Hakama = traditional Japanese pants that are worn over a kimono and tied at the waist with a long belt, basically a shrine maiden skirt/robe

Hatsumode = a popular New Year's tradition of visiting shrines or temples to pray for good fortune in the coming year

I return. Tennocon was a blast as usual. Got some Lotus art for the fic signed by Rebb, and gave her a copy too.

Of course, once I got back from the trip (after 21 hours of uninterrupted consciousness due to delayed flights) I got Covid once I got back to work. Not from the trip, but from my coworker. Apologies for the delay, but it's hard to write when you are sick.

This chapter will have some art, and Chapter 35 will have a little thing as well once it is done. I will leave a note on whatever chapter happens to release when the art is done so you can go see it.

==========================VI==========================

[Election Results: Funny Valentine declared winner in a landslide victory!]

(November 8, 2242) The FEC announced the results of the 2242 Election. Sen. Funny Valentine [GA] has secured a landslide victory with 85.8% of the Electoral Votes in a largely unsurprising move.

Following the sudden death of Sen. Steven Armstrong [CO] earlier this year and the arrest of several members of his campaign team, his party was unable to acquire a suitable replacement four months before the election. Several of Armstrong's most fervent supporters distanced themselves following revelations of Armstrong's collusion with the terrorist mercenary organization Desperado and the traitorous former heroes the Four Winds.

Valentine will be sworn in on Friday, January 20th in 2243 as the 86th President of the United States of America.

- URNBC

[Related Articles:

[President James Johnson congratulates Sen. Valentine on victory, urges unity in the wake of the tragic loss of life during the Armstrong Riots in July.]

[Opinion: Raiden: Hero, Villain, or Vigilante?]

[Scarlet Valentine speaks out on her husband's hidden talents with his feet. What she says will shock you!]

==========================VI==========================

[Midoriya Family Apartment, December 14th, 2242]

Toshinori was always welcome at the Midoriyas' home. Their entire apartment was smaller than his bedroom at Might Tower, but it was a cozy little home. It brought back memories from his childhood staying in a similar place, though it wasn't as nice as this.

"Toshinori." Inko handed him a warm cup of hot cocoa, slightly startling him.

"Oh, thank you." He took a small sip and winced.

"Are you alright?" Inko asked.

"It's just the cold weather aggravating my scar. It makes it ache."

"Here," She stood up and disappeared down the hallway for a minute. He could hear her rummaging around in one of the rooms. Inko returned holding a piece of fabric with an electric plug attached to it. "Use this heat pad."

"You don't need to go out of your way to-" He flinched again.

"Toshi." Inko put her hands on her hips and looked at him with a mixture of frustration and concern. "You need to take care of yourself."

Toshinori blushed and looked away. "It's just a little bit of discomfort. The Symbol of Peace can handle being in pain."

"Well Mister Symbol of Peace, if it's not that big a deal then does it matter if I help you out?" Inko frowned.

"That's not what I… I just didn't want to trouble you." Toshinori deflected.

"It's not. I'm the one who offered to help. You are a guest, and I can't have my guests being uncomfortable." Inko held up the pad.

Toshinori sighed and pulled up his shirt. Even with how skinny the hero had become Inko could still see how muscular Toshinori was. Izuku said that the way One For All worked for him now as like someone holding their gut in at the pool and flexing. With how little Toshinori ate, it was amazing that he was able to be this fit at all. She finished wrapping the fabric around his torso, careful not to aggravate the wound.

"There." Inko plugged the heat pad in. "Does that feel better?"

Toshinori felt the pad begin to heat up. His breathing relaxed slightly. "Yes." He took another slow sip of his hot cocoa.

It was strange to see the famous All Might in such a… vulnerable state. Whenever she'd seen him on the news throughout his hero career he was almost always smiling. Here he was, the world's strongest hero. Someone who could change the weather with a punch, lying that he was alright so that she didn't have to go out of her way to help him.

That self-sacrificing nature of his reminded her of Izuku… and Hisashi.

==VI==

Toshinori watched Inko walk back into the kitchen, leaving him alone with his thoughts. Izuku's mother was kind, like her son. Every time he visited for dinner she would prepare something specifically for him so he could digest it. She even would come out to the beach from time to time to give him soup as well. He could see where Izuku got his kind nature from.

Speaking of his successor, he was out playing in the snow with Eikyō, Tenno, and their other friend Tokage. If he remembered correctly, there was a fifth member of the group, but he hadn't been present for their past few meetups. Anyway, Izuku had sent him a video of the group in the middle of a snowball fight. He fought back a chuckle as he saw Tenno nail Tokage with a snowball, only to be pelted from all sides by her friends in retaliation. It brought a warm smile to his face to see that girl enjoying herself like a normal teenager, and for Izuku to be surrounded by friends.

He really should do something special for them. Training had to be put on pause until the snow stopped, but with the progress they'd made they were still on track for their goal even if they were to not clean the rest of the month. The new year was almost upon them. Oh, that would be perfect timing!

"Inko," Toshinori asked as she sat back down across from him. "Have you ever watched the New Years fireworks at the Grand Narukami Shrine?"

"No, we usually go to the local shrine."

※ The Grand Narukami Shrine was built following the devastation wrought by the Quirk Wars, which resulted in the destruction of several famous shrines around Japan. It was constructed on orders of the Raiden Imperial Family in 2180 and sits on the largest artificial mountain in Japan.※

"Would you like to go this year?" Toshinori asked casually.

Inko blinked slowly, making sure she didn't mishear him before blushing. "G-go with you to the shrine?"

