Chapter Text
When Hitomi was born Rody was more focused on Izumi. He was only there for moral support; to hold her hand as she needed someone to be there in the hospital with her. He wasn't there to be Hitomi's father, and Izumi knew this. He knew this.
His friend was bleeding profusely. There was so much blood. Rody was physically shaking as the doctors had to rush Izumi out of the labor room and into the ER as she had lost consciousness. He didn't even hear the newborn baby's wail as he just focused on Izumi as she vanished from the room. He slowly looked over at the small puddle of blood on the floor in almost a daze. There was just so much of it.
"Congratulations, Daddy." A nurse said to him with a wobbly smile and a swaddled pink bundle in her arms.
"Oh, I'm not-" When she went to give him the bundle it was more on instinct did he reach up to grab it from her. Pino landed on his shoulder and let out soft sweet chirps as this was happening.
"Watch her head." The woman cooed.
Please, he has ten years and over on his two little siblings, he knew how to hold a baby expertly at this point. And he immediately put his hand under her head. Rody looked down at the tiny bundle and…
His heart melted at the sweet face that greeted him. Doubly so for Pino who now had happy tears in their eyes.
The baby had her tiny eyes closed and was coughing weakly. She had a purple tuft of hair on top of her head. Her cheeks were pink and full. She was beautiful. "Hi…" He whispered to the baby while gently rocking her in his arms. 'What if Izumi dies? What's going to happen to the baby?' Rody thought. He and Pino looked at one another, Pino gave a sad chirp and lowered their eyes.
Well, if Izumi died it wouldn't be Izumi, it would be Shizuko Nakamura that died and Shizuko Nakamura…had nobody. No mother, father, husband. So that meant the baby certainly wouldn't go back to Japan thousands of miles away to their father. That would be one hell of wake up call wouldn't it? 'Here's this baby. The mother died. Not Otheon's problem.'
"If Izumi doesn't make it… you'll go into the system."
Pino panicked and flew into his face while making X's with their wings frantically.
Otheon isn't exactly the best place to live. Humarise was still out there and the baby could be given to them. Rody's arms tightly just slightly in a protective hold over the newborn. "Izumi would never forgive me. She'll haunt me till the day I die and then when I do die she'll come down from heaven and kill me again!" He put his hand to his head.
So, he did what any logical person would do in his shoes and situation. He signed Hitomi's birth certificate when the time came. Of course, by that point Izumi was recovering and looking like she could leave the hospital any day now.
"You didn't have to do that- Rody-" Her voice went from surprise to slightly annoyed when Rody turned his back to her. He wasn't upset with her or anything, she was breastfeeding.
"Yeah well, I wanted to, so there. It's done and this way if anything happens to you…she'll always have a home with me." He gave Izumi a little wave while still not being able to look her in the eyes as she let Hitomi feed.
"I just don't want to force you into a role you may not be comfortable having."
"You're not forcing me. I'm doing it for the baby, besides we'll just make it clear to her when she's walking and talking that I'm not her actual dad. This way there's no confusion. I'm just the man who'll raise her if something goes south. Absolutely not her father and she'll know that."
Izumi chuckled tiredly. "Fair enough- ouch." She whispered and Rody turned out of reflex before immediately turning around.
"What are you doing?"
"Hitomi pinched my nipple; I have to reposition her."
Pino was on his shoulder and looking- Rody grabbed his bird and brought them back towards him.
That was the plan. To let Hitomi know that Rody wasn't her father. Just a glorified babysitter. He helped hold her, feed her, bathe her, and yes, he even changed her on more than one occasion. and…it went south the moment she learned to walk.
The thing was around the time she took the first steps Izumi and Rody were actually fighting and not speaking to one another. Now- ten years later- Rody doesn't even remember what the argument was about, something petty. Rody was in the kitchen angrily doing the dishes while Hitomi, nine months old at the time, was crawling around.
