Chapter 5

New Sight and Aspirants

Ariden and Izuku

Ariden and Izuku took a moment to rest and enjoy the cool April breeze. The afternoon sun was warm on their faces as they had jogged towards the Hatsume Residence for the past 30 minutes. Despite their exhaustion, their eagerness for what Mei had planned for the day was greater.

"So, what do you think we'll do today?" Izuku turned and asked Ariden.

Ariden shrugged.

"She's going to have us testing inventions, more than likely."

"I don't know," Izuku said, his brow furrowed in contemplation. I think she'd have us learn something new, like more advanced circuitry or maybe even chemical engineering."

"Well, we won't know until we get there," Ariden said as he got up and stretched.

Ariden winced as a sharp cramp ran down his leg.

"You okay?" Izuku asked.

"Yeah, just a cramp," Ariden hissed in pain.

"Another one? That's the third one since we started jogging. Are you sure you can keep going?" Izuku said, his face etched with concern.

"Like you're one to talk," Ariden snorted. "I've seen you stifle a few winces of your own."

Izuku blushed in embarrassment.

"It'll be fine. I'll make sure I drink plenty of water and eat a few bananas when we get home," Ariden said. "Now let's get going, we're almost there."

It took them another 10 minutes to arrive at the Hatsumes' place. As they walked in, they exchanged greetings with Kikai, who was busy at the front desk. The old man nodded in response and then resumed his work. They proceeded towards the workshop, where they discovered Mei, as usual, bent over a worktable tinkering with something.

"Good afternoon, Hatsume!" Izuku said.

Mei didn't respond as she continued to tinker.

"You alright?" Ariden asked warily.

Once again, Mei made no response.

"If you're busy, we can go," Izuku said as they approached her.

"Like hell, we're leaving," Ariden said, looking at Izuku like he was crazy. "We didn't just run all the way here for nothing."

When they reached Mei, they watched her momentarily, entranced by how meticulous her every action was, though they couldn't see what she was working on. Ariden put a hand on her shoulder and shook it. Mei's reaction was intense and immediate. In a blur, she turned and flailed at both boys with a screwdriver.

"YOU'LL HAVE TO PRY MY BABY FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS!" Mei roared in rage as she stabbed at the boys. "I'LL TAKE BOTH OF YOUR THIEVING ASSES WITH ME IF I HAVE TO."

"HOLY SHIT, SHE'S FUCKING LOST IT!" Ariden screamed as he narrowly dodged the screwdriver from stabbing him in the eye.

"HATSUME! IT'S US! PLEASE STOP TRYING TO KILL US!" Izuku shouted as the screwdriver just missed his neck.

"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE MY—" Mei continued to shout until she saw who she was trying to stab. "Oh hey, guys!" Mei said cheerfully, and her entire demeanour changed. "Sorry about that," she said as she blushed, embarrassed.

Both boys panted and looked at her like she had grown a second head.

"In my defense, you should have announced yourselves when you came in," Mei said. "Sneaking up on me while I am busy working on one of my babies is a good way to get stabbed."

"We did announce ourselves!" Ariden said in exasperation. "Twice!"

"Well, I didn't hear it." Mei huffed, folding her arms. "In any case, I am sorry for trying to stab you, but I can't promise I won't do it again if you sneak up on me like that again."

"We didn't…" Ariden said with evident exasperation. You know what? Forget it. We're sorry for sneaking up on you."

"Apology accepted." Mei nodded. "Now then, I'm gonna have to ask you to get out."

"Wait, what?" Both boys looked at Mei, surprised.

"I was just about to put the finishing touches on the babies I've been making, and I want them to be a surprise."

"Wouldn't it be better if we worked on something at a different worktable while you finished?" Izuku suggested.

"Nope."

The boys shouldn't have been surprised when Mei picked them up and threw them out of the Workshop, Yet they were. As they dusted themselves off, they heard a brief snort of laughter. Ariden and Izuku turned and saw Kikai looking at them with a knowing grin.

