Chapter Text
Seventeen-year-old Takami Keigo sighed, tossing his keys onto the entryway table. He lived alone now, no reason to call for anyone as he had just come back from patrol and work. It didn’t bother him as much as it should have, living alone already at such an age, but this had been his life since his quirk came to him.
He shed his normal coat, being careful with his wings. He hung it up on the jacket rack. He would have left it at his agency but he wanted to go home right after patrol and paperwork. He wanted to get home and answer her letters since she had sent one that morning. He didn’t have time to answer since work started sooner for him. He had just joined the hero world and he was already being bombarded with everything from other heroes to fans.
He went and changed, pulling on a normal black tank top and a pair of grey sweats. He put his hero costume in the hallway closet with the knowledge he’d have to pull it on before he went to work. He settled to check his emails once for anything from work before going to write his letter back.
He listened to the city sounds around him, carefully writing his words. He was going to add his personal email this time so they could easily count for a time and place to meet. It had been too long since he had seen her. This also gave him a chance to meet her again. He smiled as he thought about it, knowing her birthday was coming up, if by what was sent this morning.
It was an hour before he finished writing. He gently folded up the paper and set it into an envelope. He’d stamp it in the morning before he left for work. For now, he went to rummage through the fridge, bringing a few leftover take-out boxes. He sighed. Maybe he could learn a little bit more from her on how to cook. It would help him, in the long run, to know how to properly cook. He paused when there was a soft knock on the door. He left the food on the counter, a few feathers starting to hover in case it was a villain. He crept to the door, the feathers pressing themselves on the back of it while he checked the peephole. Two officers stood there, their badges out for him to see. He didn’t relax but opened the door.
“Something I can help you with, officers?” he asked, looking at the two of them. They were slightly soaked from how much it was raining out.
“Are you Takami Keigo?” the one on the right asked. A note was in his hand. It was the only thing solidly dry on them.
“That I am... How can I help you?”
“Sir, we hate to inform you tonight, but something happened to Midoriya Inko and she didn’t make it,” the note holder said, holding it out for Keigo to take. “You are the oldest available next of kin to Midoriya Inko and now the guardian of Takami Izumi.”
Keigo froze, his feathers slowly shrinking back into his wings. He hadn’t heard either of those names spoken in so long. He had only just reached back out to her. He had just finished writing his next letter to her. He was so close to seeing her again. So close to telling her how she’s not at fault for what he did. She was never at fault for what he did to them. He broke them apart. This was supposed to be the chance for them to reconnect.
The officer on the left pushed a small, green-haired female into the teens’ line of sight. She was hugging herself, tears streaking down her cheeks. A yellow backpack was over her shoulders and a rolling suitcase with All Might printed on it was being dragged around by the officers. It was handed over to Keigo, who brought it further in and left the note in the entryway table. He kneeled down to her height once he returned to look at her. She looked like how he remembered. She rushed forward to hug him, shaking against him. He lightly patted her back, looking up at the officers. It took a moment but he stood with her, nodding to the officers.
“Thank you, is there anything else you need from me tonight?” he asked, trying to not break down in front of them. He was so close to having all his family again.
“No, sir, and we’re sorry for your loss,” one of them outside said. “We’ll bring the rest of her items around as soon as we can and give you two time to grieve. You should call into work when you can.”
“Thank you,” Keigo recognized himself saying. The door was closed and silence went over the house. The girl, Izumi, was clutching onto his shirt, face pressed against his neck. He wrapped his wings around her, carrying her out to the living room with the suitcase in tow. He didn’t know what to do. They had never officially interacted before other than when Izumi was really young. He was taken away before she was really able to remember him.
“Come on,” he said quietly. He set her on the couch, picking up a few items around them before finding a blanket. She was still shivering, soaking as well. Her jacket didn’t seem to have stopped much of it. He brushed her wet hair out of the way to look at her again, wiping away the tears he could.
“Do you know who I am?” he asked, sitting in front of her. She looked up at him, seemingly assessing him. Her hands clutched the blanket under his.
