A Looming Shadowy Presence

• 1 Day Later

• Musutafu Municipal Hospital

I woke up and saw that I was still in the hospital *I am still in the hospital... so it wasn't all just a dream* I thought as I stood up and walked to the sanitation room to splash some water on my face. I opened the door, walked inside and turned the tap allowing water to flow out. I clasped my hands together and let water gather in my hands before splashing it on my face and then repeating it 2 more times before stopping and looking at myself in the mirror *What in the world happened? What is happening to me?!* I thought as I looked into my dark, black deadpan eyes through the mirrors reflection before walking out of the sanitation room and back into my hospital room.The door to the hallway opened as I closed the sanitation room door and someone walked in.

It was the doctor who'd been treating me for the past 3 weeks "Oh you're awake now I see and how are you doing today?" He said as he walked to the otherside of the room and picked up a clipboard, I then walked closer to him "I never got the opportunity to formally thank you sir for treating me for the past 3 weeks and I would humbly like to apologize if I was in any way a burden to you" I said before I bowed my head down in respect. The doctor shocked then chuckled and looked back at me "Well then I just want to say it was no burden at all having to look after you for these past few weeks as it was fascinating to see the changes occurring with your body" he said as I stood back up and he continued "And I must say you certainly have a way with words, it is the first time in years that I have heard someone speak such a great vocabulary, you must be well taught"

*Well taught? Now that I think about it I am not speaking as I usually would, I don't normally use the word burden so what changed?* I thought before the doctor spoke again saying "Well since you're already up I need to give you a physical exam before I can write you off as fit to be discharged or not as your family is here and are ready to leave with you" I then nodded my head and he began the physical. After about 35 minutes of the doctor checking my body's proportions and scanning my body because because my body changed drastically and him giving me a standard physical examination aswell as him writing on his clipboard the doctor then placed his clipboard down "Well this is astonishing you are in better condition than when you arrived but I mean that is pretty obvious by how much you've recovered" he said before he sat down "I must say this is astounding, your body has grown exponentially, with the added muscle mass increase and the sizes of all your organs increased to better suit your body now and you seem to have grown some horns on your head but your hair is currently long enough to conceal them" he continued.

The doctor then stood up "You're in the best condition of any patient in this facility that means you are more than fit to be discharged, so now while I go and get the paperwork ready you can wait here I'll send your family in and once all the paperwork is ready, your parents will sign them and you'll be officially discharged so just sit tight and they'll be here in a minute" the doctor said but before he could leave I called out to him "Wait Dr. Kenji I want to ask you of something" I said stopping the doctor in his tracks "I would like to ask of you to please tell my parents that I will need new clothes as my old clothes would not fit me anymore" I said as the doctor remembered that I grew tall crazy fast "Oh my apologies I hadn't noticed don't worry I will tell your parents to bring you a change of clothes so just relax" he said as he walked out of the room and closed the door.

• 5 minutes later

The door to the hallway opened and 2 people walked in one of them being my father whose name is Kunisaku Mineta and the other being my older sister Aiko Mineta. I then stood up and a dead silence could be heard throughout the room as my sister and father were staring at me with an expression of shock written all over their faces.

We stood in this room of complete silence for what felt like an hour before my father closed his eyes, took a deep breath and exhaled before his expression changed *There is no conceivable way... my father... is smiling?!* I thought as my face then gained an expression of shock this being because neither of my parents have ever smiled let alone at me or my sister genuinely in the last decade as the last time they ever genuinely smiled was when I was about 4 years old. It's not that I was neglected, abused or anything because of my quirk seeming weak or anything it's just that when my quirk manifested my parents were not happy. I don't exactly know why but ever since my quirk manifested my parents have been very overprotective of me by having me watched nearly 24/7 and had me under 20h care but whenever my parents had some free time they'd spend all of that time with me and my sister which was great that they cared for me so much but I always felt bad as it seemed like they completely forgot to take care of themselves.

