With this little twist we make our way into the Training Camp Arc

Inko has a secret. Izuku has a secret. Suri has a secret. The secrets are spilled over a warm cup of Grandma's tea.

"So are we gonna talk about the giant elephant in the room?" Mina asked, finally breaking the idle chatter that filled the inside of the small bus-like vehicle.

The problem was that there were more than one metaphorical elephants and all of them were pretty large. Large enough that they were making the air inside the cabin of the vehicle tight and sweltering. And of course, the adults were all brushing it off like it was nothing at all. Like no bombshells had been dropped. In fact, the three mothers, Inko Midoriya, Kishida Ashido, and Komi Hagakure, were having a lovely idle chat about their days, their home lives, and their kids, like their teenagers weren't even there. In fact, said teenagers had nonchalantly seated together when they got into the vehicle.

The inside of the black passenger van was set up like the inside of a limousine with its seats lining the walls and facing towards the middle. It made conversations easier. Of course, it hadn't been a secret that the Ashido's and Hagakure's had been friends for a long time since their daughters were best friends and now dating. It had been a surprise that they seemed to have a lot of history with Inko and more surprising was that she hadn't even balked at the idea that three girls were dating each other. The only noise about it all had been after Suri had gotten back to her feet and Inko dropped the bomb of knowing Grandma Kuroyashi. She had cried about her baby boy getting hurt, how it scared her that he was encountering villains so early and more frequently than she had wished. She even cried happy tears because once introductions were out of the way, the four teens had gone back to clinging to each other.

That's how they had ended up on the back seat of the van, Suri and Izuku in the middle with Tooru to Izuku's right, and Mina to Suri's left. The four of them just watched as the adults talked and watched Izuku's mother make quick glances at her son and the three girls next to him. It was an odd sensation because on one hand, it seemed like she was happy with the company he found himself in but on the other hand...

"Sorry, about the wait, dears," Grandma Kuroyashi broke the chatter as she entered into the van and took the seat to Inko's right. The two of them sat across from the other two women while Ryo closed the door behind the old woman, and then got into the driver's seat. "Tsukauchi, was having me go over a few things before I had to leave. Good news is, the kids are safe, all of the necessary paperwork is cleared, and we're ready to head home."

"So, can we stop ignoring us back here," Suri said, and it hadn't sounded as friendly as she had hoped it would come out.

The four women looked at the teens and the teens in question watched an array of emotions cross their faces before they looked at each other and then all eyes fell onto Grandma Kuroyashi. Of course, Suri knew it had something to do with the old woman. She was connected because of her time as a pro hero, being the Hyo-Ra, leopard queen, of the local wereleopards, and having just been a part of Musutafu's community for her entire life. She was a community pillar afterall, but Suri started to question just how tall that pillar really was.

"Mom," Izuku spoke up with eyes that were a mix of anticipation and worry. "How do you know Suri's family a-and why did you call her your queen?"

Inko bit her lip and looked down, focussing hard on her hands or really anything that wasn't her son. She flinched and tensed for a second as Grandma Kuroyashi reached that short distance and cupped the other woman's hand. She was tense and then eased before she took a long, deep breath, and a moment or two to calm herself enough to speak normally. She looked at him with a weak smile, her eyes slipping to look at the leopard queen once more and then back to her only son.

"I know Orihime like Kishida and Komi do... for the most part. It's hard to not know about Lady Whiplash and the Kuroyashi family when you've grown up in Musutafu. I've also spent my fair share of time at the compound throughout my life," Inko admitted.

"We all did," Komi, Tooru's mother, added. "And at first it came as a shock that you girls started going to the Kuroyashi compound."

"Then we realized why the first time we saw Suri," Kishida smirked and gave a small laugh.

"What, why?" Mina asked, giving questioning eyes to their mothers and then to her girlfriends and Izuku.

"Because seeing the four of you right now is a lot like looking back at ourselves back then," Inko smiled and then let a small frown curl into her lips. "You know, you look a lot like Maon."

"Wait, you know mom?" Suri asked, tilting her head with an incredulous look.

"We all did," Komi answered. "We had been friends since preschool."

"So… you know about," Suri asked, letting the hint hang in the air for everyone to catch.

