Chapter 4: It's A Promise
Shota Aizawa was having a good day. Well, good is a strong word. He was having a somewhat tolerable day. Keyword, was. He had gotten a full three hours of sleep during the day. His favorite cat cafe had a freshly brewed pot of coffee just finished when he walked in during the evening. Even the cats seemed extra affectionate today. Although he could've done without Purresent Mic meowing in his ear constantly, but it's not like that was much different from the man himself.
Patrol had started off fine as well that night. A couple of muggings, a bar fight, and a drug deal. Nothing he couldn't deal with or had to strain his eyes too badly for. No, it wasn't until he was stopping a trigger deal in some alley that it all went wrong.
Four assailants. Two were buying, and the other two were selling. As soon as he confirmed the money and trigger, he jumped down. He had the two sellers down almost immediately, landing on one and putting the other down with a well-placed elbow to the face. Predictably, the other two froze and freaked out when their quirks wouldn't come to them. In the few seconds he took to descend on them was when he noticed a fifth assailant. Apparently, one of the parties had someone waiting in the wings just in case things went bad. The man had some sort of chameleon mutation and quirk that had allowed him to blend into his surroundings.
That seemed to be all he was good for though, because he ran once he registered Shota was there. The criminal rounded the corner as Eraserhead was finishing with the men in the alley and was about to go after him when he heard a scream and a thud from the street. He tore out of the alley, quirk activated and capture weapon ready when he met what would ultimately ruin his night.
A child stood on the sidewalk, beaming at him so brightly Shota was glad he was wearing his goggles. The criminal lays on the ground in front of him, unconscious.
"Eraserhead!" The kid screams before pulling a notebook out from…somewhere. "Can I have your autograph?!"
He takes note of their surroundings to make sure they aren't in any danger before looking the kid up and down, checking for injuries. Once he's satisfied, he answers, "what happened?" He gestured to the unconscious man. "Did you do this?"
The kid pulls the notebook back and looks down. "O-oh, uh, him? No, he um, tripped. I think I must've scared him when he was running from you? Because he saw me and tripped."
Shota raises an unimpressed eyebrow. "He tripped?"
The kid nods rapidly. His wild green hair flopping everywhere with his head movements. "Yeah! Tripped!"
Shota glances back down. "So." His headache is making itself known. "He saw you. Tripped. And that caused the cut on his thigh, and his head to hit the wall hard enough to cause cracks in it?"
"Wow! You're as good as they say!"
Shota takes a long, very long breath through his nose before exhaling. He hears in his earpiece that police and medical are minutes away. He wraps the villain in his scarf and picks him up to take him back into the alley. "Go home kid." He could still salvage the night. "And don't let me catch you out here again." The kid is clearly a fan, hopefully, his word will be enough to get the kid to stop whatever it is he was planning.
The underground hero carries the last trigger dealer into the alley and sets him by the others. Relieved the kid didn't follow, Shota applies basic first aid to the man's head and checks the injuries on the others before the ambulance and police arrive. He gives a quick statement before using his capture weapon to repel himself back to the top of the building to watch the police finish up and leave.
Shota sighs, crouching down and slipping a jelly packet out of his pocket to sip on. He watches the city in thought. Well, that kid was a minor setback but overall, not the worst day. He's not sure how a, ten? Eleven? Year-old kid found him. Maybe quirk related? Ah well, it's done now so he can focus on his new class he's gotta teach in two days and-
"So about that autograph?"
Shota does not jump. No. That would imply he was scared, or gotten scared. Which he didn't. What he is, however, is confused. He turns his head to see the kid, the same kid from before, practically vibrating with excitement next to him. Notebook held out again. Shota narrows his eyes, no one had been able to sneak up on him in years. It'd be impressive in almost any other situation.
"What did I just tell you, kid?" He drawls.
"Not to let you catch me out here again!" The kid actually jumps up and down a little while answering. Yeah, his night was ruined.
"Right, so what are you still doing here?" Shota has been told his lack of patience is easily identifiable in his voice. He's hoping the kid gets it.
"Actually," the kid starts. The headache pounds harder. "You never said I had to leave. You said I just had to make sure you didn't catch me!"
Shota looks over the edge of the building. No, this fall wouldn't be enough to kill him. Shame.
