AN: Thanks for the continued reviews everyone!

Flashyyyyyy - back of the napkin estimate is we'll finally get back to UA around chapter 40 or so? They've got a few things they want to take care of before then.

InfinityMask - That's actually a good question, how does quirk erasure interact with the AFO quirk…

heartfanglives - "Toshi, have you accidentally gotten yourself drunk? Do I need to come out there and straighten this out because I swear…."

LEGOBRICK13 - Once Nighteye gets through all of the materials Nezu has, he is going to need to put on some music, get some tea, and spend the next several days trying to sort out his emotions.

Lightgiver - Sometimes, narrative convenience wins out, and their simultaneous deaths leading into intertwined fates was too good to pass up for my sleep-addled brain.

SwordOfTheGods - It is actually fun writing Himiko shipping Izuku and Ochako, as well. It's a pretty great subversion of canon!Himiko's character arc.

The first part of the semester passed uneventfully, and Golden Week had arrived. For hero students it was their time to shine, showing off to the heroes attending their school's Sports Festival, but for everyone else, it was a week to relax and enjoy themselves.

It was also the week Ochako finally got to use her birthday present and visit the Mustafu Planetarium.

During the whirlwind of preparation to foster Himiko, Inko remembered to pick up one more ticket for her, so as not to leave her out, and now the six members of the two families made their way to the show.

"I'm so excited!" Ochako giddily whispered to Izuku. "I've wanted to do this ever since I moved to Mustafu!"

Izuku gave her an earnest smile. "I know. That's why I asked mom if we could do this for you."

"I'm glad your mom was smart enough to buy tickets for you too." Ochako curled two of her fingers around Izuku's. "I wanted you to be here."

Izuku's face heated up under her warm gaze. "I-I wanted to be here too," he finally admitted. "I just didn't want to intrude on your special day."

Ochako giggled. "You're so- you, sometimes. It's too much. Since this is my present, I want to share it with the people who are important to me, and that includes you."

"What are you two whispering about back here?" Himiko asked curiously as she fell back to where the two were walking behind their parents.

"About how selfless Izuku is," Ochako declared. "I needed to remind him that people actually want him around."

Himiko playfully rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it. At home he lets me drag him around everywhere. Mama Inko and I have to force him to tell us what he wants to do sometimes."

"H-Hey, I just want you to feel comfortable, that's all!" Izuku tried to defend himself, only to get incredulous stares from both girls. "M-Maybe I can afford to be a little more selfish," he sheepishly relented.

"Good!" Ochako gave his hand a small squeeze before dropping it, hoping Himiko was too focused on Izuku to notice.

They continued to the planetarium where Ochako sat in the middle of their group with Izuku, her hand finding his the moment the lights went out.

Even though she already knew most of the information presented in the show, the tour of the galaxy was still breathtaking to watch. The images she saw on her computer screen and in books didn't do justice to the way they were presented here, and it made her long to visit outer space.

Maybe someday, humanity can once again reach for the stars. I wonder if I could advocate for that as a hero?

She was so captivated that it felt like no time had passed at all but before she knew it, the show was over, and the lights slowly turned on. Letting go of his hand, Ochako was filled with the dawning realization that she was afraid to look at Izuku, afraid that she would see the leaner build and long hair of Analyst sitting there.

"Ochako? Is everything okay?"

Izuku's words gave her the impetus she needed to finally turn towards him, and she felt a smile appear on her face as she confirmed that it was Izuku sitting there. "Better than okay. This was everything I hoped it would be. Thank you so much for this!"

Izuku returned the smile. "I'm glad."

Days became weeks, and before they knew it, it was the middle of June with the end of the semester coming up. Over time, the group of five made swift progress in clearing the beach. Izuku and Ochako's extra training helped build their bodies back to a point where they could safely receive One For All a second time.

After he triple-checked that the final entry in their training program was tomorrow, Izuku crawled into bed, annoyed that he couldn't fall asleep. Instead, he sat there, texting Ochako. Nervous energy filled them as they anticipated this next major milestone in their dreams.

Eventually, the two forced each other to go to bed, saying their goodbyes and setting their phones aside before they tried to fall asleep. Even after talking to Ochako, Izuku found himself lying there, unable to sleep. He didn't have this much trouble sleeping when he received One For All the first time! But this time felt different, more meaningful.

Despite getting barely any sleep, Izuku found himself wide awake at 5 AM and filled with energy as he prepared for his morning run.

Today was the day.

He silently left his apartment, his mom and Himiko still fast asleep, and began his jog. He met up with Ochako at their regular meeting spot, and the two fell into a comfortable pace alongside each other.

"This is it, huh?" Ochako broke the silence.

"Yeah. Are you really sure about this?"

"Yes. If there's any way for us to actually share it, you're the better person to talk to the vestiges and find out." She gazed at Izuku, a tender smile on her face. "I trust you."

