You walked slowly back toward Izuku's house, the meeting you had in the woods lingering in your thoughts; it was strange, unsettlingly so. Why didn't I just kill him? you pondered, clenching your fists tightly, feeling a low growl in your throat. Your looming shadow cast shapes over the houses, catching the eyes of many onlookers who halted to stare at you as you made your way through the streets towards Izuku's home.

In the sky, there's a special being with red wings; he flies, nearly crashing into your massive shoulder blades, but you simply continue walking forward. "What in the world," he breathes, straining to fly backward as he watches you. Your head is bowed, your gaze fixed on your large feet, crushing the asphalt with each step. You soon sense the pulse of Izuku's home and presence and begin to detour toward the house. You move around the back of the house and the immense shadow you cast, the one that had caught everyone's attention, disappears in a blur of questions. The man in the air, behind his golden glasses, exhales and reflects, Well, I definitely need to report this but... he strokes the stubble on his chin, I think I'll keep this to myself a little longer.

Rising from the depths of unease, I lumber through the back entrance. Inko, nestled within the dwelling's common space, flickers with surprise as the door grumbles ajar. "Ah, Azura, it is you," she voices, her form unfurling from rest. She hastens toward me, "Forgive the oversight, but Izuku has already ventured to the academy." I stand rooted, a silent rumble escapes me. What treachery is this? I brood, my jaw clenching, The young one departed without heralding to me?

I exhale a weary gust and offer a nod to Inko, "It matters not. I shall retreat to the shadows for respite," uttering my intention to withdraw. Yet, Inko extends a delicate restraint upon my limb. "Why retreat to the abyss when sanctuary awaits in your own chamber, dear beast? You've claimed these halls as your lair; you are no specter to me nor to the progeny of this house," she asserts, her gaze kindling a warmth. Within the cavern of my chest, a heart of obsidian feels the stirrings of an unfamiliar, smoldering ember—sparked not by the fiery gaze of kaiju kin—but ignited by the gentle radiance of this matriarch's soul.

"I..." I exhale a sigh of the ages, "Do you truly wish this?" I question, my tone a cascade of rumbling stones. Inko beams a response, "Of course, dear. You are part of us now; I thought my son had conveyed such truths to you," she declares, guiding a titan up the staircase. "Ascend, esteemed one, while the nourishment of midday is prepared. After your slumber, you shall feast."

She retreats to the alchemy of cuisine, and I, a leviathan of thought and form, stand in silent vigil in the hall. In a moment's breath, I exhale once more, scratching my crown before sweeping back my ebon mane, a shading over my vast shoulder. I approach the steps, each a measured seismic event, until I reach a sanctuary - a room as Inko claimed. The dwelling is not immense - nay, but it shelters a trinity of souls.

My heart, an ancient drum, skips a beat. "Family... perhaps, indeed," rolls through the deep cavern of my being, a murmuring tectonic shift of possibility.

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From the quietude of slumber, I am roused by the front portal yielding to entry. With a seismic yawn, I stretch within the embrace of a bed, a sanctuary far softer than the leaf-strewn grounds outside Izuku's abode. A smile carves itself across my ancient visage, and I linger within this cocoon of tranquility before the call to rise beckons me. Izuku has returned; it is time to present myself anew.

Swiftly I groom the dark threads crowning my head before descending, cloaked only in an oversized t-shirt vast enough to cause me to swim in its fabric—a behemoth in cloth. Despite its engulfing nature, the garment offers a curious comfort.

As I tread down the stairs, the soft hum of dialogue between mother and offspring halts abruptly. Izuku, mid-speech, pauses to regard my entrance. "Oh, Azura, you've graced us with your presence," he utters, his cheeks alighting with a tinge of rose as his gaze lands upon me in this unexpectedly revealing attire. Who could have foreseen that his diminutive apparel would drape too large on a young woman such as myself?

With a smile that could stretch across eons, I advance towards him and enfold Izuku in an embrace befitting a titan. "You know I could char you for leaving without me, but I think I shall refrain; you're far too endearing to be scorched alive, regardless," I rumble, planting a kiss upon Izuku's cheek before turning toward Inko. "I presume the midday meal is ready," I declare, more statement than inquiry.

She nods with an inviting gesture. "Come, come," Inko hastens towards the nourishment chamber. My steps are ponderous, deliberate, and I notice Izuku remains statue-like, as if time itself had ensnared him in this moment. "My dear boy, come now, you must hunger, and at the table you may recount all that has transpired, including why your arm is encased in bandages," my voice resonates with a note of concern, my lavender gaze narrowing upon the stark white wrappings around his left arm.

