Not long after Eri visited her future parents at UA, another important meeting took place elsewhere in Musutafu.

Inko Midoriya marched up to the nondescript apartment door, determined to accomplish her goal. She rang the doorbell, cradling a plate of mochi in her other hand as an offering.

She certainly had to admit, when she had learned that these people had moved into an apartment just minutes away from her, she had been surprised.

Wouldn't the family of the Number One Hero pick a better place to live?

Well, ex-family, Inko supposed; she could read between the lines of what Izuku had told her well enough.

That was part of why she was here, to help a woman she had never met go through pain she knew all too well; the pain of suddenly losing the familiar, the thing you used to know you could rely on, even when it had caused you so much pain.

As for the other reason she was visiting...well.

Inko couldn't help but smile.

She was going to have fun with this.

At last, the door opened slowly, as though the person holding it wasn't quite sure if what was on the other side would be friendly.

Inko waited patiently until it was fully open.

"Hello!" she said, "you're Shoko's family, right?"

The woman on the other side instantly went from a wary expression to pleasantly surprised.

"Yes, she's my daughter! Have you met her?" came her reply, a smile crossing a face that looked like it was unfamiliar with the expression.

Inko beamed. "As a matter of fact, I have! My name's Inko Midoriya, I'm Izuku's mother!" she explained.

Shoko's mother looked even happier. "Oh, that's wonderful! How are he and Shoko doing, by the way?" she asked.

Inko said, "I'd love to talk about them. May I come in, Miss…I'm sorry, what's your name?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, where are my manners?" the other woman replied, "please, call me Rei."

Inko grinned. "Only if you call me Inko," she told the pretty white-haired woman.

As Rei stepped aside to let Inko in, she said, "Deal."

As they entered the small apartment, Rei turned to Inko and asked, "So, what brings you here?"

"Well," Inko replied, "I live close by, so I thought I'd come and give you all a warm welcome. Second…"

Rei saw the grin growing on Inko's face, and understood immediately.

"You want to talk about Shoko and Izuku, don't you?" she said.

Inko nodded. "You got it in one," she told Rei.

"In that case, come right this way," Rei replied, "because I'm sure we have some... ideas."

The door closed behind them, and, miles away, Shoko and Izuku felt identical shivers down their spines.

"Now, then," Rei asked once they'd gotten settled, "how are our children doing?"

Inko smiled fondly. "They're more in love than ever," she answered, "I saw them a week ago, and Shoko didn't leave my son's side the entire night. Those two are the most perfect couple I've ever seen."

"Oh, absolutely. They're so cute together, it warms my heart," Rei agreed, taking a bite from one of the mochi on the table between them.

"You know, I always worried about Izuku," Inko mused, "he was such a shy boy, he was never treated well by the other children. I hoped he would find someone to lift him up, who would help him realize how incredible he is. I think that Shoko does that, and I'm so thankful for her."

Rei folded her hands on the table as she thought. She responded, "You know, that's funny, because I'm just as thankful for Izuku. Shoko...hasn't had an easy time in her life, and I was scared that it hardened her heart so much that she'd never see what life has to offer her other than loss and anger. But Izuku's thawed her soul; she's happier than I've ever seen her. I never dared hope Shoko would truly escape the bonds her childhood put on her, but Izuku's lifted her up, too."

Inko leaned back in her chair. "I suppose that's why they work so well, isn't it?" she asked.

Rei agreed, "I suppose so. Where do you think they learned that from? It's not like Shoko learned it from me."

Inko's eyes softened. She replied, "I don't think Izuku learned it from me, either. I guess neither of us were great role models, huh? But the thing is...this is just part of them growing up. We watch them go out and do things their way, without relying on us anymore. All we can do is...be there for them if they ask. But in this case, I'm pretty sure our children will do better than we ever did."

Rei listened silently, the corners of her mouth twitching into a smile. When Inko finished, she said, "So, you think they'll be alright?"

"I know they will," Inko told her.

