Chapter Text
It's said the smallest decision can set off a chain reaction that changes the world. There are infinite universes out there, each defined by one small, single change from the rest. So that raises the question:
What sort of change created a world like this?
"It's fine now. Why? Because I am here."
Izuku sniffled as he stared at the computer screen, the boisterous laugh which had once left him bouncing with endless excitement now making his chest heavy with despair. His vision blurred with tears as he hugged his knees to his chest, the Hero's form growing even blurrier against the bright flames surrounding him in the video. In the background he distantly registered his mother standing in the doorway of the darkened computer room, speaking in low tones.
"...like this since... keeps watching... two days... Quirkless..."
The last word made Izuku wince, sucking in a shuddery breath drowned out by the crackling roar of fire in the video. More tears bubbled up in his eyes, obscuring his vision almost entirely, and as the video clip neared the end he heard his mother walk over.
"Izuku, I need to go run some errands," she announced, forcing a sad smile on her face. "Ayane-chan is going to watch you so be good for her while I'm gone, okay?" Izuku sniffled but nodded, not looking back at her. Unseen by him her smile faded, replaced by a look of near despair and hollowness as she left. Izuku remained still as he listened to her footsteps distantly retreat and the front door close, just watching the clip in silence. As it reached the end more footsteps approached him, softer and lighter than his mother's.
"I think that's enough of that for now," a new voice commented, and a hand reached to grab the mouse and closed out of the window. Blinking back his still-unshed tears, Izuku craned his head back to see a familiar teenage girl leaning over him to his right, her left eye covered by a white eye patch. She turned to look at him with her good eye and smiled, soft and gentle. "Watching videos in the dark is bad for your eyes, Izu-chan."
The young toddler just sniffled, rubbing at his eyes as he looked away from the screen. "Ayane-nee, mom told you, right?" he asked quietly, frowning heavily. "A-about the d-d-doctor..." He trailed off, unable to finish, and just looked down at his lap in heavy shame. Already he felt his eyes begin to water again, his face scrunching up in agony.
"She did," the teenager confirmed gently, pausing before she added, "That's a lot to take in, huh?"
Izuku openly sobbed at that, his head tilting back with a low whine. The older girl startled before quickly scooping him up into a panicked hug. "H-hey, don't cry! I-it's not that bad!"
"B-b-but I'm Quirkless!" he wailed, and actually saying it out loud just made him cry harder. Ayane made a noise of distress, clearly not sure how to handle a crying toddler. Thinking fast, she put him back down on the chair and began wiping away his tears.
"Is being Quirkless really that bad?" she asked, and his crying faded long enough to stare at her in a mix of shock and horror.
"H-h-how is it not bad?" he sobbed. "I-I-I c-can't, I c-c-can't—" I can't be a Hero, he thought dismally, but he couldn't say it out loud. His babysitter frowned, her hand raising to her mouth as she glanced to the side with a thoughtful gleam in her eye.
"...Izuku, do you want to know a secret?" she asked, turning her gaze back to him. Sniffling one last time, he wiped at his eyes and bobbed his head, and she gestured for him to lean forward. Blinking, he did as told, and she moved her head close to whisper in his ear. "I wish I was Quirkless."
He reeled back at that, his eyes wide and jaw dropping with disbelief. "Wha—why!? Why would anyone want to be Quirkless!? Especially you! Your Quirk is so cool and pretty!"
"It's got its nice parts," she agreed, absently reaching for the silver wing-shaped hairclip pinning her bangs to the side. "But it's got downsides, too. All Quirks do, some way worse than others. In fact..." She trailed off, looking hesitant, before shaking her head. "No, actually, I think you're a bit young to hear that one. But I know some people who would give anything to be Quirkless. And even then, some Quirks don't really do anything that special or flashy, so they might as well be Quirkless.
"The point is," she continued, meeting his gaze squarely, "Being Quirkless isn't that bad."
Ayane smiled at him then, warm and kind and full of fondness, and as he stared at her Izuku saw no pity in her eye, no guilt or sadness like his mom. Only gentleness and love.
Izuku felt himself start to tear up once again and burst into sobs once more, but this time for a different reason.
I wonder... How would things be if we never met?
Chapter 1
.::Rise and Shine::.
The first sign something was wrong was when Todoroki Shouto opened his eyes just enough to glimpse an unfamiliar cracked gray ceiling instead of his dorm room.
That alone had been enough to jolt him into instant alertness, any remaining traces of sleep vanishing as his eyes snapped wide open. He remained still, doing his best to catalogue his surroundings while his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. The room he was in looked empty and long-abandoned, void of furniture save for a tattered couch just in his peripheral vision and the paint on the walls chipping and cracked. Shouto himself lay in a corner, wrapped in a thick blanket and curled up on a slightly lumpy pile he suspected to be more blankets.
That was as much as he could observe without actually turning his head. He experimentally twitched his fingers and toes, finding everything responded fine and he didn't seem to be restrained in any way. After a long moment he rolled his head slightly to the side, getting a better look at the room. It confirmed there to be no furniture besides the couch, though he now noted a pair of boots next to him that seemed to be his size and he could see an open doorway which served as the only source of light in the room.
Dawn, he thought dimly as he studied the pale blue glow in the hallway outside, the soft color too natural to be from a light bulb. As he considered the implications something moved on the couch and he startled, snapping his gaze towards it. Now that he was looking at it directly he realized that someone was laying there, swathed in a ratty blanket similar in color to the couch's material, but he could clearly see a head of inky black hair facing away from him.
The person shifted a bit, rolling over slightly and a hand falling over the edge. Shouto felt his heart stutter to a halt as he recognized the wrinkled, purple skin marring the uncovered wrist, metal staples almost serving as a bridge to the unscarred hand. Dabi.
As if sensing his thoughts the figure rolled their head over, revealing the man's hideous patchwork face. The sagging purple bag beneath his right eye wrinkled further as the eyelid parted, a single turquoise orb glinting in the darkness. Shouto's blood chilled as it quickly aimed right at him to meet his own gaze, the staples lining the makeshift Glasgow grin stretching from his lips tugging tighter as the corners of his mouth twitched upwards in a small smirk.
"Mornin', Shouto-chan," the Villain mumbled sleepily.
At the sound of his voice a switch flipped in Shouto's brain and his shocked fugue vanished. He shot upright immediately, throwing the blanket aside and rolling off his makeshift bed to jump to his feet, his right foot slamming on the ground and sending a wall of ice rippling towards the couch.
A startled yelp sounded as the ice quickly encased the Villain, leaving only his head exposed, but Shouto paid him no mind as he bolted from the room. He snatched up the boots almost as an afterthought as he ran, ignoring the man's screams and shouts as he fled down the hallways.
Shouto had absolutely no idea what the hell was going on, but Dabi's presence made it quite obvious he'd been captured by the League of Villains. The Villain's yells echoed clearly through the dilapidated halls, and Shouto knew he likely only had seconds to get away before someone would come to investigate. Thinking fast, he ducked into one of the open doorways with telltale dim light filtering out and found it thankfully empty of people.
His attention immediately honed in on a dusty-looking window on the far wall and without hesitation he surged towards it, slamming his right palm against the glass. Ice frosted the window instantly, the brittle glass cracking under the cold and the icy coating minimizing damage to himself as he barreled through it. As he found himself in a free fall he had only two seconds to regret not looking out beforehand before he landed on the ground.
His training took over and he instinctively rolled upon landing, springing to his feet and running once more. He glanced around desperately as he ran from the building, trying to identify his surroundings. He appeared to be in some sort of abandoned factory district, the nearest buildings (still a bit too far for his liking) worn and shabby looking even from a distance. The sky still looked largely dark, but he could glimpse a pale yellow tint between some of the buildings telling him sunrise had just begun.
While looking around he spotted shimmering light reflecting off water through a hole in the fence enclosing the property, and he quickly changed course towards it. As he moved he glanced down to take stock of his state, and was surprised to realize he now wore jeans and a ratty-looking sweatshirt over a plain t-shirt. He had socks on but running barefoot wouldn't do much good. A glance at the boots revealed them to have zippers on the sides, and after a second's hesitation he began fumbling to tug them on, slowing down but not stopping..
It added a few heart-pounding seconds to his escape, making him wary of a Villain appearing to apprehend him. To his relief though no one appeared, and he tugged the zippers up—confirming the boots fit—and sprinted the remaining distance to the river. Three long strides later Shouto dove into the water, triggering the heat in the left half of his body to combat the icy chill as he swam with the current as fast as he could.
Like every morning, Uraraka Ochaco awoke to the alarm on her phone ringing.
Unlike every morning, when she reached for her phone on her headboard her gloved hand just swatted empty air.
That was enough to knock some of her grogginess away, moaning drowsily as her hand continued to pathetically paw at the air above her head and consistently fail to hit her phone or even the headboard. As she continued her sleepy fumbling some more of her grogginess faded, just enough to recognize that the alarm didn't come from above her head, but next to it. With that she dutifully repositioned her hand and her gloved fingers finally made contact with wood, patting around until she felt the familiar shape of her phone and finally hitting the volume button on the side to trigger the snooze.
Satisfied at the resulting silence, she exhaled and snuggled against her pillow to let herself wake up naturally.
Five seconds later she abruptly remembered she didn't have a bedside table and bolted upright in bed with a startled blink.
Her first thought upon looking at the room: it wasn't her dorm or her room at home, but it definitely belonged to her. She had always kept her room on the plainer side, but she recognized a few things like her beloved cactus plant on the desk and a framed family photo. Confused but not necessarily panicked (yet), she got out of bed hesitantly and started walking around the room, absently tugging her sleeping gloves off as she looked at everything.
Yep, this is definitely my stuff, she decided when she noticed a giant poster from an old anime about constellation-themed magical girls. She'd gotten it for her fifth birthday, but had opted against bringing to UA since it felt a bit too childish for a Hero in training. Confusion growing, she returned to her bed and snatched up her phone, and paused when she unlocked it. The lock screen photo was different; instead of her, Tsuyu and Ashido in their cheerleader costumes from the Sports Festival, it now showed her wearing a t-shirt with the logo for her dad's construction company.
"Is that a construction site?" she asked aloud, staring at the photo. The more she looked at it, the more certain she was that yes, it was a construction site. She could recognize the equipment in the background, and she held a hard hat under her arm as she grinned at the camera. The same hard hat which she now realized sat on her desk, right next to the photo of her middle school graduation.
As she pondered over the implications of this she heard a knock on the door. "Ochaco, honey," her mother's familiar voice called gently, making her perk up instantly. "Are you awake?" For half a second Ochaco considered the possibility she had been captured by a Villain and taken to some place, and that the person outside her door wasn't her mom. Then she looked at the poster for the Starlight Squad, and immediately dismissed the possibility. No way a Villain would bother learning about that.
"Yeah, I'm awake," she confirmed. The door opened and her mother poked her head in. She looked a bit different from how Ochaco remembered, but not in an imposter sort of way. Her hair looked a bit shorter, the worry lines on her face a little deeper but her overall expression a little less tired as she smiled.
"You're such an early bird, Ochaco-chan," she teased lightly. "Getting up early even on your day off."
Her phrasing made Ochaco blink. "Day off?" she repeated without thinking. Her mother's smile faded slightly at that, looking briefly surprised.
"Did you forget? Yesterday another boy almost got kidnapped on the way home from school, so your father wants you to stay at home today. He already headed out to the construction site so he could get an early start."
"O...oh," Ochaco said quietly, trying to process her mother's words. A boy almost got kidnapped? Her dad? What? As she struggled to figure out what was going on her mother sighed and shook her head sadly.
"I swear, sometimes it feels like this world's going to hell in a hand basket," she murmured. "It's good for business, I'll admit that much, but I wish things were just a bit safer, or you could at least have gone to high school..." Pausing, she then blinked and quickly smiled. "Oh, sorry sweetie, I didn't mean to talk like that in front of you. Anyways, breakfast is ready whenever you're ready to eat. You can even come down in your pajamas if you want," she added with a teasing smile, "It's been a while since we've had a day with just us girls here."
With that she withdrew and closed the door, leaving Ochaco to stand in ever-growing confusion. Slowly her gaze trailed to her phone, her index finger clicking down the power button to rouse it from sleep and reveal the photo of her again. Feeling a sense of unease growing in her stomach, she quietly unlocked her phone and found a group chat with several unread messages, recognizing the names as some of her dad's foremen.
'We'll miss you this week Ochacha! Just stay safe at home!' 'Don't worry about us, we'll be fine!' 'We're not totally dependent on you yet Ojouco-chan! We can last a week!'
Do... Do I work for dad's company? Ochaco wondered, her unease growing. Frowning, she quietly exited the chat app and pulled up her internet browser, going straight to Google.
Similar to Ochaco, Ashido Mina immediately noted her room fit her tastes, but didn't really match her dorm. She'd bought a lot of stuff just for moving to the dorms at UA, knowing she'd likely have her friends over more often, but this room had most of her old stuff.
Of course it was still very pink. Mina embraced her overly pink appearance from a young age and her bedroom reflected this. She especially loved the popping contrast of hot pink and black in particular, it felt so mature and cool. Her dresser, with the hot pink drawers and fuzzy top? She basically forced her parents to buy it for her when she was seven. The pink leopard print lampshade? She got that in middle school on sale at a fashion shop.
Surveying the room, Mina nodded and silently concluded, Yep, this is my room. She might not recognize the actual room, or a lot of the stuff in there, but this was definitely her stuff. Ergo, the room must belong to her.
With that settled, Mina began exploring the new space, opening a sliding door to reveal a closet. She found several sailor uniforms hanging up, with a black top and white fuku with two columns of red buttons down the middle, matched with a pleated red skirt with black trim on the bottom and a single thin white line just above the trim. Huh. Neat! But why was it here?
Frowning, she left it alone for the moment and went to her dresser, picking up the framed photos on it. They weren't all that familiar, but she did notice one had her in that very cool uniform, along with one of her middle school friends in the same uniform. They stood in front of a sign for a school called... Sakakura High School? Grabbing a cell phone which had been plugged into a charger sitting next to the frame, Mina unlocked it easily and quickly searched the school's name.
A beat passed as she looked at the top result.
"Haaah!?" she blurted, nearly dropping the phone. "It's in Kamino!?" She ran to the window and threw the pink leopard-pattern curtains open, revealing the skyline. Mina stared in shock at the city spread before her, taking a long moment to just absorb it.
...Mina didn't actually remember any landmarks in Kamino, or even Yokohama in general, so she wasn't sure if this was actually Kamino. But she could at least tell this place wasn't Musutafu or Tokyo.
As she looked at the city in confusion she noticed a distant explosion on a high-rise building, making her perk up. Villain attack? When another explosion occurred, she nodded to herself in confirmation. Yep, definitely a Villain attack. As a Hero in training with a provisional license, maybe she should go help. Or not. Thinking it over, she realized that, no, she probably shouldn't go help seeing as she didn't even know what was going on.
Decision made, she closed the curtains and turned back to survey her new bedroom, trying to figure out what to do. Mina knew she wasn't necessarily the best student when it came to stuff like academics or strategy, but she was pretty sure her classes at UA had never covered a situation quite like this.
Unsurprisingly, it took about two minutes for Kaminari Denki to wake up enough to enter full-blown panic mode.
In his defense, he'd never been a morning person. He considered it a victory that he no longer hit the snooze button on his alarm repeatedly and actually got out of bed the first time it went off. He usually spent his mornings shuffling around his room blindly, his eyes refusing to open for the first five minutes and leaving him dependent on his familiarity with the space to get around.
That had been what made him realize something was wrong. He kept bumping into stuff where stuff shouldn't be. Really, looking back his first clue should have been when he rolled out of bed on the right side only to bump into a wall. His bed in the dorms was against the left wall, not the right. But in his still-groggy state he'd just gotten out on the other side and proceeded to shuffle around like a zombie and bump into everything, far more than usual.
After nearly tripping over a shirt on the floor and then almost stubbing his toe on a waste basket, he finally managed to peel open his eyes enough to recognize he didn't recognize anything.
He yelped when he finally noticed, rubbing at his eyes to get rid of the lingering sleep and just swiveling his head around wildly. "What the hell, this isn't my room!" It looked nothing like his room at UA. If anything, it looked like a bunch of stuff that had been randomly grabbed just on the basis of how "cool" it was. Which, okay, he had to admit a lot of it was pretty cool. Like the collection of hats hanging on the wall. Or that lamp shaped like a lightning bolt. Or that framed autographed shirt from Deep Dope on the wall...
And the framed photo of him from that concert next to it...
Denki spent about three seconds staring at the photo, his face blank. That was definitely him in the photo, there was no denying that. He was sitting on some guy's shoulders pumping his fists into the air, electricity visibly crackling around his hands.
Okay, fine. So the room had a photo of him, and also a lot of stuff he thought looked really cool. But the arrangement was different than what he'd do! And he still doesn't recognize anything here! Though seriously, where did that lightning bolt lamp come from? That thing was awesome—no, bad Denki! Focus! Something was seriously wrong here! This might fit his tastes, but this wasn't his room!
But the biggest red flag?
There's a school uniform on top of the chair and it's DEFINITELY not UA's.
He couldn't even recognize what school it belonged to. It was a totally different style from UA's, a classic white button-up shirt with teal trim on the pockets and sleeves, along with a pair of dark blue plaid pants. He held the shirt up with a grimace, silently questioning what the hell what the hell wHAT THE HELL—
"No!" he scolded himself, slapping his cheeks with a frown. "Calm down Denki! Just... just calm down and think!" Right. Okay, to recap: he didn't know where he was, but he had a lot of his stuff here, but also some stuff he didn't recognize, like that lamp and those photos of him with some strange guy and also a cell phone—
A cell phone! He snatched it up immediately, jabbing the power button desperately. The screen lit up to reveal a photo of himself sleeping in that weird uniform with his face covered in hand-drawn lightning bolts, which, what the hell. He definitely didn't remember that. He pushed past the rising panic and entered his password, and to his immense relief it worked.
Hands trembling, he opened his text messages and promptly felt his stomach sink as a stream of unfamiliar names greeted him. Seriously, who were these people? The previews of the most recent texts sounded friendly and familiar—'see you later', 'lol nerd', 'ill tell him congrats for you', 'Don't forget to brush your teeth this time!'—but the names rang absolutely no bells.
As Denki scrolled through the list, desperately searching for someone familiar, he suddenly froze as a single name popped out at him. An angelic choir seemed to sound somewhere, a ray of golden light filtering from above to illuminate the lone name. With a deep breath he jabbed the text message and opened the contact information, hitting the call button and raising his phone to his ear with a pathetic whimper.
Around the same time, Jirou Kyouka stared at an unfamiliar apartment with pursed lips. While the space wasn't familiar, she recognized a lot of her furniture and possessions, a rug with a gray and black checkerboard pattern lining the floor and some of her instruments scattered about. Some things were missing, like her drum set and a few guitars, but she still had some of her amps and her favorite bass guitar. If anything, it actually felt a bit less cluttered than her dorm since this room was larger.
More notably though, her walls had been decorated with framed vintage album covers from her house, which... didn't make sense. Her dad had spent years collecting those, he'd freak out if she so much as touched them let alone take them into her room. Seriously, some of them were over two hundred years old, passed down from generation to generation on her father's side since before Quirks even emerged. Those were probably more valuable than their house.
But even more disconcerting than that was the school uniform laid out on her desk chair. White button-up top with a powder blue vest and a blue plaid skirt—definitely not UA's. Kyouka didn't know what school it belonged to; the vest had an emblem for it embroidered above the heart, but she didn't recognize it at all. So at the very least, the school wasn't in the Musutafu area.
As she studied it contemplatively she heard a cell phone ring and jumped, her head swiveling to see one sitting on the desk. The case didn't look familiar and the ring tone was a different Deep Dope song from the one she set. She walked over cautiously to peek at the screen, but when she saw a familiar name displayed she lost all hesitation and snatched it off the table to answer.
She didn't even lift it to her ear before she heard a wail from the other end that made her wince. "JIIRROOUUU!" Kaminari's ever-recognizable voice whined. "HELP ME! I'M IN AN UNFAMILIAR PLACE AND THERE'S A BUNCH OF MY STUFF HERE AND THIS UNIFORM I DON'T KNOW AND I HAVE TEXTS FROM ALL THESE PEOPLE I'VE NEVER HEARD OF—"
Kyouka winced as he continued to whine, holding the phone a little farther away from her head. Gritting her teeth, she pulled it close long enough to snap an irritated, "Calm down and shut up!" Almost immediately Kaminari went mercifully silent, though she could still hear him whimpering. Good enough. She took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of her nose as she moved the phone closer.
"Look, Kaminari. I'm not sure what's going on either," she said levelly. "But I'm in a different room with a bunch of my stuff."
"Wait, so you're not at UA either!?"
"I wish," she grumbled. It would be so much easier if one of them could get Aizawa, or even just one of their classmates like Yaomomo or Iida. For now though it looked like they were on their own. She took a breath as she tried to organize her thoughts. "Okay, first thing we should do is probably to assess our surroundings and get as much information as possible."
"Y-yeah, that sounds good," Kaminari agreed shakily, and Kyouka nodded as she surveyed her desk once more.
"Okay. Right now I'm looking at my desk and I have a different uniform too, and..."
She trailed off as she noticed an album propped on the desk like a photograph, her dad's name printed in the lower corner of a picture of her parents she recognized from their college days. They sat on a beach close to sunset, and her dad leaned forward to gaze at her mother with a transfixed smile. She sat cross-legged on the towel wearing a flowy shirt and jean shorts, her hair longer and hanging loose over her arm as she strummed a guitar.
They looked happy and content, totally at peace with themselves, but she barely paid them any mind. Her eyes were pointedly fixed on the draping black ribbons printed on the upper corners of the image, and the title "For Mika" in the lower left corner above her dad's name.
She faintly heard Kaminari calling her name just before the phone slipped from her fingers.
When Izuku woke up in an unfamiliar room, he quashed the initial instinct to freak out to focus on investigating instead.
The room looked unfamiliar, but not overly threatening. The bed he'd woken up in had a dark green cover, and there was a desk with a currently closed laptop and a small flat-screen TV. There were bookshelves, too, full of neatly-organized notebooks and books, and a dresser with a mirror with photos taped to it and what looked to be an envelope sitting on top of it? The bedside table had a dimly glowing orb-shaped lamp that gradually grew brighter with each passing minute, which provided the only light in the room since it lacked any windows.
The lack of windows admittedly unnerved Izuku a little bit, but at least the walls weren't bare. If anything, he found it comforting to find himself surrounded by posters for various Heroes. Some of them even felt like ones he had, like that limited-edition "Put Your Hands Up! Radio" poster from when Present Mic first started his radio show, and a reprint of the sadly defunct international rescue team Storm Chasers his neighbor gave him.
Other posters he didn't recognize at all though. In fact, some of the Heroes displayed were unfamiliar, which was beyond weird. Izuku knew all the Heroes big enough to have their own merchandise, and plenty more who didn't. So to see some he didn't recognize at all made him feel a bit uneasy.
More noticeably though, none of them displayed All Might.
The distinct absence of his mentor was almost as blaring as if the man had actually been in the room himself. His own room had been plastered with All Might memorabilia—both at home and after he moved into the dorms—so the distinct lack of his face among all these other Heroes made it feel off. Right now, Izuku would really feel better if he could see even a drawing of his mentor's bright, dazzling grin.
He got out of bed slowly, noticing he wore unfamiliar pajamas as he did so. They felt really nice and soft though, a classic button-down shirt and pants combo made with mint-green flannel that seriously, felt so soft. When he looked down he could pick out loose threads and slightly rough-looking patches in the fabric. Izuku bit his lip, wondering if he should be worried about wearing pajamas that someone clearly wore on a regular basis, and decided to check the dresser for something else to wear.
Pulling open the drawers... didn't really alleviate his unease. He found all sorts of shirts and pants that showed similar signs of regular usage, all of them looking to be his size. That just made him feel even more unsettled. Obviously he recognized none of it, but the clothing fit his tastes. Lots of basic t-shirts and shorts, though surprisingly few Hero-themed pieces of clothing.
As he looked through the drawers with a frown, he briefly glanced up at his reflection only to freeze. Something's not right. Izuku abandoned his search to stare at the mirror more closely, trying to pin what it was.
As far as he could tell, he looked normal. His hair was still dark and curly, if a bit messier due to just waking up. His eyes were the same vibrant green, his skin a healthy complexion. Actually, now that he thought about it he might look a little paler than he remembered, but not unnaturally so. Just the sort of pale from when he didn't get as much sunlight, like in winter. Also, he thought he might have a few less freckles than he remembered...?
He frowned, that sense of unease growing a little more. Overall he saw nothing blatantly wrong with his reflection and those tiny details could be his imagination, but he still couldn't shake the sense something was off. Staring so closely at his reflection was starting to feel kind of weird though, like he wasn't looking at himself, and he quickly lowered his gaze only to pause as his eyes lit upon the envelope.
There, in his own handwriting, was the simple phrase: "Izuku - Read In Case of Emergency".
"What the...?" he mumbled, frowning as he picked up the envelope. No matter how he looked at it, that was definitely his handwriting. The only alternative explanation he could think of was someone using a quirk to copy it, a thought which instantly set him on edge. Had he been kidnapped? Was this part of a trap?
Before he could think further a knock sounded on the door, making him jolt and almost yelp in surprise before forcibly smothering the sound. If he'd been kidnapped, it would be best to hide his consciousness as long as possible, even if it might just be a few seconds. "Izu?" a raspy voice called, and Izuku froze, his blood chilling and his eyes growing wide in horror.
He recognized that voice, that dry edge forever tinged with a quiet rasp, he could recognize it anywhere even if he'd only heard it a few times before. It was impossible to forget it. Not after he'd heard it breathe into his ear as a hand wrapped four fingers around his throat with the fifth hovering just above his skin. Not when he could still hear the low threats to Asui and taunts to Aizawa-sensei amidst the battle that still haunted his nightmares.
Shigaraki Tomura, Izuku thought in mute horror, his hands trembling as his grip tightened on the envelope. Just hearing him brought back all sorts of horrific memories, of all the trials and pain he and his friends had suffered because of this man and his twisted followers. If Shigaraki was there, that could only mean he must have been captured by the League of Villains, and was most likely in their headquarters.
Fighting Shigaraki head on would be tantamount to suicide. Izuku still lacked a good deal of control over One for All, and Shigaraki's mere touch could disintegrate people. It would only take one five-fingered slap to spell death for him, which he might be able to avoid—but even if he got away, then what? As far as he could tell he didn't have any of the gear Hatsume made him to help mitigate the blowback to himself, and he was still likely in the heart of the League of Villains' headquarters, surrounded by more Villains.
"Izu, are you awake?" the Villain called, breaking his line of thought. His voice was a bit softer than expected, lacking the taunting edge or quiet undertones of menace Izuku usually associated with it. He held his breath, not daring to make a sound in fear of what the Villain might do. After a moment Shigaraki called out again, a bit softer. "If you still feel bad, I guess I'll tell Kurogiri to put breakfast away for now. Just come out whenever, I guess."
Breakfast? Izuku thought almost hysterically. He'd been captured by the League of Villains, and Shigaraki was talking about breakfast? The sheer normalcy of the comment made him almost want to laugh. He expected the man to burst through the door and begin taunting him with that sleazy smile of his, rake four fingers through Izuku's hair while whispering menacing threats under his breath. Not talk through the door to let him know about breakfast.
Caught up in his frantic train of thoughts, Izuku almost didn't register the soft thuds of footsteps walking away until they'd almost faded completely, and he jumped as he realized that Shigaraki had left. Trying to steady his rapid breathing, he mentally counted to ten to try to calm himself. He then heard paper crinkling and froze, his eyes sliding downwards to see the edges of the envelope crumpled under his fingers.
Izuku - Read In Case of Emergency
The familiar strokes of his own handwriting seemed to call out to him like an old friend, trying to comfort him. Once again his thoughts returned to the possibility of a quirk that mimicked handwriting, a possibility that seemed even more likely now that he knew Shigaraki was involved. This could be a trap, some sort of way to get his guard down.
This situation was also, without a doubt, an absolute emergency.
Swallowing harshly, after a moment's hesitation he turned the envelope and opened the flap, pulling out several folded sheets of paper. He unfolded them with shaking hands and saw his handwriting once more, the words "DON'T PANIC!" written at the very top of the first page and underlined multiple times. Beneath it were six words that made him hold his breath:
Dear Izuku,
Hi, this is you.
Notes:
At long last here it is, the giant MHA fic I've been working on!
I've had this on the backburner for a while now, since... Last August, apparently. Wow. A heads up, this is going to be a HUGE story. The draft is already at 15 chapters, and that's not counting sections and scenes I've cut out or rewrote. It's constantly evolving. This story will primarily follow the six characters here, but they won't be the only Class 1-A members we'll get to see.
It took a while to decide the title. I ended up borrowing from the lyrics of "Hero" by Elizaveta. It was a toss-up between this and the line "Gamble an Unknown Price" from "What Did We Know" by Rachel Rose Mitchell. Both of these songs are INCREDIBLE and really fit this story's themes and plot, but I decided that the energy of Hero is more in tune with this story's atmosphere. I highly recommend listening to both of them!
For now I'll probably be doing updates once a week. I hope you enjoy the ride!
Chapter 2: Calm and Rational
Summary:
Shouto finally gets out of the river, and Izuku reads a letter which may or may not be real and has a small meltdown.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 2
.::Calm and Rational::.
By the time Shouto finally hauled himself onto a river bank the sky had become much lighter, sunrise finally taking effect and brightening the world. He dragged himself out of the water and sprawled on his back with a tired gasp, his limbs splayed outwards as he greedily sucked in air and tried to rest his weary muscles.
He couldn't tell how much time had passed since he first dove into the icy river in his desperate bid to escape, but he suspected it had been at least half an hour. Most of that time had been spent traveling underwater, surfacing for air only when absolutely necessary to avoid being seen by any potential pursuers. Each time he resurfaced the scenery underwent massive changes, the river's swift current carrying him away even faster than he'd expected.
Exposed to the dry air at last, Shouto could feel his clothes clinging to him uncomfortably, making him grimace. At least I can fix that, he thought as he willed the left half of his body to generate more heat to dry it out. It took some more intense concentration than usual since he hadn't needed to do this very often in the past, but he could still let his mind wander enough to reflect over his situation.
Right now, it looked like he'd successfully gotten away, but the sheer ease of it left him more wary and suspicious than anything. At some point during his escape he'd expected to hear angry shouting behind him, or to surface for air and find some random Villain on the riverside pointing him out. But since waking up, he never spied so much as another soul.
If that building had indeed been the League of Villains' base, there should have been a stampede his way the moment Dabi yelled out. The most logical explanation he could think of was that Dabi had been there alone. But why? Did that mean he'd been trusted to guard Shouto alone—or that he'd captured Shouto for personal reasons unrelated to the League? Their encounter during the attack at the summer camp flashed to mind unbidden, how the man had jeeringly addressed him before disappearing into the portal with Bakugou.
"How sad... Todoroki Shouto."
Just remembering his taunting smirk sent chills down his spine, making him grind his teeth in frustration. When faced with Dabi he couldn't help but recall how helpless he had felt back then, unable to do anything to save his classmate, and it made his blood boil.
Not what he needed right now.
Scowling, he sat up and looked down at his now-dried clothing, eyes narrowing critically. Now that the sense of urgency had faded he took time to study it in more detail. The clothing had obvious signs of wear. The jeans had a hole in the right knee, and the hem of the t-shirt was starting to fray. The hooded jacket he wore over it looked particularly well-used, the black fabric frayed around the sleeves' cuffs, and the left sleeve even looked a little singed.
Interestingly, the jacket had deep pockets sealed with zippers, and he now realized he could feel something in them. Hesitating, he unzipped one and reached inside, his fingers brushing against a bundled wad of fabric and something plastic. He pulled out the fabric first, unwrapping it to find... an eye patch?
He paused, confirming it was, indeed, a surgical eye patch, the color a little off and no longer a pristine white. Probably not that new. He glanced at the rest of the wad of fabric and recognized a medical mask usually worn when one had allergies or colds. It looked considerably fresher than the eye patch at least. Reaching back into the pocket to grab the other item, he pulled out a pair of surprisingly large sunglasses.
This... this would be useful. He didn't know where he was or if any Villains might be nearby, so he definitely needed to keep a low profile until he found help. The eye patch and mask combo might stick out a bit too much, but the glasses alone would easily hide the scar on his right side. If he put up the hood and covered his hair, he should be able to avoid notice until he could find a Hero.
Assuming, of course, the Villains didn't recognize his clothes. Shouto grimaced at the thought, knowing they would likely remember the clothing they'd put him in. He didn't even want to think about how he must have been changed into this, or whether the boxers he could feel under the jeans even belonged to him. He didn't exactly have any other clothing he could wear though.
He shelved the uncomfortable thought for now and opened the other pocket, hoping for a decent distraction from his sudden discomfort.
This time, he felt a cell phone and a tangled charger.
He perked up instantly as he pulled it out. It wasn't his phone, and the screen had several cracks near the edge, but it was better than nothing. Crossing his fingers that the impromptu swim hadn't damaged it, he moved to press the power button only to pause. Through the spider web of cracks on the screen he could faintly glimpse his reflection, the sight hazy and too dark to really be clear like a mirror. Even so though, he could immediately recognize a key difference from his usual appearance:
His hair was a single dark color.
Raising a hand to carefully touch the ends of his hair, he noted the texture felt different than he remembered. Slightly more coarse, maybe a bit dirty, like it hadn't been properly washed in a while. He yanked a strand loose and held it up to his eye to squint at it. It looked pitch black, which made no sense since he'd pulled it from his right side—the side with white hair.
"What the hell?" he hissed, panic starting to bubble inside him. Did they dye his hair while he slept? How did he sleep through that?!
No, he thought abruptly, silencing his rising unease as his more logical side took over. The texture of his hair didn't fit with that theory. He could tell by touching it that it hadn't been properly washed in at least a few days, meaning the color had been like that for at least that long. On that note, he distinctly remembered taking a shower last night so it should be clean. He briefly considered a body-switching quirk, but immediately dismissed it since he still had his quirk as well as his scar.
So his memories had been erased, then? That seemed like the most logical explanation. The specific details could wait though. For now he pressed the power button on the phone, holding his breath until the screen finally lit up with the company's logo. Never had the boot up process felt so long, the seconds seeming to stretch into minutes as he waited for it to finish. Finally the screen shifted to a generic phone background patterned after fire, making him snort.
Might be Dabi's then, he thought, thinking of the man's blue flames. Something about the memory made his stomach twist uncomfortably, but he pushed it away for the moment and swiped across the screen. An entry box for a pin code came up, making him grimace. He didn't know what the code might be, and he didn't dare try to guess it in case it might be programmed to send some sort of location alert in case of a wrong guess.
While he couldn't unlock it, the lock screen at least showed the time and date, and his eyes quickly darted towards it: November 14th, 7:19 AM.
His stomach tightened with sudden dread, a cold chill washing over him that had nothing to do with the wind or his Quirk. No, that couldn't be right. Not because he'd lost any time, but because that lined up exactly with what the date should be. Last night he remembered seeing the date November 13th when he checked his phone after hearing it ring in the shower. Once again he unconsciously reached for his hair, the stands still unclean under his fingertips.
What's going on?
'DON'T PANIC!'
Izuku found the underlined instructions at the top of the letter very hard to follow as he stood in an unfamiliar bedroom in the middle of the League of Villains' apparent headquarters. He took another deep, calming breath as he forced himself to look down at the rest of the letter, noting the paper shook a bit as his hands trembled. 'Don't panic,' his handwriting said. Easier said than done.
Part of him questioned if he should even bother reading it, because chances were the letter was fake and he'd be wasting time. On the other hand though, he was already kind of absolutely screwed over.
Right now, it was safe to assume he was in the heart of the League of Villains' headquarters. Escaping on his own would be nigh-impossible; Shigaraki alone could easily kill him, and he had no idea who else might be there. Chances were he'd be mobbed the second he opened the door. He winced and squeezed his eyes shut, forcibly shoving down his shudder at the thought of who (or what) might be outside the door.
The only thing going for him was that he hadn't been restrained, which didn't add up. A lot of things didn't add up, actually. Shigaraki's tone hadn't been cruel when he called out to him, sounding almost gentle, which Izuku honestly thought might be even creepier than if he'd been threatening him. Along with that, this room didn't match up with a prison cell; in fact, all signs pointed to it being someone's bedroom.
He frowned and looked up at the mirror, focusing on the photos he'd noticed taped along the edges during his cursory inspection after first waking up. He hadn't actually looked at them yet, but now that he did he sucked in a sharp breath, immediately recognizing Shigaraki's withered-looking face in the topmost one.
The Villain sat in what looked like a bar, his chapped lips pulled upwards in a creepy-looking smile and the deep wrinkles above his eyes creased further by the expression. Behind the counter stood Kurogiri, the man's misty form constrained into a bartender uniform of all things as he polished a glass. Izuku almost didn't notice him, his attention focused on the prosthetic hand Shigaraki held up with the palm facing the camera and fingers spread as if waving.
Gulping, Izuku tore his eyes away from the photo to look down at the next one. And then immediately regretted it as he recognized his own face.
He was incredibly young in this one, standing in a park with Kacchan covered in dirt and sporting big grins at the camera. He'd been too young to remember actually taking the picture, it had been taken but he still recognized it instantly, it had been taken way back when they'd been toddlers. Back before Kacchan manifested his Quirk and Izuku had been diagnosed as Quirkless, before they'd grown apart.
Its presence here chilled him, a deep shudder coursing through his body. Last he'd seen it had been when he moved into the dorms at UA, when he'd looked at it and decided to stow it in a drawer just in case the other boy ever decided to visit the room for some reason. Back then it had been in a frame, but here it just hung loose on the mirror, held in place by a piece of tape. Why the heck would this photo be here out of all the other pictures he owned?
At this point, Izuku honestly didn't know which picture he found creepiest anymore: that one, or the photo below it showing him and his parents. It looked innocent enough at first glance. They were at home at the kitchen table, Izuku beaming at the camera as he sat next to a birthday cake with a candle shaped like the number eight on it while his parents smiled behind him.
While he couldn't decide if it was the creepiest, this one was probably the most concerning, because he didn't remember it. No, more than that, he remembered his dad had missed his birthday that year due to a storm delaying his flight back from America.
This photo shouldn't exist.
Okay. Okay. This made no sense. This made no sense. THIS MADE NO SENSE. Don't panic, he mentally commanded himself in an attempt to calm down, and then paused as he recognized the words as an echo of the letter in his hands. He snapped his eyes back to the paper instantly, his breath catching in his throat as he looked at his handwriting.
'Dear Izuku,
Hi, this is you.'
Those six words served as an anchor for Izuku, roping him out of his anxieties and giving him something to focus on. He still didn't know for sure if this handwriting belonged to him or some imposter, but right now it didn't matter. Nothing about the situation made any sense, and at this moment this letter might be his only clue to what was going on.
Gritting his teeth, he silently counted to ten and paced his breathing to something less like hyperventilating, and then began reading.
'Dear Izuku,
Hi, this is you. Sorry in advance, I know this is probably really awkward and scary for you, so I'll just get to this point. If you're reading this, then you're probably having a memory-loss episode. Again. It happens sometimes.'
He paused. That... was not how he expected the letter to go. At all. Frowning, after a moment he resumed reading, squinting at the paper more closely.
'When we were twelve we got attacked by a guy whose quirk screwed with our memories. We got better, but sometimes our memories randomly get a little messed up and we forget again for a while. We (as in, me and everyone else, not just you and me) call them "episodes" because it's just easier. We don't know why it still happens, but it does. So I decided to just write this letter to catch you up on everything (and so we don't have another "escape" incident). I also keep a daily journal, but it's easier to go over the "bigger picture" things in a letter first.
So to start, the episodes usually leave us with really hazy memories, and what we remember seems to vary a lot in each one. First off, you may or may not recognize Shigaraki Tomura as a Villain. Don't panic! He won't hurt you! Actually, we call him Tomura-nii. We've been living with him and the Villain Alliance since we were eight.
If you don't know why we'd start living with them, then, well... Sit down. If you remember, just skip the next paragraph.'
Izuku paused again, feeling his stomach churn as he considered the two paragraphs. A memory-scrambling quirk? Episodes of amnesia? Villain Alliance? Tomura-nii!?
Distantly, he thought it was amazing how two paragraphs could totally throw everything he knew out the window. He'd barely even started reading this thing and already it sounded like some sort of fiction. Glancing at the warning to sit down, he decided it couldn't be more shocking than the other stuff so far, so he just continued reading where he stood.
He regretted it immediately.
'When we were eight, Dad got into a bad car accident in America. He was okay, but he couldn't fly home alone. We still had school so we stayed with Kacchan's family while Mom went to America. On their way back... the plane crashed. Everyone died.'
Izuku reread that five times, eyes wide and disbelieving and a strange numbness slowly creeping over him. No way. Trembling, he opened his mouth and a shaky breath escaped him, tinged with a high-pitched sound he recognized as the start of a sob. Feeling his legs begin to wobble, he turned and staggered towards the bed before he could collapse, his steps far too clumsy for his liking.
When he got close enough he just threw himself onto the mattress before his legs could give out entirely, landing with a thump and burying his face in the blanket. The paper fell onto the comforter forgotten for the moment, his empty hands clutching at fabric instead. Squeezing his eyes shut, he quietly counted to ten and tried to control his breathing.
Five sentences. Five sentences was all it took to make his world feel like it shattered.
It's a lie, he thought, This wasn't written by me, it's all just lies to screw with my head and make it easier to manipulate me. Izuku knew it was likely a trap, meant to shock him and lower his guard. Yet while he knew that logically, emotionally he felt the beginnings of panic and despair starting to bubble inside him, a crushing sense of emptiness blossoming painfully in his chest.
Even if the letter might be full of lies, something about reading it in his own handwriting made it feel more real, and he could feel the familiar sensation of tears springing in his eyes. For a minute he just stayed like that, trying to control his breaths and waiting for the tightness in his chest to loosen.
Izuku knew he couldn't stay like that for long though. His current situation didn't give him much leeway to waste time freaking out, not when there were Villains all around. Soon he forced himself to sit up, rubbing at his eyes as he slumped against the wall. He turned his attention back to the letter, his expression smoothing into a stony mask of determination even as an overwhelming sense of dread crept over him.
Izuku had no idea what to expect from the letter anymore, and less idea if he could even trust it. However, right now this small stack of papers was his only clue as to what was going on. Even if he had every reason to doubt its contents, his only alternative would be to actually go into the hallway and look around, which he'd prefer not to do. At the very least the letter gave him a starting point. The opening paragraphs mentioned something about daily journals, so he could poke around to look for them afterwards.
First, though, he needed to finish reading this. Mentally steeling himself, he grabbed the papers and turned them over to resume.
'After that we lived with the Bakugou family for two months. Then, when the school year ended, we ran away. Don't ask me the reason. I don't think we were thinking that clearly back then, we were just kinda upset and felt like a Deku. And that's when we ended up meeting Tomura-nii and Kurogiri-san. They're not actually the ones who found us, but if you don't remember how we got to the headquarters or why we're still here... Well, it might be better I don't say. Sorry. I don't want to write it down where someone could possibly find it.
Just, understand. Tomura-nii is our family now. He cares about us, a lot. I mean it. He's even killed people who tried to hurt us before. (Freaky, I know! It's his way of showing he cares, he just had a bad childhood. Like, really, really bad.) As far as he's concerned, we—as in, you , Izuku—are his only family, whether you remember him or not. So don't be afraid of him, he won't hurt you.
The others are pretty okay too, especially Kurogiri-san and Mr. Compress. Aiko-nee is nice too of course, but she doesn't come by too often anymore. Oh man I hope you remember her, I can't write down about her anywhere. If you don't though, I swear you can trust her.
Just—you are absolutely safe right now. There's no need to freak out. No one will hurt you.
I wish that was all I needed to write, but the episodes can screw with our memories a lot. Those are just the most urgent facts. We've tried to run away before thinking we were in danger, and it usually ends pretty messily for everyone involved. Mainly, I cry a lot and Tomura-nii ends up disintegrating like three different walls in frustration. It's really embarrassing after we get all our memories back, and kind of the reason I decided to write this letter in the first place. Well, one of them, anyway.
Hopefully now you're a bit more calm, so I can get to the really big, world-shattering stuff. As in, literally world-changing events. Sometimes we forget this stuff too, so I hope you're still sitting down.'
Once again Izuku stopped reading, this time heeding the warning and taking a moment to brace himself. After how shocking the rest of the letter had been, he didn't doubt the sincerity of the 'world-shattering' bit. Even though he kept reminding himself it was likely all a fabrication, it was easy to forget that since he was reading it in his own handwriting.
Reading it inside this room didn't help matters, either. He glanced up at the Hero posters plastered on the walls, at the bookshelf full of books with spines he recognized from his own bookshelf. The still-open drawers in the dresser where he could glimpse clothing in his size that matched his tastes. The room might be unfamiliar, but the space felt like somewhere he would live, the contents subtly pointing at him as the owner.
The only real disparity was the lack of anything about All Might, but Izuku knew Shigaraki had a grudge against his mentor. If he did start living with the Villain at a young age—especially after running away—he probably wouldn't have much All Might memorabilia on hand. An action figure and hoodie, maybe, but Shigaraki seemed like the type of person who would just disintegrate any merchandise out of spite. When taking the story the letter told into account, it... made sense.
Blinking, Izuku quickly shoved the thought away, his frown deepening. Focus, you still don't know if any of this is actually true. He took a few seconds to steel his nerves before turning his attention back to the letter.
It still didn't prepare him for the next sentence.
'When we were seven, All Might died in a battle against the villain All for One.'
Notes:
Thank you for the large support so far! I've gotten a good amount of comments so far, and over 50 kudos on one chapter. I'm glad you guys like it so much!
So Izuku's letter has the highlight here. It doesn't explain how he got here, but hey, at least we have an explanation for other Izuku's life with the League. Also, because this is an alternate universe, the League of Villains is called the Villain Alliance there. No reason to keep the same name.
Not much else to say. I'll be posting at least one chapter a week, probably on the weekends, so see you then!
Chapter 3: Not All Lies
Summary:
Izuku continues to read the letter. There's a lot of stuff to unpack.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 3
.::Not All Lies::.
All Might is not dead.
The words kept repeating in Izuku's head as he stared at the letter, a silent mantra to combat the numbness creeping over him from that last sentence.
Of all the claims in the letter so far, that had to be the one he despised the most, the most ridiculous and unbelievable one of all. His fingers scrunched up the paper as he glared at the offending sentence, his face twisting into a scowl.
Even now he could feel the power of One for All flowing under his skin, indisputable proof of his meeting with the man. If All Might had truly died when he was seven, then there was no way Izuku could have gotten that power. Therefore, the letter had to be lying. Nothing but lies, period. End of story.
Except...
His gaze flitted upwards, honing in on the mirror where the pictures were taped. He couldn't see them from the bed, but he clearly remembered the unfamiliar picture of him and his parents. Even though he didn't recognize it, he had no doubts that it was his real parents in it. His mother's eyes had that warm joy and love tinged with an almost sad sort of glow from her constant concern over him, and his dad's grin had that relieved, content slant he always had when he managed to actually be there for a big event.
No shape-shifting quirk could mimic those sort of expressions, the genuine emotion conveyed in the minutest details of their faces.
So why couldn't he remember the photo?
His breathing had become fast and uneven again, he realized. He grit his teeth and forced himself to calm down, looking down at the letter with a frown.
The idea of All Might dying still made him equally furious and scared, but he couldn't let his emotions get the best of him. He needed to keep on reading, and so he did. This time he did so with a resolve to finish it, determined not to stop until he reached the end.
'After that, everything changed. The world's balance shifted without him, and villains became more commonplace. When we were around twelve, UA High School shut down after a group of villains (NOT Tomura-nii or the Villain Alliance!) attacked the entrance exam, slaughtering almost everyone taking it. I think that made the imbalance even worse. Society hasn't fallen apart, but it's still not as safe as when we were little.
A lot of heroes have died or left the scene since then. There aren't many agencies that operate with a public headquarters anymore, too many attacks on them with too much collateral damage. Most heroes are more underground now. Some still talk to media, but they're way more secretive after a lot of bad incidents with families and friends getting attacked. Rescue heroes like Thirteen get left alone though, since they don't fight Villains, so that's good at least.
But there's a lot less people becoming heroes now, because it's becoming more dangerous. Sometimes even kids with strong quirks will get targeted by villains, so lately everyone—hero or civilian—is trying to keep a lower profile. Some people become vigilantes though, which is a bit... messy.
Society's kinda messy, but it's starting to sort of calm down, I guess. Because heroes aren't as common anymore police are allowed to use their quirks too, and heroes mostly focus on the bigger crimes. There's some sort of massive underground hero network, sort of like a resistance that targets the major villain groups, but we don't know many details. Tomura-nii is really frustrated by that.
Tomura-nii and the Villain Alliance are kind of new, but they've gotten a reputation. Because of that, we—as in, you—are also sort of wanted. Most people don't know who we are and there aren't any public wanted posters of us, but we do know our name's been leaked to that underground network. Actually, during the last episode I had, a new hero infiltrated one of our other bases and tried to get us to leave with him. Kurogiri stopped him before we left and the hero got away, but it was a close call. That's the other reason I decided to write this, I guess, to prevent a repeat of that.
That should cover all the big stuff. Depending on how much you remember I know it might be hard to believe all of this, but it's true. If you need proof, our 'Hero Analysis for the Future' books will fill you in on who's dead and who's alive. They're on the bookshelf in our room, I update them whenever someone dies. I also started listing villain quirks in them, so you can use them to help get familiar with everyone here. And if you still have doubts, you can just go online with our phone or laptop to look this up. I mean, villains can't fake the entire internet, right?
Other than that, the rest of this letter will just be a list of major ongoing events in our lives that you should probably know about. I'll date them and cross out stuff that's not relevant anymore, but hopefully there won't be anything urgent. Tomura-nii tries to keep us out of Alliance business since we're, you know. Quirkless. Guess that's one perk, right? Heh.
Anyways, good luck Izuku. Your memories will come back eventually, so just put up with it for a bit. There's a map of the base in Journal 2 if you need help getting around.'
After that, the next page contained a list of dates and events, several of them crossed out just as promised. Izuku ignored it for the moment, getting up from the bed to stalk straight to the bookshelf. When he got close he could recognize one shelf to be populated with his Hero Analysis notebooks, only it contained far more volumes than he remembered keeping. Pulling out the one on the far end, he saw the title "QUIRK ANALYSIS VOLUME 31" on the cover in his handwriting.
The difference in the title made him frown, immediately doubtful of its veracity based on that alone. When he opened it though he quickly realized why he might have changed the title. The first page showed a rough sketch of Toga Himiko, accompanied by a detailed analysis of her Quirk. Definitely not a hero. It didn't tell him anything new, just further re-confirmed Toga could transform into people by drinking their blood.
He read over the notes closely, looking for the smallest discrepancy, but even so he couldn't help but notice how much it fit his own voice. It included speculations about the exact limitations of her Quirk, and comments about how she seemed unstable and a bit creepy, but 'Tomura-nii promised he won't leave her alone with me too much.' That made him blanch a bit, and he put the notebook back before turning to the earlier ones.
According to the letter, he ran away at age eight and started living with Shigaraki then. If Izuku seriously attempted to run away, he couldn't imagine not bringing his notebooks with him, a suspicion he confirmed when he pulled out the first one to find the colorful notebook he'd received in preschool with his childish scrawl dubbing it as Hero Analysis for the Future, Volume One. For the time being he set it on another shelf and turned to the other notebooks, scrounging his memories for hints as to when he wrote each one.
The letter noted two major points of divergence in his life, the most obvious being when his parents died at age eight. Before that though, All Might died when he was seven. The volume from that time would be the most impacted by it, and have the most concrete evidence of the change in history.
He couldn't remember exactly when he wrote each one, having spent years accumulating his analysis books, but he vaguely recalled being excited when his mom gave him an especially nice All Might notebook for his seventh birthday. Back then he'd promised to set it aside for when he would start Volume Six, though ultimately he'd dedicated it purely to the number one Hero. At the time Izuku had been halfway through the previous one, but he couldn't remember when he moved on.
Hesitating, he reached out and pulled Volume Five. The letter didn't say when All Might died; it could have been anywhere from a week later to just days before his eighth birthday. He was pretty sure he managed to hit Volume Six before his next birthday though, so Volume Five would be his best bet. Taking a deep breath, he opened the cover and looked at the page.
The first page had a drawing of a newbie hero who debuted the day he got the notebook, a man named Penn who could manipulate ink. Izuku remembered his career ended only two years later after his hometown got struck by a tsunami, suffering serious injuries while rescuing people that landed him in the hospital for two months. Afterwards he announced his retirement, explaining his parents had died in the tragedy and he wanted to support his younger sister who had also been seriously injured then.
It had been one of the first times Izuku could remember a hero retiring in his lifetime. Heroes rarely retired so early, so it had caused a large stir in the media. Later when he got older he'd learn some people had harshly criticized his decision as selfish, but he recalled being in awe that even his reason for retiring—to care for his sister—had been heroic. It had been one of his first looks at the real-world risks of heroics.
However, according to this notebook, that hadn't happened.
'DEAD,' declared messily scrawled writing right next to his name. He felt a chill run down his spine, and he looked down to find the word repeated all around the edges of the sketch, filling the margins and running off the page. The strokes were rough and jagged, clearly written under great stress. In a few places he could even see small holes in the page where the pencil had pushed hard enough to tear. The few spaces void of the word told of a tragic battle with Toxic Chainsaw that went horribly wrong.
Stomach twisting in discomfort, Izuku began turning the pages and felt his horror only grow. Several of the entries had been similarly edited and marked, naming hero after hero as dead or forcibly retired. Some had the same messy scrawl and rips, but perhaps more disturbing were the ones with much neater editing. A more mature and steady hand calmly noted "dead" next to names along with a date, and then added notes in the margins on how they died, or a comment saying "check volume X for details". The sheer orderliness of the writing on those entries spoke volumes of the lack of emotion he'd felt writing them, as if he'd gotten used to it.
His hands stilled as he reached another such entry, but this time not because of who was on it, but who was next. He had referenced his old notebooks enough to have a vague sense of where to find each hero, and the person on next page had been the most heavily referenced one of all. Swallowing, he slowly turned the page, genuinely dreading what he'd find.
A childish drawing of All Might stared up at him, grinning with a too-big smile and cartoonishly large muscles. However, the lines had become warped, the paper littered with long-dried wet spots that distorted the pencil markings. Tearstains, he realized. Below the drawing, in far-too tiny and shaky handwriting, was the word, "Dead."
Seeing that word—so small and feeble-looking even on paper—made his stomach drop. The page next to it, which had once contained the first of several pages of excited scribbling about his then-mysterious quirk, was gone. Not just ripped out, but removed entirely, not even a shred of ripped paper left in the spine hinting at its existence. As far as he could tell all of the pages in the section were like that, the next one instead blank but allowing him to faintly glimpse a drawing of the next hero on the other side.
Staring down at it, Izuku felt... hollow. While part of his brain still screamed it was all a lie, a fabrication to fool him into believing the letter's story, something about looking at his notebook made it actually feel more real. He had never realized just how much emotion could be conveyed through handwriting alone, and this notebook had it in spades.
It's my writing for sure, he thought distantly. But was it really? While it definitely hadn't been a mere forgery of his handwriting, that didn't make it real. It could be an illusion set in his mind, pulling details from his memories to create a believable lie. Of course, he didn't know of any Quirks that could create such a heavily detailed illusion—usually they tended to be small and much more limited, not one that could alter a person's entire perception of the world like they'd been thrown into another dimension—
And once more, his thoughts ground to a halt.
Another dimension.
It... it wasn't unheard of, a Quirk that could warp to other dimensions. The ones he knew of involved personal pocket dimensions though, not some alternate version of reality. But even so, Izuku couldn't outright dismiss the idea. The science behind Quirks still had a lot of room for discovery. Brand new mutations and never before-seen abilities seemed to pop up every day, and depending on how such a Quirk functioned, he could see someone disguising it as a different type of Quirk altogether.
If such a Quirk did exist and had been used on him, then it probably operated by jumping to alternate timelines. It seemed like the simplest idea, weird as it was to use "simple" here. Instead of several massive changes like people having different Quirks—or even no Quirks at all—it would be easier to simply go to a timeline where a single event had changed. And he didn't need to think long to figure out what caused the major divergence: All Might's death.
A world without All Might was beyond his imagination. In Izuku's world, the man had just retired a few short months earlier, and they were only just starting to see the effects of the void left by his departure from the hero scene. He couldn't begin to picture the ramifications of him dying suddenly in battle, but the letter's description of society in this world seemed to fit the bill.
Turning the idea over in his head, Izuku frowned and glanced to the side, his gaze resting on the laptop on the desk. The letter had said that if he had any doubts he could look it up online, and he had no better ideas. After all, as his handwriting pointed out, no villain could fake the entire internet. Closing the notebook and sliding it back onto the shelf, he quietly plodded over to the desk and slid into the chair before lifting the lid.
His own laptop had an All Might background, but this one had a picture of some video game character he didn't recognize. He shuddered slightly for reasons he didn't really get, and quickly opened the browser and began clicking around. He recognized a lot of the sites on the bookmark list as ones he had often frequented, but also saw several unfamiliar ones. Clicking on a news site he trusted, he skimmed the selection of headlines with a keen eye.
Nothing particularly stood out—at least, not in the way he'd hoped. The top story noted a kidnapping attempt dated the prior day that had been thwarted at the last minute, and he opened it to find a recounting about a recent string of kidnappings. All of them targeted children and teenagers with strong or useful Quirks, leading to speculation that it was the work of a Villain organization trying to recruit people.
Izuku felt his stomach churn with discomfort, a visceral sense of unease that left him shivering. He quietly exited the article and skimmed the other headlines, before abandoning the news site entirely and opening a new tab. He didn't know what bookmark to check next, but the browser opened a search engine automatically with the tab, the blank field calling for him to type something.
His first choice was obvious: UA High School. The letter said it closed about four years ago, and he couldn't believe that—just couldn't. But when he hit 'enter,' a string of articles appeared with titles like 'Tragedy of UA' and 'Massacre Closes Top Hero School.' His stomach roiled at the headlines, feeling the blood drain from his face as he saw thumbnails of photos full of smoking buildings and people. Swallowing harshly, he clicked one of the articles and began reading. Then he clicked another, and another.
By the time he finally closed the browser half an hour later his mood had plummeted, his blood ice cold and just feeling generally numb. The sheer volume of articles and information had erased any doubts about this potentially being an illusory world or some dream. No illusory Quirk could conjure so many different articles with such extensive detail; even the strongest illusions had their limits, and creating a full-blown world with its own, unique history was definitely beyond any he'd heard of.
Izuku closed the laptop silently, his mind reeling as he returned to the bed where he'd left the letter. Picking it up gingerly, he skimmed over his writing with a more somber mood. He still had all sorts of questions about his situation, still didn't know how this was happening, but the letter was his only real source for his personal circumstances. With that thought he went to the back and looked at the list of major 'current' events, noting the first had been dated February of the previous year, and began reading it almost numbly.
A majority of it had been crossed out, suggesting the events were "finished" or at least no longer relevant. He struggled to make out some of the crossed-out words anyway, the slashes rendering some of the kanji frustratingly difficult to read, before finally giving up and flipping closer to the end of the list. The last several events were unmarked and easily legible, and he went back to the earliest one and started reading.
Not many of them seemed particularly notable. Just warnings to be careful if he went out due to increased hero activity in the area, a somber announcement that someone with a name he didn't recognize had died, and a notice to check his journal about a potential new recruit who made him feel a bit uncomfortable ("I feel bad about how everyone's treating him, but I might be able to be friends with him if he can warm up to me").
When Izuku reached the final item he noticed it was dated November 9, about a week before the last date he remembered. Realizing he didn't know the date (or time, for that matter), he glanced around the room and quickly spied a calendar hanging on the wall above his bed next to a poster of Selkie. Each day had been clearly marked off, identifying today as November 14. That... matched up with his memories alright.
With that settled he turned back to read the final item only to freeze. Eyes going wide, he jumped up and ran to the bookshelf, pulling out the notebooks until he found one marked Journal 2. Practically ripping the cover open, he found a hand-drawn map on the second page and quickly analyzed it to get his bearings before racing out of the room, holding it over one arm. The letter lay on his bed all but forgotten, the final event still ringing in his mind:
'November 9: The League captured Kacchan to try to recruit him. He's in Room 7. I don't know what to do.'
Notes:
So, fun story: my laptop is currently in the shop because I dropped it and damaged the screen. The data on it is fine and I'll get it back Monday or Tuesday, and I had a copy of this chapter on another computer to edit. But yeah, friendly reminder to ALWAYS back up your files people.
Otherwise, behold, the first of many mind-screws for Izuku! Any guesses on how the meeting will go?
Chapter 4: An Unsettling Meeting
Summary:
Jirou and Kaminari meet up, and Izuku goes to visit Katsuki.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 4
.::An Unsettling Meeting::.
Kyouka drummed her fingers against her cheek in an unsteady rhythm as she sat at the kitchen table, glaring down at the (her?) cell phone. She had spent the past twenty minutes just scrolling through various news sites trying to get her bearings, and so far nothing made sense.
All of the news stories seemed pretty run of the mill at first glance, with maybe a few more about villains than usual, but it didn't take long to notice some strange patterns. For starters, police tended to use their quirks on the more petty villains. That alone stood out because only Pro Heroes were allowed to use their quirks in that sort of manner. That led her to notice another detail: there were less stories about heroes.
When she switched to the tabloid sites she found them almost totally void of Pros, focusing instead on musicians and actors. Kyouka frowned as she scrolled down the list of headlines, fingers tapping her cheek at a faster pace. The tabloids LOVED talking about Pro Heroes, to the point they had entire magazines dedicated purely to intruding on heroes' personal lives. The distinct absence of so much as even Present Mic felt wrong.
A frantic pounding on the door jarred her from her thoughts. She quickly got up and took her phone with her as she went to answer it, typing in another website address even as she unlocked it. "JIROU!" Kaminari screeched as the door opened, flinging himself at her with tears in his eyes. Kyouka neatly sidestepped the sudden embrace without looking up and the blond stumbled forward into the now-empty space, nearly falling. He caught his balance and quickly righted himself while she used her foot to kick the door shut behind him.
"Don't yell, I don't know how sound proof the walls are," she muttered, pulling up a different window in the browser. She finally raised her head to find Kaminari staring at her with panic in his eyes, not that she could blame him. Deep down she felt the same sort of unease and anxiety, the sheer mass of unknowns leaving her feeling more vulnerable than ever, but she forcibly smothered those feelings as she focused on the blond's rambling.
"We're totally in Hosu!" he whined. "I looked around while I was heading here and this is absolutely Hosu and I don't remember moving here, this makes no sense—"
"We already established that, idiot," Kyouka cut in dryly, shooting him an annoyed glare. During their earlier phone call she'd checked the tags on the unfamiliar uniform for the school's name, and a quick internet search had turned up a regular private high school in Hosu. When Kaminari found the same school name on his own uniform, she'd quickly opened the map on her phone to get her address and sent it to him.
Part of her was impressed he'd managed to find his way there without getting lost. Normally she'd expect him to find her fine, even if he barely managed to scrape by in their classes, but he also had a tendency to panic in crazy, unexpected situations. That had also been why she'd decided against going to his location instead. Whoever waited could use the time to investigate on their phones, and Kyouka had some doubts about Kaminari's ability to calmly gather information in a short time.
Her decision had paid off, she thought as she gestured to the table. "Sit down. I found some stuff, but it's not going to be pretty." Kaminari whimpered as he scurried over to the kitchen table, sinking into the chair and looking at her with baleful yellow eyes. Kyouka didn't react to the look as she slid into the seat next to him, putting her phone down on the table so he could see the screen. "I looked up UA and found this."
Shooting her a hesitant look, he leaned forward to read it and then squeaked in surprise, the color draining from his face. "W-what the hell!?" he sputtered. "UA's closed!?"
"Apparently," she confirmed with a grimace. That had been the most shocking discovery she'd made so far, a full ten minutes spent just skimming article after article about the event, looking for some hint it was a lie. Biting the inside of her cheek, she muttered, "It says it closed about four years ago after the entrance exam got attacked and a bunch of kids died...? I didn't read all the details, not enough time, but it looks like there was a giant scandal afterwards and a bunch of people dropped off the radar."
"What the hell," Kaminari whispered, staring at the phone in shock. That summed up her own feelings pretty well.
Sighing, Kyouka took back her phone and switched to another window. "There's a bunch of other stuff that's not right, either. Take a look at this." She put it back down to reveal a photo of an armored man with gold piping along his arms, smoke billowing from his legs as he carried a woman. Beneath it was the headline, "PRO HERO INGENIUM SAVES TWELVE FROM BUILDING COLLAPSE."
Neither of them had to voice what was wrong with that photo. Everyone in Class 1-A knew exactly what happened to their class president's older brother, how he had lost the use of his legs after encountering Stain. The fact the article had a date below the headline from just one week earlier sent prickles down their spines.
"This... this is ridiculous," Kaminari finally said, his mouth twitching into a nervous smile as he looked up at her. "I-I mean, this is just—this is just, y'know, impossible! Like, like some kind of joke!" He laughed anxiously as he ran a hand through his hair, the corners of his lips twitching even more as his eyes glimmered with barely-suppressed panic. "I mean, seriously. UA's closed? Ingenium's fine? Hosu? What, are we in some kind of alternate universe?"
"Not like I have any better ideas," Kyouka muttered lowly. That made him startle, his strained smile vanishing as he boggled her wide-eyed.
"Wait, seriously?" he asked after a moment. "You're—you're kidding, right? Just messing with me? Right?" His voice rose to a desperate whine towards the end, his mouth twitching in another anxious smile as his eyes silently pleaded for her to agree, to confirm she was messing with him and make some snarky comment about his gullibility. Kyouka remained silent though, her mouth pressing into a thin line, and his face soon fell once more. "No way... That's... Th-that's—"
He sucked in a sharp breath, his face crumpling into despair as he clutched at his head. "Th-this is insane! How would that even work!? Were we caught up in that mist-guy's mist again and sent here?! But we were in our rooms! Oh, shit, what about everyone else? Are they here too? Would they even exist here!? Oh man oh man oh man, I should have paid more attention in class! What do we do!?"
As he grew more and more panicked Kyouka just gave a frustrated sigh, bopping the side of his head with her fist. Kaminari yelped in surprise but fell silent, whimpering as he rubbed where she'd hit him. "Oi, calm down," she told him briskly. "I don't know if this is the work of a villain or what, but freaking out won't help."
Kaminari gave another small whimper but nodded, even as his lower lip wobbled with the obvious urge to resume his freak-out. Satisfied he wouldn't launch into another nervous ramble, Kyouka turned her attention back to her phone, switching to the window with information on the high school. "If those uniforms are ours, and I think they are, we're supposed to be students at Munakata High School. No Hero department there."
"I don't want to go to school though!" Kaminari whined before he could stop himself.
"Yeah, fuck that," Kyouka agreed without missing a beat, and the blond nearly fell off his chair at the lack of argument. She'd only considered the idea for a second before dismissing it entirely. Sure, they could get some more information there, but it would be too problematic. She had no idea who she might know there, didn't know her class schedule or what had been covered—she didn't even know where the school was. They had an address, sure, but they'd need to look at a map to actually find it.
Yeah, Kyouka really didn't need to deal with high school drama on top of this bullshit.
Of course, Kaminari probably hadn't thought that far beyond "classes suck." He visibly sagged with relief, slumping in his chair with a sigh. "Oh, thank All Might. I'm barely keeping up with the classes at UA, I don't think I can handle classes at a regular high school. Like, what if we had a test today? I don't even know what we'd be studying!"
"Don't worry," Kyouka assured him with a smirk. "You'd fail anyway."
"Yeah, I gue—" He stopped as her words registered and made an offended squawk. "Hey!"
Kyouka just smirked, getting up. "Anyways, we should start by figuring out what else is different. Get out your phone and start searching up stuff, I'm gonna find a notebook so we can start writing down a list."
"What should I look up?" Kaminari asked, pulling out his phone obediently.
"Anything," she deadpanned. "Seriously, I have no idea what isn't different. Everything I've looked up so far, the facts are totally different from what I remember." She tactfully decided not to mention All Might. No need to freak him out any more.
Kaminari chewed on his lip, his expression becoming determined. "I'm going to try to look up our classmates," he announced, and Kyouka felt her smirk become something more like a smile. Searching for their classmates hadn't even occurred to her in her shock over how much else had changed, but Kaminari had always been more socially-minded than her.
"Alright, you do that. I'll be back with a notebook in a minute." With that she swept out of the kitchen towards the bedroom, feeling her shoulders slump as she stepped inside. Almost reflexively her gaze flicked to the album cover propped up on her desk, her teeth gritting as she forced herself to quickly look away.
She didn't want to think about what it meant.
The League of Villains' (or, Villain Alliance, apparently) base felt like a giant maze, full of twisting hallways and an almost endless number of doors. Only a handful of numbers written on the walls in barely-noticeable marker next to a few doors—all in his own handwriting, Izuku noted—acted as any sort of landmark, each one corresponding to a room in the map in the (his?) journal. His room had been marked with a star and the number 14, but for some reason room 7 was on the opposite end of the floor.
By some miracle he'd managed to reach the hallway holding it without encountering anyone else, and immediately felt like he'd entered a prison ward. The air felt stale and stifling, the doors made of thick metal and containing sliding slots that could be opened to peer inside. Unlike the other doors he'd see so far, these had actual plates with numbers corresponding to the ones on his map.
This must have been used as a starting point for the map, he thought as he glanced around uncomfortably. It explained why room one had been in such a seemingly random location instead of, say, the entrance.
A few doors had the slots already open, and he glanced at one as he passed to see what looked like soundproofing material on the walls, as well as... a barred window? Izuku frowned, filing that detail away for later contemplation as he continued down the halls. (Why didn't he get a window?) His heartbeat seemed to slowly pick up pace as he passed each door before finally stopping before the one he wanted. The number seven stared at him in bold lettering from the metal plate, the so-called lucky number feeling more ominous than ever.
Heart pounding, Izuku took a breath and stepped forward, raising a shaky hand to open the slat. The metal groaned lowly as he pushed it, making him jerk his hand away with a wince while quickly looking around to see if the noise drew anyone's attention. The hallway remained empty though, and after a few moments he sucked in a breath and turned back to resume opening it, grimacing as the groaning noise continued.
Once it had opened at least an inch he stopped, rising on his toes to peer through the gap. It took less than a second of looking around the near-empty cell before his gaze lit upon a familiar figure on a cot in the back just beneath the barred window, his blood chilling as his eyes met furious red.
Kacchan.
Izuku felt a lump lodge in his throat as he stared at his old friend, caught between relief at seeing a familiar face and horror at seeing Bakugou in this mess. The other teen's spiky blond hair almost seemed to glow in the early morning sunlight streaming through the window above him, the effect extending to his white t-shirt and gray pinstripe pajama pants to give him an almost casual, peaceful look.
However, any calming effect he exuded was ruined by his eyes, which bore into Izuku with a burning ferocity as his lips curled back in a snarl.
"The hell do you want, Deku?" Bakugou spat, shifting to sit up straighter. As he did Izuku noticed his hands were trapped in bulky metal handcuffs in front of him, just like the ones he'd worn after he'd won the Sports Festival. The sight made Izuku's chest clench painfully, but more than that was the sheer rage in Bakugou's eyes. He'd seen Bakugou angry before—been on the receiving end countless times—but never had it been this intense.
"K-Kacchan," he whispered, and immediately Bakugou sprang to his feet, his face twisting with even more fury.
"Don't call me that!" he snapped, veins visibly bulging along his neck. "You don't get the fucking right, shitty Deku!" His harsh tone made Izuku wince, unable to hear anything but hot, burning hatred, so much worse than any other time Bakugou had insulted him. Even worse than the day he'd told Izuku to jump off a roof.
"I-I'm sorry," he whispered, leaning back. The motion caused his heels to lower flat to the floor and put the slot out of sight, and he grimaced before rising on his toes once more. "I—I don't—"
"Just go away," Bakugou cut in, sinking back onto the cot with a scowl. "It's fucking whatever in the morning, at least let me sleep in, dumbass." With that he flopped on his side and rolled over to face the wall, leaving Izuku to stare at him in silent horror. Part of him wanted to wrench the door open and drag him out of there, or to scream or plead with him to act normal, but any words caught in his throat. He felt paralyzed, unable to move as he just stared at his friend's back.
(Could he even call him his friend?)
Suddenly something black ensnared the slot's handle and slammed it shut, and Izuku jumped as he spun towards the source. "Wha—" His voice died before he could even finish the thought as he found himself staring at an unfamiliar girl.
She looked about ten or so, with black hair pulled into a small ponytail on the side of her head and a cherry blossom-shaped hairpin pulling her bangs to the side. She wore a simple black dress with a white sailor fuku and red ribbon, but what really caught his attention were her eyes. They looked like they'd been taken from a photo with inverted colors, the irises a nearly luminescent white and the sclera pitch black.
Izuku had seen plenty of people with eyes like that—hell, just look at Ashido—but something about this girl's eyes in particular felt... unsettling. They felt almost empty, void of light, far too flat for a child her age. It just—it didn't look right.
As he stared at them he almost didn't notice the shadowy tendril extending from her back towards the door, withdrawing and disappearing into the black fabric of her dress. The entire time she remained perfectly still, just meeting his gaze with a blank face.
"You forgot again," she said. She spoke in a factual manner, her voice quiet and totally devoid of inflection. Izuku jolted at her words, snapped out of his odd stupor.
"I... w-what?" he sputtered.
"You're having an episode," she clarified, still perfectly factual and flat. "Did you read the letter?" More alarm bells started ringing at the question, snapping him to increasing awareness and leaving him wary.
"Um, y-yeah, I did." His response came out more hesitantly than intended, probably a result of the unease curling in his stomach. The girl showed no visible reaction to his obvious nerves, her expression still and unreadable as her gaze seemed to bore into him. Wrong, some voice whispered in his head. Something's wrong with this girl. Frowning, he tried to ignore his discomfort and asked, "Sorry, but, wh-who are you...?"
The girl remained silent for a long moment, just... staring at him. Finally though she nodded and held out a hand. "Heiwajima Seiko." Staring at the outstretched hand dumbly, it took a second for Izuku to register she wanted him to shake it. He gripped it hesitantly but when they touched he almost gave a small jolt. Her hand didn't feel particularly weird or anything, but something about it just felt... off. He couldn't put his finger on why though.
That seemed to be a recurring theme with this girl, he thought dismally.
"I-it's nice to meet you, Heiwajima-san," he greeted politely, offering a timid smile. "I'm Midoriya Izuku."
"I know," the girl replied simply, and this time Izuku's flinch was more from embarrassment than nerves. She pulled her hand back and let it fall to her side before adding a simple, "Seiko." It took another second for him to register what she meant, but then Izuku blinked and quickly nodded.
"O-oh, I see. Seiko-chan?" He used the honorific questioningly, uncertain if she would approve. Seiko didn't voice an objection, so he assumed she did and pushed on. "What are you doing... here?" He gestured vaguely at the hallway around them, trying not to grimace too much. He was still hyper-aware that he was essentially in enemy territory, even if it seemed like he might not actually be an enemy here...?
Once again he had to suppress the growing jumble of confusion and panic welling up inside him. He'd barely been awake for a full hour, this was way too much stress for such a short time!
"I have nothing better to do," Seiko replied, and, well, at least he had a distraction from that mess.
"Nothing?" he repeated. "B-but, what about, school? Or..." He started to say "your family" but stopped himself short. If a child was here, she likely either had no family, or someone here was her family. Wouldn't be the first time a villain pulled their child into their line of work, and unfortunately it wouldn't be the last, either.
"I don't go to school."
"Right," he muttered to himself, scratching the back of his neck as he glanced away sheepishly. That seemed to confirm part of his thoughts, at least.
"Last night you went to bed early because you felt sick." The sudden topic change caught Izuku by surprise, snapping confused eyes back to her.
"H-huh?"
"You said you had a small headache," Seiko elaborated, perfectly flat and emotionless. "Everyone concluded you would likely want to sleep in today, so your absence from breakfast hasn't been viewed as suspicious. You should have another two hours before they start to worry and check on you. If anyone thinks you're acting strangely, you can play it off as still feeling sick."
"I... What?" It occurred to Izuku he'd been stammering a lot during this conversation, but he couldn't help it, too busy trying to wrap his head around what Seiko was implying. If he'd been feeling sick the previous night, it would match up with Shigaraki's comment earlier about breakfast and him feeling bad. Being sick with, say, a cold, would certainly give him an excuse for why his reactions might be a bit off, too.
It was useful, gave him the start for a plan of action, helping ground his nerves. Except... "Why are you telling me this?" he asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.
"It's a game," Seiko responded simply. "When you have an episode, we see how long it takes for other people to notice." She tilted her head slightly, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards ever so slightly into a small half-smile, closer to a smirk than anything. It was the first change in her facial expression he'd seen since he'd met her, yet her white eyes still held no visible glimmer of emotion to reflect the change. "It's fun."
She said it like another fact, her voice just slightly lighter than before.
Izuku stared at her before slowly nodding, exhaling quietly. "I... see," he muttered, which was only half-true. Everything about Seiko's demeanor still confused him, but this could work to his advantage. While his apparent amnesic "episodes" provided a convenient excuse for his confusion, he didn't want to use it right away. He wanted to get his bearings a bit more, and that would probably be best accomplished if everyone thought he was fine. "So, does that mean you'll help me, or am I on my own?"
Seiko's face smoothed back to its usual blank mask. He wasn't sure if he liked it more or less than the sort-of smile, both were unsettling in their own ways. "I'll tell you what you need to know if and when it becomes relevant. The only rule is that you cannot talk to anyone else about it or mention me," she added a little more lightly. Just a little. Izuku nodded, turning over her words in his head.
"R-right. Okay then. Don't mention the episode, or... you. Got it." He nodded, offering her an uncertain smile. "Thanks, Seiko-chan."
"I suggest you return to your room and review your journals," she told him. "We will speak again later, Izuku." With that she stepped towards the wall and black rippled across her figure, her white eyes seeming to glow before closing as she melded into the shadows. Izuku stiffened as she vanished, staring at the spot she'd occupied.
Well, I guess I know what her Quirk is, he thought distantly as he gulped. Casting a final glance at the door to room seven, he frowned and began the trek to return to his room, double-checking the map in the journal. He should probably read the journals before he ran into anyone else.
(It was only after he'd gotten halfway there that it occurred to him that Seiko had never blinked during their conversation.)
Notes:
Sorry for the slight delay! It was another weird weekend and kind of threw me off. From now on, I'm going to be posting chapters on Mondays instead of Saturday. Mondays are almost always the same for me, so this will guarantee a timely release schedule! It also hopefully gives everyone something to look forward to at the start of the week.
On the note of today's chapter, we're introduced to one of my favorite characters of all: Heiwajima Seiko. One of my favorite tropes is apparently the "creepy child" trope, and Seiko fits it to a T. Not in appearance, but just in how she behaves. I can't say much more without some major spoilers, but let's just say her existence has some major connotations for the BNHA universe. I actually drew a quick reference of her:
Anyways, that's all for now. See you next Monday!
Chapter 5: Familiar Faced Strangers
Summary:
Ashido meets a familiar face, Kaminari and Jirou continue to try to find more classmates, and Izuku reflects over his counterpart's life in this world.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 5
.::Familiar Faced Strangers::.
"Ooh, this is actually really cute!"
Mina grinned at her reflection as she stood in front of the mirror, turning to admire herself. After spending about two hours freaking out and then exploring each and every inch of her new apartment, she'd decided to try on some of the clothes in the closet for lack of anything better to do. Her favorite find thus far had to be this off-shoulder white shirt with a flowy, almost frilly asymmetrical bottom, which she paired with red denim shorts and black stockings with large holes ripped in them.
"Punk, but feminine," she decided with a firm nod, mentally giving the outfit her stamp of approval. Clearly, she had good taste here—wherever here was. Mina admittedly still had no idea what was going on and should probably get on that, but she'd already spent about two hours freaking out over it, so she deserved a little break.
With her clothing for the day settled she strolled out of her bedroom and into the main room of the apartment, flopping onto the couch. Stretching her limbs as she positioned herself for optimal comfort, she idly snatched the cell phone from the coffee table next to her and held it above her head. It had taken her two guesses to figure out her password, but now that she had she figured she should probably do some reconnaissance or... something.
...Okay, she could feel the panic returning. Not good.
Nope. Mina quickly pressed the power button before the cold bubble of anxiety growing in her stomach could explode, and the phone's screen lit up with a glorious distraction in the form of a photo. The lock screen used a picture of her and some girl she didn't know with their faces smushed together and their eyes crossed, making her laugh lightly as she unlocked the phone. She might not know the story behind it, but it looked silly, and that was good enough for her!
Since waking up she'd gotten no texts or any other alerts like that. She did see a little alert from some mobile game, which she'd already played for over half an hour. It had been surprisingly addicting, solving the puzzles gave her money which she could use to buy clothes and accessories for her avatar. Playing that a bit more wouldn't hurt, right? Having literally nothing better to do (except investigate what was going on, and nopenopenope not gonna panic), she decided to do just that and opened the game.
Mina had been playing for fifteen minutes when a knock on the door startled her, nearly dropping her phone as she bolted upright on the couch. Blinking, she stared at the door as the knock repeated, her expression fading to something more uncertain and almost anxious. Just like that, all her earlier uncertainties and anxiety came rushing back, the pink girl biting down on her lip as she tightened her grip on her phone.
At the end of the day, Mina had no idea what was going on or where she was. She had no idea what to expect on the other side of the door, it could be a friend or a heinous villain seeking to attack her in her current confused state. Stomach clenching uncomfortably, she slowly got up and crept towards the door, rising on her toes to peer through the peephole.
A boy with shaggy-looking black hair stood outside, wearing a black button-down shirt with a red collar and trim, and dark red slacks with zippers on the side. The colors almost instantly reminded her of the uniform still hanging in her closet. Is that the boy's uniform? Does he go to the same school? He rocked uncomfortably on his feet, his head bowed so his bangs hid his eyes, allowing her to only glimpse a small sharp-toothed frown that spoke of nerves. Sharp teeth didn't automatically equal villain, right?
Then the boy looked up, and Mina found herself staring at a pair of familiar red eyes. Her brain shut down for approximately 2.5 seconds as she processed the boy's identity, but then it resumed grinding away and gave a name to the face. All her anxieties flew right out the window as she lit up with recognition and she threw the door open with a beaming grin, making the boy jump.
"Kirishima!" she yelled gleefully, flinging herself at him in a tight hug. Kirishima yelped, tensing at the sudden embrace.
"A-Ashido!?" he sputtered, and Mina quickly pulled back, still beaming at him.
"I'm so excited to see you!" she cheered. "Look at you! Your hair's black!" She reached out and poked at his head, surprised at how limp his hair was. Kirishima leaned away with a small frown, rubbing his head where she'd poked it.
"Uh, y-yeah...?" he muttered, frowning before quickly shaking his head. "Uh, a-anyways, where were you today?"
"Today?" Mina looked at him blankly, her smile fading and replaced by a look of confusion. "What about today?"
"You... weren't at school?" Kirishima answered, sounding a bit uncertain. It took about four seconds for his words to register, and when they did Mina jolted.
"Wait, you went to school today!?" she blurted, gawking at him in disbelief. The not-redhead frowned, shrugging uncomfortably as he glanced away.
"Well, yeah. I mean, it's a Tuesday, so... Kinda have to." Then he frowned and turned back to her as he hastily added, "Hey, hold on a second, do you think I skip!?"
"Not... really." Mina frowned, her earlier exuberance at seeing her classmate quickly fading. Something about Kirishima felt off, and it wasn't just that his hair was black like it had been in middle school. Once again she felt that pit of anxiety growing deep inside her, but this time she didn't try to smother it, looking at him more critically. He seemed... quieter now, way less confident than he'd been at UA. Sort of like how he'd been in middle school.
Was this even the Kirishima she knew?
He shifted uncomfortably under her scrutinizing gaze, grimacing slightly as he quickly averted his eyes. "A-anyways," he continued, "you weren't at school so I thought you might've gotten caught up in that villain attack."
"Villain attack?" Mina's sharp look faded to blank incomprehension once more, before something suddenly clicked. "Oh! You mean that explosion I saw earlier this morning?" In all her confusion over suddenly waking up in Kamino, she'd almost forgotten about the explosion she'd seen at a distant high-rise building. At the very least, there hadn't been any news on it when she checked her phone two minutes later, and after that it kind of slipped her mind.
Kirishima looked visibly relieved by her response, nodding quickly. "Yeah. One of the buildings ended up falling on the monorail tracks by the school, so a bunch of kids couldn't make it. The teachers decided to just call it a day and canceled classes after first period. I didn't see you when I headed down or back, so I... wondered if you got caught up in the explosion on your way there." His voice trailed off towards the end, his expression becoming more somber.
Oh, she thought with a frown. He thought she'd gotten hurt, or worse. No wonder he'd looked so uncomfortable when he'd knocked at her door. That wouldn't do.
Mentally nodding to herself, Mina pasted on a bright smile and threw up her arms. "Well, I'm totally okay!" she declared cheerfully, her loud volume making Kirishima jolt in surprise. "I wasn't anywhere near the explosion! And even if I was, I'm way too awesome to get taken down by something like that!"
"R-right," Kirishima stammered, still looking a bit wide-eyed and off-guard. Taking a breath, he seemed to steel himself and smiled back at her, wide and cocky just like the one he usually sported at UA. "Yeah, you're right. You're way too awesome to get done in by something like that." He paused then, and his smile faded as he looked at her in confusion. "But then... Where were you?"
"Here, of course!" Mina responded, throwing up her arms again to gesture to the apartment. "Where else?"
"Well..." He trailed off, frowning as he seemed to mull over his words. "Uh, Ashido, the explosion happened, like, five minutes before first period was supposed to start."
"And?"
"...And... school's, like, twenty minutes away from here, y'know?" Mina's smile faded again, looking at him blankly once more. Frowning at her silence, Kirishima seemed to hesitate before continuing, "Were... were you planning to skip school today?"
Oh. Well, there was a loaded question if she'd ever heard one. And now, Mina found herself with a dilemma.
At this point, she could tell that this Kirishima was different from the one he knew. He didn't seem as familiar with her as they'd been at UA, and he seemed a lot closer to his middle school self, down to his hair. Ergo, this was probably a different Kirishima who did not go to UA, and thus did not know what was wrong with this whole scenario.
If he had, he'd probably be a blubbering mess right about now. The guy had toughened up since middle school, but some things wouldn't change that easily.
Had she been a more serious or studious sort of person like Iida, she might have made up some excuse about feeling sick. Had she been serious but not as serious and rigid about rules, like Bakugou, she might have said something about her alarm failing to go off that morning and she'd overslept. If she'd been Tsuyu, she probably would be totally blunt about it and try to explain how she might be from another dimension.
As it stood though, Ashido Mina was a mischievous and easygoing person. And so, with a bright grin, she had only one way to answer.
"I woke up and have no idea what's going on!" she announced cheerfully.
And then her smile vanished and she burst into tears, throwing her arms around a startled Kirishima while letting all her earlier fears and anxiety finally burst forth. This might not be her Kirishima, but he was at least familiar, and she needed that now more than ever.
As several students at UA could now attest, their classes never covered how to deal with waking up in an alternate reality where UA no longer existed and All Might had perished. If such a class did exist, trans-dimensional displacement was probably considered a bit too advanced for first-year students, which still didn't help them one bit.
At least Denki wasn't alone.
He had basically spent the past two hours curled up on Jirou's couch huddled under a blanket, alternating between crying and panicking as he read article after article about how messed up and different this world was. Each new discovery made him feel more and more hysterical and freaked out, and only Jirou's presence kept him from devolving into a total mess.
His wonderful classmate set down a can of Electric Limeade soda on the end table next to him before plopping into the armchair with her own phone. He weakly grabbed the can and popped the tab, sipping at it almost gingerly. The familiar flavor was almost like a salve for his frayed nerves, the tingling along his tongue reminding him this was real, but hey, at least he still had his Quirk. Apparently only people with electricity-based quirks felt that tingle, so if he felt it, he still had it. That was something, right?
"Find anyone else's profiles yet?" Jirou asked, and Denki groaned, his brief spike in positivity quickly plummeting back into the negatives once more.
"Almost everything is set to private," he said mournfully. "Everyone's using fake names, too, like we'd use on the group chats except they use it everywhere! Even their FacePages use fake names and anime pictures and stuff for the profile pictures! It's like we went back in time!" Denki himself found all his social media profiles used the name 'Thunderbolt777,' which—what the heck? Why did he need to use a fake name?
"Kinda makes sense though," Jirou muttered as she looked at her phone. "It looks like people with strong Quirks are getting targeted by villains more often. Having your name and face out on the internet for anyone to see would probably just be asking for trouble here. They only have to see you use it once to make a connection, and Class 1-A definitely had some pretty strong Quirks." After a beat, she added, "Except for Mineta. Don't think he'd be targeted."
"Speaking of Mineta, he's, like, the only one I can find," Denki muttered sullenly, staring balefully at the grape-haired boy's profile. "Should I send him a message?" Jirou paused, raising her head and arching an eyebrow at him.
"No," she said flatly, and went back to looking at her phone. Denki sighed and exited out of Mineta's profile, silently conceding it would probably be for the best. Don't get him wrong, he liked Mineta, but the dude didn't do too well under extreme pressure. And this? This was more pressure than they'd ever faced before. Denki was already freaking out enough, they'd probably just feed off each other and make it worse.
Besides, the guy had posted a photo of himself (face blacked out) at some school in Tokyo about an hour ago. He made no mention of waking up in another dimension or anything else of that nature, just commented, 'Totally gonna ace that test today! Get ready to pay up worstjeanist555!' so he probably wasn't affected like they were.
Which brought up another problem Denki didn't want to face. If Mineta wasn't caught up in this, then who else might not be involved? Were he and Jirou the only ones actually here in this weird alternate reality?
The thought made him want to hyperventilate, his throat closing up as he stared at his phone with tears pricking the corner of his eyes. If it was just the two of them, could they even do anything? He and Jirou made a pretty good team in training, sure, but this was way beyond anything they'd faced before!
Ding. He startled as Jirou's phone suddenly buzzed with a text, the girl sitting a bit straighter as her eyes narrowed at the screen. "That's..." She trailed off, her lips pursing in a frown. "Yaomomo?"
Denki practically jumped off the couch at the name, darting to her side. "Yaomomo?" he repeated excitedly as he peered over her shoulder. Sure enough, the name Yaoyorozu Momo headed a text conversation on the screen, and he almost jumped with glee at the sight. "You have Yaomomo in your phone! Sweet!"
Yaoyorozu was smart—way smarter than him—and she could keep her cool pretty well. She was voted the Assistant Class Rep for a reason, even if it was just that two or three people thought that way about her back then. She'd definitely earned her title since then though. Already he felt a surge of relief at knowing she was there.
"Not sweet," Jirou said, cutting through his joy once more. She had a small frown on her face, her eyebrows furrowing as she read over the texts. "She's just asking where I am."
"Where you are?" Dread settled over him at her tone, and Denki leaned further over her shoulder to actually read the latest text.
'Where are you? Are you sick today? Do you need me to bring today's notes?'
The phrasing didn't give Denki much hope, shooting a nervous glance at Jirou. "Maybe she's just trying to gauge your reaction...?" he suggested, but it sounded uncertain even to his own ears.
"Maybe," Jirou muttered doubtfully as he watched her tap out a quick reply. 'Just under the weather. Sorry to worry you. I'll be fine, don't need to stop by. Thanks tho'
Within a minute Yaoyorozu responded: 'Are you sure? It won't be a problem, my chauffer won't mind going a little out of the way for you Kyo.'
That reply told them almost everything they needed to know: she didn't remember. Even Denki could tell there was no obscure, hidden meaning to be found by reading between the lines. But more importantly:
"Since when does Yaomomo call you Kyo?" he blurted before he could stop himself. Jirou just stared at the phone blankly, clearly just as surprised as him.
"...We might need to go to your place instead," she finally said.
The journals seemed to be just as much of a lifeline as Izuku had hoped.
He only skimmed the first few, figuring he should focus on the most recent one first, but he planned to read them all eventually to try to get his bearings. The oldest one dated back about three years, the earliest entries overly verbose and wordy with some spanning multiple pages. By the fourth one he seemed to have trimmed down on a lot of stuff, the events of each day concisely catalogued in at least a paragraph with exceptions for particularly eventful days.
The most recent entries all neatly fit into the "exception" category. Every day for the past week he had filled multiple pages describing Bakugou's sudden capture by the Alliance. Apparently it had been a surprise for everyone involved, the Alliance not knowing about his connection to Izuku until they met, when Bakugou turned white as a ghost upon seeing him. It seemed he thought Izuku had died, which... yeah.
So it wasn't too surprising that after getting over his shock Bakugou reverted to his typical explosive personality and began cursing out Izuku with every name he could think of. Izuku cringed as he read about how Shigaraki had not taken well to the nickname "Deku," nor did he appreciate the threats. It had taken a joint effort with Kurogiri and Magne to stop their leader from killing Bakugou over his expletive-laden threats to blow up Izuku where he stood.
On the bright side, the plans had changed from "force Bakugou to join the Alliance and make him a potential suicide bomber if that fails" to "make Bakugou Izuku's full-time bodyguard and companion" instead. Which meant Izuku got to visit him every day to get his old friend used to the idea that he was actually, you know, still alive this entire time. Though judging by his brief visit today, that wasn't going too well.
Just reading the entries, Izuku found himself cringing at how awkward and uncomfortable the situation was. Bakugou clearly viewed him as an enemy and traitor (and Izuku did not blame him), and had yet to calm down enough to listen to Izuku's explanation about how he got into this mess. That would be even more difficult to achieve now, since Izuku no longer remembered (and never would, since these weren't his memories) how his counterpart got adopted by the Alliance.
On that note, "adoption" was the only word he could think of to really describe his situation based on what he'd been able to glean from his writings so far. If he'd been working with the Alliance in any capacity the letter or journals would have referenced that. At the very least, Izuku certainly would if he was in a situation where he suffered from random amnesic episodes while expected to work with someone, hero or villain. He didn't see any reason an alternate version of him would omit a detail that important.
So, yeah. He hopefully hadn't done anything too illegal... a thought which made him almost want to cry. He settled for a long moan instead, letting his head plop onto the desk as he wallowed in misery. No way he hadn't been roped into something illegal during his time with the Alliance. His presence alone probably qualified him as an accessory to all sorts of unspeakable deeds, much to his dismay.
A knock on the door jolted him from his sulking and he bolted upright and spun around just as it opened. His heart caught in his throat as an all-too familiar head of messy pale blue hair poked in the door, red eyes almost seeming to glow beneath his bangs. "Izu?" Shigaraki greeted quietly. "Are you feeling better yet?"
Absolutely not! Izuku screamed inside his head, and it took everything in him to not shout it outside his mind too. Every instinct screamed at him to run from the presence of the sinister leader of the League of Villains and All Might's self-proclaimed greatest enemy, his mere presence ringing all sorts of alarms in his head.
Somehow, though, he managed to keep relatively calm and swallowed, forcing a wobbly smile. "Uh, my head's s-still a bit fuzzy, S—uh, T-Tomura...nii." The overly familiar title felt heavy on his tongue, a small chill pricking at spine as he hoped the letter hadn't been wrong about their relationship. Fortunately Shigaraki didn't seem perturbed by it, even as he frowned slightly.
"I see," he mumbled. "Then, do you want to watch some movies?"
"Movies?" Izuku squeaked.
"It's been a while," Shigaraki mused. "I have nothing to do today, and Toga got a bunch of new ones last time she went out with Aiko. What do you say?" As he spoke his mouth quirked upwards into a smile, a creepy-looking thing that tugged on the scar by his lip and had a lot more teeth than Izuku found comfortable. Yet even as he suppressed a shudder he couldn't help but note the expression felt oddly, impossibly... genuine? Or at least, not fake or overly malicious?
This was so weird.
"Y-you don't have to," he croaked out. "I—I'll be fine on my own."
"I just said, I have nothing to do today," Shigaraki deflected casually. "I'll get Kurogiri to make you some soup or something. Be back soon." With another flash of the... smile, he withdrew his head and closed the door, leaving Izuku sitting in stunned silence. The green-haired boy slowly slumped in his chair, sinking lower and lower until his back laid against the seat and he stared at the ceiling blankly.
Well, looks like he had a movie date with Shigaraki. All Might kill him now.
Please let this be a bad dream, he prayed silently.
The next morning Uraraka Ochaco opened her eyes to a still-unfamiliar ceiling, along with the sound of her phone's alarm going off.
"Ochaco, breakfast!" her mother called from elsewhere in the house. Ochaco pulled a pillow over her face and whined in frustration. Not a dream then. Crap.
Notes:
Fun fact: I have a little list in my scraps file keeping track of all the days in this fic. Their stay isn't going to be just one week, and since at least one student is actually in school in this world, I kind of need to keep track of the days. I totally forgot that Day 1 was a Tuesday instead of a Monday until editing this chapter though. So yeah, hopefully I'll manage to keep all the days in order!
With this chapter, I want to confirm once and for all that not all of Class 1-A got transported to this dimension. For those who don't know (and minor spoiler for the Overhaul arc), Kirishima and Ashido went to the same middle school. Also, Kirishima's hair was originally black and he had some pretty bad confidence issues. As you can see, he did not get inspired to fix them in this world. Also, Yaoyorozu and Jirou are friends in this world! That should be interesting.
Next time, some more world building! See you then!
Chapter 6: Three Days Later
Summary:
Ochaco recounts what she's learned, Izuku somehow manages to maintain his cover, and Todoroki finds a new lead.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 6
.::Three Days Later::.
Ochaco liked to think she was pretty smart. Not like a genius or anything, but a little smarter than the average girl. She at least knew enough to get along in life on her own, and make quick connections and decisions during class. For that reason, it didn't take her long to figure out she somehow ended up in an alternate dimension, and after that she somehow managed to keep her cool long enough to not freak out her parents.
In the three days since first waking up in this weird alternate timeline, she had noted a few major differences:
~1. All Might is dead.~
That was the biggest one, and possibly the biggest shock. She had been grateful she'd been in her room alone to process that one, she didn't want to explain to her mom why she had a sudden breakdown while looking at a years-old article on her phone. From there, it seemed everything else sort of spiraled out of control, society-wise anyway. Hence the next point:
~2. The world is a lot more violent.~
Losing the Symbol of Peace in such a violent and sudden fashion led to a much messier situation than their world, apparently. Crime had become much more active than before, and being a Pro Hero was more dangerous than ever, with even their families getting targeted. Apparently kids with strong Quirks also got targeted, since villains liked to recruit them by kidnapping them. So, yeah. It wasn't dystopia-levels yet, but daily life kinda sucked.
~3. UA closed, way back in her first year of middle school.~
That had been another shock, and actually the first one since she'd searched up her high school before All Might. It had been kind of what led her to discover All Might's death, actually. One of the articles about its closure had mentioned the massacre at UA as "the latest tragedy in a string of societal upheavals after All Might's tragic demise." But otherwise, yeah, UA didn't exist anymore, which meant she wasn't a student there. Not that she would be anyway, because...
~4. Ochaco stopped going to school after graduating middle school.~
Weirdly enough, that had been one of the less surprising discoveries, because it had actually been her backup plan if she didn't get into UA. Ochaco had applied to UA and literally no where else, mindful of the high tuitions of other hero schools if she couldn't get in on a scholarship. Japan allowed students to end their education after middle school, giving them the option to get a job instead. Which led her to point five:
~5. Ochaco now works for her family's construction company.~
That had been the main component of her backup plan if she failed the entrance exam at UA. Her Quirk was perfectly suited for construction, and it would save her dad so much money. Absolutely no surprise she'd done just that in a world without UA (or any hero school really) as an option.
But that led to one final point that did surprise her:
~6. Her family is RICH.~
Not rolling-in-money-level rich, but still much more comfortable than her own world. Ochaco had been stunned to realize they lived in a nice two-story house in Musutafu, which had apparently become something like a second Tokyo after the actual Tokyo got mostly destroyed by one spectacular fight between Endeavor and some villain she'd never heard of. (Which, yikes. That was a mess to read about. Thank goodness for evacuation teams and rescue heroes!)
She quickly traced the cause for this particular change to Change Number 1: All Might died, and so crime rose. A rise in crime meant a lot more property damage from villain attacks, and a rise in property damage meant a lot more work for construction companies.
Now, normally, Uraraka Construction didn't have any particular advantages over city-based companies. If anything, they would be at a disadvantage due to a lack of reputation in more urban areas. In the past their best tool had been low prices compared to competition and building a strong rapport with the few customers they did have, which allowed her family to just barely scrape by.
However, in this world her family had a major advantage over the competition: Ochaco's Quirk.
The fact was, setting up heavy construction equipment took time and money. Sometimes just getting that equipment on-site took extra time due to damage to surrounding roads. Ochaco, with her anti-gravity Quirk, minimized the need for the equipment at all, able to make large debris and heavy steel beams essentially weightless with a quick slap to the side.
Her family still used the machinery of course, it's not like she served as a full-time replacement. But Ochaco made the initial steps much faster since she could fit into a lot of places that bulky equipment couldn't. Plus she could start clearing rubble before the machinery arrived, which saved a lot of time since they didn't need to worry about clearing a path for the cranes and stuff.
In short, in a world where property damage was now an almost daily occurrence due to a sharp rise in destructive crime, Ochaco had single-handedly become the most valuable asset a construction company could desire.
For that very reason, her role was a bit of a guarded secret. People knew her father's company worked fast, but not why. That traced back to Change 2: the world was more violent, and some villain groups liked to recruit by kidnapping kids with useful Quirks. Ochaco's Quirk and now-wealthy family would make her at the very least a valuable target for ransom. So if Ochaco's role in her family's newfound fortune was to be discovered, she could guarantee a long string of kidnapping attempts.
That said, adults seemed to be safe (or, safer, at least) from such targeted recruitment and ransom attempts. So as far as their clients knew, they just had a team with a very useful combination of Quirks on hand. Which was true enough. Her dad had carefully screened and hired several workers who had Quirks that would be explicitly useful to their business, as well as keeping on his most trusted workers from her early childhood. The team in this world had been largely set in stone for at least five years now, with one or two additions over the years.
So, how did Ochaco fit into the team from a public standpoint? Simple: her dad wanted her to take over the business, so he had her join him on-site to get real-world management experience. He also played up the "might be kidnapped for ransom" concern (which was totally valid, by the way, and kind of really freaked her out) to make his protectiveness over her seem more legitimate to outsiders and minimize suspicion.
Of course, since her role was so secret, she couldn't be constantly on the site helping out. Instead, she found herself helping for a couple of hours scattered throughout the day, and then shoved into her dad's on-site office for the remainder of the time. Which brought her to a final point—not necessarily a Big Change, but still a noteworthy detail all the same:
~7. She might not be in high school, but she still had a full-time private tutor.~
And that one was totally okay by her.
"Finished!" she chirped as she set down her pencil next to the worksheet, taking a moment to stretch her arms above her head. Across the room Suimin-sensei glanced up from her book with a look of faint surprise before smiling warmly.
"Already?" she asked, getting up to walk over. "I know you're smart, but that was still faster than expected, Ochaco-chan."
"Yeah, I guess it kinda just... clicked," Ochaco replied, laughing sheepishly. In reality, they had already gone over this particular topic in class at UA so it felt more like a review than anything new, but she couldn't tell Suimin-sensei that. The dark-haired woman hummed as she collected the paper, skimming over the answers.
"It looks mostly right, but you got a few wrong," she said, setting it back on the table. Ochaco's smile faded to a look of intense concentration, nodding sharply as they began going over it together.
It had only been three days, but so far Ochaco liked Suimin-sensei. The woman was kind and intelligent, clearly experienced in teaching, but she was also so friendly. She felt almost like an older sister or aunt instead of a teacher, always willing to talk to Ochaco about anything and everything. She even promised to take Ochaco out clothes shopping sometime, she couldn't imagine any of her other teachers doing that.
Yeah, Ochaco thought as Suimin-sensei pushed up her glasses while pointing out one answer, I definitely like her. But even so, that didn't mean she liked the situation.
No matter how much she liked the people, this world still wasn't the one Ochaco knew. She had no idea how to get home, but she had no intentions of staying here forever.
She just wished she knew where to even begin.
"I made lunch!"
Those were the cheery words that accompanied Toga's entrance as she burst through the back door of the bar, a cheery-looking smile on her face as she lofted a large pot for all to see.
Izuku nearly fell off his stool at her abrupt entrance, while Shigaraki's fingers twitched and accidentally touched the glass he'd been holding, causing it to dissolve. The villain scowled as he turned to look at her, annoyance clear on his face as another villain rushed to clean up the spilled drink.
"What now," he questioned crisply. Toga bounced over to them with a smile, Izuku scrambling to move his books and empty glass of apple juice out of the way as she plopped the pot on the counter.
"I had the kitchen to myself so I made stuff!" she told him as she lifted the lid. Izuku, who happened to be closest, craned his neck to peer into the pot and winced at the unidentifiable muck inside. Chunks that might be meat floated in the... well, he was just going to call it "broth" because he didn't know what else to call the chunky, sludge-like substance. He couldn't even name the color, it looked like a cross between brown, red and green, which he didn't know was possible until that moment.
"Ooh, Toga made something?" Twice piped up behind him. "That's so nice! I wouldn't touch anything she makes with a ten foot pole!"
"Eh, I'm sure it's not that bad," Magne interjected lazily, strolling over to look at the meal. "It's not like she'd poison us, right?"
"Poison is lame," Toga confirmed. "Plus that's Aiko-nee's thing, not mine. I way prefer cutting people up." If anyone noticed Izuku scoot away a little at that, they didn't comment on it.
"What is that?" Shigaraki murmured warily, leaning over to peer at the pot suspiciously.
"I dunno," Toga replied with a shrug, a lazy-looking smile stretched across her face. "I just grabbed random stuff in the fridge and threw it in a pot!"
"Which fridge?" Kurogiri asked, joining them on the other side of the counter with a bottle of apple juice. He swept up Izuku's glass and refilled it with a practiced grace, setting it back down in front of the boy without ever looking away from Toga. "We have multiple refrigerators, and I do not recognize these ingredients."
"The white one in the cellar," Toga replied with another shrug.
"...There's a fridge in the cellar?" someone muttered lowly behind Izuku. That was enough for him to figure out the food was bad news (not like its appearance hadn't already been clue enough).
"I believe any food down there would be well past its expiration date," Kurogiri noted, confirming Izuku's suspicions.
"I am not touching that," Shigaraki deadpanned, pointedly turning away from the pot. Izuku felt a jab on his shoulder, nearly falling off the stool in surprise as he turned to see the teen with the poisonous gas Quirk—Mustard, right?—standing behind him, his gas mask absent to reveal a mischievous grin.
"Izuku, I dare you to try it!" he prodded, his eyes almost seeming to sparkle with mischief. Izuku gaped at him in disbelief, an involuntary shudder running down his spine. At that point he felt two hands lay on his shoulders—one finger pointedly hovering just short of contact on each hand—and spin him to face away from the other boy. He turned his head to see Shigaraki looming next to him, staring at Mustard with a flat look.
"He's forbidden to touch it too," he declared flatly. Mustard pouted and grumbled under his breath about him being a 'killjoy' as he turned away, but didn't try to argue. As Shigaraki's hands lifted it took all of Izuku's control not to visibly relax, instead quickly downing the rest of his apple juice and getting up.
"I was gonna head back to my room anyway," he said, surprised his voice didn't come out more strained as he hastily gathered his books. "This one channel's been airing old interviews with Silver Age Heroes during the day lately, and I want to check it out. I think today's got one with Crimson Riot."
"Aww, just like Mido-chan," Toga crooned with a grin. "Always trying to learn more about Quirks, even old dead people!" She leaned over to ruffle his hair affectionately and Izuku flinched and pulled away, smiling tightly as he tried to fix it.
"I don't see the point," Twice remarked. "They're all dead anyway, right? Not like you'd get anything valuable." Izuku waited for him to continue, but it seemed to be one of the rare times the duplicating villain didn't contradict himself, which. He didn't know if that was a good or bad thing, or just part of his usual eccentricities.
"Tch, as long as it's not All Might," Shigaraki grumbled under his breath, scowling lightly as he grabbed the glass Kurogiri just filled for him. Once again Izuku had to restrain the instinctive wince at the obvious displeasure in his expression; it was hard to act "natural" around the man when his mere presence gave him distinct flashbacks to a myriad of horrible situations. He really didn't want to anger Shigaraki.
"There are leftovers in the private kitchen," Kurogiri offered. "You can help yourself to them."
"Thanks, Kurogiri," he replied with a feeble smile as he circled the counter to the back door, and as an afterthought added, "Enjoy Toga's... uh, mystery meal."
His comment elicited a delight cackle from the girl in question, while several of the other villains groaned lowly. Izuku quickly scurried through the door before the fallout could begin, sighing quietly as he walked down the hallways.
Somehow, Izuku had reached his fourth day surrounded by enemies in an alternate universe without freaking out or raising suspicion. In this world the League had a different roster than the one he knew. Dabi seemed to be absent, as was Spinner, but their spaces had been more than compensated by a host of new faces like Seiko or Aiko, who... he still hadn't actually met yet—or even found in his journals—but her name came up pretty often in conversation. If it weren't for the journals and analysis books, he wouldn't have been able to identify most of these people.
Disconcertingly enough though, a few of them he did recognize... as sidekicks and more recently debuted Heroes from his own world.
In any event, fortunately Izuku didn't have to interact with them directly too often. Much of his days were spent in the bar, reading his oldest journals or playing a portable game console Shigaraki gave him while the Villains went about their business. Few of them bothered him directly besides Shigaraki and Kurogiri, instead treating him more like part of the scenery rather than a living person as they discussed their plans.
It almost felt like a dream, surreal and impossible in so many ways. He still couldn't wrap his mind around the genuine affection Shigaraki showed him. It was subtle, hidden beneath a lot of deadpan and game analogies, but it was there. It was clear in how relaxed and casual he acted with Izuku, casually offering permission to play his game consoles—which he'd quickly realized were normally off-limits to other people—and the occasional teasing comment about his journals.
The more time Izuku spent with him, the more confused he got by their relationship. Despite his original doubts, it seemed he really wasn't a tool to Shigaraki by any means. He would shoo Izuku away if "business talk" came up in the bar, and would steer attention away if people focused on him too much. The man didn't even care about his Quirk Analysis notes and how it could be used to work against Heroes, though he obviously knew about them based on his snide remarks about Izuku's continued hero worship habits.
It honestly baffled Izuku. He couldn't figure out why Shigaraki cared about him so much, other than just long-term familiarity. But what would even spawn such a relationship in the first place was beyond him. All he had was a vague hint in the letter that he'd been picked up by the Alliance for a reason, but he had no idea what said reason could be—and at this point, he wasn't sure if he wanted to know anymore.
Just thinking about it made him feel frustrated, biting his lip and shaking his head as he shoved it away. Right now he had better things to do. He hadn't lied about the old interviews with Silver Age Heroes, but he'd already set it to record to watch later. Instead, when he reached a split in the hall he turned down the opposite one from his room. After three days he'd gotten a good idea of the building's layout, and it took him little time to reach Room 7.
Taking a deep breath, he braced himself and knocked on the door, the metal reverberating under his fist before he slid the small slat open just an inch. "Kacchan, it's me," he called. "Can I come in?"
There was a moment of silence, and then, "Just fucking open it, Deku. Not like I can stop you." Izuku's stomach both twisted and settled at the response, and he braced himself before opening the door, finding Bakugou glowering at him from the bed.
Somehow, this was the most nerve-wracking part of his new routine. Seeing his old childhood friend filled him with a rush of much-needed familiarity and security, even his bitter scowl feeling normal, but the tension in the room was much worse than it had ever been in his world. He smiled feebly at Bakugou nonetheless, letting the door close behind him as he pulled his phone from his pocket.
"I found some more cool videos online," he said. "Do you want to watch one?" Bakugou scoffed and glanced away, his gaze dark and irritable.
"Whatever," he grumbled. "Not like I have anything better to do in this fucking shithole." The words had a little less heat to them than he usually heard from the blond, making Izuku's heart sink just a little, but at the same time it was so like him that it was reassuring. Izuku took the invitation to scurry over and sit on the cot next to him, holding the phone in his lap so they could both see.
It was a bit uncomfortable and endlessly awkward to sit with Bakugou when the other boy clearly detested him so much, but it's not like that was anything new. It was sort of like back in middle school, if you took away the grudging tolerance on Bakugou's end and the bulky handcuffs covering his hands to block him from using his Quirk. It sucked, but it wasn't completely unfamiliar territory.
Still, Izuku hoped neither of them would have to put up with this much longer. For now he just queued up the video, hoping that maybe he could get his old friend to speak a little more today compared to yesterday. He wouldn't be able to devise a solid plan of action just yet—he had no where near enough information to figure out anything—but he figured getting Bakugou to agree to become his "bodyguard" would be a good first step.
Bzz. Bzz.
Shouto stared down at the phone as it vibrated in his palm, the screen lit up with only the letter "D" for a name. Mouth thinning, he waited for it to stop buzzing before hitting the power button, dimming the screen and slipping it into his jacket's pocket as he stepped out of the alley. He breathed out a quiet sigh as he joined the crowds walking down the sidewalk, hands stuffed in his pockets and his head held low.
Act natural, he silently commanded himself as he fell into step with the other pedestrians. He had his hood up and a scarf pulled over his face, the normally shady look thankfully going unquestioned thanks to the mid-November chill. Less easy to explain was his eye patch, used to cover the eye with the scar, but hopefully if he kept his head down no one would really notice. If someone questioned him about it or—worse yet—recognized him, he wasn't sure what he'd do.
In the days since waking up in an abandoned building with Dabi of all people, he had slowly come to the realization that this world didn't fit with the one he knew. The first sign had been when he saw a group of police officers use their Quirks to apprehend a purse thief. He'd been stunned by the blatant abuse of their Quirks despite clearly not being Pro Heroes, but no one else even batted an eye.
From there, Shouto had noted a lot of other inconsistencies that all led to one conclusion: this world wasn't his.
Coming to grips with that fact had been difficult. As the son of Endeavor, he had been taught to prepare for all sorts of situations and disasters, but he'd still never accounted for something like this. His best guess was that he somehow ended up in an alternate universe, or had been trapped in an illusion of some sort. Whatever happened, the main point was that everything was different.
He'd given up on going to heroes for help a while back. How could he even begin to explain his problem when he didn't even know what was going on? It wasn't like he'd be able to find one anyway. Shouto still hadn't really figured out what city he was in, but he'd quickly determined that it had no public hero agency. When he'd tried asking people about one he'd only received blank looks or queries about if he felt alright.
As best as he could gather, public hero agencies simply didn't exist the way he was used to, even though he still saw heroes on TVs in store windows. Yet another sign something was wrong with this world.
Unfortunately, Shouto didn't have many options to find out what else might be different though. It wasn't like he could just go on his computer or turn on the news. Right now he was essentially homeless, spending his nights sleeping in abandoned buildings or alleyways, and his days just wandering the streets. Going back to his house never even crossed his mind. His father could be stubborn at the best of times, and he didn't want to deal with his reaction to Shouto showing up with no knowledge of, well, anything.
As it stood, his only window into this world was the cell phone, which he still hadn't unlocked yet. Usually he kept it off to conserve the battery since he didn't exactly have regular access to an outlet for the charger, but whenever he did turn it on he'd receive at least one or two calls from "D" each hour. It didn't take much thought to figure out who "D" was. Why Dabi kept calling him, Shouto had no idea, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know.
In any event, he needed to do some research. He'd spent the past three days scrounging up money from wherever he could—searching for leftover change in vending machines, offering to help people carry stuff to their cars and houses, even asking passing pedestrians for any spare yen. He'd finally saved up about two thousand yen, which should be enough to rent a spot in an internet café for a few hours. He intended to use every minute of that time to learn as much information as possible.
As he walked down a busy street lined with stores towards the nearest one he could remember, a TV caught his eye and he paused upon noticing it displaying the weather forecast. He couldn't hear the audio, but he grimaced as he saw a dark cloud with lightning appear in the background below a moon icon. Thunderstorms had to be the worst type of weather he could encounter right now, and it looked like they'd be in for a nasty one that night.
Mulling over his options, he turned around and began walking the other direction. It was barely noon and the sky was clear, so he might as well wait until evening so he could rent the booth and stay dry. Until then, he'd just try to gather more money in hopes he could find enough to sleep there. He smirked as he imagined how his father would react to him, the prodigal son, sleeping in an internet café like a homeless runaway.
That's probably what's actually happening though, he mused to himself. Shouto suspected he'd had a reason for dying his hair black and carrying around all the components for a quick disguise.
His musings soon ended when someone suddenly shouted something and people immediately surged past him, their voices blurring together as they chattered excitedly. "Sorry!" a girl called as she bumped his shoulder, not bothering to stop as she kept running. Twisting to glance over his shoulder, he noticed a small crowd had gathered beneath a rather large monitor mounted outside a bar, the screen showing what looked to be an ordinary office building with "BREAKING" displayed beneath it. Shouto frowned, confused by the scene and the excitement in the small group.
Then one of the windows near the top flew open and a figure in a tailored black suit flew out, leaping through the sky as if skipping.
Several of the girls in the crowd shrieked as the camera panned over to the man as he made his escape, making Shouto wince and quickly cover his ears. Even so he could clearly hear their cries of "GENTLE!" and "SO COOL!" He grimaced as the shrieks continued, trying to ignore them as he squinted up at the monitor. A hero he didn't recognize appeared on screen trying to chase the man, awkwardly bouncing through the air along the path the villain had run.
But at one point the hero's foot plummeted and he fell, making Shouto suck in a sharp breath and the crowd go silent as the camera followed his descent. From that height the fall would almost certainly be fatal. Before he could fall very far though a surge of black energy suddenly swooped beneath him to break his descent, making Shouto freeze and the girls shriek somehow even louder.
A cloaked figure swung into the camera's line of sight, one gloved hand clutching a rope as the dark energy rippled from beneath the cloak's hem. The newcomer used their free hand to grab the hero's wrist, jerking him out of the darkness and tossing him to the ground. Still made for a painful landing, but at least the fall was considerably shorter than before.
The shadows withdrew into the cloak as the rope swiftly jerked upwards, yanking the newcomer towards the original suited man. The camera moved to show the rope had come from a device on his wrist, using his free hand to tug on the cable to pull it back. Once the cloaked figure got close enough he grabbed them and pulled them to his side, retrieving the other end of the rope and holding it close. The pair turned and fled together, leaping away through the air.
As they disappeared into the distance the camera shifted to show a news reporter, their voice inaudible over the cheering girls in the crowd. It hardly mattered though, Shouto's mind focused on the last particular figure to enter the scene.
That was Dark Shadow.
Tokoyami Fumikage's Quirk was one of the most distinct ones in the class. Even before Shouto had started opening up to his classmates, it had stood out to him as one of the most powerful in 1A. As he stared at the screen the ticker bar changed to show "GENTLE CRIMINAL AND PHANTOM SHADOW STRIKE AGAIN!" Phantom Shadow? It seemed melodramatic enough for Tokoyami's tastes.
Either way, he had a name—two names, now: Gentle Criminal and Phantom Shadow.
As Shouto stared at the screen he felt the phone suddenly buzz, vibrating softly with an incoming call. His fists clenched at his sides, turning away from the monitor and striding down the street with a renewed sense of purpose.
Notes:
So minor spoilers for the manga, there's a villain named Gentle Criminal who appears after the Overhaul arc. I won't give many major spoilers on him and how his arc goes (chances are this fic won't even make it to his first in-person appearance before he debuts in the anime). All you need to know for now is that he likes to record and post videos of his crimes exposing "injustices" in the world. Although in this world, he's a bit more famous and extravagant with his targets...
Question: now that you've seen Tokoyami, where do you guys think the other members of Class 1-A are?
Chapter 7: Some New Old Friends
Summary:
Mina goes to school, and Kyouka and Kaminari ditch it.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 7
.::Some New Old Friends::.
"Gentle Criminal and Phantom Shadow?"
Mina blinked as she slurped up her ramen noodles, making Kumiko snicker even as she shook a finger at her. "Don't eat with your mouth full, Mina-chan!" her old friend scolded, but the edge was lost in the face of her amused smirk. Still, Mina dutifully swallowed the mouthful of noodles and dropped her chopsticks before speaking.
"Who're they?" she asked.
"Wow, you really do have amnesia, don't you?" Anjou drawled next to her, arching an eyebrow as she tapped away on her cell phone.
"Yeah, that's what I said!" Mina huffed, pouting at her. "Did you think I was lying about that?"
"Nah. You're not smart enough for that." Anjou shrugged even as Mina squawked with offense at the remark, while Kumiko just laughed. Mina pouted and crossed her arms with a huff, pointedly looking away from the smug girl next to her.
For lack of any better ideas, Mina had ultimately decided to just go to school and tell everyone she had a sudden case of partial amnesia. Convincing the teachers had been easy enough since she honestly didn't know their names or where the classes were, and from there her friends had picked up the slack. Kumiko had been her best friend back in middle school so she was familiar, but Anjou was totally new to her. She was a lot more deadpan and snarky than anyone else she knew, and so far Mina liked that about her.
Adjusting to a totally new school mid-year was weird, but between them and Kirishima, Mina figured she'd probably be fine. Speaking of Kirishima, Mina perked up as she noticed an increasingly-familiar head of shaggy black hair towards the side of the cafeteria, practically jumping to her feet and waving eagerly. "Kirishima!" she shouted, several nearby people flinching at her volume. The target of her yells winced and nearly dropped his tray, shooting her a startled look, and Mina just grinned and waved her arms. "Over here!"
Kirishima seemed to shrink in on himself as several pairs of eyes moved his way, his head ducking as he quickly hurried over. "D-don't just call me like that!" he hissed, slipping into the seat next to Kumiko almost hesitantly. "Everyone was staring!"
"But if I didn't call you, how would I know where I was?" Mina retorted with a roll of her eyes. Kirishima frowned but didn't bother arguing, so she counted it as a victory.
In a lucky coincidence for her, Kirishima not only happened to go to the same high school in Kamino, but also moved into the same apartment building, hence why he'd visited her that first day. Between that and already knowing each other in middle school, Mina had a multitude of excuses for latching onto him in her current state of "confusion," and she had no intentions of wasting the opportunity.
In the three days she'd gotten to know him she had found so many differences from her Kirishima. This guy had only bits and pieces of the high confidence he had in UA, he doubted himself so much! It boggled her mind how much he'd changed. They hadn't talked much in middle school, but still, she didn't think he'd been this bad. She had made it her self-proclaimed goal to fix that as soon as possible, because if she was going to get through this mess, she'd need a plucky sidekick to help her out!
...Also, she might want to learn some embarrassing secrets to tease him with after she got home. Hero student or not, Mina was a mischief-maker at heart.
"Anyways," Anjou said, drawing everyone's attention, "Gentle Criminal and Phantom Shadow are a pair of popular phantom thieves." She held her phone to the side so Mina could see. The screen showed a man in a costume resembling a fine suit sitting in a nicely decorated room holding a cup of tea, and a cloaked figure lurking in the shadows behind him.
"Huh, that suit-guy's kinda familiar," she said. Kumiko gave an overly dramatic gasp, her hands fluttering over her heart as she grinned.
"I knew it!" she cried gleefully. "I knew you'd remember Gentle-sama!"
"Gentle-sama?" Mina blinked, surprised by Kumiko's excitement. "Wait, hold on, isn't this guy, like, a thief? He's totally a villain, why are you so excited over him!?"
"He's a chivalrous thief," Kumiko corrected pointedly. "He only steals from deplorable companies that lie to the public and exposes their corruption for all to see. He and Phantom are practically vigilantes!"
"Yeah, villain-themed vigilantes," Kirishima snorted, rolling his eyes. "I'm with Ashido on this one, the fangirls are kinda creepy. Plus the guy looks like he's, like, forty."
"Phantom Shadow's probably younger," Anjou pointed out, pulling her phone back. "No one really knows though, not like anyone's ever seen his face. He mostly just lurks in the background as support. You should see the fan art, lots of interesting speculation."
"He has fan art?" Kirishima asked slowly, and flinched when Kumiko suddenly sparkled. Literally. Her Quirk had been half the reason Mina became friends with her in the first place.
"Yesss!" she hissed gleefully, an almost demented grin on her face as her phone suddenly appeared in her hand. "So much fan art! There are so many different theories! Like, in this one he's a beautiful black-haired boy whose face is so beautiful everyone falls in love instantly! And in this one, he's just a shadow, but like, with a physical form!" She shoved the phone in Kirishima's face as she rambled on, the black-haired boy leaning back with a panicked look.
As her excited rambling continued he shot Mina a desperate look, wordlessly pleading for help, to which she just innocently looked away. Sorry Kirishima, she apologized silently. She had learned long ago that there was no way to stop Kumiko when she got excited, not unless you joined in and out-talked her. This would just be another stepping stone for him to toughen up again.
While her best friend assaulted Kirishima with information she turned her attention to Anjou. "So they seriously have a fan following?" she asked curiously.
"Yeah, guess people like seeing a villain that's not malicious," Anjou replied with a shrug, not looking up from her phone as she continued tapping away. "It's not like they go out of their way to hurt people or steal anything big. Last time they stole some CEO's trophy from their college days."
"Huh? A trophy?" Mina blurted. "But that's so weird! Like, I have three back at home just from participating in sports and stuff! Why not something valuable like—like, diamonds, or rubies, or gold, or, or—I don't know, a boat or plane?"
"They do it more for show than anything, always make a big scene," Anjou said with another shrug. "But after their thefts they upload a video with a bunch of evidence about corruption in the company that leads to a bunch of arrests and scandals. That's probably why Gentle's considered half-vigilante." She snorted and rolled her eyes skyward, thumbs pausing temporarily as they hovered over her phone. "We've already got enough villains running around, we don't need more skulking around in corporations."
Mina frowned at that, slowly sinking back in her seat as she turned back to her food. "Yeah, I guess," she mumbled, feeling a bit more somber. The increase in villain activity compared to what she knew still made her highly uneasy and uncomfortable, but everyone here treated it so normally. The explosion which had closed school had been treated as perfectly routine, people barely even talked about it other than to complain they'd have classes tomorrow (on a Saturday!) to make up for the lost day.
She didn't like it, this world felt wrong and scary.
Pursing her lips, she slapped her cheeks and shook her head, banishing the dark thoughts before plastering on a bright grin. "Kirishima, we should go to the arcade after school today!" she announced, interrupting Kumiko's lecture. Kirishima startled, snapping a wide-eyed look at her.
"B-but I have to study!" he whined. "We have that big science test tomorrow, and my folks'll kill me if I fail!"
"Screw tests, we're only young once!" Mina declared, slamming her hands on the table with a fierce scowl. "We should live life to the max!"
"You're only saying that because you're guaranteed to fail," Anjou deadpanned.
"That too!"
"B-But Ashido—"
"No buts! You and I are going to the arcade so I can kick your butt in Mortal Kombat, no arguing allowed!" As Kirishima sputtered in shock Mina just grinned at him, knowing she'd already won the argument. Whether her Kirishima or this overly timid one, she always did have the edge in arguments like this. Her high enthusiasm just outshone his natural hard-headed stubbornness, which she was really starting to miss.
Well, they'd work on it.
"Yaomomo called two times last night," Kyouka groused as she checked her phone, dragging a hand down her face.
"Again?" Kaminari poked his head out of the bathroom, a towel half-draped over his head as his hair dripped. "Maybe you should call her back and let her know you're, you know, alive...?"
"I might if I actually knew her," Kyouka groaned, flopping back onto the couch. "I don't want to say the wrong thing and make her suspicious."
"...Yeah, that's fair." Kaminari retreated to finish drying off and Kyouka sighed, just staring at the text thread. After their first day in this weird world she'd basically moved into Kaminari's place in fear of Yaoyorozu randomly visiting. It sort of sucked, because Kaminari didn't have a multi-room apartment like she did, just a bedroom and bathroom. She'd been camping out on the couch, not daring to touch the bed for fear of what he might have done in it. But she doubted Yaoyorozu would ever think to look here.
Avoiding a classmate felt weird and a bit uncomfortable, especially one who she considered such a good friend, but Kyouka didn't feel like they had many better options at the moment. Yaoyorozu was smart, easily the smartest girl in their class, if not the smartest person. At UA that made her an asset and valuable ally, but here, that only made her dangerous.
In this world, the most dangerous people would be those who were close to their counterparts and could tell if they changed. Based on the text conversations, Kyouka had apparently become best friends with Yaoyorozu at some point, even closer than they'd been at UA. If anyone would notice Kyouka acting differently, it would probably be her. For now she'd avoided suspicion by claiming she was experiencing some sensory overload from her Quirk and needed to stay somewhere quiet for a few days, but she couldn't avoid Yaoyorozu forever.
It sucked, because in any other circumstance Yaomomo would be an absolute asset. Especially now.
She sighed, letting her phone's screen go dim as she stared at the ceiling. This world sucked. She wanted to hurry up and go home, but they weren't exactly in a good position. They had failed to find any of their classmates online except Mineta, who they'd both agreed wasn't worth contacting. Even without his perverted tendencies, he wouldn't be much help here; he never did handle pressure well. It didn't seem like he was caught up in whatever this was anyway, just like Yaoyorozu.
Though at this point, she admittedly wouldn't mind seeing their Mineta again. Yeah, the guy was really annoying and gross at times, but as far as perverts went he was actually pretty harmless. He was more talk than anything, too weak and timid to be genuinely predatory. At most he would grab someone's chest if the opportunity arose, which, don't get her wrong, that was still really bad, but not like sexual assault levels of bad. At least it was familiar.
The thought made her bark out into startled laughter, letting her arm drape over her eyes. She heard fumbling from the bathroom before the door opened, Kaminari no doubt peering out wide-eyed. "Jirou?" he asked in alarm. "What's with the weird laugh?" Kyouka's laughter faded to a chuckle, low and grim as she smirked at the ceiling.
"I think I'm actually missing Mineta," she replied, her voice coming out hoarser than she'd expected. There was a long moment of silence on Kaminari's end, the boy perfectly still. Then, she heard a low, "Shit," followed by the door closing and more loud fumbling.
Lifting her arm a bit so she could see, she twisted her head towards the bathroom door just in time to see the blond soon burst out clad in a t-shirt and shorts. His body still hadn't dried completely, causing the white shirt to stick to his chest and look partially translucent while his hair continued to drip. Some people would probably find the sight to be seductive and utter fan service, but Kyouka found any such effects totally offset by A) it being Kaminari, and B) his comically panicked expression.
"Uh, d-don't freak out!" he said hurriedly, scurrying over to her while waving his hands almost frantically. "I know it looks bad now, b-but, it's not, like, this is p-permanent or anything! I mean, p-probably not, wait—ah, uh—crap, I don't know how to do this, how do you comfort people—just, um..." He trailed off, visibly struggling for something to say while Kyouka just stared at him almost blankly.
Scrambling desperately for words, he took a deep breath and pushed on, "Plus Ultra?"
UA's motto came out meek and hesitant, the blond wincing even as he held both hands in a thumbs up with a smile plastered on his face that looked more like a grimace than anything cheery. Kyouka continued to stare at him blankly, the silence causing his smile to falter more towards the "grimace" end of the spectrum as it stretched on, and his hands began to lower.
Finally, Kyouka spoke.
"You look like a total dork," she informed him flatly. Kaminari squawked, his hands falling to his sides as his jaw dropped in disbelief before he glared at her. Or at least, as much as a person like Kaminari could glare when obviously embarrassed.
"I was trying to cheer you up!" he sputtered defensively. "I mean, you're acting all weird and mopey lately! I'm trying really hard not to let us both freak out! Don't just dismiss my efforts so easily!"
"I'm not," Kyouka countered, smirking at him. "I'm just telling you the facts. You looked really stupid there." More stunned sputtering followed her declaration, soon turning into a whine of frustration as he threw up his hands and spun around, marching off to the back part of the room where they'd set up a folding screen to create some privacy. As he stalked away Kyouka's expression became softer, shifting to sit up straight. It hadn't been how he'd intended, but he'd managed to lift her spirits a little.
More importantly, now that Kaminari was done in the bathroom, she could take a shower. She could use one; his apartment wasn't dirty, but it still had that messy vibe like most "bachelor pads" that left it feeling a little less clean than her own room. With that in mind she rose to head to the bathroom, grabbing the bag sitting by the couch containing clothes she'd grabbed from her apartment, only to pause as an electronic ringtone sounded.
She glanced at the coffee table where Kaminari's phone sat, the screen now lit up with a notification of a text. Frowning, she picked it up and glanced over her shoulder at the folding screen. "Oi, Kaminari, you got a text," she called.
"Seriously? Who's it from?"
"It says..." Kyouka paused as she read the name shown on the preview, her eyebrows raising. "'Scary Pink Lady.'"
"...What?" The blond poked his head into view with a puzzled frown, looking a bit worried. "What... what did she say?"
"Dunno, let me check." Kyouka swiped across the unlock screen and quickly keyed in the pin code. Seeing as neither of them really considered these phones theirs, they'd decided to just share their pin codes for easier access. She opened the message app and read it over quickly. "She's asking where you are." The phone buzzed again even as she spoke, a new message coming in. "...She just said, 'Too slow. Are you alive?'"
"Uh... Type yes?" Kaminari sounded hesitant, not that she could blame him. Shrugging, Kyouka typed in the short response he dictated, question mark and all, figuring it would probably be better not to leave the person hanging.
Two seconds after pressing 'send' a heavy knocking suddenly pounded on the door, making them both jump. They exchanged wary looks as the pounding continued, their expressions grim and serious. The timing left no doubt that "Scary Pink Lady" was the one knocking, but they had no idea who she might be. They didn't have time to look at the past message history for clues, and neither of them had their Hero gear to help direct their Quirks, limiting their options if a fight broke out.
Nodding at each other, Kyouka set down the phone and the pair approached the door in silence, quickly stationing themselves on either side. Kyouka crouched down to the side just behind where the door would swing open, gripping the ends of her earphone-jacks in preparation to fight. Kaminari slowly reached for the handle, pausing to glance at her nervously, and she met his gaze evenly with a small nod. Gulping as the knocking sounded again, he turned back and undid the lock.
The second it clicked the door flew open, a blurry figure zooming past him as he jumped back with a startled yelp. Kyouka jolted, nearly activating her Quirk on instinct before realizing the newcomer was a teenage girl wearing the same uniform she'd found in her own apartment. "Finally!" the girl proclaimed with a grin, speed-walking towards the coffee table and dropping a backpack on it. "I've been waiting all week to grab you! Come on, let's get to work Battery-kun!"
She turned to face them and stopped, a static smile plastered on her face as she looked at them. Kaminari had fallen into a half-abandoned battle stance, his hands half-raised to hover around his waist in an almost defensive position while his legs were crooked. Behind him Kyouka remained crouched, still clutching the ends of both earphone jacks as she stared at the newcomer.
A long beat of silence passed, none of them moving as they stared each other down. The girl's smile remained still and unfading, thoughts unreadable, until finally she blinked.
"Oh, so you have a girlfriend now!" she said. "So that's why you've been skipping school!"
"W-wh-wha!?" Kaminari sputtered in shock, while Kyouka deadpanned a flat, "What, no."
"But that's totally irrelevant to me!" the girl continued, ignoring them as she turned back to her backpack and ripped it open. "You still owe me that debt, Battery-kun! And we're now two days behind on testing!" She spun around to face them holding up some kind of bulky device with two antennae sticking out that Kyouka did not recognize. "Now hurry and power it up, I need to see if it works!"
"Um, what?" Kaminari squeaked, paling as he shrunk back. At that point the girl suddenly seemed to almost teleport right in front of him, her face inches away from his and making him jump back against the door with a small shriek. She just kept that unsettling smile, the crosshairs in her yellow eyes almost resembling sparkles as she leaned even closer to his face.
"We're doing the test here and now!" she informed him brightly. "If you wanted to do it in my lab, you should've gone to school!" She pulled away enough to thrust the mysterious device in his face, adding, "Now grab those handles and give it some juice! I want to see if my baby's working yet!"
Kaminari slid down slightly, a scared whimper escaping him as he stared up at her. Next to them Kyouka just watched blankly, her earphone jacks slipping out of her hands as she realized the danger was gone. Or, mostly gone.
"You're that inventor girl from the Support Department," she said, finally recognizing her from the Sports Festival. The girl turned her head to face her, still smiling and jabbing the mystery-device in Kaminari's face.
"I don't know about a support department, but yes, I am the great inventor Hatsume Mei!" she confirmed. "Remember my name, for one day my inventions will revolutionize the world! Starting with this baby! As soon as Battery-kun powers it up." She turned back to Kaminari, who winced and whimpered again as he shot Kyouka a desperate, pleading look.
"...Uh, why do you need Kaminari's help with this?" Kyouka asked, figuring it'd probably be better for her to take the lead.
"Because this baby is too strong for a conventional battery!" Hatsume proclaimed, not taking her gaze from Kaminari as she sort of shook her invention in his face. "With his Quirk, he can charge it directly!"
"What does it even do?" Kaminari asked, eying the object with fear and suspicion. Mostly fear.
"This baby will produce sound waves that will scan the room like sonar and generate a map, which it will then use to create a holographic projection that will cover everything!" A pause, and then, just as energetically, "If it doesn't explode again!"
"Explode!?" Kaminari squeaked, scrambling away from the object with a look of pure horror. "Holy shit, are you serious!? I'm not touching that!"
In response the object moved away from his face to be replaced by Hatsume's face, the girl bent almost ninety-degrees at the waist as she loomed over him with that same unsettling smile. "But you owe me!" she told him, just as energetic and manic as before but with an almost sinister edge. "Battery-kun short-circuited when he bumped into my bag and fried all the stuff in there! That's why you have to help me test all my strongest babies until you've paid off your debt!"
"How much are we talking here?" Kyouka asked curiously as she watched her friend sink further to the floor, Hatsume leaning further in time with him. "Like, a few thousand yen, or..."
Mei temporarily straightened, turning her head to her. "Three hundred fifty-thousand yen's worth of circuitry and hardware!" she chirped, making Kyouka's jaw fell open with shock as she pushed on, "And he's only worked off five hundred of it! So get to work!" she added, turning back to a very pale Kaminari.
At this point, the fourth wall must be broken to explain the severity of young Kaminari Denki's debt.
At the time of writing, the conversion rate of yen to US dollars is 1 Japanese yen equals 0.0089. Rounding up that 0.0089 to a neater 0.01, that would mean one yen is equal to roughly one cent, and one hundred yen is equal to a little under one US dollar. Thus, 350,000 yen would be equivalent to a little over 3,000 US dollars.
In short: Kaminari, with his limited allowance and income as an unemployed high school student, was screwed.
Back within the safe confines of the fourth wall, the young blond was hyper-aware of this fact and appeared to enter a fugue state, his eyes glazing over with blank horror as he stared up at the manic inventor girl currently shoving her latest creation in his face. Kyouka, who wasn't the target of the girl's rambling, still found herself struggling to get her thoughts back on track after hearing the insane number. Frowning, she lightly slapped her cheeks and took a deep breath, trying to organize her thoughts.
Hatsume Mei, she knew, was an incredible inventor. Her demonstration back in the Sports Festival using Iida as an unwilling model for her inventions had been one of the most memorable matches of all, if only by sheer merit of Iida's griping after he returned to the stands. Since then they'd seen her work sporadically, a few of her inventions being used in upgrades to their classmates' hero costumes.
Based on the past five minutes, it was pretty clear that passion hadn't changed here even if she didn't go to UA. Kyouka's mind raced with the implications of this. Hatsume was an eccentric inventor, one who she knew to be competent despite how abrasive her enthusiasm could be. The "exploding" part was a bit off-putting, but Hatsume had just described something pretty big and complicated, as opposed to other devices that might be simpler.
"Hey," she said, cutting into Hatsume's prodding. "Do you take requests?"
"Requests?" Hatsume straightened and turned to face Kyouka completely this time, holding her invention at waist-level and giving Kaminari some much-needed breathing room.
"You said that thing works with sound waves, right?" Kyouka asked, nodding to the device. "Could you maybe do something similar, but with boots?"
"Boots?" Hatsume's smile remained unchanged, but her eyes held a more calculating gleam now. "Where would the sound waves come into play? Amplify the sound of the footsteps?"
"More like I plug my earphone jack in and they become speakers," Kyouka corrected, twirling one of the jacks for emphasis as she spoke. "My Quirk lets me channel my heartbeat into whatever I plug into and basically cause massive vibrations inside it. If I had sturdy speakers, I could turn it into sonic waves and direct them at stuff. I was thinking something similar for my hands, too. Gauntlets that double as Amplifier Jacks."
"Ooh, I see, I see!" Hatsume said, bobbing her head. "And then you'd be able to slam your hands on stuff and channel the sonic waves that way! I like it!" She thrust her invention towards Kaminari as she spoke, the blond scrambling to catch it and grunting as it plummeted into his lap. Hatsume strode towards Kyouka and stopped barely a foot away, their faces now inches away from each other as she leaned forward. "I can definitely do that, easy! But the question is why?"
"Do you really need a reason?" Kyouka asked, leaning back slightly but keeping her tone cool and collected. "You seem like the kind of girl who'd jump on any reason to invent something new."
"I am!" Mei confirmed with an enthusiastic nod. "I love inventing, it is my greatest passion! But," she continued, emphasizing the word, "If my babies are misused, then I'll get in all sorts of trouble! People are so jumpy about villains these days. If my babies ever get tied to a crime, I'll be put under all sorts of restrictions!" Her smile remained intact but her eyes held a colder gleam now, more threatening and ominous as she leaned forward just a little more. "So if you're thinking of using my babies for something bad, then just stop now!"
Kyouka met her gaze squarely, undeterred by the sudden air of warning the other girl emanated. "I'm not a villain," she declared firmly. "I want to be a hero."
"A Hero?" Hatsume repeated, eyes still cold, still calculating, and Kyouka nodded.
"Like you said, everyone's jumpy about villains these days. There's too many villains, not enough Heroes. We might be in high school, but we have Quirks that can fight."
"We?"
"Me and Kaminari." She nodded at the blond, who had set down the invention and shakily risen to his feet during the conversation. He flinched slightly when Hatsume's head swiveled to look at him, but he quickly frowned and stood up straighter, a look of determination in his eyes. "You obviously know what Kaminari's Quirk can do," Kyouka commented as the duo stared each other down. "Imagine if he could direct it at a specific target."
"Battery-kun?" Mei echoed thoughtfully. "The electric shocks would be awesome, just zap his enemies and make them stop!"
"Exactly," Kyouka agreed. "Kaminari and I are both sick of this world. Heroes shouldn't be hiding in the shadows letting villains run amuck like they are. We shouldn't be living in fear of getting kidnapped just for our Quirks." Her voice rang with a firm conviction and honesty, her words fueled by a genuine loathing of this world so different than their own.
They had spent the past four days hiding here, feeling disoriented and paranoid about their safety in what seemed to be a much more violent copy of their own world. If a villain attacked them for any reason, their ability to defend themselves would be severely hindered without their support gear. Both of their Quirks worked best when used with some sort of gear to help control their aim, whether it be Kyouka's boots or Kaminari's sharpshooting gear.
They could still fight without it and defend themselves, but their combat effectiveness was severely crippled in comparison. Their first real battle back at the USJ alone had shown just how much of a difference it made for Kaminari to have a way to direct his electricity.
And the best excuse to explain why they wanted their gear?
"We're going to be vigilantes," Kyouka declared.
Miles away from Kaminari's apartment Yaoyorozu Momo frowned down at her phone, the message app open to her conversation with Kyouka. The other girl had been strangely quiet the past few days, and Momo hadn't seen her in person once. Supposedly her Quirk had acted up and she needed to go somewhere quiet until the sensitivity faded, but Momo had her doubts about that. The lack of responses perturbed her.
The sound of the elevator doors opening broke her from her thoughts, and she slipped her phone into her bag as she stepped out into the hallway. She'd tried waiting for Kyouka to call or text her, but she couldn't stand it any longer. Walking past the rows of doors at a brisk pace, she stopped before the one marked '304' and rapped on the wood. "Kyouka?" she called. "It's Momo."
No response. Her mouth thinned, eyes hardening as she tried the handle. Locked.
Glancing around to check for witnesses or security cameras, she crouched down and discreetly pulled the hem of her uniform shirt away from her stomach, activating her Quirk. Two small, solid metal picks quickly formed, one bent at a ninety-degree angle and the other straight with a curved tip.
They fell into her waiting hand and with a fluid and almost graceful motion she slid the bent one into the bottom of the key hole, slipping the straight one in above it. Sorry, she apologized mentally as she began silently working at picking the lock. It took less than a minute before she heard a final click, and she quickly withdrew the tools and turned the knob to find no resistance.
She hurried inside and closed the door behind her, looking around the room with a frown. Kyouka's apartment looked the same as she remembered, everything still in place and nothing noticeably different from her last visit.
"Kyouka?" she called, walking towards the bedroom door. "If you're here, say something." She hesitated as she reached for the handle, not wanting to defy common courtesy by entering her room uninvited. Offering another mental apology she took a deep breath and pushed it open anyway.
The room was empty, no sign of Kyouka, and Momo bit her lip.
Turning on her heel, she walked briskly past the open bathroom door, pulling out her phone and dialing Kyouka's number. Once again it kept ringing with no answer, but she'd come to expect that at this point. When the now-familiar voice mail message started she hung up and opened up a message app instead, tapping out a quick note. 'Kyouka's not at home and not answering her phone. Any news on activity in Hosu?' She pressed send and held her breath, waiting for the answer.
Soon enough she saw the three dots indicating the other person typing a response. 'Nothing major. Didn't she say her Quirk was acting up?'
'She did, but I don't know why it would suddenly get sensitive. Am I just being paranoid?'
'Maybe, but better safe than sorry. I'll ask the others to keep an eye out. Just stay calm, there's still a chance she's just busy right now. I'll see you tomorrow.'
'Right. See you then.' She exhaled quietly as she slid the phone back into her bag, glancing around Kyouka's apartment one last time. No signs of a struggle at least. That didn't comfort her as much as she hoped.
Notes:
So on AO3, someone predicted that Jirou and Kaminari would be rich in this AU, and I actually laughed. You now see why. I am oddly fond of that fourth wall break to help explain the debt. Computer parts can get expensive. Also, meet Anjou and Kumiko! Kumiko is loosely based on one of the girls from Kiri's flashback to Mina was friends with in a flashback. For the record, Mina calls Kumiko by her given name since they're good friends, but Anjou is called by her surname since they're not as close.
Also, unpopular opinion time: I don't actually hate Mineta like most of the fandom. Might be because I grew up with the Naruto fandom and thus Jiraiya, but his brand of perversion comes off much closer to comic relief to me. Just, really badly written and executed comic relief. Believe me, I'm not defending him. I absolutely get what's wrong with his actions and totally understand why so many people dislike his character. I don't fault writers for replacing him with someone else or having him expelled right off the bat. But if there's one thing I hate in fan fiction more than anything else, it's when people hyper-focus on one negative trait and use it to paint the REST of a character's personality.
Seriously. Mineta's a pervert, but he's not a stuck-up entitled bastard who sees himself as better than everyone else. Actually he has some pretty big confidence issues. If he got expelled on the first day, I think he'd probably just burst into tears rather than get angry or offended that someone else passed over him. Same goes for Endeavor. He might be a bad dad, but he wouldn't get to the Number Two rank in the first place if he had a civilian body count as high as some people portray. Seriously, I'm pretty sure massive collateral damage would be factored into his ranking. At the very least he wouldn't use his full strength and incinerate a city block to go after a petty thief.
Please don't hyper-focus on one bad trait and ignore the rest of a character's personality. Most of the characters in MHA are actually pretty well rounded and developed, they're not one-dimensional caricatures. Just saying, even serial killers in real life are usually able to hide their true nature and be "upstanding members of the community" when they're not murdering people.
Chapter 8: A Dark and Stormy Morning
Summary:
Shouto meets someone new.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 8
.::A Dark and Stormy Morning::.
Rain pelted the streets as Shouto hurried down the sidewalk towards the bus station, tugging the hood of his plastic poncho further over his head to try to deflect the heavy drops from hitting his eyes.
The storm had struck hard and heavy the previous night around eleven, and had not let up even now over twelve hours later. He'd already taken cover in a net café for a majority of it, paying the necessary fee for a ten-hour block mere minutes before the first drop fell. It had been pricier than he'd hoped and it must have shown on his face, because the worker gave him a free drink and even offered him a spare rain poncho she'd just bought. He really needed to thank her more.
He'd spent most of the night doing intensive research on this new world, sleeping only about two hours total, and only because he figured a short nap would be better than nothing. Sleep didn't come easily after everything he'd learned anyway; his dreams had been plagued with nightmarish visions of UA being attacked and All Might falling at that fateful battle in Kamino. After waking up in a cold sweat, he'd been reluctant to look into the current leading heroes or any of his teachers, dreading what he'd find.
He did find plenty of other useful information though, finally getting a name for the city in the process. To his immense surprise he was in Shikotori, a small but lively city about half an hour east of the port city Numazu by train or bus, and a little over one and a half hours south of Musutafu. In retrospect, it explained the prevalence of seafood restaurants in town. That said, it didn't matter too much since he planned to leave soon.
At present, Shouto saw no point in going to Musutafu. UA had shut down, cutting off the most valuable potential resource there, and even if it had still existed he wasn't sure it'd be worth trying. He couldn't see himself easily convincing the staff he originated from another dimension, and he didn't exactly have any evidence for his story. That same reasoning also eliminated most hero agencies—not that he'd found many public ones, further limiting his potential resources.
Instead, he decided to start with the lead he'd found the previous day: Tokoyami.
Further research into Gentle Criminal and Phantom Shadow had only solidified his suspicions that the cloaked figure was his classmate, several videos clearly showing him using Dark Shadow. Tokoyami tended to lurk in the background more often than not, letting Gentle Criminal take the lead in his online monologues and heists. It was obvious that the older man was the leader in the partnership, and so most people tended to focus on him more than his silent cloaked companion.
As it stood, Gentle's roaring popularity meant Shouto had plenty of information available. All the articles he'd read painted the thief as far more morally scrupulous than most villains, usually performing his heists to draw attention to corporate corruption. He minimized damage to property and people as much as possible, going out of his way to avoid harming even the Pro Heroes and police who responded. Shouto didn't dismiss the possibility of it all being a façade to cover up a twisted and vile personality, but if so, it was a good one.
For all his intense popularity here, Shouto only vaguely recalled Gentle Criminal from his own world, and only because his classmates had watched a couple videos in the common room for kicks. He had a rather grandiose personality from what Shouto saw, overly verbose and obviously quite prideful. Shouto hadn't paid much attention at the time, more focused on his own homework, and he regretted it now since any insight would be useful in picking apart his persona here.
No matter of his true personality, Shouto pinned Gentle's popularity as his primary threat. This world was already tottering on the edge of imbalance; it didn't need a villain being worshipped so openly, no matter how harmless or chivalrous he might be. Maybe that was why he was so popular here compared to his world. This world needed change and reform, and Gentle was the type of existence that could incite such an event.
In any event, Shouto didn't care so much about him as he did Tokoyami. Though their interactions had been somewhat limited at school—neither of them were particularly social—he had the sense the bird-headed boy would be likely to actually believe his story. While he couldn't tell if this world's Tokoyami had undergone any drastic changes that might change that, the possibility alone that he might made the decision easy.
The heist the previous day had been in Odawara, the latest in a string of robberies in that general region. It would be a rather short ride to get there, only an hour by bus. Shouto had already checked the schedule and prices for tickets online, and had managed to scrounge together enough money to pay for one. Shouto now had a destination and a plan. An admittedly reckless plan, since he was seeking out the sidekick of a nationally wanted villain, but he didn't have any better ideas.
Ironically, an independent villain might actually be the safest option right now anyway. Heroes worked in tandem with the government after all, and a boy from an alternate reality would draw all sorts of attention. He'd probably end up being taken into custody while the investigation began, and he had a feeling this world's bureaucracy would be an even worse nightmare than his own world. It'd be better if he could move freely.
Thunder rumbled ominously above him for several long seconds, breaking him from his thoughts and making him tuck his chin into the scarf as he walked a little faster. He doubted lightning would strike him—there were plenty of tall buildings nearby—but he'd still feel more secure once he got to the bus stop. Lightning flashed above him with a sharp crack, the white-hot streak of light splitting across the dark clouds and illuminating the near-empty street.
That was the reason Shouto finally spied them.
Two figures stood near the wall of a building not too far ahead, their distant silhouettes hazy and nearly invisible in the thick rain. In the split-second the lightning illuminated them Shouto could see that one had all but pinned the other to the wall, their posture hunched and menacing while the other shrank down towards the ground. A mugging, he recognized instantly, eyes narrowing.
The streak of lightning faded and darkness fell again, the figures vanishing into the ether once more, but their shapes had been burned into Shouto's mind. He frowned as he came to a momentary stop, rolling over his options in his head. In the end, he didn't have to think too hard, and he resumed walking at a brisker pace.
"Hey," he called as they entered his line of sight, short and sharp. Through the rain he could see the mugger's figure twist slightly to look at him, his features lost in the darkness of the storm.
"Go away!" he snarled. "We're in the middle of something here, mind your own business!" Shouto didn't bother responding or letting him say more than that. He surged forward without warning, ice rippling around his right fist and encasing it in a thick, hard shell. The mugger didn't even try to block him as he swung it upwards in a harsh uppercut to the chin, the sound of ice crunching and bone cracking mixing together just barely audible over the rain.
Just like that the man went down, falling back and hitting the ground unconscious in an almost anticlimactic fashion. Shouto huffed as he pulled back his fist, letting the ice fragments melt. Using his Quirk the way he usually did would be dangerous if someone happened to recognize it, but he could at least do this much. With the threat handled he turned to face the other person, still crouched against the wall with shoulders tense.
Now that he'd gotten closer he could see it was an adult male, wearing a scruffy-looking dark jacket that only further blended with the shadows. Shouto thought he faintly heard a "holy shit" just barely audible over the rain, but decided to ignore it.
"Are you alright?" he asked flatly. The man flinched, tensing as if anticipating a strike. Shouto thought it over and decided he probably looked pretty suspicious, and held up his palms in a non-threatening manner. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you. I just saved you from a mugger."
"H-how do I know that?" the man demanded shakily. "This could be a trap!" Shouto glimpsed wary orange eyes in the shadows of the hood, glinting in the little light available on the street. They shone with fear and wariness, obviously suspicious of Shouto.
"If I was going to mug anyone, it'd be him," he pointed out dryly, inclining his head towards the unconscious man lying beside them. "He's already unconscious anyways." Actually, the idea was somewhat tempting now that he'd said it loud. He did need money, and he could just drag the would-be mugger to the police station afterwards. Shouto entertained the notion for a few seconds but then quickly dismissed it. The urgency of his situation aside, he was still a hero in training. Stealing from even a would-be thief would be unethical.
Across from him the man remained tense and suspicious, his eyes still searching, but after a few moments Shouto saw him nod slightly. "R-right... Guess you have a point there, huh." He rose slowly, watching Shouto the whole time. The teen remained still and kept his posture relaxed, hands still at his sides. Once the man had straightened he seemed to relax, heaving a large sigh. "Shit, what a day... Uh, thanks, I guess."
"Don't mention it," Shouto responded with a shrug. "Do you have a phone to call the police? They'll want to get him."
"Shit, phone, yeah, let me just..." He began rummaging through his pockets, soon pulling out a smart phone before cursing quietly. "Dammit, I can barely see the screen with this rain. I'll have to go somewhere covered to unlock it and make the call."
"There should be a bus station nearby," Shouto suggested. "Not sure how far it is though, I don't know the area that well."
"Bus station, bus station... Yeah, that's just a block over. That'll work." The man nodded and turned to begin walking at a brisk pace, Shouto trailing behind him silently. The would-be victim remained jumpy and on edge during the walk, shooting suspicious glances back at him but saying nothing. Soon enough a glass bus kiosk came into sight, the walls misty with condensation and carrying an ethereal air under the glow of a nearby streetlamp. No one else was there when they slipped inside, but the man seemed to relax nonetheless.
Shouto sat on the bench with a soft sigh as the other pulled out his phone again, quickly unlocking it to call the police. While he described the mugger and his location Shouto rifled through his own pockets, taking the opportunity to count the money he had on hand. His lips thinned as he reached the last coin; it would be tight, but he could afford the ticket. After he arrived though would be another issue, he wouldn't have enough left over to buy even water from a vending machine.
He sighed, deciding to shelve the thought for later as he loosely listened to the phone call next to him. "...just ran away," the man was saying. "Didn't get a good look at him, just heard a punch and then he was gone. No, no idea if he used a Quirk or not, kinda hard to see. Sorry." Shouto frowned, his eyebrows furrowing as he listened to the man wrap up the call.
"You lied," he commented once he'd hung up. The man jumped, snapping a startled look at him, but soon his shoulders sagged and he exhaled a tired breath. With the streetlamp outside he could now see more of the man's features, looking to be in his mid-twenties with sharp-looking orange eyes and slightly damp strands of black hair trailing in his face.
"Would you rather I tell them you're waiting for a bus so they can bust you for vigilante activity?" he asked dryly, his expression just as tired as his voice sounded. Shouto hummed quietly, assessing the man a moment longer.
"No, I wouldn't," he confirmed flatly, turning his gaze back to his meager savings. He could feel the man watching him as he counted out the coins he'd need for the ticket, but chose to ignore it. For a few seconds the only sound was the heavy rain violently assaulting the glass, each individual drop sounding like it was trying to shatter it through force alone.
"You look like the kind of kid with a story," the man commented. Apparently he'd decided Shouto didn't pose a threat anymore, his voice sounding more relaxed and calm now. "Not every day I see a kid willing to punch out a guy for a stranger." The teen just shrugged, stuffing the few leftover coins in his pocket.
"Should I have just walked away then?"
"Most people would," the man said. "Especially a kid living on the streets. By the way, is the eye patch related to the scar poking out under it?"
The nonchalant question made Shouto stiffen, slowly lifting a wary gaze towards the stranger. His fingers itched to reach towards the eye patch and feel the tips of the red scar just barely peeking out under it, his uncovered eye focusing on the man suspiciously.
"Does it matter?" he asked crisply, his tone sharper than intended.
"Maybe, maybe not. Like I said, you look like a kid with a story. And going by that scar, it definitely isn't a nice one." The man shrugged, a small frown playing across his lips as he glanced out at the rain. It made for a sharp contrast to the fearful and suspicious person who'd been cowering under the shadow of his attempted mugger just minutes earlier. It made Shouto even more wary, his eyes narrowing.
"Do you have a point with this?"
"You're here because you want to catch a bus, right? Any chance you're heading to Odawara?" When Shouto remained silent, the man huffed and rolled his eyes. "I'm asking because that's where I'm heading. Bus should be here in a few minutes, I'll cover your fare. After that you can come to my place and get some food there."
"Why?" Shouto asked, not bothering to hide his suspicion. The man's eyes darted back to him, meeting his gaze from the corner of his vision.
"You just took down a mugger for me," he said flatly. "Not every day I meet someone who's willing to do something like that, especially not a street kid like you. The least I can do to pay you back is cover your fare and get you something to eat. Maybe clean up a bit, too," he added. "No offense, but you look like this is the closest you've had to a shower in weeks."
Shouto's glare faded slightly at that, his mouth thinning as he turned away. He had a feeling he was probably right on that last mark. Still, the man was a stranger and Shouto found himself wary of the invitation, even with his explanation of gratitude. But then his gaze darted to the small collection of coins in his hand, the few coins in his pocket feeling much lighter.
That settled it for him and he sighed in defeat, stuffing the money into his pocket. "Fine." Not like he had any better options. If it turned out to be some sort of trap, Shouto felt fairly certain he could take the guy down anyway.
The man smiled at that, nodding at him. "Glad to hear it. The name's Kuroe, by the way." He didn't provide a surname, Shouto noticed immediately, the blatant omission only heightening his suspicion. He frowned slightly and hesitated to respond, trying to figure out what name he should use when Kuroe spoke up again. "You don't need to give me a name if you're not comfortable with it. I know street kids are pretty suspicious and paranoid, probably for good reason, too."
The remark gave Shouto pause, furrowing his eyebrows. "...Do you know a lot of 'street kids'?" Kuroe snorted quietly, his lips curling into a smirk.
"A few," he replied, a glimmer of amusement in his eye at some sort of secret knowledge. Shouto didn't know what that meant, so he just remained silent until the bus arrived.
"I'm sorry, your call has been forwarded to an automatic voice-messaging..."
Dabi didn't let the message finish before he violently jabbed the "end call" button, his face twisted in anger. "Motherfucker!" he cursed loudly, nearly slamming his phone down on the table to resist the urge to throw it at the wall instead. He couldn't afford to break it, he didn't have the money to buy a new one, but goddamn he really wanted to break something right about now.
Five days.
It had been five days since Shouto had woken him up by blasting him with ice and running off to hell knows where. That had to be one of the worst wakeup calls to date, which was really saying something since "rough mornings" had been the norm even before the whole runaway pseudo-fugitive lifestyle. Getting up was hardly appealing with the knowledge that a flaming asshole was waiting for you to make a single mistake so he could blast you to hell over it.
But getting frozen in a block of ice? Turns out that was way worse.
While his burns had now mostly scarred over, the skin was still thinner there than other parts of his body so it practically felt like the ice had touched his bare muscle. On top of that, he had metal staples bridging the gaps between the scar tissue and regular skin all over his body. Metal and cold did not mix, and it was hell when that metal was directly embedded into your body. The only saving grace was that the ice hadn't covered his face. That... would have been really bad.
As it stood, the suddenness of it had left him too stunned to react right away, and then the sheer pain had incapacitated him another few minutes. It had taken him several more minutes of cursing to finally get angry enough for his Quirk to flare subconsciously and melt the ice. And still, he found himself partially immobilized as he tried to recover from the cold, teeth chattering while his whole body dripped water like he'd been dunked in a pool. Which would have been a much nicer way to wake up.
And five days and one hundred-three calls later, and he still had no idea why the fuck that happened.
"Fucking hell, Shouto," he growled under his breath, scowling at the wall. He knew the brat had his phone, the fact it rang at all instead of going straight to voice mail told him it wasn't off all the time. But the fact he wasn't answering was a bad sign.
It would be so much easier if he could send him a text, but no. Texts left an easily traceable trail, and someone could easily see the message when the preview would pop up on the lock screen. Even leaving a voicemail wasn't an option; if someone heard it and recognized his voice, it would be game over. His only option was to keep calling until the idiot picked up, which at this point didn't seem fucking likely.
He yelled in frustration, swinging a hand at the wall behind him and letting blue flames flare out and scorch the stone. The heat from the fire warmed his palm, his hand drawing away before the flames could lick the skin while his other fist clenched at his side. "Dammit," he hissed, his blue eyes flashing with rage as he scowled and brought a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.
Waiting was no longer an option. So far he knew no one had recognized the brat or else "Endeavor's missing son" would've been plastered all over the news, but that wasn't good enough for him. Dabi needed to find the brat as soon as possible, partially to kick his butt for being such an idiot, and partially to keep him from getting into more trouble.
The longer the kid was out there, the riskier things got for him. The last thing he needed was to get any sort of attention. Right now, Dabi really wished he'd just torched the fucking brat when he'd had the chance. He hadn't though, he'd decided to be nice and now it'd come back to bite him in the ass.
Cursing loudly, he swiped his phone off the table and stormed out of the room, slamming the door hard enough to rattle it. Fuck this, Dabi was done sitting around this abandoned dump just waiting. If the brat finally decided to return on his own he'd just have to call Dabi himself. Wouldn't that be a nice change of pace?
Either way, he had a brat to find. At the very least, setting some stuff on fire sounded like a really good way to de-stress right about now. He would find Shouto, no matter what he had to do.
Notes:
Enter: Kuroe. One of my all-time favorite OCs, hope you guys like him! Also, Dabi is mad. If it's not immediately obvious, it's now Saturday in the story.
Heads up: Next chapter is going to be slightly darker than the rest so far. See you next week!
Chapter 9: New Discoveries Every Day
Notes:
TRIGGER WARNING: Izuku's section features descriptions of a muzzle. Read with caution.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 9
.::New Discoveries Every Day::.
One of the biggest perks of attending UA was that the school handled all the more difficult parts of being a hero for its students.
That didn't mean it made becoming a Pro Hero easy. Students had to work hard each and every day, to the point they had a six-day school week as opposed to the more common five (though Saturday was only a half-day), along with expectations to continue working and training outside of class too. Falling behind could lead to fatal mistakes in the real world after all, so the school tried to weed out those who struggled to keep up as early as possible.
No, UA definitely didn't make classes easy for its future heroes. But it did take care of the second most important detail of being a hero: the gear.
The fact was, a Pro Hero was often only as good as their gear. Quirks alone could only do so much; they needed good support equipment to optimize their capabilities. Even the costumes were designed with how to best work with their Quirk and fighting style in mind, down to the methods used to actually put it on. Designing a cool-looking costume was easy enough, but making it fully functional and optimal? Not so much.
Denki knew this. He had already underestimated the importance of a good costume and support gear once, learning his lesson back at the USJ when he'd had no way to direct his electricity because he focused on aesthetic over function. Thankfully he'd survived in part due to Yaomomo's quick thinking, but he'd learned from his mistakes then. He put in a request for the Support Department, got sharpshooter gear and pointers, and overall came away from the incident with a greater appreciation for good support gear and costume design.
But now he realized he'd greatly underestimated one other factor: UA's role in providing that gear. Something Denki hadn't realized how much he should appreciate that until he found himself in a busy shopping district on a Saturday afternoon in another dimension shopping for parts for a ragtag vigilante costume.
"It'd be best if we got you some sort of armor, but stores don't really sell that," Hatsume said as they walked down the row of stores. The pink-haired inventor had taken lead on the impromptu shopping trip, babbling on about the necessary specs for their new gear and costumes. "It sucks, but we can't really buy stuff like Kevlar at a fabric store, and the government's cracked down on the sales of most of the other materials that can be used for villain or vigilante costumes. We can still get some of it, buuuut it'd be really pricey and we'd probably be put on a watch list."
"So you can't just, I don't know, make it yourself?" Denki piped up hesitantly. "I mean, I dunno what goes into making it, but you're pretty good at making stuff. And, like, didn't you have a suit of armor at your workshop?" He still hadn't gotten over their visit to her warehouse workshop that morning before going shopping.
"That baby's totally different!" Hatsume dismissed with a wave. "The armor parts are mostly just regular metal plating that I can reinforce and improve with my technical genius. It's way easier to get the raw materials for that. But when it comes to custom-made polymers I don't have the equipment to make any, or even access to the resources and chemicals I'd need. Besides, my specialty is building stuff, not designing costumes. I'm just here to make sure whatever you guys buy will work with my babies!"
"That's fine," Jirou said with a shrug. "I think we'll be trying to avoid close combat situations anyway. Our Quirks can be used in long-range attacks with the right gear so we should prioritize that and armor for close-range combat second." Hatsume's head swiveled to look back at her with a giant grin, her eyes flashing with a dangerous gleam that made Denki shudder.
"I knew you were smart!" she declared gleefully. "I can tell you and I are going to get along very well!" Turning back forward, she continued in a calmer tone, "But my glorious babies aside, the final costume design will be very important. Especially for vigilantes! The aesthetic is going to be key here."
"Seriously?" Denki asked, eying her warily. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I know functional costumes are really important—" again, he'd learned his lesson after the USJ, "—but, uh, aren't vigilantes supposed to avoid being recognized? Full-blown costumes seem kinda... the opposite of that."
He then proceeded to jump as Hatsume suddenly whirled around and leaned in his face, once again ignoring the existence of personal bubbles. "You are exactly right!" she confirmed with an almost feral glint in her eyes. "Vigilantes are huge targets, so you really can't risk being identified. And that means you can't just throw on a domino mask or visor and call it a day. You need to hide all identifying traits!"
Denki leaned back in attempt to get some space as she spoke, while next to him Jirou looked thoughtful. "Yeah, that's a good point," she muttered, glancing at him. "Like, Kaminari. Your hair sticks out too much."
"Wait, really?" he squawked, snapping his head to look at her in slight betrayal. "What do you mean it sticks out? It's blond and spiky! It's not like it's Quirk-related like that vine girl or Mineta!"
"But it has that black lightning bolt," Hatsume chimed in, finally stepping away and giving him space. "And your Quirk, Battery-kun, is electricity. Everyone at school knows that!"
"They do?" Denki squeaked. He didn't know why that'd be common knowledge, he didn't exactly flaunt his Quirk outside of classes at UA, so maybe she was just exaggerating—
"Well, duh! You're a living phone charger!" Oh, right. That made total sense. He got used as an emergency phone charger at UA too, makes sense he did that here. Denki noticed Jirou shooting him a smug smirk and shot her a brief glare, before frowning in sudden realization and whirling to face her.
"Well, in that case, what about you?" he pointed out almost frantically, jabbing a finger at her ears. "Your Quirk is all about your earphone jacks! It's not like there's a bunch of people out there with those." Jirou's smug look faded at his words, her expression growing more serious.
"No, you're right, that is a problem," she muttered, lightly gripping one and twirling it around her finger. "It stands out too much, and I can't really disguise them."
"Oh, don't worry, I already have ideas on how to handle that," Hatsume assured her with a grin. "That's why I'm here! To make sure your costumes will work with my babies exactly how I need them to!"
"I thought you said you didn't design costumes," Denki interjected weakly, and winced when Hatsume snapped another near-manic grin his way.
"I said my specialty is building inventions. I didn't say I can't design costumes! Making sure your costumes function exactly as needed is part of the inventing process, there's no point in you guys needing to replace your costumes because they get in the way of my babies working right!"
With that she whirled around and marched off down the street, the two hero students sharing a pointed look behind her. Neither of them missed how she'd prioritized her inventions over their costumes, but Denki figured he couldn't really argue with that. Hatsume was the inventor after all, and right now they did need to prioritize the equipment. Denki wasn't sure he trusted her to make the costumes look cool, but it's not like they planned to be stuck here forever. It'd be easier to let her take lead.
"Anyways, I hate to bring this up, but... what about the money?" he asked as he and Jirou followed after her. "I mean, I think I'm pretty broke since I'm in debt right now, and I don't think getting stuff from a thrift shop would cut it." He tried not to grimace too much as he spoke, and noticed Jirou mirror the expression as she glanced over at the stores.
"No, we need something sturdy and long-lasting," she muttered under her breath. "We can't trust that whatever we find at a thrift shop will be good enough to hold up under stress."
"Used stuff is not an option!" Hatsume called over her shoulder. "I refuse to let my babies come in contact with something so low-quality!"
"What's our budget?" Denki called back. "You're the designer, so—tell us how much!"
"Budget is up to you two! You guys are paying for your own stuff, so figure it out yourself so I can know what my limits are! Also, get cash, it's harder to trace!" She turned forward again and didn't see the pair grimace behind her, exchanging grim looks. Neither of them actually knew how much money they actually had. Since waking up they'd spent most of their time in Denki's apartment, only leaving once to buy some cheap bento lunches at a convenience store using whatever they had in their wallets.
They were high school students. It's not like they kept copies of their bank account information lying around their apartments.
Glancing around, Jirou's eyes soon zeroed in on something across the street. "Kaminari, do you have a debit card?" she asked and Denki frowned, pulling out his wallet to check its contents.
"Yeah, I do."
"Then let's go check our balances," she said, and grabbed his wrist to drag him across the street to an ATM. Since he'd already gotten out his wallet Denki went first, sliding his card in the slot and hoping the PIN code for his phone would work. Thankfully it did, the small screen changing to show a full menu, and he quickly jabbed the "check balance" button.
As he stared at the number he felt his shoulders sag in disappointment, a dejected groan slipping out. Pink appeared in his peripheral vision as Hatsume poked her head over his shoulder to look at the screen, her usual manic smile gone and replaced by an assessing look. "Wow, you're going to be in debt to me forever," she commented, and he didn't even have the energy to flinch at her proximity.
After that he quickly withdrew ten thousand yen, ignoring the uncomfortable twist in his gut as he thought about how much that cut into his remaining funds. Ten thousand was definitely a lot with how low his balance was, but it wasn't like they planned to stay here forever, and the stuff he'd buy today could be the difference between life and death. Yeah, it'd be better to not cheap out on it now. No point saving money when you're dead, right? Right?
...That didn't help as much as he'd hoped it would.
"My turn, I guess," Jirou said as he stepped away with a sulky air, pulling out her debit card with a tense set to her shoulders. She pushed it in the slot and tapped in a code, frowning when the screen told her it was wrong. Eyes narrowing in thought, after a few seconds she typed another one and released a small sigh as it worked and the menu appeared. She quickly hit the "check balance" button, and the others leaned over her shoulder curiously to look.
And look.
And look.
"...That's so many zeroes," Denki whispered, his face draining of color as he stared at the number displayed on the screen.
"That settles it, you're our primary sponsor!" Hatsume squealed, clapping her hands on Jirou's shoulders. "We're going to get real quality for this! Come on, get out some money and let's go-go-go!" The rocker-girl remained silent as the inventor bounced away excitedly, just staring at the screen with a rare dumbfounded expression. Denki frowned and glanced at her worriedly, perturbed by her rare break in character.
"Are, uh, are you okay?" he asked hesitantly.
"I'm freaking rich," Jirou said quietly, her tone blunt like usual but rendered oddly somber by how soft it was. "I could pay off your debt ten times over." Denki frowned as he looked at the stunned look on her face, glancing around at the largely empty sidewalk before stepping closer.
"It's... not like this back home, is it?" he asked lowly. Jirou just nodded slowly, not looking away from the screen.
"I know dad's a successful musician here," she said. "I saw all the album covers and the texts with him talked about him going on tour. But—I didn't think he was that successful."
"Wonder what was different here from our world," Denki wondered aloud. Jirou's lips tugged slightly downwards at that, her eyes losing some of their stunned glaze. After a moment she took a deep breath, schooling her expression to its usual look of disinterest as she went back to the menu and moved to the withdrawal screen. Hesitating only briefly, she jabbed in a 5 followed by four zeroes, her finger hovering above the screen for a moment before quickly jabbing submit.
Fifty thousand yen's worth of five thousand yen notes plopped into the dispenser one by one, and she swiped up the small stack and stuffed it in her wallet along with the card. "Come on, let's go," she said and turned to stalk after Hatsume, her expression cool and collected as usual. But even so Denki noticed the way her hands clenched at her side, her lips pressed together just a bit tighter than usual.
He frowned but remained silent as he trailed after her, knowing better than to press. Whatever was bothering her wasn't any of his business, at least not right now. They had bigger priorities at the moment.
Oddly enough, it took until day five of being in the alternate dimension for Seiko to finally appear again.
"You haven't slipped up yet," she intoned behind him while he was sitting at his desk on his laptop. Izuku jumped in surprise and whirled around in his seat wide-eyed to see the girl standing next to his bed.
"I—wha—how?" He stammered lamely as he stared at her, his eyes flitting between her and his closed bedroom door. "D-didn't I lock it?"
"Locks mean nothing," Seiko said flatly. Her face was blank as ever, her eerie luminescent white eyes conveying no emotion as she stared at him. Izuku swallowed, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck as he quickly averted his gaze from her.
"Uh, r-right... Okay then." He cleared his throat, daring a glance her way. "I haven't, uh, seen you around anywhere. Where... where have you been?"
"Watching." That... really did not comfort him.
It must be part of her Quirk, he thought. He knew her Quirk involved shadows in some capacity; during their first and only meeting she'd manifested an extra appendage from dark energy to close the slat on the door, and then she'd left by disappearing into the shadows. Maybe she could convert her body into a shadow? But something about that didn't feel quite right. Shadows weren't really corporeal after all, and that appendage had clearly been able to touch things.
Unfortunately, his Quirk Analysis notebooks didn't give him any clues. He'd scoured them for information on the rest of the League, figuring it would be useful both here and whenever he got home, but Seiko had been notably absent from them. It puzzled him since unlike Aiko who only appeared in conversations, his journals included brief mentions of her starting in the second one. Even those didn't help, just off-handed references to seeing her hiding or her passing on gossip or warnings.
He... really didn't know anything about Seiko, did he?
"No one has noticed you acting differently," she said, either oblivious to his growing unease or choosing to ignore it. "It's impressive. You might break the record."
"Uh, thanks, I guess," he muttered uncertainly, and paused before asking, "Wait, record? What's the old record?"
"Seven days." Seven days, huh? That didn't seem difficult. He'd already made it five, and Izuku had no intentions of slipping up in the next two days if he could help it. He frowned, rubbing his chin with his index finger as his eyebrows furrowed deep in thought.
"How... how long do these episodes usually last?" he asked.
"Around two weeks on average," Seiko informed him. "The longest one lasted forty-one days, the shortest three. For the record, you have yet to go an entire episode undiscovered."
"Right... Thanks." Izuku nodded, filing the information away. So there's no advantage to pretending to suddenly have amnesia now. The thought was maybe a little disappointing, but it didn't impact his plans; he'd already resolved to avoid that anyway. After spending five days here he'd started to adjust to being constantly around villains, as well as learned the lay of the building. If he tried to suddenly fake it now, his reactions and confusion wouldn't be as genuine as when he'd first woken up.
More importantly, though, his observations of his interactions with Shigaraki made it pretty clear to him that he wouldn't react well. The older male was definitely protective of him—which he still didn't quite understand—and if he thought Izuku was amnesic? He'd order a near-constant watch on Izuku until his memories returned.
That wasn't just speculation on his part. The journals described how he'd had to basically be followed by at least two villains until it ended, to the point he couldn't even sleep in his room alone. If he was under watch, Izuku's actions would be severely limited until his memories returned, and his chances of getting home would be that much lower.
The fact was, Izuku had no idea how he got here. He literally went to bed in his dorm room, and woke up the next morning in another dimension. Obviously this was the work of a Quirk, but he had no clue about how it worked. It's not like he'd ever heard of a Quirk like this—or at least, not on this scale. Right now he had only his own knowledge of Quirks in general to use as a basis for his speculation.
He was too worried about someone checking his notebooks to risk writing his theories down, so his thoughts were a jumbled mess so far. He had no idea what triggered it, but he figured there had to be some sort of limiter or conditions on it. Most likely it would either wear off naturally after a few days and he'd just wake up at home, or he'd have to fulfill some condition to return. He couldn't risk assuming the former to be true and just sit around waiting. But if he needed to do something to trigger it, he had no idea where to begin.
(Izuku firmly refused to consider the possibility the displacement was potentially permanent. There had to be a way to get home, if only for the sake of his sanity.)
Hence why he needed to be able to move freely. This world had several large differences from his own, but as far as he could tell the people mostly remained the same. A few had died and others had likely taken different allegiances (seriously, he found one listing Native as a villain—just, why!?), but at the very least he'd concluded their Quirks remained the same. Therefore, his best option would be to find the counterpart of whoever this Quirk belonged to, and ask them for details.
Which was... still a tall order. From what little he could glean online, people were highly paranoid about revealing their Quirks, and rightfully so. A few of the "new" faces in the Villain Alliance had been initially recruited through force and kidnapping, some of them quite young at the time—a method they'd originally planned to use on Bakugou too. Others had been killed if they'd been deemed too old to recruit. Izuku wondered if Seiko fell into that category—
And that suddenly reminded Seiko was still in the room. He startled as he snapped his head towards her, finding the girl still standing next to his bed. Staring.
Unblinking.
A small chill ran down his spine and he swallowed, pasting on a sheepish smile. "Uh, s-sorry, I think I spaced out for a second," he apologized.
"I could tell," she replied blandly. "You weren't mumbling this time though. That's rare."
"Huh, yeah. I guess it is, isn't it?" He internally sagged with relief at that, belatedly realizing just how disastrous that could be. Izuku knew he tended to mumble without noticing when he fell deep in thought, and if Seiko had overheard anything he'd been thinking about just now... well, he wasn't sure how he'd explain it.
I'll have to be careful not to think about this too much around others. Just thinking about it made him shudder. Izuku wasn't sure how Shigaraki would react to another dimension's Izuku replacing his own, and he'd rather not think about it.
"As I stated, no one else has noticed yet," Seiko said. "Your cold at the beginning gave you some leeway to deflect suspicion on your odd reaction time, and you're mostly following the same routine. You're a bit more quiet than usual, but the cold and your shock over Bakugou helps explain that. However, there is one crucial detail which may give you away."
"There is?" Izuku straightened up at that, his gaze growing intense as he frowned at her. "Tell me." He couldn't let anyone see through his act now. It was too late in the game to suddenly play the amnesia card, he couldn't fake any of his confusion anymore and more importantly he couldn't risk the scrutiny.
"How much have you read of the seventh journal?" Seiko questioned, and Izuku frowned.
"Only some of it," he admitted. "I read the most recent entries about Kacchan, but mostly skimmed the earlier parts." He'd been a bit uncomfortable reading over those entries, so he'd skimmed just enough to make sure there wasn't anything else urgent before focusing on combing through the older journals.
"Four weeks before Bakugou was detained, another teenager was captured," Seiko told him, her tone brisk and professional as if dictating a situation report. "He came to the Alliance's attention after using his Quirk to act as a vigilante, ultimately leading to three members being arrested. He refuses to share his name, and is being detained as a potential recruit or a future example."
As she spoke Izuku's stomach fell more and more, painfully twisting at the last part in particular. A future example. He didn't need to ask her to elaborate on what that meant, just listening in grim silence as she continued. "You were visiting him regularly to try to convince him to join peacefully. You got distracted by Bakugou's sudden arrival though, and it's been over a week since your last visit. The others will notice you've stopped soon and become suspicious."
"Where is he?" Izuku asked, determination already setting in. He didn't even care about deflecting suspicion this time. He'd found plenty of news stories about vigilantes who had gone missing only to resurface maimed and forever scarred—if they were even alive. He didn't want to see someone else suffer that fate, especially another teenager.
His thoughts seemed to show on his face, because Seiko inclined her head. "I'll show you the way." He nodded as he got up from the desk to walk to the door, unlocking it before tugging it open. The younger girl glided past him without so much as a glance his way, taking lead as Izuku followed in silence.
The walk was short and uneventful, encountering no other people in the halls. It was Saturday now, so most of the Alliance had left to "enjoy the weekend" despite not really having a job during the working week. Seiko led him down a series of turns he hadn't taken before, ending in an unfamiliar hall lined with solid steel doors. He swallowed as he glanced around, noting most had electronic number pads; it wasn't the same area with holding cells where Bakugou was kept, but he could tell this was no less a prison.
Seiko stopped at the mouth of the hallway, pointing at one of the doors. "He's in there," she told him. "The code is 8442. You'll have to manually lock it again when you leave. His Quirk isn't physical and is easy to neutralize, so he has more privileges than others. He knows basic hand to hand, but he won't attack you." Izuku couldn't tell if that was supposed to be reassuring or simply another basic fact, her tone and expression didn't really give any hints to her intent.
"Thanks," he mumbled, and took a deep breath as he walked towards the door, his heart pounding anxiously. This was different from everything else so far. He had no idea what to expect when he opened the door, no idea how he was expected to react. The person behind the door was a complete unknown. Clenching his fists, he lightly rapped on the door and waited a second before punching in the code and opening it, unsure what to expect but trying to brace himself for anything.
He thought he could handle it. He thought that nothing in there could take him by surprise. But he still was absolutely unprepared when he caught sight of messy purple hair, his heart sinking with chilling recognition as lilac eyes flitted his way.
Shinsou Hitoshi.
The teen was sitting sprawled on the bed towards the back with his knees half-bent, a book lying open against them. He looked almost casual and relaxed, wearing a plain blue t-shirt maybe a size too big and dark gray sweatpants. They were just slightly too short for his tall frame, allowing Izuku to glimpse a dark band around his right ankle with a flashing red light, but he barely noticed it, his eyes riveted to Shinsou's face.
He was wearing a muzzle.
Izuku's breath hitched at the sight, his blood running cold. He didn't know a better word for the metal contraption wrapped around Shinsou's jaw, surprisingly sleek and form-fitting so that it pressed against his face while leaving his nose uncovered. What truly made him feel sick was the lock built into the right side near the hinges, a key hole visible even from a distance.
As their eyes met Izuku couldn't speak, only stare in mute horror. His mind flashed back to Seiko's words—"His Quirk isn't physical and is easy to neutralize"—and he realized with a sickening chill how right she was.
The other boy's shoulders sagged and he set the book on the mattress, getting up to walk to a desk in the corner and pick up... a whiteboard? Izuku's stomach sank further as Shinsou uncapped a marker and began writing, turning the board to face him.
'What do you want now?'
It was a simple question, short and to the point. Izuku could almost hear Shinsou's deadpan voice saying it aloud as he read it, except he couldn't because of the muzzle and—
He banished the thought before it could spiral further, sucking in a sharp breath before forcing himself to speak. "I, I was worried," he stammered. "It's, uh, been a while, s-so I thought you might be bored, or..." He trailed off as the other boy snorted, the sound muffled by the metal thing covering his mouth, and flipped the whiteboard to write something else. Once he finished he turned it back to Izuku to read, his eyes perfectly flat and cold.
'It's been a week since you last visited. Are you back because you're finally bored again?'
Reading those words sent an icy spike of guilt through Izuku, the green-haired boy swallowing harshly as he nearly winced. I didn't know you were here, he wanted to say, but the words died well before they could reach his tongue. Instead, he shook his head and said, "N-no, that's not it! I... I got caught up in something, s-so I couldn't come by for a while. I'm... I'm sorry." Even as he spoke he could feel tears well in his eyes, his voice wobbling as he stared at Shinsou with his hands shaking at his side.
He didn't know.
He didn't know Shinsou was there. He hadn't realized there'd been anyone besides Kacchan there until Seiko told him—except, that wasn't true, was it? With another sudden drop in his stomach he abruptly recalled the letter he'd read the first day, and the list of current events tacked on the end. One of the last ones had mentioned another prisoner who made him uncomfortable. "I feel bad about how everyone's treating him, but I might be able to be friends with him if he can warm up to me." That had been what his other self had written, but Izuku had forgotten all about it after seeing the final note about Kacchan.
Shit. Izuku's guilt multiplied at the realization he'd totally forgotten about it. The note even said to check his journal for information on the prisoner, but he'd just skimmed the journal enough to make sure he had a basic overview of the situation. Maybe if he had actually taken time to read it, not just look for basic names, he would've seen the clues about Shinsou's identity—or at least thought to check on him.
He swallowed, his shoulders hunching with shame as he looked at Shinsou. "I-I'm sorry," he repeated weakly, sniffling in a vain attempt to prevent himself from crying. "I'm s-so sorry." Shinsou's expression was near impossible to read, the task made even more difficult with the muzzle obscuring his mouth, but he thought (hoped) he saw something soften in the other boy's eyes before he turned the board around to write some more.
'You're here now. What do you want?'
Izuku wasn't sure if the question was meant to be cold and irritable, or some sort of attempt at a peace offering. Either way it didn't matter though. He sniffled and quickly rubbed his eyes with his arm, but it did little to stem the tears. He took a shuddery breath as he crossed the room, Shinsou automatically stiffening and looking alarmed and wary by his approach, but before he could react Izuku threw his arms around him.
The taller boy staggered back at the sudden weight, his back bumping against the desk and the white board dropping to the ground with a clatter. His arms hovered awkwardly at his sides as Izuku just hugged him tight, tears streaming down his face. "I don't know," he choked out. "I don't know. I don't know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I don't know, I didn't know, I didn't know, I'm so sorry..."
As he continued rambling and crying he felt Shinsou stiffen in his embrace before hesitantly reaching a hand to awkwardly pat his back. That just made Izuku cry harder, tightening his hold as more guilt washed over him.
From the shadows in the corner of the room a pair of glowing white eyes watched in silence before blinking shut and vanishing altogether.
Notes:
Here's one of the characters I've been waiting to show for a while: Shinsou. His Quirk is just too valuable to go unnoticed and it was a matter of time before he got targeted, but hey, at least he got to be a vigilante and take down some bad guys before his inevitable capture. The hero dream's still alive.
That said, he's definitely in a bad place compared to almost everyone else in this universe. I actually wrote up what happened when he first woke up, and let's just say his stay has been unpleasant. No torture or anything, but still pretty dang traumatic until Izuku showed up. Unfortunately, the muzzle won't be removed for a while yet. But don't worry, Izuku's going to get it off him eventually.
Thanks for reading! See you next Monday!
Chapter 10: Networking is Everything
Summary:
Shouto wakes up in a bed for once, Mina goes on the internet, and some heroes have a meeting.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 10
.::Gloomy Sunday::.
Morning came all too soon for Shouto. He felt a mild surge of disappointment when his dream began to drift away and he realized he was now awake, too groggy to react much other than to try to go back to sleep. It felt as if he hadn't slept this well in some time, the bed too comfortable—
Bed.
Just like that the morning haze clouding his mind vanished, his eyelids grudgingly snapping open despite wanting to remain firmly shut. For a moment he panicked as he took in the sight of an unfamiliar bedroom, the room still dim thanks to curtains blocking the windows. It was the first time he'd been in a proper bed since waking up in this strange other world, the rest of his nights spent in abandoned buildings or parks.
How did I get here? he thought desperately. Then the events of the previous night came rushing back, making him catch his breath and relax slightly. Right, Kuroe.
He'd ridden the bus to Odawara with the man he'd saved and taken him up on his offer to go to his house for food and a shower. Wary as he was of the stranger, Shouto couldn't deny he desperately needed a good meal after eating cheap convenience store food for the past five days. The prospect of a shower had only sweetened the deal.
From there, it just sort of... got out of his control. It was probably the most peaceful day Shouto had since waking up in this world, and standing in the shower with warm water washing away the thick layers of grime and sweat was the first chance he had to really relax. His mind began to calm down, and then the stress of his situation just... faded, along with most of his other thoughts. He didn't remember most of the shower honestly, he'd stood there in some sort of daze until Kuroe banged on the door saying it'd been an hour.
The rest of the night was only marginally clearer. His clothes had been filthy so Kuroe had given him a spare t-shirt and sweatpants to wear while he tossed Shouto's stuff in the washer. By the time it finished it was already late enough for dinner, another offer he couldn't turn down since he didn't know when he'd have a chance to eat a proper meal again. After that it had already grown dark outside, and when Kuroe offered him the spare bedroom Shouto was just too exhausted to even consider refusing.
It had been foolish and dangerous, an offer that could have easily been a trap. A risk he never would have accepted had he been in his right mind.
Did he use some kind of Quirk to mess with my head? he wondered as he got up, but deep down he knew that wasn't the case. Shouto had just been tired, five straight days of nothing but tension and anxiety leaving him weak, and the idea of an actual bed was too tempting to resist in that frame of mind.
"Dammit," he hissed to himself, running a hand through his hair. He took a moment to assess his state. At the moment he still wore the borrowed clothes, his now-clean original outfit folded atop the dresser, while the phone sat charging on the night stand. A glance at the clock revealed it was a bit after nine, and he grimaced at the realization he'd slept for nearly twelve hours. Twelve hours of total vulnerability if anyone had tried to enter the room. At least he'd had the sense to lock the door.
Mentally cursing his recklessness again, he quickly got changed and grabbed the eye patch. Though Kuroe had already noticed the bottom of the scar Shouto had made a point to keep it on around him, since the mismatched blue eye was still too distinctive for his liking. Once he pulled it on he paused to stare at the mirror, frowning at his reflection.
Right now, with his hair dyed black and his left eye covered, it almost felt like he was looking at a stranger. He leaned closer to the mirror as he touched the edges of his burn scar, just barely visible beneath the eye patch. Hesitating, he removed it to look closer at the scar, noting how its shape matched his memories. He didn't know what to think of its presence because it meant that for all the differences he'd found, this world's Shouto had still gone through some of the same things, still seen his mother break.
Bzz. Bzz.
He stiffened as he heard the night stand shake with the vibration of the cell phone, and his reflection's face immediately morphed into a scowl. Screw it. He jerked the eye patch back over his eye and adjusted it to hide his scar as much as possible before stalking out of the room. The phone was still vibrating when he closed the door.
Shouto found Kuroe sitting at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of cereal as he typed away on a laptop. Without his jacket and hood to add bulk to his figure he cut a much thinner figure. Kuroe had a thin and lanky physique, his straight black hair brushed to the side towards the right half of his face while the rest was left an unkempt mess.
He glanced up at Shouto as he entered, nodding at him. "Morning. Take it you slept well?"
"Well enough," Shouto muttered, still a bit wary as he slid into the seat across from him. There was an empty bowl and spoon sitting there along with two boxes of cereal, so he took it as a silent invitation to fill it with his choice and begin eating. Kuroe didn't bother trying to strike up a full conversation, turning back to his laptop.
For a while they just ate in silence, only the clicking of the keyboard filling the room. Shouto couldn't help but notice the laptop was surprisingly nice and high-end given the rest of the house looked rather worn-down. Most of the furniture was obviously old and used, collected and arranged with minimal attention to aesthetic taste and more focused on practicality. Some of it looked like it'd been found in a dumpster.
But Kuroe had a house. A small one, with two floors and maybe six rooms total, but an actual house and not a cheap apartment. Sheltered as Shouto admittedly was, he knew that single adults typically could not afford such a place.
As he thought over it the man's eyes flitted upwards, catching how Shouto's eyes focused on his laptop. "Lemme guess, wondering about the money?" he commented, making Shouto pause.
"Are you a mind reader?" he deadpanned, though he spoke carefully, wondering if that might be the case. Kuroe just snorted though, rolling his eyes.
"Nah, I just know the worn-down house and nice laptop is a weird combo. I'm a freelancer. Do a lot of programming work, among other things. A friend agreed to help buy this place in exchange for some favors, and the place was already super cheap on the market at the time."
"Why?" Shouto asked, and Kuroe's smirk became morbid.
"Suicide in the bathroom upstairs," he replied wryly. "Drowned themselves in the bathtub. Body wasn't found for over a week. They had to rip out the tub before putting this place on market. Odor was still there for a while after I moved in, and that was months later." Shouto blinked slowly as he processed that, the cereal in his mouth suddenly feeling lumpy and tasteless. He forced himself to swallow as he set down his spoon.
"I... see." An uncomfortable tension fell over the room, or at least for Shouto. Kuroe seemed relaxed, returning to his typing. Shouto sat uncomfortably for a moment, trying to ignore thoughts of a person dying near where he'd spent an hour in the shower. Frowning, he pushed the thought aside and asked, "So if it's not mind-reading, what is your Quirk?"
Kuroe's fingers briefly stilled, dark orange eyes flitting his way. "Kind of a personal question, don't you think?" Shouto frowned, knowing he was right, but he couldn't get the thought out of his head.
"You know mine though," he pressed. "You saw it yesterday when I used it on that mugger. It's only fair." Kuroe was silent at that, his eyes unreadable as he gazed at Shouto searchingly while Shouto met his gaze evenly. For all the man had helped him so far he still found himself suspicious of Kuroe's motives, and knowing his Quirk could help alleviate some of that.
Finally Kuroe sighed, turning back to his laptop. "...Damn, guess you've got a point," he muttered. He didn't say anything else though, just went back to typing. As the silence stretched on Shouto felt himself grow more and more apprehensive, his unease growing. He was just about to demand he elaborate when Kuroe finally spoke. "I'm Quirkless."
The answer threw Shouto for a loop, the teenager blinking once. "Come again?"
"You heard me. I'm Quirkless." Kuroe didn't look at him, just kept his attention focused on the screen as he talked. "I don't have a Quirk. All I've got going for me is my wits and connections."
Now Shouto was openly staring at him, not bothering to hide his shock. Quirkless people weren't exactly an alien concept to him—his father's head accountant was Quirkless, and so was one of his elementary school tutors—but he'd never met one who admitted it so openly and bluntly. Most people seemed to be ashamed of it.
He frowned, closing his mouth as his gaze turned calculating. "How do I know you're telling the truth? If you are, you're basically telling a stranger who you know has a powerful Quirk that you can't defend yourself."
"Yeah, I know," Kuroe grunted. "But it's not like you're a threat. After all..." His fingers stilled again, sharp orange eyes flicking his way briefly before turning back to the screen. "Pretty sure Endeavor's kid won't randomly attack a defenseless civilian."
A loud bang echoed through the house as Shouto stood abruptly with enough force to topple his chair, his hands slamming on the table. He stared at Kuroe wide-eyed, his face contorted into a cross between a scowl and grimace as he tried to control his breathing. "You," he started but stopped, unable to finish the thought. As his heart continued to pound in his ears he swallowed, his fingers curling atop the table and his nails dragging along the wood. "How—?"
"I noticed your roots last night when we got here," Kuroe explained. He closed the laptop and pushed it to the side, turning to face Shouto with a steely gaze. "It's not much, but your hair's starting to grow out and some of the original color's showing. Red and white isn't exactly common. Coupled with the scar and the ice it's pretty obvious, though I had to look up a photo of you while you were in the shower just to make sure."
Shouto's mouth thinned at the explanation, glaring at him warily. "What do you want?" he demanded, his tone low and dangerous. Kuroe held up his hands.
"Nothing. I only bothered looking you up to make sure I wasn't letting a guy who'd murder me in my sleep stay over. I have a pretty good idea of why you're on the run and hiding out, and as long as you don't go villain it's none of my business. Seeing as you went out of your way to stop that mugger, I'm assuming you haven't gone darkside since disappearing."
Shouto didn't respond to that, just continued to stare down Kuroe suspiciously as he silently debated if he was being truthful. The other man remained still, hands still raised in the air and his face calm, but as the silence stretched on he could see a hint of nervousness flicker in his eyes. Finally, though, Shouto slowly sat back down, and Kuroe released a small sigh as he let his hands fall to his sides.
"I still don't trust you, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for now," he informed Kuroe dryly as he picked up his spoon to resume eating.
"That's fair," Kuroe agreed. "And smart, too. Better than some kids I know. Though that said," he added, his eyes becoming a little sharper, "I'm more interested in what you want."
"What I want?" Shouto echoed, not bothering to mask his distrust and suspicion. Kuroe nodded, seeming to take a moment to plan his next words before speaking.
"Odawara is nice, but it's more of a tourist destination, not the kind of place a runaway would go unless they're passing through. You have a goal here, don't you?"
Shouto didn't respond immediately, peering at the man with narrowed eyes. "If I did, why would it matter to you?"
"Because if you're here chasing some sort of Villain activity, then there's a good fucking chance it'll affect us too," Kuroe responded bluntly, his expression growing hard. "I don't know why, but this city's avoided a majority of the organized crime. If there's a chance that will change, I need to warn everyone else ASAP so they can prepare."
Shouto frowned at that, his mouth opening to respond when something the older male said suddenly stuck out to him. "Everyone else?" he repeated, and Kuroe paused one again, his expression becoming more thoughtful. When he spoke next his words were careful, his tone measured.
"Society's become rougher for people with strong Quirks. With the balance so off-kilter there's practically a power vacuum on the hero side, and the villains want to keep it that way. Flashier Quirks get targeted all the time, either for recruitment or to snuff them out before they get any ideas. Odawara's one of the only places that's not gone to hell in the last ten years. As long as people keep their heads down, it's safe. Or at least," he added, offering Shouto a pointed look, "It should be. And they need to know if that's about to change."
The burnt orange color of his eyes reminded Shouto of fire in its intensity as he stared at him. The teen suspected Kuroe wouldn't elaborate on that any more, but he didn't need to. Beneath that cold edge in his tone Shouto could pick up a note of protectiveness, a desire to help someone he considered more vulnerable. From a man who claimed to be Quirkless and thus considered vulnerable by a large majority of the population, that definitely said something.
After a few moments of consideration he reached a decision, meeting Kuroe's gaze squarely. "My reasons for being here are private," he said bluntly. "However, I promise you I have no intentions to seek out any major villain organizations, and have no knowledge of any being here."
It wasn't quite a lie, since he'd come here seeking out Gentle Criminal and Tokoyami, but his research indicated that they operated independently. He didn't think they'd pose a threat the way Kuroe implied.
Kuroe eyed him silently, seeming to consider Shouto's response in a strange reversal of the stand-off from just minutes earlier. Soon though he nodded and relaxed. "Alright, I guess that'll have to do for now. But just in case, here." He pulled something out from his pocket and placed it on the table, sliding it towards him. Shouto's head tilted downward to follow its trail across the wood, surprised to see a flip phone and charger.
"What's this for?"
"It's hard surviving alone out there," Kuroe responded cryptically. "Especially for a kid on the street. Having a network... helps."
Shouto's eyes narrowed suspiciously before picking up the phone and flipping it open. It had far less apps than his own phone, the functionality clearly more limited. Taking a second to figure out how to use a phone with only a keypad, he opened the contact list and noticed it seemed to be almost exclusively businesses.
"An arborist and a tailor?" he asked dryly, turning an unimpressed look at the man. Kuroe shrugged, a wry smirk playing across his lips.
"Don't expect any of those to be actual businesses. If you need anything, or see anything, just call one of the numbers in there. I'll let them know to keep an eye out for you." He pushed back his chair and got up, nodding at Shouto as he picked up his laptop. "Anyways, I need to get to work. Let yourself out whenever, and grab a hat if you want." With a final nod he turned and left, leaving Shouto to stare blandly at the flip phone.
He still didn't trust Kuroe, didn't know if he even trusted anyone on the phone's contacts to actually be helpful. But he thought back to the fiery intensity in those orange eyes, that note of protectiveness he'd heard so often during his time at UA. After a long moment of contemplation, he silently slid the phone and charger into his pocket and resumed eating the cereal.
Once he finished he returned to the bedroom to grab the other phone and its charger, and dug through the drawers to find a worn-looking gray beanie to cover his roots before slipping out of the house.
Day six of living in an alternate reality. Mina had officially reached the boredom threshold.
Going to a new school kept her busy and all that, but today was a Sunday. School didn't meet on Sundays. Apparently this one didn't even have class on most Saturdays, unlike UA which had a super-busy six-day schedule. The previous day they'd only had classes because of that villain attack shutting it down on Tuesday.
Now, normally, the weekend was a good thing. School was boring, Mina had enough trouble focusing on classes at UA, and that was a school that split between hero-related subjects and regular academics. Her new high school? Which had no hero course and focused purely on all the other stuff? It sucked. Sitting in classes all day going over stuff they hadn't covered at UA got really boring and frustrating, especially when she didn't need it.
The only things keeping Mina from just skipping classes entirely were Kumiko, Anjou and Kirishima. Hanging out with Kumiko again and getting to know Anjou was really fun, and while he still wasn't quite her Kirishima, Kirishima was still Kirishima. He'd been one of her best friends once they went to UA, and she could see more than enough of hers in this version to make up for the differences. Yeah, Mina really didn't see any point in going to school except to hang out with them at lunch and stuff.
But today Kumiko had to meet with her family and Anjou had unspecified stuff to do, leaving Mina with limited options for the day. Part of her contemplated going over to Kirishima's apartment two doors down and dragging him out to do stuff, but he'd said something about needing to do a major project for their science class due Monday. He'd sounded kind of panicked about it, so interrupting him might not be the best idea.
Maybe I should do that too, then, she thought, grimacing slightly at the prospect of homework, but then paused.
...She had no idea what science project was due on Monday.
"Well, guess that's out!" she declared with a cheery smile, throwing up her arms in celebration. Not like she could do the homework if she didn't know what it even was. Legitimate excuse! (Maybe she should be worried about how the teacher would respond tomorrow to her not having it, but that was a problem for Monday's Mina, not today's.)
But that still left her with nothing to do.
Smile fading, she hummed in heavy contemplation before going over to her laptop to flip it open. When in doubt, internet. Mina always did like the internet, it gave her plenty of stuff to do and look at when she couldn't come up with any ideas of her own. So far the internet here had been really depressing though; every time she searched something to find more about this world, it just seemed to give her bad news.
Except Ingenium. Iida would be so happy to know his brother was totally fine here and was still an active hero.
Mina's eyes lit up as she recalled her ever-serious classmate. They hadn't been particularly close, the class representative a bit too straight-laced for her carefree personality, but they still had plenty of fun moments. It was so funny to see him react to stuff. Their first week in the dorms someone dropped a banana peel in the kitchen and he actually slipped on it! That was hilarious.
She grinned as she remembered more stuff, like way back at the start of the year when the press managed to invade UA. She'd been one of the many kids in the packed hallway who saw him floating and sticking against the wall above the door, yelling at them to calm down. His body's position at the time led to people calling him "Emergency Exit Sign" for a couple of days afterwards. Of course Mina and several others had tried to convince him that would be a totally awesome hero name—
Ding.
Just like that Mina jolted upright, inspiration striking. Opening a new tab to FacePage, she went to her account settings and scrolled until she reached the option she wanted. This world's FacePage had some differences from the one she knew, namely the ability to create a "child" profile that could send and receive messages without being openly linked to the main one. It was a security precaution for people who were extra-paranoid about sharing their accounts with potential new friends, and they could be deleted easily.
Clicking the "create new" button she quickly filled out the form fields needed to generate a new profile, a giant Cheshire cat grin spreading across her lips when she saw her desired name was available. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she set it up, quickly grabbing a picture online and messing with it in an art program to use as the profile picture. At the end she hit "submit" and leaned back, nodding to herself in satisfaction once it posted.
...Now if only she knew what to do next.
Kayama Nemuri's heels clicked against the tiled floor as she walked down the hallway, her fingers combing through her low ponytail with a mildly frustrated sigh. Today she wore a simple outfit, a long powder blue sweater to ward off the chill and a pair of thick navy leggings paired with black heeled ankle boots. It made for a rather casual looking outfit, much more cozy and fit for the late autumn chill than her old hero costume.
Of course, it would probably be warmer if not for all of the rips along the sleeves, strategically hidden along the seams to minimize the chances of anyone noticing. That one detail made this the closest thing she'd worn to a proper costume in a while.
Honestly, she missed her hero costume. Some people found Midnight's dominatrix-style outfit to be tasteless and too "racy" for a Pro Hero, but Nemuri didn't care about a "family-friendly" image. She hated the idea that Pro Heroes had to be "appropriate for all ages," had since she chose to use the title "18+ Only" when deciding her codename way back in high school. She didn't want to be limited to some preconception of how heroes should be. Plus, the thin bodysuit was so much easier to rip than literally all of her other clothing, only one step below her original concept.
Unfortunately though, the current state of society forced Nemuri to put her days as Midnight behind her to operate more behind the scenes. While Nemuri was perfectly fine at combat and didn't mind the increasing risk that came with operating publicly, her Quirk, Somnambulist, proved much more suitable for larger operations. The ability to put large amounts of enemies to sleep at once could easily turn the tides of a battle, and so she and her allies wanted to keep her continued career as low-key as possible to keep the edge of surprise.
That in turn meant no more patrols or slipping into her costume unless she was participating in a planned raid. Her Midnight persona just drew too much attention to herself to justify keeping in the public eye when the element of surprise could be so crucial. Sure, people still knew Midnight existed once, but after years out of the spotlight most villains forgot about her or wrote her off as a glorified sex icon who got scared off.
Though by no means did she just sit around doing nothing outside those raids. She'd just had to take a different approach to her activities.
Still miss being Midnight though, she thought wistfully as she opened the door to the meeting room. Several other former UA staff had already gathered around the table, Nezu flashing her a bright smile from the back. "Ah, Kayama-san!" he greeted politely. "Thank you for joining us today! I apologize for calling you out on short notice."
"No problem, I don't have to do anything scheduled until tomorrow," she replied, slipping into the empty seat next to Hizashi. She glanced over at her old friend, her eyebrows pinching together with worry. "Mic, are you holding up alright?" The blond huffed quietly, not looking at her.
"I'm fine," he muttered, not really easing her concern. He'd certainly looked better; while he'd largely stopped with his iconic cockatiel hairstyle outside publicized appearances a while back (too much time and work to prepare on short notice), his loosely looped ponytail looked more like a tangled rat's nest. She had to suppress a wince as she imagined how much it would hurt to try to remove it; they'd probably have to cut the band off.
Apparently the others shared her sentiments. "Mic, that mopey look on your face doesn't suit you," Snipe huffed. His gas mask made it impossible to see his expression but she could imagine a sharp glint in his eye as he stared at the Voice Hero. "You're supposed to be loud and proud, aren'tcha? Act like it!"
"Not in the mood," Hizashi grumbled, and across from them Kan sighed.
"Mic, you can't keep moping forever. It's been, what, almost six months now? That's a long time. Even Blank Slate doesn't know anything. By now—"
"Kan," Nemuri cut in sharply, shooting a pointed look towards Hizashi. His head bowed forward, his fists clenching on his lap beneath the table and his teeth visibly grinding in frustration. The silver-haired man looked at him and promptly shut his mouth, huffing softly through his nose. On Hizashi's other side Ectoplasm placed a hand on his shoulder, offering the blond silent comfort. Nemuri could see him tense briefly at the contact, but he soon relaxed.
"Is this everyone who's meeting today?" he asked, turning back to Nezu.
"It should be," the former principal confirmed with a bob of his head. "Recovery Girl is busy with a patient right now, but she's already been briefed on the situation."
"No Hound Dog or Cementoss?" Snipe piped up, glancing around the room. At the moment the long table had seven of its chairs occupied: Nemuri, Hizashi, Snipe, Kan, Power Loader, Ectoplasm, and Nezu himself.
"They're helping Thirteen up in the mountains," Power Loader offered on Nezu's behalf. "There was a landslide last night so they're trying to find people. They woke me up at two last night to get some gear before heading out."
Snipe scoffed as he leaned back. "Tch, should've guessed. Must be nice to work so openly like that." The complaint held no real heat or animosity. Of the former UA staff, those two had been the ones most suited to rescue operations. Villains thankfully tended to leave rescue heroes alone since they focused on saving people from natural disasters over fighting crime. Hound Dog and Cementoss still hung around, but they often got called to help.
"We can brief them later," Ectoplasm added. "We're recording this meeting to send a copy to Sir Nighteye, so we can just send them the tapes too."
"What is today's meeting about, anyway?" Nemuri asked, eager for the subject change. Searching her memory for joint ventures with Sir Nighteye's agency, she leaned forward and added, "Sir said they were going to investigate Shigaraki's 'brother,' right? Did they find something?"
Nezu perked up at that, his typical smile growing slightly as he bobbed his head. "Yes, there actually has been some progress on that front!" he confirmed cheerfully, and hopped out of his chair to pad over to the computer terminal in the corner of the room. Typing away at a speed they all struggled to follow, he explained, "We have not definitively confirmed anything, but they've narrowed it down to one suspect and used old photos in conjunction with the witness accounts to put together a detailed recreation of his face."
With a flourish he pressed a button and the computer monitor comprising the wall behind him lit up with three images. One showed a young boy about seven or so walking along a snowy playground, tufts of curly dark green hair poking out beneath a knit blue hat and face half-turned towards the camera to reveal freckled cheeks and bright green eyes. Next to it was a more direct photo of him at an even younger age, his smile almost timid as he gazed at the camera.
However, front and center was a computer-generated image of the same boy as a teenager, his curly hair just a bit more bushy and unkempt than before, and his face a bit sharper but still soft and round. His green eyes lacked the spark of life a real photo would hold, his expression blank and pushing the image just over the edge of the uncanny valley to send prickling unease creeping down everyone's spines.
Nezu appeared immune to its effects, turning to them with a smile as he clapped his paws together. "Everyone, please meet Midoriya Izuku, our most likely candidate for Shigaraki's brother."
Nezu's cheery proclamation was followed by silence as the gathered Heroes stared at the monitor, studying the three pictures intently. All of them had heard of Shigaraki's younger brother, the boy having been on their radar for over a year since he'd first been reported by one of Nighteye's interns. The computer-generated image certainly fit the description he'd given. However, as realistic as it looked, they knew it didn't guarantee total accuracy.
"Are those the only pictures you could find?" Power Loader muttered, his scowl perfectly clear without his helmet obscuring his face. "He looks like he's only five in one of them. Aren't there any other school photos?"
"Yes, well, the situation is delicate," Nezu hummed. "We can't make our search into this matter too obvious without risking negative backlash or unwanted attention, so that limits our options for how to investigate. That said, there isn't much information available about Midoriya-kun. He disappeared roughly eight years ago at the age of eight shortly after his parents died. A year later, his elementary school was destroyed after a bombing during its summer break, destroying all records and photos from his enrollment there."
"That is awfully convenient," Snipe remarked sarcastically. "I'm guessing finding a yearbook's a no-go, too."
"Sir Nighteye's agency did manage to attain two yearbooks," Ectoplasm spoke up, "from when he was six and seven. The one up there is from when he was six, but for some reason he couldn't take a photo when he turned seven. The next year, the company that printed the yearbook encountered some... problems, due to the actions of a disgruntled former employee with a technopath Quirk. It resulted in a large number of missing photographs."
"Right, I think I know what you're talking about," Nemuri murmured thoughtfully. "It screwed over schools all across the country, didn't it? I remember my cousin was really upset because that was the year he graduated middle school. I think they just recycled some of the photos from the previous year for individual pictures, but they lost most of the special class photos."
"That is correct," Nezu confirmed with a nod. "Midoriya's elementary school opted to publish a special edition just for the graduating class rather than retake all of the photographs."
"At least we can probably rule out sabotage in that case," Kan muttered, leaning back in his seat with a frown. "It doesn't help us much now, though."
"What about the police investigation?" Hizashi piped up. The discussion seemed to have helped assuage his initial bad mood, the blond's eyes looking a bit more lively as he focused on Nezu. "You said he vanished when he was eight. Even if his parents were dead, there's no way they wouldn't investigate it. He had to at least be staying with a foster family, right? Or have other relatives?"
"Yes, well, that's where things get complicated." Nezu's smile faded, invoking a sense of foreboding among the gathered former teachers. "Neither of his parents had any living relatives beyond some distant cousins on his mother's side, all of whom declined to take custody of him. Midoriya-kun was placed with some family friends, the Bakugou family, ostensibly until more permanent arrangements could be made. He ran away two months later, taking with him the only recent photos he had of himself.
"That same day," he continued, giving them all a pointed look, "his family's apartment complex coincidentally caught fire and burnt down, destroying nearly all other remaining photos. The only recent photo the Bakugous could present the police is the other one on the screen."
A brief silence fell after he finished. "What," Nemuri said flatly, voicing the sentiments of everyone in the room.
"Yeah, no, this is definitely suspicious," Snipe declared with a snort. "Even if he's not the Izuku we're looking for, there's definitely something up with this."
"So how'd he end up with the Alliance, then?" Power Loader asked. "It sounds like they either targeted him specifically, or just picked him off the street."
"But if he got picked up back then, it doesn't make sense he's never appeared until last year," Kan muttered. "The kid would be fifteen or sixteen by now, and the Alliance definitely has members who're younger than that."
Nemuri hummed as she listened to the idle speculation of her colleagues, turning over the information in her head. "Maybe his Quirk is something more suited for behind the scenes? Like an intelligence or foresight Quirk?"
There was a distinct pause after her question, Nezu and Ectoplasm exchanging knowing glances that made her want to groan. Dammit, whatever they had to say would not be good. "Yes, about his Quirk," their former principal began carefully.
"He doesn't have one," Ectoplasm finished dryly.
Dead. Silence.
"...He what," Snipe deadpanned.
"According to all records Midoriya Izuku is, in fact, Quirkless," Nezu confirmed with a nod. "In fact, it seems he experienced a good deal of bullying for it. If he does have a Quirk, he is a remarkably late bloomer, and a rare one with the extra toe joint."
"The hell?" Hizashi blurted, slamming his hands on the table as he rose. "You mean the Alliance took in someone Quirkless!? Why would they do that?" His voice held no derision towards the boy's apparent Quirkless status, just mere incredulity at the notion which Nemuri shared. After all, what use could a group of villains have for a traumatized eight-year-old orphan with no obvious skills they could exploit?
"We... honestly do not know," Nezu admitted, and now he sounded almost sheepish. "Our limited interrogations of captured Alliance members have confirmed Shigaraki is highly protective of him though, as he always made a point to keep Izuku away from business deals and threaten new members to stay away. Him being Quirkless may at least explain that attitude. Just not why Shigaraki cares for him so deeply."
"My money's on Shigaraki just being impulsive," Power Loader offered almost lazily. "He would've still been an actual child if he'd grabbed the kid back then. He could have found him in the park and decided to just take him back like a stray puppy."
"That's one hell of a start to his villain career," Kan grumbled under his breath. "Kidnapping a Quirkless kid. Seriously, what's the angle?"
As the staff began debating the new information Nemuri just sank into her seat with a sigh, staring down at the table. Her eyes flitted to Hizashi as he vigorously voiced his own thoughts, feeling a pang of relief at the burst of energy. It had been a while since she'd seen him so worked up, usually he spent the meetings in gloomy silence.
I really need to see him more, she thought guiltily. Being busy with work was no excuse to not see one of her best friends, especially after everything that had happened. Her gaze trailed to the empty chair pushed against the wall behind where Ectoplasm now sat, a pang of grief twisting in her chest.
It had now been nearly six months since Aizawa Shouta had disappeared.
Notes:
No comments on today's chapter, but I just want to say thank you to everyone who's reading this so far and leaving comments. It's not a popular story by any means, but it's pretty dang fun and I love talking to you guys. Can't wait to see your reactions to this one. See you next week!
Chapter 11: Week 2 Start!
Summary:
A new week begins, and whether they know it or not events are set in motion.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 11
.::Week 2 Start!::.
"But whyyyy?"
"Because it's too suspicious if we both stop going."
"But I hate school! Why can't you go?"
"Because Yaomomo will find me and figure out something's wrong. Now suck it up and get to class." With that Jirou hung up, and Denki moaned mournfully as he lowered his cell phone and shoved it into his pocket. Next to him Hatsume clapped a hand onto his shoulder, making him jump and look back at her.
"Don't sweat it, Battery-kun!" she chirped. "You fail all your classes anyway, so it's not like you not understanding anything will be suspicious!" He just glowered at her sullenly, too grumpy to respond as she flounced away towards the school building. He grimaced as he gazed up at it, tugging at the hem of his dark blue sweater uncomfortably. And to think, he could be testing out their new gear right now.
The previous night he and Jirou had decided that it would be too suspicious if they both randomly stopped going to school and a pair of vigilantes with Quirks similar to theirs showed up a few days later. Because Yaomomo was likely to search out Jirou to question her and recognize something was wrong, it fell to Denki to go to school, removing the one good thing about being trapped in this crazy alternate dimension.
In order to successfully pull off the ruse they'd had to recruit Hatsume as a guide in navigating the school. They came up with a story to tell her that Denki had short-circuited so hard recently that it screwed with his overall memories, using it to also explain why Jirou had been at his place. Denki still didn't know if he should be offended by how easily she accepted the explanation or not.
Hopefully other people will buy it too, he thought with a sigh. From what Hatsume said he had a pretty large friend group. His cell phone had enough conversations to figure out his relationships with most of his classmates, but he didn't have faces to go with the names. For some reason people seemed to hate sending selfies here. Hatsume would be absolutely no help there—he didn't even know if she remembered his name given she just called him Battery-kun all the time—so he was on his own with that.
Denki had already resigned himself to the fact that he would screw up with the first person to call his name. With luck they'd also buy the short-circuit explanation they gave Hatsume, and could help him identify all his other classmates. They'd rather not broadcast the story too widely since it would be pretty easy for it to fall apart if questioned deeply enough, but they couldn't think of a better solution.
And I thought Mondays sucked at UA, he thought glumly.
"Kaminari?" Speak of the devil, looks like it was time to put the plan in action. He frowned, turning to face the stranger... only for it to not be a stranger.
"Yaomomo?" he blurted without thinking. Yaoyorozu frowned, folding her arms as she looked at him.
"Yaomomo?" she repeated, sounding faintly confused. Denki winced, quickly looking away with a sheepish laugh.
"Uh, s-sorry! Yaoyorozu-san, I mean. Sorry, I don't know why I called you that, haha..." He trailed off into half-hearted laughter, all too aware of her eyes boring into him as he internally screamed. How the hell did they not see this as a possibility!? Shoving down the rising bubble of panic, he turned back to her with a grin and quickly said, "A-anyways, did you need something?"
She frowned, still looking a bit suspicious, but didn't press the point. "You were gone all last week. Are you alright?"
"You noticed?" Denki asked, not bothering to hide his surprise. It was normal he'd be surprised, right? It's not like he had her phone number in his phone, so they probably weren't friends or anything. Right?
Yaoyorozu didn't respond right away, and he felt a brief spike of panic of crap he messed up before she spoke. "I'm the class representative," she murmured, glancing away and looking almost nervous as her fingers played with the hem of her sweater. "It feels like it's part of my job to pay attention to when my classmates are absent."
Oh. Oh. "Oh, yeah. I guess so," he agreed with a slow nod. So she was the class rep here? It made sense, she did have the highest grades even back at UA and made an awesome vice rep.
"Besides, you're the bottom of the class," she added, looking back to him with a stern frown. "Mori-sensei told me to make sure you're caught up on everything you missed. Which won't be easy, since you missed almost an entire week."
Denki flinched at the bluntness of her tone, feeling like she'd hit him over the head with a textbook. "Ack! S-sorry!"
"And where were you?" Yaoyorozu continued. "Mori-sensei said you never gave the school a proper explanation for why you called out every day."
Another wince. Denki sucked on the inside of his cheek as he scratched the back of his head, openly grimacing. "My, uh, Quirk kinda short-circuited," he mumbled half-heartedly. "It, uh, kinda messed with my immune system so I got, like, a super-bad cold, I guess...?" His words sounded weak and uncertain even to his own ears, and his grimace grew as he hastily continued, "B-but I'm better now! Mostly. Head's still kinda woozy though, so if I act weird don't think too hard on it."
...Yeah, he did not blame Yaoyorozu for that doubtful look she gave him. He inwardly groaned, preparing himself for a lecture and more questions when suddenly someone grabbed his arm. He jumped and whirled to find Hatsume next to him, that same static grin on her face. Denki never thought he'd be happy to see the psychotic inventor, but here he was, feeling a swell of relief as he looked upon his savior.
"Battery-kun, come on, we still have fifteen minutes before first period! That's enough time to drop by the science lab and test one of my babies!"
Never mind, he'd rather be interrogated by Yaoyorozu.
As Hatsume began dragging him off he twisted to look over his shoulder at his classmate, mouthing a silent, "Help me," as he tried to wrench free. Alas, Yaoyorozu held no mercy towards his plight, only offering him a sympathetic smile and a half-hearted wave. Groaning, Denki turned forward and hung his head, resigning himself to being used to test yet another of Hatsume's inventions. Hopefully this one wouldn't explode...
As the pair disappeared into the building Momo let her smile slip away, replaced by a serious frown. Kaminari was hiding something, anyone could tell that—and on top of that, he'd disappeared from school the exact same day Kyouka did.
Biting her lip, she pulled out her phone and sent a quick text. 'Kaminari showed up today. He's hiding something and acting suspicious. Still no sign of Kyouka.'
Thankfully she didn't have to wait long for the reply. 'Do you think there's a connection?' She wavered a bit as she saw it, hesitating to answer.
'I don't know yet, but I think maybe? He said he had Quirk-related issues too.'
There was a long pause, but then, 'You should trust your instincts, Your gut feelings tend to be right more often than not.' A brief wave of relief washed over her, her mouth quirking into a small smile as she felt a small boost to her confidence. The smile quickly faded as another text came in though, her mood instantly sobering. 'It's been a week since you last saw her, so I think it's safe to assume *something's* going on.'
Her fingers clutched her phone tighter as she read it, her thoughts trailing to her best friend. Momo still hadn't heard anything from Kyouka since she disappeared, save for that brief text about her Quirk acting up. Momo knew she'd read most of the other texts—she used a messaging app that showed read receipts—so the total silence on Kyouka's end didn't sit right with her.
And now Kaminari shows up acting suspiciously after disappearing the same day Kyouka did?
Something was going on, and Momo was determined to find out what.
(Please, just let Kyouka be safe.)
Monday morning found Ochaco on her bed staring at her newly created FacePage profile, her body curled protectively around the phone as if to hide it from prying eyes. As far as she'd been able to tell she'd had no FacePage profile in this world, her parents likely deeming it "too risky" given their family's status. Creating an account made her feel guilty, like she'd broken some sort of unspoken rule in the household, but she'd seen no other choice.
It's for the greater good, she reminded herself as she typed her classmates' names in the search bar. Although Ochaco had no idea how she'd gotten into this alternate world, she didn't believe for a minute she was the only one from Class 1-A in this situation. Or at the very least, she didn't want to believe it.
These past seven days had been the loneliest of her life. After getting used to living with all of her classmates in the dorms at UA, waking up in a world where she lived with her parents and only her dad's employees and Suimin-sensei for company left her with an aching sense of isolation. It felt suffocating, not knowing if any of her friends might be here too or if she really was alone in this strange world.
But more than that, she just wanted to talk to someone her own age.
Tsuyu, Asui, Tsu-chan, Froppy, Frogger... None of them are her. She frowned as she tried any variation of her friend's name, finding nothing resembling it. Finding people's profiles on FacePage was hard when everyone used fake usernames. She'd already tried entering variations of Izuku, Midoriya and Deku, then Tenya, Iida and even Engine, but no dice. She'd hoped Tsuyu would be easier to find since her Quirk would make for plenty of potential nicknames, but "frog" turned out to be just too broad.
Biting her lip, she mentally reviewed her classmates for who to search next. Some, like Todoroki or Shouji, didn't seem like they'd use social media at all. I don't think anyone will use their actual names, so I guess I'll try their Hero Names first, she decided. Typing in the first one to pop into her head, a string of results quickly showed up and she scrolled down the list only to pause as one profile picture caught her eye.
Ochaco bolted upright instantly, clutching at her phone tightly as she pulled it closer to her face. A pink-tinted alien with a messily drawn crown stared up at her from a blue and purple camouflage-pattern background, the name "Alien_Queen_Pink" next to it. Could it be? Clicking the profile, she saw it had been created just the previous day, most of the fields bare with only one status update:
'The Glorious Alien Queen Pinkie is now online and ready for friends!'
"Ashido?" she breathed to herself.
At that moment someone knocked on her door, making her jolt with a yelp and nearly drop the phone. Fumbling to keep it from following, she quickly jabbed the "send friend request" button and exited out of the browser just as her mother opened the door, a warm smile on her face.
"Ochaco, dear, Suimin-san is here," she told her.
"Suimin-sensei?" Ochaco repeated blankly. So far she had only seen her tutor when she'd go to construction sites with her dad. Today he'd left her at home though since they didn't have any work she could specifically help with; he preferred not to take her to work too often, to avoid drawing attention to her and her Quirk. On those days she usually just had homework to do on her own, so why was Suimin here now?
Seeing her obvious confusion, her mother's smile softened. "Don't you remember? She promised to take you shopping today for doing well on that test last week."
Recognition clicked and Ochaco bolted upright, her eyes widening. "Oh! Right! I totally forgot!" She remembered Suimin offering a chance to go shopping as a reward if she did well, but it hadn't really stuck out to her at the time. The test had been really easy since they'd just covered the material at UA before she woke up here, so she hadn't really thought it deserved any special reward. Apparently Suimin disagreed though, not that Ochaco would complain. She'd take any chance to get out of the house.
Jumping off her bed, Ochaco quickly ran to her dresser to fling open the drawers and root around for clothes. She hadn't bothered changing out of her pajamas yet, and if she was going into public she wanted to look cute! Behind her she could hear her mom chuckle, clearly amused. "Just come on down whenever you're ready, there's no rush."
"Got it, mom!" Ochaco called, not bothering to look back as she lifted up a cute pink top with lacy sleeves. She heard her mom chuckle again before the door closed, and Ochaco's face lit up with a beaming smile as she held the shirt against her body in front of her mirror. Shirt decided, now onto some cute bottoms!
As she began looking for something fitting for the chilly weather she heard her phone ding from the bed, making her jump. Dropping the shirt onto the dresser she scurried over to check it and found a notification from the FacePage site saying her friend request had been accepted.
Oops, I should probably mute that, she thought sheepishly. She hadn't been outright told she couldn't use the site, but she'd rather not risk her family finding out and banning her. As she went to her settings to mute the notifications another one popped up, this time about a waiting message. Surprised, she quickly silenced the notices before switching to the browser, finding the messenger already open.
'Hi Infinity_Girl_8! Thanks for the request! I can't really talk now because I'm at school (bleh!) but I couldn't wait all day! Your name is so cool! Where'd you come up with it?'
A small smile touched Ochaco's lips, her fingers curling around the phone even as her mind buzzed nervously. For the first time since waking up in this world, she felt a bit of genuine hope that maybe she wasn't quite so alone here after all.
Perks of being a villain: they can do whatever they want.
Tomura really liked that part of being a villain. The law was so pesky and annoying at times, limiting people's usage of their Quirks and insisting they pay for everything. Just look at those "high-end" fashion shops. Fifty thousand yen for a shirt? They didn't even give any sort of status buffs to defense or agility or anything, they just looked cool! Given how easily his clothes disintegrated with a single distracted touch, he saw no point in spending exorbitant amounts of money on clothing.
But of course, some people didn't care how stupid some laws were.
"And in other news, today an attempted robbery at the local bank was stopped by the Pro Hero Ingenium..."
Tomura scowled as he jabbed the power button on the remote, silencing the TV a little less violently than he'd like. The bank robbery hadn't been part of the main story; it had been a side quest, something to get all the annoying mob NPCs in his party to stop complaining about having nothing to do. He hadn't participated in any way, just assigned the job and let them go.
But the fact it had been foiled at all irritated him.
His fingers itched to scratch at his neck, to dig his nails into the skin and peel it away bit by bit, but he forced himself to abstain if only because Aiko would get annoyed. The woman currently sat at the bar next to him, idly sipping from a glass while he glowered at the now-dim screen. "Thank you for not destroying the TV," she commented. "Replacing them is a pain."
"You don't even live here," he scoffed.
"And yet I end up being the errand girl more often than not," she replied, rolling her eyes. She set down her drink and produced an envelope from thin air, sliding it along the counter towards him. "Here's the map of that place you wanted. Pretty standard layout, and none of them have Quirks that can change it up. Should be pretty cut and dry. Might want to hurry though, I think a bunch of heroes have their eye on it too."
"Thanks," he grunted, pushing the envelope to aside to review with the others later as he eyed her. "You not interested in joining?"
"Not this time," she responded with a light shrug. "Like I said, this group's on the heroes' radar, and I'd rather not risk running into anyone I know."
Tomura scoffed, the urge to scratch his neck growing. "You haven't seen any of them in years. And don't you wear a mask anyway?"
"Still too much of a risk for my tastes," Aiko deflected as she got up. "My usual goggles are out of commission, and the only spares will just get me a lot more questions and scrutiny than usual. I prefer to stay off the radar as much as possible." Tomura narrowed his eyes, not buying the excuse about her goggles for one second, but he decided not to call her out. Aiko was by far one of the most finicky NPCs of all in his party, but also easily the most game-breaking.
Their relationship points might tip things in the Alliance's favor now, but if he ever pissed her off enough she'd either drop them entirely or become the worst final boss ever. At least she wouldn't join the heroes—her morality meter tipped too much to the dark end to ever rise above neutral at best—but she could still easily wipe them out.
"Leaving already?" he asked instead.
"I'd love to stay and spend time with you and Izun, but I've got some stuff to do today," she responded with a light shrug. "Trafficking rings to track and all that. Have fun with the raid or whatever." Tomura just grunted, not even bothering to watch as she left. With Aiko gone the bar was left empty once more, and it didn't take long for his thoughts to drift back to his irritation at the failed bank robbery.
Ingenium wasn't even a high-level boss. All his stat points had been put into speed; he didn't even have a good base defense, just buffs from his armor. They could just trip him with a tripwire, and then Tomura could slap the back of his head and disintegrate the helmet. It'd only take one more touch to dissolve the back of his skull. Easy. Really, he was so low-level he was barely worth the EXP.
Tomura might go out of his way to take care of him now though, just to make up for his fallen party members' failure. It wouldn't do to let their loss cause a hit to his own reputation points, he'd been steadily building them for years even before the Alliance made its public debut. After some thought he dismissed the idea though; he didn't want to risk potentially triggering a main story event and up the overall difficulty.
Speed-running this wasn't an option. Tomura didn't really care for speed runs anyway, a lot of them involved breaking the game with glitches to skip over parts of the story and levels. Skipping over levels meant losing crucial EXP, and they'd get no spare lives if they messed up, so for now he'd just have to occupy himself with side quests while waiting for the rest of his party to level up appropriately. Maybe try to get Aiko to join up more actively, or try to recruit some new party members.
The thought made him pause. New party members, huh... That reminded him of the two brats Izuku had become so interested in—and by extension, Izuku himself.
Izuku was different from the rest of his party. He didn't directly contribute any skills like everyone else, or serve any support role like healing or item storage. By gameplay standards he was more like an NPC or a "pet," except calling Izuku a "pet" grated on his nerves. Maybe a mascot? No, that still irritated him. Little brother? Yeah, that worked. Plenty of games had a younger sibling NPC who served to provide incentive to players to complete an objective, and Izuku definitely filled that role.
Izuku had been cursed with the permanent affliction and title of "Quirkless". Society spurned him for a default status condition beyond his control, to the point it didn't care when he disappeared. Tomura had seen how nervous and shy the boy had been when they first met, how little confidence he had in himself. For years, the only time he really showed confidence was when he spoke about Pro Heroes and their Quirks.
Izuku epitomized the injustice of the hero system. After being casted to the bottom of the NPC hierarchy with the lowest base-reputation possible, he became obsessed with Quirks—the source of his troubles, something forever out of his reach—and by extension, he became obsessed with heroes. Heroes were the epitome of Quirks, treated as celebrities by everyone. Izuku practically worshipped the ground they walked on, and even though he'd toned it down over the years he still had a few he liked enough to ask Tomura please don't kill this one, they're one of my favorites.
The praise and admiration was irritating, but Tomura could let it slide. As long as he kept Izuku away from the actual heroes they captured, it was easy enough to ignore his obsession with them. In any event, Izuku might not be the most critical member of the party—he might even be a detriment at times thanks to his unfortunate affliction, especially since those episodes started—but he was definitely Tomura's favorite.
Izuku was his little brother after all, even if not by blood. They might have their differences, but plenty of brothers in games were polar opposites. That didn't make their interactions any less satisfying though, if anything it made the cut scenes that much more poignant. Tomura had even been working on a side quest in the background to boost his relationship points with Izuku further, assuming it hadn't been maxed out already.
Come to think of it, Tomura hadn't spent much time with Izuku lately.
He should fix that.
Notes:
This is probably the most eventful transitional chapter I've ever written. Uraraka has found Ashido's profile, Denki goes back to school, and Aiko appears for like two minutes. Still no news on Aizawa though (which on that note, I loved everyone's reactions last time).
Question for next time: Who do you think will be the first dimensional strays to actually meet?
Chapter 12: An Unforgettable Reunion
Summary:
Some things can't be found in stores.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 12
.::An Unforgettable Reunion::.
"Kacchan, please?" Izuku made the biggest puppy eyes possible at his childhood friend, not missing the way the blond's left eye twitched even as he steadily avoided looking at him.
"No," he grit out, scowling at the wall.
"But you're so smart!" Bakugou's eye twitched again at the blatant flattery, his scowl growing worse as his gaze finally flitted towards him.
"Why the hell do you even have math homework?" he demanded, sounding almost incredulous beneath all the anger. Izuku offered a half-hearted shrug, glancing down at the bundle of papers in his hands.
"Just because I live with villains doesn't mean they don't care about my education," he said. "Kurogiri is really serious about making sure I keep up with my grade level."
"What would you even use it for!? Do you plan to apply for a job someday? You're registered as missing, Deku! How would that even work?"
"I don't know, but right now I mainly don't want to upset Kurogiri by slacking off. He's kinda terrifying about it." Izuku grimaced as he rubbed the back of his neck, and he saw Bakugou's expression soften a bit. Just a little. Emboldened by the sign of leeway, he hesitantly added, "Also, I figure this is at least better than doing nothing...?"
That seemed to break down the last of Bakugou's resistance. The blond still scowled but the anger in his red eyes burnt out, replaced by exasperated irritation and acceptance. "Ugh, fine. Sit down so we can go over it." Izuku flashed a grateful smile as he plopped on the bed next to his old friend, rifling through the papers to find a good worksheet to start with. He didn't really need help with it, but he figured if he had to do it anyway he might as well use it as an excuse to spend more time with him.
Honestly, he'd been just as surprised as Bakugou that he still had schoolwork despite being the ward of a bunch of villains, even if it was a lot more casual than the organized curriculum at UA. He'd noticed textbooks on his bookshelf, but it hadn't really clicked he was actively using them. Then yesterday Kurogiri had randomly warped into his bedroom and dropped off a bunch of workbooks with firm orders to get to work.
"I've permitted a break given the circumstances, but that time has passed," the misty man had told him. "You may not be able to acquire a formal diploma, but there is no point allowing your mind to rot. I expect you to finish this by the end of the week." That had been all he'd said before leaving Izuku just sitting at his desk in shock. On the bright side, the whole thing had been so bizarre and abrupt he hadn't even had to pretend to be calm.
It was weird to realize that the villains valued his education, even if it might just be Kurogiri. Something told him most of them really didn't care about schoolwork. Shigaraki didn't really seem like he'd be patient enough to sit through most homeschooling, and he knew that Toga and Mustard—the two closest to his age—didn't bother with it. Plus, like Bakugou said, it wasn't like he could just go out and apply for a job. Unless they created a fake identity for him, which... they might, but not important right now.
According to Seiko, he was mostly expected to teach himself using books and other resources at this point. Kurogiri only reviewed his work once he finished it or if he specifically asked for help, which was what gave him the idea to ask Bakugou to tutor him in math. Asking him was weird, especially when Izuku didn't need it, but he needed any opening he could get to build up a trust between them.
Right now, Bakugou was one of Izuku's only potential allies in this place—in this world—but as it stood he couldn't actually work with him. The blond still regarded him with heavy disdain and tolerated his presence out of necessity more than anything. If Izuku tried to tell him about an escape plan or offer an alliance, he might just explode and draw attention.
It sucked and made him anxious, but he'd have to take his time to build up some trust. He had the same issue with Shinsou, who he also planned to ask for homework help after this. He'd visited the purple-haired boy for hours on end since learning of his presence, trying to make up for lost time. Izuku still felt horrible for not realizing he was there sooner, especially after Shinsou had to comfort him that first day when the brainwasher was the real (and literal) victim here.
Things between them were still far too tense, Shinsou obviously even more wary of his motivations than Bakugou. It didn't help that Izuku had to watch his words around the other boy because he wasn't supposed to know Shinsou's name beyond his vigilante moniker "Hijack". If he ever slipped, Shinsou would probably panic since no one knew his real name. It hurt seeing the suspicion in his eyes, but Izuku couldn't blame him. Shinsou had no reason to trust him, not when Izuku was so friendly with the people literally holding him prisoner.
Just. Everything was a mess here, and Izuku really needed some allies. At least he'd gotten confirmation from Seiko no one else was locked up right now, so for now he could focus on getting Bakugou to open up a little more.
They spent about half an hour going over the math homework, Izuku feigning confusion at some of the more complicated problems. At several points he got the sense Bakugou saw through the façade and didn't actually need help, but the blond never called him out on it. It made Izuku think he really was just that bored, which in turn made him feel even more guilty. He couldn't get Bakugou out of there soon enough.
They'd gotten halfway through the third worksheet when the slat on the door suddenly slid open, catching them both off-guard. Izuku's heart leapt up his throat as he spied red eyes peering into the room between silvery-blue bangs, and a moment later the slat slammed shut followed by the door opening. Even though Izuku recognized those eyes he still couldn't help the pang of instinctive dread when Shigaraki poked his head into the room, his cracked lips spreading into a grin.
"Izu, I've been looking for you," he declared, sounding eerily giddy. It took all of his control to not show the visceral sense of terror at hearing the League of Villains' leader sounding happy, a combination he had come to associate with imminent danger. This Shigaraki doesn't hate you, he reminded himself.
That did not apply to Bakugou though. "What do you want?" he hissed, shrinking back against the wall as he bared his teeth in a snarl. Izuku could feel the blond trembling beside him, his eyes dilated in what he recognized to be apprehension even as Bakugou tried to mask it by glaring at Shigaraki. The villain scoffed as he regarded him, clearly unimpressed by the intimidating front he put up.
"Shut up, shitty NPC," he said gruffly. "I'm here for Izuku, not you." He crossed the room to grab Izuku's wrist, his pinkie finger pointedly hovering above his skin as he pulled the green-haired boy to his feet. "Come on, I'm bored."
"W-what?" Izuku stammered, hoping his wince and stutter would be construed as surprise more than fear. "But, T-Tomura-nii—" He nearly stumbled on the name, the overly friendly manner of addressing his enemy still feeling alien and unfamiliar, "—I-I have homework. Kurogiri will get mad if I put it off..." He tossed a helpless look at the papers in question, now scattered on the bed around Bakugou in their surprise at the sudden visitor.
"Homework is boring," Shigaraki deadpanned. Which, Izuku couldn't argue with. "You can take a day off. I want to hang out with you." His voice held a note of finality usually associated with stubborn toddlers rather than the menacing leader of one of the most notorious villain organizations in existence. Izuku shot a helpless look at Bakugou, as if asking for him to do something—what, exactly, he didn't know—but the blond just scoffed and averted his eyes.
"Whatever," he grumbled. "Not like you have a deadline for this shit, right?" It was probably as close to a dismissal as Izuku would get in this situation.
"Let's go," Shigaraki said, already heading towards the door. Izuku bit his lip, and mouthed a silent 'sorry' to Bakugou before scurrying after the older male. He didn't dare look back as the door closed behind them.
"So what are we doing?" he asked Shigaraki as he followed the older male down the hall. "Playing another game?" Surprisingly he hadn't spent much "quality time" with Shigaraki yet beyond that movie marathon that first day, but the majority of their interactions involved playing video games. It was its own kind of nerve-wracking, because what if Shigaraki noticed he didn't remember how to play them and figured out he's lying, but so far Shigaraki hadn't commented on a sudden decrease in gaming skill. It made him wonder if maybe he just sucked at them in general.
"Our collection's too stale," Shigaraki scoffed. "We're going to get new ones."
"Oh, alright," Izuku said with a nod, and then stopped as the words registered. "Wait, how?" Shigaraki paused, turning to peer at him over his shoulder.
"We're going shopping, duh," he said, rolling his eyes, and turned forward once more. Izuku blinked, his legs moving mechanically to follow him as his mind went nearly blank. For the first time since waking up in this world, he'd be going outside. Despite the twist of anxiety in his gut, the prospect actually excited him a little bit. He wondered what it'd be like.
Ten minutes later, Izuku discovered the outside world was actually pretty underwhelming.
What did I expect, a post-apocalyptic wasteland? he thought sarcastically as he followed Shigaraki down the street. Kurogiri had warped them to an alley near a strip mall, the two casually sauntering past the thin trickle of shoppers lining the sidewalks. After the initial joyful surge of 'fresh air, at last!', the novelty of going outside had quickly worn off as he took in all the differences—or lack thereof, as the case happened to be.
The fact was, for all the major societal upheavals from Izuku's world regarding heroes and villains, on the superficial level they were still pretty similar. He remained quiet as he looked around, just taking in the scenery. The street wasn't one he'd visited in the past so he couldn't identify any significant differences, but it seemed like any other strip mall he'd visited. Given it was a Monday afternoon most people were at work or school, so there wasn't much traffic aside from a few stray shoppers.
Ahead of him Shigaraki maintained a casual saunter, his hood pulled over his hair and a scarf looped around his mouth. Izuku himself had simply stuffed his hair under a blue beanie and left it at that. While the mysterious "hero alliance" knew about him, he apparently wasn't so famous that he needed to fully disguise his face in public. No one paid either of them any mind, save for a little toddler girl he saw glance at him and blush before ducking behind her mother's leg.
Overall, shopping with Shigaraki was surprisingly mundane. In part because they were actually shopping for games.
"Yo, Shiro!" greeted the clerk when they entered the game store. Shigaraki huffed and grumbled as he stalked towards one of the shelves, largely ignoring the greeting, while Izuku just stopped in the doorway and stared. The clerk didn't seem fazed by the cool reaction, instead smirking to himself as if satisfied before turning his attention to Izuku. "Well, this is a rare sight. Been a while since Shiro brought you along, kid."
"Uh, yeah. Just... been busy, I guess." Internally Izuku was freaking out and trying to process this scene and all the subsequent implications. The clerk clearly knew Tomura, if not by actual name then some nickname, which meant some degree of familiarity. He also knew Izuku to some extent and associated him with Shigaraki.
The only explanations were the clerk either had some sort of phenomenal memory, maybe a memory-enhancing Quirk... or Shigaraki was a regular here.
But that means he actually buys games, doesn't he? Izuku thought in mild shock as he tried not to gape too openly at Shigaraki's back. Somehow, that revelation was one of the more shocking ones since waking up in this world. Shigaraki was a villain with the temperament of a spoiled child after all; the idea of him willingly paying for games instead of just taking them boggled his mind.
Shigaraki made a thoughtful hum as he pulled one case off the wall, glancing at the clerk. "Hey, is this one actually any good?"
"Story's good, but it's got pretty shit controls. Movement's all jittery and the hit boxes are way too small. Pretty sure the dev company bribed the reviewers to get better scores. I'd recommend Automata if you want something similar that actually plays well."
"I already got that one."
"Ah, you did? Huh. Then maybe Firefly Blade?"
As the two launched into a casual banter about recommendations Izuku found it increasingly harder not to gawk at them. Shigaraki was still sour and overall snippy with the clerk, but the overall tone of the conversation was so casual and normal it sort of broke his brain. He didn't even know the man could talk to someone normally.
Finally he couldn't take it anymore and knew he needed to get out before his cover slipped. "Um, sorry to interrupt, but I'm, uh, kinda bored," he stammered out hastily. "Do you mind if I check out some of the other stores?"
"Sure, yeah, keep your phone on you. I'll grab you when I'm done." Shigaraki waved him off dismissively, not really turning his attention away from his discussion with the clerk. The fact he agreed at all surprised Izuku, expecting him to want to keep a close eye on him, and he quickly slipped out before the man could potentially change his mind.
Once outside he breathed a small sigh and began strolling along the sidewalk, glancing at the windows of the neighboring stores. He didn't pay much attention to their contents, seeing as he had no money on himself to actually buy anything, and instead let his mind wander. Did Shigaraki let him go out alone because he'd been distracted, or was he not that worried? Had Izuku always been allowed to leave the base? Had he stayed cooped up for the past seven days for no reason at all?
As he mused over the potential implications he noted movement from the corner of his eye and glanced over only to jump as he saw Seiko walking next to him. "Wha—Seiko—when?" he sputtered, glancing around. Where had she come from!?
"Are you just realizing you're not under constant house arrest?" she guessed, emotionless as ever. Izuku just gawked at her, still a little overwhelmed by her sudden appearance and nonchalance about, well, everything. After a few moments though he ducked his head and nodded sheepishly.
"In my defense, my room doesn't have windows," he muttered embarrassedly. It sometimes felt more like a cell than the actual prison cells, closer to Shinsou's fully furnished room in that regard. Unlike Shinsou's room though, Izuku wasn't locked in at all times.
Seiko gave a noncommittal hum. "You're free to go anywhere as long as you tell Kurogiri beforehand. They prefer not to let you walk through the neighborhood around the base alone, so he warps you to a safer part of town instead."
"I guess I'll still have to tell them where I'm going and why, right?" he mumbled, but to his surprise Seiko shook her head.
"No. As long as you have your phone and call Kurogiri to return you before dark, you're free to do as you please. You've proven yourself responsible enough to be trusted to keep a low profile outside of the base." Her eyes flitted towards him, and in their flat, unsettling white depths he thought he spied a faint flicker of amusement. "They give you quite a bit of freedom, Midoriya Izuku."
"I... see." Izuku frowned, a contemplative gleam in his eyes as he turned forward with his head unconsciously ducking down. If Izuku had the freedom to leave as he pleased, that opened up all kinds of possibilities. He could finally start a proper investigation into how he ended up in this world, finally make some progress. Maybe even get in some practice with One For All. As he mulled over it he distantly noted that Seiko melted into the shadows in the corner of his eye, but he paid her departure no mind and continued to focus on what his next step should be.
Caught up in his thoughts, he almost didn't notice the two figures stepping out of a store in front of him, turning to walk the same direction he headed. As he got closer he slowed down slightly to avoid bumping into them, only vaguely registering their conversation as he let his thoughts consume him. "Come on, that skirt was adorable and you know it!" the older woman said. "You should've gotten it!"
"B-but it was so expensive!" a younger voice whined and Izuku froze, his brain grinding to a halt. His head snapped up to see a girl with a puffy-looking brown bob walking ahead of him, waving her hands animatedly at the woman next to her as she stammered, "I mean, there's so many better things to spend money on! Like, I could get three skirts at another store for that price! It felt like such a waste!"
"Being thrifty is good, but you need to spoil yourself sometimes," the dark-haired woman said, turning to look at the girl with a fond smile. "You're a teenage girl, have some fun!" She ruffled the girl's hair as she spoke and skipped ahead with a laugh as the teen squawked in dismay.
"H-hey, don't do that!" The girl turned her head over her shoulder with a small pout, and Izuku's breath caught in his throat as he spied familiar pink circles on her cheeks, small pink pads briefly visible on her fingertips as she tried to fix her hair and eliminating any lingering doubts about her identity. Uraraka.
As he stared at her in shock Uraraka's eyes flitted his way and she startled, her pout vanishing as she twisted her torso to look back at him. As their eyes met a reverberation of shock ran down his spine, and he thought of all the other familiar eyes he'd seen these past few days. The icy-hot loathing in Kacchan's crimson eyes, the cold disdain in Shinsou's indigo, the bizarre fondness in Shigaraki's red. All so familiar, yet all belonging to strangers.
But in Uraraka's brown eyes he saw something else, something absent from all the other eyes he'd seen.
He saw recognition.
"Deku?" she whispered, her voice barely above a breath.
In that moment Izuku felt like a giant weight had been simultaneously wrenched off his chest and lobbed at his gut instead, a tiny gasp slipping out. The edges of his vision blurred as tears formed, his hands trembling at his side as his breath came out in short, shuddering gasps. She remembers. She recognizes me. She knows me. Not like how everyone else here knows me—she knows me.
This wasn't some other Uraraka. This was his Uraraka.
I'm not alone here.
Time just seemed to disappear as they stared at each other, each coming to the same realization. Tears pricked the corners of Uraraka's own eyes as she turned to face him fully, her cheeks growing pinker. "D-Deku," she started, her voice wobbly, and she stopped and sucked in a big breath. "I-It's you, right? D-Deku?" Seeing her so close to crying made Izuku's own eyes water more, and he quickly wiped it away with his sleeve as he stepped forward.
"I-it is!" he quickly confirmed. "A-and you're—you're Uraraka? My Uraraka?" The question didn't feel necessary, he could tell just by looking at her that she was the Uraraka he'd spent the past several months learning to be a hero with, but even so the feeling of elation when she bobbed her head was still overwhelming, his chest exploding with warmth and relief.
"I'm—we're not alone," she whispered, sniffling as she wiped at her tears with a tiny smile. "I-I'm not the only one...!" Her voice began to crack, the prospect of crying becoming a much more immediate threat.
"Ochaco-chan?" Both teenagers jumped at the voice, Izuku stiffening and Uraraka snapping to stand straight in alarm as he glanced behind her. The woman who'd been walking with Uraraka had stopped and turned to look back at them, her blue eyes glinting with worry behind her glasses. "Ochaco, what's up? Are—wait, are you crying?"
Shooting Izuku a briefly panicked look, Uraraka quickly wiped away the last of her tears before turning to the woman with a smile. "S-sorry, Suimin-sensei! I just—I ran into someone familiar and wanted to say hello! Right?" She shot Izuku a smile, her eyes begging him to go along with her, and he quickly bobbed his head in affirmation.
"R-right!" he agreed, turning to the woman with a sheepish smile. "We, uh, used to know each other way back... For a bit..." He trailed off, trying not to wince at how weak that sounded even to his own ears. The woman—Suimin-sensei? Uraraka's teacher? Why were they shopping together? Wasn't it a school day?—frowned slightly, her eyes narrowing and making him tense.
"Here, I know, let's exchange phone numbers!" Uraraka blurted, spinning to Izuku with a smile as she whipped out her phone. "We can catch up more later!" Her smile was warm and reassuring, filling Izuku with a much-needed sense of familiarity and trust, and he couldn't help but return it.
"Of course!" he agreed as he fumbled for his own phone. "I've got so much to fill you in on—" He stopped mid-sentence, his blood running cold as the reality of his situation suddenly came crashing down on him. Shigaraki. The Villain Alliance. Bakugou and Shinsou.
The memories of the past seven days hit him like a brick, nearly staggering back as his breath hitched. Immediately Uraraka's smile faded, replaced by a wide-eyed look of concern. "Deku? Deku, what's wrong?" Her voice rose towards the end, her alarm leaking through clearly, and Izuku had to suck in a sharp breath as he tried to squash down the rising bubble of panic.
"I-I don't, I can't," he sucked in a sharp breath, blinking and trying to clear his thoughts. "I don't know i-if that's a good idea."
"What? Why not?" He could see the look in her eyes shifting more towards alarm and fear, taking a step closer as she recognized his inherent distress. "Deku, are—are you in danger?"
"No!" he blurted quickly, shaking his head and hands emphatically. "I'm not, I'm fine! B-but, but—" But no one else is, he thought dismally, but the words couldn't form in his throat, too choked by fear and anxiety. "Uraraka, I—I-I—"
"Izu, what are you doing?"
This time Izuku couldn't suppress the flinch when he heard the ever-more familiar voice call out behind them, his stomach lurching with dread as they both turned. Striding towards them was none other than Shigaraki, a plastic bag dangling at his side and his scarf looped around his face and eyes shaded by his hood. "I got the stuff. What's with the NPCs?"
"NPC?" Uraraka mumbled next to him, sounding faintly confused. When Izuku looked at her he saw a blank look in her eyes as she regarded Shigaraki, and his chest tightened in realization. She doesn't recognize him. Of course she wouldn't, she'd never spoken to him directly the way Izuku had, would have only seen him from afar at the USJ and at the mall. He didn't know whether to be relieved or horrified by her obliviousness to the imminent danger of the situation.
"Oh, uh, we were just saying hi!" he said, plastering on a nervous smile. "You know, just chatting about this and that. Nothing big." Shigaraki paused a few feet away, his head tilting to the side as he glanced at Uraraka.
"You were talking to a girl?" he muttered lowly, sounding almost contemplative, and a chilly horror crawled down Izuku's spine. No, no, don't pay attention to her!
"Izu?" Uraraka mumbled to herself, oblivious to Izuku's growing internal panic, and then freaking smiled at Shigaraki. "Oh! You must be really close friends, right?"
"He's my brother," Shigaraki scoffed, and this time Uraraka jolted, whirling to shoot Izuku an open-mouthed look of shock.
"You have a brother?" she blurted, and Izuku held back the urge to wince as he nodded.
"Y-yeah, I do," he said, and hastily continued, "A-anyways, it was nice talking to you, but I think we should go home. I still have homework to do, and I think Sh—Tomu-nii wants to play his new games with me first." He turned to Shigaraki with a strained smile, desperate to get him away from Uraraka as soon as possible. From the corner of his eye he noted Uraraka's face scrunch up slightly, obviously trying to place the name, and they needed to get away before she did.
"We need to go too," spoke up Suimin, almost catching him off-guard. The woman appeared behind Uraraka and put a hand on her shoulder, offering her student a small smile. (Was it just him, or did it look forced?) "We still have a few places I want to check out before the after-school rush hits."
"O-oh, I see... Um." She frowned, glancing at Izuku with obvious worry. "I-I guess I'll see you around, then?"
Please, please don't, he pleaded mentally. Being around him would put her in danger, and he couldn't put her through that. But externally he merely smiled weakly and nodded. "M-maybe. We'll just have to see, I guess. Bye, Uraraka-san."
With that he turned and quickly scurried over to Shigaraki, trying not to look back at her as he began speed-walking away. The villain's presence provided an ominous shadow as they walked, able to feel Shigaraki looking at him even as Izuku kept his own gaze on his feet. He tried not to pay it any attention, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.
"Do you... like that NPC?" Shigaraki asked slowly, and Izuku nearly stumbled as he sucked in an almost squeaky-sounding breath.
"C-can we talk about something else please!?" he blurted desperately without thinking, inwardly cringing at how blatant his attempt to avoid the subject was. He risked a glance at the older male and found contemplative red eyes peering down at him from beneath the hood, uncomfortably reminding him of another encounter with the man in his own world.
Shigaraki gave a small hum, turning forward with an unreadable look. "I got some good games today. Did you ever play the first Siren's Call with me?"
Izuku relaxed slightly at the topic change, shaking his head. "If I did, I don't really remember," he replied honestly, relieved to be talking about something other than Uraraka. "What's it like?" He paid close attention as Shigaraki launched into a brief description of the game, just relieved to distract him from Uraraka. If all went well, Shigaraki would forget she existed and she'd never be in danger.
Of course, his life could never be that easy though.
Notes:
Last time I asked people to guess the first big meeting. Literally no one on either site guessed it would be Izuku and Ochaco though.
This is one of those chapters I've had in mind from the start. Very happy with how it turned out. Yes, Shigaraki buys his games. He might be a villain, but he's also a gamer and he gets that the best way to guarantee his favorite game studios continue to make great games is for them to turn a profit.
Question for next time: who do you think will be the next member of Class 1-A to make an appearance?
Chapter 13: Progress Towards the Future
Summary:
Todoroki has an unexpected encounter, and Hatsume works fast.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 13
.::Progress Towards the Future::.
Day three of searching Odawara for Tokoyami. By now, Shouto might feel very tempted to burn something down if he were more hot-headed and comfortable with the fire half of his Quirk. As it stood, he settled for shooting a frosty glare at his few meager remaining coins as he sat on a park bench contemplating his next move.
His search should have been simple. After thinking it over, Shouto had quickly realized that while Tokoyami might be part of a famous phantom thief duo, his cloak hid all his identifying features, meaning he wouldn't need to hide or disguise himself to go out in public. A boy with a black bird head stood out in a crowd, so theoretically, people should remember seeing him.
Unfortunately, Shouto had failed to take into account that while a bird head was unusual, large-scale mutations like that weren't exactly rare. People paid no particular attention to most unique mutations, used to seeing people coming in all sorts of shapes and colors every day. One of the local policemen he saw patrolling had a head shaped like a kappa for crying out loud, complete with green skin and a beak and a little dish for water on top of his head.
In short, in a world of bizarre mutations, Tokoyami really didn't stick out that much. Not unless he did something significant, which obviously he wouldn't seeing as he was likely trying to keep a low profile. Drawing attention to himself would probably go against the script for the sidekick of a nationally wanted villain.
At this point Shouto didn't even know if Tokoyami was actually in Odawara. His speculations could have been totally wrong, or they may have moved their base to another city. Gentle Criminal had a tendency to move on to a new area after so much time passed after all, and the latest string of thefts had been about the regular length. If that was the case he'd need to do some more research at a net cafe, but right now Shouto's funds had reached a critical low.
His stomach released a low growl, making his eyes narrow in irritation. Could he even afford actual food? The little change he had could probably buy him a cheap bento box at a convenience store or some pre-wrapped onigiri, but it wouldn't be too filling and would only last one meal. He needed to be careful about how he spent his remaining money, get something that could last a while. At least he had water handled thanks to his Quirk.
Sighing in quiet frustration, he shoved the change back into his pocket and tugged at the eye patch to make sure it fully covered his scar when he felt something prod his leg. Snapping a startled look downwards, he saw a small gray squirrel tugging at his pant leg, bushy tail curled like a question mark. As he stared at it blankly it seemed to perk up, and it quickly released its grip to nudge a wrapped onigiri towards his foot with its nose.
At that Shouto's eyes went wide, bolting upright as he stared down at the food. "What the," he muttered, bending forward to pick it up. As soon as he did the squirrel turned and scurried away, making Shouto jolt and quickly get to his feet. "Hey, wait—" He stopped himself short, his free hand still reaching for the fleeing rodent as his features contorted with confusion. His mouth thinned as he looked at the wrapped onigiri in his hand, his eyebrows furrowing.
Did... Did a squirrel just give him lunch?
No, he realized suddenly, it didn't give me lunch. It delivered it. An admittedly subtle distinction, but still key because if it merely delivered it, then someone had ordered it to do so. The realization had him jerking to stand ramrod straight, his head swiveling to look around the park. Not many people were around, only a woman jogging with a dog in the far distance, but then he saw movement behind a restroom facility across the path. There.
With speed honed from years of extensive training under his father Shouto surged forward, bolting around the corner almost as fast as lightning to find himself face to face with two people: a girl with green vines for hair and the other possessing a familiar pink, rock-shaped head. Kouda Kouji. Shouto had suspected it considering his Quirk, but seeing his quiet classmate still came as a surprise that left him freezing in place.
For a moment they just stared at each other, too shocked to react. Then Kouda released a surprised squeal as he jumped back, waving his hands wildly with frantic whines and whimpers. Shouto faltered at his classmate's reaction, desperately racking his brain on how to react when Kouda's companion spoke up. "Ah, so you noticed us," she commented. "We had hoped our act of charity would go unnoticed, but perhaps it is fate that we meet now."
"Fate?" Shouto repeated, turning to look at her with a puzzled look. As he did he realized that she wasn't actually a stranger, recognizing the vines that constituted her hair from the Sports Festival. She was in Class 1-B, wasn't she? The one who got to the tournament and beat Kaminari. Shiozaki, if I remember right.
"Pardon our rudeness," she said, offering a serene smile as she folded her hands as if in prayer. "We do not like showing ourselves to strangers openly. You may call me Maria, and my companion Rockfish." Fake names, Shouto noted, and she seemed to pick up on his thoughts as she added, "I apologize for using pseudonyms, but it is safer for us if we do not share our real names. You are the lost lamb Kuroe mentioned, are you not?"
"Kuroe?" The name made Shouto's gaze sharpen, focusing on her intently. He felt highly aware of the flip phone in his pocket, having barely touched it since he'd taken it on Sunday. He wasn't entirely sure why he'd taken it and then kept it, unsure if he could even trust the man. Kuroe had recognized him after all; it could be a trap to lower his guard.
Shiozaki nodded once. "Yes, he is one of our group's most benevolent patrons. He told us a boy with black hair and an eye patch had come to Odawara seeking some unknown goal, and that he would likely be in need of assistance. Rockfish and I have been watching you since early this morning, and we noticed you had not eaten yet today so we decided to anonymously gift you a small meal. We did not expect you to notice us."
"Right," Shouto muttered, eying them warily but letting some of the tension seep from his posture. Kouda's Quirk let him command animals and he remembered his classmate using birds as scouts in past exercises, so it wasn't too strange that he might have used some to follow him. The thought he'd been watched at all without noticing still unsettled him though, his eyes flicking towards the nearby tree line. Could someone be watching right now?
For the time being he pushed away the thought as he turned back to Shiozaki, offering a small nod. "I am... not comfortable that I was being watched," he admitted lowly, making Kouda wince and shrink back guiltily. Seeing that Shouto tried to keep his voice more gentle as he added, "But I do appreciate the food. I was just trying to figure out what I could afford, so... thank you." He dipped forward in a bow as he spoke, feeling a bit awkward.
"Please, you do not need to thank us," Shiozaki told him as he straightened, her hands folded in prayer once more. "Performing a good deed and helping a fellow troubled soul is reward enough." Kouda vigorously bobbed his head next to her, still looking nervous and slightly intimidated by Shouto's presence. In turn Shouto gave a single nod, turning his attention back to the onigiri.
"So are you two in the phone Kuroe gave me?" he asked as he tore at the wrapper, and Shiozaki nodded.
"Yes, we are. I am registered under the name 'Maria's Garden Care,' and Rockfish is 'Odawara Wildlife Rescue.' If you require any assistance feel free to call us, though I am more likely to answer than he is." Shouto hummed, taking a bite of the rice ball and chewing carefully for a moment before swallowing.
"Why would you help me?" He didn't mask the suspicion in his gaze as he stared at her, continuing bluntly, "We're strangers. You don't look like you're in good positions either." Both of them had on rather worn-looking clothes. Shiozaki wore a thick red sweater and a long wool skirt that frayed around the hem, along with dirty hiking boots. Kouda meanwhile had on a bulky mustard-colored sweatshirt with several small holes in it and dark jeans, paired with ratty-looking, heavy-duty boots that had mismatched laces.
The vine-haired girl's smile softened slightly, her expression never losing that sense of serenity and quiet dignity. "It is because we are in such poor conditions that we should help one another. We do not know what may haunt you, but we, too, know the difficulties of being cast from your home and forced to fend for yourself. This world is full of too much cruelty, and there is no reason to make it worse."
Her voice carried a note of such strong sincerity that Shouto found it difficult not to believe her, finally allowing himself to relax. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't imagine this overly pious Shiozaki or the timid and kind Kouda to harbor any malevolent intentions, no matter what may have happened to them here.
They're just runaways, he thought. He'd seen some references online to kids with particularly powerful or useful Quirks running away from home in an attempt to protect their families, and Kouda's Anivoice and Shiozaki's Vines both fit those descriptions.
His thoughts wandered to the flip phone in his pocket, and the various unknown contacts it contained. "It's hard surviving alone out there," Kuroe had said cryptically. "Especially for a kid on the street. Having a network... helps." A network of runaways? It made sense. If Odawara had avoided a majority of organized villain activity like Kuroe suggested, it would be as good a place to hide as any.
His mind swarmed with the new information as he quietly nibbled at the onigiri, just... thinking. If this network was legitimate, then maybe he could use it to help find Tokoyami. But asking for something with nothing to offer in return—especially something so potentially dangerous—left a bad taste in his mouth. Swallowing the rice, he made up his mind and wrapped up the rest for later.
"Thank you, but I don't like leaving favors unpaid," he told Shiozaki. "If you're going to help me, then there should be something I can do to make it even." The least he could do was try to help this group somehow before asking for another favor.
Shiozaki smiled, kind and placid. "If you insist."
"Alright!" Hatsume said, clapping her hands together with what Kyouka had come to mentally dub her "default" manic smile, "We just need to do some quick last-minute testing, and then you'll be ready to go!"
At the moment the trio stood in the warehouse Hatsume used as her workshop, the pink-haired girl having finished the prototypes for their gear just minutes earlier. It had been surprisingly fast since she'd still had to go to school yesterday and today, but today she'd dragged Kaminari straight to the warehouse after classes with the declaration she'd be done within two hours. That suited Kyouka fine since she'd been dying of boredom while they were at school, having little to do after finishing her online classwork.
Right now the two future vigilantes were standing in front of a mirror, looking over their new costumes. "Wow, Hatsume, you got this done really fast," Kaminari commented as he grinned at his reflection. "I thought it'd take a lot longer, but this stuff looks really cool! You're awesome!"
"Yes, yes, I know, now let's test my babies out!" she said, pushing him towards a target range set near the back of the room.
"Yes ma'am!" he agreed with a bright grin, looking ecstatic as he bounced in his new costume. They'd prioritized sturdiness and speed with its design, getting a black hooded jacket that he wore over a long-sleeved white shirt and black pants and boots. To hide his face and distinctive hair he raised the hood and wore an opaque orange visor and black fabric mask over his mouth, though at the moment he had the mask resting around his neck.
He rounded out the look with bulky electronic gauntlets that doubled as gloves. They didn't work quite like his sharpshooting gear, designed to shoot out slender pins which Hatsume had dubbed "lightning rods" instead of discs to serve as a homing point for his electricity. Beyond that, the fingertips each had small openings for a more direct approach.
"So I just point at people and go 'bang'?" he asked, forming a gun-shape with his index finger and thumb pointed at a wooden board with a target painted on it.
"Pretty much!" Hatsume confirmed with a bob of the head. "They should shoot mostly straight, but without a lightning rod the aim probably won't be as accurate or precise. And this part," she tapped a small box-shaped protrusion on the back of his hands, "will store a charge long-term! Just press your thumb and middle finger together, and it'll prime your gauntlets so you can just slam your hands on someone and zap them without having to use your Quirk!"
"Oh good," Kyouka deadpanned, "Now he won't turn into an even bigger idiot in the middle of a fight."
"Hey!" Kaminari whined, shooting her an offended look. "I'm not that dumb!"
"Last place on finals," she reminded him with a smirk, and Kaminari clamped his mouth shut with a scowl.
Hatsume planted her hands on his shoulders and firmly turned him back towards the target range. "Less talking, more testing!" she sang. Kaminari nodded, his expression smoothing as he raised a hand in a gun-pose to point at the circular wooden board.
"Bang," he said, and then a stream of electricity shot out from his index finger and rippled across the room to hit the target. Its path was wobbly and shaky, arcing wildly as it surged forward, but it remained largely straight and hit the outer ring of the target with a resounding crack. The wood didn't break, but small cracks could be seen under scorch marks where the electricity hit. Kaminari huffed, shoulders sagging. "Dang it, I didn't get a bull's-eye."
"I told you, your aim won't be as good without the lightning rods!" Hatsume reminded him. "Those babies are expensive and hard to make though, so you can't just use them all the time! You need to work on your regular aim too!" As she continued lecturing Kaminari on how to best use his new gear Kyouka tuned them out, turning her attention to the mirror to examine her own costume.
Like Kaminari, she also wore a black hooded jacket, along with white amplifier jacks on her hands similar to the ones in her UA costume. Beneath it she wore a light violet dress with a puffy skirt that flared out around her knees to allow for increased mobility, along with dark denim jeans tucked into her chunky speaker boots. They kept with Kaminari's theme by giving her a black visor over her eyes and a white face mask with black starbursts drawn on the right corner below her eye.
The outfit had been designed for practicality first and foremost. Just as Kaminari had said on Saturday, her earphone jacks would be too distinct and identifiable to use openly, so they'd had to get more creative in how they concealed them. Her hood hid the earphone jacks and allow them to snake beneath the sleeves to the amplifier jacks unnoticed. The puffy skirt, meanwhile, would help hide their movement when they slid down to her boots to plug into them.
Overall, the design reminded her a good bit of her actual hero costume, and the same went for Kaminari's. She hoped that if any of their other classmates happened to be here after all, they'd recognize the costumes and track them down. Especially after they added the last touches.
As she stared at her reflection Hatsume suddenly appeared behind her, her yellow eyes seeming to glow as she grinned. "You!" she declared, grabbing Kyouka's shoulders. "It's your turn to show off my new babies!" She dragged Kyouka towards the target range without waiting for a response, and Kyouka frowned as she turned to face it.
Along with the (now-scorched) wooden targets, they'd also set up several stacks of cinder blocks. Kyouka focused on those, extending her earphone jacks to slither down the back of her dress. It felt more than a little weird moving them under clothing and having the fabric rub up against them. She felt a bit of relief when they reached the waist where the skirt flared out, no longer feeling smothered, and from there they plugged into the backs of her boots.
Five seconds later a violent shockwave surged from the speakers, blasting the cinder blocks and sending them toppling.
Next to her Hatsume let out a loud whoop and Kaminari cheered which Kyouka ignored. The range felt shorter than at UA, but the power was decent enough. Twisting her head to peer back at the mirror, she spied a flash of something pale against the backs of her boots and legs, making her frown. "Hey, guys, the jacks stick out against all the black. Any ideas?"
"Uh, maybe we could paint the ends black too?" Kaminari suggested with a frown. "Like, with nail polish or something...? But wait, how would that even work if you stretch them though?"
"This is just Version 1.1!" Hatsume offered enthusiastically. "I can modify it to make a pocket to hide it! In fact, hold on!" She spun around and darted off to a storage shelf next to her work table, rooting around noisily before returning with a small, black tube-shaped object. Crouching next to Kyouka's legs, she quickly stuck it on the back edge of her left boot using sticky tack to hold it in place so the top protruded above it. "Try sliding it in here!"
Kyouka nodded and moved the closest jack to enter the hollow tube, her head twisting to watch her reflection as she did so. It fit fine, the tube maybe a little more roomy than necessary, and its presence diminished the visible amount of skin between the skirt and her boot. She shook her leg a bit to see if the tube would hamper her mobility at all. "It fits, but there's not enough room for me to bend the end to actually plug it into the boot."
"That's because this tube will be the plug!" Hatsume explained as if it were obvious. "I'll add a jack in the bottom that you can plug into just like your gauntlets! And on that note, gauntlets!" She grabbed Kyouka's hands as she steered the vigilante back towards the target range, ordering, "Test them, now!"
"Yeah, yeah," Kyouka muttered, pulling her earphone jacks out of the boots and back up her dress. They slithered down the sleeves of her jacket next, the movement nearly imperceptible under the black fabric, and plugged into the jacks on the end of the gauntlets without ever showing. With that done, she marched up to a large boulder Hatsume had somehow dragged in (when, why and how, she didn't know and didn't want to know) and took a deep breath.
Channeling her heartbeat into the gauntlets, she slammed her palms against the boulder and felt the stone vibrate. Similar to how these boots had a shorter range, the reverberations from the gauntlets were weaker than her own amplifier jacks. The stone loudly cracked beneath her hands and a large dent quickly formed as it caved in, but other than a web of cracks stretching outwards from it, for the most part the boulder remained intact.
She frowned, a little frustrated by the decrease in power, but that was to be expected. They didn't have access to all of UA's resources anymore; she should be grateful Hatsume could even get her this much. Still, though, she felt a curl of unrest in her stomach as she distantly listened to Kaminari cheer and Hatsume prattle on excitedly about how well it worked.
Will it be enough?
Right now, wearing this costume and having tested the gear, it made everything feel more real. They were actually going to be vigilantes in this alternate world. The thought felt both exhilarating and nerve-wracking. Fighting villains was nothing totally new, they'd had bad luck at the USJ and went on the internships. However, fighting on their own? Without UA or even other Pro Heroes to back them up if things went wrong?
This was definitely a giant risk. One wrong move, and they were dead.
She swallowed, her hands clenching at her sides. No, that was a risk anyway. They were in another dimension far more messed up than their own with no idea how they got there or how to get back. For all they knew it could be the work of a villain, lurking somewhere in this reality waiting for an opening to attack them. If they wanted to go home, they needed to take the initiative themselves; they couldn't just sit around doing nothing.
Becoming vigilantes might paint a target on their backs that wouldn't exist otherwise, but at least they could now protect themselves... and others, too. This world was messed up, that was a fact, and Kyouka wouldn't have applied to the hero course if she didn't have some sense of justice. Leaving people to suffer and live in fear just went against her nature.
They'd been training to become heroes anyway, so being a vigilante wouldn't be that different. A bit riskier, sure, but it was better than sitting around watching the world burn. When they got back home, she wondered if Aizawa-sensei would be proud or upset at them for this decision.
The thought made her smile as she turned to face the others. "So, when should we go on our first patrol?" Hatsume's face lit up with a beaming grin even larger than before, while Kaminari's mouth thinned into a firm line full of determination.
Notes:
I don't think anyone predicted Todoroki meeting Kouda or Shiozaki either. Lucky for him it's Shiozaki, since she's one of the only members of Class 1-B he remembers clearly. Now open to speculation on who else is in Odawara! Also, I need to draw Jirou and Kaminari's vigilante costumes soon. Since writing this chapter, I came up with one more detail for them to add before their first patrol that I think will have a HUGE impact on the story.
On an unrelated note, it's December 23. So Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa and Happy Holidays to all!
Chapter 14: Bonding with "Strangers"
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 14
.::Bonding with "Strangers"::.
"Are you sure you've never played Mario Kart?" Izuku asked in near disbelief. Shinsou just mutely shook his head, his attention focused on the television screen as he maneuvered his racer around the track. After going shopping with Shigaraki and playing games for a majority of the previous night, Izuku had been inspired to move a TV and game console into Shinsou's room so they could play games together. He figured it'd be a better way to bond than asking for help on his homework.
He kind of regretted that now. Izuku squawked in dismay as Shinsou lobbed a blue shell at him, sending his Luigi spiraling away. "Seriously!? That's the third one in a row! How do you keep getting them!?" Shinsou offered a half-hearted shrug, and if he hadn't been wearing that damn muzzle he thought the other teen would be smirking rather smugly right now. Maybe he was, judging by that gleam in his eye.
"I just suck at video games, don't I," Izuku sighed, head hanging in dismay and quiet resignation. Shigaraki had been absolutely unsurprised when he lost while playing against him, repeatedly and horribly, across multiple games and genres. The only game he'd been remotely good at was Mario Kart, but Shinsou had thoroughly trounced him in every single race thus far.
As he finally crossed the finish line—a near fifteen seconds after Shinsou—he threw the controller down on the bed and slumped back against the wall with a sigh. Shinsou glanced over at him curiously, setting down his own controller more peacefully and picking up his whiteboard. 'Are you done already?' he wrote.
"I think so," Izuku sighed. "Sorry, I don't think I'm having as much fun as you."
'You're just saying that because you keep losing.'
"Shut up," Izuku grumbled, pouting at him. Shinsou's eyes glinted with amusement as he picked up his controller again, exiting the multiplayer race to bring up the single-player courses instead. He paused though, shooting Izuku a hesitant look, and the green-haired boy offered a small smile. "Go ahead, I don't mind. I'll just watch, might be more fun that way." Satisfied to get approval, he selected a course while Izuku settled back to watch him play, content to just be an audience.
At least the brainwasher seemed to be enjoying himself. This was the first time Izuku had seen him remotely pleased since meeting him in this world; usually he maintained a gloomy air of reluctant tolerance towards him. Maybe virtually kicking his butt in racing had a therapeutic effect for him, Shinsou didn't have many outlets for his stress and frustration here.
...Izuku decided not to think too much on how he played into that stress.
In any event, he felt like some of the tension between them had dissipated today, much to his relief. So far he'd made minimal progress with getting Bakugou to warm up to him, but Shinsou had proven a little more amenable to his overtures of friendship. He never acted overly friendly, but he maintained a much more amicable front around him during visits than the blond did.
Izuku wished he could attribute it to a growing sense of camaraderie between them, but he knew that wasn't the real reason. He figured out early on that Shinsou spent most of their visits analyzing him. Whereas Bakugou was volatile and prone to reacting without thinking, Shinsou was naturally quiet and calculating, even without the damn muzzle. His eyes always held a sharp, calculating gleam when they spoke, carefully molding his reactions and responses to foster a friendlier relation between them.
To him, Izuku was not a potential ally, but a potential resource, something to exploit if he played his cards right.
The thought hurt at first, but Izuku had to accept it. For all he loathed the situation, he was technically part of the people responsible for holding Shinsou prisoner. He was Shinsou's best shot at freedom, whether through willing cooperation or trickery. Had he been in Shinsou's shoes he likely would have done the same thing.
It... gave Izuku an idea though. Since learning of Shinsou's presence he'd started forming a vague plan, one that might not really establish trust, but would hopefully help make some progress in establishing an alliance, no matter how shaky. As the two fell into a companionable silence he could feel the envelope in his hoodie pocket, his fingers itching to pull it out.
Of course, that thought once again got interrupted by the sound of the doorknob turning.
Both of them startled, Shinsou's character swerving into a nearby racer on screen as his thumb jabbed the joystick. They both twisted to stare at the door, and in a near repeat of the previous day it slowly opened, only this time it wasn't Shigaraki who stuck his head inside. No, instead it was Toga, that usual lazy, deranged grin stretching across her lips as she peered inside.
Given how his Toga acted around him, Izuku briefly wondered if Shigaraki would have been better.
"Helllloo, Mido-chan," she greeted, and her eyes flicked towards Shinsou and her smile grew. "Jackie-chan." Shinsou physically shuddered at the affection dripping from her voice as she butchered his vigilante title, while Izuku felt his own stomach twist uncomfortably. It reminded him too much of his own Toga's psychotic crush on him, and it suddenly occurred to him that Shinsou might be her type in this world. Speaking from experience, that was not good.
He frowned, subtly positioning himself in front of his friend protectively. "What do you want, Toga?" he asked, keeping his voice as calm and level as possible.
"What, a girl can't visit her favorite vigilante?" Toga giggled as she covered her mouth, the gesture so normal and girly it felt out of place on the demented girl. Izuku swallowed, glancing back at Shinsou doubtfully. He did not want to expose the other boy to the deranged girl, and judging by the look Shinsou gave him he felt the same way. It made Izuku frown, turning back to her warily.
"Sorry, but we're in the middle of playing a game," he said, gesturing to the TV. She followed the motion and tilted her head curiously.
"Oh, Mario Kart? Who's winning?"
Izuku hesitated to answer, not wanting to give her more ammunition for her obsession with Shinsou. He felt the purple-haired boy shift behind him, and glanced back to see him write on his white board before turning to show her. 'Neither. You interrupted us and the AI racers are murdering me.' A glance at the screen confirmed this to be true, Shinsou's racer immobile and hovering in eighth place as the computer racers zoomed past him.
Toga seemed unfazed by the response—in fact, she seemed delighted, her eyes lighting up. "Ooh! Ooh! Do you guys do a punishment game when someone loses?"
"...Punishment game?" Izuku couldn't help the bleak note of horror in his voice as he repeated the phrase. Had it been any other high school girl he would expect silly punishments like "wear one of Kaminari's weird-smelling shirts" or "call Aizawa-sensei dad to his face" or something else (relatively) harmless. Toga though? Knife-wielding, crazy, villainous Toga? Yeah, no. "We're good," he said tightly.
"Aww, but punishment games make stuff even more fun!" Toga whined with a pout. "The stakes add to the pressure and make you want to win even more!"
While Izuku frantically tried to think up a response, Shinsou wiped the board to write another message. 'I am not letting anyone stab me.' The blunt wording combined with his deadpan stare made Izuku want to smack his forehead in exasperation. That was pretty much his own thought, but he'd been hoping to think of a more tactful way to phrase it to the mentally unstable knife-wielding girl.
"It doesn't need to be the stabby-stab kind!" Toga chirped cheerfully. "Tomu doesn't let Mido-chan play those kinds of punishment games anyway!" That earned Izuku a startled look from Shinsou, a bit of concern actually flashing through his eyes. The rare display of caring for his well-being would have warmed Izuku's heart normally, but at this point Izuku was just so done with everything he could only shrug listlessly.
"Then what punishments would you suggest?" he asked Toga tiredly, just... giving in. If there was no stabbing involved, it couldn't be that bad, right?
"Hmm, let's see." Toga tapped her lips with a thoughtful frown, then perked up and clapped her hands. "Oh! Oh! I know! The loser has to confess their crush to us!"
Izuku stared at Toga in disbelief, his jaw dropping open. Somehow, that both struck him as the last thing he'd expect to hear from her, and also made absolute sense coming from her. Next to him Shinsou took up the white board once more. 'I don't have any crushes.'
"Me neither!" Izuku agreed quickly.
"Oh? You don't?" Oh no. Izuku could recognize the mischief in Toga's eyes as she smirked, her head tilting to the side as she folded her fingers under her chin. "Not even that girl Tomu saw you talking to yesterday?"
And at that moment Izuku's blood ran cold. Uraraka. A rush of complicated emotions washed over him as he recalled his brief encounter with his friend—relief, hope, anxiety, fear. Knowing there was another person from his own world here had been so relieving at first, but it had quickly turned to horror when he'd realized just how dangerous it was to associate with her.
He couldn't expose Uraraka to the dangers of the Alliance, not after seeing Bakugou and Shinsou. He couldn't let anyone else get pulled into this. So he'd pushed her away, and tried to avoid thinking about her and evaded questions from Shigaraki—but apparently that hadn't been enough, because she was now on Toga's radar.
His hands clenched into fists, his head bowing as he took a sharp breath. "So if I talk to a girl, I automatically have a crush on her?" he asked lowly. "She's just a girl I met once when I was a kid. I was just surprised she recognized me! I barely even know her!" He scowled at Toga, his green eyes glimmering with barely suppressed anger. I can't let you hurt her.
Apparently his expression surprised her, because for once her sleazy smile faded to be replaced by a look of blank surprise. "Huh? Mido-chan, that's a really scary face."
"Just go away, Toga," Izuku ordered, turning back to the TV and picking up his discarded controller. "We need to get back to playing." In the corner of his eye he could see Toga frown, looking more puzzled than upset, but then to his immense relief her smile returned and she gave an exaggerated shrug.
"Okay, fine then. I need to get going anyway. See you later, Jackie!" She flashed Shinsou a bright smile as she waved and then exited, the door closing behind her. For a long moment neither of the boys moved, Izuku just staring at the TV while Shinsuo eyed him. Finally the purple-haired boy picked up his whiteboard once more, jotting down a quick question.
'Are you okay?' Upon reading it Izuku felt his shoulders droop, tears starting to prick his eyes. Shinsou startled as the green-haired boy threw his arms around him, ignoring the way the other teen stiffened as he began crying.
"I'm sorry, it's just so stressful, Uraraka's so nice and such a good friend and I miss her but I don't want her to get pulled into this too and shoot, I sound like a jerk saying that to you when you're already here, but I just don't want her to get hurt either—" As he continued babbling on endlessly the other teen awkwardly shifted inside the embrace before his chest heaved with resignation and he wrapped an arm around Izuku, patting his back comfortingly.
Izuku really didn't deserve such a good friend.
Nearly twenty-four hours after seeing Deku, Ochaco found herself curled up on her bed with her phone again, her bedroom door locked and the blankets pulled over her head as she tried not to freak out.
Seeing Deku had filled her with so much relief at first. He had been the same as ever, tearing up almost instantly when he saw her and regarding her with nothing but relief and joy. She had felt the same way, just so happy that she wasn't actually alone. If she was going to be stuck with anyone in this alternate dimension, she couldn't have picked a better person than Deku.
But then when she tried to exchange phone numbers so they could talk and make plans he suddenly changed, going from crying with joy to panicked and horrified in the span of a single second. The change had been so abrupt she hadn't been able to make sense of it. Then a vaguely familiar stranger showed up he called "Tomu-nii," and then Deku had practically fled with him while Suimin all but dragged her away.
From there, the oddness had only escalated. Immediately after parting ways with Deku, Suimin had insisted they go straight home, calling all sorts of people and hissing "code blue" and street addresses into her phone as she rushed Ochaco back. The sudden change in her normally friendly demeanor had left Ochaco confused and alarmed, temporarily distracting her from Deku's odd behavior. Once they got home she was sent straight to her room so Suimin could talk to her mom while they waited for her dad to get home, but when she asked what was going on they refused to answer.
It had been ten minutes after that when Ochaco finally realized why the name "Tomu-nii" had been so familiar. Once it clicked, she had been grateful to already be in the privacy of her room so no one could see her freak out.
He's stuck with the League, she thought in a daze as she stared at her phone in the present. No wonder he didn't want to give me his number. She couldn't imagine how it must have felt to wake up surrounded by the League of Villains. If it had been her she'd be freaking out in a heartbeat. To keep his cool in that situation, and even call Shigaraki "Tomu-nii"... Ochaco couldn't imagine doing that. It just reinforced how strong Deku was.
But still, to push her away after finally meeting again? To try to protect her from them while leaving himself at the League's mercy—alone? It burned at Ochaco's gut and frustrated her like never before.
She couldn't stop thinking about what he must be going through right now. Maybe if Ochaco had something to do, it wouldn't be so bad, but her dad had refused to take her to work today. He avoided saying why, just claiming he was worried, and it left her uneasy. She'd heard her parents whispering harshly with Suimin-sensei last night, so she knew they knew about Shigaraki.
Suimin-sensei had definitely recognized the villain. Looking back, she might have even recognized Deku; she had been on guard the moment she saw him, even before Shigaraki showed up. And when he did, she focused on getting Ochaco away from there as fast as possible. But how, though? And why? She wanted to ask, but she wasn't sure how to broach the topic without having to explain how she knew. In any event, for now Ochaco had nothing but her phone to try to find answers.
She almost wished she didn't have it.
'Orphan son of Flight 174 victims goes missing,' read the headline on the screen, making her bite at her lip. According to the article Deku had disappeared at age eight, just two months after his parents died in a plane crash. It didn't go into nearly enough detail for such a spicy headline, the article little more than a blurb describing how he'd been depressed and had obviously run away, and the other articles about it weren't much better. The brevity irked her, and one word told her why:
Quirkless.
Why did it say that? That strength he showed in class—the power that broke his bones and mangled his body so easily—it couldn't be anything but a Quirk. But the word littered the few articles she could find on Izuku, brief as they were, and the repeated usage made her stomach twist with discomfort.
Quirkless kids tended to be the subject of much bullying and neglect, and she quickly realized that title, combined with a lack of parents, had led the police to neglect Deku's disappearance in favor of more "pressing" cases. For that same reason she couldn't find any information on him, even the newspapers forgetting he existed within a week of his vanishing.
What happened to Deku after he ran away? Did the League kidnap him? Why? They didn't seem like they'd be interested in someone who was supposedly Quirkless. Maybe they realized he had a Quirk, like he was a late bloomer and only manifested it sometime after running away. It would explain why he had so much trouble controlling it when they first started at UA, the teachers said his lack of control was more like a toddler than a teenager. Between his Quirk and his sharp mind, he'd be a valuable asset to the villains.
None of that felt right though. Izuku had seemed so calm and happy when they met yesterday, like he'd temporarily forgotten his circumstances. No matter how relieved he might be, she couldn't imagine him forgetting for even a second if he'd been forced to help the League. He'd probably be haunted with guilt, even if it was some other Izuku who'd done it in the past and not actually him. He was just that kind of guy.
A pop-up notification silently appeared at the top of the screen and covered half the article, and Ochaco blinked before quickly switching over to the tab with FacePage. The messenger was still open, a new message waiting for her.
'I'm at lunch now so I can talk!' Alien_Queen_Pink wrote. 'Just had a math test and preeeetty sure I bombed it. Help!'
Ochaco smiled slightly, feeling some of the weight lift off her chest as she typed out a reply. 'How can I help? I can't change your grades for you.'
'I dont know! Cant you rewind time with your infinity powers?'
'That's not my Quirk, sorry!'
She got a string of distressed-looking emojis in response, making her giggle quietly. She started talking with who she suspected to be Ashido just yesterday, using it as a distraction from her concerns about Deku. They hadn't talked about anything specific, just basic introductions and random chatter about this and that. It felt just like her other text conversations with Ashido, solidifying her suspicions about her identity, but Ochaco hadn't dared to directly ask about it just yet.
Not after the disastrous revelation about Deku's circumstances.
If it was indeed Ashido and she came from their own dimension though, she at least seemed to be in a better position than him. So far she'd mentioned nothing particularly bad or worrying. Aside from school of course. 'Infinity is a math thing right?' the Alien Queen questioned. 'Are you good at math? Could you tutor me?'
'If I tutored you, would you actually be willing to go thru with it?'
'...prob not. Maths boring. Oh and my friends say hi'
'Are you with your friends right now? Why are you messaging me instead of talking to them then!?'
'I dunno, I like meeting new people I guess? Also their getting annoyed & its funny.' This time Ochaco did laugh softly to herself, smiling as she typed out a scolding response. The conversation ebbed and flowed as probable-Ashido interacted with her friends, the wait between responses growing longer. She giggled when her texting partner sent several long strings of random characters. No doubt her friends had reached the limits of their patience and were in the process of trying to steal the phone.
Ochaco typed up a response as more keyboard mashes were sent, just a joking query, 'Should I be worried?' Of course she got more keyboard mashing in response, making her smile grow. Soon enough it faded though, her thoughts trailing back to Deku as she waited for an actual response.
Here she was, idly chatting online with someone who might be a classmate in the luxurious safety of her room, while Deku was stuck in the middle of enemy territory all alone. Her heart panged with guilt, biting her lip anxiously. Ochaco felt a bit like a spoiled princess from fairy tales, far removed from the dangers of the world and kept safe in her castle while the heroes went on their epic quests.
And in a way, that's exactly what was going on. In this world she was a rich heiress kept isolated and sheltered from an incredibly dangerous world by her parents, surrounded by kind people who would shower her with love and praise. If she ever wanted something, she just had to ask her dad and he would give it to her, neither of her parents burdened by the financial strain she was used to in her own world.
The more time passed, the more this world felt like some sort of weird bizarro version of her own world—and the more she felt like an imposter.
Her fingers curled tighter around her phone, her mouth setting in a firm line. She didn't like it. She didn't like sitting around doing nothing while Deku was risking his life every day, just by being wherever the hell he was. Seeing him had invigorated a fire in her, her eyes hardening as her resolve settled.
Ochaco wasn't a princess, she was a Hero—and it was time to act like it.
"Give it back!"
"Not until you stop being rude!"
Mina scowled as she desperately reached for her phone as Kumiko held it above her head, silently cursing her old friend for being just slightly taller than her. She growled in irritation, jumping and feeling her fingers just brush the case but failing to grab it. She released a frustrated yowl, stamping her foot with an angry huff. "Dang it, Kumiko! No fair!"
"That's what you get for being on your phone when you're with your friends at lunch," Kumiko replied, sticking out her tongue. While Mina continued growling Kirishima frowned.
"But... doesn't Anjou spend all her time on her phone?" he pointed out meekly, glancing at the girl in question.
"If you try to take my phone, I will murder you," Anjou said bluntly, never looking up from her phone, and Kirishima winced and scooted away from her. Rolling her eyes, Mina leaned over to knock on his head, making him yelp and jerk away.
"What the hell, Ashido?!" he sputtered.
"Don't be such a coward!" she scolded. "Be more manly!"
"Why do you keep saying that!"
"Because Kirishima Eijirou is supposed to be super manly! Not some mopey wuss!" Kirishima looked at her skeptically but she didn't care, just continued to glare at him reproachfully. She was getting really annoyed by his timidity in this world, it was definitely worse than middle school. It really made her wonder if something had happened to him in this world, because this couldn't just be him being meek. Whatever the situation, she really missed her Kirishima.
With Mina suitably distracted Kumiko finally lowered her phone, glancing at the screen. "I don't get why you're using FacePage to talk to someone else," she commented. "Aren't we good enough for you!"
"Of course you are!" Mina denied instantly, frowning at her as if hurt by the accusation. "You're my best friend, Kumiko!" The claim held true even when she'd been at UA. While they'd gone to different schools, she and Kumiko had a history that her new classmates just couldn't match. They would text almost every day, meet up on weekends and holidays whenever possible, and Mina fully planned to drag Kumiko to UA at some point to meet her new friends there.
"Right," Kumiko said, scrolling through Mina's phone. "Otherwise you wouldn't be turning to total strangers for companionship." Pouting, Mina pointedly looked away from her friend in mock betrayal while Kumiko hummed. "Seriously, who is this 'Infinity_Girl_8'? Actually, strike that, you obviously don't know judging by this chat history. How'd she find you?"
"I don't know, it doesn't matter," Mina huffed with a frown. Actually, she was really sure that the account belonged to someone from Class 1-A. Infinity_Girl found her as Alien_Queen_Pink after all, the most obvious name Mina could think of. She hadn't outright asked yet though, having the sense to realize that asking a random person if they're from another dimension might come across as a bit weird if they weren't. Plus, wouldn't Infinity_Girl bring it up if she was?
She totally thought it was a classmate though. She'd narrowed it down to Uraraka or Hagakure, mainly because Jirou, Tsuyu and Yaoyorozu would have definitely mentioned it by now. Maybe not super-direct (except Tsuyu, she would absolutely just straight up ask), but they'd have at least hinted at it by now. She could see Hagakure taking her time and just talking though, or Uraraka being too nervous or careful to bring it up right away.
"She's homeschooled?" Kumiko said, raising her eyebrows as she read the earlier chat. "Dang, this girl sounds really lonely."
There was also that. Mina couldn't blame whoever sent her the friend request for just wanting to talk. The other girl hadn't gone into specifics but she said she was homeschooled and lost touch with her friends. If Mina had woken up in this world alone with no friends, she would have run away by day two just to escape the sheer boredom.
Trying to picture the situation actually made her grateful she had the option to go to school here. School might suck, but it gave her something to do.
"So you're trying to brighten the day of a poor, socially deprived girl?" Anjou asked, arching an eyebrow without looking up. "How charitable of you. And stupid."
"Hey!" Mina snapped. "What do you mean, stupid!?"
"Just saying. You don't have any proof that's actually a girl."
"Anjou's got a point," Kirishima agreed with a nod. "You don't know anything about this person. Like, it could be some creep trying to fish for information about your Quirk."
"Or a scientist who thinks you're actually an alien," Kumiko added with a smirk. "Seriously, Mina? 'Alien Queen Pink'?"
"Give me that!" This time Mina successfully snatched her phone back, scowling at Kumiko before scrolling back down to the latest message. Dang it, they'd sent a bunch of keyboard mashes during the struggle. Pouting, she quickly tapped in a quick reply to Infinity Girl's query. 'Sorry, my friends are jerks & stole my phone!' She added in a couple annoyed-looking emojis with their tongues sticking out and sent it, leaning back in her seat with a sigh.
"Still, you were talking to her pretty late last night," Kumiko commented. "The last message was at what, one in the morning? No wonder you looked like a zombie today!"
"You know, you'd probably have done better on that test if you'd actually studied last night instead of chatting," Anjou commented sarcastically, and Mina flung her hands up in annoyance.
"Ugh, no I wouldn't! I hate math! When will I ever need it?"
"Pretty much every career path available, if you believe Kawara-sensei," Kumiko teased.
"Man, I hope not," Kirishima groaned. "Math is really frustrating. I think I mixed up which number is what on the graph questions..."
"Oh thank All Might, I wasn't the only one," Mina moaned. "I definitely got up and down mixed with sideways a couple times." Anjou paused, finally glancing up from her phone to squint at them.
"Are... are you talking about coordinated pairs?" she asked. "That's the most basic thing on there."
"So you two absolutely bombed it, huh?" Kumiko mused with a sage nod, and both Mina and Kirishima sank in their seats with depressed moans. Picking at her lunch idly, Mina glanced at her phone, willing another message to come through to distract her from her despair. But when one finally did arrive, it made her stiffen, sitting up ramrod straight with a heavy frown. Her friends looked at her in surprise, all of them frowning.
"Ashido, what's wrong?" Kirishima asked.
"Did Infinity Girl ask for nudes?" Anjou asked blandly, easily ducking away from Kumiko's annoyed attempt to swat her arm.
"No, but I don't know what to say," Mina said, turning the phone to show them.
'I'm sorry, but I need to go for a while. I'll contact you again when I get a chance. Wish me luck!'
Notes:
So in this world, Toga has a crush on Shinsou instead of Izuku. I am not sure if Izuku finds this better or worse.
No question for next time. But feel free to throw in predictions! See you next year!
Chapter 15: First Milestone
Summary:
Kuroe makes a phone call, and Kaminari and Jirou make their debut.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 15
.::First Milestone::.
"So you haven't heard from him either?"
"Nope. Totoro never calls, and no emails, either, though not too surprised by that one. Last time I heard from him was after the big scene with you-know-who."
"Figures," Kuroe grumbled under his breath. He currently sat at his kitchen table, his phone sitting next to his laptop on speaker while he typed away. He'd pulled up his email—all of them, even the throwaway accounts he'd used for spam and shadier websites back in high school—and had spent the past few hours combing through them meticulously, but so far he'd found nothing. "I don't think he's emailed me in, wow, three years now."
There was a huff on the other end of the phone. "Better than me, the newest one I can find is four years ago. Makes me wonder how the hell he tracked me down last year."
"Who knows," Kuroe replied with a light shrug, logging out of his accounts and closing the windows as he deemed his search a lost cause. He paused then, and commented, "Actually, that is really weird, since you kinda have to be off the radar."
"I'm starting to think it was just luck," she replied wryly. "That, or the little demon helped him find me."
"Yeah, yeah." Kuroe rolled his eyes at the nickname, faintly amused by the annoyance in her tone. He had met the "demon" in question before and definitely left the encounter with an unsettled feeling, but he wasn't sure it merited such wariness on her part. There had to be some sort of history between the two she hadn't told him.
He kept his thoughts to himself though, knowing better than to ask. She never spoke about her past unless she wanted to, and he often regretted every little thing he learned. For now he just said, "Anyways, he'll probably reach out to one of us sometime soon. He's gotta be desperate by now."
"Assuming they were actually together. We don't have any actual confirmation on that, other than that late-night chat I had with him last year."
"No, but I'd definitely put my money on it if I were a betting man." He sighed, shaking his head. "Just—if he does contact me, what the hell do I say?"
"Friendly reminder I have less social skills than you."
"But you're more experienced at dealing with shady stuff like this."
"Ugh, it's so weird to call this shady," she groaned. "Okay, if we're being serious, I'd say your first step would be to try to get both sides of the story. We have no idea what's been happening since the last time we saw Totoro—and again, they might not even be connected." He heard a sigh, followed by a grumble of, "Knew we should've dragged him to your sister back then..."
"To be fair, Ran's got her own life," Kuroe pointed out mildly. "And that was right around exam time. She literally threatened to murder me if I disturbed her."
"You know she was probably exaggerating, right? Exam season does suck though. Glad we're done with that."
"You never even finished high school, did you?"
"Considering I have not needed to use anything I learned in high school, don't regret it," came the blithe reply, but then softer, "Do regret some other stuff that happened though. Anyways, I need to go now. I have a job in an hour, and I need to make lunch before I go."
"Say hi to your brother for me," Kuroe deadpanned, and heard a small huff.
"Not my brother."
"Alright, fine. Say hi to your unrelated way-younger childhood friend."
"...You're lucky I like you, Kuroe. Later." There was a beep as the call ended, and he closed his laptop with a sigh, rubbing at his forehead.
"Lucky, huh," he muttered, a rueful smirk on his face. Hardly a word he would have ever used for himself. For now though he pushed the thought away, picking up his phone to start scrolling through the messages to find the ongoing chat with his sister. The call had reminded him he needed to call her down to Odawara, the mere thought making him grimace. Nothing quite as awkward as speaking to your largely-estranged sister, but he needed her help with the runaway network.
Yesterday he'd gotten a call from Shiozaki informing him that she'd made contact with Todoroki Shouto and that he'd agreed to do some favors. He'd honestly been surprised the teen offered at all. He'd gotten the sense the boy was naturally wary and suspicious of strangers, not that Kuroe could blame him. In this day and age, being the son of a big-shot hero like Endeavor just made him a walking target.
That had been the reason he hadn't told anyone in the network Todoroki's actual identity just yet. No point making more targets for anyone searching for him. In this case, ignorance wasn't just bliss, it was safe.
He still wondered if he'd done the right thing by inviting the boy to join the runaway network. Todoroki was by far the highest-profile runaway to show up in Odawara, and he obviously had some sort of goal for coming there. With no knowledge of what he'd been up to since disappearing last year, Kuroe very well might have invited a world of trouble onto their small group.
If villains suddenly showed up looking for him, he wasn't sure they'd be able to get everyone out of Odawara without someone getting caught. They'd already lost one kid, losing even one more would crush them.
All the more reason to get Ran down here to meet Todoroki. At least then if everything went to hell, they could make sure he couldn't just disappear and leave chaos behind without having to account for his own actions. With that in mind Kuroe opened the conversation with his sister and typed out a quick invite to Odawara that weekend.
This was it. This was actually happening.
Denki could feel his heart hammering as he and Jirou walked through the alleyways, their hoods pulled over their heads. School had been effectively canceled due to a villain attack—apparently a common occurrence because the school had a system to have the classes online instead, which kind of seriously freaked him out—so they'd taken advantage of it to go on their first vigilante patrol.
"So, do you have, like, any experience with this stuff?" he whispered to Jirou anxiously. "I mean, my internship was pretty boring and uneventful."
"Same, honestly," she replied nonchalantly. "I helped direct civilians to safety a couple times, but I didn't get any action otherwise."
"So neither of us have real experience," he deadpanned. "Great." They hadn't even participated in the attack on the camp. Denki had been safely stuck in the lodge thanks to his remedial classes, while Jirou had been knocked out by the gas and thus missed all of the action. She hadn't even been awake by the time All Might's big battle happened. Which... had to be really disorienting now that he thought about it.
Now was not the time for serious discussions about any emotional trauma his friend might have endured though. Now, they were hunting down villains.
Yeah... This felt kind of insane. The vigilante thing sounded cool at first, but now that they were actually doing it, he felt hyper-aware of how vulnerable and inexperienced they were. If things went wrong, they could actually die. And if things went right, they could still die. "Aizawa-sensei will totally kill us if he ever finds out about this," he groaned.
"Yeah, he would," Jirou agreed as she stopped near the mouth of the alley. "But that would mean he's here too, and in that case I won't mind the lecture. Hell knows we need an adult. Now be quiet, I need to check something." As she talked she pressed a palm against the brick wall, and he could see the tip of her earphone jack protrude from her sleeve to plug into the bricks.
A few seconds passed and she withdrew it back into her sleeve, stepping back and smoothing the fabric. "There's a robbery inside there right now," she said lowly. "One guy, three civilians."
"Wait, what?!" Denki startled, barely remembering to keep his voice low. "Hold on, how did you even know to check that wall!?"
"I had a lot of free time while you were in class," Jirou responded smoothly. "I looked up local villain activity, and it turns out there's a bunch of apps to track that stuff. This area has a lot of crime, so I figured someone would attack this place sooner or later. I mean, it's a pretty popular convenience store, so, yeah. Didn't expect to get lucky on our first trip though."
"Lucky, huh," Denki muttered, and Jirou snorted.
"Yeah, I know. Weird word to use in this situation, right?" She tugged the mask over her mouth and the visor over her eyes, and Denki unconsciously mimicked her, nerves beginning to take root. This was it, the big moment. Their debut as vigilantes.
Letting Jirou take lead was natural. He knew he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, especially when he used up all his electricity, and right now his nerves would get in the way of making good decisions. He followed closely, Jirou leading the way to a back door connecting to the alley (and look, he would never think of that!) and quietly opening it. They slipped inside silently, entering a storage room.
"—the register now!" a deep voice was snarling from the front, probably the villain. He didn't pay much attention though, his gaze locked on the two people crouched by the shut door staring at them wide-eyed. His first thought: Crap, there's people hiding out here!
His second thought: HOLY SHIT IS THAT SERO!?
There was absolutely no doubt one of the two people gawking at them was Sero Hanta. He didn't wear any kind of school uniform, instead wearing what looked like a uniform for this store? Well, it was an ugly long-sleeved shirt with an orange and white color scheme and a dark green apron over it, so, yeah. Denki didn't think he'd wear that for kicks.
He was so shocked he almost didn't notice the other person—a woman with fluffy pink hair that looked like cotton candy—open her mouth, but luckily Jirou did and quickly raised a finger to her mouth. "We're not villains," she whispered. "We're here to help."
"Help?" Sero repeated in a hiss, eyes flicking towards the door before returning to them. "Are you guys, like heroes or something?"
"Or something," Denki muttered under his breath, and didn't miss the skeptical look Sero shot him. The woman gave a quiet gasp though, her eyes lighting up.
"Are you vigilantes?" she whispered, leaning forward expectantly.
"Yeah, we are," he confirmed, turning to her with a nod while Jirou crept towards the door. He figured she was going to use her earphone jack to get a read on the situation in the other room, so he took it upon himself to distract the others. "By the way, did you guys call the police or anything?"
"Can't," Sero scoffed quietly, scowling bitterly. "My phone's dead, and she dropped hers when that guy burst in."
"He surprised me!" the woman whined quietly with a childish pout. "I heard the bell and looked up at that ceiling-mirror-thing by the front door, and that guy took two steps in and then his hair suddenly popped up and made his head look like a giant sea urchin! You know people don't just suddenly activate their Quirks like that unless they're planning to do something!"
"Yeah, you got a point there," Denki agreed with a nod. Sea urchins were spiky, right? And probably poisonous, too. In other words, touching this guy would probably be a bad idea. Good thing neither of them needed to make direct contact.
"Hey," Jirou hissed, drawing his attention. She waved a hand at him to get closer and Denki obediently scurried to her side. She pitched her voice even lower now, making sure the others wouldn't hear. "He's in a straight line from the door, about three meters away and facing a counter. I'm thinking I'll open it and charge in as a distraction. Think you can use a rod and tase him?"
"Yeah, I can do that," Denki confirmed with a nod, feeling way more relaxed and confident now that they had a plan. Jirou nodded back, and they quickly pressed against the wall next to the door. Jirou held up a hand and silently counted down from three with her fingers, and when the last one went down she slammed it open and charged out with a ferocious shout.
The sudden commotion obviously drew the attention of the robber, who roared loudly in indignation. "Who the hell are you!?" Denki could hear something crash, making him hold his breath and the others in the room flinch. He quickly took a peek outside, trying not to be seen.
Just as the pink-haired woman had described, the guy's head looked like a giant sea urchin, the black spikes sharp and dangerous looking. What she didn't mention or notice: his arms had the same spikes in the place of arm hair. It didn't seem like he could launch them, thankfully, but he swung his arm at Jirou with an angry yell, the female vigilante neatly ducking out of its range while the poor cashier ducked behind the counter.
Denki didn't waste the distraction, quickly pointing his index finger at the man's back with his thumb raised high. A cool wave of calmness washed over him, his nerves vanishing as he focused on the villain. "Bang," he whispered, and brought his thumb down on the trigger button on his gloves.
Instantly a slender golden needle shot out from the small compartment on the back of his wrist, a near-invisible wire trailing behind it. It hit the man square in the back, making him flinch and start to turn, but before he could Denki released an arc of electricity. Lightning surged along the thin wire and the man screamed as it reached him, jolting in place with his face contorted in pain and shock. As he staggered back Jirou lunged for his legs, knocking him off-balance and sending him to the ground.
Denki grabbed the wire with his other hand and yanked it back, jerking the lightning rod free with it. Before it could reach him though Jirou snatched the needle from the air and stabbed it into the man's other arm, making him shout in pain. "Do it again!" she hollered, and Denki startled before obeying, quickly sending another jolt of electricity. The man spasmed once and then went still, eyes rolling back in his head.
For a moment all was silent, tension thick in the air. Denki flinched when the man's fingers twitched slightly, holding his breath, but when he didn't make any other moves he hesitantly allowed himself to relax. The cashier slowly rose behind the counter, his four eyes wide and filled with a mixture of shock and awe.
"Holy shit," he whispered, echoing Denki's feelings very accurately. As he stared at the fallen villain he could hear Sero and the woman emerge, padding behind him.
"Is he down?" Sero asked hesitantly.
"I... Yeah, I think so."
"Good." There was a long beat of silence. Then, the woman spoke.
"So don't you have, like, anything to restrain him, or something...?"
"...I knew we were forgetting something," Jirou groaned, hanging her head in exasperation, and something about that looked so funny that Denki just wanted to laugh. All the tension in his body fled at once, his legs suddenly wobbly as his whole body drooped with relief.
"Holy shit, we did it!" he gasped, quiet laughter escaping him. "We beat a villain!"
"That reaction's really reassuring from the guys who just saved us," the cashier spoke up from behind the counter, now looking slightly unimpressed. The woman meanwhile gasped, clapping her hands together with a smile.
"Oh my gosh, is this your debut? Did we just see vigilantes debut!? Ahh, this is so amazing! We're your first saves!"
"Okay, before we go any further, does anyone have anything to tie this guy up?" Jirou cut in exasperatedly. "Seriously, we didn't bring zip ties or anything. And also, can one of you please call the police already?"
"Uh, I can help with the tying up thing," Sero volunteered hesitantly while the cashier pulled out his phone, and rolled up his sleeves to expose the tape dispensers on his elbows. He tore off a long strip and held it to Jirou, who took it while looking at the villain's arms thoughtfully. Since falling unconscious the spikiness had receded, leaving his hair flat on both his head and arms, but they couldn't guarantee the spikes wouldn't be able to break through the tape once he woke up.
Thinking fast, she pushed the guy's torso up and bent him forward. Denki scurried over to help hold it in place while she pulled one of his legs so the knee bent, and from there she awkwardly wrapped his wrist to his ankle. Sero ended up coming over to help with the other leg, a lot more hesitantly than he would if he'd been part of Class 1-A. All the while they could hear the cashier talk to the police, rattling off the location and details about the attack.
As they finished binding the robber's limbs they heard the click of a camera shutter, making all three freeze and snap their heads to see the pink-haired woman holding up a phone. "Sorry!" she said with a smile, lowering it to smile at them above the edge. "It's just so cool to see vigilantes debut! My friends are never going to believe this!"
"Uh, that's fine, I guess?" Jirou muttered, sounding hesitant. Denki felt the same. It was kinda cool to have someone take their picture like this, but they were also kind of breaking the law right now and he really didn't want to get in trouble.
"Oh, and can I know your names?" the woman asked.
"Names?" Denki repeated blankly, and she whipped her head to stare at him in shock.
"Wait, do you guys not have vigilante names yet!?"
"Uh... Not really." The topic of names actually had come up, but they'd ultimately decided against choosing any. They didn't want to get too much publicity so it wasn't like they'd be shouting their codenames for the whole world to hear, and the only names they could come up with related to their Quirks. Might be nice and dandy in their world, but here letting their Quirks get out could tilt the odds distinctly against their favor.
"Huh, that's... weird," Sero muttered. "But also kinda cool? Like, you guys are actually doing this to help people instead of fame, y'know?"
"Yeah, exactly," Denki agreed, relaxing a bit.
"Well, I don't really care about your names," the cashier interjected behind the counter, "But the police will probably be here any minute so if you guys want to avoid getting caught, now's the time to scram." The warning startled them, Denki and Jirou exchanging a brief look before leaping to their feet and racing for the storage room. They didn't waste time questioning why the guy warned them or even saying bye, they absolutely did NOT want to get caught.
Within a minute of fleeing to the back alleys their wariness proved well-founded, because Jirou cursed under her breath. "Police incoming, just up the corner!" she warned, and Denki quietly cursed as they ducked into an alleyway and hid behind a dumpster. Seconds later he heard people rushing past, one man barking into what had to be a radio or something.
Plugging her jack into the wall, after about a minute Jirou nodded and they ran back out, hurrying the way the police had come. They kept to alleyways and other back streets, Jirou taking lead once more since she had the enhanced hearing and had also researched the area. He made a mental note to look up this entire district on Street View or something when they got back to base.
As they got further from the store though he felt some of the initial adrenaline fade, a wide grin making itself known under his mask. Holy shit, they did it. They managed to take down their first villain, and got away with it! Ahead of him he heard a quiet laugh from Jirou, no doubt coming to the same thought.
"Now that was pretty cool," she declared, and Denki laughed open and freely as he bobbed his head in agreement.
"We totally saved the day! We're heroes!"
"Not heroes," Jirou corrected, and he could hear the smirk in her voice even if he couldn't see it. "We're vigilantes."
Notes:
Today's chapter was very fun to write. I hope you all enjoyed it! Also hope the phone call wasn't too confusing.
Questions for next time: who do you think everyone from Kuroe's phone call are? Also, who will be the next unknowing person to appear from Class 1A or 1B?
Also, an unrelated note: I've been thinking of changing the title, and the description for the story on here. I feel like neither of them have been grabbing people's attentions the right way. Ideas for the title include "Somewhere In Between", "Heroes Sleeping Safe and Sound", "So the Story Goes", "Gamble an Unknown Price", "Let The Fever Rise", and "Hearts Ignite to the Call". The last one is the full line from the song I got the current title, I just felt like there were too many stories with "heart" in the title but now I'm not so sure. As for the description, I kinda suck at writing good descriptions. Any thoughts?
Chapter 16: One Step at a Time
Summary:
Ochaco goes through with the first step to find Deku. Meanwhile, Todoroki buys frozen crickets for Shiozaki and Kouda for some reason.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 16
.::One Step at a Time::.
"Are you sure you'll be okay, sweetie?"
"I'll be fine, mom," Ochaco reassured her mother, trying not to roll her eyes at the woman's almost nagging concern. "I know not to open the door for strangers and all that."
"Still, you'll be home alone for most of the day," her mom murmured, frowning as she glanced away. "Maybe I should just reschedule..."
"Mom, no!" Ochaco protested, stamping her foot with a frown. "You've been waiting a full two months for this appointment! If you reschedule now, who knows when they can get you in again? I've stayed home alone tons of times before this! I can take care of myself, I promise!"
"I suppose you have a point..." Her mother sighed, still looking a bit uncomfortable, but she then pasted on a smile. "Alright, sweetie, I get it. You're right, I do need to go today or Doctor Hayashi probably won't be able to fit me in until next year. I just wish the timing was better..." She shook her head before leaning closer to hug Ochaco. "I'll be back in a few hours. I love you, dear."
"I love you too, mom," Ochaco said, relaxing and offering a smile as she tried to ignore the pit of guilt swelling in her stomach. Her mother gave her a quick peck on the forehead before grabbing her coat and striding to the door, and when it closed behind her Ochaco's whole body sagged tiredly, her smile vanishing as she gave a large sigh.
I'm so sorry.
She turned and headed up to her bedroom, her chest heavy and head hanging low. She felt awful talking to her mother like this, lying to her face like that, but she had no other choice. Today her dad would be at work all day, Suimin was busy with something she didn't know, and her mother had a doctor's appointment in their original hometown that would keep her away for a good few hours.
Ochaco wouldn't get another chance like this to run away.
She couldn't stay here anymore. She loved her parents, but these people—they weren't her parents. This wasn't her home, this wasn't her family, this wasn't her life. Right now she was an interloper in another Ochaco's body, and she needed to find a way back to her own world. As long as she stayed in this house though that just wouldn't happen. Her dad and Suimin were too protective, she wouldn't be able to do anything if she didn't leave first.
She'd known that for a while now, but it was now more critical than ever because Deku was here too. While Ochaco was living up a life of luxury he was trapped with the League of Villains. She'd already let him down when she didn't join him at Kamino, and hadn't been able to do anywhere near enough during the raid on Overhaul's base. This time the circumstances were even more impossibly dire, and she absolutely could not afford to leave him alone.
To that end, she went to her closet and all but slammed the sliding door open, pulling out the backpack and clothes she'd prepared the previous night. She had no idea why she had one of her dad's ratty old button-ups in her closet, but she felt grateful as she pulled it over her t-shirt along with a pair of generic-looking gray sweatpants. It should look generic enough to keep her from being identified, the only iffy part the pair of sneakers she'd found in the back of her closet, but that wasn't her only plan.
She headed to her bathroom with an air of determination, opening the cabinet beneath the sink to reveal a box full of brightly colored chalk. Last night while digging through her closet she'd found a hair chalk kit targeted at preteen girls, and she pulled it out along with latex gloves and a spray bottle of water she used to thoroughly douse her hair.
Goodbye for now, brunette hair. Ochaco grabbed the wet ends and began running a dark red chalk over it, twisting the locks to spread the color as much as possible and watching it slowly darken in the mirror. It didn't turn totally red, just became more of a deep auburn, but this was just the first layer of color. She had more to go.
Half an hour of frantic and meticulous hair chalking later, she emerged from the bathroom feeling like a new person. A few layers had left her hair more red than brown, the dye job uneven but good enough for now. She peeled off the gloves and shoved them in a plastic zip lock bag along with the still-damp chalk she'd used, taking the rest of the chalk kit back to the closet and pushing it to the very back behind the empty box she'd found her sneakers in. Hopefully no one would notice one missing.
With her hair now colored and in the process of drying, she turned to the backpack she'd filled last night and checked it one last time. She'd grabbed some extra underwear and bras, her toothbrush, a spare pair of sneakers and a metal thermos, but otherwise she kept it light. She couldn't risk taking much of her own clothing, if she wore them she might get identified and taken back. Instead, she packed cash. Lots of cash.
Ochaco nodded to herself as she stuffed the plastic bag with the chalk and gloves inside and zipped up the backpack, slinging it over her shoulder and turning to the window. This was it. Time to go. As she walked towards it she paused, casting a glance at her cell phone on the table. Taking it would be too risky, she knew smart phones had built-in GPSs that could be tracked.
It also meant she couldn't talk to Ashido.
That loss probably hit her the hardest. At this point she was certain that Alien_Queen_Pink and Ashido were one and the same, though whether it was her Ashido remained to be seen. But either way, she wouldn't be able talk to her anytime soon. She didn't have a phone number she could use to text her even if she got a cheap prepaid phone; all she could do was hope she'd be able to find a net café sometime soon and message her on FacePage there.
Turning away from the phone for the final time, Ochaco took a deep breath and pushed her window open. Her bedroom overlooked the fenced-in backyard, a chilly autumn breeze blowing in, and she slapped her own arm and jumped.
Cold air assaulted her as she leaped into the sky, the lack of gravity keeping her high above the ground. She kicked off the windowsill and aimed her trajectory towards the fence, but even as she passed over it she kept going. She kept her gaze on a tree at the far end of the road behind her house, ignoring the rising taste of bile in her throat as she flew towards it like an arrow.
When she got close enough she pressed her fingers together and felt gravity take control once more. She shot out her hands to snag a branch and swung herself to the ground, landing on her feet and taking off at a run as she swallowed back some vomit.
Her plan: go to the nearest thrift shop, buy new clothes and change, and then go to another one and repeat the process until she felt satisfied no one would be able to track her by clothing alone. Her parents almost certainly had scary connections in this world given their wealth, so she had to be absolutely sure she wouldn't be found again.
After that, though?
Well, hopefully Deku wouldn't be too far from that shopping center where she met him.
When Shouto volunteered to complete some favors to Shiozaki and Kouda, he hadn't been sure what to expect. He had no information on the runaway network, and had even less of an idea what they knew about him. He at least knew Kuroe hadn't given them his name, so he opted to go by the alias "Yuki" for the time being. The choice got a few strange looks, all directed at his black hair, but once he showed off the cold half of his Quirk they accepted it easily.
So far he hadn't met anyone other than those two, Shiozaki citing the rest of the network as being incredibly wary of newcomers until they'd been "officially inducted". The vague way she phrased that left him wary, but he had no room to complain or ask questions so he kept silent. That said, they had a surprising amount of favors to carry out, and more than one raised a few new questions.
"Why am I buying three boxes of black dye and a box of frozen crickets?" he asked as he met them at their meeting spot, loaded down with canvas bags.
"Some of our members have unique needs," Shiozaki said with a simple shrug as Kouda took the bags. "Quirks tend to have some sort of unique cost associated with them after all, and it can lead to... interesting cravings."
"Right." That did not satisfy Shouto's curiosity, but he didn't push it further as he pulled the change from his pocket. "Here, some stuff was on sale so there was extra change left over." It felt wrong to keep it for himself, even if he needed more money.
"Thank you," Shiozaki said as she accepted it, slipping it into a pocket sewn into her skirt.
"I still don't get why I'm the one who has to do the grocery shopping."
"The local stores are starting to notice us more," Shiozaki explained. "The cashiers seem to be concerned by our... humble clothing. While their concern is wonderful, we'd rather avoid attention." Shouto just nodded, accepting the explanation easily. Given they were a network of runaways, it made sense to want to avoid as much attention as possible. Hopefully Shouto wouldn't be added to some growing list of potential runaways.
While Shiozaki and Kouda began sifting through the bags to double-check everything had been purchased he just stood there awkwardly, unsure if he should just leave or not. After about a minute Kouda glanced up and seemed to notice his predicament, nudging Shiozaki's arm to get her attention before he began signing. Shouto wasn't fluent by any stretch but he vaguely recognized a few of the signs from class, specifically the words, "thank," "ask" and "villain," the last sign making him particularly alert.
Shiozaki nodded and turned to Shouto. "Rockfish says thank you. He also wants to know how long you plan to stay in Odawara." She made no mention of the word "villain" despite the fact Shouto knew he saw that sign—everyone in Class 1-A had been taught it for emergencies—but he decided not to mention it. For now, at least.
"I'm not sure yet," he admitted. "I came here looking for someone, but I'm not sure whether he's actually here or not." The pair not-so-subtly perked up at the admission, and Kouda's hands flew in a flurry of signs, once again flashing "villain" as well as "family" and "friend."
"Is it a relative or friend?" Shiozaki asked curiously, and Shouto paused. Were he and Tokoyami friends? They didn't speak too much, but then again, this was another dimension entirely so they were quite likely strangers.
"I don't think so," he settled, and Kouda shot Shiozaki the most blatantly confused look he'd ever seen. Shiozaki herself kept her own face blank, merely blinking at him.
"Do you... know this person?" she asked. Again, Shouto had to pause to think. Yes, he definitely knew Tokoyami back in his world. But then, this was another world, and he didn't know if this world's Shouto had ever met Tokoyami here.
"Maybe," he said with a shrug. Kouda made a small, whimper-like noise, looking even more confused. Shiozaki just stared at him, somehow even more blank now.
"...Do you know their name?" she finally asked. Oh, good, one he could answer.
"His name is Tokoyami Fumikage," he replied. "I think he's operating under the name Phantom Shadow alongside Gentle Criminal right now, though."
Kouda made a sound not unlike a dying animal, while Shiozaki just blinked and slowly tilted her head. "...Pardon me for asking, but how do you know that, and why are you looking for him?"
...And back to one he couldn't reasonably answer. Shouto frowned as he mulled over his options. Should he explain the alternate dimension thing, or would that be too much? Tokoyami might be likely to believe it, but there was no reason Shiozaki or Kouda would. They might end up reporting him for being mentally unstable or something like that. But that might draw undue attention to themselves, so they might keep it secret and just avoid him.
"It's complicated," he decided with a shrug, and paused upon noticing Kouda's distinctly distressed expression. "K—um. Rockfish, are you alright? You look... upset?"
Kouda released a long, drawn-out whine, while Shiozaki just continued to stare at Shouto with an unreadable look. "...Yuki-san," she finally said, and paused. "Are you planning to join them?" Shouto frowned, confused by the question.
"No? I just need his help."
"With... what, exactly?"
Back to the alternate dimension problem. Should he just explain the alternate dimension theory? Aside from the whole 'might call authorities' thing, they might instead think he was just making it up. It did sound pretty ridiculous. Shouto mulled it over briefly, and once again settled for a shrug. "It's complicated," he repeated, and then frowned. "Rockfish, are you sick?"
Kouda looked worryingly pale now, his mouth open but not uttering so much as a squeak. Shiozaki regarded him for a moment before turning her gaze back to Shouto. "Yuki-san, are you aware of how your answers sound?" she questioned, and he frowned.
"No. Why? Is something wrong?"
"Well..." She trailed off, seeming to consider her words. "To make sure we understand correctly. You are currently searching for the sidekick of Gentle Criminal, whose name you know for reasons you do not share, and who you may or may not know, to ask for help with an issue you refuse to disclose."
"Yes," Shouto confirmed with a nod, and then paused as her words sunk in. "Oh." Right, now that she'd said it out loud he sounded pretty suspicious. He could see why Kouda looked ready to pass out or run away now. It was actually pretty impressive he hadn't started panicking yet, and Shouto should probably clear things up before he did.
To that end he stood straighter and gave a small bow, channeling his inner Iida. "I apologize, I didn't mean to come across that way. I'm not looking to join them or do anything villainous though, and I have no intention of divulging any information about you or this network to anyone."
"Then, could you explain why you're looking for him?" Shiozaki asked, and Shouto frowned as he straightened himself.
"I... don't really know how to explain it, honestly," he admitted. "My situation is complicated, and I'm still trying to understand it myself. I can't go to heroes or the police, and I can't find any information online, so right now I think Tokoyami might be the best option to help me."
Kouda regained some of his color at the stilted explanation, now frowning and looking thoughtful. He gulped and raised one finger to call for attention. "D-does i-it have to be h-him?" he asked, voice shaky and barely above a whisper.
Shouto blinked and opened his mouth to respond but then paused. Actually, did it have to be Tokoyami? Tokoyami seemed like the most likely person to believe his story, but even if he did that didn't guarantee he could actually help. But come to think of it, this runaway network might also have access to helpful information too. He'd been so focused on finding Tokoyami, it hadn't really occurred to him to look for other people.
"...Can I have some time to think about it?" he finally asked. Telling someone he came from another dimension seemed like a big step, and while he'd prepared himself to tell Tokoyami he hadn't done so in regards to Shiozaki or Kouda. He should probably take some time to think it over, just to be safe.
"...Alright," Shiozaki said after a moment, nodding slowly. "But... please tell us if you decide to resume looking for... um, Phantom Shadow."
"I will," Shouto agreed with a nod. They parted ways a few minutes later, Shouto left with a lot to think about.
Unknown to him, Shiozaki pulled out her phone and dialed a number she now knew by heart. "Midori? I think we may need to have an emergency meeting."
Toga Himiko liked to think of herself as a stereotypical high school girl.
She liked wearing cute clothes, she spent her free time writing love letters, and she adored hanging out and gossiping with girl friends. To her delight, her current crush was even in the same building where she lived now! It felt almost like she was living the plot of a shoujo manga.
Alas, Himiko was a villain though, and that put a bit of a damper on her social life. The Villain Alliance had no other regularly-present females besides Magne, and while they got along pretty well, the older woman did not particularly care to talk about romance with Himiko. Along with that, Mr. Compress had ordered her to leave Jackie's room when she tried to take him a homemade lunch.
The blonde pouted as she sprawled atop her bed, scrolling through her phone. Her contact list was abysmally short, and her FacePage profile had barely any friends since everyone was so paranoid about adding strangers. At times like these she regretted her path in life, if only for a lack of company. She really hoped that girl Mido-chan talked to might turn out to be a good recruit, having another girl close to her age would be so much fun!
There was one person though. One name on her contact list that made her pause, a mischievous smile curling across her lips. For you see, while Himiko was one of the only two females regularly present at the Villain Alliance's headquarters, they were not the only ones in the organization. There was a third, a woman who had been in the Alliance long before Himiko had even heard its name.
And Himiko knew for a fact that she would want to hear about this.
She grinned as she hit the call button and held the phone to her ear, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Hello?" a familiar voice greeted, a note of fond exasperation in her voice. "Let me guess, you have some hot gossip that can't wait until my next visit?"
"Aiko-senpai," Himiko giggled. "You'll never believe what Tomu told me!"
Notes:
Ochaco's first step to help Deku: do something stupid. She can't do anything while locked up at home after all. (Actually, originally I had Kurogiri nab her from her room on Shigaraki's orders, but having her run away works out WAY better.)
Fun fact: Todoroki's part was written back when the chapter with the mock interviews came out. It reminded me how socially oblivious he really is. People always focus on how he's quiet and reserved or moody (and also a conspiracy theorist), they forget he totally misses social cues sometimes. Kid isn't nearly as suave as a lot of fan fics depict him. I had a lot of fun writing him giving Kouda a near-breakdown.
Also, after last time I've decided to keep the title as is. That said, I do plan to change the description here. It's a bit too clunky for my tastes. Thanks for the input!
Question for next time: what runaway aliases would you give other members of Class 1-A and 1-B? (Asking partially because I am struggling to come up with names for a bunch of them. I don't think cryptically referencing their Quirks is a good idea if they're trying to keep a low profile.)
Chapter 17: The Starry-Eyed Woman
Summary:
Mina talks to her friends at lunch, and Izuku's world is shaken yet again.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 17
.::Starry Eyed Woman::.
"So, still no answer?"
"No, nothing." Mina frowned as she looked down at her phone, Kumiko and Kirishima crowding her on either side to see the screen as they sat at a table in the very back corner of the lunchroom. After getting that ominous message from Infinity_Girl_8 two days ago, there had been total radio silence on the other girl's end. Mina had sent her several messages probing for what she meant, but she'd gotten no response. All she had was what her online friend had shared before hand.
"Okay, so basically, her dad is really protective and doesn't let her do anything, right?" she said to the others. "So he's been extra-freaked out lately and he kept her locked in her room since we started talking."
"So then maybe her dad confiscated the phone?" Kumiko suggested.
"Or maybe the princess decided she wanted to leave her castle and go on an adventure," Anjou said, sitting on the opposite side of the table as she looked at her phone. Mina perked up, snapping her head to look at the teal-haired girl in realization.
"Wait, do you mean run away?"
"Yep," Anjou said, popping the p.
"Hold on, how do you know her dad didn't just take the phone like Kirameki said?" Kirishima piped up with a frown.
"That last message was pretty vague, but if her dad took the phone he probably wouldn't let her say anything. Stranger danger and all that."
"...Okay, point there," Kirishima conceded. "But still, isn't it kind of a stretch to assume she's just running away from that alone?"
"Why not?" Anjou replied with a shrug, eyes still glued to her phone. "Strict, overprotective dad and worried mother. A house that sounds more like a prison. Home schooled and only allowed to leave the house with her dad or her teacher. I've heard worse reasons to run away."
"Wait, did you send her a friend request and talk to her!?" Kumiko blurted, while Mina and Kirishima both perked to sharp attention. Anjou just shrugged, finally glancing up at them.
"Nah. I just logged into Ashido's account and checked the history."
"Wait, you WHAT!?" Mina blurted. "How—!?"
"Your password is 'Pinkie111,'" Anjou deadpanned, gaze lowering back to her phone. "It took me literally two guesses to get. You need to choose your passwords better." Mina growled in irritation, feeling her eye start to twitch violently.
"Okay, so it sounds like Anjou's voting on her running away instead of the phone getting confiscated or something," Kumiko said hastily before Mina could say anything. "I'm kinda leaning towards that too now."
"Yeah, if she's even real," Kirishima muttered. "She could be lying for all we know."
"She's not!" Mina said with a huff. The thing was, she was now ninety-nine percent sure this was Uraraka. She didn't know if she was her Uraraka, but she said her dad owned a construction company and she could make stuff float by touching it. How many people could say that? They hadn't really talked about it though because right after talking about their Quirks Uraraka got called to dinner, and when she came back they ended up venting about chores instead.
"Well, she didn't ask anything about you," Kumiko said thoughtfully. "And she types like a teenage girl. She used a lot of emoji. So, it's probably safe!"
"Thanks Kumiko!" Mina beamed at her best friend, while Kirishima just groaned.
"Kirameki, weren't you banned from using social media back in middle school?" he asked, and Kumiko paused.
"...No," she mumbled, but very distinctly did not look at him. Mina frowned, recognizing the obvious tell that meant her best friend was lying. Okay, so maybe Kumiko wasn't the best one to back her up.
"Anjou?" she asked, turning to her newest friend. "Can you tell Kiri he's overreacting?" Anjou spent tons of time on her phone, so she was probably way more responsible and smart about social media and stuff. Especially since she was apparently a dirty hacker.
"Yeah, no, she seems clean to me," Anjou said. "Her profile isn't loaded with fake teen stuff like most phishers. And Kirameki's right, she does type like a teenager. Didn't seem fake to me."
"Okay!" Kumiko said with a clap. "So she's got Anjou's seal of approval, and Anjou's super-cynical and suspicious of everyone so we're probably good on that front!"
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Kirishima finally agreed with a nod, and Mina almost let out a whoop of victory before he added, "But I guess it doesn't matter much anyway, since she's, y'know, gone now."
"Yeah." Mina deflated at the reminder that Uraraka hadn't responded at all. It made her sad to think that they wouldn't be able to talk anymore, and also a little frustrated. They had just started talking, but now Mina's best and only lead to getting home had already vanished.
And wasn't that depressing? Ten days since arriving in this scary alternate world, and Mina still had found nothing to help getting home. She couldn't even say if Infinity Girl actually was Uraraka. Don't get her wrong, she wanted to ask, but asking outright felt weird, because what if she wasn't Mina's Uraraka? Kirishima didn't remember her, so there was no guarantee Uraraka would either.
Randomly knowing someone's name just sent major creep vibes, and Mina couldn't figure out how to ask without being weird. She'd kinda been hoping Uraraka would bring it up first. Now she'd have to wait until Uraraka reached out again, and who knew when that would be?
"I just wish she would tell me what she was doing so I could help," she groaned. "If she was running away, I would've invited her over to my place!"
"You literally started talking to her on Monday," Kirishima reminded her flatly, looking thoroughly unimpressed.
"Don't care! We're still friends, and that's that!" She stuck out her tongue as she crossed her arms, effectively ending the topic.
"What would running away even include?" Kumiko wondered aloud. "It's gotta take a lot of preparation. I mean, obviously she needs to pack a bunch of clothes. Walking around in the same outfit forever would feel gross after a while."
"And snacks!" Mina added with an enthusiastic wave of her arms. "Lots of snacks and drinks so she doesn't get hungry!"
"Right! And soap, shampoo and dental stuff! Hygiene is still important!"
Kirishima still looked a bit overwhelmed and uncertain, clearly not expecting the topic change, but after a few seconds he raised a hand. "Uh, what about stuff for a disguise? I mean, if someone missed school with no calls or anything the police would be looking for you, right?"
"Kiri, you're brilliant!" Mina cheered, spinning to face him with a beaming grin. "That's the manly Kirishima I know!"
"Wha—seriously, what is with you and manliness all of the sudden!?"
"You guys are on the right track, but you're still thinking about it wrong," Anjou interjected before the conversation could devolve further. "The change of clothes and disguise are definite necessities, but in a real runaway scenario you'll want to pack as light as possible, so you'd have to nix the snacks. Best bet would be to take a steel thermos or two for water, and cash to buy food as needed."
"Okay, back up," Kumiko said. "What do you know about surviving on the streets? You're on your phone, like, twenty-four seven!"
"Well, for starters, don't just talk in the middle of a crowded cafeteria about running away," Anjou deadpanned, reminding them that they were in fact not alone even if no one was close enough to hear. "That's just advertising you're gonna be vulnerable soon. Second, ditch your phone. Those can be tracked even without Quirks. Get a burner ASAP and ditch any other electronics. Same for credit cards, take cash only."
"...Okay, you're kinda scaring me," Mina said with a frown. "You know way too much about this. Are you okay at home? Do we need to kick your parents' butts?"
Anjou actually snorted at that, and to her surprise even Kumiko snickered and covered her mouth. "Mina, Anjou lives alone," she said. "We've been to her place, like, five times now."
Mina blinked in surprise. "We have?"
"Well, you're definitely not faking the amnesia thing," Anjou drawled with a smirk. "My home life's fine. A couple of my friends in middle school had to run away 'cause of their Quirks. Too flashy, got their whole families targeted. I ended up helping them figure out the logistics so they would, you know, not get kidnapped five minutes after leaving, so I know a bit about how this works."
"...Oh." Mina wilted a bit at that, not sure what to say. Sometimes she forgot how scary this world could be. Everything at school seemed so normal, aside from Kirishima being super-wimpy and nervous all the time. And classes getting canceled that first day because of a villain attack.
...Okay, maybe she was just trying to ignore the bad parts, but come on, she still had to do homework!
"So I guess you're, like, an expert then?" Kumiko asked, her eyes now literally sparkling with curiosity. She then gave an affirmative nod and pounded a fist in her palm, her skin shimmering around the point of impact. "Alright! If Mina ever has to run away, we'll be counting on you to help us!"
"Wait, what?" Mina blurted, twisting in her seat to gawk at her in disbelief. "Why are you singling me out!? Why wouldn't any of you have to run away!"
"Mina, honey, you're pink and can make acid," Kumiko said. "Meanwhile, I sparkle, Kirishima hardens his skin, and Anjou does that flickery-thing with her eyes." Anjou glanced up at her name, her irises doing exactly what Kumiko said. Mina hadn't really paid much attention since Anjou spent so much time staring at her phone, but her pupils were a bright neon turquoise, with a cross-shaped line dividing her dark purple irises into four sections.
"Actually, the flickering is more of a visual tell of me using my Quirk," she commented as the sections flickered white and neon turquoise in a spinning pattern. "Mentalist Quirks for the win." Her eyes stopped the flickering and she turned forward without explaining any further, much to Mina's frustration because now she was curious.
"So, yeah, if anyone here's gonna have to run away, it's you," Kumiko said, patting Mina's shoulder consolingly. "Sorry, hon."
"But—but Kiri's Quirk is awesome too!" Mina protested with a frown.
"It's, really not though," he muttered, ducking his head, and then yelped when Mina proceeded to whack the back of his neck with a fierce scowl.
"Kirishima Eijirou, stop moping and man up already! You can stop bullets with your skin!"
"How would you even know that!?" Kirishima whined incredulously.
"Because I done seen it with my own eyes!" Mina roared.
"When!?"
"That doesn't matter!"
As Mina continued her pep talk Anjou and Kumiko just rolled their eyes as they went back to eating. Some things never changed.
Deep breath in, deep breath out.
Izuku paced his breathing as he stood before the door to room number seven, trying to just calm his nerves. He couldn't freak out right now. Today after heavy consideration he decided to enact the first major step of his plan to find a way home, or at the very least make things better. And to do that, he first needed to talk to Bakugou.
Firming his resolve, he raised his hand to knock on the door only to stop as he noticed a familiar figure suddenly appear next to him. A tired groan slipped out as he turned to look at Seiko, his shoulders sagging and hand falling limply to his side. "What is it now?" he almost whined, already feeling his energy sap away. The girl never appeared suddenly like this without some reason.
Rather than respond, she simply turned and walked down the hall, prompting Izuku to sigh and follow. Funnily enough he rarely actually saw her walk places—usually she just popped out of the shadows, talked for a bit, and then melted into the darkness once more—so she clearly wanted him to follow. It seemed he had started to get used to some of her oddities.
She led him through the halls towards his room, neatly avoiding running into anyone. Once they reached it Izuku felt the hair on the back of his neck rise, because the door was open. He distinctly remembered leaving it shut that morning, he always closed it behind himself. Seiko stepped to the side and nodded to it in a silent gesture to enter, and he hesitantly approached to peer inside.
And was promptly tackled in a hug.
Izuku yelped as he stumbled back, nearly losing his balance if not for the pair of arms hugging him. "Izuuuun, it's been so long!" a female voice whined, and for a horrifying moment he thought he'd been tackled by Toga before realizing it wasn't her voice. The woman pulled away with a bright smile and he found himself gaping at her, mind going blank as he stared at her face.
As far as people went, she didn't look strange. Long dark hair with a violet tint to it, no mutations or even an abnormal skin color, a bit on the pale side maybe but still a healthy complexion. But her eyes—they looked like galaxies. Dark blue irises with soft clouds of violet and red smeared across them, a smattering of pastel specks twinkling like stars orbiting pure white pupils.
Izuku had seen plenty of unusual eyes, but something about hers felt mesmerizing. Was it part of her Quirk?
She smiled at him for a moment longer before it fell, the corners tugging into a small frown as she stepped back. "...Izuku, you're..." She trailed off, frowning as she looked at him almost... suspiciously? Before he could think of how to respond she placed her hands on his shoulders, her frown deepening as she gazed into his eyes. Once again he found himself paralyzed, lost in the miniature night skies in her irises.
"...Oh," she finally said, releasing her grip. "Are you having an episode?"
Alarm bells blared in his mind, his momentary shock vanishing instantly as he jolted in place. "W-what!?" he sputtered. "What makes you think that?" They literally just met, how did she figure it out?
"Because you obviously don't recognize me," the woman replied, tapping her cheek beneath her eye. "You're staring at my eyes pretty hard, Izun. And it's pretty obvious you're trying to figure out if I have some kind of eye-based hypnotism Quirk."
"...No I'm not," Izuku lied, but even he could tell that came out pretty weak. The woman snorted and rolled her eyes, and was it just him or did that smirk look fond?
"Some things just never change," she murmured, and he definitely heard fondness in her tone. Kind of weird from a veritable stranger, but not nearly as jarring as hearing it from Shigaraki. Still, that didn't change the fact he didn't know this woman. Given she greeted him with a hug and called him by a nickname, he guessed they had a pretty close relationship though. He scoured his mind for the entries in his journals, because surely he must have mentioned her at some point, and it suddenly clicked.
"Wait, are you Aiko?" he asked, eyes growing wide, and she regarded him with a bright, sunny smile.
"Yes I am! Though I'm guessing you didn't suddenly remember me."
"Not really, sorry." Izuku offered an awkward shrug, feeling both awkward and slightly nervous. Despite hearing her name quite regularly he still had absolutely no idea who the heck Aiko was. His notebooks had no mentions of her, he didn't know what kanji she used to write her name. Even Seiko at least got some brief mentions in his diaries about when she'd visit and pass on information.
Apparently they must be pretty close though. The fact she managed to clock onto him apparently having an episode without him even saying anything spoke volumes of how well they knew each other. It made him wonder why he omitted her from his notebooks and journals so much.
As if reading his mind (which, please let that be a figure of speech and not her actual Quirk) Aiko shrugged and offered a small smile. "You don't write about me here because you're afraid of someone snooping. I don't like to advertise my connection to the Alliance, even to some of the members. Unfortunately, some of my paranoia's rubbed off on you. Sorry if that confused you."
"...O-oh, I see." That explained it at least a little bit. Izuku had been hesitant to write anything down in fear of one of the Alliance snooping and seeing it, so he could understand his counterpart's own hesitation. He was slightly worried over Aiko's comment about not advertising her connection to the Alliance though.
Did that mean she was a civilian and just affiliated with them, kind of like Izuku, or a full-fledged villain who worked independently? Was she the leader of her own group maybe? What if she operated undercover to get information on other villain groups for the Alliance? Or worse—she worked as a Pro Hero and was actually a secret spy for the villains?
His musings abruptly cut off when Aiko laughed, flinching as she ruffled his hair with a fond smile. "Some things really never do change," she teased, and he realized he must have been mumbling out loud again. She withdrew her hand and folded her arms, her smile still warm. "Those are some good guesses, Izu, but not quite there yet. What I do doesn't really matter, but I can at least promise you I don't spy on heroes and sabotage them or anything like that."
A bit of relief filled him at that. In this world he wouldn't put it past a villain to secretly infiltrate the ranks of Pro Heroes, and with the equilibrium so heavily imbalanced they needed every advantage they could get. Still, the fact she didn't deny any of his other speculations made it pretty clear she still engaged in villainous activity, making his heart sink. He really was the only civilian here, wasn't he?
"But it's surprising," Aiko continued, her smile fading. "Himiko didn't mention you having an episode. How long has it lasted?"
Izuku started to respond but stopped as her first sentence registered. "Wait, do you mean Toga? Why did she call you?"
"To gossip about you running into a cute girl, of course," Aiko responded blithely, and Izuku felt a bit of his soul leave his body. Of course she did. Despite his best efforts to protect her, Uraraka seemed to be doomed to be a subject of interest for the entire Alliance. He just hoped she didn't end up getting "recruited" because of his imaginary infatuation with her.
"Please tell me you don't plan on kidnapping her," he groaned, and Aiko laughed.
"Don't worry, I don't think having a polite conversation with someone makes them automatically a candidate for the Alliance. But seriously," she continued, growing serious again. "When did this episode start?"
"Uh, I think..." Izuku trailed off, taking a second to mentally count the days.
"This is the tenth day." He startled as Seiko suddenly spoke up, having forgotten she was there due to how quiet she was. Usually she just sort of vanished when someone else showed up, and he never realized just how grateful he was for those absences until he turned to look at her now. She regarded him with that eerie blank look of hers, her eyes still unreadable as always and sending a chill down his spine.
"Ten days?" Aiko repeated, giving a low whistle. "Definitely breaks the old record, never made it to double-digits before. What was it again, seven days?"
"Yes," Seiko confirmed flatly. "No one else has noticed yet, though it may be because everyone's been busy."
"Wonder how long it'll take," Aiko mused, and Izuku perked up.
"Wait, does that mean you're not going to tell Tomura-nii?" he asked quickly, genuinely surprised, and she shook her head.
"Nah. You always like to see how long you lasted when your memory comes back, I think you kind of treat it like an experiment? Like, how much of your subconscious memories influence your behavior or something like that." She shrugged and Izuku nodded slowly, relief flooding him. So she wouldn't tell anyone. That took a huge weight off his shoulders, he'd rather not deal with the protective side "Tomura-nii" his counterpart described in his journals.
He breathed a large sigh, feeling a lot of tension seep from his shoulders. "Thanks, Aiko-san." Aiko paused, blinking at him as her head tilted slightly to the side.
"Aiko-nee," she corrected, and Izuku stiffened before smiling sheepishly.
"O-oh, I see. Sorry, uh, Aiko-nee."
"It's fine," she sighed, smiling almost feebly. "I get it, I'm pretty much a stranger right now. I'm used to it." Something about the way she said it made Izuku feel a pang of guilt, she sounded so sad. Before he could comment she frowned and added, "But Izuku, do you feel any... different? Like, weird at all?"
"Uh... Different?" Izuku frowned at the abrupt change of topic, unsure how to answer that. "I mean, the amnesia thing is kinda freaky, I guess?"
She hummed, regarding him with a look of mild concern. "You don't feel warm? Or sore anywhere?"
...Okay, now Izuku was getting kind of scared. "Do I have a chronic illness I don't remember?" he asked worriedly, and Aiko quickly shook her head.
"No, no, just..." She trailed off and shook her head again. As she did Izuku noticed for the first time she had a flash of yellow around her neck like a necklace, and when his eyes flitted towards it felt his blood run cold.
Nope, nope, nope, do NOT freak out!
Cue internal screaming as he hoped his poker face would hold up and not show his current state of panic. Fortunately for him, a cell phone rang at that moment, making them both jolt in alarm. Aiko paused and fished one from her pocket, glancing at the screen with a frown. "I have to take this," she said. "We'll talk more later, okay Izun?"
"O-okay," Izuku agreed with a hurried nod, and Aiko smiled briefly before turning and answering the call.
"Give me a minute, I was just talking to Izuku," she told the caller even as she walked away. Izuku took the opportunity to rush into his open room, closing the door and leaning against it with a heavy breath. He wrapped his arms around himself as he went through the breathing exercises he learned in class, legs shaking beneath him and trying not to hyperventilate. All he could think of was Aiko's neck, his blood chilling at the mere thought.
Why did she have Aizawa-sensei's goggles?
Nemuri's mouth formed a thin line as she stared into the empty bedroom, the bed neatly made and everything arranged properly on the desk. A light breeze ruffled the curtains by the open window, the only sign of something wrong. Next to her Nezu looked uncharacteristically somber, his beady black eyes narrow and displeased.
"This is quite the unexpected development," he murmured. "There are clearly no signs of a struggle, and all evidence points to her leaving by her own will." Nemuri could only nod, having already reached the same conclusion. She heard a sharp intake of breath behind them, and she turned to see Uraraka-san with watery eyes and face twisted in a mixture of grief and anger.
"Are you suggesting Ochaco ran away?" he demanded, his voice wavering only slightly. "Why in the world would she do that! Isn't it more likely she got kidnapped by those—those villains you saw!?"
"There is no solid confirmation yet that those individuals were indeed villains," Nezu interjected before Nemuri could respond. "It may simply be a case of a strong resemblance, or searching for signs where none exists. As it stands, the missing money and thermos makes it seem much more likely she chose to leave of her own volition rather than get kidnapped."
His words did nothing to assuage the upset father's nerves, his hands shaking at his sides as he squeezed them into tight fists. "You promised," he bit out. "You promised you would protect her! That's why we're paying you! That's why we agreed to let her go out with you!"
His words cut into Nemuri harder than expected, only years of experience allowing her to maintain her professional demeanor and not wince as guilt washed over her. She had only been the girl's teacher for a short time, hadn't even been able to use her real name with her, but that didn't diminish the bond they'd developed. Her hands curled tighter at her side, her manicured nails digging into her palms, and Nezu's eyes darted towards her briefly before returning to the trembling man.
"And you have our word that we will not rest until she's found," he assured him solemnly. "Even if you weren't paying us, I guarantee your daughter's safety would be our greatest priority." His words didn't seem have much effect at first, the man just continuing to glare at them with heavy breathing. Then his face began to crumble and he sobbed, his hands rising to his face as his shoulders drooped miserably.
Nemuri swallowed thickly, turning back to the bedroom as her heart pounded. She strode into the room with a brisk stride full of business, making her way to the desk where a cell phone sat. She picked it up and pressed the home button, and her breath caught as the lock screen lit up with a picture of Uraraka Ochaco.
Instead of the smiling picture of her wearing her "Uraraka Construction" photo though, the girl now flashed an apologetic smile as she held up a piece of paper with only one word: "Sorry."
"Dammit, Ochaco," she hissed, grip tightening around the case.
Notes:
This is one eventful chapter, and one I've been waiting for a long time. At long last Aiko makes her full debut. So many little hints and foreshadowing, so many reveals, and I can't say much without major spoilers.
Question for next time: who is Aiko and why does she have Aizawa's goggles?
Chapter 18: High School Gossip
Summary:
Gossip is always floating around Munakata High School. In other news, Kaminari is trying to not freak out.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 18
.::High School Gossip::.
Denki felt ready to explode as he walked through the school on Thursday morning. Classes resumed after the sudden day off with no special fanfare, everyone else apparently used to spending a day taking classes online instead of in person. The most he heard about it was a few people groaning about not being able to connect to the internet due to the big villain attack knocking out the power in some areas for a couple hours, and having to watch the recorded lectures later over dinner.
Instead, a lot of them were buzzing about the two new vigilantes.
"I heard the guy had taser gloves!" one student whispered as he passed a small huddle. "Just shot him with a needle and electrocuted him like, wham!"
"I heard the girl stabbed him right in the arm!" another person said. "Just stone cold!"
"Sounds to me like the girl did pretty much nothing, lame," a third scoffed, and then hissed as someone smacked his arm.
"Her Quirk probably just wasn't good for that guy!" someone else said. "They literally just debuted yesterday, it's way too soon to make judgments!" The chatter faded as Denki moved away, but it didn't quell the pounding of his heart as he heard more whispers around him.
Apparently the woman from last night had a reasonably popular blog among their classmates, and she'd posted the pictures of them tying up the guy with Sero's help. Thankfully she had blacked out Sero's entire figure (not just his face, but his store uniform too) and emphasized he was just a regular civilian, but she had made no effort to hide his and Jirou's costumes. While it didn't seem to be the main topic of the day, the fact anyone was already talking about their debut freaked him out.
He itched to pull out his phone and text Jirou about this, but he knew it would be a bad idea to put their activities in writing anywhere. Even if he just linked her the blog post, it could seriously backfire if one of their phones ever got stolen or someone used a Quirk to read the messages somehow. Jirou and Hatsume had both drilled it into his head to be as careful as possible and not leave any evidence behind.
Still, he was kind of freaking out here. He knew people would talk eventually, but he did not expect to get this much buzz in just one day! He wasn't ready for this yet! What if someone connected his Quirk to him? Electric Quirks were a dime a dozen, but not many were as strong as his. Even if he didn't use it to the fullest power to avoid overloading his brain, they might make the connection anyway.
(He completely missed the fact that a majority of the gossip assumed that the electric charge came from his gloves and the lightning rod rather than a Quirk. And also that most of his classmates here only knew of him as the living phone charger.)
Denki felt nervous as he walked down the halls, his stomach rolling uncomfortably. What if someone confronted him? He knew he wouldn't be able to keep up a good enough poker face, he'd be screwed in an instant! He was seriously the worst option to send to school, Jirou would be way better at keeping her cool. Why was he the one here and not her!?
"Kaminari?"
Denki jolted and turned to see Yaoyorozu, barely suppressing a startled yelp. Oh yeah, that's why. He kept forgetting that Yaomomo knew Jirou in this world. The dark-haired girl looked at him with a small frown, arms folded over her chest. "Is everything alright? You seem kind of tense."
Crap, he couldn't let on about the vigilante activity! "Oh, just, uh, thinking about that history test first period," he replied, saying the first thing that came to mind. Then his own words registered, and he felt his soul leave his body. "Oh crap, there's a test first period!" He totally forgot about it! He'd meant to cram some more before reaching homeroom, but hearing all the gossip about their debut had made him totally forget.
And now less than five minutes remained. Cue panic. "Crap, crap, crap! I'm totally gonna bomb this! I am so screwed!" He began tugging at his hair anxiously, feeling seconds away from crying. He hadn't taken any tests in this world yet, so he had no idea what it would be like. But if it was anything like the tests at UA, he had absolutely no hope of passing.
(He completely forgot that UA had a much harder curriculum than the average school, and that the test in question had been stated on multiple occasions to be open book. Such is the hard life of Kaminari Denki.)
As he proceeded to freak out Yaoyorozu just stared at him, a bit overwhelmed by his sudden shift in mood. "Um, Kaminari?" she asked tentatively. "Are you talking about Murasaki-sensei's class?"
Denki paused his panic session long enough to scour his memory for the teacher of his first period class, having not memorized all of their names yet. "Yes," he confirmed after a moment.
"Um, all of her tests are canceled because of the online day yesterday. Her parents' apartment was near the villain attack, so she needed to take today off to help them settle everything."
"Wait, they are?" Denki blurted, and his entire body just sagged with relief. He was so not ready to take a big test, his mind was already frayed enough from all the vigilante gossip. What an awful way to start the day that would've been.
"Didn't you see the announcement on the portal last night?" Yaoyorozu asked, and it took a few seconds for him to realize that "portal" probably referred to the website the school used to host the online classes. Mainly because he did not, in fact, check the portal. At all. He'd been really hopped up on adrenaline from the vigilante thing, okay?
"Uh, my internet kinda glitched out," he lied, thinking back to some of the non-vigilante-related conversations he'd overheard that morning. Then he realized something from what Yaoyorozo said, and added, "I lived by the villain attack too." And surprisingly, that part wasn't a lie. When he and Jirou left his apartment to start their first patrol the attack had been pretty far away, but the fight had ended on his block. They ended up crashing at Hatsume's warehouse to avoid the police blockade around the area.
Her expression instantly shifted from confusion to outright concern, giving a small gasp and covering her mouth. "Oh, Kaminari, I had no idea! Is your building okay? Did anything get damaged?"
"Uhhh... I don't think so?" It now occurred to him that he actually had no idea if his building was alright or not, per the whole "slept in the warehouse" thing. The news didn't mention any buildings being destroyed though, just damaged, so it was probably fine... right? Right?
...He decided not to worry about it and just focus on getting through this conversation. "Anyways, thanks for letting me know the test is canceled," he said, wiping his forehead in an exaggerated show of relief. "Seriously, HUGE weight off my shoulders."
"No problem." She offered him a smile, but then it seemed to become strained. Uh oh, not good. Sure enough the smile fell a few seconds later, replaced by a look of concern. "But that aside, I actually wanted to ask if you've heard anything from Jirou." Dang it, Denki KNEW that would come up. It always did.
"Uh, sorry Yaomomo, haven't heard anything," he denied quickly, shaking his head. "Is she still ghosting you?" Yaoyorozu winced at the word "ghost" and he realized that was probably a pretty cold choice of words on his part, but too late to fix it now. Her expression hardened a bit, biting down on her lip as she looked down.
"I haven't heard from her, no. She isn't responding to any of our other friends either."
Now, Denki knew he wasn't the brightest kid out there, but her words still set off alarm bells in his head. He knew no one else had been trying to reach Jirou, she would have mentioned if anyone else had texted her. So Yaoyorozu was lying, but why? "Huh, that's weird," he said with a frown, trying to play it cool. "Maybe she's just really busy?"
"Maybe..." She frowned, not looking too convinced by the argument. Before she could speak further though the warning bell rang, and Denki had to stop himself from reacting to the sound. Saved by the bell, literally.
"Sorry, Yaoyorozu, I need to get to Murasaki-sensei's class," he said. "If she's out today there's probably gonna be a sub, and I don't wanna piss them off by being late."
"Alright, that's fair," she sighed, but then frowned and added, "But if you hear anything, anything at all, please tell me. Please." Her voice took on a desperate note at the end, her expression losing its brief sternness, and Denki felt a pit of guilt in his stomach. Damn, she really WAS worried for Jirou.
"I'll keep an ear out," he promised hollowly, and hurried off to class before she could say anything else to make him feel even worse. He couldn't help but wonder if avoiding Yaomomo really was the right course of action after all.
"So you're alright?"
"Yeah, Akino-sensei, I'm fine," Kyouka confirmed with a nod. She currently sat on the couch in Hatsume's warehouse with her laptop on her lap, the screen displaying a live video feed of one of the teachers at school. "As you can see, I'm still alive and in one piece."
"That's good to hear," the man replied with a nod. Akino-sensei, her homeroom teacher in this world, had a strangely hippie-like vibe about him, with long orange hair and even pink-tinted circular sunglasses. His teeth created a stark contrast to the peaceful image he presented though, tiny little spikes with sharp points that glinted whenever he opened his mouth to speak. "Do you know if you'll be able to return to classes anytime soon?"
"Don't think so," she sighed, idly twirling one of her earphone jacks. "My hearing's still super-sensitive. I had to turn off the fan last night because it was too loud to even sleep. No idea how I'd even get through five minutes in a crowded school."
"That's unfortunate," he murmured. "Have you been to a doctor yet?"
"I want to, but I'd need to see a specialist and that would require, you know, going outside. We're trying to find someone who can come check me here, but no dice yet. We're not too worried though," Kyouka added. "This kind of thing happened a couple times when I was a kid, and it always wore off after a couple weeks. It'll probably wear off soon."
Akino-sensei hummed as he nodded. "I'm surprised that wasn't mentioned in your file. You're supposed to mention any special accommodations you might need, Jirou-san."
"I know, but I haven't had a flare-up since elementary school, so we didn't think it would happen again." She shrugged, averting her eyes from the screen and webcam as she scratched her cheek. "I remember my mom said this used to happen to her too, we had the same Quirk and all that, so she probably would've mentioned it in my paperwork. But..." She trailed off, and the silence hung for a moment before Akino-sensei sighed.
"Right, I understand. Well, as long as you're safe and healthy, it's fine. Just keep up with your schoolwork and watch the lectures. I'll see you tomorrow."
"You got it, sir," Kyouka promised with a lazy salute and smirk, and when the video feed went blank she slumped against the couch with a tired sigh. Using her mom's death like that to deflect questioning left a bad taste in her mouth, but at this point she'd started to become numb to it.
In order to avoid raising any suspicion over her extended absences, she'd called the school to claim her hearing had become hyper-sensitive and she couldn't leave home without experiencing sensory overload. The story wasn't entirely a lie, she actually did have similar incidents as a kid that caused her to miss school a couple times. Just, the flare ups didn't last as long as she claimed they did.
As it turned out, Munakata High School had a system to let students still attend classes online without physically attending. Along with emergency closures like the one yesterday, apparently a lot of kids had become shut-ins for one reason or another. It had actually been a massive relief since Kyouka didn't know how long she could call in sick without being suspicious. The only requirement was that the students check in with their homeroom teachers over video chat every morning before class to prove they hadn't been kidnapped or anything.
Talking to Akino-sensei always set her nerves on edge. While he was nice and pleasant enough, she had no idea how well they knew each other so she always worried he'd see through her act or sense something was wrong. So far he hadn't noticed anything different about her though, and now that she'd gotten through another day she wouldn't have to worry about it until tomorrow.
She still had a few minutes before the first class began, so she switched over to the other open tab currently open to a Hero-centric message board. She spent a lot of her free time just browsing locally-based sites and message boards to get ideas on where to patrol, so she'd found out about their overnight popularity pretty fast.
Their debut didn't make front-page news, or news, period. The woman they'd saved ran a popular blog about good bargains in Hosu, so most of the talk about them only existed on boards specifically about Hosu. The amount surprised her, back home she doubted there would be even a single thread about them. Apparently people just really liked to gossip about vigilantes in this world.
Most of the posts she found felt like they were written by teenagers, so she figured there was probably a lot of gossip at school. Kaminari was probably freaking out, she was impressed he hadn't texted her yet. Overall, it didn't really concern her though. Given they'd only made one appearance so far and the whole thing didn't even last a full ten minutes, no one had really figured out anything about them.
Actually, all of the gossip and theories were pretty amusing to read. So far a lot of people seemed to think Kaminari's gloves and lightning rods had been designed with some sort of taser function, not many people guessed the electricity came from his Quirk. The last-minute addition of a wire to help reel in the lightning rod and further guide his electricity helped. That might actually be useful, they'd have to see if they could make that the obvious explanation.
Meanwhile, Kyouka hadn't used her Quirk at all during the actual fight, relying purely on their physical training to dodge the blows. Some people guessed she had a reflex Quirk, or something that let her map people's positions. Not much speculation existed on her yet since they didn't have much to go on. The most she'd done was use her earphone jacks to listen for audio cues to the robber's position, and neither Sero or the woman had noticed or known that.
Thinking of Sero made her frown, squinting at the blacked out blob covering him in one of the photos. This had been the first time she'd actually seen one of their classmates since entering this world, and he had shown no signs of recognizing them. Even if he had just been fooled by their disguises, the way he behaved made it pretty clear he had no hero training. He acted like any regular civilian would.
The realization that yet another classmate hadn't been dragged into this mess left a heavy pit in her stomach. Logically, Kyouka knew they were likely alone. She may not have actually seen her yet but she already knew that the Yaomomo in this world didn't know them, her texts and reported interactions with Kaminari had made that much obvious. But to finally see it with her own eyes just made her feel... alone.
They had started the vigilante venture to get gear in order to defend themselves, but now she had no idea what to do next. They still had no decent leads on how to get home, or people who might be able to help. They didn't even know how they'd ended up here in the first place. They'd gone to sleep in their dorms like every night, and the next morning—wham! Suddenly they were in another dimension.
As best as Kyouka could guess, it had to be the work of a Quirk, but she didn't even know where to start with investigating it. The most she'd been able to find online were articles about purely theoretical Quirks that could jump dimensions, but no actual records existed of such a Quirk or even one that could prove the multiverse existed. All of it was purely theoretical, and most of the articles were full of technical jargon she couldn't understand, so she gave up researching that angle.
Maybe if something weird had happened before this, like they'd been fighting a villain and suddenly blacked out. Hell, maybe if she'd even just felt off the day before, but no. There was nothing odd or different about the day before this whole mess started, just another totally uneventful Monday at UA. She went to class, had a totally normal school day, went back to the dorms afterwards...
Absolutely nothing happened to indicate that the next day might be remotely different from any other Tuesday.
Looking back she hadn't even talked to Kaminari that day; he'd cut his arrival pretty close to homeroom and they didn't sit together for lunch. She'd then spent most of the evening working on homework in her room or hanging out with the other girls. She hadn't seen him once between last bell and going to bed. The only pattern Kyouka could think of was that she and Kaminari lived on the third floor of Heights Alliance while Sero and Yaoyorozu didn't. So maybe only students on the third floor ended up here. But that still didn't help her figure out what the hell actually happened.
Her inability to find anything just left her frustrated, and she had no idea what their next step should be. She didn't have Midoriya's extensive knowledge of Quirks to make any educated guesses, or Yaoyorozu's natural propensity for studying to think of other angles to research.
Thinking of Yaomomo made her purse her lips into a tight line. The texts had largely tapered off, the last one sent on Monday, but that didn't make her feel any more comfortable. No, she had a feeling Yaomomo definitely figured out something was wrong and had changed gears to investigate it from other angles. And that meant she'd probably question Kaminari.
A ding from the laptop's speakers broke her line of thoughts, and Kyouka switched back to the tab with the school's portal. The blank video feed she'd used to talk to Akino-sensei now showed one of the classrooms, the students still chatting lightly as they waited for class to begin. A few of the desks she could see from this angle were empty, adorned by name tags that marked other students who only attended online.
Her gaze lingered on one in particular, eyes narrowing as she stared at the familiar name on it. She pulled out her phone and shot Kaminari a quick text. 'Hey, I remember KK was next to you back at HA but who else was there?' She hoped he'd recognize the initials of Heights Alliance and Kouda, and would similarly disguise his answers. They hadn't bothered settling on a code for their classmates, but she had to know. Preferably before class started.
Sure enough, a few seconds later she got a reply. 'You mean on my floor? KK, President & Tail Guy. Why?'
'I'll explain after school,' she replied, and put her phone down as the teacher called the class to attention. While the others started to quiet down her gaze strayed to the nametag on the desk one last time, focused on the familiar name: Iida Tenya. If she was right and everyone from the third floor got caught up in this, then maybe she knew their next move after all.
Notes:
Big news: someone created a TV Tropes page for this fic!! I am in shock and awe, I almost squealed out loud at work when I saw it. It's not too detailed yet but this is the first time I've had someone make a TV Tropes page for one of my fan fics and I'm just so excited! Ahhhh!! I feel like as a fan fiction writer I've officially hit all the major milestones, I've already gotten fan art of other stories and now I've got a TV Tropes page for one. This is just so cool and amazing!!
Question for next time: what do you think should be Jirou and Kaminari's vigilante names? (For added fun, remember they probably won't be able to name themselves and will have to go with whatever people call them.)
Chapter 19: Friday Morning Shenanigans
Summary:
Todoroki and Uraraka make some new friends.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 19
.::Friday Morning Shenanigans::.
Morning eleven of being in another world, and the sixth full day since arriving in Odawara. Shouto had still made no progress in finding any hints as to Gentle Criminal's (and by extension, Tokoyami's) location, nor had he decided whether he should tell the runaway network about his whole situation. He hadn't made contact with anyone since the shopping trip, so he had plenty of time to think it over and he still couldn't decide.
Maybe if he knew who else might be part of it, he'd be able to make up his mind. The only members he knew of for certain were Shiozaki and Kouda. Maybe Kuroe too, but so far it sounded like he was a bit more disconnected from the organization than the others. He figured it consisted mostly of kids, since few adults would bother to run away from home, but surely they had some adult support besides Kuroe.
Those mystery adults posed the issue. Shouto doubted he'd be lucky enough to know everyone connected to the network from his own world; it was a fluke he even knew Shiozaki and Kouda. In this world trust was a valuable commodity, not something to be given easily, and his circumstances made him even more vulnerable. He absolutely could not take any risks.
But... Didn't that make trusting Tokoyami dangerous too? Shouto knew next to nothing about Gentle Criminal, except that Midoriya had briefly met him in his own world. Which... was probably a bad sign, now that he thought about it. But then again, just because he told Tokoyami didn't mean the other teenager would tell the famous phantom thief. He might be able to convince Tokoyami to keep it secret.
As he mulled over it he almost didn't notice someone sneaking up on him. Almost, because he had been keeping his guard up constantly since he first woke up next to Dabi of all people, and so when the person got too close he immediately turned around. "Can I help you?" he asked icily, but paused when he registered who had approached.
An unfamiliar child stood behind him, a young boy with an oversized navy blue sweatshirt and dark blue hair. Cat-like ears twitched atop his head, his eyes a bright mismatched blue and gold. For a moment Shouto just stared at him, unsure what to make of this strange child approaching him when he so obviously looked like a homeless vagabond.
"Yuki-san?" the boy asked, and, oh.
"Are you part of the runaway network?" Shouto asked in surprise, and the kid held a finger to his mouth.
"Shh, not so loud!" he hissed, looking around to make sure no one had overheard. Seeing no eavesdroppers, he turned back to Shouto with a frown as he said, "Don't just go around asking people! No one's supposed to know about it!"
"You're... very young," Shouto said, for lack of anything better to say. He looked like an elementary school student, or else a short middle school student. Either way, he looked far too young to be on the streets, alone. The boy's ears pressed flat against his head, shoulders drooping slightly as his eyes flitted around anxiously.
"So, you are Yuki-san, right?" he asked. "You look like how Sh—Maria-san described you, and you know about the network, s-so... You are, right?"
"I am," Shouto confirmed with a nod, and while he still looked anxious some of the tension faded from the kid's shoulders.
"C-can I stay with you?" he asked, and Shouto felt his mind briefly go blank.
"...What?"
"N-not forever or anything!" the boy said hastily. "See, we're usually supposed to travel in pairs when we leave the base for safety stuff, a-and my partner. He, he..." He trailed off, ears pressing even flatter against his head as he looked away.
"Did something happen to him?" Shouto asked, and was rewarded with a small whimper and head bob.
"H-his mom showed up and saw him. He told me to run before she noticed me too, s-so I did. And now I have no idea what to do." The kid looked ready to cry, just absolutely miserable as his head hung lower. Shouto noticed a strange bulge moving around the kid's stomach, and for a second he was confused before realizing he probably had a tail wrapped around his waist or something. Made sense given the cat ears.
At this point, his response required no real thought. Helping a lost child had been something they'd covered in class extensively, especially after Eri's recent rescue. So he knelt down to be closer to eye level with the child, the movement drawing his attention back. "Do you know how to get back to the base?" he asked gently, and the boy blinked before shaking his head.
"N-not really... I try not to leave the base too much, but Masa-nii needed to get some hair stuff at this special store and I asked to go with him. I thought it'd be okay, but..." He trailed off, biting his lip and looking ready to cry any moment.
"Do you have a phone?" Shouto pressed.
"I don't have one yet. We figured it'd be fine if Masa-nii had his, but..." Shouto just hummed in understanding, thinking to the burner phone in his pocket.