"Wrong kid. The first thing I told you to do is go home. Now go, before I drag you to the nearest police station."
"But Eraser!" The kid whines. He. Is. Whining. "Home is such a subjective term! It can mean any number of places!"
Instead of answering, Shota whips his scarf at the kid, the police should let him off with a warning and he'll learn his lesson. Wrapping the scarf around his mouth will just be a bonus. But in a feat the veteran hero hasn't seen done by many, the kid moves, dodging the scarf, and standing up straight up again, holding out the notebook.
"You dodged." Shota states. Standing up and rolling his scarf back up around his neck. He pretends not to feel his knees popping as he does so.
Somehow, the kid's smile grows. "Well, I did say I wouldn't let you catch me."
Shota wants to be more upset than he is. "I don't give autographs. So just head back to wherever you live."
This burgeoning problem child has the audacity to pout. Thank god Nemuri wasn't here. She'd be putty in his hands. "But it took so long to find you…"
Another sigh. A rapidly common occurrence tonight. At least, more than usual. "Do you have a pen?" A happy gasp and the kid looks at his pocket and when he does, it was Shota's turn to move. He gets right in front of the kid before he even has a chance to look up and by the time he does, he's wrapped up with his feet off the ground. "Your reflexes are well beyond your age. But never take your eyes off a potential enemy."
While Eraserhead had been expecting some form of disappointment or begging, instead, the almost confirmed problem child was somehow even happier. "Oh my god, I'm wrapped up in the Eraserhead's capture weapon! This is one of the greatest days of my life! Wow, it's so light but strong! Carbon Fiber right? I heard there's some metal woven into the material to make it very hard to cut, is that true? Although, I'm sure the knife you have hidden on you can probably cut it right?" How does he know about that? "Would it be too much to ask you to take a picture of me like this? Or, no! Can we find someone else to take a picture of me like this with you?! Yeah, and can you have that exact scowl on your face that you have now? Please!"
The gremlin descends into a mumble storm as Shota carefully navigates their way back down to the sidewalk. He's not sure if the kid takes a breath in that time but the pro hero is making sure the scarf isn't too tight so it's probably fine.
"Enough," Shota says once they're back on the ground. It's simple, but enough to break the kid out of, whatever the hell that was. "I gave you the chance to leave, kid, now if you behave on the way to the station, they'll probably let you off light, but only if you behave? Got it?" Thankfully, mercifully, he gets a nod and they begin their walk. Well, Shota's walking while the kid just sort of dangles. It's peaceful.
"So what do I have to do to get that autograph?"
It was peaceful. Was is becoming an important word tonight. "Stay out of trouble and next time, do what I, or any pro hero, tell you to do."
"Then I'll get it?!"
"No."
The human-sized broccoli groans. "C'mon Eraserhead. There's gotta be some way. What if I can get out of this? Can I get it then?"
"I don't know what your quirk is. It would be illogical to take that bet."
"I can create illusions. And anyway you can just keep your quirk on me until we get there. I couldn't see when you'd blink. Also, does your quirk work through any glass, or are your goggles made from something special? Your scarf and hair float when you use your quirk, obviously to move anything blocking your sight, so does that mean it has some sort of minor anti-gravity quirk built into it? That would be such a cool quirk on it's own. But your stuff floating is a big tell. Couldn't you cut your hair and wear your scarf somewhere else so the villains aren't tipped off? How much weight can your quirk's side effect move? Like, how about a tennis ball or something? Would that float around your face? What about red-colored contacts? So nobody could tell when your quirk is activated with or without the goggles. Oh! What about-" a small shake breaks the kid's concentration.
It's doing nothing for Shota's full-blown migraine.
"If I give you an autograph, will you shut up and head home? Your actual home, and stay there?"
"Yes!" Now he's practically dancing in the weapon, wonderful. "Oh yes yes yes! I promise! Thank youuuuu!" Are those tears? Whatever. Shota looks up and down the street to make sure they're alone when he feels the weight the capture weapon is holding disappear. He turns around, lowering himself into a fighting stance only to see, again, the kid holding out his notebook and pen with the biggest smile on his face.
"I thought you said your quirk was illusion creation."
"I said I could create illusions. I never said it was my quirk."
