Chapter Text
-July 15th-
Izuku Midoriya was born in the most peaceful and soothing birth that any doctor or nurse could recall and that they would ever have the honor of attending. He came into the world quiet; his only cry was the result of his bottom being smacked, and then it was brief. Handed to his mother, Inko looked down at the squelched little face, the mop of green hair, and the wings….? They're clear as day were the cutest little cherub wings, black or dark green at the bottom, fading through a few variations of green to white at the top.
“Well, that is interesting,” Inko whispered to the perfect little angel in her arms, “Oh, think of all the cute little outfits I can dress you in! I will have to look into some special clothes, all the ones we bought don’t have any holes for the wings. I am sure I can order some basic ones from Jungle. I would call your father, but he is working in the United States and will be here soon; he is on his way to see his precious little angel. I wonder why the doctors didn’t see these in the ultrasounds. They saw something, but they said it was static,” she giggled, “I guess they were wrong.”
The nurse who was attending stared in wonder at the new mother and the seemingly never-ending stream of words that just flooded out. “Mrs. Midoriya…Mrs. Midoriya….MRS. MIDORIYA!” Inko finally noticed the woman standing there.
“Oh, sorry,” Inko blushed.
“It is all right; we just need to take him to get cleaned up, weighed, and all that kind of stuff,” the woman said with a smile. “How are you feeling?”
“Good, actually. Really good,” Inko replied, an eyebrow raised at how well she felt. “Sore, but other than that…I expected to feel worse.”
“I am not surprised, but that was one of the easiest deliveries I have ever witnessed,” the nurse said as she took little Izuku in her arms. “We will bring him back and see if you can feed him.”
Inko nodded as her perfect little angel was taken out of the room. Izuku had been brought back to her after he had been cleaned and had all the little tests that were needed to be conducted on newborns. Her Captain and a few of her friends from the prescient come to see her and Izuku. She couldn’t suppress her smile as they all smiled and fussed over her son; even his normally stoic Captain was reduced to babbling happily at the baby. Her baby had latched and suckled from her breast with no issues whatsoever, adding to his perfect first few hours. He was peacefully asleep in Inko’s arms as she sang him little songs and talked to him nonstop.
The door opened, and Hisashi walked in; he was carrying a small bouquet and a tiny teddy bear holding a blue heart that read, “It’s a boy.”
“Hisashi, this is Izuku; Izuku, this is your father,” Hisashi was a tall man, well over 6 feet tall, with a broad, muscular build; he took the child into his arms, seemingly studying him intently. “Were we expecting wings?” he said, looking up at Inko briefly before returning his attention to the baby in his arms.
“No, the doctors never said anything, but remember how they said the picture was always fuzzy. It could have been the wings,” Inko said, smiling.
“Well, it has to be fate that my beautiful wife would deliver me, my little angel of a son,” Hisashi said, snuggling his little boy. He sat on the bed next to his wife; he leaned down and gave his wife a gentle and loving kiss. “How are you feeling?”
“Good,” Inko said blissfully. “I thought it would be much harder. The nurses and doctors said it was the easiest birth they had ever attended.”
“Maybe you are just a baby-making machine,” he smirked, kissing her forehead. “You are so beautiful, Inko,” he whispered. They just sat there in the bliss of being new parents, their precious little angel asleep in their arms.
Inko eventually fell asleep, little Izuku was sleeping in his cradle, and Hisashi sat in the rocking chair, smiling at the little slice of heaven he had been blessed with. He pulled out his laptop and decided to get some work done. He would be on maternity leave for the next month, but work would always continue as long as villains ran around.
Inko was a police officer, and Hisashi was a special investigator for the Hero Commission; they had crossed paths on a case, and to say that Hisashi fell in love with Inko at first sight would have been an understatement. He fell hard and couldn’t get her out of his mind. Thankfully, he wasn’t the only one. His job kept him away for extended periods sometimes, but he always made a point of coming home every chance he got; when she told him he was pregnant, the only thing that compared was when Inko agreed to marry him. When the door opened, he was just finishing a report, and Inko’s great aunt Chiyo, the pro-heroine Recovery Girl, walked in. She was Inko's closest living relative; Inko’s parents had been killed when Inko was in high school during a villain attack. It had made Inko decide to pursue a career as a Police Officer. Her quirk attraction was not strong enough for hero work, but it worked out great for her as a police officer.
Chiyo was a short, older woman with grey hair always pulled back into a netted bun; whether in uniform or not, this was always a syringe poking through it to hold it in place. Today, she wasn’t in her hero costume to not draw attention to herself; she had a lovely floral print blouse with white pants.
“Chiyo,” Hisashi whispered as he got to his feet. “It is good to see you.”
“Same to you, Hisashi,” Chiyo smiled. “How is my dear Inko? Besides tired, I bet.”
“Good, all things considered, she said the delivery was easy,” Hisashi said. Chiyo smiled and turned her attention to the star of the show, the sleeping Izuku. Chiyo walked over and looked down lovingly at the sleeping boy. Chiyo noticed the white top of the wings peeking out from the blanket. “Oh my,” Chiyo said, her hand coming to her mouth.