"Kicked ya out, did she?" Kikai asked. "I figured she'd do that."

"But why?" Izuku asked.

"'Cause she doesn't want you to see what she's working on, Obviously." Kikai snorted. "Mei's always gone the extra mile when it comes to her projects, but I don't think I've seen this level of obsession before."

"She's not overdoing it, is she?" Ariden asked, concerned.

"No." Kikai shook his head. "I've made sure she hasn't been, and I've been helping her in areas that require more experienced hands."

"Really?" Izuku asked in surprise. "I thought you were quite busy."

"I am," Kikai said. "But what kind of father would I be if I didn't help my daughter when she needed help?" He grinned. "Especially when she wants to impress-"

Kikai was cut off as the Workshop door slammed open, and Mei walked out, Triumph written on her face.

"My baby is complete!" Mei declared proudly.

"That's grea-" Izuku began.

Before he could say another word, Mei rushed up to Ariden and Izuku, grabbed them by a leg, and dragged them back into the workshop, the door slamming behind her. Kikai just shook his head and chuckled to himself as he returned to his work.

"Behold!" Mei proclaimed as she dragged both boys up to her worktable.

Ariden and Izuku brushed off the dust and debris on their clothing once again as they got up and turned their attention to the table. What they saw was underwhelming, in their opinion. On the table were their burnt notebooks they had lent to Mei, and beside them were three reading glasses, one green, one gray, and one red and gold. They looked like average reading glasses save for the slightly thick corners where the arms met the frame.

"I call them Failsafes!" Mei explained.

"Failsafes?" Ariden said with a questioning glance toward Mei.

"Allow me to explain," Mei said as she randomly grabbed a pair. But first, let me ask: What is a failsafe?"

"It's a safety measure to ensure that if anything goes wrong, no real damage is done," Izuku said.

"Correct!" Mei nodded. And these babies…" she said, gesturing the glasses. "They are the only failsafe you will ever need!"

"But what do they do?" Ariden asked.

"They see everything," Mei said with a manic smile. "Well, everything you see anyways."

She then pointed to the center of the frame. Both boys looked closer and saw a tiny pinpoint.

"A camera?" Izuku guessed.

"Yes," Mei nodded. "It records anything and everything, so long as you're wearing them."

"Is that all?" Ariden asked.

"Of course not!" Mei said, "Besides saving all the recordings to a special cloud storage bank set up by yours truly, these babies also scan any text, convert it into a digital format, and save it."

So wait…" Izuku began. "You're saying that even if the physical text is destroyed, we'd still be able to have a backup copy of it."

"Exactly!" Mei smiled.

"Damn, too bad our notebooks aren't legible." Ariden shook his head. "Would have been nice to have a backup of those."

Mei looked at him with a knowing smile

"And now we come to why it's called Failsafe."

Mei grabbed one of the burnt notebooks and flipped it open to a random page. She then donned the glasses and tapped the side of the frame. The lenses emitted a soft blue glow as she stared at the page. After a moment, the light faded. She then turned to a computer on the worktable and opened it. The boys were amazed at what was on the screen. It was a perfect recreation of the page that All Might had signed without any damage or burns.

"Hatsume…" Izuku said as he turned to her. "This is incredible!"

"I know you go above and beyond when inventing stuff," Ariden said as he stared at the screen, amazed. "But you have truly outdone yourself here."

"I know, right!" Mei grinned. "But I'm not done yet!"

Both boys looked at her with unveiled excitement.

"You mean it does more!" Izuku said, a look of complete awe on his face

"How many things can those glasses do?!" Ariden asked, astonished.

"Just watch!" Mei said

She tapped the other side of the frames. The lenses darkened until they were until they were opaque.

"They can also turn into sunglasses! Pretty cool, right!" Mei smiled enthusiastically. "It'll also let you conceal the glow of the lenses if you want to be discreet."

