------Author's Note------

Hey guys!

As the chapter banner, I've made my own drawing of Koto and Annie. It's not amazing, but I've been trying to practice and I'm really proud of myself.

Koto's POV
(Saturday the 27th)

So, "house" isn't exactly the right word for where we're standing right now. The building in the middle of a large stretch of land is more along the lines of a "small mansion." As Kati and Jupiter struggle to get his wings out of Kati's small car--he had insisted on sitting in the back so he'd have room for them--I take in the view. 

The long, winding driveway snakes through the perfectly green lawn to a small roundabout with a fountain in the middle, both sides flanked with shrubbery and colorful flowers. The mansion-house is a pale tan with rustic stone brick features and a gabled roof. Large windows that must let in a ton of light sparkle in the sun, almost blinding me. An older gardener waves to me as I approach the house and I warily wave back, wishing I could've put on nicer clothes. 

"Les' go!" Jupiter shouts, taking my arm to skip up the walk. I catch a glimpse of Kati on his other side, blushing furiously as he pulls her along. He lets go of us to clear the stairs in a single leap. I feel the rush of wind that lets me know he used his wings, invisible in the sun. 

The boy knocks on the door with much bravado as Kati and I take the stairs up behind him. I examine the etching of vines on the large wooden doors when I hear footsteps from the other side. My nerves tangle with my stomach a bit, bringing back my nausea from earlier in the day. 

The heavy looking wooden door is pulled open to reveal a taller gentleman with curly grey hair piled on his head. His age-worn face breaks out in a large grin as his obsidian eyes rake over us, settling on Jupiter. 

"Nightwing, my boy!" He exclaims jovially. "Came by to visit this old soul, did ya? Who're your friends?"

Jupiter turns to his left, gesturing to Kati. "This is my friend, Kati Jessop. She's a business student at the local high school and this..." he turns to me as if looking for the right words.

I step forward and bow low before the man. "M-my name is Koto Yamada. I'm Meg's g-granddaughter." 

I clench my jaw shut, scared to look up until I feel a hand on my shoulder. I allow my eyes to meet his as they seem to search my soul. Deep in his eyes, I see the same mischievous glitter that often brightened my grandmother's. I thought I'd never see it again. 

"I see her in your face," he says after a long moment of examining me. He extends his arms towards me and wraps me in a tight hug. "So much has happened to you and at such a young age..." I hear him sniffle in my ear as I tentatively hug him back. "I can't imagine..."

He backs away to look at me again with tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "Well, I can't leave you out here. C'mon, all of you, I just made some lemonade."

He ushers us through the grand doors into the large foyer. The tall windows above the door cast light into the warmly painted room with rich hardwood floors that I'm sure are very fun to slide on with socks. We take off our shoes on the mat and follow Daniel through his house. 

A staircase with a sturdy wooden banister extends up to the second floor on the left of the entrance hall. A burgundy painted office is through the doorway on the rightmost wall. Further into the house is a granite masterpiece of a kitchen, an opulent dining room, and a cozy living room with leather furniture. Adorning the walls are countless canvases displaying rustic countrysides, French cafes, and Danish tulip fields. I recognize the handiwork as that of my great grandfather, Ryan.

Jupiter immediately plops down onto a large couch, seemingly tucking his wings by the way the leather ripples behind him. The older gentleman goes back to the kitchen as Kati and I situate ourselves on either side of Jupiter. The boy puts a hand on my arm gently as the sound of clinking glasses comes from the kitchen. 

"What was he saying about what happened to you?" He asks quietly. Kati just puts her hand on his shoulder and shakes her head. 

"L-later," I mumble, looking away. 

Daniel walks over with a tray of glasses and a pitcher of lemonade, shakily putting it down on the coffee table and beginning to serve us. "I don't recall seeing you at the funeral," he says, passing me a glass. 

My heart feels as though it's going through a hydraulic press. Of course he didn't see me there. Why didn't we come back? All of a sudden, I feel a strong surge of anger against Uncle Mic. Why didn't he bring me back? 

"But I guess I understand the circumstances," he continues, passing glasses of lemonade to my friends. "I would've taken you in myself, but I get why my sister wanted you to live with your uncle. I couldn't have helped you much with your quirk. So what're you up to now?"

He pours himself a glass and sits back in a recliner, the leather worn to a point where it looks extremely soft, yet still durable. 

"W-well, I'm in the t-to-top hero p-program in Japan," I say, at which he pauses, lowering his drink from his lips. "UA? You m-might've heard of it."

"You're in a hero program?" He asks softly. 

I nod. "It's w-what everyone thought w-was best."

"Well, you could save a lot of people," he says, then takes a sip. He puts the glass down on the coffee table and points a shaky finger at me. "And I'm not just talking about civilians. I've heard doing hero work, doing your best for the greater good, is pretty fantastic therapy."

I think back to all the things I've seen since starting on the hero track: the USJ incident, the attack in Hosu, Midoriya constantly breaking his arms. "I'm not t-too sure ab-b-bout that," I respond with a slight shudder. "Real therapy is good too."

