PLEASE check out this poll! Izumi is getting an alternate universe story since I'm catching up to the anime and I don't read the manga. More details can be found in the poll, but please vote which AU of the options you'd want to see. https://www.quotev.com/quiz/12295302/Izumis-Newest-Adventure
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"Izumi Kawakami, could you please take the stand?"
All eyes shifted to me and I looked around the room in confusion, "The what?"
Nobuko pointed to where All Might had been, "Just take a seat up here."
I nervously rose to my feet and pulled my wrists against the cuffs. Everyone watched as I stepped forward and a part of me wanted to run from the room and hide. Climbing up to the higher desk, I sat down in the seat and looking around the room as my anxiety rose.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"
I flinched back as the woman appeared at my side and looked to Aizawa in confusion. I don't know what's going on. He was still very tense and wore a frown. All Might and Nezu were on either side of him and didn't look much happier.
"Izumi, were you not told of the practices of the court?" Nobuko asked me.
"I don't know what's going on..." I mumbled to her.
"Okay. Mr. Kuba, who you were sitting with, and Mr. Handa—" she pointed at the man who glared at me—"are going to ask you some questions. I need you to answer truthfully, or you're going to get in trouble. I know it might be scary to answer some of the questions, but I promise everything will be okay as long as you tell the truth. Do you understand?"
"Um, yeah."
"Okay, so she's going to ask you if you swear to tell the truth again, and I need you to tell her that you do."
"Okay," I glanced at the other woman nervously.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"
I looked at Nobuko nervously before glancing back at the other woman, "I do."
"Mr. Kuba, you may begin your examination."
The man who sat beside me earlier stood up and moved towards the front of the room. His lips formed a gentle smile as he waved, and I awkwardly lifted a hand to wave back. He seemed a lot less intimidating all of a sudden.
"Izumi, could you tell me about your living conditions?" he asked me.
"My living conditions?"
"Yes — tell me everything you think is important about where you've been living."
"Um, I'm living with one of my teachers, Mr. Aizawa. I have my own room. He cooks meals that I like and offers to buy new things that I can try. He helped me with my homework and when I was studying for our exams. I would have failed if he hadn't."
"What's your opinion on Mr. Aizawa?"
"He's nice to me and cares about me. I think he's a really good hero. I didn't believe in heroes when I started going to UA, but then he showed me that true heroes do exist. He's a nice teacher, and cares about his students a lot."
"How has attending UA impacted your life?"
"I used to hate heroes completely, and I would tell everyone that I wanted to be a villain. But when I was at UA I realized that I wanted to be a hero instead. I thought that having friends would drag me down, but then I met Uraraka and Kirishima and I really like having them around. If I didn't go to UA, I'd probably still be locked in a dark room somewhere by myself. I'd be really angry."
"How have your classmates been treating you since you've been hospitalized?"
"They all wrote me cards and put together a basket filled with gifts for me. I've been texting and calling with one of my friends, Kirishima, but the police told me I wasn't allowed to give my number to anyone else and they won't let me talk to the rest of my friends so I don't know much else."
"What do you want to do now?"
"Um..."
"Let me try rewording the question. How do you want your life to continue?"
"Oh, um, I want to go back to UA. I want to be a hero, and be with my friends."
"No further questions, your honour."
I watched as the man went to sit down before glancing back over to Nezu, All Might and Aizawa. They still looked upset, but they seemed a bit happier than before. I still didn't really understand what was going on, but Nobuko was trying her best to explain everything to me and being really nice so I wanted to try and do this right.
"Mr. Handa, do you wish to perform a cross-examination?"
"Yes, your honour."
The man who'd glared at me stood up and swiftly approached. I didn't really get why everyone was always getting up and coming to the front to ask some questions and then sit back down. And why did I have to sit up here? Wouldn't this be so much easier if everyone just stayed in one place?
"Izumi, have you seen your mother since you were rescued by All Might the first time?"
"No," I averted my gaze with a frown.
"Could you describe your mother and what it was like living with her?"
"My mom was really nice to me. She used to tell me stories about the outside world and show me photo albums of her family. We'd bathe together and she'd play with me in the water. And when it was cold, she'd light a fire and we'd cuddle with a blanket on the couch while she petted my head. When my father first showed up, she tried to protect me from him. She tried to tell me that my father was bad and that I couldn't trust him but I didn't believe her. She was right though..."
"Would you go back to live with your mother again if you had the choice?"
"Yeah," I nodded my head. "I miss her a lot."
"I'm sure she misses you too. I also wanted to ask about some of the faculty members at UA. I know that Mr. Aizawa and you got along well. Was it like that from the start?"
