Chapter 12: Stuttering Voice
Hizashi had just gotten home after a slightly longer shopping trip than usual. He found the most adorable little kid at the mall looking for a gift for his friend and made a deal that he would buy it if he helped with his shopping for next week.
He didn't need the help. Actually he wasn't even planning on going to that mall next week but seeing that little face with those sad but hopeful eyes melted the blond's heart. It didn't help that when Hizashi bought the paint set, he smiled just like Shouta does.
Honestly he just wanted to scoop up that purple cat and bring him home. Actually, on that he said he was a foster child and a neglected one at that. Maybe if Hizashi could build his trust somewhat and find out more, he could see if he really is being mistreated. He can't stand by and watch a child get hurt, even if it's through neglect.
The blond sauntered on through his apartment and entered the kitchen to put away groceries. He was humming away with glee over everything when Shouta passed by with Dot by his side, most likely looking for food after hearing Hizashi come back.
"What happened," he stated. Something had to have occurred.
"Sho' I just met the most wonderful kid today." he chirped. "He looked seven and he was at the mall looking for a birthday gift for his friend."
"Ok, so? I'm sure a lot of kids do that." Shota deadpanned, stopping Dot from hopping onto the counter to look in the bags.
Hizashi huffed. "You didn't see him Sho'. He was there alone and didn't have any money!"
"Please don't tell me you just gave him cash. I don't want to have a husband that can get swindled by a child." Shouta groaned.
"He didn't trick me! We made a deal. I'd get him the gift, he'd help me shop today and next week." Hizashi explained, finishing putting away most things and turning to Shouta.
The erasure hero let out a long drawn out sigh. "You can't just make deals with random kids 'Zashi."
"He wouldn't accept it otherwise. He says he's getting the gift to pay back his friend. His only one Sho'. What was I supposed to do?!" he cried dramatically.
"Did you even get this kid's name?" Shouta asked.
"Yep! Little Shinsou Hitoshi! He's also a foster kid from what he said."
Shouta's nose seemed to scrunch up a little at that, something he only does when he's made a connection or he has the cold. It was summer so it clearly wasn't the latter.
"What's wrong, Sho'? Name sound familiar?" He questioned.
Shouta seemed to be thinking through something when he left to go to his office. "I think I recognise that name from somewhere."
Hizashi went after him, Dot stayed behind to hunt for the cat food some more. He arrived at his door, to see him looking at a relatively fresh looking file. He took a moment to flick through it before Hizashi saw his eyes flicker with realisation.
"Does he look like this?" and Shouta showed a picture of the same boy, slightly younger but with the same floaty purple hair and gloomy eyes.
"Yeah he does! Wait, why is he on your desk? Is he in trouble?" Hizashi said, alarmed, his mind briefly flashing back to Izuku all those months ago.
"No, he's one of the kids Tsukauchi is going to be interviewing. The case of the Behemoth." Shouta explained.
Hizashi heard about that one in the news. Some scary doll monster scaring a bunch of teachers so bad they had to be out of commission for a few days. A lot of people were wondering aloud about what the monster was and why it was related to the school. It got leaked that all of the victims were given the same warning to not hurt children.
He didn't know what to make of rumors like that but he did have a rule he followed anytime he hears rumors. Being a radio show host, he hears rumors all the time and about seventy percent of them are always false so whenever he hears one, he doesn't believe it, not until he can disprove or confirm it himself.
He knows Shouta's been working on that case but Hizashi hasn't been told much as he likes to keep his three personas as a hero, a radio host and Hizashi separate.
"According to this, he has been having problems at school from… 'disregarding authority'." Shouta explained.
Hizashi was in disbelief. "He was the nicest kid when he was with me."
"His quirk is called Brainwashing and it allows him to control people." he elaborated in a tone lower than before.
"Ah." Hizashi gasped as all the pieces fit together.
He knew quirk discrimination was a thing, especially for those with quirks deemed 'villainous'. Shouta also had those problems in his youth. Apparently having a quirk that erases others is scary enough to a lot of people to cry monster about.
It was then he remembered again about the kid saying he only had one friend and Hizashi's heart was breaking all over again. Not only was the kid in the foster system being neglected, but he was also a social outcast.
The blond wanted to get back out there right now and find him, give him the biggest hug he could and maybe… consider finding out how to become a foster parent. He says maybe because they're moving into a new house with extra rooms… Ah! How does he solve this dilemma!
"Hizashi…" Shouta warned, clearly able to read what he's thinking.
"I know Sho'. But the kid says he's being neglected and the school he's going to is possibly sketchy too!" he argued.
Shouta just shook his head and put down the case file, walking up and grabbing his arms. "After the move, we can talk more about it. For now, just see if the kid's alright. He might be fine on his own."
"No one's fine on their own." Hizashi argued, not aggressively but more in a statement. He knows Shouta's right, he can't just make rash decisions.
His husband hugged him, humming in agreement as the two swayed a little as a way to comfort the other. For both of them, this issue hits them close to home. What with both of them being in that kind of situation when they were younger but he'd rather not think about that now.
"If it makes you feel better, I'll talk with him during the first round of interviews." he said into Hizashi's ear.
"Thank you."
A loud bang in the kitchen was heard as the two men rushed in to see Dot having thrown his food bowl around, Pepper watching, as the two were expecting food now.
- - -
Hitoshi spent the next few days up to Izuku's birthday studying with him and deciding what they were going to do for the summer break. According to him, Izuku doesn't have one but that's mostly because he has a very loose schedule.
They decided on clearing out the beach, both so Izuku could find more parts but also so Hitoshi could start his training to become a hero, or at least start getting the strength for it. It was really icky at first wading through junk, especially without gloves but after getting used to it and learning what to and what not to touch, it got quite fun.
Okay maybe not fun, it was back breaking work, but it was satisfying seeing the beach become clearer. You could actually see the waves wash on the sand instead of plastic. It was also fun just being around Izuku/Ana. Though they couldn't really talk while moving stuff, the company was good. It all felt good.
Not to mention there was so much weird stuff here, Izuku was right when he said people threw out things that should still work. He managed to find a generator that was perfectly fine, a go kart that only needed oil changed (according to Izuku) and a bunch of stuffed toys rotting in a box. Izuku took the stuffed toys because he said he likes those things whilst Hitoshi wondered if his foster parents would notice if he somehow got a kart into his room.
He didn't know what he was going to do with it if he did but he just thought it would be cool and funny if he could pull that off somehow.
Before any more of that happened though, Izuku's birthday was here and he couldn't wait to show him the paint set. He had to hide it under his bed so his fosters didn't accuse him of stealing. He's certainly had that happened to him in the past and he wasn't going to let it happen again.
