After Kirishima left, Robinn sat down in her room, flipping open the new physics book she'd bought the week before. It was supposed to help her refine her quirk. Theoretically, at least.. Her hair was still wrapped in a towel, faint drops of water darkening the back of her shirt. The apartment was quiet except for the distant hum of traffic and the soft flick of pages.
She turned a page, eyes scanning formulas she already half-knew, when the front door opened again.
She raised an eyebrow. That was fast.
Robinn stood, stepping into the hallway just as All Might, thin, tired, and visibly uneasy walked in.
"Oh, you're already back," she said, glancing up at his face.
He looked off... more spooked than usual, the kind of nervous that only showed through when he was trying to hide it. He stared at her for a moment before speaking.
"Robinn... do you want to tell me why young Kirishima was outside our apartment?"
So that was it, they must have ran into eachother
She blinked once. The secrecy thing again. The reason she'd agreed to it was starting to lose weight each day. Most of the danger attached to being linked to him had died six years ago anyway.
"I ran into him on my run nearby," she said plainly. "He wanted to talk, so I invited him here for a bit while we chatted."
All Might frowned, suspicion cutting through the fatigue.
"Really? That's all you did? Then why do you look like you showered?"
His tone carried something she hadn't heard from him in a while. What was it? She couldn't label it.
"Cuz I did shower?" she replied tilting while her head, honestly puzzled. "What's wrong with that?"
He opened his mouth to speak but stopped, sighing through a small smile.
"Never mind. Knowing you, that's the full truth." His faint amusement didn't last, and his expression hardened again almost immediately.
"Did he see anything about me? Or catch any clue about my connection to you?" His voice was calm, but the edge in it was unmistakable.
Robinn arched an eyebrow.
"What is there to suspect?" She gestured toward the barren living room. Bare shelves, white walls, nothing personal. "It's not like this place screams 'All Might,' just minimalism."
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Then she added a faint smile. "But no, he didn't. Don't worry."
All Might shook his head slightly. "Do I have to tell you again about being careful with that stuff? What if he had recognized me or seen something?"
Her expression soured, a flash of anger lighting behind her eyes. She took a half-step back, voice rising.
"And why do I have to care? Can't I live my own life?"
"Since when do you want to live your own life?" he shot back, quick and low.
The words hit heavier than he seemed to intend. He slumped slightly right after, regret flickered across his face immediately. "I mean... Robinn, you've always carried so many expectations. You're chasing a goal that isn't meant fo-"
"Shut up." Her voice was a whisper, trembling with control. "I've been doing my own thing for a year now." Her tone sharpened. "Ever since you ruined everything I worked for."
Her next words hit like ice.
"I stopped trying to be you. I'll be my own symbol of peace... not like your little project."
All Might looked at her silently, not stunned, but accepting. At least she was finally saying it aloud. He opened his mouth to respond, but she went on.
"So stop treating me like I'm your awestruck fan. That girl and her hopes died a while ago." She took a breath, voice steady but hollow.
"We don't have to do this anymore. The only reason you kept me secret was for my safety, right? Well, I can handle myself now... and that danger to us died six years ago."
Something in that sentence pierced him deeper than she expected. He reached out, placing a hesitant hand on her shoulder.
"Robinn," he said softly, uncertain whether to continue. "Do you remember the Nomus from the U.S.J. and Hosu incidents?"
She frowned, confusion breaking through her anger. That had nothing to do with her.
"The tests revealed they had the DNA of multiple people," he continued quietly. "Including their quirks."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"I've spoken with Gran Torino... and there's a high probability that man is back. Plotting in the shadows."
His face was enough to tell her he wasn't exaggerating.
The emotions on it... whatever they were... didn't help her process it.
Hearing this... it just quelled all her anger in an instant. It was replaced by something she could only label as emptiness.
She'd been so sure she was safe now... free maybe. But that idea shattered instantly.
"That doesn't..." she started, then stopped. Her voice broke down into a whisper. "Never mind."
Her gaze fell to the floorboards, blank and distant. The thoughts, the feelings... she didn't want them. Emotions only ever slowed her down.
After a moment of silence, she looked up again, eyes empty. "I’m going on a run," she said simply, already walking to the door.
All Might didn’t stop her. He’d learned that training, at least, helped her think. "Be safe," he said quietly.
She left moments later, tossing the towel aside, tying her ponytail, and slipping on her running shoes. Then she was gone.
All Might stood in the hallway, motionless. There was still so much he wanted to say, as a father, as a mentor. Robinn’s anger was justified, and he’d only added to it. He’d been keeping it in for too long, unwilling even to speak the name.
"All for One..." he whispered, anger creeping into his voice.
That man had taken almost everything from him, and now to learn he’d somehow survived that final fight... it reignited a fire he thought was gone.
It wasn’t just about peace, like Robinn thought. One For All had never been a simple gift. It was a burden, a destiny he thought he’d already fulfilled.
She knew parts of his past, enough to be caught in its shadow... but not the real purpose of One For All. He’d tried to spare her from that destiny with Midoriya. But maybe she was just as stubborn as he was.
