All Might, Miyuki, and Present Mic stepped out of the sports center and waited for Shoto and Katsuki to arrive from the changing room. Miyuki raised her head towards the clouds, admiring their bright orange hue as a gentle breeze tickled her face. Her shoulders sagged and she briefly closed her eyes, allowing herself to sink into the moment.
It was so hard to believe just one day had gone by. It felt like a thousand hours had passed since her father passed away. Her heart still felt hollow and the tears she'd been holding back were momentarily forgotten as she watched her friend's interact with those children; as she watched their faces brighten with smiles and laughter...
Miyuki looked back down, a gentle expression upon her face, and a light sensation sparking within her heart. It felt too soon to say, but the hint of relief she felt ease her told her that this was the first step, albeit a small one...
'You'll become a finer hero than anyone else...'
I think...
She raised her head and looked forward.
I'm starting to see it, Papa. The future you saw me fighting for...
Miyuki exhaled softly, clasping her hands together.
I promise... I'll do my best and make you and Oka-san proud. I'll protect it with everything I can.
...the first step towards her healing.
She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard a set of rapidly approaching footsteps. She turned around and saw the teacher from Shiketsu and Seiji coming over to them, the latter blushing when they locked eyes.
The duo then began discussing Camie with All Might and Present Mic, seeing as Endeavour had his back turned to them. She listened in, curious as to how it took them until a few days after the exam to find out something wasn't right with her.
"Very well," All Might responded. "We will also do what we can."
Soon, Shoto, Inasa, Camie, and Katsuki emerged from the building, fully changed back into their school uniforms. Camie ran over to them immediately.
"Oh? What's going on, Shishikura?" Camie inquired curiously. "You chatting with All Might? Seriously, the Symbol! That's crazy, what were you talking about? Like, life and stuff?"
"We were talking about you, you dunce!" Seiji replied loudly.
"Seriously?" Camie asked. "Crazy."
"The reality is that the League has gone after a school that's not U.A.," her teacher informed. "Up until now, we have not had any especially deep interactions with U.A., but we were talking about coordinating in the future to share more information. We still do not know why you were targeted, Utsushimi. We are hoping to get a better idea of what they're after by working together."
"Craazy."
"This means joint trainings are also being considered for the future," Seiji told her. He turned to Miyuki and bowed, taking her hand again. "I look forward to working with you all in the future."
"Next time, I'll beat you up one-on-one," Katsuki gruffly told him, upset by how familiar he was behaving with the half-and-half girl and including everyone when he was only speaking to her.
"You're still behaving and speaking violently!" Seiji exclaimed in response. "Know your place!"
"I don't want to hear that from you," Katsuki calmly replied.
"Shoto," Endeavour called, approaching his youngest son. "Long time no see. You've changed a lot." He reached up to pat his head.
"I don't want to hear it," Shoto responded, slapping his hand away. Endeavour frowned.
"Shoto..." he said. "I'm proud of you, son. So I'll become... a hero that you can be proud of, too. Proud that your father is the number one hero..." Shoto glared at him. "...the most powerful man."
"Do what you want..." Shoto told him dismissively.
Miyuki watched them carefully, especially Endeavour. She wasn't particularly inclined towards his style of heroism, but that was as far as her opinion of him as a person went. Being a close friend of Shoto's gave her some insight into his true nature, though, which she found she didn't quite like – but once again, what did she know? She'd only seen one side of the portrait, not the full picture.
Whatever he chose for himself regarding his father, she would stand behind him – whether that was to burn the bridge before it could get far, or make the effort to meet his father in the middle.
But everyone's attention quickly diverted when Inasa punched himself in the face.
"Endeavour!" He shouted, going over to the number one hero. "I'm cheering you on!"
"Thank you," he said with a relaxed smile. "You're bleeding a lot."
It seemed like she wasn't the only one seeking healing today – in one way or the other.
"Yoarashi-Kun, please be gentler with yourself," Miyuki spoke up, holding her handkerchief out to Inasa for his bleeding face. "You've already taken so many hits."
