Chapitre 13: Inko Midoriya
Things Kurogiri Doesn't Know: Inko Midoriya
Inko Midoriya was a simple woman. Sure, she knew life wasn't perfect, but she had her son, they had enough to eat and they loved each other. That was enough. She was content.
Until the day Izuku never came home.
At first she wasn't concerned. There had been a villain fight earlier in the day, and Izuku loved those. He was probably trying to get more information. And then there came news of another Villain attack one that All Might stopped. Knowing Izuku he'd be on the fringes of that fight, watching intently.
So she wasn't concerned and continued fixing dinner for them both.
But then a half hour late turned into an hour, that turned into two and there was no notification from him. Sometimes some of the Villain fights took out transport and Izuku had to walk but he always told her! Except this time he didn't.
Inko tried calling him. There was no answer. More worryingly the phone didn't go to messages. She got a message telling her that the number had been cut off. She tried again. She texted him, and then she got onto her social media and contacted him. Inko had promised Izuku she wouldn't stalk him online but knowing those accounts had made her feel happier.
They hadn't been touched. They were still there, but Izuku hadn't logged in since that morning.
Inko called Mitsuki, and was half in tears when she spoke to her old friend. After some shouting and explosions Mitsuki told her that Katsuki hadn't seen Izuku since he left school. There was a note in Mitsuki's voice that Inko wouldn't recognise until later. Mitsuki was worried but that was for Katsuki since he had nearly died.
It was nine pm when Inko called the Police. The food she had prepared had gone cold on the table but she didn't care. She was comforted when they sent over someone immediately. She put on a pot of tea and let the Policeman in and she thought everything would be okay.
It wasn't.
They took her statement but Inko could see something in their eyes when she described her son. The moment they asked about his Quirk and she was first to admit that he didn't have one… there was something there. The Policeman remained professional, he took down everything she said but, Inko felt sick.
She cleaned up that night and went to bed but didn't sleep.
It didn't get any better the next day. After choking down a bit of toast, Inko walked to the station. She introduced herself at the front desk and was told to wait. The station moved around her, active despite the early time. She tried not to listen. She tried not to cry. She tried not to worry but she could hear snippets of conversation around here.
"-worse than a gun-"
"-better than yesterday-"
"-multiple counts-"
It was not comforting.
Eventually a detective came to see her. His introduced himself as Detective Tanema. He showed her to his desk, sat her down, gave her tea and then started asking questions. Except they were the same questions she'd been asked last night!
Inko forced herself to be calm. Crying here wasn't going to find Izuku. She pointed out that the questions were the same. Tanema looked at her.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am, I know that. It is just routine protocol to confirm everything," he reassured her.
"It's not finding Izuku." Inko couldn't help but point out.
"It help us establish due cause, and the facts of the situation," he countered.
It took Inko a moment to realise what he was saying. He thought Izuku had run away because of her! Rage briefly drowned the worry she was feeling. "My son has not just run away!" Inko said quietly. Her words were reinforced when everything on his desk rattled.
"Ma'am, please call down!" Tanema said quickly. "No one believes your son has run away," he added. It was not convincing.
"You do," Inko said pointedly.
The Detective sighed. "Statistically Ma'am, when a child-"
"That's not what happened!" Inko could no longer stay calm. She wailed, thick tears forming in her eyes and rolling down her face.
Tanema seemed uncomfortable. "He didn't run away!" Inko cried. "He wouldn't."
She didn't see when another Detective put their hand on Tanema's shoulder and took his place.
"Ma'am."
Inko didn't recognise the change in voice.
"Ma'am," the new detective said more urgently. There was something in his voice that caused her to look.
Inko blinked through her tears, recognising that a new man was sitting there. Tanema stood uncertainly behind him.
"My name is Detective Naomasa, Ma'am," the new comer introduced himself.
Inko nodded but didn't say anything.
"We will fill out the rest of those questions later," he said. "For now, could you tell me if your son could have been involved with any of the incidents yesterday?"
Inko blinked. What type of question was that? And then she recalled the two incidents that had been reported yesterday. "He would have watched," Inko said slowly. "Izuku loves villain fights. He loves seeing the heroes."
