Archive of Our Own

Standing in front of the old building, the large shadow it cast loomed over him almost threateningly.

The teen swallows down hard, tightening his grip from his bag strap. He had to go in, he had to find his friend.

Izuku sucks in a deep breath, checking through his stuff one last time. He had the old map for the mall complex he’d found online stored in his phone. He had his flashlight, some food, some emergency medical equipment like bandages, and a spare battery to switch to in case his phone ran out. Closing the bag Izuku puts it back on, swallowing down hard again and putting on a determined face

He’d heard from Uraraka that Todoroki-kun came here every now and then, usually at a specific date.

He’d done so during this weekend too apparently but hadn’t come back to the dorms after a few hours like he normally would according to her. Nobody had seen him in three days in fact. Everybody else had just assumed he’d gone home and stayed there, as their quiet classmate often did that unannounced.

Yet Izuku had felt something was off and seeing how Uraraka had been fidgeting uneasily ever since Shoto had not come back the next day he’d left, the teen couldn’t stop and shake the feeling something was going on. He’d finally asked her if she knew something, and the girl had admitted she did.

”There’s that old mall complex at the edge of the town northeast, the abandoned one because the owners couldn’t afford repairing the place since it got partially destroyed during an earthquake ten years ago. Todoroki-kun goes there three times a year; twice in January - one being his birthday - and once during this month, usually on weekends so he won’t skip classes.”

  ”Why?”

  ”I don’t know. It feels like he’s looking for something. I don’t think he should be going there at all, though.”

  ”Why not? Other than its probably dangerous since the building is in disrepair.”

Uraraka had gone quiet for a long moment, just sitting at her desk, gazing at her hands resting on her lap.

”Tokoyami-kun says the building is haunted. That it is filled with spirits of those who perished during that disaster. Those spirits can be malicious.”

  ”Do you...believe that?”

Izuku hadn’t questioned her because of disbelief, for he did have a strong intuition that there was some truth to the idea of spirits. After all, he was friends with Todoroki, whose family was an avid believer of the spirit world. He’d been more concerned about the malicious part.

”.....I’ve heard stories that bad things happen to people who go near it. Todoroki-kun came back fine the last few times he went, so I thought maybe Tokoyami-kun was exaggerating, but now....I have a bad feeling about this.”

That afternoon, he’d dug out everything he could find about the complex, wondering whenever Tokoyami had been right. He did find lot of articles talking about some unusual activity in the area, seeing ghostly figures in the old windows, some people claiming they’d heard voices once inside. Laughing, singing, crying; the kind of things you’d usually have with ghost stories. Some claimed to have seen a figure stare at them in the distance, or through the window.

As Shoto hadn’t returned the next day either with their classes resuming, Izuku had decided to head out there. Shoto would not skip classes like this, and everybody was now wondering where he was too. Their teacher would probably call his home to check if he was there once the day was over.

He’d also been having really bad nightmares that night.

They’d mostly been flashes, he couldn’t really remember what happened in them exactly, other than they left the teen anxious over his friend’s whereabouts.

 Sure, he could’ve just informed the authorities that they suspected their friend might’ve been trapped inside the old mall, but...if the ghost stories were true, the boy worried he’d just end up putting more people in danger.  What’s more, if Shoto wasn’t there and turned out to be okay, he’d have wasted everyone’s time. Besides, his mother also  knew a thing or two about spirits, and had a lot of protection charms in their house, which he’d taken with him as well.

He’d just.... look around and make sure.

If he found nothing and Shoto still didn’t return tomorrow despite being a diligent student, Izuku would notify the authorities about it.

The boy clutches his bag straps even more, hesitantly walking closer towards the partially open door. It was stuck that way, unable to close properly and allowing him to squeeze through and enter into the building. It was dark and dusty inside, with walls and some shop windows covered in graffiti. There was some trash laying around as well, indicating some people did dare to venture in there and bring snacks. The air was cold and still, further adding to the eerie atmosphere.

Izuku swallows down hard, shifting his bag off briefly to dig out his flashlight, as it was clear that despite it being daytime, he’d need the light to navigate the old building.

After pushing the backpack back into place, Izuku turns the flashlight on, looking around briefly. Some shops had caved in roofs and couple of staircases to upper level were broken, but it was still in a surprisingly good condition overall. It was a shame the place couldn’t be restored, as it must’ve once been a lively place that employed a lot of people.

”Uhm....I-if there are spirits lingering here. I do not wish to disturb you. I’m just looking for my friend.”

Izuku states politely into the darkness with a stuttering voice, bowing for good measure. Being polite with spirits according to mum was always preferable, but you never knew. Especially if Tokoyami was right and they were hostile kind.

Still. Better safe than sorry.

He starts navigating through the building, his steps echoing from the walls as he did so. It was really unnerving, and Izuku began to wonder of going alone was a bad idea. He’d considered asking Uraraka or perhaps Tokoyami to join him, but the former seemed really spooked by the place, and latter was out of town with his family.

”Maybe this is a terrible idea, but...here I am now.”

The boy chuckles nervously to himself, checking the map on his phone again to try and figure out where to go. Uraraka had given him a rough idea as to what part exactly Shoto usually went to; there was apparently an old indoor fountain somewhere in the building that he visited. Problem was there were three of them actually, one in the lowest floor, one in the second, and last one was in the fourth top floor.

”I guess....I guess I should start from the bottom, huh?”

Izuku muses out, noting he wasn’t too far away from it.

Focused on his map, the boy doesn’t notice something red peering at him from the darkness, reflected on the dirty old window of the nearby store front.

Reaching the fountain, Izuku observes a couple of things right away. One, there was no Todoroki in sight. Two, the fountain actually had water in it, and looking up he could see why; there happened to be a hole in the roof right above the spot, likely allowing rainwater to gather into the old structure overtime. Izuku breathes out a sigh, peeking at the dark water lingering on the old fountain. It was kind of dirty and had some leaves and sticks floating on it, unsurprisingly. Checking all around the spot, he could not see any clues about Shoto being there, so this fountain likely wasn’t the one he supposedly visited.

”I guess....fountain number two it is.”

The teen mutters out, bringing his phone up to check the map and see where the second one would be. Suddenly, a chill runs down his spine, and the boy could’ve sworn he heard footsteps somewhere in the distance. Izuku whips around, bringing up his flashlight to look around spooked. There was nobody around. Maybe he was just imagining things?

”Hello?”

He calls out into the darkness, gaining no response.

Right, he probably just imagined it.

Checking his map, the boy notes the closest stairs leading to the next floor were also nearby. He starts heading to the direction, only to hear those footsteps again. The teen freezes and listens, noting the sound had stopped again.

”H-hello? Is somebody there?”

He asks again, but the building stays silent. Swooping around with his flashlight, Izuku couldn’t see anything, other than his reflection in some windows. Maybe...maybe those steps belonged to a spirit then?

”I’m sorry if my presence bothers you. I just...I just want to check all the fountains. My friend might be in one of them. I promise I’ll leave right after!”

Part of him wanted to do it right now, but he had to keep going. If Shoto was injured or so, he’d have to go and find him. Izuku turns and continues to walk hesitantly, noting he could no longer hear those footsteps. If it was a spirit, perhaps they’d accepted his explanation, or...or were just waiting for an opportunity. The boy shudders and shakes his head, trying to stay focused. It all could still just be an urban legend, and this place’s spooky atmosphere was getting to him.

Disappearing behind a corner, the red eyes were still watching the teen venture deeper into the dusty darkness, head tilting curiously.

Reaching the next floor proved to be tricky, as most passageways were broken down or blocked. Izuku finds himself passing through an old clothing store to reach the only intact staircase on the other wing of the building, as the main hallway connecting the two halves was blocked by a roof collapse. The shop still had some old clothes in it, coating the place in the musky scent of old, moldy canvas. The teen looks around for a bit, trying to locate where the other entrance to the shop was.

Something suddenly catches his eye, and the teen whips around, nearly jumping out from his skin as he sees somebody stare back at him through the darkness.

It soon turns out it was just his reflection in an old dusty mirror, making Izuku chuckle awkwardly.

”Well, this was embarrassing.”

The teen mutters out and checks his phone again; the map did mark which side the doors to each shop were, even if they didn’t show the exact layout of each store.

Then, he hears the footsteps again.

Izuku looks behind him but couldn’t see anything, and the footsteps had stopped as soon as he looked up. The boy swallows down hard, slowly turning to look back at his map.

There, he heard it again, footsteps, this time closer.

Izuku whips around with eyes wide, pointing his flashlight towards the sound. There was nothing of course.

”M-maybe I should just...”

He turns back towards the mirror and freezes in place upon seeing his reflection.

There was a figure standing further back behind him.

It was tall and lanky, with ragged long white-ish or bluish hair, and... what looked like a hand shaped gas mask covering its face. Rest of the figure’s body was cloaked in shifting black mass, that occasionally looked like a hooded coat. There was something strangely familiar about it, but the sense of Déjà vu is quickly overtaken by pure fear.

Izuku tries to move, but his body was frozen in fear.

Tokoyami was right, there were spirits here!

Beeping sound coming from his phone makes the boy look towards it briefly, noting there was a text from Uraraka. As cold chill travels down his spine, Izuku looks back up, realizing the figure was now closer. He had to move, he had to leave the store before...

A sudden sound from somewhere further away makes him jump, and Izuku reflexively turns his head towards it; had some new part somewhere collapsed, or did somebody enter the building?

