing us closed off on three sides by a dead ended alley. And before I can stop myself, "Touya?"

I watch him visibly flinch, his eyes widen. Before I could react, he bent over and grabbed me by my throat. I barely choke out a breath before he's slammed me against a wall, his eyes darting towards the sidewalk before focusing back on me. I grab at his wrist, digging my fingernails into his skin but failing to hurt him. This version of me is so weak. I hate it. I need to-

"Who are you?" he hisses at me, his hand tightening around my throat. My head feels swollen now as my brain screams for oxygen. "How do you know that name?"

"I-I…I…" I can't breathe..!

His eyes dart back to the sidewalk before he's blown backwards away from me. I drop to the ground, my hands at my throat as I cough and gasp for breath. My vision is spinning from the sudden rush of air to my head.

"Mariko, are you okay?"

I look up as Dad kneels next to me, his eyes wide as he sees the state I'm in. He tilts my head back, most likely to see the damage he did to my throat, before he hugs me close to him.

"How dare you?" I hear Mom hiss at Touya, looking up to see her hand outstretched and him pressed down into the ground. He can't move and her fingers are flexing in a way that tells me she's responsible. "I'll kill you, you son of a bitch. How did you find us?"

"Keiko, we need to go," Dad tells her, helping me get to my feet. "Now. We can't attract attention."

She looks over her shoulder at us, fury blazing in her eyes, before lowering her hand. She says nothing as she follows us out of the alleyway, leaving Touya on the ground.

"Wait, I-I need to find-to find the heroes," I say, my voice hoarse. They look at me as if I've grown a second head. "They're in danger-Hawks and Endeavor. There's a Nomu coming, they can-"

"We're not going near the heroes, Mariko," Mom tells me, stopping us to grab me by my shoulders and turn me to face her. Her eyes are bloodshot and there's a droplet of blood coming from her nose. "We can't. Not after what we just did. And if they question why you know this information, you're in even more danger and you'll be put onto All For One's radar. We can't risk it, baby."

"But they-the Nomu is too strong, they won't be able to-"

"Mariko, enough!" She almost yells at me, shaking me once. Terror is in her eyes and her entire body is trembling. "We can't. I love that you've such a beautiful heart and you want to help everyone, but we can't. We have to put ourselves first. We have to keep each other safe. Please, Mariko. Please understand."

"We need to get back and start packing up," Dad says behind me, his voice breaking as the anxiety and fear surrounds them both. It's choking me, suffocating and toxic. It's against everything I know, everything I was taught.

"I can't," I whisper, placing my hands on her wrists. She's staring at me still, the horror in her eyes prominent. "I can't let them get hurt, Mom. Not if I know I can prevent it. Please, please trust me."

I have to help my brother, I want to scream it at them. But he's not my brother in this timeline, and it hurts. He won't know me, won't recognize me, but I'm not about to let him almost die. I can't let him. Not after everything he's done for me, I can't just sit by and do nothing.

"Please."

Her hands move to my face, holding it gently. She stares for a moment longer before sighing and closing her eyes. For a moment, I'm afraid she's going to subdue me and take me back to the house. Then she places her forehead against mine, a soft sob escaping her.

"I do trust you," she whispers to me. "I trust the way we raised you, and you…you've got a hero's heart, Mariko. A true hero." Then she pulls away, taking a breath as she nods her head towards the way I was running before I slammed into Touya. "Go. But meet us by the bathhouse and we will go to our next home in thirty minutes."

Relief floods my body as I nod breathless, throwing my arms around her in a hug before kissing her cheek. She chuckles and hugs me back, placing a kiss on the side of my head.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too. Now go, my little hero."

I glance over my shoulder towards Dad, and he gives me a nod. I can feel the palpable worry wafting off him, but the overwhelming trust and adoration almost drowns it out completely. It hurts, but it's so…relieving.

I start running again. I don't stop, not even for the crosswalk lights and almost get hit once or twice. It takes about another ten minutes before I can get to the downtown area where the Nomu attack took place in my timeline, out of breath and my entire body screeching in protest.

I find the building they were in before the Nomu attacked in my timeline, grateful for the elevator to give my aching, heavy legs a break as I ride up to the restaurant. My heart is thumping in my ears, my vision spinning as the elevator goes ding, ding, ting! to the final floor. The doors open, and the seats are sparse, almost empty. I see Keigo and Endeavor eating food in a far corner, engaged in quiet conversation.

Before I know it, I'm at the side of their table. They've barely noticed me before I clear my throat. Endeavor looks up first, a small flitting of recognition in his eyes before it disappears. Keigo on the other hand is completely oblivious to who I am, instead giving me a wide grin and tilting his head. It's almost flirty and makes me a little sick to my stomach.

"Oh hey, did you want an autograph?" he asks, waving his hand at me. "Did you-"

"You two are in danger here," I whisper to them, watching their gazes switch from relaxed to almost immediate alertness. It's almost scary the sharp gaze Keigo gives me. "A Nomu is about to attack here and it's going to be very destructive. You need to start evacuating and getting to safety before-"

I barely get to finish my warning before there's a massive boom and glass is spraying everywhere. People are screaming, barely heard over the ringing in my ears. Somehow I ended up across the room, against the bar that separated the dining area from the kitchen. The smell of fire and smoke, burnt feathers and clothes, fills the air, singing the inside of my nose as a hand grabs my shoulder. I can barely lift my head to see Keigo kneeling over me, his eyes narrowed but still concerned.

"We're going to have a chat after I finish this," he hisses to me. "In the meantime, we're getting you to safety."

"My-my parents…have to find my parents…" I try to get to my feet, the ringing getting louder in my ears as I start to feel sick. Great, I have a concussion. "Have to go…need to go..I promised."

"Fucking-fuck." he hisses the words under his breath, looking at me then at Endeavor attempting to keep the Nomu at bay, blow for blow, tit for tat. "Shit. Fine! I'll get you to the street then you can go. I'll chalk this up to coincidence."

I feel a couple feathers hook themselves in my clothes, picking me up. He flaps his wings twice, his toes barely touching the ground as he glances back at me. I swear for a moment he can recognize me, but it's gone as soon as he pulls his goggles down over his eyes. He's gone the next second, and I'm on the ground under a minute.

I look up, seeing the bright flames of Endeavor and the streaks of crimson from his wings dot the sky in a mural of strength and perseverance. I know they'll be okay, they always are.

I need to get home.