Ladies and Gentlemen, after an extended break, we are back! And it feels real darn good! My mood is even better as I watched more Dandandan and episode 2 of Arcane season 2, and it slapped hard. I would have watched more, but I need to complete this.

As we're done with that first movie, we're back into uncharted waters. I have a lot of ideas, but I can't post all of them as with December coming up, well I'll be with the fam, and while I would like to write during then, as I do see this as a hobby, I'm not foolish enough to leave my laptop somewhere my cousins could get to and/or break it. I've seen them do it once, and while it was an honest accident, with how shitty my luck is, I won't tempt fate.

Chapter 40: The Sunrise That Comes After

When they had left I-island, it was a little past 11 pm, that mission having started a couple hours before with them taking the security system. But despite things getting out of hand and needing to leave Wolfram behind to have his fun, they had managed to get their objective, or at least that was what Nine signaled him as they very well couldn't talk about it with passengers who didn't try to stab them in the back…yet. Still, no point in giving up sensitive information for nothing.

So once they put the island to their backs, and it faded from view, Pyre took the seat next to Nine and rested his eyes, reviewing what had happened with Kacchan and his classmates. No one spoke, leaving just the noise of the advanced engines to fill in the void of silence. Pyre thought about humming a little tune to himself, a means to entertain himself, but decided against it as everyone seemed to be on edge, having just lost their boss. Odds were, the device the professor hired them to acquire, so it felt like it would be rude to celebrate how they won when they were the only ones.

Soon enough, dawn broke over the South Pacific; they had no doubt put hundreds of kilometers between them and their heist site, and being the largest ocean on the planet, even if they did know the specs of their stolen getaway vehicle, they would have no way of knowing which way they went, or if they didn't change directions in flight, so they would need to search an even wider area. And seeing how the onboard radar hadn't picked up anything, it's safe to say they were in the clear- at least for now.

"Nine, what's the plan for when we need to land? Can we even make it all the way to land?" Pyre asked, to which the rest of their passengers, most of whom had been awake and slumped, jolted to alertness at the reminder that they were flying over the world's largest body of water, with no means to even know when or if they'll find inhabited land.

"No, we can't, but while you took a nap, I contacted our employer, and once he heard of her situation, he was quick to reveal that he had already thought of that and organized something for us." Nine replied though the way he looked at Pyre clued him into an unspoken statement: Their employer had already informed him that he had the means to help them escape after he learned that they succeeded in their mission. He wouldn't have done anything for them if they hadn't.

"That being?" Pyre asked as Nine went back to looking over the ocean and horizon.

"The ship that we're flying towards, we'll land in 10." He replied, with Pyre looking at the radar and seeing a return on the water in the distance. True to his word, Pyre soon started to make out the ship on the water. Closing the distance, they could all see it, noting that it was a cargo container vessel, dirty and aged but still sea-worthy. The crew spotted them, and instead of gawking, they were quickly hailed by it on the radio.

Nine used the password that their employer had passed along, and once he got the return from them, they could trust that this was their ride. The scruffy sea dogs on deck moved quickly, moving things around to allow them to come to a gentle landing on the vessel. As Nine powered down the engines, the power cells sitting at a low 16%, the crew were already pulling out ropes and hooks to secure the stolen ship to their…well, ship.

"They're gonna be our rides?" Swordkill asked as they disembarked from their stolen jet/submarine combo onto the dirty, rusty deck of the container vessel. The crew still working to ensure that their ill-gotten goods didn't slide around and fall into the sea, though they didn't seem to speak a word of English or Japanese.

"If they do as they were paid to do." Nine retorted as he was approached by a middle-aged Korean woman, one with a literal crow's head and tiny wings sticking out her back. In her hand, she had a cigarette, already lit, as she looked them over with observant, piercing orange eyes.

"So," she started, using English as accented as theirs. "You're my extra cargo?"

"So it seems," Nine replied in English. The woman smirked at him, muttering something in another language as she took a drag at her cigarette.