My sister on the other hand was confused as she looked at both the expression of our fathers face change from shock to one of happiness and the expression on my face turn from nervousness to shock. My father then said "It finally happened after so long it's over" I then caught what he had said and before I could ask what he meant *It's over?* my mother rushed into the room with clothes hung over her arm and she was shocked to say the least her expression was the same as my father's when he first saw me but in the matter of a second she tried and successfully failed to hold in her tears as she began tearing up alot but she smiled at the same time once I saw her smile and seeing both my parents genuinely smile after so long... I began to cry tears of joy and I knew they finally smiled genuinely as they're genuine smiles had always made me happy, before they had changed and gave of a dull feeling that made it clear it was a forced smile.

My parents then rushed me with open arms and hugged me. The thought of my parents being genuinely happy moved from my mind to my heart where this thought turned into warm feelings in my heart with these feelings then coursing from my heart and back into my mind. These feelings I felt and processed were of sweet bliss and as much as I wanted to hug my parents back... buf I couldn't... something was holding me back from hugging them back but at the time I didn't think much of it. My parents let me go after a little while "Alright then now before anything else here Minoru, take these new clothes and put them on, I unfortunately had no way of knowing how tall you would've grown since as soon as I heard the doctor say you grew taller and needed new clothes I immediately rushed to the nearest clothing store so I bought a lot of different sizes, I'll return the smaller clothes back to the store later but for now I want you to put on these new clothes I bought for you." my mother said as she gave me a set piece of clothing.

I obliged and took the clothes my mother handed to me and looked at the clothes before realizing "Uhh mom, dad and Aiko could you three uhh... please give me some space to change?" I said as my parents and sister then walked out of the room and waited outside. The clothes she got me were a Adidas Black and White T Shirt, White Ripped Jeans, a NYC black cap, grey boxers some socks and a pair of black and white Nike Dunk High Retro shoes.

After putting the clothes on I went out of the room and into the hallway to meet the gaze of my parents and sister. My parents were glad to see me, they then walked over to me "Now Minoru we know that you have alot of questions and we'll try our best to answer them for you when the time is right but for now it is best that we get you discharged and then take you back home before anything else alright?" my father said to which I nodded my head and walked to the front desk with my family *It feels so strange... my father and mother are genuinely happy for once, I haven't seen them like this in years... the feeling of knowing my parents are actually genuinely smiling right now feels... amazing* I thought to myself before my sister tapped me on my shoulder to get my attention.

• Mineta Aiko:

• Older Sister to Mineta Minoru

• UA 2nd Year Student

• Exceptional hand to hand combatant

• Height: 5'7ft

• Hero Name: Queen Flux

• Likes: Family, Red Bean Buns, Training, Dogs and Cats

• Dislikes: Villains, Bullies, Insects

• Quirk name: Liquid Steel

• Quirk type: Half Mutation

• Quirk Description:

User can secret a purple liquid like substance from their body hair and choose to either harden said liquid to create near impenetrable organic body armor that is 10x - 20x denser than steel or keep it in its liquid state to slip through restraints and tight spaces. Quirk also allows user to continuously secret substance, shape it and harden it into hand held weapons that are sharp enough to cut through stone.

• Quirk Defects:

The users skin becomes 4x-5x more sentive when user deactivates quirk after usage over extended periods of time, skin sensitivity increases when quirk is used multiple times a day aswell and can reach up to 10x more sensitive than normal and user is more prone to get sick from extended exposure to natural elements such as cold and heat after usage of quirk.

My sister then came close up to me and whispered to me `Minoru did you realize mom and dad are genuinely happy?` I then came closer to her `I did and I must say am I very surprised myself at this` I whispered to her as we walked behind our parents towards the reception. `Oh my has little Mino become more fluent in Japanese after just being at UA for a little over 1 semester?` my sister whispered to me teasingly `I thought that we had agreed that you would stop addressing me by that name` I whispered back to her `We did but that was about me calling you Little Mino but now that you're taller I should stop since you're no longer short` she whispered back to me "Thank yo-" I said before she cut me off and said "That said I'll stop calling you Little Mino and I'll just start calling you Mino from now on" to which I responded with "How is that any better it is still degrading to be addressed that way by my older sister" I said as she put her hand on my shoulder "It's not that bad but still I won't stop calling you by Mino... unless you make sure you stop being reckless" she said as she stopped and the mood between us shifted.