"Yes, I think that Izuku and the others would enjoy it. They have wonderful games and food, and an impressive firework show." He explained.

Inko's face had turned a deep crimson. 'Goodness, I'm blushing like a teenager.'

"Are you alright? You look a bit flustered." Toshinori leaned forward, concerned.

"Oh, I'm fine…" Inko recovered and chuckled. "It's silly, I just thought you were asking me out on a date."

Toshinori's reaction was delayed mostly by the fact that he wasn't expecting that answer, and because once he heard it he froze for a few seconds to process what she said.

He promptly sprayed blood out of his mouth and fainted.

Well, shit.

==VI==

"You- you thought I was asking you out?" Toshinori had recovered with the help of some smelling salts.

"You did make it sound like that until you mentioned the kids." Inko chuckled.

"I'm sorry…"

"No need for that Toshinori, honestly it was a bit flattering coming from you. I'm sure any other women asked out by All Might would feel the same."

Toshinori was silent. "I've… I've never actually asked anyone out before." He muttered, slightly embarrassed.

Inko blinked. "That can't be right, I've seen news of you on dates with celebrities and foreign heroes, although I admit some of those were tabloids. Some were credible news sites though!"

"Almost all of those 'dates' were publicity stunts or a private interviews. They were all arranged by my agency or the WHA." Toshinori correctly sheepishly. "I never really got close to anyone for real, because if I did they would be in danger."

"From the villain that killed your master?"

"Yes."

Inko placed her mug on the table. "That sounds very lonely."

Toshinori shrugged. "It can be, but I made my peace with it a long time ago." He gulped nervously. "But… he is dead now."

Inko hadn't tried to enter a relationship with anyone ever since Hisashi died. She'd been too busy taking care of Izuku to worry about something like that, and she had to mourn her late husband as well. Hisashi had always said that if anything ever happened to him, he wanted her to move on without him and be happy.

Having Toshinori frequent their home had been nice. Aside from the shock of learning that he was well, All Might, he was surprisingly… normal. Sometimes it was hard to imagine Yagi Toshinori and All Might as the same person sometimes, let alone being on a first-name basis with the man. She wasn't lying about being flattered by what she thought was an attempt to ask her out on a date either.

"Would- ehm. Would you have accepted if it was?" Toshinori broke the silence, his face flushed crimson. He wasn't sure why he said it. Maybe it was curiosity, or just an intrusive thought made manifest.

Inko wasn't what most people would consider a conventionally attractive woman (although Toshinori had never been one to care for society's arbitrary standards of beauty). She treated him kindly and went out of her way to accommodate him with meals his body could handle. Most importantly she didn't treat him like he was fragile- hell, she didn't even treat him like All Might.

That was probably why his feelings for her went beyond that of a teacher and a student's parent. He hadn't acted on them out of respect for Izuku, as asking out his mother would be kind of awkward.

He also didn't have any idea on how to actually ask someone out. Nana and Sorahiko had taught him how to fight and use One For All, but not much in the way of life skills. He had to pick those up himself, and dating had never been a priority with the everpresent threat of All For One looming on his shoulders.

But All For One was dead, and soon he wouldn't have One For All anymore. Toshinori had gone his whole life without many personal attachments. Sure, he had close friends, but he didn't stick near them to keep them out of danger and most of them were fairly powerful or were under the protection of the powerful.

So maybe his brain decided to take the risk at a normal relationship? Who knows. Hopefully, he wasn't overstepping.

"I wouldn't be opposed to it." Inko blushed.

"Oh, well." Toshinori swallowed the lump in his throat. He wasn't expecting to get this far, and now he was tripping over himself verbally. "I uh, does January 1st work for you?"

"Yes, that sounds fine." Inko giggled as the man fumbled over his words like a teenager. "I'll be looking forward to it." She'd need to have her kimono resized. Mitsuki could probably do that if she asked, though if she revealed it was for a date the blonde would pester her for details.

==VI==

[Tau Household, December 16th, 2242]

Natah took a deep breath and knocked on Haylee's door. "Haylee, can I come in?"

She heard some shuffling of bedsheets. "Gimme a sec! Gotta put on some clothes!" Haylee shouted. "Alright, c'mon in."

Natah entered her bedroom. Haylee was back in bed, surrounded by hand-sewn floofs and pillows. How the girl slept like that was beyond her.

"Did you need something?" Haylee yawned.

"I wanted to… I need to talk to you about some things." This was something Natah had been putting off for too long. Many things that she should've addressed months ago.

"Oh." Haylee noticed the serious expression on Natah's face. "Uhm, hold on." She cleared some pillows off and gestured for the older woman to sit.

Natah sat down and Haylee immediately rested her head on Natah's lap, nuzzling against it like a kavat. "So what did you want to talk about?"

Natah took a deep breath. "I know it's a bit late to address this, but we never discussed what you told us about… the Man in The Wall."

Haylee's eyes narrowed. "What about it?" She'd told Natah and Ordan about the deal but other than that the conversation had been put off.

"Have there been any… complications with your powers? Ordan told me about the distortions on your ship ever since the incident with Rell." Natah pursed her lips. "I know I wasn't there for a long time. Did it speak to you?"

"Sometimes. Mostly just taunts." Haylee mumbled, clearly uncomfortable.

"Does it still speak to you?"

Haylee froze. "It's not… alive anymore. Whatever is left of it is inside me now."

Natah's hands tightened. "And what has it been doing?"

"I don't think it can actually do anything because of the deal I made. It just watches me, and it was taunting me." The girl shrunk back. "It's just a fragment now, with no power."