“Chiyo, if I remember correctly, didn’t your sister have wings?” Hisashi said.
“Oh yes, they were these beautiful pure white,” Chiyo said wistfully, “Our parents would call her their little angel, though she got into more trouble than I can remember,” she chuckled.
“They are not all white,” Hisashi said. “The top of them are, but then they are all the shades of green.”
On cue, Izuku began to fuss; Inko immediately woke up, “Aunty,” Inko whispered. “When did you get here?”
“Hello, Inko, I have only just arrived,” Chiyo said, smiling as she picked up her great-nephew. The baby immediately quieted, settled down, and returned to sleep. With ease and grace, Chiyo made her way to the chair beside the bed and sat, peeling back the blanket to gaze at the wings.
“Grandma had wings,” Inko said, smiling. “I remember them being so soft.”
“He is beautiful, Inko,” Chiyo said as she handed the baby over. “You did a wonderful job.” Chiyo leaned down and kissed Inko on the head before she sat back down and talked with Hisashi and Inko about their plans to make sure they called her if they needed anything before she left for the evening.
Izuku
Inko was released from the hospital the following morning due to a little boost to her recovery courtesy of her aunt. Hisashi was cursing the creator of the car seat as he was trying to get it loaded and secured in the car's back seat. Then, once he got secured, he had to triple-check it. Inko sighed at her husband as he took the car seat, gently set it into place, and then started rechecking the straps.
“If you don’t hurry, we are going to be here all day,” Inko said, making him blush. He fussed and fretted over Inko as she climbed into the car; Inko playfully slapped his hand and told him to get in the car so they could go home.
The trip home may have taken longer than it should have due to Hisashi's slow rate of travel and problems with every other car on the road. When they arrived, Hisashi carried Izuku in. “Welcome home, my little angel.”
True to his nickname, why, at least as far as his parents were concerned, Izuku was a little angel. Not that he did anything different than any other newborn; he slept a lot and ate. He would cry but was easily soothed once the offending diaper or burping handled what was causing his discomfort. Yet, according to his parents, he was just perfect. The only issue was finding clothes for him, as all the things they had were not suited for Izuku’s wings. It was easy to find a specialty shop so they could solve the minor problem, and of course, the shop owner was delighted to show Inko all the cute outfits she could dress her son in to showcase those wings. Hisashi nearly fainted when he paid the bill, but after the first photos were taken, he knew it was money well spent. The first month came and went so quickly, too quickly in Hisashi’s eyes, but he had to return to work, and some new and promising leads on this Demon King had surfaced.
Hisashi would do his best to call every night to talk to Inko and check on his son. Inko had to adjust to doing things herself, but after a few stumbles, she was at home in her routine. Once cleared, she started working out to get back in shape and return to work, with some pointers from Chiyo, who would visit regularly. It was a smooth process. Chiyo was sitting in an oversized plush chair holding a sleeping Izuku while Inko was tending to something in the kitchen. “What are your plans when you return to work?” Chiyo said when Inko came back with some tea.
“We have been looking into some daycare facilities,” Inko said. “There is one near my precinct that some of the other officers use, so they offer a discount. The one provided by the Hero Commission is cheaper, but it is on the other side of town near their office. If Hisashi had a desk job, that would be ideal, but…”
“He has to travel so much,” Chiyo completed the statement. Inko nodded. “I could always offer my assistance.”
“But, Aunty, aren’t you always so busy working?” Inko responded. “And what if my patrol gets extended?”
“Are you under some impression that I can’t handle a baby?” Chiyo's eyebrow raised. “Besides, I am not an active hero anymore and don’t get called into the field unless it is a major emergency. We can work out a plan for when that happens. I can have him in my office while you are at work, and then you can pick him up from my home or work. Besides, this little angel reminds me so much of my sister; I hope he doesn’t get into trouble like your grandma used to.”
Inko laughed. “There was this one time your grandmother snuck out to see this boy, some young slick hero named Gran Torino. He had caught your grandmother fighting in the park, and instead of taking her to jail, your grandmother had convinced him to let her go, promising to go on a date with him if he did…
When the fated day came, Inko only cried for a few minutes after she had dropped Izuku off at U.A.
“So this is your great, great nephew,” Nezu said. The Chimera was looking down at the sleeping boy with a smile. “I wonder what kind of quirk he will have or if it is just the wings.”
“He is too young even to speculate,” Chiyo said. “But the coloration is beautiful.”
“That it is,” Nezu said, he paused and looked at Chiyo, “May I?” Chiyo nodded, reaching down and lifting Izuku gently. He fussed briefly until he settled in Nezu’s arms and fell asleep. “Such a precious thing,” Nezu whispered. “I must confess I adore children when they are this young; there is so much promise in the unknown of how they will develop. I look forward to watching you grow as a young person. How many times has his parents called?”
“Fifteen,” Chiyo smirked; his phone rang, “make that sixteen.” After Chiyo had talked with Hisashi, she set her phone down.