Inko let out a long sigh and looked at Grandma Kuroyashi again. The older woman gave her a smile and a nod which made Inko's eyes roll back down to look at the teenagers in the back of the van.

"I… I wasn't always completely human myself, you see," she gave a weak smile, though it did nothing to soften the blow.

"You what?!" Izuku and Suri shouted in unison, Tooru and Mina stared at the woman with wide, shocked eyes.

"But how? And doesn't that mean… What about dad? Did he know? And me, I… so does that mean I…"

Grandma Kuroyashi put up a hand and smiled, waving off Izuku's worries like they were nothing at all. Which was hardly the truth because this... This was not nothing! There were so many more complications and questions to be answered now.

"Inko lost her beast just after the girls graduated high school," the old woman answered. "During the summer solstice that year many of our beasts experienced a jump in power and in several cases, like your mother's, they became detached from their human sides. We had a small pack of Reavers and rogue wereanimals. My daughter was responsible for containing and eliminating some of those that went feral and tore themselves from their human hosts. Inko's beast was one of them."

"But when beasts tear their way out, they destroy the human body! Atiena nearly ripped me in half last week when she nearly went feral! How?"

"I believe Izumi tried everything she could to do as little harm to me as possible. We were able to hold out until Recovery Girl arrived at the compound and once Izu knew I had the help I'd need to survive, she left," Inko smiled pitifully and tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Maon took it upon herself to make sure she gave Izumi a quick death and Izumi took it. I think both of them felt so horrible for everything that happened that, after she made sure I was okay, Maon moved to the US to chase after her crush."

"We had been telling her she should go after him if she wanted him so badly," Kishida shrugged and watched Inko with soft, caring eyes. "We just never expected her to leave so suddenly."

"Not that we could blame her," Komi admitted.

"While Maon took care of Izumi, Hasashi, Komi, and Kishida stayed by my side while Recovery Girl and several wereanimal medics tended to me. After she was gone, all I had left was my Quirk. It wasn't too long after that I married your father and I had you, Izuku, baby."

"So I'm named…"

"After the woman who was my strong, confident, and courageous half. My big sister who always looked after me and kept me going when I didn't believe in myself. The woman who still managed to keep me from dying when so many others had. I hope you don't think that's a dumb or selfish reason."

"No, not at all," Atiena rose through Suri and spoke up. It made Inko, Kishida, and Komi jump at first but once they realized what was happening in that next second, they settled. "I find it honorable, Miss Midoriya. I think your beast would be proud of your Izuku and love him just as much as you do."

"Honestly, I'm glad you finally bloomed into your Quirk after so long. I can't tell you how sorry I was back then because I was hoping at least you'd develop a beast of your own. The name of my beast is all we were able to give you," Inko said apologetically.

"I… was," Izuku began stuttering.

"Wait, so Midori's dad was a wereleopard too?" Tooru asked.

"Wouldn't that mean he would've gotten the lycanthropy from his dad," Mina added in.

Suri was very proud of the two girls for having been able to retain so much knowledge about her and her kind. She had been sure a lot of it had gone over their heads, especially Mina's but, then again, when it came to movie monsters and aliens, Mina had an encyclopedia's amount of knowledge. It still surprised her and made her happy though.

"Ooo, look at our girls being all smart," Komi laughed and nudged Kishida next to her.

Inko smiled and laughed a little as well and the mood began to lighten.

"His genes ended up being more recessive. I had hoped that even if you hadn't developed a Quirk you could still have a leopard of your own to help you achieve your dreams. I'm still sorry that I wasn't more supportive back then."

"It's okay, mom, really," Izuku answered with a smile. "I'm working hard with what I've got now and I have friends that I can count on when I need them."

"I'm grateful for that. And," Inko turned towards Grandma Kuroyashi who was happily watching the entire exchange. "I'm sorry for not coming around the compound more. I'm grateful for you allowing me to continue to work with the pard even though I'm not one of yours anymore."

"My dear, even without your Izumi, you've always been one of us. Sadly, you haven't been the only one who hasn't felt welcomed by the clan and we've been trying to work on that," the old woman smiled. "They should be most grateful to you and that wonderful mind of yours," she grinned and poked the top of Inko's head.

"Yeah they should," Kishida scoffed and folded her arms tight. "Inko's been a blessing."

"She is?" the four teens asked in curiosity.