Everyday she looked more and more like her father, which Rody was sure was breaking Izumi's heart the more Hitomi grew into her looks. Rody wasn't angry about this, not at all, because he wasn't Hitomi's father. He was just a caregiver if things go south, that's all- At least that's what he was telling himself.
Because it all changed when he felt a tiny hand grasp at the back of his jacket and tug. It felt as sappy as it looked in the movies. Like he was in the middle of the street with cherry blossoms falling around him in a dazzling display as he looked down at Hitomi. The baby up on both of her chubby little feet while holding onto his jacket. The girl tugged again making sure she had his attention. Then, she reached both arms up and made grabby hands at him. She came to him because she wanted him to hold her.
He heard nothing for several seconds, only his own excited breathing. His fight with Izumi all but forgotten as he picked Hitomi up and rushed to Izumi's bedroom nearly kicking the door in in his fervent excitement. "I'm a father!" He declared while holding a giggling Hitomi for Izumi to see.
"What is wrong with you!? That's my child!" Izumi yelled more in shock and alarm (As Rody did basically kick her door in) than actual anger while looking actually concerned for Rody's health.
"Not anymore! This is my child also!"
Pino landed on Rody's shoulder and gave a firm tweet before crossing their arms over their chest as if to say "non-negotiable."
"Did you hit your head?"
"No, but you will, on the ceiling, when I tell you that she came walking to me!" He gloated while holding Hitomi in front of him like a prize.
"She walked!?" Izumi gasped and hopped up from her bed.
"She walked! To me!"
He didn't care that Hitomi looked like her father, his exact little clone, because from that day on Hitomi was his daughter. He loved her with all of his being like she was his own and they just…forgot to tell her he wasn't biologically hers. Okay, neither Rody nor Izumi were dumbasses, if anything they were both almost scarily intelligent, they just decided to keep it their little secret and tell her when she turns eighteen because at that point the Japanese hero commission will have no interest in her whatsoever. Once she's eighteen they can't take her and manipulate her.
Somewhere along the blurry lines they, Rody and Izumi, became a couple. They fell in love- okay, full disclaimer, Rody loved her when they first met back when he was seventeen and she was Sixteen. He hoped that maybe, when he went to see her again, when Nedzu invited him to talk, that they could start something. But she was clearly in love with Hitoshi. The way her expression always softened whenever he came into the room, even to when she had that nightmare. The nightmare that had scared him. She looked so sad and she just started crying. Hitomi was proof of her love for Hitoshi Shinsou. Rody was sure if the Hero Commission wasn't threatening her with either her license or her baby…she wouldn't be here.
As selfish as it was, Rody wondered at times if it were fate.
Then Rody learned about why Izumi had those nightmares after they started dating, why she still has the occasional nightmare to this day. More than once he had woken up to her screaming and jolting out of the bed. Once, he actually caught her by the shoulder and she smacked him. She apologized profusely for that one. Once he was asleep when she pinned him while screaming "Get the fuck off me!" He wasn't with her. He was sleeping…on his side of the bed. He will never forget the pure fear in those green eyes as she screamed.
The thing was, she didn't tell him in the way one would expect. She didn't sit him down, explain the situation, no, they were doing dishes, he was washing and she was drying. Then she stopped, perked up, and looked at Rody. "Hey?"
"Yes, dear?"
"I told you I was raped, right?"
Rody nearly broke the dish in his hand as it fell back into the sink with a loud CLACK! Against the bottom of the soapy water. Pino, the poor thing, nearly keeled over then and there as they were just as, if not more shocked. "...What?" He whispered.
"Oh shit…" Izumi whispered back as she looked at the plate in her hand. "I thought…I told you. I'm sorry. Yeah, I was raped when I was sixteen." She was twenty-three now. It was nearly a decade ago.
Rody and Pino both scrambled with the math in their head. "...It wasn't Hitoshi…was it?"