“Do you regret never having any of your own?” Nezu asked, returning Izuku to his cradle.
“Sometimes,” Chiyo responded. “But my life was so busy when that was an option, and I had my sister and her son, who helped fill the void. Then Inko, as well. By the time it seemed like a feasible option, it was already too late. But now, at least, I can take care of Izuku; I get to be a grandmother in a sense; it is getting a little piece of the dream.”
Sometimes, A Dream Can Become A Nightmare
“It is nice to be able to get away for the weekend,” Inko said to Hisashi as they were driving along the cliffside road towards their seaside destination; he glanced over his shoulder at their 18-month-old son asleep in his car seat. He smiled; anything longer than ten minutes in the car, and he was out like a light. Izuku’s wings were now this mix of the purest white with electric green mixed in; they were wrapped around his shoulders.
“Sorry it took so long,” Hisashi said, lifting Inko’s hand to his lips. “You wouldn’t believe the scope of this Demon King’s dealings. Drugs, murder, trafficking, organized crime, I mean, it is massive Inko, and I feel like we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg.”
“I get what you are saying,” Inko responded. “When that raid happened, I was shocked seeing all those medical supplies and the people in cages. They looked like horror victims. The looks in their eyes were haunting.”
“Their minds are gone; we don’t know if they will ever return. Whatever happened to them makes me shudder to think that anyone can do such things,” Hisashi squeezed his hand. “But we may have found a huge break in the case. Ito and Hiro are following up, and hopefully, we will have some answers by Monday.”
Inko smiled, “You keep this up; you will get yourself another promotion after you busted that trafficking ring and took down the Ringmaster on top of it all. You looked very sexy standing there; shirt ripped with him at your feet.” Inko's hand slipped from his and began to rub his thigh. “I am glad you got us a suite this weekend; I want to show you my appreciation on behalf of a grateful community,” Inko leaned a bit closer, “I even brought that outfit you like,” she whispered.
“I wonder if I could talk my way out of the speeding ticket,” Hisashi smirked as her hand danced over his arousal.
“So what is this big break?” Inko said.
“I think we have a name,” Hisashi said, “Not just Demon King, but an actual name, Ringmaster rolled on him, All for One.”
Inko stopped, “I have heard that name on the street. They talk about him like the boogeyman, but it always comes off as a myth or story that criminals tell their kids. You rat on your father, and All For One will come for you. But it was always this shady guy who worked for a guy who knew a guy did jobs for All For One. The way they made it sound was like anyone could be working for him, but nobody was, so it was believed to be some made-up crap the criminals would use as leverage on each other.”
“We think he is real, and we may have his location; that is what Ito and Hiro are chasing down; there is also a lead on his right hand, someone they call the Doctor. Misho thinks his name is Tsubasa; these things have been happening around his practice, and the pieces fit,” Hisashi said.
“Sounds like you're on the verge of blowing this thing wide open,” Inko said in awe.
“It is right there, Inko; we are so close that I can taste it,” Hisashi said. “This is huge. They are already talking about bringing in a bunch of top pros, and if it all pans out, they mentioned the words Deputy Commissioner.”
"Oh my god,” Inko's hands flew to her mouth.
“Permanent Posting, a crazy raise, some long hours, but I won’t have to travel as much or even go into the field,” Hisashi squeezed her leg. “I will be home almost every night.”
“Hisashi, that would be so amazing,” Inko whispered, wishing she could cuddle with him. “Not to mention getting such a monster off the streets.”
“The promotion would be icing on the cake compared to taking him down,” Hisashi said.
Inko’s phone rang; he smiled, seeing Chiyo’s name pop up, “Hello, Aunty, did you find it?”
“Hello, Inko dear,” Chiyo responded. “Somehow, it was under the couch.”
“How in the world did it end up there?” Inko said. “She found Izuku’s bunny,” Inko told Hisashi.
“That is good,” Hisashi said with relief that was their only concern about the trip was that Izuku wouldn’t have his bunny, but for now, he seemed content with the All-Might Plushie that Chiyo had given him; even now, Izuku was absently gnawing on one of the tufts of hair as he slept.
Inko heard a man's voice in the background talking about how perfect the steaks looked, “Aunty, do you have a gentleman caller?” she teased.
“Oh no dear, my hips wouldn’t survive,” Chiyo responded quickly, making Inko sputter, “He is a very dear friend who was coming by for a visit and was kind enough to lift the couch. Have you reached the resort yet?”
“No, not yet; there was an accident on the main road, so we are on mountain road 18, 20 miles away,” Inko said. As Inko looked up, they came around a bend, and standing in the middle of the road were two large, hulking, grotesque creatures. “HISASHI LOOK OUT!” Inko screamed.
Hisashi slammed on the brakes to try and avoid the beasts when one suddenly blurred and crashed into the passenger side, launching them through the guard rail and over the mountain's edge.
“INKO!” Chiyo screamed. She turned to her guest, “Toshi, Highway 18, 20 miles from Hokato Resort! GO NOW! I WILL CALL IT IN!”
