AN: Thanks for reading and leaving reviews, everyone!

Inko Midoriya woke up, as she did every year, long before the sun rose on New Year's Eve. As she sat up in her bed, her gaze drifted over to the photo of her and Izuku that was taken last January during their annual shrine visit.

What a difference a year made.

Picking up the photo, she examined it. She had started to slim down, losing some of the weight she had accumulated over the years, and nowadays Izuku stood a little taller - his smiles felt more genuine.

All because a certain blonde-haired girl stumbled into their lives.

She quietly laughed as she remembered how boring the beginning of the year was. She and Izuku surviving much as they had for the last seven years. Then at the end of March, everything changed.

Of course, she vividly remembered the incident where Izuku found Himiko, starving and bloody in an alleyway. She was worried about the girl, of course, but she was more concerned about her son and his safety - she was worried the poor girl would attack Izuku.

A part of Inko still felt shame in her actions that day, wanting to run away from the problem. But as she often did, she let Izuku convince her to go along with his plan and followed the girl to the hospital.

It turned out to be one of the best decisions she ever made.

When Inko learned the truth of Himiko's situation, her heart broke, and the whirlwind of events that followed left her breathless and reeling. Somehow, she had convinced herself to become a foster parent and take in a little girl who needed help.

Now, on the last day of the year, it was time to act on a decision that had been months in the making. Walking over to her desk, Inko opened a drawer and pulled out a simple manila envelope. Ever since Hisashi had left them, she thought that her family was done growing. She never knew her mom, and the aunt that raised her had passed away years ago, leaving her alone with Izuku.

That was going to change today.

Inko quietly walked down the hallway to Himiko's room and opened the door. Of course, this early in the morning the girl was still asleep. Given the chance, Himiko would sleep through most of the morning, after all, and Inko's quiet footsteps weren't enough to rouse her from her slumber.

Once she had confirmed the girl was still asleep, Inko walked over to her corner table, piled high with the stuffed animals she had collected over the year. What started as a simple act of comfort became an obsession as Himiko's therapist recommended that she use the hobby as an outlet to explore some of her lingering emotions and bad habits. Placing a hand on the miniature mountain of colorful creatures, she slid the envelope underneath them.

When the time was right, Himiko was sure to find it.

After taking one last look at the girl Inko saw as her own daughter, Inko quietly exited the room and closed the door behind her. She had a busy day ahead of her.

Most stores would be closed for the next couple of days to celebrate the new year, and the family needed supplies to cook the traditional dishes Inko insisted on making to celebrate the holiday. So after they had finished breakfast, Inko, Izuku, and Himiko put on their coats and began their trip to the market.

As soon as they arrived at the commercial district, something caught Izuku's eye and he raced off to a cart, bright signs advertising its wares.

"Come on Izu," Inko said as she looked at her son in amusement.

While the cart Izuku stood in front of was empty, his eyes were fixed on a sign that described the various grab bags they would be selling tomorrow morning. Hearing his mom's voice, he turned toward her.

"Mom, they'll have All Might grab bags tomorrow!"

Inko laughed and smiled at her son. "I'm sure you've already got anything they would put in one of those bags."

"I-" Izuku's face fell as he thought about it. "-you're right." Stepping away from the cart he rejoined his mom and Himiko.

"Besides, wasn't there a book you wanted to pick up today?"

"Yeah!" Izuku immediately brightened. "The annual Billboard Guide!"

"Let's get going then," Inko quietly urged the two children on.

"Ok!" The pair said.

The pair continued onward until they approached the bookstore, and Inko gently touched her son's arm. "Go on, we'll be waiting for you out here."

With a smile and a quick bob of his head, Izuku took off toward the store. Inko watched him run into the store before pulling out her phone, content to busy herself and wait. As she swiped her screen to unlock it, she heard Himiko squeal in delight.

"Look, Mo–ma Inko!" Himiko pointed to a nearby toy store, with a variety of plush animals filling the window. "Can we go?"

Lowering her hand, Inko looked at the girl. "Did you see another one for your collection?"

"Mhm!" Himiko bobbed her head with a fanged smile. "The red bird! It reminds me a lot of Sakura!"

With one last glance at the bookstore, Inko turned toward the girl. "As long as we're quick."

"Of course!"

Inko couldn't help but smile as she watched Himiko skipping across the street, following the girl to the store.

By the time she entered the shop, Himiko was already in front of the display, gently tugging the crimson bird down without causing the rest to tumble over. With a bright smile, she wrapped her arms around her newest plushie, holding it close to her chest as she walked back to Inko.