“Keigo...?” she said quietly, uncertain of her answer. He nodded at the answer, letting her speak more before he said anything. “Mama talked about you when she would tell me stories. I liked those. She told me when I was born you would fly me to sleep sometimes.”
Keigo smiled that small, sad smile. He hugged her, not letting her see what was shimmering in his eyes. He held her tight as he felt her shaking again, though he couldn’t tell if it was from crying or the rain still on her clothes.
“What happened?” He asked, moving back once he wiped his eyes. “What happened to mom?”
“Mama...” Izumi said, her hair falling over her eyes. “Mama went buh-bye...”
Keigo nodded, though he was sure she didn’t see it. He glanced at the time. 11:32. It was late and he had to see if she had eaten yet. He also had to figure out schooling and make her a room and actually find out how to make food and find a solid routine so he was home when she would be until she was able to stay home by herself. He didn’t even know about her quirk. That was one thing his mother hadn’t sent him about in their letters. He had no contact with anyone his mother had made contact with for Izumi’s benefit. He wasn’t even sure he had anywhere for her to sleep tonight. Now it was all down the drain. He wasn’t sure he would be able to get her contacts from the police. He’d ask them when they came over but for now, he’d focus on food and bed.
“Have you eaten yet tonight?” he asked. When she shook her head a little and he sighed softly to himself. He’d have to just order things for now until he could learn to cook for the two of them. It was another order-in night.
“Mom said you like katsudon, right?” he asked, picking up his home phone. He hoped everything was right from the letters.
“Uh, I-... Yeah...”
“I’ll order some and it should be here in a little bit, okay?”
“Okay.”
He left the room, heading to his room. He needed to just grab a few clothes so he could be ready for tomorrow. He’d have to go in and drop off his hero outfit as well as make time to get some signed leave off. He made the call quick, ordering what he remembered his mother saying Izumi liked in her letters. He tossed his phone on the bed, grabbing the clothes. He’d take them to the half-finished guest room before he went to the living room. At least now the guest room would be used a bit more constantly.
He thought about how he was going to explain this to his employer. He wasn’t sure he could explain this to his employer. Hey, yeah, my little sister whom I haven’t seen since she was a baby was dropped at my house since our mother died last night and now I’m her legal guardian. He didn’t have any family listed on his work file because the Commission didn’t want him to list anyone when he started. He didn’t get a normal start like most of the heroes that came into this world. He was forced and taken away from his family. He hadn’t been in contact with them for so long, only just recently. He hardly knew anything about Izumi. How were they sure he was even guardian material for her? He could mess anything at any moment, especially with his job.
“It should be he..”
Keigo trailed off lightly, seeing her looking at some photo albums lining the bookshelf under the TV. Her backpack was left on the couch, slightly open. She jumped at his voice, turning towards him. She had taken her jacket off and was left in a light yellow dress.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, fidgeting with his hands, “you just had books that looked like what mama kept at home and I was curious. I shouldn’t have-”
“Hey, don’t worry about it,” he said softly, sitting down. “Mom sent them to me after we reconnected. She wanted to let me see what I missed out on, but... I only got through a few of them from when I was still at home. I haven’t really looked at them since. I wanted to wait for her to introduce us again when we met up.”
“Oh...” Izumi said. She looked back and picked up an album, bringing it to where Keigo sat. While she didn’t sit right next to him, she sat close enough for him to watch her go through the album. This one of the older ones. One where he was still there for the first few pages before it changed. He watched her flip through them, pausing when she could. Her fingers were brushing over certain photos of the two of them, almost like she was remembering them.
“What happened to you?” she asked, stopping on a page where Izumi was cuddled right into Keigo, his wings wrapped around them both. It was one of his favorite moments and photos his mother had taken, though his younger self wouldn’t have agreed at the moment
Keigo took a breath. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to talk to her about it, much less about their father with her. He wasn’t sure what kind of impact he had made on her. And speaking of...
“I’ll tell you when you’re older,” he said, leaning forward. He shuffled some papers around, picking up one of the folders he had to take to his analyst. “What about Hi- dad? Where’s the old man at?”
Izumi deflated a little bit but nodded. If it was as bad as it seemed, she’d wait until he would tell her. She took a moment, setting the album to the side.
