Musume

It was nearing the end of his self-appointed break when he sat Yumi down for an important chat. Not that he’d postponed it because he was nervous, no sir!

But it was with a bit of trepidation ―not nervousness! ―that he explained to the little girl about his job and his condition.

She’d taken it better than he’d thought, but of course she didn’t remember her life previous to him so she didn’t have the same hero worship towards All Might as others her age did.

In fact, the part she’d taken the worst was when he’d explained about his injury and how it affected him. She’d fretted over him alright then. And maybe he’d downplayed it a bit at that, not wanting to worry her, but he had a feeling she hadn’t fallen for his act.

So when the time came for him to return to his patrolling routines, she’d been eying him with badly hidden worry.

She’d spend the time he was out with a hired tutor, who’d get her ready to start school after they were done moving into their new apartment. Well, she wouldn’t actually be up to the level of her classmates, rationally it was impossible to expect that, but she’d be having extra classes for that so she was only getting a head start on that.

HPBNAHPBNAHPBNA

He’d overdone it.

Again.

It was his first day back and he’d just had to push it. At least it hadn’t been anything too big that he’d had to deal with, just a good number of minor crimes and a couple of emergencies.

But the thing was he’d still pushed it a bit too much. And ended up having to get back home on train, which took three hours because of the actual distance and him getting lost because of how unused he was to the train system.

Yumi’s tutor had called him an hour after the agreed time when he should’ve shown up, saying she was sorry but she couldn’t stay longer.

So when he finally got home, more tired than he’d been in the whole last month, he was also feeling guilty over leaving Yumi alone for two whole hours. His first day back on the job and he was already messing up his duties as adoptive father.

Although it didn’t make the guilt go away, he was relieved to find he needn’t have worried. She was asleep on the couch, dressed in her cute little All Might pyjamas.

With a sigh of relief, he walked to the wardrobe and took out a blanket that he spread over the sleeping girl before sitting on a nearby armchair and just watching her for a while sleep, her chest falling and rising with each calm breath.

And when she was woken up by her nightmares, he was there to console and guard her.

HPBNAHPBNAHPBNA

When he opened the door after the doorbell rung so early in the morning that he’d barely gotten out of bed, the person he found on the other side was probably the last he’d ever expected.

Completely against his usual behaviour, Sir Nighteye strode past him without a word, even bumping into his shoulder as he crossed through the door.

Eyebrows up to his hairline, Toshinori closed the door again and turned to the man who’d been his sidekick and friend for five years before their opinions about what path he should follow after receiving that fatal injury tore them apart.

He observed him warily, taking in the agitated breathing and anger in his eyes. It was different from the last time, but he was equally as out of himself as when he predicted All Might’s death.

“Sir Nighteye.” He greeted slowly. “What brings you here?”

The dark-haired man stood half-turned, his attention having focused on the contents of the living room table. It wasn’t anything strange, actually, just a few crayons and a half-finished drawing, but it was probably what it represented that had his attention.

Sir Nighteye raised a stack of papers on his left hand, one he hadn’t noticed him carrying, but he was still eyeing the paper on the table.

“What were you thinking? Were you thinking at all? A child!? And I have to find out through these?”

Toshinari sighed; so that’s what this was all about. He reached a hand out for the papers on his hand, already having a good idea of what they were.

Anything pertaining to his identity as Yagi Toshinori was confidential and kept under lock and key at All Might’s Hero Agency. But of course Sir Nighteye had access to it.

He didn’t need to read anything other than the top words on the file to know that he’d been right about its content. It was the adoption papers, which his lawyer must have sent ―like all his other documentation― to the Agency.

He said nothing, though, just looking at his old sidekick and waiting to see what he had to say that he’d come all the way here in person.

“Are you going to explain?”

“What is there to explain? I thought the papers were pretty clear.” He shrugged.

There was a moment of silence in which they just looked at each other and then...

“When I said you should retire, I didn’t mean for you to adopt some child but for you to find a successor, All Might.” Growled Sir Nighteye.

“I haven’t retired.” He shot back, eyes hard.

Sir Nighteye seemed taken aback at his statement.

“Why the hell did you do this then? You’re in no fit state to take care of yourself, much less a child on top of that!” ranted the younger man. “You can’t keep on like this, All Might! And now you want to add a child to all this mess!?”

The blonde’s eyes narrowed even as he shot a careful look at the corridor leading to the rest of the house.

