Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Katsuki sat uncomfortably in a cushioned chair in front of a desk that belonged to none other than Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi. At least that's what it said on the placard in the middle edge of his desk. The desk itself was made from dark wood and held little trinkets in the corners. On one corner there was a picture frame of him and someone else who looked like him. Katsuki thought maybe a sister or a cousin.

On the other corner was a humble fake cactus and a few collectibles of different heroes. Katsuki recognized the All Might key chain and the Sir Night Eye mug for his pencils and pens.

Katsuki was bouncing his leg tirelessly looking at the man in front of him with his elbow propped up on his other knee and his chin in his hand. He seemed like enough of a kind man. He had dark hair and eyes to match and was in a black three piece suit with a blue tie. He wore a gentle smile that faded in and out over time. But Katsuki was still convinced this man was going to be useless.

Katsuki could find Deku himself. He already did once. He could do it again. The old hag was the one who forced him to go to the precinct to relay more information to the detective assigned to his case.

He was nervous but he wouldn't admit it. Even to himself.

"He showed me his body and it was bad. He had bruises everywhere on his arms and scars all over his body. Some of them were burn scars. His dad has a fire breathing quirk. I think he's in some sort of circus or some shit."

"Katsuki, language!" the old hag warned him under her breath. Katsuki rolled his eyes and continued with his story.

"Anyways, he was about to go over the edge and I tried to stop him. I tried to get him to come down but nothing worked. When he fell over the edge he turned into a freaking bird and flew away."

"Is that this young man's quirk?" he asked, preparing to write something down in a journal. He opened to a page that already had writing on it. More than likely it was a page on Izuku.

"He's never had one before. He was diagnosed Quirkless years ago," Katsuki shrugged and Tsukauchi leaned back in his seat to think for a moment.

"Late bloomers are rare but they do exist. Perhaps his suicide attempt led to his Quirk Awakening," he said as he scribbled in his notebook. "Unless he somehow kept his Quirk a secret the entire time?" The detective looked pointedly at Katsuki who looked annoyed.

"No way. The nerd can't hide anything from me. I'm better than him in every way," Katsuki crossed his arms and the detective looked at him with an eyebrow raised. Mitsuki rolled her eyes from behind him. Tsukauchi noticed the eye roll and a smile twitched on his lips before he became serious again.

"Did he say why he tried to commit suicide, Bakugo?" Tsukauchi asked tapping his pen against the notebook and the question caught him off guard. Katsuki's expression became stony and dark. He bowed his head slightly and slowly moved it side to side.

Of course he wouldn't want to tell them it was because of him. He was the one to cause De—Izuku to jump. He knew that and he was trying to process it. It couldn't come out of his mouth quite yet.

"I saw him at the library the other day. He's still alive. He was on one of the computers. I chased him outside and caught up to him and asked what was going on. He told me he didn't know and then ran away," he finished leaving out the part where he was threatened by a knife and said he wasn't Izuku. That part wasn't important but it was weird. He would think about it later.

"It's possible we may have a case for child abandonment. We have tried to contact both of his parents several times only to get no response or a disconnected message. It's very possible that this boy is homeless right now. Even if he ran away we would still have a case of child abuse and child endangerment," the detective explained and Mitsuki gasped lightly behind her hand.

"I've known Inko for years. I can't believe she did this to her own son," she was fighting back tears with her hand over her mouth.

Katsuki purposely failed to mention that some of Izuku's scars were probably from him.

"We've tried contacting their places of employment but it seems both of them had quit their jobs or moved somewhere else. This is leaning more towards a child abandonment case. Would you know anything about where she might have gone?" Tsukauchi scribbled something minor onto the page and then made eye contact with Mitsuki.

"No. She's never even hinted at wanting to leave Musutafu. I don't understand why she would do this or what her motivation is. We have been growing apart for the last couple of years. Something must have changed," she explained. Katsuki could hear the frustration in her voice.

"They both quit their jobs. What if they're back together again?" Katsuki asked, raising his head in an epiphany.

"That damn Hisashi. When I get my hands on him—"

"Okay, I think that's everything I need from you two. If you have any questions or can provide more information, you can call me. I may not answer right away but I get back to clients within twenty-four hours if possible," Tsukauchi interrupted and handed Katsuki his business card.

After they thanked the detective and left the room, the walk out of the precinct was a lot more nerve wracking than the one into the precinct. He felt his gut twist as a piece of information hung heavily on his shoulders. He contemplated telling his mom. There was no way she wouldn't yell at him, but maybe it was what he deserved after everything.

He would tell her.

"I know why De—Izuku tried to kill himself but I couldn't tell the detective," Katsuki said once they left the building. Mitsuki looked down at him in horror and grabbed his arm hurrying him into the car.

"Spill, brat," Mitsuki practically growled once they were both settled in the car.

"He tried to jump because I told him to," Katsuki closed his eyes and winced in preparation for the beating he was going to get but nothing came. When he opened his eyes he saw that the old hag was crying. Why was she crying? She never cried in front of Katsuki. This was worse than getting slapped upside the head. This was much worse.