Yeah. Shota needs to end this. He can feel his grip on reality slipping. He takes the notebook from the kid and sees a- god dammit, a good drawing of himself on one page and words written on the other page. At least he assumes their words.
"What language is this?" Shota asks, squinting.
The kid picks at his fingernails nervously. "It's uh, code. I like to analyze heroes but I don't want just anyone to be able to read my notes. So I code everything."
'Potential.' Shota's traitorous brain provides. But if even half the questions he could make out from the kid were accurate, maybe it wasn't that far off. He signs his name under the picture and hands it back.
The kid's hands tremble as he takes the book back. "Th-thank you. Thank you so much!" He sniffles and oh god here come the tears again.
Shota waves him off, rubbing his irritated eyes. "Yeah yeah, kid. Just make sure-" he opens his eyes and the kid is gone. What was he saying before? His grip on reality was slipping? That kid was real right? He doesn't even know if he's hopeful about that or not. But he does know one thing. He needs more coffee.
Mirai Sasaki dodges back just as his intern, Mirio Togata, shoots up from the ground. The two take a moment to steady themselves before Mirio charges forward. Mirai takes another step back, pretending to lose his footing, and throws two of his super density stamp seals in 'panic.'
Mirio activates his permeation, letting the seals pass through him. "I got you now, Sir!" He yells, aiming a fist at his mentor's face.
"Tunnel vision," Mirai says simply. Mirio has just enough time for his face to form one of confusion before Mirai's knee catches him in the gut. The UA student falls to his knees, wheezing. "You continue to improve." Mirai continues while he straightens his suit and glasses. "However, when you feel victory is assured, you gain tunnel vision in regards to your opponent. You don't consider what ways your enemy can counter you. Or, how they may be tricking you." He holds his hand out and Mirio takes it, pulling himself up and smiling.
"I'll be sure to work on it through this year, Sir!" Mirio proudly declares, pumping his fist in the air. "Besides, I wouldn't want to be known for tunneling during a fight, then people might say I'm boring!"
Mirai stares at his student for a few seconds before snorting. "Take the rest of the day off. Make sure to turn your costume in before you leave for any last-minute alterations."
"Oh, I'm good to go again if you want."
"No, you start classes tomorrow and should be well-rested. You did good work. I look forward to your sports festival this year."
Mirio's bright smile returns full force before he bows. "Thank you Sir!" The almost UA second year wave as he leaves. Mirai allows himself a small smile before returning to his office.
Slumping in his seat, All Might's former sidekick lets out a relieved sigh. It was almost time. He would use this year to continue to develop Mirio. The work studies after the boy obtained his provisional license would be a massive help. And at the end, Mirio will be more than ready for One for All. Toshinori will pass on the quirk, the country will have it's new Symbol of Peace for decades to come, and his old friend can finally retire and be safe.
Still, it helps to be prepared. Mirai picks up his phone and dials a number he hadn't in a long time. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't take long for him to get an answer. "Yeah?"
"Torino, it's Mirai."
"Heh, should've figured you'd have the guts to call before the oaf. What do you want?"
"I want you to meet my chosen successor to All Might. And I want you to help me convince Toshinori to meet him as well. The sooner the better."
"You know. Typically, the user picks their successor."
"We both know that Toshinori will wait until the last possible moment to even think about finding a successor. And by then it will be too late. Your help with convincing him and in training the boy would be appreciated."
"Yeah, I don't know Mirai…I just got a new microwave and the trains are so crowded these days, damn young people don't even offer their seats to us old folk anymore…"
Mirai pinches the bridge of his nose in exasperation. And the old man wonders why they don't call anymore. "I'll send a company car to pick you up and you can have as much Taiyaki as you can eat."
"…I'll see you tomorrow." The line goes dead.
Mission accomplished he supposes. All the pieces are in place. Sir Nighteye thinks back to last year's sports festival. To that embarrassed Mirio who lost his clothes on live television. He knows many wrote him off. But he was not one of many. Mirai knew then he had found him. Despite his poor performance at the festival, his future intern never stopped smiling.
With that smile and positive attitude, Mirai knew there was no other choice. He offered the boy an internship because of it. He would be the ninth user of One for All. Sure, if for some reason Mirio did not receive the quirk, he couldn't fathom why, then yes, he would still make an excellent hero.