"I have one that should have their phone numbers, but the battery's dead right now." He hadn't been able to charge either phone last night since he opted to sleep in an abandoned building, wanting to save his meager funds for a night with worse weather. Thinking of the places most likely to have an outlet, he suggested, "We could go to a coffee shop to charge it..."
He trailed off as the kid physically recoiled with a look of undisputed horror, ears flattening against his head. "Or not," Shouto finished lamely after a few seconds, and saw a minuscule slump to his still-tense shoulders.
"I'm sorry," the boy mumbled, looking away with a miserable-looking frown. "I... don't really like those places, last time I went to one bad stuff happened..."
"It's alright," Shouto assured him. He didn't know any other places likely to have outlets off the top of his head, so using the phone to call Kouda or Shiozaki would be out for the moment. That really just left letting the boy join him until they could find another runaway or their base. "I don't really know this town too well," he said. "I'm not sure how much I can help you find your way home."
"But you can make sure no one hurts me!" the boy said, looking up at him with a large frown. "Maria-nee says you protected Kuroe-san, so you're strong and good. I can't just walk around alone! Please, help me!" It was hard to argue with that reasoning. Partially because the kid looked about five seconds away from crying, and he had no idea how to actually handle a crying child. He couldn't even handle Midoriya crying half the time, and this was somehow infinitely worse.
"Alright. We'll try to find the others and get you back safely." The boy's ears perked up briefly before he sagged with relief, a majority of the tension visibly fading from his small frame.
"Thank you, Yuki-san!"
"Can you tell me your name?" Shouto asked, and the boy froze like a deer caught in the headlights. It belatedly occurred to Shouto that the runaways all used codenames, and if this boy didn't leave their base often he might not be in the habit of giving a fake name to other people just yet.
"Um... Everyone calls me Nyaota?" He sounded hesitant, and Shouto blinked slowly as he processed the name.
"Is your real name Naota?" he asked, and the boy's wince essentially confirmed his thought. "Um, you might want to choose a better codename." There was probably some irony there given Shouto still used his actual name as his official codename, but then, his own world didn't have the dangers this one appeared to have.
Those concerns could wait though. He rose to his full height and held his hand out to Naota. "Come on, we should start looking now. They might already be looking for you." Naota bobbed his head as he accepted Shouto's hand, rubbing at his eye with his other arm as they began walking. Worst came to worst he could probably drop Naota off at Kuroe's house later. For now though, he didn't mind having some company.
Izuku felt more tired than ever as he walked down the street after asking Kurogiri to teleport him to a "safe" alleyway, face tucked into a thick scarf and a new brown beanie covering his hair. It had been a day since he met Aiko, and while he hadn't seen her since then he couldn't stop thinking about the sight of Aizawa-sensei's goggles around her neck.
So far he had avoided looking up any of his teachers in his notebooks out of fear of what he would find. He knew that Present Mic was fine because he still had his show, and there'd been a news article mentioning Thirteen and Cementoss helping with a recent landslide earlier that week, but that was it. He saw no headlines about any of the other teachers, especially an underground hero like Eraserhead.
Why did Aiko have his goggles? Did she kill him? The thought made him feel sick, and he vehemently pushed it aside to try to think of alternatives. Like, maybe she just took it from him as a trophy at some point. Or maybe she was an Eraserhead fan and got a matching pair. Her eyes made him think she had some sort of ocular Quirk, so it wasn't too much of a stretch to need goggles, right?
Even as he struggled to come up with more explanations he felt like he was grasping at straws, looking for even the smallest glimmer of hope. That seemed to be all he did lately. His parents were dead, he lived with the League of Villains, Kacchan was currently a prisoner, Shinsou was muzzled—everything here was just so wrong!
Izuku wanted to cry. It felt like that was the only thing he really could do right now. He couldn't just spring Kacchan and Shinsou from the Alliance's custody, nor could he work up the courage to look up what happened to his teacher. He had a feeling whatever answer awaited him would leave him broken and numb, just like everything else about this world.
Right now, he just needed a distraction.
Throughout this melancholic internal musing he didn't pay attention to his surroundings, his legs carrying him through the unfamiliar streets almost mechanically. He didn't really plan to go anywhere specific, but somehow when he came to his senses he found himself standing in front of a large, dilapidated-looking warehouse. The sight gave him pause, blinking and looking around in confusion before focusing on the building.
Wooden boards sealed the front entrance and windows, padlocked chains covering the tall, sliding metal shutter on the far end of the building. Rust had eroded the bottom right corner of one shutter though, leaving a surprisingly large hole. Izuku walked over to study it, noticing it looked big enough for him to fit through. He eyed it for a moment longer before getting to his knees and crawling through the gap, fitting through with ease just as he'd expected.
Inside he found a large, open room, sunlight pouring from a giant hole in the high ceiling to illuminate it clearly. Chunks of plaster and broken support beams littered the floor alongside other debris, the floor directly beneath the hole glittering with shards of glass from fallen light fixtures. Something about it gave the room an almost ethereal air, and almost as if in a trance Izuku began slowly walking forward while looking around in silent wonder.
The space had not been totally emptied of furniture. Weather-worn metal shelves still stood tall and scattered throughout the room alongside broken machinery and piled boxes, remnants of the warehouse's active days. As he ventured closer to the center he noticed something dark green in a far corner, partially hidden behind a broken shelf, and he moved to get a better look and found... Was that a couch?
Izuku blinked in surprise, changing course while being careful to avoid stepping on anything sharp. When he got closer he saw that the corner had been largely cleared of debris, with a beaten green couch pushed against the wall below a boarded window that managed to provide a decent amount of light. The shelf made it feel just slightly secluded from the rest of the room, its own little space.
His steps faltered, just staring at it. Even now he could see a thick coat of dust covering everything in this corner, so it hadn't been used in some time. Still, something about it felt oddly comforting and inviting, a ball of tension he didn't realize existed quietly unfurling in his chest and leaving him feeling lighter.
For some reason Izuku couldn't fathom he just felt relaxed now, his mind clearing of the incessant worries that had haunted him for so long. They didn't disappear entirely, but he didn't feel seconds away from a panic attack either, able to think calmly and rationally for once. Exhaling softly, he turned to survey the rest of the room, taking in the debris and shelves, before his eyes trailed to his hands.
In this world, he had never gone through the pain he'd experienced in his own journey to become a hero. He had never shattered his limbs taking down the Zero Pointer, his arms hadn't been broken countless times to the point of no repair. His skin remained perfectly unblemished, bearing no trace of the scars from his battle with Todoroki at the Sports Festival or his encounter with Stain.
Yet he could still feel a steady thrum of power beneath his skin, the strength of One For All tingling and waiting to be used. Green lightning sparked along his hands as he clenched them into fists, turning his attention to a nearby chunk of cement with renewed determination. Striding towards it with a purposeful jaunt, he stopped and slid his legs apart to steady his footing.
Then he let Full Cowl activate and threw his fist at the center.
The first time he'd used One For All he'd broken his bones, his body still not ready despite ten months of training. He didn't have that much training here, but the body of this world's Izuku felt much more fit than he'd been back then. He could just feel that he'd exercised and done strength training regularly, his body clearly used to exercise and experiencing only minimal fatigue. On top of that he'd been sure to keep up his training routine since waking up in this world, doing a lot of push-ups and sit-ups in the privacy of his room, but he wouldn't have be able to if this body wasn't already accustomed to it.
The difference showed. Lightning surged along his arm as he called upon two percent of his power, his fist colliding with the cement with a resounding crack. A small crater formed around the point of impact, the cracks crumbling and imploding within a few seconds. Izuku pulled his hand back and stared at it in awe, flexing his fingers in wonder.
No pain, no swelling or even bruising. Just the typical soreness from hitting the cement with his bare knuckles. A shaky smile slowly spread across his face, feeling more of the tension seep from his shoulders as he relaxed. His body might not be as strong and suitable as he was used to, but he could still use One For All.
Really, this just raised more questions though. Why—and how—did One For All transfer over? Clearly the dimensional transfer hadn't swapped his entire body, since this one lacked all the scars and chronic pain. His body didn't feel wrong or anything, it still felt like it belonged to him, but logically it belonged to the other Izuku. So how did his Quirk transfer over?
Or did his counterpart already have One For All, but it had just been hidden? It was unlikely, but he couldn't discount the thought. But for that to be true, then the most likely explanation would be that he'd been present for All Might's death. That thought made him feel nauseous, unable to help but picture his All Might on the ground with that sunburst scar still fresh and bleeding.
He shuddered and pushed the image away before it could get any more detailed. The specifics of how he still had One For All ultimately didn't matter right now anyway, what mattered was simply that he had it.
Izuku confirmed he could still use it, but he could already tell his control wasn't as good as his own world. Even using two percent left his arm feeling a bit more shaky than he liked; not to the point he thought he worried he'd hurt himself, in fact he thought he could even use up to five percent. It was still just off enough to make him wary of going too high though. Using it without a healing Quirk on hand would be risky, so he'd have to be careful if he wanted to test its limits.
For now, he could focus on building up his strength further. He pulled out his cell phone to check the time. It was only ten thirty in the morning, so he should have plenty of time to do some training today. Nodding to himself, he headed back to the corner with the couch and set down the phone on the nearby shelf before tugging the bulky sweatshirt over his head.
Just as he started to leave he paused though, eyes tracing back to his phone. Hesitating for several long moments, he made up his mind and marched over, picking it up and unlocking it. He pulled up the site for Put Your Hands Up! Radio, the show run by Present Mic. In this world he'd expanded his schedule to air the show three times a week as opposed to just late nights on Fridays, and he pulled up the latest episode.
A pang of nostalgia and warmth hit him as his teacher's voice came over the speakers, enthusiastically greeting his listeners as always. This might not be his Present Mic, but his energy was still the same. Izuku turned up the volume before putting the phone on the shelf and heading to start training.
It had now been twenty-four hours since Ochaco ran away from home, and the adrenaline rush had yet to fade.
She felt completely unrecognizable as she walked down the street, clad in a baggy blue sweatshirt and red sweatpants bought from the thrift shop. The chalk had faded from her hair pretty fast—it had been a quick, temporary job meant to last just long enough to buy a disguise—and she'd tied her hair into a ponytail and shoved a beanie over it that covered a majority of her head.
She'd topped her thrift store ensemble with a bandage over one cheek, a flower sticker on the other, and a pair of fake glasses she'd found by chance. The only thing she wore that didn't come from a thrift store were her sneakers, and she really hoped no one would recognize them. She'd even bought a new bag, a bulky purple backpack that housed all her new clothing and money.
As it stood, her penny-pinching habits from her frugal lifestyle in her native world served her well. Even after riding a bus out of town and paying to spend the night at a cheap hotel, she'd been left with a good twenty-five thousand yen. It wouldn't be much in the long run, but she should hopefully be able to scrape by long enough to find Deku. Once she did, she had no idea what she'd do next though. Worst come to worst, she might have to join the League of Villains, a thought which made her grimace.
But before any of that, she needed to find shelter.
Dark clouds filled the sky, an ominous rumbling in the distance suggesting rain would come sooner rather than later. She quickened her pace a bit as she glanced at the nearby buildings in search of a café or something, mindful of the rundown storefronts and dirty-looking houses as she tried to look for a good place to ride out the storm. This area just screamed trouble, the kind of place that set her on edge even with her hero training.
Honestly, she didn't think she'd be able to find any place she'd feel totally comfortable staying around here. She only came here because she figured the League of Villains would try to stay somewhere off the beaten path. It hadn't taken long to realize this particular area would probably be a little too obvious though. She'd had to duck away from two police patrols since arriving, so she doubted a group of villains would hang around here.
Speak of the devil. Ochaco grimaced as she spied another police car turn the corner ahead, resisting a groan. Great. They always cruised by so slowly when they drove around, it worried her they might see her and recognize her. She made a split-second decision and ducked into a nearby alleyway, stepping behind a dumpster. Safely out of sight she quickly tapped her own arm and hopped into the air, letting the lack of gravity carry her to the roof.
Ochaco only floated for a couple of seconds, but by the time she released her Quirk and dropped onto the roof she still felt just a bit queasy. "I barely even used it," she muttered to herself with a frown as she rubbed her stomach. Her tolerance had gotten so high after all her training, so why did it suddenly feel weaker now?
She sighed and shook her head, deciding to worry about it later. For now she should probably get off the roof, preferably landing out of sight of the police cruiser. She turned to check if there would be space behind the building, and then froze as she found herself faced with a heavily scarred man leaning against an air conditioning unit. He looked at her with obvious surprise, a half-smoked cigarette held between his fingers next to his mouth.
For several long seconds they just stood there staring at each other, neither moving or blinking. "Did you just float onto the roof?" he asked, and Ochaco cringed.
"Um... no?" she replied weakly. The man huffed, rolling his eyes as he glanced over the edge of the roof towards the street.
"Trying to run from the cops?" he asked, and Ochaco cringed again.
"O-of course not! I'm not a villain!"
"Never said you were, sweetheart." He took a draw of the cigarette while Ochaco scowled at him, ignoring the twist of discomfort in her stomach. Before she could say anything else though he added, "Smart move though, you could've gotten kidnapped."
Okay, that startled her. "What? What do you—"
A drop of water interrupted her, and she looked up reflexively just in time to see more raindrops falling. Within seconds the sky practically exploded above them, dumping water all over her. She squawked in dismay as she threw her arms over her head, wishing she'd bought a raincoat.
Her eyes were drawn back to the man when he dropped the cigarette and snuffed it with his shoe, flipping his hood over his dark hair. "Come on, kid, let's go before the storm really gets here," he said, and turned to stride towards the back of the roof while Ochaco frowned.
"What?" she asked, and he glanced back at her over his shoulder, his blue eyes almost seeming to glow in the shadows of his hood.
"I mean we need to find shelter, kid," he replied almost lazily. "This storm isn't gonna pass anytime soon. Or do you plan to just stay out in the rain all day?"
Ochaco's frown deepened. "Of course not, but—why would I go with you? I don't even know you!"
The man just snorted though, nonplussed by her protests. "Do you have anywhere else to go?" he countered lightly, and Ochaco fell silent, unable to deny it. She didn't know this area at all, and the storm would make her search that much more aggravating. Every second spent outside meant who knows how long to dry off.
Fists clenching at her side, she took a breath and reluctantly trailed after him, pushing down the bubble of unease in her stomach. Satisfied by her compliance the man turned around and walked to the edge of the roof, peering over to gauge a good place to jump. "Can I at least get your name?" she grumbled as she joined him, and he glanced at her from the side of his eye, the purple scar marring his jaw creasing upwards to accentuate his smirk.
"Name, huh," he mused idly. "Names are dangerous on the street. But you can call me Dabi." Ochaco nearly choked on air while he turned and jumped over the edge to land on a pile of garbage bags, barely able to contain her absolute horror. Oh, crap.
Notes:
Dabi's back. Also, to everyone who's been asking about whether Izuku still has OFA, you now have your answer.
Question for next time: how do you think Izuku still has OFA?
Chapter 20: Small Revelations
Summary:
Conversations can lead to small revelations.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 20
.::Small Revelations::.
"Almost done?"
"Almost," Ochaco called back weakly, tugging on a new shirt. She grimaced as she did so, finding it just a bit too snug to feel comfortable wearing around a notorious villain, but she had no choice. It had taken five minutes to reach the abandoned office building Dabi had set up camp in, and by that time her original outfit had been thoroughly drenched. Not even the contents of her backpack had been safe, the rain seeping through the fabric to leave most of the clothes cold and damp. This shirt had just been the driest thing left.
Lesson learned, buy a raincoat, she thought sullenly as she turned to face the door. ...I really don't want to go out there. Knowing that Dabi was waiting outside for her to open the door really put a damper on her mood.
Honestly, she still couldn't believe she'd actually followed him after hearing his name. She'd never seen him, but everyone knew that the guy with the fire Quirk named Dabi had been the one to kidnap Bakugou during the training camp. He was beyond bad news, he was one of the most dangerous villains of all. Ochaco felt on edge just being in the same building as him.
But what else could she do? She needed shelter, and more importantly she needed to find Deku. Terrifying as he was, this guy was her best lead.
Lightly slapping her cheeks, Ochaco steeled her nerves and opened the door. She stepped outside and found Dabi in front of a makeshift clothesline made from a rope strung between two columns, hanging up his coat next to her still-dripping clothing. He wore just a long-sleeved shirt now, the sleeves slipping down his arms as he stretched them upwards to expose more of the hideous purple scarring along the full length of his arms.
She had to fight not to stare at them as he glanced back at her, arching an eyebrow. "No glasses or stickers?" he commented, and Ochaco groaned while burying her face in her hands.
"It's not worth it," she whined. The glasses' lenses had been covered in rain droplets, and her attempts to wipe it off just left large smudges that made everything look blurry. Meanwhile, her face had been too wet to get the stickers and bandages to, well, stick. She'd had to use one of her other shirts to dry herself off since she hadn't thought to buy a towel, and given it had already been damp too it didn't really help much.
Dabi just chuckled, turning back to snap a clip over the sleeve of his coat. "Yeah, figured as much. Points for the disguise though, most people don't think that far ahead." Ochaco just nodded awkwardly, still highly wary of the man. He didn't recognize her, did he? "By the way, smart call avoiding that car earlier. Could've gotten kidnapped."
Ochaco almost startled at his words, reminding her that he'd said the exact same thing before it started to rain. "What!? But—but that was a police cruiser!"
Dabi actually snorted at that, turning to face her fully. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean it was real. Some crooks have been patrolling the streets around here to look for runaways and other easy targets." Ochaco stared at him in disbelief.
"But—seriously?" she asked. "I mean, aren't you more suspicious?"
"Yes I am," Dabi replied with an air of amusement. "And yet you followed me anyway." Ochaco just glared at him while he rolled his eyes. "Think for a second though. That area's really rough, and yet there was police cruiser rolling around every few minutes. Doesn't that seem weird to you?"
Ochaco felt her glare wilt a bit at that, giving way to a contemplative frown. Now that he mentioned it, it did seem strange she'd seen the police cruiser three times in the span of a few hours. Usually police didn't bother spending so much time in rundown areas like that because petty crime was basically a given. Villains usually didn't even bother going to those sorts of areas outside of networking or hiding, if only because there usually wasn't anything worth stealing or targeting there.
Dabi could obviously see the gears turning in her head, and smirked knowingly. "No police officers would bother patrolling this part of town that often. It's just a ruse by some crooks to make it easier to lower people's guards and get them into the cars. It only started up recently, once the actual police catch on they'll take care of it."
"If you know this, then why haven't you called the police?" Ochaco challenged with a frown.
"Already did," Dabi replied without missing a beat, and she nearly stumbled. Wait, what? Seeing her disbelieving look, he rolled his eyes and added, "Let's just say I've had some encounters with traffickers in the past and I'd rather not have any repeats." Ochaco remained silent at the bitter edge to his tone, her disbelief giving way to something more somber. Somehow, this dimension just kept getting worse.
She averted her eyes with a frown, looking out the broken windows. Through the gaps in the boards she could see the rain pounding hard and heavy, the rhythmic thumps on the walls only adding to the melancholic mood. Is Dabi even a villain here? she wondered distantly. She had absolutely no idea of the man's motives in her native world, hadn't even known his face until now. With all the differences, he might not have reason to turn to villainy in this one.
A flicker of light drew her gaze back to him, turning her head to see him use a lighter to ignite a rag he tossed onto a pile of scrap wood. He'd arranged a makeshift indoor fireplace in the center of the room using stones and the bottom half of what had probably been an oil drum, safely containing the fire. As she watched he sat on a backless bench with ratty leather cushions, probably salvaged from the lobby, and nodded at her as he picked up a fireplace poker.
"Take a seat, kid," he said. "Might as well get warm." Ochaco nodded slowly as she walked over, sitting on another chair with dirty off-white fabric also likely salvaged from the lobby or some other waiting room. It felt weird to sit around a fire on rundown office furniture like this. She fiddled with her thumbs as she stared at the blaze, Dabi pushing around the wood with the poker to spread the flames. "So, what's a girl like you doing on the streets, anyway?"
She bit her lip, stubbornly avoiding looking at him. "Does it really matter?" she muttered.
"Probably not," Dabi agreed. "But it's weird to see a kid your age on the streets alone. Is it a crime to be worried?"
"Are you really worried?" she asked under her breath, still naturally cautious.
"A bit, yeah. Blame the brotherly instinct, you look like you're my brother's age." That got her attention, finally looking at him in wide-eyed surprise.
"You have a brother?" she asked, and he nodded with a faint smirk.
"Yep. Actually I've got two, but the other one's in college and we're not really in touch anymore." He set down the poker and leaned back a bit, eying her from the corner of his eye. "Speaking of, have you seen any kids with black hair and an eye patch running around? About your age, a little taller than you?"
Ochaco frowned and shook head. "No, I haven't. Sorry." Biting her lip, she decided to take a chance and pressed, "Did—did he go missing?"
Dabi gave a half-laugh at that, the scar around his lower jaw pulling upwards as his smirk grew. "Little over a week ago we woke up, and he suddenly just iced me over and ran off."
"Iced you over...?"
"Have you ever been trapped in a miniature iceberg?" Dabi deadpanned, and Ochaco blinked, her thoughts flitting back to Todoroki and Sero's match at the Sports Festival. A shiver ran down her spine, for once not from fear but just from how cold that glacier had felt even from the stands.
"No, but it sounds cold."
"Believe me, it's even worse when you have scars like this," Dabi drawled, sounding faintly amused as he tapped his cheek. His smirk then fell as he sighed, hunching forward with his arms resting on his knees. "Been trying to find him ever since, but no luck so far. Kinda a long shot you'd know him, but worth a try."
The villain sounded tired, not to the level Aizawa-sensei usually did but still enough to tug at Ochaco's heartstrings. Under his casual demeanor he really was worried, she could tell it wasn't an act to get her to lower her guard or sympathize with him. "Do you have any idea why he suddenly ran away?" she asked, but he shook his head.
"Not a clue. When I say we woke up and he suddenly iced me over, I mean suddenly. I wasn't even awake thirty seconds, hell probably not even ten, and then I was trapped in an iceberg and the brat took off running. By the time I managed to come to my senses and melt the ice, he was gone." He reached into the pocket of his jeans to pull out a phone, scowling at it as he added, "And to make it more annoying, the brat's been ignoring my calls. I know he still has his phone and doesn't always turn it off, but he's not answering."
"Have you tried texting him?" she suggested, and Dabi shook his head.
"No way. Text leaves an even easier trail to trace than phone calls." He glanced at her almost speculatively, adding, "Any chance you have a phone?"
Now it was Ochaco's turn to shake her head. "Sorry, I left it behind. I only left yesterday, and I haven't gotten another one yet." The ease she admitted it caught herself by surprise, not expecting to be so open. What happened to being careful!? Judging by the way Dabi straightened her response caught his interest, his blue eyes sparking intently in the firelight.
"That recent?" he mused. "With the way you're dressed, I figured you'd been on the streets a bit longer."
"I raided a lot of thrift stores for clothes," Ochaco admitted, her shoulders drooping tiredly. "I wanted to make sure I looked as different as possible. The only thing I kept are my shoes and a water bottle."
"Think you'll have a lot of people looking for you?" Dabi asked, and when Ochaco remained silent he huffed and rolled his shoulders in a loose shrug. "Eh, don't feel pressured to answer that. Like I said earlier, you've done a pretty good job with the disguise so you probably don't have to worry about that at least. But that said," he added, that intense gleam returning to his eyes, "why did you run away?"
Once again she bit her lip, hesitating to answer. She knew she shouldn't be so open with him, he was a villain in her world and a stranger at best in this one. She had no idea of his motives, and less than zero reason to trust him. But he was also a member of the League of Villains in her world, and might be her best lead to find Deku yet. That lone thought made her hands clench into fists atop her lap, her resolve settled.
"I'm... looking for a friend," she started slowly. "His name's Midoriya Izuku, but I call him Deku." She glanced at him as she spoke, searching for any recognition of his name—either name. But Dabi just inclined his head slightly as if to silently tell her to go on. Her heart fell a bit as her gaze returned to the fire, realizing he didn't know Deku. The chances of Dabi being able to help lowered drastically, but she still pushed on anyway.
"We hadn't seen each other in a while, but a couple of days ago I suddenly saw him while I was out shopping. And at first I was so excited," she admitted, a small smile playing across her lips. "We're so close, he's one of my best friends. But then I tried to get his phone number, and he suddenly started acting all cagey and kept saying no. And then..." She trailed off here, frowning as she glanced at him. "Do you know Shigaraki Tomura?"
That one he recognized, the man sitting straighter and his eyes narrowing. "You mean the leader of the Villain Alliance?" he asked lowly, and Ochaco had to fight to not show her surprise. Villain Alliance, huh?
"Y-yeah, I guess so," she confirmed weakly. "I don't know for sure, but... He came up to us, a-and said he was... he was Deku's brother." She frowned, turning back to the fire as she pulled her knees to her chest. Just remembering that brief encounter, even if she hadn't known the danger at the time, left her feeling chilled. "And I know they're not blood related, that he's an only child, but Deku called him Tomu-nii. They left pretty soon after that, and I didn't realize who it was until later."
She paused then, not sure where to go from there. "When I got home," she said after a few seconds, much quieter than before, "I found an article saying that Deku's parents died a long time ago. He ran away after that, and they never found him. I can't help but think if the Le—the, the Alliance, took him, for... some reason."
After that she fell silent, no longer knowing what else to say. Dabi didn't say anything right away, only the crackling of flames filling the silence. "...Shit," he finally said, and pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. "Yeah, no, this is way above my pay grade. But are you seriously looking for this kid even knowing all that?"
"He's my friend," Ochaco defended with a frown. "I'm not going to leave him alone!"
"You realize you'll probably be recruited as a villain though, right?" Dabi countered, meeting her eyes with an icy gaze at sharp contrast with his fiery Quirk. "I don't know what kind of Quirk you got, but if it's anything remotely useful the Alliance will snap you up."
His words made Ochaco's breath catch for a moment, giving voice to the thoughts she hadn't dared dwell on too much, and her mouth pressed into a thin line. "I know that, but I don't care," she declared, meeting his gaze with a steely resolve of her own. "If it means I can help Deku, I'll do anything."
For several long seconds neither of them spoke, just matching each other's gazes with steely looks. Ochaco could see Dabi searching her but didn't falter, almost glaring back at him in challenge. After a long time he finally sighed, breaking the one-sided staring contest as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm gonna regret this," he muttered, making her perk up, and before she could ask what he meant he met her gaze once more. "Nabu."
"H-huh?"
"Nabu," he repeated. "In Shizuoka prefecture, right by the border to the Kanagawa prefecture. I don't know where they are, but that's where the Alliance has their main headquarters."
Ochaco sat up ramrod straight at that, her eyes widening. "What? How do you know that?"
"I've got a friend tied to the Alliance. Not a full member, but close enough." Dabi shrugged, turning back to the fire while Ochaco sat even straighter.
"You know someone in the Alliance?" she pressed, leaning forward. "Who? What are they like?"
"Doesn't matter," Dabi replied sharply, and she immediately cut off any further questions, instead remaining silent as he continued. "I was thinking of heading out there to see if my brother headed there, or at least maybe get some help looking for him. It shouldn't take more than a couple hours by train to reach it. You can probably catch one when there's a break in the storm and get there before sunset."
Ochaco listened intently, slowly sinking back into her chair. "Nabu, huh," she murmured to herself. Even without researching the League (or, Alliance, apparently), she knew the police wouldn't have any idea where they were based. Nabu wasn't a major city by any means; she'd only heard of it in passing from one of her middle school classmates who'd moved from there. Hardly the kind of place you'd expect a major villain organization to set up headquarters.
Hands curling into fists, she raised her head to look at him. "Thank you," she said as sincerely as possible, and he snorted.
"Don't thank me. You have no idea what you're walking into."
I probably know more than you think, she thought, mind flitting to her class's numerous close calls with the League, but she kept the remark to herself. "Um, can you tell me about your brother?" she asked instead. "You've helped me so much, I can at least keep an eye out for him."
Dabi huffed, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. "Not much to say. Kid's pretty quiet, real awkward if you talk to him. We've been calling him Tatsuo, but doubt he'd keep using it. Knowing him, he's probably going by Yuki or something ice- or snow-related like that. Brat never was too good at coming up with names."
Ochaco felt her own mouth quirk into a small smile at the fond exasperation in his tone. She could tell he really cared about his brother, she could see it in that faint smile, so oddly gentle in contrast to his ragged-looking face. At the same time she felt a small pang of grief for him though. She couldn't help but wonder what his brother was up to in her own dimension, and if maybe his absence had to do with his motivation for joining the League of Villains.
For everything wrong with this world, maybe some details were better after all.
While walking around Odawara in search of the runaways, Shouto learned many things about Naota.
The boy was nine years old, and had a Quirk which gave him feline characteristics—specifically, cat ears and a tail. According to Naota that was the main extent of his Quirk though, and that they gave him no particular advantages. He didn't have claws or enhanced reflexes, or an enhanced sense of smell or anything like that.
If anything, his Quirk actually proved more problematic than helpful. His cat ears did give him more sensitive hearing, which made him more prone to sensory overload and couldn't be blocked with headphones due to their shape. Finding clothing that accommodated his tail also proved troublesome, since while stores did provide clothing for a variety of body types and Quirks, tails were actually somewhat rare in their society and had enough variation to require specific tailoring. Meanwhile, he had all the dietary restrictions of a cat, so he had to be careful about what he ate.
The largest problem though?
People found his cat traits cute, which seemed to cause only more problems.
"I remember people always offering me candy and stuff," the little boy told him gloomily, his hood pulled over his ears and eyes trained on his feet. "The teachers told us about stranger danger and stuff so I never took any, but it happened to me way more than other kids. Other people would say how cute my ears looked. And towards the end, sometimes people would even just—pick me up and run."
"In broad daylight?" Shouto asked in surprise, and Naota nodded almost vigorously as he looked up at him.
"Yeah! Like, I'd be walking to school, and then some random guy would just grab me and run away! I always kicked and screamed a lot so people would come and help, but this one time no one did. I only got away because I managed to bite his arm and make him drop me, and then I ran!" His mismatched eyes had a fire in them, a glimmer of pride in his ability to escape, but Shouto still found himself frowning.
"Why didn't your mother walk you to school then?" he asked, and the boy flinched and looked away, ears visibly drooping beneath his hood.
"Momma did a couple times, but she said it was annoying and she had to go to work. She and dad had to spend a lot of money to get me special clothes and food so I just tried not to be too much trouble. All the police reports took up so much time, too..."
At this point Shouto didn't like the picture Naota painted of his parents. He only had experience with Endeavor, and he certainly didn't like the man, but for all his faults he had cared a good deal about their safety. One particularly powerful memory had been when he got them together shortly after his seventh birthday, so he could drill the warning signs of human traffickers into all of his children.
"You might not all become heroes," he had told them, gazing at Fuyumi and Natsuo in particular, "but there are some criminals who are far more heinous than any I will ever encounter on a patrol, and who will never dare show themselves in front of a Pro Hero like myself. If you're lucky you will never encounter these sorts of people, but if you do, you need to know what to look out for."
The warning had stuck with them all, and after that Shouto had made a point to always be just a little more wary of strangers who seemed suspiciously nice and friendly. He didn't get left alone in public often, but now and then he would be briefly separated from his father or siblings while running errands. During that time he never approached strangers, always working to find his family as fast as possible.
One of his happier childhood memories had been a celebratory dinner one night after Natsuo had stopped a little girl from following a stranger, complete with his brother's favorite cake for dessert. He remembered Natsuo had even been flustered by the attention and claimed it wasn't a big deal, but Endeavor had countered that he'd saved a little girl from death or even something worse. "Any life saved is worth celebrating," he'd said gruffly, one of the more surprisingly positive values Shouto could recall.
Really, for all his complaints about the man's parenting, Shouto couldn't deny that Endeavor was still a good hero and made sure to encourage heroic behavior from all his children. (The cynical part of his mind pointed out it was probably more to encourage Shouto, as if to say, "See, if your siblings can do this much, imagine what you can do," but he quickly silenced it.)
He pushed the memory away for now, refocusing on Naota. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but his story matched all the warning signs of human traffickers Endeavor had drilled into them. It made him feel uncomfortable to consider, but it made sense. "How did you end up here?" he asked, and to his surprise Naota suddenly brightened, his ears perking beneath the fabric of his hood as he stood straighter.
"Aya-nee brought me here!" he replied happily, almost bouncing on his feet as he beamed at Shouto. "This guy tried to pick me up and run away like always, but then Aya-nee showed up and flew at him with this jump-kick like, wham! Pow! He just went down! And so then she took me home, and after talking to momma and dad, they said I could go with her! And so then she brought me here, and I've been living with everyone else ever since!"
"I see," Shouto hummed, mentally applauding this "Aya-nee" for her actions while condemning the boy's parents. No good parent would ever hand over their child to a complete stranger. It was incredibly lucky she was a good person. "Will I get to meet this Aya-nee later?"
At that Naota deflated, though he looked just sad as opposed to downright miserable like before. "No, she doesn't actually live here. She says her job is too dangerous to come here much. I haven't actually seen her since then..." Shouto frowned again, but before he could press for more information Naota perked up and added, "But it's okay, because I have a bunch of other really awesome brothers and sisters now!"
"I see," Shouto said with a slow nod. The fact that Naota hadn't actually seen this "Aya-nee" since then did ring some alarm bells, especially since she apparently had a "dangerous job" Naota didn't know, but the runaway network itself didn't seem to be a threat. He had to admit, this had to be one of the better possible outcomes for the boy given he'd left with a stranger.
Still, this was another point against telling the runaways about his situation. It reminded him he had no idea who was connected to their little network. For all he knew it could be a front for a trafficking ring, slowly gathering up runaways in one location to make it that much easier to snatch them up when the time came. Actually, he should probably mention that possibility to one of the older members the next time they met just to be safe.
Hopefully that would happen soon. He'd noticed some birds had begun following them a while back, and while he'd been a bit wary of jumping to conclusions it had been going on long enough he believed it must be intentional. It had already been close to two hours since they started looking after all; by now Naota's absence must have been noticed and it made sense that they'd have Kouda use his Quirk to look for him.
Sure enough, Shouto could hear someone jog their way from the left—the side with the eye patch, annoyingly—and turned to greet them. He paused though, because while he did see Kouda approaching, he did not see Shiozaki's increasingly familiar head of green vines. Instead he saw a blond teenage boy with blue-gray eyes—a very familiar boy.
"Naota, there you are," he called, and Naota's ears perked up, head turning to face the newcomers with a bright smile.
"Nei-nii!" he called, and pulled his hand free from Shouto's to rush over to the pair. Shouto watched the boy all but tackle the blond in a hug with a cool gaze, feeling an almost reflexive sort of wariness towards him. While he still did not know all of Class 1-B's members, Monoma Neito had left a far stronger impression than most with his constant challenges and taunts towards his class.
He had his usual smug-looking smile as he returned Naota's hug, one arm wrapping around his back while the other patted his head. "There you are. You really worried us when you didn't come back." As he spoke Kouda walked over and bent next to him, at which point Naota peeled himself away from Monoma to tackle him in another hug. Kouda murmured something too quiet for Shouto to hear, and Naota pressed himself even closer.
"I'm sorry, but Masa-nii's mom showed up and he told me to run and..." Naota mumbled a rambled summary of how he'd ended up with Shouto, voice slightly muffled by Kouda's sweatshirt. Shouto didn't really pay attention, his focus quickly turning to Monoma as the other teen approached him, making him tense minutely.
"You're Yuki-san, correct?" he asked, his tone as grand and magnanimous as always even as he kept his voice soft. "Maria and Rockfish told us all about you. Thank you for helping Naota-kun, we were quite worried when he and Namo didn't come back." Shouto remained on edge for a moment, waiting for some snarky comment about how he could do better or something else of the sort. When no such remark came though, he felt a bit of confusion and only raised his guard further.
"It was no problem," he replied with a short nod. "I had nothing else to do today, and he seemed worried." Almost as an afterthought, he asked, "The other person he was with... Namo, I think you said? Is he okay? Naota said he saw his mother and told him to run...?"
At that Monoma sighed, folding his arms with a small frown. "Unfortunately, it seems his mother found him, or so Rockfish has heard. Namo, like many of us, ran away to protect his family because his Quirk got a lot of attention from both heroes and villains, but his family didn't agree with his decision. His parents never stopped searching, regardless of the risk it posed to them."
"I take it that's common?" Shouto asked. If he ever ran away Endeavor would definitely look for him, though maybe not for the same reasons Namo's parents did. Monoma nodded, turning back to him.
"A large majority of us chose to run away to protect our families, yes. Why? Is your reason for being here different?" He cocked his head to the side ever so slightly, a sly sort of glint in his eye as he commented, "I mean, I suppose they must be since you're searching for Gentle Criminal."
Shouto could almost feel his emotions shutter at the sly dig for information, his face smoothing into a blank mask as he met Monoma's gaze squarely. "My reasons for running away are none of your business," he intoned flatly. "The same applies to my search for him. Besides, I'm more interested in his partner Phantom Shadow."
Monoma hummed, eying him for a moment longer before finally shrugging. "I guess you are correct about that," he allowed, and Shouto blinked in surprise, expecting a more confrontational response. The blond then smiled again, extending a hand. "Forgive my rudeness, I haven't even introduced myself yet. My name is Kaitou, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Shouto stared at his outstretched hand dumbly for a moment, trying to figure out his angle. This version of Monoma seemed oddly polite compared to what he was used to, and it was starting to really confuse him. Why wasn't he ranting at him about the superiority of Class 1-B—
Oh, wait. That's why. He and Monoma did not presently attend UA in this world, so of course Monoma didn't have the one-sided class rivalry fueling his actions. To him, Shouto was just another random homeless runaway who had helped watch over one of the kids.
Relaxing a bit now that he finally understood the boy's strange behavior, he nodded and shook his extended hand. "It's nice to meet you too," he replied, trying to cover up his awkwardness. Monoma just smiled pleasantly as they released their grips, glancing at his palm briefly.
"I see," he hummed to himself, and something about it sent a chill of foreboding down Shouto's spine. Monoma's hand soon fell to his side, meeting his gaze once more. "I look forward to working with you, Yuki-san."
"...Likewise," Shouto responded after a moment, suddenly feeling wary and on edge again. Something told him he just made a big mistake, but he didn't know why.
Hizashi opened the door to the recording booth with a sigh as pop music streamed over the speakers, his shoulders sagging tiredly. The room outside the booth was empty save for the lead audio engineer at the soundboard and Nemuri, his fellow hero draped over an armchair in the back of the room with her phone. "We've got about five minutes before this set finishes and I sign off," he told her bluntly. "Do you want to go over it here, or go somewhere else?"
"Somewhere else will be best, I think," Nemuri sighed after a moment's thought. "I need some more detailed input this time, preferably without listening ears. No offense, Masuda."
"None taken," the sound engineer replied smoothly. "I don't want to hear about hero business anyway."
"Smart man," Hizashi snorted, and ducked back inside the recording booth with a sigh. He dropped back into his seat and pulled the bulky headphones back over his head, letting them rest loosely around his neck for the moment as he distantly listened to the last song of the current set.
Today had been long, longer than usual. The studio had asked him to record some extra broadcasts in advance for the upcoming holidays, wanting to air episodes every week day in December instead of just three times a week. He'd still do those three slots live, but it was easier to record the rest in advance. After today's session he'd need to take it easy and rest his throat. Good thing he'd recorded today's broadcast, too.
After this, it would be straight to work with Nemuri. They'd enlisted help from Sir Nighteye and one of his sidekicks to scour Uraraka Ochaco's phone and laptop for any evidence the second they got their hands on them. The girl's decision to run away weighed heavily on Nemuri, having become quite attached to her during her time as Suimin. It had been so encouraging to see even one of their colleagues return to teaching, and though they hadn't met her, her abrupt disappearance left a heavy gash in all of the former UA faculty's hearts. If Shouta were there—
No. Hizashi banished the thought before it could fully form, shoving down the ugly ball of grief and anxiety that always accompanied thoughts of his best friend. The song was coming to an end, and he pulled the headphones back over his ears, letting the beat finish before taking a breath.
"That's it for today's show, everyone!" he announced, characteristic smile plastered on like usual. "Thanks for tuning in, and remember to Put Your Hands Up! I'll be back on air tomorrow!" He leaned closer, his smile dimming just slightly as he finished, "And, last but not least, to my favorite listener. I don't know where you are or what you're up to, but I hope today's been a little better than the rest. I hope I'll see you soon."
The recording light switched off, and he removed his headphones for the last time.
Notes:
So much in this chapter! In this AU if it wasn't already obvious, Dabi is 100% Todoroki Touya. The recent manga arcs heavily imply this to be the case anyway, to the point I'll be legitimately surprised if it isn't the case. In any event Ochaco has yet to make the connection. It's a pretty big leap to assume a villain is the older brother of one of your friends and also the son of the Number 1/2 Hero, and she has no idea of the Todoroki Family Drama.
On that note, a little glimpse at a peaceful dinner in the Todoroki house. I've mentioned before that I fully acknowledge Endeavor was abusive, but I also don't like people villifying him in every single aspect of his life. The man's a pretty good hero or he wouldn't have gotten to be Number 2 no matter how strong he is, and I can see him instilling those values in all of his children even if he didn't expect them to be his successors. Whether the dinner was to genuinely reward Natsuo or try to encourage Shouto to try harder, I'll leave to you to decide. (For the record, Touya would be "dead" by the time the dinner happened.)
Also: hi Monoma! A lot of people figured he'd be targeted for his Quirk, and you're all absolutely right! Kaitou is a reference to his Hero Name, "Phantom Thief", since Kaitou is a direct translation to that. It also happens to be a regular name too, hence why he can get away with using it. Now if only Todoroki could remember his Quirk. Pretty sure he never actually saw Monoma use it in the Sports Festival since Monoma used it mainly against Bakugou's team, and during the training camp I don't think ever worked together.
Question for next time: do you think Sir Nighteye's team found anything?
Chapter 21: The Bubble Finally Pops
Summary:
Something is wrong with Ashido Mina, and it might be starting to spread to Eijirou too.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 21
.::The Bubble Finally Pops::.
Something was wrong with Ashido Mina.
Anyone could tell after spending long enough around her. It all started when she'd shown up to school on Tuesday and announced to the world she had "sudden weird partial amnesia." Ashido was admittedly a prankster and this would be far from the wackiest thing she'd done to try to get out of a test, but her acting wasn't that good. She genuinely didn't know where the classrooms were or even the names of any of their classmates except Eijirou and Kirameki.
So yeah, that was weird enough. However, what Eijirou really couldn't get was her sudden obsession with him.
"Kirishima-kun, let's go!" she called, laughing as she dragged him down the street. "The movie's gonna start in like, ten minutes, and we need to hurry before they shut the doors!"
"Ashido, slow down!" he whined, trying to pull his wrist free from her grip. "And let go! Seriously, you're practically crushing the bone!"
"Then just use your Hardening to block it!" Mina shot back with a grin. He shot her a half-hearted glare but she just laughed it off, turning forward as she continued dragging him along. Her vice grip remained tight and almost painful, leaving him sorely tempted to follow her advice and use his Quirk to block it, but he bit back the urge. Behind him he could hear Ashido's friends sigh, an increasingly familiar sound.
"Still energetic as ever, huh," Kirameki-san muttered with a smile. "Guess some things never change, amnesia or not." Anjou snorted next to her, the teal-haired girl smirking down at her cell phone.
"Ashido being anything but hyper would violate a law of nature," she drawled, tapping away at the screen like always. "You should know that by now, you've known her the longest."
"Are you going to be on your phone in the movie?" Eijirou asked, twisting his head to squint at her. "Pretty sure you're not allowed to take that in." He'd never seen Anjou without her phone outside of class, and part of him seriously wondered what she was doing on it all the time. (The other part was too scared to ask.) The girl just grunted, waving one hand dismissively while still typing with the other one.
"Eh, I can disconnect for a couple hours. Movies should be stimulating enough."
"The Ouroboros series is always stimulating!" Kirameki declared, her skin sparkling as she grinned at her. "I can't believe the third one's finally out! I thought it'd be in production hell forever! And this one's even got Sosaki Shino in it!" Now her eyes glittered, her hands clasped together as she stared up at the sky. "Sosaki-san is so beautiful and mysterious, she's like the female version of tall, dark and handsome!"
"...R-right." Eijirou quietly turned around as she began babbling excitedly about the actress, his shoulders slumping as he sighed. Between Ashido's assertive exuberance and Kirameki's tendency to go on sparkle-laden tangents, he felt a bit overwhelmed and out of place with this group.
Before last week he'd barely interacted with any of them, not even Ashido. They didn't know each other that well despite going to the same middle school, having only been in the same class first year. The only reason they spoke at all was because they ended up coincidentally living in the same apartment building after getting into Sakakura High. That alone had apparently been enough for the pink-haired girl to latch onto him following her amnesia though, and now he was being forced to go to the movies with them.
I haven't even seen the other Ouroboros movies, he thought mournfully, but withheld from saying as much aloud. Something told him it'd just make their reactions worse.
At least it distracted Ashido from her new online friend. She still hadn't responded since that ominous message on Tuesday, which had made Ashido grow increasingly moody. She kept looking at her phone with this slightly agitated look, and even tried to pressure them all into sending "Infinity Girl" friend requests. After watching her fidget all day long, Eijirou would happily go see the movie if it meant a break from that. It was Friday anyway, so it'd be a nice way to end the week.
As they walked along though he heard an explosion, making all of them freeze. Immediately they spun to see smoke rising not too far away, all four of them growing tense and wary. An anxious atmosphere settled over the street, other pedestrians also stopping and their voices melding into a low hum. "Villain attack?" Anjou muttered lowly.
"Probably," Eijirou agreed, just as quiet. Another explosion sounded, slightly closer, and more smoke appeared. This time they could hear screams, clear and full of terror. Kirameki fidgeted uncomfortably, stepping back slightly as her hand reached for Ashido's as the pink-skinned girl stared at the smoke wide-eyed.
"We need to go," she said. "It might be the same guy from last week." Ashido startled at that, frowning at her.
"Wait, he wasn't caught?"
"No, the heroes and police had to rescue people from the building he collapsed so he got away."
"Judging by that smoke, that'll probably be the same case this time," Anjou added. "Forget the movie, that looks like it's two streets over at the most. We don't want to get caught up if he runs this way." Ashido didn't respond, just continued staring at the rising smoke with an unreadable look in her eyes.
"Ashido?" Eijirou pressed, tugging on her arm. "Come on, we need to go."
"No." The word caught him by surprise, all three turning to look at her with varying levels of incredulity.
"No?" Kirameki repeated. "Mina, what do you mean no?"
"I mean, no," Ashido said. "You guys go home, but I'm not running away." And with that she tore away from Kirameki's grip and took off towards the direction of the smoke, leaving all three of them standing in shock. Soon enough Kirameki regained her senses and she jolted, her eyes widening in alarm.
"Mina!" she yelled, lurching after her, but Anjou grabbed her arm and jerked her to a stop.
"Don't go after her, idiot!" she scolded. "You'll just get hurt!"
"I'll get hurt?" Kirameki snapped, whirling to look at her with a frantic expression. "What about Mina? She's going right to the source!"
"Yeah, but she at least has acid to defend herself! All you can do is sparkle!"
"That's still bad!"
As the two continued hissing at each other—Kirameki in growing panic and Anjou in frustration—Eijirou just looked between them and Ashido's figure fleeing towards the source of the explosions in shock. What the hell is she doing?
Then, what the hell am I doing?
His legs began moving before he even noticed, and suddenly he realized he was racing after Ashido. Seriously, what am I doing!? "Kirishima?" Kirameki shouted, and he twisted his head back as he kept running.
"Go home!" he yelled. This is a bad idea. "I'll grab Ashido and drag her back!" I'm just going to get hurt. Yet even as doubts ran through his mind he turned and ran harder, his eyes trained on the familiar pink figure rushing around a corner ahead. People ran past them in the opposite direction, a bad sign if he'd ever seen one, but Ashido didn't seem to care.
Screw it. He'd just grab her, drag her away and get the hell out of there before anything could happen. They lived in the same building, that should be fine. They'd be fine.
Then he turned the corner and his breath caught in his throat.
The scene before him looked like something out of a disaster movie. One of the store fronts had been reduced to a pile of rubble and broken glass, the windows of several other nearby stores completely shattered. Meanwhile jagged cracks lined the road, the front end of a car sinking into a large hole that still radiated smoke.
However, even more notable was the man in a gas mask standing next to a sobbing woman kneeling on the ground, a tight grip on her arm as he faced down a local hero while brandishing a knife.
"Don't come any closer!" he hollered. "I'll tear out her throat!"
Shit. Shit shit shit. Eijirou's heart pounded as he stared at the man, suddenly highly aware that coming here was a Bad Idea. No, he knew that all along, but now he was absolutely certain of it. The woman looked terrified, her face red and her leg twisted the wrong way. As he stared at the scene in horror he noticed movement near some of the rubble, and he turned to spy a familiar pink figure skirting the edges of the scene. Ashido!
With a scared glance at the villain he quickly scampered after his classmate, catching up to her with surprising ease. "Ashido!" he hissed, grabbing her arm. "What are you doing!" The pink-skinned girl twisted her head to look back at him, her yellow irises glinting with a fiery determination that seemed to glow against the black parts.
"I'm getting him out!" she whispered, gesturing to the rubble. When Eijirou looked again he startled as he suddenly noticed a man pinned beneath it, nearly camouflaged against the stone thanks to the coating of plaster dust covering his body. He had a dazed look in his eyes as he stared at the sky, and Eijirou could see red staining where his legs were covered by a particularly large piece of stone.
Wrenching her arm from his grip, Ashido slid over to the man and dropped to a crouch next to him, turning to look at Eijirou and gesturing wildly for him to come over. Startling, he hesitated but quickly joined her, shooting a worried glance at the confrontation unfolding nearby. "This is a bad idea," he whispered anxiously.
"Would you rather leave him to die?" Ashido hissed back, and Eijirou felt his mouth go dry. He glanced down at the pinned man only to wince. Now that he was closer he could see he had jagged shards of glass and cement embedded in his arms and torso, blood lazily seeping from the cuts and mixing with the dust to create a ghastly sort of sludge. The dazed expression on his face was even clearer, and as Eijirou looked down he realized that the whiteness in his face wasn't just from the dust.
He swallowed harshly, his heartbeat picking up as he slowly looked at his classmate. "What can we even do?" he whispered roughly. He wasn't the smartest guy, but even he knew how serious blood loss could be. They didn't have any way to help him with that.
"We can get him out of here," Mina said, gesturing to the rubble. "I'm going to melt it with my acid so it's lighter. You try to lift it off and keep it from touching him!"
"Wait, what?" Eijirou's voice rose a notch as he reeled back in horror, his eyes bulging in disbelief. "But what if your acid hits me?"
"Your Hardening can block it!"
"Ashido, how do you even know that—"
"Kirishima, please," Ashido cut in, her voice hoarse and choked, and Eijirou reeled back and clamped his mouth shut. He could see the beginning of tears forming in her eyes as she looked at him, her irises wavering with anxiety and fear. The sight made his stomach sink, swallowing harshly once more.
She's just as scared as I am. She's just as lost and confused.
The thought made something harden in his chest, his expression growing firm. Nodding once, he willed his skin to harden as he reached to grab the rubble. Relief visibly flickered on her face as he moved to help, and her expression quickly grew serious and focused as she turned to place her hands atop the cement chunk.
Acid began to seep through the pores on her palms, the stone sizzling underneath her hands and beginning to melt. A drop of it rolled over the edge and onto Eijirou's arm, making him wince, but to his surprise and relief he didn't feel any pain even as it melted through his sleeve. So his Hardening DID block her acid. Once again he wondered how she knew that, but now wasn't the time.
He whined lowly as he positioned his arms to block a few more drops from hitting the man, his heart pounding anxiously all the while. As the acid ate away more of the stone he could feel the rubble grow lighter, Ashido moving her hands along the surface to spread the melting so it wouldn't be able to eat through it entirely.
After what felt like hours but was probably closer to thirty seconds it was light enough for him to lift it, and Eijirou heaved it off the pinned man with a grunt. He winced at the loud noise as it crashed into some of the other rubble nearby, making him suck in a sharp breath and look back at the villain.
Thankfully, he seemed distracted by the hero. More than that, the hero seemed to be intentionally drawing his attention away, pointedly circling towards the opposite direction to force him to turn away from them and his terrified hostage. Exhaling shakily, Eijirou turned back to see Ashido scrambling to brush away the smaller pieces of rubble from the man, her face twisted with horror as her eyes flitted towards his legs.
When Eijirou followed her gaze he blanched, his face draining of color as he quickly averted his gaze.
He'll live, he told himself silently, sounding just slightly hysterical even inside his own brain. He might need to stop wearing shorts, and maybe get a fake leg, but he'll live.
Ashido hesitated at this point, seeming to be at a loss as to what to do as she stared at the man. As he looked at her Eijirou felt a sudden rush of frustration, and bit his lip as he turned back to the man. Without only a second's hesitation he grabbed his arms, nodding at Ashido. "Grab his legs and help me lift him!" he hissed quietly, trying to avoid getting the villain's attention. Thankfully she seemed to snap out of her stupor before nodding and hurriedly grabbing his legs, grimacing as she did.
The pair moved slowly, carefully lifting him off the rubble. The man groaned in pain, his eyes pinching shut, and they both froze and exchanged panicked looks. When he didn't make any further sounds, they continued to carefully lift him. They didn't dare rush it, each step painfully slow as they continually glanced at each other to measure their pace. Eijirou felt almost stunned by how well they synchronized their movements, matching each other to minimize jostling the man's injuries.
Still, it was far too slow for his liking, and soon enough he heard a bloodcurdling scream that made them freeze. Slowly Eijirou turned his head, and he couldn't stop the startled gasp as he saw the hostage crumpled on the ground next to the villain, her body far too still as he towered over her with a bloody knife.
Did—did he just kill her? As Eijirou struggled to process this new turn of events the man slowly turned his head towards them, making his blood run cold. Shit.
"Well, I still have a few other options," he remarked almost lazily, his voice crossing the distance far too clearly. Even as he spoke Eijirou noticed something dark near the villain's free hand, and his gaze snapped towards it to see his index finger and thumb pressed in a circle, a dark film forming in the hole as he sharply raised his hand. Bubble-like orbs flowed out one after enough, something smoky visible swirling inside them as they flew right towards them.
"SHIT!" he screamed, nearly jumping in horror. He and Ashido both dropped to the ground while somehow maintaining their hold on the man, who released a strangled-sounding groan at the sudden jerking motion. By sheer luck their movements synchronized well enough to avoid outright dropping him, and Ashido released her grip so his legs gently touched the ground. As soon as her hands were free she sprung up and spun to face the incoming bubbles, gritting her teeth as she hurriedly rolled up one sleeve and swung her arm.
Acid sprayed from her skin in a thick arc, spreading through the air like a sheet just before the first bubble reached her. Eijirou heard a series of loud explosions as the bubbles popped and winced as he saw the acid wall waver slightly, but as it fell down he was stunned to see all of the bubbles gone. Did her acid actually just block them!?
Even as he stared he saw the hero lunge towards the villain, jaw unhinging as glowing golden needles shot towards the bomber. The villain responded with a ferocious wave of his arm that created more explosive bubbles, and as the needles hit them a long string of explosions triggered.
Eijirou thought he could hear Ashido scream as his own hands flew to cover his ears, cringing at the sheer volume of the blasts. For something so small, the bubbles had a lot of power in them, and the needles only seemed to amplify their power. He soon found himself cringing for another reason as several stray explosive bubbles zoomed their way—more specifically, directly towards the fallen man next to them.
Mentally cursing (or maybe he did out loud, his ears were ringing too hard to tell the difference), he instinctively hardened his skin and ran towards the man. As he jumped in front of him he silently screamed yet again 'What the hell am I doing!?' and prayed to whatever forces existed that his Hardening could block the explosions as well as Ashido's acid had. The bubbles seemed to move in slow motion as they approached, inching ever closer, and he squeezed his eyes shut just as the first one hit his arm.
Eijirou screamed, the sound fueled more by adrenaline than pain as he recoiled from the blast. Hardening dampened the power of the blast significantly, keeping it from actually hurting him much to his shock. It failed to fully block the concussive force though, and he felt as if he'd been punched with a brick. Two more explosions hit his body as he braced himself, each one just as hard as the first, but nothing too damaging.
Noticing there were less explosions than he'd expected, he opened a single eye and startled when he saw a sheet of acid falling in front of him. He turned his head to see Ashido standing to the side, a frantic look in her eyes as her arm hovered in the air. For a split second their eyes met, just silently communicating their shared shock and terror.
Then a loud scream sounded, breaking the moment. As the acid wall fell away they saw the villain crumpled to his knees, glowing gold needles protruding from his right arm and leg. The hero wasted no time in racing towards him, delivering a powerful uppercut to his jaw that sent him reeling back.
As the villain fell back Eijirou felt a rush of relief, the tension fading from his shoulders as he collapsed to his knees. The hero turned to rush their way and he let himself release a sound of pure relief, shaking his head wildly. Thank All Might, it was over.
(It was, in fact, not over though, but only just the beginning.)
OMAKE
Meanwhile in Musutafu...
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The Quirk-enhanced scream reverberated through the studio, interns and managers alike flinching and covering their ears. The more experienced employees just heaved tired sighs, used to their most popular host's antics. Still, Nemuri found herself worrying as she spun to look at the door to the studio where Hizashi had entered only moments ago. They'd been on their way out when he had to go back to grab his headphones, what could have happened in that short time?
She held her breath as the door opened, but instead of her blond friend Masuda stepped out, still rubbing his ears and grumbling under his breath. She peered around him into the open doorway, and through the glass window of the recording booth she could just glimpse the top of Hizashi's messy bun as he knelt on the floor. The sight made her heart sink, because with a scream like that he must have been upset.
"What happened?" she pressed Masuda, and Masuda met her gaze with the eyes of a man who'd seen far too much BS in one lifetime to care anymore.
"His headphone cord snapped off when he went to unplug them. They're officially dead." Nemuri winced, sucking in a sharp breath of sympathy.
Inside the recording booth Hizashi just cradled his now-cordless headphones against his cheeks, tears streaming down his cheeks as he mourned their loss. "My baby," he whimpered. "My sweet, precious baby...!"
After five years of faithful service throughout all his shows, Yamada Hizashi had removed his headphones for the last time.
Notes:
You know, everyone predicted the messages from Uraraka would be what finally got Ashido moving. Absolutely no one predicted this. I've had this scene written up for a while now, I found a Google doc with parts of this dating back to October 2018. For the record, I actually don't know if Kirishima's Quirk can block Ashido's acid, it's never been addressed in canon, but for the sake of this story it does here! On that note, it was fun writing from Kirishima's perspective. Ashido's finally rubbing off on him!
The omake was inspired by reactions to the ending of the last chapter. I swear I did not mean for it to end so ominously, he'd just been recording in the studio all day. Mic absolutely won't die or get seriously injured anytime soon, don't worry!
Question for next time: what are the most creative/interesting Quirks you've seen a one-off villain have? (Asking because almost everyone seems to go for the "knives/blades for hands" gimmick. There's so many more possibilities out there! Let's get some more variety!)
Chapter 22: The 1-A Vigilantes
Summary:
The Super Happy Funtime Supernatural ESP Investigation Department looks into Uraraka's phone. Meanwhile, Jirou and Kaminari go on their third patrol.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 22
.::The 1-A Vigilantes::.
Among the still-active Pro Heroes in Japan, the name of the Nighteye Agency brought certain expectations.
Sir Nighteye was the epitome of professional, a hero who always carried an air of stoicism and preparation. His crisp silver suit never showed wear or tear no matter how hard he fought, and his yellow-rimmed glasses and sharp golden eyes perfectly matched his even sharper intellect. He could analyze a situation at a mere glance, seldom needing to rely on his Quirk to come out on top of any opponents he engaged.
Beneath that stern, cold exterior though was a man who valued humor above nearly everything else. Though he himself rarely sported a smile, as All Might's former sidekick he knew the power and reassurance a smile could bring. As Japan fell further and further into darkness without the Symbol of Peace, Sir Nighteye espoused this value to all of his employees.
The work values of the Nighteye Agency could be summed up in two words: Professionalism, and Positivity. All employees were expected to handle their jobs with as much efficiency as possible, while also making sure they never lost the ability to smile no matter how grim reality became. After all, if even the heroes stopped smiling, then how could the public ever feel safe again?
Perhaps the best example of these values was the General Analysis Team—or as their colleagues liked to fondly call it, the "Super Happy Funtime Supernatural ESP Investigation Department."
The first half of the nickname came from the sidekick Figment, whose Quirk External Daydream allowed him to cast a large-scale illusion over any enclosed space. While he could use it in more practical ways like hiding a room's content or making there appear to be a small army of people waiting for an ambush, he preferred to use it more... creatively.
On this fine Saturday morning, anyone who entered the communal office space would find themselves in what appeared to be the inside of a lava lamp. Glowing bubbles of orange and pink plasma drifted around the space lazily, their shapes slowly morphing to form puffy 1s and 0s in a mockery of binary code. The air itself had a pinkish tint, sometimes fluctuating with other colors around particularly large bubbles of lava.
This was actually rather tame by Figment's standards, but the two and a half coworkers currently present in the office appreciated him toning it down so they could focus on their own work. Moashi Juzo, better known as Centipeder, was currently huddled in a corner reviewing a case file on a string of attacks against people with mutation Quirks. Meanwhile, the table at the center of the room was occupied by Sayonaka Saki, (slightly) better known as Lady of the Night.
Tall with narrow brown eyes and a brown bob styled to frame her face and accentuate her sharp features, Saki almost always carried an air of professionalism. Donning a black lacey mask and an outfit that Miss Joke once called "business woman meets pirate," she would dispatch villains with a brutal efficiency that could put even Sir Nighteye himself to shame. Her skill and dedication had led to her becoming one of his most trusted colleagues and subordinates by the age of twenty-seven.
Which made her office's state all that much more comical.
Like everyone else at the Nighteye Agency, Saki had her own unique brand of humor and plenty of personality quirks (pun absolutely intended). Anyone who opened the door to her personal office would find quite possibly the most disorganized space in the entire building, her desk and shelves littered with countless trinkets and random baubles. Even the walls had been plastered with everything from photos to drawings to magazine clippings, to the point people had bets about its actual color.
The cluttered mess in her office was such a sharp contrast from her apparent serious demeanor that it honestly made some people laugh, thinking it was a joke. Then when they'd watch her casually stroll inside and sit at her computer, their amusement would soon turn to dawning horror as they realized no, she actually used this space and she was in fact a Grade A hoarder.
Frankly, most people considered it a minor miracle she could find anything there. Of course, Saki knew exactly where to find whatever she might need in there at any given time, and she kept all those things for a specific reason (yes, even the burnt-out lightbulb, Genkaku).
It did, however, leave her with very little space to actually work in her office. Hence why she sat in the communal office space today, idly swirling a pen around one of the illusory lava clouds while she turned over a phone in her other hand. It had a rather feminine case, pink with white moons and stars printed on it—a perfect fit for the profile she'd been given on Uraraka Ochaco.
The request from UA's remnants to investigate the girl's phone had been quickly pushed to the top of their investigation pile. Their agency had a good working relationship with them after all, but more than that, a teenage girl's life might be on the line. Uraraka had contact with Midoriya Izuku and Shigaraki Tomura just that very week, which meant she'd likely be a target of the Alliance.
Nezu had managed to get into the phone the same day she disappeared, as Uraraka's mother happened to know the password. From there the investigation had hit the first roadblock, since she'd cleared her recent search and browsing history. It seemed she'd researched how to make it as hard to trace her as possible, another point in favor of her running away willingly. The information could be recovered of course, but it would take some time.
However, amusingly enough, she hadn't cleared everything. Random checks of various popular sites turned up a saved login for FacePage. Upon logging in, he'd found a single friend and conversation in her messenger history, which brought Nezu to the second roadblock.
While the account hadn't had its friends or chat history wiped, they had no way of actually finding out who "Alien_Queen_Pink" was. FacePage had become very privacy-oriented in face of the mounting dangers and public fear, to the point they hired people with Quirks that could encrypt the information and data on multiple levels. Each layer of additional Quirks on top of the site's built-in security measures made it that much harder to bypass it whether through Quirks or hacking.
In short, no one—villain or hero—could directly trace the anonymous accounts back to their sources. It was a revolutionary security feat that could only be accomplished with the infinite possibilities and combinations of Quirks the modern world provided.
Requesting the information directly from FacePage would take too much time. Just getting the warrant approved could take more than a month, and it would still take them at least two weeks to go through their own security. And unfortunately for them, Uraraka's friend had not given enough details to positively identify herself.
And that was where Saki came in.
Like her employer, Saki didn't have an obvious or flashy Quirk. In fact, hers might be one of the plainest ones out there, one people would never associate with a hero—and also half the inspiration for the second part of the GAT's nickname.
Psychometry, the ability to glean information about a person through physical contact with them or an object they possessed.
Even now images flowed through her mind as her fingers curled around the phone, her pen slicing through a pinkish-orange zero as she brought it back down to the sketchbook. A strange-looking girl stared up at her, with bright irises that contrasted with dark sclera and small, crooked horns protruding from her forehead. She etched in more lines around her hair, adding an air of shagginess to the already messy outline.
As she put on the finishing touch she frowned, letting the pen slip from her fingers. "Hey, Mail, mind playing soundboard for a bit?" she asked.
"Always," came the blithe response from directly above her. She tipped her head back to see the spectacled male floating above her, stretched out as if laying on his stomach with his arms pooled around his head while he peered down at her. She scooted her chair back a bit so he could get a better angle to look at the drawing, watching his torso dip down to study it while his legs continued to float above him.
Mail stood out at Nighteye Agency in a different way than most, and not just because he looked like a foreign-born teenager. Instead of a brightly colored costume or a neatly pressed business suit he wore a rumpled, dark blue polo shirt and faded slacks, his socks a dirty-looking gray-white. His natural coloring didn't stand out much more, with shaggy, dark brown hair and even his naturally tan complexion an almost dusty shade much less lively than typically associated with the sun.
His creamy-white-orange eyes probably provided the brightest spot of color he had, but few people noticed them the way Saki did. They had a curious glint as he looked at the drawing, slowly spinning to "lie" on his back as he rubbed his chin. "It's pretty detailed," he mused. "You got a pretty good look at this girl, huh?"
"Yeah, there was a lot more than just a photo. Those came from live memories. Her skin and hair is pink, by the way," she added casually. "Her irises are yellow, same with the horns. Uraraka's main impression of her is 'loud,' 'fun' and 'pink.'"
Mail hummed, his gaze flicking towards her upside-down. "You even got her impressions on another person? That's rare. So either her online buddy really reminded her of someone she knew, or they'd met?"
"I'm not actually sure," Saki said with a sigh, leaning back in her chair with a frown. "Something's really odd about this case." Psychometry didn't let her automatically know everything about an item's history. Instead, it picked up on the thoughts of the person holding the item, starting with the ones with the strongest emotions.
The first impression would always be the strongest, and after that more information would trickle into her mind slowly. The longer she maintained physical contact the clearer they would become, but even the strongest thoughts and memories tended to give her only brief glimpses of images that didn't last more than half a second. Generally she wouldn't have enough material to be able to make such a detailed sketch.
For some reason though, this girl's face had featured very prominently in Uraraka's thoughts while holding the phone. Saki had glimpsed her in a myriad of different outfits, but hadn't paid much attention to them since she'd focused on her face. "I think she sometimes wore a school uniform," she murmured thoughtfully, closing her eyes as she squeezed the phone. "It had... a blazer, I think?"
When she opened her eyes again Mail was sitting upright, looking at her almost intensely. "Are there stronger memories?" he asked.
"There are," she confirmed, setting the phone down on the table. She pushed aside the sketchbook and dragged over another open notebook, picking up the pen to begin jotting down thoughts and observations. "She was also thinking about Midoriya and Shigaraki a lot too, mostly Midoriya. She had a lot of worry and guilt associated with him. Something about... a plane crash?"
"Flight 174," Mail murmured. "His parents died in it."
"Is that what happened? Here I figured his mom died in a fire or something." Mail snorted and her own mouth twitched into a brief smile before quickly fading, becoming serious once more as she wrote '174'. "There's one other word that keeps surfacing. Quirkless."
"He was diagnosed as Quirkless," Mail mused, and his voice grew bitter, an ugly scowl twisting his face. "It's why the search efforts never really took off. No one cares about Quirkless orphans." Saki's grip tightened around her pen, her mouth pressing into a tight line. Yet another case of discrimination, huh.
"This is how you end up with dangerous trained child assassins hell-bent on taking down society," she groaned, rubbing her forehead. From the corner of her eye she noticed Moashi startle at his table and shoot her a particularly quizzical look, but she ignored him to refocus on Mail. "Okay, that part sucks, but she seemed weirdly stuck on it."
"Like, bigoted stuck?" he asked flatly, but she shook her head.
"No, like surprised. Like she expected... something else. It confused her." Mail's scowl softened to a more regular frown at that, crossing his arms and slowly spinning in the air as he mulled over it.
"The Midoriya family, or at least Inko and Izuku, never took a vacation outside of Musutafu. The closest thing would be some day trips to attend some hero conventions or meetups. Then from what Nezu said, the Uraraka family didn't get their big financial break until two years after he went missing. Before that they never had the funds for a proper family vacation. I can't think of a single opportunity for them to have met."
As Mail mused aloud to himself Saki paused, something suddenly clicking. "He wasn't a kid," she said slowly, and he stilled, his expression sharpening at her sudden switch to Russian.
"She has no memories of him as a child?" he asked, his own Russian slightly stilted but soon flowing much more naturally off his tongue than Japanese. Saki shook her head, a heavy frown forming.
"All of her thoughts of him have him as a teenager." She dropped the pen, grabbing Uraraka's cell phone and squeezing it tight. More images and thoughts flowed through her mind, pictures and feelings swirling faster and faster—Midoriya, fear, admiration, concern, villains, mall, Kamino, summer, robots, floating, falling—
She had to drop the phone at that point, hissing as she clutched at her head. Her brain felt sore and jumbled now, the speedy influx of images overloading her mind. As she pressed tighter in hopes the pressure could ease some of the aching she could hear the others get up from their desks to hurry over, Mail no doubt hovering closer as well. "Saki, give me a number," he ordered softly.
"Six," she gritted out. Six was relatively light by her standards, a very bad headache but not yet a migraine, but that didn't ease the pain in the moment. She could hear Moashi's steps approach her deliberately from the right, making sure she could hear him and avoid startling her.
"I believe you should take a break, Sayonaka," he suggested gently. "I could tell you were concentrating your psychometry more intensely even from halfway across the room. Pushing yourself won't do any good."
"Listen to the centipede man," Mail agreed sagely. "He is older and wiser than us both."
"Yeah, he's in charge of this team for a reason," Figment snorted. Saki just hummed quietly, massaging the area around her eyes as she tried to slow her thoughts. It was easier said than done though, unable to stop thinking about the dozens of brief glimpses of Uraraka's thoughts and feelings. All tiny pieces of a puzzle that still had many larger ones missing.
Something strange was going on, even more strange than anyone else could imagine.
"My babies are ready!"
Kaminari choked on the Electric Limeade soda he'd been drinking while Kyouka only barely managed to avoid knocking her laptop off her lap as Hatsume burst through the door from her workshop space. The eccentric inventor looked particularly manic at that moment, her pink dreadlocks more unkempt than usual and her eyes so wide they could barely see her irises.
"Did you get any sleep last night?" Kyouka asked while Kaminari coughed and hacked next to her.
"No time for sleep, babies needed to be finished!" Hatsume responded with missing a beat, turning to drag two mannequins behind her. At some point that week she'd procured two mannequins attached to wheeled stands to host their costumes during her tinkering. Kyouka legitimately had no idea when or where she'd gotten them, they just seemed to magically appear one day and gave her a heart attack.
Their costumes looked largely unchanged from the last time she'd seen them. They hadn't found a need for any major alterations, just some minor changes to the equipment Hatsume came up with after reading up all the theories and gossip and one minor cosmetic detail. It still surprised her Hatsume finished it so fast though.
"Should we test it before patrol?" she asked, folding her laptop and setting it on the coffee table.
"Already handled it!" Hatsume replied without missing a beat. "The changes don't actually use your Quirks so I took care of all the testing myself!"
"I-is that why—hack—y-your hair's all frizzy?" Kaminari asked breathlessly, his coughing finally starting to subside. At that point Kyouka realized that Hatsume's hair did indeed look a bit more frizzy around the edges... and just slightly burnt.
"They're perfectly functional and will not explode!" she replied, totally ignoring the question and raising completely new concerns. "Just put them on and go show my babies to the world!"
"Only if you take a nap while we're gone," Kyouka said flatly. And so half an hour later found them outside the warehouse on their third-ever patrol, now fitted with their slightly remodeled gear and probably ready to face whatever came their way.
Contrary to their first outing, vigilantism turned out to overall be fairly dull and mundane. They'd done their second patrol the previous evening, starting at eleven and returning to the warehouse around one thirty. In that time Kyouka and Kaminari got no action other than stopping a single mugger, and that hadn't even required a fight since the mugger just ran the second he saw them. They returned earlier than planned because they just didn't have much to do.
After thinking about it, Kyouka figured it wasn't actually all that surprising. While crime was more rampant in this world compared to their own, the types of crime were different. It either tended to be small fry like muggers, or big stuff like attacks in the middle of the city—way beyond what a couple of teenage vigilantes could handle. Hosu also still had a couple of publicly operating heroes like Ingenium on patrol, who typically handled bigger villains.
Honestly, it was pure luck they'd gotten to stop that convenience store robbery on their very first outing. It didn't take long for Ingenium to arrive after the police had been called, and that was the general pattern for his responses to robberies like that.
Maybe that one quiet patrol worked to their advantage though, because it gave Hatsume time to upgrade their gear before their next big debut.
"Do you really think this stuff won't explode?" Kaminari asked doubtfully as they trailed through an alleyway.
"Probably," Kyouka responded with less confidence than she liked. She raised a hand for him to be quiet before he could whine, picking up on three sets of footsteps nearby. Peering around the edge of the alley, she saw a woman striding down the street rather fast while nervously glancing over her shoulder at the pair of men walking behind her. They weren't facing her so Kyouka couldn't tell much, but something about the way they moved left a bad taste in her mouth.
She pulled back and held up two fingers to Kaminari to signal two hostiles. He nodded as he took a chance to peek at them, but tensed and then made a nonsensical hand signal before bursting into the street. Kyouka mentally cursed as she moved to follow but stopped short. In the time she hadn't been looking the men had made their move, one's arm split apart into fleshy-colored extensions that wrapped around the terrified woman's body and mouth.
She ducked back into the alley before they could notice her. No point exposing both of them at once. "HEY!" Kaminari shouted, and the trio turned to look at him in surprise. Now that Kyouka had a better view of their faces, she got an idea of their Quirks. The guy holding the woman looked average enough aside from his arm splitting up and stretching like bands of cloth, but the other had scales around his eyes and smoke furling out the corners of his mouth.
"Who the hell're you?" the smoking man scoffed, turning to face Kaminari with a scowl.
"The guy who's about to kick your ass," Kaminari replied. While he talked to the man Kyouka retreated deeper into the alley with a glance at the roof. Climbing up there would make too much noise, so she decided to circle around the building and exit from the next alleyway down for a pincer maneuver. It took her almost a full minute, but she trusted Kaminari to be able to distract them.
By the time she emerged back onto the street Kaminari was holding his own pretty well, just telling off the guys. "Seriously, can't you just pick up a girl normally like everyone else?" he ranted. "Randomly grabbing her off the street is a serious turn-off, dude."
"For the last time, we don't want to freaking date her!" the split-arm guy growled while his companion had even more smoke pouring from his face. With their attention firmly focused on Kaminari, Kyouka glanced at her remodeled amplifier jacks to plan her next move. The core functionality remained the same of course, but the rumors about Kaminari's gloves having a taser function had seriously inspired Hatsume.
In her words: What better way to hide their Quirk than to pretend they didn't have one?
The idea sounded crazy at first, but it made sense once Kyouka figured out what she actually meant by that. They could supplement their actual Quirks with gear that mimicked other Quirks, adding red herrings to the speculation. Since no one had more than one Quirk, people would naturally connect it to the gear even when they actually used their Quirks. They might even believe them to actually be Quirkless.
At least, that's what Kyouka figured Hatsume's statement meant. She hadn't actually said anything else before holing herself up in the lab, and only gave them a bare-bones rundown on how the new equipment worked before they left. Right now she could think of one feature that would be useful, and she grimaced at the thought but pushed past it.
Catching Kaminari's eye, she tapped her ear and got a subtle nod from him, and she slowly bent down to run her fingers against her boots. It didn't take long to find two buttons side-by-side near the top of the left boot, and she took a breath to brace herself. Her earphone jacks plugged into her sound-canceling headphones, the world becoming a bit more muffled around her, and she pressed down.
An ear-splitting shriek erupted from the speakers, making her wince. Noise-canceling headphones only did so much even when she plugged her earphone jacks into them, her hearing too sensitive for them to fully work, but it negated the worst of the damage. The villains shouted in alarm as they jumped, the one holding the woman hostage loosening his grip as his free hand shot up to clutch one ear.
Kaminari was less bothered, having already switched on his own headphones, and immediately launched a lightning rod at the guy with the smoking mouth. Even as he shot the first bolt of electricity at him Kyouka charged, grabbing the woman's arm and successfully yanking her free. The man spun to face her and lashed out violently, his arm splitting into more rope-like sections, but she barely dodged out of the way while shoving the woman away.
"Run and call the police!" she ordered the woman. The screeching from the boots' speakers had already ceased, but between that and yanking the woman free it had disoriented the guy long enough for Kaminari to throw a disc at his arm. Following Hatsume's idea of Quirk-mimicking gear, she'd developed a few discs for Kaminari that would shock whoever they attached to without him using his Quirk.
Sure enough, the villain screamed as electricity coursed through it, the extensions of his arm waving around wildly like the streamers on a carp kite. Smoke began to rise from it too, probably a really bad sign that made Kaminari curse in a panic. Kyouka paid it little mind though, her attention focused on the other guy whose cheeks now puffed up as he glared at the blond.
Instinct took over at the threat to her friend, slamming her hands on the ground next to his feet as her earphone jacks plugged into the amplifier jacks. She activated her Quirk and the pavement cracked under her palms, breaking apart under the man's feet and knocking him off-balance. Kyouka delivered a harsh punch to the back of his knee for good measure, and rolled out of the way side as he went down.
In the meantime the other guy had finally stopped spasming from the shock, the disc thankfully not exploding. Kaminari didn't give him a chance to recover, lunging at him and slamming his fist into his stomach. The man went skidding back with a pained wheeze, clutching his stomach as he tried to get his footing. Kyouka had coincidentally rolled in his direction, so he ended up tripping over her. Not something she planned, but she wasn't complaining as he went down with a groan.
More importantly though, the other guy was still conscious, and judging by the glare he shot Kyouka he was furious. His eyes almost seemed to glow with hatred as his cheeks puffed up, dark wisps of smoke already escaping the corners of his mouth. Oh, shit.
At that moment Kaminari basically crashed into him, diving down so his shoulder collided with the man's stomach. His breath escaped with a pained shout, fire and smoke spewing almost harmlessly into the sky as the impact rolled him onto his back. Figuring Kaminari had it handled Kyouka quickly crawled over to the other guy, pulling zip ties from her pocket to quickly tie up his arms.
Fortunately he was too dazed and sore to resist, and by the time she finished and turned around Kaminari had started restraining the other guy. She noted he'd shoved a wad of fabric in his mouth, making her arch her eyebrows. "What is that?"
"My old socks," Kaminari responded proudly, making her almost flinch. "I took them off when changing earlier and slipped them into my pocket on accident I guess, but hey, it works!"
...Kyouka didn't even like the villain, but she felt nothing but sympathy for the look of pure disgust and horror he sported at the revelation. "Find something that doesn't have your DNA on it," she grumbled, resisting the urge to smack her forehead at his stupidity. Kaminari's proud smile quickly faded as he nodded and got up to run to the alley, leaving Kyouka to watch over the would-be villains.
Their second take-down was a lot rougher than their first, but they did it. They managed to take down two thugs and save a woman. Her eyes flickered around the street, soon settling on a security camera above the door to one of the nearby buildings pointed right at them. She stared at it for several moments before deliberately turning her back on it.
Later when police would review the security footage of the encounter, they would have a clear shot of the large, white "1-A" embroidered on the back of both vigilantes' jackets.
Notes:
To everyone wondering how Kaminari and Jirou would try to be found by others: here's your answer. Also, say hi to Saki and Mail! Genuinely can't say which half of the chapter excites me more. Quick note: Mail is pronounced like "Mile", not "male". I have no idea what country that name is from (I have seen people with that name though, including Matt from Death Note), so if anyone knows I'd be really grateful! It doesn't matter to the overall story but I'm just really curious.
Question for next time: what other "fake Quirks" can you imagine Hatsume creating with her inventions? (Asking because I may end up using some. I've got a couple other inventions in mind, but more ideas are always welcome!)
Chapter 23: Nostalgia and New Alliances
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 23
.::Nostalgia and Alliances::.
Today, Izuku was determined to finally, finally put his plan into action. This time he wouldn't let anything deter him. Almost all of the villains were out today, whether to perform crimes or some other tasks they wouldn't share with him. Even Kurogiri and Shigaraki had left for whatever reason, and as far as Izuku knew the only ones hanging around besides the basic grunts were Magne and—most importantly—Seiko.
Closing the door to his room after returning from lunch, he took a breath and called out hesitantly. "Seiko?"
"Yes?" He jumped and whirled around with a startled shout to find her standing behind him, that same eerie blank look on her face as always. At this point he probably shouldn't be surprised by her ability to appear literally out of no where, but he was still caught off-guard by how fast she responded.
"A-are you always watching me!?" he asked, clutching at his chest.
"I am," she responded simply, and he almost faltered at how bluntly she answered him. Seriously!? That really did not ease his nerves.
Talking to Seiko always left Izuku feeling unsettled. Beyond the whole appearing out of no where thing, she also just carried this bizarre aura that left his nerves on edge. Maybe it was the fact she almost never showed emotion, save for a rare quirk of her lips. Or maybe it was her eyes. They just had this—emptiness to them, almost as if something was missing, but he had no idea what.
Something about Seiko just felt... wrong.
Still, despite all that, she was probably the person Izuku trusted the most right now. It was bizarre to think that because he knew even less about her than all of the other villains. However, so far she had only been helpful—even if it was in her own, creepy way—hence why he felt she was the only one he could approach about this.
So he pushed against his misgivings, silently steeling himself before speaking. "Everyone should be gone for the next few hours, right?" he asked, and Seiko inclined her head.
"Yes. I would advise against leaving without Kurogiri teleporting you though. It's dangerous to leave the building directly."
"That's fine, I don't want to go anywhere," Izuku replied, and took a deep breath. "Can you help me with something?" She inclined her head slightly, a silent indication for him to elaborate, so he pushed on. "You know about how I've been trying to fix things with Kacchan, right? A-and, also, how I've been spending a lot of time with Hijack...?"
He trailed off, but Seiko gave no sign of affirmation, merely continued to gaze at him with that unreadable blank look. Gulping, he decided to just get to the point. "Can—can you help me get them together? In one place? I need to talk to them, together."
Seiko finally blinked for the first time this entire conversation, her head returning to its normal upright position. "I see. And you are asking me to help, rather than Shigaraki or Kurogiri, because you do not wish them to know?"
"Pretty much," Izuku confirmed. "They'd probably want to supervise it, and I don't think Kacchan or Hijack would feel comfortable." That was an understatement. Izuku wouldn't feel comfortable with a deadly villain hovering in the corner even if he didn't have a plan and just wanted to genuinely hang out. Shigaraki would probably join the conversation and/or spend the entire time muttering ominous threats, while Kurogiri would probably just hover there watching them silently. He didn't know which would be worse.
As it stood, having either of them there to supervise would get in the way of his plan anyway, so he didn't dwell on it. "I just want to be able to talk to them both at once. Alone, if possible," he added. "It... might make things easier."
Seiko said nothing for a long moment, those eerie luminescent black and white eyes seeming to penetrate into his very soul. He suppressed a shiver, just meeting them as squarely as he could. Finally though she walked past him, opening the door and stepping into the hall. Izuku turned to watch her in surprise for a few moments, unsure what to do until she spoke up. "We should go now."
Izuku startled at that, but quickly perked up and hurried after her as relief washed over him. She agreed. He hadn't been entirely sure she'd be willing to help, so the fact she agreed so easily made the tension seep from his body. He'd worried she might have wanted more information first, he didn't want her to try to stop him or tell someone else. By the time she figured out what he intended, it would (hopefully) be too late to stop it.
They moved through the halls in silence, Seiko leading the way as she always did. It didn't take him long to realize where they were going, stepping a little closer to her with a small frown. "Are we going to Hijack's room?" he asked in a hushed voice.
"We are," Seiko confirmed. "He's quieter and will be easier to move." Izuku winced at her words, thinking of why Shinsou was so quiet.
"But—that thing around his ankle," he pressed anxiously after a few seconds. "Isn't it, like, to keep him in that room?" He hadn't paid much attention to the bracelet around Shinsou's ankle, more distracted by the muzzle custom fit to his jaw, but the blinking red light on the band gave him a bad feeling.
"It restricts his movements to the building, not just that room," Seiko responded. "It won't detonate if he leaves." Izuku stopped short at that, his jaw dropping open in absolute horror as the blood drained from his face.
"It's a BOMB?" he squeaked.
"Technically yes," Seiko responded way too casually for such a serious and horrifying topic. "I doubt he is aware though. Its main usage is the electrocution function." Izuku just gaped at her retreating back, his horror only growing. Seiko never broke her stride, and after several long seconds he gulped and jogged after her.
There were so many things wrong with this situation, and somehow it got even worse. Forget trying to get home, this plan NEEDED to work for their sakes.
When they reached Shinsou's room Seiko stepped aside, allowing Izuku to enter the code and open the door. He found the other teen reclined on the bed playing Mario Kart, reflexively hitting the pause button as he turned to look at Izuku. He felt awkward under Shinsou's silent stare, shuffling anxiously in the doorway.
"Hey," he greeted awkwardly. "Um, I know this is sudden, but you know how I've been talking about my friend Kacchan being here too?" Izuku had made sure to tell both teens about each other, partially to explain why he had to split his time but also for the sake of the plan. Shinsou arched an eyebrow and nodded, as if to say 'go on,' so Izuku took a deep breath. "Well, um, everyone's gone right now so I want to take you to meet him. C-can you grab your whiteboard?"
Shinsou raised both eyebrows now, clearly surprised, but after several long seconds he put down the controller and grabbed his whiteboard and marker. Izuku stepped aside as Shinsou walked over so he could walk out first, the other teen pausing briefly to stare at the ground before stepping through the door almost cautiously.
Seiko stood outside waiting for them, and as soon as Izuku closed the door she turned and started walking. Shinsou seemed taken aback by her presence, shooting Izuku a heavily questioning look clearly asking, "What the actual hell is going on? Who is that? Is that a kid?" He could only reply with a shrug and helpless smile, which quickly turned into a grimace as they started following Seiko.
They walked down the hallway in silence, the air almost tense. Seiko seemed to be immune to the tension as always, or maybe she caused it. Either way it set his nerves on edge, and he couldn't help but worry about someone appearing around every corner. Judging by the way Shinsou glanced around he might be paranoid too... or he might just be looking around because he'd never been out of that room.
When was the last time he even saw the sky? Izuku wondered, and then had to dismiss the thought because it was just too depressing. He focused on following Seiko to Bakugou's room, where she once more stepped aside so he could enter. He stood in front of the door and took a deep breath, steeling himself before he knocked and pushed it open.
No going back now.
Bakugou Katsuki was meant to be a hero.
That's what people had told him from practically the day he was born. The moment his Quirk manifested everyone swarmed around him, eyes alight with awe and admiration as they showered him with praise. "Explosions are so powerful!" "You'll be an unbeatable hero!" "With a Quirk like that you'll be Number One for sure!"
He'd preened under the attention, absorbed every word and reflected them with pride. Everyone else around him became nothing but extras, the world elevating Katsuki straight into the spotlight as the main character. Looking back he'd say that could have been his folly. He'd been too proud.
Reality had hit him hard and early with the death of All Might.
Even before the rest of the world began to go to shit, even before Pro Heroes began dropping like flies and missing posters plastered every wall, Katsuki's world shattered at the age of eight. He'd never forget sitting with Deku in absolute silence, watching the smoking remains of a city where the Number One Hero had engaged in battle with some villain called All For One. The name had sounded so stupid, he'd thought, but looking at the absolute carnage left by their fight had rendered him mute.
That day, Katsuki learned that a powerful Quirk wasn't everything. Sometimes, it was even bad. That lethal battle between All Might and All For One wouldn't have been nearly as devastating if they hadn't both been so ridiculously powerful. Tokyo would still be standing if Endeavor's opponent hadn't been the walking equivalent of a nuclear bomb, radiating corrosive mist that melted everything and everyone it came into contact with.
Katsuki looked at the endless news footage of Tokyo's devastation days after that fight ended, watching as yet another building collapsed behind a reporter and kicked up a giant dust cloud without any external provocation. And he thought of his own Quirk, which could be so destructive if he wasn't careful.
Even before Tokyo fell though, and after All Might died, there had been one more event that hammered in how Quirks weren't everything.
The day Auntie Inko and Uncle Hisashi died in a plane crash.
During the funeral he'd felt numb, just staring at their empty caskets as Deku silently cried while holding the old hag's hand. Even then it didn't feel real that they were gone, but most of all to something like that.
Plane crashes couldn't be stopped by explosions. There were no villains to beat, no room for a fantasy where he would show up and stop it before it crashed and save the day. Even if he'd already been the Number One Hero, he wouldn't have been able to do anything to help them until it already was too late. No amount of training would make his Quirk magically able to prevent the plane from crashing.
For the first time in his life, Bakugou Katsuki realized being a hero meant more than just winning, and that his Quirk wouldn't always be enough to save the day.
That revelation had hung over him for weeks afterwards, leaving him just as quiet and somber as the perpetually-crying Deku. The two boys had spent countless hours huddled up in Katsuki's room, neither of them speaking and just leaning against each other as each ruminated in their own thoughts. At school kids left them both alone, the relentless teasing towards Deku from their peers ending.
When a month passed and the first kid finally tried to tease Deku again, he'd stopped short when Katsuki glared at him. The next kid got a much more physical lesson on why no one should pick on him anymore. After all, what point was there in mocking someone for being Quirkless when there were situations where their Quirks wouldn't matter? Most Quirks wouldn't have been able to save Auntie or Uncle.
In some scenarios, they'd all be as good as Quirkless.
Katsuki's biggest regret in life was that he never figured out how to vocalize any of that to Deku. Even as Katsuki finally began to come to terms with all these new revelations and regained his usual hot-headed demeanor, he didn't talk about it to Deku. He was only eight, he had no idea how to even begin to talk about sappy emotional stuff like that. And Deku was still sad, he'd lost his parents for crying out loud! It wasn't the time to have some sappy heart-to-heart conversation about his newfound understanding of what it meant to be a hero or whatever.
Maybe if he had, Deku would still be there.
The day that Deku ran away had been cold and rainy. The hag and his dad had gone crazy when they realized what the idiot had done, calling up all the neighbors and parents to start a search party. Katsuki remembered his parents shoving him with Old Mrs. Hanamura down the street before rushing out the door, never looking so absolutely frantic in their lives.
Katsuki spent almost every day with Mrs. Hanamura for the next two weeks while his parents searched and searched. Deku had taken almost all the pictures they had of him and Auntie and Uncle, and the next day his family's house caught fire, only adding to the panic and fear. At first a lot of people helped look, but as time went on less and less people helped. Finally one night his mom came home with her eyes rimmed red, cursing the police at the top of her lungs between shaky sobs as his dad hugged her tight, and he realized Deku would probably never come back.
For years, the last memory Katsuki would have of Midoriya Izuku would be of a sad eight-year-old boy sitting on the edge of his bed, staring down at the photo of his eighth birthday with hollow green eyes.
Katsuki would never imagine that eight years later upon finally reuniting with his childhood best friend, he would try to bash in his face.
To be fair, he also never imagined that reunion would take place after being kidnapped by villains and having his hands stuck in metal handcuffs, so he figured he was absolutely justified in being pissed off. Deku apparently agreed, seeing as he stopped the villains' fucking leader from trying to disintegrate his face. Figures that even after spending eight years living with villains, stupid Deku would still be a crybaby pushover.
He never got a solid explanation for how Deku ended up there. The bastard always avoided the question until Katsuki finally gave up asking. Deku obviously knew this whole thing was fucked up, judging by how he was always fidgeting and avoiding his eyes, but he still never tried to fix anything. Which was bullshit, because if he could get away with calling Shigaraki "Tomura-nii" then he had carte blanche of this place!
However, even with all that, this took the cake.
The visit started normal enough. He'd been sitting on the bed bored out of his mind like usual when he heard the familiar knock followed by it opening, and turned to see Deku scramble in like always. Any normality flew out the window the second a second person followed him inside, making him bolt upright as his guard instantly flew up. Deku had never brought another visitor before.
"What the hell, Deku?" he asked, straight to the point as always. "Is that—what the actual fuck?" His questions abruptly died as his eyes zeroed in on the muzzle wrapped around the other guy's face, just stunned. The new teen cringed and backed up a bit under his stare, obviously self-conscious and uncomfortable.
"Uh, I'll explain in a second," Deku mumbled, closing the door almost hesitantly. As he did he peeked into the hallway one last time, as if checking something. By that point the mysterious stranger had already taken the opportunity to write on his whiteboard and turned it to Katsuki.
'Hello Kacchan.' Katsuki could feel his eye twitch at the written nickname.
"Are you Hijack?" he guessed irritably. Deku had mentioned the vigilante and that he'd been muzzled, but he hadn't thought—fuck, he thought he'd just been gagged or something! When the mystery fucker nodded he turned to Deku to growl, "Did you even bother to tell the fucker my actual name?"
"It... might have slipped my mind?" Deku said sheepishly after a few seconds. Both of them gave him rather unimpressed looks, making him cringe.
"My name's Bakugou Katsuki, not 'Kacchan,'" Katsuki told Hijack. "I only let Deku get away with that because I don't have a choice."
'Respect,' Hijack wrote with a sage nod while Deku winced next to him.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled miserably, which he fucking should be, but then shook his head and seemed to get ahold of himself. "Look, Hijack, can you sit down? I'll apologize more later but right now I don't know how long we have so we should get started." Hijack shot him a curious look as he went to sit on the bed, making sure to give Katsuki space, while Katsuki's eyes narrowed.
"What're you up to now, Deku?" he asked lowly. "This isn't just some shitty meet-and-greet, is it? Are you even allowed to do this?"
"Probably not," Deku admitted, reaching into his pocket. "But I've been thinking of how to do this for a while, and it's easier to tell you both at once. And even then, there's just—so much, I don't even know where to begin. Everything's so screwed up and I have no idea where to even begin with fixing it. But after thinking about it I thought of this, and, well, it's probably a better starting point than anything I can come up with."
He pulled out an envelope and thrust it at Hijack, the purple-haired teenager taking it with an almost suspicious look while Bakugou leaned over his shoulder to read the writing. Izuku - Read In Case of Emergency. Shooting Deku one last wary look, Hijack opened it and pulled out a letter.
The next five minutes proved to be awkward as fuck, because with his hands restrained in those blocky metal restraints Katsuki couldn't actually hold the paper. He ended up needing to leave it to the Purple Vigilante Wonder to angle and turn the pages for him to read, which only reminded him of how screwed he was. His irritation didn't make him too receptive to the letter's contents, either. The whole time Deku stood in silence, which didn't fucking help his mood.
"So you just get fucking random laser-guided amnesia with no warning!?" he demanded once he and Hijack finally finished reading the letter.
Deku winced, just bobbing his head. "I-I know it sounds crazy, but it's true!" he babbled. "Two weeks ago I woke up and I knew nothing in that letter! I didn't know about mom and dad, All Might, the Villain Alliance—none of it!" Katsuki scoffed, only half-buying it, but the Purple Fucker seemed to be considering something as he picked up his whiteboard.
'Is that why you suddenly stopped visiting?' he wrote, and Katsuki looked at him quizzically while Deku winced, his head hanging even lower.
"Yeah, it is," he admitted miserably. "I completely forgot about everything, including you two. The letter mentioned you but the last thing on the list at the end was about Kacchan getting stuck here, and when I read that I panicked and couldn't think of anything else. After that I became focused on figuring out what's going on and just making sure no one realized I'm having an episode."
"Why the hell would that matter?" Katsuki snapped. He then flinched when Deku raised his head sharply, his eyes filled with tears but looking strangely determined.
"Because if they got too worried, I wouldn't be able to do anything to help you two!" The outburst silenced him, both his and Hijack's eyes widening as Deku began rambling—no, not rambling, ranting. "Everything about this world's so screwed up and I have no idea how to even begin fixing it! I can't just talk to Shigaraki and ask him to stop, I can't get Toga to leave Hijack alone, I don't even know how to get off that damn muzzle, or why Seiko is here, or what Aiko does but it's got to be screwed up if she's working with the Alliance and I still don't know why she has Aizawa-sensei's goggles—There's just too much!"
Tears streamed freely down Deku's face as he pulled at his hair, but this time they were tears of frustration, his voice rising to an angry pitch. "Everything's just—it's all so screwed up and I feel like I can't do anything! I feel like a stupid, useless Deku and I hate it, guys! I hate it so much! So, please!" He let out an almost desperate whine, turning pleading, begging eyes to them. "Please, you have to work with me so I can save you! I can't just stand by and do nothing, but I can't do anything on my own!"
With those words Deku finally fell silent, his breathing harsh and labored after all the energy put into the rant. Katsuki felt frozen as he stared at him, his brain still struggling to fully process the entire anxiety-driven rant.
Just. Holy shit. He'd seen Deku get worked up before, but never like that. For all he hated his situation and despised Deku for his role in it, Katsuki knew that whole speech wasn't acting or some shitty ploy for sympathy. Deku already looked ready to burst into tears again, his face all scrunched up with desperation and frustration as he tried to control his breathing.
Not for the first time, Katsuki reflected on how Deku hated this just as much as he did. It was obvious enough whenever they interacted, the other teen always flinching and looking guilty as hell, but he'd never actually said it until now. After this long Katsuki had expected him to never actually address it.
More than that though, Deku's words struck a chord in him. "I can't just stand by and do nothing, but I can't do anything on my own!" That sentence took him back to that miserable gloomy day when they were eight years old staring at Auntie and Uncle's caskets, the first day he understood just how powerless he really was. On his own, Katsuki wouldn't have been able to do anything to save them.
And on his own, neither could Deku.
That realization settled something inside him, his hands curling into fists inside the stupid metal block. "Then what do we do?" he demanded, seeming to startle Deku. Katsuki met his wide eyes squarely, pushing on gruffly, "You got us together to tell us all this, so you've got some kind of plan, right?"
Deku blinked, still a bit startled. "You—you're willing to work with me?" he asked, and Katsuki scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"No shit, sherlock! No way any of us are getting out of this shithole on our own. So if you've got a plan, just hit us with it already." Deku just gaped at him, and when he glanced over at the Eyebag Wonder, Hijack nodded in silent agreement, holding up the whiteboard.
'I'm in too. Anything to get this thing off my face.'
Relief visibly washed over Deku's face at seeing them both agree, but he didn't smile or burst into tears like Katsuki expected. Instead he seemed to reaffirm his resolve, his face hardening and eyes lighting with determination.
For the first time since waking up in this shithole, Katsuki decided he might have hope.
Notes:
And Izuku finally gets them on his side! I've been waiting for this moment for a while. I am so happy with this chapter for so many reasons, I got to expose Shinsou to Seiko's creepiness and work in a bit of world-building.
A little glimpse at my writing process: This chapter was originally two parts. The first part was tacked onto the end of Chapter 22, and covered everything in Izuku's POV and ended with him giving them the letter. The next chapter then went straight into flashbacks for both Bakugou AND Shinsou, starting with Shinsou and ending with Bakugou. I decided to cut Shinsou's POV for now, since his history's a bit more... eventful. On that note, Chapter 22 originally had the 1-A Vigilantes scene and then went to Izuku's POV. The scene at Nighteye was originally in the next chapter, but I rearranged the order. I'm glad I did, because the 1-A Vigilantes probably would've been overshadowed by this chapter.
And THIS is why I advocate writing ahead before posting chapters. You never want to write yourself into a corner, or change your mind about an event after posting it.
Question for next time: what do you think is Izuku's plan? And how much do you think Seiko knows?
Chapter 24: Puns and 8-Bit Ringtones
Summary:
Ashido and Kiri have to deal with the consequences of saving a life, and Todoroki gets a call from some sort of seafood place.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 24
.::Puns and 8-Bit Ringtones::.
"Good job kids!"
Mina had to fight not to cringe as another random guy called out to her as he passed by the door to the waiting room, shrinking a little more in her chair. "Oh my gosh, I totally screwed up yesterday," she groaned. Kirishima just moaned quietly from his own seat in the far corner of the room, not even bothering to respond verbally.
All day long she'd been getting comments about how she and Kirishima had saved that guy. Apparently there had been a news camera recording the whole thing, and it caught their whole confrontation. They'd cut the footage once they realized she and Kiri were kids, but it was too late and the video was already put online. So now every stranger she saw seemed to be calling out to her and telling her she was doing a great job.
And normally? She wouldn't mind. Seriously, she saved a life! How awesome is that? And she even got Kirishima to help without having to ask him! He came after her all on his own, no pressure from her needed! He was finally starting to man up again! They both deserved some praise.
Except in this world, getting attention for saving lives made you a giant target for villains!
For every person that praised her or shouted a "good job" she got a look of sympathy or pity. On the train this morning one person even scooted away from her, like he expected she'd be attacked then and there! Her homeroom teacher had even called her last night to say not to worry about her homework for a while and ask if she had a safe place to lay low, which, holy shit that was actually kind of terrifying. He talked to her about switching to online classes and everything!
Basically, Mina had royally screwed up and put herself in a lot of danger. She never thought she'd say this, but damn her heroic instincts! The only remotely good thing to come out of this was that the hero from yesterday, Golden Needle, had given her and Kiri his cell phone number so they could contact him. He actually made some hints about a potential future in heroics if they were interested, which apparently might be how recruitment worked in this world...?
Mina didn't know. She didn't really know much about how the hero system worked in this world, and it didn't really matter because this was not her world dang it!
But it was Kirishima's, and that alone brought her new levels of guilt. They'd both been forced to get up at the ungodly hour of nine this morning despite it being a Saturday in order to go to the police station to submit a more detailed report and talk about what they'd do next. The questioning had ended an hour ago, and they'd been sitting in a semi-private waiting room since then waiting to get called back to the office.
The wait was worse than usual because she just felt so guilty. Kiri looked like his whole life had ended, and it basically had. He huddled in a chair in the far corner of the room, knees hugged to his chest and ignoring her. He looked so miserable, it made her heart sink. Making up her mind, she got up and strode over.
"Kiri, are you okay?"
"Leave me alone, Ashido," Kirishima muttered. She winced, a bit stung, but frowned and stood her ground.
"Kiri, you don't need to be so mean!" Kirishima didn't even look at her, just kept hugging his knees and buried his face deeper in his arms with a groan.
"What part of 'go away' don't you understand?" he muttered.
"The part where one of my best friends tells me to leave him alone while he's obviously upset!" Mina countered with a pout and Kirishima finally looked up, but when he did he didn't look at her, he glared.
"But it's your fault!" he snapped and she flinched, startled by the outburst.
"What?" she whispered, and Kirishima barreled on, his voice loud and agitated.
"We're all over the news, Ashido! I couldn't even get my mail this morning without our neighbors staring at me! One woman even dragged her kid away! My mom called me last night freaking out because I'm going to be a target now and I can't deal with this!" He looked ready to cry, his voice growing steadily louder until he cut himself off with a sharp intake of breath. Mina just looked at him silently, not sure what to say as guilt washed over her in full force.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, looking down. Kirishima deflated, his anger vanishing as he hung his head with a low groan.
"I'm sorry Ashido, I know it's wrong to take it out on you. It's just, this is too much. I'm glad we saved that guy and all, but we're targets now. I don't want to get kidnapped." He buried his face in his arms again and Mina frowned, feeling awful for putting her friend in this position. Of course he'd freak out, Kiri was an anxious mess in this world and he knew just how screwed up it was way better than she did.
It really just hammered home how badly she'd messed up yesterday. This was a whole new level of panic from him, so the danger was seriously real. She bit her lip, feeling more and more antsy. She had royally screwed up and put them both in real, serious danger. She couldn't even try to comfort him or say it would all be okay because really, she had no idea if it would.
She heard footsteps from the hallway and turned to see the officer who'd talked to them earlier stepping inside. Behind him was a man with foreign features and teal hair tied into a messy ponytail at the base of his neck, a lazy-looking smile on his face as he nodded at them.
"Yo," he greeted. "Ashido and Kirishima, right?"
"...Yeah." Mina frowned, instantly on edge. Who was this guy?
As if sensing her thoughts the officer stepped forward. "Alright, you two, we've managed to put a stop to most media coverage but some copies have already been put online by third parties. Thankfully the sites in question are doing their best to take them down, but unfortunately they can't keep track of every video uploaded so some copies are guaranteed to slip through the cracks."
"We're screwed," Kirishima groaned as he sank in his chair.
"I always wanted to go viral, but not like this!" Mina moaned. Seriously, why couldn't this have happened in her own world!?
The officer just patiently waited for their whining to fade before speaking again. "Anyways, the first few weeks are the most dangerous in cases like this, so we've got a Pro Hero to keep guard over you until the attention dies down a bit." That got their attention, both of them shutting up and perking as their gazes snapped to him.
"Really? Who?" Kiri finally didn't look like he expected the world to end, and the teal-haired guy stepped forward.
"That would be me," he volunteered, and both teenagers focused on him intensely. Mina... had no idea who he was. Granted, she didn't know a bunch of the heroes in this world so that didn't really mean anything. But Kiri looked just as lost as she did, so she felt justified in her confusion. "The name's Kageyama Kas, also known as Oracle. I work for Team Storm Chaser."
Now that name Mina did know, but it just confused her further. "Wait, aren't you guys rescue heroes?" she blurted. 'And it's still active!?' she wanted to add, but stopped herself before she could.
"On the surface, yes," Kageyama confirmed with a nod and small smirk. "But we also do a bunch of underground work since we've got clearance to go pretty much anywhere. That's my main area, actually, and why I got assigned guard duty for you two." She just nodded with a little "ah," understanding a bit better now.
Guess that's just another difference from my world. Mina only knew about Team Storm Chaser because Uraraka was a big fan of them. They'd been operating as an international rescue team since even before anyone in their class was born, and were one of the only hero teams with clearance to work in almost every country. The team had offices all over the world, and its members came from a bunch of different countries.
Back in her world the team had basically disbanded by the time they all entered high school though. The only one still active was Skylight, a half-American UA graduate, but he'd mostly switched over to villain takedowns and primarily worked out of America. Sometimes he came back to Japan though, and Uraraka said the Storm Chaser HQ's Japan branch branch was still active in Numazu. Maybe they still had some secret underground heroes back home, too?
...Thinking about home made her feel depressed again. "Uh, I'm really glad you'll be looking out for us and all, but how's this gonna work?" Kiri asked. "Are you gonna, like, live with one of us or something? And also, there's two of us. So how...?"
"You guys live in the same apartment building," Kageyama replied smoothly. "I'll just lurk around and keep an eye on it. No need for me to move in with either of you, you'll mainly see me when I have to escort you wherever you need to go. On that note, no solo trips for the next few weeks," he added, growing serious. "I can't be in two places at once, so if you guys need to go to the store, either we all go or I'll send someone to get whatever you need."
"...So basically, you're a glorified babysitter?" Mina asked after a few seconds, and he shrugged.
"Yep, but without a child-friendly filter. Good thing you two are teens." As he spoke they heard a ringtone, making Mina perk up.
"What's that? It sounds catchy."
"That would be an 8-bit remix of the first Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood opening," Kageyama said, smiling sheepishly as he pulled a phone out of his pocket. "Sorry, gotta take this. Be right back." As he stepped into the hall Mina and Kirishima exchanged confused looks.
"What's Fullmetal... whatever?" Mina whispered.
"No idea," Kirishima replied. "The name sounds kinda like an anime I guess, but I don't watch any. Maybe it's some obscure one?" The officer cleared his throat at this point, and they both snapped upright and turned to face him.
"I'll let Kageyama handle everything once he wraps up his call. I'd recommend you two arrange with your school to do classes online for a while though. The less you go out, the better." While Kirishima nodded Mina felt her stomach sink, a sudden dread washing over her as their situation began to really sink in.
They were basically on house arrest now, weren't they? Normally she wouldn't mind too much even if she might go stir-crazy, but now it made her feel a sudden cold, only one thought running through her head: How can I get home if I can't even leave? And with that thought, all of the concern and worries she'd been steadily tucking away suddenly came to the front of her mind.
For the first time in twelve days, Mina finally let herself think about the full ramifications of what was going on.
Ring. Ring.
Shouto stared at the phone as it continued to ring, a bit lost on what to do. Despite being in Odawara for a little under a week now, this was the first time the burner phone Kuroe gave him had actually rang. The caller ID displayed the name "Kite Takoyaki," which gave him no clue as to who might be on the other end.
Kite was likely an English word since it used katakana, but he hadn't seen it enough to know what it meant. Takoyaki, meanwhile, was round and usually had octopus in it, but none of the people he knew were round or had aquatic or marine Quirks. Asui might count, but she'd probably prefer a frog alias. Maybe Shouji though? His Dupliarms did give him multiple arms, which was kind of like an octopus.
In the time he mulled over this the phone stopped ringing, the silence snapping him out of his thoughts. Oops. Sighing, he flipped the phone open and went to the contact list to call the number back. While he didn't really want to go out of his way, he'd been taught that intentionally ignoring calls was impolite.
(Unless it was reporters. Reporters could be ignored for however long you liked. Alternatively, you could give the phone to a kid to babble at them instead. Natsuo loved that particular method, it was the one time he'd grin at Endeavor.)
The phone rang two times before the mystery caller answered. "Well, thank you for at least calling me back, Yuki-san," a familiar voice greeted with a hint of sarcasm, and Shouto blinked.
"Ah, so it's you," he murmured. Funny how he could recognize Monoma's voice so clearly just from the tone alone.
"Of course it's me," Monoma replied. "Who else would use the name Kite?"
Weird point, but now Shouto couldn't help but ask. "Do you have an aquatic Quirk? Or something that lets you make stuff round or something?"
There was a long pause on the other end. "...Just to double-check. You do actually know who I am, correct?"
"Yes. You're..." Shouto trailed off before he could say Monoma's actual name, quickly searching his memory for the alias. "Kaitou." A pause. "Oh." In retrospect, that should have been obvious. "Where does the takoyaki come from?"
"Kite is the English word for kites—the kind people tie to strings and fly around," Monoma replied, and Shouto gave a soft "ah" as the rest of it clicked into place. One of the Japanese words for kites and the one Monoma just used was tako, and tako could also mean octopus. "I'm not surprised you didn't know. It's a stupid pun most people don't get unless they're completely bilingual in English."
"Why use it if you think it's stupid?"
"My suggestions were vetoed," Monoma grumbled. "Kuroe said they all made my Quirk too obvious." Shouto thought that "Maria's Garden Care" and "Odawara Wildlife Rescue" were pretty obvious references to Shiozaki and Kouda's Quirks, but he kept the thought to himself as Monoma continued. "Anyways, we've gotten off-topic. Yuki-san, are you free right now? I wanted to meet up with you to discuss something."
"What is it?" Shouto asked, instantly on guard. He still felt like something happened yesterday he didn't understand, so while Monoma might have been polite so far he didn't want to get too careless. "Could we discuss it over the phone?"
"We could, but I'd rather do it in person. It's about Gentle Criminal." Shouto went very still at the name, eyes narrowing.
"What about him?" he asked sharply.
"One of our members heard some information. They're too shy to speak over the phone, so they asked me to call you. We'd prefer to speak in person, since you never know what kinds of Quirks are about." Shouto remained silent as he listened, already weighing his options.
On the one hand, he still didn't trust Monoma. On the other though, this might be a solid lead to Tokoyami. He hadn't seen anything about Gentle Criminal or his partner in the news lately, and he'd found no other leads on his classmate. For all he knew they may have moved on to another city already, and having to relocate would be too expensive and annoying to bother with unless he had solid confirmation of their location. If this lead was legit, it might be just what he needed.
His mind settled, he asked, "Where do we meet?"
"Do you still know how to get to Kuroe's house?"
Shouto took a moment to review his mental map of Odawara. "Yes, I should be able to find it. Are we meeting there?"
"No." Shouto blinked while Monoma continued, "Go there, and turn right on the corner with the red-roofed house. Go straight until the third stop sign, then turn left and follow that street until you reach Akakusa Park—"
"The one with the All Might statue?" Shouto cut in, and for a moment Monoma was quiet.
"...You've gotten to know Odawara better than I expected," he finally said. "Good, this will save us time. Just go to the park, and at the end of the path—the end with the gazebo structure?" When Shouto made a noise of recognition he continued, "Go straight into the woods, through the gap between the white tree and the one with three scratches on it. If you keep going straight from there you should find a tree that's cut in half, just turn left there and after a while you'll figure out how to reach the meeting spot."
"That is still long and complicated. And the ending sounds vague and unhelpful."
"Yes, well, we don't want to be found too easily. I assure you, the directions will be straightforward once you get there."
Around an hour and a half later Shouto silently reflected Monoma was at least right about the directions not being too complicated as he trekked through the heavily wooded area. Walking to Akakusa Park had taken a while since he'd been pretty far away when he got the call, but Monoma had assured him they would be willing to wait for him until he arrived. He hoped so, because hiking through such a thickly wooded area in winter turned out to be harder than he thought.
It had snowed last night, not too heavy but the thin layer on the forest floor made each step that much much slippery. He had to be mindful of every step since he had no idea what rested beneath the snow. Hopefully the "tree cut in half" Monoma mentioned meant the one that looked like it'd been struck by lightning, because he'd already made the turn fifteen minutes ago. If not, he wasn't sure how long it would take to find the right one.
Eventually the trees gave way to a creek, and he stopped to stare at the running water thoughtfully. Could this the meeting place Monoma mentioned? As he stared at it he noticed footprints on the opposite bank, standing next to the water before turning to lead into the woods. It seemed as clear an indication to follow as any he'd ever seen.
After a second's thought he stepped forward and slammed his right foot onto the ground. Ice shot forward instantly, rippling over the water and forming a small, rough-looking bridge he used to cross the gap. When he reached the other side he momentarily placed his weight on his left foot before hopping off it, creating a small burst of heat that melted the bridge behind him. No point leaving an easily followed trail.
From there he followed the footsteps into the woods at a sedate pace, growing increasingly wary of his surroundings. He hiked his scarf a little higher over his nose as he glanced around, shoving his right hand into his pocket to keep it a little warmer while keeping his left ready to defend himself. Around five minutes after crossing the creek the footprints led him to a road, which he only realized was a road because of the snow-covered signs.
No one's driven here in a while, he thought as he observed the largely pristine strip of snow that stretched in both directions. One end had been blocked by a fallen tree, clearly not a recent phenomenon given how worn it looked. The other curved towards a tall hill and ended in a large tunnel, chains stretching over the entrance to block cars from entering. The footprints headed that direction. Guess that's the meeting place.
Shouto approached it cautiously, eyes flitting around for signs of motion in the trees. It was easy enough to step over the chains blocking the tunnel but he didn't do that just yet, huffing as he stared into the inky darkness. He couldn't even see the other end. "Hello?" he called. "Kaitou?"
"In here!" Monoma's voice responded, distant and echoing from deeper inside the tunnel. A light appeared deep down and began moving towards him, and Shouto could soon make out Monoma holding a flashlight. Allowing himself to relax he stepped over the chain and met him halfway, the blond nodding at him with a smile. "I was starting to think you got lost. Thank you for coming all the way out there."
"Were you just standing in darkness this whole time?" Shouto asked as he followed Monoma back the way he'd come, and the blond's laugh bounced off the walls.
"No, there's a door to some sort of maintenance room partway down. As far as we can tell this tunnel and road used to be part of some private facility that got shut down years ago, so no one comes here anymore. The other end of the tunnel got blocked off by a rockslide or something, by the way, so it's not really a tunnel anymore." Shouto quietly hummed, keeping his guard up as he followed Monoma.
"Is this your base then?"
"No, we don't know you well enough to take you there yet. One of our members happened to stumble upon this place a while back, and it's as good a meeting place as any." Shouto nodded, and the pair lapsed into silence. Soon enough a door on the side of the tunnel came into sight, the white paint gleaming under Monoma's flashlight. He knocked on it twice before pulling it open, the door surprisingly quiet.
"We're here," Monoma greeted as he stepped inside, lingering in the doorway to hold it open for Shouto to enter. As he did he noticed the room was dimly lit, not in an ominous way but simply because the lights themselves were dim. The room was empty as far as he could tell, with a couple of lanterns sitting on crates and black curtains hanging near the back.
The curtains made the person in front of them stand out that much more. They wore a bulky red winter coat with a material that faintly glinted in the lantern's glow, the shade much more subdued than their spiky red hair. As they whirled to face him a glint of gold flashed and Shouto found himself freezing, his whole body going limp. As his legs collapsed under him Monoma shot forward and snagged his arm before he could hit the ground, helping keep him upright.
"Akai, that's not very nice," the blond huffed.
"S-sorry! It was a reflex thing!" Already Shouto could feel control return to his body, and he straightened himself with a full-body shiver as he studied the new person. Akai, as she called herself, had an obvious reptilian mutation, her head basically a gray snake planted on a teenage girl's body. She flinched under his gaze and waved her hands wildly. "D-don't look at me like that! It was an accident, I swear!"
"I... don't blame you?" It came out more as a question than he intended, mostly just wanting to calm her down. He blinked and collected himself before saying more firmly, "Accidents happen. It's okay, I guess." At least he knew what to be wary of from her now. "More importantly, are you the one with information on Gentle Criminal?"
Akai stiffened at the question, turning to face him more directly with her posture more full of confidence. "Yeah, I am..." As she spoke the curtains behind her shifted and Shouto froze. Immediately he started to step back, guard rising higher than ever, but as two figures emerged his mind blanked.
Asui? Ojiro? Even in the darkness he recognized his two classmates immediately. Asui wore a dark green coat and long gray skirt, hair tied in a ponytail as opposed to its usual bow, while Ojiro wore a dark mustard yellow coat with jeans. Asui stopped to stand next to Akai, one finger touching her chin as she tilted her head.
"So you're Yuki-san. We've heard a lot about you, kero. Thank you for taking care of Naota-kun yesterday."
"It's no problem," Shouto replied, though he remained a bit wary. "I couldn't leave a kid alone."
"And we're really grateful for that," Ojiro said, stepping forward and holding out his hand. "I'm Lee." Shouto shook it and Asui stepped forward next with her own hand extended.
"I'm Midori, kero," she introduced as Shouto shook her hand. As she pulled it back another hand took its place, which he gripped.
"And I'm Kaitou, though you already knew that." Shouto stiffened, belatedly realizing the hand belonged to Monoma rather than Akai like he'd assumed. Monoma just smiled pleasantly as their hands released, but instead of letting it fall to his side he looked at his palm with that oddly placid smile.
"Yes, well, now that introductions are out of the way, we do have one more question," he commented, and Shouto regarded him with a renewed sense of caution until ice crystals suddenly formed in Monoma's palm. Oh. Oh no, that wasn't good. Monoma raised his left hand and a tiny lick of fire flickered there too.
Not good at all, Shouto reiterated as Monoma met his gaze. "Why in the world is the son of Endeavor looking for a villain and his sidekick in Odawara?"
When Shouto got back to his own world, he made a mental vow to learn everything he could about Class 1-B.
Notes:
Fun fact: this chapter was originally how Shouto's first meeting with Monoma ended. The last three paragraphs are a direct copy and paste from the original version. It was just too great to NOT use it somehow. Another fun fact: this was the chapter where Saki and Mail originally appeared before deciding to rearrange stuff, so we'd have gotten to meet THREE OCs in one go.
Lots of fun stuff. Meet Kageyama Kas, aka Oracle. He's a quarter Japanese but doesn't look it, and is very likely dead in the canon universe. For the record, I use the "My Hero Academia takes place ~200 years in the future" timeline as opposed to setting it in the 2010s like some fan fics do (seriously, that's a huge pet peeve of mine), so FMA is actually 200 years old at this point. There's probably been a couple remakes of it and other classic anime over those two centuries, but I doubt it'd still be super-mainstream if there hadn't been a recent adaptation.
Also, if anyone doesn't know, Akai is a canon character, Mongoose Habuko (which sounds weird as hell to say in the Japanese order). It's actually been really tricky writing her because she barely appears and I haven't seen the OVA, but I'll justify any OOC behavior by this AU leading to a radically different childhood than the canon universe. For the purposes of this story, that OVA did not happen so Todoroki does not recognize her.
Questions for next time: what names do you think Habuko, Asui and Ojiro use for their phone contacts? Also, how long will it take for Ashido to go stir crazy from the quasi-house arrest?
Chapter 25: To Believe or Not To Believe
Summary:
To believe or not to believe? That is a very hard question and Neito has no idea which way to answer.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 25
.::To Believe or Not To Believe::.
Back home, Shouto hadn't paid much attention to Class 1-B. It wasn't because he looked down on them or anything, they just didn't interact that much. They lived in different dorms and didn't share any classes. Aside from the Sports Festival and the summer training camp, he hadn't really gotten a chance to learn about them or their Quirks.
He knew Shiozaki had a powerful vine Quirk, given how easily she beat Kaminari in the Sports Festival. He also knew Tetsutetsu had a steel Quirk that was functionally identical to Kirishima's. Kendo could make parts of her body larger, a fact he only knew because she used it to hit Monoma quite often when he'd come to challenge or mock 1-A for whatever reason.
Ironically enough though, Monoma, who had left the largest impression on Shouto, had never really shown off his Quirk so he didn't know it.
Until now, anyway.
"You've been officially missing for a year now," he said, circling Shouto with his left hand still holding a small flame. Shouto turned his head to follow him, his eyes narrow and wary as Monoma glanced at the flame. "I mean, with a Quirk like this I can certainly see why. I haven't even really tried it yet, but I can already tell how it must work. The fire and ice offset each other perfectly. It's fascinating, I've never actually seen a Quirk that combined two elements like this. The ones I've heard about are usually much weaker or imbalanced than yours."
"Kaitou," Asui croaked. "You're on a tangent again, kero." Monoma hummed, letting the flames flicker and die out as he turned to face Shouto.
"My apologies," he said. "As I was saying, I do understand why you ran away. Villains would absolutely covet this power once they found out about it. No wonder Endeavor kept its exact nature under wraps. Obviously everyone knows about the fire aspect, but with the ice, you'd be even stronger than him. I wonder, how would he feel knowing his son is looking for a villain?"
"I would appreciate you stop mentioning my father," Shouto said tersely.
"Very well," Monoma agreed easily, and Shouto blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected him to agree that quickly, he seemed like the type of person to continually rub something in his face once he knew it made the other person uncomfortable.
"Endeavor aside, why are you looking for Gentle Criminal?" Ojiro spoke up now, stepping forward with a frown. "You grew up surrounded by heroes. You should know better than anyone how dangerous villains are." When Shouto opened his mouth to respond Ojiro cut in, "And yeah, we know you're looking for his partner, not Gentle Criminal." Shouto closed his mouth while the blond continued, "But it's the same end result. You're looking for a villain."
His voice had an unusually heated note to it, something even Shouto noticed as oddly out of character. While their interactions back home had been somewhat limited, Ojiro always struck him as rather calm and level-headed. Shouto couldn't recall the boy ever seeming quite so agitated.
He didn't have a chance to dwell on it though before Akai spoke up. "You won't even tell us why you need him!" she shouted, pointing a (noticeably human) finger at him accusingly. "All you said is that you can't go to heroes or police! Do you know how suspicious that is!?"
"Maria-chan says even you don't seem sure on why," Asui interjected. "Rockfish asked if it had to be them, and you didn't have a reasonable explanation, kero."
"It's complicated," Shouto said almost automatically, and Akai made a noise of exasperation and pulled at her hair.
"You're doing it again! Did you guys hear that!?"
"Yes, Akai, we heard him," Monoma said dryly, and sighed. "Look, Todoroki, Yuki, whatever you prefer. You have to know how suspicious this is."
"Especially when you have a phone with all of our numbers in it," Ojiro added sharply.
"The point is, we can't trust you," Monoma continued. "As it stands you might be putting us all in danger. You've already met Naota, and he's not the only child."
"Until you tell us why you're here, you're not leaving," Ojiro finished, arms crossing over his chest. Shouto's eyes narrowed at that, calculating his odds as he glanced over the four teens assembled in the room. He didn't want to fight them, either physically or verbally, but more than that he didn't like the obvious threat they posed. He knew Asui and Ojiro's Quirks, and he had a pretty good idea of Monoma's. He sincerely doubted they could beat him.
"If I decide to leave anyway?" he challenged.
Rather than respond Akai used her Quirk, her eyes flashing bright gold. Shouto felt his face go slack with shock a split-second before his body followed suit, collapsing into a pile of limp limbs with his back folding back awkwardly. Oh, he forgot about that one. As he laid there in mild shock Monoma sauntered over and crouched next to him, a smug smirk on his face as they made eye contact.
"I think we can handle you," he said loftily, and ah, there was that condescension he recognized. Shouto just stared at him in mild shock for the scant few seconds before Akai's Quirk wore off, at which point his expression soured. He sat up and pulled his legs from under his body but made no move to do anything else just yet, instead weighing his next move.
On the one hand, he could understand their wariness. After talking to Naota yesterday he understood not even children were safe from villains, so of course someone looking for a person associated with a villain would be a serious threat. On the other hand though, he still didn't know who else was connected to the runaway ring. He still had some concerns about where this "Aya-nee" fit into it. Telling them about his situation could be just as dangerous for himself.
"For what it's worth, I don't think you're bad, kero," Asui piped up, breaking his line of thought. "You protected Naota-kun yesterday, and Kuroe-san seems to think you're a trustworthy person. Even if you saved him, he doesn't trust people easily, kero." Her head tilted, meeting his gaze as she continued in that blunt fashion only she had. "From what Maria and Rockfish say, it sounds like something is bothering you. I know we're strangers and it's hard to trust us, but we just want to make sure everyone's safe. That includes you."
That last part was probably what did it. The way she spoke reminded Shouto of his own Asui, who had repeatedly proven herself to be cool-headed and dependable in class and at the dorms alike. Even though this one might be a stranger, at that moment it felt like he was back home in the middle of some crazy training exercise. Maybe it was just bias from his Asui, but he felt like he could trust her.
A sort of tension eased out of his body as he met her gaze, finally making up his mind.
"I think I'm from another dimension," he said bluntly.
Monoma Neito considered himself rather knowledgeable about Quirks. It came with the territory of being able to copy them. Along with the whole "able to figure out how they work whenever he copied one" thing, he also needed to know how they worked to make sure he didn't accidentally hurt himself. Copying one guy's sensory enhancing Quirk and ending up with the worst migraine ever had been enough of a lesson.
As such, he had spent most of his elementary school years studying every book on Quirks he could find. Not just books meant for children, but higher-level research studies as well, reports and books packed with technical jargon so dense he probably still wouldn't be able to understand half of it even now. So over the years, he'd learned about some pretty outrageous Quirks.
For example, there had been a man whose Quirk let him turn anything he touched into anthropomorphized versions of cartoon characters of his choice. That was weird. Another person had a Quirk that could physically transport them into dreams, and had gotten stuck in one for about a year when they tried it on a coma patient. A bit scary. He'd even found rumors of a man with a Quirk that could take other Quirks—not copy them, but take them completely.
Yes, Neito had learned that pretty much anything could be a Quirk.
That did not make Todoroki Shouto's story any easier to believe.
Neito thought they all deserved some kind of acting award for keeping up their poker faces as Todoroki spoke about going to sleep in a dorm room and randomly waking up in an abandoned building next to a villain. Whom he promptly froze and fled by diving into a river.
"At first I thought he kidnapped me, but then I realized my hair was dyed and thought something was wrong," he explained with a frown. "Then I realized I was in another dimension." It felt like he skipped some steps there. "I've been trying to figure out how I got here, but I don't have much money so I can't go to internet cafes to do much research. UA is closed so I can't go there either, and I couldn't find any hero agencies. I don't think that would be a good idea anyway though."
At that point he paused, and reached up to remove his eyepatch with a frown. "I had all the stuff for a disguise on me, and I dyed my hair. I must have run away a while ago. Turning myself in would probably cause more trouble once this ended. I doubt my father would be willing to listen to my story anyway."
His voice took on a bitter note at the last bit, and Neito noticed Asui and Mongoose exchange discreet but pointed looks. That the two could read each other so well despite their mutation Quirks making their expressions hard to decipher spoke as a testament to their powerful bond.
"You believe Endeavor would not help, kero?" Asui asked.
"He probably wants me to be his heir in this world too," Todoroki replied bluntly. "I figure that's why I ran away, or at least part of it." This time Neito and Ojiro exchanged their own discreet look, and Neito noted that the other blond was not particularly impressed. "Anyways, then I saw Gentle Criminal's last heist on a TV and recognized Tokoyami. He's in my class in my world at UA and always talks about occult stuff, so I thought he might know something and would be able to help."
He fell silent after that, his story apparently finished. For a moment no one spoke, just let his words sink in. "Okay," Mongoose said slowly. "Assuming you're serious and you were actually a student at UA, why didn't you look for other classmates who weren't hanging around villains?"
Todoroki blinked once in apparent surprise. "How?" he asked, and the sheer innocence in his tone, so simple and just ever so slightly confused and curious, left them all speechless for a moment.
"I don't know, social media?" Neito suggested with a frown. "Teenagers like to use that stuff, right?"
"Most social media's on lockdown," Ojiro interjected. "I don't think anyone's used their actual name online in, like, five years."
"Really?" Neito looked at him in surprise. He hadn't known that. In his defense, he'd run away in elementary school well before he would use social media. With a Quirk like Copy, he'd realized he couldn't stay safe at home even before the UA Massacre, which had been the wakeup call for so many others. Kids had already been disappearing well before then, and he'd picked up on the pattern quickly and made his exit early.
"It would be hard to find anyone if you didn't know their address, especially from our age group," Asui said thoughtfully. "I guess it makes sense that you might only be able to find someone if they were on TV, kero. It's still an odd coincidence that he works with Gentle Criminal though."
"Is it?" Todoroki considered it for a moment before nodding and answering himself. "It is weird he works with him. He wanted to be a hero." He paused then, looking at them curiously. "Since you're asking about that, does that mean you believe me?"
"...Can you give us a minute?" Ojiro asked, and Todoroki nodded. The four runaways ducked behind the curtain, Neito shooting him a final glance before letting it close behind him. In contrast to the front part of the room, the back had rather ample lighting and furniture. It wasn't much, just some rundown couches and chairs, two tables and a few random chests and wardrobes, but it was something.
On one couch sat two more members of their network, an older teen boy with overly large pointed ears and another with considerably plainer features. The plain one stood up as they entered, and as they got closer he formed a cube shape with his hands and blew on it. The cube expanded to enclose the small group of six, just barely encompassing the space around the couch and blocking all sound from exiting.
"You guys heard that, right?" Ojiro asked flatly.
"Yep," the boy with pointed ears replied just as flat. Nakamura Shizuo had a rather fascinating Quirk in Neito's opinion, the ability to mute all sounds made by a person, whether himself or another person. Hence the obvious name, Mute. It also made the affected person's hearing hyper-sensitive for the duration of Mute's effects, making it a perfect Quirk for espionage.
"He said he's from another dimension, right?" the plain boy, Tsuburaba Kosei, asked. "Because I think I heard him say that, but I just want to be sure."
"He did," Asui confirmed, and he nodded.
"Oh good. So I'm not going crazy."
"He's the one who's crazy!" Mongoose quite literally hissed. "Who the hell's ever heard of a Quirk that could go into other dimensions!?"
"Not me," Neito said bluntly. He'd seen some theories that such a thing might be possible, but it had been just that—theories. Honestly, the odds were so low he'd peg any other Quirk before that one. Like a memory manipulation Quirk. Or a really bad duplication Quirk. Or, you know, lying.
Literally anything but actual other dimensions.
Asui had her finger on her chin again, her head tipped to the side thoughtfully. "He doesn't seem like he's lying. At the very least, he seems to believe it."
"That does not make it true," Mongoose hissed.
"No, but I don't think he has malicious intent. I don't think he's working with villains, kero."
"That doesn't mean we can trust him!" Ojiro snapped, and Asui flinched at his harsh tone. His voice carried an unusual anger, his face twisted into an uncharacteristically furious scowl. Unsurprising, considering his best friend had been recently kidnapped by villains.
And that was the crux of the issue: Todoroki was here looking for a villain.
Nearly everyone in Odawara had run away because of villains, whether because they'd been targeted as recruits for their Quirks or they'd seen too much. Gentle Criminal and his partner might be seen as chivalrous by some, but they did not look at him that way. They were still reeling from the loss of one of their own, and letting Todoroki search for him for such a flimsy reason was too much of a risk.
Ojiro was clearly taking the situation rather personally, so Neito decided to step in to do damage control now. "I think Asui is right about him believing that," he said. "I mean, if he was going to lie, why would he go with that?" The others just nodded in agreement, some of the tension fading. Trans-dimensional travel was a pretty ridiculous story to come up with on the spot. "That said, I do think he might be under the influence of another Quirk."
"That isn't much better though," Tsuburaba muttered as he scratched his neck. "I mean, what if someone's using him to get information on us?"
"I kinda doubt that," Nakamura interjected before Mongoose could go off on another rant. "If it were literally anyone else, I might believe it. But Endeavor's kid is way too valuable for villains to just use as a pawn. Too much chance of him getting found out and rescued."
"The whole plan seems like it would be rather contrived, too," Neito agreed with a sigh. "He's looking for two villains, believing one is a classmate from his own world, and they happen to be operating around Odawara. If a villain was going to implant false memories, there are many, many, many better ones."
"Not to mention the part about Endeavor," Asui added, and the group exchanged grimaces. That alone raised many concerns, but none of them felt too keen on pressing him on that detail. That scar Todoroki sported in the photo they'd found of him probably didn't come from an accident after all, and they knew better than to press something so potentially personal and sensitive.
"Anyways," Neito said after a beat, "I think he's probably not a pawn, but there's still definitely something going on. He's more likely a victim, so we should keep an eye on him."
"We were going to do that anyway," Ojiro snorted with an eye roll. "Not like we can call the police in this case." Turning in Todoroki, even if they believed it to be for his own good, wasn't an option. As the boy himself had pointed out, he'd probably had reasons for running away before all this mess started. Reporting him may put him in more danger in the end.
"Should we tell everyone else about this, kero?" Asui asked.
"Yes," Mongoose and Ojiro said at the same time Nakamura said, "No." When they turned to look at him he shrugged. "I'm not saying we should hide the situation, but we shouldn't tell them everything. It'd just cause unnecessary panic. It's not like many people actually know about this anyway."
That part was true. When Shiozaki had called Asui to report "Yuki" wanted to find Gentle Criminal and his sidekick for some reason, they'd kept it confined to a small, core group until they could properly investigate. The fact was, it would cause heavy panic if everyone knew, especially after the recent kidnapping.
At present, aside from Shiozaki and Kouda, the only other person who knew was the network's coordinator Nettmegg, who didn't even live in Odawara. And that was only because they needed someone to send an SOS if Todoroki suddenly attacked. Even Tsuburaba hadn't been given the full details until that morning after they'd planned the confrontation, and only because his Quirk might be useful in confining Todoroki.
So telling everyone of Todoroki's delusions might not be strictly necessary. "I say we should at least warn them to be careful around him," Tsuburaba spoke up. "I just—it feels risky to let them go up to him randomly and accidentally tell him critical information, in case he is being used as a mole."
"We can say he's on a probationary period," Asui suggested. "That we've vetted him for the most part, but he has connections to heroes that might come looking for him. That's at least true."
"Yeah, it is," Mongoose relented. Some of her earlier tension had finally started to fade, going back to a more analytical and thoughtful mindset. "But I think we should at least tell Glitch to keep an eye on him. He's our best fighter."
"That's fine by me," Nakamura agreed. "I'd also suggest reading in Maria, Rockfish and Parasyte. Rockfish can keep a better eye on him, and Parasyte's pretty strong too and might stand a chance if Todoroki goes berserk. Though he's been acting a little weird lately, so maybe not everything," he added thoughtfully.
"Yes, he has," Neito murmured, and nodded to himself. "At the very least, we can let him know Todoroki's probably under the influence of a Quirk and keep an eye on him." The others nodded in agreement, the plan taking shape smoothly.
"This is good and all, but how do we handle him searching for Gentle Criminal?" Ojiro asked before they could be too satisfied. "Because I don't think he's gonna stop that easily." That would definitely be a problem. Regardless of the reason Todoroki was actually searching for the man and his partner, the search would cause trouble.
"Maybe if we just... play along?" Tsuburaba muttered to himself, and stiffened when all eyes turned to him.
"Continue," Neito said after a moment, and Tsuburaba bobbed his head.
"Uh, well, he's looking for them because he thinks this Tokoyami guy might be able to help figure out the dimension thing, right? So if we play along and help him look into this or, whatever, he won't have to look for them anymore. We can even help look for this Tokoyami guy, cause I mean, it's probably not like he's real, right?" A brief silence fell as they considered it.
"...Mime, that might be the best plan," Nakamura finally said. "You get extra curry tonight." Tsuburaba lit up with a wide grin.
"Heck yeah!" As he cheered Neito glanced at the curtain, thinking about Todoroki on the other side. This whole thing would be a dangerous gamble, but then, everything was when you lived on the streets like this. He just hoped this one would pay off. After all, adding Todoroki as an ally would be a boon for them.
Around that same time, Kageyama Kas found himself sitting in a cafe across the street from Ashido and Kirishima's apartment building. The place and people might be different but the routine felt familiar, already slipping into old habits as he idly sipped at his coffee. This wasn't his first time playing bodyguard for a couple of kids who became high-profile targets overnight, and it likely wouldn't be the last.
At the moment he wasn't too concerned about any threats to the kids. It had barely been twenty-four hours since everything went down, too soon for word to really spread enough to generate interest. Later he might have to herd them into one apartment and stay there depending on how things played out, but for now he could keep a bit of distance and relax, and call up Saki.
She'd called him back at the station, but he'd had to cut it short since he had to escort the kids. Now that they'd settled in for the day he could call her back though. Guard duty could get pretty boring anyway, so he welcomed any break to the usual tedium. And the Uraraka case she wanted to fill him in on fit the bill perfectly.
"Yeah, that sounds pretty weird," he agreed once she finished summing up the details. He'd plugged in his earbuds and put the phone on speaker, idly playing a puzzle game while he listened. "I know it's too soon to make any real assumptions yet, but I'd say your gut's probably right on this one. Have you talked to your boss about it yet?"
"Not yet," she sighed on the other end. "I wanted to be absolutely sure before I tell anyone. I talked to Mail obviously, and he's pretty split on it too."
"It is a pretty tricky thing to talk about," Kas agreed lightly. "Maybe focus on finding that Alien Queen girl from her memories first, and decide after that?"
"That's what Mail suggested. Nighteye's already called up UA about it and someone's heading over now to take a look at the sketch. It'll probably go into circulation by tomorrow, apparently the people at Idaten have someone with a Quirk that's great for matching faces so they'll probably be the first stop."
"Text a picture to me. I got temporary access to one of the local school's student rosters, I can take a look and see if I can find them."
"You're just looking for something to do, aren't you?" she asked, but halfway through the quality of her voice became slightly distant signifying she'd switched to speaker.
"Absolutely," he confirmed with a grin. About a minute passed in silence as she presumably switched out of the phone app to take a picture of the sketch. Soon a text notification appeared at the top of his screen, and he switched over to the messenger as she resumed talking.
"Alright, sent. For the record, everything about her is pink. Should make it easier to look through the thumbnails at least, right?"
Kas didn't respond, just stared at the picture with disbelief. "Holy shit," he whispered in English.
"Kas?" Saki pressed, and he had to suppress the urge to laugh as a wide grin stretched across his face.
"Cancel the search. Your girl is Ashido Mina, one of the latest stars out of Kamino."
Notes:
And so Todoroki convinces everyone he's insane or under the effects of a Quirk, but they go along with it anyway because it's easier to keep an eye on him. Also, it only took one chapter for the folks at Nighteye to make the connection to Ashido. That's gotta be a record!
Also, something 100% unrelated to MHA: are there any Animal Crossing fans here? Because New Horizons is coming out Friday and I am STOKED. But more than that, I am ecstatic because my all-time favorite AC site, AXA, has gotten a sudden revival. I literally grew up with that forum (joined when I was 11!), and I credit it with shaping me into who I am today, from all the friends I made to the stories I posted there. I learned about its revival last Thursday, the day after my birthday, and that news is honestly the best birthday gift I've ever gotten, no exaggeration. All the old content has been lost, but the people are back and it's amazing.
If you want to join an amazing Animal Crossing community, please check out AXA here! I would normally never do such a shameless plug, but I love this community so much. Forums have this sense of community that social media and sites like reddit or Discord just can't match.
And finally: right now, the world is on lockdown from Coronavirus. This is a pretty scary time, even though a lot of us aren't at risk the disease is so contagious that it makes us carriers for the ones who ARE. I don't know if everyone's overreacting with how much the world is shutting down, but I hope everyone reading this is safe and sound. At the very least, we are living through a historic event and this will make for some crazy stories someday.
Question for next time: who do you think actually WOULD believe the multiverse story?
Chapter 26: Sweet, Sweet Adrenaline
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 26
.::Sweet, Sweet Adrenaline::.
Maybe it's time to finally get a phone, Ochaco mused idly to herself. She was standing in the middle of a chain convenience store, her attention focused on a display of burner phones. They were all cheap flip models, with a number of options to allow for phone calls, texts and even limited internet access. All of them were relatively cheap.
She soon shook her head and forced herself to turn away though, turning into a nearby aisle to cut to the cash register. She had come in only to get some quick and affordable food items and snacks, bandages to hide cheeks and a flashlight. All simple and relatively cheap items, but useful for her search for Deku. Sorry Dabi, I'll have to wait a little longer to call you.
This marked her third day in Nabu, though only her second of searching. After waiting for a break in the storm to run to the train station on Friday, she'd gotten to Nabu a bit after sunset. Searching an unfamiliar town after dark seemed like a bad idea so she had decided to just get dinner and find a place to stay for the night.
Dabi hadn't joined her, wanting to look for his brother elsewhere. He'd been nice enough to give her some cash to rent a motel room before they parted ways though. "It's way too cold to sleep outside tonight without some sort of heat Quirk," he'd told her when she tried to refuse. "And net cafes aren't actually as safe as you'd think. Just take the cash, I can get more." His insistence had been a little heart-warming, and she smiled faintly at the memory. For all his gruff demeanor, the guy was surprisingly soft.
I can't believe I actually miss him, she thought idly as she counted out change to pay for her items. Back in her world the name Dabi had been taboo among their class, everyone scared of triggering a flashback for Bakugou. As a result she knew barely anything about him, but she sincerely doubted he was close to as nice as he'd been here. He'd even given her a paper with his phone number, insisting she call the second she got a phone to let him know she was safe.
Ochaco felt a little guilty for not buying a burner now, but she wanted to focus on finding Deku first. Burners might be cheap but she had limited funds, and she had no idea how long she'd need her money to last or what else she'd need to buy before she found him. Besides, once she did find him chances were the phone would be taken away anyway.
The thought left an unpleasant curl in her stomach which she steadfastly ignored as she left the convenience store and headed for a nearby park. Yesterday had been spent mostly just wandering the city aimlessly to try to familiarize herself with it. At one point she'd spied a sort of tourist center and popped inside to snag a map with local landmarks, scurrying out before any of the workers could question her.
She steered away from the busy playground to find a bench in a quieter area of the park, and pulled out the map and a pen from her backpack. She'd already crossed off a few areas as unlikely, starting with every landmark on the map. Something told her the League of Villains—or, Villain Alliance, apparently—wouldn't be hiding out in the local equivalent of Tokyo Tower. The Alliance probably wouldn't want to be around highly populated areas with lots of tourists milling about.
...Although the thought of a bunch of villains hiding in a famous temple did make her have to stifle a giggle.
She blushed a bit when she noticed a passing dog walker looking at her weirdly and slapped her cheek with her free hand, huffing quietly to herself. Focus, Ochaco! Back to the point, they wouldn't want to be somewhere too public so she'd have to focus on more urban zones. Somewhere like the area she'd met Dabi on Friday, but not as shady. They wouldn't want to be too obvious after all. At the very least, they'd probably want to be somewhere that wouldn't be likely to be searched by someone like Uwabami or Ragdoll.
The last thought made Ochaco pause. Come to think of it, were the Wild Wild Pussycats even a thing in this dimension? She frowned, not really sure. She hadn't seen anything about them on the news, but then she hadn't really noticed since they'd been equally quiet in her own world. Her stomach twisted at the memory of why they hadn't been active recently, her grip tightening around her pen.
I'm seriously trying to find the same people who caused all this. Not for the first time it struck her how crazy it was to be actively seeking out the League. If any of her classmates saw her now they'd probably be horrified. Her teachers would probably drag her back to school and throw her in remedial classes until she graduated, assuming they didn't expel her for being so reckless.
Really, it'd probably be smarter to look for Pro Heroes and tell them everything. They might not believe her at first, but she remembered there was a detective who'd interviewed everyone after the USJ incident with a lie detector Quirk. And even if he couldn't confirm she wasn't crazy, surely all the stuff she knew about her teachers should be enough to convince them. No way was a dimension-jumping Quirk the craziest thing out there.
It would be smarter. Safer.
But Deku didn't have that choice, a voice whispered inside her head, and her teeth ground at the thought.
As best as she could tell Deku had woken up in the middle of the League, surrounded by enemies with no way out. He didn't seem to be in any danger himself judging by his brief interaction with "Tomu-nii" (and her stomach still flipped at the thought of anyone calling Shigaraki that), but that didn't make it any safer. Who knew what he'd witnessed there since waking up? What he might have been forced to do?
No, Ochaco couldn't just ignore Deku. Even if she found some heroes and they believed her about everything, that didn't mean they'd help him. She'd been on the Overhaul raid. She hadn't been there from the very start, but she'd been there long enough to recognize when heroes would deem a mission's premise too risky to justify, and this time was no exception.
As far as the Pro Heroes were concerned Deku was stuck in the heart of enemy territory, maybe even an accomplice. On top of that, she didn't even have solid proof that he was her Deku; her word wouldn't be enough, so convincing them would be a challenge in itself. Even if they believed her and rightfully viewed Deku as a victim, going to the heart of the Alliance just to rescue one boy would be too dangerous. There just wasn't enough for them to justify the risk.
This time, she had to go find Deku herself.
She jumped to her feet and shoved the map and pen into her jacket's pocket, her resolve reaffirmed. The day was still young, just after ten in the morning, and she had several hours before sunset. The more ground she covered, the better! With that in mind she took off in a random direction, veering further and further away from the more populated areas in her attempts to find a suitable location for the Alliance.
One hour later, Ochaco came to the conclusion she was lost.
"I am an idiot," she groaned, her forehead resting squarely against a stone wall. She hadn't bothered paying too much attention while wandering around, and now found herself in an area of the city that didn't just seem shady or down on its luck, it seemed to be outright abandoned. None of the buildings looked like they'd been touched in a while, and she hadn't seen a single person in the last fifteen minutes.
Yeah, no way the Alliance would set up base here. The place felt too dead even for a bunch of villains. As far as Ochaco could tell, there must have been some sort of big fight here a long time ago. More than a few buildings had giant gaping holes in their sides and fronts, and even the road had large cracks and chunks missing. While the rubble had been cleaned up, clearly the area had been deemed not worth repairing.
Unfortunately, the damage also meant there weren't any street signs, so her map was currently useless. She huffed through her nose as she pulled away from the wall, turning to survey the area. It seemed to have been mostly an industrial or business district. There weren't any houses, though she saw what might be office or apartment buildings. Some of them were pretty tall, so she could always climb one to get a better vantage point.
Her gaze trailed to the taller buildings, silently calculating if she could float up there. The last two times she'd used her Quirk on herself, she'd gotten nauseous way faster than she should so she wasn't sure. As she skimmed over one building a flash of black from one window caught her eye, and her gaze snapped back to it to see someone looking out.
Huh? She blinked and rubbed her eyes, but when she looked again the window was empty. Ochaco stood still for several long moments, staring up at it. A sudden cold feeling washed over her, and she slowly backed away before ducking into the nearest half-demolished store. For some reason her heart pounded, her instincts screaming she wasn't alone.
Quickly surveying the shop, she frowned at the dusty floor before her eyes zeroed in on a partially open door towards the back leading to another room. After a second's hesitation she lightly tapped all five fingers against one arm just as she hopped forward, floating across the room in two seconds flat. She quickly disabled her Quirk before nausea could kick in and slipped through the door, careful not to actually touch it. It seemed to be a storage space, with another open door leading outside.
As she edged towards it she heard noises from the front, making her freeze. "Hey, you sure you saw someone around here?" a gruff voice grumbled, and her stomach turned to ice. Another voice harshly shushed the first one, barely audible over the sudden rush of blood to her ears. Someone was here.
"If ya did, they're not here," someone else scoffed. "The floor's way too dusty." The remark got a grunt, and Ochaco swallowed dryly as she listened to footsteps move away. As quietly as she could she inched towards the back door and peered outside. It led to an alleyway, and after a second's hesitation she slipped out and took off, heart pounding anxiously the entire time.
Maybe this area wouldn't be a bust after all.
Meanwhile in Hosu, one Satou Rikido was currently standing in the baking aisle of a grocery store looking at piping bags for icing. He had a basket already full of ingredients for a homemade red velvet cake, including two cartons of fresh eggs and two bags of flour, so now he just needed the piping bags to actually decorate it.
Rikido had moved to Hosu from his hometown in Tottori Prefecture right after graduating middle school, having been accepted into a high school with an exceptional culinary program. The fact he got accepted surprised him, since the school was highly competitive. Baking had only been an idle hobby in the past, spurred by curiosity about his Quirk which drew strength from sugar; he hadn't expected to be good enough to make the cut.
In the past six months he'd learned more about baking than the entire previous fifteen years. His free time outside of class was usually spent in his cousin's kitchen, practicing and experimenting with everything from pastries to breads. At this point he'd taken over the space and a majority of the fridge space, but fortunately Furuko didn't mind too much.
He really couldn't express how grateful he was to Furuko for housing him. Most of his extended family was wary of him baking because as a kid he'd use his Quirk every time he saw them. Little kids just loved showing off their Quirks whenever possible, and at family gatherings with cousins you don't get too see too often, wild Quirk usage was even more common. And his happened to make him a bit more destructive than most.
Converting sugar to strength was actually a conscious decision on his end so he didn't automatically become a sugar-high Hulk every time he ate candy. It might as well have been though, with how often he'd use it. Given his Quirk also decreased his intelligence, it made it easier for his other cousins to talk him into doing really stupid stuff. Like jumping off a tree. Or jumping into a lake. Or charging into the room where the adults were and pelting them with paint-filled balloons.
Furuko in particular had gotten some of the worst of their shenanigans. She'd been the oldest of the cousins, so it usually fell to her to wrangle all the hyperactive kids together. Looking back he was amazed she didn't hate his guts; he was pretty sure he had more memories of her glaring at him than smiling.
So yeah, the fact she agreed to let him stay with her, and also bake in her kitchen despite his track record, was something he'd never be thank her enough for. He tried though, namely by giving Furuko first rights to taste tests for everything, and handling as many chores as possible. She worked long hours and was usually too tired to cook when she got home anyway, so she said it was enough that he'd make her dinner.
Today's project wasn't a display of gratitude though, but actually a formal request. See, Furuko worked as a police officer. Nothing special like a detective, she mostly handled the traffic beat or paperwork at the office. But her job also meant she'd gotten to know some of the local Pro Heroes, particularly at Team Idaten.
And tomorrow was someone's birthday.
Rikido didn't know whose birthday it was. While Ingenium operated publicly, many of the sidekicks preferred to keep their identities secret. For that reason Furuko couldn't say if it was Ingenium, a sidekick, or even just the receptionist. Actually, it might not even be someone from Team Idaten. He just kinda assumed because, well, Hosu.
Still, the recipient didn't matter. They couldn't hire a professional baker due to security concerns, so Furuko had volunteered his services. Rikido absolutely did not mind her doing that without asking him. Just knowing that Pro Heroes would be eating his cake around this time tomorrow filled him with excitement. His childhood dream of being a hero might have died years ago after the UA Massacre, but he'd never lost his awe and wonder for those who continued to work in that profession.
That meant this cake had to be perfect. He pulled a pack of tips for piping bags off the shelf, examining it with a critical eye. Furuko had specified the cake needed to have vanilla icing with red flowers around the edges, and he would make them the best flowers ever. If all went well, Rikido might become the pâtissier of choice for the heroes present at the party, and nothing would make him happier.
As he weighed whether this pack would be suitable he heard a crash from the front of the store, and he turned just in time to see someone zoom past the end of the aisle making some high-pitched squealing sound. Huh. That was weird. A moment later he heard another shout and then saw a guy getting flung through the air from the direction the first figure had zoomed, making him freeze.
Okay, something was definitely going on. He slowly reached into his basket for a bag of chocolate chips, quietly tearing it open as he watched the end of the aisle. A moment later he saw another figure dart past, too brief to see much detail, but he thought he saw a flash of black and violet. Seconds later yet another figure followed, but then he heard the audible sound of sneakers scuffing against the floor and head back towards him, making him tense further.
A head poked around the corner, and it only heightened his wariness. The person wore a black hood and with an orange plastic band covering their upper face, and a fabric mask with a lightning bolt drawn on it. "Satou?" they asked in surprise, and Rikido blinked.
"Uh, do I know you?" he asked, immediately cautious and guarded. He instinctively reached into the bag of chocolate chips and closed his fist around a large chunk, ready to chug down a handful. If someone was trying to rob the place and wanted to take him hostage, he was absolutely willing to throw a shelf at a guy.
"Uhhhh... Does 1-A mean anything to you?" the stranger asked, and he frowned.
"No. Should it?"
"Um... Guess not." The guy's voice sounded kinda dejected, but he then perked up as he added hastily, "But I mean! It will soon! Be sure to tell all your friends about the 1-A Vi—"
"TASER-BRAIN, YOU IDIOT, WATCH OUT!" someone shouted, and the masked face turned just in time to shout as someone plowed into him. Rikido blinked as he watched the masked guy go flying into the air, a weird man sitting on what looked like a giant Roomba with a handle attached shrieking with delight as he zoomed past.
"Whee!" he shouted—as in literally shouted the word "whee"—and Rikido just stared. The masked guy fell to the floor face-down with a loud thump, making him wince.
"Uh... are you okay?" he asked hesitantly, and the mystery guy weakly raised one hand in a thumbs up.
"Hah, this is nothing," he mumbled, but his voice was suspiciously shaky. Another figure appeared next to him, wearing a similar outfit and mask/visor combo but with a violet dress and chunky boots, looking down at him with an audible sigh.
"You are an absolute idiot," she said flatly. "First rule of vigilantism is to always keep an eye on the villain. Always."
"Sorry," the masked guy mumbled, and the other person sighed.
"I am going to chase that guy back here, and you are going to tase him—" She stopped short as Rikido snapped a photo, his phone's camera shutter audibly clicking, and turned to look at him. "You—did you just take a photo?"
"Yep," he replied flatly. By this point he'd realized that these two were not, in fact, villains, but probably vigilantes. His classmates had been talking a lot about some blog post about a new pair making their big debut on Wednesday. Something about one of them having tasers.
"...Screw it, don't care. Post it all over social media or whatever. As I was saying," she continued, turning back to the guy on the ground. "I'm going to chase that weirdo back here, you are going to tase him, and then we are going to get the hell out of here because there is no way someone hasn't called the police yet. Got it?"
"Got it," the guy on the ground mumbled, and the other one ran off while Rikido just casually returned the bag of chocolate chips to his basket.
"What was that you were saying about 1-A?" he asked, and the guy groaned as he got up.
"The 1-A Vigilantes," he said, and turned to show the 1-A embroidered on the back of his hoodie while offering Rikido another thumbs up. The pose was probably meant to be cool, but it felt half-hearted since he was obviously still sore from his fall. Rikido snapped another photo anyway, and was pretty sure the guy shot him an unimpressed look given how his shoulders slumped. "Really, dude?"
Rikido just shrugged. He didn't have a chance to say anything before they heard a voice approaching. "Whee—gackh!" The weirdo's voice cut off with a noise of surprise while the vigilante spun to point a finger-gun his way, electricity arcing from his fingertip. A gargled noise of pain sounded and Rikido snapped one more picture.
The vigilante quickly jogged forward and Rikido followed, poking his head out of the aisle to see him and his partner kneeling by the Roomba-guy. The thing he'd been riding—which now that it wasn't moving, he saw wasn't a Roomba but actually a round... stone... skateboard... puck... thing, with a handle and a snowplow-like attachment on the front—was stuck in a glob of pink goo. The villain had obviously been thrown off, groaning as female vigilante zip-tied his hands behind his back.
Rikido snapped a picture of the scene, getting a decent view of the starbursts on the girl's mask and the 1-A on the guy's back, and then opened his Instagram. Usually he used it to post pictures of his baking creations, earning himself a steady following, but sometimes he posted other stuff. He uploaded the latest photo and typed a caption.
'Just met these guys the grocery by Cable. Call themselves the 1-A Vigilantes I guess?' He submitted it and then uploaded the photo of the guy giving a thumbs up while showing off his back, typing, 'Also this guy got thrown into the air & kept giving me thumbs up. Other one called him Taser-Brain so maybe that's his name.' And send.
With that done he closed out of Instagram and pulled up the dial screen to call the police. Hey, Rikido was still a law-abiding citizen. If these guys wanted to be vigilantes then good on them, but this grocery store had the best discounts and staff. No way was he going to wait to see if they'd be able to stop this guy from doing... whatever, before he destroyed the store.
As he began talking to the operator Taser-Brain turned to him with a frustrated, "Really, man!?" The other one just tugged his arm and they took off for the door, leaving the villain groaning on the ground. As Rikido stepped out of the aisle he noted several displays near the front had been knocked over, no doubt toppled by the villain's joy ride. One of the cashiers was helping another man get to his feet, probably the one Rikido had seen go flying earlier.
All in all, everything seemed fine for the most part, no serious damage done. As he waited for the police to show up he returned to the aisle to grab the last things he'd need for the cake, hoping the questioning wouldn't take too long. He still needed to make that cake after all.
Notes:
Writing the vigilante scene from an outside perspective was fun. Today's villain has a Quirk that makes stuff super-slippery. He likes to ride around crowded stores and knock stuff and people over, causing as much destruction as possible just for fun. With this chapter, I think I've shown everyone from Class 1-A except Hagakure and Aoyama. (And also Aizawa technically hehehe)
Also, Animal Crossing came out on Friday and I spent the past weekend in heaven. Again, if you play Animal Crossing, please check out AXA!! Even if you can't play online, there's plenty of fun discussion going on there, and I can't emphasize how awesome the people are. I've been hosting a game of Mafia in the Word Games section and that's a blast.
Question for next time: where do you think Hagakure and Aoyama are?
Chapter 27: Not So Lazy Sunday
Summary:
Izuku and Tomura bond, and Mina is bored.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 27
.::Not So Lazy Sunday::.
Izuku's plan to get Bakugou and Shinsou out of their cells was simple, really. All they needed to do was convince Shigaraki and all the other villains that they'd become friends with Izuku and wanted to protect him.
They still hadn't come up with a plan for their overall escape, but getting the others out of their cells would be a good start. His counterpart's journal claimed there had already been plans underway to make Bakugou his bodyguard due to their connection and similar ages, so the groundwork had already been set. Having him cooperate and put on an act that they'd gotten over their previous issues would make it much easier for Izuku to convince the others.
Izuku doubted Bakugou would be given total freedom that easily—the Alliance would probably still keep a close eye on him for a while—but hopefully he would at least be allowed to leave his room sometimes. Shinsou would be another thing though. Even though he'd been there longer than Bakugou, he'd been obstinate and resistant since getting captured, so the Alliance would probably see his cooperation as a ruse to escape.
After talking it over, they'd concluded that he wouldn't get the muzzle removed anytime soon even if he was allowed to leave his room. The realization made Izuku feel miserable, but the vigilante had assured him he could deal with it a bit longer. Until then they decided to start small and work their way up, starting with getting Bakugou out of the handcuffs. According to him, just losing those would be a significant improvement.
With luck, they'd be able to accomplish that today. Which was why Izuku found himself in the bar, trying to be as casual as possible as he strolled up to Shigaraki. The older male was sitting at the counter playing a game like usual, giving no indication he noticed Izuku. "Hey, Tomura-nii," he greeted, and got a grunt in response.
It slightly discouraged him, making him worry that talking to him would just annoy the villain, but he pushed down the thought. He had to do this for Kacchan and Shinsou, no matter how awkward he felt. So he steeled his nerves and pressed on, "Uh, if you're not busy today, c-could we hang out? It's just, it's been a while, and I kinda miss you."
Shigaraki's eyes finally flicked his way, glancing at him for only a brief moment before returning to the screen. Izuku felt himself deflate slightly, but before he could get too dejected Shigaraki set down the console and swiveled on the stool to face him. "What did you have in mind?" he asked, propping a hand on his chin, and Izuku perked up.
"I don't have anything in mind, really. Maybe we could play games?" He didn't really know what else he and Shigaraki did together. The only other times they'd hung out had been watching movies that first day when Shigaraki thought he was sick and that shopping trip, which had also been to go buy games.
Shigaraki hummed, drumming his fingers against his cheek. "Yeah, but we always do that, so maybe something else," he muttered. "Maybe—"
"Perhaps you could help Izuku with his schoolwork?" Kurogiri suggested smoothly, and they both turned to look at the misty man as he polished a glass behind the counter. "He has fallen a bit behind with everything that's happened lately. Helping with homework is an excellent bonding activity for brothers."
"Seriously?" Shigaraki muttered with a scowl. "But that's—"
"Education is important, Shigaraki Tomura," Kurogiri cut him off coolly, turning glowing golden eyes his way.
Which was why half an hour later they were sitting on the floor in Izuku's room hunched over a bunch of worksheets and textbooks. Izuku still felt kind of dazed thinking that this was actually happening. Apparently Kurogiri's disapproving glare affected more than just Izuku, because Shigaraki hadn't even tried to argue.
Honestly, he didn't get why Kurogiri suggested it though. Yeah, he had fallen a bit behind, but Shigaraki wasn't exactly his first choice to help him with it. In fact, Izuku had spent most of the time so far explaining everything to him.
"And that's the difference between Oda Nobunaga and Oda Nobuhide," he finished tiredly. Part of him wanted to cry that he'd had to spend so much time explaining the difference given Nobunaga was one of the most prominent figures in Japanese history. The urge only grew stronger because Shigaraki still didn't look like he fully understood, his eyes narrowed in irritation as he squinted at the textbook.
"So Nobunaga's the father?" he asked, and yep, Izuku really wanted to cry.
"No, he's the son," he corrected, feeling a bit of his soul die while Shigaraki just scoffed.
"Why do you even need to know this?" he grumbled as he scratched his neck.
"I don't know, Tomura-nii. I don't know." And he didn't. Izuku really, really didn't. Maybe it was just because he'd spent the past fifteen minutes trying to explain it, but he just did not see how knowing the whole history of Nobunaga's conquest would be helpful in fixing this mess right now. Looking at the textbooks and homework made his soul ache, and he sighed. "Let's take a break."
"Finally," Shigaraki grunted, shoving the papers away. "I don't see why Kurogiri insists on you learning all this stuff. I don't need it." Izuku wondered that too, it just took up valuable time he could be using to help save Kacchan and Shinsou and maybe try to fix everything somehow.
"I don't think he'll let me stop," he groaned mournfully as he started cleaning everything up. Shigaraki just grunted, sounding distracted, and when Izuku glanced over at him he found the villain looking at the posters. His stomach flipped briefly, reminded of how much Shigaraki hated Pro Heroes, and he half-wondered if they might be irritating him. Maybe inviting him to his room was a bad idea.
He was about to suggest they go somewhere else when Shigaraki spoke up. "Are you still a big fan of that Present Mic guy?" he asked, and the question was so out of the blue and casual it took Izuku a second to process it.
"Uh, yeah, I am." He glanced at the poster Shigaraki stared at to find one of several posters for Mic's radio show, this one unfamiliar to him and showing him with Thirteen, Ragdoll from Wild Wild Pussycats and Skylight from Team Storm Chaser. 'Let's rescue the world from boredom!' read the text beneath it, making him smile.
Shigaraki grunted, scratching his neck. "I guess he's not too annoying," he grumbled after a few seconds, sounding almost grudging and reluctant. Izuku looked at him in mild surprise and confusion before he realized what Shigaraki was doing. He was trying to bond with him over his interests. The realization threw him for a loop, rendering him speechless for a few seconds.
All this time he'd been thinking of how to best get closer to Shigaraki using his interests, but he hadn't really thought of the older boy doing the same. Relationships were a two-way street, sure, but it just hadn't seemed like Shigaraki would bother doing that. Especially when it came to Pro Heroes, who again, Shigaraki hated. But then, in this world they were apparently brothers, so maybe he shouldn't be so surprised.
Recognizing the attempt to bond for what it was, Izuku felt like he had to at least respond to his attempt. "I've been listening to a lot of his show's older episodes this week," he said. "It's kinda interesting hearing all the changes in music trends, and there's been a couple funny interviews too. Like, one time he interviewed this big actor, but he was obviously really full of himself. Mic ended up asking him all these questions and made him look like an idiot."
It wasn't really a story but to his surprise Shigaraki actually snorted at that, cracking a small smirk. "I heard that one. That guy had no idea what he was doing, pretty good hearing him get told off." When he noticed Izuku's obvious surprise he shrugged and explained, "The interview was about a movie based on one of my favorite games. It sucked, and I wanted to hear if he'd try to defend it."
"He did an awful job," Izuku said with a smile, and Shigaraki laughed, just a short one and a bit raspy but still genuine enough.
"He did. He obviously knew nothing about the actual game. Pretty sure that Present Mic never played it either, but he at least sounded like he'd done some research." He shook his head, clearly amused, and Izuku felt himself relax. He never thought he'd be able to have a civil, pleasant conversation about a hero with Shigaraki, but here they were. It made some his tension and nerves finally fade.
"Have you listened to any of his other shows?" he asked curiously, and Shigaraki shrugged.
"Not really. Some of the guys like to put his show on in the bar sometimes though. Say it's for the music or gathering intel or something, I don't really pay much attention. That reminds me though," he added, glancing at Izuku curiously. "Any ideas who he's talking to at the end?"
It took a second for the question's meaning to register, and when it did Izuku felt his smile fall, instantly growing more somber. "No, I don't." He'd noticed the more recent shows had always signed off with a message to Mic's "favorite listener," and the messages painted a grim picture. Izuku had tried not to think on it too hard, afraid of who he might be talking about. "Kacchan said he started doing that around May."
The words slipped out almost thoughtlessly. Izuku didn't miss the way Shigaraki minutely stiffened at the mention of Kacchan, red eyes flicking his way sharply. "You've been spending a lot of time around Bakugou," he observed, and Izuku was sure he heard a calculating edge to his tone.
"Yeah, we have," he agreed with a nod, mentally steeling his nerves. Well, he had wanted to bring it up, so no time like the present. "Kacchan and I have been getting along really well. We're on pretty good terms now—even better than when we were kids, so... It's been nice." He smiled, a surprisingly genuine one. As disturbing and depressing as the situation was, their visits had been relatively nice at times. It might be his imagination, but this world's Kacchan didn't seem as short-tempered.
Shigaraki just eyed him speculatively, clearly thinking. "Do you think the bodyguard plan is working?" he asked, and Izuku had to hide his surprise at the fact he'd been the one to bring it up. He'd expected to have to say a few more lines to segue into the topic, but the fact Shigaraki did instead was even better.
"Yeah, I think so," he confirmed, nodding much more firmly. "I've mentioned it and he seems to be okay with it. He said that school was getting boring anyway, and he can't figure out how to become a hero. At least being my bodyguard might let him get some action. He doesn't want to be forced to be a villain, though," he added seriously. That had been the one detail all of them agreed on. If Shigaraki tried to force them to join in the Alliance's illicit activities beyond "protecting" Izuku, the plan would be off.
The blue-haired male didn't try to argue though, just nodding with a small grunt. "That's fine. The main goal with him is to expand your party." Relief swelled in him, and Izuku opened his mouth to respond before pausing.
"...Expand my party?" he repeated slowly, not bothering to mask his newfound wariness and skepticism. He'd spent enough time around the other male to pick up on his love for video game terminology, and already he could sense this conversation was about to take a turn that would wear at his patience.
"I've been thinking lately. I have a lot of main quests coming up soon, and I can't split my party to protect you and run them all. I can't add you to my party either, you're... not the right kind of class, for this campaign." He seemed to choose his words carefully, as if trying to avoid hurting Izuku's feelings. "It's not like I think you'd drag us down. I just need classes that focus on combat, and your stats aren't concentrated in the right areas—"
"I get it," Izuku cut in. "You need people who can fight heroes, and I'm just... Quirkless." The word rolled off his tongue lamely, feeling a bit weird to say it again after so long. Even now he felt the power of One for All deep inside him, dormant inside him and waiting to be used. Shigaraki paused, glancing at him from the corner of his eyes.
"Being Quirkless isn't... bad," he said after a moment. Maybe hanging around the villains so much was starting to rub off on Izuku, because he found it surprisingly hard not to roll his eyes at how awkward Shigaraki seemed. Instead he huffed quietly, offering the older male a small smile.
"You don't need to worry about my feelings, Tomura-nii," he assured Shigaraki, surprising himself with how easily the title rolled off his tongue this time. "Even if I wasn't Quirkless, I probably wouldn't want to fight heroes anyway." At least I hope not, he added silently. Hard to say how things would have gone if he'd had a Quirk that the villains could actually train.
In any event Shigaraki seemed to relax a bit at the reassurance, nodding. "Yeah, you're still too caught up in Hero worship," he scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Don't get how, but whatever. Anyways, since you can't join my party, you need your own party. You're sixteen, you're old enough to lead one. You already got a head start on recruiting a tank and a rogue, that's two key members down."
"Huh?" Izuku looked at him blankly, and Shigaraki shot him an unimpressed look that made him want to wince. He scrounged his brain for ideas and realized, "Wait, do you mean Kacchan and Hijack?"
"No shit," Shigaraki scoffed. "And don't try to say you don't know which is which. That blond brat's too loud to be a good rogue, and can you really see that stupid vigilante taking a bunch of hits on the front line?" Izuku just stared at him, not sure how to respond.
"Uh, right," he said slowly after a few seconds. This conversation had taken a weird turn, but it honestly wasn't too different from what he'd already been doing, if anything it might make it simpler. If Shigaraki expected them to work with Izuku and protect him, then he wouldn't have to worry about them being dragged off to perform missions or crimes for the Alliance. "Well, I think Kacchan's ready. And Hijack might be too, we've been really bonding lately—"
"It's probably a trick," Shigaraki interrupted, and yeah, Izuku figured it wouldn't be that easy. "He's been trying to break out since day one, it's too soon for his alignment to change."
"I guess," Izuku agreed sullenly, but pushed past his disappointment. "But you think Kacchan might be ready, right? Because I mean it, he's willing to join! And I mean, if you don't trust him yet, could you at least maybe remove his handcuffs please?" When Shigaraki shot him a surprised look Izuku awkwardly shrugged and quickly explained, "It's just, we're both getting really frustrated with them. They kinda gets in the way of, well, everything. And if his hands are free, I could take him to Hijack's room too and we can all play Mario Kart! He might be able to help convince him to—uh, join the party."
He started strong but ended it on a rather lame note, internally cringing at actually saying party. Shigaraki stared at him for several seconds, seeming to consider it, and then got up.
"Fine," he said, and Izuku wanted to scream with joy. "Let's go get Kurogiri and let the brat out of the handcuffs. I'll be keeping an eye on him though," he added, giving Izuku a pointed look, but Izuku was so happy he didn't mind.
Finally, at long last after nearly two weeks in this world, he was making progress.
Sunday. Sunday seemed to be a cursed day in this world, doomed to be filled with boredom and nothing to do.
Mina had reached this conclusion as she laid on her bed staring sullenly at her ceiling, her irritation growing. Technically this was only her second Sunday in this world so it might not be an actual pattern yet, but the first one had been spent totally bored out of her mind and today seemed no different. Mainly because she was basically under house arrest.
Mina had not set foot outside her apartment since returning yesterday after lunch. Kageyama had been incredibly insistent she and Kiri go straight to their apartments and never actually leave the building. They could visit each other, they could stand in the hallways, but they could not step foot outside the door or even open the windows. Not that she would, it was currently snowing like crazy and looked like a mini-blizzard outside her window, but it was the principle of the thing!
She heaved a giant sigh as she rolled onto her stomach, pulling out her phone. Kumiko had been rather frosty with her since Friday, only replying to her texts with short replies after confirming Mina was alive. Yep, she's obviously still mad over me running off to save that guy, she thought silently as she looked at the latest one-word response to her whining about boredom.
So, Kumiko was out. Anjou was also out, because in her words she had work. Mina did not know what "work" involved, but Anjou had sounded like she was trying not to laugh and it kinda scared her. The only one definitely free right now was Kiri, but she couldn't go to him. Whining to him about something as silly as being bored when he was probably freaking out about his whole life being completely turned upside-down, and when it was technically her fault—
Yeah, Kiri wasn't an option.
Which left Mina with no one and nothing to distract her, and which in turn left her no choice but to finally dwell on her situation.
Tomorrow would mark almost two full weeks since she first woke up in this crazy other world. And in those two weeks, Mina had made absolutely zero progress in figuring out how she got here or how she could get home.
Part of her had sorta just hoped it would wear off on its own, and that she'd randomly wake up back in her world. Or maybe that this was just a really detailed dream or something. Could anyone blame her? This whole situation was just insane! But at this point she felt pretty safe to assume it wouldn't wear off naturally. For better or worse, Mina seemed to be stuck here.
She had no idea what to do now. She'd never heard of a Quirk like this, and even if she had, she had no idea when it could have been used! The last day she spent in her world, they'd had class like normal and spent the evening in the dorms just chilling with all the girls and putting off her homework until the last minute. It'd been one of those largely do-nothing days, nothing really standing out.
The biggest thing she'd done after school was head to the common room with Uraraka, squeal because Kouda had brought down his pet rabbit, beg Midoriya who was holding it to give her a turn until he finally carefully handed the fluffy bunny over, and then quickly retreat when Iida invited them all for some surprise training. Hey, she'd already done a bunch of sparring with Uraraka the day before and was still sore! That girl knew how to throw a punch!
No, if anyone got hit with a weird world-swapping Quirk, it'd have to be the other Mina. Except some voice in the back of her head said nope, nothing weird about her day, she was just chilling and stressing over homework. So Mina still felt at a total loss as to how the heck this happened, and even less sure of where to go now.
Especially since she'd kinda gotten herself on sudden house arrest.
Now if she wanted to do something, she just couldn't. She couldn't go out and try to explore the world in search of answers. She couldn't start looking for any more of her classmates besides Uraraka—actually, strike that, she couldn't even look for Uraraka. At this point she had convinced herself that Infinity Girl was, in fact, her classmate from HER world and was also in this mess.
She whined miserably as she opened up her Alien Queen Pink profile, opening up the chat with Infinity_Girl_8. Still no new messages since that last one, making her whimper. On a whim she started typing, even though she knew the other girl probably wouldn't respond anytime soon.
'Hey I know you're probably still on your big adventure, but whenever you finally see this say something even if its like 2 in the morning. I'm totes free to talk & I think im kinda done with school so im super BORED and i miss you. Hope ur safe wherever u are! <333'
She hit send and flopped onto her back, once again left with nothing to do.
Then her phone dinged with a notification and she bolted upright. Holy shit, did Uraraka respond!? She snatched up her phone and her excitement instantly fizzled when she saw she'd just gotten a text from Kageyama. Darn. Mina soon perked right back up when she read it though, her curiosity officially piqued.
'Heads up, some people are coming in ~10 to ask questions. Might wanna clean up your place if it's messy.'
Someone was coming to ask questions? Weird, she thought they'd done all the questioning yesterday, but who cared? At least she wouldn't be bored. She paused as she reread the last sentence though, turning to survey her room. At present, it could probably be best described as "complete and total disaster zone". Clothes were strewn everywhere, and she'd also left some other stuff.
Good thing she had another room.
To that end she went to the main room of the apartment and very deliberately closed the bedroom door. The rest of her apartment was also a bit of a disaster zone from takeout boxes and dirty dishes, so she quickly started sweeping everything off the counters and into the sink or trash. It took a bit of work, but she managed to make it look at least good enough for police officers.
Just in time too, because there was a knock on her door right as she tied up the last trash bag. She quickly tossed it in her bedroom—she'd throw it out later—and went to open the door. "Hey!" she greeted, and paused in surprise at the people outside. Kageyama was there of course, but next to him was an incredibly plain man in a trench coat and a woman with long blue hair and red glasses. Something about both of them was kinda familiar.
"Hello, Ashido," the plain guy greeted with a smile. "I'm Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa, it's nice to meet you."
Notes:
A while ago I asked what everyone thought Izuku's plan is. No one predicted he didn't really HAVE a plan. Beyond "get them out of their cells/rooms" they're just making everything up as they go (which is honestly probably for the best, given how rapidly things can and WILL change).
More importantly, Izuku and Shigaraki bond! They haven't spent much time together in this AU, partially because they've both been busy with other things, so it was nice to show off a bit more of their dynamic. Their bond is a bit awkward and stilted at times, since they don't have too many overlapping interests, but I think this shows how much they care about each other. Also, I don't think anyone's surprised at Tsukauchi showing up to Mina.
Last thing before I go: I'll be updating again later this week!
I don't know what day yet, but the world's kind of on lockdown from coronavirus right now, so sticking to the once-a-week schedule seems like a bit much. (Though I guess it MIGHT help keep track of the current day of the week at least. I've had at least one friend miss an online lecture because she lost track of what day it was.) I don't know how you're all holding up, but I hope everyone reading this is doing okay. And if not, I hope having an extra chapter later this week will make your day a little brighter! Besides, the next chapter has a scene I've been waiting to show for a while, and I really can't wait to see everyone's reactions to it...
Question for next time: how do you think Izuku and Tomura became "brothers"? (There IS a story to it beyond how Izuku came to live with the Alliance. You know Shigaraki wouldn't just accept a random kid he barely knows as his new little brother.)
(One last note: last time, I said everyone's been seen except Hagakure and Aoyama. This was wrong. Iida hasn't physically appeared yet, beyond a reference to him being an online student in Jirou's POV. Obviously he still lives at home, but someone also pointed out Shouji has not appeared or been referenced yet, which... yeah, much bigger thing to forget. So if you've got any speculation on Shouji, feel free to share it!)
Chapter 28: Interview with a High Schooler
Summary:
Naomasa interviews Ashido about Infinity Girl. Hilarity ensues.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 28
.::Interview with a High Schooler::.
"Sorry again for the short notice."
"It's cool, I was really bored anyway! Like, really bored." Ashido grinned as Naomasa and the others removed their shoes, hands entwined behind her back while she rocked on her heels. "So, like, where do we do this? Are we all just gonna sit on the couch?"
"Would the kitchen table work?" Naomasa asked, and she bobbed her head.
"Yeah, sure!" Ashido beamed as she bounced over to the table, Naomasa following with a sedate smile of his own. The table wasn't that big, it only had enough space for two chairs. Amusingly it still had a bowl and a spoon at one spot, which Ashido quickly swept up and carried to the kitchen with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, guess I missed that!"
"It's no problem," he assured her, sitting down with a smile. His first impressions of Ashido Mina matched the loose profile Lady of the Night had compiled: cheerful, energetic and probably a good kid. She overall felt like a pretty average teenage girl, a breath of fresh air from the usual witnesses and suspects he usually spoke to. "I know we showed up pretty suddenly, so I didn't expect your apartment to be spotless. My schedule's a bit hectic, so it's hard to plan ahead sometimes."
"Detectives have it hard, huh?" she asked, plopping into the chair across from him. Her gaze flitted to Kageyama and Kayama behind him. "Um, there aren't enough chairs for you guys, though."
"We're fine standing," Kayama assured her with a smile.
"I've been sitting for hours," Kageyama added, folding his arms behind his head. "Standing is way better."
"Okay, if you say so." Ashido nodded, but she looked again at Kayama, her eyes squinting in concentration. "What's your name again?"
"I'm Suimin Sayo, but you can call me Suimin-sensei, if you want," Kayama replied without missing a beat, flashing a cheerful smile. Lie, Naomasa's mind pinged, making him suppress an amused smile. So that's how she's planning to play this, huh. They hadn't fully discussed the plan before coming in, but it seemed she'd be using her civilian cover instead of admitting to being Midnight this time.
Ashido hummed, leaning forward with a frown as she continued to squint at her. "Have we met? I feel like you're really familiar."
"I'm sure it's just a coincidence," Kayama replied lightly. "I'm sure I'd remember meeting someone as bright and colorful as you." Her words seemed to assuage some of Ashido's curiosity, shooting her one last slightly suspicious look before sinking back into her chair. Her attention returned to Naomasa as he pulled out a small tape recorder and held it up.
"We'd like to record this interview, is that okay with you?" Ashido looked at the device for a second before shrugging.
"Sure, I guess?" she agreed, sounding faintly confused. Naomasa smiled as he placed it on the table and hit the record function while she continued. "But didn't you guys, like, already get all my statements about that guy back on Friday? Because I can't think of anything else I didn't already say."
"And I'm sure you did a fine job. This interview is about another matter, though." He didn't miss the way she stiffened slightly, a glimmer of suspicion visible in her eyes as he leaned forward. "Do you use the name 'Alien_Queen_Pink' on FacePage?"
The second the name left his mouth her face lit up with recognition, half-rising from her chair with a look of shock. "How'd you find out!? Isn't FacePage supposed to be like, super-secure or something? Did you hack my phone?" The questions didn't carry a note of accusation, instead sounding almost like a curious if bewildered child, though the last one had a distinct note of suspicion.
Naomasa felt his mouth tick into another smile while Kageyama and Kayama suppressed snorts behind him. "No, we just happened to get lucky," he told her. "I can't explain how because it involves sensitive information, but us connecting the account to you is a one-in-a-million chance." Ashido didn't seem completely convinced, but her suspicious squint subsided as she sat back down.
"Okay, I'll believe you for now," she said, much to his amusement. He had to admit, it was refreshing to have such an expressive interview subject. Naomasa's ability to detect lies had made him indispensable for interviews and interrogations, especially those known for silver tongues and convincing lies. If he wasn't busy investigating a case on his own, he could almost always count on another precinct or even Pro Heroes asking him to handle questioning suspects and witnesses.
All in all, it left him with even less free time than detectives usually had. Today should have been his day off, but the Uraraka case had been too urgent and critical to even consider refusing. They still had absolutely no leads on her whereabouts or even what caused her to disappear. Given her family's status and the fact she'd encountered Shigaraki shortly before going missing, the pressure to find her was justified.
At least Ashido seemed like she'd be easy to talk to. Not even five minutes in, and she was already more expressive than the subjects of his last ten interviews combined. They could probably see through her lies even without the aid of his Quirk.
Still, the case was too critical to risk taking any chances. Every second Uraraka remained missing was another second closer to finding a body instead of a teenage girl. So he slid into a more professional demeanor, not too stern but still indicating the time for small talk had ended. Ashido seemed to pick up on the shift in his expression, sitting a bit straighter and looking tense as she met his gaze.
"We're currently investigating a missing person case," he explained. "We got access to their FacePage account, and found a conversation with your account."
Ashido visibly perked up as he spoke, an almost excited gasp slipping out. "So Infinity Girl really DID run away?" she blurted, and he could sense the two heroes' attention sharpen behind him. The fact Ashido had identified her with just that information stood out enough, but the conversation log he'd read during the car ride to Kamino hadn't said anything about running away.
"That remains to be determined," he replied neutrally. He glanced back to nod at Kayama and she opened her bag, producing a manila folder with printouts of the conversation history. Ashido craned her neck curiously as the heroine spread them across the table, fanning them to make their contents more easily visible. "These are printouts of the chat history between your accounts. Can you confirm this is complete?"
The teen was silent for a few seconds as she skimmed over them. "Yeah, it doesn't look like anything's missing to me," she confirmed. "I mean, I didn't actually read all of it, but it looks like it's all there."
"We don't need you to read everything," Naomasa assured her. "I just want to make sure there wasn't anything deleted, particularly after the last one. Did you speak to her in any other ways through FacePage, such as comments or group chats?"
"Nope."
"Did you communicate on anything other than FacePage? Phone calls?"
"Nuh-uh. We only used the messenger on FacePage." His Quirk didn't pick up on any lies, so he moved on.
"Alright. So to double-check, did Infinity Girl ever tell you her name?"
"Nope."
"Did you know her real name?"
This time she paused, seeming to think it over with a tiny frown. "No," she finally said, and Naomasa felt mildly surprised when his Quirk didn't register it as a lie. Silences like that usually indicated something, especially with such a straightforward question.
The others seemed to be thinking the same thing, because when he didn't give the predetermined signal for lies Kayama spoke up. "Do you think you two might have met in real life?" she asked, and ah, that might explain it. The way Ashido had paused seemed to suggest she was remembering something at least, they may have met without getting names.
Once again Ashido paused, frowning as she mulled over her answer. Unknown to them, she was debating how to answer because she was ninety-nine percent sure it was her Uraraka, but she still wasn't totally, completely sure. And even then, they hadn't actually met outside of FacePage. Had other-Mina met other-Uraraka? Probably not, some subconscious voice supplied, which she decided was good enough for now.
"I don't think so," she said.
And once again, Naomasa detected no lie.
Despite having no reaction, the fact she paused twice like that now suggested to him that she knew something. The pauses had felt meaningful, Ashido clearly thinking hard based on how her face had scrunched up. It felt like he was missing something, but he didn't know what. All he could do was push onwards.
"In that case, can you answer some questions about your FacePage account?" he asked, and she perked up and bobbed her head eagerly.
"Yeah, totally! Whaddaya wanna know?"
"Why did you decide to make the 'Alien_Queen_Pink' profile?"
"I was bored and lonely. All my friends were busy and I didn't have anything better to do." Lie, his brain whispered, and he inclined his head slightly to the left as he rubbed his chin, the two heroes zeroing in on the predetermined signal that he'd detected a lie.
"Just bored and lonely?" he pressed, and she nodded. "And you really had nothing better to do?" Ashido gave a slight flinch at that, squirming slightly in her chair.
"Okay, I... might have had a science project due the next day," she admitted reluctantly, and then added more meekly, "I think." This didn't register as a lie.
"You think?" Kageyama asked, but before she could respond he snorted. "Oh, wow. Okay, yeah, she's clear, she just sucks at school."
Naomasa twisted in his seat to offer the amused hero an unimpressed look, while Ashido uttered a quiet, "Hey?" that wavered between confusion and offense. "Oracle, please allow me to handle to handle the questions," he asked, and the teal-haired man held up his hands with an amused smirk.
"Sorry, I'll be quiet," he said, but he had a glint of mischief in his eyes and Naomasa bit back a sigh. He didn't doubt the accuracy of Kageyama's statement, in fact he considered the man a better interrogator than himself.
Unfortunately, Kageyama's Quirk didn't translate well to outside viewing though. It worked fine when questioning villains on the field and gathering information to decide how to act, but when it came to formal interviews with witnesses or suspects that were part of an official investigation, they had only his word. For rather obvious reasons, that made it less than suitable for documentation purposes.
When he turned around Ashido was still looking at Kageyama with obvious confusion, still clearly stuck on if she should be offended by his statement or not. "Where did the name Alien Queen Pink come from?" he asked to get her attention back, and it worked. Ashido beamed at the question, her face breaking into a bright grin as she practically jumped out of her seat.
"Alien Queen was my original idea for my hero name!" she said excitedly. "But then I got told it was too scary, so I changed it to Pinkie instead. 'Cause, you know, I'm pink!" She gestured to herself with a grin, and Naomasa had to smile at her enthusiasm.
"Whoever told you that was right," Kayama said behind him, flashing a smile of her own. "Alien Queen sounds like a villain's name—and it's probably trademarked, too." Something about her words seemed to jar Ashido, because she did a double-take at the heroine and then her jaw dropped.
"Wait—are you Midnight!?" Naomasa felt his poker face slip while Kayama's face went slack with undisguised shock. Next to her Kageyama just quietly chuckled and shook his head. As the stunned silence continued Ashido slapped her hands on the table and jumped up from her seat, staring at her wide-eyed. "Oh my gosh, it totally is you, isn't it!? Why're you calling yourself Suimin? What happened to your costume?"
At that Kayama regained her composure and grinned, throwing her head back with a laugh. "Oh my, I haven't been recognized by a civilian in years," she chuckled. She straightened herself but now placed a hand on her hip as it jutted to the side, her smile and pose much closer to the dominatrix persona she had been force to largely abandon years ago. "I had to hang up my whip when the world started going topsy-turvy, hun. Midnight's R-18-only appeal was just too popular. I didn't need villains tracking me down outside of work."
Her response made Ashido's excitement ebb, her expression growing somber as she slowly sank back into her chair. "Oh, yeah, I guess being a hero is way more dangerous now, huh," she muttered, and damn if she didn't look like a kicked puppy.
"Don't be too sad, sweetie," Kayama purred, her smile softening into something more gentle and reassuring. "I still do hero work, I just stay behind the scenes now." Her smile turned sly then, and she raised a hand to her mouth almost conspiratorially. "This is a secret, but my most recent job was being the bodyguard for a teenage girl from a rather influential family."
"Really?" Ashido asked, perking up a bit, and then gasped as realization visibly dawned on her. "Wait—Infinity Girl!?"
"Yep," Kayama confirmed with a wink. "You can't tell anyone about this obviously, but I've been her personal guard and tutor for the last two years. I never told her who I actually was, safety and all that, but we became very close. Like sisters, even!" Her smile faded then, her expression becoming grim as she continued, "Which makes her disappearance all the stranger."
Ashido's own face became somber again at the tone shift, frowning as Kayama continued. "I can't disclose many details about her or the case itself to you, but she vanished from her room. As it stands, we have yet to determine if she was kidnapped, or if she ran away—and if so, why." She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "When Tsukauchi first started the interview, you asked if she ran away. I've read through that message log many times, but she never made any remarks about it. So why did you think that?"
As a professional, Naomasa found himself silently applauding Kayama's approach as he turned back to Ashido. She'd used the teenage girl's unexpected recognition to help steer questioning the way she wanted, giving Ashido just enough information to showcase her concern and command the teen's sympathy. It obviously worked, as Ashido had a heavy frown full of concern.
"I guess I just kinda assumed, kinda," she muttered awkwardly as she shifted in her seat. "I mean, from what we talked about, she was homeschooled all the time and didn't have any friends, so she already sounded lonely. And, uh, um..." She trailed off with a frown, her face scrunching up in concentration before she groaned. "Okay, so Anjou said it sounded like she'd want to run away, and I can't remember everything she said, but she was really convincing so I think she's probably right!"
The three adults instantly zeroed in on the new name. "Anjou?" Kayama repeated, and Ashido nodded.
"Yeah, my friend from school. She looked at the conversation too, and like I said, she was really convincing."
"How many people know about your relationship with Infinity Girl?" Naomasa asked, and only years of practice kept the urgency from his voice. They knew other people likely knew about her texting someone because of the final string of messages between the two, but they hadn't realized (or rather, they'd hoped) that someone might have read it.
"Just Anjou, Kumiko and Kiri," she replied. "I was really freaked out by that last message from her, so we talked a lot. Kumiko said her dad might've taken her phone, but that's when Anjou said it sounded like she was running away. Then Kiri was kinda wondering if she was catfishing me and was actually an adult or something, but Anjou said she wasn't, and—hey! I just realized, you guys totally prove she totally IS a teenage girl! HA!"
She beamed triumphantly at the realization. Under other circumstances Naomasa would have been amused by her smugness, but right now he was more focused on how much these other three knew. "Kiri would be Kirishima Eijirou, right?" Kageyama asked, and Ashido bobbed her head.
"Yeah, totally! Kiri's the manliest guy around!" Lie, Naomasa's Quirk alerted him, and this time he did let himself smile because it was such a trivial thing.
"Is he?" he teased, unable to help himself, and Ashido's smile became static.
"...Okay, he's kinda wimpy," she admitted sheepishly, before adding more energetically, "But we're working on it! By the time I'm through with him he's totally going to be the manliest man ever!"
Kageyama snickered under his breath while Naomasa decided to steer the questioning back on track. "Can you tell us their full names?"
"Right! Kirameki Kumiko and Anjou—" She stopped, her eyebrows furrowing as she muttered, "Anjou, uh... I don't actually know her first name."
"You don't know her full name?" Kayama asked in surprise. "Aren't you two friends?" Ashido just shrugged, the picture of sheepish as she awkwardly laughed.
"No, we're totally friends! Probably. I think." That sounded oddly uncertain. "She's really deadpan and I think she'd say if she didn't like me, so I'm totally assuming we are!" Okay, that explained the uncertainty a bit. "But yeah, her first name's never come up and we don't have homeroom together so I never hear it on roll call. I never really thought about it until now."
"It's cool," Kageyama said. "I've got the school's register, so we can look it up later." The casual remark earned a curious glance from Ashido, and then her face morphed into horror.
"Wait—you don't think they did anything, do you?" she gasped, and her expression quickly hardened as she slammed her hands on the table. "They totally didn't! I've known Kumiko since elementary school and she would never hurt another person! And Anjou—" She paused again, a slightly confused frown marring her face before she vigorously shook her head and slammed the table again. "She gave me her pudding at lunch every day! She's not a bad person either!"
In all his years of interviewing witnesses and suspects, that had to be one of the most amusing character defense statements Naomasa had ever heard. Evidently Kageyama agreed because he covered his mouth with a snort, making Ashido glare at him harder. "I'm sure they're good people," Naomasa assured her before she could go off on him. "We just need to follow up on every possible lead. Do you think there's a chance any of them would have known Infinity Girl?"
"Absolutely not," Ashido replied firmly, turning that indignant frown towards him. "Kumiko, Kiri and I went to school together so there's no way they'd know her. And I don't know where Anjou went to school or where she lived before, but she'd totally tell me if she knew her!"
Her tone veered towards defensive again, and Naomasa quickly went to reassure her. "Like I said, this is just a formality," he said, hoping that would calm her. It didn't seem to satisfy Kayama though, as the heroine stepped forward with a frown.
"Ashido, I can't disclose why, but we have reason to suspect she's in serious danger," she said seriously. "This applies whether she's been kidnapped and if she ran away. I know we might seem overly harsh right now, but we can't take any chances. Even the littlest detail could be the difference between life and death." The gravity of her words seemed to sink into the teenage girl, her frown growing and outright wincing at the last part before her shoulders slumped.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled, looking down. "I really don't know anything. I'm really worried too. But she has to be fine!" she added, looking up with a renewed fire in her eye. "She's Infinity Girl! The girl who can throw baseballs that never return! And if anyone tries to hurt her, I bet she can just punch them and make them back down no problem!"
Her eyes blazed with confidence, fully believing her online friend to be capable of protecting and fending for herself. Naomasa cracked a small smile at that, though one part stood out. "What was that about her throwing a baseball?" he asked, and Ashido paused.
"Oh, uh, one of my classmates threw a baseball with her Quirk and it just kept going up and up," she explained with a sheepish laugh. "We all called her Infinity Girl for a while after that, so... yeah. Whenever I hear the name Infinity Girl, I just think of that. I guess that might not be true for this Infinity Girl though."
"Ah, I see." Naomasa nodded in understanding. He briefly considered asking for more information on this classmate but quickly dismissed the idea. Uraraka and Ashido had never attended the same school, and since his Quirk hadn't detected a lie when she said "classmate" she must be remembering a different girl. It wouldn't be relevant to their investigation.
With that settled he began gathering all the printouts and pushing them back into the folder. "Thank you. In any case, I think that will be a good stopping point for now." Ashido glanced at him before all but collapsing into her chair with a drawn-out groan.
"Oh good, I feel kinda drained now."
"You don't have any other questions?" Kageyama asked curiously, and Naomasa shook his head.
"Not at the moment, no." They'd gotten a decent amount of information, and some potential new leads. It was clear to him Ashido had nothing else she could offer right now. Currently, he was more interested in meeting up with this Anjou and getting some more testimony on her about why she thought Uraraka might wish to run away.
Before he could voice this out loud Kageyama smirked and nodded. "Ah, I see. Sounds like a good move."
"Huh? What move?" Ashido was the picture of confusion, but Kageyama just smirked at her while Naomasa suppressed a tired sigh. He doubted he'd ever get used to that pseudo-mind-reading bit, it tended to leave him feeling frustrated and out of the loop even when he knew exactly what the other man was responding to, but he couldn't argue that it saved time.
For now he picked up the tape recorder and turned to face the two heroes before turning it off. "Do either of you have any other questions?"
"None relevant to the investigation," Kayama responded with a fluid shrug, side-eying Ashido with a smirk as she added, "I do wonder how you recognized me though. I don't think you were in my target demographic when I retired."
Turns out that Ashido's natural pink hue made her blush an even brighter red. "What? H-hold on, I don't look at that kinda stuff!" Kayama just laughed as the girl made a strangled noise of exasperation, while Kageyama snickered.
"Hey, Ashido," he started, and paused as she turned sullen eyes his way. His head cocked to the side, and his smile grew a little wider. "Do you have a crush on anyone?"
The resulting squawk was emphasized by a spoon being thrown at his face, which he easily dodged by tipping his head slightly to the side. "What does that have to do with anything!?" she demanded, her cheeks even brighter.
"Nothing," he sang, and laughed as he strolled to the door. "You're a fun kid, Ashido. I hope you make it as a hero." The last remark seemed to catch her off-guard, and then her face lit up with the brightest smile yet.
"Absolutely!"
Two minutes later the trio left her apartment, their questioning done for today. "Does anyone else feel like we're missing something?" Kayama asked as they walked down the hall.
"Absolutely," Kageyama agreed blithely ahead of them.
"I'd almost question if my Quirk was malfunctioning if I hadn't caught her lie about the science project," Naomasa commented with a sigh. "It feels like she must know something more than she said, but I can't figure it out right now. For now though, I want to go visit this 'Anjou' she mentioned and ask about the remarks about Uraraka running away."
Kayama perked up at that. "Oh, is that what Kageyama responded to towards the end?" she asked.
"Yep," the hero answered in Naomasa's stead. "I figured it'd be better not to let Tsukauchi actually say it in front of her though. She was pretty defensive about her friends."
"Ah, good call." Kayama made a sound of understanding, while Naomasa glanced at the teal-haired man thoughtfully.
"Speaking of responses," he said slowly, "what was the original question you planned to ask her before the crush?" Kageyama hummed, glancing over his shoulder with a smirk.
"Nothing, I just wanted to see how she'd react," he replied, and Naomasa's eyes narrowed as the other turned forward. Lie. He didn't call him out though, not yet at least. Kageyama knew exactly how Tsukauchi's Quirk worked, so he wouldn't blatantly lie about something important. Surely if he'd learned something relevant, he would tell them.
For now, Naomasa just had to believe that.
Meanwhile miles away from Kamino, a single man laid in the center of a cell, arms bound behind his back and a chain connecting his metal collar to the ground. He didn't feel sore or tired today, his arms mostly numb right now. He didn't know how long he'd been here anymore, the passage of time impossible to track without a clock or window. The only light he had was a dim bulb hanging from the ceiling, the cheap kind that gave a constant low buzz that he'd long since learned to ignore.
Footsteps sounded in the hall outside, heavy boots that echoed loudly on tile floor, making his gaze flicker to the door. The steps drew closer and closer before ultimately passing by, a shadow briefly visible in the light under the door before vanishing. As they faded away he let out a sigh, curling into a ball and closing his eyes. Another false alarm.
Perhaps he should be glad no one was coming to check on him, since for so long he associated visits with pain. The beatings had mostly stopped a while ago though, and they'd stopped altogether after the last one ended up cracking a rib. At least they were nice enough to drug him for the first few days so breathing wouldn't hurt so bad, though he suspected that was mainly to make sure he'd stay still so it wouldn't worsen.
As far as he could tell it had healed for the most part by now, the area still a bit sore but he no longer found it painful to take deep breaths. For now, he just felt bored out of his mind. Months of being locked in an empty room did that, and even the constant anxiety and dread which had haunted him at the start had slowly waned with time to nothing more than a quiet ever-present hum in the back of his mind.
More footsteps approached, just as heavy as the last, but this time they stopped by the door, followed by the familiar clank of a metal bar being lifted. He huffed a quiet sigh as he shifted to sit on his knees, listening to the metallic clatter of a key turning in the lock. The door pulled open with a heavy groan, a large man stepping inside.
"Food," he grunted, dropping a plate with two onigiri and a water bottle to the ground as he circled around the bound prisoner. "You know the drill, one hand only. Any wrong moves and you're dead meat." The leather binder securing his arms in place loosened as the man spoke, allowing him to pull his right arm free, and he silently picked up a rice ball.
The man hovered behind him the entire time he ate, making no moves to assist even as he had to hold the water bottle between his knees to unscrew the cap and drink. After finishing the meager meal the man roughly jerked him to his feet and dragged him towards the door connecting to a small bathroom, still leaving only one hand free to do his business. The door remained open the entire two minutes in there, the man staring him down the whole time, but any shame at being watched had faded long ago.
After he'd washed his hand and dried it off the man roughly grabbed his wrist and jerked it back behind his back, his grip harsh enough to make him wince. He bit down on his lip and remained still as the binder wrapped around his arms once more, leaving them folded behind his back. His elbows still protested the position but he'd become used to that ache by now.
Once the binder was secure he received a kick to the back of his leg that sent him toppling to his knees with a quiet grunt. The man scooped up the bottle and empty plate as he strode towards the door. "See you tomorrow, Eraserhead," he said, and slammed the door with a loud wham that made the light flicker for a few seconds before steadying.
Aizawa Shouta just stared at the wall as he listened to the lock turn and the bar get returned to its place on the door, and let his eyes slide shut.
Notes:
I like how everyone thought Mina would tell them everything.
I also like how everyone worried Aizawa was dead.
Question for next time: what do you think will happen to Aizawa?
Chapter 29: Reasons to Hate Mondays
Summary:
The 1-A Vigilantes navigate their civilian lives, and Ochaco finds out stakeouts are very boring.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 29
.::Reasons to Hate Mondays::.
Monday morning found Denki curled up in bed miserable and in pain. One thing they had grossly taken for granted at UA was access to Recovery Girl. This oversight became very clear after a variety of incidents, including: getting thrown in the air by the weirdo riding some weird makeshift plow in a grocery store; getting almost tossed into a building by a guy with six arms, and instead hitting a bunch of metal trash cans; and then the mugger who body-checked him into the pavement.
All of that had happened in the span of three hours, after which they called it quits because he was WAY too sore and battered to continue. Had they not been so close to his apartment last night when their patrol ended, he doubted he would've made it back before collapsing. He'd hoped going to sleep would help, but no. It just made him feel even more sore somehow. His body felt like one giant bruise.
Their only saving grace was that he hadn't actually broken anything, so he was just sore and in pain. Calling out from school had been a no-brainer, his body too sore to do anything right now. Hatsume had graciously agreed to stay home from school to work on adding extra padding to their costumes, but that did little to help his aching bruises now.
At least they had gotten a lot of attention. Adding the 1-A to their jackets had been a stroke of genius on Jirou's part, giving them a catchy name to trend on social media. The post on Satou's Instagram in particular had exploded, and now less than twenty-four hours later he could find plenty of posts about the 1-A Vigilantes. Between that and their costumes' resemblance to their actual hero costumes, anyone from their class should recognize them.
However, despite that he had a lot of doubts right now. They had seen Satou of all people, and even though Denki made eye contact with him—even though he said the guy's name like an absolute idiot—he hadn't recognized them. It wasn't just a moment of Satou being confused and suspicious. It hadn't been intentional but their vigilante costumes strongly resembled their actual hero costumes, anyone from Class 1-A would recognize them. If Satou didn't make the connection then, he simply wasn't their Satou. With Yaomomo, that made three classmates that they'd found who didn't seem to be from their world.
Four if you counted Mineta. They hadn't talked or anything, but Denki had been keeping an eye on his FacePage profile since it was the only one he could find so far. Earlier today he'd posted about saving a girl from falling to her death when a villain smashed into their train and it got derailed. It wasn't even a brag, it was literally "ohmygosh a villain smashed the train and knocked it sideways and we almost fell! I saved this one girl but IT WAS SO SCARY! WAY TOO CLOSE! #onlineschooltime"
Denki snorted softly at the hashtag, a feeble, bitter smile curling on his lips. When he pressed it he found a slew of other posts using it. Part of him idly debated using it today, but after scrolling through the other posts with it, everyone seemed to be using it for extreme cases where they missed weeks or even months. Almost all of them recounted rising villain activity in the area, or concerns of missing person cases making them paranoid, or even just one bad morning like Mineta.
These weren't kids who didn't feel like going into class that day for one reason or another. These were kids scared for their lives.
The thought made him clench his teeth, gripping his phone tighter as he squeezed his eyes shut. I want to go home.
He shoved the thought away as he opened his eyes, switching out of the depressing hashtag results to another tab showing all the posts with the 1-A Vigilantes. Looking at them made something inside himself settle, the ball of unease unfurling just a bit to be replaced by determination. Sitting around feeling sorry for himself wouldn't do anything right now. He needed to do something, and his next move was obvious enough.
Kyouka almost felt like she was in Bizarro World today—well, even more than usual, anyway. She kept her head low as she walked down the street, her earphone jacks plugged into the noise-canceling headphones hidden under her coat's hood, though she didn't actually turn them on. This time she wasn't wearing her vigilante costume, but her winter coat and school uniform.
Today for the first time since arriving in this crazy world, Kyouka would be going to school.
She wouldn't be actually attending the classes, thankfully, but she had to go to the building. One of her classes had a major test today that required all students be physically present to take, even online-only students. Kyouka didn't feel too worried about the test itself, this school's curriculum was tough but not as tough as UA. It was everything else that worried her.
Obviously as someone from another world, she lacked any memory of the school and teachers there. The latter had been partially resolved with Hatsume's help, as they got her to help put together and label a set of photos of every teacher for Kaminari's reference. Kyouka had studied it intensively herself after her homeroom teacher told her about the test, and she could only hope it would be good enough.
At least she wouldn't have to worry about getting lost. As the school came into sight she spotted someone waiting at the gates, a man in a doctor's coat with a dog head. She recognized him from the photos as Kirihito-sensei, the school doctor. "Jirou-san, I presume?" he asked once she got close enough.
"Yeah," she replied with a nod, and pushed back her hood so he could see her face more clearly. His eyes zeroed in on her headphones instantly.
"Still sensitive?"
"A bit." And it was actually true today, her hearing was a bit more sensitive than usual, though not as bad as she claimed. It happened sometimes, especially after days where she'd used her Quirk a lot. Those days had been less and less since starting at UA, but she hadn't really used it much since coming to this dimension. It hadn't surprised her much given how eventful yesterday's patrol had been. "It's getting better, but sensory overload's still a bitch."
"I see." Kirihito-sensei nodded, turning to the door. "Well, luckily everyone's in second period now, so the halls should be quiet. Come on, let's go." Kyouka nodded, following him inside and silently grateful she didn't need to worry about having to navigate the building alone. The school had scheduled it so that the online students would arrive at ten o'clock after second period began, to make it easier to record their arrivals. To that end they'd also stationed faculty at the gates to wait for each student and escort them inside, and even as they walked inside she saw another teacher go to take Kirihito's place.
Kirihito led her to an office area near the entrance, gently nudging her towards a waiting room before heading back to the entrance. Two other students already sat in the armchairs, glancing at her briefly before looking back at their phones. Kyouka didn't recognize either of them, and since they didn't address her she remained quiet as she sat in an empty chair. She took out her own phone and opened the newsfeed, idly wondering if they were even in the same class.
According to her homeroom teacher, the school scheduled multiple tests on the same day to try to host as many online students as possible regardless of class and year. They'd wait in the office until all of the online students had arrived, at which point they'd be escorted to a secure classroom for the tests. If someone had tests in multiple classes, they'd be given the tests in a random order, getting the next one whenever they finished the first. Students could leave once they finished all their tests.
The exact specifics didn't matter to Kyouka. What did matter was that she and Iida Tenya were in the same class, which meant this would be her best opportunity to meet him.
The thought made her swallow harshly. So far they'd met a total of three people from Class 1-A, none of whom remembered them. Kyouka's leading theory was still that the phenomenon only impacted the students on the third floor of the dorms, meaning others impacted by it would be Kouda, Ojiro, Hagakure, and Iida. After seeing Satou yesterday who lived on the fifth floor, it only seemed to strengthen her case.
...Well, that or the Quirk had been used on this side. If that turned out to be the case, they'd need to find a new approach. Iida's reaction would determine it once and for all.
As the minutes ticked on more students started to trickle in one by one, her gaze flicking to the door each time it opened. Most of them she didn't know, but surprisingly she did recognize a couple from other classes at UA. She didn't know their names or anything, but she remembered one girl from Class 1-C's haunted house, and another guy who tended to be really loud and obnoxious at lunchtime.
When that guy raised his voice while talking to two other kids they slapped his head with a harsh shush, shooting Kyouka a pointed look as they did. He grimaced and mouthed a "sorry" at her, and at that point it occurred to her the teachers had likely informed the other students of her condition. That was... surprisingly nice, actually. Unexpected but nice.
Almost immediately after that the door opened again, and when she glanced over her heart almost stopped as she finally saw Iida. He looked so similar to the Iida she knew, with that same stern expression and his hair neatly combed to one side. The similarities ended there though, as the blue Munakata uniform looked weirdly out of place when she was so used to him in UA's gray blazer and green slacks. Even his glasses were different from her Iida, still rectangular but the frames using a different kind of metal.
He glanced around the room and zeroed in on her almost instantly, heading straight for her. Kyouka silently watched him as sat in the empty chair next to her with an increasingly erratic heartbeat. The fact he'd approached her so purposefully made it clear he wanted to talk to her, and since they didn't seem to be friends (at the very least, he wasn't a contact in her phone), it made her think he really was her Iida.
To her surprise, rather than talk he pulled out his phone, typing out something before turning the screen to her. 'Good morning Jirou. Kirihito-sensei says your hearing is still sensitive?'
She read the message in mild surprise before nodding, opening a memo app on her own phone to type her reply. 'Yeah, a bit. Thanks for typing instead of talking. You can get loud. No offense.' Back home Iida had a tendency to trigger her sensitive hearing even on good days. She might have exaggerated her sensitivity in this world, but today he'd probably trigger it, especially sitting right next to her like this.
He gave a business-like nod and typed his response. 'None taken. I am aware my volume can be off-putting to some, and my main priority is the safety and comfort of my classmates.' He didn't smile but he had an air of pride to him, so familiar it made her mouth tug into a small smile of her own.
'Thanks Class Rep. You rock.' She showed him the response, and Iida's eyes narrowed as he typed a response before showing her.
'Thank you for the compliment. However, I must correct you that I am not the class representative. Online students are automatically exempted from student government positions.'
It took everything to keep up her poker face as she read it, her smile falling as her stomach sank. No, this doesn't prove he doesn't remember UA yet, she reminded herself. Iida's response was a correction, and honestly she had a feeling her Iida would make that correction even in this situation. That, or maybe he just didn't know yet that she was from their world and didn't want to show his hand.
She nodded, mind racing as she started typing her response. 'Yeah, guess not. You give off the vibe though.' She needed to say something that would be enough of a clue, without outright asking if he was her Iida or believed in multiverse theory. 'You with Yaomomo as VP would be the ultimate team.'
Kyouka held her breath as she showed him the phone, studying his face for any reaction. She had to confirm Iida's status before they left to take the tests; once they left this room, they might not get a chance to talk again. There wouldn't be any breaks, and once students finished their tests they could leave right away. She had no idea how many more students would be arriving, but given a total of eight had already arrived, the next one could very well be the last.
Iida's mouth thinned as he turned to his phone, the minute shift in his expression giving her hope. Then he turned the phone to her, and her heart sank.
'Thank you for the compliment. Speaking of Yaoyorozu, she has been very worried about you. She says you've been ignoring her calls?'
Dammit Iida, that still doesn't tell me if you actually remember me or not! Kyouka bit back the words as she nodded and typed her response, her mood sinking further as she did. 'It's complicated. She did nothing wrong, but I'm just not up to talking to anyone right now.' Ignoring Yaomomo left an awful taste in her mouth, the reminder from Iida flooding her with renewed guilt, but she had to focus on the here and now.
'Even so, please reach out to her. As I said, she's very concerned.'
She gave a thumbs up, her mind racing to figure out something to get a response that would settle it once and for all. The door opened and another student entered, making her heart pick up its pace. Kyouka couldn't waste any more time, she had to cut straight to the point. 'Will do. Also, totally random but did your brother ever meet Stain?'
There. That had to be enough. Ingenium could walk here so he obviously hadn't met him, but his attack in her world had been enough to set Iida off for a while. If anything would get a reaction from her Iida, it would be this.
However, as he looked at the response with a slight furrow she felt her heart sink once more, her hopes dashed once and for all. The genuine confusion on his face made it clear he had no memories of the battle even before he responded. 'Who's Stain?' he typed, and that... okay, that actually caught Kyouka by surprise.
Was Stain not active here? Looking back, Kyouka hadn't seen anything about him in the news, and she hadn't looked him up. Come to think of it, the guy was a huge All Might fanatic, so maybe All Might's death turned him off the "Hero Killer" route. Or maybe he got killed years ago, or he simply never turned to vigilantism in this world.
...Or maybe he was active, and his activities just hadn't been publicized.
Her lips pursed into a thin line as she typed her response, suddenly much more wary. She had no idea who Iida might talk to after this, and if Stain did exist but had his crimes covered up, revealing she knew about him when she shouldn't could cause a lot of problems. 'Not sure tbh. I heard people gossiping about some guy named Stain on the way here.' There, that should be impossible to trace and confirm.
Iida frowned, opening his mouth before catching himself and clamping it shut with an even firmer frown. 'Eavesdropping even in public is incredibly rude and impolite!' he scolded over text, and despite her sullen mood Kyouka smirked. Guess some things really didn't change.
'Kinda can't help it right now.' She pointed to her earphone jacks, still plugged into her headphones, and Iida's stern expression quickly gave way to a more sheepish look.
'My apologies, I forgot you were having sensitivity issues.' Kyouka just smirked, and started to type a response pointing out he'd still remembered to scold over text instead of vocally when the door opened. Two more students peeked inside, probably siblings based on their resemblance, but they remained outside as a lady Kyouka had seen at the desk in the front office stood in the doorway.
"Alright everyone, the last students are here. Time to go to the classroom." The assembled students all stowed their phones away as they got up to follow her, the quiet chatter dying down. Kyouka gave Iida one last nod before slipping out after them, trying not to feel too disheartened.
Iida didn't remember. Her theory was wrong. They really might be the only ones here from UA.
Ochaco felt reasonably sure she'd found the League of Villains/Villain Alliance.
After escaping the abandoned part of town where she'd almost been caught, she'd managed to find (populated) civilization once more and went straight to an internet cafe. Shelling out the funds to rent a spot even if she had plenty on hand at the moment had left her wanting to cry, thinking of how much food she could've bought with that money. But she had no choice, she had to do research first and foremost.
It hadn't taken long to confirm there had been a large battle in Nabu six years prior, involving a bunch of local heroes and villains she didn't recognize. It had caused serious damage to the area, the photos from the time looking like something out of a war movie and making her gulp. The only reason it hadn't ended with a higher death toll was because the area had already been rundown and closed most businesses, so not many people frequented it anymore. Between that and the projected costs to repair it, the area had been written off as a total loss.
After confirming this information, Ochaco went straight to planning her next move. And when she thought about it, there was really only one choice: set up a stakeout and wait to see if the villains would show up. Calling the police wasn't an option, she'd get taken in before she'd have a chance to meet Deku, and yesterday she'd already reminded herself why Pro Heroes wouldn't work either.
That was how she found herself huddled on the second floor of some sort of shop on Monday, wrapped in a blanket while cooking ramen on a camping stove. She'd spent the night there, arriving just before dusk and staying there ever since. Ochaco chose the location because the building seemed stable, the second floor was intact and thus somewhat insulated, and it had a good view of the building where she thought she'd seen the face.
Sleeping in a cold, abandoned building in winter had seemed like it would suck, but the three season sleeping bag she'd bought had been surprisingly warm. She'd be mad if it wasn't, because she'd almost cried at the final price. Between that, the camping stove and everything else, she'd depleted a lot more of her funds than she'd liked, but she knew she couldn't skimp costs on this stuff, especially the sleeping bag.
Aizawa-sensei would be proud, she mused, giggling quietly to herself as she thought of her teacher's characteristic sleeping bag. She still felt mildly disappointed she couldn't find one in the same gaudy shade of yellow, so out of place with their otherwise dark-looking and black-wearing teacher. The familiarity would have been nice, even if the thought also made her feel a little homesick.
While the sleeping bag might have the Eraserhead seal of approval, he'd probably be less approving of everything else she was doing right now. That thought sobered her mood, and she quietly went about turning off the stove and finishing the preparations to actually eat. Soon enough she sat by the window, looking out at the suspected villain base as she quietly ate her late breakfast.
Ochaco had stayed up until nearly dawn, figuring villains would be more active at night. No one had appeared though, and eventually she'd gone to sleep and woke up around half an hour ago. Since then she still hadn't seen anyone, much to her dismay. It was only day one though, surely she'd see something if she waited long enough. Those villains yesterday had clearly been looking for her, so their base must be close.
Unfortunately, they definitely weren't looking now.
Time dragged on slowly as Ochaco stared at the empty street, her initial adrenaline at being so close to enemy territory waning faster than she'd expected. Stakeouts turned out to be very boring, especially when you were alone. Eventually Ochaco got out some yarn to practice some string tricks the other girls had taught her. It would be quiet and help pass the time, but not take her total attention.
Probably another hour passed as she practiced making string figures. She was trying to remember the steps of this particularly complex one Yaomomo showed her when movement outside finally caught her eye, at which point she abandoned the string to direct her full attention to the street. She didn't know whether to shout with joy or freeze with terror when she saw a small group of people striding towards the suspected base.
Almost all of them wore bulky winter coats that hid their figures, and even without those they were too far away to make out their features clearly. But Ochaco didn't need to look hard to recognize Shigaraki at the lead of the pack, his silvery-blue hair almost glowing against his black coat and pale severed hands gripping his sleeves. He strode towards the base with a brisk air about him, radiating danger even from a distance. She recognized Compress and Toga next to him, Mr. Compress's top hat and trench coat unchanged from her world and Toga's hair done in its usual buns, but all the others were unfamiliar.
This was it. This had to be the base. Her heart pounded faster and faster as they reached the building, Shigaraki never breaking stride as he stepped into the gaping hole in its side with his small army trailing behind him.
She swallowed thickly as they all disappeared inside, pulling away from the window before scrambling to pack up her things. It only took her a couple minutes, having already folded and rolled up the sleeping bag after waking up. With the camping stove and all her clothes stuffed into it, her backpack had very little space left, and she silently bemoaned not buying an actual camping backpack. No time for regrets though. The bag was too bulky for her to wear while sneaking around, so for now she stashed it in a corner of the room to retrieve later and crept towards the stairs.
A quick five-fingered tap to her arm had her bypassing the creaky stairs to float over the bottom floor, quickly deactivating and then reactivating it just before she could crash to the ground. Ochaco took a breath as she deactivated it a final time and her feet gently touched down on the wood with barely any sound at all, and she quickly darted towards the front of the building while keeping low.
Right now, she couldn't afford to get caught. While she wanted to join the Alliance to find Deku, getting captured while sneaking around their base's area might negate her chances of being recruited. And that assumed they wouldn't just, you know, kill her on the spot. She had no idea what to expect of them, so for now she'd need to observe them, gather all the information she could, and then she could decide her next move.
"What are you doing?"
Ochaco almost screamed at the voice behind her, only barely managing to suppress it to a gasp as she whirled around to see a dark-haired woman behind her. The stranger hadn't made a single noise until she spoke, her sudden appearance sending Ochaco's heartrate skyrocketing. While Ochaco didn't know her, it didn't take a genius to figure out she was probably with the Alliance. Her clothing looked too suited for fighting to be a random civilian, wearing a black coat and heavy combat-style boots, and those tinted goggles over her eyes only added to the subtle air of danger.
"I-I just—I was just, I saw people, a-and—" Ochaco started stammering nervously, but stopped as the woman held up a hand, her breath catching in her throat.
"Kid, this place is dangerous. You really shouldn't be here." Ochaco gulped, her hands clenching at her side.
"Are you with the Villain Alliance?" she asked, forcing the question to tumble out. The woman visibly stilled, and Ochaco wished she didn't have those tinted goggles because she'd give anything to be able to see her eyes and try to figure out what she was thinking. Asking outright like that had to be the riskiest thing she could do, but if this woman was a member of the Alliance, this might be her chance.
"...Kid, please tell me you're not angling to be a vigilante," the woman groaned, pressing her hand to the bridge of her nose. "Last I checked we've already got one all locked up, and I'd really rather we don't fill up any more cells with stupid teenagers who think they can take on murderers." Her words simultaneously terrified Ochaco and sent her heart soaring, being as good confirmation as she could get.
"I'm not!" she replied quickly. "I'm—do you know Midoriya Izuku?"
The woman visibly tensed once more, and her hand slowly lowered from her face as her mouth pulled into a frown. "...Izu...?" she murmured, so quietly Ochaco almost didn't hear it. "You're..."
Before she could finish speaking they heard a loud shout from behind, and Ochaco spun to look at the base. Another shout sounded followed by a guy being thrown out the second story window, making her eyes widen. What the hell? Seconds later she felt a hand grip her shoulder, and she turned her head to see overly long, black-tipped fingers that looked like claws digging into her sleeve.
"Time to go," the woman said behind her.
Then Ochaco was yanked back and fell into a void.
Notes:
For those curious for details about the Mineta post (though I doubt anyone is): the villain smashed a hole through the train, followed by it derailing and turning over on its side, thus causing people to fall through the hole he'd made. Mineta panicked and threw a bunch of balls onto the walls and one girl got caught on them, keeping her from falling (and him too when he grabbed onto her legs). Total panic reaction, but the kid saved a life. Also, we have now confirmed that Iida is NOT from the main dimension. Too bad.
Also, hi Aiko. Bye Ochaco. Whee!
Question for next time: what heroes could you see working as villains in this AU?
Chapter 30: Planning is Everything
Summary:
Izuku holds a strategy meeting, and the author further proves she is evil.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 30
.::Planning is Everything::.
Phase one of the plan had gone almost terrifyingly well in Izuku's opinion. Kacchan had not only been released from the blocky metal restraints, but had also been given limited freedom to roam the base. Limited, because he almost always had to be accompanied by Izuku, had to be back in his cell by ten, and had also been fitted with the same anklet Shinsou had.
You know, the one that was a bomb.
It took all of Izuku's willpower to not stare at it in horror whenever they saw each other. While Bakugou's Quirk gave his body some natural protections from his own explosions, Izuku doubted that applied to actual bombs. He couldn't exactly ask either, because he hadn't told either of his friends yet about the anklets' explosive nature. He wasn't trying to hide it on purpose, he just didn't know how to tell either of his friends that they had bombs strapped to their ankles. Bad as it sounded, he kinda wanted to just... not think about it right now.
Fortunately, they had plenty of distractions right now as they all sat in Shinsou's cell, a handful of notebooks spread on the floor and open on their laps.
"Alright, so far these journals are fucking useless," Bakugou grunted as he held one up. "I'm not getting anything useful from this stupid thing except griping about playing games with that creepy hands fucker and some asshole named Mustard making people do stupid dares."
"Yeah, I'm not finding much either," Izuku sighed as he flipped through another journal. "This one is mostly about me and Toga trying on school uniforms to decide the best ones. I don't know where she got them, but I guess we spent a week doing that."
"What the fuck is the point of that?" Bakugou asked, and Izuku could only shrug. While they talked Shinsou picked up a cell phone Izuku had gotten from Kurogiri after commenting on how slow it was to have Shinsou write out his responses. It couldn't make any calls or connect to the internet, and the screen had a massive crack, but it had a text to speech app to use as a substitute for the white board. The three treated the device as the godsend it was, and Izuku made a mental note to thank Kurogiri again later.
"Does Seiko sleep?" the phone's electronic voice asked, and both Izuku and Bakugou turned to look at him incredulously.
"What the actual fuck? That creepy kid you and Deku mentioned? Where'd that come from?"
"Mido-ri-ya and To-ga spent two weeks trying to find out if she sleeps," Shinsou explained, the phone pronouncing the names with a slightly stilted delivery. "They gave up." Izuku blinked as the words sank in, and then gave a small shudder. Since that unsettling conversation with Seiko on Saturday, he'd realized she didn't actually always watch him like she claimed, since he'd called out to her while alone and gotten no response on two separate occasions. That didn't make her any less unsettling though, and the point Shinsou raised just added to his unease.
Today she'd also been absent, and so was a majority of the Alliance. He had no idea what they were doing, but it must be some major operation as the only one still hanging around was Twice. And even then, he suspected it was one of his clones rather than the original. The most Izuku knew was that Shigaraki told him he'd be home in time for dinner before he followed the others through one of Kurogiri's portals.
Whatever the reason, the trio of teenagers decided to take advantage of the villains' absences to have a meeting in Shinsou's cell. Shigaraki had given permission to bring Bakugou along on unsupervised visits to the vigilante under the guise of helping sway Shinsou to join them, so it hadn't been hard to convince Twice to allow another one.
Izuku and Bakugou had brought a total of six journals and analysis notebooks so they could review his counterpart's notes to try to develop a more solid plan. He'd only felt comfortable smuggling a few, since they had no idea when the Alliance members would return and it would be suspicious to have his entire collection in Shinsou's room. They could at least hide these on the bookshelf if someone showed up randomly.
So far they hadn't gotten any really useful information from them though. Izuku sighed as he closed the notebook on his lap, tossing it onto the pile and grabbing journal two in its place. He'd made sure to grab it specifically since it had the map of the base, and he flipped to the earmarked page with a pen in hand. At this point it'd probably be better to just go over what they did know.
He could see Shinsou and Bakugou put aside their notebooks as they recognized which one he'd grabbed, anticipating the review. "Okay, so Kacchan and I explored yesterday with Mr. Compress," he started.
"Most annoying tour guide ever," Bakugou added under his breath, eye visibly twitching. Mr. Compress had been rather enthusiastic about his self-imposed role, speaking with all the grandeur and flair one would expect of a former professional magician. Izuku had no idea how the man got wind of the impromptu tour, but Shigaraki had promptly excused himself when Compress showed up in a puff of smoke so it worked out in the end.
"Anyways, we didn't actually see any of the exits, but we got to see some other rooms and areas I couldn't remember." He turned the map to show them as he spoke. "This room is one of three different areas that were converted to hold prisoners. Kacchan's room is in this other one here. Mr. Compress said we don't actually get prisoners that often, but we use three areas to make it harder to find prisoners if heroes find us and try to pull off a rescue. Some of the grunts also stay in the cells, but the major members mostly live here."
He pointed to another hallway, both Bakugou and Shinsou leaning forward for a better look. "The most notable members who live on base are Shigaraki, Kurogiri, Magne, Mr. Compress, Toga, and Twice. I think there's a couple others, but I don't know most of them though." Izuku had seen a few other people around the base on a regular basis, but they never spoke and he only saw them in passing. "The hall with my room has no one there besides me."
The others nodded, and Shinsou picked up the phone to type something. "What's in the room with the skull and cross-bones?" he asked, and Izuku had to pause to turn the notebook to look at the map. He quickly found the room he'd indicated, located in the far end of the hall that served as the third area for prisoners, and it took a second to remember what that room had been.
"Oh, that's... I'm, uh, not actually sure," he admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.
"That's the room that had the biohazard sign, right?" Bakugou asked with a scoff. "The magician wannabe opened it, and it was a bunch of stairs leading down. He said it was too dangerous to go down and that 'Aiko' lady would kill him if we did."
"Oh yeah, that's right," Izuku said with a nod, frowning at the memory. He had told both his friends about Aiko at the initial meeting on Saturday since she posed the greatest unknown element, but right now he knew about as much about her as they did. Which was a great big nothing.
Mr. Compress had been rather dramatic about her threatening people to stay out of the basement, swooning as he mentioned the death threat and the numerous people who had ventured there anyway, never to return. He'd ended it with an implied wink (not that they could see it with his mask) to Izuku as he added, "Of course, he can tell you why the threat's unnecessary." That had bothered him more than he'd like to admit because that implied Izuku knew what was down there, but he obviously lacked the memory.
"I have no idea what's down there," he said, putting it all on the table. "I know Aiko doesn't actually live here, but that's it. My best guess it's some kind of lab since it had the biohazard sign." The way Mr. Compress talked made him think the space itself was dangerous, so a lab seemed like the best guess. He just didn't know what type of lab it could be.
The only thing he knew for sure was that it wasn't a Noumu production facility or anything like that. All For One had died in the battle with All Might, and he couldn't see them making more without him. The fact no Noumu had been reported or mentioned anywhere—whether in news reports, his journals or just plans he overheard the Alliance making—left him doubting whether any even existed in this world.
One of the few good things about this twisted world.
"There's one other point in favor of it being a lab," he said, dismissing the thought. "I looked up our location on my phone this morning." Both of the other teens perked up, sitting straighter as they looked at him expectantly. It had been Shinsou's suggestion yesterday to check the built-in map app to find where the phone was located. Izuku still felt dumb for not thinking of it himself.
Well, at least he knew it now. He pulled out his phone—thankful Twice hadn't thought to check if he had it or not before letting him visit Shinsou like Shigaraki had—and opened the browser as he talked. "We're in Nabu, in Shizuoka prefecture." The quiet scoff from Shinsou made it clear he'd already known that part, which was interesting, but Izuku ignored it for the moment. "The building we're in used to be a lab dedicated to researching Quirks."
He turned the phone to show them an article about the building with a frown. The discovery had been surprising at the time, and after looking into the building's history he'd been left more than a little uncomfortable. "It shut down around twenty years ago. A lot of the staff lived on-site, and some of the cells were used to hold patients back then."
"Patients or prisoners?" Bakugou asked, eyes narrowed.
"Patients," Izuku affirmed. "They were mostly people with Quirks they couldn't control, or people who didn't want Quirks. Most of them came here voluntarily, but a few had to be brought in against their will. It wasn't shady or anything, and shut down when they moved to a new facility." He paused, grimacing as he added, "At least, I think so." The others shot him curious looks at that but he didn't feel like expanding on it.
The articles hadn't been too unsavory, but knowing how long All For One existed and the lab's purpose, he likely had a hand in the building's history. The fact that a building dedicated to researching Quirks became the Alliance's base felt a bit too ironic to be a coincidence, especially since it still had working power. He felt like the choice hadn't been just a random abandoned building.
The third area for prisoners was what really worried him. It wasn't located too far from this hallway, but it had been clearly separated from the rest of the building behind a high-security door. The Alliance had removed the door itself since moving in, but they'd left the frame in place and it had a keypad and card scanner. Beyond that, something about the air there just felt heavy compared to the rest of the building.
The most concerning detail though was that it had the basement stairs leading to Aiko's restricted space—the only stairs leading to the basement. It just made him more wary of what might be down there, and he really didn't want to talk about his suspicions with the others just yet.
Bakugou seemed to realize Izuku had no intentions of elaborating on the building's history or his theories, as he just sighed. "Okay, fine. Good to know. But what about the area actually around the building? Just having an address isn't gonna fucking cut it if we want to escape."
Izuku perked up, relieved at the subject change. "Right! So the area we're in is pretty shady and rundown but not abandoned. You know, the kind of place people lock their cars while driving through. It's pretty much on the edge of the city and it backs up against the mountains, so not many people really want to live here, and it just kinda got worse over time."
He switched from the browser to the map to show them. "So, the main downtown area of Nabu is most active over here," he scrolled the map to the side and pointed to the area in question for emphasis, "And as you can see it's kinda far away. I haven't gone outside the building that I can remember, but I talked to Kurogiri last night and he said it's pretty dangerous until about here." He scrolled along the map again, and pointed to an area about a kilometer away.
Shinsou picked up the phone to type. "And that's why he warps you whenever you leave, right?"
"Right," Izuku confirmed with a nod, and turned the phone to pull up the saved location left by his alternate counterpart for the area with the warehouse. "He usually drops me off around here, which is actually in the next city over. It's not super busy, but it's generally less shady and safer than the area around the base. There's an abandoned warehouse a few blocks away from the alley where he drops me off."
"So what, you think that'll be a good hiding spot?" Bakugou asked, and Izuku nodded.
"It's as good as any. There are stores nearby, so I can stock up on food and supplies to stash there before we run away. I have a lot of money saved up from birthdays and stuff, so I can use it a little bit at a time to avoid being suspicious." Bakugou nodded as Izuku outlined his rough plan, but Shinsou's eyes narrowed before he began typing.
"If you go there a lot they probably know about it," the electronic voice of the phone said. "Your phone has location tracking on. It will be the first place they look." The words made Izuku pause, and his shoulders sagged with disappointment.
"Oh," he said lamely. That had not occurred to him, but now that Shinsou had said it he felt like an idiot for not realizing that sooner. His phone had location tracking enabled so the Alliance could track him whenever he left the base alone, just in case something happened. Of course their first step would be to check his history. "Maybe I could leave the phone at the warehouse, and look for somewhere else?"
"Two problems," Bakugou said, and Izuku felt himself deflating further before he even got to the first one. "One, what if they try to contact you while you're away from your phone? Something tells me Shittyraki won't be too happy if he tries to call you and finds your phone abandoned." Izuku winced because yeah, Bakugou was definitely right about that. "And secondly, you're Quirkless. If something happens, that phone is your only way to call for help."
That got another wince, but for a completely different reason. "Um, about that," he said awkwardly. He could see the moment the two realized where this was going, both of them sitting straighter and their eyes narrowing.
"Deku, what the hell are you hiding now," Bakugou said slowly. Izuku hesitated to answer, eyes flitting around the room before settling on the bookcase. He put down his phone and the journal so he could roll onto his knees and crawl over to it, plucking off a thick, hardcover book. Turning to face them while gripping each cover, he took a deep breath and then just.
Channeled two percent of One For All into his hands and ripped it cleanly in half.
As the two halves of the book fell to the ground Bakugou and Shinsou just stared, Shinsou at the fallen remains of the book while Bakugou focused purely on Izuku. "Deku," he said stiffly. "What the fuck. What the actual fuck."
"I don't know," he said, and it wasn't even a total lie. He had no idea if One For All had followed him from his own world, or if the other Izuku had somehow gotten it himself despite All Might being dead. "It's not mentioned in any of the journals, or the letter, or my notebooks, or anything, and everyone else thinks I'm Quirkless. But—I have it." Bakugou just stared, clearly in shock, while Shinsou tilted his head.
"Is it a strength Quirk?" he asked, and Izuku shrugged.
"I guess, kinda? But the real problem is that it's kinda too strong for me. If I use it too much, it'll break my body instead."
"How do you know that if you can't remember it?"
"Muscle memory, I think," Izuku replied, and then paused and frowned at himself. The answer came so quick he hadn't even thought about it, but once he said it, it... made sense? "Like... I think I can kinda tell that I've broken my bones in the past, and I feel like it's connected to my Quirk." The words came out slowly and uncertain, but as he said them they felt undeniably true. It could just be experience from training with it back home, but...
Something about this felt different.
His discomfort must have shown on his face, judging by the frown Kacchan shot him. "Deku, what's going on?"
"I... don't know," Izuku said quietly, and he didn't. He could see Shinsou typing in the corner of his vision, but he didn't get a chance to finish before they heard a distant bang. Voices began sounding outside all at once, muffled by the walls and distance, but they could make out a large number of different ones. It looked like the Alliance had returned.
The trio exchanged looks before they closed the notebooks and quickly carried them to the bookcase. "We're talking about this later," Kacchan hissed, and Izuku could only nod. They hid the notebooks behind the other books there, not wanting to risk leaving them in the open in case Shigaraki or someone else decided to drop in.
As Izuku turned away he saw Shinsou holding the phone to him, and he reluctantly took it and slid it into his pocket. Kurogiri may have given it to him so Shinsou could communicate more easily, but they hadn't run it by Shigaraki just yet. Izuku had a feeling he wouldn't wait for them to explain it couldn't actually contact anyone if he dropped by and saw Shinsou holding it. Disintegrating it would only take a few seconds.
Shinsou returned to his bed and turned on the console to load up Mario Kart, giving them a ready excuse for any sudden visitors. "What do you think those guys were up to, anyway?" Bakugou grumbled as he joined Shinsou.
"No idea," Izuku responded, focused on ripping up the already torn book into smaller pieces so he could smuggle them out. "But—hey, hold on. Seiko?" They all paused and held their breaths, eyes flitting to the shadows, but when she didn't appear they relaxed. "Well, I think she went with them since she didn't respond to me this morning after they left, so it must have been a really big operation."
They could hear some voices more clearly now, the speakers clearly walking by the door. Bakugou squinted as he turned to look at the door. "Hey, Deku, what direction are those people coming?"
"Um. Sounds like the direction with the wall where Hijack's bed is." Izuku paused then, twisting his head to look at the wall as the implications of his words registered. That direction had only a few areas, none of which seemed like places the Alliance would use as a warp point when returning from a big operation.
None except for the third area for prisoners.
A chill ran down his spine, and he shoved the shreds of book he'd been holding into his pockets as he slowly got up. "Hey guys, can you do me a favor and hide the rest of this under the mattress or something?" he asked absently, gaze locked on the door. "I'm gonna check on something."
"I'm coming with you," Bakugou said as he got up, but Izuku shook his head.
"No, don't. Just stay here, if there's something up it's better I check it out alone. We don't want you to be put back in your cell." Bakugou scowled but didn't try to argue, collapsing back onto the bed with an angry huff.
"Fine. But if they get mad at me for being here alone, I'm blaming you."
"I'll take the blame," Izuku assured him, and headed out. The door locked behind him as he closed it, making him wince, but he ignored it as he started down the hall. He could see a couple more villains heading his way, nameless grunts he didn't really know. They chatted lowly as he passed, giving him a wide berth as if not wanting him to overhear. It just made the pit of unease in his stomach grow.
As he turned around the corner leading to the hallway with the doorway to the prisoner area the voices became even louder, eliminating any doubts as to their source. His heart pounded as he began walking towards it, unable to make out any words but recognizing several of the voices. Among them was Shigaraki's, too low to hear but clearly full of irritation.
A flicker of black appeared in the corner of his eye, and he turned his head to see Seiko standing in an open doorway. For a moment they just looked at each other, saying nothing. Then she inclined her head and disappeared, melting into the shadows. A shudder ran down his spine, and Izuku swallowed thickly before steeling his nerves and marching onward. As he reached the empty frame of the high-security door he paused and took a deep breath before taking the final step forward, turning to look down the hall.
The first thing he noticed was Shigaraki, decked out in a black trench coat with the disembodied hands gripping his arms. Izuku shuddered at the sight and tore his gaze away to look at the rest of the Alliance members there, most of them nameless grunts he only vaguely recognized. They crowded around the entrance to one of the cells, clearly struggling to force someone inside based on all the grunting and movement.
"Seriously, just give it a rest already," Shigaraki said impatiently. "You're getting way too annoying for a bonus drop." As if on cue one of the villains gave a pained grunt as their prisoner slammed into him, stumbling back from the impact. As he moved to the side Izuku caught a brief glimpse of the prisoner, trying to break through the thin gap he'd created.
Before Izuku could get a good look the other villains surged forward, the nearest one slamming the man to the ground. A pained shout rang out as he fell, muffled by what must be a gag, but something about it made Izuku's blood suddenly chill. Two of the villains pinned the struggling man to the floor, one laying his elbow and forearm on his back while the other kept a firm grip on his shoulders.
The other villains stepped back as Shigaraki approached to bend down next to his head sigh. He grabbed the man's hair and lifted his head, and Izuku's blood turned to absolute ice as he finally saw the face of the prisoner they'd brought.
"I mean it," Shigaraki said firmly. "You're starting to be more trouble than you're worth, Eraserhead."
Aizawa-sensei.
Aizawa-sensei was on the ground in front of Shigaraki, pinned by villains with arms bound behind his back. A white blindfold had been wrapped tight around his eyes and another piece of cloth tied around his mouth, but Izuku would recognize his teacher's shaggy black hair anywhere. The man looked awful even beyond that, his cheeks more sunken than they should be and his stubble slightly thicker than he usually sported it.
A guttural growl escaped, clearly challenging Shigaraki even in his current position, and the villain scoffed. "I said stop," he snapped, and slammed Aizawa's face to the floor eliciting a pained noise. Izuku felt his breathing stop, memories of a sickening crack and an inhuman screech flashing through his head. Suddenly he wasn't in the hallway but instead back in USJ, watching helplessly as his teacher was relentlessly slammed to the cement by the Noumu.
As Aizawa's struggles momentarily ceased Shigaraki paused, looking up at the grunts, and then he suddenly turned to look back at Izuku.
Time resumed and Izuku snapped back to reality as their gazes met, Shigaraki's face free of the hand which haunted his dream and allowing a clear view of those eerie red eyes. The villain looked at him for a moment before he slowly rose to his full height, his eyes narrowing. "You're not supposed to be here," he muttered testily, and sharply turned around to face the other villains as they pulled Aizawa to his feet.
The hero sagged almost limply in their grip, head lolling forward as he groaned in pain. Izuku could only stare in horror as he absorbed the rest of his teacher's state—no boots or capture weapon, not even his costume. He wore dark clothes that didn't look like they fit properly, and he wore cold-looking metal shackles around his ankles. He even had a bulky metal collar with several chain links attached to it, making his throat tighten.
"Kurogiri."
The sharply spoken name startled Izuku from his stunned stupor, and he snapped back to reality as he felt a familiar presence appear behind him. "Wait—" He couldn't finish the sentence before Kurogiri's portal consumed him and pulled him away from the hallway.
Notes:
Everyone: "I hope Izuku/Todoroki/Uraraka/Jirou & Kaminari rescues Aizawa!"
Aizawa: *gets "rescued" by Shigaraki instead*
I am looking forward WAY too much to everyone's reactions.
Question for next time: I don't think I need one. Just predictions and thoughts on Aizawa's latest predicament will do for now.
Chapter 31: How to NOT Handle a Panic Attack
Summary:
Izuku has a panic attack for approximately three paragraphs, and then he finally has some time to unwind.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 31
.::How to NOT Handle a Panic Attack::.
No.
No, no, no, no, no!
Izuku wanted to scream as the portal vanished around him, a pained gasp escaping him as he staggered where he stood. Tears stung at the corner of his eyes as he stood there, his breathing harsh and heavy as his heart thundered in his chest.
Aizawa-sensei had been captured by the League. His face still appeared clearly in Izuku's mind, that blinding white blindfold covering his eyes and the gag tied around his mouth. Too tight, some voice cried, the cloth was digging into his skin, they were both so tight. His teacher had been so much paler than he remembered, so much smaller and vulnerable than he could ever imagine even as he tried to struggle.
A pained gasp escaped him as he fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around himself as he tried to steady his ever-faster breathing. It felt almost like he was hyperventilating—no, he was hyperventilating, this was too much, this was too horrible, why was Aizawa-sensei there, why did he look like that, what were they doing—
He didn't know how the sudden calm washed over him, just that his mind randomly went blank. He blinked in surprise at the abrupt change, his panic just... gone, and leaving his mind feeling oddly empty and clear. As he sat in a dazed sort of confusion he belatedly noticed a pair of hands gripping his shoulders, and he slowly lifted his head to find himself staring into a pair of eyes that looked like the night sky.
Aiko. The woman crouched in front of him with a faint frown, her galaxy-like eyes boring into him as she gently held his shoulders. "You okay?" she asked softly, and Izuku blinked slowly.
"I... think so?" he said, the words quiet and tinged with muted uncertainty and confusion. "What...?"
"You were having a panic attack, so I stopped it." She released his shoulders and backed off while Izuku just stared at her, gradually piecing it together.
"I... My mind just—went blank," he said slowly. "Did you...?" Aiko sighed as he trailed off, rubbing the back of her neck and looking away.
"Yeah. I tapped into your emotions and did a quick shut-down. Sorry for doing it like that, I am... not good with strong emotions." She grimaced slightly and got to her feet, Izuku absently following suit. She turned away to pad over to a small kitchen and only then did Izuku finally notice his surroundings, realizing with a start he didn't recognize it at all.
At first glance, they seemed to be in some sort of apartment. The furniture was maybe a little worn, but the space was warm and inviting with light yellow walls and a brightly colored rug. Photos sat on a table beneath the window, creamy curtains pulled aside to let sunlight stream inside, and Izuku realized with a start that a framed poster of a hero team hung on the wall next to it.
"Is that an autographed poster of Team Storm Chaser?" he blurted, and was responded by a warm laugh from Aiko. He turned to look at her in the kitchen, standing over a steaming red pot and watching him a fond smile.
"Yep," she confirmed with a bright smile. "Figures you'd still recognize a bunch of heroes you never met." Izuku felt his cheeks flush as he turned back to the poster, drawn in by the sense of familiarity. The poster showed the six heroes who had been active around the time of his birth, gathered on the steps to one of their bases.
Storm Chaser, the founder and leader, stood front and center. Shadesse and Phoenix, the two female members of the group, flanked him on either side, with Noir standing close to Phoenix and the mist-producing Veilance on Shadesse's other side. The space-themed Cosmonaut sat on the steps behind Storm Chaser slightly to his left, waving at the camera and almost seeming to be giving their leader bunny ears.
A pang of nostalgia and comfort washed over Izuku as he looked at it. They had this exact poster hanging over the couch in their living room at home, mainly because his own room had no space left for non-All Might posters. That poster had also been autographed, a gift for his fifth birthday that had left him squealing with delight, and he briefly wondered if this might be that very poster.
A look at the signatures squashed that thought, though. Shadesse's signature instantly caught his eye, making his shoulders droop in disappointment. The Japanese heroine, who had a ninja theme and could store objects in scrolls, had disappeared from the public radar when he was about four. To this day he didn't know whether she died or retired, but her signature had been absent on that poster.
In her place this poster lacked Noir's signature, which made him a bit sad. The French hero had also disappeared rather abruptly, the last member of Team Storm Chaser to leave the public eye, but Izuku had been eight at that point and could thus remember it more clearly. His missing signature suggested he'd died earlier in this world. He noticed the poster also lacked Veilance's signature, but that didn't surprise him. The man had died while Izuku had been an infant, the first in the string of tragedies to befall the team.
The team had mostly disbanded before Izuku was old enough to fully appreciate them, only able to look in awe at their history. Team Storm Chaser had been among the first hero teams that could be described as truly international, basing themselves out of no single country. The complexities and differences in international laws made it tricky for most heroes to work outside the country where they received their licenses. Rescue heroes had always been given leeway to work in other countries, but most of them still had one country where they primarily based out of.
While only one member remained active in his own world, their influence remained powerful. Plenty of rescue heroes cited them as an inspiration, from full teams like Eurosafe who operated all across Europe to individual heroes like Thirteen here in Japan. He still thought Thirteen's costume might be at least a partial homage to Cosmonaut, who also sported a helmet that had a digital screen to mimic eyes and facial expressions—
"Izuku, you're mumbling again," Aiko commented, and he slapped his hands over his mouth with a startled squeak. Blushing, he turned around to find her watching him with an undeniably fond smile, her expression soft as she propped her hand on her cheek. "My, some things really do never change."
Izuku felt his face grow even more red, and he groaned softly as he hung his head in embarrassment. Aiko just laughed quietly, and he glanced up when he heard a cabinet opening to see her pull out a mug. His heart swelled as he recognized the bright blue, red and gold color scheme as trademarks of All Might, something in his chest soaring at the sight. This was the first time he'd seen any merchandise for his mentor and predecessor since coming here.
She set it on the counter alongside two other mugs, and at that moment his brief euphoria was replaced by surprise. "Is there someone else here?" he asked, and paused. "Um, and where is 'here' anyway?"
"My apartment," Aiko replied, pouring the pot's contents into the mugs. A sweet aroma drifted his way as he watched brown liquid pour out and he perked up, instantly recognizing it as hot chocolate. He crossed the room almost unconsciously, hands cupping around the All Might mug with a bright smile.
"Thank you," he said. Rather than respond Aiko pulled out a few tiny marshmallows from an open bag on the counter and sprinkled them into his mug. "Thank you so much," he repeated even more enthusiastically and firmly, and she laughed, adding marshmallows to one of the other mugs. The stars in her eyes seemed to twinkle and flicker, a subtle thing that was no less mesmerizing.
"As I said, some things don't change," she said with a smile as she carried them to the couch. Izuku followed dutifully, silently noting a door that led presumably to a bedroom before sitting down. He sipped at the hot chocolate as he watched Aiko set the third mug on the coffee table.
"Seriously, is someone here though?" he muttered with a small frown.
"Yeah, she'll be out in a minute," Aiko said as she sat next to him with her own mug. "Before that though, mind telling me what's got you so freaked out? It's not every day that Kurogiri randomly warps you to my living room seconds away from a panic attack." The comment made Izuku freeze with the mug right next to his mouth, suddenly flashing back to the scene he'd seen just before arriving. Aizawa-sensei bound and gagged, shoved to the floor and clearly in bad shape—
He sucked in a sharp breath, and then winced when he accidentally inhaled some of the hot chocolate in the process. "Hot!" he yelped reflexively, coughing and hurriedly putting down the mug. A water bottle happened to be sitting on the coffee table, and he swiped it up to down it to soothe his sore tongue. Once he finished he paused, lowering it with a frown. "...Um, this isn't mine."
"No, it isn't," Aiko agreed, sounding amused. Izuku's shoulders slumped while she gave a soft snort, turning back to sip at her hot chocolate. "If you don't want to tell me what happened, that's okay." Her words made him freeze again, and he turned to look at her in surprise. Aiko didn't look at him, her eyes closed as she idly sipped from her mug. "You're still having an episode, right?"
"...Is it that obvious?" he asked gloomily, and the corners of her lips quirked upwards.
"Izun, usually you'll tell me exactly what happened to freak you out the second the panic attack stops so I can go fix it. You also don't look around like it's your first time ever seeing this place and act shocked that I have a poster showing a bunch of heroes." Her voice had a faint teasing note to it, one that felt both comforting and familiar yet guilt-inducing to Izuku at the same time.
"We're really close, aren't we," he murmured, turning to look at his hot chocolate with a more somber mood.
"You're like my family," Aiko replied softly, and the words startled him enough to snap a wide-eyed look back at her. She still looked at her mug but had a soft smile, her eyes distant and wistful as she spoke. "It might not be by blood and you might not always remember me, but that's okay. I don't have many siblings left, and you're the only family I can see. As long as I still breathe, no matter what you do, I'll be on your side."
As he listened Izuku felt his shoulders sag once more, slowly turning back to his mug. Aiko's words made a warm feeling curl inside his chest, a flicker of fondness and safety and familiarity that didn't belong to him. Once again it struck him how out of place he was here, and how he'd just stolen the place of another Izuku while all the people around him remained oblivious.
He sighed, gingerly sipping at the hot chocolate while being careful not to scald his already-sore tongue. "I'm sorry I don't remember you," he said after he swallowed, and meant it. Aiko just hummed though, neither sad nor happy as she sipped her own.
"It's fine, and I mean it. It's always a gamble if you do or don't with episodes. Honestly, sometimes I feel like it's better you don't always remember," she added more softly, and he raised his head in surprise to find a wistful smile on her face. "It feels nice to have a blank slate sometimes."
Izuku frowned, a bit confused by her statement, especially when she made a small snort at some joke he didn't understand, but he didn't feel up to asking about it right now. He still felt guilty for not being her Izuku... and also more than a little shattered by the revelation about Aizawa. His stomach sank as he turned back to his hot chocolate a final time, frowning miserably at his reflection in the warm brown liquid.
"...They captured a hero," he said, and Aiko looked over at him. He continued staring at his reflection, just... talking. "I was hanging out with Kacchan and S—Hijack, in Hijack's room, when we heard everyone come back. We could hear them all coming from this one direction and I realized they kept people prisoner down there too, so I went to look, and..." He trailed off, taking a shuddery breath.
He couldn't get the image of Shigaraki slamming Aizawa's face to the floor. It hadn't been too hard, but it had brought back horrible memories of the Noumu slamming his teacher's head against the plaza at the USJ. A cold chill rushed down his spine at the memory, both memories, his hands shaking as he gripped the mug tighter.
"I see," Aiko said softly next to him, and faced her mug with a sigh. "Well, that explains Kurogiri randomly dropping you off. Even when you're not mid-episode, you tend to get pretty freaked out by how rough they can get." Izuku glanced at her in mild surprise, watching her sip her hot chocolate with a thoughtful hum. "They won't get suspicious about you having an episode so you're good for now. But back up, what was that about Kacchan?"
She turned to look at him with her eyebrows furrowed, while Izuku just stared at her. After a few seconds of silence Aiko blinked, head tilting slightly to the side. "Did that come out weird?" she asked.
"I think, yeah? A little bit?" He'd kind of expected something more—he didn't know, sisterly, he guessed? Like, comforting him? Not just commenting on him hiding his "episode." Which... actually was good to know. He hadn't thought about that yet, he'd been too focused on freaking out over Aizawa being captured, but at least he didn't have to worry about that now.
"...I am not the best at comforting people, heh," Aiko said with a sardonic smile, chuckling humorlessly as she turned away. They sat in silence for a few seconds, and then she faced him again with a frown. "Though seriously, what's this about Katsuki?"
"Huh? Uh, how—" Before he could finish he heard thumps from the other side of the wall behind them, and he twisted to look at it with wide eyes.
"Oh, guess she's done with the shower," Aiko hummed.
"She?" Izuku repeated. "Who—" He didn't get a chance to finish before the bedroom door opened, and he turned to look at it in surprise. Then, for the second time in not even fifteen minutes his heart seemed to stop, his eyes widening in recognition as a familiar person stepped out. "Uraraka?"
Uraraka squeaked at her name, whirling to face him with equally large eyes. As their gazes locked he felt his heart skip a beat, a sudden sense of nostalgia and familiarity washing over him. Her hair still looked wet from the shower, and she wore a slightly too-big t-shirt and pink pajama pants with a paw print pattern that had to be rolled up around her ankles. But after everything else that happened today, she had never looked so amazing to him.
As they looked at each other she visibly lit up, her face breaking into a giant smile. "Deku!" she cheered, and lunged across the room to tackle him in a hug. Izuku yelped as his arms flailed at his sides upon impact, sinking even deeper into the couch. If he hadn't already been sitting the hug would have knocked him off his feet for sure. "I've been looking all over for you!"
"Uraraka?" he sputtered, still in shock. "What the—how—w-what are you doing—" Then something else registered and he bolted upright with enough force to knock her arms loose as he gasped. "The hot chocolate!" He'd been holding the mug when Uraraka tackle-hugged him, but when he looked at his hand now it was empty. Oh crap, where did it—
"It's right here," Aiko said, and they both looked at the woman as she held up his mug with an amused smile. "You are so lucky I have such good reflexes, or this would have spilled all over me." Izuku's face turned bright crimson, and it grew even redder as he realized Uraraka was still partially leaning over him. When he looked at her their eyes met again, and he could see her realize the same thing as her own face flushed red.
Cue Uraraka scrambling back and Izuku sinking deeper into the cushions, both of them covering their faces and wishing they could disappear. Aiko just laughed at their embarrassment, setting Izuku's mug on the table next to her own. "I found your friend hanging around a villain base the Alliance planned to raid earlier today," she told him with a smirk. "It sounds like she thought it was their base, and she was hoping to join the Alliance to find you."
Izuku's embarrassed flush vanished as he snapped a look of stone-cold horror her way, horrified by this information. To her credit Uraraka couldn't meet his gaze, staring down at her feet with a miserable frown. "You were what?" he squeaked.
"I didn't know what else to do!" she protested. "I know it's dangerous, but I mean—I couldn't just leave you alone! You're—" She stopped short, shooting Aiko a mild frown. Izuku followed her gaze, and the woman tilted her head at them with a sunny smile.
"Don't mind me, keep on talking," she said cheerfully, and Izuku had to suppress a groan.
"Aiko-nee, I'm really sorry, but could you maybe give us some space?" he asked hesitantly. "I know it's probably rude to ask b-because this is your apartment, I guess, but this is kinda private, and..." He trailed off as Aiko's smile shifted to wide-eyed surprise, making him shrink back nervously. "Um, w-what is it?"
"You called me Aiko-nee." She broke into a brilliant smile that caught him by surprise, almost as much as her words did. She really did care about the other Izuku, huh. Her fondness for his counterpart was evident in the warmth of her voice and expression, clearly happy he used the term even while supposedly amnesic. After a moment she got off the couch and grabbed her mug, ruffling his hair with her free hand while he squawked. "Alright, I'll give you two some space. You'll have all night to talk anyway."
"We will?" Izuku asked in surprise, and Aiko hummed, plucking a cell phone from the couch's arm.
"Kurogiri texted me to ask you to spend the night." Wait, what? When did that happen? Aiko turned on the phone to open her texts as she added, "Himiko also said she took your friend back to his room before Tomura could notice, so you don't have to worry about that." Oh crap, Izuku totally forgot Kacchan was still in Shinsou's room when he left. He'd been so freaked out by seeing Aizawa-sensei it slipped his mind.
Aiko slid the phone into her pocket as she smiled at him. "Anyways, your room's in the apartment next door, and there's plenty of your stuff there if you guys want to hang out there. I'll give you two some space to talk for now, Seiko never comes here so you'll have plenty of privacy. I need to go talk to Tomura and Seiko about things."
"Things?" Izuku repeated. In response Aiko just smiled wider, and while it wasn't malicious it had that eerie sort of too-happy cheer that sent a chill down his spine.
"Things," she chirped happily, and headed to the door. "I'll be back in a couple of hours. While I'm gone, please tell your friend exactly why this was such a stupid idea. I'll be back by dinner. Bye!" She gave a final cheerful wave before exiting into the hallway, the apartment silent in the wake of her departure. For a moment neither of them spoke, just staring at the door. Then Izuku spun to face Uraraka, finally letting his horror explode.
"What the hell were you thinking!?"
Notes:
Uraraka lives and is NOT a prisoner of the Alliance! Whew! A lot of people were freaking out over her fate last chapter. And also Aizawa. I had WAY too much fun seeing everyone's reactions last time.
So many great little moments in this one. Aiko is finally ready to start playing a bigger role in the story. There are big plans for her, and plenty of mysteries surrounding her.
Question for next time: how do you think Aiko's conversation with Shigaraki and Seiko will go?
Chapter 32: Catch Up Time
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 32
.::Catch Up Time::.
Falling into a void should be terrifying, but it only lasted a single second before Ochako hit the ground.
She had no idea what happened, just that one second she'd been inside an abandoned building and suddenly she was on her back watching as the portal closed. It had been a jarring change as the light vanished with it, leaving her alone in total silence as she scrambled to sit up.
Her first reaction had been panic, because she had no idea what happened. A black abyss surrounded her as far as the eye could see, a vast nothingness stretching in every direction. She would call it dark, but that didn't seem to fit properly because despite the blackness it didn't feel dark, just—empty. When she looked down at herself her body seemed to glow, but maybe that was a trick of her eyes.
Before she could fully freak out the air ripped, the blackness tearing apart like a hole in fabric to reveal the room she'd spent the past twenty-four hours in. Her backpack flung inside, landing next to her and making her yelp in surprise. "Just sit tight for ten minutes," the woman's voice called, sounding just slightly distorted compared to before, and then the rip closed.
Ochako kind of wanted to panic again but she couldn't really do anything. She didn't know how long passed as she awkwardly hugged her bulky backpack to her chest, wishing she had some sort of clock. Finally the air ripped open again though, this time sounding behind her. Before she could turn hands grabbed her shoulders and ripped her out of the darkness and threw her onto a couch with a startled "oof."
By the time her eyes adjusted to the sudden light the woman stood over her, arms crossed over her chest. "Please tell me you're not the girl Izuku saw last week," she said, and Ochako found herself wincing and suddenly feeling oddly sheepish. But more importantly—
"So you do know Deku then?" she asked, looking at the woman with a renewed sense of resolve, and the woman hung her head with an exasperated groan.
The woman's name, Ochako quickly learned, was Aiko. She didn't tell Ochako much about herself, but she did know Deku. And she also found Ochako's decision to run away to join the Alliance so she could find him to be one of the stupidest things she'd ever heard.
Apparently Deku agreed.
"Seriously, do you have any idea how dangerous that is!?" he asked, pacing around the apartment frantically. "This is even worse than when we went to save Kacchan! I'm literally living with the League of Villains!"
"I know, and that's why I couldn't just leave you alone!" Ochako told him, a fire lighting in her eyes as she wrung the hem of her borrowed t-shirt. "You're my Deku, the first person I've seen from our world in ages—and more than that, you're my friend. There's no way I can just leave you alone with villains!" Deku did not look particularly moved by her speech though, instead grimacing and looking away.
"Uraraka, I'm so grateful you went through all this trouble, but you don't understand. I'm safe, they won't hurt me, but this is really, really dangerous for you."
"And so I should just ignore you and keep living a life of luxury while you're in danger all alone?" Ochako challenged, hands on her hips. Deku flinched, her words clearly striking a nerve as he turned back to her with a frown.
"That's not the point at all!" he protested. "They already have Kacchan and Shinsou locked up! Kidnapping's like their number one MO! And today, they—" He cut himself short and squeezed his eyes shut as he shrunk in on himself. Ochako didn't have a response to that, her brain stuck on the first part as she stared at him in shock.
"Wait, they have Bakugou and—and that kid from Gen-Ed?" she asked in growing disbelief and horror. Deku winced, immediately losing that brief bit of fight as his whole body sagged with something close to defeat.
"Y-yeah, they were already here when I woke up," he said slowly as he scratched at the back of his neck with a grimace. "I... It's not good, they're just—they're prisoners. I mean, up until yesterday Kacchan had these handcuffs like the ones at the Sports Festival award ceremony. And Shinsou has a muzzle." Uraraka winced at that, and Deku's frown deepened as he looked back to her. "But more than that, they don't remember me. They're not our Bakugou and Shinsou. They're... this world's."
Ochako's heart sank, her eyes widening as she digested that. Suddenly so much of Deku's reaction to their meeting made sense, why he'd pushed her away so fiercely, but one thing stood out even more. "So we're still alone?" she asked quietly. She'd been afraid of that, afraid that no one else would be here, so when she saw Izuku she'd forgotten all about the possibility.
The idea of meeting other classmates but not having them remember her, just being total strangers—it made her chest clench painfully, a heavy sense of loneliness washing over her.
"I thought I was," Izuku said softly. "That's why that day when I saw you and realized you did remember me, I was really... surprised? And, happy? Like, I thought I was alone here, but then... I'm not. You were here too." He smiled faintly as he spoke, genuine relief flashing through his eyes.
Just as quickly as it appeared it vanished though, his expression growing heart-achingly somber once more as he averted his gaze. "But then I realized getting involved with me would be just... dangerous for you. And now—now..." He trailed off, his eyes slowly widening as he seemed to shrink on himself even more. Something about it made Ochako's heart sink with dread.
"Deku," she said slowly. "What happened?" He couldn't meet her eyes, but she could see tears start to form as he took a breath.
"They have Aizawa-sensei," he said, and Ochako felt like she'd just gotten punched in the gut. He took another breath, shakier than the first, and raised his head to meet her gaze with a look that could only be described as miserable. "They just brought him to the base today. I don't know if they'd just captured him or what, but—he looked really bad. They had him restrained and blindfolded and gagged, and-and then, he s-slammed his head t-to the floor, a-a-and... A-a-and...!"
He fell silent as his voice wavered and shook, tearing his gaze away just as the tears starting to spill. Ochako could only look at him in silence, overcome by horror as she processed everything. She'd already realized Izuku would have it hard, being stuck with villains, but for it to be that extreme... Her heart twisted painfully, her hands clenching at her sides as she took a breath.
"Deku," she said, keeping her voice steady and firm as she gazed at him. "That's why I can't leave you now." He looked up at her at that, his nose red and eyes shiny and wet, and she met his gaze squarely as she continued. "I can't just sit around while you're dealing with all of this on your own. You're my best friend, and I'm not going to leave you to deal with this on your own when I can help."
"B-but—"
"But nothing!" she interrupted, stamping her foot with a scowl. "Midoriya Izuku, you are my best friend and a good person. You're the most heroic person in all of Class 1-A, and you do not deserve to deal with this all alone!" She crossed the gap and threw her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug that made him stiffen. "I don't know what I can do, but we're both stuck in this stupid, awful, no-sense world! So I don't care how dangerous it is, I already made up my mind and ran away from home so we're sticking together from now on! Got it?"
Deku stood limply in her arms for a moment, but she could hear his breathing begin to pick up and then water seemed to explode onto her as he burst into tears. She hugged him tighter as he returned the embrace and cried into her shoulder, a small smile touching her lips as she felt his tears soak through her sleeve. Well, at least she was still wet from the shower anyway.
The world might feel like it's falling apart and things might be grimmer than ever, but this was the one thing that finally felt right.
Izuku and Uraraka spent a full hour just catching each other up on their respective lives. Izuku ended up having a lot more to contribute than Uraraka, just by virtue of being stuck with the League of Villains. Talking about everything with Shinsou and Bakugou left him feeling miserable, but finally being able to discuss it with someone who knew everything filled him with relief.
While her life hadn't been as eventful, Uraraka had some major news of her own.
"You think Ashido's here too?" Izuku gasped, and Uraraka bobbed her head with a face full of firm conviction.
"I'm sure of it!" she declared resolutely. "At the very least, she's an Ashido. But she only made her profile the day before I made mine—and she used the name Alien Queen Pink. That's way too much to be just a coincidence, don't you think?"
"Yeah, I do," Izuku agreed with a nod and frown.
"So, it might not just be us then," Uraraka said, and the weight of those words hit him all at once. Just knowing Uraraka was there had been shocking enough, but to hear that more of their classmates might have been pulled into it too? The realization filled him with equal parts hope and horror.
Izuku had seen firsthand just how screwed up this world could be. He and Uraraka had gotten lucky and were in relatively safe positions, but the same couldn't be said for their other classmates. If Kacchan had been brought over, who knows how he would have reacted to waking up as a prisoner of the League of Villains? It probably wouldn't even be obvious at first that he'd ended up in another dimension, and if he'd said something that let it slip that he might be from another world...
The mere thought left him chilled.
"I don't think I can contact her right now though," Uraraka continued, breaking him from his thoughts as she picked up a phone lying on the coffee table. She swiped her finger to unlock it and started tapping away as she explained, "Aiko lended me a spare phone she had so I could log into FacePage and talk to her. But when I did, I found this." She turned the phone's screen to him, showing a message on the site.
'Girl are u okay? A couple of heroes & a detective just came here asking about you! Theyre all SUPER worried and said you're in BIG danger! Message me ASAP when ur safe!'
Izuku's stomach flipped as he read it. "So they managed to track her down?" he asked worriedly. "Wait, doesn't that mean they might be able to track down you through this phone?"
"I thought that too at first, but Aiko said it'd be fine," Uraraka said, putting the phone back into sleep. "Apparently FacePage is super secure in this world so it's impossible to track people down, and this phone can't be tracked anyway?" She shrugged. "I don't know the full specifics, but she didn't seem too worried. When I told her I thought I knew who Alien Queen Pink was, she said the heroes probably used a Quirk on my phone and saw her face."
"That's... weirdly specific." Izuku frowned, and Ochako shrugged again, wringing the hem of her too-long shirt.
"Y-yeah, I thought so too... But she seemed really calm about it so I guess it's not bad. Oh, but also!" She perked up and turned to him again. "I almost forgot! I met Dabi!"
"What?" Izuku gasped, face rapidly paling. "What happened? Did he hurt you?"
"No, he's actually... really nice in this world?" Uraraka frowned slightly, shrugging her shoulders as she looked away. Izuku listened in growing shock as she then described their brief encounter, starting with leading her to an abandoned office building all the way to telling her about Nabu and giving her money to rent a motel room.
"He gave me a piece of paper with his phone number at the end," she finished. "I might call him later and let him know I'm okay, but I don't want to use Aiko's phone." Izuku frowned, falling deep into thought.
"If he knows the Alliance is in Nabu, then he must know someone there," he mumbled. "I haven't seen or heard anything about him though, so I don't think he's a member. And I've never heard about him having a brother. Is his brother alive in our world? Is that tied to why he's a villain?"
"That's what I wondered!" Uraraka chimed in, startling Izuku. Usually his friends didn't pay much attention to his mumbling anymore, let alone respond. It made sense she'd do it this time though, this was a situation where they needed to pool all the information they could. As he looked at her she added heatedly, "And the way he talked, Yuki isn't his real name. So I don't know why he'd go by that."
Izuku frowned then, this new information making his brain race. He opened his mouth but stopped short, glancing at the clock on the wall. Aiko had been gone for a while now, and it was only a matter of time until she returned. "...Let's talk more in my room," he suggested, and Uraraka frowned as she nodded in agreement.
According to Aiko, his room would be in the apartment next door. Looking back that was pretty weird, because she didn't say which apartment and this didn't seem to be a corner apartment. That also meant she owned at least two apartments, which surprised him. What did the neighbors think?
When they stepped into the hallway though he realized quickly that the neighbors wouldn't matter, because they didn't have any. The hallway was a lot more dilapidated than Aiko's apartment, the paint on the walls and doors chipped and fading and the floor covered in scuff marks. While it didn't have any dust or cobwebs, it took one look to realize the building had to be largely uninhabited. He wouldn't have guessed any of the apartments had running water or electricity based on this hallway alone.
The apartment to their right had its door hanging off its hinges, and they took one look and silently went to check on the left one instead. The door was unlocked, and after entering it seemed to be the one Aiko had indicated. It had a similar color scheme to the other one, much warmer and cozier than the empty hallway. Books had been stacked on top of the coffee table, and he could see photographs and a few hero posters lining the wall, making him smile.
"Guess this is the place," Uraraka declared, heading for a door that mirrored the bedroom door from the other apartment. "Come on, I bet this is your..." She trailed off as she opened the door and stood, and Izuku frowned as he joined her only to do a near double-take.
He'd expected his room to be a typical guest room, but this one was filled with even more hero merchandise than his room at the League. Posters covered every inch of the walls, books fought figurines for space on the shelves, and even the bedspread had a bunch of different heroes on it. It reminded him almost of his actual room—just with more variety than All Might.
And on that note, this room did have All Might merchandise. Not as much as his actual room of course, but still a fair amount of figurines.
His jaw dropped, honestly stunned. He thought he'd only visited occasionally, but clearly he spent a lot more time here than he originally thought.
For a long moment neither of them spoke, just staring at the room. Uraraka recovered from her shock first. "Well, it's definitely your room," she declared with a sheepish smile, and Izuku felt a sudden urge to groan and hide his face.
Seiko was bored.
Bored might not be the right term, actually. There just wasn't anything interesting happening at the Alliance headquarters right now.
The raid had been interesting enough to watch. Shigaraki had been planning for it for some time now; that other group had been slowly building its influence, focusing more on the deeper parts of the underworld. They had no public reputation just yet, choosing to be much more discreet in its growth and activity than the Alliance, but the fact they chose to operate out of Nabu had irritated him.
Seiko did not help in the raid. She hid in the shadows as she watched the Alliance cut through the nameless grunts. The goriest takedowns came from Magne and Slycer, where Magne would magnetize people and draw them towards her where Slycer waited to tear them apart. His Quirk let him turn any part of his body into sharp, blade-like things, and he'd laughed as his hair and fingers sliced through the villains. Mr. Compress did a cleaner job, capturing people in his marbles to simply crush, while Toga took her time leeching blood from the few people she found particularly attractive.
It had been interesting for a while but the novelty soon faded, and Seiko went to find Shigaraki. Surprisingly enough, he was not confronting the rival leader like she expected, but instead standing in the door of a cell where a black-haired man was bound on the floor staring at him wide-eyed. Interesting.
"Eraserhead, how good to see you," he'd said.
Very interesting.
And that had been when Seiko left.
The others had been mostly done with their assault by that point, so they'd probably be leaving soon. She didn't really care for Kurogiri's Quirk, and she would prefer to get back before they did so she had to leave first. She had a feeling their return itself would be entertaining, so she wanted to be present for that. Her ability did not allow for instantaneous travel like Kurogiri, but it was still faster than conventional means, so it took only about ten minutes to cross the city.
Upon returning to the base she had quickly determined Izuku had taken Bakugou to Hijack's cell for the day, probably to plan something. While pondering if she should check on them or randomly pop in to spook him (Izuku had the most amusing reactions when he didn't remember her, and she thought Bakugou might too), she noticed Kurogiri open a portal near the third prison block and decided to go watch that instead.
It had been interesting, especially when Izuku stumbled upon the scene. Shigaraki had been rather annoyed when he realized his little brother had witnessed his violence against one of the heroes Izuku so dearly idolized, and had promptly called on Kurogiri to send the boy to Aiko's apartment so he could spend the rest of the day sulking in peace. After that, Seiko decided to be nice and let Toga know Bakugou was in Hijack's cell so she helpfully smuggle Bakugou back to his own room and avoid getting in trouble.
And now, Seiko had nothing interesting to watch until the fallout from Shigaraki's little tantrum arrived.
Slam.
Ah, there it was.
Aiko did not storm into the bar, nor did she skip happily or saunter or cartwheel or levitate or any other notable deviation from a standard walking pattern. She walked inside like a perfectly normal human being, radiating an aura of sunshine and happiness as she plopped onto a stool next to where Shigaraki hunched over one of his consoles. She folded her hands under her chin as she smiled at him, her head tilting to the side.
"Tomura-chan," she greeted, perfectly sweet and cheerful, "Why didn't you tell me you guys captured Izu's childhood friend?"
At those words, the nearest villains quickly scrambled out of their seats and cleared the area save for Shigaraki and Kurogiri. This was clearly Aiko on the warpath, trying to restrain the urge to tear apart everyone in a five foot radius.
Seiko just inclined her head from her spot at the table in the far corner. So she came because she found out about Bakugou then? Interesting.
"I don't need to tell you everything," Shigaraiki scoffed. He didn't bother to put down the game console or look up, clearly confident she wouldn't murder him in cold blood. "What's the big deal, anyway?"
At that point Aiko grabbed the console and yanked it out of his hands, tossing it over her shoulder with that perfectly pleasant smile never faltering. Shigaraki made an amusingly sour face as he watched it sail halfway across the room, the console only getting saved from a gruesome fate at the last second when Kurogiri opened a small portal under it. Seiko suspected he did it more to save the table it would have damaged by the impact, judging by his tired sigh.
"Let me rephrase that," Aiko said cheerfully, and then her smile vanished. Her eyes turned almost perfectly blank as she scowled at him, the air itself growing heavy and oppressive. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me you captured Bakugou Katsuki?"
To his credit Shigaraki actually flinched at the change in atmosphere, his lips pulling into a scowl as he met her gaze. "Why the hell would that matter? Do you actually know the kid!?"
Aiko just gave him a noticeably sour look, clearly at the limits of her patience. "Do me a favor and stop kidnapping kids," she said instead. "I know you guys like recruiting through kidnapping, and I totally get why you captured Hijack. The kid's a vigilante who stuck his nose where he shouldn't have. But no more recruiting random civilian kids through kidnapping. Got it?"
Shigaraki scoffed, scratching at his neck. "You still care about that?" Aiko's hand shot out to grab his wrist, yanking it away from his neck.
"Tomura. I really don't care what the Alliance does most of the time. As long as you guys don't go into full-blown human trafficking or mass-murder children, I really don't care. I gave up the right to claim any moral higher ground years ago. But this?"
Crack.
"This is the one line I will not let you cross."
Shigaraki hissed as she released his wrist, clutching at it with his other hand as it flopped. Aiko got off the stool with a scowl, shoving her hands in her pockets as she headed for the door. "I am going to leave and go for a walk before I try to murder you. Do not follow me."
Dead silence hung in the air as she stalked out, her eyes pointedly flicking Seiko's way at the last sentence. When the door closed Seiko let herself fall into the shadows, heading deeper into the base for now.
There was no point listening to Shigaraki gripe about Aiko's anger while Kurogiri tended to his wrist. She contemplated following Aiko but the woman would probably lash out at her. She most likely intended to go release some of her pent-up frustration in some abandoned building. Not interesting.
Seiko briefly contemplated going to Aiko's apartment instead to check on Izuku, but promptly dismissed the thought. Aiko had requested Seiko never visit her apartment unless invited, a request Seiko respected. Driving people to mental breakdowns could be entertaining, but afterwards they tended to lose all motivation and energy and become empty shells. Much less interesting in the long run.
What a shame, she was curious to see how he felt about Eraserhead. He had looked so distressed before Kurogiri teleported him away, and Aiko was hardly good at calming people down. It was always so funny, how the woman could blend into nearly any crowd and charm people without ever raising suspicion, yet utterly failed in basic social graces.
Seiko emerged from the shadows outside the hero's cell, simply staring at the door with a speculative look. She could easily go inside, but she'd rather not. There wouldn't be much to see anyway, the villains had left the man alone for the time being and he was probably just trying to rest in anticipation of whatever they had planned for him. No, the true entertainment would come from everyone else's reactions to his presence.
A shame Izuku hadn't mentioned Eraserhead's presence to Aiko. The thought of how the woman would react when she inevitably found out made a small smile twitch on Seiko's lips, a brief flicker of anticipation that quickly vanished as she retreated into the shadows once more.
The next few days would certainly be interesting.
Notes:
This is the first time I've ever written Seiko's POV. She is very... other. This should clear up some stuff about how Aizawa got into this mess. (And yes, I gave one of the villain OCs a knife hand-esque Quirk. I usually hate that Quirk because that's just so weirdly specific and common, but I defend myself by making it closer to a Hardening-type Quirk that sharpens stuff instead of just converting his hands into knives. Slycer probably won't be mentioned again anyway though.)
Also, I'm amused that almost everyone last time predicted Aiko would be talking to Shigaraki about Izuku or something else bad for Izuku. I don't think anyone guessed she'd be mad at HIM.
Another glimpse into my writing process: originally this chapter only had Uraraka's POV, the part with Aiko and one other scene that got cut. The conversation from Izuku's end happened the next time, but I decided to add in the first part of it here for the sake of better pacing. These next few chapters are just full of me rearranging segments to accomplish what I need to. I think I finally got a handle on it though, so I might post the next chapter later this week. We'll see!
Question for next time: What do you think Mic is doing right now? (Guy's been worried sick about Aizawa and still has no idea what's up with him. We won't see him again for a while yet, but it's fun to ask.)
Chapter 33: Super Happy Funtime Talks
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 33
.::Super Happy Funtime Talks::.
"Well, it's kinda nice seeing all these heroes at least."
"Y-yeah, it is." Izuku's face still felt hot with embarrassment as he and Uraraka awkwardly stood in the middle of his counterpart's bedroom. Though it technically wasn't his bedroom, he still felt oddly awkward having her there. The amount of hero merchandise definitely made it feel like his room though, giving him the weirdest sense of déjà vu and unfamiliarity.
His counterpart clearly spent a lot of time here, judging by the fact the desk had a second laptop just plastered in All Might stickers and a golden-age All Might hoodie hanging on the back of the chair. He couldn't imagine Shigaraki ever allowing either of those things to pass. Between that and everything else, it seemed like his counterpart probably used this room as a second home for all his hero merchandise that Shigaraki might not approve of.
There was an open door revealing a bathroom, and he heard Uraraka stifle a giggle as they both spied an obviously Pro Hero-themed soap container by the sink. He didn't even recognize the Pro, it must be someone specific to this world, but Izuku's face still flushed even redder as he hurriedly closed the bathroom door. In the process he spied a Selkie shower head, making him wince and grimace. He didn't go that far in their world!
When he turned around he found Uraraka staring at the bedside table, and he quickly joined her while internally cringing. He didn't even remember any of the stuff here, but he already felt some really bad second-hand embarrassment and felt a desperate need to divert her attention. "A-anyways! This is interesting, but we should..." He trailed off as he glanced at the table, freezing in place as he finally saw what held her attention.
A photograph of him and his parents sat below the Endeavor-themed lamp, a bright smile on their faces. Once again he didn't remember this picture, but it looked to be a New Year's shrine visit judging by their clothing and background. He recognized the yukata he wore as the one he'd worn when he was eight, making his breath catch.
"Oh," he said faintly. His dad couldn't always visit during New Year's, so he'd probably flown back to America not long afterwards. This was probably the last photo he'd taken with his parents in this world.
As he stared at it he noticed Uraraka fidgeting in the corner of his eye, biting her lip. "...Deku, I found an article about you running away," she said, and he winced. He hadn't looked up any articles about his parents' deaths or him running away, but he had a feeling they would harp on one particular fact. And sure enough, she confirmed it with her next words. "It said you were... It—it called you Quirkless."
Izuku bit his lip as he suppressed a reflexive wince, looking away with a tight feeling in his chest. Uraraka was one of his best friends and knew he was a relatively "late bloomer," but he'd never gone into full detail about growing up Quirkless. Thinking about those times always left a bad taste in his mouth, and he'd hoped he'd never have to address it with his friends. He had a Quirk now after all, had gotten into the school of his dreams. The days of being a Quirkless Deku was in the past.
But that didn't mean the same applied here.
"Deku," she said. "I know you said you're a late bloomer, and your Quirk came in really late, but..." She trailed off, clearly uncertain on how to phrase her question, and he could feel his heart beating faster. He could just reinforce the story. Claim his Quirk had been too strong to fully manifest until later in life when his body could withstand it—that had been the story he and All Might had devised after they'd talked to Bakugou, in case anyone else brought up his background.
But lying to Uraraka right now—even about a secret as important all One For All—it left him feeling sick. Right now, every piece of information was worth its weight in gold, and he didn't want to lie to her about anything.
"...Can we not talk about it?" he asked meekly. He hated to avoid the question, even if she hadn't asked yet, but he also didn't want to lie straight to her face. This was the only compromise he could think of.
Uraraka frowned, but to his relief nodded her head. "Okay, fine," she relented, and Izuku relaxed. "But—" Dang it, he thought she'd agreed to drop it! " —do... do you have a Quirk, here?"
The question made him pause, turning to look at her in surprise. Uraraka bit her lip as she looked away, drumming her fingers together. "It's just, I noticed earlier my Quirk's not as strong as I remember. I get nauseous way more easily, like how it was before I went to UA and started training it more, and I think... I think I have other Ochaco's Quirk, not mine. So..."
She trailed off and gave an awkward shrug, still not looking at him, and Izuku frowned. He had been trying not to think on it too hard, because he didn't know if his other self had One For All or if it just transferred with him. He still didn't know, but the possibility of it impacting other people's Quirks hadn't occurred to him. His gaze flickered to his hand, sparks flickering as he clenched it into a fist.
"I have it," he said slowly, and saw her perk up. "But... my control's not as good. My body isn't as strong either, so it can't take as much as it can back home." He lowered his hand and looked at her. "The Alliance doesn't know I have it. Shigaraki still thinks I'm Quirkless. Seiko might know," he added, grimacing at the thought that he could never tell when she might be watching, "but I don't think she'd tell anyone."
Hopefully not, but he couldn't be sure. His uncertainty must have shown on his face, because Uraraka matched his grimace with one of her own. "She's that shadow girl you mentioned, right?" she asked, and Izuku just nodded. "Why do you think she hangs out with the Alliance?"
"I really have no idea," he groaned. "I kinda wonder if she might be assigned to watch me..." He was so glad that Aiko had said Seiko wouldn't come to this apartment. He'd called out to her a couple times while talking to Uraraka, just to make sure she might not be hiding and listening in, and so far Aiko seemed to be right. He had the distinct feeling Seiko would show herself if he called her name no matter who Izuku was with, if only to see their reactions to her suddenly appearing.
He pushed the thought away for now and shook his head. "But we're getting off-topic. We need to figure out a plan." Uraraka straightened up at that, her eyes shining.
"I am totally willing to join the Villain Alliance!" she declared, a bright fire in her eyes.
"Absolutely not!" Izuku yelped, and she slumped dejectedly. "I already told you how dangerous it is—"
"Which is why I can't leave you alone there!" Uraraka cut in, and Izuku wanted to groan.
"You'll probably be locked up until they feel like they can trust you!" he countered, and that shut her up, looking almost sheepish as he continued. "They're not going to just believe some random girl wants to join out of the blue. Kacchan and Shinsou are already locked up, and we JUST convinced Shigaraki to let Kacchan walk around the base. With a bomb on his ankle," he added, his voice rising just slightly on the last part. "Do you want a bomb wrapped around your ankle?"
"...No," Uraraka mumbled, averting her gaze in embarrassment, and Izuku sighed as he felt his shoulders slump. The whole explosive anklets thing still left him wildly uneasy and worried for his friends, and he really didn't need a third friend wandering around with one too. He still had no idea how to remove the stupid things.
"You'll be more useful outside anyway," he said, and saw her perk up at that. "Right now I can't really leave unless Kurogiri warps me out, and I can't run away either, so I'm really limited on what I can do. You've got a lot more freedom with me, so you can do stuff I can't. And I never even thought to look for everyone's FacePage profiles!" he added. "You'd probably be way better at finding everyone else than I am."
"FacePage was pretty obvious though," Uraraka deflected bashfully. "And Ashido's the only one I could find. You'd probably be able to find more people if you looked hard enough."
"I don't have the time to look for people on social media though," Izuku pointed out. "I'm busy enough trying to help Kacchan and Shinsou, and figure out an escape plan. And, and now that they've captured Aizawa-sensei..." He trailed off, a cold horror washing over him once more at the thought of his teacher. Aizawa-sensei, who was now locked up in a cell so the Alliance could do who knows what with him.
"Deku, keep it together!" Uraraka scolded, startling him before his thoughts could spiral. She had that fiery look in her eyes again, grabbing his shoulders while keeping one finger lifted on each hand. "Now that you know he's there, they can't kill or hurt him! He's going to be fine!"
Izuku wasn't so sure, but when he opened his mouth to say as much something else occurred to him. "Aiko has his goggles," he remembered abruptly, and that startled her enough to accidentally let the last fingers lower onto his shoulders. They both yelped as Izuku started floating, and Uraraka squeaked as she yanked her hands away. The loss of her hands left Izuku without an anchor, now rising freely towards the ceiling.
At that moment there was a knock on the door, and they both turned to see Aiko open it and peek inside. "Hey, sorry if I'm interrupting but—" She stopped as she saw Izuku floating next to the ceiling, both teenagers looking relatively stunned as they stared at her.
For a long moment no one spoke or moved, save for Izuku who continued to rise until his back pressed against the ceiling. He couldn't tell what Aiko was thinking as she looked at him, her expression largely blank and her eyes impossible to read, but then she cocked her head to the side. "Huh," she said. "I thought you of all people would know to be careful around a five-point touch Quirk by now."
That snapped Uraraka out of her shocked stupor, and her face flared as she quickly pressed her fingers together to release her Quirk. Fortunately Izuku had floated towards the bed, and he landed on the mattress with a loud "oof." Aiko just laughed as he scrambled to get up, feeling his face flush.
"I am so sorry!" Uraraka apologized. "He said something that surprised me and my fingers slipped—"
"It's okay," Aiko cut in with a grin. "You're a kid, Quirk slips happen. And that looks like a fun one. What is it, floating? Reducing weight? Zero gravity?"
"...The last one," Uraraka confirmed, and Aiko lit up.
"Really? That is a fun one! Ah, I'm kinda jealous," she mused, a dreamy smile on her face. "I haven't been flying in years. I might want you to try it on me sometime. Just don't use it on him outside, please."
"I won't," Uraraka promised, and Aiko smiled.
"Anyways, I just wanted to let you guys know I'm back and check what you wanted for dinner. I was thinking katsudon."
"Katsudon?" Izuku repeated, perking up, and Aiko flashed him a teasing smirk.
"Don't you dare say you forgot how much you like it," she teased. "You've got a friend over for the first time in forever so we should eat something other than takeout. I'm not the best cook, but we have the stuff so I figure we might as well go all out." Izuku found himself nodding, a smile spreading across his face naturally.
"Yeah... Thanks, Aiko-nee." Once again she looked briefly surprised before beaming at him, and she darted into the room to ruffle his hair.
"You called me Aiko-nee again," she all but squealed as he squawked and ducked away, and the faux-stars in her eyes were definitely twinkling now. Her smile faded to something smaller but still warm and happy as she turned to Uraraka. "Does katsudon work for you? Any allergies I need to know about?"
"N-no thanks, I'm good with katsudon. And no allergies, either." Uraraka shook her head rapidly, and Aiko nodded as she headed to the bedroom door.
"Alright, I'm gonna get started. The ingredients are in the apartment next door, so if you want to keep talking I'll just call you over when it's done. Bye!" She gave a cheery wave before closing the door, once again leaving them in silence for a full moment. Then Uraraka whirled on Izuku, her face filled with panic.
"She has Aizawa-sensei's goggles?" she hissed, voice pitched low in a frantic whisper full of anxiety, and Izuku winced at the reminder.
"Yeah, she was wearing them around her neck the first time we met!" he confirmed with a nod, his own voice equally hushed and verging on hysterics. "I didn't notice until right before I left, but those were definitely his goggles and it's super freaky!"
"Why does she have them!? Do they know each other?"
"I don't know! I didn't want to think about it because I didn't know if they were friends or it was a trophy or she killed him or what! I didn't even know Aizawa-sensei was alive until I saw him today!" Honestly between those goggles and Mic's sign-off message for his "favorite listener," Izuku had kind of assumed the worst. Another reason to not think about it.
"Does she know he's there?" Uraraka asked frantically, and he froze.
"I don't know," he realized in horror. He hadn't mentioned which hero he'd seen while telling her about him, not wanting to risk slipping and using his name when he might not be supposed to recognize Eraserhead on sight. Now he realized that might have been for the best. If she had Aizawa's goggles, there had to be some history between them. "She didn't seem to know Kacchan was there until I told her today, so she might not pay attention to the prisoners."
"She might now though!" Uraraka pointed out, and he couldn't help it. He whimpered, making her flinch in surprise.
"L-let's just, not tell her," he decided shakily. "For... as long as we can." Uraraka just nodded, both of them stewing in silent panic at the thought of her finding out. Izuku legitimately had no idea how Aiko would react, she didn't even have a counterpart from their own world to use as a reference point. He could only hope Aizawa would be long gone before she ever found out.
That last thought made him take a deep breath, steeling his resolve. "Aizawa-sensei definitely won't be able to escape on his own," he said slowly. "Which means we have to get him out." Uraraka looked at him in surprise before her expression filled with resolve, nodding in agreement.
Looks like their escape plan just got a little more complicated.
"Do we have to go?"
"Come on Tamaki, it'll be fine! I promise!" Mirio beamed at his best friend, who had a rather large grimace on his face. "The Super Happy Funtime Supernatural ESP Investigation Department is full of nice people!"
"I can't believe you actually remember that name," Tamaki groaned, and Mirio just laughed as he turned forward, digital tablet in hand. The pair had been interns and students at Nighteye Agency for the past three years along with a few others, and had gotten to know most of the Pro Heroes there pretty well. Of course that included everyone on the General Analysis Team, even if they didn't go there that often.
Honestly, Mirio loved visiting their department. Everyone there was nice just like the rest of the agency, and Figment's Quirk made every visit full of surprises. The only real issue he could see was their taste décor. Tamaki whimpered as the double doors leading to the office space came into sight, both decorated by large eyes drawn with dripping paint, cartoon ghosts, and spray-painted summoning circles.
They really embraced the "Supernatural ESP Investigation" part of their nickname.
"Come on, it'll be fine!" Mirio said, flashing his friend a reassuring smile. "I bet we'll walk in and find cotton candy clouds!" Tamaki shot him a doubtful look, but Mirio just pushed open the double doors with a wide grin. "See—uh..."
His smile vanished as the office came into sight. Thick, pale purplish haze drifted around the space, the furniture little more than dark silhouettes. The lights had been put on their dimmest setting, only adding to the ethereal quality of the space. Behind him Mirio heard Tamaki whimper again, scooting closer to him while he just stared at the undeniably spooky area blankly.
"...Huh," Mirio said finally. "This is definitely spookier than usual."
"C-can we just come back later?" Tamaki asked shakily, but Mirio shook his head.
"Nope! We're heroes Tamaki, we can't let a little mist scare us off!" He stepped into the department, Tamaki scrambling to follow after him. Mirio had to admit the mist was a bit unsettling though, and stepping into the room only amplified the effect. Translucent figures seemed to shift in the distance, movement constant in the corners of their eyes. Usually Figment went with more fun and abstract stuff, but this seemed undeniably eerie.
"Please, Mirio?" Tamaki whined quietly, and he was tempted to agree, but they had a job to do.
"In a minute," he said, and then called, "Mail, are you here?"
At that moment the mist directly next to them warped, a black void appearing. A ghostly head covered in blood emerged, pale white-orange eyes glowing amongst the darkness. "Yesssss?" the figure asked, lips parting to reveal a ghastly smile full of gleaming white teeth, and Tamaki screamed. Even Mirio jumped back in alarm and dropped the tablet before quickly assuming a fighting stance, unintentionally activating his Quirk in his surprise and...
Making all his clothes fall off.
For a moment all was silent, everyone just staring at him. Then the newcomer burst out laughing, and Tamaki covered his face while Mirio rushed to clothe himself. "Oh my gosh, that is amazing!" Mail cackled.
"Why is your face covered in blood," Tamaki muttered behind his hands, and Mail grinned at him, his teeth still seeming to glow.
"Figment and I are trying something new. We got a tip-off about a drug trade-off tonight at midnight, and it's at a cemetery." He downright cackled, clearly amused. "If this is how you reacted, those guys are going to flip."
"Glad to hear you're having fun!" Mirio said as he pulled up his pants, and he meant it. He loved that the General Analysis Team members could balance work and fun so well, they knew how to keep their spirits up even when things were dark and grim. Figment's reports were always a blast to read. Still, Mirio had to worry about one thing. "Are you allowed to go though? You don't have a license, do you?"
"Who's gonna stop me?" Mail asked with a grin, and—well, hard to argue with that. "Anyways, you guys came here for a reason, right?"
"Yeah," Mirio confirmed, picking up the tablet. Fortunately it wasn't damaged by the drop, built from rather sturdy materials so it could hold up if ever taken to the field, and he quickly unlocked. "You know how Sir has us on recruitment duty, right?"
"Yep," Mail said with a wry smile. "Hadou dragged you to every department to introduce you as the new Heads of Recruitment." Mirio laughed at the memory while Tamaki just groaned in embarrassment. The three of them had been given the job of researching prospective recruits who could be good Pro Heroes, whether by looking at middle schools or seeing if any students showed up in news stories. "Did you find some good leads then?"
"Maybe," Mirio replied. "We found a couple vigilantes. They seem to travel around a bit and keep a low profile, but we've managed to make some connections on some cases. We even found an article about them, see!" He pulled up the article in question and turned the screen to show Mail.
Mail hummed as he studied it, lightly floating over and tilting his head. "That is certainly a lot of kanji," he said, and Mirio looked at him in confusion for a second.
"You still can't read many kanji, can you?" Tamaki asked, and oh right. Mirio honestly forgot Mail never learned to read Japanese, he was verbally fluent after all.
"I think I finally learned to read one thousand," Mail replied wryly, clearly amused by Mirio's forgetfulness. "I am finally, after sixteen years, at the level of an elementary school graduate. Though I'm pretty sure elementary school students don't know words like 'autopsy' or 'kidnapping,'" he added with an eye roll.
"Good for you!" Mirio laughed awkwardly, turning the tablet back to himself. "Well, the article doesn't really matter I guess. So they're a duo, right? No names or costumes or anything like that, but we think they've been around for a couple years now. The police sent our agency security footage from a couple of their fights, which is how we found the pattern, and we think they might be good recruits. If they're, you know, teens."
"We don't even know their Quirks though," Tamaki added while Mirio searched for the footage in question. "They seem to have really good gear, and also some training."
"So you want my opinion on them?" Mail guessed, and Mirio nodded.
"Yep! You have more experience with this stuff. We still don't know if they're actually teenagers, but we thought maybe you could tell." By that point he'd pulled up the most recent video footage, and turned the screen to show Mail.
This one showed a rather petite man walking down an empty side street, unaware of a reptilian-Quirked man hiding in an alleyway out of his line of view but in view of the camera. Once he reached that alley, the bulky man jumped out to attack him, frills expanding around his neck to fan either side of his face as a long tongue shot out. The petite man startled enough to fall backwards, and the attacker moved to pounce on him.
At that point he suddenly turned his head to the side and froze before collapsing to the ground limply. At that exact moment someone in a long, dark-colored coat with the hood up suddenly appeared in frame, having jumped from a rooftop based on the angle, and landed right on his back. The man gave a full-body flinch before going limp again, and the newcomer quickly grabbed his arms and tied his wrists with zip ties.
At the same time another figure rushed into the camera's line of view, also wearing a hooded coat, and helped the victim to his feet. The trio made their escape, and then the video cut to another camera where the victim could be seen on his phone, presumably calling police.
Mail floated ever closer to the screen as the fight played out, a critical gleam in his eye. "Can't say their age, but they're probably teens," he murmured once the fight finished. "Their style is really rough, but there's definitely experience behind it. They planned out the ambush pretty well. You were right about them being trained, too, that one landed on the guy's back at just the right point to avoid permanently injuring him. I'd say they're on par with how first-year hero students used to be."
His analysis made Mirio and Tamaki exchange wide-eyed looks. "You got all that from one fight?" Tamaki asked.
"Amajiki, I had to do this stuff for a living," Mail replied with a shrug. "Being able to pick apart opponents' skill levels at a glance was a literal life or death scenario for me." The reminder quickly sobered their moods, and it probably showed on their faces because Mail smiled. "That's all in the past though. But yeah, I'd say you're right about these two being teens."
"Any ideas on their Quirks?" Mirio asked.
"The one that jumped down definitely has some sort of physical enhancement going on, probably centered around the legs given the decision to jump down from a rooftop. The other one probably has some sort of paralysis Quirk. The guy turned his head before going all limp, so it's sight-based. Triggered by eye contact, maybe."
"That's what we thought," Mirio said, pulling up another video. This one showed a similar ambush. A purse snatcher darting down a largely empty street while his victim chased him, towards where two coated figures were walking. As they got closer he suddenly went limp, and the two lunged at him immediately. The effects of the paralysis wore off quickly and he spit some kind of acid. One of them darted to the side to dodge it, the other leaped onto the nearby wall and then used it as a springboard to dive at him and knock him down.
Mail gave a whistle of appreciation as the other one sprung forward to grab him by the hair, keeping a tight grip on it to prevent him from turning his head as the duo quickly tied his arms. "Yep, definitely some sort of training. Most people wouldn't think to immobilize the head in that situation even with the acid spit. I'd say these two were taught how to handle a lot of Quirks. You guys are right, they'd definitely be good recruits."
Mirio beamed as he listened, growing more excited. "We should pass this on to Sir right away!" he declared, and Mail smirked.
"Might want to wait until tomorrow. He's in a meeting with Lady of the Night, Centipeder and Figment about that drug bust tonight," he informed them, and Mirio quickly lost his steam. "But since you're here anyway, any chance you've got the address for those two kids in Kamino?"
"You mean the first-years who made that big splash on Friday?" Mirio asked, but he'd already turned the tablet around. "Yeah, lemme pull up their file for you real quick."
"Why do you want to know?" Tamaki asked while Mirio searched for it. "You don't usually get involved in recruiting..."
"Oracle's on guard duty, and I want to drop in on him," Mail replied. "It's been a while since I saw him." Tamaki nodded in understanding with a quiet "ah" while Mirio beamed.
"You're all really close, huh?" he asked, switching over to a map to input the address. A red line quickly appeared on the streets, connecting two locations. "Here, this is how you get their apartment building from the train station. Is that good enough?"
Mail floated over to peer at the screen over Mirio's shoulder, and quickly nodded. "Yep, that's perfect. Thanks Togata." Mirio grinned at him and nodded as he closed the map. While Mail might not be able to read most Japanese, he had a reputation for a scarily impressive memory. Most of the agency used him as a back-up record keeper, reading files to him so he could mentally store the information. It was actually faster to ask him to remember information than to search for the files in question.
"Are you going to scare him too?" Tamaki asked flatly, and Mail grinned, his teeth still seeming to glow and his face still streaked with blood. Mirio had to shudder at that, it looked really disturbing.
"Maybe. It's a brother's job to pester every sibling in equal measures, right?" He paused then, looking at Mirio before breaking into an even bigger grin before turning around. "Figment, this is genius! We're gonna give those guys heart attacks!"
"Freaking yes!" Figment cheered from somewhere they couldn't see. "We're gonna need body bags!" As Mail vanished back into the haze Mirio and Tamaki exchanged looks.
"...I think I feel bad for the villains," Mirio said.
"This is officially the scariest combo in the entire agency," Tamaki agreed solemnly, and the pair headed back to the interns' quarters. Hopefully tomorrow they'd be able to give Sir some good news, and get started on hunting down the mysterious vigilante duo. It had been a while since they got someone new, and Mirio had high hopes for them.
Notes:
(Later that night, Mail's cackling could be heard all around the spooky graveyard as police carted away the drug dealers. The police were not happy that the men had wet themselves and now had to ride in their cruisers. Nor were they happy about the three officers who refused any patrols at the graveyard, now convinced it was genuinely haunted.)
Anyways, the Big Three live! Hooray! I just couldn't take Mirio away from Nighteye's agency, and with UA gone naturally the rest of the Big Three followed. Also, very amused that people thought Uraraka might still join the Villain Alliance. Izuku is NOT letting her anywhere near that place.
Question for next time: what Pro Hero would cause the most chaos if they randomly switched with their counterpart?
Chapter 34: Tuesday Beginnings
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 34
.::Tuesday Beginnings::.
Kyouka mounted the steps to Kaminari's apartment with a bag full of food on Tuesday morning, her mood much more somber than usual.
Ever since talking to Iida, the world just felt hazy and grayscale. The test had been a welcome distraction, and she was endlessly relieved that she only had one while Iida had multiple tests. She'd finished hers while he was halfway through his second test, letting her leave first. If he'd finished before her and then waited for her to confront her about Yaomomo, she didn't know what she would have done.
The realization that Iida wasn't from their dimension still felt like a punch to the gut even after a full night, eliminating the one solid theory she had. Kyouka had gone straight to Hatsume's warehouse after school, opening her laptop and blasting music for hours as she tried to distract herself. She kept it up even after the inventor came back from school, and ended up spending the night there.
She'd probably still be there if Kaminari hadn't texted her begging her to bring him breakfast. He had called out from school again, still a bit sore and not wanting to stress his injuries too much. Apparently he'd pulled a muscle while heating up leftovers last night, which made her feel a bit guilty for not checking in with him. But last night she just couldn't stand being around other people, especially Kaminari.
Kyouka had no idea where to go from here, no idea what direction to take their search now. Their most viable lead on potentially figuring out how they got here had been crushed in a matter of minutes, and she couldn't figure out what their next move should be. And knowing Kaminari, he probably wouldn't have any good ideas either.
She heaved a heavy sigh as she reached his door, pulling out the spare key they'd found. With her effectively living there it had been only logical to give Kyouka her own key, but she still knocked before unlocking and opening it. When she entered she immediately spied Kaminari lying facedown on the couch. At least he'd moved from the bed.
"Yo, Kaminari, I got breakfast," she announced as she closed the door and carried the bag of takeout to the table. She turned to face him and then promptly released an undignified squawk as she came face to face with a pillow flying right at her.
Training kicked in and she jerked to the side in an effort to avoid it, but it was too late to dodge. Kyouka yelped more in surprise than pain as it collided with her chin and chest before falling to the ground limply. For a second she just stood in shock, staring at it wide-eyed before snapping her head towards the couch with a fierce scowl that would make even Bakugou proud.
"What the hell was that for!?" she snapped irritably. Kaminari turned his head enough to look at her with one eye, his expression clearly unhappy.
"Everyone's calling me Taser Brain now," he grumbled, and that made her pause, her irritation fading and replaced by confusion.
"Taser Brain...?" she repeated with a frown. Rather than respond Kaminari groaned and buried his face in a pillow again, while using his free arm to grope the coffee table for his phone. He pulled it over and turned his head to look at it long enough to tap the screen, and promptly re-hid his face just as Kyouka's phone buzzed with a text.
Frowning, she pulled it out and saw he'd sent her a link. She absently recognized the url as a fairly popular gossip site before she tapped on it, and then went very still when the page loaded. Plastered top and center was a photo of her and Kaminari in their vigilante costumes standing over the weirdo at the grocery store from Sunday.
'WHO ARE THE 1-A VIGILANTES?' read the bold text above it.
And below it, in equally bold but smaller text: 'Hosu's newest sensations: Taser Brain & The Mysterious Punk Vigilante!'
Kyouka stood in silence, just staring at the photo and headline and processing it. "...I did call you Taser Brain at one point," she said slowly.
The resulting noise Kaminari made sounded like a cross between a groan and a scream, thankfully muffled by the pillow. "It's so lame!" he whined as he finally lifted his head to glare at her. "You gave me the lamest vigilante name ever, Jirou! Everyone's calling me that now! How could you!"
"In my defense, I didn't mean to make it your actual codename," she replied somewhat lamely. She had just been shouting to get his attention. She didn't expect people to think it was his official name.
"It's too late to take it back!" Kaminari replied. "Since you got me stuck with it, I demand the right to choose your name!"
"No." He groaned in frustration at her instant refusal, but didn't try to push the topic as he just buried his face in the pillow again. Kyouka set her phone on the table as she headed to the kitchen to get the plates and cups for their breakfast. "Is your back okay to sit at the table?" she called as she set the table.
"Definitely not," Kaminari mumbled, and Kyouka nodded, grabbing the bag of takeout and carrying it over to the couch. He rolled his head as she dropped it on the floor next to him, letting him see the logo for a local bakery.
"Hatsume told me about this weird bakery that makes stuff you can eat bare-handed," she told him. "This stuff is basically omurice, but wrapped up in bread rolls. She said you shouldn't even have to sit up."
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Hatsume's an angel," he said, reaching into the bag to pull out some of the rolls. Kyouka huffed an amused snort. Helpful as Hatsume had been since coming here, 'angel' was the last word she'd use for the girl. The only reason Hatsume knew about the place was because the food was convenient to eat while working on her inventions.
She pulled out some of the omurice rolls to load onto her own plate, and they lapsed into silence as they began eating. Her eyes flickered to Kaminari, calculating the way he seemed to wince when he stretched his arm too much. "Think you'll be good to go back to school tomorrow?" she asked, and he grimaced as he swallowed a mouthful of bread and rice.
"The pain's mostly gone, but I'm still super-sore," he replied gloomily. "Any chance I can skip tomorrow too?"
"Yeah, sure," she agreed easily, and he actually startled, almost choking on another bite of his roll. She looked away in disgust as he coughed it into his hand, coughing and hacking for a few seconds.
"S-seriously?" he sputtered. "I thought you'd put up more of a fight about it!"
"Yeah, well, things change." She twirled her earphone jack around her finger as she stared down at her half-eaten omurice roll. "The only reason we decided you should go was so we could avoid suspicion while we tried to figure out what the hell is going on."
"We still haven't done that, though," he reminded her sullenly.
"Yeah, but school's not going to help either," she replied coolly, bitterness seeping into her voice as she scowled at her roll. "Dropping out now that we're vigilantes would be suspicious, but we can probably get you set up to do online classes like me."
She took a big bite to punctuate the end of her sentence, and silence lapsed over them. At this point, she saw no real benefit to making Kaminari continue attending school. They wouldn't be able to find answers there, and it just cut into time they could be using to do other stuff, whether it be vigilantism or searching for real, solid leads.
Kaminari didn't respond right away, just watching her chew with an oddly pensive look. "...Jirou," he said slowly. "Did something happen yesterday?" She frowned but didn't immediately answer, taking her time to finish chewing
"I was wrong," she finally said after she swallowed, not looking at him.
"About what?"
"Iida didn't recognize me."
"...Oh." A heavy silence fell over them after that, Kyouka just focusing on taking another bite. She'd given Kaminari a rough rundown of her theory about the kids on their floor being hit by the Quirk after she first noticed Iida's name on her class roster. At the time he'd agreed that it seemed like the most likely explanation, especially since so far all of the students they'd met had been from other floors.
Kyouka noted almost bitterly that he probably didn't feel the impact as heavily as she did, or else he'd probably be crying or freaking out or—something. Instead, Kaminari was just quiet, a contemplative frown on his face as he stared at his half-eaten roll.
"...I made a FacePage profile yesterday." That got her attention, and she looked over at him curiously.
"What?" she asked, and he shrugged, grunting as he forced himself to shift and sit up straight. He winced as the motion pulled on his back, but ignored it to focus on his phone.
"Well, we're trying to make a name for ourselves online, right?" he asked. "You know, see if anyone recognized us as, well, us. But I realized that doesn't really mean anything if they can't figure out a way to reach us, so I figured I'd make it easier." As he spoke he tapped the screen, and seconds later they heard a chime from the kitchen table. They both paused, turning to look at the direction of the table.
"...Did you just try to text it to me?" Kyouka asked after a few seconds.
"Yeah," Kaminari confirmed lamely, and let out a tired groan. "Dang it, I thought it'd be so cool to do it like that!" Kyouka snorted, rolling her eyes as she got up to go retrieve her phone. She quickly opened the link Kaminari just sent her, eyebrows arching as the profile page loaded. It had a simple banner at the top, black with a white lightning bolt and the stars like on her own mask on either side of the name "1-A Vigilantes."
"You already made a banner for us?" she asked, and he just grunted in affirmation, still a bit sulky about his grand reveal being ruined. She ignored his sullen mood as she skimmed the page curiously.
It wasn't anything fancy. He'd shared the photos from that blogger they'd saved in their debut and Satou's Instagram. He hadn't made any actual text posts yet, and that realization made her arch her eyebrows more as she glanced back at him. "So you made an account, even made a banner, but haven't actually posted anything?"
"Not much to post right now," he said sulkily. "It's not like we've taken any pictures or anything, and I didn't feel right making a post without you. I mostly just wanted to grab the profile name before a copycat could take it and pretend to be us." She hummed, turning back to look at her phone.
All things considered, this was actually a pretty good idea. While their goal was to make themselves more visible in hopes of finding people who recognized them, she hadn't thought about how they might contact them. It's not like she and Kaminari walked around in vigilante gear full-time or anything. Using social media like this had especially never occurred to her. Then again, she'd been focused on other stuff.
"I texted Hatsume after school, too," Kaminari continued, "about making accounts on other sites. She said FacePage is really secure, but some of the other sites might be easier for police to track us. She said she'd get a guy she knows to install some program or something that'll hide our computers somehow if we want to do it anyway. I don't know, a lot of what she said went over my head but it sounds like she knows how to handle it, so I guess we can just leave it to her."
"That's pretty smart," Kyouka said, and turned to him with a small smile. "Good going, Kaminari." He just gaped at her, and her smile faded. "Yo, something wrong?"
"Did... did you just compliment me?" he asked dumbly, and she found herself snorting.
"Yeah, dumbass," she deadpanned, ignoring his offended cry. "You're not an idiot all the time. If you have a good idea, I'm not going to lie just to keep up an image or something. That'd be stupid. I wouldn't have thought of this anyway." Kaminari just stared for a moment before slowly nodding, and then he broke into a big smile.
"So I'm not useless!" he cheered, pumping a fist into the air as he jumped up. "Yes!" He paused then, arm still in the air, before collapsing onto the couch with a pathetic whine. "Owww, my back...!" As he whined in pain Kyouka just rolled her eyes, returning to her place by the coffee table to continue eating. Later she'd see if they had a heating pad or something that might help the soreness, but for now she needed to eat.
Still, leave it to Kaminari to make her feel better. What started as a pretty crummy day had become notably more hopeful. The future was more uncertain than ever, but maybe things would be a little brighter.
Morning had never been such an anxious affair for Izuku.
Don't get him wrong, breakfast was fine and tasted pretty good, and it felt great and familiar to be eating with Uraraka again. Even Aiko was actually pretty pleasant to be around despite his initial concerns. She'd prepared breakfast by the time they woke up, and had teased Izuku about his longing look at the most sugary cereal on the table before opting for something healthier. It was an all around friendly atmosphere, and really the most peaceful morning since he'd woken up in this world.
But that didn't remove the anxiety from what the rest of the day held.
"Okay, Giri will probably call soon to ask about you coming back," Aiko said as she checked her phone. "I'd offer to let you stay a bit longer so you could hang out with your friend some more, but..."
"I can't leave them alone," Izuku replied, feeling equal parts miserable and determined. As much as he hated leaving Uraraka alone with Aiko, he couldn't leave Kacchan and Shinsou alone with the Alliance, and he especially couldn't ignore Aizawa-sensei. He needed to go back and make sure they wouldn't kill him.
Maybe his thoughts showed on his face, because Aiko's expression softened and she leaned over to ruffle his hair. "Don't be so worried, Izun. If they were going to kill anyone, they would have done it before bringing them to the base."
"Is that supposed to be reassuring?" Uraraka asked in Izuku's place as he grumbled and pulled away, her voice faintly disturbed.
"I have no idea actually," Aiko replied with a nonchalant shrug as she settled back in her seat. "I'm mostly just stating facts. If you're worried about the hero you saw yesterday, he's definitely alive. It's easier to kill someone than to capture them, so the fact you saw him getting dragged into a cell means they don't plan to kill him."
"...That's awful, but also weirdly helpful," Izuku said with a miserable groan. "But why would they capture him?"
"...You'll probably find out soon," Aiko muttered after a few seconds, very pointedly not looking at him. That... What the heck, that was so ominous!
"Do you know something!?" He half-rose from his chair, staring at her pleadingly as she continued to avoid looking at him. "Can't you please just tell me!?"
"If I'm right and I tell you, Tomura will probably get mad," she replied, and added under her breath with a sheepish smile, "And I kinda owe him for yesterday..."
Everything. Everything about this conversation was highly concerning, and Izuku felt mildly terrified about what the heck was going to happen. "What did you do yesterday?" he asked, dreading the response, but Aiko just avoided looking at him and instead glanced at her phone with an innocent smile.
"Oh look at that, Kurogiri says you can go back now," she said cheerfully as she began typing. Uraraka leaned over from her own seat to glance at the screen.
"You're texting him to ask him to take Deku back," she commented flatly, and Aiko turned that way-too-cheerful smile to her.
"No I'm not." Judging by the unimpressed look on Uraraka's face, Aiko had probably just hit send. A few seconds later the phone dinged with a text, further proving that Kurogiri had not been the one to initiate the conversation since her phone hadn't dinged earlier. "Oh, he can open the portal right now if you want."
Seriously!? "This is going way too fast!" Izuku yelped. "I can't just leave now, I still need to work out contact stuff with Uraraka!"
"We'll buy her a burner phone of her own later today," Aiko assured him with a smile. "Giri won't mind if you want to come visit me again to clear your head, but you really need to go back today." The reminder made Izuku feel almost nauseous, but he found himself sighing and nodding as he got up, shoulders slumped with resignation.
"Yeah, I know." He had to go back and face them properly, and find out what the Alliance wanted from Aizawa-sensei. Aiko checked her phone and glanced at Uraraka.
"Might want to pop into the bathroom or something. I never did figure out if Giri can see stuff when he opens his portals." She nodded seriously as she got up, giving Izuku a reassuring pat on the shoulder as she passed him.
"Don't worry Deku, we'll talk again soon!" she told him, and he found himself smiling at the undertone to her words: You're not alone anymore. That reminder made him feel much lighter, the knowledge that others were here too lightening his burden just a little bit. He watched Uraraka disappear into the bathroom before turning to Aiko.
"I'm ready," he said. She nodded and tapped away on her phone, and a few seconds later an inky black portal opened near the table. He felt tense as he stared at it, once again flashing back to the first time he saw it back at USJ. But despite the thrill of dread he shoved it down and forced himself to step into the portal.
Black consumed his vision immediately, and when it cleared he found himself not in the bar as he'd expected but the hallway outside his room. He blinked in surprise as he looked around, finding Kurogiri and Shigaraki standing not far away. The younger of the two was leaning against a wall playing a game console, and Izuku's eyes instantly locked on his right wrist.
"What happened?" he blurted in surprise. There was a brace wrapped around his wrist, the black kind found in hardware stores, and beneath it he could see bandages.
"Aiko happened," Shigaraki replied with a snort, and Izuku just stared. Suddenly he was remembering her very cheery comment about needing to talk to Shigaraki about "things," and he found himself shuddering. Aiko really was a scary person, wasn't she...
As he mulled over that Kurogiri cleared his throat, and Shigaraki scoffed before turning off the console and sliding it into his pocket. "Okay, I was a bit rough yesterday and didn't explain anything, and I guess that might have freaked you out."
"Might have?" Izuku repeated without thinking, voice dripping with sarcasm. Spending so much time with villains really must be impacting him, because he'd never have spoken to Shigaraki or any villain like that even just last week.
Fortunately Shigaraki didn't take offense, just scoffing again as he turned and began walking. "Yeah, fine. I was too rough on that guy. I didn't think you were around to see it though, and I got annoyed because you weren't supposed to know."
"So you didn't plan on telling me he was here?" Izuku asked with a frown as he followed. "Why did you even capture him, anyway? And where did you find him? He looks like he was a prisoner for a while already, right?" The questions tumbled out one after another, his anxiety from this whole mess too much to hold it back anymore.
"Calm down, Izuku," Shigaraki muttered, and reached for his neck only to flinch and quickly lower his hand. "Yeah, we're not the ones who captured him. We found him in a minor raid yesterday. We'd heard rumors those guys had captured Eraserhead, but I didn't think such shitty NPCs would actually pull it off." That made Izuku's heart leap into his throat, quickly catching onto the subtext.
"You... you were looking for him specifically?" he asked, his horror growing. Why? Why would the Alliance want to look for Aizawa-sensei? What did they want with him?
"Of course," Shigaraki responded, hand once again flinching and retracting as he reached for his neck again. "It was supposed to be a surprise, which is what made me so irritated you saw it, but whatever. I found him for you." That made Izuku stop short, staring at the back of the villain's head in shock.
"Wait, what?" he asked, and Shigaraki paused, turning to look at him with that eerie smile that sent chills down his spine.
"Surprise. I got you a hero."
Notes:
We now know why Shigaraki captured Aizawa! Shoutout to Hollyingrd6 on AO3, who remembered Shigaraki mentioning a side quest to boost his relationship with Izuku a long time ago and correctly figured out it was referring to Aizawa.
Not much else to say. My internship is now having weekly Zoom meetings every Monday, and my workload's about to ramp up a bit. I'll try to keep up Monday releases but they're going to be posted a bit later than before. I may move the release time to another day. The main reason I do it on Mondays is to give people something to look forward to after the weekend ends, but right now the world's in such a weird state that it might not have that much impact in that regard. We'll see!
Question for next time: which canon character would make the most hilarious villain or hero if their alignment swapped?
Chapter 35: A Break in Routine
Notes:
BEFORE I START:
I received the first piece of fan art for this story from a reader here on AO3! You can find it here on my tumblr. It's by Isaac7568 (endlessshinsou on Tumblr) and it features Todoroki's disguise, a look at Shinsou's muzzle and also Shinsou, Izuku and Bakugou all planning their escape. Please go look at it, it's amazing!!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 35
.::A Break in Routine::.
That day had begun normally enough for Shouta, or as normally as it went since he'd been captured. Food had been delivered at some point and he'd been taken to the bathroom, his captor had spit in his face (which he couldn't even wipe off, much to his ire), and then he'd been left alone for hours on end like usual. Chained to the wall as always, left with nothing to occupy himself except stare at the door waiting for it to open.
As dire as his situation was, this sort of routine had become normal for him. Once his captors lost their initial interest in torturing him, they mostly just left him alone. It was a wonder he hadn't gone crazy yet from the isolation. For the most part he drifted in and out of sleep, and this day proved no different, falling into a light doze.
Up until a loud scream woke him with a start.
From the moment he opened his eyes, he realized something big was happening. The sounds of a battle rang throughout the building, crashes echoing in the distance and more screams ringing before abruptly cutting out. Those screams were what filled him with the most alarm, because those weren't shouts of anger or even fear, those were the screams of people dying.
Someone had invaded, and they weren't heroes.
Shouta shifted onto his knees and scrambled back until the chain attached to his collar went taut, staring at the door with his heart thundering in his ears. More and more screams sounded, each closer than the last, and he found most of the voices familiar as his captors. Whoever had invaded was clearly winning, and Shouta had no idea what would happen when they found him.
The minutes ticked by slowly as the sounds of fighting drew closer, and finally he heard footsteps striding down the hall. Not the heavy footfalls of boots he'd gotten used to, this was someone else entirely. He held his breath as the steps halted outside the door, waiting for the familiar sound of the metal bar lifting.
Instead, the door dissolved.
Terror surged through Shouta at the sight, his body locking up as the door he had spent months staring at helplessly was reduced to a pile of dust within seconds. A lone figure stood on the other side, dark and menacing with the light from the hallway backlighting their silhouette. His breath caught as he recognized silvery blue hair and disembodied hands gripping the figure's arms and torso, eyes widening as he realized who this must be.
Shigaraki Tomura.
The leader of the Villain Alliance had been on everyone's radars ever since their big debut, his Quirk making him even more dangerous than most big-name villains. Photos of the man had only recently begun circulating before Shouta's capture, but everyone knew about the hands. Seeing him when Shouta was so vulnerable made him physically sick. The man tilted his head as his eerie red eyes locked on Shouta, making him grit his teeth apprehensively.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Shigaraki murmured as he stepped forward. On instinct Shouta flared his Quirk for the first time in months, hair rising and eyes flaring red. Though the past several months had been hellish, Shouta didn't want to die yet.
The flash of his Quirk made Shigaraki halt his progress, looking at him almost curiously. The villain then slammed a hand on the door's frame, making Shouta flinch, but he didn't dare let his eyes close. When the frame remained intact Shigaraki turned to look at him again, a glint of recognition visible in his eyes.
"The stories were true after all," he murmured, his cracked lips breaking into a wide smile that sent chills down his spine. "Eraserhead, how good to see you."
That had been all Shouta needed to blink in shock, physically recoiling as terror seized him fully. No one from the Alliance should know his name, he'd been careful to never leave any evidence of his identity. Only a handful of photos existed, and beyond that he wasn't even wearing his costume. The fact that Shigaraki recognized him anyway meant he'd been specifically looking for Shouta, which couldn't mean anything good.
Shigaraki disintegrated the chain connecting his collar the floor, and more villains poured in to hold Shouta in place while they blindfolded and gagged him. Of course he'd struggled, but in his heavily bound and weakened state he couldn't do much. Soon Shouta found himself being forced into a new cell, unable to even notice the transition from one location to the next in his temporarily blinded state. The move was hazy, and getting his face slammed into the floor only further clouded his thoughts.
By the time his head stopped ringing from the pain he'd been shoved to the ground once more, the bulky metal collar around his neck gone and traded for a leather one that at least had padding under the band. It seemed he'd be tethered to the ground this time, and they tethered his right ankle to the same point to further limit his mobility.
Though first, they made sure to break his other leg.
That had been probably the most painful part of the ordeal. He hadn't been able to suppress his muffled scream as one of the Alliance had delivered a harsh blow to his left leg with a pipe, snapping the bone halfway between his knee and ankle. It had been far from the worst pain he'd suffered but no less horrific, unable to brace himself without his sight, and leaving him curled on the ground with pained gasps hindered by the gag.
"Look at you," Shigaraki drawled above him, voice dripping with disdain. "One of the few great heroes left, and you can't even stop crying." Even if he hadn't been gagged Shouta wouldn't be able to respond, gritting his teeth around the fabric as he tried to muffle a pained hiss. He knew he looked pathetic, quivering on the ground and curled as tight as he could manage as he tried to ignore the throbbing in his leg.
Shigaraki clicked his tongue in disappointment, a sign Shouta's suffering hadn't ended. "Hah, this won't do. Izu-chan will be so upset if we just leave you like this." Rough hands forced him to uncurl then, grabbing his injured leg and sending waves of pain through it.
He didn't try holding back his muffled screams this time as his captors began setting his leg, attaching it to a splint and binding it to hold the splint in place. It only made him more aware of how precise the blow had been, the position of the break allowing him to bend his knee even with the bulky splint in place.
By the time they finished he was shaking like a leaf, only years of training and experience with bad injuries preventing him from hyperventilating. After undergoing torture for who knows how long his body had already been weaker than normal, so he found himself entering a state of almost shock. Too bad that didn't take away the pain.
Someone finally tore the gag off him and he gasped, the sudden freedom in his jaw honestly painful. He could hear Shigaraki walk over to him, fabric shifting as the villain crouched next to him. "Much better," he hummed in that raspy voice of his, and Shouta could imagine his cracked lips twisting in a demented smile, cruel and mocking. "I don't think you'll be walking anytime soon."
Shouta inhaled a deep, shuddery breath, mentally counting to ten as he tried to direct his thoughts away from the pain. "F-f-f-fuck y-y-you," he breathed out shakily, gritting his teeth. He winced as he felt fingers brush through his hair, four trailing along his scalp with feather-light touches while the index finger hovered out of reach. His breath caught and he stilled as images of decaying walls and dissolving limbs filled his mind.
"Now, now, don't be that way. You'll be with us for a long time, Eraserhead. My brother is very eager to meet you."
Brother. Shigaraki had referenced an "Izu-chan" earlier, and it filled him with dread. Shouta knew about the boy with green hair of course, descriptions of the boy had been circulating around their circle since that first sighting at one of their now-empty bases. No one knew what role the teen served, nor even his full name, but if he wanted to meet Shouta... It couldn't be good, especially if he was Shigaraki's brother.
"I hope you live up to his expectations," Shigaraki chuckled. "Because if not..." His fingers moved to the blindfold and it dissolved, and Shouta found himself staring up at a demented grin full of condescension and taunting malice. "There's really no point in keeping you alive."
He withdrew his hand from Shouta's hair and stepped back, stalking towards the door. "Come on, let's leave our guest so he can rest. Someone can bring him food and see to his needs later, we've got other stuff to do." The other grunts made noises of agreement as they followed him outside, the door closing behind them with a resounding thud. Then Shouta heard a lock click followed by heavy silence, and he let his eyes fall shut as he curled up on his side with a pained hiss.
And that was how Izuku found him the next morning. His teacher chained to the ground, with a collar like a dog and eyes full of hatred directed at him.
"Surprise," Shigaraki said behind him with half-hearted jazz hands—or, hand, since he only used one given the other was still in a brace. "I got you a pet."
If anything, Aizawa-sensei's glare hardened at those words.
"Um." Izuku really didn't know what to say to this. Words did not describe the awkwardness and horror of seeing his teacher as a prisoner—his prisoner, if he was reading the "pet" comment right. A lot of crazy things had happened since waking up in this crazy alternate dimension, but this one took the cake. Which surprised him given how they'd kidnapped Kacchan, muzzled Shinsou, and then... well, literally everything Uraraka did.
But this? Yeah, this was the craziest one of all.
He could feel Shigaraki pause behind him, picture him tilting his head even without looking. "Do you not like it?" he questioned. "I thought Eraserhead was your favorite hero."
"No, he is!" Izuku said quickly as he whirled to face the villain. "I-I'm just surprised I guess, that's all! I never thought I'd actually get to meet him." He flashed Shigaraki a nervous smile, his words bolstered by the fact he told the truth. He didn't expect to see Aizawa-sensei here, in this world—or at the very least, not as a prisoner of the Alliance. He could feel the man's glare boring into his back but tried to ignore it, instead asking, "Also, uh, what do you mean by pet?"
"He belongs to you now," Shigaraki replied smoothly, but his words carried a calculating edge, watching him closely as he casually waved his good hand. "Eraserhead has been a pain, but he doesn't pose a real threat to us on his own, especially like this. And since we're not the ones who captured him, it's not like anyone is likely to track him to us. We could have just killed him," he added casually, oblivious to Izuku's horrified internal shriek at that, "but I thought you'd have more fun with him."
Once again Izuku could feel Aizawa-sensei's glare intensify, the hairs pricking on the back of his neck as he kept his gaze firmly trained on Shigaraki. "I-I see... Thank you, Tomura-nii." The title felt like ash on his tongue, heavy and unfamiliar and wrong in this scenario. It clearly pleased Shigaraki though, because the older male immediately relaxed and grinned that unsettling smile of his, his red eyes creasing with pleasure.
"Anything for you, Izuku," he said, and it took all Izuku had not to flinch when the man ruffled his hair, careful to keep one finger lifted. "I'll leave you to have fun now. I'll see you at dinner."
"Right, see you then," Izuku agreed, hoping his own smile didn't look as strained as it felt. Shigaraki seemed pleased with Izuku's reaction and departed with a small wave, leaving Izuku alone with his teacher. After a tense moment he slowly turned around and found burning black eyes glaring at him, making him shudder.
Aizawa-sensei did not look happy. Izuku expected no less of a man in this predicament. More importantly than that though, he saw no recognition either, not like he had with Uraraka. His heart sank at the confirmation that this was not the teacher he knew but an alternate version of the man, one which had no knowledge of him other than that he called Shigaraki "Tomura-nii."
This would not be fun.
"Um, hi," he greeted lamely, not knowing what else to say. Searching for a topic, he glanced over the man and winced when he noticed the splint on his leg, having been too stunned by just seeing Aizawa earlier to notice it before. "Did you break your leg?" He internally winced even as he blurted out the question, recognizing how stupid and unnecessary it was. His (not-)teacher's gaze grew sharper, more calculating.
"Your brother did," he replied flatly, even as his eyes held that analytic gleam usually reserved for enemies. Izuku sucked in a quiet breath, averting his gaze as he recognized he pretty much did count as one.
"O-oh, right..." Of course he did. He had to admit, breaking his leg would be better at keeping him down than just chaining him. Chains could be broken with enough force, even turned into weapons if one was creative and agile enough. Broken bones rarely worked to one's advantage though, making escape that much harder. Though Shigaraki still went on to chain him down anyway, but the point remained.
Keenly aware of his alternate teacher's probing gaze, Izuku coughed into his hand as he tried to look anywhere but at Aizawa. "A-anyway, you're probably tired, so I'll j-just... let you rest now. I'll be back in a bit with—food, I g-guess." With that he quickly took his leave, all too eager to get away from that cold stare. Once outside he slumped against the wall and groaned softly, rubbing at his eyes. This was officially a nightmare.
He felt Seiko before he saw her, and when he turned his head he found her standing directly next to him, expression blank and unreadable as ever. He didn't even have the energy to react with shock or feel creeped out by her, too emotionally numb from what just happened. "What does it mean to have a 'pet' here?" he asked tiredly.
"What do you do for a dog?" Seiko asked in turn, and he hung his head with a groan. So basically, Aizawa-sensei's life probably hinged on him providing food, water and all other necessities. Great.
"Please tell me I don't have to take him to the bathroom too," he groaned, covering his face.
"No, there are others handling that part." Izuku genuinely couldn't tell if he was relieved about that or not. Relieved because he didn't have to do it—that would be so freaking awkward—but that still left his teacher at villains' mercies more than he'd like. Also, his teacher hated him. It was obvious from the way he looked at Izuku.
He took a deep breath and lowered his hands, starting down the hall in silence. He barely paid attention to Seiko as she faded into his shadow, just navigating the now-familiar halls until he reached Bakugou's cell. He knocked on the door twice before pushing it open, finding the blond pacing the room clearly waiting for him.
"Deku! Where the hell did you—" Kacchan stopped short when he whirled to face him and saw Izuku's expression. He must have looked awful because Kacchan's scowl instantly shifted to a look of concern of all things. "What the fuck? Why the hell do you look like that, Deku?"
Rather than respond Izuku just walked over and threw his arms around Kacchan, making the blond flinch, but he didn't try to push him away. Izuku just squeezed him for a few seconds, needing the bit of human contact to ground himself. Eventually he let go and stepped back, finding Kacchan looking at him with a bewildered look.
"We need to go to Hijack," Izuku said hollowly. To his credit Bakugou just nodded, following Izuku in silence to Shinsou's cell. When they arrived they found the purple-haired boy only just waking up, sitting up in the bed as the door opened and rubbing his eyes. He blinked slowly as Izuku and Bakugou filed inside, Izuku closing the door silently and turning to face them.
"Oi, you awake yet?" Bakugou asked Shinsou gruffly. He got another slow blink in response followed by a nod, and Bakugou turned to Izuku with a frown. "Okay, now that we're all accounted for, what the hell happened yesterday? Why did that Toga-chick have to come get me, and where were you!?"
Izuku sucked in a sharp breath, fists clenching at his sides. "Seiko," he said, and the other two jumped as the girl emerged from his shadow, Bakugou cursing loudly as his hands sparked. Izuku turned to look at her somberly, staring into those unsettling inverted eyes. "I need you to leave us alone for a while."
Seiko looked at him silently for several long moments, but then cocked her head to the side before nodding. "Alright." With that she faded into the shadows once more, and he could feel some of the tension in the room vanish as she departed. He had no way to know if she was truly gone or not, but for now he had no choice but to trust that she was. He couldn't wait long enough to check.
He turned to face the others, grim and serious. "They captured a hero," he said, and the other two went wide-eyed. And with that, Izuku launched into explaining everything that had happened since he left the previous day. Seeing Eraserhead, getting teleported to Aiko's apartment, and then his surprise reunion with Uraraka. He had to backtrack a bit to explain how they ran into each other last week at that point.
"When did you even meet her?" Bakugou asked in exasperation, and Izuku could only shrug.
"I'm not sure, but I recognized her instantly and she recognized me." It didn't even feel like a total lie, he just didn't explain why he recognized her. After that he wrapped up by explaining his return that morning and subsequent encounter with Eraserhead, and how Shigaraki had basically gifted the man to him as a pet. When he finished the group sat in silence, all of them processing it.
Finally Kacchan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Deku," he said flatly. "Why the fuck does Shittyraki keep giving you people as gifts?" Shinsou cocked his head at the question and turned to look at Izuku expectantly, clearly wondering the same thing, and he could only shrug helplessly.
"I don't know, maybe it's a villain thing?" he said tiredly. Thinking back to Aiko's own failed attempts to comfort him last night, he grimaced and added, "I don't think any of them know how to bond with people, you know, normally." Shinsou grabbed his white board from the table by the bed and began writing, the motions slightly more sluggish than usual in his still-groggy state.
'We have an ally on the outside. That's good.' Of all the responses Izuku expected to all this, optimism was the last one, especially from Shinsou. Even Kacchan seemed a bit taken aback by it, just staring at the board.
"Okay, yeah, that's good and all I guess, but—" Shinsou held up a hand to silence him, and the blond twitched and scowled but surprisingly kept his mouth shut while Shinsou wrote some more.
'Our priority is escape. If we have someone on the outside they can help arrange a place to hide after we leave.'
Izuku perked up at that and bobbed his head. "That was my thought too! Aiko-nee said she'd help Uraraka get a burner phone of her own later so we can talk more, so we'll try to coordinate stuff then. But..." He frowned, looking down at his feet. "I don't know what to do about Eraserhead though. He's not in good shape, and—and his leg is broken." He grimaced at the memory of the splint. Rescuing Aizawa-sensei would not be easy when the man couldn't walk on his own.
Shinsou seemed undaunted by the challenge though, his eyes increasingly alert as he penned his response. 'We'll bust him out too. He can get us in contact with other heroes and help you two find somewhere safe.'
That got their attention for different reasons than Shinsou might expect. "Us two?" Bakugou asked before Izuku could. "What, are you not planning to come too, dumbass?" Shinsou shook his head as he erased it and quickly jotted a reply.
'I have somewhere else to go.' Izuku perked up at that, but the fact Shinsou deliberately wrote only that made it clear he didn't intend to elaborate. Bakugou picked up on that too, because he grumbled under his breath but didn't try to push.
"Well, we're not leaving a hero behind anyway," he said instead. "Who knows what those sick fucks would do to him if Deku up and vanished?" He turned to Izuku, his eyes narrowing. "You do plan to come too, right?"
"Of course!" Izuku confirmed with a firm nod. "I know they'll probably try to chase me down, so it might be more dangerous, but..." He trailed off with a frown, realizing he might be overstepping his boundaries and making this more dangerous for everyone. If Shigaraki was willing to kidnap a hero just to make Izuku happy, who knew what he'd do if Izuku suddenly disappeared? And that didn't even touch on Aiko, who he could tell cared for him just as much as Shigaraki, if not more.
Before his thoughts could spiral further Bakugou grunted and nodded. "Good. Then we need to get this Eraserhead guy to trust you so you don't get thrown into prison as an accomplice or some shit after we escape." His words surprised Izuku, not expecting Bakugou to care about that. When he looked at him the blond scoffed. "Don't give me that look! I spent years thinking you were dead, Deku. I'm not gonna just let you disappear into prison or some other shithole right after finding you again!"
"K-Kacchan," Izuku whispered, tears starting to well. He really did care, didn't he?
"And I can't kick your ass for making me think you were dead all that time until after we get out of here!" Bakugou continued, and ah, he just wanted to make sure he'd have a chance to vent at Izuku without the threat of being killed by Shigaraki. That still made tears bubble up even more though, because while it was still crass, Izuku could still detect the underlying note of concern that prompted the violent urge.
His hands clenched and he quickly wiped away the tears, and then took a deep breath. "Also, those anklets are bombs and will explode if you leave the building!" he blurted, and the other two startled at that. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier but I only found out from Seiko on Saturday when I took Hijack to Kacchan's cell, and I didn't know how to tell you guys! Everyone was already so on edge and I didn't want to make it worse, but I'm sorry I didn't say it earlier—"
He stopped short as Shinsou raised a hand to stop him, his other hand moving to hold his head. Being subjected to rambling like that first thing after waking up must be grating. His heart pounded as he waited for their responses, gaze anxiously flicking between them. Was that too blunt? Should I have been a bit more considerate? Finally Bakugou frowned.
"Okay, and?" he asked, and now it was Izuku's turn to just stare.
"...Wait, you don't have any questions? You're not—aren't you shocked or mad or, or something?"
"Of course I'm pissed!" Kacchan snapped. "I've got a fucking bomb strapped to my ankle, that's fucked up! But with all the other shit these guys have pulled, I figured there was something more to this stupid thing than just shocks or whatever." Shinsou cocked his head to the side, turning his whiteboard to jot something.
'I thought it would inject poison. Not sure if this is better or worse.' When Izuku and Bakugou looked at him in shock he just shrugged. 'It has to poke us to shock us anyway. Figured it'd be easy to just put poison in it.'
"Yeah, okay, either way these things are fucked up," Kacchan said, turning back to Izuku. "It doesn't matter how it kills us, we already knew these things need to go. But I'm guessing you don't know how to remove them or you would've mentioned it before."
Izuku just stared, still a bit shocked by how easily they accepted it, but at the question he snapped back to reality and sighed. "I don't," he confirmed glumly. "Sorry, I don't think I've ever seen them."
"Damn," Bakugou hissed under his breath, and crossed his arms with a contemplative scowl. "Does that hero have one?"
"Not that I saw?" He scratched the back of his neck as he tried to recall. "Like I said, they broke one of his legs, so they probably figured that was enough."
"Yeah, that does make it harder," Bakugou muttered with a frown. "But that also means we just need to worry about these two. It sucks, but we'll figure out something Deku. At least he'll probably be able to help us with everything after we get blow this dump."
"Yeah," Izuku agreed quietly, and could feel tears forming again as he smiled. The way Kacchan said "we" so casually there, and how he and Shinsou had just—accepted this revelation about their anklets... They didn't even get mad at him for hiding it for so long, or accuse him of trying to sabotage the escape by withholding information, just went right on to planning. They didn't see him as an enemy or a threat, they were...
They were treating him like an ally.
The others jumped as the waterworks started, Bakugou cursing and Shinsou scrambling onto his bed to avoid the deluge of water. "No, his Quirk's not crying!" he heard Kacchan snap at one point, and Izuku didn't know why he said that but he didn't care. They trusted him, even when they had absolutely every reason to hate his guts, and Kacchan even cared about him in his own rough Kacchan way. And with all the stress he'd been under, that realization just made him cry and cry.
It hit him now more than ever that this was really going to happen, he was going to escape with his friends. He didn't even know if the other Izuku wanted to leave. These people were his counterpart's family after all, even if they were all villains, but he himself couldn't stay with the League no matter what name it used.
Somehow though, he felt like his counterpart wouldn't be too upset.
BONUS: If Alternate-Izuku was there when Shigaraki Gave Him Eraserhead Instead
In one world, Midoriya Izuku got a Quirk from All Might and went to UA to eventually become the greatest hero in the world.
In this world, All Might died, then his parents died, then he ran away, and then he got adopted by the Villain Alliance.
...Yeah, this was not how he'd ever imagined his life going, but it was what it was. Izuku really had no one to blame but himself with the last part, he could have just said no and eventually gone back to the Bakugou house, but this was his life now. He was a Quirkless kid living with one of the most notorious organizations of all, and calling the heir to the villain that killed All Might "nii-san". It's not like it was a bad life either. It's not like they expected him to participate in their nefarious plans, in fact it was quite the opposite, but... well, it still wasn't normal. The change had been weird and sometimes scary, but over the years he'd come to truly love his weird new family, and learn to stop being so horrified and shocked by their villainous tendencies.
Sometimes, Shigaraki still caught him by surprise though.
"Surprise," Tomura said behind him with half-hearted jazz hands. "I got you a pet."
Izuku didn't respond, just staring at Eraserhead who glowered back at him. The hero had definitely seen better days, between being collared to the ground, having his hands bound behind his back, and oh, you know, the broken leg. Izuku didn't know the man, but he could tell he usually didn't look this bad.
Tomura had gotten him a lot of... weird gifts before. You know, like a piece of a costume belonging to a Pro Hero the Alliance had killed on their latest attack. Or autographed merchandise of a Pro Hero they asked to sign some bauble of Izuku's, to lower their guard before launching a surprise attack and killing them. Or a picture of a hero beaten black and blue, but who they DIDN'T kill because they were one of Izuku's favorites.
That always sucked to see his favorite heroes so badly beaten up, sometimes to the point they would never even WALK again, but it was a nice... attempt at a nice gesture on his big brother's part. He might be going about it wrong, but his heart was in the... actually, no, it was still in the wrong place. There was a reason Kurogiri and Aiko made him stop doing that. To be fair, Tomura didn't realize how devastating it was to let a kid see their favorite heroes in that sort of state.
But this was the first time his brother went as far as to get him a hero AS a gift.
Izuku met Eraserhead's hateful gaze for a moment longer, and then turned to face his brother. "THANK YOU SO MUCH!" he screamed with a bright smile, throwing himself at Tomura in a cheerful embrace that nearly knocked the villain off his foot. "You're the best brother EVER!"
Tomura returned the embrace warmly, patting his hair. "I knew you'd like it," he chuckled.
"I LOVE it!" Izuku replied even as he internally whispered what the fuck what the fuck what the hell this is NOT okay! People are NOT PETS Tomura! What do I even do with a pet hero!?
He didn't vocalize any of that out loud though, because he at least knew Tomura was trying to be a good brother. It wasn't his fault that he'd been raised by a psycho villain that was trying to completely brainwash him so that no traces of basic human morals remained after all. He didn't really know how to show his affection in a healthy, normal manner.
...Also, if Izuku explained that, Tomura would probably decide to kill Eraserhead anyway because by this point the man had seen too much. Eraserhead was kinda screwed either way, so better to NOT upset his older brother.
He pulled away with a big grin. "Thank you SO MUCH!"
"Anything for you," Tomura chuckled. "I need to get back to work, so I'll leave you to have fun."
"Okay!" Izuku agreed with a cheery grin, and waved his brother off as he left. Once the door closed he stood in silence for a minute, and then let his head hang with a sigh. He turned to meet the burning black eyes glaring a hole into his back. "Yeah, I'm really sorry about him. I swear I did not ask him to kidnap you. Or, uh, break your leg. I'm guessing he did that?"
"He did," Eraserhead confirmed crisply, and Izuku sucked in a breath.
"Yeah, yep, yep, figured as much. Guess it makes sense, makes it harder to escape or fight back than with plain old chains... Can't really weaponize a broken leg or break—well, you could break it more, but that'd just make it worse, aaaand I'm just going to stop rambling now. Sorry he did that, but hey, at least you're alive!" He laughed awkwardly while Eraserhead remained silent. Yep, this was even more awkward than he'd feared. Eh, since Eraserhead was here anyway and unable to leave, he might as well... "Hey, can I ask you something?"
"What?" the hero all but growled.
"Does your costume have yellow goggles with vertical slots on the eye holes?" That made Eraserhead pause, his eyes narrowing.
"So what if it does?" he asked shortly, voice full of suspicion, and Izuku perked up.
"Oh! Then those really ARE your goggles, aren't they! Cool! I thought they might be because they looked like the sketch Aiko-nee made me for me, but I wasn't sure." He paused then, regarding the suddenly very still hero curiously. "Hey, why does Aiko-nee have your goggles, anyway?"
...In retrospect, Izuku probably should have realized the way Eraserhead was suddenly very still at the mention of Aiko probably meant it was a bad time to ask questions. While he might be better than Tomura, he had also been raised by villains for the most part and largely isolated due to bullying before that. So he lacked in some pretty basic social etiquette too.
(At least he learned how to calm a panic attack though. Thanks internet!)
EXTRA BONUS: Acceptance
"I hope you live up to his expectations, because if not... There's really no point in keeping you alive."
The words played on repeat in Shouta's head as he stared at the blank wall, the pain in his leg finally dulling to a low throb he could more easily ignore. By some miracle he was alive, and based on Shigaraki's words it was clear that was purely so he could be gifted to the villain's kid brother. What was his name again, obviously Izu-something since Shigaraki called him Izu-chan... Ugh, he couldn't remember, it had been a long time since he'd heard it back at HQ. It didn't matter, he'd find out soon enough anyway.
He grimaced at the thought. He really didn't want to find out what Shigaraki's brother was like, or just what made him so interested in Shouta in the first place, but he had no choice in the matter. More importantly though, Shigaraki's words made it quite clear that his life literally depended on this kid's interest in him. If he didn't meet "Izu-chan"'s expectations, then his life really would be forfeit.
Okay, so I need to get on the good side of this kid. He's supposed to be, what? Twelve? Thirteen? The reports said he looked like he was middle school age. How hard could it be to get his interest?
He paused then, mind flitting back to a distant time many years ago when he and a certain blond were stuck with a crowd of bored-looking middle school students while police interviewed their teachers about a bomb threat at the school. "Come on, Shou!" his best friend goaded as the teens started to get more agitated with waiting around so long. "Don't look so lost! You're a hero, and kids love that! Just smile and be yourself!"
Shouta had done just as told, and the bored looks stopped. And then it was replaced by people yelling and crying, because apparently he had a terrifying smile.
His mind then flitted back to standing in the middle of a convenience store, Shouta turning just in time to see a teenage boy jolted and dragged his kid sister out the door. The panicked reaction had him looking for danger, before realizing he was the only one in the store besides the cashier. Then there was the time when he hadn't had coffee yet, and a pair of high school girls quickly crossed the street to get away from him... Or the time when he saved a high school student from a mugger, only for the kid to cry and beg him not to hurt him too...
...Yeah, screw it. I'm doomed.
Aizawa Shouta quietly resigned himself to his impending death.
Notes:
First omake was inspired by a couple of comments here on AO3. The second one... I've just had it in mind for a long time. If it's not obvious, I have a dark sense of humor sometimes. (Also, the mystery of Aiko and Aizawa's goggles continues. Confirming now, even other Izuku has no idea why she has them.)
You know, this scenario with Aizawa is easily one of my favorite parts of the whole fic. Not because I'm evil (though I kinda am), but just because it's so ridiculous that Shigaraki would gift Izuku his favorite hero as a pet. Literally no one is happy about this but Shigaraki. At least Aizawa's alive, right? His broken leg is going to make rescuing him a lot harder though.
Question for next time: how do you think other Izuku would react to the bombs?
(Also: if I made a Discord server, would people be willing to join? Just curious because I love seeing people's speculation, and seeing commenters bounce theories back and forth on AO3. Plus I need more people to talk to about MHA and fan fics in general so yeah)
Chapter 36: Not-so-Wild Goose Chase
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 36
.::Not-so-Wild Goose Chase::.
"...I'm guessing that's not him?" Akai didn't even sound like she expected any other answer, her tone only one degree away from sarcasm.
"No," Shouto confirmed anyway, and the snake-headed girl hung her head with a groan. Next to them Asui gave a soft croak, tilting her head at the person walking out of the grocery store. They had an obvious peacock Quirk, complete with bright blue feathers and a ridiculously large fan of tail feathers that swept the snowy sidewalk behind them. As they walked to their car she pulled out her phone, and Shouto's burner soon dinged as she sent a message to the group text message.
'This lead's a bust. Peacock Quirk.' A few seconds later a message from Kouda appeared, a simple dog emoji that looked particularly sad. Above them a bird gave a single caw, making them glance up to watch it circle a few times before it began flying away. "Come on," Asui said out loud, putting her phone away. "We still have a few more leads, kero."
"Yeah, I guess," Akai said with a melodramatic huff as they started walking down the sidewalk. Shouto trailed behind silently, giving the group text a final glance before slipping his phone into his pocket. This made three leads so far that had all fizzled out.
Despite the disappointment, Shouto thought things in Odawara might be looking up. Telling the runaways about his situation had been intimidating, since he knew how crazy it sounded. The way they excused themselves to talk in private had felt particularly ominous. Instead though, they'd been surprisingly receptive, and even offered to help him look for Gentle Criminal and Tokoyami with the use of Kouda's birds.
The only rule had been that he couldn't tell anyone else about his situation since they'd probably think he was crazy—which, fair enough.
Shouto didn't know who else they told about his situation yet beyond the four people there that day and Shiozaki and Kouda, but he couldn't argue. Trust was a commodity to be earned, and he had yet to fully prove himself. All of the runaways were understandably paranoid, so it wouldn't be wise to push.
For that same reason, he decided not to mention he knew Asui, Ojiro and Kouda as classmates in his own world. Something told him that admitting to knowing their names would just freak them out and make them more paranoid, even if they believed him. He didn't know why, it was just a gut feeling. For now he'd just gratefully accept their help. Having six more people helping really reassured him, and made him feel like he was making a lot of progress.
Mainly because Kouda's Quirk let him use local birds to search large areas. Now if only the birds could identify Tokoyami.
"I'm still surprised the birds can't tell what kind of bird mutations people have," Asui commented. "I know they're not as smart as humans even if Rockfish can talk to them, but I thought they would at least be able to tell if someone has a black bird head."
"I thought they could at least tell people's ages," Shouto admitted with a mild frown. He hadn't worked with Kouda in-depth during training, but he'd gotten the impression the boy could get a lot more detailed information from the birds than he'd been given here. He figured it wouldn't take too long to find a teenage boy with a bird head, but Shiozaki had texted them a photo of a woman carrying a baby with a bird head.
"Birds are not always that smart," Akai said flatly. "Especially around here."
"Rockfish says most of the local birds think she's an old man," Asui added to Shouto, making the snake-headed girl shriek with frustration and cover her face.
"Don't tell him that!" she whined, and Shouto blinked. Huh, was she embarrassed? Probably. Hard to tell with a face like that.
"Birds don't pay very close attention to humans," Asui continued. "Rockfish can tell them what to look for, but they don't notice things like types of clothing or people's ages or genders. He says Quirks make it more confusing for them too, since it causes so much variation."
"Ah." Shouto nodded in understanding. He'd never really thought about the difference between animal and human intelligences, and Quirks did make things confusing. Come to think of it, he remembered Mineta whining about Kouda's pet rabbit thinking he was a child when he brought it to the common room one day. Something about him being so small compared to the rest of their class.
"Still," Akai said dryly, looking up at the bird that had been guiding them to the next lead. "You think they'd at least be able to tell if a bird is totally black. I still can't believe they called us out to check out a flamingo Quirk." Shouto hummed and nodded in agreement. They'd checked out three people so far today, and none of them checked out. He'd hoped it would go pretty fast with Kouda's help, but apparently he had no such luck.
"Thank you again for the help," he said as they joined a small crowd waiting at a pedestrian crossing. They'd refused to let him go searching alone, so he felt mildly bad for having them both tag along on a so far pointless search.
"It's no problem," Asui assured him. "We have a lot of free time anyway, kero. It can get boring sometimes." That surprised him, but he supposed it made sense. It's not like they had school or anything like that to occupy them.
Before the conversation could continue he felt a vibration in his pocket, and he pulled out his original cell phone with a frown. Another call from the mysterious "D," making his frown grow as he let it ring out. "Not gonna answer?" Akai asked, and he shrugged while turning off the phone.
"I think it's that villain I woke up with," he explained, and paused as he noticed the two girls come to a sudden halt. He wasn't completely sure, but he thought their eyes were a bit wider than usual.
"...What the actual hell?" Akai asked, and he frowned, suddenly feeling a bit apprehensive.
"I don't know. I keep getting calls from 'D' and his name's Dabi, so I'm assuming it's him." Asui just tipped her head to the side, her index finger touching her chin.
"Why would a villain call you, kero?" she asked, and he shrugged.
"I'm not sure."
"Forget that, why would you keep that phone!?" Akai hissed, and he blinked before finally just shrugging. She made a strangled sound of frustration, while Asui continued to look at him thoughtfully.
"You never said how you know he's a villain," she commented, and the unspoken question made Shouto frown as he averted his gaze. Memories of the training camp came rushing back, his hands clenching at his sides as he remembered Dabi's cold blue eyes.
"...He attacked my class in my own world. He was part of a big group of villains, and helped kidnap one of my friends." He and Bakugou were friends, right? They'd bonded a good deal during their remedial license classes, so he figured they were. "I don't know much about him, but he's a cold-blooded murderer."
When he looked back he found both girls staring at him almost blankly, though again, that might just be his difficulty in reading their expressions. "...Okay, back up," Akai said. "You think he's a villain because he's a villain in your world?"
Shouto blinked and nodded. "Yes," he replied simply, and Akai slapped a palm to her face.
"Seriously?" she grumbled under her breath, much to his confusion, before she pulled her hand away and asked, "Did this guy even talk to you?" Shouto paused, thinking back.
"...He said 'morning, Shouto-chan,'" he recalled.
"Was it, like, in a threatening tone or something? Like, he was standing in the door with an evil smile, being really condescending and mocking?"
This time he shook his head. "No, he'd just woken up too. He smirked when he said it though. That's when I froze him and ran." Once again the girls just stared at him, and he began to shift uncomfortably under their combined stares. He had the distinct feeling they were judging him for something, but he didn't know what.
"...Unbelievable," Akai finally said, heaving a large sigh as her shoulders slumped, while next to her Asui just gave a quiet croak.
"Do you actually know he's a villain here?" she asked, and the question made him pause, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
"I... What? What do you mean?"
"You said Phantom Shadow is training to be a hero in your world, but here he works with Gentle Criminal," Asui pointed out. "So isn't it possible that Dabi might not be a villain in this world, kero?"
Shouto found himself struck speechless. That... had never occurred to him. Dabi had been so menacing, so obviously cruel and evil in his own world, that the possibility he might not be a villain in this one hadn't crossed his mind. He'd just assumed, since he still looked so... you know, villainous. Shouto knew he shouldn't judge by appearances alone, but that smirk had been pretty creepy looking.
When he didn't speak Asui gave another croak. "It's just strange that you'd have a phone with his number in it, kero. And that you woke up next to him, and that he keeps calling you."
"Yeah," Akai agreed with a nod. "It sounds more like maybe you two might've been traveling together or something."
Once again Shouto was blown away. That had definitely never occurred to him as even a remote possibility. The idea of willingly coexisting with Dabi, who had been so horrible and evil in his world—
"Do you think I'm a villain in this world?" he asked with growing horror. Had he been so repulsed by his father in this world that his counterpart had turned to villainy? Was that why he'd gone to such efforts to disguise himself?
"...No, I don't think so," Asui said before his thoughts could spiral further. "I think you probably just ran away because you didn't feel safe, kero. And we still don't know if Dabi actually is a villain, so it's a stretch to assume you're a villain because you might have traveled together."
"Yeah," Akai agreed with a nod. "And no offense, but you don't seem like you'd be a criminal mastermind, especially if... uh, other you is like, uh, you."
That awkward comment made Shouto finally start to relax, willing his thoughts to slow. He still didn't know much about his counterpart's life, but hearing she didn't think he or his counterpart was capable of villainy was reassuring. Though their experiences might be different, his other self was still a version of him. Surely they wouldn't be too different.
"Thank you," he told Akai earnestly, offering her a small smile. She just stared at him for a moment before sighing and muttering something under his breath he couldn't hear, which left him confused again. Once again, he felt like he'd missed something.
"If you were a villain, I think we'd have heard about you by now anyway," Asui added, drawing his attention back to her. "Your Quirk is very powerful and distinct, so I think you'd stand out. What is Dabi's Quirk, by the way?" Shouto paused, racking his memories for it.
"He can make blue fire," he responded. Once again the girls just stared at him, making him frown. "What?" The girls exchanged looks, seeming to communicate something.
"...Forget it," Akai said. "C'mon, we've wasted enough time. Let's go check the next lead." Shouto's face smoothed as he nodded, and the trio set off to resume following Kouda's bird.
Ochako stared at the laptop screen in shock, just processing Deku's message. Last night she and Deku had secretly made extra FacePage accounts to communicate beyond the burner phone Aiko promised to get her, wanting an extra way to talk without her knowing—especially about Aizawa-sensei. Thankfully Aiko didn't seem like the type to snoop in Deku's room or his laptop here.
About two hours after he left, Aiko went to the store to grab some stuff so Ochako used the chance to check it. She'd logged in to find a long string of messages waiting for her describing the latest situation with Aizawa-sensei, and just... wow. She cringed at how Shigaraki described him as a "pet," knowing their teacher would not like that.
'Kacchan and Hijack think telling him everything right off the bat won't be a good idea,' Deku wrote at the end. 'I mentioned maybe giving him the letter, but they said he'd probably think it was fake. What do you think?' Ochako grimaced as she mulled over it before typing her response.
'I think they're right. He's always been kinda naturally suspicious, and I don't think most people would believe you about the random amnesia thing.' While Deku didn't have the letter on him he'd described the contents to her, and it sounded pretty weird and unbelievable even to her. As an afterthought she added, 'And he doesn't know what you're like outside episodes, so that might just make him even MORE suspicious.'
She couldn't think of much else to add at the moment, so she pushed the chair back to turn to survey the room. She hadn't looked around too much last night because they had other priorities and she'd slept in a different room, but she was really curious because she'd recognized a poster for one of the Nabu heroes she'd found online. That made her realize that some of the merch would be for heroes exclusive to this world.
The thought made her vibrate with anticipation, and she hopped to her feet to begin looking at the merchandise real closely. Any information would be valuable, and even if she couldn't tell if they were just more obscure, it'd at least be good to confirm familiar heroes that might still be active. For example, she saw a poster for Present Mic's show, and also one for Fatgum, and that was useful to know, right?
Also, she was just curious. She'd never seen so much hero merch outside a store!
Ochako took her time perusing the posters and figures, keeping one ear open for a message notification from the still-open laptop. It didn't take long to realize the merchandise had been loosely organized, grouping rescue heroes in one area, people who regularly made the Top 10 in others, etc. As expected, some of the heroes were absolutely unfamiliar, but there were plenty more she knew.
At one point she stopped short at a corner with a seemingly random assortment of heroes, but a grouping she recognized instantly. It was all UA teachers. Nedzu, Power Loader, Snipe and Ectoplasm—there were a few others too that never taught their classes, but who she still recognized from seeing around campus. He even had one for Recovery Girl and Lunch Rush from some big disaster relief event.
The sight surprised her, and for a second she puzzled over the absence of teachers like Aizawa or Midnight. Okay, so maybe Aizawa-sensei wouldn't have merchandise, but Present Mic and Thirteen had some in other parts of the room. It was weird they weren't there. Then she realized these must be the teachers from before UA closed, and any traces of a good mood instantly vanished.
Right, UA didn't exist anymore in this world. The abrupt reminder made Ochako's heart sink, a pang of homesickness washing over her.
She spun sharply on her heel, searching the room for something else to distract herself. Soon enough her eyes lit up on a piece of paper on the wall, much smaller than the colorful posters, and what looked like... crayon? She approached curiously, confirming it to be a drawing just as she suspected.
Six figures stood there, more detailed than stick figures but still obviously drawn by a small child. Given this was Deku's room, he must have been the artist. The two largest ones had be his parents, judging by the woman's green hair and the man's much spikier hair. The smaller figure next to his mom with spiky green hair must be Deku. So it was a family portrait, then?
If it was, it didn't make sense though. Directly next to Izuku was another figure obviously meant to be a girl since it had a dress, drawn halfway between his height and his parents. That was all she could tell though, because a black crayon had been used to scribble over her. Beneath that Ochako could see multiple colors in the hair, and the one eye might be green...?
The sight confused her, because as far as she knew Deku was an only child. He'd never said so directly, but he had mentioned in the past that he usually spent holidays alone with his mom since his dad spent most of his time overseas for work. If he had a sister, surely it would have come up in conversation at some point, right? But even then, why would he scribble over someone?
Her frown only grew as she looked at the two figures on the mystery girl's other side. They looked different from the rest, obviously drawn later based on the slightly more advanced art style, but Deku still would have been young. One was another female, with black hair and dark blue eyes, while the other had a head of light blue hair and red eyes. He was shorter than the dark-haired female and scribbled-out girl, but still taller than Deku.
No matter how Ochako looked at it, those had to be Shigaraki and Aiko. He must have added them later after he started living with the Alliance, which meant other Deku had held onto the drawing even after running away. It kinda made sense, given everything that happened, but she felt just slightly weirded out by it.
Maybe it IS a family portrait after all...?
An electronic ding interrupted her thoughts, and she darted back to the laptop to find Deku had responded. 'You're probably right. I just passed on your message to Kacchan (he says hi by the way!), and he says the only reason he and Hijack trust me is because we interacted even before my latest episode. I guess they talked a bit after I left yesterday, and Hijack told him he would have thought I might change my mind about wanting to escape or have a totally different personality outside my episodes. Eraserhead doesn't know me at all so he might think the same way.'
Despite the grim nature of the message, Ochako's mouth twitched into a smile at the length. Even over text, Deku tended to ramble a lot. She could see three dots below the it showing he was typing something else, so she quickly typed up her own response before his ramble could continue.
'That sounds right to me. He's kind of a suspicious guy in general so telling him everything will probably make him feel like it's a trap. You just need to take it slow for now, and give him a chance to know the real Deku!' The typing notification vanished for several seconds after she hit send, and then reappeared for only a few seconds before a new message appeared.
'But who IS the real Deku?'
Her smile faded, her mood sinking once more. Ochako tried not to think about it much, but they still knew next to nothing about their counterparts. She still had no idea how other Ochako would feel about this whole runaway business, about everything that happened. All she could do was hope the other girl would understand once this was all sorted out.
For Deku it must be even worse though, because he lived with villains. No way was his counterpart totally squeaky-clean; even if he didn't participate in their activities, they must have rubbed off on him in some way. But even knowing that, she couldn't see him being mean or cruel like Shigaraki, or even affably evil like Kurogiri. When she tried to picture a villain Deku, it just... didn't compute.
He was just too inherently good.
She sucked in a sharp breath, steeling her nerves before she resumed typing. 'I don't know, but I can't see you EVER being a villain or evil or anything like that. And if Bakugou and Hijack trust you now even after meeting you outside episodes, then you must be good, right?'
Several long seconds passed after she hit send, and then the dots appeared again.
'I guess so. Thanks Uraraka.'
She broke into a beaming smile, and sent him a few happy emojis. After that Deku had to go talk to Shinsou again—he wasn't allowed to have his phone or laptop around him, though he'd been able to get away with it slightly with Bakugou—so they made plans to talk later after dinner. As Deku's profile went offline Ochako switched to another tab with the now very-familiar profile for Alien Queen Pink.
This was the other reason they made extra FacePage accounts. They knew this might very well be their Ashido, but Ochako couldn't message her from her Infinity Girl account now that heroes had gotten into it. They'd brainstormed how to get in touch with her and only her, and had spent a lot of time trying to figure out good usernames. They wanted their names to be obvious to other people from Class 1-A, but also not give away their actual identities if police or heroes found them.
Deku had it pretty easy, just using "Deku_Breaks_Bones" since any of their classmates would recognize that. Anyone searching for Deku would find it pretty fast. Ochako's had been a bit harder though, since most of the ideas involved her Quirk or her Hero name, which partially incorporated her real name. Ultimately they settled on "1-A_SpaceRescueHero" to reference her costume's space motif, her plans to be a rescue hero, and of course Class 1-A itself.
Now that she'd gotten an update from Deku about Aizawa-sensei, getting in touch with Ashido seemed more urgent than ever. She hovered over the friend request button and hit send before turning around and getting up. Ashido should be in class right now, so she decided to take another look at the hero merch.
Unknown to her, it would be several days before she finally got a reply.
Miles away in Kamino at that very moment, one Ashido Mina stared slack-jawed at a news article which showed photos of two vigilantes with 1-A emblazoned across their backs. As she stared at those costumes—so very similar to two costumes she knew very well—she felt her lips curl up in an almost manic grin.
She wasn't alone, there were at least two more people here.
And she needed to let them know ASAP.
Notes:
To everyone who predicted Ashido would be the first one to find the 1-A Vigilantes: give yourself a cookie. The girl's basically on lockdown with nothing else to do but look on the internet, so it was only a matter of time. Also: I really love writing Todoroki interacting with the runaways. He's so oblivious to so many things.
Last time I asked if people would be willing to join a Discord server. Well, I got a few people who said they'd be willing to, so I made one! Here's the invite link!! I look forward to seeing people there!
Question for next time: Besides Izuku, which alternate character would cause the most chaos if they showed up in the canon world?
Chapter 37: Real Talk Time
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 37
.::Real Talk Time::.
Shouta opened his eyes when he heard the door open, the noise rousing him from his uneasy sleep. By his estimates a couple of hours had passed since Shigaraki's brother left, most of it spent trying to ignore the pain in his leg and nap. When he turned his head he spied the kid—Izuku, apparently—scurry inside holding a book and a plate with a sandwich on it. "Um, I got lunch," he said lamely. "Uh, d-do I have to help you eat it, or..."
"Just leave it on the floor," Shouta sighed, carefully sitting up. This wouldn't be the first time he'd eaten without use of his arms, and getting hand-fed by a kid would be a wound to his pride. At least the sandwich would be simple and clean enough to eat.
The kid must agree, because though he grimaced he set down the tray by him and quickly retreated to a corner to read. Shouta eyed Izuku warily as he moved closer to the plate, his mind racing and analyzing the teenager. He very pointedly avoided looking at Shouta as he ate, and the few times he glanced over he would quickly wince and return his attention to his book.
So far, Izuku did not meet his expectations. He thought Shigaraki's brother would be relatively twisted due to his upbringing, or at least used to scenes like captured heroes with broken legs. Instead the boy showed minimal hostility; if anything, he seemed uncomfortable with the situation, or at least unsure how to handle it. Shouta had only spent probably a cumulative ten minutes around the kid at this point, but he could already tell Izuku lacked his elder brother's malicious streak.
It was unexpected, but not unwelcome. If he was as nervous as he appeared, then Shouta could potentially use that to his advantage to get out of the situation.
If Shouta was going to survive this, he needed to get on this kid's good side. Not just because of Shigaraki's implied threat that he would be killed if the kid didn't like him, but because this might be his only way out. His previous captors had no interest in talking to him beyond beating and questioning him, so there had been no value in trying to establish a rapport with them.
Stockholm syndrome might be more famous, but Shouta knew that the attachment could go both ways. If he could get this kid to like him, he might be able to earn some small freedoms that could ultimately work towards escaping.
"I didn't think Shigaraki's brother would care about heroes," he commented once he finished eating, breaking the silence. To his faint amusement Izuku jumped in surprise, fumbling to catch his book as it slipped out of his hands. Wide, green eyes turned towards him, before Izuku quickly swallowed and averted his gaze.
"Um, y-yeah... Heroes are just, really cool, you know?" Shouta raised an eyebrow at the comment, familiar with the admiration but not expecting it from this kid of all people.
"And I'm your favorite?" he asked, and the boy flinched, his cheeks coloring.
"Um, I g-guess?" he stammered anxiously, not looking at him. Shouta kept his expression cool as he considered his next question. The wrong thing could end up making his position worse, but more than that he needed to try to get information, if only for his own peace of mind.
"How did you even hear about me?" he asked casually, grunting as he shifted to sit up. His broken leg ached a bit of course, but he ignored it. "I try to keep a low profile, I'm surprised anyone knows my name." The boy paused, glancing at him with a frown.
"I... How did I hear about you?" he mumbled, a distant look in his eyes. "I mean, I looked at my notebooks earlier and I wrote about you in what would be middle school—well, if I'd actually gone to one, I mean—so I knew about you at least two years now. But you don't go in the spotlight much, even less than other heroes, so there's not really any records compared to them... It might've just been word of mouth, like, people complaining about you, and then I got excited and started researching you..."
As he mumbled to himself Shouta just listened silently, analyzing his words closely. From the sounds of it, the kid didn't actually remember how he learned about him. He filed that information away to contemplate later, deciding to steer the kid's rambling back on topic.
"Then why am I your favorite?" he asked bluntly, skipping straight to the point. Izuku jolted, jarred from his mumbling, and looked at him in surprise before his eyes seemed to glaze and he grew contemplative once more.
Izuku, as a dimension-traveler, would say the reason was just that Eraserhead was Aizawa-sensei. They had been through a lot together, and he'd learned to count on the man to keep him and his classmates safe, even at the risk of his own life. Even now, seeing his teacher restrained and looking at him with the eyes of a total stranger who didn't know him, his presence made Izuku feel safe. In a world without All Might, Aizawa had definitely earned that spot.
But he couldn't say that, and he couldn't say for sure why this world's Izuku liked Eraserhead either. But if he had to guess...
"It's because, your Quirk is Erasure, right?" he asked after a few moments, his eyes losing that distant gleam as if snapping back to reality. "It's just, erasing people's Quirks, right? But it's only temporary, and it's got a lot of limitations, like it can't work on mutations, and you need to be looking at them."
Shouta's eyes narrowed at the accuracy of the description, wondering how he had so many details, but he nodded anyway and the kid pushed on. "It's not a combat-oriented Quirk on its own, it's something that would probably work better as support. But you—you don't let that stop you. You trained to fill in the gap with your own skills, designed your persona and fighting style to optimize the surprise element and take on all kinds of Quirks. You basically fight Quirkless, and I just—"
He paused briefly then, glancing down at his hands. "...We don't really have heroes of our own," he finally said, voice barely audible.
Shouta's eyes widened at the quiet admission, recognizing the hidden truth within his words. He was Quirkless. That information was new. How did a Quirkless kid end up in the Villain Alliance? Was he actually Shigaraki's biological brother after all? The probability seemed more likely now, since he couldn't imagine why else the Alliance would take in a Quirkless kid. Especially when he and Shigaraki were obviously so close.
That did explain why Shigaraki didn't worry about leaving them alone together though. There wouldn't be a point in using Erasure on someone without a Quirk, even if Shouta wasn't the type of person to attack a kid anyway. Not that he could, with his hands bound behind him and all. Which reminded him, he really wanted this stuff off, but it was too soon to ask the boy to try to remove it.
