Midori the Wife: Prequel

Summary: Find out the events that triggered the timeline of Midori The Wife. Enjoy the drama, the heartache, and all the fluff in between.

Chapter 1: The Engagement

"You're getting married?!"

18 years old, Izumi Midoriya jumped out of her seat at her mother's dining room table, eyes lit with ecstatic joy. Next to her Eri, the little girl Izumi helped save in her first year and whom All Might had adopted, stared wide eyed.

Toshinori Yagi, and Inko Midoriya dat side by side across from them holding hands and beaming.

"Yes, this upcoming spring after you've graduated U.A." All Might announced taking his other hand to encase Inko's. The woman had lost some weight over the three years he'd known her, but she still had some roundness in her face that he found positively adorable. Looks aside, it was really her generous and kind spirit he'd fallen for.

"Oh this is wonderful!" Izumi bounced and rounded the table to hug her mother. Eri mirrored her rounding the other side to hug All Might and giggle happily. "We're all going to be a family. I'm so happy for you Mama!"

"Me too, Papa! Me Too!" Eri beamed and looked up with her big bright eyes. It was only a few months ago that All Might had finalized the adoption papers and taken Eri in as his daughter. Now that he and Inko were to be married, Eri was going to get her most fondest wish for a mother AND a big sister… and that big sister would be the hero who'd saved her.

"I'm glad you girls are happy. All Might hefted Eri up onto his lap and the four cuddled close for the intimate family moment. "Now that we are going to be family things are going to change, but change is good. Right, Inko?"

"Yes, dear." Inko dabbed at her happy tears. "Change is very good."

~U.A. High School the following Monday~

"So All Might finally popped the question." Bakugo grunted as he popped open the top of his energy drink and guzzled. He eyed Izumi who clutched her water bottle and bounced with the exciting news. Beside him Todoroki eyed the selection on the vending machine before deciding on juice. The three of them had just had a long training session at Gamma and were dirty, their uniforms showing wear and tear.

"Yeah… I could hardly believe it. It threw me for a loop when they started dating but now they're getting married." She sighed happily and turned in a circle practically floating on clouds. "It's wonderful."

"I'm happy for you and for them." Todoroki said popping the top to his juice. "After everything that's happened, you all could use happy."

"Yeah…" Izumi brushed fingers over the scar on her temple. Just last year she'd been in a serious accident that had put her in a coma. Her mother had been beside herself, and All Might had been there as comfort and support. It was that terrifying event that had brought the two of them together. So despite the dangers Izumi was glad some good had come out of her accident.

Now that she thought about it, her mom and All Might weren't the only ones who'd made a connection after her accident.. She looked at Bakugo and Todoroki the two standing companionably with each other. Before she'd gone into a coma, the two of them had constantly been at each other's throats. They were rivals not just in the hero field… but at one time both had vyed for her affections.

While she loved them both for different reasons, Izumi had made it clear after their first year she wasn't going to pursue a relationship with either of them. School was too important, her work as a hero was too important, and until she felt comfortable in her position she wasn't about to pursue any kind of romantic involvement.

"I'm helping mom plan the wedding. We're already putting together a guest list, and you're both invited." Izumi told them with a smile.

"I'd hate to miss such an event. "Shoto gave her a warm smile.

"Same," Bakugo said simply chugging the rest of his drink then two pointing his can into the trash. "I'm going to shower off and go back to the Dorm."

"Me too, I reek." Izumi said blue-faced. "Sniper-Sensei was merciless today. I haven't sweat this hard since the summer training camp."

"Speaking of dorms, are you gonna move back in with your parents once school's over?" Todoroki asked curiously.

"I'm not entirely sure… but I don't think I will." She tossed her empty water bottle in the recycle bin and walked between the two boys back towards the locker rooms. "I've been saving up money from my sidekick work to eventually open up my own agency, but I'm wondering if I shouldn't just use that to get my own apartment."

"You're sidekicking with Endeavor aren't you?" Bakugo said with a small grunt of annoyance. "Why not just stay at his agency and keep saving up for that agency?"

"Well…" she poked her fingers together. "I didn't want this to get out but… All Might is gonna come out of retirement for a short period and wants me to sidekick with him for a time."

"WHAT?!" Both boys stopped and whirled on her. Izumi backed up holding her hands out.

"I know, I know it shocked me too. Apparently he wants to announce that I'm his successor. With the wedding coming up and all he thinks it's the perfect time to introduce the new "Symbol of Peace."

"I see…" Todoroki held his chin. "So he's coming out of retirement just long enough to pass the reins, so to speak."

