Hisashi had to be wrong; his son's eyes narrowed, and he felt a single pinprick of pain. His brain registered the single point of contact in the center of his forehead. His body was about to scream out as his entire body was about to be torn apart. There was no way his mind would have been able to process anything like this, but it was screaming that this was not only death but oblivion.

Just as suddenly, it was as if nothing happened, he heard the elevator's ding. He saw three students step off, including the boy in the mask that greeted him when he arrived.

He was joined by a robust, muscular-looking boy with large lips and a shorter boy with a raven quirk. Hisashi was surprised to see a shadow version of the boy hovering over the boy's shoulder.

Fumikage walked over and extended his hand to Hisashi, "It is an honor to meet you, sir," Fumikage said. "My name is Fumikage, sir, and this is Dark Shadow."

"Yes, I remember you from the sports festival," Hisashi said, turning on the charm. "You did very well, very impressive."

"Thank you, sir," Fumikage said. "I won't take much of your time, but I just want to tell you how amazing your son is. He is a great classmate, person, and friend."

"That is great to hear," flashing an enchanting smile, "his mother and I are so proud of him. As is his little sister."

Izuku froze; a SISTER? he screamed mentally.

"Izuku, you never mentioned a sister?" Sato said.

"My parents have been overseas," Izuku said, keeping his voice as neutral as possible. "I haven't had the pleasure yet."

"I apologize, congratulations," Sato said. Sato turned to Hisashi. "Your son is an amazing classmate, sir."

"He is exactly that," Mezo said. "We will leave you to catch up." All three boys bowed and went to leave.

Dark Shadow looked between father and son; something was bothering him.

Once they left, the room was silent. Hisashi stared at Izuku, who extended his hand towards the kitchen as a cereal box floated to him along with a bowl. Hisashi raised an eyebrow, "Well, did you remember the milk at least?"

"Cute," Hisashi replied.

"What the hell...' izuku started to say. He heard some laughter from upstairs. It sounded like Ochaco and Itsuka. "Let's talk somewhere else."

"Fine by me, son," Hisashi said with a smirk. Izuku glared at him as they walked out; Itsuka saw them exiting and paused, wondering who was with Izuku.

All-Might

All-Might picked up the phone, seeing how it was from the U.A. security office.

"This is All-Might. Is everything okay?" He answered.

"Yes sir, this is Security Officer Dao at the dorm checkpoint," the man responded, sounding slightly nervous. "You left orders to inform you if anyone came to visit Izuku Midoriya."

"Yes, I did," All-Might replied; he hoped that Jean would come to visit at some point. "Who checked in?"

"His father, sir."

"Thank you, Officer Dao," All-Might said, ending the call.

If I can contact his father, maybe he can shed some light on his son's situation, All-Might thought. He thought briefly about contacting Mirio, but his protégé was in a lot of trouble, and his just being near Midoriya could escalate the situation.

Father and Son

"You don't seem happy to see your father," Hisashi said.

"Father? You have the fucking nerve to call yourself my Father!" Izuku spat back. Izuku stopped and saw some students around; they stopped and looked at the duo. He turned and led his father towards the second-year dorms, knowing they would be deserted as they were participating in their Sports Festival day.

"Taking us someplace quiet?" Hisashi said he stopped at a vending machine and grabbed a drink; his offer to buy Izuku one was met with a swift no in response. "Good."

Kyoka

Kyoka was laughing as she stood with Setsuna, Pony, and Manga; they were waiting for some members of both classes to join them. They had decided to go check k out the festival together to help build a bridge between the two classes.

Fumi, Mezo, Sato, Ochaco, and Itsuka walked up; they appeared to be having an exciting conversation. Before she could ask, Niren and Kinoko came walking over. Soon, everyone was heading towards the festival; she noticed that Fumi and Dark Shadow had fallen to the back of the group and seemed to have a different opinion.

Kyoka drifted back, "Is everything alright?" she asked them.

"I believe that everything is fine," Fumi said. "But my brother has a different opinion."

"It is because you are wrong, my brother," Dark Shadow responded. "One, there was a crack in the wall that wasn't there earlier, and I saw it fix itself, and two, what kind of parent does not inform their child that they are a big brother? Izuku seemed completely shocked and taken off guard."

"Wait, did Izuku's parents show up?" Kyoka said, shocked.

