A few days went by with Izuku testing out how his quirk worked some more. He learned that he could be very liberal with how the doll appeared. With more limbs than a normal human should have. Of course for now he's going to keep Ana (what he's calling the ana tomical dummy) as close to looking human as possible.
The dumpsters were kind enough to give him Ana but not much else as he soon found out. If he wanted more stuff, he needed to find somewhere where lots of junk gathered. Thankfully the boy stumbled across such a place during his daytime wanders through the alleys with his new friend.
Takoba Municipal Beach Park, a verifiable dump filled with all kinds of leftovers Izuku could scavenge. It already gave him a shopping cart, which he promptly used to store whatever items were semi-functional. Most of the actual heavy lifting was done by Ana who would surely complain the whole time but didn't have the mouth to voice it.
By the end of a couple trips they had several mannequins, a few knives which Izuku kept for self-defense and a computer of all things, not a monitor though. It was one that seemed to actually work if the glowing light was anything to go by. He didn't have a monitor yet so that had to be shelved for now.
By the end of the first week, the warehouse was looking quite well. There were some hanging lights put up around the bedroom to light the place up dimly, curtains to block the windows and even some sheets to make the bed more comfortable. It was a nice feeling being able to make your own space.
Despite everything though, there was still one thing Izuku hated about this new arrangement. Sleeping. Yes the mattress was soft enough to work but comfort wasn't the issue. He keeps getting nightmares. Bad ones about seeing mama again getting burned alive or Hisashi finding him. He tried to ignore them the first night but after he just settled for not sleeping as long as possible and instead read some of the books that he found dumped on a street nearby.
He knew it wasn't good to stay up past his bedtime. He felt it too but it didn't stop him. He didn't want to go to sleep no matter what, at least until he was too tired to move and collapsed onto the mattress in front of Ana who in turn would collapse to the floor.
When he would sleep it would always be nightmares and worse it was ones where he couldn't break out until the next morning. He'd wake up shaking and constantly checking the building to make sure nothing can get in or out except him and Ana. He didn't want to be found, not until he knew for sure Hisashi was gone.
That was a problem, certainly, so for now he's going to work on getting more food and experimenting with his quirk further.
Speaking of, he made a new discovery about his quirk. He managed to find a wilted child's doll in the dump that he kept and wanted to use his power on it to see how it works with multiple dolls. What came of it was that when Izuku activated his control, it activated it for all of his 'dolls' causing Ana to move too.
So, at least for now, it was better to control one doll and not push it until he was older. Maybe then he could find a way to split his focus on more than one thing.
- - -
"The bottle kept moving on its own?" Shouta asked the detective.
It's been a week since the fire and after some tests and some research, they found out enough to warrant a meeting. Both him and Tsukauchi were in the detective's office for the sake of privacy due to the connections to the Dragon's Roar this case has.
"According to the analyst, yes. The bottle just started moving on its own." the detective said, placing out the report from the analyst on the fluid in the bottle they found.
"Any reason why?" the pro hero asked, just as certain as before what the answer to this question would be.
"None, yet. It's why you're here." Tsukauchi stated.
The detective took out a case, where inside, pulled from styrofoam coating, was the bottle in question. It had the same fluid but it had molded or mossed of some kind to almost 'infect' the inside of the bottle. The 'moss' seemed to twitch like a muscle, moving and clearly trying to shake the bottle given how it seemed to slip in Tsukauchi's grasp.
"You want to see if it's a quirk? Shouldn't it be obvious?" he said in his usual low voice.
"We just need to be sure." the detective assured.
With that the pro hero's shoulder length black hair floated up from its usual messy droop as his eyes glared red. In an instant it happened, the moss in the bottle flopped back to become liquid again and inanimate. Tsukauchi set it down and they watched as it was now just an unmoving water bottle.
Shouta then dropped his quirk and in a near instant, the water activated and enveloped the bottle once more, causing it to tip over and roll around unpredictably. Tsukauchi immediately grabbed it and put it back inside the case it was brought safely in. Shouta raised an eyebrow at that case, wondering why it needed the cushioning.