Izuku's cheeks bloom with a deeper hue of embarrassment. "O-of course!" he stammers. With a low chuckle that reverberates through the room, I usher him closer and venture into the kitchen to assist Inko with setting the table, continuing the dance of familial intimacy that even a being of my stature has learned to cherish.

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We all settle at the table, and I turn to Izuku, my voice a tectonic grumble mixed with concern. "Will you now tell us what transpired at school and, by the gods, why your arm is bandaged?" My gaze upon him is as piercing as a cliff face staring down into the sea.

He gulps before nodding. "Yes, it was but a clash with my newfound power," he says, and I tilt my head, a mountain considering its base. "There's more that remains unsaid, isn't there? Come now, Izuku, you must trust in us."

Inko and I share a glance, her shoulders a subtle shrug of acceptance. "If my son has no more to divulge, Azura, he needn't," she intervenes with a tenderness that belies the firmness of a maternal decree. I sigh, a low reverberation, and continue to consume the meal in contemplative silence.

Once the repast is complete, I gather the plates, utensils, and all other culinary instruments, a routine choreography amidst this domestic domain.

Venturing out to the kitchen, I deposit our remnants into the sink. With the finality of a job well done, I wipe my hands on the towel that hangs as a standard at the kitchen's entrance. "I shall seek the solace of outside air, Izuku. Join me in thy backyard sanctuary when you've also found your quietude," I declare. And with that, I stride out the door, my exit rapid and resolute, leaving no time for the Midoriyas to do so much as blink.

Outside, the air is cool and fine, a marked contrast to the warmth that has permeated the living quarters since my return home. Secrets linger in the space between us; I sense them, waiting to be unshrouded, though I hold no desire to coerce Izuku into disclosure. Yet, a premonition stirs within my ancient core: he will reveal to me, and me alone, the day's events at U.A. I alone am privy to the whisperings of his covert mentor and the true magnitude of his burgeoning powers.

I settle myself upon a modest bench I've discovered in earlier wanderings, seated under the cherry blossom to contemplate the petals as they commence their silent descent from the heavens.

The back door creaks open, and Izuku's footsteps, tentative yet resolute, reach my ears. "I regret not sharing more with you," he begins as he enters my line of sight. I offer a silent smile, a gentle tap on the bench, and an invitation to unburden himself, but he turns away, a bowed figure weighed down by unseen thoughts.

He bears the weight of remorse, I muse, exhaling a sigh that stirs fallen petals at my feet. "Listen well, I harbor no intentions of reprimand, dear Izuku. You hold great significance in this vast existence," I intone, laying a reassuring hand upon his shoulder, allowing the warmth of camaraderie to seep into his frame.

I observe as he clenches his jaw, a telltale sign of inner turmoil, followed by a sigh that precedes his capitulation. He bends and buries his head against my chest, an unexpected motion that briefly startles my timeless constitution. However, my arms instinctively wrap around him in a protective circle as he begins to murmur the events of the day.

He talks of Bakugo, the challenges of dealing with the pugnacious youth, and a kind girl whose assistance kept him from a precipitous fall—the latter detail spoken with a note of hope that resonates within me, lighting a fleeting spark of something akin to jealousy. But I quash it swiftly.

The tale continues, culminating in how he technically tore a robot asunder, only to have his raw power sear him in return.

"--and now here I stand, bandaged arm and not a spec of control to claim as my own, which I desperately need," he exhales. Suddenly, his tone shifts, a burst of excitement igniting, "But the best of all! All Might himself instructs at U.A., can you imagine?!"

I smile, the gesture as timeless as the earth itself, and bestow upon him a kiss upon the forehead. "No, I can scarcely believe it; it's wondrous, dear Izuku," I murmur. His smile blossoms anew as he finds sanctuary within my embrace once more. "Thank you, Azur, for being there for me," he whispers against the silent sentinel of my form.

"Anytime, dear one," I respond, my voice the rumble of comfort promised by the ground beneath us.

Ignited by this exchange, an unexpected blaze of resolve kindles within Izuku's chest.

I vow, Azur, never shall harm befall you. In my keeping, you shall find everlasting refuge. I will rise as the hero you merit, transcending any bounds, for you, I shall become anything.