Chapter Text
Izuku awakens to the smell of smoke, the fire alarms blaring. His mother, Inko, runs into the room and grabs him. Their apartment building is burning down. It scares Izuku, but then again what doesn’t? His mother rushes him to the door, but trips and falls, sending him sprawling across the floor.
Inko looks up and does her best to smile, “Go on ahead sweetie, I’ll be right behind you.”
Nodding fearfully, Izuku opens the door and runs out. That would be the last time he’d ever see his mother. Soon after Izuku had made his own escape, the entryway had collapsed. Inko had been crushed and burned, never to follow her son out of the fire.
Sitting in the police station, Izuku can’t comprehend it. His mother is just… gone. He’d never see her again. Never eat her food, hear her call his name, see her smile… It’s all gone… Normally in this situation he would cry, cry his eyes out with the signature Midoriya family tears, but he just… can’t. He can’t cry, he doesn’t even feel sad. He just feels… nothing.
… Is there something wrong with him?
Why isn’t he crying after his mother just died? Why can’t he feel the sadness that should be overwhelming him?
Before he can ponder for too long a police officer comes in, “Hey there, kid. Listen, I…” The man takes a breath, “I know there’s a lot going on for you right now, but we need to arrange somewhere for you to stay. We have a lady from Child Services in the other room that wants to meet and talk with you. Would that be okay, or do you want to wait longer?”
Izuku swallows thickly, “I… I can talk now…”
The officer nods, “This way then.”
The officer leads him into another room where a lady in a suit is reading something from a file. The lady turns and smiles at him but… there’s no warmth. This smile is so fake even Izuku can see it, and he’s six.
The lady gives a small wave, “Hello there Midoriya. Why don’t we have a little chat? Now, after reading a bit about you, I think I know just the place that can look after you. You see, there’s this orphanage a few kilometers away from your old home called the Sunrise Home.”
Izuku pales. When his mom wasn’t looking, he’d done a little research on how Quirkless people like him were treated. It… wasn’t good… One of the things he’d learned was that orphanages were horrible for Quirkless kids, especially is they were close to his age. The Sunrise Home had been listed as one of the worst, with actively discriminatory owners and caretakers.
The thought of going someplace like that scares Izuku, and this woman wants to put him in there on purpose. He’s terrified. So naturally, he does what any scared child would do. He runs. He runs through the police station as fast as he can and out the doors. He runs down the street and into an alley, doing his best to get away from anyone that might be chasing him.
As he runs the dam breaks. His tears finally start to fall as the emotions overwhelm him. He’s lost everything. It’s never coming back, his mom especially. It’s just too much.
It had started raining by the time Izuku had originally arrived at the police station, and running through the down pour he’s now completely soaked. He doesn’t care right now, he just needs to get away, away from the lady who wants to send him to the orphanage.
Eventually, he can’t keep running anymore and he falls. He’s in another alley, hopelessly lost. There’s an opening out onto another street, but Izuku has no clue what street it is. He’s never been out this far before, and he’s exhausted and scared. He can’t move anymore, what’s he going to do?
He can’t think, so he just… closes his eyes… and lets the rain wash over him…
Suddenly, the rain stops hitting him, which is weird because he can still hear it. Looking up, he see a lady with long white hair wearing a white and purple kimono and a black blindfold. She’s holding an umbrella over him, stopping the rain from touching him.
She speaks, “I thought I heard someone there. Are you alright?”
Izuku sniffles, “… No…”
The woman frowns slightly, having heard the emotion in his voice, “Do you need help, young one?”
Izuku nods, but then realizes the woman probably can’t see that, “Y-yes… This lady wants to send me to an orphanage, but I don’t wanna go! I know what they’ll do to me…”
The lady hums, tilting her head slightly. Before she can respond, the officer from earlier runs down the alley, stopping to catch his breath.
“Finally! I’ve been looking all over for you kid…”
The officer looks up, immediately standing to attention when he notices the woman, “Lady Himura!”
‘Lady Himura’ smiles at the officer, “Good evening, officer. I’ve heard this boy is planned to be sent to an orphanage, is that correct?”
The officer nods, “Yes, his only living family recently died in a fire, and he needs to be sent somewhere so he can be taken care of.”
Himura hums, “Well, if nothing is finalized yet, I’d be more than happy to take him in.”
Izuku looks up in surprise, eyes wide. This woman had just met him, and she wants to take him into her home?
The officer opens his mouth to says something, but Izuku speaks first, “Are… are you sure? I… I’m Quirkless…”
The lady tilts her head in a questioning manner, “Why would that matter? You’re a child in need, and I wish to help you.”
Izuku stares for a moment before finding strength in his legs. He runs up to Himura and latches onto her, not caring that he’s getting dirt and grime all over her kimono. She doesn’t seem to care either as she chuckles while ruffling Izuku’s hair.
The officer sighs, “Guess he’s going with you then.”