I stopped for a moment and glanced towards Mr. Aizawa. He was staring at me with a blank expression. I turned back and opened my mouth to answer but the man spoke before I could, "Remember. It's really important that you tell the truth."
"Mr. Aizawa thought that I was a danger to the other students. He would tell me that I shouldn't be there sometimes, but he never says stuff like that anymore."
"And were any of the other faculty members mean to you?"
"Um, yes."
"Could you tell me about them, and how they treated you?"
"His name is Snipe. When I was living with him, he locked me in a dark room and wouldn't let me out. He threatened me a couple times, and he pointed one of his guns to my head once."
The man looked shocked at my words and it was a couple seconds before he continued, "Could you tell us about any contact you've had with the League of Villains if there was any?"
"During the USJ attack, Shigaraki held me hostage so he could talk to me. He said that he knew my father, and told me to call him Nii-san. He told me to gather information on the students and staff at UA. I said I would, and I did, but I never gave him any information."
"Were there other times?"
"During the internships. They made up a fake hero agency and then took me to their hideout. I met Stain there, and he attacked everyone. Then, they took me to Hosu City in disguise. I ran off to try and rescue a little boy but I couldn't help him and... and I let him die. Sh-Shigaraki got mad at me for running off and m-my father was mad too. He threatened to take me away from UA."
"And what about the training camp?"
"I was approached by a clone of one of the villains, Dabi, and then the real Dabi and Twice, who created the clone. I tried to run away but I used my quirk too much and went blind. My friends tried to help me, but Dabi captured me and threatened me. B-but... there was, um, there was another time before that..."
"What happened?"
"W-when Shigaraki showed up at the mall..."
"Could you tell me about it?"
"All my friends left me alone and I didn't know where I was or where to go. But then he showed up. He took my shopping list and went from store to store with me until I'd gotten everything. Then I found some of my friends. They didn't know it was him, but he introduced himself as my brother and left. B-but he told me that I should stay with him for the summer. I didn't realize at the time, but he was telling me that... that my time at UA was up. Then after I found out he approached Midoriya and the mall closed."
"No further questions, your honour."
The man went to sit back down and Noboku told me that I could go back to my seat too. Right when I sat down, the lady who asked me about telling the truth asked Mr. Kuba to stand and give a closing statement.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the court, when Izumi Kawakami was first rescued from All For One over 5 years ago, she was deemed dangerous and mentally unstable. UA faculty members claimed that when she first arrived at their school, she was angry and didn't put any effort into her studies. She didn't get along with the faculty, or the other students. Although the school has made mistakes, they have admitted to them and know what they did was wrong. Thanks to the influence of UA, Izumi has found a role model she looks up to, began to make friends with others and has discovered her desire to become a hero, rather than a villain. I ask that you consider how much Izumi's life has improved since she began attending UA and allow the faculty members to retain custody."
"Mr. Handa?"
"Ladies and gentlemen of the court, we can't deny that attending UA has given Izumi a second chance at life but we need to look at the bigger picture. UA has consistently put the child in danger. The League of Villains were able to reach out to her on multiple occasions without anyone's knowledge.
"There was also the incident during the sports festival when Izumi received severe burn injuries. It was clearly the result of an attack against her, but the teachers didn't report the incident or try to discover who did it. In addition, she was threatened by multiple teachers and held at gunpoint by another. There was one occasion that she fainted from hunger, due to neglect from the teachers who were supposed to be serving as her guardians.
"Izumi also stated that if given the opportunity, she would want to return to her mother. The UA faculty members have failed to provide for her and keep her safe on multiple occasions, and testimonies from several witnesses have also confirmed that many of the faculty members don't care about her wellbeing. Izumi also struggled with mental health issues and made two suicide attempts. On neither occasion was she allowed to speak with a therapist or counsellor. Even if she wants to become a hero, she could always attend another school. It is in the child's best interest for custody to be returned to her mother."
I froze in place as I stared up at Mr. Handa. Wait. What was that supposed to mean? I didn't say that, did I? I meant that I wanted my old mother back — I thought she never wanted to see me again. Does that mean she was back to normal? My mother wanted me back?
"All rise."
Everyone stood up around me and I scrambled to my feet, a bit embarrassed that I hadn't stood when I was supposed to. I glanced around the room to try and find my mother. Was she here? All of the UA staff were, so she had to be!
"Court is in recess for 15 minutes while the honourable judge decides a verdict."
After a moment, the room was filled with light chatter. The police were beside me in a second and I protested as they pulled me to the side of the room. The UA staff looked in my direction, but none of them came to talk to me. I didn't get it. Why was everyone ignoring me?
