- One Month Later -
Annalise Reyna and Shota Aizawa were walking along the trail of the forest nearby his home. Both of them were silent, simply pondering over the day itself.
Shota would cast a few glances at Florence's mother every now and then. She was a mystery, much like her daughter. What hurt him was how Florence and Annalise were spitting images of each other. Florence's older and younger sisters, Isabella and Catalina, were similar but had some traits that set them apart. Their personalities were only stark contradictions to the quiet beings that were Annalise and Florence Reyna.
Annalise arrived in Japan with her two remaining children several hours after Shota spoke to her. He expected to see Florence's mother falling apart at the seams, the way any parent would react to their child missing. Instead, her mother expressed sadness, but their was an undeniable patience to her demeanor, as if she was expecting something.
Shota and the staff of U.A apologized to Florence's family for the way they failed her and didn't take enough precautions to prevent her kidnapping and attack by the League. They were all startled when her mother humbly accepted the apology, notifying the administration that she would remain in Japan until her child returned to her.
So, the wait began.
The first two weeks were difficult, Aizawa had a hard time understanding Annalise and her personality, she was eccentric at times, but then she would become watchful, only throwing an occasional comment to her children; they all stayed in Aizawa's home for the time being. The students of U.A hadn't returned due to the recent update in terms of curriculum and housing. U.A High announced construction of a new project called Heights Alliance. This project would forge a method of reassured safety for the students, even if the sacrifice meant being apart from their own families. It took the pleads and convincing of Shota and All Might to every family of class 1-A's students, but they eventually agreed.
The night before moving into the new dorms, Aizawa ventured into the kitchen, watching Florence's mother throw together dinner for her siblings as the two girls argued over who would get to hug Florence first when she returned. That's what irked him most. Neither of the three females seemed to express grief or anger or longing, they were all astoundingly patient. If one of the teenagers began to cry, they'd only look at Annalise's expression before calming down. He often wondered what kind of bond they had with one another to be so powerfully influenced by simple glances. He also wondered why they hadn't comprehended the fact that Florence Reyna seemed to show no return.
The Japanese government and the U.S QAP spent the fortnight devoted to searching for the child, people all over the country had grown fond of her heroic acts. She made national headlines for saving one hundred and seventy people during the Attack on Kamino Ward despite having a battered body. That day marked the end of the age of All Might, but also the beginning of a new transition. Many news reporters and entertainment channels would dissect the events constantly, they would converse over the different theories of what happened to Florence Reyna after the Kamino incident. People all over the country held vigils in her honor, and would roam and search the streets of Japan in hopes that she would appear. She never did, though. Eventually, the talk of that unforgettable day died down. The only people who were still drastically affected by it were the people that Florence Reyna touched directly by her constant presence.
Present Mic and Midnight would stay over often at Shota's home, both pro-heroes were heartbroken, but they held it together to not scare Florence's family. Midnight and Annalise got along well, while the siblings took a liking to Present Mic's cheerful personality. Shota would simply observe, too hurt over her absence to enjoy the moment with them.
The day that the staff and students of U.A moved into the new dorms marked the first two weeks without her. Nobody was jovial or cheerful to be living with each other, all of 1-A looked empty and forlorn, trying to cope with a class that didn't include her. That same morning, Aizawa accompanied Annalise to the airport to drop off her two children. They still had their own schooling to worry about, and Annalise explained to Shota that they would be living with their grandmother temporarily until Annalise returned home.
"You should stay in Florence's dorm because I won't be at home, and you don't know the workings of Japan. Besides, you'll keep yourself busy if you help in monitoring the class." Aizawa explained, and Annalise simply nodded her head, allowing the staff of U.A to take her luggage of clothing and necessities into the blank room that was supposed to be designated for her daughter. She wasn't too comfortable with the idea of living in a building filled with teenage children, but she accepted if it meant staying longer to witness her child's return.