On the day, they decided to meet at the beach during the sunset so they could watch it together. Hitoshi lugged the case around along with the card in his pocket and sat down on the steps leading down to the beach.
It seemed that Ana wasn't there yet so he thought about everything that's happened to him over the last couple months.
It had been only a short time since he met Izuku at the start of the school year. He honestly never expected to find a friend when he moved to Musutafu, let alone one outside of school. Even though the time had been so short, he already feels somewhat close to his friend, or at least they to him.
Maybe he's moving too fast and that he doesn't feel the same way and it's just Hitoshi being starved of attention, positive attention. Maybe that's why he feels this closeness and shouldn't get too attached, if not for Izuku but for himself. He wasn't going to stay here forever.
He always left. He always moved onto the next home either because he was 'too much to handle' or 'too expensive'. Apparently affording a school uniform and three meals a day for a kid was 'too expensive', as if they weren't taking the idea of caring for a kid seriously.
But then again, maybe that's twisted his way of seeing himself. That maybe he is actually too much or too expensive to be around. Izuku's certainly bought enough food for him to be in the hundreds, he thinks.
He just hoped he could try to pay that back.
His thoughts were stopped when he saw Ana in the distance, looking around for him most likely.
"Hey!" Hitoshi called, the doll's head snapping in his direction.
The doll waved and immediately turned to the box Hitoshi was carrying. "What is that?" they signed as they walked over.
"Your birthday present. Bet you can't tell what's inside!" he giggled.
The doll tilted their head like a puppy as they approached the boy and sat down on the steps where he was, staring at the box and clearly thinking of what they thought it was inside. Hitoshi kept the card hidden behind his back and set the box down, ready to present the card.
"Here!" he chirped, shoving the card to Ana. "Happy Birthday!"
The doll took the card and brought it to its hooded face, much like they did when they first met, writing in their notebook words for him to read. It opened the card and read inside. Hitoshi recalled the message he put in and he hoped his care was felt by Izuku.
-
To Izuku.
Happy Birthday!
Thank you for being my best friend. I hope you know how much you mean to me, even if we haven't seen each other that long. I hope we can keep being friends so one day we can finally meet face to face.
From, Hitoshi.
-
It had a bunch of decorations at the end, with stars and glitter decorating the edges. Hitoshi was scared it might look stupid and was waiting with bated breath to find out if his friend liked it or not. Eventually the doll put the card down and signed out.
"Thank you Hitoshi. This means a lot to me." and the doll pulled him in for a hug. They held it for a few moments, before they let go. Hitoshi grabbing the case.
It's at times like this that the purple haired boy hated how he couldn't see his friend's face. He couldn't tell if they were being nice or not. But he pushed through that doubt, moving on.
"And here's your actual present! I didn't know what exactly you wanted. I thought maybe you'd like a doll but they were too expensive for me to get so I found something else I think you might like." he explained, handing the case over to the doll.
They opened it and inside were two dozen different paints, brushes and other utensils that can be used in painting. The doll seemed to freeze when it looked at them and once more Hitoshi was left scared if the gift was good or not.
The doll closed the case and locked it. Putting it to the side next to them as they signed. "Thank you so much Hitoshi. I love it! I wanted to do some painting!" He could tell it was enthusiastic by how the doll shook all over a little as they signed.
"You're welcome!" Hitoshi replied beaming, it seemed his doubt was for nothing. "I know you like making stuff like Ana and that scary doll you mentioned a bit ago. I wanted to get you something to make more stuff as well!"
The boy was happy. Really happy. He can't tell exactly how much his gift meant to Izuku but he knew that at the very least he got this on his own and not by relying on anyone else. Next week he was going to do his best to help Hizashi with his shopping so that his debt there was repaid.
The two talked for a bit on the paints, Ana going through them and testing them. Some red paint was mushed on Hitoshi's face making the boy giggle as he stole a brush and did it back to the doll on theirs, giving them a red nose. It made them more creepy but honestly, Hitoshi was getting over it.
"You know Hitoshi." the doll signed. "All of my birthday gifts were normally given to me quietly."
"Really?" Hitoshi asked.
The doll nodded. "My mama would have to sneak them past Hi- my father, because a lot of them he didn't approve of."
"What were they?" he asked.
"Dolls. I always liked them. I read it might have something to do with my quirk but I liked the way they looked and felt. It felt comforting playing with them and posing them and making them act like heroes. I know there's action figures for that but none of them were as flexible or as pretty as the dolls." Izuku explained. "Does that… make me weird?"
"No!" Hitoshi retorted. "It doesn't. Your dad's probably just a dumbass for not trying to understand you."
"But it's still weird though… right? Boys shouldn't really be playing with those." the doll signed slowly.
"Who said that? Your dad?" Hitoshi said, almost sounding like an argument.
The doll's head looked away from him. "No. My friend… old one. Said it made me weak. And he was the strongest kid I know."
"Well he's stupid and not your friend. You're not weak Izuku. It doesn't matter if you like something everyone else says is weird, you like it for you." Hitoshi countered.
- - -
That line made something in the boy's heart shake a little. There was so much to digest in that sentence in more ways than one.
One, the idea that Ka…cchan was stupid was nothing to simply say. He was always smarter than Izuku. When they'd go out to the forest, he'd always be the one leading and he'd always follow. But now he doesn't follow anyone and he's still fine.
Two, that he's not weak. He is though, he really is. He's hiding away from the world because he's not strong enough to fight it himself. He cowers and slithers away into the dark. He does things with Ana through a screen tens of miles away. He's scared of even stepping out of the warehouse, just the thought made him start to hyperventilate. But that's okay, even though he's not strong, he's still fine.
And finally, the last thing he said. That he should like things for him and not let anyone else's opinion mess with that. He wasn't sure what to say to that. Arguably he's never let anyone's opinions change him, even when Hisashi shouted at Mama he still wanted more dolls to play with.
He was never truly sure why but he just did. Even right now, where he's trapped himself in this warehouse, he does so because he wants to. He wanted to stay here and be here and live here. He doesn't even see himself leaving because that was the smarter thing to do. So he's fine.
Truly.
It doesn't matter if someone says otherwise.
- - -
The doll sat in silence, probably digesting what he said. Hitoshi waited for them to speak back but after a moment he decided to move the topic on. "Is your dad still around?"
The doll's head seemed to shake at that, not in a 'no' but more as a shiver. "No. He isn't. Mama isn't either."
"Wait, then where are you living?" Hitoshi asked, getting slightly concerned.
"I… live alone." Izuku confessed.
"A-alone?! H-how? Are you safe!" Hitoshi panicked.
Izuku lived alone? But wasn't he his age? If he's alone then he must be living on the streets. How has he been surviving then? He knows he has money, so maybe he got some kind of inheritance from them? But that doesn't make sense, he should have someone helping him.