"Mino being a hero... it's hard work and it's not just physically hard work... but its mentally hard work too" I then looked at her worried what she was going to say next "You see the media might not show it but... heroes don't get just physically exhausted but mentally too... there aren't just positives when it comes to being a hero" she said as she looked down at the floor with her hair and a shadow covering her eyes "When you become a hero you are going to be given choices... the choices will impact how you'll see hero culture and the hero society as a whole" she said as she took a deep breath and exhaled "While most heroes do end up making it, there are those that don't and sometimes being a hero takes a toll mentally and physically on half of the heroes that do make it and they either end up quiting or breaking down from the stress, exhaustion and expectations placed on them..." she said.

She then continued with "And while some of those that broke down do get back up and recover there are the others that stay broken and end up remaining as shadows of their former selves" as she said this she then grabbed my shoulder, looked up and revealed tears flowing down her face "Please Mino promise me that whatever happens from here on out you'll stay safe and you will come to me if you ever need help... Please promise me" she said to which I then grabbed her wrist and removed her hand from my shoulder "Don't worry Aiko I promise I will be careful and I will come to you if I ever need help and to prove that if I ever need your help or you need mine or anyone else's help and you're unable to ask for it just remember this phrase: I am currently stronger than anyone else in all of Japan" I said as I smiled at her and patted her on her head <shouting!!> I heard our parents at the reception calling out to us "C'mon we gotta go or else mom and dad will leave without us" I said as I turned around and walked towards reception.

• Mineta Aiko:

I whipped my tears away and watched as my brother walked towards our parents *I really hope Mino takes care of himself... just knowing he was in that condition when he was found in his dorm room is heart breaking but Mino is right he'll be ok and now I'll know if he'll ever really need my help.* `I am currently stronger than anyone else in Japan...` I whispered to myself the phrase Minoru told me as I then giggled and smiled *It really does seem like he'll take my advice for once I just hope this bad feeling I have isn't anything to worry about* I thought to myself before I looked over to my brother and saw a shadow figure following him by his side *What is that shadow thing following Mino!!?* I thought to myself before I rubbed my eyes and looked again to see that the shadow figure was gone *What was that!? Is it part of the bad feeling I'm having right now!? Or am I hallucinating! That's gotta be it there's no other explanation... I really hope that's the case.* I thought to myself trying to make sense of what I just saw as I began walking towards the front desk.

• Shadow Figure:

Appears discretely behind Aiko as she walks away *Huh so it seems like the sister was able to see me or at the very least partially sense my presence* the shadow figure thought as they crossed its arms *It seems like I will have to be more careful not to get caught so I will have to keep an eye on that sister of his* the person said as they then began to silently chuckle to themself *This is just the beginning and yet it is already getting so interesting* they thought as they stopped chuckling and disappeared.

• Mineta Minoru:

While sitting the waiting area for my parents to finish signing the discharge papers I couldn't help but feel as though something was wrong as for some reason my sister was now on edge even after I promised her I'd be careful and less reckless from now on but it seemed that she was calming down so I didn't bother asking her what was wrong and just left her to calm down and I would try and ask her later. My parents after signing the discharge paperwork then walked over to the waiting area where Aiko and I were siting. "Well now, the paperwork is signed and you are now disarged Minoru" my father said as he stood over us with a staggering height of 6'1ft *I always forget how tall my father is... his height is sometimes intimidating no wonder he's part of the ________ corporations board of directors, a man of great intelligence in the world of business, high moral ethics and importance to his company making him one of the most trusted and honest business men in Japan* I thought to myself as I looked up to my father and standing to my father's left was my mother.