"How could you say that to him?" her voice was small and wobbled. Heavy disappointment coated her tone and Katsuki's heart dropped into his stomach.

This was much worse.

"I thought I taught you better than that! He's your friend Katsuki!" she raised her voice and Katsuki's eyes got wide, a sob catching in his throat.

"I know mom. I didn't mean it I'm sorr—"

"Izuku thought you meant it! He took your advice Katsuki! You're so lucky that his Quirk kicked in just in time or you would have his blood on your hands. Do you know how serious that is?" Mitsuki practically screamed at him and Katsuki was fully crying now frozen with fear. He couldn't respond right away.

Of course he knew how serious it was, at least now. He hadn't known how heavy the weight of his words could be until he was standing out on that roof with Izuku. He didn't realize how much he meant to Izuku even still as his bully. He didn't think his words meant anything but of course the nerd had to take it to heart. That's just who he was.

Of course he took it to heart. All Izuku did was feel. Katsuki was jealous of him about it but would never admit it. He was jealous of him in a lot of ways. Like the way he would always still smile no matter how bad people were treating him. He hated that smile only because he wanted to be the one to smile it.

He had been envious of Izuku because of his mom. He always thought she was way more doting on him than Mitsuki was with Katsuki, but that reality was obviously broken now. How was Izuku never envious of him? He was the one with the better parents. He was the one with the better Quirk. He was the one with the better life, so why was Katsuki still jealous of Izuku?

"Katsuki! Can you hear me?" she called out to him. Katsuki hadn't noticed that he was hyperventilating thinking about his childhood friend. Mitsuki held his face in her palms, the both of them crying profusely in the parking lot.

Katsuki didn't know what to say to her. Of course he should have been better. Of course he should have accepted Izuku as his friend after he was diagnosed Quirkless. Of course he should have done a lot of things differently, but he didn't and that's what made him a bad person.

He didn't want to be a bad person. He wanted to be the number one hero and heroes did not treat their friends like trash. Or anyone for that matter.

Mitsuki must have understood just then that he realized the true weight of what he had done because she only pulled him into a tight hug over the middle console.

"I'm so putting you in therapy, brat," she said into his ear and he only gripped her tighter. He probably deserved it anyway. Izuku deserved for him to be better too. Maybe he could finally give him a better version of himself once he was found.

He wanted to be able to provide someone better for Izuku. He wanted to be better.

"I'm scared he's going to try again and that I won't be able to stop him," he sobbed.

Mitsuki gripped him tighter.

—

Izuku was in the backseat of the convertible in the parking garage lying down just to catch his breath. He had run at least a mile to make sure that Eraser wasn't following him. Plus with the pain in his shoulder, that wasn't easy either.

He lied there looking up at the ceiling of the car and noticed brown water stains littered all over it. The leather of the seats weren't too comfortable but they provided a little bit of cushion.

Izuku took a deep breath and sat up. He popped the trunk of the car to see if they had anything of use in the back but all he found was a sheet, a beanie, and some jumper cables.

The sun was barely coming over the horizon giving Izuku some light. He decided that using the sheet would be his best option. He grabbed it and forcefully ripped a strip off of it.

He sat back down in the backseat with the door open and dug his finger into his bullet wound and scooped out a little metal pellet that was a quarter of an inch deep. Either gun face was weak or he was purposely not going in for the kill. Either way it was good for Izuku because it wasn't a major injury. But that didn't mean it still didn't bleed or hurt like hell.

"I can't believe you got us shot Izuno," Izuku said out loud but still in a quiet voice. He could hear Izuno scoff in his mind at that.

You're lucky that I moved in the way that I did to avoid taking a bullet to the face.

Izuku rolled his eyes at Izuno's voice and wrapped the strip of fabric around his shoulder underneath his sweatshirt and tightened it as much as he possibly could. He groaned in pain and stopped breathing for a moment but was able to get it tight enough.

Once he was done he went back to the trunk and pulled out the beanie. He slapped it a few times to shake the dust from it before tucking all his hair inside of it leaving a small curl in between his brows.

The sun was almost up which meant that he was supposed to work on online school. But the library was compromised so he couldn't go back there. He had to find somewhere else to go. Maybe a different library. One that was farther away.

He didn't bother to change his bloody sweatshirt. The blood barely even looked present against the black of the material. No one would even notice.

He grabbed his backpack and slung it onto his shoulder. He was going to find a place to do his homework. He didn't want to drop out of school even though he tried to drop out of life a few days ago. Funny how that worked.

He sighed and made his way out of the parking garage, traversing the streets on the lookout for a new location.

He hated the way the beanie felt on his head as he walked. His hair was smashed down and the beanie was about a size too small squeezing his head slightly. He had to keep it on though. He didn't want to be recognized.

He had almost made it past an adorable cat cafe that doubled as an internet cafe. There were cats and computers. How much cooler could it get?

Izuku found his way inside and was looking around. There was a coffee bar off to the right and in the middle was a regular seating section. Off to the left were the computers and the two rooms in the back held snacks and manga respectively. The snack section of the store had glass windows to keep the cats out. It was a huge store. And everywhere there were cats.