"Well, welcome abroad, the Drunken Turtle. Apologies for lacking proper accommodation or good food; we don't normally get such high-paying clients." Pyre turned her words over in his head and assumed she was used to smuggling poorer people, which would explain why she was comfortable with them flying in like this.

While Swordkill made a face at the subtle taunt, Nine let it flow off him like water. "As long as you handle your end of the deal, I could care less."

She snorted. "Never let it be said that the captain of the Drunken Turtle goes back on her word, especially when I was paid such a handsome transport fee. As agreed, we'll get you and your goods to Japan, but as we have a routine, we first go to Manila for a couple days, and then we're sailing to Taiwan, no questions asked."

"Can't we just go straight to Japan?" Pyre asked her, the woman turning her gaze to the child on her ship. He could immediately see that she saw him as little else.

"And little boy, how would we explain our ship arrive so damn early to the port authority? Vessels must report their schedules to help track them and ensure we don't clog up harbors. The fewer reasons I give to any nosy port authority grunt, the better." He frowned, but that was all he did as he had to get used to people patronizing him a while back, and this was one of the times when he couldn't…convince her of that mistake.

"And what about us? In case you haven't noticed, we're not Japanese." Swordkill reminded her, to the woman smirking as she took a drag of her cigarette.

"When we dock in Manila, you can all get onto a plane and fly back to the States as your job is completed." Nine told him, though he didn't mention how their 'job' was only done on paper, as he wasn't even sure that the good doctor or his traitorous assistant had paid them in full before the job, perhaps only a down payment. Whatever was the case, it wasn't their issue.

The ship captain scratched at her chin. "It's not impossible. You can check up on things and arrange that in Manila, the place for a bustling criminal underground. It's the same as Taipei, though you Americans won't be my passengers for that part of the trip."

"Would you say their markets are good?" Nine asked her, to which she cawed out in laughter.

"You kidding? Manila is one of the best places to buy and sell any and everything in the Asian criminal world. If you're willing to make the trade, you can make a lot of money or offload some…questionable wares to the right buyers." She replied, Pyre shuddering as he could only imagine that 'products' would pass through such markets.

Tugging on Nine's sleeve, he drew his attention. "Is that really a good idea, Nine? We were meant to return to Japan as soon as possible." He asked, using Japanese to keep it between them, an eye on the captain who didn't seem to indicate that she understood a word they said.

"It is. We did make plans to smuggle in some items, but we made off with a greater load than we thought," Nine replied in Japanese. "It would be impossible to try and get even a third of it through customs, so it would be best to try and sell off what we can't use and use this ship to get the rest back home."

Pyre agreed with him, though that meant they'd be at sea for a long time without a means to contact their friends, as their phones wouldn't have service this far out in the middle of nowhere.

"But that is something I can handle myself," Nine added, his eye moving to his pocket so that Pyre could track, understanding what he was referring to. "Much like our American colleagues, you'll be taking a faster route home, as I imagine our employer is eager to get his hands on his paid-for goods."

"Yeah…" Pyre shivered when he thought about having to meet with All for One again…having to experience the cold that the man seemed to permeate around himself, seemingly without wilful intent. Still, they didn't want to push their luck with him as they still didn't know just how much he knew about them, just that it was more than they were comfortable with; the last thing that they wanted was for the underworld king to believe that they're insulting him by taking their time, or worse-that they double-crossed him.

"I don't suppose we can find a computer and just email the stuff to him," Pyre asked, to which Nine gave him an amused grin, which made him slump back. "Yeah, I figured."

"Captain, how long until we make it to Manila?" Pyre asked the captain, who calculated it in her head for a second.

"We're about 6800km out. At our current speed, we'll be docking in around a week, maybe a few hours early if we push it." She replied, which made Swordkill groan into his hand.