"Was?" Natah raised an eyebrow.

Haylee blushed. "I uh, kind of told it to fuck off."

Natah suppressed a chuckle. Telling a piece of an eldritch deity to fuck off was pretty in character for Haylee. "Did you now?" She ruffled Haylee's hair with a slight smile. "Do you think it will become a problem?"

Haylee let Natah run her hands through her hair for a moment. "I don't think so. It can't take me over or anything. It uh- it wants me to become the new 'it' I suppose." She said with a scowl. "I don't want its power Natah. Whenever I used it I couldn't control it. I could feel it trying to make you something I'm not." The girl shivered and cuddled closer to Natah.

She could tell that Haylee was scared of her new power, and she didn't blame her. The Void was an untamed chaotic power amplified by emotion. It had taken the Tenno years to master its highly destructive energies, and that was with the small amount they had been given. Haylee had always had a lot of Void energy within her. "Is it all the power of the Void that was left?" She inquired. Haylee nodded.

"I've sealed it inside myself, so I should only use what I was able to handle before, maybe a bit more. I just… I can't let it out." She shuddered.

"I'm sure with practice you could-"

"I don't think you understand." Haylee stopped her. "I can't let it out. If I use too much I won't be able to stop it." Her breathing quickened. "I felt it, Natah, my emotions just bleeding away. I was becoming like it. I don't want to be a god. I just want to be normal for once." Haylee blinked back tears.

"You can be whatever you want to be, my child." Natah wiped away Haylee's tears with her hand. Her mouth twitched with guilt at the last word. "What do you want to be?"

Haylee sniffled. "I want to be a hero and spend more time with my friends. I want us to all get into U.A. together." A warm smile formed on her face, distant memories of her old friends back on the Zariman. Her best friend Jenva hanging onto her and hugging her all the time like she did with Izuku now. Oddly, Izuku blushed a lot when she did that. When Jenva hugged Haylee, it was Jenva who was blushing more. Best friends were supposed to give each other lots of hugs, or at least that's what Jenva said. "And I want to make even more friends too."

"Do you remember what Margulis said?" Natah ran her hand through Haylee's hair.

"Dream, not of what you are…" Haylee started.

"... but of what you want to be." Natah finished. "You can be whatever you set your mind to. If you want to be with your friends, then do it." Haylee had been cursed by the power of the Void long enough. There was no need for her to become its new avatar. Perhaps it was the perfect way to spite the Man In The Wall by denying the entity's last wishes.

That answer seemed to have satisfied Haylee at least. Her breathing had calmed down and her eyes drowsily closing, as if the weight of her worries was finally lifting. She snuggled deeper into Natah's lap. Natah could feel the faint thrum of Void energy running throughout Haylee's body. Curiously, it wasn't hurting her. It wouldn't shock her if her newfound humanity had removed that weakness to the Void, although it wasn't like there had been many chances to test that theory.

She started to stand, letting Haylee slump back onto her bed. Haylee's hand shot out and clamped around Natah's wrist.

"Wait, don't go." Haylee said. "That wasn't all, was it?"

"You looked like you were about to pass out, so-"

Haylee's eyes glowed slightly and she perked up a bit. "I could feel that you wanted to say something else that's bothering you."

Right, she'd forgotten that Haylee's powers gave her a small amount of empathic ability toward powerful emotions. She could still leave, but Haylee knew that there was something bugging Natah now. She wasn't the kind of person to let that go, not when it came to Natah. With a sigh, Natah sat back down and collected her thoughts.

"I'm not sure I'm ready for this," Natah admitted. "But this is something that has been weighing on me for quite some time now. Haylee," She turned and stared directly into Haylee's eyes. "Do you… blame me for what happened?"

Haylee tilted her head. "What happened?" Her eyes widened. "Wait, do you mean you disappearing or us getting sent here?"

"Both, I suppose. It's all connected. My brainwashing, everything I did under Ballas's control, my failure to stop him in time. Not only that, I've been thinking a lot about my role in guiding all the Tenno. You weren't- you weren't the only one I abandoned."

"Whuh? Why would you think I blamed you for that? Don't you think if I had a problem with that I'd say something?" Haylee sat up with a confused and concerned look on her face. "Well, maybe not immediately, with how upset I was when we got here…" She turned her gaze away from Natah. "I blamed myself more than anything."

"This wasn't your fault," Natah reassured.

"I mean, I know that now- I just- the only reason we are here is because I made the deal," Haylee mumbled, burying her face into an oversized kubrow floof.

"If you didn't do that, we would all be dead." Natah reminded her. "You saved as many people as you could."

"Yeah but… all the other Tenno didn't make it. I'm the one who made the deal, and I'm the only one who survived. They died so I could live for the Man in the Wall's sick game." She glanced out toward her window, where the Zariman memorial statue in the backyard was. "I wasn't- I wasn't particularly close to any of them, but they were still the closest thing to family I had left. Does that make me a bad person?"

Natah pursed her lips. "I don't think that I'm the best person to ask about family. I- I'm not even sure I qualify as a mother." She added hesitantly. "What sort of mother sees her children only after hundreds of years, just to abandon them?"

"You were there when you could. There were thousands of us. Nobody expected you to be there all the time." Haylee defended, seeing how Natah was beginning to get uncharacteristically upset.

"Even so, I could've done more, and then when Ballas-" Natah took a deep breath. "I know what you are going to say, that it wasn't my fault. I was brainwashed. The old me probably would've accepted that." She said sadly. "But Ordan was right, being human has made it… difficult. My emotions are less stable now than they were. I'm… anxious. Things that I wouldn't worry about stick around in my head. My regrets, hypotheticals…" She trailed off.