"Yes, his father," Fumi said. "He seemed like a very nice man."

"Oh…" was all Kyoka could say; initially, she thought she was slightly happy that someone had shown up, but she recalled her conversations with Izuku. How they had disowned him, how he wondered if they were even watching during the festival, that they had not reached out to him after the USJ. This can't be good, she thought. Something screamed at her that this was very bad. "OH SHOOT!" Kyoka shouted, getting everyone's attention. She made an exaggerated show of patting her pants. "I forgot my wallet!"

"Do you want us to wait?" Set asked.

"No, go on ahead. I will catch up. Drop me your location," Kyoka said, walking quickly back towards the dorms. Once she turned the corner, she started to jog.

Hisashi Midoriya

"As I said, you don't seem happy to see me, son," Hisashi said.

"What are you even doing here?" Izuku said, doing all he could to keep his emotions in check.

"I was on my way to see you," Hisashi smiled, which made Izuku nearly throw up. "On the flight, what did I see but my precious son giving the commencement speech, displaying an impressive quirk with such astounding control? I was talking with your mother, and your transformation is astonishing."

"You still haven't answered the question?" Izuku said, his fist clenched.

"Look, son, things weren't good between us, but I figured I would come here to be the better man and welcome you back into the family," Hisashi said.

"Be the better man and welcome me back?" Izuku said, stunned. "Welcome me back into the family?"

"Correct," Hisashi said. "Now, how about we get some food to catch up? We can go to dinner, and I can tell you all about your little sister."

Izuku took a deep breath, "I have a sister?"

"Yes, her name is Izumi," Hisashi said proudly. "She is precious."

"You disowned me," Izuku said. "You told me when I was 18 that we were done! Never to contact you or Mom again."

"It was tough, love son," Hisashi said, his voice dripping with false sincerity. "You had to grow up. I knew you would be a great man one day, but you just needed a push. As your father, I gave you that push. You see, son, one day when you have children of your own, you will understand that sometimes you have to be rough with them so they can see the full potential in themselves that you have seen all along."

Izuku's clinched hand flinched open violently, and Hisashi exploded into a red mist.

All-Might

All-Might arrived at the dorms right as Young Jiro was walking out. "All-Might is everything okay?" she said, looking around.

"Yes, Young Jiro, everything is fine," All-Might said with his trademark smile. While that smile would have been enough to put most people at complete ease, Kyoka's quirk told her a different story.

Everyone knew that Kyoka's quirk amplified her hearing; what most people didn't think about was that her hearing was so sensitive that she could hear someone's heartbeat, and unless they were professional liars, she could tell when something was amiss. Some people may be able to control their facial responses, but their heart rate is different. All-Might was not telling the whole truth.

"Are you looking for someone?" Kyoka asked innocently. "The dorms are empty."

"Oh, I am. Have you seen Mr. Midoriya by chance," All-Might replied. "I wish to speak with him."

"No, I haven't seen him," Kyoka replied. "I had forgotten my wallet and ran back to get it. Ochaco and Itsuka said they saw him leave the dorms with some guy and were headed towards the parking lot."

"Why thank you, Young Jiro," the hero said. "It may be futile, but maybe I can catch up with him."

"Is he in some sort of trouble?" Kyoka pressed.

"No, not at all. We need him for a photo shoot with the press as the festival winner yesterday," All-Might said as he moved off. "Enjoy your day, Young Jiro," he waved.

"Not a total lie," Kyoka muttered. She scanned the area, looking for Izuku; if he had headed towards the parking lot and were still there, All-Might would have found him, and at least there would have been someone there. Where did he go? Where would he take him? Kyoka thought. Think damn it. He probably took him somewhere he could yell at him in peace; Fumi the guys, along with Ochaco and Itsuka being home, probably is why he isn't here. Where would I go….

Suddenly, the answer just popped into her head. It sounded like a woman whispering in her ear, "The second-year dorms." Kyoka just ran off in that direction.

Izuku

He took a deep breath, and Hisashi reassembled; before Hisashi could scream or react, Izuku wiped his mind off the incident; while he was there, he read his sperm donor's mind. Izuku was looking for anything, some sliver of love or affection, some truth about why he had returned.