"I am safe!" Izuku replied immediately. "I'm fine. I promise. I just like to be alone so don't worry about me."
"How can I not worry?" Hitoshi argued goodnaturedly.
"Look. I'm fine. Please don't ask more." Izuku worded forcefully.
"Okay." Hitoshi dropped it, at least for now. He needed to know if Izuku was safe and not in danger.
The two left that topic alone for now and talked about some more stuff, such as Hitoshi's new teachers still being good if not a bit stricter for a first year elementary class. The two were laughing about something they heard in the news when the sun finally hit the horizon and the golden hour began.
Hitoshi couldn't stay for long as he had dinner but Izuku stopped him by having Ana grab his arm.
"Hitoshi. Before you go. I have a gift for you." the doll motioned.
Those signed words immediately made his face drop. Why was he getting a gift? He just finished repaying Izuku back for his help, why was he being given something else? He didn't want a gift. This was Izuku's birthday, not his so…
The doll let go of his arm and inched down to his hand, clutching it tightly. Hitoshi was beyond worried he was going to be getting something really good just like always and it was going to make him feel awful and…
"Here." they signed and handed over a cell phone. It was an older model but still a cell phone. That sight made the boy's heart drop and every insecurity he had spiked back up after it was just put away.
It was something good. Something so much better than some stupid card and a box of paints he didn't even buy with his own money. It was far better than anything he could ever get. Better than anything he could ever deserve.
"Izuku… I can't accept this, I can't!" Hitoshi cried. He didn't want to owe him anything, he was just finally paying his kindness back.
"This is more a gift for me than for you." the doll promised.
Hitoshi started to feel flustered as he felt upset about Izuku doing something for him when… "It's your birthday! Not mine!"
"Not today. But it was a couple weeks ago." Hitoshi froze. "I wanted to give you one a couple days later but I didn't want to up the bar." the doll signed, emotions unreadable.
'You already have.' Hitoshi thought, mind a mess.
He turned around and held the doll's hand tightly, tears welling up as he faced the setting sun. "I wanted this to be just for you. You've done so much for me and it feels like I can't do much back. You've fed me, taught me and made me no longer feel lonely. It feels like I owe you so much and with everything you give me it feels like my debt gets higher and higher."
"I'm an awful friend Izuku. I don't deserve someone as nice as you." he finished.
Hitoshi was tempted to leave but the doll's hands grabbed his shoulders, holding them tightly as the phone was set on his lap unwillingly. He looked into the glaring eyes of the doll, the camera staring back and he could almost swear he could feel the sadness in them.
Neither made a move. The doll didn't seem to let go and Hitoshi was about to say another word when he felt his lap vibrate and he looked down to see the phone ringing. There was a moment of confusion before he remembered what was said two weeks ago when it was his own birthday. The wish he inadvertently made.
It didn't show who it was but he could take a wild guess as the doll let go and allowed the boy to pick it up and answer.
"Hello? Izuku?" he said. Not too sure what to expect. It was the first time he would hear his voice, after months of speaking through the doll and pondering what kind of person would be on the other end. How'd they sound?
The other end was quiet for a few moments outside of some quiet humming of a fan. Hitoshi thought maybe it was the wrong number when he heard the faintest of voices on the other end.
"H-h-hi." it whispered like it was unsure if it even wanted to be heard.
"Izuku… is that really you?" Hitoshi replied, not sure if he should whisper too or not.
It was silent once more before the voice sounded out in a warble.
"H-happy B-birthday, Hitoshi!"
It was a stuttering mess and as quiet as a mouse but hearing the voice of his friend who clearly has put a lot of effort into talking with him, he couldn't help but let go of all the woe and self loathing.
A teary smile grew on his face and he replied...
"Happy Birthday, Izuku."
Chapter 13: Screeched
Kashi had gotten more and more stressed ever since that night. Receiving twelve calls nearly all at once, telling that many of his teachers were attacked and couldn't come back to school for a while, creeped him out alone. Then hearing about what exactly this 'Behemoth' reason behind its attacks was to do with the children.
But what issue? How can there be an issue? He has run Aldera Elementary exactly how he's been advised by the overall superintendent of the three Alderas. He wasn't even the harshest! The middle school and especially the high school were cruller than him so why go after him?
On top of all that, now there were police investigating the reason behind those attacks. He had to delete all of the footage and any evidence with a trace of their discipline on the student body. Now though, they're asking to interview the students? He can't stop them unless he wants to basically admit there is something there.
It's not like there is. Not really. It doesn't matter if a few kids get bullied for their quirks, that's life! If anything he's doing them a favour by getting them ready for the real world. Not only that but given how there's always villains around wouldn't it make sense that there's some in his classes? Of course there are, it's a statistical inevitability.
Then again, Aldera has never had a future hero graduate from their school. No, that's ridiculous, that's just a coincidence. When Kashi was teaching there were countless kids who surely grew up to be villains like that kid who could control darkness or that girl who could spit poison.
Speaking of villainous brats, he's sure one of them has something to do with this. He doesn't know which one but he'll find them and make sure they cough up what the 'Behemoth' is so he can finally get some proper sleep.
- - -
Tsukauchi had gone through his sixtieth interview of what is a list of eighty-four kids. He had to split his focus between different years and trying to convince parents to let their kid get interviewed was a monumental task. Most parents don't like it when their kids get talked to by a police officer, even more so if they start asking if there's any problems with their school.
Especially if they have an idea there is something wrong with their school.
Over the last two weeks it's been nothing but talking with parents and kids and Tsukauchi was honestly starting to break down. He has never broken down but being hounded at by some parents about their precious kid being treated like a criminal, even though there was never even any mention was something that, was driving the man up the wall.
At least he's gotten a few things.
He's figured out that there's definitely some kind of bullying problem going on in the school. To what extent is to be figured out but given how many kids are afraid of authority figures, especially at such a young age implies there's some negligence on the teachers' parts.
Whether or not that's enough to warrant them being traumatised is up to how much they chose to ignore.
Speaking of those teachers, many of them are going to therapy as recommended by their doctors. Tsukauchi knows this because he's been trying to interview them more on the monster and why they think it did this but none of them are having it and have shut up. Meaning either they're too scared to speak up or are admitting that there's a lot more than bullying problems going on.
He's also tried talking to the principal again but he's been 'busy' with a lot of his work getting new substitutes. Of course his quirk went off on that but he's keeping that fact, and his quirk, in the bag until he's gotten through these interviews.
On that, there's one he's been dreading for a while ever since he saw their name. The Bakugous. Apparently they go to this school too and their son's homeroom teacher, Tajima, was the first victim of that night and the only one who managed to contact the police about it.
