Saving Grace

The Interview

Mio stepped out of the car, her teeth clamped down on both sides of her aching jaw. She started down the front walkway to the house and felt the pit in her stomach grow as she realized how unkempt the yard was. The grass had grown to the length of her knees, but Mio was thankful because it covered the junk that was left to decay over the years. She eyed it shamefully, one of Mako's old kiddie pools, a broken-down lawn mower, some window panes she didn't even know where they came from, and the remnants of a leather couch they used to have.
Mio found herself standing in front of the door with hesitation, fingertips hovering over the knob for a noticeable moment. She took in a deep breath, bracing herself before entering the dragon's den.
She opened the door, and within an instant, her reality crumbled.
"Mio...? Is this your house?" Aizawa couldn't believe his eyes, she wasn't living like this... the whole place was just... empty...

***Four Hours Earlier***

Mio shifted uncomfortably under Aizawa's scrutiny, the brunt nature of his question caught her off guard. "I-" She shook her head, eyes focusing on the bit of skin peeling at the side of her nail. "I don't know what you're talking about." She scoffed at him.
Aizawa knew there would be resistance but he wasn't going to let up. He'd already called CPS so there wasn't an option for her to get out of this. "Mio... you came into class today with some injuries that I asked you about. Do you remember what you told me?"
Mio could feel herself getting defensive but she couldn't stop the snappy tone in her voice. "I told you what happened, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Aizawa nodded his head, leaning on his elbow with his chin resting on the heel of his hand. "You also told Midoriya that there was a fight of some sort?"
"I never said that."
"It was implied though wasn't it?"
She kept silent.
Aizawa softened his tone, he leaned back in his chair to lessen the tension that surrounded them. "Mio, you're a really intelligent girl. Your grades are some of the highest I've seen in this program. I know you know what's going to happen if you admit to me that something is going on, but I have to tell you that regardless of whether you open up to me now or not there's going to be an investigation."
The word alone caught her attention, stare flicking up with such intensity Mio thought she could burn a hole through Aizawa's forehead. Why was he being so nosey? What did any of this matter to him? "An investigation?" She played dumb.
"Yes with Child Protective Services... as a teacher of UA it's my duty to report anything suspicious." He explained himself formally as he should, but Aizawa could see the panic behind her neutral expression. She was scared because of something, he just didn't know what it was yet.
"What makes you think anything is suspicious?"
"Other than you coming to school with severe and untreated wounds, I realized today during our class exercise. You claimed you got into a fight, wrong place, wrong time... but you easily defeated Midoriya in your one on one. He's one of the strongest in the class you know?" He paused, gauging her reaction, he could see her lip quiver. She was barely keeping it together. "Someone with skills such as your own wouldn't compare to a couple of street thugs."
Mio's anger was bubbling to a dangerous point of explosion. She spoke through gritted teeth, eyes locked onto Aizawa's and never pulling away for a second. "You. Don't. Know. Anything. About. Me."
He sighed, he was breaking through even if just a bit. "I know that your quirk is rare, extraordinary... and I know you never used it during that fight today, not once. I also know you've missed nearly 300 days of school since Year One, that you've shown up to classes without lunches for several days in a row, and I know that there have also been reports of multiple suspicious abrasions over the years that were never looked into."
Mio couldn't hold back the tears that silently trickled down her cheeks. She looked away now, having lost all conviction in her voice and the will to argue. He'd figured her out. Aizawa must have gone back years on school records. He looked through it all. This whole time Mio thought he was just a hard-ass, that he didn't care, nor did he have time to deal with her spotty commitment. She assumed Aizawa had written her off to be cut from the program and kicked out of the school, but this whole time he was digging up dirt. Aizawa was sleuthing around her past. Mio needed to grasp at any straw she could, she wouldn't be put into Foster Care, even if it meant lying. "It's not as bad as you think." She managed to speak without stuttering.
Aizawa felt for her, the system had failed her for so long... teacher after teacher who didn't seem to have the time to get to the bottom of the issues, issues they thought were irrelevant due to her outstanding grades. They must have pushed her through for the next person to deal with. Aizawa wouldn't do that, he was going to get her the help she needed. He stood from behind his desk, the room seemed so much bigger when it was empty. So much colder. Aizawa closed the space between them by slowly walking around to come to her side, and crouching down to her level. His voice was soft as if coaxing a wild animal to trust him. "Mio, I need you to be honest with me now okay? These bruises and the injury on your temple there... did your parents do that to you?"
Mio nodded at his question with her gaze still averted, her body was frozen stiff into place. She could feel every muscle aching as they struggled to hold in the wild range of emotions enveloping her heart. Mio's head began to throb at the thought of what this meant now, for her and Mako... what would happen to him? Would they be separated by the foster care system? Would they be allowed to stay together? Electricity seemed to crackle in her brain, it was a sensation that she had felt before but never this strongly. Mio did her best to hide it.
"Is it your dad? Your mom? Or both who hurt you like that?" Aizawa didn't particularly enjoy having to ask these kinds of questions but if CPS was going to the house they'd need as much information as they could get.
"Just my mom... my dad isn't..." Her voice trailed, barely an audible whisper.
"Is there anyone else in the house we need to know about?"
"Mako... my brother... I need to see him, he can't be without me I take care of him."
Aizawa felt his heart crush at the sheer muted urgency in her voice. How long had she been keeping this a secret? How long has she been having to care for her brother; had to be an adult in the most youthful years of her adolescence? "Alright, we'll make sure he comes with you. For right now though Mio... you need to come with me, okay?"