Izuku returned the smile. "T-Thanks. And what if it takes six months for the vestiges to show up again?"

Ochako returned her focus to their route and sped up. "Then I'll just have to keep pushing myself until then!" Refusing to fall behind, Izuku picked up the pace to match hers.

They continued to run until they reached Takoba beach, where they collapsed on the sand next to each other. They arrived early enough that they had time to sit and watch the sunrise. As they sat in silence, Ochako grabbed Izuku's hand, entwining her fingers with his. Part of her was still terrified of what would happen, worst-case scenarios swarming her head. One look at Izuku, however, and all of that began to fade. She knew that one way or another, they would both become great heroes. Together.

The sound of a pickup truck pulling up pulled Ochako and Izuku out of the reverie as All Might approached them. Letting go of each other, they stood up and waited for their mentor to join them.

"Enjoying the fruits of your labor, I see!" All Might transformed into his muscle form, balling a fist for emphasis.

"It's a nice beach!" Izuku agreed. "After you had me clean it the first time, I spent a lot of time here."

Ochako bobbed her head in agreement. "Even though that never happened for me, now that we've done it, I can see the appeal!" She turned away from the others and swept her hand to indicate the ocean. "It's such a lovely view. I'm glad people will be able to enjoy it again."

All Might chuckled at their response. "Well then! I don't want to keep you waiting, are the two of you ready?"

Izuku looked at Ochako, giving her one last chance to intervene. She smiled and nodded, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder before she stepped back. With a deep breath, Izuku turned back to All Might and nodded. "Yes."

All Might reached up to remove a hair from his head when Izuku held up a hand. "Wait!"

All Might looked confused. "What's wrong?"

Izuku pulled out a syringe. "I guessed you wanted to give me hair again, so I borrowed one of Himiko's syringes."

All Might eyed him with concern. "You'd prefer drinking blood instead?"

Izuku shrugged. "I live with a vampire. Mom sometimes makes blood-based meals for her, so I'm used to the taste."

That got a chuckle out of All Might. "I guess I can't argue with that! Well, I guess you know what you're doing." All Might returned to his true form and offered his arm to Izuku.

Izuku carefully inserted the syringe, extracting a couple drops of blood before applying a bandaid. He then removed the needle, putting it in a portable disposal container, and held up the barrel, showing it to All Might.

"I guess that works." All Might shrugged. "I want you two to remember that both of you have earned this power, twice over. With it, I am entrusting you with the future."

"No," Ochako emphatically responded, "we are all doing this together. Even without One For All, the world still needs All Might, still needs you."

Izuku nodded in agreement. "Even with our experience, we can't do this without you."

All Might sputtered, but then offered the two an affable smile. "You're right. Even though I am passing the torch, it is but a step on the long road ahead of us."

Hesitantly, Izuku pressed the plunger down again, pushing the blood towards the hub of the syringe before he looked at Ochako. Seeing her almost imperceptible nod, he turned back to All Might and drank the syringe's contents. After swallowing the blood, he looked at All Might expectantly.

"I guess we just have to wait then."

"Indeed. And your friends will be joining us soon. Cleaning up the last few pieces of trash will be a good way to pass the time while your body processes my DNA."

The two smiled and nodded at All Might.

As they worked to disassemble the last mound of garbage, Izuku felt a familiar warmth in his stomach, spreading upward as it crept into his very being. Instantly, his eyes found Ochako's.

It worked.

Ochako tilted her head and broke out into a grin as she got his message. Then she attacked the mound with renewed fervor. Izuku smiled and followed suit. The sooner they finished cleaning the beach, the sooner they could get to the much more important training of the day.

A few hours later, the five students surveyed the beach, seeing people already enjoying their handiwork in the summer weather.

"Congratulations! You've done it. Your first accomplishment as future heroes - restoring this beach to its rightful glory."

"I still can't believe this counts as hero work," Aika said, astonished as she looked around, "but it sure does feel good!"

All Might chuckled and patted the short girl on the head. "And that, young Shizu, is why this is an important lesson to learn early."

"Yeah, Aika." Kyoka gave her friend a sideways glance as she poked her with an ear jack. "This stuff is important, so don't you forget it!"

Himiko turned to All Might. "Does this mean I'm a hero now?"

All Might chuckled at that. "Yes, young Himiko. No matter what you decide to do for yourself, to all of the future patrons of this beach, you are a hero!"

Himiko turned around and looked at the beach. "It feels nice. It makes me feel warm."

Izuku looked at Ochako to check on her, happy to see her smiling at Himiko. While she was still working through everything and still had the occasional flashback that would probably stay with her for the rest of her life, she had shown massive improvement around Himiko in the past couple of months and had long stopped being scared that something would happen to Izuku and his mom.