When he found out the truth, Hisashi exploded and reassembled twice. Izuku tried to reign in his emotions, but they were slipping past his control. Hisashi felt the air heating up around them; he saw the water in the fountain beside him, steam and bubble.

"I know it was difficult, son," Hisashi said, pressing on. "But I am here now, and you can be part of the family. Your family needs you; your little sister needs you."

"You fucking LIAR!" Izuku roared. A considerable portion of the water in the fountain just evaporated. Hisashi stepped back, ready to call upon his quirk just in case. "YOU CAME HERE JUST BECAUSE YOU SAW ME ON TELEVISION; YOU ARE FUCKING HERE JUST BECAUSE I MANIFESTED A QUIRK! YOU DAMN META-LIBERATION SUPERIORS SAW ME AND WANT TO MEET ME. WANT YOU TO BRING ME INTO YOUR SICK LITTLE FUCKING CULT!"

Dark Red fire began to leak from Izuku's eyes; it slithered down around his body, the air around him began to shimmer from the heat, and the concrete under his feet began to melt. "YOU STOPPED CARING AFTER I WAS DIAGNOSED QUIRKLESS, YOU WERE IN IT THE FUCKING COUNTRY, AND YOU NEVER CAME TO SEE ME. NEVER CAME TO SAY A DAMN THING TO ME BECAUSE I WAS FUCKING QUIRKLESS. MOM LEAVES TO GO BOUNCE ON YOUR DICK."

"YOU WATCH YOUR MOUTH YOUNG MAN!" Hisashi roared back. "I AM YOUR FATHER! I WILL NOT BE DISRESPECTED BY YOU OF ALL PEOPLE. YOU BETTER KNOW YOUR PLACE BEFORE I SHOW YOU WHO THE REAL FIRE USER IN THE FAMILY IS!"

"I FUCKING DARE YOU," Izuku roared. "YOU STILL DON'T CARE ABOUT ME, MOM DOESN'T CARE SHE IS BUSY WALLOWING IN FUCKING SELF-PITY. YOU ARE GOING TO FUCKING BURN, THIS WHOLE FUCKING PLACE IS GOING TO BURN!"

"IZUKU STOP!" a girl's voice rang out, calling his attention.

Izuku turned and saw Kyoka standing there; she looked terrified. "Izuku, don't do it," she said, walking towards him. "Don't do it. He isn't worth it; he is garbage, and you are much better than him. Don't do this. You are better than this."

Kyoka started to walk towards him. He saw her flinch from the heat, but she kept pushing forward. "Come back to me, Izuku," she pleaded. "I know I am not Momo, Melissa, or Mei. I am not Mina; I don't have an M name. But I care about you, Izuku, I…I like you." She reached towards the red flames, cringing as they toasted her; the fire fell away. "This isn't you, Izuku, this isn't you," she whispered. She placed her hands on his face, tilting his head to look at her. "I know you, and this isn't you." The flames flickered and died; his eyes returned to normal. "There you are, Iuzku," she raised her tiptoes and kissed him lightly, their foreheads resting against each other. "There you are."

"Here I am," he said, his eyes closed.

"Who the fuck is this whore?' Hisashi yelled.

Kyoka and Izuku stiffened, "Who the fuck are you calling a whore?" Kyoka said, turning around.

"Please, Kyoka, let me," Izuku said; Kyoka nodded. "You say one more thing, and that will be the last thing you ever utter upon this world." Izuku's voice dripped with malice. Hisashi looked into his son's eyes and saw the truth; Izuku would kill him here and now.

"You will never talk to her or anyone else I care about like that again," Izuku said as he moved forward. Hisashi glared, his mouth opened, and green flames came pouring out. Kyoka flinched; Izuku glared and held his hand out. All the fire stopped moving and began to collapse back to where it came from. Hisashi couldn't close his mouth as Izuku forced his fire down his throat; he fell to his knees, unable to even scream in pain.

"We are done!" Izuku said as he stood over his father. "You are done; your life as you know it is over. I am going to take everything you believe makes you a man away. Your quirk is done, your libido is done, your job is going to find out that you let me slip through your fingers, and then you will be done. Your entire life is over, do you understand me? You are going to get up and leave here; Izumi is going to come live with me. I am not going to let you or Inko poison her mind with the Meta Liberation bullshit."