“Right away,” Toshinori Yagi said; he ran open his back door and leaped off into the night. The Number One hero in the Country was on the way.
As the car crashed through the guard rail, everything was in slow motion: the violent jerking to the side from the impact, the glass shattering, the safety features deploying, and the sound of Izuku screaming. Inko turned towards her son, Hisashi’s head bounced off the side of the door. Inko saw the world begin to rotate as the car spun; she saw the open air between them and the ground; she reached towards Izuku, and all the glass flew towards her baby, her quirk activating. Time reasserted itself as gravity took hold of the car and yanked it back to earth.
Survival
Inko came to consciousness hanging upside down, secured in place by her seat belt. It took a moment for her mind to put things back together, but the sound of Izuku crying behind her snapped everything back into place. She heard Hisashi groan. Inko turned and saw Izuku secured in his car seat as his cries grew louder. Inko tried to undo her seatbelt, but it was stuck; pain raced through her head as she used her quirk and tore the latch apart; she fell onto her head and shoulders. She ignored everything else and scrambled to Izuku.
“Inko? Izuku?” Hisashi said.
“Hisashi?” Inko said.
“Is the baby all right?” Hisashi managed to say.
“I don’t know,” Inko replied as she got Izuku free and cradled him; she could see blood on the little boy’s face, but it didn’t seem too bad considering. “He is cut,” Inko said. “We need to get out of here; what were those things?”
“I have no idea,” Hisashi said, “I think I can get out of the front,” Hisashi grunted and groaned as he squeezed himself out of the car. He approached where Izuku’s door was and reached in as Inko passed him out. Inko looked around and luckily spotted her purse; she pulled it to her and retrieved her gun before she pulled herself from the wreckage. Once she was free, she noticed the multiple cuts running up her arms and down her face.
Hisashi had a nasty gash on his head, holding Izuku and trying to check for more injuries. “Is he okay?” Inko said; Hisashi just nodded.
“Nothing appears broken, at least,” He said as the sound of trees being knocked over grabbed their attention; these nightmarish chittering sounds followed. Inko raised her gun, trying to see what was coming for them.
Hisashi eyes narrowed, and green smoke drifted from the corners of his mouth. “Inko, take Izuku and run,’ he said.
“Hisashi,” she said, her heart breaking. Then they saw one of the creatures from the road, but it wasn’t alone. At its feet were two other versions of the creatures. These were thinner and moving about on all fours, more animal-like than the two larger ones who walked on their hind legs. The only things that bound the creatures were the ghastly purplish black skin, the strange bird-shaped faces, and these peculiar, almost googly-looking eyes that seemed to jerk this way and that. Their brains sat open and exposed; long, jagged teeth filled their twisted maw. A strange whopping sound escaped their lips when they saw their prey.
“Inko, you have to save Izuku,” Hisashi's eyes started to glow green as he passed Izuku to her. “I love you both so much,” he whispered.
“You win,” Inko said, “You fucking win and come home to us, do you hear me.”
“Nothing will keep me from you and our boy,” he said, smiling. “Go Inko now!”
Inko bit back the tears; she lashed out with her quirk and tore the eyes from one of the smaller beasts as she ran in the opposite direction. The other small one tried to leap past, only for Hisashi to snag it out of the air and use it to club the large one that charged at him. Hisashi’s fire breath roared to life as he unleashed it upon these creatures; Inko could see the green light illuminate the forest behind her as she ran, tears at the corners of her eyes. The giant creature threw the small one aside, its body aflame, the smell of putrid flesh filling the area. It launched at Hisashi; he dove to the side as it crashed thunderously into the wrecked car, moving it a few feet.
Hisashi scrambled as the small one dove clawed at his leg, strange chirps coming from its maw. Hisashi ignored the pain and kicked it across the jaw, knocking it loose; the blinded one was flying towards him. He caught it with his feet underneath and, using its momentum, kicked it up and over. He got to his feet, only to be sent sprawling. The large one had torn the door off and used it as a club; Hisashi rolled onto his back and caught the door as it came plunging at him like a guillotine. He pushed it up so it crashed above his head, and melted flesh from the monster dripped onto Hisashi like something from a horror film. Hisashi pushed it to the side to regain his footing. He dodged an attack from the blind one, and that strange chirping continued. The small one crawled towards him like a flaming zombie; he brought his foot down, crushing its melting skull, and caught the large one as it stumbled to attack him. He held it by its arms, and it was no longer on fire. His hands sunk into the burned flesh till he had it by the bones, its melted face dived forward, and its twisted maw opened and tore deep into his flesh.
He screamed and yanked the arms violently, tearing them from the beast, but it kept biting, trying to pull a chunk out of him. He grabbed the beast's jaw and yelled in defiance as he forced it open, the pointed teeth tearing into his hands. He kicked the thing's knee, sending it down into a kneeling position; Hisashi had its mouth forced open; he summoned his quirk and sent his fire breath into the thing's mouth and down its throat. His green fire tore from its neck as its body fell free. Hisashi stumbled, and the blind one landed on his back; he grabbed it by the head and tore it off. It landed across the car door embedded in the ground, and its back made a sickening sound as it bent over the door. Hisashi raised his foot and sent it down under its chin, snapping the thing's neck. Hisashi stumbled back, holding the massive wound on his shoulder; ignoring the burns, he took a deep breath, and then he heard the clicking sounds again. Then he heard the trees rustling. He saw two go rushing past him, jumping from tree to tree; they were heading in the direction that Inko had run.