"Being human fucking sucks, doesn't it?" Haylee bluntly remarked.

Natah stared at Haylee in shock for a few seconds before letting out a quiet laugh. "It has its ups and downs I suppose." She put a hand to her chest and felt her heartbeat, breathing in and out slowly. "But it's not something that I regret happening, despite what my father would think."

"Yeah, but your dad is a cunt." Haylee sneered, her face quickly reddening after she realized what she said. "I mean uh-"

"It's fine." Natah put a finger to the girl's lips to shush her. "I know that you and Hunhow don't have the best history, and you are entitled to your own opinion on him. I'm not offended that you don't like him."

Haylee chewed her lip anxiously. "Still, he's your dad."

Natah pursed her lips. "My relationship with my father is… complicated." Hunhow had not taken to his newfound humanity well, seemingly being in denial by distancing himself from everyone at first and reacting to any attempts at kindness with indifference at best, or outright hostility at worst. Principal Nezu was the only person (?) he would entertain a casual conversation with. At the very least, his interactions with Nezu had been mellowing him out little by little. Natah had decided to give him space- well, that was one reason at least.

'No shit.' Haylee thought, deciding not to comment further. The only good thing about Hunhow is that if she annoyed him enough he would give her chocolate to fuck off.

"I'm grateful that I jumped to conclusions about your feelings," Natah concluded. "I suppose I was worried over nothing." Quietly, she cleared her throat. "Haylee, do you- do you want me to be your mother?" She asked with the slightest tinge of nervousness as if she was afraid Haylee would react poorly to the question. "I know that it may not be what you want, and it may be selfish on my part…"

Haylee stared at the ceiling blankly. "I don't- I'm not sure what I want." She rolled over, burying her face in the sheets. Could she ever call Natah 'mom'? She never called Margulis that. It was too painful considering what happened to her real mother.

Natah was her friend. Natah was mission control. Natah was… what was Natah to her now? She treated Haylee like she was her child, cuddling her, brushing her hair, and letting her fall asleep in Natah's arms. Haylee couldn't say she hated it. But was she ready to call Natah her mother?

"M-m-f." Haylee attempted. "M-mo… mom?" She could see the joy in Natah's eyes as she said it. "I don't know how I feel about that…" It didn't feel bad, per se, but it made her feel uncomfortable.

"It's alright, you don't have to force it." Natah brushed Haylee's bangs aside. "I won't be upset if you don't want to. As I said, I'm being a bit selfish about my desires."

Haylee blushed. "I… I want to, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet." She could come to get used to it, but it would take time. "I won't have to call Hunhow 'grandpa', will I?"

"No," Natah chuckled. "No, you do not."

==VI==

[Grand Narukami Shrine, January 1st, 2243]

"Woah…" Izuku gasped. He'd never been to a shrine this big before. The Grand Narukami Shrine was the largest and newest Shrine in Japan. Despite its modernity, the shrine was stylistically the same as older shrines.

"Yeah, I had that same reaction the first time I came here too," Setsuna commented. "Sure wish there was an elevator to get to the top though. It's a huge climb, but it's worth it to see the fireworks up there."

"We have to walk all the way to the top?" Lumine pouted. "I wish there was an elevator…"

The three teens were currently waiting for Haylee to arrive, all wearing their kimonos. Izuku had a green kimono. Setsuna's kimono had a t-rex pattern on it, and Lumine's was a simple white kimono with a purple sash. Izuku looked away with a quick blush. They both looked really pretty tonight. Well, they always looked pretty but- never mind.

"Hey Midoriya, you know who the Gūji of the shrine is?" Setsuna asked.

"Oh uh, no?" Why would he know that?

"I thought you would since you like drawing so much." She gave him a pointy-toothed smirk.

"Drawing?" Izuku tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Setsuna rolled her eyes. "You know, that manga artist you showed us? The owner of the publishing company is the Gūji of the shrine too."

Izuku thought about it, trying to make a connection. "Wait, you mean Raiden Miko?"

Setsuna nodded. "Yep! Her family owns Yae Publishing House." In Setsuna's opinion, Raiden Miko was the ultimate girlboss. Owner of Japan's largest manga and light novel distributor? Check. Gūji of the most popular shine in Japan? Check. Married to the crown princess of the Imperial Royal family? Triple check. She also had written a highly popular yuri light novel which was just a very thinly disguised fanfic about Miko and her wife, which Setsuna thought was incredibly based.

"I didn't realize she was a shrine maiden." To be fair, Shrine Maiden and the CEO of a publishing company weren't exactly things that people would commonly associate together. He only really remembered Mrs. Raiden as the crown princess's wife since she took the royal family's name upon her marriage to Raiden Ei.

Now that Tokage had mentioned it he noticed there were quite a few stalls selling light novels and manga set up at the base of the mountain.

"It's pretty cool that your mom and Mr. Yagi offered to chaperone us, Midoriya," Lumine said, breaking up the awkward silence. "My dad had to stay home with my sister, otherwise he could've come too. I wish Neito was here though."

"Monoma's been really busy lately hasn't he," Setsuna noted.

"Yeah, whenever we all meet up he always has something come up. He's been acting really weird lately." Lumine frowned. It might just be a coincidence, but every time they planned something that included Haylee, Neito would be busy. It was probably just her imagination though.

Setsuna's stomach grumbled. "Damn, I hope Tenno gets here soon. I want to pig out tonight."

