AN: Thanks for the reviews and support everyone! I'm glad you're all enjoying my story.
Lightgiver - Thanks! It's a really tricky balance where I want to go fast enough to not drag the story down, while not seeming too unrealistic.
InfinityMask - The kids have plans, for sure. Some people won't/can't be saved due to just due to either their history or when events happened - Muscular, for example, killed Water Hose almost 6 months before the kids arrived. But we'll see what happens!
SwordOfTheGods - Oh, the kids and Nezu certainly have plans.
fencer29 - I guess we'll see what happens!
After Inko agreed to take in Himiko, things became busy in the Midoriya household.
They had to clean out the spare room, which Inko had been using as a home office, to turn it into Himiko's new room. It was slightly smaller than the other two bedrooms, but when Inko asked Himiko if that was ok, she insisted that it would be fine. Inko also had a stack of paperwork to fill out, dealing with interviews and lawyers to make sure everything was in order.
In the afternoons, Inko and Izuku visited the hospital and spent time with Himiko, who was also kept busy in the morning with therapy and exercise as her body adjusted to actually getting a regular supply of blood in her diet.
And in the evenings, Izuku called Ochako. She was stuck in Nabari, helping her parents get ready for their own move in a few weeks. That didn't stop the two of them talking every night, spending an hour or more on the phone before falling asleep.
With this temporary routine, time passed quickly.
The first victory came three days later.
That afternoon as Inko and Izuku were visiting Himiko, Kan entered the hospital room with a smile on his face.
"I am happy to announce that Mr. and Mrs. Toga have both been arrested for child abuse and neglect, as well as advocating illegal quirk suppression."
Hearing the news, Himiko immediately broke down crying. At that moment, for the first time, she felt like she was truly free of her parent's influence.
When her tears began slowing down, she looked up at the hero. "What about me and 'Fumi?"
Inko placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks to the lawyers working with us, I should be able to foster you soon. Once that's done you'll be placed into my care."
"What about 'Fumi?"
Vlad looked at Himiko awkwardly. "Thankfully, your sister's case is less complicated than yours. Because of that, we were easily able to find a foster home for her. One of the teachers among the support courses at UA has a cousin with a technopath quirk. It is actually a more advanced version of Hifumi Toga's data copying quirk, giving her greater control over computers. When asked, she and her wife have agreed to take in young Hifumi. They live in Tokyo, so there will be some distance, but I am sure you can arrange to visit her whenever you want to."
Himiko looked relieved. Her sister was going to be alright.
"I'm not sure if I'm ready to see her yet. There are too many bad memories," Himiko confessed. "But soon. I want to make sure she's ok."
"Take your time, it's more important for you to get better before we check on her," Inko advised. "When you're feeling better we can take you to see her."
Vlad handed a thick envelope to Inko. "The Togas were well off, so you don't have to worry about shouldering any additional financial burden. A large portion of their assets has been seized and put into trust accounts for the Toga sisters. You will receive a monthly stipend from that account to help cover young Himiko, and when she turns 18, the remaining money will be released to her."
Kan turned to Himiko. "At that point, it will be yours to do what you wish with it."
Inko opened the envelope and looked at the paperwork, her eyes going wide. "Well, that answers the question about your bedroom," she announced as she looked at Himiko. "Once things calm down, we will find a bigger apartment for the three of us."
Himiko smiled through teary eyes. The foster paperwork hadn't even been finished yet and already Inko was trying to make her feel more comfortable.
"What about Himiko's charges?" Inko asked.
Kan frowned. "Despite the circumstances, the family continues to insist that little Himiko be charged with assault. Our lawyers are doing the best they can, but there is only so much they can do. Young Himiko will likely have to spend a year on probation."
"Oh." Himiko looked down at the bed.
Inko leaned in to hug her. "It'll be ok. The lawyers are trying their best. Hopefully we can get the terms of your probation limited to things you will be doing to get better already. Then you'll just have to stay out of trouble for a year."
Himiko looked at Inko and gave her a shaky nod. She wanted to believe Inko that everything would turn out ok, in the end.
Himiko's court hearing was scheduled shortly afterward, and four days later Inko, Kan, and Kayama traveled back to Tokyo with Himiko.
Izuku wanted to go, but at his mom's insistence, he stayed home. His mom rightfully argued that it would be a boring afternoon of courtroom proceedings, and he didn't need to see what was going to happen.
It took most of the day, but as the afternoon stretched into evening, Izuku finally heard the door open and saw his mom coming in, followed by Kan and Kayama.