"What's with the padding?"
"Whenever the bottle rolls or bashes into something, the cells in the spinal fluid die so we've been trying to preserve as much of it as possible." the detective explained as he gently set the case down.
"Whose spine did it come from?" the hero asked.
"Izuku Midoriya is who we believe it belongs to. He is the only son of Inko and Hisashi Midoriya." Tsukauchi elaborated.
"I'm guessing Hisashi is the 'husband' that the victim had mentioned." Shouta assumed, not that it wasn't easy.
"He is, and his description matches the man in the security footage. We haven't been able to locate him though and their residence is deserted." the detective clarified.
Shouta took a look through some files on the table relating to the man. On the surface, everything looked alright. The documents, birth certificate, license, all of it but from some calls and checks, most of this was forged with exceptions such as his drivers license which was built off the fake documents.
It seemed that whoever Hisashi Midoriya was, was important enough to need to be hidden from the world. That made it all the more important to find him now that he's been exposed before he squirrelled away again. Someone with this kind of past connected to the Dragon's Roar had to be someone important.
But despite that threat though, Shouta was feeling more concerned for the boy they still haven't found. The fear that Hisashi caught him or even killed him like his mother was a fear that he had since he carried the burnt Midoriya out of the fire. He really didn't want to find a burnt child or any dead child for that matter, he had enough problems sleeping.
"And what about the kid? Anything there?" he asked, hoping for something.
"No but we're going to release an inquiry to the public if anyone has seen him. Hopefully he's still out there." Tsukauchi stated, "Meanwhile there's a few people we need to look into."
"Who?"
"The Bakugou family. They live nearby and according to one of them they were good friends with the deceased."
"Anything I can do?" Shouta offered.
"Not much besides cracking down more on Dragon's Roar in case we manage to stumble upon Hisashi." Tsukauchi gave.
The two talked more about what some newer reports on the Dragon's Roar had and where some new operations were opening up. Shouta took them and made his leave from the station, doing a short patrol around before settling back home for the night.
Climbing back into the apartment through the living room window, he wiggled past Pepper and Dot to get into the living room where Hizashi was, watching a movie, clearly waiting for him.
"Hey." Shouta called as he sat down on the couch next to the blond haired man.
"Hey, how was work?" the blond asked tiredly, wrapping an arm around the other man.
"Alright. Still haven't found that kid." Shouta lamented, resting into the side of his fiancee.
Hizashi stroked the top of his head, knowing that he's been thinking about this a lot ever since he saw the footage of the kid running for his life. He knows despite how much he hated talking to people he had a soft spot for children, especially those going through a rough time.
"You'll find him." he reassured. "I know you will."
The two kept like that for a few more minutes until the movie had ended and two went to bed. Shouta could only hope that wherever Izuku Midoriya was, he was safe.
- - -
Today was another day to look for food and Izuku knew where. He and Ana headed to the same convenience store as before and rushed to pick out some stuff. He knew not to take a lot because it's meant to be for everyone not just him so he grabs enough for himself.
Once he picked up what he needed, he scampered back to the warehouse to stash his food and headed back out to fish for more junk. This trip he was hoping for a monitor but what he found instead was something much more interesting.
Underneath a bunch of fried electronics, Izuku found what seemed to be a drone with its remote attached to it. It looked really expensive except for how the propellers were broken. He put it in the trolley Ana was pushing and did some more searching in the electronics pile and found a few batteries he decided to stockpile on.
Of course not all of them might work but as Izuku has found out here, more often than not people throw away things for the slightest of problems. Case and point, he found a fridge that was thrown away, probably whoever owned it got a better one. It still works, even with the light intact. Truly some people were wasteful but Izuku remembered one time a guy said on a show that one man's trash is another man's treasure and sure enough he found lots of treasures.
Bringing it all back, sure enough his hideaway was becoming more homey. He has a complete bed with a frame that was only missing a leg, a desk chair with a few cuts on it and satellite dish. He didn't know how to use the dish but he knew it's used to get radio waves but it was cool so he brought it with him.