"And you know what, why don't we go out for ice-cream while we're at it to celebrate Minoru's recovery" my mother said as she shook her arms up and down and smiled brightly *And then there is my mother, standing at 5'9ft which isn't all that tall but considering that fact that the average height of a woman is about 5'6ft to 5'7ft it really puts into perspective how tall my mother is compared to the average woman, she is also very competitive and knows how to get serious in an instant, she is also a construction director that doesn't care how she does it but will make sure she completes her goals which is a scary trait of hers that sometimes leaks out whenever she isn't at work* I thought while looking at my mother.

Me and Aiko stood up and followed our parents towards the hospital lobby doors, `Excuse me could you please tell me where we could find Mineta Minoru?` I heard off to the left side. In response I quickly glanced to see where I heard the question come from and out of the corner of my eye I saw 3 people at the reception `I'm sorry but he isn't in anymore, he got discharged just now he left with his parents and sister just now` I heard the receptionist tell the 3 people `Wait if he just got discharged that means he's still close let's try and find him` I heard the 1 of the 3 people say as we walked out of the hospital lobby doors *I wonder who those people that were looking for me were and what they wanted from me* I thought as I walked to my parents car with them before getting in the car and leaving the hospital `Hey over there that car that's leaving is his dad's car` I heard outside as we left. `Don't worry man we'll hopefully see him tomorrow it's just good know he's ok let's go back to school` I heard as we pulled out of the parking lot *School..? Are they from UA... then those 3 could've been Kaminari, Sero and Shoji* I thought as I leaned my head against the door and drifted off to sleep.

• 1 hour later

After getting ice-cream with my parents and sister, our parents took us home for us to rest and not stress about school for a day. The car stopped infront of our house gate, our house had an electric gate, while we were well off by no means were we wealthy or rich and our parents never let that cloud our thinking of us being just the same as everyone else which is partly the reason why I never told anyone about my family or life before UA, *It has been so long since I have been home... it feels sort of nostalgic* I thought to myself as my dad drove into the driveway as the gate closed but all I could do was stare at our big house, it was a 2 story house and while 2 story houses aren't all too common in Musutafu our house was one of those houses.

My dad then stopped the car infront of the garage, turned the car off and we all got out of the car "Well then I suppose we should all get in and rest up after everything that's happened in the past few weeks especially you Minoru" my father said as he locked the car and put his keys in his pocket as we all walked inside the house.

We then stood outside the front door <Click!> could be heard as someone unlocked and opened the front door "Hello Mr. And Ms. Mineta, how was your day today and have you returned with young Minoru yet? If I remember you are having him get discharged today" said the house keeper as she moved out the way of the door and bowed her head down as we all walked in "Hello Ms. Hana" I said as I stood infront of Hana who was our housekeeper before she stood back up "Why hello young Minoru it is a pleasure to have you back home and I hope you have fully recov-" she said as she was standing back up but stopped as she only realized that I looked different "Oh my young Minoru you look so different, I never expected you to come home and look so different from just being away from home for only a semester" she said as she covered her mouth in shock "I suppose even I never expected this change and I am still trying to process this change myself" I replied as I held my hand up and looked and my palms.

"If anyone needs me I will be in my room and please do not bother me unless it is important" I said as I walked towards the stairs "Well get some rest and relax Minoru but after today you will be going back to school tomorrow" my mother said as she walked past me with Hana following by her side "It's alright mom I just... I just need some space..." I said as I sighed and walked up the stairs and towards my bedroom. I then walked through the hallway and stopped right infront of my bedroom door *I can't believe that it's been a whole semester since I was last in my old room* I thought as I took in a deep breath and exhaled as I grabbed the door handle and opened the door.

My room was still in the same condition I left it in when we got moved into the dorms yet it was still kept clean *Aw my room still has all my Mt. Lady and Midnight posters* I thought as I looked over to my bed, I then looked over to my computer desk *And my computer is also here I suppose I never really thought I'd need it at school since I took my laptop* I thought as I walked over to my computer and checked if it would turn on *Hmm it seems that my computer isn't working rightniw... I will have to get it checked out soon* I thought as I then looked over to a empty book case *Oh yeah I took all my manga and comics with me to UA... and I still didn't finish reading them all* I thought as I tapped my foot on the ground before walking towards my bed and falling on top of it *I am so tired of today and everything that has happened in the last few weeks* I thought as I layed down on my bed and closed my eyes hoping to process everything that's happened so far.

