Heartsick || An Izuku and Ochako story

A Birthday Gift

This is the final chapter, guys! I can't believe I spat out- what, thirty chapters?- of this story...wow. I'm surprised I remained committed, then again, your comments were so freaking encouraging, I just had to! 

Anyways, read until the end for a little announcement!

-Ruth

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Everyone knows the feeling. The feeling where at first, you're listless and uninterested. Through your eyes, the world is painted a dull gray and everything that passes through your ears is an endless drone of utter boredom. 

Then, almost like the hyperactiveness of a child was injected into your bloodstream, enthusiasm and strength courses within your pulsing veins. The world around you has been hit with a splash of color that only gets brighter the more you look around. Every single sound becomes a chorus, singing in your favor.

Ryo had a particularly high overdose of this emotion that morning. It was hardly dawn, and though she was never a morning person and usually dreaded the prospect of waking up early, the moment her eyes bolted open she shot out of her bed like a rocket. She nearly forgot to slip on some clothing before zipping quietly through the corridors of her home, forgetting about the eerie shadows the formed on the walls as the sun awoke from its midnight slumber.

Wind brushed against her bare knees and her eyes shrunk in delight. The moon was large and wide, deepened holes scattered all around its beautifully flawed face. Past the translucent clouds, she gazed down at her quaint town. Some dwellings were glued together, not even allowing the shadows to lurk within their crevices. Others were large apartment buildings, and then, further on, tall glass cylinders scraped the stars above. It was all perfectly...mismatched.

Ryo ran downhill, passing meadows of rainbow-colored flowers and fields of green. She often played in those areas with her friends, and deeply understood why her parents had chosen to live in the quieter part of town. It was peaceful, and peace was rare for them, considering their occupations as heroes who risked their lives daily.

She sped past the tall apartments and shop stalls, wishing it was morning so she could buy a box of chocolate-coated pocky, or maybe some sweet rice pudding, or perhaps a bag of crunchy banana chips...?

Stop it, she chastised. Now wasn't the time to be thinking of snacks. She had important things to do!

Her heart hammered against her chest, and her ribs ached. She'd been running for at least a mile, hadn't she? Where was-?

Then she saw it. Past the tall complexes, lied a thin strip of coastline, the aquamarine water lapping anxiously against the shore. The sun's rising reflection wavered slightly on the waves, not ready to rise just yet.

In the middle of it all was a tall, broad figure, who she immediately recognized. Tufts of curly green hair billowed in the ever-wandering breeze.

Ryo crept up, though her black boots crunching on the grains of sand below didn't help matters. She was sure he'd heard her, but he didn't turn around or even flinch. She crawled over and sat down next to him, silently awaiting a word.

In the distance, a seagull cawed, signaling the crack of dawn. She winced, the seconds becoming minutes and not even reaching five minutes before she considered it to have been at least ten minutes and then ten minutes being at least half an hour and did he just call me here to watch the pretty but irrelevant view-?

"Ryochako?" he called out, breaking her usual habit of overthinking. Her father nudged at her shoulder.

"O-Oh! Sorry, dad. I just spaced out," she explained, waving her hands around and doing unnecessary gestures. 

He smiled. "It's okay. Now, stand up."

Her heart thumped furiously. Oh god, he's going to give it to me now?

At the age of seven, after she had confirmed she wanted to be a hero like her parents, her father had started training her for two hours a day. It had been vigorous and difficult- exactly what she loved so much about it. The thing was, she wasn't sure what he was doing by training her. After all...he already knew that her chance at being a hero was slim to nothing. 

So when he told her over dinner that he had a gift for her that would help with training, she'd gone ecstatic. Pages and pages of her journal, all of them filled with possible theories as to what it could be. The best prediction was that it was a nice piece of support gear, and the worst prediction was that it was a note telling her to give up, suggested heavily by her friend Reiko.

She didn't believe what Bakugo-san had said, though. Her father wasn't one to shut down dreams, as least she really hoped not. 

He stood in front of her, looming over her own, petite body. She trembled, and sweat lined her forehead. Anxiety was a better nerve-cracker than any exercise she'd ever done.

"Ryo," he said. "I've trained you for years now."

She nodded.

He let out a long sigh, one that didn't show any emotion but pride. "You've had the same fate as me, unfortunately. But I'm going to change that. I'll explain everything, okay?"

She nodded again, though she was confused. What did he mean, 'fate?' And what could he do to change...how she was?

Her father knelt down, put a hand on her shoulder, and grinned. 

It was blinding. No wonder her mother had fallen in love with him.

His hand trailed up, and he plucked a single green curl out. It hovered in his hand as he presented it to her.

"Dad?" she asked, staring at it. "What-?"

"Eat this."

________

PFTTt-

I decided to give you guys a nice, fluffy ending to this story. I honestly know this was a trainwreck, but you guys sticking with me has really made it bearable. Thank you.

Now, the story of Ryo isn't going to end here. Here's the description of my new book, Mission Midoriya, and the first chapter is going to be uploaded right as this one is. I suggest you check it out if you want to read more of my IzuOcha content:

"Meet Ryochako and Toshi Midoriya, who find themselves twenty years into the past after an unwanted visit from the villain Hourglass. Their mission? Pose as U.A students until they can find a way back to their time! As easy as it sounds, the twins have many obstacles to overcome- suspicious teachers, rude peers, and the fact that they look a bit too much like their parents..."

WOah, OmiNOUs. 

Hope you enjoyed this story, and that's it from me!

-Ruth