Speaking of knowledge, there was one thing Izuku missed from before besides mama and that was the family computer. It would have so many answers he could use right now but until he found a monitor and somehow connected to the internet, he knew that was far from now.
For now he'd settle with some old dusty books he'd find. Most of them were useless, either instruction manuals for things he didn't have or novels that only helped to distract him from sleeping but what he did find was a few books about machines.
Some computer assembly guides and some tech textbooks were useful but only so long as you can understand the words being written. If he wanted to actually put this stuff to use, he needed to fill in the gaps he had in his reading skills.
Which ultimately led him to the library, the only place he could probably get those answers. The problem was going in. Izuku liked having closed walls around him but he didn't like it with other people. It felt suffocating and risked him being found so how could he even approach?
He couldn't just take books out, he needed a library card and he didn't have one, nor did he want to get one. He could read the books inside but that was, again, scary. If only Ana could walk inside and do it for him but he can't see through her eyes, it was a major drawback about his quirk to see what was going on or he might as well be swinging around in the dark.
That was when an idea popped into the mind of the little boy. He looked for the drone he got from the dump and took apart its camera. It had a wireless connection to the remote and it had a little screen too. After carefully removing the camera, the wires and the battery holders, he checked to see if it still worked and it did.
The video quality was poor and the lens needed cleaning but it was enough to be able to read. Izuku took his carving knife and after apologising to Ann, removed one of her eyes and stuffed in the camera snugly where the socket would be. After giving the camera and the remote the fullest batteries he could find, the doll marched around the warehouse whilst Izuku hid in his bedroom, watching the dolls 'perspective'.
It was really shaky and the camera would've slipped out but the duct tape he used kept it in place and Ana was able to make her first walk on her own. Izuku was happy and proud of his idea. He decided to give Ana some extra batteries and practiced taking them out of the camera and putting new ones in before sending the doll out on an errand.
That errand being to look around the area for a library.
The doll clambered down the street whilst Izuku watched from the remote, the connection getting spotty every now and then from getting too far out of range. It seemed the signal was good for almost a kilometer before it started getting slow. Hopefully he can find something stronger in the future, that way he doesn't need to risk going outside at all.
Eventually Ana found a library just at the edge of his range and commanded her to wander inside. After struggling with the door for a minute, the doll stumbled inside to a confused looking librarian.
"Excuse me, are you alright?" he whispered, tilting his head to try and see the face of the raincoat wearing doll, hood up and taped on tight.
Ana shook her head slowly and deliberately and just limped past him and into the library. The librarian just looked on, slightly confused but thankfully it seemed he didn't care enough to look into it further. Despite having been found in a dumpster, the green raincoat covered a lot of Ana up and the accompanying rain boots she had made it easier to pass off as a human. Maybe a drunk one but a human nonetheless.
Izuku's eyes wandered over the books Ana's eye was showing. He wasn't sure where to start, so he settled on the most obvious thing to look at. A simple book called Computers Made Easy. Ana set it down and started going through it with Izuku reading through the lens. The problem was that although this is meant to be 'easy' he still can't understand most of the words.
So he had Ana look for something to fix that. Books on katakana, kanji and hiragana that were aimed at children were the easiest he could find. He is a child and that should be natural but Izuku didn't want Ana to stay in the library for long. He couldn't check out the books because he needed a library card, one he didn't have.
He decided to stay there for two hours, making sure to keep an eye on his connection to Ana to know how much spinal fluid she had. Turning pages didn't lose much but it did when you were also subconsciously ordering her to tap her foot. Over that time he noticed some people giving the doll some strange looks. Her disguise hadn't fallen but Izuku imagined it was more because the dummy looked like an adult reading a book for children far too intently.
Once Izuku had enough for the day, he put the book back and had Ana leave, the librarian giving the doll a look that read 'goodbye' to the boy. Ana made it back safely and though it was a bit awkward looking through the camera, it wasn't that bad if it meant he didn't need to leave the safety of the warehouse.
Ultimately, then, the test was a success and Izuku spent the rest of his time practicing what he learnt on the books he had. It was still a struggle but he was a scarily fast learner with a lot of time on his hands.
