บท 20: Chapter 20
"Alright, dinner is almost done," Inko remarked as she took the chicken out of the oven. She turned to her son who was still sweeping the floor. "You should go and get ready Izuku, you don't want to look dusty when she comes," Inko instructed.
"Sure Mom," Izuku answered as he put the broom away. He then went to his room and grabbed his towel. He looked at Void leaning on the door with a cat-like grin on her face. "I hope your plan works." He told her.
"Please…it's foolproof," Void answered smugly. "Now…go and bathe Izuku, you need to freshen up for when I arrive." she teased.
"You're enjoying this way too much." Izuku pointed out.
"Your mom just made a whole dinner just for me, plus I get to see you squirm for the whole night. What's not to enjoy?" Void told him. Izuku didn't entertain her further. He just headed back out and into the shower.
"Well, he's getting bolder." Void noted as she saw him leave. Deciding to leave him be for now, she closed her eyes and began to focus on her part in this scheme. She decided to go over her lines a few more times, trying to extrapolate as much as she could from her memories of Kiana and her friends for her disguise.
Inko had just finished setting the table. Everything had been finished but the mother still found herself readjusting every small detail she could find. She wanted to make a good impression on this girl. Show her she meant business, if this young lady planned to date her son, Inko was going to show her she had standards that would need to be met.
There was just one thing that she needed to do before this 'Sirin' arrived. Inko walked to the mirror and while looking at her reflection, she cleared her throat. "So, you're the young lady who is courting my son." She said sternly at her reflection.
"No that's not it." She shook her head.
"So…Sirin, it's nice to finally meet you, welcome to our home, or well I suppose you've already been here." She tried again. That one felt too passive-aggressive.
"Hello, Sirin." Inko smiled. "I'm Inko Midoriya, you may call me Mrs. Midoriya, it's nice to meet you."
"What are you doing?" Izuku commented. Inko nearly jumped as she heard her son's voice. She turned around to see him wrapped in a towel, just about ready to go into his room.
Inko blushed. That was so embarrassing. Her son had caught her little practice session. "Nothing, go and change," Inko told Izuku as she turned her away. Lucky for her Izuku didn't seem to question it further as he went into his room and shut the door.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Inko turned to try another attempt before he finished.
"Greetings Sir…"
Ding dong!
Inko almost jumped as the doorbell rang. She managed to avoid falling by catching herself against the wall. "Who is it?" She questioned as she headed towards the door.
"It's Si…Sirin, ma'am." A soft voice called from the other side. Inko glanced at the nearby clock. She shouldn't be here yet. It was still half an hour earlier. As if knowing what she was thinking Sirin continued speaking. "I know it's a little early but I don't like to travel in the dark, so I thought I would come now," Sirin confessed.
Inko let out a sigh. Fair enough, it wasn't exactly ideal for a young defenseless lady to be walking around after dark. She walked over to the door and opened it. She was ready to size up Sirin.
"Hel…Hello, ma'am. I mean…Good afternoon…no is it still afternoon…I mean good even…yes. Good Evening, Mrs. Midoriya." The young girl stuttered as she greeted Inko. The green-haired woman kept her face blank as she stared at the girl, trying her best to read her. "I'm Sirin…though I guess you knew that already." The girl nervously laughed.
Sirin seemed to find the floor more interesting than Inko herself as her gaze was focused solely on that, only occasionally glancing back up. "May I come in?" Sirin cautiously asked.
Inko let her stare linger on the girl a little longer before letting out a sigh. Stepping aside, she allowed Sirin to enter the apartment. The girl didn't even make it a few feet before Inko cleared her throat. Sirin froze in her spot and slowly turned around to face Inko, with a pleading look, as if to ask what she did wrong.
"Your slippers." Inko didn't say it but she did shift her eyes down.