Her eyes lit up in anger- before she quickly stomped that anger out. "No." She went back to drying the dishes. "My mother's boyfriend. This was before Hitoshi and I… kind of before we became friends." She explained and swallowed hard. "He had a paralysis quirk. He used it while I was sleeping and I…woke up to him… on top of me." He could see her trying to keep calm. "He had his way with me and…well… turns out he was a serial killer and rapist, but that's for another conversation, I think."
"I'm sorry that happened to you."
"Yeah. It sucked. Didn't help when I found out I was pregnant."
"What?!" He whipped his head at her in alarm.
"...Yeah. It was a rough time in my life as UA was such a prestigious school and I was in the Hero course. The teachers knew of my rape and I know they would have backed me up, but I was scared. I was facing expulsion or being out of the hero course while pregnant … so, Hitoshi came up with the idea of an abortion. The issue was that Musutafu banned abortions. So, with our friends we just…lied to our teachers during spring break and stole a car to drive to Kyoto."
"Oh my god." Rody gave a laugh. "You- you the girl who paid for the bus fare when we were riding on top of the bus- stole a car?"
Izumi smiled. "I did not. My friend Shoto did. It was his fathers car." She finished drying her plate. "We got caught like…two hours into our drive."
"...Okay, forgive me for asking. If you're willing to abort one…why not…" He silently gave his head a tilt towards Hitomi's room. "I'm not saying you should have! Don't forget that's my daughter! I just… don't understand, it would have saved you a lot of heartache and you could still be with…" The name died before he could say it.
"It's different. I had no love for my rapist's baby. I understand the baby did nothing to me, but I just couldn't love it and I refuse to bring a child into this world that won't be loved." Izumi rested her arms on the sink. "Hitomi… was different. I knew that I loved her and I love- loved- her father at the time. It all worked out." She sighed almost sadly. "Is that the last of the dishes?"
"Uh-" Rody stuck his hands in the water and felt around. "Yeah, seems about it."
Izumi was looking from Rody to Pino. She reached up and gently wiped Pino's tears away. "It's okay Rody, I love you now." She then kissed his cheek gently. "I'm going to go and hop in the shower."
Rody had a hard time believing her, but he wouldn't dare say it.
Now, here they were, with Rody and Izumi married. Shizuko Soul had a better ring to it than Shizuko Nakamura and they even went and changed Hitomi's last name, as she was Hitomi Nakamura at first. It was a happy family and things were better than ever…
Rody knew, he just knew that it was going to come crashing down. Still, he was milking every day for its worth even if on some days it's been rocky, not all the time, but there have been a few arguments between him and Izumi, but hey, what couple hasn't fought? Every morning it's worth it; however, waking up with Izumi in his arms.
"Morning…" Izumi whispered as they woke up at the same time. She had a lazy smile etched across her face before pressing herself firmly against his chest. They tangled their legs together as he wanted to stay here with her forever.
"Good morning." He croaked out sleepily. He then looked over at the clock on the nightstand.
"What time is it?" Her voice was muffled as she refused to remove her face from his chest. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and relooked at the time as his eyes weren't clear.
"Not yet five in the morning." He cleared his throat and focused back at Izumi. "About four-forty five."
"Urg. We have to get up for work and drop the kids off to school." She groaned clearly wanting to sleep. Still she started to sit up straight and the blanket slipped down to her lap. Her hair, which she's spent years growing out, was a curly mess down past her shoulders. She was naked, which Rody was as well. Rody had mapped out every part of Izumi's body. From the silvery old scars to even the newer scars that she received while on the job. He knew every patch of freckles along her body and she knew every bit of his body.
She stretched her arms above her head before lowering her arms and shut her eyes for a second. It almost looked like she had fallen back asleep.
"Babe." Rody smiled and poked her nose. Izumi reopened her eyes and gave him a smile.