Lots of cat trees and platforms on the walls littered the entire place and almost all of them were accompanied by a cat.

Izuku found a cat jumping over his head to another platform mounted just above the door. He flinched at first but then watched in amazement as the cat nimbly ran across the other platforms to get to the ground.

Another cat had already approached him and was rubbing all over his legs. He looked down and chuckled before a voice brought his attention back up.

"She's a cutie. Her name is Apple Blossom. She doesn't usually greet people at the door," an employee said as she started walking up to him.

"Shinso: Owner" her name tag read which made him really nervous for some reason.

"S-she is v-very cute," he stuttered and the cat did a lap around him once more to rub its butt up against him. Her tail was up and inviting curled at the end.

"What can I do you for?" the owner asked. She was tall with dark purple hair wrapped into a messy bun on her head. Her eyes matched her hair and she wore a soft smile on her face. The work uniform was very adorable. She wore a short sleeve top with light purple trim that had cats all over it matching with dark pants.

"I c-came to work on m-my schoolwork," he stuttered sheepishly and a big grin spread across her face.

"You've come to the right place. Go ahead and choose a vacant computer. Enjoy your stay," she said and waved him off. Izuku walked towards the rows of computers.

Izuku went to pull out one of the chairs but looked down and saw that a cat was happily napping away on it. He smiled nervously and pushed the chair back in before going to another desk. This one had the same issue as did three others down the line. So many cats. They seemed to really enjoy the seats.

"You know you can just move them, right?"

Izuku jumped at the voice behind him and turned around. There was a boy around his age with the lighter purple hair compared to the owner, but he had the same eyes as her. He was wearing the uniform but didn't have a name tag. He must have been the owner's son, he deduced.

"O-oh no. I couldn't. I m-mean they live here. I'm j-just intruding," Izuku stumbled over his words.

"Here," the Shinso boy pulled out one of the chairs and picked up the cat laying there that was a long haired fluff ball. "This is Marshmallow. She loves small spaces," he told him and held out Marshmallow for him to pet. Izuku gladly pet the cat on the head.

"I'm Shinso by the way. Hitoshi Shinso," the purple haired boy said as Izuku pet the cat.

Izuku didn't want to give out his own name. The Bakugos probably went to the police to register him as missing after their encounter at the library. He didn't want to get caught and sent to foster care. He couldn't deal with that.

A Quirkless kid in the system might as well mean a dead kid in the system.

"Izuno," Izuku said in response.

"No last name? I just call you by your first name?" Shinso asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I hate my last name so I don't use it," he vaguely explained and Shinso seemed to take that as an answer.

So you use my name instead, you jerk!?

Izuno shouted at him in his mind but Izuku promptly ignored it.

"Well it was nice to meet you Izuno. Say bye Marshmallow," Shinso said and grabbed one of its paws and made it wave at Izuku gaining a chuckle from him.

"T-thanks it was n-nice to meet you too. A-and you too M-Marshmallow," Izuku said before Shinso started walking away with the cat.

Izuku sat down and took out his notebooks and pencils. He kept his head low and logged into the computer to do his school work.

Luckily it wasn't very hard. The curriculum for the online school was set a little further back than the middle school he used to go to so it was all just review for him for the most part. He did a couple hours of notes and did a few mini quizzes. It wasn't all that difficult.

Sometime during his studies, the Shinso boy came up to him and gave him a water bottle.

"I can't p-pay for this," Izuku said.

"It's on the house," the Shinso boy said and promptly walked away so Izuku couldn't argue.

Izuku was secretly thankful and almost drank all of it in one go. That's when he realized he hadn't eaten or drank anything in a long time. His stomach was doing flips trying to eat itself. After he finished with school he would go find something to eat, he decided.

We can just shove sandwiches into our pant pockets at the convenience store. Izuno supplied.

"I don't want to do that," Izuku whispered as he scribbled down a math problem in his notebook.

I didn't want it to resort to this but I know where we can make a shit ton of money.

Izuku's head perked up at that.

But you're not going to like it.

His shoulders slumped. Of course there was a catch. There always was. He waited for Izuno to give up any more information about it, but he was silent for several moments.

Quirkless fighting rings. Dad used to have me participate in the children's league all the time.

Izuku popped a hand over his mouth with an audible slap to keep himself from screaming out. What did he mean Quirkless fighting rings? He had no memory of being involved with those.

They're my memories. I fought in those rings. You fucked off somewhere else.

Izuku couldn't believe something like that could ever happen to him. How could he have been made to participate in those fighting rings when he was just a child? He still was a child thinking about going back to the ring. How fucked up was that?

He used to survive to fight and now he'd have to fight to survive.

Izuku had to cut off school time for himself at that moment. It was all too much. He would rather get caught for petty theft and jailed rather than go back to those fighting rings.

Good, we go with my original plan then.

Izuku groaned quietly and started tucking his school supplies back into his backpack. He made sure everything on the computer was logged out before he put it back to sleep and pushed himself out of the chair.

When he turned around, nothing would have prepared himself to see Eraser Head sitting at one of the tables with a cat in his lap talking to another person across from him. He was there in his all black attire with his scarf wrapped around his neck.

