The Immortal Hero: Phoenix

Chapter 19: Shadow of a Father's Flame

Izuka felt her breath hitch, her entire focus on the man watching her from one of the VIP Boxes. She should have known; of course he would be here! Kintaro Quirk Solutions was one of the top five support companies in Japan, and her Uncle Haru had sent along a letter stating he'd be on a Business Trip to Europe during the Sports Festival, so he wouldn't be able to watch in person. Izuka and her mother had just assumed some random suits on the Kintaro Board would be coming to watch instead; neither had imagined Hisashi would be turning up! Ever since their encounter in the hospital after Izuka was rescued, he had kept his distance and made no attempts to contact the Midoriyas, apparently taking All-Might's warning seriously.

But now here he was, watching Izuka with that strange smile that always made Izuka wonder what he was thinking when she was a little girl. Without a word, Izuka slipped out of Class 1-A's box and ran off, planning to warn her mother and father, in case Hisashi tried anything. Most people had their attention on Sero and Shiozaki, who were making their way to the arena for their fight, so no one but Shoto and Katsuki noticed Izuka leaving. Katsuki subtly followed her at a distance, just to make sure she was okay, while Shoto had looked to where Izuka had stared before running off. The box she'd been staring at was just full of businessmen, none of them of any interest. Suddenly, he recognised the logo on the banner above the box; the logo of the Kintaro Group. Shoto's eyes widened; Izuka had told him about her birth father when he confessed his own issues. He decided to follow Bakugou at a more sedate pace, just in case his help was needed.

Izuka was practically sprinting to the part of the stands where her parents were sat, even using a bit of One for All to increase her speed. Just as she turned a corner, Hisashi was suddenly there, right in front of the door she needed to access. Izuka gulped; the route from the Class Boxes to her parents' seats was kind of convoluted due to the differing level, but for Hisashi, it had just been a leisurely walk and a single flight of stairs.

"Izuka, it is good to see you." Hisashi said, smiling pleasantly.

"Hisashi! What are you doing here!?" Izuka yelled. The noise of the crowd cheering Sero and Shiozaki's fight made it next to impossible for anyone in the stands to hear her.

The man frowned a bit, a look of pain and anger on his face as his daughter referred to him by name. However almost as soon as the expression was there, it was gone again. "I came to finally see my daughter again... though I suppose I've been replaced. I heard your mother remarried, but I'll admit, I was a little surprised to see it for myself."

"Don't act like you cared! Mom was just a tool for you, same as I was." Izuka shot back.

"I suppose it must have seemed that way to you. Believe it or not, I really did love your mother; the time I spent with her was some of the best in my life." Hisashi looked wistful, "I made a big mistake in abandoning her, and you. My father, your grandfather raised your Uncle Haru and I to believe quirks were the only measure of a person's worth... Haru rebelled, but of course, his quirk was so amazing that even with his rebellion, I could never surpass him in father's eyes. When he learned I had a Quirkless Child and your mother couldn't carry another, he demanded I divorce her and abandon you. He poked at my pride and in my anger and arrogance, I did exactly what he wanted. I tried finding another partner, but I could never replace your mother in my heart."

Izuka growled, "Why should I believe you!? If any of that was true, why did you act like a monster when you came to see me in Hospital all those years ago? Why treat Mom so badly and try to take me away from her!?"

Hisashi sighed deeply, eyes welling up in regret. "I let my pride speak instead of my heart. Call me an idiot if you want, but I heard about how Haru had kept in contact with your mother... I was jealous. I knew Haru would never try anything, he loves his husband too much, but I just saw him as trying to take you and your mother while I had thrown you aside. When I saw an opportunity to reclaim you without losing face, I jumped on the chance... unfortunately I jumped in too soon and without thinking and it all went to hell. I would have tried again, more peacefully, but I was afraid of All-Might."