- - -
After Izuku's success with the camera, he started to not leave the warehouse at all. Opting to have Ana go outside and handle all of it. It was honestly safer. He was less likely to be found so he continued having her be his hands and feet for a whole other week.
The only real time he needed to leave was to go to the beach to get more junk because it was too far. He looked for a better quality camera with better connections but unfortunately his luck there ran dry. But only for that area, as after a week of scavenging he finally came across one thing he was looking for.
A TV screen. It was old, bulky, small and dirty but Izuku was sure with some cloth it could be cleaned up. Loading it onto the trolley, he picked up a few more interesting looking pieces of junk and the two headed back to the warehouse with their haul.
Overtime, Izuku had noticed that it looked odd for a child to be travelling with someone pushing a trolley filled with junk so, using his small size, he would hide under Ana's raincoat, using the camera to see out in front of him and guide the two. All in all, it felt like life was going well besides sleep issues. Well there's one more thing.
Izuku hadn't talked to a real human being in almost two weeks. He's talked to Ana, yes, but she never talks back. Not that he expected her to. It was honestly really lonely. But he knew this is what he needed to do if he wanted to escape and maybe one day get revenge on Hisashi.
But he admits that when he sees other kids playing without a care in the world his heart aches a little bit. It'll just have to be something to outgrow. He's practically a grown up now with how responsible he was.
Yes so he'll just have to make do with telling Ana all of his ideas and plans. His secrets and fears. Hopes and dreams. She always nods her head along to everything he says (with his input) so really who needs other people? Izuku barely talked to anyone before so really nothing of value was lost, it just meant he had to be a little more lonelier than usual.
Chapter 4: Mean No Harm
Tsukauchi wasn't sure what to expect with the Bakugous. He knew that one of them was close with the deceased Midoriya so he was afraid of being the bearer of bad news so he, in some small part, hoped they already knew from the news report.
Parking outside of their residence, he steps out to spy a small head peeking out from the upstairs window to see him move outside and out of his car. Once Tsukauchi reached the door to knock on it, it opened before he could, thanks to a man with spiky brown hair and glasses greeting him.
"Hello, officer." the man greeted.
Tsukauchi said hello back. Having already called ahead for a good time to talk, the detective was let in and shown to the living room where a woman with spiky blonde hair and red eyes greeted him as well.
After a short round of introductions, he learned the names of the two as Masaru and Mitsuki respectively. He also got the impression they had a child, given the toys he could see here and there but that wasn't important, at least for now. Right now he needs to know if they're aware of the situation.
"Do you know why I'm here?" Tsukauchi asked gently, putting on that voice he does when getting ready to deliver bad news.
"Yes. Inko," the blonde Bakugou started, pausing for a moment as her throat seemed caught on the words. "She's gone isn't she?"
"Unfortunately, yes." he answered, tone filled with sympathy.
"And Izuku's missing as well?" she followed up with, voice just as worried.
"We are still searching for him but yes," he reassured.
Masaru seemed to narrow his eyes, not out of suspicion or disbelief but dread. Mitsuki on the other hand seemed stressed and gripped the couch they were on to the point that her husband held her hand to calm her down.
The three discussed how they knew the Midoriya's and most of it comes back to Mitsuki and Inko being friends from college. They were close enough to move into the same area and even saw each other as aunts to each of their respective children. The emotions seemed very tender as it was clear the blonde woman was having a hard time saying this out loud.
Masaru just kept reassuring her, taking over for some parts when it became too much for the other and trying to keep it together for the sake of his wife. Eventually the topic of Inko's relations to them ended and the topic of Hisashi began. Once it did, there was an immediate shift in the two, clearly finding the man upsetting to them.
"I always knew there was something off with that man." Mitsuki growled, becoming less mournful and more angry than before.
"Can you tell me more about that?" Tsukauchi inquired.
Mitsuki told him how much she never trusted the man, even when he and Inko first started dating. According to her, Midoriya always had a habit of attracting the worst kind of people to her and Hisashi was one of them. She mentioned how he would always come home late, worrying the woman.
