Title: We Burn So Bright We Burn Out
Summary: Two sets of friends talk, and the fate of the Jade Mantis is decided.
Inko's mind blanked out there for a few moments. She was…pregnant.
Huh.
I need to seriously think about this . But not right now.
The doctor continued to talk after that, going over Inko's prospective healing schedule, and the prospect of physical therapy. " We should be able to get you out of the hospital within the next two weeks. From there though, we'll need to set up a system with your local hospital that includes a good physical therapy regimen ."
The patient rubbed her eyes as she nodded. "Later, okay, later…"
Doctor Sakharovna smiled reassuringly. " Don't worry, you don't need to make any decisions right now, we'll talk when you have a bit of a clearer head."
The doctor left the room soon after that, leaving the three women of the Midoriya-Vronskaya-Morita family alone to talk.
There was a bit of an awkward silence.
Kai broke it. "Don't worry it's safe," she informed, looking up at her adoptive mother from the bedside. "We can talk about vigilante stuff."
Inko blinked. "Oh...that's good to know." Another pause. "So...what actually happened that night?"
"Don't know," the girl shrugged her shoulders. "I was kinda sleepin'." Either adult could have interjected then, but Kai kept talking. "But when I woke up we were in Russia, and you were in the hospital." The girl looked away. "I was really worried, and I tried to tell them about my quirk but no one would let me-anyway we're living in a farmhouse now!"
"A farmhouse?"
"Yeah. There are two floors, I have my own bedroom now and there's a real kitchen and stuff. There's also a barn!"
"Seriously? That sounds cool." And relatively safe for a little girl's curiosity if the structure was sound enough. Definitely better than Kai jumping around the rooftops and picking fights with people twice her size.
Kai continued to talk for a bit, going over her new school and all the other interesting things in Russia that she'd seen so far. "-and Koycheva-sensei said that my Russian is really good. Which is great because I've been practicing a lot with Vee so I was worried about it."
"Speaking of school," Vronskaya politely interjected. "Don't you have a math assignment to work on?"
The nine year old pouted as she looked over to her backpack. "Yeah...but…"
"Don't worry, I'll take over from here, kotenok. " The Russian woman smiled. The young blonde gave another long look at Inko before grabbing her backpack and leaving the hospital room. Vronskaya's gaze turned back to the greenette. "Now, as for what happened…"
Last Week, the night of the explosion...
Vronskaya Sakura carefully placed Kai in the backseat of the van, with the bug out bags next to her. While the girl would certainly pout about leaving some things behind, Sakura had been sure to pack her favorite book. Right now though, time was of the essence. So the Russian started up the car and called her backup at the same time.
The former special forces officer picked up on the second to last ring. " Da?" He asked, sleep in his voice.
"I apologize for the lateness of the hour, Alexi, but a family emergency has come up. The girls and I will be in Russia for the next few weeks. Possibly longer, depending on circumstances."
"I'll hold down the fort here. You can count on me ma'am."
Sakura nodded to herself. "I never doubted it." She tsked upon coming to her first red light, but didn't dare speed through it. Unsafe driving could risk a ticket which would waste even more time.
"Vee?" The sleeping girl asked, starting to stir.
"Don't worry about it little one, we just need to take a drive."
"Okay." The spy watched in the rearview mirror as the girl's head slumped over as she once more fell asleep.
With the little one safely tucked in, Sakura made her way to the beachfront coordinates. It was off the beaten path-a small gravel road connecting to the shoreline opposite the pier. As the van approached, the headlights illuminated several pairs of eyes.
Sakura got out, and saw that over a dozen birds were now roosting on top of the Jade Mantis' prone body. They stepped off to the side when she approached, allowing her to come near.
"Oh, Inchka…" she sighed. The poor woman had managed to drag herself onto shore before collapsing from her injuries. Mura-san's agents must have informed her, and she instructed them to stabilize her for the time. Pelicans, seagulls, and the like had been roosting in order to try and keep Inko warm.
The Russian turned to one of the smaller birds in attendance. "Go back to Mura-san. Tell her we'll be gone for awhile." The bird dipped its beak in acknowledgement before flying off.
Vronskaya Sakura pulled out her cellphone. She had a few favors to call in.
"...From there, it was only a matter of making certain calls to certain individuals who could help. A phone call to get you on the first medical plane to Russia. A phone call to have a 'system error' to fudge our arrival date. A phone call to stage a little accident. As for Kai, well Funai-san was a little confused, but understanding about the short notice transfer. Utarefson Academy is well regarded, so any parent should jump at the opportunity to have their child enrolled there."
