AN: Sorry this took a bit longer... needed to make sure this was done right.
X. Revelation
It was odd walking in the halls of the most prestigious and well-known school of the country. Tall ceilings to white-colored halls which changed in color with every room or center where she walked by. Everything was silent at that hour, only a few maintenance staff or some campus guards patrolled in the empty halls. Izumi was told earlier by her aunt that the majority of the staff had an important meeting after the exam. It seemed plausible given the state the school was in.
Most of her fellow examinees have gone home already. At first, some were willing to do the tour with her, namely that of Kyouka and Ochako whom stuck with her for a bit. However, they needed to go home as well so she was left with herself at the current time. It was certainly a different experience walking the halls of this school. Normally she would imagine it differently with various people and students walking on and about. But the experience was pleasant. It was quiet.
One of the things that Izumi liked when she was alone. Calm, solace-filled, silence.
The only sound was her footsteps walking along the tiled floors. Windows outside illuminating the hallways with various trees providing a necessary green to the otherwise currently uneventful place. She looked over the empty halls with wonder and amazement, hoping that she could pass the entrance exam. Hoping that this could be her school to learn to be a hero. She smiled at that thought, not letting the anxiety and fear of failure get to her. As her newly acquainted friends taught her, it was far better to think more about positive things rather than negative ones.
She sighed in relief.
She did accomplish one of the key things she wanted to do for herself in the exam. Which was to save people. Even if it was mostly an embarrassing mistake that she noted to never repeat again. Shoto was right about the Zero Pointers, they wouldn't have hurt actual students like her. UA wasn't that heartless when it came to training youngsters her age. Unfortunately, she managed to exert so much effort that she came close again to falling unconscious because of blood loss. It wasn't as bad as last time, but it was still considerable enough that both Recovery Girl and her mother berated her for trying what she did again. Her mother most of all, who looked far worried for what happened, and that she wasn't there to stop her.
It did make her wonder why her mother made a big deal out of this, not like she hadn't seen it before. Yet, it made her question if she knew something about her quirk as well as the mystery of the father she never knew. The original owner of the surname, Midoriya.
As she thought about this mystery, she stumbled upon a long hallway, a hallway that ended back to the main hall of the building she was in. Windows to the outside were decorated on her left, while the sealed off rooms of unused laboratories, classrooms, or the likes similar to that decorated her right.
She was looking around as she walked… taking in the scenery like usual.
That is, until an odd feeling came to her senses. A strange sensation that overrode her current line of thought. Her heart started to beat faster.
Each thump made it feel like her life was in jeopardy and it increased as seconds passed.
Izumi wondered why she was feeling this way as she started to sweat. Suddenly, her senses increased tenfold. Like the time where she heard the first call for help in the exam. She was aware that the reason she felt that way was because of the headband which naturally increased her focus and senses significantly. Only this time, she was wearing no headband and her quirk was seemingly acting like this without it.
A haze began to form in her current thoughts. She felt a bit dizzy and while it wasn't as bad when she discharged some of the blood with each use of her quirk, it was starting to get prevalent. She carefully leaned herself on the nearest wall and tried to calm herself.
The sensory overload began to manifest bit by bit.
She could hear her heart racing, the smallest of sounds, the faintest of smells and the smallest of details were now a bit clearer to her.
She took a deep breath and tried to ease her heart rate. Thankfully, it was slowing down a bit and as she opened and closed her eyes her problem had vanished. As bizarre and sudden as it came to be. She made herself stand upright in a better sense right now in the middle of the halls.
As she recollected herself, she looked at the window left of her. It was normal, at least until she saw her reflection faintly on the glass. A chill went up her spine.
Because what she was looking at was not her. It was a red entity whose body and presence was a pale imitation of herself. It had horns protruding from its head and its eyes was fixed fully on her. Blood Red eyes that were glowing menacingly. Izumi swallowed a lump of saliva in her throat.
Her heart started to race again when a faint memory of a past nightmare came back to her.
The nostalgia and the way how her arm's individual hairs stood up was not a good sign.
Izumi had her heart sink deep within feelings of fear. As if the world around her which was peaceful suddenly turned cold… dark, and indescribably heavy to all her senses.
Like a foreign intruder had hijacked her psyche. It didn't move. It simply stared on where she was. Izumi tried to inch away, only to observe that the entity did the same.
DRIP.
The entity's mouth started to move. It was twitching… slowly and surely…
DRIP. DRIP.
Izumi then stood in a complete frozen and shocked state that she was unable to move.
The entity with its razor-sharp teeth managed to make a spine-tingling smile that was disturbing and horrible to look at. It stood there with its wide serrated teeth, as if looking at her as prey item.
DRIP. DRIP. DRIP.
Izumi stepped back and blinked. She didn't know how long it was that she stayed in a paralyzed state. A paralyzed state of fear. the very moment she blinked, her normal reflection was on the glass.
Leaving no traces of the entity that was on it.
"A-Am I getting crazy?" she asked herself.
DRIP.
Izumi then noticed under her feet, was a small puddle of blood. She narrowed her eyes and wondered where it came from, only to finally notice and feel that her nose was dripping slightly with the crimson fluid. She took out her handkerchief and began to slowly wipe and cover her nose from the blood that was seeping out.
She also leaned on the floor to wipe the small puddle away. Not wanting to insult and make it harder for the maintenance staff that was cleaning the campus grounds. After wiping the small excess, she put the piece of cloth back and stood up.
As soon as she did, she saw what seemed to be a woman wearing a hero suit walking down the corner into the next hallway. She had a white cape on over her dark gray suit. Her hair was tied up in the back with some of the strands loose at her sides. She walked in a calm stride as she disappeared down the hallway.