My eyes finally found her, sitting at a desk on the other side of the room. My mother was here! She was really here! I immediately went to take a step forward, but I was grabbed before I could get away. I opened my mouth to say something but one of the officer's hands covered it, muffling the sound.
She looked in my direction and we caught eyes. I stared longingly at my mother, trying to pull out of the police's grasps. I wanted to see her! I wanted to talk to her! She only maintained eye contact for a few seconds before she looked away and began a quiet conversation with the man standing beside her.
Looking back to the UA faculty, most of them had begun to have conversations amongst themselves — all but one. Mr. Aizawa still had his gaze fixated on me. He wouldn't come to talk to me and he wouldn't look away. I'm just really confused... I thought he liked having me around. Did he change his mind? He said he wanted to talk to me in his texts and phone calls. Was he lying?
It seemed like forever before the truth-telling lady entered the room, "All rise."
The police quickly shoved me forward and I almost tumbled down to the ground. Everyone was returning to their seats, although they remained standing in front of their chairs. I shuffled to my spot, looking nervously towards Mr. Kuba before turning back to the truth lady.
"The honourable judge Nobuko Tokunaga will announce her verdict."
"Izumi Kawakami has blossomed and developed under the guidance of UA's teachers. Without their presence, she likely would have permanently joined the League of Villains, rather than choosing to fight against them. But, I can not ignore the countless amount of times that Izumi has been put in danger due to the negligence of the UA faculty members. That is why Izumi's custody will be given to the Kawakami family. Although her mother was mentally unstable for the first little while after her rescue, her mental health has improved greatly since then and it was determined that the issues came from All For One's treatment of her. When Izumi began to follow in his footsteps, Mrs. Kawakami feared that she would grow up to be just like him. Having had time to heal from her past scars, I believe Mrs. Kawakami and her new family is the safest and most stable location for Izumi to continue her growth."
I was going back to live with my mother? But... what about Mr. Aizawa? I liked staying with him. I looked over at him, and my teacher smiled at me. Why was he smiling? Why was he happy? I thought he liked having me live with him too. I guess I was wrong...
The other UA faculty members refused to look at me. I'm so confused. I don't understand anything that's happening. Why won't anyone look at me? Were they all happy that I wasn't their problem anymore?
The metal cuffs suddenly released from my wrists and I immediately took a step towards my teachers. I needed to talk to them. What was going to happen? I needed answers and no one was telling me what was going on.
"Izumi," an elderly voice called out as he approached. "It's nice to meet you, dear. I'm Arata Kawakami, your grandfather."
"Hi," I mumbled back as I watched the UA teachers. "What's going to happen now?"
"You'll be going to live with your mother. Come on, let's get you to the car."
Even on my way out, none of the UA staff would look at me. I couldn't even say goodbye to them. The only thing I understood, was that I wasn't going to live with Mr. Aizawa anymore. Although I was going to miss him, I was excited to see my mother again. We'd be together, just like when I was little!
She could read me stories like she used to, and I could meet everyone she'd showed me pictures of in the photo album. We could cuddle up on the couch when it was cold! Maybe we could even bake together — my mother had only ever let me cook with her when I was really good.
When she got into the car, I couldn't contain my excitement, "Mom! I've missed you so—"
"—Shut up, you disgusting villain. You may have tricked that damn school, but you're not fooling me. I know what you've been through. I know what he taught you. I won't let you hurt any of the kids you call friends."
I could feel the stabbing pain in my chest as all of the happiness and excitement I'd felt was sucked away into nothing. Her gaze had turned cold as my grandfather got into the driver's seat. He was also visibly tense.
"God, why'd we have to get responsibility for the kid again? The lawyer was damn expensive. We should have left her to the pros — now she's our problem."
"Tch. Those 'pros' have no idea who they're dealing with. She's dangerous and a villain who aligned herself with a League! I don't care what any of them say. I know she can't be trusted. UA has had a lot of stuff on their plate — they don't need another problem."
"Mom—"
"—I'm not your mother. I wish I didn't even have to be associated with you. Just shut up already."
I bit my lip and looked out the car window. I could see Aizawa as he left the building and All Might walked with him. I pounded my fist against the glass, but neither were able to hear me. Neither looked in my direction.
"Shut up, you stupid brat! You're not their problem anymore, so don't be a bother."
"S-sorry..."
"If you want to apologize, then shut the fuck up."
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PLEASE check out this poll! Izumi is getting an alternate universe story since I'm catching up to the anime and I don't read the manga. More details can be found in the poll, but please vote which AU of the options you'd want to see. https://www.quotev.com/quiz/12295302/Izumis-Newest-Adventure