Tomorrow will be an interesting day. Hopefully, he can even convince Toshinori to come so he and Mirio can start to get to know each other. No, it was all gonna work. All that would be left is for Mirio to accept.
"Why bother? I know you all want to go to the Hero track!"
Katsuki Bakugo scoffed as all the extras in the room cheered and showed off their worthless quirks. First day of his last year in middle school and he couldn't be more ready to leave. Stupid fucking extras. Most of their quirks couldn't be used for heroics, and the few that maybe could have worked, aren't going to now. They hadn't put any work into it. Unlike him.
He had been training his ass off since he could remember. Keeping his body in peak condition, studying to keep his mind sharp, and learning to use his quirk in different ways. Deku had actually been useful for quirk training when they were younger, he could really see how much damage different size explosions did to a person, at least before the fucker started to be able to pull his little disappearing act. Fucking coward.
Katsuki side-eyed the nerd in the back corner of the room. There he was, just scribbling away in one of his stalker books. Whatever. At least he had the good sense not to pretend he had a chance like the rest of these losers. Oh good, Sensei is finally starting to get back whatever little control he has over the class. Time to set the record straight.
He propped his feet on the desk. "Hey Teach." The class went silent. Good. They should hang off every word of the future number one. "Don't lump me in with the rest of these extras. I'm the real deal, but they'll all be lucky to get into the gen ed courses of any hero school."
He laughs as the class protests before Sensei mentions he's trying for UA. That shuts them all up. Finally. "I'll be doing more than trying out. Once they see me, UA is gonna be begging me to join their hero course!" The blonde steps up on top of his desk. "I've aced every mock test. I have the perfect quirk. I'm the only one here with any chance to get in. And after, I'm gonna be richer and more popular than even All Might!"
The class stares at him in awe. Good. They should get used to looking up at him, and you know what? He can't say he minds looking down at them. That's right. All of them, especially Deku, are just stones. No, not even stones. They're pebbles on his path to glory. And nothing's gonna-
"Oh yeah, Midoriya, don't you wanna go to UA too?"
Katsuki's thoughts come to a screeching halt. 'What?' He wouldn't seriously even think about applying to UA right? He knows Katsuki's going, and he has to be the only one from this shitty school to make it in. Why is Deku trying to ruin his perfect backstory? Does he think he's that much better than him?!
He drills his eyes into Deku, who's leaning his face into his hand, looking resigned to what's about to happen.
Katsuki's thoughts can't go any further before the class breaks out into laughter.
"Deku? Seriously?!"
"Nothing you make is real, how is that gonna help?"
"Card tricks can't beat villains, Deku."
"Hey, maybe he could pull Miruko from a hat and she can beat the villains for him!"
The class laughs more while Deku just sighs, tapping his pencil against his notebook. Oh, Katsuki's body can finally move. He rushes forward and slams his hand on Deku's desk, causing a small explosion. The shitty nerd doesn't move for a second before tilting his head up but leaving it in his hand. Deku gives him a small nauseating smile. "Hey, Kacchan. Here to wish me luck?"
You know, there's a small, very small part of Katsuki that wants Deku to get into the hero course. So he can have permission to kick his ass every day and explode that smirk right off his face. But the nerd not getting anywhere near UA is still preferred.
For now, he just settles on growling. "Listen up, Deku. You're just some wannabe birthday clown who'll run from the first villain he sees. You really think they'd let someone like you in when they could have me?"
"I'm sorry Kacchan but are you confused?"
"What did you just ask-"
"Are you confused? Because you know UA doesn't have to choose between us right? We don't have to compete against each other in that way. It's not like they can only accept one kid from each middle school, we can both go. I thought you said you'd been studying?" Deku throws him an even wider smile.
He's a dead man.
With a roar, Katsuki throws his fist back, ready to swing, but before he could, "that's enough Bakugo! Return to your seat." Sensei calls out. Thankfully, his training had awarded him with plenty of willpower. Since it was taking every last of it right now to hold back. He couldn't risk anything appearing on his record to hurt his chances at UA. So he'll play nice for now. At least while Sensei is here. The explosion quirk user stomps back to his desk and let the rest of the day pass him by.