"Fair," he remarks. "I only suppose it could heal a guilty conscience." Taking another sip of lemonade, his obsidian eyes send a meaningful glance my way. 
I look down at my hands, seeing Jupiter wiping his own on his shorts. This must be awkward for him.

"Is th-there anything you c-can tell me about her?" I clutch my glass tight in my hands, condensation dripping down my fingers. 

Daniel's eyes get a faraway look to them as he swirls the ice in his glass. "Greatest older sister I coulda asked for. Sure, we didn't get along too well, but as we got older, more mature, things had a way of working themselves out."

"W-what about when y-you were kids?"

He grins to himself. "Ah, she was an angsty girl. Sorta a daredevil at heart. She would dare me to ride my skateboard down the roof with her, but after breaking my leg the first time, I stopped. She always called me a chicken," he says with a chuckle, "would flap her arms as she skated down the side. In all fairness, I wasn't as good with our quirk as she was. If she wasn't gonna fall right, only had to teleport to somewhere it wouldn't hurt as bad. I could never really get a hold of it. Anyways, after a while she was going to concerts every weekend, sneaking in through the window. But she tried to make time for me. Except when we were fighting which, trust me, happened all the time. I'm just glad we were friends to the end. Like she always said whenever we made up. 'We're friends till the end, Danny.'"

We're silent for a long moment before I speak up again. "So wh-what is it you've b-b-been doing?"

"Oh, well I got my doctorate in kinesiology, but that's not really important I guess. Got married, had a big loving family, and now I get to visit with the grandkids. Rather normal stuff I guess. My wife, my sweet Marie, passed a few years ago. This past Tuesday was the anniversary, so of course I paid her a visit. Otherwise, I just stay here, living my boring life."

"Wait," I interject. "Y-you were at th-the cemetery on Tuesday?"

"Yes, why?" 

I pause, thinking about my visit there. "I think I saw y-you. My hair w-was red then. I d-d-dyed it this week."

"Oh yeah," he exclaims, sitting back in his armchair. "I do remember seeing you there. I thought your resemblance to Meg was so distinct, you could've been her ghost."

"I'm t-truly v-very sorry for your loss, s-sir."

He waves a hand at me. "None of this 'sir' business, okay? I'm just your Great Uncle Danny, yeah?" I nod my head solemnly. "But thank you for the sentiment. It's been hard without her. Without both of them really. I would visit with Meg on occasion. They both kept my life interesting. Now I'm just stuck in this house."

He swirls the ice in his glass again, starting down at it, deep in thought. "Sometimes I'll go fishing. If I'm lucky, I'll get paid a visit by these hero kids." He gestures to Jupiter with a smile.

"Or my grandkids. My granddaughter is in the hero program, you see. She should be coming by any time now."

I see Jupiter and Kati tense beside me. What's their problem? Do they know her or...

Wait...

Her brown curly hair, dark blue eyes. She looks similar enough to me that it could be a familial resemblance. Not only that, but she shares some of Danny's features too...

Just as I'm about to voice my question, I hear the front door opening. I turn to look, but the wall is in the way. 
"Ah," Daniel exclaims. "In the living room!"

I hear a set of footsteps approach. Around the corner comes a petite girl with wavy brown hair in a ponytail and black eyes much like her grandfather's. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. 

"Marissa!" The man stands from his chair and puts his arms out to give the girl a hug. "What a surprise! Where's your sister?"

Wait...what?

"She's just taking forever to get her shoes off," the girl, Marissa, replies as she rolls her eyes. 

"And she doesn't appreciate your sass," another female voice says. I inadvertently let out a little squeak as I turn around to see a taller girl standing behind the couch. 

I didn't even hear her footsteps!!

"Annie, how're you?" Daniel asks, rounding the sofa to give her a hug. 

Her deep blue eyes rake over the three of us as she embraces her grandfather. "What're they doing here, Gramps?" She asks in hushed tones. 

"Just paying me a visit, Ann," he says with a grin. "Let me introduce you."

She sends a death glare my way as he leads her to the side of the couch. "Girls, this is your cousin, Koto Yamada." 

Annie blinks a couple times, then a couple more as an uncomfortable silence fills the room. 

"S-second cousin ac-ac-ctually," I correct. 

"Yes, she's my sister's only grandchild. So I guess that does make you second cousins."

"Yeah, I was about to say..." Marissa says, her eyebrows raised. "I was wondering whose she was. I wouldn't have thought either Aunt Lisa or Aunt Jessie would've had an illegitimate child."

Glancing over at Annie, I see she's still processing. Her mouth is slightly agape and she's taking me in with her scrutinizing gaze. Her eyes flicker over to Jupiter for a moment, then to Kati. Her brow creases and she looks back to me. 

"This is so cool!" Marissa exclaims, jumping. She runs over to the couch and pulls me up from my sitting position only to wrap me in a hug. "Nice to meet you!!"

"Marissa," Annie whispers harshly. The two sisters make eye contact and something silent passes between them. 

"Sorry," the younger girl mumbles, taking a step back from me. "I forget about personal space sometimes. I was just excited."