"Yeah," Kishida smirked, "she's amazing with numbers. She does all of my accounting and bookkeeping for the studio."

"She manages the accounting for quite a few businesses within the wereanimal community as well. Our leopards owe a great deal to her," Grandma Kuroyashi chuckled.

"Oh wow," Izuku replied softly. "I knew you were an independent contractor so you could work from home to take care of me growing up after dad passed away. But I didn't know how amazing you were."

"Oh please," Inko waved innocently, blushing like a madwoman. "They flatter me too much."

"Honestly, I didn't know you had cut yourself off that much from Momma-yashi that much," Kishida said with a small frown. It was nice to know where Mina had gotten her love of nicknames from.

"I know we stopped spending as much time together between our family lives, work, and after Hisashi passed, but knowing you cut yourself off this much. I'm sorry I haven't been a better friend to you, Inko," Komi added in.

The three women looked at each other with so much regret and remorse before Inko started bawling and sobbing. She took the step to cross the vehicle and collapsed into both of them hugging them both tightly and bawled into their shoulders. It was reminiscent of when Suri had gotten home from the intern week in Shinjuku and collapsed into Tooru and Mina. The three of them cried like that too, mostly from happiness. Happiness that they hadn't abandoned Suri and that they felt for her the way he felt for them.

"Lady Kuroyashi," Ryo spoke up from the driver's seat as the van came to a stop. "We've arrived at the Hagakure residence."

"Looks like this is our stop too," Kishida spoke up. "C'mon, Mina, let's give the Midoriyas and Kuroyashi's time to catch up."

"But mom!" Mina whined, turned and flung herself across Suri's lap, letting her left arm catch both Tooru and Izuku as well as she hugged the four of them together. "I don't wanna go yet!"

"It'll be fine, we're seeing them tomorrow morning anyway, right?" Tooru giggled and let herself be pulled in, not caring in the least about leaning into Izuku.

Everyone paused as the question was raised. Inko had been bawling and had mentioned that she couldn't handle Izuku being away from her or in danger. She had implied that she might keep him away. Would she? All eyes turned to her and when she realized what was going on she looked away with a small smile and nodded in response.

"Yay!" Mina and Tooru cheered and squeezed the four of them tighter together. They were pressed to the point that Izuku's and Suri's cheeks were touching and being squished together.

The mothers all laughed and smiled as Kishida and Komi grabbed their things along with the shopping bags with Tooru and Mina's stuff they had bought at the mall. Their shopping day seemed like a distant memory and knowing the two balls of chaos, they'd forget their bags. Which they had done more than once before.

Ryo stepped out of the van and opened the passenger door, standing by as Komi and Kishida stepped out. They both took a few steps towards the apartment complex that Tooru's family lived in and then turned to wait for their daughters. The two girls had gotten to the door, finally giving some relief to Izuku and Suri's bodies before they looked at each other, grinned, and then looked at the two teens on the back seat. They went back to Suri, hungry grins on their faces as they leaned down one after the other. Tooru went first, cupping the back of Suri's head, just behind her ear and let out a delighted sigh as she caught the beast girl's lips. In response, Suri let out a small purr as her lips melded against Tooru's and her eyes fluttered closed. She savored the warmth, feel, and the taste of Tooru's mouth against her own as she returned the soft goodnight kiss. Her hand came up, letting her fingers sink into Tooru's soft silky hair, cupping her head lovingly before they separated and left the kiss far more chaste than they had been in a long while.

"Goodnight, my Queen," Tooru whispered into Suri's ear, letting her warm breath soak against the dark bronze skin of her ear. It made the girl shiver happily.

"Goodnight, baby girl," Suri purred back and then flicked her eyes towards Mina who was slipping in next.

Suri smirked, licked her lips and then moved her head just enough to receive the pinkette as she let herself crash a little harder. It made Suri purr louder and when her hand cupped the back of Mina's head, it made her fingers instinctively grip at the lush pink curls of her hair. Mina moaned quietly in response and her mouth forced Suri's open wider. The kiss was less chaste than hers and Tooru's had been but she enjoyed it just as much as she savored the citric taste of Mina's lips. Suri nearly started rolling her head to deepen the kiss when a noise immediately beside her made her open her right eye. Hers and Mina's kiss broke after a long, blissful moment as both of them turned to see Izuku blushing deep red, lips parted, and eyes not sure if they should be open or closed.

