Chapter Text
“Good morning, Izuka. Take a seat.”
Doctor Watanabe is a psychotherapist in her mid-thirties who graduated not only from Senshu University in Tokyo but from Cornell University in New York as well. Her mutation quirk gives her cat ears and eyes as well as the ability to release calming pheromones.
“Good morning.”
Izuka sits in her favorite spot, a huge black beanbag with a green blanket and two plushies formed like planets, and wobbly smiles at her therapist. The trust built in the woman isn’t as much as the greenette had in Irina, but Izuka trusts her therapist enough to talk to her and to work with her on her past and her issues.
“How was your night, Izuka?”
“It was okay I think… Thanks for the new meds… They… don’t make me feel as weird as the other. And they don’t make my thought process all fuzzy.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Izuka. Like I’ve told you in our first few sessions, the medication is supposed to help and aid you and not make everything worse. Should something change after a longer time you could always change your prescription with your outpatient therapist.”
The 15-year-old nods and hugs the Saturn pillow to her chest.
“Do you want to talk about something? Maybe a quirk from the news? One of the recorded fights? Or something else?”
Izuka takes time to think about it, her fingers trace along the seams of the pillow while her mind runs fast and she considers multiple possible topics to talk about.
“There… there’s something. I didn’t know about it when it happened because in that time Karasuma just became Hitoshi and I’s emergency foster guardian. Because of everything happening in the past year I missed a lot of the news, especially news from Musutafu… I came across this recording from nearly a year ago. A villain with a mutation quirk that turned him into green slime attacked Katsuki and held him hostage. His brother attacked me a couple of months later. In any case, Katsuki made several explosions around him and the slime made it impossible for him to breath. The heroes on scene loudly spoke about how they didn’t have suitable quirks. Only after Katsuki fell unconscious, All Might appeared and defeated the villain. It bothers me.”
“What’s bothering you, exactly?”
“That the proheroes on scene said they didn’t have suitable quirks. They act like only a quirk’s important, but a quirk is just a tool. If All Might wouldn’t have appeared out of nowhere, Katsuki would have died and the proheroes would have just watched. I… it frustrates me and makes me angry. Mama died because a fight between a villain and a prohero destabilized our apartment building, so it collapsed back then. Now the situation with Katsuki… All I can think about is the question of how many civilians die because of proheroes’ inactivitity.”
“Can you do something against it?”
“What?”
“Izuka, I want you to think for yourself if you can influence the situation or not. Can you do something against it actively or are you forced to just watch? In a couple of days, you start your first year in the hero department at Yuuei, right? You’re training to become a prohero. So, tell me, Izuka, can you do something against it?”
The greenette looks at her hands, dissecting Dr. Watanabe’s words in her mind.
“I’m training to be a prohero, that’s correct. That means… I could push forward improvements coming from within the system. And when I want to prevent situations like mine and Katsuki’s in the future, I need to be an active part of the system, to be in an influencing position. Like as a teacher in a hero school and through contacts to everywhere.”
The psychotherapist smiles at her supportive and reassuring.
“Exactly. So, instead of living in the past you can learn from it and use those lessons for your future. During one of our earlier sessions, you told me that you’re driven to reach your goals by your anger and frustration. It’s important, that you don’t lose yourself in your emotions, but you shouldn’t suppress them neither.”
“A healthy balance.”
“Correct. You’ve improved a lot during your stay in here, but every healing process takes its time. Know your limits and asks for help when you need it.”
Later on the time runs out and Izuka leaves the doctor’s office. On her way to the small kitchenette to pick up as glass of water, she greets familiar nurses who are spread throughout the station’s lounge area, accompanying several patients. Then she puts a jug filled with iced tea and two clean glasses onto a tray before she heads to one of the rooms. After hearing an affirmative “Come in.” to her knocking on the door, Izuka steps inside.
“Hello Rei-san. Today’s iced tea is peach flavored, so I thought I bring along a jug for both of us.”
Sitting on the bed in the room is a beautiful woman with white hair and sad grey eyes who tell a long story just like Izuka’s own. Rei Todoroki is a marvelous woman who broke under the pressure she was put under, and she suffers every single day, even if her two oldest children visit her regularly. The most grief on her soul is caused by her eldest’s death, Touya Todoroki, and by herself hurting her youngest son, Shoto Todoroki.
“Hello Izu-chan.”
Gently smiling at her, Rei takes both glasses while Izuka puts the jug on the small table and sits down on the only chair next to the bed. After that she fills both glasses and takes a sip.