Tsukauchi was going to interject there and ask if she knew what he was doing late but Mitsuki kept talking, now turning into a rant so he left it until she was done.
Apparently Midoriya Inko had always been a gentle soul and would rarely ever say 'no' unless it would literally hurt her or someone she cared about. It always ended up with him walking all over her and every decision he made was one she had to agree with, for the most part.
She did, however say, that she got a lot more willful when Izuku was born, especially when he started to become more and more like his mother in terms of his gentle heart. She and Hisashi would argue a lot, especially over the dolls Izuku liked but Mitsuki could tell it was less about them for Inko and Hisashi and more about control.
The dolls represented Izuku's soft nature and anyone could tell that Hisashi didn't want a gentle child. Inko on the other hand wanted Izuku to like what he wanted and not be forced to change just because someone told him, completely oblivious to the irony of her saying that.
"Would the arguments ever turn violent?" Tsukauchi asked, now that Mitsuki was winding down a little.
"No. At least in terms of punching or slapping. The bastard knew that would push things too far even for Inko." she said, voice still ringing with frustrations. "And it pretty much was the case."
"What do you mean?" Tsukauchi asked, making sure that he's writing all of this down in his pocketbook.
"The day Inko died and Izuku vanished, she called me to say Hisashi hit her." Mitsuki's face turned grim.
She continued to explain that she called to say everything that happened, including the quirk manifestation Izuku went under. She mentioned going to a hospital and Tsukauchi made sure to get the name of it before moving on to his final inquiry.
"Do you know what line of work Hisashi was in?" he asked.
"No and it always made me suspicious, especially the bruises and cuts I'd notice on his knuckles." she answered.
"Did he ever have a tattoo that looked like this?" and Tsukauchi took out a small photo showing the Dragon's Roar symbol that all members get.
Mitsuki and Masaru both looked it over, scrambling through their brains for anyway they'd recognise that symbol but none of them recognised it. Tsukauchi thanked them for their time and promised to update them on any developments but before he could leave, the loud voice of a kid filled the room.
"Are you going to find Izuku?"
He looked just like his mother, the red eyes and spiky blond hair. He stood in the doorway looking in and was definitely not a shy kid given how he didn't seem shy at all. Tsukauchi wasn't sure what to say. No trace of Izuku had been found yet and they'd only just got the missing child inquiry broadcasted so he can't say anything for sure.
He admits he wasn't good with kids. He didn't not like them but when it came to talking to them on the job, it was always for something not good. He doesn't know how the blond felt about the kid Midoriya so he kept it vague but hopeful.
"We are still searching for him and trying our best to find him." he settled on.
The boy's eyebrows furrowed at that. "You better find him soon. He's weak and cries a lot."
It was laced with thinly veiled concern and it was clear there was some dislike in his tone but it seemed that the boy was likely just worried for his friend. At least that's how it seemed to Tsukauchi.
The detective made his final farewells and left the Bakugou's residence to head to the hospital and find out more about what happened in more detail.
- - -
Ana had just come back from another library visit and Izuku was starting to understand more and more about what he was reading in the books he'd gathered. He even made a little personal dictionary to help him out and all was going well.
The warehouse as well was starting to fill up. A lot of the junk was left on the building's main floor whilst anything useful was moved up to the bedroom that was shaping up to have everything Izuku needed. Right now though, he just wanted to learn more and more.
He realized he had a love for learning new things and couldn't wait to be able to read properly without the children's dictionary he had when reading. He'd set up a little place to set his books whilst he didn't read them and had Ana check any nearby dumpsters for anything interesting.
Speaking of dumpsters, Izuku realized that he and Ana were starting to look a little worse for wear. Whilst Ana could be excused, Izuku felt really grimy and his clothes were starting to get worn in some places. He even had a hole in the back of his shirt. He didn't know where that came from.
He wasn't sure where he could get some clothes though. Most clothes that were tossed out were already worse than what he's wearing. Honestly he could steal but Izuku knew that was wrong but his morals are wavering the more ratty his clothes got. Ana was fast if needed but faster than a car or a hero was something Izuku didn't want to test.
