Crimson Empress (FemDekuxToga)

12 - Family Photo III

Izumi and Toga stood in their bathroom and were admiring, or in Toga's case trying not to break out in a blush, Izumi's new appearance. The roots of her hair were white and her right eye had returned to its previous emerald green. Izumi was holding the two photos in her hands and looking between herself as a child and herself in the mirror.

"So basically," Toga took a breath to compose herself, "your dad is The Bloodedge and your mom is Telekinetic? You have no memories aside from a vague one of you injuring Nezu. All you can remember is growing up Quirkless. Is that all?"

Izumi nodded and turned to Toga with tears in her eyes, "I don't know anymore. I can't tell."

Toga embraced Izumi and whispered to her softly, "It's okay Izumi. It's okay. I'm here with you."

-----

Aizawa was about to knock on the girl's door when she heard light sobbing from the other side followed by Toga doing her best to comfort Izumi. He had heard the story from Nezu and when asked why he was keeping it a secret the only response was that it was her parent's request that Izumi learn on her own. As much as he felt it was cruel he had no say in it so he would not interfere. But he was still worried how it would affect her going forward. She was already unstable but luckily she had Toga who was doing much better in the past month. Dealing with her past and learning how to control a brand new quirk was not a good mix. Not to mention the scars he had seen from time to time. Izumi was quick to heal and it usually left no scars but she still had several scars from her childhood. Burn scars, from a minor explosion, it didn't sit well with him. Yet Aizawa refused to pry and decided he would investigate on his own. It would do no good to force more stress on Izumi.

"Girls, Nemuri picked up dinner if you're hungry."

Dinner was awkward to say the least, the normally quiet Izumi had not spoken a single word even when the topic of heroes and quirks came up. She barely ate and instead stared at her plate with a somber expression. Everyone took the clue to give her some space but Toga and Shinso kept close by her side. Izumi was practically clinging to Toga and Nemuri was whispering something to Yamada while staring at the two.

"The first thing I can remember is staring at the door waiting for my mom to come back," Izumi suddenly spoke when the conversation had died down. "I was eight and it was the last time I ever saw my mother. I don't remember my father and my mother never spoke of him. All I can really remember is feeling so alone. I had Kachan but by that time we had grown apart because I was Quirkless. He didn't want to have someone as weak as me around saying I was going to be a hero as great as he was. Then everything around me started to fall apart and I couldn't take it anymore. Next thing I know I wake up with a Quirk and a real family that cares for me. Then I started remembering things and I don't know what to do anymore."

By the time she finished Izumi was in tears while Toga and Nemuri were hugging her. Shinso was sitting there with a pained expression and most of the other adults looked conflicted or lost. However the most unlikely of people spoke up.

"I didn't meet my parents until I was 27. They had given me up for adoption as a child and no one wanted a disabled infant so I grew up in the system. They sought me out after I became a hero and demanded I give them money for giving birth to me. But what right did they have to ask me that? They had abandoned me and only wanted me when I was useful. So I left them behind and never saw them again."

Ectoplasm looked into Izumi's eyes and did his best to give a toothy smile, "What you decide to do about your past does not change who you are. Whether you accept it as part of yourself or discard it like I did. All you need to remember is that you are yourself. An aspiring hero student. Do not lose sight of that."

After that Ectoplasm left and the other teachers took it and their own que to slowly turn in for the night. Eventually it came down to the Aizawa family and they too went to their respective rooms.

"Himiko."

Izumi looked into the citrine eyes she had come to miss whenever they weren't around.

"I don't know what I'm going to do about my past. But like Ectoplasm said I am a hero student and I will keep moving forward until I become a hero."

Toga watched breathlessly as Izumi opened the case and doned it's contents. In the soft moonlight that poured through their bedroom window Toga was the first to see the hero that would change the very core of this world. A hero clad in crimson who left carnage in their wake as they culled the darkness that threatened to swallow light.