The first day back at U.A with the new changes was unique to say the least. The students were gathered outside their new home, listening to Aizawa's scolding of their plotted rescue attempt with Florence Reyna. The girls of 1-A and Kirishima began wailing at the mention of her name, and the rest only hung their heads down in shame. Annalise was standing off to the side, hiding herself because she hadn't met the students yet. She was in her late thirties but even she was nervous to meet children that Florence Reyna had talked about constantly, adoring them all.
She grew irritated when Shota began castigating them for the way they defiantly tried to save her daughter. They were being real and genuine friends, Reyna is blessed to have young kids like that willing to sacrifice it all. Her frustration led her to finally stepping into their view, Annalise heard the gasps of the children. She watched as a short girl with equally short purple hair slapped her hand over her mouth, staring in wide eyes as she shoved her head into a tall girl's shoulder and began to cry. That must be the girl called Kyoka, Annalise thought, remembering how Florence spoke of her in pride.
Her eyes continued to trail over the other students, studying their appearances as they only gawked, realizing that they were looking at no other than Florence's mother. Three boys stood out to her particularly, because she had seen their interactions with Florence at the Sports Festival. Upon Annalise's interrogation of her daughter's connection to these boys, Florence would insist that they were best friends and that she trusted them.
The green-haired boy's strong gaze never broke once from Annalise, he was frowning, studying her with tears in his eyes. The blonde boy with golden eyes was completely crying while staring at her, but he gave her a soft smile.
The one that startled her with the pure anger and guilt was the blonde with red irises. It looked as if he was experiencing many things at once and he had no dictation on how to handle it. His fists were clenched as he attempted to control his breathing. He never tore his eyes from Annalise, and she would glance at him, sending him a blank stare every so often. Florence's mother couldn't deny that all three boys and Kyoka had intense feelings for the girl, that much was obvious.
She cleared her throat, preparing to speak. Shota glanced at her, eyebrows pulling together slightly before he shrugged and nodded.
"Hello, Class 1-A. I'm Florence's mother, and I'm staying here until she returns home. I know you're expected to be punished for your rescue attempt with my daughter, but I wanted to thank you. Florence never had friends until she moved to Japan, her time with you all is the happiest she's ever been, you students seem to be brave and caring towards my girl, so I could only hope that you understand how grateful I am that she has so many that love her." Annalise finished, blinking quickly to hide the tears that threatened to spill.
She was startled when the pink-skinned girl and a girl with brown hair and rosy cheeks threw themselves at her, wailing loudly. "Miss Reyna, I miss your daughter so much, I want her to come back!" The pink-skinned girl cried out, clinging to the business shirt that Annalise wore. The other girl was hugging her tightly, sobbing about how much Annalise looked like Florence.
Annalise was never one for affection, her own childhood stopped her from understanding how to display love properly, and she often carried regret for her lack of showing endearment to her children. Yet, she was changing. Since Florence left America and her mother with a heartache due to her child being countries away, Annalise began learning how to heal. She learned how to stop holding back when she wanted to smother her children with affection, she waited patiently for the day she could see Florence once more and show her how much effort she put into being a better person, a better parent.
Slowly, she wrapped her arms around the two young girls, who only cried harder with the response. "How lucky," Annalise muttered, smiling slightly at the students who began to gather around her, each seeking their own signal of affection.
The only two who didn't were the boys named Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo.
When the introductions were done, Annalise headed into the dorm marked as Florence's. She laid on the bed, calling her children and catching up on paperwork from her job. She had just finished a call with the Quirk Assessment Personnel when she heard a quiet knock on the door. Standing, she shuffled to the door to see Izuku Midoriya standing on the other side of the framework, looking around nervously with a saddened sigh. He finally met her gaze.
"Hello, Miss Reyna, I'm Izuku Midoriya. Do you mind if I speak to you very quickly?" His voice was soft and his demeanor was so gentle and kind. Annalise wanted to cry, it made sense why Florence had called Izuku her best friend. "Call me Annalise, I know of you, Midoriya." She replied, pointing for him to sit on a cushioned bench while she sat on a leathered seat at an empty desk.