The reason he wasn't looking forward to it wasn't because the Bakugou's were bad or annoying, if anything given their last visit they might be more amicable than most parents. No, the problem was that they were going to ask that inevitable question.
"Have you found Izuku yet?" Mitsuki asked with a mix of fear and sadness. She was sitting next to her son, Katsuki, on the sofa in their living room. Masaru, her husband, was at work and couldn't be there, leaving just the two of them to conduct the interview.
"Unfortunately, we have not found much from our investigations," he admitted. And he hated it.
The trail was ice cold on Izuku. When he popped up for a brief moment when Present Mic in civilian attire found him, he thought that maybe more would come but it's been over a year since then and not even a report of the boy has popped up.
They tried seeing if they could get something on that doll, his quirk, but either something has happened to the poor kid or he has gotten incredibly good at hiding. Given the unlikeliness of the latter, the former is probably what has happened.
Of course that doesn't mean he's given up. Keyword being 'he' because the case is on the verge of becoming cold with the odds being that Izuku is going to be declared dead if he doesn't find proof that he's still out there, even through his quirk.
Saying the news of Izuku's continued disappearance seemed to make the mother in front of him sadder and the kid on her right growl with furrowed eyes. He knows they're both likely going to resent him as time goes on but hopefully that can hold until the end of this interview.
"Please let me know if you find anything." Mitsuki begged.
He gave back a curt nod. "We will. But an update isn't why I'm here today as I told you over the phone."
"Yes, you wanted to ask my son some questions?" the mother recalled.
"That is correct. I wanted to ask him some questions about his school." the detective clarified.
The young Bakugou seemed to be focusing more after that whilst the older one widened her eyes. "Is there something wrong with Aldera?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out." Tsukauchi explained. "Before that though, considering this is an interview and not an inquiry, I'd like to inform you of my quirk. It allows me to be able to detect when I am being lied to. I'm not expecting either of you to lie but it's imperative that I tell you this before any interview can begin."
The two Bakugou's seemed a bit taken back when he explained his quirk. They always do. Learning that you can't lie to someone tends to make people anxious and constantly second guess every sentence they say to you even if they have nothing to hide. Same thing tends to happen whenever you put someone on a polygraph but this one is much more accurate.
After a few beats, Mitsuki agreed to this interview and Katsuki seemed to be fine with it as well.
"So then Bakugou Katsuki. How have your classes been?" the detective asked, saying his full name for the recording.
The kid huffed. "It's been fine for me. Except the extras not shutting up."
"Oi, Katsuki. What did we say about respect?" the mother growled as her face turned to scolding the boy.
"Well they are! They keep hanging around because of my quirk!" he shouted.
"Just the students? Does anyone else think the same?" Tsukauchi asked out of curiosity, though he's been having his theories.
The kid turned to him, still growling at his mother. "Yeah. Teachers kept gushing about how great my quirk is. Which is damn right!"
Tsukauchi wrote down what was said into a small notepad, mostly for his own sake. Okay. Let's see where this line of inquiry takes us.
"Do they all say you have a great quirk? Do they do anything else besides praise?" the detective inquired.
Mitsuki looked at him, clearly confused by what he was trying to get out of that question. Thankfully, Katsuki was kind enough to spell it out with his answer.
"Yeah! They say I'm going to be a great hero so they give me extra help and more time in P.E.!" he gloated proudly, a part of him peeking at his mom to see her reaction.
Right. So they favour children with good quirks. Let's see if the opposite is true. Tsukauchi thought. "What about those who don't have good quirks?"
"Pfft. I don't know. Those extras just get ignored." the kid said.
"By the teachers too?" asked the detective.
"Yeah. Especially the weak ones."
"Like who?" the detective follows up with.
The kid then lists off a bunch of kids in his class that are subject to being ignored. Making sure each name was recorded so that he can ask them later. A few of them were kids he's already talked to and have admitted, either consciously or unconsciously, that they are picked on more than they should.
It would be awkward to have a follow up questioning with some of these kids, mostly because of parents and scheduling but thankfully there's a couple of these 'weak quirked' kids that he hasn't questioned and are already scheduled for a chat.
What's most disturbing about all of this kid here, Bakugou Katsuki, and how much the teachers seem to praise him over just having a quirk that's strong or good for heroics. It's a bad mentality that will end with the kid getting a rude awakening should he ever come up against someone stronger than him, or even weaker and yet capable of beating him. Aizawa is certainly someone who comes to mind as someone who's beaten a lot of types who were once this kid, arrogant and looking down on everyone.
Thankfully the kid is young, so there's still time to make him someone better than what Tsukauchi's experience tells him, he hopes.
The rest of the interview was mostly follow up questions. Getting specific names of teachers who were a part of this and it wasn't a surprise at all when they all just so happened to be the ones targeted by the Behemoth. Before the proper end of the interview though, Tsukauchi had to check out a theory that has been itching in his mind since the start of this whole process.
"Thank you, Bakugou Katsuki. I've almost finished this interview but there is just one more question I need to ask." the detective stated.
"What?" the kid said brashily.
"Has any of your teachers encouraged bullying of certain kids?"
It was a very direct question but it's one that can't really be asked without possibly being leading or giving an out for the kid from Lie Detector. He's hoping that given the kid's favoritism by the teachers…
He waited for the kid to answer and for the first time he seemed to not respond instantly like he always did. With that his mother looked down at her son, eyes shaking at that because anyone like him who would be stumped at such a question, surely was admitting a lot more than he could say.
Eventually the boy did let out an answer, albeit keeping his angry demeanor. "They never said but… they didn't stop when some of the kids shoved and pushed and insulted."
That was plenty. Enough to warrant taking this investigation further than it could. It proved there was a good reason behind the Behemoth's attack. How close they are to getting to whatever truth behind Aldera's 'teaching methods' is certainly becoming closer with this new revelation, and hopefully, by proxy, the Behemoth themself.
He wasn't going to ask if the young Bakugou was also one of the kids encouraged, nor was he going to ask if he followed through. The silence afterwards made it clear that, given his attitude, he must've followed through on some of those encouragements. He had enough and could use this to force an interrogation with the teachers once he's finished with the children.
"Thank you. Both of you for this interview. In case you're worried, you aren't in trouble." he said to the boy. "But someone is and we'll be making sure they get what is coming to them."
"Thank you, Detective Tsukauchi." Mitsuki said, nodding. "You too, Katsuki."
The boy seemed to hesitate before he spoke. "Thank you detective." It was muted and it's clear that admitting out loud what he's been doing has certainly shooken the kid in some way. Whether that will last is something hard to say.
- - -
Over the last few days, Izuku has been fighting more and more on whether he should go after the principal. He was certainly a part of this to some extent and knowing that was bothering him. The problem was that he wasn't sure how he could get him. Heroes are surely watching him now so it would be a lot harder to catch him.