"Thank you, Tenshi-Chan. You're too kind!" Inasa responded. Miyuki blushed when he grasped both of her hands in his larger ones. "Your commentary today was beautiful, by the way! I appreciate you cheering me on!"
"It was no problem," Miyuki replied, bowing her head while a dangerous red aura surrounded Katsuki in the back. "It was an honour for me to watch you perform to the best of your ability today." She turned to Seiji and offered him a kind smile. "And to meet you, too, Shishikura-Kun."
"It is I who had the honour of finally being in your presence," Seiji replied, plucking her hands from Inasa's. He bowed his head deeply –but before his lips could get anywhere near her skin, Katsuki tore them apart.
"Don't go invading other people's boundaries," he told him threateningly. Miyuki sheepishly scratched her cheek from behind him as Seiji glared at the ash-blonde. "Know your place, Meat...!"
"Hey," Miyuki said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Let's be nice."
Everyone went their separate ways from there. Inasa bid goodbye to Miyuki and Shoto before leaving with his teacher, Seiji, and Camie. Endeavour walked off on his own and All Might and Present Mic returned to the bus with their students.
As they did, Miyuki looked out of the corner of her eye and saw a small smile on Shoto's face. She looked away and smiled, too.
Perhaps he's starting to heal, too.
◇
When they returned home to their dormitory building, the stars were out and danced above them as they were dropped off.
Shoto went ahead of Miyuki and Katsuki to the dorms, going to turn in early for the evening. The half-and-half girl got off the bus shortly after him, as did Katsuki.
The ash-blonde boy walked ahead of her towards the front doors of the building.
"Katsuki," Miyuki called. He paused on the path, and turned to look at her over his shoulder. "I... had fun today. Thank you."
"For what?" Katsuki asked, raising a brow. She smiled.
"For letting me see you," she replied, a light tint to her cheeks. "You were... really free with yourself out there and I'm glad to have seen... Well, you. I don't know how else I can say it, but you're a really cool hero, Katsuki."
A small blush rose on his face, but he quickly looked away before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. Miyuki's expression morphed to surprise when he suddenly tugged on her hand.
"You're too weird," he commented, a strange smirk on his face as he pulled her to his side and pointed his phone towards them, "Pepperhead."
"What're you... Are you taking a picture of us?" Miyuki asked, shocked by this gesture. Her pink cheeks brightened. "But you hate those!"
"You're gonna need evidence when you're telling the twins about this day," He said, snapping the picture of himself and her flustered expression. "Otherwise they won't believe a word you say when you tell them about the number one hero you know."
"Now who's being weird?" Miyuki teased, lightly poking his cheek. "Huh, Firecracker?"
Before he could respond, the two of them turned around when they heard a set of light footsteps walking up behind them. They both looked stunned when they saw the former number one hero making his way towards them.
"All Might-sensei?" Miyuki asked as he reached the two of them. She glanced at Katsuki, but he looked just as intrigued by his presence as she was.
"Good evening young Sasaki, young Bakugo," All Might greeted them. His eyes drifted to Katsuki's arm around her shoulders and his eyebrows rose slightly. The teenage boy realized this and quickly removed it, the back of his neck heating up. "Sorry to interrupt your evening, especially after the long day you've both had, but there is something I wish to speak with you about, young Sasaki."
Katsuki looked between the half-and-half girl and All Might. Miyuki seemed to notice the unspoken question in his eyes because she nodded at him, as if to say, 'You can stay.'
"Is something wrong?" The half-and-half girl asked the older male. Her brows knitted together with light concern. "Has it got to do with... with Papa?"
"No. Well, not for most of it," All Might responded despondently. "It's about your brother and the murder allegations he made about you."
"'Murder?'" Katsuki questioned, turning to Miyuki with a shocked expression. "What the hell is he talking about?" She bit her lip and averted her gaze.