"Oh." Sirin mouthed. She lifted up her leg and took the slipper off one foot before trying to get the other slipper off the other. Keyword being tried. She fell on her rump due to her being unbalanced. "My bad." She quickly apologized as she took the other slipper off and quickly got up and placed it by the door.
Inko just stared at her, with a few different thoughts running through her mind. She had thought her son was shy, but never did she expect he'd meet a girl just as shy if not more so than himself. She had quite a few things to say, but the first thing that came out of her mouth was, "Are you okay?" She asked the nervous girl.
Sirin, who was dusting her clothes, straightened herself immediately. "Yes…yes, I'm fine." Sirin told her.
"How about you go and relax, while I call Izuku from his room," Inko told her.
"Sure…no problem," Sirin told her.
As Inko walked to go and get her baby boy, she heard a loud noise behind her. She turned back around quickly to see Sirin, nervously fiddling with her phone. She stared at the girl who looked like a small-time villain caught by All Might. "I… I need to take this." Sirin told her. "Can I go outside?" She nervously asked.
"Yes," Inko told her. Suffice it to say her opinion of the girl was that she was a bundle of nerves. Sirin excused herself, stepping out, even forgetting her slippers. At the very least, she shut the door tight when she left.
"Well, she's something." Inko thought as she went to knock on her son's bedroom door. She didn't even need to knock as Izuku opened the door.
"Oh…hey mom." Izuku greeted her. "I heard some voices. Is Sirin here yet?" Izuku asked.
"She's here, but she stepped out to take a call," Inko informed him.
"Ah, well, let's go and prepare for dinner," Izuku told her. "Knowing her she wouldn't have taken it if it wasn't important," Izuku explained.
As Izuku and Inko took out the food, Inko caught him glancing back at her. "So…" his voice trailed off. "What did you think of her?" Izuku asked.
"She's nice," Inko answered. "A little jumpy but I think she means well," Inko admitted.
"Yeah…she definitely scares easily," Izuku noted.
"What is taking her long though?" Inko wondered as she stared at the door. "Maybe I should go and call her."
"No." Izuku stopped his mom. "That won't be necessary. I'll go and get her." Izuku said as he stepped outside. A few seconds later, he reappeared. "Just give her a minute. It's work." Izuku told Inko.
"Work?" Inko wondered. What work did Sirin do?
"Yeah…she had to take today off…she's just trying to avoid any complications," Izuku said as he came back inside. "Oh…um will you excuse me. I need to use the bathroom. I think I may have snacked a little too much while we were preparing dinner." Izuku told his mom.
"Izuku, I told you not to eat too much." Inko scolded. Seriously.
"I know but I won't be long," Izuku told her as he hurried to the bathroom and locked the door.
Sirin came back inside shortly after. "Sorry about that." She apologized. "It was my boss…well one of them." She explained.
"Yes. Izuku mentioned that." Inko told her dryly. "I'm curious. What work do you do?" She wondered.
"Oh…I babysit." Sirin explained. "Well…I also dogsit, and catsit…I sit anything. I once even sat a dragon quirk user." She excitedly explained. "I'm sure if they are willing, I can even 'take care' of Izuku's dickless friend, Kachaan." She offhandedly commented.
"Pardon?" Inko perked up. Did she hear that right?
"Yeah, Izuku told me, he had a reckless friend, Kachaan or something, who he said was hurt, if his parents need someone to help 'take care' of him, I'm available," Sirin informed Inko.
"I see," Inko answered. "I'll pass on the message then."
"So…um…the food looks nice," Sirin said as she stretched out a hand to grab a portion. "It looks really nice." She was awed at the food.
Inko gently grabbed her hand.
"Yes. Izuku and I spent all evening cooking it." She smiled at Sirin as she shook her hand. "He was very excited that I'd finally get to meet you." She told the girl.
"Wow…that's a strong grip you have there, Mrs. Midoriya." Sirin weakly chuckled as she let Inko shake her hand. Sirin in turn gripped the underneath of the table. After what felt like an eternity, Inko released the girl's hand.