"Setsunaaaa!" Lumine whined while rapidly poking Tokage's shoulder. "You can't go getting out of shape! The U.A. entrance exams are next month!"

The two girls continued bickering while Izuku scanned the crowd. After a moment he heard a familiar voice approaching.

"Ordan! Put me down you ancient fuck!" The crowd parted to reveal Mr. Karris, who was holding Haylee by the stomach under his arm. She frantically wriggled and squirmed, trying to pull herself from his embrace. Upon noticing Izuku she froze up and her face turned beet red. She had the same expression as an angry cat that had been given a bath against its will.

Mr. Karris and Haylee were both wearing kimonos, the former black with gold lotus flowers, while Haylee's was a familiar shade of purple with the same gold lotus pattern. "Sup!" Ordan waved with his free hand. "Down ya' go!" He set Haylee down.

"Hmph." Haylee pouted and looked away from the older man. "Moron. I could've walked myself."

"I had to make sure you wouldn't run off to change your clothes again!" Ordan ruffled her hair to fix its disheveled state from her struggle. "And you look so -utterly adorable- cute in your kimono." He cooed. "Look at her Midoriya, isn't doesn't she look cute!"

"I uh, s-she l-looks very p-p-pretty!" Izuku stuttered, turning a darker shade of red than Haylee was a few seconds ago. Setsuna snickered at his flustered state.

Lumine, on the other hand, was blushing for a different albeit slightly similar reason. The only thing she'd seen Haylee wear was the same T-shirt and jeans that she wore every day, her sports bra, and her winter clothes for the cold. Frankly, the blue-haired girl's sense of fashion was non-existent considering all of her clothes were literally the same thing. However, seeing Haylee in a kimono made her realize something.

'Oh no, she's hot!' Lumine despaired and hid her face behind her hands. She already thought that Haylee was cute, but she was at the age where she was starting to see people differently. It helped that most of her friends were all prospective hero students and were thus reasonably fit. More than once she'd stared longer than she should've at Izuku, Haylee, Setsuna, Neito, and even Ayaka. Lumine had known she was attracted to boys and girls for a while now, but she hadn't seen any of her friends in a romantic way yet. She checking them out, that's all.

'She cleans up nicely. Why does she have to look so cute like this?' Over the past few months, her friendship with the blue-haired foreigner had grown, as had her friendship with Izuku. Haylee was a harsh teacher (she had the bruises to prove it), crude in her language at times, and refused to go into detail about her life before coming to Japan. She had that mysterious air about her, and her quirk was really cool too.

But all that wasn't why she found herself drawn to Haylee, although it certainly helped that she was physically attractive. No, it wasn't her looks or her personality. It was her swordplay that Lumine liked the most. To put it simply, Haylee was a master with the blade. Lumine could see the skill in her technique even with the taller girl holding back. She'd said it before and she would say it again: Haylee's swordplay was- "Beautiful…" She covered her mouth, realizing she'd whispered that out loud. Thankfully Haylee was too busy arguing with Mr. Karris for anyone to hear her, especially over the sounds of the festival around them.

"Holy shit." Setsuna snorted. "You finally wore something besides a t-shirt."

Haylee stopped angrily pulling Ordan's ponytail and blushed. "Well, Ordan worked really hard on it and-"

"I had to chase her around the house to get her to put it on," Ordan interjected with a goofy smile on his face.

A vein popped out on Haylee's temple and she grabbed Ordan's head in and dragged him down to eye level. "I thought I said you would keep that fucking information to yourself." She hissed with a murderous gleam in her eyes.

"Ehe…" Ordan laughed fearlessly, easily sidestepping out of Haylee's grasp.

"Jackass." Haylee crossed her arms and puffed out her lip. She could hear her friends giggling which only added to the embarrassment.

"All right, all right, I'll get out of your hair now…" Ordan joked. "But first!" He darted around Haylee rapidly taking pictures with his cell phone, much to her annoyance. "You kids have fun! Make sure you're up to the top of the mountain by the time the fireworks show starts." With that, he darted off toward Natah, Toshinori, and Inko.

Haylee exhaled. "Finally, he's gone. What a pain."

"Damn," Setsuna whistled. "Mr. Karris is kinda hot."

Haylee felt her cheeks heat up as she whirled around, gasping for air like someone had just hit her in the stomach with a two-by-four. "What the fuck Tokage, gross! He's like my dad!"

"More like daddy, meo- oww!~" Setsuna yelped as Haylee chopped her in the head.

"Quit thirsting over him." Haylee griped. "I'll kick your ass!"

"Relax Tenno," Setsuna rubbed the lump on her head. "I was just kidding. He's like, thirty or something."

'More like a thousand.' Haylee rolled her eyes. "Ugh, whatever."

"Your kimono is so pretty!" Lumine interrupted in an attempt to save Setsuna from further punishment. "Did Mr. Karris really make this?"

"Yeah, he made them matching." It was a nice kimono, and Ordan did a really good job at making it in such a short amount of time. Kimonos just… weren't her style.

"Well, now that you're here, let's go and enjoy the festival!" Lumine pumped her fist.

"Y-yeah!" Izuku joined her.

==VI==

Ordan watched the kids run off and smiled. He was glad Haylee had such good friends. It was hard to believe they'd been here for nearly a year already with how fast things had gone by. Of course, a large majority of Natah and his time went to filling out paperwork and training with Natah in Nezu's offsite facility. It was tough work and he didn't get to see Haylee for the majority of the day, but he couldn't be with her all the time anymore. He was free from his shackles as a Cephalon but if it meant that Haylee would be guaranteed happiness he would doom himself to that hell again in a heartbeat.