"It's perfect!"

"I'm glad you found one. She's the only friend you were missing, right?"

"Yep!" Himiko held the bird out and examined it. "It's been so hard to find one that matched her hair, but I finally did it!"

"Let's go check out then, we don't want to keep Izu waiting."

"Okay!"

The two paid for the stuffed bird and exited the shop, only to see Izuku looking around frantically on the other side of the street. Feeling bad for her son, Inko began to wave. "Izu, we're over here!"

Izuku perked up at the sound of his mom's voice and he turned to face them. His face breaking out in relief, he quickly dashed across the street to rejoin the rest of his family.

"I thought you went on without me!"

"Sorry," Himiko's blush deepened. "I asked Mama Inko to come with me."

"I-it's ok!" Izuku stammered out defensively as he held up his bag. "I got my Guide! And a new notebook!"

"You're done with number eleven already?" Inko asked.

Izuku shook his head. "Not yet! But I've got to fill in the missing members of the top 100!"

"You don't know them all by heart?" Himiko deadpanned.

"Of course not!" Izuku countered. "While the top ten are fairly static, everyone in the lower ranks, especially once you get down to rank fifty-one to one-hundred, are always changing! I still haven't learned about everyone since the last billboard update!"

Himiko feigned a gasp. "Who are you and what have you done with Izu?"

Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "I- there's only so much time in the day! Plus there's training and school and-"

Himiko laughed. "Oh Izu, never change."

"Ehehehe…"

Inko smiled at the antics of the two children. "I think we've made enough detours. Let's get going - we need to get ingredients before they sell out."

"Right!"

"Okay!"

Continuing onward, the three finally reached the collection of market stalls and grocery stores that were their ultimate destination. Splitting up, the three each went to a different store, buying the ingredients the family would need for tonight's soba and tomorrow's osechi ryori.

After they returned from the market and put everything away, it was time to clean the house. Clutching the crimson bird in her arms, Himiko returned to her room, gently placing the latest plush animal on her bed as she exchanged it for a dust cloth.

In response to the rather stark lifestyle she lived while at the Togas, her room felt full of life. She quickly wiped down the dozen posters lining the walls, removing any dust that had built up since she last cleaned them. Satisfied, she spun around to the small bookshelf, overflowing with movies she had bought over the months.

With a frown, she plopped herself on the floor before removing all of the movies from the shelf. Normally she didn't bother organizing her movies, and now she found herself annoyed with her past self for throwing movies haphazardly on the shelf after staying up far too late watching one. With a resigned sigh, she began separating the movies into their different genres, before finally alphabetizing them.

She knew that her efforts would last a week, but it would make Mama Inko and Izuku happy.

Once she had finished her arduous task, she stood up and stretched, looking between her desk and her pile of stuffed animals and plush dolls piled on her nightstand. Deciding to treat herself, she put off her desk for now as she approached her nightstand.

At the top of the pile sat two more birds - a bluejay that represented Atsuko, her first real friend. Sure she had friends before her backlash, but they weren't friends. They always felt hollow - felt fake. They didn't know her. They simply knew the Normal girl. The one who was always a little pale and easily distracted, who laughed at the appropriate time, and did everything a pair of overbearing parents thought a teenage girl should do.

Atsuko was one of the first people who spotted the real her, hiding underneath the broken pieces of her mask.

Himiko hugged the bird to her chest, feeling the warmth of friendship, before depositing it on the bed, next to the red robin. She then picked up the next bird - a raven, representing Tsuru - and placed it down next to the other two, arranging the three birds into a triangle. The three friends, bound together by a shared love of movies - a love that Himiko now shared. They showed her their interests, gently helping her figure out her likes and dislikes, and she was eternally grateful to them.

Moving back to the table, she began working through the pile, plucking out the majority of the stuffed animals representing her classmates. Even though they weren't as close as her friends were, they were still nice and understanding. They weren't creeped out by her fangs, and nobody judged her for the thermos of blood and orange juice that she drank during lunch. She wanted to remember them in some way.

After that, she began plucking the remaining stuffed animals and placing them in another pile, each one a person who helped her on her road to recovery.

As she removed a particularly large plush snake, she saw a tan envelope buried underneath the pile of cloth and stuffing. Her eyes going wide, she tossed the snake onto the bed and pulled the envelope out, worried that she may have let something important get buried under her collection.