"You enrolled her in school here? Isn't that a little, uh, excessive?" Inko felt a little lost.
"Utarefson International is a great school, and I think it'll be good for her development to study abroad."
"That's something that kids usually do in high school, but...well, even with my injuries, we should be able to get back to Japan in a few weeks, right? The hospitals there are fully equipped to deal with these types of injuries."
Vronskaya looked off to the side for a moment, then back at Inko."About that...I think it would be prudent if we stayed in Russia until your injuries are sufficiently healed, Inchka. And possibly until your child is born. That is...if you want them?"
Inko had to think for a moment, but the answer came relatively quickly. "Raising Kai has been a genuine joy, so...yeah sure, why not have another kid?"
A soft smile spread over the old woman's face, lighting up her dark eyes. "Well then, this couldn't have come at a better time then. This hospital happens to have a great pregnancy care center. Of course, we'll have to talk to the embassy, get everything straightened out paperwork wise-"
"Uh, sensei if I could steer this conversation back on track?" The greenette interjected. "Why do you keep insisting that we stay in Russia? Yes I'm injured and pregnant but I also have certain... responsibilities with my second job."
Vronskaya's lips thinned as she frowned. "Inchka, you can't."
"I'll admit it's a little ill advised, but just a quick appearance in the leather jacket and mask, reminding people I'm still out there as I go on a...hiatus. I'll spin it as some big undercover thing, that way the underworld will be extra on edge. The youngins can probably hold down the fort for a few months." She said, in reference to the newer hero agencies that have started up in Mustafa.
The Russian gave her a long look. "Inchka, the Orito family is currently on the lookout for the Jade Mantis. Sticking your head out now is a good way to get it chopped off."
"The Orito family hasn't made a big move in years." The vigilante handwaved with more confidence than she probably should have. Was it the painkillers? Maybe it was the painkillers.
"They are an old family who are very careful about their image to the other groups. The Jade Mantis embarrassed them, and destroyed a massive shipment of a prospective business deal. They're embarrassed and looking for your head." The Russian paused "Besides, with this explosion, I think that now would be a good time for you to retire."
"What?" Inko startled.
The Russian continued. "I told you when I started training you, Inchka, that the long term solutions lie with the police and the pro heroes. Well, that's exactly what happening now. Things have gotten better. Not to mention how long you're going to be out of the game now that you're going to have another child."
"Whoa whoa whoa, I agree that I definitely shouldn't be jumping around rooftops with a baby bump, I think that retiring might be a bit premature." She insisted.
"Babies take a lot of work, care and attention. And I know what I pay you so I can safely say that you cannot afford a full time babysitter." The Russian woman poured herself a glass of water.
"You didn't have these concerns when I took in Kai-hell, you were the one who brought it up!"
"That's different." Vronskaya bit out, before calming herself. "As horrible as it is to say, Kai was at least somewhat used to a life of danger. A baby is completely different. With the explosion, the longer you go unaccounted for the more people start to think that you're dead, and will stop looking for you. You can rest and recover without having a yazuka hit over your head. Why waste such a perfect opportunity to quietly retire?"
"But what if it doesn't work out?" She bit back. "What if...the minute that people start to think that the Jade Mantis is dead, a bunch of cockroaches come crawling out of the woodwork to wreck havoc in Mustafa? Huh? That's on my head."
"I'm not ignoring the risks. Something that was always going to happen, whether or not you retire, or fall in the line of duty. But as you just pointed out, you aren't the only exterminator in town anymore." Inko looked away. "Let other hands take up your burden, Inchka. Raise your children in peace." Vronskaya gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Your children deserve to be raised by a mother who loves them. You deserve a chance to get to watch your little ones grow up."
Inko continued to say nothing, her jaw clenched as she stared out the window.
"I'll...I'll think about it." She eventually managed to speak.
Vronskaya silently nodded. "That's all that I ask."
Toshinori hadn't meant to break the TV. Honest.
To back up, Daiho Eden, business manager extraordinaire, had caught him sleeping in the office for the second morning in a row. That in and of itself wasn't an odd occurrence, Toshinori had a tendency to fall asleep at his desk after a long night of working a case. What was different was why he was sleeping there.
"Rise and shine, All Might." Was the stand-in for his usual alarm clock. Toshinori startled and almost fell off the couch.
"Ah!" he manages to steady himself just in time and sits up rubbing his eyes. "What time is it?"
"Little after eight." the business manager commented, taking a drink from her travel mug. He couldn't help but eye it enviously when he smelled the coffee. "You know...you have your own apartment, right? When was the last time you were back there?"