"I'm up… I'm going to go and take a shower." She leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. He kissed her back and pulled her into him. She wrapped her arms around him as he did her. However; she broke away from him with that familiar smile and she pecked his nose. "If I don't shower now I'm not going to have time to do so." She whispered and then moved away from Rody.
Rody watched as he grabbed her hero suitcase sitting off of on the floor beside the bed. Then she vanished into the master bathroom shutting the door behind her. It didn't take long for the sound of running water to be heard and Rody smiled. He got up and stretched his arms above his head and his own long hair fell down past his shoulders with this movement. He showered last night so he didn't need to bother with one this morning. He went for his clothes.
He was working today meaning he had to wear his pilot uniform. He was a pilot for heroes and, only if needed, he could also be a commercial pilot, but a hero pilot was his main job.
He flew heroes that were needed in different countries, mainly other parts of Europe especially if it was an emergency. He never went farther than Russia. He was lucky in his eight years of being an official pilot for heroes that he was never asked to go to Japan. Rody knew if he stepped foot anywhere near Japan he would instantly be grabbed by the commission and questioned about Izumi's whereabouts. From what he managed to gather through the grapevine though heroes who had been to Japan in the recent years that Izumi was wanted for insubordination and going AWOL and if it wasn't the commission that would grab him, he knew her old friends would be the next ones to snag him for questioning.
Apparently, if rumors around the agency that he and Izumi both worked in could be trusted, there are fearful whispers around Japan of the hero that managed to defeat the elusive All for One that met an unfortunate demise from one of All for Ones faithful followers and now laid dead in the bottom of a well. Considering the hero in question was currently in the shower, he would have to dispel them for himself.
The shower stopped by the time Rody finished putting on his socks and shoes and Izumi stepped out in her hero costume.
The thing was, Deku has since been retired because the great hero Deku went missing. Izumi Midoriya was Deku.
Shizuko Soul was Athena. An underground hero that kept her entire body hidden from her head all the way down to her toes. The only part of her visible was her eyes. Izumi was a risk-taker, but in this instance she was taking absolutely no chance of accidentally being recognized by just one person and having that information go back to Japan. Her outfit wasn't even remotely similar to her old Deku outfit; she was that cautious about keeping her identity a secret.
This hero costume was a little more simplistic. She went with a dark black color for every part of this outfit. Rody knew because of the color and the fact that it covered both her arms and legs it was killer in the summer when the weather got to extreme heights.
It was heavily padded all the way and hugged her body tight. She still wore leg and arm braces to help maintain her quirk but these were hidden by dark gloves and heavy black boots respectfully. The costume had a high collar that went all the way up her neck and she wore a face mask that covered the entirety of her face and nose leaving just enough room for her eyes to peer through. Her hair and head were covered by a black cloak and the hood of the cloak, when up, acted as a shade for her eyes so even those were hardly visible by those looking at her. The back of the cloak ended just below the back of the knees and often moved with her own movements.
She had the hood down for the time being as they were, you know, at home. Her hair was still damp and put up into a high bun on the top of her head. Her eyes softened and she smiled when she saw Rody. "You always look so handsome in your pilot uniform."
Rody smiled back at her. "And you're drop-dead gorgeous in that hero costume of yours, even if your face can't be seen."
Gone was the flustered and sputtering Izumi, after dating, and now being married, she took any compliment he had for her. She leaned down and kissed his cheek. Well, she would have if she weren't wearing her mask. Still, she sat next to him and started to put on her own socks and boots. Her boots were knee highs lace up combat boots with the braces built into them. He watched her tug on the laces to tighten the boots before tying them off.
"It's time to get the kids up." Rody sighed and stood from the bed. "I think I'll let Roro drive Lala and Hitomi to school if he wants to today. He has his license and it takes stress off of us." Izumi was right behind him as the two of them walked into the darkened house in the wee hours just shy of six AM.