“Dr. Watanabe told me that I can be discharged in two days. Just in time to acclimate with my new living arrangements and to spend some time with my brother before school starts next week.”
“Really? I’m so happy for you, Izu-chan.”
Delighted, Rei folds her hands and smiles at the younger girl who just stares down on her lap.
“But when I leave, you’ll be alone, Rei-san… I couldn’t continue to visit you every day!”
Tears well in her green eyes and leave traces on her cheeks covered in freckles and small scars, but the white-haired woman gently rubs those tears away.
“Izu-chan, it’s alright. I’m never truly alone and I know that you’ll come visit me along with my children and I look forward to it. Besides, you’re needed out there. I can’t wait for you and Shoto to debut as proheroes one day.”
Soundlessly crying, the curly head falls into the older woman’s arms and hugs her tightly, tears run down her cheeks and silent sobs make her whole body tremble. She can barely hear the white-haired woman’s soothing words, can barely feel her cold fingers that run gently and calmly through her hair. Instead, she cries as long as it takes, until she can’t cry anymore. Only then she leans her head on the older woman’s shoulder and relaxes utterly exhausted.
“Thanks, Rei-san… I promise, I’ll come by regularly.”
“I know you will, Izu-chan. Could I ask you for a favor?”
“Always.”
“When you meet my Shoto, please tell him that I’m sorry and that I love him. Could you do that for me, please?”
“Of course, Rei-san.”
“You’re such a kind girl, Izu-chan, and I’m so glad I got to know you.”
Agitated, Hitoshi walks through the apartment in which he’ll live with his sister and Irina, checking for a third time that Izuka’s room is decorated perfectly and that there’s no dust anywhere. Irina and Karasuma both went to the hospital to discharge and pick up his sister from the psychiatric ward and for some reason he wasn’t allowed to go with them, so he was forced to wait in the apartment all by himself.
Heaving a sigh, Hitoshi’s in the kitchen pouring himself a cup of coffee when the doorbell rings. Puzzled, the teenager looks at the time – it’s far too early for Izuka to be back already – before he steps into the apartment’s small entrance area and looks at the security monitor at the wall. It takes a couple of seconds for him to comprehend what he’s seeing.
At the door are Eraserhead, Present Mic and Principal Nedzu.
Fuck.
Hurriedly, Hitoshi goes and opens the door.
“Uhm, hi? How can I help you?”
Nedzu who sits on Eraserhead’s shoulder blindingly smiles at him.
“Ah, good afternoon, Shinsou-kun! It’s me, Nedzu, the one who could be a mouse, a dog or a bear. But the truth is… I am the principal! And Aizawa-kun, Yamada-kun and I follow Karasuma-san’s invitation. Can we come in?”
After blinking at the chimera for a couple of times, the student silently nods and opens the door wide so the three proheroes can enter the apartment which they do immediately and step out of their shoes. Then Hitoshi proceeds to lead the unexpected guests into the living room and gestures towards the rather huge couch.
“Can I offer you something to drink, Nedzu? Or you, Present Mic, Eraserhead?”
“A cup of tea would be marvelous, Shinsou-kun.”
“Thank you, but I’m good, little listener.”
“Coffee.”
The teen nods and speeds into the kitchen to finish his own coffee and to prepare tea and coffee for Nedzu and Eraser. He returns to the living room with a tray balancing the beverages and puts it on the table.
“I hope that fruit flavored tea is to your liking, Nedzu. My sister likes to drink it sometimes when she doesn’t want coffee, or she needs to calm down.”
“That’s more than alright, Shinsou-kun.”
Hitoshi sits on his favorite armchair and holds his cup of coffee with both hands, his gaze doesn’t stray from the three visitors sitting on the couch.
“I don’t want to seem rude but… Why are you here? Why did Karasuma invite you?”
“Don’t worry, little listener. We know that your sister gets discharged from the hospital today, that’s why Karasuma asked us to come by a little later than previously planned. I’ve been especially curious about the little listener looking like Shou.”
“Zashi!”
Against his will, the teen’s mouth twitches so he takes another sip to hide his grin behind the mug. Nedzu takes advantage of the moment to start speaking again.
“Karasuma invited us to clear some questions. Additionally, there are some things we’d like to discuss with your sister and yourself, Shinsou-kun.”
Hearing that, the purple-haired boy worries and gets skeptical, so he pulls up questioningly an eyebrow but doesn’t comment on Nedzu’s exclamation. Instead, he takes another sip of coffee and mutely observes the heroes in front of him, on the side he and Eraser locked gazes on each other in a duel.
Fortunately, Hitoshi gets saved from the uncomfortable situation by the apartment door opening.