As I layed down I heard someone calling me /Minoru🎵~... Minoru🎵~/ I opened my eyes and shot up to look at the door *Who was that... I know someone was calling me just now* I thought as I kept staring at the door "Ms. Hana... is that you calling me?" I said but got no response which confused me /Minoru🎵~ I'm over here/ I heard. I then looked over to my computer desk and saw a confusing sight *What the hell is that... it looks like a shadow!?* I thought before the shadow figure then stood up /Hello Minoru how does it feel to be back home after a whole semester/ the shadow figure said *What the hell what is this. It can speak but it's like it's speaking right in my head... am I going insane?* I thought as I put my hands on sides of my head to make sense of what's going on *I am hallucinating... yeah that's right that is the only explanation* I thought as I took my bands off of my head /Oh no Minoru... you aren't hallucinating in the slightest... I am standing right infront of you/ the shadow figure said as they walked closer to my bedside *What the hell... can it read my thoughts!?* I thought as I flinged back /Yes I can read your thoughts... well I suppose it's more like I can hear everything you think and vice versa that's how you can hear me so clearly/ the shadow figure said as they stopped halfway to my bed from the computer.

*That's it... I have completely lost it-- I have gone insane!* I thought as I then nervously smiled /You haven't gone insane Minoru everything happening right now is real/ the shadow figure said as they then seemed to chuckle a little /OH YEAH... then what the hell are you, who the hell are you and what do you want with me!!?/ I said angrily as I then balled my hand into a fist and punched the wall next to my bed slightly cracking it.

/Oh dear Minoru🎵~ ever since 10 years ago I've been the only one that's been the closest to you... for the past decade I've known the real you, I know how you really feel, how you really want to be, why you put on a mask and act like how you act, I know who you want to be, I also know why you pretend to be someone you are not and most of all I know what you really are!!/ said the shadow figure as they walked closer to the bed, stopped infront of the bed, grabbed my collar and pulled me closer to them to meet they're pitch black eyes /And after all we've been through... after the amount of suffering and pain we went through you forgot about it all just to cope and after we met for the first time in a long time you immediately forgot about me!?/ he said yelling at me as I couldn't look at anything other than in his deep, dark eyes

/WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!!? I DON'T KNOW WHO OR WHAT YOU ARE!!/  I yelled at him trying to hide my fear and hold back my tears.

/You really are similar to a broken vase but unless you're rebuilt from the ground up there really is no fixing you, no matter how hard you try/ he said as he let go of my collar, pushed me back against the wall, turned around and walked 3 steps away from my bed with his hands behind his back /I suppose it's to be expected but I'll be sure to rebuild the broken vase to be stronger and tougher than before/ he said as he then turned around /But you don't need to worry I'll turn you into what you were meant to be from the beginning so that we can fix our destiny, to change it to be what we want it to be/ he said as the black shadows around the shadow figure began to disperse from them like black smoke /But for the sake of us being able to communicate properly I'll answer your 1 question./ he said as then turned to look me in the eyes to which I realized he looked just like me /You asked me who or what I am right? Well then the answer is pretty simple... I am you... I am the real you... I am the real Minoru Mineta whose been locked away and forced to observe you for 10 years... I am also known as the Final Byproduct of Project N1 but you can call me Morphose and I am at your service.../ he said as he then took his right arm placed it under by his stomach and bowed down /It should be a true pleasure working with you and to restore what was lost <chuckles>/ he said as he began chuckling maniacally after which he disappeared leaving me alone and in a state of shock, confusion, disbelief and fear all mixed together in my head as I sat alone inside my dead quiet bedroom on my bed struggling to make sense of what just happened.