Guilt: The Trial of Izuku Midoriya

Epilogue: The Road We've Walked, The Path to Come (Original)

Ochako stirred from sleep as a sense of unease slowly swept over her. Something's wrong. Her mind raced as she tried to discern what was bothering her. She rubbed at her temple, hoping to chase the weariness from her still-muddled mind, to no avail. With a huff of frustration, she turned, reaching towards the other side of the bed. As her arm passed through empty space, her problem became crystal clear. She was alone.

That idiot.

Ochako sat up quickly. Squinting, she eyed the clock on the other side of the room. 12:36. As she laid back, an annoyed groan began building in her throat, but by the time it passed her lips, it was a giggle. She wanted to be angry, or at least annoyed, with him. It's just so... you. Another low laugh slipped from her mouth. It would be more surprising if he was home on time. She quickly stood, rolling her legs out of bed before she could convince herself to stay.

Standing on shaky legs, she threw on a pair of old shorts, and one of his more weathered shirts. This particular one was yellow with a large profile of All Might splayed across the chest. Wobbling, she made her way across the room. As she moved down the hall, her eyes caught on the pictures lining the wall. She stared at the frames, packed tightly on the wall, and countless memories stared back. A sad smile touched her lips as her eyes passed over an image of 20 students huddled together, shining in their graduation gowns. Reaching the end of the hall, she squinted slightly as the kitchen light reached her eyes.

"Izu?" Her voice traveled across the distance, light and unsure. The chair jerked, and a flowing lock of silvery white spun through the air. The girl's eyes were wide with shock at the sudden noise, as well as guilt. She was, after all, awake far past her bedtime.

"M-Mom! Hey!" Eri squeaked. "What are you.. doing... up?" Her voice trailed off as she recognized the anger in her mother's eyes, and her gaze quickly shot to the floor. Ochako let out a small snort of amusement. At least she knows enough to look guilty. She waited, stretching the silence until the girl met her eyes once more.

"That's my line, Eri. What are you thinking?" Her initial anger had faded, replaced with a tired exasperation. "You have school tomorrow, which I need to wake you up for in," she checked the kitchen clock, "less than six hours." She tilted her head slightly to the side and placed her hands on her hips, awaiting an explanation. Eri looked down once more, biting her lip.

"I..." Something in her eyes darkened. "I wanted to be here when dad got back. So I..." She looked up again, a pleading look in her eyes "waited up?" Ochako felt any frustration fade as understanding took root. She closed the distance between the two, and leaned over the back of the chair, softly wrapping her arms around Eri. The girl leaned into her embrace, longing for the contact. After a silent moment, she looked up to her mother, waiting for her answer.

"Well..." Ochako already knew the answer, but she couldn't help dragging it out a bit. She didn't want Eri to feel like she could get whatever she wanted, just by being the cutest thing that had ever existed. After a fitting pause, she smiled down at her daughter. "No complaining about being tired tomorrow, alright?"

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Eri cried out as she hugged her. As Ochako gazed down at the joy blooming in Eri's eyes, she felt the love burning in her chest. My sweet girl. After leaning down to kiss the girl's silky hair, she made her way around the table, taking a seat across from her. As she sat, she noticed several books open in front of Eri, as well as a few well-used notebooks.

"What are you working on, sweetie?" She asked curiously.

"Um... homework." Eri shifted nervously in her seat, and leaned forward to rest on her arms. Coincidently, her new position now covered the notebooks. Ochako leaned forward, smiling.