A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long! I had it written but then accidentally deleted it, and it killed my motivation for writing for a while, especially with COVID shenanigans happening non-stop along with, just, everything. It didn't help that I ended up completely changing the chapter because I wasn't happy with its original plotline (and while I'm a whole lot happier with it now, I'm still iffy on it (dialogue has never been my strong suit, even though I'm decent at it (I just have the hardest time actually writing it))), and then I started debating on the order of some of the chapters. In the end, I decided that this makes the most sense here rather than one of the other ones in my story template, so here it finally is!
Thank you all for being so patient, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Also, disclaimer: I know that nothing is set in stone regarding Izuku's father yet, and that the canon answer will soon be revealed (according to the wonderful author of MHA), but this scenario, just like the rest of the non-canon material in this Fic, is canon to this Fic. It just fits and gives me so many things to write about in the future, so I hope you'll bear with it.

CHAPTER CONTENT WARNING: SELF-HARM, SELF-BLAME, SHIFTING BLAME, MENTIONED PARENTAL ABANDONMENT, MENTIONED SUICIDE PLANNING AND IDEATION, AND STAGES OF GRIEF PLAY A BIG ROLL IN THIS CHAPTER. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

Midoriya Inko still wasn't used to the quiet that filled her home, even after a year of being by her lonesome. It had gotten quiet when her husband had left her and her son, but nothing was as horrifying to her as the complete silence that followed when her darling child, her sweet Izuku, had disappeared.

She sighed joylessly as she worked on cleaning dishes from her dinner, which hadn't been much – just some rice with a couple of eggs mixed in and some tea that was poorly brewed. Ever since Izuku vanished from her life, she hadn't really put much effort into what she cooked, not being in the mood to put in the work to make a good meal when it was only for herself. Even so, she had gained a bit more weight since she had been eating takeout much more often than she used to and because, like when her husband left, she got into a bad habit of stress eating. It wasn't healthy, she knew that, but eating felt better to her than the overwhelming feeling of destitution that her mind was now riddled with.

Her movements slowed on the bowl that she was cleaning, the hand that was holding the sponge swirling on the dish mindlessly as tears began to silently flow from her eyes, streaming down her cheeks like sorrowful rivers, dripping their feelings of anguish into the dishwater below.

She didn't know how to go on living. Her son had been her entire reason for going on after her husband, Hisashi, had left for work overseas and had… well… ended things with her and cut his ties to her and Izuku.

He hadn't taken well to learning that Izuku was Quirkless. It had caused so many fights between him and herself, and, finally, he packed his things and left without once looking back.

She knew that he'd left out of shame (which, deep down, she understood, though she'd never admit to it – Izuku, regardless of having no Quirk, regardless of being different, was her pride and joy, and admitting to understand her husband's actions made her feel like an awful mother), but it certainly didn't excuse his blatant abandonment of them. He still sent money – occasionally – out of guilt, no doubt, but it was a far cry from a visit, especially to Izuku. She started scrubbing her bowl a little harder without paying attention as anger started to seep into her veins alongside the sorrow over her missing son.

There were years when Izuku had only asked for a visit from him for Christmas or for his birthday, or something as small as a letter or a phone call. No toys were on his wish lists during those years, and while All Might merchandise had made him happy, such happiness was only temporary – especially to a child who was both innocently naïve and (unfortunately) intelligent beyond reason.

Even with how young he was, he had pieced together that his father wasn't coming back. Even with how young he was, he knew that the reason his father was gone had something to do with him, and no matter how many times she had told him otherwise, she could see that he had always felt that it was all his fault. (His eyes, back then, never once betrayed her. They couldn't hide how he felt back then, especially from her - unlike how they could hide his feelings before he disappeared, with eyes the size of moons that shone with happiness… or so she thought. She should have paid more attention. If she had, maybe then she would have seen that, like the false light of the moon, that happy light his eyes had shown was merely a faux joy. It was no more than a reflection of what society – what she – had wanted to see.)

She took a deep breath, thinking of how often Izuku willed himself to magically manifest a Quirk of some kind. Willed himself to be a child worth having. A child worth visiting for at least special occasions. She had heard him, some nights, praying to any deity or spirit whom may have been listening to him to bring his father home. If not for him, for her. It shattered her heart when she heard him.