Rei nodded slowly, and reached for another mochi. Then, Inko softened again; her body language became more vulnerable. She asked, "Can I ask something? How...how do you deal with it? Knowing that our children will be in danger, risking their lives every day, especially when they're so young? I've...I've always been so afraid for Izuku."

Rei was quiet for a long time, staring out the window so long that Inko wondered if she'd asked something too personal.

Then, Rei turned back to her, a smile of quiet resolve on her face. Inko thought she knew how Rei had looked for years, once she saw that look.

The white haired woman answered, "For a long time, I simply couldn't imagine it. Shoko's goal has been clear for a long time, but I simply never thought about it, somehow. And when I finally did...I was terrified. My daughter was going to be in danger, all the time, and I was powerless to do anything about it. I felt helpless, so I looked away."

Inko nodded; that was just how she'd felt.

But Rei wasn't finished.

Her eyes flared with determination as she continued, "And then, one day, I decided that I wouldn't be helpless anymore. And I looked back up at Shoko to find that she'd solved the problem I'd feared. Inko, I don't feel afraid for our children, because they have each other. Finally, they have something real to fight for, to live for."

Inko was stunned by the way Rei had rallied from a quiet, shy woman into a resolute, determined mother.

Then, Rei smiled. "How about we talk about something more positive?" she suggested.

Inko replied, "That's perfect, we can finally get to what I'd like to talk about."

"What's that?" Rei asked.

Inko grinned mischievously.

"Why, plans for the wedding, of course!" she exclaimed, "They already told me they plan to get married after UA, we should be ready!"

Rei said teasingly, "That's a year away! Why are you so excited over this?"

Inko's eyes twinkled as she responded, "Do you really see them waiting that long, Rei? I've already given Izuku his grandmother's old engagement ring for Shoko, when they decide they're ready."

The white-haired woman shook her head. "No," she admitted, "I don't see them waiting. So, let's get planning!"

Rei didn't comment on the ring; she already knew Shoko would love it.

More than three hours later, Rei said, "Well, that's a good place to stop for today, don't you think?"

Inko agreed, "Yes, I think we got a lot of the details done. I'll be back tomorrow at the same time with katsudon, if that's okay with you."

"Oh," Rei began, "you really don't have to, it's fine-"

Inko cut her off, "Alright then, I'll make katsudon."

Rei knew a losing battle when she saw one, so she stopped protesting.

As Inko got up to leave, Rei said, "Oh, and Inko...thank you for the talk."

Inko smiled brightly. "Any time, Rei," she said, "I think it's good for old women like us to stick together."

Rei smirked. "Who are you calling old?" she teased, "I prefer the word mature."

Inko snorted. "You sound like a block of cheese," she informed her friend.

"True," Rei laughed.

Inko turned, only for Rei to add, "Oh, Inko, I actually wanted to ask you something."

"Go ahead," Inko said.

"I saw Shoko a few weeks ago when she and Izuku came to help me move in," Rei explained, "but you saw them more recently, right?"

Inko nodded. "Yeah, they came to visit last week," she responded.

"Did Shoko seem a little... off?" Rei asked.

"Now that you mention it, yeah, she did," Inko answered after thinking for a second, "she seemed pretty tired, and she barely touched her food."

Rei nodded to herself. "Hmm," she said, "I noticed that when I saw her, too…"

"Do you think something is wrong with her?" Inko asked.

Rei grinned. "Oh, quite the opposite. I've had identical symptoms a few times before in my life. Four times, to be exact."

"Wait, what?" Inko said, confused.

Then it hit her. Her eyes went wide as she said, "Ohhhhhhh…"

She wanted to dance with glee.

Rei looked like she wanted to do the same thing as she asked, "You ready to be a grandmother, old woman?"

By Tuesday, Shoko was ready to strangle Komori.

She wouldn't stop throwing up .

Every morning, without fail, she had been vomiting, except for that Saturday, for some reason.

Shoko was just thankful for Izuku, who was constantly helping her.

(He was also constantly telling her to go to Recovery Girl, but Shoko's old fear of admitting weakness held her back.)