What was Eraser doing at a place like this? Did he like cats? Did he like coffee? Who was that person with him?

He just kind of froze up with all of those questions making their rounds inside his head. He hoped that Eraser wouldn't notice him freeze, but his eyes somehow drifted over to him.

Their eyes connecting was the thing that knocked some sense into Izuku. He cleared his throat and began walking towards the exit, but he couldn't help feeling Eraser's gaze on him. He kept his head up and his hands in his pockets as he headed to the door.

As he pushed open the door he heard one of the Shinso's call out to him probably to thank him for coming but he couldn't hear them. He was too busy worrying about getting out of there as quickly as possible.

—

Shota's eyes quickly connected to a boy's eyes just across the room. The structure of his face and eyes were familiar as was the mask. The only difference was that he was wearing a beanie instead of his hood being up.

Wait that couldn't be Hellion, could it?

A gaze flicking down to the boy's shoulder quickly confirmed his suspicions. Hellion hadn't changed out of his sweatshirt that he got shot in. He could see the greasy blood stains on the dark fabric. He wore black all the time and knew how bloody dark material looked like.

He took notice of the pulling sensation in his stomach. He had to trust his gut.

"Sho, are you listening to me?"

Shota's partner was looking up at him, a teacup to their mouth about to take a sip. Shota was busy watching the boy quickly skedaddle out the door. It seemed that the boy recognized him as well.

"I'm sorry. I need to follow up on something really quick. I'll be right back," he told his partner and settled the cat on the floor that was in his lap before standing up himself. Before Hizashi could even open their mouth, he was out the door.

Shota caught sight of the small beanied head in a sea of people also walking down the sidewalk and trailed behind him making sure to stay back enough so he wouldn't be detected.

He was curious as to why Hellion was at the cat cafe. Pleasure? He had a backpack with him so maybe it had something to do with school? Why would he be working on school things at a cat cafe?

He followed him in an alleyway next to a tactical sportswear store and shot out his capture weapon once they were out of sight from everyone else. Shota wasn't the kind of person to want to attract a crowd.

The kid froze up once entangled.

"Does Hellion ring any bells for you?" Shota called out waiting for an answer but the kid was silent. Shota spun him around and saw how glassy his eyes looked for a moment before he blinked himself out of it.

"Who the hell is Hellion?" the kid barked and squirmed within his scarf, but his eyes showed that there was a small smirk playing on his lips underneath the mask. Shota raised his eyebrow.

Shota pulled him in, the kid almost tripping on his own two feet and he dug his fingers into his shoulder watching the wince on the boy's face grow.

The boy yelled out in pain and wiggled an arm free to slap Shota's away. Shota looked down at his fingers and saw fresh blood.

"Hellion got shot there last night. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" he asked and crossed his arm staring intently at the boy.

"Me? No way. I got stabbed in the alley on the way to the cafe," the boy said trying to brush him off, but Shota wasn't going to fall for it. His gut told him that this was Hellion and that's who he was going to be.

"What were you doing at the cafe?" he pressed and the boy started pulling his capture weapon off of him with his free hand. Shota didn't make any attempt to tighten it again. He only reeled it back in. He knew he wasn't going to run.

"I don't know! What do normal people do at a cafe?" he asked sarcastically and flailed his arms in exasperation.

"I can take you in right now," he said raising his hands threatening to throw his weapon at him. The boy just laughed at him.

"You're not going to take me in. You need me," he decided and Shota looked at him confused.

"Why would I need you?" he called and he could see his cheeks move as if he were grinning underneath the mask.

"Because I have information you don't have. I could help you take down a Quirk trafficker that's been after me twice," he replied back.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Shota wondered out loud.

"I'll give you her name when you agree to work with me on this case," he sidestepped the question.

"How did you get her name?" Shota pushed.

"She gave me her card," he said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Do you have this card?"

"No."

"Why wouldn't you have the card?"

"Shut up old man. I lost it, okay?"

"You lost it? You sound ridiculous right now. How should I trust someone like that?" he asked, vaguely gesturing to the kid.

"Why would I trust you to back me up?" the kid asked. "For all I know you could blow it and have me arrested while on the case," he explained.

"Touche—"

"—But you wont do that because you'd rather have a Quirk trafficker in jail than a small time vigilante. One greatly outweighs the other," Shota could sense a smirk underneath his mask and mentally cursed.

"Just tell me what you know," Shota demanded gripping his scarf tighter.

"Meet me on top of Harry's at midnight. I'll tell you everything then. Swear on my life," the boy breathed.

Shota squinted at him but none of his danger signals were going off. He didn't have a good feeling about it but he wasn't sure if he was lying either. He was going to have to take a shot in the dark.

"Fine, but if it turns out to be a bust, I get to take you in. Deal?"

There was hesitation on the vigilante's face as he thought about it for a moment.

"Deal."

Shota sighed and let him go. He ran off towards the other end of the alley and exited out the other side. Shota watched him turn left but he didn't bother to follow.

Shota ruffled his hair in frustration before making his way back to the cafe.

"What was that about?" his partner asked when he sat back down at the table.