Hisashi began to tremble as the weight of Izuku's power washed over him. "The two of you are going to watch as I rise to the greatest heights in this world, surrounded by those who love me," Izuku grabbed Hisashi under the chin and lifted him off the ground. "My sister will know what love is, and she will grow and become a wonderful woman, guided by the hands of those who chose ME! All while you and Inko watch. You are dead to me; you will never reach out to me or my sister for the rest of your lives. If she chooses to do so, then I may let you respond. I would change my name, but every time you hear it, I want you both to know EXACTLY who they are talking about. My children and my children's children will never know you, never acknowledge your existence. Your quirk will be worthless; you will never again be able to have sex. I wonder what your friends will do when they find out you can barely use your quirk to keep yourself warm."

"You can't do this," Hisashi said, flailing.

"I am stronger than you, and I say I can," Izuku said as he dropped him. "Isn't that what your precious teachings say? And if you tell anyone, they will never believe you! Now get the hell out of my sight!"

Hisashi tried to use his quirk but faltered; he scrambled to his feet and fled. Izuku closed his eyes as the damage to the area fixed itself; he turned and saw Kyoka staring at him.

"How did you?" she stuttered. He could hear the fear and trepidation in her voice; he flinched and looked away. Kyoka took his hand, "I just want to know how?" she said when he looked at her. "I know what kind of person you are, Izuku."

Izuku reached out and placed his hand on the side of her face; she held it there. "Once I show you, there is no going back. Everything changes."

"I don't care," she whispered. "Show me."

Her eyes snapped open as the images came to her mind; she cringed as some of the memories of tears formed and fell, but she never let go of his hand. When it was over, she looked at him, "Did my kiss save the world?"

"Yes," he whispered. Before he could say anything else, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a deep kiss that left them breathless.

"That kind of makes a girl feel special," Kyoka whispered. "I want to change the world, I want to change the world with you, but like Mei…"

"I understand," Izuku said. "I completely understand."

"Well, I will talk with Momo and the others tonight," Kyoka said, taking his hand. "Are you okay? Do you want me to take you back to the dorms and stay with you?"

Izuku thought about it momentarily, "No, how about I join you and our classmates," he said. "I will stew on it; otherwise, I would rather have a good memory than dwell on it. Besides…" he took her hand. "I like you too, Kyoka; if we are going to build a romantic relationship, I want to spend more time with you."

Kyoka blushed and walked with him to find their classmates. "I have to ask, what is with all the M names?"

"Honestly, I have no idea," he laughed. "But I am glad you are breaking the trend."

"So am I," she said, smiling. "Fuck the system! Oh, by the way, All-Might was looking for you; now I understand why you two don't get along, and fuck Jr., he is a total asshole."

Teacher of the Year meets Father of the Year.

All-Might was returning to the dorms when he spotted Hisashi walking towards the parking lot, looking like he had seen a ghost. "Excuse me," All-Might said, getting the man's attention. "Are you Hisashi Midoriya? Izuku's father."

"I was," the man managed to say. His voice was extremely harsh and damaged from his son shoving his fire back down his throat.

"What do you mean was?" All-Might asked.

Hisashi realized what he had said; he was about to lie or try to convince All-Might about what had just happened. A woman's voice echoed in his mind, CONFESS! "I came here to try and manipulate my son into returning to the family. I abandoned him when he was diagnosed as quirkless, as a member of the Meta Liberation. Having a quirkless child was something that I couldn't tolerate."

All-Might and Hisashi were stunned; he tried to stop talking but couldn't, "I wanted to arrange an accident for him, but my wife wouldn't let me."

"Is she a member as well?" All-Might managed to ask.

"Yes, but a mother's love is blind to what must be done," Hisashi said. "I would come to see her and try to get her to come away with me."

"Did you see your son?" All-Might said.

"No, he was quirkless; unless it was to remove him from this world, why would I bother?" Hisashi said he wanted to stop. He tried, but the woman's voice just laughed in his head. "Eventually, I got my wife to accompany me; we abandoned him here in Japan. Then he had an accident. I hoped he had died, but the little bastard was still alive; he recovered on his own, so we didn't have to come back or anything. I told him that when he turned 18, we were done with him."

"Then why are you here," All-Might said, his voice tinged with anger.

"We saw him on television. Then, I got a call from the higher-ups questioning me about him and his speech. It danced around some of our teachings, and they wanted to know if he was part of our movement." Hisashi continued.