And… no matter how she had begged his father to do any of the simple tasks Izuku had asked for in her emails to him (Why did she even try?), he'd never delivered. He ignored them completely. He simply did not care, she was sure (But if that were true, why did he send them money? How did he know to send a check every time they were having particularly bad monetary troubles?). Thinking about it – about the lonely cries and begging from her son, about the apologies he spoke to her over and over again about driving Hisashi away, about being useless and Quirkless, about being a failure – it turned her blood into magma. She was furious about it, even now, so many years later.

What if Hisashi was the reason that her baby was now gone? What if Izuku still blamed himself for Hisashi abandoning them for all these years and left so that Hisashi would come home to Inko (She remembered the many times he'd asked her when he was younger, over a small bowl of rice, if she was happy. If she loved him. If she wished he was never born, and if she wished her husband was still with her. How could she respond correctly to such things? What was it that he wanted – no, needed – to hear? Of course she loved him. Of course she was glad that he was born. Of course she wished that Hisashi had been more open, like she had been, and that he stayed with them. But even after reassuring Izuku, his smile never reached his eyes, which meant she hadn't answered correctly. Where had she messed up? What had she said wrong?)? What if the crumpled attempts at suicide notes in Izuku's waste basket that she had found after his disappearance were because of feelings that he still had as a result of Hisashi leaving them?

She bit her lip, sobbing openly now.

Maybe some of it was indeed his fault.

But she was still Izuku's mother.

She was the one who raised him.

She was the one whom had been with him all this time, believed when he said the bruises and burns that often decorated his skin were from his own recklessness and not from a bully until the day that that damn Bakugou Katsuki nearly killed him. When he went back to school after healing from that horrible incident, it was better for a while, but then the scars started to appear again, and she could do nothing as their damn middle school protected Bakugou Katsuki with everything it had.

She shouldn't have given in when Izuku told her to lift the restraining order that she had been working to get put in place. She shouldn't have allowed Izuku and Mitsuki to convince her not to file charges against Katsuki. She should have followed through. She should have pulled Izuku out of that school and found somewhere else, regardless of their financial situation and regardless of what Izuku had said. She should have… She should have…

She should have done better. But she didn't. Sure, she had talked to the Bakugous themselves about their son, especially after the assault had occurred, and they really were trying, as parents, to better his behavior, so she didn't blame them. She didn't blame anyone who was sincerely making an effort to correct bad behavior.

She certainly did blame the school, though.

In fact, she tried to sue the school for its part in the torment of her son. Unfortunately, even though it was a smaller school that was not prestigious in the slightest, she lost the case. They used Bakugou Katsuki's exemplary record and impressive Quirk to convince the judge that he would do nothing of the sort, that they were a fine establishment raising a few soon-to-be future Heroes and that they'd NEVER allow bullying, yada yada yada (if only she'd had Mitsuki there, but she'd already caused her friend enough trouble over their children – or rather, now that she was thinking about it again, had she not caused enough?).

The school even counter-sued for defamation and won. She and Izuku were only able to eat rice for a long time after that (her stress somehow kept her from losing much weight, and watching Izuku whither, while already being such a small boy, only stressed her further). To rub salt into the wound, the school's principal approached her privately and said that if she tried to pull something like that again, Izuku could get a mark on his record, or his grades could be threatened, or he could be expelled – or a mixture of the three. She couldn't risk that, that would have ruined his future! She couldn't ruin her baby's future…

But… had she ruined it anyway?

She tried to have him transfer schools, but it was late in the school year and her dear, sweet boy told her it was okay, that she shouldn't waste her money on getting him into a different school, and that he'd pull through and make her proud. That memory – those damned words – sparked something akin to hatred within her.

Now the flames of her rage were even licking at the edges of her memories of him.

If he was going to make her proud, if he was going to pull through, then what was he thinking, writing suicide notes?! Why wouldn't he just talk to her, why was he so worried about worrying her?!

She screamed, raising her arm and slamming her bowl into the sink, breaking it. Its shards flew all over, but she didn't care as she sank down to the floor. She was an ugly crier whenever she got like this, but that didn't matter. She wailed, punching at the floor, her desperate mind fueled with rage and hurt, her agony and heartache forcing adrenaline to seep through her like an ugly sludge and causing her to not register any pain when her hands became bruised and bloodied, littered with shards of her broken dish.