Izumi wondered who it was, based on the look of her suit, she looked to be a pro hero. Maybe a teacher. But why would a teacher be walking along the halls of UA when she was told everyone was at a staff meeting?
Izumi's curiousness overruled her other traits, and she slowly followed the woman as she hurried up to catch her. Moving along the turn into another hallway just like where the woman had gone to, she then saw her turn another right at the end of the hall she was in.
For a woman who was walking calmly, her speed was surprising.
Izumi managed to double up and finally arrived at the point where she turned. Izumi looked at both hallways… she was not there. No one was there. As she looked around, she managed to see that this new hall she turned to was probably the school's hall of fame.
She quickly marveled at the framed pictures of various students. Names of old that she knew, some older than her, and some more recent than others. She smiled as she saw each of the faces in front of her.
Izumi then wondered where All Might's picture was, since as she could recall he did graduate in this school. As she looked around, a chill on her spine manifested. Yet this one was not of a negative kind, but something comforting and familiar.
Always the dramatic one… isn't he?
The voice reverberated on Izumi's head. It didn't seem like it came from someone's voice, yet a voice that somehow came from her head. Like it was speaking to her directly.
Izumi turned and saw at the left portion of the hall of fame was the woman she was following. She was in the middle of a picture frame, showing none other than All Might himself in his younger years.
She stared up with arms crossed on her chest. A smile was on her face.
A proud smile. Akin to a mother who looks at her child.
Izumi was about to say something when the woman suddenly spoke.
I always looked on him like he was the son I never had… I can see why he sees the same in you.
Izumi stopped in her tracks, wondering what the woman said to her. As she looked at her standing there in all her glory, Izumi felt the hairs on her back stand still. A cold sensation was draped on her right shoulder. This wasn't comforting this time. The presence of something sinister returned, yet the woman she was looking at remained in her vision. Standing still and staring at the picture.
"Tsk."
Digits began to move in her shoulder, what seemed to be long protruding claws were now draped on where the cold sensation once was. Slowly they moved into position and grabbed her shoulder tight.
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk."
Izumi didn't move her head towards that direction, only an insane person would do that. Yet the temptation was doubling up in her. Inducing a feeling of helplessness.
She could feel something leaning on her shoulder with malicious intent.
Something innate, something even she could not comprehend. It moved closer towards her other shoulder and placed its sharpened digits upon her. Izumi was shivering in fear.
What was this she asked. Why was she experiencing this?
She closed her eyes and wished for everything to go away. Only to open them and to see what lay before her.
"AAAAAGGHHH!" she screamed.
She saw her arms replaced with those sharpened digits, she could feel horns (real horns) on her head and her skin was a dark shade of red. Her teeth filed into serrated fangs. The horror seeped into her as she stumbled backwards… only to feel a presence catching her from behind. Comforting hands that replaced the cold and malicious presence earlier.
You are special, Izumi Midoriya… and no matter what demons lay in your heart, you will always be given the choice to follow your dreams… let that guide you and you will find peace.
Izumi blinked.
She was alone in the halls now. She looked behind her and saw no one. She looked at her arms and herself. She even felt her skin and head and saw that she was normal.
Everything was back to normal…
Yet why did she experience all of that? What did it all mean?
Inko Midoriya stood in front of the mirror. A quiver of a smile was on her features. It was a strange feeling being in this suit again she mused. Here inside the women's room of UA, she wore her suit when she still used the guise of the villain Jade. She never thought she would wear this suit again. Trauma and fear had latched on to it ever since Aldera fourteen years ago. The only piece of her old attire that she used from time to time was the mask, and that in itself had been damaged because of her encounter in Italy. The encounter that blatantly ripped a hole in her established psyche. The encounter that ultimately changed her yet again into this person. A pathless person that was lost in her own way. The sole reason she continued to live now was because of Izumi and with renewed purpose, no thanks to being reminded of the reality of the girl's situation.
Even the suit itself was worn, torn in some places. It had not been touched ever since she discarded it after the night of the incident. Multiple reminders of the night itself remained on the suit. From the burnt marks, to the various scratches and torn places that decorated areas of the old wear. She cleaned the blood marks, blood stains, and other less than desired traces of the people that died next to her. Inko lost her smile instantly when she thought about all the dead in her wake. Not just from Aldera but from all the ones that came when she walked this path.
She thought about him, how he died in her arms.
Then her thoughts came upon Izumi, when the girl cried in her arms when the smoke cleared that night. She still did not know what the girl's true origins were, but she didn't care. The very moment she survived that night holding that girl next to her, she knew what the cost was and she knew where it all ended and by that knowledge Inko resigned her fate for the girl. For her daughter.
The door to the women's room creaked open. Footsteps were heard as Inko continued to stare on the apparition of herself on the glass.
"Inko… are you okay?" her friend, her only friend that stuck with her through thick and thin said.
"I'm fine. This suit... I was just surprised at how much it took to getting used to. I haven't worn this since that night Nemuri. Never thought I would again to be honest."
Nemuri walked closer to her best friend and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Inko held the hand as well as they looked at each other in the mirror. Smiling.
"Do you remember that time when I accidentally paired you and Hisashi in that group activity we had in high school?" Nemuri asked, invoking a multitude of memories from both of them. Inko could remember that day almost as well as any other memory in the past. The past where everything seemed peaceful and okay.
"I hated him that day you know, kept on rambling about how lazy I was with our part of that project. I even punched him in the face because I was so pissed." Inko replied making the two of them to laugh in consolation.
"Yet you both got familiar pretty fast…" Nemuri said, her voice contemplative.
"Yeah." Inko began to shed a tear recalling Hisashi. Nemuri held her still as both of them tried to assure and comfort each other with what was to come.
