Tokoyami opens his eyes to see the world around him was pitch black. He was in the dark abyss. He sees a much younger version of himself standing in front of him, holding Reika's Endeavor doll, crying. "She's never coming back, our Reika is never coming back. It's all your fault because you chose NOT to follow her when we had the chance. And now she's gone forever!" His child self cried.
"N-No, you're wrong! I found her in Hosu! I never stopped searching for her." He said with a worried tone.
"That wasn't our Reika, that was just some random girl we saved from the Nomu." His Child self said as he turned around to reveal a woman with brown hair lying on the ground where he thought Reika was.
His eyes widened. "N-no. That's impossible! I saved Reika, I'm sure of it! I would never mistake her for someone else!" He yelled.
"It has been ten years, you know. Are you sure you weren't just imagining things? You're wasting your time, continuing to look for someone who's long been dead and forgotten. Even our own parents had forgotten about her." The Child said.
"No! She's NOT dead! We didn't forget about her either, Dark Shadow and I NEVER forgot about her! She's still alive, I KNOW IT!" He cried out as he fell to his knees, holding his head.
"Fumi, It's alright! I'm here now!" He hears a young Reika's voice from around him. He looks up to see a light and sees a little Reika float down to him. She gently places her hands on his cheeks and touches his forehead to hers with her eyes closed.
He wakes up crying, sitting up on the couch. When did he get home? Did Hawks bring him back? He realizes someone was holding his head familiarly with his forehead touching theirs. "Everything's gonna be alright now, Fumi." He hears a young woman's voice from in front of him.
He leans back to see a large dark figure with feathered wings sitting in front of him. It appeared too feminine to be Hawks. His eyes widened. "R-Reika? Is that really you? I'm not still dreaming, am I?" He asks as he rubs the tears from his eyes.
"This is no dream, Fumi. I'm really here." She said in a sweet tone. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he got a clearer look at the woman in front of him as the moonlight shone down upon her figure. Long wavy red hair, golden eyes, and beautiful blue wings. "I've returned."
"Th-This has to be a dream. Or maybe someone is using their quirk to portray you. That's it. Yeah!" He began to mumble to himself.
She giggles then he feels her hand gently grab his and place it on her chest where her heart is. "Do you still think this is a dream if you feel my heartbeat?" She said as she smiled.
Tears form in his eyes again as he wraps his arms around her shoulders, hugging her tightly. "Rei Rei! You're finally home. You've returned to us." He said quietly as he cried on her shoulder. "I never gave up hope that you were still alive, but I feared that I would never see you again, no matter how hard I kept looking."
She hugs him back and leaned her head to his. "I'm sorry I took so long to return. I had to hide from some important people and had to fake my death to them so that I wouldn't get you involved. I don't want you to die because of me. I know you're working hard to become strong and be a good hero and I'm proud of you both for that. Mr. Aizawa and Principal Nezu already know what happened in my past after I searched for mom and why I'm raising the twins. I can't tell you everything right now, but what I can tell you is that Mr. Aizawa and Principal Nezu will do everything they can to keep me safe, and I know that you will help even if I don't want you to." She explained.
He moves away from her and stares into her eyes and puts his hands on her shoulders. "Wait a minute. Someone is after you?! Who is it?! I swear I'll protect you!" He asks in a worried tone in his voice.
"I knew you would act this way if I told you. I can't tell you yet but once we get more information, I promise I'll tell you everything." She said as she sighed. "You should go back to sleep. We can talk all you want tomorrow." She starts to stand up but he grabs her hand and pulls her back down. He wraps one arm around her shoulders and the other around her back, between her wings, hugging her tightly.
"Don't ever leave me again. My heart can't take it. I'm never letting go again, no matter what." He whispered.
She smiles and hugs him back. "Don't worry, Fumi. I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here from now on." She said.
"As soon as your enrollment to my class is finalized you are not to leave my side. I'll ask Mr. Aizawa if you can be on all my team exercises. When you need to work, I'll wait for you. Just please, don't leave us again." He said in a serious tone.
"I'm not going anywhere. I promise. But don't you think your friends or the other students at UA would spread rumors about us?" She asked.
"They can say whatever they want, as long as you're safe by my side, that's all that matters to me." He said as he yawned. He lays down on the couch, gently pulling her to him to where her head was on his bare chest.
A bright red blush appears on her face. She tries to move away but to no avail. She waited till he had fallen asleep then slowly moved away. 'Another second like that and I would've fallen asleep on him. That and the twins would have teased us about it all day. He's got a strong grip since the last time I saw him.' She thought to herself as she sighed.