His mind raced; he braced himself and launched a fireball from his mouth, hitting one; he turned towards the other, and as he was about to fire, a large one crashed into his ribs with such force they broke, sending him down and his shot errant. When the thing drove its mouth into the open wound, he didn’t scream; he grabbed that thing's head, and his hand plunged into its brain. As he tore at the brain matter, he felt its grip slacken. He rolled, putting himself on top of horror; it opened its mouth as he filled it with fire.
He got to his feet, blood gushing from his shoulder; his world began to spin; he looked at the wound and saw blood pulse out in time with his heart. No, his mind screamed. No, Inko…Izuku. If it is just one of the small ones, Inko can handle it; if it is two or three, she will handle it.
The sound of things crashing through the woods behind him, he turned, staggered as a dozen more small ones scrambled into the clearing with one large one that wasn’t like the others; this one was taller than the hulking ones he had fought. The ones around it scurried like the dogs at the foot of their master. It was close to 7 feet tall and built between the small ones and the beasts.
Hisashi saw the thing smile at him; slow, deliberate clicks escaped its mouth, the little ones stiffened, and their erratic movements stopped as all the attention was on him.
“I love you both so much,” he whispered to the night sky. “Come on, you bastards! COME ON!” He roared in defiance, green smoke seeping from his mouth and nose. as the hunting dogs rushed him. Hisashi fire tore out in the final act of defiance, hoping to take them all with him; he saw half of them incinerate as the other half, their flesh melting, crashed into him.
Inko
Inko cradled Izuku as she ran, trying not to think of what was happening behind her. She stumbled over the thick undergrowth of the forest, her path becoming darker as she got further into the forest, away from the illumination of Hitoshi’s fire.
It wasn’t long before the sounds of the battle were soon so distant that they ceased to meet her ears. She knew she shouldn’t, and her mind told her to keep running, but her heart begged for it to be over so they all could be safe. She looked off in the distance; she could see the forest burning; she could see not only the green flames but the reds and the yellows increasing as the light illuminated the black smoke billowing into the air.
“Hisashi,” she whispered. Izuku’s started to cry, startling Inko. He had been quiet and fussing through everything but hadn’t cried. Now, he was crying. Inko swore it was the heartbroken wail of a child who had lost something precious; it sank into Inko, and her heart started to break. She took an involuntary step towards the distant flame, but her mind screamed at her.
Backlight by the flames, she saw it come leaping out of the trees; her body reacted immediately; she raised her firearm, turned so Izuku was away, and fired. Her aim was true, and the creature was struck in the shoulder and face. She spun as it crashed to the ground; those strange clicking noises emerged from its throat. She aimed and fired, sending a bullet through the thing's skull, but it stopped moving. The gunfire had changed Izuku’s crying to wails of terror; if the thing got past Hisashi, then there may be more, Inko thought. Cry later; move now!
Inko spun and ran. She tried to listen for pursuit, but her crying baby made that nearly impossible; she didn’t have the time to stop and comfort Izuku. Inko did her best as she burst from the forest to an access road. She looked frantically up and down the dirt road, remembered the general direction of the resort, and ran to the left. Inko patted Izuku desperately, hoping she could calm him down just for a moment to hear if they were still being pursued. Then she heard it; things came out of the forest behind her. She didn’t look back and just ran; if they got her, then they would kill her and kill her son. The clicking sound was behind her; she could hear the claws striking the ground they gained on her.
She glanced over her shoulder, and there were 3 of them, but they weren’t alone. A tall, modified version was running behind them. Ther one was upright, but it had the unnatural gate, its long arms pumping along at its side, a smile on its face. It was like a twisted hunter chasing down its prey with its pack of dogs.
They were gaining on her; they were too fast; instinctually, Inko shifted to the right as one made a wild leap at her. She turned and fired off a few shots, striking the creature in the torso; she planted and pushed into the forest, firing blindly at the ones on the road; the click of her gun told her it was empty, lacking additional ammo. She decided against throwing the weapon away, choosing instead to use it as a clubbing weapon if it came down to that.
Suddenly, something collided with her back, sending her crashing into a tree with Izuku; the child cried out from the sudden pain. Inko ducked under a claw swipe that tore a massive gash in the tree. The smaller ones were on her; the second one came at her, activating her quirk. She wrenched its claws to the side, making it twist on itself and go to the ground. Stepped back from a downward strike from the first, she stumbled over a tree root, falling. The second regained its footing, diving at her hands extended, claws out, mouth open as some hollow sound rang out.