"Are you ready?"
"I don't know." Inko admitted as she took one last long look on herself in the mirror.
"That's good an answer as any." Nemuri said as they began to walk each other out.
13:46 Hours, Faculty Meeting Room…
"What are we looking at exactly? This girl, as you've told us possesses a great deal of importance based on your wording." Space Thirteen said towards All Might who was quietly watching the other faculty members debate about the occurrence in the practical exam. They had not started the meeting yet, as they were waiting for an essential guest to help him, Nemuri, and Gran Torino to explain the situation to the UA Pro Heroes. Even Izumi's doctor that was with her ever since she was little was present. Dr. Shigechi had been reserved in a small corner of the room, fixing the files that were needed for the meeting they were in. Gran Torino and Nezu had begun discussing again in a separate room, clearly something about the girl's performance and negotiations that needed to be talked about. Nemuri was gone from the room, the reason being was that she left the building to invite in their special guest.
This left him alone with Kaguya who was present to deal with the other faculty members.
"How could she emit that much surge of energy in one sitting? It was almost comparable to All Might's. Heck, even the way how she effortlessly lifted those Zero Pointers made me question how the kid did that." Power Loader said in inquiry as he tried to think how the seemingly small girl was able to achieve feats like that.
"It did look like a considerable amount of drawback was inflicted on the girl. She had to be taken in by Recovery Girl with how much blood she lost." Vlad King replied.
"What I'm really curious about is why did the girl have multiple facets with her quirk? She used what looked like as energy constructs resembling blackened ropes or whips and suddenly she was able to use this red lightning while also being strong enough to lift both Zero Pointers. A detail in which I recall on hearing that they weigh at least in the excess of seven thousand tons." Snipe questioned, truth be told this was also an issue inside of everybody's minds right now.
"The Zero Pointers weigh in at about 6888 tons to be precise." Power Loader corrected.
"See? That is heavy, and I don't think a measly strength-enhancement quirk can easily lift that with no strain of whatever." Snipe added.
"We have seen heroes with quirks that allow them feats of superior strength. All Might here now is an example as well as numerous others. Even Villains such as one that ravaged Rio de Janeiro years ago was able to slightly dismantle the tectonic plate situated there." The principal, Nezu said as he and Gran Torino finally joined the room. It was met with a mixed response however, with Present Mic still in silence which was unusual for him and Eraserhead watching in with a strong glare in a corner. Holding the tablet that contained the redhead girl's file.
"Recovery Girl, how was the girl? We were told that she lost significant amounts of blood." Nezu asked. All Might and Kaguya listened in as well, because this was the first occurrence in months where Izumi had to lose that much blood to power her quirk.
"She did lose two liter's worth of blood, which is why I had to call in her mother who graciously supplied her with her own. What makes this odd however is because the child has blood-type O and her mother mysteriously has an AB blood type. Making me wonder if the two are related, but since we have no other donors that are willing to give blood, I accepted it. She is type O after all." The old woman who was known for her 'Recovery' quirk said as a diagnosis on Izumi's condition.
"Poor girl. Why would the drawback be that catastrophic? And why would she vomit blood in the first place?" Space Thirteen asked.
"The better question would be the difference in blood-types between the mother and child. It is known universally that a child's quirk can either be the quirk of one of their parents' or a combination of it. If what you're implying is true, then who is that woman?" Ectoplasm added.
"Are we dealing with something shady All Might? It seems you haven't said anything at all ever since we got here." Cementoss inquired as all eyes went to the skinny man in his loose yellow striped suit. Toshinori looked at Kaguya, of which the woman soundly shrugged and left him to explain himself.
"First off, I'd like to say that the reason we're even talking about this girl is because she is somehow related to me." He said slowly.
"So you two are related?" Present Mic, finally speaking said.
"No. It's much more complicated than that. As you remember, when I finally joined your faculty for this year's school year, I had to divulge some information about my quirk. Of which you are all aware is called 'One for All'."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Snipe said in between the conversation. The whole room was clearly perplexed and unamused of all the secrets being hidden against them.
"Well, it has to do with everything unfortunately… since young Midoriya is the child I chose as my protégé. My successor to be precise."
This made the whole room silent. Even Eraserhead softened his glare at those in front.
"Are you saying… that girl has your quirk?" Power Loader asked.
"At a simple sense. Yes."
A flurry of activity suddenly opened in between the teachers. As more questions have been thrown into the mix.
"I can see now why she was able to lift the Zero Pointers."
"How is that your quirk can be passed to that child?"
"What did you mean by having the 'fate of the world on her shoulders?"
Toshinori was overwhelmed by the constant barrage of questions. He wanted to answer them all but the whole room went into chaos. Arguments and ramblings began to fill the air until the principal stepped up.
"Everyone please observe an orderly fashion. We are professionals, please act and behave accordingly. This is a matter that is not easy to address much less talk about but we need unity and order so that we may proceed."
Eventually the questions and mayhem was snuffed out. Toshinori nodded in thanks to the principal while Gran Torino looked with a bit of subliminal messaging to infer that he gets to the point.
"Alright… I hear your questions and yes, the girl does have my quirk. Normally my quirk can be passed on to someone by means of sharing my DNA. The transfer can only be done if the user explicitly allows the chosen person to be the next inheritor of the quirk."
"Then what we saw was your quirk in action, not the girl's then?" Present Mic said as he raised his hand to say this question. As the other teachers waited for the reply, Toshinori's expression darkened.
"A part of it yes, the other part which is larger isn't."
A huge weight was dropped upon the staff.
"What do you mean?" Space Thirteen said.