"Hehehe…" Sirin nervously laughed as she shook hands and wiggled her fingers. "I think I'll wait till Izuku comes before I dig in," Sirin answered. She glanced down at her other hand beneath the table, taking note of the splinters in it.
"That would be for the best." Inko agreed.
"Um…where is Izuku by the way?" Sirin questioned.
"He's in the little boy's room," Inko answered.
"Ah…so it's just you and me for now." Sirin whistled nervously. Inko almost felt bad, maybe she was being too hard on the girl. She did seem like a nice girl after all. Perhaps she misjudged the situation.
While Inko pondered the situation, she noticed Sirin's gaze turning to the restroom door. "Ah, she's probably hoping Izuku comes out soon." Inko thought with a smile.
They then heard the toilet flush. Before Inko could say a word, Sirin bolted for the door. It wasn't even fully opened before Sirin disappeared inside and Izuku walked out. Izuku shot Inko a look, and the mother wondered if she had scared the girl that much before her son joined her.
"So…how's it going?" Izuku questioned. "Did you two hit it off?" He wondered. "It's okay if you don't. I won't blame you, Mom." Izuku told her. "Sirin is a character…but she means well…most of the time…I think." Izuku wondered.
"Well, she definitely has some work to do." Inko deadpanned. "She could use some confidence for sure. The world would probably just blow her over if she's not careful."
"Somehow I don't think you need to worry about her," Izuku told his mom. "She's like you," Izuku told his mother. "She looks sweet, but she's a very strong girl."
"Izuku, I am your mother. I don't think comparing the woman who raised you to a girl you met not that long ago, is a smart decision." Inko told him.
"Yeah. I probably shouldn't have." Izuku nervously answered. It was then that Izuku's phone suddenly went off in his pocket. Inko sighed at this.
"What is it with you kids and having that same ringtone?" Inko asked him. It's not that she hated it, but the song was just not to her taste.
"What? I thought we'd match." Izuku told his mom.
"To be young and in love." Inko mused.
"I'll just take this," Izuku said as he stepped away and answered the phone. "Huh…yeah…wait…what? Are you kidding me? Oh no…okay…okay…yeah…I'll be right there." Izuku exclaimed.
"Is there something wrong?" Inko asked, worried about her son's sudden outburst. It wasn't normal for him to panic like this.
"Um…so don't get mad…but I need to leave." Izuku told her. His mother was about to comment but he quickly talked over her. "Look I have this assignment, I was working with a partner in class, and his laptop just crashed. I've got to head out to go help him." Izuku informed her.
"Izuku…are you serious Right now?" Inko questioned.
"Look I know…it might seem like one assignment but it's like 25% of my grade, Mom, and if I don't help…it might look like I'm unreliable," Izuku told her.
"Okay…okay…I get it." Inko told her son. "You go and work on your project. Do you want me to drop you?" Inko asked.
"No…it's not that far. I can walk. You stay here…have dinner with Sirin. I'll be back in jiffy." Izuku said as he ran inside and grabbed his computer. He came back out with his bag. "Tell Sirin, where I went," Izuku said as he headed off.
"Take care, sweetie," Inko told him as she saw him off.
A few minutes later Sirin came out of the restroom, she glanced around taking note of Inko by the table, alone. "Where's Izuku?" She questioned.
"He had to do some stuff for school, so he headed out," Inko explained.
"Ah…so should I leave?" Sirin wondered.
"No, no, you can stay. We still have much to talk about." Inko told her. She gestured to the seat opposite of her. "Let's eat first," Inko told her.
The two ate in silence. Neither party had anything of note to say to the other. Inko wasn't too sure where to start and from her point of view, it seemed Sirin was too nervous to make small talk. At the very least, Sirin did seem to enjoy the food, commenting ever so often and praising it. Inko for the most part accepted the praise and thanked her. However, Inko was surprised by just how much Sirin could eat.