"So, what was the verdict?" Izuku impatiently asked.
"It was what we expected," Inko said, frowning. "She is going to be on probation for the next year. She needs to get counseling and therapy, and she has to stay out of trouble. Once a month the police will be visiting us to ensure that she hasn't violated the terms of her probation and make sure everything is ok here."
"That's what we were expecting, right?"
Inko nodded, but still looked sad. "I just wish the other family was more understanding of her circumstances."
"Sometimes, people just wish to see punishment done, rather than justice served," Kan declared.
"It's a cruel truth," Kayama added, sounding frustrated. "As heroes, we're supposed to ensure the latter happens."
"But all too often, we must stand by helplessly," Kan finished.
Inko looked at the two. "Well, we'll do our best for Himiko. In a year, she'll be free, and can live a normal life."
Izuku looked at his mom and smiled. She had become an unexpected ally in their quest to change the future, but now that she was committed to helping Himiko, he was glad she had joined them. But there was a long way to go before they could rest easy.
Even though the trial went the way they were expecting it to, it took a toll on Himiko, despite their preparation. Her mental state regressed as a result; it took several days for the therapists to help her recover from the setback.
In the meantime, Inko finished working with UA's lawyers. They granted her a foster license, and with Izuku's help, they filled Himiko's future bedroom with a bed and basic furniture.
Finally, after three weeks of staying in the hospital under supervision, the doctors signed off that Himiko was stable enough to be discharged into Inko's care. When Izuku told Ochako the news, she immediately booked a train ticket to be there the following day when she left the hospital.
After Inko left to pick up Himiko, Izuku busied himself around the apartment. He pulled out the two boxes containing Himiko's things and put them in the living room, trying to keep himself busy until he heard a knock on the door.
Rushing to the entrance, he opened it to see Ochako. When he saw the look on her face, Izuku pulled her into a hug.
"I'm not ready for this," Ochako complained into his shirt as she wrapped her arms around him.
Izuku rubbed her back. "Well, it's only a week before you move right?"
"That's a week too long," she whined.
"We'll get through this. We've been through worse already?" he offered nervously.
Ochako snorted. Of course, their time at UA had put them through many high-stress situations, but that already felt like a lifetime ago.
Pulling away, Ochako offered him a shaky smile before she removed her shoes and joined Izuku in the living room.
"If it makes you feel any better, I'm pretty sure if mom asked, she would kill somebody for her."
"That actually doesn't," Ochako said as she sat down.
"It's better than the alternative?"
That got a chuckle out of Ochako. "True."
Izuku checked his phone. "Mom should be home soon with Himiko. After that, the plan is to unpack her things and then take her shopping."
"Yeah. I'm not sure what help I'll be. I'm just here because, you know…"
Izuku grabbed her hand and held it. "I'm sure you'll find some way to help!"
They talked until Inko finally opened the door. As the two stood up and looked at the entryway, they saw Himiko standing in the doorway, dressed in a Montross uniform and looking unsure of herself.
Inko walked in and took off her shoes. "It's ok, this is your home now."
As they watched Himiko finally step inside, a look of wonder on her face.
"T-this is much smaller than what I'm used to. But it feels different. Nicer."
"That's because you're welcome here," Inko replied. "And we'll find a bigger place for the three of us, eventually."
Inko gave Himiko a tour of the apartment before she finally guided Himiko to the couch in the living room and made her sit down. Izuku, meanwhile, dashed off to her bedroom to retrieve the two boxes they had received that contained all of her possessions.
Once Himiko was ready, Izuku placed the larger of the two boxes on the table, opening it to reveal that it was full of clothing.
As the girls began to pull them out and sort them, Himiko just sat there and frowned as she watched. "I-I don't like any of these."
"Nothing?" Inko asked.
"My parents always bought my clothes for me, to help me look 'normal,'" Himiko admitted with a look of sadness on her face.
"That's ok then." Inko laid an arm on Himiko's shoulder. "We'll just donate all of these outfits and get you new clothes when we go shopping."
They set aside a few undergarments Himiko could use, before packing the rest of the clothes up and setting the box aside, before Izuku pulled out the second box and set it on the table.
"This isn't a lot," Ochako commented as she peered into the box. Somehow, she had more stuff in her own moving boxes.
The only things inside were several picture frames filled with photos, a few books, and a laptop bag hastily packed with wires and accessories.
"Do you want any of this?" Inko gently asked.