Tooru giggled as she pulled back from hers and Izuku's kiss. She was playing with his hair, which was fascinating to watch if you couldn't see the hazy outline of the invisible girl's body like Suri could. Even then it was fascinating. She was still hovering near him when the three other teens heard her as she whispered into Izuku's ear.

"Goodnight, Deku. Sweet dreams~"

"Y-You too T-Tooru," he said shyly, looking up into where her eyes would be if he could see her clearly. Even in the dark, the amount of effort he put into seeing her made all three girls shiver because gods he was so perfect. "I-I'll let you know w-when I get home."

"You're such a gentleman, Midori," Mina grinned and purred as she leaned into him, taking her turn with the greenette and catching him off guard.

He hadn't quite recovered from the sudden kiss he and Tooru shared before his eyes were filled with the sight of pink. He tensed a little as Mina's lips pressed against his but soon relaxed as his lips melded against hers and he sighed softly into her mouth. Suri and Tooru sat back a little and watched as the two of them kissed softly, theirs lasting as long as Tooru and Suri's had been before. Suri's mind jumped to what would usually happen after Mina took turns kissing her and Tooru and she involuntarily bit her lip with anticipation. She was so ready for what would come next, then she realized where they were as Mina leaned back and Suri saw the two girls' mothers standing at the van door.

"Goodnight, Izu. You'll let me know too, right?" she grinned wide as she stood upwards so he was looking up at her.

"Y-Yeah, o-of course," he gulped loudly and then calmed himself enough to smile up at the acid user. "Goodnight to you too, Mina."

The two girls began laughing and giggling as they pulled away and promptly hopped out of the van, practically skipping past their mothers. All of the older women watched the pinkette and invisible girl as they strode away and then all eyes turned to Suri and Izuku. Grandma Kuroyashi, of course, was completely unphased by the entire thing and simply shook her head with a smile and rolled her eyes. She, no surprise, was completely used to the affectionate display the three girls showed each other and had mentally been placing bets on when the greenette was going to be added to the mix. She apparently had gotten her answer. Mina and Tooru's mothers looked at the two teens still in the van, then to their daughters, and then back to each other. They seemed to think about something for a second or two, pursed their lips with a smirk and then shrugged.

"Goodnight everyone," Komi said, and Suri watched the invisible woman's outline wave to everyone inside the vehicle still.

"It was great seeing you again, Momma-yashi. And Inko, honey," Kishida grinned wide. "Why don't we go out some time for some drinks? You, me, Komi, and Mitsuki. Like old times."

Inko dragged her eyes off of her son, still a little shocky, and then to her old friends. She looked at them for a long moment before her face settled into something softer and she let a smile curl onto her lips.

"I'd like that," she nodded. "I'd like that, a lot actually. Thank you, ladies and… I'm sorry for being so distant all of these years."

"No need to worry, Inky," Komi said with a happy tone. "You have yourself a good night, okay?"

"Goodnight you two," Inko said with a smile, letting herself relax into her seat.

Ryo closed the door and climbed back into the driver's seat and was about to put the vehicle into gear before he paused.

"We'll be taking the Midoriyas home next. Right, Lady Kuroyashi?"

Grandma Kuroyashi thought about the answer for a second and then looked down to the portly woman beside her. Inko seemed to think of the answer as well before she looked to her son and then back up to her old master.

"I think it's best we head to the compound. We… I… have a lot to discuss with Izuku and I think it would be better if our queen was there to help with anything my son has questions about," she answered truthfully and honestly. Then she turned and focused her eyes on her son and Suri and a smile crept onto her face, "and as for you two... I have so many questions."

Suri and Izuku both gulped and sank into their seats a little.

This was going to be a long night.

"Okay." Suri sighed and finally said. A long moment of silence was held inside the van before her eyes could meet Inko's again. "What do you want to know?"

"What are your intentions with my baby boy?"

She did it. She came out and said it with zero hesitation and it made Izuku turn red from embarrassment. He sank into his seat even further while Suri looked at Inko for a second or two before a smile crept across her lips and she began snickering. The snickering turned into laughter and Miss Midoriya herself let out a small laugh and then sighed as she laid worried eyes onto the two teens.

