Hinako sat up at the ringing of her alarm. She pressed down on it to silence the soft ringing of the device. "Today's the day." She said as she threw off her covers and slipped out of bed. This would be her first day back in public school and she didn't want anything to ruin it or jinx her chances. She walked over to her uniform in her underwear and took it from where it was hanging on the wall. The uniform consisted of a white button-up shirt and deep green skirt Hinako got dressed slowly inspecting each piece of her uniform for any problems.
After inspecting herself for the fifth time she walked to the bathroom and did her morning routine. Hinako looked into the mirror as she brushed her hair looking at the long silken blonde hair cascading down her shoulders and shaking her head. "I need a change." She said as she began to work with her hair.
Izuku stood in the kitchen steadily looking at the clock and back to the plate of food he'd made for his daughter on this very special morning. He'd decided to make all her favorites, but seeing as how Izuku wasn't the greatest of cooks he'd called in a bit of help from his old classmate Sato. On the plate was a trio of cloud-like pancakes and whipped cream sprinkled in cinnamon sugar. "I don't understand how she functions with this much sugar coursing through her system." He said shaking his head.
Izuku cast his eye to the clock one more time and after seeing the time it displayed he rounded the corner to call for Hinako and was nearly head-butted by his daughter only narrowly managing to pull his head back in time. "Hinako!" Izuku shouted as Hinako sat down at the table.
"Sorry, dad." She said before her greenish-yellow eyes sparkled at the sight of the pancakes. "Oooh!" She said picking up her utensils and reaching for the syrup. "Thanks, dad!" She shouted before diving in. Izuku just shook his head and then noticed what Hinako had done with her hair. Her blonde hair was tied into one single braid going down her between her shoulders. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. It didn't look bad on her, but he just thought it was a shame that her long silky hair was in a braid, but it wasn't his call and it's not like he'd know the struggle of dealing with long hair. He regularly got his cut to avoid such hassles.
"Don't forget to breathe." He said as he placed a glass of milk next to her as the doorbell rang. Izuku moved to answer it seeing Tsu standing there drenched in sunlight. "Hey Tsu," Izuku said as the two shared a kiss.
"Hi Izuku, I hope I'm not too late." She said walking in. Tsu took notice of Izuku's formal wear. He was wearing a button-up blue and white shirt. His hair was combed back as well as it could be. He was dressed in black slacks and blue tennis shoes. "Well, I'm glad to see I'm not overdressed or anything," Tsu said standing in a black business top and deep green skirt passing her knees. She even broke out a pair of modest heels. Izuku smiled.
"You could never overdress." He said as Hinako rounded the corner cleaning off stray crumbs and whipped cream with her thumb before sucking it off the digit. Izuku sighed and handed his daughter a napkin.
"C'mon Hinako first impressions are important," Izuku said as Hinako gratefully took the napkin.
"Sure, sure dad." She said as the trio walked out to the car Izuku had rented for this occasion. After everyone was buckled in they began the journey to Hinako's new school.
As they drove Tsu struck up a conversation with Hinako, the two got along great in Izuku's opinion. Hinako seemed to like Tsu's blunt and mysterious nature, while Tsu liked Hinako's flamboyant flair. Guess the saying "Opposites attract" was true. "So Hinako what made you choose Coruscant High?" Tsu asked as Hinako shrugged.
"Well it was the closest so that was the main draw, but it's also an all-girl school. I had a lot of…experience with guys in the past." At this Hinako saw her dad hunch his shoulders a little and bit her lip. "I…didn't want that following me to a new school so I chose and all girls one hoping to avoid that." Tsu nodded seeing the pained look on Izuku's face.
"Well, it must be a good school to get your father's approval. Did you know Izuku was in the top five of our class in high school?" Tsu asked as Hinako cast an eye on her dad.
"You were a nerd dad, heh that tracks." She said as Izuku sighed.
"If you got it flaunt it. Isn't that how the saying goes?" Izuku said with a laugh as the three drew closer and closer to the school.
After parking Izuku and Tsu walked up to the front gate with Hinako and waited in line before standing before the reception desk being manned by a pair of faculty. A woman dressed in a green tracksuit who Izuku could only assume was the gym teacher and a man who was dressed in a beige suit with glasses over all three of his eyes. "Name?" The gym teacher asked without taking her eyes from the paper in front of her.
Izuku coughed. "Um Izuku Midoriya here with Hinako Midoriya." Izuku said as the gym teacher sighed.