"What you saw mostly was the work of the girl's own quirk, and the whole reason why I told you all about the mechanics of 'One for All' is because the girl never went through this process. Her own quirk overpowered and consumed mine, making it hers in a forced fashion. I never even knew about it until I was told of it." the tone of his voice was in admittance, as well as ominous in nature.
This aggravated the teachers present, as they couldn't simply believe that easy that All Might, the world's renowned and arguably strongest hero got his quirk forcibly stolen from his grasp like it was nothing.
"That girl… managed to rob you of your quirk?" Cementoss said in shock.
"The correct term would be 'consumed' and I assure you the girl has no ill will, nor is she even aware that she was able to take 'One for All' for herself. Only we know and as far as it goes right now, it will stay that way."
"Are you saying the girl is dangerous then?" an armored-wearing teacher who Toshinori assumed was a newly appointed faculty staff member asked after staying silent for so long.
"Yes, and it's even more apparent since we don't know how far her own abilities limits lie." Gran Torino added as everyone finally felt the shiver in their wake as they were shocked to learn that the stunt the redhead girl pulled was just the start of what she can do.
"That's insane, how can a quirk like that exist? To even be leagues beyond your own is simply absurd." Ectoplasm remarked, to which everybody agreed on.
"I used to believe the same way… unfortunately it's a reality we all need to accept." A new voice stated as all eyes went to the door of the meeting room. Where Nemuri Kayama or known as Midnight stood. She was at the door, standing in between as to stop it from closing.
"Who are the girl's parents?"
Everyone's attention went to Eraserhead or known to others as Shota Aizawa. The gravity of how he said those words felt personal and he walked closer to the front of the conversation while his gaze was transfixed fully on Nemuri.
"Aizawa…"
"I didn't ask you All Might. I asked her, because as everyone here knows… me, her, and Mic over there went to the same school. Which makes me beg the question as to why the girl's surname is Midoriya. The surname of the dear friend of ours that died to a criminal scum decades ago." Venom was laced in his words. He did not hold back with how suspicious and offended he sounded.
Present Mic was also listening in intently.
"Izumi is my niece." Nemuri proclaimed, further shocking the inhabitants in the room.
"Bullshit. Don't you dare lie to me Nemuri. You were there and you as well as I know that Hisashi never had children in the first place. Nor was he able to."
The mood thickened. It seemed personal now than normal.
"Everybody calm down. Mr. Aizawa and Ms. Kayama, I don't want to uphold my will upon you two but please stop this nonsense. We won't adhere this meeting if we let our emotions get the better of us." Nezu said in between them. Aizawa backed off but continued to glare.
Nemuri looked away.
"My question still stands, and I'm sure as hell everyone in this room wants to know." Aizawa challenged Toshinori who was at a loss for words. Inko warned her that this would happen and true enough her words bore fruit.
He sighed, hoping that with the state things are he wished that nothing bad would happen.
"Is she there Midnight?" Toshinori asked the woman, who simply nodded.
"My fellow heroes, I wish that all of you keep a cool head and an open mind. We have brought a guest to better inform you and explain to us the situation we are in." Toshinori asked with a bit of pleading in his tone.
"Who is it?" Snipe said.
"The girl's mother, Inko Midoriya." As soon as he said this, Inko walked in as everyone saw her. Suddenly tensions in the room rose up higher when both Aizawa and Present Mic stood up in outrage and shock. Particularly Aizawa who activated his quirk as quickly as he saw her.
"You even dared to use his name huh?" he said in blind rage as his scarf started to move. His eyes transfixed and glowing in sight of her. Inko had a saddened expression on her face but she remained strong against it.
"Hello…" Inko then looked at Present Mic who looked less than pleased. "… to both of you."
"Why are you here scum!" Aizawa lashed out.
"She seems familiar…" one of the teachers said.
"Hello to all of you… like what Toshinori said to you all, I am the mother of Izumi Midoriya."
"THAT'S FAR ENOUGH!" Aizawa screamed as he let his emotions take over him and he lunged at Inko much to the dismay of all of those who saw it. Nemuri and Toshinori tried to block him but Inko simply clapped her hands as his face neared her by a few inches. This caused his eyes to blink, stopping his quirk Erasure and rendering Inko's erased quirk back to normal. She then focused the scarf tangled around him and tied him with it as fast as her mind had let it. Until he opened his eyes again, he was trapped.
The display of power was enough to rattle some of the other teachers to stand up to the act.
"Who are you?" Ectoplasm said out aloud.
"All of you stay calm. She isn't the enemy here." Toshinori protectively said as he went in front of Inko. He even transformed into his powered form to do so. The woman though, wanted to face it herself so she placed an assured hand on him and stepped in front again to all of them.
She then focused her quirk to remove some of the bonds on Aizawa's body. Instantly he stood up, only to be stopped by Nemuri.
"You dare come here and say you aren't the enemy! Don't play us as fools Inko! You know better what you did!" he said out aloud. To some of them in the room it was the first time they saw Eraserhead like this, as for most of the time he was clearly the best person to hide and keep his emotions in check. For him to be rattled like this made everyone suspicious of Inko.
Present Mic came in to help restrain the angry Aizawa who never stopped laying his eyes on Inko.
She on the other hand, kept a solemn face of regret and sadness that it ended this way.
"Ms. Midoriya, you were saying?" Nezu said.
"R-Right… I-I'm the mother of Izumi as well as…"
Toshinori gave her a look that seemed to say 'it's okay if you don't do this'. She smiled bitterly and looked away from him.
"… the former villain, Jade."
