Sorry this is late! I forgot I hadn't posted it here (quite embarrassing). Also, I intentionally split this chapter into two due to its length (8k words) and the differing subject matter of the two halves.

Enjoy.

It was a slow weekday in the giftshop. There were no tourists, they either came on weekends or at a different time of day. Instead, as the hour crept on, there were only ever one or two people in the store at once. The only really special thing was that the person in the store seemed to be an in-costume Pro Hero.

The cashier tried to think if he'd seen her before. The Hero had minty green hair, which she covered in a green Robin Hood-like cloak and hood. Between that and her quiver, she was clearly an archer Hero he hadn't heard of.

The woman soon walked up with a postcard for the flowers at the Cathedral. Their main attraction. "I'd like to get this," she said.

He quickly scanned it and rang her up. She paid then took the card. "I'd like to browse a little more if that's fine?"

"Alright," he said. It was odd for someone to keep browsing after paying, but it wasn't against the rules. During the brief moment he was distracted by another customer, he didn't see her putting the postcard back.

Botan drifted in and out of consciousness. Sometimes she was awake, sometimes asleep, sometimes something in between. As she flittered between the waking world and her subconscious, she experienced past and present. Sometimes she was still raising baby Kaina. Sometimes she was in the Humarise compound watching Beros grow. Sometimes she was holding a newborn Beros while a bubbly Kaina chattered about how excited she was to be a big sister. It was only when she was awake that Botan found herself alone.

On occasion doctors came in and out, telling her about her status. It was optimistic, they said. Good news, they said. She'd be fine, they said. Yet she never felt their optimism. The only way she'd respond was either nodding along, or asking if anyone came to see her. To the latter, they always said no. They mentioned one of the doctors apparently placing flowers in her room, but no one was sure who.

Botan wasn't even sure who'd saved her. She hoped it was one of her daughters, but…

Botan sighed as she found herself awake again, laying alone in the dark, all while hoping sleep would take her back to her daughters. Then, she heard a boot step. Her eyes snapped open. Even in the dim light of the moon, she recognized her visitor.

"It's you!" she said.

Kaina nodded. "Yeah. It's me."

She smiled at her daughter. "I'm so glad to see you. You grew up so beautiful…"

Kaina wasn't sure what to say to that. All that came out was, "How long have you known?"

Botan smiled wistfully. "Since I first saw you. You have your father's hair and eyes. In fact, you look almost just like him. His quirk let him throw darts with supreme accuracy. He was never sure if his quirk affected just his body, the darts, or both."

"So, he had a pair of sniper daughters?" Kaina said. "Fitting."

"He'd have thought so too…" Botan-Kaina's mother looked away. "I'm sorry for leaving you, you know. I didn't want to, but when your father died…I couldn't support two alone. I could only keep one."

Kaina looked down, saying nothing.

"I understand if you hate me," she said. After a moment, she added, "I remember when we separated, how you cried, begging for me to let you stay."

"I don't." A partial lie. She had shadows of herself crying, begging her mother to keep her. But they were just that, shadows. Not even enough to be called memories.

That seemed to make her mother even more upset. "I hoped you'd be happy. That I could keep Beros and raise her happy too. Instead I lost you both." Botan began to quietly sob. "Maybe that was my punishment. I failed you!"

Kaina laid a hand on Botan's shoulder. "I don't blame you mother," she said. "You had no way of knowing what would happen. To either of us." She struggled to keep the wobble from her tone, and hoped that in the darkness hid her tears.

"I knew they'd take her when her quirk developed. But…but I still told them…"

"Why?"

"Pretending to be a Chosen One is a capital crime! They show leniency for small children but… once I saw them find out a teenage girl. Her quirk was small, invisible, even she hadn't realized she had it. But, she'd still been a quirked person passing as a quirkless one. After it was done…we all had to touch her ashes to purify ourselves."

Kaina flinched.