Not soon enough, the day ends. Katsuki waits for the rest of the extras and Sensei to leave before storming back to Deku's desk. There he was. Smiling at some stupid shit on his phone while writing in his notebook. "Oi, Deku! We weren't done!" Katsuki goes to snatch the dweeb's notebook…only for his hand to go through an illusion of said book.
Deku stands up, his bag disappearing in a green light, and this motherfucker has the balls to sigh at him! "Your whole thing is being loud, Kacchan. I knew you were coming. Did you think I'd just let you take my book?"
Katsuki flings the desk in between them out of the way and across the room. Some extra comes up behind him. Oh, it's Long-Fingers.
"H-hey Bakugo, man. Maybe we should…"
"Shut the fuck up!" He glares back at Deku, but he wasn't even looking at him! The idiot was staring at where his desk was!
"Huh…maybe next time I should create a decoy of the desk too? But how far would Kacchan be willing to go in property damage? Should I create decoys of everyone's desks?…yeah I know they never respected mine but being a hero is about being the bigger person…no no the windows should be fine, Kacchan wouldn't let that big of an explosion inside the school…no! I'm not willing to see how far I'd have to push him to do it!…"
What. The. Fuck. Deku and his stupid fucking mumble storms that no one understands. No wonder he didn't have any friends.
"Deku!"
"W-what? Oh! Sorry, Kacchan!" He pointedly ignores the apologetic smile Deku gives him. "What were we talking about?"
He doesn't remember?! Katsuki is the future number one! Deku should be honored just to talk to him! "All you're good at is running away, Deku. You'll die at the entrance exams, and I'm gonna prove it." Katsuki's hand starts to heat up and smoke. He went to put his hand on Deku's shoulder. "Now run away and leave your little clone."
Before his hand could touch him, Katsuki felt something press against his wrist. His eyes widen at the sight of a knife that was not there before.
"How's that for running away?" Katsuki clenches his fist harder, making a sound similar to a rabid dog. "Don't worry Kacchan. You'll get the fight you want when I get into UA."
"Is that a threat?" Katsuki spat.
"It's a promise."
Red eyes met green for a few tense seconds before Katsuki pulled his hand away. The knife was already gone. He scoffs, stuffing his hands into his pockets before making his way to the door.
No. He would not let that nerd get the last word. Time to put him in his place once and for all. Katsuki stops at the door. "You know, there is a way you could be a hero." He pauses. "Just pray that you'll be born with a better quirk in your next life, and take a swan dive off the roof of the building."
Deku actually takes a step back, his face falling. Good. He gets it. Katsuki leaves without another word.
He did it. The nerd seemed to finally understand. No way he applies to UA now. He should feel satisfied with his victory.
So why didn't he?
'Why would he say that?' Izuku Midoriya shakes his head while walking home. Why would Kacchan go that far? Was this his fault? Had he pushed his old friend too far? He knew he could be annoying at even the best times but still…did he really want him to die?
Izuku's way home takes him through a tunnel. No no he couldn't have actually wanted him to jump off a building. Sure, he and Kacchan hadn't exactly gotten along for years but this was different. Did he not want him to go to UA that bad? Why? He wasn't that irritating right? It couldn't be that Kacchan…actually saw him as a threat, right? Ha, no. That'd be ridiculous. So, what-
I
"Get back here!"
Izuku's train of thought is derailed by a shout from outside the tunnel. The teen looks up to see someone small running at him from the other end. A child, he realizes. A girl. She stops in front of him and for the second time that day, Izuku's green eyes meet another person's red. But while Kacchan's were full of anger, hers show nothing but fear.
Izuku raises his hands, trying to show her that he means no harm. Giving his best smile, he says, "are you-"
"Hey!"
The girl squeals in terror, flinging herself onto him, clinging tightly. She's trembling. Izuku looks up to see, what he assumes is a man from his build, standing at the end of the tunnel. Most of his body is covered by a black cloak and he wears some sort of plague doctor mask over his face. Well if that doesn't scream bad guy.
"Thanks for finding my boss' kid." The man says. "We'll be taking her back now."
'We?'
