Becoming a Hero (bnha x OC)

Chapter 5: Coming Home

He hesitantly put a hand on her head and twirled her hair through his fingers. He slid his hand down her face and cupped her cheek, memorizing every detail of her face. The light brown freckles that dotted her cheeks and nose, the deep emerald green eyes that stared back into his brown ones. The same eyes as her mother. After finally coming back to reality he swiftly brought Izumina in for a hug. A tight embrace he'd longed for every day since she'd left.

Izumina didn't hug back right away, but eventually succumbed to her father's warmth. He was never a bad man. Sure he had his flaws, but for a moment Izumina couldn't think of a single one. At the same time she couldn't shake the feeling her mother's words bore down on her shoulders. "Don't ever talk to that man again."

After Nakiro pulled away from the embrace he reluctantly stood and gestured for the three to come inside. He guided them to the house's kitchen and poured drinks for everyone. Green tea, in quaint little tea cups painted a light shade of grey.

As the grown ups talked around the dining room table, Izumina studied the house. She reminisced in the flood of old memories. Play dates with Izuku, walking to school with him and Katsuki, eating her mother's home cooked meals. She let the memories sink in and realized, she would never get one of those special home cooked meals again.

Nakiro offered to show Charles around the house, as per the mandatory inspection before Izumina could stay with him. Before they could leave the kitchen though Fleur-de-Lis asked, "Would it be okay if Izumina and I explored the house for ourselves?"

Nakiro stared at the Hero before turning his gaze to his daughter and replying, "why don't you show him your old room Izumina?"

Izumina nodded in response, still hell bent on staying true to her mother's words. She didn't know why, or what the warning even meant, but it was the only thing on her mind in that moment. 'Don't talk.'

She stood from the kitchen table and headed to where she remembered the stairs being. She climbed the steps, with Fleur-de-Lis trailing behind her. Down the upstairs hall and through a lavender coloured door. The room was just as she remembered it.

It was painted a pale, teal green with a purple flower decorating the center of one wall in particular, the result of her mother's artistic endeavour. The bedspread was the same shade of purple as the door was, and the pillowcases matched the green and purple theme the room had going for it. The furniture was white, as were the floorboards, with books and journals neatly littering their surfaces. Izumina's multiple drawings and poems had been written out in the different journals and tucked into neat piles here and there across every piece of furniture.

Izumina entered the room and ran her hand over the flower painted on her wall. An orchid, with purple and white detailing, as well as vines that spiraled over the contrasting surface of the teal walls. Silver and white dots sparkled around the painting, making it look like something out of a fairytale. Magical, beautiful, tranquil.

Fleur-de-Lis entered behind her and admired the decorations of the room. Izumina took a seat on the edge of her bed and reached for a framed picture on her nightstand. Fleur-de-Lis walked over and pointed at the wooden frame in her hands. "What'cha got there?"

"A picture of my friends," Izumina responded.

"Let me see," Fleur-de-Lis spoke softly, as he sat down next to her, and gently took the frame from the girls grasp. He inspected the two boys in the picture, as well as the younger version of the girl sitting next to him. Izumina wore a purple clip in her hair with a giant smile plastered across her face. There was a boy with ash-blonde hair to her left with a confident smirk on his face, as well as another boy with a mess of green hair to her right. All three children wore happy expressions on their faces and the petals of cherry blossoms in their hair. The photo had been taken in early spring, judging by the breeze that carried petals off the trees behind them.

"Who are these two boys?" Fleur-de-Lis asked, attempting to show more of an interest.

"That's Izuku," Izumina explained while leaning over and pointing at the boy to her right. "And that one's Katsuki," she stated while pointing to the boy on her left. Both boys had their arms slung around Izumina's shoulders.

"What are they like?" Fleur-de-Lis asked, trying to keep the girl engaged.

"Izuku is really sweet," she explained. "He's kinda shy, and a bit of a push-over, but -"

"But what?"

Izumina smiled to herself. "He's my best friend... And one day he'll be the greatest Hero ever! I know it."

Fleur-de-Lis smiled, seeing the girls mood brighten. "Now, who's that one?" He asked while pointing to the other boy.

"That's Kacchan... um Katsuki," Izumina corrected herself. "He's also my friend." Izumina's voice suddenly became quiet and trailed off.

"But?" Fleur-de-Lis asked.

"Well..." Izumina took a moment to collect her thoughts into words. "We got into a bit of a fight before I left, and I never got a chance to say goodbye."

"He means a lot to you, doesn't he?" Fleur-de-Lis guessed.

"Katsuki was many things. He was confident, and strong, and cool... but he was also a bit of a bully, and full of himself." Izumina stated. "Last time I saw him he was being mean to Izuku. He said he didn't need friends like us. I had hoped that things could have been fixed after that, but they didn't. I didn't have a chance to fix it."

"I'm sure you will," Fleur-de-Lis said while placing a comforting hand on the girls head. The hero smiled down at Izumina before glancing down at the communicator in his watch. "Why don't we head downstairs now?"

"Okay."

The two walked to the front foyer of the house, where Charles and Nakiro were waiting for them.

"Everything checks out," Charles said. "We should head back to Canada now, Fleur."

"Right," The Hero nodded. He bent down to Izumina's level before continuing. "I'll see you on the flip side kid."

"Mhmm," Izumina responded with a smile and a nod. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around the Hero. "Goodbye."

The Hero hugged back before pulling away and handing the girl a small slip of paper. "My number," he explained. "In case you ever need me."

"Thank you," Izumina whispered, while taking the paper and placing it in her pocket.

With that the man stood and walked alongside Charles out the door, waving a hand over his shoulder as he did so.

Nakiro shut the door and closed its chain lock. He turned around and admired his daughter. He pulled up his sleeve and checked his watch. "It's getting late. Why don't I make you a snack? Then you can head off to bed."

Izumina nodded and followed her father down the hall towards the kitchen.

She ate a small meal of crackers and cut up fruit. Nakiro talked about his life, his job, things that have happened, basically anything to fill the silence kept by Izumina. Luckily, he'd always been a talker, and barely noticed how quiet Izumina was being.

After a while he got to the topic of school. "I called your old school while you were upstairs. You'll be going back tomorrow morning. Doesn't that sound fun?"

Izumina smiled at that and nodded her head. She finished eating and brought her plate to the sink. After that she went upstairs and brushed her teeth and hair in the hall bathroom.

That night she tossed and turned. She kept seeing her mom. Seeing the road, and the hospital, and the truck. Eventually she couldn't stand lying there in the dark alone. She turned on her lamp and flipped onto her side, so she was facing her night stand. She gazed at the picture frame, the one with her two friends, and remembered.

She'd be reunited with them that very next day.

Izumina smiled, and finally drifted off into sleep.

'I hope you guys remembered me.'