"Great, we week at sea." As he complained, Pyre had already turned on his heel and, along with Nine, went to help the crew stash their pilfered goods into a free container, preferably one with one stuff already, just in case someone wanted to give them a cursory look. Then they'll need to sort out the business with their stolen jet, as unless they dismantled it, it wouldn't fit above deck in a container, so they'll need to transfer it below deck. Hopefully, the hold could handle it, though they'll need a large tarp to cover it.

"What were its energy levels?" Pyre asked as they started offloading the jet's cargo into one of the containers.

"Poor, though if we're lucky, we can find a means to refuel it when we dock in Manila. Nine replied as they worked, aided by the ship's crew. A few of them, Nine noted, were armed, no doubt against pirates and, in rare situations, angry or untrustworthy clients. It wasn't till 2 hours later that they fastened the last knot that they finished as they had managed to move the jet below deck, though it required its own power, which further decreased its power.

That done, they now had to find something to entertain themselves. Nine went to find a quiet spot to meditate and perhaps read a book, but Midoriya wasn't in the mood. He needed something that required a little more involvement. He found it as he walked to the bow of the ship. He found a group of sailors leaning against the railing or seated in lawn chairs, all holding fishing rods already cast. Midoriya saw the lines tailing in the wake of the vessel amongst the gentle ways the ship's propellors created.

"Are you guys fishing?" Midoriya asked them, a couple of them turning his way, surprised to see him, but their eyes also were confused.

"¿Qué dijiste, hombrecito?" One of them replied, which went right over Midoriya's head.

"Nosotros no hablamos ingles, di eso en español." The other added, though he understood that as much as the first one.

"Right, maybe I should have asked one of the Americans for help; they probably know Spanish…I think that was Spanish." Midoriya said to himself before they had to resort to a game of charades and word association, which took over 20 minutes before they could understand that he wanted to join. They offered him one of the spare rods, some bait, and a spot at the railing. One even pointed out that he should probably change out of his mission clothes just to be safe, Midoriya forgetting that he had been wearing the same dull and impersonal tactical gear from the mission.

The crew was friendly enough to show him to their quarters and offer him some of the stuff of their most petite man. Nine eventually walked by their fishing spot to see Midoriya dressed in a worn-out, baggy blue shirt, jeans, and a straw hat. He fished, casting a line into the great blue, and tied to converse with the crew, slowly learning some Spanish.

'He goes like that and might learn the language before we reach Manila.' Nine thought to himself, charmed by how his teammate and friend could find ways to connect to people even with a language barrier.

As the villains calmed down and rested after a successful infiltration of I-island, Izuku went so far as to try his hand at fishing, and things back on I-island were anything but calm. The island had been on a complete lockdown long before the sun had risen, even with the villains booted from the security system. The authorities were keeping tight-lipped about things, but as the final parts of the attack had taken place given island residents and guests, it was impossible to hide that the island had been infiltrated and that at least some of the villains had managed to escape.

The authorities and leadership of the island combated this by not trying to hide everything, admitting to the fact that villains had managed to get through security, steal prototype support items, and damage the central tower in a confrontation with the heroes, including All Might. However, they didn't release how the villains got onto the island, claiming it was an ongoing investigation, nor did they reveal that most of the support items that were on display were either stolen or destroyed in the fire or that foreign students had been involved, playing a critical role in retaking control.

Uraraka, despite having been awake for over 24 hours at that point, understood the reasoning behind it. After Wolfram had been defeated and the professor had been secured, they had all been shuffled off the roof; those that required medical attention were seen before the island's security team to be questioned.

As she sipped at coffee to keep the exhaustion from dragging her into the world of dreams, she tried her best to remain polite as everyone was stressed and these people were just doing their jobs. Bakugo hated it and made that known as he tried to leave. This led to her snapping at him to sit down, shut up, and wait for his turn, and, when it came, to answer their questions like a civilized person before she punted him into low orbit.