The only reason he couldn't get the man the first time around was because he was too far away from the other teachers to make a reasonable path to. If he were close, Izuku would've made sure to get him.
The boy stopped himself there at that thought process. 'Get him'. What did he mean by that? He was enjoying this too much which is something he might admit to himself if he wasn't constantly running away from his problems by pushing them back further and further into his mind.
It wasn't as if he could get therapy. Not that he would of his own accord. He was fine. Just a bit excited at the prospect of causing more fear in the ones who hurt his friend, now more than ever after his birthday.
Yes. With this line of thinking he probably will attack the principal. How was a different issue. He could wait for things to die down but Izuku wasn't a patient child. Every time he'd go into the school files and look at this guy he became more and more determined to scare him. The whole school really.
It seemed to get worse as the years went up with kids Hitoshi and weaker quirked kids getting bullied viscously with no end in sight. He can't imagine himself ever being in that situation but he can imagine the fear and helplessness those kids probably experience. He was always afraid of being found because of Hisashi finding him and those students probably feel the same way about their bullies.
Nevermind the later years though, right now he needed a plan. He didn't know if there were heroes monitoring the principal but there had to be someone. It made perfect sense that the principal would be a target too.
Izuku sat in front of his computer and began to work his way through the police network. He has been trying to find a safe way in for a while but hasn't noticed any holes yet.
"If I can't find one then maybe I can make one." he muttered to himself. "If I can slip some malware into their system and make a password request, I can…"
After a few hours of researching the Musutafu police force, he's found someone he could maybe go after. An officer in his sixties who didn't seem very good at computers if what he's said on social media was any hint. There's also a chance he has a weak password too.
Finding his work email account on the Musutafu Police website, he sent in a simple email from a fake email address pretending to be IT support saying he needs to change his password urgently. Asking to confirm his password first before entering a new one.
Sure enough a day later, it worked and Izuku immediately took over his account, changing his password to match the one he sent in and having free reign of the police internal network. From there he found the case involving him and Aldera, and as he confirmed there was a pro hero watching the principal. Eraserhead.
His quirk was certainly dangerous, mostly because Izuku doesn't know what it would do to his doll. If the erasure needed to be done on him or the doll to erase their quirk was something he needed to find out. But he had a theory.
Given his spinal fluid is still a part of him, there is a decent chance erasure would work as long as that fluid is exposed. He needed to make sure that the monster had nothing exposing the mossy fluid underneath.
After a while of making these changes to the monster, Izuku still needed to think of how he's going to get around the pro hero. Just because he couldn't erase the monster doesn't mean he can't beat it to pieces. He needed another weakness, a hole.
One that he could certainly make.
- - -
Shouta had been watching Kashi for almost three weeks now and it was getting a bit tiring. It seemed like the Behemoth wasn't going to make another appearance, at least not yet. He wasn't even sure what this thing looked like outside of the scared descriptions from the victims.
He didn't know its strength, speed or even its quirk. For all he knew it could be some kind of invisibility and the thing could slip past him.
"Hah." he sighed from the roof of Kashi's house.
He really just wanted to go back to patrolling and not babysitting this guy. As far as what Tsukauchi had told him, the victims aren't the most innocent people, meaning this guy is probably the worst but he's a hero first and needed to do his job. He just hopes he doesn't have to spend another night watching nothing happen.
That was when his comms sprang to life.
"Eraserhead? Come in…" a slightly robotic voice came in on the other end.
"Eraserhead here. What is it?" he responded fast and professionally.
The voice was indeed kind of robotic sounding but for all he knew that might be someone's quirk or even just whatever hardware they're using speaking.
"There's an emergency over at block twenty three. A hero down." they explained.
The voice didn't need to say more before he was off. Block twenty three wasn't far from here and if there's a hero down he needed to move fast. He took off, using his capture weapon to hop from building to building, taking about five minutes to reach where he needed to.
Soon enough he was there. After heading down a few alleyways and checking some houses there didn't seem to be anything wrong.
"I can't find anything here." he said into comms but the other side was silent. "Hello?"
After a couple minutes of trying he eventually heard someone over the comms in his ear, but it wasn't the robotic voice from before. "Hello? What's wrong?"
"Someone told me there was an issue at the twenty third block."
There were a few presses of a keyboard and what he heard was a few people talking in the background before he got a response that sent a cold shiver down his spine. "None of us said anything was wrong with the twenty third block."
He was immediately on his way, swinging back to the house as fast as he possibly could. Yelling into the microphone of his earpiece to send police to the Kashi residence.
'I've been duped. Completely damn it!' he thought frantically, making sure he didn't swing into a wall.
Shouta was panicking inside. He had spent the last three weeks watching this guy and the first time something interesting happened and he's been lured away like he's on a leash. He just hopes the guys are still there when he gets back.
As soon as the house was in eyeshot, he could see all of the lights were off in the house when they weren't when he left. Swinging from a lamp post, he launched himself over a house and glided off some shingles until he heard something that made his heart jump back slightly.
An ear piercing screech. Not one of someone screaming in fear but a monster letting out a roar. He landed on the house a few seconds later and crashed in through a window, not caring about property damage. He was in the master bedroom where Kashi should be sleeping but he wasn't there, the room being a mess and the door wide open.
The pro hero quickly ran down the stairs where he found the man in a closet under the stairs, unconscious, the door ripped open and tears wetting the corners of the man's eyes. The hero looked around, after checking the man was still alive, and noticed that the back door was open.
Knowing that the police were on their way and that Kashi was already gotten, he chased out into the night hoping to catch up with this thing. Scanning the rooftops, he couldn't see anything at first until he caught the slightest of movements towards where some apartment blocks were.
Not taking any chances he chased, hopping from building to building and quickly catching up to whatever he was chasing. He watched a weirdly shaped figure crawl quickly down the side of the building into a few alleyways and leapt after it.
Soon enough he was on this thing's trail, but after a few corners he lost it at a dead end. Or at least that's what he thought. A large claw swung at him, causing him to dive back in a flip as a long twisting arm with sharp blades on its fingers pulled back to a creature far bigger than what he was chasing earlier.
It had a misshapen body with four arms, two longer than the rest and two heads. One was a pale mask of a woman and the other seemed like a mangled mechanical horse. The whole thing twisted as the heads seemed to stare down at the man almost curiously.
He says almost because right now this thing, in the dark, looked like something from a horror movie.
"Look pal, come quietly and we can talk about why you're doing this." he commanded, keeping a straight face so as not to appear disturbed or scared.
The thing just stared at him and the mannerisms were almost birdlike in how it tilted its heads. The two were silent for a moment before the far too calm voice of a little girl sounded through the horse head.
