"Will the kitty be okay, Koda?" Rhyan asked in a worried tone.
"Is the kitty gonna die, Boomer?" Rhyley asked as tears lined the edges of her eyes.
"She's not gonna die, kits. The docs said she'll make a full recovery." He said as he smiled at the two kitsune heteromorphs.
"Is Tokoyami nearby? Did he say that Dark Shadow could play with you?" Koda asked as he looked at the small purple humanoid mass with the yellow eyes. He looked around, trying to find a trail of Dark Shadow leading out of the room. But there was none. 'If this isn't the real Dark Shadow. Then is this-' He thinks to himself.
"It can't be Dark Shadow, the figure is too young and feminine to be Bird Brain's quirk. That and he shouldn't be anywhere near this room right now. So if she isn't Bird Brain's quirk, then who and what is she?" Bakugo said as he examined the female Dark Shadow. The twins hugged the young Dark Shadow.
"Don't scare her more than she already is!" They both said at the same time.
"We aren't trying to scare her. Will the two of you please come out from under the bed?" Koda said gently. 'If this figure is anything like Dark Shadow, then it needs to stay in darkness. Is she a separate part of Tomoyami's quirk, an evolution of some kind maybe? Or-.' He thinks to himself as he looks at the sleeping Keralynn. 'Is she a new illusion that Kitten made?'
The twins crawled out from under the hospital bed then sat down on the floor in front of the female shadow. "It's okay Noir, Koda here won't hurt you. He's very kind to animals and he's shy just like you." Rhyley said as she smiled at her.
Rhyan looks toward the boys. "This is Noir. She may look like Dark Shadow, but she isn't him. More like his little sister, in a way." He explained.
"She serves as some sort of protection, a barrier of some kind. But she won't tell us what." Rhyley said.
"Is she a part of someone's quirk?" Bakugo asked.
"That she won't tell us either." Rhyan said as he nodded his head.
"She won't tell us anymore than that. Not until she meets not only Koda, but also Rei Rei, both big brothers Keigo and Toko, but also… Auntie and Uncle Toko too." Rhyley said as she looked down at the female shadow called Noir.
"Why would she want to meet with the Tokoyamis?" Koda's mother asked.
They hear a knock on the door, then Aizawa, with Nezu on his shoulder, walks into the room. "Bad news. Bagheera has made it to Japan." He said.
Their eyes widened. "But we won't let him have her! We'll protect Kitty no matter what!" Rhyley said as she looked at Aizawa then at Koda.
He smiles and nods his head. "Yeah, no matter what. He'll have to go through all of us to get to Keralynn." He said.
Meanwhile, Tokoyami and Reika hear the news of Bagheera's arrival from Hawks. He hands them a stack of paper, telling them to hand them out to their classmates. It was multiple copies of the names and quirks of the Syndicate members that arrived with Bagheera. One of the names on the list was Daiskue Koda. "He couldn't have come at a worse time. All for One is also planning to attack at the same time we're fighting him." Hawks said.
"Could it be possible that Bagheera could also be working with All for One?" Tokoyami asked as he looked down in thought.
"It's a strong possibility." Hawks said. He looks towards Tokoyami. "Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you that your mother and father are here. Said they wanted to talk to you about something related to Mayson."
"Something about Mayson? I wonder what it could be." He asked.
He and Reika walk into the living room of Hawk's mansion and see a young human woman in her early thirties with long golden blond hair tied into a low braid and eyes as red as rubies sitting on the couch. She wore a red dress with a black sweater over it with a matching red and black silk choker. She was small compared to the tall humanoid black bird sitting beside her. He wore a white dress shirt, a black tie, a blue vest, and a black overcoat with black slacks, a black belt with a gold buckle, and black dress shoes. His sleek black feathers were pulled back and went down to his lower back, his eyes a blood red hue.
Tokoyami held his arm out in front of Reika and glared at them. "Why are you two here, and in your true forms no less?" He asks in a menacing tone.
The Heteromorph glared back at him with his red eyes, staring daggers into him. "Calm down Fumikage. There is no reason to be so protective of Reika." He said.
"It has been quite a long time since we've been ourselves, Caron. It's possible that he has forgotten about our true forms. It has been over ten years since he last saw them." His mother said.
"It has been quite some time. It's no surprise that he has forgotten what we truly look like. Have a seat you two, there is much we must discuss." His father said.
"I can never forget my parents' true forms and names. But as for why the two of you are here as your real selves is what I am asking." Tokoyami said as he let Reika sit down before he sat down next to her.