Himiko pulled out the laptop bag and several books, leaving the remaining ones for them to donate. She then stared at the pile of wrapped picture frames laying at the bottom of the box.
"Can you take all of the pictures out for me? I don't think I can look at them right now."
Inko and Izuku set to work removing all of the pictures from the frames, and following Himiko's instructions they separated the photos into two piles. Inko found an envelope for the smaller stack, while Izuku proceeded to take the other stack and dump them in the trash.
Once the envelope was sealed, Himiko picked it up and held it to her chest. "I hope Fumi is ok."
"We can ask Kayama about her, if you want," Inko offered.
"I'd like to know."
Without the photos threatening to bring up bad memories, Himiko sorted through the picture frames, keeping her favorite ones to fill with new, happier memories. Izuku then packed the books and frames that Himiko didn't want back up and set the second box aside, while Inko and Ochako helped Himiko move the few items she wanted to keep to her new room.
When they arrived at the department store, the first destination was the women's clothing section.
"Alright, let's get you some new clothes!" Ochako exclaimed, trying to muster up enthusiasm.
"I can help too," Izuku offered.
Ochako just stopped and turned to him, utter disbelief visible on her face. "With your fashion sense?"
"What's wrong with it?"
Ochako just gave him a flat stare and pointed to his shirt. Izuku wore a pale blue T-shirt with the kanji for 'jeans' written across them. "You can't argue that your fashion sense is lacking."
Izuku bashfully rubbed the back of his head. "I-I can clean up when I want to!"
Himiko giggled. "You two are so cute together!"
This caused Izuku and Ochako to flush red before they were saved by something catching Himiko's eye. Making a happy gasp, she darted off to the nearby rack. Ochako and Izuku chased after her until they stopped in front of a rack of cardigans. Himiko held a beige-colored one in her hands, rubbing her hands over the material before hugging it.
She turned and showed it to the others. "It's super comfy, I want it!"
Ochako paled as her eyes searched out Izuku's. "I-I don't think that color suits you?"
Izuku nodded in agreement. "What about the red one?"
Himiko looked confused, turning back to the rack where she saw the red option, causing her to glow with glee. "You're right!"
Placing the beige one back on the rack, Himiko picked out a red and a black cardigan, held them up proudly, and raced back to Inko to drop them in the cart.
Meanwhile, Ochako let out a sigh of relief. "That was close! I can almost pretend she's a different person while she's in that Montross uniform. If I showed up and she was wearing what was essentially her villain outfit I'd probably die."
"Y-yeah, agreed."
Shortly, the two returned to Inko and Himiko and continued shopping.
After a few hours, the cart was filled with several outfits for Himiko, as well as basic supplies for her room. She looked reasonably satisfied until Inko asked the next question.
"Himiko, how do you want to decorate your room?"
Himiko froze.
"Decorate?" Himiko repeated the word as if she didn't understand it.
"Yes, you saw Izuku's room is filled with All Might merchandise."
Himiko nodded. "I- I don't know?"
She sounded lost. Inko wordlessly glanced at Izuku and Ochako to help.
"Why don't we go look at posters?" Izuku suggested. "We can see if there's anything that catches your eye?"
"Yeah! That's what I have on my wall!" Ochako agreed. "A few big posters filled with star charts!"
It took some time, but eventually, Himiko found several anime posters that caught her eye. They all shared a similar theme: the protagonist locked in combat with the series antagonist. Even though Himiko had never seen the shows, she liked the way they looked. They made her feel good and reminded her of who she wanted to become.
Of course, the obvious follow-up happened when Inko then led them to the electronics department, where they were able to find boxed sets of the shows in question.
"Are you sure this is ok?" Himiko asked as they added the third boxed set to the cart.
"Of course!" Inko reassured her. "Thanks to your parents, we have plenty of money to buy you things."
Himiko frowned, still not used to the idea. "But what if I don't like them?"
"How will you figure out what you like if you don't try it?" Izuku asked.
Ochako nodded. "I'm sure there's a used bookstore around here as well! If you don't like one of these shows, we can always trade it in and find another show for you to try!"
Himiko seemed to be wrestling with the idea as if it was a foreign concept. But with everyone's encouragement, she eventually brightened up and grabbed a fourth boxed set from the shelf that looked interesting to her.
After everything was picked out and paid for, they walked home. When Izuku and Ochako tried to fall back to their usual position behind Inko, Himiko fell back to walk alongside them.
"Thanks again for everything today."
This caused Ochako to stutter and Izuku to blush. "Well, you're one of us now, right?"