"We are scaring the bad people. The people who deserve it."
He did not like that voice. It spoke like a child and it creeped him out. He'd always had a sadistic side to him and he did not like to be at the other end of that so this just made him shift and almost attack the thing right then and there.
"You could explain to us why they're bad people. Just come with me and we can figure this out." he reasoned.
"...No." the monster said sinisterly.
An arm swung forth fast and the pro hero had to duck out of the way, hopping over a second arm as the creature dashed forward. Its lower arms reached to try and grasp at the hero but a kick forced them back as the thing now encircled him.
As the two large arms swung to scoop him up into a hug, he hopped up and bounced off the arms and onto the necks of the creature. He was about to take a swing at the masked one when the horse let out a painful scream that sounded far too close to a childs.
It caused him to freeze for a moment, giving the creature a chance to grasp him by his scarf and throw him into a wall. Shouta was stunned for a moment at the force of the throw and he sputtered a little bit when the wind got knocked out of him. He was still a hero though, so he recovered fast. Still hurt like hell though.
The hero pulled himself up, ready for a strike when the creature was gone. Shouta looked around, shaking a little at this thing before he looked up in time to dodge the creature falling on top of him.
In that he used his quirk, trying to erase whatever this thing had but nothing seemed to happen.
'It has to be mutagenic.' he guessed as he threw his capture weapon and had it wrap around one of the creature's arms.
He pulled, throwing it off balance and immediately doing a kick into its chest, the sound of something cracking clear under the ratty green dress it wore. Another screech ran out and if he didn't live with a cockatoo for a husband, it would've shaken him more but he jumped up in time to avoid the other arms striking at him.
With another twist of his scarf, he now had the other long arm wrapped and was now ducking under to try and wrap this thing up. He managed and soon this thing was writhing under the grey cloth, struggling to break out. All of its arms were wrapped up and pinned to the side of its body, unable to break free.
Soon enough he made another kick, this time to the horse head, intending to knock it out, and the sound of bending metal made the creature stumble and fall against the alley wall. The other head drooped and the thing seemed to fall unconscious as Shouta stood there, holding onto his capture weapon in case it was faking it.
The man let out a heavy breath as he relaxed somewhat now that the creature was stopped. He immediately reached for his earpiece and called in the capture. "Eraserhead here. I've captured the Behemoth. Please send transport to my position."
He got silence on the other end and he was about to speak again when he heard the same robotic voice speak through that tricked him earlier.
"I didn't mean to hurt you." was what it said.
Shouta blinked and looked over at the monster who was seemingly still unconscious. "That isn't you is it?"
"No." it replied immediately.
"Who are you?" he asked in an almost demand.
"It doesn't matter. The man has learned his lesson."
"Sorry but nearly giving people heart attacks isn't the lesson you think it is." the pro hero argued.
There was a pause for a few seconds. "There's a lot of evil in Aldera."
"And we'll deal with it within the confines of the law." he shot back.
Shouta kept his senses alert. He didn't know where this guy was and he certainly wasn't going to lower his guard around the monster. Looking at it now it seemed almost like an object. A bunch of wooden arms and limbs cobbled together. Especially the heads which look like they were stuff on the end of two mannequin arms.
His focus though, came when he noticed something oozing out of the horse's head he kicked. A clear liquid. A mossy one that made the man immediately think back to almost a year ago.
"Midoriya?" he uttered, and his focus slacked for a moment before the creature moved far too quickly than it should.
It closed the distance fast and soon enough he had no time to react before the whole thing crashed into him, still wrapped up. Shouta tried to push back but whatever strength it had before, it was clearly holding back as he was rammed into a wall, cracking some bricks and surely him.
The thing then ripped through the bindings by twisting its arms inhumanly out and ran for it, Shouta laid on the floor still reeling from the attack. He stumbled up to try and chase it but the thing was gone and his bones were protesting keeping up.
He felt battered and bruised and just decided to slide down the wall as he heard the distant sound of sirens falling on his position.
He looked at his chest and noticed the staining of some liquid, probably what was coming from the thing's head. On the comms there was a simple apology muttered through by the robotic voice before the sudden rush of people from the police trying to reach him.
Chapter 14: Mind Made Up
A few hours in the hospital did a lot of good for the cracked ribs, at least that's what he's been trying to convince the nurses of for the last half hour. Of course they weren't but he never liked being stuck in hospitals even if it's for his own good.
Unfortunately Hizashi is there to stop him from actually sneaking out unless he wants to have the ire of his husband.
"Sho' we have a move soon. I don't want you collapsing after picking up a few boxes!" he argued quietly, making sure his quirk didn't ring out but still charged with care and annoyance.
"Hah." the hero sighed, knowing that he won't be able to leave here until the promised time of tomorrow. At least he has Hizashi here to keep him company.
Of course that and the fact that it's possible he's just confirmed another sighting of Midoriya Izuku. It would honestly make more sense if he was the now, non-monstrous, Behemoth. His quirk fits perfectly into controlling the messed up doll that was that thing.
He wasn't going to tell Hizashi though, not yet. When they were still searching for him, he was the last one to see him and it left him almost depressed for a few weeks at the fact he could've been the last person to see the boy alive. He didn't want to put his husband through that on a possible fluke.
It's why he's having the liquid he got from the alley and his jumpsuit checked for any DNA trace. With the help of Tsukuachi of course.
As for Kashi, the principal, he indeed was put out of commission due to having fainted and will likely, if not already, have woken up as a shaking mess much like his coworkers. This'll probably not help with those people too as this confirms that the Behemoth is still out there on the prowl.
Shouta leaned back in the hospital bed he was lying in and just thought about it all and how if this is Izuku, how he's been surviving for the last year. According to his record, he should be seven now and if that fact doesn't break his heart then he doesn't have an ounce of empathy in him.
A few knocks on the door happen before it is opened to a nurse guiding in a tired but definitely determined Tsukauchi, him waving the medical staff member off once he's there. Clearly meaning that Shouta's guess was right.
"The test won't be done till tomorrow but they've confirmed that it is spinal fluid." he stated, practically confirming that the odds of this being the kid is practically there.
"What? What does that mean? What spinal fluid?" questioned Hizashi, trying to piece together what the detective was saying.
Shouta shifted in the bed to sit up more. "It means that the odds of the Behemoth being Midoriya Izuku are high."
At that, the blond whipped his head to face his partner with a shocked expression. "Midoriya?! You mean that little kid with the green hair?"
One curt nod from both the hero and the detective affirms that guess and there is almost a sigh of relief that leaves the blond man's mouth. Even though Hizashi had gotten 'over' it a while ago, there was obviously still some fear over the fate of that child.
"So what are we doing?" he asked.
