Crimson Empress (FemDekuxToga)

43 - Midnight Confessions [Arc 1 Premiere]

"Does it hurt?"

Toga had a solemn expression as she ran her hands gently over Izumi's prostetic arm. The smooth and cold metal served as a reminder of that day but also a promise to grow stronger so that nothing similar would ever happen again.

Izumi found it hard to answer. In literal terms there was no pain but it still felt off to her. The weight and sensation was the same as if it were her real arm but she had not mentally accepted it yet. Just looking at the black metal made her arm ache despite the fact that it was no longer there.

"I don't know."

"I'm sorry, this is my fault."

"Himi-"

"You tried to protect me and I just got in the way. I got you hurt! How can I forgive myself for that! Because of me you could have died!"

"Himi it's not your fault. I chose to protect you and I will make the same choice over and over again if it means you can be safe."

"But it's not worth hurting yourself! I'm not worth hurting yourself over!"

Toga felt a warm hand lift her chin and her citrine eyes met with emerald and crimson. Her face turned a deep shade of red comparable to Izumi's coat as the two stared into each other's eyes.

"Himi, to me you are far more important than anything else. I wouldn't be here if you hadn't found me. I wouldn't have been able to keep going if you hadn't stayed by my side. You are more than worth giving my life for."

Toga was pulled into Izumi's chest and into a passionate hug. The warmth of their bodies giving comfort to one another.

"I was scared. When I saw you fall I thought you might never get back up again. Then when I woke up they told me you were having trouble recovering. It scared me. I don't want to lose you Izu. I can't lose you."

"You won't lose me. I'll always be right here for you Himi."

"Izu can I ask you something?"

After a few minutes of comfortable silence Toga spoke up with a hint of anxiety in her voice.

"Anything."

"Do you remember that I wanted to talk to you after class was over?"

"Oh yeah. I had forgotten with everything that had happened. What did you want to talk with me about?"

"Have you ever thought about someone romantically?"

Izumi's heartbeat was calm at first however it slowly began to rapidly palpitate as her body heat dramatically increased. Even without seeing her face Toga could tell the silver haired girl was blushing furiously.

"W-why do you ask?"

"There's someone I've liked for awhile now. At first I was just intrigued because she kept making me feel safe and wanted when the entire world discarded me. She gave me warmth and showed me a path forward. Then one day I just found that I couldn't stop wanting to be beside her. I didn't want to stop holding her hand or cuddling when we fell asleep. I didn't want to stop seeing her smile and listen to her ramble on about quirks and theories. Then one day I almost lost her and she came back to me. It scared me that she would leave before I ever told her how I feel so I wanted to tell her before I never get the chance too."

Izumi's heart was strangely calm and her body heat returned to a normal temperature as a tense silence filled the room. It was a few minutes before she spoke with an anxious and shaky voice.

"There's also someone I've liked for awhile now. She was the first person I saw after I woke up from my nightmare. The first person to stand up and defend me. The first person to accept me. You know, after getting to know her she reminded me a lot of a cat. Mischievous, cunning, elusive, but at the same time radiant and beautiful like the moon. She helped me believe in myself and who I could become. I can keep going forward because of her."

"Izu I-"

Toga was met with Izumi's lips pressed against her own.

-----

"Nezu, what are you hiding regarding the problem child?"

Aizawa glared at the Principal who was calmly sipping tea across from the haggard teacher.

"You've become quite fond of Izumi I see. That's a good thing considering her past."

"Don't beat around the bush Nezu. That villain, Jin, he knew about her being a Midoriya and even knew about her quirk. He even knew about things Izumi herself didn't. However you seemed rather unsurprised especially after she explained everything. What are you hiding."

Nezu was rather surprised that his staff was being so direct and aggressive about the topic. However it was within permissible grounds considering what he and his class had just experienced. With the threat of an insider looming over them now was not the time to be complacent regarding potential threats. Especially ones so dangerous.

"What do you know about Telekinetic and The Bloodedge?"

"Besides what's available to the public nothing else."

"Inko Midoriya, or rather Japan's second International Rank Hero, had unofficially stopped hero work 20 years ago. However she only officially retired 17 years ago, when she was pregnant with Izumi."

Aizawa was shocked.

"Wait isn't Izumi 15?"

Nezu shook his head and sighed.

"On her official records she's 15 so a lot of the dates don't match what I very accurately remember. You see Izumi was quite a peculiar child, by the time she was 2 she was already as intelligent as your average middle schooler. Inko's telekensis had affected her daughter and caused a rapid development that her body was unable to keep up with. That led her quirk to awaken at the age of 3. I was there for her quirk assessment and she was like a wild beast whose power was chaotic and unrefined. She nearly destroyed my personal testing facility. After that the Midoriya family disappeared for three years. She was later enrolled at a local kindergarten as a 5 year old despite being 6 years old at the time. She grew up without a guardian and all alone within an empty apartment with a family friend having taken care of her until she was in middle school. However Izumi swears that her mother had been taken care of her until she was in middle school, and the Bakugo family that had been caring for her swears by the same thing. On every official record Inko Midoriya had been there all those years. Yet that was impossible."

"What do you mean."

"Inko Midoriya was found dead during the aftermath following All Might's encounter with that villain. However this fact is only known to a select few. The government and the Hero Association thought it would be best to keep quiet regarding the circumstances since her death was something no one could explain. A woman so strong she could stop natural disasters as easily as breathing was found torn apart. A truly gruesome sight indeed."

"You speak as if you were there."

"Who do you think found her?"

Aizawa looked down apologetically but kept silent.

"I was there to help with the clean up and to see if Inko was truly living within that city. That place was her last known location before she disappeared with her child and if she didn't want to be found no one would find her. So either someone had tracked her down or she intentionally revealed herself. With the appearence of that man it's still unknown of which was which. She could have sensed danger and tried to protect her child or perhaps he was there for her. Either way there are still a lot of unexplained questions. Although it's entirely possible Inko tampered with the memories of those involved, she was more than capable of that after all."

"Why not just tell her then?"

"If her parents are behind this as I suspect they are then there's nothing I can do. All I can do is wait and plan but I can feel it. Slowly the gears are beginning to turn Aizawa. The shadows have begun to move and the world too shall start revolving whether or not we are ready."