"You know the new vigilante I was talking about? The kid, Hellion?" Shota asked, picking up his coffee.

"Yeah,? Hizashi straightened his posture to listen closely in case he had to keep their voice down.

"He was in here. I followed him outside and caught him in an alley not far from here," he took a sip of his coffee that had unfortunately cooled down too much. He drank it anyway.

"How'd you know it was him?" Hizashi wondered out loud.

"He got shot—"

"He got shot?" Hizashi hissed underneath his breath as if scared to activate their own Quirk. "Shota, he's just a kid. Is he okay? Did he get it taken care of?" Hizashi fussed and Shota just waved it away.

"Kid's fine. He's more durable than he looks. The kid didn't change out of the outfit he got shot in and I saw the blood. It doesn't take a genius to connect the dots," he sipped at his coffee while Hizashi just looked at him with their jaw on the floor. "Anyway I have to go on patrol with him tonight because we made a deal."

"What kind of deal?" Hizashi sighed and leaned back in their chair.

"If he can't provide the information I need for a specific case then I get to take him to the station," Shota explained.

"You're going to trust this random vigilante child?" Hizashi asked and Shota just shrugged.

"I've done worse."

—

Izuno was hanging out on top of Harry's with his legs dangling over the edge. He had arrived fifteen minutes early than discussed on purpose. He wanted to personally go around the perimeter of the restaurant himself in order to see if anyone was inside. When he confirmed that there was no one in there, he hung out on the roof of the restaurant waiting for Eraser Head.

It wasn't long until he felt the presence of the underground hero behind him. He didn't move. Just waited for Eraser to sit next to him which he did end up doing after a long moment of silence.

"So what's the information you can provide me?" Eraser asked after another long moment of silence.

Izuno was about to answer when his stomach growled in protest. He closed his mouth in embarrassment and looked away.

He was only able to stuff a couple of small snacks in his pants. Nothing meal worthy. He hadn't had anything meal worthy in a long time.

"Here, kid," Eraser had a protein bar outstretched to him. Izuno tried ignoring it but Eraser insisted.

"You're no use to me low on energy. Take it," he pushed and Izuno snatched it out of his hands rudely and tore it open. He turned away from Eraser Head in order to pull his mask down to eat. Eraser seemed to give him privacy by turning away.

"Her name is Ina Misao," he said with his mouth full and swallowed. "At least that's what her business card said."

"Could it be a fake name?" Eraser asked over his shoulder.

"It could be," Izuno shrugged. "Her Quirk is interesting. She's able to alter memories by touching you. She can make you remember things that didn't happen and you'll truly believe them," he explained.

"How do you know this?" Eraser asked. Izuno had to take a moment so he could finish his protein bar before he continued.

"I witnessed it first hand," he said and stuffed the empty wrapper in one of his pockets.

"You witnessed her Quirk? Did she try to use it on you?"

"Yes, but it didn't work the way she wanted to and I got out of it. She needs me to trust her for some reason," his voice was low and he didn't want to give him time to ask more questions about it so he switched topics.

"Misao also had two lackeys with her. One could transform into other people and the other one didn't use her Quirk from what I can recall," he said and put his mask back up and turned to Eraser. He seemed to have a contemplative look on his face. He rubbed at his stubble and hummed in thought.

"Anyways, my plan is simple. I go in there to draw her out. She wants me. She'll come for me and then we jump her when the time is right," Izuno said simply with a shrug of his shoulders.

"You're going to be the bait in this scenario?" Eraser Head lifted an eyebrow at Izuno.

"She's the one that knows me. She's the one that wants me. I have to be," Izuno cocked his head to the side. "I'll lead her out of the front of the building and you grab her then."

"How are you going to get in?" Eraser asked, crossing his arms.

Izuno patted himself down for the key in his right pocket. He pulled it out and showed him with a big grin hiding underneath the mask.

"How did you get the key to this place?" Eraser was full of questions that night.

"Irrelevant," he said before launching himself down off the roof that wasn't all that tall. He rolled to a stop and jumped back up heading to the back door.

Once inside, Izuno walked through the building locating any and all cameras in the ceiling corners and began waving at them assuming they were still working. He assumed right when a red light turned on underneath one of the cameras and started to follow his movements.

Good, they knew that he was there. It wouldn't be long until they sent Misao over to collect him.

And he was right.

Only ten minutes passed from when he entered the building to when Misao entered the building. That must have meant that where she was located was somewhere nearby. Either by walking distance or driving distance. He would have his answer soon.

Izuno could feel the anticipation in his chest. He had probably one chance not to mess up his plan.

"You've changed your mind, child?" Misao closed the front door behind her but didn't make an attempt to move closer to him. She was being cautious. She didn't quite believe him so he was going to have to make her believe. So annoying.

It was also possible that they knew that he had different parts of himself because one of the twins the other day said 'it's the other one' as if they knew it wasn't Izuku and in fact Izuno. Which just added another layer of complication. He was going to have to pretend to be Izuku for a moment.

So fucking annoying.

"I d-didn't want to fight anymore," he fake stuttered making his voice sound higher and weaker than how he normally talked.