"That's fine to me. If he wants to pick them up that's fine too." She told her husband and then walked into the kitchen, turning on the light and illuminating the kitchen. Their dog, a little blond deer head chihuahua named Pork (by Hitomi herself), lifted his head up and yawned loudly. His tiny tail is now wagging. "Good morning, Pork." Izumi cooed at the dog and leaned down to pick him up. "Do you have to go outside?" Then she vanished to let the dog out into the backyard while Rody went to make a pot of coffee.
Yes, Izumi had to stand with Pork outside, not because the dog demanded it, but because birds of prey had taken dogs like him and Izumi wasn't taking any risks.
Once the coffee pot was started, Rody went to wake the children. He went to Lala's room first and flicked on her light. "Rise and shine, Baby sister! It's time for school."
Lala grabbed her pillow and chucked it at him before twisting into her bed. "Five more minutes." She whined like the fourteen year old she was. He smiled and tossed the pillow back at her nailing her right in the head making her flinch on contact.
"Get up." He ordered in a friendly tone. "Or the tickle monster will make a comeback! Mawahaha!" He fake evil laughed before leaving his sister to wake up on her own.
Roro was simple because he was already up. He was sitting in the darkness on his computer. Upon opening his brother's door, Rody and him locked eyes and Rody pinched the area between his eyes. "Please tell me you weren't up all night again…"
"I was not up all night…I took a two hour nap." Roro told Rody and Rody sighed.
"Roro, you can't keep burning the candle at both ends when it comes to sleep." Rody told his brother.
"I know, I know, but if it's any consolation I already got my school work done for today and uh-" Roro paused as his brain seemed to pause for just a second and he shook himself to keep his thoughts straight. "- Look, I tried to sleep, but it just couldn't come." He finally admitted. "I'm not doing this on purpose."
Rody let his gaze soften. "I know. It's just that this is the third day this week I've caught you staying up all night. Should we get you some sleeping aids?"
Roro's nose scrunched. "Those things make me cranky."
It's true. Using over the counter sleeping medication has made Roro rather grumpy the following day. "Maybe we should consider a doctor to prescribe you sleeping medication if your insomnia is getting this bad…"
"..." Roro didn't look too thrilled at the idea but didn't voice an opinion against it either.
"Regardless, if you want you can drive the girls to school, Shizuko gave you the go ahead."
"Remind me, if her name is Izumi then why do you call her Shizuko?" Roro asked and rubbed his tired eyes. "I just…can't remember."
"Because, she's in hiding and while you and Lala know her real name Hitomi doesn't. We don't want Hitomi knowing her mother's real identity. Not until she's eighteen and the hero commission can't get their hands on her." He reminded his brother softly.
"Right. Right. But, yeah, I'll drive the girls once I get some coffee in my system." Roro sighed and untangled himself from his laptop and blanket.
Rody shut the door and went to the last room down the hallway. He opened the door and paused before turning on the light. He felt a smile as he watched Hitomi sleep. She was about as graceful as an octopus in that this girl was a mover when in bed. Once, she asked to sleep with them and she kicked him at least five times that night while moving violently in her sleep. When Izumi and him woke up, arguably a little cranky as neither of them had gotten much sleep, Hitomi was laying across both of them like a plank somehow. That was the last time they allowed Hitomi to sleep with them.
There she laid in her own bed, half on the bed and half on the floor. Her head was against the floor, her purple locks smashed down against the floor. The covers on the floor beside her, her arms above her head while she snored peacefully.
"Rise and shine!" He called and immediately started flicking the light on and off rapidly to wake his daughter up. Hitomi groaned and gave a weak noise that sounded like:
"Noooo…"
Rody felt a familiar pull and immediately looked at Hitomi in alarm. Her quirk suppressant bracelet was off of her arm. Shit. Rody left the light on as he swiftly looked for it around the room, around her arms thinking she had tossed it in her sleep-
No, she just took it off and left it on her dresser.