"Yeah, give her to one of us and you're free to go kid." The voice comes from behind him. Izuku turns his head to see another man, dressed the same way as the first, blocking the other end of the tunnel. The man behind him looks down. "Oh shit, look at his shoes! He's a quirkless!" The man laughs a little. "You can understand us, right?"
The first man laughs too. "Oh right! I heard most of them can't even talk! Good point!"
Izuku gently places his hands around the girl. "I can understand you. Just. Fine." Izuku says, his voice low.
"Whatever you say." The first man replies, still laughing a little. "Well, the deal still stands. Give her up and you can leave. Though I almost feel bad for letting you go, a worthless life sounds like hell to me."
Izuku's mind quickly flashed through his early years, back before he could use any of his powers. How just him suggesting he could be a hero while everyone thought he was quirkless got him beaten up, got him secluded, got him burned.
He wouldn't trade his powers for anything but dang it, he knows he could've been a hero without them. Sure, no one believed in him and it had never been done before, but he could have! At least he's pretty sure…
Izuku opens his mouth to respond but a soft, broken voice stops him. "Please…" Izuku looks down. The girl is somehow holding him even tighter. "Please…don't go…"
Izuku takes a second to get a good look at her. Raggedy clothes. Bluish, off-white hair. A small horn on her forehead. And, oh god, bandages on her arms. She couldn't be older than five.
Determination courses through his body as Izuku takes a breath. "I'm not going anywhere." He says to her. "I promise."
A nearby manhole cover began to stir.
Chapter 5: Control
Toshinori Yagi really was pathetic, wasn't he? Here he was, the Symbol of Peace, Japan's hope as the number one hero, and he had to go ahead and lose a villain in the sewers. Sure, if he had just lost the villain, it wouldn't be so bad. In his powered-up state, he could probably catch back up in less than thirty seconds, give or take.
No, the problem was, he had run out of time! The day had been a bit strange, he'll admit. It seemed like everyone needed help today. Not that he's complaining! He would never! He lives to help those in need! But today, the moment he finished getting a cat out of a tree, or helping someone move their furniture, another person was calling out to him.
And while he was always happy to help, it came at the detriment of his three hour time limit. When he thought he finally had a moment, he deflated and took a trip to the grocery store, only for this villain to rob a bank! He had hoped to catch up to the, mud? Slime? To the villain quickly and secure him, but it was not to be. He had gotten away and that left Toshinori to where he was now. Running around the sewers in his emancipated form like a fool, trying to get Tsukauchi on the phone.
'What a great hero you are.' He thinks to himself while coughing blood into his hand. Toshinori took another deep breath and tried to call on One for All again. If he could just get something, anything, he knows he could end this quickly. He willed his quirk to work!…and nothing again.
What a disgrace. The old hero gripped his grocery bag tighter and pushed himself to keep running. His lungs were burning, the pain from his injury was white hot, and his mouth filled with more and more blood but he kept going. He would see this through to the end. He just had to hope no one got hurt before he did.
Izuku would be the first to admit that this situation wasn't exactly ideal.
"We ain't got all day kid."
It could be better.
The gears in Izuku's head spun. The easiest solution would be to turn the girl invisible and get them both out of there, but slight problem. He hadn't learned how to do that yet. So that's out. He could change her appearance and make her look completely different, but that wouldn't help either. They'd see it and if not, anyone traveling with him would obviously be her.
Then there were his opponents themselves. He couldn't get a read on what their quirks were. No physical part of their bodies was visible to analyze. He'd like to say they didn't have ranged quirks or else they would've used them but at the same time, they may not want to hurt the girl.
He has multiple daggers and knives physically on him now, plus he could conjure more if he needed, but they could be risky too because these villains, they're hurting this girl so villains, they could have skin or be wearing armor that's knife proof!
Could…could Kacchan have been right? Were his powers only good for tricks? Was he really usele-
No! Stop! You're letting what he said get to you. Relax. Breathe. You're the Prince of Mischief. Act like it! No situation is out of your control. They don't have you trapped. You have them.
Alright. Good. Save the girl now. Deal with what Kacchan said later. And possibly stab him for it. No, wait. Definitely stab him. But like, a light stab.
Izuku only takes seconds to process all those thoughts before feeling for his knives under his sleeves, getting ready to test how knife proof the villains were, before the manhole cover close to him began to shake violently.
