Kamen Rider Deku | My Hero Academia X Kamen Rider

"Katsuki, I... I want to be a hero."

She had heard those words—words she had so longed for him to say—finally accepting the selfish wish she had placed upon him.

"Good... Let's be heroes... together..."

Her faint voice... the last thing she said before her consciousness slipped away.

< | X | >

"Uhm... ah... Izuku...?"

Katsuki slowly opened her eyes... and saw the sight of a familiar ceiling. She slowly rose from where she'd been lying and found that she was in her bedroom.

The ever-familiar bed, with a bit of the morning light seeping through her bedroom's curtains. Even though she woke up in the comfort of her own room, she instead felt... confused.

She tried to gather the fragments of memories of what had happened last night—of what she'd seen and what she'd heard—before her memory of last night was cut off abruptly.

She remembered... her meeting with Izuku.

She remembered... confronting him.

And lastly...

She remembered...

She remembered his words... his confession...

Before everything turned dark for her.

"Did I... pass out?" she murmured to herself, heat rising to her cheeks in embarrassment.

She had just passed out... right in front of Izuku, of all people. She must have been exerting herself too much, especially after going through all of those things that had happened to her yesterday.

But...

She had to. She couldn't let go of the fact that... Izuku had saved her.

She escaped her care in the hospital, avoiding all of the noisy nurses, doctors, and even the police. Just to confront him.

Katsuki knew immediately that he was the green vigilante that had saved her. Even though he wore this strange armor that hid his identity from the whole world...

She recognized his figure. The figure that she had once seen and remembered quite well to this day.

He was, after all... her hero.

However, she couldn't shake the feeling of how unreal everything had been.

Last night was honestly a bit hazy for her. She was especially afraid that maybe, just maybe, her encounter with Izuku last night...

Was it just her tired mind hallucinating?

Her lips turned into a frown, feeling a tad bit upset for thinking such a thing.

'It had to be real... right?'

She kept thinking about it, her feelings in disarray.

Knock, knock, knock.

But a few knocks coming from her bedroom door managed to distract her mind.

"Katsuki? Are you awake?"

"...! Mom?"

The door to her bedroom slowly opened, revealing a beautiful older woman—an almost spitting image of Katsuki—peeking inside.

The older woman had worries etched all over her visage, but the moment she saw Katsuki sitting upright on the bed, her expression shifted to one of pure relief and joy!

"Katsuki!"

Her mother burst through her bedroom door!

"M-Mom?!"

She immediately rushed toward the startled Katsuki and then... she embraced her in a tight hug!

"W-wait! M-Mom...!"

Katsuki was genuinely surprised by her mother's sudden embrace. Not to mention, her mother's embrace was surprisingly strong, especially felt by Katsuki herself with her strained and battered body...

But...

"Katsuki..."

Her mother's voice broke through the hug, soft sobs escaping her as she clung tightly to her daughter. Her mother... was glad to find her precious daughter wide awake... safe and sound.

And so... Katsuki let her mother embrace her tightly, even returning the embrace with her own as her mother continued to weep for joy.

After roughly ten minutes of weeping, Katsuki finally managed to calm her mother. Now, they sat side-by-side on the edge of her bed.

Even so, her mother's worry hadn't subsided. Normally, Katsuki would find this kind of concern rather annoying, but... it was understandable why she was this worried.

Her mother even berated her for running away from the hospital, recounting how both she and Katsuki's father had been shocked to hear the news.

Fortunately, the scolding was brief, but its weight lingered in the air.

Even so...

There was one thing Katsuki needed to know.

"Mom...?"

"Yes, dear?"

"...How did I get home?"

"Hmm?"

"How did I... Uhm, no, who brought me home?"

She needed to know what had happened after she passed out. Though honestly... deep down, she might have already known the answer.

"Hmm...? Ohh, you meant that! It was Izuku-kun, dear!"

"Izuku, huh...?"

Her initial thought had been correct.

"Izuku brought you home last night! He said that he found you passed out on the street!"

"I-I see..."

It was real.

The events of last night were not some fevered hallucination...

And she couldn't help but feel happy knowing that. It wasn't just a fluke.

Izuku really did say he wanted to be a hero...

'Alongside me, of course.'

A small smile crept onto her face.

"Katsuki...?"

Her mother noticed the sudden silence—and the faint smile gracing her daughter's lips. Then, she caught sight of the slight pinkish hue on Katsuki's cheeks.

"Oh, did you two lovebirds finally reconcile with each other?"

"Whu—?! 'L-L-LOVEBIRDS'?!"

Katsuki's entire face lit up, shocked and utterly mortified by her mother's teasing remark.

"WE ARE NOT DATING!!!"

She shot her mother a fierce death glare that could have made anyone else tremble. But of course, her mother, long accustomed to Katsuki's fiery temperament, remained unfazed.

Adding to Katsuki's frustration, her tomato-red face wasn't helping her case.

"Ahaha! Sorry, sorry~. I couldn't help but tease you a bit, Katsuki dear~," her mother said, her playful tone undeterred by the intense glare. "But still... I'm glad that you two seem to have finally reconciled."

"...Ah..."

Katsuki fell silent, her flustered anger fading away. Her thoughts wandered back to Izuku once more.

"Honestly, it was one hell of a shock last night when Izuku came over for the first time ever, carrying you in his arms."

"..."

"Never would I have thought that, of all things that could have happened last night, Izuku himself would be the one to bring you home. I thought you two were still fighting..."

"M-Mom, we aren't really..."

"I know, dear. You two have had your rough patches," her mother said, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. "But when Izuku brought you home in his arms, the way he looked at you... so concerned and protective—it was pretty damn clear to me that he still cares about you."

"..."

Katsuki fell silent, her mother's words striking a chord deep inside her. It was a thought that felt strangely... comfortable.

"Alright, dear," her mother rose from the bed, smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress. "You can take a day off from school."

"A-a day off...?" Katsuki repeated, blinking up at her mother.

"You need to recover from all the shit that's happened to you." Her mother crossed her arms, her tone leaving no room for argument. "I'm sure you're still feeling a bit fatigued, aren't you?"

"W-well... I guess I am..." Katsuki admitted, lowering her gaze.

Her mother was spot on; her body still felt sluggish, and she could really feel the fatigue in her.

Her mother offered a reassuring smile.

"Good. Rest up today. I'll contact the school for you, so just focus on getting better, alright?"

Katsuki nodded slowly, the idea of lying back down and letting the day slip by oddly tempting...

But...

A sudden thought wormed its way into her mind.

"Actually, mom..."

Her mother paused mid-step, turning back to her daughter with a questioning look.

"Hmm? Yes, dear?"

Katsuki clenched her fists, hardening her resolve before turning toward her mother.

"I think I'll go to school today."