How could she have been so blind? Izuku's smile had been so radiant when he was small, how did she not notice how wilted it had become? Her baby was in so much pain and she wasn't able to see or do anything about it. She wasn't able to help him.

If he ran away, she just hoped that he was well and happy wherever he was now. She didn't deserve him. Stars, she tried, but she knew she had failed him. She had failed him in every way, at every important turn in his life. She led him astray and now he was gone.

She really hoped that he had run away. The other possibilities… they were just too… they were just too much. If he didn't run away, he could have been kidnapped. Sold in a trafficking ring. Murdered.

He could have committed suicide, like his notes implied he had wanted to do. His body could be somewhere hidden from sight but so painfully obviously there, exposed to the elements and rotting.

What if his remains were in a garbage dump or burned, and she didn't even know? His… his suicide notes… Would he not only throw his life away, butthrow himself away… literally? He wrote like he was nothing more than trash, so, would he…?

She slammed her hands down again, defeated. This time she felt it when shards dug into her, and she certainly felt the ones that she had just hammered deeper into her flesh. She whimpered but didn't care. She was making a bloody mess, but she didn't care.

Izuku was gone. That was the only thing that she cared about. He was gone. There had been no sign of him since he ran to help Bakugou Katsuki escape from the Sludge Villain. He just… disappeared. No trace of him, besides his bedroom and the records that proved he had existed were left behind. Even though it hurt her, she slammed her hands down again, the flashes of pain refreshing to her and assuring her that, even though her heart was so terribly broken, she was still alive. She could still fight to find him (even though the police had mostly given up their search – how could they search for someone when there was nothing to go on? No leads, no sightings, nothing.) and bring him home so long as she didn't give up.

She sniffled, the salt from her tears finally starting to sting at her eyes. She took a deep breath, held it in for a moment, then exhaled slowly. She took a moment to collect herself, still not paying any heed to the injuries she had caused to her hands – they hurt, and she was sure some of the ceramic was too deep for her to be able to get out on her own, but that was okay. She had deserved to feel that pain. She completely and utterly deserved punishment for failing as a mother to the sweetest angel to ever be born. She deserved to be reprimanded for failing a boy who, even while Quirkless, dared to dream of being a Hero and risked his life in order to save the life of a boy whom had tormented him for nearly his whole life.

…She almost hoped that she had caused her hands some permanent damage, or at least scarring, to remind her of her failure each time she looked at them from then on.

Quietly, she started to pick up the shards from the floor, but then jumped, startled, when there was a gentle knock at her door.

Bakugou Katsuki had never been more scared in his life. Sure, the time he had almost killed Izuku was terrifying, and it was absolutely horrifying that he had managed to aid in the development of a Supervillain who used to be the kindest and most diligent person he knew, but those terrors would never compare to the absolute fear that he felt now, standing in front of the Midoriya residence with the strange, skeletal form of All Might.

Needless to say, he was beginning to have some second thoughts.

Midoriya Inko was in no way a fan of his. In fact, if she was a more violent person, he was certain that she would have killed him ages ago. She seemed so small and meek and like someone who was as gentle as a flower, like stupid Deku was for all the years Katsuki had known him. However, her will was a force to be reckoned with, and seeing her anger was like looking into the sheer coldness of the circle of Hell where Satan himself resided, half frozen, but still every sinner's keeper.

She wasn't exactly a rough and tough person when it came to her physiology, and it wasn't like he was a scrawny weakling like Izuku, but…

Well…

She could fucking snap him in half like a twig if she really wanted to. He shivered at the thought. A mother's wrath was truly the most terrifying thing in the world. The most terrifying thing that he could think of, anyway, and it was one hundred percent the most horrific thing that he had ever witnessed and experienced himself (not counting witnessing the death of that person that he could have – should have – saved. But his mind was blocking that out right now. It was better if he kept that repressed).

All Might seemed just as hesitant as he was to proceed beyond this point. It was like a Wizard or something from one of those ancient nerd films was blocking them. He could practically hear an old geezer yelling "You shall not pass!" at them over the deafening silence of night.