"That was delicious," Sirin said as she finished her last plate. "I think I'm done for the night," Sirin told Inko as she stood up and carried her plate to the sink.
"Me too," Inko told her as she wiped her mouth with a napkin.
"May I take your plate?" Sirin asked her.
"Sure," Inko answered as she waited for Sirin to come and take the plate. That's when Sirin surprised her. The girl held out her hand and the plate floated into the hair before going towards Sirin's open palm. Inko stared at her with wide eyes.
"Uh…is something wrong?" Sirin asked when she saw Inko's perplexed expression.
"Is that your quirk?" Inko asked. She mentally kicked herself for asking such a question. Of course, it's her quirk, what else could it be? She was still taken aback by it.
"Oh…yeah. It is…" Sirin answered nervously. "I move things with my mind," Sirin explained as she took the empty cup from Inko. However just as the cup was moving it stopped mid-air and then moved back towards Inko's hand. "Huh," The girl muttered in surprise.
"That's incredible…because mine is very similar," Inko commented. Is this what Izuku meant when he said they were similar? She looked at the bottle of soda that was left on the table and pulled it over to her. "Seeing as we're finished eating, let's have that discussion now," Inko told her as she took the bottle and headed to the couch.
"So….how did you meet?" Inko questioned as she poured the soda into her cup, except it wasn't just going in her cup. Much to her surprise the soda stream split into some going into Inko's cup but a lot more flowing into Sirin's. The white-haired girl smugly took a sip as she eyed Inko.
"Oh, I'm sorry, were you going to do that?" Sirin asked her.
"No…it's fine," Inko answered.
"Okay, now, as for where we met, it was at Dagoba Beach," Sirin explained. "One of the pets I was watching got out and ran into the dump so I chased after it. I…uh got stuck in there and Izuku was passing by when he heard me call for help." Sirin admitted. "Not…the best way to meet somebody, I must admit. I mean how many people can say they met their….um….bo-I mean best friend while in the dumps." Sirin laughed.
"My baby boy's always been the hero type." Inko smiled. "Still you should be careful. If he hadn't been passing you could have been stuck there for who knows how long, not to mention if any less than savory characters were to find you," Inko trailed off.
"Yeah, I'm really grateful to him," Sirin told her. Inko smiled at this, happy to hear someone praise her son.
"So how close are you with my son?" Inko asked her more sternly. "He's invited you over before from what I gathered. You two haven't…"
"No!" Sirin exclaimed. "We never did anything, I promise." She frantically told Inko. "I just visited a few times, because I was in the area, and one time a villain managed to slime me so I need to take a shower," Sirin explained. "That's it."
"Okay." Inko nodded. She'd give the girl the benefit of the doubt. "But back to my question," Inko asked.
"I'd like to think Izuku and I are very close, that I know what he's thinking so I don't misunderstand him or make our relationship…rocky," Sirin told her. This earned a little chuckle from Inko. "What did I say?" Sirin asked curiously.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude. It's just…Izuku always has a habit when he sees an interesting quirk. He starts to write ideas for any quirk in his notebook, mumbling all sorts of theories and stuff. I figured his mind would be running 100 miles an hour." She explained.
"Ah," Sirin noted. "Yeah…he does have that habit." She commented.
"Still, you must be very smart. Are you doing well in school?" Inko asked.
"Oh." Sirin suddenly became flustered. "I don't go to school….I uh…dropped out." Sirin answered.
"What did you say?" Inko gasped.
"Yeah…due to some complications in my life…I dropped out of school. I'd rather not talk about it so can we please move to another topic." Sirin politely told her.
"Very well, but you should still try for an education, even if you don't attend any classes, try something at least," Inko told her.
"I'll keep that in mind," Sirin told her.
