Two weeks have passed. It is time for another chapter. I hope you like it... or cry, either way is a success to me.
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Izuku stared at the trio at his door as dread consumed him. When he met the eyes of the civilian woman his own began to tear up.
"Are you Izuku Midoriya?" One of the police asked. Izuku could only nod. "Is your father home?"
Izuku gulped.
"No, he's away a lot because of his work. Please tell me what's going on."
"Your mother Inko Midoriya was killed earlier today by a villain."
Izuku stood in front of them with shaky legs that soon collapsed as he fell to his knees on the doorstep. He grabbed his chest. He was gasping for air barely able to breathe, like something was squeezing his throat. The middle-aged woman pushed through between the two police officers and kneeled to embrace Izuku in her arms.
"Oh for goodness sake. Have you ever told these kinds of news to a kid?" She said and then spoke to Izuku in softer tones. "I am a social worker. You can call me Annaisha. We will explain everything and get you anything you need, but you should be sitting for that. May we have your permission to come in?"
The only sound Izuku could make was quiet sniffing, but he nodded to her.
"Thank you. Don't worry about crying. You don't need to keep anything in."
Annaisha escorted Izuku inside, still holding him close. She settled him on the big sofa and let him stare into the empty air for a long time.
"Wha..." Izuku rasped. "What happened?"
Annaisha nodded to the police officers.
"There was a villain with a quirk that turned his body into a sludge form. He was being chased after a robbery. We believe that he... wanted to utilize his quirk to hide in your mother's body and use it to escape."
Izuku gagged loudly and felt a new clump in his throat.
"The sludge villain."
"You know him?" One of the police asked.
"I saw a headline," Izuku paused to sob, "I didn't have time to read mo... there was a video."
He scrambled to get his phone. Annaisha put her hand on his.
"I would not recommend you watch that. Dealing with a loss like this takes time. It may be too much right away."
Izuku yanked his phone from her grasp.
"It's already too much. I still need to see for myself, to know."
He quickly found the news again and pulled up a video. The situation was already going on when the camera had started. A gas station had been damaged and caught fire. In the middle of it all was the sludge villain, not even human-shaped, only recognizable as a person because it had an oversized face with a wicked evil grin and under it, being pulled up to the sludge, was a human shape. The image was too small to truly identify the person but Izuku knew. A group of heroes led by the Deatharm were at the scene. They grabbed a few civilians caught in the middle of things and retreated with them. Deatharm attacked the villain... once.
Then he ran away.
The heroes withdrew further away from the villain, not even trying to help his mom anymore. Mount Lady was stuck on some smaller street, too stupid to shrink so she could get closer. Izuku started shaking as the video progressed but not of grief.
"WHY AREN'T THEY DOING ANYTHING!" Izuku screamed. The camera moved from the useless heroes to the sludge monster and his still struggling victim. There was a sudden movement and she bent backwards in a snapping motion and stopped. Izuku stopped breathing. His dinner tried to climb up his throat. He couldn't' see the video anymore as both his eyes and the screen were wet with tears. He could barely hear the pompous declaration that he used to love, but now only felt rage.
"IT IS FINE NOW. WHY? BECAUSE I AM HERE!"
"No, it's not," Izuku muttered, and with a scream threw the phone across the room almost hitting one of the police officers.
"Hey watch it!"
"They did nothing!" Izuku shouted, ignoring the police. "Heroes are supposed to help people, risk their lives to help people and they just watched her die! They threw one punch and gave up! And where are they now, not here for sure?"
"That is easy to say watching videos from a nice sofa. You don't know what their work involves. They're busy with more urgent things."
"What do you think you're doing?" Annaisha hissed at the police. Izuku didn't care about her, the police officer's words echoing in his mind.
"They don't look that busy when there are cameras around."
"Yes, let it all out. Seeking someone to blame is normal. You will get over it," Annaisha said.
Izuku tensed and began shaking.