The teeth glowed as Inko used her quirk to jerk the mouth closed and pull it further to avoid the attack. She stumbled to her feet, and the second one landed a claw strike to her back, shredding her clothing and sending blood flying. She stumbled, kicked the second one in the head, and slipped to the side of one; she felt the claws of the beast graze near her arm, holding Izuku, leaving a slice down her bicep. She felt a surge of anger and power as her quirk flared to life; the claws of that monster all glowed as they jerked suddenly into its head, sticking out the top. Inko felt blood start to pour from her nose; the glowing claws wretched out sideways, tearing the monster’s head apart.
The second drove its claws into her side, making her scream; Izuku nearly tumbled from her arms. She grabbed the creature's head and shoved it back, using her quirk to throw the thing away; blood poured out of the wound onto the floor. “FUCK YOU!” Inko screamed as the thing's brain glowed and it was ripped free, sending it to the ground like a puppet with strings cut. The last of the hunting dogs had been dealt with.
Inko felt something pop in her head, and everything went blurry; by sheer force of will, she held on to her terrified son. She stumbled and grabbed at her head; she didn’t see the Hunter come out of the trees or the stabbing claw that came through her shoulder and into Izuku. The world spun as she fell, Izuku falling from her grasp, and Inko fell to the floor. She unthinkingly turned and crawled towards her son. The Hunter stood over her as she crawled; it stabbed her with a single claw. It stabbed her through the back and out her stomach. Inko screamed, and she heard the things hallow laugh.
It stepped past her, walking to stand over Izuku; it knelt, staring at Inko. A sadistic smile was on its lips, and another claw hovered over the screaming child. It beckoned Inko closer with its other hand as the claw-threatening Izuku would inch closer or drop suddenly but stop.
Inko screamed in desperation for it to stop. She tried to call upon her quirk, but it wouldn’t answer; every time she tried, it felt like her head was about to rip apart, and she almost passed out. The edges of her vision were darkening from the blood lost; the thing let out a hollow laugh, taunting her. Inko dug deep, pushed past the pain, and her quirk answered her call. The Hunter’s head glowed and wretched to the side as one of its eyes was torn free. Inko pushed forward and shoulder-blocked the Hunter away from Izuku; she grabbed her son. She tried to run, but she stumbled and fell. She saw the thing coming towards them; Izuku’s clothes were wet with blood, her son barely whimpered, and tears fell from Inko.
The Hunter stabbed at them. Inko rolled to the side and threw a kick that crashed into its ribcage, and she scampered back. Her back came against a tree; she tried to think of something; she heard a whimper from Izuku. Inko’s body was going cold from the loss of blood.
The hunter’s mouth opened, “Die,” it said; the sound originated from inside that twisted maw, though its mouth didn’t move.
“Fuck you,” Inko spat back.
“Fuck you,” it responded its voice like Inko’s but still with that hollow sound.
Inko felt Izuku’s body tense as the Hunter was about to move forward. Suddenly, Izuku’s wings flared out, blinding white, and an electric green light exploded, blinding the beast and Inko. All the pain rushed away from Inko, and a brilliant flash of clarity flooded her mind. Her quirk roared to life like nothing she had ever felt. She reached for the hunter, felt it wrap around the monster, and then sink into it, wrapping around innumerable objects. Inko pulled at everything, and the hunter’s body trembled.
The Hunter's entire body was torn apart, not just ripped in half, but every part of it was ripped apart. The skin, muscles, blood, and organs were torn apart into the air, and then those were torn apart till the area was covered in a fine mist that once was the hunter. Inko looked at her Izuku. The light from her wings faded, no longer white or electric green; there was all a dull dark grey. Inko checked and saw no wounds on her or Izuku; she could feel the rush that had flooded not only her mind but also her body. Izuku was breathing but appeared to be unconscious. Inko scooped him into her arms and returned to the road; she never moved so fast. The night was brighter, and the shadows were not so deep; she could feel this unknown boost ebbing away as she ran.
She heard a voice calling her and Izuku's names; it didn’t sound like the others. A colossal figure came bursting from the trees; Inko grabbed the figure, her quirk still feeling stronger, wrapping around the man but not sinking in as deep as before. She was about to tear up what she could when she saw the telltale blonde tufts of hair sticking up and the determined look of the number one hero of Japan.
She released her quirk, “All-Might,” she cried.
“Inko, Izuku,” she said, coming to her.
“Hisashi?” she pleaded.
“I am sorry, dear Inko,” All-Might said gently. She took them both into her arms, “I do not know if the area is safe. Is Izuku injured?”
“I don’t know. I think his quirk activated; he is breathing,” Inko said—she felt the boost, which was starting to flood out of her. “All-Might…” she managed as the tendrils of unconsciousness grabbed her and pulled her into the darkness.
Goodbye
Inko was standing in a field of wildflowers along a dirt path; she saw a large oak tree and a figure standing under it. He started walking towards it like she was being pulled; as she went closer, she saw Hisashi leaning against the tree. He broke into a run and dived into her arms.
She started crying as he held her and stroked her hair, “It will be okay, my love, my darling,” He whispered.