"Not much, 'Zashi." Shouta responded. "He's already gotten what he wanted, we think. Unless he chooses to, we won't see him again."
"Is there no way we can trace his movements?" the blond man suggested.
"If we were more prepared, maybe." the detective presented.
The bun-haired man fell back in the chair and sat next to his partner, head lolling back a little as his thoughts went through him. "So the kid just jumped back into our lives and now jumps back out."
"And given what he's done, probably worse for wear." the detective said.
The two, well one really at the moment, pro heroes looked at him, wondering what he meant by that even though it was obvious what he was implying. Irrelevant of his age, Midoriya had still technically used his quirk illegally and though he hasn't hurt anyone, physically, he still meets under the peripheral as being called a villain.
Of course that could be proven wrong and he would be marked as a vigilante instead but only if the investigation into the teachers comes out with anything worth someone going to jail for. Or rather can go to jail for. If not then the kid will be in much more trouble.
"You made sure the kid doesn't go to Aldera, right?" Shouta questioned.
The detective nodded. "I double checked when you asked just in case he was under a different name but no, no one in Aldera matches Mirodirya's description."
Then the question remains unsaid and unanswered about how the kid would know about what is going on in Aldera. The only possible reason being that he knows someone who goes to the school, which seems more likely now.
"I'm guessing if you've checked the roster then you've checked to see if all these teachers taught the same class." Shouta assumed.
"Yes. All of the victims, barring the principal, teach a variety of different classes but all of them at least teach first year elementary. Same age range Midoriya would be." the detective said sure of what the pro was implying.
"How many have you questioned?" Shouta wondered.
"A fair amount. They're harder to schedule because of how young they are so about half the year is left." he explained.
The pro and the detective talked more about what time those interviews could be done by the mention of one of the kid's parents being hard to reach, explaining that they are foster parents and might have a lot of kids to look after. That being said, Shouta, having known him for so long, noticed that Hizashi was thinking deeply about something.
"What's wrong?" the hero asked the other, knowing that he is bothered by something.
The loud blond pursed his lips, clearly thinking over everything when he turned to Tsukauchi. "By chance is one of those kids called Shinsou Hitoshi?"
The man's eyes widened at his guess and nodded. "Yes there is. I haven't seen him yet, but I'm hoping to drop by for a visit. Why?"
"The kid mentioned he had a friend. His only one. Might be a long shot but I'm due to have him help me with groceries this weekend. Maybe I can ask him to see?"
Tsukauchi raised an eyebrow at that and the man had to explain how exactly he met Shinsou and their deal. The detective seems to agree to let Hizashi talk to him first to see if there's any chance that he is the link to Midoriya they think he is.
"I'll keep looking into the school in the meantime. I have enough to force a conversation with the teachers so I'll update you when I'm through with that." Tsukauchi explained.
And so the detective made his exit and Shouta was left with more of his husband fighting him from getting up. If only the cats were here then maybe he'd be able to sleep better but with his husband deciding to stay the night, he thinks he might just be able to make do.
- - -
It was a terrifying night last night for Izuku. He just fought a hero and won, technically. He did have to run away but that doesn't stop the fact that he managed to beat him back. It was honestly thrilling as much as it was scary when he realised that he'd have to fight.
Before the attack, he made sure to research Eraserhead and his fighting style. There wasn't much online due to the hero being underground but there were a few camera captures of the hero in action by some people. He knew it would be a hard fight on top of the monster not being built for it. Maybe he should look into that.
Speaking of the beast, it had collapsed on its way back to the warehouse and so Izuku had to send Ana out to collect it. Thankfully it didn't seem that the pro hero or the police chased after so they were pretty much in the home clear back to the warehouse.
The problem now was what the hero said when the monster was tied up. His name. When that was said, Izuku almost went stone quiet and could feel his heart about to rip out of him. He didn't know they were still searching for him. He hadn't even looked at his case file but after that he decided to.
The boy knew Hisashi wouldn't have been caught but seeing it on a report just made him feel even more sure of his decision to hide. What was weird though was seeing his own face on a missing poster that was probably broadcasted a while ago.
Sure maybe now the heroes could protect him but would they? Izuku knows what he did was right but that doesn't mean the law agreed. He was a vigilante now, one that the police knew the identity of so what if he gets arrested and sent to prison? He doesn't want that.
Not just that but he didn't feel safe anywhere but between these four walls. Imagining himself outside of them made him itchy and light headed. He didn't want to leave and probably won't. He's fine with that (he's not) and no one can convince him otherwise.
They can't track him. Especially now that he has taken the monster back. One of his fears is them finding the camera inside and using it to trace his location. Something that he'll have to work on masking in the future. Thankfully he's cruising his way through his online classes so he has time to look into some cybersecurity.
The question is what to do now on the Behemoth front. He has done what he needed to. So does he even need to rebuild the monster? The reason for it was accomplished so there was no purpose to putting it back together. All of the teachers who messed with Hitoshi have been scared away.
Sure there are higher years but does he seriously want to risk exposure just for the sake of helping people out? Maybe. But the police are looking into the school and there's a decent chance they can deal with it themselves. He can trust them enough to do that. As for Behemoth, of course he'll keep the parts but…
"The heroes might come for me one day. I need some kind of protection…" he muttered to himself.
He was right. He needed a contingency if he ever needed to escape. Maybe not building the monster the exact same, there were some changes that needed to be done but definitely something to protect him. Ana is alright and all but she is not combat ready in the slightest. He could use all of Behemoth's parts to make something bigger and stronger.
But never mind that now, today was going to be a fun day for him and his friend. Izuku had saved up a lot of money from his delivery job. Naturally seeing as how he has no expenses or bills to pay so he is going to take him (or rather Ana) and Hitoshi out to a cat cafe for the first time.
The doll waited at their usual spot in the park where she saw the young purple haired boy walk up to her, waving. "Hey Izuku, are we ready to go now?"
The doll nodded and signed in agreement as the two walked across Musutafu to the cat cafe in question. Despite having a phone, Izuku still opted to speak through Ana, finding using his voice to be tiring and never working as well as signing. The two have been texting a lot though which can sometimes be problematic as Izuku has to remind himself that Hitoshi has a school life.
The two kids traveled the city, using the train to make their way around. Ana made sure to be extra covered up this time with long socks, a big hoodie tightened up and a hat for extra measure. Though it was arguably more eye-catching than just a hood it wasn't as if anyone was going to walk up and question her.
On the ride over, the pair noticed a couple teens riding the train as well, in a school uniform, belonging to UA. It was the last day of school before the official summer break and the two were probably chatting about that.
Hitoshi felt a rumble in his pocket as he checked his phone to see what Izuku was saying.