Maybe if he checked behind some department stores, there might be some old clothes thrown out he could take. But in all likelihood he was going to have to either find money or get lucky, which would probably still be money in the end.
There could be a third option though. He knows that some people sew clothes. He even saw mama fix some things once or twice but Izuku didn't know the first thing about making clothes or if he'd even be good at it.
"Guess we could look in the library. Right Ana?" he said, turning to the doll who nodded at his words.
Izuku had started to forget sometimes that Ana wasn't real. That she was just an object puppeted by him but he needed the company and it wasn't as if he was going crazy. He was perfectly fine besides the late nights huddled on the mattress, crying a little at knowing mama was gone forever.
Everyone dealt with grief. Izuku assured himself he'll get over it, he knows he'll get over it. He hopes he gets over it.
A few tears pushed free from his eyes that he quickly rubbed away. He can't stop to think too much, if he did he'd get sad distracted. Right now he needs new clothes and a bath.
The latter could be done, there was a bathtub in the junk he's pulled back, the problem was filling it and emptying it of water. The only source of water he had was the tap in the kitchen. He could attach a hose but then the next issue was somehow making the water warm. While it seemed there was a heater, it didn't work probably because it was broken. That itself was another concern down the road.
It was Spring right now and while it was chilly it would get warmer but that warmth won't last. He either needed to find a heater or figure out how to fix the one here. The former seemed to be the easier option.
The boy didn't know how long he'd need to hide here. Honestly he was starting to feel that he could stay here forever with what he's turned the place into and it was tempting. What else was there out there that he couldn't do himself here?
Auntie and Uncle were the only real things he cared about that are still alive but that would be the first place Hisashi would look for him. He'd put them in danger. Also Kacchan was there and while he'd say they were friends, he always felt like the other boy never saw him the same way.
Truly there was nothing the outside world could offer him he couldn't find himself. Except, of course, clothes and heating but he was figuring it out and will probably find a way soon.
- - -
Hizashi was coming back from some clothes shopping for the upcoming warmer months. He needed some new clothes after Pepper tore through his shirts in a crime of passion and was just finished getting what he wanted. He was in his civilian attire, his long blond hair tied back in a messy knot.
He'd paid for a few new shirts as well as a couple things that caught his eyes when he took a step outside the clothing store he was in to hear the sounds of rustling in the alleyway next to the building.
'Wonder what that is? Maybe a raccoon or cat?' he thought, moving towards the corner.
Peeking around he saw a person in a long green raincoat rooting around in some dumpsters whilst a tiny figure was standing a bit back, watching. The taller one looked to be an adult but Hizashi couldn't quite tell because of their hood being up. The smaller one though, looked to be the size of a kid and the raincoat he was wearing looked to be the same as the taller one, just cut off at the bottom so he wouldn't trip.
The tall one was taking out some old clothes thrown out during clearance and was holding them for the kid to see as if getting his critique but neither of them said anything to each other. Hizashi also noticed that both of them looked a bit dirty, especially the tall one with dirt and grease all over their coat.
'Are they homeless? No Zashi. Don't judge, you're literally planning to marry a man very soon who looks like he sleeps in the gutters.'
The blond took a few steps forward, which immediately was spotted by the kid who ran over to the tall one to hide behind. The tall one in question turned to face Hizashi but even then the dark alley made it hard to tell who they were.
"Hey! Hey listeners! Didn't mean to startle you." he said, raising up his arms in surrender. He didn't mean to fall back into his hero persona, it was just how he talked when consoling people.
The kid seemed to have vanished behind the taller one, who didn't react to Hizashi's words.
"I just wanted to check if you're alright." he reassured, spotting behind them a shopping trolley that was being filled with clothes.
The tall one stayed still, staring down Hizashi in an almost eerie kind of way. He didn't feel malicious intent, he didn't feel any intent coming from the person just a presence. Hizashi knows that normally you should keep to yourself when it comes to things like this and he would if he hadn't noticed the kid. He wanted to make sure both of them were alright.