The boys couldn't help but feel their excitement dampen a little at the newest feature. After witnessing the Failsafe's other extraordinary abilities this one felt a bit too simple. Nevertheless, the boys were thoroughly impressed by what Mei had created.

"Here, Catch!" Mei said as she tossed the gray pair she wore to Ariden.

Ariden fumbled a little catching them.

"And here are yours," Mei said as she tossed the green pair to Izuku.

"Thank you." Izuku bowed as he put on the glasses.

"I don't think we can ever repay you for this," Ariden said as he donned his.

The only change to their vision was a soft blue glow that radiated from the edges of the lenses where they met the frame. A small hud in the upper right corner of the lenses continually updated its status and connection to the cloud Mei had set up. All in all, it was a relatively simple UI.

"I would have thought you'd have built the Failsafe into your goggles," Ariden said as he watched Mei put on her glasses.

"Oh, I did." Mei casually said, "I also built a welding mask into it."

"Then why did you also make yourself a pair of glasses?" Izuku asked.

"Cause I don't want to wear my goggles all the time, duh."

"Well, in any case, thank you again, Hatsume." Izuku bowed again. "Please tell us how we can return the generosity you've shown us."

"That's not necessar-" Mei started.

"Now, hold on a minute, young lady," Kikai said as he entered the workshop. "It's only right you get somethin' in return for all the work you put into this project," He grunted. "Doubly so, since it's your birthday."

Both boys looked at Mei in surprise.

"We have to do something for you now!" Ariden grinned at Mei.

"No, you don't," Mei said as she glared daggers at her father. "I don't want anything in return," she said, returning to the boys. The work is reward enough."

"Are you sure?" Izuku asked mood deflated a little. "We don't want to impose on you."

"I sure as hell do," Ariden said. "Mei, how long have you been working today?"

"I've been at it since early this morning."

"And have you had anything to eat today?"

As if to answer the question, Mei's stomach growled.

"That's what I thought," Ariden smirked as he watched Mei blush. "Let us buy you lunch, both as thanks for the gift and because it's your birthday. Sound good?"

"I uhh…" Mei started.

But her stomach growled again, a little louder this time.

"Alright, you win!" She laughed. "Lead the way!"

"Not so fast, young lady," Kikai said as he grabbed Mei on the shoulder. "You ain't going anywhere wearing those," he said as he gestured at Mei's greasy, oil-stained clothing.

"Do I have to?" Mei whined.

"Yes."

"Ugh, fine," Mei groaned.

Mei trudged out of the room, silently grumbling to herself, closing the door behind her.

"I gotta thank you two," Kikai said as he looked at the boys.

"What for?" Izuku asked.

"For actually convincing Mei to leave the shop," Kikai smirked. "I swear that girl has slept here more than in her bedroom."

"Just how often does she get out?" Ariden asked.

"Once in a blue moon, in all honesty. It's been a month or so since she last went out."

"Wait, seriously?" Ariden said, his eyes wide in shock.

"Why doesn't she go out more?" Izuku asked. "Is she alright?"

"She's fine, it's just that…" Kikai sighed. "It's just that inventing things is all she has." He said, "Well, I should say had." Kikai smirked, "Ever since you two showed up, things have changed."

"I hope you mean that in a good way," Ariden said, as he started sweating a little.

"Relax, son. If I had meant it badly, this conversation wouldn't be happenin'," Kikai said. "What I mean is that I haven't seen Mei so lively since before her mother passed," he sighed wearily as he recalled better days. "You two have been nothin' but a positive influence on her."

"Thank you, Mr. Hatsume," Izuku bowed. "We promise to continue supporting her."

"Yeah, thank you for telling us." Ariden bowed as well. "We'll always be there for her, no matter what."

"I hold you to that," Kikai nodded somberly. "She's all I got left."

All three men sat quietly, each lost in their thoughts about their conversation.

