AN: Thanks for all of the interest and reviews!

fencer29 & Mew-the-Dark-Matter-buster1 - Sorry, but just because Himiko is now a Midoriya doesn't mean she suddenly has the tear ducts to cry like them! She'd probably hurt herself if she tried.

Chaoscontrol85 - Thanks! As for sparring, there are a lot of problems with MHA that all revolve around the idea that Izuku must always be the underdog / must always be below Bakugo. I don't have that problem here :)

Amit Barabi - The injuries aren't permanent, no. I'm just portraying Izuku's healing time as slightly longer / more realistic than "Recovery Girl uses her quirk, and suddenly everything is ok."

As for what else will happen, we've got plenty of time before UA.

Izuku knew it was silly, but he still felt himself smiling every night when he said his goodnight message to Ochako and received one in return. More and more frequently, their nights were spent in their shared Vestige Realm together, quietly sitting in the empty observatory.

But they could never be sure, and so they continued their nightly ritual.

Setting his phone on his nightstand, he closed his eyes and began drifting off into a peaceful slumber.

When he woke up a few minutes later in the lobby of the observatory, he was greeted by the unexpected sight of both versions of Yoichi Shigaraki. Or Yoichi and Ichirou, as they decided to call themselves to differentiate each other.

"Is everything okay?" Izuku couldn't help but ask, worried that something was wrong.

"Everything is fine," Yoichi assured him.

"Better than okay, actually," Ichirou added. "Our experiment was a success, and we were successful in waking the seventh holder."

"Wait- Nana is awake?" Izuku felt a twisting of trepidation and excitement in his stomach.

"She is, but it's best for us to wait for your fellow ninth before we see her."

"Right." Izuku felt a tinge of disappointment, but he knew Ochako should be joining them soon.

While both Yoichis was content standing there perfectly still, having infinite patience due to their time spent within One For All, Izuku found himself growing more nervous as time passed. Trying to release some of his energy, he paced across the room, hoping the effort would calm him down. He was on his fourth circuit around the room when he finally saw the shadow appear, the telltale sign that Ochako was arriving.

Rushing back to the entrance, he watched the shadow as it stretched out, filling out to form the soft curves of his partner. It didn't take long for color to begin appearing, starting with Ochako's permanent blush and the pads on her fingers before the rest of her faded in. Izuku stood there entranced, studying every detail of her face as Ochako appeared before him, clad in her pajamas.

Finally, she opened her eyes, and her serene expression quickly morphed into one of surprise. "Izu? Ichirou? What's going on?"

"Nana's awake!" Izuku exclaimed.

"That's great!" Ochako grinned. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long?"

"No, you didn't," Yoichi assured her. "A few minutes at most."

"Should we get going?" Izuku asked impatiently.

"Of course. I will go fetch Nana and bring her to the conference room," Ichirou said before his form blinked out of existence.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ochako said as she slipped her hand into Izuku's. She could feel the nervous tension immediately and understood how important this meeting was.

Not only for Izuku but for All Might and Inko as well.

Not trusting himself to speak, Izuku merely nodded, and the pair followed Yoichi out of the entryway. They took the stairwell up to the second level where they allowed themselves to be led to the conference room. There they sat down on one side of the table, while Yoichi sat down across from them.

"How is she?" Izuku asked, not willing to wait any longer.

"We didn't know what to expect since she was the first to awaken since this formed," Yoichi explained. "By the time the dust had settled, Fifth and Sixth both had time to work through their combined memories, but Seventh didn't. At her request, she spent most of the afternoon alone in the observatory, trying to sift through her fragmented memories."

"I can't even begin to imagine–" Ochako frowned. "–having a second version of your memories shoved into your brain like that." She shuddered.

"Fortunately, all of the holders are strong. Given enough time, she will overcome it."

"I hope so," Izuku said.

"Izu, do you think it's really ok to tell her everything now?" Ochako asked. "Would it be better to spread the news out?"

Izuku nodded. "After everything, I think some good news can help."

"Okay, I trust you," Ochako softly replied as she examined the boy next to her. Even though he hid it well, she could tell he was practically ready to fall out of his chair from nerves. She reached out and took his hand, giving him a gentle squeeze in an attempt to calm him down.

They didn't have to wait much longer as Ichirou entered the room with Nana behind him. "Nana, allow me to introduce the current ninth wielders of One For All: Izuku Midoriya and Ochako Uraraka."