All Might broke the quiet by clearing his throat, and Katsuki averted his eyes to the side to look at the man.

"This is where Young Midoriya's mother lives, then?"

Katsuki looked back at the building, sighing and scratching nervously at the back of his head. "…Yeah. This is it."

"I'm… I'm glad that it survived the attack."

Katsuki flinched a little at that. It was still hard to believe that so many places in the city had been destroyed in the blink of an eye. That hundreds – no, thousands of lives were lost in a single day. It was devastating. A day of learning at a rescue training site called USJ was cut short by a mass, well-coordinated attack by a group called the League of Villains.

He wondered how much of it was planned by Izuku.

"It was probably purposefully avoided."

This time, it was All Might's turn to flinch, being reminded that the young boy he failed had indeed helped with the destruction and death that they were now surrounded by.

Katsuki watched as the Hero nervously looked back up at the apartment building. He never thought he'd see the Number One Hero look so apprehensive about something like this.

"What're ya so scared of, ya damn geezer?" All Might perked up and looked at him.

"Well, it's just, you see… I'm just trying to figure out how to explain who I am, and… and how to tell her that he… well…"

"That he helped in the attack."

"Yeah. That."

Katsuki supposed that that was fair.

"Why are you hesitating so much, Young Bakugou?" Shit. He should have guessed that All Might would have seen his hesitation, too. He… He supposed that he should be honest. It might come back to bite him if he wasn't. No, it – it would definitely come back to bite him.

"She wasn't exactly blind to how I treated him."

"I… I see." The skeletal man seemed to ponder on that for a moment. "I'll have to talk to you later about that, among other things."

"Tche." Katsuki should have been expecting that, too.

"Still, I've never seen you hesitate quite this much. At school, you're always one of the first to plunge right into any situation without a thought."

"This is… This is a little different from school."

"Is she that frightening?"

"You have no fucking idea." He heard the Hero swallow. "She looks like she couldn't hurt a fly, but–"

"But she could defeat an army all by herself?" Katsuki nodded. That seemed rather accurate.

"…I see."

"Yeah."

"So that's how it is."

"Yeah."

"Rather scary–"

"Can we just get this over with?"

"Oh, yes, of course. …Which door?"

Oh. Right. He was the one leading the Hero.

Fuck.

Fuck, he did not want to be here. There were a million places he didn't want to be, and this was at the very top of that list. Fifty fucking gold stars to Midoriya Inko for being such an imposing person without even having to be seen.

"Well… ya better keep up."

Yagi simply nodded to his retort, following closely behind him as he led him up some stairs, passed a few doors, then came to a stop. He took a deep breath, and then both Katsuki and All Might jumped when they heard some screaming and banging coming from inside. They tried knocking, but the screaming just kept coming. The skeletal man was about to try to break in the door, but then it went quiet, and then he heard the sounds of someone sobbing. Katsuki had a guilty and fearful expression on his face, which he was, even now, trying to mask with a look of anger. All Might placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, nodded to him, then, after some moments passed… tried knocking again.

"C-Coming!" The two heard a voice respond, and Katsuki became tense. They heard some shuffling, some quick footsteps, and then the door swung open. "S-Sorry to have kept you waiting! I–! …Oh." The woman before them was shorter, and stocky. Her hair was green like Izuku's, but a little bit darker, Yagi noted, and it was long and much more tame than the curly mess that he remembered Izuku's being. Her eyes were large and expressive almost exactly like her son's, though.

The skeletal Hero couldn't help but blush. The woman before him was… Well, her glare at Katsuki was imposing, for sure, and he was certain that she could easily put even the most powerful of Heroes and Villains on edge, but…

Well…

How could he put it?

It was like… looking at a seal. One of the pudgy, round ones that were smaller and playful. Everyone knew that they could be dangerous, as they were powerful wild animals, but one couldn't help but smile at how cute they were, regardless of the destruction they could undoubtedly cause.

The woman glared, her eyes darting between Katsuki and Toshinori Yagi as she thought of how to react to their visit.