"What's with the looks on your faces?" Mei asked as she came downstairs. "Someone die?"

The boys turned to look at Mei as she descended the stairs. They almost didn't recognize her without the oil stains that usually covered her face and arms. Her hair was no longer bound up in a ponytail, and her dreads cascaded past her shoulders. She wore a sleeveless light pink turtleneck sweater, a blue pleated knee-length skirt, and simple gray sneakers.

"Pretty." Both boys thought.

Ariden and Izuku's faces turned red at the unbidden thought.

"We're all just lost in thought, hun," Her father replied. "Nothing to worry about."

"Alright then, you guys ready to go?" Mei asked.

"Y-y-yeah, w-were ready to g-go." Izuku stuttered out as he tried to stop blushing

"Uhh…" Ariden gaped.

Izuku dug an elbow into his side, snapping his brother from the trance.

"Yeah, yeah, we're ready. Let's head out, yeah?" Ariden said with a cough.

Mei quirked an eyebrow.

"You guys alright? You're acting weird."

"It's nothing. We're both just excited to uhhh… " Ariden said but trailed off as he tried to devise something believable.

"We're both excited to put Failsafe to use." Izuku finished.

"I know that feeling well," Mei grinned as she walked toward the door. "Let's get going."

Kikai watched with a smile as they walked out the door.

"Those two boys were just like me when I was younger," Kikai mused aloud. "Absolutely hopeless."

A cool spring breeze blew in the late afternoon as Ariden, Izuku, and Mei sat at a restaurant pavilion table talking and eating. The restaurant was a small greasy spoon diner called Toremere Cafe. Ariden had gotten his usual favorite, gyudon, with black coffee. Izuku got his favorite, katsudon, with green tea. Mei had ordered a classic American-style hamburger with black coffee. It was a simple fare but no less delicious.

"That's all I can remember," Ariden said after a sip of his coffee. "I can't recall anything before running into Izuku and Mom that day, nor do I really want to, honestly."

"I still can't believe you're adopted," Mei said, astonished. "I thought you two were actually related," she said as she munched on her burger.

Both brothers shared a look before turning back to Mei

"How?" Both of them asked at the same time.

Mei just shrugged

"You both share similar features in my eyes," Mei said around a mouth full of food.

Izuku glanced at Ariden, then scrutinized his own reflection in the cafe window.

"We look nothing alike!" Izuku cried, "I don't see any similarities at all!"

"Eh, that's the denial talking," Mei smirked.

"But-" Izuku started

"Just drop it, dude," Ariden cut in. "This isn't the hill to die on."

"Speaking of hills to die on," Mei hummed. "I've been meaning to ask you something." She said, drinking a swig of coffee. "What is all this training for?"

"We're training to become heroes," Izuku explained. "And the more we learn, the better chance we have at getting into U.A."

Mei cocked an eyebrow and smirked at the two brothers.

"I've always admired that tenacity both of you have," she said. "But…" Mei's cheerful expression turned serious. "Even I know that your chances are next to nothing without a quirk." She sighed.

"Don't we know it," Ariden chuckled. "We've been told we'd never have a chance our whole lives."

"Then why are you training? What changed?"

"Someone told us that we could be heroes," Izuku said, smiling fondly. "And they have been helping us achieve that dream ever since."

Mei's smile dimmed a little, and her eyes dulled as she stared into her coffee.

"Wish someone had that kind of faith in me." She mumbled quietly to herself.

However, she wasn't as quiet as she thought she had, as both boys looked at her concern written on their faces.

"You alright?" Izuku asked

"Huh?!" Mei blinked in surprise. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I'm just thinking about… new inventions! There's nothing new to be concerned about."

"Babies," Ariden said.

"What?" Mei asked, confused.

"When you talk about inventing things, you always call your creations babies," Ariden said.

"I just uhh… It's just…" Mei's face grew red as she scrambled for an answer.