All Might clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Now then, all of your bodies should be stronger, and you have developed good habits which will allow you to continue strengthening yourselves. That means it is time to move onto the second phase of training!"

"Noooo!" Aika complained.

"Already?" Himiko asked.

All Might merely laughed at the students' plight. "We'll take the rest of the week off, but it's not enough to simply be fit. You must work on your combat skills!"

"Does this mean we'll be learning how to improve our quirks?" Kyoka asked excitedly.

All Might chuckled. "Yes, young Jiro. We will be adding in quirk training as well."

"Yes!" Kyoka cheered. "It's so hard to get regular quirk training in."

Izuku smiled at his friend's enthusiasm before looking down at his hand. He didn't want to risk calling upon One For All while everyone was here, but he could feel its energy crackling underneath his skin, waiting to be unleashed.

Soon, he would have to tell them that he was a late bloomer, verified by Recovery Girl and that he now had a quirk. But he secretly hoped to answer the question about sharing One For All before that happened.

The group talked for a few more minutes before Aika and Kyoka said their goodbyes and left, while Himiko waited around expectantly with Izuku and Ochako.

"Um, Himiko, could we have some private time?" Izuku uneasily asked awkwardly.

Himiko gave him a sly look as her eyes darted between him and Ochako. "Fine, but you owe me! We have 20 more episodes of Arcane Dive to get through and I'm running out of patience!"

"I promise we can watch it tomorrow!" Izuku offered. If he knew how much of an anime fan Himiko would become, he may have suggested a wider variety of shows to her all those months ago, but the damage was done.

Himiko crossed her arms and gave him a judgmental stare. "Fine, you two go do… whatever it is you do. But tomorrow, we are finishing that show!"

"Only after homework!"

"Don't care, we are staying up as late as we have to."

Izuku laughed nervously, knowing Himiko was completely serious. He had spent several mornings exhausted because she made him stay up into the early hours of the morning when she went on one of her binges. But he had to admit, he vastly preferred this Himiko to the alternative.

Himiko hugged everyone, including All Might, before she took off, walking in the direction of the nearby shopping district.

"Want to bet she's going to buy more plush animals?" Ochako asked conspiratorially.

Izuku grinned. "Probably. She's been trying to find ones to represent her entire class and has been struggling to find a good representative for a few of her classmates."

The two students laughed as they passed time to ensure Himiko was safely out of earshot before addressing their real plans for the afternoon.

A few minutes later, All Might finally asked the question. "Young Midoriya, it should have been enough time. Have you felt it yet?"

Izuku nodded before looking around, making sure that nobody was looking in their direction. Holding up his fist, he began channeling the barest amount of energy into it and saw sparks preceding a familiar green light appearing on his skin, followed by red veins of energy.

"Oooh, pretty!" Ochako exclaimed.

Izuku looked at her in confusion. "Did One For All look different when you used it?"

Ochako nodded vigorously. "You'll see when it's my turn!"

Izuku smiled at her. "I can't wait!" Taking a deep breath, he extinguished the power and looked at All Might. "Should we get going?"

"Yes, let's be on our way."

The three piled into All Might's truck, and he began the drive to UA.

They arrived at UA. All Might guided the students to Gym Theta. While many of the gyms had students training after hours, he'd arranged for this gym to be reserved so they could test Izuku's abilities. This also meant Recovery Girl was close by if something happened and Izuku ended up breaking any bones.

As they entered, they saw a variety of familiar training equipment scattered across the gym. All of it was reinforced, of course, to allow people to use their quirks while training. Despite that, Izuku was fairly certain that if he used One For All at its full power the equipment would crumple under the force.

Barring an accident, he wasn't planning on using anywhere near full power, so hopefully, it would be okay.

Izuku walked up to a punching bag and tried to concentrate, putting a mere one percent of One For All's power into his fist. As Ochako and All Might watched, his fist was wreathed in a dim green glow as he took a fighting stance.

"Smash!" Izuku yelled as he punched the bag, sending it rocking.

"Smash, really?" Ochako teased. She already knew that he had copied the names of his attacks from All Might or used thematically similar names, but she couldn't help but laugh when she heard them spoken out loud.

"Yeah well..." Izuku tried to defend himself as he rubbed the back of his head self-consciously. "It made sense at the time! I was trying to be a good successor!"

All Might simply stared awkwardly at Izuku. "Young Midoriya, I'm honored, but do you have to be so… obvious about it?"

"I-I guess I could think about it." Izuku yielded. "But there's just something satisfying about yelling 'smash!' Can I at least keep doing that?"

All Might laughed, "Well, I can't argue with that! I guess you can keep the smash part, at least!"

Izuku smiled as he turned to Ochako. "See? It's fine!"

Ochako rolled her eyes teasingly at him. "Fine, you keep your move names, and I'll use my better moves!"