He needed to take his time, try to establish some form of rapport between them and get a feel for the kid's personality before making any big moves like that. Fortunately for him, the kid had given him a perfect opportunity.
"So you're Quirkless," he said, and noted how the boy flinched. "If you're looking for a role model, I'm the wrong Pro. You should be looking at Rare."
"Rare?" The boy perked up, looking at him in surprise. "I've never heard of them, who's that?"
"The first Quirkless hero." Izuku startled at that, his jaw dropping open.
"Wait—wha—?" He sputtered in shock, eyes large and disbelieving.
"To be fair, she wasn't common knowledge," Shouta continued nonchalantly. "She was an underground hero active when I first started out. She was a genius who used support gear to simulate Quirks, most people didn't know she was Quirkless. I only know because I interned under her during my final year. She retired a couple of months before All Might died, got in a car crash and couldn't work anymore." She ultimately died from those injuries, but he saw no reason to mention that.
Izuku was silent now, just staring at him in even more shock. Shouta didn't blame him, it wasn't every day a Quirkless kid heard of a Pro Hero just like them. Rare had kept her Quirkless status as secret as possible and kept a low profile, not wanting to get involved in activism or become sort of symbol against discrimination since that recognition would diminish her ability to do her job. She had been well-respected in the underground hero community though, known to be a talented tactician and fighter who could keep up with the best of them.
Rumor had it that even Endeavor respected her, the two having worked together on a human trafficking case shortly before her death. At the very least he'd shown up at her funeral, which had been quite the surprise. It had been a small affair, mostly family and a few colleagues, so to see the then-Number Two Hero show up to pay his respects had nearly caused Rare's grieving mother to faint.
"I wonder," Izuku finally said, gaze falling to his lap. "If she..." He trailed off then, letting the thought hang in the air unfinished. After a long while he looked up, smiling at Shouta almost sadly. "Thanks for telling me about her. I never would have imagined there was a Quirkless Pro. You said you interned under her? Can you tell me more?"
Shouta sighed quietly as he nodded. "Yeah, sure." Telling him wouldn't do any harm. After all, she was dead now. And besides, maybe hearing about a good influence would make him more amenable to leaving this place.
Mina was going to explode.
Hands-down, she would absolutely blow up in the next five minutes if she didn't do something, she was too full of energy to stop pacing around her apartment. Kirishima looked a bit uncomfortable watching her walk in circles around the couch where he sat, his legs folded onto the cushions to keep them out of her way.
"Uh, Ashido, are you okay?" he asked, and she whirled to face him.
"I'm awful and better than okay!" she responded with a grin, and he blinked.
"That... doesn't make sense though?" he said timidly, and she bobbed her head.
"I know!" she proclaimed cheerfully, and then resumed her frantic pacing with a pensive frown. She felt great, but she also felt awful and anxious and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Well, no, there was one thing, but she couldn't actually do it on her own.
Jirou and Kaminari were here. She had absolutely zero doubts that they were the 1-A Vigilantes. The article had popped up in her phone's feed randomly, maybe because she'd spent so much time looking up heroes from her own world lately, and since then she couldn't get them out of her mind. Those costumes were so similar to her classmates, down to the gauntlets on Jirou's gloves.
Also, she'd heard Jirou call Kaminari "Taser-brain" like three different times in training. That name was totally from Jirou calling him that in the field to get his attention than something he'd pick for himself.
But even if she knew they existed, she couldn't contact them. She'd searched FacePage endlessly and couldn't find either of their personal accounts. She found a few fan pages for the 1-A Vigilantes, and a couple that even claimed to be them, but she couldn't tell if any actually belonged to them. It's not like they had any pictures that she couldn't find on other people's social media or news articles.
At this point she felt like her best bet would be to go to Hosu herself, but she couldn't do that because she was under house arrest!
Mina wanted to scream, but she knew that would just get Oracle all freaked out because he was guarding her and all that. So she did the next best thing and texted her friends to text-scream at them. Kiri had come over pretty much right away because the string of random letters freaked him out, and since then he'd been watching her frantically pace around the apartment. He looked really worried as she passed him on her tenth lap around the couch, but she couldn't bring herself to care.
A knock on the door interrupted her desperate pacing, and she practically flew over to fling it open. There stood a weirdly wet-looking Kumiko and Anjou, Kumiko looking a bit cool (and maybe a little pissed) while Anjou just raised a single hand in greeting. "Yo," she said with a nod and held up her bag. "I brought all the homework and notes you missed."
In other circumstances Mina would probably whine at that last part, but for now she just stepped aside. "Just get in here!" she said, quickly ushering the pair inside and peeking outside to make sure Oracle hadn't followed them before closing the door.
"How did you guys get here already?" Kiri asked from the couch as they removed their shoes. "It's only third period! And also, uh... why do you guys look wet?"
"Anjou got school canceled early," Kumiko responded dryly.
"No, Nijisaki in my second period class got it canceled," Anjou corrected. "He was freaking out over a test this afternoon and looking for an excuse to get out of it. I just asked him to get school canceled instead of faking he was sick. He has some kind of smoke Quirk, so he used it to trigger the sprinklers."
"I hate you," Kumiko seethed, stalking to Mina's bedroom. "Mina, I am borrowing your clothes!"
"Okay!" Mina agreed quickly. She didn't mind, but she also just wanted Kumiko to be a little less mad at her. She could tell her best friend was still a bit pissed for what she did on Friday, and Mina hated having Kumiko mad at her. "An-chan, you can borrow something too."
"Thanks," Anjou said, dropping her bag by the door and following Kumiko.
Five minutes later both Kumiko and Anjou returned to the living room in their borrowed clothes. Mina and Kumiko were similar enough in size that she had no problem finding a shirt and sweatpants that fit, but Anjou was a bit smaller than Mina. The t-shirt she wore was definitely baggy on her, and maybe none of the pants fit because she opted for a long skirt instead.
"Okay, we're here and we're not dripping wet anymore," Kumiko said, crossing her arms as she stood by the couch. "Now explain what's up with the keyboard mashing." Mina nodded, fidgeting nervously with the hem of her shirt as she averted her gaze, feeling suddenly weirdly anxious and unable to talk.
Now that they were finally here, she realized she had no idea how to even talk about this. There was just so much to talk about, she had no idea where to even start.
Screw it. Overthinking this would waste way too much time. Just get it all out at once. She nodded to herself, firming her resolve as much as she could. "Okay, so, I haven't been totally honest with you," she began anxiously, and she could see them all tense at that. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to look at them again. "I don't really have sudden amnesia. I'm actually from another dimension."
Total silence followed this proclamation, three perfectly blank faces staring at her. "What," Kiri finally said.
"It's true!" Mina exploded. "One day I went to sleep in the dorms and I just woke up here and I have no idea how it happened but it did and everything is different and wrong here, the first thing I saw after waking up was smoke from a villain attack and apparently that's normal, and then I got online and UA is gone and so is All Might and every time I look stuff up online it just gets worse and worse! I had no idea what was going on and I still don't but I thought maybe it would fade away after a while so I tried to just wait it out but it didn't and—"
"Mina, stop with the word vomit!" Kumiko almost yelled, and Mina obediently clamped her mouth shut. Her best friend just pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly taking a few seconds to try to process it. "Okay, I got the 'I'm from another dimension' bit and something about dorms and smoke, but literally nothing else makes sense to me."
"Uh, could you maybe try again?" Kiri asked tentatively. "And do it, uh, slower this time?" Mina nodded, taking a deep breath as she tried to organize her thoughts. Yeah, she should probably try to figure out a less messy way to explain it.
"Okay, so remember that day that I didn't show up to school, and school got canceled anyway because of that villain attack?" she asked, and the others slowly nodded. "That's when I woke up here. I was super-confused because I don't recognize anything here, and whenever I looked up stuff on my phone everything was different, like UA is gone which is so weird and freaky, then I saw Kiri and I was so relieved but his hair was black—"
"Mina, rambling," Kumiko cut in, and Mina promptly stopped talking with a sharp nod.
"Uh, what's so weird about me having black hair?" Kiri asked now that she'd gone quiet, and she whirled to face him with sparkling eyes.
"You dyed it red when we got into UA as a promise you're a manly man!" Okay, maybe not that exactly, but it was obviously a real character building moment so close enough.
"Wait, is that why you're so obsessed with manliness now?"
"Yes!" she exclaimed in exasperation. "You're all about manliness and being a hero back in our world, but here you're like you were in middle school, but worse somehow!"
"Gee, thanks," he muttered with a grimace, and Mina winced guiltily. Oops, now that she thought about it, that sounded really bad.
"Sorry Kiri," she said. "I didn't mean for it to sound like that. You're getting better though, so don't worry about it! Like on Friday, you running in to help save that guy was so cool and awesome!"
"Back up," Anjou said. For once she had her full attention focused on Mina with no sign of her phone, just looking at her intently. "What was that about UA?"
"Kiri and I are both in the hero course!" Mina said as she spun to face her. "That's why I was so excited to see him at first, but then I realized he didn't recognize me! So I had no idea what was going on, just that everything's different here. I thought maybe it'd wear off but it never did, and I didn't know what to do. But then Infinity Girl found me on FacePage and I'm like ninety-nine percent sure she's Uraraka, because my FacePage name is based on my hero name there! Well, the Pinkie part anyway. I originally wanted to go with Alien Queen but Midnight-sensei said that was too villainous."
"Uh, who's Midnight?" Kirishima cut in, and Mina turned to him with her jaw hanging open in horror. How couldn't he know her!?
"Isn't she that hero who got in trouble for basically trying to be a nudist as her costume?" Anjou asked, and Mina had to pause to think on it.
"I don't know, but probably." Mina didn't know that one for sure, but that definitely sounded like something Midnight would do. But still, how could they not know her—oh. "Oh yeah," she said aloud, "she said she had to basically stop being public a while back, so I guess you guys wouldn't know her since she was the R-rated hero."
"And she told you that... when?" Kumiko asked slowly, and Mina froze.
"...She might have come with a detective to talk to me about Uraraka," she admitted. "And I'm probably not supposed to tell anyone."
"And yet, you're telling us," Anjou deadpanned, and Mina threw up her arms.
"Gah! We're getting off-topic!"
"Is there even a topic?" Kiri muttered, and Mina spun to glare at him.
"What's that supposed to mean!?"
"It means you sound freaking crazy," Kumiko answered before he could, and Mina turned to gape at her best friend as Kumiko put a hand on her hip. "Mina, are you even hearing yourself right now? Another dimension? UA? Heroes who don't even exist anymore? Do you have any idea how insane this all sounds!?"
The heat in Kumiko's voice made something snap in Mina, and her own face twisted into a furious scowl as she glared. "I know it sounds crazy!" she countered. "Why do you think I just said I had amnesia!? Even I know that's way more believable than I'm from another world!"
"Then how can you actually believe this!?" Kumiko snapped back. "Mina, multiverse stuff is, like, sci-fi! Emphasis on the fi! What are the chances a Quirk like that actually exists! You're obviously under the effects of some other Quirk screwing with your memories!"
"I'm not!" Mina roared, stamping her foot.
"You don't even have any proof!"
"I do too! I already told you, Infinity Girl found me randomly on a profile I made using my hero name ideas, the very next day after I made that profile! She's got to be Uraraka!"
"We don't even know who Uraraka is!" Kumiko all but roared.
"Uraraka Ochako!" Mina snapped. "We called her Infinity Girl because on the first day of classes she threw a baseball with her Quirk and it just kept going and Aizawa-sensei's tracker-thing just had an infinity symbol! This Infinity Girl said she has some kind of gravity Quirk too, and there's no way that's a coincidence!"
"If she's really from your world, then why didn't she ask you about it!? Hell, why didn't you!?"
"I don't know!" Mina exploded, throwing up her arms with a frustrated shout. "I was just scared that maybe I was wrong and I didn't want to freak her out if I was, but then she ran away and ever since then I've been even more sure, except now I can't even ask her! I don't know why she didn't ever talk to me about it though!"
"Or maybe she's the one who planted these memories in you!" Kumiko yelled. "Maybe she ran away so she could help people get ready to kidnap you!"
"No way! That's not true!"
"It makes more sense than you coming from another—"
"GUYS, STOP!"
They both startled as Kiri's voice rang through the room, and they whirled to see him standing up from the couch with an almost desperate-looking frown. "Just—stop shouting at each other!" he rushed out in an almost panicked hiss, his voice pitched quieter but still high with anxiety. "You two fighting like that isn't helping! Seriously, look at Anjou!"
"An-cha... oh." Mina turned to look and promptly felt her stomach sink as she saw Anjou standing with her hands pressed over both ears and her eyes screwed shut. Several seconds passed in total silence as they all stared at her, watching her breathe heavily through her nose, before she finally opened her eyes and lowered her hands.
"Not cool," she growled. "You guys know I get sensory overload when people start yelling all at once like that." Mina and Kumiko both flinched guiltily, because they did know it. It hadn't happened since Mina came here, but Anjou had told her about that specifically just to remind her not to get too loud if they were in smaller rooms.
"I'm so sorry, An-chan," she said miserably. "I didn't mean to get that loud."
"Me too," Kumiko agreed quickly. "Even if Mina's being totally crazy—"
"No," Anjou cut in sharply, and this time it was Kumiko's turn to close her mouth. "Stop saying insults and spouting judgy bullshit like that, you'll just start fighting again."
"She's right," Kiri agreed with a nod. "I mean, yeah Ashido sounds crazy, but we really shouldn't be fighting right now. That won't help anything." He turned to her with a frown, adding, "But Ashido, if you've believed all this for this long, why are you telling us now?"
Mina perked up at that, grateful for the subject change. "Because today I found out we're definitely not the only ones!" she answered. "Just—look!" She whipped out her phone and showed them the article that had gotten her so worked up: the article about the 1-A Vigilantes, complete with the photo showing off the 1-A on their backs.
She stood expectantly as they all leaned forward to look at the phone, practically vibrating with anticipation. "Mina," Kumiko finally said after a few seconds. "Your screen's too small for us to all see."
"Uh, could you maybe just text it to us?" Kiri suggested, and Mina pouted over ruining the dramatic moment, but quickly did just that. Soon enough the other three had opened the article on their own phones while Mina quickly launched into more explanations.
"Those two are totally Jirou and Kaminari from my class!" she told them as they looked at it. "Those costumes are like dead ringers for theirs, down to the gear! I've even heard Jirou call Kaminari taser-brain in training a couple times! I bet she just called him that while they were taking down a bad guy and everyone thought that was his official vigilante name or something!"
"Well, that answers who's who," Anjou muttered under her breath.
"And that 1-A on their backs—we're in Class 1-A back at home!" Mina barreled on eagerly. "They're totally trying to get the attention of everyone else who might've come over too! There's just too much stuff for it to all be a coincidence!"
"Or they're part of whatever group messed with your memories," Kumiko muttered, and Mina shot her a furious scowl.
"Actually, this seems like it'd be kinda a lot if they're trying to kidnap just one person," Kiri piped up before she could respond. "I mean, it made sense when it was just Infinity Girl, but now we've got three people Ashido thinks are from this other dimension? Doesn't that seem a bit, I don't know, much if they're after just one person?"
Kumiko wavered a bit at that. "Mina's Quirk is pretty strong, though," she muttered, but it sounded pretty weak and doubtful. Next to her Anjou hummed, her gaze focused on her phone.
"Ashido, what other students are in your class at UA?" she asked, and Mina perked up, always eager to talk all about her UA friends to her other-universe friends.
"Okay, so there's twenty of us total. Along with me and Kiri, and obviously Uraraka and Kaminari and Jirou, there's also Yaomomo, Iida, Midoriya, Tsu-chan—"
"Just so you know, those names mean nothing to us," Kumiko deadpanned, and Mina shot her an irritated scowl but ultimately conceded the point.
"Okay, fine. Starting over, Yaomomo is Yaoyorozu Momo, she's like super rich. Iida—Iida Tenya—is the class rep and Ingenium's brother—and by the way, in our world Ingenium got paralyzed by Stain so now Iida's Ingenium instead—"
"Okay, that last part's actually really freaky, but I have no idea who Stain is," Kiri cut in awkwardly.
"Me neither," Kumiko agreed, and Mina gawked at them. She turned to look at Anjou to see if the name meant anything to her, but the teal-haired girl just looked at her with narrowed eyes, turquoise pupils boring into Mina.
"And Midoriya?" she asked, and Mina blinked before nodding.
"Right. Midoriya Izuku. He's green and cute and made of sunshine, and he also breaks his arms a lot. Tsu-chan, Asui Tsuyu, is this frog girl, and she's really cool and collected all the time and super-blunt but really nice. Then there's Bakugou, Bakugou Katsuki. He's always kinda grumpy and scowl-y, but you're his best friend Kiri!" She beamed at him, but deflated when he didn't really react beyond just staring at her.
"Anyone else?" Anjou asked, and Mina blinked again before refocusing on the task.
"Well, let's see... I mentioned all of the Bakusquad, and most of the girls, so... Oh, there's Tooru-chan, Hagakure Tooru, who's super fun and invisible all the time. She basically has no costume, just gloves and boots, haha! You should've seen her exam with Snipe-sensei, it was hilarious! Oh, and she's best friends with Ojiro Mashirao, who's got a tail and is a total martial arts master. His costume is just basically a—I think you call it a gi? Oh, oh! And Kouda!" She perked up at the last name and broke into a grin. "He can talk to animals and has the sweetest pet bunny rabbit!"
She lit up at the memory of holding Kouda's rabbit in the common room the day before this mess began. The rabbit had been so sweet and soft, and Mina had cuddled it for a good fifteen minutes. Ojiro and Tooru-chan had to pry it from her arms to return to Kouda, and she would've followed him back to his dorm if Midoriya had not intercepted her and mentioned Satou was making some dessert bread in the kitchen.
She perked up even more at that memory, her mouth salivating. "Oh my gosh, and Satou makes the best desserts," she said dreamily. "I have no idea what that thing he made was that last night, but it was amazing. Even Todoroki was smiling, and he like, never does that!"
"Wait, Todoroki like Endeavor Todoroki?" Kumiko piped up with wide eyes, and Mina bobbed her head vigorously.
"Yeah! Well, his kid anyway. His name's Todoroki Shouto, and he's got this crazy hair that's split down the middle, it's totally red on one side and white on the other! I don't think he likes his dad though, so if you ever meet him, uh, don't call him Endeavor's kid," she added sheepishly, losing some of her steam.
"What's his Quirk like?" Anjou asked, and Mina pursed her lips.
"It's called Half-Hot, Half-Cold I think? Like, so basically he's got both fire and ice, right? But he can only use each one with half of his body. The fire's on the red half, the left, and the ice is with his right half. And it's so strong!" she added with wide eyes. "During the Sports Festival he went up against Sero first, and Sero couldn't even do anything! Todoroki just went woosh and suddenly there was a gigantic iceberg that was taller than the stadium!"
"Woah," Kiri breathed, awestruck and wide-eyed.
"If you think it sounds awesome, you can't even imagine it!" Mina told him excitedly. "The cameras couldn't even get all of it, it was so big!"
"That sounds cool, but is it really possible for someone to have a Quirk with two elements like that?" Kumiko asked skeptically. "I mean, I guess it might be, but even if he's the son of the Number One Hero, isn't it a bit much for one half to be that strong?"
"Number One...?" Mina turned to look at her blankly before it clicked and she slumped dejectedly. "Oh right, All Might's dead in this world." That made Kiri and Kumiko startle.
"Wait, are you saying he's alive in this other world!?" Kumiko yelped, and Mina nodded, her mood a bit more subdued compared to before.
"Yeah, but he just retired a couple months ago. He used up all his power in this gigantic fight, and now he's got this super-skinny skeleton form. He looks so different, guys," she confided with wide eyes. "The first few Heroics classes we had with him after that we were all worried that we'd knock him down with just the wind from Iida running! And one time Iida actually did knock him down, but the wind knocked down all of us though so, yeah. But Ojiro had to help him up!"
"Wait, back up again," Kiri said. "What do you mean, 'heroics classes'?" Once again Mina paused, and she felt herself grow sheepish and awkward.
"Oh, right. So, uh, All Might's kinda our Heroics teacher at UA." Dead silence followed that as everyone stared at her with their eyes bugging out, even the usually deadpan Anjou looking wide-eyed and shocked.
"...Mina," Kumiko finally said. "Someone is definitely screwing with your memories. There's no way that's possibly true."
"It is!" Mina whined, whirling to face her with a scowl. "Ugh, this is why I didn't tell any of you right away! You're never going to believe me!"
"Actually, I think I might," Anjou interjected calmly, and Mina started to say something only to freeze as she processed the words. Even Kiri and Kumiko turned to look at Anjou in shock, while Mina felt her biggest grin yet split across her face.
Just like that, light had finally shined upon her world once more.
Notes:
And Ashido is officially the second person to break and tell people everything! And unlike Todoroki, her audience isn't afraid to call her out.
Little bonus note on Rare: I imagine she could exist in the canon/prime universe too (Izuku was wondering that when he said "I wonder if she..."), and in both worlds she died from that car crash. She got her start making support gear, and figured going into the field would help her better understand what heroes needed. From there she turned out to just be good at it, so she kept being a hero. She was more active on the investigative side of hero work, and Endeavor did in fact respect her and acknowledged the role of her intellect in taking down the trafficking ring mentioned here. Aizawa interned under her to learn more about combat (maybe she's the one who designed his capture weapon?).
She won't appear in the story or probably even get mentioned again after this, but just felt worth mentioning a little world-building detail.
Also: a lot of people have shown up in the Discord, and it's been fun! We're mostly just sharing fic recs and discussing MHA. The link is still the same (I mentioned last chapter), so feel free to join!
Question for next time: what would be the most chaotic point in the canon universe and timeline for an AU version of themselves to swap in? (Excluding Shigaraki. Literally swapping him at any point would cause chaos.)
Chapter 38: Impulse and Determination
Notes:
Trigger warning: vague reference to suicide. Literally seven words, not even an explicit use of the word, but it's still there.
Before the chapter: I got a piece of fan art of Aiko from loyal reader Bunny!! It's so great, I love the detail on her eyes~ On that note, I'm going to push through my procrastination and finally draw her this weekend. If I don't, I encourage you to give me a hard time.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 38
.::Impulse and Determination::.
Over the past two weeks, Eijirou had started to get used to Ashido's sudden weirdness. At first it had been jarring to have her shouting for him from across the lunchroom, or even just to see her waiting for him outside the apartment building every morning so they could walk to school together. Her oddly clingy behavior had been a weird and abrupt change, as had the bizarre amnesia, but at some point it had started to become normal, even weirdly... nice.
He'd never really interacted with Ashido or Kirameki even at their middle school, and he certainly never spoke to Anjou. But even so, Ashido just had this magnetic charm to her. Being around her made him feel light and comfortable, like his life had gotten just a little bit brighter. After being alone for so long, he figured that her weird behavior was a small price to pay for the friendly company, even if it ended up getting him on house arrest.
Eijirou thought that at this point, even if Ashido continued to surprise him, he would be able to deal with it fine. Nothing could ever be as shocking as when she'd run straight into that villain fight after all.
Clearly, he was wrong.
"You believe her?" he blurted, staring at Anjou in shock. Somehow, this was his breaking point. Not Ashido claiming she came from another world—one where they both went to UA and learned from All Might—or even her claiming there were other people from another world. At this point he might just be numb to Ashido's weirdness, or maybe he was just so overwhelmed that he hadn't really processed all of it yet. It was a really crazy story after all, and it still didn't feel quite real.
But Anjou always seemed cool and rational. She was easily the voice of reason in their group, the one who'd always rein in the others' more chaotic tendencies. So, yeah, he guessed it made sense that Anjou believing Ashido's insane story would be what shocked him most.
Next to him Ashido let out a delighted squeal loud enough to make him wince, basically bouncing in place as she gave Anjou a face-splitting grin so big it almost looked painful. "You actually believe me!? Thank you so, SO much An-chan! You are officially my best friend here!"
For her part the teal-haired girl held up a hand. "Slow down, I'm not sure I fully believe it yet," she said, and Ashido's bouncing stopped, her smile fading to a look of confusion.
"But, you just said—"
"It's more complicated than that," Anjou cut in, and she sounded oddly... tired. "I don't know if you're actually from another world. It could be a bunch of implanted memories like these guys are saying. But at this point, there's too many details that check out to ignore."
"Check out?" Eijirou repeated, and Anjou nodded, still looking frustrated.
"I can't explain everything, but some of the stuff Ashido's saying—she's talking about people and things she shouldn't know."
"And what does that mean?" Kirameki asked, her tone a bit irritated now. Eijirou couldn't blame her, he was confused by this too. Anjou huffed and crossed her arms, eyes closed with a look of concentration as she seemed to consider her response.
"Look, I can't tell you guys everything because there's a lot of complicated stuff involved that I can't just tell anyone, okay?" she finally said. "It's not my place to talk about it, and again, like I said, it's really complicated. But just now, Ashido described a bunch of people I know she shouldn't know."
"Really?" Ashido perked up, eyes shining. "Who? Who?"
"I'm not answering that right now," Anjou said flatly, and Ashido deflated in obvious disappointment. "All that matters is that some of those names she listed are real people, and I know she wouldn't have met them or know about their Quirks. Like Todoroki." That got their attention.
"Todoroki?" Eijirou asked, eyebrows furrowing. "What's so special about him? I mean, he's kinda a public figure anyway, right?" Todoroki Shouto had been plastered all over the news a year prior when he disappeared. While the media hadn't given all the details about him—not even showing a picture of his face, so that villains wouldn't be as likely to recognize him—it wouldn't be that hard to find details on him. There were a few photos from before Endeavor started hiding his family from the public.
"Yeah, but the details of his Quirk aren't public," Anjou replied dryly. "And her description of it is accurate." That made Eijirou and Kirameki perk up, because the news definitely hadn't mentioned his Quirk.
"Hold on, how do you know that?" Kirameki asked, beating him to the punch. "Do you, like, know him or something?"
"Nope," Anjou said. "Never met him, doubt I'd be able to recognize him on the streets. But I know someone who's friends with his brother, and his description matches up perfectly with Ashido's." She raised a hand to count off points on her fingers. "Super strong dual Quirk, way stronger than Endeavor's, with a preference for the ice side. And also a bunch of daddy issues."
The others were silent as they absorbed this. "...So basically, you never saw it, but got this information from someone who never saw it either, but heard about it from his brother," Kirameki summarized, and she nodded.
"Pretty much." Kirameki did not look impressed.
"That's an actual 'friend of a friend' thing. That's not even, like, second-hand information. It's closer to, like, third-hand." She crossed her arms with a huff. "An-chan, I love and respect you, but I seriously question the validity of that. I've heard enough gossip at school to know how much actual details can get lost in those sort of chains."
"My source is known for being fairly accurate," Anjou replied dryly, and sighed as she continued, "But look, that's just one detail. There's other stuff too, like Jirou Kyouka—who is a real person in Hosu."
"And how do you know that?" Kirameki challenged, and Anjou looked at her phone.
"Because someone I know asked me to run a background check on her." That made everyone freeze, just staring at her in shock. Anjou tapped at the screen a few times before turning it to them, showing what looked like a blond guy with a guitar in a rocker pose, and a little blond girl next to him. "Her dad's a famous musician, Jirou Kyoutoku. She appeared in a photo shoot for a magazine with him a few years ago."
Eijirou stared at the photo in silence, just taking it in. Aside from the long blond hair, the father-daughter duo barely resembled each other. She looked weirdly out of place next to him in his studio setup, wearing a nice-looking light blue dress and red glasses that made a stark contrast with the father's hole-ridden band shirt and jeans.
Even Ashido was squinting at the picutre. "That... That looks like Jirou, but she has purple hair," she said slowly. "And no glasses. And—I don't think I've ever seen her in a dress like that. You can't even see her earphone jacks!"
"Yeah, it's probably a disguise to protect her from nosy people," Anjou said, turning the phone back to herself. "The article doesn't even mention her name, they just wanted a shot of him and his daughter because he talked about being a single dad. Funny you mention earphone jacks though, because her mom definitely had those," she added lightly. "Same goes with the purple hair. Guess she took after her mom more."
"Uh, can we go back to the part where someone asked you to do a background check on her?" Eijirou piped up meekly. He had so many questions about that, and honestly he was a little afraid of the answers.
"I can't say why, but I promise it's nothing illegal or shady," Anjou said with a shrug, which did the exact opposite of reassure him. Eijirou froze up in silent panic as Anjou continued way too casually after saying something like that, "Anyways, I did find out that a Jirou Kyouka lives in Hosu. There's a fancy school there for kids who might be at higher risk of being targeted, so it checks out.
"And that school is also rumored to be attended by Ingenium's brother and the Yaoyorozu heiress," she added with a pointed look at Ashido. "At the very least, the school got sizable donations from those two families this year, and the frequency of patrols by the Idaten Agency in its area have picked up around there since this spring."
"Is this information usually available to the public?" Eijirou asked, feeling increasingly alarmed because this didn't sound like stuff they'd be telling everyone in press releases.
"Nope," Anjou deadpanned, and either didn't notice or (more likely) blatantly ignored his growing panic as she pocketed her phone. "Either way, it's one hell of a coincidence for Ashido to remember all these names that absolutely aren't public knowledge. I don't even know those two's given names. And that's just the stuff I'm comfortable sharing," she added with a shrug, while Eijirou just stared.
If that's what she's comfortable sharing, then what else is there!? He wanted to ask that, but the potential answer scared him too much so he kept his mouth shut. Everything Anjou had mentioned so far sounded potentially highly illegal—including the assurance that it wasn't—so he really dreaded what the heck she didn't feel comfortable sharing with them.
Kirameki lacked his reservations though—or rather, she just didn't care about how Anjou got that information. "If you don't know their given names, how do you know she does?" she asked. "You're not doing a very good job of convincing me."
"Like I said, that's just what I'm comfortable sharing," Anjou retorted, unphased by Kirameki's doubt. "There's other stuff she said that I know is accurate, and she definitely should not know it." That had Eijirou calming down again, his unease giving way to curiosity. So then that must mean she recognized some of the other names Ashido mentioned, right? It would explain why she'd asked Ashido to list off her classmates.
"I'm... still kinda confused," the girl in question admitted almost sheepishly, but perked up as she added, "But if it means you might believe me, that's good enough for me!"
"It still sounds too weird to be true," Kirameki said with a frown, and Ashido shot her a sour look. "Even if Mina does know all those names, doesn't it still seem more likely it was all planted in her head than, you know, coming from another dimension? Maybe they're using her as bait for all these kids who're way more valuable."
"Yeah, it does," Anjou agreed surprisingly easily, and Ashido made an offended sound at that. "But there's still some stuff that's too specific to really check out with me. Like..." She trailed off, and Eijirou stiffened as her eyes flitted his way, lingering for just a few seconds before returning to Ashido. "Well, let's just say some details are too randomly specific to be logical for implanted memories."
What the hell? Eijirou frowned, because no way did she look at him randomly before saying something like that for no reason. Call him crazy or maybe paranoid, but he felt sure that she was referring to something about him with that vague line. Ashido and Kirameki didn't seem to notice though, and he didn't have time to dwell on it before Anjou shrugged and spoke again. "Look, forget it. I've already said enough. I think there is something going on here though, especially since we know Infinity Girl is an actual, real teenage girl and is missing."
"We do?" Kirameki asked in genuine surprise, and Anjou snorted.
"Yeah, we do," she replied dryly. "Remember how Ashido mentioned a surprise visit from the hero Midnight on Sunday? You know, right before you two started yelling at each other?" Kirameki winced at the reminder but her eyes were no less wide with shock, Eijirou similarly stunned. With the quick flow of the conversation and fight he'd forgotten that part completely, but Ashido had mentioned a detective came to ask her about Infinity Girl.
"Oh," Kirameki said lamely, and turned to Ashido with a grimace. "Sorry, Mina."
"I'll think about accepting your apology," Ashido said with a haughty sniff, crossing her arms and turning her head away.
"So yeah, we know that Infinity Girl is an actual, missing teenage girl," Anjou repeated. "And Ashido was right with all that stuff about her profile name. The timing of Infinity Girl making her profile and then finding and friending Ashido is way too close to just be a coincidence. I'm willing to bet she has all those memories too, and something happened that made her run away."
"Or maybe she just got tired of sitting around and doing nothing," Ashido muttered under her breath, scowling at her feet. Eijirou frowned as he looked at her, his mind still whirring from just—well, everything. This was a lot to take in, and while he still had a lot of doubts, Anjou made some pretty convincing arguments.
"Okay, so if this is true, then shouldn't we go to Oracle or some other Pro Hero?" he asked, and Kirameki perked up.
"Yeah!" she agreed with a vigorous nod. "I mean, if this is fake then there's obviously, like, some giant trap! And if all this multi-dimension stuff actually is real, then this is way over our heads! We should absolutely go to a hero, like, now!"
"We can't because reasons," Anjou replied testily, and that was probably the least satisfactory answer ever but her obvious irritation made Eijirou wary of asking again. She gave an aggravated sigh and crossed her arms with a frown. "Look, under pretty much any other circumstances, I'd be all for going to the Pros. But right now, there's a lot of stuff going on that I can't mention, and if the Pros get involved it'll make things messy for a lot of people.
"Take it from a foster kid," she added. "Good intentions do jackshit when the legal system and bureaucracy gets involved. If we go to them now, Ashido will probably be whisked away and it'll be weeks before they actually do anything productive. With something this big, they'll want to verify as much as possible before making any moves, and that'll take ages."
"I think it's too risky, too," Ashido piped up sheepishly, and both Eijirou and Kirameki spun to face her in shock. She had an awkward grimace on her face, scratching the back of her neck as she avoided looking at them. "I mean, obviously I thought about it, and if I'd been able to find a Pro on like, week one, I totally would have told them everything. But this world's just—it's sooo different from mine! It feels like there's villains everywhere, and I don't even know like half the heroes here!"
She shook her head, tugging at her hair around her horns again with a pinched-looking frown. "I just don't know! It's all so different and scary! What if I tell someone but they're actually secretly a bad guy? Or, or what if they're the ones who did this to me somehow and I didn't know!? Like, maybe they didn't realize it happened to me, so they need to silence me!"
As she began rambling and growing increasingly panicked Eijirou just stared. He kind of wanted to say she was overthinking it, but given the multiverse bombshell, she might not be. Once again, Kirameki had no such reservations though. "...Mina, you've been spending this whole weekend thinking about this, haven't you?" she asked flatly, and Ashido flailed her arms with a distressed whine.
"Yes! There's just nothing to do but think! And I know it's stupid and I'm totally overthinking a ton of it, but I just keep running out of other stuff to do so I keep going over all the worst case scenarios because I feel like I can't do anything!"
"That's because you can't right now," Anjou said bluntly, making Ashido whine in dismay. "At least, not here."
That caught their attention. "Hold on," Kirameki said, whirling to face her. "Are you saying—?"
"Yeah." Anjou nodded. "Ashido needs to leave Kamino. I already explained why going to the Pros would take too long, it'd be easier to handle it more directly."
"But we don't know what to do either!" Eijirou blurted, unable to help himself. "I mean, I kinda get what you're saying about the Pros, but if even they don't know where to start, then what could we do?"
Anjou didn't respond right away, her mouth thinning and eyebrows furrowing as she looked away. "I... have some leads," she admitted reluctantly, and all three of them went frozen and slack-jawed with shock. The look on her face made it clear she didn't want to admit it, and it seemed like she had to force herself to speak as she continued, "I can't... explain what they are right now, but... there's a reason I'm willing to believe Ashido.
"And that's also why I'm so reluctant to get to the Pros," she added more seriously, turning her gaze back to them with an odd fire in her eyes. "I need to find out what's going on with Ashido's memories. This is bigger than either of you can imagine—bigger than any of us can, probably. If she goes to the Pros, chances are we'll never find out the full story, and I can't do that. So if we handle it ourselves, we can find out the truth sooner. And that means Ashido needs to leave."
Eijirou just stared in silent shock. What? This was just... insane, his brain felt like it could barely handle this. "Anjou, this—this is still insane!" Kirameki sputtered. "I don't get what's going on, but this sounds really dangerous. Mina's already probably a target, and you're saying she should run away? That's just—"
"I'll do it." The words made Kirameki falter, whirling to stare at Ashido in shock. The pink-skinned girl stared at Anjou with a serious expression, her eyes full of a fiery resolve that took Eijirou by surprise. "What do I have to do?"
"Mina?" Kirameki whispered, eyes wide.
"First we need to get rid of your phone," Anjou said, holding out her palm. "Even if the history's clean, people can get all sorts of information out of it with the right Quirks."
"What!?" Kirameki yelped. "That's just—"
"Fine." Ashido didn't hesitate, grabbing her phone from the table and holding it to Anjou with a stony expression. "Destroy it or whatever you have to do, I don't care." The lack of hesitation in her voice silenced Kirameki, and Eijirou felt his stomach flip. That look on her face reminded him of the way she'd looked when they heard that explosion on Friday, before she took off running to dive into a fight.
She was serious. She was absolutely serious. Maybe he should have realized that from the start, but seeing her hand over her phone and even give permission to just destroy it with zero hesitation finally cemented it.
"Hold on, seriously?" he whispered, feeling his mouth twitch into a nervous, borderline hysteric smile. "Ashido, this is kind of a huge decision! Shouldn't you think this through, like, a little more?"
His words seemed to make something snap, because Ashido whirled to face him with a ferocious snarl. "That's all I've been doing for the past two weeks!" she practically roared, her voice heated enough to make him cringe and recoil. "I've been sitting around doing nothing, waiting for this to wear off on its own! But it's not going to, and I have no idea where to even begin with finding out how the hell I got here, let alone how to get back, and now I'm stuck on house arrest because this world's just so screwed up!"
She stamped her foot harshly, lips curling back in displeasure. "I'm sick and tired of it all! I finally have a lead on a bunch of different people, so hell yes, I'm going to do whatever it takes to follow it! I'm a Hero, and it's time I acted like it and take charge instead of just waiting around for whatever!" She turned back to Anjou, hands clenched at her sides as fire burned in her eyes. "So whatever I need to do, tell me. I'll do it."
Anjou met her determined glower with a cool gaze of her own, nodding as she slipped Ashido's phone into her pocket. Next to them Kirameki bit her lip, looking uncomfortable and uncertain, but finally she seemed to settle on something and sighed.
"Fine, what can I do to help?" she asked, and Eijirou whirled to face her with his eyes bulging while Ashido squealed in delight.
"Wait, you're going along with this!?" he blurted, and Kirameki shot him a sour look.
"There's no point in fighting it," she grumbled. "When Mina sets her mind to something, there's no changing it, even if she's being absolutely stupid." She scowled and shook her head. "If she's going to do it anyway, I might as well try to make sure she doesn't get herself even more hurt, y'know?" She glanced at Anjou with a frown as she added, "And besides, if Anjou's treating this so seriously, it's got to be serious."
"It is," Anjou said with a nod. "Believe me, I wouldn't be suggesting this if I thought there was another way." She glanced at Eijirou now, making him stiffen. "That's three people involved. Kirishima, it's your call now. What're you going to do?"
Eijirou just stood in silence for a second, mind momentarily blank. "I... I..." He trailed off, mind still reeling, and looked down with a heavy frown. "I don't know," he whispered weakly. "This is just—it's crazy, you know?" This was all happening so fast, he could barely keep up with it. Today had started so normally, and now they were talking about Ashido just—running away?
"Kiri, you don't have to help us." Ashido's voice snapped him out of his stupor, and he looked over to find her giving him a small, reassuring smile. "I know that this is all crazy, and I get that you're not as tough as my Kiri. I already screwed up your life enough on Friday," she added with a small laugh, the sound oddly bitter. "So I won't get mad if you don't want to get involved."
Ashido looked so sad even as she smiled, and he found himself unable to look at her as his gaze quickly lowered to his feet. "I'm sorry," he said, bowing his head. "This is just—it's too much. I'm really sorry, Ashido."
Kirameki shot him a sympathetic look while Anjou hummed, nodding at his answer. "Alright then," she said. "Kirishima, if you're not going to help, you should go now." He startled at that and looked at her wide-eyed.
"What—"
"From here on out, this has nothing to do with you," Anjou cut in bluntly. She turned to face Eijirou fully now, those turquoise pupils almost unsettling in their intensity. In all the time he'd known her, she rarely looked up from her phone so to be the subject of her focus left him wanting to squirm. "You've already heard too much. After Ashido goes missing, we'll be the first people the police will question. So the less you know, the safer it'll be for everyone."
"I..." Eijirou trailed off, floundering for a response, but then he realized he didn't have one. Anjou was right. He'd made his decision and didn't want to get involved any further than he was. Sticking around to listen to them plan would just go against that.
His hands clenched at his sides and his teeth dug into his lip for a second, before he took a deep, shuddery breath. "Okay," he said quietly, and turned to Ashido with a frown. "I'm really sorry, Ashido. I still think is crazy, but I... I won't tell anyone about this. Just... be safe, okay?"
"I will, Kiri, I promise," she replied with a solemn nod, and then grinned reassuringly as she pumped a fist into the air. "Plus Ultra!"
The enthusiasm startled him, and he blinked in surprise before nodding. "R-right... Plus Ultra, I guess. Well, uh... bye." He gave a small bow before hurrying out, and when he closed the door he just stood in the hall for a moment as he tried to just... process it.
Ashido was leaving now. There really was no doubt left. This was actually happening, and it was all so fast. For the second time in five days, his world had been thrown on its axis.
He gnawed on his lip as he began the walk to his own apartment, mind still racing with everything he'd just heard. Did he believe everything Ashido said? Honestly, he wasn't sure. It would explain a lot of her behavior, and Anjou had made some good points too, but... it was just so crazy. That another world might exist, one where All Might never died, UA still existed, and Ashido had gone there to be a hero—no, not just Ashido, but him too.
It was a world where Eijirou was a student at UA, and that was probably the craziest claim of all.
Eijirou couldn't imagine himself as a hero. Years ago he'd dreamed of it of course—most kids did—but he never thought he really had what it took to, you know, be one. He was shy and nervous all the time, his Quirk didn't do much but harden his skin—hell, the first time he ever used it he cut himself enough to leave a scar. He'd been scared of his own Quirk for years, what kind of hero was that?
No, Ashido was much more easy to imagine in the halls of UA. Her energetic personality and bright smile were just what people would need, and beyond that she had a great Quirk and—and so much more courage than Eijirou ever had. She hadn't hesitated to rush to that villain fight and do everything she could to save that man. He still couldn't say why he'd followed her back then, but he'd only been able to do what she said. She was the type to dive into danger headfirst to save others, just like everyone at UA—
And then suddenly it hit him and he froze midway to his apartment, the breath rushing out of his lungs as his mind came to a stop.
Plus Ultra.
Eijirou didn't realize he'd turned around until he was outside Ashido's door again. He practically pounded on it before turning the doorknob, all but shoving it open and stumbling inside. Ashido, Kirameki and Anjou had apparently started to head to her bedroom after he left, the trio twisting to look at him a few feet from the door.
"Kiri?" Ashido asked with a frown, immediately darting over to his side. "What's wrong? Is everything okay?"
Eijirou couldn't respond right away, leaning forward with his hands on his knees and panting from the exertion of running all the way back to her apartment. Her eyes were filled with unmasked concern as she looked at his exhausted state. Something about that look made his stomach twist uncomfortably, and he swallowed thickly as he tried to ignore the feeling.
"Kirishima, you should really go back to your own apartment," Anjou drawled. "We need to start planning."
He took a final gulp of air, hands clenching atop his knees as he straightened up. "You said Plus Ultra to me," he said, looking Ashido right in the eye, and she paused.
"Uh, yeah?" she said, sounding confused, and he couldn't blame her.
"That's—that's UA's motto, isn't it?"
"Of course it is!" She bobbed her head more vigorously now. "Why else would I say it to you? It's part of my promise to be safe and come back in one piece!"
Eijirou's heart felt like it skipped a beat. "I—I'm really a student there too?" he asked breathlessly, and she paused, her confusion quickly fading and replaced by a bright, beaming smile.
"Of course you are!" she cheered, throwing up her arms with a bright grin. "You're Red Riot, the manliest hero ever!"
Red Riot.
The name echoed in Eijirou's brain as the world seemed to freeze one last time. Suddenly he was a kid again, gazing with awe at a video of Crimson Riot whose Quirk had been so similar to his own, even if it only affected his hair. That same day he'd run downstairs to where his mom had been cooking lunch, a beaming smile on his face as he waved around a drawing of himself as a hero.
Hearing that name from Ashido's lips made something click and Eijirou found himself swallowing, his back straighter than before.
"Ashido, I want to come too," he declared, and her face went slack with shock.
"Woah, what?" Kirameki yelped, eyes practically bulging. "You mean, like—"
"I want to run away with you too," he said, surprising even himself as he said it.
"Really?" Ashido asked, and her face started to light up before abruptly freezing and shifting to a frown. "But, wait—Kiri, this is really dangerous. If you come too, you'll be putting yourself in mega-danger, big time."
"She's right," Anjou interjected, her tone lazy but her gaze critical and harsh as she gazed at Eijirou. "You said it yourself, running away is a big decision. This doesn't even concern you."
"Yeah!" Ashido bobbed her head. "I already screwed up your life enough by getting you caught up in that villain fight. There's no reason for you to get involved in this any more when you have nothing to do with it—"
"When I was in elementary school, I found out about a Pro Hero named Crimson Riot." The words tumbled out of his mouth almost thoughtlessly, and Ashido clamped her mouth shut with a surprised look as he continued. "Up until then I kinda hated my Quirk. It hurt me the first time I used it so it scared me, but he had a similar one and that made it better. That's when I first really started wanting to be a hero, and when I first thought of the name Red Riot."
His fists clenched at his side, gazing directly into Ashido's eyes as he continued, "But then the UA Massacre happened."
He could see the look of shock on Ashido's face and how Kirameki winced behind her, the brief flicker of horror at the reminder that the event happened. "You don't remember it, but a bunch of kids from our town were there and—and died." He had to force the word out, feeling a bitter taste on his tongue as he did, and saw Ashido wince and her eyes widen. "The days after that were just—awful. I'll never forget it, seeing all those families just crying and torn apart."
Even now he vividly remembered the victims' families being interviewed on the news. People he knew, like Old Mrs. Tomono who lived on their street and always gave him cookies. Or the Masuda family, who owned the small corner shop where he would always get ice cream in the summer. He remembered watching Mrs. Tomono turn into a shell of her former self after losing her grandson, never baking again. The Masuda family had been even worse after the loss of their only child—Eijirou would never forget the double funeral.
Just thinking about it made him want to tear up, his lips pulling back in something close to a grimace as he tried to control his emotions. "When I saw how they reacted, I knew I couldn't let my parents ever go through that," he said. "So I gave up on ever becoming a hero, and never talked about being Red Riot again."
"Kiri..." The name was barely a whisper, Ashido's eyes wide as she stared at him. He could see horror there, concern and sadness and—pity. The last one made Eijirou gulp, the unpleasant feeling in his chest almost unbearable. He'd seen that look all too often over the years, and he hated it.
"But before that," he continued, voice rough, "back when we were still kids. All the other kids at school started making fun of kids who came up with names that were too close to actual Pro Heroes. They'd call those kids fanboys and fangirls, and it was just so—so mean." It felt almost ridiculous saying it now, but he'd been a shy and timid boy, and to be mocked for any reason at all... "So I kept the name Red Riot to myself." He took a deep breath, meeting her surprised gaze squarely. "Not even my parents know about that name."
He could see the understanding register in her eyes, her jaw dropping as she processed just what that meant. For the moment Eijirou turned away, focusing instead on Anjou who looked at him with an almost critical look. "You said I'm not involved, but this other world has me using a name I never told anyone," he declared. "I don't know if Ashido's actually from another world or what, but I want to know why she knows that name."
His voice was steadier than he expected, full of more resolve than he actually felt. He couldn't believe he was actually saying this, but more than that—he couldn't believe he actually meant it. He wanted to know how Ashido got that name, he wanted to find out what was going on with her. Find out if she really was from another world, or if some villain somehow got his secret childhood hero name and inserted it into her memories. More importantly—
He wanted to learn more about the Kirishima Eijirou that Ashido so clearly remembered and admired—and maybe learn how to be that guy.
"I'm going too," he announced, his voice more solid than before, and Anjou cocked her head, considering him for a moment before nodding.
"Fine, if you're sure. There's no going back though."
"I know," he said, and he meant it. He was tired of being a wimp and scared all the time, it was time for him to do something.
Notes:
Surprise! We get two chapters this week! I don't have any particular reason for the extra update. But I do know that right now, there's a lot of really scary stuff going on in the world, especially here in the US. So I figured maybe some of you might need an extra bit of escapism right now.
Today's chapter has undergone a few rewrites because it is so tricky to figure out how to keep Anjou from revealing too much. Not just from a reader's standpoint, but because she KNOWS that they'll all be questioned by the police after Ashido leaves and she doesn't want Kirishima or Kumiko to have potentially sensitive information. But the end goal's always been the same: Kirishima is leaving with Ashido. I'm excited to finally reach this point, and give a glimpse on just WHY he's so different from canon Kirishima. This is probably the first time I've really touched on the UA Massacre and its aftermath.
Question for next time: none this time. Today's chapter has given you guys plenty of new material for speculation.
Chapter 39: A Busy Morning
Notes:
Before today's chapter, two things: The first is by snowyh2o, who drew the picture of Izuku, Inko and Hisashi from his 8th birthday. I honestly could not have come up with a better design for Hisashi myself. THEN, ariapmdeol doodled Aiko based on the reference I did of her! The colors are so amazing, and she looks so beautiful in it! You can find all the fan art on my Tumblr, I added a link just for the fan art tag.
Thank you all so much for your continued support! Today's chapter is a little longer than usual, so enjoy~
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 39
.::A Busy Morning::.
"All clear over here."
"Nothing here either. Guess everyone's inside." Denki murmured under his breath as he peered out of the alleyway at the empty street, his heart pounding. As he surveyed it Jirou's voice crackled quietly over his earpiece, static tinging her words.
"Let's group up then," she muttered.
"Sounds good to me," he agreed with no small amount of relief, and pulled back into the alleyway to head to the meeting spot. This marked their first patrol since he'd gotten hurt on Sunday, and somehow Jirou had convinced him to split up to check out some of the streets. She had spent a good chunk of yesterday researching areas with high crime rates and a low amount of patrols so they could make a big splash.
Denki got the logic of it, and they weren't too far away from each other—only a couple blocks—but it was still nerve-wracking to be alone. He already felt anxious walking around in his vigilante costume in broad daylight, but he knew it had to be done. They had decided to focus all their efforts on spreading the 1-A Vigilantes' name, and that meant they'd have to take some more risks.
They had already taken another major step. Last night Denki had emailed the school to ask about switching to online classes, claiming he'd gotten spooked after having to be saved by the 1-A Vigilantes. Using their vigilante counterparts as part of their excuse had to be one of the craziest ideas ever, and he still couldn't believe they'd actually gone through with it. Having him connected to his vigilante identity in any way filled him with a rush of adrenaline and dread.
To be fair, they'd taken steps to create evidence for this story, by staging an actual rescue. It had been a surprisingly elaborate ruse: Denki went to the corner store to grab dinner, where a thug tried to mug him after leaving. Before the man could do anything, the 1-A Vigilantes showed up to save the day and spook him enough to run off without a fight—all conveniently in the view of a security camera and the store's cashier.
What no one viewing the footage would know was that Hatsume had donned one of the costumes, and that the "thug" had been a man she somehow recruited to pretend to mug him. Thanks to that, there was now footage and at least one witness identifying Denki as separate from the 1-A Vigilantes—and this alibi was now on record with the police, who the cashier had immediately called. That interview was the most nerve-wracking hour of Denki's life. Good thing the "mugging" gave him an excuse to be nervous.
All in all, the whole plan really impressed Denki... except for the part that Hatsume had been wearing Jirou's costume, and Jirou had been wearing his. To be fair they'd tried to get Hatsume in his costume, but they just couldn't get her chest flat enough to pass as him. So, yeah, he felt kinda weird dressed in his costume knowing Jirou had been wearing it not even twenty-four hours ago. Granted, he'd also feel weird if Hatsume had managed to wear it too, but...
Know what? It was just weird, and he really needed to stop thinking about that.
Fortunately he didn't need to think about it long because he'd reached the meeting spot by this point, a spot where two different alleys intersected. Unfortunately, Jirou hadn't arrived yet, meaning he was still alone. He sighed quietly as he leaned against the wall near a dumpster, trying to keep out of sight in case anyone happened to walk through the alley.
While he waited for Jirou he pulled out the home-made camera Hatsume had made, to make sure the photos couldn't be traced through metadata, or... something. A lot of it went over his head, but it sounded like even with FacePage's security people could still find stuff like camera models from photos? Again, there was a lot of technobabble that flew over his head, so he decided to just take her word for it.
They'd used it to do a mini photo shoot yesterday before carrying out the fake mugging plan so they could set up the FacePage profile later. Unfortunately it needed some special cable to upload it to a laptop though, and Hatsume's only one had broken. She'd buy another today after school, but in the meantime she gave him the camera to get some actual action shots.
For now he opened the gallery and scrolled through the photos they'd taken. One had them posing around a giant crate, Jirou sitting on top of it and Denki leaning against it while they flashed victory signs at the camera. Another had them standing in front of a dark gray sheet draped over the crate as a backdrop, holding homemade signs with Jirou's saying "1-A" and Denki's saying "Vigilantes."
However, by far the coolest one was a pseudo-action shot with them standing back to back. Jirou had a slight hunch to her posture as she started to bend down, one foot slid forward and her hands reaching for the ground. Denki stood a bit straighter, and had his hand pointed forward with the index finger like a gun.
His eyes lit up as he looked at it, the coolness hitting him all at once. The shot felt like something from an action movie, they just looked so awesome! He'd wanted to use it as their profile pic, but Jirou had vetoed it since it didn't show their masks or the 1-A that well, which was their whole branding. It was a bummer, but he couldn't argue there. At the very least, he resolved to post this one first.
"Still thinking about the profile pic?" He jumped when Jirou spoke up, and turned to find she'd arrived while he'd been admiring the picture. "Did I seriously surprise you just now? You can't be distracted that easily while we're separated."
"I know," he groaned, shoulders slumping as he exited out of the gallery and pocketed the camera. "Sorry, Stereo Foot."
"Don't ever call me that ever again," Jirou deadpanned, thoroughly unimpressed by the nickname, and he just nodded as they began walking out of the alley. "It's still pretty early so I don't expect many muggers and petty crooks to be running around yet. There's a couple stores near here that got a lot of hits the past few months though, so we should scope those out."
"How do you even know that?" he asked in awe.
"There's a phone app for crime patterns," she replied with a shrug. "People post there if there's been an attack on a location or area, and it tracks how many reports are made and if the police did anything."
"Kinda sad people have to use those," Denki muttered glumly. He already knew this world really sucked, but for there to even be an app for it?
"Actually, we have it back home, too," Jirou commented, startling him. "The class rep showed me after the internships, it actually started as a local thing in Tokyo years ago and started spreading more to other areas. After everything that happened in Hosu this year though, it blew up big time. I figured with everything wrong here it probably blew up way before that, and I was right. The app's way more detailed here."
"Huh," Denki said. "Okay, now it's less depressing and kinda neat instead. You know, maybe I should look up some of the apps I like and see if they're different."
"You can think about that later after patrol ends," Jirou replied, holding up a hand to signal for silence as they neared the mouth of a different alley. She bent down and pressed a hand to the floor to plug in an earphone jack, and soon withdrew it and stood up. "Street up ahead is mostly clear, just a couple pedestrians. Nothing shady as far as I can tell. Want to go out, or stick to alleys?"
Denki hesitated. He still didn't like the thought of going around in costume in broad daylight—that was just asking for Pro Heroes to look for them—but he had to admit it would get them attention faster. "Let's go," he said, and Jirou nodded before taking the lead.
Like she'd said, the street wasn't that busy, just a couple random people walking around. Once someone noticed them though they made a sound of surprise, more people quickly looking their way. Denki's nerves stood on edge from all the staring, and he felt so relieved the mask and visor hid his expression. It took a lot of self control to not walk closer to Jirou.
One woman in an apron paused sweeping the entrance of a small store and leaned against her broom as she looked at them. "Hey, aren't you those vigilantes?" she asked.
"Yeah, we are," Jirou replied with a nod. Her voice sounded a bit different now, using the modifier Hatsume had just completed on Monday. It didn't completely disguise their voices, just lowered the pitch a bit and still had some minor static, but they'd agreed it worked well enough to hide their identities if they met anyone who did know them. Denki quickly tapped his earpiece to activate his own while the people around them started murmuring.
"So what, are you guys going to be patrolling around here then?" the woman asked. "Maybe that'll actually help out."
"Did something happen?" Denki asked, and she shrugged.
"Just the usual muggings and purse snatchers, but there's been a couple more than usual lately. People are getting bolder, probably want to get money before it gets too cold. Maybe seeing someone patrolling around here will make them think twice, even if you guys are just vigilantes."
The way she added the last bit felt a bit grating to Denki for some reason, like she didn't actually think they were, you know, competent. Given their track record so far, he felt like they'd proven themselves to be pretty good. "We'll definitely check out this area more then," Jirou promised, and he got the sense from how she spoke that she'd picked up on it too.
"Don't worry, we'll be right on top of it!" he agreed, flashing a thumbs up. "If any bad guys try to attack us, we'll take them down, no sweat!"
"...Sure," she said flatly. Yeah, she definitely didn't believe in them. He scowled at her but didn't bother responding, instead following Jirou as they continued down the street. From the corner of his eye he saw someone use their phone to snap a photo, but his nerves at being in such a public place had vanished, replaced by annoyance at that woman's dismissive attitude.
Hopefully they'd get some good action today and prove that lady wrong.
Ochako felt just a little frustrated. Twenty-four hours later Ashido had yet to respond to her friend request, or maybe even see it. Her online status was hidden so Ochako had no way of knowing if she'd even logged on since sending it. It frustrated her because they couldn't make any more moves until Ashido did something.
Their plan was that after Ashido accepted the friend request, Ochako would send a very cryptic question only people from Class 1-A would be able to answer. Once they got confirmation that she WAS from their world, they'd tell her to make another account to continue all contact. They had no idea if Ashido's account might be compromised in any way like Ochako's had been, so it would be the safest way to guarantee no one else saw them.
Except they couldn't do that, because Ashido was not checking her messages!
She let out a strangled sound of frustration as she glared at Deku's laptop, sprawled atop his bed with the device open in front of her. Aiko had gotten her a burner phone with internet access, but she wanted to be able to have a laptop to initiate the conversation as fast as possible once Ashido finally responded. They had a lot to go over, and it'd be easier with a full laptop keyboard than the tiny touch screen on the phone.
Obviously that wasn't going to happen right this second though. A chime sounded indicating a new message, and Ochako quickly switched to the tab with the open conversation with Deku. Last night he'd updated her on the Aizawa situation, and she'd helped him hash out a rough plan to convince Shigaraki to redo Aizawa's restraints. They didn't expect to free him, but they both agreed it'd be easier on everyone if Aizawa-sensei had his hands bound in front of himself instead of behind his back, if only so he could actually feed himself.
Deku's newest message was to let her know that Shigaraki had told him over breakfast he'd complied to the request... though not without some consequences. 'He said Eraserhead struggled so he might have some bruises,' Deku wrote. 'I'm kinda scared to visit him and see what happened.'
Ochako grimaced sympathetically. Based on how harsh Shigaraki had already been with Aizawa, she doubted it would look pretty if he felt a need to actually warn Deku. She bit her lip as she typed her response. 'Well at least he probably didn't break any more bones?' The second she pressed send she regretted it, cringing and ducking her head shamefully. 'Sorry, not helpful.'
It took several seconds for Deku to reply. 'I guess you're right about that at least. He only mentioned bruises, so he probably didn't break anything else.' Even over text the response felt dismal, making Ochako sag in her seat miserably. The fact Aizawa's leg had been broken still made her stomach churn with horror and anxiety. Rescuing him would be much harder if he couldn't walk on his own, and they couldn't exactly wait for it to start healing naturally.
She frowned and lightly slapped her cheeks, nodding to herself as she began typing again. 'Anyways no reply from Ashido, dunno what's up with that. But I got the new burner phone all set up so that's good!' A few dots appeared to signal Deku was typing something for a few seconds, but then it vanished as he seemed to think before appearing again.
'It is. Text me so I can get the number!'
'On it!' Ochako pulled out the phone to quickly shoot a text to his number, which Aiko had registered before giving it to her. That left her with a total of two contacts: Deku, and Aiko herself. Ochako still felt oddly warm that Aiko had gone out of her way to get her a phone beyond her spare. For a burner phone, it was surprisingly nice. It wasn't quite a smart phone, even if it had internet, but it was still fancier than anything she would have bought for herself.
After sending the quick 'hi' she returned her attention to the laptop where Deku was typing. 'Okay, I got it. We probably shouldn't text or call too much though and stick to FacePage. I don't really seem to have any contacts outside the Alliance or Aiko, so they'd probably want to know who I'm talking to.'
'I'll only use the phone if it's an absolute emergency!' Ochako promised, nodding to herself as she sent it. The only reason she hadn't texted him right after getting it was because she didn't want to accidentally text him while he was alone with Shigaraki or something. While originally she'd been fully willing to join the Alliance if necessary, Deku had made it perfectly clear how problematic that could be. She really didn't want a bomb around her ankle.
The thought made her frown. 'Any new ideas on the anklets?'
A full ten seconds passed before he responded. 'No. Shinsou's had it the longest so he's spent a lot of time studying it, but he says he can't even find a key hole. Kacchan said they just snapped it around his ankle when they put it on, so we're not sure how to unlock it.'
'Maybe it has some kind of electronic key thing? Like, you have to hold a key fob next to it, or press a button on a remote? They have little lights, don't they?'
'Yeah, they do. You might be right. I hope so at least, because the only other idea I have is that they're not SUPPOSED to be unlocked and need a Quirk to remove it.'
She frowned. 'That sounds like a really specific Quirk. I guess maybe someone might have something for general lock-picking?'
There was a pause before Deku typed his response. '...Actually, I was thinking more Tomura would just disintegrate it.' She winced and sucked in a breath. Yeah, that sounded pretty plausible.
'Yikes. I wish I could help more. Maybe you could ask Seiko? She was the one who told you about it, right?'
'Nope. I am NOT asking Seiko.' There wasn't even a pause before the response, and she had to snort as she imagined him shaking his head.
'Is she really that bad?'
'WORSE. I'm kinda surprised I haven't had any nightmares about her. She hasn't done anything specific, but there's just something... OFF about her. I don't know how to describe it, but even touching her feels weird.' Ochako hummed thoughtfully as she considered the message. She hadn't met Seiko yet, but Deku had told her a bit about her. Seiko sounded creepy and kinda off-putting with how she'd randomly appear, but she wasn't sure it was as bad as Deku made it sound. She was still a kid, right? How bad could she be?
Well, it didn't matter right now. 'Okay I guess, I'll take your word for it. But you don't think she would be willing to help?'
'I honestly have no idea, I think maybe she'd tell me if I asked? But I don't want to tell her too much. I don't know how much she knows about the escape plan already, and I don't know how much she'd tell the others once she figures it out.' Ah, that was a good point, and Ochako felt sheepish for not figuring that out herself.
'Okay, fair. Well either way, don't give up hope and just keeping looking! We can figure this out Deku! Plus Ultra!' She sent it with a couple fist-pump emojis at the end, hoping to get across her encouraging tone.
Thankfully it worked, because after a few seconds he responded, 'Yeah, Plus Ultra!' She grinned as he sent a single fist-pump emoji after it, and silently pumped her own fist into the air while he resumed typing. 'I should go fill in Shinsou and Kacchan on this before I visit Eraserhead, see if they have any ideas. I'll talk to you later.'
'Bye Deku! Text or message me anytime!' His profile went offline, and she closed the laptop with a quiet sigh. After a few seconds' thought she decided to get up and go over to the neighboring apartment where Aiko stayed. She'd slept on the couch there, feeling too weird to sleep in Deku's room or even in the same apartment as him, so all her stuff was in there. Her phone would chime whenever Ashido finally did something about her friend request, so she figured she should try to do something productive while waiting.
She knocked on the door before entering, but when she didn't get a response she frowned and tried the handle. It was unlocked, so she hesitantly pushed it open to peek inside. "Aiko-san?" she called tentatively.
"In the bedroom!" the woman called, voice muffled by the walls. "Come on in!" Ochako scurried inside at the invitation, heading to the open bedroom door to look inside curiously. Aiko was standing in front of the bed in a pajama tank and boxer shorts, several outfits laid across the mattress and hands on her hips as she stared at them.
"What are you doing?" Ochako asked curiously.
"Trying to pick an outfit. A friend called me in for a favor and I can't look like me."
"A favor?" She felt a small prickle of dread. They still didn't know exactly what kind of work Aiko did, and the fact that this favor needed a disguise made her mind instantly go to the worst-case scenarios.
Maybe Aiko picked up on her apprehension, because she turned to Ochako with a reassuring smile. "Oh, it's nothing bad. He just needs me to play a little distraction. Honestly, I don't even know what they're planning," she added as she turned back to the clothes. "I know it's nothing illegal at least, they're not really that kind of people, but it's not really my business I guess."
After hearing that, Ochako couldn't resist asking. "Would you refuse if it was illegal?"
"Maybe? Sometimes the law is stupid." Aiko shrugged, and then clapped her hands. "Okay, screw it. Uraraka!" Ochako startled as Aiko addressed her, whirling to face her with a sharp grin. "Boy or girl?"
"Uh—boy?" She blinked, surprised and confused by the question.
"Name a color!"
"Green."
"Light or dark?"
"Light?"
"Name another color!"
"Purple?" Aiko nodded, an almost wolfish grin on her face as she turned back to the clothes.
"Great, thanks Uraraka." Ochako frowned, still puzzled by the random string of questions until she saw the woman lift up a faded purple sweater and dark slacks. She nodded to herself as she went to her drawers to rifle through them, pulling out a white tank top. "I'm going to get changed and head out. I'll be back in a few hours. Will you be okay here by yourself?"
"Oh, yeah, of course!" Ochako quickly nodded, and then a thought occurred to her. "Oh, would it be okay if I left for a while though?"
Aiko hummed, glancing at her over her shoulder. "Got somewhere in mind?" she asked, and Ochako shrugged.
"Not really, I just kinda want to check out the area around here." More specifically, she wanted to look for potential hiding places to use after Deku and the others escaped. They'd done some light research on the area where Aiko lived, finding it to be surprisingly close to the warehouse where he'd been training. They figured Kurogiri sent him to this area so that he could go to Aiko's apartment if he felt like it.
"Fine by me. Just remember to use that exit I showed you and try not to be seen coming and going. Not many people come around here, but better safe than sorry."
"Will do!" Ochako promised, and left to give Aiko privacy to change. Once in the living room her eyes settled on her backpack, and she nodded to herself in determination as she strolled over to unzip it. She rifled through it before retrieving a folded piece of paper, unfolding it to reveal Dabi's number.
Pulling out the phone, she plugged the number in and hesitated before sending a text. 'Hi Dabi, it's Floaty. Just wanted you to know I'm safe & I found my friend. Thanks for your help!'
She was surprised when less than a minute later he responded. 'Did you get roped into any trouble?' Her mouth quirked into a small smile, recognizing the underlying question about whether she'd joined up with the Alliance.
'Almost, but I'm good. Staying with his sister now!'
There was a longer pause before the next response. 'Listen to her and stay away from the Alliance. Also stay away from anything chemistry related. You're still playing a dangerous game kid.'
'I'll be careful, don't worry! Anyways gotta go, just wanted to let you know I'm okay!' Ochako grinned as she added a thumbs-up emoji before hitting send, and then pocketed her phone as she headed to the stairs. She briefly pondered the part about chemistry, but she didn't dwell on it long. Time to start scoping the area!
Izuku felt no small amount of dread as he approached Aizawa's cell, arms loaded with books and a simple breakfast. After his conversation with Shigaraki that morning he had no idea what to expect, and he had to brace himself before knocking and pushing it open. Aizawa raised his head with a dark glower when the door opened, his expression only softening minutely when he recognized it was him and not one of the others.
Just as Shigaraki promised, they had indeed changed his bindings and restrained his hands in front of him. Aizawa still didn't have any hope of getting out of them himself, as they'd used thick leather cuffs connected by a single link. They even put on mittens to restrict his fingers. Izuku was still endlessly grateful though, because now the man could at least feed himself more easily, and even use the bathroom without the help of other villains.
From what Shigaraki said Aizawa had put up a fight though, and it definitely showed in the heavy bruising on his neck. Izuku winced upon seeing the dark marks and swallowed harshly, quickly averting his gaze. "Um, I got breakfast," he stammered nervously, carrying the plate over to his not-teacher and setting it on the floor nearby before pushing it closer. It had been one of Shigaraki's conditions for redoing the bindings, that Izuku couldn't go within touching range of the hero.
Aizawa just grunted, reaching to take the plate even if the mittens made him fumble a bit. At least he looks more comfortable now, Izuku thought dismally as he sat against the wall with his latest round of schoolwork. This time his assignments included stuff they'd already covered in his own world, so it was mostly review. Remembering the classes made his chest ache though, his hands clenching around the paper.
Thinking of UA made him feel miserable. He and Uraraka still had no idea where to even begin with trying to get home. If the Quirk that had sent them here had a time limit, it should have ended by now. Quirks with such a drastic effect didn't usually last so long, so to still be here... Most likely, it was a single-use effect that just sent them to another dimension, like Kurogiri's Warp Gate. So even after getting out, he had no idea anymore what they'd do next.
"Kid, are you okay?"
He startled when Aizawa spoke, snapping his head up to see the man watching him closely, eyebrows pinched in contemplation and faint concern. Beneath it Izuku could still see wariness though, a deep-rooted suspicion that kept him from fully emphasizing with Izuku. As far as he knew they were still enemies after all, and the thought just made him feel that much worse.
Izuku took a shuddery breath, reaching up to rub his eyes. They were surprisingly dry, honestly catching him off-guard since even he knew he cried at the drop of a hat, but he ignored that and shook his head. "S-sorry," he said shakily. "Just... thinking, I guess." Please don't ask anymore, he silently pleaded, and hoped his tone conveyed it.
His not-teacher frowned, pressing his lips together as he seemed to consider his response. "What are those papers?" he finally asked.
"Huh?" Izuku blinked, caught off-guard by the question, before his eyes trailed to the papers he still clutched tightly. "Oh, uh, it's homework."
"Homework?" Aizawa echoed curiously. "Do you go to school?"
"Not... technically," Izuku replied hesitantly, and sighed. "Kurogiri says it's important to be educated though, so he gets on everyone's cases to do homework. I think he actually goes out and steals lesson plans from schools." He laughed weakly at that, a little weirded out by the thought of the warp Villain breaking into schools to steal copies of lesson plans.
(Apparently this world's Izuku had decided that to be a very real possibility, and had dedicated a few pages in his journals to joint investigations with Toga of all people. On that note, Toga apparently didn't have to do homework despite being the same age. Neither did Mustard, as far as he could tell. Izuku still did not understand why and really wanted to call discrimination.)
"If that's true, that's definitely one of the weirder thefts I've heard of," Aizawa commented, raising his eyebrows. "Can I see it?"
"Huh? Oh, uh, sure, I guess." Izuku picked up the papers and slid them over to the man, watching as he briefly struggled to pick them up with the mittens before finally giving up and just turning it to face himself. He skimmed over it closely, a thoughtful hum rumbling deep in his throat.
"This is definitely professionally made, I'll give you that much. Probably pulled from an official exercise book for educators." His comment caught Izuku by surprise, and he glanced up at the teen with a perfectly deadpan expression. "I used to be a teacher."
"R-right." Izuku nodded slowly, his heart pounding. For a second he thought of his own Aizawa-sensei again, and he bit his lip as he tried to quash the growing sense of emptiness in his chest—
He forced his attention back to the worksheets he still had, stubbornly banishing all other thoughts. "Honestly, I kinda already know this stuff," he admitted quietly. "The worksheet doesn't really feel... Necessary, you know?"
"Then why not ask for something more challenging?" Aizawa asked, sounding genuinely curious, and Izuku paused.
"Because I like the extra free time more."
Aizawa huffed a small snort, and only because of his experience with the man did Izuku recognize the sound as amused. He let a small, sheepish smile of his own make itself known, feeling a little bit lighter.
He still hated this situation, but it might be bearable.
Hizashi had to suppress a sigh as he listened to the managers and producers prattle on about numbers and ratings, his boredom reaching peak levels. One of the few downsides to his radio gig was having to sit on all these station-wide meetings, which were usually the most boring thing in the world. Ninety percent of the time he had nothing valuable to contribute since he had little involvement with the administrative side, which was the main purpose of these meetings.
Today was no different. They were talking about the station's budget, which while important had very little to do with him and his show. The station was stable and not at risk of shutting down due to a lack of funding or income, and they didn't need to replace any equipment. The current discussion centered around getting new advertising revenue, maybe restructuring a couple of shows (not his own) to have slightly more ad time.
Seriously, he had no input to offer here. His main contributions to these meetings usually came from planning big events or his own show, which in his opinion didn't come up often enough to justify requiring his presence at every single meeting. So when his cell phone rang he was all too eager to pull it out, and actually had to fight off a grin when he saw the caller ID.
"Sorry guys, I gotta go," he said as he got up. "Duty calls and all that." The others nodded and made sounds of understanding as he headed out the door, some of the other hosts shooting him slightly envious looks. Once in the hall he answered the call and raised it to his ear, already heading to his office. "Yo, long time no talk! Rare to see you calling me up."
"Indeed it is," Sir Nighteye agreed. "I considered asking one of my sidekicks to call, but I thought I should handle this personally."
"Cool, cool. Gimme a sec to get to my office. I was in the middle of a meeting with the radio staff, and I'm guessing you don't want anyone to overhear us." Hizashi could count the number of times Sir Nighteye had called him on one hand, so it had to be big. He figured it must be about either a development about Uraraka, or maybe the Midoriya kid.
"No need. This isn't particularly sensitive, and knowing you, you'll likely want to leave immediately anyway." That made him pause, frowning in confusion.
"Oh, yeah? Then what's up?"
The next words Nighteye said would be forever engraved into Hizashi's memories, his world shattering with hope and despair all at once.
"We've found evidence that Eraserhead is alive."
Notes:
Today's chapter trivia: the scene with Izuku and Aizawa originally took place in Chapter 41, but the whole chapter felt clunky and more like filler. I only REALLY needed this one scene from it, so I just edited it down and basically cut the rest. As such, the draft is now at 47 chapters instead of 48! Woo!
Next chapter is going to be FUN. (Also, current drawing goal: Draw Anjou and Kas/Oracle before the next chapter.)
Question for next time: Which kids from 1-B do you want to see more of? (I mean both in-canon or in fan fics. Personally, I'd like to see more of Komori Kinoko (the mushroom girl) and Kuroiro Shihai (the black-skinned kid). I feel like they have really fun personalities and interesting Quirks!)
Chapter 40: Paths to Hope
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 40
.::Paths to Hope::.
Six months.
It had been six months since Shouta went missing.
That number ran through Hizashi's mind on repeat as he sat in the passenger seat of the police car, heart pounding anxiously as he stared out the window. The ride to Nabu had been long and anxious, leaving him wishing he'd had a speed or teleportation Quirk instead of his Voice. He couldn't trust himself to drive in his current state, couldn't even bring himself to turn on the radio, leaving him with nothing to distract himself from his thoughts.
After six long months they'd finally gotten a lead on Shouta, and he'd never been filled with so much hope and heartbreak all at once.
The car pulled to a stop and Hizashi couldn't get out fast enough, darting past the police tape and into the empty husk of the building. Even before he went inside the smell of iron and rot reached him, his stomach churning at the overwhelming stench of death. His heartbeat picked up its pace as he covered his nose with a grimace, forcing himself to slow down as he made his way inside to avoid messing with the crime scene.
Blood splattered the walls around him, long since dried but still ominously dark, officers busy taking pictures of scattered body parts. Enough time had passed for decomposition to start to set in, and Hizashi almost retched as he saw organs scattered in dried pools of blood. Whatever happened here had been brutal, a one-sided massacre with no mercy. The only saving grace was that the winter chill slowed down the decomposition process so the stench wasn't overwhelming; if it had been the height of summer...
He grimaced and forcefully pushed the thought aside, pausing to talk to a couple of passing officers. They pointed him to the stairs and he thanked them before hurrying off, willing himself to ignore the bloodshed around him. Soon enough he was walking down a cold, dark hall, the broken windows giving the bare walls and tile floor an especially creepy vibe. Sir Nighteye stood near the center of the corridor beside an empty doorway, bright fluorescent lights shining from within.
The green-haired Pro nodded at Hizashi as he approached, face stoic as usual. "Present Mic, you made good time."
"I couldn't exactly sit around after getting that call," Hizashi grumbled as he stopped next to him. He frowned as his eyes flitted to the doorway. "Is that...?"
"That's where he was held," Sir Nighteye confirmed with a nod, and Hizashi's frown deepened. He took a breath and steeled his nerves before taking the final step forward so he could look inside.
The room in the doorway was bare. Concrete floors and walls, only a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling and no furniture besides standing lights brought in by police. The lights clearly illuminated metal chains attached to one wall—the length trailing to the ground and broken—and dark brown stains scattered around the floor. The sight made his hands clench at his sides, his breath quietly catching. He had no doubts who that blood belonged to.
Lady of the Night crouched in the center of the room, her eyes closed and her hands pressed against the floor almost delicately, but she still noticed his arrival. "He was in here for a long time," she said in lieu of greeting, not bothering to open her eyes. "I can't give an exact estimate, but Eraserhead's left a heavy emotional imprint on this room."
"That's bad, isn't it," he said, not even bothering to phrase it as a question. He knew a bit about how her psychometry worked, that she could pick up on the emotions left by people. If Shouta had left a strong impression, then he'd probably spent the majority of the past six months in this very room, being tortured and who knows what else.
Lady of the Night hummed softly, opening her eyes. Her pupils had a bright golden glow, indicating her Quirk was active as she stared at the ground. "He wasn't tortured constantly, I can say that much. There's just as much boredom mixed in with the pain. I've been sorting through the impressions for the past hour, and the tedium seems to be more common recently. They likely got bored of torturing him at some point, and decided to just keep him as a trophy."
The nonchalance of the statement made Hizashi's stomach churn, his teeth grinding. Maybe he should be relieved to know that Shouta hadn't been tortured constantly for the past six months, but that didn't remove the horror of the situation. To be completely isolated, kept in an empty room with nothing to occupy himself other than dread for when the torture might resume again—that was just as bad, if not worse.
It made his heart ache for his best friend, any relief at the news Shouta had been alive this whole time overshadowed by grief and horror.
When it came to underground heroes, there was a certain unspoken rule:
After an underground hero is missing for three months, they were considered dead—and wanting them to still be alive was selfish and cruel, because they were better off dead.
Outsiders might find that belief cold and callous, but the fact was that sometimes death was the better option. Pro Heroes got captured all the time, it was a normal risk in their profession, especially for underground heroes who tended to mix with the shadier parts of society. However, usually the villains responsible for the disappearances didn't bother keeping a captive hero around for very long. Keeping someone alive took time and resources that could be better spent on other ventures.
If someone decided to keep a Pro Hero prisoner beyond three months, then that meant they either had a very specific use for that individual, or they had a very powerful grudge. Either way, that guaranteed the hero in question a special type of hell.
Hizashi knew this. He had been told all of this the first time Shouta had been captured for an extended period of time, nine years ago now. After two weeks, one of the senior heroes at his agency and one from the agency where Shouta worked had sat him down to explain to him just how bad it could be. They wanted him to understand that even after just two weeks Shouta would almost certainly have some serious trauma, and each passing day just increased those odds.
Back then, Shouta had been missing for a little under a month before they'd finally found him. His rescue had been considered a miracle by underground standards, escaping captivity with no physical scars or damage to show for it beyond general weakness from being restrained for so long. Even so, it had still taken two months for Shouta to recover mentally from the ordeal enough to stop having night terrors. It had taken another month before he finally returned to the field, and nearly a full year before he could finally feel safe in an apartment alone.
Even now Hizashi still had no idea what happened during that time his friend had been missing, but given the timing and some changes he'd noted, he had suspicions that made his stomach churn to just think about.
For that reason, he knew it was cruel to have hoped his best friend might be alive this whole time. That last time had been unique in itself, sparing his friend from physical scars even if he had emotional trauma. This time would be absolutely different though, the length of time guaranteeing that Shouta's captors either wanted him dead... or wanted him to suffer.
And now that he'd confirmed his best friend wasn't a corpse, that meant the latter.
"Where is he now?" he asked, his voice hollow as he forced himself to keep it calm. Honestly he'd love nothing more than to scream his frustration and grief to the world, but he knew this wasn't the time or place. He needed to focus, get as much information as possible.
"As far as we can tell, the Villain Alliance took him," Nighteye answered in Lady of the Night's place, drawing Hizashi's attention. The older Pro still stood in the hallway behind him, his golden eyes sharp as Hizashi turned to look at him with a sinking stomach. "We've already identified much of the violence as handiwork of the Alliance. As far as we can tell, they came to wipe out the group here." He nodded at the frame of the doorway, adding, "There used to be a door here. Shigaraki Tomura used his Quirk to disintegrate it."
"He also used it to dissolve the chains attached to the wall," Lady of the Night interjected almost lazily, and Hizashi whirled to find she'd moved next to the wall. Her eyes still had that glow as she held the broken end of the chain, her gaze distant as if in a trance. "This chain was longer and attached to a metal collar. Shigaraki dissolved it to remove Eraserhead."
The heroine closed her eyes and gave a soft sigh, her head tipping back to blindly face the ceiling. "They didn't kill him on the spot, so we can assume they don't intend to kill him anytime soon though. I can't tell why Shigaraki took him though. Eraser's emotional imprints overshadow any impressions he or the other villains might have left in this room, and they weren't thinking of him beforehand. All I know for sure is that he's probably alive."
She let the chain links slip through her fingers, clattering to the ground softly at her feet while Hizashi just watched numbly. He had no idea how to react to this news, how he should feel. Shouta was alive, but he was far from safe. They had no idea what the Villain Alliance could desire from him, why they'd go through the trouble of kidnapping him again.
Hizashi only knew one thing:
He would find Shouta, no matter how long it took.
Kas tapped his fingers along the table as he stared down at his phone, his gaze critical as he reread the messages. Saki had texted him about a tip-off to a brutal massacre in a supposedly abandoned building in Nabu, which had led to some interesting revelations about the Villain Alliance. She'd given him a steady string of updates of the investigation—all coded, of course, in case someone got their hands on their phones or the messages—listing each discovery up until her last message.
'Found traces of Eraserhead. Alive, but missing. Need to focus.'
That had been over an hour ago, and since then Saki had been silent. It made sense, Eraserhead had been missing for over half a year so getting any information she could would take priority. The number of missing heroes who'd been found alive after the three month mark could be counted on two hands, it was almost a miracle. If he was absent, then the Alliance must have taken him.
"Hah, what a bad day to be stuck on babysitting duty," he muttered to himself with a sigh. Even if his Quirk and skillset wouldn't be very helpful in this case, he'd love nothing more than to go over to the building and join her in searching the premises. At the very least they could bounce ideas off each other, try to piece together what could have gone through the Alliance's minds to steal Eraserhead.
Instead he was stuck here in Kamino though, watching over Ashido and Kirishima's apartment building. His eyes flicked out the window of the café where he'd set up camp, lazily studying their respective windows. Today had been quiet, which was par for the course so far. In this case, quiet was good because that meant there was no danger to his two charges, but that didn't make it less boring.
Yesterday had been surprisingly eventful, their friends Anjou and Kirameki showing up for an unexpected visit mid-day after school got canceled early. They'd stayed for a majority of the day, leaving just before dinner, and Kas idly wondered what they'd been doing. They still hadn't gotten a chance to interview the two thanks to Tsukauchi's own busy schedule, so he'd ask about it then.
Movement on the sidewalk caught his eye, and his gaze lazily flicked towards it to quickly assess the source. A man with curly light green hair was walking along, shoulders hunched and gaze flicking around. Kas shifted and sat a bit straighter as he watched, absently noting a distinct wariness to the man's movement. Cautious and looking if anyone is watching. Could have malicious intent, or just general nervousness or paranoia.
Coming to a stop, the man pulled out a small silver orb from the pocket of his pants and Kas instantly surged to his feet, eyes widening. Oh, shit—
The man threw the orb at the ground and smoke exploded from it, pale green gas immediately spreading from it. Cries of alarm sounded from other people sitting near the windows, but Kas ignored it as he raced down to the first floor of the café, mind already whirling as he darted to the front door while slipping into Oracle-mode.
If I open it and run outside, what will happen?
Flashes of himself gasping and coughing assaulted his brain, startled gasps echoing in the distance. Oracle stopped next to the door and reached into the pocket of his coat to pull out a black facemask with two thin, disk-shaped valves near the mouth. He pulled it over his face and reached for the handle, looking over his shoulder at the people behind him.
"Everyone get upstairs, NOW!" he ordered, his tone leaving no room for questions. To their credit everyone evacuated immediately, either because they realized he was a probable hero or because the mask made them think the opposite. The reason didn't matter, and this time when he grabbed the handle he didn't see any flashes of himself gasping for air.
He ran out into the street and straight to the ever-growing cloud of green. Visibility was low but he could hear some of the pedestrians coughing and hacking, and he quickly weighed his options. What if I try to rescue them?
To his right was a man with some sort of mammalian mutation, doubled over and hacking violently. Upon approaching him, Kas saw the man's still-hazy form startle and his tail swing out at his legs blindly on reflex. The tail had some sort of barbs on the end, and the feeling of them piercing the material of his pants and digging into his legs was accompanied by a faint burning sensation.
That would only happen if Oracle went right though.
Going left, Kas would find a coughing woman pulling a gas mask from her purse. "Well that's convenient," he remarked as he approached, startling as she whirled to face him. "Any reason you have a mask?" The woman hacked for a few seconds as she secured the mask to her face.
"I should be asking you!" she managed, and began turning knobs so it would begin filtering out any gas currently trapped inside.
"I'm a Pro Hero who grew up with a poison-loving sister," Kas retorted casually as he watched her gasp for breath. "What's your excuse?" She shot him a glare, clearly unimpressed by the answer but responding nonetheless.
"My nephew has a gas-based Quirk he's still learning to control. I always keep the mask in my purse in case he has any slip-ups."
A reasonable explanation, and that vitrol in her tone wasn't fake. So going after her was pointless. If Kas ran further in the specific direction she'd head, he'd find one more person, who the woman would inevitably reach and be able to guide to safety. But what if I go to the other voice in that direction?
This time Kas would find a coughing woman being supported by a young man who had absolutely no reaction to the gas. Upon getting closer the man would look at him in alarm. "I'm a Pro Hero," Kas introduced, and the man nodded.
"I'm fine. I have a Quirk that lets me filter the air and most gases without getting harmed, so I'll get her out of the gas! But listen—this gas is harmless!"
"Oh?" Kas hummed in interest. "And how do you know that?"
"I'm a chemist at Detnerat! I work specifically with gas-based Quirks, so I've become really sensitive to the effects and can usually guess what kinds different gases can have when breathing it. I'm not feeling anything wrong with my body right now beyond the usual smoke inhalation. Either the effect's incredibly delayed or it's harmless, and my gut's saying the second one!"
And with that, Oracle could stop worrying about the rest of the pedestrians. The man could be wrong about the effects, and smoke inhalation was still bad, but if it posed no immediate harm, then for now he decided to focus on the culprit. Less than a minute had passed since seeing the culprit throw down the smoke bomb, meaning he was almost certainly still in the area. So Kas changed mental gears to search for the culprit, resolved to ignore the coughing around him.
If I go straight? He'd avoid any pedestrians and smack into a wall. If he veered a little to the side in either direction, more wall. Going left past the coughing mammalian man, he'd find another pedestrian, and beyond them the edge of the cloud. Opposite direction—screw it.
He scoffed, deciding to stop with his Quirk for now and retreat. The gas obscured his vision too much, and he'd have better luck from a different vantage point where he could see clearly even if his Quirk wouldn't be as effective. He'd gotten a pretty good visual of the culprit—light green hair, purple shirt—so it would be easier to look from above.
A total of three seconds had elapsed since entering the gas before Oracle emerged, running straight to the alley between the café and the neighboring building. He grabbed the edge of a dumpster to flip himself on top of it, and from there he leaped towards the wall. A powerful kick had him ricocheting to the opposite wall and then kicked back towards the first, and within a few seconds he'd bounced between them to reach the rooftop.
From here he had a much better visual of the cloud below, already able to see people staggering out of the mess. As he scanned the street intently a flash of light green caught his eye, and he snapped his head to the side to see a male in a purple shirt not far from the outer edge of the gas. Aha.
Oracle wasted no time in rushing over to the man's direction, leaping off the edge to land next to him. The man jumped at his sudden appearance and spun to stare at him in shock, eyes bulging. "Wh-what the hell—"
He didn't get a chance to finish before Oracle lunged—unfortunately for him though, there happened to be a good Samaritan nearby. "Leave him alone!" a rather large and bulky woman cried, throwing herself at him. He let out a startled squawk as he was tackled to the ground, the woman more muscle than feet.
In the present Oracle startled, whirling to face her before she could do anything. "Ma'am, I'm a Pro Hero," he assured her quickly—except as he did, he noticed a distinct red tinge to her eyes while she was already charging at him again.
"Liar!" she roared, charging at him, and Oracle cursed as he was tackled in yet another path. This time he was facing her, so he got a good whiff of something clinging to her.
"You have GOT to be kidding me!" he shouted back in the present once more, and jumped to the side to dodge the woman's charge. His original target took the opportunity to run, but Kas had to ignore him to focus on the woman.
He knew that smell, it was some kind of drug that had become popular on the streets recently. It didn't do anything like enhance Quirks or make them more aggressive or anything special like that. No, people high on it tended to be more likely to engage in fantasies and become unable to distinguish it from reality, earning it the nickname "Liquid Dream."
The facts: There was a cloud of gas with unknown effects and origin. Oracle currently had on a black face mask that had filtering properties. He had also just jumped down from a rooftop right next to a man who was clearly the subject of his interest, and prepared to lunge at him.
Yeah. In her eyes he was absolutely a villain that needed to be taken down, and there'd be no reasoning with this woman.
He growled in frustration as he skipped back to dodge a powerful swipe from the woman aimed at his jaw. First priority: subdue her, and THEN pursue the fleeing culprit. Lucky for him, his Quirk made it easy to see every single blow before they landed, and even without it he'd honed his reflexes for years. To any outside observer he was always just a step ahead of her, smoothly stepping just outside the reach of every desperate kick and punch.
Most of them Oracle was able to predict and dodge without his Quirk. This lady wasn't a trained fighter at all, telegraphing her moves clearly and sloppily. Even so sometimes she'd get lucky and his Quirk would automatically give him a glimpse of her making contact, and he had to wince at the force he felt in some of those glimpses. While she might not be trained to fight, she still had plenty of physical strength.
He let her push him back a bit towards a wall at which point he spun and ran at it, making her roar and chase after him. His momentum let him manage a few steps vertically up the bricks, managing to get halfway up before kicking off and flipping through the air. As he sailed over the woman she roared in outrage, but her own momentum was too strong to stop and she crashed into the wall.
Oracle landed behind her gracefully, and quickly pulled a pair of handcuffs from his pocket. The woman was dazed from the impact, and he had no problem securing her hands behind her back. Luckily the impact seemed to have jarred some of the drug's effects—that or left her too sore to move, since she didn't immediately rile up to attack him again. "Call the police!" he shouted at a nearby pedestrian, and then took off running after the original culprit.
By now the man had enough time to run and turn a couple corners, which would push the limits of his Quirk if he tried to pursue it. He stopped short at the intersection, seeing no trace of the man in any direction, and took a deep breath.
"Did anyone see a guy in a purple shirt and with green hair?" he shouted, startling the gathering crowd who'd been drawn by the clamor from the gas. Soon enough some people started yelling and pointing down a particular street, and Oracle took off running in the direction they'd pointed. This time he didn't bother with his Quirk, darting to the nearest intersection and glancing both directions as he did.
In a stroke of luck he saw the man ducking into a door, and a vicious grin took residence on his face under the mask as he raced after him. He burst into a small convenience store, startling the people inside including the green-haired man who was halfway to the counter. The man whirled around to face Oracle, eyes wide, and Oracle began to approach only to stop.
If he lunged at the man and pinned him down—
"I-I didn't do anything, I swear!" the man cried as Kas shoved his face into the tile.
"That's what they all say," he snapped in response.
"Really, I d-d-didn't! I-I-I—I—" His breathing picked up and he began hyperventilating, falling into the starts of a panic attack.
If he didn't lunge and just asked—
"What were you doing at the street near the gas cloud?"
"I-I—I—" The man made a strangled sound, tears in his eyes as his breathing began picking up once more. Hyperventilating would follow very soon after that.
If he asked the cashier—
"Do you know this man?"
"Why the hell would I tell you?" the cashier demanded, obviously suspicious.
Oracle scowled and tore off his mask. If NOW he just said—
"I'm a Pro Hero," he snapped, tone cool and professional. "Do you know this man?"
"Wh-what? Uh—Yutaro, why is this guy chasing you?" The cashier turned to the man in question and the glimpse ended there, because Kas couldn't see paths that didn't include direct reactions to him or his decisions. Everything he saw had to be directed at him specifically or it would cut off abruptly. He almost growled in frustration, but instead if he just asked—
"Does this man have a history of panic attacks?"
"W-what!? Uh, no, but—Oh shit, Yutaro—!"
If he asked—
"I'm a Pro Hero. Does this man have any medical conditions?"
"Uh, w-what!? I mean, uh, y-yeah? Asthma, and—"
Asthma.
Oracle cut off his Quirk at that word, the tension bleeding from his body all at once as he took a deep, calming breath. "Sir, if you have an inhaler, you need to get it out now," he told the panicked man—Yutaro, apparently—in front of him. "Running that hard is about to trigger your asthma." Yutaro's eyes widened before he scrambled to find the device in his pockets, the cashier letting out an alarmed shout as he rushed around the counter to him.
Asthma. This man had asthma. That wasn't enough to absolve him of all potential guilt, but releasing a smoke bomb like that would definitely trigger an attack. He waited for Yutaro to take a deep breath through the inhaler while the cashier fussed over him, the second man shooting Oracle a panicked and accusing look. "What the hell's going on!?"
"Just now, a man with light green hair and a shirt just like that released an unknown gas on a nearby street," Oracle intoned calmly. That made the cashier startle, eyes going wide as he ogled him.
"Wait, what? And what, you think it was Yutaro? Did you even see—"
"I did," Oracle cut in calmly. "As I said, the culprit had that exact shirt." That seemed to leave the cashier at a loss for words. Next to him Yutaro lowered the inhaler, his breathing calmer and steadier now.
"I-I, earlier a guy with hair just like mine paid me to wear this shirt and follow him," he said slowly, and that got everyone's attention.
"What?" the cashier asked dumbly. "The heck—"
"I-I swear, I didn't know he was planning to do something l-like that!" Yutaro exclaimed, looking at Oracle pleadingly. "He said he was going to pull a prank on his b-brother, make him think I was him so he could sneak up and surprise him. He went around a c-corner to hide, but then I heard a b-bang and people sc-screaming, and when I went to look I saw that g-giant c-cloud, a-an-and—"
"Stop, you're working yourself up too much," Oracle cut in, and Yutaro clamped his mouth shut. He continued to stare at Oracle wide-eyed, silently begging him to believe him.
If he rushed forward and attacked the guy, pulling out the knife in his pocket and slashing it through Yutaro's side—
"Tell me the truth NOW or I'll kill you!"
"I-I AM!" Yutaro screamed over the panicked shouts of everyone else as he clutched the bleeding wound. "I TH-THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A PRANK!"
Oracle didn't attack of him of course. Doing that would be unethical, and the opposite of what a hero should do. A civilian like that had incredibly low pain tolerance, and would lack the willpower and training to hold up under questioning in such extreme circumstances.
Which meant he was telling the truth.
Oracle scowled, shaking his head. "I need you to come with me to make a report to the police," he said. "There are likely other witnesses who saw the person who looked like you, so I'll escort you to avoid any confusion. I'm a Pro Hero, so I can help you talk to them." The guy looked fairly panicked but nodded nonetheless, and soon they were heading back to the scene of the crime.
By now the gas had surprisingly dispersed, courtesy of one officer who looked very happy as he basically suctioned it up with his mouth. "He, uh, has a kind of vacuum Quirk," another officer commented sheepishly when they approached him. "He said the gas is actually pretty harmless, unless you have breathing difficulties like asthma." Another point to Detnerat guy, Oracle noted with an amused snort.
From there, sorting out the incident took little time. He helped Yutaro explain his story, the man much calmer now and able to provide more detail. The true culprit had approached him about a prank on his brother apparently, noting their similar hairstyles. He happened to have two matching shirts in his bag, explaining he'd ordered one online but had gotten a second one and that he'd been on his way to the store to return it when he'd noticed Yutaro.
Agreeing to that sort of plan was beyond stupid in Kas's opinion, because the story was so obviously fake. Maybe that was more obvious to him because he was naturally paranoid, or maybe it was obvious to everyone and the five thousand yen the man offered had clouded Yutaro's judgment. Either way, Yutaro agreed to go to the police station to give a more proper statement there, and Kas waved the cruiser off before turning to the apartment building.
As exciting as this had been, Kas still had a job to do here. He'd acted because there were no other heroes in the area, but now that he'd taken care of it, he should check on the two kids in the apartment building. No doubt they were curious as hell after seeing all the commotion just outside their windows... except when he looked at their rooms, the blinds on the windows were still closed.
The sight made him pause, his eyes narrowing. Plenty of other people leaned against the glass to peer outside, and still more windows were empty but had their curtains and blinds pulled aside when they'd been closed earlier. Yet Kirishima and Ashido's windows remained unchanged. Everything he'd read about Ashido Mina, and their few interactions so far, pointed to her to be the curious type who'd absolutely look outside the window in this sort of scenario...
"Shit," he whispered in English, and raced into the building. Any passing pedestrians with a mind-reading Quirk would probably be stunned at the litany of curse words playing in his head in multiple languages as he dashed up the stairs, running straight to Ashido's apartment. When he grabbed the doorknob he found it locked of course, and he didn't hesitate to kick it down.
"Ashido!" he shouted, but was greeted with only silence. A panicked glance around the room ended with him staring at a note taped to the fridge, something that hadn't been there on Sunday, and he practically flew over to look at it.
'Oracle-san, I'm sorry but my people need me! Kiri's coming too! We'll explain someday, I swear, but for now this is goodbye! Ashido, over and out!'
Kas stared at the note in dead silence for several seconds.
If he punched in the fridge—
His arm would break, but it'd be cathartic as hell.
Anjou might be an evil genius or something. Mina practically vibrated with excitement as she and Kiri raced down a street, carrying bags loaded with all the essentials for their adventure. They had escaped through the back door of the apartment building only a minute earlier, and every second they ran made Mina's pulse beat faster and faster. She had a burner phone open to a text message from Anjou.
'Your ride's almost there,' she wrote. 'Once it pulls up, you two just need to hop in the back & GO. The driver knows where to go. I'll catch up later when I'm done on my end.'
'Thanks!' she texted back, and told Kiri, "She says the ride's up ahead!" Kiri nodded and shifted nervously as he glanced over his shoulder.
"Is this really okay?" he asked, and Mina had to silently wonder the same thing. Behind them they could hear people shouting and coughing, and Mina had to resist the urge to run back to see what was going on. They had been waiting by the back door for Anjou to give the signal to go, so they didn't know what sort of distraction she had arranged out front.
She bit her lip and said, "An-chan says it won't be anything actually serious." Anjou had texted them about it before giving the signal to run. She said she didn't know the full details of the distraction, but it wouldn't be anything harmful. Still, Mina found herself frowning. "If you want to back out now, you can. I won't hold it against you." She glanced back to shoot Kiri a reassuring look as she spoke, and he bit his lip but frowned before shaking his head.
"No. I—I'm in too deep now. If I've come this far, I might as well keep going. Plus Ultra, right?" He flashed a weak, uncertain smile at the last bit, which Mina mirrored with an eager grin of her own.
"Plus Ultra!" she agreed with a fist pump. The fact he'd insisted on coming along still threw her for a loop, and made her even more excited even if she felt a little guilty. This didn't really involve him after all, and by coming along he'd be giving up way more than Mina was. By running away with her now, he was basically removing any outs to go back to his normal life.
As bad as she felt about him basically uprooting his whole life for this though, part of her felt relieved he was coming along. Having someone else tag along boosted her confidence, even if he wasn't her Kirishima. Anjou couldn't come, saying she had some stuff to do and needed to go to school to avoid suspicion. In her own words, she couldn't uproot her life just for this or it'd make it harder to do what she needed to.
Honestly, Mina still had no idea what the heck Anjou had planned. She'd kept it mostly to herself in case Kiri changed his mind, and maybe that should worry her, but... Mina trusted her. That little voice in the back of her head said that An-chan was a good person, and wouldn't do something that'd hurt them (even if she was a sneaky hacker).
The phone buzzed with a text. 'He's stopping, turn left at the next corner.' Mina turned the corner as instructed to an empty side street, just in time to see a silver car pull up to the curb. The window rolled down as Mina and Kiri raced towards it, a plain-looking guy with short black hair and kinda tired eyes looking out. "I'd ask if you're the ones I was told needed a ride, but I doubt many people have pink skin."
That was good enough confirmation for Mina. She practically dove into the back seat at the man's invitation, pushing herself all the way to the far seat while Kiri followed her. The man rolled up his window and twisted his head slightly to look back at them while they removed their backpacks. "Buckle up, we can't go until you do."
The teens scrambled to do just that, settling their backpacks on the empty seat between them. As Mina plugged in her buckle she glanced at the driver with narrow eyes. "You're not, like, a villain or something, right?" she asked warily.
The young man snorted as if she'd just said some joke while Kiri's eyes practically bulged from their sockets. "Wait, what!?" he yelped. "Oh crapcrapcrap—"
"Bit late to ask that, don't you think?" the driver asked with a wry grin, turning to face forward. "Well you can relax, I'm not a bad guy. If you're really worried, you can use that phone to call the police at any point. Please don't though, I'd rather not get arrested," he added with a half-hearted laugh.
At that point the car lurched into motion, making them both jolt in their seats. Mina relaxed a bit because the guy had a point, she could easily call the police if he did anything shifty. Plus if anything happened, An-chan and Kumiko knew they were riding with this guy and could call the police instead. "Uh, okay?" Kiri said anxiously. "Can you at least tell us who you are and what's going on? Anjou didn't tell us much about the plan."
"Well, I don't know much either," the driver said with a sheepish-sounding laugh. "I'm just doing this as a favor for someone else, I've only met Anjou once so I don't know much more than you. But my name is Haimawari Koichi, and I'll be your chauffeur until we reach Odawara."
Notes:
Got more fan art of Aiko from Isaac7568!! She looks so pretty, don't you thin?
So much to talk about! I've been telling people about my headcanon about the "Three Month Rule" since Aizawa's disappearance was first established (muahaha?), so good to finally show it here!
Here's the first view of Kas/Oracle's Quirk: Precognitive Reflex! No where near as strong or long-range as Sir Nighteye's Quirk, but still very useful and makes him look psychic. If it's not obvious, in his visions he always thinks of himself as Kas, even if he's thinking of himself as Oracle outside his visions. He slides into Oracle-mode during fights and serious Pro Hero work, and in this case slid out after getting the suspect/witness to the police.
Also: cameo from Koichi! I have not read Vigilantes yet, but I know a lot of you do and I needed a chauffeur for Ashido and Kirishima, so perfect fit!
Question for next time: Assuming OFA powers up pre-existing Quirks like in fanon (I don't think there's actually any canon evidence it does that), who would be the most disastrous/chaotic choice to get it?
Chapter 41: Weird Week
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 41
.::Weird Week::.
Tsuyu was having a... weird week.
She did not use that term often, but that seemed to be the best word she could come up with. Today she and Habuko had been given what had come to be called "Todoroki duty" yet again, meaning they would be in charge of watching Endeavor's wayward son while searching for this supposed Tokoyami. They still had yet to figure out just what was going on with his story, but there was plenty of room for concern.
One of Rockfish's birds had led them to a movie theater, which marked the third time they'd seen this particular person. Repeat visits to the same person had become increasingly common, and unfortunately Rockfish couldn't get the birds to stop it since the sightings were always reported by different birds. Today they had yet to find a single new person, much to Habuko's growing annoyance.
"Seriously, this is getting ridiculous," the snake-girl complained. "And it's so freaking cold! Can we just call it off for the day?"
"We should go find a café for lunch," Tsuyu proposed, tugging up her scarf a bit over her mouth. "It's already noon. Maybe we can call Rockfish and ask him to try talking to the birds one last time, kero." It was a thinly veiled way of agreeing with her friend's request. Though the clock had only just struck noon, Tsuyu would rather stop searching for the day.
Truthfully, the cold was starting to get to her. Winter had always bothered her since her Quirk made her sensitive to the cold, as did Habuko's, so she'd rather not search all day long. She'd agreed to take on the duty since the weather forecast had seemed okay, but the temperatures had plummeted well below predictions. If Rockfish's birds would only send them after the same people, she would prefer to just stop and go somewhere warm.
She turned to Todoroki. "Yuki-kun, would you be alright if we stopped searching for now?" she asked, but paused when she noticed he'd fallen behind. He stood several meters back, his gaze directed at the posters lining the walls. She tilted her head in thought as she glanced at the posters. She didn't know much about any of the movies currently in theaters, their lifestyle made it hard to keep up with new releases.
Habuko had the same dilemma, but she still joined Todoroki to look at the poster which held his attention. "Do you want to go see that one?" she asked curiously. "It looks kinda artsy, but if it means getting out of the cold I'm down for it. Midori, we have some money, right?" she added, glancing at Tsuyu.
Tsuyu tapped her chin with a thoughtful, quiet croak. "Yes, we should have enough I think, kero. We can get snacks, too." A movie would work just as well as going to a café.
"I... don't want to see it," Todoroki piped up, voice quiet. He had a faint furrow to his eyebrows as he stared at the poster, and Tsuyu decided to join them as well for a better look. As Habuko said, this movie looked rather artsy compared to most of the posters here, showing a blond boy watching a balloon fly away with a faint smile on his face. The title was foreign with the Japanese translation below, the syllables incomprehensible to her.
"That guy looks familiar," Habuko muttered, squinting at the poster. "Ugh, why doesn't this one say anyone's names?"
"Aoyama?" Tsuyu heard Todoroki say faintly, and she glanced at him curiously.
"Aoyama, Aoyama..." Habuko repeated the name, and then snapped her fingers. "Oh right, Aoyama Yuga! That part-French model. I see him in fashion magazines sometimes. I guess he's finally moved on to acting, then."
"I didn't think you were interested in that sort of thing, Yuki-kun," Tsuyu remarked, and Todoroki gazed at the poster with a faint frown.
"I'm not," he said shortly. "He's in my class." A brief silence followed the statement, neither of them knowing how to respond. Eventually though he turned and walked away, the two girls following with silent looks at each other.
As far as she could tell, Todoroki fully believed he came from another dimension where he attended UA. They hadn't gotten many details about it, as he seemed oddly hesitant to share anything, but he'd shared enough to make it clear he had a rather elaborate set of memories. After all, it was harder to get more elaborate than multiple villain attacks throughout the year.
Having a famous model as a classmate though? In the hero course, no less?
Tsuyu didn't know enough about Aoyama Yuga to know the likelihood of him doing such a thing. Habuko recognized him though, so she stepped a little closer. "Would you ever have guessed that?" she asked quietly, and the snake girl snorted.
"Not sure. He's just a pretty face. He might like the fame though, I guess." Tsuyu nodded and turned forward once more, studying Todoroki's back thoughtfully. Yet another piece of the enigma that was Todoroki Shouto's memories.
Most concerning so far was his connection to the man named Dabi, though. They'd told the others what he'd said about the man's actions in his own world, but so far none of them recognized the name so they couldn't tell how true it might be. At the very least he wasn't a famous supervillain, but they all knew that the worst villains never made the news.
Either way, someone was calling Todoroki's original phone, which created its own set of concerns.
At this point they'd probably need to ask Kuroe if he'd heard of Dabi. They hadn't kept him in the loop so far, because despite everything he did for them, Kuroe ultimately wasn't part of the runaway network. Don't get her wrong, Tsuyu and the others would be forever grateful for his aid and kindness in helping them survive on the streets. However, they also knew enough to recognize when someone had ties to the underworld.
Tsuyu didn't know just how deep Kuroe's connections ran, but he had access to resources and information most people simply shouldn't. While they knew he would never betray them, that still put him at greater risk of being interrogated by people with less than savory intentions. If he met a person with a mind-reading Quirk, or some other ability that could glean information against his well, their secrets could be discovered in an instant.
Still, at this rate they'd need to take the plunge and at least ask if he knew about this Dabi character. They wouldn't even need to mention Todoroki specifically; they'd asked him about plenty of other villains before. Asking about another person wouldn't be any different from their other requests.
As they walked along Habuko suddenly jabbed her side with her elbow, making Tsuyu glance at her curiously. The snake girl was staring at something across the street, and Tsuyu followed her gaze to see a TV in the front window of a store, at which point she froze. The screen showed footage of a person in silver armor racing down a street while a man dressed up in a fancy suit skipped through the air above him.
Gentle Criminal.
Though they were too far away to make out much detail, Tsuyu could see the red ticker bar on the left side of the screen that signaled breaking news. Her stomach curled, knowing instantly that this wasn't just old footage but live. She and Habuko exchanged pointed glances, their faces equally grim before turning back to Todoroki. He hadn't noticed the TV yet, his head tipped back to watch one of Rockfish's birds.
If he knew that Gentle Criminal and Phantom Shadow had moved on, what would he do? Would he leave Odawara to follow them? Tsuyu didn't know, and she decided she couldn't risk finding out right now. "Yuki-kun, you never answered my question," she said abruptly, making him pause and glance back at her with a faintly puzzled look.
"What?"
"I asked if you would mind stopping the search for now," she told him. "You got distracted by the poster though, so you might not have heard, kero." Todoroki frowned slightly.
"It still seems early, though."
"Yeah, but it's also cold!" Habuko piped up bitterly, her lips curling back as she spoke. "Yuki, you might not mind it because of your fire or ice or whatever, but me and Midori have snake and frog mutations." To his credit Todoroki realized what she was getting at immediately, his visible eye widening with mild alarm.
"Oh, right," he said, frowning heavily. "I'm sorry, I forgot about that. I could try to help you warm up with my fire if you want, but..." He trailed off and shook his head. "No, you already went out of your way enough to help me. We can stop and find somewhere warm. I can keep looking later with someone else."
"Thank you, Yuki-kun," Tsuyu said and meant it, genuinely grateful to get out of the cold. Still, as they began steering him towards a small coffee shop they knew to be relatively safe she couldn't help but worry. From the corner of her eye she could see Habuko discreetly texting the others, no doubt informing them about Gentle Criminal. They needed to figure out how to handle this, and fast.
Around the same time a silver car pulled up to a small, two-story house, Haimawari turning around to face his passengers. "Well, this ride has been fun, but we're finally here so this is where we part," he told them cheerfully. Mina nodded, beaming at him.
"Thank you so much for the ride!"
"Yeah," Kiri agreed with a smaller smile. "And uh, good luck on becoming a hero. I'm glad you got that second chance!"
"You and me both, kid," Haimawari chuckled, and the pair gave him some more farewells as they climbed out of the car. Despite Mina's initial wariness, Haimawari turned out to be a pretty good (and cool!) guy. Turns out he'd been a vigilante for a few years after missing his high school entrance exam, cutting off his dreams of getting a license. After the UA Massacre he'd had to cut down on his activity a bit for his own safety, but some of his hero contacts had recently been reaching out to help him become more legitimate.
They waved as his car drove off, and only after it vanished from sight did they turn to face the house. It looked so... normal, but Mina guessed she shouldn't be so surprised about that. "Ready, Kiri?" she asked, and her friend looked a bit uneasy but nodded.
"Yeah, as ready as I'll ever be," he muttered, and Mina marched up to the front door and knocked. Not even a second later it opened, making them jump in surprise. A guy with black hair and bright orange eyes stood there, sighing as he looked over them.
"So you must be Ashido and Kirishima, right?" he asked, sounding tired. The pair frowned at that, exchanging brief, wary glances, and he sighed again. "Yeah, no, of course you are. Enough standing here, we can talk inside. It's freezing and it's starting to leak inside." The guy stepped back so they could enter, the pair scurrying into the relative warmth of his house.
"Uh, not to be rude, but who are you?" Kiri asked as they bent down to remove their shoes.
"...She didn't tell you anything, did she?" the guy asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You mean Anjou-san? Uh, no, not really."
"Figures. She's always had a flair for the dramatic." The man snorted and rolled his eyes. "Don't worry about it too much. The name's Kuroe."
"Kuroe?" Mina repeated, her eyebrows furrowing. For some reason something about that name felt weirdly familiar, but she didn't know why. She also didn't know why she now felt just the slightest bit more relaxed and comfortable around him.
"If you want my full name, you're not getting it," he said. "Anyways, come on, guest room's down here." He gestured for them to follow him as he headed deeper into the house, the pair grabbing their backpacks as they jogged after him. "Just so you know it's only got one bed though, so unless you two feel up to sharing, one of you will have to use the couch or floor. You guys can crash here until she comes by on Friday, or until you figure out... whatever." He waved vaguely as he spoke, and next to her Kiri frowned.
"Uh, what exactly did Anjou tell you?" he asked. "I mean, obviously she told you we were coming, but she didn't tell us anything about what she had planned, so..."
"Not much, honestly," Kuroe replied with a shrug. "She said you guys had some stuff you needed to take care of that you couldn't do while under hero watch, and needed help arranging a distraction and a ride here." He shook his head as he muttered under his breath, "I still can't believe she agreed to it so easily and sent me freaking selfies. I feel like I unleashed a monster..."
Okay, that last bit was kinda confusing and alarming. "Who, Anjou?" Mina asked.
"No, someone else," Kuroe groaned, sounding very tired. "Forget it. Anyways, here's the guest room." He pushed open a door to reveal a pretty average-looking room with a single queen-sized bed. "The dresser's mostly empty, but there is some stuff, so if it fits feel free to take it. Again though, you guys are gonna have to either share or decide on who's getting the floor or couch." Mina and Kiri exchanged faint grimaces. As much as she liked Kiri, she didn't really want to sleep in the same bed as him.
"I'll take the couch," she volunteered, making Kiri startle.
"Wait, what? I was going to say that!"
"You already volunteered to come along even though I'm the one who needed to run away," Mina pointed out, hands on her hips. "You didn't have to come, but you basically gave up your whole life anyway. So you should at least have the comfier place to sleep." It only seemed to natural to her, but Kiri still looked uncomfortable and doubtful.
"But... But... You're a girl," he said lamely, and then froze as he realized what he'd just said.
Mina went very, very still at his words, her eyes narrowing. "And?" she challenged lowly, and Kiri's face twisted in panic.
"N-never mind!" he said quickly "I'll take the bed!"
"That's what I thought." She nodded in satisfaction, and behind her she heard Kuroe snort, his mouth twisting into an amused smirk.
"Word of advice kid, never look down on girls," he told Kiri lightly. "Doesn't matter if you're trying to be a 'gentleman' or whatever. Take it from me, girls can be fucking terrifying."
"Yeah, I know," Kiri muttered, while Mina just marched into the room with an air of smug satisfaction.
"I'm still going to get changed in here though," she added as she dropped her backpack on the dresser. "No way am I keeping my clothes out in the living room or wherever!"
"...Um, I kinda feel like this is a trap," Kiri said, and this time Kuroe chuckled low and quiet.
"I think that should settle everything for now. I've got to get back to work so try not to make too much noise. If you're really bored, I've got some old console in the living room you could play. Just don't go out. Especially you, Pinkie," he added with a pointed look at Mina. "If you two were under hero watch, I guarantee there will be people looking for you, and we don't have the stuff for a disguise for you."
Mina pouted, because even if she knew he was right she still felt a bit bummed at being essentially stuck on house arrest even now. Kiri looked more thoughtful though as he lingered in the door. "Could we disguise Ashido?" he wondered. "I mean, she kinda stands out, right?"
"Throw on a wig, sunglasses and some face paint," Kuroe deadpanned. "Pink skin is unusual, but not that unusual. The eyes and horns are the biggest giveaways, but you can cover those up. With the right makeup, you can even make it look like she's got scales or even fur under her eyes."
"Oh, or maybe a raccoon mask!" Mina said with a bright grin, thinking of Bakugou's nickname for her.
"Sure kid, whatever floats your boat," Kuroe said, rolling his eyes.
"Would that really be enough, though?" Kiri asked skeptically.
"Yeah. I have a friend whose Quirk was basically just changing her hair and eye colors. Literally everything else about her stayed the same, but I can say for a fact most of our classmates wouldn't recognize her if she didn't wear this one hairclip and eye patch all the time." He smirked at the memory, adding, "And even then, she managed to convince people she was a transfer student three different times."
"Ooh, that sounds fun!" Mina grinned and Kuroe snorted.
"Yeah. That woman is something," he muttered under his breath, before continuing more loudly, "But either way, I don't really have the supplies for any of that on hand. The heat's too much to bother trying anyway. Anyways, I really need to get back to work now. Watch TV or play games or whatever, but like I said, don't make too much noise. I'll be in the kitchen working on my laptop if you need anything."
They nodded and watched him leave, at which point Kiri entered the bedroom to drop his own bag on the bed. Neither of them seemed to feel like talking anymore, just taking a few moments to sort of decompress. Kiri opened his bag to search for something, while Mina pulled out the phone Anjou had lent her and frowned at it.
She really wanted to text Anjou or Kumiko and let them know they'd gotten there safely, but Anjou had made her promise not to do that. She'd said that the police would be sure to question them as soon as they realized Mina and Kiri had run away, and would probably want to look at their phones to see if they'd texted or called them. Earlier Anjou had been texting her from a different disposable phone, which still weirded her out.
"Why do you think Anjou has so many spare phones?" she wondered aloud.
"I don't know, maybe it's something to do with her Quirk?" Kiri shrugged, pulling out a book from his bag. Mina wrinkled her nose as she recognized it as one of their textbooks, which, ew. He didn't look any happier as he looked down at it. "I don't know about you, but I'm gonna try to work on some homework for a while."
"But you hate homework," she pointed out. "And we ran away, so we don't have to do school anyway!"
"I know," he said with a grimace at the textbook. "But I promised myself that I'd try to at least get this week's stuff done so I won't be too far behind when we go back. My folks would probably kill me otherwise..." That last remark had Mina's mood sobering. Right, their families had no idea what was going on...
Mina felt a new rush of guilt at the thought. She'd thought of her parents now and then, but she hadn't spoken to them since waking up in this world. It just felt weird when she wasn't their Mina, you know? And they lived separately anyway, so it was just easier to, well... not think about them. But they didn't know that. As far as they knew, Mina just suddenly threw herself into a hero fight, and then she suddenly ran away for no reason.
Sorry, other Mina... She mentally apologized to this world's Ashido Mina for the distress she'd put her (their?) parents in. Maybe she should have written them a note or something, but what would she have even said? She didn't really think they'd be totally understanding about the whole "I'm actually from another dimension" thing; if anything it'd probably scare them more since they'd think she was insane or something.
Then again, why didn't they reach out to her? That had Mina pausing, a frown unconsciously stretching across her face. She managed to fight a big villain on local TV, and had to go to the police station and have a Pro Hero watching her and everything! They didn't even call her though, which in retrospect was actually really weird. They weren't overprotective or anything, but she'd still expect something. And on that note... come to think of it...
Her phone didn't have either of her parents in the contacts.
"Nope!" she said out loud, making Kiri jump in surprise. He shot her a curious look, but she ignored him as she turned around. She'd already resolved to not think about it, so she instead began rooting around her backpack before pulling out her objective with a triumphant noise. From the corner of her eye she saw Kiri staring at it wide-eyed.
"Ashido, did you seriously pack a JoyStation Anima?" he asked.
"Yep!" she confirmed cheerfully as she switched it on. She grinned as a rhythm game loaded, plopping onto the bed to start playing. Video games might not really be essential like clothes or food, but if Mina had learned anything this past weekend, it was that boredom was the worst thing ever. Even if they came here with a goal, that didn't mean they'd be busy all the time.
She needed something to occupy herself until An-chan could arrive—and something to take her mind off everything else wrong with this world. Some games sounded absolutely perfect.
Notes:
Me while writing this: "Wait, did I ever mention Ashido's parents in this world?"
Also me: "...I don't have any idea what her parents are like and don't really want to write their reactions to Ashido running away, and this world IS really screwed, so..."
(Seriously though, did I ever mention them? If I did, say the word and I'll change this.)
Question for next time: Outside of villains, what two characters would be the WORST choice to send back in time? (I mean this in a purely comedic sense. Like imagine Inasa with all the memories of everything that happens in canon, so he goes to UA after all and tries to befriend Bakugou and Todoroki.)
Chapter 42: Kaminari Jinxed It
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 42
.::Kaminari Jinxed It::.
At approximately twelve thirty PM, Iida Tenya found himself not in his bedroom waiting for the next streamed lecture to start like he should be, but instead seated in a small café halfway across the city from the Team Idaten headquarters.
Why? Because he had been invited to go to lunch by some of the sidekicks at Team Idaten, and they got called to help deal with Gentle Criminal halfway through it.
"Nii-san, please do not feel the need to drop everything and rush over here," he said into his cell phone, feeling just slightly exasperated at his older brother's worry.
"But Tenya, you're all alone in public!" his brother argued. "You know how dangerous that is!"
Tenya did know, it was why he didn't protest attending online classes which he found much more stifling compared to a traditional classroom setting. Nonetheless, he had to insist. "I understand your concern, but I promise I am perfectly safe. This café is reasonably populated and highly public, so I doubt anyone would risk trying anything in broad daylight. Your work comes first."
"I don't know," Tensei muttered, sounding uncertain. "A lot can happen in an hour. I could run over, get you home, and then finish it."
"That would take approximately half an hour, and your shift ends in an hour," Tenya countered. "That would take too much of your time, so I insist you finish it. You've already wasted enough time today thanks to Gentle Criminal. I'll be fine here for an hour."
"A lot can happen in an hour," Tensei muttered, but Tenya could hear the defeat in his voice. "But alright, fine. I'll finish it, but only because I know you'll try to scold me for leaving early." His voice took on a slightly more playful note, even if worry still tinged it, and Tenya felt himself smile.
"Only because your job is important," he replied. "I'll see you in an hour, nii-san. Now please get back to work, you've already wasted enough time on this call."
"Yeah, yeah," Tensei agreed. "See you then, Tenya." The call ended with a click, and Tenya lowered his phone with a sigh. As if on cue waitress appeared giving him a sympathetic smile as she refilled his drink.
"I don't know what's going on, but it sounds like you might be stuck here a while longer," she said. "Do you want a slice of pie on the house while you wait? Today's special is lemon merengue."
He didn't know how much she'd overheard, but he smiled nonetheless. "That would be lovely, thank you," he replied. "But if you bring me dessert, I insist I pay for it. It's only right."
"Okay then honey, I'll be back in a few minutes," she told him, and bustled off to the kitchen while Tenya quietly sank in his chair. While he'd reassured Tensei he would be fine, he still felt a bit antsy in public like this. As the youngest child of the prestigious Iida family, known for producing multiple generations of Pro Heroes, he was a valuable target. After Todoroki Shouto disappeared last year, that protective streak had only increased.
Fortunately this café seemed fairly safe, and Tenya had taken steps to disguise himself before leaving the house. Namely, one of the sidekicks had used some makeup around his eyes to make it look like he had scales and a lot of freckles had been added. No photos of himself had been released to the public, so hopefully this would be enough to throw off anyone who might notice the Iida family resemblance.
Really, Tenya felt more frustrated he wouldn't be able to watch the class live. Cell phones couldn't access the school's portal for security reasons, and he hadn't brought any of his textbooks so he couldn't study either. For now, he had to content himself with eating pie and reading news articles on his phone.
He did just that for about fifteen minutes when he noticed people chattering with tones that sounded slightly more urgent around him. He looked up curiously to see their gazes directed out a nearby window, and when he followed their looks he felt himself freeze. There in the middle of the street was a woman with a fiery red mohawk and glowing red-violet discs of energy in her hands engaged in battle with two costumed individuals he'd never seen before.
That alone was alarming, but Tenya's eyes widened as she threw one of the discs at one of mystery individuals like a frisbee. The person dodged out of the way, but the disc hit the streetlamp behind them and his eyes widened as it cut halfway into it before dissipating.
Cold horror washed over him all at once. Tenya didn't recognize her face, but he recognized that Quirk. His brother Tensei had warned him about a villainess with some sort of energy discs that basically acted as giant saw blades, able to slice through plenty of materials. One of the sidekicks at the agency had been hospitalized just last week after her attack managed to hit his legs.
He sprang to his feet immediately, slamming his hands on the table as he did to grab everyone's attention. "Everyone, please step away from the windows!" he called. "We need to evacuate to a back room out of her line of sight!"
A nearby man huffed. "Kid, I get you're freaked out with a fight so close to us, but we don't need to go that far," he said. "The fight's out there, there's no reason for her to come in here. We just need to get away from the windows in case they break."
Some of the other people murmured in quiet agreement, backing away from the window but not trying to do anything more than that. Tenya didn't back down though, shaking his head. "No, you don't understand! That woman is a dangerous villain who Pro Heroes have been trying to catch for the past two months! Attacking civilians is absolutely within her known patterns!"
From what Tensei described, the woman seemed to be more of a thrill-seeker than anything, fighting and terrorizing people for the fun of it rather than seeking some sort of gain. She had a penchant for causing massive property damage, both to attract Pro Heroes for a better fight and to generally wreak havoc. To that end, she also liked to drag in nearby civilians.
As he spoke he glanced out the window to check her position, only to jolt as he saw her fling one of the discs at the window of another nearby building. Her opponents were no where near that building—they were actually behind her, but she had a vicious grin as the disc shattered the glass. His chest tightened with horror because he could see people on the other side of the window, no doubt now showered in glass shards.
Several of the other café customers gasped as they saw the attack, the quiet murmurs giving way to more panicked chatter. Tenya's heart pounded faster as he turned to face them. "Look, she just went out of her way to attack another store!" he called loudly. "She's likely going to attack here too! We need to evacuate to the back before she does!"
This time he got no protests, a small stampede starting towards the door leading to the kitchen. Tenya lingered as everyone else rushed to safety, watching the battle anxiously. The woman's opponents had moved to attack her again, one of them shooting an arc of electricity at her which she dodged while flinging a disc at them. The mystery figured jumped out of the way, and as they did Tenya finally got a glimpse of a "1-A" emblazoned across their back.
Once again he found himself freezing, realizing these must be the vigilante duo Tensei had mentioned. The duo were new to the scene on Hosu, gradually growing a small following after a handful of accomplishments. Tensei had yet to see them himself, but they'd already gotten his attention.
Okay, this was bad, this was very bad. Two vigilantes were battling a villainess known for causing reckless destruction. Vigilantes had far less training than Pro Heroes, and would thus be much less likely to prevent collateral damage. In short, this was a disaster waiting to happen.
Tenya's mouth thinned as he whipped out his phone, swiftly texting the big group chat for Team Idaten. 'URGENT! The villainess who attacked Enigma is currently fighting the 1-A Vigilantes by the restaurant! I am evacuating the customers to safety but we need someone on the scene now!'
He'd barely hit send when he heard a loud cry outside, and he looked up only for the world to freeze. There on the other side of the street was a young child no older than a toddler. The child seemed to have been inside one of the stores the woman had attacked, the storefront behind them damaged with some of the glass and part of the wall missing. They made no move to run to safety, just standing and crying at the top of their lungs.
Their loud crying had obviously drawn the woman's attention, and she shot the child a vicious look even as the two vigilantes furiously showered her with blow after blow. Tenya's blood chilled, and he knew he couldn't stand around doing nothing.
Things had taken a bad turn, a very bad turn.
Kyouka cursed as the woman dodged out of the way of Kaminari's latest attack, nearly all other sound around her drowned by the high-pitched wailing not far away. A kid, a freaking kid had stumbled onto the battlefield. This fight had been hard from the start, this woman nearly taking off their limbs and heads more than once, but the stakes had just gotten even higher.
Everything had been going wrong from the moment they found this crazy woman. They'd stumbled across her after hearing shouts of alarm to find her outright attacking civilians, just throwing those energy discs into the scattering crowd. That alone set her apart from all the other muggers and crooks they'd fought, but the ensuing fight just cemented that difference further.
She wasn't doing this to fulfill some overarching goal, she was causing chaos for fun. She had zero hesitation about destroying her surroundings—no, she enjoyed it. Three stop lights now lay shattered on this street after she'd sliced through the poles suspending them to try to let them land on Kyouka or Kaminari. One street over, a streetlamp had been completely bisected and had one end now lying inside a nearby store after crashing through the window.
And now, again: there was a kid here.
"I'm over here, bitch!" Kyouka yelled, throwing a small electro-bomb at the woman when her gaze strayed to the crying toddler. The woman dodged out of the way easily, the bomb exploding into a burst of sparks as it hit the pavement behind her, but at least she was further away from the toddler.
At the same time Kaminari rushed her from the left and threw one of his stun discs at her. She skipped out of the way while producing another disc and flinging it at him, Kaminari narrowly managing to evade the strike which instead embedded into a wall behind him.
All the while the kid never tried to run, just kept standing there crying. The fact no one else had come out to remove the kid yet made it pretty clear no one would, meaning they were probably on their own with that. Great. Kyouka ground her teeth, silently going over the gear she had on hand to try to come up with a strategy.
Most of it would be useless here; the woman's Quirk made it dangerous to engage her in close combat, and she moved too fast to hit her with their ranged stuff. The sticky bombs seemed like their best bet: it would immobilize her and then they could subdue her more easily... but that still depended on it hitting her. The best idea she had was to use her Quirk on the street to crack it and throw the woman off-balance long enough to hit her with one, but she couldn't do that.
As vigilantes, they couldn't risk causing too much damage or else the police might start to target them more seriously. While they wanted attention so others from Class 1-A might recognize them, this would bring the wrong kind and put them under intense scrutiny. Honestly, they shouldn't even be fighting a villain this serious, but they'd had no choice. Ignoring her would have been a literal death sentence for that crowd she'd attacked before.
This woman had the advantage over them, and she knew it.
For now, they needed to keep her away from the kid. To that end Kyouka charged forward again, earphone jacks slithering down the back of her dress to plug into her boots. She channeled her heartbeat into a sonic blast aimed at the woman. It wasn't strong enough to knock her off her feet or unbalance her; Kyouka had to keep it fairly weak to avoid potentially hurting the kid. It did make her stagger long enough for Kaminari to make a move though.
"Take THIS!" he shouted, throwing a smoke bomb at her. She yelled as it hit her right in the head, a large cloud exploding instantly and making her cough. Kyouka sorely wished they'd thought to give him some of the sticky bombs because this would have been a perfect opportunity to bean her with one, but no. They thought it'd be clever to restrict some of the gear to one and not the other, to help confuse people about what was a Quirk and what wasn't.
At least the smoke bomb distracted her for a few seconds. Kaminari followed it up with a lightning rod, throwing it at the woman's arm while Kyouka broke into a run towards the kid. She could hear the woman shout in pain as he shot her with electricity but Kyouka didn't look over, her attention focused on the still-crying child.
She had nearly reached the kid when she heard Kaminari shout. "SHIT! POPSTAR, LOOK OUT!" Kyouka twisted her head and startled as she saw the woman had managed to yank out the lightning rod and turned her attention to her. Her face contorted in rage as she glared at Kyouka, her arm reeled back with the largest disc yet spinning above her palm. Shit!
"I am so sick and TIRED of you brats!" she roared, and Kyouka felt her heart drop as she threw it, the disc gliding low to the ground as it spun towards her. If it hit her, she could see it slicing right through her ankles. Every instinct screamed to dodge, but Kyouka's current position placed her directly between the villainous and the kid; if she dodged now, it would hit the kid instead, probably right in the stomach.
No matter what she decided, someone would get hurt.
Before she could think anything else she suddenly heard the wailing cut off behind her, and then something smacked directly into her.
She gasped as she felt an arm dig into her stomach, painfully knocking the air out of her as it shoved her back at record speeds. Her legs lifted from under her as the momentum carried her away, the world blurring only for a second before going still. When it did her head snapped to the side to see a familiar face next to her, a stern look full of determination directed towards the woman.
Iida!? Even with those weird scales painted around his eyes she recognized the class rep on sight. He'd half-wrapped one arm around her middle to drag her away, and in his other arm he held the child—who turned out to be a boy now that she was close enough to see his face—who dangled quietly with a shocked look.
A loud boom had her twisting her head to see that the disc had crashed through the already damaged wall behind where the boy had been standing. Now even more of it crumbled away, horizontal slots visible at each side of the hole, and her stomach lurched at the thought of what it would've done if it hit them instead.
The woman looked even more enraged that her attack had missed, but Kaminari didn't give her an opening to attack again. "Eyes on me, lady!" he roared, flinging himself at her with his entire body. The woman spun but didn't have time to form another energy disc before he was on her, slamming a fist surging with electricity right at her face.
The woman staggered back with a howl of pain while grasping at her nose, and Kyouka didn't hesitate at the opening. She all but yanked a sticky bomb from her pocket and hurled it right at the woman's feet. Thanks to how her hands covered her face the villainess didn't notice until it was too late, and the bomb exploded in a mess of sticky pink goo that rooted her feet to the ground.
At the same moment Kaminari surged forward, grabbing her arms with both hands and flooding her with a surge of electricity . While she screamed in pain Kyouka took the chance to nod to Iida. "Thanks," she said breathlessly. "Now get the kid out of here and go!"
"You should not be engaging a villainess!" Iida scolded, and she had to resist the urge to groan. Was he seriously going to lecture her now of all times!?
"You are holding a two-year-old," she told him flatly. "Now is not the time for you to talk about this. If you want to be a hero, prioritize getting the kid to safety! Now hurry up and go!" He startled and looked a little chastised, but Kyouka didn't pay him any mind as she spun to face the woman. Kaminari had stopped shocking her and jumped back, thankfully seeming to still be in control of himself. The woman groaned in pain, but Kyouka could still see another disc forming in her palm as it dangled at her side.
Nope. Kyouka pulled out a second sticky bomb and charged with a furious shout, making the woman twist to look at her and raise the disc just as Kyouka threw it. The pink orb made contact with the disc's edge and exploded, pink goop flying everywhere.
Kaminari yelped as he scrambled to dodge some of it, while Kyouka cursed and jumped back as some hit her side with enough force to actually hurt. The woman took the brunt of it though, shrieking as some of smacked her right in the face and front. The disc had dissipated at the impact and her palm was now coated in a thick layer of the goop, her fingers stuck together. Her face contorted with disgust as she cursed loudly and waved her hand in an attempt to free it.
While she cursed Kaminari raced over to Kyouka "I think we can go now," he said breathlessly, and she nodded in agreement. The woman could still use her free hand to make more discs, but with her rooted to one spot that'd seriously limit the damage she could do. Either way they couldn't stick around any longer; after such a big commotion Pro Heroes would be showing up any second, they needed to be gone yesterday.
They turned and fled without another word, racing into the nearest alley. They only got a few steps inside when a blur suddenly zoomed past them and Iida came to a halt in front of them, making them skid to a stop.
"Halt!" he ordered. "I cannot allow you to escape! Good as your intentions may be, vigilantism is still breaking the law!"
"Seriously!?" Kaminari half-shouted in exasperation.
"You realize fighting us counts as vigilantism, right?" Kyouka deadpanned. Iida wavered for a moment at that, his penchant for sticking to the rules getting the better of him, but then he straightened with a renewed resolve in his eyes. Dammit.
"I am an intern of Team Idaten!" he declared, his voice booming with authority. "I am legally allowed to use my Quirk within reason in the interest of protecting myself and others!" Double dammit. "And besides that, you two are teenagers as well, which makes your delinquency all the more intolerable!"
"What makes you so sure about that?" Kaminari challenged, and at that very moment Kyouka wanted to face palm because only now did she realize: he wasn't using his voice modulator. The modulators had limited power so they couldn't constantly keep them on (that, and they also didn't fully trust they wouldn't explode yet), but while Kyouka had switched hers on at the start of the fight, Kaminari never had.
In the heat of the fight Kyouka hadn't noticed it, but now it was blaringly obvious that Iida had been able to hear him the whole time. Kaminari had a slightly high-pitched voice that made it hard to mistake him for a full-grown adult. The only saving grace was that this world's Iida probably didn't know Kaminari, so he probably wouldn't be able to identify his voice, but that provided little consolation.
"Not only are you breaking the law, but your are also skipping school!" Iida continued sternly. "Truancy is absolutely unforgiveable! Do you not value your education?"
Kyouka found herself wavering at that, because he was lecturing vigilantes on skipping school? Iida's priorities seemed to be weirdly skewed as usual. As she tried to think of a way out of this Kaminari spoke up. "Uh dude, you do realize high school isn't, like, required, right?" he asked, and Iida faltered for a second.
"H-huh?" he sputtered.
"After you graduate middle school, you don't have to go to high school," Kaminari continued casually. "Plenty of kids drop out to start working part-time jobs, or become shut-ins just because they don't feel safe going outside. You know, because of all the villain attacks?" He added the last bit somewhat pointedly, and Iida's resolve visibly faltered once more.
"I-I..."
"Don't just assume a teenager is in school," Kaminari said with a huff. "You have no idea what's going on with their lives, that's just rude and insensitive." Iida winced, looking aghast at the realization Kaminari's words spawned. He didn't have a chance to act on them more though, because at that moment Kaminari threw a smoke bomb at the ground and the alley filled with smoke.
Kyouka took off running instantly, charging through the smoke to race past him. As they did she heard a pop and Iida shouting in surprise, and Kyouka guessed Kaminari had thrown one of his expanding foam pellets at the speedster. It wouldn't stick to people like the sticky bombs, but the foam had a tendency to harden surprisingly fast once exposed to air. While it didn't become quite solid, moving through it was still a pain.
It would probably only give them a few seconds' head start, but hopefully that would be enough. They both darted deeper into the alleys, taking nearly every turn they saw. Sirens now sounded not too far away, only adding to the urgency. As they ran Kyouka eyed the walls around them. "Do you know if any of the heroes stick to rooftops?" she asked.
"Don't think so, but how'll we get up there?" Kaminari asked.
"Give me a boost," Kyouka replied, and he shot her a curious look but nodded. He sprinted a bit ahead of her and spun to face her with his hands held low for her to use as a step. She hopped onto his palms and he swung them upwards, giving her a brief boost that only lifted her halfway to the rooftop. Kyouka didn't let that stop her though, pressing her middle and ring finger against her thumb on both hands before slamming her right palm against the wall.
In the pursuit of making gear to mimic Quirks, one of Hatsume's innovations had been what they had nicknamed "Gecko Mode." When her palm slapped the wall it stuck, leaving her dangling by one hand. It put a lot of strain on her arm, her muscles protesting more than she'd expected, but she managed to yank herself upwards and slap her other hand against the wall above the first.
Below her Kaminari gave a whoop of appreciation, but Kyouka couldn't return the sentiment because of what they had to do next. "Grab my legs and hold on!" she ordered reluctantly, and he jolted in surprise before scrambling to do as told.
The gloves did a great job at keeping her on the wall as he jumped and wrapped his arms around her legs, his added weight dragging her down painfully. She grimaced as her arms protested the position even more, but ignored the pain as she peeled away her lower palm with no small amount of effort in order to keep climbing.
Scaling the wall took about thirty seconds total, an awkward ordeal since she could only use her hands. Even if Kaminari hadn't been holding her legs, her boots had no adhesive function. As it stood, his weight made it way more straining on her arms. She reached the top with no small amount of relief, practically collapsing as she pulled herself over the edge of the roof.
Fortunately for her the motion pulled Kaminari even closer to the edge, and he managed to grab it and pull himself up the rest of the way. Kyouka gasped as she collapsed onto the roof, her arms more sore than they had felt in years. She couldn't regret her decision though, because not even thirty seconds later they heard movement from below.
Neither of them dared speak or move to look as they listened to someone run through the alley. By this point the sirens had grown louder, and they had no doubt it was a Pro Hero or police officer. Kaminari turned to look at her, silently asking something, but Kyouka felt too tired to try to parse what that look meant. She curled up panting in exhaustion, glaring at her too-sore arms.
Too close. This had been way too close. Every aspect of this encounter had been infinitely more dangerous than all their other patrols, from the villain herself to the kid and Iida, and all the way to the response time of the Pro Heroes. Even in their own world with proper gear and support, that fight would have been tough.
But they'd done it, they'd won.
She'd love to stop and rest, but they had to move. Heroes would be searching the area for a while yet, and it wouldn't take long to go to the roof. To that end she forced herself to her feet, the pair trudging towards the stairwell in silence. When they got closer she tried the doorknob and scowled when it didn't budge. She'd rather not jump from rooftop to rooftop looking for an open stairwell.
As she glared at it Kaminari nudged her aside. "Let me try," he said, and she did just that. He grabbed the handle with one hand and pushed down on it harshly while slamming the door above it with his other palm, and with a click the handle turned. Kyouka stared dumbly as he opened the door and spun to her with an obviously proud smile. "Ta-dah!"
"...How did you know to do that?" she asked, and he froze.
"I... have no idea," he said slowly. For a second they just stood there, but then she sighed and trudged inside, Kaminari following in silence. They descended the stairs quietly, wary of witnesses as they silently tried to figure out what to do. As they reached the landing with a door to the third floor Kyouka plugged her earphone jack into the wall next to it. No one seemed to be in the hallway, so she opened it a crack and peeked out.
She froze, not believing her eyes. "...Kaminari," she said slowly. "Look." He shot her a curious look but peered out, and then he froze too, because that hall?
It was Kaminari's apartment building.
They both stared dumbly, trying to process the sight. Kaminari's apartment was on the second floor, but the layout of this hallway was identical down to the color of the walls. For a moment neither of them moved, just staring.
"...You know," she finally said, her voice sounding weirdly faint even to her own ears, "You're exactly the kind of guy who'd hang out on a roof."
"I am, aren't I," Kaminari said softly. Neither of them really knew what else to say, so they just descended to the second floor and went to his apartment.
Notes:
Giant battle scene! It was fun to write. Less fun: coming up with the title. Why did I decide to title each chapter, why.
Also anyone who wanted Iida—here you go! In this world Iida is basically an intern so he does have limited permission to use his Quirk to protect others. The idea of some students dropping out of school is totally alien to him.
Question for next time: What are the worst alternative names you can think of for Quirks that still describe them? (E.g. "Alien Sweat" for Ashido/Acid, "Boom-Boom Hands" for Bakugou/Explosion, etc.)
Chapter 43: Cats and Birds
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 43
.::Cats and Birds::.
Hitoshi would be lying if he claimed he'd never felt more uncomfortable than he did right now, but in the moment he found it pretty hard to believe that.
That evening had started normal enough. After dinner (which was always a stressful affair for him), Midoriya came by with Bakugou to talk strategy. Just to be safe they'd loaded up Mario Kart and took turns playing it while discussing their plans. Since they only had two controllers Hitoshi ended up letting them play for the most part, seeing as the damn muzzle kept him from communicating while holding the controller. It kind of spoiled the mood for him, reminding him even more of his predicament.
Still, playing it turned to be a good idea in the end because during the third round Shigaraki fucking Tomura had suddenly entered the room. Apparently he'd gotten curious about them playing Mario Kart so much and wanted to check it out. And then the villain had joined them, even going out of his way to retrieve two more controllers so all four of them could play.
Which brought them to the present.
"Tch, stupid banana peels," Shigaraki grumbled, glaring at the TV screen with a look of intense concentration as his racer swerved around a peel. Hitoshi felt his heart pounding as his own racer trailed not far behind, shooting Midoriya a look of 'why the actual fuck would you use that!?' behind the villain's back. Did he really want to risk pissing Shigaraki off!? To his credit the green-haired boy looked sheepish at the look, and mouthed a silent "sorry" but it did little to assuage Hitoshi's frayed nerves.
Never had Hitoshi felt so tense playing a game. Not because he wanted to win, but because he really didn't want to piss off the villain by doing so. He had no idea what could trigger Shigaraki, and judging by how rigid Bakugou looked he felt the same. Their competitive streak had taken a backseat, each now more focused on not pissing off Shigaraki.
The only one who looked remotely comfortable was Midoriya, and even then he still shot them guilty looks since he'd been the one who (very enthusiastically) agreed to Shigaraki joining them. Those guilty looks did little to assuage Hitoshi's bad mood.
To be fair, Hitoshi knew that Midoriya had no reason to protest. As far as Shigaraki was concerned they were brothers and had a really good bond, and Midoriya needed to keep up that image no matter how he might feel. The green-haired boy had plastered on a big smile as he exclaimed how fun it would be to play with "Tomu-nii and my friends" at the offer, and then briefly hyperventilated after Shigaraki left to retrieve the controllers.
Honestly, it was a miracle Shigaraki hadn't picked up on anyone else's tension. Sitting so close to the man brought back memories of that first day when Hitoshi woke up here, of the panic at realizing he couldn't move his jaw. His grip tightened on the controller as he shoved away the memory, trying to ignore the now-familiar feeling of metal against his face.
The race ended with Midoriya snagging first place. Even he looked shocked by this development, considering he tended to finish closer to last. "How?" he whispered, sounding genuinely confounded. Shigaraki just snorted, lips pulling into an ugly scowl as he started to reach for his neck with his good hand before stopping himself.
"It's because those two are holding back," he grumbled, and Hitoshi tensed. Shit, he did notice, and it clearly pissed him off. He held his breath, but Shigaraki didn't bother even looking at him as he spoke. "Screw it, let's play a different game."
"We only have Mario Kart in here though," Midoriya said feebly, and Shigaraki got up with a grunt.
"Then I'll get some others. Wait here." He didn't wait for a response before leaving, and as soon as the door closed all three teens slumped in their seats.
"Shit, being so close to that fucker is hell for my nerves," Bakugou grumbled, and Hitoshi had to agree.
"I'm so sorry guys," Midoriya said, but they knew he couldn't do anything. None of them had predicted Shigaraki would want to play with them, but then again, the villain probably wanted to bond with Midoriya some more. They should have realized it was a possibility and planned for it.
Had he not been so on edge, Hitoshi might have suggested using this to their advantage and try to get on the villain's good side. Getting his trust would only help them in the long run. As it stood though, he was busy enough just trying not to have a panic attack. He hated this mess, he just wanted to go home and never worry about this ever again.
The door opened and the villain returned with more games. "Alright, I got Meteor Mine, Lunaris Dream, Peek-a-Boo and Neko Café Manager. Which one do you want to play?" The selection got some odd looks from the teens. Hitoshi had heard of them, and they didn't seem like Shigaraki's taste at all. Meteor Mine was about mining in space, Lunaris Dream was some sort of multiplayer puzzle platform game, Peek-a-Boo had you playing as ghosts spooking people, and Neko Café Manager was, well, managing a café manned by cats.
The others seemed to agree, and Midoriya voiced the question on everyone's minds. "Why those?"
"Because your party is too wimpy to actually try in PVP, and these games have us work together," Shigaraki replied testily, and ah. He'd been annoyed by them holding back, so he found a compromise that would let them play without playing against each other. Hitoshi felt a bit sheepish, but honestly relieved. Working together would be much better for his nerves.
A few rounds of Neko Café Manager later, he retracted his thought.
"Deku, hurry up and fill that coffee already!" Bakugou yelled in frustration.
"I'm going as fast as I can!" Midoriya responded, and then yelped, "Tomura, the cake!"
"Shit!" Shigaraki hissed, his avatar rushing back to the oven where the cake burned. Meanwhile Hitoshi just focused intently on prepping all the cookie ingredients currently on the counter before whisking it away to another counter to shove in another oven and send it out. He had to maneuver around Bakugou's character on the return, the blond cursing as they spent precious seconds getting around each other.
Tension had risen in the room once more for entirely different reasons now, everyone focused on trying to keep up with the demand. The game had them not only preparing food but also tending to customers before they got annoyed and left, making for a hectic pace. When the time ran out all of them quietly sighed and let themselves relax. For a game about running a café staffed by cute cats, it turned out to be more difficult than Hitoshi had expected.
That just made the three stars that appeared on the screen all the more satisfying.
"Damn right we got three stars," Bakugou said with a vicious grin. "We're fucking awesome!"
"Let's see if we can keep up the streak for next round," Shigaraki said, and all of them nodded and picked up their controllers as he selected the next level. Midoriya hummed when the preview image showed the inside of a boat on water with colorful lanterns lining the tables.
"Oh, looks like we're on a boat this time!" he said. "That's neat!"
Hitoshi swore he felt a sudden pang of dread at those words, a cold chill of foreboding prickling down his spine as the level loaded. It only grew as the water grew darker and less calm, all of them growing more serious and focused as they noted the change.
Soon enough that dread proved well-founded, as a sudden flash of lightning had rain pouring over the level. "Is the furniture SLIDING!?" Midoriya yelped. Hitoshi made a muffled sound of annoyance as the trashcan in the kitchen started sliding away, forcing him to chase after it to dump a plate. It seemed everything but the kitchen counters, dining tables and occupied chairs were liable to move.
"DAMMIT, THE CUSTOMERS ARE LEAVING FASTER!" Bakugou yelled as one of the customers got up and left, the timers above their heads running down quicker than before. He cursed even more when in the few seconds he spent moving around an empty chair that slid away from its table, the oven he'd been rushing towards started burning.
The chaotic scramble only grew from there, more and more ovens catching fire as they scrambled to navigate around the shifting furniture and talk to customers before the rain made them leave. Halfway through the level the storm died down and the kitchen and dining area no longer had shifting furniture, which was probably the only reason they didn't all succumb to the stress. The customers' timers didn't return to normal though, keeping the sense of urgency present.
When the round finally ended they all slumped in their seats with exhausted groans. Then they all glared and shouted when only two stars showed up on the screen.
"Oh, come on!" Shigaraki growled. "We totally should've had three stars!"
"We did let a lot of stuff burn," Midoriya pointed out meekly. "And also missed a few orders after the storm started..." Shigaraki scowled and grumbled under his breath.
"We're doing a redo," he ordered, and they all nodded, sitting up straighter and focusing on the screen with renewed determination. This time they managed to navigate the level better since they knew what to expect, and the three stars at the end gave them all a surge of satisfaction. From that point on, keeping those three stars proved harder and harder though, and they had to replay some levels a few times to finally get it.
Eventually, during their fourth time replaying a level that involved dodging lava (don't ask) the door suddenly opened, startling them all. "Dammit!" Shigaraki hissed as a pot caught on fire, while Hitoshi twisted to see... was that guy made of mist?
"I apologize for the interruption, but it is almost curfew," the stranger intoned flatly. "It is time for Bakugou to return to his room." Shigaraki growled in irritation, while Midoriya just looked surprised.
"Already?" he asked, and frowned as he glanced back at the screen. "I guess we all lost track of time from playing, it's not like there's a clock in here, so..." He trailed off as they watched the timer run out on the level.
"Shit," Shigaraki muttered as a single star appeared, but Hitoshi barely paid any attention. He was more focused on the furry black bundle in the misty guy's arms, slowly reaching for his phone and opening the text-to-speech app.
"Is that a cat?" the electronic voice asked, getting everyone's attention. Midoriya perked up as he belatedly noticed the bundle of fur held by the newcomer.
"It is," Mist Guy confirmed, and gave what Hitoshi thought was a pointed look at Shigaraki.
"Oh, right," he muttered, reaching for his neck with his good hand before flinching and quickly lowering it. "Forgot about that."
"Forgot about what?" Midoriya asked, and the villain grunted as he got up, walking over to stand by the other man.
"Kurogiri says that humans aren't actually pets and that might be 'traumatic,'" he rolled his eyes, "so he suggested we get you a cat." He gestured to the feline who poked its head up with a soft mew, and Hitoshi was officially in love.
"Oh, I... see?" Midoriya sounded faintly confused, but then quickly offered the mist guy—Kurogiri, and how did Hitoshi not figure that out?—a smile as he walked over to take the cat. "Thanks, Kurogiri." He returned to the bed and sat next to Hitoshi, allowing him to see the cat up close. It looked a little older than a newborn kitten but not quite full grown yet, mostly black with some white on the toes almost like little socks and bright blue eyes.
Yep, Hitoshi loved this cat.
He reached out to scratch its chin, the feline accepting the touch easily. Even Blasty seemed to like the cat too; at the very least, he wasn't scowling at it. He had a weirdly soft frown, if you could call it that, as he half-glared at the cat. "What should we name it?" Midoriya asked.
"Her name is Sushi," Kurogiri interjected, and they all paused.
"What kind of name is Sushi?" Bakugou questioned incredulously. Kurogiri didn't bother responding to the question.
"Since Shigaraki forgot to tell you," he said instead, shooting another pointed look at the villain, "we'll delay curfew another few minutes so you can get acquainted with Sushi."
"Hah, the games were more interesting," Shigaraki muttered dismissively. "You guys aren't bad, for casuals." Midoriya had to all but throw Sushi into Hitoshi's lap so he could grab Bakugou before the blond could launch at him. Luckily the villain either didn't notice the attempted attack or didn't care, not bothering to look back as he headed to the door. "Later." Hitoshi nodded absently, attention focused on the purring feline in his lap, while Midoriya watched for a moment before releasing his grip on Bakugou's arms and standing up.
"Hey, Tomura-nii?" he called hesitantly, and the villain paused, turning to eye him questioningly. Hitoshi would have frozen under that stare, finding the man's gaze unnerving even if he wasn't actively glaring or trying to be menacing. Midoriya had none of that fear though, just calmly meeting the older male's gaze as he asked, "Um, c-can Hijack maybe be allowed to leave his room?"
Hitoshi was so busy petting Sushi and marveling at Midoriya's ability to maintain his cool that it took a second for the question to register, and once it did he did an actual double-take. His head swiveled to look back at the villain, freezing when he found narrow red eyes focused at him. He felt like a deer in the headlights, only able to stare back wide-eyed until Shigaraki finally turned back to Midoriya.
"Why?" he asked shortly, and Midoriya started to fidget nervously.
"W-well, it's just, we're just getting along really well now, right? We're really becoming friends. But, this room is so—so small. And, and it's not fair that he's stuck in here while Kacchan and I can walk around whenever we want. So I thought maybe he could be allowed to walk around too, y'know. And I don't expect you to agree to let us wander around unsupervised!" he added hastily. "I figure we could have the same rules as Kacchan, and... leave the muzzle," he finished lamely.
The last part made Hitoshi almost wince, all-too-aware of the metal pressing against his face. Even so he still turned back to Shigaraki though, waiting for his response eagerly. The villain continued to eye Izuku silently, his expression impossible to read, but finally, after what felt like hours, he nodded.
"Fine," he said simply, and Hitoshi felt his breath leave all at once.
What? Did he just... agree?
"He can't leave without an adult though," Shigaraki continued gruffly. "And no, Toga does not count. He's got the same curfew as the explosive brat, but you can't let him anywhere near your phone or laptop. Got it?"
"Got it!" Midoriya agreed with a bob of his head, a bright smile breaking across his face. "Thank you so much, Tomu-nii!" Shigaraki just grunted as he turned and left, not bothering to say good bye to Hitoshi or Bakugou. The misty guy moved aside to let him out and followed him, leaving the other two teens to linger a few moments more in privacy along with Sushi.
Once they left Midoriya let his smile fall and his shoulders slumped tiredly. "Sorry you both had to deal with that," he apologized quietly. "I know you guys don't want to spend any time around him..." That was the understatement of the century, but Hitoshi just settled for a half-hearted shrug.
"It's fine, not like you could tell him to buzz off," Bakugou muttered, and paused before adding, "That was... fun." He looked like he had to force himself to admit the words, his face screwing up in irritation at it. Had Hitoshi not been muzzled, he probably would have made some smart-ass comment like, "Aw, so you do like us."
As it stood though, he still felt mildly shocked by how the evening had actually ended. He just stared at Midoriya, wishing he could say something but not knowing what. The green-haired boy met his gaze and smiled feebly. "Uh, well, at least we got him to agree to letting you out, right?"
Even if he hadn't been muzzled Hitoshi doubted he'd know what to say, for now he could only nod in agreement. He could leave. Starting tomorrow, he could finally leave this room, finally explore the base. He wasn't free, he couldn't go outside and he'd have to be shadowed by villains, and he still had the damn muzzle, but—
He was one step closer to freedom.
Sushi released a plaintive meow, reminding them she existed. Hitoshi resumed scratching behind her ears, getting a content purr in response. Contentment flowed through him at the cat's pleasure, feeling some of the tension fade from his shoulders. For his part Midoriya smiled, looking a little relieved and happy as he watched them.
"And now we got a cat," he added, and there was a brief pause as the gravity of the situation settled over them. They now had a cat. Another living being completely dependent on them for survival in this hellhole full of villains and other evil people.
"...We're gonna have to smuggle it out too, aren't we?" Bakugou asked flatly.
"Yep," Midoriya said with a sigh. "At least it'll be easier than breaking out Eraserhead... We can probably just carry Sushi inside a bag or something."
"Are we gonna keep calling it that stupid name?"
"I mean, I don't have any better ideas. Hijack?" Midoriya glanced at him but Hitoshi just shrugged, attention fully focused on Sushi again. He had spent years wanting to name a cat and had a full list of options, but now that he actually had one he was totally content to just go with whatever.
That, and he'd rather not upset Kurogiri. The man seemed calm, he'd rather not risk finding out what he was like if he had a temper.
"...Tch, whatever," Bakugou scoffed. "I don't care anyway. Keep the dumb name or whatever. But just a heads up, that Magician Reject is probably going to insist on giving us a tour again. Just be ready for it." Hitoshi perked to attention and nodded more seriously now. He didn't know which villain was the "Magician Reject" but he remembered they specifically mentioned some guy named "Mr. Compress" had led the tour so he assumed that was him.
It occurred to him that despite Midoriya filling them in on the Alliance's members and their Quirks, he still had no idea what each one looked like. He hadn't seen any villains besides Shigaraki, Toga and a handful of thugs whom he'd rather not think about. Everyone in this place was an unfamiliar stranger—no, more than that, they were all threats.
As of tomorrow, he'd be walking straight into enemy territory. He had no idea how they would react to a vigilante walking around, even if he had another villain shadowing him. The thought filled him with a pang of dread, but at the same time he'd be able to leave this fucking cell. That alone was enough to make him overcome his anxiety.
Still, the realization was sobering, and he pulled Sushi a little closer while Midoriya began mumbling to himself. "Well, this is a big step at least. I guess the next step will be to convince them to let you guys visit Eraserhead with me...? They might be against it since they still don't trust either of you much, but at the same time Eraserhead obviously can't do anything, so they might let it slide... And if you guys are part of my 'party' it'd only make sense I'd want to let you see my... my pet, I guess, even if I hate using that term..."
Hitoshi lost track of the quiet rambling, attention instead drawn to Bakugou who quietly growled in irritation. "We'll figure out more details later," he muttered lowly, and Hitoshi nodded back before the blond turned to Midoriya. "Oi, Deku! Save the mumbling for later! We need to go before the misty fucker gets tired of waiting and barges back in!"
His sharp rebuke served to snap Midoriya out of his trance-like state, startling back into reality as he glanced at the door. "O-oh, right... Yeah, you're right. Kurogiri's probably waiting for us to take you back to your cell. I guess we'll see you tomorrow, Hijack," he added, turning back to Hitoshi. "Oh, do you want us to leave Sushi?"
Hitoshi didn't feel like picking up a whiteboard or using the phone to respond, so he silently settled for a nod, waving with the hand not currently stroking Sushi. Midoriya gave him a meek, half-hearted smile as he returned it with a nod of his own, letting it fade as he headed to the door while quietly muttering to himself once more. Hitoshi didn't bother trying to listen this time, instead turning to Bakugou who had looked his way while following the green-haired boy.
"See you tomorrow," he said with a nod, and Hitoshi nodded back. It was a brisk sort of farewell, but coming from the temperamental blond it was pretty nice considering he didn't use any nicknames this time. The door closed behind them and Hitoshi heard the familiar click of the lock, at which point he flopped onto his back with a sigh.
...He hated this.
He hated being stuck here.
He hated having no say in his future, no choice in his meals or where he could go or what he could do. He hated having only a couple of random books and a pilfered Switch to keep himself occupied, hated that this room had become his entire world, that he couldn't do anything but sit around and wait for Midoriya to finally visit. He hated that he couldn't get himself out of this situation, that it had taken Midoriya to finally get him out of this tiny cell, and that he still needed to wait for Midoriya to save him.
The only remotely decent thing to come out of this mess was that he now had a cat, but even that was a small consolation. The cat belonged to Midoriya, not him, and even if it did belong to him it could be used against him. Not by Midoriya—he'd been around the other boy long enough to realize he didn't have a single malicious bone in his body—but these people were called the Villain Alliance for a reason.
Hitoshi wouldn't go as far to say he wanted to go home, only because he hadn't had a place he could call "home" in years. He'd been living on the streets constantly on the move since middle school, never staying in one place for long enough to get comfortable.
But he had some cities he liked, some that had become familiar even as he kept moving from building to building. Cities where he had earned trust from strangers as he saved them time and time again, where he'd found people he could trust. People he'd come to view as friends, as family, who had proven themselves trustworthy time and time again, and supported his drive to do good even if he couldn't go to school to become a Pro Hero anymore.
He wanted to get out, find them, and then get the hell away from here. He would happily give up his life as a vigilante if it meant never having to wear this damn muzzle ever again.
He never should have come back to Nabu.
Right now, Dabi felt grateful he could not will fire into existence just by looking at things. He felt grateful because if he could, his phone would be nothing but a pile of ash, and probably take his hand with it considering the device was currently in his palm.
Once again, Shouto rejected his call.
Dabi had mostly stopped trying to call the damn brat because at this point he didn't expect it to change, but it still pissed him off. He was this close to sending a text message demanding he say something to at least confirm he was alive, but leaving a written trail like that would be too risky. Call him paranoid, but he'd learned that paranoia saved lives in this messed-up world.
On top of that, he now had a second brat to worry about. The girl he'd met on Friday had finally texted him to let him know she'd made it to Nabu safely. And he was damn glad about it. He'd been about to make some calls to get someone to make sure she hadn't gotten herself killed when the text arrived, sparing him from a guaranteed headache. He'd prefer to have heard her, but he doubted villains would bother texting a random number claiming to be her.
(Also, he'd finally realized he did know the name Midoriya Izuku. It had been years since he'd heard it, but if that girl said she was now staying with his sister... She was safe. Kinda. Probably.)
(...Eh, as long as she didn't stray into a lab or try to hurt the other kid, Aiko wouldn't kill her and that was good enough.)
So now, that left just one issue: Shouto.
His lips curled into a scowl at the thought. He knew the kid wouldn't answer his phone any time soon, and he still had no leads on where to find the damn brat. At this point, Dabi had to admit defeat. Searching for him on his own wasn't working, it was time to call in help. Dabi had three people he absolutely trusted, and all of whom he'd rather not call for varying reasons.
If he had any choice, he'd just avoid them entirely, but he'd exhausted all other options. He'd already taken the plunge and called one, which was why he currently sat on a box on the rooftop of a warehouse on an old wharf at ten at night. Believe him, he didn't want to be sitting next to the ocean was it was below freezing; the cold breeze coming over the water only made him even more irritated.
As he glowered at his phone he heard the familiar beat of wings behind him. He didn't bother turning around, just pocketed his phone with an annoyed grumble. "You're late," he said testily in lieu of a greeting.
"Sorry, it's hard for me to move around without someone noticing me," came the smooth reply behind him. "I can't exactly take off my wings or put on a disguise or anything." Dabi turned to glare at the bastard, conveying his irritation and apathy.
Hawks definitely stood out even outside his costume thanks to his bright red wings. At the moment he wore mostly casual clothes, hands shoved in his pockets as he strolled over to sit on another box net to him. If Dabi's glare bothered him he didn't let it show, just nodding at him with a lazy-looking smile. "Sorry it took so long to meet up, you know how busy it gets."
"Yeah, yeah," Dabi muttered, rolling his eyes as he turned back to face the ocean. He had actually called the blond on Sunday, but thanks to his busy schedule it had been a pain in the ass to actually get time to meet. Dabi might have all the free time in the world, but Hawks's hero work gave him the opposite problem. "Guessing things're finally picking up for you then, huh."
"A bit," Hawks chuckled, his smile taking on a wry edge. "The time off's been nice, but won't lie, it's been pretty rough sometimes. Letting Endeavor's youngest son disappear under your watch tends to tank people's trust in you. I do not appreciate all the extra scrutiny."
Dabi just grunted, unsympathetic . "You didn't have to go along with it," he pointed out mildly.
"Yeah, well, it worked out in the end," Hawks responded with an easy shrug. "Thanks to the reputation hit it'll make it easier for me to convince the Alliance I'm legit about wanting to join—which, by the way, I'm still waiting on that contact info from you," he added with a sly glance. When Dabi just rolled his eyes he shrugged and continued, "And besides, you're not a bad guy. The kid's safe and sound, and that's all that matters."
"...Yeah, about that," Dabi said, and Hawks froze, slowly turning to stare at him.
"...Dabi. What happened."
"Honestly, I have no fucking idea," he groaned, face twisting into a scowl as he glared at the ocean. "One morning I wake up, and the kid just ices me over and runs. Haven't heard a word from him since." Hawks just continued to stare, head slowly tilting to the side.
"And why would he do that? Did you guys have a fight or something?"
"I don't know!" Dabi nearly threw up up his arms in exasperation. "I wasn't even awake for a full minute. I said literally two words, just a basic 'good morning' and then bam. Trapped in a miniature glacier and the brat's already making a beeline for the door." He shook his head, turning to face Hawks with a heavy frown. "And that was three weeks ago." The hero's eyes widened, recognizing the urgency of the situation.
To his credit Hawks recovered from his shock quickly, sliding into a more professional demeanor fitting of a Pro Hero. "Are you sure he hasn't been kidnapped or influenced by a villain?"
"Two things. One, he still has his phone. He won't answer it," Dabi added through gritted teeth, "but sometimes it's on, and sometimes I just go straight to voice mail. Sometimes he even rejects the call. Kidnappers would just ditch it entirely, so I'm betting it's him being an idiot. And two, he can make a fucking glacier by stomping his foot." He stated it in the most deadpan tone possible for emphasis. "Can you really see anyone kidnapping him?"
"...Okay, point," Hawks conceded with a nod. "It would be pretty hard to restrain him without him making a scene. My wings still feel cold sometimes when I think about the escape," he muttered under his breath with a small grimace. Given Dabi's scars still felt sore sometimes after the rudest wakeup call in history, he could relate. Another reason to smack his bratty brother for being an idiot when he finally found him.
"Besides, if he did get captured by a villain, word would've spread through the underworld by now," he continued casually. "And that contact of mine you oh so desperately want to meet would call me the second they heard about him. Actually, strike that," he corrected himself. "They'd call me asking if I wanted them to slaughter everyone responsible, and if I wanted to come along."
"...Okay, I am starting to feel very concerned about this contact," Hawks said after a few moments, and in other circumstances Dabi might have laughed. As it stood he just chuckled and shook his head with an almost vicious smirk.
"Trust me, you don't know the half of it. I have no idea what kind of childhood they had, but whatever happened left them screwed up in the weirdest ways possible. Wouldn't call them a psychopath or flat-out evil, but they're definitely missing a screw when it comes to basic morality, and it's only gotten worse. The only reason I keep in touch with them is because we knew each other way back before everything went to shit and I know they like me. They're definitely someone you'd prefer as an ally than an enemy."
There was a reason Dabi had decided to call Hawks for help instead of the other two. Though he knew they would only want to help and protect Shouto, he knew from experience that some people took more extreme measures than others. While he would definitely want to hurt anyone who dared lay a hand on his baby brother, he'd also prefer to avoid traumatizing him with the knowledge that a bunch of people died gruesome and excruciatingly painful deaths for doing so.
And while only one of those two people would actually go on a bloody rampage, they were close enough that she'd inevitably hear about it anyway.
(Seriously, he pitied ANYONE who got on Aiko's bad side.)
For now he just shoved the thought away. "Look, either way it doesn't matter. Shouto's out there, and there's definitely something going on because there's no reason for him to attack me like that. And I'm not saying that to try to deflect guilt or responsibility or anything like that," he added with a pointed look. "I've been wracking my brain for the past three weeks trying to figure out what the hell could have set him off, and I've got nothing. I have no idea what the hell set him off or why he's avoiding me now."
Hawks listened with a grim look, his eyes narrow and calculating as he shook his head. "No, I get it, something's definitely weird here. I may not know your guys' dynamic that well, but to run off completely alone and not contact you for three weeks—he knows how dangerous that is, even if you guys were fighting. So you don't have to convince me of anything. I'll be pretty busy, but I can at least keep an ear out for rumors about him inside the Pro community. See if I can divert them if I can."
"That's exactly what I hoped for," Dabi said with a sigh, feeling some of the weight lift from his shoulders. He already had a line to the underworld, but having someone to help with the hero side would be even better. If the Pros found Shouto, no way they'd let him escape again.
"The timing is weird though," Hawks mused to himself, and the remark made Dabi pause, his eyes narrowing.
"What're you talking about?" he asked, and Hawks hummed as he pulled out his phone.
"Over the last couple of weeks some kids have run away. I know that's getting more and more common, but today two of them ran away while under hero watch. There was a big distraction and everything, and they don't know why. It's getting folks worked up." As he spoke he passed the phone to Dabi, the screen displaying two teenagers: a girl with pink skin and hair, and a plainer looking boy with black hair and red eyes.
"They look like they're Shouto's age," he commented idly. He didn't feel any real emotion towards them, he'd never seen either of them before.
"It gets weirder," Hawks said, making Dabi glance at him curiously. "I'm pretty tight with another hero at the agency that was supposed to be watching them, and he told me the girl was apparently in contact with another girl who ran away last week. Similar story: zero motive we can figure out, no warning signs that she might want to leave, clearly premeditated with all the effort... There's been a pretty frantic hunt since her family's pretty rich, we're worried villains might hold her for ransom. If you swipe left there should be a picture of her."
Dabi nodded absently as he slid his finger across the screen, only to freeze when a very familiar face stared up at him. Brat number two looked almost unrecognizable with her natural brown hair and lack of disguise, but those eyes and blush marks made it impossible to mistake her for someone else.
His lips curled back in a frown, his eyes narrowing. "Yeah, there's something up alright," he muttered under his breath. Call him paranoid, but he felt like there might be something bigger going on than either of them realized.
Notes:
Enter: Hawks! Everyone's been wondering about him, and here he is! Also, I was going to keep Dabi's contact vague, but screw it. I'm just confirming it now: Dabi and Aiko know each other.
For those wondering, Neko Café Manager is a parody of Overcooked 2. I originally had that, but then I realized that after 200 years there will be other games, so you get this instead! (The level here is based on one of the sky levels.) Sushi the cat was a very last-minute addition. It started as a joke on Discord that I'd add a dog just to prove I wouldn't kill it off, but in MHA cats feel much more fitting. Then when I needed a name, I realized... Sushi.
This brings up an important question: there is a certain MAJOR spoiler involving Kurogiri's past that I want to address in this story. Manga readers and Vigilantes fans know what I'm talking about, and chances are if you follow a certain ship you've already heard about this due to all the fan fics and fan art involving it.
But for anime-only fans, would you be okay with me spoiling this MAJOR detail about Kurogiri's past?
Chapter 44: Montage Thursday
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 44
.::Montage Thursday::.
When trapped in another dimension, one would expect every day to be fraught with tension and anxiety as one tried to figure out what the hell happened and how to get home.
After experiencing multiverse theory firsthand though, the students of Class 1-A could firmly debunk this.
"Yeesh, we only just got back to patrolling and we're already taking a day off," Denki muttered as he sprawled on his couch with his phone. He had no one around to listen to his quiet complaints, Jirou currently taking a shower in the bathroom. Had she been around to hear him she probably would have told him off, talk about how they needed to keep a low profile today, but... she wasn't here, so he could just ruminate to himself all he wanted.
Their encounter with that villain yesterday had been splashed all over the local news sites, and even a couple national ones. While they'd been steadily growing their reputation before, that fight had made their name skyrocket into mainstream awareness. Apparently Team Idaten had been trying to catch that woman for a while, so the fact that two vigilantes had taken her down had naturally caused a pretty big uproar.
Though he felt more than ready to go fight again, he knew they needed to tone down their appearances for a couple days. They'd made more than enough of a splash for their purposes, not to mention they'd been seen by Iida. None of the articles mentioned Iida beyond "a heroic bystander that rushed in to rescue the young child" but even that made him remember their final encounter with their class representative while fleeing.
Did Iida know him in this world? Would he recognize Denki's voice without the modifier? Whether he did or not, he at least knew that Denki was a teenager, which he would undoubtedly pass on to the actual Pros at Team Idaten. Would it be enough to make the connection? Would the fake alibi they'd so carefully crafted be enough to divert Pros from recognizing him? He didn't know.
He startled when the bathroom door opened, Jirou stepping out in a long t-shirt and shorts with a towel around her shoulders. She had her phone in hand, lazily tapping at the screen as she walked over to the armchair. "Yo, Taser, you check out this article yet?" she asked as she plopped down, and he frowned as his phone buzzed with a text from her containing a link.
"No, haven't seen that one," he said even as he opened it. When it loaded, it... didn't seem all that impressive, honestly. It was some smaller local news site he'd already seen, just a different article about the incident. He started scrolling the page haphazardly but didn't see anything noteworthy, and was about to exit out when he noticed a picture that made him freeze.
Dead-center was a photo of an EMT next to an ambulance not far from the battle, and what was very obviously a young child sitting on a gurney. The child's face had been blacked out for safety reasons, but Denki recognized the red coat as the toddler they'd seen yesterday. He turned his attention to the actual text with renewed focus, his heart pounding as he read.
Most of it he already knew from other articles. Near the height of the fight the kid had accidentally ended up near the battle thanks to something to do with their Quirk, and had to be saved by a brave bystander. Unlike all the other ones though, this article went into further detail about what happened during the fight.
"The child's mother had also been injured in the initial attack but was conscious, and had been helpless to do anything but watch. 'Those people risked their lives to get that villain away from my baby,' she said. 'Near the very end, when that woman sent that disc at my baby, one of them was standing right in front of him. If they had tried to dodge it would've killed him, but they didn't move an inch. They were ready to take that on and risk getting their legs cut off, just to protect him.
"'I don't know who they are,' she said while holding her child, 'but those two are our heroes.'"
As he read it he felt a swell of warmth, not even noticing the smile that had settled over his face. Those two are our heroes. The words seemed to echo in his soul, filling him with a surge of contentment and pride.
This. This was why he couldn't regret being a vigilante and risking their lives in this crazy world, even if they didn't know if anyone else was actually here to see it.
"We did good," he said quietly, and Jirou hummed in agreement.
Despite her best efforts, Momo found it hard to concentrate in class today as Akino-sensei droned on about weather patterns. Usually she enjoyed his classes, finding his laidback attitude refreshing compared to previous science teachers, but today she just couldn't focus. Her eyes kept straying to the empty desks dotted around the classroom, a familiar sight by now but the room feeling just a bit emptier.
Today everyone had been only able to talk about the big battle between the 1-A Vigilantes and the villainess from yesterday. Momo could only imagine their reactions if they found out the "heroic bystander" listed in so many articles was actually Iida. She herself only knew because he had called her yesterday after school to recount his encounter with the 1-A Vigilantes.
Listening to his account had been simply horrifying. She still got chills as she remembered when he described dashing out to save that child and shoved the vigilante out of the way. How close that energy disc had come to hitting him, only managing to dodge it by the barest of margins. His pants had a rip in the leg, the fabric only just loose enough to leave space between it and his skin while he'd been in motion. That's how close he had come to getting hit.
She couldn't imagine the courage it had taken. Though both of them had been given a chance to be groomed into heroes early on, she hadn't been able to take the final plunge into full training after middle school. The pressure and risk had just been too much, too heavy for her to make the full decision. She hadn't abandoned her childhood dreams completely yet, still kept up some training, but the thought of charging into danger headfirst made her stomach churn anxiously.
But more than that though, she couldn't stop thinking of the one Iida had heard.
A teenage boy. "Taser Brain" was a teenage boy, his voice's pitch on the higher end of the spectrum from what Iida said. Her eyes flitted to the newest desk to be occupied by only a nametag, mouth thinning as Kaminari Denki's face flashed through her mind. Though no one knew Taser Brain's Quirk for sure, he seemed to have a proclivity to electricity-based attacks. And everyone knew Kaminari had one.
Word had already spread that he'd been saved by the 1-A Vigilantes just that very Tuesday. One of their classmates had a parent working for the police, and had been more than eager to pass on this tidbit of information. Apparently there was evidence of them together in the form of security footage, eliminating any doubts that Kaminari might be one of them, but Momo still couldn't help but wonder what if.
Up until now, Momo hadn't really paid much attention to the rumors about the vigilante duo. She had other things to worry about, but after what happened yesterday the few photos of them had been plastered all over the news. It had been the first time she had actually seen them, the first time she paid attention, and the other one—the one who still hadn't been named, the female—her costume...
It made her think of Kyouka.
It felt crazy, but the more she stared at it, the more it felt like something Kyouka would wear. Momo and Kyouka had been friends for a few years now, and of course they'd both talked about what they would do if they ever became Pro Heroes. Kyouka had never gone as far as to draw up a costume design, but she'd talked about her ideas a couple times.
"Something punk-rock," she'd said. "Not too flashy, no skin-tight suits or high heels or anything like that. Maybe just a leather jacket, and obviously headphones for ear protection. I'd need a speaker somewhere to plug my earphone jacks and blast my heartbeat, too, but I don't want it to be too clunky or anything. Maybe on the boots."
The boots.
That had been all Momo could think about when she looked at the photos of the unnamed vigilante, her gaze trained on those chunky-looking boots. No one knew her Quirk just yet, she seemed to have a bit more variety than Taser Brain, but she seemed to have a preference for sound-based attacks. People reported loud electronic screeching from her boots, and other times they reported feeling a blast of what felt like sonic waves from her. It could just be support gear, just like all the other reported effects, but...
Her frown grew, gaze unfocused as she stared at Kyouka's empty desk.
Three weeks ago, Kyouka suddenly stopped coming to class and responding to her text messages. Around the same time, Kaminari Denki missed school for a few days and then showed up acting strange even by his standards. And since then, two vigilantes had suddenly appeared with what seemed like a variety of Quirks on hand, but each having one which closely matched one of the absent teens.
It could be a coincidence, it could just be desperate thinking because she was so worried about her best friend. But Momo couldn't shake the feeling that there was a connection, and she had no idea how to proceed from here.
Snow fell lightly over the streets of Odawara as Todoroki Shouto walked down the street, scarf tugged over his mouth. Today he had Monoma and Ojiro shadowing him, the duo relieving the more temperature-sensitive Asui and Mongoose so they could rest somewhere warm. It was a cold day that had most people seeking shelter, and there was no doubt they'd call off the search soon.
Until then though, Shouji Mezou determined to follow them at a distance, keeping a wary eye on the Todoroki boy. He stood on the rooftop of a strip mall watching them walk below, crouched near a sign so he could easily duck out of sight if they happened to look up. Beside him he could hear Tsuburaba's teeth lightly chattering, rubbing his gloved hands to keep them warm.
"Parasyte, can we please go inside?" he asked softly. "I'm sure Lee and Kaitou can handle themselves fine. They've actually got some training and experience."
"They probably can," Mezou agreed. "But they'll have even better luck if we're there to help." Tsuburaba groaned but didn't try to protest, just kept trying to warm himself. Mezou had no obligation to watch over Todoroki, but he had gotten the call from Nakamura filling him in on the situation. For some reason Todoroki wanted to look for a villain, which naturally unnerved him.
As best as they could guess, Todoroki had been placed under the influence of a Quirk to compel him to look for Gentle Criminal and his sidekick. Mezou had no idea why those two would be the targets. Gentle Criminal had no connection to any villainous organizations that they knew of, and though he'd never met the man, he doubted he would seek Todoroki himself. It just didn't fit with his MO.
The odds of his involvement seemed even lower now that Gentle Criminal and Phantom Shadow had moved on to Hosu. Everyone had been on edge since spying the news footage of the villainous duo fleeing Ingenium yesterday. If he was involved in whatever was happening with Todoroki, it would have been more reasonable to stay in Odawara rather than move. So far Todoroki had yet to find out about the villains' departure, and they'd prefer to keep it that way.
Mezou sighed quietly to himself as the trio turned around a corner, heading to the edge of the roof while gesturing to Tsuburaba that they needed to move. The smaller boy nodded as he followed and breathed out a puff of air over the edge, forming a clear, circular platform in the space between the two buildings. The two hopped on top of it and jumped onto the next building, Tsuburaba taking lead so he could create a path.
As they walked along Mezou let himself stew in his thoughts. He just couldn't stop thinking about why Todoroki had the compulsion to seek out Gentle Criminal specifically. Clearly, they lacked details, but Mezou still felt like there was something... missing, even beyond the general lack of information.
Almost like Nakamura had left out some details while talking to him and only given him the bare bones of the situation.
He didn't know why the older teen would hold something back, but he couldn't get the nagging thought out of his head. It irked him because he had no reason to doubt his senior and he knew that. In the end he couldn't tell if he was just being paranoid which only served to further irritate him, not that he let it show. The only explanation he could think of for his weird mood and doubts was that Todoroki's presence served as some sort of trigger, digging up those memories he'd only just begin to move past.
Had meeting that man really changed him so much?
Ultimately he shelved the thought, focusing his attention on the trio of teens as they came into sight once more. Mezou couldn't explain why this stuck out to him, but for now all he could do was trust his instincts and focus on his task.
Through some miracle, they had done it.
They had finally talked Shittyraki into letting Hijack out of his cell.
Katsuki remained largely quiet as Mr. Compress led him and Eyebags on a second round on of his grand tour, exactly as he'd predicted. Hijack craned his head to look at each door he pointed out, looking like some kind of curious kitten or something. The vigilante still had a muzzle and still needed to be supervised by a villain (and no, Toga did not count, which thank fuck), but fuck if this wasn't a major improvement. Between being in the hallway and the fact he was carrying that dumb cat, Eyebags almost seemed relaxed. Almost.
Katsuki tuned out most of the tour since he'd already heard all this shit before, instead thinking about Deku. Deku had joined them for the first leg of the tour, but while going through the hall with Eraserhead's cell he'd just stared at the door really hard before excusing himself. The nerd probably wanted to go visit him, and Katsuki wouldn't blame him. He needed to earn that guy's trust, and fast.
Like the nerd had started rambling last night, their next step would probably be to convince the villains to let Katsuki and the Purple Wonder join in on the visits to him. No way would they convince the villains to let them remove Hijack's fucking muzzle anytime soon, and they still had no fucking clue on how to remove the fucking bombs strapped to their ankles. Meeting this Eraserhead guy and getting his trust was the only thing they really could do right now. Maybe he'd have some ideas on what to do next.
Either way, as much as he hated it, right now he and Hijack just couldn't do shit towards escaping. They had too many eyes on them, all they could do was act as a soundboard for Deku or suggest stuff for him and that Uraraka chick to look into. Their only ally outside of this shithole was some girl Deku knew that Katsuki had never heard of, and who knew how useful she'd actually be.
Just, the odds were stacked against them, and he knew it. They all knew it.
They had a muzzled vigilante who couldn't use his Quirk, a partial "amnesic" and formerly Quirkless kid who magically developed a fucking strength Quirk that could apparently break his bones, a Pro Hero who had a broken leg and probably PTSD from whatever hellhole he'd been stuck in before getting dragged here, a girl with some weird anti-gravity Quirk or some shit who had JUST run away from home and who only Deku knew, and then Katsuki, who was a fucking badass, thank you very much, but still an untrained teenager.
Oh, and a cat. A plain old useless cat that they now needed to get out too.
Escaping in one piece would be a fucking miracle. No matter what happened, how well they planned, he knew something would go wrong. They were the classic ragtag group of teens going up against a whole organization of villains, and they didn't even know just who they were up against. Deku couldn't remember all the members, they had no idea how that Aiko chick would react, and they had no idea what the fuck Seiko knew or what side she was on—
He had to stop thinking about it now before he started exploding something. Katsuki clenched his jaw and shoved the thoughts away as Magic Man twirled in front of another door. "And this is the bar!" he announced, pushing it open to reveal the bar.
Neither he nor Hijack made any move to pass through the door, just eying the space warily. A whole horde of villains sat around the tables and counter, the air thick with cigarette smoke that made Katsuki's eyes water. He didn't know if it was better or worse that Shigaraki wasn't among them. More than a few shifty-eyed leers turned their way, making him grit his teeth as he glared right back at them.
After several seconds Mr. Compress closed the door with a grandiose shrug as he added, "But of course, you two probably won't ever go there. We know not to hurt you since you're dear Midoriya-kun's friends, but the bar's patronage is a bit more... diverse, I should say, and not all of them quite as amenable to the Alliance's rules. Kurogiri can only keep an eye on so much in the bar, so no need to bog him down with more people."
That suited Katsuki fine. He'd rather not step foot into that fucking cesspool of villain filth and smoke and alcohol, his skin crawled just thinking about it. Hijack didn't say as much obviously but he probably agreed, given how he actually edged a little closer to Katsuki and seemed to hold Sushi tighter. Fuck, Katsuki really hoped none of those freaks recognized him, he didn't know enough about Hijack's career to know.
"Moving on, our tour is almost done, so let's continue!" Discount Magician declared, and basically flounced down the hallway as they followed in silence. At least one good thing had come from the tour: he now knew they absolutely would not be escaping through the bar exit. That was small and obvious, but it was something.
The odds might be stacked against them, but that wouldn't be enough to keep Bakugou Katsuki down.
Going to school without Mina felt strange and quiet.
Kumiko felt weirdly out of her element as she walked into the lunchroom, her best friend's absence more noticeable than ever. She crossed the cafeteria and went straight to their usual table, slipping into her seat with a sigh. Anjou had already sat at her own spot on the other side of the table, busy looking at her phone as always. For a few seconds neither of them spoke, just sat there.
Then Kumiko slumped in her chair with a drawn-out groan, letting her head fall onto the table next to her bento box. "This sucks," she mumbled, and Anjou snorted.
"Missing Ashido already?" she asked.
"Yes," Kumiko groaned.
Don't get her wrong, if Mina was there Kumiko would probably be giving her the silent treatment for being so stupid last Friday. But instead, the girl had actually done it. She had actually up and run away from Kamino, quite possibly never to return. And Kumiko had actually helped her do it, even if it mostly just amounted to not telling anyone everything she'd heard and playing errand girl for Anjou.
All day, other kids at school had been shooting her weird looks, not outright avoiding her or anything but still clearly staring. Gossip spread fast here at Sakakura. Everyone knew about Mina and Kirishima's big vigilante moment before the weekend ended, and it felt like their big escape act became common knowledge before classes even started today. As Mina's best friend, it made sense she'd get a lot of attention.
Kumiko was surprised none of her classmates had asked her anything yet, but also kinda not? It was one of those things that felt weirdly taboo to talk about. That, and what do you say to someone whose best friend ran away? It was just awkward all around.
The police didn't have those reservations though, so she'd spent a good chunk of yesterday after school at the station being questioned. She had followed Anjou's advice as close as she could, never outright lying to the police but not telling the full truth either. No, she had no idea where Mina and Kirishima might have gone. Yes, Mina had been acting a bit weird lately, but it hadn't been a radical change. She did seem really antsy about being stuck inside on house arrest, and also bored.
No, she had no idea why Mina would leave a note saying "my people need me" but that had been such a Mina thing she couldn't help but burst into laughter after hearing about it.
Kumiko definitely wasn't laughing now though. She lifted her head just enough to pool her arms under her chin, looking at Anjou almost blearily. "You're not even gonna talk?" she grumbled irritably, and Anjou shrugged.
"I'm more of a 'deadpan quip to stupid things' kind of girl."
"It's just so weird and quiet!" Kumiko whined, letting her face fall back down into her arms. "It even feels weird that Kiri's not here, and he's only been sitting with us for, like, a week." Anjou just hummed, and if Kumiko didn't know any better she'd say the other girl was just pretending to listen. She did know better though. Despite always being on her phone, Anjou was always paying attention.
That was why Kumiko had decided to go along with this. Anjou wasn't the type of person to impulsively buy into something. She was a cynic through and through, always questioning stuff before making any sort of judgment. If she felt that Mina's ridiculous story might be true enough to develop that whole escape plan, then there had to be something concrete behind her reasoning. Even if she wouldn't tell them anything.
Kumiko pitched her voice her voice low, eyes flitting around the cafeteria to make sure no one was close enough to overhear. "Well, do you think you're still going on that trip tomorrow?" she asked. "The police won't, like, call you in for questioning or something?"
Anjou nodded as she picked at her food, spearing a bit of sushi with her chopsticks. "Yeah, I'm still going. I mentioned it last night and they said I'd be good to go. Hard to tell a poor foster kid she has to cancel her first visit with her estranged older brother since summer break," she added with an eye roll, and popped the sushi into her mouth while Kumiko rolled her own eyes. Yeah, hard to argue with that.
A thought occurred to Kumiko then that had her sitting upright. "Hold on, do you think Mina knows you have a brother?" she asked curiously. Their Mina knew, but whether she actually came from another dimension or not, this one didn't even remember Anjou was a foster kid.
Anjou just smirked, an amused glint to her eye. "Nope," she said, popping the 'p,' and then popped in another piece of sushi.
Kuroe had questions.
He had serious questions for Ran about why two of her friends had to run away from home and hide in his house.
It hadn't been the first time she'd directed runaways to him, but usually kids ran away because they were in danger, or they placed their families in danger. These two though? They had a Pro Hero guarding them full-time. More than that, they had Oracle guarding them, which apparently meant... something.
"He got really close to catching me," his companion sighed over the phone. "I didn't expect HIM to be there. I could've used the warning, I almost had a heart attack."
Kuroe just hummed, phone pressed to his ear as he absently scrolled through programming sites on his laptop. "I didn't know who was watching them," he countered. "Ran didn't give me much details beyond 'some underground hero.' But even then, would he really be able to do anything? His Quirk's what, some sort of future sight?"
"Precognitive reflexes," she corrected almost absently. "Honestly, the name Oracle's always felt a bit much to me. His ability's no where near as impressive as that name makes it sound. Pretty sure he only chose it as a reference to... well, not my place to tell you," she settled, vague as ever. "But it's not that that's got me worked up. He knows me, Kuroe. He'd recognize me in a heartbeat if we fought."
"Even dressed as a guy with green hair?" he replied, lips twitching upwards in a smirk.
"Honestly? Yeah, probably. I don't know, even if he somehow didn't recognize the fighting style, I think... I think my Quirk kinda cancels out his?" She sounded almost frustrated now, uneasy and uncertain. "Like, I don't know. I only realized this in more recent years, you know that, but some Quirks don't work on me the way they should, especially mentalist ones. Some gives us both migraines, some just... work weird, but in his case, it just... never worked. At all. He could never react or predict me."
"How interesting," he drawled half-heartedly. He couldn't really relate, seeing as he had no Quirk, but the bitterness over that had long since faded into apathy. Which was for the better, considering who he was talking to. "Just to double-check, you're talking about your natural one, right?"
"...Yes, I am," she sighed, and muttered almost too quietly for the phone to pick up, "I hate that that's a valid question." Kuroe just snorted and rolled his eyes.
"Anyways, thanks for the help on short notice, even if it turned out to be a bigger risk than you expected."
"Don't mention it, it was fun to use my chemistry knowledge again for once, even if it was just making overpowered smoke bombs." She sounded a bit more chipper now, clearly satisfied. Maybe he'd made a mistake enabling her love of chemistry again, since with this one he knew it was a slippery slope, but hey, it made her happy, which was good enough. "Those kids made it to Odawara safe, right?"
"Yeah, they did," he confirmed, leaning back in his chair so he could glance into the living room. He could see them both sitting in front of his TV, passionately playing a game console he'd bought at a thrift shop on a whim and never really touched. Ashido let out a disappointed wail as Kirishima gave a loud whoop, his sharp teeth on full display as he grinned at the screen. "I think they're trying to murder each other in some game right now, so they're doing okay, I guess."
He could hear her snort in amusement. "My runaway's doing the same thing. Tomura left a game console here a while back, and she loaded up... well I don't know what it is, but she's shooting a lot of demons and she's really enthusiastic. Really did not expect that from such a sweet-looking girl."
Now it was Kuroe's turn to snort. "Sounds kinda like you at that age," he mused. "I mean, obviously I knew something was off with you, seeing as you uppercut Hondou in the jaw the first week we met, and later came up with the whole Endeavor kill formula which still kinda freaks me out. But I still never would've guessed back then that you'd be willing to march into the lair of the biggest bad of all time just to demand a Quirk."
"He already gave me one, so no reason to expect him to refuse again," she replied, voice unusually cool and serious. "I knew my potential value to him, and I knew he'd see it too. It was definitely the riskiest move of my life, and I've definitely made mistakes since then. But given what was at stake, I have no regrets about what I did that day."
Kuroe's smirk grew more wry and rueful, his mood a little more sober.
"I know, Aiko, I know."
Though he'd now been captured by the Villain Alliance, Shouta found little had changed in his daily routine from before. He still spent much of his time alone, the monotony only broken by visits from Izuku to bring food or do whatever else the kid wanted. After rebinding his wrists in front of him the other villains didn't bother showing up to drag him to the bathroom attached to his cell anymore, much to his relief, which left Izuku as his only visitor.
Well, almost the only visitor. Last night some thugs had barged inside to drag him to the bathroom to shower and change the splint. It had been the first time he'd bathed in who knows how long, having only been given two opportunities to clean himself since his captivity began. Those times he'd been supervised while sitting on the floor of the shower wiping away the dirt, but this time they injected him with some sort of muscle relaxant so that he couldn't do anything.
To call it "stressful" would be an understatement. He had to sit on a stool in the shower helplessly while the thugs wiped him down, and they hadn't exactly been gentle while they scrubbed off months' worth of grime, dirt and dried blood. Shouta had been left gritting his teeth a lot as they spent close to an hour dragging the cloth over his bruises and cuts.
The only time they were remotely careful was while handling his broken leg. They cleaned it as carefully as possible (while shoving a towel in his mouth to muffle any screams), and then changed him complete with a new splint. Maybe they felt pity for him, because he was pretty sure the guys had injected him with a painkiller afterwards. Whatever that stuff was, it gave him the best sleep he'd had since coming here because his leg didn't bother him at all for once.
Either way, Shouta would rather not have a repeat of that anytime soon. The sheer vulnerability had left his nerves more frayed than they'd been in a long time. Luckily since he no longer seemed to be at risk of being tortured and couldn't really move much anyway, he doubted he'd get dirty enough to require another shower anytime soon. Which was honestly kind of a shitty way to think about it since even he knew he should bathe regularly for hygiene and health reasons, but in these circumstances it was definitely a luxury.
Since the shower had been just last night, he doubted he'd have any other visitors besides Izuku for the foreseeable future. Hopefully, anyway. Shouta would much rather deal with just him than any of the actual villains, because he actually had a chance at getting the kid to work with him. Building trust would likely be slow going, but after this long in captivity he could be patient.
Between visits from the kid Shouta found himself sleeping rather often for lack of anything else to do. Given he'd just received lunch Shouta didn't expect any more visits for some time and had curled up to take a nap, but when he heard a knock he quietly sighed to himself and forced his eyes to open. He had just gotten comfortable, or as comfortable as one could when sleeping on the hard floor with a broken leg.
It took more willpower than it should to sit up and face the door as it opened, grateful whoever visited had the decency to warn him rather than barge right in. He still had some dignity after all, and he'd rather not be found curled up looking as miserable and pathetic as he felt. Still, he found his eyebrows raising when Izuku stepped inside, arms loaded with pillows and blankets.
"Hi, Eraserhead!" he greeted with a small smile as he closed the door with his foot. "I know I was just here, but I was just on a tour with my friends and I noticed that some of the other cells in this hallway had furniture like beds but yours doesn't. Then I realized you must be sleeping on the floor, and I can't imagine that would be comfortable with a broken leg. So I asked Tomura-nii if we could move you to a cell with a bed, but he said no, but then Kurogiri said I could bring you blankets and pillows, and I figured that would at least be more comfortable, right?"
He babbled nervously as he dropped his load onto the floor near Shouta, arranging the pillows atop one blanket into a makeshift bed of sorts. Once he finished he paused, looking at the other blanket and then at Shouta's bound, mitten-covered hands. Mittens that made gripping rather difficult. "Uh, I think I might still have to cover you at night if you want a blanket, though..."
He fidgeted awkwardly, avoiding the disbelieving gaze Shouta shot him. He hadn't expected the kid to actually care about his comfort, none of the other villains did. Was this some sort of ploy? To earn his trust or something? Shouta had barely started trying to build a rapport with the kid, so it made him wonder what Izuku wanted.
"It's fine," he said anyway. "I don't need a blanket at night, it's not that cold in here." No point vocalizing his suspicions yet. He couldn't exactly act on them with his broken leg anyway. Besides, if he got really cold he could still probably grab the blanket, even if the mittens would make gripping the fabric tricky.
The teen sagged with relief, though he still looked anxious. "Okay, good. I mean, not good, but—gack." He slumped with dejection this time, looking thoroughly put off by his own rambling. Clearly the kid had some social anxiety issues.
Is he being abused? A critical part of Shouta's brain latched onto the obvious explanation, but then dismissed it almost immediately. It was pretty clear Shigaraki favored him after all, given he'd gone out of his way to secure Shouta for the kid as a pet. He imagined the notoriously impulsive villain would kill anyone who tried to hurt his brother. So the kid had general anxiety? Maybe it stemmed from being Quirkless.
He decided to shelve the thoughts for now, nodding at the kid. "Thanks. You didn't have to do this."
Izuku flushed and waved his hands, sputtering, "Ah, no, it's nothing! I just wish I could do more, but..." He faltered, trailing off with a sigh. "Sorry." He perked up then before reaching into his pocket, and Shouta's eyes nearly bulged when he pulled out a cell phone. "Oh! But, uh, while I'm here, I opened up the news today and there's this big event today..."
As the kid babbled Shouta just stared at the phone, barely listening as his mind raced. If he could just get that, he could use it to call for help. Even if he didn't know the location, the phone could be tracked and then he could be free.
Except, he knew that he couldn't. Stealing the phone right from the kid's hands would do nothing, the kid would either call for help or villains would come investigate long before help could arrive. He couldn't exactly sneak it away while the kid was distracted either, not with his leg broken and basically rooting him to one spot. Even if he managed to get it somehow, the mittens meant he wouldn't be able to use it.
His heart began to sink, the device taunting him. Freedom and hope felt so close, he could almost touch it, but he knew it wouldn't work. Its presence just felt cruel and mocking, reminding him of how powerless he really was right now.
"...sir? Ai—er, Eraserhead, sir?" He blinked slowly as the boy's voice came back into focus, and he tore his gaze from the mocking phone to see the kid looking at him with obvious concern. "Are you okay?"
"I'm... fine." A bald-faced lie, but he didn't want to talk about it any further. "Just tired. What were you saying? I didn't catch the last part."
"O-oh, uh..." Izuku shifted anxiously, scratching the back of his neck. "I was just asking, do you ever listen to Present Mic's show?" Once again Shouta found himself freezing for completely different reasons, staring at the kid as he rambled. "It's just, I really like listening to it, and today he's doing this impromptu charity special to raise money for... something about animals? I don't know the details, they literally just decided to do it today. And I was wondering since you're probably bored most of the time, if maybe you'd want to listen too...?"
The kid's voice trailed off with a hopeful note while Shouta stared, questioning his ears. Present Mic—Hizashi. How long had it been since he'd heard his friend's voice? How long since he'd even let himself think of him? He found himself frozen, unable and unwilling to vocalize any of this to the kid. After several long moments though he forced himself to nod, hoping his expression remained neutral and unmoved.
"Fine," he grunted, and the kid's face lit up bright than the sun. He watched the kid pad to a corner to sit against the wall and start tapping on his phone, while Shouta just dragged himself over to the blanket and rested his head on the pillows. Damn, if it didn't feel good after so long of having nothing but hard floors to sleep on, but he didn't feel the tiniest bit tired, his heart pounding in anticipation.
Soon enough a familiar voice cut through the silence, and he swore he felt his heart stutter to a stop. "—was one hell of a show!" a familiar voice crowed, and it took effort not to audibly choke up at the sound. Hizashi. "I swear, listeners, I've never seen a crowd more energetic than that! It felt like the air was alive! I'm so glad you got the chance to see it in person too, dear caller!"
It was some of the most inane chatter he'd heard and Shouta had no idea what he was talking about, but he didn't care. It was Hizashi, and hearing his voice made something settle inside him. He closed his eyes as he tilted his head to make sure Izuku wouldn't see his face, letting his best friend's voice flow over him for the first time in months.
He had no idea how he'd make it out of this yet, but he knew he had to if only to see him again.
Notes:
Surprise! You get an update! Mainly because I think I broke my foot and I need the distraction while waiting to go to urgent care since they close at noon for lunch and it's currently 12:10. Yaaaay. (No condolences/advice please, I need the distraction.)
I love how the one chapter that covers multiple people over a single, uneventful day has probably made this chapter the most information-laden chapter to date. Soooo much here. Remember the time I forgot to include Shouji in the list of kids who haven't appeared? That's because I always had him in mind as a runaway and had already referenced Parasyte at that point. Also, remember that phone call Kuroe made a while back about Todoroki? And when he mentioned his sister Ran? That was to Aiko.
Fun fact: originally during that call, that line about "say hi to your brother" was "say hi to your boyfriend for me", because at that point I was still split between Aiko basically holding Aizawa prisoner at her apartment and Aizawa being gifted to Izuku by Shigaraki. Kuroe even corrected himself "Fine, say hi to your unwilling prisoner for me." I decided on the Petzawa route because it'd be WAY harder for Izuku to rescue everyone if Aizawa is somewhere separate. (Maybe someday I'll post what I've written up of that route. He'd still be traumatized, but hey, no broken leg. Just a bomb on his ankle.)
Question for next time: What is your favorite headcanon that got disproven by canon?
Chapter 45: Bonding Time
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 45
.::Bonding Time::.
"So Anjou will be arriving today, right?"
Ashido was practically bouncing with excitement in her chair as she and Eijirou sat at the kitchen table, eating a late breakfast. Kuroe just nodded as he carried his own empty bowl to the sink, replying, "Yeah. She was already supposed to come over this weekend before everything went down. She should be here around five or six."
"Yes!" Ashido let out an excited whoop while Eijirou just quietly munched on his cereal. This marked their third day here, and so far the adventure had been... kinda boring, actually. After the initial adrenaline rush of running away, and then getting a ride from a former vigilante about to become a Pro Hero, nothing really happened. They'd ended up spending all day yesterday just playing some games Kuroe owned.
Honestly, the more time that passed, the more he realized just how bad of an idea this was. They had run off from a hero's watch, ridden with a total stranger to somewhere they didn't know, and now they were staying with a guy neither of them actually knew. They didn't even have their phones, just the disposable one Anjou had given Ashido. If this turned out to be a trap or something, they were probably screwed.
Why did he insist on coming along? Like Ashido said, this had nothing to do with him, and now his life would be screwed. It had been the single most impulsive decision he'd ever made, and now that they'd actually gone through with it he couldn't help but regret it. This wasn't just some random adventure he could stop whenever he got tired. Even if he changed his mind and went back home, he'd still get in a ton of trouble for running away in the first place.
This was an actual, life-changing decision that had actual consequences no matter how it ended.
"Earth to Kirishima?" He startled when he heard his name, turning to see Kuroe looking at him from by the kitchen sink. "You done zoning out? You've been staring at your cereal for like two minutes."
"Uh, y-yeah," he said, swallowing. "Sorry, just got lost in thought, I guess." Next to him he noticed Ashido looked kinda worried and frowning at him heavily. Eijirou did his best to ignore her look, just quickly shoveled more spoonfuls of cereal into his mouth to avoid having to say anything else. Once he finished eating he stood up and carried his bowl to the sink, where Kuroe took it and started rinsing it out.
While he did he noticed Ashido still watching him with a frown, making his stomach churn. He knew she'd jump on him any second, and he really didn't want to talk about, well, everything. Talking about his worries wouldn't do any good right now; he couldn't just go back to his regular life anymore. All it would do was worry her and make her feel guilty, and she didn't need that.
From the corner of his eye he saw Kuroe eying him thoughtfully while placing the bowls into the dishwasher. "Hey kid, think you'd be up for an errand?" he asked casually, and the question startled Eijirou.
"Huh?"
"I'm running low on some stuff," Kuroe explained with a shrug. "I've got a big deadline tonight, so it'd be helpful if you could grab it for me."
"Wait, you want me to go into public?" Eijirou asked, eyes wide. "But—but there are people looking for me, aren't there!?"
"Kid, we've got plenty of stuff we can use to cover you up," Kuroe snorted, rolling his eyes. "It's cold enough to get away with covering your mouth with a scarf. You can wear fake glasses or an eyepatch if you really want to be careful."
"Ooh, could I go too?" Ashido asked eagerly.
"No," he responded flatly, making her sink in her chair with a dejected groan. "I told you when you got here I don't have the right stuff to cover you up, and it's too soon for you to go out anyway. We can disguise Kirishima way more easily. So, what do you say?" he asked, turning to look at Eijirou. "Wanna do it?"
He frowned, still feeling anxious at the idea of going out in public. But at the same time, he couldn't deny that he felt a little stir-crazy. Being stuck inside all day had already sucked in his own apartment, and having it happen in a completely unfamiliar place turned out to be even worse.
That was how half an hour later found Eijirou walking down the street with his chin tucked into an overly thick red scarf and hands shoved into the pockets of his oversized coat. The knitted hat and ear flaps turned out to be useful for more than just covering his hair; the cold chill to the air had his teeth chattering. Not many people seemed eager to walk around today, the sidewalks mostly empty.
He felt no small amount of relief when he reached the convenience store Kuroe mentioned and could escape the bitter chill. The store didn't have its heating turned up all the way, so he felt comfortable keeping the scarf over his mouth while he pulled out the list Kuroe had given him. Most of it was simple stuff, like batteries, toilet paper, bandages, shampoo...
It was while getting the last thing that he found himself pausing. In the same aisle as all the hair care products were packages of hair dye, the boxes showing models sporting a rainbow of hair colors. He found his gaze drawn to one showing a woman sporting bright red hair, and found himself biting his lip.
"Red, huh," he said softly to himself, absently tugging at a loose strand of hair poking out by his ears. Ashido had mentioned that he had red hair in her memories of that other dimension. It seemed so weird and random at first, even if he was trying to be some "new self" or whatever, but then he'd realized that had to be a reference to Crimson Riot. It added up, along with all her sudden references to "manliness," which had been a major part of Crimson Riot's image.
That had been the other thing that had made him first think that maybe she wasn't crazy besides the whole Red Riot thing. He admired Crimson Riot a lot, but it wasn't like he shouted it from the rooftops or anything. Plenty of people liked heroes without trying to copy them like that.
"You dyed it red when we got into UA as a promise you're a manly man!"
His mouth thinned, and after a few seconds he grabbed the box and added it to the basket. Kuroe had given him enough money to get some stuff for himself too, and they had a few hours before Anjou would arrive. As he turned and started to walk away he almost bumped into another boy also looking at dye. He jumped back with a surprised yelp, the other boy startling and spinning to face him.
"Oh, sorry dude! I didn't see you there!"
"That's okay," the boy said. "I, uh, didn't see you either, so..." He trailed off awkwardly, and Eijirou had to try not to stare at the eyepatch over his left eye. The kid looked like he'd seen better days, given the ragged state of his clothing and his dirty-looking black hair. Eijirou knew not to judge people by their looks alone, but he looked like he might actually be homeless, the thought making his stomach churn uncomfortably.
"Yuki-san, did you find it yet?" someone called, and they both turned to see a blond boy at the end of the aisle with a faintly impatient look on his face.
"I'm just trying to figure out the brand," the black-haired boy—Yuki, apparently—said, turning back to the dye. "I... don't really know which one to use." The blond boy rolled his eyes as he strolled over, grabbing one of the boxes.
"Here, this one should be good enough," he said, and then after a glance at Eijirou's basket snatched up a different box of red dye and held it out. "And if that dye's supposed to be for you, you should use this brand instead."
"Wait, what?" Eijirou asked, a bit startled to be addressed by a stranger.
"This brand has some bleach mixed in," the boy explained. "The one you grabbed is for people with lighter hair colors. That strand of hair sticking out is black, so it won't work unless you plan to bleach it first."
"O-oh, I see... Thanks, man." Eijirou nodded, taking the box offered and putting the original one back. "It's, uh, kinda an impulse thing, so I don't know much about hair dye."
"I figured as much." The blond smiled politely and nodded at him, turning to the other boy. "Come on Yuki, Lee's probably waiting for us at the checkout."
"Right." Yuki nodded and headed down the aisle, the blond following but not before casting Eijirou a final look over his shoulder.
"Tell Kuroe-san that Kaitou says hi," he called lightly, and Eijirou nearly dropped the basket. What the—how—!? The blond paused at his clearly stunned look, a faint smirk appearing as he turned to face him more fully. "That's one of his coats, I recognize it from the stain on the right sleeve." Eijirou glanced down and sure enough, it did have an old stain near the wrist, mostly faded but still visible. "I suppose we might be seeing each other around in the future, so I hope we can get along."
"Uh... Sure? M-me too I guess." Eijirou nodded awkwardly, and the blond—or, Kaitou, maybe?—just nodded back with a smile before following Yuki. Eijirou stared after him for a moment before turning around to go find the rest of the stuff on the list. As he began searching for soap he couldn't help but wonder just how the guy knew Kuroe, and why he thought they'd see more of each other.
Fact: Bakugou Katsuki's explosions came from his sweat, which had nitroglycerin-like properties. The more sweat he built up, the stronger the resulting explosions. However, despite that, he could only ignite explosions around his palms. He couldn't generate them around the soles of his feet, his legs, his shoulder, or around his tear ducts. The explosions also centered directly around his hands; he couldn't detonate a remote explosion, or trigger them simply by staring and willing an object to explode.
If he could, the door with the biohazard sign would have been reduced to less than ash long ago.
Izuku fidgeted awkwardly as his friend glared at the door, corners of his lips curled downwards with obvious loathing. "What the hell are those bastards even hiding down there?" he growled under his breath.
"I don't know, but I can't exactly ask," Izuku replied lowly, shooting a discreet glance over his shoulder where Shinsou talked to Magne with Sushi resting on his shoulders. In keeping with Shigaraki's rules for letting Shinsou walk around the base, they needed to have an adult following them at all times and today the magnetic-Quirk user had volunteered. Right now she was laughing at something Shinsou typed on his phone, suitably distracted from Bakugou's harsh glaring.
They had come to the hallway with the unknown door while wandering randomly around the base. Originally they'd been planning to discreetly scope out escape routes and anything that might be useful towards escaping, or just something for Sushi to play with. Izuku had led them here thinking it'd be useful to specifically point out the door to Aizawa's cell, even if the others couldn't visit him yet. It hadn't taken long for Bakugou to gravitate towards the biohazard door instead though.
They still had no idea what was down there, and they had no idea on how to find out. Based on Mr. Compress's commentary Izuku should know it, so him asking would be a dead giveaway he was having an "episode." Right now would be the worst possible time for them to make that assumption, because this "episode" wouldn't wear off naturally because it wasn't an actual episode. He did ask Seiko, but she had simply refused to explain because that would be "boring" so that was out. Meanwhile, if the others asked, the villains probably wouldn't answer—
"Hey, Ferrofreak!" Kacchan suddenly called, startling Izuku out of his thoughts. He'd turned to scowl at Magne, jabbing a finger at the door. "What's behind this stupid door?"
Magne huffed and crossed her arms. "Kid, why are you asking me?" she asked.
"Not like there's anyone else around here, right?" Bakugou retorted.
"Last I checked, Izuku knows too," Magne said, and it took all of Izuku's self control not to freeze on the spot and show his horror. Dang it Kacchan! They couldn't risk being found out now! If Izuku got locked away, they'd never be able to escape!
"He refuses to tell us," Shinsou's phone suddenly said. "He says it's more fun for us to figure it out by ourselves." Magne frowned at that.
"Really?" she asked, and Izuku bobbed his head.
"Y-yeah! I just, there's not a lot to do here, you know? So I figured it'd be kinda fun to have some mysteries for them to solve, I guess?" ...Okay, that sounded weak even to his own ears, and he did not blame Magne for the doubtful look. So he sighed and took a chance. "Okay, fine, I'm just not sure I want to tell them yet. Baby steps and all that, right?"
That seemed to go over better with Magne, who nodded. "Alright, that makes more sense. I don't know what's down there either, so I'll take your word for it." It took a lot of control not to visibly react to that. Magne didn't know what was down there either?
"Hold on, then who DOES know?" Kacchan demanded, and Magne shrugged.
"No clue, kid. All I know is Aiko marked that place off-limits, and no one goes down there. Not even Shigaraki. Last guy to sneak down there came out missing eyebrows and no idea what happened to them." Well that was ominous, but it also helped to know that not many people would be able to call out Izuku on not knowing what was down there.
Which... probably wouldn't come up much anyway, but still.
At that moment a distant explosion sounded, making them all freeze. Judging by the way everyone else's heads swiveled towards the biohazard sign, clearly they all had the same thought: 'What the heck's down there!?' After a few seconds though another explosion sounded and they quickly realized that it wasn't coming from the basement, the noise definitely from somewhere behind them.
Magne's face quickly schooled into something more serious as she turned around. "Playtime's over, kids," she said gruffly. "Go back to your rooms, I'm gonna check it out." She didn't wait for a response before stalking off, leaving the trio to exchange considering looks. Izuku didn't need to ask to know the other two had made up their minds: they were NOT going back to Shinsou's cell.
"Okay, we've got two options," Bakugou said. "We can either go check out what the hell's behind that fucking door, or go meet that Eraser guy."
"Door," Shinsou typed onto the phone.
"Alright, that's one vote for the door," Bakugou said with a nod. "I'm fine with either choice. Deku, you know this place better than us. Which one do we go with?"
Izuku bit his lip as he considered it. "Either one's gonna get us in a lot of trouble," he pointed out.
"Are you saying we should just go back to the rooms?" Bakugou scoffed.
"No, this is a good opportunity!" Izuku denied quickly. "We're not likely to get another one like this for a while! But I think we need to figure out which one will get us in the least amount of trouble. And also, Sushi." He nodded at the cat still curled up on Shinsou's shoulders, getting a nod of respect back from the vigilante.
"I am not sharing Sushi," he typed, and that had Izuku pausing because, really?
Bakugou looked equally unimpressed with the reasoning. "That's why you voted for the door!?"
"The door has no one interested in stealing Sushi. Probably."
"We don't know that for sure," Izuku said, resisting the urge to groan. "Gah, forget it, we're just wasting time! We don't know how long Magne will be gone, or if someone else will be sent to check on us."
"He's right you know."
It took a LOT of self control not to scream in alarm at the voice suddenly right beside them. They all whirled to see Aiko standing there, a cheerful smile on her face as she raised a hand in greeting. "Yo."
"W-what the—wh-when did—wh-where—how?!" Izuku couldn't even form a coherent sentence, too stunned by her sudden appearance, while Sushi released an unhappy hiss.
"Fucking hell, where the fuck did you come from!?" Kacchan blurted for him, jabbing an accusing finger. "Did you just fuckin' teleport or something!?"
Weirdly enough Aiko seemed to light up at the string of curses instead of act reasonably offended, beaming at him brightly. "Nah, I'm just really quiet."
"Who are you?" Shinsou's phone asked, the vigilante edging to stand behind Izuku. He tensed as Aiko's attention zeroed in on him, her head tilting to the side.
"Are you trying to use Izuku as a human shield?" she asked, and they all stiffened.
"...Right, names!" Izuku said, clapping his hands. Aiko sounded more curious than angry, but he'd rather not risk her getting mad so it was time to distract her. "Guys, this is Aiko-nee, who I've told you about. Aiko-nee, this is Kacchan—I mean, Bakugou," he nodded to Bakugou, who eyed Aiko warily, and then gestured to Shinsou, "And this is Hijack!"
Aiko's attention quickly focused back on him and she smiled. "Thank you for the introductions, Izukun. Though I don't actually need them since I already know who's who," she added with a light laugh and the other two teens tensed up once more, suggesting they didn't know her. Still, she smiled at them and added, "It's nice to finally see you two though! I would've introduced myself earlier, but someone didn't tell me about you guys being here."
She slanted a pointed look at Izuku, which he ignored with a gulp. Fortunately Shinsou changed the topic, his phone speaking up. "You forgot Sushi."
"Oh, right, sorry," Izuku quickly apologized, and nodded at Sushi. "That's Sushi. Kurogiri and Shigaraki gave her to us on Wednesday, though Hijack spends the most time with her so far." At this point Sushi hopped off Shinsou's shoulders to saunter over to Aiko, prompting the woman to drop to a crouch. She scratched Sushi's ear lightly and got a pleased purr in response, while Shinsou made a muffled sound of betrayal.
"Sushi, huh?" she hummed, smiling as the kitten bumped her head into Aiko's palm. "Lemme guess, Kurogiri named her?"
"What, does the Mistfucker have bad naming sense or something?" Bakugou asked sarcastically and she snorted.
"He names every cat Sushi until someone else renames it. It's kind of a running joke around here at this point. But still, you've had a cat for a full day and never told me?" She gave a wistful sort of sigh, rolling her shoulders as she added, "I know you're getting more independent, but I still like to hear updates about your life, Izuku..."
"Um, w-what're you doing here, anyway?" Izuku asked, changing the topic.
"Do you know what those explosions were?" Shinsou's phone sounded not even a second after he finished, having probably been typing that already.
"That would be Slycer in the kitchen," Aiko replied with a wry smirk, and Izuku recoiled. He didn't know the villain named Slycer well, but the man's cooking skills—or lack thereof—had been legendary. Apparently that... thing Toga made his first week here had nothing on that guy's cooking, partially because Slycer almost never finished before something would go wrong. Izuku had overheard Twice whining about having to buy replacement kitchen equipment last week. And the few times he did manage to complete something without destroying the kitchen...
Maybe there was a bit of muscle memory involved, because Izuku's stomach instantly churned at the thought of Slycer cooking. What kind of cooking was so bad that it ingrained an automatic reaction in someone's body like this!?
"And as for your other question," Aiko continued, "I dropped by because I had to grab some stuff for my job. I was catching up with the others in the bar when, well, that happened," she shrugged. "Then Magne came running to make sure we weren't under attack, and when everyone realized you'd been left alone I volunteered to check on you instead. Which is very good for you, seeing as you guys are apparently up to something," she added cheerfully.
Oh. Oh, crap. Izuku had to fight down the panic, because he had no idea what she'd heard or how long she'd been there. "How much did you hear?" Kacchan demanded warily.
"Just the last bit where you guys mentioned voting for a door," she replied, and that really didn't clear up Izuku's anxiety.
"We were wondering—what's down there?" he blurted, pointing to the door as he rambled. "It's just, Mr. Compress says you'd kill us if we went down there, and then Magne said a guy went down and came back with no eyebrows or memories...? But Magne doesn't know what's down there either, just that it's off limits, and the biohazard sign is kinda freaking us out so—"
"Breathe, Deku!" Bakugou cut in irritably, and Izuku promptly stopped rambling to take a deep breath. Aiko just watched him with no small amount of amusement, crossing her arms with a faint smirk.
"Do you really want to know?" she asked almost conspiratorially, and all three of them tensed before bobbing their heads eagerly. "Alright then. Leave Sushi and let's go." She strolled to the door and pulled it open, gesturing for them to follow before descending the stairs. The trio stood in shock for a moment and exchanged wary looks before following, Shinsou reluctantly closing the door on a curiously-mewling Sushi.
Izuku... didn't really want to go downstairs. He felt pretty sure there wouldn't be Noumu down there, but he had no idea what else to expect. Some kind of lab obviously, but other than that? He had no idea. Between Magne's story, the sign and the fact that Sushi couldn't come though, he felt like this would be hazardous to their health. Walking into this blindly could be one of the worst ideas they'd had in a while.
But the alternative was risking Aiko finding out about Aizawa-sensei.
Above everything else, Izuku had to keep Aiko from finding out he was there. The fact she had his goggles suggested some sort of history between them, and given she worked with villains... It probably wasn't just friendly admiration. He had no idea if Aiko knew he was there yet, because Kacchan had definitely said "Eraser" after Magne left, and if she'd heard that...
No. He needed to make sure she didn't find out.
"Hey, Bakugou," Aiko called after she reached the bottom. "Catch." The blond startled as she tossed something his way, catching it with a scowl.
"The fuck? Is this some kind of suit?" Izuku peered closer and sure enough, it looked like a clear plastic package with a folded up hazmat suit inside? Minus the helmet, but it still looked like one.
"Your sweat's made of a nitroglycerine compound," she told him plainly. "You're a walking safety hazard in this place even if you don't use it. Izuku, Hijack, you two can just stick to gloves and safety glasses." That had them exchanging more wide-eyed looks, gears turning in Izuku's head.
"Is it a chemistry lab?" Izuku blurted. At that point Aiko whirled to face them, and—were the stars in her eyes sparkling?
"Yessss!" she breathed in an excited hiss, and yep, the stars were definitely twinkling. "I set up my lab down here ages ago! You have no idea how amazing and versatile chemistry can be, especially Quirk chemistry!"
"Quirk chemistry?" he repeated, voice oddly close to a squeak, and she bobbed her head excitedly.
"Yes! Like Katsuki-chan's sweat! Did you know there are compounds and solutions that can neutralize it—actually no, of course you do, but there are also solutions that can make it more volatile! Or give the explosion different properties and effects! And that's just one example! So many Quirks function based off a unique chemical reaction. Most fire Quirks, for example, can be neutralized with the Endeavor Kill Formula!"
"The Endeavor Kill Formula!?" Izuku repeated in growing horror while Shinsou made a choking sound next to him.
"Ah, just a homemade thing I whipped up when I was a teen," Aiko replied dismissively. "I never actually used it on him or anything, don't worry. I haven't killed a hero yet! ...Somehow," she added under her breath, and Izuku felt a part of his soul just die. It just withered and died while she clapped her hands and continued brightly, "Anyways! Chemistry is just so versatile and fascinating, you can do so much with it! With the right knowledge, Quirks don't matter! Everyone's equal! And even if their Quirks don't have a chemical counter, you can just throw acid at them instead! Or find the right mix of chemicals to make them flammable!"
As she rambled on passionately she seemed oblivious to the air of dread which had descended over them. Izuku now immensely regretted coming down here, but it was too late to back down now. As she turned to lead them into the actual lab, beginning to spout off basic safety rules, the trio exchanged matching grimaces before reluctantly trudging after her. He knew without asking that all of them had the same thought:
Aiko was dangerous.
Notes:
So update on my foot: yep, it's broken. I broke the fifth metatarsal, the bone in your foot connecting to the little toe. I've been literally living on the couch since Friday. I have a follow-up exam next Monday, so fingers crossed it's healing in a way where I won't have to get pins in it.
A more fun piece of news: I drew Oracle/Kas! That was a fun full-body reference. It also includes some little bits of info about him. Next up, I'm gonna work on Anjou, Saki/Lady of the Night or Mail. Might start with Anjou just because she won't need a full-body reference...
Not much else to say except I have been waiting a LONG time to reveal Aiko's chemistry passion. She is a mad scientist and loves Quirk chemistry. Her specialty is countering/neutralizing Quirks, but she can also augment them and also loves making a LOT of dangerous stuff. If she weren't a villain, Nedzu would probably snatch her up to work at UA's support department. This chapter and the next are both pretty quiet, so I'll probably do another update this week.
Question for next time: What would be the most chaotic point for a canon character to suddenly switch into Ignite so far? (Besides Shigaraki. Shigaraki just wins by default with these questions.)
Chapter 46: Rays of Hope
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 46
.::Rays of Hope::.
Mina had to suppress a squeal as she stood in the bathroom door watching Kiri peer at his reflection. When he came back from the corner store she'd been overjoyed to find he'd bought a bottle of red hair dye, too. She hadn't wasted any time herding him off to the bathroom to get to work. It had taken a while to figure out how to use it, since neither of them had actually dyed their hair before. In the end Kuroe had to step in and help, but after several hours no trace of the original black color remained.
Now he sported a head of hair just as bright red as the Kiri she knew and loved. The shade looked just a little off from her Kiri—really close, but still not quite the same—but it was close enough. Already she felt a huge rush of déjà vu and familiarity, and seeing this Kiri with red hair just made the world finally feel a little more right.
"So, does it look alright?" he asked, turning to her with an anxious smile. Despite her excitement Mina pursed her lips for dramatic effect, studying him more critically.
"The color's on-point!" she said with a firm nod. "But your hair's all limp and flat!"
"Uh, this is how it usually is, though?"
"My Kiri spikes it all up!" Mina told him, tugging at her hair around her horns for emphasis. She stepped into the bathroom and nudged Kiri out of the way a bit so she could open the drawers. "Come on, let's see if we can find some hair gel and fix it!"
"Uh, c-can we maybe... not?" Kiri asked, and she paused her search to glance at him. He wasn't looking at her, rubbing his arm as he looked at the floor. "S-sorry, Ashido, but just dying it is already kinda a huge change for me. I'm not sure I'm ready to, uh, spike it up, like you said..." Mina frowned a little as he rambled, but soon nodded.
"Okay, sure," she agreed, closing the drawer a little sheepishly. "Sorry, I guess I got a little excited..." She had to remind herself that this Kiri had a lot more stress and anxiety than hers did, so she shouldn't push him too fast. Changing it to red alone was a huge image change for him and made him look so much different and better, even if he didn't do anything to style it. The black hair had just made him look so gloomy, he really did look better with red.
And besides all that, he wasn't her Kiri. This was a totally different Kirishima Eijirou, one with his own life and experiences totally separate from the one she knew. He would never be like her Kiri, not because he was lame or anything (and he absolutely wasn't!), but because they were just different people. So she shouldn't try to make him be like her Kiri, but instead help him become the best Kiri he could be!
So with that in mind she pasted on a big grin and declared, "You're one step closer to becoming Red Riot!" He jolted a little at that, eyes widening in surprise, but then he smiled and gave a tiny nod.
"Y-yeah, I guess I am, aren't I," he said quietly, and Mina felt her smile become a little softer. He still had a long way to go, but this Kiri really was on his way to becoming something great, she could already see it now.
She backed off and left the bathroom so he could study his reflection in privacy, heading over to the living room where she'd left the phone to charge. It was now almost five o'clock, and she wanted to check if any messages arrived from Anjou or anyone else.
However, before she could reach it she heard talking in the kitchen. It was too quiet and distant to make out any words, but she perked up as she recognized another voice besides Kuroe's. Mina spun and raced over, sliding into the doorway to see Kuroe standing at the counter, and Anjou standing next to the table where she'd dropped her bag. "An-chan!" she greeted with a cheer, and the other girl nodded at her.
"Hey Ashido," she said, and craned her head to the side a bit before her eyes went wide. "Woah, is that Kirishima?" Mina turned to see Kiri had left the bathroom and followed her, looking at Anjou with a nervous-looking smile.
"Uh, h-hey, Anjou," he said with a small nod. "Yeah, I dyed my hair today... It just finished drying." His comment had Kuroe stepping to the side to get a better look.
"Looks good," he said, and Mina could see Kiri basically sag with relief while Kuroe returned to his original spot. "Red's definitely your color, kid. Wasn't sure how it'd turn out since it's such a big difference from your natural color, but you chose good."
"Yeah... Thanks." Kiri smiled tentatively, looking a bit more confident while Kuroe hummed and nodded.
"Guess Ashido's story had an impact after all, huh?" Anjou asked with a smirk, and Kiri just gave a little shrug.
"I guess so. Plus, I figured it's better for hiding now that we're on the run."
"Have to admit, I'm impressed you managed to pick out a decent brand," Kuroe commented. "The number of times I've seen someone grab the wrong kind..."
"Yeah, I think I grabbed a bad one first," Kiri said with a sheepish laugh. "There were some other guys in the aisle, and one of them told me to use this other brand instead." Mina looked at him in surprise. He hadn't mentioned that part earlier. Before she could start peppering him with questions he perked up and added, "Oh! I forgot, one of them said to tell you Kaitou says hi...?" Kuroe paused at that, glancing his way with slightly wide eyes before smirking.
"He noticed the stain on the coat, didn't he?" he asked, and Kiri jolted a little.
"Uh, y-yeah... How did you...?"
"Kaitou hates that stain. Glares at it every time I lend out that coat." Kuroe chuckled while Mina gave them both quizzical looks.
"Who's Kaitou?" she piped up.
"You'll find out later tonight," Anjou replied cryptically, and that made Mina light up with excitement all over again.
"Wait, is he the one you want us to meet!?"
"Not exactly, but he'll be there," she said. "Anyways, grab something from the fridge and eat, we're leaving in half an hour." The abrupt announcement startled Kiri while Mina perked up ever further.
"We are!?"
"Yep. I already told the others we'll meet them at six. We have to walk there so we have to leave at five thirty at the latest."
Mina started bouncing in place, her excitement reaching fever levels while Kiri frowned. "We're doing it tonight?" he asked. "I thought you'd want to wait until tomorrow since it's so late."
"Six isn't that late!" Mina replied with a huff, and he gave her a skeptical look.
"Ashido, it's already dark outside," he said, pointing to a nearby window, and when Mina glanced at it she could see it had indeed already gotten dark. Not pitch black yet, but the sun had definitely gone down.
"...Eh, it'll be fine," she said dismissively, and Kuroe snorted and shook his head.
"It's fine kid, you'll be safe," he said to Kiri. "Odawara's pretty safe crime-wise. Mostly." He paused then, seeming to consider it. "...Okay, it might be a little risky. So if anything happens to my sister, I am obligated to threaten to make you regret being born."
"Sister?" Kiri repeated, and Anjou lifted a hand.
"Yeah, me." Mina gasped, her eyes lighting up.
"You're siblings!?" she blurted, and Kuroe shot Anjou an amused smirk.
"Dang Ran, I know we didn't grow up together, but I thought you would've at least mentioned me," he teased.
"I did," Anjou said with a shrug, flashing a smug-looking smirk of her own. "She just forgot." She snickered while Mina stared between them in wonder. She knew Anjou mentioned being a foster kid, but she never thought she might have actual siblings! Looking at them side by side, she didn't really notice any common features, but it still felt like she should have known this.
"Hold on," she said, focusing on Kuroe as a thought occurred to her. "You're, like, biological siblings, right? And you're an adult now, right? So why didn't she move—ow!" She yelped as Kiri smacked her arm, shooting him a dark look. "Kiri, what the heck!"
"Ashido, you don't just ask people that!" he hissed, and she paused. Oh, right, that was probably—no, not probably, it was definitely very rude.
Thankfully Kuroe and Anjou didn't take offense to it, just snorting. "Yeah, no, the foster system is just screwed up," Kuroe replied casually. "They never really cared about keeping siblings together if it meant one of them could get a home, especially with big age gaps like ours. And in our case, most people don't want to bother with a Quirkless kid." That made them pause, both Mina and Kiri turning to gape at him. He rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah, yeah, I'm a Quirkless freak of nature. Gawk all you want."
"Why would being Quirkless make you a freak of nature?" Mina asked with a frown. "I've never met someone Quirkless before, but it doesn't seem like that big of a deal...?"
"Yeah," Kiri agreed. "That's, like, super uncool to think of yourself that way! And you seem pretty awesome so far, so it doesn't really seem like it matters." Kuroe paused as they spoke, looking faintly surprised, and then his smirk returned.
"Good to see Ran has good taste in friends," he chuckled, and Anjou snorted.
"Last I checked, your friends aren't really paragons of society," she pointed out with an eye roll, and he chuckled.
"Not by a long shot. But hey, they treat me like I'm an actual person and not made of glass or subhuman, so that's a win. Honestly, I'm past the point of giving a fuck about having no Quirk personally," he said more to Mina and Kiri than Anjou, "but other people tend to get stuck on that more than you'd think. After having your whole life repeatedly fucked over because of bigots, you tend to get a bit cynical."
Mina and Kiri both frowned, neither of them liking the implications of that. "So what, they split you two up just because you didn't have a Quirk?" Mina asked after a few seconds, and he nodded.
"Pretty much. Plus there's that big age gap I mentioned. By the time Ran's current parents came into the picture I was already in my last year of high school, so I was about to age out of the system anyway. They're decent folks at least, didn't try to stop us from having a relationship or anything."
"But yeah, we're not really all that close," Anjou added with a shrug. "I visit sometimes, but our relationship is more business than siblings at this point."
"Man, that sucks," Kiri muttered while Mina's frown deepened. That really was screwed up, but for once this sounded like something she couldn't blame on all the differences in this stupid world. Villains had nothing to do with kids getting separated in the foster system because of discrimination. For all she knew, the Anjou and Kuroe in her world could be in the same situation.
That last thought made her frown vanish, her irritation replaced by mild surprise. Come to think of it, she hadn't ever really thought about what An-chan was like in her world. It was weird to realize that given how much time they'd spent together. Maybe after this all ended and she got home, Mina could try to track her down?
"It is what it is," Anjou said with a shrug, opening the fridge. "But enough of that. We've got less than half an hour before we have to go." She pulled out three premade bento boxes from the convenience store and carried them to the table. "No time to cook, hope you guys don't mind konbini food." Mina broke into a wide grin, her misgivings vanishing as she plopped into one of the chairs.
"Of course not!" she exclaimed, and turned to Kiri. "C'mon Kiri, sit down and eat so we can go!"
"Okay, okay, I'm coming," he said, joining them at the table while Mina tore into one of the bento boxes. As she began gobbling down the contents it took some conscious self-control to pace herself, her whole body buzzing with adrenaline.
It was so close. At five-thirty they'd leave and go off to investigate those leads Anjou mentioned—the whole reason they'd come here instead of looking for Jirou and Kaminari over in Hosu. And then she'd finally, finally have answers!
Just a little longer.
Shouta sat near the center of his cell in silence, glowering at the door as he pondered over when it would open again. He'd heard voices outside earlier, probably hanging around for fifteen minutes or so before leaving. They hadn't been loud, but he'd recognized one as Izuku and then another, deeper one from the day he'd been taken by the Alliance. It had been unusual enough to get his attention; as far as he could tell this cell must be in an isolated part of the building that didn't get much traffic, given he never really heard anyone.
To his frustration, he hadn't been able to make out much of what was said before they left though. Their voices had been mostly quiet, except for one unknown voice which had been VERY loud, and definitely called someone "Ferrofreak." Maybe if he'd moved closer to the door Shouta could have heard them more clearly, but as it stood his broken leg kept him from moving. Now that he wasn't in constant fear for his life, he had little to distract himself from the pain. Damn, what he wouldn't give for some painkillers...
He froze as he heard the door's lock click, sitting up to watch it warily. He fully expected it to be Izuku, but given he'd heard multiple voices earlier he couldn't be sure the kid would be alone this time. Thankfully no one else appeared though and only the green-haired boy scooted inside carrying a plate with dinner, with a faintly... haunted look on his face as he closed the door.
"Something happen?" Shouta asked flatly as the teen turned back to him.
"...Chemistry is terrifying," he whispered, and Shouta arched an eyebrow. He recognized the haunted tones of students who'd just been subjected to particularly enthusiastic lectures by Nemuri back when UA still existed, the memory making him almost snort.
"I take it there's a chemist among the Alliance, then," he remarked casually, subtly digging for intel. He had no expectations of being able to pass on anything he learned in the near future, but he'd like to have as much information as possible for if (when) he got out.
Fortunately the kid didn't notice his intentions, answering with a dazed look as he put down the plate near Shouta. "I don't know. I don't think she works with the Alliance full-time, but she has a lab here. And it is terrifying."
The kid shuddered, which did not help the growing hum of alarm Shouta felt. This was the first time he'd heard of the Alliance having a chemist on hand, and Izuku's reaction did not bode well for what might be down there. The thought they might have some sort of drugs or tools for chemical warfare made his stomach twist anxiously, though he didn't let it show on his face. "What kind of stuff is made in there?" he asked, and the kid opened his mouth to respond only to pause.
"...Wait, I shouldn't tell you," he said, and dammit, the kid figured out what Shouta was up to. Izuku waved his hands as he hastily continued, "Um, it's n-not like the Alliance is using that stuff or anything! I mean, I think you'd all know if they were, b-but... I still don't think she'd like me talking about it to, um, you." The kid fidgeted awkwardly, still looking vaguely disturbed but a bit more aware now.
"Whose lab is it?" Shouta questioned, figuring he might as well just ask directly. The kid kept saying "she" but Shouta didn't know of many females among the Alliance's members. The only one to come to mind was a teenage girl who had only joined in the recent months before his capture, and she didn't seem like the type to care about chemistry.
Once again the kid froze, clearly hesitating. "...I shouldn't tell you," he repeated, voice little more than a high-pitched squeak, and Shouta's eyes narrowed. There was definite fear there.
"Are you being threatened?" he asked bluntly, because even if this kid was an accomplice to his captors he was still a kid.
Izuku winced, looking horrified as he rapidly shook his head. "N-no, not at all! She's just—um, really private, and stuff, and..." He trailed off awkwardly, his eyes glazing over and becoming distant. "...chemistry is scary."
...Shouta had a feeling this wouldn't go anywhere. "I'll take your word for it," he said tiredly, taking the plate. Today's dinner was more sandwiches, along with a rice ball with... some kind of wax paper pouch next to it? "What's this?" The kid jolted back to reality at the question, and his eyes lit up as he saw the wax paper.
"Oh! That's for your mittens, so they won't get sticky from the onigiri! I figured you can't really use chopsticks but you probably haven't had rice in a while, so I thought this would be a good compromise. Just..." He started to approach but then froze, clearly hesitating. Realizing his intent, Shouta sighed before pushing the plate towards him and extending his right hand.
"Here, kid. Just put it on. If you're worried about me attacking or something, you don't need to. I can't exactly make any sudden movements with my leg like this." The kid winced guiltily as his eyes flitted to the splint, his mouth pressing into a thin line before he resumed his approach.
Shouta remained still as promised while the kid worked and soon the wax paper was wrapped around the mitten, crinkling loudly when he picked up the onigiri. It had been a while since he'd been able to eat rice, so he really did appreciate the gesture. While he ate Izuku retreated to the corner like usual, fidgeting awkwardly and clearly trying not to look at him.
After a while the kid started mumbling, too low for Shouta to hear but still clearly talking to himself. He didn't notice Shouta finish eating and push away the empty plate, seeming to be off in his own world. Normally he would be fine with that, but he still had the wax paper clinging to one mitten. As predicted, he could see some grains of rice sticking to it, and he felt relieved he didn't have to worry about cleaning it up.
"Kid, I'm done," he called, and it startled Izuku who quickly scrambled over to peel away the wax paper. Once he put it on the plate he didn't leave like Shouta expected though, seeming to be hesitating about something, and Shouta suppressed a sigh. The kid never just delivered meals, so he shouldn't be surprised. "Is there any other reason you're here, then?" The question startled Izuku out of his thoughts again, the kid blinking in surprise before nodding.
"O-oh, well... I just wanted to know if, since you uh, used to be a teacher, you'd be up to helping us with homework later?" Shouta stared, not expecting that as the kid rambled, "See, you already know I still have to do schoolwork, right? But now we also have Kacchan and Sh—Hijack, too, and Kacchan's been going to school but I guess Hijack dropped out when he ran away...? So after we left the lab Kurogiri said they should both do schoolwork too, but Hijack's way behind, so then I remembered you said you used to be a teacher so I talked to Kurogiri and he said you could teach us—"
"Breathe, kid," Shouta cut in, and Izuku obediently took a large gulp of air while the hero took advantage of the brief reprieve to process the rambling. "You want me to teach you and... other kids?" There were more kids here? Was Hijack another villain? Was "Kacchan" that teenage girl who'd joined this year?
"Y-yeah. I mean, not formally, but just, help us go over schoolwork and stuff. Answer questions and all that. Like I said, I already talked to Kurogiri and he said it was okay." Shouta didn't fully recognize the name "Kurogiri" but it sounded like he must have a position of influence if the kid asked him instead of Shigaraki.
Still. Teaching? "...Kid, I haven't been a teacher in years," he deadpanned. "And my main subject was ethics, which doesn't seem relevant in this place. I won't be able to help you as much as you might think, even if it's just answering questions."
"That's okay, really!" Izuku reassured him. "It'll still be helpful and feel, well, normal, I guess. I mean, as normal as this can get. So, please?" He gave Shouta the most stupidly hopeful look as he asked that, wide eyes and everything, which he returned with a flat look of his own.
"Fine." As it stood, Shouta genuinely had no choice in the matter, whether the kid politely asked or not. He was a prisoner—the kid's prisoner. If the kid said to bark like a dog, Shouta probably would if only to avoid pissing off Shigaraki for disobeying him. Shouta couldn't refuse the brat's requests if he wanted to survive.
Even so, the teen's face lit up as if he'd promised him the world. "Really? Thank you, sensei!"
"But on one condition," Shouta added before Izuku could get too excited. The kid froze, his face quickly becoming serious.
"What is it, sir?" he asked, and Shouta took a breath.
"Today's Friday, right?"
"Um, y-yeah...?"
"Then I want to hear Present Mic's show tonight." Shouta had to almost force the words out, keeping his expression and voice cool and stoic as usual even as his heart pounded. It was a gamble, to make a request so bluntly like that when he wasn't in a position to do so. With how smart and observant the kid was, asking this was exposing a potential weakness to his captors.
But after yesterday, Shouta had to hear Hizashi's voice again.
The kid's face went slack with shock for a moment, but then he lit up with the brightest smile yet. "Of course! I was planning to do that anyway! I always try to listen to it when it's on, so I can just listen to it here instead! Oh, but sometimes I fall asleep listening to it since it runs so late, so..."
Shouta felt some of the tension in his body fade at the easy agreement, a sense of calm washing over him as the kid began rambling about Hizashi's show. He agreed, no strings attached, and that was the best news he'd gotten in months. To him, the show was more than just a way to pass time or hear his best friend's voice: it was a reminder of what Shouta was missing, what waited for him in the world outside this cell.
Right now, things were bleak, but he would get out of here.
(The charity show lasted for a total of two hours. Two blissful hours of relative silence, just basking in his friend's voice. Hizashi didn't play any music this time, just talked to various guests about animals and the importance of donating to shelters or reporting abuse. And at first, and for a long while, that had felt like enough for Shouta.
Then when it ended and Hizashi did the sign-off, he had broken off from the usual script to tack on another message. "And as always, to my favorite listener: I hope you hear this and are doing well! I know it's been a while, but hope we'll be able to see each other again soon!"
Shouta nearly bolted upright at the message, feeling so grateful Izuku hadn't been looking at him at the time. His mouth went dry as his head snapped to the side to stare at the phone, a heavy tightness in his throat as his heart began pounding.
Shouta had no idea how long had passed since his initial capture, but he knew it had been well more than three months. By underground standards, he should now be considered dead. That was why he didn't expect any rescue, why he had given up on leaving that place, why he had doubts he could escape even now. No one would be likely to actively search for him anymore; his only hope was for someone to either stumble on him by chance while investigating his captors, or to escape on his own.
But at that moment, hearing that simple sign-off, he realized Hizashi hadn't given up. The idiot still clung to hope Shouta was alive even though he knew that wishing an underground hero was alive after being missing for so long could be crueler than death. No doubt others would be telling him to give up regularly. But the fact he signed off like that—specifically addressed Shouta, even if he couldn't be sure if Shouta might hear—
Hizashi hadn't given up. He was still looking for him.
And that alone gave Shouta the first true ray of hope he'd had in what felt like years.)
Notes:
As promised, here's chapter 46! This chapter feels closer to filler even if it's got some important developments, hence why I decided to post this and 45 this week. I am so amused that Aizawa is STILL ending up a teacher for Izuku in this world though. Also solidly confirming this now in case anyone still had any doubts: yep, Kuroe IS Quirkless. Which makes all his actions even MORE ridiculous and risky.
But next time, at long last, the big reunion of Ashido and Todoroki. Strap in, that's going to be a MAJOR ride.
Question for next time is still the same: most chaotic point for someone to be swapped from the canon universe to Ignite. (Also, doesn't have to be ONE character. Could be a whole group swapped!)
Chapter 47: Long Awaited Meetings
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 47
.::Long Awaited Meetings::.
Friday evening found the Nighteye Agency unusually busy. Mirio could feel anticipation thick in the air as he and the other students went about their work quietly, all of them boggling the steady stream of heroes that passed through the halls by the lounges and offices. The chatter made it hard for most of them to focus on their schoolwork until some them just took their laptops to the public study room on the second floor, Mirio and Tamaki included.
Even that didn't keep them from hearing about the bigger developments though. Around an hour after retreating to the study room Hadou Nejire poked her head through the open door, eyes darting around the room. She zeroed in on them instantly and broke into a smile, ignoring the others there as she all but bounced over to their table.
"Hey, hey!" she greeted as she plopped into the empty chair next to Tamaki. The dark-haired teen visibly suppressed a groan, wilting away from the energetic girl. "Mirio-kun, Tamaki-kun, guess what?" Her gaze flitted between Mirio and Tamaki equally as she waited for one of them to answer, Tamaki shrinking back even further.
"What is it?" Mirio asked, if only to spare his friend from her energy, and Nejire's bright blue gaze settled on him fully as she leaned over the table.
"I just saw the Space Hero Thirteen arrive!" she confided. "They were with Hound Dog, too. I got to say hi and talk to them for a while!"
"That poor man," Tamaki muttered under her breath while Mirio stifled a laugh.
"What'd you ask?" he asked with a grin. Nejire had made her fascination with the more physical aspects of Quirks well known early on, peppering anyone and everyone with rapidfire questions and never giving them a chance to respond. Things like if Centipeder's feet were centipedes coiled up in his shoes, could Bubble Girl get a tan, did Lady of the Night feel it when her pupils glowed, could Tamaki's ears wiggle?
(She'd asked Mail something too. Mirio didn't know what it was because he wasn't there, but apparently he'd actually had a chance to answer. She'd stopped asking strangers questions for a while after that.)
This time she didn't disappoint, rattling off the questions she'd peppered him. "I asked if he ever needed to use flea shampoo, if he could scratch behind his ears with his legs, and if he could eat chocolate."
Thunk. Tamaki's head met the table, a familiar sound that everyone had long since learned to ignore. "That poor man," he repeated, voice muffled by the wood, while Mirio just beamed at Nejire.
"Did he answer?" he asked eagerly.
"Nope! Lady of the Night grabbed me and dragged me away and said to find you two!" That made sense. Lady of the Night tended to lump the three of them together more often than not for some reason, not that they complained. The trio had become inseparable since coming to Nighteye Agency, Nejire integrating into their preexisting friendship seamlessly. They'd often be trusted with reigning in her more blunt questions, and in exchange she would help pull Tamaki out of his shell or help Mirio keep up his spirits on bad days.
"Hold on," Tamaki muttered, lifting his head with a small frown. "Hound Dog? Thirteen? And earlier we saw Ectoplasm too..." His eyebrows furrowed, and he said more quietly, "Didn't... didn't they all work at UA?"
The question had the others stilling, a hushed atmosphere falling over the room. Even the people who hadn't been participating in the conversation seemed to stop whatever they were doing, a faint tension to their shoulders. Mirio found himself staring forward blankly, his mind flashing back. Right... He remembered now, at the end, he did see Thirteen pulling rubble off—
Well, it didn't matter right now.
He immediately squashed the memory before it could fully form. "Oh, I bet they're here about that case!" he said brightly, and the others looked at him curiously, the heavy atmosphere effectively lifted by the topic change.
"That case?" Nejire echoed, tilting her head, and he nodded almost eagerly.
"Yeah! You know, that one tied to what happened last year!" He had to keep it vague, as most of their peers didn't know. However, he could quickly see recognition lighting up on Tamaki's face.
"Oh yeah, that one with the kid, right?" he asked, and Nejire's face cleared up in understanding while Mirio beamed and nodded in confirmation.
"Exactly! That one!" The whole thing about Shigaraki's brother had been kept on the down-low for obvious reasons. He'd been allowed to tell Tamaki and Nejire some details, but he was the only one of their trio to have actually been given any information regarding Izuku. Even then he was largely kept at a distance from the case, only being told that UA's former faculty had begun cooperating with the investigation.
Mirio knew something was going on right now though. As Sir Nighteye's unofficial personal protégé, Mirio had a bit more involvement with active cases than his peers. Just this week he'd been called to help go through footage from all the security cameras in an area where the kid had been sighted—with Shigaraki no less. In the end neither of them had been caught on the cameras, but it was still a big development.
As he mulled over it one of the kids at a nearby table, Sakamaki, twisted in his chair to face them. "Hey, hold on," he said. "I don't know what you guys are talking about, but wasn't there some big bust in Nabu earlier this week?"
"Yeah, yeah!" Nejire said with a vigorous nod. "Everyone was, like, sooo worked up, remember? They spent all afternoon in the Super Happy Funtime... um, whatever department." She shrugged, not able to remember the full name off the top of her head. "They wouldn't tell anyone what was going on though."
A thought occurred to Mirio, and he glanced across the room to look at a girl with sandy-brown hair. "Hey Utsushimi-san, don't you work with the Super Happy Funtime Supernatural ESP Investigation Department a lot?" he asked. Utshushimi, one of the younger student/interns at the Nighteye Agency, quickly nodded.
"Yeah, I do!" she said. "I don't know what's up because they wouldn't tell me, but like, I think I heard something about a lead on a missing hero...?" She shrugged, adding, "Like, I dunno. I was working on schoolwork in the far corner and they were all holed up in one of the offices. I was just hanging out there in case Mail came back. He's still gone, by the way. Where did you guys say he went again?"
"To visit Oracle," Mirio replied, and he noticed Tamaki pause.
"...Hold on," he muttered. "Didn't the kids Oracle was watching...?" He trailed off, but Mirio and Nejire quickly picked up on his meaning.
"They ran away!" Nejire exclaimed, almost jumping out of her chair and slamming her hands on the table. "They totally just vanished on him from under his nose! Maybe it's about them?" A quiet murmur arose at this bit of information, all work forgotten as everyone began discussing just what, exactly, had brought all these Pro Heroes to their agency.
As it turned out, all of them were correct.
The Super Happy Funtime Supernatural ESP Investigation Department had never been packed by so many people at once. Heroes from both other parts of the Nighteye Agency and the former UA faculty steadily filtered through the doors, easily filling up the main communal workspace. Mirai would prefer to meet in a more traditional meeting room, but given the latest developments it couldn't be helped.
Nedzu sat on a table near the back of the room, watching the congregation grow. "It seems nearly everyone is here now," he observed, and Mirai nodded.
"Indeed. We're just waiting on—ah, there he is." Oracle strode through the doors with Sayonaka at his side, the two conversing in low tones. The combination had Mirai narrowing his eyes, even if he'd expected Sayonaka to greet the other hero personally. Knowing their connection and history though, he felt justified in his subconscious wariness towards the combination.
Still, with Oracle here all of the relevant parties had arrived. The only person absent was Mail, but he wasn't a formal member or even licensed so his presence wasn't required; the most he could do was offer input or help record the details of the meeting. Besides, Present Mic looked particularly tense and agitated, so Mirai decided it was time to call the meeting to order before the man's patience reached its limits.
To that end he clapped his hands to silence the quiet chatter. "Everyone has arrived, so let's begin," he announced. "We have a lot to cover."
"First of all, as everyone is now aware, we've received confirmation Eraserhead is, in fact, alive," Nedzu began, taking over for him. "Lady of the Night has already performed an extensive investigation into the room where he had been held."
"After analyzing that room, he was kept there for a majority of the time he's been missing," Sayonaka confirmed with a nod. "He underwent heavy torture towards the start of his captivity, but after a while they eventually seemed to stop for whatever reason. As best as I can tell, the most recent injury was a broken rib, likely about one month ago. The pain from that injury had mostly faded by the time Shigaraki arrived."
She spoke briskly and to the point as always, making no attempt to soften her words. Mirai kept a close watch on Present Mic the entire time, knowing he would be the most volatile one in the room. Even now the blond had a dark frown on his face, fists clenched tightly at his side and lips pressed together tightly enough to turn white. Midnight hovered close behind with a hand on his shoulder, and Mirai averted his gaze when she gave a gentle squeeze. She seemed capable enough of handling him, so he'd leave it to her and focus on everyone else.
The atmosphere was certainly heavy enough even beyond the blond. Mirai had rarely seen such a large collection of grim faces, not since All Might's memorial. Even Fukukado, who'd been famous among hero circles as the jolly Miss Joke before leaving the front lines to focus on training the interns, had a grave frown on her face. It felt wrong and out of place, but with the circumstances as they were, he'd be surprised if anyone could smile, even Toshinori himself.
Now was not the time to let himself fall into such morbid thoughts, however. He adjusted his glasses and took over explaining before the others could dwell too long. "Additionally, we now have a total of three missing teenagers, all first year students," he said. "The first is Uraraka Ochako, whom I assume everyone here has been briefed on. To reiterate though, she disappeared shortly after coming into contact with Shigaraki Tomura and his younger brother, who based on recent discoveries is most likely Midoriya Izuku. We do not know how or when they got into contact, but their interaction suggests she somehow knew Midoriya prior to that encounter."
He nodded at Midnight, who had a heavy frown on her face as she withdrew her hand from Mic's shoulder. "We still have no idea how they would have met. Her parents confirmed they never met the Midoriya family, and there aren't any records of either family traveling to the same areas. The most we can surmise it would have had to happen after Midoriya ran away but before her family's business really began to take off. That's only a two year window, though."
"Her phone had strong impressions of Midoriya still lingering, so she was thinking of him heavily before her disappearance," Sayonaka added. "It's rare for me to see such clear images of people other than the object's owner. There wasn't anything blurry about it. Even got his name."
"That brings us to the third point," Mirai interjected smoothly. "While investigating her phone, we found she had created a FacePage profile under the name 'Infinity Girl 8,' and in the days before her disappearance had been in communication with a user known as 'Alien Queen Pink.' Lady of the Night managed to attain an impression of this user's face, and upon sending the sketch to Oracle of Team Storm Chaser, he identified her as Ashido Mina. She and another teenager, Kirishima Eijirou, had been placed under protective watch since involving themselves in a partially-televised villain fight last Friday.
"Oracle and Midnight accompanied Detective Tsukauchi to question Ashido on Sunday. They claim Ashido was cooperative with questioning, but that it brought up largely inconclusive results. Ashido appeared to have never met Uraraka in person, and had no confirmation of who she was talking to online. She had the impression that Uraraka ran away of her own volition based on conversations with her friends. They ended questioning shortly afterwards with intentions to later interview her friends."
Listening to the transcript had been one of the more oddly baffling experiences for Mirai. On the surface everything seemed fine and normal, save for the brief point where Oracle asked a question of his own. However, something about the whole thing just felt off, like they were missing something, but he couldn't put his finger on what exactly. That niggling doubt irritated him, and he'd like to question her himself—unfortunately, that wouldn't happen though.
"Then on Wednesday, both Ashido and Kirishima ran away," he continued briskly, and glanced at Oracle, who promptly took over explaining his side of the event.
"While watching them, someone deployed some sort of smoke bomb on the street. I immediately went to investigate and try to aid civilians caught up in it. I'll spare the full details and let you read the report later, but I ended up pursuing who I thought to be the culprit, and found out another person had effectively used them as a decoy. By the time I returned and sorted everything out, they were gone with only a stupid note saying 'My people need me' left behind."
"It was a planned escape, then," Moashi mused, and Oracle nodded.
"Planned, and coordinated. Hah, it's really aggravating," he added under his breath with a scowl. "I had a feeling something was off with Ashido, but I never expected them to run. We questioned their friends and teachers of course, but none of them had useful information. The most we got was that Ashido had been acting weird lately and claimed to have developed 'sudden partial amnesia.'"
"Sudden partial amnesia?" Snipe repeated skeptically, and Oracle snorted.
"Yeah, it sounds crazy, but even her teachers were willing to corroborate it. Kid started acting weird a little under three weeks ago. Couldn't remember where all her classes were or even moving to Kamino, but still remembered stuff like her friendship with Kirameki Kumiko. Before that, Kirishima had no connection to them despite living in the same building, but suddenly she was clinging to him. He's the one that really confuses me," he added with a frown. "I talked to him a bit and read his profile, and running away feels out of character."
Just one of many odd inconsistencies, Mirai mused as he took over once more. "At the very least, we can assume Ashido was the instigator in the decision. Taking all of these oddities into account though, Nedzu and I feel it safe to conclude that their disappearance and that of Uraraka Ochako are connected—which means there's most likely a connection to the Villain Alliance. We do not know anything more than that though, and that is the end of our knowledge. With this, everyone should be caught up."
A brief silence fell after that, everyone taking a few moments to digest the information. "I have a question," Vlad King said. "How did Uraraka and Ashido know each other?"
"Technically?" Nedzu said. "They didn't." The response got some odd and confused looks, and he wasted no time explaining. "There were absolutely zero opportunities for Uraraka Ochako and Ashido Mina to have ever met that we can find. There is also no evidence of Ashido sending Uraraka a photo of herself over FacePage."
"But didn't Lady of the Night see Ashido's face when touching Uraraka's phone?" Thirteen questioned.
"I did," Sayonaka said with a nod. "It was clear enough to suggest a strong relationship, which shouldn't exist. If they'd only seen each other in passing, I wouldn't have gotten such a clear and detailed impression." It was yet another detail they couldn't explain.
"At present, we cannot fathom how she got that image," Nedzu said. "Our best theory is that they knew each other through some third party, but there is absolutely no overlap in their acquaintances and social circles that we can determine. They grew up in completely different prefectures, and even looking at their elementary and middle school years, none of their classmates visited the other prefecture."
"The closest connection we can find is that one of the employees of Uraraka's father briefly lived in Ashido's city twelve years ago," Midnight added. "We've already questioned him with Tsukauchi and he doesn't know the Ashido family at all though."
"Yes, it's a complete mystery," Nedzu agreed with a solemn nod. "There is a high chance if we can figure out how they knew each other, we'll be able to understand the case better." A brief silence fell as everyone contemplated it.
"Hey, I know the missing kids are important and all, but can we go back to Eraserhead for a second?" Manaka—Figment—called out with a frown. "We're sure he's alive, right?"
"If they wanted to kill him, the Alliance would have done so in Nabu," Mirai affirmed with a nod, noting the way Mic grit his teeth at the blunt statement. He knew the man must be going crazy with concern over his friend, but Mirai couldn't soften his words. "We do not know why they took him, or where he might be now. But we're choosing to be optimistic." And wasn't that strange, to be optimistic about a man who'd been missing for six months when the unspoken rules among underground heroes said anything longer than three would be cruel.
"Eraser's tough!" Fukukado added with a nod and wry grin. "He might be in bad shape, but knowing him he's fighting back right this second!"
"She's right," Mic said, speaking up for the first time since this meeting began. His eyes burned behind his trademark sunglasses as he spoke, his voice holding no hesitation. "Eraser's not one to give up that easy. He's probably been reinvigorated and got his fighting spirit back by the move." Those who knew Eraserhead well nodded in agreement even as others exchanged doubtful looks. Though they had not worked together often, Mirai found himself agreeing with Fukukado and Mic.
Eraserhead would undoubtedly have unspeakable amounts of trauma, but he was alive, and that meant he could heal. Even if he chose to retire afterwards, to hang up his goggles and capture weapon for good, they owed it to him to at least search for him and pull him out of whatever hell he was trapped in.
"So, this 'Nettmegg' will be here soon, right?" Shouto asked, and Monoma nodded.
"Yes, she said six o'clock. It's standard to introduce new inductees to her, even if you don't plan to stay in Odawara long. It's a standard safety precaution." Shouto just hummed, accepting the words at face value mostly because he had no other choice. He glanced at the time on his burner phone to see it was now 5:56, so this "Nettmegg" should be arriving any minute now.
Monoma and Ojiro had gotten texts while they'd been ending yet another day of fruitless searching that Nettmegg, the network's coordinator, wanted to meet him personally. According to them, Nettmegg lived in another city entirely and handled all the coordination remotely. Something to do with her Quirk, though they hadn't explained what it entailed since describing another person's Quirk was taboo. All they told him was that she needed to meet him in person to "fully integrate him into the network."
Now they stood in the room where he'd first revealed his background, joined by Asui, Akai, and a few others who had hidden behind the curtain. Shouto only knew they were there because he'd glimpsed someone when Ojiro had gone back there a while ago to retrieve a portable space heater for Asui and Akai. The two girls huddled around it in the corner now, while Monoma hovered near the door waiting for Ojiro who'd left to check for Nettmegg.
Part of Shouto felt wary about this meeting, in part because he'd never heard about this "Nettmegg" until today. It made some sense, since from what little he knew the network had a surprising amount of people in it, but he couldn't help but feel suspicious. Why did the coordinator suddenly need to meet him? Why did they need to "integrate him into the network" if he was only there temporarily? What, exactly, did her Quirk do?
Two sharp knocks on the door cut into his thoughts, and they all turned to see it open to reveal Ojiro followed by three more people. One he didn't recognize, a girl with teal hair and dark eyes, but the others had Shouto straightening to attention. He instantly recognized one as the boy who'd also been looking at hair dye at the store earlier since he wore the same coat, though this time he lacked the scarf. Only now that he could see the boy's whole face did Shouto recognize him. Kirishima?
His gaze instantly flicked to the third figure. They wore a thick scarf around their mouth and nose and a particularly large wool hat that covered their ears, but it left their black and gold eyes exposed. A sudden pang of suspicion filled him, and sure enough, they quickly unraveled the scarf and tore off the hat with an overdramatic gasp to reveal a familiar face.
"Ugh, that scarf is so stuffy!" Ashido whined. Next to her Kirishima removed his hat and Shouto blinked when he saw the bright red hair. Come to think of it, hadn't it been black earlier?
"At least you had a scarf," he said. "Man, it kinda hurt just breathing through my nose!" As they spoke Shouto noticed the other runaways eying the two newcomers warily, though they soon focused on the teal-haired girl as she stepped forward.
"Hey," the girl—most likely Nettmegg—said in a belated greeting. "Sorry for the short notice, didn't know for sure I'd be able to make it until today."
"You didn't mention anyone else was coming," Akai commented coolly, eyes slightly more narrow than usual, and she shrugged.
"Sorry about that," Nettmegg replied, not sounding sorry at all. "Figured it'd be easier to just get this out of the way all at once. These two are some friends from school, Ashido and Kirishima."
The two turned at their names, Ashido beaming while Kirishima looked a bit nervous and... shy? Shouto filed it away for later contemplation as Ashido spoke up. "Hi! I'm Ashido Mina, and this guy's Kirishima Eijirou, the manliest man ever!" Kirishima winced at the overly enthusiastic introduction, shrinking under everyone's attention and retreating closer to the door with a small grimace.
"It's nice to meet you, kero," Asui piped up politely, and then Ashido turned to look at her with her jaw dropping.
"Wait... You're—"
"Hold that thought," Nettmegg cut in. "Before we do anything else, can 'Yuki' step forward?" Four sets of eyes quickly settled on Shouto and he obediently stepped forward, feeling very lost about what was going on. Two more of his classmates had just showed up, and it seemed the other runaways were just as surprised and confused by the turn of events.
Nettmegg strode up to him and held out a hand, and he looked at it blankly before reaching out to accept it hesitantly. Suddenly her eyes lit up, her irises flickering with a spinning turquoise pattern that matched her pupils. A Quirk. He immediately jerked his hand away, but it seemed it hadn't been fast enough as she just smirked as she pulled out her phone. "And, added," she said with an air of satisfaction.
"What did you do?" he demanded sharply.
"My Quirk is called Neural Networking," she explained. "When I touch someone while using it, it adds them to a network in my head that lets me track their location at all times, among... other things." Shouto's eyes widened briefly before quickly narrowing once more, his wariness spiking. So he couldn't run away and ditch them, then.
"So that's what your Quirk is?" Kirishima asked in surprise. "I thought it had to do with your phone."
"It does," the girl replied casually, holding up the device. The screen had a map open showing several colored dots. "My brother made a custom app that can interface with my Quirk so I can keep track of all the information better."
"Woah, that's actually really cool," Kirishima said. Next to him Ashido was quiet though, squinting at Shouto with a look of intense concentration that left him frowning.
"Can I help you with something?" he asked, and Ashido's eyes suddenly went wide as she jolted in place.
"Wait, Todoroki?" she gasped, and Shouto froze. She darted across the room to stop in front of him, completely ignoring any concept of "personal space" in the process, and he reflexively leaned back a bit as she stared right at his face. "Oh my gosh, you're totally Todoroki! I can totally see the scar under the eyepatch! Why are you wearing that? No, wait, why's your hair black? Wait, wait, did you dye it, or is it naturally black like Kiri's and the red and white was dye—"
"Um." Shouto just stared blankly, trying to process what was going on. Ashido... recognized him? Did he know this world's Ashido somehow? She didn't talk like they were strangers, but given this was Ashido, it was hard to say for sure.
"Hold on, do you know him?" Ojiro asked, thankfully voicing the question on Shouto's mind. Ashido paused then, and then her face became sheepish as she quickly stepped back.
"Uh, kinda?" she said with a weak laugh. "It's uh, really complicated. Sorry Todoroki," she added, shooting him an apologetic smile. "I probably freaked you out by getting all up in your personal space when I'm a stranger to you, huh?" Shouto stared, his mind stuck on the wording. A stranger to you. Ashido recognized him and spoke so familiarly, but still saw herself as a stranger to him.
"Wait," Akai said. "Then how—"
"Ashido, what is our homeroom teacher's name?" Shouto interrupted.
"Aizawa-sensei!" she replied without missing a beat, and then froze. He could see the moment she made the same realization he had, and her face lit up all at once in the biggest grin he'd ever seen. "Wait! Are you—are you MY Todoroki!? From 1-A!?"
"I... think so," Shouto replied, and... he wasn't alone? Someone else was here? He wanted to believe it, but he couldn't bring himself to do it right away, not without some more proof. He reached for the eyepatch to pull it off, almost wanting to look at her with both eyes as if that would somehow make it clearer. It didn't, of course, but he could see the gleam of hope in her eyes. "You're... Pinkie, right?"
Ashido responded by tackling him in a hug, nearly knocking him off his feet. "You ARE my Todoroki!" she shrieked, laughing with absolute delight as she squeezed his torso. "See guys! I told you! I told you! I'm not the only one!"
"Uh, what's going on?" Monoma asked nearby, sounding faintly alarmed, and Nettmegg laughed. A quiet laugh full of sharp edges and a vicious sort of amusement, a knowledge only she had.
"Just confirming a theory," she said, a wild grin on her face. "Let's start over. Everyone, this is Ashido Mina, the second person to come from another dimension."
Notes:
At long last, the Todoroki and Ashido reunion. Next time: Anjou takes a page from Detective Conan's deduction shows because she's going for maximum drama. Bombshells are about to start dropping BIG TIME.
Question for next time: Who could you see dropping out of the front lines to focus on teaching interns/students at Nighteye's agency like Ms. Joke?
Chapter 48: Anjou's Deduction Show
Summary:
The reunion continues, and a lead appears.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 48
.::Anjou's Deduction Show::..
Todoroki. Todoroki was here.
Mina felt like screaming and laughing as she hugged him, just soaking up his presence because she wasn't alone. Mina already knew that of course—knew it from Infinity Girl who HAD to be Uraraka, and from those photos of Jirou and Kaminari sporting the 1-A on their backs—but that was different from actually meeting someone who remembered all the things she did.
"Um, Ashido?" Todoroki said, and she snapped her full attention back to him. He was still staring at her wide-eyed, looking a little lost. "Can you let go?"
"I don't wanna," she mumbled, but (reluctantly) pried herself away from him. She didn't want to make him uncomfortable after all, and Todoroki had never seemed to be very tactile. She didn't go far though, staying right next to him as she eagerly bounced in place. "I just can't believe you're here too! This is so great!"
Of all the people that could end up here with her Todoroki hadn't been on the list, but now that she knew that he was she couldn't suppress her delight. They might not really know each other that well, but Todoroki was from her world. After spending nearly three whole weeks surrounded by classmates and friends who only looked at her as a stranger, having just one person who knew her—her, the Ashido Mina from Class 1-A—was worth more than words could describe.
"A second person?" she heard Ojiro say in disbelief, and Mina turned her head just enough to look at him while keeping Todoroki in her line of sight. Her not-classmate wasn't looking at them, just boggling An-chan in shock. "Wait, are you saying someone else actually believes that other dimension stuff?"
"Yep," An-chan confirmed with a nod.
"One person was crazy enough, but two?" the snake-girl muttered. She was the only one who Mina didn't recognize, but she seemed to be sticking close to Tsu-chan as she muttered to herself. "Holy shit, two? Seriously!?" Next to her Todoroki frowned.
"Wait," he said. "Didn't you believe me?" The other four seemed to pause at that, Ojiro and the snake-girl wincing while Tsu-chan and Monoma just exchanged quiet looks.
"To be fair, it's a rather unbelievable story," Tsu-chan said after a few seconds. "When you told us, you skipped over a lot of details of how you figured out this was another world, kero. You also didn't have much evidence. It seemed more likely someone messed with your memories."
"So you guys thought that too, huh?" Kiri muttered, while Mina shot him a glare and stuck out her tongue.
"You also kept insisting on looking for Gentle Criminal," Ojiro added a little acidly. Mina paused, partially out of surprise to hear him sound so worked up (had she ever heard him like that in their world?), but also to turn to Todoroki questioningly.
"Gentle Criminal?"
"His partner Phantom Shadow is Tokoyami," he explained, and Mina's jaw dropped.
"How did I not see that!?" she cried. "That video Kumiko showed me totally had him using Dark Shadow! I can't believe I didn't notice! Gah, I'm such an idiot!"
"Well, I guess they have the same memories," she heard someone mutter, though she didn't care to check who it was.
Todoroki meanwhile just frowned as he looked at the others. "So... you didn't believe me?" he asked, sounding just a bit hurt, and Mina's heart broke for him. To their credit most of them couldn't meet his gaze and looked away guiltily. Only Monoma didn't, sighing softly before speaking up.
"We thought it would be safer to play along until we could figure out the truth," he said loftily, making Mina automatically turn to glare at him. She didn't like him, the guy was always such a smug jerk, and even now he gave off that stupid snotty air as he spoke. "Look at it from our perspective. The son of Endeavor shows up a year after he ran away, talks about waking up next to a villain, somehow realizing he's in another dimension, and then insists on searching for another villain because you think he'll help somehow. If you don't have any evidence, that all seems rather suspicious."
...Okay, when he laid it out like that, Monoma had a point. But also: "What does he mean by waking up next to a villain?" she asked Todoroki, and his eyebrows furrowed as his frown deepened.
"When I first woke up here, I was next to Dabi," he said, and Mina's jaw dropped even more.
"What!? No way! Why were you next to him!? Wait—did he kidnap you like Bakugou!?"
Todoroki perked up at that, his eyes lighting up. "Maybe? That could explain it... Wait, I wasn't tied up though," he realized with a frown. "And I think he has my number, or at least I keep getting calls from someone labeled 'D,' so..."
"Hold on, why does he have your number!?" Mina blurted, and he shrugged.
"I don't know. Do you think I'm a villain in this world?"
"No way!" Mina didn't even have to hesitate or think on it. "You're way too nice to ever be a villain!" The idea was absolutely ludicrous to her, she couldn't believe he even had to ask.
Apparently he'd been worried about it though because her response seemed to reassure him, losing just a little bit of tension in his shoulders she hadn't noticed. "Thank you, Ashido."
"Okay, is anyone ELSE getting confused?" the snake girl piped up.
"I kinda gave up understanding a while back," Kiri said. Before anyone else could say something An-chan clapped her hands, getting everyone's attention.
"Okay, that's enough of that," she said. "We're getting off-topic. Here's what matters most: right now these two, Ashido and Todoroki, both have the exact same memories, and the exact same story about their life in this other dimension. I'm assuming that, anyway," she added with a shrug. "They both seem to connect this Tokoyami to Phantom Shadow, they both call their teacher Aizawa..."
"You realize this still sounds absolutely insane, right?" Ojiro asked flatly, and Mina scowled at him. "It sounds like they both had their memories screwed with by villains. Is it even safe to let them meet?" Yep, Ojiro was quickly descending her list of favorite classmates. Her scowl only deepened when Monoma spoke up next.
"Lee, I fully understand your concern, but I don't think this is the time to express doubts," he said. "Nettmegg wouldn't bring Ashido here to meet Todoroki like this if she thought it posed any danger. She must have some reason to believe them, or at least give them a chance." As he spoke Mina felt her scowl fade, her irritation replaced by surprise. Despite her expectations, Monoma was actually being surprisingly... nice? And not trying to pick a fight and mock them as somehow inferior?
"I guess Monoma's not really such a dick in this universe, huh?" she mused to Todoroki, who shrugged while Monoma startled behind her.
"I think it's because there's no Class 1-A or 1-B in this world, so there's no rivalry," he replied, and Mina gave a soft "ah" in understanding. "He's actually pretty nice here. You get used to it after a while."
"Hold on, how do you know my name?" Monoma asked sharply, and oh right, he didn't know her in this world so knowing his name would probably seem suspicious. Mina winced and turned back, feeling sheepish at how alarmed he looked.
"You're in Class 1-B in our world," she explained. "You're always competing with Class 1-A for some reason, so we're kinda used to you being a jerk?" Monoma just stared at her, and then looked at Todoroki.
"It's true," he said without prompting. "Everyone here seems really wary, so I thought you would freak out if I called you by your names."
"Do you know anyone else here?" Monoma asked slowly, the others standing more tensely now, and Todoroki paused.
"...I don't know Akai or Naota," he finally said, and those names meant nothing to Mina. "But Asui, Ojiro and Kouda are all in our class at 1-A. Then, Maria is... Shiozaki, I think?" He shot Mina a questioning look, and she shrugged.
"I don't know either of those names? Is it someone from 1-B?"
"The girl with vines for hair?" he said, and she lit up in recognition.
"Oh yeah! The one who beat Kaminari at the Sports Festival, right?"
"Yeah, her." Todoroki turned back, and then squinted at Kiri. "You're also in Class 1-A. But... wasn't your hair black earlier today?"
That got Mina's attention, turning to Kiri with renewed interest. Did they meet earlier at the store? Kiri did mention a "Kaitou," but An-chan called Todoroki "Yuki," not that. "Uh, y-yeah, it was," Kiri said after a few seconds. "I was looking at hair dye, remember? We both were, dude." Todoroki nodded, but he still looked a little confused.
"So then, your hair isn't naturally red?"
"Nope!" Mina answered for him. "But the red is way manlier, don't you agree?"
"...I think so?" Bless his heart, Todoroki still looked a little lost but he was trying. She knew he had a lot to learn about basic social interactions from Bakugou's rants about their remedial license classes, poor boy was so behind on a lot of things. For now she just beamed in encouragement to let him know he was doing good.
"This brings us back to the situation at hand," Anjou interjected smoothly. "As it stands, Ashido and Todoroki know stuff they absolutely shouldn't, and crazy as it sounds, I think this other dimension story might actually be real."
He wasn't alone.
Shouto wasn't alone in this world.
He'd been here for nearly three weeks now, and in that time it had never occurred to him that he might not be the only one from Class 1-A stuck in this world. Why would it? He'd woken up alone after all, and next to Dabi of all people. That alone made it easy to assume he'd been specifically targeted by the League of Villains. After then meeting several of his classmates' counterparts who didn't recognize him, it seemed only natural to assume no one else had been caught up in whatever this was and he was on his own.
But... he wasn't. Ashido was here too. Even after a full five minutes with her all but ignoring his personal space, it felt like some sort of dream.
As far as people to be stuck with went, Ashido... wasn't on the list. At all. He barely knew Ashido, their social circles never really overlapped; he mostly knew her as the loudest of his female classmates and the one who liked dancing. From their training, he also wouldn't exactly consider her reliable in a situation like this. She was perfectly capable when it came to fighting, and she was much better at dealing with people than him, but in terms of strategy, her skills left a lot to be desired.
But even so, even if she wasn't his fifth choice let alone first, just having someone there from his world filled Shouto with a sense of... security. Comfort and familiarity. Ashido might be a lot more tactile than he was used to, but having someone else stuck in his exact same situation really helped. Even if she probably wouldn't be much help directly.
"Them knowing our names is not proof." It was Ojiro who spoke up, snapping him back to reality. He'd been pretty hostile for most of the meeting, but this time he'd toned it down, his voice more cool and level now. "That could have been planted by someone spying on us."
"The names could have been planted," Nettmegg agreed, "but when Ashido first told us about it, she mentioned some details that stood out." Her gaze slid to Kirishima as she spoke, and their classmate visibly swallowed.
"Red Riot," he said tightly, clenching his fists at his sides as all the other runaways looked his way. "She... she said I used the name Red Riot. That's the hero name I picked out when I was a kid, but I never told anyone."
"That's not much in the way of proof though, kero," Asui replied, blunt as ever. She tilted her head at him, a finger touching her chin. "Someone could have heard you mention it—"
"No, I never told anyone," Kirishima cut in, shaking his head firmly. "Not my friends, not my parents, my grandparents, classmates... No one. I already told these guys, but back when I came up with it as a kid, all the kids at school were making fun of kids who chose names based off Pro Heroes. I chose my name after Crimson Riot, so I was too nervous to tell anyone." Asui fell silent at that, and only thanks to their familiarity in his own world did Shouto recognize she'd become contemplative.
"That's still pretty flimsy though." This time Akai spoke, not too accusatory but still obviously wary. "They could have, I don't know, used telepathy to get it."
"You think someone used telepathy on a random kid to get their childhood hero name?" Nettmegg asked dryly, crossing her arms. "And then used that name in memories they planted in someone else who doesn't even know him?"
"...Okay, yeah, no, that's a stretch," the other girl conceded with a sigh, while Asui patted her arm.
"It's okay, Akai. We do need to consider all possibilities, kero."
"Including the one that they're actually telling the truth," Ojiro added under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Dammit, I can't believe we're actually considering this..." Next to him Monoma just hummed, looking at them speculatively.
"That's not the only reason though, is it?" he asked Nettmegg. "Because on its own, that's still pretty flimsy." Shouto could hear Ashido growl quietly next to him, shooting dagger eyes at the blond. Given how hostile their Monoma was, he didn't blame her for being so wary. Shouto had only adjusted to the change because he'd been exposed to this world's Monoma for so long during their searches for Tokoyami.
"It is," Nettmegg allowed with a nod. "But along with these two, there's at least three other people who potentially have memories of this other dimension."
That got everyone's attention, Shouto particularly straightening at this bit of information. "There's more?" he demanded sharply, and Ashido bobbed her head eagerly.
"Yeah! I mean we haven't talked to them and confirmed it or anything, but there's these two vigilantes in Hosu who showed up like last week that have costumes just like Jirou and Kaminari's, and they totally have their Quirks! And they have 1-A on their backs! It's totally them! That's why I finally decided to stop sitting around waiting for something to happen and ran away!"
Shouto stared wide-eyed as she spoke, turning over the information in his head eagerly. "So they're here too?" he asked, and Ashido bobbed her head even more energetically. Jirou and Kaminari. Again, not his first choices, but Jirou was more rational than Kaminari and Ashido and could keep a cool head when it counted, so she'd be a big help. But more importantly: "She said there were five people. Who's the other one?"
"Uraraka!" Ashido cheered, throwing up her arms with a laugh. "Before I found Kami and Jirou, I was talking to someone called Infinity Girl on FacePage, and we never actually confirmed it but it's totally her! And then she ran away," she added, losing some of her enthusiasm. "So I don't know where she is right now. I wonder if she's reached out since we ran away..."
"...She probably has," Nettmegg said after a few seconds, making everyone look at her. "I checked your phone Tuesday night before wiping it, and you got a friend request from someone named '1-A SpaceRescueHero.'"
"It's Uraraka," Shouto decided without hesitation, feeling a wave of relief wash over him. He'd become relatively decent friends with Uraraka in their own world, so knowing she was here too filled him with much more comfort than the rest so far. He was happy in general to not be alone like he'd thought, but there was nothing quite like having someone you really knew around.
"Why didn't you tell me, An-chan!" Ashido whined beside him. "I could've been messaging her this whole time!"
"No you couldn't," Nettmegg replied flatly. "Until we know how those heroes found you through her account, logging into your FacePage is too risky. I sent her a friend request from my account during the train ride here though. Can't believe I forgot about that for a second," she grumbled under her breath, before sighing and continuing more clearly, "So yeah. There's potentially six people with memories of this other dimension."
That made everyone pause. "Uh, you mean five, right, Anjou?" Kirishima asked after a few seconds. "Ashido, Todoroki, Infinity Girl, and those vigilante dudes in Hosu, right?" Nettmeg—no, Anjou, thank you Kirishima—paused then, a sly glint in her eyes.
"...Actually, I forgot about Infinity Girl for a second. So it's six people, not five. Ashido's the third person I've heard mention being in Class 1-A in another dimension."
A dead silence fell over the room at that, shock settling in as they all processed the meaning of the words. Ashido was the third person?
Shouto could feel his eyes widen as he processed the implications of those words, his jaw going slack with disbelief. Six people. Six people with potential memories of Class 1-A. Three of them they didn't know remembered it for a fact yet, but now a sixth had appeared who Anjou claimed did have those memories. A glance around the room revealed everyone else was similarly stunned by this revelation; Ashido's eyes looked particularly ready to bulge out of her skull. Despite that she recovered first, the corners of her open mouth quirking upwards as her eyes lit up.
"There's more!?" she nearly shrieked, the volume making Shouto flinch as she began bouncing. "You've met another person from our world!?"
"Nope," Anjou said, and all at once Ashido deflated, her smile vanishing as she almost sagged with disappointment and confusion clear on her face.
"Wait," Akai said, "But you just said...?" She trailed off, looking just as confused as Shouto felt even with her mutation making it hard to read her expression. Anjou just huffed, her face serious as she spoke.
"A couple of weeks ago, I got a call from a certain person asking about multiverse theory. They claimed they met someone with a Quirk that let people see what their lives were like in alternate realities in their dreams, and that same night dreamed they were in 1-A."
That had everyone tensing, Shouto not sure what to make of it. A Quirk that let people see dreams of another dimension? Ashido looked particularly eager and opened her mouth, but Anjou quickly cut her off. "Before you ask for details, I don't have any. They just said they had a dream they were in 1-A, but they weren't sure if the dream was actually from that guy's Quirk, was implanted by him or was just a regular dream, so they asked me to look into it."
"What do you mean?" Shouto asked, his interest now understandably piqued. "Do you have access to Quirk registries?"
"No, they wanted me to look into the classmates and teacher," Anjou replied. "The quickest way to confirm it would be to check if the people existed. The dream only had memories of a single class period and around an hour after it, so they didn't have all their names. But they had descriptions of the people, so I've been using that to look them up."
Suddenly something seemed to click for Kirishima, his head snapping upwards with visibly realization. "Wait, you mentioned you did a background check on that Jirou girl for someone," he said, surprising Shouto, and Anjou smirked at him.
"Wow, you actually can be clever sometimes," she said in a teasing tone, and her smirk grew when he scowled at her. "Yep, that's exactly why I looked her up. It was kinda a fluke I found her actually. I just remembered my dad had an album with a woman's picture on the cover, and she had those earphone jacks like what they described so I called him up to ask for the name. It hasn't been easy tracking everyone, since most of them obviously aren't really public figures. I'm not even sure the homeroom teacher exists in this world, it's some guy who dresses like a hobo."
"Wait, didn't UA hire heroes though?" Ojiro asked in confusion. "That seems like they'd be a pretty public figure, even if they retired after... you know." He shrugged vaguely, and paused before adding skeptically, "Also, a hobo? Really?"
"That's definitely Aizawa-sensei!" Ashido piped up with a grin, Shouto nodding in silent agreement. "He's an underground hero called Eraserhead! None of us recognized him at all, except Deku, and that was only because Aizawa-sensei used his Quirk on... him..." She suddenly seemed to lose steam, her smile fading to a look of horror as the color drained from her face. "Wait... i-if you can't find him, th-then..." She trailed off, hands rising to cover her mouth while Shouto regarded her with increasing alarm and confusion. She looked like she might be about to cry, but why—
Oh. Oh no. Shouto felt a cold chill down his spine as he realized what she was thinking, eyes widening as a similar horror washed over him. And the others seemed to realize it too.
"Hold on, do you think he's dead?" Akai whispered. Ashido winced as if she'd been hit and even Shouto gave a small flinch, having it said out loud cementing the possibility in place. Now Ashido really looked like she was going to cry. To her credit Akai realized her mistake, and quickly rushed to reassure her. "H-hey, he might be okay! Maybe he just retired or, or works behind the scenes now! You know, like, uh—"
"Like Midnight!" Kirishima piped up. "You said she does behind-the-scenes stuff here, right? He could be doing that!"
"Aizawa-sensei would never retire!" Ashido denied, shaking her head. "The only way he'd stop being a hero would be if he—if he—" She couldn't even get out the word, her lip wobbling and tears pricking the corners of her eyes as her face scrunched up in a mixture of a glare and a miserable frown.
"I'm sure it's not that unlikely," Monoma piped up hesitantly. "You don't need to jump to the worst case scenario—"
"He jumped into a fight with like a hundred villains to protect our class, got his head slammed into the pavement by a giant monster, had both arms broken, had to get surgery and almost lost his Quirk, and still came to class right after that dressed up like a mummy! He didn't even have the bandages off by the Sports Festival!" Ashido practically spat the words, looking even more miserable. "If he still kept going as a hero after that, then what do you think would get him to quit?!"
Monoma paused, looking a bit lost at her response, and glanced at Shouto questioningly. He just nodded. "We've had a rough year," he said simply, which even he recognized might be the understatement of the decade.
"Uh, actually, if it's Eraserhead, he's probably alive," Anjou interjected, and they all turned to look at her. She scratched the back of her neck, looking weirdly awkward as she shrugged. "Kuroe keeps track of underground heroes for some reason. Don't ask him about it, I'm not supposed to know he does. But, yeah, if your teacher's Eraserhead then he's probably okay. If he was confirmed dead... yeah, it'd be on the list."
For a moment none of them spoke, just staring at her. "Uh, Anjou?" Kirishima finally ventured, breaking the silence. "Why does Kuroe do that?"
"I have no idea, he just does," Anjou huffed, rolling her eyes. "Anyways, that doesn't matter. The guy I know also said he was called Aizawa in their dream, so that's just one more detail that matches up. Same goes for all the other classmates, the descriptions match up with the classmates I had Ashido describe too. I've been able to look up some of the people she mentioned that I couldn't find before and confirm it with them, so it checks out."
"That's still not proof there's another dimension though," Akai protested, but she sounded a lot less confident than before. "Even if all these other people are real, maybe this dream Quirk this guy talks about was some kind of, of—like, some kind of test run, or something! To see how believable bigger memories are!"
"I agree kero, this is all very strange, but still not enough to prove this other dimension exists," Asui said with a nod. "Nettmegg, who is this person who had the dream? We might be able to believe it more easily if we can speak to them directly, kero." Shouto's head whipped back to Anjou, waiting for her response with narrowed eyes. He wanted to meet this person too, because right now this was their best lead.
Anjou didn't respond right away though, her frown telling him she wouldn't give away the answer so easily. "I'd tell you, but it's not my place. It's their decision to come forward. I shouldn't even be telling you this much, but I wanted you to understand why I'm giving these guys so much credence."
"You can stop being so evasive about it. At this point, I don't mind if they know."
Everyone startled at the new voice, and they all whirled to see the black curtain in the back of the room swish to the side to reveal a hulking figure. With the dim lighting Shouto initially tensed in anticipation of a fight, but then he caught sight of silver hair and a mask over the newcomer's face. A couple of other teens followed—one Shouto vaguely recognized from Class 1-B, and another he didn't recognize whatsoever—but Shouto paid them little mind, his attention focused on the now-familiar newcomer.
"Parasyte?" several of the runaways chorused in shock, but Ashido gave a delighted gasp.
"Shouji!?" she exclaimed. Shouji Mezou nodded once, crossing two of his six arms over his chest.
"Anjou's talking about me," he said bluntly. "I think we've got a lot to talk about."
Notes:
I said these chapters would have a lot of major revelations. Absolutely no one predicted that we'd get a lead to this whole multiverse mess.
No question for next time. I think there's enough theory fodder for now.
Chapter 49: Requiem for a Dream
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 49
.::Requiem for a Dream::
It happened around a month ago.
It had been one of the truly good days of autumn. The breeze had been brisk but free of the bitter edge from winter, the sky not a perfect clear blue, but not overly cloudy either. It was the kind of weather Mezou loved, the air feeling oddly crisp compared to all the other seasons. Autumn might be the time when the leaves began to die, but he found the growing chill refreshing compared to spring.
As the afternoon drew on he threw on his poncho-style coat to cover his arms and slipped out of the base. No one had tried to stop him or insist he take another person, knowing just how much he needed the alone time after spending most of the summer hidden away. His arms drew too much attention to walk around with them uncovered after all, and the poncho was too thick to wear in the boiling heat of summer.
Now though he got no odd looks for wearing it, easily fading into the masses as he walked towards one of his favorite parks. Not many people bothered going there on weekdays, not with the sky getting dark earlier every day—but more than that, he loved the colors. Red and orange occupied the trees and ground as far as the eye could see, the changing leaves making it even more colorful than spring.
Sunset crept ever closer as he walked through the park and tinted the air gold, further accentuating the warm colors of autumn. Mezou took his time to enjoy the scenery as he walked deeper into the park, heading for his favorite spot: a plaza built around bronze statue of a man accompanied by a small child with a bright smile. As it came into sight his eyes focused not on the statue though, but the maple trees planted around it.
Those maple trees was the reason he loved this spot. While most of the other trees in the park turned red and orange and gold, these turned a deep shade of red that looked closer to violet and violet. It stood out, even the fallen leaves that littered the ground still looking rich and fresh.
Because of that awe, it took him a moment to notice the man already in the plaza.
Mezou was instantly on edge at realizing he was alone with the stranger, mentally analyzing the man for signs of danger. He faced partially away from Mezou so he could only see one side of the man's body, his attention focused on the statue with his hands casually stuffed in the pockets of his coat. From what Mezou could see of his face he had distinctly foreign features, with short light brown hair partially shaved on one side by his ear which had several piercings.
Plain and unassuming, no visual tells of what his Quirk might be. Those were the most dangerous kind of all, because Mezou had no idea what to expect.
Mezou stood still for a moment, silently debating if he should just leave. In that time the man's eyes slid over to him, a slightly darker shade of brown than his hair. Some emotion flickered in them, too briefly to catch and identify it before they seemed to settle and a casual smile spread across his face. "Hey," he greeted in English, and then switched to perfectly unaccented Japanese. "Nice weather, isn't it?"
"...It is," Mezou allowed, wary of the stranger. The man hummed, turning back to the statue.
"Sorry if this seems random, but any idea who this guy is?"
"No clue." The statue lacked a plaque, and the bronze made it harder to pick out truly identifying features. The man hummed, pulling his hands out of his pocket to reveal a small notebook and pen.
"Shame. This isn't the first time I've seen this one, but there's never anyone around who I can ask. It's not critical or anything, but I was curious since usually there's one of Saigo Takamori here instead." The name caught Mezou's attention, recognizing it from history classes—or maybe from one of the other runaways, who was obsessed with samurai—as one of the Three Great Nobles of the Restoration, and the so-called "last true samurai."
Though Mezou couldn't really pick out Saigo from a line of pictures, he felt it safe to say this statue didn't depict him. The man wore much more modern clothing, and had obvious signs of a Quirk in the form of a thin tail which curled around the smiling child's far ankle. "When was it replaced?" he asked, and the man shrugged, writing something in his notebook.
"No clue. I only found out when I found a note about it about a year ago. It's one of the smaller ones so it's not a priority, but it's still an interesting mystery." He spoke lightly and casually, his voice tinged with amusement, but Mezou found himself stiffening once more.
"Smaller ones?" he repeated. The man's pencil paused in its writing, and he glanced over with a thoughtful glint in his eye before smiling.
"Don't worry about it, it's just something I do to entertain myself." He turned back to his notes and Mezou remained silent, gaze now focused on the notebook.
Logically, Mezou knew he should probably leave. He shouldn't engage a total stranger in conversation while alone, especially an obvious foreigner with no noticeable accent. Tourists never stayed long enough to lose their accents, so this man was either very good at Japanese, had a natural knack for picking up local accents, or he lived here. Any of those scenarios spoke of potential danger.
Yet even so, he found himself rooted to the spot, eyes trained on the notebook. Mezou might be rational and cautious, but he was still a teenager. Teenagers had a tendency to be curious even when they knew something was dangerous. And as he stared at the foreign man with no accent who wrote in a notebook about a statue that neither of them knew—well, he was no exception to that rule.
The pencil paused its motions again, the man's gaze sliding over to him once more. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards, a sly glint in his eye. "Curious?" he asked, and even though Mezou shouldn't respond, should just drop it and leave, he found himself nodding. The man hummed as he turned back to the notebook, scribbling once more. Then his smile grew larger, suddenly sharp and full of teeth as he grinned down at the notebook. "Know what? Screw it."
Mezou tensed at the abrupt shift to English, not knowing what the man said but instantly wary nonetheless. The man finished whatever he was writing before turning to face him more fully, his smile not quite as sharp but his eyes still glinting with mischief. "What the heck? Usually I don't talk about this, but this world's fucked up, I have no idea where any of my siblings are, and I'm not planning to stay long enough to find out."
"Long enough to find out what?" Mezou asked, already backing away. If he ran now, he could probably get away—
"Tell me, kid," the man said, making him freeze. "Do you believe in multiverse theory?"
Holy shit.
Just—holy shit.
Eijirou already understood some of the reasons why Anjou believed Ashido's whole "other dimension" story might be true, and why he hadn't dismissed it completely either. While he still thought it sounded absolutely insane and could be some sort of trap or trick, after what she'd said, he thought he'd been prepared to accept it if it did turn out to be true.
But to actually meet someone else who had the same memories as Ashido though? Someone else who recognized her from those memories, and him too?
More than that—for it to be Todoroki Shouto, the son of Endeavor?
This had officially skipped out of conspiracy theory territory into something real.
All at once the gravity of the situation hit him. Up until now, part of him had still been able to deny just how serious and potentially dangerous the situation was. But now that he was faced with the missing son of Endeavor? Suddenly, the stakes had gotten a lot higher than when it was just Ashido. This wasn't some random kid with a powerful Quirk villains might want, this was the missing son of Endeavor!
Either these memories were real, or this was a conspiracy of a more epic scale than he ever would have dreamed of.
And now, a third person showed up talking about this mythical Class 1-A. Someone who didn't claim to come from that world like Ashido and Todoroki, but to have seen it in a dream of all things thanks to some random dude's Quirk. And as Eijirou listened to him describe it (after a round of proper introductions, since they now had three more people suddenly participating), for some reason it didn't sound absolutely insane.
Shouji Mezou, as he introduced himself, had to be one of the most terrifying teenagers Eijirou had ever seen. He looked bigger than all of them, with silver hair and a fabric mask over his overly-elongated face so you could only see his eyes. He also had six arms, three on each side connected by some sort of membrane. Only two arms had actual hands, the rest ending in stumps. One of those stumps had a fleshy tendril extending from it with a mouth.
That's what he used to talk, and Eijirou had to try not to stare too hard at it as Shouji described the dream.
"It started near the end of the day," he began. "It seemed to be a pretty normal lecture that was already wrapping up, people were just asking questions by the time it started. I sat in the front row between Ojiro," he nodded at the blond, "and a girl who was invisible."
"If she was invisible, how'd you know it was girl?" One of the other newcomers spoke up, a guy who'd introduced himself as Mime. Surprisingly Ashido and Todoroki had both ID'd him as someone from Class 1-B. They didn't remember his name though, so he'd decided to just use his codename, just like Akai and the other guy who'd followed Shouji, a guy with pointed ears called Rogue.
"The girl's uniform has a skirt," Shouji replied flatly, and Mime looked a bit sheepish while he continued. "The teacher called on two classmates before the bell rang. One was Asui," he nodded at the frog girl, "And the other was a girl named Yaoyorozu. The bell rang after he answered her question so he dismissed us. I got a look at the rest of the class while we were leaving. There were a lot of people, so I don't clearly remember all of them, but Rockfish was also there—"
"Kouda," Todoroki added to Ashido, who nodded in recognition, as did Shouji.
"Right. I also saw that blond actor who has that movie out right now."
"Aoyama Yuga?" Asui supplied helpfully, and Eijirou and Ashido both startled.
"Aoyama Yuga's in your class!?" he yelped in shock, at the same time Ashido blurted, "Aoyama's a movie star here!?"
"Yeah, that one's still hilarious," Anjou snickered, shaking her head. "Anyways, keep going Shouji." He nodded, and so did the part of his arm that had the mouth much to Eijirou's discomfort before he continued.
"I also remember seeing Ashido and Todoroki since they stood out. Todoroki still had that scar, but his hair was split in two colors, not solid black." Todoroki's hand reached for his scar as he listened, a small frown on his face. "I remember... Jirou, I assume, because she was seated directly behind me and was talking to a blond kid next to her. And I also remember you." His attention focused on Eijirou as he spoke, making him stiffen. "You were sitting next to Asui, which is the only reason I really remember you. We never actually spoke directly."
"Then what?" Ashido pressed eagerly. "What happened after that?"
"Rockfish came to talk to me along with a boy with a crow or raven head—I assume that's Tokoyami," he added with a wry glance at Todoroki, who just nodded in confirmation before he continued. "We talked a bit about training while we left the classroom. When we walked out we heard a commotion down the hall, and saw a blond man who looked like a skeleton chasing after a robot with a mop."
Wait, what? "Uh, what?" Ojiro asked, sounding just as lost as Eijirou felt. Ashido however gasped, her entire face lighting up with delight.
"The janitor bot!" she nearly screeched, turning to tug at Todoroki's arm. "That was the day that one janitor robot went haywire! It stole All Might's tie, remember? And he was totally begging Iida to help catch it!"
Everyone startled at that, eyes bulging at the casual reference to All Might of all people. Todoroki just nodded, saying, "He said he'd been chasing it around the school for half an hour when he asked Iida to help."
"Wait, back up, did you say ALL MIGHT!?" Akai yelped, looking understandably stunned because people just did not casually reference All Might.
"I... didn't see All Might," Shouji said slowly. "But if Iida's the guy with blue hair and glasses, then I remember the skeleton man saying that to him. But, that wasn't..."
"That was All Might!" Ashido replied, spinning to face them all with a grin. "I told you—oops, I guess I told them, not you," she corrected herself mid-sentence sheepishly, gesturing at Eijirou and Anjou before continuing, "But anyways, he lost his powers fighting a really bad villain a few months ago so now he's just a skeleton all the time! Oh, and he works at UA, too." No one bothered responding, all of them just gawking at her.
Slowly they all turned to look at Todoroki, who simply nodded. "It's true. Endeavor was mad because he never got to beat him for the title Number One Hero."
"...Holy shit," Mime whispered, face understandably pale as everyone just... processed it.
...You know, of all the bombshells Ashido dropped on them, Eijirou had honestly forgotten about that one. The whole "All Might is still alive but a skeleton man now" thing had just been so outrageous, he'd honestly kinda glossed over it. Hearing it from Todoroki though made it a bit harder to ignore.
"...Well, it waxed the floor while it moved so Iida ended up slipping while trying to catch it," Shouji said after several long seconds. "A bunch of us started chasing it down the halls after that, and I ended up being the one to catch it instead. That's where the dream ended." A brief silence descended after he finished, everyone glancing at each other as they absorbed it.
Honestly, aside from the surprise cameo from All Might of all people, the dream sounded... pretty anti-climatic. Eijirou didn't know if he should be disappointed or what. It didn't seem all that special given it was supposedly a memory of another dimension.
"Okay," Akai said after a few seconds. "I guess I can kinda see why you'd ask Anjou to look into it some more, but... What made you think it wasn't just, you know, a dream?"
"Because I never saw UA's uniforms until I looked it up the next day," Shouji responded promptly. "I might have seen them at some point and just couldn't remember it, but it's still odd that I'd remember them so accurately. In the dream I had a modified version that had no sleeves and was closer to a vest, and I know for a fact I'd never seen a version like that. I had to specifically look up sleeveless variants to find one picture." Weird logic, but hard to argue with that.
"Which is where I come in," Anjou said. "Don't blame you guys for doubting him. I probably would have written it off as a dream too if it wasn't for one detail."
"Which was?" Monoma pressed, gaze sharp, and she nodded at Ashido.
"He described Ashido perfectly. I know for a fact they've never met. Ashido's from the Chiba prefecture, Shouji's from Fukuoka." Eijirou's eyes bulged at that bit of information. Fukuoka prefecture was in the Kyushu region—it was on a totally separate island. It was kinda crazy he'd come to Odawara all on his own. "The furthest Shouji's ever traveled was to Tokyo, twice in his whole life. He never went near Ashido's city. I even asked her if she'd ever been to Kyushu or even Okinawa, but she hadn't."
"Is there any chance villains would have an interest in Ashido?" Rogue piped up now, startling Eijirou. This was the first time the older teen had spoken since introducing himself, and he looked at Anjou with a critical gaze. "I'm not trying to outright doubt all this. But we can't overlook the possibility that she's a potential target."
"I did consider it," Anjou admitted nonchalantly. "But honestly, up until last Friday Ashido didn't really do anything to draw attention other than break dancing. Most people at school honestly thought her Quirk had to do with making her extra hyper."
"Hold on, what happened last Friday?" Mime asked curiously.
Ashido brightened and opened her mouth to respond, but Anjou cut her off. "That isn't really important right now, we can explain later. The point is, I couldn't see anyone being interested in Ashido beyond her sticking out with the mutation aspects. Either way, it was enough to at least get me interested and look into the rest of it, and the more I looked, the more people I found."
Already the gears were turning in Eijirou's head. "You said you were looking into Jirou for him, so you found her then, right?" he asked, and she nodded. "Then... You also mentioned Yaoyorozu and Ingenium's brother were in Hosu, and Shouji just mentioned Yaoyorozu too."
"Still never did find out her given name," Anjou mused lightly. "But yeah, that's what got me looking at Hosu in the first place. He didn't have a name for Iida, but he mentioned the guy was super-fast with engines in his legs, and that reminded me a bit of Ingenium who's based out of there. I went through some of his old interviews, and that's when I found out Ingenium has a little brother in our age bracket."
"Everything just kept lining up, huh," Ojiro murmured to himself with a frown. "I won't lie, it still sounds crazy, but I can see why you didn't just write it off." Anjou pressed her lips into a tight line, folding her arms over her chest.
"...To be honest, I still had some doubts," she admitted after a few seconds, surprising Eijirou. "Even with all those people, it's still all pretty circumstantial. None of it was really concrete evidence. But then, after talking to Ashido on Tuesday..." She trailed off, chuckling lowly and shaking her head. Eijirou felt a chill run down his spine; that was definitely ominous. "There was one thing she said that really sold me. A single detail that matched up with the dreams that no one would know."
"Which was?" Monoma asked, and Anjou met his gaze coolly, her eyes spinning and flickering with her Quirk.
"He described one classmate with some kind of hardening Quirk," she began, and Eijirou froze. "Red eyes, pointed teeth. Said he hardened his skin when he slipped while chasing that robot. Kept talking about manliness, and hung off some guy that cursed like sailor." As she spoke Todoroki and Ashido turned to look at him, recognizing the description while Eijirou felt an overwhelming numbness.
"Me?" he whispered, making the others turn to look at him too. Anjou gave a single nod.
"That's what I thought at first, but there was one detail that didn't add up," she said, looking him dead in the eye. "The kid he saw had red hair, not black."
The breath felt like it'd been knocked out of him, his whole body going numb as Ashido's words from back then earlier rang through his head. "You dyed it red when we got into UA as a promise you're a manly man!"
No. No way. No freaking way.
"And that's what's so weird," Anjou continued, not moving her eyes from his. "Why would someone go to all the trouble of inserting all these real people into fake memories, people who neither of them have probably ever met, and make sure all these little details are correct—and then change one person's hair randomly to be red instead of black?"
She shook her head and answered her own question. "It's too weird and specific. With these kinds of things, the more details there are, the easier it is for people to pick it apart and find holes. It's already a pretty big and elaborate story. Adding something that small is completely unnecessary, even if you add some kind of backstory for it. So these two are either telling the truth, or this is the most ridiculous and elaborate conspiracy ever."
Silence followed this. Eijirou didn't know how the others were taking it, but for him it really was just mind-numbing. He remembered that Anjou had looked at her back then as if she'd wanted to say something, but... For it to be because he was a living, walking clue? For him to be the detail that made up her mind?
Holy shit.
Shouto listened as Anjou laid out her reasoning in silence for the most part, just quietly processing it. He did have a lot of information dumped on him suddenly after all; the fact that Kirishima had dyed his hair in their dimension and not this one was honestly pretty minor compared to everything else. His gaze kept trailing back to Shouji, who nodded along as Ashido and Monoma helpfully explained how Kirishima had only dyed his hair that morning to the rest.
Shouji had only described that man he'd met briefly. A foreigner with brown hair and eyes, no noticeable accent, and who never gave him a name. Shouji said after asking about the multiverse, the man had offered to use his Quirk on him to show him another world. Something about how he knew Shouji was at UA in other worlds, and likely would have been there if it still existed in this one. He hadn't asked anything in return, simply claimed he was bored and wanted to scope another world.
Right now, that unknown man was their first real, solid lead at getting home. A Quirk that let him show people dreams of other realities? And more than that, the way Shouji described it made it sound like this man wasn't from this world, which meant he must be able to travel between them freely.
Just thinking about it made Shouto feel a buzz of anticipation deep inside himself. He didn't know if that man was the culprit responsible for how they got here or had any other connection to their situation, but it didn't matter. If he had a Quirk that let him access the multiverse, even if he wasn't responsible, he'd surely at least know something that could help them. He could tell Ashido had the same thought, her own eyes laser-focused on Shouji with even more intensity than him.
"That said, I found some other interesting stuff when I looked up the rest of the people Ashido mentioned," Anjou commented, drawing back everyone's attention. Her smirk had faded, her expression more serious now. "Did you know Bakugou Katsuki went missing on November 9th?"
That had all of them tensing, Shouto and Ashido both nearly recoiling since they knew him personally. Shouto and Bakugou had become decent friends over the course of their time in remedial license training, and Ashido was obviously already close to him. So to hear this world's Bakugou had disappeared, most likely kidnapped by villains given the state of the world... That was bad, very bad.
"I woke up here on November 14th," he said after a few moments, and Ashido bobbed her head with a frown.
"Yeah, me too."
"I doubt it's connected, but if he did get caught up in this, we probably won't be able to find out anytime soon," Anjou remarked. "The other one to note is Midoriya Izuku." And now Shouto grew even stiffer. Midoriya? Flashes of the green-haired boy filled his mind, some having him smiling brightly, and others standing with his arm dangling uselessly at his side while his voice echoed that it was his power.
Shouto swallowed harshly, forcing the last image from his mind as his hands clenched at his sides. "What happened to him?" he asked tightly, and Anjou glanced at them for a moment before speaking.
"Midoriya Izuku's parents died when he was eight in Flight 174." That hit Shouto like a rock, his eyes widening in disbelief. Memories of Midoriya's mother instantly flickered in his head. He'd only met her once, at the hospital after the ill-fated summer camp, but she had seemed so kind and cheerful, and Midoriya only had good things to say about her. For her to die left his stomach churning for his friend even before Anjou continued. "And then a few months after that, he disappeared completely. No one knows where he is, the investigation went cold."
And just like that Shouto's mind went blank, an icy chill crashing over him. Midoriya was missing?
His mind kicked into gear a moment later, racing at record speeds and reaching the worst conclusions possible. Shouto knew Midoriya had some connection to All Might, even if he claimed he wasn't his love child. If All Might died in that big battle before the crash, and afterwards, someone with a grudge against All Might found out about that mysterious connection...
Then there would be no one left to protect Midoriya.
"There's one other thing," Anjou said before his thoughts could spiral further. "Midoriya Izuku was Quirkless."
And now, Shouto's brain really did shut down, no longer able to process anything. What? Midoriya was Quirkless?
"What?" Ashido gasped next to him. "But—no, no way, that doesn't make any sense! He wasn't Quirkless!" She stubbornly shook her head. "He has some kind of, of super strength or something! Right, Todoroki?" She whirled to face him for backup, and Shouto could only numbly nod before she spun back to continue vehemently, "It kept breaking his bones and everything! It even had these sparks sometimes!"
"I don't know what to tell you," Anjou said with a shrug. "I only know that all the articles called him Quirkless. That's probably why the case went cold." Her voice held a particularly bitter note that made Shouto's eyebrows furrow. Somehow, her tone felt like she found that detail oddly personal. A glance Ashido and Kirishima showed them both looking equally grim, so they must know something he didn't. "In any case, I can't say for sure if he's alive or not. But the fact you guys both have memories of him specifically is definitely weird."
No one spoke for a few moments, just thinking it over. "So... what does that mean?" Asui finally asked.
"I have no idea," Anjou replied bluntly. "It's just something I found worth noting. That said, I couldn't find anyone else Ashido mentioned though, but we can't eliminate the possibility that you guys aren't the only ones here. The way I see it, our first step is to see if we can find anyone else from your class who's in this mess to see if they might have any ideas how it happened. So if you guys can make a full list, complete with any information you remember like names, Quirks, where they lived before, middle schools, that'd be a good start."
"What about the man Shouji mentioned?" Shouto piped up, finally voicing the thought that had been haunting him this whole time.
"That's priority number two," Anjou declared. "Finding him would be ideal, but let's be realistic. We don't know where he is, what his name is, and Shouji can't show us what he looks like, either. It's probably not going to happen that easily. Your classmates are more tangible sources we can actually investigate and locate." Shouto nodded in understanding, accepting her reasoning as reasonable enough even if he didn't like it.
After that the room lapsed into silence once more, everyone taking their time to mull over everything they'd just learned. "...Guys, this is really big," Kirishima said after a few seconds passed. "Maybe..." He bit his lip, and shook his head before pushing on. "Look, I get that you guys are runaways and can't let yourselves get found, but maybe—maybe we should go to some Pro Heroes with this."
The reaction was instantaneous. Nearly every runaway leaped to their feet, shouting loud refusals and objections and overall voicing their disapproval. Kirishima winced and shrunk back with wide eyes under the sudden outburst of angry voices directed at him, and Shouto felt a pang of pity for him. The shouting continued for nearly a full minute, the voices overlapping into an incoherent cacophony of noise, before one rose above the rest. "ENOUGH!"
Immediately all of them silenced and turned to face the other person Shouto didn't recognize whatsoever, the boy called Rogue. He seemed slightly older than them and more mature, and the fact everyone went silent at his command seemed to suggest a degree of respect. He surveyed the room silently for a few seconds before speaking. "I don't like the idea of risking contact with the Pros either, but Kirishima's got a point. This is big, probably more than we can handle."
Everyone began to bristle, clearly ready to object, but fell still when he held up a hand. "I'm not saying we should go to them now. Honestly, I'd rather not get involved in this at all," he added with a shrug. "This whole mess reeks of danger. But the fact these memories involve so many of you guys makes this too shady for me to ignore, even if it would only be Parasyte, and Todoroki and Ashido never showed up. I think we all want the truth, right?" The runaways all exchanged silent looks before turning back with wary nods, and Asui stepped forward.
"We can't ignore this," she declared bluntly. "We might not be heroes, but most of us here still want to be and do our best to help, even if it's not legal, kero. Even if we weren't in those memories, we can't ignore people in need."
"If there's a world where so many of us were able to go to UA, we need to find out about it," Ojiro added, looking resolute and determined. "And I want to know how much of that knowledge can be applied here." The others nodded in agreement, minds clearly settled, and Monoma crossed his arms.
"What's the plan, Rogue?" he asked, all business.
"We'll investigate this as long as we can," Rogue responded briskly. "See if we can find either more of these guys' classmates, or that guy Parasyte met. If we talk to more people who remember that world, we might be able to find some pattern to it, like Nettmegg said. But chances are, we won't," he added gravely. "This is big. Whether there's actually another world or this is just some crazy convoluted trap, either way, this is bigger than anything any of us have ever dealt with. So after a point, we'll most likely need to turn this over to Pro Heroes so they can handle it—"
"No." The sudden interruption surprised everyone, and all of them turned to Shouto. He didn't flinch under the scrutiny, his voice level and calm as he spoke with steely determination. "We can't turn this over to the Pro Heroes."
"Yuki, be realistic," Rogue said sharply. "This eventually will get outside our scope. Talking to Pros will be risky, so we'll put it off as long as possible, but they have resources we'll never have—"
"We can't," Shouto interrupted, meeting his gaze squarely. "If we go to them, they'll probably take us into custody, and that means when this is over, this world's version of me will be forced to go back to Endeavor."
His words seemed to have the effect he desired, all fight vanishing from the older teen's face and replaced by a look of shock and surprise. The others were similarly quiet and stunned, and Shouto used the opportunity to voice his thoughts, pulling out his eyepatch from his pocket as he did. "I've said this before, but when I woke up here I had all the components for a disguise on my body and even dyed my hair. I don't know why my counterpart ran away, but knowing how Endeavor was in my world..."
He trailed off there, eyes narrow as he squeezed his fist around the eyepatch. "The fact I ran away and left my siblings behind must mean I was desperate in this world. I know it must be because of that man's actions. If he learns I've been found, he'll probably grab me and take me back before anyone else can help. And even if he doesn't do that, and lets them help me and fix the situation, he'll probably demand custody of me immediately after everything's solved. And I can't do that," he said, hissing the words out. "I can't let my other self get trapped with that man—"
"Todoroki..." Ashido's quiet voice made him suddenly still, turning to see her looking at him with wide, almost horrified eyes. She took a deep breath as their gazes met, her face crumpling more and more as she whispered. "You... You don't know...?"
"...Don't... know...?" he repeated. Slowly he turned to look at the others, and saw similarly shocked and horrified looks. Ojiro, Akai and Mime weren't looking at him, all sporting distinct grimaces as they ducked their heads; Monoma and Rogue regarded each other with small frowns; Shouji just hung his head; Kirishima looked ready to cry... Even Asui, always cool-headed and calm, looked heavily somber compared to usual as she looked down at her hands. The only one who would meet his gaze was Anjou, her eyes narrowing as she studied him.
"You actually don't know, do you," she murmured, and he frowned.
"Know what?" he demanded, and several of the group exchanged looks. Finally Monoma took a deep breath, seeming to visibly brace himself as he forced himself to meet Shouto's gaze.
"Todoroki, I'm sorry I don't know how to say this, but... Endeavor died a year ago. You ran away a week later."
And just like that, Shouto's world shattered once more.
Notes:
Number of people who predicted Endeavor was dead: zero.
Chapter 50: A Quiet Evening
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 50
.::A Quiet Evening::.
All across Japan as evening fell, people retreated to their homes to settle in for the night. Some sat down for dinner with their families, quietly celebrating the start of the weekend. Some sat in their bedrooms and offices, working on projects for school or work that couldn't wait. Still more donned uniforms and support gear as they stepped into the night, prepared for a long, cold night of stalking the streets protecting those who needed it most—or in some cases, searching for openings to prey on those people.
As the night wore on six teenagers let themselves indulge in a quiet evening full of quiet contemplation, a rare indulgence for those trapped in another world.
Deep in the heart of Hosu, Jirou Kyouka reclined in a bathtub letting the warm water soothe her aching muscles. After taking yesterday off to wait for the initial clamor from their big villain fight on Wednesday to fade, they'd gone on another patrol today, this one thankfully much quieter. A total of four hours had been spent creeping along the streets looking for crime, stopping two muggings, one shoplifter, and one attempted assault before calling it a day.
All in all, it had been a relatively peaceful and uneventful patrol, much to her and Kaminari's combined relief. The worst injury either of them got had been when she landed a little hard after climbing a tree using Gecko Mode to rescue a kitten for a little girl. But while she hadn't been injured like Kaminari had been on Sunday she still felt unbelievably exhausted and sore though, especially her arms.
The battle on Wednesday had been more straining and tiring than Kyouka had expected. All day yesterday her body had ached, bruises forming all over from when she'd dived to the ground to avoid the villainess's attacks. Surprisingly the largest one didn't come from that though, but Iida. Even now she could see a particularly large one on her stomach where he'd effectively clotheslined her while pushing her out of the way of the woman's attack. Kyouka appreciated the save, but he hadn't been gentle.
But the worst was definitely her arms. That stunt where she'd used Gecko Mode to climb up a wall while Kaminari clung to her legs had taken its toll. Yesterday just lifting them left them sore and aching. The pain had thankfully faded over the course of the day to the point she could ignore it, but it had come back full force after she used Gecko Mode again during today's patrol to get that cat.
Still, she didn't regret it. The kid had been beaming when Kyouka handed it over. They'd ended the patrol not long after that, much to her relief, and aside from eating dinner a little bit ago she hadn't used her arms since. She'd just sprawled on the couch with the TV on while Kaminari went around doing... whatever.
"Gentle Criminal, huh?" she murmured to herself as she tipped back her head and let her eyes slide shut. All the stations had been focused pretty heavily on the phantom thief's arrival in Hosu on Wednesday. News had been pretty evenly split between his encounter with Ingenium and their battle with that villainess, and even now she didn't know if that was a blessing or not.
What really got her interest though was Gentle Criminal's partner, Phantom Shadow. The mysterious figure had only shown up at the tail-end of the encounter with Ingenium, throwing a smoke bomb at him while they escaped. He hadn't appeared long, the camera too far to get a good look as he and Gentle skipped away through the sky. Today the stations had played older footage where he'd used his Quirk though, and after seeing just one clip Kyouka had no doubts:
Phantom Shadow was absolutely Tokoyami.
So far everyone they'd met in this world seemed to have managed to keep a normal civilian life, but she had never expected any of them would go villain. She idly wondered why Tokoyami worked with Gentle Criminal in this world—if he was a willing accomplice, or if he had been kidnapped and forced into a villainous life at a young age. She'd have to do more research on Gentle Criminal later to figure it out, but she would have done that even if Tokoyami hadn't been in the picture.
After all, they might end up going after him.
Taking down Gentle Criminal would be risky and draw a lot of attention. She hadn't heard much about him yet, but according to Kaminari rumors and gossip had run rampant at school after his last heist. For whatever reason he seemed to be fairly popular here as some sort of anti-hero or vigilante who only targeted corporations. Compared to their world, he was a freaking celebrity here.
Kyouka still wasn't sure they wanted the kind of massive attention that would come from battling someone as infamous as that. Just fighting that villainess on Wednesday had gotten them a lot of attention that could easily go the wrong way. Even so, if they happened to see him and Tokoyami during a patrol... well, they'd have to do something. They were the 1-A Vigilantes. They couldn't just ignore a criminal.
In the room next door, Kaminari Denki sat on the couch with his laptop scrolling through the newest batch of photos from the camera Hatsume made. He'd brought it along during today's patrol, and unlike the chaotic mess that had been Wednesday, this time he'd actually been able to get some shots during the lulls.
Most of them weren't that exciting; he couldn't use the camera while actively fighting after all. The closest thing he'd gotten to an action shot was a picture of Jirou standing next to a guy she'd knocked down with a punch to the stomach, but to his disappointment it was too blurry to actually use.
Between action they ended up doing some smaller things too though, just little tasks to help when they saw people who needed it. That's where most of the photos came from, just candid shots of them helping random people with more mundane stuff. Classic good deeds like carrying bags for old ladies crossing the street, or helping clean up a street after a child's Quirk unexpectedly activated and knocked over everything that wasn't nailed down.
He grinned as he paused on a photo of Jirou scaling a tree to retrieve a cat that got stuck on a high branch. The smoky gray cat stood out against the brown and orange foliage, sitting with its back hunched and neck craned to watch Jirou from above. At the bottom you could see the top of the head of the little girl who'd asked them to help, hands reaching up eagerly. A classic heroic rescue, and better yet the 1-A on her back was crisp and clear as she stretched one arm up to keep climbing.
"Jackpot," Denki said to himself, moving it to the folder for good photos before switching over to the web browser. He still had their FacePage profile open, now bearing the profile picture of them holding the "1-A" and "Vigilantes" signs, and a myriad of other photos and links to articles about them. It only took a few minutes to upload the photo, tacking on a simple caption, 'Really feel like heroes today!'
After it uploaded he switched to another tab with their still-new Tweeter profile. With their forced break yesterday they'd taken up Hatsume on the offer of having that guy she knew install all the security stuff so they could use other sites without being traced. They'd decided to stick to just Tweeter for now, since they both used it in their own world and were more familiar with it than other platforms.
Though the account was barely a day old they'd already gotten a few dozen followers, the unique photos setting them apart from copycats and pretenders. He uploaded the picture there, too, tagging it with '#justherothings'. No need to get too wordy. After he tweeted it he leaned back with a quiet sigh, taking a few seconds to just relax while waiting for responses. Their social media presence was growing slowly but steadily, amassing a total of nearly three hundred followers between both sites.
Still, part of him wondered if this was really doing anything. They'd gotten comments and a few followers, sure, and their brand was going strong, but they'd gotten nothing yet to indicate someone else was here. That was the whole reason they bothered with the social media campaign. With each day of silence, it seemed more and more likely they were all alone here after all. All they could do was keep posting and hope for something.
Biting his lip, Denki pushed the thought away and switched back to FacePage. A quick refresh showed a few comments had already posted on the newest photo and he skimmed over them. The first two just commented on the generic nature of saving a cat from a tree, but when he reached the third one he froze. Denki bolted upright, sitting up so fast it would have knocked the laptop to the floor if he hadn't been clutching it so tightly.
'Do the names Pinkie, Heights Alliance and Chargebolt mean anything to you guys? If they do, DM me. Asking for a friend.'
His heart picked up its pace as he read it over and over again, barely able to believe his eyes. The commenter's name, 'Nettmegg,' meant nothing to him, nor did the stylized drawing of a satellite dish used as a profile pic. But the comment—Pinkie, Heights Alliance, Chargebolt.
"We're not alone," he whispered, tears starting to form as a shaky smile formed. "We're... We're not alone!"
In another prefecture entirely, Uraraka Ochako stood in the apartment of a woman she knew to be some kind of villain staring at a closed bedroom door. Aiko had returned only briefly that evening, carrying a stiff, black plastic case full of something which she never showed Ochako (though the texts from Deku gave her some ideas). She'd come out of her room wearing a red jacket with fake fur trim and a punk-looking skirt over tight jeans, completing the look with the same goggles she'd worn the day Ochako first met her.
"I have work tonight, and won't be back until tomorrow afternoon," she'd said. "Stay inside while I'm gone and don't leave the building, okay?"
Ochako had voiced her agreement without hesitation, but after a few hours passed, she found herself gravitating towards the woman's bedroom. Aiko's door looked plain and unremarkable, yet standing in front of it she found herself having to steel her nerves—whether because she wanted to enter, or to talk herself out of going inside.
Even after staying with Aiko for five days, Ochako didn't know what, exactly, she did for the Alliance, but she'd started to develop theories. When Ochako returned on Wednesday, Aiko had been completely unrecognizable. She looked like a man down to her build, her hair much shorter and fluffy and colored light green like lettuce, and her face even had a smattering of colorful freckles. The only thing that didn't look radically different were her eyes, which still looked like starry skies.
"Oh, I had to dress up for that favor," she'd explained cheerfully once Ochako got over her initial shock. "That's why I asked you all those questions!" Ochako had figured out that much, but it was still shocking to see how significant the change had been. Even her body build seemed different, far more masculine than before. Not super-buff or anything, but still. That sweater wasn't exactly baggy.
That moment had been when Ochako really realized how little she knew about the woman, not even her Quirk. But more than that, it reminded her that Aiko was almost certainly a villain of some sort.
It wasn't that Ochako had forgotten that, but it just hadn't really clicked until she saw Aiko look like a completely different person. Up to that point Aiko just had been so nice and friendly, always so cheerful and helpful. Anyone could tell she genuinely cared about Deku. It was hard to imagine her doing anything truly nefarious.
But then, she did break Shigaraki's wrist—and more than that, she had Aizawa-sensei's goggles.
Ochako had actually seen them since coming here. She'd had to take a shower in Aiko's bedroom since using Deku's shower felt weird and the other bathrooms didn't have working showers, and Aiko had them on the dresser in plain sight. It only took one glance to know they weren't some knock-off imitations. Those were the real deal, and she couldn't think of any decent explanation for someone connected to villains to get his goggles.
Aiko had secrets Ochako couldn't begin to imagine, and she couldn't ask.
If Ochako was going to continue staying with her, she wanted to know exactly who she was dealing with. She would bet money that Aiko's interest in disguises was more than just a hobby, especially after Deku told her about her passion for Quirk chemistry before Aiko came back with that black case. The apartments gave no hints though; Aiko had no weapons or tools lying around, no plans or itineraries in the open. If she did have anything related to her work, it would be in her bedroom.
With Aiko gone for the night, right now would be her best chance to look. Yet even so, Ochako found herself hesitating. Did she really want to do this? She'd seen the room two times now when taking a shower, and aside from Aizawa-sensei's goggles nothing had stood out. Anything related to her work would probably be hidden, meaning Ochako would have to snoop.
While she wouldn't hesitate to do it for a good cause, she was more worried about Aiko noticing the signs she'd searched the room. She had no idea how the woman would react, if she'd still be friendly and maybe tease her for being curious, or if she'd get mad. Ochako had yet to see Aiko angry, but... she broke Shigaraki's wrist. That was a red flag on its own.
But also... Ochako remembered seeing a shrine there. Not a full, proper one like in her family's home, but still obviously a shrine to the dead.
That was what really made Ochako hesitate. Something about intruding upon a room with a shrine made her stomach twist guiltily. Even when she'd first seen it she hadn't been able to look at it for more than a second, guiltily looking away as if seeing something very private. There had been a table with unlit candles in front of two rows of shelves draped with white cloth holding several photos—not one or two, several photos, each in a nice frame decorated with black ribbons.
Her fists clenched at her sides as she inhaled sharply, wracked with indecision. Even if those photos could give her some insight into Aiko's history, Ochako didn't like the idea of intruding upon her privacy like that.
Before she could dwell on it too long her phone suddenly dinged in her pocket. She jumped as she recognized the special chime from FacePage, scrambling to pull it out and open the site. Instead of a new message from Deku or Ashido finally accepting her friend request though, she saw a notification about a message from the person who'd sent her a request earlier that afternoon.
Her mouth thinned as she looked at the notification, her eyebrows furrowing. The name "Nettmegg" didn't sound like Ashido or anyone else she knew, and it was odd she only got a message now hours later. Still, after a moment of hesitation she opened the messenger to read it.
'Hey, thanks for accepting my request. We don't know each other, but I think you know my friend. Do the names Pinkie and Uravity mean anything to you?'
At the same time in the far edges of Nabu, Midoriya Izuku settled in his teacher's cell so they could listen to another teacher's voice stream from his phone. Aizawa looked more relaxed than he had this whole time as he reclined atop the blanket, his head resting on a pillow and his bad leg elevated on a few other pillows. The tension didn't fade from his body completely though, still shooting Izuku wary glances now and then, but Izuku had started to grow numb to the distrusting looks.
The teenager curled in the corner to give the captive hero as much space as possible, a blanket wrapped around himself like a cocoon as he hugged his own pillow to his chest. Sitting on the floor, listening to Present Mic's voice steadily stream from his phone as he enthusiastically introduced song after song... How many nights had he spent like this over the years, eagerly trying to stay awake long enough to hear the end?
Still, this time he found his concentration wavering, his mind too restless to even entertain the thought of dozing off. His gaze kept flickering to a small plate with a single pill and an uncapped water bottle next to where his teacher lay, both untouched.
He knew from experience Aizawa was no stranger to pain. Any discomfort at his broken leg was expertly hidden behind a mask of calculated coolness and indifference. But Izuku couldn't imagine it didn't hurt at all, especially not after whatever he had endured before getting taken by Shigaraki and the Alliance. The man had obviously been in bad shape in those horrifying few seconds when Izuku first saw him, and that was before his leg got broken.
Magne had been the one to suggest he just bring the man a painkiller when he'd unintentionally mumbled those concerns aloud. She'd said that Shigaraki probably wouldn't notice or even care if he did. Ultimately Aizawa was Izuku's "toy"—and he'd winced at that word, not knowing if it was worse or better than "pet"—so as long as he didn't release him, whatever Izuku did with the captive hero was his business.
But when he mustered the courage to bring one in, Aizawa refused to take it.
He'd glared at the pill suspiciously when Izuku first explained what it was, and then simply ignored it. Izuku naturally hadn't tried to force it on him, leaving it within easy reaching distance so he could take it of his own accord, and since then it hadn't been touched. Even now Aizawa's gaze still occasionally darted towards it, gaze calculating and critical before always, always turning away.
The fact his teacher refused to take it broke Izuku's heart, reminding him just how little this version of the man trusted him. In his place Izuku would probably be suspicious too—especially after seeing Aiko's lab—but that didn't make it hurt any less.
For all they seemed to have bonded over the past few days, it was perfectly clear that Aizawa still saw him as an enemy.
Is bringing Kacchan and Shinsou really a good idea? The dismal thought repeated for the umpteenth time this hour, making Izuku bury his face into his pillow a little more. The request to have Aizawa act as a teacher had been a spur of the moment impulse when Kurogiri first told them they'd all have to start doing homework. It had been the perfect opening to get Kacchan and Shinsou to meet him so they could start building their own bond of trust with him and prepare for the eventual escape. The fact the mist-man agreed to a minimally supervised tutoring session still surprised Izuku.
But as good as it could be, Izuku knew Aizawa wouldn't react well. They both had those anklet-bombs—even if the bomb part wasn't obvious—and Shinsou had a muzzle. One look would be all Aizawa would need to recognize they were prisoners held here against their will. It didn't matter if they all acted like best friends, the obvious imbalance in their power dynamic would surely tank whatever good opinions he'd built of Izuku.
Losing what little trust he'd managed to gain made Izuku want to scream, but... He felt like he had no other choice. If he can meet Kacchan and Shinsou, he might trust them more than me. They might be able to get through to him more easily, and then they can tell him what's really going on.
(Still, it hurt that he was the one who knew Aizawa best, the one who would trust his life to the man first and foremost, and he was the one Aizawa trusted the least.)
A sudden stutter from Mic's voice cut into his thoughts, the abrupt change enough to jar Izuku back to reality even if he hadn't been listening closely. Mic's words began to distort and glitch out, skipping some parts and repeating syllables for several seconds at a time. He lifted his head to look at his phone with furrowed eyebrows, wondering if it was dying, and across from him Aizawa did the same.
Just as Izuku began to untangle himself from the cocoon the sound abruptly cut out. After several long seconds Mic's voice returned, this time speaking clearly without break. "Wow, sorry about that dear listeners! We seem to be having some technical difficulties here at the station right now. We're gonna play some music until we figure this out, so sit tight, and Put Your Hands UP for some rocking beats!"
Izuku's eyebrows only furrowed further as another song began streaming, crawling over to pick up the phone. Something about Mic's voice just then felt... weird. "That... was that actually Present Mic?" he muttered as he turned down the volume a bit. "His voice sounded similar, but... It sounded just a little off? Like, maybe it was a recording? Or an impersonator? There's a lot of support gear that can copy voices, right? Or... maybe he just used a different microphone or something, they did mention technical difficulties, so he just sounded different?"
"...It probably wasn't him." Aizawa's voice startled Izuku, nearly dropping the phone as his head snapped up. The hero regarded the phone with narrowed eyes, his mouth pressed into a tight line as he seemed to consider... something, taking several seconds to think before continuing. "...Chances are, he has some other work that's more urgent, and they were playing a recording for the show. At the very least, if I were in his place, I'd have some backups in case I was busy."
Izuku perked up at the information, realizing Aizawa was probably right. Back in his world, Mic had once mentioned that he kept emergency recordings if he had a raid or other hero activity that overlapped with his show's broadcast. It was less to preserve the schedule, and more to make sure that villains wouldn't suspect he was up to something that night. He recalled the man even mentioned in class that he had an intern who could do a near-perfect impression of him for emergencies.
Still, the fact that Aizawa actually explained that, even if he didn't explain all of it... Izuku was technically connected to villains who might find that information useful, who might read between the lines and figure out the real purpose. But he told Izuku anyway, and that...
That filled him with a little bit of hope.
At that very moment Yamada Hizashi's phone was buzzing with texts from his manager about the technical issues, not that he noticed. His attention was focused solely on the meeting which had only just begun to wrap up. Conversation had bounced between the three missing teenagers and Shouta in equal parts, the focus always drifting back to the Villain Alliance in the end.
Ultimately though, they'd made no real headway on how to move next. People offered strategy after strategy, plan after plan, but they lacked the most crucial element of all: information. As it stood they had no idea where the Villain Alliance was based, no idea where the teenagers might have gone. The most solid proposal was to investigate everyone connected to Midoriya Izuku, the boy who seemed to be Shigaraki's brother and the one who they suspected played some role in Uraraka's disappearance.
Beside him Nemuri had grown ever more quiet as that encounter got mentioned again and again, glowering into space with growing intensity. He knew she blamed herself to some degree. She'd been there after all; she'd been the one to usher Uraraka away upon recognizing Midoriya and then Shigaraki. Even if Uraraka's disappearance happened later, the woman probably still blamed herself for not being there when she knew both her parents would be gone.
After all the times she'd supported and comforted him over Shouta, Hizashi felt it was probably high time to return the favor, but he couldn't. Not when Shouta had finally been found to be alive, and was now in the custody of the Villain Alliance for some damn reason they couldn't fathom. For the past three days he'd been in a constant state of relief, horror, hope, despair, euphoria, dread—it was exhausting, to constantly fluctuate between such powerful emotions like this.
Sorry Nemuri, I'm not in the right mindset to help you right now. He offered his friend a silent apology as Vlad and Snipe approached after watching her closely the whole meeting. As they began talking to her he slipped away and left them to handle her this time, instead heading for where Lady of the Night talked to Oracle and Figment.
With her psychometry, Lady had the most information on Shouta's current state. She might not be able to help him directly right now, but maybe there was something she'd picked up but hadn't mentioned yet. Or maybe they could work out a plan to investigate further. Search the area around the base's ruins, see if she could pick up any other impressions that could give them some sort of hint.
Anything that could bring them closer to finding Shouta.
As he got closer Oracle turned to face him with a lazy nod and smile, cutting off Hizashi's intended greeting. The other two either didn't notice him yet or simply didn't care, continuing their conversation. "So he's still not here?" Lady of the Night muttered.
"I texted Utsushimi, but she says she hasn't seen him," Figment replied, shaking his head. "I wouldn't worry. He could just be hanging out alone somewhere waiting for this meeting to end." Lady of the Night frowned, seeming to be unsatisfied by that response.
"Yo, what's up over here?" Hizashi asked in lieu of a greeting, his curiosity momentarily preempting his desire to ask about Shouta.
"Talking about Mail," Oracle responded with a shrug. "That's spelled M-A-I-L, for the record." Hizashi perked up at the spelling, expecting a more classic "M-I-L-E" with that pronunciation. Oracle shook his head. "No, it's not a nickname, and is probably an actual name." Hizashi's eyebrows furrowed at the "probably" and Oracle snorted. "It's complicated. Trust me, you don't want to know." And then, "No, we have no idea where it's from. If you figure it out, please tell us. The internet keeps telling us the history of the postal service when we try searching it."
"...Wow, I see why people say you're fun to talk to," Hizashi quipped dryly, managing his first actual words this whole conversation. Oracle cracked a grin at that, mischief and amusement glinting in his gold and turquoise eyes.
"Sorry, habit. I'll stop now." He smoothly stepped half a step to the side as he spoke, neatly dodging the light bop Lady of the Night aimed at his head. She shot him an annoyed glare but didn't comment or try to do it again, turning to Hizashi instead.
"Ignore him, he had a bad childhood and never learned how to be an actual adult." Despite his annoyance Hizashi felt slightly amused at how Oracle stuck out his tongue at her, as if reinforcing her statement. The childish gesture eroded some of his initial irritation and he found himself smiling.
"It's fine, I'd probably do the same thing if I had that Quirk," he said with a light laugh. "Seems like it'd be fun. Who's this Mail guy, though?" The duo exchanged brief looks at that, seeming to communicate silently before turning back.
"It's complicated," they chorused, perfectly deadpan. Hizashi found himself snorting, and Lady continued, "Short version, he's basically an honorary member of the General Analysis Team and Nighteye Agency. He usually hangs out around here, but he headed off somewhere on Monday night and we haven't seen him since. Sometimes he disappears like that, but it's rare for him to be gone for this long."
Hizashi felt his amused smile quickly fade as she spoke, his expression becoming more serious. "Do you think something happened to him?" he asked grimly. He didn't know what role this guy had, but if he worked with the Nighteye Agency he'd probably be a target.
Lady of the Night seemed to pick up on his thoughts though, shaking her head. "No, he's probably fine," she replied. "He's a... special case."
"Frankly, if someone could actually hurt or capture him, I'd be impressed," Oracle added with a wry smirk, which quickly took on a sharp edge as he added, "Impressed, and then outraged and fucking homicidal." He said the last two words in English, and this time he didn't dodge when Lady of the Night bopped her fist on his head, his grin never fading.
Hizashi just raised his eyebrows at his interesting choice of words to say in English, but decided not to comment on it. "Can't you call him?"
"Not an option for reasons," Lady sighed. "Honestly, he really is probably fine. He always tells someone when he leaves, we just need to figure out who."
"And I just found the answer," Figment suddenly said, giving a low whistle as he looked at his phone. He had a small smirk, eyes just as mischievous and amused as Oracle's. "Utsushimi just texted that he asked Togata and Tamaki on Monday night for directions to your charges' apartment building, Oracle. Probably caught the last train."
That had the other two heroes tensing and standing very straight, exchanging wide-eyed looks while Hizashi felt his mood sink. Shit. Talking to Lady of the Night about Shouta would have to wait. "I'm guessing he never showed up?" he guessed gravely, mentally preparing himself for the meeting to get a surprise extension to form an emergency search party.
"...If he did, I wouldn't know," Oracle said slowly, and that... made Hizashi frown, confused.
"He shadowed you?" Lady of the Night asked, and frowned as she pulled out her phone. "If he caught the last train to Kamino, he probably waited at their apartment building all night until you showed up. And watching you stare out a window for hours on end is boring, so he'd probably go back, which means..."
"That son of a bitch," Oracle whispered in English, a giant grin breaking on his face. "That fucking son of a bitch. Holy shit."
"Uh, what's going on?" Hizashi asked, feeling very confused and lost, and Oracle laughed. Threw his head back with a loud cackle that startled everyone around them, several people turning to look at them in confusion and alarm as he kept cackling.
"Mail, I fucking love you!" he shouted, uncaring of all the stares. Next to him Lady of the Night growled in irritation and shrunk away from all the looks.
"Keep it down, moron!" she hissed, and Oracle's cackling tapered off into a low chuckle as he straightened his head. The heroine had a tense frown on her face as she glanced at the people watching them, seeming to consider something as her eyes narrowed. "I'm going to tell Nighteye. Stay here and don't make a scene."
She shot him a pointed look and Oracle just nodded, a wide grin on his face as she hurried off with Figment in tow. The others shot them curious looks but soon returned to their own conversations, leaving Hizashi and Oracle in relative peace. "Uh, what's going on?" Hizashi asked, and Oracle turned to him with a devious-looking smile. He leaned forward and Hizashi instinctively mimicked the motion, the other hero's voice dropping a few bars lower.
"Mail was there when Ashido and Kirishima went missing, but he never came back here, and he didn't follow me here today, either," he explained, eyes sparkling with delight. "Which means he followed them."
"Wait, WHAT?" Hizashi nearly used his Quirk on the last word, getting some more alarmed stares, though these were closer to glares. He winced and shot them an apologetic look before turning back to Oracle and speaking more lowly. "So wait, you think this Mail guy managed to follow them? And you don't think they noticed him?"
Oracle just shook his head, clearly suppressing another cackle as he grinned. "Present Mic, my friend, if they actually noticed him I'd eat my license. There's no other explanation, he must have followed them. He's probably with them right now."
Holy shit, Hizashi thought faintly. No wonder Oracle had been shouting like that. This was an actual, solid lead—no, this was more than a lead, they had someone who actually knew where those kids were. This was a serious breakthrough, the first real one on any of these damn cases! "So all we need to do is call him up or wait for him to call us or something, right?" he pressed, starting to feel more energized.
At that Oracle's grin faded though and became more subdued. "Ah, not exactly." That had Hizashi's own smile fading, looking at him in confusion as the other hero heaved a large, clearly dramatic sigh. "Hah, I'd rather not explain this, honestly. But you've already heard too much and you're definitely the curious type, so..."
All at once Oracle's smile vanished, his face suddenly almost eerily blank and eyes dark. The sudden shift took Hizashi by surprise, making him tense instinctively as Oracle held his gaze and spoke lowly. "What I'm about to tell you cannot be repeated. If I find out you've told anyone, I'll rip out your tongue, tear it into little pieces and stuff each chunk of it in every orifice in your body. Am I understood?"
A chill ran down Hizashi's spine at the cold and very graphic threat, unable to suppress a shiver. His face quickly smoothed into something equally serious and he pressed his mouth into a thin line as he nodded. "You don't need to threaten me," he grumbled. "Just because my Quirk is Voice doesn't mean I don't know to keep my mouth shut."
Oracle studied him critically for a moment before nodding, and then suddenly he was back to his original carefree demeanor, a lazy half-smile on his face. The abrupt shift back to his usual jovial nature left Hizashi with a severe sense of whiplash, his head actually reeling back as he blinked in surprise. Oracle's gaze flitted to the people around him, and he motioned for Hizashi to step further to the side. Hizashi did so hesitantly, feeling suddenly very wary of his fellow hero.
"Sorry for the threat, but Mail's case is special," Oracle confided, voice pitched low but thrumming with barely contained excitement and glee. "He can't use phones or show up on camera, and you can only communicate with him under very specific circumstances. You can't even see him most of the time. Most people don't even realize he exists, and we prefer to keep it that way." Hizashi's confusion only grew further with each word.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, and Oracle's grin stretched even wider.
"Tell me, Mic, do you believe in ghosts?"
In a cold cement room in a tunnel in Odawara, Ashido Mina quietly comforted a shell-shocked Todoroki Shouto as he shook and stared at his hands limply. Todoroki was far from expressive even at the best of times, but to everyone in the room, his emotions in that moment were clear. At first he hadn't reacted at all to the news that Endeavor had died, but then the shock had set in, disbelief clear as he looked at everyone for signs of deceit.
Only when he looked at Ashido, who still gripped his arm with tears in her eyes and already starting to spill down her cheeks as her mouth wobbled, did his ever-stoic face finally crumple into something broken, and he released a sound of pure, unrestrained agony and confusion.
Almost none of the runaways could bear to look at the pair as Ashido whispered quiet apologies and rubbed his arm. A sense of shame and horror filled the room upon realizing that he hadn't known, some looking more guilty than others. A few of them retreated to the space behind the curtain to give them privacy, others instead slipping into the tunnel.
Todoroki Enji was not a good man. He was not a good father, nor was he a good husband. He was a fantastic Pro Hero, but as far as his family was concerned he was the scum of the earth. Some might be more forgiving than others, but the man had done little to endear himself to any of his children, least of all his youngest son. That training could barely be called such, not when forced upon a child so young.
Yet even so, to be suddenly told that he did not exist—to abruptly learn that a man who had such a crucial and powerful influence on his life was dead...
There is a certain gravity to such revelations that defy basic logic. A certain impact that those who are not in that sort of position will ever understand.
For once, Mail did understand though.
"Hah, what a poor kid..."
Mail's murmurs went unheard by the others, none of them noticing as he hovered near the ceiling. He watched the Todoroki boy with a sympathetic frown, knowing just how jarring it must be. He knew the strange conflict the boy felt all too well, where you expected you would feel only relief and joy at someone's death, but instead feel a sense of grief and loss too.
(Often times, he thought Kintsugi's death had been too kind, and that only made that illogical sense of grief all the more ugly.)
Sympathetic as he was though, this wasn't this Todoroki's Endeavor. This Todoroki Shouto was an outsider, a displaced child who did not belong in this world and who likely still had another Endeavor waiting for him in his own world. Just as this Ashido Mina had a life waiting for her with a different Kirishima Eijirou, as did Uraraka Ochako and most likely Kaminari Denki and Jirou Kyouka as well.
He turned and drifted through the walls of the tunnel to emerge into the forest, where Anjou Ran stood tapping away on her phone. When he got close he could see FacePage open on the screen, the girl sending message after message to some unknown party. He had no doubts she was texting at least one of the other suspected dimension travelers at that very moment, seeing as she'd voiced suspicions Uraraka had attempted to contact Ashido.
"So there's probably at least five, not just three, huh?" Mail mused to himself quietly, rolling to "recline" on his back and stare at the cloudy sky in thought. Uraraka Ochako being displaced was not news, merely confirmation of a suspicion. He'd suspected it the moment Saki described the girl remembering Midoriya as a teenager. They could have met at some point after Midoriya went missing, but with the additional memories of Ashido and Shigaraki tied to the phone, the possibility of her being from another world had been too strong to ignore.
And if meeting Midoriya was enough to spur her to run away, then chances were he was from another world too.
A small smile made itself known on his face at the thought, a thrill of satisfaction and anticipation coursing through him. Damn, he felt bad for these kids, but this was the opening they'd been waiting for years to find. He had no idea what the immediate future held, or when he'd be able to get back to the Nighteye Agency to fill in Saki or Kas, but these kids were the ticket to finally finding answers.
Mail twisted his body to face the boy called both Shouji and Parasyte, the bulky teen leaning against a tree with arms crossed under his poncho. He floated closer, never shifting from his lazy recline and craning his head back to look at the teen upside-down. The mask made it hard to read his expression but the teen seemed to be lost in thought, for rather understandable reasons.
"I wonder," Mail hummed quietly. "Why did that Porter show you another world? And was it really theirs?"
He got no response, not that he expected one.
After all, even in a world full of Quirks, few could speak to the dead.
Notes:
In the Discord server, I once mentioned one character's a ghost. I was not lying.
Also to everyone who wondered how long it'd take for everyone to get into contact: here's your answer.
Question for next time: how likely do you think it is that ghosts exist in the canon!MHA universe?
Also on the note of ghosts, I drew a headshot of Mail over on my Tumblr! I'll also just post the image here:
Chapter 51: We're Not Alone
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 51
.::We're Not Alone::.
Shouta... did not expect this.
"Kacchan, did you get the answer to question three yet?"
"Fuck no! The question doesn't make any sense! What the hell is this bullshit?"
"Um... Math?"
"Tch, I know that much Deku! But this doesn't make any sense!"
He really did not expect this.
It took a lot of self control and years of training not to visibly react as Shouta watched his new "students" bicker. Midoriya he had expected, but the other two... Kacchan—or rather, Bakugou Katsuki, as he'd introduced himself—had an obvious temper, throwing insults at the green-haired boy as casually as saying hello. The other one, Hijack, who currently squinted at his workbook in obvious confusion, was much quieter in comparison... mainly because he had a fucking muzzle.
The second the trio had entered carrying books and other school supplies, every single one of Shouta's instincts blared with alarm. The fucking muzzle wrapped around the purple-haired one's lower jaw made it pretty clear he wasn't exactly a willing member of the Alliance, and the warning signs only grew from there.
"Hey, Eraserhead," Izuku had greeted with a timid smile. "Thanks again for agreeing to tutor us. Sorry if we're bothering you." While he spoke the blond teen crossed his arms, leering at Shouta with an irritable scowl.
"So you're the hero Deku keeps talking about? You don't look like much."
"I normally don't have a broken leg," Shouta quipped dryly, and the kid snorted and rolled his eyes.
"Um, a-anyways!" Izuku piped up nervously. "Th-this is Kacchan—uh, I mean—"
"I can introduce myself!" the blond snapped. "My name is Bakugou Katsuki. I'm Deku's bodyguard or some bullshit like that. I don't know, Shittyraki told Deku, not me."
"He didn't make it too clear," Izuku said almost sullenly. "He just said you guys were part of my 'party.' He called you a tank...?" He trailed off and shook his head. "A-anyways, uh, this is..." He trailed off and looked to the purple one, who had pulled out a phone.
"My name is Hijack," an electronic voice declared. "What am I, Mi-do-ri-ya?" He directed the last bit towards Izuku—whose surname must be Midoriya, apparently, and Shouta silently decided to just use that from now on because he was NOT on a first-name basis with the brat—who looked a bit startled before realizing what he meant.
"Oh, you mean in the party? Uh, I guess you're the rogue...? Tomura-nii mentioned a rogue and tank, and Kacch—I mean, Bakugou, isn't really a rogue, obviously, no offense. And tanks are more front-line fighters, and you don't seem like you're built for that. Not that that's bad!" Midoriya added hastily. "But your skills are obviously way more suited for stealth and sneak attacks, so—"
"Deku, shut up," Bakugou interrupted, and the green-haired boy clamped his mouth shut. The blond focused on Shouta again, the hero eying him warily as the teen approached and plopped onto the floor not too far away. "You're supposed to be our teacher or some shit, so if we've got any questions, you've got to answer. Got it?"
"I'm aware," Shouta replied briskly, and the brat grunted and grabbed one of the books. The man watched warily up until the boy crossed his legs and the hem of his pants pulled up, and he caught sight of a metal band with a blinking light around the boy's ankle. Eyes widening just a fraction, Shouta had to quickly look away and keep his expression cool, gaze darting towards "Hijack" to see an identical band around his own ankle.
The kids were prisoners, both of them. Midoriya was the only one who didn't have that anklet with the ominously blinking light, making the distinction all the clearer. The thought made his blood boil, though Shouta didn't show it. He knew some villain groups liked to recruit by kidnapping kids with powerful Quirks, but to actually see it with his own eyes was something else entirely.
And he was powerless to do anything. Shouta was just as trapped as them, fucking collared to the ground in a windowless cell with a broken leg. Never had he felt so helpless as a Pro Hero, faced with someone in desperate need of aid while he could do nothing. The fact Midoriya had brought them here felt like rubbing salt in the wound.
He quietly ground his teeth as he tried to calm himself. Getting agitated wouldn't do any good, they needed him to be composed. These kids seemed calm enough right now, but they were still victims, two kids forced into a wildly unfamiliar and dangerous situation. They needed a sense of stability and comfort, and seeing a Pro Hero so worked up would only upset them further.
To that end he focused on Hijack, who continued to squint down at his workbook. "Kid, you look confused," he commented, and it took a second for Hijack to realize Shouta was talking to him. It felt weird calling the kid by an obvious codename instead of an actual name, especially when the kid was a prisoner, so he wasn't too keen on using it. When the teen finally glanced at him in surprise he continued, "I'm guessing you're more behind than those two."
The kid seemed to hesitate, and then pulled out his phone. The phone which Shouta had quickly realized had no calling or internet connection capabilities, given to him only so he could use a text to speech app because he couldn't talk with the fucking muzzle. Dammit, just thinking about it made him want to growl.
"I haven't been to school since I was twelve."
Shouta's ire was quickly forgotten at the response and his eyes widened at the admission. While he vaguely recalled Midoriya mentioned he'd dropped out, actually hearing it from him was something else. "How long have you been here?" he demanded before he could stop himself. The other two had stopped their bickering to tune into their conversation, and Midoriya perked up.
"Oh, no, no, no, he hasn't been here that long!" he said hastily, and Shouta had to fight down a flinch at the kid's voice and the urge to glare as the brat waved his hands. "Hijack dropped out and ran away! He's been living on the streets as a vigilante, but—wait, did you say twelve!?" He whirled to face the purple-haired teen with wide eyes and a hanging jaw. Even Bakugou seemed stunned, just gawking in obvious disbelief.
The purple-haired kid just shrugged, tapping away on his phone. "That's when I started ditching classes. Dropped out for real when I was thirteen and ran away." Shouta quickly did the mental math while tears started to gather in Midoriya's eyes.
"Y-you.. You've been living on the streets that long?" He sounded dangerously close to crying, while next to him Bakugou just stared.
"Damn," he breathed quietly. "Fuckin' hell, Eyebags. You said you were young, but not that young. You're tougher than I thought." His eyes held not horror (well, not much), but respect—a dangerous thing in Shouta's opinion.
Hijack represented the other extreme end of the spectrum he didn't like to dwell on: the kids who ran away because of their Quirks. The kid said he was thirteen when he dropped out, and he looked to be closer to sixteen now. Doing the mental math, it seemed fairly obvious he ran away after the UA Massacre, a thought which made Shouta's stomach curl unpleasantly until he pushed it away.
"You're likely behind on all of this material then," he said bluntly. "Did you try to keep up your education at all?"
The kid shrugged as he typed a reply. "We worked on some history and science books. Never really bothered with math though."
Shouta sighed and shook his head, filing away that casual use of "we" for later. "What we really need is a comprehensive assessment test for you, but that's probably not an option. Just forget about math for now and see if you can understand the other subjects."
Hijack nodded, putting aside the workbook to grab one of the other textbooks instead. The other two put aside their own math books as well to pick up whatever one he had grabbed, and Shouta leaned back with a quiet sigh. The motion had him suppressing a wince, the subtle shift reminding him he had a broken leg.
Damn, his leg still ached... His mouth thinned as he glanced at the pill for only a fraction of a second. The brat had claimed it was a painkiller, but he didn't trust it. It didn't matter how nice the boy might seem, Midoriya Izuku was still connected to the Villain Alliance. Shouta had no reason to trust him, and he had even less after this.
Bakugou Katsuki and Hijack were victims and prisoners of the Alliance, clearly captured with the intent of having them work with and for Midoriya. Whether the boy himself had picked them barely mattered. A normal civilian wouldn't need a 'party' or whatever they liked to call their little group, and if they really were equals then Hijack wouldn't be fucking muzzled. If Midoriya was willing to overlook that, then the villains had obviously influenced him more than Shouta had thought.
For now, Shouta would need to reanalyze the kid, and keep a close eye on the dynamic in this group. As far as he was concerned, Midoriya Izuku was now at the very least a probable accessory to the Alliance's schemes. He could only hope the kid still wasn't completely corrupted, or none of them would be able to get out of here.
They weren't alone.
Ochako had already suspected it from her messages with Ashido, but to get the actual confirmation had her heart soaring. Even now she kept rereading the few messages she'd gotten last night from the mysterious Nettmegg. Nettmegg had quickly made it clear she was a stranger, but she was one of the friends Ashido had mentioned in their brief conversation before Ochako ran away. It hadn't taken long for her to dispel any doubts about her identity.
Nettmegg hadn't outright said it of course, she had to be frustratingly obtuse in case any of their accounts got compromised. (You know, again.) She'd said enough to make it clear to Ochako that she was talking about Class 1-A though. 'Does a boy with a pink head with a pet rabbit sound familiar? And a punk rock girl and a girl who says 'kero' a lot?'
Ochako had responded in the affirmative, recognizing Kouda, Jirou and Tsu-chan right away. All three ran in different social circles, so the idea of someone identifying them specifically couldn't be a coincidence. Still, just to be safe she'd asked, 'Do you know about a boy with a bird head? And a boy with green hair, and a super-manly guy with red hair?'
There had been a brief pause on Nettmegg's end, and then, 'Yeah, I know them all. Everything checks out. Things are messy here so we can't talk tonight. Will reach out tomorrow. But look up the vigilante scene in Hosu.'
The conversation ended there but that had led to a whole different rabbit hole, one which kept Ochako up for half the night reading article after article. The 1-A Vigilantes had exploded onto the scene just shy of two weeks ago, and she buzzed with excitement as she recognized the costumes and their Quirks as dead ringers for Jirou and Kaminari. Becoming vigilantes was genius on their parts, the 1-A branding guaranteed their classmates would recognize them.
Ochako wanted to tell Deku right away, but she forced herself to refrain for the moment. Deku had messaged her yesterday to say he'd be starting quasi-tutoring sessions with Aizawa-sensei along with Bakugou and Shinsou. The thought of how their teacher would react to the other two teens made her wince sympathetically. Showing up with obvious prisoners would most likely tank whatever trust Deku had managed to build so far, so he was understandably stressed.
For that reason, Ochako had decided to wait until after the undoubtedly disastrous first tutoring session to tell him any of this. He needed all his focus for the meeting, and telling him about it now would just make it harder for him to concentrate. Besides, telling him over text about something so major didn't feel right.
They'd been hopeful there might be more people than Ashido, but now they had evidence there were at least two more. Ochako had already followed the profiles for the 1-A Vigilantes on FacePage and Tweeter, and she had written out so many aborted comments on their posts and photos. She wanted nothing more than to reach out to them and confirm it once and for all, but... where did she even begin?
There was just—just so much to go over. No one seemed likely to suspect Deku was here too, and she doubted any of them would predict him being stuck with this world's equivalent of the League of Villains. Honestly, Deku's situation was what really made her hold back from reaching out just yet. Ultimately, it wasn't her place to tell them about it. He was the one caught up in it; she only had his secondhand accounts, so he'd be able to explain it better himself. She couldn't call them and explain what she'd been up to without explaining all that, either, and doing that felt like a violation of his privacy.
That thought ran through her mind as she looked at a message from Nettmegg asking if she had a burner phone so they could call and talk that way. She bit her lip as she considered it, before finally typing a reply.
'I do, but before we talk I need to take care of some MAJOR stuff. I'll message you my number when I'm done, is that okay?'
She got a simple 'okay' in response a few seconds later, and Ochako switched over to the chat with Deku to send a message. He should be with Aizawa now, so he'd see it after the tutoring session when he'd hopefully have the rest of the day free.
'Can you come over today? We have a LOT to talk about.'
Kuroe's house was very quiet on Saturday morning. Even as they all sat in the kitchen eating a late breakfast, no one really spoke. Not Mina, not Kiri, not An-chan, and especially not Todoroki.
Mina felt simultaneously overjoyed by Todoroki's presence, and also like total garbage. The fact she wasn't alone still sent surges of joy all through her body, making her want to leap up and scream and dance in celebration. She already knew others were here, but actually meeting someone else from her world had filled her with a whole new level of joy and relief. But as excited as she was, the revelation from last night put a damper on any celebrations.
Todoroki didn't know Endeavor was dead in this world.
The fact he hadn't known still left her horrified and guilt-filled, even if she had no control over it. Mina had learned about Endeavor's death while relentlessly searching her phone for information on her very first day in this twisted, screwed-up world. He had died battling a whole horde of villains a year prior in a battle that lasted hours. Mina hadn't read up on it much since she had other priorities, but she could tell his death had shaken all of Japan.
After a whole year though, his death didn't exactly get talked about every day anymore. From what Todoroki had explained, he hadn't had a chance to do much research on this world at all, and he'd specifically avoided looking up Endeavor. The fact he even saw that broadcast about Tokoyami had been a total stroke of luck. It made sense he wouldn't know about Endeavor.
Still, she couldn't imagine how it must feel to find out so suddenly. Todoroki had all but shut down after finding out; she would never forget that strangled cry he made once he realized they were serious, his face so full of anguish and confusion. Mina knew there was something going on between Todoroki and his dad, especially after what he'd said last night (which was really concerning), but it was still his dad.
After that, the rest of the night had been kind of a lost cause. Most of it had been spent just kind of comforting him, while the others took turns basically getting everyone caught up on, well, everything. It turned out An-chan was the coordinator for this whole network of runaways based out of Odawara, complete with cool-sounding codenames for everyone. They didn't tell them about everyone, but it was still so weird to see so many of her classmates and friends there with none of them recognizing her at all.
They also explained Todoroki had told them about coming from another dimension, but they'd decided he was probably being brainwashed or something and decided to play along and keep an eye on him. Mina would be offended on his behalf, but given he was looking for Tokoyami and Gentle Criminal, she guessed she couldn't blame them for being cautious. Their concern came from a good place, even if it was stupid and wrong.
On that note, Gentle Criminal had moved on to Hosu on Wednesday, but they'd hidden that from him, which Mina did take offense on his behalf. Apparently they were concerned he'd run off after him. Todoroki didn't really seem to be in the right state of mind to care about that though, and they left not long after that.
So now she, Todoroki, Kiri and An-chan were just sitting in Kuroe's kitchen eating breakfast and just being all-around quiet. Todoroki had spent the night there too, and they'd had no problem giving up the guest room bed to him. An-chan had her own bedroom here, so Mina and Kiri just camped out in the living room, though they didn't talk. They all had a lot to think about, and for once she wasn't in the mood to talk.
Luckily for them, though, An-chan was a girl of action.
"So, they responded, right?" Mina asked, breaking the heavy silence. "You said last night you messaged everyone and they all responded, right?"
An-chan hummed around a mouthful of cereal and nodded. "They did. I didn't talk to them too long, and they never outright said their names. But they ended up answering enough questions to confirm that they've got the same set of memories as you guys. They all want to have a phone call just to confirm this is the real deal."
Mina's heart soared at the prospect, buzzing in her seat excitedly. "I can't believe this is really happening!" she exclaimed, turning to look at her fellow dimension jumper. "Isn't this great, Todoroki? There's more people!"
"It is," he agreed quietly, and it wasn't the bad kind of quiet much to Mina's relief, just the regular level of Todoroki quietness. Some of the shock seemed to have worn off overnight thankfully, and he seemed much more composed than he'd been last night as he glanced at An-chan. "When will we call them?"
"I gave them all my number, the vigilantes said they'd call after their patrol," she replied. "Gravity girl said she had some stuff to do first, and would send me her number when she was done." That was a bit disappointing, since Mina had been talking to Uraraka the longest out of everyone in this mess. She really wanted to know what was going on with her. However, she didn't let the disappointment hold her back.
They weren't alone, and that was all that mattered.
They weren't alone.
Kyouka had honestly been starting to lose hope until last night when Kaminari's sudden hysteric laughter had led her to prematurely ditch her bath to check on him. When he'd shown her the messages, she'd been blown away and too stunned to speak. Pinkie, Heights Alliance, and Chargebolt meant more to them than words could describe.
Kaminari had been insistent on messaging this "Nettmegg" and straight-up questioning if they were from Class 1-A. He'd even already sent a friend request so they could message privately. Kyouka ultimately had to wrestle the laptop away from him and handle the response herself. While she wanted to ask the same questions, she knew they couldn't be too bold or open. The "asking for a friend bit" left her wary and suspicious, so she played it cool.
'The names mean something. Heights Alliance is a building, right?'
'Yep. Do you know Pinkie's first name choice? And who rejected it? And one more question: who made the giant glacier, and where?'
And that had been what eliminated any lingering doubts. The glacier Todoroki made at the Sports Festival had been legendary, and not the kind of thing someone would randomly reference. Combined with all the other questions, there was no doubt this person knew about it specifically.
That had really been all the confirmation they really needed. After the Kyouka replied (keeping it vague of course, 'a boy with two-colored hair at the Sports Festival'), Nettmegg had explained she wasn't part of Class 1-A but reaching out on behalf of someone who was. It had been disappointing that she was a stranger, but the confirmation that someone else was here overshadowed that.
Nettmegg wrapped it up by typing, 'I can't talk much tonight, there's stuff going on here. Can we talk tomorrow?' That led to a brief discussion ultimately ending with Nettmegg promising to send a phone number to call after setting up some other stuff.
Now she and Kaminari had just finished wrapping up an impromptu morning patrol, and Kyouka was on her way back to Kaminari's apartment after buying a burner phone. The spontaneous Saturday morning patrol honestly felt like a dumb idea, since (as Kaminari put it) most people liked to sleep in on Saturday mornings, including criminals. They'd only done it because they'd felt too pent up to just sit around until ten—the earliest time Nettmegg said she'd be available—and even a quiet patrol would be productive.
As it turned out, it wasn't that quiet though. Some villains turned out to have the same idea as Kaminari, so they ended up taking care of a robbery at a jewelry store. The would-be thieves had been left restrained for police, and they'd split up so Kaminari could drop off their gear at the warehouse while Kyouka went to buy the phone. It was a little bit before eleven now, so Nettmegg should be able to answer the call right away. Just knowing they'd be talking to someone in their situation... It felt unreal.
Based on the focus of the messages, it seemed pretty obvious that Ashido was the one trapped here. Kyouka... had mixed feelings on that. Ashido was cool and they got along pretty well, and Kyouka was glad they weren't alone here, but she was far from her first choice for a situation like this. This situation seemed to call for a good amount of brains, and Ashido... well, that definitely wasn't her strength. Kyouka wasn't used to being the sole brains of the operation, but so far it was shaping up to be that way.
Hopefully someone else was here too. They still had a few classmates whose current statuses were total unknowns. Maybe one of them would be able to help.
It didn't take long before she was back at the apartment. Kaminari had yet to arrive, so she unpacked the phone and then went to the kitchen to grab a post-patrol snack and opened the laptop to open the messenger. The one with Nettmegg's phone number was near the bottom, and she pulled out the burner to plug it in so they could call the second Kaminari arrived before focusing on her snack.
By the time she'd finished half a bag of pretzels he finally showed up, practically slamming the door open and shut. He fumbled to lock it before beelining right for her, having to practically skid to a stop before he crashed into the table. "Okay, we're doing this now, right?" he asked eagerly, and Kyouka nodded as she grabbed the phone.
"Let's do this," she said, and Kaminari plopped into the other chair while she hit dial. One ring, two, three—
"Hello?" They both wilted a bit at the unfamiliar voice, disappointed even if they'd known it was a possibility, but quickly pushed past it.
"Is this Nettmegg?" Kyouka asked, straight to business.
"Yeah. I'm guessing this is—"
"JIROOOUU!" They startled as a familiar shout suddenly rang out over the phone, their heads snapping up to stare at each other wide-eyed.
"Ashido?" Kaminari blurted, and they heard a delighted shriek.
"I KNEW IT! I knew it was you guys! See Todoroki, I told you!"
That had them both bolting upright, their eyes even wider as another, much quieter voice responded, "I never said I didn't believe you, though?"
"Wait, Todoroki?" Kyouka asked sharply. "Are you saying you both—?" She stopped herself short, unsure how to finish the question. Fortunately, she didn't need to.
"We are!" Ashido answered enthusiastically. "And it's not just us, either! Uraraka's here too! We haven't actually called her yet, but we've sent messages and it's totally her!"
And once again, the situation improved. They'd found not just one person from 1-A, but three. "Holy shit," Kyouka whispered, while Kaminari cheered in sheer relief.
"We're not alone!" he cried as he threw his arms into the air with a hysterical laugh. "We're not alone! There's more people! Oh man, do you think anyone else is here too?"
"That's actually what I was hoping to figure out," Nettmegg quipped dryly, and the duo tensed at the reminder an outsider was listening in. The pair exchanged wary glances, now much more on edge.
"No offense, but who are you again?" Kaminari asked warily.
"Oh, that's An-chan, she's one of my best friends in this world!" Ashido replied cheerfully for her, but then added, "Uh, I think, anyway. An-chan, we ARE best friends, right?"
"...At this point, yeah, I guess so?" Nettmegg sounded more amused than anything.
"So we can trust her, then?" Kyouka pressed, just to be safe.
"Absolutely!" Ashido confirmed, not an ounce of hesitation. "An-chan's like, super smart, so she'll be a HUGE help! Oh, and Kiri's here too!" Kyouka and Kaminari both perked up, but soon slumped when she sheepishly tacked on, "But he's, uh, not our Kiri though. But he's still here and helping out!"
"Uh, hi." Kirishima's voice sounded over the speakers, more timid and nervous than Kyouka had ever heard him. "I'm uh, probably not gonna be much help, so sorry about that. I just kinda got swept up with Ashido, I guess..."
It was disappointing to find out about another person who hadn't come over, but the last part made Kyouka fondly roll her eyes. Yep, that sounded just like Ashido to drag in another world's Kirishima. For his part Kaminari didn't seem too disheartened. "Eh, you might not be able to do much but it's still good to have you here," he decided with a grin. "Once a bro, always a bro! Even if you're not our Kirishima."
"Uh, thanks, I guess," Kirishima replied, and he sounded just a little more relaxed as he added, "I'll totally try to help however I can! Even if it's just helping you guys figure out, you know, what you don't know about this world and stuff. We definitely had to help Ashido a lot."
"Thanks, bro!"
"I thought we'd ask some more questions to make sure this all checks out, but looks like we're skipping that," Nettmegg quipped dryly. "Screw it, we've got a lot to cover so let's just get to the point." Kyouka and Kaminari both sat a bit straighter at that, all business now.
"Ashido said Uraraka is here too, right?" she pressed.
"Yeah. I messaged her last night and her answers checked out, so all signs point to them being someone from 1-A. But we haven't made full contact yet so we don't know it's her for sure yet."
"It totally is her though!" Ashido piped up. "She called herself Infinity Girl! And THEN I got a friend request from '1A Space Rescue Hero'!" Yep, that definitely sounded like Uraraka. "But she ran away before I could actually talk to her about, you know, everything. I didn't even get to reply to the new friend request before we ran away."
That last bit startled them. "Wait, why'd she do that?" Kaminari asked.
"I don't know!" Ashido whined. "We barely got to talk at all before she suddenly left! And then Midnight showed up because she ran away!" Wait, what?
"Anyways," Nettmegg continued pointedly before they could ask questions (because seriously, what the hell?). "She said she had to do something first, and she'd reach out when she was done. So we have two options. We can start catching up now and do a rehash after she contacts us, or we can wait for her to make contact and go over everything at once." Kyouka and Kaminari exchanged quiet looks, the latter biting his lip.
"I kinda want to hurry up and do something now, but if Uraraka's here..." He trailed off, and Kyouka sighed.
"Honestly, I'd rather go over this once," she admitted, scratching her cheek. "We've, uh, been pretty busy."
"I'll say," Nettmegg snorted.
"Is the vigilante scene in Hosu that active?" That was Todoroki this time, sounding genuinely curious.
"Among other things," Kyouka replied vaguely, thinking of the stuff with Yaoyorozu and Iida. "We'll get into it after Uraraka joins in, I guess."
"Sounds good," Nettmegg agreed easily. "I'll call you up when I get a chance—oh, actually, one thing before we go," she said. "Ashido and Todoroki gave me a list of your classmates, to see if we can find anyone else here. We want to figure out who else might be caught up in this. Chances are you guys aren't the only ones, so might as well cross off some more names while waiting on Uraraka or whoever."
"We've already crossed out Kiri obviously," Ashido added. "And we've met a couple other people, but they definitely don't remember."
That got their interest. "Who'd you meet?" Kaminari asked. There was a pause on the other end, and then some muffled mumbling the phone couldn't really pick up.
"We can't say the names for safety reasons," Todoroki finally said. "But I've met four people from Class 1-A, and three from Class 1-B."
The vigilante duo frowned at the information, particularly the last part. The idea of someone from Class 1-B being here never even occurred to them. They glanced at each other before Kyouka spoke. "We haven't met anyone from Class 1-B—"
"Actually, there's one guy in my math class," Kaminari cut in, looking almost sheepish. "I don't know his name, but he was kinda short, had gray hair...? He was the guy who dropped out after the second round along with Ojiro." He shrugged feebly before perking up as he remembered something else. "Oh, and I saw that green-haired girl too!"
"Green-haired girl?" Kyouka repeated, and he nodded.
"Yeah! The one that teamed up with those two other girls in the cavalry battle!" Kyouka actually kinda remembered her. She'd been on that all-girl team in the cavalry battle. "She wasn't at school here every day though, she showed up like, once a week, I think? I think the teachers called her Tokage...?"
"Come to think of it, I think I saw her too," Kyouka muttered, the description jarring her memories. "I think she's in one of my classes." She didn't clearly remember her from the Sports Festival, but it reminded her of the online classes in this world. One of the students had gotten her eye for some reason she couldn't place, so it'd make sense if she subconsciously recognized her from UA.
"Okay, that's neat and all, but anyone from 1-A?" Ashido pressed impatiently.