"Mei. It's okay." Izuku said as he placed a comforting hand on hers

"You can tell us the truth," Ariden said as he smiled kindly at her. "You can trust us. We won't judge."

Mei couldn't help but smile warmly at the boys, her heart fluttering with joy.

"Believe it or not, I also wanted to be a hero when I was younger," Mei said. "But everyone made fun of me when I told them my desire." She said, her voice beginning to tremble. "They all told me that my quirk was weak and that I was too awkward to handle the pressure." Mei's fist clenched as she recalled the memories. "Every adult except for my parents told me to lower my expectations, and even then, all my dad could say to me was that he was sorry that life was unfair." She scoffed as she viciously rubbed the tears from her eyes.

"That's what mom said to us," Both boys thought as they shared a sympathetic glance at each other.

"Anyways…" Mei continued, "After a while, I listened to what others said, so I readjusted my dream." She sighed wearily. "It's why I started inventing, 'cause my dad did it, and in a way, it allowed me to be a hero in my own right. By helping out the heroes themselves."

All three sat in heavy silence, the cheerful mood completely gone.

"Mei," Izuku said, breaking the silence. "Do you still want to be a hero?"

"Huh?!" Mei blinked in surprise, not having expected the question. "I mean yes… actually no… I mean, I don't know?" Mei answered uncertainly. "I want to say yes 'cause, come on! Who doesn't want to be a hero! But at the same time, I feel like I have no choice but to say no since I've dedicated my life to inventing things, and I love doing it!" Mei rambled.

"Who said you couldn't do both?" Ariden asked. "We're doing it," he said, gesturing to Izuku and himself. "What's stopping you?"

Mei scrunched her eyebrows as she pondered the question. Ariden and Izuku watched as her expression changed from skepticism to curiosity and finally to hope. A smile cracked on her face as she continued to contemplate. But quickly, her smile and hopeful demeanor faded, replaced by a frown and doubt written on her face.

"Do you…" Mei said hesitantly. "Do you think I could be a hero?" She asked softly.

Ariden and Izuku met her hopeful gaze with firm resolve.

"Yes." Both boys nodded.

Tears burst from Mei's eyes as she cracked the largest smile either boy had ever seen. Without another word, Mei got out of her chair and rushed to the other side of the table. In an instant, she wrapped Ariden and Izuku in a massive hug. They hugged her back without another word.

"So…" Mei said as she separated and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Where do we start?"

"Hmmm, where to start?" Izuku mused out loud.

"Well, I know where I'd start," Ariden said.

"Where?" Mei and Izuku asked.

"There is someone I'd like you to meet."

Toshinori and Inko

Inko and Toshinori stood across from each other, both leaning against the kitchen counter as they ate cold-cut sandwiches and drank green tea. Both content in each other's company. However, there was an unspoken tension that hung over Inko.

"Thank you again for lunch," Toshinori said between bites of a sandwich, hoping to start a conversation. "And for also taking my health restrictions into account."

"It's my pleasure," Inko smiled at him. "Just my way of thanking you for coming on such short notice."

"Yes, about that…" Toshinori said. "Why did you call me over? It's not that I'm complaining, But I don't think you asked me to come by just for a social visit."

"You are correct," Inko sighed. "I called you here to tell you that I've made a decision on your offer."

Toshinori straightened up and gave Inko his undivided attention.

"For the past month, I have considered your offer and whether I should accept it or not without coming to an answer," Inko explained. "But then I changed how I viewed your offer."

"In what way?" Toshinori tilted his head, curious.

"I quit thinking about what I would do with the opportunity you presented me and instead thought about how I could help my sons." Inko continued. "And I realized that if I accepted, I'd be able to offer them more support than if I just stayed on the sidelines praying for their safety."

"Your devotion to your sons does you credit Inko." Toshinori nodded approvingly. "And while I will accept your choice, I do want you to make this decision for yourself as well. Is this something you want to do?" He asked, "Having said that, has your decision changed?"