"I don't understand. Keigo said that you were here to talk about Keralynn." Reika said as she and Tokoyami sat down across from his parents.
"It does pertain to your cat friend, or rather, the child that is protecting her. But we must also discuss the things pertaining to All for One." His mother said.
"I did notice that there was a strange, yet familiar aura around her when we were watching over her. Is this child somehow related to Fumikage and I?" Dark Shadow asked as he came out and floated between Reika and Tokoyami.
"I guess you could say that Noir is your little sister, Dark Shadow. In this world, you are considered to be Fumikage's 'quirk', yet you and Noir can think and act on your own. That is because the two of you are extensions of my power, born to protect Fumikage and his friends. You also have a guardian like Dark Shadow, Reika. Though she is a year younger than Dark Shadow, she has helped you out of many tough situations over the years you were on the streets. She mainly lives in your shadow, which is why Dark Shadow cannot sense her. The same can be said for Noir. She mainly hides in Mayson's shadow, unless something life threatening happens to her." His father said.
"So, since I'm able to sense Noir now, does that mean that she could have died if we weren't able to get to her in time?" Dark Shadow asked. Their father nodded his head.
"From what I gathered from her past, the person that turned her mother into a heteromorph…Was All for One." He said.
Everyone's eyes widened. "How could that be possible?! Kera wasn't even born when her mother turned into a heteromorph!" Reika said with surprise in her voice.
Tokoyami slammed the table with his fist. "Dammit father! What have I told you about meddling in the past of MY WORLD?! You can't just travel back in time whenever you want! You know that there are limits to your time travel NOT to mention the rules of time traveling!" Tokoyami said in anger. "Why are you so fixated on this world's past, father? While you are off exploring, mother is home alone with NO ONE to protect her! Unless she calls her Mortal Chain ability her quirk, she can't use it and you know it!"
"It was necessary for her to join your school. That is why I helped her and Reika to become penpals, even though she lived on the streets or with Iguchi at the time." He said. He looked into his son's eyes. "Your mother does not need me around to protect her as she used to, nor does she need you. She can protect herself even though she is considered 'quirkless' in this world."
"So, that phone that I found in the dumpster that day. You put it there?" She asked. He looked towards her and nodded his head yes.
"It was my idea for the two of you to become friends. Caron just did most of the work." His mother said. She leans forward with a serious look on her face. "But it wasn't just All for One that turned her humanoid. Bagheera wanted her to have the ability to change into a humanoid whenever she wanted. Just. Like. Them."
"Because Bagheera and her mother were supposed to marry. But since she wasn't able to turn humanoid due to the fact that she is a domesticated cat, Bagheera wanted her to have that ability." Tokoyami said as he looked down in thought.
"Exactly. But since she used that new ability to conceive Mayson with her human father, he is now plotting to kill Mayson and everyone close to her by joining forces with All for One. He's already killed her father, I'm guessing that he's waiting to kill her mother after he kills her." His father said. Both their eyes widened.
"No! Not her mother!" Reika said.
"Koda won't let that happen. He will fight to protect her. He's come a long way since he met her. Once a shy gentle giant that loves animals. Now a brave gentle giant that will do whatever it takes to save and protect his friends and family." Tokoyami said.
"About that boy. Your mother and I have been doing some research on him and his family. It appears that he and his mother have a hidden quirk that can allow them to take command of other Heteromorphs, as if hypnotizing them." His father explained.
"We know. We saw it first hand last night. He made one of Mayson's bullies let her go, just by telling her to let Mayson go." Tokoyami said.
"His mother had never unlocked this second quirk. But because he's in contact with Mayson, he managed to somehow unlock it. As for how, I'm still looking into it." His father said.
"I'm thinking that it could be because he likes her, that and she isn't a Heteromorph but a literal half breed." His mother said as she crossed her arms.
"We can't rule out the possibilities but the half animal is highly doubtful, Noel." His father said as he looked over at his wife.
"Caron please. What else would you think it would be? Remember when Dark Shadow went out of control to try to save Reika from being captured. Fumikage was knocked out cold so he did everything he could to try to prevent their dear friend from being taken away from them." She said.
"M-Mother please. We're past that now." Tokoyami said in embarrassment. Reika looks at him in confusion.
"Indeed you are, son. But that didn't stop you from training so that once you got her back, she wouldn't be taken from you again." She said as she smiled at him.
"And that hasn't happened since then, mom. We're doing everything we can to protect our Rei Rei." Dark Shadow said.