Do I really sound like that?

Izuno only smirked underneath the mask answering Izuku's question. He made sure the smirk didn't reach his eyes.

"Oh, Izuku. We don't have to fight anymore. You can come home," she seemed to ultimately relax once she heard the fake Izuku voice come out of his mouth.

Hook.

She walked over to him and embraced him quickly into a hug as if she were his real sister. It was kind of nice for a moment until he remembered the predicament that he was in. Nevertheless, he hugged back firmly in order to sell it.

Line.

"C-can't wait to see m-mom and dad," he breathed into her shoulder and immediately felt her body go rigid.

Sinker?

No! Our parents in the memories are dead!

Well shit.

"You're not Izuku, are you?" Ina pulled away from him and looked him straight in the eyes.

He blew it. It was over.

He took a moment to panic before he remembered something important.

Izuku! Go get Izumi! We need her Quirk!

Uh, okay!

Izuku backed away from the big window that acted as the eyes of his body. He could see the confusion and realization on Ina's face before he sped out of the room.

When he left the room, he realized that he was in the apartment he used to live at. Rows of doors ran down an outside corridor and it was sunny.

His feet gently padded down the hallway as he reviewed the placards on the doors he passed. There was an apartment for Izubay, Izuno, someone named Izuha whose door was heavily padded with chains, and there was even one for him. He hadn't remembered ever visiting it but he would explore at a later date. He had a mission and he was going to get it done.

When he stopped at Izumi's door, he lifted his hand to knock but the door was already swinging open. The doorway revealed an adult woman with short curly green hair that fell down to her shoulders. She looked a lot like him but if she were older and a woman. He blinked at her in awe.

"I'm assuming I am needed?" she asked eloquently and Izuku could only manage a hard swallow and a nod.

"Follow me. You'll want to see how my Quirk works," she said and quickly moved past him leading the way back to the leasing office where the main room was. Izuku sauntered after her wondering why there was a woman in his brain. Did that make him a woman too? It was very confusing.

When they got back in front of the window eyes they could see how things had escalated since their absence. Izumi cursed under her breath as she watched for a moment before taking her chance to switch with him.

"Of course I'm not Izuku. You think I'm as weak and spineless as him? Don't make me laugh."

"Which one are you then?" Ina asked taking a step back from Izuno.

"How could you possibly know that there are multiples of us?" Izuno accused, narrowing his eyes at her. Ina's expression was schooled, cool, and collected.

—

Reiterate.

Wait no! I need answers dammit!

—

"You've changed your mind, child?" Ina closed the front door behind her but didn't make an attempt to move closer to him. She was being cautious. She didn't quite believe him so Izumi was going to have to make her believe.

"Y-you're my sister. Of c-course I had to."

Come on, do I really sound like that? Really?

Izuku groaned inside his mind when he heard the voice that Izumi was putting on. He could feel Izuno laughing at him.

"I d-didn't want to fight anymore," she fake stuttered making his voice sound higher and weaker than how she normally talked.

"Oh, Izuku. We don't have to fight anymore. You can come home," she seemed to ultimately relax once she heard the fake Izuku voice come out of his mouth.

 She walked over to him and embraced him quickly into a hug as if she were his real sister. She hugged back firmly in order to sell it.

"I wish m-mom and dad w-were here," Izumi stuttered and felt Ina pet the back of his head in comfort.

"I know child. I know," she breathed.

"I-I'm tired of being h-homeless. I want to g-go home and e-eat," Izumi pulled back, a pleading look on Izuku's face.

"Then let's go do that, shall we? How does katsudon sound?" she asked and Izumi had to force a smile on her face. How did she know about Izuku's favorite food? She also knew about their different "states". Something wasn't adding up and Izumi didn't have all of the puzzle pieces yet.

Misao spun around and wrapped an arm around Izumi's shoulder leading them to the front door as if afraid she would run again.

"Would you like to help me make it tonight?" Misao asked once they were out of the restaurant but Izumi didn't have time to answer before a gray scarf wrapped around Ina's midsection with an audible 'oof'.

"What is this?" she practically wailed and Izumi jumped out of the way. Eraser Head jumped down from the top of the building across the way and pulled tightly on his scarf but it didn't have the effect he thought it would have.

Slime started to secrete out of Misao's skin. There was a horrible squelching sound as Misao's torso began to break down into slime and reform without the scarf being around her. The scarf dropped to the ground piling around her feet.

"It's the shape shifter twin!" Izumi called to Eraser and the slime girl bolted down the street as fast as she could. "Wrap her legs!" Izumi shouted as she raced after him.

Eraser Head obliged and struck out his weapon wrapping her solid legs up and knocking her to the floor.

He pounced on her and pinned her down to the floor, his capture weapon still around her legs. As Izumi ran up to them she could see how much the twin was struggling. And then she saw something else.

Their mother. Underneath Eraser Head.

Not again.

"Izuku Midoriya!" their fake mother shouted and pointed to the seemingly small boy. Izumi felt her blood run cold. He was going to catch on. He wasn't stupid.

"Izuku how dare you disobey your mother!" she screeched and it made Izumi wince.