"That's the plan… he's been training Eri some too but my mom doesn't think she's ready for that kind of publicity just yet. I'm actually in agreement there. I think Eri needs time to just be a kid… and if she decides she does want to be a hero then I'll fully support her… but until then it's probably for the best that I take the brunt of the oncoming media focus." She said with obvious distress in her face. She wasn't comfortable with mass media or public speaking… but it was part of the job she had to get used to.

"Don't look so pathetic," Bakugo flicked her on the forehead and made her wince and pout. "You can handle it, Usagi. You're gonna have to."

"Gee thanks for the vote of confidence." She stuck out her tongue and it earned her a smirk. "So what about the two of you… have you decided on your plans for after graduation."

"I'm going to side kick with my father." Shoto said simply. "I wasn't sure if I should or not due to the obvious father and son connection… but I believe it'll be better for my career to use his popularity to springboard my own. Before I can breakaway and be my own hero… I first have to show the world the differences in our work. Best way I can do that is by standing side by side with him."

Izumi smiled at that and she rubbed his shoulder with silent support. She then turned her attention to Bakugo.

"What about you Kacchan?"

"Jean face wanted me to side kick with him, but I declined. No way am I going back to teeny bopper town."

Izumi recalled how he'd looked after first year interns and snorted with laughter.

"Shut up!" He scrunched up her hair making her laugh more. "I know what you're thinking and you'd best erase that from your mind, Usagi!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I can't help it! Oh my god, Kacchan you reminded me of Shojo manga protagonist. It was both amusing and horrifying."

Shoto had to hold back a laugh of his own and hid his lips behind the back of his hand.

"You watch it too, Icy Hot! Tch… as I said I'm not going back to that. I'm actually planning on sidekicking in America for awhile."

Izumi halted and her eyes went wide and she turned toward him.

"What?" her voice held disbelief, and shoto couldn't help but notice the tension in her body.

"Not permanently… but I guess I got an overseas request from some hero in New York and he wants me to work with him over the summer as a kind of trial period to see if he likes working with me."

"Oh… well… wow. America huh?" She swallowed hard and forced a smile. "That's great Kacchan!" No… she could do better than that. "That's absolutely amazing!" She hugged him tightly burying her face in his chest. "I'm proud of you."

Bakugo hesitated before rubbing the top of her head and holding her loosely with the other. He eyed Todoroki over her head. He saw the flicker of jealousy across his face and the way cast his eyes downward to avoid looking at him directly.

"It's no big deal…" He finally said pulling her away and stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I don't even know if I'm going to take it."

"Why not?" She was a bit misty eyed, but her smile was genuine this time. "It's a great opportunity for you, Kacchan. All Might got his start in America."

"Yeah well…" Bakugo turned and walked ahead. "I'm not All Might."

~Later~

He wasn't All Might… Izumi sat at her desk with the lamp. She should be studying for midterms but couldn't concentrate. She had so many things preoccupying her mind… the wedding, training, apartment hunting, her career… and now Kacchan.

She glanced at a picture on her desk of her Shoto and Kacchan standing together. They were known as the new "Big Three" all across campus now and were always lumped together in some form or another. She hadn't minded it, in fact she relished it. The two of them had become her best friends and she loved spending time with them, going to movies, eating out, training… it was difficult to think that that part of their lives was coming to a close.

"Soon we won't be together anymore." She said with a heavy sigh. "We're growing up… and growing apart." She lifted the picture stroking their faces. "Shoto… Kacchan… I don't want to say goodbye."

Her cell phone went off and Izumi glanced down at it. She picked it up and cocked an eyebrow at Bakugo's text.

.

Look Outside.

She put the phone in the pocket of her sleeper pants and opened the door to her balcony. She stepped out and gasped when she saw Bakugo crouched on her balcony rail.

"Kacchan? What are you doing!?"

"Kidnapping you…" Kacchan said with amusement on his face. He jumped down and hefted her up over his shoulder.

"Wha! Kacchan! Put me down!" She whispered harshly not wanting to wake her dorm neighbors.

"Actually, it might be better if you held onto me." He set her down and turned his back crouching down. "Get on, or I'm hauling you up again."

Izumi groaned and went a little blue as she hooked her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist.

"I can follow you on my own, there's no need to EEEP!" She clung on tighter as he used his explosions to launch himself up in the air and towards a grouping of trees. He ran a few more feet away from the dorms until they were completely secluded before setting her down and smirking at her.

"There, that should be far enough."

"Far enough for what? What's all this about, Kacchan?" She rubbed her arms feeling bit of a chill.

