*Twenty-Seven Years Ago

Musutafu, Japan

Over two decades ago, my life was already a pile of trash. Our father married a gold digger without realizing it. She played it safe whenever he was around and acted greedy when he left home. A Caribbean woman with tan skin, dirty blonde hair, and blue eyes compelled Dad into marrying her. How do I know this? Because they conceived me after a year into their marriage.

My mother's name was Pamela and she was one of the reasons my life felt so torturous. She applauded my older brother's accomplishments, but never gave any shit about me. I didn't know why, but she'd abused me behind the scenes. It continued until I entered high school. Or better yet, UA High, the school for quirk-enhanced individuals who wished to become pro heroes. I wasn't doing well there. It wasn't because of my grades, they were subpar.

The main issue was my appearance. Mom kept stressing me to the point of acne affecting my face and her punches knocking out my teeth. I resorted to braces to restructure my teeth, but it made my presence awkward. Most students ignored me and spread rumors. There was one student who bothered me for fun. Her name was Kimi Sanamaki. She was the fashionista of UA High. Her family was well-off, meaning she got in through a recommendation.

Almost every day, Kimi berated my appearance and quirk. I created smoke and turned into it, but Kimi thought it sounded pathetic.

'You're so ugly, Plain Girl. No man will fall for you.'

'That quirk won't get you anywhere. Who wants to be saved by a woman who turns into a smoke?'

'Your future is worthless. You're better off not being a hero.'

'Unlike you, your brother has potential and good looks.'

I cried often. Kimi's words and influence spread across the school. No escape meant more torture. Plus, Mom's neglect and emotional abuse grew worst. All she cared about was caring for a prestigious child and money. I didn't meet her requirements, thus was reduced to a nobody. A plain jane with no future.

I'd wished for my life to end, but someone pulled me out of a dark corner.

Gloria Smithfield was an transfer student from Colbury, Maryland. That's in America, if you must know. She became a classmate in my homeroom and did something that I didn't see coming. "You're cute, gal. Why the gloomy face?" For the first time, someone complimented me. I'd felt like wailing, but kept it together and asked why Gloria complimented me.

"Because I like girls with glasses. Those braces add flare."

"I-I'm not sure about that. Plain girls aren't the flashiest people." I faced the opposite direction, remembering what Kimi said.

Thank god, she wasn't in my homeroom.

"Yeah, they aren't, but with development, they're beautiful."

Her words were like nothing I'd ever heard. Gloria, after hearing about my terrible family and school life, sympathized with me. She'd been there, but grew into a confident woman who found her purpose. "How about we become friends, work hard to be heroes, and show those bitches who's boss?" That grin sparked a feeling I'd never felt in years: determination. Yes, I was going to prove to Kimi, my older brother, and Mom who I am. Ever since our introduction, Gloria and I became close friends.

Throughout our UA years, we trained in secret, studied hard, and understood each other better. Kimi would occasionally ruin our parade, but Gloria stood up for me. No one stood up for me, which was a pleasant moment to see. Finally, we graduated UA and I joined Gloria's family to America. It was hard to leave home, but I shouldn't feel sorry. Mom tortured me, Dad did absolutely nothing to stop her, and my brother was himself. We were never close, but after our dad's death, Enji grew distant from me. Conversations weren't our norm anymore.

I'd wrote a letter to Mom. Every emotion I'd bottled was on that letter. As I headed to Gloria and her family at the airport, I'd never turned back. The future had opportunities for a girl like me. Some day, I'll show Kimi and Mom. I'll show them how much I'd changed. As for my brother…

Well, sixteen years later, he called me.

*Sixteen Years Later

Enji called me after I completed a rescue mission. I'd enjoyed my time in Colbury, continuing my hero career as 'Mrs. Plume.' Gloria, under the hero name 'Glam,' introduced me to the Underground Agency. We started our work once we settled ourselves. The agency was a blast. It had a gym arena, brilliant scientists, creative fashion designers, and much more. My brother calling me in the afternoon wasn't what I expected.

"It's been a while, Enji. What's up?" I sat on a motel bed, the sunlight filling the room in neon yellow.

"Miya, never thought I would call you for assistance. I'll be quick about it. My family has been dealing with issues and I—"

I stood up, eyes widened and body stiffened. "Wait, you have a family? Since when?"