"Your mother?" Eraser looked over to Izumi with something in his expression that she couldn't identify.

"She's obviously not my mom. She's not a shape shifter," Izumi gestured to the floor where her fake mother lied.

"Is Izuku Midoriya your real name?" he asked, sternly.

Crap.

—

Reiterate.

—

Izumi felt the normal weighted pull inside her head from her Quirk as fake Misao wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Would you like to help me make it tonight?" Ina asked once they were out of the restaurant but Izumi didn't have time to answer before a gray scarf wrapped around Ina's midsection with an audible 'oof'.

Knowing what was going to happen next, Izumi quickly ducked down and wrapped her hands around the knees of the fake Ina. She forcefully pulled, buckling her knees and Izumi jumped on her as quickly as she could.

Izumi put weight on the twin's legs and watched as Misao transformed into their mother. The wicked smile on her face triggered Izuno to switch with Izumi, a new blooming expression of malice on his face. He curled his fingers into a fist and raised it.

It was a quick switch. One that left him with a little bit of whiplash but he carried on the best he could.

"Izu—!"

Izuno brought his fist down hard onto his mother's face but all he felt was the slime oozing between his fingers. It was cold and wet but not sticky. It was quite gross. His mother's face deflated for a second until he raised his hand again.

"If you say anything about my identity, I swear I will figure out a way to spread your slime all over the concrete," Izuno threatened in a whisper and for a moment there was a flash of fear in his fake mother's eyes. It was deeply gratifying.

"Hello to you too Blood Let user," his fake mother grinned and it send shivers down his spine. How did she know the name of his Quirk? It wasn't registered. How did she know it was him again? How did she know Izuku's favorite meal? How did she know that they were multiple?

He went to bring his fist down onto her again but was stopped when Eraser wrapped his scarf around his wrist. Izuno grunted and tried to break free of it once before ultimately deciding that it wasn't worth it. The scarf released his arm when he put it down.

Eraser had already jumped down from his spot and was walking over to them.

"It's the shape shifter twin. Not Misao," Izuno grumbled and relaxed his hands. His fake mother started laughing underneath him like a mad woman. It was deeply unsettling.

"Of course she would send me instead! We knew it was a set up!" his fake mother barked. Izuno looked up at Eraser who had Quirk nullifying cuffs in his hands.

"Put it on her ankles. Her arms will slide right out of them," he instructed and Eraser clasped the cuffs onto her ankles returning her face back into her normal slime face.

She was laughing maniacally as Eraser dialed a number on his phone. Izuno still sat on her legs so she couldn't get up as panic rose in his chest.

She was going to be taken in and questioned and he just had to trust that she was scared of him enough to not reveal who he was.

Then there was the possibility that she would reveal his identity. He didn't want to think about it but he had to.

We should avoid Eraser Head for the next few days. Izumi instructed.

Izuno rolled his eyes at the obvious statement and looked down at the slime girl who was grinning ear to ear. Literally. Her slime smile stretched unnaturally to her slime ears that was underneath her slime hair. It was uncanny.

Okay, what was the worst possible outcome if Eraser did figure out who he was? He could run again and move a couple cities away. He could deny that it is him. There was no way he would try and reveal his identity. He didn't seem like that kind of man. But he did seem like the kind of man to keep pestering him about identity.

He tried to push away the thought. He tried to push away the sudden fear but it was incessant. He had to get control on his emotions.

"Are you safe, kid?"

Izuno quickly looked up at Eraser who was now looming over him.

"What are you talking about?" Izuno asked, narrowing his eyes up at the hero.

"At home, I mean. Are you safe there?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

Izuno thought back to what he told him the night before. That his father beat the training into him. He cursed himself out in his mind. He shouldn't have revealed that information. He was going to have to be more careful.

"Yeah," he said simply like it was obvious. Eraser Head didn't seem satisfied by his answer.

"Are you telling the truth? What about your dad?" he pressed and Izuno could feel the slime girl giggling underneath him.

"He left a long time ago," he said vaguely unable to stop himself and Eraser only lifted his eyebrow at that. Great so now he knew he was dadless. What more could go wrong?

He could feel Izubay's fear tug at his mind and spread to him. It was annoying. He hated feeling scared and he hated it even more when it wasn't his own fear. He hated the way other parts of himself could influence how he felt. Fear made him weak. Being scared threw him off his game. He needed to leave.

"Where are you going?" Eraser asked when Izuno stood up off of the slime girl.

"Home. You want to follow me? Oh wait, you can't," Izuno snickered to himself and glanced down at the slime girl who still held a sickened smile. "Have fun with the aftermath. Ciao Eraser," Izuno did a two finger salute before breaking off into a run down the street. He could vaguely hear a sigh come from Eraser before he got too far.

That was a close one.

"We're not out of the woods yet. We just have to hope the slime bitch is as scared of me as she seemed," Izuno heavily breathed as he turned the corner.

Izubay's fear was very aggravating by the time they got to the parking garage. It was so persistent that Izubay accidentally switched with Izuno and was left with a weird pain in his shoulder and fear that could cripple a rhino.