"It's okay," I respond, trying to relax my posture despite the tension flowing through the room. I put on a kind smile. "It's nice t-to meet you too." I direct the statement to both of them, hoping I can ease whatever anger Annie holds towards me. 

It doesn't make sense, though! Of course she saw me singing with him last night. I'm sure she's bummed, but she has no right to claim him!

I straighten my posture subconsciously and give her a sweet smile. 

"May I have a word?" The girl asks with an equally sweet smile, though venom runs through her words. 

"Yes, yes! Of course!" Daniel exclaims. "Get acquainted with one another! I'll go grab more glasses." With that, the man shuffles out of the room, to the kitchen as Annie ushers me towards the study. 

The moment the door closes, she rounds on me, blue eyes blazing. "What do you want?" She hisses. 

"What d-do you mean?" I ask a bit nervously, only now recognizing that the room is rather dark, making her shadow more pronounced. I try to remember what Jupiter told me about her quirk. If her shadow is pronounced, it can move around. Hopefully it doesn't come to that.

"Why are you here?"

I sigh, not exactly knowing what to do as she gets in my face. Where would lying get me? But also how much of the truth does she need to know?

"I've never b-been back here," I say. "After th-the accident I m-mean. I really j-just came back t-to visit their graves."

She blinks for a couple seconds, obviously not expecting that. "What?"

"Yup. Th-that's it," I respond, shoving my hands in my pockets. 

"But..."

"What w-were you ex-ex-expecting?"

She regards me for a long time, studying me, as if she's waiting for me to slip up. "You're not here for money?"

"Nope," I reply. 

"A place to live?"

"Literally j-just to visit."

"Oh..." She's silent for a brief moment before seemingly remembering her anger. "Then what're you doing with Jupiter?"

"W-what is this, an int-t-terrogation?" I ask, but she just glares at me to answer. "I just met him at th-the party last night. I wasn't feeling g-good, so he got m-me out of there."

"Why was that one dude up in your face?"

She saw that interaction with Bakugo, didn't she?

"L-let's just say, people d-didn't know I left."

"You left without telling anyone?" She exclaims. "What a stupid thing to do! I'm telling Gramps. He deserves to know before he tries to put you on a pedestal."

"Fine, then I'm telling him where you were last night," I retort with a smirk. "I'm sure he wouldn't like knowing his granddaughter is such a heavy drinker."

Her face becomes a deep shade of red as she takes some deep breaths, seemingly trying to calm herself down. "Then I'll do the same. Don't forget you were there too."

"Drinking age i-in Japan is younger."

"Well, you're not in Japan. You're still breaking the law."

"You were t-too," I sigh. "Look, th-this isn't getting us anywhere."

"Why should it?"

"C-cause as much as w-we don't like it, w-we're family."

"You can't just come in here after all this time and play the family card," she snaps, a force pushing at my back. Looking behind me, nothing's there, but I can assume her shadow is pushing at mine. "It's pathetic. We may be related, but you're not my family."

I exhale heavily. "Fine. B-but at least let m-me finish my talk with y-your grandfather. I know b-barely anything ab-bout my family and I th-th-thou-thought it was too late t-to ever find out."

She crosses her arms and huffs. "Fine. Just stay away from Jupiter."

"No," I immediately reply. "You have n-no right to request that. You have a p-problem."

"Look who's talking! Who runs away from home without a word?"

"Who torments people for talking to your crush who doesn't even like you back?" I breathe heavily after saying all that without stuttering. Her nostrils flare as she clenches her jaw. 

"You know nothing about him, or me for that matter. So you have no right to assume what's going on."

"M-maybe not," I reply, trying to make my voice deadly calm. "But whatever y-you're doing isn't w-working. He's n-not going to like you if y-y-you keep being s-so clingy. Even I c-can tell that."

She clicks her tongue and looks away. "He said he doesn't want to date in high school. Says it's too distracting. We're too young. I want him to know I'm still interested."

We're both silent for a long while. Why is she telling me this?

"Th-this isn't the way t-to go about that," I reply gently. "Maybe t-try just being f-friends."

I'm sure he'll choose someone better anyway, I think to myself, picturing him and Kati together. 

"Look, listen t-to me, d-don't listen to me, I don't c-c-care," I say with a sigh. "Just th-think about how J-jup-jupiter must feel. It's annoying."

With that, I walk out, returning to the living room to hear resounding laughter. I plaster a smile on my face. 

"Oh, Koto," Daniel exclaims. "You've just missed Marissa telling us about her soccer finals."

"The other team's goalie ran face first into the metal post!" The girl explains with a sly grin from the arm of her grandfather's chair. "She got a broken nose and a concussion, so they had to take her out and put in their rookie. We obviously won."

"Nice," I say in response, settling back on the couch. She sends me a carefree smirk and ticks her shoulder up in a half-shrug. Annie walks into the room and stands beside her younger sister. 

For the rest of the afternoon, we sit and catch up. It's nothing like the family time I was used to, especially with the tension between me and Annie, but I get to learn so much about my grandmother and the rest of my family. I get back into the car after dinner with a much greater understanding of my lineage. I've never felt so close with them, which is bittersweet, since they're no longer presently with me.