But by the time she finished her threat, she felt her hands getting warm; looking down, she noticed that she had crushed her coffee cup while One for All flickered around her. Even as Bakugo sat down without a word, she offered a small apology as she, too, returned to her seat, now without caffeine. Frustration and lack of sleep could make demons out of most people; she'll have to apologize to him for that later. That was if he could accept it. Bakugo was confrontational and challenging on the best days, and today certainly wasn't the best day.

When they were finished with questions, they were led to another room. Her knowledge from detective shows told her it was to ensure that those who hadn't been called up yet wouldn't know what questions were being asked and how the others answered to keep their responses as personal and honest as possible.

When her turn came up, they asked for her name, personal details, and reasons for being on the Island. She was grateful they hadn't asked the entire group, so she didn't need to worry about her friends having follow-ups to her admitting that she came as All Might's plus one and said they could confirm that with the man when they could.

After that, they asked for a detailed description of what she did when she arrived, who she met with, where, and the long line, probably to create a timeline for all the students. She answered the best she could, but things only got more intense when it came to the attack. They wanted to know why they acted, what made them suspicious, why they disobeyed a direct order from All Might, how they even managed to ascend as high as they did, etc.

Once more, she held back her temper, and they grilled her more than once on the legal quagmire that was their actions. Yes, it helped, but they didn't have licenses or permission from someone who did. Having dealt with something similar to the Pyre and Mummy situation, she was better prepared, regularly reminding herself that they were just doing their jobs; they just wanted the facts.

"Wolfram is the name of the villain leader currently in custody. You fought against him, correct?" the officer questioned her. The room they sat in was much more lively than a cop show would have you believe. Still, it wasn't like any of them were considered suspects, so why make them feel more tense than they already were?

"I did," Uraraka replied, keeping her head down even as the sun came through the window to the side, and sea birds could be seen flying.

"And why was that? From your testimony and the testimony of others, he was on the retreat, and All Might was soon to enter the fray." The officer asked her, Uraraka's hands on her lap tightening into fists.

"He had the professor as a hostage, and the device the professor and Mr. Abraham said could boast someone's quirk. I didn't want to get away with either of them." She answered. However, she focused more on getting the professor back than on some student device. As far as she was concerned, it was good that it was fried during the fight.

The officer hummed as he flipped through the papers where he had been writing the reports. His quirk allowed him to merely place a finger on paper, and ink would flow out, writing out his thoughts so he could write their testimonies as they spoke them. "Well, your instincts were right, as from what we know thus far, you delaying them bought All Might the time to learn of the situation and act."

Her shoulders relaxed just a little here, as it felt like he was finally giving her some slack after all the repeat questions of 'Did you have permission?' or 'Were you aware that is a technical crime?'. Like Hosu, what did it matter if it was a crime to help?

"However, we still want to figure out something, so how do you think they ever got into the island?" Her heart skipped a beat as her tired face grew all the paler at the question. Raising her head, she looked the officer in the eye, and his gaze was as severe as the grave. She wasn't going to get out of this, especially when her reaction must have alerted him to the greater secrets she had.

Pulling out a tablet, the officer opened the files on the captured villains and their associates, which were not made from their actions hours before. She saw they were police reports that dated back years.

"All these men in custody have serious criminal records and warrants for their arrests in several U.S. States. The villain Wolfram is on the FBI's most wanted villains list. If testimony from the other students is to be believed, 2 notorious and well-known Japanese villains were also involved in this criminal act." She saw the highlights of their crimes in the files for each, most having the FBI's Federal Villains Database logo at the top. In contrast, the ones for the two Japanese criminals had the stamp for the Japanese villain database.

Tapping Wolfram's, the officer showed how the man had been charged since he was 16 and wanted for at least two dozen different crimes, including four murders. "The island's security is top-of-the-line and is connected to national police records worldwide. It would flag you even if you haven't paid some traffic fines, yet there was no such for any villains."

