Chapter Summary:

Izuku's nightly adventures have his mother searching for an answer.

Inko soon learns that the path created by fate is inescapable.

Revelation

"Crossed the border to another time
Being drawn by the fates
Who run our destinies"

Pretty Maids - Future World

The shriek that greets Izuku the moment he returns to his bed startles the poor boy so much that he falls on the floor in his haste to get away from it. Wild green eyes frantically dart towards his mother as the sound abruptly cuts off. The woman is a shaky mess clutching onto the door frame as if it were a lifeline.

"I-I-I-Izuk-ku!?" The woman manages to stutter out, body trembling in fear. When she reaches a hand out to him, Izuku stands on shaky legs and runs to her side. Inko's mind goes blank as she sinks to the ground and pulls him into a strong embrace. They stay like that for quite some time until Izuku speaks up.

"'Kaa-san?"

The frightened boy draws her attention back to him. Inko pulls away to check him for any injuries from whatever happened but finds none. All that remained as proof was the stuffed backpack forgotten on the bed and Izuku's damp clothing. Panic grips her again and she takes steady breaths to avoid another episode.

When she feels confident enough to talk, she takes Izuku by the shoulders and looks at him questioningly. "What was that? How-what happened to you, Izuku? What is going on?"

Izuku hesitates. Every time he attempted to speak of this situation with Toshinori, he choked on the words and was forced to remain silent. Even so, seeing how upset his mother is, he decided to try.

"I have a q-quirk." When the words came out with nothing but a stutter, Izuku's eyes widened. The look of shocked confusion on his mother's face is enough to let him know that he didn't imagine saying it.

"That's...Izuku, that-that's not..." The words trailed off as she realized with a start that it is possible, that she just witnessed an anomaly that could easily be explained by having a quirk. What kind, she didn't know. Inko made a mental note to contact his pediatrician first thing in the morning.

"Okay, sweetheart. Why don't you tell me about this quirk after you get a bath. I'm sure you must be cold." Until she could find out what was going on, she'd give him the benefit of the doubt.

They sat huddled together under a blanket on the couch. Izuku nervously tugged at a few loose threads as he told her of his experiences. He spoke of Katsuki's cruelty and how upset he'd been. Then he mentioned the fight and the horrible nickname given to him. This had Inko's hands clutching the blanket in a white-knuckled grip. Before she has a chance to simmer in her anger, he continues.

"The day came where we found out I was quirkless. I was sad, but that night something weird happened! I went to bed and woke up in the park. It was our park, but not and this boy was standing over me and I got scared. He didn't mean to though! He's really nice. His name is-"

Izuku suddenly went into a coughing fit that sent a startled Inko off to grab a cup of water. When she returns and hands him the cup, he takes a few small sips until the scratchy feeling in his throat is gone. He speaks again before she has a chance to.

"It's the quirk. It won't let me say certain things, but I don't get it. I've said more to you than I've ever said to him. I can't even tell him my name, 'kaa-san!" His voice gradually grows towards the end and finishes with a sob. Inko pulls him into her arms and rubs his back soothingly as he cries.

They stay like that until Izuku calms down enough to continue his story. He spoke of the boy who quickly became his friend and their many adventures together until he finally finished with a glossed over version of their Christmas celebration. Names and any other identifying information was left out in favor of avoiding another coughing fit.

Inko was left feeling largely apprehensive about his situation. It was too detailed for someone his age to make up, but that left her with so many questions. Where was he going? How was he able to return almost instantaneously when he was seemingly able to spend hours in this other place? Why him?

The concerned woman could do nothing but wait until she could consult with Dr. Tsubasa in the morning. For now, they would both have to be patient and hope for the best. Inko stood and cradled her drowsy son in her arms before turning off the lights and heading to her room.

There was no way she'd let him out of her sight for now, so she tucked him into bed beside her and eventually drifted off in a fitful slumber.

They were once again sitting in the clinic room waiting for the arrival of Dr. Tsubasa, the one who first diagnosed Izuku as quirkless. Another patient had cancelled their appointment, so the doctor gave them that time slot instead. When he was given a condensed version of what happened, he seemed eager to learn more.