Izuku had found ginger ale somewhere, and had been giving her some in the morning, claiming it would help her.

Shoko had always hated ginger ale, but for some reason, she couldn't get enough of the stuff now. She didn't know if it was helping, but she just kept devouring anything with ginger in it, which was everything Izuku made for her in those few days.

Still feeling the effects of Komori's mushrooms would have been manageable, if Shoko hadn't also been fucking exhausted all week for no good reason.

Shoko's lack of sleep hadn't been helped by the fact that, for some reason, she'd been even hornier lately, begging for Izuku to take her so much that even she was starting to wonder why it was happening, as well as her breasts suddenly getting ridiculously sensitive, to the point where Izuku touching one was enough to render her incoherent with pleasure.

It fucking sucked, being so tired and nauseous and horny all the time, especially since Shoko had no idea why.

"Couldn't this have waited a week until the term is over?" Shoko thought as she and Izuku walked to class.

At least the vomiting and lethargy were finally going away; Shoko hadn't thrown up this morning, and she felt at least a little alert.

Luckily, final exams had already ended, so they were barely doing anything in class at this point; homeroom was just nap time for Aizawa and a surprising number of the students, and most classes were similar.

"Just a few more days until the year is over," Shoko reminded herself.

Her and Izuku had talked about their plans a little; they wanted to meet up as often as they could, which would be every day if Shoko managed to escape her father's expectation that she would stay with him, and instead stay with her mother just a few minutes away from Izuku.

Hell, maybe she wouldn't have to give up sleeping beside him every night. She'd grown so used to waking up to his gentle embrace and kind smile, she wasn't sure if she could give it up.

Of course, Shoko knew there was a possibility her father could force her to stay with him, but she didn't care what he wanted anymore.

She had something else that was hers now, and she would choose Izuku over a legacy of pain and cruelty every time.

"Hey, Shoko, what do you want for lunch?" Izuku asked.

Shoko realized she'd been so wrapped up in her own thoughts, she hadn't even noticed Midnight dismissing class.

"I'm not sure," she replied, "should we just go down to the cafeteria and see what Lunch Rush has?"

"That sounds like a plan," Izuku said, offering her a hand as she got up.

As she did, Shoko had to fight off another wave of nausea. She clutched her head, trying not to lose her balance.

Instantly, Izuku was at her side, clutching her gently but firmly.

"What's wrong?" he asked, "are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," Shoko said, gritting her teeth, "I just...stood up too fast, that's all."

Izuku didn't look convinced, but he started to walk with her as she set off towards the cafeteria.

"Really, Shoko, you've been sick for more than a week now, you need to go to Recovery Girl!" he insisted.

In response, she muttered, "Not...sick. I don't need to go."

Her boyfriend clearly wanted to argue, but the clamor of the cafeteria as they entered prevented him from replying.

Shoko let herself relax against Izuku's broad shoulders as they slowly crept forward through the line, closing her eyes briefly and enjoying his warmth.

Finally, he jostled her awake and said, "Hey, Shoko, what do you want?"

Opening her eyes, Shoko's gaze landed on the food.

Suddenly, she started gagging.

"God, what is that smell?" she asked.

Izuku looked at her strangely. "I don't smell anything, Shoko. Maybe it's the salmon?" he suggested.

Shoko looked at the fish, as perfectly cooked as everything else Lunch Rush made, and started to gag again. She replied, "Yeah, I think that's it."

Izuku leaned close and sniffed it. "It smells...really good, actually," he said, "are you sure that's where the smell is coming from, Shoko?"

She nodded as she replied, "It's disgusting."

He shrugged. "Okay, Shoko, then you don't have to get it. I'm going to try it, though."

With that, he took a piece for himself, and took a test bite.

Shoko fought the urge to vomit again. But this time, she felt herself lose the battle with her gag reflex.

She actually was going to vomit, she realized.

Clapping her hands over her mouth, she raced for the nearest restroom, desperately hoping she could make it in time.