As his gaze returns back to the mirror, the figure was now standing right behind him, and the teen let’s out a tiny terrified ’eep,’ unable to move a muscle. There was a feeling of cold brushing against his back, and he watches as the strange figure tilts its head slowly to the side, as if examining him behind that macabre mask through the mirror.

Another sound, this time closer.

Now it sounded like somebody was running.

There were loud banging noises next, and a thud as if somebody fell down.

The strange paralysis holding his body still disappears, and Izuku stumbles back, noting the spirit had disappeared. The teen just stands there with his chest heaving, before the noise from before gains his attention again. He could hear someone talking, and this time it definitely sounded like a living person. Izuku slowly inches back towards the entrance way he’d entered from, peeking from between the mannequins on the store window to see what was going on.

There was a man laying on the ground, bleeding from his head.

He’d been shot.

Izuku’s eyes widen in utter shock, and he soon sees two men rush there, both wearing masks. One of them was holding a gun, indicating he’d been the one to shoot whoever the body belonged to.

”Damn it! I wasn’t supposed to kill him.”

”Good work idiot, Boss will be mad about this.”

The taller figure reprimands his companion, making the gun totting guy with a curlier hair flinch. He then seems to look towards Izuku’s direction, and the boy quickly dives down to the floor, his heart beating rapidly in his chest.

Did he just...did he just witness a murder?

”H-hey, Chrono-san, I think I saw a kid in that store.”

Izuku freezes completely, fear entering straight back into his system.

”You’re just imagining things. Nobody comes to this place anymore because of the rumors its haunted.”

”W-what if the kid I saw was a ghost?”

”Then pray the brat won’t drag you to join them. Grab his body, let’s bring it upstairs janitorial area to dispose of it through the old trash chute. The downstairs one no longer works as the maintenance area here collapsed.”

”Do we really have to venture in this place..?”

”Your fault that we have to do so. Start moving!”

Izuku remains dead quiet and still, waiting for the pair to leave the area. He knew he’d have to move, as this was the only way left to go upstairs. He should probably just get out, but...if Shoto was up there, those guys could find him. He eventually dares to peek through the window, the only thing left being a trail of blood from the corpse.

The teen forces himself up, and swiftly heads towards the other entrance to go up.

He had to find Shoto before those guys did. They could probably use emergency exit to slip out before those men noticed - hopefully at least. This was a bad idea, but he had to. He couldn’t risk it, seeing how those guys just murdered someone in cold blood in front of him. Climbing up the stairs, Izuku eventually reaches the second floor, briefly checking his map to see where the next fountain was. It was some distance away, in the other section opposite of this one. The teen swallows down hard, starting to hurry into that direction, only to realize his running steps would echo from the walls and likely alert the two men once they headed this way.

He was forced to walk, try to make as little noise as possible.

Walking across the abandoned hallways of the mall, Izuku tries to keep himself calm, despite now being twice as fearful. Ghosts were one thing, but living, evil humans were another. Thinking back on the pair he’d seen, Izuku began to suspect perhaps they were Yakuzas. Something about the pair just sort of reminded him of those documentaries he’d seen about crime families.

If that was true, he really was in trouble.

Izuku soon spots the next fountain, this one was empty of water as there was no hole above to allow it to be filled. What’s more, this time he does spot something odd; there was a burnt-out candle sitting at the seating part attached to the old fountain. Examining it, Izuku quickly recognizes it as one of the kinds he’d seen in the photos of Todoroki’s dorm room showcasing his family. His mother apparently made candles as a hobby and sometimes sold them, so their house was filled with all kinds. This was one of the simpler ones, but definitely made by Todoroki’s mother, it even had her signature in the bottom.

So Todoroki had been here, but...where was he now?

Izuku looks around but couldn’t spot any signs of his classmate.

What’s more, he could now hear footsteps heading his way, as well as someone talking. It was the taller man of the pair, they were heading this way!

Izuku looks around frantic, his eyes spotting the partially open door of a staff room nearby. He sprints to it and closes the door behind him as quietly as he could, listening in as the pair reaches the area he’d just been in. He’d turned off his flashlight to not alert the men to his presence with the light that could perhaps be seen through the crack at the bottom of the door.

”.....they say the spirits here will kill you if you bother ’em, or curse your family. We shouldn’t be here Chrono-san!”

”Will you shut it already you coward. There are no spirits, just your own imagination.”

”B-but...”

”Besides, like I told you, its your own fault for failing to capture him alive. We can’t just drag his body back to the car, people would notice.”

Izuku listens in on the conversation tensely, eventually backing away from the door quietly as it sounded like the men had stopped nearby to continue their argument. There was no other way out, so all he could do was wait for them to pass. He should probably check if his map showed where the trash disposal was, that way he could try and avoid the pair.

Another chill travels down his spine the next second however, and Izuku looks behind him, not seeing anything unusual at first. There was a large full body mirror in the corner, slightly illuminated by the light coming through the partially broken window, but it was only showcasing his reflection. Izuku backs away further into the room, noting that it was starting to feel...warmer, all of a sudden? The initial chill was replaced by steadily climbing warmth, which was odd considering the broken window let wind inside.

Finally, he sees it.

There was a black figure sitting at the desk in the corner, blue glowing eyes staring at him. This figure seemed to be covered in an aura that almost looked like...flames. Had there been a fire when the building partially collapsed? Probably.

Izuku swallows down hard, glancing towards the door. He couldn’t make a sound or he’d be spotted by the two, but the boy also felt like this spirit was much more hostile then the previous apparition he’d seen. The temperature in the room increased, making him sweat lightly. There was a sound behind him, and turning, Izuku spots the whiteboard on the wall near the mirror, noting words had been...burned into it.

WHY ARE YOU HERE

Izuku swallows down hard, slowly turning to look back at the shadowy figure, still glaring at him from the corner it was seated in. It sounded like a demand, but Izuku was too scared to talk.

The figure suddenly appears closer, and the teen scrambles back, feeling himself collide against the old mirror, green eyes wide. The figure was still mostly shadows with blue under shine, but he could spot a roughly male looking shape beneath, that looked horridly scarred. A burn victim of sorts. That question was now echoing in his mind, loud enough to give him a headache. It almost felt like his brain itself was being burned with the anger behind that echo.

”I just....c-came to find my friend! I didn’t mean to intrude!”

”What was that?!”

A voice from behind the door speaks, and Izuku freezes, realizing he’d spoken too loudly. The shadowy figure turns his head sharply towards the door as well, making the burning sensation in his mind ease.

”Chrono-san I’m telling you! Don’t go inside it might be a ghost!”

”Shut up and stay back.”

Oh no, one of them was going to enter!

What should he....

The spirit suddenly looks back at him, then his gaze seems to lift, looking....behind him?

A row of what seemed to be white teeth appear into the misty form, indicating the spirit was grinning for some reason. That’s when a sense of vertigo hits him, and Izuku suddenly spots a pair of arms appearing from behind him somehow. They wrap around him and forcefully yank the teen back, with cold hand covering his mouth before he could yelp or make a sound. He gets pulled into the mirror, finding himself in a shadowy realm of sorts, held by the hand mask wearing ghost, who was still covering his mouth with his cold, pale hand. Izuku was now certain this spirit was also male, but that observation didn’t really matter.

He could still see the other side through the rectangular opening that was the mirror, and watches the fiery spirit disappear just as one of the men opens the door with his weapon ready, examining the seemingly empty room.

Izuku felt absolutely terrified, watching the man keenly search every corner, even looking at the mirror couple of times.

He didn’t seem to be able to see him though, but that wasn’t exactly much of a relief, given the cold arms still firmly wrapped around him.

”....Tsch. As expected, you were just imagining things again.”

The man comments and heads back out, slamming the door closed behind him. Izuku wasn’t sure how much longer he was trapped in the ghost’s hold, but eventually he could feel it loosen, and he gets shoved back out from the mirror, coughing as if emerging from underwater. Both spirits were now gone, the mirror only showcasing his own reflection.

Izuku slowly sits up, just staring at himself as he processes what just happened.

Did...did that spirit just....help him hide?

Why?

Why had the other one disappeared as soon as that man had stepped in?

It had seemed ready to attack somebody....

Turning his gaze towards the whiteboard, the burned words were gone now, replaced by graffiti that had likely been there before. As Izuku scrambles up to examine it more closely however, he realizes the ’graffiti’ was actually...a map.

”What...?”

He pulls out his phone to cross-reference with his own, noting that the map in question matched the one he had, namely the floor the last fountain was in. There was a spot marked on the map too, though it did not seem to be the said fountain.

Did...did the ghosts write that?

Or was it there before?

Izuku shakes his head, swallowing down hard as he tries to decide what to do next. He checks his map to see where those men were likely headed, and notes the fountain was in a different direction, whereas the spot marked on the map was nearby their likely destination. The teen swallows down hard, taking a hesitant photo of the drawn map. He’d…he’d first check the fountain. Hopefully those two would be gone by the time he ventured there. It would probably be impolite not to go to that spot, if it was marked by the ghost.

It could be a trap though…

Izuku peeks out from the door, noting the two were gone. Only sign they were there were the few minor drips of blood from the victim the other man was carrying. He slips out and heads to the direction of the staircase closest to him that would lead up. He would have to go through the entire third floor first, before reaching the last fountain.

Izuku soon finds the staircase and starts walking up, his steps echoing a bit too loudly for his liking. The boy keeps glancing behind him, but could not see anything, ghosts or yakuzas alike. He eventually reaches upstairs, noting this floor was mostly old restaurants. He could still smell hints of rotten food, which, given how long it had been since the place was abandoned, was perhaps a bit odd. Then again, haunted places worked weirdly.