"Are you able to speak?" he asked gently, not wanting to spook them anymore.
The tall one shook their head slowly and almost intently. It was admittedly odd how rigid that movement was but Hizashi didn't question it. He was more focused on learning more about these two.
"Do you know JSL?" he asked and signed. To that the tall one shook their head again, making it clear that this conversation isn't going to go anywhere unless they find a way to chat.
"Ok then. Then I'll just ask if you're alright. Are you?" he questioned. The person seemed to freeze for a moment before nodding a couple times. "And what about the kid with you, are they alright?"
The person nodded again, starting to inch back now at the mention of the kid. Hizashi couldn't help but get nervous at that and made a step forward which seemed to cause something under the person's coat to jump.
'Is he hiding under their coat?' Hizashi thought, noticing the jump but said nothing.
"Can I get a look at the kid? Just to make sure they're alright." he clarified.
A stand off lasted for a few moments before a little head popped out from the taller one's coat between their legs. He still couldn't see his face but could see the small glow of two green irises staring at him.
'He can't be that old.' Hizashi thought. The small one really looked like a kid in how he gripped onto the taller one's coat to hide behind. It was a little cute to be honest.
"It's alright. Can you take off that hood so I can see if you're alright?" he requested.
Both he and the tall one shook their heads, almost perfectly in sync. Hizashi wasn't sure how to continue when he heard the tiniest voice speak.
"W-what is t-that?" the child stuttered, not in a shout but more a loud whisper. Like he didn't want to be overheard.
"What is what?" Hizashi questioned, crouching down to be at eye level with the kid, who stepped back a bit into the tall one's coat.
"JSL?" he whispered.
Hizashi smiled a little, "It's something you use to speak without using words or writing." He moved his arms and hands to show the sign for hello. "This means hello."
The kid tried to copy the movements along with the tall one, bending both of their fingers to match what Hizashi showed. After a few attempts and Hizashi showing them it a few more times, they eventually managed to get it, much to the kid's joy.
"See you got it!" he cheered, making a careful step towards them. This one they didn't notice and so he kept there, waiting for a chance to close in. He didn't know who they were but he had his suspicions, specifically with the kid.
"H-how do I learn m-more?" he asked, eyes more clear now and blooming with curiosity.
Hizashi kept a cheery smile on. "There's lots of books on it, but if you want I can teach you some more."
The kid seemed to light up when he mentioned books but when he said he could teach him, he must've realised how close they were and stepped back, the tall one moving with him. Hizashi made no sudden movements as the duo stumbled back, bumping into the trolley.
As they did, the kid seemed to bump into the leg of the tall one and his hood slipped a bit, a few locks of greasy dark green hair poking out. He seemed to panic and put the hood back on but it was enough for Hizashi to confirm who he was looking at.
'Izuku Midoriya. He's right here and alright.' Hizashi couldn't believe he just stumbled into him on a shopping trip. He didn't know who the tall one was but he was sure they couldn't be good. He needed to get the kid away from them.
The problem was how he could do it without risking the kid being taken hostage. He also didn't like how still and quiet the tall one was. They haven't made a sound, not even a gasp to breathe but then again, Hizashi's hearing aids had been acting up a lot recently so maybe he's just missed it.
He couldn't say he knew who Midoriya was right away or that might cause something dramatic to happen, so he settled with being the concerned stranger for now.
"Hey kid," he started, causing Midoriya to look up slightly at him, "Are you feeling safe with that person?"
He turned to the tall one and the kid looked up at them for a moment before nodding his head. The tall one didn't react at all, unnerving Hizashi even more.
"Okay, well why don't you both come with me? I can teach you more JSL?" he offered hoping.
Both of them took a step back, suspicion and distrust starting to grow in the boy's eyes which made Hizashi's heartache. A child should never have to make a face like that. It seemed the kid really mistrusted him and whether it was his own thoughts or the tall ones influence he wasn't sure.
The two kept stepping back, ignoring the trolley clearly planning to run so Hizashi decided to try one last time.