Having a second chance was more than a monster like him deserved, but Void be damned if he was going to waste it by going off to die. He could never change the fact that deep down, he was just a beast. But if he was going to be a beast, he would not be a feral pit dog the Orokin had desired. Instead, he would be a protector of the innocent. He would make sure for as long as he lived that people like the Orokin would never rise to power.

"Ordan," Natah interrupted his brooding by gesturing to the other adults. "Yagi and Mrs. Midoriya are heading up the mountain."

Ordan gazed upward and shrugged. "At least there are stairs."

They made their way over to the other adults, weaving their way through the crowded streets. As they approached the steps, Ordan couldn't help but notice the large number of heteromorphs working as shrine maidens. They all had the ears of different animals, and some had tails visible through their hakama. Guess it was thematically appropriate considering Japanese folklore.

==VI==

It only took them about an hour to reach the summit where the main shrine was located. It was a large red-painted building surrounded by several large sakura trees and a small pond underneath the shrine.

"Oh my," Inko gasped with a hand to her mouth. "I'd seen photos, but it doesn't begin to compare to the real thing."

Toshinori smiled. "I'm glad all that climbing was worth it then." Ordan was surprised that Toshinori wasn't exhausted from the climb considering his weakened state. "Perhaps one day I could show you the Lantern Rite Festival in China." He blushed. "If that's not too forward."

Ordan glanced at Natah and wiggled his eyebrows. She sighed and pulled out a bundle of yen and handed it over.

"What was that about?" Inko asked Natah.

"Ordan bet that you two would start dating within a year. I humored him." Natah rolled her eyes.

"Was it that obvious?" Toshinori sweatdropped.

Ordan placed a hand on Toshinori's shoulder. "When you've lived as long as I have, you pick up on these things pretty easily." Inko tilted her head with a confused expression, as Ordan looked younger than both Toshinori and herself. "Plus you too have been dancing around each other for months now."

The two of them blushed like teenagers getting caught together.

"So," Ordan asked. "How did it end up happening?"

"Well, I may or may not have… uhm, accidentally worded my invitation for tonight in a way that sounded like I was asking her out." Toshinori spilled.

"That does sound like something he would do." A new, playful voice giggled behind them, accompanied by the chime of suzu bells and chilly air.

Ordan whipped around, sensing danger. His wrist was caught by a frail-looking woman with a scar across her face and stark white hair. Despite her weak appearance, her grip on his arm was like a vice and her touch made him feel like he had buried the limb in a pile of snow with how cold her hand was.

"Ara ara~," An older woman with pink hair and fox ears closed her fan. "Your instincts are just as sharp as they said, Mr. Karris."

'She knows who he is…' Natah's eyes narrowed, though she didn't sense any hostility from the two women.

"Miko?" Toshinori exclaimed.

"Hello Toshinori, it's been a few years." Miko waved to the other woman. "Miss Himura, please release Mr. Karris. We did surprise him after all."

Warmth returned to his arm as Himura released it, and Ordan caught a flash of her snowflake-shaped earrings as she stepped back to Miko's side. "Apologies." The woman bowed.

"Do you know these two?" Inko asked, looking at the two shrine maidens. She vaguely recognized the one named Miko. Wasn't that the crown princess's wife? Toshinori was the world's, as well as Japan's Number One hero, so it made sense that he would be familiar with political figures regardless of his refusal to get involved in politics.

"Raiden Miko." The fox-eared woman bowed. "And this is my bodyguard, Himura Rin." Rin simply stared at Ordan, somewhat creeping him out.

"Himura…" Toshinori mused. "You're a hero, aren't you?" She definitely wasn't a normal shrine maiden with skills and strength like that.

"Yes sir, underground." She nodded curtly. That was all he was going to get out of her.

"Now I apologize for intruding upon your date Toshinori, but I'd like to have a word with you." Her eyes flicked over to Inko. "And I won't be long, Mrs. Midoriya."

'I didn't tell her my name…' Inko thought. "Go ahead Toshi. It's no trouble, she's an old friend isn't she?"

"Thank you." Miko snapped her fingers. "Miss Himura, why don't you bring the others to a good spot to enjoy tonight's show?"

"Yes ma'am." Rin turned to Ordan, Inko, and Natah. "Follow me please."

After the others left, Miko led Toshinori inside for privacy's sake. "Did something important come up, Miko?" Toshinori wondered out loud.

"Oh Toshinori, would you believe I just wanted to catch up?" She fluttered her eyelashes innocently.

"I would if it were anyone else."

"I'm hurt, I really did just want to catch up. I certainly wasn't expecting to see you tonight, and with a date no less." She grinned and began to fan herself dramatically. "I do so love a happy ending, well, a good tragedy can make for a good story as well."

"Inko is a wonderful woman, even if I didn't originally intend to go this far with her." Toshinori fidgeted.

"I agree." Miko closed her fan. "Honestly Toshinori, I'm happy for you. You've spent your whole life keeping people at arm's length. You deserve to be happy too, especially after all these years."

"You don't think it's selfish?" Toshinori worried.

"Of course it's selfish. But being selfish isn't always a bad thing. I think in your case your lack of selfishness was the problem. It's okay to want happiness Toshinori. It's not a feeling exclusive to humans you know." She pointed out wistfully. "She makes you happy, doesn't she?"