Walking across the main hallway hesitantly, Izuku notes much to his frustration that the main hallway there was also blocked by a huge chunk of roof. He’d have to find another way past it. Looking down at his map, the boy notes there were couple of restaurants that had doors for both this hallway and the one crossing with it on the other side of the blockage; that one would lead him to the fountain.

Sudden noise startles him, and Izuku quickly dashes to hide in the nearest restaurant, switching off his flashlight and peeking out of the restaurant window.

Were the two men heading this way after all?

But…wasn’t the janitorial space of this floor in a different direction?

Izuku checks his map to make sure, and he seemed to be right. Was their shortest path blocked?

While musing over the situation, the boy could hear something from behind him. A faint sound, emanating from somewhere within this restaurant.

It sounded like…a girl, or a woman? He couldn’t tell the age from the voice. They were humming a song of some sort, song he didn’t recognize. Izuku gets up slowly, inching towards the sound. It was probably a bad idea, but if it was a living person, he’d have to warn them about the Yakuzas in the building.

It was coming from the restaurant’s kitchen. Izuku peeks in there through the door but couldn’t see anything at first.

Then, as his eyes adjust the darkness, he spots it; there was a figure sitting on the floor in the corner, still humming that song, occasionally giggling. The boy leans closer, trying to see if the person looked normal, or…

Unfortunately, he leans a bit too far and stumbles, opening the door loudly. The figure snaps their head around in a manner that was clearly unnatural, yellow cat-like eyes peering at him. She was surrounded with what seemed to be old kitchen knives, and was holding one of them.

It was clearly not a human, Izuku could tell. Another ghost.

He quickly backs away from the door as the shadowy figure rose, yellow eyes zeroing in on him. The boy turns and rushes away, tripping on the way against a chair or a table. He drops his flashlight which rolls away from him, alarming the teen even further. He could hear the singing creep closer, so he swiftly hides under the table out of a reflex, curling up to a ball.

The ghost continues to hum her song, moving around the restaurant stealthily, without causing footsteps. She was twirling around almost like she was dancing, peeking behind old booths and walls, searching for him. The knife was still in her hand, glimmering when the light filtering in from outside through the cracks on the walls and roof hit it. Izuku curls up even more, his heartbeat beating rapidly in his chest.

Why did he come here, this was a bad idea!

He should’ve just ignored the singing.

Suddenly a bright light hits his eyes, and Izuku lets out an involuntary yelp, shielding himself. There was a distant, echoing voice of a young girl speaking in his mind, giggling slightly.

“Foooound you!”

Green eyes widen as the table gets lifted in the air, and he realizes the ghost girl was pointing the flashlight at him. All he could really see from her face was a wide, Chesire grin and her yellow eyes. The boy just gets up and sprints away, abandoning his flashlight in the process. He was too scared to even try to get it back, just wanting to get away from the knife wielding spirit.

Izuku wasn’t sure how long he ran, but he eventually stumbles and crashes on the dusty floor, just laying there for a moment, trying to get his breathing back under control. He could no longer hear the singing, indicating she hadn’t at least followed him – for now.

Then. He could hear footsteps again; this place really didn't want to give him a break, huh?

Izuku scrambles up into a siting position, expecting to see the hand masked spirit heading his way from somewhere. Instead, he spots a taller figure walking towards him further ahead. The teen backs away, still too spooked to actually get up and run. The figure comes closer, closer….and suddenly stumbles, falling to the ground headfirst with a loud thud.

“Oww, dammit.”

The boy blinks, slowly realizing that voice belonged to a…living person, probably.

It also wasn’t one of the yakuzas.

The figure gets up slowly rubbing his…snout? Izuku quickly realizes the person was a young mutant, reptilian type. He didn’t have a tail though, like some other people Izuku had seen. Slowly, the teen gets up hesitantly, asking if he was okay. Magenta eyes snap at him surprised, and for a moment the two just stare at each other.

“…..Uh…Why are you here kid? This place is dangerous.”

“I am looking for my friend who visits here. Are you…are you okay sir?”

The person seemed a bit puzzled being called “sir”, but mum had taught him to be polite. Eventually he nods hesitantly, scrambling off the floor and walking to him, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

“Uhm…the name’s Spinner. Well, it’s a nickname, but that’s beside the point.”

“Izuku Midoriya.”

The boy greets him, glancing around hesitantly. There were no signs of any ghosts or the Yakuza. he did admittedly feel a bit better, having somebody alive around him. Still though. The boy looks back at the young mutant who was rubbing his neck as if it hurt from his stumble, telling him frantically that they were in danger.

“Huh?”

“Well, this place is haunted! There’s also two yakuzas here who killed someone!”

“I know it’s haunted, but yakuzas?”

Just as Spinner says that, they could hear chatter further away. Izuku recognizes the voices again and panics slightly, looking around to search for a place to hide. Spinner was looking up towards the direction of the voices, then looks back at him. He seems to understand those voices were bad news, as he suddenly grasps Izuku’s wrist, gesturing him to follow. The pair slips into another restaurant nearby, and they hide behind the wall, with Spinner crouched between him and the entrance.

Once the pair is close enough to be heard, it became clear why they were there.

“Do we really need to go further up? We could just dump the body from the window. There’s nobody around this place anyway.”

“According to the map we found from his pocket, the reason he ran here was because the thing he stole is actually hidden in this place. We would’ve found that out sooner if you hadn’t shot him dead. Thank your luck we didn’t dump him before we found that paper.”

“B-but Chrono-san, it was your idea to hastily dump the body…”

“Quiet.”

They wait for the pair to walk past them and disappear behind the corner, before Izuku dared to let out a breath.

Spinner turns to look at him eventually with a questioning look.

“So…how’d you get mixed into this? Why were you here again?”

“I came to look for a friend who’s missing. Another classmate told me he visits here around this time for some reason. While I was searching, I spotted those two, shooting somebody! I…if they find out I’m here…”

“Okay, that does sound bad. Why didn’t you just leave and call the police?”

“What if they find Shoto if he’s still here? I can’t risk it! I need to find him first!”

Izuku knew Spinner had a point, but…he just…he really felt the need to go find his friend first. The young mutant looks at him for a long moment, before sighing and getting up slowly, offering his hand to him.

“Well, we better stick together then. I know this place like the back of my hand, and since I’m taller I’ll notice those two quicker than you might.”

After a moment of hesitation, Izuku takes his hand and allows himself to be pulled up. He now notes Spinner’s hand was kind of cold, but considering he was a reptilian type of mutant, it wasn’t too surprising as a frog-type mutant Tsu-chan also sometimes had cold limbs.  Amphibians generally had a lower body temperature than average humans.

“So…where exactly do you want to go?”

“Fountain. There’s a fountain in the floor above where my friend might be. I already saw signs that he’d been on the one in this floor but couldn’t see him anywhere.”

“Did you check the area throughout?”

Izuku pauses, glancing towards the direction the stairs down were.

“I….those yakuzas showed up before I could, and then…”

He goes quiet, making Spinner tilt his head confused.

“I….saw a spirit. Two.”

“What kind of spirits were they?”

Izuku looks up at Spinner, noting he was genuinely asking. He soon recalls that the mutant had said he knew the place was haunted…

“A…a fiery one. Really scary and aggressive. He – I think it was he – asked me what I was doing there. T-then the yakuza heard me and entered the room, b-but that hand spirit pulled me into the mirror, so he didn’t spot me. T-there was also this…singing girl in a restaurant! She almost caught me a-and made me drop my flashlight.”

It all came out in one breath, forcing Izuku to suck in a deep one once he was done. Spinner just looks at him for a moment, before chuckling much to his confusion.

“That was Himiko. I don’t blame you for getting scared, she can be a bit freaky the first time you meet her.”

What?

Spinner knew the spirit?

Izuku just stares at him confused, and the young mutant chuckles awkwardly this time around, rubbing his head as he averts his gaze.

“I’ve been here before, so I mostly know the ghosts that linger around. Including all the ones you ran into.”

“W-what?”

Spinner nods, dropping his arm as he gestures him to follow him across the hallway to the opposing old sushi bar. Izuku glances around and rushes after the young mutant, figuring he’d be safer following somebody who knew his way around. His map could help only so much, given it would not show blocked pathways or anything.

“You’ve also met Dabi from the sound of it; “scary, fiery and aggressive” is how I’d describe him too during the first meeting.”

“It felt like he was going to burn me alive.”

Spinner grimaces, opening the door to the kitchen area, leading him past it and out of a back door that seemed to lead to a larger storage area, probably where lot of restaurant equipment for the multiple places on the floor had been stored. It was mostly empty now, apart from some old broken-down dishwashers. Probably either old ones that had been waiting to be shipped out, or replacements waiting to be installed.

“He might. Dabi is the most hostile out of them and might kill people who enter. He usually doesn’t attack kids so easily, though. he just likes to spook them like he did with you.”

“O-oh…”

Izuku wondered what on earth Spinner had seen if he knew about the spirits homicidal side, and how was he able to be so calm about it. The boy began to wonder if following him was a good idea.

“Uh, so I haven’t really seen it personally by the way! The spirits just warned me not to flare his temper or that could happen.”

Spinner rushes to explain as if sensing his thoughts, looking a bit flustered. Izuku just nods after a moment, asking where they were going.

“This leads to an emergency exit that’s still mostly intact; we can sneak into the fourth floor through it without those Yakuza spotting us.”

“O-okay.”