"H-hi Gra-Nana!" Izuku said too quickly, jumping out of his seat and practically dragging Ochako along with him.

"Nice to finally meet you!" Ochako greeted the woman. She let go of Izuku's hand to steady herself. "Yagi has always told us about how important you were to him!"

Nana smiled at that. "Glad to know he hasn't forgotten about me."

"How are you feeling?" Izuku asked cautiously. "After being merged with yourself?"

Nana's smile dropped into a frown. "It's been… difficult. When I woke up it felt like glass shattering, and I've been trying to pick up the pieces. So many memories are the same but not all. It's going to take some time getting used to having two sets of memories for the same events."

"If there's anything we can do to help…" Ochako offered.

"Thank you," Nana interrupted. "Time will help. And talking to Toshi. Ol' Yoichi here already said that at least one version of him is here."

Ochako looked down at the table. "Yeah…"

"Hey." Ochako looked up at her. "Don't blame yourself. Toshi did what he had to do. We all did." She smiled and used her index fingers to point to the corners of her lips. "What's important is we gave people hope."

"But it's not right!" Ochako protested. "You- we- nobody should have to suffer the crushing weight alone!"

"She's right," Izuku agreed. "We-" He swallowed nervously. "We're in this situation because the idea of the Symbol of Peace, the pillar that held up Japan, wasn't the solution."

"Oh." Nana dropped her smile, her face suddenly serious.

"I know you meant well!" Izuku insisted. "I really do. And we tried to live up to the ideal set by All Might. But we couldn't do it alone. We-"

"-weren't strong enough," Ochako finished. "Not alone, at least." She eyed Izuku. "But together-"

"-not just us, but with our friends and classmates-"

"-we can hold up Japan!"

They looked and saw the smile on Nana's face as her eyes began to water. Suddenly very concerned, Ochako turned toward Izuku. "Wait! Izu, did your mom get her crying from her mom or dad?"

Izuku suddenly paled as he realized what was going to happen. "She got it from her mom-"

The strangeness of the question confused Nana enough to temporarily pause her tears. "Your mom got her what now?"

"Umm." Izuku rubbed the back of his head, suddenly feeling even more nervous. "This is kind of awkward to say…"

Ochako rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, she's gonna find out eventually."

"I'm going to find out what?"

"Do you remember your daughter?"

"My dau-" Nana got a faraway look on her face. "I never had a chance to know her. When I was pregnant, I convinced my sister to raise her. To keep her safe and away from the world of heroics. The same way I gave up my son. So that… he would never find them."

"Well." Izuku shuffled his foot uneasily. "Your daughter, Inko, eventually found a businessman named Hisashi Midoriya… andshekindofhadasonthatwasobsessedwithheroes?"

Nana looked like a deer in headlights as her brain untangled the jumble of words. Unable to speak, she gave Izuku a questioning look.

"Surprise?" he said timidly.

Ochako barely got out of the way as Nana leaped over the table, tackling Izuku and wrapping him in a hug as the pair rolled across the floor, a river of tears following them across the room until they finally crashed into the wall.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU LEAD WITH THAT!" Nana cried as she smothered Izuku in a hug.

"I wasn't sure how you were feeling!" Izuku tried to defend himself as he struggled to breathe. While in reality, he didn't need to worry about suffocating inside the vestige realm; however, it didn't stop his natural reaction to panic.

"Well, I'm suddenly feeling a lot better now that I know I have a grandson! And that I can actually talk to him!" Nana wasn't even trying to stop her tears as she and Izuku sat in a growing pool of water. "You need to tell me everything!"

"You may want to let Izu go," Ochako said with a hint of amusement in her voice. "He looks like he's having a panic attack."

Nana seemed to understand and quickly sat up, giving Izuku a chance to sit himself up on the floor across from her. Ochako decided to join them and sat next to Izuku. Izuku gave her a small smile as he mouthed the word 'thanks' to her before turning back to his grandmother.

"There's a lot to say, both good and bad," Izuku confessed. "But there's a few things that I should probably tell you now."

"Start with the bad," Nana replied as she rubbed her eyes. "I like saving the good stuff for last."

"Well, the obvious part is I almost died," Izuku laughed shakily. "If it wasn't for Second's quirk…"

"I'll have to thank him later," Nana interrupted, "for keeping you safe."