"Mmm. Maon was always better at being intimidating," she said, pouting her lips. "I never learned it right, I guess."

"Meh," Suri shrugged. "You're just too cute to be intimidating."

That made Inko blush and turn her head and made Izuku yelp from the shock of the statement.

"That's another thing I miss," Inko sighed, scrunching her dress in her hands as she stared downward at the floor now. "Gods, I didn't know how much that brutal honesty kept my spirits up. You really are hers."

"You mean my mom?" Suri asked for clarification and Inko nodded, giving it to her. "You know, she never said what made her move to the States. I mean I know how attractive my dad was back then, even now, but I didn't know what made my mom move to Utah of all places. She never really talked about her friends, high school, growing up here, any of that really."

"I knew taking Izumi's life had been hard on her, but knowing that she's still eating herself up about it… I should have tried calling or reaching out. Even when she reached out to me," Inko replied sadly.

Suri frowned and lowered her gaze. Her mom had to take the life of Inko's beast, a long time friend, best friend maybe, and to do it had made her mother cut off everyone. It made her run, not much different from what Suri had done. Her mom found her dad just like Suri had found Class 1-A. It was poetic in a lot of ways. She knew exactly what her mom must have felt all those years ago.

"I think I know how she felt back then. Guess it runs in the family," Suri let out a bitter laugh. "What I mean is… I know what my mom felt after taking a life. For her it was taking the life of a friend and killing that half of who you were. Me, I… I did it to save someone's life and to prevent anyone from being harmed. We had so much guilt and fear from what we did that we ran and never looked back. I know that, for me, I'm scared shitless that I'm going to do it again, that I'm going to take another life and that next time… I won't be so justified. I kind of wonder if mom felt the same way but thinks that maybe she wasn't justified in what she did after all. We're both scared that we're going to hurt someone again."

"That isn't from you, is it," Inko said softly and Suri followed her gaze back to Izuku and the bandages on his neck.

"No! No… Not exactly," Suri admitted and it was her turn to look down. "When I found them, Shigaraki, the bad guy, had his hand around Izuku's throat. He was threatening to use his Quirk if he didn't just sit and comply so I came in from the other side and did the same to him. I spooked him at one point during the conversation and when he tried to hurt Izuku and I threw Shigaraki off of the bench. He scratched Izuku when I forced him away from us. I'm still sorry that he got hurt because of my stupidity."

"Suri," Izuku said with a reassuring tone.

"You saved him. Just like Izumi and Maon saved me," Inko smiled softly, tears pooling around her eyes. "You saved my baby and that's what matters."

Suri smiled and watched Inko, her happy face that was grateful for her. Even if she had done a piss poor job of handling the situation, that was the fact that still remained; she'd helped. She'd done something a hero would do and that in itself made some of the weight on her shoulders lift.

"Hey mom," Izuku asked. "Why didn't you tell me about all of this?"

"Well," Inko sighed and sat back as she had a thoughtful look come across her face. "I guess it's because I didn't want to worry or scare you. The same reason you never told me where you got your Quirk, right?"

Izuku and Suri went pale. Suri's stomach dropped and the nausea that crept into her stomach from hearing Inko speak filled her entire body. She had only been one of a handful of people to know that Izuku had inherited All Might's Quirk, One For All. It had been a secret that was supposed to be kept as tight as possible so that the word never got into the wrong hands. And here Inko came, just casually mentioning it, not by name, but premise alone. Suri shot a look towards her grandmother and watched the old woman shrug it off.

"H-How," Izuku stuttered out and then nervously laughed. "H-Hah, that's… n-no, I'm just a late bloomer. R-Really!"

Izuku baby," Inko gave him steady eyes and a soft smile. "I may not have the senses like Lady Kuroyashi or Suri here but I'm your mother. You know I know everything about you and when you started going off with that strange man every morning to train and then you suddenly became very powerful. I understand that a lot of things need to be kept secret, especially something like the sort of Quirk you have now. I'm not mad but I do worry about you. You had to know I would know, my sweet boy. Especially since your Quirk doesn't align to what mine or Hishashi's Quirks were."