"I didn't want to be interrupted, I didn't want to do this in the dorm where more than likely the dimwits from our class would interfere." He turned towards her, his eyes serious. Izumi swallowed hard and stared him in the eyes.

"Kacchan…"

"You, Me, Todoroki… we're friends. I didn't want us to, I had no intention of being friends with that half and half bastard but things changed, we've changed." He crossed his arms. "The only guy I ever really tolerated was Kirishima… but thanks to you I made friends with Todoroki and now what I'm about to say is gonna irritate me for a long time."

Izumi waited, wanting to fully hear him out.

"I want to stay friends with Todoroki… but that doesn't mean I've given up on you." He took her face in his hands. "You said you weren't going to pursue a relationship with either of us… that you wanted all of us to be friends. That was fine for awhile, but now that things are changing it's time you made a decision."

"Kacchan…" Izumi tried to pull from his grip but he yanked her back so that she was pressed to him. "Please don't."

"No… I already talked to Todoroki about this. He agrees with me. We'll be friends, stay friends, but we both think it's time you stopped walking this middle ground and made a decision. Neither of us will hold a grudge on the other, because it's your decision."

"Why now, Kacchan?" Izumi's eyes teared up. "Why are you making me choose now? I've got enough to think about without you and Shoto adding this on."

"It has to be now… because whether or not you decide will determine whether or not I go to America."

"What!?" Izumi did pull away this time smacking his hands away. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm dead serious. You can spew all the crap you want about wasting opportunity and all that stupid crap but I've got plenty of prospects lined up. I can choose any hero agency I want to sidekick in, hell I could branch out on my own right now if I wanted to. No matter what I do, where I go I will be the Number One hero, that's a promise. However the one opportunity I'm not wasting is the chance to be with you again."

"Kacchan this is ridiculous." Izumi held her heart, flushing. "You can't make your decisions based on something like this. Your career is too important, and right now I've got other things I'm focused on. I don't need nor want to choose between you two… and if Shoto agrees then he should be out here with you, because right now all I see is you being selfish.

"Me!? I'm selfish?" Bakugo snarled at her. "Listen to yourself, Usagi! Just how long are you planning on keeping the two of us in limbo? You know how we feel, now it's time you let us know how you feel. I already told you this decision isn't going to change our friendship, and your career is practically set in stone now that All Might is about to become your old man. So stop using your career and our friendship as an excuse to remain indecisive, because neither of us are gonna wait around for you to get your head out of your ass much longer."

"So are you saying if I don't choose… you won't be my friend anymore?" Tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

"No…" He lifted a hand putting it on top of her head and rubbed it gently. It was the gentleness that had Izumi's dam breaking and the tears falling down her cheeks. "We're saying if you don't choose now… both of us will move on, and you'll have lost your chance to be more than just a friend to us."

He kissed her tears and pulled away walking past her.

"I don't know about Todoroki… but for me you have until the wedding to decide. If you don't, I'm moving on, and going to America."

~A few days later~

"I can't believe you actually agreed with him." Izumi accused at Shoto as the two of them walked down the streets in Tokyo. Shoto had agreed to go apartment hunting with her, but hadn't expected the outburst of her emotions. "Why now?"

"It's like Katsuki said. Things are changing, we're changing, and the decision you make could very well shape how we see our future." He looked at the map pausing to check the street signs. "I think we got turned around."

"Shoto ignore the map for a minute and think about this logically." She pulled the map from his hand and narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm in a delicate place right now. Kacchan seems to think my future is set in stone, but he doesn't see the big picture. Yeah All Might is announcing my taking over his position, and yeah he and my mom are getting married and making their relationship public knowledge… but that doesn't mean I'm ready for it!"

Shoto turned toward her fully.

"Why not? You've been preparing for this for years. If you're not ready by now, you never will be."

"Gee thanks," she rolled her eyes and covered her face. "Ugh I've already got the weight of the world being set on my shoulders… I don't want to-"

"Izumi…" he lifted her chin up and made her look at him. "We've been patient with you, and supported your need for time and space… but you have to look at it from our perspective. We both love you, and want a deeper relationship with you. The more you make us wait, the more we wonder if it will ever happen. Neither of us want to see other girls, make commitments because we don't want to risk losing the opportunity to be with you, because you're the one we want. We can't move past this section of our life without knowing where you stand."

"But Kacchan said…"

"I know what he said… and what I'm trying to say to you is that it matters to us what you want. If you decide you don't want to be with either of us, then we'll both have to move on even though we don't want to. You'll lose the chance to be something more because we'll have to concentrate on our careers, our future, and that includes finding someone we want to marry and spend the rest of our life with."