"Right!" Kaminari nodded. "Okay. So, first off, we found Mineta's FacePage profile on like, day one—"
"Boo," Ashido cut in flatly, and Kyouka smirked while Kaminari grinned at the lack of enthusiasm.
"Yeah, figured you'd feel that way," he said. "Anyways, he's obviously not caught up in this or we would've reached out to him by now. But THEN, on our very first patrol we ran into Sero, and he works at a convenience store here! He, uh, doesn't remember either," he added sheepishly. "He helped us tie up the criminal though, which was awesome! Then later we met Satou on a different patrol. And—yeah, he doesn't know us, either. He has an awesome Instagram about his baking though!"
"Oh man, I miss his stuff so bad," Ashido groaned. "Remember that cake he made the day before we all ended up here?"
"Oh man, how could I forget!" Kaminari whined. "Dang it, my mouth's watering just thinking about it!"
"It was good," Todoroki commented, and that made Kaminari pause.
"Hold on, you don't think...?" Kyouka quickly figured out where his trail of thought had gone and rolled her eyes.
"Kaminari, if it was the cake, Satou would be here too," she said flatly. "So would Kirishima, all the girls, Sero, Shouji and Midoriya." Kaminari sagged in disappointment, and they heard a snort from the other end.
"Well, that's one theory down," Nettmegg said dryly. "Since we're on the topic, any chance you've met a certain nerdy jock and a rich heiress at school?" The reference to Iida and Yaoyorozu had Kyouka raising her eyebrows.
"Yeah, but that's a bit more... complicated," she said. "They're not from 1-A either, but we should probably save the rest of the details for the full story. That should be everyone we've met though."
"Fine by me. Thanks, that really whittles down the list a bit. I'll go over the full list of who's missing once we have Uraraka on here. There's some... special cases on here that we should probably all discuss at once." Well, that was ominous. "For now, this is probably a good stopping point. We'll call back when Uraraka finally gets in touch."
"Sounds good to me," Kyouka agreed while Kaminari nodded.
"Yeah. Guess we can't do much until we get her side, huh?"
"Nope, not really."
"It's so awesome to hear your voices!" Ashido shouted. "I miss you guys SO much! I can't wait to talk to you again!"
"We haven't even hung up yet though?" Todoroki sounded faintly confused, and Ashido made a scoffing sound.
"I still don't want to hang up! A phone call isn't nearly enough! I want to see you guys right now!" Kyouka smiled as he listened to her whine, able to easily imagine her flailing her arms and throwing her head back melodramatically.
"Yeah, we miss you too," she admitted, and heard a gasp.
"Kyouka-chan! I knew you loved us! Ugh, I just want to go to Hosu and hug you right now!"
"That's probably a bad idea when there's a ton of people searching for us," Kirishima pointed out, and Ashido made a dejected, drawn-out rumbling sound halfway between a groan and a whine that made Kaminari loudly snort.
"We'll talk details on how to meet up later," Kyouka promised. "Until then, call us whenever. We'll be free all day. Later."
"Later," Anjou replied, and then the call ended, leaving the apartment in silence. After that they sat in silence for a few minutes, just processing... everything. Then, Kaminari gave an excited whoop as he leaped to his feet.
"We're not alone!" he cheered, and Kyouka found herself smiling as she watched him begin to dance around the living room. If she'd been any more the carefree type she might have joined him. They weren't alone, and that's all that mattered. Things were finally looking up for them.
Notes:
This chapter's a bit later than I usually like to post them, but I had to do a lot of editing and had barely any sleep last night so it was harder to focus on it. This is the first of a series of frankenchapters. You see, originally I wrote out two separate phone calls. First I had Jirou and Kaminari, starting here and continuing into the next chapter, and THEN Uraraka calling later after she has a chance to fill in Izuku on everything. Total chapters spent between those two calls: 51-55. Then I realized that five chapters dedicated to two phone calls was ridiculously slow pacing even by my standards, especially since one of those chapters consisted mostly of rehashing the first call (even in just summary form).
So cue some big-time editing/rehashing to mix the two calls together. New end chapter: 54. That one's still currently unfinished, but it's like 90% done so I'm on track to wrap it all up. Honestly, I might even look into trying to see if I can merge two of THOSE chapters together. So yeah. Next couple chapters miiiight be a little rough because I'm cutting and pasting parts of conversations into different characters' POVs. But yay, everyone's FINALLY getting connected!
On a brighter note: Aizawa and prisoner bonding time! Uraraka scheduling a secret rendezvous with Deku! PHONE CALLS AND CONFIRMATION THEY'RE NOT ALONE! Things are finally looking up for everyone~
Question for next time: how do you think the characters will react to the villains' canon counterparts after they get home? (Specifically Izuku and Shigaraki/the rest of the League, or Todoroki and Uraraka with Dabi. You KNOW Todoroki's going to find out the truth by the end of the story.)
ALSO! As a final note: a guest named Paragrin made a new fan work for me. It's not fan art. She wrote a SONG. It's basically from Mic's POV about the search for Aizawa, using a lot of lighthouse symbolism, and the lyrics are AMAZING. I think this is the first time I've inspired someone to create a song. Thank you so much Paragrin!!
Chapter 52: Calmness is Overrated
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 52
.::Calmness is Overrated::.
"Fucking asshole, get back here!"
Bakugou's roar rang through the tiny cell as his racer was sent careening off the track by a blue shell on the television screen. Shinsou looked fairly smug as his own racer passed him to take up the number one position, a satisfied glint in his eye as the blond shouted in aggravation. Izuku just watched silently from Shinsou's bed, absently tuning out the string of colorful curses and threats while he scratched Sushi's ear.
At the moment the trio sat in Shinsou's room playing Mario Kart. After spending two hours going over schoolwork with Aizawa-sensei they'd decided to take a brief break from planning, and actually play the game like Izuku always claimed they did. They'd reasoned that it would help cement their story if people asked them about the game, and that a little bit of leisure would be good for their stress levels.
And Izuku had a lot of stress right now.
Volunteering to sit out the first few rounds had been a no-brainer for him. They only had two controllers after all. Shigaraki had taken one with him after another surprise play session on Thursday evening, and then Kacchan had "accidentally" broken another when they tried Neko Café Manager again (for some reason none of them could explain). He wasn't in the mood to deal with Bakugou's temper or Shinsou's ruthless playing style anyway.
...In retrospect, those exact reasons probably made it a bad idea for the pair to play against each other, but what was done was done. Izuku just had to hope they wouldn't try to murder each other by the end of it.
As they started the final lap he zoned out from the game, thinking over the disastrous tutoring session from that morning. Aizawa hadn't reacted too strongly, but Izuku knew the man well enough to recognize how much it had absolutely rattled him. The man had spent a majority of the time glaring at him, as if he blamed Izuku for Bakugou and Shinsou being prisoners. (Which... might not be entirely wrong.) As far as Izuku could tell, the only thing working in their favor was that they'd convinced Kurogiri they didn't need a guard stationed inside the cell at all times. That would have been a disaster. Either way, it was clear he'd have a lot more work to do now.
If he wasn't glaring at Izuku, Aizawa was often glaring at the anklets instead though. Every time Izuku noticed him looking at the bands, it reminded him they still didn't know how to remove them. Since leaving the cell, he'd found that a much safer and less stressful topic to consider.
His brief conversation with Uraraka about them echoed in his head. The possibility of the anklets needing key fobs hadn't occurred to him, but he really hoped that was the case. Like he'd told her back then, the only other alternative he could think of was that the anklets weren't designed to be removable, seeing as Shigaraki could just disintegrate them instead. Or maybe someone had a lock-picking Quirk like she suggested, it'd certainly be a good fit for villains...
He snapped back into the present as Bakugou let out a victorious howl. "HA! TAKE THAT, LOSER!" Looks like he'd won, and Izuku blinked in surprise as he saw the final times were within a second of each other, the closest he'd seen yet.
"Woah, that was really close!" he exclaimed. "Good job!" His sudden shout startled Sushi enough to make her jerk away from his hand, hopping out of his lap with a displeased mewl. Izuku flashed her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Sushi." Whether Sushi accepted his apology remained to be seen, the feline plopping onto Shinsou's lap instead. He happily set down the controller to begin stroking her back, Sushi arching into the touch, while Bakugou huffed and turned to face Izuku.
"Okay Deku, what the hell are you moping over now?"
Leave it to Kacchan to get straight to the point. Izuku internally groaned as he asked, "What do you mean?"
"You've been mumbling to yourself for the past five minutes," Bakugou pointed out flatly, and Izuku had to suppress a flinch. "I wasn't paying attention because I was busy kicking this loser's ass, but I know I heard you mention Shittyraki. Something's obviously on your mind, and no way it has nothing to do with this shithole. Spill it."
Izuku sighed and nodded. There wasn't any point in putting it off, so he quickly summed up his conversation with Uraraka and her thoughts on the anklets. Once he finished the others considered the information thoughtfully.
"Yeah, that makes sense," Bakugou muttered to himself. "Guess we'll have to look for the key." Shinsou cocked his head to the side, picking up his phone to type on the text-to-speech app. Given he had one hand firmly resting on Sushi's head, it took a few extra seconds to type his message.
"I know it can be removed," he said. "Toga mentioned removing it a couple times while flirting with me." Izuku and Bakugou both winced at that. Toga had made no attempt at hiding her creepy infatuation with Shinsou in front of Bakugou when she'd escorted the latter out of his cell, so he'd gotten a firsthand look at her crush. Needless to say, all of them agreed that it was better to keep Toga away from him.
"Okay, so she'd probably have a key then," Izuku said, very pointedly pushing the thought away. "As far as I know her Quirk just lets her transform into other people, so I can't see her using that to remove it." Pausing, he then added, "Uh, on that note, she needs blood to transform. So... Yeah." Both of them looked a bit shocked at that, and after a few seconds Bakugou snorted.
"Of course she does," he grumbled under his breath. "Creepy ass Quirk for a creepy psycho girl..." He shook his head and added, "We still don't know what the thing looks like. Could be a remote, could be some weird key fob thing like for cars. We'll have to look into it later. At least that Eraser guy doesn't have one. Not that I saw, anyway."
"I haven't noticed one either," Izuku murmured to himself. "Maybe he does have one and it's just hidden, but..." He grimaced. "They probably figured chaining him down and breaking his leg was enough."
"Yeah, that does make this stupid jailbreak harder," Bakugou muttered with a frown. "Hero or not, we're gonna have to end up lugging him around when we bust out of here, aren't we?"
"Yeah, definitely," Izuku sighed. "I still don't know how we'll get him out. Hijack's probably tall enough to carry him, but..."
"I'm out of shape," Hijack typed after Izuku trailed off. "I don't know if I can carry an adult."
"I probably could, but I'm better with my hands free if we run into trouble," Bakugou said, scowling at his palms. "Deku, don't you somehow have some super strength Quirk now?"
"Y-yeah, I could lift him easy, but... I'm not that, uh, big." Izuku sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. Had the situation not been so serious, the mental image of him trying to carry Aizawa would be comical. Piggyback ride? Awkward as hell, and Aizawa's broken leg would probably be hard to get a good grip on anyway. Fireman carry? Aizawa's waist was easily wider than Izuku's shoulder, it'd probably just end up digging into the man's middle. Also, that one probably wouldn't give decent support for his bad leg either. Princess/bridal carry? No. Just, no.
No matter how he pictured it, the end result would be ridiculous. Maybe the others were imagining it too, because Shinsou gave a snort and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, no, I don't think you could even carry the Vigilante Wonder over here without looking dumb," Kacchan declared, flashing a vicious grin as Izuku pouted at him.
"Then why'd you suggest it in the first place!?"
"Because someone's got to come up with ideas, and you're too busy moping to do anything actually productive."
"Can we get a wheelchair?" Shinsou suggested before Izuku could retort, and he had to pause to consider it.
"I... maybe? This place did used to be some sort of medical facility, so there might still be wheelchairs around... I haven't seen any though, and I don't know where they'd be. Maybe if I ask Kurogiri... But I'd need a good excuse to ask him for one..."
"We want to have a wheelchair race down the hall," Shinsou's phone intoned, and for a second both Izuku and Bakugou were dead silent as they stared at him. He stared back, perfectly straight faced (or as much as he could be with the muzzle), and then Bakugou—
Kacchan laughed.
"Damn, it's stupid but it'll work!" he cackled, doubling over and pounding his knee with a fist. "We'll get some of the other villain bozos in on it to really sell it! Let's see if any of those bastards can beat my explosions!" Izuku found himself smiling faintly as Shinsou snorted in amusement, lilac eyes glimmering with glee while Kacchan's hands lit up with small explosions.
It was a ridiculous, childish excuse, but then, they were just a bunch of bored teenagers. Giving a more serious reason would open them up to way more scrutiny than something silly like this. Based on all the weird adventures described in his journal, a wheelchair race wasn't even the weirdest idea he'd come up with.
His smile faded then as he glanced at the door. The room didn't have a clock and he didn't have his phone, but Kurogiri had dropped off lunch just before this latest race, so it should probably be early afternoon. "I should go message Uraraka about all this," he commented. "She might have some ideas too."
"Fine by me," Bakugou said, picking up his controller. "I can go back to kicking this loser's ass while you're gone."
"In your dreams," Shinsou typed before giving Sushi a final pat and grabbing his own controller, and Izuku smiled faintly as he left. Thankfully they had gotten permission to let Bakugou and Shinsou hang out alone in Shinsou's cell as long as Izuku locked the door behind him and returned Bakugou to his room by curfew. It was a small step, but it was progress.
Izuku returned to his bedroom where he'd left his phone, quickly opening FacePage. Right away he noticed a new message already waiting from Uraraka, and he perked up when she saw her asking him to come over. If she wanted to meet in person, she must have learned something big. Most likely she'd finally gotten in contact with Ashido and confirmed she was from their world, and wanted to go over what to tell her.
Izuku glanced at the clock to check the time before making up his mind, pocketing his phone and calling out. "Seiko?" He didn't know if she was actually around to hear him, since lately she seemed to split her time with other things. Getting a response seemed to be fifty-fifty the last few times he'd called her to check.
This time she was here though, and he only had a minor heart attack when he turned to find she had materialized right behind him and was waiting behind him expectantly. Even if he'd half-expected it, it was still a shock how suddenly she could appear.
Her head cocked to the side, those eerie, empty-looking eyes seeming to bore into his soul like always. "Yes?" she asked flatly, and he gulped, unable to help the shiver. How the hell did just her voice leave him so uneasy? Izuku thought he'd be getting used to her after so long, but instead it felt like the opposite was happening. The more he talked to her, the more wrong Seiko felt.
"Um, I need to go visit Aiko's apartment," he said, shoving down his unease. "I left Kacchan with Hijack, so can you let them know I'll be back later than I planned?" She didn't respond, seeming to study him, and then—
She smiled.
It was a small, faint thing, just the barest upturn of her lips, but it was still enough to make Izuku suck in a sharp breath. Maybe it was just how dead her eyes looked, empty and void of that spark of life and creating an odd dissonance with her smile. Or maybe it was how rare the expression was on her usually blank face. Whatever the cause, it was still enough to make him feel frozen and his spine shiver.
"Sure," she agreed, and then disappeared into the shadows without another word.
Well, he was going to have nightmares tonight. No idea why, but Izuku already knew he definitely would. Maybe sending her to tell Kacchan and Shinsou was a bad idea. He tried not to dwell on it too much as he headed to the bar, where he found Kurogiri behind the counter as usual rearranging glasses. No one else was around, most of the villains out today doing... whatever.
"Hello, Izuku," the misty man greeted as Izuku entered. "Do you need something?"
"Can you send me to Aiko's apartment?" he asked. "I realized I forgot something there last time, and I thought I could hang out there for a while." He would have said Aiko invited him to come over since that seemed like something she would do, but Uraraka had told him last night she'd left on some mysterious job. He didn't know if Kurogiri knew about this job, so he figured it'd be better to be vague.
"Very well," Kurogiri agreed easily without further prying, much to his relief. "Where are your friends?"
"They're playing games in Hijack's room. I'll probably be back before dinner unless Aiko has me stay over, so I'll let Kacchan out then. I'll call or text if she wants me to stay for dinner, but I'll definitely be back later tonight to give Eraserhead his food." He added the last part with a pointed frown. Aizawa's trust in him was low enough, having another person suddenly deliver his meal would raise questions.
Kurogiri didn't seem bothered by the strict tone, simply nodding as he set down the glass he'd been holding. "That is fine. Feeding him is your responsibility after all. Do text by six at the latest, though." Even as he spoke some of the fog drifted from his body to form a portal large enough for Izuku to step through. Izuku thanked him a final time before entering, and soon found himself inside his bedroom at Aiko's apartment. Once again he found himself struck by all the hero merchandise, a strong wave of déjà vu washing over him as he looked around.
The laptop wasn't on the desk, so he realized Uraraka must have taken it to another room. "Uraraka?" he called as he headed to the door. He had barely reached for the handle when it flung open, revealing a bright-eyed and grinning Uraraka.
"Deku!" she exclaimed, relief and excitement evident in her voice. Before he could so much as say 'hi' back she'd grabbed his wrist and dragged him into the main room of the apartment. He stumbled at first but quickly matched her pace as she led him towards the couch. "Come on, I don't know when Aiko will be back and we have so much to talk about!"
"You got in touch with Ashido then, right?" he asked eagerly.
"Not exactly," she replied, and he blinked in confusion as she barreled on. "One of her friends messaged me instead. But Deku, listen!" She stopped and spun to face him, grabbing his shoulders and looking right in his eyes. The grin on her face wasn't cheerful or friendly, it was something more vicious and triumphant, closer to the smile she'd sported before the Sports Festival. "We're not alone."
His heart soared at her words, relief and anticipation cascading over him all at once. "S-so, she is our Ashido?" Uraraka's hands tightened on his shoulders, her eyes sparking with excitement as her smile became even fiercer somehow.
"Not just her," she said, and Izuku felt all the breath leave his body, mind momentarily going blank. She released her hold on his shoulders and spun around to grab his laptop from the coffee table, turning and opening it to face him. His eyes widened as he saw several photos of two people in hooded costumes—very familiar-looking costumes, with "1-A" clearly emblazoned on the backs.
"Jirou?" he breathed as he spied familiar, chunky-looking boots. Then upon seeing the other person with an index finger pointed, he whispered, "Kaminari?"
"Deku, we have so much to talk about," Uraraka said, and from there proceeded to blow his mind.
Ashido was pacing. Shouto had lost track of how many laps she'd done around the kitchen, clearly too agitated to sit still. He tried not to watch her as he finished off his lunch, a bowl of cold soba. He hadn't asked for his favorite food, but he welcomed the surprise. "Man, that was good!" Kirishima said as he polished off his own bowl. "Remind me to thank your brother later, Anjou."
"Sure thing."
"Where is Kuroe, anyway?" Shouto asked curiously. Kuroe had headed off shortly after breakfast, and it was already close to one.
"Work or something," Anjou said with a shrug, and Shouto frowned as he dredged through his memories.
"I thought he was a programmer?"
"Yeah, that's one job." The cryptic remark had his frown growing, but before he could press Ashido abruptly stopped her pacing to slam her hands on the table.
"What's taking her so long!?" she whined. "It's almost one! Ocha-chan should be done with whatever it was by now!" Shouto leaned away from her as she slumped forward; he'd already forgotten how dramatic and over-the-top she could be. It's not like they'd interacted directly that much back at home, he mostly just observed her outbursts from a safe distance. Anjou and Kirishima seemed to be used to her theatrics though, looking only mildly disturbed by it.
"Ashido, I get waiting is boring, but we don't really have a choice," Kirishima said. "She'll send Anjou her number when she's ready."
"But when will that be!?" Ashido cried.
At that moment, as if the heavens heard her plea, Anjou's phone gave that distinct chime from FacePage, and she quickly unlocked it. "Right now, I guess."
Ashido squealed at the confirmation, and Anjou had to fight the pink-girl off when she tried to pounce and grab the phone. Shouto watched the exchange in silence for the most part, finding Ashido's excitement to be a little over the top and just slightly intimidating if he were honest. At one point, he swore she hissed at Anjou. Eventually he and Kirishima helped pull her off, and calmed her down.
"Remember, keep cool," Kirishima told her lowly, and she nodded seriously. Still, the air felt tense with anticipation as they all turned to watch Anjou make the call, putting the phone on speaker.
It rang only once before the other person picked up, and they heard a familiar voice say, "Hello?" Almost instantly Shouto felt some of his tension fade: Uraraka. She was a little wary and hesitant, but he recognized her voice almost right away. (Strange, the sound quality seemed clearer than when he called her in their own world.)
Unfortunately, Ashido also recognized her voice and that just kickstarted her excitement all over again. "OCHA-CHAN!" He winced at her shout right next to him and pulled away. He really should have predicted that, grimacing as he watched her lean over the phone with a manic grin. "I KNEW IT! I KNEW YOU WERE INFINITY GIRL!"
"Ashido, volume!" Kirishima hissed, making her flinch and mumble a quick "sorry."
"Wait, who was that?" Uraraka asked, and they heard a faint... something from the background. "Wait, Kirishima? Was that Kirishima? He's here too?!" Any doubts about this being their Uraraka faded instantly, though Shouto found himself wondering about the faint background noise. Was someone else with her?
"He's a Kirishima, but probably not yours," Anjou replied for the redhead, who looked a bit flustered at the questions. "And I see we're skipping the checks. Again." She shot a pointed look at Ashido, who looked absolutely unrepentant as she shrugged.
"Sorry, I just got so excited!"
"Uh, hold on, who was THAT?" Uraraka questioned. "Was that... Nettmegg?"
"Yeah, it is," Anjou confirmed, turning back to the phone. "My name's Anjou Ran. I'm a friend of this world's Ashido and Kirishima, and apparently the one in charge of arranging this weird phone reunion. Also."
She glanced at Shouto pointedly, and he recognized the unspoken cue to introduce himself. "I'm here too," he announced, and he heard a loud gasp.
"Todoroki!?" Uraraka squeaked, and was it him, or did it sound like there were two voices just then?
"Todo's from our world too!" Ashido exclaimed eagerly, leaning closer to the phone with a giant grin. "We only just met up last night though! He had no idea anyone else might be here, and was on his own this whole time!"
"That's why we had to delay the calls until today," Anjou added. "Last night involved some pretty big bombshells, and we needed some time to process everything." Shouto frowned but said nothing as he averted his gaze, feeling a brief moment of shame over his reaction last night. Shame, and confusion.
He still didn't know why the news Endeavor had died in this world had shaken him up so much. It had been shocking, yes, but he felt like his reaction had been a bit extreme. Ultimately, this man wasn't his father, so the loss shouldn't impact him. So then why did it upset him so much?
"That's totally understandable!" Uraraka replied, not missing a beat. "I mean, this whole situation's kinda insane, ya know? I don't know about you guys, but we've been through a TON of stuff."
"We?" Shouto latched onto the word, squinting at the phone as Ashido snapped to attention. "Uraraka, is someone else there?"
She didn't reply right away, and they heard faint mumbling before she finally spoke again. "...Um, before I answer that. Did you guys get in touch with Jirou and Kaminari—I mean, the, uh, vigilantes?"
"We did!" Ashido confirmed all too excitedly. "Uraraka, it's totally them! We talked to them earlier today and confirmed it all and everything!"
"We didn't talk much though," Shouto felt the need to add. "We wanted to wait to have you join the call, too."
"Actually, we're supposed to call and conference them in," Anjou commented, picking the phone off the table. "You cool with that?"
"Yes please, thank you. It'll be so much better if we can do it all at once!" Anjou hummed as she tapped away on the phone, and within a couple minutes Jirou and Kaminari's voices sounded over the speaker.
"Uraraka, you're here too!?" Kaminari exclaimed. "SWEET!"
"Good to hear you, Infinity Girl," Jirou greeted wryly, in what Shouto thought might be a teasing tone. Uraraka groaned loud enough for her phone to pick up.
"Come on, it worked, didn't it? Ashido recognized me right away!"
"Yeah, she did. Good job." As they spoke Ashido seemed to be getting more and more excited, a feat he hadn't thought possible. She vibrated in place with increasing frequency until she finally seemed to reach her breaking point.
"This is AMAZING!" she exploded, throwing up her arms with obvious delight. "It's almost like we're all together, just over the phone!" She slammed her palms on the table and leaned closer to the phone. "Uraraka, you HAVE to tell us everything you've been up to! I want the details, stat! Why'd you run away? Did you know Midnight's looking for you!? Oh! Oh! And what's up with your family in this world? Like, why were you being home schooled!?"
"Uh, it's kinda a long story," Uraraka muttered, and seemed to hesitate.
"If it's a long story, how about we all explain our sides first?" Jirou suggested when several seconds passed in silence. "I mean, all of us have been pretty busy, so if you want to wait..."
"Yeah, I think it'd be best if I go last," Uraraka laughed weakly, clearly relieved. "I don't think anyone would be able to focus on anything else when I'm done." That was a surprising claim, and Shouto felt like he might be able to reasonably counter that. He did wake up next to Dabi after all. He didn't argue it right away though.
"Alright, then who should go first?" he asked. There was a pause, and then he, Kirishima, and Anjou all turned to look at Ashido, her face split into a giant grin.
He shouldn't have even bothered to ask.
Notes:
So a notice to anime-only fans: yesterday something big happened in the manga. I won't say what, but I'm just warning you to be wary. There's going to be fan fics popping up as people vent their feelings (already seen at least one on AO3), and someone ALSO mentioned seeing it spoiled in a thumbnail for a YouTube video. So yeah, be very careful for the next couple of weeks.
Question for next time: what would be the worst way to drop the "Izuku's here too and living with the LoV" bombshell?
Chapter 53: Story Time
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 53
.::Story Time::.
Denki felt like he was dreaming. He had to keep pinching himself to confirm this was real, that he was actually talking to his classmates. That Ashido, Todoroki, and Uraraka were all here, had experienced just as much chaos and confusion as they had.
They started with Ashido's story. How she woke up in Kamino of all places (and damn, if he didn't get chills thinking of how weird it would be to wake up there after All Might's epic final battle) and lived in the same apartment building as Kirishima. He wasn't one of them and had no memories of their world, which was still massively disappointing, but she had decided to help him "man up" and clung to him.
It was kinda funny hearing how Ashido just claimed she had "sudden partial amnesia" and went about her school life with the help of Kirishima and her friends Kumiko and Anjou. Her life was pretty unremarkable up until she made a FacePage profile and got a message from someone she suspected to be Uraraka. Which Uraraka had obviously confirmed.
Not long after that Uraraka had run away though, and then Ashido and Kirishima got caught up in a villain attack. That led to them getting put under the protective watch of some hero named Oracle, and then on Sunday he and Midnight had come to visit her with a detective to talk about Uraraka running away. Apparently they'd somehow tracked Ashido through her messages with Uraraka on FacePage, which had been why Anjou had been so paranoid about saying too much over FacePage.
"Dang it Infinity Girl, why didn't you tell me you knew Midnight-sensei!" Ashido whined at that part.
"Wait, what?" Uraraka sounded genuinely confused. "Hold on, I don't remember meeting Midnight-sensei! The only people I've met since coming here besides my parents are—" She stopped short there, and then very faintly, "...Oh my gosh. Suimin-sensei was Midnight. How did I miss that!?"
"Suimin-sensei?" Jirou repeated.
"...My homeschool tutor. I'll explain later. Uh, please keep going on, Ashido."
Ashido complied, summarizing the rest of her house arrest with a single word: "boring." Then she found a news story on them, Denki and Jirou, as the 1-A Vigilantes, and had proceeded to call her friends to freak out. And that somehow ended with them making a grand escape with Anjou's aid—and for some reason, Kirishima tagged along for the ride.
"For the record, I'm still having trouble believing all this," he commented sheepishly, speaking for the first time since Ashido started talking. "But there's a ton of stuff that's kinda hard to ignore, so... yeah." After that, nothing really happened until last night when Anjou helped them find Todoroki, at which point they decided to pause her story until after Todoroki's turn.
However, Todoroki had other plans. "Can I wait until later too?" he asked.
"...Wait, what?" Uraraka asked faintly, sounding confused.
"But—but they just set it up perfectly for you, dude!" Denki said.
"I guess, but I think my first day might make it harder to focus on whoever goes after me." That was a surprising and kinda weird claim, but after a few seconds Jirou snorted.
"Right, you disappeared after Endeavor died, didn't you," she muttered wryly, and Denki belatedly remembered the news articles they'd found on the first day while searching for their classmates. "Guess whatever you were up to after that must've been pretty crazy, huh?" Todoroki didn't respond right away, and then they heard some sort of... shuffling? Nearly thirty seconds passed before Anjou eventually spoke up.
"...Yeah, so remember how I said something came up last night when asking to delay the calls?" she asked lowly. Her voice sounded a bit clearer now even though she'd dropped to a whisper, and Denki realized she'd taken it off speaker. "That 'something' was specifically Todoroki finding out Endeavor was dead, because he didn't know that until we told him."
Denki and Jirou both startled at the revelation, Denki nearly falling out of his chair. "He what!?" Uraraka squeaked, voice actually breaking.
"Holy shit!" Denki hissed, eyes wide with horror. "How did he not know that?!"
"Because he didn't really have regular internet access, and he specifically avoided looking up his dad for some reason. So, yeah. You kinda hit a sore spot. Ashido and Kirishima are kinda trying to comfort him now, but any objections to pushing off his turn for a bit longer?"
"That's... fine by me," Uraraka said. "As long as I don't go next."
"Mind telling us more about how you're connected to this while we wait?" Jirou asked. "You and Ashido kinda skipped over where you came into play with the whole running away thing, and I kinda doubt it's just because you're friends." Anjou didn't respond right away.
"...Actually, I do mind," she declared firmly. "This isn't something we can talk about over the phone. We can't risk anyone overhearing by tapping into the line or something. There are lives at stake here."
"And our situation isn't that dangerous?" Jirou asked dryly.
"To be fair, most people will assume you guys are all insane," Anjou retorted, and her voice became a bit more distant as she added, "No offense."
Apparently the others had finished comforting Todoroki and she'd taken it off speaker. "Some taken," Ashido huffed.
"They apparently thought I was under a villain's control, and just played along to keep an eye on me," Todoroki added. Was it Denki's imagination, or did he sound a bit hurt about whoever "they" were?
"I think I believe you now," Kirishima said weakly. "Mostly. I mean, it's still kinda a lot to wrap my head around, you know?"
"Yeah, no, it definitely sounds insane," Jirou conceded with a sigh. "I probably wouldn't believe it if I wasn't living it myself."
"...Hey, do you really think someone might be listening in?" Uraraka asked, sounding vaguely worried.
"Chances are low, but paranoia saves lives in this world," Anjou replied, and Denki could almost hear her shrugging. "I'm admittedly more paranoid than most. In the end, it's your call though." Uraraka was silent for nearly a full minute, which only made the tension in the air seem to grow.
"Can we continue for now?" she finally asked.
"That's cool with me," Jirou agreed.
"Yeah, what about you guys?" Ashido piped up. "You're obviously vigilantes, which is AWESOME, but how did you decide to do that? Were your other selves already vigilantes and they just had the gear!? How'd you find each other so fast!?" Denki perked up at the last question, grinning at the memory.
"Actually, I just looked in my phone contacts and found Jirou. She was the first name I recognized so I called her up, I guess we got lucky."
"That's the only luck we've had though," Jirou sighed. "I got a text from Yaomomo after we met up asking if I was okay. We're apparently best friends in this world, but she's not from ours."
"Ooh, that's rough," Uraraka hissed sympathetically. "Yaomomo's really smart. She must've figured you out, like, instantly, right?"
"Is she the one making your vigilante gear?" Todoroki asked curiously. "Did you convince her to help?" Denki winced at the question, shuddering as he got flashbacks to Hatsume barging into his apartment that first time. And then more flashbacks to every other meeting with her. Some people were just naturally terrifying.
"Actually, you know that girl with the pink hair from the support course?" Jirou asked. "She goes to our school here, and Kaminari's apparently got a ton of debt to her. Our first week here she barged in to have him charge up some invention she made, and that's when we asked her to help make us gear. We figured being vigilantes would be a good way to get attention if anyone else was here."
"Well, it worked!" Ashido cheered. "I found you guys, and now we're all in touch!" That had Denki smiling, relief and pride cascading over him in equal measures. Their plan had worked, they'd managed to get the attention of some of their classmates from THEIR world. He felt so relieved knowing their work had actually paid off in the end.
"So you didn't tell Yaoyorozu?" Uraraka asked, and just like that Denki's good mood plummeted. "How have you been hiding it from her, then?" She sounded more curious than anything, and across from him Jirou grimaced.
"Uh, actually, I kinda... haven't met her," she admitted slowly, scratching her cheek and looking away from the phone. "I've been skipping school, and just not really responding to her messages...?"
She trailed off, and there was a brief silence as everyone absorbed that. Then Ashido asked, "Didn't you say you're best friends in this world?"
"Based on the texts, yeah," Jirou muttered, and sighed. "Look, Yaomomo's smart. I figured if anyone would see through me acting weird, it'd be her. And we all just established how freaking insane this all sounds. In our world, she'd tell Aizawa-sensei in a heartbeat if someone suddenly claimed they were from another dimension. That's obviously not an option here, but I don't know what this world's Yaomomo would do."
"That's not..." Ashido trailed off, seeming at a loss for words, and Denki bit his lip.
"Didn't people notice you missing school though?" Todoroki asked, sounding confused, and before they could answer Anjou spoke up.
"You switched to the online modules, right?" she asked. "I checked out Munakata High School a bit, and it seems like it has a pretty similar setup to what we've got at Sakakura. It was listed as one of the key selling points."
"Yeah, that's exactly what I did," Jirou confirmed, seeming relieved at the topic change, and Denki perked up as another thought occurred to him.
"Oh yeah, Iida's doing online classes too," he said eagerly. "He doesn't remember us, either, but—oh yeah! We actually saw him on Wednesday while fighting this really freaky villain!"
"Wait, you fought a VILLAIN?" Ashido gasped, and Denki wasted no time launching into recounting the battle, Jirou piping in with details and her perspective as she saw fit. The others seemed to suck it up, gasping at all the right moments, and Ashido even cried out a horrified "No!" when Jirou described seeing the toddler.
"Honestly, our patrols aren't usually that big," Denki said after they finished the story. "We've stopped a couple attacks and robberies, but that was the first really big fight we've had. We barely got away." Ashido and Uraraka began gushing appropriately for such an epic tale, with even Kirishima chiming in about how cool it was, but Denki found his attention drawn more to Jirou whose eyes had narrowed in thought.
Something about her expression worried him, she looked bothered by something. She noticed his worried stare and shook her head silently though and mouthed 'not important right now,' so he didn't press it. "Anyways, that's our side," he said. "I guess it's your turn now, right Uraraka?"
Uraraka was silent though, making his frown grow. "...Can Todoroki tell his story first?" she finally asked.
"Really?" Ashido asked, sounding faintly exasperated. "Come on, I've been waiting for so long! You owe me answers, Infinity Girl!"
"I know, but... The stuff on my end is really, really complicated, and I still need some time to kinda... think it over. And once I tell you, it's going to derail everything else. Just—please trust me." Her voice had a note of pleading, and Denki and Jirou exchanged frowns once more. What the hell happened to Uraraka after she ran away?
They heard some muffled chatter from the other end, but then Todoroki spoke up. "Alright, I guess..."
Shouto didn't really want to start sharing his story just yet. He wanted to get everyone's opinions on the Dabi situation, because it had been bothering him a lot this whole time, and having another person speak after him would cut into that. Uraraka's pleading tone made him give in though, and he offered a silent apology to her.
"I woke up next to Dabi," he started bluntly, and heard a definite choking sound from Uraraka's end and some sort of muffled exclamation. He'd tried to warn her.
"Dabi!? How—what did you do then?"
"I froze him in a glacier and ran away. At first I thought I was kidnapped by the League of Villains, but after getting away I realized my hair was dyed and I had all the components for a disguise on me. And I also had a phone, so..." As he spoke he pulled out the phone in question, currently powered off, and frowned at it. "I still don't know why I was with him, but I think he's been calling it a lot."
"Holy shit," Kaminari breathed, which matched Shouto's sentiments well.
"I can see why you wanted to go last," Jirou muttered faintly. Shouto didn't respond, waiting for Uraraka's response, but he didn't get one. Instead, they only got a lot of muffled noises, along with some sort of rustling sound.
"Uh, Uraraka?" Kaminari piped up. "You still there?"
It took a few seconds before she responded. "Uh, y-yeah. Sorry, just—talking to, uh, someone." That got their attentions, reminding Shouto and the others that Uraraka had indeed implied someone else was there before they conferenced in Kaminari and Jirou.
"Hold on, someone's with you?" Jirou demanded sharply. "Is it someone from our class? Can we trust them?"
Once more there was a lot of strange, muffled noises before she spoke up again. "...Um, before I answer, can Todoroki finish his story? Because... I really don't think we'll be able to focus on it after this."
That was quite possibly the most ominous answer Uraraka could have been given. "There's not much else left," Anjou said briskly before Shouto could respond. "He saw Gentle Criminal's latest heist on the news, figured out Phantom Shadow is Tokoyami and decided to come to Odawara to look for him. And then I got him in touch with Ashido through sources I can't disclose. That's it."
"...Wait, who's Phantom Shadow?" Uraraka asked, and everyone went silent. Even Anjou looked shocked at her confusion.
"He's... Gentle Criminal's sidekick," Kirishima said after a second. "You know, the most famous phantom thief duo in Japan? Just got on the news for escaping Ingenium on Wednesday?"
There were some more muffled noises. "Gentle Criminal's that guy who dresses in a fancy suit and makes videos about robbing stores and drinking tea, right?"
More stunned silence. "...Uh, maybe in our world," Jirou said. "But in this world, he's pretty much a super-popular phantom thief. There's been like, two or three heists since we all ended up here."
"The guy's plastered all over the news in Hosu right now!" Kaminari added. "They ran away from Ingenium! It's a bigger story than our fight with that villain lady!"
"Haven't you heard ANYTHING about him?!" Ashido exclaimed. "There's tons of fan art of what Phantom Shadow looks like—and he's totally Tokoyami, by the way. He uses Dark Shadow and everything! No idea why he's that Gentle Criminal guy's sidekick in this world, but it's totally him."
"Isn't his sidekick—" A pause, more muffled noises. "La Brava...?"
"...Who the heck is La Brava?" Anjou whispered, her face contorted in absolute confusion. The name only vaguely tickled at Shouto's own memory. He felt like Midoriya mentioned the name at some point, maybe...?
Kaminari spoke up next, drawing out his words slowly. "...How the heck did Todoroki—the only one without ANY regular access to the internet or news—know this, and not you? What have you been doing this whole time!?"
"...I've been kinda busy?" Uraraka sounded sheepish and embarrassed.
"With what!" Ashido slammed her hands on the table, almost glaring at the phone. "I've been waiting forever to hear why you ran away, Infinity Girl! I had to sit through questioning from Midnight and Oracle and that detective guy! And then you didn't even message me for, like, a week!"
"I didn't really have a phone though!" Uraraka protested. "And then when I finally DID get one, YOU ran away... instead..." She lost some of the heat to her words as she spoke, growing more contemplative. "...Huh. That's kinda ironic, now that I think about it."
"Yeah, it is," Anjou snorted to herself, before continuing more loudly, "How about you just tell us your side of the story? I feel like that'll do a better job at answering our questions."
There was a long silence after that, Uraraka seeming to think. "I know you said you're mostly just paranoid, but... How secure is this line?"
"Should be mostly secure," Anjou replied. "Can't say the same for everyone else, but our phone can't be traced, and I'm assuming you're using a burner, right?"
"Yeah. I am—oh!" She paused. "I have the box for it right here. It's a..." She rattled off a name and several numbers that meant absolutely nothing to Shouto, but Anjou had an intense gleam in her eyes as she leaned forward.
"That's... a really good model. One of the most secure ones on the market."
"And expensive, too," Jirou added casually. "That's the same model I bought today."
"It—it is?" Uraraka squeaked. "Oh my gosh, how much did she pay for this!?"
"Who're you talking about?" Ashido pressed, jumping on the opening. "WAIT! Did you find Hagakure!? She's, like, the only girl we don't know anything about!"
"Uh, no, not her. But wait! Then—does that mean you got in contact with Asui, too!?" Anjou openly winced at the name while Shouto frowned. He knew Anjou wanted to avoid any direct references to the runaway network, and after spending so much time with them this week he felt just as protective of their privacy. He'd heard just enough details to understand why they were all so wary of talking to anyone.
"We can't say all the names," he said bluntly. "Some of them are in dangerous positions and don't want to risk being found. At all." He emphasized the last part.
"We have been able to cross out everyone but five people," Anjou piped up with a sigh. "Based on everyone's stories so far, there's about five people we can't confirm for sure. We have no clue about Hagakure, but we already mentioned Tokoyami. We don't know if he's not from your world, but he's keeping up the heists so he should be trackable."
"But wait, if he's from that world, then why's he still doing heists?" Kirishima piped up in confusion. "Aren't you guys hero students?"
"Yeah, but that's not a guarantee he doesn't remember. Especially since they've moved to Hosu."
"What's Hosu got to do with anything?" Uraraka asked, echoing Shouto's confusion, but Jirou quickly spoke up.
"Wait, you think he might be looking for us?" she blurted, and Shouto and the others startled as Anjou nodded.
"It's not impossible," Anjou replied. "If he did get caught up in this, he might have gone along with Gentle Criminal's crimes because he didn't have a choice. Or he might have just been biding his time figuring out a plan. He can't exactly go to the police or Pros for help since he's technically a criminal, after all." Shouto, Ashido and Kirishima all turned to stare at each other, eyes wide at the revelation.
It had never occurred to Shouto while searching for them that Tokoyami might be from their world, but it made sense. Especially given he and Gentle Criminal had moved to Hosu after the 1-A Vigilantes began to rise in popularity. Jirou and Kaminari stated that the whole reason they became vigilantes was to get attention from other displaced members of Class 1-A, so he'd go for the first person he knew.
"Woah, if that's true then that's crazy," Kirishima breathed.
"That's all just speculation, so we can't be sure until we talk to him," Anjou said, getting a few nods. "Anyways, as for Aoyama Yuga, we won't be able to get any solid confirmation, but from what the tabloids say he seems the same as ever."
"Wait, tabloids?" Kaminari repeated, and Ashido perked up.
"He's a movie star here!" she exclaimed. "Crazy, right? I looked him up, and apparently he's gonna star in some movie coming out soon as a villain!"
That was news to Shouto. "Aoyama? A villain?" He thought of his classmate—blond hair always neatly brushed out, sparkly eyes and that constant odd smile, the random bits of French and that long hero name. He couldn't picture it.
...Kaminari was cackling. "That—that sounds crazy! If we're still here when it comes out, we've totally gotta see it!"
"...Okay." Shouto didn't really care for movies too much, but this time he felt strongly compelled to see it. Seriously, Aoyama? As a villain?
He frowned then as his mind moved back to the topic at hand. They'd derailed the topic a bit from Uraraka's story, but now they'd moved onto something he couldn't keep to himself anymore. "...The other two will be harder to confirm though," he said slowly. "It's... Midoriya and Bakugou."
Just saying it out loud made his hands clench at his sides, and from the corner of his eye he saw Ashido wince. The atmosphere seemed to fall all at once, and he swore he heard an intake of breath from the phone.
"...Deku?" Uraraka whispered, and Shouto opened his mouth to respond but found he couldn't speak. Uraraka and Midoriya had been close from the first day of school. How did you tell someone her best friend was missing?
Apparently by being very blunt. "Midoriya Izuku's been missing since he was eight," Anjou declared briskly, tone clipped and to the point. "More recently, Bakugou Katsuki disappeared last month, a little before you guys all got... whatever. He probably got kidnapped to be recruited for his Quirk. So if either of them are caught up in this, we have no way of knowing."
Ashido winced at the reminder and Kirishima sucked in a sharp breath, clearly looking awkward and out of place as he glanced between her and Shouto. For his part Shouto sat in silence, just staring forward with his hands clenched into tight fists. The reminder that two of their classmates—two of his friends—were missing in this world left him feeling cold and almost numb.
Honestly, that uncertainty felt just as bad as finding out Endeavor had died in this world, if not worse. At least they knew for a fact that Endeavor was dead, but with those two, they had no idea.
Uraraka, Kaminari and Jirou were just as quiet as he was, and nearly a full minute passed in dead silence. "Shit," Jirou finally muttered, breaking the silence. "Shit, this is... not good. Not good at all."
"Bakubro's been kidnapped?" Kaminari said, voice sounding faint and distant. "I... w-wha...?"
"It's... a lot to take in," Anjou commented, and this was the gentlest he'd heard her speak since meeting her. "You guys can take some time to process it."
Before he knew it Shouto found his mouth opening, words flying out almost automatically. "If you don't want to talk about it right now, we can call back later. You're all... close to Midoriya and Bakugou, right?" The words felt stilted and awkward to his own ears, but... After learning about Endeavor, he felt he could understand how they might feel. Just a little. "It's... not good, so it might take a while for it to really settle in. We'll be here if you want us to though."
"Yeah," Ashido agreed softly, offering the phone a sad smile. "We're all friends. If you guys all want alone time, we'll give it to you."
"And if you want to talk about it, we can do that too," Kirishima added. "I mean, I'm a stranger so I don't really feel this as strongly as you guys, but I can at least listen. Just, whatever helps you feel better, right?"
"...Yeah, maybe," Kaminari muttered, barely audible. Shouto however found himself focused on the one person who hadn't spoken.
"...Uraraka, how are you feeling?" he asked. "Are you... Do you need some time?"
"...No, that's not it," Uraraka said after several seconds. "It's just..." She trailed off, clearly hesitating.
"Uraraka?" Ashido said with a frown after nearly a full minute of silence.
"...So, you wanted to know why I ran away, right?" Uraraka asked slowly, and if that wasn't ominous then Shouto didn't know what was. "Well, see, you know how my parents own a construction company? Well, in this world, it's actually REALLY big now because we specialize in fixing damage from villain fights, so we're actually... kinda rich in this world?"
"I know that feeling," Jirou snorted. "I still can't believe how much is in my bank account. On that note, if we need to buy anything, I'll cover it. Pretty sure I could buy us ALL round-trip flights and all-access passes to Disneyworld. As in, the one in Florida. In America." Shouto had never been to Disneyworld or flown overseas, so he didn't know how significant that would be. Judging by the startled looks from the others though, that must be expensive.
"Holy shit," Kirishima wheezed. "How—?" He stopped himself. "...R-right, your dad's a famous rock star, huh?"
"Why didn't that happen in our world?" Ashido wondered.
"So far, only big difference I can find besides everything else? My mom's dead in this one." An awkward silence followed that bitter declaration, everyone momentarily stunned. "...Yeah, just ignore that part. I don't remember what happened in this world, so it's not as big a deal." Shouto would like to vehemently disagree based on his own personal experience, but now was not the time or place. "Go on, Uraraka."
"R-right," she said after a moment. "So anyways. I help out with my Quirk to move rubble and stuff, so between that and us being rich, I guess I'm kinda a target for villains? So my parents kinda kept me hidden away at home whenever I'm not down at the construction sites. But one day I went shopping with Suimin—or, Midnight-sensei, I guess—oh, I guess that's why she was allowed to take me out alone—anyways! So we went shopping, and then..."
She trailed off, hesitating again. "And then?" Ashido pressed.
"...Um, the thing is, you guys were actually right about Bakugou getting captured by villains. And in this world, the League of Villains is called the Villain Alliance." Shouto jolted at the response from the phone, because that wasn't Uraraka. No, this was someone else entirely, someone even more familiar and whose voice sent his heart straight into his throat.
"Midoriya?" he choked out, and there was a long pause.
"...Hey, everyone," Midoriya greeted lamely. "So... We've, uh, got a lot to talk about."
Notes:
Izuku finally joins the conversation. Next time: everyone freaks out.
No question for next time. Your reactions are enough. :D
Chapter 54: Phones are Exploding
Summary:
Izuku is very happy phones can't actually explode from a lot of noise.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 54
.::Phones are Exploding::.
The response to Izuku's introduction was instant.
The phone's speakers had nearly exploded with all the shouting after he spoke up, the noise enough to make him wince. Uraraka meanwhile had abandoned him to his fate, curling up on his bed to quietly groan to herself and scream into his pillow.
He kinda wished he could do the same right now. He'd actually already done that the second Todoroki mentioned waking up next to Dabi, because oh sweet All Might, Todoroki was the "Yuki" Dabi mentioned to Uraraka. Everything added up perfectly, from the fact that Todoroki had trapped him in a glacier to the fact he had a phone Dabi kept calling.
Which meant Dabi was Todoroki's brother.
Izuku seriously, seriously wanted to mute the phone again and just scream for a while. He had no idea if it was unique to this world, but he couldn't see any reason it would be! He and Uraraka had basically had the most panicked game of charades in the history of charades when they realized that, and then they had to mute the phone while Todoroki finished the rest of his story so they could actually talk.
Their conclusion: they were NOT dropping that on Todoroki and everyone else right now. Under literally ANY other circumstance, Izuku would have been all for telling him everything right away because mother of All Might, Dabi was Todoroki's brother! This explained so much, except it didn't really, it just raised all sorts of questions. Why was Dabi a villain? Did he just hate Endeavor that much? Did he want to kill Todoroki, too?
They seriously needed to tell Todoroki all this, and they would. Just, not now. Now was not the time to tell him that bombshell, because Izuku's story was the most insane of all, and everyone would have enough to process from just that.
The giant cacophony of voices finally started to die down as everyone realized he wasn't saying anything, meaning Izuku had no more time to think. "Midoriya?" Jirou pressed sharply. "You're actually Midoriya? Our Midoriya?"
"Yeah, I am," he confirmed with a small cringe. "I guess that makes six..."
"Dude, this is AWESOME!" Kaminari exclaimed. "You're, like, one of the smartest guys in our whole class! And you're like a Quirk expert or something, right? I mean, you keep all those notebooks! You've gotta know how we got here, right?"
"Not... really," Izuku muttered lamely, and he could almost feel the dejection at his response. "I don't really know what could have triggered it. I keep thinking over the last day in our world—by the way, you guys all woke up on Tuesday, November 14th, right?" he asked just to be sure, and when he got affirmatives he continued, "So yeah, I've thought about the day before, but I can't figure out anything that would tie all of us, specifically, together. And... I don't think any of us would have met in this world, either."
"...Midoriya," Todoroki said, and Izuku flinched because that just reminded him Dabi was Todoroki's brother. "You said Bakugou was captured, right? And that the League of Villains is called the Villain Alliance?" Izuku winced for a different reason now and shrunk in on himself further, Uraraka shooting him a sympathetic glance.
"...Midoriya, you've been missing in this world for over eight years," Anjou said slowly, and he could almost hear the gears turning in her brain. He didn't know her, but Izuku could already tell she was incredibly sharp and observant, almost reminding him of Aizawa or Sir Nighteye. "Where have you been this whole time?"
Izuku sucked in a sharp breath, squeezing the fabric of his pants as he grimaced. Even though she asked, he had a feeling she and everyone else knew the answer. "...You said talking on the phone isn't the most secure, so I can't tell you guys everything," he said after several seconds. "And even then, I don't know everything, either. I just know what I read in a letter to myself."
"A letter?" Jirou repeated, and he nodded.
"Y-yeah. Apparently, I got hit by some Quirk a few years ago that sometimes kinda scrambles my memories, so I wrote a letter to myself to help explain, uh, everything. Like... my parents dying." He hung his head at that, the words almost painful to say even now. He shook his head, frowning as he continued. "And, to answer your question, Anjou-san... I, kinda ran away from home, or the Bakugou house, I guess, and then somehow got adopted by Shigaraki and the Alliance...?"
There was a tense silence after that as everyone processed his statement. "What," Kaminari finally whispered, and that seemed to be all Izuku's nerves needed to fully unravel and have him explode.
"It's true! I don't know how, but when I woke up I was in this room full of hero merchandise except there was none for All Might, and then Shigaraki showed up asking if I still 'felt bad' and—he was actually concerned, guys! He actually sounded really worried and not like he was mocking me or anything! He talked about watching movies and left, and then I found that letter I mentioned that explained everything, and it said to check this list at the end so I did and it mentioned Kacchan—"
He was cut off by a soft whack to his side, gasping in surprise. "Deku, breathe!" Uraraka told him with a worried frown. "You're working yourself up too much!" Staring at her dumbly, after several seconds Izuku slowly nodded and greedily gulped in air while she took over. "What he's trying to say is that after he ran away in this world, he got adopted by Shigaraki and the Villain Alliance at some point. And then something weird happened with a villain, so this world's Deku sometimes just... forgets stuff, I guess?"
She shrugged and shot him a helpless look, and he nodded miserably in confirmation. "Hold on, Midoriya totally said Kacchan at the end of that," Kaminari pointed out, making Izuku wince. "That's what you call Bakugou, isn't it?"
Izuku and Uraraka exchanged grimaces. By this point he'd calmed down a bit thanks to the breathing, so he nodded as he responded. "Yeah, it is. The letter had a list of recent events, so I could keep track of what's going on if I have 'episodes'—that's what the letter calls it when the other me forgets, uh, everything, I guess—and the most recent one was that... Kacchan got captured to be recruited."
"What?" Izuku couldn't tell who said it, the voice barely above a whisper, but their horror was audible in it.
"Yeah, that's pretty much how I felt," he muttered. "I... kinda freaked out really bad. When I visited him, he didn't recognize me though—I mean obviously he did, but not from UA. So he's not our Bakugou. And... it's not just him, either," he added with a frown. "Shinsou's here too. This world's Shinsou, not ours."
"Shinsou?" Ashido repeated, sounding confused.
"He's that gen ed kid you went up against in the first round, right?" Jirou asked. "The one with the... brainwashing Quirk, I think?"
"Yeah, him," Izuku confirmed, grimacing. "I... I didn't even see him for a couple days though. I'd made a note about it on that list, he actually got captured before Kacchan, but... I didn't realize it was him. It didn't use his actual name, it called him Hijack. I guess he's a vigilante in this world? Except... He got captured, and he's..." He trailed off, swallowing harshly before he forced himself to speak. "He's trapped in a muzzle."
Dead silence followed, the horror palpable in the air. "...Fuck," someone whispered, which summed up his feelings pretty well.
"Anjou?" Kirishima spoke up now. "Hey, are you okay? You look really pale."
"No, I'm... not fine," she muttered, voice sounding strained, and Izuku realized she'd been the one to curse just then. "Look, just... Ignore me for a second. You said there's two people there? Bakugou and Shinsou? Are either of them hurt?"
"No, they're not," Izuku said, feeling relieved he could at least say that much. "We started working together to try to work towards escaping. I didn't tell them everything obviously, because it sounds insane, but I showed them the letter. I think my other self might've wanted to help them get out too, so thankfully it didn't take long to convince them. And Shigaraki wants them to join my party, anyway...?"
"Wait, you mean like a party in RPG games?" Kaminari asked.
"Yeah... He likes video games a lot. We were actually out buying games when I ran into Uraraka."
"Oh, so that's why you were out there?" Uraraka piped up in surprise.
"Yeah. And it was so weird," Izuku added with a shiver. "He was talking to the clerk normally and everything! He must be a regular because he called Shigaraki 'Shiro' and they were talking about games. He even had money to buy it!"
"...We are talking about Shigaraki, right?" Jirou asked. "You know, the guy that almost killed Aizawa at the USJ, had Bakugou kidnapped, threatened to disintegrate your neck at the mall or something like that...?"
"I know, I'm just as surprised," Izuku muttered. "But yeah, that's when I ran into Uraraka. I was still really freaked out by everything with Bakugou and Shinsou, so I didn't give her my phone number." He paused then, turning to shoot her a deadpan look that made her flinch as he added more dryly, "And that's when she decided to run away and try to join the Villain Alliance." Uraraka cringed at being called out so openly.
"...You did what." Jirou was perfectly deadpan, making her cringe some more.
"I didn't have any other ideas!" she whined. "I was kinda stuck on constant guard at my house and when I looked up Deku, all I found were articles about his parents dying and that he'd been missing for years! My parents had to both leave me home alone the next day, and I didn't know when I'd get another chance so I just—I just ran, and hoped for the best." She shrank in on herself, looking thoroughly chastised.
"I feel like Aizawa-sensei would expel you over this," Todoroki commented blandly. Maybe it was meant to be a joke, or maybe it was just a casual observation, but either way it had them both wincing and looking at each other with matching grimaces.
Aizawa-sensei.
That was what made this call so tricky and why they were so paranoid about anyone overhearing it. Beyond all the normal concerns about someone finding out Izuku lived with villains—beyond the fact they were holding two teenagers captive against their wills—the Alliance was holding a Pro Hero prisoner. They hadn't been the first ones to capture him, but they were now the ones locking away Eraserhead.
And that—that was a MAJOR red flag, the kind of thing that would spur any eavesdroppers into immediate action.
Izuku gnawed on his lip anxiously as he thought it over. They didn't actually have any real reason to suspect someone might be spying on them, let alone someone who might be able to report it. Sometimes, you had to take a risk to make progress. And if any situation needed progress, it was this one.
"...There's something else," he finally said, and he could see the moment Uraraka recognized his intent. Her expression hardened, nodding at him in silent encouragement and support, and he took a deep breath. "This week, Shigaraki... captured sensei, and kinda gave him to me as a... pet." The word felt like tar on his tongue, ducking his head shamefully.
"...He did what?" Todoroki sounded genuinely horrified, speaking with some of the most emotion he'd ever heard from the other boy. It kind of hammered in how utterly screwed up this whole thing was, making Izuku hang his head further. From the corner of his eye he saw Uraraka shoot him a worried look before taking over.
"It happened right after we met up again—or, kinda, when we met, I guess? Like, uh... So the day we met again, I was found by..." She paused and settled for a vague, "Someone."
"Someone?" Jirou repeated, sounding thoroughly unimpressed.
"We can't really say too much for safety reasons, same as you guys," she mumbled, and Izuku nodded in agreement. "Anyways. I can't say who it is, but I was spying on this place I thought might be the Alliance's base, and a bunch of them showed up following Shigaraki. That's when I was found by this person who's connected to the Alliance somehow—and I'm not just being vague, we really don't get what the connection is. We don't remember them in our world, so no idea from there either. I mentioned Deku, and they took me to their place and made me hot chocolate. And around the same time, I guess that's when the Alliance captured sensei...?"
She shot Izuku a helpless shrug, and he frowned as her words jogged a part of his memory. "There was a raid that day," he muttered. "Magne told me a bit about it later. They wanted to wipe out some rival group, and when they did..."
He trailed off again, unable to finish the thought. "...They found him there, didn't he," Todoroki finished grimly, and Izuku hung his head.
"...He was already in bad shape. I don't know how long he'd been held prisoner, but it's obviously been a while. At least a few months." If Present Mic's signoff was for Aizawa like he thought, it was likely closer to six. "But, I guess the other me is a big fan of him, because instead of just... f-finishing him off," and those words felt like ash, awful and repulsive and horrible on his tongue, "they brought him back. For—for me. They... they broke his leg," he added, and he heard multiple horrified gasps from the phone. "He can't really walk or do... anything, really."
"He's not being, like, t-tortured, right?" Kaminari asked shakily, and Izuku felt so much relief he could honestly shake his head.
"No. Like I said, he's basically supposed to be my... pet," and that still felt so wrong to say, "so, everyone else mostly leaves him alone. It's basically my job to feed him and all that stuff. I've been trying to make him as comfortable as possible and build up his trust so we can get him in on the escape plan, but... It's been pretty slow going. And today he met Bakugou and Shinsou, and I think that probably made it worse."
"Why don't you tell him you WANT to help him?" Kirishima asked.
"Yeah!" Ashido piped up. "I mean, it's sensei! Can't you just tell him everything? Maybe he can help us out too!"
"Okay, before Midoriya says anything, think for a second," Jirou cut in. "How would you feel if you were captured by villains, kidnapped by a different group of villains, given to the leader's kid brother as a pet, and then this kid says he wants you to escape. And also, he says he's from another world." Despite his low mood the deadpan remark had Izuku smiling slightly, amused at how ridiculous it sounded.
"...Okay, never mind, I totally get it," Ashido relented sheepishly. "Sorry, Mido."
"It's... kinda okay, I guess," he sighed. "It's just a really bad situation all around. I'm kinda surprised I haven't had a panic attack yet. Well, except for when I first saw sensei," he added with his shoulders drooping. "That's when Shigaraki had Kurogiri send me here to... that person's apartment." He had to stop himself from referencing Aiko's name. Mentioning it on a potentially unsecure line felt more dangerous than everything else so far for some reason, even revealing Aizawa's captivity.
"Damn," Jirou breathed. "You know, of all the things to happen in this world, I never would have predicted something like... this."
"And here I thought Todoroki had the craziest story," Kaminari added.
"Midoriya," Todoroki said, and then paused. "You're with the League of Villains?" For some reason, Izuku suddenly felt very wary.
"They're called the Villain Alliance in this world, but yeah," he confirmed after a moment. "It's, kinda different from our world's version, but it's got some of the same people. Like Magne, Mr. Compress, Twice... Toga..." He froze then, finally realizing just why he'd suddenly felt that sense of foreboding.
And to confirm his fears, Todoroki then pressed, "Then what about Dabi?"
Izuku shot Uraraka an absolutely panicked look because Dabi was Todoroki's brother and they did NOT need to dump that on him right now. Seriously, everyone had enough to worry about right now! "He's not part of it in this world!" Uraraka blurted while his brain quietly proceeded shut down so he could internally cry.
"...How do you know that?" Todoroki asked after a few seconds, and now Uraraka was the one shooting Izuku a panicked look that got his brain back into gear.
"...He's, uh, not in any of my notebooks?" he replied, voice sounding a bit too high pitched and close to a question. He hastily added, "I mean, I made notes on pretty much everyone in the Alliance, except that person and—oh crap, Seiko." He blanched as he remembered Seiko existed, his panic over Dabi being a Todoroki replaced by the sheer discomfort from the odd girl's existence.
"Seiko?" Ashido repeated, and he blanched again.
"Don't ask," he begged, whimpering. "Please, don't ask."
"...Uh, Uraraka?" Kaminari asked after a few seconds. "Could you, maybe...?"
"I haven't met her, so I don't really know her either...?" She shrugged helplessly. "All I know is that she's a kid in like elementary school, and really freaks out Deku for some reason."
"How scary could a kid be?" Todoroki asked, sounding more confused than anything.
"Depends on the kid, I guess," Jirou said. "I... don't think I've heard someone sound genuinely terrified of one before, though...?"
...They weren't going to let him drop this, were they? Izuku groaned in dismay, realizing he had to tell them something. "I don't know what's wrong with her, but there's just something really off about her," he confided miserably. "Every time we meet, she just feels wrong, and it feels like every time that feeling just gets worse instead of better. I just—I don't know, I just feel this urge to stay away. And the worst part is, she's always in the shadows. She can merge with them or something, so you never know when she's watching."
"Wait, could she be listening now then?" Ashido sounded genuinely alarmed and worried, and Izuku couldn't blame her.
"I don't think so," he replied, shaking his head. "This apartment is apparently the only place she doesn't go, because A—that person made a deal with her or something. I asked Seiko about it too, and she said this place is off-limits. I asked her to tell Kacchan and Shinsou I was leaving anyway, so she'll probably spy on them for a while." He still felt slight guilt for unleashing her on them.
"Wait, you said her name was Seiko?" Anjou said suddenly. "Does she have black hair, cherry blossom hair clip? Eyes kinda like Ashido's, but white instead of yellow?"
Izuku literally jumped at the description, leaping out of the desk chair. "That's her! That's her exactly! Wait," and now he jolted again, eyes bulging as he stared at the phone. "You've met her!?"
"...Once," Anjou said tightly. "I was visiting my brother and noticed this kid kept popping up and watching us while we were shopping. Kept seeing her at different stores. Freaked me the fuck out, you're understating the creep factor. Those eyes feel freaking dead. When I pointed her out to him, he called out to her and told her to stay away from me, and she just vanished. He said she shows up sometimes to watch people when she's bored."
That... absolutely sounded like something Seiko would do. "...Anjou-san, why does your brother know someone connected to the League of Villains?" Todoroki asked.
"Yeah, I honestly have no idea," she admitted after a moment. "Last I checked he's more active with vigilantes than villains." Okay, that was worrisome in its own right. "I don't think he knows her that well though. All he told me is that she finds everything in Odawara interesting." Izuku paused to consider that, and soon found himself nodding.
"Yeah, that kinda checks out, I think." He still had no idea what Seiko did for the Alliance, but he'd gotten the sense that she did nothing but watch people. Pretty much every time she'd helped him or given him information without him directly prompting her had been to make things more "interesting" to observe. "Do you think she'd find whatever is up over there to be as interesting as a bunch of villains?"
"Probably," Anjou replied.
"Absolutely!" Ashido chirped confidently.
"It is pretty unique to this world," Todoroki said thoughtfully—and okay, what did that mean?
"So... Anjou's brother's probably not connected to the villains, then?" Uraraka suggested hesitantly.
"Hopefully not," Izuku murmured, while mentally adding, 'I am so sorry.' Being the subject of Seiko's interest was something worth pitying. "But, yeah. That's... That's all the biggest things on my end, I think." He ducked his head as he finished, feeling absolutely miserable. For a moment no one spoke, the air thick with tension.
"...Okay, I think we can all agree that Midoriya's situation is the most screwed up, and should probably be priority number one," Kaminari finally said, and there was a soft chorus of agreement from the rest.
"Gonna guess you're not up to sharing your location," Anjou remarked.
"Not really," Izuku sighed, and then flinched. "Also, I just realized I forgot to mention this, but Kacchan and Shinsou, uh... have bombs on their ankles."
"...Wait, WHAT?"
"Yeah." By this point Izuku had grown kind of numb to that part, because he no longer felt any real horror as he continued almost blandly, "They're primed to explode if they leave the building, so we'll have to get them off first. No idea how to remove them though, just that there's probably a key."
"Probably?" Todoroki repeated.
"They don't have key holes. Still haven't crossed out Shigaraki just disintegrating them."
"Ah."
"Okay, I don't know who this Shigaraki is, but holy shit," Kirishima whimpered. "I really don't want to meet him."
"Good, you shouldn't," Jirou deadpanned.
"...Ashido, Todoroki, brief us on the League of Villains after this," Anjou ordered. "We need to know what we're up against, and we shouldn't do it over the phone."
"Okay," Todoroki agreed, while Ashido said, "I am so sorry." Izuku felt like that apology summed it up perfectly.
They spent nearly two hours on the phone.
Two hours of the most exhausting game of catch-up ever.
By the time they finally ended the call, Ochako felt mentally and physically exhausted. She all but flopped onto the bed with an exhausted groan, while Deku slumped and laid his head on the desk with a moan of his own.
"...That was so much," he mumbled, voice slightly muffled as his face pressed against the wood, and she could only manage a faint grunt of agreement.
After divulging as much of Deku's adventures as they felt safe sharing, the others filled them in on their speculations thus far regarding other dimension jumpers. So far the most likely candidates left, if anyone else had come here, would be Tokoyami and Hagakure. They had a lead on Tokoyami in the form of Phantom Shadow (and she had a lot of research to do about him), but no leads on Hagakure.
They also now had questions about if anyone from 1-B came over since the others had all met at least one person from 1-B, but they all decided to just assume they hadn't until they learned otherwise.
Then, conversation turned to the plan to escape from the Alliance. Deku had explained some more about their current biggest obstacle, the anklets with bombs built into them. A suggestion from Kaminari to try to fry them into a broken state had been immediately and forcefully vetoed by everyone on the call, as had Kirishima's tentative suggestion to bash them with a rock. ("That's what they do in movies, right?") Unfortunately, they made no real progress on that front.
On the other hand, Shinsou's suggestion about getting a wheelchair for Aizawa through a wheelchair race had been met with a very amused and comparatively cheerful reception. It was the kind of ridiculous and silly idea they needed to hear after such a heavy conversation, lifting the gloomy mood, so it had felt like a good place to leave off.
Overall, they didn't come away with any new plans. Everyone had been too emotionally drained to do any real planning, and they were also all missing key details they couldn't divulge over the phone. It made it too complicated to decide on any solid course of action right then and there, so they'd all agreed to take a day to process everything and have another call the next day. They were reluctant to postpone the conversation since Deku probably wouldn't be able to join tomorrow, but Ochako could relay the key points to him later.
Which meant she had plenty of time to properly freak out about what they'd realized.
"Todoroki is Yuki," she said hollowly as she stared at the ceiling. "Todoroki is Dabi's missing brother."
"Mmhmm," Deku moaned miserably, face still firmly planted on his desk.
"Are they actually brothers?" Ochako mused aloud with a frown. "Could they be like, not actually blood brothers, but he adopted him in this world...? I mean, Todoroki didn't recognize him back at the training camp, right? And Dabi was really nice to me. So maybe he's just really nice to runaways in general, and kinda adopted him after he ran away?" Deku made another muffled groan/grunt, and she rolled her head to look at him. "...Deku, can't you say something? Please?"
"...Dabi's eyes are really blue, and it was dark at the training camp but I noticed because they kinda matched his fire. And his Quirk is fire, which isn't too rare but when I think about it, fire and blue eyes? I don't really know what shade his eyes were because it was dark, but Todoroki's one eye is blue, and so are Endeavor's. And besides all that, Todoroki didn't really spend much time with his siblings as a kid because of Endeavor's training. So if Dabi was his brother and left, and got all those scars afterwards, Todoroki might not recognize him."
The mumbling was slightly muffled by his desk, but Ochako still heard it clearly and felt her nose scrunch up. "...So they're probably biological siblings then," she summed up, and he made a miserable sound of affirmation. Darn it. "Do we tell him tomorrow?"
"I don't know," Deku groaned, somehow pushing his head against the table even more. "He has every right to know and we can't hide it forever, but there's so much going on, we don't need to deal with that, too."
"But if we tell him, Dabi might be able to help us," Ochako pointed out with a frown. "Deku, I spoke to him and I'm telling you, he's a good person in this world. He went out of his way to help me, and the way he talked, he was genuinely worried about Todoroki! And I feel like we need every ally we can get right now."
"We do," he agreed reluctantly. "I haven't seen him or that lizard guy—uh, Kacchan said he was called Spinner, I think...?—in my notebooks in this world, so I don't think he's connected to the Alliance." He lifted his head and turned to look at her with a frown. "But, you're sure he's good in this world?"
Ochako bit her lip and looked down. She wanted to say yes, but the fact was that she'd only met Dabi in person once. He'd been nice and helpful enough at the time, but one meeting didn't mean she knew everything about him. Then there was the fact he'd been the one to point her to Nabu in the first place when she mentioned the Villain Alliance—
She froze and then suddenly lunged to the desk to snatch up her burner phone. Deku startled at the abrupt movement, yelping a surprised, "U-Uraraka?"
Ochako didn't respond, opening up the messages with Dabi. She hadn't texted him again after letting him know she'd made it safely and was staying with Aiko, and her mouth thinned as she read over the short exchange. "Deku," she said. "When I texted Dabi, he sent me this." She turned the screen to show him the last text he'd sent:
' Listen to her and stay away from the Alliance. Also stay away from anything chemistry related. You're still playing a dangerous game kid.'
Deku's eyes widened as he read it, reaching the same conclusion. "Wait, chemistry?" he squeaked, face draining of all color as he gave an involuntary shudder. "Y-you don't think...?"
"Aiko's the friend he mentioned," Ochako confirmed gravely, and he grimaced. Recruiting Dabi's help was probably out if he knew Aiko. They couldn't risk him telling her about their plans. "...We are still going to tell him anyway, right?"
She didn't need to clarify what she meant. "You said Dabi's looking for him, so chances are he'll find Todoroki sooner or later," Deku said with a resigned nod. "It's better to let him know so he's prepared for it. And even if that wasn't going on, he deserves to know anyway," he added with a frown. "Especially since this affects him in both worlds." Ochako could only nod in grim agreement.
The tricky part would be the timing. This was the kind of revelation that could easily derail, well, everything. If she were in his shoes, she wouldn't be able to focus on anything else for a while, even getting home from another world. On top of that they couldn't just do it over a giant group call, this probably wasn't something he'd want everyone to know.
To think, Dabi and Todoroki were brothers... Ochako wasn't sure if that was the most shocking part, or the fact that it meant Dabi was Endeavor's son. For the son of the now-number one Pro Hero to join the League of Villains? "I wonder what made Dabi turn to villainy in our world," she mused to herself. Across from her she noticed Deku suddenly pause as if a thought occurred to him, making her frown. "Deku?"
His face scrunched up as he looked down, clearly struggling with himself. "...I might have some ideas," he finally said after several long seconds. "But I can't tell you because it involves some personal information Todoroki told me, and I don't think he'd like me telling everyone." That made her frown grow further, because that definitely sounded ominous.
(Besides, she might have a guess as to what he thought. Todoroki hadn't hidden his resentment towards his father the few times he came up in conversation, there was definitely some sort of history there.)
"Well, we should probably tell him when he's alone," she decided. No point in pressing for details now, she'd respect Todoroki's privacy.
"I guess we could ask for his phone number," Deku agreed. "Just... need a way to ask without sounding suspicious." Ochako paused, glancing at her phone. Then, slowly, she began typing.
'Hey, can you give me Yuki's number? If he has his phone, maybe he'll answer if I call him.' As she pressed send Deku came over to peer at the screen, eyes widening as he read it.
"Wait, do you think he'd have the number?" he yelped.
"They did say Todoroki still has the phone he woke up with," Ochako replied almost sullenly. "And Dabi told me he's been calling it, too." Even as she spoke the phone chimed with a next text, and they both looked down to see a reply.
'Sure, go for it. If he answers, tell him I say "what the fuck" I'd get more specific but there's too much BS'
He followed it with another text with just a phone number, and they grimaced. "...I'll wait five minutes and say he didn't answer," she said.
"Yeah, that works," Deku agreed, and they both heaved heavy sighs.
Notes:
To everyone looking forward to the Dabi bombshell: sorry, now is not the time. They'll tell him soon, but this call isn't the time or place.
Question for next time: what would be the most hilarious and inappropriate way to drop the Dabi bombshell?
(Also: Normally I try to reply to all comments on AO3. But last week I lost track of time, and on Sunday at 2 AM I realized I had 4 pages of comments. So for the sake of my sanity, I didn't reply to every single one last time, and I'm waiting until after this chapter to respond to some of the longer ones. I'll keep on top of comments more this week!)
Chapter 55: Business as Usual
Summary:
Seiko delivers a message, Kuroe has a meeting, and Aiko does work.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 55
.::Business as Usual::.
Katsuki had been just about to kick Eyebags's ass for the third race in a row when the creepy Shadow Brat suddenly appeared. And because this was the creepy shadow brat, she didn't just knock on the door or anything like that. No, she literally appeared out of fucking no where in the corner of the room. One second the corner was empty, and the next suddenly the freaking demon brat was there watching them.
Katsuki actually flung his controller when he noticed her in his peripheral vision, making him curse loudly. Hijack hadn't noticed her until Katsuki reacted, but once he turned his head and saw her he jumped and dropped his controller too. If not for the stupid damn muzzle, he might have actually yelped or something going by that muffled grunt he made. Even the cat jumped up and darted behind them, back arching and all the hair on its back sticking up as it hissed.
The creepy brat didn't react to them, just looked at them with that creepy blank look on her face. "The fuck do you want?" Katsuki hissed, and her head tilted to the side.
"Izuku has to go to Aiko's apartment. He asked me to tell you he would return later."
"Right, thanks," he seethed, grinding his teeth as he tried not to look at her. He got up to retrieve the controller and returned to the couch, gaze pointedly focused on the screen. Hijack was busy trying to soothe Sushi, not that Katsuki could blame the cat. The fact even a fucking cat was hissing at Seiko just cemented what he already knew: there was something seriously fucking wrong with her.
In the handful of times they'd met, Katsuki had noticed some things that had absolutely nothing to do with her mysterious shadow Quirk. Like the fact she never blinked, how whenever she walked she made no sound, or that she never showed any emotion. And those eyes—forget the inverted-white-iris thing, plenty of people had eyes like that. No, her eyes just had nothing in them at all.
Katsuki had always kinda scoffed at all that flowery stuff in books describing the "spark of life" in people's eyes, but after meeting Seiko he now believed in it because she sure as hell didn't have it. He couldn't even call them dead inside because that would imply there'd been something there to begin with, and somehow it felt like they'd always been that way.
But even that wasn't what finally did in his nerves.
No, that was the fact she didn't even seem to fucking breathe.
Even now in the corner of his eye, he couldn't see any signs she was breathing. Usually if you looked at a person closely enough, you could see the rise and fall of their chests or stomach. But this brat had none of that. No rise and fall of her chest, no minute twitches, absolutely fucking nothing moved unless she tilted her head or walked.
She seemed closer to a mannequin than an actual, living being, only separated by those creepy-ass eyes that were already wrong enough on their own.
And worst of all: she wasn't leaving.
No, instead she turned to look at the television. "The race is still ongoing."
"I noticed," Katsuki hissed. The race hadn't paused when he threw the controller, and he and Hijack's racers just sat perfectly still. The computer racers had definitely finished by now, meaning they'd be competing to see who wasn't last place. He scowled as he opened the menu to restart the race. "Oi, Eyebags. Stop petting the cat, we're starting over." Hijack grunted but picked up his controller, side-eying the creepy brat for only a few seconds before focusing on the screen.
To Katsuki's annoyance though, she didn't leave. She was just there, in the corner of his eye like a dark shadow watching them play. It made the air ten times tenser than it had any right to be. The cat was obviously agitated too, curled up behind Hijack and glaring at her. All in all, it made it ridiculously hard to focus on the stupid game.
They got through three races before the vigilante wonder finally put down his controller to grab his phone. "Do you want to play?" he asked, and Katsuki ground his teeth.
He didn't know if he was relieved by the simple, "No." He'd rather not play with her. But even then, instead of dropping it like any sane person the idiot kept typing on his fucking phone.
"Do you go to school?" the electronic voice asked, and what the hell? Where'd that come from?
"I do not," Seiko responded flatly (and damn if it wasn't ironic that the fucking phone sounded more expressive than she did).
"Seriously?" Katsuki growled to Hijack. "Why the hell are you asking her that?" The vigilante just shrugged as he typed something again.
"Toga doesn't have homework. Midoriya said there's another teen our age who doesn't either. Makes me curious." Katsuki started to respond but then paused because that was actually a good point. That misty fucker seemed weirdly caught up about making sure they kept up with homework even though Deku was, you know, legally dead.
He turned to squint at Seiko. "Why the hell doesn't that mist bastard make you do any homework? Aren't you an actual kid?"
"School is boring," Seiko responded simply, and that had to be the closest she'd ever come to sounding like a normal kid.
"Have you even been to school?" Katsuki griped, because as far as he could tell Seiko sure as hell wasn't a prisoner like them. She was probably born into this shit or something, and villains didn't seem to care about education (besides Kurogiri for some stupid reason, which made it even weirder he didn't seem to care about Seiko).
"Briefly. It was boring. Most of the children were also mean."
"You were bullied?" Hijack asked, probably looking for some common thread to grasp.
"No." Well, that cleared up absolutely nothing, and Katsuki doubted they'd get anything else out of her.
"That's too bad. School feels normal." Now Katsuki found himself pausing again, shooting the vigilante a quizzical look. Seiko was unexpressive as always, a slight head tilt the only visual indicator of any sort of interest.
"What do you mean?"
"I had to stop going to school and run away. School was bad and I hated it, but now I miss how normal it was." As the electronic voice parroted his typing Katsuki suddenly realized what Eyebags was trying to do, and if Seiko wasn't there he might have actually laughed out loud.
He was trying to take a page from Deku's book and get her on their side with fucking schoolwork. For some reason, working on homework seemed to be Deku's go-to strategy for getting people to trust him. It had even somehow ended up extending to Eraserhead after Mistface decided all of them needed to do schoolwork for some stupid reason.
Katsuki didn't know if that was brilliant or stupid. Did they want Seiko on their side?
...After thinking about it for a second, he decided he at least didn't want her as an enemy. They had no idea when the hell she was watching them, creepy brat seemed to be able to just totally merge with the shadows. Trying to plan around her was annoying. Better to convert her to their side if they could.
"Tch, if you've been here as long as I think you probably don't even know what normal is," he huffed. "But Eyebags is right. Homework is probably the most normal thing we can do in this dump." Which in turn made it the weirdest activity of all, but whatever. "We're working on stuff that's probably too advanced for you, but that Eraserhead guy should be able to at least go over basics or something—"
"No." The word was so abrupt and sharp it had Katsuki actually startling. "I have delivered Izuku's message. Watching you play games is boring, so I'll leave."
With that she turned and stepped into the shadows, the darkness seeming to reach out to swallow her. When she vanished Katsuki just sat in silence for a few seconds, staring at the empty space. What the actual hell? For the briefest of seconds after she'd said "no" he'd seen a steely glint in her eyes, her mouth pulled into a frown. Just as soon as it appeared her face was back to its perpetually empty state though.
Did that actually happen? When he glanced at Eyebags he was staring at the space she'd been with wide eyes, and when he glanced at Katsuki he could practically see the question in his eyes.
"You saw that too, right?" Katsuki asked. He didn't even elaborate on what he meant, but he got a slow nod. So it wasn't his imagination.
Why the hell did talking about school work her up so much?
Kuroe heaved a quiet sigh as he leaned against the wall, watching his breath create a small puff of warm air amid the bitter chill. Today was not the kind of day he wanted to spend outside for too long. Though it wasn't snowing, every gust of wind made his teeth chatter and regret not bringing a scarf. At least it wasn't cold enough to make his eyeballs ache, those were the worst.
Quiet footsteps made him glance towards the deeper part of the alley. "You're late," he grumbled irritably.
"Sorry, you know I'm a busy man," came the insincere reply. A man in a dark coat stepped out, long black hair pulled into a tight ponytail and face hidden behind a scarf and goggles. The man would almost look normal if Kuroe couldn't see the hilt of a sword over his shoulder.
"Guessing the knives are under your coat," he remarked idly as they began walking. "If it wasn't for the sword, I might've not recognized you. So weird to see the great Stendhal without his famous mask."
"Very funny," Stendhal grunted, no doubt rolling his eyes. He didn't sound irritated or angry, which Kuroe counted as a victory. Talking to the vigilante always felt risky; he was fully aware he had absolutely no defense against the guy if he decided to attack him, other than his own twisted sense of honor. "Karasu, how are the kids doing?"
"They're mostly fine, probably," Kuroe responded with a shrug. "I'm not too involved so can't give you any big details, but they're all alive and in one piece. Helped get a new recruit recently I think, and Ran invited some friends over for something. No idea what that's about, but my house was invaded by teenagers last night. Starting to think they're planning some giant mission."
Stendhal grunted but didn't press for details. "Tch. As long as the brats remember what I taught them, they'll be fine. But if you think they're doing something stupid or dangerous, call me," he added, shooting him a pointed look.
"Don't need to tell me twice," Kuroe replied, openly rolling his eyes. Stendhal was a strange and intimidating man, the kind of unhinged guy who Kuroe couldn't really predict even after knowing him for years. Every time he thought he'd gotten a read on the man, he'd find himself proven brutally wrong.
The one thing he knew for sure though was that Stendhal would kill anyone who threatened the runaways. Not because he cared about kids or anything like that. Truth be told, the guy probably lacked a single paternal bone in his body. He was just making sure those kids wouldn't waste their talents or turn to villainy, whether willingly or unwillingly.
Honestly, out of the handful of adults associated with the runaway network, Stendhal had nearly the least involvement. The guy didn't exactly hang around Odawara or anything after all. He only knew about the network because he followed some of the kids to Kuroe's house thinking they were caught up in some bigger villainous organization. His involvement would have probably ended after that frankly terrifying interrogation if he hadn't been loosely teaching a couple of homeless kids to be vigilantes.
(Even now, Kuroe kind of wanted to laugh hysterically at the memory of Stendhal just dumping the stunned-looking kids on his doorstep. The heart attack had not been fun, but at least they got some kids with actual combat experience to teach the others.)
Still, having Stendhal willing to help out had its perks. Namely, Kuroe didn't need to worry about his safety so much while dealing with the other adult party involved with the runaway network.
"Remember, no stabbing," he reminded the man shortly as they turned into another alleyway. "And please, just let me do the talking."
"I know the drill," Stendhal growled irritably, but didn't say anything else as Kuroe knocked on a door. Footsteps could be heard on the other side, and then in a scene straight out of a detective noir film a slat on the door slid open to reveal a pair of eyes.
"Password?" a gruff voice asked, even further copying movies and fraying at Kuroe's patience.
"Since when was there a password?" he snapped back, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Did Setsuno or Miura put you up to this? Actually, never mind, just open the door already Hojo. We've got an appointment with your boss." The slat closed and soon the door opened, revealing an imposing-looking bald man who seemed to tower over him.
This. This was why Kuroe was happy to have Stendhal around. If the vigilante wasn't behind him ready to defend him at the first sign of hostility, Kuroe doubted he could keep up his composed façade. It didn't matter how often he saw Hojo, the guy's muscles looked like he could snap Kuroe's neck with a flick of the wrist, Quirk or no Quirk.
Thankfully Stendhal was here though, so Kuroe had minimal difficulty keeping up his façade as they followed him inside. "Boss is busy today, so the meeting will have to be short," Hojo informed them, and Kuroe nodded, pulling a face mask from his pocket to cover his mouth.
"That's fine, this won't take long for our end." Honestly it was a relief, he hated spending too much time around these people. Hojo led them to a long-familiar door and knocked twice, waiting for someone to call, "You may enter," before pushing it open. He stepped aside so Kuroe could enter, Stendhal trailing behind him silently.
The room was a fairly nice one. Nothing too fancy, a nice sitting room of sorts with two leather couches facing each other on either side of a coffee table with a thick folder sitting on top of it. The couch facing the door was occupied by a lone figure, an aged man with slicked back silver hair in a dark hakama, while two more men in suits stood behind him.
Kuroe immediately dipped his torso into a respectful bow. "Hello, sir. Thank you for coming to Odawara to meet with us."
"You can raise your head," the man responded smoothly. "I am glad to see you seem to be in good health, Karasu. Take a seat so we can begin." Kuroe straightened and walked over to the empty couch, sitting down while Stendhal hovered behind him. He glanced briefly at the two other people behind the other man, one large and muscular and clearly meant to be the muscle. The other had a slimmer, smaller figure, with closely cropped hair and a black mask over his mouth.
He was the one who stepped forward at his boss's nod, speaking almost monotonously. "Since the last meeting, the Shie Hassaikai has intercepted three villainous groups who attempted to enter Odawara. Two were turned over to the proper authorities. One group's members proved more difficult to apprehend, and were dealt with accordingly." In other words, probably killed. Lovely. The man's golden eyes narrowed as he added, "We were unable to detect Gentle Criminal's presence in advance, however."
"That is fine," Kuroe replied. "We already judged Gentle Criminal and his accomplices to not be a threat to the safety of Odawara. My employer does not find this to be a worrisome failure, and it will have no impact on our opinion of your performance." The man's expression smoothed and he nodded before continuing.
"As usual, we have compiled reports on each group for your employer's perusal. I suspect the group we could not deliver to authorities is tied to a larger organization, and detailed my theories in the report." He nodded at the folder sitting on the table.
"If your employer desires, we are prepared to form a team under Chisaki's command to further investigate this matter," the boss added coolly. "He has already selected several potential members from our own ranks for this investigation. We shall leave the final decision in your hands."
"We'll tell you our decision once we finish reading the report," Kuroe responded, taking the folder. "Thank you for your hard work as always. The Shie Hassaikai continues to live up to its reputation. As for our end, we have secured a majority of the supplies you requested to be delivered by the end of the week, as well as an updated list of criminal organizations that may wish to oppose or challenge your power. As we speak, my employer is personally handling one such group."
He pulled out a memory card as he spoke and placed it on the table where the folder had been, which the third man took and slid into his pocket. "There will be no issues with the payments, I trust," the boss commented, and Kuroe nodded.
"As usual, we will need to review your work before wiring it. However, given the usual quality of your work, I expect you will get the full payment as usual."
The boss nodded once. "Then if that is all, we can end the meeting." Kuroe nodded as he got up, dipping into another bow.
"Thank you once more for your efforts. I look forward to our continued relationship in the future."
"As do I, Karasu," the boss replied, and Kuroe took it for the dismissal it was and headed out, Stendhal trailing behind him silently. Only after they got back to the alley and the door closed did he heave a tired sigh, his nerves thoroughly frayed.
Meeting with Yakuza was always stressful, but if it meant keeping Odawara and those kids safe he'd do it. It was the least they could do.
Around the same time, Aiko sat on a rafter overlooking a room full of corpses. Only one of them was the result of her own hand, the rest the result of brutal infighting that quickly got derailed and turned into a slaughter.
"Hah, didn't expect this," she remarked to the silent room, propping her chin in her hands as she surveyed the carnage below her. Her intention had only been to incite a small fight to break up the gang. The group was full of strong and capable individuals, banding together because of some common goals, but overall they had no real unity. She figured after some rough-housing and one or two deaths, they'd split up and the group would never meet again.
In her defense, none of them had expected that their group would attract the the attention of a homicidal maniac who had a Quirk that built up his muscles and loved nothing more than the thrill of a good fight.
The guy had burst into the warehouse quite literally, breaking the wall with a vicious laugh. Aiko had only needed one look to recognize him. Muscular, epithet "The Carnal Murderer." Serial killer with powerful combat aptitude, most notable for killing a total of four heroes in three separate occasions. Fighting style is highly efficient and clearly experienced with picking out weaknesses, and Quirk grants him immense durability and strength.
Most of the observations came from watching him quite literally slaughter the others there. The group did have some pretty strong and skilled fighters, some of whom managed to hold their ground for a surprising amount of time. Alas, none could stand up to him though. He had actually nearly knocked off Aiko's head with a swipe of his fist at one point, the closest she'd come to death in years.
Unfortunately for him, Muscular's super-thick muscles weren't immune to poisons. Or flesh-melting acid.
"Oiwa's facewash is potent as ever," she murmured, eying the man's largely melted body with mild disdain. It hadn't completely dissolved or anything, but given she'd liberally doused him with her homemade acid, and his Quirk happened to make use of his muscles, well... it wasn't pretty.
Either way, by the end of the night everyone was dead, and Aiko's disguise was ruined.
Also, she'd lost her foot.
That had been a last-minute development. She'd jumped up to the safety of the rafters but the bastard had grabbed her foot to try to stop her. At that point she decided it was better to cut her losses and just let her foot tear off, using his moment of surprise to hurl the vial of her lovely homemade acid at his chest. He'd dropped her foot before clawing at the injury, causing it to spread to his fingers too, but she'd decided to play it safe and wait for him to stop twitching before going down.
Now that the body had stilled she slid off the rafter and gently floated the twenty or so feet to the floor, right next to her fallen foot. It looked a bit crushed when she picked it off, and she ripped off the boot to confirm the mangled appendage had indeed been largely crushed his grip. A quick ripple of energy had it filling out to its normal proportions, bones audibly snapping into the proper place, and she lifted her leg to quickly reattach it to the stump.
"Fuck, I hate this part," she hissed as she felt a surge of pain, squeezing her eyes shut. She rotated her ankle to make sure she hadn't messed up the positioning, and growled in irritation as she put it down to find her footing was now uneven. Great, now she had to get rid of the other boot.
Worse than the pain though: she could feel her muscles tingling.
She turned her back on the corpse as she pulled out her burner phone from her pocket, dialing one of the few contacts she'd bothered to program into it. "Hello?" a curious voice greeted.
"Himiko, I just had to reattach my foot and it is tingling," she said through gritted teeth. "Distract me, now."
"Ooh, then how about the latest gossip!" Himiko replied gleefully. "Let's see, you were just here yesterday so you know about the stuff then... Did you hear about Mr. Comnpress's magic show?"
"Yes, he bragged about it while you were helping put out the fire Slycer started," Aiko replied dryly. She still couldn't believe he managed to get booked for a birthday party somehow, and he had plans to do it normally.
"Okay, so I guess you don't need to know about it. All his blabbering about it is kinda annoying anyway so I don't want to talk about it. What else, what else..."
"Maybe something about Izuku?" Aiko suggested, trying to ignore the steady tingling around her ankle. "You know, like maybe how Katsuki got kidnapped."
"Sorry, Mido-chan made me promise not to tell you!" Himiko replied, sounding absolutely unapologetic. "He knew you'd be mad."
"Himiko. Just tell me what they're doing. Distraction, please."
"Well, I don't know much. They mostly play games, but they won't really let me play with them. Not even Jackie." She could hear the pout in Himiko's voice, before she quickly switched gears and exclaimed, "Oh, oh, I know! Giri says Jackie and Blasty have to start learning too, so they're doing schoolwork!"
"Leave it to him to try to instill some normalcy," Aiko muttered, rolling her eyes. It had been his idea to homeschool Izuku, since he obviously wouldn't be following in any of their footsteps as a villain. They had all agreed to keep him as far from their more insidious activities as possible, and school would be his best bet at normalcy, even if it wasn't formal schooling. "So what, they're getting the homeschool routine as well?"
"You could say that," Himiko giggled lowly, and her tone had Aiko's eyes narrowing. The teenager had clearly just realized something she considered juicy, and given her personality that could mean anything. "Hey, Aiko-nee, did you know Tomu-chan got Mido-chan a pet?"
"Yes, Himiko. I've met Sushi the fifteenth." The number wasn't an exaggeration, she'd kept count of all the cats that Kurogiri inevitably named Sushi. That one litter of kittens had really inflated the count.
Himiko just giggled again, making Aiko's eyes narrow further. "Oh, I don't mean Sushi-chan," she sang. "He got him another pet."
"Another? What do you—" Aiko paused, suddenly recalling Izuku's panic on Monday, at which point her palm met her face. "...You're talking about that hero, aren't you."
"Yep!" Himiko confirmed with a delighted cackle, and Aiko groaned. She'd suspected that Tomura had captured that hero because he was one of Izuku's favorites, otherwise he would have probably just killed whoever it was on the spot. Still, giving him to Izuku as a pet? She had no doubt the idiot literally introduced the captured hero to Izuku as a pet.
"Fuck it, I'm buying a parenting book," she grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Should've done that back when he tried showing Izuku photos of his favorite heroes beaten up, but whatever. Who is it, anyway?"
"You'll never guess. Go on, try!"
Normally she'd humor the request, but right now? "Himiko, I am currently surrounded by corpses, one of which I melted, and also, my ankle is fucking tingling." She really couldn't emphasize how bad the tingling was. It didn't hurt, but it was fucking awful and bringing back so many bad memories. "I am this close to a meltdown. I am not in the mood to play guessing games."
"Aw, that's too bad, but I understand. But I think you'll really like the answer!" Himiko giggled again, a drawn-out demented sound that just frayed at her already short patience.
"Himiko," she growled, and the girl gave a final giggle before answering.
"It's Eraserhead-san!" she sing-songed, and Aiko blinked in surprise. Eraserhead? Memories from years ago quickly surged to her mind, and her free hand absently reached towards her neck where she'd sometimes wear the goggles when not working.
"Huh," she said faintly. "Last I heard he's been missing since late April. Where'd they find—" She stopped short again as she made the obvious connection with the raid that day, at which point she slapped her forehead. Again. "Are you kidding me. How the hell did I miss him? I knew those guys captured a hero! I heard them gossiping about it while scouting the place! Why the hell didn't I look into it?"
Himiko just laughed as she grumbled to herself. "So, you'll be coming by tomorrow, right?" Aiko heaved a sigh as she dragged a hand down her face, willing the last of her frustration to leave with the breath. With that breath she let her mouth quirk upwards, a smirk taking root on her face.
"Oh, most definitely," she agreed easily. It had been so long since she'd seen Eraserhead. If he'd been captured anyway, she might as well go say hello.
She didn't even notice the tingling anymore.
Notes:
Enter: Stendhal and Overhaul. Also I'll confirm that yes, the Shie Hassaikai is still led by the original leader. Let's just say the yakuza got some more business opportunities in this world so they didn't go through the decline that led Chisaki to go semi-crazy. Similar story for Stendhal not becoming Stain...
Fun fact: originally the scene with Aiko included a brief fight with Muscular (still ending with a healthy lethal dose of Oiwa's facewash to the chest and face), but I decided that'd make her seem too Mary Sue-ish. On that note, I've planned for Aiko to have a flesh-melting acid called "Oiwa's facewash" for a long time now, but while writing this chapter I realized that would be GREAT for fighting Muscular.
Question for next time: Who would be the worst/most chaotic person to eavesdrop on the call from the last few chapters?
Chapter 56: White Noise
Summary:
Izuku and Aizawa have a talk.
Notes:
Content warning: This chapter features dissociation symptoms. (I think, anyway. I have no personal experience with dissociation, but this chapter definitely seems to line up with the symptoms.)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 56
.::White Noise::.
Izuku stared at his notebook in sullen silence, rereading some of the messages he'd scrawled onto the page over the past half hour before running out of space.
'We found some friends that can help. We told them everything and they want to help'
'Uraraka got in contact with some friends outside that can help. We talked on the phone'
'We got in touch with some people who can help us. They're just teens, not heroes or police, but'
'We found some allies outside. I can't say their names or give much information, but they're good'
Those were only a portion of the lines that filled the page, but he couldn't feel bothered to read all of them. Every single paragraph had been cut off mid-sentence, losing steam partway through as he repeatedly realized how bad each one sounded.
Izuku wanted to tell Kacchan and Shinsou about the latest developments with contacting the others so badly, because they suddenly had at least five more allies. A total of five people from his world, along with some potential extra allies from the connections they'd made in this world like Anjou and this world's Kirishima, maybe even Hatsume. This was honestly the best news he'd gotten since waking up in this world!
But as amazing as this was, he couldn't tell them everything. Dropping the "I'm from another world, and I found more of my people" bombshell wouldn't go over well. That meant he'd need to give some other explanation for how he found them, and... he couldn't think of anything, really.
Given he'd lived with the Alliance since he was eight, he had no way to explain how he knew them without making the others seem like suspicious people. Saying Uraraka knew them would be too vague and could make them just as wary, especially since Izuku had told them he couldn't remember how he knew Uraraka. He finally figured he could just go with "we found allies" without going into specifics, but then he realized all they did so far was just brief the others on the situation. They hadn't made any solid plans or anything, he had nothing useful to report yet.
And on top of all that, Izuku was too wary to say any of this out loud. He didn't want to risk anyone overhearing them (namely Seiko), hence his decision to try to write a letter outlining it. He figured it would be safer for them to read it, and then have Kacchan destroy the paper. But obviously that wasn't working so far. Each version would raise questions he couldn't really answer without raising alarm bells of some sort.
He sighed as he tore the page out of the notebook and ripped it up into tiny pieces, dropping some into the trash can and shoving the rest into his pockets. As much as he wanted to tell them the good news, tonight probably wouldn't be the best time. He just couldn't think of a good way to break the news right now. Izuku wouldn't put it off forever, he'd probably do it tomorrow, but right now he just didn't have any ideas on how to approach all of this.
For now he got up and left his bedroom, dropping off the remaining shreds of paper in a couple of trashcans along the way as he headed towards the bar. Given it was a Saturday evening it was a bit busier than usual, the chatter audible even with the door closed. Izuku gulped as he opened it just a crack, peeking out into the dimly lit space to quickly skim the room.
Some patrons he recognized from seeing around the Alliance's base, but many others were clearly outsiders. Magne was talking to some guy at the bar with a smirk, clearly flirting with him, while Mr. Compress sat a table showed off some card tricks to the people there. His stomach rolled though as he recognized one of the magician's audience members as X-Less, a Pro Hero in his own world. He wore a near-identical version of his costume, just missing the cape and looking a bit more ragged.
Izuku quickly shook his head and pushed the door open a little more. It was behind the counter, so once he opened it further he could see Kurogiri talking to one of the patrons. The misty man poured a glass in front of the woman (who Izuku thought he vaguely recognized as a sidekick from coverage of the Kamino aftermath), and as he turned to place the bottle back on the shelf he caught sight of Izuku.
As soon as they made eye contact he subtly inclined his head, and Izuku quickly retreated back into the hall. Less than a minute later the door opened again and Kurogiri stepped through. "I assume you are here for Eraserhead's dinner?" he intoned smoothly, and Izuku nodded sheepishly.
"Yeah. Um, sorry for the trouble." He'd been getting Aizawa's meal himself for most of the week, but after Slycer's cooking disaster the previous night, Kurogiri had banned nearly everyone from the kitchen. He'd put together an approved list of cooks, and apparently this world's Izuku didn't make the cut. Given some of the cooking misadventures with Toga he'd written about in his journals, he didn't blame the man.
"It's fine," Kurogiri said, already leading the way to the kitchen. "I already finished preparations for the meal you requested and left it in the fridge."
"Ah, thank you so much." Izuku smiled more genuinely now, feeling a rush of relief. He'd asked Kurogiri to make some sushi rolls instead of the usual sandwiches. It was simple and clean to eat without utensils, perfect for the mittens. Even better: the meal was one of the few things he'd seen Aizawa actually eat in his own world besides his jelly pouches. He'd eaten them on two occasions, so Izuku figured it might be something he liked a little more than most food.
When they arrived at the kitchen and opened the fridge, Izuku was pleased to see a tray of sushi that looked exactly like he remembered. He hadn't known exactly what kind it was, but his description had apparently been enough for Kurogiri to figure out the fillings. "Thanks," he repeated as he took the plate. "And uh, sorry for making such a weird request on such short notice."
"It's fine," Kurogiri dismissed him. "I must get back to the bar now. If you need any other food, consult the list for someone else."
"Will do," Izuku promised with a smile, and the two parted ways. As he got closer to Aizawa's cell his smile faded though, his shoulders becoming heavier and stepped more weighted with apprehension. By the time he finally arrived he found himself hesitating outside the door, free hand poised to knock. All he could think of was Aizawa's glare from that morning, making his chest feel tight with discomfort.
Just get it over with, he told himself, and rapped on the door before pushing it open. "Eraserhead, sir?" he called softly. "I have dinner." He got no response and slipped inside quietly, hoping it meant the man was asleep. At least then they'd be able to avoid the confrontation.
Alas, his hopes were quickly dashed though when he found himself on the receiving end of an icy glare from Aizawa as he laid on the floor. If he had any doubts about the man's feelings towards him, they were gone now. He didn't even bother trying to mask his mistrust and loathing now that they were alone.
Seeing the dark glower usually reserved for villains made Izuku's stomach churn, and he quietly gulped as he crept over with the plate. "I got some really good sushi rolls tonight," he offered, setting it down in reaching distance of the hero as he sat on the floor. "Kurogiri made it special. I think he said it's got cucumber, mitsuba and shiitake mushrooms...?" He trailed off more questioningly than he intended, and hoped that didn't make it sound suspicious.
Aizawa eyed the plate for a moment before finally turning his head to continue staring the ceiling, effectively snubbing the meal, much to Izuku's dismay. He never thought Aizawa of all people would outright ignore food like this to make a point. It felt so childish and illogical to go on a hunger strike when he was a prisoner. Unless he thought the food was poisoned of course, which made Izuku wince and feel guilty for different reasons—
"I hope you realize how screwed up this is."
The man's voice startled Izuku, jolting and looking at him wide-eyed. Aizawa still didn't look at him, pointedly facing the ceiling, and Izuku swallowed harshly.
"I... Yeah, I know," he said quietly.
"Do you really?" Aizawa challenged lowly, voice almost bland, bored, despite the harshness of it. Izuku flinched at the clear implications, the guilty pang and pit in his stomach feeling even worse.
"Of course I do," he whispered. "It's not right to lock people up, or kidnap someone, or... m-muzzle them... o-or... b-b-break their..." His voice grew shakier with each word and he trailed off with a grimace, trying not to look at Aizawa's broken leg at the last part. He hung his head shamefully, hands clenching at his side. "This is all wrong. It's all really, really messed up."
"And yet you don't even do anything." The words had Izuku jolting, head snapping up wide-eyed to find Aizawa leering at him from the corner of his eye. "You don't try to tell your 'brother' how screwed up this is, you don't try to get the fucking muzzle off that other kid. You just go along with it all and act like nothing's wrong, as if this is perfectly normal and fine."
"What? No. No!" Izuku shook his head furiously, the accusation hitting him even harder than everything else so far. "I'm not trying to do that or ignore it, it's just—just... what can I even do?" He deflated and slumped as he felt his energy drain, staring at the floor miserably. "I'm just one kid surrounded by a bunch of villains. I can't do anything on my own." It was a fact he'd realized soon after waking up, and was why he'd been so relieved to recruit the others. Izuku was in way over his head, and the feeling of helplessness made it hard to sleep at night.
"You're right, you can't," Aizawa commented calmly, surprising Izuku. The man still faced the ceiling, very pointedly not looking at him as he continued. "The Alliance is full of dangerous people that have killed heroes with years of training and experience. Fighting them would be suicidal for a Pro Hero, let alone a teenage kid with no training or even a Quirk."
The last words hit Izuku like a brick, stomach sinking and an icy chill washing over him. The words weren't meant as an insult, weren't a jab at him, but hearing it still brought up a wave of pain he'd been trying to forget. It had been so long since he'd been spoken as lesser because of his lack of Quirk, treated as someone who just wasn't capable because he lacked something everyone else had. Hearing it from a teacher he respected—even another world's counterpart—made it hurt even worse.
He bit his lip as he looked away, silently willing himself not to cry. Given the Midoriya family's penchant for tears, it took a lot more self control than he'd like. "Then... Then what do you expect me to do?" he forced out, trying not to focus on the last bit. "There's nothing—"
"You can leave," Aizawa cut in. "You're not a prisoner, you don't have to stay here. You can call for help, report this place to the police or heroes. You've had years to do that, even before those other kids got kidnapped." He rolled his head away from Izuku, but even so he still caught the beginnings of a scowl on the man's face. "But you've done nothing. Even now. You just act complacent and go along with it all. You don't even speak up."
The cold accusation felt like it crashed right into Izuku, the weight of it crushing him even as a voice in the back of his head screamed that he was wrong. "It's not that simple," he whispered, voice sounding broken even to his own ears. "Tomura doesn't... If I say I don't like something, or it's wrong, h-he'll be just as likely to k-kill them b-because no one's supposed to know about me. He's just so protective, and he doesn't really always think too much before doing stuff, you j-just don't get it."
"Is that why you don't even try calling someone?" Aizawa muttered darkly, and Izuku flinched.
"It's too dangerous... The only number I can find are the police, and they might not take me seriously because I'm a kid, or they might just send someone to look before reporting it, and then..." He trailed off and shook his head before continuing, "And even if I managed to somehow contact heroes, and they believed me and trusted me, they won't... Th-they don't know what they'd be getting into..."
"That's not your place to decide."
"But they don't!" Izuku protested, shaking his head more vigorously. "If they come here, they'll get themselves killed or worse! I know I'm safe because Tomura won't let anyone hurt me, but everyone else is fair game! And if the rescue fails, we'll just move bases again, and Tomura will probably order everyone to kill all the prisoners to get rid of loose ends! I can't risk Kacchan and Hijack and you and all those heroes' lives!"
"It's still not your call to make," Aizawa replied gruffly. "And even then, I know you had the perfect opportunity to leave before all of this happened. You almost did, too, but you changed your mind at the last second."
"But I couldn't leave then!" Izuku almost shouted, tears in his eyes. "If I left then, Tomura-nii and the rest—they would have come after me for sure! They were so close, and I didn't notice until the last second! And that guy—h-he couldn't escape if he took me with him, and he wasn't strong enough to fight them off! He could barely get away on his own! It was too dangerous!"
Aizawa gave a derisive snort. "Convenient, kid," he drawled. "I suppose you also couldn't just try to arrange a meeting in a safe, neutral location later when the Alliance wasn't suspicious about intruders. Or give him some way to contact you later, or mention where the other bases were."
"Th-that's..." Izuku couldn't even respond to that, heart pounding in his ears as he stared at the captive hero in mute shock. His mouth felt dry, his head buzzing with anxiety. Aizawa finally turned over to look at Izuku again, dark eyes boring into the teenager with icy cold apathy.
"If you really thought this was wrong, if you really wanted out, you had the perfect opening to do something," he said lowly. "You had the opening to give someone information with minimal risk of the Alliance finding out, or to at least arrange your own escape at a later date. But you didn't. You did absolutely nothing. I don't know how old you are, or if you were born into this or what, but you clearly have enough of a conscience to understand this is all wrong. And because of that, your continued inaction makes you a willing accomplice. It's clear have no desire to stop them, or even try to leave."
The last words made Izuku's breath hitch, his mind momentarily going blank. An accomplice? No desire to stop them? To leave?
In the span of a second his mindset completely shifted. Gone was the anxiety, apprehension and guilt that had been steadily building under Aizawa's endless stream of rebukes. Rage filled him as the tears continued to fall, face screwing with anger and nearly shooting to his feet.
"Then where would I go?" he roared, meeting Aizawa's icy glower with a furious snarl of his own. "The heroes will treat me as suspicious and probably want to lock me up as an accomplice! Or maybe they'll throw me in foster care because I'm supposed to be a useless, Quirkless Deku, it wouldn't be the first time the Hero Commission ignored everything else about a Quirkless orphan's background and just write them off as completely unimportant and not even worth a glance! Or maybe they'll try to throw me into some stupid—stupid brainwashing program, to make me into a perfect weapon and slap the 'hero' label on me!"
"Those are ridiculous accusations bordering on conspiracy theories," Aizawa countered flatly, looking perfectly indifferent in the face of Izuku's furious rant. That lack of reaction—that flat, apathetic expression—just made Izuku even angrier.
"But they already do that!" he exploded. "They did it to Hawks, and with underground heroes like Lady of the Night and who knows who else! You don't know half the stuff they get up to behind the scenes, I don't know either, but it's only gotten worse since All Might fought All For One! And at least here, I'm safe! And the world is safe! Because who would believe that—"
White.
White suddenly filled Izuku's vision, and his mind with a high-pitched hum like an old television monitor turning on. The world felt silent and empty, his mind blank, all senses overcome by whiteness and that singular hum.
What... what happened? Izuku felt fuzzy, like he wasn't fully there. Nothing existed, not the world or color or gravity or even time, nothing but himself, and even that felt oddly light and uncertain. Not solid, not really. What's going on? What's wrong?
A single line cut through the center of the whiteness, a horizontal split dividing it in half, and then the white began to dim. Distantly, he gradually became aware of a pressure on his shoulder, a muffled sound slowly becoming clear over the fading hum. It felt almost like another hum at first, but not as high pitched. Lower, and more inconsistent than the singular note filling his mind. Like... a voice. Talking.
"...ri...dori...id...ook...me...bre...focus..."
A pang of familiarity filled him at the deep tone. "Sen...sei...?" he mouthed, but couldn't hear himself, couldn't tell if he said it or just thought it. He raised his head blearily (when had it fallen?) as his vision continued to slowly shift, the blinding whiteness dimming and giving way to the dark colors of reality. As everything came more and more into focus he could make out the familiar shapes of Aizawa's face, so much closer than it had been before. Before? Before what?
"...doriya," he was saying. "Focus on me, and... shit, this isn't a panic..." His voice lowered to a dark murmur for a moment, too quiet for Izuku to hear over the still-fading hum. Izuku just blinked blearily, staring up at his teacher as he waited for everything to come back into focus, for the world to become real again, for his mind to make sense again.
Touch came back first. His palms were on the cold floor supporting his weight, his knees only shielded from the cold cement by the fabric of his pants. He'd been standing before, hadn't he? Had he been standing? Had he fallen down? Why and when? He didn't know, so he stopped thinking about it, focused on the other things he could feel.
The pressure on his shoulder... It was Aizawa's hand, wasn't it? It had to be, with him so close. But the grip didn't feel as tight as it usually did, he couldn't feel Aizawa's fingers digging through the fabric of his shirt like the other times Aizawa held his shoulder. It felt weirdly soft and almost limp, too light. Of course he couldn't feel the individual fingers, the mittens got in the way of his grip.
"Mit...tens...?" he mumbled, gaze trailing to Aizawa's other hand which rested on the ground. The hand Aizawa used to help prop himself up, torso half-lifted off the ground and broken leg awkwardly stretched and angled to the side. Izuku's eyes lingered on the splint. Right... Shigaraki broke his leg, to help keep him from escaping along with the collar. The chain on the collar was half-buried under Aizawa, the links clearly stretched out to their limit with how taut they looked.
Aizawa had dragged himself nearly to the chain's limit to get closer to Izuku. Even though they'd just been arguing about something, even though he was supposed to keep a distance, even though he had a broken leg, the man had come to check on Izuku. Izuku slowly looked back to his teacher's face to see his features screwed up with concern. Concern, and wariness.
"Kid, what the hell just happened?" he asked, and Izuku could tell he was trying to be gentle, even if it came out gruff and almost, almost accusatory. He knew his teacher well enough to recognize the note of worry hidden under his harsh exterior, the faintest trace of panic, even if this wasn't his teacher.
"I..." Izuku trailed off, because he didn't know. Something felt wrong, so wrong, and he didn't know what.
"Midoriya?" Aizawa pressed gently, and Izuku felt a sudden pang of homesickness, of yearning and wistfulness for his Aizawa, his teacher. Not this—this...
"I need to go," he croaked. He pulled away from Aizawa abruptly and scrambled to his feet to rush to the door. Given what just happened (what had happened?) he half-expected to stagger and stumble over his feet but his steps were steady, a fact he only realized once he was in the hallway and had shut the door behind him.
For a moment he just stood there, slumped against the door with hands pressed against his face and eyes squeezed shut. What was wrong with him? He exhaled a slow, shaky breath and lowered his hand, blinking blearily as he looked down the hallway.
...Which way was his room?
A thread of panic tightened around his heart as he stared down either direction of the hallway. The hallway, which he'd visited nearly every day for the past week, suddenly felt unfamiliar and almost alien. The doors seemed to stretch endlessly in each direction, and he didn't know which way led out. Only when his eyes locked on the door with the biohazard sign leading to Aiko's basement lab did the abrupt sense of disorientation fade, but only slightly.
He turned and began making his way down the hall slowly, cautiously, and felt a shred of relief when the hallway with Shinsou's cell came into sight. The relief only lasted a moment though, because he realized this hallway still felt oddly less familiar now. But it wasn't as alien as the one with Aizawa's cell, and he swallowed harshly as he stared forward.
Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. "Seiko?" he called out quietly, weakly, pleading for her to appear for once since he'd first met her. To guide him, to help him get back because he suddenly didn't trust himself to find his way back to his room.
But she didn't appear. The hallway remained silent and empty, not so much as a shadow flickering under the steady fluorescent lights. After several long moments Izuku exhaled a shaky breath before he began to pick his way forward, unusually slow and cautious, determined to get to his bedroom.
Every step filled him with trepidation. Corners had never been so terrifying, each one filling him with a moment of hesitation. Was this the right way? he wondered every time without fail. And then, What if someone's around the corner? The idea of seeing Shigaraki or any of the other villains made his heart coil with terror and anxiety, his breath catching and muscles locking up for a split second as his throat seized with panic each time.
He was halfway there—hopefully halfway there—when the shadows shifted beside him and he jumped, barely smothering a yelp. Seiko appeared out of no where like always, face blank and expressionless as she looked at him. A chill ran down his spine as he froze under that eerie and blank inverted stare, the visceral sense of wrong flooding his every sense, every thought, more powerfully than ever before.
"Do you recognize me, Midoriya Izuku?" she asked, monotonous as ever. Izuku stared at her dumbly, wondering why she would be asking.
"S-Seiko...?" he whispered, feeling tears prick his eyes. Her head tilted slightly at his response, and it was so smooth and automatic.
"So you do recognize me, then?" she questioned idly, and he shuddered.
"H-how could I forget you?" he muttered miserably. How could anyone forget someone as off and unsettling as Seiko?
She didn't respond right away, just stared at him silently for a moment and making his skin prickle with unease. Those eyes were so empty, so impossible to read. He'd never seen eyes like that, these felt like voids. Did they even reflect any light? The blackness of her sclera was unbroken, and the white of her irises wouldn't really obviously reflect light... maybe?
"Follow me." He startled at her command, but she had already turned and begun walking, leaving Izuku to scramble after her. He felt a rush of déjà vu, reminded of that horrible first day here when he woke up and nothing made sense, when everything was unfamiliar and wrong. Of those early days where each morning brought new anxieties about what else could go wrong, what new horrific truth he might uncover about this world and feeling more out of place than he ever realized possible.
But this time, the maze-like halls were still somewhat familiar. The turns they made felt just slightly more ingrained than before, not nearly as confusing and daunting as that first day. He could easily recognize that Seiko was leading him to his bedroom, could even tell that she took a slightly different route than he usually did. Probably to avoid someone, he thought distantly, just a little hysteric at the thought.
When they finally reached the familiar hallway and walked through the most familiar door of all, he crossed the room and collapsed right onto the bed. He could hear the door quietly close, probably by Seiko who'd probably also followed him inside, but he didn't care. He just buried his face in the blankets for a few seconds, deeply inhaling the scent before finally lifting his face.
The posters felt so familiar, but also not. Several of the heroes staring back at him were completely unfamiliar, only having vague and hazy recollections of their entries in this world's notebooks. Even some of the heroes he did know, some of the posters felt wrong, little details about their costumes just off from what he knew.
He shivered and tore his gaze away, focusing on the ones he did recognize, the posters familiar from his own world. The limited edition "Put Your Hands Up! Radio" poster his mom bought on a whim before Izuku even listened to the show because she knew he'd become a fan. The fan-made one of Yoroi Musha stylized to look like posters for old samurai films his dad found in America. The Storm Chasers one identical to the one from their living room just without the autographs. The Gang Orca one his mom picked up from the aquarium when he gave a lecture on marine life.
It felt like they anchored him in a world that was suddenly so uncertain and unsteady, grounding him back in reality just a little bit. Each one had a memory and story behind how he got them. A specific history that he felt like still existed and applied to this world even when so much else had changed.
Izuku inhaled shakily as he pulled his knees to his chest, trying to calm himself. Seiko stood in the corner of his vision like a dark shadow, her presence making his skin crawl, yet at the same time filling him with questionable relief that he wasn't alone right now. He might not know her, and she might set off his instincts in the worst way possible, but the idea of being entirely alone right now filled him with just as much dread.
"What's wrong with me?" he whispered.
"I don't know," Seiko responded, monotonous as ever. "You should rest for now." Izuku just nodded slowly, having no better ideas. It was still early, barely even seven thirty, but he just felt so off and disoriented. Leaving his room for any reason right now filled him with a surge of terror and anxiety for some reason, so at the very least he'd probably stay here for the rest of the night anyway.
He curled up on the bed as Seiko vanished into the shadows, trying to calm his erratic thoughts. What was wrong with him?
Notes:
No question for next time, except for the one Izuku asked.
Chapter 57: Things to Think About
Summary:
What better way to start the morning than with tons of things to think about?
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 57
.::Things to Think About::.
By principle, Anjou Ran could not function in the morning without at least one cup of coffee with three squirts of honey.
That was not an exaggeration or hyperbole to emphasize she was not a morning person. For years now, she legitimately could not function until she had either been awake for two hours, or she had a mix of caffeine and honey in her system. Kuroe had been the one to figure that out. Apparently it was a passive thing inherited from their mother, whose Quirk used that weird mix of caffeine and honey as an energy source. Something about a family member with a bee Quirk or something. Ran didn't know the full details, they rarely talked about their biological family.
Today she didn't need it though, because she hadn't actually slept last night. A fact Kirishima probably picked up when he came into the kitchen to find her sitting at the table with a long-empty cereal bowl. He stopped in the doorway and just stared at her, Ran meeting his gaze silently.
"Rough night?" he finally asked.
"Yep," she said flatly. "You too?" She glanced at the bags under his eyes, a rare sight on the teen. Kirishima could be gloomy and quiet at times, especially back when his hair was still black, but he still had a certain energy and never exactly looked tired.
"Yeah," he muttered, and made his way to the pantry to grab a box of cereal and a bowl before joining her at the table. For a while neither of them spoke, Ran just staring blankly at her own empty bowl while Kirishima ate in silence.
The fact Kirishima was the first one into the kitchen was mildly surprising, but then, Ashido wasn't exactly a morning person either. She'd probably be dead to the world for at least another hour. Todoroki meanwhile had woken up about half an hour ago, but hadn't left the guest room. Ran's mental map had tracked him pacing around the room for a while now. When she focused on the link she felt a twinge in her muscles that meant he was probably doing some stretches, or whatever hero students did first thing in the morning.
The last thought had her snorting softly, getting a curious look from Kirishima. "Anjou?"
"Sorry, just thinking how crazy this all is," she said, shaking her head. She got up to take her bowl to the sink and get herself that cup of coffee after all, if only to give herself something to do.
"I hear that," Kirishima said faintly, and she hummed in soft agreement, staring at the coffee pot as it filled up.
This was beyond her paygrade. Ran had accepted that when Ashido first told them about the multiverse. The only reason she'd gotten involved was because Shouji had met that guy who gave him that weird dream, and Todoroki also claimed to be from another world. She had to confirm the veracity of their stories, to at least make sure this wouldn't endanger the runaway network somehow. Even the runaways had agreed—even Nakamura, who usually advocated for staying out of stuff like this.
But she hadn't expected that it would get them a direct line to the Villain Alliance, and obviously Kirishima didn't either.
He probably still didn't get how big this was, since he was a perfectly normal civilian. Ran herself knew very little about them overall; she mainly knew about them because she kept a closer eye on the villain scene than most. As the coordinator for a bunch of runaways (and a few vigilantes), it was important to keep track of the biggest potential threats, even if Odawara was somehow safe.
Those guys weren't household names yet, but they were well on their way to that level since their public debut. As far as debuts went, it honestly wasn't too different from the average villainous act. They didn't attack Endeavor or anything else major like that, and the main reason they got so much attention had been the fact that one of them made an entire building turn to dust. Destructive Quirks were a dime a dozen, but even then that one stood out.
What caught Ran's attention though was how organized the attack had been. It hadn't been haphazard or spur of the moment, it had involved multiple people with radically different skills. They even destroyed all the cameras in the area of the attack in advance, a pattern that would largely remain in subsequent attacks to make it hard to get actual footage of them. There was something up with that group that gave her a sense of foreboding, and that call with Midoriya had just made it worse.
"Hey, Anjou?" Kirishima said, cutting into her thoughts. "What... What are you going to do?"
"About the mess?" Ran asked, glancing back at him, and he nodded.
"Yeah. It's just... A lot, you know?" She hummed and turned back to the coffee.
"You can back out. It's a bit too late for you to go back at this point, but you don't have to get involved with this. You can just join the runways."
"But you won't, will you?" Kirishima asked, and she gave a half-hearted shrug.
"Not really. I've got to go back to Kamino for school so I can't do much right now, but my Quirk lets me help out even from a distance." Ideally, Ran would like to meet every single one of these idiots and tag them with her Quirk, but that wasn't an option. She had to go back to Kamino today or the police investigating Ashido and Kirishima's disappearance might get suspicious. The mess already had at least two Pro Heroes involved—Oracle and that Midnight lady Ashido mentioned—and she wouldn't put it past one of them to check out Kuroe and Odawara as a whole if she ran late.
They were silent for a while after that, both out of things to say. Eventually the coffeemaker beeped loudly to announce it finished, and she swept up the pot and poured it into a mug before grabbing some honey from the fridge. She half-expected a comment from Kirishima when she drizzled in a few drops—Ashido and Kirameki both did that—but surprisingly he remained silent. When she turned around, she realized it was probably because he hadn't seen it, staring at his bowl with an odd intensity.
"Yen for your thoughts?" she asked lightly as she took a sip.
"You have an easy out, but you're still staying involved," Kirishima muttered. "I... This is all way over my head and I have trouble understanding everything sometimes, but... I also don't want to do nothing after coming this far. Is that weird?" Ran couldn't help her snort, earning a hurt look from the redhead. "H-hey, don't laugh! I'm being serious here!"
"Sorry, it's not that," she said, shaking her head. "It's just, when Ashido first said you were at UA in her world, I kinda thought it was crazy. No offense, but you don't exactly seem like the 'heroic' type, y'know?"
Even before they really started interacting these past couple of weeks, she'd pegged Kirishima as the nervous type with barely any confidence in himself. He was almost always alone at school, that shy kid no one really spoke to. Whenever voices started raising, he'd often freeze up or look over at the arguing people before quickly fleeing with a guilty look on his face. He had to be one of the least confrontational people she'd ever met.
Even now he winced and ducked his head. "Gee, thanks," he muttered grumpily, and she smirked.
"Yeah, well, that was before. But I can see it now." The remark had his head snapping up in surprise, and Ran sat at the table across from him. "Running out after Ashido when she went after that villain, and then running away with her because you don't really trust me—that takes guts. And even now, we're talking about maybe going up against actual villains, and you're still talking about wanting to do something."
"Honestly, I'm kinda trying not to think too hard on the villain part," Kirishima said with a wince, and she nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, that's a lot to take in. Kinda trying to avoid it too," she admitted with an uncomfortable shrug. "But still, you said it yourself: you don't want to do 'nothing.' Can't say the same for most people. You're a pretty cool guy, Kirishima."
Kirishima seemed surprised by the last part and at a loss for words. He didn't really have a chance to respond though. While she waited Kuroe's signature moved on her mental map, signaling he finally decided to get out of bed after waking up and spending the last ten minutes on his phone or whatever. Ran huffed and rolled her eyes. "Kuroe's incoming. Conversation ends now."
Kirishima frowned and quickly nodded, and the two lapsed into silence once more. Ran sipped at her coffee and let her thoughts wander to the rest of the day. She had a long day ahead of her even without that follow-up phone call. The runaways were going to expect some kind of report after the second call, and she grimaced as she thought of their reactions.
Screw it. She'd text Nakamura to meet up and leave it up to him. She might be the coordinator, but she did not want to deal with this shit. In the meantime, maybe she could find a way to stay tomorrow...
Izuku had hoped a full night's sleep would make everything better, and it did help a little bit because his head no longer felt so jumbled. But despite that, everything still felt off. Waking up and looking at the bedroom filled him with the strongest sense of déjà vu rather than actual familiarity, and the hallways were little better.
What's going on? he wondered in frustration as he headed back to his room with a bowl and a box of cereal. He hadn't run into anyone on his way to the kitchen, which was good because he kept second-guessing himself on the way. It wasn't as bad as last night now that his head was clearer, but it still left him anxious enough that he'd had to return and consult the map in that one journal to quickly refresh his memory of this place's layout.
It wasn't that he suddenly couldn't remember the place. Everything still felt familiar, but... not as familiar, if that made sense. He hadn't realized just how used he'd gotten to the building's maze-like layout. Without the immediate disorientation from last night, the strangeness of the situation really hit home.
That, and what he'd said to Aizawa-sensei.
Last night he hadn't really been thinking about his responses when he'd said them, it had all been almost automatic in the heat of the moment. So he hadn't really noticed just what he'd said until he started thinking about it this morning, and once he did, he realized it was weird. Everything he'd said made no sense to him now, but he was obviously responding to Aizawa-sensei's statements and accusations.
Including about an opportunity to leave.
Izuku closed the door to his bedroom and went straight to the dresser, setting down the bowl and cereal box to pick up the letter about his episodes. He slid the papers out of the envelope and skimmed over them. If he remembered right, there was something near the end right around... There.
'Actually, during the last episode I had, a new hero infiltrated one of our other bases and tried to get us to leave with him. Kurogiri stopped him before we left and the hero got away, but it was a close call. That's the other reason I decided to write this, I guess, to prevent a repeat of that.'
A frown grew as he read over the paragraph. He couldn't be sure of course, but that sounded close enough to what Aizawa-sensei had been referencing about "the opportunity he'd wasted." A hero had infiltrated the base, and Izuku had nearly left with them mid-episode. His own responses to Aizawa last night were a bit hazy now, and the reasoning behind them didn't come to mind at all, but he felt certain he'd been referencing that particular event.
If I was, it sounds like maybe the 'episode' wore off right before we left? Kurogiri was there too apparently, but I feel like the way I phrased it was like I realized running away wouldn't work. And Aizawa-sensei said nothing about Kurogiri, but he might not have been told the full details, or the new hero might not have seen Kurogiri...? But if I really was talking about that event, how did I know that? I haven't seen any mentions of it anywhere, or heard about it...
As he mulled over it, it took him far too long to notice Seiko had appeared at some point. Once he did notice he jumped with a small shriek and dropped the letter. "H-how long have you been there!?" he sputtered.
"A while." That was not helpful at all. Izuku just heaved an anxious sigh as he bent down to pick up the papers, trying not to look at her. Just like last night, she felt way more viscerally wrong than she usually did, which was saying something. "Did sleeping help?"
Izuku grimaced. "Kinda, but... Stuff still feels off." He sighed and shook his head while he folded the letter to put it back into the envelope. "My head's clearer and I don't feel as disoriented, but now everything just feels kind of... wrong, I guess? I don't know. I think I need some time alone to just think things over." He swallowed, and risked a glance her way. "Can you tell the others something so they don't worry?"
Seiko gave a short hum, tipping her head to the side. "Very well. What about Eraserhead?" The last question had Izuku freezing, a short chill running down his spine as he quickly averted his gaze.
He knew he couldn't just ignore or avoid Aizawa, it had been in the back of his mind all morning. The man needed breakfast after all. But right now, Izuku couldn't face him, not after last night. Aizawa would surely have questions about what happened at the end, questions Izuku couldn't answer right now because he was just as confused. But even before that, things had already been so tense, and the thought of facing him filled him with an odd mix of shame and dread.
But worse were those words.
"Fighting them would be suicidal for a Pro Hero, let alone a teenage kid with no training or even a Quirk."
Even now Izuku flinched as he remembered them, teeth digging into his lip as he ducked his head further. He knew he wasn't Quirkless anymore, and that Aizawa hadn't been outright saying a person's Quirk was tied to their value as a person. He'd just been pointing out that he couldn't go reasonably against trained supervillains. It shouldn't bother him so much, he knew that, but even so. To hear his teacher speak like that...
It left him with a miserable sense of shame and despair, and made him want to avoid the man if only for a little longer.
I'm sorry, Aizawa-sensei, he silently apologized as he took a deep breath. "Could... could you maybe, g-get him breakfast?" he asked quietly, voice carrying the slightest tremor. "I'll bring him dinner for sure, a-and maybe lunch, too, but... I don't think I can talk to him right now..."
He hung his head shamefully, and almost flinched when Seiko responded with a simple, "Fine." And just like that she was gone, leaving Izuku with only his shame at subjecting Aizawa to the horror that was Seiko. But he had no choice. He couldn't ask any of the villains to do it without raising questions about it, and more than that, he couldn't trust any of them.
Seiko might be the creepiest person he'd ever met, but he at least felt sure she wouldn't hurt Aizawa. He couldn't say the same of anyone else.
For now, he pushed it out of his mind and focused on the other things he'd said last night. Specifically, the things right before... whatever that was. Aizawa had been pushing him about his reasons for not trying to call for help, and Izuku's responses had been weird. The stuff about police not believing him were a decent enough reason, but the rest of it? The stuff with the Hero Commission and Hawks? Also, Lady of the Night? Who was that again? The name felt familiar, maybe she was an underground hero?
Izuku had no idea where any of it came from, but back when he'd said all that, it felt right. It reminded him of when he'd talked about his Quirk to Bakugou and Shinsou that day when Shigaraki kidnapped Aizawa-sensei, and how he felt like he'd used it before and broken bones in this body. He had no basis for it, no conscious memories, but his words had felt right back then. His words last night had felt just as undeniably accurate at the time, even if his recollection felt a bit fuzzier now.
And that made the last thing he said before everything went white all the more worrisome. He couldn't remember it exactly, but it went something like, "Here I'm safe! And the world is safe too! Because who would believe—" And that was when everything went white and he cut off.
Two things stood out: Izuku was safe, and the world was safe. And both felt true.
"What would that mean?" he mumbled to himself. "Is me being safe somehow tied to the world being safe...? And what was that last part about believing something..." He didn't know, and thinking on it too hard made his head start to feel... fuzzy.
When Izuku realized that he immediately banished the thoughts with a harsh shake of his head. He didn't know if that was a symptom or warning sign or just something else, but if there was even the slightest chance it might somehow trigger another white-out, it'd be better not to think about it. He was still reeling from the last one, he didn't need another one stacked on top of it.
For now he walked over to his laptop and opened it up, navigating to FacePage. Before ending the call yesterday everyone had agreed to set up a group chat on there, with the others even making new accounts just for that purpose. He didn't know if the others might still be asleep—their conversation yesterday might have kept them up pretty late—but he could send them a message outlining everything from last night.
Izuku wished he could just tell them over the phone and get their thoughts in real time, but that wasn't an option. Yesterday they'd all concluded he'd have to sit out today's call since leaving the Alliance's base two days in a row after just securing increased freedoms for Bakugou and Shinsou, as well as tutoring with Aizawa, might be suspicious. Uraraka had been tagged as the official go-between, and had promised to keep him updated on the developing plans.
It had been frustrating at the time, but now Izuku felt slightly grateful since he didn't want to talk to anyone. His mind was mostly clear now, but it was still just the slightest bit fuzzy, the slightest bit wrong. Asking Kurogiri to warp him anywhere felt terrifying, and he had no idea how he'd react to Aiko. Based on their interactions so far, he had a feeling she'd be less willing to leave him alone with Uraraka if she noticed something clearly wrong with him.
While he still wished he could talk to them directly, he felt relieved knowing that they'd all see this message and could talk it out later. Just knowing there were others here who could relate was an immense weight off his shoulders. After triple-checking that he'd covered everything, he finally hit send and closed the laptop, turning his attention to his notebook.
Might as well get back to work on that letter to Kacchan and Shinsou about the help. Hopefully he'd come up with something...
Meanwhile, Himiko was bouncing down the hall to the kitchen when Seiko appeared. "Morning, Seiko-chan!" she chirped cheerily. "What's going on?"
"Izuku is feeling unwell and cannot deliver breakfast to Eraserhead," she intoned dully, and Himiko perked up with an excited gasp.
"Oh! Oh! I'll take it to him! Pick me, pick me!" Seiko just nodded and returned to the shadows while Himiko all but raced to the kitchen, excitement reaching fever pitches. She hadn't gotten to meet Eraserhead yet, Giri had sent her back through a different portal with a bunch of others before they kidnapped the hero. And now that Aiko was coming to meet him, she was really curious about him. This would be so much fun!
Kyouka had been browsing the morning news on her phone when it dinged with new messages in the group chat. She switched over to the messenger and frowned as she read Midoriya's messages, growing more and more alert. "The hell?" she muttered, sitting up straighter. Lips thinning, she typed in a short reply.
'Well that's definitely weird.' She heard a light chime from Kaminari's phone in the back of the apartment, followed by a soft groan.
"Stooooop," the sleepy teen groaned, and she rolled her eyes. Last night Kaminari had still been up when she went to sleep, which had been around one in the morning. It was now nine, so he obviously hadn't gotten much sleep. She couldn't really blame him though. The phone call yesterday had given them a lot to think about.
Midoriya was here, and stuck with the League of Villains—or as they were called in this world, the Villain Alliance. Somehow every time he told them more about it, it got worse. Bakugou was there as a prisoner, and so was a kid from Gen Ed. If that wasn't bad enough, just this week Aizawa was captured and given to him as a pet or something equally sick and screwed up.
And that was just the stuff he and Uraraka had told them. There seemed to be more stuff they didn't want to share over the phone, which was understandable since phones could be easily hacked. It didn't make it less aggravating though.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing was that all of the others had some story they couldn't share. Midoriya and Uraraka had some obvious secrets, but so did Todoroki, Ashido, and that Anjou chick. Whatever was going on in Odawara seemed to be pretty big, and she couldn't figure out what it could be. Judging by the fact Asui, Kouda, Shouji and Ojiro weren't on Anjou's list of people whose statuses they didn't know, she figured they might be there, but that's all Kyouka had at this point.
Which brought her to one of the other people whose statuses they couldn't confirm: Tokoyami.
She'd been reading articles about Gentle Criminal and Phantom Shadow when Midoriya's message came in. The possibility Tokoyami might be from their world hadn't been something Kyouka would have thought, but Anjou's reasoning felt pretty solid. And Kyouka and Kaminari were the only members of 1-A who had any sort of public presence. Since he worked with Gentle Criminal, it'd make sense to come to Hosu and pull a few heists in hopes they'd run into each other in case he couldn't find them.
It would also make sense to just, you know, send them a message over social media. That was the main thing giving her pause. That'd be the simplest way to find them, but maybe it just never occurred to him. While he didn't avoid social media like Todoroki, from what she knew he didn't use it that regularly either. Waking up as the sidekick to a famous criminal might have disoriented him enough to skew his judgment.
The only way to know for sure would be to meet him. Kyouka had spent a good chunk of the night studying Gentle Criminal's patterns to see if she could figure out the next night. Investigation and analysis weren't her usual areas of expertise, but after yesterday's call she felt like she needed to do something productive. She couldn't really do anything about Midoriya's situation, so this was all she had.
Her conclusions so far: he always targeted some major company or corporation, and pulled off a "silly" heist before exposing some secrets in a video a few days later. Usually, the companies or one of its top executives had made the news within the past two years for some rumored scandal. Even if they hadn't made news, almost all of them at least had some sort of rumor mentioned in articles about the heist and reveal.
This morning the reveal video for their latest heist got posted, which had been part of what spurred her news crawl. Odd choice to publish it on a Sunday morning, but maybe he was counting on it being a slow news period to maximize coverage. Not much happened on Sundays, so short of some other dramatic and sudden event, there probably wouldn't be any competing news stories.
Based on previous patterns, Kyouka figured they'd probably do another heist the week after next. That was entirely too long for her liking. If someone else was here, she wanted to know now so they could make their plans accordingly. They'd probably want to scope out the next target in advance, and that seemed like their best chance to make a move. Tokoyami probably wouldn't bother to disguise himself since no one knew him. Just figure out their likely targets, and keep an eye on those.
That, and increase their patrols and vigilante activity. If Tokoyami was from their world, he'd be looking for them too. So in the end, they might not even have to do anything different from usual.
The last thought had her snorting and rolling her eyes. "This is so insane," she muttered under her breath. A chime from her phone (and Kaminari's) had her pausing and Kaminari groaning loudly. She quickly checked FacePage again to find a new message from Anjou.
'Should probably push up phone call to talk this out. Any objections?' Even as Kyouka read it another message appeared from Uraraka.
'None here! I'm good for anytime!' There was a chime with it and another groan from Kaminari, and Kyouka smirked as she typed her own reply.
'Give us an hour. Jammingwhey needs time to wake up'
Another chime, only from Kaminari's phone this time, and the loudest groan yet. "Make it stooooop," he moaned, and she quietly snickered. She'd give him five more minutes before she dumped a cup of water on his head. She had a lot of stuff she wanted to talk about on this call. Midoriya's message had made something click, and she wanted their input.
Notes:
So a BIG warning for anime-only fans: the latest chapter ended with a severe cliffhanger. Final page had a pretty major character hurt. We don't know how bad the injury is, but I've already seen at least one fic about it that had a sentence in the description along the lines of "if (character) died in the latest chapter". There's going to be a LOT of vent fics and fan art over the next week, and maybe beyond depending on how the next chapter goes.
So if you want to avoid spoilers, I recommend avoiding any brand new fan fics for at least the next week. Hopefully the next chapter will prove our worst fears wrong and the initial clamor will die down. Until then though... That cliffhanger was designed to create a LOT of tension/anticipation in readers, and it's definitely working.
Question for next time: If any character besides Izuku were to have a Quirkless counterpart in this world, who would have the most drastic ramifications?
Chapter 58: Memory Games
Summary:
Toga shows off her hospitality skills, and meanwhile the phone call starts with a tangent about wigs.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 58
.::Memory Games::.
Himiko had a definite bounce to her step as she made her way to the hall with Eraserhead's cell. She carried a sandwich courtesy of some guy whose name she could never remember but who had Kurogiri's approval to cook, perfect for a guy with mittens. Or so she'd been told. She hadn't actually seen Eraserhead since he got kidnapped, everyone had been ordered to stay away from his cell.
Honestly, she hadn't really cared that much about Eraserhead. Sure, Mido-kun talked about him sometimes, but he talked about a bunch of heroes. She never saw him back at that other place, and from what Magne and Twice said he sounded like a crusty old man, not the kind of person she was interested in.
But now Aiko was coming, and Himiko was curious. She knew Aiko had some sort of history with the man, and those yellow goggles she sometimes wore belonged to him. But she didn't know the details or full story behind it, and whenever she asked Aiko just gave her a coy smile and simply said, "He's fun." So yes, Himiko was very curious, and was eager to jump on the opportunity to meet the man to try to understand.
So it was with a bright smile that she rapped on the door to his cell three times in quick succession before pushing it open and skipping inside. "Good morning, Eraserhead-san!" she greeted cheerfully. The captive hero seemed to have been woken up by her entrance, jerking into awareness with a startled gasp.
"Wh-what—" He stopped short as his head twisted towards her, blinking at her with wide, bloodshot eyes. Himiko just grinned as she bounced over to him and dropped into a crouch. This close she could see the heavy bags under his eyes, and the still present bruises around his neck from when Tomu had some people change up his restraints.
"Aww, those bags don't look good at all," she commented, setting down the plate. "Did you have a bad night too?" Eraserhead didn't respond right away, just stared at her blearily. His eyes darted to the plate for the briefest of seconds before returning to her, still wide and rimmed with red.
"Who are you?" he asked roughly. "Where's Midoriya?"
Himiko perked up at the questions. "I'm Toga! Toga Himiko! I'm Mido-chan's friend!" She beamed at him, lips pulled back to show off her sharp incisors. "Mido-chan didn't sleep too well either, so I'm bringing you breakfast instead!"
He stiffened at that, eyes growing just the slightest bit wider. He abruptly snapped his head towards the plate and shifted a bit so he could properly sit up, grunting as it jostled his bad leg. Himiko didn't bother helping, rising from her crouch to skip a few steps back to give him space before plopping back onto the floor. The hero didn't look at her, movements stiff and jagged as he took the food. While he ate she glanced around the cell curiously, noting the pillows, a plate with a single pill and a half-empty water bottle, and another empty plate.
The last one had her tilting her head, and she crawled over to pick it up. "Hey, Eraserhead-san. Did Mido-chan forget to take your dinner plate last night?" She glanced back at him and wondered aloud, "Did he even stay?" The man went even more tense at the question, visibly gritting his teeth as he hung his head.
"Just let me eat in peace," he muttered before taking a bite of his sandwich, and Himiko hummed in thought. That was so defensive. So they had a fight then, didn't they? How strange! How interesting!
How bad.
"You must have really upset Mido-chan if he doesn't want to see you," she commented, and pretended not to notice his flinch as she continued, "He's super nice and friendly to everyone, and never tries to avoid people unless they scare him. And you're totally one of his favorite heroes! So he has to be really upset to stay away and ask someone else to bring you breakfast."
Eraserhead had stopped eating or even moving, head hanging so his bangs hid his eyes from view. He somehow looked even more stiff and rigid, mittened hands gripping the half-eaten sandwich hard enough to leave indents in the bread. Himiko smiled then, leaning forward to pat his shoulder and making him startle and snap his gaze towards her. Their eyes met and she let her smile grow bigger.
"Don't worry though, I won't tell Tomu!" she promised. "As long as you say sorry, Mido-chan will come around eventually, so Tomu doesn't need to know!"
And then Tomu wouldn't get mad and hurt Eraserhead for upsetting Izuku. That was the real danger here. If Tomu thought that Eraserhead made Mido-chan sad for some reason, he might not wait for his side of the story before doing something stupid. That protective instinct of his could make him do rash stuff that just upset Izuku in the end. Himiko would rather not see that happen again, especially since Aiko-nee liked Eraserhead too.
The implied warning seemed to get his attention, the man cringing before putting down the sandwich on the plate. "I'm not hungry anymore," he intoned dully, head bowed and not looking at her. "You can go now."
He'd only eaten half of it, but Himiko just smiled and bobbed her head as she grabbed the plate, stacking it on top of the one from last night. "Okay! Bye bye, Eraserhead! I'll see you later!" She turned and bounced out of the cell, giving him a cheerful wave before closing the door. The last thing she saw was Eraserhead curling on his side to face away from the door.
Ochako had been in the middle of breakfast when she checked her phone to find the messages from Deku. Her chewing slowed to a stop as she read it, cheeks still puffed with bacon as she frowned at the recounting of the weird events last night.
"Something up?" Aiko asked across from her, and Ochako quickly swallowed before shaking her head.
"Not really," she said hastily. "Just saw some weird news, is all." Aiko hummed around a mouthful of bacon, but thankfully didn't press for more details. They lapsed into silence once more as Ochako returned to eating, mulling over Deku's message.
The sudden white-out and disorientation was worrying and alarming, as was the stuff he'd apparently said to Aizawa-sensei. Deku had outlined what he could remember of the conversation, complete with a rough transcript. Like he noted, some of it seemed weirdly specific, and also covered stuff he probably shouldn't know. Ochako had no idea what that might mean.
Good thing they weren't alone in this. Anjou suggested they have the call sooner, and Ochako hadn't wasted a moment agreeing. Which was how one hour later she found herself in the warehouse Deku had told her about, sitting on the couch with the phone pressed to her ear. Aiko hadn't asked many questions thankfully, just lent Ochako a coat from her closet and a pink wig for a disguise. Ochako had to admit, no one would look for her with bubblegum pink hair in two giant, bushy pigtails.
After seeing how different she looked, she ended up taking a picture of the disguise and sent it over the chat. Maybe she shouldn't have been surprised that it was the first topic they discussed after the call started. "That's a wig?" Ashido sounded genuinely surprised. "That looks totally real though!"
"I know, right?" Ochako asked, twirling a strand of the hair around her finger. "It's kinda heavy though... I'm not used to having this much hair, I guess."
"Wigs can feel weird," Todoroki agreed.
"When did you wear a wig?" Jirou deadpanned.
"Kamino," he replied, and there was a brief silence as they all processed that.
"Okay, so I know you guys went to Kamino, and talking about that is kinda, you know, taboo," Kaminari said after a few seconds. "But why did you wear a wig?"
"Because they needed disguises, duh!" Ashido replied for him. "Come on Kami, how many people have come up to you after the sports festival!?"
"And UA was kinda all over the news during Kamino," Ochako agreed almost sheepishly, thinking back to the endless news stories about Bakugou's kidnapping. She had to actually cut off all her social media for a while because the clips from her fight with Bakugou at the Sports Festival had been plastered everywhere. It had been too frustrating to go online and see it constantly, especially with all the comments about Bakugou's behavior during it. Everyone seemed to still see her as a victim to his brutal nature, even after Aizawa-sensei called out that pro back then for that very issue.
"Hold on, did everyone wear wigs?" Kaminari asked curiously.
"No. Everyone else just styled their hair differently. Mine's too distinct to do that though, so we grabbed a black one."
"How different could they look?"
"Well, Kirishima had some fake horns that looked like Mirko's ears, Iida had a mustache and Midoriya had a goatee. I think he was going for a 'gangster' look...?" That had them all pausing to digest that information.
"Okay, so for the record, we have zero context so all this makes almost no sense to me and Kirishima." Ochako startled as Anjou spoke up, having genuinely forgotten she'd be listening too. No doubt she and Kirishima were totally confused since they hadn't really explained everything about Kamino. "But that said, picturing Kirishima with rabbit ear-horns is weirdly hilarious."
"Hey," he grumbled.
"Oh, maybe we can do that again!" Ashido exclaimed eagerly. "You already look super-different with red hair! No one would look for you with horns!"
"I could help find similar ones," Todoroki volunteered helpfully.
"Okay, so disguises can actually be useful," Anjou commented before the discussion could devolve further. "Maybe you guys can use that stuff to sneak over to Hosu or something so you can all actually meet up in person. But that's not really the point of this call."
Just like that the mood sobered, the main purpose of the meeting brought up to the forefront of their minds. The idle conversation had been nice and a fun distraction from the constant stress of their situation, but they couldn't put it off forever. There was too much to talk about, and Deku's message was the tip of the iceberg.
"Okay, so I read those messages Midoriya sent, and I'm... kinda confused?" Surprisingly Kirishima started it off. "Like, I kinda get that amnesia thing isn't a thing with him in your world, and it's not total amnesia or anything, but... This kinda sounds like that thing, maybe? Does it normally happen while he's talking to people like that?" Ochako pursed her lips. She hadn't missed the similarities to Deku's vague description of his "episodes" either.
"Maybe it's a sign he's about to forget again?" Todoroki suggested. "Some Quirk effects have warning symptoms before they happen."
"Oh man, Midoriya having one of those things now would be bad," Kaminari groaned. "Really hope that's not what's going on."
"I don't think it is," Ochako said. "We talked about his 'episodes' a bit when we first met up. We don't know for sure, but apparently this world's Deku usually tries to hide them as a kind of game or test or... something, so I don't think it happens when talking to people or has warning signs. But we don't really know much about them other than what that letter said, some stuff in his journals and what he heard from Seiko."
"Well, maybe he can ask her?" Ashido suggested. "You guys said she already thinks he has one, right? So it wouldn't be TOO weird for him to ask!"
"But if it's not normal, she might tell someone else," Jirou pointed out. "And the last thing he needs is scrutiny." Ochako found herself nodding in agreement even if they couldn't see it. Part of her had actually debated asking Aiko about the episodes when she first read his messages, but she had quickly dismissed the thought for those very reasons. They hadn't even decided whether or not to tell Aiko that Ochako knew about the episodes at all, since they didn't want Aiko to ask too many questions about their relationship. Frankly, it was kind of a miracle she hadn't asked many questions yet.
"But if it is connected to his episodes, why is it happening now?" she wondered aloud. "And it's not like he's forgotten everything, or anything really. He still has all his memories, he's just disoriented. So is it really connected to that?" There was a brief silence after that, no one having any answers.
"...Actually, I think it might be," Jirou said, surprising her. "Sorry for the tangent, but there's this thing that's been bugging me. It's kinda small, but I remembered it yesterday while Kaminari was talking about that villain fight, and Midoriya's message this morning kinda reminded me of it...?" She trailed off and Ochako could almost hear her shrug.
"Sure, go for it," Anjou said when no one else responded. "Not like we've got any better ideas."
"Cool. So like I said, it's nothing big or fancy, but after that villain fight when we got onto the roof, Kaminari somehow knew how to open up the rooftop door to his apartment building."
The remark had Ochako feeling more confused than anything, especially when Kaminari muttered, "Oh man, I forgot about that."
"So?" Ashido asked, voicing Ochako's confusion.
"Ashido, we didn't know that roof was my apartment building," Kaminari explained. "I didn't even know we could go to the roof. And even then, I don't know how I knew how to open it. The door wasn't locked, it was just stuck and needed this one trick to open it up. But..."
He trailed off, seeming to search for the right words, and Jirou took over. "He shouldn't have known how to do that. I tried the handle first and just thought it was locked. It never crossed my mind it might just be stuck. He didn't even try to open it normally, either. He just went straight to some weird trick that worked." There was a brief silence after that, Ochako finally understanding just why it bothered her.
"...Maybe he remembered how it worked?" Kirishima finally said.
"What?" Kaminari said. "No, that's impossible, how would I remember it? I'm not from this world!"
"Actually, he might be onto something," Anjou said, catching Ochako further off-guard. "Ashido, why did you trust me so much?"
"Huh?" Ashido sounded surprised before saying, "Well, we're friends, right? We hung out every day after I woke up here and you seemed super cool and dependable!"
"Then what's my given name?" Anjou asked, and Ashido didn't reply right away.
"It's Ran, right?" Ochako said awkwardly after a few seconds of dead silence. "You said it at the start of the call yesterday."
"Yep."
"I totally knew that!" Ashido said quickly.
"And when did you learn it?" Anjou countered, and once more Ashido was silent. "Kaminari, you seem similar to Ashido. Mind answering a question?"
Ochako perked up, curiosity piqued as Kaminari replied with faint confusion in his tone. "Uh, sure, I guess?"
"Imagine you had a friend in this dimension. You technically don't know that person, don't even know their full name, but you spend every day with them at school. Finally you tell that friend that you're from another world, and they say they believe you, and might be able to help you. But to do that, they say you'll have to run away and cut off all contact with everyone you know. You don't know where you're going, and you have to ride in a car, alone, with a total stranger. You can't even take your phone, you just have a burner they give you. What is your reaction?"
Kaminari was silent for a moment as he thought it over. "I'd... be kinda suspicious, I guess," he said slowly, before correcting himself, "Actually, no, I think I'd be really suspicious. I mean, even if we're friends, that all sounds super shady, y'know? I'd probably think that car's actually taking me to a mental hospital or something."
"And yet Ashido got in without an ounce of hesitation," Anjou remarked. "She didn't even stop when she could hear people shouting and screaming from the distraction."
"That is really weird," Jirou muttered. "That sounds like a massive trap to me."
"But, but I wasn't alone!" Ashido protested. "Kiri was there too! And Kumiko didn't come with us, but she helped with all the planning so she knew about it too! Kiri, you wouldn't have gone along if you thought it was dangerous, right?"
"Actually, I only really went along because you seemed to trust Anjou so much," Kirishima said meekly. "She was kinda freaky when she talked about why she believed you. I mean, she said she ran a background check on Jirou and Ingenium's brother, and even figured out the patrol schedule for Ingenium's agency!" That had Ochako almost jumping in surprise, some dust flying up from the couch and making her cough.
"You ran a background check on me?" Jirou demanded. "Why, and when?"
"A friend of mine asked for reasons," Anjou replied. "I can't say more over the phone, too insecure. All that matters is that it wasn't for anything illegal, and it convinced me to believe Ashido instead of writing her off as crazy."
"You know, saying it's not illegal doesn't really help," Kirishima muttered.
"Yeah, I don't think 'illegal' means as much here," Ochako mumbled, thinking back to everything she'd seen and experienced since running away.
"But it's An-chan!" Ashido exploded. "She's not a bad person, even if she's a FacePage hacker!"
"...Yeah, that's another thing," Anjou drawled. "You dropped the whole 'logged into your FacePage to read your messages' thing pretty easily. Most people would be more upset about that."
Ochako was definitely alert now, even as Ashido protested, "You were just making sure I wasn't being catfished! I'm still not happy about it, but it came from a good place and that's just how you are."
"And that's the thing: You don't know that." Ashido fell dead silent as the other girl continued, "From your viewpoint you honestly shouldn't know me at all, but you trust me as if you do. You were willing to run away, alone, without your phone or any way to contact anyone you knew, all because I told you to. You don't put that sort of trust in someone you've only known for two, three weeks tops."
"What are you getting at?" Ashido asked.
"This is total conjecture, so I could be absolutely wrong. But I think you guys still have some memories of this world stored in your subconscious." That had them all sucking in sharp breaths.
"If we do, I haven't noticed anything," Kaminari replied tightly.
"Same," Ochako muttered.
"Me neither," Todoroki agreed.
"Says the guy still hanging onto a cell phone that an apparent villain keeps calling," Anjou retorted, and he went silent while Ochako stiffened at the reminder that Dabi was Todoroki's brother. She really needed to talk to him about that, but now was not the time.
"Good, so I'm not the only one who thinks that," Jirou said with an obvious sigh of relief. "Feels less crazy hearing someone else say it."
"Wait, what?" Kaminari yelped. "You never mentioned it to me!"
"It only really occurred to me this morning when I saw Midoriya's message. I was still thinking about the rooftop thing after yesterday. But that's not even the only time that sort of thing happened. When I had to go to the school to take that test, I had to check my phone a couple times after leaving Kaminari's apartment. But after a certain point I didn't need it anymore. I didn't even notice at the time. And after the test, I was able to get back to the school entrance alone without any help."
Ochako frowned as she listened, gears starting to turn in her head even as others spoke. "Actually, come to think of it, I figured out how to reach school pretty fast too," Kaminari said slowly. "The other day I cut through this alley as a shortcut, but I'd never used it before. And then we had a PE class in a different building than usual, and I didn't need any help finding the changing rooms there."
"Well I haven't noticed anything weird!" Ashido declared.
"You got the hang of navigating the school pretty fast," Anjou pointed out. "Even the chemistry class on Fridays after lunch."
"Oh yeah, that one's in a totally different part of the building from the rest of our classes," Kirishima agreed. "I remember the first month the teacher always waited five minutes before starting because someone would always be late because they got lost."
"...Okay, yeah, it is weird I could find it," Ashido agreed.
Ochako had no similar experiences so she couldn't really relate, but she couldn't help frowning as she mulled over it. "I did adjust to life here pretty fast, I guess," she mumbled, "but I don't know if it's because of subconscious memories though. I mean, I mostly just stayed at home or went with dad to construction sites before I ran away. But if this subconscious memory thing is true, what does that mean?"
"I don't know," Anjou replied. "Could mean the memories are tied more to your bodies. Or this really is a weird and insane conspiracy and everyone had fake memories implanted." The last part had Ochako's face wrinkling with annoyance, but thankfully Anjou added, "But at this point, there's too many weirdly specific details so that's somehow the most insane option." Her voice took on a familiar dry note of "what even is my life anymore" that Ochako could fully sympathize with. "But that said, that transcript Midoriya wrote freaks me out."
"What part?" Todoroki asked curiously.
"The end, right before... whatever happened. It feels like he must've said something to trigger it, or been about to say something." Ochako frowned, feeling a creeping sense of discomfort. Honestly, that part stuck out to her too, among other things he'd said. Like his responses to Aizawa about why he wouldn't go to the police. Her mind flitted to Aiko returning last night, how she'd been so cheerful and friendly when Ochako saw her in the hallway about to enter her apartment.
(How the hem of her pants were torn and she had one boot missing, and how her sleeve had specks of blood on it.)
"Guys, I don't think Deku's wrong about how dangerous it is going to heroes," she said slowly. "There's people we know nothing about in this world. We really don't know who we can trust. And the Alliance... it feels like it's more, I don't know, powerful than the League of Villains. And I mean, the League attacked us at USJ and found the training camp, so..." She trailed off with a grimace.
"Wait," Jirou said. "You don't think they'd have a spy or something in the heroes, right?"
Ochako's grimace grew even stronger to the point her cheeks almost hurt. "I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised," she admitted sullenly. If anything, she'd be surprised if there wasn't some villainous spy among the heroes with how screwed up this world seemed to be. Maybe not for the Villain Alliance, but there were plenty of other organizations too.
"Actually, I think the bigger concern is the Hero Commission," Todoroki commented thoughtfully, surprising her.
"Huh?" Ashido asked. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know much, but... I think there's definitely some shady stuff. When I started at UA, my father warned me to be careful if anyone from there ever approached me." That was really surprising, having her sitting up straighter. "He said they're good as allies and have decent resources, but they have a policy of treating heroes more as assets. He didn't go into too much detail, but he seemed wary of them."
Ochako felt a distinct tension as they listened to him, the air growing heavy in the empty warehouse. She had never heard about any of this before—honestly, she'd never really thought about the Commission beyond the rankings and public information. "Wait, do you think that thing about Hawks might be true then?" Kaminari asked breathlessly, and Ochako's eyes widened in alarm.
"Maybe?" Todoroki sounded unsure, making her wince. Please, please, please be wrong... "I never met him so I don't know. But..." Oh dang it, there was a but. "When he warned me about it, he said he once had to help get them to back off trying to get custody of someone. He didn't give me all the details, but in that same conversation he mentioned something about them valuing Quirks too much. It felt hypocritical coming from him."
"I take it he's elitist about powerful Quirks?" Anjou asked dryly, and there was a brief pause on Todoroki's end.
"Okay, so Todo looks kinda weird, so I think we need to change the topic," Ashido piped up after a few seconds a little more high-pitched than usual, making Ochako frown. This really did not ease her growing concerns about Todoroki's home life, seeing as something had to drive Dabi to villainy and oh sweet All Might, Dabi was a Todoroki. Dang it brain, stop thinking about that already!
"Okay!" she piped up, clapping her hands and dispelling the thoughts before to summarize. "So to summarize everything! We might all have subconscious memories or something, and everything Deku said last night was probably connected to his memories, right?"
"Sounds about right, I guess," Kaminari agreed quickly.
"Seems like it," Anjou added.
"Yeah," Jirou muttered. "So going by all this, and that one line about the world, what are the chances that this world's Midoriya got caught up in some crazy conspiracy beyond the Villain Alliance, and involving the Hero Commission could be just as bad?"
Somehow, the resounding silence felt like answer enough.
"Dang it," Kaminari groaned. "Why couldn't this just be a simple 'call the heroes and beat the bad guy' thing?"
"Honestly, even if we did call heroes, now I don't want the Commission to hear about the dimension jumping," Ashido moaned pitifully. "All that stuff Todo said is making me super-paranoid!"
"Yeah, me too, and I'm barely involved in this," Kirishima grumbled.
"Honestly, I'd be against calling them anyway," Anjou piped up. "Or at least right now. Even without the risk of some other conspiracies going on there, which I'm kinda leaning towards, they'd probably want to question everyone involved. And not sure how much investigation we could get done after that since you'd all be in custody."
"This is so complicated," Ochako groaned, pressing a hand to her face.
"Guess we should focus on what we can do then," Todoroki remarked. "Does anyone have any ideas on how to get everyone out?"
"It would help if we had some more details," Jirou said, and Ochako winced at the pointed remark.
"Sorry, I'm still not comfortable sharing everything over the phone," she muttered guiltily.
"Us either," Anjou added with a sigh. "Sorry, it's complicated."
"Then maybe we can, you know, meet in person?" Kaminari suggested eagerly. "You guys can come to Hosu, or we can all go to Odawara! But uh, I guess it'd be tricky for Midoriya to leave, huh," he added dejectedly.
"It would," Ochako agreed glumly.
"And guessing you still don't want to say where you are," Anjou muttered.
"...Not really." Saying the city with the Alliance's base over the phone still felt too risky. "I don't even know where you guys would stay overnight, either..."
"Honestly, a meeting in person would be best," Anjou said. "I'd prefer to meet all of you so I could tag you with my Quirk, but I've got to go back to Kamino today because I still have school tomorrow."
"Your Quirk?" Kaminari repeated curiously.
"It actually would be useful," Todoroki murmured.
"Yeah, totally!" Ashido agreed brightly. "I mean, I don't remember all the details and I'm pretty sure there's more stuff I don't know, but it can—"
"I'd rather not say it over the phone," Anjou cut in sharply. "You know, paranoia saves lives and all that. But now I'm thinking, if you guys can all get to Odawara, I can at least leave a letter explaining everything. I'd rather do it in person, but like I said, I've got to go back to Kamino, and the police might be watching me since they're looking for Ashido and Kirishima. But if you agree to let me use it, maybe you can head over to Kamino and we can meet up just long enough for me to tag you. I'd only need to touch you for a couple seconds for it to work."
Listening to her made Ochako frown in thought, her curiosity rising. There did seem to be something big going on in Odawara since they were all so cagey about their answers, and even Todoroki said Anjou's Quirk would be useful. More than that though, she'd like to be able to talk to everyone in person. Talking to them over the phone was great, but it still felt so distant. She wouldn't feel like this was really happening until she actually saw them with her own eyes.
"I can probably make a day trip to Odawara," she said after a few seconds. It wasn't too far from Nabu, Nabu was right on the border to the next prefecture where it was. "And maybe even a trip to Kamino, too, since I have the wig."
"Yeah, no one would recognize you with that!" Ashido exclaimed. "Oh! Oh! Chako-chan, do you have more wigs? Do you think one could hide my horns?" Ochako paused at the question, thinking to when Aiko led her to an apartment across the hallway and opened a bedroom door to reveal shelves with row upon rows of wigs. The room also had a lot of clothes, too; actually, the clothing racks far outnumbered the wigs, but the literal rainbow of wigs had been more eye-catching.
"Yes," she said firmly. "Give me a color and style request, and I'll see if I can get it." Ashido whooped in excitement and quickly listed off some ideas. It might be presumptive to answer like that without even asking Aiko first, but something told Ochako that she would be more than happy to help find a wig for someone with horns like Ashido's. The woman seemed oddly passionate about disguises, and it had taken some effort to not get a full makeover from her.
And besides, AIko already knew Ochako had an online friend, so it wouldn't be too hard to explain the whole runaway situation to her. She could use delivering the wig as a pretext for the trip to Odawara.
"Kaminari and I can probably head over to Odawara tomorrow too," Jirou said when Ashido finished. "Or any day that works for Uraraka, really. We're both doing school online, so we can catch a train after the morning check-in."
"I should be able to come over tomorrow too," Ochako agreed with a nod, feeling a little bit of relief at being able to meet them all in person to explain everything. Relief, and excitement. They'd been waiting to meet other people from 1-A for so long, and now that it was finally happening she couldn't wait! Still, one little detail dampened her excitement though. "I just wish Deku could come too..."
Her remark seemed to sober everyone's mood, a sense of tension palpable even over the phones. "We'll figure something out," Jirou promised. "Maybe tomorrow when we all meet."
"Yeah, we're not leaving Midoriya in the dark!" Kaminari added.
"We'll find a way to meet Mido-kun soon, just you wait!" Ashido declared cheerfully, and Ochako smiled. Things might be looking up.
Today fucking sucked.
First off, Deku never showed up that morning. No, that Toga chick did to bring Katsuki breakfast (which was just sandwiches) and drag him over to Hijack's cell. Apparently Deku was feeling down or something and wanted to stay in his room for a while, he didn't know the details and neither did she. She just figured it'd be "boring" to sit around alone in his cell, which she wasn't wrong about.
But then she'd hung around for about half an hour to just talk to them before she finally left. She wasn't too bad compared to some of the freaks around here, but she was still a fucking psycho with a creepy obsession with Hijack. It clearly rattled his nerves, so of course Katsuki booted up Mario Kart to get his mind off it. He even let the guy win a race because it took two rounds for him to finally focus on it.
And then fucking Seiko appeared to watch them play. Again.
Katsuki didn't even know how long she was there. He only realized when the cat suddenly jumped and darted behind Hijack, and when they looked over there she was, sitting on the floor by the bed staring at the TV. No words or even anything to show she noticed them notice there, just sitting there with her head staring forward at the screen in total silence.
It almost gave Katsuki a heart attack. Then Eyebags actually offered to let her play for some damn reason, but she'd refused and said she just wanted to watch. So they just went back to racing, trying to ignore her and how the cat kept hissing and shrinking away. Given how silent Seiko was, that should be easy, but it wasn't. How the hell did someone cause so much stress by just being there?
By the time the door finally opened and the nerd walked in, Katsuki's nerves were just at their end. "Hey guys—Seiko?" He startled upon seeing Seiko watching the TV, and of course she turned to look at him, dead silent. Deku just stared at her wide-eyed, almost dropping the notebook he was holding. "Uh."
"Where the hell were you," Katsuki seethed as he jabbed the pause button. He considered it very impressive he didn't shout or explode his controller given how on edge he was.
"I had a... weird night and morning...?" Deku trailed off and remained in the doorway, eying Seiko warily while the creepy brat turned back to the screen. "Um, why are you here?"
"I'm watching the race. The pink one keeps losing." Okay, what the actual fuck. Katsuki had no idea how to respond to that, and neither did Deku or Eyebags judging by their silence.
"Deku, just get get inside already and close the door," he snapped instead, and that seemed to snap Deku out of his stupor and scramble inside. Before he could close the door though Sushi suddenly jumped off the bed and raced out like a bat out of hell, making Hijack shout in muffled indignation and horror. Deku jumped with a yelp as the cat darted around his legs to squeeze through the gap.
"Oh, shoot, sorry Hijack! I'll go catch her! Just—here!" He sprinted over to the bed and shoved the notebook at Katsuki. "Hold onto this while I'm gone, I'll be back later." He turned and sprinted back to the door, but then paused in the frame before turning around. "Uh, Seiko, c-could you maybe help look too?"
The creepy brat turned her head to look at him, and Katsuki tried not to focus on how that was literally the only motion she made. Just her neck turning perfectly smoothly, her head not even bobbing even a little with the movement. "Why?"
"Because I kinda have no idea which way Sushi ran, and the base is kinda... big." Deku rubbed the back of his neck, and after several moments she finally gave a solitary nod and her head turned forward again.
"Fine." With that she disappeared into the floor, the shadows reaching out to envelop her without her even bothering to stand up. All at once Katsuki felt a good chunk of his tension fade, and Deku breathed a small sigh of relief.
"I'll be back after I find Sushi. Keep an eye on my notebook until I'm back." He hurried out and closed the door, but the last remark had Katsuki's eyes narrowing. He turned the notebook over in his hands and quickly noticed one of the pages had the corner folded over, so he flipped it open to there. Hijack leaned over to look as well, clearly picking up on Deku's barely hidden message to read the damn notebook.
'We have more allies outside now. Can't give many details because it's too risky & we only briefed them last night so nothing solid planned yet, but we can trust them. You-know-who will handle calls and keep it updated because it's too risky to do it here. I wrote some basic stuff about them on the next page, so read it now because we need to destroy this later. Let me know if you've got any ideas from it, I'll keep you updated on any plans.'
The message had Katsuki quietly scoffing, and even Eyebags looked a bit suspicious. "Think this is credible?" he asked flatly, and the vigilante shrugged, grabbing the whiteboard and a marker instead of his phone this time.
'Do we have any choice?' he wrote. The answer: Not really. Katsuki huffed as he flipped to the next page, and as promised Deku had scribbled down some basic stuff on the allies.
He'd somehow found a total of five other people, including the floaty chick they already knew about. None of them were police or Pro Heroes, which would have been the most helpful right now, but he had to raise an eyebrow at their descriptions. A pair of vigilantes with some kind of electricity Quirk and a sound-based one, a girl who could produce acid or some shit, and a guy who who could make fire and ice. It was a weird and random group, and he had questions on how they got involved in this.
Still, one detail caught his eye. The vigilantes had an inventor friend apparently, who wasn't in on this situation, but Deku thought that they could provide some decent resources. That part at least could be useful, and when he glanced at Hijack he could tell he probably had some ideas too.
With the way things were going, they could use any allies they could get.
Notes:
Fun fact: Jirou originally mentioned the rooftop thing in the original phone call. Because of that, I have two other drafts of this revelation from Kaminari and Izuku's POV. Also the manga is still chaotic and didn't really give any direct confirmation on that one character's status, but hopefully the initial fervor has died down a bit. But anime-only fans should still be careful.
Question for next time: What do you think the Ignite counterpart of a character we haven't seen yet is up to? (By the way, if you have any suggestions for these questions, throw them out!)
Chapter 59: Nauseating Deja Vu
Summary:
Seiko embraces her inner child, Izuku searches for Sushi, and Aizawa regrets many things.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 59
.::Nauseating Deja Vu::.
Seiko had searched for the cat named Sushi for approximately five minutes before losing interest. Part of it had to do with how the base was largely empty with no one else around, making her search through the empty halls rather boring. Another part (and perhaps the bigger one) was that she simply didn't care for cats.
Every time Izuku had introduced her to one of the previous Sushis, the cats had reacted the same. Hiss at her from a safe distance, ears flat against their head and backs arched, and then flee at the first chance if she lingered too long. If she found Sushi, the cat surely would just flee again. Really, Izuku should have known better than to ask her to help search.
Perhaps whatever happened last night had to do with his lack of judgment. Initially she thought he'd had another episode. They had happened mid-day before, though admittedly that was a bit rare. He'd also never had one while still mid-episode, either, which made it interesting. His reactions soon proved that wrong though since he clearly remembered her and what was going on, though he was clearly disoriented nonetheless.
Whatever the case, it seemed to be likely connected to the memory-altering Quirk. Maybe his conversation with Eraserhead had triggered a new facet of it. Mid-day episodes most commonly occurred mid-conversation based on the few times she'd seen it. Hmm, maybe she should have listened in after all.
Oh well. Since she'd lost interest in searching for the cat, Seiko decided to instead take advantage of the empty base. A trip to Toga Himiko's room ended with Seiko armed with the teenager's makeup kit, which she took to an empty hallway she knew Izuku had already checked.
She got ten minutes of uninterrupted work before she sensed a familiar presence approach, and after a moment's contemplation decided it was not reason enough to pause her work. As such, she fully anticipated when Aiko turned a corner, stopped, and gave a aggravated sigh. "What are you doing?"
Seiko didn't respond, attention focused on the tree she'd drawn onto the wall with blood red lipstick. The wide trunk had wavy lines that curled to frame a large hole near the center, while the branches became more and more narrow and spiky with each additional split. She now held an eyeshadow brush dipped in red to color directly below the eyes of the severed head sitting inside the hollow, making its eyes look bloody. There was no particular meaning to the head. She just thought the reactions would be more amusing.
"...Know what, I don't even want to know," Aiko grumbled. "Freaking demon..." Once again Seiko elected not to respond, long used to Aiko's grumblings about her nature. She put down the brush and picked up the nearly-finished lipstick to add some more specks of red like blood splatter, patiently waiting for Aiko to speak as she worked. Soon enough, she did. "I got a call from Himiko yesterday. Did you know Eraserhead was here?"
"Yes." Seiko had seen Shigaraki take custody of him after all, and even if she hadn't, she would have inevitably learned of it from gossip.
"I see, I see," Aiko hummed, perfectly pleasant. "And you know what else I also learned about this week? Bakugou Katsuki is here too."
"He arrived on the ninth," Seiko supplied dully, and heard Aiko clap.
"Fascinating!" she chirped, smile audible in her voice. "Thank you for being so specific, Seiko-chan!"
"You're welcome," Seiko replied.
"I was being sarcastic, you Eldritch abomination." Seiko finally turned her head away from her work to glance at Aiko, finding the woman shooting her a sour scowl. "Why the hell didn't you tell me about any of this? Izuku, I can get. He knows me and how I'd react, but you don't give a damn about that and would probably tell me because you know how I'd react."
Seiko blinked once, slowly and deliberately, and then said, "You do not wish for me to visit your apartment, and I have no means to contact you. And on your previous visits here, you have made it quite clear you did not wish to speak to me."
Aiko shot her a withering glare, shoulders slumping and lips curling back like she'd bitten something sour. "I hate you," she growled, and Seiko turned back to her drawing. Would shading in the actual eyes with the lipstick look creepier, or were they better closed? "Okay, brat, where's Izuku now?"
"Looking for Sushi."
She expected Aiko to ask about why Izuku was looking for Sushi. But instead she got a thoughtful hum. "So, he's not with Eraserhead?"
"No."
"Wonderful. Thank you, Seiko." With that Aiko walked past her without another word. Seiko set down the lipstick, satisfied with the severed head, and tipped her head to look at the rest of the tree. The branches looked jagged and sharp compared to the trunk, and felt a bit too bare for her liking. Time to add some foliage.
To that end she picked up the eyeshadow and blush, going for a mixture of red and pink. Shadowy tendrils extended from her body to grip the brushes to begin filling it in the branches above her reach.
A cherry blossom tree sounded nice.
So everyone was going to meet in person tomorrow. Izuku was admittedly pretty bummed to read about that in the FacePage group chat since he had no way to go with them, at least on such short notice. The idea of not being able to meet everyone in person made his chest ache, especially since Uraraka sent him a private message mentioning tomorrow would probably be the best time to tell Todoroki about Dabi.
The impending meeting haunted his thoughts as he searched the Alliance's base for Sushi, with the help of Toga of all people. He'd run into her while lost in one of the halls, and once he explained that Seiko had apparently spooked Sushi she'd been more than eager to help look.
"Twicey would probably help too, but he's out today," she commented cheerfully as she led the way, all but skipping down the hall.
"Is it just me, or is everyone gone today?" Izuku muttered. He'd noticed the base seemed unusually quiet and empty today, which was honestly a relief given he still felt highly disoriented. If he ran into most of them, he wasn't sure he'd be able to react normally. Just thinking about it filled him with some weird sense of anxiety. Even being around Toga was weird, but she was closer in age so it wasn't as terrifying.
"Tomu had a mission today, so a lot of people went out!" Toga explained, and poked her head around a corner. "Nope, no kitty here!"
"Sushi really knows how to hide, huh," Izuku sighed. They'd been searching for half an hour now but had found no sign of the feline. Seiko must have spooked her even worse than he'd thought. "Do you think Seiko's even looking?"
"Nah, she probably got bored or she would've found her by now," Toga dismissed with a shrug, and Izuku paused before sighing.
"That's... probably for the best," he admitted reluctantly. Given Seiko had probably been the reason Sushi ran away like that, she would probably just upset Sushi more if she was the one to find her first. It was really good that most of the villains were out today. Even before this weird... déjà vu, he'd felt unsure about what some of the thugs here would do to the cat.
Toga just hummed. "Kitties never like Seiko-chan. I once saw a squirrel run away from her too!"
Can't blame them, Izuku thought, but didn't voice that out loud. Instead he muttered, "I'm starting to regret asking her to take breakfast to Ai—Eraserhead this morning..." He nearly slipped with Aizawa's real name but caught himself in time. "He's got to be really on edge after yesterday, so I hope that didn't make it worse..." The comment had Toga's head swiveling to look at him with a bright smile.
"That's okay!" she chirped. "I took him breakfast instead!" It took a few seconds for her words to register, and when they did Izuku jumped.
"You did what?" he blurted in horror. "But I asked Seiko!" Sure, Seiko was creepy as all hell, but she also wouldn't try to (intentionally) terrorize or hurt Aizawa. Toga was her own brand of traumatizing, and he feared for Aizawa-sensei's reaction to her.
"I guess Seiko-chan didn't want to do it so she asked me," Toga said with a shrug, and Izuku wanted to scream or cry or something. Instead he settled for a dejected groan.
"Please tell me you didn't do anything weird," he moaned.
"Of course not! I just took him a sandwich. He barely said anything the whole time, but he was super worried about you!" She tilted her head curiously, asking, "Did you two fight yesterday?"
The question had Izuku wincing before he could stop himself, much to his regret. He knew the physical reaction would just spur Toga's curiosity further, so he had to say something. "He... wasn't too happy about Kacchan and Hijack," he admitted reluctantly. "He figured out they were prisoners, and obviously that's bad, so..." He trailed off, hoping that would be enough for Toga.
"Is that why you didn't want to see him this morning?" she asked, and he nodded.
"Y-yeah. I figured it'd be good to give him space." That reasoning on its own felt a bit flimsy for subjecting Seiko upon Aizawa, so he added, "That and, uh, I didn't sleep well, s-so... yeah. I didn't really want to see anyone." Hopefully that would suffice for now and she wouldn't press for more details. He didn't want to explain anything about last night. Just thinking about having that... whatever happen in front of Aizawa made Izuku almost flinch guiltily, and he quietly gulped. "Um, how was he?"
Toga hummed, spinning around to keep skpping down the hall in search of Sushi. "I think I woke him up. He sat up really suddenly and looked kinda spooked. Oh! Are his eyes always that bloodshot?"
"Yeah," Izuku replied absently, eyebrows furrowing. "Come to think of it, he usually needs eye drops because of his Quirk... If I'm right he's been a prisoner for over six months, and I doubt anyone would give them to him... Of course I doubt he'd use his Quirk much, either, so maybe the irritation isn't that bad... But is it healthy to go so long without them? Does stopping them suddenly cause more damage? What if—"
He was stopped by a thump against his leg, and his head snapped down to see Sushi rubbing against it. For a second he just stared at the cat dumbly, but then he jumped and practically dove to the ground to snatch her. "Sushi! There you are!" Sushi allowed herself to be picked up without fuss, nuzzling against him contently and bumping her head against his chest with a happy-sounding purr.
"Aw, she's so cute!" Toga squealed, almost teleporting to his side to scratch Sushi behind the ear. "She's so much sweeter than the last Sushi!"
"She does like people a lot," Izuku agreed, even as he wondered, The last Sushi? He shrugged it off and commented, "She spends most of the time with Hijack, so I haven't gotten to hold her much. She's really friendly though." Usually the cats he saw avoided people, but given the apparent history of cats named Sushi he felt it safer not to mention that in case there were any other exceptions.
"Ooh, does that mean Jackie will get to rename him?" Toga asked eagerly, and Izuku paused. From what Aiko said, Kurogiri apparently named every cat Sushi for some reason until someone else changed it.
"Yeah, I guess so," he said. "They spend the most time together, so it's only fair."
"We should probably get her back now!" Toga said with a grin, and Izuku somehow managed to suppress the look of pure panic. He still did not want to subject Shinsou and Bakugou to Toga more than strictly necessary. More than that, he'd left the notebook with his notes on the others. If Toga saw that, then even if Kacchan had destroyed those pages she might get curious about it.
"Um, m-maybe I should go alone," he squeaked, and her grin gave way to a pout.
"Aw, but why?" she whined, and he grimaced.
"I'm sorry, but you can be kind of... intimidating, sometimes, and they're not used to your, uh, enthusiasm. And I think Seiko was there watching them for a while before I showed up?" He shrugged lamely. "I don't know, they said she did that yesterday too while I was gone. And you know how—uh, stressful, maybe? I mean, how when you're around Seiko for a while, and you don't know her that well..."
Toga tilted her head as he trailed off, pout fading to a surprisingly contemplative look. "You mean how spooky she is, and being around her leaves you feeling all creepy and jumpy?" she suggested, surprising Izuku. He hadn't expected her to be so insightful, or to even admit that Seiko gave people those sorts of feelings given she seemed to like the girl. He thought she might be immune to the effects, or at least used to it, but apparently not.
"Yeah, that," he agreed with a nod. "They're both probably really on edge—I'm actually kinda surprised Kacchan didn't destroy the controllers—so bringing you along might just stress them out more. I'm really sorry."
Toga still looked disappointed, but to his relief she heaved a big, dramatic sigh and nodded her head. "Yeah, I guess so," she relented, cheeks puffing as she pouted. "I still really want to see Jackie, but I can wait a bit." She quickly perked up though, flashing another big grin as she gave a little clap. "Oh! But before you go, I have something for you!"
"You do?" Izuku asked, shoving down the instant of sheer dread. She bobbed her head eagerly, reaching into her sweater's pocket to pull out something wrapped in a handkerchief. The fabric was white with a largely pink petal pattern, with a few random red petals that he at first mistook for blood splatters.
"Ta-da!" she said with a bright smile, shoving it towards him. "Don't open it up until you're alone or with Jackie and Tsuki-chan, okay?" That didn't help ease Izuku's concern, but he forced a weak smile as he shifted his hold on Sushi so he could take it—or tried to, anyway. The object wasn't too big, but holding both it and an armful of cat was tricky. And then he realized he'd also have to open the door to Shinsou's cell.
After a few seconds of trying to figure out a good way to balance both, he sighed and withdrew his hand to clutch Sushi again. "Can you just put it in my pocket?" he asked lamely.
"Of course!" she chirped, and quickly slid it into the pocket of his hoodie before scratching Sushi's ear again. "I'm so glad you're safe, kitty! I'll see you later, Mido-chan!"
"Bye, Toga," Izuku said, and the girl gave a jaunty wave before twirling and bouncing off. As he turned to head to Shinsou's cell he allowed himself a soft sigh of relief to finally be away from her, before wondering about what she'd given him. Whatever it was, Izuku could tell it was something hard from how it bounced against his side as he walked.
It didn't take long to reach the room, and he knocked on the door with his foot before awkwardly fumbling to enter the code to unlock it. "I got Sushi," he declared as he entered. The other two were sitting on the bed again, the Switch notably turned off and controllers stored away with the notebook open on Bakugou's lap. Shinsou all but jumped to his feet, eagerly crossing the room to take back the feline with obvious relief.
"Took you long enough," Bakugou huffed, and Izuku sighed.
"Sorry. I'm kinda disoriented today." That was an understatement, and one he didn't want to risk being overhead. Biting his lip, he checked that Shinsou had a good grip on Sushi before calling, "Seiko?" The room felt tense as they all held their breaths, but after several seconds passed without anything happening his shoulders slumped with a relieved sigh. "Okay, I guess she's not here then."
"You sure?" Bakugou grumbled, and Izuku could only give a helpless shrug.
"Not really," he admitted miserably. "But usually if I call her she shows up, so for now I'll just assume she's not here." He sincerely hoped that was the case, if only for his peace of mind. "Last night when I took Eraserhead dinner, something weird happened."
With that he proceeded to fill them in on what happened, from the argument to the sudden "white-out" and subsequent disorientation. Izuku felt they needed to know everything, as it could impact their escape plans. He also included a rough summary of the speculations he'd seen in the chat just before heading over to Shinsou's room, though he phrased it as if it were his own thoughts just in case Seiko was listening.
"It could be a symptom of an upcoming 'episode,' but I don't think they usually have warning signs or I wouldn't be able to really hide them," he said. "I do feel like there must be some sort of connection to it though. I think I still remembered some stuff subconsciously, but now my subconscious has kinda... forgotten it." Honestly, he'd started suspecting that even before whatever happened last night, so to hear the others validate it with similar experiences (even if they didn't detail them over the messages) made it seem even more likely.
Shinsou and Bakugou both looked contemplative. "So what, it's like a pseudo-episode?" the blond grumbled. "Is that even possible?"
"I don't have any better explanations," Izuku said with a shrug, sighing as he walked over to the bed. He picked up the open notebook almost absently, noting he could see shreds of paper near the spiral binding showing at least one page had been torn out. The remaining page had writing, but not his own, piquing his curiosity.
'Inventor & bracelets'
For a few seconds Izuku looked at the words with blank confusion, but then it suddenly clicked and he jolted. "Seiko, if you're there, can you come out?" he called tightly. "I have a question." Several seconds passed in silence.
"What do you need to ask her?" Bakugou asked when she didn't appear.
"Nothing, I just wanted to be absolutely sure she's not here," Izuku responded as he turned to face them both. "Do you think we should ask the inventor if she can look at the anklets?"
"No, I want to ask her to make us matching friendship bracelets," the blond snorted sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Look, we have no idea how to unlock them yet and we don't even know what kind of bomb it is. Maybe if we can get her one, she can figure some shit out. So do you know where they keep the spares?"
"Well, if I did, I don't think I do now," Izuku groaned. "And I don't know if I can really ask anyone about those, so..."
"So basically, you're even more useless than usual," Bakugou growled irritably, and Izuku couldn't even argue that.
"Maybe I can ask Aiko?" he mumbled. "She seems to be really friendly and open to questions, and she knows I'm supposedly having an episode, so if I ask her about the bomb she'd probably tell me. Maybe she'd tell me how they're unlocked, too, but that might make her suspicious if I ask? Actually, she also seems kinda protective like Shigaraki, so if she finds out about... whatever happened last night, she might get freaked out, and she seems really observant so maybe it's a bad idea to talk to her. I guess Seiko would probably tell me where they are if I asked her, but I'd rather not do that..."
While he rambled Shinsou set Sushi on the floor so he could get out his phone, typing quickly. "What's in the pocket?" he asked, and Izuku paused, glancing down at his hoodie in surprise. After coming back he'd forgotten about the thing Toga gave him, but he could see a corner of the handkerchief sticking out of his pocket.
"Oh, uh, I don't actually know," he said, pulling out the bundle. "Toga gave it to me after she helped find Sushi. She said not to open it in the hallway, and..." He trailed off as he undid the knot and finally saw what was inside, blinking dumbly. "Um."
"What is it?" Bakugou asked impatiently. Rather than respond, Izuku lifted it up to show another anklet. The band was open with tape around one end to keep it from accidentally closing, the light on it dormant and almost invisible against the dark metal.
For several long seconds none of them spoke. Then, Shinsou lifted his phone to type. "What the fuck."
"I have no idea," Izuku whispered, face pale as he stared at the band. There was a thin piece of paper wrapped around one part, and he hesitantly unwrapped it and unfolded it to read it. "Um. 'It's turned off so it won't explode if it leaves. Just don't close it or it'll turn on! Good luck with whatever!' And then she drew a bunch of hearts." He looked up at them. "Guys, I'm kinda scared."
"...Fuck, I am too," Bakugou muttered, face pale, and Shinsou nodded in agreement.
Shouta messed up.
Last night he'd just been so shaken up by the discovery there were at least two kids being held prisoner. The stakes had already been high enough with his own life at stake, but discovering there were other prisoners—and kids, no less—had kicked up the urgency of the situation. At this point, escape was no longer about his own survival. Rescuing those kids was his duty as a hero, the first duty he'd be able to actually carry out in months.
Shouta already knew that if he wanted to succeed, everything would hinge on getting Midoriya on his side. Loathe as he was to admit it, he lacked the ability to do anything on his own; he couldn't even stand with his leg broken like this. If he wanted to get out of here—if he wanted to save those kids—he needed Midoriya's help.
But seeing him with those other two had made Shouta realize how little he knew about the boy, too little to guarantee he'd actually be able to recruit his help. The kid had just been so calm, and the only discomfort he'd shown was at Shouta's obvious glare rather than their circumstances. To him, those dark bands and fucking muzzle were just normal. Even the other boys had started to adapt to this as their normal.
Something about that had just made it click, how much of an unknown Midoriya Izuku really was. He didn't even know the kid's surname was Midoriya until Hijack said the name (with the phone because he was fucking muzzled).
The boy had been nice so far, yes, had even gone out of his way to make Shouta comfortable. But was that how he really was? Was it all just an act, to lower his guard and earn Shouta's trust before revealing his true callous nature for maximum effect?
For that reason, Shouta had goaded the boy when he returned with dinner, trying to provoke him with pointed accusations. Every word had been calculated to incite an emotional response, whether to make him angry or simply gauge his feelings and reactions to each statement. If he wanted to get a real sense of Midoriya Izuku's true personality and intent, he needed the boy to drop his meek façade. He needed to see if the mask would break into an explosive rage, cold apathy, or crushing guilt and shame.
And at first, it worked. The kid responded, getting more and more defensive with each word, dropping little hints to his true motivations as anger got the better of him. He was heading to his breaking point, perfectly unaware of Shouta's intentional steering.
He hadn't expected the kid to suddenly stop mid-sentence and fall to his knees.
The kid had gone from shouting defensively to nearly catatonic in the span of a single second. The change had been abrupt with absolutely no warning. It sent a surge of panic and concern through Shouta, not expecting something like that, and he'd dragged himself over to check on him. His face was perfectly blank, even his eyes seeming to briefly lose their spark. Shouta had fallen back on his training, nearly started walking him through the process to calm down from a panic attack before realizing this was something else entirely, something he didn't know.
When the kid finally, finally came to his senses, he seemed disoriented and confused. His responses had been sluggish and slow, almost as if he were in a daze. And then, he'd run away. He scrambled to his feet and fled, hadn't even cared that he was leaving behind the plate with the untouched food.
Shouta had proceeded to eat the sushi warily after he left, trying to figure out what he'd just witnessed. Something was clearly wrong, and he wondered if the kid might be able to explain it when he inevitably returned for the empty plate.
But Midoriya never came back for it, the first sign things might be worse than he thought.
And now, Shouta was paying the price for his behavior.
That morning he'd been awoken by the door being slammed open by a teenage girl with blond hair and a school uniform. His first thought had been she might be another prisoner, the idea making his stomach churn. But then he saw her too-sharp smile and the sandwich and realized she wasn't.
Toga Himiko, as she'd introduced herself, was a member of the Alliance, and just as manic as you'd expect of a teenage girl who willingly aligned herself with villains. She'd happily chattered away as he ate, collecting the empty plate from dinner with barely any questions. It had been all he could do not to panic, her questions leaving him without an appetite and eager for her to leave so he could reflect in peace over how Midoriya hadn't come.
Midoriya hadn't come.
That thought haunted Shouta as he curled on his side, trying to pace his breathing. Had the boy been upset and wanted to avoid him? Had his harsh accusations chased off Midoriya? The possibility made Shouta's chest constrict painfully, his breath catching as his heartbeat picked up. What if Midoriya didn't want to see him anymore? What if he just assigned someone else to look after Shouta?
The mere idea made him want to scream. Not again, he couldn't go through that hell again. Last time that happened he'd spent days in total darkness with plastic shoved down his throat, arms trapped against his torso and sludge pouring down a tube for every meal. The memory made him nearly hyperventilate, curling up tight on the ground as he tried to work himself through a potential panic attack before it could form.
For all he didn't trust Midoriya, the boy had been nice. He had tried to make Shouta comfortable, lingered during mealtimes to keep him company, brought him pillows when he didn't need to. He had even let Shouta listen to Hizashi on his phone, spending hours in the cell until the show ended late at night even though he could be in bed fast asleep.
Midoriya was the nicest captor Shouta ever had, and even if that was a façade to lower his guard like he feared, he was a fool to provoke him into potentially ending that kindness. Shouta had realized long ago that many fates worse than death existed. Being abandoned was near the top of his list.
If Midoriya came back, Shouta needed to make it back to the kid's good graces as fast as possible. He'd grovel and touch his forehead to the floor if he had to, but he needed to make sure Midoriya didn't hate him and abandon him. He'd even give up the subtle manipulation, stop trying to test the kid's character. He wouldn't even ask about what happened last night.
Forget escaping, he just didn't want to endure that hell ever again.
The sound of the door opening made him flinch and suck in a sharp breath. This was it, the moment of truth. Either Midoriya would be there, at which point Shouta could gauge how badly he'd fucked up, or someone else would be there, which would also indicate how badly he'd fucked up. Offering a silent prayer, he rolled over and looked at the door, and his heart sank upon seeing a woman.
Shit. He'd fucked up very badly then.
In his disappointment and momentary despair, it took a moment to notice two things. First, the woman carried no food, so she wasn't there to bring him a meal. That realization gave him a momentary spark of relief. While he didn't know the purpose of her visit and it could still be bad, this meant there was still a chance Midoriya would return with the next meal and hadn't abandoned him yet.
Then he noticed a familiar pair of yellow goggles around her neck.
He felt himself freeze as his eyes locked onto them, mouth suddenly very dry. Those were his goggles. That brief second of relief vanished, his body tense and more on edge than it had been even when Midoriya had suddenly collapsed as he watched her step inside. She closed the door behind herself without ever looking away from Shouta, and he tore his gaze away from the goggles long enough to meet her eyes. Even from a distance he could tell they glittered with white specks, catching the dim light present in the room.
"Hello, Eraserhead," she greeted. "It's been a while."
Alarm bells had already been ringing in his head, but something about her words sent a thrill of dread through him. He wouldn't say he recognized her voice, but the way she said it seemed to tug at his mind, giving him a nauseating sense of danger. He swallowed harshly as he sat up, instincts demanding he not let himself appear any more vulnerable than he was.
"Who are you?" he demanded, and she hummed.
"Guess you wouldn't recognize me, huh?" she mused, which only deepened that intense, instinctive dread. His eyes flicked to his goggles around her neck. No... It can't be... "It's not like you ever saw me back then."
All at once, his mind went blank as a sense of nausea crashed into him, his breath catching painfully in his throat as his chest sharply constricted. No. No, no, no, it couldn't be—but it was. Even though he'd never seen her, even though her voice had changed, somehow those words alone were enough to confirm his worst fears.
Still, he found his mouth opening, a single name slipping out full of dread. "Aiko."
Notes:
No question for next time. Your reactions are enough.
Chapter 60: Nostalgic Meeting
Summary:
Aiko visits Aizawa.
Notes:
Minor trigger warning: description of a drawing of hanging bodies. Just in case.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 60
.::Nostalgic Meeting::.
Izuku had been on his way to his room when he found Seiko drawing on the wall. He had to stop when he turned the corner, eyes immediately fixed on the bloody red tree.
"Uh, Seiko?" he asked, voice just slightly higher pitched than usual.
"Yes?" she asked, not bothering to look back at him.
"Are those... bodies hanging from the tree?" He stared at the distinctly humanoid figures dangling from the tree branches, feeling more than a little unnerved. Sketchy-looking strokes had been used to create the human outlines, more detailed than stick figures but still rather bare and all the more creepy looking for it.
"Yes," she replied simply, still not bothering to turn around. Her full attention seemed to be focused on using those shadowy tendrils to add some strokes to one of the faces. The faces lacked a lot of fine detail other than slash-like cross marks for the eyes and scratchy-looking circles for the mouths, which honestly made it worse.
"...Oh," Izuku said lamely, for lack of anything better to say. For a moment they just stood in silence, Seiko continuing her work while Izuku watched in a sort of numb state. Okay, so drawing on the walls was totally a thing kids did, and quite possibly the most normal thing Seiko had done so far. But she also seemed a bit old for that, and the whole hanging corpses thing was definitely wait was that a head in the hole in the tree's center?
"By the way, Aiko is here." Izuku was so transfixed by the eerily detailed severed human head sitting in the hollow that it took a few seconds for Seiko's words to register. When they did he just blinked mildly, still a bit dazed by the severed head.
"Oh, where is she?" he asked almost absently. Aiko visiting didn't seem too alarming right now, or maybe he was just focused on the tears of blood.
"She went to visit Eraserhead," Seiko responded idly.
This time, the words had the instant impact they deserved. Izuku snapped out of his stunned state instantly, the nightmarish tree promptly forgotten. "She did what?" he squeaked, face rapidly draining of color. No, no no no! She wasn't supposed to know about him! They had been so careful not to tell her he was here! "Did you tell her?"
"No. She said Toga told her on a phone call yesterday." Izuku resisted the urge to simultaneously groan and scream. How did he not account for Toga? He knew she and Aiko talked, Aiko mentioned her telling her about Uraraka when he first met her!
This was bad. This was very bad. He turned and all but fled to Aizawa's cell, not caring if Seiko might follow him or not. He still had no idea what their connection was, but Aiko had his goggles, and he sincerely doubted Aizawa handed them over willingly.
Please don't let him be too late before something bad happened.
"Aiko."
The name alone had Shouta's skin prickling with goosebumps as he said it, hoping—praying—that he was wrong. He'd never seen her, and this woman's voice was different, just the slightest bit deeper. It could easily just be lingering paranoia, years-old unease brought back to the surface by his current circumstances. Yet even so he already sensed deep down that he was right.
The woman smiled thinly, expression wry and lacking any humor. "Guess I stand corrected," she chuckled. Shouta flinched at the confirmation, swearing he felt his heartbeat briefly stutter as a full-body shudder wracked his frame. It felt like ice had been dumped over him, like the world had suddenly shrunk around him, like he was trapped with his arms against his chest and eyes covered and couldn't breathe—
No. He firmly banished the memories even as he cringed in on himself, forcing himself to breathe steadily as his gaze fell to his lap. Five things he could see: His pants. The splint around his broken leg. His shirt. A dark red blanket spread on the floor. An off-white pillow skewed and rumpled near the end from when he'd abruptly sat up.
Four things he could feel: The worn, slightly itchy material of his shirt. The soft but slightly irritating material of the gray mittens against his hands. Pressure around his neck, and the weight of a chain hanging from it to drape down to the floor—
Shouta sucked in a sharp breath and hissed in displeasure as he lightly shook his head. Fuck, he was trying to ground himself to prevent a panic attack, but it just reminded him of his predicament. He grit his teeth in frustration, silently commanding himself to stay calm. Reminding himself that even if he was vulnerable and restrained, he wasn't back there. He could still see, could still move his arms and good leg.
But it was hard to convince himself that he was safe with her in the room.
Despite his acute distress, Shouta knew he couldn't stay silent and panic forever. Silently counting backwards from ten, once he reached zero he forced himself to lift his head again to look at Aiko. She'd moved a few steps away from the door and sat on the floor while he'd focused on grounding himself, now holding his goggles in her hands and idly fiddling with the straps.
Part of him felt relief she wasn't looking at him even as his anxiety spiked at seeing the familiar yellow goggles in her hands. She didn't seem to expect him to say something, letting him work through his emotions in his own time. Quite possibly one of the few positive things about her was that she never pushed him to speak, usually filling in the silence herself and letting him respond on his own terms. It was one of the few things he had any control over.
This time Shouta knew it wouldn't be an option though. She had clearly sought him out, and he doubted she would leave without satisfying whatever urge drew her here. And he knew she wouldn't start until he opened up the conversation to signify he was ready.
"What do you want?" he ground out reluctantly, and her eyes flicked up. That star-like pattern was almost mesmerizing, a dazzling and eye-catching feature he'd never have associated with her even after all the years of dreaming of the face that went with that voice. If he didn't know any better he'd suspect she had some sort of hypnotic Emitter-type Quirk that centered around them.
(But he did know better, knew enough to want her to stay as far away as possible even if he didn't know the full specifics.)
"To talk, mostly," she replied with a small shrug, gaze returning to his goggles. "I only found out you were here last night. Honestly, I thought you might be dead." The casualness of the remark had him wincing even as she continued, "Last I heard about you was in April. Don't know if that's when you got captured or if you kept a low profile for a while, but it's definitely been long enough for the three month rule to take effect."
The casual remark had his teeth grinding in apprehension, though for different reasons now. "How the hell do you even know about that?" he demanded.
His question had Aiko pausing, glancing up at him curiously. "Is it... not common knowledge?" she asked, sounding genuinely surprised.
"No, it's not," he spat sharply. The three month rule, while commonly recognized among underground heroes and those who worked with them, wasn't exactly common knowledge. They didn't really want villains knowing that after three months all search efforts would likely end. Who knew what sick and twisted games they'd play with that information, both on their victims and those searching desperately for them.
"Huh," she said softly, looking distant and thoughtful, before finally shrugging and returning to her fiddling. "Learn something new every day. Thank you for telling me, I'll make a point not to reference it in the future. It's so hard to keep track of what's common knowledge, and that one doesn't ever come up so it's the first I've heard of it."
Shouta almost wanted to bang his head against the floor at how blatantly she avoided his question. Even with his nerves at an all-time high, he felt a pang of annoyance at how she danced around the question. He didn't push it though, knowing it would be futile. "Would you actually care if I died?" he questioned instead.
"I wouldn't be broken up over it, but I'd still be a little sad," she responded idly. "You are one of my favorite heroes, believe it or not. I think most people would have retired after that, but you didn't. You went back in, just like you said you would. Every time I see you, you still have this fight and spark of will in your eyes. I already respected you for that, but seeing you in action... It's hard not to be a fan." Once more her remarks had Shouta stilling, breath catching as he caught onto the implications.
"We've met since then?" he whispered hoarsely. When? Surely he'd remember seeing someone with those eyes, unless she wore contacts. Had she been in disguise? Or had she been spying on him? Had she followed him without him knowing? How long—
"We have similar tastes in criminal organizations," she said before his thoughts could spiral too far. "You just happen to target a lot of groups I like to keep an eye on." She paused in her fiddling then, the strap twisted and looped once around a single finger, and frowned. "I should've investigated this last one more closely. Then I would've been the one to find you instead of Tomura."
Her expression darkened, voice dipping lower, and Shouta found himself cringing and shrinking away as a tremor started to spread through his body. He was not in that room again, he was not in that damn jacket, he did not have plastic shoved into his mouth and cloth wrapped tight over his eyes. He was still collared and chained to the floor like an animal, but he wasn't in that place anymore.
But she was here now. The situation had been dire, he knew that already, but he hadn't thought she would show up now. He'd been captured a few other times in the past and she'd never appeared then, but he should have known. He should have fucking realized with all the rumors about the Alliance that she might be connected to it, no matter how marginal that connection might be.
"I should have looked deeper," she grumbled, expression still dark and radiating displeasure. "Things could have been so much different if I'd just known..." Her voice trailed off into a bitter whisper. Shouta remained silent and braced himself, measured his breathing and counted back from ten to calm down.
He'd reached four when the door opened, startling him out of his counting and nearly making him gasp. His head snapped to the side to see Midoriya standing there, eyes wide with shock and alarm as he looked at them.
Shouta couldn't really define the sudden onslaught of emotions at seeing the teen. Earlier he likely would have been panicked, overcome with relief and perhaps ready to grovel, but right now he felt so much and so strongly that it was just too much. It left his mind frayed and uncertain of what to feel, leaving him feeling largely blank. Midoriya's wide eyes met Shouta's for a split-second before focusing on Aiko, mouth pulling into a small frown.
"Aiko-nee, what are you doing here?" he asked as he walked into the room. Aiko-nee, Shouta's mind repeated. Shit. She had twisted to face Midoriya, her earlier dark aura gone and faced lit up with a bright smile as she got to her feet.
"Just visiting Eraserhead and catching up," she replied cheerfully. "I can't believe you didn't tell me who was here, Izun. Or, well, I can," she amended with a faint chuckle. "Considering, you know." Midoriya's frown remained as he walked closer, circling around her while keeping a distance. Shouta didn't bother tracking his movements that closely, attention focused largely on Aiko to check her reaction to his presence.
"So you two know each other?" Midoriya asked.
"We've crossed paths before," she replied cryptically, still smiling. It was a friendly and gentle smile, the kind reserved for someone very precious. It felt odd seeing it on the face of a person who had haunted his nightmares for years even without a face.
"Like, as enemies?" Midoriya pressed, voice just slightly nervous, and her smile faded slightly as she sighed.
"Izuku, it's complicated. Maybe I'll explain some other time, but right now I just want to talk to him for a bit. Could you leave?" Shouta shuddered almost instinctively at her request, recalling that suffocating atmosphere he felt years ago, thick and oppressive and smothering him relentlessly even if only for a brief time. She didn't radiate an iota of that darkness right now, seeming for all the world to be a normal person, but he couldn't forget it.
"Um, I'd rather not," Midoriya replied after a moment, and both adults froze at that. Shouta's eyes finally tore away from Aiko to look at the green-haired teenager, taking in the anxious hunch to his shoulders as he shifted nervously and stammered, "I-I mean, Eraserhead is kind of my responsibility now, because T-Tomura-nii, well, you know. A-and I'd rather not... leave him alone with, well, anyone."
His words came out nervous and quiet, clearly uncomfortable with confrontation. Yet at the same time he spoke with an undercurrent of determination, his posture growing straighter and more firm as he spoke. As Shouta watched him it suddenly occurred to him the boy had placed himself between him and Aiko, using his own body almost as a shield. The realization made his eyes widen, his gaze flitting back to Aiko to gauge her reaction.
She didn't look displeased by the obvious defiance, instead regarding him thoughtfully. "Not even me?" she asked, and Shouta saw the boy tense briefly before shaking his head.
"No, not even you, Aiko-nee," he confirmed quietly, fists clenching at his side. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Aiko's mouth curved into a faint smile, fondness sparkling among the star-like spots dotting her irises. "You're just doing what you think is right, hard to be angry at that." She held up her hands in a show of mock surrender as she stepped back, dipping her head. "I'll just head out then. Don't tell Tomura you saw me though," she added with a sheepish chuckle. "I kinda snuck in, and you know how he gets when I don't say hi to him or stop by when he's not around."
Midoriya looked startled by the request, but his shoulders soon slumped. "Are you actually trying to avoid him?"
"Maybe a little," she admitted far too cheerfully. "Anyways, see you later Izuku!" She darted forward long enough to ruffle his hair, laughing when he squawked in dismay. As he rushed to fix his hair she shot a glance at Shouta, making him stiffen as she added, "And you too, Eraserhead." He flinched at the thought of her returning, but bit his lip and kept silent. With a final wave she turned and left, the thud of the door leaving them in heavy silence.
Only then did Shouta finally let himself slump forward, exhaling a shaky breath as his heartbeat finally slowed to a more reasonable pace. Midoriya spun to face him as he slumped, darting over to his side and dropping into a crouch. "A—E-Eraserhead, sir?" he asked hurriedly. "Are you okay?"
Shouta blinked slowly, still processing what just happened, and took a deep breath as he looked up. Midoriya had an openly worried look on his face as he hovered just beyond Shouta's reach, the concern in his eyes feeling almost palpable. Whether it was genuine or faked, Shouta was in no state to determine right now, his mind still reeling from everything.
"What do you know about her?" he finally demanded, and the kid winced.
"...Um, if you mean what she does for the Alliance, n-not much?" he stammered. "Aiko-nee is basically my older sister, I guess, and we don't really... uh, talk about work."
So he didn't know, Shouta thought. The fact that the kid stood up to her like that, no matter how familiar and close they might be, already seemed to suggest he didn't know anyway, but his response just solidified it. The kid seemed to hesitate before looking at him, asking, "Um, how do you know her, if you don't mind me asking?"
Shouta flinched at the question, gritting his teeth as he looked down. "...If she wants you to know, you can ask her," he said roughly. He wouldn't be the one to out her secrets if she didn't want Midoriya to know. Given what he knew of her, angering her could very well be a death sentence and he would rather not die just yet.
At the same time though, denying Midoriya might just upset him. The realization sent a cold chill through Shouta and he winced, eyes briefly widening in horror. "I'm sorry," he tacked on hurriedly. "But I just... I can't..." He trailed off, feeling his heart start to race again. Shit. This was so fucked up, he shouldn't be so anxious talking to a teenager, but—
(But had she been that much older than Midoriya was now?)
No. Stop thinking about it. He shook his head furiously, dispelling the thoughts and memories before they could fully form. "A—Eraserhead, sir?" Midoriya's meek voice brought him back to reality, and he looked up to find the kid watching him with a frantic look. Shouta could only look for a moment before tearing his gaze away again.
"I'm sorry," he repeated in a hoarse whisper, because he didn't know what else to say, couldn't bring himself to say anything else. The kid frowned in his peripheral vision, and for a moment Shouta feared he'd try to push for more anyway, or get mad he refused. But to his eternal relief Midoriya seemed to decide against it.
"Okay," he said. "But also, um... I'm sorry." That startled Shouta, head snapping back up and eyes going wide as Midoriya stammered, "A-about not bringing you breakfast this morning, or stopping by. I—it's just, after last night, I just..." He trailed off, frowning and shaking his head. "I shouldn't have avoided you today. I'm sorry."
Shouta just stared dumbly, still stunned to have gotten an apology for anything. And for something so small? Shouta had been the one who'd intentionally pushed the kid to his breaking point, until whatever happened last night. With how it ended, he'd be surprised if the kid wanted anything to do with him—
And then it suddenly hit him: Midoriya was here.
Despite everything that happened last night, despite all his anxieties from that morning, Midoriya came back. The kid actually came back. Maybe it was the shock of that realization, maybe it was just nerves from the previous five minutes, but at long last Shouta finally, finally felt like his head had cleared, his mind once more grounded in the present. And with that came familiar rationality.
All at once he felt the energy drain from his shoulders, heaving a heavy sigh. "...Kid, if anyone should apologize, it's me," he said, and now it was Midoriya's turn to be surprised. Shouta didn't look at him as he muttered, "I'm the one that provoked you last night until... whatever happened."
He grimaced, not sure how to even approach whatever that was. Part of him wanted to ask about, because despite how it initially looked that wasn't a panic attack. Now was not the time though, nor did he know if the kid would even answer, so he instead continued, "I shouldn't have pushed you like that. And besides, you were right."
The last part pushed Midoriya's surprise to peak levels, confusion now lacing his expression while Shouta hung his head. "About what?" he asked after a few seconds.
"The heroes won't know what they're getting into," Shouta said gruffly, and felt the air grow heavier.
Izuku spent an hour with Aizawa, shoulders feeling heavier than they had in a long time when he stepped out of the room. They hadn't really talked much after that last bit, but he had been wary to leave so soon after Aiko left, and he felt like Aizawa felt just as wary of being left alone.
He couldn't get the brief encounter with Aiko out of his mind. When he threw open the door, he felt like all of his fears had been confirmed. Aizawa actually flinched, and when their eyes met Izuku realized Toga hadn't been exaggerating about how bloodshot they were compared to normal. Worse though, he could see the tension in Aizawa's body, coiled up and clearly threatened. Izuku had never seen his teacher look so vulnerable.
Placing himself between them had been pure instinct. Standing up to Aiko like that made his nerve rankle like never before, even as she smiled and acted so friendly, but he couldn't ignore Aizawa's discomfort. Aizawa had been there for him so many times in his own world, he literally risked his life to protect him and all his other classmates. Returning the favor felt natural, even if it wasn't their teacher.
That instinct only grew stronger as Izuku confronted Aiko. Aizawa spent the full time on the defensive, and only when the door closed did he finally, finally relax again. Even then though he didn't completely lose the tension, still clearly on edge for the majority of the visit. Izuku had no idea what happened before he showed up, what Aiko said or did, but the man looked more shaken than he'd thought possible.
Now more than ever, Izuku wanted to tell Aizawa that he was on his side and about the escape, but he couldn't. The way Aizawa looked and acted, he was clearly disturbed by the visit from Aiko and not in the best frame of mind. What terrified Izuku the most though was the anxiety Aizawa briefly showed before he apologized for refusing to tell him about his history with Aiko, how he'd been unable to even finish his senteces. And then later, the sheer relief that briefly flickered on Aizawa's face before he apologized for provoking him last night.
Izuku wasn't an expert in these things, but there was something very, very wrong with the power dynamic here. That much had been obvious from the very start, the man was a prisoner after all, but Aizawa's behavior made him realize there was even more than he'd initially realized. There just seemed to be some sort of—of desperation, maybe. Something frantic and fearful. Whatever it was left Izuku feeling cold.
Telling Aizawa anything with him in that state, while it might give the man some relief, felt like a bad idea in the long run. He wasn't thinking clearly, and when his mind did clear up, how would he react? Would he believe it, or would he think Izuku had been taking advantage of his current state? Would it just make him double down on his doubts, and later accuse Izuku of trying to fool him again?
So, no. Izuku's gut said now was not the time to tell him, and he had no better idea than to trust it for now.
He frowned as he finally reached his room and closed the door, heading to the desk to grab his phone. This couldn't go on much longer. They needed to get out, and to that end he opened up the group chat, mind flicking to the cuff still wrapped up in his pocket.
'Guys, could you push the meeting back to Tuesday? Or at least tomorrow evening? I need to meet up with Uraraka first. I might have something I need delivered to Hatsume'
Around the same time Ran sat alone in a park with Nakamura, having just filled him in on the situation. The older teen had never looked quite as grave as he did then, shoulders slumped and one hand pressed to the bridge of his nose.
"This is bad," he said after several long moments. "Very, very bad."
"Yep," she agreed with a nod.
"We are not telling anyone the full details," he added.
"Nope." That much was obvious.
"I'll read in Glitch, and come up with something to tell the others," he continued. "We'll meet up with these guys, or spy on them, or something, and... get the rest of the details, I guess?" He dragged his hand down his face. "Do you want to hijack one of my ears or something when the meeting comes around?"
"That would be helpful," Ran agreed with a nod. "Text me when it's time, I'll cut class if I have to."
"Great," he growled under his breath, hanging his head with a tired sigh. "I hate this."
"That makes two of us."
This meeting was going to suck.
OMAKE: Seiko's Masterpiece
Later that evening, Tomura was walking through the halls on his way to visit Izuku when he heard the familiar sounds of Twice arguing with himself. "What the heck is that thing? It's terrifying! The blossoms are so pretty! This is going to haunt my nightmares!"
"I know, right?" Slycer's voice muttered. "This is some real nightmare shit..."
"The presentation is certainly... effective," Compress hummed, sounding mildly unsettled. At that point Tomura found his curiosity officially piqued, and changed course to go to that hallway. He turned the corner to find a small crowd standing in front of a wall, including Magne, Mustard, and a bunch of other mooks whose names he didn't bother learning.
"What the hell's going on?" he grumbled as he tromped over, only to stop and join them in gaping at a wall.
A grotesque tree had been scribbled on it in what looked almost like blood, the branches filled in with light pink petals and adorned by nooses used to hang multiple bodies. The scratchily-drawn expressions made them look like they were in unspeakable agony, mouths open and eyes screwed tightly shut. Most dangled limply, arms hanging at their sides with eerily defined fingers compared to the rest of their largely basic silhouettes. He couldn't help notice how all the scratchiness of the red made the fingertips look almost bloody.
And as if that wasn't enough, a severed human head sat in the hollow of the tree. Far more detailed than the hanging bodies, with fully defined eyes and a mouth partially open as if gasping for air for lungs it no longer possessed.
That was when Tomura decided, Fuck this. "Fuck this," he said out loud, just for good measure. "What the actual fuck. Who drew this shit?"
"I don't know, but I think they need therapy," Magne proclaimed solemnly, getting several solemn nods of agreement. For once Tomura couldn't even disagree, because there was just something messed up about that drawing.
In the end, he didn't visit Izuku that night. The rest of the night was devoted to investigating who the heck made that drawing, with no success. Mainly because no one came forward to claim responsibility, and then devolved into ridiculous conspiracy theories about supernatural entities, much to his irritation.
(As she watched from the shadows as the Alliance argued over theories about ghosts of dead patients coming back to haunt them, Seiko silently decided her drawing to be a roaring success.)
Notes:
No question this week, either. Looking forward to your reactions.
Chapter 61: Fluff and Flaming Fences
Summary:
Denki and Jirou prepare for a patrol. Meanwhile, the second tutoring session takes place.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 61
.::Fluff and Flaming Fences::.
After much negotiation, the meeting got delayed to Tuesday. Everyone had been disgruntled by the delay, but Midoriya said he needed the time to check some stuff. Specifically, the delivery for Hatsume. He didn't say what it was because he wanted to get some more information, but he also wanted to talk to Uraraka about... something that happened yesterday? So she could pass it on too?
Denki was admittedly curious about all that, but he didn't dwell on it long. At the end of the day they'd still find out tomorrow. So with an extra day before the meeting, he and Jirou decided to use that time to do another patrol and keep the 1-A Vigilantes in the news. Especially since Tokoyami might be here.
"Do you think he's from 1-A?" he asked Jirou as they moved around his apartment preparing for their patrol. They'd already done the morning check in with their homeroom teachers, and had since moved on to collecting their stuff. Most of their gear usually stayed at the warehouse, but they'd grabbed some smaller things yesterday to take to Odawara before Midoriya asked them to delay the meeting.
For her part Jirou just shrugged while shoving her gauntlets into a tote bag. "I don't know. Maybe? They did only show up here after we started making news, so it'd kinda make sense I guess."
"Man, I kinda hope so," Denki said, hopping to grab one of his lightning rods from top shelf of a bookshelf. "I've been looking into this Gentle Criminal guy, and he actually sounds kinda rad in this world? Like, I dunno, he seems like he's actually really good!" He turned around and found Jirou gazing at him quizzically, making him pause. "What? Is that weird?"
"No, or well, yeah, it is," she deadpanned. "But I was wondering more about why your gear is on that shelf." Denki paused and glanced over at the bookshelf.
"...I actually don't know," he said blankly. Sometimes he just threw stuff around without really thinking about where he put it, but he usually knew where to find it afterwards.
Jirou just snorted. "Maybe you're a sleepwalker in this world," she joked dryly, and turned away to continue gathering her belongings while Denki frowned. He definitely wasn't a sleepwalker in his own world, so he didn't know if this world's Denki was either. Would it carry over like muscle memory? Or was it something else? Like the other Denki was trying to take control of his body again, but could only really do it at night while he was asleep?
The thought made him shudder. Okay, too creepy. He glanced back at the shelf looking for a distraction, and his eye quickly caught on a framed family photo. He'd noticed it before but hadn't really looked at it, finding it weirdly intrusive to look at stuff from the other Denki. His mom stood in the back beside a black-haired man while Denki stood next to an orange-haired girl who looked a little younger than him, both holding toddlers with gold and red hair.
He blinked at it, eyes drawn to the toddlers. "Oh, I guess I have three siblings in this world then," he mused. He heard a thump behind him and turned to see Jirou staring wide-eyed, having dropped the tote bag she'd used to store her gear.
"Hold on, what?" she demanded. "Are you saying you have extra siblings in this world that don't exist in ours?"
"Uh, yeah, I guess?" He shrugged, glancing back at the photo awkwardly with a small grimace. "Actually, I think my parents got divorced? I have texts from a girl named Akiko and she called me 'laziest stepbrother ever' so I mean, I'm just kinda assuming that they split up...?"
"Back up, you have a stepsister?" Jirou cut in. "When did you find those texts?"
"Day two, I think?" Her jaw actually fell open at that and Denki shrugged again, face twisting into a small grimace. "I've, uh, tried not to think on it too hard. I stopped reading the history after the 'stepbrother' thing. But I think the main reason I came to school in Hosu was because the house was just too much with the twins?" He had no context for that since he literally just found out they existed, but it felt... weirdly right?
Jirou just stared even harder, and then walked over to look at the photo. "Okay, question. How do you know they're twins?" That had Denki pausing and turning to glance at the photo again. The toddlers looked similar enough, but they weren't identical. The blond one had much rounder eyes than her twin brother, closer to who he presumed to be Akiko and her dad, and the redhead was noticeably larger than his sister even in Denki's arms. Or maybe the blond one was just small? Or both?
"...I don't know," he said slowly. "I guess because they're toddlers, I just kinda... assumed...?" He trailed off awkwardly, feeling distinctly uncomfortable because he felt like there was more to it than just that. He still felt a bit spooked thinking about all the subconscious mumbo-jumbo they discussed yesterday. The idea that he still had some memories from this other Denki, who lived a totally different life, just made him feel creeped out. Like the other Denki might wake up one day and demand he get out.
For a moment neither of them spoke, just stared at the photo. Then Jirou turned and trotted over to the kitchen counter to grab his phone, quickly unlocking it and scrolling through it. "Their names are Maki and Momiji," she declared after several long seconds. "If you scrolled up like five texts, that conversation you mentioned had her talking about them destroying a fence."
He startled and blurted, "Wait, what?"
"Momiji's Quirk came in early, and he can apparently produce maple sap? So he doused the wall, and then Maki got her hands on matches somehow." Denki openly winced at that.
"Is maple sap flammable?" he asked.
"According to these texts? Very." Denki shuddered.
"No wonder I left," he muttered, heading over to the kitchen counter to grab his gloves. He'd left them on top of a pile of bills and other mail, and when he grabbed them the pile shifted and he noticed something on the wall that made him pause. He shifted the pile away to get a clearer look. It was small, black and square, small enough to be hidden behind all the mail (granted, there was also some sort of big catalog at the bottom of the stack too), and relatively slim.
It must be sticky on one side, because it was attached to the wall just above the counter. Part of him wanted to try to pry it off, but his more rational side dictated that touching strange objects might not be the best idea. "Hey, Jirou?" he called. "Could you come here and tell me what this thing is?"
"What, you mean bills?" Jirou asked sarcastically as she came over, but fell silent as she saw the object. She visibly jolted in place, eyes going wide as she whispered, "Shit."
Oh crap, that was a bad sign. "What is it?" Denki pressed, and she turned to him with wide eyes. Rather than respond she grabbed his arm and dragged him to the front door, Denki not even getting a chance to whine about not wearing any shoes before she dragged him into the bitter cold in the hallway. She slammed the door and spun to face him, grabbing his shoulders to pull him close.
"That's a bug," she hissed, and Denki felt his blood run cold.
"What? Y-you mean like in spy movies!?"
"Yeah, no shit!" Jirou released his shoulders and turned around, tugging at her hair. "Shit, this is bad. This is really bad." She began pacing anxiously, the sight of it making Denki feel just as anxious. Jirou had been the solid rock this whole time, so seeing her freak out like this really did not help his nerves. Oh crap, that meant HE had to be the rational one here, didn't it?
"O-okay, let's not panic," he said, trying to step into his potential new role as the "voice of reason" as best as he could. "Uh, maybe other-me bought it because it was cool? I mean, I know that if I saw one of those for sale I'd buy it for sure! It might not be connected to anything! That doesn't mean anyone's listened to us—"
"Kaminari," Jirou cut in sharply, spinning to face him with a scowl. "That's one of Yaomomo's bugs. She's used them in three different training exercises!"
Denki paused as that sank in. Oh. Well that changed everything. "Okay, never mind, panic away," he declared, and proceeded to appropriately freak out.
As far as Hitoshi knew, Midoriya's agenda for today was all set. They'd discussed it in detail yesterday after finding that anklet from Toga. Most of it would be like any other day, save for Midoriya seeking out Toga to find her motive for giving it to him. After all, the timing was incredibly suspicious. Depending on her response, he'd take it to Aiko's place to give to Uraraka, who could then deliver it to someone to give to that inventor chick.
That plan of course got altered after Aiko snuck in to visit and traumatize Eraserhead, an event Midoriya had bemoaned for the remainder of the night. Having him come back and ramble for two hours about what the heck could cause such a reaction from the man had kinda put a damper on their gaming. Not that Hitoshi could blame him. From what Midoriya described, Aiko seemed to have triggered a flashback or something in the man.
After that, the plan got changed just slightly. Most of it remained the same, but Midoriya would go to Aiko's earlier. Mainly so he could confront Aiko on what the hell happened between her and Eraserhead in the past to make him so utterly freaked out.
So yeah, Midoriya's agenda for the day was set.
Unfortunately, it occurred to Hitoshi that none of the villains knew of his plans, or even what happened yesterday. If they had, Kurogiri wouldn't have appeared after breakfast to announce they'd be having more lessons with Eraserhead today.
"I trust you won't have any objections," the misty man commented while Hitoshi went to grab the bag Kurogiri had graciously brought to keep his schoolwork in. "The first session seemed to go well from Izuku's reports after all." Hitoshi grunted because overall it did go well—or as well as a tutoring session with a captive hero could go.
Today, however, he didn't think Eraserhead or Midoriya would be up for it. Based on how Midoriya rambled last night, their last meeting had been more traumatic than anything. Midoriya had actually sulked after he went to take Eraserhead dinner. Just curled up on Hitoshi's bed hugging his knees to his chest and muttering, "Am I a bad person? Am I a villain too?"
At this point, Hitoshi firmly decided the answer was no. He'd met grade school students more vindictive and vicious than Midoriya. At this point he felt more pity than fear and suspicion towards Midoriya. Now if only Eraserhead would feel the same.
Something told him neither of them would be too happy with the tutoring session so soon after yesterday, but they couldn't really tell Kurogiri that. He gathered his books in sullen silence while Kurogiri left to retrieve the others, trying not to let his dread be too noticeable. As he did Sushi decided to get underfoot like usual, plaintively mewing for attention and pawing at his leg. Hitoshi glanced at her and paused, an idea forming.
Five minutes later there was a knock on the door and a sullen Midoriya opened it. "Hey, Hijack," he greeted, voice just slightly less dead than Hitoshi expected. He stepped aside so Hitoshi could exit, joining him and Bakugou in the hallway. Kurogiri hovered nearby, following them to Eraserhead's cell.
When they opened the door, the hero looked just as happy with the development as Hitoshi predicted—as in, not at all. He sat up and seemed to slump as they filed inside. "I'll be back in time for lunch," Kurogiri reminded them, and closed the door to leave them in awkward silence.
"I am so sorry," Midoriya finally said, hanging his head. "We can just study in silence."
"No, it's fine," Eraserhead sighed. "You can ask me if you have questions. At least it's something to do," he added under his breath, though Hitoshi suspected they weren't supposed to hear that part.
"Fine, not that I'll need it," Bakugou scoffed as he started getting out his books. "I'm not an idiot like Deku or stuck on middle school stuff like the vigilante wonder over there."
"Kacchan!" Midoriya whined, while Eraserhead glanced at Hitoshi sharply.
"Vigilante?" he repeated. Hitoshi just shrugged as he set down his bag so he could pull out his phone.
"That's how I got caught," he typed. Eraserhead looked like he didn't know how to respond to that, but he didn't have to because a quiet meow sounded, making everyone pause.
"...Eyebags," Bakugou said after a few seconds. "Did your bag just meow?" Hitoshi responded by opening his bag to pull out Sushi, the cat purring and nuzzling him contently. When he glanced over at Eraserhead he found the man staring at them wide-eyed, sitting up and looking particularly alert.
"You have a cat?" he asked, and Hitoshi shrugged, not really able to type on his phone with an armful of mewing feline.
"Technically, it's mine, but Hijack likes cats more so I let him keep her," Midoriya interjected, shooting Hitoshi an inquisitive look. Hitoshi ignored him as he marched over to Eraserhead and carefully set Sushi on the floor near him. The kitten mewed inquisitively as she prodded towards the new person, the captive hero just staring at her dumbly.
"Do you like cats?" Hitoshi asked through his phone. By that point it was a bit late for Eraserhead to say otherwise though, as Sushi had already started climbing onto his lap. He still seemed a bit dumbfounded by Sushi's presence, but soon nodded and relaxed slightly.
"Yeah. Haven't seen one in ages. What's her name?"
"Sushi." That made the man stiffen again for some reason.
"...Interesting choice," he remarked carefully, and Bakugou snorted.
"It wasn't our idea. That misty bastard came up with it. I still say it's a stupid name."
"Yeah, apparently he does that for every cat?" Midoriya added with a shrug. "So I guess we can rename her, but..." He trailed off awkwardly, still shooting Hitoshi quizzical glances which he ignored. He knew Midoriya was probably surprised that Hitoshi had brought Sushi along since he didn't really want to share custody of the kitten with anyone. He did still worry Eraserhead would fall for Sushi's charm and try to fight for custody, but right now the man needed every comfort he could get.
It seemed like he'd made a good choice, because he could see the tension drain from the man's shoulders as he reached out to pet her. If the mittens bothered Sushi, she didn't show it, instead poking at the fabric curiously. There was a brief flicker of a frown on the hero's face though, and Hitoshi could recognize the pain of someone who wanted nothing more than to run their fingers through soft fur.
He shook off the pang of sympathy as he typed on his phone. "You can hold her until we leave at lunch." He wouldn't let Eraserhead hold onto her afterwards, he still didn't want the man to get too attached and keep Sushi for himself. Sushi was probably the best thing to happen to Hitoshi in this hellhole, he felt like he deserved to be selfish about something.
Eraser just nodded though, still rubbing Sushi's head. "Thanks," he ground out, voice just slightly rougher than usual. Hitoshi nodded as he returned to where he'd left his bag, feeling oddly subdued as he got out the workbooks.
Honestly, all this just reminded Hitoshi that he'd gotten lucky. He might be trapped in a damn muzzle and suffered some severe trauma, but these guys hadn't tortured him or anything. They wanted him to work with Midoriya, so they were giving him pretty decent treatment. Eraserhead meanwhile had his leg broken, been collared to the fucking floor, and was stuck in those mittens so he couldn't even get to fully enjoy the nice feeling of petting Sushi. And even the mittens were a concession Midoriya had to argue for; before that his hands had just been bound behind his back.
That didn't even touch on what must have happened before coming here. If Midoriya was right, the guy had been missing since late spring, and it was now winter. Who knew what happened to him in the last place? It was kind of a miracle the guy seemed so mentally okay, all things considered.
Actually, after yesterday, he really shouldn't be so calm, at least if he'd been as shaken up as Midoriya said. Was he trying to seem more steady for them?
The thought sent a pang of... something through Hitoshi. Respect, maybe? Guilt? Eraserhead had enough on his plate, but it seemed like the guy was trying to put on a tough front for them.
He shook the thought away, focusing his attention on his schoolwork. Pondering what went on in Eraserhead's mind wouldn't help right now. Today they might finally make some progress to getting these stupid bombs off their ankles. If they could just get these things off, planning the rest of the escape would be almost laughably simple. The only remaining hurdle would be moving Eraserhead, but he had no doubt they could work that out.
He never thought he'd say this, but he really hoped Toga was on their side.
Mashirao still had no idea if these people were sane or crazy. The stuff Rogue told them didn't make it any clearer.
"So there's six of them total, huh?" he muttered. "I remember they talked about there maybe being three others, didn't expect a fourth one to show up."
"Yes, I wonder what's going on with him," Neito mused with a nod. "Rogue didn't seem to know much." Nakamura had just dismissed the meeting, leaving everyone to their own devices, and Mashirao and Neito had decided to go get groceries. Shiozaki and Kouda were on the rotation for shopping today, but the blond pair had volunteered to do it instead so they could talk over what Rogue had told them.
"I'm still not sure if this isn't part of some giant villain conspiracy," Mashirao sighed, breath leaving his mouth in a visible puff of air. "But with six different people apparently saying the same thing and everything Parasyte mentioned, it's starting to feel like there might actually be something going on."
Neito hummed in agreement. "It's still hard to wrap my head around the idea that other worlds exist. But if even Nettmegg is willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, I feel like we should at least try to extend the same courtesy. But right now, I'm more curious about that sixth person."
"Yeah, no kidding," Mashirao snorted softly, rolling his eyes. The news a sixth member of the group had turned up had been a big enough shock on its own, and the details only got more stunning. Rogue didn't have many details, only what Nettmegg told him, but it seemed the kid was caught up with villains. That alone raised many alarm bells, but there was one more detail that stood out.
"From what they said, he's apparently Quirkless in this world, but not theirs," Neito commented. "Or at least, he was when he went missing in this one." That had been one of the few details they'd actually gone out of their way to confirm after Friday. The case of Midoriya Izuku had clearly fascinated Neito from the start, probably because of the nature of his own Quirk.
"You think it's possible for Quirks to go undiscovered that long?" Mashirao asked, and Neito shrugged.
"It's happened before. I remember reading a case study about a boy with a mutated Quirk that allowed him to take on traits of fish he ate, but his mother had a serious seafood allergy, so it went undiscovered until he was in middle school. Someone else could change the pigment of sand to be different colors, but lived in the mountains so they didn't get a chance to try it until adulthood."
That one had Mashirao pausing. "How does that work? Isn't sand just broken rocks?"
"Yes, well, the article didn't have many details on the Quirk," Neito replied with a shrug. "It was actually about a mountain village which had a lot of early Quirk users when they first appeared. Most of it was second-hand stories from a resident around fifty years after the fact, so obviously he couldn't remember everything. I wonder if he's still around," he added thoughtfully.
"Didn't you just say this was from when Quirks first appeared?" Mashirao asked flatly. "Wouldn't he have to be close to two hundred years old?"
"He had a longevity Quirk," Neito dismissed. "It didn't become apparent until he reached adulthood when it started slowing his aging. He was in his sixties at the time of the article but looked like he was in his twenties." That had Mashirao stopping short again, staring at him as he digested that.
"...Huh," he said after a beat. Kinda crazy to think that people might still exist from back when Quirks first came about. "Alright, that's interesting and all, but this Midoriya kid's Quirk..."
Neito picked up on his line of thought quickly. "Yes, it doesn't really seem like one that would go unnoticed. They said it tended to break his bones whenever he used it at the start of the year, so it's odd it didn't manifest earlier."
"Maybe his body just couldn't handle it because it was too strong?"
"Perhaps, but it's still unusual. There are other cases where the Quirk and body aren't fully compatible, but the Quirk usually manifests within the normal age range anyway. And even then, the incompatibility isn't usually that extreme." Neito glanced down at his palm. "They didn't say if he has it now, but either way, I want to meet him."
Mashirao didn't bother responding, turning his gaze forward as the grocery store came into sight. He wanted to meet Midoriya Izuku as well, but for different reasons. The guy lived with villains. He didn't know what group or how long, but either he was a victim, or an accomplice of some sort.
Whatever was going on with Midoriya Izuku, he wanted to find the truth.
Notes:
Fun fact: the Discord has an ongoing joke that Kaminari has genius octuplet siblings exclusive to the Ignite world who may or may not be the cause of the mess, and he fled to Hosu to escape them. That's a bit extreme, so instead he gets evil twin half-siblings who bring destruction wherever they go. Whee!
Also, Aizawa finally gets to meet Sushi. Poor man has earned some fluff.
Question for next time: Who would make the most chaotic step-siblings? (This can apply to the six travelers, or any other character.)
Chapter 62: Obligatory Rooftop Scene
Summary:
More bugs are found, Izuku has a rooftop conversation with Toga, and the dimension jumpers' group chat is getting a lot of activity.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 62
.::Obligatory Rooftop Scene::.
"And that's the last of them!"
Hatsume dropped another spy bug onto the table, making a total of three. The one on the wall, one under the coffee table, and one attached to the underside of a chair at the kitchen table. Kyouka's stomach rolled as she stared at the devices, feeling eerily chilled by their presence. She had no doubt they were made by Yaomomo, they looked just like the ones she'd made in the training exercises.
"You're sure that's all of them?" she asked warily, tearing her gaze away to glance at Hatsume, and the pink-haired girl bobbed her head.
"Positive! This baby's never wrong!" She waved a handheld device with a screen and some bunny-ear antennae on it for emphasis. She'd said the name earlier, but it had been part of a long-winded ramble that Kyouka could barely catch. Hopefully Hatsume was right about its effectiveness in detecting them.
Hatsume's arrival had felt like an angel coming to save them. The inventor had shown up in the midst of their panic, having brought over an invention unrelated to their vigilante activity for Kaminari to test. Apparently his debt was still in effect, and she intended to use him as her battery until he paid her back. After being informed of the situation she'd barged inside to inspect the bug personally, and then went to the warehouse to fetch an invention to help search for more.
Kyouka really hoped that this was all of them, but even if there were more it probably wouldn't change much anyway. Who knew how long they'd been there? By this point the damage had already been done.
Kaminari looked understandably stressed, chewing his lip as he glanced at them. "You're sure they can't hear us, right?" he asked, and Hatsume nodded.
"Yep! They're dead, they're not gonna pick anything up!" She lifted the first one, which was still partially disassembled from her inspection, pointing to some pieces that Kyouka could barely even see. "I tried this kind of battery a couple times because they were cheap, but they run out of juice way super fast so I ditched them. I haven't done any in-depth poking around yet, but this part can be found in cell phones, so they're probably called remotely to stream audio. That would absolutely drain this battery in a few hours."
"Any idea how long it's been here?" Kyouka asked, but Hatsume shook her head.
"Nope. All I know is the battery is completely dead, so it's been totally used up. I might be able to figure out how it works if I look at them some more, though." Hatsume wasn't even trying to be subtle about her unspoken request to take the bugs home, but Kyouka just waved a hand at her.
"Go for it. You can get to work right now if you want. I really don't care, we've got bigger issues."
"That's an understatement," Kaminari groaned, hunching over and tightly gripping at his hair. "When did she plant those? It had to be while we were on a patrol or getting food, those're like the only times we leave, and we haven't done one since Saturday!" He raised his head, eyes wide and frantic as he asked, "What if she heard the phone calls?"
That was exactly what had Kyouka so anxious. The idea that Yaomomo might have heard the calls with Ashido and everyone else was just bad. Just thinking about it made her pulse quicken, and she had to remind herself to stay calm and try to think rationally. "Okay, so the police and heroes haven't come kicking down the door, so she probably hasn't told anyone we're vigilantes at least," she said. "So she might not know about that."
"Or they're staking this place out waiting for us to leave so they can follow us and catch us in the act," Kaminari moaned, making her wince and scowl at him.
"Idiot, don't say that!" she growled irritably. "We've got enough on our minds without worrying about that!"
"But it's like that Anjou chick said, paranoia saves lives in this world!" Kaminari countered.
"Yeah, but being too paranoid is just as bad, idiot!"
"Doesn't Aizawa-sensei always say we should operate as if we're in the worst-case scenario if we ever think our cover's blown?"
"He said that like, once. And I don't think he meant we should get too scared to leave your freaking apartment! I think he just meant we should be more careful!" She shook her head with an exasperated huff, glaring as she hissed, "And like I said, we don't even know if she knows that! She could've planted them, like, last week!"
"But Jirou, if she planted the bugs while we were gone, that means she must've seen us leave!" Kaminari countered frantically. "And we only leave for patrols! This is Yaomomo we're talking about! She totally would've noticed that Taser Brain and Punk Step showed up while we were gone!"
Kyouka lost some of her steam at that, staring at him blankly. "...Shit, you're right," she muttered, feeling the blood drain. She hadn't even thought of that, but Yaomomo would absolutely notice the pattern. Especially if she was already suspicious, which she had to be if she snuck in and left bugs. Yaomomo wasn't the type to do something like that without good cause.
Then something else he said caught up with her. "Wait, Punk Step?"
"I don't know, a bunch of websites are calling you that now for some reason! I think it's a reference to some other vigilante, but—okay, does that even matter right now?" Kaminari threw up his arms in exasperation. "Look Jirou, Yaomomo has to know we're vigilantes by now! And what if she did leave that bug on Saturday? What if she heard the phone calls? What if she heard about Uraraka and Ashido and Todoroki, or Midoriya and the freaking League of Villains!?"
Kyouka stiffened at that, her blood running cold. "...Dammit," she hissed, squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head. "Dammit, you're supposed to be the idiot! I don't want to think about this!"
"Okay, so this is fascinating and all, but I have absolutely no idea what's going on."
They both jumped when Hatsume spoke up, having forgotten she was there. Kyouka turned to find her sitting at the table with her tools spread out, goggles pulled over her eyes as she took apart one of the bugs. She didn't bother looking away from her work as she continued, "I don't really care what's going on with your personal lives, but you just mentioned phone calls and villains, and I know there's no teachers named Aizawa at our school."
She slammed down her screwdriver and turned around, lifting her goggles to look at them with a distinct frown. "You two said you're using my babies for vigilante work, but it sounds like there's more to the story. I need to know what you're caught up in and how it'll affect me and my branding."
The look she gave them was the most serious they'd seen her yet. Kyouka hadn't even realized Hatsume was capable of such an expression, her gaze almost scarily intense and full of silent promise of harm if they lied. One look at that face, and she knew they couldn't mess around. She glanced at Kaminari who grimaced back, clearly just as aware of the imminent danger if they mishandled this.
In that moment, Kyouka made a decision, and turned back with a sigh. "Screw it," she muttered under her breath, and then met Hatsume's gaze squarely. "We're hero students from another dimension where UA never shut down."
Kaminari made a choking sound, clearly not expecting her to outright admit it, but Kyouka ignored him as she continued. "As best as we can tell we woke up in our counterparts' bodies here, no idea how. We decided to become vigilantes so we could get you to make us gear like we have back home because our Quirks work best with support gear. That, and the publicity could help other people from our world notice us. At least four other people from our class are here too, but we only found out this weekend. There's a lot more going on than just that, but that's the short answer."
Hatsume's expression lost its intensity at Kyouka's explanation, her face becoming blank and completely unreadable. The tension in the air felt palpable as they waited for her response, Kyouka not daring to break eye contact. Finally, she blinked, apparently done processing everything.
"So then, you had me make you copies of someone else's designs?" she asked, and Kyouka just stared. What the heck?
"Seriously?" Kaminari blurted. "That's what you want to ask? Not about the whole 'we're from another dimension' or the fact there are others, or—you know, UA still exists in our world? You don't have ANY questions about that?!"
"No, it makes sense," Hatsume replied blithely, and seriously, what the hell? "You two obviously had some kind of training and experience, and your requests were way too detailed and thought out to be purely amateurs. Especially Battery-kun, who doesn't think about this stuff. Plus it totally explains why Battery-kun kept getting lost at school. But!" She rose from the table with a frown, eyes narrowed. "Are you saying my babies are based on someone else's designs from your world?"
Kyouka had no response for that, momentarily dumbfounded. At least Hatsume accepted everything more easily than she expected...? "Uh, for what it's worth, you're a support student at UA in our world?" she said hesitantly.
"Yeah!" Kaminari agreed, bobbing his head. "Actually, I don't know about Jirou, but you totally made my sharpshooting gear in our world! You spent like an hour explaining how it worked to me and having me test it in the lab!"
"I don't think you were the main designer for my amplifier jacks, but you probably helped a bit," Kyouka added with a shrug. With Hatsume's personality, she suspected she'd try to dip her nose into all the support gear requests that got sent to her class.
That seemed to placate Hatsume, who had clear interest in her eyes. "Oh, really?" she asked. "And how would you say the gear I made her ranks compared to your gear there?"
"Uh..."
Later, a message appeared in the group chat on FacePage from Jirou.
'Good news and bad news. Bad news: Yaomomo bugged Taser's apartment. Don't know when or what she might have heard. Probably knows we're vigilantes tho because Yaomomo. Going to confront her now. Taser on standby ready to run if I don't report back to him in an hour.
Good news though: the inventor is fully briefed and open for requests. So if any of you guys want some support gear, speak up.'
There was about a minute after the message was sent before the first reply came in. 'What the actual hell?'
The morning tutoring session had been slightly less awkward than Izuku feared thanks to Shinsou bringing Sushi along. It went better than breakfast had at least. It turned out Aizawa really liked cats, a fact Izuku already knew but hadn't really thought about that much. The friendly feline seemed to have been the perfect balm for Aizawa's frayed nerves, staying on his lap the whole time and even nuzzling his face.
(Was it weird that Izuku felt proud of Shinsou for bringing Sushi despite his earlier misgivings about sharing her?)
Honestly, Izuku felt a bit bad they couldn't leave Sushi with him. Even Shinsou had looked a bit guilty at taking her away when Kurogiri fetched them for lunch. That had been kind of anxiety-inducing on its own, not really knowing how he would react to Sushi being with Aizawa. Fortunately he hadn't commented on it though, patiently waiting for Shinsou to retrieve the kitten before leading them away.
Now with a full stomach and no obligations Izuku set out to accomplish his main objective for the afternoon: talk to Toga.
He found her in the bar area with Twice, Magne and Mustard, gathered by the counter watching something on a tablet. "This is so weird," Twice whispered, and Izuku paused to wait for the usual contradictory statement only to be surprised when none came. Curiosity piqued, he peered over their shoulders and saw...
"Is that Mr. Compress doing a card trick for a bunch of kids?" he blurted in disbelief.
"Yep," Mustard replied, not looking away from the screen as Mr. Compress expertly shuffled cards in front of an awestruck crowd of children wearing colorful party hats. The villain looked different than usual, wearing a domino mask and trading his trench coat for a black formal vest and pants with a blue shirt. Even his gloves were white instead of their usual red, and his hat lacked the feather.
One of the children pointed to a card and he turned it around before clapping his hands together, a dove appearing when he pulled them apart and flying off. "Ooh, he even did the dove thing!" Toga squealed in delight. "I love the dove thing!"
"What is happening," Izuku whispered, totally lost.
"Someone hired him to perform at a birthday party yesterday," Mustard explained while Izuku stared. "The parents recorded some of it so he got a copy of the video."
"It's the weirdest thing ever!" Twice declared vehemently before adding, "That looks so fun!" Izuku just continued to boggle the screen as Compress pulled a rainbow of knotted handkerchiefs out of his sleeve.
"...Okay, I think I'm done," he said after a few seconds. "Toga, could I talk to you in private?"
"Right now?" she asked, glancing up from the screen. Izuku side-eyed the image of Mr. Compress looping the knotted fabric around who he presumed to be the birthday girl.
"...If it's okay?" he replied before hastily adding, "If you want to finish the video that's fine—"
"Nah, I can watch it later," she cut in, sliding off the stool. "And it's kinda hard to watch it while crowding with other people anyway."
"We're totally gonna play it on the TV later tonight," Mustard added. "Bet you two thousand yen that Mr. Compress will give some speech about it."
"No way, he'll totally do that!" Twice denied before immediately adding, "You're on! Wait, no! I didn't mean that—"
As he began back-tracking Toga skipped off with Izuku trailing behind. "So what do you wanna talk about?" she asked as they entered the hall, and he gulped.
"It's... about what you gave me yesterday," he said. Her steps faltered briefly before she quickly bobbed her head with a smile.
"Okay!" she chirped, and spun to skip in the opposite direction. "Then let's go to the roof!" That had Izuku faltering this time.
"The roof?" They could go to the roof? Wait, not the time. "But why?"
"So no one can hear us, silly!" she replied, and Izuku could only follow lamely. They had to grab their winter coats first, Izuku awkwardly waiting outside Toga's room while she grabbed hers and some boots. He felt even more awkward when she followed him to his own room so he could do the same, but then they were off to the roof. Cold air assaulted him almost instantly when they opened the door, making him grateful he'd also grabbed a scarf.
Izuku had never thought about what the roof of the former hospital must be like. It had tall chain link fencing surrounding it, probably to prevent any patients from jumping if they somehow got up there. It had snowed a bit last night, too, coating everything in a thin layer of white powder that made it slippery. Toga happily bounced across the roof to the far end while Izuku followed more carefully, the blond girl turning to wave at him with a grin. "Come on Mido-chan! Over here!"
"I'm coming," Izuku replied, more focused on not slipping on the powder-like snow. Once he arrived he glanced through the fence, drinking in the sights. This was his first time really seeing the area around the base with his own eyes since Kurogiri always teleported him. It was... pretty underwhelming, honestly. Everything looked rundown and not abandoned, but not really the kind of area with a lot of traffic. Just a forgotten part of the city where only the destitute and desperate would live.
"So, you wanted to talk about my present?" Toga asked, and he gulped before nodding.
"Y-yeah. It's just..." He trailed off, a thousand questions racing through his mind, but he could only settle on, "Why?" Why did she give it to him? Why did she think he might want or need it? What was her motivation?
Toga shrugged, still smiling as she gazed at the street. "Well, you're planning to help bust them out, right?" she asked casually, so blunt it had Izuku jumping and staring at her with his jaw hanging open. She ignored his shock, continuing, "But Jackie and Tsuki-chan can't run away if they have those bombs on their ankles, so you need to figure out how to get them off first. So I thought it'd help to have one to look at!"
Izuku just stared, brain struggling to process her words. "Why would you help us though?" he finally managed to ask when his voice came back. "Don't you like it here?"
"Of course I do, silly!" Toga replied, rolling her eyes. "The Alliance is so fun! I've got all sorts of friends here like Twicey and Tomu and Magne—and you!" She turned to him with a toothy grin, showing off her sharp incisors. "We've had so many fun adventures together, Mido-chan! Like trying to see if Seiko-chan sleeps, or where Giri gets the homework, or that time we had that prank war with Mustard and accidentally broke Tomu's controller, so we all had to get him a new one before he noticed!"
"Yeah, we've had some crazy adventures," Izuku agreed, mentally reeling at the last one. That one was new.
"We have, right? So much fun!" Toga clapped her hands together, eyes sparkling with delight. "Everyone here is so nice, and I love it here! No one tells me that blood is gross or liking stabby-stabs is bad, or that my Quirk is gross or scary or that I'm creepy! I can totally be myself and no one tells me to stop! I can't imagine living anywhere else!"
She paused then, her smile fading slightly. "But when I was a kid, I didn't get a choice," she added more quietly, and Izuku felt a chill as a sudden pit of dread settled in his stomach.
"Toga," he said after a moment. "Were... were you...?" He trailed off, afraid to ask. Toga rolled her shoulders as she turned back to the street.
"You know, I didn't even mind it at first," she said softly. "When I was a kid people always told me my Quirk was creepy, even my own parents. Liking blood was wrong, I shouldn't find it so pretty. and drinking it was even worse. Everyone told me that wanting to become someone was wrong, and I shouldn't act like that around other people. That it wasn't normal."
The corners of her mouth lifted slightly in a strangely soft smile as she added, "But then one day these guys showed up, and told me that it was okay, and it was good! They said my Quirk was great, and blood was absolutely pretty! And wanting to become someone I loved was totally natural for me because that's how my Quirk works! They said if I went with them I could drink all the blood I wanted as long as I helped them! And so I did, and it was great! I got to show my love in the way I always wanted!"
The brief smile fell and her frown returned deeper than before, gaze growing more distant. "But it got boring after a while, so one day I decided I wanted to go home. And then..."
She didn't finish the thought, but she didn't need to. Izuku had a pretty good idea of what happened. It didn't sound like the Alliance had been the ones to kidnap her, but either way, she hadn't become a villain willingly in this world. At some point she wanted to back out, but the option was taken from her. "Do you ever still... want to go home?" he asked, but she shook her head.
"Not really. There's nothing to go back to anymore, and even if there was, I don't think I'd be that happy. Everyone always said how creepy my Quirk was, so I'd just have to go back to hiding it again. It took a while to think blood was pretty again and feel okay showing my love, but by the time Aiko-nee showed up I liked it too much to not use it again. Normal people just wouldn't understand."
She shrugged before turning to him with a sharp-toothed grin. "So when she said she knew someone close to my age who wouldn't be scared, of course I said yes! And I'm so glad I did, because I got to be friends with you and Twicey and Tomu and everyone else! I even get to call up Aiko-nee whenever I want, and play with Seiko-chan too!"
Her smile quickly faded again though, and she turned back to gaze through the fence with a small frown. "But Jackie and Tsuki-chan didn't choose to be here. That Eraserhead guy is a hero so he knew the risks, so it's not a big deal. But Jackie and Tsuki-chan are just teens like us. They didn't choose to get kidnapped and recruited into this, even if Jackie's a vigilante."
Her expression felt oddly solemn, the slight downturn to her lips and the distant look in her eyes a stark contrast to her usual manic smile. Izuku didn't realize she was capable of such an expression, not until now. "It's not right to force teens to be villains if they don't want to," she said softly. "I like this place, but they obviously don't. And I don't want them to be here if it just makes them sad."
A heavy silence followed that, Izuku just feeling numb at the revelations. Never in his life would he have predicted she'd been dragged into this life unwillingly. Toga had always felt so unhinged, and even in this world that felt true. She always had that manic smile, still loved stabbing people and found blood gorgeous. It was clear that despite how it started, she enjoyed her lifestyle in this world.
But right now, that look on her face told him that she still found it wrong to force that on others.
He swallowed harshly, trying to gather his thoughts. "So... you're willing to help us escape?" he asked slowly. "And you won't tell anyone?"
"Sure. Everyone's gotta draw the line somewhere, and this one's mine." She shrugged before glancing at him more sharply. "But you said 'us.' Are you leaving too?" Izuku stiffened, wondering if he should be honest, but ultimately he swallowed and nodded.
"Y-yeah. This place... What everyone is doing is wrong. And at this rate, Shigaraki is going to just keep kidnapping people to fill my 'party.'" His face twisted at the thought, shuddering. "Even if Kacchan and Hijack weren't kidnapped for that, once they're gone he'd probably go after more people to replace them. I don't want to be responsible for more kids ending up here. I think... the only solution is to leave."
Toga tipped her head as he finished, looking at him contemplatively. "Huh, I guess you're right," she mused, turning to lean with her back against the fence. "Tomu would totally do that, I didn't think about that. You're really smart, Mido-chan!"
Izuku blinked in surprise at the praise. "Uh, thanks?" he said awkwardly.
"Also, are you having an episode?" she asked, and he froze as she glanced at him. "I mean, I kinda thought you might be because you keep calling me Toga instead of Himiko like you usually do when we're totally alone, but you also just called Tomu 'Shigaraki' and you also seemed kinda lost yesterday."
Izuku stared at her in horror, heart pounding anxiously. He didn't want to confirm it, because he still didn't know if he could trust her or not, but she'd noticed too much to deny it. "...I guess, kind of?" he finally said with a shrug. "I-I just..."
"You don't have to tell me," Toga said with a shrug, once again stunning him. "I'm probably like a stranger to you, and we never talked about this sorta stuff before anyway so I don't think you'd wanna trust me even if you weren't having one. But I won't tell!" she added, flashing him a grin. "It'll be our little secret! It'll be way too hard to run away if Tomu gets super-protective!"
That... slightly assuaged Izuku's fears. He didn't know if he could fully believe her because she was Toga, but given how genuine she'd been the rest of the conversation, he wanted to believe the best of her. "Thanks, Toga," he said with a weak smile, before hesitantly adding, "Or, uh, H-Himiko, I guess...?"
She tilted her head at his awkward stutter. "Mido-chan, you look way too uncomfortable saying that," she announced. "Just call me Toga or Himi-chan instead!"
The second option had him doing a double-take. "Do I actually call you that?"
"Nope, but you can!" She giggled as she skipped away, leaving Izuku staring after her dumbly. After a few seconds he shook his head and raced after her, grabbing her sleeve to stop her.
"Wait! You got us that anklet, but you also told Shi—Hijack you could unlock it for him! So you have to know how they're opened, right?" It was something that had bugged him since he first found the bracelet, and her explanation for why she gave him the anklet made him wonder about it even more.
She shrugged as she turned to face him fully. "Yeah, they have this little key fob thingy," she said, miming the shape with one hand. "You wave it over the light and it'll unlock it automatically! But after Tsuki-chan got one too and was allowed to walk around, Tomu or Giri hid them somewhere else. I dunno where. I only found the spare bracelets yesterday morning while looking for stuff in a storage room."
"Stuff?" Izuku repeated.
"Stuff," she confirmed cheerfully. "I dunno where the key is anymore, it's probably in one of their rooms. But I thought you could still maybe figure out how it works if you have one of the bracelets!" Izuku nodded slowly, feeling his heart pound.
"Right... It really is helpful." He smiled, more genuinely this time as he added, "Thanks, Toga."
"Don't mention it Mido-chan!" she replied with a grin. "Now let's go inside! It's way too cold up here!"
"You can say that again." Izuku followed her with open relief at escaping the bitter chill, feeling some more of his tension fade. He still didn't know how much he could trust Toga, but he felt she was at least sincere about wanting to help them escape. He could only hope he was right.
About five minutes after Jirou's ominous message, another text appeared in the middle of a frantic conversation on FacePage.
'Okay, so update: Toga knows I'm having an episode. But I think she might be trustworthy? Will tell Space full details in person.'
Then: 'wait WHAT was that about Yaomomo and bugs!? oh no what if she heard the phone calls and everything about me, oh nonono if they come here they might get hurt sensei said the heroes wouldn't be able to handle themselves, or he implied it at least'
A reply appeared seconds later. 'Hold on forget about that, what was that about TOGA!?'
Notes:
So two big announcements!
First: I've started posting a Shinsou-centric murder mystery called Smoke and Mirrors! We came up with the idea on Discord on Wednesday night, and it was just too perfect for the Halloween season. It's at three chapters already but I'm slowing down updates now to focus on some other stuff. I'm aiming to keep it under 10 chapters so let's see if I can pull that off!
Second, but bigger: at long last, Aftershock has finally been posted.
Aftershock is co-authored by CocoaNerd, who came up with the original premise on Ignite's Discord (and who I then basically strong-armed into being the co-writer). The basic premise: one day there's a Second Quirk Boom that causes hundreds of people in Japan to suddenly develop a second Quirk. As time passes more people get them, and five years later, Izuku finally gets one too...
This is just one of those premises that has near-infinite potential. We've been working on it since June and brainstorming all sorts of ideas and directions it could go. We have so many ideas we're already talking about two series of side stories focusing on "canon"-compliant stories called Aftermath and cracky "what if X got X Quirk" and similar stuff called Aftershook. I can promise you that it WON'T be a canon rehash, I think any chances of it remotely resembling canon got thrown out with all the extra Quirks. We're just so excited to FINALLY be sharing it with everyone! I posted the first chapter today, but we're planning to update every Friday so expect the next chapter later this week.
Please go read Aftershock. If you like Ignite, I think you'll REALLY enjoy that one too.
Question for next time: What would be the most chaotic message/revelation to throw into the group chat (besides the obvious "Dabi is your brother" one)?
(Also: this week is going to be very emotional and stressful for everyone in the US. I have stated in the past how important it is to be able to take a step back and focus on something else, so expect another chapter of Ignite this week!)
Chapter 63: You Only Spy Twice
Summary:
A brief look at Yaomomo's weekend, and a long-awaited confrontation.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 63
.::You Only Spy Twice::.
It started when Momo first had the thought that the vigilante "Taser Brain" might be Kaminari.
By that point, everyone else had dismissed the possibility of Taser Brain and Kaminari being one and the same due to the vigilante saving him. Video footage supposedly existed of the two in the same place, which should logically eliminate him as a suspect. Iida had said as much when Momo told him her theory, claiming his brother had seen it and confirmed it was real. That should have been enough, but even so she just couldn't shake the idea.
Maybe it was because Kaminari had just been acting so odd and jumpy the past couple of weeks. They rarely interacted in the first place, but even Momo could tell something was up. He seemed especially nervous when he was around her though, to the point one of their classmates had actually approached her to ask if something happened between them. Kaminari was clearly hiding something.
And no matter how hard Momo thought, her thoughts always came back to Kyouka.
That was what had her so intensely focused on it. The other vigilante—whom had been recently dubbed "Punk Step" online—had a costume that almost exactly matched how Momo pictured Kyouka's described costume idea. Maybe it was because part of her was so desperate for any news about Kyouka and why she'd suddenly cut her off the way she had, but Momo felt certain there was a connection.
As it stood though, Momo had no proof, and she couldn't go to anyone. If she told Iida or a Pro Hero and Kyouka was acting as a vigilante, she would get in massive trouble. While it might be illegal, Momo didn't want her friend to get arrested. She also wanted to know why Kyouka had suddenly felt the need to turn to vigilantism, and why she had pushed Momo away at the same time.
By the end of Thursday, Momo started making a plan, and the next day she got Kaminari's apartment address from one of their classmates and headed over. Kaminari didn't live in a bad part of town, but it certainly felt cheaper than the upper-class neighborhood with her own penthouse apartment. Momo felt like she stood out in her designer-brand coat, so she didn't want to linger long.
Thank goodness she wasn't alone.
"So remind why I'm here again?" Tokage Setsuna asked with a minor scowl.
"Because I need an excuse to come out here without my chauffer, and you're one of my only friends my parents know?" Momo replied with a sheepish smile. Momo knew the other girl quite well from their days of "pre-hero" training back in middle school. She and Tokage weren't close like she was with Kyouka, but they got along well enough and spoke often at school when Tokage didn't have hero training going on.
It had only been natural to ask the other girl to join her. Of course, to do that she'd needed to tell her about her theories, which as she expected, hadn't gone over well. "Do you really think that Kaminari kid is actually one of those vigilantes?" Tokage asked. "Everyone at school says he was saved by them. And Iida told us both about that video his brother saw in the group chat."
Momo bit her lip, understanding the doubt. "I know, but I still can't shake the thought. So I'm just going to ask him."
"Do you really think he'd straight up admit it?" Tokage countered. Before Momo could respond she paused and muttered speculatively, "Actually, wait, no, his reaction would probably give it away. Guy can't lie to save his life when he's under pressure."
"...I'd defend him, but he did lie pretty badly to Morita-sensei about his homework," Momo sighed, and Tokage snorted.
"I know, right?" she said with a grin. "Who's heard of muggers who only steal homework?" That one had Momo cringing at the memory on his behalf. Even Kaminari had been grimacing as he said it, realizing just how ridiculous it sounded.
"Well, at least he realized it was flimsy?" she chuckled weakly. Tokage smirked, but suddenly she froze and grabbed Momo's hand to drag her into an alley. "Wait, what—"
"Quiet!" Tokage hissed. She gestured to the mouth of the alley, and Momo peeked out and felt her heart stop. Walking down the street was Kaminari, along with...
"Kyouka," she whispered. Shock washed over her as she took in the sight of her best friend for the first time in nearly a month. Kyouka looked the same as she remembered, clearly caught up in some teasing banter judging by that familiar smirk visible even from a distance.
While she stared Tokage brushed her hair to the side, her ear peeling off her skull. Tokage's Quirk, Lizard Tail Splitter, allowed her to split her body into multiple parts that she could freely control. Her ear glided lightly towards the pair, closing her eyes to focus on her hearing. "They're talking about going to a convenience store for dinner," she murmured. "She's teasing about him forgetting to do the shopping...?"
Then she froze, her eyes snapping wide open. "...No way," she whispered, and Momo felt her breath catch.
"What? What is it?" Tokage took a deep breath, turning large eyes towards her.
"Jirou just called him Taser Brain," she whispered. Momo's heart sank. She knew from Tokage's tone that it wasn't just random teasing, that she'd heard something to make her believe that Kaminari was, in fact, Taser Brain. Momo peered out the alley to see Kyouka playfully smacking Kaminari's shoulder, making him whine and pout at her. She could almost hear her best friend's teasing tone, mocking him in a fond and friendly manner.
In that moment she knew. She knew that she was right about Kaminari—and about Kyouka, too. And from there she realized that Kyouka wasn't just visiting for dinner, either; she had been staying at Kaminari's apartment this whole time.
Once she realized that, Momo made up her mind. Once they disappeared from sight she stepped out and strode towards Kaminari's apartment building, Tokage jogging to catch up after briefly pausing to retrieve her ear. "Hold on, where are you going?" she asked as she caught up.
"They're gone," Momo replied simply, walking to the external staircase on the side of the building.
"Uh, okay...?" Tokage went quiet, waiting for Momo to elaborate, but she didn't. Momo scaled the stairs to the second floor and strode towards Kaminari's apartment without hesitation, pulling out her lock picking tools from her pocket as she did. As she got to work she saw Tokage startle in her peripheral vision, "What are you doing?"
"It will take at least five minutes to reach the nearest convenience store," Momo replied, not breaking her concentration. "It will probably take five more to buy everything they want, and then another five to return. We have, at most, fifteen minutes before they're back."
"So you're just going to break in?" Tokage hissed. "Yaoyorozu, this is absolutely illegal! If anyone catches us, we'll get in HUGE trouble!"
Momo's lips thinned at the reminder, her stomach curling unpleasantly, but she forced herself to ignore it. "I know, but there's no way they'll admit to it," she replied tightly. "Kaminari might be a bad liar, but Kyouka isn't. She won't tell us, she'll just push us away and they'll become even more tight-lipped. Worst case scenario, they'll run away and keep acting as vigilantes in another city. I don't have any other ideas, do you?"
"...No, I don't." Tokage sighed, running a hand through her thick green hair. "Sheesh, this is so going to get me in so much trouble..." Momo heard the lock give the final click, and she pocketed the tools and pushed it open.
"Wait here and keep a watch out. I'll only be a minute."
"What are you even going to do, anyway? Just snoop around for proof?" Here Momo bit her lip, because what she was going to do was much worse.
"...I'm going to plant some bugs," she said, and Tokage stiffened. The other girl opened her mouth, paused, and then finally turned away with a groan.
"Screw it. It's your funeral if you get caught. Just—hurry up." Momo nodded and quickly slipped inside, holding her breath as she looked around. Kaminari's apartment had no solid sense of style or defining aesthetics, consisting an eclectic selection of furniture and trinkets that barely matched. Her heart pounded faster as she noticed a blanket and pillow folded up on the couch, one of Kyouka's suitcases sitting next to it.
She only looked for a moment before she focused on her task and marched inside, scanning the room for places to hide the bugs. She went to the kitchen area and knelt next to the table, unzipping her coat and lifting her shirt to produce the first one. Back when she'd still been heavily considering the path to being a Pro Hero, she had learned to make all sorts of electronic devices for surveillance purposes. Even now she barely had to think to produce a bug little larger than her thumb, having made so many it felt like second nature.
This particular kind basically acted like miniature cell phones; Momo could call them, and then listen to the audio over a one-way feed. All she needed was to pop in a micro-SIM card so it'd have a registered and active phone number, and she kept some spares at home just in case. That morning she'd grabbed some on a whim, and upon checking her pockets she found she had enough to make three of the spy devices.
The bugs she made this time were "cheap" ones though, the microphone and battery much weaker than what she'd usually make in training. Despite her intentions, the idea of listening into someone else's apartment still left a bad taste in her mouth. She popped in one of the micro-SIMs and stuck the bug to the underside of a chair. Another she planted under the coffee table by the couch, and the third and last on the wall behind where a stack of mail had piled on the kitchen counter.
Within three minutes she was out, quietly using the lock pick to relock the door behind her. Neither of them spoke as they left, Tokage exuding an air of silent judgment and Momo's stomach swirling with guilt. Bugging a classmate's apartment felt so wrong, it was a total invasion of privacy and went against everything she stood for. But this was the quickest way to find out what was going on with Kyouka.
After that, they went back to her penthouse apartment. Momo felt endlessly grateful she lived separately from her parents, so she wouldn't have to hide this from them. Tokage was another matter though, and they quickly negotiated an agreement for the other girl's silence.
No recording the calls Momo made with her phone. One call could be made per hour, and she would not listen for more than three minutes unless the topic related to the 1-A Vigilantes. Tokage had to be present for each call to guarantee Momo stuck to the rule. Once the batteries died, Momo would have to come clean to Kaminari and Kyouka.
She agreed to Tokage's conditions easily. That night she called each of the bugs but got nothing useful. Tokage's silent judgmental aura only grew with each call until she finally went home to go to bed. That night had to be one of the worst of Momo's life, the guilt making sleep nearly impossible.
The next day, Momo had rescinded any guilt or shame over her decision.
"Is this some sort of cult?" Tokage asked, pacing around the bedroom. "Like, some cult that's making all these people believe—believe, something? Is there some villain manipulating all these kids?"
Momo didn't respond, just staring at her phone in shock. She had called the bug on the kitchen chair a little after eleven to find they were in the middle of a phone call with someone else. What they heard confirmed Kyouka and Kaminari were indeed the 1-A Vigilantes, just like she'd suspected, but she had also heard so much more.
Other dimensions? UA? Gentle Criminal and Phantom Shadow?
All of it sounded absolutely insane, yet Kyouka had been so calm and composed the whole time. Momo had no doubt she truly believed she came from another dimension. The bug on the chair had been close enough to pick up both sides of the conversation, even if the other end had been slightly muffled, and the other people sounded like they believed it too.
There had been enough people involved that the group had to plan a second phone call to make sure everyone could go over everything once. It took an agonizing two hours before the second call was made, and in that time Momo hadn't dared hang up. She just stared at her phone as she listened to Kaminari and Kyouka talk about what that "Uraraka" must be up to. The more she heard, the harder it was to wrap her head around.
"And another thing!" Tokage continued, whirling to face her. "That one guy—that was Todoroki, right? As in, Todoroki Shouto? Oh who am I kidding, that was totally his voice."
"I know," Momo whispered, speaking for the first time since the second phone call ended. That was another thing: they'd both met Todoroki Shouto during their pre-hero training, the boy spending a lot of time with the group since his father was so busy. Though his voice had been slightly muffled and distorted by going through two layers of speakers, Momo had no doubts that was him speaking.
"I take back everything I said," Tokage said. "This is huge. These people are all stark-raving mad or something, they need help. I mean, even if they actually aren't crazy and this is all real they'd need help, because this has to be way over their heads!" Momo bit her lip as Tokage ranted, silently agreeing, but her mind kept straying to a certain part of the conversation.
"...They... They said I was in their class," she said slowly, and that made Tokage pause. "They mentioned Iida was there too, and... you were in Class 1-B? Along with someone else from our school...?"
Tokage frowned at that, and then plopped onto the bed next to Momo with a huff. "Yeah, I heard," she muttered, crossing her arms. "Look, I wouldn't put much stock into it, Yaoyorozu. If UA was still around, we'd both be recommendation students this year and you know it."
"I know, but..." Momo trailed off, hesitating. Something about the whole exchange just felt... odd. "I wish we heard more."
"Me too," Tokage sighed, collapsing onto the bed. The bug's battery had died in the middle of the second phone call. They'd gotten through Kyouka, Kaminari, and that Ashido girl's stories, and that Uraraka girl had been asking Todoroki to go when the battery on the one under the chair gave out. The timing made Momo want to scream.
Right now she had the feed from the bug by the mail playing, the next closest one to the table, but the voices were too muffled to make out much. She'd given up getting anything of value from it, silently bemoaning the fact she'd agreed to not record any of the calls. At this point she doubted she'd get anything valuable from recording this one. For now, she focused on what they had heard.
After several long seconds Momo took a deep breath. "...What do we do?" she asked feebly, and that finally made Tokage stop pacing, her face twisting into a grimace.
"I... I don't know," she admitted reluctantly. "I mean we should probably tell someone, but we don't have much proof. Dammit, why'd I make you promise not to record any of the calls?" She shook her head with a scowl, and Momo frowned.
"It... could be just them making stuff up, or some sort of... extended, hyper-immersive role play...?"
The excuse sounded weak and flimsy to her own ears, but Tokage somehow recognized what she was going for and slowly nodded. "They said a bunch of other names, right?" she said. "I guess we can start by looking into those people, I guess, and see, uh... how real they all are?" Momo exhaled and nodded.
"Yeah, that," she agreed lamely. "We can do... that." The pair got up and went to begin work, Momo sitting at her desk with her laptop while Tokage went to retrieve her own laptop from the other room. They had no idea how real this was, but if there was even a sliver of a chance they weren't crazy, it would be better to gather information now.
And that became the theme of their weekend.
By the end of Sunday, they'd tracked down a few of the names mentioned in the call. Momo had found an account about baking that seemed to match up with Satou, complete with some posts about the 1-A Vigilantes and even the one that christened "Taser Brain". Tokage meanwhile confirmed that a Sero Hanta worked at the convenience store where they'd made their debut onto the vigilante scene.
They had less success with the people on the phone call. However, Momo managed to find out that Uraraka Ochako did, in fact, exist, from her own mother of all people. Apparently one of their maids had a cousin who worked as a housekeeper at the Uraraka family home, and Momo's mother had overheard gossip about the girl running away. She brought it up rather casually in their usual Sunday evening call to remind Momo to be careful of online strangers, unaware of Momo's near-panic attack.
Throughout it all they used up the other two bugs' batteries trying to catch more conversations and hints. Most of it provided nothing of value, much to their dismay. The most they got was something about Gentle Criminal and Phantom Shadow possibly being a supposed classmate named Tokoyami? Momo didn't know, but it scared her. They knew at least two other people were real people who weren't tied to villains—Todoroki and Uraraka—and genuinely believed this.
It was all so frazzling that they almost forgot they still had homework due the next day until after finishing dinner. Tokage didn't even go home, just spent the night as they stayed up late to finish their homework together. On Monday they stayed home from school and checked in with the online module, before ignoring the lectures so they could go over what little information they'd found and discuss their next move.
"We could probably go to the police or heroes and get a wellness check or something," Tokage suggested. "They've definitely said enough weird stuff to justify it."
"But then we'd have to explain about placing the bugs," Momo said with a miserable frown. "I don't know how they'd react, even if our concerns were justified in the end..."
"Yeah, especially since you're not on the hero track anymore," Tokage murmured with a frown. "That's technically unlicensed Quirk usage, and definitely trespassing and some other stuff, so you might get into trouble too."
"And we don't even have solid proof," Momo added grimly. "There's that footage of Kaminari being saved by the vigilantes. I guess one of them was actually Hatsume, but we don't have proof of that, so they might not look into this seriously."
"That Hatsume girl might be a good angle," Tokage pointed out. "She's already known at school as an inventor, so the police might be up for checking out her stuff to see if anything matches up with the 1-A Vigilantes."
"But that might just scare them into running away," Momo countered with a frown. "Uraraka and Ashido both said they ran away because of all this. Ashido even ran away from a hero!" That had been one of the scarier realizations: that they believed this so strongly, one of them was willing to run away while under a hero's protective watch. "If Hatsume gets investigated they'll probably run away too, and then we won't know what to do next!"
"Dang it, when you put it like that, that would happen if the police asked them, too," Tokage groaned in exasperation. "Should we tell Iida and get his ideas?"
"No, he would want to report everything right away." Momo bowed her head with a miserable grimace. "He's always so strict about rules..."
"Usually you treat that as a good thing," Tokage pointed out, and Momo bit her lip as she averted her gaze. They both knew the only reason she was hesitating to report any of this was because this was about Kyouka. At the end of the day, Kyouka was breaking the law by being a vigilante, which meant she'd surely get some sort of punishment regardless of the reasons for it.
More than that though: what if they were telling the truth? It sounded outrageous, but Momo had read about multiverse theory a few times over the years. With the advent of Quirks the topic had appeared more and more as people speculated on whether a Quirk could someday manifest to confirm it. She had always liked to think that it could be possible for no particular reason, and even now, a part of her wanted to believe.
As she anguished over what to do her phone suddenly chimed with a text, making her jump in surprise. She checked it and felt her heart stop when she saw the name on the lock screen. "Kyouka," she whispered, and saw Tokage's eyes widen. Swallowing, she unlocked the screen and opened the message, and then her world froze.
'You're at home today right? We need to talk ASAP.' Attached were two photos: one of one of the bugs she'd planted... and another of her apartment building's entrance.
"She's here," she whispered, face pale as she looked up at Tokage. "She's outside right now, and wants to talk!" Tokage's eyes widened further before her face set in determination.
"Then let's talk," she declared briskly. Momo swallowed harshly and nodded before going to the intercom to buzz Kyouka in.
Less than five minutes later Kyouka was sitting in Momo's bedroom, taking the chair at the desk while Momo and Tokage sat on the bed. Momo fidgeted uncomfortably as she looked down at her lap, feeling too much guilt and shame to look at her best friend.
"You're gonna stick around too?" Kyouka asked Tokage, whose eyes narrowed.
"We both listened to the bug," she said bluntly, the reminder making Momo flinch. "I'm not leaving without answers either."
"What did you hear?" Kyouka asked, and Momo took a deep breath, hands balling the fabric of her skirt.
"We... we heard pieces of two phone calls on Saturday," she admitted, feeling absolutely miserable as she did. "We started listening in around eleven, when Ashido, I think, mentioned talking to someone named Infinity Girl before running away. We kept the bug on after that. The battery died in the second call right before Todoroki started telling his side, and the other bugs couldn't pick up the rest of it."
Kyouka sighed. "So you heard a lot then, huh," she muttered, scratching her cheek. "Dammit, we were worried you might've. Bugging Kaminari's place was not cool." That had Momo wincing again.
"Turns out she was pretty justified though," Tokage huffed, crossing her arms and glaring at Kyouka. "You guys seriously think you're from another dimension?"
"We don't think, we know," Kyouka countered, expression steely and cool. "I don't care if you think it sounds crazy. But alright. You want to know what we remember? Why we're so sure of it? I'll tell you."
And she did.
What followed was a long explanation of the world only she and a select few others remembered. A world where All Might never died, where UA never closed after a massacre and hero agencies could still be found operating freely and openly in every major city.
Where a class had been attacked by villains repeatedly, forcing first-year students to learn the fear of true battle earlier than they should have.
As her story unfolded Momo and Tokage both slowly lost some of their tension, their disbelief beginning to fade to shock. She told them details that they hadn't heard on the phone call: about the rest of their class in their world, and what she remembered of 1-B. She rattled off perfect descriptions of Honenuki Juzo and Yoarashi Inasa, students they knew from the pre-hero program.
She even knew about Yoarashi's dislike for Endeavor. Her description of his fighting with Todoroki at the provisional license exams sounded similar to their fights in the early days of the program before the two had worked out their differences.
And then she named several Pro Heroes they knew worked at UA at one point. That had been the real turning point that started to really melt their doubts. Even before UA closed the school didn't publicize all of its faculty. It didn't even have an official staff page available to the public; people knew who worked there more through word of mouth or references in articles than any official source.
In the wake of the UA Massacre and the ensuing public outcry, the school had doubled down on concealing the identities of their lesser-known faculty. Momo and Tokage only knew because some of them had been brought into their pre-hero training program as guest teachers. Midnight's employment had been reasonably well known, as had Present Mic and Power Loader. Thirteen, however, had only just started at UA when it closed, starting to help with rescue training just in time for the winter semester.
The one that really sold them though was Kyouka's homeroom teacher, Aizawa—better known as Eraserhead.
Eraserhead only ever joined them a handful of times during their second year of middle school, acting as a villain in a few simulated scenarios where he'd erase their Quirks to keep them on their toes. He was easily the quietest of all the guest teachers, so it was easy to forget about him. In fact, Momo had forgotten about him until Kyouka mentioned him.
She doubted just anyone would know he worked at the famous school. As an underground hero and relatively new employee, Eraserhead would have been kept out of the press for the most part. Even they only knew because of an off-hand comment from Present Mic about the lost opportunity to work together every day.
Altogether, it painted a picture that couldn't be written off as mere memory tampering by some third party. There were just too many fine details not known to the public, too many unnecessarily intricate bits to be purely made-up, too much to dismiss out of hand.
"It all sounds crazy, but it's true," Kyouka said when she finished. "We're just trying to figure out what the hell's going on. The reason I've been avoiding you is because I figured if anyone could see something was off, it'd be you."
"I see," Momo murmured, frowning as she rubbed her arm. Kyouka wasn't wrong, they'd been nearly inseparable since their last year of middle school.
"If this really is all true, then we're way past the window for a Quirk to wear off," Tokage said, and Kyouka nodded.
"Yeah, that's what we figured. Everyone came over on the same day, but we can't figure out what would've triggered it. In our world we spent the day before at the dorms, and we don't know what we did in this one but we're all pretty scattered. Kaminari and I are the only ones who were in the same city. I think everyone else was in different prefectures."
"So even if it was a memory tampering Quirk, it'd be weird for it to trigger on this side," Tokage murmured, much to Momo's surprise. She seemed to be taking this seriously. "I'm no expert on Quirks, but I don't think someone could really 'time' the effect to trigger on a specific day. I think the effect could probably be delayed to the next morning, but if you all woke up on the same day in completely different cities, then it's not that likely they managed to meet all of you in one day."
The logic seemed to surprise Kyouka, and she blinked once before nodding with a thoughtful look. "Now that you mention it, yeah, you're right. Hadn't really thought about that, but there's at least two people who are super sheltered. I can't see either of them getting hit by a Quirk on this side."
"Two?" Momo repeated with a frown. Uraraka fit the description, but none of the others seemed to. That had Kyouka pausing before she sighed and scratched her cheek.
"There's a sixth person," she said, catching them both off guard. "I won't tell you about him because I still don't know how much we can trust you, and it's not my place to talk about it. All I can say his situation's complicated, and it's the reason we can't take any chances." She shot them a hard look at that before continuing, "Once we get him out of there, maybe we'll tell you more. Maybe."
"...I don't like this," Tokage muttered, and Momo had to silently agree.
"Yeah, well, it's not up to you," Kyouka snorted. "You're the ones who eavesdropped on us by bugging Kaminari's place, you weren't supposed to know about any of this. We don't even know everything because the others were afraid of someone listening over the phone. And it turns out we were all right about that." She shot them a pointed glare, making them both flinch guiltily.
"I'm sorry," Momo whispered.
"You should be," Kyouka huffed. "Seriously, not cool. But since you heard anyway, I was hoping Yaomomo could help out with some other stuff." That had Momo looking up in surprise. What? "So don't know if you heard this part, but Gentle Criminal's sidekick is a classmate of ours named Tokoyami Fumikage."
"You sound pretty sure about that," Tokage commented. "You can't even see the guy's face."
"Yeah, but his Quirk is really recognizable," Kyouka countered with an eye roll. "Trust me. Literally everyone recognized him instantly, or they did once it was pointed out. But the thing is, we don't know if he's from our world." That had Momo and Tokage sitting up straighter while Kyouka twirled her earphone jack. "The timing of Gentle Criminal coming to Hosu is just kinda weird, y'know? They showed up right after the 1-A Vigilantes started getting famous. I mean, it could be a coincidence, but..."
"But it could also be Tokoyami trying to find you," Momo finished with a frown. "It would be essentially the same strategy you and Kaminari used.
"But would Gentle Criminal agree to that?" Tokage wondered aloud. "He's still a villain, isn't he?"
"Person number six fought him in our world, and said he might," Kyouka replied with a shrug, much to their surprise. "He said this whole situation is so crazy, it seems like it'd be right up his alley. Apparently the guy was kinda good-natured to begin with? And since Gentle's MO is about exposing corruption and is kinda heroic, we think Tokoyami might be more willing to go along with the heists for exposure and stuff. Either way, we can't confirm it until we actually talk to him."
She paused and added as an afterthought, "By the way, Gentle Criminal's kinda a joke in our world. It's really weird to see him so big here. He mostly just posted videos about really stupid heists, nothing crazy like breaking into a mega-company's headquarters. Not sure what happened here to change that, I seriously doubt that just Tokoyami would be enough to do that."
That was an interesting detail, and another in favor of the memories not being false. It was overall so inconsequential to the rest of her memories that it seemed pointless. "Okay, so that aside, what do you think Yaomomo could help with?" Tokage asked.
"Well, like I said, we need to talk to Tokoyami to find out for sure. But there's usually two weeks between heists, which is way too long to wait, and we can't even guarantee we'd be in the area where the heist happens. But they're probably going to case their next target, so we figure that will be the best time to talk to him."
Understanding finally dawned on Momo. "You want me to help figure out the next target," she realized, and Kyouka nodded.
"Yeah. You're one of the best strategists in our class, you're great at picking up patterns like that. And I'm... not." She scratched her cheek, looking a bit sheepish. "I'm good at fighting, but I don't even know where to begin with predicting who they'd target. So if you help could narrow down the list, that'd be a huge help for us."
"So you want us to be accomplices now?" Tokage drawled, and Kyouka flinched.
"Not really? I mean, you're not doing anything illegal, just figuring out where he might strike next." She shrugged, playing with an earphone jack in what Momo recognized as a minor nervous habit of hers. "Just, if Tokoyami is from our class, that'd help us narrow down some stuff."
"Alright," Momo agreed, and that made Kyouka pause, shooting her a surprised look.
"Wait, seriously? That easy?"
"Yes." Momo bit her lip as she met Kyouka's gaze, determination burning in her eyes. "I won't tell anyone yet. But promise me you won't try to fight Gentle Criminal alone. He might not be hostile, but he's still a dangerous villain. The fact you two got through that other fight..."
She trailed off, shuddering as she remembered Kaminari's story about the fight. "We won't," Kyouka agreed with a nod. "If we can find Tokoyami outside of costume, then we can just go if he doesn't recognize us. We're not looking to make that much of a splash." She paused then, looking at them critically. "But does this mean you won't tell anyone?"
Momo nodded tightly. "I won't tell," she declared firmly. "I still don't know if this is all true, or if you're all under the effects of a Quirk, but... you're saying enough that I can't help but want to believe you."
A lot of the tension faded from Kyouka's shoulders. "Thanks," she said, and then turned to Tokage. The green-haired girl hesitated before sighing.
"Fine, I'll keep it to myself too," she said. "For now, anyway. I'm not sure where to even start with telling someone anyway," she added under her breath.
With that the remaining tension faded from Kyouka as she heaved a large sigh. "Thanks, guys. Seriously, I mean it." After that, they fell silent for a few moments, the air slightly awkward as they mulled over it before Tokage spoke up.
"By the way, what's it like living in dorms at UA?" she asked, and Kyouka snorted.
"Oh, don't get me started on that..."
In the midst of a frantic discussion on FacePage, a new message arrived from Kaminari.
'oh hey Punk Step just texted me the safe word and sent this: "Yaomomo and lizard girl from 1-B heard parts of the calls. they don't know about deku or the dabi thing, but filled them in on some other stuff. They won't tell anyone, and Yaomomo's gonna help figure out where Gentle Criminal will attack next. Gonna gossip about UA with them for a while, will check in later." So I guess we don't need to run away? Maybe? Might still wanna make plans just in case'
'Oh good, I was hoping we'd find a way to talk to Tokoyami soon.'
'WHAT IS EVEN GOING ON ANYMORE!?'
Needless to say, the chat remained in chaos for quite some time.
Notes:
As promised, here's a bonus chapter to try to help with a stressful week!
This chapter is *just* over 6k words. Wanted to get the Yaomomo confrontation out of the way all at once instead of breaking it into more pieces. And surprise, Tokage's in it now too! Originally I had her use her Quirk to retrieve a spy camera Momo planted on a streetlamp across from Kaminari's apartment, and then after seeing him and Jirou leave together Momo broke into the apartment to plant the bugs. Buuuuut that version of the draft was a bit TOO long without the confrontation, mainly because the confrontation wasn't even part of the original chapter.
Remember how I said way back during the first phone call in Chapter 51 that I originally had it continue into the next chapter before deciding to cut it so I wouldn't spend a chapter rehashing the it with Uraraka? This is why I had two separate calls. I planned for Momo to spy all along, but I didn't want her to know Izuku was in the picture because she'd HAVE to report that. In the very original draft, Chapter 52 ended with a stunned Momo and Tokage listening in from her bedroom, and Chapter 53 was the first half of this chapter as I described it in the previous paragraph.
I actually decided to push the whole flashback part back even before deciding to cut down the first phone call, so that point about Chapters 51-55 being all about the two phone calls didn't even count that chapter. Just some fun info I thought you guys might enjoy hearing!
Question for next time: who from Class 1-B would make a good ally?
Chapter 64: Panic! In The Chat
Summary:
The group chat has reached "best with popcorn" levels of chaos. Meanwhile, Izuku visits Ochako to tell her about the weekend, leading to a very important conversation.
Chapter Text
Chapter 64
.::Panic! In The Chat::.
By the time Deku finally got Kurogiri to send him to Aiko's apartment, the FacePage group chat had become a chaotic mess. Between telling Hatsume, Yaomomo bugging Kaminari's apartment, and Deku's messages about Toga maybe being an ally... Well, they had a lot to talk about. The peak of it came when Jirou confirmed through Kaminari she had to explain some of the truth to Yaomomo and that lizard girl from 1-B for some reason.
At that point, Ochako gave up. The situation seemed to be spiraling out of their control with every new message. It was just too chaotic now, and she figured she could either stress herself to death over things outside her control, or just sit back and enjoy the show.
Which was why she was sitting at Deku's desk with a bowl of popcorn and his laptop open to the chat when he entered. He stopped in the doorway and stared at her questioningly before meekly asking, "Uh, Uraraka?"
"This is horrifying and hilarious at the same time," she announced solemnly, not tearing her gaze away from the chat. Kaminari and Ashido had started feeding off each other's anxieties about Yaomomo being read in on the secret, questioning if maybe he and Jirou should run away after all. The past half hour had been spent planning out new identities for the duo. Without Jirou there to be the voice of reason, their plans had spiraled in some strange directions.
Judging by the very conflicted look on Deku's face, he'd been checking the chat pretty closely too. "Is Todoroki still suggesting one of them try to pretend to be half-Brazilian?" he asked.
"Yep," Ochako confirmed. Somehow Todoroki had also gotten roped into the chaos, probably because he was the only one consistently present who'd disguised himself at Kamino. They all still wanted some more details on those disguises. "They're debating if 'Ernesto' is a Brazilian-sounding name."
"We are so lucky undercover work isn't part of the curriculum," Deku groaned mournfully, and Ochako had to snicker at that. She lowered the lid and spun the chair around while Deku went to sit on his bed.
"So what's going on with Toga, anyway?" she asked, and was rewarded with another groan.
"It's a weird story," he muttered. "Before I say anything, where's Aiko? She wasn't in the apartment and didn't come out when I called her. She's not going to walk in, is she?"
Ochako pursed her lips. "I don't think so. She left around an hour ago and said she had to go buy some clothes for an emergency. She said she'd be back later tonight around dinner if people weren't absolute idiots?" Deku paused at that, shooting her a quizzical look, and she shrugged.
"Why would she need to spend all afternoon buying clothes for an emergency?" he asked after a few seconds.
"I think she's some kind of disguise specialist," Ochako confided, before correcting herself. "Actually, I'm sure of it. I've seen her leave in disguises two times now. I think she might be helping some other people with disguises this time...?" Deku frowned, looking down at his lap.
"Then she might not be back before I have to leave," he mumbled. "In that case, I won't be able to ask her about Aizawa-sensei..." That last bit had Ochako's blood suddenly chilling, cold dread washing over her. They weren't supposed to talk to Aiko about him because they didn't want her to realize Aizawa-sensei might be in Alliance custody, so if Deku wanted to ask her now...
"Deku," she said slowly. "What happened yesterday?" Deku openly grimaced, shoulders slumping as he wrung his hands on his lap.
"Yesterday Aiko snuck into the Alliance and went to see him." Ochako's stomach flipped, gasping quietly in horror as he confirmed one of their worst case scenarios. Before her thoughts could spiral too far he hastily continued, "I don't think she did anything to him. When I arrived she was just sitting on the floor, and she left when I asked her to. But I think her just being there might've triggered something. Aizawa-sensei was just—really shaken up..."
He hung his head miserably, a sight that had become all too familiar over the last week. Ochako could practically hear his guilty thoughts, no doubt blaming himself for not shielding their teacher from Aiko. Frowning, she got up and marched over to the bed to plop down next to him, throwing her arms around him and making him jump. "U-Uraraka?"
"It's not your fault," she said firmly, squeezing him tighter. "You weren't there when she arrived, and you couldn't have predicted she'd show up." She felt him tense in her arms before his whole body sagged.
"I know, but I could've done more," he whispered. "I avoided him all morning yesterday. I even asked Seiko to take him breakfast instead, but she got Toga to do it instead." That part had Ochako flinching, biting down a sympathetic hiss. Both sounded like absolutely horrible options to send his way. "If I hadn't been avoiding him, maybe I would've been there when Aiko arrived, and I could have made her leave..."
It was hard to argue with that, especially with how little Ochako knew about the situation. Still, she pulled away with a firm frown. "You don't know that for sure. And she probably wanted to go there when you weren't there, or she would've talked to you first instead of sneak in there."
"I guess," Deku muttered, but didn't look like he believed her. "It's just, you didn't see him yesterday when she was there. He looked like the victims in those training videos we watched about long-term trauma. When I entered he was staring at her almost the whole time, he didn't even look at me. And when I asked him how they knew each other, h-he just..." He swallowed thickly and looked away. "He just shut down. Completely."
That sent a chill down Ochako's spine. Aizawa-sensei was one of the toughest people Ochako had ever met. Even at USJ, he hadn't shown any fear before diving into that crowd of villains. From what Tsu-chan said he didn't even act afraid when pinned by the Noumu, he'd fought until the very last second. When faced with more Noumu at the summer camp, he hadn't backed down then, either.
So if Aiko's mere presence was enough to make Aizawa shut down, then what in the world had she done to him?
It was almost too distressing to think about. "Was she threatening him?" she asked, but Deku shook his head.
"No, I don't think so. I really think just her presence was enough to set him off. He kept spacing out even after she left. I just—I don't know. He just felt so—so fragile," and that was a word Ochako never would have associated with their tough as nails teacher. "I can't ask him anything about it. He said I should ask her instead, so I was going to, but..."
"But she's not here," Ochako finished grimly, and he nodded. She took a breath, collecting her thoughts. So just as they feared, Aiko had done something to Aizawa in the past. They'd probably fought or something, she didn't know what, but the exact specifics didn't matter right now. "Well, we already figured something bad happened between them anyway, and now we know it did. But I guess that does explain her weird mood yesterday?"
That Deku finally looking up. "Weird mood?" he repeated, and she bobbed her head.
"Yeah! When I saw her after lunch she was kinda quiet and thoughtful? It didn't last long once she noticed me, but she was still quieter than usual." Aiko wasn't exactly a super-chatty person when it was just the two of them to begin with, but she usually made some small talk. Asked about Ochako's day so far, if her friends were doing okay, teased her about talking to Deku. The woman was weirdly friendly and supportive for a villain. Yesterday she'd done none of that though, not saying a single word.
That had Deku frowning. "...I still want to ask her what happened. No matter how I look at it, Aizawa-sensei is terrified of her." Ochako had no idea how to respond to that, shuddering as she wondered just what could scare him so much.
Worse: she had to live with Aiko.
"Enough about that!" she decided with a nod. "Wondering about it won't help us figure out what to do!" And would also just make her way too jumpy around Aiko, who she had to live with. "But seriously, what was up with Toga? She knows you're having an episode?"
"Oh, right!" Deku perked up, looking a bit sheepish. "So, uh, yesterday, she kinda gave me... this." He reached into his pocket to pull out... a bracelet? It was a dark, metal band, reminding her of shackles, and had tape around one end.
"Um, what's that?" she asked.
"...The same kind of bomb device they put on Kacchan and Shinsou." That had Ochako slowly raising her head to stare at him.
Fifteen minutes later, Deku had finished explaining the rooftop conversation with Toga from that morning. "I just, she seems really sincere," he said. "So I don't think this is a trap?" Ochako frowned as she eyed the band, a bit wary now that she knew it could explode.
"So you want me to give it to Jirou and Kaminari to give to Hatsume?"
"Yeah, pretty much. It's the next best thing since we don't know where the keys are. Toga said she thinks they're probably in Shigaraki or Kurogiri's rooms."
"Yeah, she's probably right," Ochako agreed after a moment's thought. "Shigaraki doesn't seem like he'd be willing to give those to just anyone. And from what you said, Kurogiri sounds like he might be just responsible enough to take those because Shigaraki can be a bit... childish?" It felt so weird to call the leader of the League of Villains/Villain Alliance childish, but the guy didn't exactly seem mature.
"...It's definitely in one of their rooms," Deku decided with a nod, and then paused. "Maybe... I'll look for it tomorrow?"
"But isn't that risky?" Ochako asked, frowning. "If they catch you snooping in their rooms..." She didn't finish the thought, shuddering. "And even if Shigaraki likes you, he won't be happy if he realizes you're trying to help Bakugou and Shinsou escape."
"Yeah, but who knows how long it would take Hatsume to analyze the band?" he countered with a frown. "It's just... I feel like I've been sitting around in enemy territory doing almost nothing! I'm in the best position of all, I have to do something!"
"But if you get caught, then we won't be able to save you or anyone else!" Ochako retorted sharply, making Deku flinch. "If Shigaraki realizes something is up with you, he'll lock you up until the 'episode' wears off but it won't! And do you think he'd let Bakugou or Shinsou walk around? And what about Aizawa-sensei?"
"I-I..." Deku faltered as he ducked his head, visibly shaken, and Ochako took a deep breath. As much as she wanted to scold him to not do anything reckless, she could relate to his feelings all too well.
"Deku, I know it sucks to just sit around. I felt so helpless when I realized you were stuck with the Alliance, and I was living safe with my parents. And that's why I ran away. Because right now, you're the one in the riskiest position of all, and I knew you couldn't get out on your own."
She grabbed his shoulders, making him look up at him. "You're always, always running headfirst into danger to save everyone else. That's one of the things I admire most about you—one of the things we all admire. But right now, there's more at stake than ever before. So just this once, let us help you. Okay?"
Deku frowned, still looking doubtful, but slowly nodded. "...Alright," he agreed reluctantly, and Ochako gave him a quick hug. This time he relaxed a bit and returned the embrace, making her smile. When she pulled away he still looked a bit down, but then his expression changed to become more thoughtful. "Wait. Hatsume knows about the other dimension now, right?"
"According to the group chat, yeah," Ochako confirmed with a hesitant nod.
"So then... Why can't she go to Odawara tomorrow?" Ochako stared at him blankly as his words settled in.
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Okay so we're agreed. Chargebolt's new name is Santos Raijin, the full-Japanese son of a Japanese mother who moved to Brazil with her star-crossed Brazilian lover, who adopted him.
1-A_Chargebolt: Si! (That's how you say yeah in Brazil right?)
1-A_Dancing_Queen: (I have no idea.)
halfnhalfpeppermint: sure.
deku_breaks_bones: sorry to interrupt, but could the inventor maybe come tomorrow so Space can just give the thing to her right away?
1-A_Chargebolt: Uh probably I guess?
1A_DancingQueen: dang it now we need to come up with a new identity for her too!
powerofmusic: what the hell did I walk back in on
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: idk but popcorn is great for this
halfnhalfpeppermint: Your name is now Otonashi Ruka by the way.
powerofmusic: I'm sorry, WHAT?
Elsewhere, Takami Keigo had taken his first break of the day since starting his usual patrol that morning. Mainly because Mirko forced him to.
"Seriously, I get tired just watching you!" the rabbit heroine vented as they sat on a rooftop, a bucket of chicken sitting between them. "You're always on the move, Hawks. I felt like I had to chase you halfway across the city to stop you!"
"Well, evil never rests, so I can't either," Keigo replied with a lazy shrug, plucking a chicken wing from the bucket.
"You didn't even stop to get lunch," Mirko snorted, shaking a chicken leg at him. "I had to grab it for you. You work way too hard sometimes, you know that? You at least need to eat to keep up your energy!" She took a large bite out of the leg, tearing off the flesh almost viciously while Keigo ate his at a more sedate pace.
He had to admit, Mirko had a point about needing to at least stop to eat. But he couldn't really cut down on work. At present, he and Mirko were among a dwindling number of heroes who still patrolled in a very public manner. Neither of them had families for villains to target, which was one of the main reasons most heroes left the limelight or worked more behind the scenes.
They didn't stick to one city, either, changing it up every so often to help minimize villains trying to track where they lived and potentially endanger nearby civilians. The Hero Commission chose the assignments, going by wherever they felt needed heroes the most. For the past two months he'd been stationed in Nagoya, and Mirko had been assigned here last month.
Nagoya had cemented itself as the technological capital of Japan, and it showed. His patrol route had him passing manufacturing plants for a variety of industries from cars to airplanes to robots and everything in between. He also saw a lot of robots around the city handling basic tasks like cleaning streets and delivering packages, which was admittedly pretty neat. His main complaint were the number of drones people liked to fly around, making his own flights a bit more annoying.
Maybe he could get assigned to Numazu next. Team Storm Chaser had their Japanese base there, so it'd be way easier to catch Skylight when he was in Japan again. It was too bad he spent most of the year in America. Not many people could fly, and even fewer had hero licenses. Keigo would love to go flying with someone again. Or just talk to someone besides the Commission, or whatever heroes happened to be assigned to the same area. He probably needed some more friends.
That last thought had Keigo pausing, remembering the one other guy he spoke to occasionally. Come to think of it, he still hadn't found any signs that heroes had found Shouto. "Hey, Mirko, have you heard any news about Todoroki Shouto?" he asked, just to be safe.
"Not since he vanished," she said, shaking her head. "Can't believe it's already been a year. Still getting a hard time from the Commission and everyone else about it?"
"A bit," he admitted with a shrug. "Kinda a big deal to lose track of the number one hero's son."
"That's one way of putting it," she snorted, grabbing another chicken leg to eat. Her expression darkened a bit. "There's no ransom and he hasn't appeared in the news, so whoever took him probably offed the poor kid. At least the rest of Endeavor's family is safe."
"Yeah," Keigo muttered softly, frowning. Of course, he knew Todoroki Shouto hadn't been kidnapped by anyone nefarious, or even kidnapped at all, but he couldn't reveal that. "That reminds me. A guy I know lost track of his younger brother. The way he phrased it, the kid woke up one day and attacked him and then just... ran off. No word from him since."
"Seriously?" Mirko turned to him with a frown. "What, did they have a fight or something?"
"Not as far as he can tell," Keigo replied with a shrug. "He's seriously stumped. Everything was fine before they went to bed, and all he said was 'good morning' before being attacked. And I don't think he's lying, either. He seemed pretty genuinely confused and concerned when I talked to him."
One of Mirko's ears began twitching, absently scratching behind it with her free hand as her frown deepened. "Think the kid got hit by a Quirk or something? He got a Quirk that would be valuable?"
Oh, she had no idea. "He does, but I don't think he's been kidnapped," he said. "The thing is, the kid has a phone. His brother's called it a couple times and he never picks up, but it doesn't always go straight to voice mail so it's not turned off. We think he's just ignoring him. And tracing the phone isn't really an option either, so. Kinda stumped."
"Then why don't you try calling him?" she suggested, and Keigo opened his mouth to respond before pausing.
"...Calling him?" he repeated, and Mirko huffed.
"Yeah. Kid's not answering his brother. Maybe he'll pick up for someone else?" She openly rolled her eyes as she scrounged for another piece of chicken. "Seriously, you haven't tried that? That's like, the most basic thing you can do. You really are overworking yourself if you hadn't even thought of that."
She took another big bite while Keigo stared at her blankly, slowly turning to look at his half-finished chicken wing. "Huh," he said.
He wrapped up his patrol soon after that and returned to his apartment, going straight to his bedroom to grab the spare phone he'd hidden under the bed. He used it primarily to speak to Dabi, but he'd also added the number for Shouto's burner. He'd honestly forgotten about that until Mirko's suggestion.
"Well kid, let's see if you pick up," he said, hitting dial.
Meanwhile, Shouto was watching the chat on FacePage with the spare laptop Kuroe lent him. Jirou had returned just in time for Midoriya to explain why he wanted to invite Hatsume, though that got derailed by questions about Yaoyorozu and Tokage, the latter who still surprised Shouto. He hadn't expected anyone else to be in the picture, but he supposed there could be worse options. It seemed their meeting had gone well enough, and they didn't know about Midoriya, so that was good at least.
He was reading an explanation from Kaminari about their new backup identities when his phone suddenly rang. Specifically, the one his counterpart originally owned.
Shouto's mood soured instantly, glaring at it as he waited for Dabi to ring out. However, by the second ring came he found himself hesitating, his mind flitting to the conversation yesterday about subconscious memories. Shouto didn't know how true all that was, since he hadn't noticed any personal examples, but... it did make him wonder about the original Shouto.
Why was he with Dabi? Why did he have a phone with Dabi's phone number saved to the contacts? And why did Dabi keep calling it?
Right now, Shouto only had one way to really find out. After a second of hesitation he picked up the phone. When he looked at the screen he was surprised to see it wasn't Dabi calling for once though, but a number not even saved to the contacts. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but he'd already steeled himself so he warily slid his finger across it to answer the call.
"Hello?" he greeted as he raised it to his ear.
There was a brief pause. "Oh hey," the caller greeted in surprise. "Didn't expect anyone to pick this up."
Well that seemed mildly suspicious. The man's voice sounded faintly familiar, but Shouto couldn't place it. "Who is this?" he asked.
"Before I answer, just to double-check, this is... uh, Yuki, right?" The man hesitated on the pseudonym, and casually added, "I think that's the name, only heard that one or two times." Shouto frowned. If he knew that, then he must be with the runaway network.
"I am," he confirmed. By this point Ashido had glanced away from her own phone to watch him curiously, having probably picked up on the fact he was using his original phone—wait. If this was his original phone, how would someone from the runaway network know the number?
"Great!" He could hear the man perk up. "Glad to finally hear from you kid." Suddenly Shouto felt highly on edge, aware that this man must have a connection to Dabi.
"Who is this?" he demanded, moving the phone away from his ear to put it on speaker. He kept it close to his face so the quality of his voice wouldn't be too different, but he wanted to have a witness. Ashido had a small frown on her face as she watched him more intently, sensing his seriousness.
"Right, guess you wouldn't have me saved in your phone since we never talked," the man mused. "It's me, Takami." The name felt unfamiliar to Shouto and meant nothing to him, but for some reason he found himself pausing.
"Hawks?" he asked, surprising even himself once he said it. In the corner of his eye he saw Ashido nearly drop from her phone onto the kitchen table, jaw falling open. He saw even Kirishima shot up from the couch in the other room through the doorway, eyes bulging with disbelief.
"The one and only," the number two hero (or was he number one in this world?) confirmed blithely. "Seriously though kid, it's great to hear your voice! Can't believe I didn't think to call you earlier. Your brother's worried sick."
"You know Natsuo?" Shouto asked, eyebrows furrowing. Come to think of it, was Natsuo okay?
"Uh, what?" Hawks sounded confused. "Uh, no, your other brother." Shouto's confusion only grew, because he only had one other brother, Touya, who was—hold on. Did Touya not die in this world? Was he still alive here? All Might could have died in this world before Touya's fatal accident, he couldn't remember a specific date—
Before he could fully ponder the thought, Hawks continued, "You know, Dabi?"
Wait.
What?
"What?" he asked dumbly. Across from him he distantly registered Ashido's face draining of color and her mouth open so wide it seemed like her jaw might dislocate. He paid it no mind though, still reeling from what Hawks said. "Dabi?"
"Yeah, he's been worried sick since you attacked him and ran off," Hawks said, oblivious to Shouto's shock. "Even called me up to ask for help. You two didn't actually have a fight or something, did you?"
Shouto had no idea how to respond, still reeling from the revelation. Dabi... was his brother? Dabi? The villain who attacked the summer camp and kidnapped Bakugou, probably had a double-digit body count to his name, just recently killed a Pro Hero?
Was his brother?
"...Uh, Shouto? You there?" He blinked when Hawks called his name. Oh right, he'd just asked a question. What was it again? He forgot already.
"...No," he said, figuring that was a safe enough answer. "I have to go now. Goodbye Hawks." He hung up the phone before Hawks could respond, and just stared into space blankly.
Dabi was his brother.
...He had a feeling that might not be exclusive to this world.
"Todoroki?" Ashido said gently, and he blinked as the world came back into focus. She was looking at him with open concern, face still unnaturally pale and eyes wide.
"...I think I need to go out for a bit," he said, and left without waiting for her response. Ashido didn't try to follow thankfully, nor did Kirishima, letting Shouto exit the house in peace.
He made his way to the park near the house, cutting through the woods for the tunnel where they'd spoken to the runaways about everything both times. As expected, it was empty, the cement walls making the space too cold and chilly to encourage visits in the winter. Even as he entered the dim space Shouto could see his breath clearly, and only then did he realize he hadn't even grabbed his coat.
Well, he wouldn't need it anyway.
He took a deep breath, and screamed and let his Quirk run wild.
The FacePage discussion had moved on from false identities to finally setting up the details for Hatsume to join the group to Odawara, much to Izuku's relief. Jirou had just confirmed that Hatsume accepted the invitation when Ashido suddenly sent a message for the first time in five minutes.
'Um so guys? Peppermint just got a call from Hawks, and uh... his brother is Dabi?'
There was a full minute of silence, both in the chat and in Izuku's bedroom. "...Oh shit," Uraraka whispered, and Izuku couldn't have put it better.
Notes:
I think I once asked about the most chaotic way to reveal the Dabi thing to Shouto. I don't think anyone suggested "Hawks casually calling him up and mentioning his brother Dabi." With the group chat insanity of the previous chapters, this was just WAY too amusing of a way to end the whole group chat chaos mini-arc.
Also, just want to point out to certain individuals, I write ahead to keep a big buffer. Draft is currently at 67 for the record, so this was definitely NOT written today or within the last week... c:
Chapter 65: Small Talk is Hard
Summary:
Eijirou goes to the train station to wait for everyone, and Ochako says goodbye to Aiko.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 65
.::Small Talk is Hard::.
So Monday turned out to be... interesting. Way more interesting than any Eijirou thought it would be. He wasn't part of the world travelers' FacePage group chat, but Ashido had kept him apprised of every major development. Starting from that inventor girl getting briefed on the situation after the vigilantes found their apartment bugged, to Ashido and Kaminari's attempts to come up with new identities just in case, to that scary Toga chick apparently knowing Midoriya had an "episode"...
Eijirou had a feeling this would all be a lot more meaningful to him if he actually knew the people involved. As it stood, Ashido wasn't the best at explaining just why all these people specifically were big deals, and Todoroki did little better. Eijirou of course understood how serious it was to tell anyone, but they seemed particularly freaked out by who knew all this stuff.
But then, to cap it all off, it turned out the villain that Todoroki woke up with was his brother, which was the one time where Eijirou felt like he didn't need an explanation to understand why Todoroki and everyone else had been so shocked.
Todoroki ended up being gone for the better part of two hours before coming back, clothing singed and looking relatively catatonic. Explaining to Kuroe why they needed new clothes for him, and also why he kept staring into space had been an interesting challenge. Thankfully he just accepted Eijirou's half-hearted shrug and mumble of "family problems" without many questions.
Overall though, it was a very awkward and quiet night.
So, yeah. Monday turned out to be very eventful in the weirdest of ways. It almost made Eijirou scared about how today would go. He set out pretty early to the train station to meet Jirou, Kaminari and Uraraka so he could lead them to the meeting place. Ashido had wanted to be the guide, but ultimately had been deemed too distinctive to go in public. Todoroki could disguise himself, but was still in no condition to really talk to anyone. So it ultimately fell to Eijirou to be the guide.
Though there was a small hitch in that he didn't really know the way to the meeting place. Originally they planned to use that tunnel they'd met on Friday, but according to Todoroki that... probably wasn't an option anymore. And since Kuroe worked from home they couldn't use his house, so they'd had to call up some of the runaways for another option. Which meant Eijirou wasn't going to the train station alone.
"So, uh, you go to the train station often?" he asked awkwardly, trying to fill the silence. Beside him the hulking figure of Parasyte, or Shouji as he insisted, just shrugged, the gesture making his poncho-style coat seem to rise a few inches.
"Not particularly. There's a small bakery nearby that sells some seasonal breads, so I stop by to get those sometimes."
"Oh, uh, neat," Eijirou replied, and they lapsed into uncomfortable silence once more. Words could not begin to describe just how awkward this felt. Eijirou still felt mildly intimidated by the larger boy, his mask and dark poncho giving him some distinctly sinister vibes. Walking side by side like this, it was hard to believe they were the same age. He would've pegged Shouji as at least a year older than him.
And if Shouji wasn't intimidating enough on his own, then that other guy was. Apparently the runaways' whole "buddy system" still applied even if there was an outsider, so when Shouji showed up there was another guy with him he introduced as Glitch. Eijirou had no idea who he was or what he looked like, because nothing about him would stay solid. His coat kept flickering in different spots between various shades of red, blue and brown, and he wore a knit hat with ski goggles and a scarf around his mouth with similarly blinking colors.
What really grated Eijirou's nerves was that even now he couldn't see him. The guy had stuck around just long enough for Shouji to introduce him, and then vanished. Guy never even said a word, just nodded at Eijirou and then blinked out of existence. They didn't say what the guy's Quirk did, but clearly it let him screw with how other people saw him. Eijirou absolutely got where that codename came from.
Glitch was definitely following them now even though Eijirou couldn't see him, a thought that made the hair on his neck prickle, but he tried not to focus on that. Way more comfortable to focus on Shouji.
The train station soon came into sight, and the awkwardness only continued as they entered. From the schedules posted on a big monitor, they still had a good fifteen minutes before the train from Hosu would arrive. Fifteen minutes of just standing around waiting, surrounded by strangers going about their lives. "Uh, maybe we can stop by that bakery you mentioned?" Eijirou suggested.
"No, it's closed for winter," Shouji replied, shaking his head.
"Oh," Eijirou said weakly, and once again, silence. Man, this was awkward... He felt a bit self-conscious with all the strangers milling around the station. Though none of them paid him and Shouji any mind, he felt like someone might look at them and recognize him any second now, disguised or not. The whole thing just made him feel even more on edge, and also envious of how calm Shouji seemed.
Seriously, the guy seemed totally unbothered by everything. Maybe his time on the streets played a role in it. He just had that cool and mature air around himself, like he'd been through stuff no one else had. It made Eijirou curious about how long he'd been living on the streets, but that felt a bit too invasive to ask about.
"So, your hair isn't naturally red?" The question startled him out of his thoughts, looking at the other boy in surprise.
"Uh, y-yeah, it's actually black," he confirmed after a few seconds.
"I wouldn't have guessed. I can't really picture it like that. Though I also thought your hair naturally spiked up like that, so..." He trailed off awkwardly, and all at once Eijirou remembered that Shouji wasn't just a runaway, but the one who'd seen UA in his dream. He had known that this whole time of course, but it hadn't really clicked until now when the other boy commented on his hair. After all, the other world's Eijirou's red hair had been what ultimately convinced Anjou that Ashido might not be crazy.
That last part in particular kept running through his head. In some other world out there, he, Ashido, Shouji and Todoroki were all classmates, along with a bunch of other people he'd meet today. It was wild to think about. "So what was it like at UA?" he asked without thinking. Shouji stiffened next to him briefly, glancing around to make sure no one had been close enough to hear the question.
"There's not much to say," he said after a moment. "I already told you everything I saw in the dream, which is all I know."
"Yeah, but it must've been cool to see it, right? Even if it was just a classroom and the hall."
"Not really. It just felt... normal." Shouji shrugged, the poncho shifting a bit as he probably crossed his arms. "It's strange. At this point, it feels more like my own memory than a dream. It felt like I was actually living it, and that it was normal for me to be there. Even chasing the janitor robot didn't feel too weird." Pausing, he added in a lower tone, "Although, when I saw... that blond, skeleton man..."
He trailed off, seeming to search for words, and Eijirou had to think for a moment of who he might mean. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "You mean—uh." He stopped short of saying All Might out loud, knowing that would definitely get a lot of weird looks if someone overheard. Coughing awkwardly, he muttered, "Uh, that guy the others said is still alive somehow, but retired instead of dead...?"
"Yeah." Shouji nodded. "When I saw him, I felt..." He trailed off again, and the poncho shifted again before he sighed. "When I looked at him, I thought of that name. His hero name. And it felt normal even after waking up." That had Eijirou pausing, turning to stare at him wide-eyed.
"Wait. You mean you recognized him inside the dream?"
"Sort of," Shouji hedged. "I think I technically recognized everyone, the same way you recognize classmates and friends. You think of their names but also... don't. It's—more in the back of your head, than an active thought." He shook his head, seeming a bit frustrated by his attempts to explain it.
"No, I totally get it," Eijirou assured him. "Like how you look at someone and know who they are, but don't really think, 'Oh, that's totally Fujisaki' right?"
"Right. Anyways, after I woke up, I forgot most of the names. I only remembered his name, because he was..."
Once again he trailed off, but he didn't need to explain it. The guy was All Might. If you looked at a skeleton guy and somehow thought "All Might," that'd definitely stick in your head, dream or not. "I totally get it, dude," Eijirou assured the larger teen, before frowning. "But uh, did you mention that part to Anjou? I mean, I feel like she probably would've brought it up, right?"
"No, it felt too crazy to mention. That was the only really absurd part of the dream. Everything else felt utterly... normal." His body sagged a bit at the word, bowing his head with an aggravated huff. "I know I keep saying that, but I can't think of a better one. Nothing really stood out as wrong or strange, not even him. It just felt like another ordinary day. And I guess for that world, it was."
Eijirou didn't really know how to respond to that. He didn't even know why Shouji was telling him all this, it wasn't like they really knew each other. But maybe that was why. Maybe the guy just needed to talk to someone who might understand, who was also more on the outside but not completely in the dark. Eijirou could respect that.
"So do you think you'll recognize everyone when they show up?" he asked after a few moments, and Shouji nodded.
"I did when I saw you two. I still couldn't remember your names, but when Anjou said them, they did click as familiar. Since I already know the names of everyone else coming, I think I'll be able to match them to their faces. That's why I volunteered to be the escort," he added, glancing at the train tracks. "I want to see with my own eyes that I'm not going crazy."
"Yeah, I get that," Eijirou muttered, scratching the back of his neck. "Man, I'm actually kinda jealous now. You might just have some weird dreams to go off of, but I still don't really have anything but everyone's word that this stuff is real. At least you've got some sort of memories to go off of."
"I guess you have a point," Shouji hummed, and they lapsed into silence once more. It didn't feel quite as uncomfortable as before though, the brief chat taking off some of the edge Eijirou felt around the other teen. It kind of made him wonder how they got along at UA, how different their counterparts might be in a world without the looming sense of danger and slowly impending societal collapse.
Then he realized it didn't matter. That was a different Kirishima Eijirou in a world that he didn't even know for sure existed. But he did exist in this world, and so did this world's Shouji.
"So," he said, breaking the silence again. "Are there any good places to grab a bite around Odawara that aren't closed for winter?"
Clothes, money, towel, sleeping bag, camping stove, and wigs.
Ochako checked the contents of her backpack and the duffel bag for the fifth time, side-eying Deku's bedroom to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Seeing nothing out of place, she finally allowed herself to accept she'd packed everything. "I think that's all of it," she declared, zipping up her backpack. She hefted it over her shoulder and grabbed the duffel bag, grunting at the weight.
"Sure you don't need help?" Aiko asked from the doorway, sounding faintly amused as she watched Ochako turn around.
"No, I'm good!" the teen declared with a determined smile. "I'm going alone, so I won't have you help carry it everywhere!" Still, she didn't like how her arms and back already felt sore from lifting it. The two bags had to be the heaviest things she'd carried since coming to this world; it really made her wonder about how lazy other Ochako had been.
Maybe some of the strain showed, because Aiko reached over to take the duffel bag anyway. "At least let me carry it downstairs. You look like you're about to fall over." Ochako really wanted to protest, but she couldn't deny the relief at having the weight taken away.
"...Thanks," she said feebly, giving in as she followed Aiko through the apartment.
"Why not use your Quirk to make it all lighter?"
"Because I can't be too dependent on it. And if it looks like I'm not struggling at all, people might find it weird, don't you think?"
"Good call." Aiko flashed her an almost feral grin, which Ochako returned with a slightly feeble smile of her own. As soon as Aiko turned forward again it faded, eyebrows pinching together nervously.
Ever since Deku told her about how shaken Aizawa-sensei had been by his encounter with Aiko, Ochako's unease about the woman had multiplied exponentially. As nice as Aiko had been to her, the way Aizawa-sensei reacted just cemented that she was still a villain. Whatever happened between them in the past, it traumatized him to the point that just being around her triggered him.
She felt so glad Aiko had come home late in the evening, so they hadn't spent much time together before she left. She wasn't sure how long she could keep up a friendly façade. Just seeing her sent a chill down Ochako's spine now, her brain basically screaming, 'Danger! Danger!' on repeat. It made interacting with the woman a lot more stressful than before.
"So, you're sure you'll be okay?" Aiko asked idly, and Ochako quickly bobbed her head. She couldn't let slip anything was wrong now, she was so close to leaving.
"Yeah! I'm gonna meet up with my friend."
"The one you know online?"
"Yep! And thanks for giving me that wig for her, by the way."
"Don't mention it. I really need to de-clutter a bit anyway," Aiko added under her breath. "Don't even know why I keep getting all those wigs, not like I need them..." Part of Ochako wanted to ask what she meant, but the other part didn't want to talk to her more than absolutely necessary.
"Thank you anyway," she said, for lack of anything else to say.
They reached the stairwell and Ochako really felt grateful Aiko had taken the duffel bag, because she felt like she needed to hold the rail to remain steady with the weight of her backpack. The thick layers of clothing didn't help, making her steps feel a bit more stiff as the fabric hugged her knees whenever she bent them. She felt a similar tightness around her arm when she raised her free hand to adjust her scarf so it wasn't as tight.
"You do know if she's actually a girl though, right?" Aiko asked, and Ochako frowned at the back of her head.
"Huh?"
"You know, that your friend is actually a girl, and not some forty-year-old guy catfishing you," Aiko said casually. "And even if she's not, you need to be careful. Meeting someone you know online can be dangerous. You never know if you're meeting a serial killer." Ochako stopped walking and just stared at her, the sheer hypocrisy of the statement really hitting home.
Aiko paused and glanced at her over her shoulder, an innocent smile on her face. "Something wrong?"
"...Are, are you trying to say you're a serial killer?" Ochako asked awkwardly, and Aiko's smile became even sunnier somehow.
"By the strictest definition, yes." That had Ochako freezing in place, her blood chilling. She didn't expect such a straightforward answer! Aiko shrugged as she turned and resumed her descent, continuing nonchalantly, "Don't act so surprised. You're the one who set out to find the Villain Alliance, and I wasn't exactly subtle about my connection with them."
Ochako just stared, still stunned Aiko admitted it so openly, but after a moment she took a shuddery breath. "No, you weren't," she agreed quietly as she followed. "But... why are you actually telling me that?"
"To highlight that you have the survival instinct of a rock and need to be more careful," Aiko chirped cheerfully, and Ochako's shock was briefly replaced by enough indignation to glare at her. "Really though, you need to be cautious of strangers. If you ran into literally anyone else tied to the Alliance that day, you'd be either dead or trapped in a cell as one of Izun's new friends."
That last remark had Ochako shuddering, knowing just how right Aiko was. Deku had particularly hammered in that second possibility while scolding her for being so reckless. Hearing it from a villain just made it all the more real.
Still, despite the fact Aiko terrified Aizawa and had just admitted to being a murderer, and Ochako probably shouldn't try to make her angry, she couldn't help but feel a need to defend herself. "I know it was risky, but you'd already found me at that point. I had nothing to lose anyway."
"I suppose not," Aiko hummed. "Still, you're pretty soft. You've done a decent job surviving so far, but the streets are a dangerous place. It's not too late to go back home. You'd definitely be safer."
Ochako frowned, briefly squeezing the handrail as she walked. "I know, but I have stuff to do that I can't do if I'm being constantly watched and guarded." Aiko hummed but didn't respond, and they spent the rest of the walk downstairs in silence.
Aiko ended up carrying the duffel bag outside to the end of the street before turning to her with a smile. "Well, Uraraka-chan, it's been nice having you here," she said, holding the bag for Ochako to take. "If you're ever in Nabu, please don't go looking for the Alliance again though."
"I won't," Ochako promised as she took the bag. Aiko smiled, and then abruptly ruffled Ochako's hair, making her yelp. Ochako tried to pull away on reflex but felt a painful tug, and realized Aiko had a firm grip on her hair. The woman's smile faded as she looked into Ochako's eyes, the serious look on her face sending a chill down her spine.
"And you won't tell anyone about me or the Alliance, right?" she asked, and Ochako felt herself shiver.
"I won't," she lied, forcing herself to meet Aiko's gaze. The woman didn't reply right away, her expression unreadable but oddly intense.
"You won't tell any pros or police?"
"No," Ochako agreed, relieved she could tell the truth about that. She only planned to tell the others from her world. "I won't tell my parents if I go home, either, or any other adults."
Aiko was silent, still staring at her in that eerily intense way that made her want to squirm. "Uraraka. You won't do anything to put Izuku in danger, will you?" The question had Ochako inhaling sharply, and her hands balled into fists around the handle of the duffel bag as her expression hardened with determination.
"Never," she swore solemnly. "Deku's my friend. I won't ever do anything to hurt him." Her vow elicited a soft hum from Aiko, and at long last she released Ochako's hair and backed off.
"Alright then, I'll accept that," she said with a nod. "But remember, telling people about me or the Alliance will absolutely count as putting him in danger."
"I know," Ochako said with a firm nod of her own, and then dipped into an earnest bow. "Thank you for taking care of me all this time!"
She heard the woman give a soft huff, and when she straightened she had on that soft smile smile again. "Just don't get into trouble, okay?" she said, and Ochako yelped when the woman darted forward to ruffle her hair one last time before backing off with a laugh. "And don't forget to throw on the wig before you get too close to the train station!"
The reminder had Ochako tugging up the scarf over her mouth a bit more, hiding a small smile. "Don't worry, I will! Thank you!" She gave one final bow before walking off and leaving Aiko behind.
Once she turned a corner she heaved a large sigh, feeling some of her tension fade now that she was away from Aiko. She felt like she had a lot to unpack from their farewell just now. And with luck, this would be their last farewell, and they'd never meet again before Ochako and everyone else got back to their own world.
After everything that happened with Aizawa, Ochako couldn't stay with Aiko any longer. She couldn't stand to be around the woman knowing her mere presence could impact him so heavily. Not just because it meant Aiko was dangerous, but because it meant she'd done something in the past that had left a definite, lasting imprint on him.
And anyone who hurt her teacher was an enemy.
As uneasy as she was now, Ochako knew that if a few days passed without Aiko being hostile towards her, that unease would lose its edge. And after that, she'd just be angry. She didn't think she'd go as far as to try to attack the woman—her instincts screamed that would be suicidal—but she'd never been in close quarters with someone she actively loathed before.
Aizawa-sensei had risked his life for them multiple times and had supported them through so much. He was a one of a kind man who embodied every aspect of not only what it meant to be a hero, but a teacher. Ochako felt it safe to say nearly everyone in 1-A would be willing to put their lives on the line to repay him for all he'd done for them. And while this might not be their Aizawa-sensei, she felt like that willingness to give everything to protect others had to be a universal constant for the man.
She had no idea what she would do once she got over her initial anxieties around Aiko, so best to not take any risks and leave now before it happened. She and Deku had worked out alternate plans yesterday; after finishing up the business in Odawara, she could come back and just stay in the warehouse instead. They'd even asked Jirou to bring some extra money so Ochako could rent hotel rooms if the weather got too bad. She felt bad asking for money like that, but in this situation it was a necessary evil.
Today, everything would finally set in motion for real. She'd finally brief everyone on the full details of the situation with Deku, the Alliance, and Aiko. She'd learn what was going on in Odawara so she could tell Deku, work out a system to communicate better. And she would deliver that anklet to Hatsume to hopefully figure out a way to unlock it, so the escape plan could finally move forward.
(And she'd also apologize to Todoroki for not having the chance to warn him about Dabi. She was literally going to tell him about it today! How could they have predicted that Hawks of all people would beat her to it?)
"Hello."
Ochako startled at the voice and spun around, feet sliding apart into a slightly clumsy rendition of the offensive stance that Gunhead had shown her. She briefly cursed her counterpart for not having those moves ingrained into her body's muscle memory, but her ire was quickly forgotten when she registered who had startled her. A young girl with black hair and inverted-looking eyes stood only a few feet away in the mouth of an alley Ochako had just passed.
More importantly: she was only wearing a short-sleeved sailor-style dress. She didn't even have on tights or boots, just knee-high black socks and plain old black loafers.
What the heck? Was she crazy? This morning the temperatures were the coldest yet this year! Ochako had on wool leggings under her pants and a thick coat over two another layer, and she still felt the bitter chill whenever the wind blew past her. She didn't dwell on it long though, her thoughts instantly derailed when the girl asked, "Are you Uraraka Ochako?"
Immediately Ochako was back on edge, panic briefly spiking at being recognized. She hadn't put on the wig yet because her floppy-eared hat didn't really fit over the pigtails, and the windchill was too bitter to make the long walk with her ears unprotected. But her hair was mostly covered right now, with only a few strands of her bangs poking out. And with the scarf, that mainly left only her eyes to identify her.
"Who are you?" she demanded, sliding her left foot just enough to make her stance more steady.
"I suppose that is a yes," the girl hummed, and then dipped her head. "Heiwajima Seiko." As soon as she said the name it suddenly clicked, and Ochako felt her tension drain all at once.
"Oh, you're that girl Deku mentioned!" In retrospect, it should have been obvious that this was Seiko, since there probably weren't many girls with black hair and inverted eyes, or who wore all black except for a tiny cherry blossom hairpin. In Ochako's defense, she was kind of distracted by the fact the girl was absolutely not dressed for the weather. "Aren't you cold?"
"Not really." Short and perfectly devoid of emotion, just like Deku described. Only then did Ochako notice that Seiko's pale face didn't even seem a little pink from the cold, her expression looking more bored than uncomfortable. "Are you leaving?"
"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah." She nodded awkwardly, a bit surprised by how quickly Seiko changed the topic. She really wasn't the type for small talk, was she?
"I see. A shame. I was curious about you." The bland remark had Ochako feeling a bit wary again, remembering how uneasy Deku tended to be when talking about her.
"How did you even know I was here?" she asked. Given everything going on, she didn't think he would be too careless mentioning her around the Alliance's base. And he certainly wouldn't tell Seiko about her.
"On Sunday evening Izuku kept muttering about whether you'd be alright staying with Aiko. He didn't realize I was watching and thought he was alone. He seemed upset, so I decided not to bother him."
Ochako couldn't even react to that, just stared in a weird mix of exasperation and disbelief. Deku's mumbling was one of his most defining and endearing characteristics, but this was the first time someone had actually used it to their advantage. Usually he rambled too fast and quietly to follow, and she'd gotten used to mostly tuning it out.
...It suddenly occurred to her his mumbling was a really big liability when living with someone who could spy on people without anyone knowing she was there.
"Well, I'm leaving today, so he doesn't have to worry I guess," she muttered with a frown, making a mental note to talk to him about that later. A brisk breeze blew past and Ochako shivered, feeling her skin prickle. "Okay, seriously, aren't you cold?"
"No." Seiko looked perfectly unbothered by the wind, not reacting to it at all, but Ochako didn't care.
"Well, I feel cold just looking at you!" she declared with a nod, and in a split-second decision she set down the duffel bag and walked over. "You should at least wear a scarf!"
"I don't need it," Seiko intoned blandly.
"Does your Quirk that can make you overheat if you wear too many layers?" Ochako asked in response. Seiko seemed to pause, her head tipping to the side just slightly as she gazed at Ochako with empty eyes.
"No."
"Then you might feel okay now, but you're still a little kid, and it's still freezing. Don't you know what hypothermia is?"
"It's a significant drop in body temperature usually from prolonged exposure to cold."
"If you know that, then you have no excuse to refuse this!" Ochako unwound her scarf from her neck and draped it around the younger girl's shoulders, flashing her a smile. The light blue and pink argyle-pattern scarf had already felt big to Ochako, and it looked almost comically large on the smaller girl. It completely enveloped her chin and a good part of her sailor collar, and Ochako couldn't help but smile. "Look, the pink parts even match your hairclip!"
Seiko lifted one of the loose ends of the scarf to inspect the pale pink diamonds. "They do," she said, which Ochako decided was good enough for her.
"Glad you like it!" she said, and went to retrieve the duffel bag. "I need to go catch that train now, but it was nice to finally meet you!"
And she meant it. Maybe it was because they'd only spoken for a few minutes, but she didn't find Seiko nearly as creepy as Deku made her out to be. Ochako wouldn't go as far to call her normal, there was definitely something off about her, but overall she felt kind of underwhelming compared to how Deku talked about her.
Seiko just eyed the scarf a moment longer before looking up at her. "Likewise," she intoned, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. Ochako felt her own smile grow a bit more strained, suddenly understanding Deku's discomfort around Seiko a little better. Something about that smile felt wrong, though she couldn't put her finger on why before it faded. "Farewell, Uraraka-san."
With that she turned to walk back to the alley, and the shadows seemed to reach out to meet her, wrapping her in darkness before she vanished. Ochako blinked, a bit surprised by the abrupt departure, but a brisk breeze had her shivering and hurrying off to the train station. Now that she'd given up her scarf, she really didn't want to spend a moment outside longer than absolutely necessary.
It was a little later while she looked for a place to put on her wig that she noticed her breath visibly leave in small puffs. Only then did Ochako suddenly realize that she'd never seen Seiko's breath. She shivered for a different reason this time before continuing her search, pushing it out of her mind.
Notes:
The grand reunion's finally about to happen. Looking forward to it! Also, props to Izuku for managing to last 60+ chapters without slipping anything until now.
Question for next time: what would be the most hilarious misunderstanding that could arise from someone listening to Izuku's muttering? (Don't need to ask about the most disastrous thing that could be overheard, so somehow interpreting Izuku's mumbling to mean he's getting married or something silly like that is way more fun!)
Also sorry I didn't respond to everyone last week. Gonna start going through comments and replying now!
Chapter 66: Prelude to Progress
Summary:
Izuku brings Aizawa croissants because he's not allowed to cook, Denki wishes he had super strength, and Hatsume may have found a new client!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 66
.::Prelude to Progress::.
Shouta sighed as he reclined atop the blankets and pillows, waiting for the door to open for breakfast to be delivered hopefully by Midoriya. The kid hadn't skipped out on delivering meals since that one morning when that girl brought it instead. Granted, it had only been a full day and a grand total of four meals since then, but Shouta felt like he was entitled to find room for optimism about something in this mess.
Especially now that he knew Aiko was here.
He didn't know how it was possible, but somehow the stakes in this damn hellhole kept getting higher and higher. After seeing her of all people, the situation had become dire and near-hopeless. The only bright spot was that she didn't seem to live here based on her conversation with Midoriya. However, it seemed rather clear she was a regular enough visitor, which made the situation still incredibly dangerous.
Honestly, the only reason he hadn't let himself just fall apart was because he knew there were other prisoners here. The tutoring seemed like it'd be a regular thing every other day, or at least that's what Midoriya had gathered from speaking to Kurogiri. That meant the other prisoners—the kids—probably wouldn't be coming by today, which agitated him.
Every moment without them in his line of sight already felt risky, and seeing them yesterday had only amplified that feeling. It reminded him that he wasn't here alone this time, that there were other victims—kids. Kids who needed a stable adult to help keep them afloat. Shouta had focused on that, especially because he could tell they were worried for him. They hadn't really asked him any questions, giving him space and letting him just focus on petting Sushi.
At least he got to pet a cat yesterday. That was honestly the biggest highlight he'd had since he first got kidnapped, though he wished he didn't have on these damn mittens so he could actually feel it.
Either way, yesterday's visit had given him time to ground himself without anxiety that some other dangerous unknown would barge inside. And now, part of him felt humiliated at how he'd acted in front of Midoriya. Not the breakdown after Aiko left, he knew that he couldn't be faulted for a heavy reaction brought on by trauma. But even before she showed up, he'd let himself get consumed by his anxieties.
Now that he'd had time to think more clearly he realized just how irrational a lot of his fears had been, fueled purely by years-old trauma. He had let it cloud his judgment, so ready to grovel for Midoriya's approval and forgiveness. While some of his fears weren't completely groundless, Shouta felt frustrated at how quickly he'd let himself fall into despair.
After all, that would only make things worse if Midoriya was truly malevolent.
As it stood, he still had no idea which way Midoriya's morals swayed, and his connection to Aiko only cast more doubt. The kid hadn't given any solid indications since then, either. He still lingered at mealtimes like always, but he didn't try to engage Shouta in conversation as much, mostly kept to himself. Shouta felt even less motivated to speak to him. Not when he didn't have a solid read on the kid.
So he decided to do one more test. Not like the disastrous confrontation that led to... whatever that was. In retrospect, that had been a very foolish idea because angering him would have led to disastrous consequences if Midoriya did turn out to be malicious like Shouta feared. He'd let his emotions and ire at the other prisoners' situations get the better of him, and right now, he needed to keep cool and logical.
That was why he sat up straight upon hearing the door's lock click, opening to reveal the now-familiar face of Midoriya. "Hi, Eraserhead," the kid greeted quietly as he shuffled inside, holding a water bottle and a plate with breakfast as usual.
"Croissants?" Shouta asked, noting the change from the usual diet of sandwiches and other simple to make meals.
"Yeah. I'm not allowed to cook and no one on the permitted cooking list was around this morning, and someone went to a bakery yesterday, so..." The kid trailed off as he set the plate down, nudging it in Shouta's direction. Despite his wariness, Shouta couldn't help but comment on something the boy mentioned.
"There's a permitted cooking list?"
"Some people here are really bad cooks," the kid replied, shuddering with a grimace and faintly haunted look in his eyes. Fair enough. While Shouta began eating Midoriya twisted off the cap on the water bottle, more to show it hadn't been tampered with. He put it down next to the already open and half-finished water bottle, but as he did he suddenly froze, eyes going wide. "Wait. The pill, it's..."
He trailed off, staring at the empty plate that once held the painkiller. Shouta didn't say anything, focused on chewing as he waited for Midoriya's reaction. The easiest way to test the kid was to see his reaction to the missing pill.
Shouta hadn't actually taken it, only hidden it beneath the many pillows and blankets. He still didn't trust it, so the kid's response would be telling about whether the pill was actually a painkiller or something else. If it was legit, Midoriya would probably comment on it. If it wasn't, he'd probably gloat in Shouta's face or otherwise change his behavior as he waited for the effects to set in. Assuming they didn't have some instant effect that should have been noticeable by now.
So far, the kid looked more stunned than anything. "You... you took it?" he asked slowly. "Did—did it help? Is it strong enough? It's not too strong, right? I mean it's just some over the counter stuff so it shouldn't be, and you've probably built a bit of a resistance to painkillers since heroes get hurt so much..." His eyebrows creased with open concern as he cut off his rambling. "Does it help at all?"
"It's... fine," Shouta replied after a moment, choosing his words carefully. "Probably. I just took it before you came in, so it hasn't taken effect yet." Then as an afterthought he added gruffly, "Thanks for the concern."
He didn't expect the kid to suddenly tear up.
The tears didn't start streaming down his face thankfully, but the corners of his eyes still glistened with unshed wetness. Midoriya sniffled and quickly wiped his eyes with his arm before giving Shouta a still watery-looking smile. "O-of course, sir!" he responded, voice wobbling, and perked up as he pulled out his cell phone. "Oh, right! Last night was Present Mic's show but we didn't listen to it, so if you want, we can listen to it now?"
Shouta had to force himself not to stare or react too strongly. The kid just had so much hope in his eyes, hope mixed with anxiety and shyness and some still-lingering tears. It honestly felt jarring after so long surrounded by cruel and callous villains. "That's fine," he agreed with a nod, glancing away with a half-hearted shrug. "Nothing else to do anyway."
Apparently that was enough to set off the kid again, because he heard a sharp inhale and saw his shoulders hunch from the corner of his eye. Alarm briefly spiked as he realized the kid was about to cry, but Midoriya roughly wiped his face again as he fumbled with the. "R-right! Okay!" His voice was even shakier now, and he loudly sniffled before continuing more steadily, "Okay, here's the site. I'll just..."
He trailed off as he pulled up the episode, while Shouta let his mind race. It could just be an act, but right now, it seemed like maybe the kid really wasn't malicious.
Maybe he could work with this kid after all.
In a testament to how normal this world had become, Denki didn't even bat an eye as Hatsume shoved a toolbox at him. "Here Battery-kun, carry this for me!" she ordered, and he yelped as he staggered under its weight.
"You alright?" Jirou asked, glancing up from her phone, and Denki grunted as he righted himself and shrugged. He immediately regretted it because that reminded him that he was holding something super heavy.
"I think I need to do some weight training," he said, and Jirou rolled her eyes as she returned her attention to her phone. The train was finally pulling into Odawara, only minutes away from disembarking, and his nerves felt higher than ever. At long last, they'd see someone from UA—from their world. Not right away, since Ashido had messaged that Kirishima would be the one waiting for them, but even that felt like a relief. At least he already knew.
"So, what sort of babies do you think they'll all need?" Hatsume asked, and Jirou shrugged.
"Dunno," she muttered, sounding distracted.
"Is Yaomomo still texting you?" Denki asked curiously.
"Yeah. Her next class is about to start though." Jirou had been texting her on and off throughout the train ride, only possible because Yaomomo had chosen to stay home from school again to process... well, everything. It still felt surreal to think that she'd been briefed on the situation—and that Tokage girl, too. They hadn't told them everything, but Yaomomo still wanted to be kept in the loop a bit.
Of course, they didn't tell her they were going to Odawara though. Who knew how she'd react to that.
"But seriously though, you don't think they'll want any babies?" Hatsume prodded, ignoring their conversation, and Denki frowned.
"I dunno. They don't really need much support gear in our world. I mean, Ashido has some special shoes to let her slide around on her acid, but the others don't really use much. Or at least, not like we do."
"...Oh?" Hatsume looked very interested now, and Denki felt a sudden pang of dread. "So you're saying, I'll have full creative freedom?"
...Yep, Denki might have messed up. "Uh, if they need gear, I guess?" he said uncomfortably. "But like, Todoroki probably won't. And I don't think Uraraka would need anything special, either...?"
"Not even something to hide their Quirks?" Hatsume pressed, and Denki opened his mouth to respond but then paused. Come to think of it, she kinda had a point. All the others had people looking for them, so using their Quirks might give away their identities even if they disguised themselves. He and Jirou used a lot of Hatsume's gear as vigilantes for that very reason. And with what was going on with Midoriya...
"I have no idea," he said faintly as the stop was announced. Beside him Jirou pocketed her phone and got up.
"You can just ask them," she said briskly as they filed into the aisle to get off. "Midoriya would probably be up for stuff. I know he needed some stuff for the blowback back home, and we still don't really know how his Quirk works here, so..."
"Oh yeah, we never actually talked about it that much, huh," Denki muttered with a frown. During the initial phone call, Midoriya finally confirmed that he indeed had his Quirk in this world, but he hadn't used it much. According to him all the blowback at the start of the year came from a lack of training since he was a late bloomer, and he had no idea if this world's Midoriya had done any sort of conditioning for it.
"This body's a lot more fit than mine was when it first manifested, but it's not at my current level back home," he'd explained. "And it's pretty obvious everyone thinks I'm Quirkless, so I don't even know if my counterpart knew about it. I don't want to risk using it too much, especially without Recovery Girl or anyone to heal me."
Honestly, Denki found it pretty wild to think that Midoriya hadn't even known about his Quirk for so long. It at least explained why he'd had all that trouble with it at the start of the year, but still. With everything else going on they hadn't spoken about it for long before going back to other topics though. "Yeah, he'll probably want something," he agreed as they exited the train. "He won't be there today though, but I mean, he's sending that thing we want you to look at, whatever it is, so... yeah."
He shrugged, still not really sure what Midoriya wanted her to look at. He hadn't really given any hints, but it was probably some kind of villain tech. Denki couldn't really say that in the middle of a train station full of people though. In any case Hatsume seemed satisfied enough, nodding in approval. "Well, until I meet him, I'll just have to see if there's anyone else who might need one of my babies!"
"...That might actually be more likely than I thought," Jirou said, sounding surprised, and Denki glanced at her confusion before noticing two figures heading their way. Even with them all bundled up and most of their features obscured by the usual winter accessories, his heart leapt as they locked onto the larger of the pair, recognizing the fabric face mask.
Shouji came to a stop not far away, eyes lingering on them for a moment. "Jirou and Kaminari?" he asked, and they both nodded slowly. Of all the people to greet them, Denki did not expect to see him. Bad as it sounded, he kinda forgot Shouji even existed.
Next to Shouji the other boy tugged down his scarf a bit to show a grin, and only then could Denki recognize him as Kirishima. "Yo! Nice to, uh, meet you, I guess?" His greeting lost its enthusiasm partway through, suddenly looking a bit shy.
In return Denki flashed a big grin of his own, already knowing this world's Kirishima wasn't quite as confident as theirs. "Yeah, nice to meet you too dude! Did uh, not expect you to not be alone, though." He glanced at Shouji awkwardly, wondering how much he knew and why he was there.
"If you're wondering, I'm briefed on the situation," he interjected calmly, which, what!? Denki could only stare, and judging by her wide-eyed silence Jirou seemed just as stunned. Other people knew? That had never come up on the phone or FacePage. They'd all been so careful not to tell anyone else, so he felt pretty blindsided by this. What was going on in Odawara!?
While they were stunned by this revelation, Hatsume meanwhile remained totally unaffected. "Ooh, 'briefed,' huh?" she asked, bouncing over with a grin. "Sounds so official and businesslike when you say stuff like that!"
"It's a serious enough situation," Shouji said, and glanced at Kaminari. "Do you want me to carry that? It looks heavy."
All of Denki's previous concerns instantly vanished. "Yes please," he groaned, relieved to have someone else take the toolbox, but before he could step forward Hatsume held out her arm to stop him.
"Hold on, Battery-kun," she said sharply, her manic smile gone and replaced by a serious frown. "That's my toolbox, with all my special tools and my babies! I'm not letting just anyone touch it!"
"Babies?" Kirishima repeated faintly while Denki sagged dejectedly.
"Come on, Shouji's super strong though!" he whined. "He's got, like, six arms, too—hey!" He frowned as Jirou sharply jabbed her elbow into his side, but she met his look with a scowl.
"Kaminari, you idiot!" she hissed. "Look at him!" Denki continued to frown, but he glanced at Shouji and then froze as he realized the other teen was wearing a poncho-style coat. One that covered his arms so he couldn't see them. Oh crap.
Despite the situation, Shouji didn't seem bothered, just nodding. "So you do know me," he murmured, while Kirishima's eyes were wide.
"Holy shit, dude, that's amazing!" he breathed to the taller teen. "That's, like, even more proof!"
"More proof?" Jirou repeated, and Kirishima paused at that, looking unsure of what to say.
"We'll explain later after the last person arrives," Shouji replied instead. "It'll be easier to get it out of the way all at once. That train should be here in half an hour. There's a coffee shop nearby where we can get hot chocolate while we wait." That didn't clear up much, but Denki figured there was no point in protesting. Like Shouji said, it would only be half an hour until Uraraka arrived, and then they could meet Ashido and Todoroki and finally get all the details.
With that the group headed out, Shouji taking the lead with Hatsume trailing close behind. "So, you have multiple arms, huh?" she asked. "Is that all, or does your Quirk do anything else?" Denki resisted a sympathetic wince, realizing she was gauging his potential as a client for her inventions. While the questioning went on Kirishima fell back a bit to whisper to Denki and Jirou.
"I'm sorry, what was that about babies?" he hissed, staring wide-eyed at Hatsume's back.
"That's what she calls her inventions," Jirou whispered back with a shrug. "It's weird at first, but you get used to it. But more importantly, who else knows?" she added sharply. "You guys never mentioned anyone else being in on this!"
Kirishima grimaced as he ducked his head and looked away. "Yeah, uh, let's just say Anjou was really justified in being paranoid about people finding out about talking about everyone here. It's kinda a crazy story actually. Oh, but Ashido said to warn you that 'the dark face of UA' is here?" he added uncertainly, and Denki froze.
"Wait, that snob from 1-B?" he whispered in disbelief, recognizing the nickname instantly from their group chat back home. Jirou clocked onto his identity after Denki's comment, back going ramrod straight as she snapped to attention.
"Hold on, is he our Mono—"
"You probably shouldn't use names!" Kirishima cut in hastily. "It's, uh, a long story, but they're all super paranoid. But no, he's from here. Ashido said to warn you because he's actually kinda cool here, apparently. Her words, not mine." He shrugged uncertainly. "I mean, guy seemed pretty okay to me when we met, but To—Yuki seemed surprised too."
He corrected himself harshly mid-sentence, and Denki frowned when he realized he probably meant Todoroki. "Should we use fake names too?" he asked.
"Sure, if you want?" Kirishima shrugged again. "I mean, you guys aren't really on the run like we are, though, so. Yeah." He guessed that made sense since Todoroki was pretty well-known, and Ashido and Kirishima had only run away just last week.
"I think I'm good on that front," Jirou muttered. "Not like anyone's really around to hear us." She had a point. The street they walked on was relatively empty, most people inside to avoid the cold, so Denki didn't feel too worried about someone overhearing.
But talking about it still made him a little paranoid. Especially when Kirishima grimaced. "Uh, yeah, I wouldn't be too sure about that," he muttered, and Denki's paranoia spiked tenfold. Immediately his eyes scanned the area, and his breath caught as he thought he spied a flash of blue against the white snow. When he looked over though there was nothing there.
"R-right, guess we should still be careful, just in case," he muttered shakily, nerves officially fried. He had to think more rationally, he couldn't let Kirishima's words get to him. Still, he couldn't wait to see Ashido again, and he tried to relax as they entered the coffee shop.
Unknown to them Mail watched unseen as always, floating near the ceiling of the coffee shop as they sat at a table with hot chocolate and coffee. After fifteen minutes Kirishima and Shouji had returned to the station to wait for Uraraka, and Mail had elected to wait behind with the trio from Hosu. "So these are the famous 1-A Vigilantes, huh?" he mused aloud. Famous being a relative term of course, not like he'd heard of them before that phone call on Saturday.
As far as first impressions went, he found them pretty underwhelming. Their thick layers of clothes covered their physiques, even after removing the bulky winter coats, but he could tell they weren't the muscular types. The blond one had looked ready to give out just carrying that toolbox, dropping it on the table with an exhausted whine. The girl seemed similarly average on a physical level, though she seemed a bit more naturally attentive to her surroundings. Probably due to her Quirk giving her heightened hearing, judging by how her ears had those long lobes.
"Base fighting style for both is probably Quirk-dependent," he murmured to himself. "Also relatively low situational awareness, either due to inexperience or being trained as primarily frontline fighters. Blond one also seems lacking in strategic department." He snorted as he recalled how easily Kaminari had spoken about Shouji's clearly concealed Quirk, and also used his name before introductions.
All in all, if not for the fact they came from another world, he wouldn't find them that interesting. The pink-haired one seemed the most interesting as the only true unknown. She seemed like a rather enthusiastic girl, and very passionate about inventing judging by her current stream of consciousness about ideas and technical jargon.
He felt like she and Hadou would make a terrifying combo; their combined energy and extroversion would overwhelm even Togata. Oh, Amajiki would flip.
Thinking of the kids back at the agency made Mail's mood sober a bit, rolling onto his side to glance out the window. "Wonder if I'll get back before these kids do something stupid," he grumbled. Traveling across the country with a limited understanding of kanji, no easy access to maps, and an inability to ask people for basic directions made solo travel very inconvenient.
Well, at least he wasn't bored. This past weekend was the most entertainment he'd had in years, the drama at Nighteye's agency had nothing on this. And he had a feeling it would only get better as the door opened and the other two returned followed by a girl with bubblegum pink hair carrying two bags, making the others perk up eagerly.
(Still, he had to wonder about that brief second when Kaminari seemed to glance his way.)
Notes:
Aizawa later found it hard to focus on Mic's show because Izuku kept visibly trying not to cry with relief whenever he looked at the empty plate.
Also, if anyone forgot, Mail the ghost is still here spying. At this point he almost feels like a stand-in for the readers. He's definitely having fun watching as an outsider!
Question for next time: what characters would you expect to be banned from cooking by Kurogiri? (This applies to any villains and/or prisoners, not just LoV/Alliance members.)
Also: because American Thanksgiving is this week, we decided Aftershock will be having a bonus update tomorrow! If you haven't read it yet, check it out now! ^^
Chapter 67: Another Letter Reading
Summary:
The grand reunion finally happens! Lots of squealing and screaming, plenty of hugs, and then Ochako gives Hatsume a bomb.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 67
.::Another Letter Reading::.
Once upon a time, Mina wondered what it would be like to have a voice Quirk after seeing a movie about a woman whose singing voice could make glass shatter. Now she felt glad she didn't have one, because the windows would definitely shatter when Kiri and Shouji returned with three familiar people.
"YOU'RE HERE!" she screamed, launching herself at them. Uraraka, angel that she was, ran forward to meet her embrace with a squeal of her own, followed closely by Kaminari who nearly knocked them down with a heavy tackle.
"We're not alone!" he shrieked, laughing in delight as he hugged them. "We're not alone!" As the three hugged and reveled in having other people Mina quickly turned her gaze to Jirou, who stood to the side.
"...I don't have a choice, do I?" she asked, scratching her cheek.
Rather than respond Mina tore herself away from the others and charged forward, leaping across the last bit of distance to hug her friend. While Jirou tried to act cool, she opened her arms at the last second to accept the embrace. "Good to see you too Ashido," she said as she squeezed Mina back, and all was right with the world.
The initial contentment at the reunion lasted a while, the group just soaking up the feeling of being together again. From the corner of her eye Mina saw Shouji lead Kiri and the pink-haired inventor girl towards the kitchen to give them some space. That suited her perfectly fine, just happy to be with her friends after so long.
The excitement couldn't last forever though, and soon enough they broke apart from the hug. "So, um, interesting meeting place," Uraraka said awkwardly as she glanced around the room. The runaway network had set them up inside an old roadside restaurant which had been abandoned for years. The main room was dank and dusty, the windows all boarded up save for a few little gaps. The main light came from some paper lanterns on the tables, which admittedly made it a bit spooky.
"Yeah, definitely... interesting," Kami muttered, side-eying one of the tables which still had silverware and a plate on it. "This, uh, feels kinda creepy. Almost like it's haunted."
"Yeah, I've been mostly playing a game and trying to ignore the place," Mina said with a sheepish laugh, gesturing to her JoyStation Anima which rested on one of the tables. She'd only put it down a few minutes before they arrived, but the screen still glowed faintly since she hadn't turned it off.
Jirou walked over to glance at it and nodded in approval. "Rhythm game, nice."
"Still, I'd be kinda creeped out waiting here alone," Kami continued.
"Who said she was alone?"
Kami and Uraraka shrieked when someone spoke up nearby. Even Jirou spun around in a defensive stance, looking ready to fight. Rogue stood behind them, smirking in amusement as he nodded. "Yo."
"Who the hell are you?" Jirou demanded, and Mina saw it was time to jump in to make introductions.
"Guys, this is Rogue, he's like, the leader of the runaways I guess?"
"Runaways?" Uraraka repeated, and Rogue nodded.
"Yeah, there's a reason Nettmegg didn't want to talk about all this stuff on the phone," he said, turning to head to the kitchen. "Come on, Yuki's waiting in the room over here. We'll talk more there."
"I'm guessing he's still shaken up by yesterday, huh?" Kami muttered as they followed him.
"Can you blame him?" Jirou asked. "Not every day you find out your brother's a villain." As she said the last part Mina noticed Uraraka grimace, making her shoot the other girl a questioning look. Uraraka caught her eye and mouthed "later," and Mina frowned but nodded. Okay, there was definitely something going on there, but she'd find out later.
The kitchen was a little brighter than the main room since they brought in some portable lamps there. The kitchen was pretty big so they'd also grabbed some chairs to sit around two empty metal tables used for cutting up stuff or something like that. Mina didn't know the purpose, she'd never been inside a restaurant kitchen before, but it beat sitting at the counters.
Todoroki sat at one of those tables along with Kiri, glancing up as they entered and rising from his chair. "Hey," he greeted with a nod, and then reeled back when Kaminari raced forward to tackle him in a hug. Mina wouldn't lie, she kinda wanted to laugh at how dumbfounded he looked. "Um, hello Kaminari?"
Kaminari pulled away from the hug to grin at him. "Todoroki bro, I know we never really talk back home, but it is really good to see you. Seriously dude."
"Yeah, definitely one of the better options to get stuck here with," Jirou commented. "Glad to have you, Todoroki, even if the situation's kinda messed up."
"Yeah!" Uraraka bobbed her head with a bright smile. "Seriously Todoroki-kun, I'm so happy to see you—our you." Todoroki relaxed a bit as he nodded at her.
"You too, Uraraka," he replied, and that had to be the happiest he'd sounded since yesterday, even if he didn't smile. Still, Mina felt alarm bells ringing because Uraraka just smiled back at him but made no move to approach. She figured Uraraka would have been just as eager to hug Todo as Kami was, maybe a little less enthusiastic but still. They hung out sometimes back home, didn't they? Weren't they friends?
Before she could dwell on it too long Uraraka turned to look at Shouji and the inventor girl, who stood by a counter near the back with several bags. She perked up and ran over, grabbing at a duffel bag. "Thanks for bringing my stuff in!" she told Shouji, unzipping it to root around before turning with a bright smile. "Ashido, catch!"
Mina instinctively reached out as she threw something at her, and blinked when something black and fuzzy landed in her hands. Wait, she realized suddenly. Not fuzzy, but hairy. "A wig!" she exclaimed with a bright grin, quickly turning it over in her hands for a better look. The lighting made it kinda hard to see the color exactly, but she could see bits of blue, red and purple mixed in.
"I put it in last, so it shouldn't be too messed up," Uraraka said. "Your horns might be too long to cover up completely, so I also got this wig cap thing we can use to figure out where they are and cut out holes in the wig for them. Then you could cover them up with a hat, or... something? We can figure out details later, I've got notes on stuff and makeup ideas, too."
"Ocha-chan, you are a genius!" Mina declared, grinning as she put the wig on the table next to her. "I never would've thought of that stuff!"
"Uh, thanks, but it wasn't my idea," Uraraka replied as she turned back to the bag to root around some more. "Let's just say my, uh... was really enthusiastic when I asked about disguising horns." Mina's curiosity was piqued once more, wondering "your what?", but she didn't get a chance to ask before Uraraka lifted something wrapped in a handkerchief. "And while I'm at it, here Hatsume-san. This is the thing we want you to look at."
Everyone snapped to attention at that. "Gimme!" Hatsume called, lunging over to snatch it. The cloth fell away and Mina caught sight of something dark and kinda reflective, but she couldn't see it clearly in Hatsume's hands. "Hmm, what do we have here?"
Uraraka cringed, looking reluctant to answer. "...An anklet with a bomb in it?" she replied hesitantly. All at once the room grew tense, the good mood sapped away almost instantly.
"...Uraraka," Jirou said slowly. "How did you guys get one?"
"Because... um..." She trailed off, glancing at Shouji and Rogue. "I'm sorry, but I really don't want to say this in front of other people, and I don't know how much you guys know?"
"Hah, guess we should do formal introductions then, huh," Rogue muttered, scratching at one of his overly large ears. "Dammit, don't really like the spotlight, this feels so awkward..." Mina perked up, recognizing her time to shine, and quickly pulled some folded papers from her pocket.
"That's okay!" she exclaimed as she waved it around. "An-chan gave me this letter explaining everything!"
"Oh thank goodness," Rogue said with obvious relief while everyone else turned to look at Mina curiously. Mina just grinned.
"Come on, let's sit down and get this started!"
The tension in the air could be cut with a knife as they waited for Ashido to begin reading the letter. Ochako sat at the table next to Todoroki, Jirou on her other side with Kaminari sitting next to Kirishima. Being around everyone else from their class felt so great, but the unexplained presence of Shouji and a total stranger kinda cut into the good mood.
Ashido and Todoroki didn't seem bothered by having them there, but Ochako couldn't help feeling a bit anxious. At least Shouji was familiar as a classmate from their own world, but he clearly didn't know her personally. Meanwhile, she knew nothing about Rogue. She tried not to look at them and focus on Ashido standing at the head of the table, clearing her throat.
"Sorry I can't be there for the meeting. There's a lot you guys need to talk about so I'll just get to the point. Odawara is home to a network of runaways who had to leave their homes due to being targeted by villains for recruitment, family members being targeted, and other reasons. Don't know how it happened, but Odawara is somehow one of the safest cities in Japan. Villains tend to get crushed before they can do anything, so it's become an unofficial top-secret hub. I work as the coordinator because my Quirk, Neural Networking, lets me keep track of people I tag among other things I'd rather not share in a letter."
Ochako sat a bit more alert at the last part, as did the others. "Okay, that explains why she wanted to meet us," Jirou muttered while Ochako nodded fiercely.
"We could really use that with Deku!" The escape would go way easier if they could keep track of his location. Even if Anjou couldn't tag anyone else at the Alliance's headquarters, it'd make coordinating with an outside team much smoother. They'd already agreed he'd probably need someone on the outside to help with the getaway, especially with Aizawa's broken leg.
"Guys, let me finish!" Ashido hissed, and they fell silent so she could continue. "The group has a lot of members who are in your class, and some from 1-B too I guess. I won't say any names for security's sake, but I think Pinkie and Yuki know about everyone and can fill you in. Some members have been partially read in on the situation, some haven't. Chances are Rogue will be there since he's basically the leader. Parasyte should be too. If Parasyte is not there—"
This time Ashido paused on her own volition, blinking down at the paper before she went back to reading. "If Parasyte is not there, call him over because that's just stupid." Ochako frowned, confused and a little worried about the name parasite, but next to her Todoroki just nodded.
"He is critical to this," he commented, Ashido and Kiri nodding in agreement.
"Uh, who's Parasyte?" Kaminari interjected hesitantly, looking a bit worried.
To Ochako's surprise Shouji raised his hand as he spoke up. "Me. We all use codenames."
"Oh thank All Might, that name freaked me out so much." Kaminari breathed a large sigh of relief (which Ochako internally mirrored), and then paused. "Okay, but so why do you have to be here? And why Parasyte?"
"I'll... explain later," Shouji hedged, and glanced at Ashido. "You should finish." She nodded and continued.
"I gave Rogue the full details, so you can ask him what he told everyone else because we are NOT telling everyone about Midoriya's situation." She emphasized the word not before continuing. "Parasyte, whatever you hear, don't tell anyone. You'll understand why." Now it was Shouji's turn to look confused, but the rest of them just nodded. "I won't be able to come back anytime soon, but I want to be kept up to date on whatever's discussed today. We can work out details to meet someone later for that.
"As a final note, you cannot tell anyone about the runaways. Not your friends, not any adults or heroes, no one. This is what I meant by there being lives at stake. Odawara is safe for now, but we can't guarantee it will stay that way if the wrong people find out about the network. We're making a big exception to help you guys for reasons Parasyte and Rogue can explain. Good luck."
Silence fell when Ashido finished reading, everyone just taking a few moments to process it. "...Huh," Ochako finally said once she felt ready to speak again. "Okay, I totally see why you guys were so paranoid to talk about this on the phone."
"So who's here?" Jirou asked. "I remember Anjou said she knew about what most of the class was doing in this world after talking to us. So I guess that'd mean... Kouda, Ojiro and Asui? And Shouji too, obviously."
"Yeah," Todoroki confirmed. "I met Kouda and... Shiozaki from 1-B, I think? Kuroe got me in contact with them I first came here."
"Kuroe... That's Anjou's brother, right?"
"Yeah, he's super cool!" Ashido piped up eagerly, before adding a little lamely, "He, uh, doesn't know about this stuff though. Like, the stuff with us."
"We try not to get him too involved in the network," Rogue interjected. "We don't know what he does entirely, but he's involved with some shady folks so we keep our distance just to be safe. Well, most of us do," he added under his breath with a soft huff.
"Most of you?" Kaminari repeated.
"Some members are vigilantes," Shouji replied, and Ashido did a double-take.
"Wait, what?" Apparently this was news to her and Todoroki, both of them looking pretty stunned. "Who is it?"
"Ooh, then does that mean they need babies?"
Everyone jumped at the voice, surprised shouts and shrieks echoing around the kitchen. When she whirled to look at the source Ochako was greeted by a devilish-looking grin and flickering green eyes against a backdrop of gold, making her heart stop. Nearby Ashido, Kirishima and Kaminari all screamed again, chairs scraping loudly against the tile as they jumped up and scrambled back, bunching together in a protective hug. Ochako kinda wanted to join in.
While they panicked she noticed Jirou quickly relax in the corner of her eye though. "Oh right, forgot you were even here," she said. That made them pause, and when Ochako looked again she realized that the figure was Hatsume. She now wore steampunk-looking goggles similar to the ones from the Sports Festival; the green lens just happened to reflect the flickering light in a particularly creepy way.
She pushed them up to grin at them, the cross-hairs in her irises only making her look a little crazy. "That's because I've been busy looking at this!" She gestured to the kitchen counter behind her, where she'd set up a bunch of tools along with the anklet Deku had given her. The sight made Ochako perk up.
"Did you find anything?" she asked eagerly.
"Not much yet, I only just started. I was just unpacking all my tools while pinkie over there was reading that letter. But this is some amazing craftsmanship! I think it uses magnetic fasteners for the clasp, I can barely even find the seam without my Quirk. You said it's a bomb? Any idea what kind of explosives are involved? High or low? Chemicals used? Oxidized? Strength? Detonation method?"
Ochako winced at the onslaught questions, shuddering at the implications. "Uh, no," she replied with a grimace. "We haven't actually seen them explode yet, and we really don't want to. So we don't know anything about how they work." Pausing, she added, "Oh, but if it helps, it triggers when it leaves the building? And Deku says that there's a light that blinks when it's on?"
"Very interesting," Hatsume hummed, turning to inspect the band again. "There's either a GPS transmitter in it to track the location, or it sends and receives signals from some central hub device, and activates if it stops receiving signals... But if it explodes when activated, then there would be a risk of the hub device losing power and triggering with the second option, unless you have a good backup generator..."
While she sat back down and rambled to herself Rogue turned to look at Ochako. "Okay, seriously, why is there a bomb?"
"The Alliance guys use that on people to make sure they can't escape," Ashido piped up before she could answer. "Didn't An-chan tell you? The letter says she told you everything!"
"Nope, this is the first I'm hearing of bombs." He shook his head, looking understandably frazzled. "Holy shit. Bombs? Shit."
"The Alliance," Shouji murmured, arms folded over his chest. "That's the name of the villainous group that Midoriya is with?"
"Yeah, the Villain Alliance," Jirou confirmed with a nod. "They go by the 'League of Villains' in our world and there's some differences, but take our word for it when we say they're bad news."
"What did Rogue tell everyone?" Todoroki murmured, eyes narrowing at the teen in question who still looked ready to bang his head against the wall.
"Not much," Shouji answered for him. "Just that there's a sixth person named Midoriya who may or may not be Quirkless, and he ended up with a group of villains in this world somehow. Nothing about how or why, but Anjou did tell us on Friday that he disappeared when he was eight." He paused. "Also, Kaitou is very curious about his Quirk, so be careful of that if you meet him."
"Kaitou?" Kaminari repeated.
"Monoma," Todoroki said while Ashido made a face. Ochako probably made one too; he'd left a rather strong impression on their class. "He's not that bad in this world. I guess it's because we're not rivals...?" He shrugged.
"I'll believe it when I see it," Jirou muttered, and Ochako nodded in agreement. Rogue meanwhile seemed to have recovered from his bad mood, dragging his hand down his face a final time.
"Sounds like there's a lot to go over about Midoriya," Rogue said, and glanced over at her. "Uraraka, right? Maybe you should go first."
"Yeah, probably," she agreed with a nod. She perked up as she remembered something and quickly got up to go to her backpack, opening the front pocket to pull out some papers. "Actually, here. We made a copy of the letter other Deku wrote for when he has episodes. It doesn't go over everything, but we figured it'd be the quickest way to get you guys caught up on the big background stuff since he can't be here to explain it himself."
"Smart," Jirou said with a nod of approval while Ochako organized the papers, and Kirishima approached to peer over her shoulder.
"Woah, is that hand-written?"
"Yeah. We, uh, didn't have a copy machine, so we copied it by hand." That was also why they'd only bothered making one copy. Copying it word for word just once had been tedious enough. "Since there's only one, I guess it'd be quickest to read it out loud."
"Fine by me," Kaminari agreed, some of the others nodding, while Todoroki's eyes narrowed.
"Uraraka," he said, and paused, visibly hesitating. "I know Midoriya said on the phone he wasn't in the notebooks, but... Is Dabi mentioned in it at all?" Ochako froze at that, as did everyone else.
Just like that, the mood in the room plummeted yet again at the reminder about Dabi's villain status and newfound relation to Todoroki. "Dabi?" Shouji repeated curiously, either not noticing the tension or choosing to ignore it. "That villain you mentioned waking up with?"
"Uh, yeah, turns out they're kinda brothers," Ashido muttered with a grimace, and Shouji paused.
"...I don't know how to respond to that," he admitted after a moment.
"It's cool, literally none of us do either," Kaminari assured him. "Still kinda crazy to think about, y'know? I mean, this guy's, just... dang. So crazy." While he talked Ochako bit her lip, guilt building up. She had been hoping to do this in private, but since Todoroki brought it up anyway... Well, no point in hiding it from everyone else now.
"Actually, I have a confession," she announced sheepishly. "Todoroki, I actually met Dabi the day after I ran away." That had everyone snapping to attention, Todoroki's expression particularly sharp.
"You did?" he demanded, and she nodded guiltily.
"Yeah. I was looking for Deku in the town where we ran into each other, but I had no idea where to start so I went to some really shady areas because I figured that's where villains would be, y'know? But I wasn't having any luck and the weather was looking really bad, so I started looking a good place to stay. And that's when I met him. It started to rain and he said he knew a place that would be dry, so... I went with him."
"You followed a villain?" Jirou questioned incredulously, and Ochako winced.
"In my defense, I didn't know it was him at first!" she defended herself. "It's not like I ever saw him in our world! He only told me his name after I agreed, so I couldn't just suddenly go back without being suspicious! I'm just lucky he wasn't facing me when he said his name!"
"You still agreed to follow a total stranger," Shouji pointed out flatly.
"Yeah, that's super dangerous!" Kirishima said with a nod. "Don't they teach you about that kind of stuff at UA?"
"Or elementary school?" Shouji added, still perfectly flat.
Ochako huffed in frustration at the judgmental looks everyone gave her. "Look, I know it was dumb," she said. She'd silently berated herself the entire walk to the office building. In fact, the only reason she'd still followed him was the reason she still defended her decision. "But I didn't know the area, it was getting late, and that rain was so heavy. By the time we got to that place he found, even the stuff in my backpack was wet! If I hadn't gone with him, I don't know when I would've found cover!"
Everyone still gave her judgmental looks, but before they could respond Rogue suddenly spoke up. "Dumb as it is to follow a stranger, can't say I blame you," he said. "That was what, a week ago? Two? Either way, it's the start of winter right now. Staying outside in a downpour when it's so cold is just a giant risk for hypothermia. Better to get to shelter, and then beat up the guy before he can do anything." Several of the others turned to stare at him in disbelief, Shouji included.
"You're siding with her?" he asked incredulously.
"Friendly reminder that Yuki is just the latest person to get connected to the network by following Kuroe, a total stranger, from another city," Rogue replied flatly. That seemed to silence both Shouji and Todoroki. Jirou meanwhile seemed to realize something and buried her face in her palms with a tired sigh.
"And then after you heard his name, you were planning to use him to find the League of Villains, weren't you," she grumbled, not even bothering to phrase it as a question, and Ochako grimaced.
"Yeah, a bit," she confirmed sheepishly, still feeling adequately chastised about that particular plan after being lectured by Deku. And Aiko. And everyone else she knew. "I was kinda desperate, okay? But anyways, so he took me to this abandoned office building and helped me hang up all my stuff to dry, and since we were stuck for a while anyway we started talking, and, well... That's when he told me about you."
Todoroki visibly perked up, clearly surprised and looking almost hurt for a brief second. "He told you right away?"
"I didn't know it was you specifically," Ochako said quickly, realizing what he'd assumed. "He just said he had a brother my age, and that's why he helped me. He said you usually went by Tatsuo, but he also thought you'd probably use Yuki instead, because of your Quirk. He, uh, said you weren't that good at coming up with names." There was a lengthy pause after that, her classmates no doubt thinking of how Todoroki had simply gone with his own given name for his official codename back home.
"...Okay, yeah, he definitely knew Todoroki pretty well," Jirou declared, getting some sage nods of agreement.
"What did he say about me?" he pressed, and Ochako shrugged.
"Not too much. We only hung out for about two hours before the storm passed and my stuff dried, but he said he'd been looking for you. He sounded pretty worried. He actually mentioned how you just woke up and froze him before running off without saying anything. Looking back I guess maybe I should've realized it then, but..." She trailed off with a feeble shrug. In retrospect, that line about the "miniature iceberg" really had been an obvious giveaway.
"Okay, so to be fair, I don't think any of us would've guessed Dabi and Todoroki are related," Kaminari commented after a brief pause.
"Yeah, that just sounds insane!" Ashido added with a nod. "Plus not even Todo thought that! He was just as surprised as the rest of us!"
"I probably should have, though," he muttered bitterly, and Ochako frowned. She had a feeling he wasn't thinking about his experiences in this world specifically.