The new Detective nodded, and noted something down. "And Izuku goes to Aldera Junior High?"
Inko nodded.
"Could you tell me if this is your son?" Detective Naomasa asked, tapping on a tablet before handing it over to her.
Inko peered at it. The footage was grainy and bad, but it showed Izuku. Her heart lightened just seeing it. He was walking into an underpass. He was okay though. He was in his uniform and… something dropped on to him. She couldn't tell from the footage but it looked gooy, almost like mochi and she could see Izuku struggling with it. Her heart clenched… Had Izuku been involved in one of the attacks yesterday?
She always worried that one day he'd get too close, that one day…
Something blocked the camera… no, that was someone, but then they moved and she saw Izuku again. He was fine, though coughing. It took her a moment to recognise the other person in shot… Was that All Might? Inko felt her heart clench. What had happened? The Pro-Hero was smiling, and Izuku was following him before he leapt away…
And Izuku vanished.
"What?" Inko couldn't help the question.
Detective Naomasa looked at her. "Your son was involved in one of the incidents yesterday, specifically what is being referred to as the Sludge Villain," the man told her. "He disappears there because he latched on to All Might," he added, nodding at the now frozen tablet image.
A hundred thoughts bombarded Inko. Where was Izuku? If he was with All Might, then why wasn't he fine? But then more words seeped into her consciousness. He'd latched on to All Might. Was he okay? Had he fallen? Had there been damage from the Sludge Villain? Was he in hospital right now? She didn't know.
"He was transported to a rooftop, where All Might let him off," Naomasa said with a small smile.
Inko breathed a sigh of relief. It didn't remain. The next words would haunt her forever.
"And then, the trail goes cold."
No. No. No. No! This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening. Not to Izuku.
"There is unfortunately no footage from the roof, but there are sensors on the doorway. They detect when someone opens the door to the stairway to get down," Naomasa explained. "Or to get up to the roof."
Inko nodded. Her building had them as well. All buildings had them. They didn't record who went on to the roof, just that someone did. It was some sort of safety feature and the data had a lot of other uses. All data had uses. She didn't quite understand it but there was a lot of things she didn't understand.
"It wasn't tripped," the Detective said.
It took her a moment to understand. "What do you mean it wasn't tripped?" Inko asked, attempting to remain polite.
"The sensor on the rooftop door was not tripped," he elaborated. "And an examination of the CCTV cameras in that building and in the streets outside, from the time of the incident with the Sludge Villain to now does not display your son."
She stared at the Detective, trying to work out what he said. "So where is he?" Inko asked.
"That is what we are trying to determine Ma'am," Naomasa told her.
"What did All Might say?"
The two Detective's just stared at her. Inko knew what she looked like. She was short. She was dumpy and she cried too much. She came off as a weakling and while all that might be true, when it came to Izuku she had a core of iron. She would not break.
"I… ah…" Naomasa seemed too surprised for words.
"You must have spoken to him," Inko said, telling the sense of panic she felt to come back later.
"We have, Ma'am," the Detective finally said. "He confirmed that he rescued your son from the Sludge Villain and then left your son on the roof, before he lept off again as part of the Sludge Villain had gotten away and he needed to subdue it."
Inko correlated that against what she knew from the news. That made sense. There had been no report that the Sludge Villain had attacked anyone earlier in the day, just that it had attacked and had been subdued by All Might.
The detective looked down to a tablet. "At 16:14 All Might initially subdued the Sludge Villain and at 16:28, it reappeared and was subsequently taken down again," he read the report to her.
Fourteen minutes, Inko thought. Fourteen minutes in which Izuku disappeared. It was far too long.
She looked at the Detectives, focusing on the second one as he seemed much more reasonable. "You have to find him," she implored Detective Naomasa. "He's all I have," she added in a whisper.
"Ma'am, we will do everything we can."
She nodded, hating the feeling of hopelessness she felt.
It was a feeling that didn't go away.
A day turned into two. Two days turned into a week. The week turned into more.
Every day Inko tried to keep up her hope but it was hard. Izuku just wasn't there. He never came home. He never messaged. His phone remained dead. His online accounts remained dead. Each week, Inko cleaned his room, careful not to disturb anything, and she changed the sheets.