"Is he?" All-Might demanded.

"No, why would I waste my breath on a quirkless piece of filth," Hisashi said. "But when I saw him, I knew that I had to get him back, for my sake. Such a powerful quirk would be a boon for the movement. I hoped to manipulate him because I just recently had a daughter. I could say a few things and bring him back."

"What happened?" All-Might said.

"He got so angry, told me to get out of his life. He saw through all my lies," Hisashi said. "Then he killed me but somehow brought me back; he weakened my quirk and told me that I would never have an erection again. You have to help me, make him fix everything."

All-Might raised an eyebrow. This man was now making up lies; from the look on the hero's face, Hisashi knew he didn't believe him. "I have to go; I have to try and salvage my job."

"Where is your son?" All-Might asked.

"I don't have a son; I will be lucky if I manage to have a life," Hisashi said, walking towards the parking lot.

All-Might

"So what are you going to do now?" he heard a woman whisper in his ear. He spun around and saw Jean floating there, but she was transparent.

"Jean?" he said, stepping back.

"I am getting so tired of this All-Might, and I am done talking about this," she said. "You keep pushing him and will not like what will happen. He is not mind-controlling Melissa or anyone else, but you will never believe that because he hates you. Because he dares to do things differently."

"His words are dangerous, Jean," All-Might said. "Surely you can understand that."

"Of course, they are, you dumbass," Jean laughed. "When has anyone heard the words of change and said anything less? Why is everything you disagree with bad? Why are the reactions Melissa is giving you have to be the result of Izuku and not because of the dumb-ass decisions that you and her father made."

"We did what was best…" he began to say.

"Which part?" Jean said as she floated upside down. "Lying to her for her whole life? Why wasn't she worthy? Did she lack brains or heart?"

"No, she didn't," All-Might said.

"You had years to decide before you stumbled upon Mirio, who has his head so far up your ass he is making his way through the intestines," Jean replied. "You could have trained her for years, got her body ready, then trained her to handle One for All for years before she entered the U.A. Now tell me, what is the excuse? Give me one reason that someone you knew who wanted to be a hero and had the brains and heart to be a wonderful hero was not good enough for you?"

"All for One…"

"You thought he was dead," Jean cut him off again. "And even when you were proved wrong, she still would be in a better place, having been trained longer when he reemerged. When she started investigating what happened with Izuku, her father lied to protect her. He covered it up when he was found out, ensuring she didn't trust him. When Melissa and Mei were attacked, if it weren't for me, they would have been killed. Have you asked David what he knows about the attack?"

"No, I have not," All-Might said.

"So when all the lies and half-truths come out, and she is upset, you have the fucking gall to blame Izuku instead of looking in the mirror," Jean replied. "If you had reached out, you would have known that she was friends with Momo, who was dating Izuku, and they were all getting acquainted. Would have been a good time to voice your concerns to her about Izuku and maybe explain yourself." Jean leaned closer to him, "But you couldn't because you didn't trust her."

"And what about Izuku?" All-Might said. "What gave him the right to tell her my secret?"

"That was all your damn fault. If you hadn't been such an asshole to him, then maybe he would have been more cooperative with you," Jean countered. "You had no reason to suspect All for One was still alive, yet you immediately jumped to that conclusion. When you were explained, you had to believe it couldn't be the answer. You are a man who lied to someone that you love for your whole life, and when they find out, you blame the one who exposed your lies."

All-Might grimaced, "Why did you make Mirio keep things from Nejire? Why didn't you let him explain something? Anything? Then when he treats her like dogshit, he has the nerve to be upset when she decides to leave him. Just like his mentor, it couldn't be his fault or anything he did; it all has to be someone else," Jean poked All-Might in the chest. "All he did was tell her that she was special and beautiful, but your precious protégé couldn't even do that much."

"The secret of One for All could rock the world to its core," All-Might protested.

"Oh, get off your high horse," Jean sighed. "You think One for All is the only mind-blowing quirk in the world. All for One was just as dangerous, and the streets talked about his quirk with fear for decades and more. There are more quirks and abilities in this world that if you were to be aware of them, you wouldn't be able to sleep at night."

"If only you understood," All-Might said. "I did things for a reason."