There was a brief knock on the door before it was opened to reveal the bespectacled pediatrician with a folder tucked under one arm. He stepped inside and closed the door behind himself before moving to sit in the chair across from the two of them.

"Good afternoon. I'm glad that you could come in on such short notice. Your son's case is a rather interesting one."

"I was thrilled when they informed me that we could come in today. This whole situation has me worried about Izuku." Inko's face was pulled into a concerned frown while her hands moved restlessly in her lap. Izuku on the other hand was swinging his legs back and forth in anticipation.

Dr. Tsubasa thumbed through the folder to read over the previous visit summary as well as the notes taken over their phone call. "It would appear that my original assessment of Izuku wasn't entirely accurate. He does have a quirk and a very rare one at that. It says here that you have telekinesis?" His gaze returned to Inko as he waited for her reply.

"Yes, but it's not that powerful. I can only manipulate small objects. Forgive my rudeness, but how does this have anything to do with Izuku?" Inko clasped her hands together in her lap in an effort to keep them still.

"Izuku's quirk is like a mutation. It only occurs when one or both parents have a mind-based quirk. In this case that would be your telekinesis. Had he developed a regular quirk, his most likely would have been some form of pyrokinesis. Instead, he has a quirk so rare that there have only been 14 documented cases."

Izuku felt like he was in heaven while Inko couldn't help but feel like there was something off, that the other shoe hadn't dropped yet. "What quirk is it and what does this mean for him?"

The doctor raised a hand to adjust his glasses as he replied.

"There were two possibilities: Temporal Observance and Temporal Pursuance. Both are rare mutations, but the Observation quirk only allows a person to see into the past. Pursuance allows one to interact with it to a certain extent. The person with the quirk has an objective to be completed. Once it is done, the quirk will become inactive. Unfortunately, there is no way to determine what he must do. The quirk will guide him to where he needs to be and prevent him from stepping off of that path."

"Is that why I can't say stuff? What about my friend? I won't be able to see him anymore?" Izuku asked with a look of distress, his earlier jubilation doused by the ice-cold realization that he would one day lose both his friend and his quirk.

"Yes, I imagine that is part of it. As for any ties made with those of the past, I can't say. There isn't enough research on this topic. I apologize, but this is all of the information that I can offer you."

Inko had gone still by this point, her skin a sickly pallor. "Is there-can't anything be done? Are there no alternatives? I don't want him travelling alone like that to a place that's practically foreign to him."

Dr. Tsubasa released a drawn out sigh before responding. "No, I'm afraid not. Attempting to stop it would do more harm than good, so I recommend allowing things to progress on their own. I would also like to advise you that it would be best to keep knowledge of the quirk to yourselves. There have been no known successful attempts to tamper with this particular quirk, but it would be best to not risk it."

"I-I see... Thank you, Doctor." Inko stood from her seat and picked up Izuku to carry him out. The boy buried his face into her shoulder and his small frame began to shake as he cried. Dr. Tsubasa excused himself after informing her that he would get them signed out so that she could go ahead and take Izuku home.

Inko offered a wavering smile in appreciation before exiting the room. They ignored the curious stares from the other patients as the exited into the lobby before finally leaving through the front door.

People often spoke of destiny being in your own hands. Inko could see that it was all lies now.

Izuku was tucked into the kotatsu next to Toshinori as they enjoyed some hot chocolate. Usagi-chan was laying in a rumpled heap on the ground beside him and his friend was wearing the cape. He learned from Saori that he had tried to go to bed with it still on, but she convinced him otherwise.

They had spent the day playing in the snow again and even Saori joined in by throwing snowballs at the two of them. This led to the boys teaming up against her and showering her with snow that they scooped up with sandcastle buckets. Needless to say, all three of them were chilled to the bone by the time they went inside.

It has been over two weeks since his visit with the doctor. Things were difficult at first, but Toshinori's bright and cheery personality helped chase away his gloom. His negative thoughts were pushed away. All except for one.