Himiko froze up, causing everyone to stop. Her mouth seemed to be trying to form words. Finally, she turned to Izuku.
"Do you mean it? Even after I…?"
Izuku smiled. "Of course!"
Himiko dropped her bags on the ground to pounce on Izuku, pulling him into a hug. When she let him go, she wore a big grin on her face, picking her bags back up.
After Izuku was freed, he looked at Ochako. With her hands (eagerly) twitching by her sides and her pupils shrunk, he felt bad. She seemed to be a couple moments away from having a panic attack. He rubbed the back of his head and gave her an apologetic look.
"Sorry about that," he whispered. He'd have to think of some way to make up for it later.
When they got home, Inko sent all of the kids to help Himiko unpack while she prepared dinner. Ochako helped Himiko sort through the clothes and put them away, while Izuku decorated the room.
As they finished up, the three smelled dinner. Himiko openly salivated at the metallic undertones in the meal.
"Is that?"
"Mom decided to celebrate your first day here with a blood-based soup," Izuku explained.
Without a second thought, Himiko dashed out of the room towards the kitchen. Izuku looked at Ochako and they followed.
"Mama Inko, Izuku told me you're making a blood-based soup?"
Inko smiled at Himiko. "Yes, dear. It's not something I normally make, so I hope it came out ok. But I thought we could try incorporating blood into recipes - or at least into your portion. I know you said you were ok drinking a glass of blood with meals, but I'd like to try experimenting as well."
Himiko was stunned. As Izuku and Ochako watched, she sat down at the kitchen table and broke down in tears.
"No-nobody has treated me like this before," she said in between sobs.
Inko paused what she was doing and walked over to the sobbing girl, consoling her with a hug. "This is how you always should have been treated, and this is how we're treating you from now on!"
"T-thank you, you're the best!" Himiko wailed as she buried herself in Inko's shirt.
After dinner, Izuku walked Ochako back to the train station.
"So, how are you feeling about Himiko now?" Izuku asked.
"Other than when she almost gave me a panic attack? It went better than I was expecting."
Izuku smiled as he squeezed her hand. "And in a week you'll be here full time!"
Ochako smiled at him. "Yeah. That'll be nice. You'd better not die on me in the meantime!"
Izuku laughed nervously. "I'll try!"
Finally they arrived at the train station, pulling each other into a warm embrace before Ochako left for the train. Izuku was thankful that this was the last time he had to watch her go. In a week she would be back in Mustafu, and they would be ready to begin the next phase of their plans properly.
Ochako woke up in her old bedroom for what would hopefully be the last time.
Sure, she would be back occasionally. Her parents' construction company was still located in Nabari, and they would be coming back regularly to handle the business they couldn't do in Mustafu. Also, they planned to move back into their home once their contract was completed, even if Ochako would be staying in Mustafu.
But it wouldn't be where she lived anymore.
No, her home for the next four years would be in Mustafu, and she couldn't be any happier. She had been waiting six agonizingly long months for this day.
Even though it was five in the morning, Ochako could smell her mom cooking breakfast already. It was going to be a long drive to their new apartment, and they wanted to get started. After getting ready for the day, she went to the kitchen to help her mom.
"Mornin' mom!" Ochako cheerily greeted.
"Somebody's in a good mood," Miu teased.
"It's exciting!" she squealed. "You guys have a great contract lined up, and we'll be in a bigger city for a while!"
"Although a certain somebody plans on staying," her mother pointed out.
Ochako blushed at that. "H-hopefully! UA is the best school in the country! Imagine if I got in?"
Miu smiled fondly at her daughter. "I don't have any doubt in my mind you'll get in."
Ochako smiled back. "Thanks, mom!"
Taking the plates her mom had prepared, Ochako set the table and enjoyed one final meal at her home.
After finishing breakfast, Ochako and her mother began moving everything out to the front yard. Her father went to retrieve the moving van. In each room, Ochako used her quirk to make boxes or furniture float; then she and her mom moved them out to the front yard before releasing them.
It made Ochako feel nostalgic. When she was younger she kept trying to convince her parents to help with the construction business - her quirk would be super useful in moving things around a site and save so much money in labor and equipment costs.
But her parents encouraged her to follow her dream to become a hero, and she had to be honest with herself. That was something that she wouldn't give up for anything.
Even if it led her back to her current situation.
If someone told her younger self that she would use One For All to travel back in time, only to meet up with an alternate reality version of her crush, who also wielded One For All, she would have laughed in their face and called them crazy.
