Chapter Text
"--- I can't wait to see her again! Last time I saw her was when we started our internships, and Kaede was an itty-bitty fresh baby then!" Hizashi had his hands clenched in excited fists like a five year old on Christmas. "They even said that she has a voice quirk like me-- I CAN'T WAIT!!" Shota Aizawa groaned as he covered his ears.
"I'm going to be deaf, aren't I?"
"Don't sound so sad-- it'll be awesome!" Nemuri furrowed her brows as she squinted.
"Is that her, Hizashi?..." The sound hero quickly looked where Nemuri had pointed, his grin falling to a frown. A small child was sitting all alone in the food court, her head resting on her arms.
"I... yeah," Hizashi muttered. Where were his uncle and aunt? "Kaede!" Kaede looked up from where she was sitting as Hizashi ran ahead. Hizashi picked her up and swung her around before setting her down. Her eyes lacked life, bags dragging beneath the Yamada green. "Are you okay? Where is Kim and Ren?" At the mention of the adults, Kaede lowered her head as her dull eyes became glassy. Hizashi's expression fell even further. What had happened? Hizashi feigned a smile, shaking his head. "It's okay! Are you hungry?" Kaede shook her head.
"Are you sure? They have a really cute themed restaurant right over there," Nemuri suggested, causing Kaede to finally realize that there were other people. Kaede went to hide behind Hizashi's legs, clutching to his pants. "Aww! You're so cute! Hey, Shota, she reminds me of you!" Aizawa grunted at the remark. Hizashi turned and picked Kaede up.
"These are my friends! He is Shota, soon to be the Erasure hero, Eraserhead! And to the right, that lady right there is Nemuri, she's gonna be the R-rated hero, Midnight!" Kaede stared at the two strangers before slowly lifting her hands.
'Hello. I am Kaede.'
Midnight blinked as Aizawa narrowed his eyes. Hizashi had tilted his head. Kaede had used sign language. If she had a quirk similar to his... shouldn't she be able to speak? Hizashi laughed. "Oh, I see! You got too loud and lost your voice! Haha, don't worry, it happens a lot."
"It's so nice to meet you sweetie! Hizashi has been talking about you since he was told that you'd be coming to visit!" Kaede's brows furrowed, but she didn't correct Nemuri.
"We should probably head back," Shota muttered. "It's getting dark."
"Yeah, I gotta get this cutie patootie in bed," Hizashi cooed, going to tickle at Kaede. Kaede squirmed, biting down on her inner cheek. "Oh! A ticklish one! Ah hahaha!" Kaede continued to squirm, biting down harder until a melodic laugh escaped her.
"St-" Kaede stopped herself, her eyes widening in fear as her hands suddenly flew to cover her mouth. Kaede even took a step away from Hizashi, cowering before the three. Hizashi's brows furrowed.
"What's wrong?"
"She's scared to speak, Hizashi," Shota spoke up. Hizashi turned to his friend before at his little cousin.
"Are... you scared to speak?..." Kaede gave a nod, never uncovering her mouth. "Can you tell me why?" Kaede didn't make any motion to tell them why. Shota activated his quirk, his hair starting to float.
"I'll use my quirk, Kaede. As long as my quirk is active, yours won't work." Kaede gave a small nod, gradually uncovering her mouth. She didn't try to say a word, but she would glance at Shota every so often to see if his quirk was still active on their way home. However, when the three young heroes had to split, her lips pressed to a thin line and her grip became tighter on Hizashi's hand.
"We'll say hi to my mom and dad, and then if you want, we can go look at your room? It's right beside mine." His voice was gentle, unlike before. Kaede stared at her cousin before nodding.
"Ah, goodness! Look at you two," Yamada Shiori gasped, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel before coming to try and swoop up the little girl beside her son. Kaede quickly evaded the snatch, hiding behind Hizashi. Her hands clung tightly to the fabric of his UA uniform. "Kaede? Sweetheart, is everything okay?"
Once the woman took a step away, even crouching to her level, Kaede peeked from behind Hizashi. 'I don't like up up.'
"Oh, okay dearie. I'm sorry, I didn't know. Your parents didn't tell me much about what's going on... how about you two go get settled in? By the time Dad gets home, dinner will be ready." Hizashi nudged Kaede with his hand, guiding her down a hall before stopping where two rooms were straight across from each other.
"Here we are! Right together," Hizashi chimed, flipping on the light to the right. A pastel pink room stared at Kaede. White fluffy bedding with a stuffed rabbit waiting for her. The carpet was a cool gray. The dresser was white, but so was the other furniture. The only thing that wasn't was the assorted pink and grey foldable cube inserts that went into the cube shelf. "Do you like it?" Kaede stared at it. She didn't like it. She turned to him.
'Can I see your room?'
"Uh... Sure!" Hizashi turned on his room light, and Kaede was met with a dark grey with neon yellow accents. His bed was designed like a stage, a spotlight coming down onto the bed. There was even--- Kaede ran for the unsuspecting cat in its bed, her hands scooping up the calico. The cat awoke with a startled hiss, it's yellow orbs looking at her. Hizashi knelt beside Kaede, tilting his head. "You like cats too?"
Kaede nodded her head as the calico relaxed.
"His name is S'more. If you ever want to play with him, he'll be in my room, okay? We just can't let him out. Mom and dad don't like him running everywhere." Kaede nodded. She liked Hizashi's room better. Hizashi pulled a box of cat toys from beside S'more's bed, pulling out a long wand with ribbons attached. "Here, try playing with him."
That's exactly what Kaede did. It seemed to distract her from whatever was on her mind, as Hizashi swore he heard the smallest squeaks ad squeals as Kaede played with S'more. Kaede was a fast child, agile even for her age. She acted as a child should, until they were called for dinner. It was then that she reverted to being shy and non-verbal, less active as well. It made Hizashi wonder...
What exactly happened with Kaede.