The next morning, Tokoyami woke up to the smell of pancakes. He walks in the kitchen to see his mother teaching Reika how to cook. "I never thought of that for him! That can be our secret ingredient." His mother said as she smiled.
"What's going on here?" He asked as he walked into the kitchen.
"We're making Pan-." Reika began to reply before she stopped. She covered her mouth to keep herself from laughing. His mother looked and started laughing.
"What?" He asked. "What's so funny?"
"I think the twins like you, Fumi. They normally don't draw on others unless they're really fond of them." Reika said as she tried not to laugh, pointing at his chest.
He looks down to see a big smiling face on his whole torso, with his nipples as the irises in the eyes with lashes, a nose around his two pack, and lipstick around his navel. He chuckles a little. "Go ahead, laugh it up. It's a good thing there's no school today. My friends would also find this funny." He said as he smiled. When he hears her laugh he blushes slightly. 'So beautiful.' He thinks to himself.
"Anyway, breakfast is ready Fumi. You can wash up after you eat." She said as she sat a plate of pancakes with eggs and bacon on the table, then she left the kitchen to wake the twins.
Once everyone was awake and seated, they ate their breakfast. Rhyan poked at his egg. "If we're eating eggs for breakfast, does that mean that we're technically eating Big sissy's and Tsukuyomi's offspring?" He asked.
"Wouldn't that also make them cannibals?" Rhyley asked.
Tokoyami and Reika almost choked on their food. "Where on earth did you two learn those words?!" He asked with a surprised tone in his voice. He looks over at her.
"Don't look at me, I didn't teach them those words. I'm just as surprised as you are!" She says. His father chuckled while his mother was explaining to the twins why they shouldn't say those words.
He sighs then takes a bite of his pancakes. His eyes widened at the flavor and texture of the food. It was a flavor he had never tasted together before. Apples and cinnamon were in the pancake's dough. "Are these Apples?" He asked.
"It was Reika's idea. Isn't it delicious, sweetie?" His mother asked.
"Apples are still your favorite food, right?" Reika asked.
"Of course! It's really good!" He said as he took another bite of the pancakes.
"I'm glad. The twins love cinnamon so I wanted to make something that accommodates to everyones' favorite foods." She explained with a hint of shyness in her voice.
"She still has a lot to learn about cooking with meat and fish, but when it comes to boxed items like pancakes, Mac n Cheese, and Ramen. She can make even the simplest of foods into a good meal." Rhyley said as she took a bi bite of her pancake.
"Even if the three of us are on the run and living on the streets. She did lots of odd jobs to earn money to buy us food." Rhyan said.
"R-Rhyan, we aren't on the run like we're criminals. I'm keeping the three of us safe." Reika said, avoiding eye contact.
"You always tell us that but you never tell us WHAT you're keeping us safe from." Rhyan said.
"It's complicated but I'll tell you when you're older." She said as she closed her eyes.
'She said something similar about running from someone earlier this morning. Just who or what exactly is she running from? I need to know.' Tokoyami thought to himself.
After they ate breakfast and cleaned the dishes, Tokoyami leads Reika to his room and sits her down on his bed and he sits across from her. "Is everything okay Fumi?" She asks as she tilts her head in confusion.
"I think it's long overdue for us to have a talk." He said in a serious tone.
"Well I did say that we could talk as long as you wanted, didn't I." She said as she sighed then smiled.
"There are so many things I want to know, so many questions I want to ask but I don't even know where to begin." He said. "For now, can you please just explain to me where the hell you've been for all these years? Why didn't you come home? Who or what exactly are you on the run from?" He looked at her with worry in his eyes.
"I can't tell you who, but let's just say I've been on the streets when I was first approached by them. They approached the twins and their family about nine years after they did me. They… killed their parents and tried to take them away by force so I had to do something. That was about three years ago. We've been on the run ever since." She explained.
"But why didn't you ever come home? My parents and I could've helped you somehow." He said.
"I didn't come back to you and your parents because I didn't want to get the three of you involved. You can't protect us from them. Not even Hawks can." She explained as she looked away with sadness in her eyes.
He gently grabs her hands. "Reika. Who is after you? Please, tell me." He asked as he looked deep into her golden eyes.
There was a long silence between them. She sighs then looks back at him. "Fine, I'll tell you. That is BFF rule number two after all. But promise not to tell ANYONE! I'll tell Hawks when the time is right." She said before she leaned towards him and whispered into his ear.