Izuku watched her go, worried. He'd heard her gag, and correctly assumed she had realized she was about to throw up.

"That's it," he decided, "she's going to Recovery Girl, regardless of how tough she wants to prove she is."

He shrugged apologetically at Lunch Rush, then raced off to follow her, ignoring the confused gazes of the other students.

Shoko tried to distract herself from how she was currently losing her breakfast (she hadn't even gotten to eat lunch) by asking herself, "Why did seeing Izuku eat that fish make me throw up?"

She had no idea; something had just repulsed her about it, and she didn't even know why.

When she was finally done, she cleaned herself up and left the bathroom, only to run into her boyfriend waiting outside.

"Let me guess," she asked, "you want me to go to Recovery Girl?"

He nodded, with an expression on his face that brooked no argument.

Shoko said, "Okay, fine."

Izuku smiled. "Thank you, Shoko. If you argued again, I was going to throw you over my shoulder and carry you there myself."

"Don't think about how hot that is," Shoko chanted in her head, "you are sick. Do not get horny from thinking about being carried off by your strong, handsome, sexy... Damnit!"

Izuku smiled knowingly, and Shoko harrumphed.

She said, "Come on, let's go already."

Then, they were off.

When they walked into the UA nurse's office (which was actually a fully equipped medical facility), they were greeted by Recovery Girl, whose mere presence made both of them stand a little straighter.

She snapped, "Izuku Midoriya, why are you in my office? You better not have broken your bones again, or so help me, I will remove them."

Izuku gulped. "I'm not hurt, I promise! It's Shoko, she's sick," he insisted, hoping that it would get him out of being hit by a cane.

It did, as the nurse immediately turned to Shoko and asked, "What's wrong, dear?"

Grimacing, Shoko said, "I've been feeling really nauseous and tired for weeks now, and I've been throwing up almost every morning since last Monday."

Recovery Girl slowly nodded. "Hmm...come with me, dear, I'll give you a test and we'll see what's going on. And you," she said, whirling to face Izuku, "you are going to sit in that chair, and not move an inch. Maybe that can keep you from injuring yourself all the time."

Izuku protested, "Hey, what are you talking about? I haven't hurt myself at all lately!"

Shoko turned to face him as well; Izuku didn't like how his girlfriend and the nurse were giving him identical looks of disbelief.

"Izuku, you dislocated your arm two weeks ago because Kirishima wanted to try the Fastball Special, and you decided that it would be a good idea to try and use eighty percent of One For All," Shoko reminded him.

"It worked, though!" Izuku said.

Shoko replied, "He broke Mach 3, Izuku. He holds the world air speed record for a non-mobility quirk user now."

Izuku didn't have a good response to that, so he plopped down in the chair and tried not to scowl like a scolded child.

"I'm glad you're around to keep him in check," Recovery Girl said as she led Shoko into the examining room, "or else I'd have killed him myself by now."

Shoko just chuckled as she hopped up on the table.

"Before we get started, I'd like to ask about your symptoms again. Any others you didn't already mention?" Recovery Girl asked.

Shoko thought for a second, then responded, "It's mostly been nausea, lethargy, and the vomiting, I think."

"Any joint pain or soreness?" the nurse continued.

Slowly, Shoko remembered. "A little bit of joint pain, yeah. And my...my breasts have been kind of sore," she admitted.

"Any hormonal changes? Odd cravings or strong reactions to certain foods?" Recovery Girl said, though her knowing look suggested she already had an idea of what Shoko's response would be.

Shoko thought back to what she'd been like the last few nights; it was like she'd been unable to think of anything but sex as soon as she saw Izuku.

She didn't want to say that, of course, but her blush and wordless nod said it all for her.

Recovery Girl responded, "I see. I'll run a test just to be certain, but I believe I know what's going on, Miss Todoroki."

"What is it? Is it something bad?" Shoko asked.

Recovery Girl looked like she was trying to keep her face neutral, but her mouth was curving upwards in an unmistakable smile.

"Most definitely not, Miss Todoroki," the nurse said, "I believe you're pregnant."