He sighed and grabbed the bracelet. "Hitomi, Mommy and I made it clear, you can't sleep without the bracelet, dear." He lightly chided his child as he clipped the bracelet back on her wrist.
Her quirk.
It was monstrous if left unchecked. And yes, she used it in her sleep. The thing was, Hitomi didn't have just one quirk. She had, as far as they knew, two. She could use them separately, or she could combine the two quirks into something horrifying. Izumi spent hours analyzing all three aspects of Hitomi's quirk and when she was done she only had one thing to say. "We're fucked."
The quirk was a powerful combination of her biological father's own quirk and Izumi's mother's telekinesis. Izumi had actually sat down with her old notebooks examining both Inko's quirk and Hitoshi's alike to try and get the best feel on Hitomi's quirk.
So, while Hitomi had the best quirk training money could buy, she was still a child and needed the bracelet to stop accidents from happening. It was a good thing that once in elementary school the schools will hand out quirk suppressant bracelets to all kids and they'll keep those bracelets on until high school. That was at least for Otheon.
Izumi was shocked when she learned this. "Japan doesn't do this…" She whispered as she looked at the bracelet the day they were handed this wonderful technology.
"You just let kids run around with uber powerful quirks unchecked?" Rody asked and Izumi just nodded. "What…about those with mind reading quirks? Or x-ray vision? Surely they don't just let them… keep their quirks active all the time." and she just nodded again.
"If we had these…I don't think middle school would have been as bad as it was for me." She whispered to him.
Rody came back to the present when Hitomi's dual colored eyes opened. "Daddy!" She smiled and reached her hands up to touch him.
"Hitomi, keep the bracelet on when you sleep." He reminded her once he snapped it around her wrist and Hitomi smiled sleepily at him.
"Sorry, I took a shower and I musta forgot."
"Try and remember in the future, we don't need any accidents." He gently told her before helping her up by removing her feet from her bed and holding her by her underarms.
"Okay, daddy."
"Now, get dressed, Roro is taking you to school today."
Hitomi looked happy at this and she nodded. "Okay! I'll be ready in five- er…- make it ten minutes!" Her hair, that had been flattened by the floor, was slowly springing back to life above her head and Rody focused on that before seeing her hold up all ten fingers in his face.
"Okay, just get dressed." He patted her fluffy hair and she was off like a tornado rushing to her drawers to get her school uniform on.
He left her alone and went back to the kitchen. Izumi had returned with Pork and was now placing cereal on the table along with some bowls and milk for the children while using blackwhip to bring the dog food to her so she can feed Pork as well. It wouldn't be too long before Roro and Lala would join them and sit at the table. Roro yawned sleepy while Lala laid her head on her arms and looked like she just wanted more sleep.
When Hitomi's ten minutes were up Izumi went to go and check on her daughter to see what was holding her up.
"Hey, big brother?" Lala asked once Izumi was out of the room and Rody was seated at the table ready to make himself some cereal.
"Yes, dear?" He asked and poured the cereal into the bowl before the milk.
"We're doing a project on family trees and…do I add them?" She asked, clearly referring to Izumi and Hitomi while pointing her thumb back towards the rooms. "And if I do…as what? Because Izumi is like a mother…but she's married to you, my brother, and Hitomi is like a sister but she's not my sister. She's Izumi's daughter but she's not…" The word died on Lala's tongue and Rody knew exactly what she was going to say. "Yours, she's not yours."
"I guess that's a good question." Rody hummed while he took a bite of his breakfast. "I would say…" He kept the spoon in his mouth and hummed as he thought about it. He took the spoon out once he thought about it. "You could put them off to the side? Maybe put them next to me and just explain the situation."
"Hm, okay." Lala then went to make her own breakfast. "Our family dynamic is weird."
"It is." There was no denying that. Lala and Roro didn't know mother and they hardly remember father so Rody and Izumi were all they knew regarding parental figures and yeah, it was doubly so when they started to refer to Izumi as mom. Man the looks in public they would get when they called her Mom but him Big Brother while Hitomi called him 'daddy.' It was hysterical at times. Still, he wouldn't change this dynamic for the world.