But there was a hollow feeling in her gut that just wouldn't go away.
It had started the moment she realised Izuku was missing. It grew exponentially when the Detectives told her they had exhausted every lead. It was lying in her stomach, consuming everything. She barely ate, she barely drank and her eyes were either ringed by black or puffy with tears.
After the police gave up, she printed posters and took them around the city. She posted them everywhere she could. She questioned anyone who even glanced at them but nothing changed. There was no news.
It was, as the Detective's said, as if Izuku had just disappeared from the world.
But that wasn't possible. He had to be somewhere…
On her good days, Inko hoped he was well, that he had just forgotten her, and that he was happy. On her bad days, she cried, because that's all she could do when she imagined Izuku dead… when she imagined him being experimented on because she knew that to some, his quirkless status would make him valuable.
She barely noticed the world changing around her. What did it matter, with Izuku gone?
What did it matter that Katsuki had gotten into UA, when it wasn't with Izuku? What did it matter that a villain killed one of those UA students? Izuku wasn't there. What did it matter that All Might had been forced to retire? He hadn't saved Izuku!
What did anything matter?
Those were the worst days and Inko had to remind herself that she couldn't go. She had to stay, for when Izuku returned. She had to be waiting for him and she'd cook Katsudon and everything would be well. She forced herself to work, and began taking shifts with various charities. Many of those charities worked with those who were Quirkless, those who society deemed worthless.
Izuku was not worthless. It was through them that she learned of a new Politician, one who proclaimed that he would only hire those who didn't have a quirk. Everyone was skeptical. Of course they were, but the man actually went through with it.
Inko went to one of his speeches with several of the quirkless people who had been hired by his companies.
It burned the first time she laid eyes on him. She just stared, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. It felt like someone had plunged a knife into her heart but for a moment the aching emptiness was forgotten. He had green hair and green eyes. They were the exact shade of Izuku's.
When she finally remembered to breath, it was in short, sharp gasps.
"Inko!"
The voice eventually got through to her.
"Inko, are you alright? Do we need to get you some air?"
She looked into the concerned face of Naoki. He was a quirkless gentleman about her own age. She had worked with him when he'd been homeless, not by choice but because he simply couldn't find anyone willing to employ him until this politician. He cleaned up well.
"No!" Inko replied immediately. "You've said so much about him, I don't want to take you away."
Naoki smiled at her. "If you are sure," he said in such a way that she knew he wouldn't consider it a bad thing if she had to leave. It was just what happened.
"I'm sure."
"Okay," he replied. "You know, I haven't actually met him," he said.
"But…"
Naoki chuckled. "He's the Director. He sets the policy for the company. I'm just a programmer."
Inko nodded, feeling slightly silly. She knew how that worked. But it was good that this politician was ensuring that he could employ quirkless people and the jobs weren't just those for menials. She took a deep breath and looked back at the Politician who was still speaking.
His hair and eyes were the exact same shade as Izuku's but he was older, much older than her boy. He might even be older than her! He spoke well. Inko couldn't help but be taken in by his words. They were attractive but more than that, they were realistic.
There was a passion in them that engulfed those listening. He was… He was a consummate orator but all without making anyone feel stupid. He explained his points.
Inko felt herself smile at his words. He believed them. It was a silly thought… it was one of those things she'd have never thought in the past but this politician was exactly how she had hoped Izuku would work out. He was confident and proud without being arrogant. He had a sense of presence that reassured everyone, that said everything would be okay because he was there.
Well, it wasn't. For Inko it would only ever be okay once Izuku was home. She knew she stood out on that but it was a surprise when he turned to her. His green eyes were kind, but somehow Inko knew he could see her pain.
It came as no surprise to her that when he finished his speech he came towards their group. Naoki was gasping. Inko managed to calm him down, just as the man came up to them.
"You have questions?" he asked. It was a challenging question but asked such that Inko could hear his curiosity. If they did have questions, then he wanted to explain, he wanted them to understand. It was not a challenge, it was caring.
"I… wha… I… no, Sir," Naoki stuttered through the broken words.
He smiled at the man. "Relax, Sir, relax." It was said in a gentle tone, as if he was laughing, but not at Naoki, with him.