"Yes, you made your decisions, and not everyone is going to like or agree with them, get the fuck over it," Jean said. "Just because you are All-Might doesn't mean everyone will bow and defer to you. This is your last chance; I will not speak to you again. I will not interfere with what Izuku does. He wants to change the world. Have you asked him what he is striving for? You just talked to his father; you know All for One would not give anyone a quirk with power on par with what Izuku has demonstrated. He is too greedy for that. I know you are not stupid to start using that fucking lump on top of your shoulders."

All-Might watched as Jean faded; he realized the entire conversation had occurred in his head.

Kyoka and Izuku

When their hands disentangled, she noted the extreme lack of warmth; Izuku always had that aura of life and warmth. She understood now why that was, but his touch was something else. The warmth flooded her body when they held hands, creeping into every nook and cranny; she could feel it slipping away when they separated. The other thing she noticed was that after the second kiss, many more fantasies were flooding her mind. She regretted not taking him back to the dorms and her room so he could help her test the soundproofing.

Kyoka was a healthy young woman who had her share of fantasies, crushes, and the like. Izuku wasn't her first kiss, but the second time they kissed was the best she had to date. His presence was enough to stimulate some fantasies before the kiss; now, they were threatening to take over as she just wanted to straddle his lap and surrender. They started exploring their feelings, working until the moment they were together. She liked the other girls, and though she had kissed him already due to the extenuating circumstances, she was sure they would understand

She did her best not to give anything away when he brushed against her hand or hooked his pinky around hers. She had to fight the urge to giggle; it was a strange sensation. As she watched him talking with the others, it was hard not to see the weight he had on his shoulders. Change the world or burn it down. She saw the sad, lonely boy, the broken, unwanted young man, and the reborn future hero when she looked at him.

Kyoka didn't know what any of that was like; she had gotten shit about her quirk and mocked for wanting to be a hero, but unless you were Bakugo, Todoroki, or Momo, that was the course. If your quirk were so overpowered that denying it would make you the dumbest person in the room, then all of them would suffer from taunts. Melissa and Izuku were different; they wanted it even when the whole world screamed that they were fools. Melissa had been protected at least, while Izuku had been left out in the open to suffer the slings and arrows without shelter.

But even Melissa had to suffer the betrayal of All-Might. It was a transferable quirk, a power that could be passed on to another and had been done so for a century at least. It was a huge secret; she could understand the need to keep it hidden but couldn't understand how to do that to someone she loved.

She watched Dark Shadow and Fumi hug him; he must have explained the situation to his father to them. Again, she felt for him; she wanted to hug and kiss him again, to reassure him that he was cared for. Seeing him smile and laugh after the events with his father, play some carnival games, and declare he was on his way to being a rock star when he won an inflatable purple guitar warmed her heart.

Momo

Momo sat in the limo on her way back to U.A. The night prior, the date with Nejire had been enjoyable. Nejire Hado was a force unlike anything she or Melissa had ever encountered; she was clear about what she wanted. She didn't hesitate or mince words. When the date ended, Momo couldn't help but give in to her desires, and the two kissed. It was tender and soft, very different from when she kissed Izuku, but there was a spark. She noticed that Melissa and Nejire got along, but the same spark wasn't there. However, Melissa said that she could see them as friends.

She had received messages from Mei and Melissa about how well their demonstration had gone, that several companies were interested in the gear they were demonstrating, and even more so in what had been witnessed during the festival. Of course, most of the time, it was generated by Melissa's Nano-Bots. That was not up for demonstration or sale, of course. The concerning message was from Izuku, saying they all needed to talk when everyone got home and that he would be waiting for them in Kyoka's room.

Momo could tell that Kyoka was interested, but all the girls were, to some extent, the aura of the Phoenix saw to that. Did something happen where Kyoka and Izuku started something? She was a bit upset that if so, he hadn't talked to any of them first, a thought she confirmed with Melissa and Mei. What about Mina?

When she got to the dorms, she was greeted by some classmates and Mel and Mei, who had just arrived. After some hugs, they walked up and knocked on Kyoka's door; when she opened the door, she expected signs that something romantic was going on, but instead, she was greeted by a guitar resting against the bed and Izuku holding one, looking at his fingers, and some basic cords filled the room. Kyoka offered them all drinks before she sat back down next to Izuku; the girls noticed this and were curious.