Izuku stared at his mother with wide eyes that had a little too much white in them. That alone gave everything away and all but confirmed Inko's suspicions about her son's Quirk. Not that Izuku could be blamed, really. It had been a wild day so far. Running into Shigaraki, having a brief stay at the police station, finding out your mom used to be a wereleopard, out of the blue kisses from Tooru and Mina, and to top it all off, your mom knows your biggest secret? Yeah, no wonder he felt exhausted.

"I-Im sorry," Izuku quietly stuttered out as he focused his eyes onto the floor. "I knew I'd tell you someday but I guess I never thought that I made it that obvious."

Now that she thought about it.

"I mean, we all found it weird on the first day of school that Bakugou kept screaming you didn't have a Quirk. If he noticed, then there's no reason to expect your mom to not know," Suri shrugged off the outloud thought.

"Y-yeah, I guess you're right," he sighed.

Suri and Izuku startled a little as the van came to a stop, looking from each other to around the interior of the vehicle. Neither Inko or Grandma Kuroyashi seemed to be phased by it. It made sense once the two teens watched Ryo get out of the van and then opened the passenger door. With the door open Suri could see the driveway of the compound. They were just outside of the garage. Grandma smiled and stood before offering Inko a hand, which she took, and the two stepped out of the van and into the compound's yard. Suri and Izuku followed close behind and the greenette went wide eyed again as he looked over the large home that was a mix of traditional Japanese and modern architecture. He was vividly impressed by it all.

"You haven't changed much since I was here last but the cherry trees have come along nicely," Inko stated as she looked around. She brushed her hand through the cherry trees that created a small wall from the driveway to the walking paths into the gardens.

"I tried to keep it as close to how it was when Maon left. I didn't want her to be so shocked when she came back to visit or be upset if I changed something she wanted to keep. The guest wing where Suri's room is was the only substantial upgrade I've made in the last few years."

That fact made Suri tilt her head curiously and narrow her eyes at the older woman.

"You… were expecting guests before I came," Suri queried.

"Truthfully, your mother and I wanted you to go to UA all along. We had planned for you arriving about a month before the entrance exams. Maon, Alexis, and Eve were going to spend that time training you for the exams. But, as you already know, things didn't quite go as expected."

"I never realized my moms were going to personally train me for it but hey, you've done great so far," Suri smirked and shrugged.

"That's something I've been curious about," Izuku spoke up beside Suri. She found him cupping his chin, deep in thought once again. "You told us before that a lot of wereanimals were non-monogamous and you've mentioned multiple moms but you've never really talked about them before."

Suri pursed her lip and sighed softly.

"Well, after I got here, I waited a few days before I finally tried calling home for the first time. No one answered. And," Suri folded her arms and turned her attention fully towards Izuku, "the longer time went by with no reply… I figured they all disowned me. And they'd be in their rights to according to pack law since I'm set to be banished anyway."

"Banished from your pack," Inko tilted her head with a questioning glance. "I don't have any insight into how the wolves run things but I know there's very few things you could do to be banished from the pard. At least that's how it was when I still had Izumi."

"Yeah," Suri smirked sarcastically, not able to hide the bitterness in her voice. "I ended up on that short list."

"How?" Ino asked before quickly making sure she had her manners intact, "if you don't mind me asking, of course."

"Forewarning, it's not pretty," Suri admitted.

Inko looked down, thinking about what Suri had said and mulled it over in her mind for a long moment before she looked up. She first looked at her son, her gaze softening as another array of thoughts came across her expression, and then turned to Suri. Her gaze hardened a little at that moment and a peek of what she would have been if she still had her beast arose. It was that almost animalistic maternal look determining what threat you posed to her cub.

"I would like to hear it then. I want to know how much I can trust you with my baby boy," she said sternly.

"Mom! I-"

"No, Izu," Suri interjected, placing a hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes for reassurance. "It's okay."

"In that case, I shall get us some tea. I believe it's going to be a long night of storytelling afterall," Grandma Kuroyashi clapped her hands together and smiled. Even without waiting for a response she headed directly for the kitchen, filled her pot with water and heated the stove.

The rest of the night was going to call for a lot of tea, a box of tissues, and a truck load of listening and understanding on everyone's parts. Time would only tell if Inko would truly trust Suri with Izuku's safety after she got to hear the story of the man named Hyrum Black. The man that Suri had killed.