Izuku shoved her shoulder. "They're still essentially the same attacks though!"

"But they have better names! Therefore they're better!"

All Might coughed. "As much as I appreciate your enthusiasm, I believe we have to continue testing young Midoriya's abilities."

Both students stammered apologies before Izuku returned to the punching bag. This time he tried channeling three percent of his power, his fist glowed slightly brighter this time as he threw a punch at the bag causing it to sway heavily.

"Any feedback so far Izuku?"

Izuku shook his head. "No! I'm good so far. If I can reach five percent that is good enough for now. I'd like to be further along by the time school starts…"

"Remember young Midoriya, I have read your history. Five percent was enough for your first semester, and then you began to improve rapidly after that. No need to go overboard. Especially if you want to avoid receiving your injuries a second time."

"Yeah…" Izuku sighed. "I know. Okay. One more."

Izuku got back into a fighting stance and charged his fist with five percent of his power, the glow in his hand finally reaching the brightness that he was most familiar with before he threw his final punch. The three heard the bolts creaking as the bag threatened to be removed from the hinges, but it held.

"How are you, Young Midoriya?"

Izuku looked down at his fist and rubbed the knuckles. "It's a little sore," he admitted, "but nothing is broken."

"Let me see." Ochako rushed over and gently wrapped her hands around his, inspecting them for any familiar signs of damage. As she went over his hand, she heard a few suppressed gasps from Izuku when she found a tender spot, but no signs of actual broken bones or burst blood vessels.

"Maybe I'll have to stick with four percent power for a little while," Izuku remarked. "While I can use five percent, I'm not sure what would happen if I did that more than once."

While Ochako smiled kindly at Izuku, the hidden threat he saw in her eyes confirmed he made the right decision. She had warned him, on multiple occasions, that if he hurt himself unnecessarily then there would be consequences. And he's pretty sure she would bring his mom and Himiko into it, secrets be damned.

He would much rather stay on her good side.

After determining how much energy he could channel without breaking anything, they moved on to the next test. Standing in the middle of the building, Izuku called upon One For All, wrapping himself in Full Cowl using four percent of his power. He felt invigorated as the green lightning sparked around him before his body was surrounded by a familiar warm glow that symbolized when he finally gained control over One For All. Grinning, he turned to his companions to see their reactions.

Ochako's eyes practically glowed, while All Might stood there slack-jawed.

"That's so cool!" All Might exclaimed, transforming into his muscle form. "I know you've explained how you use One For All, but seeing it in person! It's like you were destined to wield it!"

"Izuku… it's so pretty."

Izuku blushed. "I-I bet your version of this looks great too!"

"Now then, let's see what you can do!" All Might ordered.

Izuku nodded at All Might. He observed the room, unsure how his reflexes had degraded, so he planned out a rather simple path to travel. Getting ready, he took a flying leap towards one of the walls and pinballed around the room, taking long leaps to give himself a chance to adjust properly when he landed before springing off to his next destination.

After jumping around for a good minute, Izuku finally landed in front of his companions, unable to keep the smile off his face. "I-I can still do it! And it didn't hurt!"

"Great job kid!" All Might gave him a thumbs up. "You make it look like you've had the quirk for years!"

Izuku flushed. "T-thank you All Might!"

"Way to give a strong showing," Ochako teased. "Now the pressure is on when I try it myself!"

Izuku smiled encouragingly at her. "I'm sure you're going to be just as impressive!"

All Might chuckled at the two. "So there are no problems, young Midoriya? What about Blackwhip?"

Izuku frowned as he held up his hand. "I tried it earlier, but something is wrong. I can feel Blackwhip under my skin, wanting to come out, but when I try to call upon it, nothing happens. It's like something is still missing."

"Does that mean the vestiges are still dormant?" Ochako asked with a tinge of disappointment in her voice.

"Probably," Izuku agreed, frowning, "I was kind of hoping it would work since that would mean they're awake."

All Might placed his hand on Ochako's shoulder. "Don't worry, young Uraraka. Your time will come. It's just a matter of time, and then the past holders will let you two share its power."

As he sat in his bed, Izuku picked up his phone, staring at Ochako's last text message. While having One For All again felt good, he couldn't help the gnawing guilt in his gut. Seeing how sad Ochako looked when he couldn't manifest Blackwhip. He hoped he didn't have to wait another six months before the vestiges would talk to him.

Typing out one final message, Izuku hit send and set his phone down. Izuku crawled under the covers and drifted off to sleep…

…only to be promptly woken back up by getting smacked in the back of the head.

AN: See you next update!

Stealing my headcanon from myself - Himiko's therapist is encouraging her to collect cute stuffed animals that remind her of her friends and family, as a way to cope with her obsession issues and desire to use her quirk to become them. It's a totally inconsequential idea that just happened to stick with me.