His eyes widened. "WHA-!" He started in surprisement before she held his beak shut.
"Shhhh! Not so loud." She said in a quiet tone before taking her hands away from his beak.
"Rei, you NEED to tell Hawks about this. This is serious." He said.
"I know! I will, as I said, when the time is right." She said.
"Does Principle Nezu know about this?" He asked.
"Yes, which is why he's helping us stay on the down low." She said.
"From now on, I'm going to help as well. And since Hawks is your biological brother, he should be able to help too." He said as he grabbed her hands again.
"That's sweet of you, Fumi, but you can't help protect us from them and neither can Hawks. To be honest, I barely know Hawks so it's not like I trust him like I do you. I don't want to put you or your family in danger because of us." She said in a sad tone then moved her hands away and looked to the side. "I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you."
He gently caresses her cheeks in his hands. "Rei, look at me. It's a big brother's job to protect their little brothers and sisters. Hawks is your biological brother yes, but I am no different than him. You have always been like my little sister, so as your big brother, it's my job to protect you no matter what. So don't even think about continuing down this path alone, because I'll be right here with you from now on." He explained as he stared into her eyes then gently pressed his forehead to hers, as she had done earlier that morning.
About a month later, Reika was introduced to the class once everyone had settled into their dorm rooms on school grounds. Tokoyami gave Mineta a death glare with Dark Shadow looming over him when he called her a 'Total babe.'
"GUYS LOOK! IT'S THE BIRD!" Todoroki called out as he pointed at her.
"I/She am/is NOT a bird!" Reika and Tokoyami said at the same time, Tokoyami through gritted teeth.
"Most of you may have seen her feathers lying around the school. This is due to her being a secret employee of ours for many years under our care and watchful eyes. I want you all to make her feel at home as if she's always been in our class." Aizawa explained as he looked around the room. Once he left the kids to themselves, all the girls crowded around her, asking her all sorts of questions while complimenting her blue wings. Some she answered while others, she stayed silent.
While Tokoyami was feeling a little jealous of the girls talking to her. He knew that she needed to make some friends of her own gender. She once told him that she didn't have any friends other than him and Hawks told him to help her make friends with his classmates. Kaminari and Mineta walked up to him and wrapped his arm around his shoulders. "Hey dude. Where've ya been hiding her all this time?" Kaminari asked with a devilish smug smile on his face.
"Why don't you… introduce us 'handsome young men' to her." Mineta said.
"Don't get so ballsy, midget! Birds flock together and all that crap! I doubt our 'Prince of Darkness' will let any of us meet his princess." Bakugo said as he got the two boys off of him.
"Only if I approve of you." Tokoyami said as he crossed his arms.
The guys look over to see Midoriya drawing in his notebook, excitedly asking her questions about her wings and her quirk. Once Midoriya slowly realizes who Reika was, Aizawa grabs him and brings him to the side to talk to him. Ida walks up towards Tokoyami. "It's no wonder you've been in better spirits recently, Tokoyami. How long have you known Takami?" He asked.
"Pretty much my whole life. My father went to the same elementary and middle schools as her mother." He said, not taking his eyes off Reika.
"Her mother was Shrinky Dink, right? But She never had any kids." Midoriya said as he looked at him.
"Shrinky Dink was her adopted mother. She saved Reika from the attack on the orphanage sixteen years ago." He said.
"Your wings are so pretty and shiny! They must be really soft." Uraraka said.
"But they can also be very sharp. Not sure how though." She said.
"How often do you preen your wings? And they appear to have been clipped numerous times." Yayorouzu asked.
"I've been clipping them since I was young because I always thought that they were in the way and I had no use for them. I never learned how to preen them, so Fumi's been preening them for me for a month. Although, Hawks has been telling me to never clip my wings anymore and that once my feathers have grown out more, he would teach me to fly." She said shyly.
"You don't know how to fly?!" Uraraka asked with surprise in her voice. She nods her head no.
"Never had a need to." She said.
"But don't you ever wonder what it's like to see the world through a bird's eyes?" Ida asked.
"Yeah, I guess so. But I've never needed to fly before." She said.
Over the months that class A has gotten to know Reika, the more she got to know and become good friends with Ashido, Asui, Yayorouzu and Uraraka. Tokoyami was a little protective of her when she became friends with Bakugo, Midoriya, Todoroki, and Koda. He was overprotective of her when Mineta and Kaminari would try to flirt with her. While the two of them would laugh, Ida would tell Tokoyami that they were wanting to get a reaction out of him, and that they know he has fallen for her. He would always deny it of course, telling them that he's just being the big brother figure to her he's always been.