"Look that's not a funny jerk. You may have the same last name, but that doesn't mean you can-!" The teacher finally looked up from her roster with a glare that immediately shattered after her eyes landed on Izuku. "Uh-uh-ummmmm!" The shock of looking at Izuku seemed to freeze the woman's brain. Her partner seeing who she was talking to jumped to her rescue.
"Um please forgive her Mr. Midoriya!" The man shouted pressing his coworker's head down. "Here you are sir we're so sorry and thank you for you all you do." The man said waving Izuku over to the photographer on the inside ready to take a commemorative picture for Hinako's entrance to the school.
"Uh let's take a picture Hinako." Izuku said trying to erase the last few seconds so it wouldn't ruin this day. Hinako nodded.
"Sure thing dad." She said as the two made their way over only to see that Tsu remained where she was. Seeing them looking back at her she waved her hand.
"Oh no don't worry about me you two go." She said smiling at the two only to feel a hand on each of hers.
"What are you talking about you're here aren't you," Izuku said looking at her with a smile as Hinako smiled as well and gave a big nod.
"Yeah Tsu come on!" Hinako shouted as she and her father brought her into the frame with them. The photographer took a moment to adjust his camera and then smiled.
"Ok one, two, three!" On command, all three smiled as the flash went off.
Izuku, Tsu, and Hinako looked over the photo at the three smiling faces. "I'm having this blown up and hanging it on a wall. I don't know which wall, but I will definitely hang this up." Izuku said with a proud grin. Hinako groaned and blushed.
"Daaaad!" She said as Izuku put the photo away and kissed Hinako on the forehead.
"I'm going, I'm going. Have fun Hinako and I'll see you after school. Do you want me to pick you up?" He asked as Hinako shook her head.
"No dad I don't need you to pick me up. I'll be fine walking home or I'll call a cab or something." She said before walking towards the auditorium. Izuku watched her head towards the large building before sighing and looking at Tsu holding her hand as the two exited the school grounds. As they walked back to the car Tsu looked at Izuku.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" She asked as Izuku shook his head and placed the car keys in her hand.
"No Tsu I need to do this alone. Thanks for taking the car back to the rental service." He said as Izuku gave her a final kiss before lifting off the ground and then using Black Whip to pull himself away. Tsu watched Izuku's figure disappear in the morning sky before sighing.
"Good luck." She said before climbing into the car and driving off.
Izuku had given serious thought to what Dr. Nabe had asked of the two of them a month ago, and though Hinako had seemingly no plan to do as Dr. Nabe asked Izuku had struggled with it until coming to his decision. A decision that led him back to Tartarus. Izuku walked in after going through the necessary security procedures and walked down the hall towards the visiting room. He sat down in front of the pane of reinforced glass and took a final breath. "I'm doing this to get better; I'm doing this to get better," Izuku repeated to himself again and again until the door behind the glass opened and his breath caught in his throat. He clenched his fist as Himiko Toga's eyes looked towards him.
Izuku felt his stomach lurch as Himiko smiled so brightly like he was the best thing in her life. How could she light up like that after what she'd done to him? It made him sick with rage seeing her so happy. Himiko struggled against the guards forcing them to move faster towards the chair which she was eventually locked into. "IZUKUUUUUU!" Himiko shouted happily her eyes practically forming hearts as she looked at him. He forced himself to look her in the eye.
"Hello, Toga." He said as Toga frowned.
"That's so cold call me Himiko. I am the mother of your child after all. That's the least you could do after snatching her from me. How is Hinako? Is she here right now, bring her in, bring her in all three of us together in the same room!" She shouted nearly foaming at the mouth. Izuku shook his head.
"Hinako is not here…Himiko. I don't know if she'll ever come here again. I came here for only one reason." Himiko smiled as her eyes darkened with pleasure.
"Oh, Izuku right here and now how bold I didn't know you were into voyeurism." She said licking her lips. Izuku took a breath and just looked at Himiko. She smiled wider. "You've grown honey. Normally that would send you into fits. Fine, fine why are you here?" She asked as Izuku leaned back.
"I came here for one reason and that is to talk to you one final time, to lay everything out once and for all and this will be my final time coming to see you Himiko," Izuku said as Himiko waved her head from side to side.