"I only figured it out when you talked about waking up here on the big call on Saturday," she said, hoping to distract him from those thoughts. "I'd told Deku about meeting Dabi after we met up again so he figured it out too. We actually had to mute the phone to freak out for a minute when we realized it," she added with a sheepish laugh, thinking of the frantic hand motions and psuedo-charades while they talked in high-pitched whisper-shouts.
"Why didn't you say anything back then?" Todoroki asked quietly, and she felt her heart twist with even more guilt—both at how small he seemed in that moment, and her answer.
"Because we knew that once we did, you wouldn't be able to focus on anything else," she forced herself to admit. "We didn't know when Deku would be able to join another call again, so we needed to tell you guys as much as possible while we could, so we could try to get some ideas on what to do. It's just... everything's so messed up for him," she muttered, gaze casting downwards with a frown. "We really didn't know where to start with any of that."
There was a brief moment of silence, everyone no doubt reflecting on the many details Deku had passed on that day. Waking up surrounded by villains with Shigaraki as his brother, finding out Bakugou and Shinsou had been imprisoned before this mess even started, the shaky alliance he'd formed with them... And the most recent development, the need to rescue Aizawa-sensei—a need which had become even more urgent after Sunday.
Still, despite the urgency of Deku's situation, it didn't erase the bad taste in her mouth over hiding all this from Todoroki for so long.
His mouth pressed into a tight line, eyebrows furrowing with clear displeasure, but he nodded. "You're right," he said softly, gaze casting downwards. "I... Even now, I don't feel like I can really focus on anything else. Everything just... Nothing feels real right now, like it's all just a dream." He shook his head, and Ochako felt her heart go out to her friend. She couldn't begin to imagine how it must feel to find out something like this, and under such crazy circumstances, too.
Clearly she wasn't the only one who felt that way, because Ashido, Kaminari and Kirishima all looked five seconds away from crying. "Todoroki, we're totally here for you!" the pink girl cried out. "Anything you want or need, we'll help you, I promise!"
"Yeah dude, if you need anything at all, just say the word!" Kaminari agreed with a vigorous nod. "I know we can't help much, but you're not in this alone! None of us are anymore!"
"Me too!" Kirishima added. "I know I'm technically an outsider and so this isn't hitting as hard with me as it is for everyone else, but maybe that'll make it easier for you to talk to me? So if you need to talk about it, I'm here! Anytime, bro!" Todoroki glanced at them and gave a small nod.
"I'll... keep it in mind," he murmured, though he still sounded a bit distant. The trio looked even more ready to burst into tears at that, and Ochako didn't blame them.
"If it helps, I was absolutely planning to tell you today," she told him. "We actually thought about calling you to let you know earlier, but after talking about it we thought it'd be better to tell you in person so we could... you know, support you. I didn't expect Hawks to beat me to the punch though," she added, and her grave tone briefly gave way to incredulity. Of all the people to be in on the "Dabi is a Todoroki" secret, Hawks had been no where near the list she'd make.
"Uh, yeah, that was definitely the biggest shock," Kaminari muttered with a nod. "I mean the whole brother thing was obviously a bigger shock too, but really did not see that coming."
Todoroki looked up sharply at that, his gaze focused once more. "You don't think he's a villain in this world, do you?" he questioned, and there was a pause as the implications of this possibility sunk in.
"If Hawks is secretly a villain, I'm just gonna give up," Rogue declared after a moment. "Just, fuck it. There's no salvaging society. Just burn it to the ground."
"Yeah, he's the number one hero!" Kirishima agreed with a vigorous nod. "He can't possibly be a villain!"
"Honestly though, with how screwed up this world is, I wouldn't be that surprised anymore," Jirou muttered, and all of the dimensional jumpers nodded in sullen agreement. This world just kept throwing their expectations for loop after loop.
"Where'd that even come from, anyway?" Ashido asked Todoroki curiously.
"He knows Dabi," he replied. "And Dabi is a villain in our world." He paused then, mouth tugging into a frown. "Wait. Does that mean I might be a villain here after all?"
"I feel like someone mentioned having this conversation with you before," Shouji muttered, while Ochako resisted the urge to groan in exasperation.
"Todoroki, I really don't think you're a villain here," she told him. "Look, I know I've made a lot of dumb decisions and judgment calls in this world," and she ignored Jirou's snort and the quiet "mhmm" from Ashido, "but I really think Dabi isn't a villain in this world. Just, the way he talked about you, I could tell he really cared about you." While waiting out the storm he'd told her a few brief anecdotes about his brother to pass the time, smiling faintly the whole time.
"Too bad he can't really be a hero anymore," he'd said at one point. "The world needs heroes like him now more than ever." No matter how Ochako looked at it, she couldn't see someone who'd say something like that being a villain.
Thinking about it made something inside her flare with determination, fists clenching at her sides as she met Todoroki's mismatched gaze. "Todoroki, I don't know why he's a villain in our world, but this world is just so crazy and different," she said firmly. "We know there are Pros from our world who are villains in this one, so why can't the opposite be true?"
Her words seemed to strike a chord with the room, some of them exchanging brief looks and pensive frowns. "She's got a point," Jirou finally said with a sigh. "I mean, everything in this world is crazy different, but it's not like everything is worse. Like, Ingenium never got hurt by Stain and is still a hero." Pausing, she scratched her cheek as she added thoughtfully, "Actually, as far as I can tell, I don't think Stain's actually a thing here?"
She shrugged while Todoroki shot her a surprised look. "He's not?"
"Not as far as I can tell. Haven't seen him in the news. I mentioned the name to Iida when we met, but he didn't seem to know about him. So hey, at least this world doesn't have a hero killer running around." Ashido perked up, seeming to remember something.
"Yeah, and I think those Storm Chasers guys are still around too!" she added eagerly, making Ochako whip around to stare at her wide-eyed.
"They are?" she blurted eagerly. She'd been a fan of the international rescue team since she first saw a documentary about them as a kid. It had been so sad to realize she'd just missed their heyday, only learning about them shortly before Storm Chaser himself was declared dead when she was six. The team largely fell out of the spotlight after that, and more or less disbanded only two years later with Noir's disappearance. Only Skylight remained active, and unfortunately he spent most of his time in America, much to her dismay.
"Oh yeah, that Oracle guy who was watching us is part of them," Kirishima said, and Ochako eagerly latched onto the unfamiliar name. "I don't know much about them, but the name's kinda familiar. I guess they still do some rescue and disaster awareness stuff? Oh, and there's also that Crawler guy we met."
"Yeah, yeah!" Ashido agreed with a nod. "He's this super-cool vigilante who gave us a ride here! I don't remember if I ever heard of him in our world, but he became a vigilante in this one because he missed the entrance exam when he was our age, and now he's going to become an actual hero because some heroes are helping him!"
"Okay, so I obviously don't remember them, but I also want to point out I have a half-brother and sister in this world that don't exist in ours," Kaminari added, and everyone froze before turning to stare at him. He shuffled awkwardly under the sudden scrutiny. "Yeah, uh, I know it's weird and kinda wild, only really realized it yesterday. But I mean, they only exist in this world, and they don't seem evil, besides the thing about setting a fence on fire."
"I'm sorry, what was that about a fence?" Ochako asked in mild alarm, and Kaminari only shrugged.
"There's probably a lot more ripples and changes we don't know about," Jirou commented. "I guess the way I've been looking at it is yeah, this world sucks sometimes, but it's mostly just... different."
There was a brief silence after that as everyone considered it. Ochako had to admit that was true. For all the bad in this world, there were also some things that weren't quite bad, and could even be called good. At the very least, her own family was way better off in this world, at least financially.
"Then, would this guy maybe be able to help?" Kirishima asked. Several pairs of disbelieving eyes swiveled towards him, making him flinch. "What? We need all the help we can get if this Villain Alliance is as bad as you guys say!" The disbelieving gaping quickly turned to sour expressions, nearly everyone looking like they'd sucked a lemon.
"No," Todoroki said flatly, not even entertaining the notion, but the others didn't look so convinced.
"Hate to say it, but he might have a point," Jirou admitted reluctantly, and held up her hands when Todoroki turned his glare on her. "Look, I can't believe I'm saying this either, but the guy's strong. And if Aizawa-sensei's leg is broken, it's not like he can walk out or fight. At least Dabi can maybe drive...?"
Todoroki looked ready to argue, but he didn't have to because this time Ochako stepped in. "I don't think that's a good idea either," she announced, and now she was the one on the end of all the surprised looks.
"Wait, but weren't you just defending this whole time?" Kaminari asked incredulously, and she grimaced.
"Yeah, and I still stand by what I said, but... Even if he's not a member of it, he knows" Aiko, her mind finished, while her mouth suddenly stopped moving. She blinked in surprise. What the heck?
"Uh, he knows...?" Kirishima pressed after a few seconds.
"He knows" Aiko, she once again finished mentally, but didn't say out loud. Her eyebrows furrowed. "What the heck? Why can't I say" her "name?" This time her mouth barely even stopped mid-sentence, skipping over only a single word and went right to the next one, and her eyes widened in realization as her stomach sank. Oh no.
The others had quickly picked up that something was wrong, their expressions much more alert and attentive than before. "Uraraka?" Jirou pressed, and she took a breath, hoping desperately she was wrong.
"I stayed with a" woman "named" Aiko "after getting to" Nabu. She startled when she realized the last word was censored, a sudden sense of foreboding rising as she desperately pushed on. "Dabi told me" the Villain Alliance "was based in" Nabu. She sucked in a sharp breath as she realized which words had been censored this time, swallowing harshly as she continued grimly, "In our world the League of Villains is led by" Shigaraki Tomura.
Ochako stopped herself there, turning horrified eyes to them. "Guys," she said, voice rising with panic. "I think I've been Quirked."
Notes:
You didn't really think Aiko would just let Uraraka leave without making sure she couldn't tell anyone, did you?
Question for next time: For anime-only fans, would you consider confirmation that Dabi is indeed a Todoroki to be a spoiler? The theory has been basically accepted as common knowledge for years now, and at this point it'd be a bigger twist/surprise if he WASN'T a Todoroki. So not sure if you'd see the fact it's confirmed in canon as a spoiler or not.
Chapter 68: For Once, A Lucky Break
Summary:
Izuku scrambles for a plan and for once, the universe smiles upon him and gives them a perfect break. Meanwhile, Kaminari confirms some long-held suspicions about an old teacher.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 68
.::For Once, A Lucky Break::.
They had only just wrapped up the most recent episode of Present Mic's radio show when Izuku's phone dinged with a notification on FacePage. That was also when Izuku discovered he'd accidentally turned up the volume for notifications when turning up the audio before playing the show. He almost dropped his phone in shock when the ringtone loudly cut through the room, scrambling to keep it from falling.
Aizawa winced slightly too, more out of surprise than anything. "Pretty loud," he muttered.
"Sorry, I usually have it on vibrate!" Izuku apologized, quickly opening the FacePage messenger. If they'd sent him one it had to be something urgent, and sure enough he found a message waiting from Jirou:
'Space got hit by some Quirk and can't talk about the Alliance or whoever she stayed with. Know it's too risky to call, but reply ASAP.'
His blood chilled as he read it. "I have to go take care of something," he said, stuffing the phone into his pocket and getting to his feet. Aizawa sat up a bit straighter, looking more alert.
"What happened?" he demanded sharply, and for half a second Izuku tried to come up with an excuse. But then his eyes caught on the empty plate that had formerly held the painkiller pill, and he couldn't bring himself to lie. At long last, Aizawa was finally, finally starting to trust him. Lying outright to his face now, even if he was worried Seiko would be listening in, felt like it would be a betrayal.
"It's nothing bad, someone got hit by a Quirk," he replied, settling on a partial truth. "You wouldn't know them, and it doesn't seem bad, but I still need to help figure some stuff out about it." Aizawa's mouth thinned, eyes narrowing.
"Do you always get called about this stuff?" he asked. It was such a casual question on the surface, even his tone nonchalant. But Izuku recognized almost instantly that he was probing for information about his role in the Alliance.
Just a few days ago, that realization would have hurt, because it meant Aizawa still saw him as an enemy. This time, though, that realization actually came as a relief. It was a sign his teacher had gotten over some of that weird anxiety from Sunday, and was back to trying to gather information. Back to trying to plot a way out of this place.
Despite the situation Izuku felt himself smile, genuinely smile. "If you mean for the Alliance, not really? Everyone tries to keep me away from villain stuff when they can. This is actually a friend I talk to online." That seemed to surprise Aizawa, his eyes briefly widening as he leaned forward.
"Do you have many friends outside the Alliance?" he asked, seeming equal parts curious and probing, and Izuku shrugged.
"Not many, just some people I talk to online." This held true even for his counterpart. Izuku had discovered pretty early on that his counterpart tended to still go on a few hero forums, and talked to some of the other users occasionally. He never participated in group chats like he did now on FacePage, but he did seem to be on good terms with a few people through private messages.
It was thinking of those people that Izuku continued, "Obviously they don't know who I actually am, we don't even use our real names, but I still think of them as friends. Like I said, one of them got hit with a Quirk of some kind and it doesn't seem like it's harmful, but I want to help figure out what's going on. So, I'll be back later, okay?" He gave Aizawa an apologetic look as he grabbed the empty plates from breakfast and the painkiller (which he had to avoid thinking about or he'd just tear up again).
For his part, Aizawa still looked a bit surprised. Izuku wouldn't be surprised if the man was trying to figure out if he was lying, which... was still a pretty depressing thought. Not like he'd have any reason to lie about having online friends though. In any event, after a few moments Aizawa relaxed and nodded. "Right... Later."
"Later," Izuku replied with a feeble smile, and quickly headed off, his steps a bit faster than usual as he went to deposit the dishes in the kitchen. His thoughts kept straying back to that message from Jirou. Uraraka couldn't talk about the Alliance or Aiko? It had to be a Quirk, especially if they went out of their way to message him, but when would she have gotten hit by one?
He returned to his bedroom and closed the door before pulling out his phone to type a reply. 'What do you mean she can't talk about it? What happens when she tries? When did this start? Can she write stuff? Does she have any idea what caused it?'
Jirou's reply came about two minutes later. 'She can't say anything about it. She'll pretty much just skip over any words relating to it and say the rest of a sentence like normal. Writing doesn't work either, her hand just freezes up. Same with typing, her fingers don't even go to the letters for whatever she wants to type. She says it probably happened when she left this morning, but she can't say anything else about it so it must be someone with the Alliance.'
He frowned at the last sentence. No, it couldn't be an Alliance member. As far as Izuku knew none of the Alliance members had Quirks like that. His counterpart kept a list of active members and their Quirks in the journals and while he couldn't remember all of them, one like that would have stuck out to him. Besides, if the Alliance found out about Uraraka, they wouldn't just let her go with a silencing Quirk—
But Aiko might.
The thought had him freezing, eyes going wide. Even now, he still didn't know what kind of Quirk Aiko had. All he had to go on was that she'd somehow managed to stop his panic attack. Combined with Uraraka's sudden inability to talk about the Alliance, it might be some kind of compulsion Quirk rather than an empathy one like he originally thought.
To that end he typed out a reply. 'No one at the Alliance should know about her, so I think it was probably the person Uraraka was staying with. I don't know their Quirk, but it might be a compulsion thing?'
'I'm guessing you don't feel up to going into more detail over text.' Izuku grimaced guiltily at the reply.
'I don't, sorry.' They'd already been paranoid enough about eavesdroppers, and after finding out Yaoyorozu had indeed spied on them that paranoia reached new levels. Not even texts felt really secure at this point. 'Have you at least been able to figure out anything at all? Can she nod or shake her head or anything?'
Jirou's response took longer this time. 'She can do that much. We've been quizzing her on stuff we know from home. She can talk about Dabi and Spinner fine, so I guess they're really not members. Hawks is clear too.' That last bit struck Izuku as oddly specific. 'She can at least talk about you, Blasty and that gen ed guy. Can also talk about the attacks back home, just can't say all the names or talk about them.'
'What about nicknames?'
'Nope. Dancer suggested she try saying 'yandere girl' for that one chick you know, but she couldn't say even that. Seems like if she's talking about them at all, she skips over the words referring to them. We also brought up a map on our phones to see if she could point out the city, but no dice there either.'
Izuku frowned as he read over it, sinking onto his bed and thinking. That really wasn't much information. The Alliance had a lot of members who didn't exist in their world, mostly just grunt-level thugs, but also a few more dangerous elements like Slycer. And of course, there was Aiko, the biggest threat of all.
'Can she say anything about sensei?' he asked desperately, feeling tense as he waited for a reply. This was the only downside to talking over text, he had to wait for every response with no idea what might be happening on the other end.
'Yeah, she can still say his name, but it's hard for her to talk about it. We think she's skipping over some words like 'prisoner' when she talks about him? Like she said 'He's a at and had his leg broken by'. You can fill in the blanks there. From what we can put together he freaked out on Sunday about SOMEONE, but she can't say much about it. We've been trying to piece it together, but it's slow going.'
So far intent definitely seemed to have a role in it. 'It sounds like it might trigger based on intent, so do you think you can work around it based on that?'
There was a short pause before she began typing. 'I'm gonna be real here. Right now, Space can't talk. We have Dancer, Chargebolt and Red Riot playing 20 questions and charades with her. Peppermint is still in shock about the thing with his brother so he can't focus. Inventor is being Inventor. That leaves me, Tentacole, and a guy you don't know who are here for reasons, as the brains. Can't see us making any real progress soon.'
Izuku perked up at the mention of Shouji and someone else, wondering why they were present at the meeting, but he knew this wasn't the time to ask. This was probably the kind of thing Uraraka would have to relay in person for security reasons, just like everything else she'd been meant to relay but now couldn't. Right now, that took priority.
He bit his lip as he tried to think of a solution. If he could actually talk to them he might be able to help figure out some loopholes, but that would be hard to do over only text. Calling would be too risky with Seiko around, so that was out, and if he could just go to Odawara himself, this wouldn't be a problem in the first place.
His gaze flitted around the room as he racked his brain, hoping for some sort of inspiration. It only took a second for his eyes to settle on a poster with Best Jeanist, at which point he jolted upright. Izuku hadn't heard much about the Fiber Hero in this world, but seeing him reminded him of the location of his last major battle in theirs: Kamino.
'Nettmegg is in Kamino, right?' He remembered Ashido had mentioned waking up there, and he knew Anjou had to go back for school.
Sure enough, Jirou replied, 'Yeah. She's in class right now though. Why?' Izuku didn't reply, opening the browser to the search engine.
"Come on, let there be something," he whispered frantically as he typed in Kamino. Just any sort of event, hell maybe even a store with hero merchandise! Just any excuse to get over there and try to meet Anjou.
And for once since waking up in this messed-up world, the universe smiled upon Midoriya Izuku, and a news article appeared at the top of the feed:
'Present Mic announces surprise meet and greet in Kamino'
His jaw dropped, tears forming as he grinned. "Yes, yes!" he whispered, almost wanting to laugh at the sheer relief he felt. Of all the possible reasons to give Shigaraki, this was the most believable. Izuku had been pretty open about liking Present Mic's radio show, they'd even talked about it before. Given how many posters he had, surely wanting an autograph wouldn't be that out of character.
"Seiko?" he called quietly. As expected when he turned his head he found Seiko standing next to the bed, face unreadable as always, although this time she had a difference that made him sit up straighter. "Um, that's a nice scarf?" The pink and blue scarf was absolutely new, and really stood out against her black dress.
"Thank you," she replied monotonously. "Do you need something?" The question snapped him out of his initial shock, reminding him of his objective.
"How likely is it that Tomura would let me go to Kamino alone?" he asked, turning the screen to show her the article about Mic's surprise meet and greet. Seiko stepped closer to peer at it, leaning forward without moving to take it.
"Not alone," she informed him. "Getting close to a Pro Hero would make him paranoid. He would want someone with you as reinforcements."
"And I'm guessing you don't count?" he asked dully, already predicting the answer.
"No." That would make things trickier, but Izuku wouldn't give up yet. He might have done so even on Sunday, but right now, he had a new option to gamble on.
"What if I take Toga?" he asked anxiously. He still didn't know if he could trust her fully yet, but he felt desperate. It was a risky gamble that could go horribly wrong, but she'd given him the anklet and had promised not to tell anyone about his latest supposed episode. That was enough to make him willing to take that risk.
Seiko tilted her head. "That should be allowed." Izuku's heart soared with hope as he quickly switched back to the chat with Jirou.
'Present Mic has a meet and greet in Kamino in an hour and I should be able to go. If I can get Nettmegg's address I can drop off a letter with all the details for someone to pick up.'
He didn't wait for a response before opening his texts, quickly finding an older conversation with Toga. He sent her the link to the article about the meet and greet and added, 'It starts in an hour. Do you think you can convince Tomura-nii to let us go so I can get Present Mic's autograph?'
Toga replied within seconds. 'Of course Mido-chan! There's a super-cute boutique there that I wanna go to anyway!' The last part had Izuku feeling a small spike of dread for some reason, but he ignored it as he switched back to the chat with Jirou to find her reply waiting.
'Wait what? Seriously?'
'Yeah. I can't talk over the phone or text, but I can write it down. There's some major stuff I don't think Space can tell you guys without being able to talk about it directly.' Like Aiko. Specifically Aiko. 'There's one person that's unique to this world and really dangerous. Dangerous enough that sensei doesn't think heroes would win if they went in blind.'
There was about a full two minutes with no response, making him get more and more antsy. He could see Jirou was typing, but she never sent anything. Finally, 'Shit. You in danger?'
'No, I'm fine. They like me so I think I'm safe even if they find out everything. Just, the letter will explain more. I'm gonna message Nettmegg and work out details.' True to his word he exited the chat and sent a direct message to Anjou's account, including the link and a brief summary of the situation. She should be in class so he didn't expect a reply right away, so for now he put the phone down and went to his shelf to grab a notebook.
Of course, when he did, he jumped to find Seiko still there. "Are you gonna just hang out here the whole time?" he muttered sullenly.
"Perhaps."
Nope. Izuku was not dealing with this today. "Could you let Kacchan and Hijack know I might be heading out to see Present Mic?" he asked. He didn't even offer a silent apology for subjecting his friends to Seiko this time. They'd surely understand that this played a role in their escape.
Seiko tilted her head before nodding. "Fine." With that the shadows swallowed her up, and he sat at his desk with the notebook open to a new page. He had a lot to cover in a little bit of time.
Despite her intent to listen in on the meeting, Ran had made a grave miscalculation. While school had nothing major happening this week, next week would be final exams. And while Ran was smart, she still needed to focus on some of the in-class reviews if she wanted to get a good grade. So after much internal debate, she decided not to tap into Nakamura's hearing so she could focus on studying.
As such, she had next to no idea what was going on in Odawara until she checked her phone in between classes. The teacher for the class before lunch always ran a little late on Tuesdays for some reason, so she decided to see if she'd gotten any messages about the meeting. However, Ran did not expect to see one waiting from Midoriya of all people.
'Space got hit by a Quirk and can't talk about some stuff. They're trying to find workarounds but it's slow-going. Present Mic is having a surprise meet and greet in Kamino today and I can get permission to go. If I get your address or somewhere safe, I can drop off a letter for them explaining everything.'
Ran's eyes narrowed as she read it, already running over logistics. Giving out her address left a bad taste in her mouth, especially to someone connected to villains, but if Uraraka was hit with a silencing Quirk they might not have a choice. With stakes like this, every bit of information mattered. Though on second thought, they might have a workaround to the address thing if they brought in Rintarou's help...
"Hey, Anjou, something up?" She glanced over at the kid sitting next to her. "You've been looking at your phone pretty intensely."
"Online friend just told me Present Mic's in town having a meet and greet thing today," she replied with a shrug. "He wanted to know if I could go, but it sounds like it'll probably be over before classes end."
"Present Mic's doing a meet and greet in Kamino?" someone else asked loudly, and she could hear more of her classmates begin to chatter. Ran ignored the talking, shooting a text to Nakamura.
'Just got a message about the situation with Space, Number 6 wants to drop off a letter here. Get Kabuto to send Sparky or Soundbite to my place to meet him. You guys can handle details.'
No sooner had she sent it than she heard the door open and close, followed by a sudden silence. She looked up to find everyone staring at the door. "Uh, what happened?" she asked.
"Nijisaki-kun just left the room," her neighbor said, making her frown.
"What's up with him?" someone else wondered. Not far away she saw Kirameki suddenly stand up, slamming her hands on her desk.
"Nijisaki's a member of the Present Mic fan club!" she blurted. There was a brief moment of silence, and then everyone was scrambling to their feet and shoving their books back in their bags. The first students had just started the stampede for the door when the teacher entered.
"Hey, the hell's going on?" he demanded. "Why aren't you in your seats?"
"Nijisaki—"
That was all her classmate had time to say before the shrill ring of the fire alarm went off, followed by the sprinklers. A chorus of angry and exasperated screams and groans filled the air as everyone was thoroughly drenched, Ran included.
Within half an hour of Kyouka first messaging Midoriya, Rogue's phone buzzed and he checked it. Since then he seemed to be pretty busy texting some people along with Shouji, though Kyouka didn't pay much attention. She and the others were focused on talking to Uraraka to try to work out some details about the Alliance situation.
Mostly by trying to get her to say random names.
"Okay, so far we can confirm no one from 1-A is in the Alliance," Ashido declared. "And probably no one from 1-B, but we can't remember all their names so it's still up in the air. Also, none of Todoroki's family are members of the Alliance, and neither are any of Endeavor's sidekicks. Well, except for that one guy who worked there for like, three weeks before getting fired?"
"Dynamode always was creepy," Todoroki murmured with a sage nod. "Still not sure how he got hired."
"Kinda freaky you can't say my middle school anatomy teacher though," Kaminari piped up with a grimace. "I knew that lady was bad news!"
"I can't believe you actually suggested her," Kyouka piped up, still amused.
"If you ever met Abe-sensei, you'd wonder too," he replied, unusually serious. Kyouka smirked and was about to reply when Rogue suddenly spoke up.
"Yo, uh, Jirou," he called, making her glance over. "You've been messaging Midoriya, right?"
"Uh, yeah. He said he'd be texting Anjou though, so."
"Well, got a message to pass onto him," he said. "She's not giving him her address, but she can probably meet him in person after she changes." That had everyone turning to look in surprise.
"Wait, seriously?" Kirishima asked. "But what about classes? We have finals next week, so she can't just skip!"
"We have finals next week?" Ashido blurted, and grimaced. "Oops, sorry other Mina... And you too, Kiri..."
"Yeah, we're definitely gonna miss those," he groaned, sinking into his chair.
"So why is she out of class?" Kyouka asked, already bringing up the conversation with Midoriya on her phone to let him know.
"All she said is, 'Never let the kid with the smoke Quirk near the sprinklers.'" Kyouka paused, and then slowly nodded as she sent the update to Midoriya. Those were words to live by.
Notes:
Throwback to an earlier chapter where Anjou used a classmate named Nijisaki to set off the sprinklers so they could get out early. She is not happy this time. It is the dead of winter, and it is cold. They say no one ever found Nijisaki's body.
Also, is it contrived that Present Mic happens to have a meet and greet in Kamino on this very day? Yes. But these kids also need a lucky break sometime so the universe is smiling upon them! (Did I plan for Izuku to have an impromptu meeting with someone to deliver a letter? No. But he's not just gonna sit around quietly waiting while everyone tries to decipher Uraraka's censored speech!)
Question for next time: Guys, give me the weirdest hero merchandise Izuku could have. (Inspired by the latest Aftershock chapter's question, which was about best reject All Might merchandise. If you're on AO3, read the comments on Chapter 7, it is glorious.)
Chapter 69: A Scaly Glitch
Summary:
A plan is made, a new character quickly wins the heart of the author, and a lot of characters meet for the first time.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 69
.::A Scaly Glitch::.
So far, the grand reunion had been going differently from how Denki had expected. Oh, they still had the giant emotional group hug he'd hoped for, still got to experience the sheer relief of confirming they weren't alone. They even got some of the tearjerker moments he'd expected as Uraraka admitted she'd met Dabi, and some explanations about the runaways in Odawara.
But then they found out Uraraka had been hit with a Quirk and couldn't talk about the Alliance, and reality came crashing down way too fast.
Since then they'd been trying to pry whatever information they could based on what she couldn't say. They managed to eliminate some of the League members they remembered from their world, like Spinner or that Muscular guy. They also confirmed she could still say Stain, so he wasn't secretly a part of it in this world (still no idea if he existed). She could name all their classmates and teachers, too, which was a relief.
But there was still so much she couldn't say. When she tried to read Midoriya's letter out loud she skipped over all the names and words connected to the Alliance, not even getting through the first page before giving up in frustration.
What terrified Denki the most were her attempts to talk about Aizawa-sensei. That had been relatively coherent even with the missing words, enough for them to pick up that someone had visited on Sunday. Someone who already knew him, and whose presence alone seemed to be enough to trigger PTSD-type flashbacks.
It had been describing that visitor that it had really broken down.
"Obviously a, but we don't know what but," Uraraka told them, and looked panicked when she realized she was missing words. "Said a, uses, makes to counter, Dabi warned." Her expression grew more and more frantic with each missing word, leaning forward as she blurted desperately, "This morning said technically! I!"
That "I" had been the only word to come out at the end, her whole face twisting with horror as she nearly broke down. That had been when Denki realized just how dangerous this was. That there was an unknown element Uraraka couldn't describe at all, and who was dangerous enough to make her freak out. All she could do was nod or shake her head when they asked her some questions:
Was this person a villain? (Nod.) Were they a grunt in the Alliance? (Head shake.) Were they part of the Alliance? (A shrug.) Connected to it? (Nod.) Were they dangerous? (Nod.) Was their Quirk dangerous? (Nod.) Were they as dangerous as Shigaraki? (A more hesitant nod.) Were they more dangerous than Shigaraki? (A hesitation, and no response but a grimace.) Had Uraraka met them? (Nod.) Had this person hurt her? (A head shake there, mercifully enough.) Had they ever killed anyone?
It was the overly vigorous nod at the last one that chilled them most. "Technically," she told them, a desperate gleam in her eyes. "Said technically count." They had no idea what she wanted to say there, but she'd gotten enough of the point across.
And now they still lacked a lot of context, but after talking to Midoriya and Anjou they had a plan. A plan that apparently hinged on the kid hiding behind Shouji.
"Right, so this is Kabuto," Rogue introduced, looking tired already. Kabuto seemed a little younger than them, probably in middle school, with dusty brown skin and oddly chunky light brown hair that kinda reminded Denki of scales. He did have scales on his wrists from what they could see beneath his bulky coat, his hands larger than average and ending in very long, curled-up claws.
Kabuto seemed to wilt under the attention, ducking even more behind Shouji. "Uh, sorry, he's kinda shy," explained Mime, the guy who'd accompanied Kaubto and who Denki definitely recognized as someone from Class 1-B. He had no idea on the guy's name though, or his Quirk.
"Uh, we don't have to tell him everything too, do we?" Jirou asked, voicing the question on everyone's minds.
"Yeah, no, that's absolutely forbidden," Rogue deadpanned. "Kabuto's only here because Nettmegg wants him to use his Quirk to send someone to Kamino to grab that letter."
"Ooh, and how does this Quirk work?" Like a ghost Hatsume reared her head once more, seeming to teleport over to Shouji and Kabuto. He yelped and tried to duck further behind Shouji only for Hatsume to follow, leading to her effectively chasing him in circles around the taller boy. Shouji did not look amused.
"Mime, help," he called flatly. Mime obliged and blew at the air, and suddenly Hatsume bumped into an invisible wall. That didn't deter her though, peeling herself off and then pressing her hands against it like a window as she peered at a cowering Kabuto.
"Your Quirk's primarily a pangolin mutation, right?" she asked, eyes trained on the pair of long tails covered in large, overlapping scales.
"Uh, what's a pangolin?" Denki muttered.
"They're kinda like a cross between anteaters and armadillos, but covered in giant scales that look like plates?" Mime explained with a shrug. "That's how we've been describing it, anyway."
"And Hatsume knows that because...?" Jirou asked.
"Because when it comes to armor, there is no better inspiration than nature!" the inventor declared. "Pangolins have some of the best natural armor out there! The scales have super-sharp edges so they'll cut anyone who tries to attack, and the way they're layered doesn't impede mobility at all!"
"Please make the scary lady stop," Kabuto whimpered. Jirou decided to step in and drag Hatsume away to give the poor kid space while Shouji moved to shield him a bit more.
"Okay, that's cool and all, but how does that help?" Kirishima asked.
"What we're about to tell you cannot leave here, no matter what," Rogue told them sternly, eyes sharp. "We mean it. You can't even tell the sixth guy, this absolutely cannot leave this room." Everyone nodded, quickly growing serious, and after a moment Rogue seemed to decide they understood. "Kabuto's Quirk is mostly the pangolin mutation, but some of the scales on his tail can teleport people if you break them."
"Wait, what?" Ashido blurted. "How?"
"You have a warping Quirk?" Uraraka gasped, eyes wide. "That would be so useful to help rescue Aizawa because his!" She paused when she realized she'd skipped over some words, her expression quickly souring. "I can't even mention his? Really?"
"You are not using it to rescue anyone from a villain's base," Rogue snapped, and she winced and shrunk back. He scowled for a moment before continuing, "Look, Kabuto's Quirk is one of those Quirks that gets people kidnapped all the time. It's something that can be used without his consent, and it fucking hurts. We are not taking any chances, we are not letting any of his scales end up anywhere near villains, got that?"
There was a tense silence as everyone nodded, wary of making him more angry, and Shouji decided to take over. "The Quirk has some limits. It only works with certain scales, and the first one also won't grow back until they're used."
"The first one?" Jirou repeated.
"I-it's tied to my tails." Surprisingly Kabuto answered, his voice noticeably soft and meek as he nervously tapped his claws together. "I have two tails, right? So you get two scales, one from each. The first one you pull out is the hardest, and t-then the matching one on the other tail is softer, and easier to break."
As he spoke his tails curled around his ankles, and Denki noticed some of the scales had more color than the rest. He wasn't the only one, as Uraraka perked up and asked, "Oh, is it the colorful ones?"
Kabuto flinched at being addressed and quickly nodded before ducking behind Shouji again, apparently back to being too shy to talk. "Breaking a scale will teleport you to the other one," Rogue continued. "It can only teleport one person at a time, the one who breaks it. It also only works if both scales are separated from his tail, but either one can be used."
"The first one is still harder to break though, so we usually use it like a homing beacon," Shouji added. "It's also a one-time thing. Once you use it, the whole pair loses its power. So it's a one-way trip. And there's only a limited number with that power, so once a scale's removed, it won't grow back until one of the pair is broken."
"And pulling them off hurts," Mime emphasized. "I've seen him cry from it."
"So in short, it's only good for quickly traveling or escaping," Todoroki murmured thoughtfully. "It sounds too limited to be useful for large groups, but if there's a scale in Kamino, we could send someone there."
"Which is why Nettmegg suggested we bring him in," Rogue said with a nod. "She keeps one in her apartment. Since this Midoriya guy is planning to go to Kamino, he can hand over that letter directly to whoever we send over today."
"And then they just catch a train back to Odawara!" Ashido finished eagerly, pumping her fists into the air. "That's brilliant! We can get it and see Mido!"
"You know you can't go, right Ashido?" Kirishima reminded her, and she instantly deflated with a whine.
"But Kiiiiriii!"
"Ashido, we literally just ran away from there last week. If either one of us meets up with Anjou, someone might notice and recognize us."
"Also, you're pink," Jirou added flatly. "The wig might help, but not many people have pink skin, so..." Ashido pouted and crossed her arms with a huff.
"I ran away pretty recently too, and I had Midnight as a tutor here, so Present Mic might be looking for me too," Uraraka murmured with a frown. "And Todoroki ran away a while back and is pretty disguised, but..."
"It's too risky," he declared bluntly. "Kuroe managed to recognize me somehow even though we'd never met. I don't know if I've met Mic-sensei in this world, but Pro Heroes probably have more detailed pictures of me."
"Yeah, they didn't really release many of you online," Denki said with a nod, thinking back to his few attempts searching for the other teen. "The newest one I could find was from when you were like, seven." He grimaced as he remembered the context, and Jirou must have thought of the same one because she grimaced too.
"All Might's memorial service, right?" she asked, and Denki could only nod. It hadn't even been focused on them specifically; they'd been in the background among the sea of black, with little Todoroki next to a girl who must be his sister. The camera hadn't gotten the clearest view, and only part of his scar had been visible with that angle. Still, the context of it left a bad taste in his mouth.
"Yeah, that would've been around the time that heroes started locking down personal pictures in the media," Mime muttered. "Especially kids and stuff..." He didn't need to explain why that change happened, the atmosphere just a little heavier at the unspoken reminder of how dark this world could get.
"So then, I guess that leaves me or Kaminari," Jirou said after a moment. "We're the only ones here who aren't runaways or wanted for other reasons. Which... how is this our life." She shook her head in exasperation while Denki frowned.
"I'll go," he volunteered, making everyone turn in surprise.
"Wait, are you sure?" Uraraka asked. "Have you ever been to Kamino? It's kinda freaky to go somewhere new all alone!"
"I know, but we're hero students, right?" Denki replied with an only slightly nervous grin. Honestly, the idea of going somewhere brand new, alone, did freak him out a little. But between him and Jirou, it was better for her to stay here. "While I'm gone, you guys can keep filling in Jirou on everything else, and she can tell you about the stuff that happened with Yaomomo and that Tokage chick."
"Yeah, I guess it would be better for me to talk about it," she muttered. "I didn't really have a chance to tell you guys any details yesterday before everything went, well." She shrugged, and everyone tried not to look at Todoroki. The Dabi reveal threw a wrench into, well, everything.
For his part, Todoroki seemed less bothered by the reference to the whole Dabi situation than Denki feared, and just generally thoughtful. "We can't really talk about Midoriya's situation like this, and that's the most urgent one, so..." He nodded and declared, "I second sending Kaminari."
"I don't think anyone can say no to that reasoning," Kirishima muttered, glancing at Denki. "You have money to catch a ride back on the train or bus, right?"
"Yep! Loaded up on some spare cash just in case!" Denki grinned as he patted his pocket for emphasis. "And if anything happens, I can just call you guys!"
"It would be a good opportunity for Nettmegg to tag you with her Quirk as well," Shouji pointed out. "You'll be going straight to her apartment, so you can just wait there if she's not back yet." Kabuto perked up and scowled as he leaned around Shouji.
"D-don't snoop around if she's not there!" he declared, shooting Denki a glare. "I mean it! These claws are really sharp, and I'm not afraid to go for the eyes!"
"I won't, I won't!" Denki assured him, raising his hands in surrender. "I swear I won't, don't claw out my eyes!"
"You're really protective of Anjou, huh?" Kirishima asked, and Kabuto huffed, ducking back behind Shouji slightly but still frowning.
"I owe her everything," he said, and then reached down to pluck a scale from one of his tails, wincing and giving a small gasp as he harshly yanked it loose. He scampered over to hold it out to Denki, the teal-tinted scale carefully held between two long claws. "Here. Just snap it."
"Ooh, that color looks kinda like An-chan's hair!" Ashido gushed, and Kabuto ducked his head a bit, cheeks a little darker.
"I know, th-that's... Just, take it." Denki nodded as he took it, and Kabuto scrounged in his pockets to pull out another scale, this one a dark purple. "A-and, take this one too. To replace the one there."
"And that's like her eyes," Ashido observed with a smirk, mischief visible in her expression, and Kabuto's cheeks turned even darker as he shoved the scale at Denki.
"J-just take it and go!" he snapped, and quickly scurried back to Shouji. Mime had a little smirk too as Kabuto passed him, though it quickly vanished when the smaller boy smacked his leg with one of his tails.
"Yow! Watch it, dude! Those scales hurt!" Kabuto just stuck out his tongue while Denki looked down at the teal scale uncertainly. Holding both scales, he could definitely feel a difference; the teal wasn't flimsy, but the purple one felt sturdier for sure. He slid it in his pocket and checked that he still had his phone and extra money before gripping the other one with both hands.
"Well, here goes nothing, I guess," he said uncertainly.
"See you soon, Kaminari," Jirou said.
"I'll miss you!" Ashido declared tearfully. "Don't forget to call and text while you're gone!"
"He's only going to be gone for a few hours," Kirishima reminded her.
"It's the thought that counts!" Denki had to smile at his friend's dramatics, feeling a little more relaxed. He was still nervous about leaving, but knowing he'd come back to this made it better.
"Denki," Todoroki said, making him glance over. He paused then, seeming to search for words. "When you see Midoriya, tell him we're all ready whenever he needs us."
Denki grinned even as everyone else's faces hardened with conviction and determination. "You got it!" he said. "See you guys in a couple hours!" With a final salute, he gripped both ends of the scale and snapped it in half.
The teleportation was instant. One second he was in the middle of the abandoned kitchen, and the next he stood in an unfamiliar apartment. It seemed to be a single-room one, with a futon neatly folded in one corner, a dining table with two chairs and a laptop, and a couch and TV. He'd appeared next to a dresser which had a phone and a dusty brown scale on it, and when he glanced at the pieces in his hand they'd also turned brown.
"Huh," he said faintly. He then startled as a door slammed open, spinning to see a teal-haired girl standing in the door of a bathroom. She looked at him wide-eyed for a moment before her expression soured.
"Oh right, told them to send someone over," she muttered and sighed. "Let me guess. Kaminari?"
"Uh, yeah," he confirmed with a sheepish nod. "You must be Anjou then, right?"
"Yep," she confirmed with a huff, running a hand through her hair. He noticed it seemed a little wet for some reason. She'd also already changed out of her school uniform into a dark maroon sweatshirt with a cartoon cat on it, and a pair of gray sweatpants. "Gimme a minute to dry my hair."
"Did you take a shower?" he asked curiously, before hastily adding, "Uh, n-not to sound creepy or anything! J-just curious, 'cause you know, it's cold outside, and walking around with wet hair's, uh..." He trailed off before he could dig the hole deeper.
"Yep," she said flatly. "Which is why I took a shower. Stupid Nijisaki..." She grumbled under her breath as she went back into the bathroom, not bothering to close the door as she turned on the hair dryer. Denki just stood in her room awkwardly, not sure what to do besides glancing around while he waited. It didn't take long to notice a backpack and several books sitting on a towel, making him wince sympathetically. Oh right, Rogue said something about sprinklers going off...
It only took Anjou a few minutes to emerge, hair now dry. "Thanks for not touching anything, I guess," she said with a shrug.
"Uh, no problem," Denki responded awkwardly. "Sorry for not texting you or something, probably should've given you a heads up or something..." He fiddled with the broken scale pieces for a second before perking up and retrieving the other scale from his pocket. "Oh right, Kabuto gave me this to replace the other one! Since it's, uh, used now."
Anjou hummed, holding out her palm for Denki to hand it over. As he did her other hand shot upwards to grip his wrist, making him jump in surprise. Her irises lit up bright turquoise like her pupils for a second before the dark purple hue returned, and she released his wrist with a nod. "And, added."
"...Should I, uh, feel any different?" Denki asked after a second while Anjou went to drop the scale on the dressed behind him.
"Nah. Neural networking's pretty passive, people won't notice it unless I tell them. Or if I hijack one of their senses." That had Denki jumping.
"You can do that?"
"Yep," she confirmed with a nod, perfectly nonchalant as she picked up her phone. "I did say there was more than just tracking locations. Anyways, enough Quirk talk," she said, turning back with a serious expression. "Midoriya texted about ten minutes ago to say he got permission to come. But he couldn't get permission to show up alone, so there'll be someone named Toga with him...?"
"Oh crap, the yandere," Denki whispered, face pale. They'd had a lengthy chat about Toga in the chat yesterday before the Dabi reveal, and Uraraka hadn't been subject to that weird censoring Quirk back then.
"The story is that we're all online friends from some hero forum who like Present Mic," Anjou continued, already tapping away at her phone. "I'll text him you're here so he can say that he's seen a photo of you because you're an idiot, and didn't think about stranger danger when showing off some new hero shirt."
Denki wanted to object, but that was absolutely something he would do, so he settled for a withering glare. Not that she seemed to notice, busy looking at her phone. He heard his own phone go off and quickly checked it to find Anjou had started a group chat along with Midoriya. It outlined exactly what she just said, and also included a street name. 'Meeting spot is outside Wacdonald's.'
"Think we could get something at Wacdonald's?" he wondered aloud. "It's pretty close to lunch."
"That's part of the plan. Some of my classmates planned to meet there with some other online people they know, so we'll just join the crowd there and head over to the meet and greet as a giant group. If anyone asks, you're remote-learning and ditched classes to come get Mic's autograph."
"Do you think many people will be spying on us?"
"Better safe than sorry." At that point a reply appeared from Midoriya in the chat.
'Really? You'll be there too? That's great! I can't wait to see you again!' Despite his anxiety about Toga being there Denki smiled at the message. Seeing Midoriya again would be a giant relief for both of them.
"Come on, let's go," Anjou said, already heading to the door as Denki followed. "By the way, mind filling me in on everything that's happened so far while we walk?"
"Sure, no problem," Denki agreed easily. "Not much to say though. We kinda got sidetracked by the Dabi thing before we found out the thing with Uraraka, so..."
"Dabi thing?" Anjou repeated and he paused, suddenly realizing something.
"...You're not part of that group chat, are you?"
"Nope."
Well, they had a lot to catch up on.
Izuku felt his heart pounding as he and Toga stepped out of a portal into an alleyway, wearing a backpack with a poster tube sticking out of the top. Toga had taken care of getting permission and everything else ready, and even transformed into someone Izuku didn't really recognize. She was still a teenage girl, but a bit taller and had orange hair in loose pigtails and glasses.
"This is just a girl I thought looked really pretty," she explained happily as they left the alley. "This hairstyle is so cute, don't you think?"
"Um, yeah, it is," Izuku agreed awkwardly, trying not to think about how she got the blood for the transformation. He quickly pulled out his phone to check the map. "Anyways, the meeting place shouldn't be far away, just look for a Wacdonald's."
"So you do know these people, right?" Toga asked, and he nodded.
"Yeah. I've talked to them online. One of them said her classmates are meeting up there, so..." He shrugged lamely, and Toga hummed.
"So, what should I call you in front of them?"
"Probably not Mido. I mean, I call myself Hero_Man_NumberNine on this forum, so maybe Nine?" His brief chat with Aizawa that morning had made him check his profile again just to confirm the username. He figured it would be better to use that than some variation of "Deku_Breaks_Bones" or his actual name, and had already passed it on to Anjou. "The people we're meeting are named Nett and ChargeBolt."
"Nine, huh?" Toga mused, and then decided, "Nah. I'm just gonna call you Zuzu!" Izuku shot her a very unhappy frown, but she ignored it as she perked up. "Hey, there's the Wacdonald's! Come on Zuzu!" She grabbed his hand and started dragging him before he could protest, and Izuku just silently resigned himself to having to endure the nickname.
He quickly perked up as he saw the small crowd outside the Wacdonald's though. There weren't too many people, maybe five total, but his attention quickly zeroed in on a very familiar head of blond hair: Kaminari. His heart leaped into his throat as he saw his classmate, breaking away from Toga to wave. "Chargebolt!" he called, and Kaminari spun to look at him.
When their eyes met, Izuku could see the recognition. For only the second time since waking up in this world, he saw the spark of familiarity, the way someone looked at him as him and not a stranger, or even this world's Izuku. He'd already known this was his Kaminari from all the phone calls, but seeing him in person made it feel suddenly real.
Kaminari's whole face lit up as he broke away from the group to nearly tackle him in a hug, which Izuku readily accepted and returned. "Dude, you're here!" he laughed, squeezing Izuku tight. "I can't believe you're actually here!" Izuku squeezed him back just as hard, willing himself to not cry and make Toga more curious.
"I can't believe it either," he mumbled, and pulled away to smile at him. "You look just like that photo!" It was a subtle reminder that they were supposed to be strangers, and that they couldn't make any slips. As much as Izuku wanted to catch up, Toga was there so they had to play it safe.
Fortunately Kaminari understood, returning his smile with a grin of his own. "I'm just glad to finally know what you look like!" he said. "Seriously dude, I was kinda worried you'd be, you know." He shrugged and left it at that, Izuku picking up the underlying concern that he'd show signs of abuse from his time with villains or some other radical changes.
The other people nearby interpreted it differently. "What, you thought he'd be some forty-year-old creep?" a boy with speckled black and white hair snorted.
"Not that!" Kaminari yelped while Toga loudly snickered.
"So you must be that Nine guy, right?" the boy said to Izuku. "Anjou and Charge over here said you'd be coming."
"Anjou?" Izuku repeated, playing dumb.
"That would be me, though you've been calling me Nett." A teal-haired girl stepped forward, and Izuku turned to survey the mysterious Anjou. She looked pretty down to earth and relaxed, nodding at him. "Nice to see you in the flesh."
"You too," Izuku replied with a smile. "If we're using real names you can call me Kubo." He came up with the name on the spot, basing it off his username since the character for "ku" could be written as "nine." He figured that he got the username from the "ku" in Izuku, too.
"Nice," Kaminari said with a nod. "Well, I'm Kaminari." He glanced at Toga as he added, "And she's, uh?"
"Yumi," Toga cut in, skipping forward with a smile. "I'm Zuzu's friend!"
"Zuzu?" one of the unfamiliar boys snorted while Izuku cringed.
"Yumi, please don't," he groaned, but she ignored him.
"Yo Anjou, since your friend's here we're gonna head inside and grab lunch with the others," one of the other boys said, side-eying Toga as he spoke. "Wanna come with us?"
Toga pursed her lips. "Hmm, I dunno. I'm supposed to stay with Zuzu..."
Izuku groaned at the nickname, but at the same moment he saw an opportunity, and played up his embarrassment a bit more by ducking his head. "I-I don't mind, I really want to talk to Nett and—I mean, Anjou and Kaminari." He pretended to flub the names before looking at Toga to add, "We'll be fine Yumi, we won't go anywhere. But I've been wanting to meet these guys in person for ages now, so..."
He trailed off meaningfully, silently pleading Toga would go along with his unspoken request for privacy. While he knew she couldn't leave him entirely, if she stuck around constantly he'd have trouble getting anything done. This might be his only chance to be alone with them.
And for the second time today, the universe gave Izuku a break. "Okay, but don't go anywhere or I'll tell Tomu!" she said with a playful wink, and then turned to follow Anjou's classmates inside. "So like, you're paying, right? Because I really want a hot chocolate."
"A Wacdonald's hot chocolate?" someone groaned.
"What? It's super cold outside, and they're really yummy!"
"Yeah dude. Wacdonald's isn't all cheap garbage." That was all Izuku heard before the door closed. He almost sagged with relief at the privacy, breathing a large sigh as he turned to face the others.
"Hey Kaminari," he greeted again with a feeble, tired smile. "It's really good to see you." The blond surged forward to hug him again, making Izuku jolt in surprise.
"Dude, I can't believe you're actually here," he said. "I mean I can, but after all the phone calls and everything else—it's so awesome to finally see you again!" Izuku nodded, sniffling as he returned the embrace.
"Yeah, same here," he choked out, squeezing Kaminari back.
"Uh, are you okay?" Anjou asked, sounding mildly alarmed. Izuku and Kaminari broke the hug, the blond looking at him for a moment before shrugging.
"Nah, he's fine. Mido always cries super-easy, no big deal." The remark had Izuku reaching up to wipe away the tears, having not even realized he'd started crying. Given how cold it was, freezing tears was the last thing he needed.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he agreed, and quickly shifted his backpack off his back. "But we don't have much time, so here." He opened the front pocket to retrieve the letter he'd written, handing it to Kaminari. "This should have everything. I was in a rush, but I think I got all the key stuff down." The blond nodded seriously as he took the papers while Anjou eyed them critically.
"Cool if I take a look at it later?" she asked.
"Yeah. If you're helping us, you should know this too." Of everyone involved Anjou had some of the least direct stakes as far as he knew, so she should know what she was getting into. That reminded him of something else Jirou said, and he added, "Also, um, why are there other people there?" Kaminari tensed, shooting Anjou a strained look.
"Uh..."
"Short answer, there's a runaway network in Odawara," Anjou replied, and Izuku blinked as he processed that. Okay, what? "Uraraka will be able to explain the full details to you later. But right now, I need to tag you." She held out her hand and Izuku stared at it.
"Um, what does your Quirk do?" he asked cautiously. Ashido and Todoroki had claimed it would be useful, but he didn't actually know anything about it.
"It basically lets me add you to a mental network so I can track your location." Izuku blinked, because that was absolutely useful.
"Also, she can apparently hijack people's senses?" Kaminari added. "Which I haven't experienced yet, but sounds like just, woah." Izuku perked up, looking at Anjou with renewed curiosity.
"Really? What else can your Quirk do?"
"I'd rather not say," Anjou replied with a shrug. "No offense, but given where you're staying..." She trailed off meaningfully but Izuku understood, slumping dejectedly.
"Yeah, I guess I can't blame you," he sighed. "I don't think there's anyone with a mind-reading Quirk or I would've been found out by now, but uh, yeah."
"Glad you understand. Now please shake my hand already so I can add you to the network." Izuku bobbed his head and quickly gripped her hand, and her eyes briefly flickered turquoise. Within less than a second she released her grip and said, "Done."
"Already?" Izuku had expected to feel something, but he hadn't noticed anything. "Wow, that's really useful! You're able to mark people without them noticing, which would be great for tracking... villains..." He trailed off, gears turning in his head as he glanced at the door to Wacdonald's. When he turned back Anjou's eyes had gone wide as she stared at the door too.
"You want me to mark her," she guessed, and Izuku nodded. Tagging Toga would be risky, but it'd only be useful in the long run to know her location. He expected he'd have to argue for it but Anjou smirked, a sly glint in her eyes. "Nice to know someone in this mess has brains."
"Um, thanks?" he replied uncertainly. That was a compliment, right?
"Shouldn't be too hard," she continued. "Just need to touch her for a second. Think that's doable?" Izuku thought back to every interaction with Toga—
"Yes," he replied instantly, not even bothering to try to think of any beyond the first one to come to mind. Toga was absolutely a tactile person who would probably drape herself over anyone she remotely liked. Thinking back to his conversation with Uraraka yesterday, and also the conversation on the rooftop, he added, "If you ask to exchange phone numbers or something, I think she'd try to hug you or hold your hands or something like that. She really wants female friends her age."
"...Okay, that's kinda sad," Kaminari said after a moment.
"I'm not giving her my phone number, but I can probably get friendly enough to get a reaction like that," Anjou murmured, more to herself than them. "Just act like she's Ashido or Kirameki." Izuku had no idea who Kirameki was, but it sounded like a good strategy to him so he'd leave it up to her. For now, he just needed to get the poster to Present Mic and get the autograph, and then go back to the Alliance.
Preferably without getting recognized.
While he'd love to bring in Pro Heroes to help rescue Aizawa-sensei, now was not the time. Aizawa's reaction after Aiko left had made it all too clear that any outsiders would be at severe risk if they tried to break into the Alliance's headquarters, and he doubted the Pros would listen to the warnings of Shigaraki's little brother. Even if he knew all of this was technically way over his head, Izuku couldn't have that risk on his conscience.
The stakes were higher than anything else he'd encountered so far, but that made it all the more important that he not risk anyone more than strictly necessary. He was the only one on the inside, the only one who wouldn't be at risk of death or harm if things went south. Everyone else was ultimately expendable in the eyes of the Alliance and Aiko.
While his hands were tied in so many other ways right now, Izuku knew that he was ultimately the only one who could pull off that part of the rescue.
After Kaminari left, they should have gone back to the meeting. Jirou should have started briefing them on her meeting with Yaoyorozu, or they should have talked about the runaways some more. Shouto figured they'd still wait on revealing Shouji's dream until Kaminari came back since that was the biggest revelation of all, but they had plenty of other stuff to talk about in the meantime.
Of course, they talked about none of that.
"So, you're the friend An-chan helped run away?" Ashido asked, eyes sparkling as she practically cornered Kabuto. The boy had slipped and called Anjou "Ran", and Ashido had immediately jumped on the obvious familiarity.
"W-we went to the same school, and she's my senpai, s-so," he stammered, but Ashido remained undeterred.
"But you called her Ran," she pointed out, mischief on full display as she smirked at him. "That's really familiar for just a classmate. Especially a senpai."
Kabuto looked even more panicked now. "Th-that's, uh, i-it's not that weird," he replied, shooting a panicked look to his fellow runaways. Mime and Shouji looked a bit sheepish, but neither made any attempts to intervene. Rogue meanwhile seemed more interested in watching Hatsume at the moment as she tinkered with the bomb anklet, whether due to genuine interest or just wariness from having a bomb nearby.
Uraraka was the one to come to Kabuto's rescue, stepping forward to pull Ashido back. "Come on, give him some space. You're freaking him out. Think of him like—like Kouda!"
"Oh yeah, he kinda freaked last time I tried to hug him," Ashido said with a nod as she backed off, making Kabuto slump with relief. She then glanced at Shouto as she added, "Wait, isn't Kouda here too?"
"Yeah, he calls himself Rockfish," he confirmed with a nod. "We've only talked a few times though, mostly when he helped look for Tokoyami. Even after he left." He shot an accusing glance at Rogue at that part, having pinpointed him as one of the driving forces behind that.
"Actually, I have another question," Jirou interjected, making them all glance at her. "Shouji said some of you guys are vigilantes?"
"Oh yeah," Mime replied with a nod. "We got a few. I mean, some folks do it kinda casually if they see stuff happen, but Midori, Akai, Kaitou and Lee are all pretty serious about it. Got gear and everything. They actually tend to travel around Japan most of the year to do vigilante stuff. They just came back to Odawara for the winter." While he spoke Jirou, Uraraka and even Ashido all turned to look at Shouto.
"Midori is Tsuyu, and Lee is Ojirou," he supplied. "I don't know Akai, but she seems to be friends with Tsuyu. Though you should know that," he added to Ashido with a frown. "They were there when we met."
"Sorry, we ditched the codenames like right away so they didn't really stick!" She shrugged dismissively, and from the corner of his eye Shouto saw Hatsume set down her tools as she turned to face them.
"Where does the gear come from?" she asked.
"Another vigilante named Stendhal," Shouji replied. The name got more blank looks from everyone this time, Shouto included, which Shouji noticed. "He might not be around in your world. He actually trained Kaitou and Lee before they came here. From what I know, he's good."
"Um, doesn't Glitch do some vigilante stuff too?" Kabuto piped up.
"Glitch?" Ashido repeated while Kirishima jolted.
"Oh man, I totally forgot!" he yelped, looking around wildly. "Is he still here?" That had everyone snapping towards him with renewed attention.
"Wait, still here?" Jirou repeated sharply. "What do you mean by that? Who's Glitch?"
"Glitch is another member of the network," Shouji explained. "We're supposed to travel in pairs for safety, so he followed us to the train station since Kirishima's not a full member."
"Wait, what?" Uraraka jumped and looked around with wide eyes. "But—but I didn't see anyone else!"
"Me neither," Jirou agreed, frowning as she no doubt tried to listen for him.
"He has some kind of camouflage Quirk or something," Kirishima said. "I don't know, he showed up right before we left so Shouji could introduce him, but he kept looking all... glitchy. And then he just—vanished! I totally forgot about him."
"So he could still be here and we wouldn't know?" Shouto asked, feeling justifiably paranoid. He did not like the implications someone might have been spying on them this whole time.
Rogue just sighed at the obvious tension. "Yo Glitch," he called. "If you're still hanging around, stop being a creep and say hi or something."
"Fine." They all jumped and whirled to see an unfamiliar figure standing near the door. With only one glance Shouto understood what Kirishima meant by his appearance being "glitchy." His body kept flickering, sometimes in a manner similar to static, other times with the color and texture of the afflicted area seeming to change. Shouto couldn't pick out any defining features, just that he seemed to be wearing a coat that was either unzipped or unbuttoned, and some kind of hat.
He waved a hand that flickered between a glove, a mitten and claws. "Yo, nice to meet you or whatever." Even his voice changed pitch at random, undeniably masculine but constantly wavering like a faulty voice modifier. It made for an unusually eerie impression that left even Shouto wary.
The runaways seemed completely unbothered by it though. "Hey Glitch," Kabuto greeted. "Gonna do the glitch thing the whole time today?"
"They're all strangers potentially connected to villains," Glitch huffed, crossing his arms. "I'm still not entirely convinced about the other world thing, even if it matches up with Parasyte's memories."
"Parasyte's memories?" Jirou echoed, glancing at Shouji.
"I'll... explain when Kaminari is back," he replied. "There will be a lot of questions when I'm done, so it's better to do it all at once." Shouto, Ashido and Kirishima all nodded in agreement. Right now, Shouji's dream provided the best and only lead they had about how they got here and how to possibly get home. It was unfortunate Midoriya couldn't be here, but it would be better to have as many people together as possible.
"Okay, I guess we can wait," Uraraka muttered after a moment. "But uh, who's he?"
She pointed at a corner of the kitchen and Shouto glanced over to see another person he didn't recognize. The dim light from the lamp made it harder to see most of his features too clearly, though his pale orangish-white eyes stood out as they glowed in the darkness. He didn't seem dressed appropriately for the weather, wearing a short-sleeved dark blue polo shirt and khakis with socks, not even shoes. His features struck Shouto as foreign, so maybe it was a foreign thing?
Notably, like Glitch this new boy's features also seemed to flicker a bit, though not as severely. Parts of his body seemed to shimmer in a static-like fashion, but his overall appearance remained steady. Were they related? If so, it could explain why Glitch chose to conceal his own appearance since foreigners tended to stand out even after the advent of Quirks.
However, Shouto's thoughts were derailed when he heard Rogue's chair get knocked over. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded sharply, and that was all they needed to realize that this person was not part of the runaways.
Immediately the atmosphere changed. Kabuto and Mime both ducked behind Shouji while Uraraka, Ashido and Jirou immediately assumed battle stances. Shouto did as well, feeling his palms both warm and cool with the beginnings of flame and ice. Everyone turned to regard the intruder defensively, even Hatsume grabbing a screwdriver and Kirishima glaring harshly.
The boy blinked in surprise at the abrupt hostility, eyes going wide. "Hold on, are you talking to me?" he asked.
"No, we're talking to your shadow," Jirou quipped sarcastically. "Of course we're talking to you, asshole!"
"How long have you been here?" Shouto questioned.
"You're talking to me," the boy murmured, eyes going wide. "That's not possible, unless..." He turned to look at Glitch, and his mouth suddenly stretched into a grin. "I see, it's y—"
Glitch vanished mid-sentence, but so did the boy. The abrupt dual disappearances made everyone jump and turn to search the room. "Where is he?" Ashido asked frantically.
"I don't know, I don't hear anything," Jirou replied. "Actually, strike that. I hear footsteps going towards Rogue, but they're quiet."
"That's Glitch," Shouji murmured, one of his arms protruding beneath the poncho with the end transformed into an ear. "I can hear him breathing too, but nothing from the other guy."
"But that makes no sense!" Ashido whined, and Uraraka's eyebrows scrunched together.
"I didn't see Seiko breathe this morning either," she murmured, and then paused as she stood ramrod straight. "Wait, I can still say her name?"
"Not the time," Kirishima muttered lowly, looking around warily for any signs of the intruder. Shouto saw Rogue's hand subtly move to grip something, probably Glitch's own hand since the other boy was invisible. Clearly Glitch's Quirk impacted his visibility, but so did that other boy's Quirk—wait. Realization suddenly struck him, remembering how the flickering had looked so similar.
"What's Glitch's Quirk?" he called to the runaways.
"Uh, not sure now's the time with an invisible intruder," Mime said, Kabuto bobbing his head in agreement. Uraraka however seemed to pick up on Shouto's line of thought, head snapping up with a gasp.
"They disappeared at the same time!" she blurted. "And he was glitchy like him too!" That had the runaways sharing wide-eyed glances.
"Glitch, make yourself visible again!" Shouji called. "Use it on the whole room!" Rogue glanced at the space next to him and Shouto saw his mouth move but make no sound. He nodded before releasing his hand, and a moment later Glitch became visible again. Along with him appeared the unfamiliar boy, floating directly in front of the duo.
Ashido screamed like a horror movie while Rogue and Glitch both scrambled back, the boy's attention focused solely on Glitch. "It's you," he said, voice high with excitement. "You're compatible. You're compatible! Unbelievable, you're only the fifth person I've ever met who's compatible with me!" He backed off with a laugh, floating on his back as he nearly shrieked. "Of all the times and places, I found a fucking fifth!"
His laughter seemed to echo around the room, nearly hysterical and making Shouto shiver. Uraraka shuddered too, just as unsettled by the sound, and grabbed a chunk of plaster from a nearby counter to hurl his way. It passed right through him even as the boy kept laughing though, bouncing off the far wall.
"What's going on?" Jirou hollered irritably over his laughter. "Who are you?"
The boy's laughter tapered off as he righted himself, still grinning. "Right, right, introductions," he murmured, and turned to face them with a more polite smile. It still had a savage, almost feral edge to it though, laced with some sort of mischief and amusement that set Shouto on edge. "Hello everyone, my name is Mail. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier, but, well, I didn't actually expect anyone to see me."
"Because of Glitch's Quirk interfering with yours?" Rogue spat, glaring at the back of the boy's head, and Mail chuckled as he gave an overly exaggerated shrug.
"Well, yes, I guess that's one way to put it," he said, shifting in the air to assume a casual position like he was reclining on the floor. "Though to be fair, I wasn't actively trying to hide. People just usually can't see me unless they have a compatible Quirk, I really didn't expect to find one here."
"And what does that mean?" Shouto demanded. Mail's grin seemed to sharpen, growing a bit wider as he glanced their way with almost manic-looking glowing eyes.
"It means, most Quirks can't reveal ghosts."
Notes:
Seiko's name isn't censored because Aiko wants Uraraka to be able to warn people of the demon child. It's basic safety concerns.
Today you get a MASSIVE chapter because these were originally two separate chapters! Kaminari's POV takes over 3k words on its own, but barely anything really happens there other than explaining Kabuto's Quirk and why they won't be able to use it as a quick cheat to bust out everyone on Izuku's side. So I decided to merge them into a giant almost 8k-word behemoth. Woo!
And guys, I only came up with him while thinking of this current set of chapters but I think I already love Kabuto. His full name is Houjou Rintaro, and he's an adorably shy kid who's still 14, his birthday is in spring. (Pangolins are adorable by the way, they're what Sandslash is based off of. They're also horribly targeted by poachers because their scales are used in Chinese medicine, which is awful. But overall they're just cute and deserve to be protected.)
Also: hi Mail!
Question for next time: What is the most hilarious/random worst case scenario that can happen at this meet and greet?
Chapter 70: A Grave Mistake?
Summary:
Mail is the most open ghost stalker ever and happily answers questions. Meanwhile, Izuku gets an autograph and absolutely nothing happened or went wrong, really Tomura-nii!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 70
.::A Grave Mistake?::.
The discovery had been an accident.
It happened during a villain fight. Watching Kas fight had always been a treat, his motions always perfectly smooth and precise like a well-choreographed dance thanks to his precognitive Quirk. Since taking on the name "Oracle" his skill had only improved, the still occasionally clumsy movements of a small boy vanishing as he matured into a steady-footed young man. Even surrounded by multiple enemies, Kas showed no hesitation, moving with a grace that filled Mail with pride.
(It was all he could do now, just watch his little brother and sister as they threw themselves into fight after fight, risking their lives every single time for causes Mail didn't even know were worth another one of them dying.)
One minute Mail was watching his brother beat up a random thug, smoothly dodging the man's blows before they could even be choreographed and responding with fierce strikes of his own. Then suddenly his eyes flickered towards Mail's general position above the battle and for the first time in years, he stumbled. Kas froze, movements stilling as his head snapped upwards and his eyes went wide.
"Mail?" he gasped, jarring Mail out of his usual silence. For a moment he thought it was his imagination, but no. Del—Kas—his brother, his last living baby brother, one of the precious few he had died for, was looking at him.
For the first time in two thousand, nine hundred eighty seven days, Mail opened his mouth and spoke to his brother.
"You can see me?" he asked. Kas didn't respond, side-tracked by a punch to the side of the head that he for once failed to anticipate, failed to dodge. The blow had him staggering back a few steps but he didn't lose his footing, his mouth pulling into a vicious snarl as he lunged at the villains with a renewed fury, unleashing a feral roar ringing only of rage.
Mail started calling out to him with every attack, unable to do much else but unwilling to stand by doing nothing after seeing his brother get harmed. As expected Kas managed to avoid every blow this time, already back in groove. His attacks were more vicious now though, abandoning the more merciful style which had become standard as a "Hero" in favor of the brutal strikes learned in their childhoods. The wires he'd spent years training to use tightened around throats to near-strangling levels, limbs bound so tight their fingertips began to turn purple.
When the battle ended Del didn't look at him though. His eyes passed over the space Mail occupied as he searched the room frantically, before releasing an agonizing scream.
"Just let me touch you so I can see your Quirk already!"
Normally, the sound of an irritated Monoma would be music to Kyouka's ears. Right now though, it just added to her own irritation as she watched the blond try to swipe at Mail, who floated near the ceiling of the kitchen. The "ghost" looked annoyed too, his initial amusement long since faded to a scowl as he hovered just out of reach.
"For the last time, no," he snapped. "I don't have a physical body for you to touch, and it's a bad idea anyway."
"How is it a bad idea if I supposedly can't touch you!" Monoma snapped back.
"It just is!" The foreigner threw up his arms in frustration, his hands notably phasing through the ceiling in the process. "Just stop!"
"Not until you stop claiming to be a ghost!"
"You know, this was funny at first, but now it's getting kinda sad," Uraraka muttered, and Kyouka could only nod. It hadn't taken long for the runaways to call for backup after discovering the intruder, which came in the form of Monoma and Ojiro. They figured Monoma's Quirk would help figure out just what was up with this "Mail" guy, but first he'd have to touch him, and that didn't seem to be an option.
"I could try to freeze him in place again," Todoroki offered, and was responded by a loud chorus of "no" from everyone else. He'd already tried that once, and it hadn't done anything except make the room even colder.
"Just stop trying to catch me," Mail sighed. "Seriously. If I wanted to leave, I absolutely would have by now."
"Then why are you still here?" Kyouka challenged.
"For starters, if I leave, you guys will just run off and I'll probably never find you again." He wasn't wrong. "Also, even if you don't run off, I don't really know my way around Odawara so I'd just spend hours lost in the city. I didn't really pay much attention to all the turns when I followed those two from Kamino."
The remark got Ashido and Kirishima some harsh looks from the runaways, the pair currently clinging to each other in the face of the supposed ghost. "Gee, thanks," Ojiro said sarcastically.
"We didn't know!" Kirishima protested. "I never saw him! We never saw anyone!"
"How long have you been haunting us?" Ashido wailed. "If I did anything to hurt you in your past life, I am so sorry, please forgive me!"
"Oi, calm down, I'm not haunting you," Mail said, shaking his head. "Also, don't be so hard on them. Normally people can't see me. I mean, I can't even control it. The only reason we're able to talk now is because that guy has an area of effect illusory Quirk that happens to be compatible with me." He gestured to Glitch as he spoke, the older teen eying him warily. He'd stopped the flickering with his appearance, which also stopped the flickering on Mail, though he still kept himself covered up.
"So you just followed a couple of teens because they couldn't notice?" Shouji piped up. "You realize how that sounds, right?"
"In my defense, I was actually visiting my brother and just got bored. Like I said, I can't control who can see me. Since he was just sitting around basically doing nothing I figured I'd pop over to see if those two were doing anything interesting, and that's when I found them both waiting in their apartments with their bags packed."
"Why would you check on them?" Uraraka asked at the same Todoroki said, "Brother?" Mail nodded at Todoroki, a soft, fond smile on his face.
"Yeah, my little brother, Kas. Though you guys would know him better as Oracle." Ashido and Kirishima both stilled at that, everyone recognizing the name of the hero that had been watching them when they ran off.
"Hold on, but he's older than you, isn't he?" Ojiro pointed out. "Don't know his age, but he looks like he's at least twenty."
"You know him?" Uraraka asked curiously, and he shrugged.
"We've uh, seen him before."
"Vigilante stuff?" Kyouka guessed, thinking to her own run-in with Iida, and he nodded.
"I'd say he's in his mid-twenties," Monoma commented. "Either way, he definitely seems older than you. You look like you're our age."
"That's because I was your age when I died," Mail replied with a shrug. "You do realize that people typically stop aging when they die, right?"
"You're really committed to this ghost bit, aren't you," Kyouka huffed, but she had an inkling of doubt. Even though she could hear him talk and could see him, she couldn't hear him breathing. Couldn't hear his heartbeat at all, hadn't since he appeared even though that was always one of the first things she'd lock onto with her Quirk-enhanced hearing. When your Quirk channeled your own heartbeat into sound, it made you sensitive to other people's heartbeats.
"That's because I am a ghost," he responded dryly.
"Then show us your obituary or something," Rogue challenged. He'd been glaring at Mail the whole time, and now pulled out his phone. "Give us your full name so we can look you up."
"Can't," Mail said, shaking his head with a frown. "For starters, don't actually know my full name. Hell, not even sure if Mail is my birth name, or what country I'm from. And there's no public records of my death anyway."
"How the hell is that possible?" Glitch questioned, and Mail's frown deepened, his gaze seeming to grow darker.
"The underworld is a dark place," he muttered, and shook his head. "Forget it, it's not important right now. Anyways, back to the story, so last week I decided to visit my brother while he was stationed watching two kids who pulled off a vigilante stunt. And you know something about surveillance duty? It's boring." He snorted. "Seriously. Anyone here ever been on a stakeout?"
Kyouka, Uraraka and Todoroki raised their hands, as did Monoma, Ojiro, Glitch, Rogue, and Shouji, getting some surprised looks from the others. "Field experience with father's sidekicks," Todoroki explained.
"Ryukyu had me and Tsu do one during our internship," Uraraka offered. "We spent most of the shift that day on a roof watching this other building that some villains were holed up in, we mostly just talked about school stuff until some other sidekicks came to take over."
"Lucky you," Kyouka snorted. "Had to do one during the internship with Death Arms where there was a rumored hostage situation. Only lasted two hours, but it was the most boring two hours of my life. The other sidekick just kept shushing me."
"We're vigilantes, it comes with the job," Monoma said, speaking for both him and Ojiro.
"I don't do formal stakeouts, but I use my Quirk to spy on people I think might be dangerous," Rogue said.
"Same," Glitch said with a nod.
"I'm not sure it fully counts, but I followed Todoroki a few times last week," Shouji said, shooting Rogue a pointed glance as he added, "You know. Before I was told everything."
The remark made Mime perk up. "Oh yeah, I guess I've technically done some too because I was with Parasyte that whole time. Jumping around the roofs was fun, but got kinda annoying after a while. And cold." Mail seemed largely amused by their comments, judging by his smirk.
"Splendid, so you all know how fascinating it is watching an apartment building from a café for hours on end," he said, and got a chorus of understanding and sympathetic groans. Yep, that would be boring. "And add onto that the fact that, again, I am a ghost. Do you realize how boring it can get being unable to interact with the physical plane? I basically spent the majority of my afterlife, alone, with absolutely nothing to do but watch people."
...Suddenly, Kyouka felt a lot more sympathetic for the guy. Assuming he was telling the truth about being a ghost, of course.
"And since I couldn't really talk to my brother, I decided to check on his charges," he continued. "And imagine my surprise when I found they had their bags packed and seemed to be waiting for something, which turned out to be an explosion outside. So of course I followed them, and now, here I am. Stranded in Odawara, wishing I could eat popcorn because let's face it, this is the most entertainment I've had in years."
"...I can't even argue that, because I totally ate popcorn yesterday during the group chat," Uraraka muttered sullenly.
"The part where Kaminari and Ashido came up with weird identities for us?" Kyouka guessed, and she nodded.
"Okay, this is fascinating and all, but that means you also heard about us, right?" Rogue asked flatly.
"You mean the fact Odawara is now home to a bunch of runaways from all over Japan?" Mail asked. "Yeah, no, I definitely know that."
"Great," Rogue grumbled, pressing his face into his hands while the other runaways all snapped to attention. "We're on fucking heroes' radars now. Wonderful. Knew we shouldn't have gotten caught up in this, but did anyone listen..."
"Calm down, I haven't told anyone about this," Mail huffed. "Can't exactly use a phone when I'm, you know, dead." He waved a hand through the ceiling for emphasis. "And also: I have no idea how to get back."
There was a brief pause after that. "...What," Kirishima said after a few seconds.
"In case it's not obvious, I'm not Japanese," Mail said flatly. "I have an elementary school level reading proficiency, and that's mainly because I literally spied on a couple of elementary school classes just to learn kanji. And beyond that, I know absolutely nothing about Japanese geography or how the trains work."
"Would a ghost need trains?" Mime muttered doubtfully, and Mail snorted.
"Technically no, but ghosts also can't freaking teleport. So easiest way to get around Japan without a map? Follow the train tracks. Except I never bothered learning about the train lines beyond what I'd need to visit Kas. Usually I just follow people I know so I don't lose track of them, or ask someone to show me a map before I head off. The second I decided to follow those two after they hopped in a car, it was a one-way trip for me."
He gave a lazy shrug, reclining in the air once more. "So yeah, for now I'm kinda stuck. Right now my options are to try to find my way back home, which I'd pull off eventually, especially since I don't need to sleep and all, but who knows how long that'd take... Or, stay here, and make sure I don't lose track of these kids before one of you actually gets kidnapped."
He shot a pointed look at Uraraka, who groaned in dismay. "Seriously, even you?"
"You admitted over the phone you ran away to join the Villain Alliance," Todoroki reminded her.
"Yeah, you definitely went 'plus ultra' with the recklessness," Kyouka snickered, making the other girl glare at her.
"I don't know you, but you're giving me minor flashbacks to all my idiot siblings," Mail said. "But yeah. In conclusion, I currently can't tell them unless I can convince one of you to call them."
"Nope." "Not happening." "Nuh-uh." "You're kidding, right?"
Several people responded immediately, their voices overlapping in a general chorus of no. Mail just smirked, waving at them all. "See?"
"You'll still have to go back eventually," Rogue pointed out coolly.
"Still not gonna rat out your network and make you guys move. Seriously," he sighed, crossing his arms with a frown. "This world's screwed up enough, and I know better than anyone that heroes can't magically fix everything. If Odawara is actually safe like you all believe, then stay here until they figure out the rest of the country. No reason for me to mention your network."
He turned his head to look at the area where Kyouka, Todoroki, Uraraka, and Ashido had clustered along with Kirishima. They all stiffened under his gaze, feeling an eerie chill at his focus. "The ones I'm mainly interested in right now are those guys."
"You can't tell them about Deku," Uraraka said. "Not now. Not—" She stopped short, frustration clear in her face as that Quirk no doubt silenced her again.
"I won't yet. You guys are right, most of them would just storm that place and ultimately cause more trouble. Especially to rescue someone like Eraserhead." A good chunk of the runaways perked up, unaware of that part of the mess. "But even aside from that, I have a more... personal interest here."
His gaze flickered to Shouji at that, making the other teen tense. Mail didn't elaborate though, turning back to look at the rest of them seriously. "But just so you know, Present Mic's looking for Eraserhead pretty hard. And on that note, Midoriya's on everyone's radars." That had them all freezing.
"What do you mean?" Ashido demanded sharply.
"Last year, someone at the agency where my sister works managed to see Midoriya while infiltrating one of the Alliance's bases," Mail informed them bluntly. "They managed to put together a forensic image of him, and I know for a fact it was shared with UA's former staff within the past month. Chances are Present Mic will recognize him if he's not disguised."
The atmosphere instantly became tense and heavy. "Jirou," Todoroki said, but Kyouka had already pulled out her phone to pull up the FacePage messenger.
Izuku didn't notice his phone buzz in his pocket, too caught up in chatting with the others. "So you have a poster from when he first started the show?" one of Anjou's classmates asked as they walked to the meet and greet, eyes wide with awe, and Izuku nodded bashfully. Since they were so close to the location he'd taken it out of his backpack and the tube, holding it loosely rolled up in his hands to avoid wrinkling or creasing it.
"Yeah. I've always been into Pro Heroes, so my mom got me a poster for his show right away because she knew I'd be an instant fan. I didn't even have to ask!" It was a fond memory that made him smile, still able to clearly recall his glee when his mom showed up with it.
"Wow, you beat Kuwata's record by a whole year then," someone else mused. "He found it after the show's first anniversary. Guess you've earned his spot as the biggest Mic fan, then."
The redhead in question looked horribly offended by this, crossing his arms with a huff. "Length of time means nothing," he grumbled.
"If we're going by length of time, none of us can be the biggest fan," Izuku commented. "There's a guy I know online who's been a fan since he was just doing podcasts."
"Wait, he had a podcast?" Kaminari piped up in surprise, and Izuku nodded.
"Yeah, when he was in high school. You can still find the episodes if you know where to look. So we would've all been babies when it came out." Anjou paused then, her eyebrows furrowing before her jaw went slack.
"...Holy shit, I think I beat you guys then," she said in shock, making everyone turn to her curiously. "My bio-bro says our dad used to listen to some hero student with me when I was a baby, and that the guy got a radio show. It had to be him." Everyone's jaws dropped at that, and Toga burst out laughing.
"That doesn't count!" Kuwata hollered. "You don't even remember that!"
"Yeah, your brother could be remembering wrong!" someone else added heatedly.
"Uh, how many other Pro Heroes have their own radio show?" Kaminari asked.
"It still doesn't count!" Kuwata whined, several of the others joining in while Toga just kept laughing. Izuku shot her a curious look but she just grinned, eyes glinting with amusement.
"Sorry, this is just super funny," she giggled, and then perked up as she looked away, her grin growing wider. "Hold on, isn't that his hair?" She pointed ahead and everyone turned to see a small crowd had gathered up ahead. Sure enough a golden cone of hair visibly protruded above the throngs of people there.
"Yeah, that's him," Izuku confirmed, finding his throat oddly tight. As if on cue the crowd parted just enough to reveal Present Mic. The Pro stood behind a table, animatedly talking to some fans as he bent over to sign autographs.
"Oh my gosh, it's actually him!" one of Anjou's classmates squealed, and the group ran ahead. Izuku lingered back, eyes locked on the man's face. This marked the first time he'd seen another teacher from UA besides Aizawa, and it seemed to have a heavier effect on him than he'd expected. Seeing Mic in person filled him with a rush of déjà vu and homesickness, and he swallowed thickly. A quick glance at Kaminari showed he looked similarly stricken, eyes wide as he stared at their teacher.
His eyes flitted over to Izuku, and they both gave little nods, a feeling of reassurance welling inside him. They weren't alone, and that made this a little more bearable. "Come on, let's go," Kaminari said.
"Right," Izuku agreed. They started to walk forward to join the crowd, but Izuku paused when he noticed Toga didn't follow. He glanced back at her and asked, "Yumi? You coming?"
"Nah, I'm gonna hang back here," Toga replied with a shrug. "I don't really wanna meet him that bad, I just came to keep an eye on you. You go have fun, Zuzu!" As she spoke Anjou stepped back as well to stand beside her.
"I'll stay with you then," she said. "I'm not a big Present Mic fan either, I only came out to meet Nine and Chargebolt. Not big on tight crowds like that, either, so... Yeah." She shrugged, but despite her explanation Izuku quickly figured out she was using the opening to try to tag Toga with her Quirk.
Toga didn't seem to have any objections, just grinning. "Ooh, then maybe we can have girl talk! I don't get to talk to many girls."
"I know that feeling," Anjou snorted. "Didn't have any female friends until high school, when Kirameki and Ashido basically mobbed me." As they talked Kaminari jabbed Izuku's arm to get his attention.
"Come on dude, let's go," he said, and Izuku swallowed as he nodded.
"Right." They steeled themselves as they turned back, marching forward to join the line. Present Mic paid them little attention, cheerfully greeting all his "listeners" in a familiar tone that made Izuku's heart lurch with wistfulness. He wanted to go home, to see his Present Mic. It took a good deal of self-control not to scrunch up the poster in his hands as he tried to focus on talking to some of the other fans while waiting.
Part of him felt guilty he couldn't even try to sneak Mic any sort of assurance that Aizawa-sensei was okay. He'd known the two had to be relatively close for Aizawa to use his suggestion for his hero name, but coming to this world had made it even clearer. Izuku could see it in how eager his teacher's counterpart had been to listen to the show even as he tried to hide it. He could hear it when Mic signed off with a farewell for his "favorite listener" every time.
While he couldn't risk bringing in any heroes right now, Izuku wished he could at least tell Mic Aizawa-sensei was okay somehow. He'd only decided to attend Mic's meet and greet an hour ago though, and getting down everything about the Alliance and Aiko to deliver to everyone else took precedence. He simply didn't have time to figure out a way to deliver a message in a way that guaranteed Mic wouldn't try to detain him right away, especially not with a crowd like this.
All he could do was get the autograph, and go back.
The inability to do anything even now grated on his nerves, but he pushed it aside and focused as he got ever-closer to his teacher. Mic turned to look at him with a grin as he finished another autograph, gesturing for him to come over. "Yo, little listener in the hat! Looks like you brought something for me to sign, huh?"
"Y-yeah." Izuku bobbed his head to step forward, shyly unfolding the poster. Mic gave a low whistle as he saw it, standing a bit straighter.
"Yo, is that a first-run edition of the original 'PYHU' poster?" he asked eagerly. "Wow, you would've been real small when you got it!"
"Y-yeah, my mom got it for me. I've been a fan for years." Izuku smiled a bit more widely as he placed it on the table, Mic leaning over to inspect it. The two women standing him stepped closer to look at it curiously. Izuku didn't recognize them, but he figured they worked for the radio station.
"Huh, so that's what those look like," one of them mused, and Mic turned to her with an offended gasp.
"Really, Nishiki? You've worked at the station for what, three years now, and you've never seen one of these?"
"Nope," she confirmed blithely while the other woman leaned over, gingerly poking and running a finger down the poster.
"You take good care of it, huh?" she asked. "Feels super smooth. Last poster Mic signed didn't look nearly this good, it had a dozen different folds in it."
"Yeah, it looked like a newspaper," Mic joked, signing it with a flourish. While watching him, it occurred to Izuku he hadn't gotten his copy back home signed despite seeing the man nearly every day at UA. Maybe he'd fix that when he got back. "What's your name? I wanna make this one personal!"
"Oh, it's Izuku," Izuku replied automatically, and then froze and internally screamed. Did he SERIOUSLY just use his real name!? He'd been so careful up until now, even came up with a pseudonym on the spot, but the second someone asked his name he just gave it? What was wrong with him?
Only because he was watching Mic so closely did he notice the man's hand briefly still, pausing not even for a fraction of a second before resuming its motions to sign his name. "Alright, got it!" he said, glancing up at Izuku with a grin. Izuku couldn't see his eyes behind the glasses, but he felt like the man was eying him more critically now. It felt crazy, because why would Mic recognize him? As far as Izuku knew his counterpart shouldn't be on any Pro Heroes' radars—
Except he was, he realized abruptly. The letter his counterpart wrote mentioned his name got leaked, and that he'd also met another hero at some point during an episode. It was the second part that made him really realize how badly he probably just messed up. Even with his scarf covering most of his mouth, he knew some of his hair still poked out beneath his hat, and he also knew there couldn't be too many green-eyed teens named Izuku running around.
"Thank you," he said, trying not to let his panic show as he retrieved the poster and loosely rolled it back up. Get away. He had to get away, now, before Mic did—did something. He was careful not to squeeze the poster or anything as he quickly bowed. "It was an honor to meet you, sir!"
"Hey now, I'm the one who should be honored!" Mic replied genially. "Not every day I get to meet a long-time fan like you!" He leaned forward to stage-whisper conspiratorially, "Hey, maybe you can stick around a bit and we can talk more after the signing?"
If Izuku had any doubts Mic had recognized him, they were gone now. He had to try not to react too visibly beyond a surprised flinch, eyes going wide. "R-really? Oh my gosh, I'd love to, b-but..."
At that moment like an angel from above Kaminari cut in. "Hey dude, I think your friend's waving at you," he said, and Izuku turned to see Toga jumping and waving her arms eagerly. Relief crashed into Izuku almost instantly at the easy excuse presented to him, saving him from coming up with one.
"Oh, yeah, guess she is," he said, and turned back to Mic with an apologetic look. "Sorry sir, I'd really love to hang out more, but I promised to go shopping with her."
"It's cool, it's cool," Mic dismissed with a wave. "I get it, got other stuff to do. Hope I'll see ya around later, little listener! And maybe call in sometime, ya dig?"
"Yeah, maybe," Izuku replied with a nod. "Thank you again!" He hurried off to join Toga, speed-walking past her while she turned to bounce along after him. Anjou had put some obvious distance between them, pretending not to know the excited jumping girl, and Izuku didn't dare look her way.
"Took you long enough!" Toga said. "Aren't you gonna put that poster in the tube? And why are you just walking away, anyway? What about your friends?"
"We need to go," Izuku replied lowly. "I think he recognized me." The remark had Toga pausing, her mouth pulling into a frown.
"Well that's no good. You sure?"
"Pretty sure." Mic wouldn't have invited him to hang around afterwards if he was a random fan. He pointedly turned a corner so they'd be out of the hero's sight, and handed the poster to her so he could open his backpack to retrieve the tube while he kept walking. "Can you text Giri to pick us up?"
"Already on it," Toga replied, using her free hand to pull out her phone. "Also, we are not telling Giri or anyone else about him knowing you yet." The remark had Izuku nearly stumbling and almost dropping the now-open tube.
"Wait, what?" he blurted, and Toga shrugged as she helpfully held out the still rolled up poster to slide it inside.
"If Giri knows, he'll tell Tomu. And then Tomu will go into overprotective big brother mode and put you on lockdown!" She shot him a pointed look as she asked, "Do you want to be on lockdown?"
Izuku flinched at the thought and quickly shook his head. "No, not at all!" If he was put on lockdown like his counterpart described in journals, he wouldn't be able to save anyone!
"Good, because that'd just be boring." She turned back to focus her attention on her phone. "Come on, let's go to that one alley Giri dropped us off at before those heroes try to follow you." Izuku nodded, shoving the cap onto the tube, and the two hurried off.
He really hoped this wouldn't come back to bite them later, but knowing his luck, it would.
Notes:
I really loved seeing how freaked out everyone was at the end of last chapter, almost makes this feel anticlimatic. I considered having a villain attack or something happen, but at this point that's so common in this story it felt cheap, and having Izuku confronted or detained by Mic would derail all my other plans. But you know this isn't over just because Izuku got away...
Question for next time: what do you think Toga imagines "girl talk" is like?
Chapter 71: All in Good Spirit
Summary:
Kaminari gets back to the kitchen, and Shouji tells a story.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 71
.::All in Good Spirit::.
Like with Uraraka, the reunion with Midoriya had been going smoothly for the most part. Denki had gotten to talk to and hug his classmate, managed to keep his distance from Toga, and even got to see his teacher's counterpart. The last bit filled him with some bittersweet pangs of homesickness, but nothing too bad. The table had some cards and pictures waiting to be signed, just headshots and stuff, and Denki wondered if maybe he should grab one for his counterpart as an apology for, well, everything.
Then just as Midoriya went up to the table the sound of the crowd suddenly cut out, and Anjou's voice whispered as if she were right next to him. "Kaminari, get Kubo away from Present Mic. Jirou just messaged that he knows his face."
Just like that Denki's good mood evaporated and was replaced by dread. The chatter of the crowd returned as soon as Anjou finished speaking, and he glanced back to see Anjou had moved away from Toga, giving him a pointed look. He had no time to ponder what just happened because Midoriya's voice got his attention—specifically:
"Oh, it's Izuku." Denki turned back just in time to see Midoriya tense, no doubt realizing his own mistake. It took a lot of self-control for Denki to not freak out and openly stare at him, because seriously dude!?
Maybe disembodied voice made him paranoid, but when he looked at Mic for his reaction, Denki had zero doubts he recognized Midoriya. He had no specific reasons, but he just had this gut feeling that Mic knew something. A gut feeling which felt validated when Mic suggested Midoriya hang around until after the signing to "talk more." Even Denki could recognize Mic had ulterior motives despite how casually he phrased it.
Panic briefly seized him as he recognized the urgency of the situation, scrambling to think of a way out as Midoriya no doubt internally freaked out over all this. He couldn't give away his connection to Midoriya or he'd be under suspicion too. He glanced back at Anjou again, trying to find inspiration, but found his attention drawn to Toga who'd started jumping and waving her arms for some reason.
Excuse found. "Hey dude," he said to Midoriya. "I think your friend's waving at you." Midoriya turned to look at Toga, and Denki could see the brief flash of relief on his friend's face before turning back to turn Mic down. Soon enough Midoriya was running off to join Toga, Mic's gaze lingering on him as he vanished and smile fading ever so slightly.
Nope. Denki quickly stepped forward to take Midoriya's place, successfully drawing the Pro's attention. "Dude, can I get one of those postcards?" he asked, pointing at the pile. "The design's like, super cool!" It actually was, featuring a stylized drawing of Mic's head speaking into a microphone, but mostly Denki wanted to distract him. Mic's smile returned at full power as he snagged one from the pile.
"You got it!" he said in English. He drew a line from the microphone like a cord to spell the word "Mic" in looping cursive English. "Say, you know that kid just now?"
Yep, Mic definitely recognized Midoriya. "Not really?" Denki replied with a shrug as he took the card. "We were just talking 'cause we were heading the same way and he had that poster, so, you know, obviously a fan. Never met him before." He really hoped none of these people had a lie-detecting Quirk. "You're really interested in him, aren't you?"
"Just neat to find a long-time fan," Mic replied with a shrug. He wrote "Present" above the microphone cord, also in English, crossing the t with a flourish before scribbling the more familiar katakana characters below. "Want me to add your name?"
"Oh, sure! Make it out to Denki. The 'den' is electricity, 'ki' is spirit!"
"Ooh, cool, cool! Don't think I've heard that one before!" Mic nodded as he added Denki's name and pushed the card forward with a grin. "Nice meeting you, little listener!"
"You too, sir!" Denki agreed, and took the card before leaving to join up Anjou. As he reached her he almost slumped with relief. "Holy shit, that was nerve-wracking."
"Come on, let's go back to my place," she said, already starting to walk away.
"What happened with the bit where I suddenly heard your voice, anyway?" he asked as he followed her. "Are our minds linked or something?"
"No, I just swapped our hearing." That had him pausing and shooting her a quizzical look.
"Wait, is that part of the hijacking thing you mentioned, or...?"
"Guess you're not a total idiot after all," she snickered, and ignored his glare as she continued, "It's basically kinda like I'm hacking into your senses. I could keep mine, but my brain isn't designed to handle the input from two sets at once. So, I usually just swap them to avoid sensory overload."
"Huh," he said softly. "Neat." They spent the rest of the walk back to her apartment in relative peace and quiet. Upon arriving Anjou sat on the bed to quickly read Midoriya's letter while Denki got out his phone. Since he last checked, Jirou had sent a couple messages in a group message to him, Midoriya and Anjou. Midoriya hadn't replied yet, so most of the conversation had been between Jirou and Anjou.
'powerofmusic: Present Mic knows Deku's face!
powerofmusic:The heroes made a picture based on someone who met him, and the people at UA got a photo in the last month. They know he's connected to the League!
nettmegg: Passed on warning to Chargebolt. Deku is talking to PM right now. How do you know this?
powerofmusic: This is going to sound crazy, but there's a guy here claiming he's a ghost and followed around the hero Dancing Queen and Riot when they headed out.'
"What?" Denki asked out loud.
"Just saw the ghost bit?" Anjou guessed, still skimming the letter.
"Uh, yeah. What the heck?"
"Keep reading. I need to focus."
'nettmegg: what the heck?
powerofmusic: yeah I know. Long story, but apparently he followed them here when they ran off and has been here since then. And I guess that Glitch guy's Quirk is "compatible" with him or something, because normally people can't see him?
powerofmusic: I don't know, it's weird as hell. He says he won't tell anyone about the stuff in your letter, and he can't call anyone because ghosts can't use phones or whatever. Dunno how true that is. But I'm kinda at my limit with weird mysterious BS that makes no sense, and I think he's implying he knows SOMETHING about our situation?
powerofmusic: so Chargebolt, head back ASAP so we can get answers.'
Denki frowned as he finished reading the conversation. There was a lot to unpack there, and he had a lot of questions about this guy. Like, was he actually a ghost? And did he really know something?
As he pondered this Anjou finished reading Midoriya's letter and folded it back up, and suddenly it was thrust into Denki's lap along with the scale Kabuto gave him. "Alright, time to go back," she announced while he stared at it.
"Wait, hold on. I'm supposed to leave this with you? And take a train back to Odawara?"
"That was the plan before a ghost showed up, and before we realized heroes knew Midoriya's face," Anjou replied bluntly. "I don't know if he saw enough to clock onto the fact that you and Midoriya know each other, but the sooner you get back, and the less security footage of you getting on a train to Odawara, the better."
...It was hard to argue with that logic. "Kabuto won't like it," he said as he got up, gripping the scale with both hands.
"I already texted him, he can give another scale to Kuroe by the end of the week," Anjou dismissed. "He doesn't have school, so it's way easier for him to visit me than the other way around. Rintaro can live with it." Denki opened his mouth to respond but then paused.
"Wait, Rintaro?" Anjou tensed briefly before glowering at him.
"You will not repeat that," she told him lowly. "Now break that stupid scale and go!" Denki bobbed his head and quickly snapped the scale, and just like that he was back in Odawara. It was pretty jarring to go from Anjou's brightly lit apartment to the dimly lit abandoned kitchen. He appeared next to a counter with a matching purple scale on it, and a sulking Kabuto not too far away.
Since he'd left Ojiro and Monoma had shown up, along with two other guys he didn't know at all. Denki assumed the guy floating out of Monoma's reach was the supposed ghost. "Seriously, just give it up," he said.
"Never!" Monoma hissed, scrabbling at him, while Ojiro and the other runaways just looked done with the situation. Denki just stood there awkwardly until Ashido happened to glance his way and promptly squealed before tackling him in a hug.
"Kami, you're back! I missed you so much!"
"He wasn't even gone a full hour," Jirou deadpanned, while Rogue frowned.
"Hold on, did you break Kabuto's other scale? Wasn't the plan to ride a train back?"
"Ran is a jerk sometimes," Kabuto grumbled, and okay, so they were both on a first-name basis? Interesting, but unimportant.
"Uh, yeah, but since Mic recognized Midoriya, she said I should just teleport back, just to be safe," Denki said with a shrug. "She didn't want them to see me getting on a train and try to follow me since he saw us talking, too." Several of the others perked up.
"So he did recognize Deku?" Uraraka asked, and Denki nodded.
"He didn't say it out loud, but he tried to get Midoriya to stay after the signing, so uh, pretty obvious he recognized him."
"So you weren't lying about that," Shouji murmured, gazing at the ghost, who just shrugged.
"Why would I lie? I currently have a personal interest in not letting Midoriya get caught by Pro Heroes and whisked away for questioning."
"Uh, sorry to interrupt, but who are you?" Denki asked nervously. "'Cause Jirou mentioned there's a ghost that followed Ashido and Kirishima, and I'm guessing she means you, but...?"
The specter nodded, straightening out of his relaxed reclining position to sit cross-legged in the air. "Mail," he introduced himself. "And yes, I am a ghost. But I'm not gonna bother trying to convince you because these guys don't believe it either."
"Because ghosts aren't real!" Monoma snapped, still trying to grab him.
"Seriously kid, stop. Bad things happen when people touch me."
"If you're a ghost, then I shouldn't be able to touch you!"
"Yeah, well, I'm not a normal ghost," Mail deadpanned, and turned his attention back to Denki. "Anyways, yeah, I followed those two when they made their grand getaway," he gestured towards Ashido and Kirishima, "and I've been hanging around since then. And I have to say, this is the most entertainment I've had in years. Watching you guys has been better than messing with the interns back at the agency!"
"Agency?" Denki repeated.
"I stay with Sir Nighteye because my sister works for him," he said with a shrug. "That, and there's a guy with another compatible illusion Quirk there. Hey Glitch, are you related to Figment?" he asked, glancing at the other guy Denki didn't recognize.
"Who?" he asked blankly, voice borderline hostile and also fluctuating in pitch.
"Hmm, guess not," Mail murmured. "Then, how about Utsushimi?" That had Glitch looking noticeably stiff and tense, not responding, and Mail perked up. "Oh? Interesting."
"Utsushimi," Todoroki murmured, eyebrows furrowed. "Do you mean Camie?" Mail glanced at him with mild surprise and interest.
"You know her?"
"She's in my remedial class for our provisional licenses, along with Bakugou." Mail paused, eying him quizzically.
"Hold on, aren't you guys first years? Provisional licenses were a year two thing, weren't they? I know Camie's year two, so."
"We're having a really weird year," Uraraka said tiredly, which was an understatement.
"...Okay then, fair enough." Mail shrugged before turning his attention to Denki. "But enough about that stuff. You went to meet Midoriya and get that letter about whatever Uraraka can't say, right?" Denki tensed at the reminder, suddenly hyper-aware of the papers Midoriya gave him, but before he could speak Todoroki stepped between them.
"We're not reading that with you here," he declared bluntly, getting nearly everyone else nodding in agreement.
"You've spied on us enough, we're not letting you eavesdrop anymore," Kirishima added sharply.
"Yeah, it was bad enough Yaomomo listened!" Ashido said with a glare. "But at least we know her! You're just a creepy stalker stranger!"
"Rude," Mail huffed, though he looked more amused than offended. "You really think you can stop me?"
"We can just send you somewhere else with Glitch," Rogue interjected flatly. "As long as he can see you, you can't spy on them. We've gotta send everyone else off before anyway, so."
"Which I still have some mild objections to," Monoma commented lightly, before glancing at Rogue to ask, "And what's this about a letter?"
"Nope. Not telling you. Objection overruled. Don't make me get Lee to drag you out." Monoma glared at him while Ojiro just looked resigned, but they were soon derailed by Mail loudly sighing.
"Fine, fine. I won't pry," he declared with a shrug. "Ultimately I am the outsider who can't be trusted yet, so fair enough. Not like I can read the letter myself, so I'd need you guys to read it to me anyway."
"You can't read?" Denki asked in surprise.
"Apparently he came from another country and learned Japanese by stalking grade school students," Ashido muttered, and Mail jolted and dropped his cool demeanor to scowl at her.
"Hey! Don't say it like that, it makes me sound like a creep!"
"That's because following little kids is creepy!"
"It's not like—ugh!" He threw up his arms in exasperation. "Screw it, I am not having this argument with you." Ashido just glared and stuck out her tongue.
"Hey, now that he's here, can we get back to the part where you mentioned you had a personal interest in these guys?" Ojiro cut in. "Because it sounded like you had something you wanted to say about that, and I'm pretty curious about that."
"I did," Mail agreed with a nod, regaining some of his cool composure. "Shouji." Shouji straightened sharply at being addressed, Mail turning to look at him. "Do you mind telling everyone about your dream?"
"So you heard that too, huh," Todoroki muttered darkly while Denki perked up.
"Dream?" he repeated in confusion.
"Does this have to do with those memories you mentioned earlier?" Jirou asked, and added to Denki, "After you left, these guys mentioned something about how the other world thing matches up with his memories."
"Wait, what?" Denki whirled to stare at Shouji wide-eyed, blurting, "Dude, you remember our world too?"
"Not exactly." Shouji crossed his arms, gazing back at Mail steadily. "You were listening back then?"
"To every word," the apparent ghost confirmed with a nod, and gestured to the room. "Go on, tell them. It's some pretty major information, and I don't want to steal your thunder." Shouji huffed before turning to face the room at large.
"Fine. It happened around the start of November. I decided to go on a walk in a park when I met a foreigner..."
As he retold the tale of his encounter for the third time, Mezou found the words came almost naturally now. Last time he'd been admittedly stilted in his delivery, having been put on the spot by Anjou and struggling to recall everything clearly. Since then he'd spent a good chunk of time thinking about that day though, making it easier to recount the details. Everyone listened in silence until he repeated the fateful question that had started everything.
"Multiverse theory?" Jirou repeated in shock while Uraraka and Kaminari both dropped their jaws in shock. Everyone else had already heard it and didn't react—well, except for Houjou, who looked just as stunned as the other first-time listeners. For safety reasons, they'd chosen to conceal the details of Mezou's dream from the rest of the runaways. No point bogging them down with overall unnecessary details (or opening the door for more curious questioning).
Uraraka recovered from her shock first and blurted, "Wait, do you mean this guy came from another world? Like—like us?"
"Guys, he saw that day that janitor-bot stole All Might's tie!" Ashido cut in before he could continue, effectively ruining the suspense he'd been trying to build. Mezou bit back a sigh while the other three dimension-hoppers straightened with recognition, Uraraka and Kaminari visibly suppressing giggles at the memory. Houjou, meanwhile, made a loud choking sound and nearly fell down, only his tails keeping him from falling completely.
"All Might?" he squeaked. "Wait, wha—? H-how, what? All Might? What?"
"Oh right, we never mentioned that part to everyone else," Ojiro muttered. "Yeah, so apparently All Might's alive in their world. Somehow."
"...What did you guys tell everyone about the other world?" Kirishima asked with a frown.
"Mostly just that UA still exists, and several of our members attend it," Monoma answered with a lofty shrug.
"Honestly, the All Might thing is so out there I kinda forgot it," Tsuburaba admitted, and amusingly enough Nakamura nodded too, looking a bit sheepish as he did. Seeing as Mezou had deliberately chosen to not mention that he'd thought of the skeletal man as All Might inside his dream since it seemed so insane... Well, he didn't blame them. It had been surreal enough that it was easier to not focus on it.
"A world with All Might," Houjou whispered, still looking shell-shocked. "A world... with All Might..." He looked up at them wide-eyed and whispered, "How?"
"It is a pretty massive change," Nakamura agreed with a nod. "Been wondering about that too."
"We're not really sure," Jirou replied with a shrug. "I don't remember any major fights at that point in our world."
"Yeah, and definitely none as big as the one in this world!" Ashido said, nodding vigorously. "I didn't read about it too much because it was too depressing to think about, but it sounds like it kinda wiped out a whole city?"
"The articles said it was against some dude named All For One," Kaminari said. "Name's familiar, but not sure where I heard it." Todoroki's eyes narrowed.
"That's the villain from Kamino," he said, and there was a grave silence from the other dimension jumpers. Mezou didn't know the full details of what happened in Kamino in their world, but if it was the same villain that killed him in this world... It had to be pretty bad.
"Did they fight before in your world?" Kirishima asked awkwardly, and they all shrugged.
"If they did, it never made the news," Jirou said.
"From the way they talked, I think they did," Todoroki murmured with a frown. "I don't know much though. Midoriya would probably know, since they spend so much time together." That was news to Mezou. Made it even stranger that Midoriya ended up with villains in this world.
"I asked him about it, and I think there was one, but he didn't want to talk about it," Uraraka piped up with a frown. "I guess it was private, so I didn't push it. But he started mumbling a little while later, and I couldn't catch all of it, but I heard something about the date mentioned in the letter being... early..." She trailed off into wide-eyed silence, and there was a brief pause as everyone realized the same thing.
"We never finished reading the letter," Ashido said faintly, and Mezou almost snorted. Uraraka had tried to read it out loud when they first discovered the censoring Quirk, but after she realized she couldn't and stopped reading in frustration... Well, everyone just forgot. Figuring out a workaround for the Quirk had felt more urgent.
"Huh," Kaminari said. "Come to think of it, wonder if Uraraka could've just... pointed to stuff in there or something." Uraraka just sank into a chair with a groan, confirming there probably was some stuff mentioned there that she couldn't say or hint.
Mezou paid little mind to the conversation though, his attention focused squarely on Mail who seemed more amused than anything. "Why did you want me to talk about the dream?" he demanded, getting the conversation back on track.
"Ah, that," the specter said, drifting a bit closer to Mezou. "About that guy you met." Everyone snapped to attention at that, abruptly remembering what had spawned this whole tangent in the first place. "When he used his Quirk, he touched you and his eyes flashed white, right?"
Mezou felt his blood chill and eyes go wide. "You know him?" he asked breathlessly, and now everyone else was shouting in shock and hurling questions. Mail ignored them, just grinning with a smug glint in his eyes.
"So it was him," he said quietly to himself, and then nodded. "His name is Porter. He's one of my little brothers." That had the room going abruptly silent.
"Wait, aren't you our age?" Kaminari asked. "Shouji made it sound like the guy was, like, an adult!"
"We already went over this while you were gone, I'm dead and older than you guys," Mail replied with an eye roll. "Anyways, I say that, but I doubt that was actually our Porter. Ours managed to skip out to another dimension six thousand, two hundred seventy-nine days ago." That got a lot of stares, and a small gasp from Houjou.
"That's seventeen years," he whispered faintly, and Mail nodded.
"Right, thanks for doing the math, Kabuto. I just count the days, don't bother converting them to years most of the time. He was about eleven at the time, just couldn't take it anymore. We always told him if he got a chance to run he should do it, even if it was alone, and he finally did. Man, Kintsugi was pissed," he added with a smirk. "Porter did it right before he could shatter him. He was not happy to realize Porter actually did have a Quirk that whole time."
"...Dude, what kind of childhood did you have?" Kirishima asked quietly, and Mail's smirk faded as he sighed and folded his arms.
"Yeah, no, I'm not talking about the details. All you need to know is that the underworld can get far darker than any of you can imagine. I'd say one of the main reasons any of us turned out okay was because of Porter's Quirk. It let us see worlds where we didn't end up in that hellhole, so that gave us an idea of what 'normal' actually was. Not all of us did it, for... reasons," he shrugged vaguely. "But those that did could help us see what was wrong with it."
"Wait, so you're saying you basically grew up dreaming of other worlds?" Ashido asked, looking increasingly eager and excited. "That sounds awesome! Did you guys ever see super-fantasy worlds?"
"No, just basically alternate takes on butterfly effect stuff. Stuff like 'what if we didn't get kidnapped or trafficked,' or 'what if another version of us managed to use Porter's dreams to send a warning to a third version pre-kidnapping, and set off a chain reaction that ends with us technically rescued and raised neutral.'" The last one got some strange looks, and he shrugged. "Multiverse stuff can get complicated. There's a reason we don't try to get too involved with it."
"Makes sense," Ojiro murmured. "I'd be way more weirded out if they could go to worlds with magic and stuff like that. But like that, it sounds... believable."
"An actual multiverse Quirk," Monoma breathed, eyes wide. "Fascinating."
While they spoke Mezou noticed Houjou frowning, briefly closing and covering one eye before speaking. "Um, what about what you said about that not being your Porter?" he piped up hesitantly. "And... what are the rules of his Quirk?"
Those weren't the sort of questions he would usually ask, so Mezou quickly realized Anjou must have hijacked one of his ears to listen. While she usually swapped the entire sense, she could also target one eye or ear specifically. He knew from experience that it was easier to process shared hearing than sight, so she'd probably been eavesdropping and had just swapped the eye Houjou closed to write a message for him to read.
"Like I said, our Porter vanished to another world when we were kids, but there's plenty in other worlds," Mail responded. "We've met three Porters since then, all adults, seems like they usually just go mobile if they skip out before a rescue or grand escape. It's just too hard to start building an identity without proper connections when you reach a certain age. As for rules..."
Here he frowned. "Sorry to disappoint you guys, but I doubt he's the one responsible for your mess."
Notes:
Mail is having a good time. And hey, they got a lead! Not the lead they'd hoped for, but it's still SOMETHING. (Also in case it's not clear, Houjou is Kabuto, his full name is Houjou Rintaro. Since I got a lot of comments last time, Kabuto's codename comes from one of the Japanese words for pangolin: "kabutome".)
.....
A warning to anime-only fans: Leaks came out for the next chapter tomorrow, and it's a wrap-up for the current arc. And since it's a wrap-up, it's revealing a LOT of characters' fates who were left up in the air with all the action. I'll be blunt: some characters are dead, including some fairly popular ones, and I don't think this will blow over soon. I've already seen a couple fan fics on AO3 about it. And these are just the LEAKS, I expect more to pop up when the chapter releases next week. And many more in the coming weeks.
To everyone here on AO3, block the major character death and manga spoiler tag. Fan art could get pretty spoiler-heavy depending on the artists you like. And if you watch a lot of MHA stuff on YouTube, good luck. People have spoiled stuff in titles and thumbnails before. The only consolation I can give is that a lot of YouTube content creators like to exaggerate stuff/details in the past (like "Dabi is dead" or "Dabi is a Todoroki" reveals), so read it with a grain of salt.
Just know that if you see a character dead in a fic, that doesn't mean they're ACTUALLY dead. This is the time when a lot of people write "what if" scenarios, and sometimes they go for the worst case. But just... be careful.
Chapter 72: Letter 3: The Lettering
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 72
.::Letter 3: The Lettering::.
Looking at his newly autographed 'Put Your Hands Up! Radio' poster in the privacy of his bedroom, Izuku felt a hint of fanboyish pride. Pride, and also mild horror.
'Keep on rocking, Izuku!' The familiar kanji with his actual given name made him want to groan. He couldn't believe he'd actually told Present Mic his name after being so careful all this time! It had just been automatic. Something about talking to another one of his teachers, with the Kaminari from his world at his side, had just made Izuku feel safe and familiar for a brief second.
And that brief second may have cost him dearly, because Mic definitely recognized him. Had things gone differently, he could have been taken into custody at that moment, and who knew what could happen then? Or if Toga hadn't insisted against telling Kurogiri like he originally thought they should do. With how overprotective Shigaraki could be, Izuku would probably lose any right to go anywhere unsupervised ever again, which might honestly be even worse than the first alternative.
All in all, it had been a giant gamble that had nearly ended in disaster. Izuku was very lucky it hadn't gone sideways and ended with him back at base safe and sound.
After dropping off the poster Izuku had taken his time before checking his phone, mainly to delay thinking about his close call. He delivered lunch to Aizawa and updated him on the Quirk situation ("It's all good, can't give details but we found a workaround"), and checked on Bakugou and Shinsou (they were tied in Mario Kart, and Seiko was still there). He returned to his bedroom an hour later, which is when he finally read the FacePage conversation about a ghost warning them about Present Mic.
Izuku turned away from the poster to check the messages again, still kind of in disbelief at the whole thing. By the time he found it Kaminari had gotten back to the others and gotten caught up in conversation with them, so Anjou had taken over sending updates to Izuku. The guy's name seemed to be 'Mairu' (she said it was probably written "Mile" in English), and he seemed to be sticking to the ghost story.
'So they finally made him leave and Kaitou is now playing twenty questions with him in a park,' read her latest text. 'Kaitou is apparently in 1-B in your world. Don't want to say his actual name, but everyone seems surprised he's nice in this world and not a pompous stuck-up jerk if that helps?'
Monoma. Definitely Monoma. 'Blond guy?'
'Yep. Can't relay much more than that, security stuff. He did have some interesting info that Space should be able to relay even with that censoring thing. But you like Quirks, got any ideas on this?'
He'd been thinking it over ever since he first saw the word "ghost," so he just typed out his thoughts. 'It could be a lot of things. It sounds like he can float and turn invisible, so it could be mimicking ghost stuff. Or it could be something else. But I don't think I've heard of a Quirk that shows up after death? Or combats it?'
Izuku paused right after sending the last message, suddenly remembering something, and quickly amended that statement. 'Wait, there's a guy in my world with a healing Quirk that can still work after he dies, so he's revived from some fatal injuries. But it doesn't make him a ghost.'
Nearly a full minute passed with Anjou periodically typing only to stop, the bubble with three dots popping in and out of existence. 'Are you serious?' she finally sent.
'Yeah, though I don't know much about it. I only heard about it once from someone who knew the guy and I was in my last year of elementary school, so it could have been a joke to mess with me? But no ghost Quirks.'
'I have questions.' Izuku started to type a reply when he heard a knock on his door, making him jolt in his seat.
'I guess I someone here bye'
He tacked on the last bit and quickly exited the messenger before the door opened, turning to see Shigaraki peek inside. "Yo, Izuku."
"Hey Tomura-nii," Izuku greeted as he put down his phone. Not for the first time, he felt amazed at how calm he felt around the villain, though for different reasons today. Even yesterday seeing Shigaraki probably would have sent him into another panicked internal screaming fit, but today it felt fine. The disorientation from whatever happened on Saturday seemed to have worn off for the most part, much to his relief.
"Heard from Kurogiri you got an autograph from that Present Mic guy," Shigaraki commented, and his wording gave Izuku pause.
"Wait, didn't Toga talk to you about it before we left?"
"She asked Kurogiri, not me," Shigaraki scoffed. "I found out when she showed off selfies with her 'new bestie' in the bar."
"She let Toga take pictures of her?" Izuku asked in surprise. Anjou seemed like she'd be too paranoid to let that happen, especially since knew Toga was a villain.
"The other girl was covering her face in all of them," Shigaraki scoffed, rolling his eyes. "She didn't look too happy about it, pretty sure she was only in them because Toga had an arm around her." Well, it sounded like Anjou had probably managed to tag her at least. "Anyways, so... You still like Present Mic, huh?"
The question came out slightly awkward, and for some reason Izuku felt alarm bells go off. "Are you thinking of kidnapping him like Eraserhead?" he asked without thinking.
"...No." The pause made Izuku suddenly feel very tired, and maybe it showed on his face because Shigaraki grumbled, "Kurogiri and Aiko already told me that humans can't be pets and that it's traumatizing, so I won't."
"Please don't get any souvenirs from him either," Izuku told him flatly. He'd found some references in older journals about Shigaraki gifting him some stuff from defeated heroes he knew Izuku liked. Needless to say, just reading about it felt a bit traumatizing.
"Fine," Shigaraki huffed. "Then play a game with me."
The sudden topic changed caught Izuku off-guard. "What?"
"It's been forever since we last played something with just the two of us," Shigaraki grumbled. "We've only been doing party games lately. I don't want to play with your party, and I'm bored of all the single-player ones. I only want one player two right now." He looked away as he muttered, and... was he pouting? The expression was just so weird on him.
Something about the villain's expression made Izuku huff a small sigh as he smiled. "Alright, sure. You can pick the game since it's been so long."
"You'll regret that," Shigaraki quipped as they walked out. Izuku had a feeling he would, but he didn't mind. While he still felt a little on edge around Shigaraki, somehow this felt oddly nice. Maybe his counterpart's memories really were still tied to his subconscious and influencing him, just a little.
And right now, that didn't feel like such a bad thing.
The mood in the kitchen felt a bit more somber now, no one really feeling particularly chatty. A few minutes had passed since Mail and the other new arrivals had left, leaving the dimension jumpers, Rogue, Shouji, Hatsume and Eijirou. They didn't say much as they waited, mostly just thinking.
Eijirou felt a bit lost after listening to Mail's explanation. It was clear from the conversation that to him, the concept of multiple worlds existing wasn't just possible, but normal. Porter was younger than him, sure, but Mail had spent more years hearing about all these other worlds than not. To him, it was just... a thing. A basic fact of life (or, afterlife?). Even if he knew nothing about Class 1-A, he had no problems believing it.
However, once he elaborated on Porter's Quirk, it became clear that it most likely wasn't responsible for this mess.
"It has two parts that generally hold true across all instances," he'd told them. "The first part, and the one we grew up with, is the dreams. When he touches someone, he can basically see what's happening to your counterparts in every dimension at once, ranging from that moment back to the last time they woke up. It's like a split-second omniscience, and it can be broken. But once he uses his Quirk, he forgets everything he saw. All that remains is whatever memory he chooses to share in the dream, which he'll also see next time he goes to sleep.
"The memory in the dream is a two-way thing. This world's Shouji saw that amusing moment with All Might, and that world's Shouji saw what you were doing at the same moment. With that said, he can't share memories where he's directly present on either end, and he can only do one memory per waking period. And no, we didn't test how naps play into it or anything like that. Wasn't a good environment for rigorous testing.
"Which brings me to the next point: the three adult Porters we've met. They said they can send people to other worlds, but only one per day. One managed to train or change it to a point where Porter didn't count as part of that limit, but the other two could only do it with himself or another person. And that leads to the biggest limits: he transports the whole person, not just their bodies, and he can't send people, including himself, to a world where another version of that person currently exists."
He'd looked them square in the eye then, voice flat. "You guys are in your counterparts' bodies, not your own. So either they're actually dead and his Quirk works a little differently, or it's someone else's Quirk."
The mood had plummeted pretty fast after that, and Eijirou couldn't blame the others for being disappointed. It had to be disheartening to realize that the guy Shouji mentioned, their first and only solid lead to how this whole thing even happened, probably had nothing to do with it. Even Eijirou felt pretty upset, it felt like they'd hit the motherload only to suddenly be flung back to square one.
Mail did mention that sometimes Quirks could differ across the many worlds, but Porter's Quirk typically seemed to follow the same rules in all worlds as a default. It could have evolved or changed differently in some worlds, but he'd made it clear they shouldn't get their hopes up. Even if one existed like that, Mail couldn't think of a motive for him to use it on a bunch of UA students since their lives simply wouldn't intersect.
At least it hadn't ended as a total loss, as Mail pointed out it'd be worth looking for him anyway. "Any version of Porter would know more about this stuff than we would," he'd explained. "There's no better expert than him, and one of the ones we met did mention meeting another person with a multiverse Quirk. At the very least, he might be able to help you send messages to your world if he can figure out which one it is."
So in short, Porter probably wasn't the culprit, but he was still the best lead to find out what happened, and maybe get some help from their world. Which, was a wild thought, interdimensional messaging? Still, this had to be a blow to everyone's motivation.
As someone sighed for the umpteenth time, Rogue seemed to reach the end of his patience. He pressed a hand to one eye in apparent exasperation before removing it and speaking up. "Okay, enough sulking. I get you guys are disappointed, but half of you literally just learned this guy existed today. And it's not like the lead's a total bust."
Eijirou jumped on the opening to try to lift the mood, just as eager to dispel it as the rest. "Yeah, he's right! Like Mail said, this Porter guy would still know more about this stuff than anyone else. I mean, not like there's any other experts we can find on this stuff, right?"
"Yeah, guess you got a point," Jirou conceded with a sigh. "Just, kinda sucks to get our hopes up like that, you know?"
"We still don't even know what he looks like," Uraraka added in a grumble. "I mean, 'brown-haired foreign man that might have pierced ears' doesn't really stand out much."
"Sorry I can't give a more distinct description," Shouji remarked dryly. "If I see him again, I'll pay closer attention to how his skin looks so I can try to look up the exact shade of 'caucasian' he is."
Uraraka winced a bit at the sarcastic remark, as did Eijirou and a few of the others. "Sorry, didn't mean to sound like I was blaming you."
"Yeah, it just sucks he looks so plain," Ashido said with a pout. "We're just frustrated at everything, not you!"
"It's fine, I think we're all stressed," Shouji said, shoulders heaving as he sighed.
"Anyways, we can't do anything about that right now, but there's still other stuff you can do," Rogue continued. "Nettmegg just confirmed that Glitch and Kaitou have the ghost holed up at a park, and he's unlikely to break off to zoom back here. So might as well read those letters now."
Everyone perked up at that, and Eijirou wondered if Anjou did that sense-hijacking thing Kaminari mentioned since the older teen hadn't taken out his phone. He thought the others looked pretty curious too, but Kaminari perked up and pulled out several folded papers from his coat pocket.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about these!" he exclaimed. "I know we never finished that original one from Midoriya, but I'm really curious about the new one, so I kinda want to start with it. Is that cool?"
"It'll have more details anyway," Uraraka agreed with a firm nod. "The first one is just basic background information, and you really need to hear what the other letter says." That seemed to make up everyone else's minds.
"Okay, then who wants the honors of reading it out loud?" Kaminari asked, looking for volunteers, and Jirou started to step forward when Uraraka spoke up.
"Um, could Kirishima or Shouji read it?" she asked, catching everyone by surprise. "It's just, when I learned some of that stuff, I couldn't keep a cool head. So I think it'd be better for one of them to read it since they're not as connected to it."
"It's that bad?" Jirou asked, and the brunette nodded with a frown.
"Yeah, it is." That made the room grow more tense, everyone exchanging quiet looks. Eijirou felt a heavy pang of dread at what most be in those papers to make her suggest that, looking at them warily, but then took a deep breath.
"I'll do it," he volunteered. He couldn't be a coward forever, and reading a letter was a small step towards improving himself. Plus Ultra.
He walked over to take the papers from Kaminari while Rogue turned to Shouji. "Remember, no repeating any of this to any of the others," he warned him, and the other boy nodded while Eijirou looked at the first page. He blinked as he saw it how it started, instantly reminded of Uraraka's brief attempt to read the original letter.
"Huh, this is kinda funny," he commented, and then read out loud, "Dear everyone. Hi, this is Izuku."
Dear everyone,
Hi, this is Izuku. You already knew that I guess, but whatever, I don't have time to scrap and rewrite this constantly so I won't let myself start now. There's a lot to go over, so I'll try to get straight to it. Todoroki, burn this letter when you're done.
Small stuff first. You guys might have figured it out from talking to Uraraka, but along with Shigaraki and Kurogiri, the Alliance members include Toga, Mr. Compress, Twice, Magne, and Mustard. If you don't remember Mustard, he was the kid who made that toxic gas at the training camp. He's around our age, and I don't know much else about him. There's another high-ranking member named Slycer who I don't interact with much, but my notebooks say his Quirk makes his body cut stuff.
There's also a ton of grunts, but no signs of Spinner or Dabi. Also nothing about Stain, but I don't think he was actually a member in our world either. And on that note, I haven't seen anything about the Noumu. I don't think they exist in this world? I think All For One, the guy from Kamino, had a hand in making them, and I'm pretty sure he's actually dead this time or the letter probably would've mentioned that.
I guess we also have multiple bases, based on that letter, but the one we're at now is in Nabu. Could've put that earlier, but I thought it might be too risky to have that in the second paragraph in case anyone tried to glance at this so. I forget the exact address, but look up 'old Quirk research lab Nabu' and I think you'll find it pretty fast.
And Seiko is here too. I don't know what she does or why she's here, and I'm starting to think the other me doesn't really know either based on some of the journal entries? But I basically told you everything I know about her anyway, nothing new to add to that. She's just really creepy sometimes.
I already said this on the call, but Kacchan and Shinsou are here as prisoners, and Shigaraki wants me to add them to my 'party.' I'm keeping them up to date on everything we're up to and told them about you guys, but not the dimension jumping bit for obvious reasons. And it looks like we'll be doing tutoring sessions with Aizawa-sensei now every other day? It's... going to be weird.
And that's all the small stuff. Onto the most important part.
There's a woman named Aiko. I've never seen her in our world, and she doesn't live in the base. I don't think she's a full-time member, but she's definitely a villain and everyone seems to respect her a lot. She lives in an empty apartment building near this area where Kurogiri usually warps me when I don't have a specific place to go. I actually have another room there, so I visit her a lot. She's actually the person who Uraraka stayed with while she was here in Nabu, and was the only person who knows about her.
Honestly, Uraraka probably knows more about her than I do. Aiko's the one person not mentioned anywhere: not my notebooks, my journals, no where. Literally the only place it's written down is that letter for when I have episodes, and. Hold on. I used hiragana in the letter, but just now I wrote it in kanji? So it's spelled with the kanji for 'indigo' instead of 'love'? I guess it's the subconscious thing again? But yeah, I didn't really know anything about her until she showed up one day and still don't know what she really does.
Actually I know one thing. She has a chemistry lab in the basement here, she uses it to make stuff to counter Quirks. And also make poisons I think. And other stuff. She gave us a tour. Quirk chemistry is terrifying. That's all I'll say. But the Alliance doesn't really use any that stuff, and no one really goes there. I don't think many people even know she has a lab down there? It's off-limits to everyone.
Also, we're pretty sure Dabi knows her. We haven't confirmed it directly, but he texted Uraraka to be careful about chemistry. And he also told her the Alliance was in Nabu because of a friend he said wasn't a member, but still connected to them, so... I don't think they're in regular contact though, and Jirou says Uraraka can still say his name so I really don't think he's involved with the Alliance, Todoroki!
Anyways, even though I know almost nothing about her we're really close (well, her and this world's me). The way she talks, I think she's basically like my older sister, kind of? We're close enough she could tell I was 'having an episode' the first time we met, and I barely even said anything! She promised not to tell anyone and I don't think she will, so I'm safe on that end, but she DOES know about it. Honestly I'm lucky she doesn't live here, I think she'd pick up that I'm planning something.
It's pretty obvious she cares about me, so I'm not worried about her hurting me or anything like that if she figures it out. I'm worried about everyone else.
Aiko HAS to be the one who did that to Uraraka. I think she must have some kind of compulsion Quirk. On the day the Alliance kidnapped Aizawa-sensei, Kurogiri warped me to her apartment and I almost had a panic attack but she did something to stop it so I was suddenly all calm. I don't know the specifics of her Quirk though, we've never talked about it?
I know it's not a flashy or physical Quirk, but I don't think she needs one. She has that chemistry stuff, but I'm ALSO pretty sure she broke Shigaraki's hand, and she's still alive. So, either he didn't try to kill her for doing that, or he did and he failed. And either way, I think you guys get how dangerous that makes her.
But that's not my biggest concern. I wanted to get all that out of the way first because I don't think you'll be able to focus on anything else after this next part.
I don't know the details, but the first time I met her, she was wearing Aizawa-sensei's goggles. I don't know how or when she got them, but it had to be something bad because, well, she's a villain. I actually thought he might be dead for a while? I'd been trying to keep her from finding out Aizawa-sensei was here, but Toga told her.
On Sunday she visited him and sent him into a panic attack, I think? I don't know. I wasn't there for most of it, but I don't think she was using her Quirk to mess with his emotions. Just her BEING there was enough to trigger something. All she did was sit there, but he was just totally shutting down and freaked out when I arrived. Guys, I've never seen him act that scared before, not even at USJ or Overhaul's base.
I don't know what happened between them in the past, but I think he has PTSD from it. When she left it was like he just—gave up. The last time I saw him on Saturday, he was hostile and I ended up having that weird white-out I mentioned, but after she left he was basically just apologizing over and over, and seemed terrified of making me mad? He wouldn't tell me how they met, but he seemed scared of how I'd react to him refusing and started to freak out again. He was just so anxious, he just felt desperate.
He's been really off and distant ever since then. He only started to act kinda normal again today and try to get information again when I mentioned I had some online friends. All the other times made me want to cry because he's treating me like an enemy, but this time felt like a relief.
But right now, I think he still doesn't really expect to get out of here on his own. On Saturday night we were fighting over why I didn't tell the police or Pro Heroes if I thought all of this was wrong, but on Sunday... He just said I was right. I don't know what Aiko did to him before, but just knowing she's here, Aizawa-sensei seems convinced that it's too dangerous even for other Pro Heroes.
I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you more. I'm going to try to ask Aiko about how they know each other later. I think the disorientation from Saturday is wearing off so I think I should be able to meet her now without setting off any alarm bells. But right now, I think Aiko is honestly the biggest risk of all. I don't know if she'll try to visit Aizawa-sensei again or when, but we NEED to get him out of here as soon as possible.
That's all I have to say. I hope I got down everything important. Oh, also! I know Uraraka can't tell you guys stuff or point at maps, but she can probably just... take someone to Nabu? So Ashido or Todoroki or both could just follow her, since they're already runaways, and we can meet up there at some point? So we can talk more then.
Anyways, don't have anything else to say right now. Again, burn this letter.
Bye everyone, I hope to see some of you guys soon!
There was a tense silence when Kirishima finished reading the letter. The others refrained from comments for the most part, making small little off-hand remarks up until he reached the part about Aiko wearing Aizawa's goggles. The dimension jumpers had changed instantly at that, faces briefly screwing up with horror before shifting to hard glares. Their dark looks hadn't dissipated since then, their glares getting heavier with each word.
Now, the room was filled with a simmering sense of protective rage, the air thick and heavy with it. Nakamura Shizuo considered himself pretty cool-headed under pressure, choosing the moniker "Rogue" for more than just his ability to sneak around, but even he felt a bit intimidated by it. He didn't blame Kirishima for crowding closer to Shouji when he finished. Only Hatsume seemed unbothered by the tense atmosphere, focused on her work.
Either way, the dimension jumpers looked ready to commit murder, and Shizuo didn't blame them. He may not know Aizawa, but he could relate to that instinctive anger all too well. One look at their expressions told him the man wasn't just a teacher to them, but family. Even if this might not be their Aizawa, Shizuo would be just as angry in their places if any of the runaways were in a similar position.
"So this Aiko is the biggest enemy," Ashido finally said, unusually dark and serious, and everyone nodded.
"I can't imagine what she must've done to make Aizawa freak out," Jirou growled. "I can't even imagine him looking scared."
"I know, right?" Kaminari agreed. "He totally didn't flinch when he saw all those villains at USJ!"
"If she knows Dabi, does she know me?" Todoroki wondered with a frown. This time the others didn't try to respond like the last time he'd pondered Dabi, all of them just exchanging heavy frowns. It seemed they couldn't reassure him this time. They didn't know the relationship between Aiko and Dabi, let alone Aiko and Todoroki, so they couldn't just write off his question this time and reassure him he wasn't a villain.
Shizuo quietly sighed to himself and decided to speak up, if only because he was sick of all the tense silences. Just because his Quirk made him silent didn't mean he liked silence. "Well, it doesn't sound like they work together," he pointed out. "If they did, that Dabi guy would have probably recognized Midoriya's name when Uraraka mentioned him."
"Yeah!" Kirishima agreed quickly, obviously just as tired of the tension. "And plus, the guy was willing to ask Hawks to help look for you. It feels like—I don't know. I mean, would he work with villains and a hero? Just. It just feels like it would've come up by now, y'know?" He glanced at Uraraka as he added, "Uraraka, did she ever... mention..."
He trailed off as he noticed the look on Uraraka's face, everyone's attention now focused on her. The brunette had been silent this whole time and stood with an almost haunted look, eyes wide and mouth pressed into a firm line as she looked down. Something about it chilled Shizuo, realizing just what must be causing that look.
"The letter's missing something, isn't it," he said, not bothering to phrase it as a question. She could only nod, mouth pressed in a line so tight it looked almost painful, and they knew without asking she wouldn't be able to tell them what.
Notes:
I originally titled this "One More Letter" but then I saw 67 had "Another Letter Reading" for the title. What is with this story and letters?
Not much else to say today. The big manga chapter dropped yesterday, and uh... It's not happy. I've said this before, but this time I will be genuinely stunned if anyone manages to avoid it entirely until the anime airs. The wiki has already updated to reflect what happened, so... yeah. There's now a channel on the Ignite discord server just for anime-only fans who want to vent. So if you get spoiled and want to talk about it, come on over to the server!
Question for next time: if you could ask any of the OCs one question, what would it be?
Chapter 73: Desperate Determination
Summary:
Mic will probably need new glasses with all the eye strain today, and Aizawa almost gets a heart attack when dinner arrives.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 73
.::Desperate Determination::.
One hour, forty-three minutes.
It took one hour and forty-three minutes after Midoriya Izuku left for Hizashi to wrap up the meet and greet. He spent another fifteen minutes urgently informing all the relevant parties about the encounter, and another hour after that to get the necessary permissions to access security footage. By that time it was far too late to find the boy and Hizashi knew he was long gone, but he was a man on a mission.
"Mic, your eyes are gonna burn out," Oracle commented. They sat in a conference room at the local police station, reviewing local security footage on police-owned computers for the past two hours. (That made a total of five hours since he saw Midoriya Izuku, five hours since the kid slipped out of his reach.) "Seriously, every time I look over your face is practically touching the screen. That's not healthy."
"I don't care," Hizashi snapped, gaze locked on the monitor. The footage from this camera was on the grainier end of the spectrum, lacking color so he had to look even harder. "I've found that kid more than you have."
"Yes, a total of two times as opposed to my one," Oracle deadpanned, and Hizashi heard his chair roll back and footsteps stroll over. "Seriously Mic, I get you want to find this kid, but we've reached a dead end. We managed to track him through three cameras. Four if we count the meet and greet."
"Yeah, only three, the earliest one ten minutes before we met!" Hizashi growled, still focused on the video. He felt like those three clips were firmly burned into his memory despite only viewing them today. One had Midoriya as part of a crowd of people walking down a street past a high-end clothing store's outdoor camera. The second showed the group on another street, some of the teens eagerly conversing with Midoriya about something.
The third had him and that orange-haired girl walking down a different street, alone, and cutting through an alley by a convenience store. No cameras were present on the other side, and he had yet to find any more footage after that point.
His eyes did feel like they were starting to burn, but he didn't care. He closed out of this camera as the timestamp passed the point where Midoriya could have passed that point while en route to meeting that group of teens. A casual query about the size of the group revealed they'd all met at a Wacdonald's, but that street didn't have any working cameras. He'd found other footage with various members of that group heading there, but none of Midoriya and that girl.
As he opened another camera's footage Oracle sighed behind him. "Mic, that's enough. Seriously."
"He didn't appear out of no where!" Hizashi grumbled.
"Or he did, because teleportation Quirks are a thing," Oracle countered sharply, and that made Hizashi still, fingers curling tight around the computer mouse. A moment of silence passed before the other hero grabbed his chair and yanked it back, making Hizashi yelp in surprise as he was dragged away. By the time he dug his heels into the floor to stop the chair's rapid departure Oracle had leaned forward to close the video.
"Hey!" Hizashi snapped irritably, but Oracle leveled him with a dark look.
"Stand down, Present Mic," he ordered in harsh English. Hizashi felt his jaw clench in irritation but remained silent, letting the younger man continue. "There's already evidence that the Villain Alliance has a warp Quirk on its side given how fast they come and go before and after planned attacks. All current intel suggests that they're also highly protective over Midoriya Izuku. Therefore, it's only normal that they would take precautions to make sure he couldn't be tracked."
"For a spontaneous meet and greet though?" Hizashi argued. "We only decided to do that today!"
"Yeah, so your manager would go along with you stopping by Kamino to help check out Ashido and Kirishima's apartments. Which we skipped out on." The reminder had his jaw clenching shut once more, glaring at the younger man.
The whole reason he came out was to try to see if they could find anything hinting at where Ashido and Kirishima could be. As it stood, those two were the only leads they had, thin as they were. Ashido had been in contact with Uraraka, and Uraraka had run away after meeting Midoriya. And now, Shouta was in the custody of the Alliance. It was such a small lead, but that was all she could get.
And the worst part of it all was that they were so close. Lady of the Night had been there. Public events still posed a risk for attacks, so she'd tagged along to the meet and greet posing as a radio station employee as extra security before going to the kids' apartments. With her psychometry, she'd taken to trying to touch every piece of memorabilia fans brought for him to sign.
She'd touched the poster Midoriya had brought, and she got nothing they could use. The kid didn't regularly touch it or anything, it just hung on the wall all the time, so it didn't pick up his emotions or any useful information like a location. All she got were impressions of when he first got it, of a woman with dark green hair and childish excitement and babbling.
That, and guilt.
Guilt that rang very fresh with glimpses of Shouta's face mixed in.
Knowing that Midoriya had thought of Shouta while holding the poster told Hizashi he knew. He knew Hizashi was looking for him. Lady hadn't detected as much, but that had to be why he'd felt guilt. Hizashi was sure he knew, and he'd said nothing. Just got an autograph as if it were perfectly normal.
Oracle held up a hand before Hizashi could speak. "Yeah, I know this feels like a more solid lead and it's frustrating he got away. But even if we find the origin point of where they teleported, it won't tell us where the Alliance is." He paused and added, "And no, I really don't think they've killed him. What Rita says about it being wasted energy to not just kill him on the spot stands." He then pinched his eyebrows and grumbled, "I meant Saki. Don't repeat that name."
Then he stilled, and pulled his hand away to glare at Hizashi. "Fuck you," he snarled in English, and spun on his heel to stalk back to his assigned computer while Hizashi basked in his success. Having one-sided conversations could get annoying as hell, so he felt pleased that at least one of his planned comebacks succeeded in riling the teal-haired man.
Still, he quickly got serious when Oracle continued. "Back to business, I have no idea who that orange-haired girl is. I already took a screenshot with a clear look at her face and forwarded it to Saki, and she'll take care of getting it checked out. I'm not getting my hopes up though, willing to bet it's some kind of disguise since she didn't even wear a hat."
"Yeah, I'd be surprised too," Hizashi admitted reluctantly with a sigh. Given how she barely tried to conceal herself while Midoriya had layered up with a scarf and hat, she must be pretty confident they'd find nothing on her. It could just be cockiness, but like Oracle said, he wouldn't get up his hopes.
Another thought came to him, and Oracle beat him to the punch before he could ask. "No, I don't know anything about that blondie. Could know him, but could also just be part of that crowd since he was in those other clips. I think it's normal for some people to kinda gravitate towards other people, and pick them as 'new friend for the day' and never speak again." Hizashi arched his eyebrows, and Oracle swiveled his chair to face him with a deadpan expression. "I didn't exactly have a normal childhood. I am not a good judge of this stuff."
"So looking into him is probably a bust too, huh," Hizashi muttered sullenly, and hey, at least Oracle let him actually gripe this time. "Come on, there's gotta be something."
"Sorry, this is all mostly a bunch of dead ends," Oracle responded with a shrug as he turned back. He pulled up a screencap of the group. "Look, most of that crowd? Students at Sakakura. Based on your own testimony after making small talk, the rest are people they know online who came just to see you. Midoriya is definitely in that group. And we can't exactly ask anyone if they knew Midoriya without making them suspicious. Worst case scenario, whoever he knows mentions the questioning to him, and he goes dark. Deletes everything."
"So it's not worth pursuing," Hizashi sighed. Oracle just remained silent, clicking around the screenshots before pausing on one.
"Actually, there's one interesting detail," he commented. "That blond kid you mentioned seems to know Anjou Ran." Hizashi sat a bit straighter at that, and didn't have to voice his confusion before Oracle explained, "That's one of the girls that knew Ashido. I noticed her in some of the shots, but it doesn't seem like she came up to you and just hung back. But they walked together to and from the event."
He scooted his chair aside to give Hizashi an unimpeded view of the image on the screen. It was a screencap of that blond boy and a teal-haired girl, walking down a street alone. "No, I don't know when or where they met up," Oracle answered his unspoken question with an eyeroll. "There aren't any working cameras by her apartment building, and I'm not in the mood to hunt down video of that blond kid before they met. And yes, so far Anjou's in the clear about the runaway plot. Probably."
"Probably?"
"Officially, she's been cleared by Tsukauchi," Oracle responded. "I listened to the recording though, and something about her answers feel... off. No idea why, so I haven't made any moves or reported it yet. Can't really do any investigations on an empty hunch, and it doesn't feel like she's a villain or caught up in anything bad-illegal."
"Bad illegal?" Hizashi repeated, faintly amused, and Oracle snorted.
"As far as I'm concerned, some shades of illegal are less bad than others. I was born into the underworld, we develop an eye for this sort of thing. Don't know what's up with her, but I do think she's caught up in something, but not as malicious as the Alliance. Maybe the vigilante sort." He shrugged, pulling out his phone as he added, "I've learned to trust my instincts."
Hizashi hummed in thought, staring at the girl's face. "Can I take a peek at what you've got on her, or would that be breaking protocol?" Even as he spoke his phone buzzed with a notification, and he checked it to find an email from Oracle titled "Notes." His face quickly soured. "Seriously?"
"There's no formal file on her, but I wrote up some quick notes on Ashido's friends and the whole case for personal reference. Take a peek, I'm gonna send those clips off to the folks at Nighteye's place and your UA pals." Hizashi rolled his eyes but downloaded the attached file. They really were just quick notes, just a bunch of bullet points listing basic facts organized into smaller sections using headers.
The section for Anjou was pretty brief. Sixteen years old, mentioned a Quirk registered as "Neural Networking" but no details on its mechanics. A nearly lifelong foster kid who moved to Kamino for school and lived alone, scored second in her class on the last round of exams and fourth for her whole year. Had befriended Ashido Mina and Kirameki Kumiko at the beginning of the year, and had only recently started talking to Kirishima Eijirou.
One detail caught his eye though and made Hizashi sit a little straighter. While she was in the foster system, she had a biological brother about ten years older than her. They never lived together and he never applied for custody after he aged out, but they still kept in contact. She had gone to visit him just this weekend, a trip planned well before Ashido and Kirishima ran away.
Odawara, huh... It was a long shot and very likely unrelated, but Hizashi was a desperate man. For the first time since Shouta went missing they had hope that he was still alive, confirmation he'd been alive just a week ago. Up until then he'd been ready to start accepting the worst, but now he was reinvigorated more than ever to find him and save him. If it could bring him any closer to finding his best friend, he'd even go to Mars.
Hizashi would save Shouta, he just needed to hang on a little longer.
The hours crawled by after Midoriya left following lunch, leaving Shouta to his own thoughts. The boy hadn't stayed too long this time, just enough to deliver the food and let him know his friend was fine. He'd seemed distracted for most of the visit, looking mildly guilty for some reason. Given he avoided more detailed queries about his friend's condition, Shouta suspected it was tied to that more than his own situation.
Shouta spent most of the time after Midoriya left wondering about what the kid did online. He doubted he just had friends on FacePage with how paranoid normal people had gotten about privacy and safety, let alone the Alliance. No, Midoriya must use some special interest sites instead. Maybe for some video game he liked, or music.
Or Pro Heroes. Kid definitely seemed to be a fan of Pro Heroes, illogical and surprising as that was for Shigaraki's younger brother.
Eventually Shouta let up on his musing when an absent-minded stretch reminded him of his broken leg through a sharp wave of pain. Only then did he remember the painkiller still hidden beneath his pillow, and he spent about a minute fumbling to uncover and pick it up, eying it warily in the palm of his mitten. The kid's reaction that morning seemed to suggest it wasn't something harmful, so it might be genuine.
If he was going to make any progress at all towards escaping, slim as that scenario seemed to be now, he'd have to trust Midoriya at some point.
For that reason Shouta downed the pill, and then laid down to wait for the effects to kick in and went back to his pondering. Nothing happened immediately, but at some point while wondering about whether Midoriya might be catfished he realized the pain had indeed faded a bit. The discomfort had vanished, enough for him to fall asleep.
He was eventually startled awake by the door opening, and sat up with a soft groan, rubbing his eyes. When he looked though he froze, heart sinking with horror.
That wasn't Midoriya at the door.
It was the mist-covered man who'd brought the kids to the cell yesterday. Kurogiri, if he remembered right. His identity didn't matter nearly as much as the fact he wasn't Midoriya though. Especially because he carried a tray with dinner on it, just like that girl had on Sunday morning after the fight with Midoriya.
Before Shouta could begin to absorb the implications of that the misty man entered and set the tray down. "My apologies for disturbing your rest, Eraserhead, I did not know you were asleep," he greeted, voice deep and smooth. "However, it is past six so it is time to eat." Shouta swallowed thickly as he sat upright, trying not to let his anxiety show.
"Where's Midoriya?" he asked.
"He is currently playing video games with Tomura. They have not spent much quality time together lately, and I do not expect Tomura will allow him to leave anytime soon so I took the liberty of preparing your dinner myself." The comment had Shouta calming down a bit, quelling his concerns Midoriya had suddenly lost interest in him. Then he just felt mildly annoyed at himself for worrying about that in the first place.
He pushed away the thoughts as Kurogiri knelt on the floor beside him. "Hold out your hands."
"Why?" Shouta asked, not bothering to hide his wariness.
"Because I want to remove the mittens." The declaration took Shouta by genuine surprise, staring in shock. "You do not need to look or act so surprised, Eraserhead. As it stands, I suspect you know you're in no position to attempt escape or to attack me."
Shouta's mouth thinned at the reference to his current state. A broken leg, chained to the floor by a collar and the shackle around his other foot... He really wasn't in a position to try anything if his hands were freed. "Yet you still leave them on all the time," he muttered darkly.
"We put them on you to minimize risk of harm to Izuku or attempts to escape when left alone. People can go to unpredictable lengths when they're desperate. As long as you do not try to use your Quirk on myself though, I see no risk in removing them temporarily."
"Going by that logic, you should just blindfold me," Shouta snarked.
"I do not believe that is what concerns me," Kurogiri replied simply, and Shouta felt himself freeze for a moment before sighing. Of course he knew, should've figured the Alliance would know about it if they were connected to Aiko.
"I won't use it," he promised dully, holding out his hands. Kurogiri reached out to remove the leather handcuffs, the misty residue shrouding his hands concealing much of the action from Shouta's sight. Once the cuffs were off he undid the clasps holding the mittens in place before pulling them away, and for a moment Shouta just stared at his hands.
It had been a week since he had been brought to the Alliance, and in that time he'd only seen his hands on two occasions: when the mittens were first put on, and that time he was dragged into the shower. Something about that realization just made him feel more pathetic. He'd gotten used to being restrained, awful as that was to say, but the inability to even see his own hands even while holding them right in front of his face was a whole new level of loss of autonomy.
Well, it still wasn't as bad as then though.
Fuck it. He couldn't dwell on that, he'd already come close enough to breaking down once. He should just accept this brief reprieve for what it was. He pushed the memories away and turned his attention to the tray, only to pause as he actually looked at its contents for the first time.
So far Midoriya had brought largely simple meals: sandwiches, onigiri, pre-made pastries, the sushi that one time. This, however, was a full-fledged Japanese dinner: yakisoba noodles with vegetables and chicken, a bowl of rice, even a small plate with apple slices to the side. Shouta just stared for a moment, not used to seeing an actual, complete meal. When had the last time even been?
"Is there an issue with the food?" Kurogiri asked, so nonchalant, and Shouta turned wary eyes towards him.
"What's the catch?" Villains were simply not this kind to prisoners, not when they kept them chained up on the floor of a cell. Kurogiri put on a gentleman's front and spoke politely, but this was a full meal. Not even Midoriya went that far, and the kid was quite obviously trying to earn Shouta's good graces.
Maybe it was just paranoia from being held captive for so long, but every bit of this screamed trap at him.
"There is no catch," Kurogiri informed him. "I simply felt that since you would be able to use your hands, it would illogical to give you a simple meal."
"You can't expect me to believe that's the only reason," Shouta quipped back. There had to be some sort of catch somewhere. The man had to be trying to earn his trust for something.
"Whether you believe me or not is beyond my control. However, I would suggest you eat it, since I will not be preparing an alternative." Shouta glowered at him but soon turned his attention to the meal to begin eating, knowing better than to waste food in these circumstances.
And damn if it wasn't good. This was his first proper meal in ages, and despite how little he trusted the mist-covered villain he soon found himself devouring it. Maybe he should feel embarrassed by how eagerly he was eating in front of a villain, but he'd learned to ignore his pride months ago. It just—it tasted so good. Dammit, he almost wanted to cry.
He'd nearly finished and reached for the last bit of chicken in the yakisoba when a small mew sounded, and both men immediately turned to see Sushi sitting nearby. The kitten gave a plaintive mew, large eyes focused on the plate.
For a moment neither man reacted, and finally Shouta turned to frown at Kurogiri. "I didn't see her when you entered."
"Neither did I," the villain murmured, confirming Shouta's suspicions that he was not trying to further bribe him with a cat on top of the food. His attention returned to Sushi as she mewed again, trotting over to sniff at the yakisoba. Shouta quickly snatched up the plate out of her reach, making her voice her displeasure.
"This is human food, not for cats. The seasoning might be bad for you anyway." Sushi didn't seem to agree since she mewed again while reaching for the plate. She didn't get to try for long before Kurogiri scooped her up, allowing Shouta to finish eating in peace.
"Strange, Sushi should be with Hijack," he remarked. "And even if she escaped his room at mealtime, she shouldn't have been able to enter here."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure you entered alone," Shouta agreed. He felt like he would have noticed a kitten trailing behind him. Sushi squirmed in Kurogiri's hands but he kept a firm grip until Shouta finished eating, at which point he finally released the kitten. She promptly darted to Shouta and looked disappointed at the empty plate, turning and climbing onto his lap to voice her displeasure. He absently went to scratch her ears before suddenly freezing at the feeling of fur against his fingers.
Once again he found himself stunned at something that should be so normal. She felt just as soft as she looked, her fur smooth like velvet. Blinking a few times, he reached out to scoop her up, gently cradling her in his arms in a way so that his bare hands still touched her. He raised her closer to his face and she immediately nuzzled his cheek, purring contently.
He let his eyes slide shut as he held her close, just reveling in the feeling of her softness against his face and palms. How long had it been since he'd last properly managed to pet a cat and feel fur? It had been far, far too long. It was awkward to hold her like this and he wanted to savor the feeling of her fur with both hands, so he lowered her back to his lap and went back to petting her normally.
In his current awed state, it took Shouta a minute to remember that he wasn't actually alone. His head snapped up to find Kurogiri watching him in silence, his face literally unreadable since only his glowing yellow eyes were visible, and even those seemed to be made of mist. Shouta's mouth thinned at the thought of showing his brief moment of vulnerability in front of the villain, giving Sushi a final scratch before gently pushing her away.
"You should get her back to Hijack," he declared roughly. He didn't want to make his fondness for the kitten too obvious, it was a weakness that could be exploited. Sushi getting hurt felt bad enough, but the kid's potential reaction if that happened made it all the worse. He'd clearly bonded with Sushi, and her safety mattered to the kid just as much as it did to Shouta, if not more.
"Very well. Since you have finished eating, it is time to take my leave anyway. Please hold out your hands." Shouta's face soured, but he dutifully extended his hands as Kurogiri knelt next to him to fasten the mittens back in place, followed by the cuffs. Once again he felt a dull emptiness as he stared at his covered hands, his wrists separated by only a single chain link.
Kurogiri scooped up Sushi and the tray with the empty plates. "Rest well," he said, and departed without another word. Shouta let himself slump against the pillows on the floor with a quiet sigh, eyes sliding shut.
Today, he got to pet a cat. That was good. Small, but good. He should try to focus on the good things for now.
Meanwhile in Odawara, Ochako laid on the bed of a hotel room staring at the ceiling blankly, mind still spinning from the events of the day. Everyone had parted ways an hour ago, Jirou, Kaminari and Hatsume returning to Hosu, while Ashido, Todoroki and Kirishima returned to Kuroe's house. Ochako had declined to join them, saying she wanted time to think alone, and true to her word that was all she'd been doing since checking in.
When they finished reading Deku's letter something clicked in Ochako's head, something she should have realized even before they read it. Even now she still reeled from it and could barely focus on anything else, mouth pressed into a tight, almost painful line as her hands clenched at her sides.
According to Deku, Aiko probably had a compulsion Quirk and had used it to make shut down his panic attack. And it made sense. It lined up with how she'd talked to Ochako that morning, likely using those questions this morning to compel her into silence by making her swear not to tell anyone.
But the first time Ochako met her, all she could remember were black-tipped fingers shoving her into a void.
Aiko had two Quirks. Maybe more, with how she seemed to change her whole physique that time she disguised herself as a man. In retrospect, even that should have been a warning sign to her, but it hadn't occurred to her then. It had been so easy to just write that off as a not-so-simple disguise.
But she and Deku had never spoken about it. He'd never mentioned the panic attack thing, and Ochako had never told him about her experience being pushed into that pocket of empty space. They were just so relieved to be together again, and Deku had been so anxious about Aizawa and everything else going on, it just... never came up.
And Ochako knew even before trying that she had no way to warn anyone. And she had tried, so desperately, but her mouth wouldn't even make a sound. The censoring effect seemed heaviest when discussing Aiko; she couldn't get out a single word about it. Ochako had no way to tell them she had two Quirks, no way to tell them she had admitted to being a serial killer that morning.
All she could do was hope Deku would figure it out.
Notes:
Kudos to everyone who remembered Aiko had basically shoved Uraraka into a pocket dimension when they first met!
So you're getting a surprise chapter today! I wasn't planning on it, but if you live in the United States... Well, I think you can understand why I thought a little distraction might be good right now. These are crazy times, so stay safe everyone! (And we'd all hoped 2021 would be better... ;v; )
Also, I feel I should make an announcement for anime-only fans. After much consideration, I'm going to be incorporating one MAJOR detail about Kurogiri's backstory. Honestly, I want to keep this story as spoiler-free as possible, but this is one detail that I just can't ignore with how the world-building events in Ignite unfolded, and I can't just do it all in one chapter. This is something that has long-lasting ramifications once revealed. I'll place a warning on the ACTUAL reveal, but I'm going to be dropping pretty heavy hints and foreshadowing, and it will probably come up again later.
That said, there WILL be some alterations from canon in that regard. My justification is that with the multiverse rules I have in place in Ignite, even if something isn't canon, it can be true in other universes. I also don't want to spoil ALL the details of it and leave some as a surprise for when it airs in the anime.
Since I updated twice in one week, question remains the same! What questions would you ask the OCs?
Chapter 74: One Hell of a Morning
Summary:
Momo hates the Munakata High Rumor Mill. Meanwhile, Izuku's morning is off to a traumatizing start!
Notes:
Quick note: Last week I did an extra update on Thursday. So if you don't remember reading about Mic's reaction to meeting Izuku, read the last chapter!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 74
.::One Hell of a Morning::.
Momo felt a bit tired as she entered Munakata High School. Not physically tired, but mainly tired of all the looks and questions. Her chauffeur had dropped her off a block away from the gates since she wanted to walk, and almost immediately one of her classmates appeared to ask her how she felt. It was the first of many in the short walk to the gates, and then even more from the gates to the building.
While distance learning was an option, so far this year Momo hadn't actually used it. She had taken her responsibilities as class representative very seriously, in part due to Iida's passionate speeches about it, and part of that included attending as often as possible. (She was pretty sure he wanted the position for himself, and was greatly disappointed he wasn't an option since he only attended classes remotely. Momo admittedly felt guilty since she was sure he'd do a better job than her, and tried her best to fill the shoes he would've had.)
So given her perfect attendance record, as well as how she'd regularly check in with her classmates to make sure everything was okay... Well, it seemed her classmates had noticed her first absence more keenly than she'd expected. And they apparently seemed to think a two-day absence must mean she was on her deathbed. Literally, going by some of the questions she was getting.
While being accosted by a small crowd by the gates worriedly asking about her health and... freak construction accident...? Really? Anyway, she noticed Tokage talking to another girl nearby, just outside the crowd's way. The green-haired girl glanced towards the entrance and made eye contact, Momo silently sending panicked pleas to help her with her eyes.
Tokage looked at her, and then turned back to the other girl as she said, "See, I told you she wasn't dying!" And then she walked away because she was a horrible friend and would never be nearly as good as Kyouka.
By the time she actually entered the building, she felt pretty done. Any guilt at missing two days to first freak out over Kyouka's situation, and then just process it, had already faded. The little guilt over worrying all her classmates vanished when two boys asked about whether she really did fall into a solid pool of liquid piranhas.
Yes, they actually said "solid pool of liquid piranhas." Momo had asked for clarification on what that meant, and they both just shrugged. Judging by their faces and previous interactions with them, she could tell they were perfectly serious.
So, yes. Momo had already filled her social interaction quota for the day, and the first bell hadn't even rung yet.
And of course, she couldn't even get to the classroom before someone else accosted her.
"Hey, Yaoyorozu-san!" someone called, and Momo restrained an uncharacteristic groan of frustration. She turned around with a small frown, bracing herself for another round of questions. She relaxed a bit though when she saw the one to call out was Onada-kun, a rather quiet, reasonable boy from her class. If anyone would ask her a sane question, it would be him.
Her guard went right back up though when she saw he looked rather frazzled, which was unusual. Then she realized he wasn't alone, and had a pink-haired girl with him. A pink-haired girl whom everyone at Munakata High School knew, for better or worse.
"Hello, Onada-kun," she greeted with a nod. "And... Hatsume-san, right?"
"Correct!" Hatsume Mei replied with a single bob of her head. "So you're Yaomomo-chan, hmm?"
"I am," Momo confirmed with a small but cautious smile.
"Excellent!" Hatsume spun to face Onada-kun and said, "Okay, you can go now." Onada scrambled to run away, the sight almost comical. Momo couldn't really blame him. At this point, Hatsume Mei had already developed a bit of a reputation within the school for her eccentricities and passion for inventing. A passion which tended to end in explosions and other forms of damage.
And also for blackmailing people into working for her if they broke or damaged one of her "babies."
Kaminari had the highest debt, but he wasn't the first one. Most were pretty minor, just repaid through small favors like "hold this" or "bring me this" (favors which were admittedly pretty hazardous when it came to Hatsume). A bit before summer break though, someone had purposely damaged one of her inventions. He'd just shoved it off a table so it broke on the floor, and asked what she'd do about it.
Momo didn't know the answer to that, and even the rumor mill was afraid to speculate. All they knew was that by the end of the week he'd flung an envelope full of money at her while crying "That's all of it!" And since then, he'd been exclusively doing remote learning.
Hatsume's reputation had already spread throughout their entire year, and that incident had spread to the rest of the school. The end result meant that many students tried to avoid her when possible. They didn't ostracize her, but they were careful not to get too close when she seemed particularly excited. And right now, Hatsume seemed to be directing her focus at Momo, which meant people were giving them a wide berth.
Given how her morning had been so far, Momo fully welcomed this.
"Can I help you with something?" she asked. She had no idea why Hatsume wanted to speak to her, but she at least knew she wouldn't ask any ridiculous questions about why she'd missed school.
"Well, Battery-kun and Jirou tell me you're in the loop," the inventor said in an almost sing-song voice, and Momo frowned.
"Um, yes, I am," she confirmed. Kyouka had mentioned they informed Hatsume about their situation (literally right before confronting Momo about her spying), so this wasn't a surprise. If anything, she felt confused that Hatsume approached her about it at all. From Kyouka's comments, she hadn't really seemed to care about the situation, focused on her inventing as always.
Going by that line of thought, she started leading Hatsume back outside towards a less crowded area as she asked, "Do you need my help with something?"
"Glad you asked!" Hatsume replied with a grin. "Because see, they also said you have a very useful Quirk."
Oh dear. "I see," Momo murmured with a small frown, glancing around at their curiously watching classmates. None were too close, but she didn't want to talk in front of them.
Momo didn't lead Hatsume around the corner of the building, that would leave space for people to hide out of sight. Instead she led her towards a large tree, located away from any convenient hiding spots and the bare branches leaving no foliage to hide eavesdroppers. Hatsume's reputation guaranteed no one tried to get too close, and they could see if anyone approached.
Only after they reached it did she turn to face Hatsume with a serious frown. "I am not helping you make vigilante gear," she whispered lowly. While she had agreed to conceal Kyouka's illegal activities, and even help look for Gentle Criminal, she wouldn't be directly party to them. Assisting in the production of their gear would make her a direct accomplice, and that was where she drew the line.
"I'm not asking for that!" Hatsume scoffed with an eye roll. "I'm doing perfectly fine making babies without your help. No, I need your help with another little project they gave me."
"Another one?" Momo asked warily, and then Hatsume pulled out a paper from her pocket.
"You need to know about how stuff is made to make it with your Quirk, right?" she asked. "Tell me, have you ever made any explosives?"
Momo was only marginally relieved when Hatsume clarified she wasn't asked to make a bomb. Marginally, because she still had serious questions about why they needed to analyze a bomb anklet and where it even came from. But this, this she could do.
Izuku started his day by waking up to Seiko standing next to his bed.
He was not ashamed to admit he genuinely screamed at that. Seiko was unsettling enough literally every other time they interacted, always feeling wrong, and that sense had only gotten worse with more exposure. Seeing her face first thing after opening his eyes, brain still struggling to turn on for the day, and with her face literal inches away from his, made it worse.
"I can't believe no one came to check on me," he remarked around ten minutes later as he brushed his teeth in the bathroom. Given how protective Shigaraki was, he'd expect him or one of the other grunts to come running when he screamed, but no one did. Izuku was left to deal with Seiko, alone, with no moral support. The fact she just kept staring the whole time he tried to calm down really didn't help.
"No one stays in your hallway," she remarked from the bathroom doorway, where she still watched him. "Shigaraki and Kurogiri wished to give you privacy, and also do not trust most people to be near you. I suppose that's an oversight on their parts in the event of an emergency."
Izuku just grunted, not really able to respond with a toothbrush in his mouth. He spit into the sink and rinsed the brush before turning to her. "Okay, what do you want?" he asked tiredly. He still didn't feel awake enough to deal with this.
"I came to warn you that Kurogiri will likely have an 'off day' today." The remark had Izuku pausing.
"An... off day?" he repeated with a frown. Something about her intonation made the phrase feel a bit more meaningful, like a title.
"Occasionally, he will choose to stay in his room for the majority of the day and avoid interactions," Seiko explained, bland and inflectionless as ever. "I do not know what triggers them. I noticed he started showing signs of having one last night after dinner, and he left the bar quite early. Usually by this time he would prepare breakfast, but he has not started, so I assume that is the reason."
"Breakfast?" Izuku whispered, glancing at a clock for the first time. Sure enough, it was already past eight-thirty, well after Kurogiri would start breakfast. More than that, it was after Izuku would usually wake up, stunning him. He wasn't sure of his counterpart's schedule, but he usually got up closer to six to do some exercises in his room. He couldn't do his full training regiment from UA without drawing suspicion, but he wanted to keep his body in shape.
Last night he and Shigaraki had stayed up pretty late playing video games though. It was clear Shigaraki had missed him a great deal, and he hadn't let Izuku leave except to use the bathroom. They'd gotten pretty caught up in the games, to the point they actually forgot about dinner until Magne had brought in some sandwiches around nine—
"Dinner!" Izuku gasped, suddenly remembering something. Last night he'd forgotten to take dinner to Aizawa-sensei! Oh no, had he eaten anything? Izuku had taken him lunch, but it wasn't much, just a small sandwich. Then he felt even worse because that meant he'd probably spent all night waiting for Izuku. And ever since Aiko visited, sensei had seemed so anxious and desperate for Izuku's attention, what if he thought Izuku had missed out intentionally and started to spiral—
"Kurogiri delivered dinner, and most likely told him you were playing games." Seiko's flat voice cut into Izuku's own spiral and he snapped wide eyes to her. Seiko just stared back, face blank and empty as ever.
"...I was mumbling, wasn't I?" he asked with a sigh.
"Yes." She didn't even try to spare his pride. Great, just great. "So you call him sensei?"
"Well, he's the closest thing I have to a teacher, so yeah," Izuku replied, hoping he hadn't also mumbled Aizawa's name. "But wait, so Kurogiri took him dinner?"
"He would not harm or psychologically torment Eraserhead-sensei." Okay, was Seiko mocking him for that slip? Izuku genuinely couldn't tell. "He would also try to assuage any concerns. However." And here she inclined her head. "If Kurogiri is having an off day, Aiko will likely be called."
And now things got worse. "Aiko? Why?" Then he remembered his first time at her apartment and asked, "Wait, is it because she has that emotional-regulating Quirk?"
Seiko didn't answer, and then her lips briefly curved upwards. "...Sure," she said, voice oddly light, and Izuku shuddered. Oh no, she was still smiling, usually she only did that for a couple seconds before her face went back to its usual blank mask. This was bad right? That had to be a bad sign, oh no.
Right. Today's top priority: keep Aiko away from Aizawa-sensei. Looks like he'd be spending the whole day in the cell. Good thing they had that every-other-day tutoring schedule set up. "Okay!" he said, voice more high-pitched than usual. Seiko was still smiling, why was she still smiling, nope he was going to ignore that. "I'm going to make breakfast and take it to him, and then grab Kacchan and Shiiiiijack for morning lessons!"
He gave a strained laugh, mentally screaming at how he'd nearly, no not nearly, he pretty much had slipped with Shinsou's name, and oh gods her smile was a little bigger oh no. "Okay," she agreed, voice still light, and Izuku internally screeched.
Seiko followed him to the kitchen, hopefully not smiling but Izuku didn't dare look back to check. He avoided looking at her as he went to the fridge to get the ingredients to make a sandwich, because while he was technically banned from cooking he was not actually a bad cook. Kitchen incident number three was all on this world's Izuku and Toga, he could make food just fine.
When he finished he very pointedly made sure to turn in a way so he didn't see Seiko's face, keeping his eyes steadily locked straight ahead above her head. He marched down the halls with Seiko at his heel, actually walking and not hiding in shadows to stalk him like usual because she hated him or something. Aiko-nee was right, she really WAS a demon.
Izuku had no idea where that thought came from, but it just added to the continuous screaming that currently composed his thoughts.
Only when he reached the hallway with Aizawa's cell did she finally recede into the shadows, and at that point his nerves were fully frayed. They were so frayed, in fact, that for the first time he didn't even knock before entering. Izuku had always knocked before because that was just polite, and also Aizawa deserved at least some warning when this situation was bad enough, but this time it just slipped his mind.
The result meant that he opened the door to see Aizawa-sensei jolt awake with a gasp, followed by a quiet grunt as the motion jostled his bad leg. Only then did Izuku snap out of his state and guilt crashed over him, wincing as he hurried over.
"I'm so sorry for not knocking!" he apologized profusely, kneeling next to him and putting down the plate. "I didn't mean to wake you up, I mean knocking would've done that too, but it's way less jarring than the door opening and I am so sorry!" Aizawa just grunted, sitting up with a brief grimace.
"It's... fine," he muttered, reaching to rub at his eyes. It reminded Izuku he hadn't access to his eyedrops in probably half a year, which just compounded his guilt further. Maybe he could try to get some? He didn't know what prescription he used though, and those were definitely prescription, almost all Quirk-related eyedrops were, but maybe some would be better than none? Erasure mostly caused dry eye, so maybe he could just find a standard formula for dry eye, but that would also mean going to a pharmacy, so maybe he could get better painkillers too? He should probably get some now—
"I am not awake enough for this." Aizawa's groggy grumble cut into Izuku's thoughts, and then teen then winced as he added, "But I'll take painkillers."
"I was mumbling again," Izuku groaned, hanging his head in shame. Twice in one day now? And he'd been doing so good about it, oh no wait mumbling about prescriptions must sound super creepy—
"I am really not awake enough for this," Aizawa repeated, and Izuku promptly clamped his mouth shut. Aizawa just sat for a moment, hands pressed against his eyes, before peeling them away with a heavy sigh. He turned to look at Izuku and yep, his eyes were really bloodshot, they had to be so dry and nopenope time to stop thinking before he started mumbling again.
"Rough morning?" Aizawa drawled, and Izuku sagged with a heavy sigh and nod.
"I guess so," he admitted wearily. Seiko had seemed hellbent on unsettling him, and she'd definitely succeeded. "I really am sorry for not knocking and startling you. And also for not showing up last night." He hung his head guiltily as he continued, "I didn't mean to forget you, but Tomura-nii and I haven't spent much time together lately, and he really wanted to play some games. I honestly forgot about my own dinner, I swear I didn't mean to forget you too!"
"Kid, it's fine," Aizawa grumbled, reaching for the plate to get breakfast. Only now did Izuku realize how close he was to the man, much closer than he should be by Shigaraki's rules. He froze up as he realized this, knowing he'd be in trouble on the off-chance Shigaraki entered but not really wanting to distance himself. This was the closest he'd gotten to him since waking up here and...
Honestly, he... kind of... wantedtohughim.
Aizawa remained oblivious to Izuku's moral dilemma as he continued, "That guy last night told me it wasn't intentional. It's irrational to expect you to bring every meal since ultimately, you have a life beyond me."
And now the guilt was back stronger than ever. What made it so bad was that Aizawa didn't even sound resentful or accusing, he'd stated that like a basic fact. He was used to being relegated to the background and having no importance in people's lives, to being an afterthought now. That was probably one of the worst parts of all this, that Aizawa viewed this as normal.
Izuku knew Aizawa wasn't intentionally trying to make him feel like garbage, but he still did.
"It shouldn't be that way though," he muttered miserably, bowing his head. "It's just not—"
"Mew."
They both snapped their heads to see Sushi sitting near Aizawa's feet, head held high and the tip of her stubby tail pointed upwards. She seemed to perk up now that she had their attention and gave another mew, her large, blue eyes focused intently on Aizawa's sandwich. For a moment both just stared in silence, taking a moment to process her presence.
"She didn't sneak in with me, did she?" Izuku asked. He had been kind of distracted, had he not noticed her following him?
"No, I'm pretty sure you came in alone," Aizawa replied. "And I know she wasn't here when I went to sleep last night." While he spoke Sushi got up to trot over to him, mewing again and still staring at his sandwich. He quickly raised it out of her reach. "No, I'm not giving you this either."
"Wait, Sushi's supposed to be with Hijack," Izuku realized with a frown. "Did she escape this morning?" At this point Sushi crouched and hopped upwards to try to nip the sandwich. Of course she missed, and Izuku caught her before she could land and put her down away from Aizawa so he could eat in peace.
"She was begging for dinner last night, too," Aizawa commented. "Does she get fed properly?"
"Yeah, I pay for her food with my allowance—wait, she was here last night?" Now Izuku was really confused. "Did Kurogiri bring her?"
"No, she snuck in," Aizawa replied, and glanced towards Sushi only to blink. "Wait. Where did she go?" Izuku turned to look but Sushi was gone. Not just from the spot he'd put her down, but seemingly from the whole room. Given the cell lacked any furniture, and the bathroom door was closed, it only took a quick look to tell she was gone.
"What—" They both startled as a soft mew next to Aizawa cut him off. The hero twisted his torso only to hiss in pain as the motion jostled his leg, making Izuku wince sympathetically. Right now though he was more focused on the fact Sushi wasn't there despite the fact the meow clearly came from there.
"What's going on?" he asked. Then suddenly Sushi was there, blinking into existence as she hopped towards the sandwich. In his shock Aizawa failed to move it out of her reach, allowing Sushi to successfully nip it before plopping back onto the floor because a sandwich wasn't stable enough to hold a kitten's weight. She got to her feet and shook herself while they just stared.
Her eyes narrowed at the sandwich in obvious disdain before she turned. Then she vanished again, right in front of their eyes.
"...Um," Izuku said, at a loss for words. "You saw that too, right?"
"You mean her being invisible?" Aizawa asked, sounding just as shocked and bewildered.
"Oh good, I'm not crazy." Between waking up to Seiko and now this, it seemed that today would just be full of surprises.
Notes:
Surprise, Sushi has a Quirk! Kudos to everyone who guessed last chapter (though I DID also hint at this in my Aizawa birthday fic, A Purrfect Birthday 2). Also, Hatsume and Momo have made contact. Hard to say which part of this chapter will lead to the most chaos.
Question for next time: what would be the most problematic Quirk for an animal to have? (Problematic for the owners, of course~)
Chapter 75: In Which Teens Plot
Summary:
Kuroe goes downstairs for his morning coffee and finds four teens hunched over a map of Japan. He does not have enough caffeine for this.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 75
.::In Which Teens Plot::.
Meisanki Kuroe was having a normal morning, or as normal as he could with three teenagers he barely knew crashing in his house. The past week had been weird in that regard, and a little unnerving at times given the "barely knew them" part. He'd had kids stay over before briefly when they first arrived in Odawara, but usually they'd move in with the runaways pretty fast. Not this time though.
Today marked the seventh day since Ashido and Kirishima arrived, making a full week which had to be a record. On top of that Todoroki came back on Friday after initially leaving to the runaways, so he now had a total of three teens here. At this point, it felt more weird than anything. Kuroe was used to having his house to himself. Waking up to their voices chattering every morning felt weird and jarring, almost as weird and jarring as knowing he wasn't alone for once.
At least Todoroki made coffee. Sure, it wasn't the best, but it was something. Kuroe might not have the Quirk-based dependency on caffeine like Ran or their mother, but it still helped.
Today, he felt especially grateful for it since he'd slept in later than usual. Last night he'd stayed up late working on a coding project for a client. And that was before getting an email from Chisaki about the yakuza's investigation into that one organization he mentioned at their last meeting. Usually he'd deliver findings in person at those monthly meetings, but it seemed one of the members working on the investigation suddenly went missing.
Kuroe had spent a good two hours talking to Chisaki about the details over email, all of it encrypted. Luckily they had keys to instantly encrypt and decrypt messages, but that still added an extra step to each part of the communication process. If they couldn't find any more leads soon, they'd have to meet in person to discuss this, because a missing yakuza was a pretty big deal.
Wonder if Stendhal could come over on short notice, he wondered while brushing his teeth. He wasn't really keen on meeting anyone from the yakuza alone, but Chisaki in particular just had something off about him. After growing up Quirkless in the foster system, he'd developed an eye for people's true natures, and Chisaki seemed to be... less than well adjusted. Kuroe had a feeling the only thing really keeping him under control was the boss and Shie Hassaikai's current success.
Meeting him alone? Out of the question. If Stendhal couldn't join, he'd have to ask Aiko, and she seemed even less keen on meeting the guy than Kuroe. The whole reason he attended these meetings with Stendhal was because she didn't want to. The second the vigilante came into the picture Aiko had happily opted out of bodyguard duty forever more. Good thing "Karasu" was known to have multiple underworld contacts, so the change in guard hadn't raised any questions.
Either way, today would probably be very busy for him as they sorted this out, and he hadn't even had his morning coffee yet.
Thank goodness Todoroki was around to make coffee so it'd be ready. Sure, it had taken half an hour of training him on how to use the coffee machine on Saturday night (the kid was absolutely Touya's brother), but it was worth the effort. Even now as he walked down the stairs he could smell it, the bitter aroma... actually, it didn't smell exactly fresh, but it was there, and it would be warm.
He walked into the kitchen to find the four teens already seated at the table talking, their conversation pausing when he entered. "Morning, Kuroe-san!" Ashido greeted brightly, and he gave a small grunt of recognition as he shuffled past them to the coffee machine. He poured the dark brew into a mug and took a sip, savoring the admittedly cheap taste. Cheap coffee was better than none, and he welcomed the clarity provided by caffeine.
Then he paused.
Wait, four teens?
He turned to eye the table again. One, two, three... four. Yep, four teens. There were only three staying here, right? Pinkie, redhead, and mini-Touya. So that meant...
His gaze locked onto the completely unfamiliar brown-haired girl, neither saying anything as they stared at each other. The gears in his brain slowly began turning, steadily nudged out of their dormant state and fueled by the power of caffeine. Brown hair, brown eyes, pink circle marks on her cheeks... Nope, she didn't strike him as familiar at all, not even as one of the runaways.
Also, they had a map of Japan spread on the table for some reason?
"I don't even want to know," Kuroe decided, and ignored the confused looks as he promptly shuffled out of the room. He was not dealing with this, he'd been awake for ten minutes. He returned to his bedroom/office to grab his phone off the charger, and sent a text to Aiko.
'They're multiplying
Theres a fourth one now
she better not be staying here too
and they have a map for some reason
fuck it, too tired to deal with it. don't even want to know what they're plotting'
He set down the phone and checked his laptop to see if he'd gotten any more emails from Chisaki about the situation with the missing guy. He hadn't, but he did get one from his client for that actual, legitimate coding job. An email informing him they'd changed their mind about wanting the feature he spent half the night trying to make work with their overly-cluttered and disorganized database. And actually they decided that yesterday but forgot to inform him, so sorry!
It was while glaring at his laptop, wishing he could turn his idiot client into ashes, that his phone buzzed with a text. Kuroe swiped it up and jabbed his finger a little too hard on the screen to unlock it, and glared at the reply from Aiko.
'They're plotting something? Ooh, fun! Teens seem to be so plotty these days, guess I'm not that special after all.'
He stared at the phone blearily, thinking of Aiko's own hare-brained psycho plot. The one where she went off the grid, let him think she was dead for months, and then showed up out of the blue one day revealing she'd made a deal with the guy who killed All Might in a battle to the death that actually altered Japan's map to get another Quirk.
And as he processed that memory another text arrived.
'By the way, you're better at people than I am. How do you approach a guy you probably (definitely) helped traumatize?'
...This was his life. He had idiot clients, yakuza conspiracies, teenagers plotting something in his kitchen, and his best friend was quite possibly the most terrifying person in Japan and also a total idiot.
Screw it. He was going out and buying some actual good coffee for once. If this was any indicator of how the rest of his day would go, Kuroe would fucking pamper himself.
There was an awkward silence in the kitchen when they heard the front door close. Not even five minutes had passed since Kuroe got his morning coffee and saw Uraraka before he suddenly left. Shouto felt a bit surprised at how quickly he'd left the house. He'd slept in until ten today, surprisingly late for the man.
It was late enough for everyone else to wake up and for Uraraka to come over with a map of Japan to begin planning their next move. Their first step was looking for Nabu on said map, because none of them actually knew its location. At one point Kirishima had suggested they just search it on Moogle, but by that point Shouto and Ashido had taken the search as a personal challenge.
Looking back, Shouto supposed it might have been a bit much for Kuroe to see first thing in the morning while still waking up.
He also felt just slightly guilty since they left not even ten minutes after Kuroe did.
Midway through their search for Nabu, Shiozaki had texted him that Glitch had used his Quirk to make Mail visible again that morning. He seemed open to answering questions about "Porter," and that seemed like a good starting point for the day. It took a bit of searching, but they soon found the abandoned karaoke bar she'd identified as the meeting point. She herself had declined against joining, mostly acting as a messenger.
Shouto wasn't surprised to find Shouji waiting inside the bar alongside Mail and Glitch, given he was the only person who'd met Porter. It seemed Rogue wouldn't be present today, which suited Shouto fine. Neither would Monoma or Ojiro, which also suited him fine. There was one face he didn't expect though, but one he readily welcomed compared to the rest: Asui.
"I am very curious about UA," she explained. "And I was talking to Mail-san when Maria and Todoroki-kun worked out the meeting, kero."
"I'm just surprised you were willing to come all this way," Uraraka said. She'd initially been happy to see the other girl, but her face now held a note of worry. "You don't do well with cold, right?"
"I don't, but this seemed important enough to make an exception, kero. Besides, I want to try to help too if I can."
The offer made Uraraka nod gratefully. "Thank you, so much," she said sincerely, effectively echoing everyone's sentiments. They may not know this Asui that well, but she still had that air of calmness that defined her in their own world. As before, her mere presence brought a sense of much-needed stability and comfort.
"You still can't tell her everything though," Glitch reminded them, voice only mildly distorted. He leaned against a nearby wall to survey them warily, his features still flickering like before but not quite as severely. "Mainly the stuff about that Midoriya guy."
"I don't know why you guys are so insistent on hiding that stuff," Mail remarked. "I think they can at least say some of it. I mean, if you tell me where he is, I could go over there and help scope out the place—"
"No," everyone chorused flatly, and he blinked in mild surprise before shrugging.
"Eh, worth a shot."
While he'd been helpful yesterday and mostly open with sharing information, they still didn't know him well enough to fully trust him yet. For all they knew, he could be lying about that Porter guy and just trying to lull them into a false sense of security so he could lure them towards the heroes "for their own good." The runaways had basically done that to Shouto with Tokoyami, so he admittedly might be a bit more wary.
Either way, they needed to be careful right now. Too many lives depended on this, and the wrong move could end with Midoriya moved out of their reach by an overprotective Shigaraki. Until they could get him, Aizawa, Bakugou and that Shinsou kid out of there, they really couldn't take any chances.
To that end, they needed to focus on the other aspects of the investigation for now. "Well, even if you can't help with that, we can probably at least use some help looking for this Porter guy," Kirishima said to Asui.
"Yeah, there are definitely a few places to cover if you're going to be looking for Porter," Mail mused with a nod. "The more people helping, the better."
"So you do know where he is?" Shouji asked sharply, but the specter shook his head.
"Nope. I don't even know if one even is in this world."
"Why not?" Ashido asked. "You said he basically teleports his whole body, so doesn't that mean he can bring a phone with him?"
"Yes, he can," Mail deadpanned. "A cell phone with a contract specific to whatever world he gets it from. And which uses a phone number that is tied to that world, and has contacts which may or may not work in every world because cell phones aren't guaranteed to always use the exact same phone numbers."
"Oh," Ashido said quietly, looking a bit sheepish. Shouto honestly hadn't even thought about that, but Mail raised some good points.
"Then how do you usually find him, then?" Uraraka asked curiously. "Or, does he just find you?" Come to think of it, he had said they'd only met Porter three times (or well, three Porters), so it didn't seem like they met up often.
"Pretty much the second one," Mail confirmed with a nod. "From what they told us, they usually just try to scope out where we are when they arrive at new worlds, but they try to avoid interacting with us since they can get... mixed reception."
He shrugged while Shouto frowned. "Mixed reception?"
"Frankly, with our backgrounds, it's better to be paranoid of anyone we don't personally know from our world. Just because it's another version of us or our siblings doesn't mean our interests align. The only reason the multiverse isn't in chaos is because we have this pact to not use information or memories from other worlds to our own advantage if we're on opposite sides."
"Opposite sides, as in?" Glitch pressed.
"Villains, or non-hero-aligned," Mail replied bluntly. Everyone stiffened at that, but he just huffed. "Oi, don't give me that look. The basic requirement for us to know Porter is that we all got kidnapped by villains and grew up in that hellhole. At least two of my siblings were directly born into that shit, as in they literally don't exist without that specific background." He shook his head as he muttered darkly, "Honestly, the fact any of them ended up as heroes and not villains is pretty damn impressive."
"You said them, not us," Shouto pointed out with narrowed eyes.
"Yes, because I died in the rescue," Mail deadpanned. "Given the whole 'dead' thing, it's kind of pointless to get licensed. I mean, what can they do, throw me in jail for using a Quirk?" He shrugged, sounding pretty casual and dismissive of the notion. "Good luck, I'm literally impossible to contain. Probably one of the only perks of this whole 'stuck in limbo' thing.
"But back to the main point," he continued pointedly before they could respond, "Porters usually avoid our siblings when they go hero because they're the most likely to react violently to it."
"And the villains don't?" Kirishima piped up, understandably skeptical.
"No, because they usually try to keep a low profile and keep to ourselves. Having a Porter show up in a villain-verse isn't as risky because he'd have to be specifically targeting us, which isn't likely. But heroes have more to protect. Any version of Porter is a dangerous person with unknown intent and who knows their weaknesses, along with whatever other juicy, secret info they pick up from adventures in other worlds."
The logic was strange, but Shouto could see his point. Asui tapped a finger to her chin. "How dangerous could that knowledge be, kero? Would he really have access to critical information?" Mail crossed his arms with a hum.
"I mentioned that he can see the memories he shares through dreams too, right?" he asked, and when they nodded he said, "Well, that's how. For reference, Saki has never actually visited UA in this world, but she can usually follow along when Kas talks about it because she's seen a few dreams where she did. Also, she's referenced that skeleton form of All Might for about... three years, now."
The last bit had them all startling. "Wait, what?" Ashido blurted. "Three years? But that's impossible, isn't it? That only happened after he got hurt fighting that All For One guy at Kamino!" Shouto nodded in agreement. Had they seen that form before then, it would have been much more shocking to see it in that battle.
"Hate to break it to you, but it's probably not new in your world," Mail replied with a frown. "Without going into specifics, Saki's Quirk lets her get a sense of people's physical state. She's had a couple dreams where All Might had a major injury to his side, she could detect it both in his All Might state and that other one where he looks like a skeleton. Best as we can tell he had two forms after getting it, and probably some sort of time limit on the 'buff' one because of the strain. Seemed to be secret."
That... was highly unnerving to hear for multiple reasons. All Might had been injured in the past? Shouto automatically wanted to argue, but the bit about the time limit made him hesitate. Come to think of it, All Might had been working less in more recent years. Endeavor had grumbled about it occasionally, finding it even more annoying that All Might held the position of Number One Hero despite spending less time on heroics.
"If that's the case, why would they send that information over a dream?" Shouji asked. "I don't know how long the memories usually are, but my dream lasted about ten minutes total, so it would have to be the main purpose of the dream."
"Length of the memories can vary at Porter's discretion. When I was alive they could be as long as half an hour, and from what I hear he's probably extended it. We figure they'd send those dreams over to warn us to keep an eye on All Might, since there's not many ways to get hurt like that." Mail's mouth twisted wryly as he added, "It's not exactly obvious he's dead in our world, after all."
He paused then, looking at the dimension travelers more thoughtfully now. "Actually, you guys mentioned he teaches at UA in your world, right? Chances are you would've seen that other form around UA before Kamino." At that moment Uraraka snapped to attention with a loud gasp.
"The infirmary!" she blurted excitedly. She flinched when everyone turned to look at her inquisitively, seeming a bit embarrassed by her outburst, but quickly explained. "Back at the Sports Festival, when Deku got hurt in his match with Todoroki, a bunch of us went to check on him in the infirmary. And when we arrived there was a blond guy there! I didn't recognize him then, but that was absolutely All Might!"
"Wait, seriously?" Ashido gasped, jaw falling open. "Does that mean Mido actually does know him?"
"I don't know, but I guess he must have," Uraraka replied with a shrug. "I only remembered him because he was standing by Deku's bed, but he wasn't dressed like a nurse or anything like that. I thought they must be related somehow."
"Then, maybe I was right after all," Shouto murmured, thinking of his brief confrontation with the green-haired boy that day. When everyone looked at him in confusion he just shook his head though. "Sorry. If I'm right, it's not my place to say." If Midoriya was All Might's secret love child, it wasn't his place to reveal it.
Thankfully no one pushed. "Well, in any case, there you have it," Mail said with a shrug. "That pretty much confirms he got a similar injury in your world, but covered it up from the public. Probably to avoid panic since, well, you've seen how this world turned out with him dead." The atmosphere grew a bit more somber at the reminder of what caused this world to diverge so wildly. While that older injury wasn't fatal, Shouto could imagine similar unrest if it became public knowledge.
He frowned, feeling a bit uneasy at the thought. It felt like they'd learned something they weren't supposed to know—which was technically true, he realized, since All Might had never mentioned it even after Kamino. But in this case, it felt more like a violation of privacy than just classified information. It left a bad taste in his mouth.
"So if he can find the weakness of the number one hero, you can see why we'd be wary of an unknown Porter," Mail said, bringing him out of his thoughts. "So usually he'll avoid hero versions of us and overall lay low."
Something suddenly clicked in Shouto's mind that made him freeze. "Wait, you just said a bunch of you are villains. So Porter could share that with villains." He heard some of the others gasp. If the League of Villains got that information before Kamino—Shouto didn't want to think of what could happen.
"And that's why we have an honor code to not share information that isn't directly and obviously shared to us," Mail replied, ever patient in the face of their unease. "The dreams are a two-way street. We also have information on villains we could gather just from paying close attention to details. Not major plans, but still enough to turn the tide if we wanted. So we don't tell anyone or actively use it unless it's shared with us."
"Wait, but isn't that a waste?" Uraraka argued with a frown. "Just knowing stuff like villains' Quirks could save people's lives!"
"Yes, just like the information on the hero side could be an advantage to villain-us," Mail deadpanned, and the girl shrunk back with a soft "oh." "I already said it, but the honor code is probably the main reason the multiverse isn't in chaos. And besides, the information we get isn't guaranteed to be accurate across all worlds. There's room for variation, and I don't mean just events."
"Like what?" Asui asked. Mail crossed his arms as he rolled to face the ceiling, humming in thought.
"Alright, so you guys obviously know Shigaraki."
The remark got several affirming groans and grumbles. As it stood, the hands-laden villain had proven to be a major threat in both worlds, though this world's version posed the bigger obstacle. They hadn't seen hide or tail of Shigaraki in their own world since the summer camp attack, which suited them fine.
Mail just nodded at their unenthused reactions. "So, mind telling me about his Quirk?" Now the sour mood gave way to curious looks, everyone briefly glancing at each other with small frowns.
Finally Uraraka decided to speak up. "He disintegrates stuff by touching it, right?"
"I think it needs all five fingers," Shouto murmured.
"Usually, yes," Mail confirmed. "There's at least one world where he needs to use both hands, though. And one where he can do it with his feet." Now everyone was staring at him in shock, or at least the world jumpers did. Given their encounter at USJ had him covered head to torso in severed hands, they'd developed a pretty strong association between Shigaraki's Quirk and hands.
As they pondered this Ashido's face scrunched up. "Does... does he wear feet instead in that world?" she whispered faintly. Uraraka made a choking noise while Shouto stared blankly into space, imagining Shigaraki with a foot on his face. He didn't know how to feel about that.
"Don't know," Mail replied with a shrug. "I just know Saki added it to her 'weird alternate version' list. She and Kas basically play a game tracking weird alternate versions of people. Other highlights include Sir Nighteye with pink hair, and a weird number of worlds where Togata has super strength on top of his intangibility."
"Wait, does Togata-senpai intern with Sir Nighteye in this world, too?" Uraraka cut in, while Shouto struggled to place the name. It felt very familiar... As he pondered it she bit her lip before hesitantly asking, "Does—does he still have his Quirk?"
Oh, now Shouto remembered. Everyone who'd been at the Overhaul raid had been pretty downtrodden about that turn of events. Kirishima, Asui and even Glitch all snapped sharply to attention, and even Mail seemed to go rigid for a moment. "Um, yes, does," he replied after a beat, and Uraraka slumped with open relief.
"Oh thank goodness."
"I'm sorry, did you just ask if he still has his Quirk?" Kirishima yelped.
"It was... some kind of bullet, right?" Ashido asked, looking unusually solemn. "Our Kiri talked to us about it a little bit after... everything. He was having trouble sleeping so it just came out. It was a pretty heavy night." Mail jolted as his head snapped towards her, eyes wide with shock. Ashido continued to look somber, and he glanced between her and a grim Uraraka with a look of mild shock.
"Okay, so now I have multiple questions about that," he said after a moment, eying the latter almost warily, "but those can wait. To get back to my point: there are worlds where people can be born with different Quirks works differently. And it's not just that. Actually, you all obviously know Eraserhead," he added, back to sounding casual and lighthearted again. They all nodded, suddenly wary, and Mail smirked. "Fun fact: first time Kas heard about him? A dream about a world where he was a villain."
Now they all stared at him in open disbelief. Aizawa, as a villain? Of all the claims so far, that felt like the most ridiculous. "How?" Uraraka whispered.
"Who knows?" Mail shrugged. "We're pretty sure that version of Kas wanted to let him know that there was a guy who'd make a fun fight, and also warn him since, well, Erasure. So you can imagine how surprised he was to have Eraserhead drop in as backup during a brawl." He chuckled and shook his head, clearly amused by their continued stunned stares. Aizawa could be scary, but Shouto just couldn't imagine him as a villain.
As usual, Asui remained the most cool-headed, though this time that might be because she didn't know Aizawa-sensei. "So like you said, the information you get may not be correct, kero," she surmised. "Even if something is true in every world they see, there's still a chance that this world is an exception. So sharing it would just cause problems."
Mail nodded with a pleased smile. "Yes, exactly! So that's the logical reason for not sharing this stuff."
"The logical reason?" Shouto repeated, zeroing in on the emphasis.
"Yeah, the one we'd give if anyone ever tries to ask about it. The actual reason is honestly just the honor code. Don't share information about other sides with outsiders, and use whatever you learn from dreams sparingly unless it's shared specifically to be used. We don't even talk about this being a thing to outsiders," he added with a small frown. "I'm only telling you guys because you already know about one Porter and, well, it's relevant to your situation."
His relaxed demeanor faded then, expression becoming cold and stoic, and suddenly Shouto felt his breath catch. Somehow, the room suddenly felt darker, Mail's pale white-orange eyes seeming eerily bright as he gazed at them. The atmosphere in the empty room felt tense and menacing, and he knew he wasn't the only one to sense it even as he found his gaze transfixed solely on the specter.
"And I'm trusting you won't tell anyone," he said lowly, voice almost empty in the wrong way. "If you do, you won't like the consequences." A chill ran down Shouto's spine because for a second, he wasn't in the karaoke bar anymore.
Suddenly he was in Hosu, standing paralyzed as he watched Stain stand over a freshly slain noumu radiating an air of darkness and death.
Just as soon as the memory appeared it vanished, leaving him breathless and standing far too stiff. It had been brief, but for a moment he swore it felt like Mail emanated the same kind of presence that Stain carried. It was the air of someone dangerous, and someone fully aware of that fact. It was enough to leave him feeling cold for reasons unrelated to his Quirk.
Maybe he'd imagined the effect, because the others didn't seem nearly as affected. "You must really care about that honor code," Shouji muttered and Mail nodded.
"We're willing to die to protect it," he declared, and something about his tone—so firm and resolute—told Shouto he genuinely meant it.
After that Mail relaxed a bit, and Shouto felt like the last traces of that phantom chill vanished. "Anyways, we won't break it, but the thing is, Porter's kinda an exception since it's his Quirk. The code is honestly more in place to respect him than to maintain some natural multi-dimensional order. He doesn't want his Quirk to be used by other people—emphasis on other. Information he finds is free game for himself. So you can see why we're kinda wary of unknown Porters showing up out of the blue.
"But," and here he smirked, "he won't avoid people if they go looking for him."
"We're not bringing in outsiders," Glitch stated without missing a bit, getting firm nods from everyone, runaway and dimension-jumper alike. Mail's smirk faded, looking mildly annoyed at the instantaneous response.
"That's not what I meant. It doesn't have to be our siblings specifically. He won't avoid anyone looking for him." It still took a second to realize what he was trying to say, but Shouto saw Asui suddenly stand straight with a spark of understanding in her eyes.
"He's curious," she stated bluntly. "If someone knew him, he'd want to know who they were and how they knew him, kero."
Mail grinned at her and nodded, quickly slipping back to his original laidback attitude. "Exactly. We don't usually talk about this stuff to outsiders because it's the kind of thing that can be taken advantage of. So if he realizes that a bunch of kids know about it, he'll want to know why. His curiosity's like a Quirk-based compulsion: he wants to figure out what makes each world different from the rest."
It made sense to Shouto. Plenty of Quirks gave their owners certain compulsions that they wouldn't engage in otherwise, as evidenced by the runaways' shopping lists. Looking for differences between worlds seemed like an obvious one. "That still doesn't tell us where to look for him though," Kirishima pointed out.
"No, but we can use that curiosity to narrow it down," Asui replied before Mail could. "For example, when he met Shouji-kun, he was asking about that statue in the park, kero."
"He mentioned it was one of several 'smaller mysteries,'" Shouji added thoughtfully, picking up her line of thought. "He was looking at a small notebook, it must have a list of differences between the worlds. And the way he talked, this world seems to have major differences from most."
Asui nodded in agreement. "If we can find some differences between the worlds, it can narrow down possible locations he might visit."
"There's a lot of really big ones though," Ashido groaned. "I mean, Tokyo's kinda just... not a thing here, somehow? And neither is UA?" Everyone frowned, realizing she had a point. With so many radical changes, narrowing down the list would be tricky.
Uraraka soon perked up though. "What about Kamino?" she suggested. "All Might had that big battle in our world. And I mean, if the League of Villains exists in our world and this one, then maybe they have a base around there in most worlds?"
"Not just one base, but two," Shouto murmured. He hadn't seen the bar, but he still clearly remembered peeking into that warehouse. Seeing the tops of brains peeking out in the seemingly plentiful vats of fluid was something he wouldn't forget. Then something else struck him that had his eyes growing wide. "And if Mail's sister knew that about Shigaraki, then they might work with the League in some worlds." When he looked at Mail he nodded in confirmation.
"Sometimes, yeah. Don't know much about those worlds since I don't dream about them though, and Saki and Kas don't really talk about them."
"But as you said, one of Porter's first priority is finding out if they're heroes," Asui said thoughtfully. "And I don't know who your sister is, but Kaitou and Lee said that your brother is an underground hero, kero."
"They both are," Mail said with a small smirk, and Asui nodded.
"Underground heroes usually avoided the spotlight even before villains started targeting heroes' families, kero, and there's not much press coverage of them. So if he knows where this 'League' has bases, then it might be faster to check those first, especially since you said that villain versions are less likely to attack him." That got some nods of agreement, everyone looking more energized.
Mostly everyone, anyway. "Ugh, I wish we knew about this before we ran away!" Ashido whined. "We were right there! Kiri and I totally could've checked it out ourselves!" As she whined Shouto frowned.
"I could go to Kamino," he volunteered. "I went there in our world, so I could find it again pretty easily." He shrugged nonchalantly, though he secretly felt slightly disappointed. Originally they'd agreed that he and Uraraka would go to Nabu to meet Midoriya, partially due to being the most inconspicuous option, but also because he just really wanted to see him. Of everyone caught up in this mess Shouto knew Midoriya best, and at this point, it would be a relief to meet him. Besides, he'd like to talk to him some more about the Dabi situation.
So he felt a bit of selfish relief when Uraraka shook her head, "No, you're still the best option to meet Deku," she said. "You stand out the least, which is kinda what we need over there. And besides, I could tell you really wanted to meet Deku this morning." Ashido and Kirishima nodded in agreement, and Shouto silently sent them his gratitude.
"And where is he, by the way?" Mail inquired lightly. He was answered by a flurry of random small objects snatched from the tables and thrown his way courtesy of Ashido and Uraraka. Unsettlingly enough, he just smiled pleasantly as they passed right through him and bounced off the wall and ceiling. "Alright, still don't trust me. Got it."
After that, attention turned to plotting out other places Porter could be, everyone getting more energized as the list grew. This was their first true lead to finding a way home, and they were all more than ready to receive answers.
BONUS:
'So. Remember that guy I met years ago?
The one with the eye Quirk who technically helped me, but also technically against his will?
Well he's now Izuku's guest, and not too happy about it. I went to say hi and he uh
Freaked out?
Tried to give him time, but then Izuku showed up so I had to go. So uh. Yeah.
I don't remember the full rules on how to talk to people who're traumatized. Soooo got any advice?'
Kuroe stared at his phone in silence, brain steadily decrypting Aiko's obtuse word choice.
Guy she met with the eye Quirk = Eraserhead
Technically helped but also technically against his will = kidnapped with lasting trauma
Izuku's guest, not too happy = kidnapped again and now in Izuku's custody
Freaked out = flashback to last kidnapping triggered by her presence
Even as he made these connections another text arrived. 'I'm guessing a fruit basket and apology note wouldn't work.' Followed by another one seconds later saying, 'Or... would it?'
Kuroe let his head hit the Sunbucks table with a groan, ignoring the strange looks he got from the other patrons. Really Aiko? Really? "Why is this my life."
Notes:
Well this chapter went longer than I originally planned. It's over 5.7k words long before the bonus. Got to expand on how the multiverse works though! (Also this gives me justification to change up some minor details from canon just for fun~)
Also, Aiko's trying. That's something, right?
Question for Next Time: What places do you think a world traveler would be likely to visit to gauge major timeline differences in a world?
Chapter 76: Wild Cat Chase
Summary:
The 1-A Vigilantes have their first patrol since the meeting, and meet someone. Meanwhile Hitoshi is really not liking Sushi's new powers, and the search for her has him talking to people he'd usually try to avoid.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 76
.::Wild Cat Chase::.
At long last, after what felt like weeks, the 1-A Vigilantes were back on the streets patrolling. Denki hadn't realized how much relief he'd feel walking around in costume alongside Jirou, searching for muggers and other petty criminals. Though they hadn't been doing it for long, not even a month, these patrols had become a part of their routine in this world.
Even the streets and back alleys felt familiar and welcoming. Whether that was due to their experiences or some subconscious memories from their counterparts, he didn't know. Either way, it felt good to be back.
"So, the Vice Rep got some leads, right?" he asked Jirou as as they walked through one of their usual alleys.
"Yeah. Looked them over this morning. Most of them are located on pretty busy streets that are already patrolled by Pros, so don't think we should go there in costume."
"You said most, not all," Denki pointed out, and could picture her smirking behind the mask.
"Yeah, there's one place that's kinda out of the way. It's in an area that's just a bunch of office buildings so villains don't really target there much. So I'm thinking we do our usual patrol route, but head east since it's that way. We can check out the others later when we're not in costume."
"Sounds like a plan!" Denki agreed, and they fell silent as they emerged onto the street. He'd let Jirou take the lead, since she'd actually checked a map and knew where to go. In retrospect he probably should've asked before they left, when they didn't have to talk all vague like this in case of eavesdroppers. They hadn't even decided on a codename for Yaoyorozu; Denki was just glad she was the full class-rep in this world.
Asking Yaomomo to help predict Gentle Criminal's next target turned out to be an even better idea than they thought. She'd called last night around eight to report a list of potential targets, having apparently spent a good chunk of yesterday on researching it. They'd had high hopes about her helping, but hadn't expected her to get results that fast.
Turns out that a bunch of local business owners had basically banded together because they thought they might be targeted by Gentle Criminal. The Yaoyorozu family didn't seem to be concerned since their businesses headquartered in other cities, but Yaomomo still knew some other rich kids whose families lived in Hosu. Convincing them to share the list hadn't been too hard since she'd previously been interested in heroics.
Honestly, a lot of the explanation went over Denki's head last night. He'd been more focused on how, while he knew two of the companies, the rest were completely new to him. Not because they didn't exist in their world (probably, anyway), but mostly because they weren't household names you'd see on products, but stuff like... parent companies? One Moogle search marathon later, and Denki was left with one conclusion:
All that corporate talk was way too complicated for him.
A sharp cry had him happily shelving the complicated thoughts and focusing on the things he could understand: saving people. He and Jirou both took off running, and soon enough had managed to apprehend a purse snatcher and return the bag to a very thankful woman.
The police were called and then the vigilantes were quickly on their way, rushing to avoid running into the police. So far they'd managed to avoid them for the most part, and also any heroes, and they didn't plan to break that record now. As they darted into the alleys Denki felt a strong sense of pride and satisfaction, his thoughts stuck on that woman's grateful expression as she thanked them.
"You ever think about how even the little stuff like this feels good?" he asked.
"You mean just talking to people after helping take down the smaller crooks?" Jirou replied, and nodded. "Yeah, sometimes. It's kinda cool. You only ever really hear about the big stuff on the news, and even in the internships I just helped with evac stuff. So little things like this... Feels kinda nice."
"Yeah, it kinda does." Denki nodded with a small smile. Stopping purse snatchers and muggers didn't involve a big, glorious battle that actively saved lives, but the little moments afterwards really were some of the best. There really was something awesome about talking to people right after helping out even with small stuff like this. It really put into perspective what it meant to be a hero, this wasn't something you could learn at UA.
Even after they finally got home, he hoped he'd still remember this feeling. If one thing had to come out of this mess, it would be that.
Heavy footsteps and a sound like thunder mixed with whistling cut into their thoughts. They both spun to see something zoom through one of the intersecting side alleys behind them, only to reappear seconds later to reveal a familiar figure in silver armor. Denki startled in wide-eyed recognition, Iida's name caught on his lips. Wasn't he supposed to be in school? Wait, why did he have a costume at all?
Iida turned to face them with a small huff. "Huh, so you're the famous 1-A Vigilantes," he said, and... now Denki was even more confused. Why was his voice different, it sounded a bit deeper—oh. Ohhh...
Right, Iida's brother was still Ingenium here. He forgot about that for a second.
"Fuck," Jirou whispered next to him, and Denki could hear the slight distortion to her voice from the modifier hidden inside the face masks. He swallowed and quickly tapped the side of his face to turn on his own.
"You better not be trying to prep an attack, kid," Ingenium called lightly.
"Nope, not at all—wait, kid?" Denki jolted as the word abruptly registered. "Why would you call me that?"
"My brother said you talked to him without any voice-modifying, and you sounded his age. And also, you may have dropped out of middle school...?" He said the last part questioningly while Denki groaned in dismay. Right, he'd forgotten about that too, or at least the part where he spoke without using the voice modifier. And of course Iida would focus on the bit where he mentioned dropping out.
"We really don't want to fight," Jirou said next to him, which was an understatement.
"Good, neither do I," Ingenium responded. He took a step forward and they reflexively stepped back, making him stop and raise his hands. "Hey, don't run. You won't get very far anyway."
"We're not truants!" Denki hollered impulsively, and that had Ingenium faltering a bit.
"Wait, what?"
"Whatever your brother told you, he's wrong! We're not skipping class or anything!" Technically that counted as a bald-faced lie, but Denki was just spouting whatever came to mind to buy time. He had absolutely no idea what to do. Purse snatchers and muggers were one thing, but a Pro Hero? This was a totally different level from what they usually faced!
"Well, he told me you guys beat that villain last week, and based on the other reports he seemed right about that," Ingenium countered wryly, and Denki paused. Oh right, they also fought an actual villain last week. Still, this was totally different!
"Okay, yeah, that part's true," he admitted. "But everything else was a lie!"
"...Sure." Ingenium sounded more amused than anything, which didn't help Denki's nerves much.
"What do you want with us?" Jirou asked sharply.
"Now we're getting somewhere!" Ingenium exclaimed cheerfully. Denki's brain automatically tried to conjure an image of what his expression looked like, but all he could imagine was Iida's super-serious face. Sure he'd smiled occasionally, but he never sounded so cheerful and carefree like that. How were these two related? "Well, of course, I have a duty to apprehend vigilantes—"
That had Denki snapping back to attention, just in time for Jirou to wind back her arm and throw something pink. Ingenium cut himself off and immediately leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the projectile as it hit he'd stood and exploded into a mass of sticky pink goo. Denki and Jirou didn't waste the opening, already turning to run.
"Taser, foam!" she barked, and Denki nodded as he quickly pulled a small pellet from his pocket to blindly throw behind them. They didn't dare look back as they took off, only hearing the pop and a shout from Ingenium to confirm the foam expanded. That was no where near enough to believe they were home free so they kept running.
The foam just made it harder to move, it didn't stick to people. They got kind of lucky with Iida. Iida's engines were in his legs, but Ingenium's were in his arms. The foam wouldn't be as effective at slowing him since he could just wave his arms and use the engines to pull himself free of it. Or maybe boost a jump over it? He didn't know, but they couldn't stick around to find out!
They darted through the alleys and then side streets blindly, desperate to escape their pursuer. Their surroundings blurred together as they ran, familiar and strange at the same time. Sure enough Ingenium kept pace, shouting for them to stop but of course they didn't, they weren't stupid! His shouts just made them run even harder.
As they turned into another alley a door opened and a person stepped out holding a trash bag. The vigilante duo had to skid to the side to avoid crashing into them even as the person jumped back, not daring to slow down. "Sorry!" Denki called, not looking back. They'd reached the end of the alley when they heard a loud shout and a crash, and that was enough to make Denki finally risk a glance back.
Ingenium had fallen to the ground, the trash bag's contents strewn all around (and over) him. Standing over him beside Sero, wearing that convenience storm uniform and looking incredibly sheepish. "Dude, I am so sorry!" he apologized to the Pro Hero. As he did he glanced at Denki and Jirou, and gave a subtle little nod and brief smirk. It fueled Denki with a renewed determination, grinning as he and Jirou turned to resume their escape.
The dude just threw a bunch of trash at a Pro Hero to give them a chance to escape. He might not be their Sero, but the guy was still an awesome bro in every universe.
As far as universal constants went, this one rocked.
Hitoshi's day, so far, was weird, which isn't a word he thought could apply to being held prisoner by a bunch of villains. It started on a panicked note when he realized Sushi was missing after breakfast. Then Midoriya showed up to tell him to get ready for tutoring, and explained Sushi was with Eraserhead and had some kind of invisibility Quirk. That had been a shocking revelation, but might explain some stuff...?
Things then got weirder when they went to the tutoring session, because Kurogiri wasn't there to escort them this time. No villains were, actually, which felt downright bizarre. Usually there'd be one or two left skulking in the halls nearby, "just in case" something happened. You know, like Midoriya screaming for help. Or Blasty letting off a bunch of explosions. Or Hitoshi, Blasty and Eraserhead plotting their escape after subduing and pinning Midoriya. It was part of why they hadn't talked to Eraserhead about the escape plan yet, they didn't want to risk being overheard.
This time though? Not a single one. It made him feel almost like they were breaking some unspoken rule, though he didn't dare ask Midoriya if they were. He seemed oddly on edge today. (When asked, he just said, "Seiko." That was all they needed to know.) Hitoshi focused his attention on Sushi instead, wishing he could scold her for sneaking off and worrying him. His phone's bland cadence just didn't really do the trick.
After a while he had to start actually studying though, which was also incredibly weird on its own. Seriously, he didn't even do actual schoolwork after running away! He just went over textbooks now and then, it's not like he actively needed that stuff.
Still, it wasn't hard to get immersed in the work. So he didn't know how long passed until someone banged on the door and it opened, and they turned to see... Mustard, maybe? Hitoshi wasn't sure, he only ever saw the guy in passing.
"Mustard?" Midoriya blurted, and cool, Hitoshi got it right. "What are you doing here?" Probably wasn't here for tutoring, despite looking like he was about their age. Seriously, so unfair.
"Just to double-check, Shigaraki got you a cat, right?" the other boy asked, and he now had Hitoshi's full attention.
"What, did you come here just to pet it?" Bakugou snapped defensively.
"No, I came here because a black cat appeared out of no where in the kitchen while I was making lunch, and knocked a bunch of spices off the counter and ran off," Mustard replied testily. "And the only cat in the base is Midoriya's, so is it yours or not?" That had everyone freezing and looking around the room, seeing no sign of Sushi.
"When was the last time anyone saw her?" Eraserhead questioned briskly, but no one had an answer.
"But wait, we had the door closed this whole time," Midoriya mumbled. "So how...?" Hitoshi paid him no mind, getting up and typing rapidly on his phone.
"Show me where she was." Questions could wait until after they found Sushi. He might get in trouble for wandering around unsupervised, but he didn't care. The idea of leaving Sushi to wander around a place full of villains with unknown intentions and feelings towards cats was an unacceptable risk to him.
Luckily Midoriya and Bakugou seemed to agree, as he could hear them wrapping up things with Eraserhead so they could join in. Hitoshi didn't stick around to pack up his own things, just following Mustard down the hall towards the kitchen.
And thus began a two-hour search of the Alliance's headquarters, going as far as to skip lunch to look. The building's layout seemed to be working against them; the maze-like halls created plenty of intersecting paths, which meant that Sushi could easily go to an area they'd already checked. With Sushi's newfound invisibility and apparent ability to just bypass doors, that meant a lot of doubling back.
Of course, at some point Toga showed up and got involved in the search efforts, which at this point Hitoshi expected. Less expected was Mustard joining in too.
"Some of the guys here are just simple-minded idiots who don't think about anything but fighting," he explained with a huff. "Wouldn't put it past them to hurt a cat just for kicks, which would just piss off Shigaraki when Midoriya gets upset. I don't want to deal with that."
Hitoshi frowned and eyed the other teen thoughtfully. They'd split off from the others, Midoriya and Bakugou taking one area and Toga searching another solo. The logic was that Hitoshi and Bakugou couldn't go anywhere alone, and Bakugou would probably blow up anyone but Midoriya. Hitoshi meanwhile didn't want to go anywhere alone with Toga, which just left Mustard.
He hadn't really looked at Mustard before, just glimpsed him in passing, but walking this close together he could tell they were around the same age. The guy had shaggy light brown hair that looked like it needed a trim, and wore a dark-colored hoodie and jeans. He might even be a little younger, maybe a year or so?
It made him wonder about why Mustard was here. It was obvious he hadn't been forced to be here, and he didn't seem like he'd been forced on the run like Hitoshi and so many others. Something about his attitude made it feel like he'd chosen to come here. Still, despite his curiosity Hitoshi didn't really feel like asking. They'd spent approximately an hour in each other's proximity at this point, no where near enough to ask something that personal.
Instead he pulled out his phone to type a different remark. "You don't seem to like most of the people here." Mustard had spent a good few minutes complaining about some of the grunts here. He seemed to view a majority of them more like nuisances than allies or colleagues.
"I don't," Mustard huffed. "Most of them are idiots who don't think things through, they just dive head-first into fights without even trying to strategize. Shigaraki just uses them as cannon fodder."
"And not you?" Hitoshi asked. Mustard turned a sharp glare his way, and Hitoshi briefly raised his hands in an appeasing motion before quickly typing again. "Just asking. Text to speech doesn't translate tone well. Not trying to be sarcastic."
That seemed to appease Mustard, the other teen huffing as he turned forward. "No, not me. I proved my worth soon after joining." Hitoshi wanted to ask when that was, but that might be a bit too forward. "I might not be the strongest or flashiest person here, but I know how to take advantage of what I have and win. That, and I actually know how to cook."
The dry remark got an amused snort from Hitoshi. From what Midoriya said, the number of people actually allowed to cook seemed surprisingly low. While many of them could cook simple meals to feed themselves, most tended to be a bit too disastrous to cook for others. Like Twice, Slycer and Toga. Especially Twice, Slycer and Toga.
(He also still wondered how Midoriya got banned.)
An electronic chirp interrupted the conversation, and Mustard quickly pulled out his phone to check it. "That's Toga, she's cleared her area for the third time," he said, and scowled as he added, "And Midoriya just said they're having no luck either." Hitoshi frowned, his light mood forgotten as he worried about Sushi.
"Do you think she got out?" he typed. She had managed to get out of Eraserhead's cell, which definitely had a closed door. It seemed like she had more than invisibility going for her, maybe intangibility too or something? Like a ghost?
"I don't know, but I'm getting sick of searching the same places over and over again. There's one place we haven't checked." Mustard turned on his heel to stalk away, Hitoshi following in faint confusion. It took a couple turns to realize where they were going, at which point he came to an abrupt halt. Mustard noticed him stop and turned to look at him impatiently. "What now?"
"Are we going to the bar?" Hitoshi asked, heart pounding.
"Duh. It's the closest place to the kitchen anyway, and that's the last place any of us saw her." He turned to continue stalking away, but stopped again as he noticed Hitoshi still didn't follow. Mustard hung his head with a groan, grumbling under his breath before spinning around with an irritated scowl. "Look, this is your cat. Do you want to find it or not?"
Hitoshi gulped and nodded, forcing his feet to move and follow Mustard despite the rising pit of anxiety in his stomach. He hadn't actually been to the bar since the initial tour, but he could clearly remember the number of villains skulking about. They seemed to congregate there more than other parts of the building (at least, parts he visited), and right now thanks to this damn muzzle he'd be pretty defenseless if any of them recognized him or just wanted to challenge him.
As the door came into sight he had to steady his breathing, fists clenching at his side as he watched Mustard push it open. Screw it, he'd come this far. If he did get beat up, he'd have to trust that Midoriya's influence would get someone to intervene on his behalf. With a sharp breath he stepped through the door, and—
The bar was empty.
After psyching himself up to face a potentially hostile crowd, it almost felt like a letdown to see all the empty chairs. Sure, it was the middle of the day, but it seemed like people would tend to hang out around here anyway. His relief at any absent thugs felt hollow though, because the bar wasn't completely empty. Two figures sat at the counter with mugs of hot chocolate, going by the aroma, and his stomach lurched at the sight of Shigaraki. Seeing Aiko next to him didn't make Hitoshi feel much better either.
While Hitoshi felt understandably unnerved by them, Shigaraki seemed more incredulous as he looked between him and Mustard. "What are you two doing together? You're not part of the same party."
"Their cat ran off," Mustard replied with a huff. "We're trying to find it." The older male scoffed at the remark, derisive red eyes flicking Hitoshi's way and making him still.
"Seriously?" he drawled. "You brats can't even keep track of a kitten?" Despite his anxiety around the villain Hitoshi bristled defensively at the remark, pulling out his phone with a scowl masked by the muzzle.
"She has an invisibility Quirk. Also we think she can go through doors somehow." The phone's electronic voice lacked the sarcastic and snappish edge he would've used, but the monotonous and off-key delivery was good enough to get the mood across. It definitely had Shigaraki sitting up a bit straighter.
"Wait, what?"
"So you didn't know?" Mustard asked, and the villain shook his head with a scowl.
"Of course not. I would've mentioned it if I did."
"So Sushi-chan has a Quirk?" Aiko mused, leaning back on the stool with her arms crossed. "Huh. Wouldn't have guessed that. Wonder if it just came in."
"You met the cat?" Shigaraki muttered as he side-eyed her.
"Yeah, last week," she replied with a smile. "She's cute."
"Then how the hell didn't you know it has a Quirk?" he deadpanned, and Aiko's smile faded with a huff.
"It's not obvious with animals, Tomura." The exchange had Hitoshi confused and wary, because there seemed to be something going on he didn't know, but he also didn't want to ask. Though Aiko hadn't threatened him, he still remembered Midoriya venting about how Eraserhead had seemed so broken after her surprise visit on Sunday. According to him the man still hadn't seemed to fully recover to his original surly disposition, though he seemed to be on track to improving at least.
Between that and the tour of her chemistry lab, Hitoshi felt a healthy sense of caution around her.
Luckily for him, Mustard also seemed to be in the dark, and also lacked his wariness of making Aiko irritated. "What are you guys talking about?" he demanded impatiently.
"Aiko can see Quirks," Shigaraki replied gruffly, and then yelped when she used one hand to shove him off his stool. He tumbled to the ground none to gracefully, Aiko peering down at him with a mildly irritated look.
"Oi, that's not up to you to reveal," she told him flatly, and the villain got up with a grumble while Hitoshi stared in alarm.
"You... see Quirks?" Mustard repeated quizzically, and Aiko huffed as she turned back.
"Not entirely. It's more the factor. Basically when I look at people, I can see a... light, I guess?" She waved a hand vaguely. "That's how I usually describe it, anyway. I can't see any details like what the Quirk does. Mostly I can just tell if it exists, or if it's being actively used."
"Ahh, so that's how you predicted when I would use it back then," Mustard murmured, which got a mildly an alarmed look from Hitoshi, because when and why did that happen?
"Yep, exactly," Aiko replied with a nod. "Like I said, it doesn't give me any details though. It also doesn't work on animals. There's a reason I used to think Nedzu was a magical talking stuffed animal," she added with a wry chuckle.
"Nedzu?" Mustard repeated blankly, unknowingly echoing Hitoshi's confusion, but she just hummed with a small smile.
"It's unimportant, just reminiscing. Point is, I can only see Quirk factors in people, not animals. So, I guess Sushi-chan's my most dangerous enemy now." She chuckled lightly but Hitoshi barely paid attention, one bit of Aiko's description rattling in his brain. His fingers flew to his phone and began typing without thinking.
"What about if someone's Quirkless?" the electronic voice asked.
"Ah, they have it too, technically," she said. "That's kinda how I figured out that I was looking at Quirk factors, actually. I'd never seen two lights that looked like identical before. Everyone basically has the space for a Quirk, but for people who were born without one or had it removed later, it just feels... empty." Her face screwed up in mild frustration at the last word, and she shook her head. "Sorry, don't really have a better way to describe it."
Okay, that had him freaking out for multiple reasons, but one more than the rest. "What do you mean by 'removed later'?" Mustard asked slowly, voicing the very same concern now haunting Hitoshi. Aiko blinked and then smiled, turning away with a shrug as she picked up her mug.
"Don't worry about it, it's irrelevant now," she told them sweetly before taking a sip. That didn't really help at all, but Hitoshi got distracted by a muffled thump from the hallway followed by a loud exclamation.
"DON'T YOU DARE RUN AWAY YOU COWARD!" Hitoshi jumped as he recognized Bakugou's voice, followed by an unhappy yowl that made his heart thunder. He raced to the door and flung it open to reveal Bakugou and Midoriya standing in the hallway, the blond holding a ferociously struggling Sushi. She didn't seem to be in pain, mostly just annoyed at Bakugou's grip which looked firm but only to keep her from escaping.
"I mean it, don't you dare try to escape again after we spent all this time looking for you!" he growled. "Not after all the fucking trouble we went through!" Sushi still didn't seem too happy, mewing with obvious displeasure as she tried to claw at his hands.
Normally, Hitoshi's first instinct would be to focus on the kitten, but right now he found his gaze locked on Midoriya's overly pale expression. One look, and he knew he'd overheard Aiko and remembered the same thing Hitoshi had:
Midoriya Izuku was not Quirkless, and no one in the Alliance was supposed to know that.
Notes:
Fun fact: Aiko genuinely DID think Nedzu was a magical talking stuffed animal. The name "Mr. Principal" also sounds very toy-ish. So just imagine a literal starry-eyed little girl listening in awe as this stuffed animal talks about the school he runs.
Also, a moment of silence for my Macbook's butterfly keyboard. I haven't been able to use the T key for months (remapped 5 to be T, which was fun since it happened before Ignite hit Chapter 50), and it just recently lost 'i' so I finally sent it in to get the keyboard replaced because you can't just replace single keys on these things. Folks, I heartily recommend AGAINST Macbooks. The fact Apple kept the butterfly design for five years despite NUMEROUS complaints and ACTUAL LAWSUITS should tell you everything you need to know about their attitude towards product quality. They make stuff that's super flimsy, and ALSO design it so that the customers can't fix it themselves.
This is actually the SECOND TIME I've had to replace my Macbook's keyboard (last time was also due to a loose 'T' key), and this is a 2017 model. It almost makes me ashamed to call myself an apple. Once this one reaches the end of its life, I'm not getting another Apple product. (On that note, this is part of why I didn't reply to comments on the last chapter. I like to reply on computers since some can get pretty long, and my laptop went into the shop on Wednesday. I have another computer but it's in the basement so not quite as convenient. I'm really sorry for not replying to comments on AO3 lately, so I'll try to keep on top of them this time from the start!)
Question for Next Time: Need name suggestions for Sushi the Fifteenth!
Chapter 77: Q&A Time with Aiko
Summary:
Izuku and Aiko have a talk about a lot of stuff.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 77
.::Q&A Time with Aiko::.
Izuku felt tired as he left Shinsou's cell. They'd finally managed to find Sushi in the hall outside the bar, though that had only been half the struggle. The kitten seemed to greatly enjoy her newfound ability to turn invisible, because she kept disappearing every time they looked away. Which gave them multiple heart attacks as they scrambled to find her.
They still had no idea how she'd gotten past the closed doors. As far as they could tell she didn't turn intangible since they could still touch her while invisible, so it wasn't like it made her ghost-like. And since she couldn't talk, they couldn't ask her how it worked. Izuku wondered where Kouda was in this world, because this would be the perfect opportunity for him to help.
In any case they couldn't prevent her from using her Quirk, so they just settled for giving her a collar with a bell so she at least couldn't sneak around. Why Toga happened to have one on hand, he didn't know, and he didn't really want to ask. He had other things to think about.
He made his way towards the bar and bypassed the door to continue towards a corner leading to another hall. He hadn't actually gone to this part of the building before since he had no reason to, but he knew from the map in his journal that Kurogiri's bedroom was there. Izuku didn't want to visit the misty man though, but the other person who'd be likely to check on him.
Sure enough, when he turned the corner he found Aiko in the hallway outside his door. She sat on the floor with her phone, but glanced over at him with a smile. "Hey Izuku. Got Sushi back to Hijack's room in one piece?"
"Yeah, hopefully she'll stay there," Izuku said with a nod, and she hummed.
"Well, if she does escape, Tomura's setting everyone straight about not hurting her right now," she commented. "So that's one less thing to worry about."
"Yeah, I guess..." Shigaraki had sent Toga and Mustard to round up everyone at the bar to brief them on the new rules regarding Sushi. For once Izuku felt grateful for the villain's overprotective tendencies towards him, since it could be literally the difference between life and death for Sushi. Who knew what some of the people here would do to her?
The thought had him pausing, biting his lip. "B-by the way, what happened to all the other Sushis?" he asked. It had been on his mind on and off all day. Given other Sushis must have existed for Kurogiri to have a pattern and weren't here now, and how Shigaraki felt a need to warn the villains... It was only natural to worry about it.
Aiko hummed, crossing her arms as she thought over it. "Most of them got rehomed. We usually couldn't keep them around too long for various reasons, so we'd just find other places to take them. Three was already on the older side, so he stuck around for a few months before dying. Eleven and twelve were pretty sick when we found them though, so..." She trailed off with a small shrug, while Izuku stared.
"Wait, how many Sushis have there been?" He knew there had to be a few for there to be a noticeable pattern, but he hadn't expected twelve. He'd only lived with the Alliance for eight years!
"This one is number fifteen," Aiko replied. When Izuku just gaped at her in even more open shock, she just laughed. "Yeah, I know. For what it's worth, Sushi six was pregnant when you found her. She gave birth to seven through ten."
"Wait, they were all named Sushi?" he blurted incredulously, and she just giggled at his shock.
"We gave them other names pretty fast of course, but like I said, Kurogiri will name every cat Sushi, without fail."
"Why, though?" Izuku wondered, glancing at the closed door to Kurogiri's room.
"I don't think even he knows," Aiko replied with a shrug. Her smile faded as she leaned back against the wall, gaze growing distant. "He probably used to have a cat named Sushi, but can't remember it." The remark had Izuku looking at her in surprise and confusion.
"Why can't he remember it?"
"It's a long story, and not one good for children." She shook her head while Izuku just frowned at her. He wanted to get more details, but part of him was also wary of pushing too much. Something about her tone just seemed oddly sad.
Besides, he had other more pressing things to talk about. "So... You can see Quirks, but not in animals, huh?" he asked, trying to bring it up as casually as possible. His question made Aiko pause, her star-like gaze sliding over to him.
"...So you noticed it then," she stated, and he felt his heart skip a beat. In that instant, Izuku knew just what she meant by "it," and that there was no point trying to deny it. All at once he felt the tension drain from his shoulders, and Aiko pocketed her phone as she got up. "Come on, let's talk somewhere more private."
Izuku just followed in silence as she led him through the labyrinth-like halls, not really paying much attention to the trip. Soon enough their surroundings became more familiar though, until they finally reached a door with a sign he knew much too well. "Your lab?" he asked flatly.
"It's private, and no one ever goes down there," Aiko replied, throwing open the door with a shrug. Izuku sighed but followed nonetheless, she had a point after all.
Entering the lab admittedly left him on edge, especially after the brief tour. Fortunately though it had a small side room that didn't contain any chemicals, just a couch and a table for breaks. Aiko led him there, gesturing for him to sit on a couch while she went to a small fridge in the corner.
When she joined him a minute later she handed him a... chocolate bar? "Eat up," she told him with a smile as she sat down with her own bar. "This type kinda reminds me of chocolate milkshakes when it's frozen." Izuku just nodded, unpeeling the wrapper and taking a bite. He could see why she'd compared it to chocolate milkshakes; the texture seemed to be on the creamy side, so when chilled it definitely felt like a milkshake. Just crunchier.
For a little bit they just ate their chocolate bars in silence. Izuku nibbled at his half-heartedly, mind swirling in all kinds of directions, until finally he gave up and lowered it.
"I have a Quirk," he said quietly, for lack of anything else to say.
"You do," Aiko confirmed.
"And you can see Quirks."
"I can." Izuku twisted to look at her with an almost accusatory look.
"Why didn't you ever tell me? Either of those things?"
"Well, you normally know both," she replied, sounding faintly amused. "And there's no reason to tell you about that when you have episodes since it usually doesn't come up. I'm just surprised you figured out without breaking any bones this time," she added under her breath with a wry smirk, and Izuku felt a wave of déjà vu from his own world for once.
"Does that happen a lot?"
"During episodes, yes. Half the reason Tomura's so overprotective is because he's convinced they make you way clumsier than usual. And you don't really want to tell him you have one, since that'll just raise a bunch of questions you don't want to answer."
"But you would?" Izuku muttered, picking up on the lack of "we" in that sentence.
To his surprise though she immediately replied with a firm, "Of course not. It's not my place to tell people about other people's Quirks. You're the one who wants to keep it private." She huffed as she raised her half-eaten bar to take another bite, giving Izuku time to think. Well, that answered some questions, but raised so many more.
Izuku had a Quirk. This world's Izuku had a Quirk. It wasn't just One For All from his world like he'd half-suspected, but something this world's Izuku already possessed. Was it One For All? They seemed similar enough. But, hadn't All Might died? How did he get it then? Was it something else that was just similar? Was he just a late bloomer in this world? Did it come from some other source?
As usual in this world, Izuku had no idea, but for once he had an immediate chance at answers. "Um, what exactly is my Quirk?" he asked hesitantly. "I know I have super strength, but..." He trailed off and Aiko hummed, taking her time to finish chewing as she glanced over him. As the silence stretched on he frowned and went back to nibbling his own chocolate bar, trying not to focus on her too much.
"I'm... not entirely sure," she finally admitted, and Izuku jolted in surprise.
"Wait, but can't you see Quirks?"
"I see the factors, not the Quirk itself," she corrected. "Every person's Quirk factor is different, but I can't tell what the Quirks do. At most I can make educated guesses based on where it's concentrated the most, but... I don't really like to do that much." She chuckled almost bitterly, looking a bit put-out by the thought for some reason.
"Do you know anything about my Quirk, then?" Izuku asked, but she shrugged.
"Not much, just that you need to keep in shape or the backlash hurts you." Yep, definitely sounded like One For All. Aiko huffed softly as she continued, "I feel like there's definitely more to it though since I sometimes see it passively active, but I don't know anything else. And I don't think you know much either. You don't use it that much due to the risk, so we don't know what's up with it."
Passively active? Her brief ramble had Izuku frowning, glancing down at his hands. "What do you mean by passively active?" She hummed, tapping her chin.
"When a Quirk is being used, it looks different to me. More, 'awake' I guess? Still can't tell what it does, but yours tends to activate at random. And the activation tends to look... well, even more different, I guess." She crossed her arms with a small frown, seeming to consider her words. "So you know how some Emitter-type Quirks require conscious activation, like Katsuki's Explosions, while others can activate more automatically or just never turn off, like..."
"Like Tomura's Quirk?" Izuku suggested when she trailed off, and she shrugged.
"Well, that's a bit more active than I was thinking, since it still requires physical contact as a trigger, but I guess it works here. Anyways, the point is that the effects of those activation methods look different to me. And your Quirk somehow shows signs of both. Somehow."
She muttered the last word under her breath, clearly frustrated, while Izuku frowned and mulled it over. "So like... super-strength is a conscious Quirk, but there's times when my Quirk factor shows the other kind of activation?"
"Yeah, exactly!" Aiko let her head slump back against the couch with a groan, dragging a hand through her hair. "There's just another facet that activates passively, but I have no idea what it does. It almost looks like a different Quirk, but... not?" Now she tugged at her hair, squeezing her eyes as she whined almost childishly, "It just makes no sense! Even type-twos make more sense!"
"Type-twos?" Izuku repeated, but she shook her head with a groan.
"Forget it, they don't exist anyway." As usual, that cleared up absolutely nothing. Aiko sighed as she released her grip on her hair, though her cheeks puffed and her lower lip jutted out in a small pout. "It just feels so familiar and not, it's so weird. It's almost like a phantom Quirk, but—but not. It's the weirdest thing!"
Izuku just stared as she grumbled, still a bit off-guard by the whole rant. Most of the time he thought of Aiko as this terrifying, scary woman who could be nice but also traumatized Aizawa, but right now she seemed oddly... childish? Immature? He had brief flashes of Shigaraki's annoyed complaints about Stain at the mall, but mostly it just felt kind of jarring to see her talk like this.
But also, what was this Quirk? Last he checked, One For All didn't have anything "passive" like she described. So maybe it wasn't One For All after all? But that just left more questions! What else could this Quirk do?
He had no idea, and clearly Aiko didn't either. Izuku frowned, deciding to shelf that thought for later. It seemed pretty obvious that talking about his Quirk would just lead to more questions she couldn't answer, so he decided maybe he should ask about something else for now. Just for his own peace of mind.
"Well, anyways, what about your Quirk?" he asked, and that seemed to be enough to get her to pause her childish pout and glance at him curiously. "It's just, you said you can see Quirk factors? And I have a lot of questions about that of course! But... I thought you had some kind of compulsion Quirk?" The remark had her stilling briefly, and some of her tension faded as she faced him with a small upturn to her lips.
"Oh?" she asked lightly, head tilting. "A compulsion Quirk?"
"Y-yeah." Izuku bobbed his head, suddenly feeling nervous and weirdly shy. Something about the star-like dots in her eyes made her gaze much more intense, leaving him fidgeting with his chocolate bar as he rambled, "It's just, you stopped my panic attack, and... well, Uraraka can't talk about Nabu or you or anything with the Alliance. She called me and it was, uh, a really weird conversation." It wasn't even a lie, she'd called him last night to see if she could at least talk to him, but the censoring Quirk still had effect. "We figured you must have done something, so... Did you?"
"I did," Aiko replied without skipping a beat, not even trying to deny it. "It's nothing harmful, just a light compulsion to keep her from talking about me or the Alliance."
"Or Nabu," Izuku pointed out with a grumble. Aiko just looked more amused as she turned her attention back to her chocolate bar.
"Only if she talks about it in regards to the Alliance," she told him, and peeled more of the wrapper away. "Honestly, letting anyone go with that much knowledge is risky for obvious reasons. The other options were to either kidnap her or kill her," and she said that way too casually for Izuku's tastes, "neither of which I'd want to do even if she wasn't your friend. So this was the nicest way to make sure she can't tell anyone."
"But she can still say my name," he countered. "So if someone asked, she could say she went to look for me, right?" Maybe pointing that out was a bad idea, but—wait, no, Aiko was still smiling and now ruffling his hair with her free hand.
"That's so she can talk to you!" she laughed while he fixed his hair. Why did she always do that? "You don't have many friends, and she cared enough to risk joining the Alliance to find you, so it seemed like a safe bet you two would stay in contact." She paused then, smile replaced by a look of curiosity. "How did you two meet, anyway? Because you obviously know her."
Not good, abort abort abort! "I-I'd rather not say!" he squeaked. "It's just, I don't—uh, I-I don't—um—" He struggled for an excuse, suddenly feeling wary of lying to her. To his relief Aiko quietly huffed though, and flashed a soft, doting smile that he knew meant she wouldn't push any further. Oh thank All Might she liked him so much, but also... why did that smile remind him of his mother?
"Alright, fine, I won't pry," she said, oblivious to his sudden inner pangs of bittersweet nostalgia. "You have your own life to live, you don't need me around for all of it." Her smile faded as she turned forward again, gaze growing distant and slightly more somber. "...To answer your question though. The ability to see Quirk factors is a passive trait inherited from my mother. Sometimes people receive vestigial traits that don't directly relate to their actual Quirks, like a heat or cold resistance, you know?"
"Yeah, I think I get it," Izuku muttered with a small nod. "Like how Kacchan's skin is super smooth because of his mom's Quirk. Or, um..." He trailed off, trying to think of other examples, but he didn't really have any. He knew what she was talking about and had seen plenty of examples discussed in media and such, but he didn't know many personal examples. And any he would know would probably be from 1-A.
He decided it didn't matter. "If you got that from your mom, then what was her Quirk?" he asked curiously. Aiko's gaze remained distant, just staring down at her chocolate bar.
"I don't know," she said with a bitter twist to her mouth. "She died when I was four, probably? And not like there's anyone around to tell me about her. The only reason I know she could see Quirk factors is because I remember asking her about the pretty light the mailman had, and even then she didn't tell me it was Quirks. She gave me this pretty-sounding spiel about how it was the essence of life."
She waved a hand with an almost rueful chuckle before she took another bite of the chocolate, clearly using it to avoid having to continue. Izuku just looked at his own chocolate bar with a frown, taking a small bite even though he didn't feel that hungry anymore.
From what little she'd said, it sounded like Aiko didn't have much family left. Or maybe any at all. It reminded him of a previous conversation, and how she'd referenced not having many siblings anymore. Did all her family die?
It was a depressing thought, and one he didn't want to dwell on. "...Hey, can I ask another question?" he asked softly. She glanced at him with an affirmative hum and a small smile, still chewing her chocolate bar, and Izuku forced himself to meet her gaze. "How do you know Eraserhead?"
Her smile faded in an instant, looking first surprised but then somber as she turned away. She swallowed the bar and set it on her lap. "Guess I should have expected that, huh," she muttered.
"You did give him a panic attack," Izuku pointed out, surprisingly flat and sarcastic. He felt no shame or anxiety about his harsh tone. If anything, he still felt an undercurrent of anger and protective rage on behalf of his teacher's counterpart.
Aiko didn't seem offended by his accusation, just frowning at her lap. "Yeah, I noticed," she muttered bitterly. "Unfortunately can't say I'm surprised, given everything that must have happened to him. Being held prisoner for any extended period of time isn't good for someone's state of mind, even if nothing happens. And I doubt the last group were nearly as friendly as you."
Izuku felt his mood plummet at the reminder that Aizawa had been through some unknown hell well before Izuku even woke up in this world. It was something he tried not to think about too much since he seemed fine now, but judging by Mic's radio show, he'd been missing for probably around six months.
Just thinking about it wiped what little appetite remained, and he tossed the unfinished chocolate bar onto the table beside the couch. "I know, but after you showed up, he got worse," he said miserably. "He was... he wasn't fine, but he was at least okay before that. He was starting to open up and trust me, but after you came along..."
He trailed off with a grimace as he remembered how broken Aizawa seemed after Aiko left. Since then he'd gotten a little better, but overall he seemed so much more guarded. Worse, he seemed to be resigned to his fate. Remembering that made Izuku's determination flare, fists briefly clenching as he turned to look at Aiko with a harsh glare.
"I don't know what you did to him, but I swear he was having a flashback," he declared firmly. "And he wouldn't tell me what you did to him, like he was afraid of what you'd do if he did."
To her credit she didn't react with offense or try to dismiss the accusation, her gaze almost solemn as she met his eyes before looking away. Apparently she'd lost her own appetite as she lightly tossed her chocolate bar onto the other end table. "I'm not against him telling you what happened," she said quietly. "You can tell him that it's his choice to tell you or not."
"So you're just not going to answer?" Izuku demanded, feeling a spark of anger. "You're just going to act like you did nothing?" His voice came out angrier than he'd normally want to risk with an unknown enemy like this, but he couldn't help it. This was Aizawa. She wasn't even going to take responsibility for whatever she did to him, and just avoid it?
Aiko's mouth thinned, lips curling downwards before pulling her legs up to the couch to hug her knees to her chest. "It's not that," she muttered, tucking her chin against them. "I just don't want to reveal something that Eraserhead might not want to share. He's already been through enough, the least I can do is let him make the choice. All you really need to know though is that he and I met during probably the darkest time of our lives. And while I regret him getting dragged into it, I don't regret the outcome."
She scoffed softly, burying her chin and face further against her arms as she muttered, "If he wants to curse my name to hell and back for what happened back then, he has every right. Hell knows I do every night..."
Something about her tone had some of Izuku's hostility fading. It wasn't because he heard guilt or remorse, but a different emotion: loathing.
Specifically, loathing towards herself.
He frowned, tearing his gaze away to stare at his lap as he thought over it. He still had no idea what happened back then, and it didn't seem like Aiko would tell him. But while she claimed she didn't regret the outcome, he got the feeling she wasn't too happy about what she'd done back then either.
Good, some vicious voice in his head spat. No one should be proud about hurting and traumatizing Aizawa-sensei. It wasn't much, but knowing that sated some of his anger for now.
(More than that though, some gut instinct told him that the situation was a lot more complicated than he could imagine, that prying might lead to more confusion. And he couldn't overlook the possibility it was a subtle prod from the other Izuku's memories buried deep in his subconscious.)
After a few moments Aiko uncurled from her hunched posture and got up, grabbing both unfinished chocolate bars and carrying them to the fridge. "That's enough heavy talk for now," she declared as she closed the door. "We should head upstairs now, I need to check on Giri."
Izuku nodded and got off the couch to follow her out, falling into step beside her. "What happens when he has an off day, anyway?" he asked curiously. "Is it like when I have episodes?"
"Kind of?" Aiko hedged, crossing her arms with a mildly frustrated huff. "It's... almost like the opposite, I guess? Some parts of his memories he doesn't really think about kinda come to the surface, and it leaves him just feeling a bit... disjointed. I think the way he describes it is kinda like dissociation?" She shrugged while Izuku frowned, mind flashing back to that odd white-out with Aizawa on Saturday night.
"That... sounds bad," he muttered, and she hummed thoughtfully.
"I guess it kind of is, but I think it's also a good thing," she mused to herself, and when Izuku shot her a questioning look she just smiled. "Forget it, it doesn't matter. Now come on, I think we've both got plenty of other stuff to do today." Izuku nodded and they headed up the stairs, but as just as she reached for the doorknob she suddenly paused and pulled her hand back. "Oh, right, one more thing."
Izuku resisted a groan. "Yeah?" he asked, trying not to let his frustration show. After everything they'd talked about, he really wanted some time and space to think it over.
"It's about your Quirk." Okay, never mind, this was actually useful. He immediately stood straighter as she turned to face him. "I still don't know much and neither do you, but you did take notes on it and experiment with it."
"I did?" he asked in surprise. "But I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere."
"That's because you used a secret notebook," Aiko explained. "You use it to write about stuff you don't want to risk someone finding like your Quirk, my Quirk, Seiko... And I don't know what else, since I've never read it beyond that," she said with a shrug. "I only know about it because I usually kept an eye on you when you started training and experimenting with it, and you had me look over your notes now and then."
Izuku frowned, mind racing. A secret notebook? That made a lot of sense, and more importantly, it might be his best lead yet. Reading his counterpart's notes, even if they were just speculation, would probably help answer a lot of his own questions. "Where is it?"
"Don't know," she replied with a shrug. "It might be in your room at my place, or somewhere else? I don't exactly look for it since it's private. I just know it's not in this building." That made sense since his counterpart would be worried about an Alliance member finding it.
In any case, this was an actual, solid lead. "I guess I'll look for it after Kurogiri feels better then," he decided with a nod, and smiled. "Thanks for the tip, Aiko-nee." She noticeably perked up at the suffix and beamed brightly at him.
"No problem!" she chirped. "On that note, can you make me a promise?"
"Um, sure, I guess," Izuku replied, figuring she wanted him to say he'd be careful. Aiko's demeanor suddenly vanished though, all traces of her bright smile replaced with a serious frown. The sudden shift made Izuku feel more on edge and stand a bit straighter, eyes wide.
"If you feel weirdly hot at all, tell me," she told him bluntly, her starry eyes seeming to bore into his soul. "Call me, text me, ask Kurogiri to warp you to my apartment. Whatever it takes. Just tell me."
Her voice held a commanding yet earnest note, and combined with that soul-boring gaze Izuku felt himself shiver. "Um, s-sure," he stammered nervously. "Is, is that a thing that happens?"
Her expression darkened slightly as she turned away, lip curling with obvious displeasure. "It shouldn't be, but I'm not taking any chances," she muttered lowly before opening the door and walking away, and Izuku felt an odd chill. As wary as he was towards Aiko after everything they'd discussed today, he had a feeling he should probably listen to that request. His gaze flitted to his hands with a frown.
Just what did his Quirk do?
Notes:
Won't lie, not fully satisfied with this chapter. But we finally got some answers, a long-needed conversation about Aizawa, and more questions! Everyone who thought Ignite!Izuku already had a Quirk gets a cookie!
Question for next time: What do you think is up with Ignite!Izuku's Quirk?
Chapter 78: Mapping Out Plans
Summary:
With some leads at long last, everyone starts making plans for the future. Everyone.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 78
.::Mapping Out Plans::.
By the time their patrol wrapped up, the 1-A Vigilantes had found no traces of Gentle Criminal or Tokoyami. Kyouka had expected as much; they couldn't really check out most of Yaomomo's suspected targets while in costume. The disappointment at the lack of any results still stung though and left her feeling frustrated with the lack of progress, especially since they now had an actual lead on this whole mess.
At least Hatsume seemed to be on track to finding how to remove or neutralize the bomb anklets. Mainly because she'd recruited Yaomomo. The inventor had all but burst into the warehouse an hour after school ended, dragging the mildly overwhelmed-looking heiress behind her. It had been a surprising team-up none of them had predicted, Yaomomo included, but she seemed to have accepted her fate.
Then they explained the only reason they hadn't come directly to the warehouse from school was because they stopped at Yaomomo's place to grab some manuals.
About making bombs.
Kyouka had serious questions about why Yaomomo had multiple very thick books on how to make bombs and related devices just lying around her place. She also had questions about how Hatsume managed to procure materials for making a variety of said bombs. Questions which Yaomomo warily echoed since according to her, some of those should be restricted from regular consumers.
Now to be fair to Yaomomo, not all of those manuals she'd grabbed were about bombs specifically. They were about similar devices to the anklet that could inject tranquilizers, shock people, track locations, and other stuff like that. That, and a book about disarming bombs that highlighted an explosive collar in one chapter. By her logic, the bomb anklet probably operated similar to something in one of her books.
Either way, apparently they'd decided the best way to figure out how to counter the anklet was to try to recreate it. Including the explosive.
And so Kyouka and Kaminari had decided it would be in their best interest to relocate somewhere else for the time being.
That was how they found themselves in a coffee shop with their laptops, working on their assignments for school. Because while they might be dimension-jumping vigilantes, they still had to keep up with the online classes. A sudden drop in grades would look suspicious, and the last thing they needed was unwanted attention.
Of course, school still wasn't the highest priority, and Kaminari never liked homework anyway. So it didn't take long for him to check the group chat instead. "Huh, that's a lot of places to check out," he muttered. The Odawara group had sent them a basic summary of their meeting with Mail, who'd been surprisingly open about information. They'd kept some details vague until they could meet in person, but they'd made a list of potential places to look for this Porter guy.
Kyouka had briefly skimmed the messages earlier, but decided to take another look after his comment. The list wasn't that long, but it still had more places than she'd expected. The park at Odawara where Shouji met Porter. Two locations in Kamino. Numazu, for some reason. The remains of Tokyo, maybe the memorial for the victims there. Dagobah Beach. Musutafu in general, particularly by UA...
And the area around Nighteye's Agency in this world.
It was the last one that really held her attention. "We're the only ones who can check out Nighteye's place," she declared firmly, and Kaminari glanced up at her with a frown.
"Huh? Why? Actually, why do we have to check out any of them? I mean, I know it's important, but still!"
"Because if anyone else goes there, that Mail guy can try to follow them," she told him flatly, and he deflated at the reminder.
"Oh, right. Forgot about that." He looked pretty sheepish about it, and Kyouka just rolled her eyes as she grabbed her latte to take a sip.
From what Mail said, there were two people at Nighteye's agency that had "compatible Quirks" that could make him visible. That meant if he got back, there would be nothing stopping him from telling them everything than his own will. Once that happened, there was no telling what the Pros would do. They couldn't risk him revealing everything before they got out Midoriya, Aizawa and the others.
Once they'd carried out the rescue, Kyouka would be more than happy to go to the Pros. They couldn't keep Aizawa around against his will, so they'd have to talk to them anyway if only to get him help. And since two of them actually knew this Porter guy, they might be able to help too. Until then though, they needed to focus on rescuing everyone from the Alliance, and also gathering as much information as they could.
She turned her attention away from the list for the moment and glanced out the window beside their table. They chose this coffee shop because it faced two different buildings that Yaomomo had noted as likely targets for Gentle Criminal and, by extension, Tokoyami. Given it was a little after five now, the first office workers had started to leave, joining the crowds milling about the sidewalks.
She skimmed over the passing faces, looking for the telltale head of pitch black spikes. Tokoyami's mutation made him stand out, but as "Phantom Shadow" he never showed his face like Gentle Criminal did. If anyone would be used as a scout, it would probably be him. Currently she saw no sign of him, but he could show up at any moment.
Kaminari glanced out the window to search the crowd too, no doubt picking up on her thoughts. "Think we'll find him?" he asked, more quietly than his other comments.
"Maybe not tonight, but hopefully." Kyouka sipped at her latte, gaze still trained on the constantly-changing crowd.
"Think he's one of us?" Kaminari wondered, and her mouth thinned a little.
"Don't know." Was Tokoyami from their world? She had no idea, but honestly, the chances were admittedly pretty low. At this point they mostly just wanted to find him to confirm it once and for all, since he and Hagakure were the only classmates they had no solid confirmation on. She set down her latte and turned back to her laptop. "Even if he's not, it's still worth checking out. Like Anjou said, it does seem kinda weird that Tokoyami showed up in Hosu so soon after the 1-A Vigilantes got big."
"Yeah, totally," Kaminari agreed with a nod. "And plus, fighting that Gentle Criminal guy seems like it would be pretty—" He cut off himself off when Kyouka shot him a sharp glare, looking almost as startled as if she'd slapped a hand over his mouth. Which she would have done if she wasn't wary of knocking over the coffee cups onto their laptops while reaching over to do so.
"Idiot, be quiet!" she hissed. Her gaze flickered around the coffee shop, wary of anyone potentially looking their way. No one was, focused on their conversation or devices as they waited for their orders. The three people standing closest to the table, a college-age man, a blue-haired girl with a distinctly punk aesthetic and another shorter girl in a winter coat, all wore earbuds as they browsed their phones, but Kyouka still felt paranoid. The interior of the store wasn't that big and it was pretty full today; it wouldn't be hard for someone to overhear them talking.
Luckily she didn't need to actually explain any of this, because when she looked back Kaminari already looked suitably chastised. "Sorry," he muttered sheepishly. "I'm just... I don't even know, actually. I want to say I want something to happen, but I kinda don't? I mean, after the last couple times..." He trailed off with a shrug, and she sighed as she scratched her cheek, glancing out the window again.
"No, I kinda get it, I guess. Just feels frustrating to sit around waiting for a lead to pan out."
Kaminari perked up and nodded. "Yeah, exactly! And at least Gentle Criminal is... uh, a criminal, I guess? So like, him getting arrested is still technically a good thing? Even if he's a cool phantom thief guy and like a weird pseudo-Robin Hood. Or maybe he's more like Lupin?" He frowned, looking a bit frustrated as he tried to think of a comparison.
Kyouka just rolled her eyes. "Yeah," she muttered, cheek now propped against her hand as she kept skimming the street outside the window for Tokoyami. Still nothing. She quietly huffed to herself and muttered under her breath, "It'd probably be better than today."
The close call with Ingenium at the start of patrol had really thrown them off. If they hadn't happened to cross paths with Sero, she doubted they would have managed to escape. Hopefully he didn't get in trouble for that. The rest of their patrol had been uneventful in comparison, but they'd spent the whole time on edge and paranoid about Ingenium showing up again.
Patrols would be more risky now that they were on Ingenium's radar. They didn't want to fight him since he was a Pro Hero; they were technically on the same side, even if he might not fully realize it. But with his speed, outrunning him wouldn't necessarily work either.
However, she had no problems fighting Gentle Criminal. At least the guy was a criminal, and he didn't seem nearly as dangerous or violent as that crazy woman from last week.
As she ruminated over this nearby movement caught her eye, making her snap a sharp look towards it. One of the people who'd been waiting near their table, the young man in his twenties, moved to the counter to get his order. Kyouka relaxed as she recognized him as one of the people with earbuds. "Everything okay?" Kaminari asked.
"Yeah, it's fine. I guess I'm just kinda paranoid. I was thinking someone might've overheard us."
"Well even if they do, they might not even get what we're talking about, right?"
"Yeah, I guess." As they talked another one of the people who'd been waiting nearby, a particularly petite girl with red hair in a ponytail, went to collect her own order. She pulled a reusable drink holder from her bag with four spaces to load the three cups, letting her carry them all with just one hand.
"Hey, Aiba, you got the drinks yet?" a voice asked over her earbuds. "I know you said the line was long, but we're getting tired of waiting." She pulled out her phone as she headed to the door, hitting the microphone icon to unmute her end.
"Yeah, I just got them," she confirmed, pressing the "home" button to switch out of the call screen. "I'll be there in two minutes." As she walked past the store's window she glanced at the two teenagers sitting inside, eyes narrowing. "But also, we might want to call off recon early tonight."
"What? Why?"
"Because we've got two kids on the lookout." Even as she spoke she opened her phone's camera gallery, the first thumbnail to pop up showing the two teenagers. They sat the table talking to each other over their laptops, clearly oblivious to the camera's presence. Her lips pursed into a small frown as she glanced over them before sharing the photo to the group text. "We've got some extra work before the next target."
"Jirou just said she and Kaminari can handle Sir Nighteye's place," Uraraka announced as she checked her phone.
"It makes sense, no one would know to look for them," Todoroki murmured thoughtfully. "The rest of us are runaways, and he's supposed to be rather intelligent."
"And Mail can't follow them back to him," Kirishima added, getting some nods from the others.
"Then it's settled!" Uraraka grabbed a pencil to scribble their name next to Nighteye's agency on the map of Japan, marking their claim on it. Mina just quietly sighed as she watched, her usually bright smile replaced by a sour pout.
They'd already left the karaoke bar and returned to Kuroe's place a while ago to begin plotting who'd go where. Partially so they could plan without Mail hovering nearby, but also because abandoned buildings didn't really have working heating. Todoroki could only set so much stuff on fire for warmth without the rest of the building catching fire, and he refused to do it anyway since it was just a giant fire hazard.
They hadn't returned alone though, as Shouji had come along too. And since the runaways treated the buddy system like law, Tsuyu came too. Even now the frog girl laid curled up on the living room couch covered in blankets, still recovering from the cold. For that reason they'd opted to hold the meeting in the living room, with the map spread on the floor between them.
A lot of places on the list had been filled in, pairs and groups assigned to cities all over Japan. Shouji had even volunteered to recruit some of the other runaways to help with the search efforts in some of the more "low-key" areas. Enough had been briefed on the situation with the dimension jumpers to have a steady supply of volunteers.
The only name missing so far was Mina's own.
Her expression soured even further at the thought. Despite Uraraka bringing her that wig and a notebook full of all these crazy ideas on how to disguise herself, the others had deemed Mina's appearance too distinct to take the risk. According to them, she'd just run away too recently to take any chances. All of the locations were clustered in the same region, so they figured plenty of heroes would still be on the lookout for a teenage girl with pink skin.
It bugged her because even Kiri got assigned to go search, volunteering to join Shouji on a trip to somewhere she didn't care to remember. With his hair dyed red he already looked way different, and it was easier to further disguise him than Mina's pink skin. Just add a pair of glasses, some foundation to cover his scar and maybe fake horns, and he'd be unrecognizable.
These wouldn't be short day trips, either. They'd be multi-day excursions with a lot of waiting involved, spending a total of two days in the cities. No one expected to find this Porter guy in just a couple hours; they had no set times on when he might show up, and it'd suck to leave and just miss him. It'd basically be a long, extended stakeout complete with alternating shifts.
That was how they tried to frame it to Mina to show she wouldn't be missing out on much, but that didn't stop the bitter disappointment.
Seeing Jirou and Kaminari's name added just further frustrated her. At this point Mina was the only one not directly helping with the search. Todoroki and Uraraka planned to check out some places after meeting Midoriya in Nabu and catching him up on everything. Even An-chan had easily volunteered to check out the places in Kamino since she lived there.
She sighed for the umpteenth time that hour, and she knew the others noticed from how they side-eyed her. "You know, we should probably have someone check out that statue," Uraraka suggested after a beat. "That Porter guy was interested in it, right?"
"It is one of the only changes we know varies," Shouji said with a nod. "It seemed like he kept a list of them since he had that notebook and all."
The obvious attempt to placate her just made Mina scowl. "Kouda can have his birds handle all of Odawara and you know it," she grumbled, and the others fell silent. Even if the birds couldn't tell apart foreigners and Japanese people, they at least knew the color brown. Mina knew because he'd used birds to search for people and stuff during training exercises back home, including one where they had to find a dummy in the woods. Aizawa-sensei had described its clothing, including a brown sweater, and Kouda had won the best time easily.
Brown hair might be on the common side, but there were also plenty of birds in Odawara despite it being the dead of winter. They could just follow any people they saw while another went to get Kouda or someone else to check out the lead. Mina might not be the most strategic person, but even she could tell that Kouda could probably handle searching Odawara on his own.
And judging by their silence, everyone else knew that too.
Tsuyu shifted on the couch behind them to sit up a bit, still bundled in multiple layers of blankets. "For what it's worth, it's good to have one of you stay behind so Mail will stay, kero," she pointed out, reasonable as ever. "If everyone from 1-A leaves Odawara, he wouldn't have any reason to expect you to return. At that point, it would be smarter for him to just try to go home, kero."
"I guess," Mina huffed, still mildly miffed, but at least Tsu-chan raised a good point. They had to play keep away with Mail as long as possible, or at least until Midoriya got out with Aizawa-sensei, Bakugou and whoever else might need to be rescued. Mail just knew way too much, and if the heroes learned about the rescue plan they'd probably make it this whole giant thing.
Mina liked big exciting operations, but that would just mean extra time while the heroes planned it. Plus, they'd probably want to try to take out the whole League or Alliance or whatever while they were there. That was fine and all, but that would make it take even more time and be way more likely to have casualties, and they might end up arresting Mido too.
Yeah, better to at least get Midoriya out before going to heroes. An escape/rescue was way simpler than a giant organization-crushing raid.
...She still felt pretty bitter about being stuck here doing nothing though. "Come on guys, isn't there anything else I can do?" she whined. "I don't want to just sit around doing nothing!" Everyone looked at each with small grimaces.
"Sorry Ashido, I can't really think of anything else," Kirishima said, getting some apologetic nods of agreement.
"You can make coffee for Kuroe," Todoroki suggested, and if she didn't know he was so socially inept and thus actually meant that she might have thrown a throw pillow at him.
"Think of it like being on reserve," Shouji said. "If something goes wrong with one of the investigations, it will be good to have someone who knows everything stay behind, just in case."
"I guess," Mina started, still sullen, but then paused. The implications of his statement set in, and she could tell it did for everyone else too.
"...There's probably going to be a disaster at one of these places, isn't there," Uraraka realized sourly, and everyone could only nod, Mina and Kiri giving small groans. With their luck, this absolutely would go sideways for someone. Maybe having one person sit out really was a good idea, just in case.
The day passed slowly but surely, and eventually Shouta found himself curled on his side listening to Hizashi's show in part of a now-familiar routine. Today had been surprisingly eventful given the discovery of Sushi's Quirk. They still didn't know what, exactly, it entailed since obviously invisibility wouldn't let her bypass doors. Hijack apparently suspected she'd used it to escape on a few previous occasions when he'd thought she'd been hiding. It seemed Mustard had also briefly seen her before in the hallways.
In any case, the cat had been found, and measures had been taken to at least ensure no one would hurt her if she escaped in the future. Shouta still felt anxious about her potentially roaming a base full of villains. Even with rules in place, some likely wouldn't care about stooping to a new low by harming a defenseless kitten. He could only hope that Shigaraki's known favoritism towards Midoriya would be enough to shield her from harm.
His gaze flickered to his mittened hands, mouth thinning with displeasure. If he could just pet her again... The thought just brought back the memories of her soft fur against his bare hands, and his mood sank for completely different reasons. He forced himself to banish all those thoughts with a quiet huff, letting his eyes slide shut and focusing on Hizashi's voice.
The show was nearing the end, making him mildly irritated at himself for getting distracted in the first place. The fact he got to listen at all was a privilege he couldn't guarantee he'd be able to keep forever. Even if Midoriya never turned out to secretly be a twisted sadist, Shouta had learned long ago that nothing was guaranteed with even the nicest captors. Last night had been the first time the boy hadn't delivered dinner, and Shouta expected that meant these regular visits would start to dwindle as he focused on his own life again.
His thoughts had just strayed to the day's ordeal with Sushi after Hizashi went on a tangent about a stray cat that hung out near the studio. Unfortunately, it seemed he'd already wrapped up that story by the time Shouta paid attention again, heading towards his usual end-show spiel. He rolled over to face the phone as he listened, intent on actually paying attention this time.
"So before I sign off for the night, I do want to say a couple things," Hizashi said. "So as I'm sure some of you know, on Monday I had a little surprise meet and greet over in Kamino. And I have to say, it was great! I got to meet some great people, even a couple long-time listeners that still had posters from when this show first went on the air! I haven't seen one in the wild in years, and I suddenly got to see two in one day! It felt so vintage, yo!"
Because Midoriya sat directly behind the phone Shouta noticed him briefly jolt at the last part, making Shouta pause. The boy stared at the phone with wide eyes, posture suddenly very stiff and rigid compared to before. The shift made Shouta's eyes narrow, and he kept a close eye on him as Hizashi continued.
"But along with that, I also met some people who seemed to be in a hard spot right now." Hizashi's voice became a little more serious, and Midoriya's eyes seemed even wider. "They didn't actually say anything so I can't be totally sure, but after so long you develop an eye for these things, you know? And even if I suspect it, I can't really always ask, especially with a crowd around. There's some stuff that you just can't talk about in public like that. Not unless they make the first move.
"So I want to remind my listeners that if you need any help and we happen to meet, you can tell me," he declared. "I don't care if it's as little as being bullied at school, or as big as getting pulled in over your head with the wrong crowd. People might forget sometimes because I'm more known for radio these days, but I'm an entertainer second, and a Pro Hero first. I got in this line of work to help people. I just need to know for sure you're willing and ready to accept that help."
His voice held a note of genuine compassion and sincerity that would normally make Shouta's chest swell with pride, but right now he focused almost entirely on Midoriya. The kid seemed almost petrified as he boggled the phone, face almost comically pale and worry almost written plain on his face. Shouta had a pretty good idea about why he was reacting like that.
"Well, hope that wasn't too much of a downer note to end the show on!" Hizashi continued, back to his usual jovial tone. "Some things just need to be said though, you know? Anyways, that's all for tonight. Thanks for tuning in everyone, now be sure to get some shut-eye! Especially any kids, it's a school night and I know exams are coming up!" Shouta allowed his attention to return to the phone for the usual sign-off. "And as always, to my favorite listener..."
And then there was a brief pause, barely more than a second long. "I really hope you're listening tonight. I don't know when we meet again, but I speak for myself and many others when I say it's been way too long, and we're looking forward to it."
And now Shouta's heart leapt into his throat as he nearly bolted upright, catching the unspoken implications so subtly woven into his words. 'We know for a fact you're alive, and we're all looking for you.' His eyes felt like they were bulging at the phone, he felt like he couldn't breathe as Hizashi finished up, "Thanks again for tuning in listeners! And remember, we're airing a new episode of 'Put Your Hands Up! Radio' every weekday this month, so tune in tomorrow! They're a little shorter, but they're still super-cool! Until then, stay safe!"
As the outro jingle aired Shouta felt a heavy swell of emotions he couldn't identify swarm in his chest, almost painful in how powerful they were, but he couldn't focus on it right now. His gaze returned to Midoriya, who still stared at the phone with wide eyes. Shouta swallowed harshly, hesitating for a moment, but he knew he had to check, find out for sure. "...Kid," he muttered, voice close to a croak.
It apparently startled Midoriya, the boy jumping and snapping his head up with an almost sheepish look. "Y-yes, A—sensei?" he stammered, stumbling over his words and squeaking out the title. Shouta had to school his expression to remain neutral, even as he kept picking out more and more nervous signs from the now-fidgeting boy.
"Why did you suddenly get so nervous when he mentioned those posters?" he asked, and Midoriya actually flinched, panic flashing across his face. Guilt replaced it seconds later before he ducked his head with a sheepish look.
"I... might have... gone-to-get-Mic's-autograph-on-Monday," he mumbled, rushing through the last few words. Shouta still picked them up clearly though, eyes narrowing.
"So the friends with Quirk trouble was just a cover?" he asked evenly, making sure not to sound accusatory even as he felt a pang of... something. Betrayal, perhaps? Disappointment that Midoriya had lied about it?
The boy jolted though and quickly shook his head, waving his hands in denial. "No, no, that was true! But it was too hard to talk about it over text so we thought it'd work better if we met up in person, b-but I can't just go somewhere so far away like that randomly, so I looked online and Present Mic had just announced that meet-and-greet, and they were in Kamino and I get hero autographs all the time—okay well not all the time, but I mean I do it often enough that it wouldn't be weird to ask Kurogiri to send me there—"
"Midoriya, breathe," Shouta reminded him, and the kid promptly stopped his frantic stream of consciousness to gulp in a large breath of air. As he did Shouta eyed him thoughtfully. "So you didn't know about the event until after you left the room?"
"N-no, not at all!" the boy denied quickly. "It was just a giant coincidence he had the signing planned, actually, he only announced it while we were listening to the show! We didn't expect it to work out so well, really!" Shouta nodded slowly, feeling some of that odd, unhappy feeling recede. Somehow, knowing Midoriya hadn't tried to actively cover it up with an elaborate ruse felt weirdly reassuring. Even if he'd still avoided mentioning it afterwards.
He had to consciously keep his expression blank as he nodded, rolling over again to face away from the kid. "Fine. It doesn't really matter anyway. I'm tired, and we should probably both go to sleep since it's late." He spoke bluntly as always, voice a bit more tired than usual, but his tone softened a bit as he added, "Thanks for letting me listen."
There was a brief pause on Midoriya's part, and even without looking Shouta could feel Midoriya's hesitation, no doubt wanting to say something. With how the conversation had gone, it probably felt like Shouta was mad at him, and the kid seemed to hate leaving on bad terms. Eventually though he heard Midoriya get up. "Y-yeah, okay," he said softly. "Good... good night, Eraserhead."
With that quiet farewell he heard Midoriya's footsteps head to the door, followed by it opening and closing. When Shouta heard the quiet click of the lock he allowed a large exhale, his body uncurling as he let his thoughts consume him.
There was one other major takeaway from all this, his mind already making rapid-fire connections even before Hizashi signed off. Midoriya Izuku, while largely unknown, had been known to the heroes for some time before his capture. Shouta still didn't know how long had passed since then, but it should be more than enough for Sir Nighteye's team to put together a detailed forensic recreation of his face and investigate him.
Even though they'd kept the full investigation and details discreet even from other agencies, UA's former staff would probably be the first to be read in. He knew Nezu was already working with them on it, so it was only logical they'd be at the top of the list to be informed. It would be strange if Hizashi hadn't seen that image by now, and he probably recognized Midoriya at the event given his spiel about people in dangerous situations.
And combined with that message at the end, they likely realized Shouta was now in the Alliance's custody.
The thought had his heart racing. Whenever a missing hero was confirmed to be alive, the three month rule went out the window and all efforts would redirect to finding them. He didn't want to get his hopes up too much, but at long last he felt like there was a light at the end of the tunnel. A chance at freedom, at finally escaping this hell—
And a chance for everything to go to hell and everyone to die because they still had no idea what they were up against—
No. Shouta banished the thoughts with a shaky inhale, squeezing his eyes shut. He couldn't focus on the negative. He needed to have faith in everyone, trust that they wouldn't charge in blindly. After this long they wouldn't be reckless and rush it, they'd know to be patient.
Just a little longer. He just needed to hold on, and hope none of the villains realized this.
(Elsewhere in the Alliance's base, Kurogiri laid curled on his bed staring at the radio, golden eyes blank and thoughtful. He reached out to turn off the knob, leaving his room in silence.)
Notes:
I promised I'd have a Tokoyami hint show up before Chapter 80. I delivered. La Brava and the Gentle Criminal crew now know that Jirou and Kaminari are investigating them.
More importantly though, I have an unfortunate announcement:
Ignite will be on break next Monday.
Ignite's draft is getting really low—as in, I only have part of Chapter 81 written, and I'm debating if I should move that to Chapter 80 which would involve throwing away a chunk of what's written for 80. The next couple chapters set up some major events, so I want to do some serious editing on them just to make sure it's all viable in the end! I'll be using this week and next to build up the buffer a bit more. That said, I think you guys will really enjoy what I have planned.
On that note, if you haven't read Aftershock yet (the other MHA story I'm writing with CocoaNerd), now's a good time to check it out! We just posted Chapter 17 on Friday. Without going into spoilers: that chapter is basically Looney Tunes, MHA edition. It opens with a note advising people to open Yakety Sax and Spanish Flea in other tabs/windows while reading it. The overall story's not crack, but 17 is pretty dang close because it involves some major trolls. So please do yourselves a favor and check it out!
Question for next time: who would have been a FUN heroics teacher instead of All Might?
Chapter 79: Tourist Traps
Summary:
Everyone sets off to follow slim leads and play their hands at being tourists.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 79
.::Tourist Traps::.
On Thursday morning, Hizashi threw on a hat and facemask and boarded the first train to Odawara. He knew from the start that this was a long shot and unlikely to bear any results. Just because that Anjou girl walked with the blond kid he thought might know Midoriya didn't mean there was any connection, especially to her largely-estranged brother.
But the facts were that Ashido Mina and Kirishima Eijirou had suddenly run away from home one day after Anjou Ran visited Ashido. And Ashido had been in contact with Uraraka Ochako, who had also run away after meeting Midoriya Izuku. In the end, if he found Ashido, he could potentially find Uraraka, and then he could potentially find Midoriya and thus the Alliance—and thus, Shouta.
...That was also admittedly a long shot. Which was why he hadn't bothered telling Nemuri this time. In his frantic searches for Shouta, he'd chased after the slimmest of leads. Even so much as a whisper about a dark-haired man seen at some random bar was sometimes enough to set him into action. Countless hours had been spent following up on such leads, and of course, he'd kept Nemuri fully in the loop every time.
At first she'd gone along with it, but it got to the point that she'd become mildly (highly) exasperated with him. Hizashi couldn't blame her anymore for getting tired of all the false leads; he felt just as frustrated by all the hours spent on searches that turned up nothing.
So for now, he'd play it low-key. Scout out this Meisanki guy's place, and see if he hit paydirt. If he did, then he'd call Nemuri. If he didn't, he'd just go home.
After getting off the train, Hizashi went straight to the address nabbed from the notes Oracle sent him. To his dismay though it wasn't an apartment building like he'd hoped, but a house located in a residential area. That meant he couldn't hang around too long without drawing attention. Not like he had a dog he could walk or anything.
After much deliberation, Hizashi reluctantly headed to the nearest convenience store to regroup and re-strategize somewhere a little warmer. He could already tell this was going to be a long day.
"It's for Shouta," he reminded himself as he perused the shelves for a snack to give himself an energy boost. He'd had a light breakfast so he could catch the first train, so he wanted to get something filling and easy to eat to keep his energy up. "I just gotta get through today, and hope I find something..."
While he considered his options he heard the chime of the door opening and closing a couple times. After a few minutes he decided on a package of soy sauce rice crackers and a small pack of cookies, and took his purchases to the register. Not many people had been in the store when he'd arrived, but by now there were two people waiting to check out. He got in line behind a teenager wearing a red beanie over shaggy black hair, and a denim jacket over a long coat with faded black jeans. It gave him some punk rock vibes that had him nodding in silent approval.
The person at the register finished and the punk stepped forward, depositing two breakfast bars on the counter. "Just this?" the cashier asked.
"Yeah!" replied a bubbly female voice, which was enough to make Hizashi do a double-take because that tone did not fit those threads. She coughed and then said in a slightly more gravelly and bored tone, "I mean, yeah. Sure. Whatever."
Well if he wasn't suspicious before, he was now. That was a pretty deliberate attempt to change her voice. He watched with a more critical eye as the teenager rummaged through her pockets for the money, and as she slapped the bills on the counter he noticed on something: her skin was pink.
Ashido? Hizashi's mind instantly went to the runaway who'd partially spawned this whole trip. Normally he'd dismiss it as an overactive imagination, but combined with the deliberate voice change... Well, it was enough to make him look closer.
He watched intently as the girl took her purchase, and when she turned away from the register he saw she wore tinted gold aviator shades. Perfect for concealing distinctive eyes, another point towards his suspicions. As she left he quickly finished his own purchase and exited the store, glancing around until he saw her walking away. He pretended to check his phone as he began following her, discreetly glancing over her.
The girl's skin color was definitely a similar shade to Ashido Mina, and not many people had pink skin. The hat's shape would be loose enough to cover up her horns, and her hair could easily be dyed. The girl's fashion also seemed to deviate heavily from what Ashido would (probably) wear. And the store was close to Meisanki's house.
Still, it wasn't enough to be sure yet. He'd follow the girl for a little longer, and see if he could find any decisive proof.
deku_breaks_bones: so
deku_breaks_bones: Kurogiri's apparently having another off-day
deku_breaks_bones: I woke up to you-know-who making breakfast instead.
deku_breaks_bones: As in, the person who Space can't mention and I had to write that whole letter about?
deku_breaks_bones: She's actually a pretty decent cook so that was kinda nice. WAY better than waking up to Seiko yesterday
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Wait, is there? Why is there!?
deku_breaks_bones: Yeah, she's here because apparently she wants to keep an eye on Kurogiri for, some reason? I'll explain more when we meet.
deku_breaks_bones: But uh, I won't be able to leave today either since, you know, I need to warp.
halfnhalfpeppermint: So no meeting today?
deku_breaks_bones: Nope. At this rate, might be safest to meet on Saturday to minimize suspicion. Sorry guys.
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Keep away from sensei
1A_Dancing_Queen: If she goes near sensei, break HER bones! No mercy!
halfnhalfpeppermint: Okay. We'll just go to Numazu instead and try to meet this weekend.
deku_breaks_bones: I won't let her near sensei, don't worry!
deku_breaks_bones:? What's in Numazu?
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: It's a long story. We'll explain when we meet again!
1A_Dancing_Queen: Until then, I demand pictures of the Ghost Kitty!
1A_Dancing_Queen: Please. I'm going to be so bored and alone ;_;
deku_breaks_bones: ...I feel like I missed a lot of information
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: yeah you kinda are
1A_Dancing_Queen: not being able to talk about this stuff over text suuuuucks
halfnhalfpeppermint: Sorry.
deku_breaks_bones: I miss just living in the dorms
After making plans to start searching for Porter there hadn't really been any reason to just wait, so everyone decided to just head out. The first two pairs in Odawara had boarded buses and trains after breakfast, including Kirishima and Shouji, leaving only Ashido behind at Kuroe's house. Since Deku messaged them about Kurogiri having a second off-day in a row, Ochako and Todoroki had decided to go to Numazu instead of Nabu.
She felt kinda guilty as she glanced over the conversation again. It sucked they couldn't really tell Deku about everything with this Porter guy over text, it was their first real lead after all! But between Yaoyorozu and Mail spying on them, they'd learned to be extra paranoid.
He has his hands full anyway, she tried to reassure herself. With Aiko at the Alliance's base, keeping her away from Aizawa-sensei would take priority. Learning that they might have a lead would just make him as restless as Ashido had been when they left. Earlier she'd spammed the group chat with demands for memes and photos. Ochako had none to offer, but Kaminari seemed happy to satisfy her demands until Ashido finally stopped responding.
"Ura—be." She startled at Todoroki's voice, and turned to find him watching her curiously. "Urabe, did anything else happen on the chat?"
"No, just looking at the memes Kami sent Mi-chan. I think she found finally something else to do because she stopped responding." She pocketed the phone and turned to face him. "More importantly, we should get to work and start strategizing!" Todoroki nodded and turned back to the wall display of brochures and pamphlets.
They'd gotten off the bus to Numazu around half an hour ago, and decided their first stop would be the nearest tourist center. Neither of them had ever really been to Numazu before, so it seemed like a good place to start getting information. Not just for them, but for this Porter guy, too.
Of course, they'd donned disguises for the trip, Ochako with her pink wig and fake glasses, and Todoroki with his eyepatch and a beanie. They'd then taken it a step farther and started the day with a brief thrift shop raid just to be really safe. The end result had her in a light blue coat with rainbow buttons and a unicorn head on the back, and Todoroki dressed like he was prepared for a mountain expedition.
In short, they probably made a really weird looking pair. She just had to hope they wouldn't draw too much attention.
She stepped a little closer to Todoroki, peering at the brochure he held. "Did you find anything interesting, Yuki-kun?" she asked, using his fake name.
"Not yet," he replied, frowning down at it. "I don't think Numazu really has an active tourism industry. This brochure is all about the fishing businesses."
"Y-yeah, I noticed," Ochako said with a sheepish smile as she glanced at all the brochures. As Todoroki noted, most of them talked about the local fishing industry, great places to find seafood, and local markets. The city didn't even have many historical sites, as most had been destroyed by aerial bombings even before the initial chaos from the onset of Quirks. She perked up as a pamphlet for an aquarium caught her eye. "Oh, the aquarium looks neat!"
"But would Porter go there?" Todoroki wondered, and her shoulders slumped a bit.
"No, he wouldn't," she allowed with a sigh, and frowned at the rest of the brochures and pamphlets. "And I don't think he'd go to any of these other places, either. I mean, not any of them specifically. Well, except maybe that memorial park," she added thoughtfully when one more brochure caught her eye. "That seems maybe kinda specific?"
Even as she spoke she pulled out the brochure. The park seemed to be for a ship that sank near the port during a storm. Opening it up, she skimmed the information and startled. "Oh hey, this happened right before All Might died. So it could be kinda variable, like that statue?"
Todoroki hummed noncommittally. He returned the brochure he'd grabbed and plucked another one from the shelf. "It seems like the only active hero agency in Numazu is Team Storm Chaser."
The mention had Ochako nodding and frowning slightly, returning the memorial park brochure. "And they're not really active anyway," she muttered. "Skylight seems like the only one still active in this world, too, and he still works in America." Her cheeks puffed slightly, and Todoroki side-eyed her curiously.
"You're... a pretty big fan, right?" he asked, and she bobbed her head eagerly.
"Yeah! They're like, the first rescue team I ever idolized! I'm just confused on why this Oracle guy works there, since he's underground and all." The whole reason they'd marked Numazu as a point of interest at all was because Porter would likely go there to check if Oracle was, well, Oracle. Seeing him enter or exit Storm Chaser's headquarters would be a pretty dead giveaway of his alignment in this world.
"Do you think he'll recognize us?" Todoroki asked curiously, and Ochako grimaced.
"I don't know, maybe?" Mail hadn't really been willing to divulge how much his siblings knew about her or the investigation into her running away. However, they knew Oracle had been present when Ashido was interrogated about their connection over FacePage. The thought made her reach out to adjust her wig slightly, making sure no strands of her actual hair showed. "Actually, he'd probably know about me, since Ashido got questioned about me and all."
"Right, I forgot about that," Todoroki murmured, and frowned. "I don't know if I've ever met Oracle in this world, but Kuroe recognized me even with the eyepatch. And since he's underground..." He trailed off, but Ochako caught his point. His photo would have probably particularly circulated among underground heroes since they'd be more likely to encounter people who'd want to kidnap him.
"It's still so weird they have an underground hero here," she whispered, and he nodded slightly in agreement.
"I know Team Storm Chaser specialized in rescue in our world before shutting down. I don't think I ever met any of them, but I know my father worked with them a few times. I know there's a photo somewhere of Shadesse visiting our house."
Ochako glanced at him in surprise, her inner fangirl rearing his head. "Wait, really?"
"I can't really remember it that clearly or the story behind it, I just know it exists. I think it was before I even manifested my Quirk." He shrugged, seeming mildly puzzled, and Ochako frowned as she glanced down at the table. Something about that nagged at her memories, reminding her of her searches yesterday into the state of Team Storm Chaser in this world.
"...You know, in our world Shadesse quit around the time we were four," she said. "I still don't know the details, they just released an announcement saying she'd decided to leave the hero scene, nothing else. She didn't even want a goodbye party or anything. But here, she actually had a formal retirement announcement with an actual statement from her! And apparently she still shows up at events sometimes, too!"
Her cheeks puffed in annoyance. It might be petty, but she felt like she'd been cheated after learning this world still had some appearances from the ninja-themed heroine. Todoroki meanwhile glanced at her with a frown, his visible eye narrowing in thought. "She didn't make any announcements or appearances in our world?"
"No, none," Ochako confirmed with a head shake, still feeling mildly cheated. When she glanced at him she felt her irritation fade though, finding his expression to be oddly... haunted. Something about it filled her with a pang of dread, and she barely remembered to use his false name as she hesitantly prodded, "Yuki?"
"...She's probably dead or missing in our world then," he declared after a few moments, and Ochako felt her blood turn to ice.
"What?" she whispered faintly, and he turned to meet her gaze.
"Depending on the circumstances, some heroes' deaths are never formally announced to the public," he explained, blunt but not too cruel. "It's rare, but it usually happens with underground heroes or if they think it would cause a panic. Since Team Storm Chaser operates internationally, they must have decided announcing it would impact morale."
Her heart sank, horrified by the logic. "But, but they announced all the other deaths!" she argued. "Like, Cosmonaut died in an earthquake, and Phoenix had some kind of chronic illness! And they didn't say how Storm Chaser died, but they still announced it! So why would they hide hers?"
"I don't know," he replied. "She may have gotten involved in an investigation they wanted to keep confidential for some reason. Was her Quirk only good for rescue?"
Ochako swallowed thickly, feeling a sudden apprehension. "No, it let her store stuff in scrolls. She'd mostly use it to transport supplies and remove debris." It was a versatile Quirk that made her indispensable on many occasions. From what she knew, it might not even be restricted to scrolls; that could easily just be part of her ninja aesthetic. It seemed like Shadesse only really needed ink and paper to make them.
"Then she could have been asked to help on some other missions outside their usual work," Todoroki said with a nod. "If she worked on an undercover investigation, it would make sense to cover it up, especially if it wasn't fully resolved."
"Y-yeah..." Ochako nodded slowly. She didn't like it, but it made sense, especially when she thought about Shadesse. She remembered thinking even as a child how almost out of place her ninja aesthetic felt for a rescue hero. Working underground like Aizawa did seemed like a perfect fit for her.
Underground... like Oracle.
The thought had her freezing. "...Hey," she said quietly, making Todoroki glance at her. "I don't think Shadesse lives in Numazu, and everyone else is definitely dead in this world except for Skylight and Oracle."
"And Oracle might not be here since he'll be looking for Ashido and Kirishima," Todoroki muttered thoughtfully. "So we probably don't need to worry about anyone who would recognize us." Ochako bit her lip and ducked her head.
"Unless... they did shift to underground heroics, and have more people," she muttered. She saw Todoroki freeze, visible eye growing wide.
"...Oh," he said, and left it at that.
It looked like their search for Porter might be a little more risky than they'd expected.
"So... we're here, I guess," Kirishima declared awkwardly.
"Mm." Mezou didn't have anything else to say, and apparently neither did Kirishima, so the two lapsed into silence. They stood in front of the gates of UA High School's former campus, the entrance barred and sealed. Beyond the stone walls of the fence, they could see the glistening glass tower housing the school itself still looming tall, though the windows had been dulled by a lack of maintenance.
After the UA Massacre, the school had closed its gates and the campus all but abandoned, even demolishing a good portion of the remaining buildings. All that remained were the school, a few structures still used for training, and an on-site memorial for Pro Heroes and alumni to visit. Families of the victims could visit too, but they'd need an escort to enter.
Standing before the sealed entrance left the two boys feeling solemn and somber. In all the old photos, the gate had usually been open, allowing a glimpse of the school and campus beyond. The thick metal door and the bars covering it just reminded them that those gates might never open again.
"You know, I used to dream of coming here," Kirishima commented after a few seconds. "But being here now feels kinda... creepy." Mezou just hummed, still having nothing to say. He turned and walked away, the other boy following in silence.
Dream, huh... Mezou hadn't seen much of UA in the dream, and certainly not the entrance, so it didn't give him a rush of familiarity like he'd half-expected. He felt... nothing, really. A bit sad, sure, for all the people who died there (teenagers, younger than he was right now), but that was it. No disappointment, or déjà vu or emptiness. No yearning for what once was.
At the end of the day, it was just a sealed gate to a once-famous school.
"We won't be able to go inside, and I doubt that Porter can either," he commented. "So he'd go to the public memorial garden instead."
"Yeah, but we can't really hang around there constantly, can we?" Kirishima asked. "We're supposed to stay here until Saturday or Sunday, and it'd be kinda weird to spend all day there every day." Mezou nodded in agreement. Today was Thursday, so that would make at least two days of waiting. He hadn't actually seen the garden, had simply looked up directions on his phone, but he doubted there would be enough reason for two teenagers to spend time there. Even family members of the victims probably wouldn't spend that much time around it.
"I might not be able to visit it much," he mused aloud. "I stand out too much." There was only so much he could do to disguise his massive build, even if Musutafu had gone through a population boom following Tokyo's destruction. Thanks to already housing several agencies due to the teachers who worked at UA, as well as its location relative to Tokyo, its rise hadn't been surprising. It still hadn't reached Tokyo's level though, so he suspected a hulking figure with a masked lower face would still stand out.
...In retrospect, he may have been a bad choice to scout UA. He'd only volunteered because of the dream.
"Oof, yeah, I guess I'll be going solo," Kirishima muttered with a grimace. "Guess I'll have to come up with some extra disguises, just to be safe. Think I could get away with a wig one of those days? I don't really wanna dye my hair again."
"Aren't most wigs cheap and fake-looking?" Mezou muttered. Some of the other runaways had looked into that a few times in the past, most looked a bit too fake. "If you just get one from a costume store, it might stand out as suspicious."
"Really? But Uraraka and Ashido had pretty neat ones though!"
"Theirs seemed to be the exception more than the rule. After the meeting I heard some of the others comment on how high quality they were." Nakamura and Glitch had seemed almost jealous of the wigs based on their muttering, though he didn't see a reason to mention that part. "I think this 'Aiko' just has a high-quality collection."
"And you don't think we can find ones that are that good?"
"We probably could, but they wouldn't be cheap."
"Ah, yeah." Kirishima hissed a sharp breath, scratching the back of his neck. "Right, we're on a budget..." Most of the money they had on hand came from the funds Jirou brought to the original meeting. The two of them had already decided to set most of it aside for hotels and food, with plans to give the leftover funds to the runaways. They didn't really have many stable sources of income after all, mostly just doing odd jobs, and limited savings.
For that reason, Mezou would rather not spend more than absolutely necessary. Any bit of leftover money could make a significant difference, especially in winter.
He pushed the thought aside as they reached the public memorial garden. It was in a park not too far away from UA's campus, a traditional roofed wall enclosing the area to give it a more subdued atmosphere. The second they passed through the gates the pair fell quiet, something in the air compelling them to stay hushed.
The garden itself was beautiful, and Mezou was mildly surprised at how colorful it was. Flowering bushes and trees of different varieties filled the area, some in bloom even now in the dead of winter with frost on the ground. The winding stone pathways themselves had been cleared of frost, allowing them to walk peacefully. Dark stone plaques had been erected along the pathways, containing the names of the victims and small etchings of their faces.
As grim and somber as the memorial's purpose was, the garden also had an air of peace and comfort. Mezou felt a sense of tranquility as he and Kirishima slowly made their way along. Perhaps he'd been a bit rash in thinking they couldn't visit more than once without being suspicious. The garden had a sense of serenity that made it seem like repeat visitors would be absolutely normal, regardless of connections to the victims. Even now an old woman sat on a bench reading a book, and a man walked behind a little girl pointing out different flowers.
As he glanced around he suddenly felt a jolt as he spied a girl standing alone on an arched bridge crossing over a pond. She leaned against the railing to watch koi swim along, her orange hair tied in a long ponytail that tumbled over the railing. A sudden rush of déjà vu flooded him as his eyes zeroed in on her.
"That girl," he murmured lowly, making Kirishima glance at him. "She was in the dream." The redhead's eyes grew wide while Mezou kept staring at her. It had been only in passing while chasing the janitor robot, but he distinctly remembered her pulling someone out of the way. Her hand had grown giant in the process, effectively using it as a shield before the robot could crash into the other person.
Seeing her now just made him more certain of it than ever before: it hadn't been a dream. He really had seen UA.
His thoughts were interrupted by a small chime, the sound seeming to cut through the quiet of the park. Several people glanced their way as Kirishima scrambled to pull out his phone, looking a bit sheepish. "Sorry!" he whisper-shouted, and people soon turned away. Kirishima checked the screen and froze, eyes going wide. "Oh, shit."
"What?" Mezou asked, feeling a rising alarm. Rather than respond Kirishima held out the phone to show him a group text from Ashido.
'Sooooo uh. Big problem.'
Below it was a photo of an unconscious blond man tied up on the floor of one of the runaways' hideouts. That alone was alarming enough, but then Mezou saw the reply below from Uraraka.
'Oh my gosh PLEASE tell me that's not Loud-sensei'
'...I would, but that would be lying'
And just like that, the worst case scenario unfolded before their eyes: a Pro Hero had found Odawara.
Notes:
And a new record for quickest escalation in a single chapter!
Thanks for your patience last week! It was really useful to have a week off and just breathe without worrying about the buffer. Also, I really hope any readers in Texas are okay! Last week's weather was crazy for most of the US, but Texas has it especially rough. If you're stuck there, I hope you're safe and warm! Words of advice I've seen online: you can use candles to heat water, flashlights inside empty milk cartons can be VERY bright, and a lot of thin layers are better than just a long-sleeved shirt and a heavy coat.
Question for next time: How do you think Mic got himself captured by a bunch of teenagers?
Chapter 80: Yuuyake Koyake
Summary:
In which Present Mic will later claim he was surrounded by an army of thugs and fought valiantly before ultimately getting defeated.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 80
.::Yuuyake Koyake::.
It happened like this.
After everyone staying at Kuroe's house left Odawara, Ashido had gotten stir-crazy. Her friends were gone, Kuroe was busy working on his laptop, and the video games weren't fun alone. More than that though, she hated that she was doing nothing. Everyone else was being productive in looking for Porter, so she decided to be productive too and do some searching of her own.
Now, the thing is, she had already determined that Kouda would be able to cover all of Odawara on his own. So she decided to just meet up with him and combine efforts. After all, if he was anything like their Kouda, he'd probably be pretty lost on how to talk to Porter even if he did find him. So before leaving, she double-checked with Kuroe about which number to text in the burner phone he gave her with all the runaways' numbers, and sent him a message.
(Kuroe had no idea what the kids were doing, and he didn't want to know. He'd just expect his support and connection to Ran would grant him clemency after their invasion of Japan or whatever.)
A quick back-and-forth with Kouda introducing herself ended with her not-classmate agreeing to meet in person. His only request was she bring some breakfast. So she threw on the wig Uraraka gave her, raided Kuroe's closet for a disguise (with his bemused approval), and headed to the konbini to buy breakfast for him.
Meanwhile across town, Kouda Kouji was mildly panicking. One of the people from the other world where he apparently went to UA had suddenly texted him asking to join the search. The fact Ashido had figured out he'd be using his network of birds to search the city for Porter painted her as a highly intelligent hero-in-training with a mind for strategy. An intimidating person to meet for sure.
(Monoma, who had been assigned to join him partly to help if he found Porter, and mostly to keep him away from Mail, had looked rather doubtful when he caught wind of Kouda's worries. Mongoose Habuko, who had joined because today wasn't as cold as other days and felt kind of cooped up in base, had just shook her head when he looked at her. They wouldn't be the ones to break reality to him.)
Now, Kouji wanted to make a good first impression on this other-worlder. She must be some sort of genius to attend one of the most prestigious hero schools in the world. He, meanwhile, was a runaway who hadn't even finished middle school. All he had going for him was his Quirk, which had been what got villains' attention in the first place. (He didn't regret reporting that dog fighting ring though. He would never regret that, even if it caused some of the gamblers to pick up on his Quirk's use for spying.)
Ashido clearly knew his Quirk and likely had lofty expectations based on her own world's version of him (which was still so bizarre to think about). So it made sense to him to show off the best of his Quirk's potential, namely by sending a bird to find her and guide her to the meeting place. Ashido had told him about her disguise, describing it in detail, so having a bird find her even in disguise would stand out.
So he sent the best bird he knew, a crow named Yuuyake whose eyes glinted a burning reddish-gold like the setting sun. Yuuyake stood out from the rest of the birds in Odawara because he had a Quirk, one that let his eyes capture and reflect light like, well, a flashlight. Kouji learned Yuuyake also had a boost in his intelligence from that, making him not quite as smart as most humans, but at least on the level of a young child.
Yuuyake listened to the description of the disguise and took flight, heading off to the area where Kuroe lived to start his search. Most humans had already gone to work or school for the day, making the search easy enough. Once he found the konbini Kouji mentioned, it didn't take long to spy the person in the black hat and jacket with pink skin, carrying a bag from the store.
It also didn't take long to notice that a blond human seemed to be following her.
Now, Yuuyake was a smart bird. He was smart enough to not swoop down and alert his original quarry, because that would alert the other human. He followed them for about three streets, just to be safe, and in that time he determined that the blond was indeed following his quarry. That was enough to start forming conclusions:
Kouji's friend was being followed. Kouji's friend was wearing a disguise. Kouji and his other friends were always hiding and sneaking around. Therefore, this new friend must also want to hide and sneak around. But this other human was following Kouji's friend.
And just as he processed that, Yuuyake heard some cries in the distance from his avian brethren. "Snake-friend is coming!" someone called. "Snake-friend is looking for Kouji's new friend!" The reference to Kouji's snake-face friend (Akai or Mongoose, so silly how their names changed so much) mildly irritated Yuuyake, because didn't she trust him to find the other human?
But more importantly, if Akai came here, then the blond human would see her.
Kouji's friend was still being followed. Kouji's snake-face friend was now coming over. Snake-face friend would talk to the disguised friend. But this other human still followed Kouji's disguised friend. He would see both of Kouji's friends together. He would follow them back to Kouji.
And he had one of the electronic square "phones" in his hand that he could use to contact other humans.
With that thought process, Yuuyake's next move became clear. He swooped into a nearby garden to pick up a small rock, and then promptly dropped it on the blond man just as Kouji's snake-face friend came into sight. He didn't aim for the head like his instincts first called but instead the phone-square, which promptly fell to the ground. There was a distinct cracking sound as the man yelped yelped in dismay.
That was enough to alert Kouji's friends just in time for Yuuyake to swoop in and attack the stalker.
Now, there was one other interesting facet of Yuuyake's Quirk that he rarely felt a need to use. You see, Yuuyake's eyes didn't just catch and reflect light. The stored light took on a hypnotic sort of quality when he made direct eye contact, placing the other into a trance-like state. He just found it cheap to use when hunting prey, as if conceding his own natural skills weren't good enough.
For that reason, he also hadn't used it since early summer, the longest he'd gone yet. Usually he'd use it every three full moons, and it had now been six.
So when the man looked up and their eyes met, Yuuyake's eyes flashed with a bright light. And just like that, Yuuyake discovered a new trait of his power as the man instantly swooned and fell unconscious. Oh, so apparently storing up the light did make the effect stronger. He'd had his suspicions, but he didn't know it could knock out a human. Neat!
As he landed atop the unconscious man with an air of pride he heard the new friend shout, "Oh my gosh!"
"Wait, Yuuyake?" Akai called in surprise. "You can knock people out?" New friend turned to look at Akai in surprise.
"Wait, Akai-chan? What are you doing here? Aren't you cold?"
"Yeah, but I came to check because apparently Yuuyake wasn't bragging to the other birds about finding you yet. He does that apparently."
It should be noted now that despite his intelligence, Yuuyake couldn't understand all of the conversation. He had no real use for human language, so mostly he heard, "Yeah, but came to check... Yuuyake... other birds... does that." He didn't know what the conversation was about, but he heard the name Kouji gave him, so he cawed to draw their attention to his glorious success.
"Oh my gosh, he totally knocked out a guy by staring at him," new friend said breathlessly. "Does he always do that!? Why did he do that!? How did he do that!?"
"Yeah uh, that part is new. And also, wait, did he destroy that phone?" Yuuyake recognized the word phone and preened proudly, chest feathers puffing out as he crowed triumphantly. The shiny phone-square had been destroyed before it could be used to contact more humans, and would now make a wonderful addition to his collection. They were just so shiny.
The humans had gotten closer, and Akai looked less than pleased. "Yuuyake, why?" she asked. He just cawed, knowing she wouldn't understand him, and she groaned. "Right. Can't talk... We'll ask Rockfish. But listen, Yuuyake's smart," she said to the other girl, and Yuuyake preened again at the praise. "He wouldn't attack a random guy for no reason. He must've been doing something. This guy's suspicious."
"You think?" she asked, looking at the man, and then froze before blurting, "Wait, Mic-sensei!?" Akai jolted, eyes going wide.
"Wait, what did you just say? Sensei? Please tell me this isn't a Pro Hero!"
"I would, but that is totally Present Mic," Kouji's new friend said. "But what is he doing here? I mean, he doesn't have anything going on in Odawara, right? Unless it's some surprise... signing... like Monday..." She trailed off, seeming to stare into space. "...Deku just got an autograph from him on Monday... And Mic-sensei definitely recognized him... And An-chan was there too..."
She trailed off, but Yuuyake barely understood any of that so he didn't care. What he did understand was her tone, the tone of someone who'd come to a serious realization. Which meant he had done good in stopping this human.
He proudly puffed his feathers and cawed again, and that snapped Akai out of her daze.
"You grab his legs, I'll get his arms. We need to go now."
And so Yuuyake proudly followed the two friends as they carried the bad man away. Yuuyake had done good today, and expected many treats as compensation.
Consciousness returned to Hizashi rather abruptly. One second all was black and the next he basically had a single convulsion, his whole body spasming briefly as his eyes snapped open. That meant he got to take stock of his situation pretty fast.
First observation: he was lying on the ground in a dimly lit space. Cold, cement ground that had a chill that seeped even through his thick winter clothing. So while it was too dark to be outdoors, it wasn't exactly a place with heating.
Second observation: he was tied up, hands behind his back and ankles and knees stuck together. Once again, the bulky winter coat and gloves would work against him since he couldn't even tell what had been used to tie his wrists, he could just feel the tightness through his sleeves.
Third observation: he'd been gagged. And pretty securely too; seemed like they'd stuffed something in his mouth and tied off some cloth on top of it. It wasn't a fetish gag thankfully, which would be much creepier, but he could barely even move his jaw with whatever was inside his mouth. Which, shit.
Fourth observation: holy shit there were glowing eyes right next to him.
Hizashi made a muffled noise of shock as he registered the pair of beady eyes, glowing faintly reddish-orange in the darkness. Then they vanished as the darkness shifted, and only then did he realize those eyes weren't even human. No, they belonged to the crow that had suddenly dive-bombed him earlier and then knocked him out. Its beak opened wide as it squawked, except he couldn't hear it.
Fifth observation: whoever kidnapped him had probably removed his hearing aids. Except, wait, he'd definitely heard himself earlier when he first saw the demon bird, and a test grunt confirmed he could still hear just fine. So what the hell?
He tried to sit up only to grunt as his head bumped into something, making his confusion grow. As far as he could tell he was in the middle of a room, with no walls or ceiling right next to him. Unless... they were invisible. Great, a Quirk that could make invisible boxes. Well, at least that might explain the lack of sound instead of him going deaf.
By this point his eyes had started to adjust to the dimness of wherever he was. and as they did he registered more movement behind the crow. When he glanced over he startled upon seeing several masked figures in hoods. And by masked, he meant freaking festival masks you'd see sold in booths. A fox mask with a big mane of red hair, a bright horned blue oni mask, another kitsune mask but in black, a creepily grinning demon mask, some kind of sentai superhero with the bottom of the mask missing, a guy whose mask kept changing...
Only two people didn't wear masks. A teenager floating close to the ceiling (and absolutely not wearing a winter coat or even shoes unlike everyone else, what the hell), and Ashido Mina. His attention zeroed in on the last person, making a muffled noise of recognition. She still wore the same clothes and the hat and shades, but he was still certain of her identity. That, and she was the only person here he actually recognized from before getting knocked out by the demon crow.
The guy in the creepily grinning demon mask stepped forward, making him flinch. In the dim lighting of the room, the pasty white skin looked even more ghastly. He snapped and the walls surrounding Hizashi suddenly shattered. Turned out the box wasn't fully invisible, just slightly hazy, so the room wasn't quite as dim as he originally thought.
That really didn't lower the creepiness of the masks.
"Don't even think about shouting," the masked man warned. "We're inside a tunnel that's far away from anywhere else, so no one will be able to hear anyway. Got it?" Hizashi bobbed his head quickly, and the guy then pulled off the gag. When it was removed he spit out whatever had been stuffed in his mouth, and then blinked.
"Is that half a foam ball?" he asked. It looked like one of those foam balls you'd squeeze if you felt stressed, just cut in half. And then cut some more, to actually fit inside a mouth...
"We're working with what we have," the one in the white kitsune mask huffed, and that was definitely a girl's voice. A teenage girl, not an adult. "We don't usually have people following us around so it's not like we keep stuff for this!"
"But you keep creepy cult-ish masks," Hizashi muttered, glaring at them darkly.
"Hey, Joker-Blue isn't creepy," the guy in the sentai mask grumbled. "Though yeah, everyone else's is definitely creepy."
"As Akai said, we're working with what we have," the one in the black fox mask huffed. Akai must be the girl then. Fitting with the red coat and hair. "But that's not important. We have some questions."
"You and me both," Hizashi huffed, and decided to just get straight to the point. He zeroed in on his prime suspect for Ashido and asked, "You're Ashido Mina, aren't you?"
The girl groaned, ripping off the hat and shades so only the black hair remained. "Ugh, why did I even wear this if someone would see through it right away!" she whined.
"To be fair, most people probably wouldn't see through it," the floating kid commented. "It's a solid disguise, even managed to work the glasses into the aesthetic to wear inside. You just got unlucky and ran into someone who was hyper-focused on you in particular."
"Well that's just creepy," Akai deadpanned, and the boy grinned.
"Yes it is."
"Hey!" Hizashi muttered defensively, and regretted it when everyone turned to face him. The synchronized movement just reminded him of how creepy those masks all looked in the dark room. Still, he didn't let it deter him. "So I'm guessing one of you is Kirishima Eijirou, right?"
"Kiri's not here," Ashido huffed, crossing her arms.
"Why are you looking for them?" the one in the black kitsune mask demanded, and Hizashi huffed. Right now he really didn't want to answer, but he knew his position wasn't the best for being obstinate. He had no idea how much these guys knew so he didn't want to reveal his identity just yet, but he might be able to glean information by playing along a little bit.
"I know Oracle, the hero who was watching you guys," he said. "There's a bunch of people looking for you since you two made a big splash. We're all worried you might have fallen in with the wrong crowd."
And it looks like you have, he didn't need to say as he glanced at the other kids—and that's what they were: kids. Other than the guy in the creepy demon mask, all of them so far sounded like teenagers. What the hell were they caught up in?
"How did you even find me?" Ashido asked in frustration. "I was disguised and everything!"
"I took a chance and came here because one of your friends has a brother here," Hizashi answered honestly. "I figured you might've gone to his place. I was just in line at the konbini buying snacks when I heard you change your voice. That's what got me paying attention."
"Ugh, seriously," she groaned, slumping dejectedly. "Dang it universe, why're you screwing us over with coincidences now?"
"Is anyone else here?" the black kitsune mask kid questioned, ignoring her ramble.
"Do you really think I'll answer that?" Hizashi deadpanned.
"Don't try to dodge the question or lie. We're not afraid to have Yuuyake attack if you do." The crow cawed at the name, answering Hizashi's question about who Yuuyake was. Given how that beak would be very good for poking out eyes, he found the threat mildly effective.
"K-Kaitou, please don't use Yuuyake as a threat." The quiet interjection came from the kid with the blue oni mask, catching Hizashi off-guard. With the bulky build and the sharp-fanged snarl on the mask, he'd expected that one to be more intimidating, but instead he sounded very soft-spoken and timid. He actually flinched when Hizashi glanced at him, ducking closer to the super-sentai kid and mumbling something.
"He says he doesn't like encouraging any of the crows to attack people," the kid said. "You-know-who is smarter than the rest, so he might get ideas if we're not careful."
"Fine," the black kitsune (Kaitou, apparently) huffed. "But we have other methods we can use if you don't cooperate."
"Like what?" Hizashi demanded, and then suddenly he felt himself go limp and his torso slumped forward to lay on top of his knees at an awkward angle. The hell?
"That," said the creepy white-mask guy. Hizashi could feel control returning already, and he sat up more warily. Well he had no idea what that Quirk was, or if there was more to it than the brief paralysis, but that was clearly a warning.
Fine then. "Yeah, there are others," he lied. "And if I don't check in, they'll come looking for me—"
He was cut off by a weird rumbly noise, making him jolt. His head snapped to the source to see... a yellow weasel? It poked its head out from behind the oni kid's legs, scurrying around him with a series of chittering grunts akin to growling. He whispered to sentai who nodded. "Haya says he's lying about other people being here," he reported.
"Wait, what?" Hizashi asked dumbly.
"Huh, a marten with a lie detecting Quirk?" the floating kid asked curiously. "That's weirdly convenient. Do you just collect animals with Quirks?" The oni-masked kid shrugged, clearly not up to answering. Wait, so could that kid talk to animals or something? Also why the heck did they have a marten with a lie-detecting Quirk? Didn't those things live in forests!? What use would it even be?
"Well, Haya is never wrong," creepy demon mask guy commented. "So you are alone. Then, does anyone know you're here?"
...Was he seriously being interrogated by a bunch of kids and a marten? Apparently yes, he realized as all the kids and the marten stared at him. This was absolutely not covered in his training. Hizashi frowned and kept his mouth firmly shut, deciding it'd be better to not bother answering.
"If he's quiet, that probably means no," Kaitou noted after about a minute, and dammit, the kid was right. Was this how criminals felt talking to Tsukauchi? Granted most of them wouldn't know about his Quirk, since he tried not to warn suspects so they couldn't try to come up with a workaround. Still, the point stood.
"Wait, you didn't tell anyone?" the floating kid asked, looking genuinely surprised. "I mean, I said it was possible, but I didn't think you'd actually be that careless." Hizashi shot him an offended scowl.
"Can you please not talk to him?" Akai grumbled irritably. "We're only letting you hang around because we literally can't keep you away."
"I can make you disappear though." And then a brand new voice spoke up, one that warbled in pitch and tone and made Hizashi jolt. It was the deepest voice yet, and it must belong to the guy with the mask that kept changing. Right now it seemed to be flickering between pieces of a dragon mask and a tengu as he faced the floating boy. "I'm not even sure why I'm letting you be visible in the first place other than to keep track of you."
"I'm not going to do anything," the floating kid said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "This is the most entertainment I've had in years. I'm watching a bunch of kids interrogate a guy using a Quirked marten." The marten made a growling noise to the oni kid, apparently recognizing its species. "Just saying, I've got no motivation to work against you right now."
"Is entertainment really that strong of a motivation?" creepy mask guy asked.
"After two thousand, nine hundred eighty-seven days where you're stuck watching people without being able to interact with almost anyone or anything, you learn to appreciate the value of entertainment." Hizashi startled, quickly doing the math in his head and then just stared. That clocked in just a bit over eight years by his math, which—damn, what the hell? The kid looked sixteen!
"Yeah, that would be boring," the Sentai muttered. "Still don't know how you didn't go crazy."
"Who says I didn't?" floaty kid quipped with a cheerful smile, and wow, that was sad and oddly intimidating.
Okay, so to recap, there were at least two runaways, a bunch of kids in cheap masks from festival, multiple Quirked animals, a kid who'd apparently been cut off from all human contact for over eight years... Yeah, Hizashi wasn't like the picture he was starting to put together. He had seen plenty of shady stuff over the years, and this was setting off all kinds of alarm bells.
The guy with the demon mask and the guy who kept changing struck him as the main threats. They seemed to be the oldest ones here going by their voices, but more than that, the changing guy basically threatened the floating kid. Something about "letting" him be visible? Was he why the kid had been isolated for eight years?
His jaw clenched at the thought. Ashido and Kirishima might be in deeper over their heads than he'd initially feared. "Hey," he said lowly, drawing everyone's attention to him. "What's the deal with all you guys, anyway?" There was no reason to beat around the bush right now. Asking directly might get him some answers depending on how cocky these people were as long as he didn't directly accuse the adults.
So he was surprised when he was responded by half of them chorusing, "No." The simple response had him blinking, because seriously, what did that mean? Just "No"?
"We're not telling you anything," Kaitou said firmly, getting nods from the others.
"It's bad enough anyone knows, let alone an adult," Akai added.
"Sorry Mic," Ashido said, and that had him startling.
"Wait, what did you just call me?" he asked incredulously, and she immediately flinched as the others turned to stare at her flatly.
"Okay, guess we're just acknowledging we know who he is," creepy mask guy muttered, making her flinch again with a small grimace.
"Sorry..."
"How do you know that?" Hizashi demanded sharply.
"We're not telling you," the guy with the ever-changing mask declared flatly.
"Anyways," Kaitou cut in loudly. "So to double-check, you have no one who currently knows you're here?" Hizashi immediately pursed his lips, refusing to answer.
"He's still avoiding answering, so I'm going with yes," Akai piped up.
"Honestly, that's good enough for now," creepy mask guy sighed. "Hey Mime, cube him." Wait, what? Hizashi jolted as the kid with the sentai mask stalked over.
"Hey, what're you—" He didn't get to finish the question before the kid was blowing into his hand, and he yelped as a cube suddenly formed. Within seconds he was trapped in the same kind of cube as when he'd woken up, cutting off all outside sounds. He could try to scream to break it, but with how small it was, he worried his voice would just bounce off the walls and hit himself.
As it stood, he could only glare sourly at the kids as they all headed out beyond a thick, black curtain, leaving only the crow behind. It opened its mouth to caw, not that he could hear it. Even without sound, it felt oddly mocking.
Great. Just great. He had a feeling this was going to be a long day.
BONUS: Origins of Haya
~One Year Ago~
Kuroe had been fast asleep when his phone rang, making him groan and blindly grope around the end table. "Hey, Kuroe," Aiko's voice streamed over the phone, chipper as ever.
"What?" he groaned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Wait, did I wake you up? It's already noon!"
"I stayed up late because I had to meet Stendhal, creepy fucker," he muttered under his breath. Hard to feel tired after spending time around that guy, always took a couple hours to fall asleep. "Anyways, what do you want?"
"So, do you want a marten?" That was enough to have him sitting up, losing his sleepiness.
"...Why do you have a marten?"
"I have no idea," Aiko replied flatly. "I've spent the past four years thinking there was a rodent infestation at one of the abandoned labs. And I guess I was kinda right, except it was a single marten instead of a bunch of rats. So I guess I didn't need to leave out as much food as I did."
"...Why did you ignore it for four years? Actually, wait, why did you leave food for it?"
"Because these places suck and deserve any damage rodents can wreak on them." Hard to argue with that. "Anyways, do you want the marten or not?"
"Can't you just release it or something?"
"Feeding a wild animal will lower its ability to survive in the wild, and I don't know if this one knows how to hunt. Kuroe, I left a LOT of food for it because I thought there were, like, five hundred rats. Also, when I tried to dump it in the woods it looked heartbroken and started crying, and I'm not HEARTLESS."
"...Can't you give it to Izuku as a pet or something?"
"Kuroe, this thing is a master of escape. I just spent the last two days repeatedly tracking it down after it repeatedly escaped my traps. And how do you think villains visiting the bar would react to a loose marten?" Also hard to argue that. "Look, doesn't one of the kids have that animal-talking Quirk, or did he leave?"
Kuroe hummed. "Nah, he's still around."
"Great. Then he can take it and figure out if I screwed over its ability to survive in the wild by feeding it every week."
"Fine, fine. When will you drop off the marten?"
"Right now." Wait, what? "Hey, Giri! He said okay!" Wait, WHAT?
At that moment a tiny black portal appeared and a yellow weasel-like creature fell out of it, plopping onto the bed. Kuroe just stared at the marten, and the marten stared back, beady black eyes full of eerie wisdom. "Thanks Kuroe, you're the best! Gotta go now, talk to you later!" There was a click as the call ended, and Kuroe continued to stare down the marten.
Then it spun and took a flying leap off the bed, Kuroe lunging after it before it could ravage his bedroom.
And thus began Haya's new life.
Notes:
Yuuyake is my new favorite OC. Best POV ever. The name comes from the song Yuuyake Koyake, which a lot of towns and cities play at the end of the day around 5 PM when it's time for kids to go home. "Yuuyake" means sunset, and the lyrics reference crows, and thus Yuuyake the crow is born!
Also yes, they DO have a convenient lie-detecting marten. Why? Because I said so. (I literally wrote that bonus omake today, so excuse any errors/mistakes in it. I think you can guess why Haya has that lie-detecting Quirk from that. Also yes, Kurogiri knows Aiko has connections in Odawara, mainly because she's had him warp her there and back. He doesn't ask questions.) On that note, Haya is a Japanese marten, and finding any videos of them making sounds is HARD.
Also if you search "Japanese festival masks" you should find most of the masks described. Mime/Tsuburaba modified his to expose the mouth to use his Quirk. On that note, there's a whole wiki for sentai rangers that has a table with all the teams and colors. Apparently there's a team based on Lupin. Neat!
Question for next time: What do you think the kids' invasion of Japan that Kuroe half-expects would entail?
Chapter 81: Aftermath of an Interrogation with a Marten
Summary:
After interrogating Present Mic, the runaways talk about their next step. Meanwhile, everyone at the Villain Alliance is bored.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 81
.::Aftermath of an Interrogation with a Marten::.
"So, let's see if we've got this right," Rogue said, pressing a hand to his face. "On Tuesday when Midoriya went to meet Present Mic, Mic also probably saw Nettmegg." That got some nods, and he continued, "So then cut to today, and Rockfish has Yuuyake go meet up with Ashido. And he notices she's being followed."
" He found her a block from the konbini," Kouda confirmed with a shy nod. "H-he was already following her, and he followed her for over three streets."
"Right. And so when Yuuyake hears that Akai is also coming over, and also notices a phone," and here he had to pause because the crow let out a victorious caw, "he decided the man was a threat. And decided to use a rock to break the phone before using his Quirk on him. Which, as it turns out, can actually knock people out." He got some more nods. "Great. So how long is he out?"
" We don't know," Monoma replied with a sigh. "I've copied Yuuyake's Quirk before so I knew it could daze anyone who made eye contact with it, but I didn't realize it accumulated the light it stored like that."
" Yuuyake hasn't used his Quirk since June," Kouda added. "I-it's the first time he's gone this long without using it, s-so we don't know how long it will last."
" Well, it's been half an hour and he's not waking up, so hooray for that I guess," Akai muttered, side-eying the unconscious Pro Hero. Mina just felt kind of sheepish and tried to not stare at her not-teacher, feeling more than a little guilty about tying him up and stuffing him in one of Mime's cubes.
They'd dragged him to the tunnel where they'd had the first meeting, which had a lot of scorch marks and damage compared to their last visit. Luckily most of the room they used had been spared from the damage (though the door... didn't really exist anymore), so they'd tied him up in the back behind the curtain before calling for help. Which in this case came in the form of Kouda, Monoma, Rogue, Mime, and Glitch. And with Glitch naturally came Mail, who hovered near the cube trapping Mic with a thoughtful look.
" Huh," he said. "He got beat by a crow." He nodded and crossed his arms as he declared, "That is hilarious and we are never letting him live that down." Yuuyake cawed, whether he understood anything beyond his name or not unclear and unimportant. "By the way, really impressive knots, Akai. The zip ties are a nice touch. How convenient you carried those around."
" Better safe than sorry," she snapped irritably.
Mail just hummed, still smirking. "Yeah. Also, very curious about the invisible cube Mime. Very handy that it's soundproof."
" I'm not saying anything!" Mime declared. "I'm not letting you analyze me like everyone else!"
Mail huffed and rolled his eyes. "Yeesh, you analyze one person's Quirk and fighting style, and suddenly you're terrifying."
" Ghost, you know this guy," Glitch said testily. "Do you have any idea how the hell he ended up here? Did you call him somehow?" Mail hummed, his smirk fading to a more serious look as he glanced at Mic.
" No. I didn't call him, or anyone else for that matter. I don't actually know him personally, just seen him around and listened to his radio show a couple times. Best I can guess, the heroes probably figured out Eraser's with the Alliance now, so he got obsessed with Midoriya and checked security footage for anyone he talked to. And that obviously included Anjou."
" Would he really go that far though?" Mime wondered. "I've never met Present Mic, but he's always struck me as the frontlines type. He doesn't seem like the type of guy who'd be patient enough to sit down and go through hours of footage on a slim lead." He glanced at Mina as if seeking validation, but she just frowned.
"If it's to find Aizawa-sensei, then probably," she said. Everyone in 1-A knew at this point that Mic-sensei was probably Aizawa's best friend. The guy had shown up as the lunch bell rang to drag Aizawa to the cafeteria for "real food, not one of those gross jelly pouches for the sixth day straight!" on multiple occasions. And she also knew that this world's Mic always signed off with a message that had to be for Aizawa.
" From what I know, he's been pretty obsessive about the search," Mail agreed with a nod. "Nighteye's agency has been involved in the search too since they work pretty closely with the UA folks, and they already pool all resources on the Alliance. It's not too crazy he'd ask for Kas's case notes on Ashido, seeing as she was in contact with Uraraka and Uraraka ran away after meeting Midoriya. Those notes would definitely include Anjou having a brother in Odawara."
"So basically, because of a bunch of loose associations, Present Mic decided to come to Odawara to see if he'd find anything," Monoma summarized. "And he was actually right."
"Hilarious, isn't it?" Mail grinned, his glowing eyes seeming particularly bright in the dimness of the room. "It's the kind of connection that anyone else would dismiss unless they were absolutely desperate." Mina frowned as she glanced at Mic again. Rather than hilarious, she found it pretty sad. He really was desperate to find Aizawa-sensei.
"Bigger issue is if he was actually alone," Akai muttered, side-eying Mic. "No one tried to follow us or the birds would've noticed." They'd had a small flock following them while carrying Mic to the tunnel, apparently led by Yuuyake. According to Kouda they'd been shouting about anyone they saw, ranging from an old woman shopping to a hungover guy who stuck his head out a window to curse them out for being so noisy. If anyone had been trying to follow them, the birds would've made that obvious.
" Well, all we can do is wait for him to wake up," Monoma sighed. "And hope that Haya can help us get answers." The small weasel-like animal by Kouda's feet perked up at the name.
" How can a weasel help?" Mail asked curiously.
" Marten," half the runaways corrected, with Rogue adding, "We're not telling you." Mail seemed to accept it with a shrug while Mina glanced at Mic again. She could only hope they'd get some actual answers.
After the interrogation, the runaways gathered in the other half of the ruined room to talk about the results. A slightly unwelcome change of scenery, since the ruined door meant no buffer against the cold, but a necessary one so they could remove the masks without Mic lip-reading them or something. Mina didn't know if he could do that, but better safe than sorry.
"Okay, so based on Haya's input and his reactions, he probably didn't tell anyone he was coming to Odawara," Monoma declared. "So chances are no one realizes he's even missing yet."
"That's good, right?" Mina asked anxiously. "I mean obviously this is still bad, but that's kinda good, right?"
"Just because they don't know he's here, doesn't mean they have no idea he's looking into Odawara," Akai countered. "He probably mentioned it to someone."
"And when they do figure out he's missing, they'll probably try to search for his phone," Mime added. "I checked it out and it's all cracked, but actually still kinda works? It turns on anyway. So even if we turn it off, chances are they can still see where it was before by pinging cell phone towers or something."
"Does it work like that?" Monoma asked, and Mime shrugged.
"No idea. I'm just repeating stuff I saw on a TV show once." He perked up as he added, "Hey, maybe we could get Yuuyake or one of the other crows to carry it to another city to throw them off!"
"Either way, we're probably on a ticking timer before someone comes looking for him," Rogue said flatly, and got a chorus of "yep"s and "guess so"s. He sighed and buried his face in his hands, looking very tired. "Shit, I can't believe this is happening..." Mina winced and hung her head, her whole frame drooping with guilt.
"I am so sorry," she said. The only reason any Pro Heroes were here was because of them after all; Mic had even been following her specifically! Now Odawara would be on all kinds of people's radars, which would just cause an endless amount of problems for the runaways.
Monoma and Akai seemed highly aware of that judging by the sour looks they sent her, which just compounded her guilt. Kouda and Mime just looked uncomfortable and unsure what to say, and she couldn't even see Rogue or Glitch's faces right now.
"Fuck it, it was unavoidable," Glitch declared, solidifying her—wait, what?
"What?" she, Monoma, Akai, and Mime all asked at once in varying tones ranging from shock to confusion to frustration. Even Kouda made a surprised whimper. The ever-flickering Glitch just shrugged, Quirk still rendering his face unreadable.
"We've been on a ticking timer since the ghost showed up. And even without him, we'd have to relocate anyway for other reasons. We'd just put the move on delay to sort out this mess." This was obviously news to everyone else, as they now all looked at him in even more shock and confusion.
"Wait, what?" Mime asked. "Rogue, is he serious right now?" Rogue sighed and pulled his hands away from his face.
"He wasn't supposed to mention it, but yeah," he confirmed reluctantly. "We're still working out details with Kuroe on the move, so don't tell anyone yet."
"But doesn't Kuroe keep out of all the runaway stuff?" Mina asked in confusion. Anjou and the rest had made that pretty clear when briefing them on the situation after the big reunion with Todoroki. Kuroe wasn't supposed to know anything.
"He does," Monoma muttered, eyes narrowing at the older runaways. "We only use him for networking." Rogue remained steadily silent at the unspoken accusation, while Mina struggled to figure out what that accusation was.
"The problem is now's a bad time to move," Glitch said. "We hoped to at least wait out the worst part of winter and have more time to prepare and save up. Moving on short notice will just cause a giant hassle."
"That's only if they can track down Mic," Mail remarked thoughtfully. "They won't be able to search Odawara openly. Given the lack of crime, a sudden flock of Pro Heroes visiting would just tip off whoever captured him. They'd probably only be able to send over a couple people to search discreetly. So as long as you cover up your tracks, maybe set up a false trail like Mime suggested, it should be fine." That had everyone turning to stare at him, and he asked, "What?"
"Isn't this the part where you're supposed to try to rescue him or talk us into letting him go?" Akai asked.
"Are you kidding? I just watched a bunch of teens interrogate a Pro Hero using a marten." Haya's head bobbed upwards at the reference. "I really can't emphasize the value of good entertainment when you're a ghost. At this point I'm honestly kind of rooting for you guys." Once again, Mina was left wondering what the hell was going on in this Mail guy's head. She'd expect him to be on the heroes' side, but apparently he wasn't?
"A false trail," Monoma murmured. "That... We might be able to do something with that. I might have some other ideas too. Ideas I can't discuss here," he shot a pointed look at Mail, "but ideas."
"We'll talk about it later," Rogue said with a nod.
"What do we do with him right now though?" Akai asked. "Are we just going to keep him here?"
There was a pause as everyone considered it. Obviously, they couldn't just release him right now. Mic obviously knew something was up in Odawara now, and also, he knew Mina was there. Even if they dumped him in another city, he'd probably have a bunch of other heroes searching the city within days. And that'd just throw a HUGE wrench into the rescue plans.
...They were totally kidnapping a Pro Hero, weren't they?
"Well, I guess we're going full rogue," Rogue declared, throwing up his hands in surrender. "Screw it, why not? Fuck." He turned to stalk off and grumble some more, and Mina grimaced sympathetically as she pulled out her phone to update the others. Uraraka, Todo, Kiri, Jirou and Kami probably had a lot of questions since her last text before the interrogation. And given they'd now be kidnapping Mic-sensei, she had a lot to tell them.
As she started typing what happened, she felt a pang of regret at the absence of Midoriya's name in the list of contacts. Maybe she should have texted him, just to let him know that the Pros might know Aizawa-sensei was captured by the Alliance. He probably needed to know that they'd now be kidnapping Mic-sensei, too.
But then she decided, no. Not yet. He had enough to worry about with Aiko hanging around today on top of everything else going on over at the Alliance. The last thing he needed was to freak out about them technically, maybe kidnapping Mic-sensei. So until they knew for sure what they would do with him and had a more solid plan on how to handle the situation, it wouldn't hurt to keep it from him so he could focus on everything else.
Just for a little bit.
Meanwhile, Izuku was currently putting his free time to good use.
"DIE!" Bakugou shouted, explosions bursting from his palms and propelling the wheelchair down the hall at record speeds. The crowd of villains gathered on either end of the hallway cheered loudly as he zoomed past an intersecting hall where Izuku, Shinsou and Mustard stood, the latter holding a stopwatch. The sandy-haired teen made a large show of hitting the stop button before checking the screen.
"Four-point-thirty-six seconds," he read, and the crowd's cheers grew. Their voices barely drowned out the shrill screech of the wheels as Bakugou dug his heels against the floor to bring it to a halt. It slowed just in time to lightly bump against the pillows piled against the far wall at the end of the short hallway past the intersection.
He rolled the chair back just enough to get up, and villains emerged from a nearby doorway to turn the wheelchair around. As they debated over who'd get to go next Izuku hurried over to Bakugou's side, eyes shining with delight. "That was amazing, Kacchan!" he exclaimed. "You went so fast!"
"Tch, would've been faster if this thing's wheels weren't so rusty," the blond scoffed. "I could hear the thing squeaking even over my explosions." They walked back to the intersection where Shinsou waited, Mustard already heading down to the opposite end of the hall to wait for the next racer.
With Kurogiri having a second "off day" in a row, Izuku had originally planned to spend the day with Aizawa to ward off surprise visits from Aiko. However, when he mentioned that plan, Shinsou had raised a good point it being a perfect opportunity to try his wheelchair race idea. Kurogiri was the one most likely to stop it after all, so this might be their best and only opportunity.
As it turned out, most of the grunts who lived or just slept over at the base agreed. Most of them had spent yesterday in their rooms since Kurogiri's absence meant the bar area was effectively closed. Having it closed for two days in a row had them getting a little more stir-crazy though. Since the longest uninterrupted hallway in the building happened to house the rooms where most of them slept, it was inevitable for them to find out about the race, and they all wanted in.
Even now two of them had set up for their turn, one seated in the wheelchair and the other behind him with his palms pressed to the seat's back. The standing man's biceps instantly inflated to almost cartoonish levels, easily larger than his head. "Call start already!" the sitting one called, and Mustard huffed.
"Fine, go," he said, hitting the button. The inflation in his biceps "shifted" to the hands instead, the sudden change shoving the wheelchair forward with extra force. It zoomed down the hall at rapid speeds, and Mustard stopped the watch as it passed him and called, "Four point fifty-two seconds."
The crowd whooped at the number, and Bakugou clicked his tongue. Izuku was honestly surprised at how close it was to Bakugou's time. "Maybe there is something up with the wheelchair," he mumbled to himself. "Kacchan's explosions should make him faster than getting pushed, especially on wheels, unless maybe the hands suddenly growing made the air displace and added to the push? Or maybe..."
"Hey, we found another one!" He got cut off by Twice's voice, and they turned to see him approaching with another wheelchair. One that made the trio of teens stare.
"Are those... restraints?" Bakugou asked, staring at the belts around the arms, footrests, and torso.
"Yep!" Twice confirmed with a nod. "This chair's super creepy! I love it!" The longer they looked at it, the more disturbing the wheelchair became. It looked more beat up than the other one, and the belts had obviously been added later and had been fused onto the chair with a Quirk of some sort.
At that moment Mustard returned to time the next racer, only to do a double-take as he saw the wheelchair. "The hell? Where'd you find that?"
"I found it in an old storage room in the hall where that hero's staying! It was full of super cool stuff! I'm never going back there again!"
"Did you find any that... didn't have those?" Izuku asked tightly.
"Nope! There was another one that had a belt for the neck though. It creeped me out just looking at it! I want to try it!" Well, that was even more disturbing.
"I don't think this place was too legal when it was open," Shinsou declared through his phone, and Izuku, Bakugou and Mustard could only nod in mute agreement.
"Hey kid, start the next race already!" someone called, and Mustard sighed as he turned around to time the next round.
"Five point thirteen," he called as the latest racer zoomed past. He went back to the other end to wait, and Magne and Toga poked around the corner before quickly joining Izuku and the others.
"Oh, goodie, you're back!" Toga greeted Twice, and paused to study the chair. "Ooh, that chair looks super fun!"
"Yeah, you would think that," Magne muttered with an almost fond huff.
"This shithole's even more screwed up than I thought," Bakugou muttered. In the background they heard Mustard call for the next racer to start, and the wheelchair went zooming past them, only for a loud crash to follow. The group quickly leaned out of the entrance to their branching hallway to peek at the far end, spying the wheelchair toppled over against the pillows and its occupant sprawled on the floor.
"I'm okay," the man called feebly.
"Your leg's half-melted, idiot!" someone else called flatly, which was true. The man's left leg had begun to melt into a puddle of something, a puddle which was slowly spreading. It didn't seem to be painful, so probably his Quirk. Mister Compress stepped out of the nearest doorway to inspect the puddle.
"I believe we'll need to clean this up before the next race," he called, and the crowd began booing and vocalizing their dismay.
"Yeesh, looks nasty," Magne said. "Hey Twice, help me clean up."
"Huh? Uh, sure. Please don't hurt me!" Magne led him down the hallway to check on the fallen racer, leaving them alone with Toga. The blonde turned around to face Shinsou with a bright grin, making him step back. Oh no, stalker Toga was back.
"So Jackie, when are you gonna race?" she asked, and he quickly tapped a reply on his phone.
"Never. My Quirk doesn't work for it. And I can't use it anyway."
"Plenty of people don't have good Quirks for it, but they're still getting people push them!" she countered with a laugh. "Come on Jackie, it's fun! And I wanna see you win!" She bounced over to the wheelchair Twice had found and pushed it forward. "Just sit down, I'll even give you the push!"
"I am not sitting in that one." Shinsou typed the reply at record speeds.
"I'm not gonna strap you in, silly!" she laughed, and then grinned slyly as she added, "I mean, unless you want me to."
Izuku decided it would be best to intervene now before it got any worse. "Um, I don't think we should use that one," he said, walking over to pull her away from it. "I-it doesn't look like it's in good shape compared to the other one," not a lie, the seat looked disturbingly worn—was that a bloodstain? He mentally pushed it away as he continued, "And plus the other one seems fine even if it got knocked over, s-so! And there's not actually room for two wheelchairs in the hallway anyway, so..."
Toga hummed at his rambling and tilted her head. "So then, does that mean this wheelchair won't work?" she asked.
"Well, I mean, the other one seems like it's still fine," Izuku replied.
"Not the race, silly!" she said, and leaned closer to whisper. "I mean for whatever you're planning!" Izuku froze up at that, eyes going wide.
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" he replied in a high-pitched voice, a too-tight smile pasted on his face. "We're not planning anything!" Toga just giggled at his denial, and he heard the smack of Shinsou's palm hitting his face.
"Deku, how the hell are you so shitty at lying when you live with a bunch of villains," Kacchan growled in frustration.
"Zuzu's just too sweet and pure!" Toga sing-songed, and then added in a conspiratorial whisper, "But it's okay. I won't tell anyone you're planning something, even if you don't tell me what it is." She continued in a louder voice, "This race is super fun anyway! This is the most exciting thing to happen in weeks!"
"Ah, y-yeah, it is," Izuku agreed with a nod, relaxing a bit since she didn't pry. He didn't want to admit that they were looking for a wheelchair for Aizawa for the escape, even if she'd helped in the past with the anklet. They just didn't trust her enough.
They were spared from further conversation when Shigaraki suddenly appeared in the hallway behind Toga, making Izuku, Shinsou and Bakugou all startle. She noticed their reactions and turned to look, and jumped back when she saw him. The blue-haired man looked slightly more annoyed than usual as he marched over.
"The hell's going on over here?" he grumbled irritably. "All this shouting's throwing me off. I just got killed by Aiko, again." His lips curled in obvious displeasure, and Izuku could only assume he meant in a video game since he was alive. He side-eyed the wheelchair as he added, "And what the hell's that thing doing out here?"
"Wheelchair race," Shinsou replied through his phone, having already begun typing the response after his initial question.
"Wheelchair race?" Shigaraki repeated skeptically.
"We were bored, and apparently so were the rest of these mooks," Bakugou grunted, hitching a thumb back towards the hall. "Got a problem with that?" Shigaraki paused to consider it, eyes narrowing.
"No, I don't," he finally decided, and Izuku nearly slumped with relief. They were spared from further conversation by the return of Mustard and Magne, who looked mildly surprised at his arrival. When he didn't say anything they quickly turned their attention elsewhere though.
"Hey, Toga-chan, come here for a sec," Magne said.
"Okay, Magne!" Toga sang as she bounced after her. Magne led her to the smaller dead end area where they'd set up the pillow barrier on this end of the hall. That little section had two private rooms, one on each end, and Izuku knew that one of those belonged to Magne. (How he knew that, he didn't know, but at this point he was oddly used to randomly knowing details like this.)
Except Magne didn't lead Toga through the door like he expected, instead motioning for her to wait in the hallway while she stepped in the doorway. "Okay, just stand right there," the older villain said.
"Um, okay, but why?" Toga asked. "Isn't this in the way—huh?" She startled as she suddenly began glowing pink, and spun to face the other end of the hallway. All at once Izuku realized what was happening, and Toga screamed as Twice came hurtling towards her on the wheelchair.
Mustard hit the stop button just as Twice crashed into her, the pair crashing into the pillow barrier. "Four point twenty-nine," he declared, and the loudest round of cheers sounded yet while Bakugou cursed. Even Shigaraki looked mildly interested now.
As he took in the obvious popularity of the race, Izuku silently lauded Shinsou as a strategic genius. They still had a lot of work to do, but by the end of the day, they'd at least have a wheelchair for the escape.
Even if it might be one from a horror movie, he thought as he glanced at the one Twice found with a mild grimace. Hopefully they'd find one less disturbing to use, or at least one without mysterious stains that may or may not be blood. The day was still young, they had plenty of time to look for other wheelchairs to hide.
Notes:
At last, the long-awaited wheelchair race! Woo! (Also Izuku WILL be told about Mic soon, but for now, they're letting him focus on his end. He's got enough to worry about already.) Not much else to say. Mic's going to be staying here for a while, but hey, at least he'll probably be the first one to see Aizawa when he gets out, right?
Question for next time: what ideas for other Quirked animals do you have that could be added to Kouda's chaotic menagerie for the most destruction?
Chapter 82: How the Wind Blows
Summary:
Jirou regrets going outside in the cold, and Uraraka and Todoroki enjoy a nice sea breeze.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 82
.::How the Wind Blows::.
The wind was bitter and cold as Kyouka speed-walked down the street, laptop bag lightly bumping against her side as she did. Today had to be the coldest yet since waking up in this world, so cold that just breathing hurt if she didn't pull a scarf over her nose, leaving the streets almost empty as few people wanted to endure it. The monorail had been more full than usual; Kyouka noticed people riding for only one or two stops, just to avoid the cold for a little longer.
She already regretted leaving Kaminari's apartment, but she needed to just get out after finding the messages from Ashido. They had a feeling someone would run into trouble with how things had gone, but none of them predicted it to happen at Odawara. After the first text with the photo of Mic, it just spiraled even further and now it seemed like the runaways would be holding him hostage.
Which made Ashido an accomplice in kidnapping their English teacher—and by extension, the rest of them were too.
All of them had already gotten Ashido to delete the initial photo of Mic, and then they got to talking plans. The group chat was currently flooded with vaguely coded talk about how to handle it, without explicitly referencing what was happening. The runaways seemed to have some plans of their own to keep him from being found, but that didn't stop those from 1-A from joining in with some ideas of their own.
So far it seemed like the runaways planned to hold him hostage until they managed to move everyone out of Odawara, or Midoriya got rescued. At that point, they'd dump Aizawa, Bakugou and Shinsou on Mic, since they lacked the resources to handle any of that. The dimension jumpers also talked about possibly turning themselves in to the heroes after that. If Mail's siblings knew stuff about the other dimension and that Porter guy, it would make sense to go to them directly.
Alternatively, Kaminari and Ashido had already started spit balling ideas for new identities for their group and all the runaways they knew. And then some extra identities for the runaways they didn't know. Apparently they deemed it very probable that someone with a goat Quirk would exist among them.
Kyouka decided she needed some fresh air when Kaminari brought back "Santos Raijin" as his new cover.
She'd set course for the same coffee shop as yesterday, planning to grab a late lunch and spend the afternoon focusing on her classes there. They did have final exams next week, which was just kind of... wild to think about. At the current pace everything was going she doubted they'd get home by Monday, so they'd probably have to take them.
Luckily some of the classes included stuff they'd covered at UA, but there was plenty of new material. Then factoring in everything from before she came over, she had no idea where to even start with studying. She'd rather not tank her counterpart's grades, so she needed to get to work. They'd need to do a serious cram session with Yaomomo over the weekend.
It kinda made her wonder about the exams in their own world, but she quickly pushed the thought away. Right now, they just needed to focus on surviving long enough to get home, preferably without totally derailing their counterparts' lives. She didn't really have time to worry about what might be happening back home right now. Like if anyone was trying to find them, or if their counterparts were over there...
"Jirou?"
Oh thank kami, a distraction, Kyouka thought as she turned to see who'd called her. Her eyebrows shot up when she found herself faced with Iida, along with a man she didn't recognize at all. "Hey Iida," she greeted with a nod. He looked mildly different from usual, black stripes peeking over the top of his scarf and a fake mole under his right eye.
"So it is you!" he exclaimed with a nod. "I thought it might be, since you wore that same coat to the test day."
"Yeah, well, not like I have any others for winter," Kyouka replied with a shrug.
"So you two know each other?" the man asked curiously, and Iida turned to nod at him.
"Of course! Jirou is an acquaintance from school. Though speaking of which," he turned back with a frown, "You were doing distance learning because of your hearing, weren't you? Should you be outside?"
"The sensitivity finally went down last week, so I'm good now," Kyouka replied with a shrug. "I decided to keep doing classes online because of the stuff that's been happening lately. You know, like that villain attack last week, and Kaminari almost getting mugged. Don't really want to go out."
"Ah, I see," he said with a nod. "I suppose I can't blame you, given... what happened." His voice took on a more strained note as he ducked his head slightly, and Kyouka frowned.
"...Yeah," she said flatly, silently wondering what he meant. Clearly he was referring to a specific incident, but she obviously didn't know it. Judging by his tone and the context though, and the way he flinched at her reply, it was bad. She didn't want to risk him talking about it and finding out she didn't remember it, so she asked, "What're you doing here, anyway? I thought you'd be holed up at home cramming for the exams."
The man with Iida burst out laughing. "That's exactly what he was doing! I had some business over here, so I dragged him out for a change of scenery for once. I work with his brother, by the way," he added, and Kyouka nodded. So probably a sidekick then. "How about you? What brings you out on this lovely, blustery day?"
"I was just heading to this one coffee shop to get lunch and do the afternoon classes," she replied, gesturing to her laptop bag. "I wanted a change of scenery from my apartment. Guess I could've picked a better day." She tugged her scarf a little higher for emphasis, getting a small chuckle from the man.
"In that case, would you mind Ito tagging along?" he suggested, placing a subtle emphasis on the name while nudging Iida's shoulder. "I need to meet with some pretty stodgy people, so he'd probably have more fun hanging out with you."
The suggestion caught Kyouka off-guard, and Iida too judging by how he spun to face him. "But, sir! I agreed to join you for real experience!"
"Yeah, but you'd just be watching me talk to some guys about security stuff," the man replied with a shrug, and added to Kyouka, "Seriously, I can't emphasize how stuffy these guys are. This one in particular makes Ito here look like a rebel!"
Kyouka snorted and smirked at that. "Wow, that much of a hardass, huh?"
"I think he was military overseas at one point," the man confided with a laugh. "It really shows. He's good at his job, but honestly the meetings can be pretty boring. I drew the short straw, literally. I mainly just agreed to bring along Ito to have an excuse to get him away from school stuff."
"Well, I wouldn't be a good break either," Kyouka replied. "If he joined me I'd be having him help me study for exams too. Haven't been able to focus as well lately with the hearing thing," she added as she scratched at her cheek by her ear. "Could use some help with an extra review."
That seemed to be enough to sway Iida, as he promptly spun to face her. "Of course I'll help, Jirou-san! I'd be happy to assist."
The man with him hummed and crossed his arms before grinning. "Know what? It's socialization, and that's good enough for his brother." He patted Iida's shoulder and said, "Have fun Ito. Keep your phone available so we can call when needed."
"Of course, sir," Iida confirmed with a brisk nod, and the trio headed down the street. The sidekick stayed with them until they reached the coffee shop, just to check the place, and then headed off.
Kyouka immediately went to the same table as last night to set her stuff down while Iida went to look at the menu. As she did she glanced out the window just in time to see the sidekick enter one of the buildings Yaomomo had told them about. Looked like at least one of the companies and Team Idaten were already taking precautions against Gentle Criminal. She made a mental note for later.
She joined Iida at the counter to place their orders, both getting a light soup and sandwich combo to help combat the brutal chill. Luckily the coffee shop offered some actual lunch options to try to attract salarymen on their lunch breaks. Her eyebrows raised again when they sat at the table and Iida removed his scarf and hat, revealing not only more tiger stripes on his face, but also two small horns.
"What are you, a tiger-oni?" she snarked.
"I honestly don't know," Iida replied with a sigh. "I didn't get a chance to see my reflection. I doubt this will hold up under intense scrutiny."
"Good thing you won't have strangers asking twenty questions then."
"Right. Moving on, do you need help with any subject in particular?"
All of them, Kyouka replied mentally. Out loud she said, "Dude, let's at least finish eating before we get into schoolwork. Your brother's coworker said you focus too much on school anyway, so a few minutes will probably be good for you."
"I suppose you have a point," Iida conceded almost sheepishly, and picked up his spoon to start eating his soup. "Ah, that reminds me. Have you spoken to Yaoyorozu yet?"
"Yeah, we finally met up last weekend," Kyouka confirmed with a nod, relieved she could honestly say that. No longer having to avoid Yaomomo had taken a huge weight off her shoulders. "We talked things out and we're good now. I planned to ask her to help study this weekend, too, but since you're here right now I figured I'd ask you."
He nodded in understanding. "I'm glad to hear it. She was quite worried about you since you weren't even answering texts." The reminder gave Kyouka a brief pang of guilt. Avoiding Yaomomo had left a bad taste in her mouth, and talking to her had made her realize the other girl had been even more worried than she'd thought. She'd even admitted to breaking into Kyouka's apartment just to see if there were signs of a struggle.
"I just had some other stuff to work through," she said vaguely, twirling her earphone jack around her finger as she ate. "Anyways, any thoughts on those vigilantes that've been in the news lately? The 1-A Vigilantes, I think?" Might as well try to find out what he (and by extension, his brother) knew about them.
Iida sat up a bit straighter, his expression a bit more intent now. "I suspect they're our age," he said bluntly. "I ran into them the other day actually, and one of them didn't use whatever method they have to disguise their voices."
"You talked to them?" she asked, feigning surprise and curiosity, and he nodded.
"Yes. I was getting lunch near where that villain attack in the news last week happened. I actually tried to pursue them, too, but... They got away." He looked a bit sheepish now, and mildly disappointed in himself judging by his stern frown.
"What, they outran you?"
"No, one of them threw a smoke bomb and made... some kind of foam?" His eyebrows furrowed. "It expanded rather fast, and clogged my... you know." He left it vague, and Kyouka realized he didn't want to reference his engines in public.
"Think it's his Quirk?" she asked idly.
"Honestly, I don't know. As I said, he threw a smoke bomb first so it obscured my vision. I know a lot of people think he has an electricity Quirk given his name, but they seem to have a good deal of support gear. It wouldn't be difficult to make something with a shock function."
Kyouka hummed quietly as she ate. "I wouldn't put too much stock in their names. I mean, they call the other one Punk Step, right? And she doesn't seem to have some kind of jumping or walking power." She paused and asked, "Wait, does she?"
"No, I don't think so," Iida murmured with a frown. "My brother says it's a reference to a former vigilante, since Punk Step's costume has those boots." He frowned down at his sandwich. "I wonder, where do they get their gear, anyway?"
"Who knows?" Kyouka shrugged. Seemed like Iida wasn't suspicious of her or Kaminari at least, which probably meant Ingenium didn't suspect them either. Hopefully it would stay that way. She'd rather not have to deal with that on top of everything else.
"Anyways, enough of that," Iida said, glancing at a clock on the wall. "The next class should start in a few minutes, so you should get out your laptop so we can watch together."
"Oh, sure," she muttered, feeling her mood sink. Well great, and she'd just forgotten about having to study. Just because she had to do it didn't mean she liked it. At least the exams would be easier than at UA... Hopefully.
(As they worked, she failed to notice the red-haired girl watching them from another table with narrowed eyes.)
Shouto had no idea what to make of the situation in Odawara with Mic-sensei showing up and getting captured. Neither did Uraraka after they talked about it. So they both reached a decision to just ignore the chat for the time being and focus on watching the area around the headquarters for Team Storm Chaser. Made easier by the fact it faced the sea, giving a ready excuse to hang out there.
"I feel kinda bad about leaving Deku out of the loop though," Uraraka commented as they sat on a bench facing the water. "He's going to freak out when he finds out"
"It's only temporary until we have a better handle on the situation," Shouto pointed out. "If we tell him now, it will just distract him. And we can't really explain it without telling him about everything else over there." 'Everything else' being the runaways. It would be difficult to explain to him in full detail before they met in person.
"Yeah, I know," she sighed. "And I know he's got enough going on anyway. Still, just makes me feel kinda bad to leave anyone out of the loop, you know?" Shouto hummed in quiet agreement, turning to face the water. Having been previously left in the dark, he could understand the sentiment.
"The breeze feels nice at least," he commented for lack of anything else to say.
"Yeah, it does," Uraraka agreed, perking up a bit. "And it smells so good, too!" Shouto hummed once more. Though winter, the weather was actually fairly nice today, more chilly than outright cold. It made sitting outside waiting for any signs of Porter fairly comfortable and easy to explain away if anyone actually asked what they were doing. It looked like they'd have a peaceful afternoon.
A familiar buzz from his coat pocket had him freezing though, his expression immediately darkening. His fists clenched atop his lap as he felt it continued to vibrate in a fixed pattern. "Yuki-kun?" Uraraka asked with a frown, noticing his change.
"...Someone's calling again," he muttered lowly, and her expression quickly cleared with understanding.
"You're not going to check who it is?" she asked after a moment.
"There's only two people who would," he replied tightly. "Hawks, or..." He didn't finish the thought. Saying "Dabi" felt wrong now, but "my brother" still felt even more wrong. He still hadn't fully wrapped his head around the fact that his brother Touya was now a villain. Mostly he'd been avoiding it.
"...Do you want to talk about it?" Uraraka offered quietly, and he frowned. Did he? She didn't know much about his family's dynamics like Midoriya, but she was also the only person who'd actually met Dabi in this world.
"Do you really think he cares about me in this world?" he found himself asking.
"Yeah, totally!" Uraraka confirmed, quickly bobbing her head in affirmation. "He talked about you for so long, Yuki! He was obviously super worried about you. He kept saying stuff like 'how's he gonna even get food' or 'he can't even hold a decent conversation with me.' I could just tell he cared." She deflated a bit then, seeming to hesitate before continuing, "It kinda makes me wonder why he became Dabi at all."
Shouto felt his frown grow, already having plenty of ideas on why. "...I don't actually remember Touya that much," he admitted after a moment. "We didn't really interact before he..." He trailed off, since obviously Touya hadn't died.
"Before he disappeared?" Uraraka supplied helpfully, and he nodded.
"Yeah, I guess. I was really young when it happened, I barely even remember the funeral service. But when I saw him at the summer camp though, I just..." He frowned as his memories flashed back to that horrible night, fists clenching on his lap. "I can't imagine him caring at all."
The way Dabi had gazed at him as he disappeared into the portal had been just too cold to imagine any degree of fondness. His tone had been cruel and mocking, calling his name with a callous, derisive edge. With the newfound knowledge that Dabi was Touya, that brief encounter just gave him even more chills now. He didn't seem to hate him the way Shouto had hated Endeavor, but Dabi still seemed to relish in Shouto's despair at losing Bakugou.
Beside him Uraraka frowned, looking thoughtful. "Mail said that some stuff can be different between every world, so maybe this is one of those things," she said softly. "And there's also just so many differences between our worlds. Like, maybe something happened here that made him change his mind?"
"He still became Dabi in both worlds though," Shouto pointed out. "I know it's probably because of my father, but I think he might also hate me because of him. So I don't get why one Dabi cares, and the other... doesn't."
Uraraka was silent for a moment, seeming to be deep in thought. "Yuki," she finally said. "I've kinda gotten the sense you don't like him that much, but... what did your father do?" Shouto paused, realizing he'd said a bit more than he planned.
For a moment he hesitated, wondering if he should talk about this. It wasn't like he felt ashamed or particularly cared about people finding out, but he didn't really like talking about it to just anyone. He'd only told Midoriya because he suspected the other boy to be All Might's son.
But then again, Shouto didn't care if people found out.
And with everything that had happened here so far, he could certainly count the other dimension jumpers as good friends.
"Uraraka," he said, slipping with her real name, but he didn't care. He turned his head to meet her gaze steadily. "Have you ever heard of Quirk marriages?"
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: So
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Endeavor sucks and we should totally prank him when we get home
1-A_ChargeBolt: ?
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Did something happen? Isn't he dead?
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Not at home
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: He needs KARMA
deku_breaks_bones: Oh. He told you about his family huh?
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: He did
halfnhalfpeppermint: I did
1-A_Dancing_Queen: What did he DO?
deku_breaks_bones: A lot of stuff that we probably shouldn't share online
halfnhalfpeppermint: he's a bad father
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Eugenics
1-A_Dancing_Queen: (O□O )
1-A_ChargeBolt: ( ⚆ _ ⚆ )
deku_breaks_bones: ...okay not the word I would've used but I guess it's not wrong
1-A_ChargeBolt: I have so many questions and I'm scared to ask
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Same kami. Same.
Notes:
By the end of this, everyone's going to be planning vengeance on Endeavor when they get home.
Question for next time: How do you think canon!Dabi would react to hearing about several UA students launching a series of pranks and attacks on Endeavor? And also the news of a "Dabi is right, screw Endeavor" meme circulating on social media?
(Also fun fact: Ashido and Kaminari use different emoticon at the end on FFN vs AO3. FFN blocked the eyes from Kaminari's emote and the mouth from Ashido's, so had to substitute! Actually don't blame FFN since Japanese emoticons can use characters/symbols that don't show up in every font, but interesting to note! Let me know if they don't work for you here on AO3!)
Chapter 83: Sight for Sore Eyes
Summary:
Aiko searches for Kurogiri, and Aizawa makes a questionable decision.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 83
.::Sight for Sore Eyes::.
Evening at the Villain Alliance headquarters found most of the villains still caught up in the wheelchair races, which had become increasingly enthusiastic. They now had different categories beyond just speed, like "longest wheelie" and "most unique launch method." The last in particular had people excited and adventurous with their attempts, even recording the launches with their phones to compare in hallways around the base.
Aiko hadn't gotten too involved. At one point she did briefly join in as a judge for the more showy races and categories, but she mostly stayed out of it and kept them away from the hallway with Kurogiri's bedroom. The misty man hadn't left his room since last night, which was normal for "off" days. He tended to be more introspective on those days as he grappled with whatever memories and feelings had surfaced, so she'd rather not disturb him.
Since he didn't leave the room that also meant he didn't make himself meals, leaving it to Aiko to deliver food. With dinnertime rolling around she headed over with a bowl of oden, having made a large pot of the dish so there'd be plenty for Tomura, Himiko, Izuku and his friends. Not like any of them were allowed to cook after all (and for good reason).
"Hey, Giri, I got dinner," she called softly after knocking on the door. She didn't get a response, which was pretty normal enough. She turned the handle and entered only to instantly stop though, staring at the now empty bed. "...And he's gone. Great." She sighed, putting the bowl on the dresser.
Alright. So the Alliance's misty quasi-noumu caretaker left his room while flooded with fresh memories from before he became... well, that. Usually he tried to avoid people on days like this, but he did leave sometimes if he felt better. Sometimes. It didn't happen often. Usually off-days didn't last more than a day, either, so the fact he'd been like this for two days was already unusual. In any case, nothing to do but search for him.
The kitchen was her first stop, but as expected it was empty save for Mustard and one of the grunts making their own dinners. He also wasn't at the bar, though it was slightly more lively than expected since a few grunts had decided to hang out there to avoid the chaotic wheelchair races. They hadn't gotten into the alcohol, but they had turned on the television hanging behind the counter to watch some shows while they ate.
With that, the two most obvious places were out. Aiko returned to the hall and stood for a moment, thinking it over, and then set course for a part of the base she'd been trying to avoid.
The hallway with Eraserhead's cell was empty when she reached it. Her mouth thinned as she walked to the door and stopped in front of it, closing her eyes to listen. She couldn't hear anything inside, and she knew Izuku was still caught up in the races, but that didn't mean Eraserhead was alone. It was all too easy to imagine Kurogiri inside and the two staring each down in silence. Eraserhead because he would be naturally wary and bewildered by the man's presence, and Kurogiri because he was just... off today.
The thing was, Eraserhead was clearly the trigger for Kurogiri's current nostalgia rush. It had started after he took dinner to the hero, which would have been the first meaningful interaction since his arrival. She had suspicions on why Eraserhead triggered it, based on what little she knew of Kurogiri's life before falling into All For One's clutches, but nothing concrete. If she was right though, she wouldn't find it too odd for Kurogiri to visit him again.
Probably.
Maybe.
...She had no idea how to handle this. Aiko had zero idea how to handle someone with resurfacing memories from a totally different time in their life where they were basically another person. She felt like she sometimes barely understood normal social interactions, let alone something this complicated. Not for the first time, she silently bemoaned how things would have been so much simpler if Kurogiri had been a natural-born Kurogiri.
(Though if he had been, things would have gone so differently back then and they wouldn't be here now.)
She sighed quietly as she pushed the thought away. Her first instinct was to quickly peek inside and check if Kurogiri was there, but that would involve seeing Eraserhead, and him seeing her. Izuku hadn't explicitly told her to stay away from the hero, but it had been more or less implied. Even without that, Kuroe had also said she should probably avoid him since her presence clearly caused him distress.
"Seiko," she called lightly, and turned to see the demon child standing right next to her as she expected. "Do you know if Giri is inside?"
"No," the Eldritch abomination replied, perfectly monotonous as always.
"Then, can you check real quick?"
"No." The response was instant and had Aiko scowling, feeling her irritation rise.
"Are you serious?" she hissed. In response the shadow brat tilted her head in a flimsy attempt at mimicking human emotion, falling flat with those soulless eyes still totally empty of anything actually human.
"Yes," she said simply, and Aiko wanted to scream. She settled for grinding her teeth as she glared at the pint-sized shadow demon, fists clenching at her sides.
"Why not?" she ground out.
"I don't want to."
...Aiko hated Seiko. This thing wanted nothing more than to make her suffer. She knew Seiko could easily pop inside and check the situation from within the shadows without ever showing herself. Seiko knew she knew that, and she also had no reason to really turn it down, but she still refused for no other reason than to make Aiko stressed.
As she tried to count her breaths so she would calm down and not try to murder the physical embodiment of nightmare fuel, she heard movement from behind the door. "Aiko?" Eraserhead called, quiet and almost hesitant.
She felt her ire vanish as her head snapped towards the door, surprised he'd called out at all. She'd been trying to talk quietly so as to not draw his attention, but as usual, the little monster had gotten on her nerves.
When she turned back, Seiko had vanished. Stupid demon.
She resisted a quiet groan as she turned to the door again. So much for not interacting with Eraserhead. Responding might stress him since she was a trigger for him, but not responding could just cause more stress, right? Leave him even more on edge? Why couldn't social interactions be simple? How the hell was growing up with a bunch of literal murderers less complicated than this?
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be noisy," she said after a moment's thought. "I was just talking to someone, I wasn't planning to see you. I'll just go now." There. Quick answer and affirmation she'd leave so he wouldn't spend who knows how long spiraling about whether he'd actually heard her or if she'd enter.
She turned to hurry off, but only got one step before he called, "Wait." She immediately halted and turned in surprise, not expecting him to call out again. Given, well, everything, she hadn't expected him to call her at all.
"Yeah?" she asked after a moment, to let him know she was still there, and there was a long moment of silence.
"Can you bring Sushi?" he finally asked. The request had her briefly confused, since asking someone who triggered what might be a panic attack to bring over a cat didn't seem normal. Once the initial confusion passed, understanding quickly dawned on her though and she nodded.
"Sure, I'll be back soon." She turned and headed off to Hijack's room, hoping the cat would still be inside and not roaming the base. A quick visit would be better for everyone in the long run.
Sushi's fur was just as soft and velvety as Shouta remembered. Softer, even, the kitten's body vibrating under his bare palm with a content purr. It felt like a balm to his frayed nerves and oddly comforting, even with Aiko sitting in the same room.
He'd called out on impulse when he thought he'd heard her voice from the hall. It had been too muffled to make out what she said, but her voice had been firmly imprinted in his memory. It had been nerve-wracking to ask for help, but after spending all day thinking about Sushi, he'd decided to take the risk. He knew from Midoriya's brief visit at lunch there were a bunch of wheelchair races today (which was... bizarre, to say the least), so he'd been worried about the kitten escaping Hijack's cell and getting hurt.
Fortunately, Sushi clearly seemed fine, if a bit frisky and eager for attention. She also now had a bell around her neck, so it seemed they'd tried to take some steps to mitigate the risks. "Do you know how she's getting through doors yet?" he asked, keeping his gaze trained on the black bundle of fur.
"Not yet," Aiko replied. "From what I know she hasn't done it since getting the bell, though we think she did it a couple times before yesterday. If you've got any guesses, we're open to it." He just hummed noncommittally, scratching Sushi's ear. He brought his other hand over to cup the kitten's head on either side, and then activated Erasure.
Sushi startled at sight of red eyes and floating hair, giving an inquisitive mew as she squirmed in his grip. Shouta kept a firm hold on her though, feeling the familiar burn of his Quirk as he gazed down at her eyes. After a moment he stopped and felt his hair fall to his shoulders, and released the kitten so he could rub at his eyes with a soft hiss. Shit, he'd forgotten how bad the dry eye could be after so long without using it...
"You okay?" Aiko asked, and he grunted.
"Fine." He pulled his hands away from his face, not wanting to show off any more weakness than absolutely necessary. In that brief window of time Sushi had clambered onto his lap and tried to bat at his dangling hair, clearly curious about how it had floated.
"Do you think it worked?"
"Probably. Not like we can ask her to test it though." Aiko hummed quietly.
"Sushi-chan, can you use your Quirk?" she called. The kitten ignored her, still focused on Shouta's hair, while he leveled Aiko with a deadpan stare. The woman just shrugged. "What? Quirked animals are supposed to be smart, so worth a shot."
"I don't think she'd understand Japanese," he replied dryly. He then grunted as Sushi jumped up to latch onto his hair, the strands slipping through her teeth but still snagging on a knot just enough to give his head a sharp yank. He rubbed the area around the roots with a small grimace as she plummeted back onto his lap.
"If she did, I guess that wouldn't happen, either," Aiko remarked lightly, and he glowered at her but said nothing. He turned his attention back to Sushi, gently pushing her back before she could try to jump again.
For now, he just savored the fact that she should be safe. Key word being should. Using Erasure on Quirked animals felt different from using it on humans, so he couldn't be absolutely certain it worked. His fingertips tingled though, just like the other times he used that particular trick, so he'd assume it had if only for his peace of mind.
"Are you going to tell the kids?" he asked.
"You can if you want. I'm not talking to anyone about your Quirk though." That had Shouta pausing, glancing up at her warily.
While Aiko's presence made his skin prickle and brought plenty of unpleasant memories, he didn't feel quite as shaken as during their last encounter. Since he'd initiated the contact this time, he had time to brace himself before she entered with Sushi. He still didn't like having her in the same room, but as long as she kept her distance like this, he could put up with it.
He at least felt comfortable enough to ask questions. "How many people know about it?"
"Just me and Kurogiri," she replied with a shrug. "And that's only because he was around back then too. Never saw any reason to tell anyone else after destroying the files." That had him pausing, and he glanced at the mittens on the floor. Neither of them had been around when those got put on, so it seemed that actually had just been Shigaraki being overly cautious about Midoriya's safety.
Well, that was one potential trump card if they ever attempted an escape. Not that success would be likely with Aiko around. He could only hope Midoriya was telling the truth about her living elsewhere.
...And also that she didn't have some kind of telepathy Quirk and could hear his thoughts of escape. For the sake of his already frayed nerves, he'd assume she didn't.
Before the conversation could continue they heard a knock at the door. "Eraserhead, sir, I have dinner—what are you doing here?" Midoriya pushed open the door and entered only to freeze upon seeing Aiko, eyes going wide with shock and alarm. Within an instant the teen recovered and had moved into the cell, firmly placing himself between her and Shouta.
Seeing the kid basically use himself as a human shield had a surge of instinctive panic swelling in Shouta. No matter how good terms the two might be on, his instincts as a hero recoiled at the idea of the kid potentially pissing off someone so dangerous. Even adults with fully trained Quirks would be at risk around her, let alone a teenager.
"I called her in when I heard her in the hallway," he said before the situation could potentially escalate. That had Midoriya jolting in surprise as he turned to look at him.
"What? But—why?" In response Shouta glanced down at Sushi, who had abandoned him to greet the new arrival. Midoriya followed his gaze just as Sushi rubbed his ankles, apparently only now noticing the kitten for the first time. His shoulders slumped and he groaned. "Did she sneak in again?"
"Guess so," Shouta murmured, deciding not to explain he'd asked Aiko to bring her. No point saying more than absolutely necessary; that would just lead to more questions he'd rather avoid. The kid already knew more about his Quirk than he'd like, and Shouta doubted he'd accept "I just wanted to see a cat" as a good enough reason to call out to Aiko after their last encounter.
Aiko held up her hands in a placating manner as she stood up. "Since you're here now, you can take her back to Hijack's room later. I'll just head out. I need to get back to looking for Kurogiri anyway."
That had Midoriya whipping around to face her. "Wait, is he missing?"
"More just wandering. And since he's a living warp gate, there's a lot of places to wander," she muttered under her breath with a wry smirk. "Anyways, I'll just get going. Bye for now." She nodded at them as she headed off, and when the door closed Shouta felt a large tension seep from his shoulders he hadn't even noticed.
Once she was gone Midoriya spun to face him yet again. "She didn't do anything, did she? Did you really ask her inside? Did she just barge in? Are you okay?"
"Kid, calm down," Shouta said before the questions could spiral too far. "I'm fine, and I did ask her to come in. All she did was remove the mittens so I could..." He trailed off then, both of them suddenly focused on his still-bare hands. In her rush to leave Aiko hadn't actually put them back on, or the handcuffs either. This was the most free he'd been since getting captured.
For a moment neither of them spoke, just staring at his hands. "...I won't tell anyone if you don't?" Midoriya finally said, and Shouta snorted softly.
"Fine by me." Eating with actual utensils would be a refreshing change of pace. Midoriya set down the plate and headed off to get a bowl of rice and chopsticks to add to the meal. While he waited for the kid's return Shouta grabbed the water bottle and twisted off the cap to take the painkiller Midoriya had brought with the meal. His leg didn't hurt too much right now, especially since Midoriya had been bringing him the pills every day now, but he'd rather not risk Sushi eating it.
The novelty of being able to remove the bottle's cap himself wasn't lost on him, and he quietly huffed at finding something so mundane to be novel. It was amazing how many things he'd taken for granted before this nightmare began—things he shouldn't have to take for granted.
That had him thinking about last night's radio broadcast. Shouta wouldn't allow himself any serious hope yet, not with such dangerous stakes, but just knowing that the others knew he was alive... Well, it made the future feel a little less bleak.
Hopefully no one would get in any trouble while trying to find him.
So to recap: Hizashi was now the prisoner of a bunch of teenagers who may or may not be forced to work for a villainous organization. He still had no idea if they were being held against their will or tricked or what, but right now they all seemed to be on the same page about him. That page being "don't let him leave, and don't try to work with him."
Also, they might be trying to poison him. Maybe.
"I swear it tastes better than it looks," Mime groaned, holding a spoon towards his face. "Please, just eat it." Hizashi just kept his mouth clamped and eyed the bowl warily, still trying to identify its contents. It might be curry rice, maybe? Except all mixed together instead of in two separate sections. Also, he wasn't sure what that black stuff was.
"Forget it Mime, we can't force him to eat," Akai called. She sat in a corner with a couple other masked teens, all of them playing cards. "If he wants to go hungry, it's his problem."
"Or you could make him eat, by stepping on his foot so he opens his mouth and shoving the spoon inside," Kaitou added, far too nonchalantly for such a suggestion. The damn crow gave a caw of agreement, and Hizashi just glared at them sourly.
"Come on guys, I already drew the short straw about feeding him," Mime groaned. "It's already awkward enough without force-feeding!"
"You know, you could just untie me and I could feed myself," Hizashi pointed out casually. He was promptly met with a chorus of "no"s from all the gathered teens, making him huff. He hadn't expected it to work, but worth a shot.
"Just eat the curry-rice," Mime grumbled, holding out the spoon, and Hizashi clamped his mouth shut again. The teenager let out a frustrated groan, head hanging with exasperation.
At this point Hizashi still knew very little about his situation. There'd been a constant rotation of people in cheap festival masks serving as guards, and he couldn't interact with any of them since he'd been stuck in the cube. Even now he couldn't make much conversation because this "Mime" kid seemed like he'd try to shove in the spoon of questionable dinner the second he opened his mouth.
(Seriously, what were those black things? Wait, were they... raisins?)
"I swear it's not poisoned!" Mime whined, and Hizashi hadn't even said that out loud so the kid had no reason to suspect he'd think that. Now he really wasn't keen on eating it. He turned his head away and the kid groaned. "Dang it, this would be so much easier if we just had—"
"Mime," Kaitou called sharply, and the boy promptly fell silent. Kaitou seemed fairly irritated now, shoulders tense before relaxing. "Alright, if he doesn't want to eat, then he can just go hungry. We can give him breakfast tomorrow instead."
"Right, guess you have a point," Mime sighed, putting down the bowl. Hizashi startled as he turned back and cupped his hands around his mouth.
"Wait—" He spoke too late, the boy blowing another invisible cube into existence around him. He slumped with a groan, already aware they wouldn't be able to hear him. And he still didn't want to risk using his Quirk and having it bounce back at him.
It seemed like they wanted to keep him for the long haul, which was very bad. He needed to try to get information as soon as possible because everything about these kids set off alarm bells even without the whole hostage situation. With the barrier back in place, he wouldn't be able to do any investigating until they removed it again. Maybe he should have taken the questionable-looking food, if only for the opportunity for a conversation. It wasn't likely they'd actually poison him.
Still, the situation was bad, but not as bad as it could be. At least they weren't torturing him.
The thought had Hizashi's mouth thinning, immediately thinking of that cold, cement room with dried blood and stains on the floors and walls. His teeth grit in apprehension at the memory, of how Lady had said the word months. Shouta had spent months tortured on and off in that hellhole, and now he was in a different one going through who knows what.
These people might be tied to the Alliance. The chances were admittedly slim, but they weren't completely zero. While getting captured wasn't ideal, it might eventually lead him to Shouta. If it did, at least they could get reunited, even if as fellow prisoners. And hey, the others would eventually figure out he went to Odawara and follow the trail from there. Hopefully, anyway.
(Unknown to Hizashi, at that moment a flock of birds had just resumed traveling after a long break near Nagoya, a particularly large hawk carrying a broken phone on order from Kouji.
When the heroes would ping his phone the next day, they'd find the signal in Kyoto, nearly three hours away by train.)
BONUS:
~A Conversation between Aiko and Kurogiri~
"Why are you on the rooftop."
"I am watching the stars, Aiko."
"It is currently cloudy and snowing. There are no stars."
"That's only if you look with your face eyes."
"What does that even mean?"
"I... don't know. I just felt like saying it for some reason. I don't think I regularly said it back then, either. Though if I did, I would probably not remember... or would I...?"
"...Can we just go inside now? Please?"
"I do not want to."
"Giri, it is snowing and you aren't even wearing a coat."
"I do not mind."
"There is a layer of snow on you."
"It does not bother me."
"...When did I become the responsible adult? I am not fit for that role."
"Technically, neither was I."
"..."
"..."
"...Yes, you're right. The stars are probably very pretty tonight."
"Mmhm."
Notes:
Lots happening in today's chapter. Not much to say, I look forward to your reactions and speculation. Have I mentioned that Aiko REALLY hates Seiko?
By the way, as many of you know, Ignite has a Discord server (link is in the end notes!). However, it's not just about Ignite to the Call specifically, but also MHA fan fics in general. One of my hopes is that it'll become a sort of "hub" for multiple fan fics, so people don't have to join a million servers. Two other fan fics, Aftershock (by me and CocoaNerd) and Cut off the Branches (by CocoaNerd and only on AO3) have gotten their own channels on it.
Well, recently we made a new channel for another story that's become popular on our server: Incident Zero by Ya Boy Guzma. It's a take on a world where AFO and All Might die in their battle, just like in Ignite... And Izuku ends up getting AFO in the process. At the time of this chapter the AO3 listing is behind FFN (FFN has 28 chapters, AO3 has 20), so he's updating every day until it catches up. It's a real great story, highly recommend it!
Question for next time: what would be some more creative names/monikers/terms for Aiko to call Seiko? She has had years to come up with stuff, I have not.
Chapter 84: You Can't Escape (Studying)
Summary:
Turns out even when trapped in another dimension and knowing some of your friends kidnapped a Pro Hero, you can't escape final exams in the Japanese school system.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 84
.::You Can't Escape (Studying)::.
So the situation in Odawara was still bad, but apparently under control. Probably. Hopefully.
...Ran really doubted it was.