"Well... I just wanted to say I'm sorry." The boy's words startled Annalise as she narrowed her eyes at him, blinking. "What's the apology for, kid?"
"I failed your daughter. I didn't take her back with me when I had the chance, I wanted to go back and save her, but I couldn't. If only I had pushed myself to make sure she came with us, this wouldn't have happened. I'm so sorry, your daughter is my best friend and she has always been there for me since we met, she's done so much for me and," he paused, bowing his head lightly and wiping away the streams, "I couldn't even be there for her when she needed me the most." He pressed both palms to his face, showing remorse and regret.
Annalise stood, walking to the student to place her hand on his head. She kept it there in an attempt to comfort the weeping boy, releasing an airy chuckle. "Midoriya, you aren't the only person who thinks they let her down. I often carry guilt of my own behavior towards Florence, but look at this way, when she comes back, we'll have all the time in the world for redemption. You know, Florence is the most compassionate and loving person I've encountered, she would never think less of anyone. You'll see her again one day, Midoriya, the same way I will."
"How are you so sure she'll come back, Miss?" He blurted out, before he threw a palm over his mouth and winced slightly. "I'm sorry if that was rude, I just, I've done my research and searching and there's no signs of her anywhere. I don't want to give up hope at all, but I wish she could just give us a sign if she's out there." Izuku finished the sentence with a pained cough.
"A mother just knows. We don't know each other well, but we both know my daughter. Let's have faith in her." Annalise said, raising one corner of her lips slightly higher than the other. Izuku wanted to fall apart with how much she looked exactly like Florence in that moment.
In the evening, Annalise had finished preparing dinner for the children. Most of them attempted to be cheerful and excited, but the tension and misery in the air didn't leave for a single second. Some of the students created conversation with her, explaining their quirks or talking about the memories they had with Florence. Annalise didn't want to admit that it bothered her, the way they spoke of her in past tense.
Denki, Kyoka, and Izuku surprisingly stayed close to the mother, asking her questions about her life at home in America. They also demanded stories of Florence when she was a child, they were beginning to laugh and smile when Annalise recalled how Florence used to dance as a toddler and run all over the couches to fight her older sister. Annalise couldn't shrug off Katsuki's gaze throughout dinner, the severity of the look led her to wonder if Bakugo had an issue with her.
Eventually, the students were insisting to play some dorm competition, and Annalise took the cue to walk down the cobbled paths of Heights Alliance. Her mind kept drifting to Florence's last message. Nearing a garden, Annalise gripped the railings of the bridge, finally displaying the grief that she was masking. She released the tears as she sunk to the wooden floor of the bridge, wiping her face as she prayed to God that her premonition wasn't wrong. It never failed her before, so she hoped it wouldn't this time. She wiped the tears when she heard heavy footsteps approaching her, clearing her throat, she stood up.
Katsuki Bakugo approached, glaring at her in anger as he finally spoke to her for the first time.
"So you're the ugly crybaby's mother? Pft, just as ugly as her." His words nearly made her guffaw, she raised her eyebrows. Huh? This bastard is really calling me and my daughter ugly? Didn't she say this was one of her closest companions? Someone who made her feel at ease? Annalise's thoughts trailed off as she smirked and stared at the boy in amusement.
Unlike Florence, Annalise actually had a similar attitude to Katsuki Bakugo.
"So you're the hideous brat that my daughter calls her best friend?" She snapped back, rolling her eyes at the heavy scowl on his face. She turned to lean her elbows and stare out at the moon, studying the craters the way she knew her child did.
It took everything in Katsuki's power to not break down at the sight. Annalise was an older version of Florence, her presence only made him wish that it was the girl here instead of her mother.
"You know, she loves you too much. She would talk about you constantly, saying that she wanted to make you proud." The boy spoke, mimicking Annalise's position on the bridge.