Big fat tears burst down his face like a hose as soon as he was in sight of the convertible. Sobs wracked his chest like an earthquake as he pulled open the back door of the car. He settled into the backseat and curled in on himself hugging his knees close to his chest.

His shoulder hurt, he was hungry, and he felt so sticky and dirty. How was he going to clean himself? He couldn't risk going to a public bath in fear of being recognized if he was actually deemed missing. There were public outside showers at the Takoba beach but it was so gunked up with junk and trash that it wasn't guaranteed to even be working. Still, it was the best idea he had, so he made it a point to tell the others in his head that they should try to shower there in the morning before going to the cafe to do schoolwork.

Izubay felt so weak and so small. He missed his mom. He missed having a home. He missed having a full belly. He missed a lot of things that couldn't be anymore and it tore him apart.

He could feel his chest breaking with each rib quaking sob. He didn't both trying to be quiet. No one was around and the car muffled the sound anyways. No one would care if they did stumble upon him. No one was going to care.

"I want my mom!" he practically screamed into the back of the seats as he hiccuped and shook.

He didn't hear anyone in his mind retaliate against his behavior. It was warranted.

So they all just let him cry himself to sleep.

—

Shota stood behind Naomasa inside of a small interrogation room at the station with his arms crossed. He was given special permission to sit in on the interrogation.

Naomasa was sitting at a small table across the slime girl accomplice with his hands folded on top of the table. The slime girl was smiling at him creepily.

"Before we begin, I am inclined to tell you how my Quirk works. It is called Lie Detector. Self explanatory right? I can essentially tell if you're lying just by hearing your response so I suggest you stick to the truth and nothing but the truth. Am I clear?"

The slime girl's face dropped for a moment before it became a little more sinister. Naomasa didn't want to think about what that could mean. The slime girl nodded and waited for him to ask his first question.

"What is your name?" he asked, opening up his notebook and setting the pen tip on the page.

There was a long moment of silence that hung between all three of them. Shota was glaring at the slime girl and she was glaring at Naomasa with a smile. She didn't answer. Naomasa sighed and scribbled something down in his notebook.

"Do you work for a woman named Ina Misao?" he moved on and studied her face carefully. It didn't change and she didn't answer. That smile paired with a glare was getting on his nerves.

"Are you working as Quirk trafficker?" he asked, not really expecting a response.

"Izuku Midoriya," she said quietly, the smile still playing on her lips. Naomasa froze and looked over to Shota for a moment who was still glaring at her.

"What do you know about him?" Naomasa pivoted.

"He's a lot closer than you think," she said in a sing song voice before laughing hysterically.

Truth.

She was avoiding answering the question head on in order to work around his Quirk. She was smart.

"Do you have him?" Naomasa asked pointedly.

"No."

Truth.

"What do you know about him?" he asked instead and she only shrugged her shoulders. Irritating.

"Are you after him for his Quirk?"

"Who's to say?"

"Do you know what his Quirk is?"

"Yes."

Truth.

"What do you plan on doing with him?" It was a shot in the dark. He knew she wasn't going to answer and she didn't. She just smiled at him while kicking her feet back and forth in her chair.

Naomasa sighed and scribbled something else in his notebook before closing it. He placed a hand on his notebook and looked up at Shota.

Shota seemed to understand what Naomasa was nonverbally saying and nodded. They weren't going to get anything more out of this woman. That much was clear.

Naomasa stood up from his seat and nodded at the door to Shota who followed him out of the room leaving the slime woman to her own maniacal devices.

"Who's Izuku Midoriya?" Shota asked him once the door was closed. It was a good thing the room was sound proof. They both looked through the two way mirror window at the slime woman who was still smiling and seemed to look at them even though inside the room all she could see was herself in the mirror.

"He's a kid that was reported missing recently. I'm leaning more towards it being a child abandonment case and that the kid is homeless," Naomasa explained and watched as Shota tiredly rubbed his stubble.

"She knows exactly where he is, doesn't she?" Shota asked.

Naomasa took this into consideration for a moment. "She said he's a lot closer than we think as if it were code for something. And it was the truth. Unfortunately that seems to be all we can go off of. We're not going to get anything more out of her. She knows how to get around my Quirk," Naomasa shook his head in frustration.

Shota grunted and looked back over to the slime woman who was still smiling at them. It gave Shota the shivers.

Somehow the Quirk trafficking ring and Izuku Midoriya was connected. He was going to have to get another detective's help in order to get the information out of her that they needed and that would be no easy feat.

"I'll make sure she gets back to her cell. You're free to leave," Naomasa told Shota who nodded slowly as if still thinking about what the slime woman said. "I'll find out her name easy enough and then we can go from there," Naomasa added and then paused. "Have you uncovered anything else about Hellion?"

Shota shook his head slowly in disappointment. "All I know is that he said he was being targeted by the Quirk traffickers. That's how he was able to lure one of them out."

"He was also being targeted? Why didn't you say that sooner?" A look of realization overtook his expression and he made direct eye contact with Shota as if to relay what he was thinking on his face.

"Wait, you don't think—"

"I do," Naomasa interrupted with a careful nod.

Maybe he was closer than they thought.