The Hero wondered how she'd respond to such a situation as this. Someone she clearly disliked, most likely on behalf of her son, and a complete stranger standing at her door. She was certainly taking her time to consider what course of action she should take. Yet again, it reminded him of a seal. Graceful and beautiful as it swam around, but deadly when it finally chose its course of attack.

"…Come in." Katsuki trembled and let out a breath, pulling his shoulder away from Yagi's hand and entering, treading carefully past the woman without a word, but still politely taking off his shoes and stopping to look and see if he could find any slippers for a guest to wear. When he couldn't find any, he stood to the side, deciding to wait to see if she'd bring out any before he'd step further.

Yagi was, of course, extra polite. "Thank you, Midoriya-san. Sorry for the intrusion." He smiled, voicing Katsuki's question for him. "Do you have any house slippers that the boy and I may borrow – Oh! Midoriya-san, your hands!" from the corner of his eyes, he saw Katsuki tense up more than he already had been, then his eyes widened when he saw the blood.

"Is yer first aid kit in the same place it was when De-Izuku and I were kids?!" Before the woman could answer, he took off, not caring about not wearing any guest slippers for the moment. It made Yagi smile a little. The woman, however, seemed to be at a loss, staring after the teenager with confusion and a hint of guilt, but anger was still mixed in.

"While he does that, why don't we get your hands rinsed off so we can properly see your wounds and help you clean them?"

"I… No. I'm sorry, but I can handle it–"

"It's hard dealing with hand injuries by yourself, Midoriya-san. Please let me help you with them. O-Oh! How rude of me, I haven't even introduced myself! My name is Toshinori Yagi, Midoriya-san. It's a pleasure to meet you. Now, please, allow me to help you with your wounds."

"I…" Inko sighed, reluctantly giving in with a nod. Yagi smiled as she led him into her home, and he closed her door behind him. She stopped, though, before continuing into the kitchen.

"It's… a mess in here. I apologize, Toshinori-san."

Yagi looked past her, his eyes widening yet again when he saw the mess of shattered ceramic and blood, then looked down at the guilty-looking woman. He could practically see the emotions radiating from her – they were very mixed-up, conflicted, and uncertain about everything.

"When Young Bakugou comes back with your first aid kit–"

"AUNTIE!" The woman flinched when Bakugou's voice called out to her, and Yagi found it interesting that he chose to call her 'auntie' of all things.

"Speak of the devil – well, I'll have him clean this up, and we can get you taken care of while he does that. Okay, Midoriya-san? After we're finished up with that, I'll explain why we're here. Does that sound alright with you?" The woman pondered this as the explosive boy showed up, looking a bit panicked as his eyes met with those of the injured woman at the other side of the kitchen. She sighed again, glaring tiredly up at the Hero.

He could see how tired she was, and the puffiness of her eyes indicated that she had been crying, just as he'd assumed given the sobbing that he and Katuski had heard before being let inside. However, he didn't want to bring it up; that would be rude.

"Alright."

"Excellent!" He offered the best smile he could muster – he was sure it looked scary given his current appearance, but it was all he could do. He turned and walked to Katsuki, taking the first aid kit from him, ruffling his hair and asking him to clean the mess in the kitchen – along with telling him to be careful because it was dangerous. The boy looked at anything but him and the green-haired woman, making that signature 'tche' sound and then he walked past them to do as he was asked.

"Alright, then, Midoriya-san. Would you please tell me where your bathroom is, so that we can get your hands taken care of?" The adorably portly woman nodded, pointing him along the way, and he happily escorted her. When they arrived at her humble apartment's washroom, he began to gently rinse the blood from her hands so that he could see the damage done better, and grimaced when he saw how deep some of the ceramic pieces had gone.

"Does your first aid kit have tweezers, Midoriya-san?" he asked as he opened the kit in question. "If not, I may have to take you to a hospital…"

"T-They're under the gauze." Toshinori blinked, looking back at the small… on second glance, this kit was actually quite large, and well-stocked, which wasn't at all what he had been expecting. Sure enough, when he moved the gauze aside, there the tweezers were.

"Ah! So they are." He took out the small tool and, after ensuring that it was sterile, began working at retrieving each piece of ceramic he could find in her wounded hands with the utmost care, warning her each time he had to do something. As he did so, he decided to make small talk, figuring that it might make the tense atmosphere at least a little bit more bearable for the both of them.