ITALY, TEN MONTHS BEFORE…
Inko was exhausted. She had wounds all over. Bleeding, scarred and broken bones on her other arm. Yet she stood amongst the ashes. Triumphant amidst the broken remains of the room that dampened her quirk. All six women of varying powers and abilities lay all across the room. Some knocked out, some unconscious, and some barely able to stand from the actions of Inko. While she was not in the best of state in that situation, she surely towered over her opponents.
The battle wasn't easy but she managed to snag a victory regardless.
She scowled towards the last woman in the room who calmly sat still on a chair. Clapping at her victory like it was a game. She seemed far too pleased for Inko's liking and as she was going to focus on killing the woman on spot, she was met with words that stopped her from doing so.
"You really are something else, aren't you Ms. Inko? From the very beginning I always wondered why such a woman would take little Izumi into her arms. I thought you weren't capable enough even with your track record of always escaping All Might's clutches, but alas I am human and I make mistakes."
Inko didn't respond.
"Not one to spark conversation now huh?" Juno continued, Inko never responded still.
"I assume since you haven't blown my head off (as inappropriate as that sounds), I believe you want to hear the next few words that would come out of my mouth. I believe you think that all of my sentences mean something in regards to your… daughter and killing me won't bear fruit for your success in handling her." Juno said, her wordplay and thoughts with her sentence while in itself was playing with Inko, it was also pretty much true.
Juno smiles as Inko continues on not responding.
"If your silence is any indication, then I suppose my assessment is correct. While I do have ulterior motives, what I am going to say to you next is for the girl's own safety as well as for the safety of others around her. Hearing it would be your benefit."
"Keep talking." Inko finally spat out. Juno's movements suddenly went from being curious to intrigued at Inko. She walked a bit closer with her hands joined in a sort of a queenly manner. A mocking technique that Inko surmises, although based on her movements they did not seem malicious.
"You have proven to me that you are indeed strong enough to protect the girl on your own. If you have beaten my disciples, of which had their quirks empowered to a certain degree then I have my respect for you." Juno said in a slow manner, Inko was confused about it as it sounded almost genuine.
Almost.
"Which gets us to the one thing that troubles me with your handling of your daughter. You berate me for being cold and unloving to the people I have collected or experimented. Even to the disciples I have nurtured into strong individuals… yet, I can't seem to see that you don't do such things as well. Based on the tone of your delivery, the seriousness of your essence while you barged in here... you never truly loved the child at all haven't you?"
Inko went silent again. The realization was there.
"I…"
Juno smiled beneath her mask and moved closer towards Inko.
"You claim that my care will be different from yours… yet you callously put poor Izumi with the cold shoulder. I am correct aren't I in saying that?"
Inko pursed her lips. It indeed was true.
"Y-Yes…" her body weakened significantly when she said that. It felt like the shame and guilt of the fight she just won was weak in comparison to the pain and torment of the truth.
"Then we have a small problem in our hands Inko Midoriya. Or is that even your name?"
Inko didn't respond, yet she stared at Juno. Not even knowing that tears started falling from her eyes. Juno considered to move deeper into the conversation. Hoping her last gamble would suffice in changing the woman's mind.
"You see; this wasn't in the file Inko… your daughter as you proclaimed her, will one day reach to a point where her quirk will overtake her sanity. She will grow mad when the time comes because the bare reason why her quirk exists is to consume the quirks of everyone around her. She will become a monster driven mad in order to survive… a beast that will take the lives of every soul she comes upon."
Inko's heart suddenly plummeted. Those few sentences sent an unnerving feeling that her body reacted to. The worst part was, the woman didn't seem to be lying with her words.
"It will take time… but when she continues to harness that power with no control, no supervision, and no empathy to spare her madness she will become the monster that everyone will fear in time."
"N-No…"
"Oh yes… that is why I was trying to offer you to put her in my care. As callous as I may be… I will never let such an event happen. I can contain her with my tools and money. I can make sure that the quirk she has inside of her remains dormant. No monster will spell Armageddon in her name Inko, the blood on your hands will never boil up to such extremities."
Inko locked eyes with her.
"T-There has to be a way…" she pleaded.
"There is. Mine is the best option as I once told you."
"I-I can't… I can't do that to her." Inko firmly said. Juno frowned, but mused to herself that she did enough to convince her. Which means… plan B has to be set in motion.
"If you are willing to take the long road. Fine, you have my blessing in that regard."
"B-But you said-"
"I never said it was impossible to stop the girl from becoming the monster we all fear. It will be difficult I must say to you… but with the right tutelage, the right control, and the right empathy to guide her with her quirk then maybe you do have a chance."
Inko felt a glimmer of hope rise through the darkness. But… her relationship with Izumi was the opposite of empathetic.
"I must warn you however, this choice of yours will warrant numerous trials and problems along your way. I dare say that you may never survive it in time, but if you are confident then I will leave that decision to you."
Inko started to question what this woman wanted.
"Why are you helping me?" Juno laughed at this question of hers.
"I am not helping you Inko, I am merely stating the facts of your decision. I am a scientist at heart and I like observing experiments… this, is one experiment I will gladly watch until it ends. Even if the world burns, I will observe with the keen eye of curiosity." She said with a large grin beneath her mask. Inko felt disgusted and focused on her neck to choke her, only to find that her quirk never interacted with Juno.
"Don't try to kill me yet… you won't feel the benefits of my hand across this experiment."
Inko then angrily grabbed the collar of Juno's dress.
"Listen to me you bespoke fuck… don't you dare lay a finger on Izumi much less anyone from your stupid disciples. If I see even one of them around her, I will finish what I couldn't do here in this very spot we're in. I don't care what your plan is… but I will make sure that everything you told me will not happen to Izumi. She will not become a monster like me and she will…-"
Juno tilted her head.