They step into the old staircase, which was pitch black. Izuku looks around hesitantly, wishing he had his flashlight with him. He then gets an idea and digs out his phone. It also had a flashlight; he’d just forgotten about it. Turning it on, the place was illuminated in dim pale light, which didn’t do much to fix the eerie atmosphere. They start heading up in silence, with Izuku noting Spinner didn’t seem as bothered by the darkness as he was. Probably because he’d been here before.

“So…how about the other ghost? The hand one. Why did he help me?”

“That was…Tomura. Or well, that’s the name he gave me. I don’t know if any of these names are their real ones, not that it matters.”

Tomura? That was a strange name, perhaps indeed not the spirit’s original one. Some did choose to go by different names, having forgotten their own.

“He’s…kinda peculiar. Tends to observe anybody who enters for a while, before doing anything. He’s actually more terrifying than Dabi if he wants to be, but he’s not aggressive right away.”

“O-oh…”

Spinner shrugs, stopping in front of a door that had a large four painted on it. He pushes it open carefully, and the pair peeks out. They were at the end of an empty hallway that opened up to the main one with the stores further ahead.

“The fact he helped you hide probably means that he’s not gonna harm you. Maybe he knows where your friend is and wants you to find him.”

“You…you think so?”

Spinner nods as they walk across the hallway, peeking out into the darkness. They couldn’t see anything, other than rows and rows of old shops, this floor had a more mixed selection instead of just restaurants or clothing stores.

“Maybe. He’s not the easiest to read. He might’ve also just taken pity on you when seeing the Yakuzas. he did take pity on me when I first came here.”

Izuku says nothing, just follows Spinner as he leads him across the hallway. They soon spot something ahead of them, an object laying on the ground. The teen’s eyes widen, and he sprints to it, realizing it was…his flashlight?

Why was it in this floor? Considering what he’d seen though, that was probably a stupid question. The teen picks it up, noting that it thankfully still worked.

“What’s that?”

The mutant asks as he walks there, and Izuku shows him his flashlight.

“Ah…Himiko might’ve dropped it while coming to this floor if she took it. Or maybe she left it there on purpose.”

“I…it’s hard to tell if these ghosts are friendly or not.”

Izuku muses out, examining the flashlight in his hand. Spinner shrugs, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

“It depends. Their first impression on you tends to matter. And what kind of day it is. Sometimes they mess around even with me when I come here.”

“Why do you come here exactly?”

Izuku asks as they continue walking, turning on the flashlight to save his phone battery. Spinner remains quiet for a long moment, before breathing out a sigh.

“Loneliness, I guess. I..I’ve never really made friends easily with the living. At least these spirits don’t care how I look like.”

Oh. Izuku was admittedly not too surprised to hear this, even if it made him feel upset; people still tended to be judgmental about mutants, even Tsu-chan sometimes had to deal with less than savory comments.

“W-well, I think you look just fine the way you are!”

Spinner glances at him surprised, then smiles.

“…. Thanks, I appreciate it.”

They eventually reach the fountain, this one also had some water in it, though less than on the first floor. The water stunk pretty bad, indicating it might’ve been the original stuff. Izuku could spot more candles resting on the benches, but there was no sign of Shoto anywhere. He does however, spot something alarming; an old looking bloodstain on the floor. It couldn’t have been from the body the yakuzas were dragging, and it was close to the candles. The boy could spot some drag marks too much to his worry, though they seemed to stop abruptly, as if whoever was dragging the person leaving that stain suddenly stopped.

If that was the case however, whoever had been dragged was gone now.

“What’s up kid?”

“I…I don’t know! What if this is Todoroki’s blood! Where is he?”

Izuku began to feel panic tightening his throat, not knowing what to do now. Should he go to the spot the spirit had marked? What if it was a trap, Spinner had said that one could be lethal and hostile…

“H-hey kid, calm down, you’re panicking!”

Spinner hurries to try and calm him down, but that’s when a sudden sound startles him. The next seconds happen so fast and yet feel like it was in slow motion; the floor beneath Spinner gives away and he falls through the hole that had appeared suddenly beneath his feet, disappearing into the darkness below. Izuku manages to yell out his name, coughing as a dust cloud is kicked into the air thanks to the sudden collapse. once it settles, he rushes to the hole edge, peering down. Spinner was on the floor below, resting on top of a pile of rubble. Thankfully he was moving, and didn’t seem too injured.

“Are you alright?!”

“Y-yeah. I forgot the floor around these parts could be precarious.”

“H-hold on, I should, I could, uh…”

“No no! Stay up there. Stay near the fountain as the floor there’s sturdier. I’ll catch up as there’s staircase nearby.”

Spinner reassures him, glancing somewhere briefly.

Izuku swallows down and nods after a moment, figuring he was right; he did not know this old complex well, and would probably just get lost or injured if the floor could be like this. He watches the young mutant recede from view, before sighing and walking back to the fountain, sitting next to the candles. Izuku had no clue how long he’d have to wait, but he hoped it wouldn’t be too long. Digging out his phone, Izuku checks through his map, trying to reorient himself and figure out where Spinner had fallen to. It seemed to be near the restaurant he’d spotted the girl ghost in, Himiko, was that what Spinner had called her?

A chill runs down his spine and Izuku looks up. He could not see anyone, ghost or a living being alike. That was more likely the wind this time around, blowing through the cracks on the walls. The teen swallows down hard, looking back down to his phone. He hoped Shoto was okay, that bloodstain did not look good. Why did it stop abruptly though? Where was Shoto?

Why did he come here in the first place?

A sound from further away catches his attention, and Izuku realizes it was the pair again. They were heading this way! The teen looks around frantic, trying to figure out what to do; Spinner had told him to wait there, but if he did, he’d be spotted. Having no choice, the boy slips off the fountain bench and dashes to hide in the nearest store, remaining dead still as the pair arrives at the scene. They were no longer carrying the body, indicating the pair had dumped it already.

They were still here for some other reason, clearly. probably relating to whatever the dead guy had hidden into the place.

“According to the note it should be around here, in the mountain.”

“That water looks nasty.”

“Start looking. The boss needs to get that tape back!”

Izuku peeks from a crack on the wall, noting the pair was hustling around the fountain, even knocking over the candles that were placed on one of the benches. It made Izuku a little angry, but he remains still, knowing that alerting the men to his presence would be a bad idea.

What if Spinner arrived before they left? He could get killed!

The teen how wished he’d asked for the young man’s number so he could warn him…

“It’s not here. Maybe he put it in one of these old shops nearby?”

“I’ll check the left side, you take right.”

Izuku freezes, realizing that the curly haired man would likely eventually enter into this one. He looks around, trying to figure out how to escape, but his options weren’t great. There was only one entrance in this old canvas store, with one window at the other end that led to a large drop to the ground. Izuku remains dead still, trying to think of a plan. The man had started from the store before this one, so perhaps he could wait till he entered here, and slip out, hiding in that shop and wait until they left.

The teen waits with bated breath in the shadows next to the counter, watching as the curly hair eventually enters in, muttering something ugly under his breath. The boy waits until he’s far away enough, slipping out and hurrying to the doorway of the second shop.

Unfortunately, in his panic head forgotten the other man, who yells out as he steps out of the store he’d been checking, yelling at him.

“Kid! Stop!”

Izuku obviously doesn’t, sprinting away as fast as he could. He could hear a bang from behind him, and something hits the ground right behind his feet. he speeds up, his heart beat rapidly in his chest even as he hears the other man curse at his companion.

“Go after that brat! He might know where the tape is! And for fuck’s sake don’t just go shooting willy nilly! At this rate we’ll have more bodies than actual results!”

“S-sorry Chrono-san!”

Izuku could hear someone start running after him, and Izuku diverts to another smaller hallway, hoping to break the man’s line of sight and hide. Unfortunately, that plan doesn’t quite work as he trips, falling on his face.

“Shit!”

The teen attempts to scramble up, but before he could the yakuza catches him, yanking him off the floor from his collar.

The man looked really frantic and angry, spatting at his face.

“Where is the tape brat!?”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“Liar! The USB that has the security tape, where is it!?”

He gets thrown against the ground, hand on his neck. Izuku struggles under the weight, but there wasn’t much a scrawny teen could do.

That’s when he hears it again, singing.

The man tenses and slowly looks up towards the sound. Izuku manages to turn and see it too; a shadowy figure was standing further ahead, tilting her head to the side with yellow eyes glowing in the darkness.

“What the…what are you?”

The ghost just grins, a wide chesire grin flashing in the darkness. The yakuza scrambles up spooked, pointing his gun at the apparition. Izuku could tell somehow that was a stupid idea.

“S-stay back!”

The man stutters out as the ghost dances closer, firing at it in his panic. The bullets did nothing of course, apart from making the grin disappear and the ghost set her head back straight, stopping. The aura in the hallway turned chilly, making Izuku shudder. There was a distant voice echoing in the air again, the same one he’d heard in that restaurant.

“Rude.”

Suddenly, dozens and dozens of knives appear from thin air and fire at the man, making him sprint away with a terrified shriek as the sharp projectiles chase him away. The ghost starts giggling in almost a twisted manner and suddenly rushes forward, chasing after the man with her knives. Izuku curls into a ball as she flies past him, but none of the knives come even close to him.

He scrambles up quickly, not wanting to be there in case she came back. Izuku rushes across the hallway, but soon is forced to stop; there was a large hole in the floor, making him unable to continue. The teen whips his head back around, as he could hear that singing head back his way. Izuku glances between the sound and ahead, his heart going crazy in his chest. He could try and jump the gap, it wasn’t too big, but it would still be risky.

As the singing kept drawing closer, Izuku felt his panic increase.