He forced a smile. "I've got backup uniforms here and a cafe not too far. I'm fine."
Daiho gives him a long look. "Hm...well, usually this is the point where I'd say that you're an adult and I'm not your nanny, but you kind of look like a mess right now. Greasy hair, bags under eyes, very not Symbol of Peace looking. So seriously, go home. Food, shower, change of clothes." She ordered, before walking out to her own office.
Yagi Toshinori ran a hand through his hair and sighed. If only it was that simple.
It had been one week. One week with no sign of the Jade Mantis anywhere. While this would be discouraging in a normal missing persons investigation, All Might hadn't lost hope. It would take months for someone to recover from explosion related injuries. Not to mention the theory that this was all somehow staged, and the vigilante was somehow undercover. (It wasn't one he particularly believed, but it was something. )
Still, the real reason he hadn't been back to his apartment was because he felt guilty. It was stupid, he knew it was stupid. Didn't make the guilt go away. He tsked the moment he opened up his front door, the unlit apartment matched his dour mood perfectly. Very not Symbol of Peace looking indeed.
The thing was, Toshinori dealt with unpleasant emotions the way most people dealt with their car's 'check engine' light turning on; ignoring it until something went majorly wrong and just kind of hoping that it goes away on its own. Was it healthy? Probably not. Was he going to keep doing it? Yes.
He threw his dirty clothes into the hamper, and was unsurprised that the dark mood didn't wash off in the shower. After taking the appropriate amount to effort to make himself look nice, Toshinori pulled went into his kitchen.
The blond hero had the TV on more for background noise rather than any desire to watch the news. Without surprise, he found the 24 hour news channels to be covering the Jade Mantis story. He could practically hear her reacting to the broadcasters discussing her apparent demise, irreverent and sassy as always. Wait you think that could actually kill me? I've eaten bigger explosions for breakfast, Blondie. Heat, force, and shrapnel, all part of a balanced diet.
Toshinori smiled into his oatmeal. That was when his attention was tugged back to to broadcast.
" ...and of course, we can't ignore All Might's role in all of this."
The news anchor nodded. "Well yes, it's certainly a help to the investigation to have the Number One Hero involved."
"No that's not it at all." The pundit said, and there was a flash of confusion on the anchor's face before it was replaced with picture perfect professionalism.
"What do you mean?"
"To be frank, All Might had chance after chance to arrest the Jade Mantis for her vigilante activities. Chance after chance, he let her go and continue to flagrantly break the laws of this country. Unfortunately, this explosion was the result of a lone wolf poking a bear with a stick until it attacked her. And now, at least four men are dead."
"I think that's a bit extreme-"
"I guarantee you, if he had done his job and brought the Jade Mantis vigilante into custody, she would still be alive. So might those other men who were killed in the explosion. She was an untrained civilian playing at a dangerous profession, and that's what got her killed-"
That was when he threw the remote at the TV. The small rectangle embedded itself in the screen with a sharp 'crack', causing the picture to fizzle and blur before going black.
He had no idea why he did that. In fact, that he had even thrown the remote didn't even register until the unit started smoking. Yagi Toshinori immediately regretted that. It was a fit of childish pique, he was above that, he knew his own strength- so why the hell did he do that?
Oh don't be so dense. An intrusive voice in the back of his head whispered. Even you're not that dumb.
Toshinori ran a hand through his hair. Shit. Directly or indirectly, what happened to Jade Mantis had been his fault. While she was fighting for her life, he had decided to ignore her letter and go to bed. He would never forgive himself for such slothfulness.
And yet you run yourself ragged looking for one woman? A part of his mind whispered. The Symbol of Peace is to protect and elevate everyone, not selfishly prioritize the ones you know personally.
Well then what was he supposed to do, recuse himself from the case? He knew Jade Mantis best, if anyone could find the vigilante it would be him. Besides, it's not like he could just ignore a person in need of help. Especially one he-
What, loved? That's your next mistake. You saw what happened to Nana, you idiot. You saw her pain after she lost her husband, and gave up her son to protect him. And you went ahead and fell in love with her anyway.
It's not like he had a choice in the matter. Jade Mantis was intelligent, strong, empathetic, protective of others, resilient-
Not resilient enough, apparently. And no matter how good she was, she wasn't a pro hero. You allowed her to walk down this path with barely a word of censure or discouragement. Whatever happened to her, it was because you didn't stop this.
There was a knock on the door, and the intrusive thoughts started to scatter with the sound. Toshinori couldn't find his voice. To say 'come in' or 'go away'...he didn't know. The decision was made for him when the door opened anyway.