"Y-yeah." Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "And then there's Hisashi. My biological father. He- well, when I was four I was diagnosed as quirkless. He was on a business trip to America at the time, and after the news, his trip just kept getting extended. The next thing we knew, he accepted a permanent position in the United States. Eventually, we didn't even get phone calls anymore, just deposits to mom's bank account every month. The most contact we had with him was when a pair of lawyers came to our house to negotiate a settlement for divorce."

"...I'll kill him," Nana harshly whispered. "I don't know how I'll get out of here, but I will show him what happens when he does that to my family!"

Izuku and Ochako winced from the aura of hatred Nana projected, suddenly afraid to explain the last point. "Th-there's one more thing," Izuku continued. "Something- something I haven't even told mom. Not since-" He sighed, fidgeting with his fingers. "We've only known you are my grandmother for a few weeks, and…"

"What is it?" Nana asked coldly. "What could be so terrible?"

"It's-"

"You have another grandson." Ochako decided to save Izuku from having to say it. "But unlike Izu here, he's not a hero. Far from it."

"My son stayed away from heroics then? Like I wanted him to?"

Ochako shook her head. "No, that's not it. Your grandson- All For One has him."

"What is that monster doing to my grandson?!" Nana demanded.

"He groomed him to be his successor."

Deafening silence filled the room. Yoichi and Ichirou took one look at each other and both came to a silent agreement, disappearing from existence and leaving Izuku and Ochako alone with the seventh holder of One For All. On her face, a storm of rage could be seen, her knuckles turning white.

"I will destroy him." Izuku almost wished she had raised her voice when she said those words. "I will find All For One, out there." She waved her hand to the ceiling for emphasis. "And I will tear him apart. How… dare… he!"

"How do you think I feel?" Izuku asked quietly. "Knowing that my cousin killed Ocha- killed Uravity and would have done the same to me."

Ochako rested her hand on Izuku's leg. "All Might already promised he would stop All For One, once and for all. And now he's strong enough to do it!" She turned toward Nana. "But your grandson - he's been under All For One's sway for years-"

"I know." Nana teared up again, rubbing at her eyes. "You- the two of you. Are you sure you can face him?"

The question shocked the pair.

"You want me to defeat Tomura?" Izuku asked. "To throw him into Tartarus?"

Nana shook her head. "Of course not! I want you to save him. But I've also fought All For One for fifteen years. I know what he's capable of. If he's been under his influence for that long…" She let out a sad sigh. "I want to know if it comes to that. Can you do it?"

Izuku sat there in silence before finally answering. "I don't kn-"

"I'll do it," Ochako brazenly answered. "If that's what it takes."

"Good." Nana sighed in relief. "I know it's a lot to ask, but-"

"But we're heroes," Izuku said. "And saving people is what we do. Even if-"

"-it's hard," Nana bitterly finished with a remorseful smile. Izuku returned it. "But sometimes that's what we need to do. Because we're heroes."

Nana crawled forward and pulled the two into a hug, gentler this time. "I'm sorry."

"I-it's ok Na-grandma," Izuku replied as he hugged her back. "I wish it was different too."

The three sat in silence for a few minutes until Nana finally spoke. "Now then." She stood up, dragging Izuku and Ochako to their feet as she did so. "You said you had good news too! I want to hear it!"

"Well…" Izuku said hesitantly, "even though my dad left, that didn't stop our family from growing. I have an older sister now."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Nana exclaimed. "How did that happen?"

"This is going to sound bad." Izuku rubbed the back of his head nervously. "We were out looking for a villain, hoping to stop her early, and she maybe sorta-kinda stabbed me?"

Nana's smile was immediately replaced by a glare that made Izuku wince. Ochako stepped away from him, afraid of getting caught in that gaze.

"There's more!" Izuku insisted. "When we caught her, we found out that she wasn't as far gone as she was when we fought her! But when we found her, she needed help. Mom, she… she picked me up at the hospital, and after she saw this girl, she decided to be the one to help. Six months later, and now she's a Midoriya?"

Nana's face softened immediately; tears formed once again. "My little Inko did that?"

"We helped too!" Izuku insisted. "But Ocha and I- we wouldn't have given her the chance without mom."

Nana tried to wipe her tears away, but she failed as more came out. "You don't know how happy I am, knowing that she turned out that way. I wish I could thank Ayaka for raising her right."