Toshinroi swallowed nervously. "She does, I think. This is only our first date after all, but…"

"Ufufu!~ So anxious." Miko giggled. "Don't worry Toshinori. The world won't end just because you decide to settle down. You deserve a happy ending after all you've done." She swooned theatrically. "The great hero finding training his successor, and in the process falling in love with his apprentice's mother." She spun around, lazily opening one eye partway to give Toshinori a mischievous look. "Although, strange warriors from another world descending to become his allies does add a bit of spice to the story, no? Isekai has been making a comeback lately."

"Ever the editor, aren't you Miko?" Toshinori sighed.

"Wouldn't anyone be excited to see something out of a manga come true? Magic, monsters, superpowers. Those have existed for a long time. But people from another universe?" Miko leaned over and booped Toshinori on the nose. "I wonder what stories they will tell, Midoriya Izuku and his friends?"

==VI==

"So tasty!" Haylee chomped down on the tricolor dango, savoring the sugary taste of the otherwise bland dumpling. The four of them were almost to the top of the mountain. Unfortunately for her, there wasn't any chocolate dango available at the stall.

"We're almost there, c'mon guys!" Setsuna shouted from up ahead.

"Coming!" Haylee shouted. She grabbed Izuku's wrist. "Let's go!"

"Wah!" Izuku cried out as he was unceremoniously dragged up the remaining flight of stairs, leaving Lumine behind.

"Wait for me!" The blonde yelped.

Lumine sprinted up the stairs to the shrine, panting as she reached the wooden steps where the others were waiting.

"You gotta be quicker than that Eikyō." Haylee teased, earning a blush from the other girl.

"No fair, you got a head start!" Lumine pouted. The other girls stuck their tongues out at her and giggled.

"How long until the fireworks show starts?" Izuku asked.

"Uhm," Setsuna checked her phone. "About thirty minutes. Should we go meet up with the adults then?"

"How about we go draw fortune slips?" Izuku offered.

"Oh yeah, I love doing that!" Lumine clapped her hands together.

"Fortune slips?" Haylee wondered though she didn't look happy about the idea.

"Yeah, it's called hatsumōde," That's right, Haylee wasn't from Japan. "It's a tradition during the beginning of the year to buy fortune slips from shrines, and they come with talismans too! That's how most shrines make their money at the start of the year." Lumine explained.

'This universe is such an ugly thing. It runs on linear time. The past untouchable, the future unwritten.' Haylee remembered with a scowl. "I don't believe in fate or fortune."

Izuku was a bit unsettled by Haylee's sudden shift in mood. "I mean, if you don't like that kind of thing you could always just write down a wish instead?"

"A wish?" Haylee questioned.

"Y-yeah! Instead of getting a fortune, you can write down something you want instead?" Izuku suggested nervously.

"A wish…" Haylee mused. "That's kind of like making your own fate, right?"

"I mean, I guess?" Setsuna shared a quizzical look with Lumine, who shrugged.

"I guess I'll do that then." Haylee agreed.

"Cool, let's go get some then," Setsuna said, leading them over to a booth manned by an elderly woman with fox ears and a fox mask. "Three omikuji and one ema please." They all pulled out money to pay.

"Oh, no need for that dearies. These are on the house." She handed the bundles to each of them. Gūji Miko had instructed her to give this group anything they asked for when they arrived, offering to cover the cost herself. Whether Miko would later bill All Might's agency for the product was none of her concern.

"Oh? Thank you, ma'am." Izuku bowed, and the others did the same.

"Okay, let's see what we got." Lumine opened her fortune slip. "I got a good one. How about you?"

"Goddammit, every time." Setsuna stomped. "I never get good fortunes."

"Mine was bad too." Izuku sighed. He and Setsuna walked over to a post with wires on it and tied their fortune slips to it.

"What are you doing?" Haylee followed them.

"You're supposed to put bad fortunes here, so your misfortune stays at the shrine and doesn't follow you around," Lumine explained.

"I see, that makes sense." Haylee nodded. "I guess I'll do mine now."

Lumine watched Haylee walk over and begin to write on her ema plaque. Peering over her shoulder, she could see her writing in some language she didn't recognize. "What does it say?"

"Huh? Oh, uhm… Are you supposed to share your wishes?"

"You can if you want to."

"It just says that I want all of us to get into U.A." Haylee blushed. "I don't really believe in all that fortune and wish crap, but… I know it's something we can do. Setsuna in her recommendation exam, and our regular one." She raised her fist and pounded on her chest. "I believe in us, not luck- well, I mean… we make our own luck. You get me?"

"That's pretty deep coming from you." Lumine teased.

"Hey! I can be deep!" Haylee mock-sulked.

"Yes Tenno-sensei. So deep." Lumine flirted.

"Damn straight," Haylee replied smugly.

"Hey, you dorks!" Setsuna called out. "C'mon! The show's about to start!" She and Izuku had already moved up to the balcony above with the rest of the adults.

They made their way up the stairs and Lumine stumbled. Haylee reached out to offer her a hand up and the blonde's face reddened. Lumine also made a small squeaking noise as she took Haylee's hand. 'Maybe she stubbed her toe? We are wearing sandals after all.'

"Did you have a good time Haylee?" Ordan asked.

"Mhm!" She nodded, sitting down next to her friends.

"Shh!" Natah put a finger to her lips. "It's starting."

A pink-haired fox mutant walked out in the middle of the shrine next to an oddly shaped tree. She bowed to the crowd, letting her robes flutter in the wind. "Thank you all for coming. I'd like to thank the Yashiro Commission and Naganohara Fireworks Company for their contri…"

"That's the Gūji, Raiden Miko that I was telling you about," Setsuna whispered.