The last person he would have thought stepped through that door-Daiho Eden. She was wearing her long overcoat over her regular business suit, and had something tucked underneath her arm.
Daiho raised an eyebrow at the broken TV. "Doing some redecorating I see," the redhead commented. It was her way of trying to break the tension. It didn't work.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, shame draining him of any bite.
"Well, as you know I'm your business manager, not your keeper. But my beautiful, amazing wife who is constantly a better person than me pointed out that bringing food in times of trouble is something that decent people do."
"Food," he repeated, more like a question. Because Daiho Eden...she was many things. But she wasn't someone who showed up at his house bearing food.
Daiho took a breath, seeming to almost steel herself. "I am here, with food, because you're my friend, you dumbass."
He blinked.
"Here," Daiho took out the package, revealing a to-go tupperware full of pancakes. "My wife put in blueberries instead of chocolate chips, because you seem like the type of person who eats those." She sat across from him on the table and drank from her travel mug full of coffee.
Toshinori moved to go grab a knife and fork, still honestly a little confused.
The business manager wasn't immune from the awkwardness herself, sitting ramrod straight at the table. Toshinori started eating his pancakes.
"So...Jade Mantis?" Daiho ventured after a few bites.
He hummed, his mouth full of food. "Working on it. I have Nedzu following up on an angle." She hummed back in acknowledgment. There were a few more sips of coffee before she came to some kind of decision.
"Yagi, you know that I'm not one to pry into your personal life, but, uh…well there's no polite way to say this. Are you in a relationship with Jade Mantis? Like...romantically."
Toshinori was in the middle of a drink of milk. He sputtered but managed to get it down without spilling or coughing. "How did you know?!"
Daiho raised an eyebrow. "What, was that supposed to be some kind of secret?"
The blond wiped his face with a napkin. "...considering I found out about it a week ago, yeah, I guess." He realized that he misspoke about two seconds after the words left his mouth.
This time, her eyebrows were furrowed. "You only realized you were in a relationship a week ago? Yagi…"
"No no! I just...found out that I, uh...liked her liked her." He mumbled into his pancakes.
Another hum and sip of coffee from Daiho. "Really? Because working with the Most Wanted Vigilante without once even considering turning over to the police wasn't enough of an indication?"
He just ate another slice of pancakes, unable to come up with his usual excuses. "I'm teasing, of course. As for how I knew...the charity gala a few years ago. The way you two played off of each other…" she shrugged. "I'm good at reading people. Comes with the job." She smiled. "Even back then, it was obvious how much you liked her. And how much she liked you."
"...I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, to be honest. The last time I was in a serious relationship...well things just kind of faded after I moved away," he recalled, thinking of his time in America with David Shield. "And I love her, I really do, but I have no idea what that actually means in the grand scheme of things. I'm supposed to be the Symbol of Peace, how can I do that and be with someone, knowing what my job is like?" He saw the pain that had settled into Nana, after her husband. The last thing he ever wanted was to be responsible for Jade to feel that herself.
The redhead glanced down at her hand, before looking back at him. "Well, to be fair, it's not like life is completely risk-free. I could walk down a flight of stairs, trip and split my head open. There's always a balance of risk and reward, so you have to decide if it's worth it. She obviously has."
Toshinori huffed, and looked back up at his business manager. "How would that even work? The Number One Hero and Vigilante? Because I imagine that is something people are going to notice."
"To be honest, I've probably spent way too much time thinking about it. Simple way: All Might's never in a relationship, but Yagi is. Slightly less simple way: stage a meet cute with her civilian identity, say we want to keep things private. The complicated way involves defense attorneys, press conferences, and probably a Dateline special." She smiled, before it started to dip into a frown. "That is, however, hinges on the idea that-"
"She's alive." Toshinori interjected. "I know she is."
Because the Jade Mantis always got out.
True to his word, Nedzu had tried to decode the letter and mixtape. He ran the letter through every type of cipher or system he knew, cross-checking certain phrases with the songs in order to detect some sort of hidden meaning. He pulled the mixtape apart on a digital level, looking for any kind of unusual spikes or background noise.
He found nothing to suggest any kind of intent or pattern. If there was a code (and Nedzu was 99% certain that there wasn't) it was one that he couldn't crack.
No, All Might, this wasn't any kind of complicated code. Instead, the vigilante confessed her love to you before stepping into the jaws of death.
Nedzu sighed, and went back to his laptop. "One more time," he said, if only to himself. "One last time, and if I don't find anything…" he trailed off, before pressing 'play'. The mellow notes of a big brass band came through the speakers.