"At least they were merciful enough to drug her. She never felt a thing. She was so brainwashed she actually smiled…"

"Then what were you supposed to do?" Kaina said. "You knew your daughter could die if you didn't tell. What mother wouldn't choose to save her daughter, even when it separated them?

"And then she got brainwashed," Botan sniffled. After a long moment, she said. "Who was it who got me out of there?" There was a desperation in her tone. She needed to know which one it was.

"Beros," Kaina said. "It was Beros. She saved you, a scientist, and two boys."

The sheer relief in her mother's face filled Kaina with warmth. "I'm so happy to hear that."

"I am too."

Botan turned over and looked at her mother. "Then…do you forgive me?"

Kaina leaned over and hugged her mother for the first time in nearly thirty years.

"There's nothing to forgive."

The next day, Kaina stood outside the cathedral. She'd seen the flowers in Botan's vase. A rare breed, not grown in most of the city. But it was grown at the cathedral. The same cathedral where Beros had gotten that postcard for Botan.

Kaina took a deep breath, then went inside.

All is lost. All I ever did…was for less than nothing.

Beros had been sitting in this attic for nearly a day. She'd listened to the service. When the spoke about forgiveness and redemption, it briefly calmed her. But when it ended, the void returned. She didn't feel like moving. She didn't feel like thinking. Yet the thoughts still came.

Images of people she'd kidnapped. Killed.

Images of her mother's face when she shot her.

Beros didn't know what she wanted to do. Did she even want to live? All it would take was a single arrow... But the thoughts never truly took form. They were but little daydreams that went in and out again. Beros had no solid plans. All she did was lay on the ground, wallowing.

She had spent so many years knowing exactly what to do, knowing who she was, knowing why she existed. Now, she had no idea. It was so strange. Like a ship that had always been anchored finding itself adrift in an empty sea.

Beros heard the squeak of floorboards.

In a moment, Beros was on her feet, crouching in a secluded corner. Footsteps approached. Too measured and controlled to be a lay person out for a walk. An assassin from Humarise perhaps? A Hero to arrest her? Or somebody else?

Lady Nagant entered the room, her form illuminated by the early morning light, which shone through a stained-glass window.

Beros watched from the shadows.

"I know you're here."

Beros froze. Did she really? Or was it a bluff? She waited.

"Come out. You're good, but even you're not perfect. I want to talk."

Beros did not move.

"Please."

Beros did not move.

"Sister."

Beros moved. With cautious steps, she made her way into the light, letting Lady Nagant see her.

Kaina saw Beros step out. She was dirty, had several bruises, bags under her eyes, disheveled hair, and smelled of mud and sweat. All Kaina could think to say was, "You look like shit."

"At least partly thanks to you," Beros said, despite herself.

Lady Nagant placed a hand on her hip. "Please. If it weren't for me you'd be a red splatter on the ground."

"And the attempts to put a hole the size of a coin through my head?"

Kaina felt embarrassed. "I uh, didn't know then. Also, you were trying to kill me too."

Beros looked down. "I know. Have you seen our mother?"

Nagant nodded. "I have. She was happy to know you saved her."

She looked down. "What else could I do? I shot her."

"She was also proud you saved Midoriya."

Beros looked up. "You told her?"

"She deserved to know."

"I suppose she did. Still, she deserves a better daughter than me. I failed her." Unlike you.

"She feels the same."

Beros' eyes snapped up. "What? How could she have failed me?"

"She blames herself for joining the cult and letting you get taken and brainwashed to becoming a fanatical member."

"B-but I'm the one who murdered people! And what was she supposed to do? They would've taken her anyway even if she hadn't joined them willingly! My actions are mine, not hers."

"Probably. I guess that's how mothers are, feeling responsible for their children's well-being. I more or less said the same thing about me."

Kaina looked down. "Neither of us turned out how she wanted."

"You?" Beros said. "You freed her from them, and were fighting against the cult."