Through some crazy chain of events, Present Mic had showed up to shadow Ashido. And the runaways had then kidnapped Present Mic. Ran still had no idea how he made the connection that everyone theorized: namely, that he'd found out Eraserhead was in custody of the Alliance, followed by connecting Midoriya to Ran, and then Ran's relation to Kuroe to Odawara, and thus making Odawara a target for Mic's seemingly eternal search for Eraserhead.
Just laying it out like that, it sounded like a ridiculous stretch. Yet despite that, it still seemed a lot more likely than him taking a sudden interest in Ashido and Kirishima's cases when he had zero involvement before. Even Oracle himself, the hero actually directly involved in watching Ashido and Kirishima, hadn't visited Kuroe yet.
It was just so random, and she had no idea how he'd made the connection between Ran and Midoriya in the first place. She had been paranoid enough to ask Kuroe for help mapping all the security cameras in her area when she first moved into her apartment in Kamino. She knew none of them would have caught her and Midoriya alone. She even chose the Wacdonald's because she knew that street had no working cameras, so no one would see her and Kaminari talk to him.
They had only talked in a large group heading to the signing; Ran had purposely avoided talking to Midoriya after that. Hell, he'd talked to her classmates more than he had to her. She'd even used one of Rintaro's scales to send Kaminari straight back so there wouldn't be a trail to Odawara. Everything had been planned carefully, to minimize the chances of anyone making a connection.
And yet Present Mic had still somehow managed to make a slim connection, and get lucky enough to stumble upon Ashido in disguise.
The universe was clearly working against them now. The odds of Present Mic just happening to run into Ashido was just so ridiculous, but at this point she should just expect more ludicrous stuff to happen.
They'd have to push up the big move out of Odawara now, which would require massive coordination. She'd have to think of a way to explain the sudden move to Kuroe without mentioning them kidnapping a Pro Hero. Just organizing shifts to guard Present Mic so he wouldn't clock onto Mongoose being the one with the paralysis Quirk would take work. On that note, they still had to brief Midoriya on this at some point; the big escape plan on his end would probably have to combine with the Present Mic mess.
There were just so many logistics to work out, and she still had to study for her freaking finals next week.
"Hello, earth to An-chan?" She turned to look at Kirameki as a hand waved in front of her face, the other girl's cheeks puffing in dismay. "You've been zoning out for the past five minutes! Dang it, we're supposed to be studying, remember?"
"Sorry, lot of stuff on my mind," Ran apologized with a shrug. Kirameki huffed as she turned back to her textbooks.
"Just help me with this problem already, okay?" she asked, and Ran obligingly leaned over her shoulder to talk her through it. They sat in her apartment, classes having been canceled yet again. For once it had nothing to do with a villain attack or Quirk shenanigans though, but instead because a pipe had burst overnight. A fact that only became clear after teachers arrived to find several rooms flooded.
"What's even up with this year, anyway?" she asked when they finished the latest problem fifteen minutes later. "It feels like class gets canceled every other week."
"I know, right?" Kirameki asked with a nod. "I mean if it's not villains or Nijisaki, it's something else. At this point we might as well go all online!"
"Maybe we should just do that next semester," Ran mused. "Sakakura's online program isn't the best, but it's better than nothing."
"You just say that because you hate socializing," Kirameki huffed, which wasn't completely wrong. Ran didn't hate human contact, but she did prefer staying at home purely because it made it easier to optimize her time.
"Counter-point: we can have daily sleepovers and sleep in a little since we don't have to worry about physically getting to school on time."
"Okay, we're switching online next month!" Kirameki declared without missing a beat, but then paused. "Wait, but if we do that, then I won't be able to meet any cute guys or girls anymore!"
"Are you saying me and Ashido aren't cute?" Ran challenged, raising an eyebrow, and Kirameki crossed her arms in an "x".
"No way! Mina-chan is the cutest! But she's not, like, girlfriend-cute?" She shrugged. "She's been my bestie forever, it feels weird to think of her that way. And like, you're not really a 'cute' type of person, you know? I mean, you're still cute in your own way, but not the kind of cute I'm into. And you don't seem like you're into that sort of stuff anyway?" She ended on a questioning note, and Ran paused to think about it.
"Not really," she decided. Maybe it was just her current set of priorities made romance seem pretty inconsequential, but she never really got into all that stuff about dating. Kirameki nodded in satisfaction.
"See? This is the peak of our youth! How can I have my great high school romance if we stay at our apartments all the time!" She clasped her hands together, the air around her sparkling. "I've spent my whole life waiting for it, that precious fated encounter with my future lover! I want to have all my dates and almost-kisses and give a boy a hand-knit scarf and all the other hallmarks of a teenage romance!"
"...You read too much shoujo manga."
"You don't read enough!"
"I don't even read manga. Anime culture is for geeks." That had Kirameki gasping, as if offended by the very notion.
"How are we friends?"
"I sit next to Ashido in class, she basically declared we were friends, and there is no stopping her once she decides that." Kirameki paused before nodding.
"Yeah, that checks out." She wavered then, her expression becoming more somber and the shoujo-manga sparkles fading. "Hey, she's okay, right? Wherever she is?"
...And now Ran was back to thinking of Present Mic in Odawara, dammit. She pushed the thought away before it could fully fester. "She's fine. This is Ashido we're talking about."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Kirameki said softly. "But, do you think she'll be able to come back soon? Like, before next semester?"
That one had Ran pausing. Honestly, she didn't know. Clearly whatever Quirk swapped their Ashido with another world's had no hard time limit. While they now had some potential leads in the form of Porter, she had no idea if he'd be able to fix it once they found him. Most likely, they'd have to get involved with Pro Heroes for the six dimension jumpers to find a way home.
Ran didn't want it to last too long. Aside from how troublesome the entire situation was, she also missed Ashido. And even after they resolved it, even after their Ashido came back, Ran knew things wouldn't be able to go back to normal anymore. Too much had happened in too short a time.
She must have taken too long to answer because Kirameki slumped in her chair. "I guess not, huh," she muttered bitterly.
"It's a weird situation," Ran relented with a sigh. "There's so much going on, even I'm having trouble keeping track of it all." Given she'd spent the past couple years serving as the remote coordinator for an entire network of runaways, including a few traveling vigilantes, that was saying something. "Good news is most of the people involved seem pretty competent at least."
Ran didn't want to sugar-coat it and pretend everything would magically go back to normal, and she hated empty platitudes, so that was the best she could offer. Kirameki seemed to recognize that, because she sighed and turned back to her textbook. "Fine. Let's just get back to work, I guess." Not the best tone to end the talk on, but they did have a lot of studying to do.
Another fifteen minutes passed, and Ran was showing Kirameki how to use their graphing calculator for a certain formula when they heard the distinct click of a lock turning. They jumped in alarm at the sound and spun to face the front door just in time to see it open, but Ran quickly relaxed when she saw it was Kuroe.
He pocketed the key as he started to enter, but stopped short in the doorway as they locked eyes. "What are you doing here?" he blurted.
"School's canceled today because a pipe burst," Ran replied with a shrug, and he stared for a moment.
"...What is going on with your school this year?" he muttered before entering, and Ran snorted as he unknowingly echoed their earlier conversation. Kirameki still looked heavily alarmed at the new arrival, but seemed to be recovering now.
"Um, who's that?" she asked.
"Oh, right, you've never met," Ran mused. She'd shown Kirameki and Ashido a picture of him in the past, but it was natural to forget. "Kirameki, my brother, Meisanki Kuroe. Kuroe, Kirameki Kumiko, my friend."
Kuroe nodded at her. "You're the sparkly one, right?" Kirameki perked up a bit, flashing him a literally sparkling grin as the air around her seemed to glitter.
"Yeah, I am! Nice to meet you, Meisanki-san!"
Kuroe just hummed in acknowledgment, eying her for a moment before turning to Ran. "Anyways, can't really stick around for long, I've got a meeting after this. I was just gonna drop off that thing from your old classmate while you were at school." He pulled out a small package wrapped in tissue paper, and Ran got up from the table to take it. She could tell even without opening it that it was one of Rintaro's scales.
"Thanks," she said with a nod, carrying it to the kitchen to put on the counter until later. She could see Kirameki starting to buzz in her seat as she looked at Kuroe. They hadn't outright told her where Ashido and Kirishima had gone, but Ran knew she'd probably made the connection to Kuroe pretty fast. The fact she asked if Ashido would even remember her having a brother made that pretty obvious.
Even so, she seemed to decide against asking about Ashido and turned to Ran. "What is that?"
"A thing," she replied vaguely, and Kirameki glared at the obvious non-answer while Kuroe snorted.
"Anyways, nice seeing you, but like I said, I got a meeting so I can't stick around. I'll catch you later."
"Alright, later Kuroe," Ran replied, heading back to the table to join Kirameki while he turned to leave. Kuroe paused before opening the door though, glancing back at them.
"By the way, if your friends are planning to take over Japan, you'd tell me, right?" he asked, and both girls turned to stare at him.
"...They're not, but sure," Ran replied, faintly amused. She leaned her cheek against palm with a smirk as she added, "Do you really think a bunch of teenagers could take over Japan?"
"At this point, why not," he muttered, shaking his head. "Anyways, later." He left without another word, leaving the two girls to sit in silence before breaking out into giggles.
Outside in the hallway Kuroe quietly heaved a sigh as he locked the door and pocketed the key before heading for the stairs. The brief encounter with Ran had been unexpected, but not unpleasant. And at least he got to see that Kirameki girl. She actually seemed normal. It was kind of refreshing, and reassuring to know that his sister had some normal friends.
"Wonder what that's like," he mused quietly. Normal friends, who didn't fake their deaths and foster a grudge against Endeavor, or who didn't have a role in nearly toppling all of society in Japan. There was a reason he genuinely wouldn't be surprised if these kids started a process to overthrow Japan. Then again, Aiko was probably not the best standard to use to judge other teens.
Maybe if they'd been normal, he wouldn't be about to head to meet someone who may or may not be human and a bunch of yakzua.
Or maybe he'd be dead. That was just as likely.
Eh, whatever. This was his life now, and he'd long accepted this fact. He headed into the brisk winter chill and started for the train station, knowing better than to dawdle too long and run the risk of running late. He didn't get very far though. "Excuse me," someone called, and he immediately turned to see a guy around his age walking over.
Years of dealing with the underworld had Kuroe immediately on edge. The guy had had a casual and friendly enough demeanor, hands stuffed in his pockets, but everything else? He had clearly foreign features and wore dark clothing, which seemed normal on the surface, but paired with those heavy-duty combat boots... Yeah, this wasn't just a civilian.
"Can I help you?" he asked, turning to face the stranger fully. They were on a public street with other people around, so he probably wouldn't attack if he had ill intent.
The man just smiled pleasantly as he nodded. "Ah, yeah. You're Meisanki Kuroe, right?" Kuroe stiffened, and the man's grin widened. "Thought so. Don't worry, I'm not shady." He pulled out a hand and offered it for a handshake. "Pro Hero Oracle of Team Storm Chaser, at your service."
Alright, this was dangerous, but for completely different reasons than he originally thought. "Nice to meet you," he replied, ignoring the offered hand. Oracle seemed to pick up on his lack of intention to shake it and withdrew it.
"Sorry for calling you out so suddenly. I knew Sakakura canceled classes today so I thought about talking to your sister, and happened to see you leaving her building." Kuroe frowned, wondering how he knew Kuroe's relation to Ran, and the other man inclined his head as he added, "No, we've never met, but I ran a background check on you while investigating the runaway case, so."
Oh great, one of those types, Kuroe thought sourly. The type who'd be super-thorough about every avenue of investigation. He had a meeting to get to—"Sorry that you're in a rush, but this is pretty important," Oracle said. "If you miss the train, I could just drive you instead." So what, he'd be trapped in the car with a hero for hours? No thanks. "Fine, I'll call a taxi then."
Okay, seriously? Putting aside how it was annoying to have his questions preemptively answered, did he really think Kuroe's information would be that useful to shell out cash for a taxi? "Well, your sister did visit Ashido the night before," Oracle commented. "And she then went to visit you that same weekend." He held up a hand before Kuroe could speak as he casually said, "Yes, yes, I know that visit was planned before Ashido ran away." He lowered his hand and gave another over-telegraphed shrug. "And I'm sorry for the short notice, it really was a coincidence I saw you."
Wow, not giving Kuroe a chance to actually answer, huh? Oracle smirked, a mischievous glint in his eye as he cocked his head while making full eye contact. "And yes, my Quirk is a precognition one. Thank you for not guessing it's a telepathy one like almost everyone else I meet. You'd be amazed at how many people ignore the 'Oracle' part of the name."
By this point Kuroe's patience was growing rather thin. "Can I talk now?" he asked, which basically confirmed he could.
"Sure, go ahead," Oracle responded cheekily. "Just wanted to ask if you've seen Ashido or Kirishima."
"I have no idea where either of them are," Kuroe said flatly. Kirishima had left to who knew where, and Ashido had ended up staying out for the night with the runaways, so he didn't know her location either. Deciding to preempt some of the obvious follow-up questions he continued, "And before you ask, no, I'd never met Ran's friends before. I'd never even heard Kirishima's name until this runaway business started. Can I go now?"
"Really eager to catch that train, huh?" Oracle teased lightly. Then his face suddenly went slack with shock before he burst into laughter, catching Kuroe off-guard.
"What now?" he groaned, and the hero's laughter died down as he grinned, shoulders still shaking with suppressed snickers.
"I'm sorry, I know I look crazy. But I was just going to ask 'and what would I see if I went to your place tonight' and you just responded 'I don't swing that way' totally deadpan without missing a beat!" He barely managed to get the words out before he almost howled with laughter. "Dang, man, I've been stabbed, burned, even got a face full of acid in one vision! But never had someone joke their way past it!"
...Yep, Kuroe really had no luck meeting normal people. "I'm just going to go now and catch my train," he said, turning to walk away. "If you want to question Ran some more, she's got her friend Kirameki over too. They're studying for the final exams next week though, so might not be the best time."
"I'm sure they can make time to talk about their missing friends," Oracle responded easily. "I won't hold you up any longer. Nice talking to you, Meisanki." Kuroe just grunted, already hurrying to the train station in hopes he'd make it in time. After all, Chisaki Kai did not like to be kept waiting.
Denki sat in the coffee shop with his laptop, ready to spend the day focusing on the lectures. The workers had agreed to let him spend the day there working on his classes as long as he regularly bought drinks and snacks, so he didn't have to worry about being kicked out. Too bad that involved actually focusing on classes.
Sure, he still had to look out for Gentle Criminal and/or Tokoyami, but today studying took priority. Right now it looked like they'd be stuck in this world until after the final exams, so that meant they had to do it or else they'd screw over their counterparts. Denki already felt bad enough for everything else they'd done (like the online schooling, and getting roped even deeper with Hatsume with the vigilantism, among other things), so this was the least he could do.
Also, everyone else shot down his suggestion to just live full-time as Santos Raijin, so he really had no choice but to take the exams.
He yawned as he half-listened to the teacher drone on through a single earbud. The classes had gone purely into review mode with no new material, which made them actually optional for online students today. Alas, Jirou had tasked him to note down the topics that came up since they hadn't been around for a majority of the term. They needed to know what to focus on with Yaomomo over the weekend.
He really envied Jirou. She got to go check out the area around Nighteye's office instead of doing another day of review for their upcoming finals. Right now she should be on the train to Chiba, where he'd set up office in this world, just like Denki should be.
But no. Present Mic had somehow managed to decide a connection must exist between Anjou and Midoriya, and Denki had talked to both of them. So chances were he and other Pro Heroes had seen Denki on security footage somewhere, and would recognize him. Given Mic was now missing, seeing Denki snooping around Nighteye's office would probably raise some alarm bells.
So he was stuck here, in Hosu.
Studying.
"Totally could've done this on the train," he grumbled under his breath as he glanced out the window. Still no sign of Tokoyami or Gentle Criminal. Not many people were out since it was past rush hour. Most had already gone into their offices, and the street didn't have many shops besides the café. That just meant if they did want to spy on the buildings, it'd make sense to use the café.
...Come to think of it, would they even get anything useful from spying on the buildings all day long?
The teacher changed topics to something new on the laptop, and Denki promptly switched to paying attention, grabbing his pencil.
Five minutes later, he just felt lost and mildly panicked.
What the heck were "Mendel's laws"? And what were "Quirk alleles"? Wait, was this a genetics thing? Why were they suddenly talking about genetics? They were just talking about conservation of energy and entropy! They didn't even go over this stuff at UA yet! And what did pea plants have to do with any of this!?
As the teacher wrote on the blackboard, Denki whimpered. He honestly whimpered. This was so over his head, and he couldn't imagine passing the test.
"Hey, are you okay?" He startled at a voice and looked up to find a girl his age with neon blue hair standing by the table with a cup of coffee. "You look kinda freaked out."
"I'm absolutely not fine!" Denki confirmed with a strained smile full of panic. He probably shouldn't sound so upbeat, but his brain was in panic mode and that kinda seeped into everything else.
"That bad?" the girl asked.
"I'm listening to my teacher do a review for finals and have zero idea what he's talking about, and I'm getting even more lost by the second."
"Oof, been there, done that," she said, plopping down into the empty seat across from him. "So glad I'm out of school now!"
"Maybe I should just drop out," Denki moaned. "I'm totally gonna bomb this test."
"Guess it depends on what you want," the girl said. "Like, I totally loved elementary school, but for middle school I had to switch to online classes and that just took out all the fun. It's just so boring not being able to see your friends every day!"
"I know, right?" Denki agreed. "That's like, the best part!" That had been one of the reasons he loved UA so much. His smile faded as he added thoughtfully, "Come to think of it, I don't really have any close friends here though." His counterpart had plenty of casual friends, sure—he'd gotten a few texts over the past month and talked to a few at school—but no one close like at UA. It made things easier in the long run, but it felt a bit lonely to realize.
Apparently the girl agreed. "That sucks. Are you always online?"
"Nah, I only switched over, like, last week I think? I moved here for high school, and a lot of the kids are honestly kinda rich, and, well, I'm not." And also he got into debt with Hatsume, which seemed to be a big "avoid if you value your life and/or sanity" indicator to other students.
"It's already winter though," the girl pointed out. "You've gotta have some friends, right?"
Jirou immediately came to mind and he nodded. "Yeah, I guess..." Come to think of it, should he be saying this much to a stranger? Actually, was she a stranger? Something about her felt familiar, but he couldn't place what it was. "Hey, have we met before?"
"Nope, don't think so!" the girl replied, not missing a beat. "Not unless you're one of the 1-A Vigilantes!"
Denki jolted at that. "Wait, what?"
"They saved me from a mugging just this week!" she declared cheerfully, waving her hands energetically. "This guy was all mean and scary and going 'give me your wallet', but then they swooped in and were like, 'Wham! Kapow!' Taser Brain tazed him, and then Punk Step just hit him with this sticky stuff! It was so amazing and cool!"
As she spoke Denki abruptly recognized her as one of the people they had saved from a mugger on their last patrol. That particular fight stuck out because Denki usually tried to avoid using his Quirk while doing vigilante stuff, making it a little more memorable than others. Still, this marked the first time he'd run into one of their rescued victims outside of costume, and just like everything else, it gave him a warm feeling.
"Yeah, they're pretty awesome, aren't they?" he asked with a grin. "Probably the best thing to happen to Hosu in ages!"
"You must have tons of stories, right? I've been trying to find out anything I can on them!" She leaned forward eagerly, and Denki's grin grew.
"I know a few," he admitted lightly.
"Tell me, tell me, tell me!" the girl chanted, and her enthusiasm felt infectious.
"Okay, okay. So, you know that villain attack last week? The one with the crazy lady who attacked a street?"
As Denki began recounting their encounter with the villain from last week, he completely forgot about the ongoing lecture. Later Jirou would scold him for that, but in the moment it was just so cool to meet a fan, he couldn't help it.
(And because of his distraction, he missed the chance to see two hooded figures walk past the office buildings.
And he also missed how a few minutes later only one passed by again.)
Notes:
I had to look up a bit about the Japanese curriculum to come up with stuff that would be on Kaminari's review. I did not plan to have a "they still have final exams in this other dimension" subplot when I started writing this story, but it's a thing and I am highly amused by it.
Question for next time: How would YOU try to "break" past Oracle's Quirk?
Chapter 85: UA is Not a Dream
Summary:
Hizashi gets breakfast, and Jirou gets coffee.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 85
.::UA is Not a Dream::.
Morning one of being held prisoner by a bunch of teens and their mysterious benefactors/manipulators/etc.
Hizashi was given a bowl of cereal for breakfast. And also a granola bar. And a chocolate bar. And a cheese stick. And a bag of chips. And some jerky.
...This was really weird, but after nearly twenty-four hours without food he was hungry, so he accepted all of it. Even if he had to be hand-fed, which was still a wound to his ego, but the kids weren't going to untie his hands.
"This is a really weird breakfast spread though," he commented after finishing off the jerky. "Not complaining, but not exactly what I'd call nutritious."
"Yeah, we know," Mime replied. "We were just gonna do the cereal and granola bar, but then some of the others starting giving us more stuff to give you, and it's, uh, kinda hard to say no." He laughed sheepishly, while Hizashi wondered just what that meant.
Meanwhile...
"Naota, you don't have to give him all the snacks you've hoarded," Ojiro pointed out, ever diplomatic and responsible.
"But he's a Pro Hero so he's extra special!" the small boy whined in response, cat ears flat against his head. "And he's an adult so he must be really hungry because adults need more food, so we need to be extra nice and give him lots of food!" He put a container of pudding into a cardboard box as he spoke, nestling it among many other bags and containers of snacks and junk food.
"Well, yeah, I guess, but you've been saving those for yourself. You don't need to give him all of it."
"But.. but..." Naota's lower lip wobbled, ears somehow pressing even flatter against his head.
...Forget puppy-dog eyes, drooping cat ears were way more effective. "Fine, just keep something for yourself," Ojiro sighed in defeat, and Naota returned to packing.
Back in the tunnel...
"Also, if you don't eat all of it, someone will cry," Mime added more solemnly, getting a round of nods from the others in the room.
"Please don't make him cry," one of them said, a girl in one of those masks that looked like a serene woman. Navi, if Hizashi remembered right. They hadn't exactly introduced themselves; he'd only overheard one of the others use that name while talking to her a couple minutes earlier. "Nothing bad happens, but it feels so awful."
"Yeah," agreed the other, a male in a dragon mask whose name Hizashi hadn't heard yet. "Just eat the food or we'll feel guilty."
"Who'd cry?"
"Not telling," all three teens chorused, and Hizashi huffed but decided not to press. He couldn't help but wonder if they were talking about a kid though; not many teenagers would make someone feel guilty if they cried. Exceptions existed of course, but he also recognized the cheese stick as a snack brand marketed towards elementary school kids. That just got Hizashi wondering how old these kids really were—or rather, how young.
Now that she'd spoken to him directly, Navi sounded younger than he'd initially realized. As a radio host who had callers of all ages, he'd developed an ear for this sort of thing. Between her voice and short stature, he'd peg her around middle school age. As for the other kid, he seemed a bit older since his voice had already deepened with puberty; closer in age to Mime, maybe? (Look, the masks and hoods made it really hard to tell ages, okay?)
Point was, he already didn't like the implication that they had a girl in middle school, and possibly someone even younger than that. What was going on here? Was this some sort of shady recruiting operation? Did these kids even know the full details? He really wanted to know, but he doubted he'd get answers if he asked.
"So, what's the plan, anyway?" he asked instead. "You kids just gonna keep me locked up here forever?" He knew they obviously wouldn't, but he still had no idea what they were even doing or planning. It was clear he'd stumbled onto something, he just didn't know what yet.
"Not forever," Mime said quickly.
"Yeah, it's super-temporary!" Navi added with a vigorous head bob. To Hizashi's amusement it led her mask to slip a bit, briefly revealing a strand of light blue hair. She squeaked and quickly fixed it, tugging the hem of her hood a little lower just to be safe.
The others didn't seem too impressed. "Navi, why did you pick the mask that didn't fit," Dragon sighed. "You know that one's made for adults with big heads."
"It's the only mask we have with a girl's face that doesn't look like it belongs in a horror movie!" Hizashi could appreciate that reasoning, and silently thanked her for not trying to terrify him like some of the other kids.
The curtain shifted then, a boy in a red oni mask poking his head through the small gap. "If it's slipping, I can help," he offered, and beckoned for her before withdrawing his head. She followed after him in silence, leaving the others behind.
"Look, we're not going to hold you hostage forever," dragon-mask said, waving a hand dismissively as he sat down to reorganize the cards he and Navi had been playing with. "It's just a temporary thing until we figure things out." Already the curtain shifted for Navi to return, and Hizashi noticed the mask seemed slightly different, but he couldn't say how. The other guy stuck his head in behind her.
"Don't tell the hero everything," he said flatly.
"We're not stupid, Fuse," dragon huffed, crossing his arms. Huh, that might be the first time he'd heard someone with an actual name instead of a codename. Though, wasn't that a girl's name?
"Knowing you, you might've already said too much," Fuse replied.
Hizashi expected a witty comeback from dragon-kid, but there was a pause after that. After a few seconds Navi suddenly snorted. "You do remember the mask hides your tongue, right?"
"...Shut up." His shoulders hunched defensively as he crossed his arm, and now Navi laughed freely. Mime just buried his hands in his face with a groan, and Hizashi felt a pang of sympathy. He was clearly the most responsible and mature one in the room. Well, him and maybe that Fuse guy.
"Are you done with breakfast yet?" Fuse asked. "If you are, then cube him already."
"Yeah, yeah," Mime muttered, and Hizashi sat sharply upright at the prospect of being trapped in the cube again.
"Hey now, you don't need to put me in that little cube of yours," he said hastily. "I know you're worried about me using my Quirk, but you don't need to. I don't want to hurt any kids, and it's not like I can control it without my directional speaker, ya dig?"
"It's not just the Quirk," Fuse responded.
"Yeah, you're a Pro Hero so you've gotta have tons of training besides your Quirk!" Navi bobbed her head as she spoke, the mask bouncing a lot more than before but not falling. Only now did Hizashi finally notice the difference: the edges of the mask looked like it had been fused directly to the hood.
And at that moment, the meaning behind Fuse's name clicked and he barked out a sharp laugh that had the kids all startling. "Oh my gosh. Fuse's a pun! That's brilliant!" They'd of course used the Japanese pronunciation, which had a super-short (barely present) "fu" and placed all the emphasis on the "se" syllable, but written in English letters... Well, "fuse" was an English word on its own.
"...Mime, cube him," Fuse ordered briskly. Hizashi barely stopped laughing before the teen was blowing another cube into existence, trapping him once more. He pouted as he watched Mime leave behind the curtain along with Navi, leaving only the dragon-mask kid and Fuse behind.
Wait, scratch that. Mime paused to hold open the curtain and the damn crow flew through the gap. It landed on the floor in front of Hizashi's cube, staring right at him with glowing eyes. He just glared back, feeling his irritation grow.
Yep. It was absolutely mocking him. Damn bird. At least no one would know his shame of being defeated by a bird.
In retrospect, Kyouka wished she'd put more thought into what to do when she reached Nighteye's place. She stared up at the agency from the corner at the opposite end of the street, the building looking like any average office building. It made no attempt to advertise its status as a hero agency, but according to Uraraka it didn't stand out in their world, either. She wouldn't have known it was the agency if Mail hadn't helpfully supplied the address.
Thing was, it was nestled among a bunch of other office buildings in a business district. There weren't any restaurants or shops on the street for Kyouka to set up camp and do a long-term stakeout, and teenagers didn't really have any reason to dawdle around here. She wondered if this Porter guy could get away with that either.
Either way, she didn't want to stick around much longer and risk someone asking what she was doing there. Right now she had absolutely no good cover stories. She'd brought that burner phone she'd used for the initial call, so she used it to snap a photo of the street and sent it in a message to Ashido. 'Hey. Does the freeloader know any specific places his brother might go? Because it's all office buildings here.'
She pocketed the phone as she turned to walk to a coffee shop she'd passed just around the corner. It might not be as brutally cold out as Hosu had been yesterday, but she still didn't want to stay outside any longer than necessary. Might as well go somewhere warm and get a drink while waiting for Ashido to respond. The other girl had spent the night with the runaways due to the whole situation with Mic.
...Yeah, Kyouka was still pretty on edge about all that. She really hoped no one at Nighteye's place had a telepathy Quirk and happened to see her thoughts about that. Maybe coming here was a mistake after all.
No bell rang when she opened the door to the coffee shop. It seemed brighter than the one she and Kaminari had basically chosen as their base of operations for the Gentle Criminal stakeout. Also noisier, but that might be because of who was ordering. Kyouka stopped short upon seeing the three females at the register: a teenager with ridiculously long blue hair, a girl with shoulder-length sandy hair, and a woman with light green hair.
It only took a glance for Kyouka to recognize the first as Hadou Nejire from UA. Then another few seconds to identify the woman as Ms. Joke when she laughed at something. She didn't fully recognize the last girl, but something about her still felt familiar. Which with Kyouka's luck, meant she'd probably also been in a hero program.
In short, two hero students, and a woman Kyouka knew was a hero teacher in her own world.
Yep, Nighteye's Agency was definitely around here.
"So like, maybe the mocha latte today?" Hadou said, hands linked behind her back as she stared up at the menu board. "Is that a thing? Ooh, or maybe a cappuccino? Or! Or the honey au lait one! That sounds good, too!"
As she rattled off ideas Ms. Joke laughed. "Maybe you should get a decaf instead, Nejiji-chan," she snickered.
"Like, what about the soy decaf latte?" the other girl asked thoughtfully. "Like, are those any good?"
"Sure?" the barista at the register replied with a shrug. "I'm not big on soy milk myself, so..."
"Hmm, so you can't give me a good review then..."
"Ooh, a soy latte sounds like it might be good too!" Hadou exclaimed. She leaned to the side to look towards the back wall where two other baristas were hard at work preparing drinks. "Hey, hey! Did either of you guys try the soy decaf lattes here? Are they good?"
"Kinda busy!" one of them called back.
"Yeah, let's let them focus on making all the other drinks for now," Ms. Joke said, putting a hand on Hadou's shoulder to pull her back. She turned to face Kyouka with a smile as she added, "And hey, if you want to order, you can go ahead of us! This will take a while."
"Nah, I'm good," Kyouka replied after a moment, a bit startled at being addressed directly. "I'm not in any rush, take your time."
"You sure?" Ms. Joke asked. "We've got a lot of orders! Enough to need three people to carry all of them back, even with these handy coffee carriers!" She gestured at a small stack of what Kyouka figured must be collapsible fabric drink carriers on the counter.
"Yeah, this, like, always takes a while!" added the girl she didn't know. "Like, we barely gave the order five minutes ago. So you can go ahead."
"Thanks, but I really don't mind the wait," Kyouka replied with a shrug. "I've seriously got no where else to be today. If anything, it just gives me a valid excuse to hang out here longer and enjoy the heating." That had Ms. Joke burst out into laughter, flashing a toothy grin at her.
"Now that's looking on the bright side!" She turned back to the others as she added, "But we do have stuff to do today, so make up your minds now, or I'll get you both decafs!"
"Not even a latte with cute latte art?" brunette girl gasped.
"Sorry Camie-chan, not today!" Ms. Joke replied. The name finally jarred Kyouka's memory, recognizing her as the girl from Bakugou and Todoroki's remedial lessons. She'd been fairly active with texting Bakugou after getting his phone number.
"But, but the art here is so cute!" Hadou whined, and spun to face the barista. "I've decided! I'm getting a latte! Can you draw a little spiral kitty in it?"
"...A spiral kitty...?" The barista looked lost.
"I'll handle it when I'm done with these," one of the others called with a sigh. "Nejire-chan always requests spiral animals." While the baristas chattered Kyouka went to sit at a table, opening the group chat with the others currently investigating various places. Ashido still hadn't responded yet to her individual message, but she could update the others and try to get some ideas.
'So I'm at a coffee shop by the place, and the lady who flirted with sensei at the exam, that girl from the Big Three and that girl from the remedial classes are all here'
It didn't take long for Todoroki to respond. 'That would mean there's people from UA, Ketsubutsu, and Shiketsu there. Is there a school nearby?' That had Kyouka pausing, sneaking a glance at the counter. She could see five to-go cups being loaded into one of the collapsible carriers, and it looked like the baristas were still working on more.
'I guess? They're ordering a LOT of coffee'
Then came a reply from Ashido. 'There is! You-know-who just confirmed it! He also wants you to say hi to Camie, but no.' Kyouka snorted and rolled her eyes. Yeah, not happening. 'Anyways! So turns out he doesn't really know WHERE his brother would go, just that he'd probably be in the area to look around? Which isn't actually helpful with that photo you sent me.'
Kyouka's amused smirk faded. Already she could tell there were no convenient spots to watch Nighteye's office, which eliminated the obvious options. He might stop by this coffee shop or one of the restaurants, but she lacked any vantage points to watch those, either. Unlike the coffee shop in Hosu, this one didn't have any tables right by the front window. In fact, the front window had privacy shades, blocking the view of the street entirely.
'So basically, I wasted an hour on the train to Chiba?' she typed.
'...Maybe. Sorry?'
Kyouka sighed and suppressed a frustrated scowl, just in case Ms. Joke or any of the hero students happened to look her way. She really should have thought this through more. She knew she couldn't formally stake out the area for days on end; she had to study for the exams with Yaomomo and Kaminari this weekend. Today would be her only chance, but she'd come anyway, just on the slim chance she might see that Porter guy. Better to at least try for one day than risk actually missing the guy.
But with no leads and no place to set up camp, even that slim chance dwindled down to almost zero. She'd have to hope he'd just happen to come into this specific coffee shop, and even then she couldn't hang out here all day.
That said, she still didn't want to have wasted her time.
She switched out of the messenger to her web browser, just browsing aimlessly for a moment to give herself time to cool down. Take a break to clear her head so she could think of some better ideas. As she did, naturally she started eavesdropping on the conversation around her too. Consequences of a hearing-based Quirk and all that.
"...and so like, Sayonaka-sensei just stared so long," Camie was saying. "And then she said 'I am not paid enough for this' and just—walked away!"
"Ha! Just like Sayo-chan!" Ms. Joke crowed. "She always hates being called for super-trivial stuff like that!"
"Did you ever find out where the dog got the spray paint, then?" the barista asked, and suddenly Kyouka wanted to know too, because what the heck?
"Nope! We had other priorities. But who knows? Maybe we'll find another mural from F.K. with a doggie-shaped hole in it!" The heroine laughed boisterously, and Kyouka decided to Moogle 'fk chiba' just for the heck of it.
What came up were a series of articles about a graffiti artist that had become notorious in the city lately. The image results were full of pictures of different pieces, ranging from simple doodles to full-fledged murals. They were pretty neat to look at, actually. She went to check the articles to get some more details, and the top one wasn't about the artist specifically, but about people copying some of the simpler pieces in other cities.
As she read it, Kyouka suddenly felt something click in her brain. She opened Moogle again and began searching. 'Places to buy spray paint in Chiba. Ways to do graffiti fast. Thrift stores in Chiba.' She skimmed the results quickly, and soon enough she had a plan.
By the time group from Nighteye's office left Kyouka had texted Kaminari to get his help since he had a computer, and quickly got a mocha to go so she could head out and get to work.
Nearly an hour later she returned to the streets by Nighteye's agency, now wearing a completely new outfit after raiding multiple thrift stores. She kept her head down with her ears hidden under the flaps of a knitted hat, her cheeks covered in green-colored foundation that peeked above her facemask. As she reached the corner where she'd stood earlier she turned the opposite direction from the agency. She walked until she reached a gap between two buildings, and stepped inside as she pulled out a piece of chalk from her pocket.
Looking for this Porter guy would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, so why not have him find them instead? That's what they did with the 1-A Vigilantes. Thing was, that only worked though because the others from 1-A knew what to look for, and had reason to look. Porter wouldn't know that though, and he wouldn't be likely to check the news or social media too often. So they needed something more public to get his attention—
Something like a message spray-painted on the walls by wherever he'd go.
The writing was fast and easy, the bright blue chalk showing up clearly on the beige brick of the wall. Every second counted when working so close to a hero agency, and she'd realized chalk would be way faster than spray paint. Barely a minute passed before she finished and slipped the chalk back into her pocket, heading off to find somewhere to draw the next message.
UA is not a dream for 1-A
And we want to go back
@1-A_No_Dream
Notes:
Fun fact: Navi is the only OC in this chapter (besides the baristas), and was actually suggested by someone on the Discord server (though I changed the codename). Also, I've been thinking of a viral graffiti campaign for 90% of this fic. Originally it was a way to help reunite people, so I thought I wouldn't be able to do it. I am so glad to finally have it featured here! Related: Moogle is actually shown in MHA as the Google equivalent. So there's your go-to parody!
Question for next time: What would be some good messages/hints to leave for Porter?
Chapter 86: In Which Izuku Screams
Summary:
Another lesson is had with Aizawa, and then Izuku checks his phone and wants to scream.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 86
.::In Which Izuku Screams::.
Another day, another lesson with Eraserhead.
Which, how the fuck was this becoming normal?
Katsuki tried not to think too hard on that as they sat in the hero's cell going over workbooks like usual. Apparently Mistface felt better today, better enough for that Aiko chick to finally up and leave. The misty bastard himself had warped right into Katsuki's room after breakfast and then just dropped him outside Eraserhead's cell along with the others. Seemed like things would be going back to normal, or whatever passed for normal in this hellhole.
Apparently, "normal" included schoolwork. "We're not going to have a final exam or something, are we?" he asked as he skimmed over the science textbook for answers to the vocab worksheet.
Deku, amnesiac freak he was, had to pause and think about it. "Um, I don't think so? I mean, most of this stuff are just pre-made printouts that Kurogiri can grab pretty easily, and I think exams are specifically made by the teachers...?"
"They usually are," Eraserhead confirmed with a nod. "It's part of how they cut down on cheating, otherwise kids could potentially find tests and answer sheets online."
"Then how the hell do they keep track of your education?" Katsuki asked, and once again Deku paused.
"Mostly Kurogiri just checks I have the homework done. He has the answer keys somewhere."
"So if we find the answer key, we don't have to study," Hijack typed on his phone, a keen glint in his eye. And Katsuki had to admit, he could see the appeal. They could spend this time doing something actually useful, like planning their actual escape.
"But it'd be kinda hard to hide that we're not doing schoolwork," Deku said with a frown. "I mean, I'm pretty sure Magne's outside in the hallway right now..." Katsuki scowled as he trailed off, picking up on what Deku actually meant by that. Namely, they couldn't risk talking about the escape with Eraserhead since they never knew if someone was listening in.
Shigaraki, Kurogiri, or someone still assigned people to stand guard during lessons. They never entered the room, but they waited by the door. Most of the mooks would probably just hung out in the hall to listen for sounds of a struggle or arguments, but others listened MUCH more closely. A fact they learned when Toga of all people warned them about seeing one guy with his ear literally pressed to the door.
Yeah. Planning an escape sucked when you couldn't guarantee someone was spying on you. And that was before factoring in Seiko, freaky little brat.
So even though they wanted to tell Eraserhead the whole escape plan, it was still too risky. Best they could do was use Eyebags's phone or whiteboard, but neither option gave Eraserhead a way to discreetly respond with his hands in mittens—
Wait. "What's up with the mittens?" he asked, noticing for the first time Eraserhead had the mittens but no handcuffs. It was pretty damn weird since usually it'd be the other way around.
Deku looked mildly panicked at the question, and even Eraserhead stiffened. "Oh, don't worry about them!" the nerd replied quickly. "Aik—you-know-who," he hastily amended as Eraserhead winced, "kinda took them off last night so he could pet Sushi, and put them back on... differently?" He shot a pointed look at the door, and all at once Katsuki understood: no one was supposed to know the handcuffs were off. Hijack picked up on it too, because now they were both shooting the other two questioning looks.
Deku grimaced, but seemed to figure out what they wanted to ask. After a second he grabbed Hijack's whiteboard and marker and started scribbling. 'She forgot, so we're just leaving the mittens in case someone comes inside.' He showed it to them long enough to read before wiping it away with his arm.
So they were hiding the fact the handcuffs were off.
That... actually worked to their advantage in the long run. Too bad she didn't remove the collar or ankle chain. But barely anyone ever visited in the first place, so this was one less thing to worry about. Now they just needed to get some progress on the stupid bomb anklets.
Deku put down the whiteboard, only to suddenly look at his wrist and grimace. Katsuki could see blue residue from the marker staining the skin. Hijack snorted quietly while the nerd tried to wipe it with his sleeve to no avail, making him pout. "Be right back, need to use the bathroom," he said, and hurried off to the small bathroom attached to the cell.
While he left a thought occurred to Katsuki, and he grabbed the whiteboard. 'Do you know how to pick locks?' he wrote, and showed it to Eraserhead. The man's eyes narrowed before nodding, and then before Katsuki could write again Hijack snatched the whiteboard, much to his irritation.
Before he could complain Hijack used his sleeve to wipe away the writing, making Katsuki glance at his own bare arms with a scowl. Right, the villains had only given him short-sleeved shirts so it'd be harder for his arms to build up sweat. Deku was still scrubbing the marker residue off his wrists (he could hear the sink running), so he'd rather not have to deal with that himself. He mentally grumbled while the vigilante wrote.
'Can you pick the locks on the shackle if we bring tools?' He turned the board to face Eraserhead, who glanced at the shackle before warily nodding. He gestured to the collar then, and Hijack wrote some more. 'Doesn't have a lock. I think it's normal?' He glanced at Katsuki as he showed it to Eraserhead, and the blond huffed as he nodded in agreement. It was as normal as a fucking collar on a human could get.
Hijack wiped the board again just as Deku exited the bathroom. "Finally, what took you so long?" Katsuki snarked.
"The marker residue was really stuck, and there's no soap in there," Deku muttered with a frown.
"Not much point," Eraserhead drawled, glancing at his mittened hands pointedly.
"I'll... bring some later," Deku said with a small grimace, while Hijack took out his phone.
"How do you get to the bathroom?" he asked, and that had Katsuki pausing. How did he get to the bathroom with his broken foot?
"I drag myself," Eraserhead replied plainly. "The chain's long enough to reach." That had Deku, Hijack and even Katsuki wincing. Dragging yourself across the cement floor with a broken leg had to be painful.
"And maybe I'll get something to help with that, too," Deku mumbled. "More painkillers, for a start. I wish I could try to bring in a wheelchair, but Tomura-nii won't even agree to a bed, so something that would let you move that much... And climbing in and out would be a hassle, too..."
"Get a skateboard," Hijack suggested through the phone. "It's low to the ground and can barely be controlled with two good legs."
Katsuki snorted. "So that would make the whole 'he might use it to escape' argument worthless, right?" The vigilante nodded and gave a thumbs up, expression still totally flat.
Eraserhead just sighed. "Know what? Sure. It'd beat dragging myself everywhere. Anyways, let's get back to work." They nodded as they grabbed their workbooks to try to finish up what they'd been working on.
Half an hour later they'd managed to complete the dumb worksheets, and decided to end there and hang out in Hijack's room for a while before lunch. "So if we can get him the tools, he can pick the lock on the shackle?" Deku asked.
"That's what he said," Katsuki confirmed with a huff. No one hung out nearby to spy on them like they did at Eraserhead's cell, so it was easier to talk about their plans and fill him in on what Eraserhead said. They'd even done the usual call for Seiko to make sure she wasn't there (and she wasn't, thank fuck, creepy-ass brat always set him on edge).
"Well, that's good," the nerd mumbled. "This is a place full of villains, so I mean, it probably won't be hard to find a lockpicking kit somewhere." Hijack perked up at that, whipping out his phone.
"I could too," the electronic voice said, but he then seemed to hesitate. After a moment he lowered the phone and pointed to his cheek—to the muzzle. That had them both pausing, snapping a sharp look his way. Katsuki had tried not to stare at it too hard because it was creepy as shit, but there was a keyhole by the hinge next to his ear.
"Could you pick it even without being able to see it?" he asked, and the vigilante shrugged, grabbing the whiteboard from the desk to start writing.
'Worth a shot. If I can't, Eraserhead can.' Once they'd read it he swiped his sleeve across it to erase it. The nerd's eyes seemed to be pretty sharp now, pressing a hand to his chin as he began mumbling.
"Your Quirk's a call and response type, but I doubt many people here would know your voice. You could also disguise it maybe so they'd be even less likely to recognize it. Either way, it would be really helpful to the escape if you could just brainwash people if we run into anyone. Then you could send them away, or maybe even have one carry Eraserhead! Except, that last one might be a bad idea if they snap out of it..."
While he mumbled to himself Katsuki huffed, annoyed by the tangent. "That reminds me, did those people figure out the stupid bomb anklets?" he asked. Deku perked up briefly before his shoulders slumped.
"Not yet." Dammit. "They're all pretty busy with some other stuff, too. It seems like something big is going on with them, but I don't know the details yet. I was supposed to meet with some of them earlier so they could explain everything, but with Kurogiri, uh, like that, I couldn't really leave the base, so we're meeting this weekend."
'Can they be trusted?' Hijack asked with the whiteboard once again.
"Absolutely," the nerd replied without missing a beat. "I'd trust them with my life." There was a confidence in his voice that was hard to argue.
"And yet they can't tell you what's going on?" Katsuki challenged, folding his arms, and Deku frowned.
"Not over phone or messages. They're just as wary of talking about some stuff as I am. Just..." He trailed off, and then motioned for the whiteboard. The vigilante handed it over, and the nerd began writing for nearly a full two minutes before finally turning to show them. It was a full-fledged ramble, the text crammed into the confines of the whiteboard in increasingly smaller characters as he realized how much there was to say.
'Don't repeat this or say anything. A couple of them are apparently caught up with a runaway network? I only found out on Tuesday when I had to deliver that letter about Aiko-nee since Uraraka has that censoring Quirk going on. I don't know the details, we were in too much of a rush when I met Nettmegg to explain. But they're probably worried about those people getting caught up in all this.'
That raised a lot of questions, like "who the fuck is Nettmegg?" and "what do you mean by runaway network?" He held his tongue though, mindful of the nerd's request at the start of the ramble. While Seiko hadn't shown up, who knew if someone might be right outside the door?
After a few seconds the nerd wiped away the message. "So yeah, their situation seems kinda complicated too? They're absolutely serious about helping us though!" he added quickly. "I mean it, they're really dedicated to figuring it out! It's just, right now, no one can make much progress until they figure out the anklets." That was sucky, but a fair enough point.
"Can't they at least start planning the getaway? Like, get a vehicle or something?" That had the nerd pausing.
"I don't think any of them know how to drive, though. They're all around our age." He paused as he added, "Except for the ghost, I guess, but he can't drive either."
Katsuki's briefly brain stopped working. "What the actual fuck? Ghost?"
"I don't know," Deku said tiredly. "They just said this guy named 'Mairu' followed a couple of them and claims he's a ghost? I mean, we don't know if he actually is, it could just be his Quirk, but he's apparently still sticking to the story he's actually dead."
"Seriously?" What the hell?
"Yeah. Actually hold on, let me send a message to Pinkie to check if he's said anything else." Now Katsuki was really staring as Deku pulled out his cell phone, questioning what the hell they were hearing. The nerd unlocked it while mumbling, "Huh, that's a lot of messages while we were at..."
He trailed off and stared at the phone with a frown, suddenly enthralled by whatever he found. Soon enough his eyes began growing wide with disbelief, which was never a good sign. "What now, Deku?" Katsuki asked sharply.
"...We all completely deserve to be expelled," the nerd finally whispered, voice haunted, and then pocketed his phone and stood up from the vigilante's bed. "I'm sorry, I think I need to go to the roof to scream for a while. I-I'll be back later." He hurried off before they could respond, leaving Katsuki and Hijack to look at each other as they silently wondered what the hell?
1-A_Dancing_Queen: SO
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Mido
1-A_Dancing_Queen: My good friend
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Awesome classmate
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Living incarnation of sunlight and all that is nice and good with the world
1-A_Dancing_Queen: We have news
1-A_Dancing_Queen: About a thing that happened yesterday
1-A_Dancing_Queen: and I have no idea how to break it
1-A_Dancing_Queen: But hiding stuff is bad so you NEED to know
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Oh, did you guys figure out a plan then?
1-A_Dancing_Queen: um
1-A_Dancing_Queen: no
1-A_Dancing_Queen: not yet
halfnhalfpeppermint: I thought we agreed to wait until there was a solid plan to minimize stress?
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Yeah I know, and I'm TOTALLY still on board with that, but
1-A_Dancing_Queen: then I remembered
1-A_Dancing_Queen: It's Friday
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: ...And? So what about it being Friday
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Well every Friday night, there's a certain show
1-A_Dancing_Queen: and I looked it up and it airs even earlier here
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: ...oh shit
1-A_Dancing_Queen: and I think Mido mentioned listening to it every night with sensei?
halfnhalfpeppermint: He did.
halfnhalfpeppermint: That's how he was able to convince them to let him go to the signing on Tuesday.
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: oh no I just looked it up and it's actually airing EVERY DAY this month? So it also aired yesterday, too?
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: oh no we should've mentioned it earlier
powerofmusic: Chill
powerofmusic: He records some shows in advance just in case. He mentioned it in class, remember?
powerofmusic: I'm pretty sure he did the same with the shows this week. No way he can go to the radio station EVERY night
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Oh yeah, that's true. Phew!
powerofmusic: anyways need to go, busy drawing messages with chalk and trying not to get caught
powerofmusic: You guys should too. I'll send pics in the other chat of what I mean
powerofmusic: Gonna send it to Nettmegg too
halfnhalfpeppermint: Okay?
1-A_Dancing_Queen: But we still can't hide it guys.
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Remember when Space decided to wait to tell Yuki about his brother in person?
1-A_Dancing_Queen: And then Hawks called
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: ...
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: dammit you're right
powerofmusic: yeah, with our luck there'll be a big announcement tonight
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: I mean, we even left Dancing_Queen behind just in case something happened so there'd be a backup
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: and look how THAT turned out
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Yep
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Which brings us to the main point!
1-A_Dancing_Queen: @deku_breaks_bone
1-A_Dancing_Queen: We can't go into FULL detail yet, for obvious reasons
1-A_Dancing_Queen: But uh
1-A_Dancing_Queen: We kinda
1-A_Dancing_Queen: accidentally
1-A_Dancing_Queen: kidnapped loud-sensei after he tracked me down and got knocked out by a bird
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Which was totally NOT planned at all! But we guess he made the connection between you and Nettmegg, and decided to check out her brother's house and happened to see me?
halfnhalfpeppermint: Wait. The bird is new.
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Oh yeah. There's a crow with a Quirk that can knock people out?
1-A_Dancing_Queen: I totally had no idea Loud-sensei was following me until he was knocked out!
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Also Haya-chan is adorable and I will die for her
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Who's Haya-chan? The bird?
1-A_Dancing_Queen: No, she's a marten and she's adorable and fluffy
deku_breaks_bones: what
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Oh good you're here
deku_breaks_bones: what do you MEAN you kidnapped Loud-sensei? Is Loud-sensei who I think it is!?
1-A_Dancing_Queen: yes
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Yep
halfnhalfpeppermint: Yes.
powerofmusic: Unfortunately yeah.
deku_breaks_bones: HOW
deku_breaks_bones: WHY
deku_breaks_bones: THAT'S TWO DIFFERENT TEACHERS NOW
deku_breaks_bones: WHAT THE HECK
1-A_Chargebolt: Just popped in because there's a break in class, and uh
1-A_Chargebolt: bad timing I guess but yeah
1-A_Chargebolt: Please don't kill Pinkie, she owes me money
deku_breaks_bones: why does the universe hate us
1-A_Chargebolt: *Multiverse
1-A_Dancing_Queen: We're totally working on a plan, don't worry!
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Just leave it to us!
powerofmusic: You know you're not the most reassuring person to say that
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Fine
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Nettmegg is ALSO working on this plan. And so are Kaitou, Froppy, and a whole bunch of other super-smart and reliable people
1-A_Dancing_Queen: So just leave it to them! And also us
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Just wanted to let you know in case it comes up tonight
deku_breaks_bones: ...I need to scream now.
1-A_Dancing_Queen: That's fair
halfnhalfpeppermint: We're here if you need moral support.
deku_breaks_bones: Thanks. Might take you up on that later. Screaming now
1-A_Chargebolt: you do that
powerofmusic: Hey Jamming-Whey
powerofmusic: You get any good notes on today's review?
1-A_Chargebolt: ...
1-A_Chargebolt: We are so screwed
powerofmusic: well crap
1-A_Dancing_Queen: so glad I ran away from school and don't have to do exams
Normally, the sight of Izuku screaming on the snow-covered rooftop would have been more than enough to pique Seiko's interest and curiosity.
Normally, she would be present at the Villain Alliance's headquarters to witness that scene.
Today, however, she was not. Miles and miles away Seiko followed Kuroe in silence as he headed down an alley towards a side door, rapping on it three times. After a few moments it opened to reveal a tall, muscular man, eyes skimming over the pair before resting on Seiko. Immediately his lips pulled back in a sneer, disdain evident on his face.
"You know this isn't a playground, right Karasu?" he asked gruffly. "Not exactly a place to bring your kid sister."
"She's not my sister," Kuroe responded flatly. "Usual guard can't make it on short notice, so this is the substitute."
"You're using a kid as a bodyguard?" The man raised an eyebrow, clearly judgmental. Kuroe didn't react to the obvious jab, just met his gaze stonily.
"I bet you can't even look directly at her face for a full ten seconds," he declared. The man scoffed, eyes darting over to Seiko. She met his gaze with her face as blank as ever, eyes still hollow and empty.
There was something people never really noticed right away when looking at Seiko's face. But upon closer inspection, the little details would begin to stand out. The pastiness of her complexion far beyond the normal shades of pale. The way her face showed remained perfectly still so effortlessly, not one muscle giving even the slightest twitch.
The lack of any light in her eyes whatsoever.
After five seconds the man abruptly shuddered and averted his eyes. "The hell, like looking at a corpse," he muttered.
"Do you see many child corpses?" Seiko asked, tilting her head, and he shuddered again at the dull monotone to her voice.
"Fuck no, not kids, but..." He turned to Kuroe questioningly, suddenly looking very wary. "Karasu, I have to be real. Is that a reanimated corpse?"
"Hell if I know," he responded blithely. "Word of advice, don't ask her questions or you'll regret it. You know the saying, ignorance is bliss." The yakuza thug just grunted, stepping aside to let them enter. They walked down the hall in silence until they reached a pair of double doors, knocking three times before opening them to reveal a sitting room not unlike the one Kuroe had visited in Odawara.
Chisaki Kai was alone today, the Shie Hassaikai's leader absent. He glanced at the door as Kuroe entered, and the skin between his eyebrows crinkled with obvious disdain when Seiko slid in behind him. "A child," he murmured in clear disapproval. "Is she your guard today?"
"Yes, she is," Kuroe responded as he sat across from the yakuza, Seiko standing next to the couch and facing Chisaki.
"Heiwajima Seiko," she introduced herself with a small incline of her head, dull and inflectionless as always. Chisaki scoffed softly as he eyed her for a moment before turning his gaze back to Kuroe.
"I suppose she's not a normal child if you brought her," he remarked.
"Absolutely not," Kuroe confirmed bluntly. "I chose to bring her over Stendhal today for more than just convenience. If you have no objections, I suggest we start the meeting now. I believe we have a lot to go over." He picked up the folder on the table between them, flicking through its contents and frowning. "So you finally found the guy's phone in a bus station in Esuha City?"
"Yes, and he was investigating a lead in Nagano prefecture," Chisaki confirmed with a huff. "I don't know the specific place where he vanished. He'd been trailing a few leads before we lost contact."
"So it went went from from Nagano to Osaka," Kuroe murmured to himself. "Forget crossing a border, those are in entirely different regions. Do any buses even run between those two directly?"
"Not to Esuha City specifically. I already checked the lines." Chisaki's voice took on a faintly irritated note. "Someone would have had to specifically transfer onto a bus that would, and left the phone behind. He had no reason to get on any such bus. It was in the lost and found, so we have no idea how long it'd been left behind."
"Well, that's definitely more effective than just destroying it or tossing it in a lake. I can try to narrow down potential transfer points, but..." Kuroe trailed off, making it quite clear he did not consider it particularly worth the effort.
"It will be easier to try to retrace that fool's steps," Chisaki said simply, and Kuroe nodded. He flipped to one of the pages and held it towards Seiko, prompting her to peer at it. It had a printout of a map of the Chuubu region with several locations circled, some in Nagano, some in other nearby prefectures.
"See anything familiar?" he asked. Seiko inclined her head as she skimmed over the list. Nothing related to the Alliance, at least in its current state. A few caught her eye, but she didn't bother mentioning them.
"Nothing in Nagano."
"What about other places?" Seiko leaned over to point to a circled area in the prefecture below Nagano, Yamanashi, in the corner just below their borders and next to Saitama.
"Koredia used to have a base used by the Meta Liberation Army. It was destroyed years ago, though."
"I've never heard about that," Chisaki murmured as Seiko stepped back, eyes narrowing at her suspiciously.
"Destro kept it secret, intending it be used as a backup base should he ever get arrested, so they could regroup and prepare their next attack." She inclined her head at him and smiled, making him flinch as she added in a lighter tone, "However, he forgot that he had more enemies than just the government." All For One had never been one to turn down a chance to obtain powerful Quirks, and all those so-called freedom fighters gathered in one place provided a veritable buffet.
Chisaki seemed on edge as he stared at her, clearly wanting to ask how she knew about that, but finally he turned to Kuroe. "Karasu, who is this girl again?"
"There are some questions you don't want answered," he responded nonchalantly with a loose shrug. "But that is interesting. This group you were investigating, the one that you had to eliminate when they tried to enter Odawara. Did you ever figure out what exactly they had planned? You crossed out 'drug dealing' on this page."
"We initially believed that was their intent, but now we're not so sure. As I noted back then, there were signs it's connected to a larger organization, and we don't know what its objective is." Chisaki sat back and crossed his arms. "I suppose this raises the question of whether any remnants of Destro's followers remain."
"Plenty would," Kuroe responded, sounding more resigned than anything. As they began discussing more details and possibilities Seiko remained silent, seeing no point to offer further input. For now she simply did what she did best: watch, and listen.
Shouta heaved a large sigh as he reclined against the pillows like always, staring up at the ceiling blearily.
The kids had asked him about whether he knew how to pick locks. It was the first genuine sign of them thinking of escape since he'd met them. The fact they were still looking towards the future was good, meant they still had plenty of willpower and hadn't had their spirits broken. It gave Shouta a bit of hope too, motivated him to want to do more.
Now the question remained whether Midoriya could be convinced to help, or if he'd be another obstacle.
He didn't miss how Bakugou had waited for Midoriya to leave to ask about picking the locks, and how neither of the boys spoke aloud. He didn't know what the pair thought of Midoriya, but they seemed to be wary. It would be up to Shouta to figure out how trustworthy the boy was.
BONUS:
~A Conversation between Shigaraki and Izuku~
"Izuku, why are you screaming on the rooftop?"
"Because my friends are idiots."
"What? Is your party that bad at school stuff?"
"No, they're smart. I'm talking about online friends."
"Oh. What did they do?"
"I don't even know where to begin. They're just idiots, that's all you need to know."
"Oh."
"..."
"..."
"...mumble mumble, can't believe second time, mumble mumble..."
"...Do you want to play video games and take your mind off it?"
"Heck yes."
Notes:
The kids are learning! I thought about having Izuku learn through the radio show somehow, but this is also fun. Also: Bakugou accidentally makes Aizawa more suspicious of Izuku! Whee!!
Also, thank goodness Microsoft Word's advanced find/replace feature lets you include formatting. Because formatting that chat would've been annoying. I was able to just italicize the whole section, and find/replace the usernames without the fancy formatting.
By the way, if it's not obvious: Kuroe uses "Karasu" when working as an information broker. Karasu means "crow", and "Kuroe" sounds kinda like "crow". I only came up with it recently, so I actually plan to go back to the last chapter where he met Chisaki to insert it there! ^^
On that note, just to give some context for their meeting: In Chisaki's first appearance (55), the Shie Hassaikai reported to Kuroe about groups they'd stopped from entering Odawara. One group couldn't be turned over to police and had to be killed, and they suspected it to be connected to a larger organization, so they proposed investigating it. Later in Chapter 75, Kuroe had gotten some emails from Chisaki that one of their guys had disappeared while investigating said group/organization, which is what prompted this meeting.
Question for next time: what would you do if you got isekai'd into MHA?
Chapter 87: Conspiracy Theorist's Fantasy
Summary:
Saki may or may not be a not-so-closet conspiracy theorist.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 87
.::Conspiracy Theorist's Fantasy::.
Generally when working on a case, Sayonaka Saki could be found in the communal office space used by the entirety of the General Analysis Team. There were many benefits to working there instead of her own, private office: it was easier to have others join in and offer input, the table had plenty of space to place case-related items, and Figment's Quirk would be active there and allow Mail to be visible.
Today, Mail was still absent, she had no physical evidence to review, and she also didn't particularly want to have anyone drop in. So for once, she had no reason to not set up camp in her own office, standing in front of her handy-dandy corkboard. It was full of photos and scribbled notes all connected by red strings, looking straight out of a conspiracy theorist's fantasy. Which was part of the point.
Honestly, Saki had started working on the conspiracy-style corkboard collages as a joke. Nighteye did encourage people to find humor where possible, and this particular setup seemed in-theme with a hero agency. It just turned out to be surprisingly effective for organizing thoughts and notes on more complex cases, so it became a regular part of her work. While most of the surfaces in her room were covered in mementos from previous cases (including the walls), she'd made a point to hang two large corkboards for pinning photos and case notes.
The corkboard she focused on now had plenty of those. She'd been working on this particular conspiracy theorist's wet dream for about two weeks now, but in the past few days it had expanded rapidly. At the very top were two photos connected by a string depicting the start of this giant tangle: Uraraka Ochako, and the computer-generated forensic compilation of Midoriya Izuku.
From there, the web became complex increasingly fast. Uraraka connected to Ashido Mina, AKA Alien_Queen_Pink. Ashido connected to Kirishima Eijirou, and the three of them had another string connecting to a note that simply said "Runaways". Another string connected Ashido to Anjou Ran, the latter who had loosely connected to Midoriya thanks to that autograph signing with Present Mic.
That took things back to Midoriya's side. The Villain Alliance had been the very first connection after Uraraka, with a specific note mentioning "Shigaraki's brother?" That had been big enough, but as of this week another direct connection had been added: Aizawa Shouta, AKA Eraserhead. An underground hero who'd been missing since May, over six months now.
Another web of connections had sprung from his name. The undercover gig in some fighting rings that he'd been working shortly before he went missing on his first patrol post-cover. Mic's brief encounter with Blank Slate in July that turned up no news on the hero. The destroyed base in Nabu where Eraserhead had been held, and a post-it note with the names of the few bodies they'd been able to identify.
The board had plenty of other notes beyond these direct connections. Specific events, post-it notes and notecards with theories. A rough sketch of Mail right below Ashido and Kirishima to denote his likely current location. And about half of it had been coded and written in Russian, leaving an indecipherable mess of scribbles to anyone who might happen to poke their head inside. What had started as a single missing girl had easily become one of the complicated broken mosaics she'd ever made.
Right now though, her attention was focused on the photograph of Eraserhead.
Aizawa was a scruffy-looking man with unruly dark hair and chapped lips who could easily be mistaken for a hobo ("He's hobo-chic," Emi had once joked). The eyebags gave him a perpetually tired look, further amplified by the slight tinge of red from chronic dry eye. This was a professional headshot used for his file, but it was clear he hadn't put much effort into his appearance for it.
She inspected his photo idly, tracing a finger down his face. Flashes of Amajiki and worry flickered through her mind as she touched it, the boy having been the one to print the photo at her request. Even in a photograph, Aizawa's skin looked dryer than most people's; she could tell he wasn't particularly big on skincare. His face at least lacked any scars though, speaking of decent combat skill given his eyes would be the first target of any savvy foe.
No scars. Not one.
Her mouth thinned at the thought, gaze flicking towards another notecard connecting to his photo and Midoriya. 'Tuesday, Dec 5: Present Mic signing Kamino. Midoriya bring poster. Memory of Eraserhead.' She still remembered the rush of images when she'd brushed her fingers over the poster. A woman with green hair and a warm smile. Childish squeals of delight ringing in her head over a constant drone of mumbles. Television and computer screens playing clips of Present Mic's fights and interviews.
Glimpses of Eraserhead chained to the floor with a leather collar and a splinted leg. Lying on the floor among a pile of blankets and pillows with Mic's voice in the background.
Guilt.
So much guilt.
Saki hadn't told Mic the full details of what she saw. He didn't need to know that Eraserhead had clearly received a fresh injury since transferring custody, nor that he'd been collared like an animal. The specifics would likely only cause him more stress. Even the seemingly positive fact that he seemed to have heard Mic's radio show at least once would probably leave him overly conscious of future broadcasts.
She'd seen more flashes of Eraserhead's face than that. Harsh glares full of suspicion and mistrust. Half-lidded eyes as he spoke, the name "Rare" echoing in Saki's skull. Face streaked with blood yet eyes alight with his Quirk and fierce determination even as a dark hand gripped his skull. The smallest sliver of a smile, again with Mic's voice in the background. An almost stern expression as he crouched in front of Midoriya. Eyes wide and anxious as a mittened hand reached out, face full of sheer desperation.
Two of those were not like the others.
A knock on the door frame had her turning around, recognizing the visitor from the rhythmic knocking pattern even before it opened. Fukukado Emi poked her head inside with a smile. "Hey, Sayo-chan!" she greeted cheerfully. "Just wrapped up my lessons with the kids and thought I'd check in on you!"
"Sure, come on in," Saki agreed easily, and the green-haired heroine slipped inside and closed the door. They two of them were on pretty good terms, only a year apart at Ketsubutsu, with Emi taking Saki under her wing until graduation. Something about how both of their costumes had pirate aesthetics going on. "I'm the rough rebel of the seas, and you're the fancy privateer paid by the government!" she'd declared more than once.
She strolled over to join Saki next to the corkboard, humming as she glanced over it. "So, you made any big progress yet? There's a lot more notes in gobbledygook since the last time I saw it!" Gobbledygook, of course, referred to the many Russian notes. Which had definitely multiplied since Emi's last visit.
"At this point, this web's getting so complex I'm just switching to code out of natural paranoia," Saki huffed with crossed arms. "Seriously, some of this stuff's edging into classified territory."
"Even Eraser?" Emi asked, and Saki rolled her eyes at the obvious intention behind her words.
"Yes, even your not-fiancé." Saki hadn't been heavily involved in his case previously beyond occasional requests from Emi to help. She'd had a good working relation with Eraserhead back when she'd patrol as Ms. Joke full-time, so she'd been particularly serious about finding him.
Even now, Emi had been attempting to connect the people from the Nabu base to the fighting rings he'd investigated prior to disappearing. Saki had added a few post-it notes with summaries of her findings thus far, but that was more to placate her senpai. In reality, she had no interest in how he ended up there and didn't think it really mattered in the overall picture. Not that she would actually say that to Emi.
She glanced at the green-haired woman thoughtfully. "Hey, Emi, did Eraser ever get in a fight with a guy with giant black hands? Which likely involved getting his face mashed against the ground?"
Emi looked surprised at the question but then snorted. "That's weirdly specific, but also not specific enough! My hubby-to-be is a good fighter, but when you're that hands-on, you run into a lot of nasty folks like that! You of all people know the night brings out the worst of the worst. It's in your name!"
Now it was Saki's turn to snort. "It was in broad daylight," she added helpfully.
"Okay, that actually might narrow it down. Eraser stopped doing daylight patrols way back when everything went topsy-turvy, so I can take a look and see if anything comes up!"
"You don't need to look into it too deep if it's that long ago," Saki said with a shrug. "I think one of the images I saw was Eraser in a fight. He looked pretty beat up, but the injuries didn't match up with any of the other flashes I saw. I figure Midoriya must have seen it a while back, so I was just curious."
Brief as it was, Eraserhead being held and using his Quirk had strong emotions associated with it. Emotions could dictate an image's clarity, and that particular one, while placing Aizawa far away from Midoriya, stood out as the clearest of all. It carried the largest swirl of feelings, memories of trauma and terror and awe and admiration.
She could tell the blood on Eraser's face belonged to him, and that none of the injuries likely to cause that had been present in all the other flashes of him in his cell. More than that, he'd been in full costume. It definitely wasn't from when he'd been captured, so Midoriya must have seen the battle from afar in the past. Which was good, because he'd looked to be in pretty bad shape and about to have his face smashed to the ground.
"Well, good news is I think I figured out their motive," she said, which had Emi snapping laser-sharp focus her way.
"What is it?" she asked, far more serious than Saki had ever seen her. And to that, Saki smirked.
"Midoriya's a hero fanboy."
The shock on Emi's face was far funnier than any of the jokes she'd usually throw Saki's way. "What? No way! Really?"
"Yeah. The poster was handled by his mother, so that means he went out of his way to take it with him when he ran away and before he ended up with the Alliance. The only memories associated with his mother are directly from her touching it, so he didn't take it for sentimental value as a gift from her. It was in incredibly good condition, too, so he's taken good care of it."
She spoke lightly but factually as she rattled off the points, punctuating it with a nod. "At the very least, he seems to be a fan of Present Mic, but between that and what we know of him from before he went missing, it seems likely he likes heroes in general."
Emi's face screwed up with thought as she listened to Saki, her shock giving way to an increasingly disturbed frown. "So what, does that mean they just saw Eraser as some kind of—of, convenient toy for him?" She had to force the words out, clearly horrified and disgusted by the notion. "Like, they just saw him in that cell and went, 'Oh, look, he's already all tied up! Let's just slap a bow on him and give him to the kid as a trophy or toy or something, until he loses interest in him!'"
The venom in her tone had Saki's own expression softening, averting her gaze to the corkboard. Not for the first time, she was reminded that this kind of topic was a lot more disturbing to others than herself. The personal connection to Aizawa wouldn't help either. Sometimes she forgot how utterly desensitized she was compared to even other heroes.
"For what it's worth, I think he'll be safe for a while," she commented softly. "The impressions I got were all positive aside from the guilt. He seems to like Eraserhead a lot, so he won't let anything happen to him." She didn't mention her suspicions that they'd kidnapped Eraserhead specifically and that Midoriya had admired him before. She didn't know how Emi would react to that.
Even now the usually-jovial Smile Hero lacked any traces of the mirth that had earned her name, her mouth twisted in a bitter scowl instead. "This is so screwed up," she hissed to herself. "Just... how did it get this screwed up?"
Saki had no answer, turning back to the board and looking for something to change the topic. "Hey, by the way, what's Blank Slate like?" she asked. The question had the intended effect, Emi's sour frown fading as she sighed and rolled her shoulders in a fluid shrug.
"Dunno, never met 'em. Can't tell if they're a vigilante or villain or what. Eraser's the only one who's ever really found them more than once."
"That we know of," Saki added cryptically, and Emi snorted and finally flashed that large grin that defined her persona.
"Yeah, true! Who knows, we both might've met them without ever realizing it!" She snickered as she added, "Apparently they told Mic they'd already met three times when they talked! Last I heard he's still racking his brain trying to figure out when!"
"Maybe they're just messing with him."
"That is also a valid possibility!" Emi laughed. "They do sound pretty mischievous from what Eraser says! Maybe—" She didn't get to finish the thought, cut off-mid sentence by her phone going off. They both startled, and she quickly whipped it out to check it. "Well, sorry to cut this short, but boss-man wants another meeting about that raid this weekend so looks like it's time for me to go!"
"The one with the folks from UA?" Saki asked.
"Yeah! Have to say, it'll be good to get in the field. Don't get me wrong, I like teaching the kiddies about the job, but I'm really looking forward to trying out my luck with a new audience! I've got a whole new routine I've been working on, just for this!"
"I hope you've got some knee-slappers mixed in," Saki said dryly, and Emi guffawed at the joke.
"You know it! Got knee-slappers and gut-busters and everything else!" While Emi had stopped her regular patrols, Ms. Joke hadn't quit the hero scene entirely and still participated in raids and other large operations. In fact, she'd mainly stopped patrolling so she could focus on teaching the kids. Those kids needed a full-time teacher who they wouldn't have to worry about potentially disappearing or getting killed on a patrol. "I'll catch ya later, Saki-chan!"
"Later, Emi," Saki replied with a nod, and the Smile Hero left with a jaunty wave. As the door closed Saki sat at her desk and opened a drawer to pull out a small sketchbook, flipping through the pages.
Whenever Saki used psychometry, she'd try to sketch whatever she saw while the memories were still fresh. Sometimes she'd just make quick doodles on a single page with the most important details she'd glimpsed, like objects, faces and settings. Other times she'd make a series of more complete drawings of individual scenes, starting with rough outlines featuring the most important details and filling in more later.
That was exactly what she'd done after touching the poster from Midoriya. It didn't take long to come to the drawing she'd made of Eraserhead with his face bloody and head gripped by the dark hand.
The drawing had more details than she'd mentioned to Emi. The capture weapon resting around his shoulders. The blood that even stained his teeth. The hand gripping his head so large that it didn't even need to spread all five fingers to hold it in place. The glimpse of a giant knee with a skull on it right in front of him.
The dark figure right behind him and gripping his arm to hold him in place with what looked like a beak and eyes inside its exposed brain.
She flipped a few more pages until she came to another drawing, perhaps the most mundane of the lot. Just Eraserhead crouched and looking directly at the viewer with one hand reaching out. That memory didn't have the heavy fear, guilt and horror that haunted the other flashes, so initially it hadn't stood out. She'd only sketched it down because she made a habit to sketch all glimpses, which was the only reason she was able to look at it again and realized something she'd missed at the time:
He was wearing his hero costume.
That made two memories. Two memories of radically different moments where he wore his costume, capture weapon and all.
In almost every other flash, he wore the same set of pajamas. Almost, because a couple—the very first of him chained to the ground with the broken leg, and the one with "Rare"—had him in a different set of ragged clothing. It became clear that he'd had a change of clothes and thus likely got cleaned since his custody got transferred. Good for him, and a good sign that he wouldn't be killed anytime soon, but irrelevant.
Still, the fact remained that Midoriya Izuku never should have seen Eraserhead in costume. Especially not that close. He was looking directly at Midoriya, close enough to reach out and bump a fist to his chest. It wasn't some distant memory like if Midoriya had viewed a photograph or video, either. That flash had a subtle warmth and sense of determination tied to it, different from all the other flashes. She knew it was one of Midoriya's direct memories.
Saki pressed a hand to her chin as she studied the curved lines sketched beneath his right eye, reflecting on the crescent-shape scar that she only distantly remembered.
"You're a lucky man, Eraserhead," she mused with a quiet smirk. There was absolutely no need to be concerned about his safety, not when he'd clearly earned the boy's devotion.
Even if it had been another Eraserhead who'd done so.
She slowly swiveled her chair to face the corkboard, scanning the three faces pinned up and connected by a blue string.
Midoriya, Uraraka, and Ashido. That made three. Three people who had somehow gotten transferred from another world and mixed up in some giant conspiracy. Really made a woman wonder how the hell they got into this mess, because she knew Porter's Quirk couldn't be responsible with how its mechanics worked. Not unless it had been regifted, but the odds of that were low.
Now the question was what they were planning. Because no way would a boy from another world go to a random meet and greet with a hero just for an autograph, especially not when he lived with villains. No, there was definitely some greater conspiracy going on, some wild plan she'd have to piece together.
Such a shame she couldn't tell any of her colleagues yet.
Sorry for being selfish. But family comes first.
Meanwhile, Nemuri sat on her couch frowning at her phone as she hung up. "Not even voice mail anymore," she murmured to herself. She'd been trying to call Hizashi on and off for the past few hours, but no dice.
She was scheduled to participate in a joint raid on a villain group tomorrow, and she'd wanted to talk to Hizashi about it. They'd been planning it for about a month now, and while she didn't anticipate any trouble, she wanted to vent about getting partnered up with Snipe. Don't get her wrong, she loved and respected the man, but his guns were just so loud.
Hizashi wasn't participating in the raid, but he'd been fully briefed and had helped on the investigative side, so she didn't need to worry about leaking info. Mostly though she'd just wanted to make casual small chat, maybe tease him about an article she'd read in a magazine that mentioned him. But as the day passed with no answer unease started to settle over her.
She bit her lip as she dialed a different contact. This time, it only rang twice before a cheerful voice greeted, "Hello?"
"Nedzu, is Mic on assignment somewhere today?" Nemuri asked, getting straight to the point.
"No, not that I know," the rodent replied, losing some of his customary cheer to become more serious. "I assume you're having difficulties contacting him?"
"I've been calling all day and he's not answering his phone. It's not even going to voicemail anymore."
"I see, I see. This is getting quite vexing now." The pit in her stomach grew as he continued, "I actually just got a phone call from his manager at the station. He was supposed to arrive for a meeting fifteen minutes ago, but still hasn't shown up. I was in the process of tracing his phone when you called."
"Where is it?" she demanded sharply.
"Just a moment, the program's almost done... Ah, there we go! The last signal it sent was from Kyoto."
The pit in Nemuri's stomach officially turned into a brick. "Kyoto?" she repeated incredulously.
"Yes, Kyoto. Hmm, he shouldn't have any reasons to be there. I'll contact local heroes there to start looking, and tell the radio station to prepare a backup recording for tonight's show just in case. I assume you'll be going there to investigate?"
Even as Nedzu spoke Nemuri was already on her feet and grabbing her coat, pressing her phone between her ear and shoulder as she pulled it on. "Of course I am. Keep me updated on details."
"Of course, Kayama. Keep in mind, we still have the raid tomorrow so you'll need to be fully rested for tomorrow. I'll speak to you later." The call ended with a click, and Nemuri shoved the phone in her pocket before grabbing her car keys and heading out. She barely remembered to lock the door in her rush, and fumbled with the keys while starting the car. Kyoto. Hizashi had no reason to go to Kyoto!
"Please, not you too," she hissed. She couldn't lose him too, not after they'd just finally found a lead on Shouta.
As her car zoomed down the streets of Musutafu, she didn't notice a teenager drawing with chalk on a low brick wall. He spared the passing car barely more than a glance before quickly finishing their message and hurrying off, bright red and white letters standing out for the world to see.
'UA wasn't a dream
@1-A_No_Dream'
For the past several hours in a private FacePage chat started for the groups searching for Porter, more and more photos had started to appear. Chalk and spray-painted messages in all kinds of colors on various surfaces, from brick walls in alleys to the cement underside of an overpass bridge, to even a wooden fence.
'USJ was more than a dream'
'Never forget waking up in Heights Alliance'
'The Sports Festival was a blast'
'Best Jeanist for No 3'
The messages were simple and quick to the point, but referenced small details and events that only a select few would know. Each message had the same tag under it: @1-A_No_Dream. Even now the brand new account on Tweeter was posting each new photo sent to the chat, uploaded by Kaminari who actually had a laptop to access the account.
While Jirou took to decorating various spots in Chiba, the others began mobilizing to do the same in other cities. Kirishima and Shouji split up to cover as much ground in Musutafu in possible. Uraraka and Todoroki alternated lookout duty as they left messages in areas near Team Storm Chaser's headquarters. Even Ashido left a chalk mural on the ground around the statue in the park that in other worlds featured a man dubbed "The Last Samurai".
'Remember a world where there's a different statue here?' read the multi-colored writing in a circle around its base, accompanied by a roughly drawn samurai and sword.
'We took down Stain,' was drawn in an alleyway in Numazu with a doodle of a sword.
'He won the festival just like promised,' said another message on the side of a building.
'Remember a world where UA's gates are still open?' pondered one doodle in Musutafu not far from the now-closed school.
'Can you imagine this beach actually clean?' wondered another on the sidewalk by the trash-strewn Dagobah Beach.
'Help them get back to the skeleton man,' pleaded multiple messages around Musutafu.
The photos poured into the chat one by one as they finished, some quick and scratchy and clearly rushed, others more artistic and detailed. As she watched more and more pop up, Anjou Ran felt a growing sense of anticipation as she smirked. "Hey, Kirameki," she said, getting the other girl to look up. "Wanna help with a project for Ashido?"
Ran knew less than the others did about UA and the other world, but she'd heard enough. Enough to draw simple messages on several brick walls around Kamino, Kirameki trailing behind to help play lookout. They had an advantage over the others because they knew Kamino like the back of their hands, knew where would get the most people passing by and where to avoid security cameras.
'All Might: Remember.'
'They all fought here somewhere.'
'You're next.'
'It's your turn now.'
She wrote the last in bright golden yellow chalk, and used her phone to snap a photo. "Will this really help?" Kirameki asked with a frown.
"Who knows." But it was worth a shot.
Notes:
I really need to draw Saki already. I already knew her dynamic with Ms. Joke would be fun, but I didn't realize how much I'd actually enjoy it until I wrote this scene. She's a great straight man for Ms. Joke! (And if it's not obvious, she meant the "knee-slappers" pretty literally.) Also, special shout-out to Paragrin from AO3 who's been making an ACTUAL conspiracy wall for Ignite. You can check it out on the Discord server on the Ignite channel by searching "PCWU" (invite link in the end notes on the latest chapters)! She's currently up to Chapter 15 with it, it's really fun to see it grow~
...Also, another thing I didn't realize until writing this chapter: how much this is all screwing with Nemuri. First Aizawa's missing long enough to be presumed dead. Then Uraraka runs away after meeting Izuku and *Shigaraki*. And now MIC is missing too. I did not mean to have so many people close to her disappear in such a short time. I should let up on the missing people for her sake.
Double question for next time! 1) What conspiracies would YOU make a conspiracy theory board for? 2) What do you think is on the board for the dimension jumpers theory? Bonus points for stuff that sounds absolutely bizarre with zero context.
Chapter 88: Laisser Dire
Summary:
Izuku and Shigaraki spend breakfast griping over a mutual hatred of a certain video game boss before getting some news. Meanwhile, Todoroki knows nothing about social media.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 88
.::Laisser Dire::.
Breakfast at the Villain Alliance, like many things at the Villain Alliance, could be an interesting affair. They didn't really insist on giant group meals to promote unity and all that, generally expecting the grunts to fend for themselves. People would come and go from the kitchen over the course of the morning, grabbing food and maybe cooking it before leaving to eat elsewhere.
So far since waking up here, Izuku had seen people leaving the kitchen with everything from boxes of cereal, to toast, to leftovers, to a giant salmon. The last one had started an argument about the grunt in question hogging it for himself, which ended in a four-way fistfight. It was only stopped by Mr. Compress catching all the involved parties in marbles, and Izuku had not seen any of those grunts since.
(Izuku still didn't know whether that guy planned to eat the salmon raw, especially since it still had scales. But he had seen another guy eat a jar of mayonnaise for "breakfast" on three different days, so at this point, he wouldn't be surprised.)
Izuku himself would alternate between grabbing a quick breakfast for himself, and sitting down in the bar area to eat with Shigaraki. The older male would insist on it, muttering about "families have meals together" while glaring at anyone that dared to linger. The sibling breakfasts didn't happen every day since Shigaraki had work, but Izuku had experienced them at least twice a week. Initially it had felt awkward and nerve-wracking him, but after nearly a month here, they now felt oddly natural.
Saturday morning marked the fourth shared breakfast this particular week, the pair sitting at a booth by the counter eating omurice prepared by Kurogiri. Omurice tended to be one of the more common breakfasts the misty villain would make, and always tasted pretty good. Weirdly enough though, today instead of drizzling the ketchup on it, he'd used it to draw... something.
"I think it's a cat?" Izuku muttered as he looked at his plate. "Maybe?"
"Might be a dog," Shigaraki countered as he stabbed his own breakfast with a fork and cut off a corner. "A bunch of them have pointy ears too." Izuku hummed, squinting down at the drawing. It looked like a big circle with triangles on the top, and three smaller circles that might be eyes and a mouth.
"Maybe those triangles aren't ears. I guess horns are pointy too."
"Ah, so we both get red oni. Fitting after last night." Shigaraki snorted and rolled his eyes as he took a bite, while Izuku groaned in dismay.
"Don't remind me. I was just starting to forget." Yesterday after screaming on the rooftop, Shigaraki had found Izuku and easily convinced him to play video games with him. They'd started a new game, "Rise of Kijin" where they played a pair of blue oni that wanted to become powerful enough to become known as Kijin—oni gods. Doing so involved facing a rival faction of red oni, which had been... pretty brutal, to be honest.
What made it bad was that the game wasn't a semi-realistic, hyper-detailed gore-fest like the premise would suggest. It was actually a cartoonish puzzle platformer with combat elements and comedic writing. And much of that comedic writing involved bosses trolling them to make the fights that more challenging and aggravating.
Scowling down at the ketchup oni, Izuku proceeded to stab its face with his fork before pulling it out to cut off a corner. The hostile action had Shigaraki snorting again. "Getting revenge?" he teased.
"I wish I could stab Onigumo with the fork," Izuku grumbled before chewing on his mouthful of omurice aggressively. They'd spent a good half hour on fighting the spider-themed boss Onigumo before Kurogiri arrived to remind Izuku about dinner for Aizawa. Then after he returned, they beat it only to spend another half hour on the next boss fight. The problem was that boss would teleport them back to the last checkpoint, so they'd have to navigate a tricky bit of platforming without dying to reach the boss again.
And then they got teleported to the checkpoint right before Onigumo.
Just thinking about it had Izuku stabbing the ketchup oni's face. Again. "That teleportation wasn't fair!" he whined. "We beat him! We shouldn't have to face him again!"
"Yeah, no shit," Shigaraki scoffed, stabbing his own ketchup oni. "I looked it up after we stopped for the night, and it looks like we got a rare glitch. Something about it sending players to a corresponding checkpoint from other levels."
"How does that even work?" Izuku wondered incredulously.
"Dunno. Lots of programming mumbo-jumbo was involved. Devs haven't been able to replicate it and no one's sure what even triggers it. There's only three videos with it online. Speedrun community's obsessed with it because one guy got sent to the checkpoint before the final boss."
"What, they haven't found an earlier point to break the game?" Izuku asked sarcastically. "That's the fourth boss!" He had learned a lot about speedrunning over this month, and the biggest takeaway was how dedicated the community was to finding every glitch and exploit as early in the game as possible.
"Yeah, well, there's four more bosses between that and the final one. Speedrunners have found tricks to get through the first few levels faster, but that's the big game-breaking one."
"Well, I hope when they do find it, it's patched out. I do not want to fight Onigumo ever again." The vindictiveness had Shigaraki snorting again, flashing Izuku another teasing smirk.
"Good news is I found a cheat to just skip Onigumo," he commented, and Izuku sagged in a seat with a groan.
"You couldn't have found it before we spent half an hour beating him again?"
"Well, now we know for the future." Izuku just grumbled incoherently as he resumed aggressively chewing. Shigaraki just chuckled as he also began eating, a comfortable silence falling over the pair.
Things Izuku had not expected when waking up in this world: leisurely breakfasts where they talk about video games. Before this past month, he hadn't even really played that many games, but now... He could probably hold a full conversation with his Shigaraki. Hell, he was already wondering about the speedrunning scene in his world. He had a healthy dose of respect and awe for the players' dedication and passion for it, vigorously working to get faster and lower their time by even a few milliseconds.
...Also, thinking about this stuff was way better than wondering about the mess with Mic-sensei. Izuku was not touching that with a ten-foot pole. He didn't know whether he should be relieved Aizawa had been feeling tired last night after dinner and asked for a raincheck on listening to the show. Izuku had no idea how the show would go if they just... canceled it.
Maybe he should listen to last night's episode on the show's website, just to make sure nothing weird happened...
The kitchen door opened as he pondered this, Kurogiri walking towards their table. Which was... odd. Usually he'd hover in the kitchen to monitor any cooking disasters unless the bar got particularly crowded, at which point he'd come out to monitor any disasters there instead. And right now, Izuku and Shigaraki were the only ones here, all the other grunts scared off by Shigaraki's glare.
"Tomura, have you spoken to Izuku about last night yet?" he asked, keeping his voice low. Izuku sat more alert at that while Shigaraki's lips pulled into a frown.
"No, not yet. I wanted to finish eating before we started talking about that sort of stuff." He turned back to his plate to continue doing just that, grumbling, "Since you're here, you can tell him if you want to."
That was just very ominous, and Izuku felt highly on edge as Kurogiri turned to him. "Izuku. There will be some changes to the rules for Hijack."
Five minutes later Izuku was rushing down the hall to Shinsou's room, heart pounding erratically. When he reached the door he rapped on it three times before jabbing the numbers on the keypad and opening it. "Sh–Hijack?" he called breathlessly, barely stumbling over the first syllable of Shinsou. He felt his breath catch as he saw the boy sitting cross-legged on the bed stroking Sushi on his lap, head turning to look at him.
The muzzle was gone.
For the first time since meeting him in this screwed-up world, Shinsou's face was completely bare.
The nightmarish contraption was gone, giving Izuku a clear view of his face. He had started to forget what Shinsou's full face even looked like, and now he couldn't stop staring. There weren't any scars or marks from the muzzle like he'd feared, the now-bare skin mercifully unblemished. He was so transfixed by the sight, that he was startled when the other boy's lips suddenly parted to speak.
"Hey, Midoriya," he greeted tiredly. It wasn't as raspy or hoarse as Izuku had expected it would be. In fact, it sounded surprisingly crisp and clear, just... tired. "I guess you heard the news."
That was enough to jar Izuku out of his stunned stupor, and he nodded with a bright smile. "Y-yeah! Kurogiri told me. You, you don't need to wear it anymore in your room? Or, with Eraserhead?" The news of the sudden new freedom had been unexpected and overwhelming. They'd been hoping for this of course, had even talked about it just yesterday, but for it to actually happen... It almost felt too good to be true!
Except... Maybe it was.
Because Shinsou didn't seem happy like Izuku had expected. Instead his eyes seemed even more hollow than usual, his lips curling into a bitter grimace as he turned his head back to Sushi. "Yeah, I don't," he muttered.
Something was wrong.
Izuku felt his excitement evaporate in an instant, mood sober with dread once more. Shinsou had none of the cheer he should have at finally having the muzzle removed and being able to speak again. If anything, he seemed more defeated now, even compared to the first time Izuku saw him in this world. Even the bags under his eyes seemed heavier. "What's going on?" he asked cautiously.
"...Don't you have to deliver breakfast to Eraserhead?"
It was the most blatant attempt at avoiding his question Izuku had ever encountered; he didn't even try to be subtle. That alone told him how much whatever happened was bothering Shinsou, meaning it had to be bad. However, for that very reason, Izuku also didn't want to push for an answer. Shinsou seemed to be under significant distress, and right now he seemed to need space more than anything.
"Can you at least tell me if you're hurt or in danger?" he asked, and the purple-haired boy grimaced more openly, rubbing the side of his head while continuing to keep his other hand on Sushi's back.
"Not any more than usual," he muttered. That had Izuku wincing and giving his own grimace, but he supposed that was a fair enough point.
"Alright, then. I'll just go take breakfast to him for now." He turned to the door to leave only to pause. "Um, should Kacchan and I give you space today, or...?"
"You guys can stop by later after lunch, I guess." Shinsou sighed, pulling his legs onto the bed. "Just... need to process some stuff before we talk."
That really didn't help assuage Izuku's concern, but he just nodded. "Alright, I'll see you later." Shinsou didn't say anything else as he left, the mood heavy.
What happened? Izuku wondered as he went back to the kitchen to get breakfast for Aizawa. Clearly there was more to the sudden change than Kurogiri had mentioned. He'd explained that Shinsou wouldn't need to wear the muzzle, but still couldn't talk to other Alliance members, and would need to be closely supervised when leaving his room. He'd thought it was a sign of growing trust, but come to think of it... Wasn't that strange given Shigaraki's overprotective nature towards Izuku?
He paused halfway to the kitchen with a small frown. "Seiko?" he called softly, and glanced around only to wilt at seeing the hall still empty. The one time he wanted her, she wasn't around. Seiko always seemed to know everything that happened so he'd hoped she could shed some light on things.
Izuku sighed before continuing onto the kitchen and getting out ingredients to prepare two sandwiches. He probably shouldn't be too dependent on Seiko anyway. Even now, he still didn't know how much she could be trusted.
Soon enough he reached Aizawa's room and knocked on the door. "Morning, Sensei," he greeted as he slipped inside. Surprisingly it seemed like Aizawa had been awake for a while. He had his good knee bent, resting his chin and hands against it, while his other leg was propped on a pillow. Izuku frowned as he walked over and set down the plate. "Is your leg okay?"
"Rough night," Aizawa grunted. He moved his hands so Izuku could remove the mittens. While Aizawa could squeeze the buckles to remove them, it was tricky to do that through the cushioned fabric, so it was easier to just let Izuku do it.
"Maybe I should get some stronger painkillers," he muttered as he pulled them off and set them aside, glancing at the pill on the plate. "If it hurt enough to keep you awake all night long..."
"No, the current dosage is fine," Aizawa sighed, pulling the plate over to grab one of the sandwiches. "Last night was just... rougher than usual. I moved in my sleep and jarred my leg enough to wake up, and didn't really go back to sleep."
"That's still bad. I'm sure we have some stronger stuff..."
"It's fine," Aizawa repeated, more firmly, and Izuku decided to let it drop.
"Alright. Anyways, I have some stuff to do today so I won't be able to listen to Mic's show until later. Actually, that's kinda why I brought two sandwiches, just in case I don't get back in time for lunch. But since we can remove the mittens now, maybe I can bring you a book or something? I don't think anyone will visit suddenly, and even if they do, you could probably just pull on the mittens, even if you can't buckle them." While Aizawa could remove the mittens, putting them back on was another thing. He could tug them on, but the fabric usually got caught in the buckle.
Aizawa hummed quietly while he chewed. "Not today," he said after swallowing. "I'm going to try to get some more sleep, so I don't need it. It's... risky anyway." His face darkened at that, tucking his chin against his knee again.
Izuku frowned, but nodded. "Okay, I guess you're right. And it's hard to hide books..." Maybe he could get a magazine, though? Aizawa could slide it under the blankets much more easily than a thick book. He could also probably flip through the pages even with the mittens. He'd just have to find one that wouldn't be too topical or relate to current events.
In any case, Aizawa didn't seem to be in a particularly social mood at the moment, so he decided to leave. "If you don't need anything else, I'll just go. I'll try to be back in time for lunch, but if I'm not, you can just have the other sandwich. I'll get a big dinner to make up for it!" Aizawa just grunted quietly, already shifting to lie down. Izuku hesitated but left, sighing once the door closed.
Next stop, a visit to Bakugou to update him on whatever was up with Shinsou. And after that, he'd ask Kurogiri to warp him to Aiko's place.
Today, he was going to look for that secret notebook she'd mentioned. He needed to learn about his Quirk in this world as soon as possible, as well as whatever other information that notebook could hold. It would be good to find it before meeting Todoroki and Uraraka.
Saturday morning marked the third and final day of watching Team Storm Chaser's headquarters. Ochako and Todoroki had spent the past three hours camped out on the bench in front of it, having arrived just at sunrise to use that as an excuse in case anyone asked. They'd left a couple times, gone to get breakfast and leave more messages, but they always ended up back on the bench facing the ocean.
The view had become a familiar sight, and the sunlight glittering atop the water made Ochako feel warm and comfortable even with the brisk ocean breeze. Watching the sunrise had been one of the most gorgeous things she'd ever seen, and well worth getting up so early. The sight of bits of amber mixed in with the blue water would stick with her for a long time.
Of course, they still hadn't seen any signs of Porter though. At this point she wasn't surprised, and didn't expect that to change before they left Numazu that evening. She didn't mind though. They had a new avenue for searching.
"Okay, I'm in!" she declared cheerfully as her phone loaded the Tweeter account's homepage, Todoroki leaning over her shoulder to peer at it. Kaminari had sent the password in the group chat so they could upload photos and check for any messages, since he and Jirou would be busy studying today. She looked at the page and asked, "Okay, does it look like there's any notifications?"
"I can't tell, I've never used it before," Todoroki replied.
"Me neither." There was a moment of silence as they stared at it, and then Ochako silently opened up a Moogle window to search how to use Tweeter. After a few seconds of skimming the first article she said, "Okay, there's no orange numbers on the bell, so looks like there aren't any messages. Or even rechirps."
"Rechirps?" Todoroki repeated blankly, and she slowly turned to stare at him. It was suddenly occurring to her just how little he knew about social media.
"A kid not knowing about rechirps? Wow." They startled at the new voice, and both turned to see an unfamiliar man standing behind them. He grinned as he folded his arms, continuing in faintly accented Japanese, "Really do find something new every day."
A foreigner. Ochako's brain instantly flickered to Porter, but she immediately dismissed the thought. The man looked to be middle-aged, judging by the wrinkles around his eyes and the corners of his mouth, so much too old to be Porter. Even without taking the obvious age difference into account, nothing about his appearance matched up with Shouji or Mail's descriptions.
For starters, this guy's hair seemed to have a natural wave to it. Strands of gray mixed in with the overall dirty blond hue, and she could instinctively tell that the color had likely once been much brighter before dulling with age. His eyes, meanwhile, were a bright, reddish-pink, an almost mesmerizing color. And then there was the accent, which Porter supposedly lacked. All of it combined to make it clear this wasn't Porter.
Or... did it? Her mind conjured the memory of Aiko with what looked like a totally male physique, and then her large collection of wigs. The thought had Ochako almost squinting at him, wondering if those wrinkles were actually real. It was weird that some random man would approach them. Could this guy be Porter in disguise?
"Um, can we help you?" she asked awkwardly. The best way to gauge his identity was to make a conversation.
"Non, I was just curious about the kids who've been hanging out here all the time," the man replied with a loose shrug and jovial grin. "That, and I want to make sure that you're not planning to bomb the HQ."
Now Ochako and Todoroki were jolting again. "I'm sorry, what?" she squeaked, feeling a spike of dread and horror, and the man laughed.
"You realize hero agencies have security cameras, right?" he asked, and hitched a thumb over his shoulder towards Team Storm Chaser's headquarters. "You two have been showing up on this bench repeatedly since Thursday."
Oh. Oh, shit. Ochako could practically feel the color drain from her face at the revelation that they'd been seen this whole time. Of course they'd be recognized, it wasn't like she ever stopped wearing the bright sky blue unicorn jacket! She'd chosen it because she figured it'd make for a good disguise compared to her usual fashion, but how hadn't she realized how much it would stand out?
But more importantly, if he knew they'd been here that often, then this guy must be a hero. She felt panic spike as she remembered that they still didn't know who worked for Team Storm Chaser in this world. Looks like she'd been right about them having more heroes secretly on the payroll than just Oracle.
"We're not here to attack anything," Todoroki said while she internally panicked, perfectly calm. "She's just a big fan of Team Storm Chaser." It took a moment for Ochako to process his comment in her current frantic state, and once it did she jolted for yet another reason.
"W-what?" she yelped. Good news: the color must be back in her face, judging by how warm her cheeks suddenly felt.
"Oh, really now?" the man hummed, looking interested.
"She's been a big fan since she was a... toddler?" Todoroki looked at Ochako for confirmation, and she had no idea what he was doing, but she wasn't in any condition to take over so she nodded.
"Y-yeah, I was six," she replied. "I saw a documentary about them, and it was just so amazing to see them in action, s-so..." She trailed off, feeling a small smile as she remembered her awe at watching the documentary as a child. "Storm Chaser died right after that, so I didn't get to see much of them in the news, but seeing all those videos in that documentary is part of what made me want to become a rescue hero!"
"Oho, so you wanna be a rescue hero?" the man mused, a sharp glint in his eye as he focused on her. Ochako flinched, worrying she'd said too much, but she then squared her shoulders and nodded.
"I do," she declared. "I know it's hard with pretty much all the hero schools closed and everyone still figuring out how this stuff should work now. But I don't care. I still want to save people, just like them." Something about those words felt so right, confidence and conviction swelling the longer she spoke.
Honestly it surprised her how passionate she felt, because while she liked them, they weren't one of her driving motivations to be a hero. Team Storm Chaser had just been the ones to first really introduce her to the concept of rescue heroes. She hadn't been around to see their heyday, and so had become a much bigger fan of other rescue heroes whose careers she could actively follow like Thirteen.
Was this the other Ochako? The thought suddenly popped into her head and almost startled her, but it made sense. Most of the others had mentioned having weird subconscious influence from their counterparts, and so far Ochako had been the only odd one out. She had felt more enthusiastic about them whenever they got mentioned in this world.
In any case, she could think about it later. She focused her attention on the man as eyed her consideringly, and after a moment he smirked. "I see, I see... You've definitely got the passion for it. Who's your favorite member?"
"Cosmonaut!" Ochako replied without skipping a beat. The man looked surprised for a moment, but then chuckled.
"C'est dommage," he said with a fluid shrug. "Can't win them all, I suppose." That had Ochako frowning, becoming puzzled at his identity. That sounded like he'd been hoping for a different answer, maybe himself? But as far as she could tell, he didn't look like any of the main members. Most of them wore costumes that didn't heavily obscure their hair or eyes, with the exception of Cosmonaut, but obviously it wasn't him,
More than that, wasn't that French? She'd heard Aoyama use that phrase a few times. Team Storm Chaser had two French members, Noir and Phoenix, but Noir had black hair. And Phoenix had been... well, a woman. Though her hair color was closer to his, one of those almost pastel orange-tinted blonds—
Click. "Are you related to Phoenix?" she blurted, and he flashed a beaming grin.
"Oui, I am! You really are a fan if you recognized me!" He laughed while Ochako stared at him in awe. Now that she was thinking about it, the resemblance was obvious; their hair had the same texture and a similar enough shade, and even his eyes were the same reddish-pink. He looked like a gender-bent version of Phoenix. His laughter tapered off, but he still smiled warmly at her. "Nice to see there are still some kids who remember my sister."
That had Ochako's own smile dimming a bit. Right, Phoenix had died not long after Storm Chaser had. Unlike the others, it had been from a chronic illness that left her hospitalized in the last months of her life. Oddly enough, Ochako remembered she'd been hospitalized in Japan rather than France though. "I didn't know she had a brother on the team," she murmured, and he smirked.
"That's because I'm not a hero. I'm a freeloader who basically just housesits full-time because I can't go back to France."
"Should you be telling us that?" Todoroki asked with a wary frown. "Weren't you just accusing us of planning to bomb this place?" Oh right, Ochako had forgotten that part.
The man didn't seem too bothered. "Ne t'inquiète pas. I wasn't the one who thought you might be planning something. And if you were, you wouldn't be wearing such an eye-catching jacket." Ochako felt her face flush as he confirmed her earlier thoughts. She didn't know whether it was good or bad that it stood out so much anymore, and pondered it as he continued, "I just used it as an excuse to come out and get in my daily social quota, tu sais?"
"Chu... say...?" Todoroki tried to repeat slowly, butchering the pronunciation, and the man chuckled.
"Don't mind the slips into French too much. I find it adds a nice flair to my speech, and it is good to hear such familiar words in a foreign land, even if I'm the one using them." Now Ochako felt a pang of sympathy for the man. France and Japan were vastly different, and French definitely wasn't as common as English. So far the most exposure she'd gotten to the language was Aoyama.
For half a second she felt an impulsive urge to ask about Phoenix, strike up a conversation to maybe take off some of the edge of his loneliness, but she quickly dismissed it. Talking to someone connected to heroes for any extended amount of time was risky since both she and Todoroki were runaways. More than that, Oracle was connected to Team Storm Chaser, and he knew about Ochako and Ashido's connection.
While she admittedly felt bad for the guy, there was just too much risk. Chances were he actually already recognized her, and was buying time. The thought gave her another surge of panic, and she quickly glanced at her phone. "Oh, crap," she blurted, getting their attention. "I accidentally put the phone on silent! Mom texted a minute ago!"
"She did?" Todoroki asked in surprise, and she nodded.
"Yeah. She wants us to meet her back at the hotel ASAP." Thankfully he caught on to what Ochako was doing and nodded.
"Oh. Is she freaking out again?"
"Not yet, but you know how she is." She opened the messenger app on FacePage and pretended to type a reply before pocketing the phone and getting up. "I'm really sorry to cut this short, mister, but we need to go!"
"Ne t'inquiète pas. I understand, don't worry your mother by dilly-dallying here. And I should probably go reassure the jeune technicien that all is well." He chuckled softly, and the fact he didn't try to persuade them to stay filled Ochako with relief, suggesting maybe he wasn't stalling for time. Either way, they shouldn't linger, so she flashed a smile and nodded.
"Bye mister! It was nice meeting you!"
"And you as well. Au revoir, bonne journée. May you have safe travels." Ochako nodded and hurried off with Todoroki.
"We're leaving Numazu now, right?" he asked once they'd gotten a few blocks away.
"Yep, time to go to," she replied, not noticing how she'd skipped over "Nabu" as she pulled out her phone to message Deku.
'Change of plans. Coming over today instead of tomorrow! Hope to see you soon!'
Notes:
You asked, and you have received. The muzzle is gone now and absolutely everything is good and great now! :D
Also I speak zero French, so I do not know why I insisted on having this man sprinkle French into his conversation. But he is a FUN OC and I really look forward to writing more of his scenes~ (Today's chapter title translates roughly to "Allow it to be said" by the way.)
Question for next time: Do you have any fun stories about video game bosses?
Chapter 89: Study Time is Go
Summary:
In which people do more talking than studying.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 89
.::Study Time is Go::.
"So you guys don't even know about the silver ratio?"
Setsuna felt so exhausted as she stared at Jirou and Kaminari. The pair seemed pretty embarrassed, Jirou looking mildly annoyed while Kaminari seemed to be sweating like crazy. "I think I learned about it in middle school," Jirou said. "But we didn't cover that at UA yet."
"What are even Pell numbers?" Kaminari whispered as he stared blankly at the papers on the table. Okay, this might be even worse than Setsuna thought.
Jirou just sighed and squeezed the bridge of her nose. "Ignore him, he's at the bottom of class back home too."
"Hey!"
"Do you remember Pell numbers?" Setsuna asked, and Jirou grimaced.
"It's... familiar?" she hedged. "I think my middle school teacher talked about that stuff too, but..." She trailed off, and Setsuna sighed. This was definitely going to be harder than she thought.
Munakata High School, like many high schools, had a six-day school week with Saturdays being shorter. It also had one of the most renowned online learning programs in all of Japan. As such, it tended to be more forgiving to kids skipping Saturday classes as long as they checked in online, especially since today they'd just just be reviewing for the exams next week. Which was why Setsuna found herself in Yaoyorozu's dining room helping these two study.
Without Yaoyorozu.
"What's she doing again?" she grumbled, side-eying the door. The heiress had stayed for a grand total of five minutes, just long enough to say, "Hey guys, here's Tokage, she'll help you, bye!" That was an exact quote. The only reason she hadn't left immediately after saying that was because they had to ask her where they'd be studying and working.
"We're, uh, afraid to ask," Kaminari said with a nervous laugh, looking faintly terrified.
Jirou leaned back in her chair and twirled an earphone jack around her finger, grimacing slightly. "She's probably with Hatsume at her warehouse again. They've been spending a lot of time there lately."
Setsuna felt a full-body shiver and slumped in her chair with a groan. "Oh, hell no. I can't believe those two are hanging together at all." Yaoyorozu and Hatsume had to be the most terrifying combination she'd ever heard of. Hatsume's reputation at school had been well-earned, and now she was working with Yaoyorozu. The mad inventor and the genius whose Quirk could create anything if she knew enough about the schematics. Together, who knew what they could accomplish?
She scowled as she sat up straighter and faced the two dimension jumpers. "I blame you two for this."
"And we totally deserve it," Kaminari agreed with a teary smile, clearly resigned to his guilt. Once again Jirou didn't seem to care too much, just scratched her cheek.
"Yeah, we're sorry about that, Tokage. For what it's worth, Hatsume kinda approached Yaomomo on her own...?"
"We did tell her about Yaomomo's Quirk though," Kaminari added, still looking teary-eyed and defeated. "I don't think she knew before that..."
"She probably wouldn't," Setsuna confirmed flatly. "She kept it secret." Yaoyorzu's Quirk could be far too easily exploited by villains, so she'd naturally hidden it at school. Munakata High School had many students who were considered "high-risk" for being targeted, so no one had batted an eye or tried to pry for details. "I know you guys aren't used to this, but seriously? It should've been obvious you don't talk about Quirks!"
"In our defense, we didn't go out of our way to tell her," Jirou countered. "She asked where Yaomomo got the bugs she put in our apartment." She shot Setsuna a pointed look that had the green-haired girl raising her hands with a frown.
"Hey, don't guilt-trip me over it. I told her it was a bad idea!"
"You still didn't stop her."
"I'd literally just overheard you call Kaminari 'Taser Brain'. Up until that point, I was totally on your guys' side about her going overboard."
"She never calls me that outside of costume!" the blond in question protested.
"She did that day," Setsuna snarked back, crossing her arms. "What was it she said... 'Maybe that excuse we came up with about frying away your memories was accurate. Looks like Taser Brain is more on point than we thought.' Or something like that."
That was an almost word-for-word recollection of what Jirou had said while taunting Kaminari for forgetting to buy dinner. Setsuna had done a lot of memory training to memorize snippets of dialogue, since her Quirk was well suited for espionage. The training had been admittedly tedious at times, but it was nice to get some confirmation it could actually be useful.
For their parts, Jirou and Kaminari looked faintly shocked. "How did you even hear that?" the latter piped up. "Do you have some sort of super-hearing?"
"Don't we go to the same school in your world?" Setsuna asked, eyes narrowing at him suspiciously. "Haven't you seen my Quirk in action over there?"
"Uh, not really. We're in different classes, and you didn't make it to the finals of the Sports Festival. First two rounds were pretty chaotic, so I barely noticed anyone's Quirks from 1-B."
Setsuna pursed her lips as she considered it, but then nodded. "Alright, fair enough, I guess. And in that case, I'm gonna keep it to myself as long as possible so you won't get an advantage if the classes have joint training."
"You're accepting this stuff pretty easily," Jirou commented. "Not that I'm complaining, but it's still surprising. You don't seem like the kind of person who'd believe this sort of stuff right off the bat, even with all the details I gave."
Setsuna hummed and leaned back in her chair once more. "Honestly, it still sounds pretty crazy to me," she admitted. "I mean, the idea of another universe sounds like something out of a sci-fi film. I guess it was the sheer number of details you knew that convinced me." And oh, there were plenty of details. Setsuna had been admittedly stunned at how much Jirou had known, and how accurate it had all been.
"I figured that much, but was there anything in particular?"
"Does it really matter?" Setsuna asked, and the other girl shrugged.
"Not really, I guess. Just curious. Two of the people we know were convinced by Kirishima having red hair in our world, so I was wondering if something sold you in particular like that."
That had Setsuna frowning thoughtfully, taking a few moments to consider it. "Well, if I had to pick one thing, it was probably Eraserhead," she finally decided, and that had the others sitting upright with sudden attention.
"Aizawa-sensei?" Kaminari asked, and Setsuna waved a hand.
"See, that's exactly what sold me on it!" she said. "You know what he looks like, and his actual name! And you say it so naturally, too!" In the short time they'd interacted with the man during pre-hero training, Setsuna had heard Eraserhead's real name exactly once, during the second year of middle school. Present Mic had been there that day, and called him that before getting harshly corrected.
That day had been probably the most informative of their few encounters with Eraserhead. It had been their third time having the underground hero as their guest instructor, but they hadn't known much about him until they saw him interact with Present Mic. The Voice Hero had made a number of comments over the day that revealed all sorts of information about the quiet man. It ranged from the name slip to the fact they attended school together, to even the fact that Eraserhead had taught at UA.
After that year he stopped being a guest teacher, but Setsuna had met Eraserhead once more since then. She was visiting Majestic's agency when he showed up to talk about a villain he'd been tracking. Majestic—Kannagi Enma—was a family friend who'd been impressed by her potential, and had been the one who'd recommended Setsuna for the pre-hero program.
Kannagi had been in a meeting with some police officers when Eraserhead arrived, so he and Setsuna had talked while waiting. The encounter had been pretty brief, but she'd asked him a bit about his time UA.
"He hadn't been teaching there very long," she recalled. "Said it was only his second year when it shut down. But since he was new and underground, most people don't know he taught there. Hell, I don't think anyone would guess he went by his actual name instead of his hero name as a teacher."
"Yeah, he is kinda the odd one out," Kaminari muttered. "All the other teachers just use their hero names. I still think we only know his hero name because Midoriya recognized him somehow," he added under his breath.
"Not sure who Midoriya is, but probably," Setsuna agreed. "He said he never really bothered telling kids at UA. Said it was a security risk or something...? I don't think even the kids who actually had him ever heard it." She'd asked him about that, and he'd actually had to pause to consider it with a blank look on his face. He hadn't been able to answer before Kannagi showed up and their conversation ended.
The others seemed to agree, since they both snorted in amusement. "Yeah, I can totally see him hiding it," Jirou said with a smirk. "Fits with his 'logical ruse' thing."
"Mic-sensei calls him 'Eraser' though, so that's a big hint," Kaminari said.
"Only if you've actually heard of Eraserhead," Setsuna remarked, and the blond paused before nodding.
"Okay, yeah. Point. But wait, Mic-sensei totally called him Eraserhead at the Sports Festival, too!"
"Well, I don't think he usually does the co-hosting," Jirou said dryly. "I think he was only there because of his injuries. And by that point a bunch of us heard Shigaraki call him that at USJ anyway." That had Setsuna sitting up to sharp attention. Jirou had told them about the Villain Alliance in their world terrorizing their class (under the name "League of Villains"), but this was a new detail.
"Wait, you ran into villains at a theme park?" she blurted. That had the others shooting her incredulous looks, and for some reason Setsuna suddenly felt like she'd asked a stupid question.
"...Uh, no," Jirou said after a minute. "It's the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. It's a rescue training place run by Thirteen. We got attacked there in the first week." She scratched her cheek as she added, "I guess we forgot that people don't know about it here, since it was all over the news back home."
Setsuna just stared at them in silence. She knew their class had been targeted by villains, but the first week? What the hell?
After struggling with how to respond, she finally sighed. "Know what? If I ask questions, we'll just be here all day. We don't have all weekend to study, so we should just get to work."
"Yeah, fair enough," Jirou agreed, grabbing her math workbook. "Wanna start with math since we were just talking about it?"
"Fine by me." Setsuna grabbed her own workbook, as did Kaminari with a dejected groan. "Okay, so I guess we'll start with the difference between the golden and silver ratio, since I think it's gonna come up on the exam..."
"So he has staring contests with a bird?"
"That's what the others say. Mic and Yuuyake spend most of their time just staring each other down when he's inside the cube. I think getting knocked out by Yuuyake hurt his pride."
"More importantly, who wins the staring contests the most?"
"According to Mime, Yuuyake. He gets way too proud whenever Mic blinks or looks away first. Just makes Mic glare at him even harder."
"That is hilarious, and I am absolutely telling everyone when I get back. I can already see the news headlines: 'Pro Hero knocked out by bird and then loses staring contests with said bird. More at 5.'"
Mail seemed very smug as he floated with his arms folded over his chest, a clearly amused smirk on his face. "Can you even talk to that many people?" Mashirao asked, carefully considering his next move as he stared at the go board. They (or well, Mashirao) sat on a blanket under a bridge, Glitch somewhere nearby since Mail was obviously visible. "You can't even make yourself visible without someone else's Quirk."
"Yeah, but there's two people with compatible Quirks at Nighteye's place," Mail replied easily. "One of whom is a high school girl, and the other who kindly uses it at pretty much all times. And he has many coworkers who are also chatterboxes."
"Why'd you specify the high school girl?" Mashirao asked, placing one of the black stones.
"Because high school girls gossip." He nodded in understanding while Mail floated over to the board to inspect it, before pointing at one of the intersections. "There." Mashirao promptly placed a white stone there. He'd been tasked with helping Glitch distract the ghost today while the others worked, and one of the ideas he had was to play go. It was a simple enough game, and he could move the pieces for Mail.
"Do you get to play a lot of games like this?" he asked.
"Eh, sometimes. There's only a few board games at the agency. Most of the time I'm just reviewing case files or eavesdropping for the best gossip though."
"And they're okay with that?"
"They really don't have a choice." Mail grinned, sharp and cocky, and Mashirao shivered before moving one of his stones. He quickly realized that was a mistake though, seeing he'd left an opening on another piece once he placed it. Mail noticed too, because he smirked and pointed at said opening. "Here."
Mashirao sighed as he placed a white stone there, letting Mail successfully capture one of his pieces. Placing the stone himself made the loss more bitter. "Are you really a ghost?" he asked.
"Yeah. Got to see my own body get cremated and everything. I highly recommend against that, by the way," he added, far too nonchalantly for such a disturbing topic. "Probably added some extra layers of trauma."
Mashirao imagined it would. Just the idea of watching his own body being prepared for cremation had him shuddering before quickly focusing on the board. "How are you even still around, then?" he asked, partially to distract himself from the thought.
"Good question," Mail replied lightly. "Here's one for you: did you run away solo before coming to live with the runaways?"
Mashirao scowled. "So not gonna answer. Got it." He placed a stone a bit more aggressively than necessary, and Mail floated over to inspect the board once more.
"Actually, serious question now, what are you planning to do with Mic?" he asked while considering his move. "I'm assuming murder is off the table."
"Did you really think it might be on the table? We're all teenagers."
"What does age have to do with killing people?" Mashirao side-eyed Mail warily as the other male continued to study the board. Not for the first time, he got the sense there was something very wrong with him even beyond the whole "ghost" thing. After a few seconds Mail pointed. "There."
Mashirao placed a white stone down. "We're going to let him go," he said. "After we move out of Odawara. And no, I'm not telling you where we're going."
"I wasn't going to ask. Any idea on when that will be though?"
"Hell if I know." Neito, Rogue and a few others should be out scouting the new location even now, hence why Mashirao had been put in charge of distracting Mail today. They couldn't have him following them. Unfortunately, that also meant Mashirao was, for now, out of the loop on the exact details of the plans. They couldn't talk about moving unless they knew for a fact Mail wasn't around, part of why Mashirao had volunteered to babysit him.
The other part was that he didn't want to leave Odawara, and didn't even want to think about it.
The mere thought had his jaw clenching, placing another black stone with a loud clack. Mail didn't look at the board right away though, instead studying Mashirao for a few moments longer before finally turning his attention to it. "You're not too happy about moving, are you?" he asked idly.
"Is it that obvious?" Mashirao huffed.
"Do you like Odawara, hate moving, or is it something else?" This time he didn't bother responding, just waited in silence for Mail to make his next move. After about two minutes he pointed to a spot, and as Mashirao placed a white stone down he said, "I'm guessing it's the third from how tense and silent you are."
Mashirao scoffed, tail twitching in irritation as he leaned over the board. "Or maybe I just don't want to answer."
"If it was just liking Odawara, or not liking the moving process, you wouldn't need to avoid the topic. But if you don't want to talk about it, I won't press you."
"Then why even ask?"
"Mixture of curiosity, and knowing sometimes it helps to actually vent instead of bottling things up. If it's personal, I won't force you to talk. But sometimes it's easier to talk about worries to people who don't know you that well than those who do. You never realize how much you can take something as venting to strangers for granted. I don't really get many options to do that."
His voice took on a slightly rueful note at the end, and it took a few seconds to realize what he meant. As a ghost who could only be made visible by a select few Quirks, Mail's interactions with others were severely limited. "What, do you have stuff you can't talk about with your siblings?" Mashirao asked, tone more snarky than genuinely curious.
"Plenty," Mail replied. "For starters, I don't really want to worry everyone about the whole 'I don't know how to stop existing, and I don't want to be stuck here as a ghost after everyone I know is dead' thing." The comment, so deceptively casual and light in tone, had Mashirao freezing and feeling yet another cold chill.
"...Never really thought about that," he muttered, and Mail huffed.
"Well, I had over eight years to think about this before we found out the illusion trick," he said. "Eight years of watching my kid siblings training for a job that meant I might have to watch them die, while I was helpless to do nothing. And once they die, then what?"
He rolled onto his back with arms folded under his head, staring at the underside of the bridge. "I don't have any ties to the world outside my siblings. Even after meeting the folks at Nighteye's place, I honestly don't care for them that much. And if all of them were to suddenly die, or Figment or Utsushimi went missing..."
He trailed off, and Mashirao shuddered once more. He hadn't thought about it much, but Mail's situation actually had a lot of horrifying implications. He was dependent on other people's Quirks, but it sounded like he also had no idea on how to end it. If he was truly, physically dead, there might not be a way to stop it. He might be genuinely stuck like this forever.
Forever. It was something so large and long, no one could truly imagine it. It was disturbing and made Mashirao's stomach curl in on itself, chest feeling oddly tight with immense discomfort. "Are illusion Quirks the only way you can be visible?" he asked, trying to distract himself from those thoughts.
"Mostly," Mail hummed. "I have met a very small handful of people with other Quirks that let them see me. Karla could when she transformed, and so could..." He trailed off with a frown, expression becoming a bit more distant.
"Karla?" Mashirao repeated after about a minute of silence.
"One of my sisters," Mail answered. "She basically had a classic werewolf transformation with some vampire mind-bending powers mixed in. We called it 'the standard horror movie monster power,' she even looked a bit like those ghost girls with stringy hair. She could see me when I'd use my Quirk when she transformed." Mail smirked as he added, "We had a lot of fun with that part."
His usage of past tense wasn't lost on Mashirao. Neither was the fact he'd started to mention a second person who could see him, but that he'd been unable to even say the name. He frowned, glancing back at the go board. There was a certain wistfulness to Mail's expression when he spoke about Karla that left him feeling oddly guilty, like he'd delved a bit too deep and personal with his question.
"...I'm worried that some people won't be able to find us if we leave," he finally said, drawing Mail's gaze again. "My group traveled a lot before finding the runaway network, and we still do. We just chose to stick around Odawara for winter because it's easier in the long run to be in one place with a group when weather gets bad. We're not the only ones who do that."
"I take it some of them aren't here right now," Mail commented, and he nodded.
"Yeah, a few. We have some people who can't stay in Odawara full-time, even in winter. There's too many people looking for them, whether it's family or villains, so staying in one place is risky. Sometimes they have to head off and ditch Odawara for a while to try to lower suspicions and all that. They don't even take burner phones with all our numbers them, just in case they get caught."
He didn't know why he said that. Revealing that sort of information to Mail felt risky, even if he didn't go into specifics. Maybe it was because he felt bad for getting Mail to talk about something so clearly personal and heavy, and he wanted to reciprocate the effort. All he could really offer was why he was so reluctant to leave Odawara—and besides, like Mail had said, sometimes it helped to vent to outsiders.
Mail rolled into a sitting position as he spoke, legs crossed and watching Mashirao intently. "Anjou's Quirk is useful for tracking people, though," he commented. "Can't she use that to contact those people?"
Mashirao's jaw clenched at the reminder that Mail had eavesdropped enough to get an explanation of her Quirk, or at least that part. Mail knew so much about them, and they still knew very little about him. "Not all of them are on her network," he said simply, and left it at that.
He wouldn't tell Mail, but there was a way for people to break the connection on their ends. It required a specific action, paired with the specific intent to break it. He still didn't know how Anjou had discovered it, since it wasn't the kind of thing someone would do on accident. Either way, people wouldn't know it existed unless she told them about it.
And since then, a few had chosen to break the link for whatever reason. Most recently it had been Mora, codename Namo, barely two weeks ago now. His mother had shown up while he'd gone shopping for hair supplies with Naota. He had sent off Naota, and one of Kouda's birds had reported seeing his mother catch him and have a long conversation before leading him to a car. Between Kouda reporting that and them finding Naota with Todoroki, Anjou reported Mora had broken the link.
At least they knew why he'd broken the link though. Too often Anjou had notified them of someone's link suddenly disappearing while outside of Odawara. In those cases, they never got any sort of heads up before they vanished. It was an absolute last resort, and they usually didn't have burner phones on them for the reasons he'd mentioned to Mail. The circumstances leading to such a heavy decision wouldn't provide many opportunities to contact them anyway.
For Mashirao, that was the worst part: to have someone suddenly disappear with no warning, and potentially never knowing why. All you could do was wonder. Wonder what made them do that. Wonder if you'd see them again. Wonder if they were okay. Wonder if you could have done something differently and they'd still be around.
He'd become far too familiar with those sorts of thoughts lately.
"And you think they might come back anyway?" Mail asked, and he nodded.
"I do," he said firmly, and placed a black stone on the board. The resounding clack against the wood seemed to mark the end of this particular topic, the pair refocusing on the game once more.
They'd come back. They had to.
He had to.
Notes:
Yes, the silver ratio discussion at the start is a Persona 5 reference. Also worth noting that Majestic is actually a canon character who appeared in the most recent manga arc! He barely appears, but he got a full "Shifuku" profile page with his full name in a volume extra. We don't even have that for Snipe. Downix on the Discord has a theory that he's the one who recommended Tokage, which makes sense, so carrying that over here!
Also, the bit about Namo is a reference to when Todoroki met Naota in Chapter 19! I don't think I mentioned it back then, but Namo is actually Mora Nagamasa, the Shiketsu student covered in hair. I think I got the codename "Namo" from the first syllables of his name.
As for Karla, her Quirk's official name if "Vaewolf", because I recently learned that vampire/werewolf hybrids are a thing. I'd already come up with Karla and had the "standard horror movie Quirk" with a werewolf-esque transformation and some light mind-screwery powers, but having an *actual* reference/source for it makes it so much better. If you're curious, she was closer to Mail's age and would be ~30/31 if she was still alive.
Question for next time: Do you have any headcanons for who recommended the recommendation students? (Specifically Yaoyorozu, Honenuki, Tokage and Inasa.) Could be a specific canon character, could just be "a hero in the family" or "political connections"
Chapter 90: Drawing Blanks
Summary:
Izuku meets Uraraka and Todoroki and finally learns about what the hell is happening is going on in Odawara, as well as some other stuff that leads to some unsettling conclusions.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 90
.::Drawing Blanks::.
Getting Kurogiri to warp Izuku to Aiko's apartment was much easier than he'd expected. The man hadn't asked any questions or even pressed for a reason, just wordlessly opened a warp gate to her apartment. Between that and the faces on the omurice that morning, Izuku was starting to suspect the misty man was still in an "off" mindset, but he didn't see a point in addressing that when it worked to his advantage.
He stepped through the portal and ended up in his bedroom, the familiar (and some not so familiar) faces of heroes greeting him from the posters. "Aiko-nee?" he called, poking his head out the door. He went to the neighboring apartment, but found it empty as well. Was she out, then?
If so, it didn't really matter. He wasn't here to see her anyway.
He returned to his room and started searching the bookshelf, which sure enough had some notebooks. Not nearly as many as his room at the Alliance headquarters, but still a few. He pulled out the first one and felt his face fall when he saw the childish writing on the cover: Support Item Ideas.
"Guess I was still trying to figure out alternatives without a Quirk," he muttered as he flicked through the pages. They were all items he could use as substitutes for Quirks. Of course, since he wasn't actually an inventor, they weren't too detailed. Mostly just rough sketches—not diagrams, sketches—of theoretical inventions and descriptions of what they could do.
Izuku got the sense that he started this after running away, given one page had a bunch of scribbled-out drawings and "Mobile Hands" at the bottom. Based on the text, the hands were meant to be remote-controlled and able to crawl. Which would be frankly terrifying. Thank goodness tiny Izuku's artistic abilities weren't able to draw hands, or he might have nightmares.
Once he thought that, he also realized that several of the support item ideas lined up with popular video games. Nothing too direct, but he now recognized the flower staff that shot lightning as an homage to the fire flower from Mario. He suspected the many super-powered swords also came from video games he didn't know. Same for all the blasters and laser guns.
Most creative one went to the bazooka that shot eggs that exploded into sticky goo. He had no idea what that was inspired by, but it was certainly unique.
It was a strange glimpse into his alternate self's life. It seemed that even after running away and ending up with villains, he hadn't fully given up on his dream. And judging by some of the handwriting that he didn't recognize throughout it, he suspected he might have had some surprising support. Based on the snarky nature of some of the comments, he suspected the additions might be from Tomura.
The thought of Shigaraki supporting him made Izuku feel weird, so he closed the notebook and put it back. The next one was for hero costume and name ideas, and flipping through it he found he'd diversified a lot from his All Might-inspired origins. It also seemed to be missing many pages, so maybe that had been due to necessity from irritating Shigaraki.
When he found the third one had similarly missing pages, he started to get an idea of why these notebooks were here and not at the Alliance base.
The last one had a blank cover, but Izuku flipped through it for all of thirty seconds before slamming it shut. The very first page opened with the words, "My doctor says I should write stuff out to feel better and vent, so I guess I am." The other pages read like a diary, and it had only taken a few glimpses of the words "mom and dad" and "crash" to realize this was probably a therapy diary after his parents suddenly died.
He felt somber and oddly guilty as he placed the book back on the shelf. Some things were too personal to look at, even if it was technically himself. He felt weirdly intrusive for even skimming it as briefly as he did. It took a few seconds to shake off the lingering sadness and homesickness that had started to rise with that brief glance.
More importantly, none of these notebooks were the one Aiko mentioned. Clearly he hadn't left it in plain sight. He started pulling off other books from the shelf, just to see if he'd hidden it behind them the way they hid stuff on Shinsou's bookshelf, but no dice. Checking under the bed, mattress, dresser and end table didn't get any results either, and the same went with checking furniture in the main room of the apartment.
After half an hour of looking, he felt more frustrated than anything. He'd been hoping to find the notebook before Todoroki and Uraraka would arrive, so he could review it in private. They'd all agreed to meet around noon at the warehouse, with the two of them grabbing lunch on the way for all three of them to eat there. Once they started talking about whatever the heck was happening in Odawara, Izuku had a feeling he wouldn't be able to focus on the notebook too much.
It got to the point he started knocking on the walls of his room to check for hidden compartments behind the posters. None of them sounded hollow, and his frustration was reaching its peak when he suddenly realized one of the many posters decorating the wall wasn't a poster, but a drawing. He froze, hand hovering above it poised to knock as he just stared at it.
Six figures, two of them clearly drawn at a later point based on the difference in art quality. Izuku instantly recognized his parents and himself, and then Shigaraki and Aiko as the later additions. After identifying them, his gaze lingered on the scribbled-out girl between him and Aiko, who seemed to be part of the original four.
She had been drawn with multi-colored hair, lavender and blue and pink, and there was a large white square drawn in place of her left eye. Izuku stared at it in confusion for several moments, trying to puzzle her identity. He felt like he should know her, and that wasn't just some weird subconscious influence from his counterpart. Yet looking at it now, he drew nothing but blanks. The fact she had been drawn at the same time as his parents suggested he'd drawn the four of them before running away—
And then it clicked that he'd made the drawing before running away, which meant he'd probably hung onto the drawing as a keepsake of happier times.
After a few seconds Izuku retracted his hand and turned away, a bitter taste in his mouth. The drawing as a whole dampened his mood and drive to search the room, so he decided to call quits on the search. He left a note on the table in case Aiko showed up while he was gone, just in case she noticed anything, and then headed out.
He still had more than an hour left so didn't go to the warehouse right away, instead going to the nearest convenience store. He wanted to grab some snacks and—more importantly—browse the magazine selection to find some good ones for Aizawa. By the time he finished up, he had just enough time left to walk to the warehouse before their meeting.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Uraraka and Todoroki were already there. When Izuku crawled through the rusted hole in the shutter and laid eyes on them before even fully entering he felt himself freeze, just staring at them.
At first, he honestly didn't even recognize Todoroki. His hair was pitch black and covered with a knit cap, and he wore bulky red winter clothing that looked more suited for mountain climbing than a simple hike. He'd even peeled off the coat to tie around his waist. He faced away from Izuku, talking to Uraraka.
During his momentary shock Uraraka glanced his way and visibly perked up. "Deku!" she called, making Todoroki turn to face him as well. Once Izuku saw his face, the sense of familiarity washed over him. The scar and mismatched eyes were just as he remembered, even if they still felt incomplete and wrong with the hair.
But more importantly, he saw the same recognition as he'd seen with Uraraka and Kaminari.
It made something settle inside him, and he finished his crawl inside and offered them both a timid smile as he got up. "Hey guys, long time no—oof!" He yelped as Uraraka tackled him in a hug, squeezing him tight. When she pulled away she had a giant grin on her face, larger than even their last meeting.
"I missed you so much, Deku! You're doing okay, right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Which is really weird to say, since I'm living with villains. But..." He trailed off, glancing behind her at Todoroki. The other teen had approached during their hug, and up close he could see even more differences. His face was slightly more gaunt than back home, a testament to the fact he'd been living on the streets. His hair was also longer than it was back home, and a bit more shaggy.
As Izuku took in all the changes, all he could think to say was, "Your hair is black."
"I dyed it," Todoroki replied with a shrug. "I also usually wear an eyepatch, I woke up with it in my pocket." He pulled it from his pocket as he spoke to show Izuku, and as he looked at the white square his mind suddenly flickered to the drawing in his room.
"Oh," he said softly, the pieces clicking into place. "That was Ayane-nee."
"Huh?" Uraraka asked, and Izuku blinked, realizing he'd said that out loud.
"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking of this drawing in my room at Aiko's place."
To his surprise her face lit up with recognition. "Oh, the one with your parents and that scribbled out girl? I saw that and was wondering about it! She's not your sister, is she?"
Izuku shook his head. "No, Ayane-nee lived next door when I was really little. She was in middle school and her family was pretty busy with work, so she spent a lot of time at our apartment. She moved out when she started high school though. And after that, we lost touch." He hadn't seen her in years, so he hadn't recognized her until seeing Todoroki's eyepatch.
"I noticed one of her eyes was weird in the drawing," Uraraka murmured. "I guess it was an eyepatch then?"
"Yeah, exactly," Izuku confirmed with a nod. "She always wore one on her left eye. It's kind how I'd recognize her, actually," he added with a faint smile. "Her Quirk was Color Change, she could change the color of her hair and eyes. Mom says when she first moved in, I was confused because I thought Ayane-nee was a different person every time we saw her. I apparently thought there was some kind of eye thing going around because of the eyepatch."
Uraraka stifled a laugh, cheeks puffing up and her eyes bright with amusement. "I thought that girl's hair looked really colorful!"
Izuku's smile widened at that. "Yeah, though she usually only had one color at a time. I guess I wanted to make her Quirk obvious? I don't know why she wore the eyepatch though," he added thoughtfully. "She just always had it."
Talking about Ayane brought back a slew of warm, fond memories. Though much of it had faded with time, she'd spent plenty of time in their apartment babysitting and playing with him. She'd even gone to the park with him and Kacchan a few times. The day she moved away had been one of the saddest of his young life; he remembered he and his mom had just cried endlessly while waving at her family's car as it drove away.
Despite the lingering fondness from those memories, Izuku wouldn't call them particularly close though. He couldn't even clearly recall her face anymore. Chances were he'd made that same drawing back home and just couldn't remember it; the art style did seem to match up with when was six, around the time she left. He only saw her a few times after she moved, and by middle school she'd left his life completely.
But to his eight-year-old self who'd just ran away, those memories would be fresh in his mind. His smile faded then, realizing he'd probably still thought of her as close.
Or... did he? "I wonder why she was scribbled out," he muttered absently. "Was it maybe the only drawing I had of my family? No, probably not. And even if it was, that doesn't make any sense that I'd scribble her out. Maybe she made me mad...?"
"Can you really get that mad at someone though?" Uraraka asked with a frown. "You're not really the type to hold grudges..."
"But he does live with villains now," Todoroki interjected, and... that was a very valid point that had them all going silent.
"...Okay, enough of that!" Uraraka said after a moment, clapping her hands together. "We've got a lot to go over, and a bunch of fast food from WacDonald's that's getting colder by the second! Let's start eating and talking."
"Sounds good to me," Izuku agreed in relief, while Todoroki had already headed to the back where the couch was. They'd left the bag of WacDonald's on a camping stove in front of it to keep it warm, much to his surprise. "Wow, you guys are really prepared, huh?"
"Uraraka has a lot of stuff," Todoroki said bluntly as he started unpacking the bag, and she had a faint blush.
"Yeah, I kinda went overboard at the camping store, heh... Really glad grabbed my stuff when pushed me—" She stopped short, expression going sour.
"You were talking about Aiko?" Izuku guessed, and she just groaned.
"I hate this Quirk so much."
"Well, at least it won't get in the way of telling me about what's going on at Odawara. Besides the whole kidnapping Mic-sensei thing."
"Maybe we jinxed it by leaving Ashido as backup in case something wrong," Todoroki mused. He'd finished putting all the food on paper plates and passed one to Izuku, and he unwrapped the chicken sandwich while the other boy continued. "We didn't think something would go wrong with her, though."
"To be fair, I think we got used to thinking of Odawara as safe," Uraraka said sheepishly. "It sounds like villains never show up there. I guess Kuroe-san seems a little shady, since he apparently knows Seiko and all, but..." She trailed off, looking around. "Wait, Seiko's not here, right?"
"No," Izuku reassured her. "She doesn't go to Aiko's place, and I don't think she's actually at the base today?" He'd tried calling her, but had gotten no response. "She wasn't there yesterday, either. I still don't know what she does, so no idea where she might be. And Aiko wasn't at home today either," he added as an afterthought. "I ended up leaving a note in case she came back and noticed some stuff out of place. Still not sure what she does outside... chemistry."
He shuddered, eyes briefly glazing over as he thought back to the lab tour. "Aiko," Todoroki said softly. "That's... You guys think she knows..." He trailed off, clearly struggling to finish the sentence by how his eyebrows furrowed, and it took Izuku a moment to realize why.
"Oh, um, yeah, we're pretty sure she knows Dabi," he confirmed reluctantly. "And, um... sorry we couldn't tell you right away." He still felt guilty (and slightly incredulous) over Hawks beating them to the punch on that.
Todoroki didn't seem too offended or hurt by that though. "No, I understand. It would have been a lot to process on top of everything else." He frowned, looking conflicted as he stared down at his own sandwich. "It's... still a lot to process."
Izuku and Uraraka could only nod, all of them falling silent as they just ate. It was hard to respond to that. They still had their own misgivings and struggles about the situation, and even then, they had no idea how it must feel for their friend. A full minute passed without anyone talking.
Surprisingly, Todoroki was the one to break the silence though. "It doesn't matter right now though."
"Huh?" The others looked at him in surprise, and he met their stunned gazes with that levelheaded, stoic coolness he'd become known for.
"We have other priorities," he said firmly. "We need to fill in Midoriya on everything that's happened on our ends."
"Yeah, I really want to know already," Izuku agreed with a nod. "I mean, Anjou mentioned a runaway network when we met, and I know there's apparently a ghost...?" Uraraka swallowed a mouthful of fries as she pulled out her phone.
"Deku, there's so much more than just that," she said, and the next words engraved themselves in Izuku's mind forever more: "We have a lead."
And with that, they began the long explanation of everything. Of Todoroki meeting Kuroe and getting connected to the runaways in Odawara, which included a surprising number of their classmates. Of Anjou managing to match Ashido's story to the one she'd briefly heard recounted from Todoroki. How she helped Ashido get to Odawara to stay with Kuroe, with Kirishima tagging along.
And how when the two of them met, Shouji appeared to reveal that he'd seen their world in a dream.
Izuku sat up with rapt attention at that part as they recounted his description of chasing the rogue janitor-bot. He, too, clearly remembered that day; after the initial panic and chaos, it had been easily one of the funnier moments of their school lives. It was amazing to hear about a firsthand perspective from a dream of all things, and so accurate too.
That dream had been courtesy of a man named Porter. A name they learned when a literal ghost appeared at the grand reunion when Izuku had to write the letter.
"And now, we're all doing graffiti to try to find him!" Uraraka said, showing him a Tweeter account on her phone. She scrolled through dozens of posts, showing photos of graffiti messages that he recognized cited events in their world. "We're doing it in cities that Mail said he might visit to check if stuff's different from other worlds. Jirou started it by Nighteye's place, but we all have the login to the account. This way if he sees it, he can message us there!"
"That's brilliant!" Izuku exclaimed excitedly. "So that's why you were in Numazu? He might go there? What's there?"
"Apparently Oracle, from Team Storm Chaser, is also their sibling," Todoroki said. "Apparently he's a villain in some worlds, so seeing if he visits the agency is a quick way to check what he's doing...?" He trailed off questioningly and Izuku frowned. He recalled Ashido mentioning Oracle in her story, but he hadn't known he was connected to Team Storm Chaser.
"I'm ninety percent sure Oracle doesn't exist in our world," he muttered. "Or if he does, he uses a different name. I've seen a couple people with different names from back home. But if he's underground, I also might have just not heard of him..."
"What about a woman named Saki?" Uraraka piped up. "She's also one of their siblings, and apparently works with Sir Nighteye here? It sounds like she's a hero, but Mail never mentioned her codename."
Izuku's frown grew. "I don't know, I don't know many people's actual names. Do you know what she looks like, or what her Quirk is?"
"Not really," Uraraka said glumly. "He didn't talk about her much."
"Well, then what about Mail and Oracle? If they're siblings, they might have a family resemblance. And the Quirks might be similar, too."
"I don't think that would work. Ashido says Mail and Oracle don't look anything alike, and Shouji said Mail doesn't really look like Porter, either, so I don't think it'd help if we described them. I don't think they're actually related by blood...?"
While she explained this Todoroki looked thoughtful. "Midoriya, do you know if All Might was heavily injured in the past?" he asked, making Izuku jump.
"H-huh?" he sputtered. Yes he had, but Izuku wasn't going to say that! Instead he nervously stammered, "Um, w-why do you ask?"
"Mail said Saki's Quirk let her check people's states. He mentioned it when telling us about how Porter's dreams work. Apparently in some worlds All Might has a major injury that she could sense with her Quirk."
Uraraka gasped. "Right! And Mail said it basically gave All Might two forms, his buff one and the skinny one he got after Kamino! And that made me remember we saw him in his skinny form when I visited you in the infirmary at the Sports Festival! He was visiting you, too!"
Oh. Oh, crap. Izuku had forgotten that any of his classmates had ever seen All Might in his skinny form before Kamino, let alone that he'd visited him. Now they were both looking at Izuku expectantly, waiting for his response. After several seconds he sighed, silently apologizing to his mentor. He wouldn't be able to dance around the truth this time, so he'd have to give them at least a partial answer.
"Yeah, he did get injured," he confirmed reluctantly. "I actually met him a year before starting at UA, and found out when his time ran out. He didn't tell me the details of how he got the injury, just that he was in a bad fight five years before we met. So... a bit over six years, now?" He shrugged. He didn't know when exactly he'd fought All For One beyond the fact Izuku would have been around nine, maybe.
"So, you met him only a year before school?" Todoroki asked, and Izuku started to respond before suddenly stopping. Wait.
"Todoroki, he is absolutely not my father," he declared tiredly. The blunt statement had Uraraka choking back a laugh and Todoroki blinking. Izuku remembered being flustered at the first accusation of being All Might's secret love child, but after so long dealing with this mess, he didn't feel embarrassed at all. "My dad is Midoriya Hisashi. I am definitely not related to All Might. He visited me at the infirmary because he helped me train after I found out his secret."
Todoroki squinted at him suspiciously, still doubtful—"Did you blackmail the symbol of peace to train you?" he asked, and Izuku's brain short-circuited. What?
"NO!" he yelped, horrified at the notion. "He offered to train me! I would never tell someone his secret or hold it over his head! Do you have any idea how disastrous it would be if word got out he had a time limit?"
"Pretty bad," Uraraka said quietly. "Just think if the villains knew about it at USJ." They all shuddered at the thought, but in Izuku's case he felt an extra chill because they didn't realize how close of a call that had been. All Might's time had run out; he'd pushed past his limits that day to defeat the Noumu, and paid the price for it.
"Well, anyway, I still don't know who Mail's sister is," he said after a moment, deciding to change the subject. "You said she could sense All Might's injury, but there's a lot of ways Quirks can do that. Did he give any other details on it?"
"Not really," Todoroki said with a shrug. "Just that she could detect the injury in both forms."
"Maybe it's Ragdoll?" Uraraka suggested. "Her Quirk can tell if people are injured, and Saki sounds like it's a Japanese name!"
"No, it can't be," Izuku said without missing a beat. "I mean, for starters, I don't think her name's Saki. But also, the Wild, Wild Pussycats are still active in this world. Well, except Mandalay," he added as an afterthought. "She's an actress now, I guess...?" He didn't know the details, just remembered seeing it mentioned in one of his notebooks.
"Huh, wonder why only she retired then."
"Yeah, me too. Rescue heroes are pretty safe in this world and aren't targeted by villains, so it's not like she had to leave. And I think Water Hose is still alive, just retired, so she doesn't need to look after Kota full-time. Uh, I think anyway? Actually, come to think of it, the rescue hero thing makes it kinda weird that Team Storm Chaser has an underground hero. They're historically a rescue team, so they wouldn't need to go underground..."
He mumbled to himself with a frown, and Uraraka perked up. "Oh, right, we actually talked about that! Deku, get this. We think that Shadesse might have worked as an underground hero back home!"
That had Izuku's head snapping up. "Wait, what?" he blurted. "Shadesse?" He knew only a little bit about her, since she retired when he was four and loathed the media, but her ninja aesthetic had really stood out on Team Storm Chaser. And her Quirk, which let her store stuff in scrolls like medical supplies or food... or weapons... or drugs found during a raid...
"Actually, that kinda makes sense," he admitted after a few seconds. "But what made you think that?"
"Because in our world, she disappeared without a word, but in this one she made a big announcement when she retired!" Uraraka explained. And then her shoulders slumped, her enthusiasm gone. "Which, uh, Todoroki says... means she probably... died." Her voice tapered off at the end, and Izuku slowly turned to Todoroki with a look of horror. Todoroki didn't seem particularly bothered by the topic.
"Sometimes, heroes' deaths are covered up," the other teen explained with a shrug. "It's rare, but it happens. I think she probably died in an underground operation, so they lied and said she retired to avoid lowering public morale. And also to avoid compromising whatever that operation was."
"Oh," Izuku said faintly. It was surprising and grim, but his reasoning made sense. Team Storm Chaser was pretty well known on an international scale, and revealing one of them worked on underground cases—and then died on said case—could cause some pretty serious scrutiny. "Actually, now that you mention it, the autographed poster I have doesn't have her signature back home. Or Veilance, but we know Veilance already died, so..."
He trailed off with a mild grimace, but Uraraka seemed to focus on a different detail. "You have an autographed poster from Team Storm Chaser?" she gasped, eyes lighting up. "When did you get it? How did you get it?"
"It was a birthday gift when I turned five. We have it framed at... home..." He trailed off yet again, the gears in his brain starting to turn. His mind flickered to Aiko's apartment where a near-identical poster hung, the only difference being the signatures. Veilance's signature was missing on both, but the one in Aiko's apartment lacked Noir's signature instead of Shadesse.
Except, suddenly he wondered: was it really a different poster?
It wasn't just that, either. There was the framed drawing with Ayane in his room, meaning he'd held onto it not just until and after his parents died, but even took it when he ran. It suggested he'd thought of her as important even two years after she would have moved away. Even if she'd been scribbled out since then, surely he had other drawings of his family he could've taken.
And then... All Might's battle with All For One.
The pieces started to slot together in his mind as he stared at his half-eaten sandwich, brain turning over the entire conversation thus far. And as they did, Izuku really didn't like the picture it was forming. "Deku?" Uraraka said worriedly. "Are you okay? You suddenly became really quiet."
Izuku took a breath, slowly raising his head to look at his friends. "Guys," he said faintly. "When did this world's history diverge from ours?" That had Uraraka and Todoroki frowning.
"When All Might died," Todoroki replied quizzically, as if it should be obvious, but Izuku shook his head.
"Guys, the person who injured All Might in our world... It was All For One." That had the others tensing, eyes going wide.
"So... they really did fight before in our world," Uraraka breathed. She'd asked before, when they first reunited at Aiko's apartment and went over his letter, but he'd evaded answering. Talking about All Might's previous battle felt like an invasion of privacy. Now, though, it was unavoidable.
"It happened five years before I met him, when I was fourteen," he said, repeating his earlier statement. "It happened when we would have been around nine."
All at once, he saw the understanding flash on their faces, eyes practically bulging. "We were seven," Uraraka whispered. "It happened two years earlier in this world. Why did they fight earlier?"
"I don't know, but there's more. In our world, Shadesse probably died when we were four. Noir was alive until we were about eight, but... Here, he's dead." Saying it out loud, it felt like a fact, a cold certainty settled inside him. Izuku had no confirmation, hadn't even looked into the rescue team in this world, yet he knew he was right as continued, "He must have died here before my fifth birthday, while Shadesse survived instead."
"And that's also before All Might fought All For One," Todoroki murmured, and Izuku nodded grimly. It had been so obvious, the evidence had always been in front of his eyes, from the moment he read that letter, but he hadn't fully realized until now. After all, there had to be a reason All Might and All For One fought earlier.
"This world changed from ours even before All Might died," he declared firmly. "So, what was the first change?"
None of them had an answer.
Notes:
So, remember the veeeeeery first chapter? And how it opened with a flashback to Izuku talking to his babysitter, Ayane, after getting diagnosed as Quirkless?
Well, I'm looking forward to the reactions of those who do.
Some bigger news: I'm taking next week off from updates. Next Sunday I'm getting my second vaccine, and a LOT of people have had some bad reactions to the second shot that have lasted into the next day. My buffer's also gotten a bit low, only at 92 right now, so I think I might as well use the extra time to build it up again. Especially since I have some EXCITING plans for the next few chapters, I want to make sure they're top quality.
Question for next time: What was the first change?
Chapter 91: Unspoken Answers
Summary:
Kirishima and Shouji visit the garden again. Meanwhile at Nighteye's agency, Oracle and Lady of the Night reaffirm they're probably going to hell eventually.
Notes:
Minor content warning: reference to a family suicide.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 91
.::Unspoken Answers::.
During the past few days with Shouji, Eijirou had learned a lot of things about the other teen. There was the obvious detail about how he was one of those "scary looking but secretly super nice" giants, but there were also smaller thing. He considered himself a minimalist, to the point Eijirou had to argue on getting an actual hotel room instead of a capsule hotel. He seemed to like squids and octopuses a lot, and particularly enjoyed food that used those as ingredients.
Also, he really liked doing graffiti.
Watching Shouji spray paint the wall was wild and fascinating. If moving all six limbs in different directions was difficult, he didn't show it. He handled the cans like an extension of his body, extra arms blurring as they weaved through the air wielding a total of six spray cans. His motions lacked any hesitation, fluid and confident as he quickly dyed the red brick various colors.
Within a minute he finished his latest masterpiece and stepped back, standing beside Eijirou as they surveyed his work. "Huh," the redhead said faintly, for lack of anything else to say.
"It's bad," Shouji said bluntly.
"Kinda, yeah. Sorry dude."
Shouji liked graffiti art, but he also sucked at it. His latest work was no exception. The bright orange "1-A_No_Dream" looked fine and perfectly legible, though it clashed against the spring green background. That seemed to be grass, probably, since he'd sprayed bright blue above it with a yellow circle meant to be the sun. Said sun projected thick red, yellow and orange beams that might have been meant to resemble Japan's flag. Instead, they kind of bled together.
The centerpiece was a large blue rectangle with a giant black grid, and a white... okay, was that a W? That's what that letter was called, right? It was written with super bold lines, and had a line crossed through it. "What's with the W?"
"It's supposed to be the UA logo. It's the school building."
"Oh." Yeah, that didn't really resemble the UA logo. The lines of the "U" were slightly slanted, and the A had super-thick lines. "I think you forgot the bottom of the U." Shouji nodded, and stepped forward to quickly spray the line.
"...I don't think it helped much."
"Yeah, me neither." After a few more seconds of studying it they turned and left, both seeming to decide to just not talk about it anymore. What got to Eijirou was that they couldn't even blame it on it being hard to accurately control six limbs at once. Shouji tried doing it with just one hand too, in case that was the problem, but there wasn't much improvement. Turned out he just wasn't good at drawing.
"I should probably stick to just writing messages," Shouji remarked idly.
"Yeah, that's probably for the best," Eijirou agreed sheepishly. "The blocky letters you make are pretty cool though!" When Shouji didn't try to make full drawings, he could make some pretty cool-looking messages. Though, they still looked more sloppy than most graffiti block lettering he'd seen. He couldn't get the color gradient effect some art had, so he'd alternate colors instead. Some of his color choices... didn't really work.
"I think we've left enough for now," Shouji murmured. "We got a lot of photos, right?"
"Oh, yeah, totally!" Eijirou pulled out his burner phone to scroll through the camera gallery. "Like, I think I got twenty we can upload." He and Shouji had spent a good chunk of the previous day split apart to leave the messages in as many places as possible. They hadn't bothered taking photos of all of them (especially the ones where Shouji tried to be more "experimental"), but they'd gotten quite a few.
"Then let's go to the garden and take a break."
"Sounds good to me." Even after starting the graffiti campaign they'd spent a lot of time in the memorial garden since it seemed like the most likely place for Porter to visit. They made their way to the garden in companionable silence, stopping at a convenience store on the way to grab some pre-made bento lunches.
The memorial garden had a picnic area not far from the entrance, with stone tables and benches. While likely fairly popular in summer, it was usually deserted since the winter chill made the stone almost oppressively cold. Today proved no different, the pair having their pick of the tables and plenty of privacy as they ate. It also gave them a good view of everyone who might be inside the garden, making it perfect to watch for Porter. Shouji took the seat facing the entrance while Eijirou sat across from him.
As they ate Eijirou check the FacePage messenger on his phone. "No hits yet," he reported. "Jirou and Kaminari had to stop doing graffiti today to focus on studying." Shouji hummed, and Eijirou glanced up just in time to see one of his arms sprouting a mouth to eat his lunch. Even after two full days together, he had yet to see the other boy remove the mask once.
How did eating like that even work? Didn't mouths need to connect to your stomach? Did his arms have some way to connect to his stomach? Or... their own stomachs?
He was wondering if it would be too rude to ask when Shouji's head snapped up. "Someone's coming over," he murmured. That had Eijirou twisting his head in surprise, and sure enough saw that orange-haired girl who looked to be around their age—the one Shouji remembered from his dream of UA. She'd been a regular sight at the garden, present every time they visited and still there by the time they'd leave.
"Hey," she greeted as she approached, smiling wide as she slid into the seat. "Mind if I sit with you guys?"
The boys exchanged glances. "Um, sure, I guess?" Eijirou replied hesitantly. "But, why...?"
"Thanks so much!" she replied, eyes darting briefly to the side.
"Is that man bothering you?" Shouji asked lowly, and Eijirou frowned in confusion but the girl looked relieved as she nodded.
"Yeah. That guy's been staring at me for the past hour. It's starting to get to me and not many people are here today, so I figured I should talk to some other people. You guys look my age, so you seemed like the safest bet." They nodded in understanding. Eijirou almost turned to look, but he resisted the urge at the last second. If there was a guy watching her, he probably shouldn't give away they knew about him.
"You think he's up to something?" he asked worriedly.
"Not sure, but my gut says yes," the girl replied bluntly. "My teacher always says trust your instincts. Most of the time if it says something is dangerous, it's right."
"Huh. Sounds smart, but kinda weird thing for a teacher to say."
"I do martial arts," she replied with a shrug. "Karate, judo, some aikido... I've been practicing for a while now. But the biggest lesson they all teach is that if you can avoid a fight, do it."
"If only some people would learn that," Shouji murmured wryly, and the girl snorted.
"Yeah, I know what you mean." She pulled out a plastic-wrapped onigiri from her coat pocket and started unwrapping it. "I'm Kendo Itsuka, by the way."
Oh crap, were they supposed to introduce themselves? Eijirou felt a moment of panic, but Shouji just nodded, ever cool. "I'm Shoshi, and he's Kiriyama."
The fake names were so similar to their own that Eijirou almost did a double-take, but he nodded along. "Yeah, what he said. Nice to meet you, Kendo-san."
"Nice to meet you too." She finally managed to peel off the plastic, and before taking a bite of the rice ball she commented, "I notice you guys have been visiting a lot. This is the third day in a row you've come here."
"Uh, yeah, I guess it is," Eijirou said. "We're in town for some stuff and decided to stop by. We didn't plan to come every day. It's just, quiet and peaceful, y'know?"
"I noticed you're here every day too," Shouji remarked. Kendo hummed and nodded, unable to answer verbally right away since she had a mouthful of onigiri.
After swallowing she said, "Honestly, I don't usually visit that often. But one of the victims was a boy from my dojo. His mom moved to Musutafu so she could visit the garden every day. She had a bad fall recently though and can't visit, so she asked me to come by in her place."
"And you spend all day here?" Eijirou asked in surprise.
"Not like I have anything better to do," she muttered, smile turning a bit more wry. "I don't go to school anymore, and I quit my part-time job, so..." She shrugged as she added, "Like you guys said, the atmosphere at the park is nice. And usually there's some pretty nice people to talk to. Usually." She said the last word with a grimace, no doubt thinking of the guy.
"He's still there and looking at you," Shouji informed her, and her shoulders slumped with a groan.
"Dammit, I was worried about that. Ugh, I really hope he doesn't follow me home later..." Eijirou frowned and decided to risk a glance back over his shoulder. There was only other person in the garden now, a man checking his phone. He had a reptilian mutation, complete with a lizard snout and scaly green skin, and a mane of messy dusty pinkish-purple hair. Definitely a guy who stood out in a crowd.
His eyes briefly flitted their way and Eijirou flinched as their gazes met, prompting him to sharply swivel his head to face the others. "Uh, our eyes just met," he whispered, voice slightly high-pitched. "Is that bad?"
"Only if he comes over," Shouji murmured. Great.
"It doesn't look like anyone else is here anymore. Or at least, I didn't see anyone when I looked back." Maybe there were more people, and Eijirou just hadn't seen them?
Shouji immediately dashed his hopes though. "No, everyone's gone. There was an old man who left about a minute after Kendo sat down." Darn. Shouji had a better view of the entire garden from his seat, so if he couldn't see someone, they probably were alone. He then further dashed Eijirou's hopes by adding, "If he were going to attack, now would be the time."
The mere idea had Eijirou freezing, blood going cold. Attack them here? In the memorial garden?
Even without turning his head, Eijirou could picture the plaques bearing the names Tomono Yukihiro and Masuda Kei. His thoughts immediately flew to their families. To sweet Mrs. Tomono down the street, who hadn't touched an oven since her grandson died despite a lifelong love of baking. To police swarming the corner shop and taping it off after the Masuda parents couldn't take the grief of their only child's death.
Two families forever torn by loss, one devastated enough to follow their child.
"No," he said without thinking. "If he does anything here, it could wreck the garden! We can't let that happen!" This garden was special. Letting a fight happen here would desecrate the memory of all those whose names were inscribed here.
Fortunately Shouji nodded in agreement. "We don't need to fight him," he reasoned thoughtfully. "If we all just leave now, he'll either follow and attack us outside, or he'll be alone. I don't think he'd randomly attack the memorials."
That was a good point, and Eijirou nodded. "Yeah, I guess. But what if he just waits for someone else to come here and attacks them instead?"
"Hmm, true. And we can't call the police when he hasn't done anything..."
"Maybe we could wait nearby, just in case? We don't have anything else planned for today, so we can just hang out until he leaves or we hear him attack someone! Then we can swoop in and stop him!"
"...Doesn't the second one still involve him attacking someone inside the garden?"
Eijirou deflated at Shouji's question. "Crap, you're right."
"Also, there are no places for us to hide nearby without sticking out like a sore thumb," Shouji added, another point against their favor.
"Okay, so maybe we can lure him out instead. Like, you're pretty intimidating—no offence dude! But maybe you can, I don't know, chase him out?"
Shouji didn't respond right away, and Eijirou really hoped he wasn't actually offended. But then he slowly nodded. "I probably could, especially if I remove my mask. But he has a mutant Quirk like me, so he might not be as intimidated as others. And I don't know whether he has just the mutant Quirk, or if it's a passive trait."
"So... if he gets too intimidated, he might be able to shoot a laser or something?"
"Not my first guess, but something like that."
"Crap, so either way there could be damage, huh..."
As the two debated plans and ideas Kendo watched the discussion with a blank face. Then, in a perfect monotone, she declared, "I was totally wrong about you two."
"Huh?" They both turned confused looks towards her, but rather than explain herself she pulled out her phone and texted someone while getting up.
"Forget it. Nice to know you guys are actually pretty cool. See you around, I guess." She flashed them a smile before walking off to... join the lizard guy...? Eijirou could only stare in confusion as they talked before heading off to another part of the garden, perfectly casual and friendly.
"...What just happened?" he asked quietly.
"...I'm not sure."
Another Saturday, another chaotic meeting at the cluttered storage room—
"Dammit Kas, it's an office, not a storage room."
"I have yet to see any evidence of that," Kas replied evenly, arms folded loftily over his chest. In response he saw a flash of Saki gesturing to the computer. "A computer is not evidence. Storage rooms can have computers." She pointed to her photos on the desk. "You're not even in any of those photos—"
He paused as his attention zeroed in on an image of a blond girl about thirteen years old with ringed teal eyes and a bright smile, hugging a boy with purple hair and reddish-pink eyes. An image, because he could not imagine a photograph existing of two children who died long ago. "Is that a forensic image of Melody and Simon?"
"No," Saki replied sharply.
"Then is it a drawing? When did you get so good?"
Saki threw one of her many pieces of random junk at him—except she didn't, because he never actually spoke when he first noticed the framed picture.
In the present he blinked slowly. "Ah, so you got the photo from Porter," he said with a nod of understanding. Saki, who had not actually done anything since he said "I have yet to see any evidence," just glared at him.
"Did you just have another one-sided conversation with your Quirk?" she ground out irritably.
"Yes," Kas replied, and this time didn't bother dodging the beanbag thrown his way despite detecting it in advance with his Quirk. Mainly because he knew if he did, she'd go for something heavy next. He knew not because of his Quirk's precognitive abilities, but pure experience.
Judging by the sour look she sent him, Saki was fully aware of this, but she didn't bother pointing it out. "Just stop before I hurt you," she sighed.
"Got it, he agreed easily. "Anyways, what's up with all the teenage vigilantes? There's a white board out in the common room just full of pictures on them." He'd actually paused to study it while en route to Saki's office. Not every day you see a standing whiteboard on wheels with dozens of photos taken from security cameras taped to it and a trio of teens crowded around it.
"Yeah, the teenage recruiters kinda hijacked it," Saki commented casually. "They're trying to track some down to recruit."
"How are they having trouble find the lizard guy in Musutafu?" That one had been particularly amusing to Kas. Two people, one of whom had a lizard head complete with scaly green skin and just wore a hood and cloth mask over his eyes, and yet they were struggling to identify him.
"Don't ask me," she said with a shrug. "I think the vigilante recruitment is pretty low priority though, all things considered."
"Fair enough. Though related: what's with all the duos?" The lizard guy was pegged as working together with another vigilante who was apparently a martial arts master of some kind. As far as he could tell, most of them were duos rather than solo acts. Some were even parts of trios.
"Hell if I know. It's not my business." Saki didn't seem too interested in the topic, which was further emphasized when she asked, "Do you want to go over all the cases or not?" Kas nodded, slipping out of his casual slouch to stand a bit straighter.
"Right. On Tuesday, Present Mic did a surprise autograph signing in which you acted as security. Midoriya Izuku happened to visit, and you touched his poster and got several visions of Eraserhead."
"Including two that definitely shouldn't exist," Saki added lightly, and he nodded.
"Yep. And Mic then proceeded to spend the remainder of the day stressing out over it, including over two hours watching any footage he could find of Midoriya. Which reminds me, any news on that orange-haired girl?"
"Joke finally managed to track down her down, and the lead's a dud. She's been stuck in a hospital after a car accident back in August."
Kas hummed at that. "So not her?" he asked, just to double-check.
"Not unless she suddenly woke up from a coma and regained the ability to walk," Saki replied nonchalantly, and he flinched but flashed a sharp grin.
"Ouch," he said lightly. "Sounds like a bit worse than a regular accident."
"Yeah. Kid wakes up now and then, but not for long. So not her."
"Except for maybe this miraculous sudden trip to Kamino to attend Present Mic's meet and greet."
Saki nodded. "Never underestimate the willpower of a fangirl," she declared sagely, and Kas nodded in almost somber agreement.
"Ah, yes, the fangirls," he mused. "The one power not even All Might can best. May he rest in peace rather than pieces," he added, briefly dipping into English.
"Because the fangirls would tear his body apart for souvenirs?" Saki asked.
"Of course. They're quite a force to be reckoned with."
She nodded, and they briefly fell silent. Then, "Seems like we're still on the one-way track to hell."
"Absolutely," Kas snorted. It was so good no one was around to hear their humor. The interns outside would be horrified if they heard the jokes they were making, and he doubted Sir Nighteye would approve of their humor either. "Anyways, back to the case, so after the signing, I finally talk Mic into stopping his security footage binge-marathon by mentioning that Anjou Ran happened to be part of the group with Midoriya."
"Right, the girl who knew Ashido and Kirishima," Saki murmured, glancing back at the corkboard on the wall. She'd pinned a photo of Anjou and connected it to the duo, with another string connecting to a post-it note with her brother's name. A third string connected to another card saying "Mic Autograph Signing" along with strings from Midoriya and Mic himself. The Anjou string had a post-it note written in Russian next to it, and Kas snorted as he read it:
'Seen w/ Midoriya. Absolutely NOT a coincidence.'
Saki certainly hadn't been slacking on making connections. Kas didn't comment on it as he said, "So Mic gets curious about her and I send him my case notes. We split ways, and that ends my last contact with him."
"On Wednesday, everything seems to be normal," Saki continued, picking up where he'd left off. "He grabs lunch with Kayama, and goes to the radio station early to record two more episodes for his show since they're doing that daily thing this month. He arranges to have one play the next day, does his regular Wednesday show, and goes home."
"And then goes MIA on Thursday," Kas finished casually. "Not that anyone noticed until yesterday. Guess that backlog of recordings worked against him this time." Saki nodded, grabbing a printed map from the mess of papers on her desk.
"Yesterday, his phone's signal was tracked to Kyoto. Further analysis of its location history places him going to Odawara for about two hours, then traveling to Shizuoka by bus. It stuck there for about half an hour before resuming travel to Nagoya, with a few brief pauses along the way. At Nagoya it paused for two hours before resuming travel to a small city in Shiga Prefecture, Higashiomi, where it stopped for the night. It resumed travel early the next morning, and stopped briefly in Kusatsu, but reached Kyoto by lunchtime."
Kas listened with his eyebrows steadily rising as she recounted the phone's journey. "Well, that's one heck of a road trip," he commented. "I haven't even heard of Higashiomi or Kusatsu. Guessing this isn't just a case of someone tossing the phone on a bus or train."
"No train or buses run through all of them," Saki confirmed with a nod. "Current running theory is that he got ambushed after arriving at Shizuoka, then someone placed either him, the phone, or both in a car to travel. Problem is we don't know if Mic had the phone on him, or if it was found right away. Also worth noting the phone company's records show it received a call a bit after it left Shizuoka."
"So if he had managed to hide it, that probably would've given it away," Kas mused. "At which point the culprits could've transferred it to another car to help build a false trail. Or even keep it around a bit longer before ditching it, to further throw us off the trail. A bit of reverse psychology to throw us off the trail and make it even more uncertain where or when it got discovered. Definitely makes it trickier than just tossing it out a window or whatever."
"Exactly. Local police have been tapped in all the cities the phone stopped for a significant amount of time to investigate. The only thing we can all agree on is that he almost certainly didn't end up in Kyoto, though we didn't realize that until an hour after search efforts started there. Which marks the end of what we know, and brings us to the present."
There was a brief silence after that, taking a moment to process everything. Then, "So he's probably in Odawara, right?"
"Probably, seeing as you sent him there," Saki snorted, to which Kas innocently held up his hands.
"Now hold on, that's a bold accusation."
"Please. You knew he'd jump on any lead that could lead to Midoriya and Eraserhead, and Odawara is the best one we have."
"Except we've already eliminated that as a base for the Alliance," Kas countered reasonably. "After all, there wouldn't be a reason for Midoriya to visit Kamino if Anjou could just meet him in Odawara. Clearly he went to Kamino so she could catalog him with her Quirk. Besides, Odawara's under guard by yakuza anyway. No criminals have gone there in ages."
"Did you ever mention that to Mic?" Saki asked dryly. "Or give him the extended case notes that explained Anjou Ran's Quirk, and the fact she has direct connections to at least one runaway from her middle school?"
Kas's silence and pleasant smile was answer enough.
"It's amazing what Januarius can find," he mused instead. "I know he has a lot of contacts thanks to his whole 'world-renowned forensic chemist' gig, even if he is retired now, but he never struck me as the investigative type. I guess you should never underestimate a French man stuck in a foreign country with way too much free time on his hands."
"I still have serious questions about how he found out yakuza are protecting Odawara when no one else knows that."
"Never said all his contacts were police. At this point, I consider it a victory he no longer goes to underground fight rings or asks people for whatever drugs and poisons they have so he can try them out."
Saki paused at that. "...His Quirk really sucks, doesn't it."
"Yes, yes it does," Kas confirmed pleasantly. "On the bright side, I can now identify symptoms for multiple types of common poisons and household items. On that note, drinking bleach is a horrible idea and no one ever should do it. Surviving it sucks."
"I never planned to, but good to know, I guess." This is why Kas loved talking to Saki. Anyone else would give him the weirdest look at that comment or voice concern, but she just accepted it without missing a beat. "Still curious about the very detailed school records from Anjou's old school though, because I don't think police would give him those. And if it's from his other contacts..."
"Nah, the brat probably hacked the school to get them," Kas dismissed. "Have to say, very nice to have my very own anime-level child hacker on reserve. Even if he hacks stuff I want him to stay out of."
"Too bad we can't dump him on UA," Saki muttered under her breath. "Back to the point, do you know anything about that yakuza thing? Because there weren't many notes in that file, and I can't tell if we should be concerned or not."
"Don't know much," Kas said with a shrug. "Just that there's basically a rumor deep in the underworld to stay the heck away from Odawara, or the Shie Hassaikai will get you. I looked into them a bit, and they're actually a really clean yakuza group. They're like the classic yakuza. No drugs, no robbing normal people, help out with relief in disasters... And it's almost like they're enforcing law and order from the underworld. Though not sure why they're doing that for Odawara."
Saki snorted and rolled her eyes. "Or they're making Quirk-erasing bullets like they do in other worlds," she snarked, slipping into the brisk and harsh sounds of Russian. She shuddered as she muttered, "I swear, just handling one of those things in that dream gave me flashbacks for a week..."
"Already double-checked that," Kas said, matching the lingual shift. "Absolutely no rumors of those damn things in this world, and nothing to suggest it's going to be a thing." And then because he was a little shit, he shifted to English to add, "Looks like this world got uniquely fucked up enough to dodge that bullet."
The nice thing about Preflex was that he was able to easily dodge the pen Saki lobbed directly at his eye. It embedded in the door behind him, making him give a low whistle. "Damn. You could've actually taken my eye out, sis." And she had, when his Quirk first responded to the throw; his eye still had a phantom sting. That was the bad part about Preflex: he actually felt whatever pain he experienced in those glimpses.
"If you couldn't dodge that, you'd deserve to get hit," Saki said flatly.
"Wow. So much love and care for my well-being."
"Fuck you, Del."
"Wrong name, Rita."
"Anyways," she huffed, back to Japanese. "There's no motive for them to grab Mic, lucky for him. So I'm assuming he ran into Ashido, Kirishima, or Uraraka."
"Oh? So you think Uraraka's there, too? Instead of wandering or sticking to Midoriya, I mean," he added with a shrug. The girl did run away shortly after getting into contact with Ashido, so it was natural she'd go to one of them.
"Midoriya's with the Villain Alliance," Saki said bluntly. "Going there would limit her movements too much if they're planning something. Which they definitely are," she added, tone lighter now. "We've got two kids impulsive enough to run away after meeting another person they know. And another kid willing to meet a Pro Hero as an excuse to meet someone with a Quirk that can track him."
She casually switched to Russian for the last sentence, though Kas focused on her first point. "Two?" he checked. "You're not counting Kirishima?"
"The psychic traces in his apartment don't match up with someone in severe distress and confusion after ending up in another world. Seems like he's just a bystander." He nodded in understanding as she added, "So far there's at least three, and probably more. I know those kids go to UA in at least one other world. I've seen them in a dream where I was a teacher there."
"Wow, they actually let you around kids?" Kas asked in genuine surprise. "We're the worst role models though, we had to learn basic morals from the ground up. We just joked about a girl in a coma." That last part was still in Russian, but said as deadpan as possible. Seriously, they should not be trusted around kids. There was a reason Saki didn't even teach the interns here.
"I know, I'm just as stunned as you are," she drawled with an eye roll. "Hopefully it was just a guest lecture thing. Anyways, at this point I've got confirmation on Uraraka, Ashido, and Midoriya being from another world based on the psychic traces they've left. Oddly enough, I remember Kirishima from that class too, with red hair instead of black," she added thoughtfully. "But as I said, no memories in his apartment. So doesn't seem like we've got a whole class."
"Based on just these three so far, things would probably be much more chaotic any others were here," Kas snorted. "Any ideas yet on how they ended up here?"
"Not a clue. Only remotely solid guess I've got is a Porter with a regifted Quirk that has different mechanics. Based on Ashido's psychic traces, I don't think they necessarily know how they got here, either."
Kas started to respond, but then paused. "Hold on, I just realized something. Midoriya's a hero student for sure, right?"
"He's connected to Eraserhead somehow in their world. Eraser taught at UA, so that seems like the most obvious connection between them. And I don't think classes would usually vary too wildly."
"Then, he went from UA, to waking up in a nest of villains?" Kas asked with a grin, and cackled. "Holy shit, that's hilarious! He must've been so panicked when he first woke up! Think he knows Shigaraki in his world?"
"You know as well as I do that Shigaraki Tomura is directly connected to All For One," Saki deadpanned. "Besides, Uraraka recognized him anyway. Her phone was dripping with worry about the two of them together."
"Hmm, I see, I see..."
"These kids are reckless so far, but hopefully they're playing things smart," Saki sighed, finally back to Japanese. "Though that said, at this point my best theory is that they kidnapped Mic so he wouldn't get in the way of what they're planning."
"That's exactly what happened," Kas confirmed cheerfully.
He could see the moment Saki picked up on the extra degree of confidence in his voice. Alert brown eyes snapped towards him. "Explain," she ordered briskly.
"Visited Anjou yesterday morning," he replied with a grin. "Too bad I can't record conversations I have with my Quirk, because that was amazing."
The brief visit to Anjou Ran had been one of the most amusing "interrogations" he'd ever conducted. The girl had been exceptionally intelligent and skilled at avoiding direct answers, and also unwilling to give up anything that could be incriminating. In half the non-existent conversations, she steadfastly stood her ground even as he shouted accusations right at her face and threatened her.
"Honestly, really got to respect her," he mused in Russian, still smiling. "I had to break her arm to get her to fess up. Most people crack before I get to the hypothetical torture."
"At least you didn't have to pull nails, I guess," Saki muttered.
"Yeah, I'd hate to go full Higurashi on a kid," Kas agreed with a sage nod. She looked momentarily perplexed, but then shook her head.
"Not even going to ask. Just what did she say?"
"Admitted that they did, in fact, kidnap Mic, and that he's not hurt." She also called him a large amount of profanities and insinuated that he was closer to a villain than a hero, but Kas was used to that. His voice took on a note of respect as he added, "She wouldn't say who 'we' consisted of though, other than that it wasn't the Alliance. I decided to stop the questions there since I got what I needed. Too bad it was all in a vision and didn't actually happen, so I couldn't get the confession on tape."
"You could," Saki countered idly. "You'd just have to record yourself torturing a sixteen-year-old girl."
"Yeah, hard pass," he snorted with an eye roll. "Honestly, I'd rather not actually do it anyway, especially to a kid." He became a bit more somber at that, his smile replaced by a small frown.
He viewed the brief glimpses his Quirk provided as something akin to a fantasy, distinctly separate from reality. Triggering those glimpses required specific intent though, whether on his part or another person's. For himself, that meant he needed to be willing to genuinely go through with whatever actions he intended to do in said glimpses. A simple enough process for asking questions.
Not quite as simple when you got to physical stuff like torture.
It had taken a lot of practice to get to the point with his Quirk where he could go through long stretches of conversation without it breaking. When you added in torture, he could usually only inflict harm one time before the glimpse would break. While he had little hesitation in using torture in the glimpses provided by his Quirk, he'd never particularly enjoyed actually doing it though.
(Well, not too much anyway. It was amazing what a child's mind would adapt to in order to survive.)
Either way, he preferred to keep torture to the glimpses rather than reality. Way less messy in the long run—both literally in terms of blood, and more figuratively in terms of all the legal red tape that would come with brutally assaulting someone.
"By the way," Saki said, drawing him out of his musings. "How did you know to ask her about Present Mic back then? We didn't get word until afternoon."
At that Kas's easy grin returned, mischief sparkling in his eyes. "Didn't you see who made that call yesterday?"
It had been Mic's lack of answer that had compelled Kas to visit Anjou on Friday morning. He'd already been ninety percent certain that Ashido and Kirishima were in Odawara. He'd just wanted to confirm with Anjou whether the man had been tangled in their web, or ran into the yakuza. Luckily for everyone involved, it was the former.
For her part Saki just nodded. "Alright, fine. Guess that brings us to the most important question of all: do we tell anyone yet?"
The question had Kas's smile dropping, expression quickly schooling into something more blank and serious. "No," he said bluntly. "Not yet. Sucks for the kids and everyone else tangled up in this, but this is the best lead we've gotten in years."
"Good, so we're on the same page," Saki said with a nod. "Just wanted to check. And also, don't really want to go into the multiverse thing with everyone just yet," she added under her breath in Russian yet again, and Kas nodded, relaxing a bit.
"Yeah, same," he agreed. "Fingers crossed this isn't a rogue regifted Porter and just something else entirely." He had no doubts the whole "interdimensional jumper" bit would come up at some point. The three kids they knew of were taking actions that completely derailed their lives in this world; they'd need to explain the background. Especially since all signs pointed to them plotting a monumental breakout of Midoriya and/or Eraserhead.
Ideally, this mess would end without having to mention Porter though. Explaining why they never used any of the intel or knowledge they got from the shared dreams would be a royal pain.
"By the way," Saki said, drawing him from his thoughts again. "When I read Tsukauchi's report on his interview with Ashido, he mentioned you seemed to use your Quirk to talk to her at the end. What did you ask?"
At that Kas broke into another grin. "I asked her if she'd ever heard of multiverse theory."
And her deathly, wide-eyed silence had been all the answer he needed.
Meanwhile just a door away from Saki's office, Mirio, Tamaki and Nejire buzzed around the rolling white board in the common room, pinning up more pictures and using markers to draw lines.
"Okay, so like, you guys think these guys might all be connected, right?" Nejire asked, pointing to two sets of photos with a capped marker. One set showed a pair wearing long coats with the hoods pulled over their heads and white kitsune masks, one with red accents and the other with green. The second set meanwhile showed a total of three people in matching outfits. Bullet-proof jackets over dark shirts and pants with combat boots, hoods also pulled over their heads with black fabric masks and goggles hiding their faces.
Tamaki glanced over and nodded. "Ah, yeah, Mail said bits of their styles are similar," he confirmed. He then paused as he read the name under one of them, face screwing up as he repeated, "Macey?"
"Yeah, yeah, because he's got a mace on his tail, see!" Nejire tapped the central one, who had a tail wrapped in black material with what indeed looked like a mace on the end. "He uses it to whack stuff and break it!"
"...I'm pretty sure that one's called Whiplash." He glanced at the other labels and his face soured further. "Seriously? Loop-on?"
"Hey, hey, that's the name the bad guys he beats say he uses! I think," she added more thoughtfully. "Dunno how it's actually spelled in English. But for the other guy, Macey sounds good too! Don't you think?"
"Nah, Whiplash sounds way cooler," Mirio piped up with a grin. "He can use that even after we bring them on board to do things legit! He's got the edge over Taser Brain over here." He pointed to quite possibly the clearest set of photos on the board, seeing as those vigilantes actually posted the photos themselves. "I think it started as a fan name, but he seems to be going with it. Punk Step's name is pretty rocking though!"
"Oh, right, the new ones," Tamaki muttered as he squinted at the pictures. "They just popped up recently, didn't they?"
"Yeah, but they're skyrocketing in popularity over in Hosu!" Mirio confirmed cheerfully. "Probably helps they have active social media accounts."
"That's weird," Tamaki said with a small frown. "Usually vigilantes try to keep a lower profile, don't they?"
"Yeah, but maybe these guys just want to be actual, official heroes and get scouted!" Mirio beamed at the thought, while Nejire tipped her head at the photos.
"1-A," she murmured, and perked up. "Oh! Didn't Camie-chan mention seeing some graffiti mentioning a 1-A?"
"Did she?" Tamaki asked, and Nejire bobbed her head.
"Yeah, yeah, she did! Just down the street! She said it had a link to a Tweeter account! She checked it out and it's all photos of graffiti messages with links to the account though, nothing about vigilantes," she added thoughtfully. "Huh. Maybe it's just a coincidence?"
"Maybe, but it's worth looking into," Mirio said, uncapping the marker to scribble 'graffiti 1-A Tweeter?' beneath their photos. "They're more active right now than those two other groups at least. Maybe we can go visit Ingenium's agency for a while to see if we can find them and recruit them?"
"Worth a shot," Tamaki agreed with a sigh, and glanced briefly at the other photos. "But now that you mention it, I think that trio's been really quiet lately. Reports of one or more of them used to show up every month, but haven't seen any reports since... September, maybe?"
The comment had the others' cheery smiles fading, the mood quickly growing more somber. "Hopefully they're just taking a break or decided to retire," Mirio said, but he couldn't quite inject his usual cheer into his voice.
The biggest risk to vigilantes was simply that if something happened to them, there would be almost no way to confirm it. They'd simply vanish from the public eye, their fates left unknown forever more as their memory faded from history. Ideally, they just decided to retire or quit. But when it came to younger vigilantes especially...
He glanced at the three photos again, silently hoping they'd hear another tale soon about the antics of Whiplash, Lupin, and Hijack.
Elsewhere in Nabu, Shinsou Hitoshi curled up on a bed hugging himself as he tried to keep his breathing under control. His mind kept flitting back to two familiar blond faces, his breath hitching each time memories flashed before him. Mashirao, Neito, please be safe, he silently pleaded. Please let me get out of here alive so I can see you guys again.
Notes:
A long time ago, way back on Chapter 16, I asked for aliases for the runaways. One person on AO3, SlipScout, suggested "Whiplash" for Ojiro. And that name was so perfect, it inspired me to make him into a vigilante and give him a larger role in this story.
And on that note, finally confirming what many of you suspected: Shinsou is Ojiro's missing friend.
Otherwise: I FINALLY figured out how to add Spinner! Also, the conversation with Kas and Saki was fun to write. After how people responded to my question about getting around Kas's Quirk, well, I don't think everyone realized just how twisted they actually are. I feel like it deserves some content warnings, just... no idea what. Related: Higurashi refers to "Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni" ("When Cicadas Cry"), a horror visual novel and anime franchise with some rather brutal torture scenes (particularly a nail-pulling scene). Kas uses it as a verb because of course he does. He's the kind of guy who would name a fluffy white puppy "Nina".
Question for next time: What are some other dark anime references Kas could make that are mildly disturbing? (No eroguro or NSFL stuff please, I don't want younger readers looking up the references and having their innocences totally shattered.)
Chapter 92: Hearing Things Out
Summary:
Mic has a rather enlightening discussion. Meanwhile, Izuku has a LOT to think about
Chapter Text
Chapter 92
.::Hearing Things Out::.
So. Day three of captivity in Odawara, and Hizashi was cold. He didn't know if it was cold outside, or the cement tunnel was just naturally colder or what. All he knew was that today he'd woken up cold, even with the thick blanket they tossed over him at night, and felt steadily colder.
The kids felt the cold too, and had made a fire. For the past hour they had mercifully forgone the cube so Hizashi could sit with them and enjoy the warmth, on the strict provision he not use his Quirk. An easy enough agreement to make. He did not want to deal with the reverb from his Quirk on the cement walls and ground. Just talking normally had a bit of an echo to it.
Now, if only they would untie him so he wouldn't have to be hand-fed...
Alas, that part wasn't likely to happen anytime soon though. So there was Hizashi, being embarrassingly handfed yet again. At least they weren't skimming on meals, but still. "Wacdonald's today, huh?" he asked as he eyed the bag with the familiar golden W.
"Yep, we splurged!" Ashido confirmed cheerfully. Which was the other good thing about today: Ashido was here. He hadn't seen the pink girl since the first day, so it was good to see her again. So far she seemed unharmed and in good spirits, judging by her bright grin as she unloaded the bag. And damn was it good to actually see someone's face for once instead of those creepy masks.
"What time is it, anyway?" he asked casually. Hard to tell with no windows. The flickering candles and lanterns made him feel like he was constantly in the middle of the night, which didn't help his internal clock much.
"It's afternoon. I think maybe one thirty?" Ashido shrugged as she unwrapped the hamburger. She then paused, her smile fading as she looked at the burger, then him, then back at the burger.
"Finally realizing the awkwardness?" Fuse drawled.
"Yep. This is so awkward."
Hizashi took the opportunity to say, "You could just—"
"No." They didn't even let him finish the sentence, and he rolled his eyes but didn't try again. He was used to this song and dance now, the kids were hyper-paranoid of him. Frankly he'd rather not push his luck and get cubed again, even if Mime was currently outside. Poor kid had earned the break; he'd been there almost constantly since his Quirk was how they contained Hizashi.
Hopefully it was at least sunny outside, even if it was cold. Hizashi already kinda missed the sun.
...How long had it been since Shouta saw the sun?
With that, Hizashi's mood completely plummeted, shoulders sagging with a sigh. "We're still not untying you just because you're sulking," Fuse informed him bluntly, and the blond scowled.
"Wasn't trying to guilt you," he grumbled. "Just give me the burger already." Ashido seemed weirdly hesitant now, probably mindful of the awkwardness, so the dragon kid—Ryuu, as he'd learned—took the food. The feeding passed in silence, his mood dipping as his thoughts drifted to Shouta. He still had no idea how Shouta was doing now, whether he was okay or even getting fed regularly.
Fuck it. Wondering was going to just drive him mad, and he'd already gotten captured anyway.
"Hey, Ashido," he said after he finished eating, making her glance over. "You know Midoriya Izuku, right?"
Immediately the atmosphere in the room became tense and rigid, everyone snapping to attention. Ashido looked wary, but then said, "Yeah, I do."
"Then you know what he's up to, right?"
"Hey, hold on," Ryuu said. "The hell's going on here?" Hizashi's eyes flickered their way and narrowed.
"What, they don't know?" he quipped. Were these people connected to the Alliance or not?
"No, we know more than enough," Fuse responded, crossing his arms. "Tch, so you really did come here looking for the villain-kid bastard, huh..." That had Ashido's face hardening, whirling to glare at him.
"Don't call him that!" she snapped. "Mido's one of the nicest people ever!" That was highly defensive, but Hizashi also wanted to call bullshit on her.
"Nice people don't hold other people prisoner," he snapped. She leveled him with the most sour look possible, though she also looked highly conflicted. Her eyes flickered towards the other two, and Hizashi quickly understood the source of her hesitance. "How much do they actually know?"
Ashido seemed to be just as unsure, because she turned to look at them questioningly. "Do you really want us to answer that in front of him?" Fuse asked flatly, and her face relaxed a bit as she nodded. Dammit, why did they actually have to be smart about this? He'd hoped their answer would give him some information too.
"Yeah, good point. Okay, maybe we can go out and you can whisper to me?"
"Fine." They both stepped past the curtain, leaving Hizashi alone with Ryuu. He could faintly hear them talking, but couldn't make out words, much to his irritation.
"I really hope you guys know what's going on," he muttered to the dragon-masked kid, who remained pointedly silent. To make it worse, Hizashi then heard a familiar pair of chimes in his ear, again. Very faint, but further souring his mood.
Soon enough Ashido and Fuse returned, the pink girl sitting down in front of him. "Okay, they know all the super-important stuff," she announced. "But I'm not telling you anything!"
"And why not?" Hizashi challenged, meeting her glare with a stern glower of his own. "Kid, just to double-check, you do realize that Midoriya kid is Shigaraki's brother, right? Do you know who Shigaraki is?"
"Of course I do!" Ashido snapped. "And they're not actually brothers! He just got picked up by the Alliance for some reason when he was a kid!"
"Why is that, by the way?" Hizashi asked lightly, not expecting an answer but taking the opportunity to fish for information anyway. That had been one of the bigger questions after Midoriya's identification: why did Shigaraki get so attached to a Quirkless orphan?
"We don't know," Ashido groaned, throwing up her arms in exasperation, and hold on, she was actually answering? "We've been trying to figure that out from day one! It's so weird and creepy and wrong, but apparently they just play games together all the time? And Shigaraki totally hates heroes but he doesn't mind that Mido likes them, and even offered to watch All Might movies with him when he thought Mido was sick? Even if Mido said he looked like he'd rather swallow a bug, that's still insane!"
Wow. That told Hizashi a lot, and also nothing at all. "Why don't you ask Midoriya?"
She just made an aggravated sound and threw up her arms. "He's trying to figure it out too!" Wait, what?
"Ashido," Ryuu said before she could continue. "Uh, remember the audience, maybe...?" That had her freezing, eyes widening as she stared at Mic. Well, was nice while it lasted.
She bit her lip, clearly conflicted, but then whispered, "Screw it." She turned so her body directly faced him, meeting his gaze squarely. "Okay, you really want to know what's going on? We're actually all here from another dimension."
...Okay, Hizashi did NOT see that coming. "What?" he asked dumbly.
"Mido and I and a bunch of others are actually from another world where we all go to UA, because UA is still around there because there was never any super-awful massacre there! We're in Class 1-A with Aizawa-sensei, Eraserhead, and you teach English and All Might teaches heroics because he's not dead there!"
...Oh dear All Might, these kids were brainwashed. It was so obvious, there must be some sort of Quirk messing with her memories. Had they tortured Shouta to get information about UA? She knew his name, so obviously they'd gotten some information from him somehow. The thought had him swallowing down rising panic.
"I see," he said, keeping his voice level. "And you said All Might's alive and teaches at UA? Is he not as active as a hero anymore?"
"He was, but he's totally retired now after fighting this creepy guy who kidnapped Bakugou! Well, he didn't kidnap Bakugou," Ashido amended, "that was just Shigaraki, but he's like, the super-secret shadow leader of the League. Or was, until All Might beat him and sent him to Tartarus. The Villain Alliance aren't the Villain Alliance in our world, by the way, they're called the League of Villains."
Okay, a lot to unpack there, and all of it bad. "I'm guessing Bakugou's a classmate?" he asked. The name felt faintly familiar, but he'd think about that later. "Why did Shigaraki kidnap him?"
"Because when he won the Sports Festival he was super-mad because Todoroki didn't use his fire even though he used it in his match against Midoriya, so he was all angry and they had to chain him on the podium to get the medal!" What.
"Seriously?" Ryuu asked in surprise. "That's just messed up. And wasn't the UA Sports Festival broadcast on national television?"
"Yeah, that's how Shigaraki found out! So I guess he thought Bakugou would be angry at heroes and might be willing to join them or something? And they were totally wrong by the way," she added with a huff. "He's an asshole, but he's not a villain!"
"Yeah, sounds about right," Ryuu murmured with a nod. "Fuse can sound like an asshole, but he's definitely not a villain."
"I will hurt you," Fuse growled, before turning to Ashido. "Why'd he target one of your classmates though? Just because All Might worked at your school?"
"Yeah, probably?" Ashido shrugged. "Honestly, the League's been attacking UA since the start of the year. The field trip to USJ was just a giant disaster." Oh, so now UA was taking field trips to Universal Studios Japan in this fantasy? This would be funny if it wasn't so horrifying that she clearly believed this.
And worse: so did the others. They exchanged looks behind her back, but neither of them tried to to point out how crazy this all sounded. They didn't seem to have the memories Ashido did, but were they affected by this Quirk too, to believe her?
"Anyways!" she continued. "So All Might fights this freaky guy at Kamino, and he wins, but he got hurt really bad and used up his power! I don't know the full details, just that he had to retire and now looks like a skeleton all the time!" So now All Might could transform into a skinless form? That, or she was really understating the severity of his supposed injury in this fantasy. The fact she didn't see anything wrong with that description just spoke of the Quirk's power.
"Sounds painful," he commented mildly. "But uh, how did you get here, exactly?"
"We don't know!" she moaned. "One day we went to bed in the dorms—we had to build those after Bakugou got kidnapped, by the way—and then we wake up here! I had a school uniform I didn't recognize, and then Kiri came over but his hair was black instead of red because he never dyed it here because he never became super-manly here, and he didn't remember either—"
She stopped to take a deep, much-needed breath. "So I'm totally confused but go to school because I have no idea where anyone else is, but then I get a message from Uraraka on FacePage! Except that was like a day before she ran away which just sucked, and then Midnight-sensei came to question me but you probably know all about that, right?"
"...Yes." So whoever created this illusion knew Nemuri had taught at UA too. Not quite as surprising since Midnight was pretty popular in her heyday, and there'd been some debate about her teaching there.
Rather than continue Ashido stared at him for a moment, eyes narrowing. "...You don't believe me, do you," she finally said. Crap.
"No, no, I totally do!" Hizashi protested quickly. She obviously believed this, and he believed that she had these memories. He just didn't believe that it was real. "Come on, tell me more! What made you decide to run away?"
It wasn't working though. Ashido now looked like she'd sucked a lemon and like he'd kicked a puppy as she frowned at him. It was a weird combination and very effective at guilt-tripping him. "Screw it, I'm done," she declared, getting up. "Can't say I didn't try. I am not in the mood to go through another fight about this again!"
"No, no, no, don't go!" Hizashi protested. "You should stay and tell me—" He cut himself off as the last words suddenly sounded off, eyes briefly going wide before his head hung in dismay. "Shit."
"What?" one of the kids asked, but it sounded distorted and muffled. Hizashi scowled, wondering if he should even point this out since it would be exposing a potential weakness, but it was too late anyway.
"In case you kids didn't notice, I have hearing aids," he said briskly. "And one of them just died. The other one's probably gonna go any minute now." That had the kids all jolting in alarm, Ashido's face contorting with horror.
"What? Don't you have some kind of warning!?"
"Yeah, it beeps when the battery gets low. I've been hearing them for a couple hours now. But since this was supposed to be a quick day trip, I didn't bother bring the charger," he added dryly, shooting them a glare. He'd charged them before leaving, so he shouldn't have had to worry. "If anything, I'm surprised they lasted this long. I usually charge them every night."
"Wait, can you even hear without them?" Ryuu piped up, sounding faintly panicked.
"Yeah, I'm not totally deaf," he huffed. "You'll just have to talk more loudly." Contrary to popular belief, his Quirk actually didn't impact his hearing too much. His ears had some natural defenses towards it, otherwise he'd have deafened himself as a newborn. However, it wasn't a perfect defense, and his career choice hadn't helped much. Between his Quirk and listening to music pretty constantly, it had all started to take its toll.
It wasn't too bad yet thankfully, but right now? Inside an empty cement room where nearly every single surface tended to bounce sound? Yeah, this was a recipe for a migraine and a half.
"Well, you don't need to worry about me using my Quirk," he huffed. "I'm not going to risk it when I have trouble hearing myself clearly." The group exchanged looks at the remark, but he didn't care, just flopped onto his back with a sigh.
Captured by a bunch of teens who had been brainwashed by villains, and now his hearing was going. Yep, he was so screwed, and so were these kids. Fuck.
After talking to Uraraka and Todoroki, Izuku had a lot to think about. There was a lot to take in: the situation in Odawara with all the runaways, Mic-sensei, and most importantly, the newly confirmed existence of Porter. Their first actual lead on getting home, or at least figuring out how they got here.
But then there was the other revelation he'd had: they had no idea when this world diverged from their own. Team Storm Chaser had proved itself to be the anomaly that revealed it, namely through its roster. When they'd looked it up, the only deaths that seemed to remain the same from their world had been Veilance, who died when they were all infants, and Storm Chaser himself (and details were frustratingly scarce).
Cosmonaut had still perished in the line of duty, but in a large wildfire rather than an earthquake. Phoenix still died from a chronic illness, but at a later point in time. Noir meanwhile had received the same vague announcement about his sudden retirement that Shadesse had in their world... when they were three. So it wasn't even the same time frame that Shadesse had disappeared.
That was perhaps the biggest change of all: Shadesse was still alive and active. She wasn't a hero, but she participated in publicity events and the like. In their world, none of the core members remained. Both worlds still had Skylight, who operated largely in America, but he'd been a later addition to the team. For most of Izuku's life, he was more known for his own right than as a member of Team Storm Chaser.
Right now, the composition of Team Storm Chaser was the only divergence point they could solidly identify before All Might's death. When this world diverged might not matter much in the long run, but he couldn't help his curiosity over it. Especially since something had to happen to have All Might and All For One fight earlier.
As it stood though, there wasn't much they could do with this knowledge, or even to investigate. Where would they even start? Unless it was a major event, it probably wouldn't be obvious. They'd all been so young; it wasn't like they paid much attention to the world or news back then outside stuff related to All Might. It was pure luck that they even knew enough about Team Storm Chaser to notice the change.
So Izuku felt mildly frustrated when he returned to the Alliance's headquarters, still without seeing Aiko. He also hadn't found the secret notebook, which only added to his frustration. And with a quick visit to Shinsou resulting in asking Izuku to just give him space for the day after all, that made a total of three mysteries he couldn't solve right now.
Three mysteries to haunt his every thought.
It still bugged him when he went to visit Aizawa, finding his teacher fast asleep when he entered but the second sandwich gone. Izuku could have just taken the plate and left then, but instead he sat in the corner of the room. It felt reassuring and comforting to be in the same room as his teacher's counterpart, so he took the time to try to relax and focus on the last of the three mysteries.
Why was Shinsou so distant? He should be elated to have the muzzle off and be able to talk freely again, but instead he seemed even more defeated than before. He'd been curled up on his bed when Izuku visited him, hadn't even looked at him. What should have been a cause for celebration instead seemed to be the exact opposite, and just highlighted that something was wrong.
Izuku had said as much to Bakugou earlier, and the blond had suggested he'd made some deal. "They wouldn't just take that thing off for good behavior," he'd scoffed. "Shittyraki's paranoid as fuck about your safety, and Hijack's a fucking vigilante. If anyone would try to fake good behavior to escape, it's him. They must have made a deal, or have something on him, that makes them sure he won't do anything."
It made sense. Shigaraki wouldn't risk Izuku's safety unless he was absolutely certain Shinsou wouldn't do anything, and he doubted they'd reached that level of trust. It wasn't just his Quirk that made Shigaraki wary of him; otherwise Bakugou would still be stuck in those handcuffs, seeing as his Quirk posed a more immediate and physical threat.
No, what made Shinsou so dangerous was that he was a vigilante.
Just running away and living on the streets as a thirteen-year-old required a bit of skill and craftiness. You'd have to find food, shelter and supplies, avoid raising suspicion of police and shopkeepers—as well as avoid attention from villains. A homeless child made an easy target after all. Surviving as a vigilante on top of that took skills that average people lacked, and from what Izuku could tell, Shinsou was good.
His Quirk alone, while useful, wouldn't be enough to make any of that particularly easy. Brainwashing was actually fairly limited in many situations, especially when it was known. To use it effectively required being clever, and that made him much harder to predict than Bakugou.
Shinsou hadn't been captured purely as a "party member" for Izuku. He'd already been on the Alliance's radar for causing trouble and getting members arrested. None of them ever talked about it, but chances were the only reason he was captured rather than outright killed was because Shigaraki thought he'd be a good companion to Izuku.
So Shigaraki suddenly agreeing to remove the muzzle did make Shinsou a larger threat than he'd been before. Something was definitely up.
"The hell?"
Aizawa's bleary voice and subsequent hiss of pain had Izuku jolting in surprise, head snapping over to find his teacher had woken up. And upon noticing Izuku, he'd obviously jolted and jarred his bad leg. Yep. Cue instant guilt.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!" he apologized hastily as he hurried over. "Is your leg—"
"It's fine," Aizawa cut in before he could ramble. "I didn't shake it too bad this time. Just more sore than usual." He rubbed his eyes as he spoke, hissing under his breath. From his scowl, Izuku got the sense his dry eye was the more immediate source of pain. Times like these made him really wish he knew Aizawa's prescription so he could get him some eyedrops.
"Sorry again if I surprised you," Izuku reiterated. "I just..." He trailed off, not knowing how to finish it. What was he supposed to say, 'I just wanted to be around you while thinking about stuff because you're familiar?' That sort of thing could easily alarm Aizawa and just make him more wary of Izuku. Aizawa had made it rather clear he still didn't fully believe Izuku had no secret nefarious intentions.
Instead he asked, "Um, did you sleep better this time? Your leg didn't bother you as much?"
Aizawa sighed, shoulders sagging as he pulled his hand away from his eyes. "Yeah, I did," he confirmed quietly, and then paused, eyes catching on something behind Izuku. Immediately his expression became guarded as he muttered, "What's in the bag?"
Izuku felt a twinge of panic at Aizawa's sudden wariness up until he asked the question, at which point he perked up. "Oh! Right!" He turned and retrieved the bag he'd brought with him, having forgotten about it. "I had to go out for those errands I mentioned earlier, so I got you some magazines!"
He pulled out several magazines to carry over to Aizawa. "I thought you could use the entertainment, but like you said, books would be risky. These are thinner and easier to hide though, so I thought that would be better in the long run! And I think it works with the mittens, too, so that's another plus!"
"You're willing to let me read magazines?" Aizawa muttered incredulously, looking honestly stunned. "Aren't you worried about me reading news?"
That had Izuku deflating slightly. "Um, not really, but I also didn't get news magazines," he said, almost sheepish. "I figured that if they got found, those would get us both in trouble. So I got you these!" He fanned the magazines on the floor for Aizawa to see the covers. There was a nature magazine, one about films, another about literature, a technology magazine... And also two about cats. One with photos, and the other more cutesy and themed around a cartoon cat mascot.
Aizawa stared at the last two for a long moment before slowly raising his head to look at Izuku. "Cats?"
"You really seem to like Sushi," Izuku replied with a shrug. It had been hard to find magazines he thought Aizawa would enjoy that didn't feature current events. A vast majority were about fashion—which obviously, was not Aizawa's cup of tea. He was kinda surprised (and relieved) he'd found so many options at the convenience store.
Aizawa slowly turned his attention back to the magazines again. He seemed conflicted, eyebrows furrowing. "...Thank you," he finally muttered, and Izuku's heart twinged a bit at the slightly more formal wording. It was fairly obvious Aizawa had more he wanted to say, but was debating on actually saying it.
Still, Izuku didn't want to push. He was still trying to build trust with Aizawa, and to that end he asked, "Anyways, I'm here now, so do you want to listen to Present Mic's show now?" He'd asked on the chat if anyone had listened to it, and Jirou had confirmed that it had been normal. Nothing to suggest anything was wrong, not even a technical error like with last Friday's recording. Izuku didn't know when the backlog of pre-recorded shows would run out, but as long as they didn't, he'd play it for Aizawa.
Except the man seemed to be hesitant for some reason, looking conflicted again. "...Don't you want to hang out with the others?" he finally asked. "It's not even dinner time yet... Is it?" Izuku frowned.
"No, it's not."
"Then we can listen to it after dinner," Aizawa decided with a firm nod. "Spend time with the others instead. After all, that's the reason they're here, right? To keep you entertained." His voice took on a bitter note that had Izuku's frown growing, suppressing a wince.
"Th-that's not..." He trailed off, sighing. Yep, his relationship with Aizawa had definitely backtracked a bit at some point—and honestly, he wasn't sure he wanted to try to address it right now. He already had enough on his plate to unravel, so he didn't want to get into this particular debate with Aizawa now.
"Um, actually, I visited Kacchan first but he told me to just come here," he confessed. "I got him some magazines too, and he wanted to read them." The blond had all but kicked Izuku out of his cell, wanting to read the fashion magazines alone without worrying about Shigaraki overhearing him. With both parents involved in the industry, he could get rather... passionate about some designs.
"Right," Aizawa said. "And... the other one?" He hesitated on the last bit, deliberately choosing to not use Shinsou's codename. They had all noticed how Aizawa avoided calling Shinsou "Hijack" and only used it when absolutely necessary, usually preferring to just call him "kid" and other generic terms. He didn't have any problems with "Midoriya" or "Bakugou," so they'd concluded it was due to it being a codename.
Izuku's frown morphed into a grimace as he ducked his head. "He, uh, wanted to be alone," he muttered. He hesitated, not sure he wanted to give Aizawa more stress in an already stressful situation, but then decided, screw it. He needed advice, and now more than ever, there was no one he trusted as much as Aizawa. He looked up at his teacher and took a breath.
"Actually, he got the muzzle removed," he started, and saw Aizawa tense, eyes going wide. He didn't give the man a chance to respond as he quickly rambled on, "And it's great! He can finally talk again, and we can even have lunch or dinner together sometime! Except, he's... not happy. In fact, he seems like he's really upset about it? And it makes no sense, he should be excited! So..."
He trailed off, looking down at his lap miserably. "Something happened, but I don't know what. He won't tell me what it was, just says he wants to be alone, and I'm afraid to push him. I'm also afraid to ask Tomura or Kurogiri or anyone because they didn't tell me before, just that he had it removed and had some new rules like he can't talk to any of the grunts, and—"
"Midoriya," Aizawa cut in, and Izuku immediately clamped his mouth shut and looked at him. Aizawa had a heavy frown, brow furrowed and looking almost conflicted, but then his expression smoothed. "I... get that you're upset, but... You can't push him to talk if he's not ready. If... if he's upset, give him space. He's got enough going on. Let... let him make the first move."
The advice felt more stilted than Izuku was used to hearing from Aizawa, almost uncertain and doubtful as he continually paused. He seemed highly uncomfortable at the end, almost grimacing.
It all just reminded Izuku that this man wasn't his Aizawa.
He'd taught at UA, sure, but not for long; he lacked the experience that his Aizawa had. Eraserhead was an underground hero, someone who rarely interacted with civilians outside of the immediate aftermath of a rescue. He hadn't dealt with teenagers on a regular basis. Giving advice on this sort of thing, or anything really, probably wasn't something he had much experience with.
The reminder had Izuku swallowing down a lump in his throat as he slowly nodded. "Right... I guess you're right. Thanks, sensei." The title slipped out naturally, even if this wasn't his teacher, and he noticed Aizawa tense before giving a stiff nod. Izuku turned his attention to his phone as he asked, "Anyways, do you want to listen to Mic's show now?"
Aizawa huffed out a breath, shoulders slumping. "Sure, kid," he agreed tiredly, and Izuku quickly opened the site for Put Your Hands Up! Radio.
Notes:
Readers: "They should tell Mic the truth!"
Mic: "Oh crap, they're being brainwashed and think All Might is a skeleton."
Before anyone harps on Ashido TOO hard, I want to point out that Mic's already naturally geared to be suspicious towards them, especially since he knows the Alliance has Aizawa and can get information from him. The main reason they managed to convince Anjou is because Shouji met Porter, so she was already open to the idea. Yaoyorozu and Tokage would be just as suspicious as Mic if they knew about Izuku and Aizawa, since as Setsuna stated it was the details about him specifically that convinced them. Convincing Mic they're NOT being brainwashed or manipulated is an uphill battle.
Especially since Mic now has dead hearing aids. Totally forgot I gave him those and that they'd probably run out of battery. On that note, I have no idea when they start that "low battery" beep and how long is left until they run out of juice. Took a while to just find a video on what the beep would sound like. xD
...
In bigger news: we're now at 92, and on the way to Chapter 100. That is a HUGE milestone! So to celebrate:
For Chapter 100, I'm holding an art contest. Draw your favorite moment from Ignite!
Can be any moment that happened in the story (like Mic vs The Bird), or a hypothetical image like "the Ignite!Kids in Canon-land". You can choose one moment, or draw multiple scenes. Can be a single drawing or a comic. I'm open to anything and everything. The deadline is Chapter 100, and the prizes are an omake about anything you want, and/or you can give me a sentence and I have to incorporate it into the story. (Even if it's something like "That apple terrified him, and he hoped it wouldn't catch up to him anytime soon.") I'll decide on the number of winners (and also how we'll judge the contest) when the deadline comes closer.
You can submit entries to my account on Tumblr! Submission box is open to guests without accounts, too, so if you don't have an account, at least mention your username or some way to get in touch. If you have an account, you can also just post to your blog and tag me. Just send me an ask to let me know if you do, sometimes the tagging system on there can be a bit wonky.
Thank you so much for everyone's support so far! I still can't believe it's almost at 100 chapters. I hope you guys continue to enjoy this wild ride!
Chapter 93: Saturday Night Raid
Summary:
In which Midnight flirts with a creep and stages the setup to a cheap porn film as part of her job
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 93
.::Saturday Night Raid::.
"Are you sure you're fine?" Nedzu asked.
" Positive," Nemuri replied crisply, gaze focused on the road. It was eleven at night and she was driving on a largely empty country road with only her car's headlights to illuminate the way, her boss's voice coming out of the car speakers.
"You're under a lot of stress," he commented almost idly. He was only a voice on the phone so Nemuri couldn't see his expression, but she could hear the concern in his tone, faint and masked as it was. "There's still time to adjust the plan. I understand if you want to focus on the search for Present Mic."
Just the reminder had her stomach twisting in knots. The search had barely started but it already became clear that Hizashi wouldn't be found today, his cell phone's history taking him around several chunks of Kantou, Chuubu, and Kansai regions. With him missing, that made two missing kouhai. Given Nemuri had started with three adorable kouhai before her graduation, and had also recently lost Ochako, having him go missing was just the icing on a very shitty cake.
Still, she kept a strong face, even as she had a death grip on her steering wheel. "We've been working on tracking this group for months now, and we've put a full month into planning this raid," she said firmly. "I might not work in the field as much these days, but I'm still a Pro Hero. I know how to keep my priorities in order. If I back out now, you'll need to reorganize all the plans, and people will potentially be left to suffer even longer."
"Very well." If Nedzu was pleased by her decision, he didn't make it too obvious, tone deliberately neutral with his characteristic cheerful undertones. "As long as you're certain this won't hinder your performance."
" It won't," Nemuri promised. "These bastards need to go down."
The targets were a group of thieves who had become increasingly notorious, even if they never made the news. They were discreet compared to most villains, targeting warehouses, corporations and factories after hours to minimize witnesses and publicity. It had taken months to determine just descriptions of who might be involved, because they had a way of disabling cameras and would kill witnesses.
The murders had been enough to get serious attention from police and Pro Heroes.
More recently though, they had been suspected to be preparing to branch into human trafficking.
Nemuri didn't know the specifics of how they'd reached that conclusion; she hadn't participated in the investigation, and had been brought on towards the end for the actual raid. All that mattered were that they'd determined the thieves would be meeting with another group strongly suspected to be involved in international human trafficking. The details shared in the initial briefing had her skin crawling, and she knew that nothing would stop her from making sure both groups went down.
And now, here she was, heading to the rendezvous point alongside Snipe. Dressed not in her famous costume as Midnight, but instead, a long trench coat and thigh-high boots.
Just a trench coat and thigh-high boots.
"I guess it's at least more convenient for your Quirk," Snipe commented wryly.
"It really is!" Nemuri gushed, wrapping her arms over her chest as she wiggled her hips with a gleeful smile. "I was so disappointed when the Commission made me switch to that bodysuit! It's so good to go back to the original roots of Midnight!"
"Guess the one good thing about being out of the public eye is that you can get away with that kinda stuff," Snipe huffed. "Actually surprised you got away with that in high school."
"Oh, I have my ways," Nemuri replied with a wink, and left it at that. "Anyways, enough small talk for now. We're almost there."
"Right," Snipe muttered and their pace slowed, taking in their surroundings. The group had holed up in the back of a bakery on the end of a largely empty strip of stores facing several rundown office buildings. The whole area was shabby and rundown, the kind of place that had people wary of visiting after dark. No one was out at this hour, only a few windows lit up. Even the streetlamps flickered, one completely dark.
They'd done a few checks of the street in advance, spent hours memorizing the layout of the area, and as they neared the final corner they came to a complete halt. "This is where we split up," Snipe said lowly. "I'm gonna get in position. You sure you're good to go solo from here?"
"Please, this isn't my first rodeo, cowboy." Nemuri flashed a coy smirk, making him give another huff. "We've done all the research on these guys, this should be fine. Just give me five minutes after I actually go in the back if I don't give you the signal." He nodded and headed off, leaving Nemuri to continue onwards alone around the corner.
The empty strip mall looked even more desolate at night. Of the shops that weren't empty, only the bakery had the lights on, the windows radiating a yellow glow that felt more sickly than warm. While it had a sign saying "Open" on the glass door, the tables were empty and no one stood behind the counter. That wasn't a surprise; their research indicated the bakery made more sales doing deliveries than customers visiting, which worked better for the heroes.
A bell rang when Nemuri pushed open the door, an automated chime that felt more at home at a convenience store than a bakery. The interior wasn't exactly cozy or homey, either. The cheap lighting gave everything an almost artificial feeling, the orange walls feeling almost dreary and suffocating, and the off-white tile flooring feeling dirty. At least the counter looked clean.
It only took about a minute for a skeevy looking man to emerge from the back, face twisting with disdain as he eyed her. She recognized him instantly from the briefing as a member of the trafficking group that had set up shop here. The name escaped her, but she recognized his arms, which had a silver tint compared to his face. Vertical lines ran the length of his arms, up to the point the silver ended at his wrists. She couldn't see his legs over the counter, but she knew they had a similar covering.
Steel Wraps, the briefing had called it. That silver material could actually peel away from his arms—though not completely detach—and be manipulated freely. Despite being just as hard and metallic as you'd expect of something with that sort of sheen, they were incredibly flexible. Which made them great for restraining victims.
They wouldn't protect him against Somnambulist though.
"Can I help you?" he asked gruffly, clearly displeased at having to deal with anyone, and Nemuri heaved a large sigh.
"Got anything sweet and warm to help mend a broken heart on a chilly night?" she asked melodramatically, and the man snorted.
"Lady, this is a bakery, not a bar," he said dryly.
"I know, but I'm not going to any of the skeevy dives around here," Nemuri replied with a snort and eye roll. "And like I said, it's cold. Do you have any idea how little a trench coat does to protect against the cold?"
The snarky quip had the man's attention, finally glancing down to notice her noticeably bare legs between the hem of the coat and her boots. She could see the moment he clocked onto the fact she likely wore nothing underneath, his eyes flickering with interest though he kept his expression largely neutral. "Didn't think to check the forecast or something?"
"Didn't think it would matter. I was expecting to spend a nice, warm night with my boyfriend. Just found out I was the other woman instead." Nemuri scoffed and folded her arms with a scowl. "Bastard didn't even have me at a love hotel, it was the ratty place he shared with his actual girlfriend. Guess he thought she was staying the night at a friend's or something."
The man let out a low whistle. "Guessing she wasn't too happy?"
"She walked in on us and went ballistic," Nemuri confirmed with a huff. "Can't blame her, I wanted to claw out the bastard's eyes too," she dug her fingers against her arm, and noted how the brief movement drew his gaze to her manicure, "but of course she focused on me like I knew about it too. Got kicked out into the cold and barely had time to grab my coat and shoes."
"Shoes," the man repeated with a faint smirk as he eyed her thigh-high boots.
"I was expecting a sexy night, okay!" Nemuri snapped irritably. "I wasn't expecting to get kicked out in the middle of it! Hell, it wasn't even the middle! We didn't get past the freaking foreplay before the door suddenly opened and killed the mood!" She threw up her arms in disgust and irritation, the perfect picture of a woman who had a lot of pent-up... frustration, so to speak.
"Yeah, yeah, that'd definitely suck," the guy muttered, seeming more amused than sympathetic to her supposed plight. "So, follow-up question, why don't you just call a cab and go home? Why come here?"
Nemuri let her arms fall to her sides with an exasperated groan. "I would, but my phone's still back in that shithole, and no way I'm going back right now. That bitch was literally breathing fire when I ran out."
"Damn," he whistled.
"I know, right?" She rolled her eyes. "So yeah. I'm gonna give her a bit to chill out so she doesn't turn me into ashes on sight. Who knows? Maybe after she roasts that son of a bitch she'll be reasonable enough to let me help her bury the body."
"How long do ya think it'll take for her to calm down?"
"Not sure. Probably at least half an hour." She paused then, turning to look at him almost speculatively—and very obviously.
Now, these people? They liked easy targets, particularly women for obvious (and disgusting) reasons. That was why Nemuri had chosen this specific approach, playing up the role of a jilted lover to its fullest. A woman who'd been kicked out of her boyfriend's place in a part of town she clearly didn't frequent, largely nude and without even her phone to call for help.
In other words, a perfect target.
She saw the man stiffen as her eyes roved over his body, noting some more details. Heavier muscles under his uniform shirt than you'd expect of a simple bakery employee, and that uniform was too tight to hide a switchblade or other weapon. Not that he'd probably expect to need one with his Quirk. Had he not been a disgusting scumbag, she might have found him attractive.
Her lips curved into a coy smirk, making it clear she liked what she saw. Nemuri leaned forward on the counter, crossing her arms so they'd rest under her chest as her eyes returned to his face. As expected, his eyes were riveted on the small bit of cleavage visible around her collar. "Say, any chance you've got a break coming up anytime soon?" she purred.
Getting into the back room was laughably easy after that.
The guy had absolutely planned to use her as an easy mark, leading her down a hall to a "storage room" because that would be much better than going out into the cold. No doubt this "storage room" contained many of his cohorts. They knew the building had a basement where they'd likely do most of their business, and her job was to get there and kick off the raid with a nice, big cloud of Somnambulist. Absolute best case scenario, they would all be there and she could take them all out in one go, ending the raid in an instant.
Of course, they knew it wouldn't be that easy. Nemuri was simply the first wave, to try to take out as many as possible. Snipe would play her backup, either following if she didn't come out in time, or else joining the second wave as her direct support. His costume's gas mask made him one of the few who could resist her Quirk's effects without needing other special gear.
In the meantime, other Pros would also start to sneak inside to search for any victims and get more accurate information for the second wave. Nemuri could already tell that some of them had started their own infiltrations, mainly because she caught a glimpse of red phasing through a wall in her peripheral vision. It was brief, but she pegged it as Lemillion's cape immediately.
Luckily her "host" hadn't noticed, too focused on talking her up. She smirked as he wiggled his eyebrows in what she supposed he thought looked sexy and alluring, which it absolutely wasn't. She played along though, pretending his pickup lines weren't lame as hell. Seriously, she'd seen teenagers with better lines than this guy.
He finally opened a door to reveal... an empty storage room. "Ladies first," he purred.
"Ooh, a man with manners, huh?" she teased, swaying past him while quickly analyzing the space. No one around, just shelves and boxes of ingredients and equipment. Damn, did this guy think this was an actual hookup? Looks like she might have to change plans already and use her Quirk now.
The guy didn't follow right away though, and she glanced back to see him standing in the doorway scowling at something down the hall. Or rather, someone, she realized as he began talking lowly. "What're you doing?" he hissed in annoyance.
"Better question is what are you doing?" a lazy voice replied. Male, not too deep, not that it helped narrow down who it might be. "How long does it take to sell a cupcake or whatever?"
"Just, go back! I'll be down in a bit!"
"What, got company?" Nemuri asked, hand on her hip. Her "host" stepped back as another man stepped into sight, head turning to glance at her. Gray hair in classic one-eye-covered emo hairstyle and a matching eye, and notably not wearing the bakery's uniform shirt. Not someone from the trafficking group, but she recognized that he matched the description of one of the thieves they'd been investigating originally. They still had no idea on his Quirk though, which could be a problem.
He eyed her up and down before turning back to the trafficker, looking rather unimpressed. "Seriously?" he drawled.
"What?" the other guy said with a shrug. "Look, we've got time tonight. Gimme half an hour, okay?"
"Bold to assume you'll last that long," Nemuri snorted.
"Sweetie, I know I can," he huffed. The newcomer just watched the exchange blankly, nose wrinkling with slight disgust.
"You know this goes against the rules," he grumbled. "The others are gonna be pissed when they find out." Nemuri saw a chance and stepped forward.
"Who says your bosses or whoever have to know?" she purred, letting her eyes trail over his body. Lanky build and baggy clothes, no obvious sign of his Quirk, and hard to tell if he had any weapons. Better to take him out as soon as possible, and two would be better one. She jutted her hip to the side and slid one leg out so that the front of her trench coat would shift enough to highlight the bare skin. "You're not that bad looking either. What do you say? I think there's room for one more."
Gray-hair emo just turned to stare at her, eyebrows furrowing ever so slightly. Though he didn't say anything, she could tell exactly what he was thinking:
I did not sign up to watch or join a porno.
"Know what, knock yourself out," he said after a second, turning back the original creep. "I'm heading out." That had Nemuri snapping to attention, and the other guy as well, face quickly screwing with irritation.
"The hell you mean, you're heading out?" he demanded harshly. "You can't just leave! We're just getting started—"
"Hey, guys!" emo shouted, turning to face the way he'd come. "Haru brought a chick to the closet up here to bang!" Nemuri could hear a stampede of footsteps rushing up stairs from the basement, estimating at least three people coming up.
"Seriously?" original creep hissed, and emo smirked.
"Like I said, knock yourself out," he said, clapping Haru on the shoulder before brushing past him towards the front of the store. More people in the bakery's uniform appeared, looking rather irritated at their colleague.
"Are you kidding me, Haru?" one of them snapped. "For the last time, if you find an easy mark, just bring them to the fucking basement! It's fucking common sense! You have no idea what kind of powers these chicks have!" They weren't even trying to be subtle anymore, apparently confident in their numbers' ability to subdue Nemuri if she panicked or tried anything.
Too bad that those numbers were exactly what she wanted.
By the time they actually glanced at her, she'd already opened her trench coat to expose herself and let the violet mist roll off her skin. Her flasher-esque trench coat costume in high school hadn't just been a style choice, it had been practical. With only a thick belt slung over her hips and panties to cover anything, her skin had absolutely no obstructions to block her Quirk. It spread quickly, and the men all sucked in sharp breaths of surprise.
"Nighty night, boys," she cooed as they collapsed unconscious, pulling out her earpiece from her belt. She tapped a button to turn it on before inserting it into her ear, and then pulled out handcuffs and zip ties to restrain them. "Four down. Had to take down group in back hall, don't know how many are still active in basement. Currently working on restraining them, but don't know if anyone heard. Hall is now full with the aroma, but it's already clearing out."
"Copy that," Snipe's voice crackled. "I'm coming in."
"Can you identify them?" Nighteye's voice added.
"Can't remember names, but Quirks are Steel Wrap, Pocket Space, Liquid Armor and Dinosaur Morph." The last two had been noted as heavy hitters in the briefing. Liquid Armor could create a surprisingly strong liquid armor that made it difficult to deal any damage, and Dinosaur Morph could, well, morph parts of the body to match the equivalent part on a dinosaur. Which included sharp claws and talons, very thick and powerful muscles, and even horns and spikes on various body parts.
Still, they were far from the only heavy hitters, and she could already hear footsteps rushing up stairs from an open door down the hall. The mist from her Quirk had already started dissipating, so she didn't know how effective it would be on whoever came up. Fortunately she didn't have to worry too much, because at the same moment the person emerged so did Snipe, the gunslinger bursting into the hall and shooting the man in the leg.
From there, the raid kicked into full gear. More heroes flooded the building, the ones who'd already infiltrated like Lemillion directing them to points of interest. Nemuri and Snipe withdrew to wait outside, since many of her colleagues couldn't equip their costumes with gas masks. Instead they helped take out stragglers who escaped, and assisted the police with apprehended villains and victims as they were brought out.
The next hour passed in a rush like that. At one point three villains managed to get into a delivery truck parked behind the bakery, forcing Snipe to shoot out the tires and causing it to careen into a wall. Nemuri meanwhile had to use her Quirk to sedate not just some particularly rowdy villains, but also one poor woman who had a panic attack after being rescued and brought outside.
The entire scene was just hectic, and by the end of the raid Nemuri felt exhausted. Still, when she saw a flicker of movement and turned her head to see someone rushing around a corner at the end of the street, she immediately moved to pursue. It could be a curious civilian, or could be a straggler who'd managed to sneak past in the chaos and was making an escape. Either way, investigation was needed.
She turned the corner just in time to see the person disappear into an alley, seeming to confirm the latter. Nemuri pushed herself harder as she raced after them, knowing that if they cut through to another street it would become harder to find them. There would be too many directions for them to go—
She skidded to an abrupt stop when she reached the alley to find someone waiting. The alley had no lights but it still took only a second to recognize it as the gray-haired emo thief from earlier, leaning casually against the wall with hands in his pockets. "Yo," he greeted with a nod. "Glad you caught up, Midnight."
Immediately Nemuri went on guard. Completely unknown Quirk, confident demeanor, waiting for her after deliberately luring her over. Even worse, he wore something dark over his mouth that she just knew was a respirator mask, even if she couldn't see it clearly. He already called her name, so he obviously recognized her despite being out of the spotlight and her usual costume. This screamed trap.
As if sensing her thoughts he spoke up. "No, it's not a trap. I just want to talk." Her first instinct was to make a snappy quip expressing her doubt, but then a thought suddenly popped into her head.
"You're Blank Slate, aren't you?" she asked, and the man dipped his head in affirmation.
"Yep, in the flesh. Good job guessing." He lightly clapped in applause, the sound dampened by his gloves. She couldn't tell if it was meant to be mocking or not. "Usually people need me to actually say it out loud to confirm it, and even then it's hit or miss if they recognize the name. Never had someone guess on our first direct interaction."
"Well, I've heard plenty about you," Nemuri huffed, still eying him warily. Direct, he—they?—said. That meant they'd probably seen each other before, but she hadn't known. That was the thing about Blank Slate: no one knew who they were, their Quirk, their alignment, anything. She couldn't even be sure of their gender, because reports tended to vary.
They were by far one of the most mysterious figures in the underworld, someone who only a handful knew they had encountered. All anyone knew was that they tended to infiltrate villain gangs under a variety of guises. The Heroes didn't even have a solid motive for the times they had identified Blank—and sometimes, they couldn't even tell what exactly Blank had done.
Nemuri herself only knew about them because Shouta had been the one to pick up on their existence, and had dedicated a good chunk of time to investigating them. If he hadn't noticed a pattern in some encounters, she had to wonder if anyone would know of Blank's existence. They usually only got identified by people who caught up to them during an escape and knew about Blank. Only a handful of exceptions existed, the most prominent being when they spoke to Hizashi over the summer to ask about Shouta.
The thought had Nemuri's gaze hardening, finally getting an inkling to why they had singled her out. After all, this trench coat was the exact same one she'd worn as her costume back in high school—including that ill-fated internship with Shouta. "Is this about Eraserhead?" she demanded sharply.
"Yeah, just curious if you've found any signs of him yet," they confirmed. She should have known. Shouta held the record for encounters with Blank by the sheer fact he was the only one who knew the signs, and Blank seemed to be interested in him as a result. "I don't expect you to share developments if there are any, but there's some interesting rumors in the underworld lately."
"Like what?"
"That he spent the last six months or so as a trophy of some two-bit gang before they got wiped out," Blank replied bluntly, apparently not one to mince words. At least they didn't try to make it sound casual and friendly; Nemuri would have been pissed given the topic at hand. "Good news is he's still alive."
"Any chance you know where he is?" she asked briskly, and Blank paused, seeming to study her for a moment. Nemuri knew her response likely revealed she already knew about it, but she didn't care to play this coy game of back and forth. Not when she could get information.
"Don't have a location to give, if that's what you're asking," they finally said. "Sorry about that. The Alliance is notoriously hidden, and any sudden moves will have them packing up and relocating. One wrong move, and they're gone. And no guarantee they'll leave the prisoners alive." That had her fists clenching and teeth grinding ever so slightly. So even if they had the location, any rescue attempts would be incredibly risky. "But my sources do say he's alive at least."
"And what, being tortured or interrogated?" she muttered darkly.
"Not exactly," Blank replied with a small huff, sounding darkly amused. "So turns out Shigaraki's upbringing left him with some... weird ideas of what makes a good present."
Nemuri couldn't hold back a groan at the implications. "Dammit, he really was captured as a gift," she grumbled to herself, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. They'd gathered as much from Lady of the Night's read on the poster Hizashi signed for Shigaraki's brother, but not much else. At least, not that had been reported to Nemuri yet.
"Fortunately, he shouldn't be in any serious danger," Blank continued. "No torture or crazy plans for him. There's an active order for Alliance grunts to leave Eraser alone or face Shigaraki's wrath for upsetting his brother, so no risk of anyone with a grudge doing something unless they're genuinely suicidal. Some people have been griping about it."
"Still doesn't guarantee he's okay." From the sounds of it, Shouta's life currently lay in the hands of Shigaraki's brother, who they still knew next to nothing about. All they had were old accounts of Midoriya Izuku being nice and a hero fan, but that had been eight years ago, half the boy's life. Living with villains was sure to twist him somehow. "Do you know anything about Shigaraki's brother?"
"All that's known on the streets is that the kid's not involved with Alliance business, and Shigaraki's very protective of him," Blank replied with a lofty shrug. "Word is he's basically just a civilian, not really involved in business. Shigaraki seems to go out of his way to keep him out of it, so not many people know him. At the very least though, he's not a sadist," they added. "So as I said, no serious danger."
Blank pushed off the wall, making Nemuri briefly stiffen in anticipation of an attack. "I just wanted to pass that on in case you weren't aware. I only joined those thieves to get intel on that trafficking group, but your side clearly has it all under control. Break a spine or two for me, would you?"
"Bit violent, don't you think," Nemuri remarked, eyes narrowing.
"Human traffickers aren't exactly deserving of leniency," Blank retorted. "Believe me, if I hadn't recognized you..." They trailed off, and Nemuri felt an involuntary shiver at their dark tone. Something told her "Haru" had come very close to something worse than a simple arrest.
That had something else clicking in her head. Every now and then, they'd bust up human trafficking operations to find at least one member severely beaten. More than one had their spines broken almost strategically, rendering them unable to ever walk again, and none could tell who had done it. They'd claim ignorance on their attacker, just saying that they felt a sharp pain in their backs before passing out and waking up paralyzed.
Well, looks like Nemuri might have finally found one of Blank's motivations for infiltrating villain groups.
"Anyways, that's all I wanted to say," Blank continued casually, turning to continue walking down the alley. "Mic seemed pretty frantic when I asked about Eraserhead, so be sure to pass it on to him."
Nemuri's stomach flipped at the reference to Hizashi, jarred by the reminder of his current predicament. More importantly though, Blank's comment made it clear they didn't know he was missing. That meant whoever had taken Hizashi prisoner hadn't spread word yet—or at the very least, Blank hadn't heard about it from their sources.
"Has the Alliance kidnapped any other heroes?" she asked. Blank paused, turning to glance over their shoulder at her.
"Not unless it just happened in the last twenty-four hours. Sincerely doubt it though, capturing heroes isn't the Alliance's normal style." Nemuri's teeth grit at the reminder. If Hizashi had met them, there very likely wouldn't be a body, given Shigaraki's Quirk. The fact Shouta had been spared rather than killed on the spot was practically a miracle. "Should you really be telling me someone's missing though?"
"You don't even know who it is."
Blank hummed and nodded. "Fair enough. Guess I'll be on the lookout for missing heroes. I hope you find this person before I do though," they mused as they turned forward. "Outside of raids like this, I typically don't find heroes in pleasant circumstances."
Before Nemuri could even think of how to reply to that, Blank vanished. Just flickered and then blinked out of sight, making her startle and look around wildly. The alley was empty, not a trace remaining that anyone had ever been there, and she scowled before turning to head back. Searching for Blank wouldn't matter right now; she had no idea where they went, and the raid took overall priority.
For now, she headed back to the bakery, tapping her earpiece to turn on the mic. "This is Midnight. I just ran into Blank Slate. They infiltrated the thieves with intent to investigate the traffickers. They were that guy with the gray emo hair."
"Thank you for the heads up," Nighteye said. "I assume they escaped?"
"Yeah. I'll give a full report later, just giving the heads up. Heading back now." She tapped it again to turn off her mic as she returned to the bakery. She got barely anything out of that encounter, and was no closer to knowing if Hizashi was even alive, but she could think about that later. For now, she had some traffickers to capture.
Meanwhile on a nearby rooftop, Blank Slate seemed to flicker into existence, the gray-haired man frowning as he watched Midnight walk away. As she vanished from sight he turned and walked away from the ledge. "She's gone, Onryo," he called almost lazily. "You can come out."
"Good." He turned to see a woman now standing by the stairwell. She wore a dark catsuit, with forest green hair pulled into a high ponytail, and had a long black, tube-shaped bag slung across her back. Her mouth pulled into a sour scowl as she grumbled, "Did you really have to lure a hero over here?"
"Sorry, couldn't really talk too close to the place without other heroes hearing about it." Blank shrugged, crossing his arms with a sigh. "I expected the heroes would pick up on the little 'slips' I made with those thieves, but they were faster than I expected. I thought we'd at least have a day or two before they'd show up. Guess we don't need to shadow those bastards like we planned."
"Yeah, they should be able to take care of it from here," Onryo commented. "Tracking down shady connections is one of the things that Commission is actually good at. Why'd you want to talk to that woman, anyway? Was she actually a hero?"
"Yeah, Midnight. Just wanted to tell them Eraserhead's alive so they can relax."
"Eraserhead, huh," Onryo repeated thoughtfully. "So they know he's trapped with the Alliance now? Should be interesting to watch how the heroes react to that."
"Just don't mention that next time you go to the bar," Blank snorted, lifting a cardboard box to reveal a phone. "Really don't want them to figure out it was me."
"You mean you don't go with a different face every time?" Onryo asked wryly, and he snorted again while tapping out a text.
"Nah. I cycle through a couple, but it's hard to make connections when you have a different face every time." He pressed send and glanced over. "By the way, have you heard anything about any other missing heroes in the past couple days?"
"Nothing on the news or from my contacts, not that I have many," Onryo said with a frown. "Did Midnight mention someone else?"
"Yeah, but didn't give a name. I get the sense it must have happened pretty recently."
"You'd be better off asking Karasu than me. I don't really do much networking beyond the people he sets me up with. I only go to that bar because it's the only place I can get a drink where I don't have to worry about running into someone I used to know."
"Already planning on it," Blank replied, just as a response arrived. A few seconds later an inky black vortex opened next to them. "And there's our exit." Onryo's eyebrows rose at the portal.
"Not sparing any expenses tonight, I see," she said. "Don't expect me to chip in for this. I don't feel like charging you the regular fee since I didn't actually work tonight, so just cover this and we'll call it even."
"A woman who actually cares about honor, huh?" Blank mused with a smirk. "I like that. Pretty refreshing to see after dealing with crooks all the time."
"I'm not interested in sex or romance right now," Onryo declared flatly as she strode forward, and Blank nearly stumbled in shock.
"H-hey, I wasn't—I'm not hitting on you!" he sputtered as he jogged after her into the portal. Any further comments were cut off as he entered and it closed behind him, leaving an empty rooftop with no traces anyone had ever been there.
Notes:
Blank Slate was first referenced appeared way back in Chapter 10, and has been referenced a grand total of three times, but now FINALLY appears in person!
To my fellow writers: writing a 100% original raid is trickier than I expected. So many more aspects to planning it than just regular fight scenes. Special thanks to the discord server for giving me some ideas on hideouts that AREN'T abandoned warehouses, and also for helping me brainstorm the name Steel Wraps. (Related: if you guys remember me asking about how a "morph into any dinosaur" Quirk would actually work, this is why I suddenly asked.)
Also, Midnight wearing a flasher trench coat, belt and thigh-high boots is actually her canon costume from high school. As much as I find her main costume to be super impractical and uncomfortable looking, I just love the fact she used a flasher trench coat as her costume and find it so hilarious.
Question for next time: what are some of the more memorable original raids you've seen in fan fiction? (As in, NOT a standard variation of the Shie Hassaikai raid to rescue Eri.)
Chapter 94: Wake-up Call
Summary:
Ashido vents about maybe messing up with Mic, and makes an important discovery at the end.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 94
.::Wake-up Call::.
Sundays. Sundays still seemed to be cursed in this world, because yet again Mina found herself just bored. She had access to a whole network of runaways, had a bunch of friends from her world here now, they literally had kidnapped a teacher, and she was still bored.
Everyone was just so busy right now! Half her friends were off in other cities searching for that Porter guy, Kaminari and Jirou had to study (bleh), Midoriya was stuck with villains and all that jazz... Meanwhile, right now, Mina had no tasks of her own. The runaways had guard duty for Mic perfectly handled, and she still felt kinda guilty and awkward after yesterday.
...Yeah, she might have screwed up yesterday.
"Just, was telling him the truth a bad move?" she wondered aloud. She sat on a tree stump outside the tunnel where Mic was being held, venting to a couple of the runaways taking breaks from guard duty. "I mean, I was trying to do the right thing, but... I don't know."
"Well, I mean, it's kinda unbelievable," remarked a younger blue-haired girl named Navi, peeling the wrapper of a granola bar. "It's super crazy, y'know? Other worlds? It's like... Woosh." She spread her free hand as she talked, and then took a big bite of the granola bar, her words muffled as she continued, "Ipff jush inshane!"
"Navi, please don't talk with your mouth full," Shiozaki reminded the girl, getting a muffled "sorry!" while she turned her attention back to Mina. "But Navi isn't wrong. We, too, felt sincere doubt and concern when Yuki-kun first told us his plight."
"Mostly the part with him looking for a villain," Navi added after swallowing.
"Yes, that was rather concerning," Shiozaki agreed with a nod, which got a snort from Fuse—or should Mina say, Awase from 1-B. She had actually recognized him because he'd visited Yaomomo at the hospital after the summer camp disaster. Even in this world, the guy had a thick headband for his spiky black hair, though it might have a different pattern? She was pretty sure it wasn't blue and white plaid back home.
"I'll say," he said. "I haven't even met the guy, but the stories about him were spreading like wildfire before that big show Nettmegg put on. Everyone was convinced the guy was brainwashed or something."
"Yeah, he sounded super crazy even to me!" Navi piped up before taking another bite of her granola. Whatever she said next was incomprehensible with her mouth full.
"Yeah, Todoroki's, uh, not the best with talking to people," Mina said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. She had been vaguely aware of this before, but the full scope had become much clearer since getting stuck with him in this world. Hard to believe she'd ever thought of him as a stoic "ice prince" kind of guy after all the things she'd seen and heard here. "I think he was kinda sheltered...?"
"Yeah, I'd expect that from Endeavor's kid," Awase huffed. "Still, guy had us all paranoid as hell. Heck, I only believe it now because Rogue told us, and that guy never bullshits us."
"Well, now Mic-sensei's gonna be super paranoid too," Mina groaned, shoulders slumping dejectedly. "Because I suck at explaining this stuff too."
"Yeah, yesterday was, uh, kinda messy," Awase muttered, grimacing slightly, which just had her groaning even more loudly.
"I just, I don't get it!" she whined. "I explained it to An-chan and Kiri and Kumiko just fine, but not this time! This time I totally bombed it!"
"Nettmegg was already aware of the possibility thanks to Shouji's request, though," Shiozaki reminded her. "And I recall Tsuyu-san mentioning you also had some information that convinced Kirishima specifically."
"Yeah, I did," Mina relented with a sigh. "Maybe I should've waited for others to be there to help back me up..." And maybe they still could, when they got back. Mic-sensei's hearing aids were dead, so they'd have to use writing or something instead though, which might take longer... But it's not like he was going anywhere, right?
As she considered it Awase balled up his now-empty granola bar wrapper, tossing it into a nearby trash bag they'd set up. "Honestly, for what it's worth, not sure it would have made a difference to have others," he said. "Actually, it might spook him even more."
"What do you mean?" Mina asked with a frown.
"Think about it. The only folks from your world who are currently in Odawara are Todoroki and Uraraka, right?" Mina nodded. "So you've got Endeavor's missing son, and some rich heiress who's probably got a bunch of heroes looking for her."
"...Definitely has a bunch of heroes," she said, paling a bit as she remembered the visit about her. "Midnight-sensei is her tutor in this world."
"Who?" They all looked at her blankly.
"She's a hero who teaches us at UA. I think she and Mic-sensei are super-tight, so they're probably super-tight here, too. So he'd totally know about Ura-chan running away." While Mina spoke Navi pulled out her phone and made a choking noise.
"Wait, is your teacher a dominatrix on the side?" she blurted, and Shiozaki leaned over her shoulder and reared back with a sharp gasp.
"Oh my! That's so scandalous!"
"She's the R-Rated Hero," Mina said. "So, uh... Probably." It certainly matched up with Midnight's personality.
"...Wait. Does she dress like a dominatrix at school?" They were all staring at her again, and Mina could only shrug. In retrospect, probably a weird hiring decision for a high school. Especially since she helped referee the first year students' Sports Festival.
"Well, anyways," she said, dropping the topic. "She talked to me after Ura-chan ran away. So they already know there's a connection between us. And since they probably know it's connected to Mido-chan, I guess it'd look even more suspicious."
"Mido-chan?" Navi repeated in confusion. "Do you mean Tsu-senpai?"
"Oops, I meant Midoriya," Mina replied sheepishly. Right, Tsuyu used Midori as a codename in this world. "He's the guy from our class who's stuck with the Villain Alliance."
"Yeah, that's the other point that doesn't help in your favor," Awase said. "The second Mic made that connection, convincing him was an uphill battle. Especially with that Eraserhead guy. Pretty sure that thing he said about 'holding people prisoner' was specifically about him."
"Yeah, we kinda figured the Pros found out about Aizawa-sensei by now," Mina agreed with a sigh. At least they had confirmation now?
"If this Eraserhead guy taught at UA, it'd probably be easier to think any stuff you knew about it came from him," Navi piped up. "I mean, didn't we think something similar was going on with Todoroki's memories?"
"Yeah, we figured they were all planted by villains," Awase said with a snort. "Either Gentle Criminal, or someone else, since his goal was to go after him."
"His goal was Tokoyami, not that Gentle Criminal guy!" Mina countered.
"Same difference," he dismissed. "Either way, it was shady as hell. I remember we had to restrain Lee from going after him a couple times."
Mina stared at him blankly at the name. "He means Ojiro-kun," Shiozaki offered helpfully, and Mina gave a small "oh". Right, she kept forgetting his alias since she barely saw him after their first meeting here.
"Lee's been super worked up lately, hasn't he?" Navi commented. "He was always super serious about taking down bad guys, but now he basically gets murder-eyes whenever villains come up. Can't really blame him, though," she added in a grumble. "I'd be pissed too if my best friend got kidnapped."
That had Mina snapping to attention. "Kidnapped?" she repeated seriously. "Who? When? Can we help at all?"
Navi started to reply but was cut off by Awase. "We appreciate the offer to help, but you've got bigger things to worry about right now," he said bluntly. "Your hands are already full enough with Present Mic—and ours are, too."
"Fuse's right," Shiozaki agreed with a nod. "Your offer is very kind, but you also have many pressing concerns of your own. We can't ask you to do anything more."
"Come on, maybe I can help!" Mina pressed. "I have literally nothing to do today but wait for everyone to come back. And who knows, maybe I know this guy from UA!"
"You realize the odds are really low, right?" Awase deadpanned, and Mina turned to look at him.
"Your name is Awase," she said flatly, making him startle. "You're in 1-B, just like Shiozaki. I don't know much about your Quirk except that you used it to stick a GPS Yaomomo made onto a noumu at the summer camp. And I don't know his name, but that Mime guy is also from 1-B." She crossed her arms, glaring at them as she continued, "I haven't seen all of the runaways yet, but at this point I wouldn't be surprised if there's more people I know here, especially if they're around our age and a vigilante." Which she assumed this guy was if he and Ojiro were friends.
"What does being a vigilante have to do with it?" Navi piped up.
"Because so far all the vigilantes I've met in this world became vigilantes for the same reason we signed up for the hero course back home," Mina replied with a huff. "They want to help people. But there's no hero schools in this world anymore, so all that's left is to do it illegally. So if they're our age and a vigilante, they're probably hero students back in our world, too!"
It was sound logic in Mina's opinion, and maybe they agreed because none of them argued. They just eyed her silently for a moment, weighing their options, before finally Awase spoke up. "Know what, fine. Won't give you his name, but he's around our age, has purple hair and eyes, and a Brainwashing Quirk. That ring any bells?"
...Yes, it did, and Mina felt her mind briefly shut down.
Around ten minutes later, Ran's phone suddenly rang next to her laptop, making her groan as she snatched it up. A glance at the caller ID had her groaning again, recognizing the number of the burner phone she'd given to Ashido. "This better be important," she said in lieu of greeting.
"You knew about Shinsou!" Ashido hissed angrily, and dammit.
"Are you alone?" Ran asked sharply, pulling the phone away from her ear to open the app Kuroe had made for her Quirk to interface with. Ashido was at Kuroe's house, along with his own dot.
"Yeah, I am now! But I totally almost freaked out right in front of—"
"Go to the guest room and close the door. I'm hanging up and swapping an ear with you. You have ten seconds." Ran hung up before Ashido could respond, and counted to ten before activating Neural Network to swap the hearing in their left ears. Upon the swap she could hear footsteps from Ashido's end, making her roll her eyes. "Still not there yet?" she asked, and heard a startled yelp.
"What the heck?" Ashido's voice blurted in shock.
"I told you, I swapped hearing in one of our ears. Get to the guest room and close the door."
"This is so much weirder than Kaminari made it sound." Even as she spoke Ran heard Ashido's feet continue to pad across the creaky floorboards on the hallway leading to Kuroe's guest room. Swapping only one ear could lead to sensory overload due to conflicting noises in each location, but since Ashido was at Kuroe's house it would be easy enough to avoid that. Soon enough she heard the transition from wood to carpet, followed by the door closing. "Okay, I'm in the guest room now."
"I figured from the door closing," Ran hummed, getting up to walk to the bathroom.
"I hear footsteps, where are you going?"
"The bathroom," Ran replied, stopping in front of her sink. She leaned forward, pressing a hand over her left eye as she looked at the mirror. "There's a mirror over the dresser. Cover your left eye and look into it."
"Um, okay, but why—huh?" Ran's vision immediately changed from her reflection the bathroom mirror to show Ashido's reflection, one eye covered by her hand and the other wide and surprised. She leaned forward a bit and squinted. "Woah, I think I see you?" She peeled away her hand and then flinched. "Woah, what the heck? That's so weird, it's like my vision's totally split!"
"Yeah, that's why I said to cover your eye," Ran said, rolling her own eyes. She saw Ashido's reflection give a little start before her vision swiveled a bit, making Ran sigh. "Okay, try not to roll your eyes. Just look at the reflection straight on. I figured we might as well talk face to face."
"Okay, then," Ashido said, still squinting at the mirror almost suspiciously. She lifted her hand over her left eye and pulled it away, repeating the process a couple times. Yep, typical Ashido curiosity.
"So, as you were saying?" Ran asked, and that seemed to snap the pink-skinned girl out of her stunned stupor, expression quickly hardening.
"You knew about Shinsou all along!" she accused, back to sharp and almost angry as she glared at the mirror. "Awase told me that Shinsou's one of the runaways and works with Ojiro and Monoma as vigilantes! You totally knew from the second Mido mentioned him on that first phone call!"
Ran stood a bit straighter at that, eyes narrowing. "You didn't tell them, did you?" she asked lowly.
"No, I didn't," Ashido huffed. "I just said he was in gen ed. But I know you didn't just somehow totally miss that, you're super smart. And I remember you freaking out when Mido mentioned the muzzle. But what the heck, An-chan! He's totally on your network, right? Why didn't you ever tell us! That would've saved us so much time trying to figure out Nabu when Uraraka couldn't say it anymore! We could've found them all way earlier!"
"He's not on it anymore," Ran said, and Ashido blinked, making Ran's own vision briefly flicker before Ashido's reflection stared dumbly back at her.
"What?"
"Don't tell your friends just yet, but there's a way to cut off the connection," Ran said, frowning to emphasize her point. Ashido's eye widened as Ran continued, "Last fall Shinsou went on a trip, solo. I don't know the details of why, or where he went. Just that one day, the link suddenly cut out. One second it was there, and then it was gone."
It was hard for Ran to describe how the links in Neural Networking felt to others, just an always present thing in the back of her mind. Cutting the link always felt like an electric shock to Ran: there'd be a sudden jolt, her whole body shuddering, and then in the recesses of her mind, there would be a sudden emptiness. A void where something once existed.
Ashido still looked stunned, both eyes now uncovered and wide. "What... How... Why did he do it? How did he do it?"
"Don't ask me why he did it," Ran said with a shrug. "I don't know. All I know is that he did. I didn't even know where he was when he cut it. It's not like I have a constantly updating map in my head. I have to actually think about it to be sure, and even then it's not that exact. As for how he broke it, I'm gonna keep that to myself for now. I really don't want any of you guys cutting it off." She gave her reflection a pointed look, though she couldn't see the mirror herself.
Ashido still seemed to be doing her best impression of a fish, mouth slightly agape. Slowly she began to recover though, jaw softly clenching as she frowned and covered her left eye again. "Okay, fine. I get it. But why didn't you tell us! Why didn't you tell them! You saw how worried we got just over hearing about Bakugou and Midoriya being missing! But you know Shinsou and Ojiro and Monoma personally! Ojiro and Monoma and all the other runaways must be worried sick! You should at least tell them he's alive and that we're trying to save him! So why haven't you—"
"Because Ojiro and Monoma would go after Shinsou and get themselves in trouble," Ran cut in sharply, and Ashido immediately went silent. Ran sighed, running a hand through her hair as she frowned. "Look, Ashido. I get that it's upsetting and seems like I'm being a jerk, but I want to remind you that when Uraraka found out Midoriya was stuck with the Alliance, her first plan was to run away and join them."
"Yeah, that was uh, pretty bad," Ashido agreed with a small grimace.
"And here's the thing: Uraraka only met him at UA, right?" Ran asked. When Ashido nodded, she continued, "Well, those three have known each other for years. They were already a package deal when they got dumped on Kuroe's doorstep. So think: how would you feel if you found out Kirameki had spent the past two months locked up in a tiny cell, surrounded by villains who might have a specific grudge against her, with a muzzle?"
"...I would do everything in my power to break into that prison and rescue her," Ashido declared almost solemnly.
"Yeah, thought so," Ran said flatly. "That's probably exactly why Shinsou cut the link in the first place. He didn't want them getting into danger too." She sighed, resisting the urge to shake her head as she leaned over the sink a bit. "I did tell Rogue after Midoriya mentioned him, and he told Glitch. We're keeping it on a need to know basis for the time being. Otherwise, some of our vigilantes might just run off to Nabu to stage a rescue and get themselves captured too, or worse."
"...That's why you're so invested in this, and don't want heroes involved," Ashido said quietly. She looked at the mirror with an almost eerily calm expression, gears visibly turning in her brain. "Because once they get involved, the chances of getting Shinsou back are even lower. They'll just send him back to his family, or arrest him for vigilantism, or maybe recruit him for that school... And you don't want that."
A surprisingly astute observation. While Ashido might not be the most book smart person (or the most wise, either), she wasn't a complete idiot. Especially when it came to people. "This is our best bet at getting him back," Ran confirmed simply. "If the heroes get involved, we'll lose our chance to get Shinsou back with the runaways. He'd hopefully be safe and alive, but it's still a giant loss since we wouldn't be able to talk to him. That, and the heroes might try to get information about the runaways from him."
Ashido's expression was still dark, mouth pressing into a thin line. "It's almost like you're using us." It wasn't accusatory or upset, just stating a fact.
"Not really," Ran said with a shrug. "Midoriya was planning to escape with them anyway. And besides, we're actually helping. I have Midoriya on the network now, so I can help coordinate the rescue and escape to go more smoothly once we work out a plan."
"Why not tell us, though?" Ashido pressed, and Ran paused as she considered it.
"...I really don't have a good answer for that," she finally admitted, and Ashido threw up her hands in frustration.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, seriously. Honestly, I guess it's just our usual paranoia." She shrugged. "Once you get in the habit of keeping some stuff secret, it can be hard to break that mindset. And it's not like you'd be around Ojiro or Monoma that much, so not like you'd slip up and mention Shinsou around them."
Ashido just gave her a very judging look. "So," she said. "Remember when Todoroki got a phone call from Hawks, about Dabi, who is actually his brother? And how Ura-chan and Mido figured that out on our first phone call, and she planned to tell him in person, but Hawks beat her by a day?"
Ran paused at that, grimacing slightly. "Okay, yeah, I get your point," she relented. "But seriously, don't tell Ojiro, Monoma or any of the runaways yet. They will barge in and get themselves in trouble. Trust me on this."
"I don't know," Ashido said with a frown. "Ojiro's not really the super-impulsive kind of guy back home... Doesn't seem like the kind of thing he'd do."
"How about Uraraka trying to join the Villain Alliance?" Ran retorted. Everyone from their class seemed stuck on that detail, and from the way Ashido grimaced she'd made her point.
"Okay, point there. Definitely would not have guessed that one."
"We'll let them in on it after we have an actual plan," Ran said. "But until then, just... try to keep it quiet, okay?"
Ashido didn't look happy, but Ran expected no less. It was a pretty shitty situation all around. "Is there anything else you're hiding?" she finally asked, seeming almost frustrated.
Ran had to pause to think about it before saying, "Don't think so."
"Ran!" Ashido snapped, and Ran held up both hands, even opening her left eye. Immediately her vision split in half, one with Ashido and the other her own reflection. The two radically different images were a bit jarring like always, her brain struggling to merge them together like it would when looking at things normally with two eyes. Having two eyes visible made her glare more impactful than just one though.
"I am the coordinator for a network of runaways. I have tons of secrets. But I don't think any of them are relevant to this situation, and I'm not going to violate people's trust if it's not absolutely necessary. So yeah, I'm hiding stuff from you, but I can't tell you everything." Ran spoke firmly, glaring at her and Ashido's reflections. She meant business, and needed Ashido to understand.
Fortunately, Ashido did seem to get it, even if she didn't seem too happy. "Fine," she grumbled, and Ran closed her left eye and covered it again while the other girl continued, "But if you realize something does matter, tell us ASAP!"
"I will, I promise," Ran swore. "If the conversation's done, I'm gonna cut the link. I need to get back to studying for exams." Ashido's face twisted up with disgust at the notion, her nose even wrinkling a bit.
"Yech. Good luck. So glad I don't have to do any exams."
"At least until you get home," Ran said with a smirk, and saw Ashido's face contort in absolute horror.
"...We're going to have so much work to make up," she whispered faintly, and Ran snickered.
"I'll talk to you later Ashido," she said with a smirk, and the other girl sighed.
"Alright. Later, An-chan." With that Ran swapped both senses back, but she didn't head out of the bathroom just yet. She leaned against the sink with a heavy sigh, pressing the heels of her palms against her eyes.
"Fuck," she said softly. Not for the first time, she reflected how this whole situation was just so fucked up. She really hoped this wouldn't backfire at any point, and that they'd get Shinsou back safely.
After a moment she walked out of the bathroom and swiped her phone from the desk, opening FacePage to bring up her messages with all the jumpers. The talk with Ashido was an important wakeup call. She was used to keeping stuff under wraps, but there was absolutely no reason to hide this particular fact from the dimension jumpers. If anything, it would be beneficial for them to know, especially Midoriya.
'Hey, got some important info I need to share. Can't go into detail over text, but it's about that guy deku_breaks_bones mentioned. The one from gen-ed, Shinsou.'
Notes:
I realized there was no point in Anjou keeping Shinsou's identity secret other than my own desire to have some big dramatic reveal to everyone else when Shinsou reunites with Ojiro and Monoma after the escape. Curse my characters for being too logical for my whims! *shakes fist*
Also, if you didn't realize, Fuse is Awase. I didn't mean to make that a secret, sorry!
Question for next time: What event/development do you want to see happen in Chapter 100?
Chapter 95: Straight to the Point
Summary:
Todoroki and Uraraka talk about plans for the day, and Bakugou is tactless as ever.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 95
.::Straight to the Point::.
The warehouse was very quiet as Shouto sat by the oil drum they'd used to make a fire to keep themselves warm. Morning light drifted through the gaps in the boarded window behind him and cast a dull glow over Uraraka, curled up in her sleeping bag on the couch fast asleep. Between that and the camping stove, her supplies had certainly come in handy.
For various reasons, they'd decided against checking into a hotel after Midoriya left and stayed at the warehouse. Since the area wasn't exactly safe, they agreed to take shifts keeping watch during the night, just in case. Uraraka had taken first watch, and according to Shouto's phone he had about an hour left before the agreed upon time to wake her up.
For his part Shouto focused on the dwindling fire, quietly tearing up a cardboard box to use as kindling. The abandoned warehouse lacked any central heating—or if it had it, it lacked the power to run it. That, combined with the large size of the room and a handful of broken windows, made it pretty chilly. He'd spent most of his watch tending to the fire, and after tossing in the cardboard he let a small wisp of fire pass from his left hand to ignite it.
As the flame swiftly swelled to a healthy size he sat back and glanced at his palm with a small frown. He'd noticed it before, but using his fire came more naturally. The tiny wisp of fire he just made had been almost unconscious, requiring no thought to control its size. At first he'd attributed it to his training back home, but lately he suspected that wasn't the case.
No, it was likely a result of this world's Shouto's training.
Even now, he knew next to nothing about his counterpart's life here. Things had obviously gone quite differently with Endeavor becoming the number one hero back when Shouto would have been seven. It hadn't been early enough to prevent his mother from snapping and flinging boiling water at his face though, or Touya from... Well, not dying, as it turned out.
Touya was Dabi. Dabi was Touya.
Shouto still had trouble wrapping his head around that fact, but after almost a week, he'd started to... adjust to the idea, he supposed. His supposedly dead brother, who died so long ago Shouto could barely remember him, had never actually died. He had survived, somehow, and become... Dabi.
A villain. One of the key figures in the League of Villains, at that.
He'd already talked it out with Uraraka a couple times. They'd had that first conversation on Thursday, and a couple more since then. Turned out everyone was right about how talking about things could help alleviate stress and clear your head, who knew? It was easier to work through his feelings by having someone to listen and give some input.
From what she said, Dabi seemed to care for him in this world, and as doubtful as he'd initially been, Shouto was inclined to think she was right. Just last night he'd had a dream about sitting on a beach with Dabi late at night, roasting marshmallows over a (notably blue) fire. Maybe the smell of smoke from their own fire had influenced the dream, but Shouto had been more struck by the sense of familiarity and comfort with it.
He hadn't been totally comfortable, even inside the dream, but Dabi's smile had been casual and friendly as he glanced his way. It was a sharp contrast to that haunting grin he'd seen at the summer camp. So was his brief dumbfounded stare when his marshmallow caught completely on fire, which had actually made Shouto laugh in the dream. Not a full laugh, just a small snort, but Dabi had lapped it up.
It ended with him chasing Shouto playfully threatening to burn his marshmallows as they ran through a UA/stadium hybrid. Up until Aizawa caught them and forced them to join the baseball team or else get expelled for running through the halls. Dreams were weird sometimes, okay?
Point was, Shouto had dreamed of a normal sibling interaction with Dabi, and he couldn't stop thinking about it. Up until the dream took that left turn into their newfound sports careers, it had felt like a pretty natural interaction. It went against every preconceived notion he had of the man. He doubted his Dabi would ever behave like that.
This world's Dabi, though... If he did care about Shouto like Uraraka so firmly believed, what made him different from their world? Clearly the events that led to his transformation into Dabi had preceded All Might's death here, since he was still Dabi, so it probably wasn't one of the mysterious differences Midoriya had suggested yesterday.
Also... how did Hawks play into it? Dabi clearly trusted the man if he had him calling Shouto on his behalf, and apparently Shouto knew him too since he made the connection from just "Takami." That seemed like a pretty clear-cut example of his counterpart's subconscious memories bleeding through. Shouto knew Hawks was still a hero in this world based on internet searches, so how did he and Dabi meet?
Shouto's frown grew as he pulled out his burner phone. The calls had briefly spiked again after the call from Hawks, but had gone silent by Friday. It made him wonder how Dabi must be reacting. In retrospect, his responses to Hawks after the revelation about Dabi had been... less than eloquent. The fact Dabi had stopped calling again might not be a good sign.
A small grunt had him glancing over his shoulder to find Uraraka starting to stir. She still had a little time before she was supposed to wake up, but Shouto was a bit tired of being alone with his thoughts. "Good morning," he greeted quietly, and she groaned as she curled up a bit tighter.
"Five more minutes," she mumbled, the words slurred.
"Do you want a granola bar?" he offered.
There was a pause, and then a quiet, "Yeah."
A few minutes later they both sat on the couch, eating the granola bars. They were more savory than he was used to rather than sweet, with oatmeal, various types of seeds, bits of seaweed, and sunflower seed butter. It tasted surprisingly good, and made for a decent way to start the day. "So, what's the plan for today?" Uraraka asked between bites, and Shouto thought it over for a moment.
"The others are going back to Odawara, aren't they?" he asked. Others being just Kirishima and Shouji. There'd been plans for some of the runaways to check a couple other cities, namely Monoma and Ojiro, but those plans got derailed by Mic's sudden appearance.
"Yeah, they should be, but I'm just thinking," Uraraka said with a small frown. "Deku can't really communicate too much when we're so far apart. I mean, it's way too risky for him to talk about most of it on the phone or FacePage." That was true, both those methods had been compromised already. "It's easier if he can just come to the warehouse and tell us ASAP, and then we can pass on the info to the others!"
"But we can't talk about it on phone or FacePage either," Shouto pointed out. "And we also still need to tell everyone about what Midoriya said yesterday."
"Yeah, that's true," Uraraka muttered, face screwing up as she tried to think of a solution. "Maybe one of us can stay in, just in case, and the other can go back to Odawara to report what we talked about yesterday? And then if something happens, Deku can tell whoever's still here, and they can hop on a bus or train to Odawara!"
Shouto didn't agree with that idea for a few reasons, but decided to point out the most obvious flaw. "You just skipped over 'Nabu' again," he pointed out, which had the brunette slumping with a dejected groan.
"Dang it, forgot about that stupid Quirk. Guess splitting up won't really help if only one of us can actually talk..."
"I don't think there's much we can do anyway, at least right now," Shouto said, trying to comfort her a bit. "If there's a sudden problem, we can't really just barge into the Alliance's base."
Uraraka heaved a large sigh at that. "I know, but it just sucks, you know? I mean, it seems like there's a lot going on right now with Shinsou-kun and all that." The reference to Shinsou had Shouto remembering something.
"Oh, right, Anjou sent a message," he told her, pulling out his burner phone to open FacePage. It had come in a little bit before Uraraka woke up. "She said, 'Hey, got some important info I need to share. Can't go into detail over text, but it's about that guy deku_breaks_bones mentioned. The one from gen-ed, Shinsou. He's one of ours.'"
That had Uraraka sharp and alert, losing the few lingering traces of drowsiness in an instant. "Wait, he's a runaway?" she asked in disbelief.
"I guess?" Shouto shrugged and continued reading the message. "'Sorry I didn't mention it earlier. I guess I'm too used to keeping secrets. He's been MIA since October. Don't mention him to Lee or Kaitou though or they'll go nuts. Don't tell any of the others either, but those two especially. Dancing Queen knows why, so you can ask her for details.' And that's it."
Uraraka just stared at him for a moment, clearly still absorbing it. "...I have so many questions," she whispered. "Did Deku reply yet?"
"He did," Shouto confirmed, scrolling to Midoriya's response. "He said, 'I have so many questions.' And she replied, 'If you want answers, go somewhere quiet and alone where you can't be overheard.' And he replied, 'So you can do that thing Chargebolt mentioned?' And she said 'Yes.'"
"Oh, I bet she wants to do that sense-hijacking thing Kaminari mentioned!" Uraraka exclaimed excitedly.
"Ah," Shouto said softly. Right, he forgot about that. It had been a rather minor detail among everything else Kaminari reported from his meeting with Midoriya and Anjou. Then another thought occurred to him. "I'm on her network, so she could do that with me, too, couldn't she?"
Uraraka sat a bit straighter, eyes going wide. "She could! Which means we can use you to communicate in an emergency if Deku can't talk to her." Shouto paused at that, turning to stare at her silently. After a few seconds she slumped on the couch again with another large sigh. "Yeah, okay, that's kinda pointless since he probably can't talk to you, either."
At least he didn't need to explain it this time. Still, he understood where she was coming from. Leaving Midoriya alone in these circumstances felt wrong, especially now that they'd met in person. "We don't need to go back today," he said, trying to find a compromise. "We can go back tomorrow instead. Maybe he can get some information about what's going on with Shinsou today."
"Yeah, I guess," she relented with a nod. "There's definitely something up with that. Although, why do you think Anjou said not to tell Ojiro or Monoma? Do you think they're friends?"
"I guess?" Shouto shrugged. "They're all vigilantes in this world, so maybe they worked together? Ah." He blinked, understanding washing over him. "Maybe Anjou's worried about them trying to break into the Alliance headquarters if they find out he's there."
"Would Ojiro really do that though?" Uraraka asked doubtfully. "Or Monoma? I mean, I don't know them that well, but they don't seem like the type to rush into something without a plan." Shouto admittedly didn't know them too well either, but he still got similar impressions. Except, there was one thing.
"You never did either," he countered, and she shot him the most unimpressed scowl possible.
"Really?" she asked flatly, and he just shrugged. It had been pretty unbelievable when Midoriya told them, but it had happened. "Come on, you guys did the same thing when you rescued Bakugou!"
"We didn't plan to join the League of Villains though," he countered calmly. "That was your only plan."
"...I'm never going to live that down, am I?"
"Probably not."
He just went back to eating while Uraraka groaned.
For the most part, Izuku's morning had been what he could call normal. Another day started with his phone's alarm, a half hour of light exercises in his room to keep in shape, a trip to the kitchen to get breakfast... Tomura had been busy, so Izuku had prepared two breakfast sandwiches for himself and Aizawa-sensei, figuring eating together would be nice.
It was a very quiet meal. Aizawa hadn't been too talkative, or rather, he was even less talkative than usual. Izuku hadn't wanted to press him too hard for conversation, not wanting to risk disrupting the still-budding trust between them. At least the fact they were both eating made the silence a bit less awkward than it would be otherwise. Besides, Izuku had plenty of stuff to think about.
Like, you know, how Shinsou was part of the runaway network.
That had come out of no where, but it at least explained what he meant by having somewhere to go. It also put a lot of his wariness around Izuku into even more context, since he had a lot more to lose if he slipped up.
On that note, Izuku had mentioned Anjou and the runaways.
He knew he'd mentioned "Nettmegg" on Friday when he used Shinsou's own whiteboard to explain about the situation. He hadn't noticed any reaction from the purple-haired teen other than his eyes going wide; the muzzle kind of made it hard to read most of his expression. And unfortunately, that had been Izuku's last major interaction with him before the muzzle's removal.
That made him wonder whether that was connected to the muzzle's removal at all. He couldn't help but remember Kacchan's words, about how Shinsou must have made some sort of deal with the Alliance... or they had something on him. An entire network of runaways would be a pretty heavy thing to hold over someone's head. If the Alliance decided to attack them... Izuku didn't even want to think about it.
The problem was, Izuku couldn't actually ask him. Shinsou was still wary of him, just like Aizawa, and saying the wrong thing would get him to shut Izuku out even more. Mentioning Anjou had told him about Shinsou's connection to the runaways might reassure him that she found Izuku trustworthy... or might make him panic more and close himself off for good. Whatever happened clearly had him on edge, and Izuku didn't want to risk the fragile trust they'd managed to build so far.
Which meant he felt kind of lost when he took Bakugou to visit Shinsou for the first time post-muzzle-removal. Part of him hoped that Bakugou would be able to help bring up the topic about how the muzzle got removed without making Shinsou wary. Of course though, Izuku was also slightly worried that Bakugou might not be the most tactful about it. His pleas for the blond to be mindful of his words before the visit predictably fell on deaf ears.
"So that's what your face looks like," he commented within seconds of the door closing, and Izuku resisted the urge to face-palm. Wow Kacchan, so considerate and thoughtful.
Fortunately, Shinsou didn't seem offended or bothered by the remark. "What, prettier than you expected?" he snarked.
"As if," Bakugou snorted. "Also, what the hell? Your voice doesn't sound anything like I thought it would."
"Yeah, yeah." Once again, Shinsou seemed largely unbothered by the remark, though he peered at the blond curiously as he asked, "What did you expect?"
"I don't even know, I guess all hoarse and raspy and that shit?" Bakugou shrugged as he plopped onto the bed, and glanced around. "Hey, hold on a second. Where's your whiteboard?"
"Gone," Shinsou replied. "Same with the phone. I don't need them anymore, so they took them." Bakugou frowned briefly at that before shaking his head.
"Fine, whatever. That's right, you don't. And since you can actually talk now, there's one thing we need to do."
"Work on the plan?" Izuku asked—or at least started to ask.
He barely got out a single syllable before Bakugou cut in. "Yeah, that's right Deku!" He snatched one of the three Switch controllers from the bedside table, flashing a savage grin. "We're gonna fucking crush that stupid café."
...Neko Café Manager was not what Izuku would have guessed to be Bakugou's first priority. Shinsou looked just as shocked, just staring with his jaw hanging open. "Um, what?" he asked after a few seconds.
"You heard me," the blond huffed. "Half the reason we keep having trouble with it is because you couldn't actually talk and tell us when shit was on fire or orders were done and all that! But now that you can, we're gonna ace every single one of those stages and show those stupid cats who's boss!"
"...Seriously?" Izuku asked, still in disbelief. Bakugou rolled his eyes and gestured for him and Shinsou to step closer. The pair did so warily, and Bakugou leaned forward.
"Deku, didn't you notice those creeps following us?" he hissed, catching Izuku by surprise yet again. "A couple of grunts were shadowing us the whole way from my room. Shittyraki's probably got them watching us now that the vigilante wonder can actually talk to make sure we don't try anything."
Understanding finally dawned on Izuku. He didn't know how well the door could block sound, and without the whiteboard or phone, they didn't have a way to communicate silently. No wonder he'd asked about those earlier. Playing a game would probably be the best way to deflect any immediate suspicion if someone was spying on them.
Fortunately, Shinsou also quickly understood, and nodded as he grabbed another controller. "Fine," he said, turning on the Switch and choosing Neko Café Manager's icon. His face filled with stone-cold determination as he sat on the bed. "Let's do this."
Izuku nodded as he grabbed his own controller, feeling a bit of his own determination and confidence swelling as he grinned. "Yeah, let's go back to all those other levels and get all three stars!" While this wasn't how he planned to spend the day, he couldn't deny that finally beating those levels with three stars would be very satisfying. They could do this.
~Thirty minutes later...~
In retrospect, it might have been a mistake to agree to this particular game.
Actually, forget might. It was absolutely a mistake.
"...You destroyed a controller," Bakugou whispered as Izuku stared at the twisted pieces of plastic in his lap. The blond looked absolutely stunned, as did Shinsou, but it was more shocking to see that wide-eyed expression on Bakugou instead of his usual scowl. Almost as shocking as, you know, the part where he destroyed a controller.
"I... guess I'll get another controller from the gaming room?" Izuku said after a moment. "So we can still do multiplayer games?"
"How are you going to explain the damage to that one?" Shinsou asked, which was a fair question. The controller hadn't just been snapped in half, his grip had actually crushed the two halves. This sort of damage couldn't be done without a strength Quirk. It couldn't even be blamed on Bakugou's explosions due to the lack of scorch marks.
"I'll just throw it away," Izuku said. "He'll never have to know."
"And when he asks about the missing controllers?" Izuku had to pause and think it over. He'd been to Shigaraki's gaming room a few times now, and after replacing the last controller Bakugou destroyed, only three other controllers for the Switch remained. A missing controller would stand out.
"...I'll buy new ones tomorrow," he decided. He'd have to dump the controller outside the base anyway, too risky to throw it away here where someone might see it.
"Do you even have money?" Bakugou asked, and once again, Izuku's mind went blank. Did he have money?
"Um, Seiko?" he called hesitantly. They all tensed, waiting to see if she'd appear, but after several seconds it became apparent that she wouldn't.
"Okay, where the hell is she?" Bakugou snapped irritably. "This is like the third day in a row she hasn't shown up!"
"Yeah, this is starting to feel creepier than when she is here," Shinsou agreed with a frown, rubbing the side of his neck. "I think I preferred her showing up randomly. I feel like I'm constantly jumping at shadows because I never know if she's there or not..."
"Have you seen her at all, Deku?" Bakugou asked, but Izuku shook his head.
"No, but I've also been kinda distracted," he admitted sheepishly. Between dealing with the news of Mic (and later Rise of Kijin) on Friday, the meeting with Uraraka and Todoroki yesterday, and Shinsou having the muzzle removed, Seiko had been at the back of his mind. The last thought had him pausing and glancing at the controller. "Hey, wait. The controller was pretty loud when it broke, right?"
"Yeah, it was," Bakugou snorted. "I saw that stupid ghost-cat jump out of its skin and run under the desk." Sure enough, when Izuku glanced over he saw the largely-black kitten hidden in the shadows under the desk staring at them warily. Shinsou got off the bed to go over to her, getting onto his knees.
"Shh, it's okay, Mion," he cooed, and Izuku sat a bit straighter.
"Mion?" he repeated, and saw the other teen stiffen.
"...That's what I've been calling her in my head," he said after a moment. "Mi, for beauty. The on is one of the ways to read the kanji for hiding and concealing."
"Huh," Izuku said softly, thinking it over. Given the kitten's ability to turn invisible, the second part made sense. "It fits. And we can't really keep calling her Sushi the fifteenth..."
"Yeah," Bakugou agreed with a nod. "Way better than—wait. The fuck?" He whirled to face Izuku in shock. "The fifteenth?" Even Shinsou's head whipped around to stare at Izuku with a distinct look of shock and horror. It only took a second to realize what they were thinking, and once he did he winced.
"Oh, no, Aiko said most of them got rehomed!" he quickly reassured them. "And two of them were sick when we found them, so they died of natural causes!"
"Still. How were there fourteen other cats named Sushi? That's like, two cats a year!"
"Well, apparently one was pregnant when we found her?"
"Wait, were they named Sushi too?" Shinsou asked incredulously, and Izuku laughed sheepishly.
"Y-yeah, apparently... Anyways, she pretty much belongs to you, so I was going to suggest you come up with a new name anyway. So Mion sounds good to me!" He saw Shinsou relax slightly at the comment, probably relieved he hadn't overstepped any boundaries. It was a depressing thought, but Izuku pushed it away as he pressed, "But anyways, the controller breaking was really loud, right?"
"Yeah, Deku. We just established that it scared the cat." Bakugou rolled his eyes.
"So then, if Sushi heard it, then so would any guards outside, right?" That had the others pausing, all three turning to the door. If anyone had actually heard it, no doubt they would have barged inside to see what happened.
"...If they're not here now, no one's listening," Bakugou declared, and spun to Shinsou. "Alright, Eyebags. What did you do to get the muzzle off?"
That was much more direct than Izuku would have liked, making Shinsou flinch back. "Kacchan!" Izuku hissed, but the blond just scowled at him.
"There's no reason to beat around the bush. Shittyraki wouldn't approve removing that damn thing without being sure he wouldn't use his Quirk against him. So," he turned back to Shinsou, "What did you do to get it off? Did you make some sort of deal? Do they have some sort of dirt on you?"
Shinsou grew even tenser at the questioning, his eyes wide and looking almost panicked. "Kacchan, that's enough!" Izuku hissed again, stepping between them to shield Shinsou from him. "I know it's concerning, but you can't just ask that so suddenly! We can't push him to tell us if he's not—"
"No," Shinsou suddenly cut in. "I... I'll tell you." Izuku spun to face him in surprise and frowned in concern.
"Are you sure?" he asked. His mind kept flashing back to that message from Anjou that morning, and his concerns about harming the fragile trust with Shinsou. Even now, Shinsou looked almost sick where he still knelt by the desk, eyes cast downwards and hands balled into tight, shaking fists on his knees. The last part in particular had Izuku's frown growing. "You don't have to if you're not ready or don't want to."
The other teen shook his head though. "No, you need to know," he said firmly, forcing his gaze to flick upwards towards them. The eye contact made Izuku even more aware of how bad he was. He looked physically ill, visibly swallowing and mouth set into an uncomfortable grimace. Yet despite his obvious discomfort his eyes held a steely conviction as he said, "I made up my mind already. This is critical, and if we're getting out of here, you need to know."
Izuku frowned, but after a moment he sat on the floor. Bakugou followed suit, for once dead silent as he plopped on the floor next to him. Shinsou's gaze returned to the floor, still looking deeply conflicted. His throat bobbed as he swallowed again, fists briefly clenching even tighter. Neither of them spoke as they watched him, waiting for him to collect himself and speak.
"I... I didn't make any deals, or get blackmailed," he said after a few seconds passed. "They didn't threaten me or anything like that. Th-they didn't have to."
His voice took on a bitter note, and Bakugou frowned. "What does that mean?" he demanded, voice hushed and almost gentle despite the otherwise harsh tone. Shinsou looked up again, his eyes full of conviction and despair in equal parts as he answered.
"I can't use my Quirk."
Notes:
No question for next time. Just looking forward to your reactions and theories.
Chapter 96: I'm Sorry
Summary:
For most of his life, Shinsou Hitoshi had been told how villainous his Quirk was.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 96
.::I'm Sorry::.
"Wakey, wakey... C'mon, this is getting boring."
The voice stirred Hitoshi to consciousness, a barely audible moan slipping out. His eyes refused to open, the bed too comfortable to make him willing to put much effort in prying them apart. He nuzzled the pillow a bit, consciousness already fading again, but felt a finger poke his shoulder. "Hey, get up. This isn't a cut scene you can skip."
Irritated, Hitoshi opened his mouth to mumble something, planning to get the man to respond so he could order him to leave and let him sleep.
Except, he couldn't.
When he tried to open his mouth he found his jaw forcibly held shut, refusing to budge the slightest amount. That realization caused him to wake up fully, his eyes snapping open in alarm. His hands flew to his face, prodding at the unfamiliar object. It was cold and hard plastic, tight around his jaw with sturdy straps that looped behind his head.
A muzzle, he realized in growing horror. It fit his jaw perfectly, like it had been made for him, and he could even feel something pressing between his teeth so he couldn't close them together. The more he felt along it the more frantic he became. Clawing at it in a desperate attempt to remove it, his thumb brushed over a key hole near a hinge where the straps connected below his ear, making his heart sink.
It had a lock. He couldn't remove it on his own.
Panic began to wash over him, his breathing becoming harsh and ragged as he began clawing even more in a desperate bid to remove it. The contraption wouldn't budge, firmly pressed against his skin with absolutely no space. No, no, no, NO! A scream built in his throat, muffled and choked away by the horrific device.
"There's no point trying to remove it," someone commented and he jolted, head snapping up. In his panic he'd forgotten about the voice which had woken him in the first place, and he sorely regretted that when he saw the figure sitting next to the bed. Shaggy silvery-blue hair fell in the man's face, disembodied hands gripping him all along his sides and arms with one more resting in his lap.
Hitoshi flinched as he met red eyes, watching chapped lips spread into an unsettling grin. "You'll never get it off, you know," the man told him almost gleefully. "We can't take any chances, Mister Hijack."
Hitoshi stared at him in horror, raw terror coiling painfully in his stomach as he began to shake violently. Shit. This was not good, this was the worst fucking case scenario possible. Villains had captured him and he couldn't use his Quirk, he was completely vulnerable, totally and utterly screwed.
The man reached forward and Hitoshi flinched away, his back slamming against the wall as he stared at the outstretched fingers with unconcealed panic. His reaction seemed to amuse the man, his smile shrinking to a smirk as he let three fingers brush Hitoshi's jaw.
A cold shudder ran down his spine as they traced along the edge of the muzzle, acutely aware of destruction they could cause if he just added two more fingers. His memories before waking up were hazy, but he remembered this man, how he made an entire dumpster just disintegrate from a single slap. Feeling those same fingers trace the skin so close to his face left him with goosebumps.
"You caused us a lot of trouble for a brat," the man commented. "I have half a mind to kill you now." Hitoshi stiffened as the fingers drifted downwards towards his throat, his pulse thundering with the sheer terror he felt as one passed right over his Adam's apple. "It would be so easy and quick. But I won't."
The man finally withdrew his hand, causing some of the tension to seep away from Hitoshi's shoulders. The teenager still remained on edge though, staring at the villain with shaky fear. "Your Quirk is so useful," he commented, and the way he said it sent a shiver down Hitoshi's spine, revulsion adding to the tight coil of fear in his stomach. "It will be much better having it on our side than with shitty heroes."
The last word was spat out with disdain, a bitter scowl momentarily twisting across his face that would make Hitoshi wince if he weren't absolutely paralyzed. "Mind control is way too OP to just throw away without trying."
With that the villain abruptly rose, causing Hitoshi to flinch back on reflex. The man kicked the swivel chair he'd been sitting in towards a desk as he turned to walk to the door. "I'm gonna head out now that you're awake. Organizing parties takes a lot of time. Someone else will stop by to tell you all the rules later. You just get comfortable, you're going to be with us for a long time."
With those ominous parting words he opened the door and stepped out, the door closing with a loud click and an electronic beep. For a moment Hitoshi sat in silence, staring at it wide-eyed. Then he tried to open his mouth and scream, but all he could do was release muffled grunts as he clawed at his hair, doubling over on himself on top of the bed.
For most of his life, Shinsou Hitoshi had been told how villainous his Quirk was.
As a little kid his classmates hadn't been particularly malicious about it. They had been a bit wary of him, sure, but their off-hand comments about the power of his Quirk were clearly just the mindless jabber of children with no tact. "Your Quirk would be really useful to villains!" "I'm glad you're not a villain!" "It's kinda scary, haha!" "You could get all the free ice cream you wanted with that!"
He could sense their wariness and caution through those remarks, but they hadn't treated him with actual fear. After all, he'd never actually used it on them without their consent. Some of his classmates even asked him to use it to see if they could do stuff like backflips or get through more tedious exercises in gym class before teachers put a stop to it. The biggest gripe he could remember was having to fight to not be the villain when they'd play pretend on the playground.
But then All Might died. And as the world began to change, so too did his classmates' attitudes.
Looking back, he couldn't pinpoint an exact day that "everything changed," so to speak. The shift was so gradual it was almost unnoticeable, but as the person at the center of it, he could feel its effects more than any other student.
As more Pro Heroes' names showed up on the news as grim statistics and numbers, people around him began to distance themselves. The tactless comments he'd grown up with faded to silence, his classmates and teachers alike looking at him with growing apprehension. Maybe the most telling thing was that they didn't look at him like a villain though. Their eyes never held fear or spite, or anything malicious like that.
No, those gazes were fully of pity and concern, knowing that Hitoshi would inevitably be targeted for his Quirk.
The first stories of children being kidnapped and forcibly recruited into villainy began circulating not even a year after All Might's death. The school worked hard and managed to hide most of the students' Quirks to a large extent, but their efforts only did so much. As more and more kids with valuable Quirks went missing across the country his classmates gave Hitoshi a wider berth, fearing it would only be a matter of time until he got kidnapped too.
Hitoshi could see his parents worrying even if they tried to hide it. His Quirk had effectively been a fusion of their own: his father with a light hypnosis Quirk initiated through eye contact, and his mother's which could lightly influence people's emotions. Both were weak on their own, so the power of his Brainwashing stood out. It didn't take long for them to enroll him in self defense classes and get him a cell phone.
Things came to a head in his final year of elementary school, when a boy who'd graduated the previous year was kidnapped by villains. It was the first kidnapping so close to home, the first time they knew the victim. That night he'd hidden next to his door listening to his parents cry in fear and frustration, worrying about when his turn would come. By that point it seemed more like a matter of when than if.
(The distant sound of his mom's quiet sobs that night would haunt his dreams for years.)
For the rest of the year, Hitoshi wasn't allowed to walk to school or home without an adult. The next year when middle school started, Hitoshi stopped attending within one month. He only left home for his self-defense classes, and even then only on weekends when his parents could drive him straight there and back.
But that hadn't been the tipping point.
That had been the UA Massacre.
Hitoshi remembered the cold horror as he watched the news talk about the steadily rising confirmed death toll, a silent numbness creeping over him. Up to that point, things hadn't seemed completely hopeless. Even with so many Pro Heroes dying and having to leave the spotlight for their own safety, even with kids going missing, even with Tokyo getting destroyed, people still had hope that things could get better.
But seeing the reporters standing outside UA's gates, the footage of the crushed remains of the artificial city used for the entrance exam, blood still smeared across the concrete and rubble—
At that moment, it finally became clear that "normal" would never return.
All schools canceled class that week, Japan as a whole too grief-stricken and shocked to do anything. Hitoshi couldn't tell you what happened during those days. Everything felt like a haze, horrible and unending and unreal.
When classes resumed his school had a mandatory assembly, so Hitoshi attended class for the first time since the previous May. It felt like he was walking into a cemetery, no one speaking and the atmosphere worse and heavier than ever. The black uniforms of his middle school only added to the gloomy sense of mourning even before he reached his homeroom.
It had been after the assembly that one of his classmates approached him, a blond kid with a tail who'd only joined his elementary school class the previous year.
Two weeks after that, they ran away together.
It had been three months after that when they met a third boy, and they all became vigilantes.
Vigilantism hadn't been their original plan, but maybe it shouldn't be surprising. The three of them had power and skills, better than most kids their age—better than some of the kids older than them. All of them had been training in self defense even before running away, and their time on the streets only hardened them further as they became more savvy and clever in order to fend for themselves.
So in retrospect, it had been natural that they'd all jump in to save a girl from a would-be mugger. It had also been natural to continue interfering in whatever crimes they stumbled across after that, until eventually they began seeking those crimes out. All three of them had wanted to be heroes for some reason or another, and that drive hadn't disappeared even now; if anything, it became stronger.
Once Hitoshi lived on the streets and saw first-hand just how cruel and dangerous the world became with each passing day, idly sitting by felt wrong. Once-shallow motivations of proving his classmates wrong about his Quirk gave way to true determination to do good. They protected those smaller and weaker than them, taking down villains and fleeing as fast as possible.
Life continued like that—not quite peaceful per say, but content enough. His friends became something closer than just friends. They would travel around Japan and fight crime in other places, steadily building reputations for themselves as they sent more and more villains behind bars. They even got a master, who took them under his wing to teach them his ways and got them proper vigilante gear.
Throughout it all, the trio's bond grew even stronger. Mashirao and Neito became something more than friends, closer to brothers than anything. Even after finding a whole slew of runaways in similar situations in Odawara, joined a full network, they never stayed long before setting out together once more. Other people would come and go, even the vigilante who taught them disappearing, but they didn't mind. The lack of a house to return to didn't matter as long as he had them.
Almost.
The mistake had been when Hitoshi felt a pinch of homesickness, and decided to go back to Nabu for a quick visit.
That had been when he'd fucked up and gotten captured.
That had been how he'd ended up in this hellhole. Locked in a windowless room with a fucking bomb on his ankle and a muzzle locked around his jaw almost fulltime. Sure, he got some little freedoms after a while. Could walk around the building with supervision, play video games and do homework with a Pro Hero. Even got to keep a cat in his cell.
Didn't change the fact he was stuck in hell.
Mealtimes for Hitoshi were a silent affair, even with the muzzle removed, and tonight was no different. He didn't speak to the guards who came to deliver dinner and watch him as he ate, didn't even look at them. Just silently shoveled his food into his mouth, no thoughts of resistance on his mind.
Oh, he'd tried at first. The first few meals he tried to get the person to speak, barraging them with frantic questions in a bid to get them to answer just one, or even tell him to shut and eat. Just any kind of response. His jailers had remained silent though, just wordlessly shoved the food at him and sat in silence until Hitoshi ate. His overwhelming hunger made it impossible to refrain from eating, and he knew he needed his strength.
And he'd tried physically fighting back, too. Viciously lashed out the very first time they moved to put the muzzle back on after he finished eating. He'd managed to to smack the guy in the face pretty hard when he got close, and had been ready to make a run for the door. Then he'd felt a harsh shock from his ankle, and his anger gave way to a pained yell as electricity coursed through his leg.
That had been how he discovered the anklet had a more practical use than just reminding him of his predicament and lack of freedom.
Nowadays, after several failed attempts and painful reminders of his lack of power, he saw no point in resisting—well, not actively resisting, anyway. He still had escape on his mind; he'd always had it on his mind, even after resigning himself to being unable to escape on his own power. But the thought was even more omnipresent now that Midoriya was helping them work on an actual plan.
Midoriya. Quite possibly the single most tolerable part of this nightmare besides Sushi—or Mion, as he'd taken to calling the kitten in his head. Hitoshi wouldn't go so far as to say the other boy was good, because nothing about this place was good, but... He made things more bearable. After all, Shigaraki didn't want to upset his "brother" by hurting his "friend."
Helped that he now wanted to help Hitoshi escape, too, along with that Bakugou kid and Eraserhead. That was honestly the first bright spot of hope he'd gotten since waking up here. Ever since they all started working together, his situation had improved immensely. Having an actual goal left him feeling productive instead of just listless and edging ever-closer towards despair.
Even just eating dinner in silence with no resistance, like he did right now, felt useful. His cooperative attitude served towards a larger goal of lulling the villains into a false sense of security, letting them think he was becoming complacent. After all, the more compliant he behaved, the more likely they'd believe he wanted to be here.
To that end, as he neared the end of his soup he glanced at one of the mooks standing guard. A guy with a rodent mutation of some kind, more "ugly sewer rat" than "cute and soft mouse." Some kind of irony that a rat-faced bastard did, in fact, turn out to be a villain.
"So, any chance we can skip the muzzle tonight?" he asked casually. "Give me a break for good behavior?" Beady eyes darted his way, and the guy's lips pulled back in a sneer (and damn, that full set of human teeth with that face was jarring and disconcerting), but said nothing. Just glowered for a few seconds before looking away. Hitoshi huffed softly, going back to eating as he muttered, "Yeah, thought not."
He kept his tone light and casual, making sure not to show any despondency or ire. The tricky part of this whole charade was to make sure it didn't seem like he'd just given up. They needed the villains to think Hitoshi had begun to like it here and felt comfortable, rather than simply had his spirit broken and fallen into despair. That would just make them wary of him someday regaining that spirit.
He still frowned when Ratface approached with the muzzle after dinner ended, but didn't try to fight back. Had to mentally psych himself into opening his mouth so he could put it back on. As usual he grimaced when he felt the rubber bar slide between his teeth. It wasn't too long, just enough to force him to bite down on it, but it helped keep the muzzle even more firmly in place. He closed his eyes as they secured it, shoulders slumping tiredly.
Once he heard the click from by his ear Ratface backed off. "See ya in the morning, kid," he grunted, following the other miscellaneous grunt who'd already exited the door. Hitoshi flopped onto his back as he heard it close and automatically lock behind them, letting his eyes shut and rest for a moment.
He wasn't sure how long had passed since he got captured. It was still relatively recent, enough so for him to still be adjusting. His bouts of resistance had already dwindled though. The last attempt had ended with him handcuffed to the bed for a full night, even through the fucking meal. He only got released after Shigaraki visited him.
"You're stubborn," the man huffed, glaring down at Hitoshi as he sat on the edge of the bed. "You're not following the script. You should be more cooperative by now, this is getting frustrating." Hitoshi couldn't respond of course, could only stare up at him while shaking violently. His wrists were still cuffed to the bedposts, belts binding his torso and knees tightly to the mattress.
If Shigaraki wanted to kill him he could do nothing, absolutely nothing, and they both knew it. For the first time in years Hitoshi felt the same vulnerability he'd felt as a child, his mind desperately screaming for someone, anyone, to save him from this nightmare. He knew help wouldn't come though. Shigaraki leaned over, his hair tickling Hitoshi's face and his features cast in shadow as his head hovered just inches above his.
"I do not like uncooperative NPCs," the man informed him crisply, red eyes cold and apathetic. "Change it, or I might just dispose of you after all."
He pulled away, turning around so Hitoshi couldn't see his face. "One chance. I will give you one chance to get over this."
He left after that, leaving Hitoshi to cry and sob and wrench against his restraints. The next time someone entered and removed his muzzle to feed him, he made no attempt to resist even when they put it on afterwards. Only then did they finally remove the restraints, and after they left he'd curled in a ball on his side and sobbed.
Hitoshi estimated it had been a full day since then, and he'd rather not repeat the experience. Ominous as the threat had been though, he already found himself more listless than scared. There wasn't much to do in this place besides sleep and eat, and the mooks never hung around long outside mealtimes. At this point, he'd welcome it if they stuck around to taunt and mock him, because at least it'd give him something to do.
The most entertainment he got was probably his dreams, and even that was getting dispiriting. Dreams just reminded him of what he should be doing, like hanging with friends or fighting crime or training. Hell, he'd had two dreams about finding some mythic master to teach him how to be a hero. Last night's had been complete with an epic mountain training montage that ended with him sprouting wings as he reached the next tier of heroism. And then they made soda for some reason...?
He'd been contemplating the potential symbolism of adding ketchup to make the mixture taste "lighter" when he heard a series of metallic bangs on the door. The noise startled Hitoshi out of his thoughts as his head snapped towards it, needing a few seconds to recognize what it was: knocking. The door opened moments later but the person didn't barge right in like every other time, instead peeking his head inside almost shyly.
"H-hello? Are you the new guy?"
Hitoshi looked at the newcomer with narrowed eyes, instantly wary. He appeared to be his age, with curly green-tinged black hair and bright green eyes that looked too innocent for a place like this. When they made eye contact the boy slipped inside and closed the door, offering him a friendly if somewhat tentative smile. "Hi, nice to meet you! I'm Midoriya Izuku."
Hitoshi frowned (not that it could be seen with this damn contraption on his face), sitting up and pulling his knees to his chest with a suspicious look. The boy, Midoriya, paused as he looked at him, seeming to realize something. "Ah, I-I guess you can't really speak like that, huh... Oh! I know! Be right back!" He perked up and quickly hurried out, the door automatically locking behind him. Hitoshi remained motionless, glaring at it warily until it finally opened again about five minutes later.
Midoriya entered with a timid sort of smile, carrying a small white board and a handful of markers. "Here, I know it's not the best option, but it's better than nothing," he said, holding them out as he approached the bed. Hitoshi hesitated before cautiously accepting them, eying the boy suspiciously as he uncapped a marker and scribbled on the board.
'Who are you? What do you want?' he wrote, turning it for the boy to see. Midoriya's expression dimmed a bit, his smile just a bit sadder as he pulled the chair over to sit by the bed.
"I want to talk, mostly. You're the first person my age to show up here since, well, ever." He shrugged lamely, scratching the back of his neck. "I mean, I guess Toga is about our age too, and Mustard is too, but they're kinda scary sometimes and Tomura-nii doesn't like me spending too much time with them alone, so..." He trailed off sheepishly, not noticing Hitoshi's gaze harden at the words "Tomura-nii."
'You're Shigaraki's brother?' he jotted down, the strokes harsh and thick as he pushed down on the marker harder than intended. Midoriya sucked in a breath when he read it and averted his gaze.
"Not... exactly," he said slowly. "It's, uh, complicated. Long story short, I've been living here with the alliance since I was eight for... reasons." He shrugged and left it at that, wringing the fabric of his pants as he glanced back. "I don't do anything for the Alliance or work with them, if you're wondering. Tomura-nii actually wants me to stay out of it. I'm... Quirkless." His expression took on a rueful slant at that, his eyes just a little more wry and grim even as he offered a tight smile.
Hitoshi's eyes narrowed, writing another question. 'You expect me to believe that?'
"That's fair," Midoriya said once he read it. "I'd probably be suspicious in your shoes, too. But I mean it when I say I don't have anyone else my age. I just really want someone to talk to, I guess. I'm really rusty at talking to other kids, and we won't have to talk about anything you don't want to, but you're probably really bored here anyway, so it's better than nothing, right?" He offered another smile as he spoke, shy and timid with a tiny glint of hope in his eyes.
Hitoshi was wary of it all, naturally suspicious of the boy's motives, but he couldn't deny the truth of that. He had nothing to occupy himself between meal times, no way to even measure time. He didn't trust the other boy, but he would indulge him, if only because he had no choice. After all, the "one more chance" Shigaraki mentioned had to mean something.
Midoriya visited almost every day after that, talking about whatever various subjects came to mind. Whenever Hitoshi expressed displeasure or discomfort with a topic the other boy would apologize and change it immediately. He only tried to probe Hitoshi for information occasionally, mainly asking for a name besides Hijack ("Doesn't have to be your real one, it's just weird using a codename all the time") but never complaining about his refusal to share it.
He knew Midoriya knew about his Quirk and its mechanics. He also knew the boy knew about his vigilante career. He would occasionally reference it, asking with obviously restrained curiosity about criminals he'd encountered or if he ever had close calls with the police. His eyes seemed to glow with genuine fascination the rare times Hitoshi answered, his voice dropping to a quiet breath when discussing Brainwashing as if in awe of its potential. A definite first for Hitoshi.
At some point, Hitoshi began to relax when Midoriya visited. Not much, he still remained guarded and careful because he wasn't an idiot, but he would listen to the boy prattle on without complaint. Midoriya began bringing books for him to read, populating the bare shelf in the room with a wide variety of options to choose from. If he saw Hitoshi reading one he would excitedly ask his opinion on it, a topic Hitoshi was content to indulge because it revealed little about himself. Their conversations gradually became longer as he participated more actively through the whiteboard.
Those visits became a new part of his routine, the only respite he had from his long stretches of isolation in captivity. He still didn't fully trust Midoriya, still loathed the situation as a whole, but he could tolerate the other boy. Even look forward to his visits.
Then one day, he stopped.
It was a soft swish of air and a mewl of surprise from Mion that had Hitoshi opening his eyes. He'd come to recognize the difference between her usual "look at me and shower me with love, human" meows and "oh, this is new" sounds, and this was the latter. He opened his eyes to see a shadowy figure looming in the corner of the room, and jolted upright with a smothered gasp.
It took a moment to realize that the figure wasn't just shadowy, but actually covered in mist. Kurogiri. Hitoshi's heart pounded like mad as he stared at the villain, wondering what the hell he was doing there. Mion mewed as she pawed at the newcomer's leg, and those wispy golden eyes flickered towards her as Kurogiri knelt down to pet her.
"Hello, Sushi. I see you are doing well." Mion arched against his hand, clearly content with the attention. For a second, Hitoshi let himself believe he was just there for the cat. Kurogiri's gaze returned to him though and he felt himself stiffen, recognizing that the villain was indeed there for him.
Without moving his eyes from Kurogiri's he groped on the mattress until he found the phone and picked it up, finally breaking eye contact to type. "Do you need something?" the electronic voice asked, stilted and monotonous as always.
"Yes. This will not take long." The villain rose to his full height and strolled over, making Hitoshi tense even further and shrink back. The flickering wisps of mist around the top of his head made him seem even taller and more imposing, and Hitoshi felt his breath catch as Kurogiri held out a hand as if to help him up. Hitoshi hesitated a moment, before slowly getting up on his own.
The villain recognized he didn't intend to take his hand and let it drop, instead turning to walk to the door. "I suppose you'll be more comfortable walking, so come along." Hitoshi followed warily, wondering what he had in mind. Mion trailed at their heels, ready for an adventure, but when they reached the door Hitoshi gently nudged her back with his foot. She made her protests known as Kurogiri closed the door, (hopefully) sealing her inside.
It didn't take long to realize where Kurogiri wanted to go. Eraserhead's cell wasn't too far from his own after all, and it wasn't like there was anywhere else to go besides Aiko's lab. Kurogiri knocked twice before opening the door.
The hero sat up looking instantly alert as Hitoshi entered first with the villain right behind him. "What's going on?" he demanded sharply, eyes darting briefly towards Hitoshi before settling firmly on Kurogiri. "Why did you bring him here? Where's Midoriya?"
"Izuku is currently spending time with Tomura," Kurogiri replied smoothly. "He will visit soon with your dinner, so there is no need to fret."
"That still doesn't answer the first question," Eraserhead growled. Kurogiri did not respond, and then Eraserhead suddenly stiffened, eyes going wide for some reason.
"I see the handcuffs are missing," Kurogiri commented, and Hitoshi felt his stomach sink as his eyes darted to the hero's hands. He still wore the mittens, just in case this exact situation happened with a random villain barging in, but the handcuffs were still gone. They'd hoped that any visitors wouldn't notice, but that had been so stupid in retrospect. Kurogiri's head turned slightly to the nest of blankets and pillows, the only objects in the room. "I assume they're hidden under one of the pillows."
Eraserhead's lips pressed together in a firm line, quickly averting his gaze. Hitoshi meanwhile felt sick, chilly fear starting to seep through him as Kurogiri seemed to glide across the room. He crouched in front of the hero, Eraserhead's head still bowed as the villain inspected his hands. "Hmm. Izuku shouldn't be able to remove the handcuffs, so I assume it was someone else."
"It was Aiko," Eraserhead confirmed through gritted teeth.
"Ah, I see. Well, no matter. I do not think they are particularly necessary. That will also make this faster." He lowered his voice then, murmuring something too soft for Hitoshi to hear. Whatever he said couldn't be good though because Eraserhead's head snapped up with his bloodshot eyes wide and bewildered.
"No," he said, the word breathy and panicked. "No, I won't—" He stopped with a small hiss as he shifted back reflexively, hands reaching to clutch his splinted leg, and Hitoshi winced in sympathy.
"You are not in a position to refuse, Eraserhead," Kurogiri said, reaching out to grab one of his hands. Eraserhead went stock still as he undid the snap buckle on the mitten and pulled it off, continuing smoothly, "This will ultimately be better in the long run. It will only be temporary of course, but think of the benefits. The massive improvements in basic quality of life."
The argument had Eraserhead visibly freezing up, gaze darting towards Hitoshi. Their eyes met and the hero somehow became even more rigid, his face screwing up before sharply tearing his gaze away. The entire exchange had alarms bells blaring in Hitoshi's head, dread starting to pool in his stomach. He could see Eraserhead grit his teeth in apprehension as Kurogiri removed the other mitten.
"No one will know the truth," he said, setting them aside. "I will take care of everything else, so you do not need to worry. But I suggest you consider it, for his sake. I do believe this is the best option we have." Eraserhead's shoulders hunched even higher before suddenly sagging, his head falling forward and his hair obscuring his expression.
"...Fine," he muttered, sounding utterly defeated. Kurogiri rose to his full height and turned to Hitoshi, making him flinch, and gestured for the teen to approach.
"Come here, Hijack. This will only take a few moments."
Every instinct in Hitoshi's body was screaming to get the hell away. Whatever was about to happen was bad, very bad, even without taking Eraserhead's reaction into consideration. You never listened to the shadowy villain in these situations, it was basic Survival 101.
But he also didn't have a choice. He couldn't run away even if he opened the door, couldn't avoid Kurogiri forever when he was trapped in this building by a bomb on his ankle. Couldn't fight back even with his hands unrestrained. Even if the anklet didn't shock him and he somehow won, he'd still be stuck in enemy territory surrounded by hostiles.
He was trapped, plain and simple.
So with great reluctance he forced himself to walk forward, that crushing dread getting heavier with each step. He stopped in front of Kurogiri and Eraserhead, the hero's head still bowed and not looking at him. Kurogiri took a step back and gestured for Hitoshi to move directly in front of Eraserhead, and he did so reluctantly, slowly kneeling before him.
His heart pounded as Eraserhead heaved a deep, soul-shuddering sigh, reaching up to rub at his eyes with the heels of his palms. "Fuck," he murmured softly. "I can't believe... Fuck." With another heavy breath, he removed his hands from his eyes and looked at Hitoshi.
In that moment, he looked heartbroken and guilt-ridden. There was no other way to describe the utter despair and resignation in his eyes as their gazes met, the rueful and hollow twist to his mouth. Hitoshi felt frozen, veins turning to ice as Eraserhead spoke quietly. "Kid, I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry about this."
With that he reached out to grab Hitoshi's face, cupping either side of his head while never breaking eye contact. A grimace flickered across Eraser's features before his expression seemed to harden with resolve.
And then, his eyes flashed red and his hair rose.
Hitoshi felt the breath leave his lungs at the sudden shift, more shocked than anything else. He felt like he couldn't look away from Eraserhead's eyes, able to see the spreading veins and now-red glow to his irises which quickly flickered to gold.
Then just as suddenly as it began it stopped, eyes returning to their usual inky black and his hair falling limply around his shoulders. His hands pried away from Hitoshi's head and went right back to being buried against his eyes as he leaned back with a sharp inhale, hissing softly, "Fuck. Fuck, shit, fucking hell... Can't believe I just..."
As he muttered to himself Hitoshi startled when Kurogiri suddenly crouched beside him. The villain had moved so silently he hadn't heard his approach, and Hitoshi turned his head just in time to see Kurogiri reach towards his face. He flinched and squeezed his eyes shut on reflex, feeling the mist brush his cheek.
It was hard to describe the feeling of Kurogiri's mist. It was light and felt like a brush of air, yet slightly heavier and more there. Hitoshi shuddered involuntarily at the contact, and then again as he then felt something solid beneath it. Skin, for sure, dry and cold and solid, making him flinch again when he felt it brush his ear. Wait, his ear? What—
There was a familiar click, and his eyes popped open as he felt the muzzle loosen and pull away. "How do you feel, Hijack?" Kurogiri questioned, and Hitoshi swallowed thickly, still trying to process what was going on.
"I... D-don't... know?" he managed to sputter. The first words he'd ever spoken to this particular villain.
"Then I assume there is no pain," Kurogiri responded, and at that moment, Hitoshi felt his blood chill.
"I'm sorry," Eraserhead repeated quietly, voice hollow and broken, and Hitoshi opened his mouth and screamed.
Hitoshi spent the entirety of the first day reading, measuring the passage of time by the delivery of meals. He waited for Midoriya through breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yet, the boy never came. It had been disappointing, but it also wasn't the first time he'd skipped a day, so Hitoshi hadn't thought much of it.
But the next day came and went without an appearance from the other boy, and then another. And another.
After three days he began to feel something like worry, wondering if something happened to Midoriya to prevent him from visiting.
By the end of nearly two weeks with no sign of the boy though, his concern had quickly changed to anger and apathy.
In the end, Midoriya never was all that different from the rest of the Alliance. Hitoshi realized the boy had used him as a tool to alleviate his boredom, just another face among countless others who must have been captured over the years. The novelty of his presence must have finally worn off and he'd lost interest, leaving Hitoshi to sit and rot until he either died, or gave in to the Alliance's wishes.
The thought angered him, his heart closing off a little more. He knew they had never been friends, that he shouldn't feel betrayed, but he couldn't help the pang of resentment towards the other boy for throwing him away so easily.
So when Midoriya finally returned, he had sighed and gotten his white board to question him. He didn't feel like entertaining a callous, spoiled brat who would ignore him if he didn't perform enough fun tricks to hold his interest. Indulging the boy's desire to appease his boredom would yield no benefits for him; he'd rather just get him to leave now than waste energy on trying to appeal to him.
That had been what he thought, anyway.
Then Midoriya teared up and began crying, and threw himself at Hitoshi while sobbing and apologizing relentlessly.
"I'm sorry," he babbled like a broken record player. "I'm so sorry." Hitoshi stood in stunned silence as the boy squeezed his arms around his torso, able to feel him shaking against his body. Part of him wanted to shove him off, his body now accustomed to associating physical contact with pain thanks to his imprisonment here, but he found himself paralyzed. He knew Midoriya wasn't faking the tears, he had seen enough people crying to tell when someone's sobs were genuine.
Not knowing what else to do, he just tried to pat his back, questioning himself all the while. That gesture just made it worse, the pair having to move to the bed so they wouldn't fall over as Midoriya hugged him even tighter. As he sobbed and repeated the endless apology like a chant, Hitoshi silently wondered if he could get a new shirt as he tried to ignore the growing dampness on his shoulder from tears.
"I'm sorry, kid. I'm so sorry."
It felt like déjà vu, but this time Midoriya wasn't the one crying and saying it, and this time Hitoshi wasn't the one giving the comfort. He just continued to cry and sob in Eraserhead's arms as the hero wrapped him in a tight embrace, the man squeezing him tight as he repeated the apologies like a mantra.
And every syllable just reminded Hitoshi of the empty void where his Quirk should be.
Notes:
This chapter.
The entire flashback part has been in my drafts since Chapter 23, when Izuku initiated the alliance. I was going to have it be split between Bakugou and Shinsou's POV, but I decided to save it for later. I did not anticipate "later" being 73 chapters. I even had this as Chapter 88 originally, before deciding to put off the reveal just a little longer for maximum drama.
I am so glad to finally have this out there. I am so very happy with this chapter. Also, I am weirdly proud that pretty much no one guessed Aizawa had a hand in it. I think only two comments even suggested that as a possibility. Everyone was focused on it being either AFO (both the person and Quirk), or the bullets. I look forward to your reactions~
Also, reminder: There's still an art contest for Chapter 100! Just your favorite scene/moment/etc. from the story. You can submit entries to my Tumblr.
Once again, no question for next time. I just want to hear your thoughts on how this works.
Chapter 97: Doesn't Make Sense
Summary:
Izuku tries to make sense of the new revelation about Aizawa's Quirk. He's not having much luck.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 97
.::Doesn't Make Sense::.
Shouta laid on his side like always, staring at the wall blankly. His hands were held in front of himself, the mittens a dark gray splotch in the peripheral of his vision. His eyes flickered towards them briefly before tearing away and returning to the blank wall.
(The kid's skin had been so smooth against his fingers, the plastic of the muzzle slightly warm instead of cold from being in constant contact with his face.)
He exhaled a shuddery breath as he squeezed his eyes shut, curling in on himself a bit tighter. "Dammit," he whispered to himself. He was a hero, he was supposed to help and protect people. Instead though...
Instead...
"Give it back, give it back, give it back...!"
"Dammit!" he hissed harshly as he curled up even tighter, ignoring the throbbing in his broken leg as he did. At this point he pretty much deserved the pain. He couldn't forget the broken look in the kid's eyes as he sobbed against Shouta's chest, the desperation in his voice as he repeated his pleas.
Shouta had wanted to be a reassuring presence for the kids, a beacon of hope and reliability in this hellhole, but he'd done the opposite.
He couldn't bear to look at his hands right now. He hated his hands, irrational as that sounded. He had only ever used that aspect of his Quirk sparingly since he got it, but never had it left him feeling so much self loathing. He had only agreed because he knew neither of them were in a position to truly refuse, and that this could at least make it a little more bearable, but he regretted it instantly. The kid didn't have that damn muzzle anymore, could actually talk, but at what cost?
If this was the price to pay for his limited "freedoms," then Shouta would rather just be shoved into a fucking straitjacket again. He'd take that hell over this guilt.
This didn't make sense.
Shinsou's story didn't make sense.
Izuku flipped through yet another notebook before tossing it haphazardly onto the growing pile beside him with a frustrated whine. Where was it? Which notebook did he use to write about Aizawa-sensei? Izuku had specifically avoided looking for it, afraid he'd see that horrible "dead" scribbled all over the page, but now he wished he'd checked after finding him. He'd written it back home in middle school, so he had no idea when he'd written it here.
"What are you doing?" a voice asked behind him, and he jumped and nearly dropped the notebook he'd just grabbed.
"Seiko!" he nearly shouted as he twisted to face her. She looked as blank-faced and unsettling as ever, that perpetual wrongness settling into Izuku's veins, but he quickly pushed past it. "Where have you been?"
"Running errands," she replied simply. "What are you doing?" He faltered briefly at the question.
"Do you know anything about Eraserhead's Quirk?" he blurted. "Or which notebooks have notes on him?"
Seiko's head tilted slightly to the side, not even blinking. "He erases Quirks by looking at people with his Quirk active. If he blinks or breaks eye contact with the target, it loses the effect. You can tell it's active because his hair will float if it is." Izuku felt himself deflate as she recited information he already knew, but then she continued, "I believe the one with the most information has a green cover."
Izuku instantly perked up at the reference, eyes alight with determination as he turned back to the shelf. "Green cover, green cover," he muttered, pulling off the remaining notebooks that matched that. He flipped through one and tossed it onto the pile, but after checking the second jumped to his feet as he found a familiar drawing. "This is it!"
"Why do you ask?" Seiko asked as he began skimming the entry.
"Because he erased Shinsou's Quirk and now he can't use it at all!" Izuku replied distractedly, and then groaned in dismay. "Dang it, this doesn't have anything!" Still, it was better than nothing. He grabbed a second notebook he'd put on top of the shelf before rushing out of the room and made a direct beeline for Shinsou's cell.
He practically stabbed the number pad as he punched in the code to unlock it, all but bursting through the door. Seiko had already arrived before him, and Izuku ignored their attempts to question her and went straight to the desk. Their questions fell silent when he slammed down the two notebooks.
"These are the ones that have Eraserhead," he announced briskly, flipping through them. "The first one is from when I was a kid, I think when I would have been about nine? I think I learned about him while researching underground heroes because there's a few others listed near him, so there's not much information there."
Bakugou and Shinsou came over to look over his shoulder as he flipped through the pages to the entry in question. It was pretty simple given his lack of knowledge, lacking even a sketch. It was just bullet points of the little information he'd been able to find: Wears black, works mainly at night, has Erasure Quirk tied to his eyes. Has goggles to protect eyes.
Izuku dropped the notebook onto the desk to flip through the other notebook, the others leaning over to examine the open page. "That's useless," Bakugou declared flatly.
"I know," Izuku groaned, reaching the second entry. "This is the more recent one, from sometime in middle school. And it's, uh, a bit more detailed?" He dropped it onto the desk so they could see it more clearly. This entry was more professional, with the left page dedicated to a sketch of Eraserhead and the other filled with extensive notes on his Quirk, fighting style, and other details.
In fact, the entry was even more detailed than the analysis he made in his own world, in large part due to the presence of a second person's handwriting. While his own writing filled the bulk of the page, small notes had been jotted down in the margins. The the same handwriting adorned the sketch, one which Izuku had most definitely not drawn.
"The hell?" Bakugou grumbled with a frown, zeroing in on the sketch. "That doesn't look like the drawings from your other notebooks."
"Or your handwriting," Shinsou added, rubbing his neck as he grimaced lightly. "Kinda creepy they listed stuff to throw in his eyes and put it in into 'permanent' and 'temporary' categories, and drew an arrow to them. I thought they'd list stuff about his Quirk there, not... that."
Izuku had the same thought, and already had a good idea of who had helped with that entry. "Aiko helped with it, didn't she," he asked grimly as he turned to Seiko.
"She did," the little girl confirmed. "She recited the information and you wrote what she said. Most of the weaknesses and counters came from her."
The last part had Izuku frowning. "There wasn't much on specific counter-strategies, though? Aside from things to throw in his eyes, I mean. Actually, I thought that was kind of weird, because it had so much other detail about potential ways to use Erasure, both for combat and non-combat..."
While he muttered to himself Shinsou flipped the page. "Holy shit," he whispered, and Izuku glanced over to see the next pages seemed to be just counter-strategies. The handwriting alternated between his own and Aiko's, with her handwriting taking a majority of the space.
"Oh," he said quietly. His analysis usually didn't extend past a double-page spread, so he hadn't thought to check. This was... mildly disturbing. It even included information on countering the capture weapon, as well as a handful of other tools he'd seen Aizawa use in the past.
"Okay, this is freaky and all, but I don't see anything on the thing with his hands!" Bakugou said irritably, flipping back to the sketch. He pointed at some scribbled notes with an arrow pointing to Aizawa's hands as he said, "Look, she even wrote down something about how he might not always need his hands to control that scarf-thing—"
"Capture weapon," Izuku corrected almost absently.
"—whatever," Bakugou growled, "And even how he doesn't have to blink to deactivate his Quirk, but nothing about what Hijack said!" He turned to the vigilante with a scowl. "Are you sure that's how it worked?"
"I can't use my Quirk, so yes!" Shinsou snapped defensively. His shoulders were hunched as he glared at the blond, clearly uncomfortable for obvious reasons, but still sharply explaining, "He grabbed my face and activated Erasure, and then Kurogiri removed the damn muzzle and when he responded to me I couldn't feel any response from Brainwashing! I still can't feel it even now!"
His voice verged on hysteria at the end, high pitched and closer to a whine. Tears of frustration prickled the corners of his eyes, adding to his look of desperation as he began rubbing both sides of his neck. "It's gone, there's no reaction anymore, I can't use Brainwashing anymore and I have no idea how. And it's so obviously because of him, he kept apologizing over and over, and Kurogiri knew it would happen. He had to talk him into it because he didn't want to. And they say it's temporary and still there, but it feels like it's gone right now and I can't feel it."
He started pacing the room as he rambled, his speech peppered with low whines of distress. His agitation felt contagious, leaving Izuku just as on edge. "This makes no sense," he whispered. "It... It shouldn't work like that..."
Back home, Erasure definitely didn't work that way. There were countless situations where Aizawa could and would have used it if it did. Hell, he could think of five instances he'd be justified in using long-term Erasure on his classmates from just the last month living at the dorms! Erasure was based purely on making visual contact with the target, and had a notoriously short duration, especially after his injuries at USJ.
What Shinsou described... It shouldn't work that way. "He grabbed your face, so it must be related to skin to skin contact," he muttered to himself. "Otherwise he could just grab your shoulders, that would be less awkward. Needs both hands, maybe? Both palms, all ten fingers? It would be kind of weird to hold someone's face with two hands if it wasn't necessary, but then again, kinda weird do that with even one hand... But wait, what if that's to prompt eye contact?"
His head snapped up in realization, gears turning in his brain. "Right, holding someone's face would make it easier to make them make eye contact. Even if they don't instinctively look at your face, you can move their head to face you. So maybe a combination of eye contact and direct physical contact?" Yeah, that sounded pretty reasonable. Still didn't know whether it required both hands, fingers or palms, and all the other minutia, but that sounded plausible enough.
He turned to Shinsou to ask if they'd made eye contact, but faltered upon noticing his shocked stare. Bakugou was also staring at him, though he looked slightly more irritated than the vigilante. "You went on another mumble-rant," the blond informed him gruffly, and Izuku flinched.
"Oops. Uh, s-sorry..." He felt a bit sheepish now, fully aware how creepy most people found it, especially Bakugou. Shinsou meanwhile seemed to recover from his initial shock, exhaling a shaky breath.
"That... seems pretty plausible to me, I guess?" he ventured. "Kurogiri had to remove the mittens, so skin to skin contact seems pretty likely."
That had Izuku's head snapping up, suddenly realizing something. "That happened on Friday night," he said, feeling the blood drain from his face, and saw the others quickly make the same connection he had. "Kurogiri knows the handcuffs were off. But he didn't have them when I visited him after that. So why didn't he put them back on?" The handcuffs had still been hidden under the pillow (presumably, anyway) when Izuku saw him yesterday and today, so—why?
"Actually, hold on," Bakugou interjected. "Is that why they gave him those stupid mittens in the first place?" Izuku's mouth fell open in shock. That hadn't even occurred to him. He thought it was to make absolutely sure Aizawa couldn't do anything, like pick the shackle on his good leg or remove the collar.
"I... don't think it's common knowledge," Shinsou piped up after a moment. "I remember Kurogiri said something like 'no one would know' and he'd take care of it...? I guess he meant covering it up."
Izuku felt himself relax slightly as he thought it over. "Yeah, that'd make sense," he murmured. "It's not in my notebook, and the way it triggers seems pretty specific, so it's probably not common knowledge at all. I don't think anyone knows. Uh, do they?" He glanced at Seiko.
"The second facet of his Quirk is secret," she confirmed monotonously, and her choice of words made them all snap to attention.
"Back up a second," Bakugou said. "Did you fucking know about this?"
"Not specifically, but I suspected there was a... mutation," she replied, pausing on the last word. "I doubt even Shigaraki is aware. The only ones likely to know would be Kurogiri and Aiko."
The second name had a chill running down Izuku's spine, yet another realization hitting him. "Sushi," he whispered. "She removed the mittens so he could pet Su—Mion." He corrected himself at the last second, but his mind was racing as he turned to Shinsou. "Has Mion used her Quirk at all since Thursday?"
"...No, she hasn't," he confirmed with a frown, glancing at the bed. Izuku saw two blue glints underneath it; she had probably darted there to hide from Seiko. If she hadn't used her Quirk to flee from Seiko now, she probably couldn't use it at all. "So that's why Aiko took Mion to see him?"
"I guess so." Izuku had thought Mion snuck in and that was why Aizawa called out to Aiko, but looking back, he'd never actually said that. It was just as likely that Aizawa had asked Aiko to bring Mion over. Izuku didn't find that much better, since that meant Aiko had still visited Aizawa in the first place. He pushed away his frustration though as he turned back to Seiko and asked, "Why would they know, anyway?"
Seiko tilted her head to the side, her mouth curving into a small smile. "You should ask them instead," she said, and then took a step back as the shadows seemed to reach out to swallow her up. Within a moment she vanished into them, though Izuku doubted she had actually left. She just didn't want to answer any more questions. He settled for a sour glare at the shadows where she'd disappeared.
"Well, that barely helped," Bakugou grumbled. "If it's some big secret about his Quirk, I doubt Eraserhead would be up for talking about it either."
"Probably not," Izuku agreed, pulling his eyes away from Seiko's spot to frown at the others. "He... hasn't been too talkative, since then. Yesterday he said he just didn't sleep well and was tired, but this morning at breakfast he barely talked at all. I didn't think too much on it since I was kinda busy worrying about everything else." He winced as he remembered their conversation yesterday, adding, "Oh man, I even asked him for advice about your reaction..."
The others winced too, even Bakugou grimacing in discomfort. "Damn, that definitely wouldn't help with the guilt," Shinsou muttered. "And he definitely felt guilty..."
Yep, now Izuku felt even worse. "I don't think he ever planned to tell me if he didn't mention it then," he sighed. "So if I want more details, I guess that leaves asking Kurogiri or Aiko." Neither of which sounded ideal—
"Aiko," Shinsou and Bakugou decided in unison, catching Izuku off-guard.
"What?"
"Shittyraki might be the leader, but Mistface is basically the one who runs this joint," Bakugou said flatly, Shinsou nodding in agreement. "If he didn't mention it to you when the muzzle came off, chances are he doesn't want you to know. And that Aiko lady is suspicious, but she seems way more likely to talk about stuff. Plus they obviously have some sort of history."
"She covered up that Uraraka girl from the rest of the Alliance," Shinsou added. "She's shady for sure, but not as shady. Seems like she's more on your side specifically than theirs...?" He shrugged, seeming a bit uncertain, but they both raised good points.
"I guess I'll ask her today," Izuku relented. He still needed to look for that notebook anyway, and he could then update Uraraka and Todoroki in person.
Except half an hour later, he stepped through a portal to a still-empty apartment, because of course it was. This just couldn't be easy, could it? He felt his shoulders slump as he glared at the empty room. It didn't look like anything had even changed since his visit yesterday—oh, wait, there was a second piece of paper on the coffee table where he'd left the note yesterday.
He recognized one of the papers as the note he'd left in case she came back, but the other had Aiko's handwriting from the notebook. He practically snatched it off the table to read it.
'Hey Izuku, sorry I missed you! Had some work and was out until late. Got some more work today, too, so might not see you if you come by before dinnertime. I hope you found the notebook. If it's not in your room, it could be in one of the other apartments. Don't know which one it'd be, but no one comes here. This place is kinda empty, so good luck!'
If it's not in your room, it could be in any apartment.
It could be in any apartment.
Any. Apartment.
Izuku stared at the note for a long moment, and then released a long, drawn-out whine as the full implications set in. He knew the building had a total of five floors, with his and Aiko's apartments located on the fourth, and seemed to be rather large. He pulled out his phone and frantically texted Uraraka.
'You stayed at Aiko's building longer than I have. Do you know how many apartments are there?'
It only took about a minute to respond. 'I think there's six on each floor, so... 30, I think?'
Thirty. Thirty apartments to search, alone. Each with at least two rooms with varying amounts of furniture. He exited Aiko's apartment to peek into one of the apartments across the hall, and found what could only be described as something right out of a horror movie. Ratty, broken furniture and dust everywhere, shards of broken plates on the ground for some reason, and—what the hell, why was there a doll in the corner?
He actually yelped as he locked eyes with the creepy doll in a worn red kimono sitting in the corner, reflexively jumping away from the door. That had not been good for his heartrate, and he would be much better off not knowing that doll existed, thank you very much. When he risked another peek he still flinched and quickly pulled his head away. The doll had a crack on its face, why did that make it even scarier?
He whimpered as he sent another text, fingers shaking. 'Aiko's out and I think she'll be gone until dinner. Can you and Todoroki help me look for a notebook? PLEASE?'
He felt desperate as he waited for a response. Finally, after what felt like hours, she replied: 'How important is this notebook?'
Izuku grimaced. He hadn't wanted to explain everything about it, since that could potentially lead to revealing more about his Quirk than he'd like. Izuku still wasn't sure what the notebook contained, and if he did have One For All in this world... Well, he wasn't ready to explain that to anyone just yet.
Still, he wanted to find something concrete today. Make some sort of progress. So far today was just creating more questions than answers, and it wasn't even lunchtime yet. After a moment he made up his mind and started typing. 'Aiko said I used it to make notes on secret stuff, like my Quirk, Seiko, Aiko...'
He hit send and started writing a second message to explain how his counterpart had kept it secret from the Alliance, but barely typed three words before Uraraka replied. 'Okay, on our way! Be there in 5!'
Wait, what? Izuku wasn't upset, but he didn't expect her to agree so fast! As he stared at the phone in shock another message appeared: 'We can't stay long, but we'll search it top to bottom! See you in 10!'
And once again, Izuku was left staring at his phone in shock. Seriously, he did not expect her to agree so... instantly. It left him wary, because she had been wary of Aiko, too. She'd made it pretty clear she wanted to avoid the woman if at all possible after leaving. Something in his last text must have set her off, but what? His Quirk, Seiko, or—
"...Aiko?" he whispered, feeling a creeping chill wash over him. He felt a shudder run down his spine as several pieces clicked into place: Uraraka couldn't talk about the Alliance or Aiko herself, not even to him. Which meant there must be something urgent she knew, something even Izuku didn't know.
And suddenly, this situation felt a lot more dangerous. The need to find the notebook had officially multiplied.
Notes:
More info on Aizawa's new Quirk facet! And more ominous foreshadowing and hints! Yay! :D
Bad news: taking a break next week. Since it's a milestone, I want Chapter 100 to be good, and also make sure the timing is right for the idea I have for it. I have one idea for it, and once it's published, there will be no going back. So I need to make sure it will pan out in the long run and won't remove opportunities for some other storytelling options. (Guess that also means an extra week for the contest!)
Question for next time: Who would be the most hilarious member of the Big Three to get kidnapped by Shigaraki, the runaways, or some other group in this story? (Inspired by a discussion on the Discord about Nejire terrorizing the runaways or VA with her questions, including one very overwhelmed Aizawa, and Amajiki just sulking the whole time)
Chapter 98: Why "Skeleton Man"?
Summary:
In which the collective 1-A_No_Dream graffiti leads to some ominous conclusions
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 98
.::Why "Skeleton Man"?::.
"So, let me get this straight," Rogue said, hands steepled near his forehead as he regarded a sweating Kirishima and Shouji. They stood in the abandoned karaoke bar used as a previous meeting point, several of the other runaways gathered around to watch the questioning. "You two hopped on the first train this morning from Musutafu... Transferred to the proper bus an hour later to finish the ride to Odawara..."
He lowered his hands and stared into their souls. "And completely failed to notice two people following you."
"Sorry," Kirishima muttered while Shouji averted his gaze, thoroughly embarrassed. Around them several runaways just quietly smacked their foreheads in disbelief. Behind them in the back of the room, Kendo Itsuka and Iguchi Shuichi sat tied to chairs back to back with many layers of rope and duct tape.
Both had rather sour expressions as they watched the scene unfold. With the windows boarded up the main source of light were flickering candles and portable lights, giving an eerie ambience to the scene. The bulky winter coats from the cold, and the fact a few of them had cheap festival masks only added to the tense atmosphere.
"So, think we're gonna get killed by some weird cult?" the lizard man asked flatly, keeping his voice low.
"Wow, way to be an optimist, Spinner," the teenage girl muttered back with a sardonic smirk, before turning back to face the crowd with a sigh. Yep, this was definitely a new low for them.
It started when Amari-san asked Itsuka to go to the memorial garden on her behalf.
She hadn't been lying when she told those two about visiting the garden on behalf of a former classmate's mother. Amari-san had been one of the reasons Itsuka decided to move to Musutafu after graduating middle school. The woman had been a common visitor to the dojo, having practiced martial arts herself as a child before an injury forced her to quit. She and Itsuka had been particularly friendly, and kept in contact even after her visits stopped with her son's death.
So when thinking about what to do after middle school, moving to Musutafu had been one of her first thoughts. Teenagers in Japan didn't need to go to high school after all, and Itsuka didn't feel too motivated to keep going to school for various reasons. For starters, she could spend that time working to get some cash. Also, it'd free up time for her real passion:
Vigilantism.
(To be more accurate, Itsuka wanted to be a hero, but after the UA Massacre most hero schools had closed. So vigilantism it was!)
Admittedly, Musutafu might not have been the best choice for a vigilante career, since it still had a few publicly operating hero agencies. A lot of heroes had already worked in the area before UA closed, and continued to work there afterwards, especially once it essentially became a replacement Tokyo. It had a lot of options for part-time jobs though, and besides, Amari-san offered her a discounted room at the apartment building her sister owned.
Moving to Musutafu turned out to be one of the best decisions of her life, especially after meeting her shut-in neighbor, Iguchi Shuichi. It took two weeks to even realize she had a neighbor because he almost never left his apartment. Initially she'd just wanted to help him break out of his shell as a good deed, but in the end he became her vigilante partner and most trusted ally. Together, they were Battle Fist and Spinner, the protectors of Musutafu!
Hah, phrased like that, it sounds like some corny shonen manga summary. The thought popped into Itsuka's mind on more than one occasion while listening to Shuichi excitedly ramble about their exploits and growing reputation.
They couldn't be too flashy though, since again, Musutafu still had some active heroes. On more than one occasion they had to flee from some Pro Heroes, and they had to take a couple breaks until the heat cooled down. Still, it didn't bother her too much. Just stopping some petty crooks and seeing the relief on the faces of those they helped was pretty good in her book.
Also, fighting criminals helped her vent the frustration after she quit her job.
That had been the other reason she'd started visiting the garden every day. The convenience store where she worked had never been the most upright place, but the managers had become increasingly worse. The final straw came when a villain attack outside had the manager on duty abandoning her and the other poor cashier while the coward hid in the back room. Didn't even try to wait for them to get there, just ran right in and locked the door. They had to take cover behind the counter while the fight raged outside, at one point even shattering the front windows.
Needless to say, that shift ended with a nice red mark on the left half of the manager's face courtesy of her oversized palm.
So yeah, without a job and thus nothing to do during the day since they acted at night, Itsuka had a lot of free time. Originally she figured she'd just visit Amari-san and help her as she recovered from her recent hip injury (falling down a flight of stairs was no joke), but she'd instead proposed going to the memorial garden. Given Amari-san had visited every day since moving, Itsuka should have seen that coming.
She herself hadn't visited too often since moving, but... it was a nice change of pace. Peaceful and quiet, with a few regulars who'd stop by each day. It turned out to be surprisingly easy to spend hours there, just walking around and making small talk with the regulars. She got to know them pretty well, greeting many by name by the end of the first week visiting. She even managed to talk Shuichi into visiting a couple times, a major feat given his shut-in tendencies.
The mood could get somber at times, and she saw more than one person break down in grief there. After all, at the end of the day, it was a memorial for many children who died in a horrific incident. Children younger than she was now, whose futures had been cut short far too early. Overall though, the atmosphere in the garden just felt so serene and relaxed. Just the sort of change of pace she didn't know she'd needed.
And then those two showed up.
Seeing two boys her age on a Thursday, when people should be at school or work, caught her attention. One even had on a mask over his mouth, while the other covered his mouth with his scarf and pulled his hat down, as if trying to hide his face. Even so, she didn't find it too suspicious at first; it was pretty cold after all. They lingered for about an hour before leaving, and that was that.
Then they returned later that same day before sunset.
At that point, Itsuka's instincts were on high alert. People didn't visit the garden multiple times in one day. As a martial artist she had been taught to be particularly aware of her surroundings, an instinct only strengthened by her time as a vigilante. So between that and being already wary of them, it didn't take long to recognize they kept looking at the entrance, particularly when people arrived.
She knew right away their glances weren't just basic curiosity, they were clearly looking for someone specific. Plenty of people used the memorial garden as a meeting spot, but she doubted that was the case for them. Once again they stayed for an hour before leaving just a bit after sunset, Itsuka leaving soon after.
Then they came back twice the next day, still clearly looking for someone, and her suspicions only amplified. She even briefly followed them after the second visit, and saw them leaving graffiti tags in various places. When she checked one of them, she found it had some cryptic message about All Might and UA, and the name for a Tweeter account. That account only had photos of more graffiti with weird messages, adding to the mystery.
When they showed up the third day, she already had Shuichi waiting there to help. Using his appearance to make him out to be shady left a bad taste in her mouth, but "teenage girl worried about being alone due to a shady guy" was the easiest cover story they had. It gave a natural way to approach them and make small talk without diving right into "I see you here every day" and potentially raising their suspicions.
It also gave an opportunity to get a read on their characters. And the conversation that followed... wasn't what she expected.
"So they just went straight to talking strategy to fight me, huh?" Shuichi asked as they sat on a bench in a different part of the garden a few minutes later.
"They didn't want to fight, but they talked about how to get you out of there so the garden wouldn't be damaged," she confirmed with a sigh. "Once they realized no one else was around, they basically expected you to attack, so they were talking about plans to lure you away first."
She popped the tab of the soda can Shuichi had grabbed from a nearby vending machine for her, sipping it while he frowned. "Yeah, that sounds pretty decent to me. It doesn't sound like they're too shady to me. Unless you think they were trying to set up some sort of trap? Get you to trust them so they can lure you into something else later?"
"No, they were totally sincere," Itsuka refuted almost sullenly. "You should've seen the looks on their faces when they first thought you might attack here. That red-haired guy was totally horrified."
"So they at least don't have plans to pick a fight here," Shuichi summarized, crossing his arms.
"Nope," Itsuka sighed, taking another sip from the can. After she finished she frowned and added, "But that doesn't mean they won't pick a fight with whoever they're looking for outside the garden."
Those guys were looking for someone, that much was obvious. Along with how they kept staring at the entrance, those graffiti messages they left seemed to be a message of some sort. The cryptic and random content was probably meant for someone specific who'd recognize it and send a message to the Tweeter account. Someone they didn't know personally, or they wouldn't be going through all this trouble.
The question was who, and why.
Everything felt so shady. Seriously, the repeated mentions of a "skeleton man" in the Tweeter pics felt really ominous. Then there were all those photos about "it's your turn" or "you're next" and several variants of "we beat Stain" which just rang all sorts of alarms with how vague that was. Something was going on, something big, and she couldn't just turn a blind eye to it.
In that moment, she made up her mind and crumpled up the can. "I don't know if we can follow them after this without them being suspicious, but I followed them to a hotel last night. It's a pretty cheap one not too far away."
Shuichi sat up straighter at the comment, eyes shining excitedly. "We're doing a stakeout, aren't we?" he asked eagerly, and she grinned as she nodded.
"Yeah!" Their first stakeout as vigilantes. This would be big!
Hours later, they'd both regret their life decisions as they took turns fighting off boredom-induced sleep from an alleyway across from the hotel. So much for suspicious people being more active at night...
When morning came, their patience seemed to pay off though, because Shuichi nudged her awake to point out the pair exiting with backpacks. They followed the duo to the train station, where they bought tickets from an electronic kiosk. Itsuka managed to get close enough to see what they selected on the screen, and after a moment of hesitation bought two tickets for her and Shuichi.
Following them was risky, but something was going on, something spanning multiple cities. And it was their job to find out what.
Which brings us back to the present.
"How do you not notice a literal lizard man?"
The apparent leader of the mysterious shady group, a guy they called Rogue, looked utterly exasperated as he gestured to Shuichi. "I don't know!" Kirishima (not Kiriyama) whined. "We were just focused on getting back, I guess?"
"Enough to never notice you were followed," Rogue said flatly, and Kirishima winced.
Yeah, they definitely need to work on their awareness, Itsuka reflected as she watched the exchange. They'd managed to follow the pair pretty far without getting noticed. It was only after they reached Odawara and saw the two meet up with a few other people in some woods that they finally got noticed. Some pink girl dressed like a greaser (Kirishima called her Ashido?) had somehow recognized Itsuka and blurted her name, despite the fact Itsuka had never seen her before in her life.
In any event, that blew their cover pretty fast, and ended with them jumped by a lot of people. While they'd put up a fight, they were ultimately outnumbered and lost pretty fast. And now they were here, tied to chairs in an abandoned karaoke bar.
Points for creativity with the hideout, I guess...?
"They followed you on a train and bus transfer," some blond guy with a tail piped up, perfectly deadpan as he echoed Rogue's earlier comment. "They had to be following you even before you left Musutafu. I get that you're new to this, but you too, Parasyte?" He turned to shoot "Shoshi" a disapproving look, the bulky teen shrugging awkwardly and rubbing the back of his neck.
"I guess I was distracted," he muttered. "I noticed the lizard one on the bus, but I didn't think it was the same person from yesterday."
"How many lizard people have pink hair?" Rogue groaned.
"Hey, that's not pink!" the pink girl who Itsuka did not know, yet who knew her, interjected with a scowl. "That's more purple than pink!"
"That might just be the lighting," said a guy with a white and blue plaid headband. "It's kinda dark in here."
"I dunno, it looked kinda pink to me when we were all outside," some floating guy said thoughtfully. "Kinda right on the edge. Dusty rose, maybe? That's 'dusty rose' in Japanese," he added, briefly shifting to English and back. "Don't know if it has a name in Japanese."
"Why do you know some foreign color?" Headband asked flatly.
"Long story involving a really weird argument about costume colors."
"Well, I still say it's more purple than pink!" Ashido huffed. "Lavender, maybe? No, wait, color's bit too red for that..."
"Are they seriously talking about my hair color?" Shuichi whispered to Itsuka in disbelief as they continued bickering.
"I think so," Itsuka muttered back, feeling just as exasperated as Rogue looked. Another blond guy stepped forward—someone had called him Kaitou if she remembered right.
"Everyone, we're getting off-topic," he announced, getting their attention. "We still have yet to identify these two, and why they followed Kirishima and Parasyte in the first place." That had everyone's attention back on them. Great.
"Don't you already know who we are?" Itsuka asked sourly, glaring at the pink girl. "I mean, you obviously know my name."
"Yeah, but I don't know this you," Ashido countered. "I don't even really know the 1-B you!" What?
"Don't," Rogue said before she could say anything else. "Just, don't. Please, we already have enough headaches." He had the look and tone of a man who regretted being born.
"Look, she knows random names, but that's it," tail guy added to Itsuka. "It's weird, and there's an even weirder story behind it that you won't believe."
"Try us," she challenged, glaring them down.
"No." "You won't." "Not worth it." "We didn't believe it." "It's pretty out there." "I still don't know if I totally believe it."
Everyone spoke up at once, making it quite clear they didn't think she'd believe them. Including at least one person who apparently didn't fully believe it themselves, though she wasn't sure who'd said that last bit. "Just assume she knows your name and nothing else," tail guy said flatly once they all quieted. "But that alone doesn't tell us anything. Not what you do, why you're here, your Quirks... And we don't know his name, either."
He side-eyed Shuichi as he spoke, and Itsuka could feel him squirm a bit. "Tch, I don't have to give you my name," he grumbled.
"And we're sure as hell not telling you about our Quirks!" Itsuka added fiercely.
"We don't need you to," Kaitou said loftily as he strolled over. He lightly tapped her shoulder, making her flinch, and he hummed as he glanced at his palms. "Oh? This is interesting." Even as he spoke his palm rapidly inflated until it was the size of his torso, making Itsuka jolt in recognition. Fuck. "Well, this is an interesting one."
"Huh, giant fists and a lizard guy," the floating guy mused, hovering on his back as he crossed his arms. "That's actually familiar. I think it was..." He then nodded and rolled to face them with a snap of his fingers. "Got it! You're the vigilantes in Musutafu, right? Battle Fist and Splinter."
Now they both jolted, because how the hell did he know them? "It's Spinner!" Shuichi sputtered indignantly.
"Ah, I see," floaty-guy said while Ashido jumped in alarm. "I'll get that fixed whenever I get back—"
"You're part of the League of Villains!" Ashido interrupted while pointing at Shuichi, and all at once everyone devolved into panicked shouts and accusations.
"He's part of what?" "Wait, he's a villain?" "He's one of them?"
Once again the voices overlapped as everyone exclaimed in shock and disbelief, making the two vigilantes flinch. "What the hell, he's not a villain!" Itsuka shouted angrily on her friend's behalf. "We're vigilantes! Are you just saying that because of his Quirk?"
"What, no!" Ashido yelped, looking horrified and offended. "I'm a mutant too! I'm saying that because Bakugou told us there was a lizard guy named Spinner who was a Stain wannabe!"
"Who the heck are Bakugou and Stain?" Shuichi demanded irritably. "I don't know either of those names! And I'm sure as hell not some wannabe!" His defense didn't seem to help much, as the arguing just continued to escalate.
Itsuka had never felt so on edge, even during a patrol; she had no idea how they'd fare if someone were to attack them now. The tail guy looked particularly angry as he took a step towards them, prompting Kaitou to stand in his path to block him. If Itsuka used her Quirk she could probably break the ropes, but they'd still be outnumbered and didn't know all of their Quirks. On that note, Kaitou's hands had returned to the normal size, but she couldn't be sure he could no longer use her Quirk.
"Wait, wasn't Spinner one of those names you had Uraraka test?" Rogue suddenly asked over the loud din, and just like that the pandemonium came to a halt.
"Yes, yes it was," Floaty guy confirmed, fairly amused. "I remember Ashido and Kaminari taking turns rambling about how he was apparently a Stain fanboy, and then Todoroki having to explain who Stain was to everyone else."
"Yeah, and he did a terrible job at it," some other guy said, which had them jumping yet again. Someone had called him Glitch earlier, but he hadn't actually talked until now. Damn, the way his voice constantly changed was even more off-putting than his glitchy appearance. "The only thing I got out of that was that he kills heroes."
That had Shuichi cringing. "And you think I'd want to be like him?" he sputtered, staring at Ashido in shock. "What the heck? We're vigilantes! We're trying to help people! The world's already screwed enough without more people trying to kill people!"
To her credit, Ashido actually looked somewhat sheepish at the rebuke. "Actually, since Uraraka-chan could say your name, you're probably not part of the League here? Since she can't talk about the Alliance and all that?"
"Can someone please explain that part at least?" Itsuka asked in exasperation. "I get you're all shady, but—"
"If anyone's shady, it's you!" Headband interrupted with a scowl. "Who follows two people across multiple prefectures?"
"Yeah, well, who visits a memorial garden multiple times in one day looking for someone, and makes a shady Tweeter account posting weird graffiti messages!" Itsuka countered. Several of the people flinched with open surprise, and she huffed as she continued, "Yeah, we looked up that account handle you plastered all over Musutafu. How can you possibly call that not shady?"
"Are you working for some skeleton man?" Shuichi blurted, which had several more people reeling in surprise.
"Skeleton man?" Rogue repeated faintly, sounding very much like he dreaded the answer as he turned to Kirishima and Parasyte.
"...We, uh, didn't want to say his name in the graffiti," Kirishima said sheepishly. "It'd be kinda alarming, y'know?"
"...Graffiti?" tail guy repeated, just as blank. There was a moment of silence, and as Itsuka took in their confused and uncomprehending expressions, she realized something: almost no one here knew about the ominous Tweeter account.
Suddenly, it occurred to her that this might not be the highly organized criminal organization she and Shuichi thought it was.
While everyone stared at Kirishima and Parasyte, they both slowly turned to Ashido. "What're you looking at me for?" she asked with a frown.
"You didn't tell anyone?" Parasyte asked.
"I wasn't hiding it! I told Kou—Rockfish!" She amended the name at the last second to an obvious codename, continuing, "He was with me when Punk-Step texted the first photo and I drew that sword around that statue!"
"I... can see him neglecting to inform anyone else," Parasyte sighed. "He isn't the most vocal individual, so I can see him assuming you would have told someone."
"Hold on, explain what you're talking about," Kaitou said. "You made a Tweeter account for... graffiti?"
"It's called 1-A_No_Dream," Shuichi piped up before anyone else could respond. "That's 'one-dash-A', and underscores between the words. The username's written with English letters." Even as he spoke several of them pulled out cell phones to type in the username.
"...Huh, it actually is just for graffiti," Headband piped up in surprise. He faltered for a second before saying absolutely deadpan, "'Ingenium can walk.' Wow. Shocker."
"Oh, that sounds like a new one!" Ashido exclaimed cheerfully before wondering aloud, "I wonder if that one's in Hosu?"
"Ashido, why is that a message?" Kirishima asked faintly, sounding very scared of the answer, and she flinched and grimaced.
"Uh, I'll explain later."
"You're next," Glitch suddenly said, somehow managing to convey a perfectly flat tone even as his voice fluctuated in pitch. "It's your turn. Help them get back to the skeleton man. Endeavor is a flaming garbage can. Endeavor was a dick at the Sports Festival."
"Why are at least two of those Endeavor messages at places I recognize from here in Odawara?" Rogue asked with a groan.
"Because it sounded like he's been a jerk to Todoroki back home," Ashido said plainly. "I guess they'll tell us the full details whenever they get back...?"
"All hail the rat lord," tail guy piped up as he stared at his phone. "All hail the dog lord. All hail the bear lord. All hail the... quokka lord? What's a quokka?"
"I don't know. We're not sure what Nedzu is, so I guess everyone just put down different options?" Ashido shrugged while Itsuka squinted at her. Nedzu. That was UA's principal. Hard to forget him after the press conferences he gave in the aftermath of the UA Massacre; clips from the one where UA announced its closure had been plastered all over news broadcasts for months.
"Who let the dominatrix referee the Sports Festival?" Headband suddenly snorted. "Is that about that Midnight lady?"
"I'm sorry, did you just say dominatrix?" Rogue asked with a flinch.
"Yes, yes he did," Kaitou confirmed as he looked at his phone. "Looks like it got posted yesterday. I for one think it is a very good question."
"Do you have a dominatrix at your school?" tail guy asked incredulously, and Ashido shrugged as she held up her hands.
"It's just Midnight-sensei! So, uh, probably," she conceded.
Kaitou sighed as he looked down at his phone. "Well, these graffiti messages are quite ominous without any proper context," he commented. "I can see why other vigilantes would get suspicious. We'd probably try to investigate it too." That had Itsuka and Shuichi more alert.
"Are you guys vigilantes too?" she asked.
"A few of us, but not all," Kaitou replied with a shrug.
"That guy goes by Lupin in the field," the floating guy piped up, and gestured to tail guy as he added, "And Lee over here goes by Whiplash." That had pretty much everyone turning to look at him sharply.
"We never told you our codenames," tail guy (Lee) said with narrowed eyes.
"You don't need to. The folks at Nighteye's agency keep eyes out for vigilantes who could be potential recruits. I've analyzed enough security videos to recognize you two even without your costumes. How do you think I recognized those two?" He gestured to Itsuka and Shuichi at the last bit.
"Wait, isn't Sir Nighteye All Might's old sidekick?" she asked, and felt Shuichi jolt.
"Wait, does that mean you're all working for heroes?" he yelped.
"No, just him," Ashido grumbled with a scowl. "He stalked me and Kiri all the way here when we left Kamino."
"The last part is true, but I don't actually work for him," the floating guy added nonchalantly. "Can't really hire a literal ghost after all."
Thump.
Everyone turned as Shuichi's chair tipped over onto its side. Itsuka could twist her head just enough to see his eyes bulging as he tried to lift his head so he could look at Mail. "Ghost?" he yelped. "You're a ghost?"
"I'm pretty sure he doesn't mean that literally," Itsuka muttered with a sigh. Seriously, it was probably just some ghost-like Quirk—
"He does," half the room responded in varying degrees of annoyance, much to her surprise. Kaitou continued, "I still don't fully believe it's not just a Quirk."
"I mean, technically it is," floating guy said, still amused. He floated over and lowered to "touch" the floor, straightening out of his slouch to give a small bow as he added, "Mail, at your service. Been dead for sixteen years now, and stuck on this mortal plane ever since."
Itsuka just stared at him in shock, her brain short-circuiting. What? He was actually dead? "He says his Quirk stayed active after he died and keeps him stuck here," Lee added for their benefit. "We're still not entirely sure how true that is or what it does, but at this point I'm starting to believe him."
Kaitou faltered and spun to face him, looking utterly stunned. "Wait, you are?"
"I've been stuck on babysitting duty the past two days," Lee said with a shrug. "We've had a lot of time to talk, and it's been kind of, uh..."
"An existential nightmare?" Mail supplied helpfully.
"Yes." Surprisingly both Lee and Glitch responded, the latter adding, "I've been stuck listening too since I have to be nearby for my Quirk to work. If he's telling the truth, then just think about everything he's said so far about how it works."
"The more you think about it, the more disturbing it gets," Lee said with a grimace. "Not sure I'd wish it on my worst enemy. Seems like hell on earth."
"Karma catches up with everyone," Mail mused, reclining on his back again with arms folded behind his head and legs crossed. "Given the stuff I did when I was alive, I'd say this is a pretty even trade-off. But hey, at least I get to see some of my siblings actually become semi-normal members of society."
There were many ominous implications to that statement, and Itsuka had no idea where or how to begin unpacking it. "So then, why are you here?" she finally asked. "How are any of you guys connected? Because it's pretty obvious you're not on the same page about anything."
"Is there even a skeleton man?" Shuichi added, still on the floor.
"Good question," Rogue said tiredly as he turned to Ashido, Kirishima and Parasyte. "Why skeleton man? Just... why skeleton man?"
"Because that seemed like the best way to describe that person without naming him," Parasyte answered with a shrug. "Kirishima already said that. He did look like a skeleton in my dream, too."
"That is still so weird and hard to imagine," Lee muttered.
"Yeah, took a while to get used to that," Ashido agreed with a light shrug.
"That still tells us absolutely nothing," Itsuka interjected flatly before they could go on another tangent. "Also, could someone please get Spinner off the floor?" The group glanced at them, Shuichi wiggling his feet for emphasis, and Lee and the headband kid stepped over to help pick up the chair. Once they'd righted him they went to a corner of the room to join the others in a huddle, talking in hushed voices too quiet for the vigilantes to really hear.
"Okay, so is them having a meeting good or bad?" Shuichi whispered.
"I have no idea," Itsuka whispered back. "I don't think we're going to get killed at least, so hooray for that...?"
"Yay," Shuichi said with absolutely zero enthusiasm, making her quietly snort. "At least it's not some giant organized crime ring like we thought, I guess. Still have zero idea on what's going on though. Do you?"
"Not a clue," Itsuka sighed, just as the group broke their huddle. Rogue stepped forward, further cementing her initial read on him as the unofficial leader of this group.
"Alright, we'll tell you some of it, but we won't give you all the details because frankly, you won't believe most of it," he said bluntly. "We only believe it because we had multiple people we already knew vouch for everything. Also, this whole situation is incredibly dangerous for literally everyone involved," he added gravely. "Once we tell you, there's no backing out at all on your parts. So say the word now, and we'll let you g,o and we all just pretend this whole thing never happened."
Well that was ominous. "Then why risk telling us anything at all?" Itsuka asked suspiciously.
"Because we kinda need all the help we can get, and every option helps," Kirishima said sheepishly.
"Yeah, if you guys are vigilantes, you're probably more experienced than most people we know," Ashido added with a nod. "I mean, you guys did manage to follow Kiri and Shouji all the way here! That's gotta count for something, right?"
"Besides, he's probably going to tell the heroes everything he knows about us and you once he figures figures out how to get back to Nighteye," Kaitou added with a sigh and a brief glare towards Mail, who just shamelessly shrugged.
"Only after I get home. Until then, I'm just enjoying the show and rooting for you guys. Although, if you told me some more details about the situation in Midoriya—"
"No," half the room chorused, not letting him finish.
"Well, I tried." Mail shrugged, apparently unbothered by the instant rejection.
"Midoriya?" Shuichi repeated inquisitively, bringing their attention back to him and Itsuka.
"Alright, we'll get right into it," Rogue sighed. "Have you heard of a group called the Villain Alliance?"
Notes:
Many people wanted more Kendo. I did too. And I also need a getaway driver for the escape plan, and Spinner did a pretty good job for a guy who learned to drive from video games.
Thanks for your patience last week! I've decided my original plan for Chapter 100 unfortunately will NOT work out. But luckily I have another option I think you guys will either enjoy or hate. Or both! Either way, progress will be made. On that note: only two weeks left! The fan art contest is still open until then!
Question for next time: Why the heck is Spinner called Spinner?? I actually have no idea on his name's origin. I'm open to both silly answers and serious ones, I just want to know WHY.
Chapter 99: Mistakes were Made
Summary:
Kaminari has many regrets, and the search for the notebook continues!
Notes:
Before today's chapter: got an entry for the art contest! It's by AO3 user LifeOfMystery (AKA Eevee on the Ignite server), who is also a phenomenal writer (especially with angst). She drew Shinsou with muzzle, because she likes angst.
Anyways, enjoy today's chapter. c:
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 99
.::Mistakes were Made::.
So something great happened to Denki.
Tokage had deemed him a total loss in terms of acing the exam.
That was probably not great in the long run, but as she herself noted, he wasn't in the top bracket of exam scores. He wasn't even in the middle tier of scores. "You're not rock bottom, but it won't be weird if you score low," she had announced bluntly. "It'd probably be more suspicious if you scored high. You won't completely flunk it, so there's not much point in you cramming any more."
Most of the time, he might be offended and upset by that dismissal. But that last sentence was like an angel's choir for study-weary Kaminari Denki. He didn't have to study anymore. He was free, free, free!
(He might have laughed maniacally as he ran out of Yaomomo's apartment, but that was neither here nor there.)
Jirou hadn't been so lucky since her scores tended to land towards the middle, so she still had to study, which—sucks for her, but not his problem! She had absolutely death-glared at him when he left, but he didn't care. His brain felt overloaded from all the heavy studying they'd done yesterday and that morning before Tokage had released him from his suffering, and he wanted to just chill out and do nothing.
A glance at the group chat quickly put a stop to those plans though. Not because they asked him to do anything, but because everyone else was busy doing their own stuff. Anjou had revealed that Shinsou was part of the runaways, with Ashido adding some details about why they couldn't tell Ojiro or Monoma. Todoroki and Uraraka had chosen to stay in Nabu an extra day because of the situation with Shinsou, and had added some new graffiti to the Tweeter account.
Most recently Ashido had messaged to reveal that Kirishima and Shouji had been followed to Odawara by Kendo and Spinner. Apparently they were a vigilante duo in this world, which had to be the weirdest team up Denki had heard yet. The runaways were in the middle of briefing them about the situation with the Villain Alliance, along with the search for Porter.
'So apparently the Tweeter account looks SUPER suspicious and they thought we're part of some weird cult that worships a skeleton man?' she wrote. 'So uh gotta clear that up. We're not telling them EVERYTHING, but we told them we're using the graffiti to look for Mail's brother. But also, they might help us with the escape thing?'
'How? By raiding the place?' Denki typed. 'Didn't you say that's the reason we can't tell Kaitou or Lee about Shinsou? And aren't THEY vigilantes too?'
'Yeah, but Spinner says he can probably drive the getaway car.' A second later she added, 'Probably.' Then, 'Okay, so apparently he learned from video games, but no one else has any idea how to drive. Except maybe Loud-sensei, but I don't think he'd drive us to the Alliance since he kinda thinks we're all crazy and/or brainwashed.'
Ashido had naturally explained her attempt to tell Mic the situation yesterday, and the aftermath: infinite doubt. After his reaction, Mic had been summarily eliminated as an option for assistance in... pretty much everything. At least until after they finished the big escape/rescue from the Alliance.
'Where would we get a car?'
'I don't know, but it's not like Aizawa-sensei can walk to a train station.' Oh right, Denki forgot about the broken leg for a second. In his defense, he hadn't actually seen Aizawa in this world so it was easy to forget he wasn't the same fully-mobile badass they knew back home.
The conversation got him thinking about the escape though. They hadn't really talked about how it would actually work yet. They'd been setting up little pieces in advance for the escape, like getting the wheelchair for Aizawa, or getting Midoriya on Anjou's network. However, Denki had never really thought about what would happen right after the escape. Going to the police in Nabu probably wouldn't be enough to guarantee Shigaraki wouldn't find them, it'd be better to get out of the city entirely.
Midoriya still hadn't responded to this whole conversation, nor had Todoroki or Uraraka, so he had to assume they were all busy. Denki didn't know what they'd think, but the conversation made him want to do something. Which was why he soon found himself at Hatsume's warehouse to check on the progress in investigating the bomb anklets.
As he stared at the battered steel door lying on the ground, he silently noted that everyone owed him big time for risking his life for this. Beyond the now-bare doorway he could hear the clinking of metal and female voices, telling him Hatsume and Yaomomo were there. He didn't peek inside to actually look, because he did not want to risk getting hit by whatever blew the door off its hinges.
"Hey, uh, is it safe for me to enter?" he called from beside the doorway. "I won't get hit by exploding metal or anything, right?"
The voices briefly went silent. A moment later there was a loud bang that made him jump, followed by some light metallic clattering and then almost unsettling silence. "Yeah, come in!" Yaomomo called, and Denki hesitantly and cautiously slunk inside. Thankfully nothing exploded or went flying in his general direction, though he did notice some smoke rising from... was that a drone on the floor?
"Okay, so that one had too much recoil," Hatsume said as she fiddled with a controller. Denki couldn't help notice that the ends of her hair looked slightly singed on the left side of her face as she continued, "And also, the laser didn't work properly this time, so we need to fix the output again."
"Next time will be perfect!" Yaoyorozu declared, and holy shit, what in Endeavor's blazes happened to her? Her hair looked wild and unkempt, long since thrown out of the usual spiky ponytail and sticking in multiple directions. Even her clothes looked more rumpled than usual, wearing a jumpsuit with light scorch marks all over it. And that didn't even touch on the look on her face.
Denki had never seen Yaoyorozu look anything short of composed, even at her happiest, but right now... Right now she had an almost manic fire in her eyes as she grinned, reminding him of some unholy combination of Uraraka at her most fired up and Hatsume at her mildest. She held her fists in front of herself as she excitedly continued, "We know why it failed the last two times, we have enough data to configure the settings properly and make this baby sing!"
Denki had no idea what she meant by sing, because he did not associate that word with lasers, but he was appropriately terrified.
"Anyways, what do you need, Battery-kun?" Hatsume asked. "Do you need some new babies for your next patrol? We have a lot of new ones for you to try out!"
"Support gear is so fun!" Yaoyorozu added as she turned to face Denki. Doing so revealed a chunk of the hair framing her face had been chopped off at the bottom, with the ends frizzled and frayed and also singed. "I never knew how amazing it could be to see what I can make using smaller components rather than creating whole objects with my Quirk! There's so many ways to combine all these different parts I never thought of!"
Oh sweet merciful Nedzu, they infected Yaomomo with Hatsume syndrome.
This might very well be the worst thing that they had accomplished in this giant mess of an adventure, and Denki wasn't sure if they could ever be forgiven for this. He and Jirou would likely have to spend the rest of their lives atoning for this mistake in both worlds. His poor counterpart would absolutely never get his original life back now that they'd unleashed this unholy combination on this world.
May All Might have mercy on our souls, he thought grimly as he flashed a shaky thumbs up. "That's great," he said weakly as he cried on the inside. They screwed up so bad. "But, uh, I'm not here about patrolling. I was wondering if you guys found anything out about the bomb anklet we gave you...?"
He trailed off questioningly, almost dreading the answer. "Oh, that thing?" Hatsume asked, putting the controller onto a table and rifling among the many other gadgets and gizmos littering the surface. "Yeah, we finished analyzing that last night!"
"Wait, what?" Denki's jaw dropped. "Last night?"
"Yeah, we made totally functional duplicates and everything!" Hatsume threw something at him, and Denki nearly dropped it when he realized it was a bomb anklet. Not the one they'd given her, as the material looked different and lighter in color, but overall it was near-identical.
"You made more?" he squeaked.
"Well, we only had the one sample, so we couldn't just disassemble it," Yaoyorozu explained. "We didn't know what sort of bomb was inside or what could trigger it, aside from what you said about it being tied to a specific location. So we decided the best method would be to recreate something similar first, and then figure out how it works from there!"
Denki had no idea if that was how this should actually work, but he'd rather not ask for too many details. "Okay," he said slowly. "And so I guess you guys, uh, figured it out then?"
"Yep!" Hatsume chirped. "It took us three days of tinkering and trying various models, but we finally made some that are near-identical, down to the shock function!" Oh crap, that was a thing? That was almost as bad as the bomb! "We even figured out the most likely type of explosive without having to disassemble the original! So basically—"
What followed was one of a ramble full of technical jargon that flew right over Denki's head. His brain instantly shut off, not even trying to follow along with what she said.
His incomprehension must have shown on his face, because Yaoyorozu stepped forward. "Mei, I think that's a bit much for him," she said gently, sounding like the normal Yaoyorozu again, thank goodness. "Maybe I should take over?"
"Go ahead, Momocchi!" Hatsume replied. Oh crap, she knew Yaomomo's name and had a nickname for her based off it? This was even worse than he thought! The inventor turned to continue tinkering with stuff on the table while Yaoyorozu took over, oblivious to Denki's growing despair.
"Basically, the type of explosive isn't too sensitive, so there's no risk of accidental detonation. However, it's impossible to disarm it without removing a certain part of the anklet, and, well..." She gestured to the anklet Denki held, and he glanced down at it. As far as he could see, it almost seemed like a single piece. He couldn't even see any screws when he turned it around in his hand.
"Uh, how do we do that?" he asked blankly.
"That's the problem," she said with a frown. "Removing it requires exposing the latches, and you can't really do that with it closed. So, there's not much point in disarming it." Oh, shit. "There's not really a way to remove the plate while closed without potentially triggering the explosive, either. And even if you did, it's a bit tricky for amateurs to disarm."
"Do you have a way to unlock it, then?" Denki asked almost desperately, and felt his stomach sink when she grimaced.
"Not through brute force. I won't go into full detail, but the clasp involves some magnetic components that are fairly strong. The seam when closed is also too narrow to fit in any tools that could help open it. All the ways we can think of to force it open, like strength or electricity, would potentially trigger the explosives, too."
"So, we need the key," Denki said slowly. This was the worst possible scenario. They'd been counting on that.
"I still don't know where you got this, but can you get the key?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"Maybe?" Denki hedged with a grimace. Midoriya would be the only one who could get it. "It might be dangerous to take it without someone noticing."
"Well, if you know where it is and can look at it, that's all you need!" Hatsume piped up, and threw something else at him. He caught it and saw it was some sort of key fob, a little black remote-like thing like used to start cars. It had a tiny digital screen with two buttons on either side. "This little baby is the key used for this type of fastener!"
"You were able to make a key?" Denki asked in surprise.
"Not exactly," Yaoyorozu said. "The fastener is commercially available, so we were able to identify it by comparing the parts. They all use the same key, they just tune the frequency for each fastener." She stepped over to his side, lightly tapping the screen and making a green '0' appear on it. "When you tap the screen, a number will appear showing the frequency, and you can use the buttons on the side to adjust the number."
Even as she spoke she pressed the right button, making the '0' change to '1'. "Every fastener has a frequency assigned to it during setup, so any key that's set to that number will work. If you can get a look at the number on the original key, you can sync this one to the fasteners. There are a couple other ways to spoof the frequency and unlock it, but it's easiest to just adjust another key."
Denki suspected this was a highly simplified explanation, and it was still kinda hard for him to follow, but he thought he got the gist of it. "So basically, if we look at the original key, we can just copy it over to this one?"
"Exactly," Yaoyorozu confirmed with a smile, and Denki grinned.
"That's great! Thanks!" It wasn't the instant solution they'd all hoped for, but this was better than nothing. He didn't think Midoriya could get the actual key without Kurogiri or Shigaraki noticing it gone, but he could probably at least check the number.
"Um, by the way, why do you need this?" Yaoyorozu asked tentatively, and Denki froze. Oh crap, he should've expected her to ask. They'd all agreed to keep any information about Midoriya and the Alliance away from her until after the big rescue, so how did he answer this? Okay, obviously don't mention the Alliance, but—
"Because some bad guys are using it to make sure people can't escape or something like that," Hatsume called from her worktable, and Denki winced. He forgot she'd been there when they talked about that.
Naturally, Yaoyorozu looked pretty horrified by that, and Denki quickly hurried to do damage control. "Uh, let's just say some of the others are in really weird situations," he said hastily. "They're not in immediate danger, and neither are we, but, uh, we do kinda want to save people if possible. Anyways, thanks for the key, but I should really get going, gotta get back to studying, bye!"
He took off before she could ask anything else, shamelessly fleeing the warehouse. Given Hatsume had just picked up some unknown machine, he felt doubly justified in his decision.
When he got a safe distance he checked FacePage again. Still nothing from Midoriya or anyone else in Nabu, but that was fine. He began typing hastily. 'Hey, so I just talked to Hatsume and Yaomomo, and they finished looking at the anklet. They can't unlock it, but they got this key we can use instead...'
Ochako had been frantically searching Aiko's apartment building for two hours now. She had meticulously combed through a total of five apartments now, making sure to leave no stone unturned. Each passing minute left her on edge about Aiko suddenly returning, but she couldn't let that scare her away. She needed to find that notebook.
That notebook Deku mentioned had information on Aiko. Ochako had seen his notebooks back home, and they could get scarily detailed. If this world's Deku was anything like theirs (and it sounded like he was), it would have plenty of notes on Aiko's Quirks. Honestly, the exact details of how they worked didn't matter as much as the fact she had multiple Quirks.
She still hadn't been able to tell anyone about that other Quirk Aiko used. She'd tried multiple times, but it never worked. Every time she tried to mention the way her hands had looked like claws, or that void-like space she'd used to move Ochako to her apartment, her mouth skipped over it. The most she'd ever been able to say was "pushed me into" which had massively concerned Todoroki and Ashido as they tried to figure out what that meant.
Deku still seemed totally clueless to the fact Aiko had multiple Quirks, or else he would have mentioned it by now. No one else suspected anything like that either. Unless Aiko herself owned up to it, this notebook was her only hope for getting it across. That, and maybe it could help them figure out how to make the Quirk stop. Ochako was really tired of being unable to talk about anything.
They weren't having much luck though. She groaned as she exited the fifth apartment, having spent a good twenty minutes searching it since it had more furniture than some of the others. "It's not here," she called tiredly.
"Are there any other apartments left on this floor?" Deku called from one of the other rooms.
"No, I think you and Todoroki are searching the last two," Ochako called back. "I'll go down to the third floor and start there!"
"Alright, we'll come down when we're done!" Deku replied, and Ochako headed for the stairs. They'd started on the fourth floor where Aiko and Deku had their apartments, and then went to the fifth floor. Partially because that would be closer to Deku's room and thus more likely to have the notebook, but mainly because Deku did not want to search the one with the doll alone. Which had turned out to be a good idea since the bedroom was full of even more dolls. That room would probably show up in her dreams tonight.
She shuddered as she passed the door to the fourth floor, continuing onto the third floor. Like the other floors they'd checked, this hallway also had just six apartments. Two of the doors seemed to be missing entirely, with a third door actually on the floor in front of the doorway. Morbid curiosity took hold and Ochako went to that one first to peek inside.
The interior could be best described as a battlefield. Broken pieces of furniture everywhere, shattered glass, scorch marks on the walls, the works. It looked like a genuine battle had been fought there at some point. That, or someone throwing a very destructive tantrum. The wall to the bathroom had a giant hole in it.
Ochako decided to leave that room alone for now and went to the door closest to the stairs. This one had an actual door, unlike some of the apartments, and she grabbed the handle only for it to not budge—as in, the handle didn't budge, not the door. "Huh?" she muttered to herself as she tried to twist it a few more times. The handle remained steadily motionless though, not budging even with her full strength.
The thing was, it didn't feel like it was stuck, but more like it had just never been meant to move in the first place. She frowned as she gripped it with both hands pushed down with all her strength, grunting at the effort.
"Uraraka, what are you doing?" She turned to see Deku had appeared from the stairs, looking at her curiously. She released the handle and stepped back.
"Hey Deku, can you try to open this door?" she asked, and he shot her a puzzled look but obliged. Soon enough he frowned, visibly putting in just as much effort as she had as he tried to push down on the handle.
"Is it locked?" he asked after a couple of tries.
"I don't think so. Even locked door handles move a little bit." Deku squinted at the door before knocking, and Ochako perked up at the hard thumps it produced. Her family owned a construction company so she'd grown up seeing doors and other building materials being moved around, and that sound did not match with what she expected.
She stepped forward to knock on it herself. It felt more like knocking on rock rather than the fake wood the door used—way too hard for this type of material. Just to be sure, she tried knocking on another door, and sure enough it didn't feel nearly as hard and stiff. Even the sound her knocking produced was different, more light as the door rattled against the frame.
That last part had her spinning back to look at the other door, and Deku had clearly picked up on the same thing. He pounded on the door, and sure enough, the door didn't move at all inside the frame. "It's got to be a Quirk," he declared, and Ochako felt her heartbeat skyrocket. A Quirk.
"What if it's?" Aiko, she shouted in her head. This Quirk must be one of Aiko's. Who else would come here?
"You can't say who it is," Deku realized. Yes, yes! "So that must mean they're part of the Alliance in this world." Okay, not the grand revelation she'd been hoping for, but he was on the right track... "Do I know them?"
...At that moment, Ochako realized Deku would never guess it was Aiko. The possibility just didn't even exist in his brain. And even now, she couldn't so much as nod to answer his question. All she could do was scream.
So, she did.
She just threw up her arms and screamed in frustration, making Deku jump back in surprise. "I hate this stupid Quirk!" she shouted.
"What Quirk?"
"The one" Aiko "used!" Ochako shouted, but then froze. That... wasn't Deku, or even Todoroki. Deku actually screamed while Ochako whipped around to see Seiko standing behind her.
"Seiko-chan!" Ochako squeaked in surprise.
"Hello, Uraraka-san," the child greeted dully, face blank and placid just like the last time Ochako saw her. She didn't look any different, from the same sailor uniform-style dress to the cherry blossom hairclip used to pull her bangs to the side.
While she stared they heard footsteps running down the stairs. "I heard Midoriya scream, what—" Todoroki's voice cut off as he presumably laid eyes on Seiko. Ochako was still looking at her so she couldn't be sure, but it seemed like a fair assumption to make.
Seiko's head tilted slightly to the side as she gazed at the newcomer. "Ah. Hello."
Todoroki stared at her blankly for a moment before giving a single shiver and stepping towards Deku. "Who's that?" he asked, but Deku still seemed a bit shocked at Seiko's appearance.
"Heiwajima Seiko," Seiko introduced blandly, head still inclined. "And you are?"
"...Yuki." Seemed like Todoroki was rather paranoid of Seiko.
"I see. And why are you here?" Seiko straightened her head from the tilt and turned to Ochako as she added, "I thought you had no intentions of returning."
"Deku called us to help look for something," Ochako said sheepishly, and then paused. Wait, didn't Seiko follow Deku a lot? Wouldn't she know where the notebook was?
Before she could ask Deku finally got over his nerves. "What are you doing here?" he blurted. "Didn't you say Aiko banned you from here?" The declaration had Ochako jolting in alarm. Deku had mentioned that before when talking about Seiko, it was the only reason they'd felt comfortable enough to talk about everything here. But if she was here now—
"She did," Seiko confirmed plainly, apparently unbothered by this.
"Then, why are you here?" Deku asked, seeming almost frantic.
"Because I have no way to contact you, and a group of lower-ranking members of the Alliance intend to attack Eraserhead."
Notes:
One week until Chapter 100 c:
Chapter 100: Seeing Red
Summary:
Aizawa is attacked by three thugs, and Izuku rushes to save his teacher.
Notes:
Minor content warning: Brief descriptions of violence and torture.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 100
.::Seeing Red::.
