My Hero Academia: Mizumi's Story

Reputation

1st Person
I wake up in Recovery Girl's office with a really bad headache. I groan as I sit up and look around the room, which seems to be empty. I wonder where the school nurse is, I need to know what happened. The last thing I remember is being on that mission with Monoma and getting captured by the villain. I start to get up, but stop myself when I hear two familiar voices that seem to be arguing over something. I lay back down as I listen to them, trying to understand what is happening if I decide I need to step in and help them solve their heated debate.

"You're lucky I'm not going to press charges on you for child endangerment. What made you think she was ready to go on a big mission like that?" Is that Sosuke? What is my brother doing here?
"Dude, she's a hero. Things like this are bound to happen all the time for the rest of her life. It's just part of being a hero," I hear Hawks respond calmly.
"I randomly stopped by today, wanting to see my little sister and her friends told me that she hasn't been herself for the last four days. Do you know how much that scared me?" I've never heard my brother sound so angry. He must have been really worried about me. But four days? What exactly happened to me?
"I know. I was worried about her too, but I promise she's okay."
"Okay?! My sister loses her memory after working with you and you think she's okay?!"
"Sosuke, calm down. She's trying to rest. Don't wake her up."
I immediately close my eyes and pretend to still be asleep. I don't want them to know that I'm eavesdropping. I should probably say something, but I want to know where this conversation goes. I hear them both take a couple of steps into the room, then wait until I hear them step back out into the hallway before opening my eyes again.
"I knew she wasn't awake yet. There's no way she could be after what happened to her last night." Sosuke says.
Our mission took place in the middle of the day, so what happened last night?
"Look, dude, I know you really care about your sister, but she's in good hands at this school. I'm sure she'll be back to normal in no time."
"Yeah, and as soon as she is, I'm taking her home."
"Home? Her home is here."
"Not for long. I'm not sure I want Siren to be a hero if it means risking her life. She's my only family, and I can't risk losing her."
"If she decides she doesn't want to be a hero anymore, then that's up to her. You shouldn't try to force her to give up on her dreams and everything she's worked so hard for all this time."
"Don't tell me how to take care of my sister when you're the one that let her almost die."
"You're acting like I put her in danger on purpose, but there's no way I could have known she was gonna get that hurt. I am her legal guardian, and I honestly love that kid so much."
"Are you saying you still wanna keep her after what you did? Because if I were her, I would be VERY mad at you right now. You haven't been in her life for very long, and you've already messed up. Some father figure you are..."
"We've come a really long way in a short time. She needs to have a parent in her life while she's still young. I am more than happy to be there for her and take care of her and be her guardian, for as long as I possibly can."
"This isn't about you, it's about Siren, and what is best for her. She needs to be in a stable home with someone who has known her since the day she was born."
"Aren't you the one that left her alone with your abusive mother when she was only eight years old? You left her behind when you grew up, so I had to step in."
"Yeah, and it was really good for your reputation as a hero when you adopted an abused child, wasn't it?"
"That's not the point. I care about that kid."
"And you're not the least bit worried about the kind of press you're gonna get if word gets out that you're an irresponsible parent and hero? Think of your reputation..."
"I don't care much about my reputation."
"Then have fun watching your name get dragged through the mud because you were distracted by a kid. I like you as a hero, and I don't want to watch your career blow up because of this. You have worked too hard for it to end yet, and I just don't see you getting through this. It's the exact kind of thing that could end your career. You need to let Siren come home with me."
"That's not your call to make. I am her legal guardian, and I'm not going to give that up, no matter what. I missed sixteen years of Siren's life, and I'm not gonna miss any more of it. I'm gonna fight for that kid."
"That would be a great thing to put her through," Sosuke says sarcastically. "You obviously have no idea how to take care of a kid."
"I've been looking out for her since the day the Commission took her in."
"And look where we're standing..."

Tears stream down my face and I can't hold back the sound that comes out of me. I've always been a crybaby, but listening to this conversation makes it so much worse. I struggle to choke back another sob as the two of them walk into the room after hearing me.
"Hey, Princess. You're awake..." Sosuke greets me calmly as his rage fades.
"How are you feeling?" Hawks asks.
"I'm okay I guess..." I say quietly as I wipe away my tears. "Is that true, what Sosuke said? Am I ruining your reputation?"
"Of course not, kiddo. You know I don't really care about what other people think. What matters most to me is knowing that you're safe and you're okay."
"So what exactly happened? The last thing I remember is getting caught by the villain..." I watch their faces light up. Despite having been in a very heated argument only a moment ago, they both suddenly get really happy. "I had a dream that I got really hurt and I lost my memory. I only remembered being a villain, so I went completely feral. I was evil to all of my friends...I heard Sosuke say I lost my memory. Was it not a dream?"
Hawks laughs a little as he puts an arm around me. "You did lose your memory for a couple of days, but you weren't evil. The only time you've ever been feral was when your mother drugged you the day I met you."
Sosuke comes to my other side and hugs me, glaring daggers at my guardian. "It's so good to see that you're doing okay now. Exactly how much of that conversation did you overhear?"
"The first thing I heard was something about pressing charges for child endangerment. Please tell me you're not actually gonna do that..."
"So you're not mad at me?" Hawks asks.
"Of course not. Why would I be? If anything, you should be mad at me."
"For what?"
"It was my fault I got caught in the first place. I should have been more careful during that mission."
"That's okay, kiddo. You're still learning. It's okay to make mistakes sometimes, but I'm gonna be there with you to help you out when you do. There's no way I'm gonna give up on you. You're my kid, you know? I wanna be there for you as long as you allow me to be."