The man's face went blank, but that didn't comfort her. She could imagine he was furious that the system he used every day, that he trusted to help him, had been unable to flag these criminals before they made their move. And now, because of that, they had an international incident on their hands, as many guests were VIPs from major companies and governments.

That, along with her own morals, made the decision for her. "The professor…and Mr. Abraham helped them."

"Pardon?"

She silently apologized to Mellissa before she revealed what she knew. "When Mellissa and I got to the top, we found them working, and they talking about how the high jacking and villains were all part of their plan…so maybe they were the ones that smuggled them in."

The officer's face shifted, a hint of shock at her accusation, but it faded just as fast. "So you believe that they were working with criminals?"

"No! They didn't…" She yelled, slamming her hands on the table before she bit her tongue, taking a few breaths to calm herself as she slumped back into her chair. "The professor didn't know they were real criminals. He thought they were actors…"

"Actors?" She couldn't fault the man's incredulity. She had seen and heard the man say it firsthand and even listened to the villain confirm that they pretended to be actors, and it still felt like an unfunny joke.

"That's what he said. He seemed surprised when Wolfram revealed that he wasn't." Still, she was honest as the man's finger remained on the page, writing her words down as she spoke them.

"So he believed that he had contracted actors to commit this crime and take people, citizens from over 2 dozen countries, hostage? For what purpose?" The officer pressed, as there would need to be a damn good reason, real or imagined, for someone of the professor's standing to decide to do something so extreme.

Uraraka knew that the professor had all but yelled it. It was for All Might…but could she reveal that? All Might worked hard to ensure as few people as possible even knew he was injured, but never mind that he now had to work on a time limit. He didn't even tell Professor Shield about it; she doubted he would have gone along with this. Was it her secret to tell?

As much as it pained her, it wasn't. So she had to think about how to phrase it so it would still be the truth, not the whole truth. "They wanted the device; they said that it was taken by the board and needed it back." She bit her lip near hard enough to draw blood, as saying it out loud made the man sound all the worse. A device? That was all?

How selfish and shortsighted could one man be? That must be what the officer was thinking, but she couldn't tell him that the device was just a means to an end, that end being helping All Might. It was still terrible, but one could see how a morally upright person could make such a drastic choice. But she couldn't say it, no matter how much she liked to.

"I see…" the officer replied resignedly, disappointed in the man he must have respected. Looking at the clock on the wall, he saw how much time had passed since she was led in and decided that he had heard enough. "Well, I have no further questions for you. If you follow Officer Foley, you'll be taken back to your room, where you can probably rest. You more than earned it."

"It's all true. I was so scared that you'd lose your light…then I walked into the darkness. Without Sam and my knowledge and clearance, those villains would never have stepped on the island." David recounted to All Might the professor lying in a hospital bed, his injuries being treated and bandaged. Still, he was no longer the same respected man he once was, a point made clear by the fact he was handcuffed to the bed while a pro stood guard outside.

All Might, out of his hero form, sat at his bedside, requesting to speak with him and hear it from the horse's mouth. Now that he had, he groaned into his hand, feeling every bit his age as his weakened, tired body just wished to rest, yet he couldn't, not yet.

"I don't even know what to say. I don't know what to think." All Might eventually spoke up, as he felt so many things about this. Anger that his best friend would stoop so low. Guilt at knowing he would have never done so if he had known about One for All. Understanding because David's reasons, his desire to preserve the symbol of peace for fear of what would come when it was gone was the same reason he still worked as a hero, despite his grievous injuries and other truths.

"She doesn't want to see me," David said. No name was given, but All Might could figure out who he was talking about.

"Give her time. This is a lot for her; she needs to process it all, or else she might say something she regrets." He told his old friend, though he wasn't sure how much comfort that would be as he had spoken with her. She had flat-out refused to talk to David before leaving in a hurry, the symbol of peace seeing tears in her eyes.

"Or she says something true. Look at me, Toshinori. I was so obsessed with preserving the status quo to ensure nothing changed that I damaged their future." David gestured to himself, exhausted, injured, and now a criminal. His shoulders slumped as he laid back into his bed, looking out the window.