"And that's not the only new family member!" Ochako added.

"There's more?" Nana asked.

"Mhm." Izuku smiled awkwardly. "Mom is seeing someone again."

"That's great! What's he like? After what you told me about Hisashi…"

"I don't think you need to worry about him," Ochako added quickly.

"Umm, how do you feel about All Might dating your daughter?"

Nana seemed to consider that, holding a finger up to her chin. "Toshi… dating my little Inko?"

"They really care about each other!" Izuku insisted. "Mom she- All Might never had someone where he could be himself before. He's always been All Might, and she was the first person who treated him like a normal person. And Mom, she's tried to hide it, but raising me alone- It was hard on her. Having someone there for her, someone she can talk to-"

"I get it," Nana said softly, tears running down her face. "The importance of having someone there for you. I'm-" She sniffled, trying to hold back her crying. "-glad they found each other."

Nana finally broke again and started crying. Izuku stepped forward to hug her. She wrapped her arms around him, and the two simply stood there, holding each other.

For most of the evening, the pair spent their time with Nana; with Izuku answering as many questions as he could, Ochako did her best to help Nana separate memories or fill in a blank when she could.

As the hour grew late and the morning approached, Yoichi finally reappeared and whisked Nana away, giving the pair a few moments of privacy before they returned to the land of the conscious. The ancient holder was barely out the door when Ochako saw Izuku's shoulders slump and his posture became wobbly, and she wrapped an arm around him to steady him.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Izuku gave her a tired smile. "That just took a lot out of me. I didn't realize it would be so draining."

"Well, you're screwed when we start training today!" Ochako giggled.

"I've been through worse," Izuku protested. "I can handle one day of this!"

"I know." She looked at the door. "Come on, let's go upstairs."

"Okay."

Ochako took the lead as she guided Izuku up the stairs to the observatory. They sat down on their couch looking up at the sky. They settled in, Izuku resting his head on Ochako's shoulder as their hands found each other.

"Thank you," Izuku said sleepily. "Even though I'm tired, tonight was worth it."

"I'm glad." Ochako looked up at the sky. "I'm sure she's happy, knowing her family is thriving."

"Mhm."

Ochako felt a comfortable warmth seeping into her as the two sat there in silence. She didn't feel the need to say anything else, because no words were needed.

These were some of her favorite moments. Here, in the early morning, she and Izuku weren't All Might's successors, holders of great power. They weren't future heroes, burdened with knowledge of terrible things to come.

Here, she was just Ochako, sitting next to Izuku under the stars. Soon she would close her eyes and wait for her return to the corporeal world, but for now she selfishly just soaked up his warmth, free from all burdens and simply being herself, alongside the one person who can fully understand her.

But tonight, the silence was broken by a loud squeal of joy.

Both bolted upright, their heads snapping toward the door to the observatory.

But no one was there.

"Izu…"

"Yeah." He rubbed the back of his head. "I guess we should have seen this coming, huh?"

Ochako gave an exaggerated sigh. "I'll let you deal with her."

"Ocha-"

"Hey, she's your grandmother!" She playfully shoved his shoulder.

"I guess you're right," Izuku conceded as he resettled, once again resting his head on Ochako's shoulder. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Izu."

AN: Rikiya Yotsubashi was sitting in his office when he saw the light on his intercom flashing. He pushed the button. "Yes, what is it?"

"You have a visitor, sir," His secretary announced over the intercom. "The hero Slidin' Go is here to see you."

"Send him in."

Rikiya stood up and walked around his desk. For the hero to visit him directly, meant it was either good news or bad. He was hoping for the former, but fully expecting the latter. Ever since Deika City had been having more heroes visiting these past several months, he had felt more stress than usual, like an invisible net was closing around them.

After all, they have been keeping a low profile for almost two hundred years without incident. And now with the Hearts and Mind party finally getting attention, their plans are closer than ever!

They had to make it through this without incident!

The door to his office opened, and Slidin' Go entered the room. Carefully, he closed the door behind him before flashing Rikiya the salute of the Meta Liberation Army, which Rikiya returned.

"Any word about our recent visitors?"

"I do!" Slidin' Go replied easily. "I'm happy to report that it's been two weeks since the last hero left, and we haven't had any more unwanted visitors since then."

Rikiya stood there deep in thought. "That means they either found what they were looking for, or they gave up. Tell me everything you've learned."