“You're okay, you're okay, we have to go. We have to get back to Izuku,” she whispered, hugging him tightly, her hands clawing at the fabric of his shirt.
“I am so sorry, my love, but I can’t go with you,” He said.
Her head jerked up, staring into his damp eyes; he reached for her and wiped a tear from her cheek. She couldn’t say anything; she grabbed his hand and held it to her face. Desperately, she was trying to etch the warmth of his hand into her soul.
“No, you have to come home; Izuku needs you, I need you,” she pleaded. “Don’t leave me, Hisashi; please don’t leave me.”
“I wish I could go with you. I wish I could be there for you both and watch him grow. Fall in love with someone, chase his dreams, scrape his knees. Hold you both on cold nights,” Hisashi said. “I know the shadows are falling, my love, but I will always watch over you both. I am tied to you by our perfect little angel; if you need to see me, I will be there between sleep and wake. I love you both so much, Inko.”
“No, Hisashi, you can’t leave me,” Inko pleaded, feeling his body become softer and less substantial. “You come home, you come home to us!”
“I would never leave you, Inko; they had to take me to keep me from you both,” Hisashi whispered. “Tell Izuku how much I love him.”
“I love you, Hisashi; I will make sure he knows you, how great, strong, and brave you were,” Inko cried as her arms fell through him. She looked as his body faded, and the last thing she saw was his smile.
“I love you, Inko…” his voice drifted to her ears.
Recovery
Inko jolted up in the hospital room, screaming Hisashi’s name, calling for him to come back. She looked around the room through teary eyes, praying to see him. When her eyes fell on her aunt, the look her aunt gave her said everything. Inko grabbed the sheets and wailed as her heart shattered; Chiyo wrapped her in a huge hug, and Inko clung to her, sobbing. He begged Chiyo to bring him back to bring Hisashi back. Chiyo just held Inko, whispering how she wished she could.
Inko was despondent the next few days, and only Izuku being brought to her was able to pull her pack together; Izuku had been unconscious since he had been brought in. Once Chiyo learned what had happened from Inko and that Izuku’s quirk had awakened at 18 months, everything made sense for the little boy. Izuku’s body was not ready to deal with the overload of her quirk activating being so young. It wasn’t unprecedented for a child's quirk to awaken so young; there were even those who had them since birth. One was in the school now. His quirk had been active since birth and had caused severe damage to his hearing; he could increase the volume of his voice to sonic scream levels. Devastating in an infant.
Inko, still shattered, held her Izuku; as the little boy opened his eyes wordlessly, the sense of pain and loss passed between mother and son.
“Daddy,” Izuku called as Inko began to cry, holding her son tight.
When they were released from the hospital, Inko could not go home. Instead, he went to Chiyo’s home with Izuku. The Hero Commission handled Hisashi’s funeral arrangements; as Inko stood there holding Izuku, her second-in-command Kaina was by her side. Inko knew Kaina and her team well. They were all there, tears in their eyes and determination engraved on their face and in their souls.
“We are going to get this bastard,” Kaina whispered to Inko. “I swear to you, Inko, we will put him in the ground.”
“Thank you, Kaina,” Inko said, holding the woman tight. “All for One took my Hisashi away, you find him, and you take fucking everything from the bastard.”
“We will, Inko,” Kaina said in between the tears. “If you need anything, you better call me; we will be there no matter what.”
“I will,” Inko whispered as they broke apart. The other members of her team came and hugged her, promising vengeance.
After the funeral and repast, Inko sat in the living room of Chiyo’s home. She looked at her son asleep in her arms. Izuku’s wings were still a dark grey; the little boy wouldn’t sleep for long if not being held by Inko or Chiyo.
“How are you holding up, dear,” Chiyo said, handing her a cup of tea.
“When Mom and Dad died, I knew I wanted to help people,” Inko said. “I tried out for the hero courses, but my quirk wasn’t strong enough, so I became a police officer. Like most of the force, we all wanted to help and protect people, and this was our way of doing it. Now, when I think about it…” Inko paused. “It isn’t enough.”
“Inko,” Chiyo whispered.
“Something is different,” Inko said. “Ever since that light from Izuku, my quirk has changed.”
“How so?” Chiyo said concerned.
“When I grabbed that Hunter, I felt millions of little things, and that was what I pulled apart, turning him into mist,” Inko said. “I can’t do it on that level, but.” Inko pulled a bullet from her purse. Chiyo watched Inko stare at the bullet, and then the case trembled and broke apart; the gunpowder and projectile fell onto the coffee table. Chiyo's eyes went wide.
“Where is the case?” Chiyo asked.
“I took it apart,” Inko replied calmly. “Chiyo, I can’t go back to work knowing that a boogie man is out there, and he took my Hisashi away. I will bring him down; I know you know many pro heroes. Would any of them be willing to train me? Like them, I am licensed to use my quirk; getting my hero license would require some studying, but I need a sponsor and someone to train me.”
“Inko,” Chiya said softly, “All For One, he is more than a boogeyman; he is a hazardous man. He succeeded in killing Hisashi; he may view her creation’s failure to kill you as a design flaw, or he may take that personally and come after you.”