Holding the envelope in her hands, she saw the name 'Himiko' on the front, written in Inko's handwriting. Not wanting to waste any more time, she tore the top off and grabbed the papers, yanking them out to look at them.

As she began reading the first page, her eyes went wide.

"Mama Inko, what's this!" Himiko yelled as she dashed out of her room into the living room where Inko was busying herself cleaning her desk.

"What's what dear?" Inko asked coyly.

"This!" Himiko held up the papers in her hand. "Are these-"

"Adoption papers," Inko said as she saw Izuku coming up behind the blonde-haired girl.

"I-" Himiko began tearing up.

"Himi, it's only been eight months, but both Izu and I see you as part of this family," Inko admitted. "I may have only intended to foster you until you were old enough. But over time, things changed." She gestured toward the corner of the apartment, where pictures of the three of them had continued to grow well past the first picture Himiko hung. "Izuku began to see you as his sister," Inko gently took Himiko's free hand into hers. "And I've grown to see you as my beautiful daughter."

"H-how long?" Himiko choked out the words.

"Izu and I talked about it last month," Inko admitted as she gently tugged the papers out of Himiko's hands, placing them on the desk behind her. "All that's left to do is for you and me to sign them and take them to the magistrate's office." She turned back to the girl she viewed as her daughter. "So what do you say? Do you want to enter the new year as a Midoriya?"

"Yes–" Himiko threw herself at the woman, wrapping her arms around her. "-mom!"

Inko wrapped her arms around the girl. "Welcome to the family Himi."

"I-I love you so much, mom. You- and Izu-" Himiko choked out the words as she buried her face in Inko's shoulder, tears flowing freely.

Smiling, Izuku came up behind Himiko and wrapped his arms around her and Inko. "I love you too Himi. And it looks like you're already a Midoriya!"

Himiko knew he was referring to her crying and wanted to glare at him, but she couldn't - not with how happy she felt. Instead, she let out a wet laugh. "I guess I am."

The next morning Himiko felt the smile on her face as she woke up, the sun's morning light warming her face as she sat and stretched. Looking beside her she found her constant companions. Picking them up, she gently sat them upright next to her pillow.

"Morning mom. Morning Izu," Himiko whispered. She had thought the words many times, but it felt different to be able to vocalize them. She shuddered in delight as the words left her lips.

She had a family again.

Crawling out of bed, she quietly padded over to her closet to put together a cute outfit for today. The primary component was a dark green dress. It was a simple design that ran down to her knees, but Atsuko was convinced the dress looked amazing on her, and she had convinced Himiko to buy it.

As she examined the dress, she'd have to remember to thank Atsuko for talking her into it later - it was perfect for today.

Tossing the dress onto the bed, she pulled out a pair of crimson leggings to go with it, as well as a pair of black bracelets. Smiling at her selection, she gathered up the clothes and walked to the bathroom, ready to start the new year as a Midoriya.

After breakfast, the members of the Midoriya family began their traditional visit to the nearby Shinto temple. But this year it was different - Inko wasn't simply taking her son with her to the shrine, she was bringing her daughter as well.

"I don't think I've ever visited a shrine on new years," Himiko admitted as she was walking alongside her family toward the temple.

"Somehow I'm not surprised," Inko said, not bothering to hide her annoyance.

"It's always brought our family good fortune," Izuku said.

"How so?" Himiko asked curiously.

"Well, last year I may have found someone lying in an alleyway," Izuku began. "And now she's my sister!"

Himiko felt her blush spreading. "That's not–!"

"I'm just saying!" Izuku defended himself. "Finding you in the alley could've been more than dumb luck!"

"But everything that happened afterward wasn't caused by some sky pixies," Himiko said softly. She let out a quiet gasp as she felt Inko rest an arm on her shoulder.

"You're right - we were responsible for everything that happened afterward. But Izu finding you? It may as well have been a miracle."

"A miracle huh…" Himiko said the word, tasting it on her tongue. It felt strange - it wasn't a word she had ever thought to use before.

When they arrived at the shrine they saw a few scattered groups standing around the shrine going about their own annual rituals. Since the dawn of quirks, many shrines were destroyed in the turmoil and only a few were rebuilt.

Inko used to visit the shrines with her aunt when she was a little girl, often praying to the parents she had never met, but she stopped when she started dating Hisashi. After the double-whammy of Hisashi moving permanently overseas and Izuku being diagnosed quirkless, she restarted the practice of her youth, visiting the shrine regularly. Sometimes she brought Izuku with her, but oftentimes she came alone.