He and Mellissa used to love sunrises like this, as they got into the habit of working so long into the night that they'd forget to sleep. But even when they were tired and close to passing out, they always made time to see the sunrise together. They hadn't done that in a while, but now he wondered if they'd ever do it again. "I always taught her to make tomorrow better through your efforts today, and then I became a hypocrite who couldn't trust a future without you to protect it."

All Might wished to tell him that it wasn't his fault, that things would be okay, but those felt as hollow as his absent stomach. No, what David needed as support, not delusions. "Fear can make fools out of even the wisest men, Dave…While your methods were certainly something to be admonished, your intentions were pure. You didn't want anyone hurt."

"And Sam?" David turned to him, All Might's frown growing as he recalled the duplicitous assistant who hired real criminals and brought young Midoriya to the island.

"I was told that his bullet wound was treated, and he'll make a full recovery, same with the other villains." All Might told him, as even Wolfram, despite the intensity of the battle, was less injured and more exhausted from overusing his quirk. As far as he knew, he was being held in a hospital room, which had as little metal as possible, while under constant guard.

"Well, I can at least hold onto that, saving the life of the man that betrayed me," David quietly mused before looking towards All Might with a self-deprecating smile. "But maybe I'm not the type that can talk about that."

All Might didn't answer him. Instead, both turned to look out the window towards I-island; it was mere chance that from where they were, they could still see the burnt-out remains of the exhibition hall and the path of destruction that the villains David had foolishly invited in left. If this was a farmhouse, he didn't just let a fox into the chicken coop; he let in a pack of wolves.

"You know, Toshinori. This might be the last time I ever see this. I'll be lucky to avoid prison, but the board won't forget my actions or forgive them. They'll want my head on a platter." David stated that since his project had been taken from him, they had been less than friendly with him, a change from before, but they at least didn't mistreat or otherwise hinder him.

But after this, he would be lucky if they didn't blacklist him from every research institute and lab in the northern hemisphere.

David didn't feel sad or angry about that. Strangely enough, he felt relieved. "In a way, I'm glad. I don't want to escape punishment; I must own up to that. Actors or not, I need to accept facts." Maybe that was why he was relieved; he could still feel guilt and want to make things right.

Wolfram might have enjoyed taunting him, but if there was a difference between them, it was that he didn't want his crimes like the madman did. "I committed a serious crime, betrayed your trust, the trust of the entire world, and disappointed my baby girl." That hurt worst of all. How could he look Melissa in the eye after this?

"That justice must have already started, at least in the karmic sense, as it was all for nothing. That stupid device was destroyed in the fight." David finished, as at least they could be sure the device would never see the light of day.

"Protocol is protocol, and while I am the Symbol of Peace, my words hold only so much weight with them." Toshinori nodded along with him.

"That's the plan then?"

"As soon as you and Sam are cleared, you and the villains will be transported off I-island, your IDs will be revoked and names blacklisted. You're to be returned to the US to stand trial." All Might told him, truthfully, that he wished he was being taken to Japan, where he could negotiate a better plea deal for his friend as his pull in the States wasn't as strong.

Once the board informed the UN Security Council of this, the US pressed for them to have jurisdiction over the case, arguing that it was centered around American citizens. And once they got that agreement from the council, they acted fast. "But because of the…nature of the crimes and the fact you're a high-profile name, you'll be transported under guard from someone trustworthy and strong enough to ensure you arrive alive."

"It can't be you, Toshinori. You may be the world's strongest, but you'll still be my friend, and everyone knows that, " David said.

"It will be Star and Stripes."

In her room, Mellisa sat on her bed, her knees to her chest and face buried in them. The sun was still rising in the sky, but she wouldn't know as she had closed the curtains. She wouldn't care as it felt raw; it still felt like she had learned the truth not hours but moments ago. Once the adrenaline had faded, she found herself back in that vault, hearing her father, her kind, loving, ethical father, talking about how they could commit such a terrible thing.