"And for now she isn't leaving my side. I'm making sure it won't happen again. If something happens to her when we're not around, we'll sense it." He said as he looked towards Dark Shadow.
"You know it brother." Dark Shadow said as they smiled and fist bumped.
His father's eyes widened. "Fumikage Tokoyami, What did you do to her last night?" His father looked at him with a stern glare.
"Nothing nearly as troublesome as what you did to mother at my age. Just something to let other men know that Reika is mine." He said as he glared right back at his father.
"Fumikage, you didn't impregnate her, did you?" His mother asked as her eyes widened.
"No. Nothing like that, yet. Though she did consent to it, I didn't force it on her. Besides, it's not nearly as bad as you and father conceiving Dark Shadow and I before he casted the mark on you." He protested.
His father sighed. "Though it's true that the Devil's Bride mark isn't nearly as bad as sexual relations with someone who wasn't quite ready for a family. It's still far too early for you to even cast the mark on her. Once you cast the mark, there's no removing it." He said.
"And I'm never going to. Reika has already agreed to marry me after we graduate from UA. I will not spend the rest of my life without her." He said as he held Reika's hand, intertwining their fingers.
"Are you sure about this, Reika?" His mother asked as she looked at her, then down at Reika's left hand, which she was holding in hers. She nodded her head yes.
"I am, Aunt Noel." She said.
"This is a lifelong commitment, dear. Becoming a Devil's Bride means that your life and his will be connected. He'll be able to sense how you're feeling 24/7, he can sense if something's wrong, and he now has the ability to teleport to you at will. Everyone at UA or anyone in this world cannot know about this, understand?" Noel explained to her.
"But being a Devil's Bride also means that your life will be significantly lengthened, whatever illnesses you have or are genetic will be gone, and it will be much harder for villains to kill you. Finally, the three of us will be able to communicate to each other through telepathy. Which means you'll be able to hear what Dark Shadow is thinking." Tokoyami said as he kissed her palm.
"No turning back from this, Fumikage. You remember what I told you if you try to break it." His father said as he glared at him. Tokoyami nodded his head. "Anyway, back to business. As you both know, Daiskue Koda is a member of Bagheera's syndicate, but it seems that Koda's father is also affiliated with All for One. We haven't figured out why. But once I do, I'll let you all know." His father explained.
Their eyes widened. "We assume that Koda already knows about this and has tried to confront his mother about this. But for now, she doesn't believe him. So Caron has decided to be an idiot and get proof of his involvement with All for One and Bagheera. To help your friend prove to his mother that his father is a villain." His mother said.
"A Devil doing hero work from the shadows again, not surprising." Tokoyami said.
"It is what I do to keep myself busy. I'm using the gift Caesar gave to me wisely." His father said.
A week later it was eleven PM. Keralynn wakes up in her hospital bed, her eyes blurry. She hears Bakugo and Midoriya talking about All for One and what their strategies are for taking him down in the final battle. "According to the lists Tokoyami and Takami gave us, Bagheera is involved with All for One. And Daisuke the Destroyer is a part of Bagheera's gang. We know who is attacking where, we just need to figure out who's going where to fight them." Midoriya explained.
"I have a feeling that this Daisuke is my father, so I'm going to the hospital with Shoji and Skiyes and fight with the heteromorphs under Spinner's lead. Skiyes told me that Daisuke and Bagheera will be there to fight alongside him to get Kurogiri. I told Shoji to leave Bagheera and him alone. They're mine." She hears Koda's voice in a low angered tone.
"Are you sure you can handle your father and Bagheera by yourself?" Bakugo asked.
"It'll be a problem, but I'll have to work with Skiyes to fight Bagheera. I can handle Daisuke on my own." He replied.
She listens in on their conversation until she sees a young purple humanoid figure with yellow eyes and a bird shaped head, peek up at her, from the foot of the bed. The figure sneaks onto the bed and crawls towards her. As Keralynn gets a better look at the figure, she notices that it looks just like Dark Shadow, but much younger and more feminine. The figure looks at her happily before snuggling up to her chest. Keralynn doesn't know who, or what she is, yet this feels very familiar to her. Like something from her childhood. 'I feel like I know you, so I'm not scared of you, and yet, I've never seen you before. What are you?' She thought to herself.
"Careful there, Mini Shadow. You're gonna suffocate the furball." She hears Bakugo say before she sees Koda take it off of her. The young shadow begins to squirm in his hands.
"It's alright Noir. You did nothing wrong. You're just as happy as we are that Keralynn finally woke up, aren't you." He said as he smiled and set the creature on his lap. It looks up at him with a happy expression before laying its head on his stomach. "How are you feeling, Kitten?" He asked.