Hitomi and Izumi came out moments later with Hitomi all dressed for school in her school uniform. Rody noticed that Hitomi's skirt was starting to look a little small as it just grazed her thighs. "I think we might need to get Hitomi a new skirt." He commented as Hitomi sat next to him.
"I've noticed. She's getting tall…" Izumi gave a woeful sigh. It's true, on top of getting his looks, hair, and one of his eyes, it seemed Hitomi may even get Hitoshi's height as she, at ten years old, was at level with Rody's shoulders. That's minus the hair that gave her an extra two inches. She was going to be tall. Like…tall. Maybe six feet tall at this rate.
After some small talk they finished their breakfast and everyone got ready to go their separate ways. Izumi pecked Lala and Roro both on cheek as a goodbye and gave Hitomi a kiss on the head. "Be good today, Roro will also be picking you up as Daddy and I will be working late, okay?" She patted her daughter's head and Hitomi nodded firmly.
"Yes, Momma."
"Good girl. I'll see you later."
"Bye!" Hitomi gave them both a wave before bounding out of the door after Lala and Roro. Izumi and Rody both waved her goodbye and watched as the car backed out of the driveway and vanished down the street.
There was some silence between the duo before Izumi looked at Rody. "Wanna go the boring way or the exciting way." She asked and put her hood up to completely obscure her face and hide herself from the world, no longer Shizuko, or Izumi, she was now Athena. The goddess of Battle strategy and wisdom.
"Do you even have to ask?" He smiled and she opened her arms.
"Then get comfortable, sweetheart." She laughed at him and he hopped right into her arms with ease. Then, with blackwhip at her disposal, Izumi shot off into the sky with Rody in her arms. God, did he love this woman.
Izumi landed in front of the agency and placed Rody down. They both worked at the exact same agency which made travel easy. Rody quickly fixed his hair and the two of them smiled at one another. "I don't know when I'll be home as I'm being commissioned out to the UK today. It depends on the hero if I'll be home tonight or not." and Izumi nodded, they both knew this song and dance well.
"Okay. Just keep me posted?"
"I will, I love you."
"I love you too." They embraced at the doors before breaking away. Then, they went their separate ways with Rody going to find the hero in question and Izumi going to her director. She was her own hero, yes, but she was still under direct orders as she was underground.
She walked in and checked in with the receptionist. "Good morning, Athena, right on time as usual." The woman greeted her with a smile. Izumi nodded.
"Yes, good morning." She greeted the woman once she was finished signing in she went straight for the elevator.
From there on she went to the bottom floor and waited.
Alone.
With her thoughts.
She hated the elevator ride down. It was always so lonely and made her think. Think about all of the things she did. It made her think of Hitoshi. Now, ten years later, she still misses her ex-boyfriend. How she wants nothing more than to give him closure…
Well, when Rody came to her five years ago, laughing about the rumor of her being murder, she nearly ruined everything with one selfish choice. She went out, bought a burner phone, set it up, and dialed Hitoshi's old number under VPN so the number couldn't be traced back to Otheon. She just… just wanted him to know that at the very least she was alive. A part of her hoped that the number didn't work. That he got a new phone from the last time they spoke, five years ago.
But he didn't.
He answered.
"Hello?" His voice was groggy, tired, like he had just woken up. Izumi perked in surprise and felt tears perk in the corners of her eyes as…his voice was exactly how she remembered it.
and …she spoke. "Hitoshi?"
She heard him immediately scramble to sit up. "Izumi!" He breathed in alarm. "Is it…really you?"
"...It is… I just… I'm not dead. I haven't been murdered."