"Thirteen years ago. Going back to the issue at hand, the nanny I hired got ill and I'd ran out of options. Then, Rei, my wife, asked if I have siblings. I regretted answering that question and she suggested I call you."

"I'd never imagined you marrying a woman and having children."

"There's a reason behind it, but I don't have time discussing this to a plain woman like you."

"What?" Blood boiled under my light skin. How dare he call me plain!?

"I said I don't have time discussing my family life to a plain woman. Like you."

I wanted to throw the damn phone, but I blew air through my plump pink lips. "Alright, Enji. I'll be there. Thanks for calling me." I hung up with a confident smile.

Wait until he sees the new Miya.

Three Days Later

Musutafu, Japan

Todoroki Adobe

Near 8am in the morning, I arrived at Musutafu. It felt like I'd never left, which was confusing to wrap around. Enji gave me the address to his adobe, so I had no trouble finding it. I paid the taxi driver and face a massive adobe my brother and his family lived. Damn, being a pro hero had its advantages. My legs strode towards the main entrance, while my mind popped several questions.

How did my brother gained so much popularity?

How many children does he have?

What does his wife look like?

I shook my head, erasing the laundry list of questions, and stopped at the entrance. After knocking three times, the door slid open and revealed a mountain of muscle. He wore a tight dark blue sweater and black leather jeans. His fiery red hair bought back memories. Same goes for the icy blue eyes and scowl. If you removed the flame beard and mustache, you would have my older brother, Enji Todoroki.

"Hi, bro! Nice to see you again!" I spread my arms for a big o' hug, but something on my brother's face didn't look right.

"Who are you?"

I wanted to faint, but regained my balance and grunted. "Dammit! It's me, Miya! Your sister?"

Enji scanned me up and down, puzzled in seeing a fabulously lean woman with voluminous breasts, short red hair, and pearly white teeth. Then, something snapped and he gasped, leaning back and his cheeks flushing blue. "Miya!?"

"Now, you get it. I've been through a makeover sequence after leaving Japan. What do you think?" I posed, which Enji doesn't take to heart. He fainted and fell backwards.

I removed my shoes, stepped inside, and analyzed my brother's face. Blank as paper. A woman with long white hair and gray eyes walked to the entrance and us. Her white sweater and light gray sweatpants looked cozy. "You must be Miya?" She paused when Enji rose up, rubbing his head and face returning to its normal colors. "Yeah, and you must be Rei?"

She nodded with a gentle smile that shouted, 'innocence' with a capital I. Once Enji regained consciousness, Rei gave me a tour around the adobe. A few minutes passed and Rei introduced the children, who were sitting in the living room. The oldest son, Touya, looked exactly like Enji, expect his hair was wild. Fuyumi, the oldest daughter and second child, had the cutest hairstyle. Red polka dots in her white hair. Natsuo, the third son, looked uninterested in seeing me. I got him.

Then, the last child was Shoto, who had both his father's and mother's appearances. The eye colors and hair colors were amazing, but Shoto expressed nervous intentions. Like someone was bothering him to no end. Again, I got him. "Okay, now that you'd seen the children, it's your responsibility to watch over them. Shoto and I have our daily training schedule, so you'll be occupying Fuyumi, Natsuo, and Touya. Rei will help, if you need it."

The second part of Enji's dialogue was understandable. The first part? I went back and forth between Enji and Shoto. Now it was coming to me; Shoto was nervous towards my brother. Five days of meeting Enji's family and I'd been researching the dynamics. Touya felt unappreciated, only wanting attention from his father. Fuyumi and Natsuo were kind children, but they had issues with Enji, too. And Shoto?

"You're not using your quirk fast enough, Shoto!"

Enji's been beating the kid for hours. Connecting the family dilemma and Enji's jealousy of this popular hero called 'All-Might', and I just solved the problem. The reason behind Enji marrying a woman with a ice quirk and conceiving children was because of jealousy. He wished to outdo All-Might with a quirk marriage. My stomach churned the wrong way. I can't believe how low my brother was willing to do. Glad he (or in his case, his wife) called me. My purpose was still undetermined, but I'd found a goal.

Fixing Enji's family.