When Mineta and Kaminari would try to flirt with her with him around, Tokoyami would walk over to her and wrap his arms around her shoulders, glaring at them with a pout on his face. She looks up at him and smiles before poking his cheek. "Did someone ruffle your feathers again Fumi. Don't let them get to you. They're wanting to get a reaction out of you. Trying to piss you off." She said in a sweet tone. He didn't say anything.
"Is it just me or is Tokoyami being just as protective if not more protective of Takami as a Black Vulture when they protect their mates." Asui said as she gave him a sly smile.
"He's just being an overprotective big brother." Reika said as she smiled sadly.
"Overprotective is an understatement." Ashido said before all the girls laughed.
"It's because Mineta and Kaminari keep trying to flirt with me, and yet, he's been acting like this for a while now. Shadow told me that it's because of some dream he keeps having. He won't tell me what it's about though." She said.
"Mineta and Kaminari only try to flirt with you to get a reaction out of him. And I guess to them this reaction is golden." Yayorouzu said.
"Pissing him off is what they're doing. I do everything I can to keep him from beating the crap out of them with Shadow but even that's hardly working anymore." She said.
"I say let him beat them up. They deserve it. They're long overdue for a beating anyway." Jirou said.
"But he's never fought with anyone with his own hands before. I know he's gotten stronger since he came here, thanks to everything that's happened to him, but can he-" Reika began to explain before he covered her mouth.
"I know what you're about to ask and the answer is yes. I am able to fight without Dark Shadow." He said.
The girls awed as Reika blushed slightly. "A-anyway we should get to class before we're late." She said. He whined before he let her go.
"And I was just getting comfortable too." He muttered. At the end of the day, everyone was sitting in class working on an assignment.
"Before I forget class, Miss Midnight is gonna need to see all the girls after class." Aizawa said as he looked around.
"What for?" Mineta asked.
"They will be staying after school for the time being for an extra class starting today. After the bell rings I'll need all the girls to come see me. The rest of you can walk back to the dorms." He said. The girls looked at each other, whispering to themselves.
Tokoyami looked at Reika with worry in his red eyes. She looks at him and smiles as she lips the words. "I'll be alright. Trust me Fumi. It's just an extra class."
After class, the girls met with Aizawa who took them to Miss Midnight while the boys walked back to their dorms. "I wonder what sort of class the girls have to take this late in the day?" Ida asked himself.
"Maybe Miss Midnight is going to teach them about being super sexy around us." Mineta said. Kaminari whacks him in the back of the head.
"Not now Mineta. Tokoyami doesn't look so good." Kaminari said as they looked at Tokoyami muttering to himself. He turns around and walks back towards the school but then stops and turns back around.
He's never acted like this before. I wonder what's up?" Mineta asked.
"I don't know. But something doesn't feel right." Midoriya said as he walked over towards Tokoyami.
They see him turn and walk back towards the school again then turns back, shaking his head. "He wanted to wait for her but Miss Midnight wouldn't let him, so now he's freaking out." Todoroki said.
"He's usually not like this even when she isn't with him." Ida said.
"He's like this because of some stupid dream he keeps having about Rei suddenly disappearing from our lives again like she did ten years ago. This dream of his has him getting so scared that he doesn't go back to sleep. At this point, He hasn't slept for at least a couple of days because of it." Dark Shadow said as he appeared over him.
"Is there anything we can do to help him sleep?" Midoriya asked.
"You can sure as hell try but I think the only person who can help him sleep is Rei." He said.
"But due to the strict rules, She wouldn't be able to help him." Ida said as he adjusted his glasses.
"She would sit on the couch and let him lay his head on her lap, he would fall asleep like a baby with her petting him." He said.
"He must really like her a lot, doesn't he?" Midoriya said as he smiled.
Everyone looks at him before looking at each other. "I mean, It's been obvious since the very beginning. He and Takami both deny it but it's obvious to all of us that he's fallen in love with her." Ida said.
"Oh he knew he had feelings for her but he didn't realize that he fell hard for her till a couple months after she returned home." Dark Shadow said.
"Tokoyami never did tell us who was chasing after her and those kids she was taking care of." Sato said.
"We're supposed to keep it on the down low when we're in public or when we're on school grounds." Dark Shadow said.
"Guys? Something's going on with him. He's not calming down and he's breathing heavily." Midoriya said.