"Did something happen today?" Momo asked.

Kyoka took a deep breath; her hands were resting on her thighs, "I know I should have talked to all of you first, but I confessed to Izuku that I liked him today, and I kissed him. Twice." Kyoka bowed her head. "I am sorry for overstepping. But today…well, today has been interesting, to say the least."

Izuku took a deep breath, "My father came by today." The other girls stiffened, and they saw Kyoka take his hand. "He came back to try and manipulate me into coming back to him and Inko."

Momo immediately went and sat on his other side and took his other hand. "Are you okay?"

"As well as I could be, but we almost had another event," he said; she could see the pain in his eyes. "I was struggling to maintain control, but I almost lost it. If not for Kyoka… I will show you." They all nodded as the images and emotions came to them.

"Well, that explains a lot," Mei said, looking at Kyoka. "Thank you for being there for him." Mei gave Kyoka a hug, followed by Melissa.

"Yes, thank you," Melissa said. Kyoka moved aside so they could hug and reassure Izuku.

"I understand now," Momo added. "I appreciate you being there for him, and I have no problem with you kissing him, especially under the circumstances. I am sure that we should all take our time to talk individually about this new development."

"I agree," Kyoka said. "I don't want to try and bulldoze my way in; I understand that we need to get to know each other better. I want you all to know that I plan on supporting him and all of you the best I can in the future to prevent the world from burning and making it a better place. I told him that even if we fail in the first part, I would fight to stop him."

"Are you in love with him?" Melissa asked.

"Honestly, I don't know," Kyoka said as she looked at the group. "I have never experienced that type of love, but I care for him deeply, worry about him, and want to be someone he can rely on, even if it is just to give him a respite from things. It was terrifying after he showed me everything; the premise of it all was scary." Kyoka looked down at her hands for a moment. "But I saw all that he suffered through, and even after all that, he still has come out the other side as someone strong and caring. Seeing him seek to protect and elevate not just himself but others."

Kyoka took a deep breath, "I don't know if I am in love with him, but I know that I want to be by his side."

The room was silent for a few minutes after that. Mei broke the silence, "Are you going to take your sister from your parents?"

"I can't leave her with them," Izuku said. "I am in no position to be a parent, but..."

"I understand," Mei said. "I am not telling you not to do it, but we must figure this out together." She squeezed his hand. "Where would she stay? Will the school allow you to keep her in the dorms? What about her needs? She is two years old; who will babysit her while we are in class? You all have your internships; I have my internship coming up."

"Those are all perfect points," Melissa said. "We don't have anyone to rely on to help us."

"I am not so sure about that," Momo said. "My parents may be able to help." Izuku looked at her quizzically. "I am an only child by necessity, not desire. My father is very favorable towards you, Izuku, after the USJ incident; my mother has a big heart. If we explain the circumstances, I believe they would be favorable."

"I am going to have to figure out a way to secure more funds," Izuku said. "I can't expect your parents to pay to raise my sister alone. Can you arrange a meeting with them?"

After that matter had been discussed but not settled, the subject of Mina came up, with Izuku telling them that he cared for Mina; he was sure that much was evident from his actions. "Are you going to tell her everything?" Melissa asked.

"I have to," Izuku said. "It isn't fair to not let her know what she is getting into by being with me. How do you all feel?"

"Honestly, everything is moving very fast," Melissa said. "Kyoka and Mina, Nejire in the wings. The festival, getting into the hero course. Momo has talked to us about Mina; I look forward to getting to know Kyoka and Nejire. Coupled with your father showing up a little sister, I hope we can catch breath."

"There are a lot of changes going on, I agree," Mei said. "After everything plays out, I want us to work on being together and balancing everything. Melissa and I have some feelings for each other, Momo and Nejire, but at the center of everything is you, Izuku. You must balance all of us and give us the time, attention, and affection we all deserve."

"Melissa and Mei are right," Momo said. "After these relationships are sorted out, we must ensure this can all work. I am willing to share you, Izuku, but I still want to be a focus of your affection and not an afterthought."

"I don't know if I have a place to say anything," Kyoka said. "But I agree, and I am sorry as I am one of the ones complicating everything right now. I know, though, that if we all give it our best, we can at least make the time to see if this will work."

"Well said," Melissa said, giving Kyoka a warm smile.