He drops his bag, only having his phone in his jacket pocket and the flashlight in his hand, sprinting for some momentum. The teen jumps, attempting to get across. Unfortunately, his jump falls short and he barely manages to reach the other side, leg touching the edge before he begins falling down to the hole. Izuku let’s out a panicked yelp, uselessly flailing to try and break his fall.

Suddenly, something wraps around him and he stops falling, almost if a rope or something had wrapped around him to stop his descend. Except, it wasn’t a rope at all; somebody, or something, had wrapped their arms around his upper body, under his arms.

He was floating in mid-air and there was a cold sensation against his back. Izuku manages to look up, greeted by a familiar, eerie hand mask.

It was that mirror ghost again!

He attempts to speak, but the boy was too terrified to make a peep. He couldn’t really move either, and he could fall to his death or at least get injured badly if the ghost let go. He wasn’t as durable as Spinner seemed to be. The ghost lifts his head up and starts ascending, firm cold grip held around his body.

As they pop out of the hole, Izuku notes the girl ghost was standing near the edge – or floating, her feet didn’t touch the ground – watching them with a tilted head. He wasn’t sure if it was fear or exhaustion, but the teen feels his consciousness slip away, blacking out just as the ghost carrying him floats down to the floor.

When Izuku came to, his head was resting on something soft. There was a dim light nearby him, and once the green eyes crack open, he notes it was his flashlight in the dimmest setting, resting on the floor nearby to provide some light. Some did seep through the windows on the other side too, some partially covered by old curtains. He seemed to be in an old office space of some sort with old, large sized cube-like computers.

His gaze soon focuses on the looming figure right next to him, his entire body freezing as he realizes it was the hand ghost, sitting there staring down at him, unmoving like a statue. Green eyes just stare back at the figure spooked, noting he could actually hear something akin to raspy breath from under the mask, though that obviously wasn’t actual breathing; ghosts didn’t really breathe as they weren’t alive.

“Oh! You’re awake!”

Izuku turns towards the voice, thankful to see Spinner step in the room, holding his bag.

“Tomura led me here, and then asked me to bring your bag as you dropped it.”

“H-huh?”

Slowly, the boy turns to look back at the ghost peering down at him, now slowly tilting his head in a similar manner that girl ghost did. Spinner places the bag down to the ground next to the flashlight, and the ghost finally moves, standing up and floating away, settling into a shadowy corner further back while still observing them.

“Uh…what…how…why?”

Spinner sits down next to him, checking him over for injuries probably. Izuku just kept staring at the ghost, still unsure what to make of him. He looked really scary, but…so far hadn’t really done anything to him.

“You seem to be alright, good. What happened? I told you to wait by the fountain!”

“I…those men showed up. T-they almost caught me.”

Izuku proceeds to explain everything, from how he’d hidden from them, tried to run, got caught and then the girl ghost scaring the yakuza away, or worse. Spinner listens to his story closely, then sighs and rubs his head with an apologetic smile.

“Yeah…firing at Himiko was a bad idea. She will get hostile instantly if she perceives you’re trying to attack her or insult her.”

“D-do you think….?”

Spinner looks towards the hand ghost for some reason – what was his name? Tomura? – who slowly shakes his head. The young mutant looks back at him the next second, stating that the man was probably alive.

“If she’d planned on killing him, her blades probably wouldn’t have missed.”

“Have you…or is this another thing they told you?”

Spinner just shrugs, then looks up as more figures appear into the room. Izuku freezes, noting that there were a lot more ghosts than the three he’d seen so far. Aside from the girl and fiery one, both of whom had appeared next to the ha—Tomura, there were three more. A hunched over blond man who seemed to be limping. He was fairly visible and didn’t look shadowed, even waving at Izuku with a smile.

“That’s Jin. He’s one of the friendlier ones.”

“W-why…?”

“I think…he limps and is hunched because he got crushed when…you know…”

Izuku swallows down hard; Spinner didn’t have to finish that sentence.

“It might also be more symbolic. At least, Tomura told me their appearance also relates to what keeps them here, what kind of things troubled them before they died. Jin is apparently also hunching over because he was put down a lot by people in his life.”

Izuku looks towards the hand ghost now – Tomura, he should use the name since Spinner had told him, not doing so would probably be rude – who tilts his head. Izuku could tell the ghost was staring right back at him, even if he couldn’t see his eyes.

“He says the hand is because he dealt with some sort of abusive parent when he was alive. It caused him to have a lot of self-hatred, so as a spirit he feels the need to hide his face.”

“O-oh…”

“Himiko can’t stop singing or laughing most of the time, because she was forced to pretend to be something she was not. She also apparently had a fascination towards sharp objects.”

Spinner gestures towards the girl, who indeed even now was quietly humming a song. Izuku also now notes that she seemed to have an old bloodstain on her blouse roughly in the spot her heart would be. Perhaps something had....and that’s how she died.

She flashes Izuku a smile, this one a bit less scary but it still gave him the heebie jeebies, as Sero would say.

“Dabi is…well…he also had some family issues, and apparently he’s a little vengeful, hence he tends to be more aggressive towards visitors. The burns are probably self-explanatory.”

Izuku glances at the fiery ghost, swallowing down hard. That sounded like a horrible way to go. Blue eyes just stare back at him stoic, not reacting to anything Spinner told him. The mutant now gestures towards the second new face, a tall man in a fancy outfit with a theater mask that kept shifting and changing its pattern.

“His name is…Compress. I think it might’ve been a stage name. He was probably a performer of some sort. He says his “face” shifts because he never really knew who he truly was, kind of starting to mix his stage persona with his true self. Like, in a bad, mind breaking way.”

“Oh…a-and her?”

Izuku gestures towards the strong framed woman, who looked the most normal out of them, apart from the fact that her head was more see through than other parts of the story, and Izuku could tell her skull was misshapen.

“Magne. She was…well…you can probably tell from her head how she died.”

Izuku nods, swallowing down hard. The ghost just smiles at him, having more friendly demeanor similar to Jin .She didn’t seem to have any visible indications of what troubles she’d had in her life, making Izuku wonder what her story was.

“It’s…let’s just say she felt like she was born in the wrong body, and lot of people shamed her for thinking so. Her figure kind of changes between man and a woman as a result.”

Oh, Izuku quickly understood what Spinner was talking about.

One of their part-time teachers had similar life story, only he’d been luckier with more accepting people around him.

It made the boy sad how much people still liked to judge over things like this.

“So…yeah. These are the spirits that live here. They can’t leave or go outside, so…I sometimes come to see them.”

Izuku nods faintly, then his mind quickly returns to why he was there.

“I…I need to find Shoto. He’s still out there!”

He tries to get up, but a sense of vertigo hits him, forcing him to sit back down and hold his head.

“Woah, easy there! Tomura said your sensitive nature is probably overloaded by the spirit energy in this place.”

“Huh?”

Spinner rubs his head awkwardly, gesturing at their bizarre onlookers.

“Basically, you tend to be affected by ghosts easier, and this place is a lil overwhelming for you. They’re not doing it on purpose in this case.”

“O-oh…but I…I still need to find my friend, before those two do! Or what if…if that blood was his…”

Izuku starts mumbling under his breath like he often did when thinking hard about something and/or panicking like he was right now. The spirits and Spinner listen to him ramble for a while, up until a chill runs down the boy’s spine, forcing him to stop. Green eyes look up towards Tomura, that sensation likely came from him.

Slowly, the ghost lifts his hand and points at the fiery one beside him, Dabi was it?

The blue eyes stare at him unblinking for a moment, then drift towards something. Izuku follows his gaze hesitantly, realizing there was a chalkboard in the room. There was text written on it.

WHY DIDN’T YOU GO WHERE I TOLD YOU TO?

“I…wasn’t sure what it meant. I wanted to check the fountain first.”

The ghost narrows his eyes at him dangerously, but Tomura turns his head sharply towards Dabi, who seems to swallow back his annoyance. It began to seem like the hand wearing spirit was…the leader of some sort with these spirits. New words begin to appear on the chalkboard, and Izuku’s eyes widen slowly as he reads the message.

HE’S THERE. IN A MIRROR

“W-what? Mirror?”

Izuku looks between the chalkboard and the ghost, who now turns to look back at the hand wearing figure sitting on the table. The said spirit just stares at Izuku for a long moment, then slips off the table slowly, pacing towards him. He was kind of hunched too, but not as much as Jin. His movements were less jerky like you’d expect from ghosts and more…fluid. Hands reach towards him now and Izuku backs away in slight fear, making Tomura stop moving.

“It’s okay kid. He just wants to show you something. He can’t really talk easily.”

Izuku glances between the ghost now crouched in front of him and Spinner, eventually letting the spirit to grasp his cheeks, the touch feeling about as cold as it had so far. Soon, images began to flash in his head, and it seemed like he was seeing through the ghost’s eyes.

He was somewhere higher up, perhaps floating somewhere above the shops as the ceiling was quite high in this area. He could see Shoto below, by the fountain, lighting up the candles and seemingly praying next to them. He turns his head slowly, noting that one of the other ghosts was there too, watching him. It was the fiery one.

The next second, Shoto gets up and seems to huff out a sigh, looking a bit upset. Then, he seems to spot something, frowning and crouching down to reach under the bench. He pulls out something that looked like…an usb-stick maybe? Wasn't that what that yakuza had called whatever they were looking for? It was really small object so Izuku couldn’t be sure, but it did look like some sort of data storage device.

He floats closer, as if the ghost had been curious to see what it was too.

That’s when Izuku notices someone creeping towards Shoto. He tries to warn him alarmed, but of course this was just a memory; the ghost did nothing to warn the boy, watching as the man that had suddenly appeared whacks him with an old pipe, knocking the boy unconscious. He picks up the thing Shoto had picked up, then grasps the limp teenager’s body, starting to drag him somewhere.