"Over it? You expect me to watch so-called heroes not even trying to do their job and act like that's okay and normal? It might be normal, but it's not okay."
He raised his head just in time to see one of the police open his mouth to say something again. Izuku's wet eyes narrowed.
"Get out."
"Excuse me?" The officer raised his eyebrows.
"You've told me what you needed to and more. Now, get out of my home!"
"Hold on, I know you're sad and angry, but you shouldn't be alone today, and we need to determine what happens to you next," Annaisha tried to reason in a soothing voice.
"No, you don't. I... I still have a father."
Izuku pulled away from Annaisha's grasp and started stumbling towards his phone next to the wall.
"That might be the case, but you said he is not here right now. You still shouldn't be alone. We have facilities and people that take care of people in situations like yours."
Izuku took the phone. Despite a seriously cracked screen it still seemed to work. He hesitated with calling his father right away. Talking with a top-level villain in front of two police officers didn't seem smart, but they also weren't listening to him, as if he was a little kid. He didn't have time to make the call as his phone began ringing. It was his father's number. Izuku took a shaky breath before answering.
"dad"
His father's voice was calm, but faster than usually.
"Izuku, we need to talk. Kur..."
"I know," Izuku cried out. "Police just came here with some social worker to tell me. Mom... she's gone."
"I see," his father responded in a more sombre tone. "I will get you."
"Thanks dad. They... they want to take me somewhere. They think it's better than being alone until you get here, but..."
He was interrupted by the doorbell ringing repeatedly. Everyone went quiet for a moment.
"Sorry, someone else is at the door," Izuku said.
"You should see who it is," his father advised. "It may help us decide what you should do next."
Izuku walked to the door. The police officers followed but kept a little distance. Izuku opened the door and was instantly grabbed into a hug by a teary-eyed Mitsuki Bakugo. Izuku froze, uncertain of how to react. The woman had been a good friend to his mother, but she also raised the greatest torment in his life.
"Izuku," she started. "Inko, she, she's-"
"I know," Izuku shouted as the sad cry was tainted by annoyance. He pulled out of Mitsuki's hold. "What are you doing here?"
"What am I... I came to make sure you're okay. So, you don't need to be alone."
"I am not okay, and you can't help it. None of you can." Izuku raised his voice and looked back at the earlier trio, making Mitsuki notice them too. "I just want to be left alone so I can talk with dad without having to deal with all of you pretending you care or can help somehow."
"Izuku," the sound from the phone was barely loud enough for Izuku to notice. He brought the phone back to his ear. "If the police don't want to leave you alone, you should ask if your mother's friend can stay with you until I get to you. She should be easier to handle than the authorities, if you can handle a Bakugo that is. I will... 'get a flight' and be there in the morning. You can call me again when you get more privacy."
"Morning... Okay, I'll try that." Izuku sighed and ended the call. He looked at the police and Annaisha with tired annoyance and pointed at Mitsuki. "She's been my mother's friend almost as long as I've been alive. Will you leave me alone if she sticks around until my dad gets here?"
The police officers looked at each other and Annaisha spoke first.
"It should be okay. It's always better to stay with someone you are familiar with. We need to confirm her identity before leaving."
"Fine, do that and get out."
He walked past them back inside. He wanted to go straight to his room and be alone but Mitsuki would only follow him there. Instead, he collapsed on the sofa, exhausted from dealing with people. He didn't take his eyes away from the ceiling even as steps approached. Mitsuki kneeled next to him.
"Izuku."
Izuku did not respond.
"Izuku, please look at me."
"Why," Izuku said without looking at her. "You're only here so I don't need to deal with those other people. Otherwise, I would not want to be anywhere near a Bakugo right now, or ever."
"What's that supposed to mean?" The woman's fiery personality started leaking into her words despite everything that had happened. Izuku grimaced. He could almost see Katsuki in her place.
"You raised Bakugo Katsuki, right?"
"Of course I raised my son."
"So, you are at least as shit a parent as he is a person."
"Now you listen to...!"