"So what about your family?" Inko questioned as she glanced Sirin over. She did look like a relatively normal girl. That said she was sure if Sirin's family was well off the young lady wouldn't be chasing pets in the dump.
"Oh, so where do you want to start?" Sirin asked.
"Wherever you feel comfortable," Inko told her.
"Okay…so can I start with my dad?"
"If you feel like it," Inko told her as she took a sip of soda.
"So my dad's a lot like Izuku's dad," Sirin told her. "He's…a deadbeat."
Inko nearly spit out her soda at the girl's words. "Pardon?" Inko questioned her.
"My dad, he was rarely home when we lived together," Sirin explained. "Some days he'd just leave the house to go and work and then when he came home, he'd just go to bed drunk. He and I were never really close at the start, he always kept his distance. He'd buy me whatever I wanted but he was always distant." Sirin told her.
Then her voice trailed off….
"Then there was this one time…I remember we were in a cabin and it was snowing. It was just me and Dad, he left and he didn't come back and I waited…and waited. I got tired eventually so I stopped waiting around and tried to follow him, took a backpack, and hiked my way back to the city in the snow. It was fun." Sirin smiled. "Never did find him, but eh…I'm sure he's okay." Sirin told her.
"Oh…that's…that's something," Inko told her. She was not expecting that. Maybe the mother would be better.
"What about your mom?" Inko asked.
"Which one?" Sirin responded.
"You have more than one," Inko remarked.
"Well...I think they'd count as well. My biological mom died when I was younger from this rare disease and I never knew my biological father." Sirin explained. "Even now my memories of her are becoming much foggier. It's alright, though, because this nice lady, Cecilia, wanted to adopt me." Sirin explained.
"Wanted to?" Inko questioned.
"We were…attacked by some…villains and we were injured. She could have left me to die, maybe save herself, but she insisted on staying beside me. She died of blood loss a while later. Her husband was the one who found me after…the deadbeat." Sirin told her.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Inko told her.
"Yeah…I think he blamed me for her death…but he still wanted to honor her wish so that's how I ended up in his care." Sirin explained.
"Until you weren't," Inko noted.
"Details," Sirin told her. "After I made my way back to the city I made some friends, and found a place to stay, I managed to find some work and now I'm settled." Sirin smiled. "It's not the best but I'm a survivor."
"I see," Inko answered as she put down her cup. "Well that's quite the story," Inko told her.
"Yeah." Sirin sighed.
The young girl wasn't ready for what happened next. Inko pulled her into a hug. Sirin's body stiffened as she felt the other woman embrace her. "Um…Mrs. Midoriya?" She weakly asked as she glanced at Inko.
"Shh…let me just…give you a hug," Inko told her as she gently stroked Sirin's hair. "You've been through a lot," Inko noted. "Far more than anyone your age should have been." She added.
"It's really nothing," Sirin told her. "I'm fine. Really." She tried to fight to free herself but Inko wasn't letting her go just yet. After hugging her some more Inko finally let her go. Sirin immediately wrapped her arms around herself. "You don't need to pity me." Sirin accused.
"I wasn't trying to," Inko told her. Sirin didn't seem to believe it.
"Yes, you are," Sirin told her. "I'm fine. I've always been." She told Inko. "I know you don't like me." She whispered silently.
"Sirin, it's not like that." Inko sighed. "I mean yes, I had issues with you and my son but I see now I was wrong,"
Sirin looked at her and Inko saw her eyes. They were filled with pain and sadness. She had been hurt a lot. "Don't lie to me," Sirin told her. "People are always lying," Sirin told her.
"No…I promise. I'm not…lying to you Sirin," Inko said as she placed a hand on Sirin's shoulder. That was the worst thing she could have done.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Sirin exclaimed as she recalled back. Inko looked fearful and Sirin could see it. "I'm sorry." She apologized. She then turned around and headed to the door. "I was so stupid. It wouldn't have worked with me and Izuku. I'll break up with him and get out of your hair." Sirin told her.