Annalise side-eyed him, before turning her eyes down to study the koi fish that swam below the running stream. "My daughter always said that she was so happy to be in Japan, she liked looking at these stupid fish." Florence's mother pointed towards the specimen with her finger. "She said that these fish reminded her of beautiful things, it reminded her of us and of you kids. She never spoke so passionately about life until she moved here," the woman added softly, lowering her head to cup her own cheeks with her hands.
"She's such an ugly girl, she always made the dumbest expressions for everything. She'd laugh when I insulted her, she'd cry when I told her nice things, she would sing in a stupid voice, she'd hug me even when I told her I hated touching her. She opened up to us in a huge forest, I took her home and I hated the way she cried, but she was so at peace after that. Funny right, ugly girl's mom? She was really happy before it all happened. I hate Florence. I hate her so much." Katsuki finished, maintaining the same clenched fists as he gritted his teeth, voice raspy and low with hurt.
"Florence loves you too, Katsuki Bakugo."
With that, he pressed his fists against his eyes as he sobbed. His cries were loud and scratchy, he was screaming about how it was all his fault, how he shouldn't have ever let her take his place, how he ruined everything.
Annalise grabbed the boy's head and pressed it to her small frame. "You're not at fault. Don't carry such burdens when it doesn't belong to you. No one is responsible for her absence." She squeezed him lightly before releasing him. Something about him told her that he wasn't the type to be vulnerable, and that he didn't need pity or empathy.
They began walking back to the dormitories, neither of them speaking. Annalise began to appreciate the life Florence had in Japan. No wonder she's so happy here, Annalise thought in content. She had developed so many close bonds and connections to people who were worth so much.
Katsuki attempted to open the back door of the dormitories for Annalise to be polite, he figured that if Florence ever returned, he needed brownie points with her family. "Now that I've met the ugly crybaby's shitty mom, I can say that you both are equally shitty women." Annalise finally laughed at that, grinning widely. This idiotic boy should be glad I'm not those mean parents that ban their children from interacting with someone, her thoughts were shown on her face as she entered the building. "That's no way to speak to your elders, Bakugo. Wait until Florence hears about this." With that, she walked upstairs to Florence's dorm.
Katsuki Bakugo stared at her, for the first time since Florence's disappearance, he didn't feel like exploding everything in his path.
Annalise Reyna fell asleep with one thought on her mind, she finally understood her daughter and why she sacrificed it all to protect her friends.
These people are her family, too. She found something worth dying for.
The next two weeks led to the students constantly training and preparing for the provisional license exam. They were all working towards developing powerful moves, yet none of them had the same interactions they used to. They all poured themselves into working diligently, conversations were so far and few in between.
Annalise would spend these two weeks calling her children, doing the usual paperwork of her career, and sticking closely to Aizawa after he finished teaching. They would both discuss the probability of Florence's return as they graded papers and analyzed assignments. Florence's mother would speak to the students every so often, particularly the four closest to her daughter. Izuku Midoriya recommended that she should spend her time visiting where Florence liked to go in her spare moments, so Annalise listened. She ventured to different spots of Musutafu, trying to imagine herself as her child, seeing the beauty in Florence's new life.
The four best friends of Florence Reyna were just as heartbroken as they were the first day. The girls and boys of 1-A would occasionally have a student burst into tears, saying or showing something that reminded them of Florence. Izuku Midoriya rarely smiled, Denki Kaminari stopped making jokes, Jirou refused to listen to music, and Katsuki Bakugo only spoke to Annalise, nobody else. The class would glance at her empty seat often, hoping that during one of those looks she'd be seated there, listening intently to lectures or tugging on Midoriya's sleeve.
That was how the first month passed. That was what led Annalise and Shota Aizawa to walk upwards on the trail in the forest, the same forest that her friends found her in months ago. Izuku Midoriya insisted that this was the least they could do since today was an official month. Their hopes of her returning were slimming, the group spent their days sadder and angrier, finally beginning to accept what they at first refused to believe. Their provisional license exam was a week away, and they decided to spend today in the same spot that meant so much to them all.