Shouta had been wrong.
The showers would be a regular thing.
Not long after breakfast, Kurogiri paid a surprise visit to remove the mittens before calling for the two thugs from last time to enter. His heart had sunk when they lifted him and dragged him to the bathroom, mind already flashing back to the last shower. At least they didn't drug him this time, instead choosing to cuff one of his arms to a bar on the wall probably meant for handicap support.
This time it didn't last quite as long since the first shower had cleared away the worst of his filth. Once they got him situated only one thug stayed in the large stall with him, scrubbing him down while Shouta slumped on the stool. Even without the drugs hindering him he didn't feel like resisting, just wanting the experience to be over already. He felt hyper-aware of his vulnerability the entire time.
When it finished the other thug returned to help get him into new clothes. Shouta remained limp and compliant the whole time, moving exactly as ordered and offering no resistance. They left him on top of the blankets again, leg re-splinted and mittens returned by Kurogiri. He'd grimaced as Kurogiri lingered afterwards, waiting for the thugs to depart first before taking his own leave.
At least he hadn't put the handcuffs back on. That was likely the reason Kurogiri had lingered, to avoid any suspicion from the other thugs. In the end, the whole event had left him on edge, and he hyper-focused on analyzing the wall's cracks to try to calm himself. After an hour of close examination, he was now convinced that there had once been two separate posters on the wall based on the faded rectangular shapes.
Shouta had been just about to doze off when he heard voices outside the cell. Voices in the hall had been common enough at his last prison, as they used that hallway to reach other parts of the building, but not here. He had long deduced that he was in a dead-end hallway with only cells—and he was the only prisoner. Outside four instances (yes, he'd been counting), voices meant someone was here to see him.
Immediately he sat up, straining to make out what was being said. The voices were deep and masculine, and trying to be quiet. That last part had alarm bells ringing. People trying not to make any noise meant they didn't want to be found. They had no reason to try to keep Shouta unaware of their presence, which meant they weren't supposed to be here, period.
Which meant whatever was about to happen would not be pleasant.
Sure enough, the door opened and a man in a skull mask peeked inside. "Found him," he called as he entered. Aside from the skull mask mask he looked rather unremarkable, if a bit more muscular than the average person, but the two who followed were a different story. One had a hulking figure, with pale blue skin and a single eye like a cyclops, and two long horns. The other was also a mutant, with an elongated bald head and eyes jutting from either side of his head, and sharp metal claws for fingers.
Shouta only vaguely recognized the second guy, but he knew the third in a heartbeat. Couldn't give a name, but those those long claws had left a nasty scar on his thigh. It had been a lucky shot on the villain's part while Shouta had been distracted with another villain, but allowed him and another of their cohorts to escape.
The claw-guy's mouth grew into a grin almost as wide as his face as he took in Shouta's state. "Dang, he really is in bad shape! This is the best thing I've seen in weeks!"
"What do you want?" Shouta demanded, deciding to skip straight to the point.
"Testy, aren't you?" Skull-mask snorted. "You're not really in any position to be asking questions, though."
"And you three are obviously sneaking around," Shouta retorted. "So I don't think you're supposed to be here."
Skull-mask huffed. "You're mouthier than I remember. Too bad you weren't this talkative back then." So they'd met before then. Going by his tone, this visit was definitely a grudge match. "We might have to do something about that. Good thing we came prepared." Even as he spoke he pulled out a wadded up ball of fabric from his belt, as well as a bandana. "You got the tape, Minotaurus?"
"You know it," blue guy responded, grinning as he pulled out a roll of duct tape from his jacket.
"Good. Watch the door, Sickle."
Shouta promptly took stock of his current physical state. Broken leg, severely hindering mobility. Two chains tethering him to the floor, one attached to his unbroken leg and the other to the damn collar. The handcuffs were thankfully off and hidden under the pillow which increased the range he could use his arms, but he still had the mittens, severely limiting dexterity. There wasn't any time to remove them, either.
In short, he was largely screwed. Barehanded fighting was out of the question in his current state. He didn't have any weapons he could use except the chains, pillow and blankets. He doubted the magazines Midoriya had left would be useful either, even if papercuts hurt. Either way, the mittens would limit his ability to use them creatively.
Still better odds than any other time he'd been captured.
So when the skull-masked man moved forward Shouta moved in turn, lurching forward for the guy's legs. It took the villain by surprise and Shouta collided with his shins with as much of his weight as he could, managing to topple him. Even as he did he grabbed his ankle and yanked, hearing a satisfying crack as the thug hit the ground.
Shouta's own leg throbbed from the sudden movement, but he ignored it as he slammed his arm against the ankle just to make sure it would be broken. The blue guy charged over, but Shouta rolled over while grabbing the chain attached to his collar and yanked. The chain links had enough slack that the motion caused them to briefly fling towards the villain, managing to whip him in the shins and make him yelp in pain.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Shouta shouted at the top of his lungs. They clearly intended to gag him to silence him, so they didn't want anyone to hear and interfere. Beating these guys wouldn't be possible in his current state, but he just needed to buy time and make enough noise to get someone to investigate.
That was his last thought before he felt a hand wrap around his good ankle followed by a sudden surge of white-hot pain, making him gasp and cry out. As he did he felt something get shoved in his mouth, and then heard the sharp crack of duct tape before feeling it get slapped over his mouth. "Damn bastard!" Minotaurus snarled as he yanked the roll around Shouta's head.
"You okay, Tesla?" the other one asked the skull-mask guy, and Shouta froze, recognizing the name. He'd never seen the guy, but he remembered his electricity Quirk all too well. Hard to forget it when it had been used to torture him during an interrogation three years ago. He'd been called in special for the interrogation, and left well before backup arrived.
"Fuck no, I think the bastard broke my ankle!" he snapped. Shouta winced as he felt another jolt of electricity from the hand still gripping his ankle, giving a muffled cry of pain. "Tch, I was already pissed at this asshole. But now I really don't want to hold back." He released his hold to grab Shouta's hair and hold his head aloft, the hero glaring at him and making no attempt to hide his contempt. "You're going to regret that."
"Sounds good to me," Minotaurus said, ripping the duct tape right next to Shouta's ear. He winced at the loud sound, and to add insult to injury the guy pressed the tape over his ear. It was wound tightly around his head, enough to make him almost worry about it cutting off circulation. "This bastard got my brother thrown in jail! He got fucking killed there! I've been waiting for a chance like this for years now!"
He gave Shouta a shove so he fell towards Tesla, the villain roughly spinning him so his back was to him. One hand gripped his hair from behind, tugging at the duct tape painfully, and from the corner of his vision Shouta could see the other one reaching for the bandana. "Don't worry, we'll give him plenty of pain for what he did to your brother and the rest of us."
Shouta's whole body jerked as he felt another round of electricity, this time from the hand on his head. The gag did an infuriatingly good job at muffling his screams, and he reflexively jerked his elbow back, driving it into Tesla's chest. The man released his hair with a shout, but as he did Shouta saw the third guy lunge forward from his post by the door. He couldn't move in time to dodge the claws as they slashed across his chest, making him release another muffled cry.
Shit. The scratches weren't too deep, but they were long. He squeezed his eyes shut as he reflexively pressed his hands against it, feeling blood seep through the mittens. "Yeesh, today's just not your day, huh Tesla?" Sickle mocked with a teasing grin.
"Shut the fuck up, scissor-hands," Tesla growled, and Sickle's grin fell instantly, replaced with a scowl.
"Hey! Freaking asshole."
"Just blindfold him already," Minotaurus cut in impatiently. "We don't have time to yap. Once Shigaraki figures out we're here, we're dead men. Can't waste a second."
"No, we can't," Tesla agreed with a huff, and Shouta scowled as the villain threw the bandana over his eyes. As it obscured his vision he stiffened, breath briefly hitching. Between that and the object in his mouth, for a moment his mind flickered to another time, a plastic tube instead of fabric in his mouth and his arms perfectly immobilized against his torso.
Twin jolts of electricity to his shoulders jarred him from the memories before he got shoved to the ground. He grunted in pain, using the lingering tingling sensation from the shock to ground himself back into his current reality. These people clearly expected to get killed for coming here, which meant they almost certainly wanted to take him down first. It seemed they wanted to take their time though rather than just kill him outright. Pissing them off would only expedite his torture.
As much as it sickened him, his best hope was that they'd take their time tormenting him. He was blind, couldn't scream for help anymore, and had one leg completely out of commission. Even with his arms loose this time, his hands were still stuck in those damn mittens. All he could do was wait and hope someone would come before this went too far.
"Let's have some fun, Eraser."
"Because I have no way to contact you, and a group of lower-ranking members of the Alliance intend to attack Eraserhead."
The room instantly chilled at Seiko's words, Izuku feeling the blood drain from his face. Aizawa-sensei was in danger? The others looked just as shell-shocked as he felt, Uraraka staring in wide-eyed horror and even Todoroki looking stunned. Izuku quickly recovered from his initial shock, expression hardening. "Seiko, what did you hear?" he demanded. "Who is it?"
"There were three people discussing their plans in a hallway," she replied. "I do not know their names, but they seem to have a strong grudge against him. Shigaraki has made it clear Eraserhead is not to be harmed since he belongs to you, but it seems their grudge against him is strong enough they don't care if they die. Their suggestions for how to harm him were quite violent."
Izuku's stomach sank as the explanation continued. If they were willing to risk being killed by Shigaraki for attacking Aizawa-sensei, then that potentially meant they had no incentive to leave him alive. Judging by the looks of horror on Uraraka and Todoroki's faces, they realized the same thing. "When are they going to do it?" Uraraka asked frantically.
"They noticed you have been leaving for long periods of time, and decided to attack him him while you're away." That felt like a gut punch, all of them wincing. It had been well over an hour since Izuku had left. "They had not yet confirmed you left when I heard them, and it has been five minutes since then. However, they were talking about checking if you were present at the base. So you should hurry."
Izuku felt sick, momentarily paralyzed as his brain processed it. Aizawa was in danger because he'd left. "Go!" Uraraka shouted, snapping him out of his stupor.
That was all the push he needed and he took off for the stairs, phone out to text Kurogiri for a portal. Even before he reached the fourth floor he got an affirmative reply, and he opened the apartment door just in time to see a portal open. He didn't waste a second and ran straight into it, emerging in his bedroom back at the Alliance headquarters.
Kurogiri wasn't actually present there like he'd expected, but that suited him fine. It just meant he could run straight to Aizawa's cell without having to waste time explaining himself. He nearly slammed the door open as he raced out.
"Heh, look at how he's crawling! He looks so pathetic!"
"Aww, now he's trying to curl up, like a little baby. It's almost adorable."
The halls blurred around him as he hurried, feeling One For All pulse through his veins as he zipped around corners. The risk of someone seeing him didn't even occur to him. His mind focused on only on getting to Aizawa as soon as he could.
How could he have been so naïve? To think that Aizawa could be safe in the heart of enemy territory? He was heavily injured and surrounded by people with grudges against him. Whille Tomura might have a semblance of command over the Alliance, he didn't have total control over the members. His threats would only stave off so many people. If they hated Aizawa enough to be willing to accept death for the sake of revenge, then those threats did nothing.
And in his current state, Aizawa was near-defenseless. Even without the broken leg, he'd spent months in captivity under some other villains before Tomura brought him here. Izuku still remembered that brief glimpse of his teacher before Kurogiri warped him to Aiko's apartment all too clearly. There had been a bulky metal collar around his neck back then, his ankles connected by metal shackles.
It was clear from that brief glance just how bad Aizawa's previous circumstances had been. Izuku had thought he'd at least be able to keep Aizawa safe from being tortured here, have a chance to rest and recover, but he'd been horribly, horribly wrong.
"Hah, he's trying to get off the blindfold now!"
"Does he really think it'd help? Tesla's the only one without a mutant Quirk."
"Hey, that gives me an idea..."
Izuku skidded around the corner to the hall with Aizawa's cell. It was empty as always, the hallway dead silent. That silence just made his heart pound even harder as he raced to the closed door, dreading what he'd find behind it.
"For every five seconds you fail to get it off, you get another shock from me, a stomp from Minotaurus and a nice big scratch from Sickle Claw."
The door flew open with a resounding thud, slamming against the wall, and Izuku felt his world freeze. Three distantly-familiar villains loomed over the crumpled form of Aizawa. Izuku found his attention focused purely on his teacher, stomach churning at the sight.
He looked absolutely haggard, sprawled on the floor with one arm stretched outwards and the other clutching his side. Silvery duct tape wrapped tight around his skull over his jaw and even his hair, a dark blue bandana tied over his eyes. His hair was in a state of total disarray, tangled and wild and matted, with strands pulled out from beneath the blindfold and tape from his struggles.
One large blue-skinned man had his foot on top of Aizawa's splinted leg, having clearly just stomped down on it. Another in a skull-mask had his hand on Aizawa's back between his shoulder blades, while a third stood above him with long metal claws raised above his head and dripping with red. As Izuku saw those claws start to descend towards Aizawa's back, he felt something
snap.
A guttural shout escaped his throat as he lunged forward, One For All sparking through his veins. The clawed man barely had time to glance at him before Izuku's fist connected with his jaw, sending him hurtling towards the wall with a loud crack. In the same motion Izuku pivoted and delivered a heavy kick to the side of the guy with his foot on Aizawa's leg, successfully knocking him back.
This close, Izuku had an even clearer view of Aizawa's state. The back of his shirt was torn up, revealing bloody gashes crisscrossing his skin through the rips. The tape was wrapped around his head even tighter than he'd realized, no doubt painful with how it clung to his messy hair. He could also see drops of dark red on the ground by his side: blood.
And there was still a hand on his back.
Izuku's gaze flickered to the villain pinning his teacher, locking gazes with grey eyes within a skull mask. Tesla seemed stunned, just as shocked as his Quirk probably made people feel. Soon his eyes narrowed though, no doubt scowling. "The actual fuck?" he snarled. "Get the hell out of here, brat!"
His free hand shot towards Izuku's face, electricity sparking from his fingertips. As he did, the sound of a muffled groan had Izuku's mind briefly going blank, eyes flicking towards Aizawa. He saw light dance brightly against the dark hair around his shoulder blades where Tesla pinned him, his body tensing under the touch. Izuku's breath caught at the pained grunt—so quiet and muffled, so much weaker than it should be—and he
saw
red.
Red filled the room, a bright flash of light bathing everything and everyone in crimson. Tesla's body went flying back in an instant, hand tearing away from Aizawa's back in the process. Another scream tore from Izuku's throat as he threw himself after the villain, delivering a heavy punch to the center of Tesla's mask. He felt the hard plastic fracture under his fist, eliciting a cry of pain from the man as the pieces no doubt dug into his skull.
The pained noise didn't make Izuku stop. If anything, it made him angrier. Aizawa had sounded so much quieter than this, so much weaker. Had he been screaming earlier? Could he even scream anymore? The thought had Izuku roaring as he delivered a hard knee to the villain's gut, further pushing him back until his back collided with the far wall with a painful smack. He slid down to the floor, head slumping even as his mask crumbled atop his face.
Teal light sparked along Izuku's limbs and body as he watched the villain slump, the color even brighter inside the red-tinted room. His fists clenched at his sides before he surged forward with another angry shout, directing a kick to Tesla's chest.
Except just before he made contact, the sparks died out and the red glow vanished from the room.
Izuku actually stumbled at the sudden change, nearly tripping over his own feet. He threw out a hand onto the wall next to Tesla's head to catch himself, taking a large breath. What... What just happened...?
Instinct had him glancing over his shoulder to find a familiar pair of glowing eyes staring at him.
Aizawa's hair strained to rise with the duct tape binding it to his head, the blindfold skewed on his face just enough to reveal his eyes. Izuku couldn't read his expression, but the familiar sight of his teacher using Erasure had an instant numbing effect on him. His energy and adrenaline faded in an instant—and as it did, he felt himself sway.
He staggered and caught himself just before he could collapse, releasing a small gasp as his head snapped up. He blinked dumbly at the sight of those still-red eyes, and felt his shoulders sag.
"Oh," he said softly.
After a moment the hero released his Quirk, head slumping to the floor with obvious exhaustion. Izuku didn't go directly to his side, taking a moment to survey the villains. They all looked unconscious, slumped against the walls. More than that, he could see cracks in the walls where Minotaurus and Sickle Claw had been Repelled.
This... would be very hard to cover up.
While he surveyed the damage he'd caused, Shouta just exhaled through his nose, trying to ignore the lingering soreness in his eyes from Erasure. Even with it inactive his eyes ached. The only reason he'd succeeded in using it was because of some strong force that push down on him from above, almost like a gust of wind, and jarred the blindfold's position just enough to expose one eye. His body ached even more than before now, but he barely paid it any mind.
At this point, Shouta couldn't bring himself to care what the kid would do next. He could hear Midoriya hurrying around the room, no doubt checking on the villains, but he didn't bother looking. Everything hurt, and he felt exhausted. His back ached from the scratches, he could still feel phantom tingles from the electricity, his broken leg probably had even more breaks now... He just wanted to rest.
Only when the footsteps approached him did he finally force a single eye to open, finding the boy kneeling next to him with a frown.
In the brief glimpse he'd gotten of the kid's face before launching at Tesla, he'd looked almost like a demon. His face had been twisted into a vicious snarl unlike anything he'd ever seen on the boy and his pupils had been red, a bloody crimson color that matched the light that filled the room.
Now though, it was gone. The red light, the green lightning that sparked along the kid's arms, the vicious rage that tensed his entire frame. All of it vanished with a flash of Erasure.
All that remained was heavy concern, tears spilling down his cheeks.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I—we'll take care of this, I promise. They're all unconscious, so they can't do anything anymore. I know it hurts, but I'll be right back, so... t-try not to fall asleep?" He looked lost for a moment, but then stood up and hurried out the room, leaving the door open. Shouta let his eyes fall shut once more.
He kept them shut even as he heard voices approach, all of them unfortunately familiar. The open door let him hear the conversation clearly. "Dammit, damn NPCs... What were they thinking—shit." Shigaraki cut himself off, no doubt just reaching the door and seeing the destruction.
"Tomura-nii, you need to help him!" Midoriya exclaimed. "Please!"
"Yeah, yeah, I will. But first, Kurogiri."
"I know."
"Wait—" Midoriya's voice cut off, but Shouta didn't have the energy to check why he fell silent. His consciousness teetered on the edge of the void, ready to pass out.
The last thing he felt before passing out was the cuff loosening from his ankle, accompanied the jingle of chains.
"Repel, huh? You just had to do that, didn't you?"
"You know we have no control over it anymore. It's all on him to use our powers. And why aren't you looking at Third?"
"Still, I am surprised he could access any of ours. He must really care about that man."
"Of course he does. We've heard him talking about it to his friends, they all seem to care."
"He must have done a lot to earn that sort of loyalty and devotion."
"...I wonder... how it would have been to go to UA and have him as a teacher."
Notes:
Well, this is it. Chapter 100.
This is a MASSIVE milestone, and I want to thank you guys so much for all your support. This is, to date, the longest story I've written, and I'm just so excited that so many people enjoy it so is my greatest passion, and your reactions to Ignite to the Call is a genuine dream come true for me. I absolutely LOVE seeing all the speculation and theories in the comments, it's the kind of thing I've genuinely fantasized about.
Thank you all so much. I wouldn't have made it this far without such an active audience. I honestly have no idea how much longer this story will go, because it feels like we're just starting to get to some of the best parts. So let's enjoy this wild ride while it lasts!
Also, on the note of the art contest: I'm extending the deadline by two weeks. Some people have asked for an extension so they can finish their pieces, and I'm eager to see what comes out of it!
(Also: the three mooks here are actually canon characters from the USJ. Even Minotaurus's brother is based on the anime having two designs for the character. The only change is that Sickle Claw has thumbs in the Ignite universe.)
Thank you again for all your support everyone. See you next week!
Chapter 101: Aftermath
Summary:
The immediate aftermath of Chapter 100.
Notes:
Before today's chapter: Got another entry for the art contest! It's by AO3 user AntiqueOwl, another person who's also a great writer. She drew two covers for Neko Café Manager based on Izuku and Shinsou as cats. Be sure to check out her stories, too!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 101
.::Aftermath::.
Izuku sat hunched over on his bed, knees hugged to his chest as he stared blankly at the wall. The past hour had passed in a blur, with him feeling largely disconnected from reality; even the moments right after Aizawa used Erasure on him felt hazy. Right now, Aizawa should be getting his injuries treated. Everyone had assured him that he would be fine. The Alliance were no strangers to treating wounds without professional help or resources, and Kurogiri had handled far worse.
So, Aizawa should be fine.
But he shouldn't have been hurt like that in the first place.
The sight of his injuries still haunted Izuku's mind. From the first glimpse with all three villains looming over him, to the look on Aizawa's face as he used Erasure before his head just slumped to the ground. When Izuku checked on him before going for help, he'd looked so pitiful, the image one of his clearer memories from that dreamlike haze post-Erasure. Eyes barely opening at all and near-hollow from exhaustion as he looked at Izuku, facial features still scrunched up with visible pain.
It all just made Izuku think of Aizawa's injuries at USJ. It was the only other time he'd seen Aizawa injured so badly, but this time felt so much worse. Back then, even with the noumu gripping his skull and his elbow decayed, Aizawa had total defiance on his face as he used Erasure on Shigaraki. When he'd used it on Izuku this time, though, he'd just looked... Tired. Sore. Desperate. Hurt.
...The villains who tortured Aizawa were dead.
Shigaraki had been furious that they had disobeyed his orders to leave Aizawa alone. Even he had seemed taken aback at how bad Aizawa's condition was. He'd made Kurogiri warp Izuku to his bedroom after seeing the cell, but he knew what would follow. The cold look in Shigaraki's eyes as he glared at the fallen villains told Izuku everything he needed to know about what would happen after he left.
Maybe he should be horrified by that, that three men were going to die, but right now he didn't care. He just felt weirdly numb and tired.
Tesla always was a jerk anyway. The thought came unbidden, and he frowned slightly. He knew instantly that referred to the electricity villain, had thought of him with that name even when he loomed over Aizawa, but Izuku had never spoken to him. It must be another subconscious memory, another holdover from this world's Izuku. The thought had him shifting so he could glance at his arm, still void of scars unlike his own.
...He'd used a Quirk. A Quirk that wasn't One For All.
That red light, in retrospect, had actually been there. His vision hadn't just gone red with anger, everything had been actually tinted red. It vanished when Aizawa used Erasure, further solidifying its presence as a Quirk—one Izuku used. And the way Tesla's body went flying—Izuku hadn't even moved, so it wasn't like how All Might could make gusts of wind with a single punch. The light and invisible force had definitely been the result of a Quirk that wasn't One For All.
Except, when he'd punched those villains, he'd also definitely used One For All. The green sparks along his arms were the same as back home.
It didn't make sense. Did he have multiple Quirks? Did this world's Izuku already possess a different Quirk, and then One For All traveled with Izuku across worlds?
The thought instantly gave him a sense of wrong, making him frown. If that was a sign from his counterpart's subconscious, then other Izuku must have One For All too. But how? Hadn't All Might died? And even then, what about Aiko? She could see Quirk factors, couldn't she? Wouldn't she notice if he suddenly got it, or had multiple Quirks?
The thought gave him sudden pause, his conversation with her flitting to mind. She had mentioned sometimes his Quirk factor looked odd, showing different types of activity. Hadn't she said it sometimes almost looked like another Quirk entirely?
The notebook. Once again, it all came back to the notebook. If he could find that, it would surely explain what was going on. It had to, he had literally nothing else to go on at this point.
A knock on the door jarred him from his musings, and he looked over to see it opened by Shigaraki. "Hey, Izu," he greeted as he entered, but hovered in the doorway.
"Hey, Tomura-nii," Izuku said dully, and that seemed to count as permission in the villain's mind. He closed the door and started for the bed, but then paused and changed course to grab the chair from the desk instead. He rolled it over and sat down, hand starting to reach for his neck before stopping. His features briefly twisted with annoyance and frustration before jerkily lowering his hand back to his lap.
"You're not hurt, right?" he asked, fingers twitching.
"I told you, I'm fine," Izuku sighed. That had been the villain's first question when he burst into the bar in a panic. "And like I said back then, they were already down when I arrived. So... it was already over." He'd babbled a long-winded and jumbled stream of near-nonsense about finding Eraserhead beaten up and the villains already unconscious before running out. A story that would fall apart easily if they asked the villains themselves about what happened.
As awful as it was, he probably benefited from the fact that Tomura was the type to kill first and ask questions later.
"I'm more worried about Eraserhead," he added with a frown, pulling his knees a little closer to his chest. "Is he really okay? He looked like he'd lost a lot of blood, and Tesla has an electricity Quirk, right?"
"...Hah, I won't lie, it wasn't pretty," Tomura sighed, shoulders slumping. His fingers twitched as he reached for his neck again, stopping at the last second and clenching into a fist on his lap. "One of the mooks in the bar has an X-ray Quirk. He said Eraserhead's leg had two new fractures."
That had Izuku wincing. He'd feared as much after seeing Minotaurus (again, yet another name he shouldn't know) with his foot on Aizawa's leg. "D-did he break any other bones?"
"No, seems like they were more interested in doing other stuff. Kurogiri had to give him a lot of stitches because of all the cuts. Said they were mostly shallow but long. Tch, cutting people up was pretty much the only thing that mob NPC was good at," Tomura added in a grumble. The fact he used past tense pretty much confirmed Izuku's suspicions. "But as for the shocks... We're not sure how to handle that."
"Oh," Izuku said faintly. He'd studied a bit about electrocution thanks to having Kaminari as a classmate. Symptoms could take a while to manifest and show up, even if there wasn't any obvious physical damage at first. Things like torn muscles and ligaments, or problems with vision. Nerve damage in particular could take a long time to show up. "Tesla... had a pretty strong Quirk, didn't he?"
"Was that his name?" Tomura muttered. "Never bothered learning all the disposable mobs' names. But yeah, it was. I remember that much. But even if he does develop problems, does it really matter?" he added, side-eying Izuku. "I get you like him, but it's not like he's ever leaving. We don't need to worry about the long term."
The casualness of the statement had Izuku's stomach flipping. He didn't say it outright, but he knew what Tomura meant: Aizawa would die here. He was alive for now, but Tomura didn't really expect him to stay alive for an extended period of time.
He inhaled sharply, hands balling into fists as he looked away from his adopted brother. "He still doesn't deserve it," he said lowly. "I know you don't really like heroes, but Eraserhead is a good one. He never went after the spotlight, he avoided it so he could focus on just helping and saving people. And even though he's been under a lot of stress since coming here, a-and even before then, he always tries to act strong, especially in front of Kacchan and Hijack."
Aizawa didn't deserve any of this. He didn't deserve to have been captured and tortured by that last group for who knows how long. He didn't deserve to be tortured here. He sure as hell didn't deserve whatever happened to make him so terrified around Aiko. Aizawa-sensei was one of the most noble men Izuku knew, the kind of person who would die to protect the weak and innocent. And he couldn't see this world's version being any different.
"I just wanted to protect him," Izuku said softly. And he frowned, shoulders slumping as he added bitterly, "But I guess I failed."
Tomura was quiet, just eying him thoughtfully. "You really think he's cool, huh?" he mused.
"You're so cool, Eraserhead."
The memory came unbidden, and Izuku swallowed back the old terror and fear as he nodded. "Don't you?" he countered.
"Yeah, I guess a little," Tomura relented with a huff before getting up. "Anyways, this talk has been nice, but I need to go take care of cleanup. Unlike games, real-life cutscenes don't end with everything instantly fixed," he grumbled. "If you want to check on Eraserhead, we moved him to the hall with that vigilante. Ask Kurogiri which one it is, I don't remember. Though you should probably wait a while, I don't think he's gonna wake up anytime soon."
Izuku perked up. "You moved him to a different room?"
"Yeah, Kurogiri said it'd be better for him to rest in a bed." A bed. An actual bed. Why did the thought of Aizawa getting a bed make Izuku want to cry? A glance from Tomura ended with the villain scoffing and shaking his head. "Hah, seriously? That's enough to make you tear up?"
Oh, he actually was crying. "S-sorry," he mumbled, quickly wiping away the tears. "It's... been a rough couple hours, I guess."
"Yeah, yeah. I know the drill." Tomura's expression softened at that, not quite smiling but losing its usual bitter edge as he gazed at Izuku. He turned towards the door and shook his head. "Seriously, how is a crybaby strong enough to..." The last part was muttered under his breath too quietly for Izuku to hear, opening the door. "See you at dinner, Zuku."
With that he departed, leaving Izuku alone once more. He exhaled a shaky breath and squeezed his eyes shut. Part of him wanted to go straight to Aizawa's room to check on him, but right now he wasn't in the best state of mind. He'd probably just burst into tears upon seeing him, which was the last thing Aizawa needed, conscious or unconscious.
He frowned, wiping away the lingering tears with his arm as he pulled out his phone. As expected he had several private messages from Uraraka asking about Aizawa, and a final message saying, 'Don't check the group chat right away. Nothing bad happened but it's kind of a lot to take in.' That felt ominous, but he decided to trust her and replied with an update.
'He was being attacked when I arrived, but I saved him. He's in bad shape though. His leg's even more broken and he needed stitches. I think the guys behind it are dead.'
He stared at the last sentence, wondering why he wrote it, but hit send anyway. Within seconds he saw the three dots indicating Uraraka was typing, and he frowned. After a moment's hesitation he began typing once more. 'I used my Quirk in front of him though. And... I think I used a second Quirk, too.'
The three dots vanished, and nearly a full minute passed before they reappeared. 'This is Yuki. Space saw your message and started screaming. I think she's really frustrated for some reason?'
Izuku just stared at the message. That... was not a good sign, was it?
1-A_Chargebolt: Oh, so THAT'S where he got the name Spinner!
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Yeah, I never would've guessed!
powerofmusic: Why. Why do you guys always talk about the weirdest stuff when I'm not online
1-A_Dancing_Queen: i dunno, it just happens
deku_breaks_bones: Hey, sorry to interrupt, but I just read everything and you have a key?
1-A_Chargebolt: Yeah! You just need to find the original and check the number so you can tune the new one!
1-A_Dancing_Queen: About that, can't he just change the number on the new one until he finds one that works?
1-A_Chargebolt: Oh yeah, good idea! Why didn't I think of that?
powerofmusic: Actually, Vice Rep texted me about that after Taser Brain left
powerofmusic: She said if you get the wrong frequency three times, the clasp will lock up for an hour, and the key will start beeping super loud for ten minutes
powerofmusic: And I mean SUPER loud. She called me so I could hear it, and it hurt my ears even before she put the phone on speaker
1-A_Dancing_Queen: oh dang
1-A_Dancing_Queen: that sounds annoying
deku_breaks_bones: I think that beeping might be kinda hard to hide
powerofmusic: Yeah.
powerofmusic: And then if you have the key lock up like that three times, it stops working forever. Security thing
powerofmusic: They also figure that those guys might ALSO set it up to trigger the bomb if it locks up
1-A_Dancing_Queen: O_O
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: That sounds very not good.
powerofmusic: So brute forcing won't work
1-A_Chargebolt: Huh. She didn't mention any of that to me
powerofmusic: Yeah well, she said you left pretty fast so she didn't get a chance to tell you
1-A_Chargebolt: If you saw those two together, you'd want to get out ASAP too
1-A_Chargebolt: We screwed up really bad letting them meet
1-A_Chargebolt: I don't think we'll ever be able to make up for this
1A_Dancing_Queen: How bad could it be?
1-A_Chargebolt: Vice Rep called the stuff they worked on babies
powerofmusic: ...fuck
deku_breaks_bones: I think I just had a flashback to the support lab
1-A_Chargebolt: I think she is worse than back home
powerofmusic: We introduced a 3d printer to the crazy inventor
powerofmusic: We screwed over this world so bad
1A_DancingQueen: I'll take your word for it I guess
deku_breaks_bones: But guys, I have something big to tell you guys right now
deku_breaks_bones: About sensei
Shouta returned to consciousness with a start. The first thing he noticed was that he wasn't on hard cement floor, but instead something soft and warm. That alone was enough to alarm him, bolting upright only to feel his wrists catch in the process. His gaze snapped downwards as he took in his new circumstances, breath fast and panicked.
A bed. He was on a bed, with a blanket draped over him and his bad leg propped up on a pillow. Leather cuffs had been wrapped around his wrists, the type with padded interiors he'd seen in hospitals. These had locks, and the straps were pulled short enough that he couldn't lift his arms very far. He could feel a pressure around his good ankle, and assumed he had another cuff there under the blankets.
The next thing he noticed was that his clothes had been changed while he was unconscious. Yet another different set of clothes, a pale green button up pajama shirt this time made of the softest fabric he'd worn in months, just adding to his confusion. Judging by the tightness around his chest and torso, he assumed he'd been bandaged there, though he couldn't see it under the fabric.
Ah, he suddenly realized. The shirt was to make it easier to access his injuries.
He released a shaky breath as he slowly sank back on the mattress, body trembling. Everything still ached, but much more dully than before, so it seemed he'd been treated. His mind felt relatively clear, so he suspected they had just numbed the areas rather than drug him with painkillers. He was grateful, because it let him remember how he'd probably ended up here now that he'd cleared his initial confusion.
The last thing he remembered was being tortured before Midoriya showed up. The exact events were hazy, since he'd been blindfolded and in a good deal of pain at the time, but... The sudden pressure that almost felt like a gust of air. The red light when he managed to loosen the blindfold. The heaviness that weighed down his body.
A Quirk. It had to be a Quirk. The fact that using Erasure on Midoriya had made that red light vanish made it quite clear. Yet, what sort of Quirk was it? And... wasn't Midoriya Quirkless?
Then again, in this place, "Quirkless" could very well just be a temporary state.
He shook off the thought and glanced around the room. It was... plain. Two doors with one open to reveal a bathroom, and lacking a good deal of furniture besides the bed, a side table and a chair. No windows, and a railing on the ceiling suggesting a privacy curtain once hung there. Shouta recognized it as telltale signs of a private hospital room. Spiderwebs in the corner suggested it hadn't been used in a long time.
He'd already suspected the Alliance used some sort of abandoned medical facility as their base of operations, but this confirmed it. He let his eyes fall shut, just breathing for a while. Sleep sounded nice, but he didn't feel comfortable enough to fall asleep just yet. Not when he had so many questions and had just endured torture.
Eventually, he heard a door open, and he peeked open his eyes.
A dark blob entered, and it took a moment to realize that it was actually Kurogiri rather than his eyes failing him. Shouta felt some of his tension fade at that, a tired sigh slipping out as the misty man walked over to sit in the chair beside the bed. "I see you are awake, Eraserhead," he said in lieu of a greeting.
Shouta just grunted softly. "So am I just going to be kept in here now?" he asked blandly as he stared at the ceiling.
"For now, yes. You were in bad shape, so I elected to have you moved to a different room to recover. Both for the bed, and also hygiene reasons."
Yes, bloody cement floors would certainly be bad for recovery, he reflected wryly. "What happened to those three?"
"They're dead." Blunt and to the point. Shouta was too sore and tired to even flinch. "Tomura was rather... displeased they disobeyed his orders. He had made it quite clear you were off-limits and the consequences should people disobey, so I assume they had a powerful grudge."
"They talked about expecting to die," Shouta recalled almost absently. It had fueled them to be even more sadistic, wanting to savor his pain. Not that they had much time to torture him before Midoriya's arrival. Looking back, he suspected it had been ten minutes at the most. Ten long, hellish minutes. "What's my condition like, then?"
"Several wounds had to be stitched on your chest and back, as well as one on your right elbow. That cut was deeper than the rest, so I would recommend not using your right hand for a while so it can heal." Right, they'd forced pried Shouta's arm away from his stomach at one point so the claw guy could give him another cut there. He had then sliced along the crook of Shouta's elbow, to make bending it to clutch his stomach even more painful. Strapping his arms down might be a mercy in that regard.
"Aside from that, we do not know the extent of the damage from Tesla's electricity, but we confirmed you have two additional fractures in your leg."
The last bit had Shouta huffing to himself, a bitter feeling twisting in his chest. "How convenient. I guess this saves you the trouble of having to break it again when it heals."
Kurogiri was silent at that. His face was impossible to read with only his wispy golden eyes visible through the mist, so Shouta didn't even try to guess what he was thinking. "Do you have any lingering soreness?" he finally asked. "As I stated, we do not know the exact specifics of what Tesla did, so we do not know if there is any potential internal damage."
"There shouldn't be any severe damage," Shouta said, once again feeling tired. "He never used it on my abdomen, mainly kept it to my limbs and back by my shoulder blades." And also his head briefly when he grabbed Shouta's hair, but... "I've been electrocuted by him before. I got a full rundown of those sorts of injuries from the doctors back then. He didn't use as much force this time, probably to draw out the pain."
He'd gotten a much harsher shock to the head back then. The man had been called in to help interrogate him, torturing him for hours for information on the whereabouts of a witness to an important investigation. It was just a shame Tesla had gotten away back then, having left a few hours before rescue arrived. Still, Shouta had come out of it largely fine, even with that nasty shock to the head. He didn't think he'd have any serious problems from it this time.
"I see," Kurogiri hummed thoughtfully. "I will take your word for it, then. However, you should inform someone if you start to feel any pain."
"Do you people really care?" Shouta challenged dully, and once again, the misty man lapsed into silence. After a few moments he rose from the chair.
"Now that I have confirmed you are well, I will take my leave so you can rest. I'll return with dinner shortly."
"Not Midoriya?" Shouta asked, eyes darting over to him.
"He was rather shaken, so it is best for both of you to take some time to rest. He also does not have a key for the restraints, and I do not intend to adjust them yet." That had Shouta frowning. Damn, so he'd have to be hand-fed dinner, huh...
"Are you just going to leave them, then?"
"Only for a short while. The primary reason I restrained you was due to concern of muscle spasms from the electrocution, or having night terrors and trying to tear out your stitches." An unfortunately valid point. Torture tended to lead to violent night terrors and ultimately self harm, a fact he could attest to all too well. There was a reason he'd recognized the restraints as the same kind used in hospitals. "If you have no other questions, I will take my leave and allow you to rest."
Kurogiri headed for the door while Shouta frowned. "How's the kid?" he asked, and the villain paused.
"He was quite distressed when I last saw him, though that is to be expected. I suspect this marks the first time he's used his training to actually attack someone, not that he admitted it."
"Training?" Shouta repeated, fishing for information.
"He may be Quirkless, but he has received self-defense training for a few years now. He is quite strong, I don't think he realized the extent of his strength until today." Shouta's mouth pressed into a thin line, biting back the follow up questions that instantly flooded his mind. Quirkless. Kurogiri called him Quirkless, so then... did he not know? Or did he think Shouta remained unaware and wanted to keep up the illusion?
Whichever the case, he didn't want to deal with it. If the kid was hiding it, he wouldn't be the one to break that bombshell. "That's one way to put it," he muttered, and Kurogiri glanced back.
"You should rest now, Eraserhead. Just... rest." His voice took on a gentler note at the end, and he opened the door and left before Shouta could respond. He sagged against the pillows with a deep sigh, eyes fluttering shut.
Horrible as today was, at least the bed felt nice and soft. It'd been a while since he last got to sleep in one, and he had to admit, it was even better than he'd remembered. It didn't take long for sleep to stake its claim.
Meanwhile in his cell not too far away, Hitoshi sat on his own bed frowning at the notebook Midoriya had brought. It hadn't been hard to convince him to leave them behind so he and Bakugou could look over them after he left. They'd hid it after hearing a lot of movement and voices in the hall earlier, signaling some sort of weird commotion, but the noise had now died down to the usual silence. Magne had stopped by only minutes ago to retrieve Bakugou, saying something about Midoriya being busy. He could only assume it was connected to whatever happened in the hall, and they'd have to wait for him to find out what exactly that was.
But for now, that wasn't on his mind as he looked at the notebook. As oddly interesting as the other entries were, Hitoshi found himself drawn back to the Eraserhead, attention focused on the drawing. The scarf-like weapon around his neck, the dark hair, the goggles sketched next to his face...
Why did he look like the teacher from his first dream here?
Notes:
And Izuku's secret is somehow still safe! Also, Uraraka is totally throwing a tantrum because of COURSE Izuku has multiple Quirks too. xD On that note, Todoroki was the one who sent that message on the group chat because she was still sulking.
Also, if the last part confuses you, I suggest checking Chapter 96 again. Particularly the part where Shinsou reminisces about his dream. ;D
Question for next time: What names do you think the villains would use if they were heroes?
Chapter 102: A New Day
Summary:
Jirou and Kaminari go to their first day of exams. Meanwhile, Izuku visits Aizawa and has an important talk.
Notes:
Before today's chapter, SonderDaisies and MooseMuse from AO3 did a piece for the fan art contest! SonderDaisies drew Jirou leaving the scene of the crime after making the very first 1-A_No_Dream message. Meanwhile, MooseMuse drew Seiko's lovely masterpiece and Izuku's reaction! There are also two other people who are still finishing up their art, so keep an eye on my Tumblr!
Also: There's an important announcement at the bottom, so be sure to check the author's notes!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 102
.::A New Day::.
Monday dawned with an overcast sky, fitting the mood as Kyouka and Kaminari trudged to Munakata High School. They joined the crowds of their peers heading towards the building, the air thick with tension and heads drooping with dread at the coming challenge:
Exams.
As much as it sucked, it could admittedly be worse. Thanks to the online module's existence, the exams would be only two days instead of three for them. Six of the nine core subjects would be covered, with three exams each day: science, math, and Japanese on the first day; and social studies, English, and health/physical education on the second.
The other three subjects—home economics, music, and art—were more hands-on and dependent on actually being there for classes than the rest. As such, those all got tested on the third day for students who attended primarily in person, while online students would be excused. Kaminari had just managed to miss the cut-off for having to take those exams when he switched to online, much to his joy.
They still had to get through two days though. Kyouka felt almost nauseous as they entered the building, heading to her homeroom in this world for the first time since waking up. Any doubts about the lingering subconscious impressions from their counterparts vanished as she did. Everything felt both alien yet weirdly familiar, somehow knowing where to go even without following Kaminari.
"Man, I think I'm gonna be sick," he groaned as they walked down the hallway, arms folded over his stomach. "I haven't been this nervous since the last finals!"
"Yeah, I'm not feeling too hot either," she agreed with a grimace. Exam days were always stressful, but this time she had even less knowledge of the subjects. She just had to hope that her cram session with Tokage would be enough to get her through them.
Her specifically. Kaminari was probably screwed either way.
He was probably aware of that, because he looked almost physically sick. She was pretty sure he'd looked better back at USJ. "I think I forgot everything already," he whispered. "I tried to go over everything one last time before bed, like Yaomomo said to do that one time, but there was just so much and I had no idea where to even start...!"
He trailed off into a whimper, and Kyouka's grimace grew. Yeah, she couldn't blame him. "At least we don't have to fight teachers?" she said awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood.
It seemed to have the effect she'd hoped for, because he immediately snorted and cracked a small, somewhat shaky smile. "Oh man, that would be so weird," he said. "Can you imagine fighting Akino-sensei? I think his Quirk is just making flowers bloom. Not even creating flowers, just making them bloom."
Kyouka smirked. "Seriously? That totally fits his hippie vibes. Or how about Murasaki-sensei? Doesn't she just turn stuff purple?" She hadn't seen the history teacher in person yet, but she had seen her plenty over the virtual lessons. Her blackboard was notably purple instead of dark green. One memorable lecture had also featured her freaking out when she'd accidentally dyed a pile of handouts purple.
"Man, how would that even work in a fight?" Kaminari asked, smiling a bit more brighter now as he chuckled. "Just turn us purple?"
"Heck if I know," Kyouka said with a shrug. "But I mean, I guess turning people purple would make it harder to hide if you manage to escape."
"What are you two talking about?" They turned to face the newcomer, a person Kyouka had honestly forgotten was here: Iida. Seeing him in the Munakata uniform of a powder blue sweater-vest and white button-up paired with plaid slacks still felt so weird, as did the different glasses. Running into him out by the office buildings hadn't been nearly as odd since she'd seen him in casual clothes before, but a different school uniform? It felt like his head had been pasted onto a stranger's body.
"Oh, hey Iida," Kaminari greeted with a nod, quickly getting over his own surprise. "We were just talking about fighting teachers."
Iida's face flashed with surprise and quickly screwed up in disapproval. "Fighting teachers?" he repeated incredulously.
"I was trying to help him with his nerves," Kyouka explained with a shrug. "We're obviously not really gonna fight the teachers."
"Still, that's a rather... inappropriate topic," Iida replied. "Couldn't you have chosen another one?"
"Sure, I guess, but I mean, I just said the first thing that came to mind. It's just a distraction."
A distraction that had lost its effectiveness now that Kyouka had mentioned that. "Ah crap, and now I'm remembering the tests are a thing," Kaminari groaned, shoulders slumping. "Dang it, I'm gonna fail so hard..."
That gloomy declaration was enough to redirect Iida's attention, changing gears from scolding to his version of a pep talk. "Positive thinking is a key part of taking exams!" he said firmly, chopping the air for emphasis. "If you go into it believing you will fail, you will fail! So don't go into it thinking of failure, go in expecting success!"
Kyouka quietly snickered at the motivational speaker impression, while Kaminari remained completely unmoved by it. "Pretty sure positive thinking won't magically make me know the answers to all the questions," he grumbled sulkily. "I'm doomed."
"Cheer up, Jamming-whey," she teased. "At least if you fail, it won't be the end of the world. Way better than the last exams." The finals at UA before summer had much higher stakes than this, what with Aizawa's threat of keeping students who failed from attending the summer camp. That had turned out to be a lie, but it'd placed plenty of pressure on them to do well.
The reminder seemed to have a bit of an effect, because he slowly nodded and regained a bit of his color, though he still seemed a bit subdued. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Compared to then, this is nothing."
"What do you mean?" Iida asked, clearly confused, and Kyouka mentally cursed herself. While he might not be their Iida, he acted similar enough that she forgot that he wouldn't remember the final exams for a second.
Fortunately, she didn't need to scramble for an excuse because Kaminari replied for her. "Last time, my stepsister said I'd have to babysit the twins over break if I scored last on the exam," he said with a shrug. "It was really high stakes for me."
"Oh, do you have younger siblings?"
"Yeah, Maki and Momiji. They're three, and they're kinda little nightmares to deal with sometimes. Half the reason I came here was to get some space from them."
Iida frowned. "I know children that young can be rambunctious, but it can't be that bad, can it?" he asked doubtfully.
"Didn't they set a fence on fire last month?" Kyouka asked, remembering the text chain she'd read. Iida jolted in alarm while Kaminari perked up and nodded.
"Yeah, they did! And actually, about that. Remember how Momiji doused the fence in maple sap and Maki got her hands on matches?"
Kyouka's eyebrows raised as she slowly nodded. "Yeah...?"
"Well, turns out maple sap isn't normally flammable like we thought. So we're not sure what's going on there. But also, yesterday a snowman they made caught fire. So uh, yeah."
He shrugged, while Kyouka and Iida both stared at him. Caught fire. Not melted, caught fire. "Okay, yeah, that's terrifying," she finally declared.
"Why are they allowed around matches?" Iida asked. "I mean, I assume they're not, but, why are the matches left in their reach?"
"They're not. Akiko says they hide them, but the twins keep finding them somehow. They're almost wondering if Maki might have some kind of Quirk that helps finds matches...? Or else is what makes the maple sap and snow catch on fire?" Another shrug, while Kyouka just slowly shook her head. This world's Kaminari was even more screwed than they realized.
"Well, I suppose winter break should be... interesting for you," Iida commented, and the remark had them both freezing, not that he noticed. "I suppose your parents will be quite happy to have the extra help in watching them!"
"...Yeah, I guess so too," Kaminari said faintly.
"Anyways, shouldn't we be getting to the classroom?" Kyouka piped up quickly. They still had a good ten minutes until class began, but Iida perked up and nodded.
"Indeed we should, Jirou-san! I was planning to do a final review before first period. I suggest you two do the same!"
"Sounds like a good idea," Kyouka agreed with a nod. "You go on ahead, we'll be there in a second." Iida nodded and headed off, and as soon as he went into the classroom Kaminari spun to face her with absolute panic.
"We forgot about winter break!" he hissed.
"I know!" she hissed back. Winter break. How could they forget about that? No doubt their families would expect them to go back home for the holidays. She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a breath. "Okay, it's only the eleventh. After this week, we still have another week of school. So it's not too urgent. By that time, we might already be home."
"Do you really believe that?" Kaminari asked skeptically, and she sighed.
"I have no idea, but honestly, probably not," she admitted reluctantly. That would be great, but with how things were going, she wouldn't hold her breath. "But by then, there should be enough happening that I don't think we'd be sticking around anyway. Worst case scenario, we just run away before then." They had plenty of places to go.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," he muttered, but still seemed a bit shaken. She couldn't blame him, she was still a bit freaked out too.
"Let's just focus on the exams for now and worry about it later," she said, and he nodded as they headed for the classroom. Still, she knew forgetting about it was easier said than done. Returning home, or even just having their families visit Hosu for the holidays, would completely derail any plans they had to meet the others. Not to mention the awkwardness of navigating family dynamics they had absolutely zero memory of.
Still, they'd have to figure out how to handle that themselves. Because right now, the others had enough to worry about on their ends.
She pushed the thought away as she stepped into the classroom, feet naturally carrying her towards a desk she had never before seen. They could worry about the future later. For now, she had a test to take.
At the same moment, Izuku hesitated in front of the door to Aizawa's new cell, holding a tray with breakfast. The idea of facing his teacher after what happened yesterday had his stomach in knots. Technically, this would be his second visit since then, but when he'd checked in last night Aizawa had been asleep, so they hadn't talked yet. He couldn't avoid it this time though.
He took a deep breath as he knocked on the door before entering the code on the keypad next to it. Back when he'd first visited Shinsou in this hall he thought the keypad was just to make it harder for him to escape, but he now realized it was also for Shinsou's safety. Probably the most reassuring part about the move was that the doors in this hall all required a code to unlock them, so no one could barge in on Aizawa like those people had yesterday.
The code for Aizawa's room had been set to 8443, just one number higher than the code for Shinsou's room. The pad gave a cheerful-sounding beep to confirm it was now unlocked, and he pushed the door open.
The sight of Aizawa in a bed was only marginally better than seeing him chained to the floor. He had leather cuffs around his wrists and right ankle, though Izuku could only see the straps on the right side running over the edge of the mattress from the doorway. His newly re-splinted leg was elevated on a pillow, blanket settled around it so his toes protruded above it. Seeing that was a relief at least.
Aizawa's eyes were initially closed when Izuku entered, but they slowly opened as he stepped inside, quickly focusing on him before heaving a sigh. "Guess it's morning then," he muttered, and something about the way he said that just made Izuku nearly break.
"Y-yeah, it is," he mumbled as he walked over with the tray. He'd tried to pick stuff that would be easy to eat in bed: a breakfast sandwich made with salmon and vegetables, some melon bread from a convenience store, and a few slices of a daikon radish. He still hesitated next to the bed, fidgeting awkwardly as he glanced down. "Um, d-do you want me to help you eat, or...?"
Izuku trailed off as Aizawa sat up and shifted to reveal his left hand had a cuff with a longer strap that allowed him to lift it. "I can feed myself," he said crisply, and Izuku admittedly felt a surge of relief. He carefully set the tray on Aizawa's lap and went to sit in the chair as Aizawa began eating, still fidgeting as he glanced over his teacher's counterpart.
Aizawa's left hand didn't have a mitten, but now that the blankets had shifted he could see one the right one did. It was different from before, white and very plush-looking; the round shape almost reminded him of a plushie's hand. The cuff overlapped with the hem tightly, and Izuku's stomach sank as he noticed the lock on the restraint. There wouldn't be any removing that anytime soon. Given they'd left one hand free...
"I guess it must need both hands after all..."
"What?" Izuku startled when Aizawa spoke up, eyes snapping up to find the man frowning at him. Aizawa's eyes flickered towards the mitten and his expression darkened, shoulders slumping as he sighed. "You know about it, don't you." It wasn't even a question and sounded so tired, and Izuku winced and grimaced as he reluctantly nodded.
"Um, if you mean that your Quirk can apparently erase Quirks more, uh, permanently... Y-yeah, I kinda do. I mean, I don't know exactly how it works," he added quickly, not wanting Aizawa to think it was common knowledge in the base. "I'm just assuming it requires physical contact with all ten fingers based on what Hijack told us yesterday."
The name had Aizawa wincing, lips pulling back in a grimace as he stared down at his breakfast. "I see," he murmured, and Izuku's heart sank at the sheer guilt in his voice.
"He doesn't blame you!" he said frantically. "He was in a lot of shock at first, but he doesn't blame you for it! Really! And he was really worried when I told him and Kacchan about the attack!" The others had been horrified when they heard about the attack. Izuku and Shinsou actually had to physically restrain Bakugou from rushing out to find the villains and attack them in revenge. They only got him to stop by Izuku pointing out they were already dead.
Something told him that mentioning that would not be good right now, though. Aizawa's face grew even darker, scowling bitterly to himself. "Of course he was," he muttered. "If I die, it might get stuck like that."
Izuku's stomach lurched at the obvious self-loathing. "That's not why he was worried at all!" he protested, feeling his eyes tear up. "You're our teacher! We're all really worried and don't want anything to happen to you! And, a-and..." He trailed off, squeezing his eyes tightly shut as he took a deep breath. "Please, don't talk like that... Please...!"
His voice choked at the end, sniffling loudly as he wiped away his forming tears with shaking hands. Still the tears didn't stop, just quietly crying as the stress of it all seemed to weigh down on him. Waking up here, finding his friends locked up, seeing Aizawa show up injured and then getting tortured and nearly killed... He choked down a sob at the last thought, his chest painfully tight.
Aizawa still didn't look at him as he cried, just stared down at his plate in silence. That just pushed Izuku to try to stifle his crying and stop even more. Aizawa had been through enough, he didn't need the kid responsible for his suffering breaking down next to him. After a while Aizawa sighed and pressed a hand to his eyes, seeming so very, very tired.
"Kid, please stop crying," he muttered. "I'm sorry I said that, okay?" The apology had Izuku wincing, eyes wide as he quickly shook his head.
"You don't need to apologize, you have nothing to be sorry for!" he protested. "If anyone should be sorry, it's me! It's my fault you got hurt! I-it's my fault you're even here!" His voice wobbled again, sniffing back another sob. "It's because of me you're going through any of this! I'm so, so, so sorry..!"
Aizawa didn't respond right away, didn't even look at him, just kept pressing against his eyes. Soon he heaved another sigh though and pulled his hand away, staring down at his breakfast once more. "...Kid, can I ask you something?" he finally asked, and Izuku wiped his face as he nodded.
"Y-yeah, of course..." Answering some of Aizawa's questions was the least he could do. The man really had been through so much because of him. Still, Aizawa seemed to hesitate, lips pressing into a thin line for a moment before nodding and looking at him.
"You're not actually Quirkless, are you?" he asked bluntly, and Izuku flinched, feeling the blood drain from his face. Oh. He should have expected that. He grimaced as he looked down at his lap, feeling a fresh wave of guilt.
"I guess not," he muttered, and then quickly added, "But I wasn't trying to lie to you about it! I really didn't have a Quirk for the longest time. I grew up without one, b-but..."
"But now you have one," Aizawa finished for him, and Izuku nodded miserably. The hero sighed softly, closing his eyes as he kept eating. "I don't expect you intend to reveal what it is, so don't worry about that."
The remark had Izuku wincing again, feeling like another wall had grown between them. Why? Why did it feel like every time they made progress, something would happen to set it back? He hated that, that they were somehow becoming even more distant. Right now, he knew their trust was more unstable than ever, and that this would be a defining moment in their relationship. Whatever he said next would either make it stronger, or push Aizawa away even farther.
The thought had Izuku swallowing dryly, taking a deep breath as he made up his mind. "I... don't know what my Quirk is," he admitted slowly, and saw Aizawa shoot him a surprised look, probably not expecting him to actually talk about it. "I knew I had one, but I thought it was just a strength Quirk. But then yesterday..."
He trailed off, frowning as he glanced down at his hands. "Yesterday, when I saw you on the ground all beaten up like that, it's like something in me—snapped. Honestly, it's all kinda blurry now and I barely remember any of it," he confessed, frown growing. "I was just really, really mad. I thought my vision went red, but then, um..."
"Then I used Erasure, and you realized it was real," Aizawa supplied when Izuku trailed off, and he nodded.
"Y-yeah. I still don't know what that light did, exactly. I think it might be connected to how everyone went flying...?" He shrugged uncertainly. "Like I said, it's all... blurry. I don't really remember much after I ran to get Tomura-nii." His frown grew at the name, glancing down at his lap again. "...They don't know."
"They?" Izuku risked a glance, and could see comprehension dawning on the man's face, eyes growing wide. At least he didn't need to explain what he meant. "So your Quirk is a secret then."
"Yeah," Izuku confirmed with a small nod. "I don't really have much reason to use it, so not many people know. Not even Tomura-nii or Kurogiri. Right now, the only ones who know are Kacchan, Hijack, Aiko-nee, Seiko, and... you, now."
"I see," Aizawa murmured with a frown, glancing down at his hand. He seemed conflicted, like he wanted to ask more, but finally shook his head. "I won't tell anyone. I assume you have reasons to hide it."
"Thanks," Izuku sighed, feeling a bit of relief. If Aizawa had asked why he wanted to hide it, he honestly wouldn't know what to say. He didn't want to keep lying or avoid answering his questions, not with their trust so fragile right now. But explaining anything would probably make things even worse for that very reason.
He tried to push away the thought and started rambling. "I'm still not sure how they don't know after yesterday though. I... didn't really give a good explanation, and just said I found everyone already like that... But they didn't press...? Or at least Tomura-nii didn't, I haven't talked to anyone else yet... But I mean, Minotaurus and Sickle Claw hit the wall hard enough to make it crack, so..."
Aizawa frowned as he mumbled. "Midoriya, out of curiosity, you said you thought you had a strength Quirk?" he asked, and Izuku nodded.
"Yeah. I have to do a lot of training because it's so powerful. When I first got it I broke my bones a few times because my body wasn't strong enough to withstand it." At this point he was pretty certain that applied to both worlds, even if he couldn't remember it in this one.
"I see. Then what's the biggest thing you could lift or move without using your Quirk?" Izuku stared at him blankly, not understanding the meaning of the question, and Aizawa sighed. "Just humor me. I'm guessing your training regiment is focused on strength based on what you just said. You don't even have to say it, think of the heaviest thing you've moved on your own."
Izuku nodded, automatically thinking back to his training at Dagobah Beach. He knew his counterpart hadn't done the same training, but he knew that their bodies' physiques were similar enough, even if this world's body was a little less fit. By the end of his training at Dagobah Beach, he'd been able to move fridges, wardrobes, cupboards, gym lockers, old TVs, safes, a rusty pickup truck...
"You look like you have some stuff in mind," Aizawa observed as Izuku reflected on his training. "Now, think of the strength needed to move those objects... And imagine what happens when you use that amount of strength to punch someone's solar plexus."
Izuku froze, his brain responding to the prompt with only the sound of a loud crack. "Oh my gosh," he whispered, face paling. He had never thought of that before, but even without One For All, that would definitely cause serious damage.
Aizawa just nodded while Izuku's mind imploded. "Something that not many people realize is that with the advent of Quirks, people's bodies also evolved. Strength, durability, speed and reflexes... The natural baseline for the human body's basic potential grew stronger, even for those born without Quirks. Not many people ever need to tap into their body's full potential, so it's not widely known. It becomes especially noticeable if focused your training primarily around strength, though."
"Oh," Izuku said faintly. That... definitely explained some things. He'd never actually tried fighting without One For All, at least not after he started training with All Might. In retrospect, it really should have been obvious that this just wasn't normal. He didn't just push that pickup truck over sand (seriously, it got stuck so much), he hauled it to the top of the garbage pile. That had to be, what, five meters tall?
...Holy crap, he climbed a five-meter tall tower of garbage while carrying a pickup truck. How did he never realize how crazy that was!?
"It sounds like Kurogiri and Shigaraki are at least aware of that potential, based on Kurogiri's comment to me yesterday," Aizawa said as Izuku continued to reel from this revelation. "Combine that with the natural boost from adrenaline, and it's easy to write off what happened yesterday as you tapping into even more natural strength after getting upset. They probably thought you were in shock at your own strength."
Yeah, now that he said that, that probably explained why Shigaraki didn't try to push him for more details yesterday. It sounded pretty crazy, but... given everything else that Izuku had experienced since waking up here (including waking up here), not too crazy. Then again, at this point Izuku's bar for what sounded plausible was probably out of whack given the whole multiverse thing.
He just blinked slowly as he pushed that out of his mind. "...I guess so," he murmured, still feeling a bit dazed by—well, all of this, and Aizawa hummed. He grabbed the water bottle that came with his breakfast (cap already helpfully removed), and Izuku's heart then soared when he reached for the painkiller pill. Izuku had added it to the tray to help, but he hadn't fully expected Aizawa to actually take it after everything that happened yesterday. Even if he was in pain, he had more reason to be wary than ever.
So the fact he did take it, even after yesterday, meant he still trusted Izuku. The realization had him harshly swallowing down the urge to cry again, because Aizawa did not need to deal with that. His chest felt so much lighter at the reassurance that their relationship hadn't been completely ruined like he'd feared.
"I'm done with breakfast," Aizawa informed Izuku dully, and the teen glanced at the tray in surprise to see the plate was indeed empty. He quickly picked it off Aizawa's lap, mindful of how he couldn't remove it himself with only one hand mobile.
"Okay, I'll just take it back to the kitchen then," he said. "You're probably tired, so I understand if you want to rest, so I'll leave you alone." Aizawa hummed again, already leaning back against the pillows. Izuku fidgeted awkwardly, not sure what else to say. "I'll... come back later? Around lunchtime?"
"That's fine," Aizawa murmured, eyes closing. Izuku took it as a silent dismissal and headed out without another word, making sure to close the door quietly. Once in the hall he sighed, shoulders slumping tiredly.
This... was all so messed up. He had so many new questions now, but he just shook his head as he turned to the keypad to re-enter the code. Two beeps informed him it was now locked again, and he carried the tray to the kitchen. At least he didn't need to worry about someone breaking into Aizawa's cell while he was gone, but his list of worries seemed to grow by the day.
Escaping was a higher priority than ever.
Notes:
So to clear something up: everyone in the Alliance still think Izuku is Quirkless. Credit to CocoaNerd, who recently pointed out on Discord that Izuku moved some VERY heavy stuff on Dagobah Beach before getting OFA. Namely, the truck. Based on our guesses, it's a Suzuki Carry truck, which is around 1,300-1720lbs depending on the model. Even when stripped of the engine, transmission and such, it'd still be pretty dang heavy. And he didn't just push it over sand, he put it on top of the dang trash mountain. Downix estimates that thing is around 5.2 meters tall (a little over 17ft). So if Izuku can do that WITHOUT One For All, then holy crap he was still way stronger than the average person.
So basically: they think that Izuku is super strong and just unaware of his own strength.
Also, the anime this weekend revealed something. Something big. Remember when I asked if people would mind manga spoilers? Well, this was the specific manga spoiler I was asking about and have been hinting at. So I can now do this reveal without any guilt/worries about spoiling anime-onlies! Hooray! :D
But more importantly, I have some bad news.
Ignite to the Call will be going on hiatus for the rest of August.
This was a decision I made after a lot of hard thought, especially since I just had another hiatus pretty recently. The buffer is lower than ever—as in, I put the finishing touches on this chapter last night. I have 103 written, but that's it. Along with that, at the end of the month, I'm going to start the job hunt for real. We're also planning to try to take a short trip later this month, pandemic permitting, and I don't know how much writing I'll be able to do then. I want to have time to build up the buffer as much as possible before I get a job, as well as have time to focus on some of my other stories I've neglected. (To any fans of The Bloody Oracle of Kiri, I'm doing an update this week!)
I'll be back on September 6th with Chapter 103 (and announce the winner of the art contest then!), but before then, I'll be posting a little something special. I ended up writing an omake for this chapter last night that ultimately clocked over 1k words, so I'm gonna post it to start a side-story collection! I've been wanting to do something like that for a while now, and this omake is a perfect way to start it. ^^
Chapter 103: Communication is Key
Summary:
Mic is still a prisoner, and Ashido wants to do SOMETHING productive to help with the escape plans.
Notes:
Before we begin, the final entry for the art contest: RuneLore drew the statue with Ashido's graffiti message! If you don't know RuneLore, they specialize in posting podfics. Ignite is on their to-do list! And now it turns out they're also a great artist. With that, the art contest is closed to submissions. Winner will be chosen next time!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 103
.::Communication is Key::.
So in semi-good news for Hizashi, he now had confirmation Kirishima was actually alive and well. Everyone had told him as much, but actually seeing it for himself was a relief. The kid had shown up for guard duty in the morning sporting a knit hat with bright red hair instead of his original black. He seemed to be rather sheepish and nervous about Hizashi's presence, shooting him disbelieving looks now and then as if he didn't quite believe he was there. (Which, yeah, Hizashi felt the same.)
Unfortunately, Hizashi was still a prisoner, and still had no working hearing aids. So he couldn't question the kid like he wanted.
He heaved a dramatic sigh as he stared at the ceiling, thoroughly bored. Technically, he could talk, but the echo effect made his own voice grate on his ears if he spoke too long or got a little too loud, so he kept it to a minimum. Meanwhile, the kids had taken to communicating with him through writing, which would have been fine if they didn't only use notebooks and the room wasn't so dark.
It strained his eyes to read more than basic sentences written in large writing, so long conversations were out. His request to use cell phones or any other device with a backlit screen were meanwhile met with deaf ears (no pun intended), probably due to those usually having internet connections. Also, they refused to untie his hands so he could write. So, yeah. It sucked.
At least they didn't feel a need to cube him anymore. Still wasn't much of an improvement, though.
At this point Hizashi had to wonder if anyone even knew he was in Odawara. He had been very stupid not to tell anyone about the trip, but in his defense, he'd done that a couple times with no problems. His luck just finally ran out. Given it was now, what, day four/five of captivity? Did he count Thursday, when he got caught? Either way, he knew it was now Monday, and at this point it didn't seem like help was on the way anytime soon.
The kids must have done something with his phone, otherwise they would've tracked the signal here by now. Maybe that was why Kirishima had been absent: he'd gone on an impromptu road trip to get rid of the phone, and then laid low for a couple days before coming back just to be safe. He'd try to ask, but the kid seemed to be pretty invested in the game of cards he was playing with one of the other guards.
Also, talking would just draw the bird's attention.
Hizashi rolled his head to the side to glare at the feathery black fiend, currently curled up fast asleep. It was rare to get a reprieve from the staring contest, so he didn't feel inclined to wake it anytime soon. Bored as he was, that mocking glare just boiled his blood, as if it felt better than him. He'd take boredom over that.
Another sigh. This seemed to draw the others' attention, and Kirishima hesitated before crawling over. He used the notebook to write down a quick message, making sure his writing was large. 'Are you okay?'
"Yeah, I'm fine," Hizashi replied, trying to keep his voice low. It was hard to judge and regulate his volume without his hearing aids, and he'd rather not risk hurting them. "Just wondering how long I'll be stuck here." The kid grimaced, which was pretty much all the answer he needed. Still, Hizashi probed a little more anyway, asking, "Do you at least have a solid estimate?" A shake of the head. Great.
The guard he'd been playing cards with came over, and Hizashi recognized her to be Akai. She murmured something to Kirishima, speaking low and her words further obscured by the stupid echo. Kirishima nodded and wrote down in the notebook again.
'Hopefully before the end of the week? If everything goes well. Sorry.'
End of the week, huh? Okay, so today was Monday, and weeks ended on Friday or Saturday, depending on how you looked at it. So... potentially five more days of being stuck in a cement room, bored out of his mind. Great.
Still, that message also confirmed that something was going on behind the scenes. Something probably involving the Villain Alliance, since all signs pointed to these kids being actively manipulated by them. So getting out of here might not be the best thing. Dammit, he really hoped Shouta was okay...
Movement drew his attention, and he turned his head to see a couple kids appear through the curtain. Hizashi scowled when he saw Mime step through, having long since associated him with cube prisons. He was followed by another masked individual who Hizashi needed a moment to place as Kaitou. Been a while since he saw him.
Kirishima perked up and jogged over, excitedly chattering with the new arrivals. They exchanged a few words before he went to rejoin Akai while they walked over to Hizashi. He eyed them warily as Kaitou picked up the notebook Kirishima had used, scribbling a message and showing the page to him.
'This has no internet, so don't get your hopes up.'
What had no internet—oh. Hizashi sat upright when Mime pulled out a handheld PDA from his pocket. A handheld PDA with a backlit screen. He pressed a button and soon enough large text appeared on the screen.
'This thing has a voice to text feature, so we can talk.'
"Well that's convenient," Hizashi remarked, watching his own words also appear on the screen. So once the button was turned on, it automatically transcribed all conversation. Handy. "Where'd you find that thing?"
"We bought it off someone online second-hand," Kaitou explained with a lofty shrug, more text appearing to relay his words. He even held up a hand so Hizashi could know it was him talking since the mask covered his mouth. "We decided that the notebooks are too inconvenient since we can't really get good lighting here, and depriving you of communication isn't exactly humane."
"You owe us for this by the way," Mime said. "And I mean money. We're kinda limited on funds."
"I kinda gathered that from all the konbini food and snacks," Hizashi muttered wryly. Since Mime's mask had a hole cut out for his mouth, he got a good look at the kid's grimace as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"I swear that's not all we have, and we have actual food. We just, uh..."
Meanwhile...
"Naota, we got that stuff for you," Ojiro groaned, face buried in his hands. "Please don't just give it all away..."
"But Present Mic already ate what I gave him last time!" the small cat-eared boy whined, mismatched eyes pleading as he transferred his snack stash into a box. "Ibara-nee says we should help people who are less fortunate! And I want him to have all the candy and chips and snacks he wants! He's a hero, Mashi-nii! A hero!"
...There was no winning. Ojiro just let his shoulders sag in defeat as Naota tried to squish down the box's contents to make more room for bulk bags of fun-sized candy.
Back to the tunnel...
"Yeah, just, expect those care packages to be a normal thing," Mime sighed. "And please keep eating them, we need the empty wrappers and bags as proof."
"Why does it feel like you're being threatened to give those to me against your wills?"
"Not threatened," Kaitou murmured. "Not unless you count crying as a threat..." The comment had a small rumble of agreements and nods from the other kids.
...Yeah, Hizashi was still very confused and worried for these kids. At least it didn't seem like they were in danger from whoever was sending this food to him...? Between this and the comments last time about not making someone cry, it sounded more like they were being guilt-tripped. Hard.
Well in any event, they now had this device to translate their words into text, which meant he could now actually ask his questions and get better answers. "Anyway, what are you guys planning?" he questioned seriously. "You can't just keep me here forever, and Kirishima said I'd be out of here by the end of the week if everything goes well. What does that mean? Is it related to why he was gone?"
The last one had the now-redhead snapping a startled look his way, nearly dropping his cards. "We're not answering that," Kaitou said, crossing his arms.
"Uh, didn't Ashido say she explained some of the situation though?" Text appeared from some person Hizashi didn't see speak, making him perk up. Did they mean that weird story about being from some alternate universe?
"She tried, but he didn't believe her."
Of course he didn't, it was ridiculous! Hizashi wouldn't say that and alienate them any further though. Clearly, his obvious doubt back then had pushed them away; he still needed to get information though. So he made up his mind, calling on all his skills as a performer and taking a breath. "Hey now, I've had a couple days to think it over since then, and I think I was a bit hasty," he said. "It's just a lot to take in at once, you know? But if you guys want to talk about it, I'm all ears!" He flashed a big grin at the end.
...Wow, even with masks he could feel their skeptical and disbelieving stares. "He's faking it," Akai declared flatly with folded arms, the others nodding in agreement. Dang it. His smile fell immediately, replaced by an annoyed pout. Well, he tried.
Kirishima looked conflicted though, which might be his saving grace. "I know he doesn't believe us, but does that really mean we can't tell him anything?" he asked. "I mean, it's not like I was doing anything that secret. And I think hiding everything will just make things worse?"
Kirishima was officially Hizashi's favorite, and not just because he didn't wear a creepy cult mask. The other kids were now looking at each other, still seeming a bit conflicted, until finally Kaitou waved a hand. "Fine, I guess you have a point. Just don't say too much." Kirishima perked up, as did Hizashi, and the teen nodded as he turned to him.
"I was helping look for this guy with a multiverse Quirk to see if he can help."
Hizashi sat a bit straighter at that. Okay, not what he expected. "Wait, you guys know someone who has a multiverse Quirk?"
"Uh, not exactly," the kid hedged. "Only one person's actually met him, or well, two I guess, since we know his brother...?" Okay, this was starting to feel shady again. "We don't even know if he's in this world, so we decided to search places that are different from Ashido's world to see if he's hanging out at any of them, since his brother says he does that."
Yep, right back to suspicious and worrisome. They were looking for a guy who only two people had seen—one who claimed to be the guy's brother—and using likely fictional information to determine travel destinations. It would be so easy to use those planted memories to lure the kids into a trap, if they weren't already entangled in some dark web.
"...And he looks more suspicious," Akai groaned, shoulders slumping with dismay. "Dang it."
"Sorry," Kirishima muttered with a grimace.
"It's fine," Mime said. "It was worth a shot. Should I just cube him for now?"
Hizashi jolted in alarm. "No!" All of them winced as his voice echoed off the walls, more than one set of hands flying to cover ears as he cringed. Fortunately he hadn't used his Quirk, but he'd gotten a lot louder than he'd intended. He felt incredibly sheepish as they all turned to him, clearly exuding an air of "what the heck?" even with the masks. Kirishima was the only one whose face he could see, and he looked both chastising and betrayed.
"...Okay, just go ahead," Hizashi sighed in defeat. "I totally deserve it."
And so he got trapped in a cube again, resigning himself to his well-deserved fate. He was still worried for the kids' safety, but he absolutely deserved it this time.
"So you're staying there another day?" Mina whined.
"Yeah, we're just worried about Deku," Uraraka replied. "He doesn't want to leave after sensei got hurt, but he still needs to find this notebook. So I'm going to look for it for him." The reply had Mina groaning and her shoulders slumping in dismay.
"I get he needs help, but it's still so boring without you!" Things were a little better now with Kiri back, but he'd volunteered to spend the day on guard duty. And even then, it wasn't quite the same as having someone from her world around. "Do you really think this notebook will be worth it?"
"It will." Uraraka's voice rang with certainty. "If I don't find it today, we'll still come back tomorrow though."
"Okay," Mina sighed. "I'll see you guys tomorrow then, I guess."
"Yeah. Anyways, I'm almost there so I have to go. Talk to you later, Ashido!"
"Later, Ocha-chan." The call ended and Mina sighed as her shoulders slumped in disappointment, causing the cans in the shopping bag to shift and clink together. She had gone to the konbini to buy some snacks and drinks to celebrate Todoroki and Uraraka's return, but now Uraraka was calling to say they'd be late. They'd mentioned something about looking for a notebook yesterday when explaining about the attack on Aizawa, but hadn't explained why it was important. Something about it being too risky to explain in the group chat?
Whatever the reason, the end result was the same. Uraraka and Todoroki were staying in Nabu an extra day, Kaminari and Jirou had final exams today and tomorrow, and Midoriya was still stuck at the Alliance base. Even after making contact with her friends, Mina was basically alone again, which sucked.
Why was she always the odd one out here? She felt like she'd spent more time alone than anyone else, bar Midoriya. Kaminari and Jirou even woke up together! Well, not literally together, that would've been weird and awkward, but they were at least in contact from the start. And while Todoroki had also been alone at the start, after Mina reunited with him he'd always been with someone from their world.
She heaved another sigh as she reached Kuroe's house and went to the kitchen, dropping the bag on the counter before sitting at the table and letting her head slump against it. Given Kuroe happened to also be sitting at the table working on his laptop, he had a front-row seat to her dramatics. He paused his typing to just stare at her for a moment, weighing his options.
"Okay, I'll give," he said. "What's eating at you?"
"Everything," she groaned dramatically. "I'm sick of being alone and not being able to do anything to help!"
"...Okay then," Kuroe said after a moment. "I still have no idea what's going on, but didn't Kirishima come back yesterday from... wherever?"
"Yeah, but it's not the same," she sighed, peeling her face off the table but keeping her chin there as she pouted. "He's cool and all, but it's different from Uraraka and Todoroki and the others. And he's busy today anyway."
"Right... And what about the runaways? You've been spending a lot of time with them."
"They're busy getting ready for the move." With the escape closer than ever, the runaways wanted to get out of Odawara before it happened. After all, right now the general plan seemed to be to immediately take Aizawa to Present Mic, so they could then all go to the Pro Heroes. Once the escape was done they'd have no reason to put it off anymore, especially with Mail (and hopefully his siblings, too) willing to back them up on the whole multiverse thing.
Of course, that would also give Mic the chance to tell everyone about the runaway network. Even after they ultimately convinced him that they weren't crazy or brainwashed, he'd still be kinda obligated to report a bunch of teens and kids living on the streets. Leaving runaways alone just wasn't the hero way. Last she'd heard they'd already picked a new place, and had sent a crew to finish prepping it for the move.
Kuroe just stared at her. "...Okay, so the move is news to me," he said. "And I think I definitely need to call Rogue about that... Dammit, gotta figure out logistics on my end too..."
Mina frowned as he muttered to himself, fully lifting her head from the table. For once, she felt pretty sure she hadn't messed up and revealed some big secret. While she knew the runaways didn't fully trust him, they hadn't seemed particularly inclined to hide the move from him. She'd even heard Monoma and Rogue talking about whether Kuroe could potentially arrange transportation for part of it.
...Wait. She pulled out her burner phone and texted 'Gallery Video & Audio,' the contact used for Rogue. 'Hey, who was supposed to tell Kuroe about the move?'
Surprisingly, he responded pretty fast. And very briefly. '...fuck'
"I think they forgot to have someone tell you," Mina announced, recognizing the textual nuance of someone who realized they'd screwed up bad.
"You don't say," Kuroe drawled sarcastically while she typed out a response.
'Well I just told him, so?'
'Thanks. I'll send someone to fill him in on the finer details later.' Yep, they definitely forgot.
"Well, I don't know where they're going, but they already picked a place and are gonna try to move by the end of the week," she said. "Rogue says he'll send someone to give you more details soon."
That didn't seem to lift Kuroe's mood, heaving a deep, weary sigh as he pushed his laptop back so he could slowly lay down his head. "Why can't my life ever be simple," he grumbled, voice muffled by the table. "Stupid kids don't even know how much effort goes into..." The rest was too quiet and muffled for her to hear.
Well, at least Mina had helped with something. Who knew how long it'd take to realize they hadn't actually told him about the move? He sighed again as he lifted his head, staring at her with a weariness that could put Aizawa to shame. "Do you at least know why they're suddenly moving?"
"I don't think I'm allowed to tell you." And he probably didn't want to know they'd technically kidnapped a Pro Hero. Or, maybe he did, since the whole reason Mic even came here was because he was investigating the connection to An-chan. And Mic obviously now knew she and Kirishima were staying with Kuroe, so he probably suspected some sort of connection...
...Oh dang, they really did need to brief him on the Mic-napping, didn't they? If only because he'd probably get questioned about that. She made a mental note to bring that up with everyone later. She would not be the one to deal with that. "At least you know now?" she said with a shrug, and then slumped in her chair as she added, "I still wish I could do something more to help though."
"With the move?" Kuroe asked, and she shook her head.
"No, this other thing." Namely, the escape. She still felt like she was the only one not making any progress or help towards the big escape. Even the runaways seemed to be more productive than her now that Kendo and Spinner were involved! Last she'd seen them, they'd been talking with Rogue about the best sort of vehicle for the getaway. Meanwhile, Kaminari managed to make some real progress by getting that key from Yaomomo—
She suddenly jumped to her feet, realization dawning on her. "The key! Kami and Jirou are too busy with exams to take it! So I can do it instead!" She could go to Hosu, grab the key, and take it to Nabu to get passed on to Midoriya! She was literally the only person who was actually free to do it, since Uraraka and Todoroki were busy doing whatever over there.
As soon as she had that thought she felt herself deflate though, remembering just why she was the only one who was totally free. "Oh right, I stand out too much, don't I..." For once, she HATED her pink skin. As great as it looked, it made her too recognizable. Even with a wig, Mic had still managed to recognize her.
Kuroe eyed her as she started to sulk, and then finally sighed as he got up. "Know what? Screw it, I've got nothing better to do right now until I hear about whatever the hell is going on. Come on." He headed out of the kitchen and for the stairs, prompting Mina to follow him curiously. He led the way to his bedroom, disappearing inside his closet for a moment before exiting with a box.
She perked up as he carried it to another door, using his foot to nudge it open and reveal an en-suite bathroom. "Come on, in here. This might get messy." She didn't need to be told twice, scurrying in after him. He'd already set the box down on the counter by the sink and opened it, pulling out multiple layers of makeup kits.
"I didn't know you were into makeup," she commented.
"I'm not," he replied. "But I have a friend who got pretty into disguises, and she taught me some stuff." Even as he spoke he held up some weird, rubber-y thing that looked kinda... scaly and ridge-y? They were a beige color that felt oddly creepy to her, and surrounded by a clear membrane of sorts inside a ring made of the same material.
"What is that?"
"It's a silicone facial prosthetic used to mimic scales." Mina snapped to attention at that, eyes growing wide. Now that he mentioned it, the beige color was similar to most people's skin tones, and the rubbery texture kinda resembled skin too. No wonder it felt weirdly creepy and unsettling to her! "This one goes on your cheeks and under your eyes, so it won't get in the way of that wig you got."
"Kuroe-san, I love you," Mina declared very seriously.
"You're too young for me," he deadpanned. "Now sit on the toilet so I can put this on you. I've got some other stuff too to help throw people off." Mina squealed as she bounced over to the toilet to sit down, Kuroe following at a more sedate pace.
She had a mission now, and she couldn't wait!
Around an hour later, a photo appeared in the group chat of Ashido wearing a similar punk-themed outfit to the day she'd met Mic. Unlike then though, she now had patches of scales around her eyes and on a flat ridge that extended down to her nose, as well as a very pointed chin.
1-A_Dancing_Queen: How do I look?
deku_breaks_bones: Oh my gosh, that's incredible! I didn't recognize you at first!
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Thanks! I'm gonna break into Chargebolt's place and get that key for you!
deku_breaks_bones: Wait what?
deku_breaks_bones: Do you really need to break into his place?
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Well they're busy taking exams today, and I kinda want to try to get this to you by the end of the day?
1-A_Dancing_Queen: And I got his address when we all met up in case there was an emergency
1-A_Dancing_Queen: So yeah
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Don't really want to wait for them to get home from school
deku_breaks_bones: ...yeah okay, that's fair
halfnhalfpeppermint: It's probably not illegal when you have permission.
halfnhalfpeppermint: And I think you have implied permission in this case?
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Probably! I can't see them saying no!
1-A_Dancing_Queen: So Chargebolt, tell me where it is when you see this! I'm off to the train now!
powerofmusic: Huh.
powerofmusic: Didn't expect to see Dancing Queen planning to break into his place when I checked my phone at lunch
powerofmusic: Go for it. Key's on top of the mail on the kitchen counter, can't miss it.
powerofmusic: Also, do you really think you can break into his place?
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Yeah, Lee and Mail taught me how to pick locks this weekend!
powerofmusic: what
deku_breaks_bones: O_O;;
1-A_Dancing_Queen: I was really bored and lonely
1-A_Chargebolt: Uh guys, there's a spare key under the big rock by the apartment's front entrance
1-A_Chargebolt: It looks kinda like a Kouda's head, can't miss it
1-A_Chargebolt: no need to break in
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Aww ;_;
1-A_Dancing_Queen: I wanted to test my skills
powerofmusic: Wait what? Since when has that been there!?
powerofmusic: The key I mean, not the rock
1-A_Chargebolt: Since always I think?
1-A_Chargebolt: Only remembered it now
powerofmusic: damn
powerofmusic: these residual subconscious memories are weird
deku_breaks_bones: Know what? I'm just gonna check on sensei again.
1-A_Chargebolt: Say hi to him for us!
1-A_Chargebolt: Wait, he wouldn't know us
1-A_Chargebolt: Never mind
halfnhalfpeppermint: Huh.
halfnhalfpeppermint: I think Space should be back by whenever you get here, but if not I'll meet you there.
powerofmusic: Wait, where is she right now?
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Oh, when I called her earlier she said she was looking for a notebook?
halfnhalfpeppermint: She is. She went back alone.
powerofmusic: Wait. What?
powerofmusic: Know what, never mind. Don't wanna know
powerofmusic: Gotta focus on exams
1-A_Chargebolt: Help ;_;
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Can't, too busy NOT breaking into your place because you had a secret spare key
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Someday I'll put these new lock-picking skills to good use.
halfnhalfpeppermint: I wonder if Lee knows how to pick locks back at home
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Definitely gotta ask now
Notes:
And we're back! Sorry for the extra day's delay. Yesterday I suddenly realized it was 3:30 PM and I hadn't edited the chapter, so I decided to wait a day. Thank you for your patience! Also, facial costume prosthetics are FASCINATING. I spent probably a good half-hour just looking at this one etsy shop when writing this chapter. xD
Also, unrelated: I posted a story for a Gamer AU series! It's going to be a big collab series with multiple writers involved. Updates will probably be a bit sporadic because of that, but please check it out! ^^
Question for next time: What other disguise tactics can you think of for someone like Ashido?
Chapter 104: Searching for Answers
Summary:
Ochako goes to search for the notebook.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 104
.::Searching for Answers::.
Since coming to this world, Ochako had made several choices that led to minor regrets. For example, running away from home with intentions to join the League of Villains in order to find Deku. Or waiting to tell Todoroki in person about the big revelation about Dabi, which caused him to learn about it from Hawks instead.
Right now, her decision to go back to Aiko's apartment building alone to keep looking for Deku's notebook might be another one.
Still, she pushed through the anxiety as she walked over to the apartment building, slipping through a side door as Aiko had shown her. Her heart pounded at the thought of possibly running into the woman, but that was also why she'd come alone. Deku wouldn't be leaving the Alliance's base anytime soon unless absolutely necessary, and exposing Todoroki to Aiko would be too risky. So it had to be her.
After what happened yesterday, they needed to find that notebook. Not just to hopefully expose the fact Aiko had multiple Quirks, but because now Deku had multiple Quirks too. They had no idea what was going on with Deku's Quirk in this world, but with those two facts combined, it gave her a very bad feeling. One that the others couldn't understand since they didn't know about Aiko.
Either way, she had even more motivation to find that notebook, which was why she braved the apartment building and went to the stairs. "Hello?" she called, her voice echoing up the stairwell. She held her breath as she started climbing to the fourth floor, feeling highly on edge. The hallway was empty, but she still slowly made her way to the door to Aiko's apartment. "-San? Are you here?"
There was no response, and she gulped. Hopefully that meant no. Just as she was about to leave to search the third floor the door opened though, and Ochako froze as Aiko's face appeared. Clearly she'd just woken up, sporting a nasty case of bedhead and eyes squinting groggily as she yawned.
"Ura-chan?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "Whuh're yuh..." She trailed off with another yawn. Yep, definitely just woke up.
"Sorry!" Ochako squeaked. "I didn't mean to wake you up! I just wanted you to know I was here so you wouldn't think someone snuck in or anything!" Aiko stared at her blearily, and then gestured for her to follow before retreating into the apartment. Ochako scurried inside after her, not wanting to test the woman's patience or anything.
She sat on the couch awkwardly as Aiko went to the kitchen, waiting for the woman to finish her usual morning routine. Ochako had seen it a few times when she'd stayed here. Usually Aiko would be fully awake and alert pretty fast, but there had been a few instances where it took a little longer because she'd been out late.
Today seemed to be one of the latter days, leaving her a bit groggy as she shuffled around the kitchen preparing coffee. Soon enough the coffee maker beeped and Aiko poured it in a mug, downing it in one go and slapping her cheeks. She refilled the mug before joining Ochako, already looking much more alert. "Okay, I'm awake now," she announced as she sat on the armchair. "Now what are you doing back here?"
Ochako squirmed a bit in the chair, briefly debating trying to come up with an excuse, but then decided screw it. "I'm here to look for Deku's notebook," she announced firmly. Aiko's eyebrows raised as she sipped from her coffee.
"So, he told you about his notebook?" she asked lightly, and Ochako nodded, a bit less firmly this time.
"A little bit. Mostly just that it has some really important notes he needs to double-check." She kept it as vague as possible, just to be safe.
Aiko hummed, setting down her mug. "How much do you know?" Her question and tone sounded so casual, but it had Ochako internally wincing. They hadn't told her much about their relationship so far, or what he'd told Ochako about the Alliance. The more details they gave her, the easier it would be for her to pick apart lies.
"I don't really know?" Ochako replied with a shrug, not wanting to give the villainess too much to work with. "I mean, obviously he's talked a bit about the Alliance and Shigaraki, and—"
She stopped abruptly, eyes lighting up as she registered what she'd just said. "Shigaraki—the Villain Alliance—I can say it!" Had the compulsion Quirk been lifted, or finally worn off? But wait, if it wore off now, then Aiko could just use it again! Oh no. Ochako had to get out of here before she—
"Hate to burst your bubble, but it's only because you're talking to me," Aiko said before her thoughts could spiral. Ochako froze, and the woman offered a small, almost sympathetic smile. "Your thoughts were showing pretty clearly on your face. You might want to work on that in the future. But the effects of Taboo are automatically negated when talking to me."
"...Oh," Ochako said lamely, shoulders slumping in disappointment. At least she knew the Quirk's name now. "Taboo, huh? So I guess it's not a general compulsion Quirk like Deku thought."
"No, it's more like a censoring Quirk," Aiko confirmed with a nod. "You agreed not to tell anyone about me or the Alliance, so any information relating to that gets censored. I'm obviously exempt from that though as the one who used Taboo."
Well, that matched up with Ochako's theories pretty well, but she still had a few details bothering her. "I can still say Deku's name normally, though," she pointed out. "And Seiko-chan, too."
Aiko paused, looking at her quizzically. "Seiko-chan?"
"Y-yeah, I've met her twice now."
"...Seiko-chan," Aiko repeated blandly, as if testing the phrase, and stuck out her tongue. "Bleh. That feels so wrong." Ochako blinked, not sure what to make of her reaction. Noting her look, Aiko shrugged and explained, "I... really don't like Seiko. It's really weird to hear someone call her that."
Ochako had gotten a sense of that from the fact Seiko was usually banned from the apartment, but she hadn't realized Aiko disliked her that much. "Why is that, anyway? Is it because she's creepy?"
"Among other things," Aiko muttered wryly. "Let's just say that the reason you can mention her name is so you can warn people about her." Well, that was ominous and very concerning. "But we're getting off-topic. What has Izuku told you?"
Clearly Ochako wouldn't be able to press for details on Seiko right now, quickly racking her brain for what would be safe to share. "Oh. Um, j-just basic stuff. Like, how he's not actually a part of it and just kinda... lives there, I guess. And also, um, the stuff about the hero? Eraserhead?" She shrugged, shifting uncomfortably in the chair. "Like, he was really freaked out that day when we met, you know?"
"Yeah, he definitely was," Aiko murmured with a nod, and that had Ochako relaxing a little bit.
"We didn't talk much about the Alliance's members, if you're worried about that." They didn't have to, beyond the changes to the roster from the League of Villains. She paused, a bolt of inspiration on how to divert Aiko's attention hitting her as she continued, "I only know the big names, like Shigaraki, Kurogiri, Mister Compress, Twice, and Slycer. And that's mostly from talking about the kitchen stuff."
"Kitchen stuff—" Aiko paused, a wry smirk crossing her face as she snorted. "Ah. You mean the permitted cooking list after Slycer blew it up?"
"Yeah," Ochako said with a nod. "Deku said he could still see scorch marks on the ceiling."
"I bet," Aiko snorted. "You should've seen that time he and Rappa had a cooking battle. That was a nightmare."
"Wait, someone challenged him to a cooking battle?" Ochako blurted, and Aiko snorted again.
"I honestly have no idea. Rappa's a fighting junkie and brawler, and Slycer is too to an extent. I figured they'd have a genuine death match at some point, just didn't think it would happen in a kitchen. At this point I'm half-convinced Rappa somehow got it in his head that fighting Slycer through a cooking battle would be more dangerous and exciting than a regular brawl. Which, it still turned into a brawl," she chuckled. "I'm still not sure if that caused more or less damage than if they'd just kept cooking."
Ochako stared. Rappa... The name sounded vaguely familiar, possibly from her world this time. She'd have to float it by the others to see if any of them remembered it at all. Though... with Taboo, that might be a while. "Who won?" she asked, trying to probe for more information and hints to his identity.
"Neither of them," Aiko said with a smirk. "When Giri saw the damage, he warped them both away mid-fight. Slycer slunk back pretty soon, but last I heard Rappa's in Hokkaido. He wasn't even dumped there," she added with obvious amusement. "He heard about some big underground tournament there or something and went to check it out, I guess. But that's another tangent."
She leaned forward with arms casually resting over her knees, her amused smirk fading to a more serious look. "Why are you looking for Izuku's notebook without him?"
Another chill ran down Ochako's spine, picking up on the unspoken warning and suspicion in the blunt tone. She gulped and gripped the fabric of her pants tightly, forcing herself to meet Aiko's gaze. "I'm not trying to find it behind his back," she said firmly. "If I find it, I plan to give it to him without reading it."
"Why can't you wait for him to help look?" Aiko asked, propping her cheek against her palm as she continued to gaze at Ochako with that intense stare. The faux-stars in her eyes felt particularly dark in the way they gleamed right now, as if they, too, peered through her soul. It made Ochako swallow, fingers tightening their hold on the fabric as if seeking comfort.
"He doesn't want to leave the base right now," she replied thickly. She didn't want to say this and give Aiko fuel, but she felt like she had no choice. Not if she wanted to get Aiko off her back. I'm sorry Aizawa-sensei... "Yesterday, someone attacked Eraserhead while Deku was here."
Aiko sat up sharply at that, eyes widening before a shadow fell over her face. "So they waited for him to leave?" she muttered darkly, and Ochako had to restrain a wince at the harshness of her tone. It had a venom she'd never heard from the woman before, and the only thing that kept her from freezing up was the fact it wasn't directed at her.
That, and the implications of what she'd said.
"You... know about it?" Aiko's lack of reaction made it clear this wasn't her first time hearing about the attack. Given her odd obsession with Aizawa, Ochako had half-expected that the woman would go check on him the moment she learned about it.
"I know the basics," Aiko sighed, leaning back and folding her arms. "Himiko called me to let me know last night after I got home. At least someone there has some sense," she muttered under her breath.
"Himiko?" Ochako repeated, eyebrows furrowing. That.. was Toga's given name, wasn't it?
Aiko took her response as confusion, dismissively saying, "You probably wouldn't know her unless Izuku's mentioned her. She gave me an abbreviated version of what happened, so I have the basic gist. Though this is the first I've heard that they waited for him to leave, at least if I'm interpreting your words right. So how do you know that?" She looked more curious than suspicious this time, thank goodness, and Ochako felt some tension she hadn't noticed fade from her frame as she replied.
"Um, Seiko showed up yesterday while we were looking for the notebook. She'd overheard some people talking about planning to hurt Eraserhead the next time Deku was gone, so he got Kurogiri to warp him back. She left right after that, though!" she added quickly, mindful of Aiko's dislike of the girl. "She only came because she doesn't have a phone, I guess?"
She shrugged, and Aiko stared at her in surprise for a moment. "Huh," she said softly. "Guess that Eldritch spawn is good sometimes after all." Ochako just stared, taken aback by the casual insult. Aiko sighed then, uncrossing her arms to scratch her head with an annoyed look. "Damn. After that, I can't blame him for not wanting to leave the headquarters anytime soon... He's already a natural worrier without that."
Ochako deflated in relief, glad that Aiko understood. "Yeah. That's why I decided to look for the notebook for him. He's super paranoid about leaving, but he's also really desperate to find it. I... probably could have kept looking yesterday," she added sheepishly. "Since I was already here and all. But I couldn't really focus after I heard that."
That, and they'd rather not risk having Todoroki around whenever Aiko returned. In retrospect though, Ochako could have still kept looking alone while he just went back to the warehouse. The news about Aizawa really had shaken her up.
"I see," Aiko murmured, and then nodded. "Alright then. If you find it, let me know. I can take it to him." Ochako perked up at the offer, and the woman smiled cheerfully at her obvious surprise. "You said it yourself, he's not going to leave the Alliance base anytime soon unless it's absolutely necessary. I need to stop by there later tonight anyway to drop off some other stuff."
That had Ochako sitting a bit straighter. "Wait, you're going there tonight? You're not planning to...?" She trailed off awkwardly, not sure how to express her question. Did Aiko plan to visit Aizawa-sensei? The thought had her frowning and taking a deep breath, looking at Aiko resolutely. "Deku told me about what happened after you visited Eraserhead."
The admission surprised Aiko, eyes briefly widening before she huffed and scratched the side of her head with a rather petulant frown. "So he vented about it, huh," she grumbled, and sighed. "I'm not planning on visiting him. He freaked out enough the first time, and that was on probably a good day. Showing up right now would probably just give him flashbacks."
Ochako stiffened at the admission, feeling a rush of anger that had her biting her lip. Flashbacks. So Aiko would give him flashbacks by being there. She had to silently count to five in her head before speaking again. "Okay then," she said, as calmly as possible as she got up. "If that's all, I'm gonna go back to looking."
"Alright, good luck," Aiko said, getting up as well. "I'd help, but I have some laundry to take care of. I'll still be in the building, just gonna be busy."
"That's okay, I can handle it on my own," Ochako said. She didn't want to work with Aiko right now. She was barely holding back the urge to blurt out a demand about what the hell she did to Aizawa-sensei. Just as she'd predicted back when she first learned about it, her initial fear and anxiety towards Aiko had been replaced by protective anger very quickly.
They parted ways after that, Ochako heading down to the third floor. To her irritation, that one door was still blocked, but she didn't feel like going back to ask Aiko about it. She just went to search the rest of the floor instead.
Two hours later, Ochako felt very tired and very annoyed. She had managed to search the third floor except for that one room, and finished off the second too. She still had the first floor to go, but she felt wary of actually finding the notebook there.
At this point, she was relatively sure Deku's notebook wasn't here. Not unless it was hidden in some secret wall or floor compartment—which if it was, she'd be very pissed because she'd basically have to redo the whole search. They hadn't been checking for those, but by the time she finished searching the second floor she was knocking on every wall to see if they were hollow.
Ochako sat on the stairs and pulled out her cell phone with a huff, figuring she should check in with everyone. What she found was a string of messages in the group chat about Ashido going on a road trip to Hosu to grab the key Hatsume and Yaoyorozu got to take to Nabu. She perked up a bit at that, glad to see someone was doing something potentially helpful and productive.
Ashido's latest string of messages reported boarding the train to Nabu, having successfully retrieved the key. Ochako decided to send a reply of her own. 'I might be able to get' Aiko 'to take it to Deku.' She 'said' she 'has to go there tonight anyway'
Ochako paused her typing, scowling at the missing words. Ugh, screw it. It should be enough to get the key gist across. She hit send, and soon enough Deku replied. 'Oh, do you mean that person you stayed with?'
Oh thank goodness. Her relief was immediately replaced with frustration when she couldn't even type an affirmative. 'Knows about what happened with Sensei,' she typed instead. 'Just a heads up. Said won't visit him though, so that's good?' She hit send and then quickly typed out another message. 'Anyways we'd probably need to disguise the key somehow.'
Three dots appeared on and off as Deku typed, probably trying to figure out a solution. Before he could, Ashido replied first. 'Oh, maybe I could buy something and hide the key in the bag! We can pass it off as a gift from Space or something like that!' That was actually a pretty good idea.
Deku stopped typing for about five seconds, and then resumed. 'Actually, I did kinda break a Switch controller and need a replacement. You could hide it in the box.'
Ashido responded in the affirmative as Ochako smiled. It sounded like the plan was coming together quite well. At least something was working out today. 'By the way, I just finished searching the second and third floor. No sign of the notebook. It might not be here'
There was a pause before Deku responded. 'Oh. I... don't know where it could be then. Other-me might have hidden them somewhere I *wouldn't* find them during episodes, just in case.' Hearing him say it just cemented it further in her mind that she wouldn't find it. Even if he wasn't this world's Deku, he was still Deku. Their minds probably worked similarly enough that he was right.
They had no idea where this world's Deku went outside of the Alliance base and Aiko's apartment. He likely had some special hiding spots no one else knew about, which meant their odds of finding it was even lower.
'I guess I'll finish searching here and hope I find it?' Her hesitance carried over into her text, able to pick up on the tentative and doubtful tone even in writing. She sighed as she pressed send anyway, and soon Ashido replied.
'I'll pick you up a treat on the way! Maybe that one mochi candy you like?' The offer had Ochako smiling. It was a small thing, but the kindness really warmed her right now.
'Thanks. Any flavor but the cola one!'
Ashido replied with a thumbs-up and Ochako sighed, tipping her head back in near exhaustion.
And then froze when she saw a dark figure standing right behind her.
She screamed as she jumped up, nearly falling down the steps as she did. At the last second she slapped her own wrist to float, quickly trying to right herself midair so she wouldn't fall at an angle that would break her neck. As she did she twisted to see golden eyes on a misty face watching her.
Kurogiri. Kurogiri was watching her. He'd been standing behind her for who knew how long, staring as she texted. Even now he didn't make a sound, standing still as he watched her float. He only moved when a door slammed above them, turning as Aiko dropped into view. Literally dropped; she'd apparently vaulted over the rails above to fall down the central gap in the stairwell.
"Uraraka—" She cut herself off as she dropped past them, wide eyes locking on Kurogiri. Her hands shot out to grab the railing and she neatly flipped herself over it, landing a few steps below Ochako. Ochako pressed her own hands together to release her Quirk, dropping to the steps with a gasp, and then a groan as her stomach protested the fact she'd used Zero Gravity on herself.
She pushed down the nausea as she leaned against the wall, still staring at Kurogiri. Aiko walked up the steps past her, also staring at him. "What's going on? What are you doing here?"
"There is a teenager in your building," Kurogiri informed her blandly in lieu of answering her questions.
"Yeah, I know," Aiko muttered, glancing at Ochako. She paused then, gaze lingering with a slightly startled look. "Uh, you okay? You look a little, uh..." Ochako offered a weak shrug, not trusting herself to speak without vomiting. She knew she probably looked as queasy as she felt, judging by the wide-eyed look Aiko gave her. "...Please don't vomit, that's really gross to clean up."
Ochako grimaced and gave another feeble shrug, glancing back at Kurogiri. That seemed to get Aiko's attention to refocus on him, turning back to him. "Well, again, I know she's here," she reiterated, while slightly inching away from Ochako. "But what are you doing here? You usually text before you show up."
Kurogiri stared at her blankly for a moment before shrugging. Something about that felt very weird and out of character even to Ochako. Deku had mentioned Kurogiri had "off days" in this world, so it looked like he was having another one. Or maybe the latest one just hadn't ended like they'd thought.
Aiko just sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, grumbling something under her breath before turning back to Ochako. "I think you should probably go for today," she said.
Ochako swallowed back the taste of bile as she gave a tiny nod. "Yeah, me too," she said quietly, and then her hands flew to her mouth as the bile rose again. Aiko winced and leaned back, looking very alarmed.
"Do you want to stop by a bathroom first, maybe?" she said, voice very high-pitched and strained.
And that was how Ochako spent an extra five minutes in Aiko's apartment building vomiting in a toilet. As she left with a water bottle, she reflected at least she learned one potential weakness: Aiko did not like vomit.
Somehow, she didn't think that would be too useful.
Notes:
Rappa is officially part of the Alliance! Just off-screen. He WILL appear at some point, you have my word.
Also, now that the art contest is over, I've decided on the winner. Kinda. I actually couldn't decide on a single winner, so the result is a tie! The winners are RuneLore's gorgeous drawing of the statue and MooseMuse's drawing of Seiko's masterpiece! As a reminder, the prizes were an omake, and also to give me a single sentence to somehow slip into Ignite.
Honestly, all of the art I got is amazing, and I want to thank everyone so much. I've gotten a few other pieces of fan art over the course of Ignite's existence, and I just can't thank everyone enough for it. I really can't emphasize how amazing it feels to get *any* fan art, and my gratitude is endless. So thank you again!
Question for next time: Let's repeat an old question. Who would cause the most chaos if they suddenly swap NOW?
Chapter 105: Bugging Out
Summary:
Bakugou is mad about Eraserhead's safety, and Todoroki's quiet day stops being quiet.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 105
.::Bugging Out::.
So, things were still totally fucked up at the Alliance base, but what else was new? At this point, Katsuki considered that par for the course in this shithole. It was a den for villains after all. He would be surprised if things weren't some sort of screwed up because of some bastards deciding to screw around.
Still, the current situation was a different sort of fucked up, and it pissed him off.
"Why the hell can't we go see him yet!" he roared, scowling at Deku who waved his hands in a placating gesture.
"B-because he's still sore and needs to rest!" he protested frantically. "Kacchan, he's been through too much! He needs time to rest and just recover in peace! I think he went right back to sleep after I left!"
"He can still sleep with us in the freaking room!" Katsuki countered. He did not want to leave Eraserhead alone right now. Hearing about the torture the man endured had made Katsuki's blood boil. Hearing he'd been then been strapped down to a bed just made him even more furious. "The guy can't even move from the freaking bed! He's totally defenseless!"
"Anyone who would try to break in would have to know the code for the door! The only ones who would know it besides me are Kurogiri and maybe Tomura, and they're not telling anyone!"
"Not even that Aiko chick?"
Deku sagged a bit at the counter, looking a bit conflicted and scared. "...I don't know," he admitted reluctantly. "I want to think she wouldn't, but..." He trailed off, because they all knew Shigaraki wouldn't refuse her. She broke the bastard's wrist and he still hadn't dusted her, and she had a whole lab here. It was pretty clear she had some pretty strong sway compared to all the usual mooks.
"There's a perfect reason right there," Katsuki said. "If we're in there, we can chase her off before she causes another breakdown!"
Despite his sound logic, that just had the nerd frowning and seeming to renew his resolve. "I get what you mean, but no. If we go there today I think we'd just make him even more stressed, even if we're quiet the whole time."
"I'm with Midoriya on this," Hijack piped up, and it was still a bit weird to hear him actually talk. "If I go there, he won't be able to rest."
Katsuki opened his mouth to argue, but then stopped short as he realized what the vigilante meant. From what Deku said, Eraserhead had taken the whole thing with erasing Hijack's Quirk pretty hard, not that the nerd had realized it at first. But once Eyebags Junior had told them about the incident, it became pretty obvious that Eraserhead had been even more withdrawn than usual.
What sucked was that Katsuki couldn't blame him for the reaction. As a hero, Eraserhead's job was to protect people; it was the literal job description, right next to beating bad guys. But instead, he'd been coerced into taking away Hijack's Quirk in the middle of enemy territory. Katsuki would feel pretty shitty in his shoes too. Probably more angry at the villains, but he at least understood that anger wasn't the default reaction for everyone. People dealt with trauma and guilt in different ways and all that.
Either way, seeing Hijack now? After nearly dying himself just yesterday? That would probably just push him over the edge. Hell, even just having Hijack hang back while Katsuki visited alone would probably lead to panic, make him think either Hijack was avoiding him or something happened to him. Or both. The only one who could safely visit without stressing him out further was Deku.
He clamped his mouth shut with an annoyed click of his tongue, turning away with a scoff. "Fine," he said in a clipped tone. "We'll give him space today. But if he's still not ready to see you tomorrow, I'm going to stand guard outside the door," he added bluntly. That had Deku blinking and giving a small huff of a laugh.
"I think that'll work," he said with a weak, feeble smile, which soon faded as he sighed. "But also... Seiko?" They all held their breaths, waiting for her to appear. When she didn't, Deku pushed on in a hushed tone. "Since you brought it up, Aiko's supposed to visit tonight. And she's bringing... well, some stuff." He pulled out a piece of folded paper from his pocket for them to read. A quick note that had Katsuki's mind briefly going blank:
'Inventor found a copy of the key for the anklets. We're tricking Aiko into smuggling it in tonight. I need to find the original to tune the copy to the right frequency though.'
This? This was the best news Katsuki had heard in weeks. He felt a vicious grin spread as he thought over the implications. With this, the escape didn't just seem like a pipe dream they kept talking about, it felt like a surefire reality. Once they got the key, they'd just need an opportunity and escape route, and those people Deku knew seemed to be working on the second one at least.
His main concern right now was the whole tricking Aiko into smuggling it part. Hijack seemed to pick up on it too, pointing to the sentence as he asked, "Some stuff?"
Deku rubbed the back of his neck, eyes darting to the door. "The replacement controller," he whispered, and... huh. That was pretty ingenious. Shove the key in the box (assuming it was small enough to fit there), and she might not notice.
"Why's she coming tonight, anyway?" Katsuki asked, wary of the timing with what happened to Eraserhead. The nerd just shrugged though.
"I don't know. Um, I heard about it from that one person I've told you about, not Aiko herself, and she can't really say much for... reasons." He grimaced, and Katsuki quickly pieced together he probably meant that Ura-something chick. The nerd mentioned through a note a while back that she couldn't talk about the Alliance thanks to Aiko's Quirk, probably applied to Aiko herself too. "I don't think she knows why Aiko's coming either, or she would've tried to mention it. But she does apparently know about what happened yesterday, so..."
"So she might still try to visit him," Hijack said with a frown. Katsuki growled in irritation as he stalked to the door.
"Fuck it, I'm sleeping outside his room tonight."
"Kacchan, no!"
Needless to say, it took a while to talk him down, and he only relented because the rest of the bastards probably wouldn't let him sleep out there. But while he gave in on that, Katsuki still silently resolved to track down that Aiko chick and give her a warning about leaving Eraserhead alone at some point. He may not have known the guy long, but he would be damned if he let anything else happen to him.
Shouto was having a quiet day at the warehouse. Emphasis on was.
With Uraraka gone, Shouto had decided to take a brief walk and get some lunch that wasn't konbini food for once. That had been his first mistake. As it turned out, there weren't many restaurants in walking distance from the warehouse, or at least none that didn't look like giant health hazards. Restaurants apparently didn't get much business in largely abandoned areas, who knew?
The first one he finally found that didn't look like a health inspector's nightmare had been pretty full, so he ended up having to share a table with someone. Shouto should have turned back then, but he was hungry so he agreed to sit down. Hence how he spent half an hour listening to a weird man ramble about the Earth being flat and that Quirks emerged from the underside of said flat Earth.
While Shouto might be more open-minded than some people, he wasn't too keen on hanging around the guy. Even after he left the guy tried to follow him, so it took about fifteen minutes to shake him. That was when he finally got a chance to check his phone again, finding that Uraraka had made no progress in her search, and the others had worked out a new plan. It ended with Uraraka resolving to finish searching the last floor, and Ashido planning to bring the key from Kaminari and Jirou's apartment.
So he was surprised to return to the warehouse to find Uraraka already back and on the couch, looking a bit pale. As it turned out, someone had shown up out of no where after her last message, putting an end to her search. Who, Shouto didn't know; she couldn't say much about what happened thanks to Aiko's Quirk. Apparently she used her Quirk for whatever reason and it had upset her stomach though, which led to her curled up on the couch. So they just sat in silence for a while as she recovered.
Around an hour later Ashido burst in like a whirlwind, looking nearly unrecognizable in her disguise. Shouto actually didn't recognize her at first, the pink-skinned girl shrieking as she narrowly dodged a blast of ice. In his defense, he hadn't taken a close look at the photo when he skimmed the group chat the first time. And she also shouted when she entered which surprised him, so he'd just reacted instinctively.
Needless to say, it took a few minutes to regain some semblance of order.
"Okay, I'll go to the later to take the Switch controller," Uraraka said as she checked her phone. "Still no all clear text. Still be there." As had become normal, her words were stilted and not too clear. Shouto could only assume she was talking about whoever showed up at Aiko's apartment building.
Ashido picked up on the same meaning. "Who is there, anyway?" she asked curiously. "I know you can't say the name, but can't you give us some kind of hint? Because I really don't want to think Shigaraki showed up," she added with a grimace.
"I don't think it was him," Shouto offered with a shrug. "Mainly because I don't think he'd let Uraraka leave, and she'd probably be more upset when she came back."
"Yeah, that's true," Ashido agreed with a nod. "Especially if he recognized her from when she met Mido-chan." Uraraka's face screwed up in thought as they talked, clearly trying to think of some sort of workaround.
"Off day," she finally said, making Shouto stare at her blankly. Ashido however jolted with recognition.
"Kurogiri?" she blurted. To Shouto's surprise Uraraka flopped onto the couch with a noise of relief, which seemed to confirm it.
"How did you figure it out?" he asked Ashido, genuinely surprised.
"Mido mentioned he had an off-day last week, remember? It was the whole reason you guys went to Numazu first!" Oh, right, he forgot about that.
"Still off," Uraraka managed to say. "Super quiet, and just?" She frowned as she skipped over some word, and let out a groan of frustration as she threw up her arms. "I give up. I'm not even gonna bother trying anymore. I'll go back after I get an all clear text. Did you put the key in the controller box yet?"
"No, I needed to come here first," Ashido said, pulling the box with the new Switch controller out of the bag. "I thought we should tape it back up so it looks new and unopened! I thought that Aiko lady might get kinda suspicious if it looks opened."
"That's a good idea," Shouto said, and she beamed at the praise.
They spent about fifteen minutes after that opening the box to insert the key. Honestly, the main difficulty was carefully peeling off the tape so it wouldn't take any the box's paint with it. The key itself was small enough to slip inside without removing the controller, so that part was easy at least.
"I never really thought about how villain tech is made," Uraraka mused while they resealed the box. "It's so weird to think that they use stuff you can buy commercially like this. And the key is just so... normal looking."
"I know, right?" Ashido agreed. "I did a serious double-take when I first saw it at Kami's place. I actually thought, 'Wait, does he have a car now?' It looks just like the key to my dad's!" Uraraka nodded in agreement. Shouto had never actually seen a car key since his family used a chauffeur, so he'd just take their word for it.
"Did anyone else from the League have support gear back home?" he asked curiously, and Uraraka's face twisted with disdain.
"Did. It looked so creepy!" Well, that wasn't helpful. She seemed to recognize that, her face twisting even further, this time with frustration. "The one with. Asked for." She frowned, turning to Ashido. "Tsuyu and I met at the forest!"
"Oh, that Toga chick," Ashido remembered with a sage nod. "You guys mentioned that a couple times at the dorms. She sounded so weird and creepy! Didn't she take some of your blood?" Uraraka stuck out her tongue in disgust in response, which was probably answer enough.
"Do you just gossip about villains at the dorms?" Shouto asked, and they both shrugged.
"Not really. We just got to talking one night about how things at the forest went. Since, you know, Ocha-chan and Tsu-chan were the only ones who were there and conscious by the end."
"It's so weird is helping us here," Uraraka muttered. "I don't know I want to see? Was just so creepy back home." Shouto nodded in understanding, mind filling in the missing words. He'd never met her himself, but the fact Toga was the one to get them the anklet in the first place still felt pretty odd to him, too.
"Anyways, enough of that!" Ashido said with a clap, deliberately changing the subject. "I'm hungry, I totally forgot to grab lunch."
"I have some snacks in my bag," Uraraka offered. "You can get whatever you want from there." Ashido nodded and went to do just that, while Shouto inspected the controller box. He hadn't really played many video games, so he was admittedly curious.
"Switch Neo?" he read from the label. "I thought it was just called a Switch...?"
"Oh, I heard it's a re-release of some old Nintendo console that was super-popular back in the pre-Quirk days," Uraraka said. "They wanted to do some retro nostalgia thing, I guess?"
"Would anyone even be nostalgic for that?" Shouto wondered. "Most people don't live that long."
"Yeah, I—wait, most? Does anyone live that long?"
"They do with longevity Quirks. My brother showed me an article about a guy who was two hundred years old." Natsuo had found it pretty fascinating and spent a few hours talking about it when he came home from college during summer break. It was one of their first real conversations since Shouto started trying to bond with his siblings, so it had a left a strong impression on him.
Uraraka looked almost as fascinated as Natsuo had. "Two hundred years old? Wouldn't that mean he was around when Quirks first came out?"
"Yeah. He grew up in a mountain village, I think? So he didn't see a lot of it firsthand. But there was also some kind of massacre there when he was a kid...?"
"Woah, that's freaky," Uraraka said, eyes going wide, and he could only nod in agreement.
"Hey, guys?" Ashido's voice cut into the conversation, and they turned to see her holding something with a puzzled look. "What's this thing?" Shouto stared at the object blankly. It looked kind of like a robot beetle, made of silver metal with red glass eyes.
"Huh, I don't remember buying anything like that," Uraraka said.
"Me neither," Shouto agreed as they walked over for a closer look, Ashido handing it over. Up close, it looked even more like a toy beetle. It was round and puck-shaped, fitting easily easily in his palm, with six legs folded underneath it and two "wings" on its back. Out of curiosity he tried to lift one, and was surprised when the panel moved to expose circuitry and wires.
"Huh, that looks pretty rough," Uraraka commented. "I don't think most toys would have that stuff so visible?"
"Probably not," Shouto agreed, but paused when he glanced at Ashido. The pink girl was staring at the beetle wide-eyed, face paling and looking dumbstruck. Her expression sent a sense of alarm through him, and he asked, "Ashido?"
"This thing has a GPS tracker in it!" she blurted, and they froze, blood going cold.
"What?" Uraraka breathed, barely audible. Ashido quickly snatched the beetle from Shouto's hand, shoving it in their faces frantically.
"See this thingy?" she asked, pointing to a tiny black box-like object. It rested in a little indent clearly designed to hold it, a wire connecting it to the rest of the circuitry, and had a small orange light in the corner. "That's a GPS tracker used by heroes! And that light means it's on!"
"How do you know that?" Uraraka blurted in shock, echoing Shouto's own thoughts. This definitely wasn't Ashido's usual area of expertise.
"I learned about them at my internship after the Sports Festival!" the pink girl frantically explained. "I had to put together a bunch of flower arrangements with these hidden inside to send to some suspected villain group! It was so boring and mind-numbing," she added in a groan, "seriously, they were testing me on flower arranging—but anyways, trust me, this is definitely the same GPS tracker!"
This... was not good. This was very not good. "When did that even end up in the bag?" Shouto asked sharply. "Do they know where we are now?"
"I don't know!" Ashido groaned, before frowning and adding, "Or well, I kinda don't? I mean, I know that the light turns green when someone's actively tracing the location, so it's not being traced right now. And it's orange, so..." Her face screwed up in thought. "Okay, so looking back, I think orange means it actually can't connect to whatever gets the GPS signal or whatever? I don't remember the full details, just that orange meant it wasn't working right, but it was a temporary not-working."
That had some of their initial panic fading, but the situation was still serious. "Does it have a microphone or camera?" he asked, and the two girls went still, staring at the beetle in horror.
"Put it back in the bag!" Uraraka blurted, and Ashido scrambled to do just that.
"It wasn't Aiko, was it?" Shouto asked Uraraka while she did.
"I don't think so," she said with a frown. "It doesn't seem like something would use. I really don't think would need a robot or GPS," she added with a grimace. "And besides, I didn't even take my bag over there. And I know it wasn't in my bag when we left Odawara, I had to repack all kinds of stuff."
"So it must've come from Numazu," Shouto summarized, and then paused as he suddenly recalled the final morning. "Back then, Phoenix's brother showed up the last day, remember?" Uraraka's eyes went wide as her gaze snapped back to her bag where Ashido had just stashed the beetle. She hadn't had it on her back then, but it was the best opportunity Shouto could think of. They'd been in a rush to get away from that man, so it would be easy to not notice the beetle get slipped to them somehow.
Also, the beetle had legs. It could probably move. So it wouldn't be too weird for it to be able to crawl from a pocket and into the bag or something like that.
It was unfortunate that Hatsume and Yaoyorozu were taking the exams right now, or they could text them a photo to see if they knew anything about it. For now, it was safer to assume all suspicions about its capabilities were correct. "Do you think it has a camera?" he asked, wondering how much could have been seen or heard.
Uraraka's lips pursed as she thought over it. "I don't think there'd be a point in having one," she said. "It didn't look like there was any place for one except the eyes. And it was inside the backpack, so not like it could record anything."
"A microphone would be all muffled too!" Ashido exclaimed. "It was way at the bottom of the bag, under a bunch of clothes! So like, even if it did have one, it probably wouldn't pick up anything?" Okay, that was a bit better, lowering Shouto's initial panic some more. At least it wouldn't have picked up on any sensitive conversation if it did have one. And maybe the fact the GPS had signal issues meant their latest conversation wouldn't be picked up yet, either?
Still, the GPS itself posed a major problem, and only one solution came to mind. "We need to take it somewhere unconnected to everywhere else," he declared bluntly. "If we move it tonight, they might not look into Nabu." It was too risky for heroes to investigate Nabu or Odawara, not with the escape so close.
"What if they heard us talking about the beetle just now though and figure out it's a trap?" Ashido asked worriedly.
"We just have to assume they didn't," Uraraka said with a grimace. "There's not much else we can really do. Maybe if we're lucky, there isn't a microphone, and it just has the GPS? But I agree with Todoroki, we should move it."
Shouto nodded, glad she agreed. "Who should it be then? Someone should stay behind here to stay in touch with Midoriya—"
"You take it," Ashido said, and he blinked in surprise.
"Me?" he asked, and she huffed and put her hands on her hips.
"Well, yeah! Ocha-chan needs to talk to that Aiko lady tonight, remember? And I can't take it! That Phoenix you mentioned is one of the heroes from Team Storm Chaser, right?" When they nodded she hissed, "Guys, Oracle's part of it too!"
Oh. Shouto forgot about that since Oracle didn't seem to exist in their world. "And we don't know for sure if that guy recognized us or not," Uraraka added with a frown. "I don't think he did because we were in disguise, but he said they could see us on the security camera. And they also know me and Ashido were talking before I ran away."
"Yeah, Oracle was there when that detective guy came to ask me questions!" Ashido interjected with a head bob, picking up on her line of thought. "He must've definitely seen your picture at some point!"
"Exactly! I was wearing the wig and fake glasses, but if the camera got a really good shot of my face, he might be able to recognize me if he looks close enough. But I don't think he'd be able to recognize me if he wasn't, you know, actually thinking about me. But if they do track down the GPS signal, and see Ashido—"
"They'd totally realize I'm working with whoever was at Numazu!" Ashido cut in excitedly. "And then they'd look extra close at the footage of me, and Oracle might recognize Ocha-chan!"
Uraraka nodded. "They don't know for a fact that I'm in contact with Ashido, but once they make the connection, who knows what other connections they'd start to make? It's too risky." She turned to Shouto to firmly declare, "Todoroki-kun, you really are the best choice."
He nodded slowly, a bit taken aback by the discussion. Initially he thought his position as Endeavor's missing son would cause the most problems if one of them got caught, but given the points they just made... It would still be problematic if he got identified, but it would cause the least amount of harm to the others.
"When should I leave?" he asked.
"As soon as possible," Uraraka said, hurrying over to the bag to start pulling out some of the food and clothes. Luckily her sleeping bag and camping stove were still unpacked, so she just rolled up Shouto's sleeping bag and shoved it inside before zipping it back up. "Ashido, go to a camping store and buy a bag just like this one."
"Right!" Ashido nodded as she started for the exit.
"And get clothes, too," Shouto added, which stopped the pink girl in her tracks to look at him in confusion.
"Huh? Why?"
"Because someone needs to stay with Uraraka tonight since she still can't talk about the League."
"Oh," she said lamely. Clearly that part hadn't occurred to her. Still, she quickly gathered herself and nodded briskly. "Okay, got it! I'll be back as fast as I can, text me if anything comes up!" With that she turned and raced off, while Shouto pulled on his coat and grabbed the backpack.
"Keep us updated on where you go," Uraraka said, and he nodded.
"I will. Be careful."
"I will, promise! You be careful too!" After exchanging a final farewell Shouto took his leave, heading for the bus station. Time was of the essence, and he needed to get away from Nabu and Odawara ASAP, no matter where that took him.
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: So something came up, and uh. Please don't freak out
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: We found a robot beetle thing with a GPS tracker on it in my bag, and we think it's been there since Numazu
deku_breaks_bones: WHAT?
halfnhalfpeppermint: I just got on a bus to Nagoya to try to lure them away
halfnhalfpeppermint: Dancing is staying with Space tonight
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Yeah. She's getting more clothes right now
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: But yeah. The only place the backpack's been is the warehouse, so they won't know about any other places at least?
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: We're gonna stay at a hotel just to be safe
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: But we should probably try to move up the escape
deku_breaks_bones: I was already planning on that anyway
halfnhalfpeppermint: I'll send updates unless I get caught.
deku_breaks_bones: ...we should probably come up with a better system to keep track of that
Meanwhile in Numazu, a preteen boy perked up as a computer suddenly gave a small ding, head snapping up from his book to look over. A map had opened on the monitor, a green dot flashing and moving along one of the roads.
"Signal's back!" he cheered, tossing the book to the floor as he jumped from his bed. A small robot shaped like a box rolled over to the fallen book and opened its back so two arms could emerge, closing the book before using the claw-like grips to pick it up. It wheeled past the boy to return the book to its proper shelf, going ignored as he plopped in front of the computer with a grin to watch the dot's movement. "Oh, another bus ride! Wonder where they're going now..."
As he studied the monitor he absently twirled his fingers and more robots sparked to life around the room, formant black eyes lighting up as they began rolling around. One brought over a juice box from his bed which he idly sipped from while opening his browser to search for bus departure schedules from Nabu. He had no idea what to do with the information, but boredom was a dangerous thing, especially when mixed with paranoia.
(In a minimized window on his taskbar, a clear photo from a security camera showed two teenagers standing in front of the agency and pointing at it.
In another minimized window, a facial recognition program was combing various databases to search for any matches, whole and partial alike.
Never underestimate a ten-year-old genius hacker with too much time on his hands.)
Notes:
So remember in Chapter 88 when Uraraka and Todoroki got confronted by a French man outside the Storm Chaser agency? And Oracle's reference to an "anime-level child hacker"? You didn't think that was all just filler, did you?
The fact that the robot is a beetle and thus a literal "bug" is an unintentional pun I only realized when trying to come up with a chapter title. I just went for a small and convenient shape to hide xD Also, we have no information on Ashido's internship after the Sports Festival. I think helping put together bugged bouquets of flowers is exactly the kind of thing heroes would have interns do though.
Also, on the note of the Switch Neo: since MHA is set in the future, I try not to use modern references. I've joked about this before, and I'm now making it canon in Ignite: Nintendo released a new version of the Switch for the 200 year anniversary as a nostalgia thing. If any company could survive 200 years, I feel like Nintendo is one of them. (And "Switch Neo" sounds way better than "New Nintendo Switch" XD)
Question for next time: What would be some unconventional robot designs and uses to have roaming around a hero agency or school? (By which I mean anything ranging from plain old security, to carrying paperwork, to a monkey with cymbals on wheels that roams the building searching for people who fell asleep in the office)
Chapter 106: Karasu
Summary:
Kuroe's done with his day job responsibilities. It's time for Karasu to get to work.
Notes:
Before the chapter: JajaLala made some great fanart of Denki's horrific realization about Momo being infected with Hatsume Syndrome! The expressions are just perfect.
Also, check the end for an important announcement!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 106
.::Karasu::.
Kuroe sighed as he entered his bedroom and sat at his desk in front of his laptop, pressing his hands against his face and just... thinking, for a moment. He'd just wrapped up a visit from Asui, who had come to report the runaways' plans to move. Turns out they'd been planning this since Thursday, and already taken major steps towards it. He now had a destination, but not a reason.
Those kids were up to something, and Kuroe had no idea what. Asui had evaded answering several of his questions, simply saying they'd tell him once the time was right. That rare evasiveness told him it was trouble and would give him another headache on top of the one from everything else related to the move. They had no idea how much trouble he'd gone through to make sure Odawara would be safe for them.
He sighed, dragging his hands down his face before giving a small nod to himself. Enough mental griping. His freelance coding work was done for the day, and he had entertained Ashido's flight of fancy and seen her off to who knows where. Going by previous trends she and Kirishima wouldn't be back anytime soon, and he had nothing else on his immediate agenda.
He opened his laptop and brought up his other work email. Several bolded subject lines popped out at him, various clients reaching out with queries and requests. Meisanki Kuroe might have finished his day job's responsibilities, but Karasu never finished.
He cracked his fingers and clicked the button to compose a new message, fingers flying away at the keyboard.
Time for work.
Chisaki Kai heard a familiar ding from his phone, prompting him to quickly glance at it. An email had arrived from Karasu, and he opened it to quickly skim over it. As usual, a majority of the contents were encrypted, but he quietly scoffed at the opening line. Even with it scrambled and coded, he'd seen that specific string of characters enough to recognize it instantly.
'About the Nobunaga book'
Kai clicked his tongue in faint annoyance. That was the code phrase for the job in Odawara, so it wasn't about their missing man from Nagano. Important, but hardly urgent. "Chrono," he called, and his second in command stepped over silently. "Karasu sent a message about the ongoing protection detail. Use the computer to decrypt it and let me know what it says."
"On it," Hari replied with a brisk nod, heading off to do just that. Kai slipped his phone back into his pocket as turned to face his other subordinate.
"Now then, where were? You said there are three?"
"Yes sir," Nemoto confirmed with a nod. "They've already been inspected and are waiting for us in the visiting room. We have their belongings ready for further inspection." Kai hummed and nodded, following the other man down the hall to the visiting room. Hojo stood guard in front of the door with arms crossed, nodding as he stepped aside so they could enter.
The visiting room was a simple space. Bare concrete walls and floors, chairs bolted to the ground and a table bolted to the wall off to the side. Three men sat bound to those chairs by metal bands and had black hoods thrown over their heads, fresh bruises and cuts already marring the visible skin. Kai ignored them for the moment, heading over to the table to inspect the briefcase currently sitting open.
His nose wrinkled in disgust as he saw the unmarked vials sitting in the plush lining, recognizing them instantly. Trigger. "Vile," he murmured under his breath. "Simply atrocious." He turned to eye the three bound men, watching them tense and stiffen as they kept their heads bowed. "So you intended to sell this in our territory?"
One of the fools had the gall to speak up. "Who says this territory belongs to you?" he challenged, head lifting to blindly face Kai's direction. "The Shie Hassaikai is nothing but small fry compared to the Kirin Syndicate!"
The other two tensed at the angry rambling. Unlike their compatriot, they seemed to understand their current position. "Ah, so you're from the Kirin Syndicate," Kai mused. "One of the offshoots of that one group—what was it called? The Villain Factory?"
"Yes, that's it," Nemoto confirmed, like the proper pseudo-secretary he was. There was a reason Kai had recruited him—and no, it wasn't how well-groomed and neat he kept his appearance, despite what some claimed. That was just a perk on top of his other skills.
"You claim we are small fry, but the Shie Hassaikai has a much longer history than your little 'syndicate,'" Kai remarked, drizzling the last word with derision. He could see the man's posture grow more rigid with anger at the insult as he continued, "Your group is nothing more than measly flies, dredged from the leftover remains of another organization. One which also did not exist for more than a fraction of our history."
"That's because you're old news!" the man retorted. "The age of the yakuza is over, just accept it already!"
Ah, so he was stupid AND suicidal. Kai had been wondering which since the man's first outburst, but it turned out to be both. That was the only explanation for such a childish taunt. Judging from the way his companions tried to lean away from him, they at least had some sense. A shame they couldn't have used that sense before ending up here.
On any other day, Kai would have ignored the jabs. Perhaps he still would have if they hadn't been caught peddling Trigger of all things in their territory. Those two factors combined removed what little patience Kai had for such thugs. He had intended to simply let Nemoto use his Quirk to draw out answers, but with his current mood, he felt like getting a bit more... hands on with the questioning.
Kai turned to pluck a pair of long rubber gloves from the table. "Nemoto, I may not need your assistance after all," he remarked idly, pulling the gloves on and rolling them up to his elbows. "If he is this prideful about his petty little gang, I'm sure he won't need more encouragement to tell me more."
"Petty little gang?" the man repeated in outrage.
"But please stay in the room, just in case," Kai continued, ignoring the outburst as he selected a scalpel from the table. "After all, the most vocal ones tend to know the least."
"Of course, sir," Nemoto replied, and Kai turned to find him standing behind the yelling man. Kai strolled over and Nemoto yanked the hood off the man's head, revealing a face flushed red with anger and serpentine eyes shooting daggers at him.
"Let's begin the lesson on why you should not disrespect the old ways," Kai said.
With the email encrypted and sent, Kuroe turned his attention to the other emails already sitting in his inbox. He opened the oldest one first, in part because Haimawari Koichi—better known as The Crawler—never bothered encrypting his messages. His queries tended to be less serious than other clients, lessening the need for tedious security measures like that, and this one proved no different.
'Karasu, I'm in Hosu City right now. Do you have any intel on Gentle Criminal? Also open to intel on the 1-A Vigilantes if you've got any. They're local vigilantes and new on the scene, even got social media accounts. They kinda remind me of me and Pop back in the day. Ingenium's worried about them, says they're kids, so any info would be useful.'
He lightly snorted and rolled his eyes. The "1-A Vigilantes" was a new name, but the other one was much more familiar. Who hadn't heard of the famous phantom thief at this point? Really, he was more surprised Haimawari took this long to get involved.
He delayed in replying to Haimawari to open the next email, choosing to go in reverse-chronological order as always. It was the system he'd always used: he'd read all the emails first, and then respond to them in order of urgency. The next one was unremarkable, a typical info request from one of his less-common clients, and also asking for a recommendation for a certain job. The third on the list had his lip curling with distaste, marking it to pass on later.
The fourth oldest email came from a familiar name and was the first encrypted one of the bunch. Kuroe quickly used his private key to unscramble the jumbled characters into something legible.
'Found some rumors of another trafficking group in Mitakihara. Did some digging, put everything I found in an attached file. Looks like the rumors are just made up to me though, might be people exaggerating or a diversion for something else. Pass on to B.S. or whoever. Give me any leads you have on 3 in exchange. Also any details on 2-H's schedule and 00-LN.
Also, any word on missing heroes? No reason to ask, curious now. Don't answer if I need to pay.'
A file was attached, also encrypted. He knew without checking it would contain a list of facts and information about the supposed trafficking group. People of interest, details on rumors, missing people cases in the area... These sorts of files were worth their weight in gold, even if they were just debunking rumors like the email's initial commentary suggested. At least then they could focus on other leads.
He'd examine it more closely later, moving onto the next email—one from an even more familiar email address. This one had multiple attached files, each one encrypted just like the message. As before, he put off downloading and decrypting those until after reading the rest of the emails.
'K,
Here's the files you wanted, use Key 4 to open them. Thanks for the tip-off about the Crane and East. We already chose which one we're targeting first and done preliminary scouting, everything's all set up and ready to go. We're planning to make the move soon, but something's come up that's weird.
Can you look into the two kids in this file for me? I think they're vigilantes. I hacked the local school and found their files, included copies in a zip file with the photo. Any chance they're two of yours, or are they new?
LB'
His eyebrows raised at the request, but he put off downloading the attachments to read the final two emails in his inbox. The next was a plain middle-man request, asking for contact with Stendhal with no details on why. Kuroe broke his usual protocol to send a reply right away:
No.
Stendhal did not like being contracted out for hits or any other job, not unless they happened to intersect with his own interests. If the sender wouldn't even include the reason for the request, Kuroe wouldn't even bother asking.
The final and newest email was also from Haimawari, sent shortly before Kuroe checked his email.
'Update on the 1-A Vigilantes thing: I found some graffiti around town linking to this weird Tweeter account, 1-A_No_Dream. Here's a link. Think there's a connection?'
Kuroe opened the link to find a Tweeter account populated purely by photos of graffiti messages, all ending with the account's handle. An interesting mystery, but hardly urgent. With all the emails read, he'd identified which to prioritize and got to work responding.
He went back to the previous email of interest to download and decrypt the attachments one by one. The sender was one of the best hackers he'd ever met, and also one of the most paranoid. She was one of the few people he knew to use multiple public-private key pairs and insist on him doing the same, which made sense given who he'd asked to her to hack.
He decrypted the first three files to his computer and skimmed them over, copying sections from each one to a new document to save separately. He encrypted that with a different key, before opening the other encrypted email he'd gotten. First on the agenda: Onryo.
Kuroe hit the reply button and attached the new file and one more before typing a response.
Far away from Odawara, a woman with dark green hair was drying off after a shower when she heard a chime from her phone in the other room. She quickly finished and pulled on a shirt as she strode out of the bathroom, entering a rather dingy and bare-bones apartment. A single room, a folded futon in the corner and a ratty couch in front of a coffee table holding a noticeably state of the art laptop.
She ignored her phone and went straight for the laptop, the couch creaking under her weight as she plopped onto it and opened the laptop's lid. After all, not many people knew her email. It didn't take long to open it, finding an encrypted message waiting with two attachments. She quickly downloaded them before reading the email itself.
'Thanks for the intel, will read in a bit. Here's all the stuff you requested. Don't know if the stuff on 3 is helpful, haven't looked at it beyond what I needed to copy and paste it. Plausible deniability and all that. Consider it extra payment for wasting your time last Saturday. Looks like 2-H is still in the same place as last time, no plans to move in the immediate future. Still no news on 00-LN.
As for missing heroes: haven't heard anything yet. B.S. asked me too, so I'm keeping an ear out. If you're really curious, I can let you know if I hear anything. Consider it a gift for your continued patronage and support.
Final note: I was also asked to send you this. Don't know what's in it, I just encrypted it with your key. Thank you for your continued business.'
Her eyes narrowed warily as she brought up the second attachment and typed in her private key to unlock it. Once she did she paused, staring in disbelief before huffing a small sigh.
"You have got to be kidding," she grumbled, rubbing the back of her neck as she stared at the title: 'Updated Weapons Cache.' "How are they still finding more of that guy's stuff?" All For One had been dead for years at this point, this was getting ridiculous. She didn't even know why he'd need half the weapons on these lists with all the Quirks he had. She certainly didn't need any—
Well, maybe for some extra deniability, she relented as she skimmed the list of recently discovered weapons, before shaking her head. She opened the first file and quickly decrypted it, focusing on the first part in particular: a profile on a certain man.
Yokota Kyou. Civil Administrative Officer at Hero Public Safety Commission. Formerly Second Executive Officer of Recruitment Division, transferred and demoted following formal reprimand.
"Found you," she murmured to herself with a smirk as she eyed the address. Looked like she'd be able to check off another one from her list.
Meanwhile, Aiba Manami sat in front of a desktop computer sipping a glass of juice as she read a reply to her own email.
'Sorry, neither of them stand out to me. They're not mine, but there is another vigilante in town who is. Can't say who for client confidentiality. Only mentioning it as extra thanks for taking the risk to get those files for me since it's so risky.
I'm guessing you think they're the 1-A Vigilantes, but today's the first time I heard the name. If you're really curious though, the 1-A Vigilantes might be connected to a Tweeter account called '1-A_No_Dream'. Haven't dug into it yet, but 1-A is pretty specific.
Good luck with the marks, and thanks for the files as always.'
"Well, worth a shot," Manami muttered to herself, closing out of the email. She went to Tweeter instead to search the account Karasu mentioned at the end, before putting the computer to sleep. She'd check into it later. For now she pushed her chair back and got up, heading over to the door to the computer room to poke her head out.
Tobita Danjurou, better known to the world as Gentle Criminal, sat at a table sipping a cup of tea as he often did. Today he wore a simple button-down shirt with a stylish dark green vest and neatly pressed slacks, a more subdued ensemble than his famous costume but no less distinguished looking. The light pink house slippers only added a domestic charm in Manami's opinion.
He graced her with a smile, making her heart skip a beat. "Hello, Manami-chan," he greeted warmly, because right now she wasn't La Brava but Aiba Manami. Even now Manami had to restrain the urge to squeal at him using her given name. Years of close proximity did little to numb her to the effects of his presence.
She smiled as she bounced over and climbed onto the chair across from him. Even as an adult she hadn't grown that tall, her legs still dangling off the edges of the chair and letting her swing them freely. "Where are the kids?" she asked. She'd thought the rest of the apartment was oddly quiet.
"Out doing a final stakeout," he said. "They're quite excited for our next performance, especially with those two vigilantes in the picture. Speaking of which..."
He trailed off meaningfully, and she shook her head. "I got a reply from Karasu," she reported. "They don't work with him. The most he had was a link to another Tweeter account they might be using." She had hoped he'd be able to give them some intel on the pair. Their school records didn't provide much detail beyond grades.
"Ah, a shame, but perhaps for the best," Danjurou mused, undeterred. "They seem to be fitting rivals given the nature of their own reputation. It has been some time since we've had a proper rival! And these two seem quite interesting!"
"You really think they'll go back to vigilante work this week?" Manami wondered. "Their school has exams today. That can really drain people."
"Which is all the more reason to don their costumes and return to the streets once they finish!" Danjurou replied with a boisterous laugh. "After all, what better way is there to vent the stresses and frustrations of sitting for hours working hard on exams? They're vigilantes, Manami! Those who find the most excitement in the world from roaming the streets and saving others, even if they have to break the law to do so! Their passion is not to be underestimated!"
When he gave such an ardent speech like that, Manami couldn't really argue, finding herself nodding in agreement. "So then we'll be making the move soon, right?" she asked.
"The sooner, the better! I don't think our lovely assistants will be able to stand waiting much longer anyway." He took a final sip of his tea and set the cup down, rising to his feet. "Come, La Brava, we can't let them be the only ones preparing! Let's do a final round of reconnaissance to familiarize ourselves with our adversaries as best as possible!"
"Yes sir, Gentle!" Manami cheered, hopping off the chair to follow him back to the computer room.
At some point between replying to Onryo and Aiba, Aiko showed up. Kuroe had no idea when she entered, he hit send on the email to Aiba and turned to find Aiko sitting on his bed playing on her phone. Apparently she hadn't meant to startle him, she just forgot she could walk totally silently. A thing most people had to consciously do. At least she'd had Kurogiri warp her into the hallway instead of the bedroom itself.
"He's still off," she muttered, lying sprawled on her back with arms splayed wide as she stared at the ceiling. "He actually got worse after what happened to Eraserhead yesterday. He suddenly showed up at my place today without telling me in advance, and just zoned out for like, two hours."
Kuroe had no idea what happened to Eraserhead, but she wasn't frothing at the mouth so he assumed he was alive. So since Eraserhead was alive, he decided not to ask what the hell happened. Or comment on the irony of her sudden, unannounced visit from Kurogiri. "So they definitely knew each other," he said instead, and she hummed.
"Probably. I kinda figured they did. His Quirk factor looks so weird," she added in a mutter, face scrunching up. "It's like the not-Kurogiri part is trying to push out the other part and become dominant..."
"Are people's Quirks really tied to their personalities and minds that much?" Kuroe mused, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed. "I mean, you are looking at their Quirk factors and not their souls, right?"
"Yeah, that's how it's supposed to be. But even then, some parts of people get tied to their factor. Like, traces of their personalities will cling to it, even when it's removed." That had Kuroe pausing.
"So, what's the inside of your head look like?" he asked.
"You really don't want to know," she replied wryly, and sat up with a sigh. "Still, it's so weird to see. I have to wonder if all noumu are like that..."
"Isn't he the only one left?"
"He better be," she grumbled with a dark look. "Killing noumu is hard." Kuroe paused to digest that remark, and then shuddered. Coming from Aiko, that really said something. She shook her head as she continued, "Anyways, I used that one emotion-messing Quirk I have, so he should be kinda normal now? I have to stop by tonight anyway, so I'll check on him then."
"Whatever happened, don't visit Eraserhead," Kuroe deadpanned, and she shot him a scowl.
"I'm not! I have to do some stuff in my lab! Geez, do you really think I'm that—"
"Yes," Kuroe replied flatly, not letting her finish.
"Kuroe—"
"You literally texted me asking if a fruit basket would help after giving him a panic attack," he said bluntly. "You also asked me if a non-lethal poison would be a good birthday gift for Izuku."
"It was for self-defense!" Aiko protested in a whine, which he ignored.
"You suck at basic social interactions. Frankly, I don't even know why Kurogiri went to you for help."
"Well, he didn't exactly ask for advice or say anything at all," she grumbled with a pout. "But I'm not that bad, Kuroe! Eraserhead had a pretty obvious flashback the last time I saw him. Visiting him now would just make it worse! I'm just going to visit my lab to check on some stuff! And deliver a controller, apparently."
Kuroe started to respond, but then registered the last part. "A controller?" he repeated.
"Izuku broke a controller and asked his friend to get a new one," she said with a shrug. "She came by earlier too, by the way. I don't think she plans to go home anytime soon. Maybe we should connect her to the runaway network," she mused, and he immediately felt a rising headache at the reminder of the news he'd received.
"Speaking of the runaways, we might have a problem..."
"Disgusting."
Kai peeled off the now-bloody gloves and tossed them onto the table, a bitter scowl on his face as he turned away from the still bodies behind him. Of their three visitors only one still remained conscious and alive, head bowed and breathing shallow as Nemoto stood behind him.
"Do you think we'll need anything else from him?" he asked.
"No, we got everything need," Kai replied dismissively. "Finish him quickly." He ignored the gurgle as Nemoto slit the man's throat, stalking to the door. Three taps with his foot had it open to reveal Hojo. "Hojo, clean up the room."
"Right away, boss," the bald man grunted dutifully, holding the door open so Kai could leave. Three other subordinates already waited in the hall with cleaning supplies, giving deep bows as Kai passed before filing inside. Hari waited by the door to the neighboring bathroom, opening it without prompting so Kai could enter. He followed Kai as the young yakuza head practically ran to the sink to turn it on, rolling his sleeves up.
"Disgusting, truly disgusting," he hissed under his breath as he furiously scrubbed his arms. The gloves had shielded his skin from the worst of the blood spray, but he could still feel the warmth through the rubber. Just thinking about it had him shuddering, utterly revolted by the memory.
Working without his Quirk tended to be far too messy for his tastes, making his skin prickle at the mere thought. On most days, he wouldn't have bothered to go to such repulsive lengths.
Today had not been a day for mercy though.
"Do you want a change of clothes?" Hari offered.
"Please."
Soon enough Kai was wearing a completely fresh and clean outfit, his previous clothing placed into a plastic bag to be disposed. Not a lot of blood had splashed onto it, but he'd rather not deal with it anyway. "What did Karasu have to say?" he asked as they began the walk to his office.
"He wishes for us to expand our protection from Odawara to Minamiashigara." That had Kai coming to a halt for a moment, turning to look at Hari almost incredulously.
"Minamiashigara?" he repeated. "Where even is that?"
"It's a city in the mountains near Odawara. Or, was," Hari amended. "The population never reached fifty thousand people even at its peak. Currently it has under twenty thousand people living there."
"Twenty thousand," Kai murmured as he resumed walking. "It sounds like a ghost town." A few "cities" had never quite recovered from the initial chaos of the emergence of Quirks, losing a majority of their population and never regaining it. While the structures and buildings still stood in some places, a majority of the city remained an empty shell. Hardly the sort of place to need protection.
"It is," Hari confirmed. "Karasu wants us to do an immediate sweep for any troublesome elements as soon as possible. If we find no problems, he believes it should be safe and only require one posted guard for monitoring purposes."
"Hah, it's still a hassle," Kai grumbled to himself with a scowl. "Especially right now. Does he even know what today is?"
"He offered his condolences and apologized for the inconvenience," Hari replied, making Kai briefly pause. "He says he will offer additional payment as an apology for bothering us at this time, and included rumors on known Trigger dealers as a gesture of goodwill."
"Hmm. So he does know." Kai resumed his trek to his office, mind already racing with who would be the best ones to send there. "It should be simple enough. We'll make the arrangements quietly. There is no need to disturb the boss with this right now."
"Of course."
"Do you suppose the elimination of the so-called Kirin Syndicate would be a fair payment for the extra troubles?"
"I would believe so. You don't want to take care of them personally?"
"Not this time. They're not worth the personal attention."
'Hey Crawler. Sorry, they're not mine. This is the first I've heard of the 1-A Vigilantes. Another contact of mine thinks they're high school students too though, specifically at Munakata High School. They have exams today, so maybe don't expect to see them. Also, I have no intel on Gentle Criminal I can share beyond what's public. You're on your own, sorry.'
Koichi hummed to himself as he read the email, taking a long sip from his water bottle. "Huh," he said quietly once he finished.
"Get a response from that guy you know?" Tensei asked, screwing the lid back onto his own water bottle.
"Yeah, and I think Gentle Criminal might also be one of his clients," Koichi replied, and Tensei's head whipped towards him in surprise.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"The wording's weird. Said he doesn't have intel he can share, not just that he doesn't have intel. So I'm guessing he works with them too." Koichi shrugged, slipping his phone into his pocket. "Anyways, I guess that's a dead end. Let's get going, we still have a few blocks to go." Even as he spoke he began walking and steadily picking up his pace. They'd been in the middle of a jog when Koichi's phone chimed with the email alert, prompting a brief break so he could check it.
Tensei still seemed a bit taken aback, but sighed as he started jogging alongside the vigilante at a more sedate pace than their usual runs. "Did he at least have information on the 1-A Vigilantes?"
"Nothing solid, but he said another contact thinks they're students at Munakata High School?" Koichi shrugged, the name unfamiliar to him as a non-native of Hosu City, but Tensei's face screwed up a bit.
"That's where Tenya goes. They have exams today."
"Yeah, he mentioned that too. He didn't say why they think they're students there though, so take it with a grain of salt."
"Well, at least if we see them Wednesday, that could narrow down who it is," Tensei mused thoughtfully. "Online students only have to do the first two days of exams, but in-person students have to do exams the third day too. It'll be good if we can identify who they are soon, before they into another dangerous fight."
"Yeah, I guess so." Koichi nodded, and then smirked as he glanced at the empty stretch of road before them. "Anyways, last one to the end has to buy the other lunch." He dropped to all fours even as he spoke and went zooming off, making Tensei squawk in dismay before picking up his pace.
"Hey, no fair! I'm wearing long sleeves right now!"
"Too bad!" Koichi's laughter echoed as he zoomed down the empty sidewalk. Needless to say, he got a free lunch that day.
Notes:
Minamiashigara is a real place, and pretty close to Odawara. Also, I have zero idea how the hell Japan decides what qualifies as a city or village. Because apparently cities need either a minimum of 30,000 or 50,000 people to qualify. But the largest village, Yomitan, has over 40,000 people.
But I have some bad news:
I'm doing another two-week hiatus.
The escape is REALLY close guys. In-universe, it's currently Monday, and I want the escape done before the end of the week. That also means I need to be VERY careful about what happens in the days leading up to the escape. There's a lot of plot threads that I need to weave together, and every decision and scene I make right now will directly impact future scenes and events. The draft WAS at Chapter 108, but this weekend I decided that it isn't the right time for stuff I had planned for that. And I'm still super-iffy on the ending of Chapter 107, even AFTER rewriting it once already to lead to a different outcome. This exact thing is exactly why I prefer writing with a buffer.
So, I need to do a hiatus so I can plot things more solidly, and make sure it will actually WORK. If possible, I want to try to get the draft to 110. I'm really sorry everyone!!
Thank you so much for all your patience and support. I'll hopefully be back with 107 on October 18!
Chapter 107: When Words Fail
Summary:
Uraraka still hates the censoring Quirk, and Aizawa tries to adjust to his new routine.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 107
.::When Words Fail::.
1-A_Chargebolt: Captain's log, day 2 of exams
1-A_Chargebolt: Spirits are low. The exams are killing us slowly. We're totally going to fail.
1-A_Chargebolt: If I don't make it, tell my family I love them
halfnhalfpeppermint: Are the exams really that bad?
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Exams are ALWAYS bad
powerofmusic: Kinda. There's a lot of stuff we didn't cover back home
powerofmusic: We crammed over the weekend with Tokage, but that wasn't really enough time to learn everything, so I'm doing a lot of guessing
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Oof, that sucks!
powerofmusic: At least Taser Brain over here won't look suspicious if he fails
powerofmusic: Ugh the pressure is not fun
1-A_Chargebolt: Actually the pressure is back on me again
1-A_Chargebolt: If I score in the bottom 5, my stepsister says she's opening my room back home so the twins can play there
powerofmusic: Yikes
halfnhalfpeppermint: But it's not really your room, is it? Will you even go there?
1-A_Chargebolt: Probably not, but it would SUCK for other-me
halfnhalfpeppermint: oh
1-A_Dancing_Queen: It definitely would
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Hang in there guys! You can do it!
halfnhalfpeppermint: wait, isn't Deku planning to leave?
halfnhalfpeppermint: How does other-Deku feel about that?
1-A_Dancing_Queen: O_O
deku_breaks_bones: yeah uh
deku_breaks_bones: I'm trying not to think about it
deku_breaks_bones: I'm hoping that he'll be okay with it since Kacchan and Shinsou will be free?
deku_breaks_bones: I'm also hoping that the fact we'll be going to a bunch of heroes will help him get over it faster
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Do you really think he's that big of a fan?
deku_breaks_bones: Hopefully?
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: yes
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: I saw your room
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: You had stuff for EVERY hero
powerofmusic: Well good luck with that
powerofmusic: time for the exams now
powerofmusic: thank goodness we only need to do two days instead of three
Morning found Ochako and Ashido in a glorious hotel. Ochako had to admit, it rocked actually having cash on hand to pay for a proper hotel. The hotel room actually had heating! No need to tend to one of Todoroki's fires to stay warm! Or have to layer up with extra clothes and blankets! She even got to spend the night with Ashido like a real sleepover! It was probably the most normal night she'd had since waking up in this world.
It almost made her sad that they couldn't stay another night, but alas, they couldn't really justify it. As much fun as the sleepover had been, they just couldn't do much in Nabu right now since neither of them could directly meet with Deku. They would be better off going back to Odawara to help finalize plans for the escape.
That, and they didn't want whoever planted the tracking device to find them. There was a reason they'd stayed at a hotel room last night instead of the warehouse.
At least Deku got the key with no problems. She'd been worried since Kurogiri had been standing right behind her and thus might have seen her messages about the plan, but fortunately it worked out fine. She dropped off the Switch controller box at Aiko's place with the key hidden inside, and a few hours later Deku texted that he got it. So that was one major part of the plan down.
For her part, Ochako intended to do one final check of Aiko's apartment building and finish searching the first floor. A check which ended up being fruitless.
"It wasn't there," she announced dejectedly as she joined Ashido at a café. She slumped into the chair across from the other girl, groaning, "I looked super hard, but it's just not there. I have no idea where it is."
"Well, at least it didn't take too long?" Ashido said with a shrug. "I mean, it's barely been an hour."
"Yeah, I guess," she sighed. Checking the first floor had been easy and quick, because the apartments were just empty. They had no furniture, two of them didn't even have doors... Actually, those two also lacked a wall separating them. She had a feeling that the building had been abandoned for more than just a lack of tenants.
The search had also been quicker because Aiko herself had actually helped, since she didn't have a giant load of laundry to do this time. While Ochako was still wary of the woman and barely trusted her, she didn't think she'd lie about finding Deku's notebook. Aiko just had this strange air of honesty about her. She was almost too honest, weirdly open to answering Ochako's questions. It just didn't feel like she'd hide the notebook. If she found it, she'd probably tell Ochako and just not give it to her, and take it to Deku instead.
Of course, she couldn't mention any of that to Ashido, much to her frustration. "Well, it sucks, but I don't think we can look anywhere else," the pink girl said. "But since you're done with that, wanna do some work for the you-know-what account before we go back?"
It took a second for Ochako to figure out she meant graffiti for the 1-A_No_Dream account. The café was pretty empty, but it was safer to not directly talk about illegal activities in public. "Uh, it feels kinda risky to do it around here," she said with a frown. "I mean, you know what's going on around here. What if someone sees?"
"But Kami put me in charge of it while he takes his exam, and we're running low on photos!" Ashido whined. "And besides, that stuff going on here is exactly why we should do it here! That Porter guy might know that too, and come here to check it out to see if that stuff's going on!" She fumbled with her words a bit, obviously wary of directly mentioning the Villain Alliance in a public space, but she got her point across. "I'm just saying, it's not like Mido can do it, and we're leaving today, right?"
Ochako bit her lip as she thought it over. "Yeah, I guess so," she muttered uncertainly. They knew that Porter might check out potential bases for the League of Villains, so Ashido's logic was sound enough. Still, it felt risky to do it with villains so close—especially ones from the Alliance. If one of them saw them, or looked into it...
Well, honestly, they probably wouldn't think too much of it since the messages were for people who'd know their world. But she still felt pretty paranoid.
"What about Yuki?" she asked. "Is he taking any photos?"
"Yeah, he took a bunch!" Ashido confirmed with a vigorous head bob. "Don't know if that guy will ever go there, but any new pictures is better than none! We are so low on photos right now," she added with a groan. "We all kinda forgot with everything else the past couple days. And I'm also kinda running out of ideas on what to draw."
Ochako felt a bit bad now. While she and Todoroki had drawn a couple messages back in Numazu, they stopped after arriving at Nabu. It just... kinda slipped their minds, and also still felt kinda risky. "What about something about what Spinner does back home?" she suggested, thinking back to the messages about Spinner and Kendo being vigilantes in this world. "I mean, obviously he's not part of it here since I can say his name, so..."
"Ooh, that's a good one!" Ashido said with a grin, perking up. "Oh, maybe we can mention Dabi too since he's in the same boat! And I mean, he seems like he'd be way more flashy and recognizable than Spinner."
"No, that's a bad idea," Ochako said immediately. "Spinner at least knows about the messages already, so he won't freak out if he sees his name. But Dabi..." She trailed off with a grimace. As far as they knew, Dabi was looking for Todoroki... and he also knew Aiko. If he saw the message, either on Tweeter or just visiting Nabu to talk to her about Todoroki, the chances of him not mentioning it to Aiko were pretty slim. And she'd rather not take the risk of Aiko looking into it.
She wasn't sure how to explain that though since she couldn't mention Aiko or the Alliance. She hoped Ashido would figure it out on her own, but just her luck, Ashido didn't seem to get her hesitation. "Why's it a bad idea?" she asked, and Ochako resisted a groan.
"How would he react if he saw his name on a graffiti message?" she asked, trying to lead her to the answer.
"He'd... probably be pretty alarmed, I guess?" Ashido said with a shrug. "But I mean, it's not like he'd know it's him. Especially if we just write something like 'We remember Dabi at the summer camp' or something vague like that! We don't have to mention his Quirk or face or anything!"
"How many people do you think would use the name Dabi?" Ochako pointed out. That seemed to help her point, the other girl visibly losing some of her steam. "Even if we don't mention his Quirk or anything, that'd still be a red flag to him. Especially since" Aiko lives here.
"Especially since...?" Ashido pressed, leaning forward, and Ochako scowled.
"I hate this stupid censoring Quirk so much," she grumbled, and understanding flashed across the other girl's face.
"Oh." She rubbed her neck, looking a bit sheepish as she said, "I, uh, guess you can't say all the reasons why it's a bad idea, huh?"
"No," Ochako confirmed with a groan. She probably could just jog Ashido's memory about Dabi and Aiko knowing each other with some pointed questions, but... "I don't even want to try, honestly. I'm so sick of dancing around this stupid Quirk all the time. Sometimes I just can't say names, but other times I have entire sentences blocked. It's so exhausting to try to work around it. And when it doesn't work right away, it just frustrates me so much."
"Oh," Ashido repeated faintly, grimacing at her. "Yeah, that sounds... pretty bad. Sorry, Ura-chan." Ochako just heaved a large sigh, shaking her head.
"Forget it, I don't even want to think about it right now. Can we talk about other message ideas instead?"
"Sure," Ashido agreed quickly. "Like, maybe something about Kamino? Since it didn't happen here, but I mean, it was a pretty big thing, y'know?"
As they started trading ideas Ochako felt some of her tension release, but not completely. As distracting as the conversation was, that inability to speak haunted the back of her mind. She had a name for the Quirk now, Taboo, and she couldn't even say that much.
It really was frustrating.
She decided to get a drink, if only to take her mind off it for a second, and opened her bag to pull out some money only to pause. As someone who grew up used to accounting for every single yen in her budget, she had developed a keen attention to detail when it came to finances. Those habits carried over to this world, always making sure she knew exactly how much money she had. A glance at the rolled up wads of bills in her bag was all she needed to make an estimate.
Her lips pulled into a frown, glancing at the sign above the counter displaying prices. She knew that Ashido wouldnʼt have spent too much on her own drink and bagel. And while they had dug into the stash to pay for the hotel room, the pink girl had used her own funds to buy a sleeping bag and spare clothes, so the money hadnʼt been touched otherwise.
And from that, she could estimate how much money Todoroki had on hand.
Ochakoʼs frown only grew, and she pulled out her phone to bring up a site for train tickets. When she moved to type the departure point her fingers refused to respond though, making her scowl. She couldn't even type the first character of Nabu. "Hey, can you look up train ticket prices to Nagoya?" she asked, some of her frustration seeping into her tone. "I canʼt type the starting point because of that Quirk."
"Oh, sure," the other girl agreed easily, pulling out her phone. "Why though?"
"Because I don't think Yuki has enough money to get another train ticket."
After probably not even a full thirty-six hours, Shouta had already started to adjust to the new routine of being stuck in a bed. Honestly, it wasn't that hard. This was probably one of the most oddly familiar experiences he'd experienced lately. Not the strapped-down part, but just being stuck in a bed with a broken leg. It felt like almost any other hospital visit after serious injuries.
(And okay, maybe the strapped down part was a bit familiar too. Recovery Girl and the other medical staff got really annoyed with how he'd tried to leave a hospital with three broken ribs and a concussion that one time.
That, and his argument that the vertigo Quirk was very mild and not that disorienting. They didn't appreciate his logic.)
At this point, his biggest complaints were his inability to go to the bathroom on his own due to the broken leg (and damn restraints), and having such limited freedom for his hands. The mitten on his right hand was a heavy-duty medical mitt, allowing no way to bend his fingers like the original ones. It was impossible to try to grip anything with it, much to his annoyance.
Given he couldn't really use his right hand anyway thanks to that deep cut on his elbow, it wasn't a major inconvenience though. Mostly it left him with a sense of foreboding, a glimpse of how limited his autonomy really was. As exemplified by his dream, where he'd been stuck crawling with two broken legs and both hands stuck in the damn mittens.
He woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for breath and straining against the straps restraining him to the bed. He cried a bit in the silence of the room, and then got frustrated he couldn't even wipe away the damn tears. He had to settle for turning his head to rub against the pillow in hopes it would be enough. And then deal with the discomfort from how it made the collar rub against his neck, because of course he still wore the damn thing even now. Shigaraki probably didn't want him to forget the whole pet thing.
All of that was to explain that by the time Midoriya entered, Shouta was already awake and alert. The boy jumped when he opened the door to find Shouta sitting up and squinting into space. "Eraserhead-san?" he blurted once he'd recovered from his shock.
"Morning," Shouta rasped in reply, and the kid stared a moment longer before stepping inside and closing the door. He carried over another tray of a semi-complete breakfast like yesterday's, and Shouta pushed down the blanket a bit to make space for it.
"Have you been awake for long?" Midoriya asked.
Only a couple of hours. "Not really," he lied, not really wanting to talk about why he woke up suddenly in the middle of the night. "Lights were already on, so didn't see a point going back to sleep." Obviously also a lie. Turns out this room had an automatic dimmer system to turn them on gradually over the course of an hour by his estimate. That was nice, though still left him in pitch blackness for a while.
In any event, the kid seemed to buy it and didn't fuss over him. At this point Shouta knew that if Midoriya thought he was uncomfortable, he would just worry and hover even more. For all his wariness towards Shigaraki's brother, Shouta knew the kid was the villain's polar opposite in many ways. He sagged with such obvious relief when Shouta took the painkiller that came with breakfast.
Once he finished eating, the visit didn't last too long. Mostly because Shouta asked the kid to get Kurogiri. "But why?" Midoriya asked in confusion.
"Kid, please just do it," Shouta groaned, letting his head flop back on the pillow. He did not want to talk to the kid about the fact he needed to use the damn bathroom.
The kid acquiesced, and Shouta got to endure the brief humiliation of having a villain help him actually get there. At this point, he was actually pretty used to getting escorted there. The wheelchair was nice at least, and Kurogiri actually gave him privacy to do his business, unlike his previous captors.
Soon enough he was back in the bed getting strapped down, offering no resistance as the cuffs tightened around his wrists. His right hand was returned to the constricting mitten, and he closed his eyes as he listened to the click of the lock. He didn't bother looking as Kurogiri warped away the wheelchair, already sensing the start of his new routine. Get breakfast from Midoriya, have Kurogiri take him to the bathroom, listen to him... open a drawer...?
Okay, now he bothered looking, twisting his head to see the misty villain opening a drawer on the small table next to the bed. He pulled out a magazine and placed it on Shouta's chest unceremoniously before leaving without a word. He picked it up in confusion, recognizing it as one of the cat magazines Midoriya had brought him.
"Thanks?" he said to the empty room, still confused. Honestly he'd expected the magazines all would have been thrown out after what happened, given they had originally been hidden and thus probably not actually allowed. He also didn't think Kurogiri would be the one to give him one. So much for his expectations of the new routine. Still, he wasn't going to complain, so he opened it to begin browsing pictures.
He got through maybe a quarter when there was a quiet knock at the door, making him nearly drop it in surprise. Another deviation from his predicted routine; he didn't expect any visitors until lunchtime. At this point, he decided he should probably discard any notions about his new routine for at least the next few days as the door opened to reveal Midoriya.
"Hi, Eraserhead," he greeted as he slipped inside, more subdued and almost tentative this time. "Um, how are you feeling?"
"Fine," Shouta said slowly, instantly wary again. Particularly because Midoriya didn't close the door completely. The teen fidgeted nervously, rubbing his arm.
"Th-then, um, would it be okay if we hang out here for a while?"
"We?" Shouta repeated. And as if on cue the door slammed open and made Midoriya jolt, Bakugou stalking inside with a backpack. The blond dropped it on the floor with a heavy thud and plopped down next to it.
"We're doing schoolwork here today," he announced bluntly, leaving no room for argument. Shouta just stared before his eyes darted to the door, feeling his stomach lurch as he saw familiar purple eyes staring back at him.
Guilt immediately flooded back, hands clenching into fists as he swallowed and averted his gaze from the vigilante. The absence of the muzzle did little to quell his sudden nausea as the boy entered and closed the door, more quietly than Bakugou did. He, too, carried a backpack, sitting next to the blond and pulling out textbooks. "So the tutoring is still a thing?" Shouta muttered, and Midoriya grimaced.
"Um, kinda, I guess? Y-you don't actually have to help though!" he added quickly. "We can just work quietly if you want to nap, or read the magazine! They just, really wanted to see you."
"Yeah, just rest or do whatever you want," Bakugou huffed. "We can keep our mouths shut if you want quiet, but we're not leaving." Midoriya winced a bit, his grimace growing.
"Kacchan, we shouldn't force it..."
"Don't care. We're staying."
"Bakugou threatened to sleep outside your door," Hijack explained flatly, and Shouta had to suppress a flinch. His voice sounded a little less raspy now, but it was still odd to actually hear it. The kid wasn't even looking at him, attention focused on his workbook as he continued, "We had to hold him back from running off and personally warning everyone here to stay away from you."
That sounded like a disaster in the making. "Kid, don't do that," Shouta told Bakugou flatly.
"As long as all these creeps keep their distance, I won't have to," the brat scoffed, and Midoriya buried his face in his hands.
"Kacchan, I already told you, they need a key code to even enter here..." That was news to Shouta. So the door had an electronic lock, huh? He filed the information away for a future potential escape attempt, assuming he survived long enough for his leg to heal and wasn't moved to another room.
"They can still try to break down the door or wall, can't they?"
"Pretty sure they'd have to be genuinely suicidal," Hijack piped up, sounding almost bored. "That would create too much noise, people would come running right away. And Shigaraki probably made it pretty clear how serious he is with the last guys who broke in."
Ah yes, the people who had tortured him and then gotten killed. Given they'd been planning to kill him if Midoriya hadn't shown up, Shouta had little sympathy for them. "You can stay," he relented with a sigh, and saw all three kids perk up. "I'll try to help if you have any questions, too. I can't really get up though, so you'll have to bring your work over to me."
"Doubt we'll need it anyway," Bakugou said haughtily while Midoriya frowned.
"Are you sure? It's still pretty soon after... you know," he avoided explicitly mentioning the whole torture and attempted murder thing. "If you still need time to rest and stuff, we can give you space!"
"It's fine," Shouta said. "I don't mind." Honestly, he still didn't feel fully up to company. He still felt more vulnerable and sore than he'd had in a long time, and had so much guilt over what he'd done to Hijack. But right now, he needed to see with his own eyes that the kids were physically fine. That the worst of this nightmare was restricted solely to himself.
That, and he felt pretty sure that Bakugou would, in fact, try to attack the villains if left unchecked. Shouta might only be able to count the number of times he'd interacted with the boy on one hand, but that was enough to know he was serious. If being around Shouta would keep him from doing something stupid, he'd readily shove down any discomfort.
The kids were safe. They were physically unharmed. Their spirits didn't seem to be too low. Right now, their safety was Shouta's absolute first priority, and he would take advantage of every second he could get with them to keep it that way.
(Unknown to him, two guards lingered outside the door, silently playing cards as they listened to the muffled chatter within. The three teens all exchanged discreet and wary looks, fully aware of their presence. Now was not the time to reveal their plans, but they could at least keep Eraserhead safe by being there.)
Notes:
And we're back! I was actually a little worried I'd have to delay another week because this chapter and the next two are a bit more closely tied than most, and I wanted to be sure 109 would work or just feel like "filler" content. Then it made me realize one other point the characters should probably address and/or figure out BEFORE the big rescue, and that this will make THEM realize that too. So hooray, I now have the draft up to 110! :D
Also: some of you may have noticed that Ignite is a series now. That's because I've been meaning to post some side stories. Well, after the last chapter went up a comment made me realize it was actually one day away from Ignite's two-year-anniversary! So I got to work and wrote a story about Izuku and Shigaraki going shopping for Kurogiri's "birthday". So check it out if you haven't already!
As always, thank you for your patience and support. I'll see you next week!
Chapter 108: Sleepless in Nagoya
Summary:
Shinsou and Bakugou have a talk with Eraserhead while Izuku sleeps. And meanwhile, Shouto is totally stuck in Nagoya.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 108
.::Sleepless in Nagoya::.
"I can't believe the nerd actually fell asleep." Bakugou's whisper dripped with disdain and annoyance as he glared at Midoriya. The green-haired boy sat slumped against a wall, eyes shut and head lolling to rest on his shoulder. Hitoshi just rolled his eyes, not bothering to comment as he turned back to his math workbook to finish the page he was working on.
Eraserhead meanwhile just stared at Midoriya in wide-eyed silence, apparently stunned by this turn of events. "Is he really asleep?" he whispered.
"Yeah, nerd was already exhausted before we came here," Bakugou huffed quietly, Hitoshi nodding in mute agreement. Honestly, he wasn't surprised Midoriya had fallen asleep; if anything, he was surprised he'd lasted as long as he did. He'd warned them this morning that he'd stayed up far later than usual last night.
Apparently Bakugou's rant the previous day had bothered Midoriya more than they thought, especially with Aiko's visit. Given how the last time she'd visited Eraserhead had ended, he hadn't wanted to take any chances, so had set up camp in front of Eraserhead's cell. He probably would have stayed up all night if Kurogiri hadn't passed through the hall to get to her lab, and promptly warped Midoriya to his bedroom.
So yeah, he wasn't surprised. Hitoshi was used to not sleeping thanks to chronic insomnia issues, but it was obvious Midoriya wasn't. Eraserhead still looked skeptical though. "Are you sure?" he asked, keeping his voice low as he eyed Midoriya.
"He's got no reason to fake it," Hitoshi piped up quietly, making the man snap a sharp look his way. Hitoshi tried to ignore his gaze and kept his eyes locked on his workbook, saying, "He stayed up late last night. I heard him in the hall at like, two."
Specifically, he heard him quietly yelp at Kurogiri's arrival before getting warped away. And then race back to the hall to make sure Aiko wouldn't sneak in... three times. Midoriya hadn't mentioned it to them that morning, but Hitoshi heard it all. Kurogiri's exasperated "please just stay in bed" after the third time was pretty entertaining.
"You have a clock?" Eraserhead asked.
"Not exactly, but the Switch has one," Hitoshi replied, and Eraserhead now fully turned his head to stare at him in disbelief, bloodshot eyes even wider.
"...What?"
"A Switch Neo?" Hitoshi said with a shrug. "It's, uh, a gaming system."
"...A gaming system," Eraserhead repeated, eyes still wide.
"Nerd took it there so he wouldn't be bored," Bakugou huffed. "Still don't get why he didn't get one of those things for me."
"You'd just break it out of spite," Hitoshi replied dryly. The blond scowled but didn't argue, knowing he was right.
"Stupid Deku's the one who broke a controller, not me," he grumbled instead, and Hitoshi snorted.
"Yeah, but Neko Café Manager brings out the worst in everyone. You'd just throw it at the ground or something out of spite."
Eraserhead was just staring, so hard. Didn't his eyes hurt? After a few moments he slowly leaned back against the pillows, exhaling a shuddery breath. "Are you okay?" Hitoshi asked, feeling compelled to say something to him. He didn't miss the hero's brief flinch, jaw tightening as his head turned to look away from them.
"I should be asking you two that," he muttered, voice still pitched low. "You're the ones in the most danger."
Bakugou nearly jumped up, eyes flashing with anger. Hitoshi's hand shot out to grab his leg before he could shout, earning a glare but making the blond come to his senses as Hitoshi jerked his head towards the door. There were guards outside, and any yelling would get attention. Bakugou's lips curled in a snarl but he nodded jerkily as he turned back to Eraserhead.
"Us?" he hissed, keeping his own voice surprisingly quiet. "You're the one who almost got killed!"
"And you two are untrained teenagers," Eraserhead replied sharply, looking back to them with a frown. "One of you might be a vigilante, but this situation is far beyond anything you're equipped to deal with."
"And you are?" Bakugou retorted coldly, glaring pointedly at Eraserhead's leg. His quiet whispers sounded like growling, anger tinting his tone as he spat, "Last I checked, even before those bastards tried to kill you, your leg was already broken! And now you're stuck in that bed!" The hero's eyes hardened at the rebuke, sitting a bit straighter.
"Our circumstances are different," he countered, matching Bakugou's simmering wrath with icy coldness. "The risks we each face aren't the same, but yours is worse."
"The hell's that supposed to mean!?" Bakugou growled, while Hitoshi regarded Eraserhead with narrowed eyes. Pieces started to slot together in his mind like a puzzle, but what picture they formed, he wasn't sure yet.
Then he saw the hero's eyes briefly flit towards Midoriya, and at that moment realization hit him like a brick.
"It's not Stockholm syndrome," he said, startling Bakugou and getting a sharp look from Eraserhead. Having his eyes on him made Hitoshi's hands cold and clammy, remembering the last time he'd been the subject of the hero's gaze. He swallowed and instinctively averted his own gaze, looking to Bakugou just in time to see realization visibly dawn on his own face.
"You think the nerd's trying to turn us into villains," he whispered, eyes wide with disbelief. Eraserhead wasn't just worried about them getting hurt, he was worried about indoctrination. He was a veteran Pro Hero, with years of experience under his belt, far too connected and set in his ways to change loyalties. But Hitoshi and Bakugou were young and hadn't made any active connections or loyalties, thus more malleable and open to changing their stances.
That was why villains tended to kidnap kids with potential and murder adults.
As usual, it didn't take long for Bakugou to shift to rage, his stunned stare quickly twisting into a furious scowl. "Are you kidding me?" he hissed. "We're not—we hate these fuckers, we're not going to—"
He cut off with a grunt when Hitoshi sharply jabbed his side with his elbow as his volume started to rise. He shot Hitoshi a brief glare but closed his mouth. At least he didn't need to remind him about the guards outside the door again. Hitoshi turned back to find Eraserhead's gaze still focused on him, having to suppress another shudder as he briefly remembered them flashing gold.
He pushed down his unease and forced himself to meet the hero's gaze squarely as he spoke. "Midoriya's not trying to bribe us or gain our trust so we'll join the Alliance and become villains. And we're definitely not happy here. The games and stuff are just him trying to make this less shitty than it is because he knows this is fucked up."
"It's also a decent first step to earning trust," Eraserhead pointed out, eyes hard. "And that makes you lower your guard, and thus more susceptible to manipulation."
"That's not what he's up to, though!" Hitoshi protested with a frown. "He's trying to make it better! No secret intentions!"
"How can you be sure?" Eraserhead asked, and Hitoshi's jaw clamped shut, fists tightening in frustration.
This was the big problem: Eraserhead didn't trust Midoriya. They knew that, and knew that he had absolutely every reason to be suspicious, but that didn't make it less frustrating. Not when they couldn't tell him about the escape plans, that letter Midoriya wrote himself, or even the key fob they saw yesterday.
Just thinking about the key made his chest flutter. It had been successfully smuggled through the Switch controller box, with Aiko none the wiser. Midoriya had actually opened it in Hitoshi's cell with him and Bakugou present, just so they could see that it existed with their own eyes. Having the literal key to freedom in their hands had left even Bakugou speechless for a moment.
With that, the reality of their impending escape became all the more real. It made it really set in that this was happening, they were on their way to escaping this hellhole.
And they still couldn't tell Eraserhead because of the people sitting just outside the door. The risk of being overheard was just too great.
Eraserhead seemed to take his silence as an inability to find reasons to counter him, continuing briskly but still soft so as to not wake Midoriya, "No matter how nice he is, he's still Shigaraki's brother. He's still part of the Alliance, no matter how indirect he claims to be. He grew up here, this environment would warp anyone's morals."
"Deku isn't a villain," Bakugou said lowly. "He's a crybaby and hero fanatic."
"You don't know that. It could be an act."
"It's not, he's been this way since we were freaking babies!" Bakugou snapped, and that was enough to startle Eraserhead into silence and make Hitoshi glance at him. Oh right, he forgot they were apparently childhood friends or something.
"What?" Eraserhead asked, seeming torn between confusion and shock.
"You heard me, we literally grew up together until he ran away after auntie and uncle died," Bakugou scoffed. "Still don't have a clue how the hell he ended up here with villains, because I know he was an only child, but the nerd's barely changed since then. And trust me, I'd know if he was pretending," he added with a huff. "He's not. He's still practically the same crybaby I grew up with, down to crying way too easily. I'll bet you his room is full of hero merch too!"
Hitoshi raised his eyebrows, wondering if Shigaraki would let that slide, but then realized he probably would. The guy did literally kidnap Eraserhead for Midoriya as a present, so he apparently accepted Midoriya's interests and tried to use it to bond with him. Very badly.
"He's definitely a hero fan," he said instead. The notebooks were proof of it. They weren't analyzing hero's weaknesses to exploit them, they were cataloging every detail in a way that only fans could. Excitedly pointing out costume details and speculating on uses, trying to think of ways to improve their Quirks or cover those weaknesses...
After seeing the notes Aiko left on Eraserhead's entry, the difference felt stark and clear.
He knew better than to mention the notebooks though, that would just alarm Eraserhead. So instead he shrugged and said, "He even went to get an autograph from that one guy last week—Present Mic, I think?"
That had the hero going tense once more, which, shit, seriously? Did he not like the guy or something? Maybe Hitoshi should just stop and let the guy who actually knew Midoriya pre-Alliance handle it. "Look, point is, you might think he's some villain, but he's not," said childhood friend huffed. "He's a giant softie and cries at the drop of a hat. I seriously have no idea how the hell he ended up with villains, but he definitely doesn't work with them or anything."
Eraserhead still looked doubtful, so Hitoshi decided to take a risk and try one more time. "Shigaraki doesn't even like him hanging out with the Alliance members close to his age," he piped up. "He told me as much when we met."
"Shittyraki gave me a big spiel about that too," Bakugou scoffed. "Said that it's way too dangerous for a Quirkless kid to hang around all those mooks." That had Eraserhead's eyes narrowing, no doubt thinking about the fact Midoriya did have a Quirk. Bakugou picked up on that too and added, "And yeah, we know he's not that defenseless, but Shittyraki doesn't seem to get that. And bastard's got a point anyway, some of those creeps would be hard as hell to fight even with a Quirk."
Hitoshi's eyebrows arched, surprised the blond admitted some of the Alliance members would be a challenge to fight. With his pride, he'd expected the other boy to be more dismissive of the potential strengths. Then again, with the wheelchair race they got a good look at several of their skillsets. At the very least, that one guy who could kinda turn into goo wouldn't be very weak to explosions. Nor would explosions help if he got caught in one of Mr. Compress's marbles.
...Huh. That hadn't been the point of the wheelchair race, but Hitoshi realized they got a lot of useful intel from it. Something to think about later.
"We get you don't trust him, but we do," he said. "He's not trying to make us think this place is all sunshine and rainbows, or go along with all the messed up crap that goes on here. We're just trying to get through this until we can all go home and pretend this was all a really bad dream."
"So knock off all the hostility or whatever and stop making the nerd cry," Bakugou said with a jerky nod. He gritted his teeth as he grumbled, "Seriously, it's really annoying to hear him mope all the time about you hating his guts."
That finally got a different reaction, the harsh glare finally lightening. "I don't hate him," Eraserhead sighed. "I'm just... wary. Look, shouldn't you get back to your homework?" It was an obvious attempt to end the conversation, and the two teens weren't happy but they knew they wouldn't have much luck arguing. After a moment they silently turned back to their books, though they shot him dark looks as they did. Eraserhead just opened his magazine again and ignored them.
A couple minutes later Midoriya stirred from his sleep, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He then froze, eyes snapping wide open as he looked around in a near panic. "Oh no, did I fall asleep? I fell asleep, I can't believe I fell asleep! How long was I out?"
"You slept through lunch and dinner," Hitoshi deadpanned, and snorted at the look of sheer horror he got in return. "Nah, not really. You were out probably less than an hour."
Midoriya's face fell, his horror briefly replaced by a look of betrayal before he pouted grumpily. "Mean," he muttered. "You really scared me for a second!"
Hitoshi just shrugged. "Maybe in the future you should go to bed at a normal time then."
"That seems pretty hypocritical coming from you, eyebags," Bakugou snarked, and Hitoshi rolled his eyes.
"I have chronic insomnia and nightmares as an excuse. He was planning to spend all night camped outside the door without sleeping." He saw Eraserhead's head snap their way at that, but ignored him as Midoriya whined.
"Come on, give me a break! I usually always go to bed before eleven and get up early! And I already got lectured by Kurogiri for that!"
"I know." Hitoshi smirked, and the other boy stared at him in wide-eyed realization. His mouth opened but no sound came out, totally speechless. Hitoshi shrugged and said, "Insomnia and nightmares, remember."
"At least I planned to actually sleep if I got to camp out there," Bakugou scoffed quietly. "Should've just let me do it after all." Now Eraserhead was really staring, no doubt remembering Hitoshi's earlier comment about Bakugou threatening to do just that. No doubt he was starting to make connections on why they wanted to sleep out there. Hitoshi let him, offering no input.
They already knew Eraserhead didn't trust Midoriya. Hitoshi just hoped this conversation would give him more to think about.
Lunchtime found Shouto at a coffee shop in Nagoya nursing a cup of hot chocolate. He'd spent the night sleeping in a park, because he had limited funds and no idea where to find shelter for the night. Nagoya's weather was notably dreary compared to the other places he'd slept so far, the sky clear but air still chilly. At least his fire side kept him somewhat warm, but it was still unpleasant to sleep outside in the cold.
He'd spent the morning looking for a decent shelter, settling on an abandoned office building. He'd even spray-painted a "1-A_No_Dream" message on the wall at Ashido's request, after which the pink girl filled him on their plans for the day. Uraraka had already left to finish searching the first floor of Aiko's apartment building by then, and then they would return to Odawara after lunch. At this point they couldn't really do much in Nabu, so it would be best to just return and regroup to plan their strategy.
Also, they still had no idea if whoever planted the tracking device knew about the warehouse or not, so it was best to get away from Nabu in general.
Shouto still had the robot beetle in Uraraka's backpack currently sitting at his feet under the table, buried under clothes and snacks. He'd lifted the "wings" to check the light that morning, and it was blue. He wasn't sure what that meant, since Ashido had only mentioned orange and green lights, but he assumed it must at least be connected to whatever received the signal now. Which meant his location was likely being tracked.
The thought set him on edge. He still couldn't tell if the beetle had a microphone or camera of some sort, so he couldn't just throw it away somewhere and leave just yet. If it did have some sort of surveillance capabilities, they'd notice the change in scenery. He'd have to stay here for a day or two before finding a place to dump it, just to be safe.
...And also because he didn't have enough money to buy a ticket back to Odawara right now.
In his rush to leave, Shouto hadn't bothered to check how much money he had. They kept most of their shared funds hidden inside Uraraka's sleeping bag since she was better with money. His own slightly sheltered upbringing had admittedly skewed his monetary sense a bit. The leftover money from what he'd taken to get lunch had fortunately included enough to buy a ticket to Nagoya, but he hadn't thought about whether he'd need more before leaving. Which was why he'd spent the night outside instead of finding a motel or net café.
Once again he found himself counting how much change he had on hand. After his konbini dinner and breakfast onigiri, and this hot chocolate, he had a bit over five thousand yen left.
A train ticket from Nagoya to Odawara cost twelve thousand.
Yep, definitely not enough for a way back. He wasn't sure he could scrounge together the necessary funds, especially since he'd need to buy food. Worst comes to worst, he might need someone to come get him. Good thing Jirou was rich in this world and could easily afford the tickets. He'd still have to wait for her and Kaminari to finish exams though, which was far from ideal since they also had to do vigilante work. Maybe Ashido or Uraraka could go to them instead to pick up money for tickets...
Which, might also be tricky to arrange since his burner phone's battery had died that morning.
Half the reason Shouto came to the coffee shop was to see if he could charge his phone, but they didn't have any outlets for customers to use. Some of his meager funds might need to be used to rent a booth at a net café just to recharge it, or at least get online to tell everyone he'd probably need someone to come pay for a ticket out of Nagoya. In retrospect, he probably should have mentioned the money thing to Ashido when he had the chance earlier.
As he pondered this he glanced out the window in thought, watching people walk by. Most of them had their hoods up or wore hats, some moving at a brisk pace, and he frowned as he turned his attention back to the coffee shop. A small TV behind the counter showed a weather report, and though the sound was muted, he could tell the forecast for the day wasn't ideal from an umbrella graphic.
Finishing off his hot chocolate, he hefted the backpack over his shoulder and threw away the cup as he left. It would be best to just return to the office building before the weather got bad. While Shouto didn't heavily mind cold, he still didn't want to get caught in cold rain. Changing his clothes and waiting for them to dry would just be uncomfortable.
Shouto was halfway there when he heard a cell phone ring, prompting him to stop. His face soured as he pulled out the phone he'd woken up with in this world and glared at the screen. Unlike his burner, it still had some battery since he largely kept it turned off. He'd only turned it on so he could check the time after his other phone died. As far as he knew this marked the first time Dabi had called in... he wasn't even sure how long.
Except, it wasn't Dabi. Instead of "D" the phone displayed another unsaved phone number, giving him a pang of déjà vu. The last time he'd gotten a call from someone other than Dabi, it had been Hawks calling. Was he calling again? If he was, what would Shouto even say to him?
Shouto stood paralyzed as the phone kept ringing, watching until it rang a seventh and final time before the screen went dim. He exhaled shakily, slipping the phone back into his pocket and resuming his trek to the office building.
Within a few turns the streets around him were empty, everyone who had business in this area having already sought shelter. The skies were ominously overcast at this point, rain clearly ready to fall any moment. It wasn't pitch black, but the clouds still blocked the sun.
That was probably why he didn't notice a shadow pass over him until he heard and felt a swoop of air behind him, prompting him to spin around. His reflexively defensive posture quickly faltered though, eyes going wide and stance going slack in surprise.
"Hawks?" The Number Two Hero himself stood behind Shouto, wings folding behind his back as he touched on the ground behind him.
"Hey, Shouto-kun," he greeted with a nod, and the teen froze. Oh.
"I do not know this Shouto you speak of," he replied almost mechanically, falling into denial and avoidance mode. Hawks had no proof of his identity and Shouto's hair was still black, he could pass himself as a random civilian.
"Nice try, but I literally just watched you ignore my phone call a couple blocks over." Oh. That was harder to deny or debunk. "Also, you're wearing the same clothes Dabi described, just with a different hat." Shouto glanced down at his clothes in surprise, and realized he probably was wearing the same outfit he'd woken up in. In his defense, he had a very limited wardrobe in this world, and those clothes were warm.
"...How did you find me?" he asked, raising his gaze back to Hawks with narrowed eyes. Not that the left one was visible with his eyepatch, but one eye should be enough to express his wariness. "Was it the beetle?"
"Beetle?" Hawks repeated with a curious blink and head tilt. Which was probably a no. "No, I just happened to have a day off and went out to run errands. And then when I was about to head home, I happened to see a kid that looks just like the photo Dabi showed me step out of a coffee shop, and decided to give him a call. And surprise, surprise, I watched that kid pull out a phone. Which he then ignored."
He shot Shouto a pointed look at the last bit. "Oh," the teen said lamely, for lack of anything better to say. So he wasn't connected to the beetle.
"Anyways, how about we move this conversation somewhere more private?" Hawks suggested, glancing at the sky as he added, "And preferably indoors."
"...Okay," Shouto said slowly, and turned to resume his walk with the winged hero following behind.
Now that he'd been seen, Shouto knew that it would be next to impossible to lose Hawks. The man was one of the fastest heroes of all, perhaps even faster than Iida and his family, whose Quirks revolved around speed. Shouto could potentially freeze him, but that would draw too much attention. It was easier to just give in now, and hope he could talk the man into leaving him alone.
They walked in silence, Hawks apparently willing to let him choose the destination. Since he had no idea where else to go and didn't want to talk in public, Shouto took him to the abandoned office building he'd scouted that morning. Compared to the other abandoned structures he'd visited in this world this one was pretty nice, being well insulated (though without power or heating) and in pristine shape. The area was one that had clearly taken some economic hit, one of many similar buildings that had been vacated.
Chains had been looped through the handles of the main door, but a side door had been left unlocked, which was what Shouto used to slip inside. Said side door opened directly to a stairwell, and he led Hawks to the third floor to what he assumed to be a former office or meeting room. He'd left his sleeping bag there earlier, along with some of his clothes and a camping lamp.
It was also the only room where he'd bothered to sweep the floor a bit, making it the only space where they could sit without getting dust all over themselves.
"Huh, this is actually pretty nice," Hawks commented as they sat on the floor across from each other. "Way better than the other abandoned places I've visited."
"Do you visit a lot?"
"Villains really like using abandoned buildings as hideouts or meeting spots. So does your brother." The last part was said nonchalantly, but Shouto could see a critical glint in Hawks's eyes as he watched him. "What's the story with that, anyway? Why'd you freeze him and run away?"
"It's complicated." An understatement.
"I figured," Hawks replied breezily. "We have a lot of time, so wanna try explaining?"
"No," Shouto replied, and the older man blinked, clearly taken aback by the blunt and immediate refusal. Frankly, at this point Shouto knew no one would believe the story without sufficient evidence. He'd already been through that particular shade of disappointment once with the runaways. And even if he did convince Hawks he was telling the truth, they were too close to the escape. They couldn't risk any sort of intervention now, well-meaning or otherwise.
Not just from other heroes. Hawks knew Dabi, and Dabi knew Aiko somehow. It was just too risky to let him find out.
"I'll explain everything after I'm done with what I'm doing," he said. "But until then, I can't go back. So please don't tell my brother about me."
Hawks frowned, scratching the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah... About that..."
That response was not good. "What did you do?" Shouto demanded.
"Technically, nothing," Hawks said quickly, holding up his hands in an appeasing gesture. "But your brother is in Nagoya right now, so..."
Oh. That changed things. "Then I'll leave," Shouto decided. He'd only stayed because of the tracker. But now that Hawks had followed him, there wasn't much point. "Can I have ten thousand yen for a ticket?"
Hawks's eyebrows rose at the request. "You don't even have enough money for a ticket?" he asked, propping his chin against his fist. "Are you really sure you're okay on your own, kid?"
"I have enough to get by." And access to plenty more once he met back up with the others. "Just not enough for a ticket right now. So, can you give me some money?"
"Sorry, kid, but I don't really carry money on me," Hawks replied with a shrug. "I usually use a credit card. And also, I'm not too comfortable letting you go off on your own when I still have no idea what you're doing."
"I'm still not telling you." Hawks wouldn't believe him, it wasn't worth the effort. When Hawks opened his mouth Shouto then added, "And I'm not telling you where I'm going so you can buy a ticket, either. You could pass that on to Dabi." The hero seemed momentarily surprised, but then closed his mouth and shrugged.
"Right. Well, then it seems like you're out of luck kid."
Shouto frowned, feeling his determination briefly waver. While he still refused to tell Hawks everything, he knew that he was still in a less than optimal position. He had severely limited access to his resources at the moment, and Hawks provided an opportunity he might be able to use. Somehow.
"I... could use a chance to charge my phone," he finally said. "And... some food. If that's okay?"
Hawks sucked in a breath, wings flexing a bit as he rubbed his neck again. "Well, see, that's uh, not what I meant by you being out of luck," he muttered. "You have some bad timing. And you also have some bad tastes in shelters..."
Shouto's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean? This place seems fine—"
"Hey, who the hell's up here?"
Shouto froze at the voice, turning in horror to the door as footsteps drew closer. "If you're some other drifter, I got news for ya, this place is already—"
The voice cut off as a familiar face appeared in the doorway. Bright blue eyes underscored by purple scars glared into the room, scarred lips pulling into a scowl that vanished upon seeing Shouto.
Dabi.
For a moment, time seemed to freeze as the two brothers locked gazes. Both faces went slack with shock, Dabi's mouth hanging slightly open and Shouto just staring back.
And then Shouto leaped to his feet and bolted past him for the stairs.
Notes:
So, anyone remember way back in Chapter 64, Hawks was stationed in Nagoya? c:
ALSO! If you haven't checked it out: in honor of Spooky Season, I'm currently writing a horror murder mystery story called "See Right Through Your Smoke and Mirrors." I started it last October, but took a long break because it's got some VERY tight timing and planning involved if I don't want UA to just temporarily shut down. But the draft is almost complete and I'm aiming to have all the chapters out by Halloween. Which means basically daily posting now, I think!
And tonight... Oh, tonight's chapter has the scene that led to having to double down on all the planning. I am looking forward very much to people's reactions to it~
Question for next time: How disastrous do you think the Todoroki Family Reunion will go?
Chapter 109: Ready or Not
Summary:
Shouto is not ready for a brotherly reunion.
Dabi is DEFINITELY ready.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 109
.::Ready or Not::.
Shouto was not ready.
He thought he was ready to face Dabi. He thought he was ready to talk to this world's version of his brother and hear his side of the story. He thought he was ready to answer the next phone call from the mysterious "D" on his phone. And actually, maybe he was ready for a phone call.
But he definitely was not ready to meet him face to face.
"SHOUTO YOU DAMN BRAT, GET THE FUCK BACK HERE!"
Dabi's voice echoed through the stairwell as Shouto threw himself down the stairs three steps at a time. He could hear the older male's footsteps pounding down the steps, but did not dare turn back to look. His right hand glided over the handrail on the wall as he raced downstairs, frost blossoming beneath his fingers and rapidly spreading along the rail to the wall and steps. Anything to slow down this reunion, which he was not ready for.
Meanwhile, Dabi was very ready.
He had spent weeks worried sick about the stupid brat—a full fucking month. Had fluctuated between anger, and concern, and frustration, and fear, and absolute fury more times than he could count. Right now, he was back to incandescent rage.
He had searched every place he could think of. He contacted other people for help. Kuroe, Hawks, that random floaty girl he'd met... He'd risked being left in other people's debt, something he loathed with a burning passion. He'd even been prepared to take the giant leap and talk to Aiko. What did he care if she might raze the underworld looking for the brat? At least she might get results.
So yes, he did not expect to see Shouto right now, but he was fucking ready.
As ice began to bloom and grow to block the stairwell he reacted immediately, blue flames flickering around his fist as he punched through the newly formed wall. Steam practically exploded as the fire made contact, the ice shattering like glass under his fist. He never broke stride as he ran right through the cloud of steam—or he wouldn't have, if he hadn't freaking slipped on the now-wet steps from the abruptly melted ice.
He flung out his hand to the railing on the outside of the stairs to catch himself, managing to keep himself from falling down completely. As he did, he made a split-second decision and grabbed the railing with his other hand, and flipped himself over the edge. He swung in a perfect arc over the top, a perfect half-circle that had him swinging beneath the stairs he had stood on, and released his grip to land on the flight directly beneath his starting point.
A risky move, but one that landed him right in front of his idiot brother.
Shouto skidded to a stop when Dabi suddenly blocked his path, the (not-)villain stumbling a bit as he landed on the steps but quickly steadying his footing. "Stop running away you stupid brat!" he snarled, blue eyes shining with rage. Blue eyes typically got described as icy and cold, but in this instance they blazed, his anger just as hot as the azure flames he produced.
For half a second Dabi's face disappeared, replaced by Endeavor's own ferocious scowl and burning glower. This close and with more light than there had been in that forest in the dark of night, Shouto could see the resemblance to their father more than ever. Dabi's eyes were identical, the color an exact match for Endeavor and Shouto's own left eye.
Any potential doubt that might linger about his identity vanished. He was definitely Endeavor's son, definitely Touya.
Either way, Shouto was still not ready for this.
He turned to run back up the stairs but was stopped by the sight of ice coating the steps. Running up those would guarantee slipping and falling, so instead, he spun to face the side of the stairs and flung his right hand towards it.
His plan: use the ice to make a slide for himself, or something to that effect.
His mistake: Forgetting Dabi knew him in this world.
Dabi had lived with Shouto for a year now. He'd been dealing with the brat's bullshit for a year, had gotten used to all his tricks and clever little schemes. The moment Shouto turned to the side of the stairs, he knew what he was thinking, and the very second the first ice crystal formed a stream of blue fire shot out to block its path. Shouto jumped back in surprise, clearly not expecting that, and nearly slipped on a patch of ice in the process.
"You're not getting away that easy!" Dabi snapped. "You've got a lot of explaining to do!"
Shouto stared at him in a panic, fight or flight kicking in. Flight was out, so fight it was. He immediately raised his right hand, ready to freeze him—
Only for a feather to suddenly stab through his sleeve, the momentum flinging his arm to the wall and pinning it there.
Shouto turned to gawk at it, eyes wide. Shit. He forgot about Hawks.
"Kid, do us a favor and stop trying to run," the Pro called from above. "I don't know what's going on, but we just want to talk peacefully." Shouto ignored him, yanking the feather out from his sleeve—or at least, he tried to. It had embedded into the wall more deeply than he realized, refusing to budge when he tried to pull on it.
As he struggled Dabi lunged, quickly grabbing his free wrist and twisting it so his palm faced the ceiling. The sudden movement caught Shouto by surprise, and he then gasped as Dabi drove a knee into his gut. He immediately doubled over, leaning against his brother as he wheezed and tried to catch his breath. He couldn't bend like that for long before Dabi slammed his wrist against the wall though, forcing him to stand upright.
"Okay, that looked a bit harsh," Hawks commented as he glided down the stairwell over the ice.
"Yeah, yeah, just give me a hand," Dabi called, and the hero obliged by flinging three more feathers so that a total of two pinned each of Shouto's wrists to the wall. Like that he was stuck, back to the wall and each foot left on different steps. For a moment there was silence as Hawks joined Dabi, partially due to Shouto still being too winded to speak.
"...You know, the stairwell probably isn't the best place for this," Hawks remarked, eying Shouto's uneven footing on the narrow steps.
"Yeah, it's not," Dabi huffed in agreement. And then because his brother was apparently a jerk in both worlds, he delivered a heavy punch to Shouto's gut. That had him jerking with another wheeze, eyes actually tearing up a bit.
Hawks winced sympathetically. "Seriously, dude? Why'd you do that?"
"Partially to make sure he can't act up, and also because he deserves it for freezing me in a fucking glacier," Dabi replied breezily. "Now help me move him." Even as he spoke he yanked Shouto's pinned wrists with enough force for his sleeves to rip around the feathers, freeing him from the wall. Not that it did Shouto any good with his current state; he practically collapsed against Dabi, still breathless from the two hits.
"I could've just pulled them out," Hawks muttered, but pulled out a pair of high-tech handcuffs as he stepped forward. Shouto's eyes widened in recognition, recognizing them as stun cuffs that would react to people's Quirks activating. He struggled weakly, but ultimately was still too weak to resist as Hawks snapped them around his wrists. "Sorry kid, can't have you freezing or burning us. And these are also the only handcuffs I happen to have on me right now, so, yeah."
Great. Shouto was now restrained and couldn't use his Quirk. Or he could, but he'd get a shock even stronger than Kaminari's. While Shouto had a decent pain tolerance, it wasn't that good.
Either way, he was in the worst case scenario now. Captured by his brother and Hawks, entire cities away from his friends with no way to tell them he was in trouble. He scowled as Dabi grabbed an arm and began leading him down the stairs, Hawks's steady hand on his shoulders helping to prevent him from falling. "Might want to slow down, I think he's still winded from that punch," the pro commented. "Don't want him losing his footing."
"Yeah, well, I don't think he'd like me—"
"—test was so bad! I didn't even know what half those questions meant!"
Wait, what?
"Oh, come on, they were a little tricky, but we've covered all that this year! What got me were the formulas."
Those... weren't Dabi or Hawks. They sounded like teenagers, their voices backed by a distant din of chatter too faint to pick out clearly, but still present. When he lifted his head a bit he could see Dabi's mouth moving as he responded to Hawks, but couldn't hear him, some teenage girl's voice sounding instead.
"I know, right? I crammed so hard this weekend, but when I actually looked at the test, I could barely remember anything!"
"Ah, good old test anxiety, our old friend."
"Yeah, well, it's not just the questions!" the first voice argued. "I'm jinxed, too! Halfway through the last test, my pencil—"
"—to-chan," Dabi said, the teenagers' voices suddenly gone. Shouto blinked at the sudden quiet in the background, feeling slightly dazed at the shift. What just happened?
He shook off the thought as Dabi led him down the hall to an empty room that was probably an office at one point, shoving him inside. Shouto grunted as he stumbled forward and fell to his knees, hands splaying out to catch himself. The motion just reminded him of the soreness in his stomach and lingering difficulty with breathing.
"R-rude," he grumbled, voice still a bit breathy from the whole gut punch thing.
"Don't care," Dabi spat. "Still not as rude as trapping me in a fucking glacier." This made the second time he'd referenced that, he seemed to be holding a grudge over it. Which was probably fair. Between that and then ghosting him, Dabi had plenty of reason to be angry at Shouto.
"Sorry," he wheezed out. Judging by the glare, his apology didn't really appease Dabi. He just stood over Shouto and crossed his arms, glaring down at him.
"Alright, brat," he said. "Spill. What the actual fuck is going on, and why the hell have you been ghosting me?"
Shouto just kept his mouth shut, this time out of stubbornness rather than a lack of breath. He wasn't going to risk saying something that could get his friends in trouble. The last few times he'd tried to explain anything hadn't ended well after all. And he didn't think Dabi would accept "I'll explain after everything's done" the way Hawks had.
Of course, Hawks hadn't really accepted that response, either. "I asked earlier, but he refused," the hero piped up, leaning against the wall by the door with folded arms. "Said he'd explain after 'everything is over,' so he's caught up in something. Just don't know what."
"I figured," Dabi snorted. "I at least want an explanation about why you fucking froze me!" He was definitely holding a grudge over the glacier. "Seriously kid, do you have any idea how much it fucking hurts to have scar tissue like this directly in contact with ice?"
Okay, when he phrased it like that, Shouto could understand why he was still angry about it. He frowned, still not wanting to give away anything about his friends, but he recognized he probably owed him some sort of explanation for that part at least. "I panicked," he explained with a shrug. "I thought I was kidnapped. I'm sorry."
As he expected, Dabi did not look impressed by the explanation. "You thought you were kidnapped," he said flatly. "Why the hell would you think that?"
Now, at this point, Shouto knew "because I'm from another world where you're a villain and didn't know you're my brother" would lead to either doubt or more questions, just like every other time he'd explained the truth. And either way, it probably wouldnʼt end with Dabi believing him. In fact it would probably just piss him off even more.
So this time, Shouto decided to do what he probably should have done in the first place: lie.
"I had a nightmare," he declared bluntly. The look he got in return was even less impressed.
"A nightmare," Dabi repeated, voice dripping with general disdain, and Shouto nodded.
"You were a villain, set a forest on fire and kidnapped my friend." Might as well borrow from reality for the details of the nightmare.
"And that was enough to make you attack me when you woke up, and run away?"
"It was a very realistic nightmare," Shouto replied with a shrug. "You pulled him into a portal and mocked me by saying my name. I think you wanted to kill me too, but wanted to wait for a better moment for maximum impact. Maybe in front of Endeavor? Anyways, you looked really cruel when you smiled at me. And you smiled at me when you woke up, so that reminded me of the dream. So, I panicked."
The look Dabi gave him could now be best described as a cross between total exasperation and utter disgust. "...fucking brat, that's the stupidest bullshit..." He grumbled under his breath too quietly for Shouto to pick up on, but he heard enough to confirm his brother wasnʼt pleased with his answer.
"Okay, so assuming that's actually true and not some random excuse," Hawks interjected casually, "then why didn't you go back afterwards? And then start ignoring Dabiʼs calls?"
Shouto paused, trying to think of a good lie to explain that part. Saying he simply forgot about Dabi was definitely not an option. He could say the phoneʼs battery died and he never found a way to charge it, but then he remembered he answered the call from Hawks that one time. Maybe if he said that he had it on mute, and just happened to miss the calls every time? But then they would ask why he didn't simply call him back, which he should have been able to do by just unlocking the phone.
He could tell them the truth about how he didnʼt remember his phoneʼs password, and thus couldnʼt access his contact list. That might be believable. But what if it was something very simple and obvious, like his own birthday? (Which, come to think of it, he probably should have tried at some point, but oh well.) Maybe if he said he changed it while half-asleep after running away, and then forgot what the new password was—
Except, wait, what if he had Dabiʼs number memorized? Endeavor made all of them memorize the numbers for his cell phone, his agency, and even his personal assistant, just in case of an emergency. So since Shouto and Dabi lived alone on the streets, wouldnʼt it make sense to memorize each otherʼs phone numbers too? So that might not work either—
"Shouto, youʼve been totally silent for the last three minutes," Dabi suddenly announced. Shouto blinked and noticed the man scowling at his phone, probably checking the time. "I was almost curious what sort of excuse you would come up with, but after taking this long? Fuck it. I know it wonʼt be the truth, and Iʼm sick of waiting."
"Personally, I donʼt mind waiting a little longer," Hawks commented nonchalantly. "If heʼs putting this much thought into it, it must be pretty entertaining."
"Hawks, I think you are vastly overestimating Shoutoʼs imagination," Dabi quipped dryly. "Brat literally chose 'Yukiʼ as a fake name. Not even something like 'Yukiteruʼ or 'Hiroyukiʼ or even 'Yukito,ʼ just Yuki. And when I asked for a surname, you know what he came up with?"
"What?"
"Yukimira. He wanted to be Yukimura Yuki."
Dabiʼs voice dripped with exasperation and something close to derision, making Shouto frown. "Whatʼs wrong with that?" he asked defensively. Yukimura Yuki seemed like a perfectly good name to him.
Dabi just scoffed and waved an arm at him. "See?"
"Okay, yeah, he definitely isnʼt the best at names," Hawks allowed with a nod, and Shouto frowned at him. Rude.
Dabi scoffed as he slipped his phone into his pocket, directing a scowl at Shouto. "Anyways, enough stalling," he said. "Talk, now."
His voice carried a hard note matched only by the intensity in his eyes. Seemed Shouto had worn out Dabiʼs patience while trying to come up with that lie, and he wouldnʼt be given any more time now. When he realized he couldn't come up with a believable one on the spot, he shrugged and settled on, "It's complicated."
Dabi actually howled with anger at that, throwing up his arms in frustration with a roar. "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME—OW!" He cut himself off with a sharp hiss of pain as a crumpled soda can bounced off the back of his head, making him whirl around with a scowl. Hawks was instantly more alert and pushed off the wall, eyes wide as he turned to the door.
"Wait, what—"
That was when a small, silver orb sailed into the room, and upon hitting the floor it exploded into thick white smoke. Shouto was briefly stunned, but then heard and felt someone rush over to him. In an instant he was yanked to his feet and dragged towards the door, and he glanced at the hand gripping his arm to see familiar pink skin. Ashido?
They barely got two steps before there was a beat of air and a gust of wind blew away the smoke. It came courtesy of Hawks's wings, already folding behind him again due to the cramped space of the room, but that one beat had been enough to expose the two teens in the middle of the room.
Ashido looked wild-eyed and frantic under the sudden scrutiny, her fingers digging into Shouto's arm with a vice-like grip. Shouto had expected her to be wearing the wig but surprisingly she wasn't, her natural pink hair and horns on full display. She grit her teeth in apprehension, her head lowering almost like a bullʼs as she regarded the two adults warily.
Predictably, Dabi looked pissed. "Okay, what the hell?" he demanded. "Who the hell are you—"
"You're... Ashido Mina, right?" Hawks asked, and she winced at her name, squeezing Shouto's arm a little tighter. "You're one of the kids that ran away from Oracle's watch."
"Stay back," she warned, voice tight with tension and wariness. "We're leaving now, so don't try to stop us."
"Kid, do you really think you can stop us?" Dabi asked dryly. "Birdbrain over here is pretty much the number one hero at this point, or would be if the Commission still bothered with the rankings system. And I don't know what the hell your Quirk is, but you realize Shouto can't use his Quirk with those handcuffs, right?" Ashido's head turned just enough to glance at the stun cuffs on his wrists, before quickly swiveling back to the adults.
"I don't think I can win," she admitted, "but I don't care. I'm not letting you hurt or shout at Todoroki anymore, you—you big meanie-pants!"
The lackluster insult had Dabi snorting. "Really? Meanie-pants? What are you, a grade schooler?"
"How do you two even know each other?" Hawks asked, eyes narrowing with a calculating glint. Shouto stilled, mind blanking as he tried to come up with a believable explanation.
Unlike Shouto though, Ashido Mina was an exceptional liar. She had once faced down a terrifying villain and spouted off false directions to some hero agency with a perfectly straight face, managing to keep her cool until after he had lumbered off. Compared to that looming giant, Dabi and Hawks felt like nothing.
So she dug her heels into the floor and held her head high, glaring at them defiantly as she declared, "We're dating."
There was a brief silence after that, all three males staring at her wide-eyed. Even Shouto stared at her, stunned at the declaration. "...What?" Dabi finally asked.
"I said, we're dating!" she repeated, eyes hard and vicious as her hand slid down to grip his wrist. "Todoroki and I are dating!"
Dabi just continued to gape at her in shock, while Hawks tilted his head. "Huh," he said faintly. "Didn't see that one coming." Neither did Shouto.
"...Okay, that is definitely a lie," Dabi said, recovering from his shock and shaking his head. "No way Shouto would know the first thing about dating. I love him and all that, but the kid's duller than a sack of rocks when it comes to regular social interactions, let alone dating." Ashido's fingers tightened on Shouto's wrist as she scowled at him.
"Why do you find that so hard to believe?" she questioned hotly. "What kind of older brother says that kind of thing? Don't you have any faith in him at all?"
Dabi scoffed, crossing his arms with a smirk. "I am ninety percent sure Shouto wouldn't know romance if it hit him over the head with a brick, so no. But screw it, I'll humor you. This actually is amusing." He chuckled, smirk cocky and patronizing as he asked, "So, how'd you two start dating?"
"We met through my best friend!" Ashido declared confidently without missing a beat, and he arched his eyebrows.
"Your best friend."
"Yeah! Todoroki saved her brother from a mugger, so she invited him to see a movie with us as thanks! It was love at first sight, right, Todocchi?" She turned back with a sweet smile, and Shouto blinked at the unexpected nickname but nodded, fully aware he was out of his element and should just play along.
"Sure... Ashi...chi?" He might not be the best at playing along.
"That's better than your last one, but we can work on it later," Ashido reassured him with a kind smile, before turning back to the adults while wrapping his arm in a hug with a grin. "I asked him out right then and there, and he actually said yes! And the rest is history!"
Dabi didn't look remotely moved by her tale. "Love at first sight, huh. So you just fell for his looks?" Ashido's grin immediately fell, replaced by a glare.
"Of course not! There's way more to him than just a pretty face!"
"Oh yeah? What do you even know about him, Pinkie?"
"His name is Todoroki Shouto, but he likes to go by Yuki," Ashido replied instantly, voice snappy and still defiant. "His birthday is January 11, and he likes cold soba which is good because he shouldn't be allowed to use kitchens unsupervised. HIs favorite color is blue, and he prefers to use ice over fire because of some baggage with your dad, but you obviously know that last part. He likes traditional-style architecture and furniture, and would go for that sort of decor if he got an apartment instead of modern furniture."
Shouto blinked as she rattled off the points rapid-fire, surprised she remembered all that. He certainly didn't know Ashido's birthday or favorite food, or her taste in furniture. Even Dabi seemed surprised at the stream of accurate information, his cocky smirk fading to a contemplative frown. "...Huh. That's a lot of details."
"Of course it is," Ashido huffed. "We're dating. What kind of girl wouldn't know that sort of stuff about the guy she likes?"
Did... Did Ashido actually have a crush on him? Was that why she remembered all those details?
Hmm. Him and Ashido. She wouldn't be his first choice, but... actually, he'd never really thought about dating before. He'd barely even thought about friends before, let alone girlfriends or boyfriends. Anyways, Ashido was nice and enthusiastic, and obviously had risen in his meager list of friends since this mess began, but... was she his type? She seemed to be kind of flighty and oblivious at times, and hardly the best at grades. Hardly the sort of partner that Endeavor would consider a good fit for him (not that he would actually voice that opinion these days, since he was trying to win Shouto's favor).
...Would spite towards his father be a good reason to date someone?
He'd think about it later. Hawks was looking at him now, his gaze more curious than analyzing. "Okay, she obviously knows a lot about you," he said. "What do you know about her?"
Shouto quickly racked his brain for whatever he knew about Ashido. Luckily, thanks to the recent Cultural Festival he had some more knowledge on his classmateʼs interests than before. "Her name is Ashido Mina. Her favorite color is pink and she likes dancing, and is really good at it." Ashido preened at the praise, beaming as she held her head even higher. "I... guess she'd decorate her room with pink stuff?" Her dorm was full of pink furniture, now that he thought about it. "Also, she likes aliens." She did try to choose the codename "Alien Queen" originally. "I don't remember her birthday though."
"It's okay, Todocchi," she crooned reassuringly as she patted his hand. "I know boys aren't as big on remembering dates and anniversaries like girls are, so I don't mind." Was that true? Shouto was learning a lot about dating right now.
"You're sounding more like a stalker than a girlfriend," Dabi remarked dryly, and she immediately spun back to him with a galre.
"Yeah well, at least I'm not a crummy older brother who puts him in handcuffs like you! What kind of jerk does that?"
"He also kneed and punched me in the gut," Shouto felt inclined to add, and she turned to gape at him for a moment before her head snapped back to Dabi with a vicious snarl.
"You hit him? That's totally child abuse! And you!" She used the arm not looped around Shouto's to jab a finger in Hawks's direction, the hero blinking placidly as she snapped, "You're a Pro Hero! How could you stand by and let him do that?"
Hawks held up his hands in mock-surrender. "In my defense, he hit Shouto's gut with his knee to stop him from trying to use his Quirk so we could have a chance to restrain him. He kinda froze Dabi in a glacier the last time they saw each other, so we didnʼt want a repeat of that. I did tell him off after the punch, though. That one was unprovoked, and I wouldʼve stopped him if I knew he was going to do that."
Ashido paused to consider it, and then nodded. "Okay, that's still sucky, but I kinda get it. But you're still a giant jerk and awful big brother!" She jabbed her finger at Dabi, who returned it with an apathetic glower. "Seriously, what kind of older brother punches his poor little brother, and then keeps insulting his girlfriend right in front of—"
That was when the window behind them suddenly broke, a pink object flying right at Hawks. The hero quickly dodged, well-honed reflexes allowing him to avoid the projectile so it hit the wall behind him instead, but he couldn't avoid the sudden explosion of pink goo.
Everyone reflexively moved back from it, Dabi jumping back with a curse and Ashido shoving Shouto towards the back of the room. Hawks was too close to get away though, and he yelped in surprise as it splattered onto his side and right wing. His eyes were wide as he twisted his head to look at the mess, some of his feathers twitching under the goo but not moving.
"What the—it's sticky?" he sputtered, and his face twisted with horror as he turned to them. "Shit, Dabi—"
"INCOMING!" a familiar voice yelled, and Ashido practically body-slammed Shouto further towards the back of the room as a silver object flew through the window. It sailed past them to hit the floor near Dabi and Hawks's feet, releasing a thick cloud of smoke. And even as the room filled up, Shouto could hear the whiz of yet another object flying past them, followed by the same noise as when the first goo bomb exploded.
Dabi and Hawks both shouted in dismay, but Shouto didn't get a chance to see what had happened through the smoke. Ashido was already pushing him to the now broken window, and he heard the crack of glass shattering as more of it was knocked inwards. At this point he could see Uraraka outside, holding a large rock which she promptly threw to the ground.
"It's clear enough, go!" she called, and disappeared from sight. Then Ashido was shoving him through the window head-first, almost throwing him out. Shouto had exactly one millisecond of "oh crap, I'm going to fall" before he felt a slap on his head and suddenly hovered in place. He had two milliseconds to look at Uraraka and register that she was standing on a thin ledge outside the windows before Ashido pushed him again.
Shouto was sent gently careening towards the ground as Ashido jumped out the window behind him, Uraraka slapping her as she passed. The two girls locked hands and let Uraraka's weight drag them down to the ground, while the force of Ashido's shove allowed Shouto to also descend. He reoriented himself so he was feet-first, which was good because Uraraka released her Quirk before any of them reached the ground, making them all drop.
As soon as their feet landed Ashido grabbed his arm again and they were running, fleeing from the building. "Move before they get out of those sticky bombs!" she barked, and Shouto nodded briskly as he picked up his pace. He twisted his head to look back at the building, catching a brief glance of Dabi watching them from the window with pink stuck in his hair.
Then they turned the corner, and he was gone from sight.
Notes:
And so, a grand escape occurs! The first half of this chapter is actually the original draft to Chapter 100. Dabi would've shown up at Aiko's apartment building in Chapter 99, and THAT chase would have ended with Izuku and Uraraka yelling for them to stop because they were damaging the building and *might* piss off Aiko. I am so happy I could use what I wrote for it, I love the way it opens~
Remember the art contest? The prize included giving me one sentence I'd have to incorporate into Ignite somehow. One of the winners, MooseMuse, requested this sentence: "We're dating." I INSTANTLY thought of this scene with Ashido and Todoroki, and I love how it turned out. It's a GREAT way to buy time for Uraraka to get in place for the escape route.
All that said, I expect some people will be upset that the reunion ended like this, and the Todoroki relationship seems on track to return to the status quo. I'll assure you now, it's not. Just because Shouto escaped doesn't mean the reunion's COMPLETELY over. Next chapter is a direct continuation of this one (and also an explanation of how the escape came to fruition).
Question for next time: What excuses would you use for the "didn't ever call him" thing?
Chapter 110: A Perfect Storm of Coincidences
Summary:
The kids get new disguises, and Ashido shows off her skills. Meanwhile, Dabi is PISSED.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 110
.::A Perfect Storm of Coincidences::.
~Ten minutes earlier, Kamino.~
Miles and miles away from Nagoya, Anjou Ran suddenly felt a jolt that had her sitting up in her seat. Kirameki and the others at the cafeteria table didn't notice the change in posture, too busy groaning about the exams they'd just taken. By this point everyone expected Ran to be on her phone at lunch and barely participating in conversations, particularly when ignoring their whining, so they didn't notice her sudden movement.
Ran silently switched from the note app on her phone with notes for the next exam to the app that Kuroe had designed for her Quirk. Neural Networking had a weak ability to transmit the information she received, and Kuroe had managed to somehow program an app that could read those weak signals to display the information in detail. Ran didn't understand the full mechanics, but she didn't need to. The fact it worked was enough.
Her eyes narrowed as she pulled up a side menu, scrolling through a list of names with colored dots until she found a light blue one labeled "Yuki." A quick tap had the map radically change, shifting from her current location all the way to Nagoya. She glanced at the dot for only a moment before looking at the text displayed below the map.
One benefit of Kuroe's app: it could display certain information more clearly than she could detect with her own Quirk. This didn't just include the location, but also people's physical conditions.
And just now, Todoroki had taken a strong hit to the torso.
It was shown by a dimmed human silhouette, a red glow illuminating the torso. When Ran focused on their connection right now she could feel a distant, dull pain in her stomach, making her frown deepen. A heavy punch for sure, and what had triggered her Quirk to alert her. Bad injuries tended to alert her to some degree, and she'd been keeping their connection near the forefront of her mind after hearing about him going solo with the tracker.
She set the phone down beside her lunch, closing her eyes as she swapped their sense of hearing. Her classmates' inane chatter was replaced by a sudden near-silence, the background voices of the lunchroom gone in an instant.
"—carrying him," someone was saying. "Especially since I don't like doing that stupid princess carry. If I have to pick him up, he's riding on my shoulder."
"Right, I guess that would hurt after punching him in the gut like that. Which I still don't really approve of by the way."
"Yeah, yeah, 'don't hurt people anymore than absolutely necessary.' Save the hero platitudes for later, Birdbrain."
"I have a name, Dabi."
"Don't really care. Anyways, let's just find an office or something so we can have a nice, long chat, Shou—"
Ran broke the connection there, the din of the cafeteria returning with the scratchy tones of Kuwata whining about his pencil breaking. "Dude, if you need a pencil that bad, I've got like five spares," she piped up, cutting off his rant.
"Anjou, you know he's just trying to weasel out of a test," another classmate, Darume, snorted.
"Do you really think the teachers would buy that your pencil's broken and let you off from exams?" Ran retorted, never tearing her eyes from her phone as she snapped a screenshot before switching to the FacePage app. She'd heard all she needed from Todoroki's end. From that snippet of conversation, she was able to deduce several things:
1. Todoroki had definitely been beaten up, but was well enough to walk on his own two feet.
2. He'd been accosted by Dabi, his estranged older brother. So probably not at risk of death.
3. The other person was probably Hawks, because there were not many heroes likely to be called "Birdbrain."
In short: this was a near worst-case scenario, and she had ten minutes left in lunch to try to sort this mess out.
Luckily for them though, there happened to be two dots surprisingly close to Todoroki's location. And in a perfect bit of timing, a new message arrived from Ashido. Ran quickly tapped the pop-up notification to open it.
'Hey, can you tell us Yuki's location at all? We don't think he took enough money for the return trip, and he's not answering our messages. And we already came all the way here, so yeah.'
Ran's fingers flew across the screen as she jotted a reply, attaching the screenshot she'd just taken. 'Here. Heads up, he just got found by his brother and Hawks and they're about to start questioning him. Good luck getting him out. Gotta study for exams, later.'
It didn't take long for the other two girls to both reply with alarm and confusion, but Ran exited out of the messenger to open her notes again. Urgent as the situation was, she still had a history final after this, and that had always been her weakest subject. They could handle it fine, probably.
After all, while Ashido wasn't the best at strategizing, she was a natural at winging things on the fly.
"We got so lucky," Mina groaned, sagging tiredly. "I can't believe that actually worked."
"Less talking, more changing!" Uraraka snapped, shoving an armful of clothes at the other girl. It was a mismatched jumble that made her nose wrinkle in distaste, but Mina's complaint died on her tongue as the other girl hissed, "Hurry!" Uraraka shoved another armful of clothes at a dazed-looking Todoroki, ordering, "And you too!" Mina scowled but did as told, turning to stalk into the changing room.
Exactly five minutes had elapsed since their grand escape, and they had immediately gone to a thrift store. Uraraka had scoped it out even before An-chan texted them, apparently always on the hunt for a good place to buy cheap emergency disguise components. Which turned out to be useful since they now apparently needed entirely new outfits, because they had no idea how long it would take Hawks and Dabi to get out of the room.
Seriously, it was so lucky that Jirou had told Mina about the smoke and sticky bombs. She'd been in Kaminari's apartment, just about to pick up the key fob, when the other girl sent one last message saying to check the second drawer down to the left of the kitchen sink. That had been where Mina found several silver and pink orbs.
'The silver ones are smoke bombs, and the pink ones are sticky bombs,' Jirou texted. 'They explode into sticky pink goo. Might be useful for the escape or something else, so take a couple. Inventor says she's got new and improved ones anyway.'
Mina was so glad she'd taken some. They had been useful for an escape, but not the one any of them expected. They still had one of each type left, stashed away in Uraraka's bag. They'd left the bag outside in an alleyway so Dabi and Hawks had never seen it, so thankfully they wouldn't need to replace that.
As she put on her new clothes, Mina wrinkled her nose at her reflection. They really didn't match at all, a bright blue top and an eye-searing orange skirt with a hideous green zigzag pattern. She knew they didn't have much time though, so she pulled on the new coat that Uraraka had grabbed.
"I have a problem," Todoroki called from the neighboring changing room just as she stepped outside.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I can't remove my shirt, or put one on." Mina frowned, remembering the handcuffs. Right, those were still there. They'd covered it up by putting Uraraka's bulky unicorn coat over him and zipping it up (though they'd obviously unzipped it before sending him into the fitting room). Uraraka had disappeared, probably to find clothes for herself, which left it to Mina to resolve this.
Her face twisted into a frown before making up her mind. "Right, got it. Open the door and let me in?" The door quickly opened and she scooted inside, closing it behind herself as she surveyed his outfit with a clinical expression. He'd at least changed his pants, but he still had on the same shirt and coat as before. "Okay, I'm gonna melt through your shirt and coat."
Todoroki blinked, clearly surprised. "Okay?" he said tentatively. "Are you sure it won't hurt me though?"
"I have really good control," Mina huffed, and some deep part of her resonated with that statement. She had come to sort of recognize the touch of her counterpart's subconscious feelings, and she knew this pride swelling in her chest wasn't just her own. "I think other me trained really hard with her Quirk. Maybe even harder than me! Just hold out your arms."
Todoroki's brows furrowed even as he held up his arms. "But... we're in the hero course. Aren't you just a civilian here?"
Mina frowned, ignoring the uncomfortable flutter in her stomach as she held her hands over his sleeves. Minuscule drops of acid began to seep from her fingertips, digging into the fabric and melting it. "Yeah, but I think... my Quirk is a little, different, here?" It came out hesitant, but once she said it she felt more sure.
"Different?" he repeated, and she nodded.
"Yeah. I haven't used my Quirk much since coming here, but... Well, you know how I fought that villain before running away? When I fought him, I noticed that my acid was... stronger, I guess. And thicker, too, but also, I could produce a lot of it way more easily than I could back home."
Her mind flashed back to the fight even as she spoke, to when she instinctively used Acid Veil. The motion had been instinctual, her movements not as smooth without the muscle memory she'd been steadily training in their home world, but... The resulting sheet of acid had been a little bigger and sturdier than the ones she'd produced in training so far.
And it wasn't just the strength: her control over the acidʼs properties was much more fine-tuned than back home. Even now, the small droplets melted through Todoroki's sleeves but dissipated before they could fully penetrate to his skin. From there she was able to grab the edges of the hole and tear through the fabric, ripping the coat's sleeve all the way to the shoulder. Todoroki blinked as she repeated the process with the other arm, and then did the same for the shirt underneath.
From there, a harsh jerk on the fabric had the sleeves completely ripping off, and she added a tiny drop of acid on his shoulders to weaken the fabric and rip those apart along the seam. Within thirty seconds the coat and shirt were falling down his waist, and she gave them a pull downwards like she would when removing skirts. Todoroki awkwardly lifted his legs to step out of them, still looking surprised that it worked.
And like that, she was now alone with a shirtless Todoroki. His face turned a little red, remembering his earlier thoughts about whether she had a crush on him.
Mina didn't notice though, already turning her attention to the shirt Uraraka had grabbed and pursing her lips. "Okay, I don't think it will help me with getting you into a shirt though," she admitted. "We might need to just put a coat on you and zip it up until we can go somewhere else and I can pick the lock." Because she was absolutely determined to use her new lock-picking skills.
"I don't think you can do that with these," Todoroki said with a frown. "These are stun cuffs police use for people with dangerous Quirks. I don't think you can pick them with just a bobby pin."
"...This is going to sound crazy, but I probably totally can break them," Mina said, almost sheepishly. "All I need is a plastic bottle." Todoroki shot her a dubious look, but she just turned and grabbed the coat Uraraka had picked out. It was fortunately a long one, so when she threw it over him and zipped it up it covered his hands without bulging too much. "If anyone asks, you have no arms."
"...I still have questions about the plastic bottle thing."
"It will honestly be quicker to show you, so later." Mina picked up the remains of his shirt and coat, bundling them up so it wouldn't be quite as obvious they were ripped up. As she did she felt something bump against her arm, and she reached into the coat's pockets to pull out both of his phones and the associated chargers. She stared for a second before turning to stuff them in Todoroki's new pockets, and then grabbed the hat Uraraka had grabbed to plop over his undyed roots.
By the time they emerged Uraraka was already waiting, having also changed into her own horrendously mismatched outfit. "Let's go!" she said, already rushing to the door, and the pair followed.
"Don't we need to pay?" Todoroki asked.
"Already did before I gave them to you," Uraraka replied.
"She is super fast at shopping sometimes," Mina added. "It's actually kinda scary." Mina had visited exactly one thrift store with the other girl back in their world, and it had left a strong impression on her. Uraraka had gone into an almost zen sort of state, tearing through the store like a tornado. She had managed to attain a full cart's worth of clothing in her sizes and rush it to the cash register in less than two minutes. It had been awe-inducing and terrifying to watch.
"When there's a sale, you need to move before everything's taken!" Uraraka declared. "Even if it turns out to be bad, you can just return it later!" They passed a public trash can on the sidewalk by the store's entrance, and Mina took the opportunity to dump Todoroki's shirt and coat inside. As she did she spied an empty rectangular water bottle inside, and while that was not where that belonged, she took the chance to snag it.
"Um, Ashido?" Todoroki asked. "Did you just...?"
"I said I need a plastic bottle," she huffed, already using her Quirk to melt through the plastic. She tore off a large chunk of the side, leaving her with a decently sized chunk as she tossed the rest into the recycling bin next to it. "Uraraka, do you have scissors in that bag?"
"Yeah, sure, but I'm gonna need to dig them up," the other girl said. "Let's go somewhere that isn't the middle of a sidewalk."
That was how they ended up in an alleyway behind a dumpster, Uraraka rifling through her backpack for the scissors. In the meantime Mina carefully put on her black wig, adjusting it with a frown. "Does it look alright?"
"A bit messy, but it works," Todoroki said with a shrug. Uraraka turned around with the scissors, which Mina took and quickly cut the plastic into a more narrow shape with straight edges.
"Uraraka, unzip his coat," she instructed, and as the other girl obliged she added, "Todoroki, hold out your hands." Todoroki did as told, still looking skeptical, and Mina leaned closer to inspect the cuffs. She bit her lip, using the back of her hand to push Todoroki's wrists upwards, and then her eyes locked on a small sliver in the center where a bridge overlapped where each wrist connected.
She carefully slid the plastic into the gap, and Todoroki's face went slack with shock when she jiggled it and it disengaged. "What?" he said flatly as she removed the cuffs, and then more emphatically, "What? How?" Even Uraraka looked stunned, and Mina could only shrug.
"Remember how I said I learned from Lee and Mail?" she asked. "Well, Mail said that these handcuffs actually have a super bad design flaw. I don't remember all the jargon he used, but it was something about the lock mechanism being... right there? I mean, the gap is super thin so most regular lockpicking tools won't fit inside, but plastic like this is just thin enough to fit. And obviously you'd need help, but still. It's a thing that works. He actually had us look up photos of these cuffs so he could point it out."
"Why would he tell you that?" Uraraka whispered, eyes wide. "How does he even know that?"
"He said his siblings found out while messing around. They find it kinda funny but also really bad, and they're hoping that if word about this gets out the police or whoever's in charge of these things will change it." She shrugged as she added, "He figured that it's way less dangerous if vigilantes manage to break out instead of, you know, actual villains. And now we have a case they can use to prove their point, I guess?"
She shrugged again, not really knowing what else to say. "If villains find out, these handcuffs will lose their effectiveness," Todoroki said grimly, and she could only nod, a heavy silence falling over the group.
They really had gotten so lucky. So many little details had aligned perfectly. From the fact she and Uraraka had already arrived at Nagoya, intending to give Todoroki money for a ticket to Odawara (and wow, twelve thousand yen was a lot), and had been close to the building when An-chan told them what happened. Then there was how just the day before, Jirou had told her about the smoke and sticky bombs. And before that, Mail just happened to reveal a key weakness in the very pair of handcuffs used on Todoroki.
Even the fact they could make that plan had been pretty reliant on luck. They had been able to hear Dabiʼs voice when they went to the second floor, letting them figure out which room they were in. It just happened to have a window, so Uraraka went outside while Mina went to the neighboring room and stuck her hat in that window so the other girl could see figure out where Todoroki was. And THEN the building happened to have a decorative ledge below the windows of the second floor—specifically the second floor, there weren't any on the third or fourth floors—that Uraraka could stand on. From there, Mina only needed to stall long enough for Uraraka to get up there and help them escape.
It was a perfect storm of coincidences, the universe aligning just right for everything to fall in their favor. If she was a little more superstitious, she would say they had used up all their good luck in the past half hour.
"...So, what do we do with the handcuffs now?" Uraraka finally asked.
"I have no idea," Mina replied. "Maybe use them on Mic-sensei so we can just, let him out of the cube? For good?"
"Midoriya might be able to use them," Todoroki mused, and Uraraka perked up.
"Yes! It might!" Her eyes gleamed with excitement, but then quickly dimmed, face twisting into a grumpy scowl.
"...You stopped after saying 'it might,'" Mina told her sheepishly.
"I know," Uraraka bit out, making Mina wince. The other girl's face fell a bit as she sighed, shoulders slumping. "Sorry Ashido, I didn't mean to snap. Just..."
"That Quirk is really annoying?" Mina supplied, and Uraraka nodded with a pout.
"It's just so frustrating! It doesn't even seem to be totally consistent, you know? I can't tell what will block entire sentences, and what just blocks a couple words like!" Her face darkened as she skipped another word, throwing up her arm and shouting, "I can't even give the first example I thought of!"
"Were you thinking of League or Nabu?" Todoroki asked curiously, pulling on a shirt now that his hands were free. Somehow, her expression became even more sour.
"I can't even." Her eyes narrowed, falling silent for several long seconds.
"Uraraka?" Mina pressed hesitantly, but the other girl held up a hand, looking deep in concentration.
"Remember when you guys tried to ask me yes or no questions?" she finally asked. "Back when I tried to read the letter?"
Mina frowned, thinking back to the failed letter reading and the following questioning session. "Oh," she said softly, remembering their attempts to ask simple yes or no questions. "You couldn't even nod or shake your head to what Todoroki just said, could you?"
The strangled growl Uraraka released seemed to be confirmation enough. That, or she was responding to her cell phone suddenly ringing. She quickly rifled through her coat pocket to withdraw it, glaring at the device sourly. "I'm guessing it's not Jirou or Kami or Mido or anyone else," Mina said with a grimace.
"It's Dabi," Uraraka confirmed flatly, making her wince. "Oh look, I can say his name. Yippee." The absolute lack of enthusiasm was very pointed.
Mina meanwhile was starting to freak out. "Why is he calling? We just left! Are they looking for us? How does he have your number?"
"He gave it to me when we met," Uraraka said, still sounding just done with the world. "He probably recognized my voice or saw me through the smoke bombs. And I did pretend to not know where Todoroki was last time I texted him, so..." She trailed off and shrugged, not really seeming to care. Beside them Todoroki frowned, eying the phone as it stopped ringing. "There, it's—"
The three teens jolted as the phone rang again. Uraraka's face looked like she sucked a lemon, taking a violent red tint. Before she could explode, Todoroki suddenly swiped the phone from her hand, and the two girls could only stare in shock as he accepted the call and raised it to his ear.
"Hello Touya."
Dabi was pissed.
He was covered in pink gunk, had probably inhaled a bunch of smoke, and was currently literally steaming mad. He'd finally found Shouto, he was literally right there, and the brat still managed to escape because his friends showed up. At this point he didn't know who he was angrier at: his idiot brat of a brother, his crazy girlfriends, or himself for letting himself get distracted by that stupid story.
He knew that pink girl wasn't actually dating Shouto. His brother, as pretty as his face might be, had the social graces of a blind-deaf baboon trying to fit in with a pack of wild wolf-dogs. In other words: the kid couldn't pick up on anything remotely romantic to save his life.
Yeah, that girl was a great liar, but she was not Shouto's girlfriend. Dabi just let them go on because it was entertaining; he could see the brat visibly wondering whether Pinkie actually had a crush on him. Also, it was a good opportunity to gauge how much she knew because the fact she knew Shouto's name was a red flag on its own. Easier to let them just ramble on and slip details before properly questioning them.
And because of that decision, the brat managed to slip right through his fingers.
"Guh, I don't know if a shower will be enough to clean this off," Hawks complained, feathers rippling under the pink gunk as he gave his wings some experimental twitches. "My feathers are all stuck together. I might need to just pluck them and throw them away."
Dabi grunted as the hero whined, pulling out his phone with the hand that wasn't covered in pink goo. He scowled as he jabbed the contacts icon to bring up his meager list. At the moment he only had five numbers actually saved: the stupid soon-to-be-dead brat, Birdbrain, Aiko, Kuroe, and the newest addition, Floaty.
Floaty, whose voice he was sure he'd heard, and he was sixty percent sure saw running away.
He took a deep breath through his nose before stabbing the call button and raising his phone to his ear. Don't shout at the runaway girl. You don't know for sure it's her, even if there's probably not many teenage girls who can somehow reach a second floor window and have Shouto's number because you shared it with them—
The phone stopped ringing, and he scowled as his mind instantly flashed back to the hundreds of calls to Shouto. He stabbed the call button again with a bit more force, expecting it to ring out again. Two rings later the call picked up though, and he instantly snapped, "Floaty, I swear if you're in Nagoya right now—"
"Hello Touya."
The voice he heard on the other end made him freeze, brain briefly grinding to a halt as his vision flickered red. "You!" he growled, face twisting into the most furious snarl. "Shouto, you damn, fucking, idiot brat—"
"Touya, I'm not talking to you until you calm down. So put down the phone and scream until you're ready to talk."
It took a good degree of self control to not slam his phone to the ground but instead throw it at Hawks, the hero fumbling to catch it while Dabi screamed. He let off an impressive volley of fire as he did, the blue flames rippling around him as he stomped and cursed. Was it the sort of tantrum a toddler would throw? Sure, but he didn't give a damn, he just needed to scream.
He let himself rage for about a full minute before stopping, taking a deep breath and spinning on his heel to face Hawks. The winged hero looked very taken aback as he held the phone, extending it as Dabi stomped over to swipe it out of his hand.
"I'm calmer now," he ground out. "Talk."
"I'm still not telling you what's going on." Of course not, the brat wouldn't have fucking run if he planned to talk. "But I'll make you a deal."
"A deal," Dabi repeated briskly, the words sharp and dry as they rolled off his tongue. "A deal. How gracious."
He had no idea what kind of deal Shouto would want to make. He couldn't think of anything the brat might want, like a toy or candy, so he figured it must be connected to whatever he was caught up in. Still, he wasn't prepared for his brain to short-circuit when Shouto spoke next.
"I'll tell you everything. But first, tell Aiko to lift whatever Quirk she put on Uraraka."
Notes:
I told you last time: the reunion wasn't completely over. I also said the relationship wouldn't go back to the original status quo.
The stun cuffs are actually canon and appear in Vigilantes! The weakness, however, is not canon. Credit for that goes to the Lock-picking Lawyer, who did a video about using plastic from an orange juice bottle to pick a lock like how Ashido did in this chapter. It's an unconventional method that most people wouldn't think to try, and since it's handcuffs you'd obviously need a partner to actually do it, so I think it's not the craziest idea for that weakness to exist!
(Also, Todoroki is still confused on whether Ashido has a crush on him or not. This might actually become a crackship at the end of Ignite. I don't think it'd last forever because most high school romances fizzle out, but still.)
No question for next time. I think that cliffhanger will give you plenty to speculate about~
Chapter 111: Brothers
Summary:
Shouto makes a deal with Dabi.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 111
.::Brothers::.
"I'll tell you everything. But first, tell Aiko to lift whatever Quirk she put on Uraraka."
Shouto spoke blunt as ever, seeing no point in dancing around the subject or trying to be coy or vague. Nearby Uraraka and Ashido stood frozen as they stared at Shouto, clearly in shock at his directness. He ignored their dumbfounded looks, focused on the phone call as he continued, "Once it's lifted, we'll tell you everything. I'll give you two days to get it done."
There was a moment of silence on the other end, but his own end wasn't nearly as quiet. "Todoroki, are you crazy?" Uraraka blurted, darting to his side with a frantic glare. "Don't! You're just putting yourself at risk!"
Shouto ignored her, hearing Dabi take a deep breath. "Shouto, what kind of Quirk are we talking about?" he asked warily.
"She made it so Uraraka can't talk about her. She can't say her name, talk about her, or even point to Nabu on a map."
"Todoroki!" Uraraka hissed, while Dabi fell silent as he mulled it over.
"...If she can't tell you, how do you know that woman's name?" he finally asked.
"That's part of the explanation," Shouto replied firmly. "Get Aiko to lift her Quirk, and don't mention that I asked you. Then we'll talk."
There was another long moment of silence, the girls holding their breaths as Shouto waited for an answer. "You're all together, right?" Dabi finally asked. "I could hear Floaty whining in the background. Put this on speaker phone."
"Touya, I said I'm not—"
"I'm not going to demand an explanation about what you're doing. But I have some questions about what's up with Floaty that I need answered before anything else, and you're not the best at explaining this shit either. I assume you're not in the middle of the sidewalk, so put it on speaker phone now, or go somewhere private and then do it." Shouto frowned, but before he could respond felt a tug on his sleeve, and glanced over to see Uraraka frowning at him.
"Do it," she said, her eyes filled with stony resolution. After a moment he nodded and put the phone on speaker, Ashido joining Uraraka to stand next to him.
"It's on speaker now," he informed his brother.
"Good." Dabi's voice sounded more clearly, not echoing through the alley but loud enough for the girls to hear as they crowded around the phone. "Now, you said Floaty can't talk about you-know-who or where she lives? And do me a favor and don't repeat those words," he added. "Because Birdbrain's still here trying to pull the muck off his wings, and I don't know how good his hearing is."
"You could just leave," they heard Hawks remark in the background.
"I would, except after I sat down I realized some of that stupid pink gunk got on my pants and I can't get up without ripping them." Dabi's voice dripped with barely suppressed irritation, no doubt trying to refrain from yelling as he continued a little too calmly, "So I am just going to ignore that until this phone call is over, because if I don't, I'll just get pissed off again, so. I'm ignoring that. Anyways, details. Now."
The last word held a note of authority that demanded an instant response. "She totally can't talk about any of it," Ashido said quickly. "This morning she couldn't even search up train tickets from Na—that city, to Nagoya because she can't even type the city's name!"
"She still can't point it out on a map," Shouto added helpfully, reiterating his earlier point.
"It's like my mouth just skips over the information," Uraraka groaned. "I can't even write stuff down or type it! My hand just doesn't even respond! And it even works with people I don't know, like Kaminari's!" Her expression darkened as she skipped yet another word.
"Who the hell is—know what, don't wanna know," Dabi grumbled under his breath. "But how does this person you just tried to mention connect to not talking about her?" The three teens exchanged silent looks, Uraraka cringing guiltily as they all realized she'd given away a bit more than they wanted. Before they could come up with a response, they heard Dabi sigh. "This is a gag order about the whole freaking Alliance, isn't it."
All three teens winced, already wary of how much they'd revealed.
Meanwhile on his end, Dabi bit back a frustrated sigh as he saw Hawks snap to attention at the word, stopping his fussing with his feathers to direct his full attention to the conversation. "Alliance?" he repeated sharply.
"Yep, the Villain Alliance," Dabi confirmed flatly, unknowingly making the teens wince yet again. This conversation had taken an unexpected turn, one he'd rather not have in front of a Pro Hero, but at this point, he knew it was a lost cause. No way Hawks would leave it alone after hearing that. "Know what, fuck it. This is gonna be a pain to discuss if we're trying to be vague."
He turned to face Hawks fully as he continued, "So you wanted to know my contact? Well, here you go, and I recommend you don't repeat most of this to anyone at the Commission or whoever you're reporting to if you value your life." He punctuated the last point with a vicious grin, all teeth and with enough edge to make the winged hero flinch back.
Back on the other end, his words sent a particular chill down the teens' spines even without seeing the accompanying grin. Uraraka bit back a whimper, clenching her fists as she stared at the phone intently.
"Is it really that dangerous?" Shouto asked warily.
"Oh, definitely," Dabi confirmed breezily. "Believe me, Aiko is not someone you want to piss off. She could've killed Endeavor with next to no problems if sheʼd felt like it." The casual comment had them jolting.
"Wait, is it even safe to talk about her and that sort of stuff?" Ashido blurted. "I mean, talking on phones isn't, like, the most secure thing, right? What if the government hacks it or something?"
"Real quick," Dabi said. "Floaty, you got the phone I'm calling from Aiko, right?" Uraraka flinched but didn't respond, biting her lip even harder as she gave a low whine.
"She can't respond to anything about her," Shouto reminded him. "Not even yes or no questions. But I'm pretty sure she did."
"Damn, this is one thorough Quirk," Dabi mused. "But as long as the phone's from Aiko, we're fine. That woman's a paranoid mess, no way she didn't mess with the phone to make it untraceable and all that shit. Especially if her own number is in there. Hell, I'm willing to bet her contact won't show up for you and Pinkie."
The remark had them frowning, and Ashido snatched the phone from Shouto's hand. He blinked as she opened the contact list without ending the call, something he didn't know was possible. "I don't see her name," she reported, and Uraraka startled, quickly grabbing it to look for herself.
"Wait, what? But—" She stopped short, eyes going wide, and wordlessly turned the phone to show them the screen. There at the bottom, under a heading simply labeled "#," was Aiko's name.
"Okay, what the heck?" Ashido blurted, swiping the phone back. "Her name definitely wasn't there before—it's gone!" Shouto looked over her shoulder at her incredulous cry, and sure enough, Aiko's name vanished.
"Yeah, she definitely messed with it then," Dabi snorted. "She did the same thing with my phone, it only shows up when I hold it. That's why you've never seen her number on mine. Makes it so that no one else can just steal someone's phone and track her that way."
"How does that even work though?" Shouto wondered with a frown.
"No idea. Anyways, back to the point, I think I get it," Dabi drawled. "So Floaty got Quirked by Aiko to keep her from talking about her or the Alliance. That's a new one for me, but sounds like something she'd do... Definitely seems annoying though." Uraraka snapped to attention at that, eyes wide.
"You know," she breathed, drawing closer to the phone. "I was Quirked by. You know, you know! Is?" Her face screwed up with frustration as she failed to vocalize pretty much anything, making Shouto and Ashido exchange confused frowns. Dabi seemed to get the gist of it though.
"Sorry kid, this is the first I heard of her having a Quirk like that," he said, which had the others jolting.
"Wait, it is?" Shouto asked. "Don't you two know each other though? What do you know about her Quirk?"
"That's a loaded question if I've ever heard one," Dabi snorted, and Uraraka inhaled sharply, eyes wide and frantic as she grabbed the phone and clutched it with a death grip.
"You know!" she cried. "You know! Please!" She looked ready to cry as she practically begged him, her face twisted with absolute desperation. Shouto and Ashido looked at her with alarm and concern, neither sure how to handle their friend's frantic pleas.
"What's going on?" Ashido asked, quickly stepping over to Urarakaʼs side. "What does he know? What's going on with Aiko's Quirk?"
"What's going on is she doesn't have just one Quirk," Dabi answered, and the world seemed to halt.
The keening sound Uraraka released echoed through the alleyway, the girl collapsing to her knees with overwhelming relief. "Thank you," she all but sobbed while Shouto and Ashido stared at the phone, faces slack with shock.
"She has multiple Quirks?" Ashido whispered, rapidly draining of color.
"Yeah, though I don't know the full specifics," Dabi said, disturbingly light and casual about something so utterly horrifying. "Didn't really feel like asking about the details, seemed like more trouble than it was worth. I just know she's got stuff that's definitely not part of whatever she had before."
The teenagers could only stare in shock as they processed this information. Multiple Quirks. Shouto's mind instantly went back to that day in Kamino ward, the way All For One's arms kept morphing and changing as he unleashed one power after another to throw at All Might. A chill washed down his spine as he quickly tried to push the memory away.
Next to him, Ashido was handling the revelation only slightly better. Her legs shook as she stared down at the ground, but she soon turned haunted eyes to Uraraka. "That's what you've been trying to tell us this whole time," she whispered. Uraraka just sobbed in response, her whole body shaking as she wrapped her arms around herself, and Shouto realized Ashido was right.
Suddenly, Uraraka's apprehensiveness about Aiko made infinitely more sense.
In the abandoned building Hawks was now staring at Dabi with an equal amount of disbelief, jaw hanging open. "Multiple Quirks?" he mouthed, and Dabi nodded, his expression serious as he glanced at the stunned hero.
"Yeah, there's a reason I keep saying not to mess with her," he said bluntly, speaking both to Hawks and his brother and friends. "I don't know what the hell the story is there, but even before she got all that, she was dangerous. Remember how I mentioned she could've killed dear old dad? She came up with this 'Endeavor kill formula' that doesn't just neutralize his fire if it gets injected, but can kill us. Specifically us," he added for emphasis. "I don't know the full details, but it's designed based on how the fire Quirks work in our family. And she was sixteen when she came up with it."
Hawks looked increasingly horrified as Dabi explained, jaw somehow managing to drop even further. "Why?" he managed to ask.
"Because she got pissed off after I apparently killed myself with my fire," Dabi responded casually. "From what I heard later, it took the reminder that being stuck in Tartarus would suck to get her to not go through with actually making and using it. She even offered to make it for me when I got back in contact with her, in case I wanted to go after him. Though of course, by that point the world had already gone to hell, but she'd already tried to give me poison to use on him for my thirteenth birthday, so..."
He shrugged while Hawks's eyes bulged with even more disbelief, losing what little color he had left. "She what?"
"Offered to give me an untraceable poison that I could slip into his dinner and off him for good. Just took me to the side to slip it to me discreetly while explaining what it was." The casual way she'd offered him the ominous vial, genuinely offering a tool to kill his father as a birthday gift, had been one of his major clues to how messed up she was. After all, no matter how much he'd complained about his father back then, there was a major step between preteen angst and murdering him.
He'd refused at the time, still a bit too soft as Touya to go through with patricide, but he often wondered how life would be if he'd accepted.
"She always said, 'you don't need a Quirk to kill,'" he said to sum it all up. "And I'm pretty sure she didn't strictly need chemistry to kill, either."
There was a deafening silence on both ends, the weight of his words settling in. Ashido had her hands over her mouth while Uraraka tried to stifle more sobs. Shouto felt numb as he stared at the phone, mind momentarily blank.
Aiko... was dangerous.
They'd known that already, had already marked her as one of the biggest threats to the escape. But this really hammered it in, more than anything else they'd heard. After all, for a teenager to be willing to murder the Number Two hero? And to offer the method to his own son no less?
"Why," he finally managed to ask, "why are you telling us this?"
"So you can understand how serious this shit is," Dabi replied bluntly. "Whatever you're planning, if you're going up against her—which I'm starting to think you are, given you want that Quirk gone—then you're playing a dangerous game. The only thing I can say for sure is that she won't kill kids, but I can't guarantee what she'll do instead. Using a silencing Quirk tracks with her personality though, especially since Floaty seems to be friends with that kid she likes."
They perked up at the reference to Midoriya. "Wait, I thought you didn't know Deku," Uraraka said with a frown.
"Yeah, well, I forgot until after you left," Dabi replied dismissively. "His name only came up like, three times when talking to her. But hold on, you can talk about him?" His voice took on a sharp note.
"It's so I can still talk to him," Uraraka replied tightly. "The only people I can name are him and Seiko."
"Seiko...? Wait. Do you mean the creepy shadow brat with the dead eyes?"
They perked up, surprised he actually knew the name. "Yeah, her. Though, that sounds kinda mean," Uraraka added with a frown. "She's just a little kid."
"Hold on, there's a kid with the Alliance?" Hawks piped up in the background, reminding them he was listening in too. "How old is she? Is she there willingly, or did they kidnap her?"
Dabi snorted. "I don't think she can be kidnapped. Aiko hates her guts anyway, tries to stay away from her and calls her a demon. And honestly, I can kinda see why. There's just something wrong with that thing. I can actually see Aiko excluding her from the Quirk or whatever so you can warn people about her."
That... was fairly unsettling, given how dangerous Aiko was. "But, she's a kid!" Uraraka protested. "I met her, and she didn't seem that bad? Sheʼs kinda creepy, sure, but how bad could she be?"
"Look kid, at this point, I have a pretty good sense for when people are bad news. And that brat? She sets off even more alarm bells than Aiko. Now, that might be because I know Aiko and know she actually likes me, but still. But we're getting off-track. Shouto, does that mean you're in contact with him too?" Dabiʼs voice took on a sharp note, and Shouto frowned, briefly weighing how to respond before deciding to just go all in.
"He's our friend," he declared firmly.
"...How did you even meet him?"
"I already said, we'll explain after you get Aiko to release her Quirk on Uraraka," Shouto said, and Dabi fell silent, the girls staring at him in shock.
"You're actually serious about this," his brother finally said. "Even after everything I just said. You realize how dangerous this is, right? Because even if she won't kill kids, she can still make your lives hell. Especially if whatever you're up to involves that kid."
Uraraka inhaled sharply, biting down on her lip, while Ashido seemed to hold her breath. "I know," Shouto said quietly. "When I explain, you'll understand why weʼre doing this. But until you get Aiko to lift that Quirk from Uraraka, I won't explain. We'll give you two days, but the sooner you can get her to lift it, the better. And I think you probably know you shouldn't mention that we asked you to make her lift it."
Dabi was silent once more, and Uraraka took the opportunity to speak up. "Do we really need to do that though?" she asked worriedly. "I mean it's really annoying for me, but—Dabi already said the thing I really needed to say! This is super dangerous!"
"Yeah, and isn't it super risky to tell him everything, too?" Ashido added in a hiss. "Last couple times we tried telling someone, it didn't really work out! And we're kinda at a critical point!"
"Touya deserves to know though," Shouto said firmly. "He needs to know. He's my brother." He emphasized the last word, meeting their gazes as he added, "I still have to stay with him after this." Understanding visibly dawned on the girls at long last, their eyes going wide and jaws dropping.
Shouto might not be the best with people, but he wasn't an idiot; he was one of the smartest students in their class, scoring fifth on the midterms. That intellect shone brightest when it came to tactics and strategizing, and after meeting Dabi, he realized there was a gaping hole in their plans following Midoriya's escape:
Everyone else could go home afterwards, but this world's Shouto lived with Dabi.
As it stood, the current plan was to reunite Aizawa and Mic, and then go with them to whoever they trusted so they could explain everything to the heroes all at once. Because while so far almost everyone doubted their story, if they could meet with Mailʼs siblings, they might actually stand a chance at convincing them. Then they could get help and hopefully get home, and their counterparts could return to their lives.
Except, this world's Shouto had different circumstances from the others. He ran away from home for a reason, and if he went with everyone else to get help from the heroes, his counterpart would be the one to live with the results. After everything was over, he would likely be stuck with the heroes instead of Dabi.
As soon as the thought crossed his mind he'd felt a surge of panic, a deeply embedded voice similar to his own whispering there would be no escape, not this time. He didn't know what his counterpart needed to escape from or what "this time" meant, but that heavy panic made it clear that it was serious.
And he could also feel a pang of longing as they spoke to Dabi over the phone.
As aggressive as Dabi had been in their encounter today, Shouto could still tell his brother didn't outright hate him. His eyes lacked that cruel, mocking gleam their world's Dabi seemed to possess back in the forest, even in his irritation—and his anger was just that, irritation.
Shouto had frozen him and then disappeared, completely ignoring his calls, and then when they finally reunited he tried to run again. It didn't take a genius to realize why that might irritate his older brother. More than that, Dabi had been worried. The fact he'd contacted Hawks was enough to make that clear, because Touya loathed working with anyone more than he had to. He hated indebting himself to others in any way. Shouto didnʼt know how he knew that, so it was clearly the subconscious influence of his counterpart.
To summarize it all, he had to tell Dabi the truth before the escape, or at the very least before Aizawa and Mic took them to the other pros. They needed to figure out how this would work for them, specifically.
And besides, something told him having Dabi on their side could be very helpful.
He heard an annoyed grumble from the phone followed by, "Fine. I absolutely hate this, but I know you well enough to know youʼll be dumb about this and wonʼt stop no matter what I say. Iʼm only doing this because this is the only way youʼll let me in the loop. But I swear Shouto, this explanation better explain everything."
"It will," Shouto promised. "We need to go now. Call us when you have everything on your end settled. Goodbye, Touya." With that he hung up, not giving his brother a chance to respond.
Deafening quiet immediately settled over the alley. For a moment the three teens stood in silence, just... processing the whole call. It was a lot to take in, and it was only really hitting him now what he had just set in motion.
They were going to tell Dabi the truth. It was necessary, but still a major deviation from their usual patterns. This would be the first true outsider they would bring into this. Even the runaways at least had some stakes because of Shouji's encounter with Porter and Shinsouʼs presence—and they were also familiar. They knew some of them from their own world, from their own class, unlike Dabi. Worse yet, Dabi knew Aiko. Telling him the full story would be possibly the riskiest gamble of all because he could pass it on to her afterwards.
At least if this worked, Uraraka would finally be able to speak freely. That should save them all some frustration.
Finally, Ashido broke the silence. "So, uh, should we try to get out of the city before they get out of the sticky bombs?" she asked sheepishly, and the other two looked at her blankly before they all ran for the train station. There was no point in that whole phone call if they just got immediately caught.
Meanwhile in the office building, Dabi glared at his now-dim phone for a long moment before opening his texts. He started a new one, sending it to the one contact he tried to avoid.
'We need to talk. I'm coming over tonight.'
There was no point wasting time. If this would get him some answers, he'd do it. Anything to keep his idiot brother safe.
Notes:
So originally, I was on the fence on whether to have the Dabi reunion because of the whole "I want to have some actual PROGRESS" thing, but then I realized something: they NEED to tell Dabi before the escape because Shouto still lives with him in this world. This chapter covers exactly why.
Also, they FINALLY know about Aiko having multiple Quirks, so hooray!
Bad news though: hiatus time again. Because you know how I like to have a buffer? Well, I officially don't have one. This chapter was finished on SATURDAY. Between rushing to get all of Smoke and Mirrors done before October ended (still need to post the epilogue), and the big Animal Crossing update (which has been HEAVEN for me), I fell REALLY behind on the draft. And on top of that, the new Pokémon games come out Friday. And I'm a lifelong Pokémon fan and pretty much guaranteed to get sucked into those, so...
I'm taking off the remainder of November to build the buffer.
I've said before, we're going into a critical time when every moment needs to be carefully arranged because of the escape. I'm going to focus on writing this week to build up the buffer as much as possible. I'll be back on December 6.
Question for next time: How do you think Dabi will convince Aiko to go through with lifting Taboo from Uraraka?
Chapter 112: Glowing with Satisfaction
Summary:
What better way to celebrate freedom from exams than chasing a weird glowing guy through a snowstorm?
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 112
.::Glowing with Satisfaction::.
Kegawame Okina considered herself a largely average woman, if a bit tall.
Okay, she wasn't just a bit tall. She actually had a giant heteromorph-type mutation that made her a little over ten feet, or three meters, tall. For perspective, as of 2021, the average ceiling height for houses is nine feet, or about 274 centimeters... on the first/ground floor. Second stories often have a standard height of eight feet, or 243 centimeters.
Also, that applies to 2021 US. In 2021 Japan, ceilings tend to be 240 centimeters. Which is under eight feet.
So, yeah. While the advent of Quirks had increased the average ceiling height to accommodate larger people, most still didn't account for a three meter woman. As she got older and thus taller, Okina had an increasingly hard time finding places she could actually comfortably fit inside. Which sucked in winter when looking for shelter from sudden snowstorms, like right now.
Her teeth chattered as she trudged down the street, passing four stores with doors far too short to consider entering. She could tell from a glance the interiors would be too short for her to stand without having to awkwardly bend over. Majorly uncomfortable, but it was becoming more tempting to put up with it anyway. The snowfall wasn't too heavy or blizzard-like, but it had been pretty sudden, and she hadn't bothered wearing a hat and her coat's hood didn't really fit over her fox ears. Most winter coats for giant heteromorph bodies didn't account for large, pointy ears like hers.
At times like these, she really hated her genes.
As she saw a series of lights ahead, she doubled down on that thought.
Colorful flashes lit up the sidewalk ahead as someone ran towards her, each step generating another burst of color that reflected off the still-falling snow to create a sort of rainbow haze effect. A pretty sight, but also one that did not normally occur and seemed to affect too large of an area to just be light-up shoes, which could only mean it was a Quirk. And a sight which took an even more ominous edge when she noticed two dark figures pursuing them through the rainbow haze.
Okina's eyes widened as she quickly jumped out of the way with a startled yelp, narrowly avoiding the runner. And as she did, her heel happened to slide back on a patch of still-powdery snow. Within an instant she found herself falling backwards, arms flailing in desperate circles in an attempt to regain her balance before she could fall. As her body tilted back she spotted a flash of approaching lights and metal, eyes bulging even wider as she turned her head to see a car.
She barely had time to process the fact she'd fall right into its path before four hands suddenly grabbed her own flailing arms, giving a harsh yank. Just like that her body jerked forward, the momentum of her fall completely reversing and causing her to topple forward instead. She heard a rush of wind behind her as the car zoomed past, feeling it ruffle her hair and blow up her hood in the process.
One of her saviors grunted as she staggered forward and half-fell onto them, their body ultimately bracing her own torso to stop her from fully falling. The pair of hands holding her left arm released just before that, and she felt them brush against her in passing. "I'm going ahead!" someone shouted, voice slightly distorted. She twisted her head just in time to see a hooded person running off, glimpsing 1-A emblazoned on the back of their coat.
The remaining one grunted and she quickly straightened, stepping back with a small squeak. The person who'd saved her still doubled over, looking a bit sore from supporting her, but even then she could tell they were around half her height. Okina instantly flew into a frantic frenzy, worried she might have partially crushed them. "Oh my gosh—I'm so sorry—are you okay—thank you?"
The words came out breathless and awkward, and the person groaned but gave her a thumbs up. Only then did she notice they wore some sort of mechanical-looking gauntlets on their hands, along with... a single glowing green shoe? They straightened from their hunch to reveal bulky winter goggles with bright orange lenses covering the top half of their face, along with a black fabric mask with a lightning bolt over their mouth.
For a second her brain went blank, because this was obviously not a random passerby. Villain? "Always happy to help, citizen!" the person said cheerfully. Okay, not a villain. "Sorry about that, we're trying to catch this guy who's been causing trouble. His Quirk is, uh..." He turned to the side, and Okina followed his gaze and startled upon noticing several patches of sidewalk totally void of snow.
And also, the spots were glowing.
"Oh," she said faintly. "That... looks probably bad."
"Yeah, uh, don't step on it," the... hero, said? "It'll basically turn into, like, quicksand under you? So you'll sink a bit. And then it kinda makes your leg, uh, glowy." They shook their foot for emphasis, the one that had the green glow. Okina just stared.
"Is, is that safe?"
"It... hasn't exploded yet? So, probably?"
"...That seems like a worrying metric."
"Yeah." They shrugged, awkwardly rubbing the back of their neck. "I think it's just basically kinda like stepping in mud. Doesn't do anything, probably, but sticks to you. The color's even faded, so, probably not dangerous! I hope," they added under their breath, before quickly hurrying on, "A-anyways! That was really close, sorry about that!"
"I-it's, okay?" Okina replied hesitantly, glancing back at the street. As she did, it suddenly hit her how close she'd come to falling right in front of that car. Her head probably wouldn't have landed in the tires' paths, but it still would've hurt to get hit. She shivered at the thought, and quickly turned back to give a quick nod and smile. "Really, it's okay! Thanks to you I'm fine."
"Glad to hear it!" they replied with another thumbs up. "Okay, gotta get back to chasing that guy. You might want to call the police or something to report it. Later!" They gave a quick salute before running off, Okina turning to watch them leave and glimpsing another 1-A on their back. As they disappeared into the snow, the last thing she could see was their glowing green shoe. She really hoped that wasn't radioactive or anything, for their sake.
The thought had her turning to eye the other glowing patches littering the sidewalk warily. They came in every color of the rainbow, not just toxic green.
...Okay, she now had even more motivation to go indoors. She turned and trudged into the nearest shop, ducking to squeeze through the doorway. She got a few odd looks from the few customers present, which made sense given the store was full of clothing for men of more normal proportions. She offered a sheepish smile as she closed the door.
"Um, sorry, a villain just ran by and left glowing spots on the sidewalk. So if anyone needs to leave, you should probably be careful." The customers and workers nodded in understanding, returning to their business, while Okina stepped to a corner out of the way to pull out her phone.
It didn't take long to call and report the man, the operator quickly recognizing the description of the Quirk and telling her it was a serial vandalizer. Luckily it seemed the Quirk really was harmless, just annoying, and would wear off in several minutes, much to her relief. With luck it would be gone by the time the snow stopped, and then she could go home safely.
"By the way, are there any new heroes with a 1-A on their backs?" she asked, hoping that would be a good enough identifier. Apparently it was, judging by the exasperated "again" the operator muttered under his breath. She was pretty sure she wasn't supposed to hear that.
"No, they're just vigilantes," he replied, and her ears perked up in surprise. "Don't worry about it, thanks for the report. I'll be sure to notify the appropriate parties."
"Okay, thank you," she said, and the call wrapped up. After that she decided to open her browser and search 'Hosu vigilantes,' just to see what would pop up. As she did, she didn't notice one customer abandon his perusal of a nearby clothing rack to saunter over until he spoke up.
"Hey, you saw the 1-A Vigilantes?" She startled at his voice and looked down to see a man with short dark brown hair and a curious expression.
"Oh, is that their name?" she asked. "I mean, they didn't say their names, but they had 1-A on their coats, so... I think so."
"Oh, cool! Which way did they go?" Surprised at the question, she glanced at the door and pointed.
"Um, that way I guess. But they're chasing a villain, and the ground is all glowy, so—"
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," the man replied with an easy smile. "If it's the guy I'm thinking of, I've seen his stuff around before and know the drill. I'm just curious to see them in action is all. Thanks for the tip!" He nodded at her and walked out, leaving Okina a little flustered. Well, at least she had a name to search now, which she promptly plugged into a search on her phone.
Meanwhile outside, the man glanced at the glowing patches of concrete on the snowy sidewalk, making him give a low whistle. They were spaced widely apart, so they didn't cover the whole sidewalk, but still made it a hassle to navigate.
"Kudos to them for chasing him through that," he said to himself, stretching his arms above his head before dropping to all fours. A quick kick had him zooming off the sidewalk and onto the nearest wall, bypassing the glowing minefield to zip along the storefronts instead. He doubted he'd catch up before they beat the villain, but it'd be worth seeing if he could catch up at all.
"Oh sweet warmth and dryness, I missed you," Denki moaned as he and Jirou trudged into Hatsume's warehouse, their patrol done for the day. They had gone out almost immediately after school ended, deciding to celebrate their freedom from the brutal exams with some sweet vigilante action. It had been invigorating and exciting, just the change of pace they needed.
And it had also been very wet.
The snow had made things a bit trickier. Especially once they ran into that guy with the glowing step Quirk. The first time Denki accidentally stepped onto one of the patches and sank down had made him fall forwards, only saved from a face-full of concrete by throwing his arm out. The second and third times hadn't been much more pleasant, either.
Thank goodness Hatsume had given them new boots. She had babbled something about them being "anti-slip" with an explanation that flew over his head as usual, but they did exactly as she claimed. He didn't want to imagine how much worse it would have been without them. At one point his right foot had been tinted blue and pink after sinking into two glowing patches. At least the colors didn't seem to actually do anything, and had long since faded.
Which was good, because Hatsume immediately confronted them the second they pulled them off. "How did they do? Were my babies excellent?"
"Yeah, they worked great!" Denki said with a grin. "I never slipped on any ice or snow!"
"You kept falling into those pits though," Jirou snickered, and he scowled.
"Come on, you fell into some too!"
"Yeah, but not as much as you. By the way, you might want to check on the boots," she added to Hatsume. "The guy we were chasing had some Quirk that made the ground glow and sink down if you stepped on it. And the colors would kinda... cling to your foot, I guess?" She shrugged, twirling her earphone jack awkwardly. "The glow's already faded, and it didn't seem to have any visible effects, but better safe than sorry."
"Got it!" Hatsume said, gathering up the boots and rushing to her workbench without another word. Denki was surprised she left so fast; usually she'd demand a full report on all the other gear they'd used. She must be worried about the Quirk's effects on them.
"Well, I guess we don't need to do the report," he said awkwardly, and Jirou nodded.
"Yeah, guess not." They shrugged, and finished stripping out of their costumes before Denki headed over to the couch to flop down. As great as it was to run around on patrols and take down bad guys, they could also get pretty exhausting. He sprawled along the cushions, stretching his limbs and twisting his torso as he got comfortable.
"Move over Kaminari, I need to sit too," Jirou huffed. He sighed but sat up, frowning as she plopped onto the cushions next to him.
"Hey, I've been thinking," he said. "We've been through a lot together lately, right? So I think we're pretty close now compared to before."
Jirou hummed, glancing at him curiously. "Yeah, we are," she agreed. "Why?"
"Then why do we keep using our surnames?" Denki asked. "At this point after everything we've gone through, I feel like we're definitely on a first name basis. And I mean that with all the others, too," he added. "We all woke up here in another world, and we've been through all kinds of crazy stuff since then. If going through all this isn't enough to make us close enough for a first name basis, then I don't know what is."
He'd been thinking about it for a while now. They had all been through so much since waking up here, and even though they hadn't all been able to meet in person much, they were still going through it together. Even after they finally got home and this all became a distant memory, he didn't think they'd drift apart. Their relationships had changed forever after going through this nightmare of a situation, connecting them in a way that nothing else could.
Jirou pursed her lips as she thought it over, but then nodded. "I think you're right. And at least Denki is less of a mouthful." Denki lit up, beaming at the casual use of his name as she continued, "It'll take a while to get used to, but sure. I'm down for it."
"Sweet! Glad to hear it Ji—uh, Kyouka," he corrected himself mid-syllable, and she snorted.
"Didn't take long to mess that up, huh?" she teased, and he pouted.
"Hey, you just said it'd take a while to get used to it too!"
"Yeah, but you're the one who suggested it. I didn't expect you to flub it immediately." Jir—Kyouka snickered, and Denki scowled before she continued, "It's cool though. It's a weird change, so like I said, it'll take a while to get used to. Not the end of the world if we mess up for a while." Denki sighed and nodded, grabbing his phone off the table next to the couch.
"I'm gonna see what the others think," he said as he unlocked it and opened the group chat. His plans quickly derailed though as he saw a whole flood of messages in the group chat. While he'd expected some messages after not checking it since lunch—he hadn't even looked after school since they'd been so eager to patrol—it wasn't usually that active. "Hey Jirou, I think something happened."
His friend instantly grew serious, grabbing her own phone to check the chat while Denki began reading.
1-A_Dancing_Queen: So uh, we found out what Space has been trying to tell us about you know who
1-A_Dancing_Queen: And we can't say it online because of that security stuff Nettmegg talked about but
1-A_Dancing_Queen: It's bad
1-A_Dancing_Queen: REALLY bad
halfnhalfpeppermint: Her paranoia was justified
halfnhalfpeppermint: Space, I mean.
halfnhalfpeppermint: And I guess Nettmegg too
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Yeah, they're both right
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Deku, you gotta be SUPER careful with her
1-A_Dancing_Queen: I mean you probably already were, but MORE careful
deku_breaks_bones: What?
deku_breaks_bones: Guys that's really ominous and worrying, I think I need more details
deku_breaks_bones: Wait, does that mean Space can talk now?
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: No ;_;
1-A_Dancing_Queen: No
1-A_Dancing_Queen: we uh heard about it from Peppermint's brother
deku_breaks_bones: Wait, WHAT?
deku_breaks_bones: HOW WHAT
halfnhalfpeppermint: I got unlucky and ran into him at Nagoya
deku_breaks_bones: WHAT
halfnhalfpeppermint: and also the number two hero from home
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: As in the guy who called Yuki about his brother before I could
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Apparently he's stationed in Nagoya, and Yuki's brother visited to ask for help again
deku_breaks_bones: I
deku_breaks_bones: I have so many questions
1-A_Dancing_Queen: We had to pull off a crazy rescue!
1-A_Dancing_Queen: We got so insanely lucky, and I can't even talk about it on here because it's all so dangerous to mention
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: We're on the train now though so we're good. We got away
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Music, thank you so much for the smoke and sticky bombs
1-A_Dancing_Queen: We couldn't have gotten away without them!
deku_breaks_bones: so
deku_breaks_bones: many
deku_breaks_bones: questions
halfnhalfpeppermint: On the bright side, he's now going to get her to release the Quirk on Space
deku_breaks_bones: Wait he is?!
deku_breaks_bones: How? Just, how did you convince him, how will he do it, how ANYTHING
halfnhalfpeppermint: But we also need to tell him everything before we make the big move
deku_breaks_bones: WHAT
deku_breaks_bones: WHY?
deku_breaks_bones: Didn't we agree it's too risky to tell anyone!? What if he tells her about that too!?
halfnhalfpeppermint: I know it's dangerous. But he's my brother, and we live together
halfnhalfpeppermint: And I can't leave him to go to the heroes. That would be unfair to the other me
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: I agree with him
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: They had this big phone call about it, and Yuki just really hit home with that
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Yeah
1-A_Dancing_Queen: I remembered back when we first met up again, and he gave this big speech about he couldn't go to the pros and must've run away for a reason
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Back then I thought it was just because he didn't know the thing about his dad, because he kept talking about him specifically
1-A_Dancing_Queen: But after today, I kinda wonder if that might have been some of the other Yuki bleeding through?
halfnhalfpeppermint: ...it might have been
halfnhalfpeppermint: Now that you mention it, I felt the same kind of panic today that I felt back then
halfnhalfpeppermint: Like once I go to the pros, I won't be able to get away this time
halfnhalfpeppermint: So I know the other me doesn't want to do that
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: O_O
1-A_Dancing_Queen: ...Okay so you didn't mention THAT part to us before, but that totally just proves our point even more
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Agreed
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: We DEFINITELY have to tell him, for this world's Yuki
deku_breaks_bones: ...okay now I feel kinda bad for myself, because I obviously can't go back either after this
deku_breaks_bones: But I also... kinda don't?
deku_breaks_bones: Like, it's weird. I don't feel any serious guilt or anything BIG when I think about leaving
deku_breaks_bones: Like, I think I feel a little sad and guilty, but that's MY feelings, not other me?
deku_breaks_bones: I... Might even feel approval?
deku_breaks_bones: Maybe?
deku_breaks_bones: Or maybe I'm just imagining it
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Oof
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Sounds complicated
deku_breaks_bones: Yeah.
deku_breaks_bones: I guess I'll have to think on it some more
deku_breaks_bones: I think I'm gonna go do that now
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: OK. Let's stop here so the others can read and catch up
deku_breaks_bones: Yeah
"Damn, that's a lot to take in," Jirou muttered, finishing reading before Denki. He could only nod as he finished it, not sure where to even start.
"So uh, guess Dabi is gonna be let in on it, huh?" he said awkwardly. "And Aiko is... Even more dangerous than we already thought." Which was saying something, given all the warnings and the fact she terrified Aizawa-sensei.
"Really wish they could just say why," Jirou said, and grimaced before adding, "But I totally get why they don't want to take any risks. Especially after Yaomomo." Denki grimaced at the memory too. The fact someone actually did eavesdrop on them once had pretty much proven Anjou's paranoia to be fully justified.
"This really makes me worried about that Aiko lady. I wish we had, like, a picture or something, so we could know to avoid her." They only had descriptions to go on—wait. "Uh, hold on. What does she look like again?"
Jirou froze, eyes growing wide with horror. "Shit," she cursed. "I don't think Midoriya ever described her."
There was a moment of silence as they digested that. They had no idea what Aiko looked like. So if they ran into her, they would have no way of knowing it unless she gave them her name. That made this infinitely more complicated, especially for them as vigilantes.
Denki shuddered and pushed the thought out of his head, focusing on his phone instead as a notification appeared. "Oh hey, I got an email!" he announced. Jirou snorted at the very obvious attempt to change the topic.
"What a coincidence, I did too," she remarked dryly, but then frowned as she squinted at her phone. "Hold on. The sender is blank." Denki frowned, eyes reflexively flitting to the email on his own screen.
"Mine too," he realized. The subject line was there—To Kaminari Denki—but the next line, which should have the sender's name, was blank. Instead it went right to the preview of the email showing the first line of the message. And the line made him suddenly chilly, instantly opening the email.
'To The Esteemed 1-A Vigilantes,
Apologies for the sudden email and lack of formal introductions, we're just rather excited. You seem to be quite similar to us in terms of online presence, and we're looking forward to some variety from the usual run of heroes, security and other official legal authorities.
As such, we are writing to inform you that we will be performing a heist tomorrow. We will strike Mitsuru Corporation at 2:30 in the afternoon. We hope that will suit your schedule fine, since our research indicates you should be free. Apologies for the short notice. This likely goes without saying, but please refrain from informing anyone else.
We look forward to a spectacular encounter and performance!
Sincerely,
Gentle Criminal & Associates'
For a moment they just stared, dumbfounded by what they read. "Jirou," Denki said faintly. "Did you just get an email from Gentle Criminal?"
"Yeah, I did," Jirou confirmed tightly. "To my personal email."
"Me too."
For once, Denki didn't need her to explain how bad that was. Their identities had been compromised.
Suddenly, their showdown with Gentle Criminal had become even more important.
Meanwhile outside the warehouse, Haimawari Koichi casually sat on a rooftop across the street, cheek propped in his hand while he looked at it. "Huh," he said softly. He'd managed to catch up to them right after they subdued the glowing-spot guy, and ended up following them to here. He should probably report this, right?
He paused, thinking it over, and then shrugged. Nah, he wanted to talk to them first. After all, he knew where to find them now.
Notes:
Fun fact: Kegawame Okina is the nameless giant blue furry woman from the manga that Izuku saves, and I am very proud of the name I came up with. The "me" come from woman. "Kegawa" is "furry". "Okina" apparently means huge and sounds like a name so yes.
The characters will switch to first-names gradually. It's so weird to write a given name outside their POV though. But more importantly: we're FINALLY getting to the Gentle Criminal confrontation! Woo!
Also, I can't make any promises about a chapter next week. During my hiatus, I played a lot of Animal Crossing and Pokémon (and I LOVE the DP remakes, they're actually challenging again)... and then got sucked back into the Naruto fandom and went on a giant fic binge for a full week. So the result: I have next chapter only partially written. I finished this one on, like, Friday or Saturday.
So, yeah. I've got a good chunk of the next one written, and already know how to start the one after that, but no promises. Might need to take another week.
Question for next time: What are some background characters that stood out to you in canon?
Chapter 113: Subconscious Priorities
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 113
.::Subconscious Priorities::.
As usual, Izuku had a lot to think about. And of course, he had no idea where to even begin after the whole conversation on FacePage. When he checked the chat after lunch he'd expected a brief conversation and check-in, not all... that. An encounter with Dabi and Hawks, a deal to tell Dabi in exchanged for getting Aiko to lift her Quirk on Uraraka—and an extra warning about Aiko that couldn't be relayed online?
Yeah, he had a lot to think about. But instead of any of the more urgent facts and questions, his thoughts kept straying to his counterpart, and how he'd feel about leaving. Because unlike Todoroki, his counterpart had given very few subconscious hints about how he felt about leaving behind everything he knew.
After spending an hour staring at the ceiling pondering other-Izuku's feelings, he decided it would be best to talk to someone. Preferably someone who actually knew the other Izuku. And given the circumstances, he had only one option.
"It's just, I still have this huge gap in my memories," he said with a frown. "I know it's still me, but it feels like I'm a totally different person. So, what if I regret it when I get the memories back?"
Toga hummed, swinging her legs as she sat on her bed. "That's tough," she finally decided, and Izuku slumped in the pink desk chair with a groan.
They sat in her bedroom, having gone there for privacy since the weather was too cold for a long conversation on the roof. He already regretted this purely because he was in a girl's room. A very dangerous girl, going by the knives hanging on the wall between idol posters and stuffed animals on her shelves. One of the stuffed animals even had a plushie knife. It was a bit jarring to see the mixture of cute stuff and, well, knives, and reminded him she might not be the best choice for a serious talk like this.
Still, Toga was the only one who knew about the plan to run away and his supposed episode, making her the only option to go to about his dilemma. Even if he couldn't tell her all the details, the episode provided a similar enough story to explain his concerns. While she wouldn't be his first choice, she was all he had when it came to other-Izuku's feelings.
He sighed as he sat up, looking at her almost pleadingly. "You know me," he said. "What I'm like outside of episodes. What do you think I would feel about running away?" Because unlike Todoroki, his counterpart's subconscious wasn't too keen on giving him any hints.
Toga pursed her lips as she thought it over, idly twirling a knife (and where did that come from, that wasn't there a minute ago!). She flipped it into the air and caught it by the handle, nodding to herself as she seemed to make up her mind. "I'm not really sure," she admitted. "We talked a lot, but not about that kinda thing. But I think you'd be okay with it, because you were really worried about Jackie and Tsuki-chan. And you'd totally be worried about Eraserhead-san too."
Well, at least his counterpart seemed to understand the situation was messed up. "That's not the same as me being okay with leaving, though," he pointed out. "I could probably help them escape, but just... not go, you know? What if that's what I'd prefer after getting my memories back?"
"Does it really matter?" Toga asked curiously, catching him off guard. "I mean, you're still going to go anyway, right?"
Izuku stared at her for a moment before slumping in defeat. "Yeah, I am," he confirmed reluctantly. He had to go if he wanted to get home. Being stuck with the Alliance limited him too much, he couldn't go anywhere without telling someone—hell, he still hadn't used the front door! Kurogiri warped him out of the base every time! Even if the others weren't held prisoner, staying here was just too overall inconvenient.
It didn't remove the guilt from the thought of displacing his counterpart's life though.
"How did I even end up here?" he murmured. "Last I remember, I was just a totally normal kid. No connection to villains at all." No matter how he thought about it, it really didn't make sense. As far as he could glean from the letter, he'd been living with the Bakugous and ran away because he felt like a burden. And then, he was just... here. Living as Shigaraki's brother.
The question was meant to be rhetorical, so he didn't expect Toga to actually respond. "I don't know the full story, but I could tell you what I do know?" she offered, and Izuku sat ramrod straight as he gaped at her.
"Wait, you know some of it?"
"Yeah, a little bit. We didn't talk about it that much, but I picked up some stuff here and there."
"Please tell me." At this point he was dying with curiosity. Any information would be better than none.
"So I know from Aiko-nee you were eight," she started. "She told me that when she first invited me. And she said you chose to be here."
She emphasized the word, making Izuku's eyebrows furrow. He recalled their rooftop conversation, the heavy implication that Toga had been kidnapped as a kid and forced into villainy until Aiko showed up. It was why she was willing to help out with the escape: she chose to be at the Alliance, but Bakugou and Shinsou didn't. So the emphasis carried heavy meaning, at least for her.
"I... kinda figured that much," he said hesitantly. "I mean, I ran away as a kid, right? Because... I felt like a burden." He dipped his head with a miserable frown, his hands falling limply into his lap as a wave of guilt washed over him. "I didn't like that I was causing trouble for Kacchan's family. They didn't ask for me to get orphaned, and they only took me in as a favor to my mom. I was just a useless Deku, so... I decided to run away, so they wouldn't have to deal with me anymore."
In retrospect he was probably wrong, but at the time it felt so heavy. It was hard to think clearly when you were a grieving child who'd grown up mocked for being Quirkless and useless, and just lost your parents.
"I guess you remember that part at least," Toga commented, startling Izuku out of his thoughts.
"H-huh? No, I—" He stopped short, realizing she wasn't entirely wrong. Those feelings just then were far too personal to just be his own thoughts. Seemed like some of his counterpart's thoughts and memories could bleed through after all. And of course only when it's about feeling useless. "I... don't remember exactly what happened, but I remember the feelings, I guess."
He shrugged listlessly, hoping she'd drop it. Toga seemed to be curious, but mercifully didn't push. "Okay then. Anyways, I also know you weren't brought in by Tomu."
That had Izuku snapping out of his funk. "I wasn't?" He already knew that—he vaguely recalled the letter mentioned it—but it was good to get more confirmation.
"Nope!" Toga grinned as she leaned forward and added, "In fact, I hear he used to hate you when you first arrived!"
Izuku stared in shock, finding the information surprisingly hard to process. Surprising, given his own initial disbelief at the notion of them being close. After dealing with his Shigaraki, he'd been dumbfounded he could have a good relationship with him in any universe.
But in this world, it had quickly become clear that this Shigaraki adored his counterpart. The guy wasn't the best at showing it, but it was clear from his awkward bonding attempts and repeated gifts of prisoners that he cared deeply for Izuku. After all, as disturbing as it was to have friends and his teacher kidnapped, it took a lot of effort to kidnap someone and make arrangements to keep them prisoner—
...Okay, there was something profoundly wrong with the fact he considered the effort into kidnapping someone to be a sign of caring. But logically, it was. Killing someone was easy. Kidnapping them, locking them up, restricting their Quirks so they couldn't use them to escape or harm someone, providing resources for meals and other care, and forbidding other villains from attacking? That was a lot of effort.
Even when taking Tomura's twisted logic into account, he wouldn't go through all that trouble unless he really cared for the recipient.
...Izuku decided to just stop thinking about that for now because this was still very disturbing. "We're so close, I really can't imagine us not getting along," he admitted. "To me, he's just Tomura-nii. Even without all my memories." And surprisingly it was true. He didn't feel any fear towards Shigaraki in this world anymore—if anything, he felt oddly fond of the man.
"Yeah, it really surprised me too when I heard it," Toga agreed with a shrug. "But you told me so yourself. You said it was way before the Alliance was a thing, back when it was just you, Tomu, Giri and Aiko."
The last name got Izuku's attention. "Hold on, Aiko lived with us too?" He knew she was connected to the Alliance beyond work given their closeness, but he still didn't expect to hear the relationship was like that.
Toga bobbed her head. "Yeah. From what I hear she moved out after the Alliance started to become a thing, but before that the four of you were moving around a bunch of places Afo owned!"
It took a second to realize who "Afo" was. "Are, are you talking about All For One?" Izuku asked incredulously. Who actually pronounced the initials like a name?
"I dunno, that's just what Aiko-nee said." Aiko. That's who, apparently. "She said he was a crusty mean old man who died a miserable painful death he totally deserved, if that helps?"
...Holy crap, Aiko, what the hell!? "Yeah, that's probably him," Izuku replied faintly. Two hundred years was pretty old after all, and he was definitely mean. The "miserable painful death" was new information though, and felt disturbingly vindictive. Izuku now had even more questions about how Aiko fit into everything, but Toga wasn't the one to ask. "Um, anyways, so we lived together? All four of us?"
"Yeah! I don't really know why Tomu didn't like you at first, but you said you guys only really bonded after playing some game?"
That also checked out. "Yeah, that sounds like classic Tomura," he relented, a small smile touching his lips. Games seemed to be his go-to bonding activity after all. His smile faded as he fell into thought and began mumbling. "Tomura is twenty, and I'm sixteen. So there's a gap of about... Four, five years between us? So when we met he would have been twelve, thirteen at the oldest. Too young to be the leader of the Alliance. So I probably didn't go to them knowing they'd become full villains, and was just... Kinda along for the ride. I'm probably only still here because I care about them."
That didn't make the thought of leaving any easier though. Other-Izuku must care about them a lot to still be here and put up with literal villains. At the very least, he could probably just... live with Aiko. He did have a room at her apartment building, and there weren't any villains there besides her. Even if she might leave a lot for work, he could take care of himself just fine by the time he entered middle school.
But he didn't leave, so he must care about Tomura and Kurogiri to stay with them. And that brought him no closer to understanding how his counterpart would feel about leaving.
"I wish I could just know how I feel," he groaned. Toga got off the bed to walk over, patting his head with a smile a bit too bright to be called soft or reassuring.
"There, there, Mido. You'll be okay. Probably." She paused then, tilting her head curiously. "What are you gonna do after leaving, anyway?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't really tell you," he said. "I mean, I can't really risk anyone hearing about it, so..." He trailed off with a half-hearted shrug.
Toga pouted, but nodded and returned to her bed. "Okay, fine. I already have some guesses anyway, but you're probably right." Despite her acceptance, she still seemed a bit sulky about it. Izuku refused to feel bad. She could mope all she wanted, but he had no intentions of telling her he planned to go to pro heroes. That would be way too messy.
Thinking about his plans afterwards reminded him of something though. "Tomura and Aiko aren't going to let me go that easily, are they?" he asked quietly.
"Probably not," Toga agreed with a nod, and then grinned as she leaned forward to add, "But you're still gonna do it, right?"
"Yeah." He sighed and hung his head in defeat. He really didn't have a choice. At least he was going to pro heroes, so they'd probably be able keep him safe...
Unless that secret about Aiko made that plan too dangerous, too. Aizawa was pretty scared of her after all, and was pretty convinced a rescue attempt wouldn't be able to succeed.
Know what? He was going to just not think about that right now. He could try to ask Toga about the secret, but he just... didn't want to think about that right now. He had enough on his plate, he could be forgiven for not taking the initiative every single time in order to prioritize his mental health. "But you're still willing to help, even with the danger?" he asked instead.
Her smile faded as her expression became more serious. "Yeah. Jackie and Tsuki-chan didn't choose to be here like us. It's only right."
Izuku nodded slowly. He still didn't have anything concrete to justify believing her, that this wasn't some sort of convoluted trap, but he felt he could trust her. Just a gut feeling, which was a little more solid than some other stuff driving his decisions. "Then, if the episode wears off before that and I change my mind, can you promise me you'll help them out? And Eraserhead, too?"
Toga sat a bit straighter, eyes suddenly much sharper than before. "Do you really think that'll happen?"
"Honestly, I don't know." The odds of the interdimensional Quirk suddenly wearing off now were pretty slim, since all signs pointed to it requiring conscious triggering rather than the effect being timed. But if it did happen before the escape, he wanted to be sure that they would be able to get out of here. After all, he was the only one who was guaranteed to be safe from harm. "Just, please promise me you'll do it. Please."
He met her gaze solemnly, willing his eyes to convey his desperation. For a long moment Toga just stared at him, but finally she bobbed her head. "Okay, Mido-chan. I'll do it. But even if you do get your memories back, I don't think you'll change your mind," she added with another bright smile. "You're a goodie two-shoes, through and through! So I wouldn't worry about it, okay?"
Izuku felt some of his tension fade at the reassurance, cracking a small smile. With how certain she sounded, he felt like she was probably right about that, and that really did reassure him a bit. "Thanks, Toga," he said as he got up. "I'm gonna head out now. Thanks for talking to me." He hadn't gotten any closer to understanding how his counterpart would feel, but he felt better now.
"Of course, we're friends!" she replied cheerfully. "I'll see you later!" She flashed a smile that felt utterly normal compared to her usual crazed grins, surprisingly sane. Izuku nodded and left, heading for Shinsou's cell. They'd been playing Mario Kart when he left, and they were probably wondering what he was doing for so long.
As he passed the door to the bar he noted two people talking next to it, one of the regular grunts and a man he didn't recognize with gray hair and a pink scarf. Izuku wouldn't have given them much thought but the second one turned to him. "Hey, Midoriya," he greeted with a nod. "Any chance you know where your brother is?"
"He's probably in the game room," Izuku replied absently. "He got a new game last night that he was really looking forward to." It hadn't been a planned acquisition, someone just gave it to him before dinner, but Tomura had been very excited about it. Kurogiri had to make him sit down and eat before he could rush off.
The man eyed him for a moment before nodding. "Thanks, kid," he said, and started heading towards the game room. Izuku absently continued on his way, but found his thoughts starting to drift towards the stranger and Tomura. Tomura was in the game room, and it was located pretty far from his bedroom...
He was still thinking about it when he opened the door to Shinsou's cell. He barely managed to stop Mion from darting out, bending down to intercept her and scoop her up. "Not this time," he said, carrying her inside despite her loud protests and closing the door. Shinsou and Bakugou sat on the bed playing Mario Kart just like he'd left them, with Seiko seated on the floor watching the screen intently.
"Took you long enough," Bakugou grunted, not looking away from the screen. "Where were you, Deku?"
"Sorry, had to talk to Toga about some stuff." Izuku bent down to release Mion and the kitten bounded for the bed, leaping up and squeezing herself between Shinsou and the wall. She hissed and glared at Seiko, who ignored her as usual to focus on the race. That had been why he'd felt comfortable talking to Toga. Seiko had developed a habit of popping in to watch them race, and was guaranteed to stay there for a while as long as someone played Princess Peach.
For once Izuku was glad to see her though. "Hey Seiko, do you know a guy with gray hair, sunglasses, wears a pink scarf?" he asked.
Seiko didn't make any noises or movements to indicate she'd heard, still staring at the race. So he was startled when a full three seconds later she replied, "Giran."
"Who?"
"An information broker."
He perked up. "So he'll probably want to talk to Tomura-nii for a while, right?"
"Perhaps." Once again, Seiko delayed in answering, waiting until one of the racers crossed the finish line and the race ended. Bakugou tossed his controller to the side, apparently done for the moment.
"Why're you asking about some random creep, anyway?" he asked.
"He just asked where Tomura is, and I think that means now's a good time to do... stuff." Izuku kept it vague, knowing he couldn't mention his plans to sneak into Tomura's bedroom to find the key and check the frequency in front of Seiko. When she turned her head to look at him, he suddenly realized it might be too vague though and still get her interested, so he hastily added, "You know, sneak into his room and check his... socks."
"...Check his socks." Shinsou was the one to speak this time, sounding thoroughly unimpressed.
"I can't find my Present Mic socks, and I think he stole them," Izuku replied immediately. "They're fuzzy and really comfy."
The weird thing was, it felt true. He suddenly felt certain that other-Izuku owned a pair of fuzzy yellow Present Mic socks with little microphones and sunglasses on the side. Absolutely garish, but so soft and comfortable, and that even Tomura liked them.
Seiko inclined her head. "Again?" she asked, confirming Izuku's thoughts, and he didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry. Seriously, his other self let him know about socks but not how he felt about leaving behind his whole life? Izuku officially couldn't understand himself anymore. His subconscious priorities made no sense.
At least it would be boring enough to keep Seiko from following him. "Anyways, I'm gonna check since he'll be distracted," he said. "I'll talk to you guys afterwards?"
The others still seemed skeptical, and it occurred to him they probably didn't pick up his intent to check for the key and frequency. He couldn't give any more hints without telling Seiko something was up though. "Alright, fine," Bakugou huffed, grabbing his controller again. "Go look for your stupid socks."
"Good luck?" Shinsou offered with a lame shrug, busy petting Mion who continued to glare at Seiko. Izuku resisted the urge to sigh and headed out, hurrying to Shigaraki's room. He had no idea how long Shigaraki would spend talking to Giran, so he had to make the most of the little time he had to check for the key.
Though he knew where it was, Izuku had never actually been there before. Shigaraki lived on the second floor, an area Izuku had never visited. According to the map he'd drawn it consisted almost entirely of residential rooms, so Izuku had no real reason to go there until now. He tried to appear small as he walked to the hallway with Shigaraki and Kurogiri's rooms, ignoring the looks from the few grunts he passed.
Luckily Shigaraki's door stood out from the rest, mainly because of the "Stay out" poster with some video game character Izuku only vaguely recognized. It fortunately wasn't locked, and he quickly slipped inside and looked around. The room was surprisingly basic, if a bit messy. There were game posters layered on the walls, and a lot of clothes on the floor. There were no game consoles though unless you counted the computer at the desk.
So: one bookshelf. A dresser. A closet. A desk with two drawers. A private bathroom that presumably also had drawers. Those were the only places to hide the key. Hopefully it would be somewhere in here; the alternative was it being in Kurogiri's room, and Izuku had no idea when he'd get a guaranteed opening to search it. The warper's ability to, well, warp, made searching it risky.
"Okay, if I was Tomura, where would I hide the key," he muttered to himself as he looked around. His subconscious offered no hints, so he went to the bookshelf first. It was full of figurines and other game-related merchandise, with a few magazines and books with art from games mixed in. He carefully nudged those aside, just in case Tomura had hidden it behind them, but no dice.
On a whim, he decided to check the dresser next. He knew some people had "junk drawers" they used for various miscellaneous objects rather than clothing. His mom had a drawer dedicated to stray hairpins, buttons, empty photo frames, and other little things she'd gathered over the years. Shigaraki seemed like exactly the type of person to have one.
He opened the top left drawer, and then stared for exactly five seconds at the pair of fuzzy yellow Present Mic socks lying right on top.
...Why did he feel a sudden sense of vindication? Seriously, what the heck other Izuku!?
Izuku chose to grab the socks purely to have a cover story, and not because of any subconscious desire to reclaim them. He shoved them in his pocket and turned away from the dresser entirely, because that drawer only had socks and he'd rather not risk seeing Shigaraki's underwear. Izuku did not expect him to be that type of organized, especially with all the clothes on the floor, but apparently he was.
He went to the desk next, checking the drawers there. Top drawer had some random computer accessories and electronics, including an old portable game console he didn't recognize. Then he checked the second drawer—
And there in the center was the key fob.
Izuku's heart pounded as he snatched it up, hands shaking as he held it carefully. Even with his trembling he had no problem pressing one of the buttons, causing the screen to light up with a number: 22.
The number of freedom was 22.
"Yes," he whispered with a weak smile, feeling a giant rush of relief. He had it. He had the frequency, he just had to set the spare key to 22 and then Shinsou and Kacchan would be free of the bombs. With another heavy sigh Izuku put the key back, mission finally accomplished.
And of course, that's when he heard the door open.
He jumped and whirled around in surprise to see Shigaraki enter, red eyes quickly focusing on him. "Tomura-nii!" he squeaked, tensing up. Crap.
"What are you doing in my room?" Shigaraki asked, eyes narrowed as he studied Izuku. He had to resist the urge to flinch under his stare, doing his best to act natural.
"I-I was looking for my Present Mic socks," he stammered, pulling them out of his pocket. "You, you took them again." Shigaraki didn't reply, just kept looking at him.
"And so after finding them, you decided to look at my desk, too?" he asked sarcastically, and Izuku resisted another flinch. Yeah, that would be harder to explain. He couldn't admit to looking for the key fob.
"Okay, fine," he sighed. "One of my limited edition Thirteen keyrings is missing, and Seiko said she saw you by my room." Hopefully Seiko would back him up, it felt like she would just because it was interesting. "So, I wanted to see if you took it for some reason, since you obviously took my socks."
He pouted for emphasis even as he internally freaked out, hoping that was close enough to how other-Izuku would react. Usually he didn't think he'd be able to pull an act like this—he sucked at lying, just ask his mother—but since coming here he'd found it increasingly easy to lie. It was almost scary how easy and natural it was becoming to put on facades like this.
Shigaraki didn't reply right away, eyes still narrowed. "I see," he finally grunted, scratching at his neck irritably. "Tch. I don't have any reason to take stupid hero merch."
"You took the Present Mic socks though."
"That's different, they're warm and it's getting colder outside."
"Then why don't you get your own?"
"Izuku, I am not buying or stealing any hero merchandise for myself. I hate heroes, you know that."
"Yeah, but you also like my hero-themed socks. And aren't you technically stealing them from me?"
If looks could kill... Well, Izuku actually would be fine, but Shigaraki looked at him with a glare that could curdle milk. So his blood might be curdled too? Would that also be fatal though, or—know what, didn't matter. "That's not what I meant and you know it."
"Then you can stop stealing my socks," Izuku replied haughtily, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. On the outside he looked calm and judgmental, but inside he was currently screaming and flailing his arms while hoping Shigaraki would buy his act. The banter weirdly came naturally enough, but was it really what other-Izuku would say? Would he really act this smug while bickering with Tomura? He had no idea, today showed him that other-Izuku had really weird subconscious priorities so he couldn't be sure if this was his influence or not.
Apparently it was enough though, because Shigaraki just huffed. "Ugh, whatever. Maybe next time I'll just dust them."
"You do that, and I'll punch you," Izuku snapped immediately, and this time it was entirely himself, no subconscious influence whatsoever. No one messed with his hero merch in any world.
That might have been a mistake though because Shigaraki seemed taken aback by the threat. Izuku lost some of his steam, realizing that was probably out of character. He had to resist another flinch when Shigaraki groaned, scratching at his neck again. "Shit, you actually noticed what happened with Eraser, didn't you," he grumbled.
...That was not what Izuku expected, but okay, he could roll with that. "Are you talking about how I beat those three up?" he asked almost sheepishly. "Because, uh, yeah. I noticed. I'm... apparently very strong even without a Quirk." He was still slightly stunned by Aizawa's explanation about that, and the realization that he'd dragged a truck up a mountain of garbage. But Aizawa mentioned Tomura and Kurogiri were probably aware of that strength too, which might work to his advantage right now.
"Frick, was really hoping you'd just write that off as adrenaline or something," Shigaraki said with a scowl. "You're not allowed to try to punch people or walls, by the way."
"I won't!" Izuku replied quickly, horrified at the suggestion. "I'm not going to abuse my power just because I know I have it! I can be responsible with it!"
Shigaraki's scowl softened as he nodded, hand falling from his neck. "Yeah, you're not the type to beat someone up just because they get you mad, are you," he muttered, more... soft now. Almost fond. No doubt he was thinking about other-Izuku, which felt oddly wrong and intrusive right now.
Izuku pushed away the thought as he pocketed the socks once more. "Anyways, since I have my socks and you obviously didn't take the keychain, I'm just going to head out now and search my room again. I'll see you later, Tomura-nii."
"Fine," Tomura huffed as Izuku passed him. Just as he reached the door the older male said, "Before you go though, Giran said you talked to him?"
"Hmm?" Izuku glanced back at him in surprise. "I guess, if you count answering his question about where you were. Should I have not told him?"
"No, it's fine," Tomura dismissed with a shrug. "Just surprised me is all. You know I don't like you talking to him."
Izuku frowned as he felt a small pit of anxiety, but masked it as he shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry. I was kinda distracted so I wasn't really thinking when I answered him. I only said two sentences though, so... I'll try not to answer him next time, I guess?"
Tomura hummed. "Alright, fine. I guess that's not too bad. Just remember in the future." Izuku nodded, turning to grab the doorknob, and twisted it when Tomura nonchalantly added, "By the way, do you remember why I don't like you talking to him?"
The question made Izuku freeze, a sudden sense of foreboding washing over him. He turned his head back to respond but his voice died in his throat upon seeing Shigaraki staring at him with a calculating glint in his eyes. That look was different from anything he'd seen since waking up here, his usual fondness gone and replaced with cold, analytical scrutiny.
"Izuku," Shigaraki said, voice level and eerily calm. "What's the name of the game we played when we became brothers?"
He knew.
Izuku flinched at the question, eyes wide as he whirled to face him completely. His reaction was apparently enough, as Shigaraki's lips pulled into a scowl as he scoffed. "Dammit, he was right," he growled to himself. "You are having an episode."
"N-no, I'm not!" Izuku protested quickly, but he already knew it was pointless. The mere fact Shigaraki asked that question meant he already knew.
And as if to confirm that, Shigaraki responded, "Then prove it and answer the question."
Izuku's mouth was dry, hands clenching as he begged his counterpart's subconscious to provide an answer. To conjure the title or an image of the game, something, anything.
But nothing came, just as he knew it wouldn't.
"That's what I thought," Shigaraki said after five seconds passed in silence, and Izuku sagged, feeling the world crash around him. Shigaraki clicked his tongue in annoyance, scratching his neck again. "Hah, can't believe Giran noticed before me. You almost had me convinced, too, with your answers."
"H-how did you know?" Izuku asked shakily, trying to stave off tears and panic. "How did he know?" He'd never even seen Giran before today!
"Because you talked to him without acting nervous," Shigaraki responded with a huff. "You're the one who's uncomfortable around him because of his Quirk."
"H-his Quirk?"
"He makes people's memories all muddy or something." He waved a hand with an eye roll, but his gaze remained focused on Izuku. "And given your memory issues..." He trailed off and Izuku's breath escaped him. Of course other-Izuku would be nervous around someone with a Quirk that messes with memories. Why didn't he feel any of that residual discomfort?
"Whatever, it doesn't matter," Shigaraki grunted before his thoughts could spiral further. "The timing sucks, but we need to isolate you."
Izuku's stomach lurched, eyes bulging as he jolted in alarm. "No, you can't! What about Eraserhead? And Kacchan and Hijack?"
"And that's why we need to isolate you," Shigaraki hissed, glaring at him with a scowl. "I know you were looking for the key, not some stupid keychain. That story was way too flimsy. It's too dangerous to let you around them now. Right, Kurogiri?" Even as he spoke Izuku heard the door open behind him and twisted to see Kurogiri entering, having apparently been waiting for a signal.
"It's for your own safety, Izuku," the warper said gently, and Izuku flinched, stepping back. "We won't let anything happen to your friends in the meantime. This will only be temporary, until your memories return."
And that was exactly what terrified Izuku the most. Because once they locked him up, they wouldn't let him out until the "episode" ended—except it wouldn't end because he wasn't having an episode. Tears pricked his eyes at the thought, his breathing starting to pick up with his rising panic. This was the exact worst case scenario he'd been hoping to avoid, especially with the escape so close.
"Please, don't do this!" he pleaded desperately, head swiveling between Kurogiri and Shigaraki as he backed up. He felt trapped and cornered between the two villains, his hopes of escape dimmer and dimmer as they closed in on him. "I really wasn't looking for a key! I was looking for a Thirteen keychain, really! Please, don't keep me away from them forever! They're my friends!"
"Sorry Izuku, but you're way too easily manipulated right now," Shigaraki scoffed. "I don't trust any of them not to take advantage of you, we already had one close call with that hero." His mouth twisted with disdain at the word, sneering at the memory, and it only served to heighten Izuku's panic. "Oh, but that reminds me. You should do more research in the future before trying to come up with cover stories. There's no one named Seiko here."
And just like that, Izuku's world crashed once again, his mind going blank as his breathing halted. There was no one named Seiko here?
In his shock, he didn't fight back as Kurogiri gently grabbed his shoulder and his hand expanded into an inky portal, swallowing him up in darkness.
Notes:
See you next week~
And Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanza and Good Holidays to all my readers! Wherever you are, I hope you all have a safe holiday season.
Chapter 114: Like a Fever Dream
Summary:
Izuku dreams of a distant memory.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 114
.::Like a Fever Dream::.
"But Grandma, it tastes so bad...!"
"I know Izuku, but this recipe has been passed down my mother's family for generations. It always helps with fevers, at least a little."
Izuku whined in dismay as Granny Hiyoko stirred the bowl, face twisting in disgust at the smell. He couldn't see the dark-colored liquid since he sat at the kitchen table and the counter was so tall, but he could remember the taste all too clearly.
(but he'd never seen her visit his home, and he'd never tasted any fever medicine she made—)
Just thinking about it made him blanch and lose his appetite, pushing away his cereal bowl. "Can't I just take another bath?" he begged. He felt so warm, and a nice cold bath sounded great.
His grandmother knew exactly what he was thinking though, because she clicked her tongue in disapproval and shook her head. "No Izuku, you had a bath just last night. And cold baths are bad for sick people."
"It might make you feel cool, but it'll actually make you warmer," Ayane-nee piped up from the chair across from him. "You start to shiver, and that raises your internal body temperature. So while your skin is colder, your insides are way warmer."
"Been a while since I had health class, but that sounds right to me," his grandma chuckled. "You should listen to Ayane-chan, Izukun. She's at Shuujin Academy, she knows what she's talking about."
"It's not that great," Ayane-nee half-whined in protest, slumping in her seat. "It's just a high school..."
"It's one of the best ones in the city!" Granny Hiyoko huffed. "I might not be from around Musutafu, but that school made the top ten list of all the high schools in the country! That uniform's quality alone tells me all I need to know." Izuku glanced at it curiously at the comment. She wore a navy blue school blazer with a white-and-gray checkered skirt, her hair white and her eye navy blue to match it.
(except he had never seen her in her high school uniform, and something about her face looked wrong—)
"Still full of Quirkist jerks," Ayane-nee grumbled as she got up. "Speaking of school, I need to go now if I want to make it to the train station in time."
Izuku instantly deflated. "Aw, but you never visit anymore since you moved!" he whined. He then flinched when Granny Hiyoko put a cup of murky brown liquid in front of him, face falling even further at the unfortunately familiar smell.
"Izuku, don't whine so much," she scolded gently. "Ayane-chan already spent the night here despite it meaning a longer train ride. In fact, she should have already left," she added with a reproachful look at Ayane.
"Classes got delayed by a villain fight," the teenager replied as she grabbed her schoolbag, adding with a wry smirk, "First time I've heard of a villain fight closing schools and businesses because the area got doused in mud. Then again, people were wading through it up to their waists in the photos I saw..."
Izuku perked up and leaned forward. That sounded like a lot of mud. "How are they cleaning it up?"
"Last I saw they called in a sidekick from an agency in a neighboring city. Someone with a washing machine costume...?" Izuku's eyes lit up at the description.
(and he knew that fight, it was the debut of Wash, but he'd never heard it happened near Ayane-nee's school, but her face still felt off—)
"I've never heard of a hero like that! Can you get a photo? Or maybe an autograph?"
"Izuku," Granny Hiyoko sighed, but Ayane-nee flashed a brilliant smile and bobbed her head in assent.
"I'll try my best!" she promised, making him perk up. "And I'll be back after classes end. I promised Auntie Inko I'd check in as much as I could. So just rest up and take it easy, okay? And drink that medicine!"
Izuku's face fell instantly at the last bit. "Do I have to?" he whined.
"Yes, you do," Granny Hiyoko said primly. "It will help with the fever."
"Okay," Izuku sighed, pouting as he reluctantly picked up cup. His nose wrinkled in disgust, and he forced himself to down it before gagging.
"Bye Izuku, see you after school!" Ayane-nee called, and he managed to choke out a "bye" while trying to get rid of the awful taste with water. As he heard the door close Granny Hiyoko smiled at him.
"Good job, Izukun. I know it tastes nasty, but it will help. As a reward we can sit on the couch and watch cartoons for a bit before you go back to bed, okay?"
"Okay," he agreed, getting up to follow her to the couch. Granny Hiyoko smiled as he sat next to her, already picking up the remote to turn on the TV.
And as the television turned on, so too did Izuku's consciousness in a way, the dream coming to an end. He didn't open his eyes yet, remaining nestled in the warmth of the blankets and just thinking.
That dream... It felt more like a memory than a dream, but also not. His grandmother had never visited Musutafu after all. Her bad leg made traveling from her home in the nearby Nagano prefecture too cumbersome, or so she'd claimed. In retrospect her leg issues hadn't been nearly that bad; he suspected she simply didn't want to leave her hometown. Either way, they'd always traveled to visit her until she died when he was seven.
Then Ayane-nee... She'd never visited the apartment after she moved away for high school, but more than that, something about her face felt off. He knew it was her from the wing-shaped hairclip and the eyepatch over her left eye, but there was just something that felt wrong. Something about the shape of her nose, or her eyes, or just, something really small that he couldn't put his finger on. It still felt like her, but also kind of... not.
All of it together made it feel like just a dream, but at the same time it felt too grounded in reality to be just a dream. It was too nostalgic, too achingly familiar.
Was that a memory from the other Izuku? he pondered sleepily. It certainly felt like it. He could even fill in gaps to explain things he hadn't seen. His mom had probably had to go on a trip and asked Granny Hiyoko to watch him since he had school, and asked Ayane-nee to visit too because of Granny Hiyoko's bad leg. And then he'd probably gotten sick, judging from the fever medicine.
His nose immediately scrunched up as he distantly recalled a vile flavor, further cementing his suspicion it was his counterpart's memory. Odd that he'd dream about that though instead of something more relevant, like his time at the Alliance.
He shelved the thought as he reached for the nightstand to grab his phone. It had been a while since he'd woken up naturally here; usually he'd use an alarm on his phone, so he wondered what time it was. Even if he opened his eyes, the lack of windows in the room meant it would be dark even at noon, so he'd need an actual clock to check.
When he scrabbled at the nightstand his fingers only brushed smooth wood though, confusing him. He pried open his eyes, vision still bleary with sleep, but it soon began to adjust to the sliver of light slipping under the door. Just enough to see the table next to his bed seemed to be empty besides the lamp.
A lamp he didn't remember having.
He frowned, reaching out to feel around the lamp's base in search of a switch. It flickered on instantly and he flinched at the sudden burst of light, squeezing his eyes shut with a hiss. Okay, the lamp was touch-activated. Good to know. After a few seconds he rubbed his eyes to get rid of the remaining sleep before opening them again.
Sure enough, his phone wasn't on the nightstand. Nor did he recognize the table itself. He jolted upright and half-rose from the bed, more alert now, and looked around the room.
This wasn't his bedroom.
There were a couple hero posters on the walls, but—it wasn't his bedroom. Aside from the bed was a dresser, a shelf with a bunch of movies and books, a television on the wall, and a table with a chair. That was it. That was all he had in here.
And all at once, last night's events came crashing back.
Kurogiri warping him to this room. Steering him to the bed and taking his phone. Shigaraki visiting to deliver some of his counterpart's journals. Dinner spent begging them to let him take food to Eraserhead, or eat with his friends, but being met with firm refusals every time. Endless questions about his memories.
Izuku sank back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, feeling very small and trapped. "Oh, right," he said faintly, lips quirking into a shaky, strained smile even as tears pricked his eyes. "I... I got found out."
He didn't try to stop the tears as he let panic wash over him.
"Where's Deku?"
"Izuku is not feeling well, so he won't be visiting today." Kurogiri spoke smoothly as he set the breakfast tray in front of Bakugou, ignoring his glare. "I apologize, but we'll need you to stay in your room for now. Though I will see about arranging some time for you to visit with Hijack."
"So what, I'm back to being a damn prisoner!" Bakugou snapped. "I thought you bastards wanted me to be part of Deku's party!"
"We do wish for you and Izuku to become friends, yes. But we're still in the early stages of assessing your trustworthiness."
"Trustworthiness? Are you kidding me? You're the ones who kidnapped us!"
Tomura scowled as he leaned against the wall next to the door, listening to the colorful stream of curses and threats. Hearing the blond brat call Izuku "Deku" really pissed him off, but he suppressed the urge to barge in and shout at him or worse. He stayed silent as Kurogiri emerged and closed the door, following him as the warper pushed a cart with three trays of food down the hall.
"Did the brat show any signs he knew the truth?" he grumbled.
"No, nor did he and Hijack show any signs last night at dinner. Regardless of whether they are aware of the episodes or not, I do not believe they coerced Izuku into searching for the key though. He likely sought it out on his own initiative."
Tomura scowled but nodded in acceptance. Honestly, that was absolutely in line with Izuku's usual behavior. The brat would typically be horrified by their activity if he was having an episode, and kidnapping his childhood bully/friend and another teen would definitely upset him. He'd freaked out about the blond brat even with all his memories when it first happened. Without them? It was impressive he hadn't had a full meltdown.
"How'd he even know about the key though?" he grumbled. Izuku had refused to explain how he'd found out last night when Tomura asked, along with many other things.
"I investigated last night, and Toga admitted to mentioning the keys yesterday," Kurogiri replied. "She had mentioned it when he commented on whether they could adequately clean their legs with them on. Which is admittedly a fair concern I had not considered."
Tomura grunted, more focused on the first part rather than Kurogiri's musings. "So he's probably had this episode for at least two days if he could manage to ask about that without setting off alarms." Izuku had refused to admit how long this episode had lasted so far when they asked last night. It was unfortunately typical; he'd usually be too paranoid to say the length until after episodes ended. There were multiple occasions where they'd even find he had an episode only when Izuku would casually mention it afterwards, though usually those were shorter ones.
He'd done a good job at covering it up this time. Spending so much time with the brats and Eraserhead contributed to it; it was harder to notice Izuku acting weird when he wasn't around as much. Tomura had noticed him acting a little odd the past few days, but he'd chalked it up to being on edge after Eraserhead got attacked.
However, that only made him more worried. "What are the chances he was mid-episode when those bastards attacked Eraserhead?"
"Unfortunately, quite high," Kurogiri admitted. "It might be best to ask Aiko if she noticed anything on her recent visits." Right, she almost always noticed right away since his reactions to her would be pretty telling. If his memories cut off before he met Aiko, he'd be mesmerized by her eyes. Though there had been a few times when he was able to fool her because he could remember her, at least a little.
He just wished Izuku would answer some of his damn questions. He refused to say anything about where the memories cut off or what he had told the brats and Eraserhead. In fact, when Tomura asked about that, he had freaked out and asked him about their safety. That was why they were delivering breakfast to the prisoners first, so he could honestly tell Izuku at breakfast that they were all fine because he'd freak out if they hadn't been fed yet.
His fingers twitched at the thought, itching to scratch his neck in frustration, but he forced his hand to stay at his side. Aiko hated when he did that, so he tried to refrain as much as possible. The urge became unbearable when he got stressed though, and right now he was definitely stressed.
He just hoped Izuku hadn't told either of the brats about the episodes. Them, or Eraserhead. The thought made his expression darken, fingers twitching even more.
He listened in broody silence as Kurogiri delivered breakfast to the vigilante brat, waiting in the hall just like before. Even without the muzzle he didn't talk much, just asked about Izuku once and grunted at the canned explanation they gave Blasty. That was it, not even a question about Bakubrat. Kurogiri was in and out almost immediately, apparently satisfied with the exchange.
When Kurogiri reached for the cart for the next tray Tomura snatched it up instead. "I'll take it," he announced briskly, and Kurogiri eyed him for a moment before nodding and entering the code to unlock the door to Eraserhead's cell. When Tomura slammed it open Eraserhead jolted and sat up with a gasp, apparently woken by the noise.
Tomura heard a dull thunk as the hero instinctively tried to rub his eyes, the leather strap restraining his left hand catching. Kurogiri had tightened it last night after delivering dinner, leaving it too short to reach his face. He had to settle for blinking and rubbing them against his shoulder instead, but he was alert for someone who'd just woken up. Especially when he realized it was Tomura who entered. He went instantly stiff and rigid, watching warily as Tomura stalked over with the tray.
"Breakfast," he announced, setting it on the hero's lap without being too gentle. Eraserhead just stared at it for a moment, eyes wide and bloodshot. Tomura didn't bother waiting for him to talk, loosening the strap enough for his hand to actually reach his face. "Well, what are you waiting for? Eat."
Eraserhead still hesitated but then picked up the sandwich. "Why are you delivering breakfast?" he asked cautiously, eyes finally flitting to Tomura.
"Because I need to give you a reminder," Tomura replied briskly. "You're only here and alive because Izuku likes you for some reason. But if you do anything to put him in danger, do anything to hurt him, that won't matter anymore." He leaned forward, close enough to make Eraserhead lean his head back, and his lips curled back to show all his teeth in a snarl. "I will kill you. Remember, one touch is all it takes."
Even as he spoke he grabbed the apple on the tray, grasping it with all five fingers. Eraserhead's gaze briefly broke away from Tomura to watch as it disintegrated, eyes widening for a fraction of a second before snapping back to his face. The alarm and glint of fear in them was immensely satisfying. "Do I make myself clear?" Tomura asked lowly, just to be sure.
"Crystal," Eraserhead replied tightly. Only then did Tomura pull away, slouching as he stalked to the door.
"Kurogiri will be by in a few minutes to get the tray and do whatever the morning routine is," he muttered. "Just remember what I said." He didn't bother looking back as he exited the room, closing the door without locking it and glancing at Kurogiri. "I'll leave him to you. Don't tell him anything about Izuku if he asks."
"Understood," Kurogiri agreed. "Although, I heard your threat. And I believe Aiko would also be rather displeased if you killed Eraserhead. She's quite fond of him from what I know."
The comment had Tomura scoffing, scowling once more. "Hah, seriously? Why the hell... ugh, whatever. Just don't mention that to him either, or he'll get ideas about testing limits. I'm going to check on Izuku—"
"Shigaraki!"
Oh, for fuck's sake.
He turned to see Twice rushing down the hall, looking frantic and frazzled like always. Tomura bit back a groan as he came to a halt, pausing to gasp for breath. "I know this is a bad time, but we have a problem!" Twice declared, and then immediately contradicted himself with, "Everything is totally fine, nothing to worry about!"
"What is it?" Tomura asked impatiently.
"Braque just showed up at the bar totally beaten up! He said he and Yale got in a big fight during their mission, and they managed to beat up Yale! He barely got away but Yale's still back there! They're so pathetic!"
"Braque and Yale?" Tomura glanced at Kurogiri, the names niggling at his memory. "Which ones are those again?"
"Braque likely does not stand out to you, but Yale is the large one who likes to use his body like a bowling ball," Kurogiri supplied dutifully. Oh, him.
"Dammit," he growled irritably. "What are the chances he's dead?"
"We don't know! Braque passed out before he could give any more details! Mister Compress and some of the others are taking care of him right now! He's probably going to die! It's totally hopeless!"
Twice nearly wailed in dismay, but Tomura ignored him as he thought over the facts. That particular NPC was essentially a tank and one of their heavy hitters. He didn't have enough wisdom or guts to rise beyond the grunt level, one of those NPCs that always needed orders to do anything, but he was still one of the stronger members. If someone managed to beat him up, to the point he couldn't come back to headquarters, they had to be strong.
And they probably wanted the Alliance to know that.
This wasn't just some random fight, it was a challenge. And as the leader of the Villain Alliance, Tomura couldn't let it slide.
His fingers twitched, and after a moment he gave into the urge and let them rise to his neck to scratch away. "I'll be at the bar in a minute. Tell them I'm on my way, and to try to wake up the mob. Kurogiri, you go there too after you're done here."
He grabbed the last breakfast tray from the cart and stalked down the hall without waiting for a response, a dark aura hanging over him. As he crossed the base to the hall with Izuku's other room he hoped that the episode had already worn off overnight. That Izuku would already remember everything, and greet him with sheepish embarrassment or exasperation like usual, so he'd have one less thing to worry about.
When he opened the door and found Izuku staring at him from the bed with apprehension and nervousness though, Tomura knew he hadn't gotten lucky. He resisted the urge to sigh as he put the tray on the table. "Breakfast," he announced.
"T-Tomura—"
"Your friends and the hero are fine," Tomura interrupted. "We just delivered their breakfasts." To his irritation Izuku's mouth closed and he went back to fidgeting, confirming that was indeed what he wanted to ask. The fact that was the first question just irritated him to no end.
"Um, c-can I—"
"Izuku, I'm sorry, but I don't have time," Tomura cut in, making Izuku flinch. "Some NPCs are acting up, and I need to get intel and organize a raid party. If it takes too long, I'll get someone to send lunch. Just watch a movie or read while I'm gone, okay?"
Izuku looked taken aback and a bit unsettled, further souring Tomura's mood. "If someone else has to, can it be Toga?" he asked, and Tomura scowled.
"Hah, seriously?"
"I-it's just, she's my age!" Izuku said hastily. "O-or close to it. A-and, a-and some of the people here are... scary..." He trailed off, back to fidgeting uncomfortably. That just made Tomura's scowl deepen, and he quickly turned away. He knew he'd just scare Izuku even more right now.
"Fine," he bit out tightly. "I'll see you later, Izuku." He strode out of the room without a second glance, closing the door and jabbing the lock button on the keypad next to it. He scowled as he stalked off to the bar, the few people he passed quickly hurrying out of the way upon seeing his obvious bad mood.
Sometimes, being the leader of a villainous organization was just too frustrating.
(Unknown to him, a certain person watched from the shadows. But then, he had no idea she even existed.)
Notes:
No Seiko confrontation yet. But soon c:
Once again, I'm taking off next week. I have the next chapter 95% done, but I seriously need to build up the buffer BIG TIME. And I got Ace Attorney Chronicles for Christmas, which is two games in one AND very story-based, so.... Yeah. Gonna cut into productivity for sure xD
And that said, I'll apologize in advance. Next chapter won't check in on the Izuku situation, we're going to check in on some of the others. So no Aizawa POV just yet for those who want it. Just letting you all know now so you won't get too hyped/disappointed about that. But don't worry, Izuku and the others are physically fine as this chapter shows.
Question for next time: what are your headcanons for Izuku's extended family? (For the record, Granny Hiyoko is Inko's mother in this story.)
Chapter 115: That Wednesday Morning Feeling
Summary:
Dabi visits Aiko to talk her into lifting Taboo from Uraraka. And meanwhile, morning unfolds in Odawara.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 115
.::That Wednesday Morning Feeling::.
"Totoro, wake up."
Dabi's morning started with a harsh whack on his arm, making him jolt to consciousness and subsequently roll off the couch. He crashed onto the ground with a grunt, lying there for a second as he just pondered his life. Then he felt a foot nudge his side, making him growl. Not that it seemed to intimidate his assailant. "Seriously, get off the floor."
"I will, I will," he grumbled, sitting up to glower at Aiko. She loomed over him looking fairly unimpressed at his presence, arms crossed and glaring down at him judgmentally despite being dressed like... "Okay, what the actual hell are you wearing?" Because it looked like very muddy soldier fatigues, complete with a bulky camo vest littered with large rips and tears.
"I had a stake out in a forest last night," she replied crisply. "I told you I had a job last night when you texted me."
"Yeah, but I didn't think..." He trailed off, not sure what to say. It was weird to see her looking so roughed up. Even her hair looked messy and wild, sticking in all directions around the goggles resting atop her forehead. "Did you fight a bear or something?"
"No, it was monkeys," she said flatly, making him do a double take. "The idiots I was tracking were dumb enough to use the local wildlife as 'target practice' when they set up their base there. Turns out snow monkeys are very vicious, especially when an idiot leaves a knife where they can grab it and they realize 'sharp thing can hurt other animals!'" Her voice took on a faux-cheerful note as she grinned, mimicking the monkeys' probable excitement at the revelation, before scoffing and rolling her eyes. "But more importantly, did you seriously break in and sleep on the couch?"
Dabi shrugged as he got off the floor, suppressing a yawn. "You said you probably wouldn't be home last night, and I figured your place is free and has heating. Beats sleeping in some abandoned building without heating. And besides," he added nonchalantly, "it's not really breaking and entering when the door isn't locked."
Aiko gave him a very unimpressed look for that. "Unbelievable," she muttered, and turned to stalk to her room. "I'm going to change and try to clean up a bit. Go sit at the table or something."
"Got it," he agreed easily, ambling over to the kitchen table. He didn't bother offering to make breakfast or coffee or anything, pulling out his phone while he waited. Surprisingly it was eight thirty, so she'd been out even longer than he'd expected. He'd expected her to return at two or three in the morning, five at the latest. Made him wonder what exactly went down.
It took over half an hour before she emerged wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, looking fresh out of the shower. She strode past him to the counter to turn on the coffee machine, and once she finished setting it up she turned to face him and leaned against the counter. "So, any chance this is about your brother?" she asked and he frowned, eyes narrowing warily.
"How'd you know about that?" Because he definitely hadn't told her or Kuroe about it. Hell, he hadn't even talked to her since Shouto joined him; he'd called to ask for two secure phones before getting his brat of a brother. It was less out of distrust, and more because she was a walking trouble magnet he'd rather avoid if possible. Being with her just seemed like it would draw him into her personal sphere of chaos. "Don't tell me word's spreading around the underworld about him being on his own."
"No, I just got a lucky tip," she replied with a loose shrug. "As far as Karasu and Giran can tell, there's still no confirmation if Todoroki Shouto is even alive. You've done a good job at hiding him, congratulations." She lightly clapped and he rolled his eyes at the mock applause. "But seriously though, I did hear he was running around alone. And I don't know if you took him with you on the run, or just gave him the phone, or...?"
She trailed off questioningly, and he grunted. "No, the brat's been with me since he ran away," he confirmed gruffly. "It's been kinda weird to adjust to, but we've been doing fine. Some weird stuff happened recently though, so we did split ways for a bit." An understatement, and one he didn't want to get into since he was still owed an explanation himself. "But I'm not here about him. I'm here about Floaty."
"Floaty?" she repeated curiously, tilting her head. "Do you mean Uraraka-chan?"
"If she's got brown hair and pads on her fingers, then yeah," he snorted. "She was looking for that kid you insist is not your brother, so I pointed her to Nabu and heard she found you. Which, for the record, I did warn her looking for the Alliance was stupid. She still wanted to look for that Midoriya kid though, so I figured I'd go with the option that would take her directly there since they probably wouldn't kill her like some groups."
Aiko looked rather exasperated at his explanation. Whether by his logic, or Floaty's choices, hard to say. Probably both. "I'm starting to think teenagers are just prone to stupid decisions that endanger their lives," she finally muttered, and he snorted in amusement. Pot, meet kettle. "But whatever. What about her?"
"I ran into her yesterday. And you used some Quirk to censor her or something, right?"
"Taboo," Aiko replied lightly in way of confirmation. "It's to make sure she can't mention anything relating to me or the Alliance to outsiders."
"How's that work exactly?" Dabi asked, and she raised her eyebrows.
"Exactly like I just described. If you want more specifics, last I checked it makes it so people can't mention anything about whatever is made taboo. I can only block one topic per person at a time, so I chose to block the Alliance since that would cause the most problems for her to mention to police or other people. I'm still technically a part of it so I'm included, but it doesn't cover Izuku or Seiko since they're not members."
"Seiko? Who—" Dabi stopped short and frowned. "Wait, you mean that creepy brat that suddenly showed up last time we met and stared at us the whole time?"
"Unfortunately," Aiko replied dryly. "She never comes here, so. It's fine." Her tone made it sound very not fine, but he wasn't going to push it. He had more important matters to deal with.
"Anyways, back to what I was saying, so I ran into her again yesterday. And yeah, you need to remove that Quirk ASAP."
"Oh?" She crossed her arms, looking at him with a neutral expression but eyes glinting in challenge. "And why's that?"
Now, unlike Shouto, it should be noted Dabi knew how to lie, and was damn good at it. He'd had a whole night to think up a convoluted story, and then refine it into something that actually made sense and sounded plausible. He'd had time to think up three stories before falling asleep last night while waiting for her, each one with some reason to justify it without revealing the brats asked him.
And he used precisely none of them because it was totally unnecessary.
"Because if someone from the Alliance attacks her, she's totally screwed," he said bluntly, and she frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"She can't say any names, not even people she never met. Which is a big problem since I doubt you told everyone in the Alliance to leave her alone—and there are a lot of members. People all over the country, even if they don't hang out at the base. I mean, if you're counted as part of the Alliance by this Quirk, then what's the minimum requirements for membership?"
Aiko's frown grew, looking slightly unsettled. "I'm... not actually sure," she murmured. "I never thought to test that sort of thing."
"Yeah, well, there's part of the problem. For all you know, some guy in Okinawa could work with the Alliance once, just deliver a package or something, and is automatically counted by the Quirk. I doubt he'd know about any orders against hurting Floaty. Not that I expect you've told anyone about her to start with. And even if you did, I wouldn't put it past some people to attack her anyway just to challenge you or Shigaraki's authority or whatever."
Dabi didn't know much about the Alliance's members, but the dark scowl Aiko flashed at the last bit confirmed he was right on the mark. That just emboldened him to continue, "If someone from the Alliance attacks her, she can't exactly go to police and say 'help, I'm being followed by a guy with big claws' or whatever, either. Because apparently it's not just names, but any information about them."
And that was the main angle of his approach: remind her that being unable to talk about a villain was actually pretty fucking dangerous. Aiko's one rule was to keep kids out of the line of fire, and Floaty definitely counted as one. There was no need to use some crazy story to convince her to lift the Quirk.
Judging by the troubled look on her face, it was already working. The seeds of doubt had been planted, he just needed to push them. "Hell, what if she just runs into someone randomly, and can't say their name?" he continued. "That just tells her they're part of the Alliance. Pretty sure she already ran into something like that once."
"She did?" Aiko asked, and he nodded.
"Yeah. Yesterday she mentioned she couldn't even talk about Kaminari's... and I don't know what was supposed to come after that, because that's when she stopped because of the Quirk. I'm guessing some kid named Kaminari mentioned someone and she couldn't say their name. Which is a red flag to other people that something's going on, it's pretty damn noticeable when she can't talk about people she's never even met. Or type or write about them. Or even point to Nabu on a freaking map. Which, admittedly, that last one wouldn't come up too much, but—"
"Wait, she can't point to Nabu on a map?" Aiko interrupted, making him pause.
"According to her and Shouto? No."
He expected Aiko to ask where Shouto came into this, but she didn't. She just stared at him for a moment, looking alarmed and faintly disturbed, before her expression screwed up into a pensive frown. "...It wasn't done mutating," she muttered, and now he frowned.
"What?"
"I thought it was done, but..." She trailed off and shook her head, muttering under her breath in... some other language. She mumbled for about a minute straight, and he thought he caught snippets of English words, but couldn't be sure with how quiet it was. Finally she pushed away from the kitchen counter to stalk towards the living room, Dabi turning his head to watch her but not bothering to follow her.
"What are you doing now?" Dabi asked, watching curiously as she swiped her phone from the coffee table.
"Texting Uraraka to come here so I can remove it," Aiko replied bluntly. "Taboo wasn't that strong last time I checked it. It definitely couldn't block people from pointing to maps. I need to remove the effect and figure out what the hell it does now."
Okay, that wasn't how he expected to convince her, but he wasn't complaining. Success was success, no matter how he got there. "You're not gonna lock her up or anything in the meantime, are you?" he asked casually. Because that would probably make Shouto call off the deal. Though he kept that thought to himself and instead said, "Because she and Shouto-chan are apparently friends now, and I don't think he'd appreciate that."
That had Aiko pausing and snapping her head his way. "Wait, what? When did that happen?"
Ah, there was the surprise. "I gave her Shouto's number a couple weeks back, so she called him and they apparently hit it off," he explained with a shrug. "He's the one who explained she couldn't even point out Nabu on a map. Nothing like meeting up in person only to find out you can't talk about your ride from Nabu, which is what made them test the Quirk in the first place."
Only a partial lie since he didn't know the actual details of how they'd found it, but likely close to the truth. He sincerely doubted Aiko had a lie-detecting Quirk anyway. And he was right, because she just let her shoulders slump with a groan. "Dammit. And you mentioned another name a bit ago, too. So there's probably multiple kids aware she's under a censoring Quirk."
"Most likely yeah," Dabi replied with a shrug. "Dunno how much they've figured out, but I doubt Shouto would talk about any of this stuff at least. He knows how to keep his mouth shut when it matters." As he'd learned from the brat's stubborn refusal to answer any questions. "Hey, maybe we can introduce him to that not-brother of yours, too. Arrange play dates or whatever you do for sixteen year old brats."
He snorted and rolled his eyes, voice dripping with sarcasm, but he noticed Aiko's fingers stilled in their typing. "Probably not the best idea," she muttered after a moment, and his smirk faded.
"Are things really that messy with the Alliance?"
"Totoro, you have no idea." She tapped the screen a final time and frowned down at it. "At least I can start fixing this thing though."
Meanwhile, Ochako paused at Kuroe's breakfast table with a spoonful of cereal halfway to her mouth as her phone vibrated next to her bowl. She groggily glanced over, still a bit sleepy, but quickly snapped to attention as she saw Aiko's name. She set the spoon down and hastily scrambled to unlock her phone to read the text.
'Just learned Taboo is stronger than I thought. Come by so I can remove it.'
Just like that, Ochako's lingering grogginess faded as relief and excitement crashed over her. "Finally!" she exclaimed.
"What's up, Ocha-chan?" Ashido asked across the table as she ate her own breakfast, and Ochako grinned at her friend.
"I got a text! He did it!" Ochako beamed as she showed the screen to Ashido—or rather tried to. Her hand refused to move when she tried to turn the screen towards the other girl, making her smile quickly morph into a scowl. "I can't even show you the screen."
Ashido gave a muffled noise of sympathy, mouth currently occupied by cereal. "Oof. Rough."
Ochako hummed in agreement as she typed out a reply. 'Is today good?' She got a response almost right away, simply saying 'yes.' Seemed like Aiko didn't want to waste time, which suited her fine.
"Okay, can you buy me a train ticket?" she asked Ashido. "I'd buy it, but I can't select the destination." Todoroki had bought the tickets from Numazu to Nabu last time when they discovered that problem. At least she didn't have a problem leaving Nabu since she didn't need to select the departure point, but was still pretty annoying.
"Sure, no problem!" Ashido agreed, but then frowned. "Oh, but are you gonna go alone? Because I don't really have any super-good disguises right now, and Shouto is busy."
Ochako jolted at the name. "Wait, since when were you and Todoroki—oh wait, right." She stopped mid-question, abruptly remembering the conversation on FacePage last night about being on a first-name basis. Figures Ashido—no, Mina—would adjust to the change so fast. "Anyways, yeah, it's probably better I go alone. Dabi's probably still there, so it'd be risky for you guys to go there. Especially for Todoro—uh, Shou... uh..."
She trailed off, feeling a bit awkward at using Todoroki's first name. "Okay, it's kinda weird to call him by his given name because he never actually gave us permission," she admitted. Todoroki had spent all last night in the guest room, and hadn't joined the name conversation with Denki and Kyouka. He seemed to need space, which they were happy to give him, but it still meant he'd never agreed.
Mina's face fell a bit. "Oh yeah, I guess you're right," she muttered. "Come to think of it, I don't think Mido replied last night either."
"He didn't," Ochako confirmed. "I think he probably needs some space too." He had definitely seemed a bit lost about his counterpart. "I guess we should wait until Todoroki actually says it's okay?"
"I guess," Mina agreed with a nod. "But he didn't say anything when I called him that this morning before he left. Though I guess that does explain why he looked kinda surprised."
"Where is he, anyway?" Ochako asked curiously as she resumed eating her cereal.
"He volunteered to help guard Mic-sensei this morning."
Ochako paused as she took that in, and after a moment swallowed her food. "That is still so weird that's even a thing," she whispered, and Mina bobbed her head.
"I know, right!?"
A new day, a new guard. At least Hizashi assumed it was a new day from the konbini breakfast roll the kid brought. He ate it while eying the newcomer warily, wondering just what kind of face was under the white rabbit mask, with a single green leaf on each ear like ribbons. He was pretty sure it was a popular mascot character—Snowbell-chan, he thought? The cute little snow rabbit mascot from that one company that made a lot of cute little mascots?
Honestly, he didn't know if the cuteness was a relief or made it somehow worse. He was so used to seeing creepy masks at this point, the cute innocent snow bunny was almost too cute. Like, deceptively cute to hide an ominous underside. The fact he was watching Hizashi intently while Mime hand-fed him didn't really help with the creepy vibes.
When Mime finished hand-feeding him, he paused and turned to Snowbell to reply to some question. Hizashi could make out Snowbell's voice—masculine, and a bit on the quiet side—but not the words without his hearing aids. Snowbell then turned to the PDA and pushed it into Hizashi's line of sight, speaking again and causing text to appear on the screen.
"Hello. I'm Yuki."
Hizashii's eyebrows raised. An introduction, huh? Been a while since one of the kids actually introduced themselves, he'd mostly learned their names from listening in on their conversations. Effort like this required reward, and he flashed him a bright grin as he replied, "Nice to meet you Yuki-kun! I'm—oops." He cut himself off sheepishly as he noticed the kids all flinch, and tried to lower his voice. "Sorry, my hearing's not the best right now so I can't control my volume too well."
"It's okay," Yuki replied. "Sorry about your hearing aids. I have a question though, and you're the only person I can ask."
Hizashi perked up, as did Mime and the other kids guarding him. "What is it, little listener?" he asked, keeping his expression friendly and genial as he wondered what he wanted. The fact Yuki came to him over the others suggested it was something he didn't think they could help with, or at least didn't feel comfortable with talking to them. Could it be he was having doubts about whatever was going on? Did he want to test Hizashi to see if he could provide a better option, or get advice on dealing with villains?
"How do you know when a girl likes you?"
...Okay, that was NOT what he expected. "What?" he asked after a moment, wondering if the PDA transcribed his words correctly.
"How do you know when a girl likes you?" The exact same words appeared on the screen again, so apparently yes, it was accurate. Hizashi gawked at the screen before looking back at Yuki. The mask, as expected, made it impossible to read his expression. Behind him he could see the others seemed to be similarly stunned though, judging by how they all turned to face Yuki.
It only took a couple seconds to recover from his shock. "Well, that's a bit of a broad question," he said lightly. "What makes you ask?"
"Yesterday my friend said some stuff that made me wonder if she might have a crush on me."
"Like?"
"She told my brother we were dating." Hizashi's eyebrows shot up to his hairline as more text appeared. "She knew my birthday and my favorite food and color. And also my preferred style of architecture and decor. I don't know any of that about her, except maybe her favorite color, but she didn't need to think about saying any of that. And then this morning she called me by my given name. So does that mean we're dating now?"
...Hizashi didn't know Yuki, but he had a feeling the kid was skipping a lot of context. Especially with how he skipped right to asking if they were dating at the end. Behind him he could see Navi bending over and shaking, undoubtedly laughing. Even Mime had his hands over his mouth to presumably stifle snickering.
He had a feeling this would be a long and confusing conversation.
Notes:
I did not go into this fic thinking I'd have Todoroki seriously pondering if Ashido is in love with him, but the misunderstandings continue! (Also with this, I've used every day of the week in a chapter title! I have no idea why I am happy about that, but I am. xD)
Snowbell is not a real character, but I got the idea from Sanrio, the company that made Hello Kitty and other cute mascot characters. It was the perfect solution for what mask he'd wear, because of COURSE Todoroki would choose the snow bunny! And turns out snow bunnies are a thing that they make in Japan with leaves for ears. 10/10, way cuter than snowmen, highly recommend looking them up and making some if it snows in your area.
Question for next time: what sort of cheap festival-esque masks could you see the other jumpers using?
Chapter 116: Interesting Talks
Summary:
Mina goes to talk to a ghost and gets sidetracked by cuteness. Meanwhile, Izuku talks to another potential ghost.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 116
.::Interesting Talks::.
So, Mina's agenda for the morning was simple. Buy Ochako a train ticket to Nabu. Then go to the park with Kiri to meet up with Mail, Glitch, Ojiro and whoever else showed up with them, and help with ghost-distracting duty. Because so far Ojiro had been mostly in charge of it, and that had to be wearing down on him so a fresh face could shake things up. Besides, she could use the chance to pick Mail's brain for stuff about Porter, their siblings and this world in general.
But upon arriving at the park, her plans got slightly derailed. Not that she minded.
"She's not letting go anytime soon, is she?" Mail asked, sounding faintly amused.
"This usually happens when new people meet him," Monoma sighed, before adding more loudly, "You will tell her if you're uncomfortable, right, Naota?"
"It's still nice!" Naota called, and Mina wanted to squeal and hug him tighter. When Ojiro and Monoma arrived Mina's attention had been snapped up by the small boy with cat ears trailing behind them, which had been too adorable to ignore. The past five minutes had been spent sitting on a bench snuggling the boy, though he didn't seem to mind.
He radiated more pure-hearted innocence than Midoriya. She didn't even know that was possible!
"Why is he here, anyway?" Kiri asked with a frown. "I thought you guys wouldn't want Mail around him."
"He overheard us talking about him this morning and wanted to meet him," Ojiro explained, sounding very tired. "We tried to leave him behind, but he managed to sneak out and follow us. We didn't notice until after we'd already met up with Glitch."
"He's just as sneaky as a cat," Mail mused, crossing his arms with a smirk. "I didn't even notice right away. You've got a natural knack for stealth, kid." Naota seemed to preen under the praise, his ears twitching, and Mina had to muffle another squeal of delight. He was just so adorable!
"Maria already texted that she's on her way with Rockfish, so he won't be here for long," Glitch added. "We can put off serious talk for a few minutes."
"If she tries to exorcise me again, I'm leaving," Mail declared flatly. "Seriously, if she starts chanting I'm taking my chances following train tracks out of here. Where did she even get that bottle of holy water, anyway?"
"...You know, I don't know. I didn't even realize how weird that was."
Mina ignored the exchange aside from the implications that she should focus her full energy on cuddling Naota while she still had the chance. The kid was cute and cuddly, give her a break! They'd had some really stressful weeks since waking up in this world, she deserved it! "Thank you, I needed this so much," she whispered as she smooshed her cheek against his hair, and felt his ears perk up when they brushed her face.
"You're welcome!" he chirped brightly, all sweetness and innocence. Mina squealed yet again and cuddled him even harder, drawing everyone's attention.
"Well, at least she asked first," Monoma muttered, and Mina shot him a brief glare. Of course she asked before hugging him, what kind of creep just hugged a random kid out of the blue? And he seemed to like the hug, going by how he purred. Mina shot the top of Naota's head an awed look and grinned as she suppressed another delighted squeal.
(Meanwhile, the boys felt a brief spark of envy at the scene. Who they envied, they couldn't say for sure though.)
While she focused on cuddling him, the little catboy glanced over at Mail. "Are you really a ghost?" he asked curiously, blinking mismatched blue and gold eyes at him.
"Yep," Mail confirmed with a nod. "Though that's not—" He was cut off mid-sentence when he vanished.
"Yeah, you're not talking to him," Glitch declared flatly with a huff, getting some nods of agreement from the other runaways. They all seemed fiercely protective of Naota, which made sense given how small and vulnerable he was—
"Do you still need glasses?" Naota asked, and his ears briefly perked up before going back down, head tilting in in apparent confusion at mid-air. "Um, three?" Everyone exchanged confused looks as he began turning his head, eyes seemingly locked onto nothing. "What do you mean? You're right there, aren't you?"
Alarm flashed on several people's faces, and then suddenly Mail was back, now hovering a bit closer to Naota. "—ually I'm not visible to most people," he said, apparently reappearing mid-sentence. "Maybe it's because you have a cat mutation...? I mean, Karla could see me too when she transformed, and so could..." He trailed off with a frown, expression becoming a bit more distant.
"What just happened?" Monoma demanded sharply, and Mail glanced over in surprise.
"Oh, I'm visible again?"
"Yes, now answer the question," Ojiro ordered, tone not quite a growl but still threatening.
"I didn't do anything, so I'm guessing his cat mutation lets him see me," Mail replied with a shrug. "I mean, I figure that's what's going on, anyway, this doesn't happen much. I think cats and dogs can see me, but none of them really ever interact with me so I'm just assuming. Heck, not even Nedzu can see me."
"You've met Nedzu?" Mina asked in surprise, latching onto the name and feeling a thrill of terror down her spine. (She would never be able to look at wrecking balls without feeling like she was sixteen and fleeing for her life again.)
"Technically, not yet," Mail murmured with a wry look, before continuing, "Generally most people with animal mutation Quirks don't notice me either. But like I told Ojiro the other day, my sister Karla had basically a werewolf Quirk, and she could see me when she transformed. And I've had a couple other people manage to see me due to some stuff with their Quirks. I guess this kid's similar."
"So, my Quirk's actually useful for something?" Naota asked, ears perking up. The sheer hope in his voice had Mina's heart breaking, because that was the tone of someone who was used to being put down for their Quirk. Who could possibly be mean to cute little Naota-chan!?
"I'm sure it's useful for a lot of things," Mail told him with a kind smile. "You just need to figure out its strengths and limits. There's probably more to it than you know."
Naota's ears were still perked up as Mina nuzzled his head with her chin, gaze focused on Mail up until Monoma stepped between them. Mina could see about half of Mail's face around his head, but she could tell his body would block Naota's view of the ghost. "While we appreciate you trying to give Naota a pep talk, we would still prefer you don't talk to him at all," he said coolly. "I'm sure you understand."
"No, I get it," Mail assured him with a nod. "If any strangers talked to one of my little siblings..." He trailed off, face going eerily blank and dark. There was something very ominous about it that had Mina feeling on edge, but his expression quickly smoothed out again into a non-threatening neutral look as he gave a lofty shrug. "I'll keep my distance, don't worry."
"But, but what if I want to talk to him?" Naota asked, cat ears flattening against his head pitifully.
"Not allowed," Glitch, Monoma, and Ojiro all chorused, which made the little boy slump dejectedly.
"It's okay, Naota-chan," Mina reassured him, cuddling him a bit closer. "If you have any questions, you can just whisper them to me and I'll ask him after you go!" She didn't expect him to go for it, mostly she just wanted him to cheer up, but his ears perked up as he tilted his head back to look at her.
"Really?" he asked hopefully, and she grinned.
"Of course!" That would also give her an excuse to meet him again in the future and get more cuddles in.
So that was how Mina spent a good fifteen minutes typing up all the questions Naota whispered to her on her phone, up until Shiozaki arrived with Kouda to take him away. Mina waved them off while holding back tears, feeling just a little bit colder without the warmth of a tiny cat-child.
"Well, that was fun, I guess, but should we get down to business?" Ojiro asked. "I want to go over the basic ground rules before you say anything."
"You make it sound like it's babysitting," Mail griped with a small frown.
"It basically is," Glitch piped up flatly.
"You realize I'm older than all of you, right?" Mail asked, voice having an almost petulant note to it.
"Hey, I'm cool with hearing the rules, but can we maybe move somewhere else for this?" Kiri piped up, glancing at the overcast sky as he added, "It feels like it's gonna start snowing any second." The sky had been incredibly cloudy and dark since they woke up, making everything feel a bit chillier without the warm rays of the sun. It gave the air that faint heaviness that sure felt like it meant snow.
The others seemed to feel the same as they hummed in agreement. "Sure, though we'll need to stick to abandoned places," Monoma said as they started walking. "Probably the karaoke bar or old restaurant since he's been there already."
"Restaurant is closer," Glitch commented with a nod. "We'll go there."
"But won't those places be cold?" Mina asked with a frown. "Why can't we go to a cafe or somewhere with heating?"
"It's better to avoid crowded places since he's not really dressed for the cold," Ojiro said dryly, side-eying Mail's button-up shirt and slacks.
"I can't really control how I appear," Mail said with a shrug, folding his bare-looking arms behind his head. "So yeah, I'm with him on that one. Really don't want to deal with another old lady throwing a coat through me and screaming for an exorcist."
It sounded like there was some sort of story there, and Mina was curious but didn't press. Mainly because both he and Ojiro looked very exasperated. If Glitch's face wasn't so weird and glitchy, she had a feeling he probably would too from the grumble he gave. "Anyways," Ojiro said, clearly changing the topic, "ground rules. So first off, obviously you need to watch what you say around him. Assume anything he hears will eventually be known by heroes."
"And remember, he might go back before you carry out your plan," Monoma added. "So even if you plan to eventually go to the heroes afterwards, he might be able to report it to them before you can make your move, and I doubt they would just sit around and wait to see what happens with it."
"So nothing about the runaways or anything else going on, got it," Kiri said with a serious nod, Mina copying him. They really didn't want the heroes to find out about the rescue with it so close, it could ruin everything. They wanted Mido to be able to have a big role in the escape/rescue to have more proof he could be trusted. If the heroes carried out their own rescue/raid, they might not be too open to believing him, no matter how much the jumpers vouched for him.
Ojiro continued, "Second, don't check messages on your phone in his line of sight. If you need to check it, make sure the screen is facing away so he can't see it."
"I still can't read most kanji," Mail reminded them.
"We still have no confirmation of that," Monoma countered lightly, and Mail sighed but didn't try to argue while Ojiro went on.
"Also, please don't ask about anything ghost-related," he said tiredly. "Please. This is for your own sanity and peace of mind."
"Is it really that bad?" Kiri asked nervously.
"It's really hard to fall asleep when pondering existential dread," Glitch deadpanned.
Mina still kinda wanted to ask about the old lady who shouted for an exorcist, but Glitch's last remark made her suddenly have a different question. "Wait, don't you need to sleep?" she asked. "You can't be using your Quirk in your sleep, can you? How do you make sure he doesn't leave or do anything?"
There was a moment of silence as Ojiro and Monoma exchanged glances, but Mail scowled and crossed his arms. "Bribery, that's how," he grumbled.
"Bribery...?"
"We play some old anime on autoplay on someone's phone at night," Monoma said with a shrug. "It's apparently very effective."
"My stupid sister never bothered watching anything after the original run ended," Mail growled irritably. "That was the one I actually got invested in, and she never bothered looking to see if there was a reboot or anything else!"
"...Well, if it works, it works, I guess?" Kiri said uncertainly after a beat, while Mail seemed to just sulk. For a guy who claimed to be around Aizawa's age, he was pretty moody.
Mina decided to change track as something else popped into her head. "Oh, by the way, thanks for teaching me how to pick locks!" she exclaimed with a bright grin. "Especially that trick with the handcuffs, Mail! That totally saved us yesterday!" That had him, Ojiro and Glitch all coming to abrupt halts, heads swiveling to stare at her in shock.
"Wait, you what?" Ojiro yelped, while Mail's expression lit up.
"You actually used the bottle trick?"
"Yep!" Mina confirmed with a jaunty nod. "We totally never would've gotten them off Todoroki if you hadn't told me about that!"
Glitch jolted in alarm, his whole body flickering for a half-second. "They were on Todoroki?"
"I'm sorry, what's this about a bottle trick?" Monoma asked with a frown. "And why was Todoroki in handcuffs?"
"Just to check, you're talking about the shock cuffs, right?" Ojiro asked tightly, making Monoma jolt in recognition. "The restricted kind police use on criminals with dangerous Quirks? That normal people shouldn't be able to get?"
"Yeah, those," Mina confirmed, a little less exuberant now as she picked up on their tension. "Hawks used them—"
"Hawks?" the runaways blurted in shock, and she winced.
"Uh, yeah... Yesterday was, uh, kinda crazy. But long story short, Todoroki's brother turned out to be in Nagoya, and so was Hawks, and I guess they know each other and work together or something, so we had to rescue Todoroki from them?" The runaways just stared at her open-mouthed with disbelief, while Kiri, who knew the story, buried his face in his hands with a groan. Their reactions made Mina shrink sheepishly, fully aware of how lacking her explanation was.
"...I have no idea where to even start with that," Monoma admitted after several moment.
"Yeah, uh, me neither. Like I said, yesterday was... crazy. A lot of stuff happened."
Mail just surveyed the looks of disapproval and chuckled as he slowly clapped. "This is why I have zero intention of trying to leave. This is comedy gold. Please tell me there's a story to go with this that rivals Mic losing to a bird."
"There's a story alright," Kiri muttered, voice slightly muffled by his hands.
"Like what?" Ojiro asked flatly. "You managed to free Todoroki, and then trap Hawks with his own handcuffs?"
It was clearly sarcastic, but Mina grimaced as she opened her backpack. "...Uh, actually... I got them off after we ran away and pelted them with sticky bombs, so..." She trailed off as she pulled out the handcuffs, and once again, they all just stared.
Then Mail shrieked with laughter, rolling over in the air while clutching his stomach. "Oh my gosh, this is even better! A missing pair of shock cuffs is gonna be a mess! The police and hero agencies are going to go nuts! Thank you, Ashido. Thank you so much for this wonderful gift."
Mina wasn't sure why he was thanking her for causing trouble for police and heroes, but he so far had the only positive reaction so she just beamed and accepted the praise. Glitch finally recovered from his shock and heaved a large, exhausted sigh as he pulled out his phone. "I think we need to call Rogue for a meeting," he muttered.
"Good idea," Monoma agreed faintly, still staring at the handcuffs. "Also, I'm afraid to ask, but what are sticky bombs?"
Mina perked up and grinned. "Okay, so Kyou-chan and Denki became vigilantes, right? Well, so I needed to stop by their apartment the other day for something, and Kyou-chan told me to check this one drawer..."
Izuku sprawled on the bed and stared at the ceiling listlessly, letting his thoughts run wild. He'd been in the room alone for an hour now, his meal long since finished and leaving him with nothing to do but think.
Shigaraki had been irritated when he dropped off breakfast, but at least it didn't seem to be directed solely at him. Izuku had waited to see if he would return for the tray, or send someone else to get it, but no one had shown up. Instead, around fifteen minutes ago a small portal opened on the desk for the empty tray to fall through. It seemed the "raid party" Shigaraki had mentioned was pretty urgent after all if Kurogiri couldn't even visit himself. He probably wouldn't get any visitors until lunchtime.
Which meant now was probably his best chance.
He took a deep, shuddery breath, sitting up slowly. "Seiko," he called softly, and when he turned his head he found her standing next to the bed, silent and still as ever.
For a moment neither of them spoke, just gazed at each other. As always, Seiko's eyes were eerily empty and void of emotion, her blank expression impossible to read. The overhead light cast a bluish-green hue over her, making her always overly pale skin look downright sickly. Her eyes didn't seem to reflect the light at all, making the blacks feel even darker and her white irises just like blank, empty space.
A creeping sense of unease slowly trickled up Izuku's spine, that pervasive feeling of wrong whispering at the back of his mind stronger than ever. He swallowed thickly and pushed down his discomfort. "You're not part of the Alliance."
He didn't bother phrasing it as a question. Shigaraki's words had made it clear enough.
Seiko tilted her head, expression still empty and void of anything resembling emotion. "I am not," she confirmed dully, sounding almost bored despite the heavy impact of her words.
Izuku sucked in a sharp breath, fists clenching at his sides. He had so many questions, he didn't even know where to start. For so long he'd associated Seiko with the Villain Alliance, because she was just always here. Even after a whole night to think about it, he was still reeling from the revelation she wasn't connected to it—at least, not officially. It threw everything he knew about her—or thought he knew—into question.
Facts. He decided to focus on the facts he did have, and go from there. "Toga and Aiko know about you," he stated. Both of them talked about Seiko openly enough, and knew her on a personal level. "And so do Kacchan and Hijack, since you've talked to them. But does anyone else?"
"Kurogiri knows I exist. We do not interact though."
That wording just raised even more questions, and Izuku had no idea how to approach that. So he decided to let it slide for the moment. "I'm not hesitant to write about you like I am with Aiko," he said instead. He'd referenced Seiko multiple times in his journals, including the investigations he'd done with Toga. "But I didn't mention you in my letter."
"Shigaraki read the letter when you first wrote it," Seiko said simply, head still tilted to the side. "He helped consult on what to write. He does not read your journals out of respect for your privacy though, so it is safer."
"Why doesn't he know about you?"
"It's more interesting that way."
Her answer was so simple, it almost made Izuku want to laugh hysterically. Of course that would be her reason. Everything Seiko seemed to do centered around whether she found it interesting or not, he should have known that by now. "That's why you hang around here, isn't it?" he asked quietly, and the corners of her lips quirked upwards into a small imitation of a smile unreflected by the rest of her face.
"Of course. This place is full of interesting people."
In the face of such blatant honesty, any other questions Izuku had felt almost inconsequential. The urge to laugh bubbled up again, his nerves starting to fray and unravel. Once again, he was reminded how different Seiko was, how other, but this time it hit harder than ever before. Because for the first time, he was starting to understand just how she worked.
Saying Seiko wasn't normal didn't do her justice. She didn't subscribe to any traditional form of morality, feel any true sense of right or wrong. To her, nothing that happened mattered beyond its potential entertainment value.
He shook his head, taking a few breaths to steady himself before his thoughts could spiral too much. "I'm guessing you won't tell me how to convince Shigaraki I'm not having an episode, right," he guessed dully, and her small "smile" faded as she straightened her head.
"I would be unable to help you either way. He asks questions about things only you would know, and asks different ones each time. So even if I do know the answers, I cannot help."
Her response had him heaving another sigh, pulling his knees to his chest and wrapping them in a hug. "So I'm stuck here," he mumbled, voice quiet and meek.
"Only until the episode ends," Seiko said. And if she meant it as assurance, even with how dull and monotonous her voice was, she had failed.
Because this wasn't an episode, so it wouldn't end. This was the absolute worst case scenario they had feared all along, the reason he had tried so hard to hide. Shigaraki wouldn't let him out easily, wouldn't ease restrictions and let Izuku move freely while believing he was in the midst of an episode. He would be stuck here forever.
No. He couldn't let that happen. Izuku sucked in a sharp breath, fingers scrunching up the fabric of his pants as he felt his resolve build. He might be stuck, but he couldn't sit around doing nothing. "What if I use my Quirk to break down the door or wall? How would Shigaraki and the others react?"
"They would apprehend you," she replied without hesitation. "There are other places they can send you, Izuku. Places that you can't escape with brute force alone. And even without that," and she tilted her head again, an inquisitive gesture even with her blank face, "don't you care about your friends and Eraserhead?"
Of course he did, that was why he wanted to escape, but he knew what she meant. Kacchan, Shinsou and Aizawa were no longer just prisoners, but hostages now. If he stepped out of line and potentially endangered himself in Shigaraki's eyes, they would be the ones to pay the price, not Izuku.
The worst part was that they didn't know. He doubted Shigaraki or Kurogiri would tell them what was going on. Kacchan and Shinsou would figure out something was up, since he'd told them he was going to Shigaraki's room last night before effectively disappearing. They might not know he got caught, but they'd know something had gone wrong. Aizawa, however, would have nothing to go on.
He sat a bit straighter, turning his head to Seiko once more. He still didn't fully trust her—couldn't, not with how little he knew about her. She might not be part of the Alliance, but that didn't make her an ally. It made her a total unknown, something potentially even more dangerous.
But if there was one thing he did know about Heiwajima Seiko, it was that she cared about whatever she found interesting more than anything else. And that?
Izuku could use that.
"Seiko," he said carefully. "Can you do me a favor? I promise, it will make things more interesting."
Notes:
Fun fact: I've had variants of the Naota scene in my scraps since like Chapter 76. Which was great because I realized the original Chapter 116 I wrote felt too much like filler with zero real new information/progress so I had to scrap that. So it made a nice bridge to the current scene. (Still running on almost zero buffer, hahahahahaha)
Also, Seiko says hello.
Question for next time: If you could ask Seiko one question and *maybe* get an answer, what would you ask?
Chapter 117: Too Quiet
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 117
.::Too Quiet::.
It was ten thirty in the morning, and the group chat on FacePage was quiet. Too quiet if you asked Kyouka.
She should be preparing for their showdown with Gentle Criminal that afternoon. Should be going over the maps they'd downloaded of the area around Mitsuru, marking potential escape routes to intercept them. Make some plan or strategy for fighting Tokoyami beyond "hit him with flash bombs and hope it weakens Dark Shadow." Hatsume had even whipped up a special super-powerful flashlight that looked like a ray gun last night after Kyouka mentioned that weakness. She could be doing some last-minute practice with it like Denki was now.
But instead she was sitting on the couch staring at her phone, keenly aware of the lack of messages.
She knew most of the others were busy. Mina had sent a message announcing Uraraka would be getting un-Quirked, so she was probably heading to Nabu at that very moment. Mina had also mentioned Todoroki had volunteered for guard duty, which meant he wouldn't take anything that could access FacePage around Mic. And shortly after that, Mina announced she would be spending the morning questioning Mail.
Or at least, she'd planned to do that until she sent an update that they forgot to inform the runaways about yesterday's events, so they were now arranging a meeting to discuss that. Kyouka wasn't jealous one bit.
So, yeah. That meant three people were busy, and with her and Denki needing to prep for their showdown, they didn't have much time to freely chat either. That wiped out almost everyone in the jumpers' group chat.
The issue lay with the final person: Midoriya.
He hadn't sent any messages since yesterday's brush with a minor existential crisis or whatever about his counterpart. Kyouka hadn't thought much of his silence, and probably still wouldn't think much of it...
Except she'd been trying to get in touch with him for the past sixteen hours.
The fact was, Midoriya was the only person who'd had direct contact with Gentle Criminal in either universe. Articles and videos could only tell her so much about the guy. Sure, those could give her plenty of info and speculation about his Quirk, but honestly? She wasn't much of an analyst. And those articles also lacked info on whoever else might be working with him, because no way did that guy work alone in their world. Someone had to film those videos in the field, she was pretty sure he'd directly filmed and uploaded some of his exploits.
Unfortunately though, Kyouka had never bothered watching the videos back home or looked into the whole deal even after hearing about Midoriya's encounter. It hadn't seemed all that important or interesting to her. So even if the cameraman did appear in the videos, or heck, just talked, she wouldn't know.
So, yeah. Info about that potential accomplice, and Midoriya's hyper-detailed analysis from his actual fight with Gentle Criminal would be very appreciated right now. So much so, she had pinged him for his input in the group chat last night when he didn't return by dinnertime. And then taken to persistently sending him private messages after he didn't respond to that.
The first ping had been close to sixteen hours ago, a bit after six thirty. As far as she could tell, her messages were all left unread.
Something felt very wrong, and while she really hoped it was just paranoia... Well, he was surrounded by villains. Her paranoia felt justified.
"Hey Jirou—I mean Kyouka," Denki called, correcting himself again. Old habits died hard and all that. He'd emerged from the neighboring room where he'd been testing Hatsume's latest invention, goggles pushed up to leave his hair even messier than usual. "Don't you wanna try out the new Flash Ray? I think we should test our goggles to make sure they're good, because this thing is really bright."
Kyouka sighed as she nodded, knowing he was right. She couldn't put off preparing for the raid just to worry over Midoriya's lack of answers, they were on a time crunch. "Yeah, yeah, gimme a sec. Need to do something real quick." She exited the private chat with Midoriya to open the one with Anjou. "Hey, just to double-check, you mentioned Anjou hijacked your sense of hearing or something, right?"
"Back at the autograph signing?" Denki replied. "Yeah, she totally switched our ears. It was suddenly like the crowd around me was silent and all I could hear was her whispering. Kinda spooky. Why?"
"Just curious, is all," she said with a shrug. "I'll head over in a minute, go back to practicing without me."
Denki seemed to hesitate, and she could practically feel his pensive look. "Is everything okay?" he asked. "You've been acting kinda weird this morning."
"Yeah, it's all cool. Just, kinda nervous, I guess." No point getting Denki worked up over Midoriya too; they'd need to have all their focus on the fight. Having both of them distracted would end pretty badly. "Look, I'll be there in a sec, okay? Just. Go in without me."
Once again he seemed to hesitate, but finally he sighed. "Alright, I guess," he muttered. "Knock before you enter so you won't get blinded."
"Got it," she called, and listened to his footsteps retreat as she scrolled through the message history. She and Anjou had been griping about final exams on Monday evening, since Kyouka had few people to vent to about her stunted knowledge and Anjou was in a similar position. ("I like my friends, but most of them are idiots." "Same.")
At one point they'd compared their daily exam schedules, which now turned out to be very useful. She found the screencap Anjou had sent, marking her lunch break as lasting an hour from noon to one. With that confirmed, she briefly swapped over to the jumpers' chat to take screenshots of the last message from Midoriya and her first ping. Then she went back to attach the two screenshots and typed up a quick message.
'Hey, sorry to send this when you've got exams, but when you get a chance can you check on Deku? He hasn't sent any messages since this one last night. I also kept messaging him to ask for intel on GC but he hasn't responded to those either. But if something IS wrong, don't message me or Chargebolt until after you know what. We need to focus on that. But tell everyone else so you guys can work out a plan ASAP.'
Kyouka stared at the message for a moment and then pressed send, before plugging her phone into the charger and getting up. With that, she'd done all she could do. One and a half hours wasn't too far away, and she knew Anjou would check her phone; Mina had griped a lot about Anjou spending all of their lunch periods glued to it. If something was wrong, Anjou would find out soon enough.
For now though, Kyouka had to wipe her hands of this. She had a fight to prepare for.
Something was wrong with Midoriya, and Shouta was probably spiraling. There really wasn't a better way to describe the rapid-fire slew of panicked thoughts racking his brain as he laid in the bed staring at the ceiling. Kurogiri had left a magazine in reach after taking away the breakfast tray, but he didn't care to look at it or even see what magazine it was. It was too hard to focus on anything else.
Shigaraki's ominous warning made it clear that something happened to Midoriya, but not what, and Kurogiri had refused to elaborate. Looking back, whatever it was, it must have occurred last night. Kurogiri had delivered dinner instead of Midoriya, but he had explained it away as Midoriya being busy. It hadn't been the first time, so Shouta had tried not to overthink it.
How ironic. The one time he'd tried to convince himself that everything was fine, and it wasn't. He almost wanted to laugh but he managed to tamp down the urge, focusing on his breathing for a few... minutes, now. Would probably keep doing that for a while, since the alternative was panicking at his helplessness.
"Eraserhead."
He jolted at the unfamiliar voice, head snapping up. The door hadn't opened, and he saw no one inside the room. But with Quirks like Kurogiri's, doors weren't necessary, and neither did it mean he'd see any visitors. While he might be spiraling, he was pretty sure he wasn't at the point of hallucinating, so there probably was someone.
"Who's there?" he demanded. "Show yourself."
"No." Now that he was paying attention he could tell the voice came from the foot of the bed, and he craned his neck as much as possible but still didn't see the visitor. Most full-grown adults would have at least the tops of their heads visible from this angle, even if they sat on the floor. Either they had an invisibility Quirk or were short. Judging by the voice though, this probably wasn't an adult.
He exhaled softly, willing the sternness to leave his face and his voice to come out more calmly. "You sound young," he commented. Younger than anyone else he'd seen here, she sounded like she hadn't even hit puberty. "Don't tell me the Alliance recruits elementary school kids."
"It does not," Seiko replied, voice bland and inflectionless. Just as he suspected she sat at the foot of the bed, knees bent in front of her chest and hands splayed on the floor on either side of herself. She didn't give him time to probe for more information, continuing, "Izuku asked me to visit you and explain."
That had Shouta's full attention, sitting up straighter. "What's going on? Why is he sending you instead of coming here himself?"
"Because Shigaraki discovered he's having an episode, and has locked him in isolation." Shouta's thoughts faltered at that, staring at the empty space at the foot of his bed as if it would provide clarity. After several moments he sighed, leaning his head to the side to rub his eyes with his one un-mittened hand.
"What, exactly, are episodes?" he asked slowly.
"A type of amnesia. Around four years ago, Izuku vanished for two days and was found with Quirk-induced memory loss. Shigaraki concluded it was the work of a local criminal who had a memory-altering Quirk and eliminated him. However, since then Izuku has periodically experienced bouts of partial-amnesia, which we call 'episodes' for simplicity."
Her choice of words didn't skip Shouta's notice. "You don't think the man Shigaraki killed was responsible, do you?"
Unseen by him, the corners of Seiko's lips twitched upwards into a faint smirk that failed to reflect in her voice. "Izuku's memories were impacted by a Quirk, and the man Shigaraki killed did possess a memory-related Quirk. However, we know nothing of its finer mechanics, and Izuku has no memories of the attack that he can speak of. That is currently irrelevant though. All you need to know is that he's been discovered."
Shouta still had questions, picking up on yet another bit of unusual wording (no memories that he can speak of?), but he decided to let it slide. As his visitor stated, it was irrelevant, and right now he needed to get more immediate information on the general situation. "What do you mean by 'discovered?' Shouldn't it be obvious if he's experiencing amnesia?"
"The way episodes work are unusual, as he doesn't seem to forget periods of time, but pieces of information. He sometimes remembers that Shigaraki is a villain and the leader of the Alliance, but not their relationship or that his parents are dead. Sometimes he remembers their relationship and parts of their time together, but not the formation of the Alliance. Sometimes he remembers me, sometimes he does not. Hence why I call it partial amnesia. Because of this, he's able to occasionally cover up the fact he's having an episode by using myself and his journals to fill in gaps in his memories. It's like a game, to see how long he can get away with it."