"You have a rather impressive first-aid kit." It was a dumb conversation starter, but it was a start. A bad start, though, apparently, given her pained expression that followed after he made his remark – or perhaps it was good, given the topic that it had inadvertently led to. It made it easier to talk about her son if she brought the boy up first, after all.

"I… My son got hurt a lot, so I…"

"…Ah." When he looked at everything in the kit, some things sort of… fell into place in his brain. Especially the items meant for relieving and healing burns. He'd… He'd really have to have a long talk with Katsuki about everything that went on that made him so certain that he was the main cause for Izuku's change-of-heart regarding his occupation. "I know I said I'd explain why Young Bakugou and I came here after you were cared for, but, I… That boy is actually why we're here." He saw her eyes shoot wide open, and she turned to look at him, hope and fear both clouding her expression.

"I'll explain in further detail when we are done dealing with your hands, but perhaps I should start by properly introduce myself." He smiled, then. It was pained, and he was sure, again, that it was frightening, but he smiled as big of a grin as he could.

"You see… I know that I don't look like much right now, but… I hear that your son is my biggest fan."

This definitely caused a baffled expression on the woman, so he continued. "Who is your son's favorite hero, Midoriya-san?"

"All Mig…" She stopped, her face becoming pale. She started to shake just as he disinfected and wrapped her now-clean and empty gashes. "No, you… You can't be."

"I am."

"But you–"

"I know, it's hard to believe. I'm not much to look at when I'm not doing my work. I can show you once we get out to your living room, if you'd like." She nodded at that after a moment's thought, deciding that she wanted proof that this man was who he said he was.

All Might. All Might was in her living room. The skeletal man, after being led by her out to the living room (where the damned Bakugou child had sat, waiting for them) just… transformed. And he was All Might.

The actual All Might.

…All Might had cleaned her wounds, had seen her in such a miserable state, had–!

"I AM HERE, Midoriya-san! Now, I do hope that this is proof enough–"

"IT IS!" she squealed, a faint smile quivering on her lips.

…She was probably the most embarrassed about the fact that she had made him prove his identity to her. Him. The Number One Hero.

…Izuku's… number one Hero…

"Y-You're really…" Just to be sure, she stepped towards him and touched one of his biceps, stumbling back upon finding that he was, indeed, real. Completely and utterly real. She pinched herself, flinching from the pain, then looked back. He was still there, so… This wasn't a dream. He really, truly was real. Real. Completely real.

Again, her mind went to how this man, this wondrous hero, was standing in her living room.

Izuku would have been so excited…

Oh, that's right! He had said–!

"M-My son! You said my son was why you were here, didn't you?! What did you mean by that!" She was trying not to get too excited. Fear still edged on the hope that she now felt, seeing THE All Might before her.

"Yeah. He's why this idiot hero and I are here." She glared at the blonde child but decided to take a breath to calm herself and sit down instead of saying anything to him.

"So… please explain. Please." Her legs bounced impatiently as she anxiously waited for them to speak. The two were silent for a few minutes, causing her anxiety levels to rise to heights she'd never imagined possible, but still she forced herself to be patient with them. Finally, All Might broke the imposing silence and spoke.

"Well… Midoriya-san, you see, I actually met your boy on the day that he disappeared, and ever since I heard the news, I've been searching for him whenever I have had the time away from my daily duties to do so."

It… It made her so… happy… to hear that. That this man – this Hero – was searching for her Izuku. If he was searching for him, then finding him couldn't be impossible.

"Then, did you…? I-I mean, have you found a-anything… Anything at all…?" Her voice was but a whisper.

"I didn't, but… Young Bakugou did."

This… surprised her. She turned back to the dreaded child, who, yet again, was looking anywhere but at her.

"You… You found something? W-What did you…?"

"Midoriya-san, please, take a deep breath. There's… There is good news, but there is bad news as well, I'm afraid."

She nodded, deciding to take the hero's advice. She took a moment to steel herself, then, while keeping her eyes closed, she nodded for them to tell her whatever it was that they had to say.

It was Katsuki who spoke up, though… he was stammering. She… She never thought she'd hear him talk so… apprehensively.

"Auntie, Izuku is… He's alive."

