Mission Midoriya || A RuthTheNerd MHA fanfiction||

Chapter 29: Back Home

Ryo didn't remember the trip through the portal. She didn't remember the tight grip of her brother holding her hand, or the memorable look in Meiying's eyes as they left. Her mind was blank as a fresh piece of paper throughout the forty-second duration of portal-travel, but every memory came rushing back when she walked out and was bombarded with the sensations of home: the shiny wooden floors, the light blue walls of the living room, the scent of un-eaten noodles. 

Home, she thought giddily. Never had a word sounded so appealing.

Her feet glided over the floor for a second before she felt gravity pull her down. Disgruntled groans sounded from the elderly man next to her.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her tone light and reeling from the euphoria. He glanced up and smiled, though it was weak. 

"I'm fine," he replied, stretching his back to smooth out the kinks. "I'm still just comprehending all that's happened. How long has it been since we left?"

Ochako walked out of the portal, sealing it completely. "Several days," she replied. Then, suddenly, anxious, she turned to Izuku. "Several days. Bakugo must have noticed that Reiko was gone. There's no way he didn't."

"Several days?!" Reiko shrieked, clawing at her hair. "How much have we missed? What about school?"

"We missed school?" Toshi asked. "Why are you so worked up about that? The only part of school you like is beating people up."

Ryo watched as a scowl grew on Reiko's face and decided to intervene. "Toshi, can it. Reiko, I'm sure the school can pardon the absence. We've been through a lot in the past few days. A rest is well in order."

Izuku nodded, placing a comfortable hand on her shoulder. "Ryo's right. Reiko, you should call your father and let him know you're here. Me and Ochako can try and clear things up with him afterwards." 

Reiko sighed and reached for her phone, which was underneath the tipped-over coffee table. "This place is a mess," she muttered. "Ever heard of cleaning?"

"It wasn't like this before," Izuku argued. "Meiying's portals have logistics I still haven't figured out."

"Speaking of Meiying, where is she?" Toshi asked.

Ochako's eyes shone with a secret. "Where she's always wanted to be. I don't think we'll be hearing from her again."

. . . 

Meiying felt like a child again, sprinting through the royal gardens in pursuit of the rabbit that had started the whole ordeal. The forest was a mere blur behind her, and she hardly heard the titter of the songbirds or the crunch of grass underneath her feet. Her cloak fluttered behind her and sent jolts up her spine when it brushed over her legs. She kept imagining some unknown force strangling her before she could make it to the palace.

The rush of water brought her back to earth and she slid to a stop in front of the weary bridge over the koi pond. The same fish waded in its waters and flush-pink lotuses glided aimlessly over the glass surface. Her reflection was still and she yearned for a smooth stone to crash that tranquility.

Her hood shaded the light of dawn from her eyes, but the sunlight bent over the wooden bridge and made it shine like amber. The memory of this place, the memory she'd replayed thousands of times in her head when she'd been wandering the ghost town of the future, was now brought to life. A thorn stabbed her heart and she squeezed her hands to prove herself that this was real and not another overenthusiastic daydream.

And then, in the midst of her euphoric realization, the one thing that would complete this reality arrived. Just across the bridge was a handsome young man wearing a golden chang pao. He was barefoot and held a net full of buck, and in his hands he held a dead rabbit by its ears. His dark eyes went wide with alarm, and then recognition.

It was her brother, grown from a childish boy who dreamed of conquering all of Asia to someone that echoed strength and expertise. Yet age hadn't diminished his love for hunting, as far as she could tell.

"Mei?" he asked, slowly at first, to not shatter the fragile prospect. Her lips parted. Her tongue felt dry and she despite how often she'd imagined being reunited with her family, she had nothing to say for when it finally did happen.

Instead, she decided to take away the benefit of the doubt. With a single gesture, her hood flew off and reveal her face. Smooth, fair colored skin and golden eyes that glittered with the incoming tears that pricked at her lashes. She saw her brother drop his sack of rabbits and run across the bridge, she felt his muscled arms firmly grasp her waist and pick her up from the ground, twirling her around until she was laughing and crying, all at once.

Finally, after an eternity of flying, he set her down. "Mei, where have you been all this time?"

She chuckled, though it came out as a strange snort. "Everywhere, brother. Let's find mother and father so I can tell them all about it."

His gleeful expression turned sour. "Mother isn't here. She's dead, Meiying. I thought you knew."

"How would I know?" she asked, her happy feelings plummeting. "My quirk manifested then and I was foolish enough to activate it on accident."

"Quirk?"

Meiying quickly corrected herself. "Gift."

"Ah. Well, mother was found dead in your room, and since she'd been with you..."

Meiying gasped. "No. The palace doesn't...they don't think I'd do something so ghastly, would they?"

He shook his head. "No, father cleared the confusion up. She died of shock."

"Shock," Meiying murmured, feeling immensely guilty. "Is that even possible?"

"The guards say that when she found you gone, she collapsed onto the floor in a fit of defiance. She was buried a while later. Her body is inside," he pointed to the magnificent palace and lead her towards the entrance. He strategically took them along a mostly abandoned hallway towards the chambers that their mother once used to inhabit. In the place of her bed was a wooden coffin.

Meiying ran her hands along its smooth edge, and tears fell from her eyes and onto the wood. Her brother stood nearby, not sure what to say in order to comfort her with the death had had excepted long ago.

"It was made from a Redwood," he said softly, "and father had the best carpenters carve it out of a single trunk."

"Those were always mother's favorite," Mei recalled, her voice cracking. She envisioned her mother trekking through the garden and brushing her hands on the exquisite trunks. She would say, Men might gift you flowers as a sign of your delicate nature, Mei. But you - you are a princess, a future empress. You must strive to be more like this tree - tall, strong, and everlasting. In devastating storms, all plants, especially flowers, are ripped from their roots by the wind. But the trees are always there.

I've become one, mother, Meiying thought, thinking about the people who had made this possible. The two heroes who were undeniably passionate about rescuing their children, and the children themselves - one scholar, one aloof, and one who was definitely a firecracker. She'd cherished their company, despite how short it'd been.

As sobs racked her body, joy filled the cracks in her heart.

 - End - 

Hello puffins! That's the end of this story, and I'd like to say thank you for reading and commenting! If you have any other questions, answer them if you comment on this paragraph. Thank you again and see you in my next story! <3

- Ruth