Then you added the part about how Izuku was currently living with Himiko Toga, the girl who stabbed her and Analyst to death, and she would have wondered what caused their hallucination.
The adage about reality proving stranger than fiction once again proved true, however.
While she couldn't help but worry, Izuku proved to be supportive of her. Over the last week, he continued to send her a steady stream of messages throughout the day, reassuring her that he was still alive and well.
From those messages, Ochako learned that Himiko was starting to settle in. She still felt guilty about attacking Izuku and spent most of her time with Inko acting as a buffer between the two of them. Fortunately, there had been some progress on that front, and the last couple of days Izuku managed to convince her to go out in public with him as he showed her around Mustafu.
It was disarming, Ochako had to admit. If Himiko didn't have the same face as Toga, she would have praised Izuku and Inko for what they were doing, helping a poor girl out.
But there was always the chance that when she closed her eyes, she would once again be in that stairwell, reliving those final moments where she saw Izuku's broken body on the ground. It happened the day after Himiko moved, and after she woke up, she called Izuku despite it being two in the morning.
The fact that Izuku picked up, and despite his groggy state, stayed on the phone with her for almost half an hour until she calmed down was a testament to how wonderful he is.
And despite the pain and nightmares, she would go through it all again in an instant.
"You're smiling," Miu told Ochako.
Ochako blushed as she looked at her mom, embarrassed that she was caught off guard. She returned her attention to the boxes she had floated out to the front yard.
"R-release."
"Thinking about something good?"
"Yeah. I'm thinkin' about becoming a hero. I'm glad you and dad kept pushing me to pursue my dream instead of staying with the family business."
"I'm glad. You deserve to live your best life. Your dad and I, we'll be fine. Especially after this contract! Having UA in our portfolio's gonna be a huge boon!"
Ochako bobbed her head. "You're actually gonna have to turn down business, for once!"
Miu beamed. "That's the hope. And from what Inko told us, it sounds like Montross will be a great school to be at when it's time for exams."
"Plus my training's going great!" Ochako held up an arm and flexed it, grinning.
Miu's smile only grew brighter. "You're going to be a great hero, and we couldn't be prouder."
"Thanks, mom." The smile on Ochako's face softened. "Ready to get the next load?"
"Lead the way!"
Hours later, they finally pulled into their new home. An apartment complex just a couple of kilometers from where the Midoriyas lived.
As they pulled into the parking lot, Ochako was already messaging Izuku. Unsurprisingly, Inko had declared that they would come over to help, despite the redundancy, thanks to Ochako's quirk.
Twenty minutes later, Ochako spotted the three walking through the parking lot.
"Izuku!" Ochako called out before she ran over and hugged him.
"Hi," Izuku exuberantly greeted, wrapping his arms around her.
Even though they couldn't speak out loud, once they separated she gave him a questioning glance, asking him if there were any problems. When he gave her a subtle shake of his head, she sighed in relief.
"Well, it seems our kids are going to enjoy being closer," Miu teased.
"It sure seems that way," Inko replied, sharing a knowing look with Ochako's mother.
Izuku and Ochako both turned red at their parents' comments but didn't bother refuting their comments. There was no way to explain to them how complicated their feelings were without revealing several things they weren't ready to talk about. And even if they were ready, their parents would have a hard time believing them anyway.
Thankfully they were saved by Himiko laughing at them.
"And I take it this is the newest member of your little family?" Miu politely asked, gesturing at Himiko.
"Hi! I'm Himiko. Nice to meet you." Himiko gave Miu a large toothy smile, showing off her fangs.
"That's her newest thing," Izuku whispered to Ochako. "Ever since mom told her she shouldn't hide her fangs, she's been intentionally showing them off when she smiles."
Ochako watched as her mom talked to Himiko. It was hard to explain, but seeing the way she was smiling helped Ochako separate the two versions of Himiko in her mind. There was something more genuine in her smile. There wasn't any threat hiding behind it - the kind that always made her shudder.
If she kept finding details like this, Ochako thought, then maybe someday she'd be able to fully separate this version of Himiko from Toga.
Just like she was working on separating her feelings for Analyst, from her feelings for Izuku.
Realizing her thoughts were wandering again, Ochako shook her head to clear them. Looking at Izuku, she pointed to the back of the truck. "Come on, the sooner we get these boxes inside the sooner we can begin unpacking!"
Izuku smiled at her. "Yes ma'am!"
AN: Finally after 12 chapters, everyone's in Mustafu, and things are coming together!