"No!" Izuku shouted and got up from the sofa. "You listen to me! Your son is a walking garbage fire you threw dynamite into! He is the bane of my life! He is worse than everyone else at school combined! Just today he mocked me in front of the whole class, blew up my notebook and told me to kill myself!"
Izuku paused, breathing fast like he had just run a marathon. He was too tired to be polite and watch his words like he usually did. Mitsuki on the other hand seemed to have forgotten how to speak as she stared at Izuku.
"I... never knew," she gasped.
"Of course you didn't, no one cares if an outcast gets tormented, especially when everyone thinks the bully might get into a hero school even if it's only by luck of birth. What's the life of one worthless kid if school can get such prestige?"
"But why didn't you say anything until now...?"
Izuku got up and turned away.
"Not like it would have helped much, it's the same everywhere. Plus, mom didn't have many friends besides you, not a problem anymore... and I was afraid what Bakugo... Katsuki might do," Izuku sighed. "I think I'll want to start over somewhere else with dad, the further away it is from your family the better."
He started walking away.
"If you have to stay, stay downstairs. I'm happier if I don't need to see you or your family ever again."
"No," she said. Izuku stopped. "If what you are telling me is true, I need to get to the bottom of it and straighten the brat. I'll call him here and we can fix it."
Izuku spun around, activating his new Dragon Blade quirk and pointed it right at Mitsuki's face. Izuku's arm shook so much it was visible even on the already wavy blade. They stared at each other for a while, neither daring to say a word until Izuku's arm dropped and the fire disappeared. Izuku stared at the floor away from Mitsuki. It took him a moment to regain control over his own mouth as he grabbed his face with the same hand he had just threatened Mitsuki with.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have done that, but I don't want to deal with your son, especially not today."
"No, I should be the one to apologise but what...?"
"Was that quirk?" Izuku completed the question and looked at the hole in his palm. "I was... kidnapped a while back and had to take it from one of the kidnappers. I haven't shown it to anyone since they would just accuse me of 'stealing' it Katsuki especially. Now can I go back to cry in my room or do YOU still need something from me?"
"Kidn... of course. I'll stay down here for tonight... in case you need to talk to someone."
Izuku walked upstairs without saying anything more, entered his room and collapsed on the bed face-down. In seconds, the pillow was soaked wet as he began sobbing. Time passed, Izuku didn't know how much. It was completely dark once he raised his head. He turned onto his back and took out the cracked phone. He thought about calling his father again, but the video was still open. It hurt to even think about it, but he could not turn away from his mother's last moments alive even if they were horrifying. Even after crying for so long he had to watch the video several times to clear his eyes of tears before he could really see it. With every viewing his anger at the heroes rose, and All Might's words especially caused him to boil inside. The supposed hero punched away the villain too late and dared to stand there, over the dead corpse of Izuku's mother, like he had achieved some kind of glorious victory.
Izuku's eyes rose to his All Might posters and a shelf full of All Might merch he had gathered over the years. His fanboying over the hero had degraded over time but all the stuff was still in his room and now he only saw red looking at them. He jumped off the bed and rushed across the room. The fiery blades appeared from both of his hands and he started slashing at the posters. The quirk burned through the posters, leaving black lines of scorched smoking wall but didn't cut as well as one might have expected from a quirk called a "blade".
He stopped for a moment, staring at the All Might figurines and other merch, focusing his anger even further. In his eyes he only saw the supposed symbol of peace standing victoriously over the defeated sludge villain, as if he hadn't even noticed the corpse next to him. Barely thinking, Izuku tapped into all his quirks. The blade twisted and narrowed and started to vibrate. After a few seconds, any restraint broke and with a roar of anger and agony Izuku swung his arms forward, cutting through not just the figurines but the shelfs and into the wall behind. Wood smoked, plastic melted and paper instantly caught fire with open flame. After several swings the whole bookshelf collapsed into a smoking pile, forcing Izuku to jump back. Running steps echoed from behind his door and without even knocking Mitsuki ran inside.
