9: Mother and Son.
Ochako watched, mesmerised as Inko passed the toddler off to a brown haired woman. "Thank you so much," she said.
Inko smiled and again Ochako was reminded of Izuku. "It's no problem, Mari. We all need a break sometimes." She leant over the child and grabbed his nose. "Especially with little monsters like this!" He giggled and the mother did too.
When they left, Inko looked around the room, seemingly for something to do. Shoto called her over. "Mama Inko, we've got some new blood!"
The bustle parted for her as she moved towards them, a smile on her face. When she got close, Ochako could see a few faint freckles on her cheeks. "It's good to see you back, Shoto. And who is this?"
"This is Ochako, an old friend."
Inko took Ochako's hands. "It's nice to meet you."
"Do you know Izuku?"
Inko eyes went wide and her grip tighter. Emotion swam in her eyes. "How… how do you know that name?"
"He-" Ochako couldn't find the words to explain just what Izuku was to her. "We've been travelling together. He came here with me."
"He's here? Where?" She looked to Shoto.
"He's… In the infirmary."
Inko took off, bumping into a couple of people as she went deeper into the ruins. A few looks were cast, but things quickly went back to normal. Ochako took off after her, ignoring Shoto's calls as she rounded the corner. At the end of the corridor she saw Inko turn into a room, bowling past a guard. Ochako wasn't far behind, apologising to the man as she slid past.
Her eyes fell on the bed Izuku was laying on. It was a matress, one of the first she'd seen since the fall, slightly bloodied by Izuku's wounds. Someone - the healer, probably - was at the side of the fairly large room, concocting some mix from various herbs and phials hung over a workbench.
Then there was Inko.
She stood over Izuku, who's chest rose and fell with ease. Her hands hovered over his body, hesitant to touch yet desperate for something to hold. Ochako could sympathise. It was only the sight of his chest rising and falling easily that put her at ease. His breathing was barely noticeable in the clearing. She came up beside Inko.
Tears spilled down her cheeks as her hands finally rested on his face, cupping it gently. "Izuku," she whispered. For the next minute she repeated his name, tracing his cheekbones and brushing hair from his forehead. Ochako felt like she was intruding, but she wanted to know who this woman was. Izuku never talked about his past much, claiming it was boring. Ochako was sure she'd heard Inko's name before though.
"Excuse me," she said hesitantly, "How do you know Izuku?"
Inko didn't take her eyes off him. "He's my son." It was like a thunderbolt had struck as the pieces came together in Ochako's mind. Inko was his mother, a servant of the local lord. His mother, who he hadn't seen in five years. "I thought he was dead…"
The last time they had seen each other he had been turning into a young man. Ochako was suddenly aware of how long it had been since she'd seen her own parents. Were they still alive? She hadn't thought about it, her mind always on where she and Izuku would be hiding next or how much food they had left.
"But he's alive. He's alive." Ochako was pulled into the shorter woman's arms. "Thank you."
"I didn't really do anything," she replied bashfully.
"You were with him throughout this mess. That is enough."
Ochako blushed under the praise. She needed to speak the truth. "Well… we're… together. We have been for a while now."
She looked at Inko's eyes which lifted with a smile. "Then I'll have to thank you again for being with my boy. I'm glad he found such a wonderful person."
Ochako's face burned. "I'm really not that special…"
"Nonsense. I know my Izuku and he wouldn't pick someone who isn't amazing. Now, tell me about how you got together."
Sitting by Izuku's bed, with Inko holding onto her son's hand, Ochako shyly told of their first encounter and how embarrassed she'd been on the day. She omitted some things from their tale, things she really didn't want anyone knowing, not even Izuku's mother. Especially the fact she spent months ogling him from the library window. Or that it had taken them an extremely long time to hold hands.
Part way through the story, Shoto came in with a serious look. Ochako was quickly on her feet. "I know how much you'd like to stay, but we have a meeting. He wants everyone there."
"I'll have to stay to look over the patient," said the healer. "He's in the clear, but I need to be here if he wakes up."
Shoto nodded. "Mama Inko?"
She took a breath and let go of Izuku's hand, placing it over the other which held the sword. "I'll go."
"Are you sure?"
"This sounds urgent. If it changes the schedule then I need to be there."
Ochako was a little lost. "Who's doing the meeting?"
Shoto looked to Izuku's blade. "General Toshinori."
Toshinori? That name… It was the All Might's. Toshinori Yagi. The dead hero.
A/N: Thank you for reading!
I'm always happy reading people's enthusiasm for the story. Not much to say about this one. I feel like i could have done more with this scene, but I said all I needed to say about it. Sometimes it's best just to be economic unless it's necessary. I read in a Haruki Narukami book, 1Q84, that it's best not to describe things that people already know in extreme detail. In the book it follows a writer who's talking to his editor. In his book there's a green moon next to the real one. The editor basically says: I see the moon all the time. A green moon, however, is different.
Basically, you can be super descriptive and write amazingly about things a character sees, but for the reader it dies away; they lose interest as everything is seemingly amazing and beautiful. Then, when you get to actual important stuff, it feels the same and the reader brushes over it. Anyway, that's my lesson today I guess.
Next chapter is the conclusion of the last one, wrapping up our awkward meeting saga with Summer Sun 2!