"You know that's the third time you've said that to me Izuku. The first time you said it was when you had Hinako snatched from me and then you said it again when you brought Hinako to see me and now this time. I don't know if I can take you at your word anymore Izuku. You just can't resist me, admit it you want me back!" She hissed. Izuku felt himself grit as he looked at her. He wanted to scream and stand up in outrage. He wanted to punch through the protective glass and squeeze the life from her.
He could do it. He'd have his hand around her throat before anyone could enter the room and stop him. He wanted this so bad, but that wasn't what he was here for. He was here to become a better person and leave Himiko and her influence behind him forever. Himiko's eyes glowed as she stared into his green eyes and smiled. "I saw that Izuku. You want to kill me." She said leaning back and dragging her tongue across her teeth. "You want to be so perfect all the time for everyone. Pretend you have no faults, but I know the real you Izuku. I've seen that look in your eyes. You've wanted to kill people before; you're a bad boy especially when you were with me. You were so rough you left bruises. That's the real you, the you that you become when you're with me."
Izuku shook his head. "I can't deny I'm not perfect Himiko. I've had urges to do bad things, but I never acted on them, but I'm not here to justify myself to you. I'm here to tell you finally and without hesitation how I feel about what you did. You ruined something for me Himiko, something I can never get back and I can't stop hating you for it." He said calmly as Himiko's eyes narrowed at him. She was finally paying attention.
"Oh is that so, you hate me?" She asked as Izuku swallowed before continuing.
"I loved Ochaco and you tore us apart. You're selfish beyond words. I won't forgive you for that ever. As if that wasn't good enough you took her place. You tainted her memory in my mind. I can never look back on any moment with her without thinking that maybe that wasn't her, maybe it was you. Destroying our relationship was bad enough, but you went a step further and poisoned her memory!" He growled as his glittering green eyes stared into Himiko's yellow ones.
For the first time, the villainess was visibly shaken. Himiko was panting as her fingers clung to the arms of the chair. "You ungrateful…BASTARD!" Himiko raged pulling at her restraints. "She wasn't good enough for you. She didn't trust you; she left you, SHE HURT YOU! I was there for you, I helped you heal, and I made you into the number one hero. If it wasn't for me you'd be dead, or worse some no-name hero! You owe everything you became to me!" She shouted as her tirade dotted the window with her spittle.
"I am the MOTHER OF YOUR CHILD! You should be on your knees thanking me!" She shouted ranging and struggling against her bonds until they tore into her skin. Izuku looked across at her, his face still set in a glower as he spoke.
"You're right." He said simply stopping Himiko in her tracks as she stared at him.
"I've never told anyone this, but during the time Ochaco left me I contemplated killing myself," Izuku said solemnly. "She was everything to me and if she couldn't trust and believe in me how could anyone else? I felt powerless like when I was a kid and I thought about killing myself. I'd lay on the floor of the kitchen staring at the blade of a knife just waiting until the pressure took over and I drug the knife across my throat." Even now he could remember the feel of that weight on him. Pressing down on him sinking him further towards some kind of darkness.
Himiko looked at Izuku as she steadily relaxed. "And then you disguised as Ochaco came back into my life. You drew me back from the edge and gave me the will to live on. If I blame you for everything bad that happened I have to thank you for everything good you did as well. Your motivations aside you made me want to live, and you did push me to strike out on my own and progress closer to my dream." Izuku let out a deep sigh as he looked back at Himiko.
"And finally you gave me the best thing in my life. I couldn't appreciate her at first. I couldn't get past who her mother was, but now I know that Hinako Midoriya is the one good thing you did in this world, and from the bottom of my heart I thank you for giving birth to our daughter." He said as he reached into his pocket and showed Himiko the picture of him and Hinako. Showing some empathy and caution Izuku folded over the part of the picture that Tsu was in. He didn't want to antagonize Himiko right now.
Himiko looked at her little girl dressed in her white and green school uniform and Izuku's eyes widened as he saw tears fall from her eyes. "Hinako." She whispered as Izuku stood up.
"I'll send you copies of Hinako's pictures. Consider it my thank you for giving me the greatest thing in my life and my farewell gift." He said tucking the picture back into his pocket. "I know you won't change Himiko, but I wish you the best." He said giving a bow before he left the door clanging shut behind him.
The guards entered soon after dragging a strangely docile Himiko back to her cell. Himiko lay on her bunk in the fetal position as the picture Izuku showed her seared itself into her mind. "Hinako." She whispered clutching her legs tighter to herself.
A/N: Next is the final chapter the epilogue.