The situation takes a drastic change the next second, as the fiery ghost suddenly attacks, throwing a flame at the man who drops the unconscious teen, running away in fear. The flames did not seem to damage anything about the building, only burning the man’s clothes somewhat. Izuku also notices that the man had dropped the object Shoto had found, and Dabi paces to it, picking it up.

He suddenly shifts, floating back down rapidly and ending up beside the fiery ghost, who looks up at him.

The teen could sense strange tension between the two, an echo of something he didn’t recognize. Perhaps they'd also known each other while alive somehow....

Both spirits look down at the unconscious, bleeding teen, before the fire spirit looks back up at him. He could now hear a voice, it was kind of lazy and drawn out, sounding a bit apathetic despite the earlier violent reaction. It was also rough, as if his vocal cords were damaged.

“….He’ll be back. he wants this.”

“Do you know the boy?”

That second voice came from his own mouth, and it was quiet and a bit raspy, almost if the speaker didn’t talk often.

“Yes. He needs to get out.”

“We can’t go out.”

“….Do something. I know you can.”

They both spoke with mostly emotionless tones, and Izuku feels his head turn, looking back down at the unconscious figure. There is a flash, and he’s now standing in front of a mirror somewhere, seeing Shoto float inside it, unconscious. Dabi was beside him still, his voice echoing in the air again after a moment.

“What now?”

“I saw…a person. In his mind. I’ll summon him here. He’ll find his friend.”

“That man will return.”

“Everybody, keep an eye out.”

Those last words seemed to echo stronger, almost if they could be heard all around the old complex.

Izuku snaps out of the vision, and Tomura pulls his hands back, looking at him. He now began to realize why this spirit looked familiar.

He’d…he’d seen him in that dream, the nightmare he forgot about.

Was…was he the reason why he’d come here by himself, instead of calling the police?

Tomura just nods slowly, and there seems to be pause in the air, where he looks at Spinner. The mutant seemed to be listening closely, nodding a couple of times before looking back at him. He did not seem intimidated by these ghosts at all, really showing he’d been here several times. It made Izuku wonder if he’d ever ran into Shoto. probably not, he’d maybe mentioned it if he had.

“Tomura says that making you go to the police first would’ve taken too long; your friend can stay in the mirror safely only for a short period of time. It will start corrupting his mind if he’s stuck there for much longer.”

“Why did…why did he put him in the mirror?”

“To make sure his injury doesn’t get worse. They can’t exactly treat wounds despite being able to pick up and move stuff and weren’t sure when I’d show up again. Now that you’re here you can tie them up.”

Izuku nods slowly, examining Tomura closely.

“Why me?”

He asks next, and silence mounts between them for a long while, before the ghost looks at Spinner, likely asking him to convey his words again.

“…. Apparently, you were easiest to reach. You’re really sensitive to spirit energy.”

“Oh.”

Izuku just nods, not knowing what else to say. He was starting to feel a bit better slowly, the vertigo starting to pass.

“Where…. that place they pointed me to. What is it exactly?”

Spinner responds after a brief moment, likely being told the answer by the ghosts.

“An old arcade. The large mirror is in the place’s bathroom. They put him there because that mirror is in the best condition, and least likely to get destroyed even if those yakuza come back swinging their guns, as it’s near impossible to get to.”

“Then…how am I supposed to get there?”

Izuku asks baffled, and now he could hear a faint chuckle, coming from under the hand mask.

“Ah, I mean its impossible for adults to get to; the opening is small, but you should be able to squeeze through. They probably would’ve guided you there somehow had I not shown up.”

“I…I see…”

Izuku stands up slowly, noting he was no longer dizzy thankfully. Spinner still helps supporting him, handing him his flashlight.

“I…. what was that thing that Shoto found?”

The hand ghost had stood up now, and slowly lifts his hand, showing Izuku the object. It indeed was an USB-stick of some sort. The spirit reaches out, offering it to him. The teen hesitates for a moment, but then picks it up. He’d seen these things dozens of times, but it had to contain something important for the Yakuza to want to get it back.

“Woah. I’m guessing it has some incriminating evidence or whatever. You might wanna bring that to the police once you get out of here.”

“Y-yeah.”

Izuku pockets the device, looking back at the ghosts. They did seem to want to help him for whatever reason, but he was still on high alert. These spirits were clearly dangerous based on what he’d seen, he was just lucky that they didn’t want to target him.

“T-thank you for your help. I don’t know why you chose to help me or Shoto, but…I am thankful for it.”

The hand mask ghost just tilts his head to the side, not reacting otherwise. He couldn’t even hear the chuckle from earlier. Spinner gestures towards the door, asking if he was ready to go.

“I can bring you to the spot; On the other side is also an emergency exit you can use to get out without those guys noticing.”

“B-but what about you?”

“I’ll be alright, don’t worry about me kid!”

Spinner tells him with a confident smile, though it turns into something different eventually.

“…I appreciate the concern though. You’re a sweet kid.”

Izuku blushes and averts his gaze, grabbing his bag and putting it on to head out. The boy glances at the spirits gathered there one last time, wondering if anything could be done to free them. Maybe he could look into it later, if- no, when he got out with Shoto.

The pair walks across the empty, dusty hallways, with Spinner leading him wherever they were supposed to go, all the while rubbing his neck. The boy began to wonder if he'd injured it worse during his fall and just didn't want to admit it. The boy doesn't dare to ask about it, maybe there was a reason he was hiding it. Izuku was admittedly curious still what exactly prompted him to come here in the first place, but perhaps that was too personal to ask right now as well. They eventually reach a section that looked very broken down and collapsed, most of the shops destroyed. There was a giant gaping hole on the roof, allowing Izuku to see outside, noting that it was getting dark slowly.

Hopefully they’d get out before nightfall, his classmates had to be worried…

“There, see that small hole? The arcade is at the end of the hallway on the other side, at the beginning of the bend to the left. The emergency exit is at the end of that left turn.”

Spinner points towards a small opening among the rubble. it indeed had a small hole on the ground level, small enough to block entry from an adult, but he could probably squeeze through it. Izuku crouches down and takes off his bag, pushing it through the hole first.

“Magne is probably waiting on the other side. She knew first aid as a living person and will instruct you how to dress your friend’s injury.”

“Why didn’t they just bring me there?”

“They can’t really bring people through walls. Tomura can do it through mirrors, but that place only has that one that is occupied by your friend.”

“Oh.”

Izuku now squeezes through the opening, managing to get to the other side with relative ease. He peeks back out towards Spinner, thanking him again for his help, and telling him to be careful to not run into the criminals or fall through the floor again.

“I’ll be fine kid. get out of here with your friend, and bring that thing to the police, alright?”

Izuku just nods, hesitantly turning away and turning on his flashlight again. He felt a bit uneasy heading forward alone, but Spinner couldn’t squeeze through that opening. He heads forward, eventually spotting the dual doors that led to the old arcade.

There were old neon signs on the wall, obviously broken down and not working anymore. Whatever toxic chemicals they might’ve had inside them had long since evaporated thankfully. It takes him a moment but Izuku eventually spots the sign for the bathroom, stepping in. Sure enough, the aforementioned ghost stood there, waving at him and pointing towards the mirror. There Shoto was, floating sideways in deep slumber. The nasty injury in his head still looked red, and his hair was stained with blood. He was still breathing thankfully and didn’t look ghostly pale.

“How do…how do I get him out of there?”

Just as he says that something seems to shove the unconscious teen, making him slip out of the mirror. Izuku half expects him to drop on the floor harshly, but shadowy tendrils of sorts emanating from the mirror just place him to the floor carefully, before retreating back in, eventually turning the reflective surface back to a normal mirror.

Izuku crouches down beside him, swallowing down hard to try and remain calm. He shakes Shoto, gaining a slight groan as a response, though he doesn’t wake up. Izuku digs out his first aid equipment he’d taken with him, then glances up at the ghostly figure beside him. He doesn’t hear a voice per say, but…as he begins addressing the injury, it did feel like somebody was feeding the necessary knowledge right into his brain.

By the time Izuku is done, Shoto actually stirs finally, looking around dazed.

His two-colored eyes eventually focus in on his face, and the teen blinks, muttering out his name confused.

“Ah! You’re awake! Are you alright?”

“I…what happened? Why are…?”

“I... it’s a long story. You got knocked out and I came to find you when you didn’t come back before classes started!”

“H-huh?”

Shoto blinks confused, looking around. Magne had disappeared, leaving the pair alone in the room, perhaps to not spook the other teen. Izuku helps him up, supporting his classmate as they walk out of the bathroom.

“You’ve been here for couple of days.”

Shoto looks puzzled, hesitantly reaching for the bandage around his head.

“Oh…I…I think I found something, then I blacked out.”

“It was a criminal! You found something he hid so he knocked you out to get it back.”

"I’m pretty sure this is not where I found it.”

Izuku chuckles awkwardly, knowing he had a lot to tell him; they should probably get out of this building first, though.

Once they step out to the hallway however, both stop on their tracks. There, standing between them and the way out, stood the other yakuza, the one the curly hair kept calling “Chrono-san,” and he was pointing a gun at them.

“I figured. I saw you crawl through the hole, so I decided to sneak to the other side to catch up with you, since this is the only reasonable way out. I guess I now understand why you’d come here.”

“Who are you?”

Shoto asks dully, still a bit dizzy. Izuku just glances around in slight panic, knowing he could not get them both through the small hole fast enough.