"So...you're saying my decision will determine on how you handle your future?"

"Yes… for me, Izumi, I have a little more patience than Bakugo does, but I can afford to be. Where I want to be and where I'll end up keeps me close enough I can be here for you. Bakugo doesn't have that luxury. He's got opportunities than can take him all across the world, and he's afraid to take it because he doesn't want to miss his opportunity to be there for you." he pulls away and puts his hands in his pockets. "Do you understand?"

"Yeah…" Izumi held her chest feeling it ache at the thought of Bakugo leaving. "I do."

~The Following Day: U.A. Library~

She didn't like it but Izumi accepted the fact she needed to make a decision. the question was really...what did she want?

If she told Kacchan she wanted him he'd more than likely skip out on the American job. She couldn't let him do matter how much she wanted him to stay sheer couldn't let him waste that opportunity. So she had to make a decision by the wedding that way even if she chose Kacchan she could encourage him to go and tell him she'd wait for him this time.

If she chose Shoto…

"Midoriya!" The smack atop of her head snapped her out of her thoughts. She rubbed it and blinked up at Aizawa who scowled at her.

"Mr Aizawa?"

"I know you've got a lot in your plate but this is a public library and your nervous muttering is disturbing the other students."

"Oh I'm sorry." She looked down a little embarrassed she was still being scolded despite him no longer being her homeroom teacher.

"So long as you're aware...now then come with me. The principle wants to have a word with you."

"Oh that can't be good." Izumi stood up and followed him. As they walked her mind tried to figure out what it could be x the principle wanted. She hadn't broken any rules or caused any trouble and her grades were good...though her average did go down after midterms. She'd pulled in an overnighter before the test and had gone down to fifth place behind Shoto.

"Is he worried my internship is affecting my grades? Or maybe he thinks I cheated? No no that can't be right…"

She stopped her mini freak out as they stepped up to the big ornate office. A quick knock from Aizawa had the door opening and Izumi's eyes widening at the group of people inside.

"Huh?"

"Ah, Miss Midoriya!" The principle stood up on his desk smiling big. Surrounding him was nearly the entire teaching staff of U.A. who all looked at her with varying degrees of looks. "Welcome, come on in."

Izumi timidly stepped inside and played with her fingers nervously.

"Am I in trouble, Principle Nezu?"

"Of course not, dear lady. On the contrary, we're here to support you." Nezu said cheerfully and had her blinking in surprise.

"Support?" She looked around. "I don't understand."

"All Might told us about his plans." Vlad King explained. "We were already aware he was particularly interested and fond of you, but now we're told you've been hand picked by him to take up the mantle of the new "Symbol of Peace."

Izumi flushed and she held her chest bowing her head slightly.

"Yes, he… he said he wants to announce it publically soon. He and my mother are to be married and he wants to announce his engagement and my new position soon."

"He said as much…" Aizawa said with a slight grumble. Izumi's nerves went on high alert as she wondered just what the staff thought of this situation.

"Chill out, chill out…" Present Mic bounced his hands in the air. "We're all kinds of pumped for this news!"

"Agreed…" Midnight continued. "I personally am glad that you'll be taking the reigns Midoriya. You've been an inspiration not just to your classmates but to many of the other students, and us as well. We know you'll do well."

Izumi smiled and flushed with pride this time, her shoulders straightening.

"Thank you, Midnight, everyone. I will do my best not to let anyone down."

"We know you won't. In turn," Nezu held up a hand. "Even though you'll be graduating soon and stepping out into the real world, us here at U.A. will always be here to support you. Please come to us if you ever have concerns, questions, or are in need of assistance of any kind."

"Yes… you've all been wonderful. I'd always dreamed of studying at U.A. and now that I have, I can promise you I will take what you and so many others have taught me and use it to keep our world safe, and protect it."

That's what I want, Izumi thought as she stared at this group of amazing heroes. She was The Lucky Hero: Usagi, the future symbol of peace and she couldn't let anything or anyone distract her from that. She knew she needed to make a decision where Shoto and Kacchan were concerned but they weren't her priority. As much as she loved them, cared about them, she had a responsibility and high expectations to live up to. Everything else would just have to wait.

~Ask Briry~

Briry: I hadn't planned on releasing this… not yet anyway, but there's been so many requests and questions about the events in between midori the Girlfriend and the two sequel fics that I decided to polish the timeline and get it released. I have several projects going on at once so the updates may take some time, but lucky for fans of this series I've already got the details figured out and just need to polish it some. Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter and are looking forward to more.

Next Chapter: A New Rivalry