"Are you...?!" She paused mid-sentence.
Izuku was still staring at the pile of what he had destroyed, calming barely enough to deactivate his quirk. Mitsuki stepped past him and rummaged around her purse. She pulled out a miniature fire extinguisher and sprayed with it where-ever she saw smoke, even digging into the pile of rubble to make sure she got all of the flames. Once the extinguisher was empty, she turned slowly to Izuku and gulped.
"Are you okay? I mean physically."
"Yes," Izuku responded and sat down on his bed. He pointed at the pile of rubble that was no longer smouldering. "Thanks... for that."
"It's not the first time I've had to put out fires. Katsuki... sorry, you don't want to talk about him," she paused for a moment and gestured to the rubble. "Do you want to talk about this?"
"Yes, but not with you," Izuku answered and picked up his phone. At least Mitsuki listened and turned to leave. Then she stopped and Izuku groaned internally. She pulled something else from her purse, a letter.
"In... your mother left this with me. She told me to keep it in case something happened to her. I was supposed to open it if anything happened, but since you are here..."
Izuku's eyes widened, remembering his mother's threat: 'Just so you know I left a letter explaining the situation with someone you don't know. If anything happens to either of us it goes to the police.'
He reached out to grab the letter and hold it against his chest.
"Thank you."
She looked at him for a while but left without complaint. Izuku sat on the bed, phone on his ear.
"Dad."
He talked for a long time, laying down and falling into a restless sleep at some point mid-call. Nightmares of his kidnapping had been replaced by visions of his mother covered in and broken by the sludge with All Might's unending grin hovering above her. He snapped awake as soon as an alarm on his phone started ringing and sprang up to a sitting position with his arm up defensively. It took him a few seconds to realize this was not part of the dream. It was just morning and his normal school day wake-up time.
He dragged himself to the bathroom and for the first time since getting the news saw himself in the mirror. His hair was even messier than usually, his cheeks and undersides of his eyes were reddened, and his eyes just seemed tired despite having just slept all night, as poor as the sleep had been. The weight of everything had pushed his shoulders and head down to the point he had to consciously turn upward to see his reflection. Izuku didn't feel any of the usual rush to get ready for school so he decided to get a shower going and stand under the stream of hot water for an unknown amount of time. He only left after hearing the muted ring of his phone and ran to his room wet and naked to pick up the call.
"Dad?"
"Yes. Do you still want to leave, completely?"
"Yes," Izuku answered. "Without mom there is nothing for me here."
"Then pack what you need for the first few days. I will get you soon."
"Uhm, I think Mitsuki Bakugo is still here."
"Don't worry. That is actually a good thing. Simply disappearing could raise suspicion. She can witness you leaving with your caring father."
"But you?" Izuku started asking, remembering his father's appearance.
"I have my means. You don't need to worry about that in addition to everything else."
"Okay," Izuku said and they ended the call. Still generally slumped and head down, Izuku stared at the small puddle he had dripped on the floor and went back to the bathroom to dry up. At least the shower had washed the worst marks of crying from his face. After dressing he got out some suitcases from his mom's closet, barely holding back another wave of tears as he had to cross her bedroom. It did not take long to pack. He filled half the suitcases with his notebooks, schoolbooks and some important papers and dumped clothes on top of them. At the last moment he remembered to get some photo books from mother's drawers. He made sure to not look into them, knowing the photographs would break him.
Coming back from his mother's bedroom Izuku caught a faint scent of food coming from downstairs. Mitsuki really had stayed then. Listening to the quiet sounds of cooking, Izuku's self-control nearly broke again, imagining his mother preparing breakfast while the smell made his stomach growl. It couldn't be helped. He put the last of his things in the suitcases and started dragging them downstairs. The clanging of the wheeled suitcases attracted Mitsuki from the kitchen.
"What are you doing?"
"Dad is going to pick me up soon," Izuku responded in a monotone voice. "Did you make breakfast?"
"Oh, yes."