“Then all the more reason to train me,” Inko said. “Either way, I will go after him and tear his entire empire apart. I will not wait for him to come after me or Izuku again. I have a copy of Hisashi’s information,” Chiyo was shocked. “Help me, Chiyo? Please!”
Chiyo looked at her Inko and the sleeping Izuku; if somehow Izuku had awakened Inko's quirk and All For One learned of him, he would come for the little boy. Inko was going to go after him regardless of what Chiyo said. She didn’t want to lose any more family.
“Let me talk to someone,” Chiyo said. “But if you are going to do that, then you will do it right; I will oversee your training; you will get pushed harder than ever, but I know you can do it. Once you start the fight, there is no backing out; if you swing at All For One, he will swing back.”
Inko looked at Izuku in her arms, “He already swung; you said it. He may come for me regardless. Hisashi was close, and that son of a bitch killed him. I will not sit back and wait for him to come at me. I have to protect Izuku, and if that bastard is in the ground, then…”
“Okay, Inko, let me make a phone call,” Chiyo said. “Give me a few days.”
“Thank you, Chiyo,” Inko said, hugging her. Chiyo could see how Inko's eyes changed; having a sense of purpose and direction helped focus Inko and gave her a place to focus her grief and anger.
Inko came out of Izuku’s room, and the little boy had fallen asleep. They were working on getting Izuku to sleep on her own again when Chiyo summoned her to the front room. When Inko walked in, he was shocked to see All-Might and his sidekick, Sir Nighteye.
“All-Might,” Inko said, bowing deeply. “Thank you so much for saving us that night.”
“I only wish I had gotten there sooner, but you saved yourself that night, and you and your husband saved your son,” All-Might said. “I talked with Chiyo and think we should talk to Inko about you wanting to take on All for One.”
“There is nothing to talk about,” Sir Nighteye said. Sir Nighteye was a tall, lean, muscular man with sharp and elongated features. His shiny hair was always worn, smoothed down, and parted to her left. It was dark green, with three yellow streaks towards the front. His eyebrows were also yellowish, matching the rims of the triangular glasses he wore and the strikingly bright yellow irises of his stern-looking eyes. He always appeared to be glaring.
“You should just turn over the information and let us handle it,” Sir Nighteye said.
“I was expecting to talk to the hero, not the sidekick,” Inko said, returning his glare.
“You are lucky I have respect for All-Might and Recovery Girl, or would I teach you a lesson right now?” Sir Nighteye retorted.
“Don’t hide behind their capes now,” Inko said. “Try it, Nighteye; I will make you famous.”
Chiyo sighed; All-Might was shocked. Sir Nighteye’s hand flashed into his pocket, and Inko dashed forward. Now, there wasn’t anything happening so fast that All-Might couldn’t stop it, but he had to admit that he wanted to see what would happen. Years in America had left a mark on him, wanting to see what happened when someone, even his sidekick, ran their mouth. All-Might was fond of the saying, “Fuck around and find out.” Now he wondered if his sidekick had fucked around and was about to find out.
The hyper-dense seal flew from Nighteye like he was in a quick-draw duel; his other hand went for the second one. All-might watched the seal fly toward Inko, who didn’t blink. He saw her eye glance towards the seal, then back to Nighteye and his other hand. All-Might saw the seal break apart and seemingly disperse into the air. Nighteye didn’t expect that, but the same thing happened in his hand as he pulled the second one.
Nighteye’s arm was extended, and Inko dipped under his arm, breaking his line of sight. She landed a right uppercut rose at an angle that jacked Nighteye’s jaw, snapping up and removing her from his sight completely. She came to a sliding stop as she buried a right hook into Nighteye’s stomach, doubling him over and forcing Nighteye to take a step back. Inko didn’t stop. She grabbed Nighteye’s hair and drove her knee into his face, sending falling back blood pouring from his nose. Inko stopped and looked at All-Might; she raised an eyebrow.
All-Might smiled. Her sidekick had indeed fucked around and found out. “Good Job,” All-Might said. “Listen, Inko, before this goes any further, we need to talk; I want you to know I have already agreed to train you. It is because I know that you will not stop but also because of the danger that your son would be in should All For One become aware of his quirk.”
“What would that matter?” Inko said, worried.
“All For One can steal quirks,” All-Might said. “Just for your son's healing quirk, he would come for him, but if what Chiyo says is true and he can cause a quirk awakening, then he is in danger.”
“All the more reason for us to take him down!” Inko said.
“I understand the need for revenge,” All-Might replied. “All for One killed my mentor and not a day has not gone by that I haven’t dreamed of ending him. But if we rush that will play right into his hands and will end not just in our deaths but your son and countless others.” They both turned to look towards the bedroom where the boy lay sleeping. “I promise you that we will bring him down but we are going to do it right, when we get to him there will be no second chance and we need to make sure that even if we fall that day, not only does he fall with us that his organization can never recover.”
“I understand,” Inko said. “When do we start?”
“We already have,” All-Might smiled.