"You are all 100% right," Izuku said. "I will talk with Mina, and we can see how things go with Nejire, but I want you all to know that just knowing how much you all care and your affection for me lifts the burden some. You all are so wonderful. I don't deserve any of you or all these wonderful things happening, but I want you to know that I appreciate all of you."

He glanced out the window, "Mina just got here; I am going to go talk to her, excuse me." He gave his girlfriends all a kiss and Kyoka a kiss on the cheek before he left.

Kyoka smiled at the girls, "I have always found that the best way to get to know someone is through what kinds of music they like," she said. "Would you three like to hang out for a bit?" They all nodded.

The Phoenix and the Alien

Mina was walking towards the dorms; her heart started to beat harder the closer she got; her stomach had decided it was time to perform an Olympic-level gymnastics routine. She was sure he had read the letter; at some point, she cursed herself for writing it and not talking to him directly, but there was nothing she could do about it now. She was positive that he had read it, and now the anticipation of his response was the albatross around her neck. She wondered if Izuku thought it was stupid of her to write a love letter and slip it under his door.

She was lost in her head when his voice pulled her back, "Hello, Mina."

"Hello, Izuku," she said, thankful she didn't vomit and run away in terror.

"I was wondering if we could maybe take a walk and talk some," he said, stepping closer. Mina could only nod; she stepped beside him as they walked off. "I got your letter."

"You probably thought it was childish," she said, blushing.

"Not at all," Izuku said. "It was my first love letter," Mina looked at him to see him smiling and blushing slightly. "I always dreamed of receiving one, to get one; it made my heart flutter."

Mina tamped down on the overreacting, and he lightly reached out for her hand. She slowly took his offer. "Mina, when I first met you, I thought of you like the sun; it was so warm and magnetic. You had this joy and wonder about you, this positivity that made everything seem amazing. Then the USJ happened, and I saw that sun darken."

Mina felt her mood fall, "That hurt me; I know what you went through, and I was so upset that someone had attempted to eclipse the sun in such a fashion. When I sat with you, and I only wanted to do what I could to try and help you heal, I didn't expect these feelings to develop between us."

Mina perked up, "You have feelings for me?"

"Yes, Mina, I do," Izuku said. "I care for you as well, but I didn't want to say anything for fear that you would feel you owed me something. The more we were together, witnessing your strength and desire not to let what happened extinguish your fire, those feelings grew and deepened."

"I felt so safe in your arms, so protected when you chased the nightmares away," Mina said. "I hated how I was feeling, but Momo understood. I wanted to try to understand it myself. I know I loved you, but I wanted to prove my strength to stand with you."

"You prove that every day just by pushing forward, Mina," Izuku said. "Every day, you do all you can to improve and heal from that terrible event. That shows me all the strength I would ever need to see, and on the days you feel like you can't, I will be there to support you and make sure you have a place to stand till you are ready to move forward again."

"Does that mean?" Mina asked.

"There is something I need to tell you first," Izuku said. "I need you to know the truth before you choose to be together with me."

"What truth?" Mina said.

Izuku led her to a secluded bench, "Mina, no matter your response after what I share with you, I want you to know that I will always be here for you."

"This is scaring me some," Mina said.

"I am sorry, Mina, but it is scary," Izuku said. "But it is the truth, and if you want to be with me, I need you to know the truth; I don't want to mislead you."

"I just have to know something first?" Mina asked; Izuku nodded. "You are not some sort of villain or monster like Brighton."

"No, I am not like Brighton," Izuku said. But I may be a monster, he thought. "Are you ready?" Mina nodded.

For the second time that day, Izuku had to watch someone react to his life; the most challenging part was waiting for their judgment. He showed Mina how he used his empathy to calm her down at points, but he never manipulated her emotions.

Mina sat there for several minutes, her eyes closed after it was all said and done. "I don't like to fail; the thought of failing makes me want to try harder. But if we fail, we don't get to try again," she said. "Lucky for you, I won't let us fail," she opened her eyes. "I love you, Izuku Midoriya, and I will stand by your side. If you have me, I will give you all the love and support I can provide. Then, when that isn't enough, I will dig down and find more to offer you."

"Mina…" he whispered.

Mina threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately, "I am yours, my Pheonix. In your fires, I will be reborn."