She sniffed but had no more tears to shed, her fatigue leaving her weak, almost too weak to fall asleep for as much sense as that made.

Uraraka wrapped the blanket around her more. Two bowls of soup lay on the desk, though now they were cold. One was not even touched, and the other, which Uraraka had eaten from, was still three-quarters full, as she couldn't bring herself to take another spoonful.

They looked messed up, having lost the energy or interest to shower and change, as they only removed the superficial pieces of their dresses. "I just don't understand. Did he fear a world without Uncle Might that much? Can't he trust other heroes can pick up that weight so Uncle Might can finally retire?" Mellissa's voice was coarse, confused, and angry.

Uraraka remained silent, as she knew things that Mellissa didn't. She knew that she had given testimony that wouldn't help the professor's case. And in a way, she could see where the professor was coming from. Neither she nor Mellissa would even know what a world without All Might would look like; it was all they knew.

But wasn't that why he passed on One for All to her? Why were she, Yaomomo, Bakugo, Kirishima, and everyone else training so hard? If they still needed All Might, then what was the point? It was thanks to their efforts that All Might and the other heroes were freed. They played a critical role in forcing the villains to retreat, and they played a significant role in defeating the villain leader.

But she was just as bitter as Mellissa, not over David's apparent lack of faith in their abilities, but their victory wasn't absolute. Pyre and others managed to escape aboard a stolen jet. They burned down the exhibition hall and made off with some prototypes. Because of that, the entire expo was canceled, meaning she'd be returning early. Every time that pyromancer appeared, it felt like he vanished with a smile and victory in hand if only victory by escaping to fight another day.

"What are your plans?" Uraraka asked to try and not think about that.

"I…I don't have any. I just know that I can't stay here. Papa will probably be kicked off the island, which means I'll be kicked out, too." Melissa replied, making herself even smaller as she could see how it would go down.

"It'll be the first time since I was 3 that I'll ever leave. I can't even remember what California is like." Mellisa continued, her voice breaking as God, I-island was her entire time, wasn't it? Sure, she was a US citizen, but only on paper. She hardly knew anything about the country. "That's if I'll be staying with Papa." Yeah, he would probably be arrested as soon as they touched down stateside, and she was 17; she'll be 18 in just a few months, which meant she could fend for herself as far as the law was concerned.

"Don't…don't you have other family?" Uraraka asked her, to which Mellissa raised her head, letting her friend see just how worn she was.

"My mother died when I was little, I have an aunt, but she lives in Nevada, so…yeah." Her mother's side of the family was always distant; she could hardly recall their names, and her father's side wasn't that large. He had just one sibling growing up; her paternal grandmother had passed just the previous year, and her paternal grandfather was in a nursing home.

"Maybe you can request to stay on the island. You didn't do anything wrong, and I saw all those rewards. It would be pretty dumb to just get rid of such a star pupil." She smiled. Even if she could tell how much Uraraka was grasping at straws, she was doing it for her.

"I could, I really could, but…" Mellissa swallowed, though her throat remained dry. "I just have too many memories here, memories with Papa, and right now, I'm not sure I can focus when that'll always be on my mind."

Uraraka didn't know what she could say to that. She wanted to invite her to live with her in Japan, but that would just be selfish. Her parents had already worked so hard for her. She couldn't expect them to be able to take care of someone else, someone who would need more than a roof over their head but proper emotional support.

There was All Might. He saw her as his niece, and he indeed had a stable income that could support her. But wouldn't that mean she'd discover his secret? If he hadn't told her before, would he tell her now? It would be just as selfish to invite someone into his home without his permission, especially as she knew he would gladly take her if she did make the offer, but that could mean he couldn't relax even at home.

She did know one thing. She had to talk with All Might about this.

The next chapter will be out on Novermber 27th.

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