When they arrive, Izuka stretches her limbs and takes off her shoes as fast as possible.
“Damn, am I glad to be finally back under my own roof. Toshi? Toshi, I’m home!”
While Izuka shrugs off her jacket and puts it into the wardrobe, Karasuma and Irina move further into the apartment (Karasuma, to greet the guests, and Irina, to bring Izuka’s bag into her room and then to go into the living room as well) and Hitoshi comes running at the green-haired girl to pull her tightly into his arms. Burying his face in her green locks, he nearly inaudible whispers “Welcome home, Zuzu.”. The teen enjoys her brother’s hug and breathes in his calming scent before she realizes the additional pairs of shoes in the entry way at last.
“Toshi? Why are The Principal, Present Mic and Eraser in our apartment?”
Coming from the living room, they can hear Nedzu’s delighted cackling, so the siblings head there immediately. Seeing the three proheroes, Izuka shortly bows in a greeting before she settles cross-legged on the floor in front of Irina. Hitoshi settles right next to her and leans into her side. Karasuma, the last one standing, audibly clears his throat and puts three thin files onto the coffee table.
“Thank you for coming, Nedzu-san, Yamada-san, Aizawa-san. Before we speak any further I’m obligated to ask you to sign those NDAs because most of our upcoming conversation falls under an international secret.”
Hitoshi and Izuka’s gazes snap towards the man who slightly nods at them before returning his stern gaze to the guests in front of him. Shouta Aizawa’s the first to open his assigned file and to sign where it’s required after looking over the contract’s content. Following soon after, Nedzu and Hizashi Yamada sign as well.
“I admit that I’m curious, agent Karasuma. An international secret is rare, especially when it’s connected to two future students at my school. The ministry of defense was rather tight-lipped about anything except for their recommendations to accept these two into the hero course.”
That’s new information to Izuka and Hitoshi but not to the other adults in the room. Irina puts her hand on top of the green-haired head and starts gently messing with her curls, so the girl closes her eyes while enjoying and relaxing into the woman’s touch.
Karasuma once again clearing his throat, makes her turn her attention back to him, though, ignoring the proheroes for now.
“It’s publicly known that a super villain took a class from Kunugigaoka Middle School hostage, last year, and has been eliminated on March 13th. The names of everyone involved were held under wraps purposefully as well as the identities of the students affected by everything. Even if said class turned attention to themselves and caused some problems. Every recording and news coverage from their confrontation with the press has been deleted and news stations were forbidden to ever publish anything about it.”
The siblings meet Karasuma’s side-eye with innocent expressions, not regretting the chaos a bit.
“Though, what isn’t public knowledge is that the super villain has been a supernatural being who taught this class for a year by his own volitation and never posed a threat to any of the students. The children called him Koro-sensei and the government secretly tasked the class to kill him.”
For a while, Izuka closes her eyes to compose herself before she stands up and steps next to Karasuma.
“Karasuma-sensei, may I proceed?”
The dark-haired man closely looks at the teen for a second, clearly overthinking his decision, before he slightly nods in agreement.
“Principal, Koro-sensei was in the exact same situation you could have been after you’ve been freed.”
Izuka’s declaration floats heavily in the room but she ignores the stunned and angry gazes from Eraserhead and Present Mic, instead she looks straight into the chimera’s black eyes right in front of her. Nedzu’s white fur is slightly ruffled and a dangerous gleam enters his eyes.
“From our perspective, Koro-sensei has never been the villain. His appearance and skills were result of experiments done to him in a government-approved research facility, led by Kotaro Yanagisawa who has been defeated and eliminated in a final confrontation with Koro-sensei on March 13th. Main subject of the research and experiments was antimatter. Antimatter, which caused a mouse on the moon to explode, and which posed the same danger to Koro-sensei. He wanted to die but he wanted to teach our class as well, so he made a deal with the government. It’s more than wrong that we’ve been burdened with this task but Koro-sensei, this project, was the best that could have happened to us.”
It's silent and Izuka could practically feel anger, frustration, disbelief, grief, pity, rage and resignation flooding the proheroes. She observes how Nedzu slightly shakily smoothes his fur and empties his cup of tea. Eraserhead forcefully keeps his eyes closed, most certainly to not lose control over his quirk, and Present Mic clenches and releases his fists repeatedly. Only when Izuka’s confident that everyone calmed down a bit, she proceeds to talk.