"Toshinori-chan?" He absentmindedly traced the handle of the mug in front of him.

"Yeah?" Izuku could feel the weight of his friend's gaze, but he was too nervous to meet it and opted to keep his on the table.

"Would you miss me if I had to leave?" An arm wraps around him and pulls him into a firm hug.

"Of course I would! Then I'd be happy when I get to see you again." Izuku looks at the blonde boy to find him smiling down at him.

"What if I couldn't come back?"

Toshinori's smile wilts for a moment only to return in full force when he replies. "We'll find each other no matter what, Hisashi-chan! If you can't come here, I'll come to you instead."

Izuku smiles happily at the declaration. Even though he knows that there would come a day he'd have to say goodbye, he believes Toshinori.

Even when the day comes where he can no longer return, Izuku makes a promise to himself to never lose hope.

Hours after Hisashi went home, the questions he had asked stayed with Toshinori long into the night. Sleep evaded him as he remembered just how sad his friend was at the time. It wasn't like him at all and it worried him. Even so, he refused to believe that they wouldn't see each other one day.

But what if it happens?

Toshinori furiously shakes his head free of the negative thought. There was no way he was going to let that happen. Not now, not ever. He tosses his blanket aside and sits up. Turning, he flicks on the lamp by his bed before fishing out a sketchpad and pencil from the nightstand.

Childish drawings and crude sketches are scattered all over the pages as he flips through it to find a blank sheet. This sketchbook was given to him at age two to keep him from marking on the walls. One could see the progress he made from swirling lines and stick figures to passable drawings for someone as young as him.

Once he finds a blank page, Toshinori begins to draw. The lines aren't straight and he's definitely not good at anatomy, but he loves each one like a masterpiece. Slowly, the lines start to come together to form a recognizable image.

Toshinori isn't sure about how much time has passed by the time he is done, but he is pleased with the outcome. It's a drawing of Hisashi and him at the kotatsu with both wearing lopsided grins. Their hands are tucked under the oddly shaped table because he didn't know how to draw them yet, but he's learning.

This isn't the first time he worked on a piece with the two of them. In fact, most of the past fifteen pages or so were of either both of them or just Hisashi. It was a pastime that he was too shy to share with anyone, even his friend, but he will when he's ready.

He leans over to open the drawer again and withdraws an open pack of colored pencils. They're quickly spread out on the bed in front of him and organized by color. Some are more worn than others, the green and yellow ones especially.

Green is the first one he goes for this time and he brings it up to the page to start coloring. His worry fades away as time passes until he eventually finishes the drawing. The coloring is a little sloppy and goes over the lines on more than one occasion, but he's proud of it.

The supplies, including the sketchbook, are packed away once more before he allows himself to fall over sideways. It doesn't take long for sleep to claim him even with the lamp lighting up the room.

His mother is sitting on the couch watching a movie when he finally returns home. Late nights have become a common occurrence for her since the appointment. Most of the time she can be found puttering around the apartment cleaning or doing other small tasks, but there is a night or two where she'll curl up in front of the t.v. like tonight.

Izuku, now wearing appropriate sleep attire, pads into the living room and hops onto the couch beside her. She wastes no time wrapping an arm around him and tucking him into her side. Tired, he willingly falls against her with droopy eyes as she pulls a blanket over the two of them.

"How was your visit tonight?" A hand brushes through his hair in a slow, comforting manner.

"Really good. We got to play in the - snow and had hot chocolate. It was really fun." He yawns mid-sentence, too tired to really go into details. They lapse into a brief moment of silence until he speaks again. "I wonder what he's like now."

"It depends on how much time is between then and now, but I'm sure he will grow up to be a great person just like I know you will." Izuku nods into the fabric of her shirt. There was no doubt in his mind that Toshinori would be amazing. He just couldn't wait to find out how.

It didn't take long for sleep to claim him after that. His dreams were filled with all of the possibilities his young mind could think of, but the one he lingered on most was the image of him wearing that cape and how he reminded him of his idol.

By the time he woke up again, the memories of his dream faded until none remained.