Over the past nine months, she hadn't brought the topic up to Himiko, merely leaving the girl at home when she visited the shrine, but for this visit, she insisted Himiko join them.

"So where do we start?" Himiko asked as she looked around. Even though the family had explained their annual rituals to her, she still couldn't help but feel lost as she looked around the complex.

"Let's go draw our fortunes!" Izuku decided.

Inko smiled at her son. "Lead the way Izu."

"Yeah!" Izuku turned toward his sister. "Follow me!"

Grabbing Himiko's hand, Izuku took off toward one of the buildings that had a small crowd of people around it. The two got in line, Inko joined them shortly after, and the three waited their turn. They didn't have to wait long, and after a few minutes the family in front of them walked away, revealing a bench filled with small animal figurines, each holding a small slip of paper.

"Each of you grab one," Inko instructed as she deposited the yen in the offering box.

Izuku selected a cat and tugged the paper out, his face lighting up. "I got excellent luck this year!"

Inko smiled at her son. "That's a first for you!"

"Mhm!" Izuku bobbed his head rapidly. "It's gonna be a great year!"

"What about you Himi?"

Biting her lip, Himiko looked around and found a cat off to the side with part of the ear broken off. Feeling bad for the damaged figurine, she selected it and pulled out the paper, reading it. "Middle luck?"

"Aww, that's just average," Izuku looked more upset than Himiko felt about the results.

"That's what the majority have," Inko explained. "Now then…" Looking thoughtfully, she took one near the middle and pulled out the paper. "Oh…"

"What'd you get?"

"Small luck."

"We'll have to get rid of it then!"

"Yes, we will," Inko smiled at her son before she offered the cat figurine to Himiko. "Can you hold this for me? We'll take them home and set them up somewhere."

"Mine too!" Izuku offered his to Himiko as well.

Nodding, she took the two cat figures and opened her bag, placing all three of them in a side pocket, along with her slip of paper. "So what next?"

"Now we'll dispose of this fortune," Inko explained.

Taking the lead, they walked over to a tree with several rope cords stretched across it. Despite it being early, they found a few papers had already been folded and tied to the cords. With practiced ease, Inko folded her paper and tied it to the cord, joining the others.

"There, now that bad luck won't follow us home."

"Good," Himiko smiled at the tree. "We don't need it!"

"Exactly!"

"So now what?" Himiko asked curiously.

"Now," Inko smiled, "we get a family picture taken in front of the shrine."

Himiko felt her heart flutter at the words. "That sounds amazing!"

Inko led her children to the spot where she took her annual photo - the same spot she used to get a family photo with her aunt. While she and Izuku arranged themselves, Himiko asked a nearby family to take the photo, before handing them her camera and running to join them.

The three stood there smiling as the father took several pictures before returning the camera. Himiko quickly pulled them up and showed them to her family, smiling at the results. Thanking the family, she put her camera away and followed Inko back to the center of the shrine.

"Now, it's time to pray," Inko said. "We have a lot to thank them for this year."

"Actually…" Himiko started awkwardly. "Can I make a wish first?"

"What do you want to wish for?" Izuku asked.

"It's a secret!"

"Of course you can Himi," Inko smiled at her daughter. "Just meet us over at the shrine when you're done."

"Okay!"

As Himiko walked over to the wall where the Ema were hanging she dug her wallet out of her bag. Placing her money into the offering box, Himiko removed one of the small wooden plaques from the wall. She carefully inspected it, tracing her fingers along the grains of wood. The way they described Izuku finding her as a miracle. It resonated with her. Even if it wasn't the will of some ancient spirits, she couldn't think of any better word to describe what happened all of those months ago.

So why not take the chance?

Flipping the plaque over, she grabbed a free brush and began inscribing her wish onto the wood.

I want Izuku to become the hero he was meant to be.

She knew Izuku wanted to be a hero just like All Might, and he deserved to be! But she just didn't know how he could achieve his dream the way he was now.

Finishing her brush strokes, she took the plaque over to the shrine and placed it on a hook, before kneeling in silent prayer.

While Himiko Toga never believed in miracles, Himiko Midoriya was living proof that miracles can occur. Perhaps, she thought, another miracle could find its way to Izuku.

If anyone deserved it, it was him.

When she was done, Himiko stood up and, with one last glance at her plaque, walked toward the shrine to find her family.

AN: And with that, the prologue comes to a close. Time to see what excitement awaits the kids over the next year!