"How have others taken your policies?" Inko was surprised at her question.
"A very good question Ma'am."
"Please, call me Inko."
For a split second, the politician seemed surprised. She was astounded at her boldness. Then he smiled at her. "Your question is good," he repeated. "I think anyone who has a problem with my policies, really needs to take a good look at themselves. Discrimination against those who are quirkless is reflection on them, and their inability to see a human as human. The law, and basic decency awards every human dignity. Every human, not every quirk."
Inko nodded at the words. It was a well spoken argument.
"But I sense you have a story, something more personal since you already know that, hmm?"
She managed not to jerk back but it was a close thing. How did he know? Inko nodded.
"Then why don't you come with me and tell me, and I will see what I can do to help?"
That is how Inko found herself sitting next to Naoki across the table from the politician at a restaurant that cost more than she could possibly afford. The politician simply waved that away, telling her it was his treat.
And that's how she ended up telling the man, who looked so much like she wanted to believe Izuku would be when he got to be that age, everything she knew.
He nodded and asked questions at the right points. They were good questions too. He was paying attention to her and at the end of the meal, which was lovely but like everything else, coloured by the loss of Izuku and her having to remember, the politician leaned back.
"While no missing persons case is ever truly closed until-" he stopped, grimacing. Inko appreciated the tact. "I'll see what I can do to get another investigation," he continued. "It's been a while, so there may be new information."
Inko didn't bother to suppress the flash of gratitude that went through her at the words, even if the dark, aching part of her screamed that there would be nothing found.
It was crushing when that part of her was right. There was no new information.
The politician sympathised with her. He sat with her the day when he brought that information. Inko had been surprised. She thought he would just do it for a stunt, but he genuinely cared. He made time for her. He shared her sadness, and while it hurt and made her cry more, Inko was comforted that he hadn't simply dismissed Izuku as just another runaway, or someone who was dea-.
No, he saw more than that. He saw hope for her, and Inko was greatly lacking in hope. She grasped it whenever she could. The whispered words were a balm to her soul. "I'm sure your son, Izuku, is out there. Somewhere. And given what a wonderful boy you have described him as, I know he will do great things one day."
There was absolutely no doubt in his tone. She held onto that.
And slowly, while the ache never went away, Inko felt herself get involved again. The world no longer passed her by. It mattered when All Might's side kick was attacked and lost his quirk. It mattered when Katsuki failed the mandated assessment and was enrolled in the General Course at UA, though Inko privately thought it would be for the best. It would force him to calm down. It mattered when the so called League of Villain's attacked a facility holding some sort of human experiment.
All those things mattered. Not as much as Izuku but they mattered.
It wasn't until a bit later, when Inko had become a fixture at the politician's speeches and he'd asked permission to use Izuku as an example of the differences between those who had quirks and those who didn't that Inko realised that slowly she had regained some balance. Slowly she had regained some life.
She didn't know what to feel about that but she couldn't stop. There was something comforting about his words. Something that reminded her of Izuku. It was more than the green hair and eyes, it was the way he felt, and the way he was kind. So many people said that this or that celebrity was kind, was a great person but Inko knew this.
That's why she was happily handing out pamphlets when it happened. She looked up and saw Izuku's eyes, Izuku's hair, Izuku's smile. She saw her son.
"Izuku!" The name slipped out.
And then Inko blinked. It wasn't Izuku, it was the politician, who was a good man but wasn't her son.
He looked shocked. He was staring at her with wide eyes.
Inko burst into tears. They were never far from the surface, but they overflowed now. Then she was engulfed in a hug. The politician's strong arms were around her and she was surprised by how warm he felt. He was taller than her so her head was held against his chest. He leaned his head down, and Inko could feel his breath ruffling her hair.
"It's alright mum."
Inko froze. She hadn't heard that. She couldn't have heard that! Then he drew back, and gave her a soft smile. "I am honoured, Ma'am, that you would call me your son," he said. "But my name is Imoku Kakurete."
She flushed, and wiped her eyes, before nodding and giving him a watery smile.
Imoku bowed his head briefly before he walked away.
But Inko knew what she'd heard…
And her heart ached.
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