The sky was soft with early sunlight, filtering through tree branches and spilling over the streets like a warm memory. Hikari stood in front of the quaint little café she used to sneak off to as a child—just a short walk from the Todoroki estate. This corner of the city held echoes of an old life she wasn’t sure she belonged to anymore. But today, she was ready to face one of the hardest ghosts.
Shoto.
She picked the spot deliberately. Familiar. Safe. Almost like home.
As he stepped into view, the world seemed to still. The quiet air cracked with unspoken history. He was taller now—still lean, still composed—but his eyes, mismatched and vivid, carried something heavier than before. Time had sculpted him into a man, but it hadn’t erased the boy she once knew.
When he saw her, he slowed. His expression unreadable—for a moment—then softened.
“Hey,” she said, the word catching in her throat more than she expected.
“You haven’t changed as much as I thought,” he replied, voice quieter than she remembered, but warmer too.
She smiled faintly. “You have. But I don’t mean that in a bad way. You… grew into yourself.”
They sat across from each other, and for a moment, silence reigned. Not uncomfortable—just... fragile. Shoto stirred his tea while she traced patterns on the side of her cup.
“You didn’t leave because you wanted to,” he said eventually. “Did you?”
Hikari froze. Then, with a slow exhale, she met his eyes.
“No,” she whispered. “I ran because I had to. Not from you… from everything else. From what they did to me. From what I was becoming.”
He didn’t flinch. He didn’t look away. He just nodded—once—like he’d known, but needed to hear it.
“Being a lab rat for the League of Villains wasn’t something I asked for. I was a child. And they saw me as a weapon. My Quirks… the experiments… I still have nightmares, Sho. But I’m trying. Every day.”
His jaw tightened. He reached across the table, resting his fingers over hers.
“You don’t owe me an apology. But I’m glad you came back. Even if it’s just for today.”
Hikari blinked away the sting in her eyes. She hated crying—especially in front of him—but there was comfort in how steady he felt. Like the cold he wielded had finally turned soft.
“You applied to UA too, didn’t you?” she asked, forcing a lighter tone.
He nodded.
She smiled again, brighter this time. “If we both do well on the exam… maybe you can spend the night at my place after. A break from… our dear old dad.”
That earned the smallest smirk. “Still calling him that, huh?”
“He hasn’t earned anything better.”
They lingered a little longer, talking about nothing and everything. Shoto told her about training, about Fuyumi, about the walls he was still tearing down. Hikari told him about the nightmares, about healing slowly, and about how Midoriya had stayed by her side through it all.
When the time came to leave, she hesitated.
“I made a promise,” she said softly. “To meet someone. My other… parent.”
Shoto’s gaze darkened—but not with judgment. “You going to be okay?”
“Yeah.” She stood and turned toward the door. Then looked back. “Thanks for meeting me. I’ve missed this.”
“Me too,” he said. “You know… I don’t want to lose you again.”
She didn’t answer with words. Just a small, knowing look.
Down at Dagobah Beach, Midoriya was huffing from the weight of hauling trash, sweat plastering his hair to his forehead. His hands were blistered, arms sore—but he didn’t stop.
And then he saw her.
Hikari.
Talking—casually—to All Might, as if nothing in the world was strange about it.
His eyes widened. “What the—Hikari?!”
She turned and grinned like he’d just shown up for lunch. “Took you long enough.”
All Might chuckled beside her, arms crossed over his plain white T-shirt, green cargo pants catching the breeze.
“You’re late, young Midoriya.”
Midoriya blinked. “Wait—what? Since when do you two know each other?”
Hikari rubbed the back of her neck. “It’s… kind of complicated.”
All Might, still smiling but gentler now, said, “It’s alright. He deserves to know.”
So they told him. About five years ago. About the kidnapping. About the fear that the world would use Hikari against him if they knew she was his daughter. About how only a handful of heroes ever knew the truth.
Midoriya stood silent for a long time.
“So… you’re… his daughter?”
Hikari gave him a sheepish shrug.
“But… why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, voice cracking.
“Because if I told you… you’d look at me different,” she said. “I just wanted to be Hikari. Not All Might’s secret.”
He nodded slowly, heart still catching up to his head. “Okay… well… that explains a lot.”
After a few minutes, Midoriya turned to All Might again.
“So once I get this Quirk thing under control… will Hikari help train me too?”
Hikari stepped forward, throwing an arm around his shoulders.
“Of course, dummy. But you’re on your own with the 500-pound tire pulls. I’m taking a break from Ka-Chan.”
She looked out over the ocean as wind stirred her hair.
And for once… it didn’t sting to look back.
ns3.133.115.178da2
and then Add to home screen.