“Stop running away kid. You likely know where that thing we came to look for is, considering you ran away.”

“I don’t!”

The man fires at their feet, making them both jump, with Shoto’s eyes widening as that seems to clear the haze in his mind somewhat.

“Stop lying. tell me where it is. Or if you have it, give it back. otherwise, I might have to shoot your friend.”

He now points the gun at Shoto, and Izuku swallows down hard, not knowing what to do. He could try and call for help, but the man seemed very trigger happy, and could just end up shooting them as soon as he raised his voice.

“Kid, I am running out of patience!”

The man suddenly reaches out, yanking Shoto off his hold, pointing a gun at his head. His friend was still too weakened to resist, eyes blown wide in shock as he struggles to catch up what was going on.

“W-wait, don’t hurt him! I-I have it!”

Izuku holds his hands up in panic digging out the USB to show it to the man.

“Good. Throw it to the floor.”

“Let go of my friend first.”

The man snorts, telling him he didn’t have much bargain power; he could just shoot them both if he wanted to.

“I just don’t want to spend any more time here than necessary. I had to terminate that fool who began to panic, spouting nonsense about a ghost and flying knives.”

Izuku swallows down hard, glancing between Shoto and the object in his hand. His friend was subtly shaking his head, telling him not to give it and just run. He wasn’t aware that the only other way out was difficult and slow, meaning running would be useless.

Suddenly, the wall next to them begins to crack, and both look in shock as it collapses without warning, kicking a large dust cloud into the air. Shoto uses the distraction to his advantage and kicks the man in the groin, making him drop the teen with a groan. he stumbles forward towards Izuku, who quickly grabs him and drags him out of there, bringing them into a small pathway between the shops that the opening led to.

“Get…back here brats!”

The man coughs as he tries to find his way out of the dust cloud, shooting into random directions. The two dodge and quickly try to get away from him. As they reach the main passageway between the rows of stores, Izuku spots two of the spirits standing there.

Tomura and the fire one. they had perhaps caused the collapse.

“W-what are…?!”

“Ghosts, we don’t have time, we need to run!”

Just as Izuku says that the pair basically teleports between them and the man, who’d managed to scramble out of the dust cloud, his eyes blown wide as he sees the two strange figures staring at him.

“W-what the!?”

The man lifts his gun reflexively to fire, and while Izuku didn’t exactly sympathize with this man trying to kill them, he can’t help yelling out a warning. He just didn’t want to see people get killed, no matter how bad they were.

“Don’t! They might attack you!”

Of course, his warning falls on deaf ears as the man fires, the bullets uselessly flying through the air, thankfully not heading anywhere near him and Shoto.

Tomura suddenly lifts his hand, and the dust cloud from before picks up and completely coats the man like a whirling storm, catching him by surprise. What happens next is the more terrifying part, as the fiery spirit throws blue flames at the cloud, lighting it all on fire. They could hear the man scream, a sound that sent a chill down both of their spines. Shoto now yanks on his arm and they both run for their dear lives, heading towards the nearby staircase. They run past the fountain, and Izuku spots a body next to it; the man hadn't been kidding, he'd shot his comrade. He quickly focuses back in on leaving as fast as he could, however.

While Izuku was aware that these spirits likely would not harm them, they were still volatile ones based on what he just saw.

His instincts still told him he should not trust their benevolence fully, and just get out as fast as he could.

They dash down the stairs, almost stumbling on the way. Izuku was surprised how fast Shoto could run after just waking up, but fear was a powerful motivator. Unfortunately, Shoto eventually stumbles and they both fall to the ground with a loud thud.

“Oof…are you okay?”

Izuku asks as he gets up, noting that his friend just lied there with his eyes open, seemingly unable to get up.

“The room is…spinning…”

Of course, his injury was catching up to him. Izuku helps him up, stating it was probably for the best they didn’t run anymore. The pair slowly makes their way across the old shops, with Izuku heading towards the nearest intact stairs. They could also use the emergency exit, but those stairs were bigger and narrower, thus harder to go down when he had to support somebody.

“So…I’ve been here for several days…”

"Yes. I…”

“Why didn’t you just call the police or something when you began to worry?”

Shoto mutters out, sounding extremely exhausted.

“I…I was summoned here, kind of. By one of the ghosts.”

Shoto looks up at him surprised, before grimacing and squeezing his eyes shut; quick movements were clearly a bad idea right now. In fact, he was starting to get really pale. Izuku wanted to get out fast, but Shoto clearly needed a break, so he makes him sit down on the nearest bench, asking if he needed to lie down. Shoto just shakes his head, asking what he meant by being summoned.

Izuku swallows down and proceeds to explain his adventure so far, from meeting the ghosts, to Spinner, to them informing him where Shoto was. His friend attempts to listen the best he could, shaking his head slowly once Izuku finishes.

“So…there are spirits here…I never saw any before.”

“Why do you even come here?”

Shoto hesitates for a long moment as Izuku sis down beside him, examining his friend concerned.

“…..My….I….my oldest brother Touya died here, during that disaster. He came here secretly to hang out with somebody father didn’t approve. He was…. burned to death according to mum. His death led to my parents divorcing soon after.”

Izuku’s eyes widen, and he then places a hand hesitantly on his back, telling him he was sorry to hear that quietly.

Shoto shakes his head, stating he was too young to really remember his eldest sibling.

“I…when I began to hear rumors this place was haunted, I decided to come here to see if…if his ghost was here. It sounds stupid I know, but…”

“…You just wanted to actually meet your older brother?”

Shoto just nods, breathing out a sigh. A sound from nearby alerts them, and Izuku could spot a figure ahead. Shoto tenses beside him, likely expecting it to be either the man, or one of those two. It was the ghost with a shifting mask - Compress - waving at them, gesturing to follow. Izuku gets up, asking his friend if he was ready to move.

“Are you…that must be a ghost, right? I don’t think we should follow him.”

“This one is…not aggressive like those other two above. He’s probably just trying to lead us out, since many pathways are broken.”

Shoto was still skeptical, but eventually agrees to follow him. The fancily dressed spirit kept some distance between them, but occasionally checked to make sure they were following. Izuku began to wonder if Spinner was there, or if he’d left by now. He now kind of wished he’d asked for his phone number so he could thank him later.

They eventually reach downstairs, and Compress fades from view, probably because Izuku knew his way around by now.

After a moment of silence, Shoto asks him what exactly the man had wanted from him.

“I…Some sort of data stick? The thing you found. We should probably bring it to the police.”

“I…what are we going to tell them about what happened?”

Izuku swallows down hard, contemplating on it.

“We…I doubt they’ll believe us about the ghosts, and I don’t know if they’d appreciate us talking about them. I think we should still tell them about the yakuza who chased us.”

“They might send officers to check this place out. What if those ghosts hurt them?”

Shoto’s concern was understandable, given he’d only seen them attack people and trap him in the mirror, even if the latter was for his own good. Izuku really wasn’t sure; he’d gotten the impression the spirits had wanted him to go and bring it to the law enforcement, but…would they like a lot of police entering their domain?

As the pair reaches the main entrance hall, it becomes clear their ordeal still wasn’t over. The yakuza was there, his clothes partially burned, including his face. he was clearly determined to still get what he wanted, his gaze zeroing in on them. Izuku notes he was holding something in his hand, some sort of protective charm. That was probably that had saved him from that attack and allowed him to escape.

“Don’t…try to run, kid. I’m not letting some damned spirits to stop me. Just give that data stick back.”

“No. You’re clearly bad people trying to cover up something.”

The man let’s out a near hysterical chuckle, pointing his gun at them. Izuku began to wonder if this place was starting to drive the man a little crazy.

“I suppose I should’ve heeded that fools’ warnings; it’s good I took his charms the superstitious fool carried with him just in case.”

The man lifts up the said charm, that looked partially charred. Perhaps it had taken the most damage from the attack, allowing him to escape. Shoto now shifts to stand between them, frowning at the man.

“If you attack us those ghosts might show up again and attack you. That charm won’t help you anymore.”

The Yakuza laughs, discarding the thing and digging out something from under his collar, another, intact one.

“I went back to his corpse to find another one, the idiot always carried a lot of them around. The idiot didn’t realize to wear it properly though.”

Shoto falters a little, making Izuku sense that perhaps he knew that charm and what it did. His family was kind of knowledgeable about ghosts and spirits and charms, so that wouldn’t be too surprising. The man rises his gun again, repeating his demand.

Izuku now steps out, holding up the USB-stick.

“O-okay! I’ll give it back, just let us go.”

“Fine, I’m tired of chasing after you.”

Izuku throws the object to the man, who catches it with his free hand, examining it closely. he then pockets it, before suddenly bringing his gun up again, shooting Shoto in the leg. The teen collapses to the ground as Izuku yelps in shock, crouching down beside his friend. Thankfully it had only grazed his leg, but it still looked nasty.

“You promised!”

“You’ve been too irritating to keep that promise.”

Before the man could shoot at them again however, the surrounding area turns icy cold. Izuku freezes and looks up slowly, realizing that they were surrounded by the spirits now. Even the friendlier ones had turned into shadowy figures, their eyes glowing eerily in the darkness. The yakuza backs away, pointing his gun around while clutching his protective charm with his free hand.

Looking up, Izuku notes Tomura was floating above everybody else, up on the pathway that led deeper into the second floor. His form was coated in wildly dancing shadows, and now his hair looked completely white.

“Don’t you dare to move closer you wicked bastards! I have protection!”