"S-She will b-become a hero. I'll make sure her dreams will come true… even if she hates me." Inko finally said as each word bore a pain of guilt as she recalled all the times she disciplined Izumi with this 'stupid' dream of hers. Right now, she wasn't sure…
"You really are an interesting individual Inko… but I'm afraid you are no loving mother as you stated yourself before. That child will be the end of you, and I'm certain the choices you established when you took her in will never help her unless you change."
Inko didn't respond to that, she then slowly let her loose as Juno walked away while trying to dust off the part of her dress where her hands touched her.
Inko was left speechless… realizing her faults on Izumi's part.
"Oh and one more thing Inko… that change in the girl I told you about, the primary sign you need to look out for is when she starts having hallucinations. Keep that in mind so you won't panic when the time comes."
The words ominously remained in her head even up to the present.
PRESENT…
Truthfully enough at the proclamation that Inko was the villain Jade that disappeared out of everyone's eyes years ago, the whole UA staff was on edge and ready to take action and take her in. But with the quick assistance of Nezu, along with All Might and Nemuri, they were able to stop that. Calming everybody down so that she along with the other people who are part of Izumi's secret were able to explain the dangerous and volatile situation they were in now. At first, nobody trusted her words nor was Aizawa convinced of everything that was being told to them. However, with the trust placed on her by All Might, of whom they knew to be the most trustworthy of heroes, they conceded to at least listen to what she had to say.
Inko's deliberation was mostly quiet, those who listened to her remained inside their thoughts thinking whether to trust this information, but since it was backed up not only by one of their colleagues and principal, but also All Might so they managed to believe most of what she said. Even Aizawa was not foolish enough to defer her explanation with the evidence presented of the red-haired girl's quirk.
As each detail was given and each morsel of information was absorbed by the UA staff, they grew increasingly concerned and baffled by how much power the girl had in her. It wasn't an exaggeration too since they saw first-hand what the girl did in the practical.
Inko explained the quirk to them slowly. Giving in details of how it works and how dangerous it is with the various possibilities and limits that even they can't determine with how the nature of her quirk worked. Added by the detailed observations that Dr. Shigechi had and the various testimonies of All Might, Kaguya, and Nemuri as well as Gran Torino…
It painted a picture of a quirk that reached abnormal levels of power that to some could probably be the world's most powerful quirk in existence (though this was put on debate as instances like All Might exist). However, this argument was also being somewhat thrown into obscurity since the girl possessed and unintentionally consumed 'One for All' into her system.
They were also told of the intense drawback of Izumi's quirk, one that they all felt bad for the young girl. Having to lose that much blood in order to fuel that energy she lashes out was a thing they all agreed to be too much even for the girl. This raised concerns on both Vlad King and Recovery Girl whom asked if the girl was allowed to use her quirk at all in this condition. Dr. Shigechi and Gran Torino were quick to answer that, stating that the girl was trained well enough to minimize as much power as she can given usual circumstances as well as the device on her head that served as a limiter.
This did not stave away the concerns but it lessened the questions on that part.
Multiple questions like that kept on piling up, most answered by Inko, Nemuri, and Dr. Shigechi as time passed. It had been more than an hour and a half since they first started this meeting and it felt like it wasn't bound to halt at any time soon.
All Might also opened up the part on why the girl was mostly free in using the black energy constructs she lashed out. As he said this most of the staff was quite surprised to learn that within that mass group of quirks, 'One for All' seemed to operate separately from the girl's own quirk.
As time passed by from that debate, the only thing left that wasn't said to the UA staff was one thing that to those who knew Izumi was the truth regarding on how Inko found her.
"This girl… I can't imagine the amount of stress she has without that headband of hers. One quirk can be hard to maintain enough but having multiple quirks inside her is easily difficult." Ectoplasm surmised. Power Loader seemed to agree on that idea.
"If she consumes more quirks I can't imagine how much energy output she can release from her body at that stage. I'm kind of scared at how much limitless potential and power her quirk has, and to top it all, All Might's quirk is part of her system." Power Loader added.
"Even with the safety concerns you all have placed in her Ms. Midoriya, I don't think it will be enough to truly stop her from keeping all of that power in." Space Thirteen commented as Inko laid eyes on her. The others who were listening seemed to have the same thoughts as well.
"I understand what you're trying to say… but we don't have much of a choice on that regard." Inko replied. Aizawa huffed at her response, although Inko seemed to accept his disregard for that too.
"Why is that actually? You've told us in the last hour and a half about how potentially dangerous and powerful this girl is… yet you all have never given us the reason why you chose to talk to us rather than people with better expertise and authority on how to handle situations like this. While I do believe this girl truly is an anomaly and something that needs to be monitored, why did you not approach the government or any agency that can allow the safety of this girl to be in better hands?"
Truthfully enough that sentence was not a thing that they would expect from someone like Present Mic, who just stood up and basically asked the question that was lingering most inside the minds of all those who were present. Even Aizawa shared this sentiment and Inko was forced in an inevitable spotlight.
Inko who remained where she was looked at everybody who were in anticipation of her reply on that specific question. Toshinori who was standing behind her felt a wave of concern upon Inko as she was having difficulty trying to think on what to say next.
Nemuri herself wasn't ready as to what was going to happen. Because this was the moment where they needed to say the unbiased truth about the girl's situation.