"That's her?" Haylee said. 'She's not what I was expecting…'

In the meantime, Miko had finished her speech and had begun to dance. As she waved her gohei the ground began to glow a radiant yellow.

'I wonder if that's her quirk?' Izuku thought, mentally noting the sparkles coming from the ceremonial wand. 'Or maybe it's someone else using their quirk on her? The sparkles on the wand are pink, and the stuff on the ground is yellow…'

His pondering was cut short as Miko pointed her gohei to the heavens causing a golden pillar of light to erupt at her feet.

"Woah!" Izuku and Haylee oohed and ahhed, eyes filled with wonder at the magical display (which was magic unbeknownst to them). Lumine and Setsuna, who had seen this before were still in awe.

"Never gets old, does it?" Setsuna whispered as the fireworks started to fire off in the distance.

Lumine looked over at Haylee, who was watching the fireworks next to Izuku. "Yeah… it never does." She whispered back with a tinge of jealousy. Haylee and Izuku had been friends before Lumine met them. They were incredibly close. Now that she'd realized her feelings for Haylee, Lumine realized just how much that stung.

She didn't want to ruin her friendship with Izuku or Haylee. What if Izuku was interested in her too? It would be a real dick move to try and make a move on Haylee if he was. Plus, she didn't even know if Haylee liked girls. She could be straight for all Lumine knew.

They were still more than a month away from the U.A. entrance exams. She couldn't risk her friendships over a newly developed crush…

Maybe the only reason she was thinking about this was because Aether had confessed to Ayaka at last year's New Year's Festival. He'd been interested in the younger Kamisato before Lumine had known her. Honestly, if Aether started dating Ayaka, Lumine would've done so because Ayaka was gorgeous and an excellent swordswoman.

Shit, did she and Aether have a type?

A single tear landed on her hand, her sniffle drowned out by the sounds of fireworks. She missed her brother so goddamn much. No! Bad Lumine. Aether wouldn't want her to be sad at a time like this. She didn't want to ruin the mood when everyone was enjoying themselves.

She looked over at Haylee again, her smiling face illuminated by a rainbow of color from the fireworks display. 'I don't need to rush things with her. After all, I just realized how I felt tonight. I'll have time to sort out how I feel and talk to dad or Ayaka about this.' Lumine rationalized. For now, though, she would enjoy the beginning of the new year with her friends.

==VI==

Miko stepped into the secret elevator inside the shrine, hidden underneath layers of seals and illusions. The otherworlders Toshinori had befriended were interesting people indeed, just like Kamaji said.

'Midoriya Izuku… I'm looking forward to seeing the kind of hero you will become.' Finally, alone, she allowed her five tails to emerge from her hakama. 'And the Tenno girl, that one is powerful as well. Not as physically strong as Midoriya will be with One For All, but I could feel the bottomless well of energy she possesses." Miko mused. 'Not to mention Tau and Karris. Their power will be useful.' She smiled contently. 'I do so love the games you play, my adorable little nezumi, still working toward your promise all those years ago. Perhaps our shared dream will finally true.'

Time until U.A. Recommendation Exam: 1 month, 20 days (February 21st)

Time Until U.A. Entrance Exam: 1 month, 25 days (February 26th)
Time Until HPSC License Renewal Exam: 2 months 9 days (March 10th)

==========================VI==========================

This chapter was essentially Ayaka's story quest combined with Yae Miko's in terms of events. (Festival and ceremony).

I'm a slut for New Year's slice-of-life anime episodes. I love them so much.

Lots of things happening in this chapter. Inko is getting together with Toshinori because the man deserves happiness goddammit. Of course, being the bumbling himbo he is, he did it on accident.

Natah and Haylee finally discussed what has been bothering Natah all this time, and the nature of what exactly they understand about what Haylee is now.

Finally, we get Lumine being a bi-disaster and Haylee being clueless. Most of the worries that Lumine has are caused by misunderstandings brought about by Haylee's lack of emotional development. Haylee has been treating Izuku the same way her best friend Jenva from the Zariman treated her because that's the only good memory she has of friendship that she assumes was platonic.

Haylee, my sweet traumatized summer child, I think Jenva wanted to be more than friends. Why is it called summer child anyway? What if the child is born in a different season? I'm getting off track.

Uh, what else? Oh yeah, back to Haylee and Natah (and Ordan by extension). Haylee, obviously is still not over the deaths of her parents, and there is a reason for that.

Remember in The War Within when Teshin mentions that Margulis didn't help the Tenno with their trauma, and only erased it? That's why. She never got over her trauma because it was just hidden and repressed. Time has helped some, and she's had other things to worry about (Old War, memory loss, more fighting, New War).

Natah on the other hand is feeling like her whole "motherhood" thing was a selfish lie since she barely got to interact with the Tenno when they needed her apart from taking up Margulis's role in the Old War. After that she was locked away on the moon, and then locked the moon in the Void. She got out for a bit, then was immediately brainwashed again, and after all she went through all but one of the children she took in are dead.

So Haylee doesn't know if she wants Natah as a mother rather than a mother figure, though she's not entirely against it. She just has a lot of baggage attached to parental figures which you will see exactly why when I do the Zariman flashback chapter, which will probably be one of the darkest parts of the story I write. The same goes with Ordan, even though he and Natah aren't romantically involved he still basically raised Haylee once she got out of the Second Dream and is thus a (goofy) father figure to her as evidenced by her comments to Setsuna.

They really are one fucked up family aren't they? Orokin handing out trauma like Oprah for them i guess.

Next time: It's time for One For All. (Finally)