"So were you yesterday." Kaina's gaze grew bitter. "But that's not what either of us feel bad about."

"What did you do?" Beros said.

"When I was fourteen the Hero Public Safety Commission convinced me to join their special training program. They took custody of me, and trained me to be their perfect Hero. Which I was. But I was a fraud. While I pretended to be a noble guardian of the innocent by day, I was an assassin by night, killing anyone the HPSC deemed a threat."

Beros stared at her. "We really are the same, aren't we?" She grabbed a flask and took a long swig.

"I guess so. The only difference is you were four when they took you in. I was fourteen. I should've known better." She held out her hand. She needed a drink.

Beros handed the flask to her. "Maybe that's why you're the one who shot your boss."

"Maybe," Kaina said. She took a swig. She nearly spit it out. "Is this just water?!"

"Of course. What else would it be?" Beros said.

"I wanted something stronger…" Kaina said.

"I don't drink alcohol. It impairs judgement. And aim."

"True."

"Why did you start hunting us?" Beros said.

Kaina told her of All for One and his mission to find Midoriya.

"Would you have done it if they'd taken a lieutenant of his?" Beros said, staring at the window.

"Probably not, no."

Beros turned to her. "So, you did it because you wanted to save a child?"

Kaina chuckled. "I guess so. Doing a heroic deed after so long seemed good. What about you saving Midoriya, along with Cody and Adi Cole?"

"Rody and Eddie Soul."

"Whatever."

"I made the mess with Midoriya and Rody. Mom told me that if you make the mess you should clean it. As for Eddie Soul, it seemed wrong to just leave him there. Especially since I was taking his son."

"That was good of you," Kaina said.

Beros looked touched. "Thank you. Trying to save Midoriya was good too."

"Thanks."

"Perhaps we both wanted to get past the blood we shed."

Kaina nodded. Beros then leaned in and wrapped her arms around her.

"What…are you doing?" Kaina said.

"Hugging you. I haven't gotten to hug someone other than Midoriya since I was four. Doing it to him felt good so I thought you would like it. Big sister."

Kaina sighed. Then reciprocated the hug. "Thanks. Little sis."

"So…What now?" Beros said.

"All Might's going to be gathering his friends to raid Humarise. Their bombs won't be ready for a few weeks, so the days it'll take will probably be more than enough to-" Kaina trailed off when she noticed how still Beros had become.

"I…I was so consumed with grief, I didn't even think…" Beros was shaking now. Kaina was starting to get nervous.

"It isn't weeks," Beros said. "It's days. If they rush, the bombs might even be ready by tomorrow."

Horror filled Kaina. She quickly dialed All Might. It went to voicemail. She texted him, asking where he was. He replied that he was over the ocean, flying Midoriya back.

Dammit!

"Do you think the Heroes can raid the compound in time?"

Beros shook her head. "They'd never make it," She pulled out an arrow and focused on it as she said, "Even with the damage you inflicted on our forces, the defenses are too strong. Besides, in the time it'd take to organize a raid like that-"

"What about us?"

"What?"

"What about the two of us?" Kaina said. We're strong and skilled. You know the layout of the facility, and their quirks. I've raided a compound before. Can we do it?"

Beros looked uncertain. She paced for a while. Then she looked back up, a fire back in her eyes. "I think we can. And if not…I certainly want to try!"

Kaina held out her hand. "Then let's have some sisterly bonding, and wipe that cult off the map."

Beros took it. Kaina could see the matching smirk in her eyes. "Let's kick their butts!"

"Seriously? Butts?"

"I don't use profanity. I just shoot things."

"Fine."

"But…let's see if we can do it without killing!" Beros said.

"Instead just maim or incapacitate. Try and do it like…like Heroes." She smiled. "Alright sis, let's be Heroes!"

"Yes!" Beros then hugged her again. Kaina rolled her eyes and reciprocated. Her sister probably needed it.

Botan opened her eyes again. They fell on another vase of flowers in her room. This one had a card.