"I have to be honest with you all… you were not my first choice on trusting Izumi's protection and safety. As you all know, I was formerly a criminal and relatively speaking I still am. I never wanted to Izumi to be known to the public, I never wanted her to pursue her dream of being a hero nor did I even want her to think about being a hero. But, this isn't about me… nor is it about my track record, or the amount of people I killed in the past. This is about my daughter and her dream of being a hero even if she doesn't know about the dangers her quirk has on everybody and herself. I chose you people, because I see how Izumi sees you all… how she idolizes you all for helping people, something I couldn't do in the past nor even now. I chose UA because it was the best chance she had… the best chance to be with the people she believes in and learn to be something better than me…"
Toshinori felt a tinge of weight in his heart as she said those words. Nemuri as well whose eyes were getting wet with the built up tears. Those who were listening remained quiet, even Aizawa who was still repulsive over the thought that she was here listened in.
"I don't ask you to forgive me. I never regret the decisions I made in life. I never regret all of those people that died because of me…" Inko then stares at Aizawa. "… but I made a promise to someone in the past to find my way and bring purpose to my life. I never found it, until one job brought me to the little girl that changed my life."
"Are you saying you're not her mother?" Aizawa asked.
"Yes. I'm not." Inko admitted and the whole room began to speak in a mixed response, questions were being thrown at her until Inko raised her hand to continue.
"That girl is Izumi, and I took her in because I saw myself in her. I saw a little girl that cried in my arms as I woke up amongst the smoke and debris in Aldera… fourteen years ago."
This one revelation shook everyone's senses to the core. The shock was too much. Even Aizawa had his mouth open slightly in surprise.
"Wait… are you suggesting that-" Space Thirteen asked in fear of the truth.
"It's true. I was there before Jade vanished without a trace. I never spoke to the authorities about it because I was unsure of what happened myself. But unfortunately, what you're all thinking is in fact correct. All of those deaths in that night was caused accidentally by this girl who unintentionally used her quirk on that night. The old reports of having no survivors in Aldera was incorrect, Inko and her daughter were the only ones that managed to survive that incident." Toshinori said, quickly silencing those who wanted to ask further questions about that.
"Does this mean, the supposed villain which got everyone to search for any whereabouts for more than ten years… is this girl?" Power Loader asked, his tone in disbelief but he wasn't in disproving it either.
All eyes went to Inko.
"Y-Yes, she is."
Murmurs began to start. Questions of various kinds began to sprout again. They now proceeded to even ask violently about Inko on why she left the scene and fled. It was getting intense to the point that Toshinori had to once again calm everybody down.
Inko wasn't having it however.
"Look, none of this is important! I don't get why you're all asking me these questions. Do you all really think they would let Izumi get away with what happened? Do you really think the people with authority would just let that innocent girl live with how much people she killed? Do you really think I was so heartless to leave that girl where she was and let everyone on the truth that she massacred an entire city? Do you think... damn it! I'm not her mother! But I took the risk and hid her from the world!"
Inko wiped her tears.
"How do you think people will react when they learn about this? How would they react to loved ones and friends killed by a single girl on that night? The worst part of all of this is… Izumi doesn't know. She doesn't know anything for crying out loud! That speech in that stupid Memorial Day in Aldera was hers! That damn speech about heroism and honoring the dead in Aldera was hers. She dreams of putting everyone in Aldera to rest by serving justice to their deaths. I nearly wanted to say the truth to her when she said that to me…"
Inko took a deep breath.
"What I'm trying to say to you people is… Izumi believes in you. She believes in the concept of heroes and if she believes in you then I need to do the same. I may not be her mother but she is mine no matter what anyone says about it and I will be there by her side until the day I die."
Her final words silenced everybody and their thoughts on those concerns. Most of them had respect on Inko's fortitude. She wasn't out of the loop yet with her past crimes but in that very least in terms of the girl's condition they agreed to consider her words. Aizawa still had mixed feelings but he understood how much the girl meant to Inko. He didn't like her still, but as she said as heroes they needed to take action.
"Thank you for your testimonies Ms. Inko, but being that we must deliberate over this… I believe we need you to exit the room for a moment so that we can decide what to do next." Nezu said as he came in front. Inko nodded and left the room in silence.
Toshinori looked at Nemuri.
"Stay with her. She needs it right now." he whispered and Nemuri left the room to catch up with Inko. Leaving those left in the room as they let the facts sink in.
"I can see now why the girl is a sore topic… I expected something big but not this big." Snipe lamented. Toshinori stepped up as he sunk into his real form. Gran Torino as well.
"That's not the only thing that is problematic about this situation my friends." He expressed with a concerned tone in his words.
"There's more?" Cementoss asked.
"Indeed… you see this information we talked about is not only exclusive to us unfortunately. There are others who know about the girl as her mother told us. People that are less than inclined of her existence and wish to exploit it." Gran Torino proclaimed.
This made everyone to pale towards the implication.
"This is where we come in my fellow teachers. For the girl's fate lies on what we unilaterally decide next." Nezu added to which everyone's attention was turned on.
Inko felt her emotions in a mixed bag as she walked in the halls of UA. It didn't end as bad as she thought it was, and Aizawa certainly did not let his emotions overtake him further. He was mostly calm and collected as they let her speak and she was thankful that everyone behind her was in support towards her little speech.
She wished that they would agree on that proposition. She hoped that letting out most of what her chest held in was enough to guide their decision. Izumi's life was on stake right now and the warnings Juno said about her quirk slowly taking over her sanity was making her anxious. Izumi was fine but it could happen anytime soon.
She hoped that device on her head was enough to slow that process or ultimately stop it from manifesting. Of course relying on a machine was stupid, and it needed her as well as those around her to stop that from happening and keep Izumi as she is.
For now, while she waited she wished to see her daughter. The school's grounds which were allowed to her wasn't that large so it wasn't going to be hard to track her down. That, and since the headband had a tracking device, it made it easy to know where she was.
"Inko! Wait up will you." She heard someone say behind her. It was Nemuri who caught up to her. Inko smiled at the appearance of her friend. The feeling of heavy emotional weight being lifted off her temporarily.