"No…wait…" Inko pleaded but Sirin had already fled out the door. When Inko went to follow her, she had just disappeared. Closing the door behind her, Inko let out a sigh as she leaned back against it. That did not go how she expected it to go.
Fifteen minutes later, Izuku returned home. He noticed how his mother looked down. "Hey mom," Izuku told her. "Is everything alright?"
"Izuku…we need to talk?" Inko told him. She then sat down and relayed to him what had transpired.
"Oh…I see." Izuku answered. "Well…if that's what she wants…then I will respect her wishes." Izuku told her.
"Izuku you can't break up with her," Inko told him.
"Wait…what?" Izuku said in surprise.
"That came out wrong. I mean…you can't just leave her alone." Inko told him. "She seems like a good kid, just, she's just hurting," Inko explained.
"I know…but…do you think it's really a good idea?" Izuku asked her. "If she doesn't want anything to do with me…maybe it's for the best. I mean we can't force her," Izuku told his mom.
"I know, but the way she sounds, she needs people in her life. Even if you two aren't together…it wouldn't hurt for you to keep an eye." Inko told him. "Isn't that what heroes do? Look out for those who are hurting." She told him.
"At the very least if you don't want to, I'll be willing to do it myself," Inko told him.
"That won't be necessary Mom. I'll keep an eye on her." Izuku relented.
"That's my baby," Inko told him as she hugged him. "Maybe when she feels better you can invite her over again,"
Later that night Inko had gone to bed, leaving Izuku and Void to reflect on today's events. The Herrscher, for the most part, seemed more anxious to Izuku, and as far as he could tell. It wasn't an act though as far as he knew. She had seemed agitated ever since Inko hugged her. Izuku had felt her heart rate change when his mom hugged her. He had tried his best to keep her focus and to an extent it worked.
"I don't get what went wrong." Void wondered as she paced back and forth. "She should have been excited we would break up, but she wants us to keep in touch and stay together," She told him. "Why would she do that?"
"You do realize, you pitched to her a very tragic backstory," Izuku said to the Herrscher. "I'm sure Mom wants me to keep in touch because she feels sorry for you."
"I don't need her pity," Void told him. "Besides, why would she even care for me, I'm a stranger to her."
"Some people are just like that." Izuku reasoned. "My mom's just that nice a lady."
"Dammit," Void cursed. "I thought making myself seem like a problem child would have driven her away," She groaned.
"Seriously? That was the plan?" Izuku wondered.
"Well, you told me murder and blowing up the house was not an option," Void told him. "So I thought, what mother would want her only son to date a girl who has so much baggage; daddy issues, mommy issues, abandonment in general. It seemed like it would work. I mean, you want your son to be settled with someone who is well-adjusted and well-put together, not a train wreck. Now she wants us to meet again," She groaned. This was the worst.
She continued to pace around the room. Her behavior was concerning, to say the least. Even if Izuku could restrain it, he still noticed the emotions swirling inside her. He even saw it slowly seeping out with how various objects seemed to shake and move as she kept pacing. The Herrscher had been put on edge by his mom and he didn't how. So against his better judgment, Izuku decided to ask a stupid question.
"Is everything alright?" He asked the Herrscher. She turned to him with an expression of confusion.
"What?" Void answered.
"I mean…this wasn't the worst outcome, we can just say you skipped town and vanished without a trace," Izuku told her. "You seem to be taking this….a little…"
"Don't…let's not go down that road," Void sighed. "I need to clear my head." She told him. She then glanced at Izuku. "Come one…get up. We're going to take a little trip." The Herrscher told him as she dematerialized before him.
Izuku felt his body transform as the Herrscher took over.
"Wait…where are we going?" Izuku asked her. The Herrscher glanced out the window, taking note of the full moon in the sky.
"Somewhere I can let off some steam without worrying you about collateral damage." The Herrscher told him.
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