"According to Zin, when I was a child, I... I killed our family because of my Quirk," she revealed, a prickling chill shooting through her body at the mention of the horrid event. Miyuki exhaled quietly. "I told the police and Tsukauchi – the detective who found me when I was little – about this, but I... I don't know whether it's true or a tactic he's using to try to get to me since..."
"...Since Shigaraki is still after your Quirk," Katsuki finished, his gut roiling upon hearing this revelation.
He blinked slowly as this new information sunk in.
That must be part of the reason why Zin left her that note – and who knows how many others before it – and those Daifuku treats. Was it his way of reminding her of her sin? A psychological vengeance he was unleashing upon her.
No – there definitely had to be more to it than that.
It's true that she has a powerful Quirk, he thought as he eyed the girl beside him. Powerful enough to lose control over, especially if you're a kid. But to kill...?
If that was the case, then Zin wouldn't just be looking to torture her mind. From the way that guy mercilessly killed a police officer at the hideout, he knew he wasn't just going to settle for psychological slaughter.
Yet in the case that it wasn't true, and it was a ploy by the League to break her down from the inside, then...
Katsuki turned to All Might, a serious expression upon his face. "So what about them, All Might?"
"There is now reason to believe that his accusations aren't true," All Might answered. "When I went to speak with All for One, he seemed very intrigued by the name 'Hagiwara' – the one you asked me about several days ago, young Sasaki. It is the name of the man your mother married shortly after you were born. Or so your father told me."
It only came up after we began discussing your Quirk, which he himself seemed to be quite knowledgeable about."
"So, you mean to say that All for One could've been the one behind it...?" Miyuki inquired, her heart bursting with a paroxysm of hope... and trepidation. "He was the one who killed Zin and I's parents?"
All Might nodded. Katsuki scowled.
"If that masked bastard did it, then how are she and her brother alive?" He asked, crossing his arms as he looked at the former pro hero. "He's not the sort of guy to leave a job half-finished. Right, All Might?"
"You're not wrong, young Bakugo. He may have been trying to set them against each other from the very start, but it's difficult to give a certain answer right now," All Might replied before frowning deeply. "Sorry. I came here hoping to alleviate your burdens, but I only ended up adding onto them. The closer we are to finding answers, the farther away we seem to get from them – as is often the case wherever that man is involved."
"It's alright, All Might-sensei," Miyuki assured her teacher. "It has helped me get closer to the truth in some way, at least."
"I'm glad, then," All Might said with a smile. "Tsukauchi-Kun and I will keep looking into it." He noticed the small crease between her brow and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Do not despair, young Sasaki. We won't rest until we uncover the full truth behind this."
But what if the truth isn't the one we hoped for? She asked internally as she thanked All Might. She and Katsuki continued making their way to the front door, a somnambulant silence settling between them as they went.
The past...
Katsuki looked at her from the corner of his vision, noting her quiet expression before looking away. He put his hands in his pocket, feeling for the picture until he grasped it in his hand.
The white butterfly's wings fluttered vigorously as it flew off of the collar of All Might's shirt towards Class 1-A's dormitory building. It ascended higher and higher, going past the block of U.A. dorm structures, well over the cultivated forest lit by the moon and the school's gates, until it reached the top of the campus's main building.
The insect's wings gradually began to beat more slowly as it neared the pale palm open for its return. As soon as it landed there, it dissipated into a bright mist that shimmered in front of his face briefly, brightening his blue eyes more than the moon's rays that illuminated his silver hair, gently tousled by the late night breeze.
Zin frowned, closing his hand. His hair hooded his eyes as he slowly climbed to his feet and surveyed the spacious expanse of U.A. that lay before him.
'All for One...?'
He fished out a raven's feather from his pocket and ate it. Seconds later, a pair of dark wings sprouted on his back.
The silver-haired youth hummed under his breath. He stepped towards the edge of the building and tilted forward, dropping like a stone to the ground below before opening his wings mere inches above the ground and taking off into the night.
The past... can be as untraceable an unseen path as the future...