Her breath hitched. Tears immediately formed in her eyes and began to flow.

"A-And… And the bad news…?"

It was All Might who spoke up this time. She could hear him softly reassuring the explosive teen across from her, saying he'd give her the bad news so that the child didn't have to. She found it very commendable of the hero to decide to be the bearer of ill tidings.

"Midoriya-san, your son is… currently, unreachable. I'm going to keep searching to find where he's been taken."

"Pl-Please elaborate, All Might-san." She was shaking more and more by the second. She knew that she was about to be told some very bad things, but her son was alive. He was alive…!

"He was taken by Villains. And while we don't know the circumstances that he's facing, according to Young Bakugou's account, it seems that he is not only unwell, but is acting as a Villain alongside his captors. It seems… It seems that much of the attack the other day was planned by your son. Or, at least, he helped carry it out."

Inko wailed, hearing that. Her baby. A Villain.

Izuku was a Villain…?

But… But that just wasn't right. Through her sobs, she tried to say that there was no way. They were wrong, they were lying, her baby wouldn't… But… But when she was finally able to see them through her tears, she saw their grave faces. She knew then that they weren't lying.

This truly was awful news.

And yet, they also spoke as though they were certain that Izuku wasn't acting as a Villain because he wanted to be. They spoke as though he was brainwashed, or forced, or… something. Perhaps one of the Quirks of the captors that All Might had spoken of was affecting Izuku. She hoped that that was the case. It didn't make it easier for her to process, but at least then her baby still had hope to come back and be allowed a normal life. Or, at least, as normal as his life could be after (hopefully) unwillingly helping with a large-scale terrorist attack.

She could hear the Hero and the teenager speaking to her through her cries, though she couldn't really make out what it was that they were saying. She assumed that they were trying to calm her. She felt large bony hands come to be placed upon her shoulders from behind her, and the teen was somewhere in front of her, by the sounds of it. She opened her tearful eyes, and in one large, swift movement, she grabbed and pulled both of them to herself, hugging them out of nowhere before allowing a wobbly smile to adorn her face again.

"…He's alive…?" she asked out loud, hiccupping, which seemed to take them even more off guard than they had been just seconds before when she had grabbed them. She tightened her arms around them, holding them to her like only a relieved mother could.

"…Yeah. The… Izuku's alive, Auntie," Katsuki answered her. It was music to her ears for him to repeat it back to her, confirming to her once more that her son hadn't been killed, that he hadn't committed suicide, that he was still somewhere out there, breathing and living. While he was with bad people right now, he was alive. And to her… to her, that was more than enough.

"Then… Then you can find him. You can help him. You can…" she raised her head, looking between the two.

"You can bring him home." Yet again, tears were flowing down her face like waterfalls. This time, though, they were awash with hope, pain and joy – but most of all, relief.

She watched shock flash in their eyes, determination causing their bodies to tense in a strong, promising way – a way that made her remember that Heroes were here before her and her child (rather, one Hero and one boy who was working to become one, though she still had her doubts about him, given their poor history together), and while Katsuki looked away from her for the umpteenth time since she had let him and All Might into her home, he did nod to her, just as All Might – who was back to being a skeleton again, now that she was paying attention enough to notice – smiled and agreed that such a feat was possible.

"Yes, Midoriya-san. I will do everything I can, I assure you. I will find him. I will save him. And… And I will bring him home. I promise."

The woman laughed happily for the first time since her son had failed to come home that fateful night one whole year ago, and while she was still emotionally drained, light was finally finding its way back into her life, all thanks to the two who now stood before her.

She would never be able to thank them enough. Even if one of them was Bakugou Katsuki.

She smiled at them, a true smile this time, and finally, she let them go, releasing them from her bear-like grasp.

"…Let me make the two of you some tea."

It was time to start smiling again. It was time to start eating well and brewing tea the right way again.

It was time for her to start truly living again.

Her son – her Izuku – was alive.

And maybe, someday soon… he could be home, with her, once more.

A/N: I hope you'll all let me know how you felt about this chapter. Did you enjoy it or not, and did you see any typos that I missed? If you did, please let me know so that I can fix them.
As always, I hope you all have a lovely day and stay safe during these trying times.