At least she did not try to push him to go to school. Izuku left the suitcases next to the stairs and headed past her to the kitchen.
"Thank you."
He was surprised arriving at the kitchen table. Mitsuki had raided through their cabinets and gone beyond expectations with a full Japanese breakfast with rice, natto, eggs, grilled fish and vegetable-heavy miso soup and tea. He looked up to Mitsuki who stood right outside the kitchen, giving him space.
"Sorry how I treated you last night. Despite everything else you were still the only person who showed up without it being your job. I'm actually starting to feel a bit sad we might not meet again."
"Don't say that," Mitsuki pleaded. "Even if you are going to live with your father elsewhere you can still visit any time."
"We'll see. Maybe after Katsuki moves away from your house."
"Is it really... What all has he done?"
Izuku kept looking at the woman, his eyes slowly turning sterner.
"It's a long list. Might take some time to make. Do you want me to sort it alphabetically or chronologically?"
Mitsuki stared at him for a moment but soon averted her gaze, her face tense.
"I think you have already told me enough. I'll be in the living room if you need anything."
Izuku had nothing to say to that. He just wanted to be outside of the blast zone before Mitsuki met her son the next time. He still found it difficult to stay annoyed at the woman while eating her cooking. He was just finishing when his phone notified him of a message. He glanced at it once and hurried to the front door. The man behind it was simultaneously familiar and not. His hair was almost identical to Izuku's but green as his had been before manifesting All For One. Two pairs of green eyes met his, though they felt strangely empty. The man's lips were partially covered by his jacket's high collar turned upwards despite warm spring weather. He kneeled with arms open wide.
"Izuku."
If Izuku had any doubts of the new face, the voice made him certain it was his father. He jumped towards his father, bringing his own arms around him. As his head pressed against his father's neck, he felt something strange right under the man's chin... where he had a breathing tube. Izuku couldn't see it for some reason but he could still feel it. It didn't matter, he stayed right there sobbing until his father let go and nudged him to do the same. Izuku gave his father some space but even as he got up the man put a hand on his shoulder.
"It will be okay son," he said and looked up. "I don't believe we have been introduced. My name is Hisashi Midoriya."
"Mitsuki Bakugo."
Izuku turned around to Mitsuki who was looking at them from inside.
"I want to thank you for supporting my son at this... difficult time, and sticking with him even with the friction I heard there was."
"Yes, seems I need to confront my own son on some things," she bowed. "I apologise for all the pain he has caused your son, for my failure as a parent."
"That is not my forgiveness to give, and I am not one who could comment on your parenting. All either of us can do is better than before."
Izuku looked up at his father. It was strange to hear him talk about things like that.
"That being said, I do have access to a great many very capable, very expensive, very ruthless investigators and lawyers, in case your son ever as much as looks at Izuku in a way either of us doesn't like," the man continued. That was more like what Izuku expected.
"I understand," Mitsuki said visibly tenser than before. "If there is anything else I can do, please don't hesitate to ask."
"Thank you for your offer but you have already done enough. Izuku, did you finish packing yet?"
"Almost, I just need to grab a couple more things."
"Then you should do that. You said you wanted away from here."
Izuku nodded and headed back inside. He got the suitcases from next to the staircase and pulled out additional clothes from the hallway cabinet. He shoved some shoes in the suitcases and as an afterthought stepped in the kitchen to inhale the rest of the tea. In a few minutes he was back at the door and turned off the last light. Mitsuki too had slipped her coat on and stepped out.
"We'll be going now," Izuku's father said. He grabbed a suitcase with one hand and Izuku's shoulder with other. They walked to a large black car with tinted windows in front of the house. Mitsuki followed a few steps behind but they loaded the luggage and entered to the back seat without a word. Inside Izuku noticed Kurogiri in his human form on the driver's seat. As the car started moving, he took one more glance at the house he had lived in since birth, thinking briefly about all the now painful memories inside it. When it disappeared from his field of view, he felt he would never return.