“Lower your voice, Nighteye.” He hissed. “And I don’t have to explain myself to you. You’ve made your opinion clear, but this is my choice to make, not yours.”

“So I’m supposed to stand aside and watch as you kill yourself by trying to shoulder the world? What will happen when you die? Who will succeed you if you don’t even take the time to look for someone to pass on your power? The Symbol of Peace will die with you if you keep this up!”

“That is my problem, not yours! And I will find a successor, when the time is right. But now it is not.”

“Now is the perfect time, when you are still strong enough to train them! You can’t keep fighting! It’s going to kill you!”

“I told you to lower your voice.” Growled the blonde.

Sir Nighteye didn’t listen to him, though. He was too invested on his tirade.

“I know you want to help everyone, it’s something I have always admired in you, but you know it’s not actually possible! This must stop! You need to start seriously thinking about the future, not adopting children on a whim!”

“That’s not what happe-”

“You can’t let something like that distract you, you need to focus on finding the next All Might and fast! Or your dream of peace will vanish!”

“She is not a distraction!”

“You can’t take on a child at this moment! You’ve got bigger things to worry about! Think about the world, All Might! What is the world against just one child? There’s more people to take them in!”

At that he just snapped. He was angry. No, he was furious. And he was so tired of people questioning his decisions where it concerned his own life… he’d given everything up for the sake of the world! He still was! And now his friend, one of his most trusted, wanted him to give up something else? Something that he knew was right?

“She is not just a child! She is my child! My daughter! And no matter what you say, that won’t change.”

They stare at each other, their breaths loud in the silent living room. None of them backs down, both sure that they are right.

And it was the first time he said it aloud, he realised. That she was his daughter. But it was the truth. She may have only been under his care for a couple of months, but she’d stolen his heart that first night he’d found her. Alone, scared, defenceless.

His mind had been made up for a while already.

A small scuffling sound from the door made them break their staring match.

She was in the corridor, a small hand gripping onto the wooden doorframe and her face a mix of sleepiness and confusion. She must’ve woken up to their argument.

He took in a deep breath, trying to will himself back to calmness and smiling a little forcedly at her.

“Yumi-hime, what are you doing awake? It’s still early.” He said in English.

She looked down at the floor and he heard her mutter something but didn’t understand what she said.

“Can you repeat that?”

“I heard voices.”

“Oh, yeah, sorry about that. My friend and I got a bit carried away…”

He could almost see her doubts as she looked at his ‘friend’, but she didn’t say anything and he was grateful for that.

“Come here, Yumi-hime, I’ll introduce you.”

She took a few hesitant steps into the room at his prompting, coming to stand directly next to him. There was curiosity in her eyes, but she was also obviously worried at all the shouting she must have heard. He put a hand on top of her head, his smile softening slightly as she held onto the hem of his too long shirt, bunching it up in a small fist.

He felt it when she tensed as Sir Nighteye approached them and he looked up, his brow furrowing. His old friend had barely paid her a passing glance.

“You are not going to change your mind on this matter?” asked Sir Nighteye, face to face.

“Never.” He answered, firm, with no doubts.

“Then we have nothing else to discuss.” Said the man. “I will not be a part of your downfall, I already told you this.”

With that the man walked around them, not even giving him a chance to answer as he strode towards the door. He half turned to follow his progress, but his hand was still resting on top of Yumi’s and he didn’t take a step.

“She is not in your future, All Might. I’ve seen it; nothing has changed. She doesn’t feature in your life at all. You’re going to throw away all these years for nothing…”

With those parting words, Sir Nighteye left. His heart clenched at the mere thought and he looked down at those worried green eyes peering trustingly up at him.

Sir Nighteye was wrong in this.

Because to him everything had changed since he found the little girl and set out to become a father.

And somehow, he found out that fulfilling that paper seemed a hundred times scarier than being a Professional Hero.

“I don’t think your friend liked me.” He heard Yumi mutter.

He didn’t think it was that. Sir Nighteye hadn’t wanted to like her. He hadn’t given himself a chance to. Hadn’t even let him introduce them both.

“Well, that’s his loss, isn’t it? Come on, Yumi-hime, growing girls need their breakfast!”

The adoption papers laid sprawled on the living room’s floor where they had slipped from Sir Nighteye’s hand, but he ignored them as he herded the little girl out of the room and towards the kitchen.

It didn’t matter what Sir Nighteye thought or saw; he’d prove him wrong this once.

Yumi was his daughter and he wasn’t giving her up.