Didn't want to wake you. Have to go on an errand. Hope to get back alive.

Love, K & B

Botan smiled.

Kaina and Beros both rode side by side on motorcycles. After visiting Botan, the two went to a safehouse where Beros had left some equipment. With it, they'd been able to get fully equipped for battle before riding out side by side.

Kaina would relish the wind in her hair, but her rules obsessed sister demanded she wear a helmet.

"This will be one of my more dangerous missions," Beros said.

"Same!"

"Nothing we can't handle. You're almost as good as me, so we should have a chance!"

Kaina's eye twitched. "Almost?" She then said, "Fine, I'll give you that. After all, 'slightly better' does count as almost!"

Beros threw her a side-eye. "I was a way better assassin!"

"I had to murder innocent people, which I'm still guilty about, while avoiding being caught because I was a public figure!"

"Nobody even knew I existed when I was an assassin, even areas I operated that weren't in one Humarise controlled!"

"I once had to break into a wealthy politician's house, bypassing guards, cameras, and robots, and murder him in cold blood because he had ties to organized crime! This was horribly evil and totally better than what you could do!"

"Ha! I once killed a dictator in his penthouse which was surrounded by his armies! I then kidnapped his son and smuggled him from the country, which was horrible of me to do and way more dangerous than your exploit!"

Kaina's eye twitched. It was on. "Listen brat, I once had to crawl half a kilometer through a sewer to get inside a guarded base and take out my target!"

"I once had to sneak through a jungle filled with dangerous creatures at night without being heard!"

"I won in our fight."

"You got lucky! Plus I never got arrested!"

"I once sniped someone else from almost two kilometers away and framed his bodyguard, quite horrible of me."

"I once beat a man to death and perfectly mimicked a local gang, which I still feel bad for.

"Well I-"

The two spent the next half hour swapping increasingly difficult assassination stories.

"In other words, yes my days as an assassin were horrible and evil and I am totally guilty about them but I was still better at it than you Beros!"

"No, I was better! Again, I didn't get caught!"

"I shot my boss inside a high security building!"

"And I stole our highest value prisoner plus three from a high security compound without getting caught!"

"I did it spur of the moment!"

"So you were a poor planner?"

Kaina growled. Why had she felt good about having a little sister? This was infuriating! Why couldn't she have a normal sister who wasn't a total pain?

When they finally started to get close, they abandoned their bikes and hiked through the woods. "One of us should watch from above," Beros said. She started climbing a tree.

Kaina leaped over her to a higher branch, flashing a smug grin. "Sorry, I've got the levitation quirk."

Beros glowered. "No fair."

Kaina felt a surge of satisfaction as she took to the treetops and surveyed the landscape. Fortunately, her quirk gave her incredible eyesight. After a quick look at the terrain she dropped back down.

"I don't see any cultists."

"There wouldn't be in this area of the woods. But the closer we get, the more likely we'll find some," Beros said.

Kaina nodded, and looked out at the mountain. "Looks like its time huh?"

"I was always ready to fight here. But never as the invader."

"Well, I never thought I'd be saving the world," Kaina said. "Looks like neither of us can predict where we're going."

Beros shook her head. "I guess not. Nice to have a sister though."

"Yeah," Kaina said, "It is."

The two then hardened their features.

"We'll also need to enter the compound," Beros said.

"I can blast it down like I did the other one."

"No," Beros said. "That may have taken out the entrance our smaller compound in Japan, but our main compound will be reinforced."

Kaina frowned and floated down. "Do you have the codes?" she said.

Beros shook her head. "They would've changed them after I left. But-" Her eyes lit up. "They wouldn't have changed the patrol schedule or routes!"

"You have an idea?" Kaina said.

