章 5: 5- Wait

¨911, what's your emergency?¨

¨My son---! He hasn't come home and I'm really worried!¨

Inko had come home from work to make dinner. She hadn't found her son anywhere! He should have been home a long time ago!! She called her friend Mitsuki to see if she or her son knew anything about Izuku´s whereabouts and had been informed about the villain attack. She was now on the phone with the police.

¨Please tell me what he looks like, his name, age, height and weight.¨

¨His n-name is Izuku M-midoriya. He is fourteen a-and around 150 cm tall . I- I don´t know how much he weighs! He has dark-green, curly hair, freckles and g-green eyes..!¨

¨Okay, please try to calm down. When was the last time you saw or heard from him?¨

¨Um-- This morning before he left for school. He should have been home by now! I called one of my friends and she told me he and her son were caught up in a villain attack!¨

¨The sludge monster? What were they wearing the last time you saw them?¨

¨Y-yes! He w-was wearing his s-school uniform.¨

¨Did he have a cell phone?¨

¨I tried calling him and he wouldn't answer! His ph-phone number is xxx-xxx-xxxx..!¨ She had called Izuku multiple times and had been sent to voicemail for every call.

The woman on the other line typed on her keyboard.

¨I've located his phone at Aldera Junior High.¨

¨Thats where he goes to school!¨

¨We'll send someone over immediately.¨

Inko didn't want her son´s disappearance leaked to the press. She didn't want her husband finding out. Who knows what he would do… She knew that spreading the news could give the police a better chance of finding her son but… she couldn't risk it with his father. She couldn't trust that man for her life.

After six months of searching, the police hadn't found Izuku alive. They hadn't found a body either. The only leads they had was Izuku´s phone. Which they had located on the roof of his middle school.

The kid was nowhere to be found and there were more important cases to work on. No one seemed to care for the missing Izuku. Even his mother's eyes had dulled in hope of finding him. She even considered telling his father.

She could sometimes, more than often, be found in Izuku´s room, crying into a jumbo-size All Might plushy. Her appearance was raggedy. She had dark bags under her eyes and some white hairs were visible in the messy, green bun she always wore on iop of her head.

Ten months after Izuku´s disappearance, he was found aimlessly walking near the school. He looked shabby, and it was difficult to recognize him unless you looked hard enough. He was taken to a police station and questioned about his whereabouts, only for them to find out he had amnesia.

¨How much do you remember?¨

¨My name is Izuku Midoriya.¨--He stated in a monotone voice,--¨I´m not quirkless anymore.¨

What the hell was that supposed to mean? The police can't help him if he doesn't even remember anything!

He was released after more questioning, escorted to his mother.

¨Izuku, my baby! Your okay!¨

Inko ran towards her son, who was standing at the door to their apartment, with open arms. Izuku was different; His curly green hair was swept to the side. He looked more fit and some of his muscle was visible through his white shirt. His eyes seemed different as well.... As if he had matured. He had a sadistic look in his eye that made Inko hesitate before wrapping her arms around him. Her son´s appearance had changed a great deal while he was missing.

¨You look so different...¨ Either way, she would love him just the same.

Izuku heard her thoughts. Did he really look that different? He had fixed his messy appearance and had taken some clean clothes that were provided by the police. He didn't think his appearance had changed much. Maybe it was the hair? ¨Who are you?¨

¨What do you mean, Izuku? It's-- It's me! Your mom!

¨Don´t you remember me?¨ Her voice was strained. It hurt enough that he was gone for more than half a year! Now he didn't even remember her…

¨You… You are my mom?¨ Izuku sounded genuinely confused. He had used a mind-reading quirk on Inko. It allowed him to focus on one person and read their thoughts. He could only use it for a certain amount of time. His acting had improved by far.

She pulled him to a mirror in the bathroom. ¨See? You have my eyes and my hair!¨ She said desperately.

¨I´m your mother!¨ Inko fell to her knees, her hand grabbing on to Izuku as if he would vanish if she let go. ¨Please remember...¨

Izuku did not know what to do. Here was this woman who claimed to be his mother, begging him to remember her. Yet, he couldn't just assure her and give her what she wanted. He couldn't blow his cover. At least, not yet. ´I don't want to hurt her… but I have to follow orders...´

He got to his knees and wrapped his arms around her,---¨I may not remember but I…I'll do my best to regain those memories. I- I am so sorry...¨ He couldn't remember if this woman was always this annoying, but she looked like she greatly cared for her son. Yet she had never asked what he wanted. Why should he care this much for her? He couldn't help to try calming her down, though. ´She is my mom...´

Inko felt a feeling of deja vu. Has this happened before?

¨Hey uh… Mom?¨

It had been a long time since she had heard Izuku call her ´mom.´ Ten months to be exact. The words made her want to start crying again.

¨I still want to go to Yuuei.¨

¨You still want to go?¨ She had always encouraged him with his dream but this time.... She didn't want to lose him another time.

¨Are y-you sure? I was thinking maybe…¨--She really didn't want him to endanger his life for heroics,---¨...you would end up choosing s-something more simple?¨

¨They didn't tell you?¨ Now he had to deal with the incompetence of the police. How had they forgotten to tell his own mother about that fact that he was no longer quirkless? Did they think the thought was that ridiculous? ¨I can be a hero now! Mom… I am not Quirkless anymore!

¨I am not as weak as I once was!¨

Mouth agape, Inko replied,--¨W-what do you mean?¨

¨I was accepted into Yuuei. I plan on graduating and becoming The Number One Hero.¨ Hero? Oh, please. This sounded cheesy even to himself.

¨Izuku!¨--She said in a serious tone she rarely used,--¨School starts in less than a week! I can't have you going before I can see that you are entirely okay!¨

Eh? She wasn´t going to ask about his quirk? She was so busy rambling about how he needed to stay home that he didn't have a chance to even speak!

¨I will let you go on one condition.¨ She said, pointing two fingers at his face. ¨You will be spending next week with me.¨ Did he really have a choice? This put him in a really difficult spot. He needed to keep training to grow his power yet… maybe a week off wouldn't do any harm.

He ended up agreeing.

He spent the first half of the week with his mother at home. She had taken a break from work and wanted to spend every second of it with her son. Wasting no time she planned for family dinners and movie nights.

She once asked about his quirk and Izuku explained it as an enhancement of his strength and speed before quickly changing the topic to their dinner plans. No need to tell her all the details. That would just make his job more difficult.

The second half was spent redecorating his room and exercising. All those All Might action figures were messing with his head. They watched his every move. He just couldn't look at them the same after finding out The Number One Hero´s secret. He re-modeled his room, removing every action figure in view. It didn't look like the fanboy´s room it once had been. It was empty and plain.

His short break soon came to end. It would soon be time to enter school. ´I can´t wait! I hope Kacchan will be there! I want to see his reaction when he sees me.´ Maybe he had been hoping that Deku wouldn´t return. His reaction would be priceless. ´Í should lose the pet-name as well.´ Wouldn't want him to figure out the plans would we now?

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