"Where am I? I remember playing with the red dot a minute ago." She said.
The boys looked at each other then back at her. "Mayson, you hit your head in the wall and got hurt pretty badly. If it wasn't for Kacchan noticing that something was wrong, you would have died." Midoriya explained.
"You've been asleep for a week now, furball." Bakugo said.
"A week, huh." She said as she began to sit up. Koda and the shadow creature help her sit up.
"Easy there, Keralynn. You're not completely healed yet." He said in a worried tone.
"I'll be okay, Koda. A bump on my head won't stop me from fighting Bagheera." She said as she smiled at him.
"It wasn't just a bump on the head Furball." She hears Bakugo say in a slightly angered and worried tone. "You had a nail wedged in your brain. And it was in the perfect position to where if SOMEONE were to move it, even the SLIGHTEST. Then you would have lost who you are and your memories about us would have been gone forever."
"That sounds bad." She said.
"What do you mean it sounds bad, Mayson?! It WAS bad!" Midoriya said in a surprised and worried tone.
"Keralynn…If Bakugo hadn't noticed. Then you wouldn't be here right now. A-As yourself, I mean." Koda said in a sad tone.
"I didn't wanna risk losing our newest hero in training…and friend." Bakugo said as he played with her ears. "That and our Rockhead buddy wouldn't wanna lose his first love, so I had to do something about the situation or else he would have been mad at me"
Koda's face went beet red when Bakugo called her his "first love". She looks at the boys and smiles. The young shadow creature hopped off of Koda's lap and curled up into hers, laying her head on her left breast, listening to the beating of her heart. "Mayson, do you know anything about her? We were hoping you might know since she came out from your shadow. Or so what the twins told us. We were thinking that she might be somehow related to Tokoyami and Dark Shadow." Midoriya asked.
She nods her head no. "I feel like I know her, yet I've never met her before now." She explains. She looks back at them. "Have you asked Tokoyami or Dark Shadow about her?"
"We haven't been able to get a hold of him. His phone goes straight to voicemail. We think his phone must have died." Koda said in a worried tone.
"Or maybe he purposely turned his phone off. He's always with Takami so he might be with her and her brother." Bakugo said.
"He could be with his parents. He did tell us that he's been with them these past few days and Takami is with her brother. She said something about doing some training with him before the battles." Midoriya said.
"When will we fight All for One and his goons?" Keralynn asked.
"It's not just All for One that we're fighting against, Kitten. It's also the Syndicate. Daisuke and Bagheera teamed up with him to help free Kurogiri. If they free him then there's no doubt that he'll be able to teleport right to you. But Skiyes and I won't let him near you. I promise you that." Koda said as he looked at her then gently petted her head, making her purr.
"Where is Axel anyway?" She asks.
"Until the battle, not getting anywhere near you." Bakugo said. She looks at them in confusion.
"It was that asshole's fault that you almost died, Kitten. And he shrugged it off like it was nothing!" Koda growled. "So until we fight Spinner and the Syndicate, he's not getting anywhere near you. I've had it with all of his teasing and his villainous attitude. I don't care if he's only 'pretending' to be a villain, but he acts more like a villain than he does a hero! Even when he's around YOU! And that doesn't sit right with me."
The shadow creature crosses her arms and nods her head no in a snooty way. "Even baby Shadow agrees with him." Bakugo said.
"He's changed a lot since we were kids. To be honest I haven't seen him since he went to middle school, until that day at the dorms. But he's still my elder brother and that's what older siblings do." She said.
"He's done it too much for too long. He either needs to dial it back, or stop completely." Bakugo said.
"You should have seen how Kacchan reacted when you weren't waking up. He was the only one of us that didn't laugh when it happened. When he wasn't laughing is when we knew that something was wrong, so we stopped. He went off on Skiyes as soon as he told Jiro to end the feed with Koda." Midoriya explained.
"I wondered what happened after she cut the video feed. I had a feeling that something was wrong the moment I saw you hit your head." Koda said as he looked at her.
"As soon as you hit your head, your illusions of the younger you and rockhead unnaturally disappeared. Instead of fading in and out of existence like they usually would, they just 'popped' out of existence. That definitely isn't normal, is it?" Bakugo asked as he crossed his arms.
She and the shadow creature nodded their heads no. "Fading in and out is normal." She replied.
"Do you think noir could be one of your illusions?" Deku asked as he pointed to the shadow creature.