“In the beginning, Karasuma was our assigned handler by the government but later, he became our PE teacher and mentor. He trained us and saved Hitoshi and I. Irina Jelavic originally is a professional assassin and became our language teacher. Under the government’s instruction, we’ve been trained to become assassins with Koro-sensei as our target. During a secret mission we found out that Koro-sensei doesn’t need to die, that he won’t explode but the government didn’t want to listen. That’s why we fought against the elite units from the military to see Koro-sensei one last time and kill him ourselves, on March 13th.”
“Hold up.”
Shouta lifts his hand before turning his gaze onto the teenager.
“Are you behind the group of punks that wreaked havoc and led every prohero on scene away from the evac area?”
Giving her idol an innocent smile, the greenette shrugs.
“Of course not, Eraser. It was just a lucky coincidence. What are the chances?”
The black-haired man grumbles and shakes his head but doesn’t prod further, instead he leans back into the couch.
“Little listener, is that why you’ve been at the hospital?”
Present Mic’s voice is pleasantly silent and gentle, his green and red eyes show honest worry and empathy.
“Not really. Of course, the past year left it’s traces and to kill Koro-sensei, to see him die, to lose him was anything but easy… But the main reason I’ve stayed there is my past. The evening Koro-sensei died, I’ve met many triggers and I entered a dissociative episode lasting for several days, but I’m better now and Dr. Watanabe helped me a lot. As far as I know, Hound Dog has been informed already as my attending therapist at Yuuei.”
Without saying anything, Nedzu nods and Izuka guesses that the chimera takes in all the information provided, mentally saves and dissects it, maybe even constructs and measures possible scenarios. Slightly smiling, Izuka returns to sitting on the floor and leans against Hitoshi. Immediately, Irina’s hand is back at petting her green locks.
“That are… some truly serious and deeply disappointing information. But I appreciate your frankness, agent Karasuma, Shinsou-chan.”
“Of course, Nedzu-san. If I had it my way, we never would have involved innocent children and would have looked for a violence free solution instead but with Yanagisawa roaming free and having contacts in the government we didn’t have another choice, unfortunately. And while it’s true that there have been experiments with antimatter, there was never an intention to experiment on animals and humans. While the whole situation has been swept under the rug, all associated and involved parties have been held lawfully accountable.”
“I understand, agent Karasuma. Now, should we come to the original reason why we’re here and have been informed of everything?”
Like on cue, Yamada and Aizawa straighten up and nod at their boss in agreement. Karasuma himself seems to agree and to relax because he takes a seat on another armchair. Meanwhile, Izuka and Hitoshi exchange puzzled looks.
What’s happening?
“Izuka. Hitoshi. Problem Demons™.”
The siblings simultaneously look at Eraser who looks straight at them. His expression is gentle, Mic’s is as well. They don’t hesitate to look the siblings into their eyes and let a comfortable silence linger in the air between those four before the dark-haired man speaks up again.
“We want to give you a home and adopt you.”
Green and purple eyes widen at the honest, dry and frank statement made by the underground hero. Hands blindly search for each other and take a tight grip on each other.
“Why?”
The icy question isn’t asked by Izuka, nor does it come from Hitoshi. Instead, it was the blonde assassin who’s piercing through the couple with cold blue eyes. Her desire to protect the siblings and prevent any further harm done to them is obvious and during her work as an assassin she learned to never take someone’s words without a grain of salt, never mind how nice the words sound.
Calmly, Eraser turns his gaze towards the young woman and tilts his head slightly.
“Together with Kage and Joke, I’ve trained Hitoshi and Izuka these past few months. I got to know them and see them for who they are. I admit, I asked Naomasa Tsukauchi about them, and I looked at their files. Hizashi and I know of the system’s unfairness and danger. We want to help you and, even if I loath to admit it, you are my problem demons™, my kids.”
“Listeners… I’m too familiar with those scars on your nose bridges and cheeks, believe me. We truly want to help you, to save you from the system and to give you a loving home. We want you to become part of our family, to become our kids. Shou and I talked about it for quite some time. Shou started talking about you since he started training you and after the entrance exams, I couldn’t wait to finally meet you, to get to know you and to meet you. If you want us to, we’d love to take you home with us.”
“Are you serious?”
Hitoshi’s whisper seems loud compared to the prevailing silence and while Hitoshi’s gaze is turned towards the floor, his hand tightly gripping Izuka’s, green eyes closely analyze the couple in front of them.
Hizashi Yamada smiles gently, knowingly and understandingly.
“Yes, listeners.”
“I never say anything I don’t mean, Hitoshi, Izuka.”
The siblings look at each other. Having a whole conversation just through their eyes and slight tightening of their hands before they turn towards their new parents.
“Please! Adopt us!”