“He left mom for America...” she said, grabbing the blanket. “He hasn’t come back since and mom didn’t think he was...”
Keigo nodded, looking straight-forward. He should have figured his father would up and leave after what he did. Especially with the money they got from the Commission. It wasn’t too much of a surprise for Hisashi but still awful. He was just hoping the bastard hadn’t taken everything from them. Maybe there was something left in her accounts.
The doorbell rang, ringing him out of his thoughts. He grabbed his wallet as he stood, checking to see how much money he had on him. He hoped it would be enough for the next few weeks until his check came in.
“That should be the food,” he said, grabbing a few yen out of his wallet. He should really go out to get some proper food tomorrow. “I’ll be right back with it,”
Izumi nodded, going back to looking through the photo album. He sighed hurrying to the door when it rang again, a knock accompanying it.
“Alright, how much do I own you?” he asked, looking down when he opened the door. He waited for the answer briefly, handing over the amount and a hefty tip before taking it into Izumi. She was still on the same page, thumb brushing over the picture. He sat next to her, opening the package.
“Alright, let’s eat,” he said. He handed her the katsudon before pulling out his fried chicken. His wings spread out a bit as he settled back, one hovering around Izumi. He gave the TV remote to her. “Go ahead and put something on and then you can head to bed. I’ll show you where you’ll be staying until we can get all your stuff here.”
Izumi only nodded, turning to a kids’ network. The album was left alone again. Keigo ate his fried chicken, thinking of a solution for tomorrow. He’d have to take Izumi with him to the police station and his agency to sign for leave. This wasn’t going to be easy, but he’d do the best he could.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“Keigo?”
Keigo stopped in the doorway of his room, turning to look at Izumi. Her night light was on his nightstand, illuminating the room more.
“What’s going on?” he asked, stepping back towards his bed. He sat on the edge, wings covering her.
“Did you remember her wherever you went?” she asked, looking at the photos on his nightstand. One was of them when they were still a family, all smiles and happy faces. Another was of Inko and Izumi together. The last family photo taken when she was still here. “Did you remember me?”
Keigo smiled sadly, pulling out his wallet. He flipped it open to show a small series of photos. The one from earlier was right on top for him to always see.
“You see this one?” he asked, holding it in the small light for her. When there was a nod, he closed his wallet. “That was the one photo I kept on me the entire time. I never let them see it so it wouldn’t be taken away, but I kept it and it’s what helped me through it. You and mom were what drove me to keep going while I was away.”
Izumi sat up, hugging Keigo. She was crying again. Keigo wrapped his wings around her, rocking her lightly. He did what he remembered his mother did to calm him down. Soon, she went somewhat limp. He laid her back down, pulling the blankets over her.
“Good night,” he said softly, creeping slowly out of her room. He went back out to the living room, picking up some. He’d have to take some things to a washer and dryer soon, but he’d have to wait until tomorrow morning to do it. He turned off the lights, pausing at the entryway. He picked up the paper the police gave him, unrolling it.
My Dear,
I’m sorry to be springing this on you know when I know you just got my last note not even a day ago. I’m sorry but this may be the last note I am sending you.
I believe that there is someone following me and Izumi. I don’t know their intentions, all I know is that they are not good. I’ve tried to bring this to the police to hopefully bring something to ease my mind, however, they wrote off my suspicions and sent me back off.
I’m not sure how long I have, but running will not help me. I can only hope this gets to you before something happens to me. Before someone tries to take Izumi. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you two the proper reintroduction you were hoping for. All I ask of you now is that you take care of her. Make sure she is alright and nothing happens to her.
I know you haven’t had much contact with anyone outside of your work, so in a small note, there is a contact. An old friend of mine I’m sure you’ll remember. She can help you when you need her.
I’m sorry, Keigo, and I love you.
Mom
Keigo covered his mouth, hand crumpling the paper. He was holding a smaller sheet of paper and looked at it through silent tears. A name and a number was written on it. He’d look at it in the morning and call then. For now, he took both with him to the guest room, leaving them on the nightstand before showering then going to bed.