CursedDoll: think any of them are in the hero course
TrollDoll: Maybe
TrollDoll: Do you ever want to go to UA?
CursedDoll: I don't know. Probably.
TrollDoll: I do. They're the best heroing
school in Japan.
CursedDoll: Do you want help training
for them then?
Hitoshi looked up at the doll, who was completely static, jostling a little as the train moved.
TrollDoll: Yeah, if it's fine with you
CursedDoll: Perfectly fine. I can't wait
The two kept texting about UA and what they've heard about it, including how all their heroes are teachers and how the principal is a rat, mouse, bear creature. When the train halted and the two got off, they paused their conversation until they got to the cafe.
They were shaking, well Hitoshi was, as they spotted the clearly cat themed place up ahead and entered to immediately see a bunch of furry critters running up to greet them. Neither of them have ever had a pet so they were extremely careful to not touch them until they sat down in fear of accidentally hurting them.
They plopped down on a couple of beanbags where they were immediately swarmed by a couple cats, well Hitoshi was. Some of the cats got a feel of Ana and immediately backed off for some reason, making Izuku scared he might've frightened them somehow.
"Cat's like heat." Hitoshi commented as he was amused watching the doll stare down a few of the cats.
The doll looked up at him and the purple haired boy could feel the jealousy behind that glaring camera. Meanwhile he was basking in a half dozen cats and was careful to not move in case he hurt them.
The two stayed like that for a while until Ana went up to the counter to get some food for his friend and something to bring home for himself. There were a lot of tasty treats available, most were probably selected so that cats won't be tempted to eat them.
Getting a sandwich for Hitoshi and some cake for both of them, Izuku gave the two and watched his friend enjoy the cats and food.
"Couldn't have gotten some coffee?" Hitoshi wondered.
The doll signed a response. "We're in a cafe. I doubt they'd let a kid as young as you drink coffee publicly."
"You say that like you aren't five." Hitoshi uttered.
That comment got Ana to sign furiously. "I told you I'm your age!"
"And yet, according to you, you're about as small as these kittens." he joked.
"I'm not that small!" the doll responded.
"Sure. When we meet, I'll be sure to be looking down in case I step on you." he smirked.
Izuku only said that one time he thought Hitoshi was older because he was so much taller than him. Sure it seemed now that most kids his age are actually taller than him but there's no evidence that that's true. It doesn't matter that he actually bought a measuring tape for himself, compared it with his friend's height and immediately vowed to never reveal the results.
Okay, he might be a little underdeveloped but late bloomer and all that.
His friend was halfway through his sandwich when he set it down and spoke. "You know, it would be more fun if you were here."
The doll's head zeroed in on his eyes and could see the immediate regret in saying that. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to pressure you or anything."
"I can understand, but I don't really want to come out." The doll signed calmly but was immediately replaced by frantic hands as he realised that could be misinterpreted. "That isn't because of you or anything!"
Hitoshi smirked a little at the doll's fast moving hands. He always likes it when Izuku gets flustered because a little of that comes through the doll and for a moment he's sure that his friend is there with him. If only he could actually see his face and know what he looks like.
When the doll calmed down after Hitoshi said that he understood he didn't mean any offense by that statement, he continued to push. He didn't want to force Izuku to reveal himself to him but he has long been able to tell that his friend was scared of people. That much was clear when he said he lived alone.
"But I mean it. I really want to see your face someday. And not through Ana."
The face he gave was determined and Izuku couldn't help but feel a little guilty at that declaration. A part of him really did want to talk to Hitoshi face to face, nothing in between them but he can't allow anything that could risk him being found. He was a criminal and Hitoshi had a 'villain's' quirk. He didn't want him getting in trouble by association.
"Hitoshi, I-"
"You don't have to tell me where you live," he promised. "It could be at the park, like always, or at the beach where we first met."
Hitoshi knew he was risking scaring him away but he knew that at some point this conversation was going to be had and it's better now with summer arriving than never.
Izuku was about to sign again but Hitoshi was still speaking. "You don't even have to appear properly. It can be you in disguise like Ana. I just want to know… you're alright."
Ever since getting this phone from Izuku, Hitoshi could tell that he was just as much an insomniac as him. The birthday night alone, they spent all night texting each other and chatting about cats, Izuku's paints and the latest hero news. He also knew he lived alone and he wouldn't be an aspiring hero if he didn't worry for his only friend.
"I'm fine, Hitoshi." the doll signed shakily. "I promise you, I'm okay."
"Then it should be fine to see you," he countered.
Izuku can't argue that, at least not without having to explain everything to Hitoshi. How his mom is dead, how his father tried to take him and how he just recently terrorised his entire school teaching staff.
"It's alright Hitoshi, I'm just scared of being outside is all." he admitted.
The purple haired boy's eyes focus in. "Can I ask why?"
"No, just that I'm scared."
"Then I'll protect you," he vowed. "I'll make sure whatever scares you doesn't happen."
Hearing that vow over the microphone, those purple eyes staring through the screen with such promise. Izuku couldn't help but feel his fear vanish a little, something in him caving slightly at that. For a moment he might've believed he could if he didn't remember he was also a kid.
He's known Hitoshi for a while now. Almost half a year at this point and this boy has been more a friend to him than Kacchan ever was. He's never made fun of him, bad naturedly, never told him he was weak and despite knowing how Ana could be maybe seen as creepy (Izuku's still not sold on that) he still wanted to be his friend.
The doll felt a tugging at her leg and she broke eye contact to look down to see a kitten playing with Ana's pants, tugging. She picked it up and held it where it placed a paw through the hood and onto the rubber nose of the dummy. Little mews bleeding from its mouth.
How would it feel to be here to witness this? Be here with Hitoshi? He wondered how the warmth of this kitten's paw would feel on his nose. How much sweeter the kitten's cries were not digitised by a microphone and speaker, to eat the cake laid out in front of him not just alone in his room where it was silent besides the whirring of a computer and an air conditioner.
When was the last time he felt anything but that.
He thought about how'd it feel to be able to hear Hitoshi too. To see him from his perspective and not from Ana's. They've established, reluctantly, that he was taller and for once Izuku would have to look up at him and not down.
There was so much that could happen, both good and bad, if he were to step out into the open.
He could be taken by Hisashi or found out by the heroes but at the same time nothing could happen and he could just be with his friend if only once. It was something that he would have to take a risk on and in truth, it's probably a safer bet to just go and see Hitoshi finally.
"Maybe." the doll signed.
Hitoshi's focus dropped and a smile came over him. He had made some progress with his friend and he hoped that someday that 'maybe' would be a 'yes'. Either way he was proud that Izuku was at least considering it.
Little did he know though that the boy's mind was already made up. He was going to see Hitoshi, as a surprise, but mostly so no one would be ready when he re-emerged.