"Midoriya, I know it's you!" he called and it seemed to set off the two.
The tall one grabbed the kid and spun around to sprint, no rather scatter towards the other end of the alley. Hizashi took off after, leaving his shopping behind as he grabbed his phone to call Shouta.
"Sho'!" he yelled into the phone, "I think I found the kid Midoriya, he's with someone unknown and I'm chasing them right now to Pinato Square."
He heard his fiancee on the other end stumble, probably from their bed, and spoke back into the phone in a calm but clearly nervous voice. "I'm on my way."
Hizashi kept chasing the two through alleys. It was almost impressive how they managed to avoid stumbling into as little people as possible. He kept calling after the two, telling them he meant no harm, hoping this was a misunderstanding.
Eventually, they reached a dead end where they were looking around for any way out. Hizashi stopped behind them, and readied for a standoff. He couldn't use his quirk here or he might hurt Izuku and he didn't know the state the kid was in under that raincoat. For all he knew he might be hurt.
The duo turned around and Midoriya was still held by the tall one to their chest, almost cradled like a baby. Hizashi made sure to note how the kid wasn't fighting it but that could be due to stockholm or some kind of quirk. Right now he needed to separate the two.
"Look, just put the kid down and we can work this out." Hizashi tried to negotiate. The tall one just stood there unmoving but by the shifting of its legs, he could tell they were going to fight. So he took the first initiative.
Hizashi moved in to strike, aiming a kick to try and sweep the feet out from under them but when he struck, he heard a loud clunk. Were they wearing armor? Nevertheless the person stood tall and responded in kind with a shaky swing of their legs which almost hit Hizashi on the chin. The raincoat had flown up and under he could see what he could tell was a bare leg.
This made the hero more determined to get whoever this is away from the child as the two started swinging at each other, parrying legs and just missing the tall ones head. The hood ruffled slightly and under he could spot something shining like a lens. What was more alarming though was how this guy seemed to keep up with him eerily well like he knew what his next move would be.
After a few seconds of being in a stalemate, the pro hero finally got an advantage when a puddle caused the tall one to slip. Using that he pivoted on one foot and delivered a kick to the head of the person. A loud crack was heard and the head came clean off, surprising even Hizashi as the person stumbled back, Midoriya still in their clutches.
The blond was expecting blood but instead he saw… water? Sprayed out from the stump before it seemed to just stop. He lowered his guard for a moment at the sight, thinking that he might've accidentally killed this guy when the headless body jumped and slammed their leg down on Hizashi's shoulder, taking the fight out of the man as he was crushed to the floor with far too much strength for something that thin.
He also heard a crack then and felt water on the back of his head he thought was his blood when the person ran past Hizashi, grabbing their decapitated cranium and taking off. Hizashi was still on the ground, reeling from that last kick when he saw lying next to him was a mangled severed foot. He almost freaked out before he noticed it was made of plastic.
He rose back up and tried to chase after them but it was too late. Midoriya was gone without a trace just like the first time. A few moments later, Shouta hopped down into the alley and immediately ran for him when he saw him holding the back of his head. He checked for blood but it just seemed to be water he thinks.
"Zashi!" he called and he would've found it sweet to hear if he wasn't wrestling with the most painful shoulder pain he's ever gotten.
"He got away." Hizashi groaned, now gripping his shoulder. The other man held him slightly to support him.
Shouta asked where they went but Hizashi assured him they were long gone. The speed that guy went, even with a missing foot, was far too quick for a normal human. It must've been a quirk of some kind.
"The foot." Hizashi nodded, the appendage still there on the floor.
Shouta picked it up and looked it over and his eyes widened a little as he looked inside the socket. He must've noticed something but whatever it was could wait. After this, he was definitely going to have to see if his shoulder was dislocated, that kick felt far too powerful.
With the help of Shouta, the two made their way out where some police cars had arrived, Tsukauchi rushing out to ask where Midoriya went. Ultimately though, Hizashi felt awful and it was less about the kick and more about the fact he let whoever that was get away with the kid.
He didn't like how he failed when Midoriya was right there.