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Then Inko met Toshinori's gaze with fire in her eyes.

"I've grown tired of feeling powerless to help those I love." Inko said, a biting edge in her tone. "What you are offering me is the chance to change that."

Toshinori just smiled, set his tea down, and cracked his knuckles.

"Then I think it's time to get started, don't you?" He said as he offered a hand to Inko.

As soon as Inko took Toshinori's hand to seal the deal, the front door opened and Ariden, Izuku, and a pink haired young woman walked in. The two adults looked at the trio in surprise as they approached.

"Welcome home!" Inko smiled as she went to hug her sons. "And who is this beautiful young lady?" Inko said as she greeted the stranger.

"Mom, this is Mei Hatsume." Ariden said, gesturing toward the pink haired girl. "Mei, this is our mother, Inko Midoriya."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Inko said as she warmly smiled.

"The pleasure is all mine!" Mei grinned. "These two have been nothing but the best! I consider them my closest friends."

Inko immediately wrapped Mei into a tight hug as tears flowed from her eyes like a busted water pipe.

"You are the kindest, sweetest, most wonderful girl I have ever met!" Inko cried as she hugged Mei tighter.

"Mom, please stop that." Izuku said, pinching the nose of his bridge. "You're gonna ruin the floors if you keep crying."

"Why are you even crying?" Ariden asked, befuddled. "You just met her, yet you're treating her like your long lost daughter."

"You're right, I'm sorry." Inko let Mei go and wiped away her tears. "I'm so sorry about that Mei, that was rather rude of me."

"Oh no it's fine." Mei shrugged. "I rather liked it, reminded me of how my mother used to hug me."

Toshinori watched as Inko bit down hard on her lip to stop the tears that threatened to burst from her eyes again.

"So…" Toshinori interrupted, "Why are you home so early."

"Well, we first tried to call you." Izuku explained. "But we couldn't get a hold of you."

"So we called mom." Ariden continued. "And she said you'd be over here for lunch."

Toshinori raised an eyebrow.

"Why did you need to find me."

"We wanted to ask a favour of you." Izuku said.

"Depends on the favour." Toshinori said, eyeing the boys skeptically. "I'm not cutting you any slack if that's what you want.

"No, that isn't it," Izuku shook his head emphatically. "We want you to help Mei become a hero."

Toshinori and Inko looked at the trio in surprise, then back to each other. The couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"At this rate I think I should open a gym with how many people want to join the training program." Toshinori chuckled.

"What are you talking about?" Ariden asked, cocking an eyebrow at Toshinori.

"It's a long story." Inko explained. "But let's just say that Toshinori has offered me the chance to be able to stand by your side and help you."

"Wait! you don't mean what I think you mean?!" Izuku's eyes widened in realization.

"I do." Inko nodded, "However I won't if the idea upsets you."

"It won't." Izuku shook his head. "I'd be more upset if you passed on such an opportunity."

"I still have no idea what you people are talking about." Ariden complained, "So could someone please clue me in here?"

"Dude." Izuku said as he looked at Ariden with the widest grin Ariden had ever seen. "Mom's gonna become a hero."

Authors Notes:

How's that for a change of pace? I've always felt that the side characters of MHA were severely under utilized and wanted to rectify that issue in this story. The main issue is being able to maintain a balance of what their personalities and motivations are in canon and the changes that will come to them in this story. In any case I do hope you are excited since this isn't the last you've seen of characters that are on the sidelines being fully utilized. As always I am chugging along with the next chapter and busy storyboarding out the rest, so be assured that while slow, progress is being made. And as always If you've made it this far, thank you for reading, and I hope you've enjoyed it. And once again, I ask that you post your thoughts in the reviews; they are fun to read. Until next time, take care, and Happy 4th of July to my American readers, and a good day to the rest of you as well.

-TheWritersApprentice