Then it all came crashing down. When another voice spoke loud and exactly how she remembered. "Deku!? Where the fuck are you!?" Hitoshi wasn't in bed. He wasn't even alone. He was with others and Izumi put, not just herself and her family at risk, but them as well.
"Dude, don't scare her off, if it is Izumi-" Kaminari-
"Tell us where you are! We'll pick you up!" Ochako-
"Don't be scared!-" It was hard to tell but Izumi was sure that Mina, maybe?
"Izumi! We're all here for you!-" Iida was the last straw and she panicked. She shut the phone off- crushed it in her hands- and then tossed the remains over a bridge and into the ocean below.
She never attempted to reach out again. She never told Rody or anybody about this and it seemed to have worked. Nothing came of it, all of her precautions worked and her and her family were still safe. Still…it would be nice to hear Hitoshi's voice, if just for one more time. She loved Rody, she truly did, he did so much for her that she could never repay. He was her husband, the love her life-
'Then why do you still stay on birth control? Never asked Rody if he wanted a child of his own?' That cruel, cruel voice in her head spoke sinisterly into her ear. It's true, Hitomi was proof that birth control and a condom weren't fool proof, but Izumi hadn't gotten pregnant sense and for that she was partially grateful. Not that she didn't want more children… but she wanted to focus on her career and Rody knew this. Not only that but Hitomi's birth was traumatic. Izumi nearly died….
At least…
That's what she keeps trying to tell herself.
Ding!
Oh thank goodness, the elevator finished its maddeningly long descent and she was able to focus on work now.
"Hey, Athena." The first hero to always greet her was Jaguar. Jaguar is a burly man with muscles that could put her to shame. A giant as well as he towered over her five-five frame with his eight foot self. He had the head of a jaguar, hence his name, and the body of a human. His hero costume was nothing special, just a bodysuit with jaguar print to give the illusion that he was a full jaguar.
"Good morning, Jaguar."
"Morning, Athena!" Next came Idol. Idol was another woman who had the power to use her voice to tamper with people's emotions. She was dressed like a stereotypical Japanese Idol with the cutesy pink clothing and even talked in the "uwu." voice when doing hero work. Though her voice was much deeper than that.
"Hey." she continued to her desk.
"Athena, my girl. You single yet?"
Jock. A transfer from America. Izumi didn't know much about him because she didn't want to know much about him. He was annoying and loud. His American roots showed day by day. All she knew was that he had the ability to manipulate water, and blood by default. "In your dreams, and even if I were, you'd be the last person I'd go to." She sassed and got to her desk.
"Ouch, Mama."
"Only my daughter can call me 'Mama'. Move along now." She opened her desk drawer and immediately found her voice modifier.
Izumi took no chances when it came to her identity as a hero. This was especially made for her by the support department. It wasn't like Hitoshi's voice modifier that went over his mouth. No, her's was a tiny one that she fit into her mouth. It was a little uncomfortable, but it was made to sit on the roof of her mouth and once it was in her voice became something different. She liked to play with the settings on her phone. It was a new voice everyday.
She lowered her mask a smidge and the others went quiet. They hoped that today would be the day in the nine years they've known her that she would finally show her face. But she didn't. She popped the modifier in with enough room and put the mask back over her face. "Anyways, I got to go." She stated, her voice now lower and a slight metallic tinning noise hanging in the air. She never got to sit as she pushed past jock to go straight to her director.
Izumi would be working in the more run down part of Otheon today, the parts where robberies were most likely to happen and she was okay with that.
She was okay with all of this if it meant her daughter was safe and away from the Japanese hero commission. It was routine for her at this point.
Little did Izumi know just how badly her routine was going to soon drop on its head and everything came spiraling down.
Izumi's hero outfit sound familiar to you? That's because I stole it from Skyrim.
Now, Izumi's outfit doesn't look exactly like the Nightingale armor from skyrim but I made it close enough. This is my favorite armor in the game and it's perfect for someone like Izumi who's doing everything she can to avoid unwanted attention.