"Oh yes," Beros said, her eyes indicating a truly diabolical grin. "I know exactly how to get the codes…

Sidero walked through the canyon valley. As usual it was rocks, rocks and more rocks. He wondered why they bothered sending him out here when they could be sending him to one of their other compounds far, far away instead. With the capture of their Messiah and Eddie Soul, the Heroes had all they need to learn about the Trigger Bombs. Which meant an attack was coming. Which meant Sidero needed to be somewhere else pronto.

The most insane thing of the fiasco was that Beros of all people betrayed them. She'd been the most fanatical, insufferably so. But apparently, her mom was enough to betray them all.

Not so self-righteous now, are ya Beros?

He was just glad that with her gone, he could desert without her hunting him down and making him suffer reprecus-

"Hey Sidero."

"Hey Beros."

Sidero walked on and-Wait, Beros?!

Sidero whirled around, growing and throwing a giant iron ball at her to crush her. Beros somersaulted away from while someone pressed something thin against Sidero's neck.

"Ah, ah, ah. No trying to murder my sister."

Sidero looked behind him and sure enough, the terrifying murderer had pressed the end of a gun barrel against Sidero's neck.

"Only I can do that."

Sidero's breath quickened. Should he-

"Go ahead," she said with a stony glare. "Attack me. See if you can kill me before I blow your head off."

"If you do," Beros said, drawing her bow, "I'll kill you next."

All fight left Sidero. He put up his hands. "I'll give you anything!"

The sniper woman looked to Beros. "Seriously, this was who they partnered with you?"

"I'm afraid so."

The sniper woman looked disgusted. "Well, let's just find out what he knows.

Next thing Sidero knew he was tied up against a tree while Beros fidgeted with her arrow and the sniper woman a bullet. Sweat poured down his face. He had to do something! He didn't want to die now! He'd throw his own mother to them if it helped him escape!

"Talk."

"I've been a part of Humarise since I was fourteen! I've been the party of multiple assassinations and kidnappings! I have information on their higher up members!"

"Has the strength of their fighting force changed since I left?" Beros said.

"No! It's the same!"

"Alright," said the sniper woman. "Then-"

"I once blew up an oil rig accidentally and framed my partner! I had a crush on Beros when we first met!"

Beros drew her bow, a look of outrage on her face.

"But it was gone after actually talking with her due to her shit personality!"

Beros lowered her bow while the sniper woman loaded her gun because now she looked outraged. He just couldn't win, could he?

"You have one more chance," said Beros. "Tell me the codes to enter!"

"Oh that?" Sidero said. "24635." A lie. He had a little dignity (and desire not to be executed after Humarise killed these two)

The sniper took his handprint on a slip of paper, then nodded to Beros. They began to walk away. Then they stopped. "Hold on," said the sniper. "I'm not entirely sure he was honest with us…"

"Oh? And what should we do?" Beros said, practically bouncing with excitement, like a small child in a candy store. Sidero really didn't like how much she was enjoying this.

"Hey, Mook-"

"Sidero."

"Mook. Let me give you a deal. If you lied to us, I'll give you this one chance to tell us the truth and we'll leave you here unharmed. Otherwise when we get back…"

Beros aimed an arrow at his chest, then lowered it to a much more painful place to be shot.

"Ok! Ok! 46352!" Sidero said, shaking in terror.

"I believe you," the sniper woman said. Beros placed the arrow back in her quiver and deactivated her quirk. They walked away.

"W-wait! Aren't you going to let me go?!"

"Of course," Beros said. "After we succeed."

"W-what?!"

"Don't worry!" the sniper woman said. "If we die, someone should come for you! Eventually!"

"Hey! Come back! You can't leave me here! Hey!"

The sisters have united!

Beros REALLY loved tormenting Sidero after how awful of a partner he was. And Kaina REALLY thought this guy isn't good enough for her sister.

In the AO3 version, there's a gag where Kaina and Beros evidently fought over whose initial would go first in Botan's note (indicated by a couple being crossed out until the final one). Sadly, the x-strike feature does not work for FF . net so I couldn't use it here. Hope you still enjoyed! Reviews bring happiness!