Oh, what fresh hell was this?
The horned girl buries her face against him as some green liquid substance came out through the holes in the cover. Sludge if he had to guess. His only solace is the two men yelling in surprise, meaning whatever this was, wasn't with them.
The sludge twisted around for a second before forming what looked like arms and a face, complete with eyes and mouth. Izuku's hopes, albeit they were very slim, of the newcomer helping them were dashed when the sludge man looked down at him. His face was the one of a predator, and it looked like he had found his prey.
"Well, it looks like I got my choice of skin suit today." The sludge man says in a distorted voice.
Izuku doesn't know if there is a way to use 'skin suit' in a good context but this was not it. Let's see, the sludge around him is liquid, so most likely no pain receptors. He doesn't know about the teeth but those eyes make nice, big targets.
"Hey! Freak!" The sludge villain turns to look at the man calling him from the tunnel's entrance. "Do whatever you want with the boy, but the girl is ours!"
"Who the hell do you think you are?!" He calls back. This is Izuku's chance. The girl gives a small squeal as he picks her up, putting his left arm under her while she wraps her own arms around his neck.
Izuku can't make her invisible. But he can make more.
He creates ten decoys of himself around the sludge villain. But only five of them look like him. At the same time, he turns five of the decoys into copies of the girl. When the sludge villain looks back, there are six total pairs of kids, each looking the exact same as the originals.
"What the fuck is this?!" The villain roars. His eyes desperately scanning over them.
"Watch your mouth!" All six Izuku say together before laughing and taking off in different directions. Three pairs toward the exit of the tunnel and the other three toward the entrance.
"I don't have time for this!" The sludge villain extends both of his arms and swipes at both groups of retreating kids. Several dodge but he's still able to hit a pair of decoys on each side. One of the pairs running toward the entrance trips and falls. "Found you!" He lunges in their direction.
The real Izuku smirks as he runs toward the exit. That'll buy a little time. Now for…he adjusts his free arm and conjures two knives before throwing them at the last villain blocking their exit. He has his clone do the same so the goon thinks four knives are flying toward him. Each one aimed at one of his legs or shoulders.
"Shit!" The man creates what looks like mini shields in his hands, each the size of a palm and goes to block two of the knives. He guesses right on the one aimed for his shoulder. He does not on the legs. The knife skewers him in the right leg and he shrieks in pain, hunching over and putting both of his hands on either side of the injured leg.
"Pardon me!" Izuku jumps and drives his heel into the man's chest, using his momentum to take him to the ground before continuing his run. The sun had never looked so good. His victory is short-lived before Izuku's instincts go wild. He hugs his passenger with both hands and sends them rolling on the ground just in time for a sludge appendage to go sailing above them.
The teen looks up just in time to see the sludge villain barreling down on them. "You're mine!" Izuku doesn't even think. His arm moves in a slashing motion, the dagger being conjured mid-swing. His aim is true. Izuku slashes the villain across the eye, causing him to reel back in pain. Unfortunately, he backs up right into the path Izuku was running in. Even being outside the tunnel, the path they're on is a narrow one. With high walls lining the sides.
The half Asgardian has no choice but to try to turn around but when he does, his downed villain is ripping the knife out of his leg, and getting back on his feet. His partner running up to his side, pulling him the rest of the way up.
"You're gonna want to hang on," Izuku whispers to the girl, moving her to his back. She doesn't have to be told twice and wraps her legs around his back and her arms around his neck. It's a little too tight but he won't complain.
"Good try, kid! But we'll be taking Eri back now." The uninjured cloaked villain tells him.
'Eri, huh?'
"Like hell, you will!" Oh good, Mr. Sludge has recovered. "I still need a suit to hide in before he gets here!" Izuku turns his back to one of the walls so he can keep an eye on both sets of villains.
"We told you! We just want the girl! You can have the other one!"
The sludge villain growls. "So I get the boy and you get the girl? Fine, whatever!"
"Uh, guys?" The villains all turn to look at Izuku. "As wanted as all of this is making me feel. You have a slight problem." He lifts his hand and in a flash of green light, Izuku is gone. In his place, now stand a dozen terrified looking girls.
"Which one.."
"Is…"
"Eri?" Three different girls say.