We'll meet again,
Don't know where,
Don't know when
But I know we'll meet again some sunny day
Keep smiling through
Just like you always do
'Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away *
There was a burner phone in one of the bug-out bags. One of the specially modified ones that the Jade Mantis used to call people without being traced. It would be so simple to just pick the phone up and call All Might-Inko's had his phone number memorized for years now. She had at first thought to call him, to let him know she was alright.
But then...she stopped. It had been an entire week since the explosion, and sure he would be glad to hear that she was alive but then the next question out of his mouth would be 'when are you coming back?' And that wasn't a question she was sure she could answer.
Because she loved being the Jade Mantis so much. The total freedom in using her quirk whatever way she pleased, jumping across rooftops, the wind in her hair, a mask and a smile on her face. Fighting to protect others—always outgunned but never out planned—could she really give that up?
She already was in a way, bedridden for the next couple of months at the very least. And Vronskaya was so right, she had enough on her plate with Kai, a newborn was going to completely destroy any kind of crime fighting schedule. It would be a long time until she could get back out there, she could get rusty in that time, and in that line of work getting rusty meant getting killed most likely.
Mustafa has gotten better, she reminded herself. There were new hero agencies being set up, kids from Mustafa actually getting into UA with the intent of serving their neighborhood once they graduated. The old camera chasers were replaced by heroes that cared, and regularly patrolling the neighborhood. It would be awhile until the public fully trusted pro heroes, but that would come with time. The police force also did a massive overhaul, getting rid of most if not all of their corrupt officers in the district. (At least, the ones she was aware of.)
If anything, this was the perfect chance for her to 'die'. To duck out now, and raise her kids in the relative peace she helped create. But could she really give up being the Jade Mantis, and all that entailed?
Inko thought about Kai, the little girl so excited to be going to school, telling Vronskaya all about her day. She looked down to the sonogram in her hand. At the little life now growing inside her, full of potential.
For her children?
Without question.
As for the letter she wrote...well, she wouldn't regret never saying anything to him. And she'll never have to hear him say 'no'. Because be honest, what were the chances of him saying 'yes', really?
Sorry about this Blondie, she silently apologized, gripping the phone in her hand. But my kids come first.
And that was the story of how the Jade Mantis died.
One Year From Now...
Kai entered the Midoriya apartment and immediately heard her baby brother crying.
"Uh, Inko?" As she passed the kitchen, the ten-year-old, noticed that some of the cups and spoons were suspended mid-air. Okay, weird. she followed the line of floating objects into her guardian's bedroom.
Little things floated idly around Inko—books, bottle caps, the formula powder, some pens. The woman herself was sitting on the floor next to the bed, with her head buried in her knees.
"Mom?" Kai asked again, softer.
"He was crying and I couldn't figure out what was wrong." She said, not looking up at her. "I changed his diaper even though it was clean, I tried to feed him, but he wouldn't eat, and he wouldn't lay down for a nap, I—I don't know what he wants!" She started crying again, turning away from Kai.
I can't do this I can't do this I can't be a parent I'll hurt him I'll fuck it up I always mess things up I can't do this.
"Hey." She heard from Izuku's room, and dragged herself up to get a better look. She saw Kai approach the baby boy, and from the way that she was staring at him, Inko guessed she was using her Triage. "Well, apparently nothing's wrong with you physically, so, I guess—" She furrowed her brow, the kid was used to thinking her way out of things, how was this much different? "Maybe he just wants some attention?" She called out to Inko.
The greenette considered that idea for a moment, before wiping away her tears. "Alright, worth a shot…"
She picked up her son, and while the reaction wasn't immediate, he did seem to settle into her. "C'mon, maybe we can watch some TV or something…"
As they were flipping through channels, they came to one of those 24-hour news stations, they were talking about Symbol of Peace resolving one incident or another.
"Ahm, ahm!" Izuku babbled.
Inko smiled. "Yes honey, that's All Might."
"Ahm, ahm ahm," the baby continued to say.
"Wow, you really like All Might," She said, holding her son on her lap.
"Like mother like son, I guess." Kai commented as she studied. Inko shot her daughter a look, but the girl just gave a cheeky grin and turned back to her homework.
Toshinori: I'm not afraid to be alone with my thoughts. I love my thoughts. That nature documentary makes bugs look really freaky. I'm responsible for what happened to Jade Mantis, no one else will ever love me in a real way and I'll die alone.
Toshinori: ...well that escalated quickly
Kotenok- kitten.
* the song is We'll Meet Again by Vera Lynn
As always, if you have some thoughts on this chapter or just want to scream your feelings at me in all upper case, comment below and let me know! I always love talking to you guys.