"We're assuming that she is, since she looks a lot like Dark Shadow but a lot younger and she's a girl." Bakugo said.
"She isn't an illusion, though I was talking to Rhyan and Rhyley the other day about what Dark Shadow would look like if he was a girl. And Rhyley wondered what Dark Shadow was like when he and Tokoyami were their age." She explained.
"If she isn't an illusion…Then what in the world is she?" Koda asked as the boys looked down in thought then at Noir.
"Can you try summoning your illusions? Ever since you've been in a coma, none of them have ever come out. Not even the Bagheera. Kacchan has been worried you might've lost your quirk." Midoriya asked.
"I've gotta sista with beautiful wings that's blue as the sea. It's a good thing I don't need to pee. She is the light of my eye and without her I would surely die. Seeing her with other boys I get warry cause no one's gonna steal who I inten to marry. Take one step towards my light and boy your askin for a fight. You don messed up cause now Dark shadow and I are gonna duck you up!" They hear Rhyan rap from outside the room. Next they hear Dark Shadow laughing.
"Wow kid! You rapped that better than Fumikage did, and he's the one that came up with it!" He cackled.
"Dark Shadow, be quiet. We are in a hospital." They hear Tokoyami say with a stern voice.
Once when they heard Reika and the others near the door, Midoriya opened it. "So does this mean that no matter what big brother Keigo says, big brother Toko is gonna marry big sissy?" Rhyley asked.
"He still has a say. But even if he says no, which I know he won't, I'm still marrying Fumi. But not until after we graduate, of course." Reika said.
"Are there any changes to Mayson's condition?" Tokoyami asked as they walked in the room.
"See for yourself, Bird Brain." Bakugo said as he points towards Keralynn and Noir with his thumb.
"Kera! You're awake! I was afraid you weren't ever gonna wake up." Reika said surprisingly as she hugged her tightly.
"You worried us to the point that Reika was sick in bed for a couple of days." Tokoyami said as he gently petted her head.
"Bakugo was pacing back and forth when you went into the OR, mumbling to himself about not letting this happen again. Koda was worried the most but Reika and Bakugo were tied for second most." Dark Shadow said. She looks at him in confusion.
"I'll explain it to you later, Furball. The Doc should be here any minute to check on your vitals and change your bandages. For right now you should lay down and get some rest. Midoriya and I will keep watch outside." Bakugo said as he dragged Midoriya out of the room.
"Do you think Mayson will be okay, Kaachan? What if she can't use her quirk anymore? She won't be able to defend herself against-" Midoriya asked in a worried tone as he looked down, beginning to mumble.
"Enough, Deku! The Furball is fine now. She will be able to use her quirk again. I won't let what happened to Ash happen to her too." He interrupted him with an annoyed tone in his voice.
"You kids sure care about your friend here. Is your teacher around? I'd like to have a word with him if at all possible." The Doctor said as he walked towards the boys.
"He and our principal should be here any minute. How is she, Doctor?" Midoriya asked.
"She will make a full recovery." He said as he smiled.
"That's what you said last time. We're talking about her quirk. Will she be able to use her quirk again?" Bakugo said.
"We aren't sure yet. We'll need to run some more tests." He said.
"Haven't you put her through enough tests, Doc?! You had better find a way to let her use her quirk again, or else!" Bakugo said in an angered tone.
"Kaachan, calm down. The Doctors are doing everything they can to help her." Midoriya said.
"She better be able to use her quirk!" He said as he crossed his arms, glaring at the Doctor. 'Something doesn't seem right about this Doctor. He's been vague about Mayson's diagnosis since she got here. They've been doing all sorts of tests on her too. Have they found out that she isn't a Heteromorph?' He thought.
He thinks back to the day before the accident. He walks into the common room to see Koda and Tokoyami watching Keralynn play with the red dot. Reika was holding the pointer. "Playing with the laser pointer is a good way for her to calm down when she starts to get anxious. Keigo and I found this out the morning she told us about her father." She said.
"So is this another way for us to tell that she is half cat?" Tokoyami asked.
"Another thing to add to the list." She said.
"I wonder if Keralynn is the first of her species. If she is, then we can't let the public know." Koda said as he looked down in thought.
"On her birth certificate she is labeled as a heteromorph because her mom and dad wanted everyone to see her as a heteromorph, not a Half Cat." Reika said.
"She physically appears to be a Heteromorph, the only difference between feline heteromorphs and her is the fact that Keralynn can also sound like a cat, even though she doesn't have fangs, claws, or fur. Only her ears and tail have fur." Koda said.