Her voice lifted slightly at the last bit, the closest thing to emotion yet. Shouta frowned as he turned the information over in his head; these "episodes" didn't sound like regular amnesia. In fact, it sounded almost too fantastical, even for "partial" amnesia. "Why should I believe that?" he asked warily.
"Why would I lie?" the unseen girl asked in return, and he frowned as he pondered it.
"Amusement for starters. See what I'm willing to believe, no matter how ridiculous or far-fetched it sounds. That also opens the way to potential manipulation, by swaying my sympathies in his favor and making him out to be a victim. It would make me more wary of the rest of the Alliance's goals towards him."
"How so?"
"Because the memory loss you just described seems too unusual to be random," he declared bluntly. "It would be more in line with something intentional to try to keep him from escaping. Even the 'game' of remaining undetected could be a ploy to minimize escape attempts."
There was a long moment of silence. And then, ever so lightly, "Interesting." He shuddered involuntarily, something about the faint trace of amusement sending a chill down his spine. The girl's voice kept that light note as she continued, "So that is how it appears to outsiders, then. Or at least to heroes. I can see how you could reach that conclusion, but I can assure you, the episodes are real. And it's not the work of Shigaraki or anyone else in the Alliance."
The amusement faded from her voice by the end, back to the flat and dull tones Shouta recognized as normal for her. "I do not know how it works and what triggers it. Whether you believe it or not is ultimately irrelevant to me though. He asked me to explain to you because no one else would, and he'll be kept in isolation until this episode ends for his own safety."
That had Shouta's gaze sharpening. "For his own safety?"
"He has attempted to 'escape' before while confused, which he typically regrets when he regains his memories. I believe you should know of at least one incident."
It took a moment for Shouta to piece together what she meant. "You mean the incident last year." A year ago Midoriya had gone along with one of Nighteye's students in a plan to leave the Alliance's base until abruptly changing his mind at the last second for no discernible reason. It had been the event that brought Midoriya's existence to their attention in the first place, and started their investigations into the boy.
They hadn't been able to determine why Midoriya had changed his mind about running away so late into it. It had been quite literally at the last second, stopping right after they left the building to head back with no explanation other than a hasty apology. So far Shouta hadn't asked Midoriya about it, beyond that one time he'd referenced it while trying to provoke a reaction and get a better idea of the kid's character. And given how that ended... well, he'd rather not broach the topic again.
That thought had him stilling, something suddenly slotting into place. "These episodes," he said after a moment, and paused, trying to gather his thoughts. It had only just struck him, the pieces still vague in his head and not yet fully slotting together enough to understand what he had realized, but he likely wouldn't get another chance to question her. "You say it basically... scrambles his memories, to different degrees. Can that happen on a smaller degree? In a conversation?"
"They can suddenly occur during conversations," the girl confirmed, validating his thoughts. "Though I do not know if what you witnessed was, in fact, an episode." So she had figured out his reason for asking.
The odd reaction Midoriya had when Shouta provoked him—the way he cut off mid-sentence and his face suddenly turned blank, the following disorientation—it hadn't been normal, and Shouta had no idea what it was. It almost seemed like a panic attack or something similar at first, but it just wasn't. But, if his memories had suddenly scrambled in the conversation, that could explain it.
That still raised questions. Left many blanks for Shouta to sort through. But, the story didn't seem quite so far-fetched now. It would explain Shigaraki's sudden visit that morning as well. A person with partial amnesia would be particularly prone to manipulation and coercion, especially in Midoriya's current circumstances. All signs pointed to Midoriya's admiration of heroes to be genuine, and Shouta was, oddly enough, his favorite hero according to all accounts. If he remembered his admiration for Eraserhead and knew it was him, then it would be easy for Shouta to sway and influence him—
And then Shouta suddenly remembered: Midoriya didn't remember how he'd heard of him.
The realization had him jolting, ignoring the sharp pang in his broken leg as the sudden motion jostled it. During their first conversation when Shouta had asked about it, Midoriya's wording had made it clear enough he didn't remember how he'd heard of him. Either the kid was the world's best actor and had been setting this up from their first meeting, or he genuinely didn't remember.
Shit. He didn't like the other implications of that.
"This one is quite unusual," the girl continued before he could fully process it, and he had to force himself to stop thinking and pay attention. "The longest episode lasted forty-three days, and the shortest three, but they typically last an average of two weeks. Usually they get detected quite fast. This is the longest he's managed to go undiscovered by Shigaraki or Kurogiri. Someone else managed to figure it out though, so his streak already ended at twenty-one days. As I said, it's like a game."
Once again her voice took that light, almost playful quality. The number twenty-one stuck out like a glaring alarm though, making his blood chill as it brought back his previous thought. Shouta might not know exactly how long he had been here, but he knew it wasn't that long. "Are you saying he's been in the middle of an episode this whole time?"
"He has. It has been thirty days as of today."
Shit. The sheer implications of that—this just kept getting worse and worse. He took a deep breath and pushed it to the back of his mind though, at least for the moment. He could spiral later, he needed to get more information before jumping to conclusions. "What was the record before this? Of going undiscovered, I mean."
"Seven days." And yet again, Shouta found himself thrown off. Twenty-one days was a very large leap from the previous record. His frown deepened as he analyzed the new information. If everything this girl stated was true, then he couldn't say he knew Midoriya as well as he thought. With his memories compromised, that would likely impact his personality.
However, if he'd gone twenty-one days without someone noticing—and twenty-nine until Shigaraki did—then it must be close to his original behavior. This painted their interactions in a new light, and he'd have to think back and re-analyze them with this new information.
That could wait until later though, after this girl left. Because right now, he knew the visit's time would be limited. The fact Midoriya sent her to inform him, combined with Shigaraki's threat that morning, made it clear this visit wasn't supposed to happen. "Can you prove Midoriya was the one who sent you, and not Shigaraki or someone else?"
"Shigaraki does not know I exist, and I am not part of the Alliance." The response had him sitting up straighter, eyes narrowing at the empty space.
"You never said who you are," he commented.
"I did not." The answer made it clear enough she didn't intend to give him a name. That, and the fact she hadn't shown herself.
"Is there anything you're willing to let me know?" he asked dryly.
Seiko hummed once, closing her eyes as her head tilted to the side. "Tell me, Eraserhead, what do you think I am?"
The choice of what instead of who had Shouta frowning again, but he decided not to address that as he mulled it over. "So far, I don't know what to make of you," he started. "Your voice sounds young, and you're small since I can't see you over the end of the bed. That, or you're invisible, but I personally doubt that. I'd almost suspect you're Mion," he added wryly, "since you managed to get in here without using the door. But last I checked, Mion shouldn't be able to use her Quirk."
"I see," the voice said simply. "I am not a cat." With how flat she sounded, it almost sounded like a joke. Almost.
"When you put it all together, that leads me to believe you're a child," Shouta concluded. Then after a moment he added, "But you're not actually a kid, are you?"
There was a long pause. And then,
she stood up.
A small girl appeared in his line of vision, back to him at first so he could only see black hair left largely loose but pulled into a ponytail on one side of her head. She was smaller than he'd expected, wearing a black sailor fuku dress almost like a school uniform and a cherry blossom hairpin.
And as she turned he saw pale, pale skin, with inverted eyes that reflected no light.
Shouta's breath caught, his whole body going stock-still as he stared at her. Her head inclined almost mechanically to the side, gazing at him with blank, empty eyes. "You're observant," she commented, voice still so bland, so emotionless, so—lifeless. "Most people don't figure that out. Maybe it's because you only had my voice and didn't see me."
She wasn't wrong. If he had seen her childlike appearance he might have been fooled, but with only her voice he had paid attention. Despite her youthful voice her speech patterns felt too off to Shouta to be a child, her tone and words a bit too bland. Yet he couldn't bring himself to confirm that, couldn't do anything but stare at her pale face which lacked even the minutest twitch of muscles save for her mouth when she spoke. An unnatural stillness that no face should possess at any age.
"You are an interesting man, Eraserhead. I can see why so many people here find you fascinating. But, I do not care for you."
Shouta didn't respond to the blunt declaration, just looked at her wide-eyed. Every instinct in his body was screaming wrong, danger, something is horribly wrong, and he knew exactly why.
"I have passed on Izuku's message so I have no reason to stay. Farewell."
And then she was gone, dropping into the floor and out of sight. Shouta could only sit frozen even after she left, still shellshocked by the girl's appearance. Even now he felt his skin prickle with goosebumps, the hairs on his neck standing up. He hoped it was just the lighting messing with his imagination, he hoped he was wrong about his first impression.
After all, she did look like a child.
(A dead child.)
Notes:
Important news: for the foreseeable future, I'm switching to updating every other Monday.
I've thought long and hard, and this is the best solution. The buffer is just too low, and we're too close to the escape in-universe. I need time to make sure each chapter works together more than ever, and going on hiatuses isn't really working well. Once I get the buffer up I'll go back to weekly updates, but for now I'll be doing this. So I'll see you guys in two Mondays! In the meantime, the Ignite server is still open to anyone, and we have some other awesome fics on there with their own channels! Like Incident Zero, and everything by Downix and Owl.
I also started an AO3-exclusive fic: Untitled Goose Fic. Title says everything you need to know. It's basically just silly drabbles and won't update consistently, but it's a thing that exists and will likely be a collab with other writers from the Ignite server. It won't cut into writing time for Ignite, so don't worry about that.
Question for next time (courtesy of Ernand): If you had to have Shigaraki give you any hero as a pet, which hero would it be?
Chapter 118: Choosing Words Carefully
Summary:
Toga visits Izuku, and Ochako meets Aiko and Dabi.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 118
.::Choosing Words Carefully::.
For once, Himiko didn't have a bounce in her step as she walked down the halls of the Alliance's base, her mood unusually dull and sober. If anyone saw her, they'd probably find the lack of the typical manic gleam in her eyes as unsettling as when she had it. Half the Alliance were out busy preparing for that raid though, so she didn't have to worry about putting on a front as she carried a tray of food through the halls.
Izu-kun got found out and was now stuck in isolation. When she'd realized he was having an episode, Himiko knew it would be a matter of time until that happened. People always found out, even if Tomu didn't realize every time, and usually someone would tell him. With Jackie, Tsuki-chan and Eraserhead, it was only natural he'd overreact and lock up Mido-chan until the episode ended.
It sucked, but she'd expected it. That didn't make her any happier it happened though, and she doubted Izu-kun would be happy either.
As she reached the door to his room she paused and took a breath before pasting on a big smile. No point acting all mopey in front of him, he'd be mopey enough for both of them. She rapped on the door three times before punching in the code on the keypad, and flung it open with a big grin. "Mido-chan, I got lunch!" she announced brightly.
Izu-kun nearly fell out of his chair when she burst into the room, twisting to face her wide-eyed. "T-Toga?" he sputtered, and she beamed as she skipped inside and used her foot to kick the door shut behind her.
"Come on, clear up some space! I got your favorite!"
"Katsudon?" he asked even as he turned back to the desk to move his stuff to the side to make room for the tray.
"Nope! Pork dumplings and rice! It's got pork and rice, so close enough!" She giggled as she bounced over to set it on the desk, Izu-kun looking at the tray almost warily. There were two plates, one for her and one for him.
"Did, did you make that?" he asked after a moment, and she laughed.
"No, silly! I'm not on the list, remember? I got Mustard to make it!" He hadn't been too happy when she asked him, since he was one of a very few people allowed to cook proper meals in the kitchen. People had been bugging him about it a lot. Thankfully he agreed though when she'd pointed out that A) it was for Mido-chan, so Tomu would be happy, and B) making a giant batch of pork dumplings should leave plenty for others for a while.
Mido-chan still looked a bit wary of the meal, but after a few seconds picked up the chopsticks. Himiko returned to the door and opened it just long enough to grab the rolling chair sitting in the hall outside, rolling it over to the desk. Mido-chan shot it a bizarre look even as she sat down. "Did you bring a chair?" he asked incredulously.
"Nah, Tomu leaves one in the hall for when he comes in. He doesn't like to leave two chairs inside because you threw them at him once." He did an actual double-take at that, while Himiko just picked up chopsticks to start eating her own dumplings. After a few seconds Mid-chan started eating too, and quickly relaxed as they ate in silence.
As they ate Himiko glanced at the rest of the desk. "What were you writing, anyway?" she asked, leaning forward curiously. There were wads of paper piled by an open notebook, numerous and surprisingly small. He had obviously been tearing up each page to prevent them from being read before crumpling them up. Paranoid as ever, at least some things never changed.
Izu-kun seemed to hesitate at the question, freezing in place with cheeks still puffed up with dumplings. After a moment he swallowed and stammered, "Uh, j-just... some stuff... But hey, did Tomura leave? He mentioned something about a raid party this morning...?"
It was an obvious redirect, but Himiko would let it slide. She bobbed her head and swallowed her own mouthful of food before saying, "Yeah, some other group beat up Braquey and Yale-chan super bad. Yale-chan couldn't even come back, and I heard that Braquey was hurting so much that Tanuki-san had to knock him out again!"
Mido winced at the description, and chewed with a thoughtful look before admitting, "I have no idea who any of those people are."
"That's okay, you'll remember eventually," she said with a shrug. "But like half the Alliance is out right now working on this, Tomu is pissed. They're basically just scouting things and trying to rescue Yale-chan though, so they'll probably be back pretty soon. So if you wanted to break out, now's still not the best time."
For some reason her casual comment had Mido jumping in alarm, almost choking on a mouthful of dumpling. "W-what?" he managed to sputter.
"That's why you're asking, right?" Himiko asked idly. "To figure out if it's a good time to escape? Well, it's not. I don't know when they'll be back, but they've already been gone a while so it'll be pretty soon."
Still he stared at her wide-eyed, clearly shocked by something. "You, you still want to help escape?" he finally asked, and she huffed and rolled her eyes.
"Of course, silly. I said I'd help, didn't I?" She might be hurt by his lack of faith in her, but as it stood she'd give him a pass this time. He didn't remember her fully, and he was pretty shaken up by everything. "It'll probably be better to wait until the episode ends though and he lowers his guard."
The second she said that he flinched though, looking wide-eyed before rapidly shaking his head. "No, that's—no, I can't wait that long."
"But it'll be easier though," she pointed out. "Tomu won't be so paranoid, and then you won't have to sneak around as much, either. If you're worried about the others, I can make sure they're all fine until then! It can't last that much longer, right?"
She flashed her teeth in a friendly smile, meant to be reassuring, but his uncertainty persisted. His thumb raised to his mouth as he lowered his gaze to the plate, shaking his head and muttering. "No, no, that's... That won't... No..." He trailed off, chewing on the tip of his thumb, and Himiko's smile faded.
Something was wrong here. This felt like more than the usual nerves. "Izu-kun," she said, and he snapped to attention at her voice, unusual in its seriousness. "Is there something else going on? Why are you so on edge?"
He didn't reply, just looked at her with a startled look like a deer in headlights. Finally though he broke eye contact and inhaled a shaky breath. "Toga, I—" Then he stopped short, jolting in his seat and eyes going wide. "I...?" Once again he trailed off, but she could see a sudden light in his eyes, some sort of epiphany unfolding.
Then, he began speaking more rapidly. "I'm not okay. Tomura figured out I'm having an episode, I'm stuck in isolation and I can't leave or tell anyone. All I could do was get Seiko to tell Eraserhead what's going on—oh crap, Seiko?" He cringed as he called out her name, but she didn't appear.
"She left a while ago," Himiko informed him with a shrug. "She told me she was gonna check out the situation with Yale-chan. She said to tell you she wouldn't do 'that' again, so I guess she meant you making her talk to Eraserhead? She seemed pretty mad," she added thoughtfully.
That got her a blank look. "How can you even tell?" he whispered, but then shook his head and said, "Know what, never mind. We don't have time for that. But it sounds like she did tell him, so that's one thing down. But we still need to tell Kacchan and Shi—Hijack." Himiko perked up at the hastily corrected slip, leaning forward expectantly as a smile split across her face.
"Did Jackie tell you his name?" she asked eagerly. "What is it, what is it?"
Rather predictably, he winced and shook his head. "Uh, I can't—he didn't—I'm not—um, no," he finished lamely, shoulders slumping as he turned to quickly scribble something in his notebook. "Sorry. Just forget about that, and don't mention it. But back to the point," he said before she could press him, turning back to her once more, "Toga, you're really willing to help? You're absolutely serious?"
Himiko let her smile fade, expression serious once more. "Of course I am," she said firmly. "I told you, it's wrong that they were kidnapped and forced into this against their will. If they don't want to be here, they shouldn't have to. So I'm on your side. Even if you somehow change your mind once this episode ends, I'll make sure they get out just like I promised yesterday. Eraserhead, too."
Izuku looked at her closely, his expression hard to read. Himiko just met his gaze calmly, willing her sincerity to show. After a long moment he blinked and nodded. "I think sheʼs telling the truth," he mumbled, almost too quiet for her to catch, before saying more clearly, "Toga, I need you to tell them what's going on."
If he didn't have Himiko's attention before, he certainly did now. She perked up, tilting her head. "Oh? You didn't ask Seiko-chan to tell them?"
He shook his head. "No, she'd have to tell them both separately since Tomura apparently... doesn't know she exists." He shot her a look, to which she just shrugged.
"Don't look at me like that. It's fun to see her just hang around with Tomu not knowing she's there! I forgot you wouldn't remember that though."
He didn't seem totally satisfied by her answer, but soon enough sighed and let it go. "Fine. But anyways, it would be easier to have them together for the explanation, and you're the only person who can get them together without having another person supervising. So," he turned to the notebook, and mumbled to himself too low to hear as he picked up his pen. He then grimaced before scribbling some more before continuing, "I need to finish this, and then I need you to take this letter explaining everything, okay?"
Then he paused and muttered some stuff too quietly for her to hear, looking a bit annoyed for some reason, before turning to her. "Toga, you're the only person I can ask to do this. I'm taking a big risk, but I have no choice. And... I think," and he hesitated, ever so briefly before pushing on, "I think I trust you."
Something about his words took her by surprise, looking at him for a moment before her face lit up with a soft smile. She could feel the weight of his words, see the sincerity in his face even as his eyes still glimmered with uncertainty. "Aw, thank you, Izu-kun!" she chirped, reaching out to pat his shoulder. "You're so good. You can count on me!"
He managed to offer a feeble smile in return, nodding. "Thank you. I'm just, gonna finish writing this now, I guess."
"Okay!" Himiko said, sitting back and picking up her chopsticks again. "Take your time, even if Tomu comes back it'd be totally normal for me to have lunch with you anyway." He just nodded and turned back to his desk, picking up his pen once more while Toga resumed eating.
Barely two minutes into her lunch break, and Ran knew she probably wouldn't get much time to eat or study. The message from Jirou made sure of that.
After uttering a quick excuse about cramming in a quieter place, she broke away from her friends and headed to a classroom. Several of the teachers had an open offer for some students to use their classrooms if their Quirks made the lunchroom too overwhelming, and luckily Ran was on that list. She slipped into the one furthest from the cafeteria and sat at a desk in the far back corner with her bento, and then swapped a single ear with Midoriya.
At first she heard silence, but then, "Toga, I—" Then he stopped short, no doubt picking up on the difference in his hearing. Even with only one ear swapped out, it made your own voice sound radically different. "I...?"
He trailed off, and Ran took the opportunity to whisper, "It's Anjou. I swapped an ear out to check everything's okay. If now's a bad time, just—"
She didn't have a chance to finish before he declared, "I'm not okay," and then revealed one of their worst fears had become a reality. Shigaraki had figured out he was missing his memories, and locked him up.
Ran's stomach sank as she listened to the conversation. While he couldn't speak to her freely, he was still able to pass along enough through talking to Toga for her to glean the details. He'd been stuck since last night, and had managed to pass on a message to Eraserhead through Seiko (who apparently, Shigaraki didn't know existed? What?), but hadn't told Shinsou or Bakugou.
And when the idiot almost slipped with Shinsou's name, she felt a spike of irritation and had to grit her teeth to bite back a threat. She quickly found her attention focused to another thing though: Midoriya wanted Toga to deliver a letter.
"Are you crazy?" Ran hissed when there was a small break in the conversation. "I know you said she's willing to help, but this is a huge risk! We don't know if she can be trusted!"
She could hear the soft intake of breath, before he murmured quietly, barely audible even with the silence on both ends, "I know, but... Swap eyes with me for a second." Ran scowled but did as told, covering one eye with her palm before swapping the other. She saw a piece of paper on a desk, Midoriya's line of vision bobbing slightly as he adjusted to the suddenly split vision. He quickly focused though and scribbled a sentence at the bottom of the page:
'If you have any doubts, just tell me what you think after I look at her.'
"What does that mean?" she hissed, but Midoriya then swiveled his head to look at Toga. This marked Ran's first actual glimpse of Toga Himiko, since during their prior meeting she'd been transformed. She looked surprisingly normal for the most part: narrow eyes with slight bags, messy blonde hair pulled into buns on either side of her head, and what looked like a school uniform.
Her eyes also had a sharpness to them as she gazed at Midoriya, sitting up a bit straighter. He raised his voice, addressing both Toga and Ran as he said, "Toga, you're the only person I can ask to do this. I'm taking a big risk, but I have no choice. And... I think, I think I trust you."
There was only the slightest of hesitance in his tone, but he finished the sentence firmly. And an important thing about Ran: she was good at reading people. She could read between the lines, pick up on what they didn't say, and this time she heard it clearly:
He felt a subconscious degree of trust towards Toga, meaning his counterpart trusted her.
"Dammit," she mouthed soundlessly, moving her palm to cover her whole face and closing her open eye. That didn't cut off the connection of course, so she could still see the way Toga's eyes flickered with surprise before her expression grew soft. And, dammit, Ran could see the sincerity in her face, the way Toga was moved by that show of trust and reciprocated it. She could feel it from both of them, through the links she'd set up when she met them.
Ran kinda wanted to bang her head on the desk at how mushy it all felt. This was one of the most annoying parts of her Quirk: even when she wasn't trying to tap into it, she just subconsciously picked up on people's emotions sometimes while focusing on links. She might be good at reading people, but she didn't really like handling feelings like this. It just felt too sappy for her taste.
But it also meant she could sense Toga was serious, and could probably be trusted. Probably.
Ran was still very unhappy about this.
"I hate this so much," she muttered under her breath.
"That makes two of us," Midoriya murmured back, turning back to his notebook and scribbling out the sentence. "We don't have a choice though. Do you think she can be trusted?"
"Probably," Ran grumbled. "And write other words over the sentence to cover it." Midoriya paused but then did just that, and the layered kanji quickly became indecipherable. Ran cut the swap of their eyes then, pulling her hand away from her face and opening her eyes to gaze at her untouched bento. It would have to go untouched a little longer unfortunately, and she pulled out her phone. "I'll DM the others with the news. By the way, Uraraka is on her way to get that Quirk reversed."
She heard the pencil pause in its scratching, and then very quietly, "Is that safe?"
"We have literally no other choice." The irony wasn't lost on Ran. "Dabi's there, and if he wants answers he'll have to make sure she's not kidnapped or anything, so there's that at least." Which was still more insurance than they had with Toga.
There was another pause, and then a sigh. "This sucks," he said flatly.
"It'll be okay, Mido-chan!" Toga chirped, and Ran just shook her head. Nope, she was not dealing with this part any longer.
"I'm gonna break the link and text them. Got anything specific for me to tell them before I go?"
"I... don't think so, but can you check in after school? When I'll be alone?"
"You say something?" Toga asked.
"No, j-just, thinking out loud, I guess," Midoriya stammered nervously.
"Yeah, I can do that," Ran said dryly as she listened to the exchanged. Right now obviously wasn't a good time to talk with Toga around. "If it's a bad time when I swap ears, just click your teeth together two times and I'll try again later." There was a pause, and then an experimental clack of teeth as he tried it, prompting her to deadpan, "Yeah, I can hear it. It's one of those sounds you learn to subconsciously block out. I have a lot to do, so I'm breaking the link now. Just hang in there."
"Okay," he whispered back, and Ran swapped their ears back, effectively breaking the link. For a moment she just sat there, but then she slowly exhaled and opened up FacePage. A few taps, and she had a new group chat open with Ashido, Todoroki and Uraraka.
'Heads up: Deku got caught having an episode. He's using the shapeshifter girl to get a letter to your classmate and Hijack, and already had Seiko tell your teacher the situation. I still have exams so I need to focus on that, but I'll check in with him again after school. You guys should work on rescue plans, but also, don't tell Music or Chargebolt until after they do their thing today.'
Ochako just stared at her phone in mute horror and disbelief, her jaw hanging open. She knew that a message from Anjou when she was busy with exams couldn't mean anything good, but she still hadn't been prepared for this. This was seriously one of their worst-case scenarios.
She kinda wanted to scream in frustration, but she knew now was a horrible time for that. Which was reinforced when Aiko set a mug of hot chocolate in front of her. The clatter of porcelain against wood made Ochako jolt and nearly drop her phone.
"Jumpy, aren't you?" Dabi remarked wryly, and Ochako couldn't even muster the will for a half-hearted glare as she willed her heart rate to calm down.
"Thanks," she mumbled, pocketing her phone before taking the mug. It had been bitterly cold outside and her hands still hadn't fully warmed up, so the warm drink was very welcome.
"Is everything okay?" Aiko asked as she sat at the table across from her. "You look kinda... Freaked out."
"I'm fine!" Ochako squeaked in a high-pitched voice, making herself wince at how strained it sounded.
"Sure you are," Dabi snorted with an eye roll, and this time Ochako did glare at him. Not that it phased him. She sighed as she turned forward, taking a sip from the mug. For all her problems with Aiko, the woman made the best hot chocolate. She knew Aiko used a box mix, but she clearly added some other stuff to improve it and make it even sweeter. It was almost enough to make her relax and forget her problems.
Almost.
"One of my friends just texted me some crazy news, that's all," she said, knowing she had to tell them something. "Some, uh, stuff happened that we didn't expect. It's, um, not important to... This. So, you don't need to worry about it." She shrugged awkwardly, hoping they wouldn't push for more details.
Of course she wasn't that lucky. "You're not talking about Shouto, right?" Dabi asked, and she quickly shook her head.
"No, someone else. You wouldn't know them. Todoroki's probably fine."
"Probably?" he repeated dryly, and she grimaced. Yeah, could have chosen a better word.
"I mean, he was okay when I saw him last night?" she said. "He was already gone this morning when I woke up so I didn't talk to him today, but he's not doing anything dangerous."
"Not gonna lie kid, the fact you have to specify that is kinda suspicious," Dabi deadpanned, and Ochako's shoulders slumped with a groan while Aiko glanced between them.
"Should, should I be worried?" she asked, and her expression was a perfect replica of Deku's when he got flustered and concerned. "Are you caught up in some kind of conspiracy? Are you in danger?"
Yes, yes she was, and Aiko was one of the threats. She couldn't say that though, or anything else about the constant dangers they faced. "Um, it's complicated, and I really don't want to talk about it with you. But it's nothing that bad."
She might be lying through her teeth there—emphasis on might. She had no idea how to rank how bad any part of their situation was, this world was screwed up enough to skew her perception of how bad things were. When the bar was set at All Might is dead, heroes are basically a dying breed, and UA closed due to a massacre, that made a lot of things feel pretty inconsequential.
(Well, the whole "stuck in another world" thing was still pretty major and bad, but in a different way.)
Aiko still had that weirdly Deku-like worried look, which was seriously so similar and felt almost uncanny to see on someone else's face. It was clear she wasn't reassured by Ochako's words. "Whatever is going on, Izuku won't be pulled into it, right?" she asked. "Please? Because he's already been caught up in one crazy teenage conspiracy, he really doesn't need to be pulled into another."
Once again, Ochako wanted to scream because that was exactly why she wanted to scream in the first place. They hadn't done anything, Deku got in trouble by just living with the Alliance. They were trying to get him out of danger! "I swear we won't do anything to put him in danger," she said. "He's my friend. I care about his safety too, so you don't need to remind me about that."
"As interesting and important as this all is," Dabi cut in, "shouldn't we get down to business? Floaty's here for a reason after all."
That had Ochako and Aiko both sitting up a bit straighter, nodding seriously as they mentally switched gears. "Totoro says you can't even point out Nabu on a map?" Aiko asked, and Ochako nodded, but then paused.
"Totoro?" she repeated curiously, while Dabi openly glared at Aiko.
"You know, I have a different name I actually like now," he said crisply.
"Yeah, and it's a silly edgelord name," Aiko retorted just as dryly. "I've been calling you Totoro for years. You never liked your actual name, and now you look even more like a tanuki. So now you're even more of a Totoro than before!"
She beamed at him, sunny and cheerful. His glare accentuated the purple scars under his eyes, which sort of proved her point. "Anyways," he grit out, turning to Ochako, "Can you just tell her what Shouto said?"
Ochako nodded, quickly refocusing on the subject at hand. "Like he said, I can't point out Nabu on a map, or talk about or mention it. I can't even pick it out on a screen."
"How did you get here last time then?" Aiko asked, her gaze sharp, and Ochako sucked on the inside of her cheek. She should have expected Aiko would ask that.
"I... came here with Todoroki-kun," she admitted reluctantly. "We were traveling together for safety, and we had some stuff to do here unrelated to Deku. He bought the tickets, so... yeah." Again, not even a total lie. They'd planned to look around Nabu and maybe leave some graffiti messages since Mail had mentioned Porter would be likely to check out cities where the League/Alliance had bases. They'd gotten distracted after hearing about the Shinsou situation and then looking for Deku's notebook, but the intent was there. So, not a complete lie.
(She was a bit paranoid about straight-up lying to Aiko, okay? Who knew what sorts of Quirks she had?)
Her answer seemed to appease Aiko, who nodded after a moment. "Follow-up, who's Kaminari?" she asked, and that had Ochako freezing, stomach dropping.
"W-what?" she whispered. How did she know his name?
"You mentioned on that phone call you couldn't talk about Kaminari's something," Dabi interjected almost lazily, but his eyes had a sharp glint as he watched her. "I mentioned that to Aiko when explaining why Taboo or whatever she calls it wasn't the most flawless thing."
Ochako couldn't fully remember mentioning Kaminari, but she had a pretty good guess on the context. "Um, well, he's a friend of mine," she said after a beat. "And he mentioned a creepy teacher he had, and then I realized I couldn't say her name. And I'd definitely never met her, so..." She trailed off and shrugged, hoping Aiko would focus on that rather than try to push for details on Kaminari.
And mercifully, she did, her gaze serious as she leaned forward with a hand raised to her chin. Once again Ochako found herself thrown off by the similarity to Deku's expressions, this time perfectly mimicking his thinking face. "That's definitely too extreme," she murmured. "It wasn't that strict the last time I used it, but that was years ago... I don't need to use it that much, and it doesn't take effect around me so I never get to see the effects in action... Are there other limitations too we just don't know about yet?"
She even mumbled like Deku. Something about that just made the sight feel so surreal to Ochako, and she might laugh if it wasn't for the situation. "So you're gonna lift it, right?" Dabi said, and that seemed to snap Aiko out of her mumble trance, blinking once as she looked up.
"Of course. I didn't think it would block anything about Nabu or the names of people she had never met. If I knew it would be that strict, I wouldn't have used it in the first place." Ochako almost sagged in relief, glad to know it was finally almost over. But of course, her relief was short-lived when Aiko continued, "We still need to figure out some other solution though."
"What?" Ochako said, feeling her heart sink.
"The core issue is still the same," Aiko explained with a frown, crossing her arms. "Being able to talk about the Alliance is a huge security risk, and I don't mean you going to the police or heroes. They've made a lot of enemies over the years, and you're already a runaway. It wouldn't be hard to make you disappear if someone found out you knew even the smallest details about it."
Well, that was a new angle, and Ochako wanted to scream all over again. Because the only other solutions she could imagine were A) confining her, and B) trying another Quirk. Neither of which she wanted.
Fortunately for her though, Dabi spoke up before Aiko could propose either option. "You don't need to be so paranoid about her blabbing," he said. "I can make sure she doesn't talk about them until you come up with something. I was planning to catch a ride back with her to wherever she and Shouto are hanging out anyway, right?" He gave her a subtle but pointed look as he said that, and Ochako had to fight back a wince.
"Yeah, I guess so," she agreed, trying to sound cheerful. Of course he'd go with her, why had she expected anything else? He'd gone through plenty of trouble to get even a single lead on Todoroki, and now that he'd fulfilled his end of the bargain, it was only natural he'd want instant resolution. Looks like the confrontation would be happening today, which was admittedly bad because they hadn't talked about that yet.
Between the Deku situation, Kyouka and Denki facing down Gentle Criminal, and now the suddenly impending Dabi meeting, today was going to be very hectic. But at least Taboo would be lifted, given Aiko's nod. "Alright then," she said, and got up to walk to Ochako's side. "Let's remove it then."
She held out a hand, and Ochako happily gripped it. Things might be getting ever more complicated, but at least this one thing would become a little more simple.
Notes:
Fun fact: I finished the rough draft yesterday because I spent this whole past week playing Pokémon Legends: Arceus. 10/10 game, totally worth it, best Pokémon game in YEARS, and I beat the main story at around 65 hours and can now finally get back to my life.
So, yeah, buffer is at exactly zero now. I have minimal regrets.
Also, I only realized that Dabi would insist on going to Odawara with Ochako while writing this chapter. So yeah, this really IS going to be a super-busy day in-universe! :D
Today's question for next time is a bit different. If you went into a standard fantasy world, defeated the demon king and all that, and could return to Earth with one power or skill from your adventure, what would it be? This could be anything from flight to controlling plants or animals to weather manipulation, to more "trained" skills like archery or maxed-out cleaning, or even just stats like strength. Basically, anything you've seen in fantasy or a video game as a skill is an option.
Chapter 119: Self-Sacrificing Idiots
Summary:
Another letter reading happens. Katsuki is not impressed.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 119
.::Self-Sacrificing Idiots::.
As usual, Katsuki was in a bad mood, and also as usual, it was because of Deku. And also because of Toga dragging him to Hijack's room for a meeting disguised as a bonding lunch, which meant he had to spend time with her. But still mostly because of Deku, since said meeting had been technically instigated by him.
"The nerd seriously let himself get caught?" he growled after Toga offered a brief summary of the events. She just bobbed her head.
"Yep! To be fair, he totally obliterated his old record for keeping Tomu from finding out, so it's impressive he lasted as long as he did."
"That really doesn't make this any better," Hijack deadpanned next to him.
"It doesn't," Toga agreed with another nod, while Katsuki silently seethed. He'd had a feeling that Deku got himself caught when he didn't show up last night and Mistface had to take him back to his room, and then skipped breakfast, but still. They were so close to the escape! They had the spare key, made contact with some allies outside this place—freedom was close, dammit!
His aggravation was made marginally worse by the fact Deku probably hadn't been looking for socks, and had used that as an excuse since Seiko was around. A fact which only became obvious in retrospect after the nerd left. In Katsuki's defense, he was focused on kicking Hijack's ass at the time. And hero socks were absolutely something Deku would care about. (Seriously, one of his earliest memories was fighting with him about the best pair of All Might socks when they were three.)
Honestly though, those were still absolutely shitty excuses for not realizing Deku had some other reason to go to Shigaraki's room. Katsuki only had himself to blame for not picking up on it, and he knew it. Hence part of his aggravation. Just thinking about it made him scowl, distractedly jabbing at the dumplings with his chopsticks. In his distracted state his aim was slightly off though, one chopstick missing entirely and the other spearing the dumpling dead-center.
Katsuki stared at his plate, and had to make a concerted effort to not let his hands explode with irritation. When he tried to pull the chopstick out, it instead lifted the entire dumpling with it, apparently more deeply embedded than he'd first realized. Hijack raised an eyebrow as he looked at it. "You know you're supposed to pick those up with two chopsticks, right?" he drawled.
"Shut up," Katsuki grumbled, sticking it in his mouth. Once he swallowed he turned back to Toga and asked, "Did he say what he was doing in handsy's room in the first place?"
Frustratingly she just shook her head though as she pulled her plate onto her lap when Mion hopped on the desk to sniff at the dumplings. Mion made her displeasure loudly known, but they all ignored her. "Nope, sorry. But he might have mentioned it in his letter." That had them snapping to attention.
"Letter?" Hijack repeated eagerly even as he held his plate above his head. Which Katsuki quickly mimicked upon seeing Mion had hopped onto the bed and started creeping towards their plates. Predictably, she once again vocalized her offense at her attempt being foiled.
"Yeah, he wanted me to get you two together and give it to you so we could all go over it at the same time. I didn't read it yet since it was originally just for you two, so I don't know what's in it, but it should have the most important stuff." She popped a dumpling in her mouth before searching her sweater's pockets, while Katsuki frowned.
"Hold on, you mean you weren't supposed to be part of it originally?" he asked warily, and she shrugged even as she pulled out a piece of paper.
"I mean, he was mainly writing it for you two, but I think he already figured out that I'd have to read it too since you guys won't be allowed to be alone unsupervised. But after I visited, I think he got more comfortable with that." She paused then, her smile losing its usual crazy edge to become weirdly soft as she added, "He said he trusts me. Even without all his memories, Mido-chan still trusts me!"
Her face looked so happy and normal that it honestly weirded out Katsuki more than her regular face. Evidently Hijack agreed, scooting a little closer to Katsuki on the bed. He decided to let it pass this time, just this once. "Stop that, your face looks weird," he deadpanned at Toga, and then quickly added to a still actively meowing Mion, "And you stop that too! We're talking!"
Mion, because she was a cat and did not understand Japanese, kept up her protests. This, on top of everything else, just pushed Katsuki's bad mood to new heights, which must have shown on his face because Hijack abruptly stood up and put his plate on the desk by Toga. The stupid cat finally stopped meowing as she immediately raced for the accessible plate, only to get scooped up by Hijack and carried to the bathroom.
"Sorry Mion, it's for your own good," he said as he tossed her inside, and they heard they heard a yelp as she hit the floor before he slammed the door shut. When he turned around and saw Katsuki and Toga staring at him, he just shrugged and said, "What?"
"That was kinda mean," Toga pointed out. "Usually you're all sweet and gentle with Mion-chan!"
"It was that, or risk Bakugou exploding her."
"Damn straight," Katsuki snorted, setting his plate down on the bed to wipe his palms against his pants. The only reason his Quirk hadn't activated yet was because he'd been forced to develop very good self-control with his hands stuck in those stupid handcuffs while stuck in this dump. He still didn't trust himself to not activate it from a spike in irritation though. With his hands now sweat-free, he returned his plate to his lap. "Enough about that. Let's just read the damn letter already."
"Right!" Toga nodded while unfolding the letter, and Hijack retrieved his plate before sitting next to Bakugou. "So, should I just read it out loud while you guys eat? I already ate some dumplings with Mido-chan, so I don't need to finish my plate anyway."
"Depends," Hijack said. "Is there any chance Seiko's around?" That had Katsuki stiffening and gritting his teeth. If that creepy brat was skulking around—
"She went out to check on Tomu and the others, so we're good," Toga said with a dismissive shrug. "Magne texted that they'd be out for another hour right before I got Tsuki-chan, and Seiko-chan always times it so she gets back a little bit before them. So we've got at least half an hour."
Alright, that just left Katsuki with more questions (where was everyone? Why did Seiko time her returns separately?), but he let it slide. "Just read it before she gets back," he grunted, and she nodded.
"Okay!" She cleared her throat and began reading. "Dear everyone. I'm sorry, but I got caught. I don't know how much time you'll have to read this, so I'll try to keep this brief and hope Toga will pass on more details about that. If she doesn't, well, I'm sorry." That got an eye roll from Katsuki. At least they didn't have to rehash that explanation again, but it would have been annoying if she couldn't explain it.
"I don't know how risky this letter is and if anyone will find it, so I'll just get straight to the point. The number you want is twenty-two."
Cue Katsuki nearly choking on a dumpling. "Holy shit," Hijack whispered, while Toga looked up at them curiously.
"What does that mean? Is it bad or good? I can't tell from your reactions."
"It's, uh, good, probably," Hijack managed, and turned to Katsuki who had grabbed a water bottle to help clear his throat. "I mean, do you think it's—?" He cut himself off, still looking shell-shocked and in disbelief.
"What other number would he bother mentioning?" Katsuki asked sarcastically before coughing a couple more times. Neither of them had been prepared to hear the number for the freaking bomb anklets. He wiped his mouth and turned to Toga, setting the plate aside as he ordered, "Keep reading."
She nodded, and picked up where she'd left off. "That one thing should be in the same place, so you're good on that front," she read, and then paused to look at them again.
Katsuki snorted as he picked up on her unspoken question. "Pretty sure I know what he's talking about. It's connected to the number," he added to Hijack in case he didn't get it yet.
Luckily, Hijack wasn't an idiot and nodded, having pretty obviously already figured out Deku meant the key to the anklets. "I'm guessing we're going to avoid saying it out loud, then?" he asked dryly.
"You're the one who brought up Seiko in the first place."
"Fair point." Hijack turned his attention back to Toga. "I'd apologize, but..."
"No, I get it," she assured them with a shrug. "I like Seiko-chan, but I don't know if I'd trust her with this either. She kinda does her own thing, and she might think it would be more fun to tell Aiko-nee about the situation to see her reaction. Or try to follow everyone afterwards. But anyways, there's not much left," she added as she looked back to the letter. "I'll just read the rest." They nodded as she resumed reading.
"With that, you should have everything you need. I don't know where the keys for Eraserhead's restraints are, but I don't think that will be a problem for you so I don't need to say anything else on that end. But I need to tell you something: what I'm experiencing isn't a normal episode. I can't explain why, because it's a long story and you might not believe it. I'm only mentioning it because we can't wait for the episode to wear off. So—ah." She interrupted herself softly, her mouth pulling into a frown. "Hm."
She made no other noise besides that soft, singular hum as she skimmed the rest of the letter in silence, her frown steadily growing. The sudden silence and shift in her expression didn't help assuage their wariness, leaving both boys on edge. "What does it say?" Hijack asked, and Toga's gaze lingered on the page a moment longer before she began reading it out loud.
"So if you get a chance to go without me, take Eraserhead and leave. Don't worry about me, Tomura cares about me too much to do anything bad. You three are the ones most at risk, especially now that I'm locked up, but I'll always be safe. There will be other chances for me, but there might not be for you. Hopefully things will go well and we can work out something, but worst case scenario, leave me and save yourselves."
There was a long moment of silence when she finished, the air thick with heavy tension as the implications set in. Then, after about a minute, Katsuki spoke up. "I am going to explode that idiot's face when I see him."
"I was going to threaten to stab his arm, but that works too," Toga said with a shrug, while Hijack just stared at them in shock.
"Okay, but is he actually serious?" he pressed. "Like, does he really want us to—"
"Yes," Katsuki and Toga interrupted simultaneously, Katsuki a little more growl-like than Toga. She went on to explain brightly, "Mido-chan is always so self-sacrificial like that. He would totally give up his life to save others!" Her smile then vanished as she added flatly, "And I hate it."
"Yeah, it's fucking stupid," Katsuki bit out. "I still need to give that nerd hell for letting me think he was dead, no way am I letting him off the hook that easy!" He smiled then, a vicious and furious thing as he seethed out, "That nerd is getting out of here with us whether he wants to or not."
And they would make him regret even suggesting they leave him behind.
Bang.
They all froze at the sudden noise, heads simultaneously snapping towards the door. "What was that?" Katsuki demanded.
"I don't know, but it sounded a lot like something hitting metal," Toga said with a frown. Another bang sounded, making them all reflexively stand up. Someone was out there, banging on... a door, probably, since the walls weren't—
Wait.
Katsuki froze, something striking him. "You said Shittyraki's not here," he said, and both other teens' heads swiveled to stare at him wide-eyed. He didn't wait for a response, flying for the door with Hijack in close pursuit. It was still unlocked from when Toga dragged him there, and he threw it open to see a sight he'd expected but had still hoped he wouldn't see.
Two thugs stood in front of the neighboring door, spinning to face them in surprise. Katsuki barely paid them any mind, his gaze locked firmly on the newly broken keypad.
They were after Eraserhead.
Only Hijack's hand gripping Katsuki's arm in a vice-grip kept him from surging forward, fists clenching tighter than ever. "What are you doing?" Toga spoke up behind him, her voice cold and flat.
"It's none of your business," the plainer of the mooks huffed, crossing his arms.
"It looks like you're trying to break into Eraserhead's cell," Hijack piped up mildly, still clutching Katsuki's arm. Katsuki could feel the vigilante's hand shaking ever so slightly, silently betraying his nerves even as he kept up a snarky tone while sarcastically quipping, "That, or you just really hate keypads."
"Tomu won't be happy when he finds out," Toga commented coolly. "Neither will Mido-chan or Giri."
The ram-horned thug's face twisted in a scowl. "Who cares what they think!" he snarled, jabbing a finger at the door. "You have no idea how much trouble that bastard's caused me! And now that he's finally right here and vulnerable, Shigaraki expects us to just ignore him because his bratty brother likes him? Fuck that!" He spat the words, nostrils flaring as he growled, "We're not gonna sit back any more!"
"Didn't Shigaraki kill the last guys who tried that?" Katsuki asked, ignoring the way Hijack gave his arm a warning squeeze. "Do you think he'd react any differently this time? Do you actually want to die?"
That remark seemed to be enough to set them off. "We're just doing what everyone else wishes they had the guts to do!" the first thug snapped, yanking his arms out of their crossed position. "And we're not letting some goodie two-shoes brats get in our way!" Even as he spoke he lunged and threw a punch at them—literally. His fist split from his arm with a strand of pink connecting it to the stump and shot towards them like a rocket.
Katsuki and Hijack both reflexively dodged to the side, the vigilante smothering a pained yelp as the flying punch still managed to graze his side. Still, it quickly became apparent why he was such a thorn in the Alliance's side because he grabbed the pink strand trailing behind the fist and yanked, making the villain cry out in pain. Apparently that cord or whatever must have nerve endings.
Katsuki didn't have much time to think about it, the ram-horned one now charging at him. He didn't even think as he surged forward to meet him, hands sparking with explosions as he tackled the man and forced him back. His Quirk usually gave him the edge in close combat, and this time was no exception, the thug hissing as he grabbed his chest where Katsuki's palm had collided with a small explosion.
"You little brat," he snarled, his blunt teeth peeling and curling upwards to reveal sharp incisors. Incisors which rapidly grew and sharpened even further as his face began to stretch and transform, looking closer to some sort of dragon-ram hybrid than a human. He charged again and Katsuki met his arrival with more explosions, this time with both palms flinging to slam into his shoulders and force him back with loud twin bangs.
Even as the bastard was pushed back Katsuki kept charging without losing momentum. All he saw was red, his rage all-consuming as all his frustrations poured out. Getting kidnapped in the first place, Deku getting caught, his own failure to pick up Deku's actual intentions yesterday, that stupid cat trying to steal their food, Deku insisting on sacrificing himself, and now these bastards targeting Eraserhead—
"If anything goes wrong, just ignore me and focus on yourselves."
The sudden statement had startled Katsuki, head snapping up from his homework to stare at the hero. Deku and Hijack had gone to the bathroom after Hijack's cheap pen exploded and doused his hand with ink, leaving the two of them briefly alone. "Hah?" he huffed. "What the hell are you talking about, old man?"
"You heard me," Eraserhead said, gaze focused on his lap. "If there's any trouble, if anyone tries to come after me again—hell, if you get a chance to leave this place, to escape by yourselves, forget about me. Just focus on protecting yourself and Hijack, and getting out of here. I don't know what your Quirk is, but it's obviously something good for combat if they kidnapped you, so I'm trusting you can defend both yourself and him if push comes to shove."
Katsuki stared at him uncomprehendingly for a moment, eyes widening. "Wait, what the fuck? Are you seriously saying to just leave you to die?"
"If it comes down to it, yes," Eraserhead replied bluntly, making Katsuki actually flinch at how quickly he responded. The hero still didn't look at him as he continued, "I'm the adult here, so it should be my job to protect you, but right now I'm as good as dead weight. I'm already failing at the most basic essence of my job, and I can't have kids endanger themselves because I'm unable to defend even myself. Even asking you to protect yourself and Hijack is a failure, but I have no other choice. Especially since Hijack can't exactly use his own Quirk to defend himself."
His mouth twisted bitterly at the last bit, self-loathing evident in his frown. Katsuki didn't get a chance to respond before the bathroom door opened and Deku emerged. Eraserhead's face immediately closed off again, effectively ending the conversation.
Eraserhead had the same self-sacrificial streak as Deku, and it pissed Katsuki off. More than that, he'd basically given up. The fact he told Katsuki to prioritize himself and Hijack, even if it meant leaving him to die—that he called himself dead weight—all of it just made it clear he didn't expect to escape. The bastard was more vulnerable than ever, and rather than try to fight or overcome it, he'd chosen to just focus on Katsuki and Hijack with no regard to his own life.
But there was one thing Eraserhead didn't know about Katsuki, and that was that he hated listening to authority figures. So like hell he'd suddenly start now.
He roared as he delivered an explosive uppercut to Ram's chin, the force sending him flying upwards. There was a loud crack as the bastard's horns made contact with the ceiling, sparing his skull from the impact, but it still rattled his whole head. Between that and the harsh hit to the chin, he was out like a light, crashing to the ground with a loud thump.
Katsuki spat at his body before turning just in time to see Hijack and Toga take down the other thug. At some point Toga had managed to get on the guy's back, arms wrapped around his neck in a headlock. He pried at her arms with one hand and one stump—the other hand limp on the ground nearby—leaving his torso wide open for Hijack to deliver a roundhouse kick to his side. The guy went falling towards the wall, Toga releasing the headlock to grab his shoulders and flip over his head. That sent him crumpling to the ground at a painful angle, groaning almost pitifully as he hit the floor.
For a moment the hall was largely silent after that, save for the teens' panting breaths and the one conscious thug's groans. Then Hijack hissed and clutched at his side as he slouched against the wall, face scrunching with pain. "Shit," he breathed, getting their attention to focus on him.
"Did he actually get you that bad?" Katsuki asked.
"Unlike some people, I don't have an explosive Quirk to keep people away," the vigilante hissed back. "And that guy's hand was hard, I think his bones are."
Before Katsuki could respond before they heard Eraserhead's muffled voice call from behind the door, frantic and tinged with panic. "What the hell's going on out there?" The teens exchanged wide-eyed looks, unsure how the hell to respond to that. Given his orders to leave him to die, he probably wouldn't be too happy about the fight.
As they looked at each other though Toga's head suddenly snapped fully towards Katsuki and her eyes went wide, focusing on something behind him.
Dread trickled down his spine, cold and icy, and he whirled around to see Kurogiri behind him.
After returning to the base with the first group of returnees from the scouting trip, Kurogiri had heard the sounds of fighting. Instinct had him warping to the source, pinpointing the location almost automatically from two years of dealing with fights in this specific building. He didn't even have time to register the fact it came from the secure prisoners' wing before he was there, standing in the aftermath of a fight.
Kurogiri took in the sight before him. The two villains on the floor. Bakugou standing over one with still-smoking palms. Hijack leaning against the wall clutching his side. Toga standing near him besides the other fallen villain. The smashed keypad on Eraserhead's door.
And beyond the door, he could hear shouting. A familiar voice demanding to know what was happening with increasing urgency.
In that moment, Kurogiri understood exactly what happened, and also made a decision. He vanished into his mists to reappear inside the locked cell, his entrance startling Eraserhead. The man looked shaken, eyes wide as he sat leaning as far forward as he could with his restraints.
To his credit he quickly recovered from his surprise at Kurogiri's arrival, quickly firing off rapid questions. "What happened out there? Who was banging on the door? Why did I hear explosions? What the hell were all those thuds? Was that yell Bakugou? What's going on?" His voice rose at the last question, expression tight with worry and ever-mounting panic.
"Someone attempted to break into your cell," Kurogiri informed him, and the hero flinched as his eyes grew wider. "Toga, Bakugou and Hijack intervened, but it is clearly no longer safe for you here."
Even as he spoke the hero was visibly forcing himself to calm down, taking a breath and exhaling slowly as his expression became more guarded. "So what, then?" he asked, watching warily as Kurogiri approached the bed. "I'm not delusional enough to think you're letting me go."
"We will temporarily relocate you somewhere safer," Kurogiri said simply as he yanked the blanket off the bed, and then threw it at the hero's head. Eraserhead startled as it landed and covered his face, yanking it off just in time to see the mist expand to cover the bed. He flinched at the expanding blackness and reflexively activated Erasure, but it was already too late.
The mist receded to reveal an empty apartment, the newly warped bed the only piece of furniture. It was a dreary and rundown space, with even the sole window boarded up to only allow a thin sliver of daylight through. "Please relax," Kurogiri said as Eraserhead twisted to survey the room with a frantic energy. "I will go—"
"Totoro, Uraraka-chan, is that you?" a familiar voice called, and Eraserhead froze with eyes going wide. Kurogiri turned to see the apartment's door open to reveal Aiko, expression wary as she said, "Or is it—"
And she naturally cut herself off as she took in the sight of Kurogiri and Eraserhead in a hospital bed. Eraserhead was frozen and mute with shock, but Kurogiri turned to face her fully. "There was another attempted attack today, so it is currently unsafe for Eraserhead at the Alliance's base," he informed her. "Until we can make more secure preparations to ensure his safety, I decided he would be safer in your care, Aiko-sama."
He dipped into a bow and said, "Please take care of Shouta for me."
Eraserhead inhaled sharply behind him, but Kurogiri paid him no mind. He simply straightened from his bow and warped away, leaving them alone.
Meanwhile miles away in Hosu, a man in a hooded cloak and a scarf walked past a tall office building, looking through a wallet and counting change. A second, smaller hooded person jogged past in a distracted state and grazed the man's shoulder bumped into him, making him drop the wallet and coins spill out. The smaller figure slowed long enough to call out a half-hearted "sorry" before continuing their jog, while the man bent to retrieve his wallet with a tired sigh.
The exchange barely earned a passing glance from the few pedestrians currently on the street. They couldn't see the smirk concealed by his scarf as he swiped the coins and wallet from the ground and dropped them in his coat's pocket.
"Showtime," he whispered, and then slapped the sidewalk.
Several meters behind him the figure who'd bumped into him slowed his jog to a halt and turned around, breaking into a full-speed run. This got a few curious looks, which quickly evolved into startled cries of shock as he raced for the ground and leaped onto the sidewalk and suddenly soared. A dark miasma shot out from beneath his poncho-style coat's hem to wrap around the first man's waist, pulling him along as they zoomed upwards towards the top of the office building beside them.
On the roof of a nearby building, Jirou Kyouka and Kaminari Denki leaned over the ledge to watch them crash through a window. "Woah," Denki breathed in awe, while Kyouka pulled back from the ledge.
"Let's go."
Notes:
While editing: "Whoops, I wrote 'teeth curled back to reveal sharp incisors' instead of 'lips curl back'. Should I fix it or commit?" I think you can see which choice I went with.
Also, originally, this chapter was just gonna have them go over the letter and end with the "and they'd make Deku regret suggesting they leave him behind" bit, and then cut to the start of the Gentle Criminal confrontation. Then, I got an evil idea. And I asked the server for their opinions on if I should implement said evil idea, because we wouldn't be able to see the fallout for a bit. And they said yes.
So you can blame them for Aizawa ending up with Aiko, because I really didn't plan that until I wrote this chapter. And we're also not checking in with them for a bit because it's GENTLE CRIMINAL AND TOKOYAMI TIME! :D
(For anyone TOO nervous, I'll assure you now: Aizawa is fine and Aiko is doing nothing sinister to him. Currently they're both quietly freaking out for different reasons. They eventually reach a truce of sorts when Aiko panic-gifts him a fruit basket and Aizawa stops freaking out to go "wtf" at her.)
Chapter 120: Enter: Gentle Criminal and Phantom Shadow!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 120
.::Enter: Gentle Criminal and Phantom Shadow!::.
Mitsuru Corporation's headquarters was located near the edge of the business district of Hosu. As the office of a cosmetics manufacturing company, it didn't need to be in the heart of Hosu to facilitate regular interactions with collaborating companies, choosing to instead operate next to its local warehouse. The general area didn't get much foot traffic outside the typical salarymen, and the building was rather unassuming overall. Just a typical office building, for a typical company.
Which did nothing to keep it off the radar of Gentle Criminal.
Entering the building was, as usual, quite flashy, and a bit destructive this time since they chose to enter through a window. Workers could be heard shouting in alarm as they heard glass shatter as the duo swung into an empty room. Phantom Shadow naturally landed first, Dark Shadow pulling Gentle Criminal behind him so the elder thief landed neatly on his feet.
Gentle patted down his suit as the shadow released him to smooth the wrinkles, pressing a hand to the comm set in his ear as he and Phantom Shadow headed for the door. "We have successfully entered. Please commence the second stage."
"Of course," La Brava replied, and the lights in the room began flickering. By the time they opened the door panic had started to spring among the workers, the combined sound of shattered glass and flickering power making it clear something was happening. People had already started evacuating and shouting for others to alert other floors, following the standard procedures for presumed villain attacks outlined in their virtual files. It was easy for the pair of thieves to evade those routes, smoothly slipping down the halls for the employee lounge with their target.
As they arrived the lights stopped flickering to turn off entirely and left the building in darkness, save for a few lights by a display case. Like many CEOs, the man currently heading Mitsuru Corporation had a sizable ego and a desire to show off his success, so he had elected to use a lounge on the fifth floor to display his lost prized possession: a framed 2000 yen note. According to the plaque on the display, it was a gift from his sister as a show of support in his business aspirations back when he was first starting out.
Usually the display had several internal spotlights proudly illuminating it, but not this time. The interior of the case was shrouded in darkness, allowing Dark Shadow to easily reach inside with shadowy tendrils and weave through a still-active invisible laser grid. They lifted the frame and quickly retreated along the same path, holding the framed note to Gentle Criminal who accepted it gingerly.
"Thank you," he said, and then plucked the yen note from the frame and let it fall to the floor. He turned and held the frame beneath the lights still on in the lounge, the gold gleaming even in the dimness. The CEO had spared no expense on the frame, solid gold and encrusted with jewels. Center among those jewels was a vivid orange stone, and the center of Gentle's attention. The surface glittered and sparkled as he turned the frame under the lights, the vivid hues inside shimmering like a fiery sunset contained within glass.
A smile curled across the thief's lips at the display. Any doubts about its veracity were wiped away; even a layman could tell that no mere glass trinket could mimic that beautiful internal display. This was, without a doubt, the Sunset Padparadscha Sapphire.
The Sunset Padparadscha Sapphire was one of the more famous specimens among fans of the rare sapphire variety. Not only for the colors which earned its nickname, but also for being one of the first gemstones produced by a Quirk. There were so many stories associated with its creation, legends of torrid affairs and passions giving way to fiery fury and burning resentment that only added to the jewel's mystique.
Most would be wary of displaying such a valuable gem in public, let alone as a decoration on a frame, but the current CEO happened to be descended from the person who'd produced it. Having grown up with it, he had lost some of his appreciation for it other than the fact it was special and unique. As such, he'd found flaunting it to his employees boosted his pride much more than only showing it to potential business partners and the like.
It was the perfect target for Gentle Criminal.
"Please hold onto this, dear boy," he said as he held the frame to Phantom Shadow. A dark hand emerged from his assistant's cloak to retrieve it and pull it inside, and Gentle turned with a flourish that had his own cloak flowing wide as he strode to the door. "Now come, it's time to make haste and depart! La Brava, can you give an update on the building's status?"
"The escape route is clear, just like we expected," his partner reported over the earpiece. "It looks like some of them have figured out it's probably you and not a villain attack though, a bunch are talking in the lobby about you. Police have been called, but they're busy with that decoy robbery on the other side of town so it will be fifteen minutes at minimum. The nearest on-duty Idaten sidekick team is also ten minutes out."
"That's more than enough time," Gentle said lightly. "But tell me, what of our guests of honor?"
"No word from them yet," she replied. "If they're here, they're not in the building. No sign of them in the building—ah, heads up, security's storming up the stairs. Two people, no obvious Quirks, heading your way. They'll reach your location in ten, turning the corner by the stairs behind you."
He hummed in acknowledgment, casually twisting his torso to wave a hand at the air behind him before turning forward once more and resuming his walk. He didn't look back as he heard the security officers storm into the hall and chase after him with angry shouts, only to bounce against the invisible barrier and get rebounded backwards to the far wall. He picked up his pace to a light jog with Phantom Shadow close behind as they headed towards the back hallways to make their escape.
Their destination was simple: a large window that actually opened. It was meant for deploying an emergency escape chute kept in a box in front of it, which they ignored in favor of simply jumping out. Gentle quickly clapped his hands together and spun them below himself, turning the air itself into yet another elastic barrier that gently bounced them so they wouldn't plummet to their deaths. Below he could hear shouts of awe and amazement, the crowd of evacuated employees clearly recognizing them.
The duo skipped through the air in large strides, seeming to gracefully glide over the streets to the casual observer. This was, of course, the result of endless practice so they wouldn't look ridiculous as they essentially bounced on an invisible trampoline. It kept them well out of reach of anyone on the ground, and they had no problem reaching the opposite building's empty rooftop. The excited voices of the crowd were quieter and more distant now, this building's height giving a clear look at a few other surrounding buildings.
Gentle hummed as they paused in the center of the empty space, taking a moment to look around. "Hm. That was admittedly rather..."
"Anticlimactic?" Phantom Shadow offered.
"Straightforward," Gentle settled, and his assistant nodded.
"Indeed. We expected more of a challenge, or some obstacle to hinder us." His voice carried an undercurrent of disappointment, subtle enough that not many would pick up on it. The fact was, usually something would go wrong on a heist, whether it was a hero's arrival or a security guard deviating from their usual habits. Yes, they had arranged it so that no police and heroes would be in the immediate vicinity, but usually they would still encounter some unexpected difficulty.
Gentle did not consider himself particularly superstitious, but the smoothness of this heist so far left him feeling wary. "La Brava," he said softly into his earpiece while Dark Shadow shot out to grasp a nearby rooftop, "how are things inside Mitsuru?"
"The security guards spent about two minutes trying to find an alternate way past your wall. The evacuation's been called off, they're all waiting for police now. It looks like some idiot manager is trying to order his team back to work though." The remark got a soft huff from Gentle, the noise lost over the rush of wind as he and Phantom Shadow were essentially reeled to the nearby rooftop.
"Their priorities leave much to be desired, as expected," he commented as they landed and he glanced around. This building, taller than their original perch, allowed them to see all the surrounding rooftops clearly. And specifically, how empty they were. "Do keep an eye on things there."
"Will do, Gentle!" La Brava agreed cheerily before signing off, leaving him to stew in his quiet unease.
"I suppose we should have expected that our guests would not follow us into the office building," he mused. "It would be a rather messy place for a fight. I had hoped they would be waiting nearby, but it appears at the very least, they're not on this rooftop." Phantom Shadow hummed in agreement, the two already heading for the opposite side of the roof to make their exit.
Which was, of course, when something silver flew at their feet. The two responded immediately by jumping back, just in time for the object to explode into a thick plume of smoke.
A grin immediately broke out on Gentle's face as the air was suddenly shrouded with smoke, recognizing what this meant. "So the guests of honor finally make their grand entrance!" he bellowed. "Please, come out and show yourselves! The spotlight is wide enough for all of us, that's why I sent you the invitation in the first place!"
"Thanks, but we'll pass," a voice said behind him, and he whirled to see... nothing. Suddenly he felt a shove from behind, but even without looking he could recognize the touch wasn't a person but the oddly soft texture of Dark Shadow's hands. He turned his head just in time to see a golden needle pierce the shadowy arm, instantly sparking with light and electricity.
The sentient Quirk screeched and immediately withdrew, retreating to the shade of his assistant's cloak and making the needle fall to the ground in the process. Gentle meanwhile spun towards the direction the needle came from, spying a hooded figure through the clearing smoke with an index finger pointed towards them like a gun.
"Bang," he said simply, and Gentle let himself grin even more.
The 1-A Vigilantes were officially on the scene.
Denki knew he looked cool, posed with index finger pointed like a gun after shooting a lightning rod at Gentle Criminal. It was the kind of entrance he fantasized about. He jerked his wrist back and the wire attached automatically reeled the rod back into the compartment on the back of his hand, signifying its return with a click. He'd been aiming at Gentle Criminal, but the fact Dark Shadow intercepted it changed little. He'd wanted their attention, and he had it.
"Thanks for the invite," he said, utterly nonchalant and cool as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "But not a fan of the stalker vibes from it."
Surprisingly enough, Gentle Criminal seemed to take offense at that. "Come now, you make it sound nefarious," he huffed, his mustache bristling as he frowned at Denki. "We were perfectly polite and proper, we hardly put anything personal in your invitations to merit such an accusation."
"You sent it to our personal emails," Kyouka's distorted voice deadpanned from the stairwell, making Tokoyami whirl to face that direction to find no one, of course. "We don't go advertising our actual identities on the internet or anywhere else. So yeah, that's pretty stalker-ish."
Denki couldn't see Tokoyami's face under that mask, but he figured he must be pretty on edge by not being able to see her given how he subtly glanced around the roof. The speakers Yaomomo and Hatsume made were small and hard to see, especially with the still-fading smoke, but very loud for their size. It sounded like she was right there, which had to be disorienting for the thieves.
If it bothered him, Gentle Criminal didn't let any unease show. "Well, we had to make sure you would see our invitation in time," he said. "It was quite short notice, after all, and we wanted to give you at least a little time to prepare. After all, what good is having a rival if their performance cannot match us on the grand stage?"
He grinned then, spreading his arms wide in a grand gesture. "This is a monumental moment in our careers! Your first true brush with fame, and our first brush with someone who may be truly able to complement us. After all, what good is it if our nemeses are heroes? We may be thieves, but we are hardly villains! It is only right that our greatest rivals be in a similarly dubious position in the eyes of the law, but still on the other side of the scale!
"So please, do not disappoint us," he finished, dipping into a gracious half-bow with one arm folded in front of his chest. "We look forward to your performance today."
With that he straightened and skipped back towards the edge of the roof. Denki surged into motion then, pulling a pink pellet from his pocket and hurling it right at the thief. Dark Shadow darted out from Tokoyami's cloak to intercept its trajectory, and then loudly squawked in dismay as it exploded into sticky pink goo all over it.
Hatsume's new sticky bombs were even stickier than before, and Denki could see globs of pink sticking to the Quirk as it withdrew towards Tokoyami. Tokoyami then made a similar sound of dismay as the goo caught on the hem of his cloak, quickly jumping back. "What is this insidious substance?" he exclaimed, and Denki smirked even as he kept rushing after Gentle Criminal.
"That, my friend, is bonafide WHAT THE—" He cut himself off with a yelp as his foot suddenly sank into the rooftop and then sharply bounced up. With one foot shooting into the air so abruptly and the other still on the roof it threw him completely off balance, staggering back and hopping on one foot to try to keep from falling down. It actually wasn't that hard, just made him a little wobbly on his feet for a second.
Which of course left him wide open for something to hit him square in the chest, knocking him firmly onto his back.
He landed with a pained yelp, back sore from hitting the concrete or whatever material the roof was made of, and his chest sore from whatever hit him there. The object rolled off his chest and he turned his head to see, of all things, a teacup. It actually bounced a bit as it rolled along the rooftop, coming to a stop when it bumped into a shiny dark brown shoe. Denki's gaze instinctively trailed up the attached leg to see none other than Gentle Criminal.
"Tea is a superb beverage, don't you agree?" he asked conversationally as he bent to retrieve the cup. "I find that it is only sensible to always carry a teacup on my person. Not just so I am always ready for tea should the opportunity arise, but also because they can be surprisingly useful in battle." Denki just grunted as he sat up, but as he did he spied movement and his head swiveled to see Tokoyami fleeing for the edge of the roof.
His heart skipped a beat as he all but jumped to his feet. "Oh, no you don't!" he hollered, electricity instinctively sparking along his hands as he took aim with his index finger, but then had to abort the motion as he saw more movement in his periphery. He jerked back two steps and narrowly avoided the teacup as it hurled past where his head had been.
"Now, now, young Taser, don't focus on him," Gentle chided, hands raising above his head. "I believe my company should be ample enough for you!" Instinct alone had Denki dodging to the side when the thief threw his hands at him, and a moment later he felt a whoosh of air as something invisible passed him.
Denki's head turned in shock as the movement jostled his hood. They knew Gentle could make barriers to move in air—Yaomomo theorized he made the air elastic—but this was new. "You can throw those things?" he exclaimed. "Oh, come on, that's just not fair!"
He turned and crossed his arms above his chest as Gentle charged at him even as he shouted, guarding against the thief's kick. The shock-absorption padding in the sleeves was put to the test by the impact, Gentle using Denki's crossed arms almost like a springboard to flip higher into the air. "You say that, but you have a tendency to use a variety of tools!" he responded as his torso twisted, waving his hands beneath himself. He landed in a crouch in the air above Denki, bouncing only slightly. "Those tools give you plenty of options, and even obscure your Quirk. But I know better. That electricity is your true power, isn't it?"
He raised his hands above his head once more, leering down at Denki with a smug and condescending air. With the sun above him it cast his face in an ominous shadow, making his teeth seem to almost glow as he smirked. "Let's see how well you can fare against me!"
Denki mentally cursed and lunged to the side as Gentle threw his arms downwards, the roof caving slightly where he'd just been under the invisible barriers. This was not the plan, he wasn't supposed to fight Gentle. At least with Tokoyami he had an idea of what to expect from their world. Gentle Criminal was totally new to him, and all Denki had been able to gather was that he made stuff bendy. He wasn't the most strategic, and he knew it. Fighting him alone would be hard.
However, the fight wouldn't be quite as divided as Gentle Criminal and Tokoyami had planned.
After jumping off the roof, Tokoyami probably intended to land on the lower roof of a neighboring building. In the process he had to drop past the windows of the top floor of the building he jumped from though, including an open one where Kyouka waited. She held the Flash Ray at the ready and had her earphone jacks already plugged into her boots, and the second she saw the flash of black she blasted her Quirk through the speakers.
The sound waves hit Tokoyami square in the back, catching him midair and sending him hurtling towards the lower roof. Dark Shadow shot out from beneath his cloak, scrabbling for something to grab and stop their fall, but Kyouka quickly aimed the Flash Ray and pulled the trigger. The megaphone-like device flashed with a blinding light, making the shadow shriek as its form wavered before quickly withdrawing, and Tokoyami crashed onto the roof none too gracefully.
With him down, Kyouka hopped into the window frame. "Thanks for letting me stay here," she said to the woman in the office before jumping out, the woman closing the window behind her. She landed on the lower roof neatly, striding over to her fallen classmate who struggled to get up. The pink sticky bomb residue clinging to his cloak had stuck to the rooftop, proving surprisingly effective at limiting his movements.
"What madness is this?" he growled, raising his head and twisting it to look at her. "How did you sneak up on us? Where did you come from?"
"Same way you escaped Mitsuru Corporation," Kyouka replied with a huff, aiming the Flash Ray at him. "I used a window."
While Gentle Criminal and Tokoyami had clearly planned their heist in advance, Kyouka and Denki had also been able to make a plan—or rather, Yaoyorozu had. She had been able to fill in the gaps of their knowledge on Mitsuru Corporation, predicting details down to their likely target and the most probable escape route. With the knowledge of a fire escape on the same floor as a jewel-encrusted frame, it was easy to figure out the most likely points to intercept them.
And in a great stroke of luck, one of those buildings happened to be owned by Yaoyorozu's family. So discreetly arranging with one of the workers for Kyouka to wait in an office, with the story of Yaoyorozu being contacted for help as a fan of the 1-A Vigilantes, was child's play.
She kept the Flash Ray trained on Tokoyami as he turned his head to glare at her, giving Kyouka her first real look at his mask. In all the photos and videos—even the ones filmed outside the heists by Gentle Criminal himself—the mask's details hadn't been too clear. The black material and his tendency to lurk in the shadows during the videos made it too hard to make out much beyond the fact it had a long, snout-like protrusion to accommodate his beak.
Now, she could see it wasn't just snout-like, it was a snout. She could faintly make out the outline of a nose at the end, and a line along the side matching up with a mouth. She could also now see two bumps in his hood above his forehead as well, lining up with the position of horns or... ears.
Her eyebrows rose as the pieces slotted together. "Are you wearing a wolf mask?"
She could practically feel his glare, even if she couldn't see his eyes through the black mesh shrouding the eye holes. "No," he replied testily. "I am wearing the mask of Anubis, not some mere canine."
"Ah, my bad," Kyouka replied, resisting the urge to snort. Of course he'd choose a god of death for his disguise. He named himself after the Shinto Moon God in their world as a hero, so why not go the other way here? Good to know he was still just as melodramatic in all universes. "Alright then, Anubis, I'm guessing you guys have comms or something, so I recommend you tell Gentle Criminal to come save your—what the hell!?"
She startled as Tokoyami suddenly shoved himself off the ground, bits of his cloak ripping in the process as the pink goo remained firmly stuck to the roof. The movement was abrupt and his arms hadn't moved that she saw, so it had to be Dark Shadow pushing him, but that didn't matter too much at the moment. He turned to face Kyouka squarely, his cloak ominously swirling behind him with the motion.
"It seems we'll have to take this fight more seriously," he said, and then lunged at her, a black hand reaching from the front of his cloak. She instinctively raised the Flash Ray and pulled the trigger, the silver cone lighting up and reflecting all of the light right at Tokoyami, but this time the dark hand didn't withdraw. The lack of reaction took Kyouka by surprise, enough so that she delayed in dodging and the hand managed to grab the rim of the ray.
"Wha—hey!" She pulled the trigger again as she tried to jerk it back, but the flash still had no effect and the hand yanked. The Flash Ray was pulled from her fingers and thrown to the side, while another shadowy hand shot out to slash at Kyouka. She jumped back to dodge and felt the claw-like tips scrape the fabric of her hoodie in passing, though not enough to do any real damage.
Her evasive maneuver placed her closer to the edge of the roof than she'd like, but she didn't dare risk taking her eyes off Tokoyami to check the distance. "Did you really think a measly light would be enough to defeat me?" he questioned. "I would be a fool to not have some guard against my weaknesses! I am the thief born of the darkness itself, Phantom Shadow! You will have to try harder than that!"
Thank goodness for villain monologues, Kyouka thought while he spoke, taking the chance to extend her earphone jacks to plug into her boots again, the action hidden by her costume's design. She squeezed her left fist and quickly tapped twice against a sensor in her glove's palm connected to her voice modulator to change the setting. Then she quickly tapped a pattern against her right palm, connecting her voice modulator to the speakers they'd placed. One, two, three, four, this better the right one—
"It's Taser time!" she called, Denki's distorted voice crying from a speaker placed behind Tokoyami. He jolted in alarm and whirled around, and Kyouka took the opportunity to blast him with another sound wave, knocking him off his feet. Some of the remaining sticky bomb residue stuck to the rooftop when he fell, but there wasn't much left and she didn't give him a chance to try to get up as she charged. She pulled a flash bomb from her pocket and lobbed it at him, hitting the roof right next to his head.
The resulting explosion of light was genuinely blinding, even brighter than the Flash Ray. Even with her protective gear she briefly winced, while Tokoyami cried out in pain as it went off right in front of his face. Still, while it might momentarily disorient him she wouldn't take any chances, already reaching into her pocket again for the first thing she could grab. She recognized the shape of an expanding foam pellet as she pulled it out, which wasn't as useful as the sticky bombs, but she'd make do.
This time she aimed directly at his back, mainly intending to buy time to grab the Flash Ray. The foam might not be sticky, but it would make it harder for him to get up while she darted over to the fallen device.
She didn't expect a hand to shoot out of his back and catch it mid-air. The pellet still exploded into foam upon impact though, and she heard a curse as the hand tried to shake it off. Kyouka froze for a split-second before resuming her lunge for the Flash Ray and swiping it up. Even as she aimed it at the now rising Tokoyami she didn't bother pulling the trigger though, knowing it wouldn't help.
After all, that voice wasn't Tokoyami's.
"That arm isn't your Quirk, is it?" she asked bluntly. Tokoyami shook off some of the foam as he rose, his cloak ripping around the few spots of sticky bomb residue left, and turned to face her. Kyouka held his gaze steadily as she said, "There's actually two of you, aren't there?"
"I told you," Tokoyami said coolly. "I would be a fool to not have some safeguard against my weaknesses." Even as he spoke an arm emerged from the side of his cloak followed by a shoulder, and Kyouka caught a glimpse of white hair before her attention got snatched by the arm hurling something at her. She dodged to the side, turning her head to see pitch black fabric wrapped around something small sail past. It hit the wall of the building behind her with a thud followed by an audible poof.
She didn't dare look back to see what it was, keeping her eyes trained on Tokoyami and the head partially sticking out from his cloak. The face was pitch black, making the shaggy white hair and eyes look almost luminescent, and she saw a flash of white as the face grinned at her and laughed.
And just like that, her battle had turned from one opponent to two.
Notes:
I almost delayed this chapter, and just last night I was thinking of posting something else with a promise to update with the actual chapter as soon as it was ready. The ending was just so tricky for some reason, particularly how to tie it into the next chapter. I actually finished the final scene just now (and to everyone who guessed Kuroiro works with Gentle Criminal and Tokoyami: congrats, you get a cookie!).
But I ultimately decided against that. Because I think everyone needs a little distraction from current events. I don't think I need to explain what I mean. I honestly regret running out of buffer, because I would have posted this ASAP after things went bad. Instead, I've spent the past two weeks busy monitoring the situation on the Ignite server. (We have a channel called "war-room" now. Which is just... horrifying that even has to exist.)
So with that in mind, I'll just say this:
Remember, you're not alone. No matter where you are or what you're going through, we're all in this together, even if it's just behind a screen. If you need any extra support or just some distraction from current events, feel free to join the Ignite discord server. We'll be happy to help, whether it's to provide emotional support, or just give you some other things to distract yourself.
Thank you for reading this. I'll see you guys soon with the next chapter!
And a question for next time: what do you think is the most ridiculous and hilarious way a heist could go wrong? (For example: they accidentally break in only to find a school is visiting on a field trip)
Chapter 121: Smokescreen
Summary:
The battle with Gentle Criminal, Tokoyami and Kuroiro comes to an end.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 121
.::Smokescreen::.
"Oh hey, you're from 1-B, right?"
The black-skinned boy turned to Kyouka in surprise, but after a moment he nodded. "I am. Are you from UA too, then?"
"Yeah, 1-A," she said with a nod. He gave a small huff as he turned back to the shelf to peruse the CDs. They were in a music store at a mall, neither of them dressed in uniform, and she probably wouldn't have recognized him if not for his distinctive appearance. Not many people had pitch black skin and white hair.
She wasn't the only one to recognize him though, as she could hear some people whispering nearby. "Just so you know, some kids over there are debating if they should ask for your autograph," she commented casually, and saw a flash of white as his mouth curled back in a frown.
"Tch. Figures. I've been getting a lot more attention since the Sports Festival. I assume you have as well."
"Not as much, actually," she said with a shrug. "I mean, I've noticed a couple people, but I don't really stand out much, I guess." Her Quirk, while a mutation, was definitely on the subtler side, and she didn't have many distinctive features. That combined with her team losing their headband early in the cavalry battle meant not many people noticed her. Hell, the main reason she remembered this guy was because he was on the team that stole their headband.
However, while he didn't get past the second round either, his features still stood out enough to be recognizable even without the school uniform. Just being part of the hero course was bound to draw attention, regardless of their performance in the festival.
Her musing stopped as she saw him pull out a CD, nodding in approval. "Dangerous Mischief Makers. Nice, I like their style. If you like their stuff, you'd probably like Deviant Generation, too. I'm actually here to get their newest one." She plucked a nearby CD as she talked, and he grunted in apparent disinterest, but still took another copy.
"Thanks, I guess," he said as they walked towards the register.
"No problem. I'm Jirou, by the way, since we'll probably see each other around UA and all."
"Kuroiro," he replied simply, and left it at that. That marked the end of their only interaction, but his name still stuck in Kyouka's mind.
Kyouka had never really talked to Kuroiro after that so she didn't know him that well, but she still never really would have expected him to be like this. He laughed almost maniacally as Tokoyami lunged at her, his arms joining Dark Shadow in swinging at her. She still pulled the trigger on the Flash Ray to weaken the sentient Quirk, while dodging out of the way of Kuroiro's hands.
His head and arms retreated into Tokoyami's cloak, and a moment later a hand popped out to throw another black pouch her way. Kyouka dodged once more, and this time she risked a quick glance to watch it hit the building behind her and burst into a black substance that felt like a mixture of powder and paint. It coated the window pretty thoroughly, the inky color not even reflecting the sun, and she swallowed as she turned back to Tokoyami.
She had no idea what that powder was, but she'd rather not find out. She pulled out a smoke bomb and threw it while running for the neighobring building, snapping the Flash Ray onto a spot on her side where Yaoyorozu had sewn in a magnet. It bounced against her but stayed securely in place as she moved, and she pressed her middle and ring fingers against her thumbs on both hands.
A chime from her headphones alerted her that Gecko Mode had activated, and she sprung across the thin gap between the buildings and slapped her hands onto the wall. As expected the gloves stuck, and she quickly began scrambling up the side.
"What's this, fleeing like a coward?" Tokoyami called from below, but she ignored the taunt and focused on climbing.
They had one goal today, to check if Tokoyami was their Tokoyami, and so far it didn't seem like he recognized her. Maybe it was because he wasn't alone, but he had given zero indications he might think she was from their world. Zero indications he was from their world. Fighting him right now wouldn't do anything for their goal. It would be better to go help Denki, who was no doubt struggling with Gentle Criminal at that moment.
Gecko Mode didn't work too well with glass, but thankfully the office building had plenty of regular wall space between the windows. She made a point to avoid the two splatters from the pouches Kuroiro had thrown earlier. This close, she still had no idea what the hell that stuff was, and she still didn't want to find out.
As she neared the top she heard a whoosh of air as Kuroiro presumably threw another pouch towards her. She quickly moved to the side to dodge it, silently thanking Hatsume for tweaking Gecko Mode to make it easier to peel her hands off the walls while climbing. The pouch hit a window right beside her, and she barely managed to jerk her hand out of the range of the mystery substance's explosion.
Of course, that was when she felt something hit her in the back. She yelped and slapped her palm against the wall again, barely managing to avoid falling. However, she felt something digging into her shoulders, and for the first time she cursed the hood on her costume for creating a blind spot when she tried to look back. It didn't feel like arms, so she could only assume Dark Shadow had latched onto her.
Fuck it. If Tokoyami and Kuroiro followed her, then that was fine by her. They'd still be outnumbered, but she preferred the odds of three versus two over two versus one. She pressed against the wall as the shadow tried to pull her back, quickly jerking her head to the side to bump against it and put pressure on her headphones. A single beep told her the communications had been activated.
"—don't wanna get crushed!" Denki yelped on the other end. He didn't sound too panicked, so Kyouka figured it was part of some banter.
"Taser, can you give me a hand?" she hissed. "I'm near the edge and need some light."
"What—oh, uh, yeah, on it!" he replied. "Just give me—crap, that was close! Okay, one second—"
There was a bright flash of light as a lightning rod shot from the roof above her with electricity running along the wire attached. The grip on her shoulders immediately loosened and Kyouka wasted no time shrugging it off and finished her climb.
When she hauled herself over the edge she found Denki standing with his hand pointed towards an airborne Gentle Criminal, having clearly pretended to aim at him. However, to his credit, Denki had managed to pull off some strategic thinking and shot at him from a position that had Gentle turn his back towards Kyouka's arrival point. "Your aim could certainly use some work!" the thief taunted while throwing his arms forward.
Denki jumped to the side and Kyouka flinched as she saw the rooftop dent near where he'd just been. While Yaomomo had theorized he could make the air elastic, they hadn't predicted he could throw those barriers. Not for the first time, she cursed the fact Midoriya hadn't been able to tell her anything about the man. Even if it turned out Gentle didn't have that power in their world, Midoriya would probably list it as a possibility anyway, with what Mail said about Quirk variations.
No time for regrets though. Gentle Criminal still hadn't noticed her, so she quickly rose to her full height and turned her legs so her speaker boots faced him. Even with all the gadgets Hatsume and Yaomomo made, she still relied on her Quirk in pinches like this. As her Earphone Jacks slithered beneath her clothes to plug into them she also reached into her pocket to grab a sticky bomb to throw at him.
And that was when a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.
She jolted and gasped in alarm, head snapping downwards to see a black hand sticking out of her hoodie. "What the hell?" she yelped, drawing Gentle Criminal's attention as he whirled to face her in surprise.
Unfortunately for him though, her Earphone Jacks had already plugged into her boots, and the second he moved she blasted him with a sound wave.
It knocked him off his floating perch, falling very ungracefully to the rooftop and hitting it shoulder-first. This time, the roof did not bounce under him, but instead remained perfectly solid as he crashed in a painful-looking manner.
"Gentle!" Kuroiro shouted, head poking out of Kyouka's side, and holy shit what the hell was this guy's Quirk!?
"Wha—get off me!" She used her free hand to hit him on the head, making him grunt. Her push did little to deter him though, his hand continuing to grip the wrist closest to his face.
Across the rooftop Denki watched in mild shock as Kyouka tried to shove the head sticking out of her hoodie. He knew he should probably do something, like go after Gentle Criminal while he was still down, but he was mildly distracted by the literal head sticking out of his friend's hoodie. It took him a moment to even register the pitch black hand clutching Kyouka's arm closest to the head, too distracted by, well, the head. Seriously, what the hell!?
However, since he wasn't the one currently struggling with a person in their coat, he was able to look at the situation a bit more calmly.
Now, unlike Kyouka, he did not really remember Kuroiro from Class 1-B. Maybe under other circumstances, he might recall seeing him around UA like with other 1-B students. As it stood though, he only had a glimpse of white hair and a hand, and couldn't even see the boy's face under Kyouka's hand as she continued to try to shove his head.
So, his first thought: Was that Dark Shadow's true form in this world?
His second thought: the head was sticking out of Kyouka's hoodie.
And from there, those two thoughts began connecting: the hand was black. Her hoodie was black. And shadows were black.
In that moment, while his train of reasoning was flawed, Denki still came to the correct conclusion. "He's inside your hoodie!" he shouted and Kyouka's head snapped towards him, probably staring in disbelief. Unfortunately, while they now had an idea of his power, that didn't provide many solutions. The only one Denki could think of was for Kyouka to take off the hoodie, but he quickly scrapped that thought since doing so would expose her earphone jacks. And throwing a sticky bomb wouldn't work either—
Then he noticed motion in his peripheral as Gentle moved to get up, reminding Denki he was still there. The teen jolted and immediately hurled a sticky bomb at the thief, who yelped as the pink goo exploded all over him and pinned him in place.
That successfully diverted maybe-Dark-Shadow's attention from Kyouka. "Leave him alone!" he yelled, releasing Kyouka's hand to recede back into the hoodie. Shit. Denki didn't need to be good at strategy to recognize all the ways that could go wrong.
"Take it off!" he yelled to Kyouka in a panic.
"I can't!" she called back, gesturing to her ears with her shoulder. And then a hand shot out of said shoulder and grabbed her neck. Denki's blood turned to ice as she gasped and grabbed at it, a second hand joining the first with fingers locking together to wrap loosely around her neck. As she struggled to pry them away the person's poked out to glower around her shoulder, white eyes almost glowing eerily against his inky black skin.
"Phantom Shadow, get up here already!" he called. Even as he shouted Denki saw the familiar shape of Dark Shadow's claws grabbing the edge of the roof behind Kyouka, soon followed by Tokoyami himself. So much for that guy being Dark Shadow, Denki thought as he watched his edgiest classmate land neatly next to her. That meant they had three opponents, not just two.
"Don't try anything, or else Abyss will have no choice but to act," Tokoyami warned coolly, snatching the Flash Ray clinging to Kyouka's waist. And as if the situation wasn't already bad enough, Gentle Criminal suddenly sprung to his feet, the sticky bomb residue that had been clinging to him bouncing on the roof around his feet.
"Well, that's a new use for my Quirk, I wasn't sure that would work," he said as he smoothed his clothes. Then he turned to his two sidekicks and added, "But hold on now, boys. Threatening a lady like that is the absolute opposite of a gentleman."
"Do we even know this is a lady?" the guy in Kyouka's hoodie—Abyss, apparently?—asked. "The dress could be to throw us off."
"And the voice changer could be part of the deception as well," Tokoyami agreed with a nod.
"Oh my gosh, this is so stupid," Kyouka groaned in exasperation, still trying to pry Abyss's hands away from her neck. "I cannot believe you're actually talking about this right now, but yes, I'm a girl, okay? And also, let go already!" She gave a harsh yank on Abyss's hands for emphasis, managing to pull one away just a little bit.
"Abyss, while I applaud your creativity, now is not the time nor place for this," Gentle said. "I must remind you that we are on a time crunch. And besides that, you—" He stopped short then, and then quickly straightened and barked, "Abyss, return to Phantom Shadow now!"
The brisk command and change of tone startled Denki, and also Abyss judging by how his head shot up in alarm. The latter quickly recovered from his surprise and turned to Tokoyami, who had already moved closer to Kyouka, and Denki watched dumbly as he dove from her hoodie into Tokoyami's cloak. Kyouka stumbled as his weight temporarily pulled her down before vanishing, and then...
A flash of silver shot up from the right side of the building, sunlight reflecting off metal for a brief second.
All the occupants of the roof turned to see an armored man land in a crouch, and Denki felt his stomach sink like a stone. Ingenium. "Well, looks like we're having a party here, huh?" the hero greeted as he stood up, perfectly amiable. "Mind if I join in?"
Denki just stared in dread at their classmate's brother, and their own harbinger of doom. A single beep sounded in his earpiece. "Run," Kyouka's voice hissed, and he didn't need to be told twice.
The two vigilantes turned and bolted for the opposite edge of the roof, and the engines on Ingenium's arms roared to life as he surged into motion to pursue them. Denki had learned from his past encounters with the Iida brothers though, and made sure to swerve slightly to move past the sticky bomb residue so it would be between them. Kinda predictably, Ingenium also swerved to avoid it, so he didn't get caught in it.
That also meant for a split second he was distracted and Kyouka had an opening to lob a foam pellet at his back. Which he also managed to dodge, but that gave them enough time to reach the edge of the roof.
"Go for the thieves, not us!" Denki shouted as they leaped over the edge, and then he was falling. For a terrifying moment, he was just falling, off a six-story rooftop and plummeting into an alley.
But while his brain momentarily froze with panic, Kyouka had already prepared.
Even before jumping she pulled out a yellow pellet about half the size of her fist and threw it over the edge. These were a new variety of the expanding foam pellets, and on contact with the ground it burst into a much thicker foam, the consistency closer to sponge than foam. It ballooned in size, filling out the alley between the two buildings and growing almost as tall as the dumpster.
It cushioned their fall so they didn't break any bones or die, but didn't protect them entirely. The foam sank under the impact, and their feet ended up piercing through it entirely which sent an unpleasant jolt up their legs upon landing. The twin impacts made the foam ripple and wobble before giving out, practically deflating around them into a giant mess. Even in its deflated state it pooled around their waists and made it hard to move.
Kyouka thrust her hands into the foam around herself, Earphone Jacks plugging into the amplifier jacks on the back of her gloves. A pulse from her heartbeat had the foam blowing away from her position and plastering the walls of the alley, leaving a clear path. She darted over to Denki who was still half-trapped in foam, yanking him out by the arm and running towards the end of the alley.
They only made it three steps before two people suddenly appeared there though, making them skid to a halt. Kyouka didn't know either of them, but their appearances left no doubt they were heroes. One was a woman with ram horns and a Chinese dress with overly wide sleeves, and the other was a bulky man with a sleeveless red vest to show off his muscular arms. Hardly clothes civilians would wear.
"Okay kids, playtime's over!" he called. "We have the area surrounded, so just come peacefully, alright?"
"Please surrender," the woman added with a yawn. "I want to go take a nap already..."
The vigilantes both stepped back, and Kyouka risked a glance at the other end of the alley to see two more people arrive there. Like that, two different escape routes were gone, and even if those two routes were open their options would be limited due to not really knowing the area.
But that didn't mean they had no options.
Her eyes locked on a side door on the neighboring building, and a plan immediately formed. "Sorry, we're not surrendering," she announced, and quickly slammed her hands on the ground to channel sonic waves in tune with her heartbeat. The concrete cracked under her palms, and the two heroes tensed for a moment before charging.
That brief moment of hesitation gave Denki the opening he needed to take aim with his index finger. This time though the container on the back of his glove didn't shoot a lightning rod, but a tiny green pellet that collided with the guy's chest and burst into smoke. The hero staggered back more from surprise than pain, the ram-horned woman also stopping her charge to almost glide back a few steps.
"By the way, you might not want to inhale that!" Denki called. "I'm immune, but you might not be!"
A bluff. A total, complete lie, because the smoke was totally normal aside from the color and did nothing, but his words had the intended effect. The two heroes retreated even further, and the two on the other end of the alley also hesitated, all of them wary of the smoke.
It had been Yaomomo's idea to fake a smokescreen Quirk of some sort for Denki. His gloves had been modified to have tubes connecting to a container inside the lining of his own hoodie holding the smoke bomb mixture. There were two kinds, the pellet he just shot, and some kind of semi-liquid concoction that would turn into smoke upon exposure to air or something like that.
The green color would make people wary of any potential Quirk effects, but it would only work once. And that time was now. Denki dropped into a crouch to slap the ground, the liquid-type smoke mixture flowing through the tubes to the palms of his gloves. Green smoke billowed from beneath his hands immediately, quickly filling the alley.
Even as it did they could hear the heroes arguing over whether the smoke actually did anything, reinforcing the urgency of the situation. As soon as they were obscured by the smoke Kyouka grabbed Denki's arm and dragged him to the door, grabbing the handle and giving it a test tug only to find it locked. She mentally cursed and wrapped her hand around the handle, preparing to use the amplifier jack to send a pulse and break it—
Only for it to suddenly twist beneath her hand and the door swing open.
Kyouka had to jump to the side to avoid it swinging into her, and before she could do anything else she felt a hand grab her wrist and pull. With her other hand still holding Denki's arm they were both dragged into the building, the door closing behind them.
"Come on, we need to hurry!" an unfamiliar girl with neon blue hair hissed, pulling them down the hall. Kyouka couldn't help staring as they half-ran, half-stumbled after her, gaze locked on her outfit. She wore a deep blue cloak with the hood resting around her shoulders and white leggings with a pinstripe pattern tucked into boots, the leggings form-fitting but the pattern familiar.
"Wait, another person with Gentle Criminal?" Denki blurted, voicing her thoughts. How many people actually worked with the guy?
"We can talk about that later, just—here!" The girl veered sharply around a corner, Kyouka stumbling after her with Denki in tow. They turned just in time, because they heard the door they'd used to enter slam open. The two vigilantes jumped in alarm as footsteps pounded their way, but rather than keep running down the hall like Kyouka expected, the girl dragged them towards a pile of boxes stacked along a wall.
She pulled them so they stood in a tight huddle on the other side of the pile, standing close to the wall but hardly hidden. Kyouka wanted to object and point that out but didn't get a chance as the girl whirled around and grabbed Denki's other wrist with her free hand. "Hold still and don't make a sound!" she whispered, squeezing their wrists, and then—
She vanished, and so did they.
Kyouka barely had time to process the fact her body was gone before the heroes came into their line of sight. The trio held their breaths as one broke off to dart down the hallway and raced past where they stood, hearts pounding furiously. He reached the end of the hall and rounded another corner, disappearing from sight, but they could still hear his footsteps and voice as he searched, same with all the others.
After several moments passed and their voices became a little more distant they felt a light tug on the wrists held by the girl, before slowly pulling them away from the wall. She didn't need to tell them to be quiet as she led them at a brisk but cautious pace, their quiet footsteps drowned out by the sounds of the heroes' search.
They went back the way they came, and only when they reached the door to the alley did she speak, whispering so quietly they barely heard her. "One of you open that, I can't let go or you'll become visible!"
Denki ended up being the one to comply, and reaching for the handle while invisible was weird. He could kind of feel where his hand was, even if he couldn't see it, but it still caught him by surprise when he made contact with the handle. He turned it and carefully pushed the door open, peeking to see if anyone was outside, but the alley was empty. As soon as they saw that they were on the move again, nearly losing their footing as the girl broke into a run with them in tow.
They raced down the alley and into the open, finding the street now full of heroes and police blocking off the area as office workers gathered to watch. No one looked as the invisible trio ran past on the sidewalk, their pounding footsteps drowned out by the chatter of the excited crowd of onlookers. Even as they reached the end of the street and turned a corner they didn't stop running, pushing themselves through any soreness and lack of breath as the noise gradually became more distant.
Only when they got two blocks away did they finally veer into another alley and stop, all of them gasping as they caught their breath. The girl squeezed their wrists before releasing her grip, and just like that they were all visible again. She gave an exaggerated gasp and wiped a hand across her forehead. "I think we're in the clear now!" she declared cheerily, and then grinned at them. "That was super close, wasn't it?"
Kyouka jolted and snapped a startled look at her, eyes wide with shock. No way. This was the first time the girl had spoken normally instead of whispering, and she knew that voice, that tone, but—no way, it couldn't be.
"Y-yeah, I guess," Denki replied, still a bit breathless from running and oblivious to Kyouka's internal turmoil. However, he had his own spark of recognition as he looked at the girl. His mind flew back to staking out the coffee shop, and an encounter with a girl who became a fan of the 1-A Vigilantes after they saved her. "Wait, you're the girl from the coffee—uh! I mean, we saved you from a mugging, right?"
He hastily corrected himself mid-sentence, doing his best to hide his wince at the slip. The girl flashed a brilliant grin as she bobbed her head, her hair bouncing with the motion. "You totally did Kami! I can't believe you remembered that!"
"I—wha?" His brain ground to a halt as she used his actual name, or at least a nickname variation.
But that was also what finally had Kyouka's doubts vanishing, recognizing that exact tone and energy behind the nickname.
"Hagakure?" she blurted before she could help herself, and then froze and cursed herself for slipping.
Rather than react with confusion or wariness though, the girl's face lit up as she gasped, seafoam green eyes sparking with delight as she clapped her hands together. "You know my name!" she exclaimed gleefully. She laughed then and launched herself forward to wrap her arms around Kyouka in a hug, making her nearly topple. "I knew it! I knew it was really you two!"
And at that the two vigilantes' thoughts ground to a halt again, eyes widening as they both realized the weight of the weight of her words. "Wait," Denki said, tearing off his hood to rip off his goggles and stare at her in shock. "Do you mean, you're—?"
He stopped short, and Hagakure peeled away from Kyouka, flashing them her most brilliant and blinding smile yet as she said the words that changed everything.
"You're my Kaminari and Jirou!"
Notes:
No comments or questions for next time from me today. I look forward to your reactions.
Chapter 122: And Then There Were Seven
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 122
.::And Then There Were Seven::.
Tuesday, November 14. 2:52 AM.
Tooru bit back a yawn as she sat hunched over her laptop, doing her best to ignore the clock in the corner of the screen and focus on her work. Everyone else had been asleep for a long time by that point, but she'd spent the past several hours totally immersed in coding. She had only started trying to learn recently, and her latest practice assignment from Manami was making a simple memory game.
And she'd only finally made a breakthrough an hour ago.
"Come on, work," she whispered to herself as the page loaded with sixteen gray squares arranged into four rows. She clicked them in order, watching as they shifted briefly from gray to red, yellow, blue, orange... A second red square flashed on her fifth click, and she quickly clicked the original one, making them both vanish. And without making the other squares move to fill the empty spot!
That bit wasn't the issue though; solving that had been part of her initial breakthrough. What had her stuck for the past hour was the automatic reset at the end. She needed to see if it would actually reset and properly randomize the colors.
She clicked through the squares in order, quickly finding more pairs. Orange, green, blue, brown. She had only three pairs of colors left to find, yellow, purple and pink, and she'd already seen most of those once. She clicked the next square, watching it flash yellow, and quickly slid her finger on the trackpad to the second square of the top row.
And that was when her brain blue-screened.
Her body stilled and she slipped off the chair to the floor in a crumpled heap, eyes open but unseeing as her thoughts ground to a halt. Her mind didn't go blank exactly, it was more like the opposite: there was too much, her mind suddenly too overwhelmed with information. It was too much to process, so instead, her brain essentially shut down.
And then, after about a minute, it rebooted.
Tooru groaned softly as awareness returned, mind still groggy but more coherent now. Her first thought: this wasn't her bed, or any bed. She instead found herself staring at a wooden floor, a hand splayed atop it. She shifted to get up and the hand twitched and moved to support her weight, making her pause. She then shot upright and stared at two fleshy, tanned, visible hands.
Hands which responded to her movements.
Tooru screamed in shock, nearly falling onto her back. As she fumbled around the floor a door slammed open, and she snapped her head to see two boys, one familiar and one (not).
"Hagakure, what's wrong?" Tokoyami asked, his bird-like head ruffled and eyes wide with alarm.
"Did something happen?" the boy with void-like skin (Kuroiro) added while looking around the dining room and how did she know that, why did she know his name or what room this was—
"Tooru?" a red-haired girl—no, woman, Aiba-Manami-La Brava—said, poking her head from another door. "Wait, were you still working on coding?" And then from yet another door appeared another person, Tobita-san looking out with concern.
"What is all this commotion?" he demanded, and Tooru just stared, his face familiar and not, a safe person and a stranger, and her brain hurt—
She screamed as she grabbed at her head, the slew of conflicting thoughts too much again. This time her brain didn't shut down and grant her a reprieve though.
This time, Hagakure Tooru was wide awake.
On Wednesday, December 13, the thirtieth day since waking up in another world, it finally became clear that there were not six, but seven students from Class 1-A.
"I can't believe I finally found someone!" Hagakure sobbed, wiping away tears even as she flashed a beaming smile that they could see. Because in this world, Hagakure Tooru wasn't perpetually invisible, but could apparently trigger it instead. "I was starting to think I really was the only one!"
"Man, we thought we were the only two at first, too!" Denki said, flashing her a grin while struggling to get out of his pants. He and Kyouka had both worn regular clothes under their costumes, both as extra layers against the cold and also to quickly change and hide in plain sight. Which was convenient since they were still in the same alley due to not really knowing of any nearby bathrooms to change in.
In his case, he had two layers of jeans, which made pulling off the top pair without removing the second and exposing his boxers a bit tricky. He grunted while struggling to tug down the left leg, leaning against the wall for support. "We got lucky though since we—hah—were at the same school, but then—oh, crap, I'm falling!"
He yelped as he lost his balance and started to keel over. Kyouka quickly moved to catch his shoulder, shooting him an annoyed look. She'd already removed the dress and pants, leaving her in a long-sleeved shirt and leggings. "You know what, why don't Hagakure and I just turn around so you can get those off," she suggested flatly, and Denki sighed.
"Yeah, that's probably better." Kyouka nodded and stepped over to join Hagakure, both girls turning away so he could peel off both pairs and quickly separate them. As they did Kyouka grabbed a backpack—formerly stashed in another alley and helpfully retrieved by Hagakure—and pulled out a coat and boots. Because while they wore other outfits under their costumes, they still couldn't wear a second pair of shoes or a coat.
"I still can't believe I found you guys!" Hagakure exclaimed, bouncing excitedly. "I mean, obviously I've been with Fumiyami and Shikkun this whole time, but they're not, like, our versions of them, you know?"
"Fumiyami?" Kyouka repeated, arching an eyebrow while tugging on the boots.
"Yeah, Tokoyami!" Hagakure said with an eager head bob. "I call him Fumiyami in this world, and it's kinda stuck. Same with Shikkun—but I mean, I don't really know him in our world, so uh, not like I'd have any other habits. Oh, his name's actually Kuroiro by the way, Kuroiro Shihai—but we're kinda like, almost childhood friends here, I guess? Um," she lost some of her vibrancy as she slumped, her smile becoming downright sheepish. "My life's kinda... different here, heh."
"I'll say," Kyouka snorted, eying the not-so-invisible girl. "We were thinking Tokoyami might be from 1-A, since the timing of him and Gentle Criminal coming to Hosu was kinda suspicious. Never crossed our minds that you were part of their crew, though."
Hagakure instantly perked up as she nodded, flashing another bright smile as she waved her hands. "Yeah! Me and Shikkun are basically their secret weapons! It'd be a big problem if you did think I was there since no one's supposed to know about me! So that just means I did my job right!"
"So uh, how much do they know?" Denki asked, joining them after finally shedding rid of the outer layers of his costume. Kyouka handed him the bag so he could retrieve his own shoes and second coat, and he quickly pulled them on. "I mean, were they already planning to visit Hosu already, or uh, did you...?"
Once again Hagakure's expression became sheepish, rubbing the back of her head. "They... kinda know everything. I uh, didn't really react well to waking up with, you know." She shrugged, the rise of her shoulders exaggerated to accommodate for her usual invisibility.
"Your Quirk's totally different, isn't it?" Kyouka commented, and Hagakure perked up and nodded.
"Yeah, it is! Guys, it was so freaky to see my own hand. And my face and my hair—they're totally different, too!" She tugged at the ends of her hair with comically wide eyes, exaggerating a look of shock. "Like, seriously, I barely even recognized myself!" With Hagakure's personality, it was hard to say how much of that last comment was serious and how much was her joking around.
They didn't have much time to ponder it before she brightened and continued, "But that's not important, because I finally found you! I still can't believe it's really you guys! I mean I thought it might be when I found that Tweeter account, but I couldn't be totally sure, you know?"
"Yeah, kinda hard to be sure until you make first contact," Kyouka agreed, thinking back to their own reunions.
"Exactly! But I still can't believe I even talked to Kami for like an hour and he still didn't recognize me!"
"Hey!" Denki yelped. "In my defense, I'm used to you being totally invisible! And if you knew it was me, why didn't you say anything back then? Or try to test me or something?"
"Because you said you were studying for a test!" Hagakure replied with a laugh. "Everyone knows you need all the time you can get!"
"Wha—you scored sixteenth place on the midterms! You're barely any better than me!"
"Yeah, but I also wasn't trying to cram a whole alter-semester's worth of classes in a couple days!"
Kyouka snorted at the exchange while Denki slumped with a dejected groan. Listening to the animated girl brought back fond memories and nostalgia, a sense of home and familiarity settling over her. She had missed all of their classmates so much, so getting to see another one from their 1-A, and one of her friends at that, was just... good.
"We seriously have a lot to go over," she said, drawing their attention. "But maybe not here. It's a bit... you know, open." She shot a pointed look at the top of the alley towards the rooftops, and the other two quickly nodded.
"I could take you guys to our hideout!" Hagakure suggested. "The others will probably want to talk to you too! It might be kinda chaotic to go back there right now, since the heist is getting wrapped up, but it's pretty close to here. And it'll probably be easier to go over it all at once, you know?"
"Might be better if we talk alone first, actually," Denki said. "We uh, have a lot to go over. And some of it is kinda... big." An understatement if Kyouka had ever heard one.
"Let's do it at your place," she interjected. If Gentle Criminal or anyone else from their crew tracked Hagakure, it would ultimately be safer if they found Denki's apartment than the warehouse. Paranoia had proven their ally in this world more often than not.
Hagakure seemed a bit surprised, but quickly nodded. "Okay, that works for me too. Let me just tell La Brava real quick and we'll head out!" She tapped her ear and presumably an earpiece hidden by her hair as she turned away to talk to someone.
"Wait, who's La Brava?" Denki whispered to Kyouka. "How many people are involved in this?" She just shrugged as Hagakure turned back.
"Okay, she gave the all clear! Let's go!" And then she vanished entirely, making them jolt. They jumped again when she then declared, "Lead the way!"
"Okay, why does that feel so weird?" Denki yelped, and Hagakure laughed.
"You think it's weird? Imagine how it is for me!"
"Well, let's just get going then," Kyouka said, and Hagakure gave an affirmative cheer as they headed for the alley's exit. They could still hear the commotion from the heist a few blocks away, the voices of the crowd audible even at a distance. Screams and cheers echoed down the streets, gradually fading as they quickly headed in the opposite direction.
It took half an hour to reach Denki's apartment. They had to constantly check if Hagakure was still following, especially when they had to ride a train for a few stops. Thankfully though, they managed to get there with no interruptions, and the moment the door closed Hagakure nearly bowled them over with a hug.
"I still can't believe you're here too!" she laughed as she flickered to be visible once more, and it was so jarring to have a face for that voice. "Seriously, guys, so much happened! Did a lot happen for you?"
"That's one way to put it," Denki muttered wryly, and Kyouka snorted.
"We should probably sit down," she said with a gesture to the couch. "There's a lot to go over. It'd probably be faster for you to start first, but... well, would probably be best if you only had to go over it once."
Hagakure instantly snapped to attention, picking up on the hidden meaning. "There are others?" she gasped, a smile breaking out, and started practically vibrating with excitement. "Oh my gosh, who? Is Yaoyorozu one? She's at your school too, right? Manami said she was anyway. Oh! What about Iida? He's there too!"
"Okay, before we answer, who is Manami and how does she know that?" Denki cut in with a look of alarm.
"She's Gentle's partner in crime, and like our little big sister!" Hagakure laughed, which... what? "She's a super-awesome hacker. She's the one who helped figure out how to contact you and that you'd be free today! I also told her everyone else's names, but... she wasn't able to find everyone. Or at least, nothing good."
Hagakure's good mood diminished, her seafoam green eyes filled with discomfort and worry as she frowned. "Guys, please tell me you've heard something about Mashirao, or Bakugou and Midoriya. Especially those last two. Because the news articles we did find on them..."
She trailed off and bit her lip, but Kyouka knew exactly what she meant. All of them had gotten similar unnerving pits of dread at finding the articles mentioning the circumstances of their disappearances. "Well, uh, you're kinda in luck," Denki said with a weak laugh. "Because we do know where all of them are, and they're alive... heh..."
"...Why does that sound ominous?" Hagakure asked after a beat. "What happened to them?"
"So uh, you see, uh. I guess we'll start with who else is here first? Because there's Mina, Todoroki, Ura—Ochako, and Midoriya."
"They're all here too—wait, since when were you and Mina and Ura-chan on a first name basis!?"
"Since last night, actually? After going through all this, we figured it was only fair. Todoroki and Midoriya didn't respond last night or today though, so still waiting on them to give us permission. Those two... They, uh, are having a really wild time right now, even compared to everyone else—which is seriously saying something."
While Denki talked Kyouka went to the kitchen table where she'd left her laptop, his comments reminding her of her messages to Anjou at noon. They'd left their phones at the warehouse, but she could still log into FacePage on her laptop. By now the heist should be all over the news, so if someone had seen it they should feel it safe to send a message without distracting her or Denki.
Sure enough, she found a message from Ochako. 'Hey, so I saw a livestream of the Gentle Criminal fight and you weren't there, so figured it's safe to update you. One, I got un-Quirked. And Yuki's brother is coming back with me so we're going to have to tell him tonight. So just a heads up, that's a thing. And two, um. Might work better to just show a screenshot.'
And attached was a screenshot of a message from Anjou that had Kyouka's heart drop, physically recoiling. "Shit," she blurted, interrupting Denki's (slightly mangled) rehash of everyone's situations.
"What happened?" he asked sharply, quickly joining her, but Kyouka slammed the laptop lid before he could look.
"Two things," she said as she turned to Hagakure. "One, Dabi is a Todoroki. And he and this world's Todoroki lived together on the run after Endeavor died, up until our Todoroki froze him over and ran. So we have to let him into the loop now, because Dabi's been looking for him ever since and won't let it drop now that he's found him."
Hagakure just stared open-mouthed, eyes bugging out of her skull. "...I'm sorry, I stopped listening after 'Dabi is a Todoroki,'" she admitted after a few seconds.
"Yeah, that's how most of us reacted," Denki said with a sheepish laugh. "But hold on, so I guess that means Ochako's taking him back to Odawara and briefing him? Did she get un-Quirked?"
Kyouka nodded. "She did. And we'll explain that part in a second," she added to Hagakure who sported a visible look of confusion. "But the other thing is more urgent. We don't know how, not even Midoriya knows, but he lives with the League of Villains and is Shigaraki's adopted brother in this world."
Hagakure physically recoiled with a gasp, blurting, "What!? How—wait, you just said you don't know that, but still! What the heck?"
"Yeah, his situation's kinda... majorly fucked up," Denki said with a grimace. "Like, it's actually the biggest problem for us right now because it has a lot of other people involved. Like Bakugou, Aizawa-sensei, that Shinsou kid from Gen-Ed..."
And now Hagakure looked even more stunned, needing several seconds to process that. "We'll explain the details of that in a second too," Kyouka sighed. "But right now, what you need to know is this: he's been able to avoid suspicion because his counterpart has these weird amnesia-things they call 'episodes' and left a letter and a bunch of notebooks for himself covering all the major stuff."
That seemed a little easier for their classmate to digest, blinking out of her stupor and perking up. "Oh! So is he just pretending he's having an episode right now, then?"
"Kind of," Kyouka hedged. "He's told a couple people that, namely Bakugou and Shinsou to help get their trust. Toga, that girl Ochako and Tsuyu met in the woods, figured it out on her own, but is kind of an ally? And then these two people named Seiko and Aiko—who is a huge problem, but again, we'll go over that later—but. Apparently the episodes are because the other-him got attacked a couple years back by some guy with a memory Quirk, and he's done some dangerous things during a couple of them..."
As she spoke she could see realization strike Denki, jolting as if struck by lightning and his face draining of color. "No," he whispered. "Y-you can't mean..."
"Shigaraki figured it out last night," Kyouka confirmed grimly. "Anjou confirmed it at lunch. He's stuck in isolation until the episode ends."
The others look physically struck, even Hagakure understanding the severity with what little context she had. The blue-haired girl stood dazed for a moment before turning to head over to the couch, almost collapsing onto it. Denki followed in a stunned stupor, face still pale as he sank onto the cushions next to her.
"Shit," he whispered, clutching at his head. "Shit, shit, shit... This is seriously the worst-case scenario! That episode won't end because it's not a freaking episode!" Kyouka couldn't even muster the will for a witty remark about stating the obvious. Next to him Hagakure still looked shocked, but took a deep breath and seemed to collect herself before lifting her head.
Suddenly, she seemed to carry an air of authority and command, so radically different from the Hagakure they knew that it had to be her counterpart's influence. "Tell me everything, from the start," she demanded firmly.
And naturally, they obliged.
Across the city, Tobita Danjurou slipped into their apartment hideout with no small amount of relief. "La Brava, we have returned at last!" he announced while Tokoyami stumbled in beside him, Kuroiro tumbling out of his cloak and onto the floor. Manami, seated on the couch, leapt to her feet and almost skipped over.
"You're back! I was watching the news broadcast, and that was really close!"
"That... was too close," Kuroiro groaned from the floor. "We should have run earlier..."
"You were not the one running," Tokoyami muttered back, staggering to an armchair to sit down. He pulled off his mask and lightly tossed it onto the couch, almost seeming to melt into the chair. "We deeply underestimated Ingenium's persistence."
"I cannot disagree there," Danjurou said, walking to the kitchenette to prepare some tea. "Losing him was quite the challenge with his speed, but we succeeded in the end. Speaking of that, however, what about Hagakure? Did she succeed in her own goals?"
"She did!" Manami confirmed brightly. "She told me they're definitely the real deal, just like she thought, and went to talk to them at that Kaminari kid's place."
"Is that a good idea?" Kuroiro asked, peeling himself off the floor to frown at them. "This could still be a trap. We still don't know for sure if those memories are real or not, and she's a big target..."
"It could be a dark deception in part of a grander scheme we cannot fathom yet," Tokoyami agreed with a nod.
"Well, we know exactly where she is," Manami replied with a confident smirk. "We have three different ways to track her down if it is a trap. Her location hasn't moved for a while, so we can call and go there in an hour if she doesn't respond."
"Why don't you call right now," Kuroiro ground out.
"Now, now, they probably have a lot to go over," Danjurou interjected. "We can give them some time to catch up."
"If you're really that worried, I already copied the surveillance footage of them going to that apartment to your laptop," Manami added, gesturing to the kitchen table where the device sat. "You can't see her, but it all matches with her location." The teenager grunted as he went to check it without another word.
Danjurou returned his attention to brewing his tea, Manami joining him. Her bravado quickly faded without the teens looking at her, her uncertainty showing on her face. "We're not making a mistake, right?" she asked quietly, poking her fingers together nervously. "I mean, we've got all these fail-safes, but..."
"We must have faith in young Hagakure," Danjurou replied smoothly, masking his own nervousness. "While her mind may be scattered, she is still herself. If it is a trap, we must trust she can escape."
Manami nodded and they lapsed into silence, mainly because the tea kettle began shrieking as the water reached a boil, making them all jump. "Why do we even have that?" Tokoyami squawked as Danjurou hurried to move the kettle to another burner. "You never even leave that kettle unattended!"
"It's safer than being distracted, my boy!"
"But does it have to be so loud?" Kuroiro griped. "Why is it so loud? I can't hear the computer!"
"There's no audio on the surveillance footage!" Manami told him, and he paused to squint at the laptop.
"...Huh."
At this point Dark Shadow extruded from Tokoyami's back, hissing at them, "Be quiet! We're trying to watch the news coverage of our getaway!"
"We don't need to watch it! We just got away!"
Needless to say, things got a little chaotic at Gentle Criminal's hideout for a while, but that was par for the course for the group of thieves.
OMAKE: Her Name
Two days later, things had finally settled down a bit after the chaos of Hagakure professing to having her mind swapped from another universe. Danjurou was in the middle of his afternoon tea, Manami was on her laptop and the boys were reading books when Hagakure burst out of her room. "Guys, I figured out another one of the differences between me and this world's me!" she exclaimed.
"Oh?" Danjurou asked, setting down his teacup to give her his full attention. "Do tell."
"This world's me is named Tohru, but I am named Tooru!"
There was a moment of silence. "...What?" Tokoyami asked.
"It's so weird, right?" Hagakure babbled. "It's such a small and specific difference! And that makes me wonder: is there another world where it's just Toru? Or maybe one where we use Tōru! Wouldn't that be wild?"
As she babbled the four thieves all slowly exchanged blank looks, having no idea what she was talking about. To them, it sounded exactly the same. "Do you mean you use different kanji?" Manami asked, and Hagakure huffed.
"No, I just said, my name is Tooru, but your Hagakure is named Tohru!"
Needless to say, their confusion did not clear anytime soon.
Notes:
ENTER: HAGAKURE!
Fun fact: I've actually known from the very beginning, before I wrote the first word of this giant monolith, that she would be with Gentle Criminal and crew. Other details came later, but she was one of the only students whose location I had set in stone from the start. Someday we'll get a whole chapter dedicated to her flashbacks of this past month, but not right now. It would reveal a bit too much~
Also, the omake is based on the fact that I have seen both spellings for "Tōru" in translations. I was literally waffling on which spelling to use up until the very last second XD
Question for next time: What new elements of chaos do you predict in the escape with this new variable?
Chapter 123: The Talk
Summary:
Shouto finally has the talk with Dabi. And is still unclear on whether he and Ashido are dating.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 123
.::The Talk::.
Usually, the runaways guarding Present Mic would have three shift changes over the day: once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once at night. Because no one wanted to spend the whole day in the dark tunnel room. Not because they wanted to go outside—it was the middle of winter and cold—but because they all had stuff to do.
Today though, the morning crew remained when the afternoon crew showed up because, in their words, this was just too good.
"So no, Yuki-kun, you don't need to worry about kids yet," Mic explained patiently, the disbelief at giving dating advice to one of his captors having worn off a while ago. "You're still a teen and in the early stages of dating, kids come much later."
"But I heard it's important to have this talk early in a relationship," Shouto said with a frown. "So you don't have to worry about mismatched expectations. And I... I don't know if I'd be a good father," he added softly, looking down at his hands. "I didn't have the best relationship with my father. And I know I'm not the best at social interactions, so I don't know if I'd be good with children."
"Kid, you're a kid. You're technically old enough to be a dad, sure, but I really don't think you have to worry about that yet. Most high school relationships don't really last anyway. Talking to a girl about kids right now would probably just scare her off."
"So then, I should just go in expecting the relationship to fail?" Shouto asked, his confusion only growing. "Doesn't that seem bad? Why even date someone if you don't think it will last?"
Mic froze a bit at the question, seeming at a loss for words. Unnoticed by Shouto, the runaways were all doing their best to suppress their snickers. "Hey, Yuki-kun's got a point," Navi called lightly. "Why do people date when they don't expect it to pan out, Mic-sensei?"
"Um," the Voice Hero said very eloquently. "Well, uh, that's... Um..."
"Hold on," Ryuu interrupted, making them turn to him. "Yuki, serious question. Have you had... The talk?"
"What talk?" Shouto asked. There was a long moment of silence, none of them speaking. As it continued, Navi's shoulders began to shake and he frowned at her. "Navi? Is everything okay?"
"Fine," she squeaked out, voice trembling just slightly. "Totally, perfectly fine!" His frown grew, because she didn't sound fine. And when he looked at Mic, he had a look of utter despair on his face, which further concerned Shouto.
At that moment before he could press for information, the door slammed open, and they all turned to see Ashido. "YUKI!" she called.
"Ashido," Shouto greeted, getting up to face her. ("Oh thank god," Mic groaned behind Shouto unnoticed.) He paused, wondering if now would be a good time to address their potential relationship, but she seemed to have come with a purpose. "Did something happen?"
"Yes, so much!" she exclaimed as she rushed over to him. "Mido got found out last night and locked up!"
Shouto's eyes went wide behind his mask. "Shigaraki found out Midoriya's from another world?"
"Wait, what?" Ryuu yelped with a start while Ashido deflated slightly.
"Uh, no, we're still safe on that front. He just thinks he's having an episode-thing." Okay, that was marginally better, but still bad. "But besides that, we still haven't heard from the others, but Occhan got un-Quirked this morning, and your brother came back with her! We have to go talk to him, like, now!"
Oh. Oh, crap. Shouto knew this was coming, but he still hadn't expected it to happen this soon. "We can't put it off?" he asked, and she winced and grimaced.
"He's... actually kinda waiting right outside," she admitted reluctantly. "We tried to get him to wait at the karaoke place, but he refused to let either of us out of his sight after I met them at the train station."
"And I'm totally justified!" a familiar voice yelled from the tunnel, making everyone jump and Shouto's blood run cold. Dabi—Touya—his brother—was right there. He was right outside the room, inside the tunnel, waiting for him. "Get out here already, brat, or I'll barge in and drag you out myself!"
Shouto just stood numbly for a moment, his heart hammering in his chest. "Kid," Mic said, making him turn around. The hero had a serious look on his face, his gaze a bit more intent. "Are you okay? Is your brother dangerous?"
Yes, very, but even Shouto knew he couldn't say that. "I'll be fine," he said instead. "It's uncomfortable, but... we have to talk." He'd put it off long enough, and he knew Dabi wouldn't wait much longer. He wasn't ready, not fully, but he knew he had no choice.
"Oh, right, before we go!" Ashido exclaimed, and quickly shifted her backpack off her shoulder to retrieve the shock cuffs Hawks had used on him.
Mic clearly recognized them as he physically recoiled, eyes bugging out of his skull. "Wait, WHAT!?" he yelped, and everyone winced as his voice echoed off the walls. Mic grimaced but didn't apologize, trying to correct his volume as he hastily hissed, "Are those what I think they are? Where did you even get those!?"
"It's a long story that doesn't matter right now, but uh, yeah. They are, and they're real." Ashido quickly handed them to Akai, who accepted them warily. "Here, you're a vigilante, so you know what these are right?"
"These are those cuffs that shock people when they use their Quirks, right?" she asked as she took them.
"Exactly! We gotta go, but I figured that these might be better than, you know, leaving Mic-sensei all tied up? At least with these he can use his hands and won't have to feed himself?" She shrugged while Mic just stared at them in horror, face drained of color.
"Are you almost done yet?" Dabi called impatiently from the tunnel, making them all jolt and Shouto's blood freeze once more. He turned to stare at the door wide-eyed, feeling his heartbeat pick up its pace. While he knew he had to go out there, he felt rooted to the spot he stood, his stomach churning with anxiety. He had no idea how Dabi would react after all, and so far very few people had been willing to believe their story.
He barely noticed Ashido approach him until her hand slipped into his, and he glanced at her in surprise to see her offer a reassuring, if strained, smile. "Don't worry, Yuki, we'll be there with you," she said quietly, squeezing his hand. He glanced down at their linked hands before nodding, gaze returning to her face once more.
"Right. Thank you... Mina," he said, using her name as an afterthought. Her face flickered briefly with surprise before lighting up into a brilliant smile, giving his hand another squeeze.
"Of course! Let's go, Sh—Yuki!" She corrected herself with a nervous laugh, glancing back at Mic. Right, she couldn't let him hear his actual name, but... She'd started to say his given name. Did this mean they were officially dating?
(Unknown to them, the runaways and Mic had made the connection, and all were silently dying inside for different reasons. Navi was very proud she wasn't laughing like a hyena.)
The pair headed for the door in silence, and Shouto took a deep breath before they pushed it open and stepped into the tunnel. He turned his head, and sure enough, there he was. Dabi, Touya, his brother, stood right next to the door with Uraraka beside him, and Shouto had barely any time to register his presence before he'd thrown an arm over his shoulder.
"Took you long enough, little brother," he said, voice sickly sweet and dripping with barely contained irritation. The arm around Shouto's shoulder looped a little tighter around his neck, pulling him closer to the man. Even as he did, Dabi reached out his other hand to pluck the Snowbell-chan mask from Shouto's face and tossed it aside. "I am so glad to finally see you again. We have a lot to talk about, don't we?"
His tone made it perfectly clear Shouto wouldn't be escaping this time. He just nodded mutely, unsure what to say. "Uh, we should probably go now," Uraraka piped up nervously, wringing her hands. "I mean, this isn't really a good place for the talk, you know?"
"Lead the way, Floaty," Dabi said, and made no move to release his hold on Shouto as they started walking towards the end of the tunnel. It was a bit awkward walking like that, but Shouto had already resigned himself to the fact Dabi wouldn't be taking any chances of him escaping.
About ten minutes later found them in the abandoned karaoke bar, the three teenagers seated on a couch while Dabi stood in front of them with his arms crossed. The trio squirmed uncomfortably under his cold glower, trying not to look directly at him. While Shouto might be the main target of his ire, he clearly wouldn't let anyone else involved off the hook either.
"Alright, brats," he said. "Spill. What the actual fuck is going on, and how do you even know each other?"
They exchanged grimaces, none of them sure where to even start. Previous attempts by Shouto and Mina to explain things hadn't gone too well. None of the runaways were present to support their claims either, the jumpers having previously agreed to leave them out of it this time. So they were on their own.
Uraraka finally broke the silence, her voice quiet and sheepish. "Um, so to be fair, I really didn't know Yuki was Todoroki-kun when we met," she said. "I didn't make the connection until after he mentioned freezing you."
Dabi zeroed in on her at that. "So you already knew him even back then?" he demanded sharply, and they all winced.
"How did you get that from that?" Mina blurted.
"Because I'm not an idiot," Dabi huffed. "The way you phrased that makes it pretty damn clear you already knew about dear Shouto-chan Quirk back when I told you about my idiot brother Yuki." They just stared at him, turning over Uraraka's wording in their heads. Shouto didn't see anything particularly telling, so Dabi must be more astute than they'd realized to have picked up on that. That, or just more paranoid. "And on that note, why didn't you tell me after you found him?"
"...Because he didn't want me to?" Uraraka replied meekly, shoulders hunched and grimacing guiltily.
"I wasn't ready to talk to you yet," Shouto added. He still wasn't, but didn't see a point in saying that. Not like Dabi would let him leave or delay this reunion if he did.
"Right," Dabi muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Okay, you still haven't explained how you two know each other. Or how she ties into this." He gestured to Mina, who flinched at the sudden attention. "Because as far as I can tell, she came out of literally nowhere, aside from talking to Floaty online and the whole 'ran away from a hero' thing Hawks mentioned."
"Maybe we met on a dating app," Mina snarked, sticking out her tongue. That really didn't help Shouto's confusion over whether they were dating or not.
"It's, um, part of the whole story," Uraraka said. "We all only really got into contact like, a week ago, after I met you."
Mina nodded, losing some of her snarky edge. "I was actually serious about him saving my friend's brother. That's how we got back in contact!"
"Back in contact?" Dabi repeated. "So you knew him before too? Did all of you know each other at some point? And that Midoriya brat too?"
Mina winced, sucking on her cheek. "Well, um, yeah... We all knew each other, technically..."
As he watched his friends nervously dance around the topic while trying to figure out the best way to explain everything, Shouto realized they had to just tell him. That had been rather obvious from the start, but he'd wanted to try to ease him into the explanation so this would go smoother. At this rate though he could sense Dabi's patience would run out.
So he decided to just skip straight to the point. "What do you know about multiverse theory?" he asked bluntly.
Dabi froze, while Uraraka and Mina stared at Shouto in absolute horror and disbelief. He ignored their stunned looks, focusing on Dabi. His mouth opened briefly, closed, and opened again. Then, after about a minute of silence, he threw his head back with a drawn-out groan. "You have got to be fucking kidding me."
Immediately the others leapt into damage control mode. "We know it sounds crazy, but it's true!" Mina all but exploded. "The three of us woke up here, but we're not from this world!"
"It's so different from back home!" Uraraka added frantically. "I'm rich somehow, Todoroki's a runaway, Deku lives with Shigaraki, All Might's dead and UA is gone—"
"We're supposed to be at UA!" Mina cut in. "We're all hero students there! And here, we're... not." She slumped in her seat lamely and shook her head. "It's all so weird to be here, everything feels wrong. I even had Kiri at my school, but he didn't know, well, me."
"That's why I was looking for Deku!" Uraraka exclaimed. "We ran into each other and I knew him, and he knew me, but we couldn't talk because Shigaraki was there! And then I realized he lives with the Alliance—"
"They're called the League of Villains in our world," Shouto interjected. "It's strange that Midoriya is with them because Shigaraki is our enemy there. And..." He paused there, hesitating for only a moment before pushing on, "So... are you."
Once again, Dabi just stared at them, his expression unreadable. Shouto thought he might look a bit tired, perhaps, which was a fairly common reaction whenever they spoke about all of... well, this.
For his part, Dabi did feel tired. He had run through probably a hundred different scenarios to explain why his dear idiot brother had suddenly frozen him and run off, some rational and some less so. Multiverse theory, though? That one had only barely been on his radar as a possibility, and definitely under the "insane" list.
"...Just tell me everything," he sighed in defeat.
There was no avoiding it anymore. The trio exchanged one last look before Mina started. "So, it happened around a month ago now..."
And like that, it all came out. Waking up in another world and finding everything so different from what they knew, like Uraraka's family being rich and Mina waking up in an apartment she didn't recognize. Naturally Shouto explained further how Dabi was a villain in their world, hence his initial reaction. And his further confusion.
"I thought I was kidnapped," he said bluntly. "So I ran away. Then I found out I was a runaway, so I thought maybe I was a villain too. I didn't even think we were related until Hawks called me."
"I am still so sorry he beat us to that," Uraraka said with a wince. "Deku and I were so freaked out when we realized you were Yuki on that phone call. We barely managed to mute the phone before we could scream."
Dabi meanwhile just had a hand over his face. "How the hell do you reach the conclusion that you must be a villain too. How is that your first thought? What, did you think you had a hand in killing dear old dad too?"
When the trio didn't respond right away, he slowly pulled his hand away from his face to see them all sitting with awkward looks. "...Actually, he kinda didn't know until we told him," Mina said sheepishly.
"...What."
"I didn't want to look him up," Shouto said with a simple shrug. "Or any heroes, really. Once I realized All Might died, and saw UA had closed, I... wasn't sure I wanted to know what else I would find." He shifted uncomfortably, while Dabi just grumbled under his breath.
"Unbelievable. Didn't even look him up once..." For all his intelligence, Dabi had long since realized his youngest brother lacked in some common sense areas, and this was no exception. He shook his head and waved a hand as he said, "Fine, whatever. Just, continue."
They did, Shouto explaining his decision to go to Odawara after seeing the news footage of Tokoyami, while Mina and Uraraka spoke about their messages on FacePage. And then, of course, Uraraka's reunion with Midoriya which prompted her to run away, followed by Mina also running away with a friend. Leading to Shouto and Mina's eventual grand reunion, in the very room where Mic was now being held.
"By the way, who was that guy you have locked up there?" Dabi asked casually. "Because I'm like, fifty percent sure that screech was that radio guy's Quirk."
"...We'll, uh, get to that in a bit," Mina said sheepishly.
They mentioned how they had found other people from their world besides Midoriya, though they didn't give any concrete details about their identities. Just that they went to the same school in this world and became vigilantes. They avoided mentioning Anjou and the runaways in detail, and only gave the barest of details about Mic being kidnapped after shadowing Mina.
They picked their words carefully, wary of revealing too much .It left some holes in a few explanations, and they could tell the vagueness made Dabi irritated at times. Still, they managed to communicate the most crucial points, up to Midoriya getting caught.
"It happened last night, but we only got the confirmation today," Uraraka said, holding her phone with a frown. "That's the crazy news I got when we were at Aiko's place. We had to get it relayed by... uh, someone else. So, getting him and everyone else out of there is even more urgent now."
"Do the others even know that yet?" Mina asked. "I saw An-chan said not to tell them yet because of you-know-what. But that's over and done with, so..."
"I saw it was over while we were still on the train so I sent them a message about it, but they haven't responded," Uraraka said. "But I also mentioned we had to talk to Dabi, so they might be just... waiting to hear back about that? Or don't want to distract us? But anyways, that's pretty much all we can tell you right now," she said, turning back to Dabi. "We've already revealed a lot, but it's too risky to say anything else since you're connected to Aiko."
"You can't tell her about this," Shouto added, staring at him firmly. "She's too dangerous and unpredictable."
"Yeah, no shit," Dabi snorted. "Pretty sure she'd be willing to destroy Japan if she thought that green brat was in trouble. Which he is, if he's caught up in this." They all grimaced at that, unsure how accurate that was, but he knew her best. Dabi huffed as he sat at one of the tables, pressing a hand to his forehead. "Just... shit. Gimme a sec."
They all nodded, lapsing into silence as he processed it. While they waited the teens fidgeted awkwardly, exchanging nervous looks. So far no one had really reacted well to the explanation, but the fact he hadn't immediately denied it was a good sign, right? "This is seriously screwed up," he muttered. "I mean, breaking someone out of the Alliance? Won't lie, would rather avoid getting caught on those guys' bad side."
"We have no choice though," Uraraka said grimly. "We can't leave Deku, or Aizawa-sensei and anyone else trapped there. Even if it's dangerous."
"You don't know the half of it," Dabi snorted. "I've got barely any idea what those people are caught up in, but if I'm even remotely right, then I want to stay the hell away from it. Like I said, pretty sure Aiko would be willing to destroy Japan for your bratty friend. Not to mention the reputation Shigaraki has about how protective he is over his brother. And frankly, that's half the reason I'm even giving you guys a chance."
Wait, what?
Noting their looks of shock, Dabi snorted and said, "Kid, let me double check something. How often does that Midoriya brat actually leave the Alliance base or wherever he stays, totally unattended?"
The group frowned as they thought it over. "Not... too often, I think?" Uraraka ventured. "From what he said, Shigaraki seems really protective of him. There's this warehouse where we met up, and I think he mentioned he'd always be warped to the area by Kurogiri when he left the base...?"
"Okay, so basically, very little chance of someone using a Quirk to mess with him outside the Alliance base or wherever," Dabi cut in casually. "And inside... Between Shigaraki and Aiko, I don't think anyone would survive messing with him. Planting fake memories or whatever else might be going on would require some kind of opportunity to meet him. And then there's the fact you guys have basically zero connections in this world, so for you all to get Quirked at the same time?"
He huffed an amused breath and shook his head. "That doesn't add up, even if there's some sort of delay involved with the Quirk. Doesn't even touch how freaking random the choices are. I can get the interest in him and Shouto, maybe Floaty too with her family and all, but I don't see much reason to single out Pinky."
"I'd be offended, but you're right," Mina groaned, sinking in her seat. "I can't think of anything that makes me special in this world, I was just a normal high school student at a normal high school until I woke up!"
Dabi just nodded. "See? She agrees with me. Makes more sense if it was triggered on the other side since you all lived in the same place there."
Shouto and Uraraka exchanged calculating looks as he spoke, hitting right on their own speculations and logic about the swap. "Yeah, that's what we think," Shouto said slowly, still surprised Dabi was willing to believe them so quickly. "We just don't know how, since we were at UA all day."
"Still makes more sense than someone individually meeting all of you in this world and setting it up somehow. Just so I'm clear, there are six of you, right?" Dabi drawled. "Because your vagueness is making it a little hard to be sure."
They all exchanged nervous looks, hesitant to reveal too much. "As far as we know, yeah," Uraraka finally said. Dabi just crossed his arms, silently commanding her to elaborate, and she grimaced as she did. "We think there might, maybe, be a seventh person working with... someone, so the other two are checking into it right now...?"
"That's the thing we were being vague about earlier," Shouto said helpfully.
"How specific, thanks for clearing it up," Dabi drawled. He didn't seem very thankful though.
"Actually, they're definitely done, right?" Mina asked Urakara. "They should've had enough time to get home and see your messages. Have they said anything?"
"Well hold on, let me check," Uraraka said, rousing her phone from sleep and opening the FacePage chat. "And I should update them about this anyway—"
She stopped short, eyes bulging and jaw falling open. "Uraraka?" Shouto asked sharply, not wanting to get his expectations up, but feeling a pang of hope. Because that reaction—even he could tell it meant something big.
Swallowing thickly, she opened her mouth and read aloud. "Secret Ojou-sama has been added to the chat."
powerofmusic: Thanks for the heads up. Hope the chat with Dabi goes well. Looks like we have a LOT to talk about. We'll head down tomorrow to talk in person.
powerofmusic: But right now, we have news. So first: we were wrong about Tokoyami. He's not one of us.
powerofmusic: But turns out there's another person after all.
[Secret_Ojou-sama has been added to the chat.]
Secret_Ojou-sama: Hey guys! Guess who?
Secret_Ojou-sama: I can't BELIEVE you're all here! I seriously thought I was alone!
Secret_Ojou-sama: This is seriously the best!
Secret_Ojou-sama: You're probably still talking to Dabi (and OH MY GOSH WHAT!?) so I'm just gonna scroll back and see the old chat
1-A_Chargebolt: Guys, you won't BELIEVE what she's been up to.
1-A_Chargebolt: Like, we can't say ANY of it here, but
1-A_Chargebolt: She's giving Deku and Peppermint a run for their money
powerofmusic: Yeah, no kidding. We've at least got Gentle Criminal, Tokoyami, a guy from 1-B and a hacker on our side now though...?
nettmegg: What the fuck
powerofmusic: We'll have to talk more tomorrow
1-A_Chargebolt: Oh hey Nettmegg! Forgot you're in here!
nettmegg: What the ACTUAL fuck?
Secret_Ojou-sama: OMG YOU'RE HERE TOO NETTY!?
nettmegg: HOW DO YOU REMEMBER THAT NICKNAME
nettmegg: WE MET ONE TIME
Secret_Ojou-sama: Hi Netty!
nettmegg: WAY BEFORE ALL THIS CRAP
powerofmusic: Wait, how do you know each other?
nettmegg: Not
nettmegg: One
nettmegg: Word
nettmegg: If you remember ANYTHING, you will NOT put it in text, or so help me, you WILL regret it
Secret_Ojou-sama: O_O
Secret_Ojou-sama: Got it! Sorry! I actually don't really remember anyway, so
1-A_Chargebolt: But guys, this is awesome! We have so much help
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: What—are you who I think you are?
Secret_Ojou-sama: !
Secret_Ojou-sama: OCCHAN! :D
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: OMG
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: YOU'VE BEEN WITH GENTLE THIS WHOLE TIME!?
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Asiughdgrwuhgweogw hello
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: This is Yuki now
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: The girls are screaming so they gave me the phone to type
powerofmusic: Yeah, there's screaming on our end too
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Also, my brother says he believes us and is willing to help. So that's good, I think?
powerofmusic: Hopefully
powerofmusic: We still have to go meet the others who work with Secret tonight, but
powerofmusic: We have a LOT to talk about tomorrow
1-A_Chargebolt: That might be the understatement of the year.
BONUS: Alternate Ending to the Chat
1-A_Chargebolt: BRO WAIT!
1-A_Chargebolt: Real quick. After what we've all been through, we think we all deserve to be on a first-name basis.
1-A_Chargebolt: So do you agree? Space and Dancing Queen already did last night, and Ojou-sama is on board too!
1-A_Chargebolt: We're just waiting on you and deku!
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: oh
1-A_Chargebolt: Uh, hello? You there?
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: So, this is Dabi now.
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Any idea why my brother just handed me the phone and went to stand in the corner?
1-A_Chargebolt: Dude I'm sorry, but I have no idea what goes through his head sometimes
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Figures.
Notes:
Me, recently on the Ignite chat: "So, we joke about this now and then, but asking seriously now: what are the chances Shouto hasn't had The Talk or an equivalent?" The answers were inconclusive and spiraled into a talk on whether he could avoid it entirely with the internet, so I am leaving it just as vague here. If he's had The Talk, he at least doesn't recognize the name "The Talk"
Also, Dabi (apparently) believes them! And if you think it's too easy... Well, let's just say there's more to his reasoning than he mentions. He's still salty at Shouto for the iceberg incident AND keeping him in the dark so long, so this is fair play in his mind.
As for the bonus: it's the original way I ended the chapter, but it's not canon. The misunderstanding is too fun to end now~
Question for Next Time: What chat names would you assign to all the non-jumpers caught up in this mess? (Kirishima, Gentle's crew, Yaoyorozu, Hatsume, etc.)
Chapter 124: Five Cliffhangers
Summary:
As Wednesday wraps up, five confrontations happen all around the country.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 124
.::Five Cliffhangers::.
Should be around here somewhere... Kas glanced down at his phone to check the photo of the map he'd been emailed by Yuri. Who, despite having a technomancy-based Quirk and anime-level child hacker skills, had chosen to send a literal photo of his computer monitor instead of a screenshot. Which made interpreting the map a bit tricky.
He asks me to go out of my way to Nagoya, and can't even bother with a decent picture. Kas kept the complaints in his head, having long learned to never think aloud when on a job. Even if that "job" was just checking out the location of a bug the paranoid ten-year-old had planted in some random stranger's bag. He could totally understand why the kid was paranoid, there was a reason they'd taken him in at Storm Chaser HQ rather than letting social care workers take him on, but that didn't make these trips any less tedious.
Especially since Yuri had been vague about why Kas should check it out. "You won't regret it," he'd said, the gear-shaped rings in his eyes almost seeming to spin. "It will be really useful!"
That could mean anything from an investigation lead to walking right into an ambush, Kas thought sourly, suppressing an annoyed huff. Yuri had a lot of faith in Kas's ability to handle any situation thrown his way. Which, wasn't entirely unfounded since his Quirk let him detect attacks in advance.
That was why he didn't hesitate to slip into a side door of the building denoted by the map, taking a moment to glance around. While the building was abandoned, he saw plenty of disturbances in the dust along the floor in the shape of footprints. He followed them to the nearby stairwell, footsteps perfectly silent as he headed up. Darkness had already set in outside, leaving the stairway mostly dark, but he didn't dare use a flashlight in case someone was still around.
As he turned around a corner to climb the next flight, he paused as a flash of red caught his eye on the wall. Preflex kicked into gear, his future-self walking up to inspect the mysterious object, only to cut off the glimpse the moment he recognized it. A smirk curled across his lips as he walked up in real time, sparing only a passing glance at the red feather and shred of fabric embedded into the wall. Looks like a fight already happened.
The dust on the steps by the feather was in total disarray, and he could tell that the people had come down from above before going to the second floor. So naturally, he bypassed the second floor and went to find where the fighters originated. The light was a bit better on the third floor thanks to some open doors to rooms with windows, though not by much, and he consciously activated Preflex to do a quick scan of the rooms.
A soft huff of amusement slipped past his lips when he ended the glimpse, walking over to peer inside one of the doors. A sleeping bag and camping lantern had been set up in a corner, along with a pile of clothes and a backpack thrown haphazardly on the ground. He casually strolled over to the bag and looked inside to find mostly clothes and snacks. He dug around and soon located Yuri's robotic beetle buried deep inside near the bottom.
Found the bug, just needed to find the person now. Before he could grab it though, a voice rang behind him. "Well, who do we have here?"
He blinked, the glimpse ending to leave the bag untouched at his feet, and he glanced over his shoulder with a lazy grin. "Yo, Hawks," he greeted. "Long time no see."
The winged hero stood in the doorway, his face largely cast in shadows in the darkness, but Kas could still see enough to make out the placid head tilt. "Ah, it's you," he realized out loud, tension visibly fading from his frame. "Still have to get the first word every time, huh, Oracle?"
"Not much of an oracle if people can sneak up on me, right?" Kas asked as he stood up, and heard a small huff from the other hero.
"Guess not." So I'm guessing the bug in that bag is from you, then, he added in a glimpse.
"More from the little brat we took in, but pretty much," Kas cut in smoothly before he could actually say it, and Hawks paused.
"I forgot how annoying this part is."
"Wow, literally one sentence in and getting called annoying already," Kas said with a sad shake of his head, giving an exaggerated shrug. "I'm hurt. What happened to you being a carefree and friendly guy?"
"Sorry, Skylight told me it's just the quickest way to get you to stop that," Hawks replied breezily, Kas giving him the chance to actually speak this time. Partially because he then said, "That reminds me, I haven't talked to him in a while. He'll probably be curious about our run-in, don't you think?"
"Ugh, fine, you win, snitch," Kas sighed dramatically. "I don't want to deal with him nagging, I get enough from Shinobu and Saki."
"I'd expect you to get nagging from way more people than them."
"Yeah, but I actually care about what they think. That's different."
"I feel like I should be offended," Hawks said jokingly, and Kas just shrugged.
"Sorry, Hawks, you're pretty much just 'Sky's hero friend' to me. Not really that high on my priority list." Skylight, the sole active hero of Team Storm Chaser, was the only real connection between him and Hawks. And hearing Kas was up to using his Quirk to bypass conversations probably wouldn't motivate him to return from America anytime soon. He'd been frustrated by it plenty when Kas was a kid, and he freely admitted he'd only gotten worse since then.
Right now, he actually was a bit curious about Hawks though. "So, you've been staking out this place, huh?" he asked.
"Yeah. Figured someone had to plant that bug in his backpack, and would come to check for it. And sure enough, here you are."
"Well, like I said, the brat's the one who planted it. I'm just picking it up. I assume you've already gotten whoever this bag belongs to. So I'm guessing you won't mind me taking it." Even as he spoke Kas turned to grab the bag, only for a red feather to suddenly zip past his hand and embed in the floor next to his foot.
Just like that, the glimpse broke. Kas hadn't actually made the quip about Hawks staking out the place yet, hadn't reached for the bag, hadn't nearly been stabbed by a feather, hadn't even turned away from the winged hero, but he'd seen enough. His demeanor changed instantly, his casual and laid back attitude vanishing as his spine straightened and he frowned. "...Hmm."
"Guessing you saw something unpleasant?" Hawks guessed, voice the epitome of nonchalant but with an undercurrent of calculation. Kas didn't respond to the quip, instead testing out various questions and actions.
If he asked about the owner of the bag, the person who'd been there, the feather on the stairwell, what happened to the kid who Yuri saw, why he was so interested in who planted it—"None of your business."
If he grabbed the bag, rooted through it more, tried to slip something else besides Yuri's bug into his pocket—he would get a feather sent his way as a warning.
If he charged at Hawks, threw a punch at his head, swerved to the side and did a baseball-style slide towards his legs—well, those feathers were really pesky and stung like a bitch.
Those few glimpses told Kas enough to determine three things: Hawks would not tell him who had been here, he did not want Kas to take the bag or anything in it, and he was willing to resort to violence to stop him. Kas, while confident in his abilities, knew he was at a disadvantage against a guy with telekinetic feathers in a tight space.
"Hmm," he repeated, and then nodded. "Okay then."
Then he yanked the backpack from the floor and Hawks immediately sent three feathers sailing his way. Kas dodged two and let the third cut his arm as threw the bag at the nearest window, shattering the glass. Hawks startled and lurched forward, instantly figuring out Kas's intent, but the underground hero was already jumping out with a manic grin.
Jumping from a third story window? Literal child's play for him. Hawks very clearly didn't want Kas to take the bag, so it was only natural he did. That was just how he rolled.
The chase was on.
Around the same time, Saki was standing in the lobby of Team Idaten's agency watching people run around. Sidekicks and employees alike were on the move, calling out orders and frantically talking to each other while checking phones and papers. "I picked a bad day to visit, didn't I?" she mused aloud.
"Sorry, Lady," the receptionist who'd volunteered as her guide said with a sheepish look. "Gentle Criminal's heist happened a bit earlier than we expected."
"He did break the pattern a bit, huh," she remarked lightly. She'd helped Sir Nighteye try to piece together patterns for the famous phantom thief in the past at the request of other agencies, so she was a bit familiar with his patterns. While it could vary a bit, she'd expected another few days before his second Hosu-bound heist.
In any event, everyone at Team Idaten was obviously now focused on the aftermath of the heist, among other things. She kept hearing people mention some local vigilantes who'd been on the scene, which was interesting and might be worth looking into. Later, though, after she finished her other business.
"The baby Iida should at least be free, right?" she asked the receptionist, who looked surprised.
"You mean Tenya-kun? Well, yes, he is. But why do you need to talk to him? Last I checked you're not really involved in the pre-heroics program, right?"
"I'm not. I actually wanted to ask Ingenium some stuff about security measures at high schools for a case I'm working on. Since his brother is actually a student, I figure he should be helpful too."
The lie came out easily, barely having to adjust her original cover story. Tenya had been her goal all along, she'd originally planned to ask to speak to both of them. The current hubbub actually made things easier, letting her go right to her target.
"Oh, I see." The receptionist nodded easily, turning to look around. "Well, Tenya-kun would be more free right now. Follow me."
"Thank you," Saki said with a polite smile, following her to a side room with two armchairs where she was left to wait. It didn't take long for the door to open and the younger Iida to stride into the room, dipping into a stiff bow.
"Lady of the Night, hello. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Saki smiled at the overly formal greeting, hands folding prettily atop her lap. "Thank you. I'm technically off-duty though, I'm not even in costume. Hearing my hero name feels a bit weird right now. You can call me Sayonaka instead."
He straightened from his bow and nodded briskly. "Very well, Sayonaka-san. I was told you have some questions about school?"
"I do." She gestured at the other armchair, saying, "Please, sit down, this will probably take a while." He nodded again before striding over to sit across from her with his back ramrod straight. She recalled Ingenium joking how his younger brother was like a robot sometimes, and she could see why with how rigid he held himself.
She pushed the thought out of her mind, offering a coy and friendly smile. "So, tell me about the security measures your school takes. You have a lot of students with rather... influential connections, right? Like that heiress who used to be in the pre-heroics program? What was her name again...?"
"Yaoyorozu," Iida supplied helpfully, and she nodded.
"Right, thank you. Such a shame she dropped out of the program, I hear she had potential. Is she doing well?"
"She is. She and Tokage-san are still in close contact, and though I attend classes virtually, we've spoken a few times in the past few months."
Saki's smile widened a bit, leaning forward. "Tell me more about attending classes virtually. How many other students are exclusively virtual? How does the school handle tests? What kinds of reasons do they have for to decide on being virtual?" It was a simple psychological trick. Three questions, two to obscure her intent and the last one being the one she really wanted an answer to.
Because ultimately, she wasn't interested in the school's security measures. She was interested in the students.
It had been a while ago, but Saki had once seen a class at UA in her dreams, some familiar like the Yaoyorozu heiress and Todoroki Shouto, and others... not so much. She still had no idea who decided to let her teach a class, but she knew the difference between a regular dream and a Porter dream. When she woke up she'd taken the time to quickly sketch the students, because if they were at UA, they must be good.
And now, it seemed like at least three students from that class had ended up in their world. It was only natural to try to check the rest to see if anyone else had somehow ended up here, starting with the two whose names and locations she actually knew.
And, as expected, Iida Tenya was more than willing to comply with her questions, falling right into her first trap. "Well, most people started out in it, but some people have transitioned to remote learning over the semester. The most recent example I can think of is a boy from my grade, Kaminari-kun, after he almost got mugged."
"Oh? That's scary. Can you tell me more? Was it near school? Was he in uniform? Do you think it was targeted?"
"Well, I don't know if it was targeted. The mugging happened after hours off-campus, you see..."
Meanwhile, Koichi yawned as he watched the warehouse from a neighboring rooftop, having entered his... fourth hour of watching, maybe? Stakeouts were boring, but a necessary part of vigilante work sometimes. Like today, when he'd seen a video of the 1-A Vigilantes creeping around the business district.
He'd decided to wait by the warehouse instead of trying to find them on the streets, figuring they'd have to go back to drop off their gear. But so far, surprisingly they hadn't shown up. The only people he saw were a pair of teenage girls in school uniforms pass by the building to head to another nearby building, which was suspicious but not enough to abandon his surveillance post.
Now he kind of regretted not following them, since he was starting to think the 1-A Vigilantes wouldn't show up. Either something happened, or they had some other place. He stretched his arms behind his head as he got up, his patience officially running out. Koichi was always more into action than stakeouts, so he figured he should just call it a night and report the warehouse to Iida. Or maybe report it tomorrow. He wouldn't lie, he really wanted to talk to these kids himself first—
He jumped as the door to the stairwell slammed open and spun to see the pink-haired girl from earlier with what looked like a bazooka resting over her shoulder and aimed at him. "Go Net Baby!" she shouted, and Koichi reflexively used his Quirk to dodge out of the way as a net shot out like a rocket.
"What the heck!?" he yelped.
"Ooh, you're fast!" she said with a grin, yanking a handle on the barrel of the gun as she moved to point it at him. "Perfect! Now I can test Turbo Mode!" And then more nets spewed from it, making him yelp again as he shot across the rooftop on all fours to dodge the steady stream.
"How many nets are in that thing—wait, why did you call it a baby!?"
"Because this is my latest baby! Momocchi, go!"
Momocchi? Wait, did that mean—"On it, Meimei!" a voice declared behind him, and he whirled to see the other girl standing on a drone hovering beside the roof with another bazooka-like contraption aimed at him. And he barely had time to register the manic glint in her eyes before purple something shot right at his face.
Meanwhile, Mail was floating bored in an abandoned restaurant as he half-listened to Ojiro and Monoma talk. From what he could hear, the relocation efforts were moving along smoothly. Most of the runaways would be out of Odawara by the weekend, maybe earlier depending on when the escape/rescue operation moved forward. Though Mail still had very little information on that, with everyone keeping irritatingly quiet about it around him.
It was a bit frustrating how much they were able to hide from him since they knew about his presence and Glitch's Quirk happened to be compatible. They always had someone with him, and while they didn't hide everything, they had a strategy. He recognized that they intentionally revealed just enough to hopefully tide him over: tiny little morsels of information that would ultimately be useless in the long run.
Even now, Ojiro and Monoma didn't discuss details he could use like a location or who would leave when, but smaller minutia like whether they had enough food. If some of the more cold-sensitive members had warm enough clothes to go outside and travel. If they had enough money for tickets, or access to alternative transportation options.
Tiny details that sounded useful on the surface, but he knew wouldn't be helpful in a later investigation. The fact some of the runaways were sensitive to cold wouldn't help identify or track them. Odawara had plenty of bus routes, and it would be easy to ride a "decoy" bus in various directions and transfer to another line to reach their true destination. And even then, none of that was what he really wanted to know.
The one unspoken detail he managed to figure out: the escape/rescue was nearer than ever. The increase in discussions about relocation were a clear sign, as were their obvious attempts to distract him after Ashido got a mysterious text earlier. He knew something was going down. And he sincerely doubted they'd let him tag along for the attempt with how wary they were of him.
This just wouldn't do. His window of opportunity was closing with each passing day.
He drifted over towards the chatting teens, who turned to watch his approach with barely masked wariness. "Hey, Whiplash," he said nonchalantly, and saw Ojiro twitch at the vigilante moniker.
"What?"
"I was just wondering, any news on the Alliance?"
"Nothing you need to know," he replied testily, and Mail hummed. They still insisted on keeping him in the dark, even now.
"Do you even know that much about it?" he asked skeptically. "You're with me all the time, so you're probably not hearing much... hmm." He trailed off as he noticed the two teens' body languages shift from wary to surprised, glancing around.
"Just so you know, Mail-san, Glitch cut out his Quirk," Monoma declared loftily, confirming his suspicions.
"He was obviously baiting you into revealing something," the illusionist said blandly from the table where he sat with a book. "Easier to just nip that in the bud right away."
"Rude," Mail said aloud, not that anyone could hear him. He could already tell though that Glitch had seen right through his intentions, had preemptively cut him off.
And that wouldn't do.
"You can't leave him invisible forever though," Ojiro pointed out. "He could leave."
"I could, but there's no point," Mail said blandly. "You still don't recognize the stalemate, do you?" Because that was the best word for their situation.
Mail's presence was tolerated, but his absence was the real threat. If he went missing while not visible, they'd all likely launch into a panic. The runaways would probably clear out of Odawara that same night after confirming he wasn't following. The jumpers would also probably relocate with the assumption he'd tell heroes about their plans. Once they were gone, he'd lose his primary lead.
That was the real reason he never bothered wandering away at night while Glitch slept, or at least one of the reasons. The other reason was simply there was nothing to see at night. He'd primarily stuck to Ashido and Kirishima before his presence was revealed, so he didn't know any of the runaways' hideouts. Pretty much the only places he could go were the tunnel with Mic, or Kuroe's house with the jumpers. All of whom would be sleeping, because living people needed sleep.
Wandering around Odawara just wasn't worth the risk of Glitch waking up and realizing he was gone. He'd been the one to ask about the Kageboushi anime when someone had half-jokingly suggested they marathon some TV show at night so the teen could sleep. There wouldn't be much for him to see at night, so he might as well have something interesting to watch.
He had spent two thousand, nine hundred eighty-seven days essentially alone with no one aware of his presence. He would rather avoid the boredom that came with just existing alone.
Still, the runaways had yet to realize the stalemate, as the current conversation made clear. "Fine, I'll make him visible again," Glitch grunted in annoyance. "But don't ask about the Alliance."
"And you're visible again," Monoma informed Mail lightly, and he held up his hands in surrender.
"Alright, I won't probe for details. Though can I at least ask if I can tag along to whatever big plan you guys have for the break-out?"
"No," all three teenagers chorused, and he huffed.
"Fine, fine." He'd figured as much, but it was worth asking. Since they openly confirmed he wouldn't be allowed to join though, that just made it clear he had no reason to hold back anymore. The time for passive observation had ended.
So he reclined on his back, making it clear through his body language he was willing to drop the topic. "By the way, I think we'll run out of episodes of Kageboushi tonight. Do you have any other stuff lined up for me to watch?"
"Well, we don't have any old anime recommendations, if that's what you want," Ojiro said dryly.
"That's fine, I only asked about it because my sister watched that back when I was still invisible. It's like the only anime from back then I got really invested in. I'm open to suggestions for other shows, especially if they have supernatural elements."
"Well, in that case, I know a drama about a literal phantom thief," Monoma said thoughtfully. "I haven't seen it since I ran away as a kid, but that might be interesting."
"Thanks, that does sound interesting," Mail said amicably. "What's it called? Also, Shinsou was captured by the Alliance."
"Tsuki no—" Monoma cut off his answer as the last sentence registered, the two blond teenagers standing frozen in shock.
"Tsuki no...?" Mail probed lightly, but he knew he wouldn't get an answer. Glitch stood up sharply from the table and whirled to face him, his ever-shifting illusory face showing anger on every single face.
"You—"
"Hitoshi is where," Ojiro cut in sharply, eyes narrowed, and Mail smiled even as the blond whirled to Glitch and growled, "Make him visible again or answer the damn question yourself!"
"Lee," the elder teen said in warning tone, but Ojiro snarled, baring his teeth like a feral animal as he took a threatening step forward.
"How long did you know? Were you even going to tell us?"
"Answer the questions, Glitch," Monoma said, voice cold and eyes steely as he glowered at him. "We've never spoken his actual name, he had to hear it somewhere."
Glitch's features began flickering more erratically under their combined scrutiny, his agitation visibly growing and messing with his Quirk's control. Mail just smiled serenely as he sat cross-legged to watch the showdown and await the inevitable slips of useful information.
After a couple hours, Shouta was somewhere between terrified and numb. His fear and anxiety was so overwhelming, his emotions had started to shut down in something probably close to shock. He wasn't totally calm, but he at least wasn't panicking anymore. He'd take what he could get at this point.
Once he stopped freaking out Aiko had used a knife to cut the restraints since she lacked a key for them, and then carried him to another apartment. She was now taking her time trying to pry off the mitten still covering his right hand. Apparently the band had a locking mechanism, which she also lacked a key for.
"Maybe I should melt it," she muttered after a failed attempt to pick it with formal lockpicking tools. Her third such attempt, and clearly frustrating judging by the way she glared at the lock while muttering to herself. "Melting it might work. Would you mind if I melted it?"
Shouta shrugged listlessly, not really paying much attention. He focused on the bedroom instead of Aiko, drinking in the details. It still lacked windows unfortunately, but it had more life than the previous cells. It was partially furnished, complete with a (broken) dresser, and there was even an astronomy poster on one wall showing the solar system. It didn't feel sterile or cold like the other cells.
Just... Empty, hollow, abandoned.
(Forgotten.)
His eyes slid back to Aiko at the last thought, watching her carefully melt the cuff of the mitten with her fingertip. He could see the metal sizzle slightly under the influence of whatever Quirk she was using, and then she grabbed the plush material with both hands and yanked it apart. The mitten ripped in half easily, metal and fabric alike, leaving his hand finally free and exposed to the air.
"Well, that's one thing down," she muttered as she tossed the remains towards the dresser. "And now to figure out literally everything else, I guess..."
"He called me Shouta," he interjected. His voice sounded distant, even to his own ears, but the words had him steadily refocusing on reality, taking a shuddery breath. "Just... How much do you people know about me?"
Aiko frowned and averted her gaze, clearly uncomfortable. "The Alliance didn't do any research into your personal life, and definitely not your name. So you don't need to worry about that."
Shouta could sense a but in there. "What about you?" he asked, dreading the answer, and her frown grew.
"I saw your name once," she finally admitted, making him tense. "But... I didn't really bother committing it to memory. It was mentioned once in a file, years ago, and... Well, the rest of the contents were more memorable."
Shouta didn't need to ask about the file to guess the context, shuddering involuntarily. He had been told about the labs found in the weeks and months following All Might and All For One's battle, the notes on various people and Quirks of interest. He'd immediately known that Erasure would land him on that list, even if no one found physical evidence confirming it like with other pro heroes.
(That was how he'd ended up in that hell in the first place.)
"How does he know my name, then?" he asked bluntly, and Aiko paused.
"I don't know," she said after a few seconds too long, and Shouta could tell she was lying.
"Please," he forced out, desperation seeping into his voice, because Kurogiri shouldn't know. Letting his name be known by any villain was a risk, it put everyone around him at risk. If he knew that, what else did he know? What else could he find out, tell the rest of the Alliance?
After several long seconds Aiko sighed and relented. "I don't want to say too much. I don't think you're in the right headspace for any of this, and it's really not my place to say. But. Kurogiri wasn't always... Kurogiri," she said, somewhat lamely. "He probably knew you before."
Her tone left no doubt about the "probably" on her end; she was certain of it. It made Shouta's mind spin, because he definitely didn't remember anyone like Kurogiri. Nor anyone with a Quirk remotely close to whatever he had, no matter how hard he thought. "Did you people mess with my memories?" he finally asked, and the question seemed to surprise Aiko.
"What? Why would—no, we didn't," she managed to stammer, rapidly shaking her head. Her expression took on a rueful twist as she muttered, "If we could do that, I would've wiped all your memories way back then. Or at least the worst parts."
Another involuntary shudder wracked his body at the implications. He didn't need her to specify which part of that nightmarish ordeal she meant. (It was odd that Aiko herself was the least traumatizing part of his captivity after that. Though that might have been the Stockholm Syndrome finally kicking in.)
In any event, he still had no clue how he and Kurogiri could know each other. "Why would he suddenly use my name, then? Why give it away now?"
Once again Aiko paused, seeming reluctant to answer. "He probably doesn't even realize he did."
That took Shouta off-guard, managing an eloquent, "What?" In response Aiko stepped away from the bed and started pacing, looking agitated.
"He doesn't fully remember that time, but now and then memories bleed through. Little slips, so small he doesn't even notice, just acts and feels off. Lately it's been happening more often, your name back there was probably another bleed."
Shouta could hear the parts she didn't say: It was happening because of him. He was the trigger. He exhaled a shaky breath as he digested that information, not sure what to do with it. "First Midoriya, and now him," he muttered. "Does everyone at the Alliance have memory issues?"
The quip had Aiko pausing, turning to look at him slowly. "You know about the episodes," she said, not bothering to phrase it as a question.
"I do," he confirmed anyway. "I found out today from... I don't know her name, but... She looks like a kid—"
"Oh, fuck no," Aiko interrupted with a groan, her whole body sagging with exasperation. She sat on the literal air itself, burying her face in her hands with a dragged-out groaning noise. Shouta raised an eyebrow at her reaction, exaggerated as it was.
"I take it you recognize who I'm talking about, then," he remarked blandly, stating the obvious.
"Yes, and I apologize to anyone who has to put up with that." She sighed as she pried her hands from her face, mouth twisted into a bitter scowl. "I mean it. I get the feeling you figured out why she feels so wrong."
Shouta did, and he'd rather not talk about it. "The kids," he said instead. "Bakugou and Hijack. Can you at least confirm they're safe?" He should have asked earlier, probably would have in any other circumstance, but he hadn't been in the best mindspace for... obvious reasons.
"They are," Aiko replied automatically. "If something happened, someone would have told me by now." The air grew a bit colder and denser at that, another chill running down his spine, and he sucked in a sharp breath as he froze in place. Then all at once the pressure vanished, Aiko exhaling an annoyed huff. "I don't know what exactly happened before Giri dropped you off, but I made sure Tomura knows not to hide this stuff from me anymore."
Shouta swallowed, still a bit shaken by the previous pressure in the air, but nodded anyway. He might not know what exactly happened either, but he knew enough to figure it out. It was obvious that someone was trying to break into his cell before the sounds of fighting started. Those kids had challenged a villain because of him. The fact they'd risked their safety defending him, when he was the adult and hero?
It had gone too far. He couldn't even defend himself, and now children were paying the price for it. Relocating him to Aiko's care would stave off attacks, but he'd probably have to go back eventually, and then they'd be back where they started. Something had to change, and it had to change now.
"Aiko," he said, and saw her perk up at her name. His fists tightened as he spoke, having to build his nerve to force the words out. "Those kids don't deserve to be locked up in that place. If it was just me it would be fine, but they're risking themselves because of me, and I can't do anything to stop it. But you can."
He forced himself to meet her gaze, getting lost in the starry depths. "You can do whatever you want with me. You can take my Quirk again. Drag me to some cell and lock me up, throw me in a straitjacket and blindfold me again, whatever. I won't fight back or resist, I swear. Just, please, in exchange, save them. Get them out of there."
Had he not been trapped in a bed with a broken leg, Shouta would be on his knees. Forehead to the ground as he prostrated himself to beg. All he could do instead was hope his voice would carry his sincerity. He bowed his head since he couldn't bow his waist, waiting for Aiko's response as dread built in his stomach.
As a hero, this was all he could do. Offer himself up in exchange for the kids' freedom. It was a hollow offer, since he knew he ultimately wouldn't be able to escape on his own anyway. He had to hope the offer of compliance would be enticing enough. She'd had some interest in him besides Erasure back then, he'd figured out that much. It was the only reason he'd managed to get out of that hell alive and whole.
Aiko stood in silence, each passing moment making his nerves grow more and more. "Anything?" she finally asked, and he swallowed as he gave a single, jerky nod.
"Yes. Anything." He might be sealing his doom with his words, but that was fine. If it might get the kids out of there, it was worth it.
"I see." She move to stand by the bed, but he didn't dare look up at her. "Then if you're sincere, maybe we can reach a deal."
Notes:
Five confrontations and cliffhangers to wrap up Wednesday. Thursday will be off to a chaotic start. Thank you everyone for the comments and reviews!
No question for next time. Would enjoy ideas on how the cliffhangers will go though~
Chapter 125: Different IS Scary
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 125
.::Different IS Scary::.
1-A_Dancing_Queen: So just a heads up, we'll need to change the meeting place today.
1-A_Chargebolt: Why? Did something happen?
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Kinda?
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Turns out there was a REALLY good reason they didn't want to tell Kaitou and Lee about Hijack
Mina wouldn't lie: she was mildly terrified of Ojiro now.
"Untie us right now, or I'll rip out your throats too!" he snarled as he strained against the ropes tying him to the pillar. His tail thumped against the column where it had also been tied down, writhing furiously in its contained state. "I'll strangle you all with my tail and use your bodies as weapons against those bastards!"
She was very terrified of Ojiro now.
Watching her usually mild-mannered classmate snarl like a feral animal was one of the most surreal parts of this whole interdimensional experience, which was really saying something. She admittedly wasn't too close to him back home, but she still knew this was wildly out of character. He'd been spewing threats ever since she entered the restaurant, and didn't seem likely to stop anytime soon.
Monoma was only slightly better, glowering at them from where he'd been tied to his own support column. "You all realize you're just as bad as they are, right?" he asked loftily. "That we're now perfectly justified in leaving Odawara forever once we rescue Hitoshi and kill those bastards?"
The fact he could say that so calmly was also terrifying, and had Mina inching closer to the door. Both boys seemed radically different from the versions she knew at UA, much more open to violence and anger than back home. Even with all the differences they'd encountered (just look at Dabi), this was one of the more extreme ones.
The only mercy was that their ire wasn't directed at her at the moment, but at Tsu-chan. The frog girl just tilted her head, a finger pressed to her chin. "This is why we decided to not tell you, kero. You're letting your emotions get the better of you."
"You'd be just as angry if you were in our shoes!" Mashirao hissed, eyes burning with unadulterated fury.
"Maybe, kero, but I don't think I would stage a suicide assault on a large enemy organization."
"Which you were obviously planning to when we caught you," Akai piped up next to her, totally deadpan.
"They deserve to die," Ojiro growled, baring his teeth in the process. Mina suppressed the urge to whimper.
Akai remained unmoved, staring him down fearlessly. "You would die first."
"We're not amateurs," Monoma huffed. "It wouldn't be the first time we were outnumbered. We have plenty of tricks up our sleeves."
"That confidence would just get you killed, kero," Tsuyu said bluntly. As the debate continued Mina felt a tap on her shoulder, and turned to see Rogue gesturing for her to go outside. She followed him outside in silence, for once happy to brave the chilly winter temperatures. As soon as the door closed she breathed a sigh of relief, the heavy pressure gone.
"Was it that bad?" Ochako asked.
"I can never look at either of them the same way again." She was so glad Tooru-chan wasn't here to witness this, it would probably traumatize her with how close she was to their Ojiro.
"Midori and Akai have both volunteered for guard duty, so that's settled for now," Rogue said tiredly. "Working out the roster for that on top of the one for Present Mic is going to be a royal pain though. We're supposed to be moving now, but we have to delay the next wave to sort that out, and also because Kaitou was basically in charge of that. So, thanks for that," he finished sarcastically, directing the quip at Mail who sat cross-legged in the air next to Ochako.
The ghost just shrugged, looking barely repentant at all. "Sorry. In my defense, I really didn't expect them to knock Glitch over the head and go on a rampage to reach the train station."
"Yeah, well, they did," Glitch huffed in annoyance. For once his voice wasn't wavering in pitch and tone but instead remained a steady low whisper, which might be related to the hit Rogue just mentioned. He'd seated himself on the ground right next to the restaurant, head leaning against the wall. "I swear, if it turns out I have a concussion..."
"In my defense, they always seemed pretty level-headed," Mail continued idly. "I just wanted them to drop the name of wherever the Alliance is headquartered, since none of you are willing to tell me. If I knew they'd try to run off on a kamikaze mission, I wouldn't have said anything."
"Yeah, well, you did say it, and now Parasyte has one arm missing, Sanada has a tail-shaped bruise on his torso, Maria had to trim her vines after Kaitou fused them with a bunch of padding, Fuse has a sprained ankle, Mars got his tail burnt and fused with a glove, Aki and Haru almost got hypothermia, and Lee and Kaitou did get hypothermia from the freaking glacier it took to get them to stop."
"Yeah, that was... definitely pretty chaotic," Mail said in response to Rogue's summary. "I'm seriously curious about some of those Quirks Monoma threw around, because I didn't see anyone else use those cutting energy waves."
"We're not giving you any hints how his Quirk works," Glitch interjected flatly.
"Well, at least no one got seriously hurt, right?" Ochako said before the tensions could rise more. She then grimaced as she added, "I mean, besides Shouji's arm, but at least that one was a duplicated arm, so..." She trailed off, probably realizing she wasn't really helping. Mina just wisely stayed silent for once, still a bit dazed when she thought back to the aftermath of the whole mess.
Shouji had called Shouto's burner phone to request backup last night, and of course Mina and Ochako went along too. They got lucky most of the fighting happened in a generally abandoned part of town, because they'd arrived to find a good number of runaways injured. She and Ochako stuck behind to help with the wounded while Shouto went to stop Ojiro and Monoma, so she hadn't seen their skills firsthand. But it was pretty savage from what she'd heard and seen.
"How are they so different?" she whispered to herself. "I mean, I know they both ran away from home and were super upset about Shinsou-kun, but..."
"They're so much more brutal here," Ochako finished softly.
"They probably weren't trained by Stendhal in your world," Rogue sighed. "He's a strong fighter from what I know, but also pretty brutal."
"That's an understatement," Glitch muttered, which felt pretty ominous to Mina.
Mail meanwhile looked thoughtful. "I know a bit about him, Nighteye and Kas have investigated him before. He's basically a serial killer who targets criminals, but he also goes for permanently debilitating wounds... Oh right. I think Saki mentioned he goes by Stain in some worlds, so if that's—okay, yeah, that's a pretty decent confirmation you know him," he said when both jumpers automatically winced.
"They were trained by Hero Killer Stain?" Ochako whispered, face draining of color.
"No wonder they're so messed up!" Mina groaned as she threw up her arms in exasperation. "That guy's totally nuts!"
"Okay, the hero killer part is kind of alarming," Rogue said with wide eyes, with even Glitch turning his head to stare at them in shock.
"You know, in retrospect, you guys actually did mention he trained them before but it slipped my mind," Mail mused. "If I remembered, I wouldn't have mentioned Shinsou. That guy's a maniac, and that's really saying something coming from me."
"But you did mention Shinsou," Rogue said icily, glaring at him with renewed coldness that put even the winter chill to shame. "And now we have to deal with the aftermath."
"If you're fishing for an apology, you're not getting one. Just so you know."
"Thanks."
"Anyways, Kendo and Shouji said they'd meet the others at the train station and take them to the new place," Ochako said hastily before the conversation could spiral further. "Since, you know, we obviously can't meet here anymore and this is the only place the others saw."
"Unfortunately, the ghost limits our options," Glitch quipped dryly. "The restaurant, karaoke bar and tunnel are the only places we know for a fact he knows about. And the restaurant's the only place with support columns we can use to secure Kaitou and Lee."
"What about Mime's cubes? Those work for Mic-sensei."
"Because he's not trying too hard to escape since his Quirk is dangerous and he doesn't want to hurt a bunch of kids. They won't work against those two." Rogue sighed yet again, rubbing his forehead. "This officially sucks. So much. I have no idea how Nettmegg organizes people like this all the time."
"An-chan's just awesome like that," Mina said haughtily, feeling a smug sense of pride in her friend.
"By the way, where's Todoroki?" Mail asked. "I thought you three would all be together."
"He, uh, had some stuff to do," Ochako said vaguely, Mina quickly nodding in agreement. Mail had already learned a bit too much about Shouto's life in this world before they realized he, well, existed. While they couldn't do anything about him probably knowing Dabi was his not-dead brother (thanks, Hawks), they could at least keep Mail from learning he was now in Odawara. If they got lucky, he might even forget about Dabi altogether.
Besides, someone had to get food for the meeting. This would be the longest and biggest reunion yet.
Kuroe hated little more than the sound of his phone's alarm after yet another ridiculously late night, groaning as he turned it off and reluctantly forcing himself out of bed. He'd been up until four trying to figure out what was breaking a program he made with one of the client's on-site IT guys. And it was good he had someone physically on-site to troubleshoot, because they eventually found the problem wasn't anything with his code, but the client deleting another program that fed data to it.
It had to be one of the most frustrating nights of his career. At times like this, he really wondered if he should just stop freelancing and go into the information broker gig full-time. The only reasons he abstained so far were because the job was incredibly dangerous and he wanted a clean source of money, but... It was really tempting.
Especially since despite going to bed close to five, he still had to get up at ten for an appointment with another freelance client.
So he wasn't in the best mood (or particularly awake) when he trudged downstairs to his kitchen. Even before he reached it he could hear Todoroki and someone else talking, reminding him his house was still being actively invaded by teenagers. His only solace was the familiar aroma of coffee already waiting for him, the caffeine calling to his senses like a siren singing to a sailor.
"Good morning, Kuroe-san," Todoroki greeted as he shuffled through the doorway. Kuroe grunted in reply, barely paying any mind to him and the other person as he went to the coffee maker to quickly pour himself a cup. Todoroki was used to this behavior, and resumed his prior conversation. "So do you think konbini food would be enough?"
"Shouto, we've got like ten people coming at a minimum," the other guy snorted. "I don't think we can buy that many pre-wrapped onigiri and lunchboxes without making people suspicious. And it'd be a hassle to carry."
"Hmm, true. What do you suggest then?"
"Honestly, no clue. Not many places are able to cook up a big bulk order with no notice. I think most of them are still serving the breakfast menu right now, too, and I doubt everyone wants pancakes or whatever for lunch."
Kuroe only half-listened as he went to the fridge to get a bottle of honey to pour into his coffee. While he didn't need honey and coffee to function like Ran did every morning, he liked to mix some in now and then. It was a nice homage to their mother, and one of the few ways he had to honor her memory. Also, the sweetness might help kick-start his brain into action.
Then, because he was still half-asleep, he turned the bottle over the mug and poured in a liberal amount of honey rather than the usual single squirt. He watched it flow for about five seconds before he realized what he was doing and stopped.
"Why does the breakfast menu matter?" Todoroki asked as Kuroe stared at his coffee, pondering if it was worth trying. Five seconds of pour-time meant it had a lot of honey in it.
"...You know, I want to blame Endeavor for sheltering you, but we don't go to many restaurants anyway, so that's on me too. So look, a lot of restaurants will only cook breakfast foods until, like, ten or ten-thirty. And then after that, they only cook everything else. If you want breakfast, you're out of luck."
"What? Why?"
"No clue. Honestly, I always found that kinda stupid. Anyways, how many people are supposed to be there?"
Screw it, Kuroe needed the caffeine if he was barely following the conversation even while doing literally nothing else except staring at his coffee. He lifted the mug and downed a big gulp like a shot of whiskey while Todoroki took a moment to count. He regretted it instantly, finding the flavor altered in all the worst ways.
Well, at least he was more awake now, but that was an awful way to wake up.
"I don't know the exact number because I don't know what runaways will be there," Todoroki said as Kuroe mournfully carried his mug to dump it in the sink. "But without them... At least thirteen, no, fourteen. So probably fifteen minimum, I think...?"
"And that's without the runaways? Wow. Never had to feed that many people before. We might as well have hired a caterer. You got any recommendations?" The question was directed to Kuroe this time, who turned to face them blearily.
"Pizza," he said flatly, meeting vivid blue eyes with a dead look. "Get five extra-large pizzas. Act like you're high and hungry, they won't question it."
"Pizza, huh?" Touya mused thoughtfully, and nodded. "Yeah, guess that's an easy one. Thanks for the recommendation. Shouto, check if there's any nearby places." Kuroe grunted in acknowledgment as he retrieved a second, untainted mug from the cabinet to fill up, only to freeze and do a double-take.
Yes, that was definitely Touya or whatever name he went by now. Sitting at his kitchen table with a bowl of cereal while watching Todoroki use his phone. Their eyes met and the scarred man arched an eyebrow at him, as if silently challenging and taunting him.
'What the fuck,' Kuroe mouthed, and Touya smirked, the purple scarring on his jaw making it look more like a full-blown grin.
'You will say nothing,' he mouthed back, casually flicking his wrist so his spoon seemed to lightly glide across his throat in an obvious threat.
"There's two nearby that are open," Todoroki reported, oblivious to the silent conversation and still looking at his phone. Then he seemed to realize something and glanced up. "Oh, right, Kuroe, this is... Um—"
"Don't," Kuroe cut in, and picked up the coffee pot. "I don't even want to know, ignorance is bliss, yadda yadda, I have a meeting soon so bye." He proceeded to trudge out of the room with the whole coffee pot. So what if drinking directly from the pot was unsanitary? He still felt half-asleep—hell, for all he knew he was asleep and this was just a stupid dream.
If it wasn't, he did not want to know about whatever mess was going on.
He just went straight to his bedroom and locked the door before sitting at his computer. When he grabbed his phone for the usual morning check, he bit back a sigh at the text notification from 'Totoro' on the lock screen. So he did keep Kuroe's number when Aiko gave him the new phone, yippee. With a bitter air of resignation, he unlocked his phone to read the message.
'We are strangers. I'm not Touya, Dabi, Totoro, or any other freaking name you guys like. You will say NOTHING to them, and NOTHING to Aiko.
Also, we're talking later about why you didn't tell me my darling brother was here.'
Kuroe didn't even have the energy to care about the unspoken threats dripping from the message, and typed out a simple reply.
'Fine. Just tell me if they plan to destroy Japan.'
Then he promptly powered off his phone before he could get a response and set it aside to focus on preparing for the meeting. Because it was way too early to get confirmation about another impending collapse of Japanese society. Maybe this time it would rebuild into something actually decent, gotta be optimistic and all that.
Meanwhile, Ran gazed at her phone as she stood in the train station, watching three dots draw ever closer. As the bullet train slowed she pocketed her phone and quickly made her way down the platform. This close she didn't need to look at her phone to check the locations of her marks, reaching the third car from her starting point just as the doors opened.
When she stepped onboard, she quickly spotted the people she was looking for. Bird head mutations and pitch black skin were so convenient when trying to quickly find someone. She strode over and plopped into the empty seat beside them, giving a brief nod as she pulled out her phone again. "Hey."
Tokoyami and Kuroiro just stared at her in obvious shock. "Uh, why are you here?" Kuroiro managed to ask.
"Because there's a big meeting today, and I'm not missing it. That, and I have to help do damage control in Odawara anyway."
"...That's not what I meant, but what do you mean by damage control?"
"Long story, not talking about it on a bullet train surrounded by strangers." Kuroiro just continued to stare at her while she browsed the news on her phone.
"We did not expect to see you here," Tokoyami commented wryly. "Do you live near this station then?"
"Nope." She'd caught a different train just so she could intercept and board this one after calculating which train they'd likely take. Not many trains ran from Hosu to Odawara, so it wasn't too hard to figure it out. "By the way, how long do you think it'll take them to notice I'm here?"
"When we get off," Kuroiro huffed, crossing his arms and glaring at the row in front of them. Jirou, Kaminari and Hagakure had claimed the trio of seats with the usually-invisible girl in the center, animatedly talking to them both in hushed tones. From what she'd heard, Hagakure had spent the whole night at their place just catching up with the vigilante duo. After a whole month of being unsure if anyone else was there, it made sense she'd cling to familiar faces.
Somewhat predictably, Kuroiro did not look pleased at his friend's closeness to them though. He'd always been pretty protective of her, more like a guard dog than anything. Ran figured this situation would only amplify those feelings, and judging by the dark look he sent at the back of Jirou and Kaminari's heads, she was right. That was just one of her reasons for catching the same bullet train, to make sure things didn't go too sour.
The other reason was to check something else. "So, how are the others getting there?" she asked casually, opening her map app to find the dots for Gentle Criminal and La Brava. It had been mentioned on FacePage last night they'd split into two groups to travel to Odawara, but they hadn't explained how the adults would travel. They were moving along a highway at a pretty decent speed, not as fast as the bullet train but still fairly fast.
"They're driving," Kuroiro said, confirming her suspicions.
Ran arched an eyebrow anyway, switching back to the news app. "Funny. Last I checked, your boss never got a license, and Aiba literally needs a car seat because she's so short. Did they hire a taxi or something?" She hoped not, because it would be so easy to track a taxi going across prefecture lines.
"They found an... alternate option for a chauffeur," Tokoyami said somewhat cryptically. "You'll meet him when we arrive."
That had Ran pause. "...I'm going to be really annoyed by this, aren't I."
"I think everyone will be."
~A Private Message Chain on FacePage the Previous Night~
Hundred_Peaches: Um, please don't freak out, but...
Hundred_Peaches: Someone was spying on the warehouse, but Mei-chan and I made caught him.
powerofmusic: What?
Hundred_Peaches: He's a vigilante, and depending on how long he's been spying on you, he might know your identities
powerofmusic: Shit. That's bad
Hundred_Peaches: It gets... slightly worse.
Hundred_Peaches: I don't really know much about him, but I'm pretty sure he works with Ingenium
powerofmusic: FUCK
powerofmusic: Okay, scale of 1-10, how screwed are we?
Hundred_Peaches: 6
powerofmusic: That's not as bad I expected...?
Hundred_Peaches: Well, he claims he wants to mentor you two, which I think is probably a trap to try to get us to let our guard down
Hundred_Peaches: But I think that also means he might not have told Ingenium about you yet if he DOES know your identities, and is trying to stall so he can think of a plan.
Hundred_Peaches: So we might have some time.
powerofmusic: Okay. Let me talk to the others real quick
Hundred_Peaches: Alright.
powerofmusic: Okay, back
powerofmusic: This is going to sound REALLY random, but:
powerofmusic: Can he drive?
When he got captured by two teenage girls wielding homemade support gear... Well, Koichi literally had no idea what to expect. Like, seriously, he'd had some crazy encounters as a vigilante, but this was a new one and he couldn't get a read on the girls. At one point he half-expected to be used as a lab experiment, then he half-expected to be given a terrifying makeover with new gear. Then he half-expected the vigilantes he'd actually been following to burst in, or Iida to appear out of no where...
Even after spending a night in a plexiglass cell in a storage room surrounded by lasers, Koichi still had zero idea what he'd gotten himself into. When the girls finally returned in the morning and slapped some electrified bands on his arms and bound his hands in front of him, he kinda figured he'd be led to some evil leader.
Instead, they led him out of the storage room to reveal the warehouse's loading door had been opened so a car could pull inside. A car with two people by it: a man in a cloak, and a tiny girl who barely reached his waist.
As unpredictable as everything had been so far, "forced chauffeur for a road trip from hell" was the point where he gave up on trying to predict what would happen next.
"Turn left at the next corner Roach-kun," the unidentified pink menace ordered from the passenger seat as she looked at her phone. Koichi had to jerk the wheel to quickly change lanes in order to make the turn, heavily jarring the car's occupants.
"Hey!" the red-haired girl yelped from the back, her car seat rocking wildly with the sudden swerving. The cloaked man reflexively grabbed the seat and nudged it into its original position.
"You know, you could give me a little more notice," Koichi grumbled.
"Eh, you made the turn on time," the pink-haired teen said dismissively. He'd glare at her if he didn't have to keep his eyes on the road. Not for the first time, he pondered just ignoring the directions and driving to a police station or something. Because, well, he was technically kidnapped (they didn't even untie his hands to drive), and he was ninety-percent sure the guy in the back was Gentle Criminal.
But the metal bands on his arms reminded him of why that wasn't a good idea. Particularly the two stubby metal prongs digging into his skin, ready to shoot him with electricity at the pink teen's command. They hadn't demonstrated it so it could be a bluff, but given everything else they had, he had no reason to doubt they worked.
So for now, he just had to go along with it and drive to whatever mystery destination they had. Not that he particularly minded. He had even less understanding of what he'd gotten himself into than when he'd first been ambushed by two teenage girls, but he figured he'd get answers soon enough. No one was acting particularly hostile, just using him as an unwilling chauffeur, so he could already tell he wasn't in danger.
So for now, Koichi would just go with the flow and drive to wherever, and get his answers there. Because there had to be some crazy reason for a phantom thief, a team of teenage vigilantes, and two bonafide mad scientist teens to be apparently working together.
Still, as he made another turn he couldn't help but think that some of the scenery felt familiar. "We're not going to Odawara by any chance, are we?" he asked half-jokingly, thinking of his recent road trip with another pink teenager.
The heavy silence after the quip had him pausing though, glancing at the teen in disbelief. "...Wait, are we—"
"Eyes on the road, Roach-kun!" she interrupted, and his eyes automatically snapped back towards the road, clutching the steering wheel a bit tighter. "If you have time for questions, you're distracted and can crash! Safety first!"
Why did that feel weird and almost hypocritical coming from that girl? Still, he kept his thoughts to himself and focused on the road even as his mind raced wildly. Were they actually going to Odawara? Were they somehow connected to those teens he'd driven a couple weeks back? Seriously, what was going on!?
Notes:
Not much to say today. Just a regular reminder to take care of yourselves, and also that murder is ethically wrong no matter what Monoma and Ojiro say.
Also, with the last segment, I leave you with a recent realization I had: several characters like La Brava and Mineta are small enough they'd probably need car seats. So please imagine Gran Torino throwing a tantrum about having to ride in a car seat while Recovery Girl just calmly sits in hers already buckled in.
Question for next time: If you could bring one person from the Ignite!verse to canon, who would it be?
Chapter 126: Some People Walk Into a Bar
Summary:
Eijirou realizes that at some point, his life has become a big joke.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 126
.::Some People Walk Into a Bar::.
Six dimension jumpers, four phantom thieves, three runaways, two vigilantes, a third kidnapped vigilante, an underground network coordinator, a psychotic inventor, and a legally dead man walk into a bar.
It sounded like the setup for a joke, but it was very much reality. Nineteen people, from various and radically different walks of life, had gathered in an abandoned karaoke bar. Complete with pizza.
If only this was a bad joke, Eijirou (one of the three aforementioned runaways) thought as he watched the reunion. Upon arriving Ashido had basically claimed half of the room and gathered the five other dimension jumpers there for their reunion. Five, because there were seven total. At least seven. At this rate, he had to wonder if anyone else would show up from outside the mythical Class 1-A.
Apparently he wasn't the only one to think that. "If All Might or Endeavor rise from the dead, I am done with this," Anjou muttered beside him, and he snorted quietly to himself, feeling a little hysterical at the thought. Yeah, that was a fair limit.
"I can't believe you're all here," the seventh jumper, Hagakure, sniffled in the midst of Ashido's embrace, who had predictably dragged her into a hug pretty much immediately. The comment had her give the blue-haired girl a squeeze before finally pulling away to grin at her.
"I can't believe we can see your face!" she exclaimed, smushing the other girl's cheeks with a look of wonder. "Your face is so cute!" Eijirou heard a low growl from the black-skinned boy watching from the other side of Anjou, who grabbed his arm and gave a brief squeeze.
"Down," she murmured, as if talking to a dog. He scowled but fell silent while Hagakure laughed.
"I know! It's so weird! I look nothing like me!"
"Still can't tell if that's a joke or not," Kaminari mumbled, almost too quietly for Eijirou to hear, and Jirou snorted and rolled her eyes.
"But forget that! What about Todo's hair?" Hagakure whirled to face Todoroki, openly gawking at him with wide eyes. Todoroki blinked, taken aback at the sudden attention as she leaned closer to his face. "It's black! Is it just black in this world?"
"It's dyed," Dabi called from where he leaned against a wall. "Same as mine." Hagakure, Jirou and Kaminari all turned to stare at him, the excited mood briefly dissipating.
"This is so weird," Kaminari whispered. "I mean, we never saw you back home, but. This is still so weird."
"You get used to it," Uraraka said with a sheepish smile, and Hagakure promptly spun to tackle her in a hug while laughing.
"Don't think I forgot about you, Occhan! And Todo, you get in here for a hug too!" she added. "I'm not leaving anyone out!"
Todoroki looked frozen like a deer in headlights at the prospect of a hug, but a grinning Ashido shoved him towards the other two to get pulled into the embrace. The boy next to Anjou seemed irritated again, his teeth flashing across the pitch black depths of his face as he scowled at the scene. Anjou took one look and sighed quietly before muttering to him again.
Eijirou didn't try to listen this time, taking the chance to quietly inch away. He had a feeling that if Hagakure looked at him and recognized him, he'd be on the receiving end of that glare, and he'd rather not deal with that.
He quickly scurried over to Shouji's side, who had taken up a place towards the back of the room to watch everything unfold. He glanced at Eijirou from the corner of his eye as he sidled up to him, a look that would have felt imposing before they traveled to Musutafu and Eijirou got to know him better. "Don't want to watch the reunion?" he asked softly.
"More like I don't want to be glared at," Eijirou replied quietly with a sheepish smile, and glanced at the other half of the room. "So, what's going on over here?"
"Not much, since we just got here." Rogue and Kendo stood together near the far wall, grouped more out of vague familiarity than camaraderie. Across from them and closer to the center of the room stood Gentle Criminal himself and the two other members of his team. Eijirou had no idea who the girl (or woman, maybe?) with red hair was, but the bird-headed boy had to be Tokoyami.
There was a certain tension between the two groups as they faced each other, wariness clearly visible on their faces. It almost, almost felt like the groups were staring each other down, if not for Spinner and the tied up vigilante between them.
"Oh my gosh, you're the Crawler!" Spinner exclaimed, almost squealing with delight as he bounced next to him. "I'm a huge fan! You're one of my biggest inspirations as a vigilante!"
"I'd say it's nice to meet you, but uh, it's kinda not right now," Haimawari replied as he glanced down at the liberal layers of rope tying him to a chair.
Haimawari, the guy who drove him and Ashido to Odawara.
Eijirou kind of wanted to laugh hysterically, because yeah, this was getting kind of ridiculous. He knew Haimawari was a vigilante, even knew the guy had connections in Hosu, but still. To meet again here? Like this? What were the odds?
"Are you okay?" Shouji whispered to him, and Eijirou realized his internal hysteria must be showing a bit on his face or something. He managed to paste on a smile as he turned to face the larger teen.
"Just thinking how crazy life is, that's all!" The mask made it a bit hard to tell, but Shouji didn't seem too reassured. So far Haimawari at least hadn't noticed them, delaying the inevitable awkwardness. Gentle Criminal and crew effectively created a human wall blocking his view of Ashido, and meanwhile, Eijirou had dyed his hair red. So he wouldn't be instantly recognizable anymore—at least, not to people from here. This world. His world.
This was so bizarre. How was this his life?
"Why is he even here?" Rogue asked as he stared at Gentle Criminal. "Why would you kidnap someone and bring him here?"
"First of all, I would like to note that we did not kidnap him," the phantom thief huffed. "We are thieves, not kidnappers."
"You certainly didn't try to help when you saw me though," Haimawari said casually. Was he actually being casual? Was it just a façade? Was he freaking out just as much inside as Eijirou was? Was Eijirou overthinking this? Probably.
"What is with you people and kidnapping?" Kendo sighed. "Do you kidnap all the vigilantes you meet?"
Her question was loud enough to draw the attention of the jumpers. "Hey, I want to point out we had nothing to do with this," Jirou said as she stepped around the line of thieves to enter his line of sight. "That was all Yaomomo and Hatsume." She gestured to the pink-haired inventor in question, who'd seated herself on a bench to tinker with... something. Eijirou had no idea what she was working on, but with the stories he'd heard, he'd rather not find out.
"Yeah, and please keep me away from her," Haimawari said, leaning away from her as much as he could while tied to a chair. "I think there's something wrong with her."
"There is," Kaminari agreed with the haunted eyes of a man who had been through too much.
"And besides him, you two are the only vigilantes we've met," Jirou continued, and then paused to think over her words. "Well, active vigilantes, I guess? I don't really know how to count... uh, the ones here."
"And you two followed Kiri and Shouji!" Ashido piped up defensively, circling around the thieves. "So we didn't really kidnap you! We captured you in purely self-defense—"
"Ashido?" Haimawari yelped, and she startled as she looked at him for the first time, her jaw dropping.
"Oh my gosh, Haimawari-san? You're the vigilante that was spying on Kyou and Denki? Oh my gosh, what are the odds!"
"Y-yeah," he said shakily, glancing around the room. "And if you're here, then—" He stopped short as his gaze fell on Eijirou. The teen flinched slightly, raising a hand in a meek half-wave.
"Uh, hi, Haimawari-san," he greeted sheepishly. Yep, this was just as awkward as he had feared.
"KIRISHIMA!" Hagakure shouted, bursting through the thin crowd in the center of the room to race over to him. Mercifully she didn't hug him, but she got very close to his personal bubble to bounce excitedly in front of him. "Oh my gosh, I knew you were here because Kyou-chan mentioned it, but it's still so crazy to see you! Your hair looks so flat! Oh! But you still have that same scar on your eyebrow!"
Eijirou was right. That jet-black teen's glare was just as intimidating as he expected. He shrunk back while Hagakure turned to Shouji to continue her raving, "And you, Shouji-kun! You look just the same as back home!"
"Um, you don't, I think," he muttered, leaning back a bit. "Aren't you supposed to be...?"
"Invisible?" And suddenly, Hagakure was gone, the space in front of them totally empty as her voice declared, "I'm still Invisible Girl! My Quirk just works differently here!"
"Ruru!" the black guy hissed, darting forward to grab her. She blinked back into existence—or rather, visibility—with a jolt as he grabbed her arm, her expression sheepish as she turned to him.
"Oh, uh, sorry Shikkun! I guess I got a little excited, heh..."
"Yeah, uh, please don't do that," Anjou said, looking actually alarmed for once as she glanced at the direction of Haimawari, Kendo and Spinner. "That's, uh, super dangerous to reveal."
No shit, Eijirou thought hysterically. She wasn't just invisible, she could trigger it at will. Invisibility on its own was a highly desirable power by villains; it was why he'd half-expected them to never find out what she was up to in this world. Anyone with a power like that would be deep in hiding if they hadn't been recruited already. No wonder she worked with Gentle Criminal!
"We're not going to use it," Kendo said flatly, looking offended. "We're vigilantes, not villains."
"We protect the law," Spinner added haughtily.
"Which is the problem," Anjou hissed through gritted teeth, unusually agitated, before turning away with a huff. It set Eijirou on edge to see her like that; she'd always been the epitome of cool and collected, with a bit of smugness. So for her to be agitated was foreboding.
"Okay, can someone please tell me what's going on?" Haimawari piped up. "Because all I know is I was staking out a couple vigilantes when I got kidnapped by two mad scientist teenagers, forced to drive Gentle Criminal here all the way from Hosu, and now I'm meeting with the two runaway kids who I was asked to drive here with a bunch of other people I don't know. So, yeah. Some answers would be nice."
"Wait, you can drive?" Kendo asked, eyes narrowing.
"...Not gonna lie, that's a really weird thing to take away from all that."
"I think I finally see why he's here," Rogue sighed.
"And it means we're going to have to brief him on everything," Anjou added with a frustrated sigh as she pulled out her phone. "Screw it. I'll... figure something out, gimme a while. In the meantime, everyone but Not-so-Invisible Girl: start explaining for the new people."
"Why not me?" Hagakure asked with a pout. Anjou turned to look at her flatly, and she sighed. "Okay, fine, I get. Can I at least explain some of what happened after I woke up here, though?"
"Fine, sure. After everyone else goes."
"And may I ask you all hold nothing back?" Gentle Criminal interjected smoothly. "I have not been told the full details, but I have a suspicion that whatever reason you have for gathering this many people means you have a serious request. One that doesn't relate to finding how to return these children to their world."
"Wait, what?" Haimawari asked blankly. "Are, are they aliens?"
"I'm starting to think that might have been simpler," Rogue muttered, while the jumpers all glanced at each other. Finally Uraraka stepped forward.
"We're not aliens, but we're still not from this world," she declared. "We're from another dimension."
As she opened the door, Saki noted today's theme in the Super Happy Funtime Supernatural ESP Investigation Department seemed to be paisley. The teardrop-like shapes floated and writhed in the air like strange, pretty-looking amoeba. Pretty-looking amoeba with eyes that turned to greet her.
She paused in the door as she unexpectedly made eye contact with about a dozen paisley eyeballs, and calmly sipped from her can of black tea.
"Morning, Lady," Togata greeted with a nod from where he, Nejire, Amajiki, Utsushimi and a couple other interns had huddled around a whiteboard. No doubt working on the vigilante recruitment list again; for some reason they'd decided to use this place as their base of operations for that project.
She just grunted in acknowledgment as she walked past them for her office. She'd just gotten out of a long meeting with Sir Nighteye, Centipeder and some heroes from another agency, and wasn't in the mood to talk to any teens right now.
"Hey Sayonaka, your brother's here," Figment piped up as she passed his desk, and she bit back a sigh.
"Great. Thanks for the warning." Kas might not be a teenager, but he had the emotional maturity of one sometimes.
Figment glanced at the teens and sat up to lean a bit closer. "Also, I think Nejire spooked him," he added in a stage-whisper, though still quiet enough to probably avoid being overheard. "He did this joke when he walked in that he was here to see the interns, not you. Then I swear he shot her a wary look before correcting himself and hurrying to your office."
Saki quietly snorted. It wouldn't surprise her if Nejire's questions managed to overwhelm him in a Quirk-vision. Brat deserved it after how much he liked to use it to mess with people. "Nice to know, I'll have to keep that in mind. I'll go see what he wants."
"Take your time," Figment said as he sat back. "It's looking to be a slow day here." She nodded as she continued on her way, dropping her now-empty can into a recycling bin just outside her door.
When she slipped inside, she found Kas seated at her desk slumped over with face planted on the little space not occupied by mementos. Her eyebrows rose when he didn't react to the door closing, a decent sign he was asleep. "Well, this is a rare sight," she mused aloud.
Kas was on his feet in an instant, a knife flying directly at her face. She dodged with ease by simply stepping to the side, her hand rising to grab the handle before it could hit the door behind her. Even so she twisted her body slightly, raising her arm high to avoid the resulting whiplash from the near-invisible wire attached to the handle.
"You know, you should really disarm yourself before falling asleep in public," she commented wryly. Kas breathed heavily as he stared at her, visibly tense as he processed his surroundings, but after a moment he exhaled and nodded.
"To be fair, your office isn't really public, is it?" he replied, but his voice lacked some of its usual teasing edge. Saki released the knife's handle and he flicked his wrist back, the wire quickly retracting to pull the blade into his sleeve.
"Still dumb to fall asleep here. What if my meeting got extended, and Moashi or Manaka came in to tell you?"
"Who?"
"Centipeder and Figment," she sighed, shaking her head. "You know, you visit so much, you should at least learn their names."
"Mm... Nah, I think I'm good." She expected as much. Kas, extroverted as he was compared to her, was also a bit more picky about his acquaintances. She had no idea if he even had any friends at this point; if someone didn't interest him, he wouldn't bother putting in the effort to learn even their names.
"Why are you so tired, anyway?" she asked.
"I spent three hours last night fleeing from Hawks around Nagoya, and then another two hours walking to a city with a train on the line to Numazu only to find I missed the last train. So I ended up walking to another city to camp out at the train station there and catch the first one there."
Saki absorbed the information passively, taking a moment to consider it. "I feel like made that a lot harder on yourself than you had to."
"Absolutely," he snorted. "Paranoia comes with the trauma. And sleep deprivation." He chuckled and shook his head. "Gotta say, Hawks earned that pseudo-number-one spot. I was on my toes all night long."
"Which brings me to my next point. Why were you being chased by Hawks?"
"Oh right, I almost forgot. I got you a present!" He bent down to pick up a backpack from behind the desk and then freaking tossed it at her.
She had to dart forward to catch it before its contents could spill on the floor, barely managing to snag it in time. "What the hell, Kas?" she hissed, shooting him an acidic glare. "Did you seriously throw this over my desk? What if you knocked something over, idiot?"
"But I didn't," he replied with a smirk, and then plopped back into the chair and started spinning in circles. "Anyways, behold, the latest subject of Yuri's paranoia!"
Saki didn't move to check the contents or even reply, just continued glaring. After a minute he stopped spinning with a sigh, giving in to her silent demand for elaboration. "Okay, more details: some kids were hanging around Storm Chaser HQ recently and it made him paranoid, so he slipped a bug into one guy's bag. And then told me to check its location without telling me anything else."
Already, Saki was able to connect the dots. "And Hawks was waiting there."
"Exactly," he said with a nod. "Was waiting in an abandoned building to ambush whoever planted the bug, and very clearly didn't want me to take the bag. So naturally, I did. And I already mentioned how that went down, which brings us almost to the present."
Almost to the present. He did mention riding a train to Numazu, so: "Yuri refused to tell you anything about the kids, didn't he."
"Yep, insisted I should take it straight to you. And then Januarius decided to try a new chemical cocktail since I was there. So I got to sit around for two hours and wait for him to revive, you know how it goes."
Kas laughed while Saki just hummed, not really wanting to ask for more details. The one time she met and touched Januarius, it had been the same as touching a corpse. One with dozens of different causes of death. "You ever think it's bad to leave a kid with a guy whose sense of self-preservation is screwed over by his regeneration Quirk?"
"A little," Kas said with a shrug, "but not as bad as our childhoods."
"We had a childhood?" she asked dryly, and he barked out a sharp laugh. While he laughed she opened the backpack, pulling out a crumpled-up shirt with an arched eyebrow. Directly below it was an even more rumpled-looking torn towel. "What, did this belong to a runaway?"
"No clue, that's why I brought it to you." She rolled her eyes before closing them to focus on the shirt in her hand, allowing her psychometry to take over her senses. She could feel only weak traces, signaling whoever owned it had likely only recently acquired it. She sat on the floor to begin pulling out the bag's contents one by one, looking for something more likely to not be newly purchased.
And halfway down, she found something interesting. "Well, this is useful," she commented as she held up a pair of sunglasses. They were higher quality than the other clothing, even if obviously a bit worn. Hopefully that meant they were more well-used. She folded her hands around them and closed her eyes, letting the attached memories wash over her.
A store. A man with dark hair and a heavily scarred face. A city street with blinding white snow in the middle of winter. Standing beside a river and staring at a phone. A feeling of shock at a murky reflection with dark hair.
Her eyes opened as the flashes of memories ended. That face in the reflection was... familiar. Todoroki Shouto? She probably wouldn't have recognized him if he hadn't been on her mind yesterday when investigating 1-A. "Hey, while it's on my mind, can you ask Yuri to look into the Munakata class registry and get me some photos?" she asked as she resumed sifting for more items to confirm her suspicions.
"Sure. Got any specific names?"
"Teiru Norio, Jirou Kyouka and Kamijo Kameko—what the?" She cut herself with a murmur as she pulled out a bra. A rather girly bra with a little pink bow, obviously meant for teenage girls, and a bit worn out from long-term usage.
Kas perked up at the sight. "Huh."
"Don't say a word," she warned before he could make a comment. Not what she'd expect of Todoroki Shouto, which meant it probably wasn't his. Bras were one thing people wouldn't buy second-hand, so she closed her eyes and focused on it. Soon enough her mind was flooded with memories of a face which had become familiar over the past month.
Her eyes snapped open as she dropped the bra as if burnt. "What is it?" Kas asked, but Saki was already digging through the other items to search for any other traces she could.
Confusion. Drying off after getting caught in rain. Carefully counting change for an internet café. Anxiety and nerves. Sitting in an office building with the same scarred man as earlier. Looking at hair dye. Fear. Staring at a mirror and tucking strands of red and white under a beanie.
Relief, a familiar face—
A laugh slipped out of her at the last memory, reality hitting her in the face. "Saki?" Kas asked sharply, but rather than answer she rose and stalked over to the corkboard. She grabbed a blank notecard and pen from a bin hung below it, scribbling out one name and pinning it up:
Todoroki Shouto.
And behind her, Kas made a sound of delight as she grabbed the blue string to tie it to three other names, recognizing the significance.
They were now up to at least four dimension jumpers.
Notes:
Those of you in the US, and probably outside, know all about what happened last week. If you're directly affected by this latest tragedy, I am so, so, so sorry. Words really cannot describe how absolutely awful it is. I don't want to get too political, but for me personally, I'm at a point where I no longer feel grief anymore at stories like this. I just feel rage when this keeps happening.
No matter how you feel about this, remember to take care of yourselves though. Put your mental health first. Don't feel obligated to look at news or social media and risk jeopardizing your mental health. In fact, I HIGHLY encourage ditching social media if it's stressing you. Especially Twitter. Twitter is just a cesspool of toxicity these days.
On a brighter note: We're skipping the inter-dimensional rehash this time! Hooray! Also, Hagakure still doesn't fully remember the "don't show your Quirk to strangers" rule. She's just really excited, okay?
Question for next time: What is the worst way you can think of to describe the whole "we're from another world" story?
Chapter 127: OOC is Serious Business
Summary:
Tooru gets a bit OOC, and planning for the escape continues.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 127
.::OOC is Serious Business::.
The explanation had been long, and full of surprises for the people hearing it for the first time. Tooru had already heard a good chunk from Kyouka and Kami, but Shikkun, Fumiyami, Gentle and Manami-chan hadn't heard any of it. And it was also pretty different hearing things directly from Ochako, Todoroki and Mina rather than second-hand or seeing it over text. Meeting Dabi, who was Todoroki's brother, was pretty wild in itself.
(Not that she had much room to talk in this world.)
There had been so many reactions. Exclamations of doubt and concern at the reveal about Midoriya and the Villain Alliance. Shock and horror about Aizawa-sensei's condition after being missing for months. Cries of aggravation and disbelief at the reveal of Mic's capture (news to Kendo and Spinner, and horrifying to Crawler). Surprise when Shouji came forward with his story, and the following revelations from Mail about a man named Porter. Chills at the stories of Aiko and her apparent multiple Quirks.
It took probably half an hour to get through the initial explanations, sticking only to the core details, the most critical information needed for planning. As soon as the explanations finished, they then jumped right into talking strategy and plans.
It drove Tooru crazy. She could only give a brief summary of the past month with Gentle Criminal and crew, but there was so much more she couldn't say. She wanted so badly to pull her fellow jumpers into a karaoke booth, to tell them everything, but she couldn't. They didn't have the time just yet, she couldn't make everyone else wait for her to finish a private meeting and deal with the barrage of questions.
Right now, they were on a time crunch. Every minute counted. She might understand that better than anyone else from her world.
Which was why she was now in front of an abandoned restaurant, Shihai standing behind her and Rogue and Mina next to her. "Are you sure about this?" Mina asked. "They're really upset."
"I know, but I can handle it," Tooru said with a nod, firming her resolve. She took a breath and stalked forward, pushing open the doors.
Her gaze almost instantly fell on Ojiro. He'd been tied to a support column in an almost straight line from the front door, his tail visibly twitching in an attempt to break free of the chains. Chains, not ropes like Mina had mentioned; knowing his strength, he'd probably broken those already. At least they used the chains only for his tail and not the rest of his body.
Her entrance made him turn his head from where he'd been snarling at Tsuyu and a girl with a snake face to glare at her instead. "Who's this?" Monoma asked from where he'd been tied to his own support column. His eyes were cold as he peered at her, mouth pulled into a frown instead of the mocking smile she was used to. "Some other secret you didn't tell us about?"
"We don't know her," the snake-head girl who must be Akai said bluntly, looking at Tooru warily, but she and Tsuyu relaxed a bit when Rogue entered behind her.
The boys had the opposite reaction though. Ojiro immediately strained against his bonds as he spewed curses and threats, his tail rattling the chains used to restrain it. He looked even more feral than Mina had described, nostrils flaring and face twisted with rage. The sheer amount of anger felt so out of place and alien, it made him almost unrecognizable and her chest tighten.
It was easier to focus on Monoma, whose own expression had similarly darkened but not nearly as much as he leaned forward. "You have some nerve showing your face to us, Nakamura," he growled through gritted teeth.
"Rogue," the older teen hissed. "We use codenames in front of outsiders!"
"Does that mean she doesn't know our names, either?" Ojiro demanded, glare momentarily redirecting to her. The obvious lack of recognition made her heart ache a bit, especially when paired with such anger, but she'd have to get used to it.
"Sorry, I do know your names," she admitted sheepishly, and then pasted on a bright smile. Partially to try to lighten the mood, but mostly because one of her natural stress responses was to, well, smile. "My name is Hagakure Tooru! I'm the seventh jumper!"
That got everyone's attention. "The seventh?" Akai repeated.
"How many of you are there?" Monoma grumbled.
"No idea!" Tooru laughed. "I only just finally met up with everyone else yesterday and today, so it's been kind of a wild day for me to catch up on, well, everything!"
"Then congratulations, you're already the most likable person here," Monoma drawled sarcastically, glancing at Mina as he added, "Assuming she also lied about it."
Mina instantly winced. "H-hey, you guys never mentioned Shinsou to us, either! They kept me in the dark just as much as you two! I had no way to make the connection until Awa—" She stopped short and slapped her hands over her mouth, but the damage was done.
"So you did know," Ojiro growled, and Mina shrunk back with a whimper. "And were you about to say Awase? Did he know, too? Did everyone know?"
"We didn't," Tsuyu said, though she was eying Rogue more judgmentally now.
Mina peeled her hands away from her mouth. "He didn't know," she said, seeming reluctant to speak at all. "He mentioned you had a friend who got kidnapped with purple hair and a brainwashing Quirk. It was only on Sunday, I think? So of course I called An-chan, but she said not to tell you guys yet because you'd do... well, what you did yesterday." Her shoulders slumped dejectedly at the last bit.
"Obviously, she wasn't wrong," Shihai quipped dryly, ignoring the way Ojiro pulled against his bonds to hurl more curses his way.
Before it could derail further Tooru clapped her hands to get their attention. "Okay, we can talk about that stuff later!" she said, smile even more strained with all the tension. She hated this sort of atmosphere, and kinda wished she was invisible right now so she could just pretend to not be here. Alas, she had a job to do though, and she turned her head towards Rogue. "Hey, Rogue-san, can you, Tsu-chan and Akai leave for a bit? I um, don't think they'll really listen if you three are around."
Rogue glanced at the glaring boys before nodding. "Fine."
"Are you sure, kero?" Tsuyu asked while he turned to leave. "They're... not in a very good mood."
Ojiro responded by scowling at her, baring his teeth in full. "Don't worry, I've dealt with way worse!" Tooru replied cheerfully, injecting more confidence than she actually felt into her voice. "And besides, I have Shikkun and Mina with me!"
Shihai nodded in silence, eying the restrained pair coolly. Mina seemed a bit more spooked, but still bobbed her head when Tsuyu glanced at her. "Yeah, we've got it! I think," she added under her breath, shrinking a bit when the glares redirected to her.
"We can handle it," Tooru reaffirmed, more confidently this time, and Tsuyu eyed her for a moment before nodding and following Akai outside. The door closed and Tooru turned to the two bound boys, who now directed their full ire to her.
"What do you want?" Ojiro spat.
"Don't talk to her that way!" Shihai growled, but Tooru held up a hand to stop him before he could advance or say more. Her other hand clenched at her side, eyes briefly closing as she took a deep breath.
Part of her want to hide from the obvious hostility in their gazes, genuinely unused to it. Her invisibility back home had spared her from ever being on the receiving end of such glares, so seeing them directed at her felt extra chilling. She'd never really liked confrontation, and this was no exception. Especially with a friend as close and familiar as Ojiro.
In this world though, Hagakure Tooru was a little different. And perhaps because she'd been awake at the time of the swap, those memories were much more intact than her fellow jumpers. It was so easy to let the subconscious remnants of her counterpart's consciousness bleed into her own mind, influence her actions and words. To take control of herself, and the situation.
She opened her eyes and met their gazes squarely. "What was your plan?" she asked, voice cool and professional. The obvious change in demeanor caught them slightly by surprise, enough to diffuse some of their initial simmering anger.
"What do you mean?" Monoma asked.
"What was your plan yesterday, when you two went on that rampage?"
"To get to Nabu and save Hitoshi," Ojiro said, still straining against his bonds, but his anger had been tempered a bit by caution.
"Yeah, I got that part, but how?" she pressed, perfectly flat with a hint of judgment. She could feel Mina shooting her incredulous looks, unused to such a tone from her, but Tooru ignored it easily. She gestured to Shihai and he went to grab a chair while she continued, "How did you plan to take on dozens of villains by yourselves? Or even find them? Did you even bother to grab supplies before heading for the station?"
"We don't have to explain ourselves to you," Monoma said, regaining some of his defiance as his glare hardened. "We don't even know you."
"I was only asking as a formality, but you pretty much confirmed it anyway." Shihai set the chair behind her and she sat down with her arms crossed and one leg folded over the other. He moved to stand behind her, her ever-faithful shadow and guard as she peered at the pair with an air of condescension. "Because what I'm seeing is two teens who were willing to run headfirst to their deaths without any other thoughts."
Their anger intensified once more at that, glares returning full-force as they all but lunged at her while spewing curses. Tooru met their rage with cool-headed apathy, letting them spew all the curses and threats they wanted. Compared to the memories from other Tooru, their anger felt almost trivial. Childish temper tantrums, nothing truly scary or worrisome, and so easy to handle.
She waited about a minute to let them get off some steam before cutting into their threats. "You want to save Shinsou," she said simply.
"Of course we do!" Ojiro yelled, and if he hadn't been tied down he'd probably have lunged at her. She heard Mina give a small yelp at how harshly he jerked forward, eyes burning with even more loathing. "We're not leaving him with those bastards a minute longer!"
"Don't try to talk us out of it!" Monoma added sharply. "We're not backing down!"
Tooru nodded, and then clapped while flashing her usual bright and bubbly smile. "Well, it's a good thing I'm not here to do that!" she chirped.
The abrupt shift in expression and demeanor caught them by surprise once more. "What?" Ojiro managed to stammer, and Tooru uncrossed her arms and legs to fold her hands atop her lap in an ever-graceful and ladylike manner. Going from judging to open to conversation, but still showing she was in charge.
"See, you want to save Shinsou, right? Well, we want to save him and everyone else there, too! Midoriya, Bakugou and Aizawa-sensei! But the thing is, it's super tricky because, well..."
"We don't want to die?" Mina supplied almost sheepishly when she trailed off, and Tooru quickly bobbed her head.
"Exactly! We've seen Shigaraki—the leader-guy—and oh my gosh, he's super scary! He almost turned Tsu-chan to dust!" She abandoned her graceful pose to flail her arms while shaking her head exaggeratedly. "Nuh-uh, no way! We don't want to fight him! Or any of the other big-name goons there! So!" She stopped flailing to clap, flashing them a bright and almost mischievous grin. "We're doing this the smart way!"
At that, she jumped up from the chair and grabbed Mina and Shihai's arms, Mina jolting in surprise before they all vanished when Tooru activated her Quirk. The two boys jumped at their apparent disappearances, heads swiveling wildly. "Where—"
"Still here!" Tooru chirped, making them jump again. She released her friends and they became visible once more, Mina looking a little spooked compared to before but Shihai seeming unbothered. "Tada!"
"Invisibility," Monoma breathed, eyes going wide, and Tooru laughed as she loosened her focus on her Quirk so her clothes became visible while leaving her body invisible. Because ultimately, while it was a transformation-type in this world, her Quirk still affected her body first. It took conscious effort and years of training for other-Tooru to reach the point she could make not only her clothes invisible, but people, too.
"Yeah! It's a little different from what I'm used to, but I have so much control over it here! Other-Tooru really put in a lot of effort!" She waved her arms excitedly, her sleeves illustrating the gesture clearly. "It's perfect for stealth stuff!
"Like breaking into the Alliance," Monoma said with dawning realization, and Tooru bounced a bit as she clapped again.
"Exactly! Everyone else is still figuring out the other details, but we know that part of the plan at least! But I still have limits," she admitted, losing some of her energy. "I mean, I only have two hands! So obviously, I can't get everyone out on my own."
This was the whole reason she was here. Tooru was the closest thing to a true neutral party in this whole mess. She had no connections to the runaways, the Alliance, or anyone else involved in this, and she had literally just learned about Shinsou yesterday, same as these two. Not only that, she was the key component of the rescue, her very existence the proof that the plan was not only serious, but viable. If they'd listen to anyone, it would be her.
And thanks to her counterpart's memories and influence, she also had a better way with words in this world.
"There are four people we need to save," she said, counting off on her fingers. "Shinsou, Midoriya, Bakugou and Aizawa-sensei. So for this to really work, we need you. So!"
She allowed her Quirk to fully fade to reveal a smile as she spread her arms towards them, her eyes earnest and (hopefully) hiding the nerves behind her smile. "Will you guys please stay calm enough to help us actually save them without anyone dying in the process?"
Her voice faltered a bit, losing some of its cool edge as her nerves started to get the better of her once more. Because, while she had her counterpart's memories and some of her skill, she was still the Tooru of 1-A. She wasn't some master wordsmith used to swaying people to follow her, she was used to blending into the background more often than not. But if they noticed her weakness, it apparently didn't matter.
Even before they responded, she could already see their answer in the determined expressions on their faces.
After hours of being in denial, Izuku couldn't avoid it any longer. He had to admit the truth:
He was bored.
It sounded ridiculous that he could be bored in this situation, when he should be stressing out over everyone else's safety, but... he was. He'd done as many exercises as he felt comfortable doing with his body's limits in this world. He'd tried reading some of the books in the room, but apparently his counterpart or whoever stocked the shelf had some different tastes from himself. Even the journals Tomura dropped off quickly proved boring, as they were ones he'd already read.
So, he had nothing to do but lay on his bed staring at the ceiling listlessly and wait for something to happen. Aside from Tomura briefly stopping in with breakfast that morning, he'd been left alone all day. Apparently they still had to deal with that rival villain group that caused trouble yesterday, so Tomura couldn't spend time with him. Even his lunch had been delivered through one of Kurogiri's portals.
Since then, no one else visited. Not Toga, not Kurogiri, not even Seiko (and yeah, he'd called her name a couple times to check, he was that desperate). That also meant no news about Kacchan, Shinsou and Aizawa-sensei, but surely Toga or Seiko would mention if something happened. Or, at least Toga would; Seiko would be just as likely to keep him in the dark for her own amusement, since seeing him freak out while unable to do anything would get tedious after a while.
He paused as he registered the last thought. Was that his thought, or more subconscious influence from his counterpart bleeding through? At least stuff about Seiko would be useful, he thought sulkily, thinking back to the Present Mic socks. He still couldn't understand his counterpart's subconscious priorities. Even now, the biggest potential "bleed" was that dream about Granny Hiyoko, which didn't help him at all.
...He wondered what the others were doing right now. If they were making any progress on planning the escape. Too bad Anjou hadn't contacted him yet. Hopefully everything was okay—
"Midoriya?"
"Looking Glass says they're in," Aiba announced as she checked her phone. "Though they're still not too happy about being kept in the dark."
"They proved we were justified after trying to go on a kamikaze mission," Ran said while Kendo added 'Kaitou' to a notecard to slide to the 'extraction team' group. It was honestly easier to rearrange physical notecards when planning teams for missions like this. A fact which Shouji had pointed out, prompting an impromptu trip to buy the notecards from a nearby store since no one bothered bringing any.
As she had the neatest handwriting, Kendo had been put in charge of writing the notecards. The vigilante had mercifully gotten over her frustration at the fact they'd captured Mic and Crawler (who was still sulking a bit while Spinner fussed over him) to help with planning. "What about that Lee guy?" she asked as she scribbled out a card for Ojiro. "From what you guys said, he sounded... uh, pretty upset, too."
"An understatement," Shouji murmured, flexing one of his arms. Likely the one that got cut off yesterday by one of Monoma's Quirks. "Will he sit by when he's so close to Hijack?"
"Knowing him? Doubtful." Ran begrudgingly slid Ojiro's card to the 'extraction team' group, and pursed her lips at the collection. "Okay, this is way too many people for a stealth operation."
"Do we need all the jumpers there?" Kendo asked. "I mean, that would help cut down numbers, right?"
"I want to see Midoriya," Todoroki declared bluntly, Kaminari bobbing his head in agreement.
"Yeah! I haven't seen him since the autograph signing, I want to make sure he's still alright!"
"You realize I haven't seen him at all, right?" Jirou deadpanned, before sighing. "Just take us off extraction. Go with the most essential people."
"Thank you for being reasonable," Ran said and slid all of the jumpers sans Hagakure to the side, to be placed in other, logical groups.
"Still a lot of people," Kendo murmured, tapping her pen against her chin as she gazed at the leftover group.
"Not sure Looking Glass can make them all invisible, even with that Kaitou guy," Aiba added as she peered at it. "Someone's gonna have to be left behind. Can they even fit in one car?"
"Hey Crawler, can you drive a van or bus?" Kendo called.
"Do you even have a van?" he groaned mournfully, apparently resigned to his role as getaway driver.
"Momocchi can get one!" Hatsume declared, making Crawler jolt hard enough to nearly knock his chair over if not for Spinner catching it.
"Oh sweet merciful All Might, please don't bring the other one here," he pleaded as his chair tilted at a precarious angle in Spinner's grip. "There's something seriously wrong with her!"
"Is she really that different in this world?" Uraraka asked doubtfully.
"We infected her with Hatsume syndrome," Kaminari said gravely, and the brunette paused before shuddering.
"Never mind, I forgot about that."
"Anyways, we're getting off-track," Kendo said. "Crawler, can you drive a van or bus?"
"A van, maybe," he said with a frown. "Bus, not so confident."
"Same," Spinner piped up.
"I thought you didn't have a license," Jirou said while side-eying him.
"I don't. But I've played video games with driving!"
"Does that really qualify you to be a getaway driver!?"
While they argued Ran took the chance to slip towards the back and enter a former karaoke box, heaving a large sigh once she was alone. A lot had happened today even with just recapping everything; she needed time to process it all. She had words for Kuroe for having her use her Quirk on Gentle Criminal without telling her. No way he had no idea of his identity.
That would have to wait until later though. She pulled out her phone, the screen the only light in the windowless room as she opened the app connected to her Quirk. The plan was actually coming together at last, and that meant she had to make sure she had all the information they could get.
Seeing Midoriya's vitals were fine, she took the chance to swap a single ear. "Midoriya?" she whispered when she heard silence on the other end.
"Oh thank All Might," he breathed in obvious relief.
"Did something happen?"
"No—wait. Seiko? Are you there?" A pause, before he pushed on, "Guess not. No, nothing happened. I've just been alone all day and run out of stuff to do, s-so..."
Ah. He was bored then. Ran could relate all too well. "So guessing there's no major news on your end?"
"No, just that the Alliance is busy with... something. Some rival group attacked someone yesterday, I think. No one's been by since breakfast, so I think they're mostly all out."
"That's actually good to know," she mused. "Could give us an opening of some kind."
She heard the rustle of fabric in one ear as he abruptly shifted. "Wait. Does that mean—? Y-you guys are—?" He stopped short of saying his thoughts out loud, as if afraid voicing it would somehow break the reality.
Ran had no such restraints though. "Yeah, we're finally prepping for the rescue," she confirmed. "We're still hashing out the finer details, but we've got probably around twenty people involved. I just need to get some final details from you and fill you in on our end."
"Of course!" he replied instantly. "Anything you—"
He stopped suddenly, followed by a thump and then silence.
"Midoriya?" she asked after a moment, feeling her heartbeat start to spike. His vitals still looked perfectly fine on her phone, showing no signs of distress or injury, so why did he suddenly stop talking? "Midoriya? Midoriya!" She called again and again, but got no response.
Nothing but silence and an ever-growing sense of foreboding.
A light knock sounded on the door behind her. "Anjou?" Jirou asked, pushing it half-open to peer inside. "What's going on?"
"I don't know," Ran said quietly, feeling utterly lost as she stared at her phone.
Meanwhile, Izuku had slumped over on the bed, eyes shut as static filled his mind.
Notes:
No question for next time. Just another reminder to take care of yourselves, and I'll see you in two weeks!
Chapter 128: Falling Into Place
Summary:
Bit by bit, everything starts falling into place.
Notes:
Check the end of the chapter for an announcement!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 128
.::Falling Into Place::.
"This is wrong."
Everything... was strange.
Izuku sat on the bed staring at the wall blankly, mind largely blank. For a while everything had been white, but then the white slowly faded away and awareness returned. Consciousness felt hazy, dreamlike in a way, not fully there, but still there enough that he didn't want to think.
The room felt even more unfamiliar than before, and yet not, just slightly, slightly off. Every time he looked around, he was filled with just... nauseating déjà vu. Like he knew it, but he didn't. Some of it distantly, distantly familiar, but not to him. Or even to other-him. It was just there, but he didn't know it, not completely.
Why... did he feel like this? What happened?
"Why? Why does he keep having to run into obstacles every time he makes progress?"
"The other times would have been bad though—"
"But this time is different! They're so close!"
"It's not just him anymore, the others are counting on him too!"
It was just like that time with Aizawa-sensei. The sudden white-out. Why did it happen again? What triggered it? He'd been talking to Anjou, but—about what?
He didn't want to think about it. Thinking just made everything feel more fuzzy, static creeping into the edges of his consciousness, and he didn't like the feeling.
Maybe, he should just go to sleep. Maybe his head would be clearer when he woke up, and things would make sense.
(He knew it probably wouldn't be though.)
"This is the worst timing possible! The other three are reaching their breaking points, they need to get out!"
"There's no undoing what's been done. He can't do much as it is anyway with how he's trapped in here."
"He could have talked to that girl though! Heard the plan! Because you know they already have one!"
"Then... I guess we have to trust that his friends are as good as he believes."
"So you still haven't seen Deku?" Bakugou hissed, looking more irritated and frustrated by the second.
"Tomu won't let me go," Toga said plainly. She didn't even pout playfully this time like Hitoshi half-expected, genuinely frowning. "He won't let anyone visit him. He's still mad after yesterday."
Of course he was, Hitoshi thought bitterly. The fact someone had tried to attack Eraserhead again, despite the last couple of guys, you know, literally dying, had irritated Shigaraki like nothing else. Hitoshi hadn't witnessed the outburst directly, having been ushered back into his room along with Bakugou and Toga by Kurogiri, but they'd heard the angry shouts once the leader arrived. Heard a loud bang on metal as he punched the neighboring door with a yell of aggravation.
Thinking of that disaster yesterday had Hitoshi's chest clenching painfully, his teeth grinding in apprehension. "Do we even know where Eraserhead is?" he demanded, hunched over on his bed and clutching at his head. "Does Midoriya even know what happened?"
Toga bit her lip, uncertainty flickering in her eyes as she fiddled with the controller in her hands. "I don't know if he does," she said. "I don't think so, though. Tomu doesn't want to upset him too much when he's having an episode."
"I'm pretty sure locking him up would be pretty damn upsetting," Bakugou snapped, and Hitoshi kind of wanted to laugh at that but held it in.
"Do we know where Eraserhead is?" he repeated, emphasizing his first question with a tinge of desperation.
"Not for sure, but he's probably at Aiko's," Toga said with a shrug, and the two boys immediately recoiled.
"Aiko—didn't she give him a panic attack or something!?" Bakugou blurted, echoing Hitoshi's thoughts. Holy shit, how did this keep getting worse?
"She won't hurt him," Toga said firmly. "Aiko-nee likes him."
"The way you like me?" Hitoshi couldn't help blurting, feeling a bit hysterical. Because while Toga might be civil and normal-ish right now, she was still crazy and kind of terrifying. Being stuck with her, and only her, while super-vulnerable, would be enough to drive him to the edge of his already frayed nerves.
Toga shook her head though. "No, she doesn't love him like that, Jackie. She respects him. I think?" She shrugged, saying, "I don't really know what their deal is, honestly. I just know she just likes him a lot. But she's not a bad person!"
At Hitoshi's flat look, she amended her words, "Okay, she's a little bad. But honestly, Eraserhead's way safer with her than here right now. If anyone tries to go after him there, she'll stop them before they can even reach him!"
That's the problem, Hitoshi wanted to say, but couldn't. Not with Seiko sitting mere feet away, watching the Mario Kart racers zoom around the track while Bakugou and Toga's characters competed for first place. She'd shown up when they called her name to check if she was present, stating she was bored because Midoriya was sleeping, and had shown no inclination to leave since.
They couldn't talk about the escape with her there. Couldn't talk about why Eraserhead being away made things more complicated. Couldn't even ask Toga if she had any new thoughts on what the hell Midoriya meant by this not being a normal episode in his letter, or ask if anyone had potentially found the key where Midoriya had hidden it, or searched his room or anything that could jeopardize their plans.
They couldn't say anything. Not when Seiko could relay that to someone or complicate their plans in an attempt to alleviate her seemingly perpetual boredom.
The one good thing to come out of the mess yesterday was that Bakugou had been moved to Hitoshi's cell. Kurogiri was wary of anyone targeting Hitoshi after the attempted attack on Eraserhead, and thought they'd be safer together. Apparently the Alliance had decided Bakugou was trustworthy enough to be Midoriya's bodyguard once the episode ended, which was good enough to trust him with Hitoshi's safety too.
So, Bakugou got to be Hitoshi's bodyguard for now, because Hitoshi couldn't use his Quirk and was all but defenseless. Left with only his hands to defend himself, and while his training had been extensive, he'd been trained to fight with weapons, not his bare hands. And the man who could return that power, the one who had been forced to block it in the first place, was now stuck in Aiko's apartment which might as well be on another planet.
It was just too much. Escape was so close, closer than ever before, but also felt so far and bleak.
A knock jolted him out of his thoughts, and they all turned to see the door open to reveal the most undesirable face of all. His stomach sank as Shigaraki peered inside, scanning the room before settling on Toga on the floor. "Hah, so you are here," he grumbled.
"Of course I am," she huffed, putting down her controller and crossing her arms to glare at him. "You won't let me play with Mido-chan!"
"You're a bad influence when he's like this. When I checked on him just now he was napping anyway, so it's not like you're missing anything." He slipped more fully into the room, eyes trained on the television. Of course Seiko had vanished, dropping into a shadow the second he knocked because for some reason he didn't know she existed. Which, what the fuck was up with that?
"Who's winning?" Shigaraki asked while Hitoshi internally spiraled and raged.
"Me, obviously," Bakugou snorted, and the villain pursed his lips as he studied the screen.
"If I join, will you actually try this time?" he asked. The question had them pausing, all three teens looking at him in surprise.
"You want to play?" Hitoshi asked, his voice coming out more like a croak. "But, Midoriya's not here?"
"I know," Shigaraki grumbled. "But if you're gonna be part of my brother's party, I need to get to know you brats better. And you're playing with her just fine."
"Because we're friends!" Toga giggled, grinning up at him.
"...Right, whatever. So, if I play, will you actually put in effort instead of letting me win?" He directed the question to Bakugou, his eyes full of challenge. The last time they'd played any games pitting them against the villain, they had been too nervous to risk angering him to really try. Had been too tense to go all-out like they usually did, even with Midoriya as a buffer.
But this time, the blond rose to the challenge, red eyes meeting red without a hint of fear. "I'll fucking smoke your ass," he declared with a vicious grin, and Shigaraki's mouth split into a grin of his own.
"Good. Vigilante-brat, get off the bed and grab a controller," he said, making Hitoshi jolt a bit. "I'll be back in a minute with another one." He turned and left without waiting for a response.
"Are we seriously doing this?" Hitoshi hissed the second the door closed. "Playing with Shigaraki?"
"If we fucking got through Neko Café Manager without him murdering us, we can survive kicking his ass too," Bakugou replied briskly, and Hitoshi paused before nodding. That was fair enough. "And besides, if we can't kick his ass in real life, we can at least do it virtually!"
That was also fair, and a very good point. Beating Shigaraki in a race might be good stress relief. Hitoshi slid off the bed and sat on the floor, picking up the third controller just before Shigaraki returned with a fourth one. "You brats ready?" he asked, pinkie lifted as he waved it with a cocky grin.
"Ready as ever!" Toga declared brightly.
"You're going down," Bakugou promised, looking absolutely feral as he grinned.
"Good luck," Hitoshi said simply, letting a smirk touch his lips. Shigaraki smirked as well, plopping onto the floor next to Toga and thankfully away from them. Things might be bleak, but Hitoshi might be able to at least get some catharsis if he could just beat Shigaraki.
Tsuyu considered herself a calm and rational person. Everyone told her that she always seemed levelheaded and collected, able to keep control of herself even under the heaviest pressure. It had served her well as a vigilante, kept her from getting in over her head many times.
That said, she could understand why Ojiro and Monoma were so mad over Rogue, Glitch and Anjou hiding the truth about Shinsou-kun. She wasn't happy about it either.
"Sorry, but we had to keep it on a need-to-know basis," Anjou sighed. "You saw how those two reacted."
"You still could've told us," Habuko protested. They'd gathered in Kuroe-san's house, Tsuyu and Habuko bundled in blankets on the couch to help raise their body temperatures. The layers of fuzzy blankets probably lessened the impact of her glare as she (quite literally) hissed, "We're not going to run off to our deaths like them!"
"The less people who knew until we had a plan, the better," Anjou said with a shrug, focused on her phone. She sat on the floor in front of the couch, and Tsuyu could see she had a map open to track everyone's movements. Many dots filled the screen, some seemingly still and others moving. "We just couldn't take any chances back then. You guys are more level-headed since you're not as close to Hijack, but you're still vigilantes. We had to be careful."
"Well, maybe keeping all these secrets is a problem," Kirishima piped up as he exited the kitchen carefully carrying four mugs of hot chocolate. "Because, uh, they keep kinda backfiring on people." He set the mugs down on an end table before handing two to Tsuyu and Habuko, the cold-blooded girls accepting them gratefully.
One of the other remaining two was picked up by Aiba, who sat in an armchair next to the table with a laptop. "I agree, too many secrets can really make things complicated. Hoarding information isn't helpful, especially in situations like this."
"You don't say, La Brava," Anjou deadpanned, finally looking up from her phone to shoot the red-haired woman a glare.
Aiba let it roll off her back easily as she sipped her hot chocolate. "You didn't need to know who we were back then. And besides, you didn't seem that curious when Karasu introduced us."
"Yes, and I am going to have words with him for that." Anjou's tone was close to a threat as she looked at her phone again, huffing an annoyed sigh. "Okay, looks like almost everyone's in Nabu now. First group is already at the warehouse, and looks like Uraraka is heading to the station to meet the second group."
"Hopefully that warehouse isn't too cold," Aiba muttered with a frown. "I don't want Gentle to be chilly!"
"He'll be fine. He's an adult. I'm more concerned about making sure that Crawler won't run away."
"Hey, he's a cool guy!" Kirishima interjected. "He's super serious about being a hero. Sure, you guys technically kidnapped him, but I think we can count on him when lives are at stake, you know?"
"We'll have to take your word for it—oh hey, Jirou texted the van's ready."
"Wow, that was fast. Guess that other mad scientist girl really is reliable then."
Tsuyu sipped at her hot chocolate as she listened to them chatter, even if she didn't fully understand everything they mentioned. They hadn't briefed her on all the details of the plan; not because they were being secretive, but because it cut down on time by not having to explain everything. Time which could be spent on other more crucial things, even if it took two hours for the buses to reach Nabu.
As if on cue Tsuyu felt her phone vibrate, and she fished it from her pocket and reluctantly removed her hand from the warmth of the blankets to look at it. "Rogue just texted me, they have the next wave ready to go, kero," she announced.
"Good," Anjou said, panning the map back to Odawara. "Alright, I can see them at the station. Let me know when the last wave confirms their arrival."
"Yeah, yeah, we know," Habuko muttered as she held her mug to her mouth. After Hagakure managed to calm down Ojiro and Monoma and get them to cooperate, the runaways had expedited their mass exodus. Things were moving fast now. With luck, there would be less than twenty-four hours left until the rescue was carried out, and they wanted the runaways to be out of Odawara before then.
One more wave after this one, only a handful would remain. Shouji, Tsuburaba, Rockfish, Fuse, and Ryuu had all volunteered to stay behind to guard Present Mic for the last stretch, along with Habuko once she'd warmed up a bit. Nakamura and Glitch were obviously still around, too, mainly to help coordinate everything. By the time the rescue finished, nearly all of them would be gone as well.
Leaving Odawara left Tsuyu... conflicted. She and Habuko didn't live here full-time like most of the other runaways, they liked to travel and help people, but this was essentially their home. It had been ever since she agreed to follow Habuko when the snake girl realized she was being targeted by villains for recruitment. Tsuyu had been sad to leave her family behind, but she also couldn't let her best friend endure danger alone.
It was a stroke of luck they learned about the runaway network, having run into a nameless vigilante who directed them there shortly after leaving their hometown. Odawara had given them stability, a place to seek shelter and a whole network of new friends. This would have marked their second winter here, and leaving it so suddenly felt a bit bitter.
But while they might be leaving Odawara, it was ultimately just a place. What mattered most were the people, the other runaways, who had become her new family.
As long as they were together, anywhere could become home. Even a ghost town.
"Incoming," Anjou piped up, breaking her thoughts. They heard a door open and all turned to see Nakamura enter the living room, Rintaro-kun close behind him. The pangolin boy startled at the attention and ducked a little closer to their leader, shy as always.
"Hey Rogue," Kirishima greeted Nakamura with a nod, and to the younger boy he added, "And, uh, Kabuto, right?"
"H-hi," Rintaro mumbled with a tiny nod of his own.
"Midori passed on the update, right?" Nakamura asked in lieu of a greeting.
"Yep, told me just before you came in," Anjou confirmed with a nod. Tsuyu had been nominated as the first point of contact with him so Anjou wouldn't have the text notifications cluttering her screen.
"Good. I'm going to meet Kuroe. He's upstairs, right?"
"Yeah, but why are you meeting him?"
"Stuff," Nakamura said briskly, already heading for the stairs. Tsuyu wondered if he'd have elaborated even without outsiders like Aiba or Kirishima present. She didn't know the exact nature of Kuroe's involvement with the network, just that he was involved in it somehow, and she wondered if she'd find out anytime soon.
Judging by the glare Anjou sent his direction, she was equally in the dark. "They should be telling me this stuff," she grumbled to herself with a scowl while turning back to her phone.
Rintaro looked briefly panicked when Nakamura stepped away, leaving him exposed. He almost lunged towards Anjou, diving to the floor and huddling by her side at the foot of the couch. As their arms brushed against each other he relaxed a bit, even while he eyed Aiba warily. Habuko leaned forward to graciously concede one of her blankets, letting it drape over his shoulders and cover up his tails.
It was adorable how he seemed to relax fully with the fuzzy baby blue blanket hiding him, nearly all of his tension bleeding away. He still remained a little on edge with a stranger present, but he didn't look ready to bolt now. Either way, something about looking at him right now just made Tsuyu's heart swell with sisterly fondness.
She turned her attention away though as Aiba spoke up. "Are you going to try to contact that Midoriya kid again?"
Anjou hesitated, and while Tsuyu couldn't see her face from her current angle, she could see the tension in her shoulders. See her thumb tap the phone screen, bringing up an outline of a human body with a bunch of colored bars and text too small to read. "No, I don't think so. He looks fine, but—something cut off the connection last time. The only guess I have is..."
She trailed off, and Kirishima ventured hesitantly, "One of those, uh, white-out things? Like they mentioned on that one call?"
"Yeah, pretty much," Anjou confirmed with a nod. "Guess you really aren't a total idiot if you remember that."
Kirishima looked slightly offended at the wry remark, while Aiba-san looked more curious. "White-out?"
"Sorry, it's too complicated to explain. And I really don't want to say it out loud right now, either," Anjou added dryly, setting her phone down and getting up. Rintaro almost fell over since he'd been leaning against her ever so slightly, and Tsuyu reflexively reached to grab his shoulders and help steady him. Anjou turned to the doorway as she grumbled, "I have something a little more pressing."
Almost as if on cue Nakamura returned, followed by a grumpy-looking Kuroe. "Okay, so Rogue just told me you guys are—" He stopped short on seeing the gathered people, staring at Aiba in particular. "Wait. What are you doing here?"
"Hi, nii-chan," Anjou greeted with a sugary sweet tone and smile, or she attempted to. Her irritation bled through a bit too much to really come across as sweet, her smile twitching and very clearly forced. It made her look more manic than sweet. "Real quick, when were you gonna tell me you had me add Gentle Criminal and his partner to my network?"
Kuroe winced, as did the others. "Ah, shit," he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Ran—"
"Hey, onii-chan, let's go talk in the kitchen for a second," Anjou cut in, grabbing his arm with a vice grip and still smiling. "I have some other questions, too. I'll be right back guys."
"Ran—" He struggled as she dragged him out, leaving the group in awkward silence.
For about five seconds.
"YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" They all jumped as they heard Anjou shout from the next room, Kirishima nearly falling out of his chair and Rintaro yelping. Even Nakamura looked startled as he whipped around to stare at the doorway, his jaw dropping. "YOU CAN AT LEAST TELL ME WHO I'M FREAKING ADDING TO MY NETWORK!"
"I USUALLY DO! WHY DO YOU EVEN CARE THIS TIME!?"
"BECAUSE WE WASTED A MONTH BECAUSE OF YOU!"
"A MONTH OF WHAT!?"
"IT DOESN'T MATTER!"
As the sibling continued loudly bickering the group all sat rigidly, staring wide-eyed at the doorway. "This is really awkward to listen to," Kirishima whispered, sipping at the remains of his hot chocolate.
"I didn't know she was capable of yelling like that," Habuko whispered, sounding almost awestruck. "She's always been kinda grumpy, sure, but more snarky than, y'know, yell-y."
"Only with him," Rintaro whimpered, pulling the blanket over his head. Siblings did sometimes bring out the worst in each other, Tsuyu reflected. Not that she'd ever fought with her own siblings, they were too cute and sweet for that.
"It is kinda scummy he didn't tell her who she was tagging, though," Kirishima added sheepishly. "Like, that seems like it should be basic decency? To let her know she's tagging a villain?"
"To be fair, Karasu didn't know who we were back then either," Aiba commented with a shrug, turning her attention to her laptop once more. "We only started using his services later."
"Wait, then why did you meet him in the first place?" Habuko asked. "Why are you even on her network?"
"Can't say, sorry."
"What? No fair! You know a ton about us now!"
"Not really that much, actually. Just bare bones. Plus, we don't really care what you brats are doing here."
While the two talked Nakamura sidled over to Tsuyu. "I guess it's now or never, kero?" she asked quietly, and he nodded. The others turned to look as she got up, draping one of her blankets over Rintaro and dropping the rest on the couch.
"So, it's time for you two to go?" the pangolin boy asked, and she nodded as she grabbed her coat from where she'd draped it over the back of the couch.
"Yep. Sorry to leave so suddenly, kero. It was nice seeing you Kabuto-chan, even if it was for just a few minutes."
"Let's just go already," Nakamura said, already heading for the door while Tsuyu lingered a moment longer to fold the blankets together. As she tucked the bundle under her arms Habuko took the chance to slide off the couch, her own layers of blankets still clinging to her shoulders like a cloak.
"Be safe," she said, and Tsuyu nodded, offering her best friend a smile.
"I'll see you soon, Akai-chan," she promised, and her best friend nodded with a smile of her own. With that Tsuyu turned to leave, joining Nakamura by the front door where he waited with a canvas bag. As he slipped the handle into one of her hands she felt something hard slide into her palm, recognizing the familiar shape of one of the scales from Rintaro's tail.
He released his hold on the handle and moved his hand to lightly touch her wrist, meeting her gaze squarely. Though his Quirk had no visible tells she knew it was active, trapping them in a bubble of silence so only they could hear each other. "Be careful, Midori," he said firmly. "I don't know what the hell the plan is, but don't take any unnecessary risks."
Were she a bit more expressive, Tsuyu would have likely laughed. She might be a vigilante, but she was still known for being cool-headed. Impulsive and reckless were hardly words used to describe her. "I won't, kero," she swore, and smiled at him. "Take care of Habuko-chan and Rintaro-kun for me, please."
"You don't need to ask me to do that."
"I know, kero." She gripped the scale with both hands so her fingers holding the edges, and as he withdrew his arm and opened the door, she snapped it.
Just like that, she was no longer in the warmth of Kuroe's house, but a chilly and dusty warehouse. There was a surprised yelp from somewhere above but she paid it no mind, her attention turning to a nearby couch where Ojiro and Monoma sat. "Nice of you to finally show up," Monoma commented with a huff.
"It took a while for Rogue to arrive with the scale, kero," Tsuyu said, looking down at the two shards in her hand. Whatever bright tint it originally possessed had faded to dusty brown upon breaking, and she could see another matching scale on the floor by her feet.
"Oh sick, so you used those to get here?" one of the jumpers—Kaminari, she believed—said as he walked over. "I used those once, it was a real trip! Uh, figuratively, I mean," he added with a lame laugh. "And also a bit literally, too, I guess."
"They're certainly convenient for a single person," Ojiro said, and she could hear a faint edge of ire in his voice.
"Yes, a single person," Monoma said. "That's part of why we can't really use them for the rescue, remember?" Even as he spoke Tsuyu's tongue shot out to snatch the shards up like flies and swallow.
Nearby Ashido yelped in surprise and minor disgust. "Wait, Tsu-chan—okay, did you have to do that?"
"It's too risky to leave them, kero, or they can be traced," the frog girl said, turning as Ojiro approached to take the blankets. Freed from her burden, she bent down to retrieve the matching scale with her hands rather than her tongue. She'd rather not touch the dusty floor with her tongue. "Ashido-chan, your Quirk is Acid, right?"
"Um, y-yeah?" Tsuyu turned to her and tossed the scale over to her, and it took a moment for the pink girl to determine her intent. Then she blinked and bobbed her head, letting acid seep from her palms and quickly melt the scale.
"Why don't you just swallow that one too?" Kaminari muttered, but she ignored him as she looked around. She could see Todoroki and a boy with a bird head seated on the ground nearby—Tokoyami, presumably—as well as Spinner hanging out on one of the overhead rafters, staring at her wide-eyed. Surprisingly she couldn't see Kendo though, so she must be in the second group.
A dark-haired man who must be Dabi leaned against one of the crates nearby, arms crossed as he gazed at her. "Huh, that's one convenient Quirk," he remarked.
"It's actually fairly limited, kero. And also not my Quirk."
"Alright, fair enough," he snorted lightly.
"Uraraka's meeting the others," Todoroki piped up. "And I think they're also picking up a van...?"
"That's what the text said, at least," Kaminari said, looking a bit dazed. "Yaomomo works fast."
Tsuyu nodded, mentally reviewing who she'd been told was involved. If this was everyone who came on the first bus, then the second group must be Gentle Criminal, Crawler, Jirou, Kendo-chan, Kuroiro and Hagakure. A shame, Tsuyu had hoped to meet the seventh jumper and talk a bit before everything went down.
As it stood though, their group should presumably be arriving soon. And since she was now here, Tsuyu should get down to business. "Do you know my role, kero?"
"Main point of contact, right?" Dabi drawled, and Tsuyu nodded in confirmation.
"And also backup," she added. Her camouflage Quirk only worked on herself, but it could extend to her vigilante costume at least. Her role would be to spy on the rescue from nearby and keep Anjou updated on everything happening, either through text or by lending one of her senses to the other girl. At least, as long as things went smoothly; if the plan derailed, she'd abandon that role and step in to help.
"Hopefully we won't need backup," Kaminari muttered, as if sensing her thoughts, and she nodded in agreement.
"How did you even get here?" Spinner yelled from his spot near the ceiling.
"That's a secret, kero."
"What?"
"She said it's a secret!" probably-Tokoyami called back on her behalf. Spinner grumbled as his head disappeared from sight, returning to... whatever he was doing up there. Tsuyu was a bit curious, but not too curious.
Her attention turned to Dabi, who seemed to be the one in charge of this particular group. Partially as the oldest, and partially because... well, she could tell he was the most responsible besides Monoma and Ojiro. And right now, they were a bit too compromised to take up a leadership role. "Can you fill me in on the plan, kero?" she asked politely.
He cocked his head to the side. "I was already supposed to, wasn't I?" And he was, because even this was factored into the overall plan. While Anjou had been too busy with setting things up for the rescue and the move to tell her the full details beyond her role, the people in Nabu would have time while waiting for the second group to arrive. It would also serve as a good refresher for the others to make sure everyone was on the same page.
For that reason, rather than wait for her response Dabi tilted his head back. "Hey, lizard-guy, get down here!" he called towards the ceiling. "It's time to go over the plan!"
"Already?" Spinner whined, poking his head out once more. "Shouldn't we wait for everyone if we're doing a review?"
"Just get your scaly ass down here! We need to fill in the newbie and go over updates anyway!" As Spinner scrambled along the rafter towards the wall Dabi turned to Tsuyu. "Might want to also think about where to sleep tonight. There's probably gonna be a fight over the couch, heh."
"No, Midori can have it," Ojiro cut in, untangling the pile of blankets on the couch. "Midori's cold-blooded, so the floor's too cold for her."
"Unless she sleeps by Todoroki," Kaminari muttered, and Dabi snorted.
"Yeah, no, you are not cuddling with my brother, frog-girl."
"I don't plan on it, kero," Tsuyu said, walking over to the couch and sitting on one of the arms. "But can we please talk about the plan now? We only have a little under twenty-four hours, right?"
"Ideally, yeah," Dabi confirmed with a nod. "As long as nothing goes wrong and extends the timeline, anyway."
"Ugh, don't say that!" Ashido whined. "You'll jinx us!"
"At this point, we should probably just expect it to go wrong even without a jinx," Dabi snorted. "Because from what I hear, that's how it always goes with you brats."
"Yeah, it kinda is," Kaminari sighed.
"Anyways, get comfortable. Plan's not too complicated, but with stakes like this, we can't halfass the review. If you've got any input, this will be your one chance to speak up."
"Of course," Tsuyu said with a nod, leaning forward intently as he began speaking.
At the same time in another part of Nabu, two men and two teenage girls went to pick up a rental van. Meanwhile another group of teenagers followed a map on their phones towards an abandoned warehouse.
Inside a former hospital, three teenagers and a villain sat in a room playing video games while another boy slept in his room alone, voices of the dead whispering in the back of his mind.
And inside an abandoned apartment building, a dark-haired man sat on a couch with an open book in his lap while contemplating the future.
Bit by bit, everything was falling into place.
Even the things no one knew about.
Time remaining until the escape: Two hours.
Notes:
The escape draws closer. This is a bit of a transitional chapter, but setting up (almost) everything.
Unfortunate news: I'm taking a minor hiatus.
As I've mentioned, lately I've been running on zero buffer, and this chapter? I wrote over half of it just last night. And today, my copy of AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative arrived. And I know myself. I'm not going to be very productive with writing for a few days at least. So I want to give myself time to play the game, and also take the chance to build the buffer.
When will the hiatus be over? I don't know exactly. Because I want to get the whole escape drafted and written to make sure everything is perfect.
Next chapter, the escape finally begins.
Chapter 129: Casing for the Big Sting
Summary:
The preparation for the rescue begins.
Notes:
Sorry for disappearing for so long! Looking back I was honestly a bit burnt out on MHA, so between that, deep-diving into the One Piece fandom and the rescue arc needing to be planned/handled carefully, the hiatus went longer than I expected. I also wanted to try to get my buffer up since the rescue arc is so particular. The buffer is... not up. I have PART of 130 written, so uh, yeah.
But it's been long enough and I've figured out the general order of how to do everything, so at long last, here's Chapter 129!
Chapter Text
Chapter 129
.::Casing for the Big Sting::.
The bar was full of quiet chatter as usual when the door opened. A few glanced at it briefly, their gazes becoming keener at the unfamiliar face that entered. New faces were rare in a bar frequented exclusively by villains, after all, and naturally suspicious. The man himself didn't look too out of place though, between the long dark coat and the ugly purple scars coloring his jaw and beneath his eyes.
He strode to the counter with a casual gait, hands shoved in his pockets and expression relaxed despite being surrounded by potential enemies. Kurogiri watched his approach keenly even as he cleaned a glass, the man slipping into an empty stool at the counter. By now most of the bar had turned their attention to the newcomer, even as they continued speaking at a lower volume.
"May I help you?" Kurogiri asked, not one to beat around the bush with strangers.
"I'm here for a 'bloody angel on the rocks,'" the newcomer said.
If the request confused Kurogiri, his misty face didn't show it. "I see. We are out of ingredients for that particular drink, so I hope you do not mind another."
"Fine by me. Just give me something else then, I guess. Maybe a star cocktail?"
"Very well." At once the undercurrent of tension in the air vanished, everyone returning to their previous conversations. Kurogiri meanwhile turned to the shelf to pluck a bottle of apple brandy, vermouth and bitters, pouring them into a mixing glass filled with several ice cubes. As he stirred the drink he commented, "I have not had someone request a star cocktail after a bloody angel before."
"Well, I can't really drink something made up, right?" Dabi snarked. "What would even go into something called a bloody angel, anyway? Tomato juice?"
"From our conversation when we settled upon that name, likely that or blood orange juice. However, that is not quite the point I was making." Kurogiri poured the completed drink into a cocktail glass and pushed it forwards, the chilled glass growing foggy around the orange liquid. "The second requested drink is code for the one who told the person about our establishment."
"Oh, no, I know exactly what that refers to," the scarred man said with a smirk as he accepted the glass. "I like to go by Dabi. But chances are you've heard of me from that woman as 'Totoro.'"
Kurogiri blinked placidly at the introduction. "Ah, yes, she has mentioned you a... few times. Usually while drunk and rather... displeased."
Dabi snorted as he took a sip. "Well, to be fair, she did think I was dead for a while for reasons beyond my control."
"I refer to after she confirmed you were alive, and when you decided to disappear a second time. And then a third." Dabi just rolled his eyes, biting back his usual snarky comments as he sipped from the sweet martini. "If I may be so forward, what brings you here? Her commentary led me to believe you're not the type to visit this sort of establishment, at least without her."
"Boredom, I guess, and a little curiosity. Won't lie, I'm kinda surprised this is an actual bar. And stylish, too," he said lightly as he glanced at the floors, which had a black with a white zigzag pattern as opposed to the usual wood grain. Paired with the red and blue walls, it created a distinct atmosphere that felt a step above the usual moody ambiance he found in bars. "She said it was, but I'd expected it to be a bit more bare-bones and disorganized since it's part of a villain hideout. No offense."
"None taken. I take pride in my work here, and the profits do give us welcome extra funding. Though I take it that you're not...?"
He trailed off, but Dabi picked up his meaning. "Nah, haven't fully committed to the 'dark side' or anything yet. Like I said, mostly here out of boredom and curiosity after hearing about this place. That, and I wanted to get out of the damn cold and wind for a bit." He chuckled lowly while pulling out a pack of cigarettes, asking, "Do you got any problems with people smoking in here?"
"Besides the obligatory objections for your health, no."
The remark merited a snort from the burnt man, a small flame flickering on his finger to light the end of a stick. "This is for my health, actually. Let's just say my Quirk has some special needs even with the... solution she gave me."
As they spoke no one noticed a sliver of black extend from Dabi's pants to touch the floor, slipping into the black and moving around the counter.
"So, let's get talking strategy," Spinner said, rubbing his hands together. "How are we going to do this?"
"First off, we already decided we're breaking into four teams," Dabi began. "Team one is distraction, team two is in charge of extraction. I don't think I need to elaborate what each one does, but if it's not obvious, team one makes shit go down so team two can sneak in and get everyone out. You, Froggy, are on team three, playing escort for team two after the escape so they can safely reach the getaway vehicles driven by team four."
"I'm on escort duty too," Ojiro piped up. "I wanted to go in as part of the rescue team, but..."
"Looking Glass and I can only use her Quirk on people we touch with our hands," Monoma picked up with a shrug. "There are four people in need of rescue, so we can't take in any more people than absolutely necessary."
"I still want to help there too," Todoroki murmured, which went ignored just like his previous protests to that effect.
"Eraserhead has a broken leg though, right?" Tsuyu asked, a finger on her chin. "Can any of you carry him, kero?"
"Yes, well... that's where things get tricky," Monoma allowed with a slight grimace. "It's more his build than his weight that's the issue. Based on what we know, Hitoshi is the tallest person in this operation, and, well..."
"It's still gonna be really awkward carrying a full-grown man," Kaminari finished flatly.
"Which is where I come in," Dabi said. "I'm on the extraction team too, along with potentially Floaty. Ideally it'll just be me since I can carry him and play defense if shit goes sideways."
The frog girl tilted her head at the information. "But even if it's just you, that will leave five people, kero, meaning one person will have to be visible."
"Which will be me. Because one, like I just said, I can play defense if shit goes sideways." He let blue flame flicker atop his palm for emphasis. "And two... Well, we've got—"
He was cut off by shuffling from the front of the warehouse, and they turned to see Jirou crawling through the hole in the door they used as an entrance. "Okay, there better be another way to get in," she grumbled as she stood up, moving so Kuroiro and Hagakure could crawl through after her.
"I have searched, but alas, that seems to be the only entry point that would not compromise this building's insulation," Tokoyami said.
"Does that mean the only other options would need us to break windows or doors then?"
"Yes."
"Darn."
"Anyways, we're here now!" Hagakure said cheerfully. "Gentle, Crawler, Occhan and Kendo are all going to get the van."
"Good timing, we were just going over the plan," Dabi said. "Specifically, the part we're doing tonight."
Hagakure lit up at that. "YES! This is OUR specialty!"
"Do you mean theft?" Tsuyu asked curiously, and the phantom thief girl laughed.
"Exactly!"
"I guess a rescue operation is kinda like a heist," Kaminari said thoughtfully.
"Not just kinda, but exactly like heists!" Hagakure cheered with a clap. "Down to me and Shikkun's specialty: scouting the location in advance!"
Shihai kept his cool as his head poked out of the floor, hood pulled over his distinct white hair and collar over his mouth to leave him little more than a black blob. The hall directly behind the bar was empty at the moment, which was good since the only black on the flooring was a floor mat right by the door. The building's nature as a former hospital was obvious, the floors a sterile-looking light green tile and the walls a slightly dirty white.
Traversing solely through black wouldn't be an option here, but it rarely was. He emerged fully and began walking down the hall in a random direction, his steps light and soundless even as he kept his gait casual. Shihai had done solo infiltrations before, and in this circumstance he knew acting like he belonged was his best bet if he ran into anyone.
Not that he planned to.
As he neared a corner he could hear voices from ahead, and casually pulled a thin black scarf from his pocket to toss to the floor. He didn't break stride as he stepped onto it and merged into the darkness, sinking into the small square of fabric. The voices grew louder and clearer as they presumably turned the corner, one calling, "Oi, what's that on the floor?"
"Looks like a scarf?"
"Ugh, seriously? What is with people and leaving their stuff in the halls?"
"I wouldn't touch that. Never know what kind of shit that can do. Could be boobytrapped for all we know."
"Don't need to remind me. Wouldn't put it past some of the psychos around here to leave something that'd explode as a prank..." Their voices grew more distant as they moved on, and after several seconds Shihai emerged and picked up the scarf as he quickly rounded the corner. This stretch of hall was just as empty as the last, and he continued his search in silence.
Already he was mentally mapping the place, having developed a knack for it thanks to his Quirk. Spatial awareness mattered a lot when you merged with your surroundings, and since joining with Gentle Criminal he'd specifically trained that skill for heists. Aiba had managed to find a floorplan of the building to further help with his task, with a printout currently stashed in his pocket.
His eyes soon lit upon a door the floorplan had clearly marked as a bathroom, and he quickly slipped inside to check the paper. Most of it was unlabeled save for room designations and bathrooms, limiting its usefulness. They'd narrowed down some of the likely locations for prisoners though, so his priority would be to check those.
The sounds of approaching voices had him stilling, holding his breath. "Can't I please go see Mido-chan?" a girl asked, almost whined. "He's gotta be so lonely and bored!"
"I already said no," a different, raspier voice replied, sounding faintly irritated. "I told you, you're a bad influence when he's like this. You can see him after the episode ends."
"But Toooomuuuu—"
"No buts, Toga! Hah, seriously, why do you even want to play with him so much?"
"Tomu, you're not supposed to scratch your neck."
"Sh-shut up!"
"And I want to play with him because I'm worried! He's gotta be lonely since you won't let Jackie or Tsuki-chan visit, right? And you didn't even go have dinner with him tonight! Has he even seen anyone today?"
"Of course, I gave him breakfast."
"And then left right away!"
"Tch, I couldn't help it, we had work stuff today..." The voice faded as they moved away, likely turning the corner and leaving the hall, but Shihai didn't dare move for a full minute. That man had to be Shigaraki, the leader of the Villain Alliance and the man who could disintegrate anything touched. In that light, Shihai suspected hiding in the bathroom was much safer than leaving the scarf on the floor. The man might not be so willing to ignore it if he was irritated.
With that in mind, he waited for a second and then a third minute to pass before finally emerging, heading the direction their voices had come from. It would be safer to avoid them, and they came from one of the areas they'd marked anyway. As he turned another corner he spied a long streak of black smeared on the wall, making him smirk before merging with it. Whether the results of some bored villain or a prank gone wrong didn't matter. He zipped through the halls to continue his search.
"So Kuroiro just walks around to scope the place while Dabi hangs out in the bar talking about Aiko," Jirou mused after the explanation finished. "Huh. That's pretty bold."
"Sometimes you gotta take risks," Dabi said with a loose shrug. "And besides, me being friends with Aiko gives me a cover to walk around the base so I can be there when the extraction happens."
"What if she shows up though?" Kaminari piped up. "Won't that, like, cause problems or something?"
"Denki, don't say that!" Ashido hissed before Dabi could reply. "You'll just jinx us again!"
"Stuff always goes wrong with us," Jirou said blandly. "Seriously, when was the last time anything we tried went right?"
"Yeah, but you don't need to jinx us and make it worse!"
"This really isn't helping my confidence in you people," Ojiro murmured.
"Honestly, even if she does show up it'll be fine," Dabi said dismissively before the conversation could derail further. "She's mentioned the bar to me a couple times, I can just say I wanted to take a break from looking for Shouto and get sloshed. Not that I expect her to show up though, I texted her earlier and she's got some other stuff going on tonight."
"I feel like you saying that just makes it even more likely," Ashido grumbled as she sagged almost comically.
"Well, if she does, I still know how to handle her. So don't worry about her, and leave scoping out the place to me and void-boy over there."
"Don't call me that," Kuroiro grumbled, his irritated scowl almost glowing against his face.
"How long will that take?" Asui asked, and the void-like boy's mouth closed as he thought it over.
"Since La Brava already got the floorplan, not too long. I just need to find everyone's locations and confirm the best exit points. Maybe an hour? Two at the most?"
"This facility is far smaller than most of our targets," Tokoyami added. "We're used to infiltrating skyscrapers and office buildings with advanced security systems. The presence of villains will make this more dangerous than most, but this is almost childishly simple compared to some of our previous heists."
Kuroiro and Hagakure both nodded in agreement, their confidence easing everyone's nerves. "So I guess that means everyone else will just have to wait until you're done with that, then?" Monoma asked.
"Not exactly," Kuroiro said. "Scoping the interior is only half of the scouting process."
"We have to figure out where to go after leaving the building!" Hagakure continued, clapping her hands with a giant grin. "And that's where me and Occhan will come in!"
"This is so weird," Ochako whispered to Tooru, keeping her voice low.
"Is it really? This is, like, super basic surveillance stuff! We do this during training exercises at school all the time!"
"I meant the invisible part."
"Oh. Yeah, I guess that's weird if you're not used to it." Tooru gave a soft, sheepish-sounding huff that bordered on a laugh, a puff of breath appearing in the cool winter air. The only visible sign of their presence.
They currently stood on a rooftop not too far away from the Villain Alliance's base, just scoping out the general area for escape routes and activity. Tooru had her hand wrapped around Ochako's arm to keep them both invisible and they tried to keep quiet, and it still felt bizarre. Every time she looked down her brain would expect to see her body, and then mildly glitch and panic when she instead saw nothing. She found it better to focus on their surroundings, since that was the whole reason they were here.
The area was rundown and largely empty, most people getting off the streets especially as night had started to fall. Even during the day, there probably wouldn't be much traffic though; the area just had that shady vibe that kept people away. Ochako had passed through this part of town before, during her initial search for Deku, and had written it off at the time. Now that she was looking at the base, she was surprised to realize she'd actually passed it back then.
Well, it was for the best she hadn't found it. As everyone repeatedly reminded her.
"As far as bases go, this one feels underwhelming," a voice remarked dryly behind her, reminding her that they weren't alone. Despite initial plans to just have her and Tooru scope the area, Monoma and Ojiro had successfully argued to be allowed to join the scouting expedition. They would both be there for the escape, so it would go smoother if they knew the layout of the area in advance.
Ochako couldn't see them—Monoma had naturally copied Tooru's Quirk—but his tone didn't sound too impressed. "I know they can't stand out, but I expected more."
"You guys operate out of tunnels, abandoned restaurants and karaoke bars, and other abandoned places," she pointed out flatly. "An abandoned hospital's not that weird."
"I don't think it's weird," Ojiro said, "but it's still hard to believe such a massive organization operates out of there." And that it apparently has a bar despite being supposedly abandoned." They'd seen three people enter the base since they reached the roof (not including Dabi), and it had only been ten minutes.
"Well, they have to keep it subtle or police will find them," Tooru said. "Unless they have some legitimate business they can use as a front, this place is a pretty good choice. Isolated area but not too isolated, low traffic..."
"Okay, that sounds like you have way too much experience with this stuff," Ojiro piped up flatly. "There's only what, four or five of you?"
"Yeah, but uh, my life in this world is really weird," Tooru whispered almost sheepishly, which just raised more questions like it usually did. Ochako didn't get a chance to ask before Tooru's voice audibly perked up as she quickly continued, "Anyway, let's just focus on scouting! So, the getaway car will be waiting that way!"
"Uh, Tooru, we can't see where you're pointing," Ochako said after a moment.
"Oops, sorry! Forgot! Look towards the building with the gazebo-thing on the roof." It didn't take too long to find the building in question; it was about two blocks away and looked just as abandoned as the rest of the area. A large wooden roof-like structure had been set up on the roof at some point, but had clearly been neglected with how it seemed crumbled. "They should be parking like, a block past there. So, we need to figure out at least three routes to get there from the base!"
"Three?" Monoma repeated.
"Yeah! We need multiple options in case something goes wrong! And also, we don't know which exit we'll be using yet, so we gotta consider that too."
Once again, Ochako was struck by the sheer experience Tooru's counterpart had in this stuff as the other girl explained. She spoke so plainly and confidently, like she'd truly done it dozens of times before; this went beyond memories seeping through her subconscious like the other jumpers. It felt almost, almost like another person, and made Ochako wonder about how much her own counterpart differed from herself.
Dwelling on that wouldn't do any good, so she quickly banished the thought. "Should we split up then?" Monoma asked. "There's four of us anyway."
"Ooh, true!" Tooru agreed eagerly. "We can cover more ground twice as fast!"
"Sounds good to me," Ochako said. "Then I'll go with Monoma, and Ojiro can go with Tooru!"
There was a beat of silence. "I'm sorry, what?" Ojiro asked. "Why are we splitting up that way?"
"Because everything we've heard the past two days makes me think you guys will just try to sneak into the Alliance base if we leave you alone," she replied flatly. "So if we split up, it's got to be with one of us."
"Hey," Ojiro growled. "Do you really think we'll—"
"Fine," Monoma interrupted, and Ochako could almost picture the look of shock Ojiro must sport despite having never seen such an expression on his face. And as if also sensing it, Monoma added pointedly, "The sooner we finish scouting, the sooner we can rescue Hitoshi."
Ojiro fell pointedly silent, while Ochako felt relieved that Monoma seemed willing to cooperate. That had been the single reason the duo had to argue to join the scouting trip; no one trusted them to be truly patient with Shinsou so close by. "Let's get down and then we can split up," she said.
"Oh, hold on, there's more people coming!" Tooru whispered, and they all fell silent as they turned to see more people had appeared at the end of the street. A duo this time, one in a long coat and a hat pulled over their head, and the other noticeably large and bulky under their poncho-style coat with the hood pulled up.
The four teens held their breath as the pair walked briskly towards the hospital, bypassing the door to the bar and circling the building's corner out of their sight. They stayed close to it though, making it clear the building was their destination. "Looks like there's another entrance over there," Ojiro murmured. "Think those guys are part of the Alliance?"
"Would make sense to have some other entrance besides the bar," Monoma huffed softly. "We'll have to keep that one in mind too." Ochako nodded in silent agreement, before remembering they couldn't see her. At which point she groaned softly.
"Occhan?" Tooru asked.
"It's nothing." She really couldn't get used to the invisibility. "Let's just hurry—wait, is that a pizza delivery person?" All of them turned sharply to see another figure, this one on a scooter with a black bag and jacket bearing a pizza-shaped logo.
"Did they seriously order pizza?" Ojiro asked incredulously as they watched it pull around the corner of the hospital like the other duo.
"This is so weird," Ochako said, and the others could only nod in agreement. Not that she could see it.
"Okay, so what about the rest of us?" Spinner asked once Monoma finished arguing his case on why he and Ojiro should join the expedition. A debate which had lasted until the rest of the group arrived with the van, and then lasted another ten minutes until he won. "Do we just sit around waiting?"
"I guess so," Kendo said with a shrug. "There's not much for us to do."
"Yes, patience is an important skill for phantom thieves," Gentle Criminal said with a sage nod, sipping from a teacup. Where the teacup came from, no one really knew nor cared enough to ask. "Especially in early preparation stages leading up to the heist, it is important to take our time to ensure success. We can only wait here elegantly for the others to complete their tasks."
"This isn't really a heist though," Jirou muttered.
"It's close enough!" Hagakure said brightly.
"It... kinda is," Uraraka said sheepishly. "It's got all the same steps for preparation at least, or it sounds like it?"
"This is actually really exciting!" Ashido added, eyes sparkling gleefully. "I feel like we're in an action movie!"
"We're hero students, that basically sums up our lives."
"Nah, I'm with Mina on this one!" Kaminari flashed a bright grin. "This is like one of those crime thriller movies about those super-elaborate heists in them!"
"...There is something seriously wrong that we're excited to do something like this," Jirou sighed, but her voice had a note of acceptance.
"So we're just waiting here?" Crawler asked before the conversation could derail further. "I mean, I'm cool with waiting, but... This place is kinda cold. And creepy without proper lighting." There was a pause as everyone took that in and glanced around. The warehouse was pretty chilly, even with a fire from Todoroki's Quirk to generate some warmth. It was also dim, and growing dimmer as sunset approached.
There was a long moment of silence. "Maybe we can all go out somewhere for dinner at least?" Kendo finally suggested, which led to a chorus of general agreements.
"That's fine by me," Todoroki said with a shrug. "Can we get soba?"
"Oh yeah, I haven't had soba in ages!" Ashido exclaimed, before abruptly drooping as she groaned, "But wait. I kinda stand out, and am also kinda missing."
"Yeah, we've got a few people who stand out," Jirou agreed, eying Spinner and Tokoyami as she said that. "No offense to you guys."
"Yeah, no, I get it," Spinner sighed. "We really don't want to draw attention now."
"That won't be a problem!" Gentle Criminal declared, pulling out a phone. "As it just so happens, I have the perfect venue for a private meal."
"I can't believe we got us a whole private floor," Mina said with a heavenly sigh as she cut into her chicken. "And this food is great too!"
"Thank you, my dear!" Gentle Criminal replied with a magnanimous smile as he sipped his tea. "I shall be sure to pass on your compliments!" Mina made a muffled sound of contentment, her mouth already full as she voraciously dug into her meal. True to his word, the phantom thief had managed to secure the second floor of a rather nice restaurant so they wouldn't have to worry about being seen or recognized. Everyone had scattered across the various tables to enjoy the meals, a pleasant atmosphere descending upon the room.
Mostly, anyway. "Anyone else weirded out by the workers wearing sunglasses and face masks?" Denki whispered as a server left after depositing a tray of bread in front of him. So far since coming to the second floor, the workers all wore sunglasses and black fabric masks, along with black bandanas over their heads. They never said a word beyond asking for orders, which added to their imposing presences.
"This place is totally a front for villains, isn't it," Crawler sighed, even as he ate his own meal with an air of resignation.
"Yep," Kendo, Spinner and Asui chorused flatly.
"Technically, this restaurant is a perfectly legitimate business," Tokoyami said, totally nonplussed as he ate his rice. "It just happens to have some... unsavory connections, hence their secrecy and caution."
"What he means is, there is no illegal activity performed here," Gentle cut in. "At worst, the second floor is used for more clandestine meetings. This is actually quite nostalgic," he added with a faint smile as he set his teacup down. "This is where we met with Karasu to help formalize our working relationship."
"If there's no crimes here, that's good enough for me!" Mina cheered, and turned her attention to Shouto who sat across from her. "Hey, Shouto, is the soba as good as the chicken?"
Shouto blinked placidly at the question, slurping up some noodles before answering. "I haven't had the chicken, but this is some of the best soba I've ever had," he declared. "I'll need to see if this restaurant exists in our world."
Mina made an enthusiastic sound of agreement, while Kyouka glanced out the window at the street below. Darkness had nearly completely fallen thanks to this night being cloudier than most, but it was still just as lively as ever. Plenty of people were roaming the streets, heading to nearby restaurants and bars to unwind after work. It seemed the restaurant was in a pretty popular and trendy area.
With their luck and the way this world was, there would probably be a villain attack.
"Is everything alright, kero?" Tsuyu asked across from her, and Kyouka huffed a small sigh before turning away from the window with a shrug.
"Probably. Just paranoid as usual, I guess."
"Paranoia saves lives in this world," Tsuyu said almost automatically, which had Kyouka blinking in surprise. "Sorry, habit, kero. Any specific reason you're paranoid?"
"Nah, just how our luck usually runs, I guess."
Tsuyu seemed to consider it for a moment before nodding. "That's fair, kero. Stuff does seem to go wrong a lot lately. Like with Present Mic-san, or Crawler-san showing up, kero."
Kyouka huffed and smirked slightly. "Yeah. I hope nothing will go wrong with the rescue, but... Actually, strike that," she amended. "I'm not getting my hopes up for that, it's pretty much guaranteed something will happen. So I just want everyone to at least come out of this alright."
"I hope so too," Tsuyu agreed, offering a familiar and reassuring smile that had Kyouka relaxing a bit. She might not be their Tsuyu, but she still had the same steady and comforting presence. Some things really didn't change, it seemed. Even with the fact Kyouka knew things would go wrong, just having Tsuyu there helped when the shouts of alarm sounded from outside to confirm her paranoia was justified.
The others quickly got up to hurry over while the two girls snapped their heads towards the window. In the span of their conversation a new figure had appeared in the center of the busy street, the pedestrians below backing away from it. Steam emanated around their feet, the figure standing perfectly motionless with head drooped forward yet managing to produce an air of uneasiness that reached even up there.
"Okay, I'm guessing that guy just appeared out of no where if they're reacting like that," Kendo said.
"He wasn't there a minute ago, kero," Tsuyu confirmed.
"Yeesh, that's one freaky looking guy," Crawler muttered.
"Oh come on, just because someone looks different doesn't mean they're bad!" Spinner huffed, to which the elder vigilante held up his hands in mock-surrender.
"I know, but usually they're not shirtless in winter. And don't have some part of their Quirk visibly active like with that steam." He scratched his head as he glanced back and muttered, "Actually, I'm kinda getting some 'instant villain' vibes from this..."
While they mused about the figure the four jumpers just stared out the window in shock, barely believing their eyes. "Guys, please tell me that's not what I think it is," Mina all but whimpered.
"I can't, because I think it is," Kyouka replied thickly, her gaze riveted on the figure's clearly exposed brain. And Shouto's voice sounded beside her and served as a death knell as he confirmed their fears.
"That's a noumu."
Chapter 130: Noumu
Notes:
So, it's been a while! Sorry for that, but the escape is FINALLY HERE, and there's so much happening that I need extra time to keep everything organized. But I think I finally have it all figured out, so we're back!
So, because it's been a while, here's a recap the most recent events so you don't need to reread the entire fic up to this point:
- Izuku is currently in isolation, and when Anjou contacted him he went into a weird white-out fugue state
- Bakugou and Shinsou now stay in the same room. Also stressing over Aizawa being moved to presumably Aiko's apartment
- Toga is aware of the impending escape but no details, and has voiced support for it
- Seiko exists. Shigaraki does not know this. No one knows what she knows.
- A bunch of people went to Nabu to prepare for the escape
- Anjou, Kirishima, La Brava, Rogue and Mongoose Habuko are in Odawara playing command center with Rogue as the initial point of contact. Most runaways have left, with Glitch and Tsuburaba/Mime sticking around due to Mic and Mail (the ghost)
- Related to above: Mic is still trapped after losing to a bird.
- Dabi and Kuroiro went to the bar so Kuroiro could sneakily scout the base and find where everyone is
- Uraraka, Hagakure, Ojiro, and Monoma are skulking in the area by the base to scout escape routes
- Todoroki, Ashido, Jirou, Kaminari, Asui, Gentle Criminal, Tokoyami, Kendo, Spinner, and Haimawari/Crawler (who got dragged into this by Hatsume/Momo (Kaminari still feels guilt for what they've unleashed on this world)) are at a restaurant to stay warm while the others do scouting stuff
- There was a plan. They'd launch the escape tomorrow.
- Last chapter ended with a noumu appearing out of no where. The plan is probably toast.So that's the most urgent stuff! By the way, I've published an OC Compendium in the series! It also now lists canon characters. So you can go check there to refresh your memories on everyone!
With that out of the way, please enjoy today's chapter~
Chapter Text
Chapter 130
.::Noumu::.
"What the hell is that?" someone asked while Denki stood staring paralyzed, eyes bulging with disbelief at the hulking beast on the street below them.
A noumu.
A noumu had appeared in Nabu.
Denki couldn't move as he watched it, the pavement visibly steaming around its feet. He'd only seen the one at USJ in person, but he'd seen enough pictures of the ones from Hosu and Kamino to recognize it. The thing's body looked wrong, the skin a pasty bluish-gray, and its four eyes rested directly on its exposed brain. It didn't look as big as the one at USJ at least, but it still stood taller than most adults and also had a pair of ragged-looking wings.
He had absolutely no doubts it was a noumu, except it made no sense.
"Come on, how can this even be happening?" he asked, a twitchy smile pulling at his mouth as he stared at the thing. "We've gotta be going crazy, right? It can't really be a noumu, right?"
Mina was quick to jump on the denial train and bobbed her head in her agreement, exclaiming, "Y-yeah, it can't be! We all asked Occhan about it back when she was hit by that one Quirk, and she was able to mention noumu just fine! Shouto even asked her about it directly, right?" She turned desperate eyes to Shouto, who blinked placidly before slowly nodding.
"I did," he agreed. "She had no problems saying noumu."
"Um, what are they talking about?" Crawler stage-whispered to the side, and Asui pressed a finger to her chin.
"I don't know about noumu, but Uraraka-chan was hit with a Quirk and couldn't talk about things or people related to the Villain Alliance for a while, kero."
"What she said!" Denki said with a vigorous nod. "And like, noumu are a League of Villain thing from our world, and the League is the Villain Alliance in this world! And she couldn't talk about anything about them, so it can't be a noumu!"
"Except, it is," Shouto said bluntly, and Denki and Mina released low-keening notes full of despair and panic.
"Quit whining," Kyouka bit out. "You knew that was a noumu already."
"Yeah, but can you blame us for hoping it wasn't?" Mina whined. "I thought they didn't exist in this world!"
"Midoriya said in his note he didn't think they existed here!" Denki added frantically. "We were supposed to be safe from at least that!"
"You still haven't told us who that is," Kendo pointed out irritably. "What, is he some villain in your world?" The question had three of the four jumpers grimacing. The fourth, Shouto, simply frowned deeper as he gazed down at the beast as it continued to stand in the street.
"Kind of. I... don't think noumu are actually human?" That statement had everyone startling, even the other jumpers.
"I'm sorry, what?" Crawler blurted, eyes wide.
"When we went to Kamino to try to save Bakugou, the tracker Yaoyorozu made led to a warehouse. And when we peeked through the window, there were giant tanks with noumu inside."
Despite not seeing it himself, Denki felt a shudder as he recalled Kirishima's description of the scene. Something he wasn't supposed to tell anyone, but had done so anyway after what should have been a fun movie night. Instead, the cheesy sci-fi movie Sero picked had ended up nearly triggering a panic attack that cut movie night short and led to a more emotional conversation. About seeing giant metal-encased tanks with open lids, with only oversized brains visible as they stuck out above glowing green fluid.
Honestly, Denki didn't fully know what noumu were, as the details were hidden from the public, but Class 1-A had seen too much. Heard first-hand accounts of Aizawa getting his head smashed into the ground from the students present. Encountered and fought them in the woods during the summer camp. And then the story from Kirishima and the others who went to Kamino about that warehouse, and the news footage of All Might fighting that one villain who leveled the ward with ease—
Even without being officially told anything by the teachers, they put together what they had and figured out enough:
The noumu were not human, and were directly connected to the villain who ended All Might's career.
So, yeah. Seeing a noumu here? Absolutely the last thing they expected, and terrifying in the implications for this world.
Denki had no idea where to even begin with explaining this, and didn't have a chance to even fully process it before the noumu's jaw unhinged and it shrieked.
Everyone winced in pain as the sound cut through the air, cries of shock drowned out by the noise. Not even the window was enough to block the sound, piercing through the glass and making it rattle. Denki yelled as he covered his ears and nearly collapsed to his knees, the others by the window mirroring the motion. Kyouka in particular screamed, her sensitive hearing overwhelmed and leaving her face twisted in agony.
The screech echoed for a good five seconds before its jaws clamped shut, but the panicked shouting continued outside. By that point some of the pedestrians had started to scramble and flee, the crowd below quickly falling into chaos. "Crap, Jirou-san, are you okay?" he heard Crawler ask over the ringing in his ears, and turned to see him crouching next to Kyouka who still had her hands clamped over her ears.
"That was almost as bad as Mic-sensei," she hissed, which got a sympathetic wince from the others. The sight of red seeping between her fingers only made his stomach sink nore.
"What the fuck," Spinner whispered as he looked out the window, and Denki automatically looked outside to see the noumu had finally moved. It had dropped to all fours with its feet and hands glowing bright red, leaving molten holes in the pavement as it bounded forward like an animal.
"What madness is this?" Tokoyami asked as he peered out with wide eyes. "A second Quirk?"
"That's another thing about noumu," Denki said weakly, voice just slightly high-pitched. "They tend to have multiple Quirks."
"Shit!" Kendo cursed as the noumu launched towards the nearest civilian, who barely avoided a swipe of red-hot claws. "We can't just wait for heroes to show up and leave it! We need to do something!"
"And we will," Gentle Criminal declared, and they all turned only to do a double-take upon seeing the notorious phantom thief standing suddenly in full costume. Beside him Tokoyami had also donned the cloak of Phantom Shadow, his crow-shaped head hidden behind the anubis mask.
"What the—how?" Denki sputtered. They'd looked away for like, a minute, tops!
"Quick changes are one of the key skills of any good performer and phantom thief," Gentle replied nonchalantly. "You never know when you'll need to change to make a quick getaway, or accidentally spill tea."
"You're seriously willing to fight that—that thing?" Spinner asked, eyes wide. "But, you're like, a thief, aren't you?"
The notorious phantom thief's gaze shifted at that, a distant glint in his eyes as he turned to the side. "My dear boy, we may be thieves now, but long ago, I, too, aspired to be a hero. I turned to this life after my dreams were crushed, but I have never lost that innate desire. And I can assure you that Phantom Shadow is the same." Even as he spoke Tokoyami headed towards the back of the room, Gentleʼs cape flaring as he turned to follow. "There is a more discreet exit this way, so if anyone wishes to join us, I recommend you use that one."
"Count me in!" Mina agreed, already moving to follow. She barely got a single step away before Kendo snagged her arm though.
"Sorry Ashido, but I think you'd draw too much attention," she said. "I mean, you stand out a lot. And you're already kinda on heroes' radars for vigilantism, right? If a hero shows up, there's a good chance they'd recognize you."
The pink girl's face twisted into a frown at the (admittedly reasonable) logic. "So what, I'm supposed to just stay here?" she snapped, but Kendo shook her head.
"No, I'm saying that you, at least, shouldn't fight it directly. But we can still direct people to safety, help get them inside and play defense if it attacks the building." Mina's displeased expression cleared up at that, quickly nodding in firm agreement.
"I'll help with that too," Spinner said, getting up. "We can barricade the front windows downstairs and get people inside. I don't think I'd be much help against that thing anyway," he added with a sheepish glance towards the window.
"They're not easy to fight," Shouto said with a nod. "I don't know your Quirk, but I think ranged attacks would probably be safest if you don't have super strength."
Ranged attacks. Denki's mind instantly locked onto that phrase, his mouth going dry. He was suddenly keenly aware of the pile of backpacks and bags in the corner of the room, two of them containing vigilante costumes and gear. Gear which would only serve to augment two already ranged Quirks.
Not too far away Kyouka staggered to her feet with Crawler's support, still looking a bit shaken but her eyes hard with determination. "We have our gear," she said bluntly, meeting Denki's nervous gaze. "Taser Brain, you up for fighting a noumu?"
No, I'm not, he wanted to say, but the words refused to leave his mouth. Because as terrified as he was at the mere prospect of fighting one of the things that had managed to cripple All Might, as overwhelming as he found the idea of an enemy with multiple Quirks—
At the end of the day, he didn't stick with the hero course after USJ and the summer camp just because he thought being a hero was cool.
"I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if we didn't," he said honestly, letting his own resolve bleed into his words and drown out his anxiety. Kyouka smirked, a faint and slightly weak thing since some pain still showed in her face, but the expression was still full of determination.
Beside her, Crawler looked conflicted as he glanced her over, still holding her arm after helping her up. "I'm glad you have the right spirit, but are you sure you can do this? That sonic attack is going to be really rough on you up close, and you're still kinda shaky on your feet from the last one."
"Yeah, but I'd need to put on the headphones from my costume anyway to help block another one. Might as well put on the rest of it and try to help out, right? And besides, if it goes down, then I won't have to worry about any more attacks."
"She's kinda got a point," Kendo said with an amused huff, and Crawler cracked a small smile of his own.
"Yeah, guess she does."
"Come on, let's hurry up and go downstairs!" Mina exploded before they could say anything else, her patience having hit its limit. "Anyone who wants to help barricade or whatever, come with me!"
"I'll come after I hear back from Rogue-san, kero," Asui said, having pulled out her phone at some point. "They'll want to—kero?" She stopped short as the FacePage notification alert chimed—coming from not her phone, but several other phones, Denki's included. He and the other jumpers quickly whipped them out to check it, finding a new message from Tooru on the group chat.
And when he processed the characters on the screen, his stomach lurched and he nearly dropped the device.
"Oh," Shouto said quietly.
"Oh no," Mina whispered.
"What's going on?" Kendo asked sharply, and Denki could barely bring himself to answer as he stared at the text in growing horror.
"I think our plans are officially busted."
"Oi, Slyce, you got any two's?"
"Tch, you're absolutely cheating."
"You can't prove anything, so hand it over." Slycer scowled even as he held out the card, his fingers sharpening on the outer edges as the other villain took it. The subsequent brushing of fingers got a hiss from the other man, his hand snapping back with a scowl of his own. "Damn, sore loser much?"
"We're villains, of course I'm a sore loser," Slycer drawled, leaning back on his chair with an annoyed huff as he surveyed his remaining cards. His lips curled back with disdain, tossing them on the table with a huff. "Ah, forget it. This game's boring as hell anyway."
"Not like we've got anything else to do," the other guy huffed, dropping his own cards. "Back door duty tends to be dull ever since Shigaraki banned us from playing poker after that one incident. Just surprised a big name like you is back here, usually it's just us grunts."
"Yeah, well, Kurogiri told me to come here, and you know what happened the last time I got on his bad side."
"You mean the big cooking battle with Rappa? Yeah, that was insane. Still can't believe he managed to warp you guys to another island."
Slycer grunted, not bothering to respond as he just stared at the ceiling with an irritated scowl. Kurogiri was still pissed off about the kitchen thing, wasn't he. That was the only reason the mist man would assign him the mind-numbingly boring task of guarding the back entrance used by official members of the Alliance. Not many people bothered using it in the evenings, preferring to enter the bar and just hang out there.
Guarding it and vetting new arrivals might be necessary, but it was still boring. Only low-ranking grunts were ever assigned this job for a reason; anyone high up enough in the ranks to have name recognition would just shirk off the role to subordinates. Which he couldn't do, because again, Kurogiri was still pissed off about the kitchen thing.
So he blew up the kitchen again, big deal. That didn't mean he had to be stuck here listening to this nameless mook just blabbering away!
"...What's your name again?" he asked, which got an offended noise from the mook.
Said mook was spared from answering by the sound of the door opening, both men turning to see a hooded figure enter the back door. "Yo, I'm back," he greeted as it swung shut behind him to close out a second cloaked figure, throwing off his hood to reveal an insectoid head. "Dang, you would not believe how cold it is. Bad night to go out." Neither Slycer nor the other guy responded, just staring at the now-shut door behind him. "What?"
"You saw that, too?" Nameless Mook 1 asked. "Right before the door closed?"
"A giant hooded figure standing in the alley right behind him?" Slycer muttered, eyes narrowing as he slowly got up. "Yeah, I saw it alright." The newcomer's compound eyes blinked in probably confusion.
"What? What're you talking about? I came here alone. See?" He turned and opened the door only to jump back with a startled yelp upon seeing a massive figure looming on the other side. The door swung shut the second he let go of it, blocking it off from view once more. "Jiminy crickets, who the heck is that!?"
"He followed you!" Slycer snapped. "How the fuck do you not notice someone that big following you!?"
"I don't know! I swear I didn't see or hear anything on the way here! Guy must have a stealth Quirk or something!"
"Either way, he's trouble," Slycer growled. This was exactly why they had guards stationed here. He gestured to the first nameless mook to go over to the door, getting a sour frown but the guy silently complied nonetheless. Slycer stalked after him in silence, fingers and the sides of his bare arms invisibly sharpening. His Quirk, Sharpen, didn't really show up visibly, just made areas of his body sharp like a blade and cut anything it touched. Perfect for cutting down enemies and stealth attacks, like now.
He positioned himself behind the first mook and nodded at him. The guy flashed him another disgruntled look before opening the door and jumping out of the way so Slycer could lunge forward. Sure enough, the big hulking figure still loomed outside, but Slycer's lunge faltered upon seeing another figure now between them.
A teenage boy with black hair stuffed under a cap with a pizza logo and a pizza delivery bag slung over his shoulder stood there, one hand raised to knock. He yelped and jumped back as Slycer's hand stopped short of slicing his face, eyes wide with shock. "Wh-wha—Don't hurt me!"
"What the hell?" Nameless Mook 1 mumbled while the teenager held up his hands defensively. "Did someone seriously order pizza here?" Slycer's lips pulled back in a scowl, mentally weighing the pros and cons of just cutting down the kid—actually, never mind. He didn't care about some random stranger. They could take care of the actual details in a minute, for now his priority was to eliminate the two potential threats.
With that in mind he swiped his arm again, delivering a blow to the side of the kid's head to cut it clean in half.
A blow which got intercepted by a giant blue-gray hand.
Slycer jolted as his entire forearm was wrapped in the fingers, trying to yank it free with no luck. Even with the giant figure's hulking height, its hands felt almost comically big. Blood dripped down his arm from where his Quirk-sharpened skin cut into its palm, no doubt shredding the skin, but the figure showed no reaction nor did its grip loosen in the slightest. "Shit, let go!" he hissed, instantly aware of how bad this was.
"Hmm," the teenager said, his earlier expression of fear now completely wiped and face placid as he gazed at Slycer. "You didn't even hesitate to attack me, did you?" He then smiled almost pleasantly as he shrugged. "Oh well, I guess there's no point in playing confused delivery boy. The door's open anyway." He glanced back at the figure behind him. "Noumu, get him out of the way for me."
And then Slycer was yanked through the door as the teenager strolled inside past him.
The four scouts had barely reached the ground when a scream cut through the air.
For a split-second Ochako and Ojiro became visible as the group stumbled and released their grips on each other in surprise. Tooru and Monoma quickly snaked out their hands to snatch both of them to reassert the invisibility's effect. They went from two separate pairs to a disorganized blob of four teenagers huddled together, pressing as close to the building as they could in their bunched-up state.
"What the hell was that?" Ojiro hissed.
"That sounded like it came from the direction of the base," Ochako said, voice tinged with uncertainty. "Maybe they're just having an argument that got out of hand or something?" Tooru frowned as she glanced in the direction of the building, unease immediately curling up in her stomach. And it only solidified as another shout rang out, her grip reflexively tightening on Ochako and Ojiro's arms.
Then they heard a loud bang.
The group turned towards the base in shock, briefly frozen in place as more shouts echoed followed by yet another bang. It sounded like metal being struck, punctuated by a shrill screech of metal grating on metal that had Tooru wincing in pain.
At that moment, they all reached a silent consensus and began rushing towards the base. Ochako wrenched her arm free of Tooru's grip to run alone with Monoma rather than as part of a disorderly cluster, and Tooru unthinkingly slid her hand down Ojiro's arm to grip his hand instead. The bangs and shouts continued as they circled the building's corner where they saw people go earlier, and the sight they found had them skidding to a halt.
There was a man with a half-shaved head sprawled on the ground beside a toppled trash can, clutching one arm with a vicious glower as he stared at the base. A metal side door had been torn off and then apparently cut in two, the halves strewn on either side of the man and close enough to make it clear he'd done it. The scooter used by the pizza delivery guy they saw earlier lay on its side not far away, having been knocked over by one of the door's pieces.
Even as they took in the scene another person was suddenly flung through the open doorway. The first man barely scrambled out of the way so the newcomer crashed into the trash can. It was jerkily knocked to the side, and Tooru's breath caught as the new position revealed a hole in its side, the edges twisted and glowing red. That explained where at least one bang came from.
Then her gaze moved to the doorway and caught on a towering figure in a cloak and her mind went blank. Part of Tooru recognized it as one of the figures they'd seen heading for the base earlier, but her attention was more focused on the clearly exposed brain.
"Shit," Ochako breathed next to her, her quiet curse thankfully unheard over the standing man's loud cursing.
That was enough to snap Tooru out of her shock, and she tugged on Ojiro's arm. "We need to go," she whispered, hoping the others would hear her. Ojiro at least didn't resist as she pulled him away and began running. Soon they reached the building they'd started at and she released her Quirk's effect as she ducked into the alley next to it, letting them become visible. A second later Ochako and Monoma also became visible as they stopped beside them, having thankfully followed.
"It looks like there's a big fight," Monoma said, expression sharp and calculating. "It's either a brawl or—"
"Was that a noumu?" Tooru hissed to Ochako. "Because that looked like a noumu!"
"I-I think it was!" Ochako hissed back, looking pale and just as panicked as Tooru felt.
"Didn't you guys say they don't exist here?"
"They're not supposed to! I could talk about them and everything, and I couldn't talk about anything else related to the Alliance or League—" She jolted then, face somehow becoming even paler. "Oh my gosh. They're not connected to the Alliance."
That just left Tooru even colder. "Can anyone else even make noumu?"
"I don't know, but apparently maybe?"
"Hold on," Ojiro cut in before they could continue spiraling. "You lost me. What the heck are you two talking about?"
The girls exchanged twin grimaces, neither really knowing where to even start. In part because neither of them really knew much about noumu beyond what their class had managed to piece together, but also because the little bit they did was so much to deal with. "It's complicated," Ochako said tightly. "But all that matters is that the guy with the exposed brain? That's a noumu, and that's bad."
"Really bad," Tooru piped up. "Like, humongously awfully Plus Ultra-mega-bad. Like 'we should get the heck away right now' bad."
"...We'll take your word for it," Ojiro said after a moment, even as more shouts and bangs sounded in the distance. Monoma, however, had a contemplative look on his face that Tooru didn't like.
"Just a moment. Uraraka, you said they're not connected to the Alliance?"
Uraraka bit her lip. "I, I don't think they are? I mean, I could mention them when I was under the effects of that censoring Quirk. But they're definitely connected to the League of Villains in our world, so..." She shook her head, frustration visible in her tense shoulders. "I don't know."
"But there's still a large chance that they're not in this world," Monoma said. "Which means someone else is attacking the base."
In that moment, Tooru realized exactly what he was thinking, as did Ojiro judging by how he straightened. Ochako snapped to attention a moment later, eyes going wide before shaking her head. "No. No way, I get you guys are worried about Shinsou-kun, but he's super close to Deku! Even if there's an attack, he'll be—"
"They're not thinking about him getting hurt," Tooru interrupted gravely. "They're thinking about it as an opportunity."
Ochako jolted in surprise, but the stony looks Monoma and Ojiro sported only confirmed her words. As she took in their expressions her own face hardened. "Guys, no. Don't you dare go off now—"
"Something's going on, and they'll be busy dealing with it," Ojiro countered sharply. "This might be our chance!"
"Our chance—we can't just run in right now!" Ochako hissed. "We don't even have a getaway vehicle or anything! Tooru, help me out!" She shot Tooru a pleading look, but the blue-haired girl found herself hesitating, lips curling back into an uncertain grimace. Part of her agreed with Ochako, these two seemed to lose reason when it came to Shinsou and become so much more reckless, and more than that she didnʼt want to get close and potentially fight a noumu. But at the same time...
She agreed with them.
Her instincts were screaming that this was an opportunity, an opening that might not come up again. She knew that instinct came from her counterpart's experiences with surveilling targets, her mind conjuring flashes of many such opportunities during previous heists. An attack by an outside party would have everyone on edge and extra-vigilant, but it could also create the perfect distraction. They could take advantage of the chaos to get through the base, find everyone and sneak out while the villains fought the noumu.
More than that though—
"Ochako, this might be our only chance," she said tightly, which made even the boys shoot her surprised looks. "If this is an outside attack, do you think they'll stay there once it's over?"
"They won't," Monoma said, eyes widening as he picked up her trail of thought. "The Alliance is highly secretive. If the base's location was compromised, the best course of action would be to abandon it. Nettmegg could track them through Midoriya, but..."
"But there's no guarantee they'd take Aizawa, Bakugou or Shinsou with them," Ochako whispered in horror, now catching on. Monoma nodded grimly while Ojiro actually growled at the thought, visibly gnashing his teeth. Tooru reflexively gripped his arm and squeezed it, silently imploring him to stay put and calm down.
"Even if they did take them, they'd increase security for who knows how long," she said tightly. "That's why we always prepared so much before pulling a heist. If you fail once, then the next attempt will be even harder."
"But we don't have time to prepare now if we run in now!" Ochako protested, but her voice was weak, and she grimaced as she added, "But that doesn't matter much, does it?"
"No, it doesn't," Monoma agreed, just before the world was rocked by an explosion. The group staggered at the abruptness of it, the blast not strong enough to knock them off their feet but still enough to make them stumble. They immediately darted to the end of the alley and looked out to see smoke rising from the Alliance's base, half the windows facing them on the first floor shattered with a handful of bodies now strewn on the street.
"Outside attack or not, they definitely can't stay after that," Ojiro said grimly. "We need to go." Tooru could barely hear him though, her mind suddenly focused on one thing:
Shikkun was still in there too.
That last thought, that subconscious scream of panic and concern, cemented her resolve. "Ochako, I'm sorry," she said, pulling out her phone to open FacePage and type out a message. "But it's now or never."
'There's a fight at the base. Get the van here, we're launching the escape NOW.'
Chapter 131: Pandemonium
Summary:
Pandemonium breaks out on multiple fronts.
Notes:
Friendly reminder: last chapter opened with a bullet point list recapping the key events related to the escape. So go check that if you need a refresher!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 131
.::Pandemonium::.
Pandemonium reigned on the street as the monstrous creature went on its rampage, leaving molten holes in the road with each step. A swipe of its hand toppled streetlights with ease, the twisted metal still glowing dangerously hot and a hazard to the surging crowd trying to flee. Already several people had been shoved into the melted metal and left with severe burns, their cries cutting through the air.
They still fared better than the one man the creature actually struck before being pulled to safety, though. Agonized wails accentuated the mounting terror, the smell of charred flesh and blood clogging the air only added to the overall panic. The panicked shouts increased further as the creature halted in the middle of the street and its jaw unhinged like a snake's, preparing to release another ear-shattering screech.
Instead, a dark object flew into its open mouth, making it choke as something black and powdery burst in its throat.
"HOLD IT, FOUL BEAST!"
The booming voice had people's heads snapping upwards to see two figures on the roof of a nearby building, capes billowing in the breeze. The darkness made it hard to see their features, but the sight of them jumping off the roof and bouncing on the air itself was enough for several to recognize them.
"It's Gentle Criminal and Phantom Shadow!" someone yelled, voice tinged with hysteria and disbelief. The famed phantom thief duo raced towards the creature, Phantom Shadow flinging more black pouches at its still-open mouth. It stumbled back as they burst inside its jaws, hacking and clawing at its tongue. A shadowy hand shot from beneath the younger thief's cloak, punching the beast in the center of its chest and sending it stumbling back.
The sight was enough to momentarily quiet the panicked shouts, people halting to watch in shock. And in that momentary silence, the voice of Gentle Criminal rang loud and clear, echoing with a sense of authority rarely heard.
"We may not be heroes, but we cannot turn a blind eye to such a frightful situation!" he declared, never tearing his gaze away from his monstrous foe. "We will hold this creature back, so all of you, get to safety!"
His words were enough to break the stunned spell, everyone bursting into motion once more to resume fleeing. "In here!" someone yelled from the open door of the restaurant, and panicked pedestrians began scrambling towards it and other businesses now opening their doors.
Danjurou focused on the creature—the noumu, as the children called it—as Fumikage moved closer to his side. "I couldn't even knock it down," the teenager murmured, just loud enough for him to hear over the chaos below, and he hummed in acknowledgement. It had been pushed back but showed no signs of being bothered, apparently more perturbed by the explosive ink pouch still coating its mouth than the punch.
Not many could weather a heavy hit from Dark Shadow like that, especially with the darkness of night boosting its strength. They already knew their enemy was strong, but this just further solidified its status as a threat. Between its sturdiness, that Quirk-enhanced shriek and its molten-hot feet and hands, this would not be an easy battle.
"This is far from a good matchup for us," he mused aloud, and allowed a vicious smirk to take root as he continued, "But that will not stop us! Not with so many people counting on us!"
Fumikage nodded in mute agreement, eying the noumu warily as it shook its head a final time, unhinged jaw swinging wildly. It seemed to have gotten the worst of the ink out and released a furious roar that shook their bones, but not nearly as badly as its earlier shriek. Still, it seemed to be preparing to release another Quirk-enhanced screech, and the people still on the street began yelling apprehensively and covering their ears.
And then something hurled at its face and exploded into pink goo.
"Shut up, you stupid oversized monster!" yelled a new voice while the noumu struggled to pull the sticky goo away from its mouth. They turned to see two more figures on the restaurant rooftop, and Danjurou's smirk grew into a wide grin, eyes glinting with excitement.
"Spectacular timing, Miss Punk Step!" he called. "It appears to be time for a glorious team up between rivals!"
"Save banter for when we're not fighting a freaky monster!" Jirou hollered back and turned to Kaminari, who had one arm aimed at the noumu. "Taser, do it now!"
"On it!" A silver needle shot from his gauntlet and hit the sticky goo dead-center, and electricity sparked along the wire attached to it. The moment the spark reached the goo it ignited and exploded, the blast managing to knock the creature back with an agonized shriek. Fumikage didn't waste the opening, descending upon the noumu with Dark Shadow's arms springing from his cloak to finally shove the creature off its feet.
"Bullseye!" Kaminari whooped, pumping a fist in the air.
"Don't celebrate yet!" Danjurou yelled in warning. "I doubt that will be enough to keep it down!" Even as he spoke the creature staggered back to its feet, peeling away the now-burnt goo and ripping some of the skin around its mouth with it to leave the muscles beneath exposed. It showed no sign of being bothered by the injury, merely flexing its jaw a bit as if to test the mobility.
"Don't give it a chance to shriek again!" Fumikage hollered, flinging another ink pouch at its open mouth. This time the beast swatted it away though, releasing another bone-rattling roar as it charged forward. Fumikage narrowly managed to dodge its swipe, red-hot claws barely missing him.
Danjurou dove to grab his sidekick's arm and hoist him into the air, quickly bouncing out of the noumu's reach and creating a new elastic foothold high above. The beast roared in anger, the newfound distance doing little to dampen the bone-rattling effects. "Madness," Fumikage murmured as he gazed at the wrecked street, the damage even clearer from their new vantage point.
Danjurou found his attention drawn elsewhere though, eyes riveted on scattered pockets of smoke rising all across the city skyline. "It appears we're not the only ones fighting a monster," he declared grimly, and Fumikage's head snapped towards him in alarm.
"You mean there are more of these beasts?"
"I have no reason to doubt otherwise." His lips curled in displeasure, knowing instinctively that similar battles awaited at each plume of smoke. The thought of more noumu like this one rampaging around the city cast a grim air over the duo.
Still, he could not let that dread deter him. He stood tall, his resolve hardened as he turned back to their foe. "Come, we must hurry and vanquish this monster as quickly as possible!" His sidekick nodded, and the duo quickly jumped back down to the roof where the vigilante duo waited to inform them of the other likely attacks. As they moved he did his best to quash the pit of unease in his stomach. After all, he knew a grand distraction when he saw one.
And whatever used monsters like this as a distraction could only be part of a truly nefarious scheme.
"Hurry up, move faster!"
"I'm running as fast as I can!"
"Shit, shit, shit, this is so bad!"
Everyone's voices blended together behind Koichi as he raced down the street, their words drowned out by the panicked shouts and increasingly distant sounds of fighting. The vigilante had no issues sliding across the ground to artfully dodge the frantic crowds, the streets in a state of disorganized chaos even a couple blocks away from the battle. Vaguely he registered Asui leaping along and keeping pace with him, but he didn't know who else might have followed. And at the moment he didn't care to check, focused solely on getting to the van.
Things had moved fast when they got the text declaring the escape would be happening now. Their plans were officially out the window, and Koichi didn't linger long enough for the others to discuss their next move before taking off. All he knew was that he had to get to the Villain Alliance's base ASAP, and the escape van was a good five blocks away from the restaurant.
Only years of practice allowed him to smoothly time his turn to slide into the alley where they'd parked the van, Asui missing the turn entirely and having to double back. By the time she caught up he'd already gotten the keys out and yanked the driver's door open. "Any chance you can grab the others with your tongue?" he asked as he jumped inside and turned on the engine.
"I can, kero," the frog girl replied.
"Then hop in the back and reel them in!" He slammed the door shut just as Asui opened another door to hop inside, quickly darting towards the back. She managed to keep her balance as the van peeled out of the alley and onto the road, throwing open one of the rear doors.
"Holy shit," a male voice yelped as he was yanked into the van.
"You couldn't just wait for us to catch up?" a girl asked, sounding more shocked than anything.
"No time," Koichi said, eyes focused on the road. He'd been a vigilante for years, he knew how fast things could go to shit. And right now, there were five teens breaking into a place full of villains to rescue three more teens and an injured hero. A place currently under attack of some kind. Any reluctance about his role in this crazy rescue plan flew out the window when he realized just how urgent the situation was.
He spared a brief glance at the rearview mirror as he heard the rear door shut, seeing the two newcomers were Spinner and Kendo. The younger vigilantes looked winded as they collapsed onto seats, neither of them possessing Quirks really suited for traveling extended distances in quick bursts like that. Kendo's presence further confirmed that the original plans were out the window since she'd originally been on distraction duty.
"Okay, so what's the plan now?" she asked, her words stilted and punctuated by gasps as she tried to catch her breath. "Get there, and wait? Or what?"
"Hagakure-chan said there's a fight in her message, kero," Asui piped up. "I think that must mean some sort of outside attack. She hasn't said anything else since then though, kero, and I'm not sure it's safe to message her."
"Wait, are you in that chat or whatever?" Spinner asked.
"No, Jirou-chan lent me her phone so I could check it, kero." Another glance at the mirror showed her holding two different phones in her lap with both screens lit up.
"It's definitely safer to not respond," Koichi said. "They're probably inside the base by now, and if someone's phone goes off it might get them discovered. Also, can one of you pull up a GPS or something so I know where to go?" The last part came out closer to a whine. He might know the general direction, but he had zero knowledge of Nabu's layout beyond what he'd seen so far. Which was basically nothing.
"I would, but I need both phones free, kero."
"Oh, right! Sorry!" Kendo scrambled to pull out her own cell phone, and soon an electronic voice sounded telling him to turn in two blocks. "Why do you need both phones though? I get the one with Hagakure, but...?"
"I'm still waiting to hear back from Rogue-san and Nettmegg-chan, kero. They haven't responded."
"Is that... weird?"
"I think so, yes."
While the girls talked Spinner took Kendo's phone and headed to the front of the van, crawling over the center console so he could slip into the passenger seat next to Koichi. "So, any guesses on what she meant about the fight?" he asked as he buckled himself in. "Think there's some sort of attack going on like Asui said? Or they're just fighting each other all of a sudden?"
Koichi grimaced at the question. "Don't know, but whatever it is, no way it's good." After the past few years, he'd learned to go in expecting the worst and hoping for the best. In this case, "best" would be everyone already outside waiting for them safe and sound, rescue victims included, so they could drive off immediately.
However, his gut instinct told him that the timing with the "noumu" attack wasn't a coincidence. Which meant that the "worst"... Well, he just had to hope those expectations wouldn't be met.
The first sign anything was wrong was when the building shook.
"Earthquake?" X-Less asked with a huff, the former hero lifting his freshly refilled glass from his table so the drink wouldn't spill.
"That or a fight somewhere," Sharkyonara retorted, the shark man downing his own drink. The remark got a snort from the gorilla-armed woman to his left.
"You kidding? Hero fights haven't been that flashy since Endeavor kicked the bucket. At least not around here." The shaking stopped at that point, and she waved an arm. "See? Already over."
"Don't say that, you'll jinx things," X-Less said dryly, just before the trembling resumed stronger than before. The glasses on the wall behind the counter rattled noisily as they bounced with the motion, and Kurogiri turned to look at them sharply. Dabi rose from his stool at the counter, feeling a surge of wariness at the bartender's own alarm. When he did, one fact quickly became clear to him:
The floor wasn't shaking.
"Shit!" he blurted as he instinctively ducked down to the floor, getting curious looks from the other patrons just before the wall exploded. Glass shards and wood flew everywhere, the counter shielding Dabi from the worst of it. Kurogiri warped out of the way to avoid the blast, appearing on the other side of the counter unharmed. Others weren't so lucky though, several yelling in pain and alarm as they got buffeted by the sharp debris.
A teenager in a pizza uniform stepped through the new hole in the wall, glancing around almost like a tourist. "Hoh, so this is the Villain Alliance's famous bar, huh?" he asked, stepping on top of the counter. "More stylish than I expected. Well, besides all the broken glass and dust. Pretty dirty."
"That's your fault, asshole!" one of the patrons hissed angrily, reptilian frills around their neck flaring and flashing with yellow light.
"Is it? Maybe the wall was just flimsy."
"The wall only broke because you broke it!"
The teen cocked his head to his side. "Ah, well. That seems more like a you problem." While they talked Dabi got off the ground and backed away, putting some distance between himself and the newcomer. Anyone with a brain could tell he wasn't a delivery boy, which made the pizza bag he carried all the more suspicious.
"How'd you even get back there?" Magne growled, rising from a back table with a dark scowl on her face. "Slycer should've been guarding the back door."
"Slycer, Slycer..." The teen repeated the name, as if trying to stir his memory, before snapping his fingers. "Oh, that guy with the bad haircut, right? Yeah, no, he's busy right now. You guys really need better security in the back by the way. I only saw two guys on my way here, and if that's the quality of the guys you recruit—wow. I mean, gun fingers? Really?"
"You asshole, Victor's one of the coolest guys here!" Twice yelled while shaking a fist. "How dare you insult him!"
"Don't know about that, but I'd barely call that a fight."
"He's just a lame low-level grunt! Beating him doesn't make you hot stuff!"
"Well, hopefully the rest of you will put up a better fight," the teen said breezily, and everyone tensed as he reached for the bag. Several projectiles instantly flew at him from several directions, both Quirk-made and empty bar glasses, but he skipped back a step to fall off the counter and duck behind it. As he did he pulled a dark tile from the bag and threw it in the air, the tile flipping mid-arc to reveal a glowing white circle on one side.
A broken wine glass flew towards it, only to be smacked away by a large hand suddenly punching out of the circle. Beefy fingers grabbed the circle's edges and began dragging it, stretching it wider until it expanded beyond the tile's edges. The people in the center of the bar near where the tile was passing over reflexively scrambled away, Dabi included, just before an inhuman-looking head thrust out of the opening.
He skidded to a halt towards the far end of the bar, watching as a hulking giant of a person—if you could call them that—squeezed through the portal. With the tile still arcing through the air they hit the floor head-first, which had to hurt with their exposed brain. They showed no signs of pain though, their legs bending forward over their torso at an unnatural-looking angle until their toes touched the floor, at which point they twisted their body into an upright position.
The tile clattered to the ground next to them with the portal face-up, a new set of hands pulling at the edges so another, smaller creature could climb out. Someone shot a plasma ball of some kind at it, but the creature barely reacted as it exploded and coated its shoulder in a glowing red-white substance. The skin sizzled and steamed under it, but already Dabi could see the muscles mending.
"So, just so you know, these guys are tough," the not-pizza-boy said cheerfully as he stood up, grinning with a vicious glint in his eyes. "I can't wait to see who's stronger! Go on noumu, have at it!" As he spoke the first one turned and charged at the closest person, grabbing their face with an oversized hand and squeezing.
As pandemonium broke out Dabi made a split-second decision and hopped over the counter to run for the door behind the bar. The room directly behind it had an open door leading to a hallway, the floor tiles there noticeably cracked. When he passed through he glanced at the direction the cracks seemed to originate and saw two people sprawled near the epicenter. From this angle he could see one had a very mangled-looking head in a puddle of blood.
Yeah, they weren't getting up again.
He quickly looked away from the bodies towards the people rushing down the hall from both directions, drawn by the loud bang from the bar's wall exploding. At least they'd been already in sight before Dabi stepped out, so they probably wouldn't think he did it. "What the hell's going on?" a crusty-faced guy with bluish-gray hair at the front of one group demanded.
Before Dabi could respond more people burst through the door behind him, frantically scrambling past him to flee down the halls. A few shouted in horror when they turned one direction and saw the bodies, prompting them to join the exodus in the opposite direction.
"M-monsters!" one of them screamed as he ran past the group that way. "Th-those things aren't human, they're monsters!" His hysterical shouts echoed as he darted down the hall and out of sight, clearly terrified for his life.
"Well, you heard the guy," Dabi said with a shrug. The blue-haired man's eyes narrowed at the flippant remark and he started to growl in irritation. Before he could do or say anything else Twice ran through the door, waving his arms.
"Shigaraki, Shigaraki, it's terrible! A pizza guy showed up and summoned monsters to attack the bar!"
"Monsters? Pizza guy?"
Twice's chest puffed out as his voice took on a haughty tone. "Yeah! Coward wouldn't even fight us himself, just used some tile thing to summon super-lame monsters to fight for him! Guy's probably cowering behind the bar right now regretting he ever messed with us!"
Then his tough facade broke as he frantically yelled, "It's a total bloodbath in there! There's more blood than tiles! The pizza kid is just taunting us! They took down Victor!"
Shigaraki stared at Twice for a moment before turning to Dabi. Who, while a total stranger and potential threat, also (probably) wasn't prone to contradicting himself or currently hysteric. "What?"
"Some kid dressed like a pizza guy broke the bar wall, and then got a tile-thing from his bag that had a portal on it," Dabi elaborated. "And yeah, I'd say 'monster' is probably pretty accurate with whatever those things that crawled out are. Though not sure the guy's weak, because I'm pretty sure he did that on his own." He gestured to the two bodies in the hall with his head.
At that moment an even more thunderous crash erupted from the bar area, the kind that usually signified significant damage. Shigaraki wasted no more time and ran past Dabi towards the bar while cursing, leaving the dark-haired man to continue down the hallway past the other startled mooks. None of them made a move to stop or question him, too busy debating on how to handle the attack.
He had no time to get drawn into whatever shit was going down—and shit was definitely going down. If he'd learned anything in the past forty-eight hours, it was that all the brats involved in this mess were impulsive in the worst ways. No way would any of them wait around once they noticed the chaos, they'd be coming in.
Right now, there were three brats being held prisoner here, a fourth brat he'd smuggled in, and four more brats who would be trying to break in. All in the midst of some sort of attack. So he might as well try to find Kuroiro and the prisoners first.
"Hey, what the hell's going on out there! Open the door and let us out!"
Katsuki pounded on the door furiously, ignoring the sting in his fists from colliding with steel as he yelled at the top of his lungs. For the past three minutes they'd been hearing all sorts of chaos outside, starting with an apparent earthquake followed by explosions and screaming. The fact they could hear it here, in this largely isolated part of the base, only served to highlight how serious it was.
As he continued banging on the door Hijack huffed behind him. "Knock it off, no one's coming," he said. "Not like anyone who'd know the code would be likely to hear you anyway. And not sure we'd want to trust anyone else who'd come over this way either."
The comment had him growling in frustration. "Dammit, I don't care! If some idiot opens the door to attack us, I'll just blast their face off!"
"Good luck with that." Katsuki responded with the middle finger but didn't bother speaking. He instead took a deep breath, the inhale shaky as he tried to steady his mounting agitation.
He was sick of this, sick of sitting around waiting for stuff to happen. It had been like that since he first landed in this shithole, never able to do anything himself except wait for others to do stuff. It grated on his nerves on a good day, and the current sounds of distant battle only made him gnash his teeth.
If only the dumb hinges were on this side, he could blast them off and try to kick open the door, but no. They were stuck here, only able to listen to whatever the hell was happening and wait for someone to show up like always. His breathing stuttered when he heard another distant explosion, pupils shrinking to pinpricks as his frustration spiked.
"Steady," Hijack said before he could do anything. "Don't go exploding now."
"How the hell are you so damn calm about this?" Katsuki bit out, turning to glare at the vigilante who sat on the bed looking way too nonchalant while holding Mion on his lap. "Aren't you frustrated?"
"Of course I am," Hijack replied with a shrug. "It's obvious something huge is going down. I just know it's better not to get worked up over stuff out of my control." His mouth curled into a bitter scowl as he muttered, "Not like I'd be able to do much even if I went out there right now anyway."
The reminder of the other boy's current near-helplessness had some of Katsuki's rage ebbing, overshadowed by his ever-mounting frustration instead. It just made him remember the current overall situation, the fact that even if they managed to get out of this room, they were still outnumbered. Still vulnerable.
The sound of another explosion snapped his already thinning patience, whirling back to the door with an angry roar. "Dammit!" His fist sparked as it collided with it once more, a small explosion scorching the metal but doing no other damage. Just reminding him how trapped they were.
Then someone rapped on the door.
Katsuki jumped back in surprise, blurting, "The hell?" Who the hell knocked in this dump?
"Hey, is someone in there?" someone called. It was an unfamiliar voice, a guy who sounded maybe around their age with a bit of a rasp. The fact Katsuki didn't recognize it just set him on edge. "I heard an explosion from inside just now." The doorknob jiggled, but obviously didn't open.
"Door's locked, numbskull," Katsuki said almost automatically even as he took a step back. Hijack had risen from the bed to join him by the door silently, clutching a book from the shelf like some sort of weapon. A silent reminder that this was a potential foe, and that they had limited means of fighting back.
He heard a huff from outside. "I gathered that much. There's a keypad out here, do you know the code?"
"Why do you want to know?" Katsuki countered. Because he didn't recognize this guy's voice at all, and he couldn't trust just anyone.
"Because I'm pretty sure you're Bakugou, and I'm here to help you and the others escape!" The mention of his name had Katsuki freezing, eyes going even wider at the words that followed.
"Escape?" he repeated, because—it couldn't be, he couldn't mean—
"I can't prove it, but I'm—I'm with that group! The ones who know Midoriya!" His stomach flipped at the mention of Deku, hope building painfully in his chest despite his caution. The doorknob wiggled more as the stranger continued in a rushed tone, "Look, we don't have time! I was supposed to just be scouting but there's an attack going on, and it's now or never! Someone could come here any minute, and I still need to find Midoriya, Hijack and Eraserhead!"
In that moment, time seemed to stop, Katsuki's breath catching in his throat. Anticipation built up in his chest because—because shit, this was risky, they still had no reason to trust him, no proof this guy was who he said he was beyond his word, but—
This might be it. Their opening to finally take their fucking fates back into their own hands at long last.
Beside him Hijack looked similarly stunned, eyes wide and face pale as he stared at the door. "8442," he whispered, making Katsuki's head snap to him. The vigilante swallowed, calling out more clearly, more desperately, "8442! The code to the door is 8442!"
There was silence, and then—
The single most glorious beep Katsuki had ever heard followed by the click of the lock turning.
He threw the door open, narrowly missing hitting the teenager standing outside. The guy looked like he fit right in with the villains with his edgy black getup and pitch black skin, but he was definitely their age. And the fact they hadn't met or heard of him, even back at the wheelchair race, meant he was definitely an outsider. With the door finally open they could hear the sounds of battle even more clearly, shouts and yells mixed in with the distant sounds of stuff breaking and the occasional explosion.
The newcomer nodded to them, already turning. "Come on, we need to go."
And this time, Katsuki didn't hesitate to move.
Notes:
And we're back! Again!
Sorry for the unexpected hiatus. I didn't mean to go almost a whole year without a new chapter, but I got sucked into other fandoms last spring as MHA's final arc dragged on and time just flew by. And then last August... Well, let's just say writing got put on the back burner. I won't give further details because I'm not looking for sympathy and have already made my peace with what happened, and honestly all the attention and well-meaning platitudes kinda make me squirm.
Good news is, I've built up a buffer! Draft is up to 135! I can't promise a regular schedule right now, but with MHA nearing the end, the latest few chapters have been reminding me of just why I fell in love with this series in the first place. It's also given me a burst of inspiration for some of the OCs for this story, and certain events leading to this AU becoming so twisted. So hopefully this muse will keep going and I can settle back into a schedule! I am so EXCITED for some of the scenes coming up, this chaotic escape is finally coming together~ One of the scenes had me so energized I had to jump up and just MOVE. I was playing a bunch of old Vocaloid songs that just gave me such a burst of energy.
As a final note, there's a lesson I learned long ago that I want impart to you all: if you love someone, make sure you always tell them that when you say goodbye, because you never know what will be your true last words to them. Goodbye, good night, I love you. I am just so glad I learned that lesson without having to learn it the hard way. It's one less regret for me, and made this a lot easier.
Chapter 132: The Number of Freedom
Summary:
22 is the number of freedom.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 132
.::The Number of Freedom::.
While the street rang with the sounds of battle, a different sort of chaos unfolded inside the restaurant. Customers and employees alike had started barricading the windows with tables, rolling them over and stacking them while using chairs to brace their positions. Mina helped hold one table in place against the window while a waiter spat a white substance at its legs which quickly hardened, securing it in place.
When he finished he hacked and wiped at his mouth, licking his dry lips. "Water!" he called, and a woman appeared at his side to hand him a water bottle which he eagerly guzzled down. He handed the bottle back as two more customers rolled over yet another table towards the window, cheeks puffing up in preparation to spit and secure that one in place as well.
"Those tables won't do much if that thing attacks the building!" one of the employees directing the barricade efforts yelled. "Keep blocking the windows, and everyone else go out the back door! If you can't run, go to the panic room!" Even as he spoke a chef waved people towards the kitchen, another customer helping to direct the last of the frantic newcomers stumbling through the entrance.
Mina looked over the crowd and found her attention instantly drawn to a man with rocky-textured skin clutching his side. She and another woman raced towards him just before he started to collapse, Mina diving to support his weight and help him remain upright. "Sir, are you okay?" the woman asked as they helped him hobble to the side, and the man grimaced.
"N-not really," he grunted, and even those two words seemed to take a lot out of him.
"I think I saw him get pushed into a lamppost," another newcomer piped up, to which he nodded in confirmation.
"You mean the half-melted ones?" Another nod, and the woman cursed as she turned to the restaurant to yell, "Does anyone here know how to handle burns?"
"I do!" Another person joined them, a man with a single twisting horn on one side of his head. He knelt next to the injured man and coaxed him to ply his arm away from his side so he could look. The small crowd that had gathered hissed at the injury, Mina wincing sympathetically. "Burn" was an understatement, she'd leave it at that, though the horned man remained largely unphased. "Okay, this is bad but not the worst I've seen. I'll need supplies though."
What kind of burns have you seen? Mina wondered in horror, but didn't dare speak that out loud. "There's a med kit in the panic room, but I don't know if it will have anything helpful for... that," an employee said with a grimace.
"As long as it has bandages. A clean tablecloth would work too, all we can do right now is cover it until we can get him to a hospital for proper treatment. If anyone knows how to make a stretcher, we could really use one right now!"
And that was when Shouto materialized. "I can make one out of ice," he volunteered.
"Good enough for now! Make it, someone else get some tablecloths or something to cover it so there's no direct contact with the ice!" The group set into motion quickly, Shouto producing ice which he then began melting with his fire to reshape it while others scrambled to find a tablecloth. Soon enough they'd prepared the makeshift stretcher, carefully helping the man lie down on the layers of tablecloths and torn clothing.
Mina and Shouto hung back to watch the adults carry the stretcher to the back to the panic room, following the orders of the horned man. It felt almost odd to see a group of civilians so neatly organized in such a hectic situation, but Mina mostly felt relief. For all their hero training, she was still a first-year; she wasn't equipped to deal with that kind of emergency yet.
And after so long of being basically on their own in this world, it was nice to be able to depend on adults to take charge for once.
She heaved a large sigh as she turned to the front of the restaurant. "I think everyone got off the street," she said, noting the front door had finally been shut. Most people were now heading for the back save for those still working on the barricade.
"Hey kid, you've got an ice Quirk right?" one of them called. "Any chance you've got enough juice to try to add to the barricade?"
"Sure," Shouto replied, joining the adults in their efforts. Mina meanwhile took the moment to check her phone. Still no updates on the FacePage chat from Tooru or Ochako, and she didn't feel comfortable trying to ask in case they were inside the base. Nothing from An-chan either, which was worrying in its own right, but hopefully meant she was busy texting Tsu-chan instead.
She exited the app, and bit her lip at the stream of notifications lining the top of the screen. Urgent villain attack warnings had poured in from all over Nabu, enough that her phone automatically collapsed them into a single stack with an ominous exclamation mark icon. She'd gotten a few such notifications before in both worlds, but never this many at once. Anyone could tell this had to be some sort of coordinated attack.
And something told her they were probably all noumu.
The thought made her sick to her stomach and freeze, dread building up quickly. Just the thought of fighting a single noumu made her want to curl up and hide. Yet somehow, even worse than that, she remembered Ochako had been able to mention noumu no problem back when she was dealing with that Quirk. So they couldn't be connected to the Alliance. And with that message from Tooru-chan about some kind of fight at the base...
Mina had no idea who or what they were up against.
She exhaled a shuddery breath as she slid her phone back into her pocket and slapped her cheeks. "Enough bad thoughts!" she scolded herself. "Don't just stand around, move!" She nodded and turned to the barricade, which had now been reinforced with a wall of ice.
A wall of ice which shattered at that very moment.
Everyone screamed as they scrambled out of the way of a flying blur of pale blue and bright red, narrowly missing one man's head and hitting the far wall. Their heads spun around to see that it was a hand, large and misshapen and leaving a burning hole in the wall where it hit. Something pink and stringy extended from the wrist's stump, hanging through the air and waving lightly. It twitched and jerked backwards, yanking the hand with it.
There was stunned silence as the hand was reeled back through the melted hole in the ice. Through the steam wafting around the edges Mina could glimpse the burnt edges of a table and jagged shards of glass from the window, and beyond that was darkness. For a long moment no one moved, just stared in horror as they listened to an animalistic roar from outside.
"Run," one of the waiters choked out, and then repeated louder, "Run! The barricade's doing nothing, we need to get the hell out of here!"
That declaration had everyone scrambling into motion, a panicked chorus rising once more. "Shit, we need to run out the back!" "Forget that, my phone's going crazy! There are attacks all over the city!" "Is no where safe then!?" "Panic room, panic room, panic room!"
As they ran around frantically Mina jumped up against the wall to get out of their path, and Shouto managed to squeeze through the rampaging cluster to join her. "I think that counts as a second ranged attack," he murmured, eyebrows furrowing. "Do you think Jirou and Kaminari are a good matchup for this one?"
"I don't know!" Mina whined, feeling an urge to cry. "Why are noumu even here? I thought they didn't exist here!"
"It sounds like there are other attacks, too. Should we help people evacuate safely, or go help them?"
Mina whirled to look at him in shock and horror. "Why are you asking me?" She normally wasn't one to complain, but she was not a tactical thinking type of girl, she was a "go in and do stuff" girl! She never thought stuff through in advance, she just did it! She was the last person to ask for advice on this kind of thing, even she knew that!
If Shouto realized that, he didn't show it. "We're a team, so I want to know what you think," he said, blunt as ever. "I don't want to split up, so we need to decide together."
Okay, that made a bit more sense and removed some of the pressure. He didn't want a plan, he just wanted her opinion. Still, this was a major decision. One option guaranteed fighting a noumu, while the other still had a high chance of fighting a different noumu. Mina bit her lip as she thought it over, forcing herself to calm down. "I, I don't know—"
She was cut off by another one of those ear-shattering shrieks, both teens crying out as they fell to their knees. Covering their ears did little to lessen the pain. It was so much worse this close to the thing, the hole in the window and barricade doing nothing to dampen the noise.
Nor did it block another agonized scream that was all too familiar.
Kyouka.
"Here!" she cried over the ringing in her ears. "We need to take that thing down! This is a bad match for her!"
Any fear and concern for her own safety were gone now, replaced by worry for her friend. She couldn't stop thinking of the trickles of blood on Kyouka's fingers just minutes ago as she'd held her ears, and how much worse it had to be now. Mina knew she couldn't do much to help herself, she was a bad matchup for it too, but she wasn't alone. "Shouto, please, help them!"
She didn't know if he could even hear her, not with how badly her own ears rang. But Shouto looked at her and nodded even with his pained grimace, staggering to his feet and running to the door to join the fray.
And after a moment of hesitation, Mina got up and ran after him. No way would she leave any of her friends to fight a monster alone.
Outside the cell, it was clearer than ever that a full-fledged battle was consuming the base. Shouts and yells mixed in with the distant sounds of stuff breaking and the occasional explosion, people racing around in a panic. Every step down the halls was infinitely more terrifying because of it, each corner hiding an unknown danger and potential foe.
Hitoshi felt almost nauseous with nerves as he followed Bakugou with Mion clutched to his chest, the newcomer—Abyss—a silent shadow beside him. He was both constantly aware of Abyss's presence but also kept somehow forgetting the other teen was there, given how hyper-focused he was on looking for threats. The occasional glimpses of black in the corner of his eye always seemed to make Hitoshi jump before recognizing the other teen, adding to his nerves.
There really hadn't been much time to talk or do full introductions with the ongoing attack meaning someone could stumble upon them at any moment. Abyss had thankfully quickly proven that he knew about the escape plan as they moved, which reassured them he was an ally and helped ease their nerves a little. He'd been early in his infiltration and still had yet to figure out Midoriya's location though, which meant they'd still have to look for him.
But they put that off for the moment in favor of something more urgent.
As the one with the most combat-oriented Quirk as well as the one who'd gotten two tours of the place, Bakugou had been elected to take lead. The blond barely paused to peek around a corner before gesturing for them to follow. "Come on, I think this is it," he grunted as he continued onwards. Hitoshi and Abyss followed in silence, every nerve standing on edge as they entered an empty hallway.
Most of the halls in the base looked identical, especially the ones used for residential purposes, and this one was no different. They moved quickly, Hitoshi's gaze skimming the shut doors before he came to a sudden halt. Most of the doorknobs had dust but this one didn't, and he recklessly threw it open to reveal an apparent shrine to heroes.
"Found it," he called, and Bakugou and Abyss instantly joined him as the trio hustled into the room, closing the door behind them.
Even knowing what to expect, it still caught Hitoshi off-guard to see all this hero merchandise in the middle of a villain base. He briefly went still from shock upon entering the room, his arms going slack enough for Mion to wriggle free and scurry off. At least he'd known what to expect though. Abyss jolted and froze in place as he processed the sight, jaw falling open as he slowly turned to survey the merchandise plastering the walls and every surface.
Hitoshi had a feeling seeing a veritable shrine to heroes in the middle of a villain base would always be jarring.
Only Bakugou seemed unaffected as he strode towards the bed. He lifted the mattress with a grunt to reveal a small, black object that had Hitoshi's heart soaring into his throat. "Is that—?" he asked, voice choked with emotion and unable to finish the question as he stepped forward.
"It's the key," Bakugou confirmed, snatching it and letting the mattress drop down with a thump. The key fob looked the same as when they'd first seen it, so unassuming and normal for something so critical.
This was the key to their freedom.
Bakugou thrust it towards him, making Hitoshi blink in surprise. "You've had that stupid thing way longer than me," he grunted. "You unlock them."
Hitoshi's throat clenched as he reached out with shaky hands, handling the fob gingerly as if it were made of glass. He tapped the screen and a green 0 appeared, raising to 1 when he tapped the button below it. With each press his thumb moved faster and faster, the number rising rapidly.
"Twenty-two," he whispered to himself, watching the number change almost in time with his own rapid heartbeat, until—a green 22 stared up at him. Holding his breath, he crouched and rolled up his pants leg, exposing the metal band that had adorned his ankle for so long. He held the fob to metal, right against the light, and—
Beep.
Click.
The anklet opened.
After what felt like years, the anklet finally opened and fell off. A choked noise caught in his throat at the sight of the pale skin, not that different from the rest of his ankle but still a small stretch he hadn't seen in far too long. It felt weirdly light, the weight long-familiar at this point, and his skin tingled at being exposed to air.
Freedom was finally, truly in sight.
Tears threatened to spill as it finally sank in that the nightmare was finally coming to an end, that tonight would be his last night in this hellhole. He forcibly blinked them away before thrusting the key towards Bakugou's leg. The blond stood close enough that Hitoshi didn't have to stand up or move closer, just needing to tug up his pants enough to expose the band.
With a beep and click his anklet fell off too. "Finally," he grunted, rotating his ankle a couple times before letting the pants fall down. Hitoshi lingered a moment, still staring at his own bare ankle.
As he did, he was startled by black fuzz appearing in his line of vision. A glance revealed Mion had apparently satisfied her need to explore for the moment, and made her way over to her favorite human. And when presented with a bit of bare skin, she did what any cat would do and rubbed her side against it.
The feeling of soft kitten fur on his bare ankle felt as close to heaven as he'd ever gotten, and Hitoshi's heart melted as his eyes grew misty.
That bit of contact also helped ground him though, reminded him that he was still alive and in the present. He inhaled a shaky breath and let his pants roll back down, standing up and blinking away the urge to cry while she continued to rub his now-covered ankle. He couldn't break down now, they still had a long way to freedom and safety.
"So, how the hell do we find Deku?" Bakugou asked Abyss. "You got a plan?"
"We marked a couple potential places where prisoners could be," Abyss said, pulling out a folded sheet with what looked like a map. "I think we can skip the rooms by the wing where you were."
"Yeah, those cells weren't exactly luxurious," Hitoshi agreed dryly, his voice thankfully lacking the shakiness he'd half-expected. "Don't think they'd be up to Shigaraki's standards for his brother."
Abyss nodded in agreement. "The issue is we'll have to pass the bar to get to most of these, which seems to be where most of the fighting is occurring."
The declaration had Hitoshi and Bakugou grimacing, both stepping over to look at the paper. It was surprisingly detailed, clearly a printout of an official floorplan with hand-written labels on various rooms. Several rooms had been marked with stars, and Hitoshi recognized the one with his own cell just from its proximity to the labeled basement door.
Unfortunately, just as Abyss said, most of the rooms were indeed on the other side of the clearly marked bar area.
The thought of going near that fight had his heart pounding anxiously. Not just the whole risk of getting discovered, but also because that fight was loud. Hitoshi had enough experience to recognize that this was far more than just a scuffle. The sounds of this battle were particularly destructive, the type of loud crashes that came with demolition. And some of those screams cut off a bit too abruptly for his comfort.
As if to punctuate his thought, the ground shook once more with another explosion that made them stagger. The teens muffled curses as they all turned to the door, straining to hear if the sounds of battle had moved closer.
When a few moments passed without any nearby-sounding shouts, Hitoshi exhaled a shaky breath. "Do you have any plans right now?" he asked Abyss lowly.
"I was supposed to just be scouting tonight. There's someone else here too, but I don't know where he is or if he's caught up in the battle." Abyss's words were clipped and careful, clearly wary of saying too much in the middle of enemy territory. Maybe he'd been warned about Seiko—
That thought had Hitoshi's breath hitching with panic. Shit, Seiko. "Seiko?" he called, and they all paused and held their breaths.
After several moments passed and nothing happened, Katsuki released his breath in a frustrated growl. "Dammit, is she here or not?"
"She might be hiding," Abyss murmured, looking at the shadows warily. "It would be the safer move with an unknown entity such as myself."
"I feel like she'd show up even with you around," Hitoshi muttered. Somehow, he got the sense she'd find revealing herself to a total stranger entertaining. She was just weird like that.
(He hated that he was starting to get familiar enough with the creepy kid to predict her likely reactions. The sooner they got out of here, the better.)
His thoughts were interrupted by a soft mew, and his gaze snapped down to Mion. He bent down to scoop up the kitten, holding her close and using the contact as a reminder not to let himself spiral too much. "So, should we look for that guy you mentioned?"
"That would probably be best," Abyss murmured, turning to the door. "I can search for him while you two wait here—"
"I'm sick of hiding!" Bakugou snapped, startling the other boy. "We're not just going to—"
"Okay," Hitoshi interrupted, and the blond whirled to look at him in shock and something akin to betrayal. To which Hitoshi shrugged and said, "He was scouting around fine on his own, and it's easier for one person to move undetected than three. And I can't protect Mion on my own." He hefted the kitten for emphasis, coincidentally bringing her close enough to his face to nuzzle his cheek.
"You're prioritizing the cat," Bakugou said flatly. "Seriously?"
"Why not?" It wasn't just his life on the line, he had Mion to worry about too. That thought helped keep him grounded, gave him reason to not be reckless and rush into stupid shit head-first. Not that he felt like mentioning all that right now. "We need to play this smart. The less fights we get into, the better. Not like I'd be able to help much anyway."
His voice took on a bitter note at the last bit, mouth twisting into a small scowl as he held Mion closer. Ultimately, Hitoshi knew he was vulnerable and near-defenseless right now. His Quirk was still forcibly suppressed, able to feel its glaring absence every time he spoke. He could still fight reasonably well hand-to-hand, but not against large groups of enemies—or even a single enemy if they were behind the destructive noises they kept hearing.
And Bakugou seemed to realize that too, because some of the fire in his eyes faded as he growled under his breath. "Fine," he huffed, turning back to Abyss. "You really think you can find this guy faster on your own?"
"Yes," he confirmed with a nod. "I can traverse through the darkness with my powers, but only I can withstand the cold embrace of the abyss. People like you lack the ability to enter the void."
In other words, he could move through darkness (shadows like Seiko, maybe?) but couldn't take other people with him. A bit of a dramatic way to describe his Quirk, but Hitoshi got the basic gist. "Is there enough of the 'abyss' out there for you to get around right now?" he asked, thinking back to the halls and the distinct lack of objects to cast shadows.
The other teen's mouth split into a smile that practically glowed against his pitch black face as he chuckled. "You need not worry for me, I have ways around my limitations." He turned to the door, continuing in a quieter voice, "Hide in here or one of the neighboring rooms. I'll be back soon."
The two nodded while Abyss crept to the door, carefully listening for a moment before opening it to peek outside. He started to step out only to pause halfway and turn his head to the side, the sudden halt making Hitoshi's heart sink and Bakugou tense. Someone was in the hall.
Before dread could fully take form though the other teen began gesturing wildly to someone, the familiar "come here" motion quickly easing some of his tension. Abyss wouldn't do that to a stranger or enemy. This had to be that ally he mentioned.
He looked down at Mion and forced himself to take some steadying breaths while Abyss spoke in the background. "What are you doing?" he hissed. "Don't just drop it in the middle of the hall!"
"There's no one around!"
And just like that Hitoshi's world ground to a halt.
His heartbeat pounded loud in his ears as his head snapped towards the door, back suddenly ramrod straight and mouth dry. He could see Abyss's mouth move as he said something else, but couldn't hear the words. Everything was silent except for the steady thump-thump of his heart, each beat thumping against his chest with that painful, painful feeling of hope that bordered on desperation.
His vision seemed to narrow as he watched Abyss withdraw inside, lingering with one hand on the doorknob before two more figures appeared. Two whose presence had Hitoshi's stomach doing flips, his knees shaking and his eyes misting. The newcomers started to enter only to freeze as their eyes met, stunned lilac locking with beady black and dull periwinkle, and Hitoshi felt his mouth open to utter in soft, barely-audible whisper:
"Mashirao? Neito?"
And then he was tackled to the ground, his best friends knocking him over with a tight embrace.
Notes:
New chapter! Also, a heads up in case you haven't heard it: the My Hero Academia manga will be ending on Chapter 430. (We're at 427 at the time of this posting!) Just... wow. It's finally coming to an end. Ignite won't end, don't worry about that, but it's still kinda crazy to think the manga is at the end. It's always a bit sad when such a major series ends.
I was planning to update today anyway, but then this weekend...
Well. Yeah.
A reminder to anyone who needs it: get the heck off any social media if you have any sort of anxiety or other mental health issues.
Just disconnect from everything, don't turn on the news or check sites like reddit. Binge watch a TV show, get a bunch of books from the library, deep dive into a video game. Go camping, take a nice hike. Just stay away from the news and take care of your mental health.
The fact is, humans aren't really built for the modern 24/7 news cycle we have now. It's easy for the constant stream of bad news to wreck our mental health and just feed into our overall stress. Absolutely don't feel guilty for disconnecting from news and social media.
One of the reasons I love and promote fan fiction is that it's an avenue for escape. Escapism is so damn vital in hard times. Hell, even outside historic events, I've seen plenty of people in abusive situations say how fan fiction gave them a little bit of a bright spot from their stress. In the past I've done surprise updates after stressful events so people could have a little break, just take a few minutes to forget about their worries and delve into another world. It's such a small thing, but it's the best support I can offer in these trying times.
So if you need to step back from news and social media for a bit, absolutely do NOT feel bad. It's important to give yourself room to breathe so you're not stuck in a doom spiral. Please, take care of yourselves!
Chapter 133: Reunions and Trust
Summary:
The world slowly slides back into place, bit by bit.
Notes:
Surprise update! I won't say much, but I think everyone can use a distraction right now. There's still a recap of the escape up to Chapter 130, but you might want to use this as an excuse to reread the whole fic.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 133
.:Reunions and Trust:.
The day had been quiet and peaceful for Mashirao, like most days spent in Odawara compared to their usual vigilante activity. Odawara was a "safe zone," an area where they agreed to hang up their costumes to just be regular runaway teens for a bit. They'd been pretty active recently, so some time off had been well-earned.
Mashirao had indulged himself in a rare lazy day, sleeping in and spending the afternoon enjoying the autumn colors in the woods of Odawara in solitude.
The silence had been pleasant up until his phone suddenly rang, the sharp notes of the unique ringtone for Anjou piercing through the woods.
The shrill noise startled him, along with a few birds who took off from the nearby trees. It took him a moment to fish his phone from his pocket, feeling unsettled at getting a call from the runaway network's coordinator. She almost never called anyone but Nakamura or Kabuto.
It was worse because that day was a school day, and she should be in class right now.
"Sun King Chicken," he greeted, using the cover name Neito had set up for his contact info. "Can I take your order?"
"Cut the code," Anjou hissed, her voice coming out strained and edged with panic. "Where's Misao?"
His stomach dropped at the reference to Hitoshi, his world grinding to a halt. "I don't know. We just got back last week, and he said he wanted to do his own thing today—"
"Fuck!" Her curse cut him off, and it only added to his mounting dread and horror.
"Nettmegg, what's going on? Why are you asking—"
"Misao just cut the link," she bit out, and everything shattered.
There are moments where the world seems to stop.
Moments where time freezes and everything vanishes, where the world narrows down to just a handful of individuals. Moments where everything changes, everyone present able to feel that permanent shift in momentum.
For three teenagers, this was one of those moments.
Two months, four days.
It had been two months and four days since Ojiro Mashirao and Monoma Neito's worlds had been shattered and one of their best friends vanished.
Sixty-five days of stomach-churning dread upon realizing he'd been captured, because otherwise he would never break the link.
Sixty-five days of agonizing searching for any hint of their friend's fate, of two boys' minds conjuring the worst case scenarios.
Sixty-five days of being locked away for the third, trapped and powerless and unable to even speak for a majority of it.
Sixty-five days, which had finally come to an end.
Even with Hitoshi right there, crushed under the combined weight of Mashirao and Neito, it barely felt real. They'd counted each day with mounting dread, their minds constantly conjuring the worst case scenarios. They obviously knew that Hitoshi was alive at the time he broke the link, but they didn't know about after that. The possibilities were agonizing.
For Hitoshi, he'd barely permitted himself to even dream of seeing his friends again. To think about what they might be doing as he withered away in a tiny cell, unable to mark the passage of time. He had never given up on escaping, but thinking about his best friends had hurt too much, felt too far away and fantasy-like. Touching them right now still felt like a dream, one he didn't want to wake up from.
Tears stung all three boys' eyes as they lay on the floor in a pile, limbs tangled around each other in a tight embrace. A shuddery gasp slipped out of Hitoshi as he let himself realize and acknowledge this was real, this was happening, the sound making his friends squeeze him even tighter.
Neito was the first to peel away from the tight huddle, lifting his head just enough to glare down at Hitoshi with wet eyes. "You are never going anywhere alone again," he growled, the stern edge to his words dampened by how his voice wobbled. That was enough to force out a choked laugh from the purple-haired boy, the sound bordering on a sob.
"Fuck, yeah, I don't want to go anywhere after this," he said, feeling the first true, genuine smile he'd had in what felt like years pull at his cheeks.
"Good, because you're grounded," Mashirao muttered, his face still half-buried into Hitoshi's chest. "Missed you so much, you asshole."
And that just got a new round of tears welling in Hitoshi's eyes, sniffling loudly as his vision blurred but unwilling to tear his arms from the embrace to wipe them away. "Missed you too," he wheezed, and that had them all pressing together even tighter as they all shook with barely repressed sobs.
While the trio could probably stay like that for hours, they weren't alone. Bakugou and Abyss stood awkwardly to the side, recognizing the significance of the reunion. Abyss knew the full story of course, having watched Tooru talk the two blond vigilantes out of doing anything reckless. Bakugou knew less but could still sense the history and emotional build-up leading to this moment. Anyone with eyes could see that.
He was also not one to linger on sentiment or sappy thoughts though, especially when there were more important things at hand. "Okay, glad you guys are back together or whatever, but we're still in the middle of a villain base!" he snapped.
And just like that, the moment broke, the world expanding once more.
The vigilante trio reluctantly untangled themselves and got up, finally wiping their eyes. "Right, we still have to get out of here," Neito muttered with a nod, turning to him. "I'm assuming you're Bakugou?"
"Yeah. Guessing you're pals with Eyebags?" He turned to Abyss as he asked, "How many people are involved in this shit now, anyway?"
"I don't have a number off the top of my head," he said with a shrug, before turning to the newcomers to add, "But you were supposed to be waiting outside."
"How the hell could we stay outside when there's someone else attacking this place?" Mashirao snapped irritably. "This could be our only chance!"
"Looking Glass agreed," Neito cut in smoothly, the name unfamiliar to Hitoshi and Bakugou. "She said they'd probably move to a new base after tonight. That's why you got them out, right?"
He shot Abyss a pointed look, and the pitch black boy huffed and crossed his arms. "Fine, you're right. But you have to be careful," he added in a hiss, eyes narrowing to slits as he glared at them. "No charging off and recklessly attacking the first villains you see!"
"Hey, they're not that reckless," Hitoshi defended with a frown.
Abyss was unmoved by his protest though. "When they heard you were here they wanted to come to Nabu without any plans. And then when others tried to stop them, apparently went on a rampage where they took down multiple people until they were subdued and tied up."
That had Hitoshi pause and turn to look at his friends in shock. Shock which only grew when neither denied it. "What the hell?" he blurted. That was drastically out of character for his two cool-headed friends.
"Sixty-five days, you idiot!" Mashirao hissed, crossing his arms with a scowl. "We've spent sixty-five days not knowing if you were even alive!"
"We may have gone a bit overboard, but we couldn't just sit around doing nothing after we finally got a lead," Neito added with a lofty shrug, while Hitoshi just stared.
"Look, you morons can hash this out after we're out of this shithole!" Bakugou cut in before the conversation could continue. "Abyss said whatever plans you guys originally had are fucked, and that was before he even knew you two were sneaking around, so what are the plans now? What's the deal with this Looking Glass person you just mentioned?"
That was enough to get everyone back on task. "We split up with Looking Glass and... the other one, to sneak in," Mashirao said after a beat, not really knowing what to call Uraraka. They hadn't exactly discussed codenames yet.
"We decided to break into the more familiar pairs," Neito added. "I refreshed Looking Glass's Quirk right before entering, and I can still use it for another..." He paused to check a watch on his wrist before saying, "six minutes. But I only have two hands."
"Hah?" Bakugou huffed, squinting at him in confusion since he didn't know anything about Neito's Quirk.
Hitoshi obviously did know, but didn't get why he mentioned the part about hands. "Lupin, what kind of Quirk is it?" he asked. Neito glanced at the door before stepping forward, the other boys instinctively leaning closer.
"An invisibility Quirk," he mouthed almost soundlessly, making Hitoshi and Bakugou's eyes widen. He continued a bit louder but still in a whisper, "It can work on other people if I touch them, but as I just mentioned, I only have two hands. So I can only use it on two people."
The explanation had Hitoshi's stomach both fluttering and churning, reflexively counting the group. Abyss had strongly hinted he'd be able to sneak around undetected just fine, but that still left three people. One of them would have to be left visible and exposed.
Logically, Hitoshi and Bakugou should be the priority for obvious reasons, but leaving Mashirao exposed gave the vigilantes a sinking feeling. He wore a bulky winter coat but it didn't really hide his tail, the shape distinct even while wrapped in a black sleeve one of the other runaways had given him. It made him stand out, and if any villains saw him wandering around seemingly alone, they'd likely remember him later and connect him to the attack or escape.
The five boys silently mulled over these facts before Abyss spoke up. "What about the others? Did you see... ugh, Yuki's brother?" He groaned quietly in frustration, really wishing they'd all set up proper codenames earlier.
"Briefly," Neito said. "We snuck in through a side door with Looking Glass and... Floaty Girl, I guess?" He glanced at Mashirao who shrugged, that was good enough. "And split up in opposite directions. We'd discussed how to split before entering, and Whiplash and I chose to head towards the sounds of the fighting since we know how to move fast, keep our heads down, and fight back if anything goes wrong. By the way, most of the fighting seems to be in the bar right now."
"We saw Yuki's brother on the way," Mashirao added. "He was running around the base peeking down hallways, I guess he left the bar to search for everyone. We didn't talk to him and just kept going since we had the time limit. Figured it'd be best to keep going this way in case no one else did yet." And he was so glad they had, allowing them to reunite with Hitoshi that much sooner.
Abyss nodded at the explanation. "I see. I understand your logic, but I wish you'd grabbed him. We suspected Midoriya would be locked far away from the prisoners, and we'll need help to move Eraserhead."
And at that moment, Hitoshi and Bakugou felt twin spikes of dread, the pair flashing each other wide-eyed looks of horror. "Fuck," Bakugou whispered, getting alarmed looks that quickly soured.
"Dammit, what is it now?" Mashirao groaned, sensing another roadblock.
"Eraserhead's.. gone," Hitoshi forced out, and the other three froze, their own eyes going wide.
"What?"
"Some idiot tried to attack him after Deku got locked up, and then Kurogiri warped him somewhere," Bakugou spat, snarling at the memory. "He didn't tell us where or anything, but that Toga chick said he's probably at Aiko's place."
And that had the three rescuers pale, even Abyss looking more gray than black at the information. They had limited knowledge of Aiko and Eraserhead, having only really been read into the situation just that day. Even Abyss had only gotten a brief overview. None of them had been present for the numerous discussions of how she'd invoked something like a flashback or had his goggles.
But even so, they knew Aiko was a threat.
And more importantly, they knew Aiko didn't live with the Alliance.
Abyss sucked in a sharp breath as he processed this, and turned to the door. "I'm going to find the others," he said sharply. "Can you all get out on your own?"
The group exchanged grim looks at the question. They'd still need one person to be left visible, exposed to anyone wandering the base. Even after they escaped, there was a chance of that person being seen and followed. It was far from ideal.
But a distant explosion from the direction of the bar reminded them that they were running against a very short clock. "Go," Mashirao said firmly. "We'll figure something out." Abyss nodded once and opened the door, slipping out and leaving the four alone. They stood in grim silence for a long moment, up until Hitoshi exhaled shakily.
"Alright, so what's the plan?" Hitoshi finally asked.
"Lupin uses his Quirk on you two, and I follow," Mashirao said.
And immediately, Neito and Hitoshi had turned to him with matching glares. "That is a bad idea," Neito growled. "You know your tail makes you stand out!"
"Yeah, but I'm the only one besides you who's not a prisoner!"
"That's even worse!" Hitoshi hissed. "They'll probably think you're with whoever broke in!"
Neito nodded. "He's right. Especially because we have to pass by the bar! You know, where people are fighting right now!"
"We don't have to," Bakugou suddenly cut in, reminding them of his presence. All three turned to see him standing next to the bookshelf, holding an open notebook and squinting at the pages. "It looks like there's some rooms with actual fucking windows between here and the bar, so we can just use those to get out."
"What?" Hitoshi asked blankly, and the blond scoffed.
"Eyebags, did you seriously forget Deku drew a map of this place? He even said he made back-ups just in case." He stepped forward and angled the notebook so they could see a drawing of the facility. It had been marked even more extensively than the floorplan Abyss had, Midoriya having used a blue pen to add notes absent from the one he'd previously shown them in his second journal.
Bakugou pointed to a room with a circled star. "Look, that's this room, right? And that's the bar." He pointed to a large room plainly labeled "bar," one of the few rooms on the map with an actual label. He then pointed to one of several rooms with a thin blue rectangle drawn along the external wall. "I'm betting these boxes are windows. Nerd put stars next to a couple of them, so I'm guessing they're the ones he thought would be big enough to fit through."
Hitoshi looked at it for a moment before slowly pressing a hand to his face. "How did we forget windows are a thing," he grumbled.
"Do you really think those windows can open, though?" Mashirao asked doubtfully. "This place used to be a hospital of some sort, right? Don't think they'd have windows that open big enough for people to escape."
And to that, Bakugou flashed a savage grin. "Who said anything about opening it?"
There was a pause as they processed that, and they slowly nodded.
Why bother with stealth when there was already plenty of fighting going on?
Elsewhere, Ochako and Tooru were racing down the halls with hands tightly clutched together in a death grip. They didn't have a map or anything to guide them, could only run and hope they got lucky. This had to be one of the dumbest moves possible, everyone left with no way of communicating with each other and basically hoping it worked out, but their time was too limited to come up with a better plan.
They'd already gotten lucky that they were able to sneak into that side door, left wide open while the noumu continued to beat up the guards and the few people who'd come to investigate the noise. Sneaking past that beat-down had been nerve-wracking, all too aware of how dangerous the noumu was. Running through the halls aimlessly wasn't much better.
Shouts rang from all over the base, most coming from behind them, and they had to move out of the way of running people more than once. The fighting seemed to be spreading and moving away from the original points based on the noise, some of the sounds now dangerously closer to them. It just added to the sense of urgency and hastened their frantic pace.
On the bright side, the noise meant they didn't need to worry too much about being overheard.
"These are all bedrooms," Ochako hissed as they darted down a hall, several of the doors left open to reveal glimpses of messy rooms. The furniture and decorations varied, but they all looked fairly average. "We all agreed that Shigaraki wouldn't keep Deku near other people, right?"
"Yeah, definitely," Tooru confirmed. "If he's, like, super protective, he'd probably keep him somewhere else until the episode ends. Especially after those guys attacked sensei!"
Ochako groaned quietly at the confirmation, feeling her agitation rise. "You saw that map before giving it to Abyss, didn't you? Where do you think he'd be?"
"I don't know!" Tooru whined. "I don't even know where we are! The halls all look the same! Mental maps are other-Tooru's thing, not mine!" Which felt almost weird to say, since Tooru had so far tapped into her counterpart's skills and knowledge the most of all the jumpers. Hints of her counterpart's influence kept slipping out, to the point the lines between the two seemed blurred.
So for this to be the one aspect she couldn't access was massively inconvenient.
Still, Ochako bit back the urge to whine and complain. It wasn't Tooru's fault after all, and moaning about how difficult this was wouldn't change anything. The sounds of distant fighting and yelling, though not quite as distant anymore, reminded her that they didn't have time to bemoan their luck. "There's a second floor, right?" she whispered. "Maybe he's up there?"
"Oh, maybe!" Tooru audibly perked up. "It's easier to secure other floors because you can block access to stairs, so a bunch of organizations only have important stuff on higher floors. And in a lot of villain organizations the boss and executives like to stay in separate areas from the regular grunts so they feel special, and Shigaraki totally seems like the kind of boss to avoid grunts. I totally bet he'd keep Izuku up there!"
See that? That was definitely some of other-Tooru bleeding through. It was very helpful, and also made her inability to keep track of where to go even more aggravating. Ochako pushed down the complaint to ask, "Okay, any chance you know where the stairs are?"
"Not a clue!" came the cheerful reply, and Ochako... only slightly wanted to scream. Slightly.
In the brief silence after that remark though, she noticed a new noise over the distant din of violence: footsteps.
Loud and quick footsteps moving their way.
The girls froze and instinctively held their breaths and fell quiet as they pressed against the wall. This wasn't the first time someone had passed them, but it came from the general direction of the fighting. It didn't sound like the heavy footfalls they'd expect from a noumu at least, but they still had plenty of reason to be wary about anyone approaching from that way.
So when a figure in a dark coat turned the corner, they both felt the tension bleed out in an instant. "Dabi!" Ochako gasped, and the man jolted and looked around wildly.
"Shit! What the—" He stopped short, his expression souring with annoyance as he called in a half-whisper, "Floaty?"
"Sorry, we're kinda invisible?" she called back sheepishly.
"Yeah, I figured," he said dryly, and grumbled under his breath, "Knew you brats would break in."
"Dabi, what's going on?" Tooru asked hastily, choosing to ignore the quip. "I mean, we saw the noumu, but what else is going on? Do you know who's attacking? Where's Abyss? Did you see Kaitou and Lee? Well, probably not see them," she amended, "but did you hear them? What about sensei or Hijack or Bakugou—"
"Oh my gosh, please stop," Dabi interrupted with a scowl. "I haven't seen or heard any of the other brats. Some guy in a pizza delivery uniform showed up at the bar by bursting a hole in the wall, and then summoned a bunch of monsters—actually, wait," he frowned. "I think he called those things noumu too, so. What the fuck are those?"
If they weren't invisible, that glare would probably be directed right at them. As it stood, it still felt a bit chilling even directed at the wall a good foot to their left. "Long story," Ochako cut in before Tooru could begin rambling. "We'll explain later after we're all out of here. But right now, do you have any clue where Deku or any stairs are?"
He huffed and his glare softened, though he still looked annoyed. "Sorry brat, but I'm just as clueless. I've been running around blind for the past five minutes trying not to get myself killed by any of the mooks. Pretty sure I went the opposite direction from the other brat since I haven't seen any sign of him—"
"Hey, who are you?"
Ochako's blood turned to ice, all three sharply turning towards the new voice. A blonde girl stood at the end of the hallway, and Ochako's breath caught as her mind flashed back to a forest late at night, manic laughter ringing through the air. Toga Himiko looked virtually identical in this world, down to wearing a school uniform with a cardigan and her hair tugged in messy twin buns.
The sole difference was her expression as she regarded Dabi, the manic and demented smile that had been engraved in Ochako's memory replaced by a wary look. "I've never seen anyone like you around here before... And I know everyone here."
"I was in the bar when things went to shit," Dabi replied with a light shrug, his tone casual and nonchalant, but Ochako could see the tension in his frame. Could see the way his fingers subtly flexed at his side, ready to attack at a moment's notice. "Didn't want to stick around and get caught up in whatever was going down, ya know?"
Toga's lips pursed, and Ochako found her mind stuck on the fact her cardigan's long sleeves only exposed her fingertips. Leaving all sorts of room to hide knives and other blades. "So you ran to the back?" she asked, head cocking to the side. "That's weird. And who were you talking to?"
Tooru's hand squeezed Ochako's even tighter, her palm just a little clammy as they watched the standoff. Ochako felt similarly tense and nervous, her gaze riveted on the blonde girl. Her whole attention focused on this girl who had joined the League of Villains and caused so much trouble in their world. Who had been part of the attack at the summer camp, one of the worst nights of her life so far.
The girl who had strangely called her and Tsuyu friends and tried to talk about romance even as they fought, smiling and giggling all the while.
And in that moment, Ochako decided to take a risk.
She squeezed Tooru's hand once before prying her fingers away, and Toga staggered back in surprise as Ochako suddenly became visible. The blonde shifted her stance to face her, silver glinting at the base of her sleeve as her frown grew. In response Dabi also started to shift his feet, hands lifting from his side.
Ochako ignored the spike in tension and rushed out, "You're Toga Himiko, right? Deku—Izuku's friend?"
And that was enough to make Toga and Dabi both freeze, the other girl's eyes widening slightly. "Izuku?" she repeated.
"I'm Uraraka Ochako, his friend," Ochako said firmly. This was a gamble, she had no idea if her name would mean anything to her, but she had to try. Because this was the girl who had given them the bomb anklet, who had kept Deku's "episode" to herself, who had said she'd help them escape. The one who Deku himself had claimed to tentatively trust if Anjou was to be believed.
She was not their Toga, but this Toga was someone who had claimed to want to be an ally. A girl who may not be all that evil, just a bit twisted.
And the gamble paid off, recognition sparking in Toga's eyes. "Wait! The girl he met when he was shopping with Tomu-chan?"
"Yes!" Ochako confirmed, feeling a rush of relief that Toga knew about that. "You said you'd help Bakugou and Hijack escape, right? That's why we're here! We're here to get them all out! Them and Deku!"
Toga's stance lost its hostile edge, the blade disappearing back into her sleeve as she clapped her hands together. Her face now held the same smile Ochako remembered from the forest, slightly manic and almost dreamy. "You're breaking in to save them? Really? I didn't know Mido-chan had any other friends who cared that much!"
"Deku has way more friends than just me," Ochako replied, flashing a smile filled with resolve. "And so do Bakugou and Hijack. We've all been working towards this for a long time now, and tonight's our best shot."
A fire flared inside her as she spoke, her voice carrying a firm confidence and determination. Right now Ochako felt more sure of herself than she had in a long time. This past month had been so hectic and full of one problem after another, and this mess was far from over, but right now she could see a light at the end of the tunnel. All of their efforts so far had led to this moment.
They would find Deku and everyone else, and get them all out of there.
That confidence seemed to resonate with Toga, the other teen's eyes sparkling as her grin widened. "That's so cool! You really do mean it! But wait," and then her smile fell, lips pursing into a puzzled frown as she tilted her head. "Is this all part of the plan?" As if to punctuate her question another rumble sounded in the distance, along with... a roar?
"Uh, no." Ochako grimaced as her shoulders slumped, her resolute smile replaced by a sheepish look. "We were just supposed to be scouting today and try to pull off the rescue, like, tomorrow, but then those guys attacked, and uh... Yeah." She gave a lame shrug.
"Plan didn't even make it to the first step before things went to shit," Dabi supplied with a shrug, a bit more relaxed now that Toga had dropped the hostility. Though her wariness returned slightly as she snapped her gaze towards him, eyes sharp and probing.
"And who're you, anyway?"
"Dabi," he responded. "Never met the Midoriya brat or the others for the record. I'm just here because my brother's part of this mess and I had an in at the bar."
That made Toga's wary look shift to curiosity. "What'd you order?"
The question was weird and random to Ochako, but Dabi replied without missing a beat, "A star cocktail." Toga's brow furrowed in confusion before she gasped with recognition, practically sparkling with glee as she clapped her hands together with a sharp-toothed grin.
"You're friends with Aiko-nee? I didn't know she had friends outside the Alliance besides Crow-tan and Totoro!"
Dabi twitched slightly at the second name, though his tone remained casual. "Unfortunately, yeah, I am. She's in the dark about what we're doing, by the way."
"Well, duh, that's obvious!" Toga giggled. "She'd totally flip out if she knew Mido-chan was up to this!"
Ochako nodded in agreement as she thought back to Aiko's protective tendencies. "Look, we don't have much time, but Deku—Izuku, I mean—he told us you said you'd help," she said, getting Toga's attention again. And the other girl's eyes widened once more and her grin dropped as Ochako continued, "He said he trusted you. So, if that's true, will you please help us right now?"
"He told you that?" Toga said softly, looking stunned. "He... he told you...?" Her smile returned, much smaller this time but so... gentle, soft and happy. "Mido-chan really does trust me... He told me that, but he told you too, so that really means...!" She trailed off as her voice wobbled with emotion, quickly rubbing her face with her sleeve as she sniffled once.
When she pulled her arm away she wore her most brilliant smile yet, no traces of that manic gleam present as she beamed at them. Ochako's breath caught at the sight, her mind grinding to a halt.
In that moment, she could finally see Toga Himiko for the teenage girl she truly was. See the normal high school girl who just wanted friends and to talk about romance rather than slash people with knives, the girl she should have been in both worlds. The girl she probably was, in fact, under the stabby exterior.
"Of course I'll help!" she declared. "Come on, I'll take you to him right now!"
Ochako swallowed down all those rushing thoughts of could-be should-be and smiled, dipping her head in gratitude. "Thank you, Toga-chan!"
"C'mon, call me Himiko, Ochako-chan!" Toga giggled, surging forward to grab her wrist and pull. Her forwardness took Ochako by surprise for only a moment, but she quickly smiled and nodded.
"Right. Thanks, Himiko-chan!" Toga's eyes sparkled even brighter, her smile growing wider as she began dragging Ochako along, Dabi and Tooru trailing behind. They'd have to tell her about Tooru and everyone else involved, but right now her mind was focused on the fact that they were moving towards Deku. The end to this nightmare was drawing closer with each step. Things were finally looking up.
Notes:
Surprise update! I can't guarantee when the next chapter will be, but I thought this was needed. Today is just... scary, so I won't talk about it.
Instead, I have a request and an offer:
Share your absolute favorite MHA fics in the comments and reviews.
The ones you consider the best of the best, the absolute masterpieces and obscure hidden gems that you think deserve more recognition. Bonus points if they're already complete, or have been updated fairly recently and aren't likely to be abandoned. Nothing sucks more than getting into a fic and realizing the last update was a cliffhanger from 5 years ago.
I also encourage you to share your favorite fics from OTHER fandoms!
What fics would you recommend for someone JUST discovering that fandom? The top-of-the-line fics, the ones that are legendary or are hidden gems. The ones that would be great for someone with barely any knowledge of the fandom, the ones you WISH more of your friends would read.
Because right now, a lot of people NEED the aid of escapism more than ever.
If I've learned anything writing fan fiction and interacting with the community, it's that escapism can be vital for our mental health. We need to be able to take a break from reality, and deep dive into something so we forget the rest of the world exists and stop stressing over everything. This chapter is so small in the greater scheme of things, but this little break from reality is the best I can offer.
So please, share fic recommendations. To readers, please check out the comments or reviews, and find some wonderful rabbit hole to go down and stay away from the news and social media for the next few days.
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trash (Guest) on Chapter 1 Sat 28 Sep 2019 09:33PM UTC
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