The four students were already there atop the cliff, they were all holding lanterns, keeping an extra two for Shota and Annalise who took their leisurely time hiking up the mountain. Both adults were filled with dread, they had a feeling that today would finally mark a shift in Florence's disappearance, today might just force them to cope with the harsh reality: Florence was gone for good.
Shota's question broke Annalise from her thoughts. "This might sound judgmental, but it's not. You rarely cry for Florence, you don't even seem hurt or sad. Do you know something we don't?"
Annalise contemplated on telling him the truth, how could she explain? People always dismissed her quirk. Aizawa seemed a trustworthy man, which said something because Annalise hated most people. So, she began.
"My quirk is Premonition. Before a life-changing event happens to the people I know, I always dream about it. The bad thing about my quirk is that it's not specifiable. I see a general gist of what happens, but never timing. I could predict something that happens in months or years. Before I flew over here, I had a short dream, I saw my daughter in pain, she was bleeding from her chest, but she recovered. That's not even what startled me the most, because her recovery was seen as quick. What scared me was what happened after she got better. It's not a bad thing, but I never expected it, I don't even think my kid realizes what's going to happen when she returns." After her explanation, Aizawa paused to frown at her, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Are your premonitions ever wrong?" He asked, tapping his foot against the ground impatiently.
"Never. They've never failed me."
He stayed quiet, before humming some sort of acceptance to her words. She spoke again, "Say, Shota, you see my kid like she's yours right?"
Aizawa coughed, startled by the question before looking towards the roses growing in a bush. "Yeah, she's like the daughter I never asked for but got anyways."
"Yeah, I'm glad she has you, Shota. You're changing my girl for the better." They continued making their way to the four children.
At the peak of the cliff, Bakugo stood beside Izuku, saying nothing to him except scratching the lantern he held in his hand.
"Kacchan, do you wanna-"
"Just shut up, Deku. I want to get this over with."
Kaminari and Jirou were there as well, each holding their own lantern while staring out at the sun that was beginning to set. The hues of purple, pink, orange, yellow and red casted the same beautiful glow of the last time they were all gathered here.
"I miss her." Kaminari whispered, and Jirou agreed, wiping the tears littered across her cheeks.
"Stop talking about her like she's dead, you dumbasses." Bakugo snapped, while Izuku remained silent, studying the city casted beyond them.
The silence engulfed them like a tidal wave. Florence Reyna's four best friends attempted to hide how truly broken they were, how their life hasn't been the same in over a month.
Neither of the four could say they were each other's best friends. The only thing that truly connected them to understanding each other's agony was the beautiful girl who wasn't present with them. Florence was the cohesion of 1-A. Izuku silently wondered if their lives would ever return to an ounce of normalcy. Jirou compared the rustle of the leaves and branches, sighing when she realized that the sound of nature would never compare to Florence's melody of a voice. Denki studied the different shades of the sunset, contrasting the radiant hues to Florence when she blushed, he cried once more, realizing that he would give it all up to see her face with the same glow. Katsuki only ravished his mind for every memory of her, wishing that he let himself open up to her sooner, wishing that he could enter a time machine and relive the final day of training camp all over again to prevent the same mistake from occurring. He longed for Reyna's presence, to feel her small frame one more time, to swat her forehead and see the same adorable pout that would morph into a grin. Staring out at the lowering ball of gas that was the Sun, he realized that he could finally admit to himself that Florence Reyna was the most stunning thing to grace the Earth. The world would remain dim as long as she was gone.
They all mourned loudly, looking forward and beyond the cliff. Neither of the quartet comforted one another, they knew better than to offer emotional aid, each person just wanted to ache for her presence in their own little world.
Her four best friends were beginning to accept the fact that Florence Reyna was gone for good, that despite Annalise's wishes, she wouldn't come back. She needed to be left in peace.
All absorbed in their own sorrow, they didn't hear that memorable pine tree make an odd sound. They didn't notice the shift of the leaves, the crunch of the dirt.
What they finally heard was a soft, feminine voice. One that sounded like the melody of nature, one that sounded like the world piecing itself back together again, it was all too familiar.
"Why are you all crying?"