"Need some company?" Nemuri asked as he took off her eyewear and wiped her eyes.
"I didn't need it but since it's you I'll appreciate it." she teased.
"Heh… yeah."
They walked in silence as the peaceful view beside them showing the greenery of the trees and view outside made them feel comfortable after the heavy emotions of the meeting earlier.
"Do you think they'll accept?" Inko asked.
A shadow of a smile appeared on Nemuri's lips.
"If there's one thing I know about the guys I work with. Is that whenever a student is need we're there instantly to make sure they're okay. They'll make a decision on Izumi and it will be the best for her I promise." Nemuri assured.
Inko smiled back as they reached the cafeteria to which Izumi was supposedly in.
As they reached it they saw the girl happily talking with Lunch Rush as she ate what seemed to be pancakes with chocolate syrup. What made the scene so important to both of them was Izumi's natural aura of positivity and happiness. Like nothing in the world worried her and that she was content and comfortable with what she had.
Even with the painful experience she got in with the Practical Exam, here Izumi was… happy like nothing bad had happened. Like nothing of worry was going on with her life.
It was far from the truth but the both of them decided that it was something they needed to preserve.
"I don't even know if we can tell her the truth someday…" Inko admitted.
"You and me both." Nemuri replied as they joined Izumi afterwards.
"Damn…" Snipe simple commented as everything was laid bare to them.
The red file, Juno's warnings, the underworld who now know Izumi's whereabouts because of the Slime Villain incident and everything there was to know about Izumi's situation.
It was simply unnerving to hear and truly concerning to think about.
"I can understand somewhat of the concerns of Ms. Midoriya in regards to telling the authorities. I myself was experimented on when they found out I can talk and have a higher plane of thought. Should they have known of the girl about how she was in the center of the Aldera tragedy, I don't think they would simply dismiss that fact either." Nezu said to which most of them agreed.
"We can't just keep this secret. If what you all said is true about villains knowing of the girl's quirk it isn't going to be easy nor will it be discreet Principal." Ectoplasm said in concern.
"We aren't going to keep it secret. The plan between us who know about the girl's quirk is to slowly guide her in mastering and teaching her how to be a hero. Even with that quirk of hers, together we can help her contain it and she could be an outstanding hero if we guide her to the end. I know villains are the problem here but that's the reason we made this choice, because UA is the safest option to her now. We can think about telling the girl the truth for later and slowly get the proper people with authority to be convinced that she is a good investment." Toshinori explained.
"I have concerns All Might… that of which entails IF we manage to do all of that. There are too many variables for this to go wrong and at best the girl knows about this and it will all be for naught." Power Loader replied to his explanation.
"The girl's safety is the important part of this. We can't just let random people to take her away without knowing what they'll do to her. This place and all of you involved here are people we trust and we know you all can't turn a blind eye on this girl." Toshinori firmly stated.
They all looked at each other and small murmurs were formed.
Toshinori hoped it was enough.
As they continued to debate, Aizawa raised his hand to speak. Nezu allowed him to.
"I don't trust Inko… I will never trust her until she's behind bars."
"Aizawa listen-" Toshinori was stopped when Aizawa walked closer to the head of the room to confront him. He sighed and continued to speak.
"But I understand the situation she's in. I think we all do… and as much as I dislike doing this or even accepting it. You are correct to assume that UA is the safest and sanest choice for her." he said with admittance that everybody seemed to agree on.
He walked back to his position as Toshinori looked to the rest of the room. They seemed to be in agreement now and with that said… Nezu, the principal stood up in front and took the place of All Might to relay the staff's final decision.
"Thirteen, do we have the written exam results of Izumi Midoriya?" he asked.
Space Thirteen stood up and replied:
"We haven't completed the test results yet on all the examinees but luckily the girl was in Batch B so she was one of the earlier results that were checked."
"And?"
"She has an almost perfect score on all subjects. Just shy by 3 or 5 points on each test." As she said this, Nezu thanked her and let her sit. The other teachers were quite impressed by those results. It wasn't a perfect score but it was high enough.
"As for her practical… with how she saved those students with her quick wit and decision-making… what can we say for her results?"
Cementoss was the one to answer that.
"She has accumulated no points on destroying or shutting down any villain bots but with judgement of most of us in the room. Her rescue points speak for themselves…"
Toshinori's frown began to change into a small smile.
"That is good to hear… very well then. Everyone is in agreement I assume?" Nezu asked and all of them nodded, there was a bit of reluctance but it was mostly an agreeing vote.
"Well then ladies and gentlemen… with that decision, I believe this school year will be the most promising in the history of this school." Nezu cheerfully proclaimed...
END OF CHAPTER 10
AN: This was supposedly longer, but I think leaving it at that is better than prolonging it. Oh, and by the way thank you guys for getting this small and imperfect(yea it isn't the best I know lol) fanfic to 8k views and counting. Because of that I'm going to try harder to make this story better and better so that 8k views will matter in the end. I'm not sad by having 3 reviews still even with how much chapters I've posted but since you guys are reading I'll take that as a sign of appreciation. I'm not the best writer but I'm willing to try and entertain you guys with each chapter I post...
With that said, we're getting to the good stuff in the next few chapters. Since Izumi is definitely going to UA. Til' Then guys! Keep safe.
NEXT CHAPTER- "NEW BEGINNINGS": Izumi has finally been accepted into UA, with new classmates, new environments and new places to be in, she starts her journey on being a hero officially as the first day of classes starts. As this happens, Inko who is concerned still with her daughter, starts to wonder what her own decisions will be on what to do moving forward.
SideStory #7 coming soon!