The yakuza spats out, his voice turning slightly high-pitched. he was holding up the charm, as if showing it would make them back away. Tomura tilts his head, and Izuku could hear Himiko’s singing, the song she was singing being some sort of nursery rhyme, one of those with really creepy wording. Glancing at his classmate, he notes Shoto was also staring at one of the ghosts, standing further back with blue eyes shining through the darkness.

Suddenly, the area around them starts to fill with ghosts, more and more and more, until they were completely surrounded.

Were there even more spirits than them?

Izuku clutches Shoto tighter, feeling fear creep into his system again.

He soon notices however that all the ghosts looked alike. They reminded him of…Jin? Glancing towards the said ghost, these apparitions did seem to emit from him. Perhaps this was his ability as a spirit?

His gaze soon snaps back towards Tomura, who now floats down, sending a cloud of dust into the air, making the yakuza cough and point his weapon at him as he backs away towards the door, stopping once he realizes those hunched figures were blocking his path.

“Oi! Stop messing around unless you want to be burned to hell!”

“H-hey…what kind of amulet is that exactly?”

Shoto suddenly asks, making the man whip his gaze back at him.

“What does that matter?”

The teen just looks at him, and Izuku glances between the two confused as well.

“It’s supposed to ward off bad spirits that want to harm you! Unless that bastard tricked me about what his things do.”

Shoto shakes his head slowly, glancing around a bit tense. So far, the ghosts just stood there, watching them in utter silence.

“It won’t work against them. Your amulet is only applicable against spirits who are possessed by malign forces. These ones are just…people with regrets, lost souls. You can't ward off a nonexistent demon.”

“How the hell can you tell?! You’re just a brat!”

“Shoto’s family is highly adapt with spirits.”

Izuku informs the man, sensing something was about to happen soon; this stand-off would not last forever. Sure enough, the man’s fear was making him act really irrational, as he lifts up his gun again, pointing at them.

“Stop sprouting your nonsense! You’re just trying to scare me to let these things attack me again!”

Suddenly, Tomura appears right in front of him, cold fingers closing around the gun. Both the yakuza and the pair watch in shock as the weapon decays to dust, making the criminal back away and fall on the ground, staring up at the looming figure floating above him with terror in his eyes.

Tomura just floats there, tilting his head to the side.

The man scrambles up and attempts to run out, but he gets stopped by the dozens and dozens of ghosts blocking his path, almost like a crowd of people that you struggled to get through.

“Let go of me you freaks!”

The man struggles and shouts at the mass of spirits, who all silently keep pushing him back, not allowing him to leave. The mass eventually lifts him off the ground, carrying him somewhere deep within the building struggling and screaming, as the two teens just watch in stunned silence.

Tomura eventually turns and paces to them, stopping in front of the pair with a tilted head.

“What…what’s going to happen to him?”

Izuku asks, and the ghost tilts his head to the other side.

There was that raspy voice again, distantly echoing in his mind.

“He may join us in the madhouse among the living.”

Izuku had no clue what that meant, nor did he perhaps want to know. The spirit let’s out a chuckle, then one of them appears beside him, the fiery one. He was staring at them, namely at Shoto. Izuku looks back at his friend who was staring back at the spirit, a strange look in his widened eyes. He looked something between surprised and kind of horrified. The fiery spirit just tilts his head to the side, flashing them a wide grin, before turning and disappearing away into the shadows.

One by one the spirits disappear, eventually leaving them alone with Tomura.

Izuku turns to look back at Shoto, asking if he could get up. His friend still seemed to be in bit of a trance for whatever reason, but eventually nods, allowing Izuku to help him up. He was shaky, but able to walk out towards the doorway with his help. Something makes Izuku stop briefly, and he turns back to look at the spirit watching them go.

Except, something was different now.

The hand mask was gone, allowing him to see the pale face underneath; the ghost had vivid red eyes, dry lips and scarred face, as well as a mole on his chin. Those scars did not look like they were made by whatever killed him, but rather like some sort of…skin condition perhaps?

“H-huh…?”

The spirit just smiles at him, waving before fading from view.

The teen slowly turns his head back, noting the sun had set outside. Another thing he notices too however, was that there was somebody waiting for them outside; it was Todoroki’s family. The siblings quickly rush to help him as soon as the pair steps out, demanding to know what was going on and where he’d been. Apparently, the school had informed him of Shoto’s disappearance. Shoto was too exhausted to say anything, just letting Natsu bring him to their car.

Izuku looks back towards the old building as well, wondering.

Why had that ghost shown his face to him at the end?

Why did…why did it look familiar?

“Are you okay, Midoriya-kun?”

Rei asks from him, and Izuku looks back hesitantly, nodding. She smiles and places a hand on her shoulder. Something about her calm demeanor told Izuku that the woman knew what was going on more than she let on.

“Thank you for finding Shoto for us.”

Driving away, Izuku checks his phone, noting that thankfully mum hadn’t noticed his absence. it made sense given he lived in the dorms and had gone to this place only after classes. They probably wouldn’t have realized he was missing until morning. Izuku then notices that there was a text from an unknown number. He blinks puzzled, opening it.

“Hope you’re safe. It was nice meeting you.”

Spinner

“How did…?”

Izuku shakes his head, too tired to figure this out right now.

The next day, he heard in the news through the TV in the cafeteria, that the yakuza who’d threatened them was found behind the building, partially outside the entrance inside the place. He’d had some highly important info with him – likely the data stick – that resulted in multiple arrests, including his boss. Izuku was admittedly glad that the man hadn’t gotten killed ultimately. Perhaps the spirits had sensed he would not have wanted it. What made him less happy was apparently the fact that the man had gone through some sort of mental breakdown and was muttering things about spirits over and over. Perhaps this was what Tomura had meant with his cryptic comment.

“Guess his mind couldn’t stand it as well as ours.”

Shoto mutters out beside him, glancing up towards the newscast.

Izuku still had questions about his ordeal, so later that day, he decided to look into the place’s history, eventually finding a list of victims who’d perished during that disaster ten years ago. It was a memorial site set up by the relatives, as authorities kept telling people not to go near the building itself as it was dangerous. As he scrolls through the names and faces, Izuku soon spots a familiar one. Touya Todoroki, that had to be Shoto’s eldest brother. As he examines the photo of a lanky young man with black hair closely, he suddenly realizes there was something familiar about him…

“Wait…is this…?”

Izuku covers his mouth, realizing that yes, it had to be. That fire ghost had to have been Touya!

That’s why he helped Shoto, and why Shoto had been looking at him weirdly. He recognized his brother’s spirit!

Scrolling through more, he spots some other familiar faces, including Himiko and Magne.

Then, he spots another familiar face. It was Tomura. Izuku examines the photo closely, noting he still felt eerily familiar. Where had he seen his face before…? Reading the memorial dedicated to him, Izuku notes his name – like Dabi’s – was not Tomura, but “Tenko Shimura.”

That name still felt familiar…

Izuku holds his chin for a moment, face in a deep frown. Then it hits him.

He leans closer towards his monitor abruptly, examining the old photo closely. This…this had to be the same boy from that photo in his mentor’s house! He’d been taking extra tutoring from Yagi-san who’d also become friends with his mum. Yagi-san had this photo in his house about a family called the Shimuras. Apparently, he’d been tutored by the father’s mum long ago. The family had had a falling out with Yagi-san some years ago, so they were no longer in speaking terms and the said family had moved far away. The man had never explained what exactly happened and Izuku had always had the vibe whatever it was was tragic, but…wasn’t it around ten years ago? When that mall collapsed partially?

As he reads the memorial dedicated to the pale figure, it became increasingly clear this had to be the boy in that old photo, just a bit older from when it was taken.

He could even spot Yagi-san’s name in the memorial.

“Oh my god…he’s still there. His spirit is still stuck there.”

Izuku gasps, covering his mouth as sadness begun to overtake him. Was this why the spirit had shown his face to him, knowing he could perhaps connect the dots?

As he scrolls past to go back up the page, he also spots something else, something…. strange.

There was a photo of Spinner, but why? Wasn’t he…

Reading the memorial, it was shorter, listing his name as “Iguchi Shuichi.”

“But…isn’t he…?”

A chill runs down his spine as Izuku thinks back on their interactions. The mutant had been oddly calm and felt kind of cool to the touch, but he didn’t have any visible injuries or anything. Then again…he’d survived a pretty big fall, which was either really lucky, or…or he’d already been dead. Come to think of it, that spot had seemed sturdy before suddenly caving away, and when they ran past that spot with Shoto…wasn’t the hole gone?

The more he thinks back on it, the more convinced he was that the hole Spinner had fallen through hadn't been there anymore. Only the body of that other yakuza.

Izuku leans back in his chair, swallowing down hard.

He looks back at his phone, checking the message he’d received from Spinner supposedly.

It wasn’t there.

Izuku swallows down hard, looking back up towards the screen.

“He was…he was a ghost too. But why did he pretend to be alive?”

Izuku did have a theory, considering how most of the others appeared. Perhaps they’d asked him to pretend to be a living person to guide him, given he didn’t have visible injuries or other weird aspects to his appearance. Izuku turns to look back at his phone, biting his lip.

He eventually turns his attention back to the computer, typing in “how to exorcise a ghost.”

Maybe…maybe Tomura – or Tenko – had been asking for help.

Help them get out of there. 

Maybe he'd felt like Izuku would sympathize with them, or maybe it was just because he knew Yagi-san.

Either way....

Izuku picks his phone up again after a moment, sending Shoto a message. His family understood spirit stuff better, perhaps they could help. Sure enough, after a while his classmate replies to his message.

“Come visit us this weekend. Mum said we might be able to do something.”