"I have never wanted to kill a kid…more than I have today…" the injured villain grits out.
"Doesn't matter!" The sludge villain calls out. "I'll just attack them all!"
"You can't! We need the girl!" The uninjured villain forms a gun with his hand and shoots a bullet of compressed air in front of the advancing sludge villain. Unknown to any of them, a new person, panting at the mouth of the tunnel, begins to watch.
He turns his murderous glare from the dozen girls to the mask-wearing villains. "I don't give a-!"
"You're running out of time." One of the Eri's says.
"He'll be here before you know it." Says another.
"And they keep getting in your way."
The sludge villain bellows in frustration. "I'm done with this! I'm getting a skin suit, one way or another!" He jumps at the other two villains, both of them barely jumping out of the way in time. The goon with the injured leg stays on the ground, clutching his leg in pain. The sludge villain takes advantage, descending upon the man, ripping his mask off, and forcing his way down his throat.
The dozen Eri's take advantage. One girl grabs another and they all run back toward the tunnel. "I don't think so!" The villain not currently being possessed by the sludge from hell starts shooting air bullets at the Eri's, knowing it wouldn't kill her.
Several decoys are taken out before Izuku ends the illusion, throwing two more knives at the villain that he ultimately shoots out of the air. He points two finger guns at the pair while Eri hides behind Izuku. The villain tries to fire several shots at them but they're blocked by a pair of daggers. The two take a moment to stare each other down.
"You must be so relieved, kid. To have gotten a quirk. Means when I kill you, someone might actually care!" The man blasts a shot of compressed air from his foot, launching himself at the kids. He switches from a gun to an 'air sword' in his dominant hand and brings it down onto Izuku's head. He crosses his daggers in front of him, blocking the attack. The villain aims the air gun in his left hand at the boy's gut.
Before he can fire, Izuku twists, using the air sword caught in his daggers to drag the man with him, while at the same, using his leg to keep Eri out of the way. Izuku pushes the man off of him and throws another knife before the twist is done, feeling satisfied when it pierces the man's gun hand.
"Ah! You little shit!"
Izuku can't help the smile on his face. "And you wanna know the best part? I just did all of that without any powers!" The man snarls, raising his air sword, but another knife stabs that hand too. As the man stumbles, Izuku picks Eri back up, holding her close. "I didn't even need them to beat you! Because guess what?! Quirk or no quirk, nothing was going to stop me from saving Eri!"
A very loud stomp comes from behind Izuku. "Very well said, young man."
Izuku turns and was pretty sure if it wasn't for the adrenaline pumping through him, he would've fainted right there. "A-a-a-a-a-a-"
"You've done well. But let a pro handle it from here!"
Shit! No! I wasn't ready!" The sludge villain yells, abandoning his prey and lunging in a desperate attack.
"TEXAS…" All Might grabs Izuku and Eri with his other hand, positioning them behind him. "SMASH!" All Might punches right as the sludge villain attacks, creating a torrent of wind. Izuku holds Eri close to him while the wind roars around them.
"Damn youuuuuuuu!" The sludge villain is blown apart by the mighty punch, the other two villains being blasted away with him.
Once the wind dies down, the sound of sirens could be heard approaching. Izuku loosens his grip on the red-eyed girl a little. "Are you ok, Eri?"
She nods. "Y-yes. T-thank you s-sir."
Izuku makes a face. "Oh please don't call me that. My name's Midoriya."
"Midor-Midori-Mi-Midoriri-"
Izuku smiles. "How about you just call me Mido?" The girl answers by burying her face into his chest again.
"So, did this all go according to plan?"
Loki smirks from his spot on top of the building, watching the scene below them. "Oh, yes."
His companion rubs his chin with his wrinkled fingers. "You helped the girl escape her captors so your son could rescue her?"
"Correct."
"And this is part of your…grand plan for Earth?…"
"You were the one who demanded an update." Loki knows his smirk is infuriating the other so he keeps it up.
"Then answer me this. Why spend so much time delaying the buffoon beforehand, ensuring his power would run out? He would have saved the girl much quicker."
"It needed to be Izuku who rescued the girl. So they would grow attached."
The alien hums a bit before answering. "I still fail to see the point of this."
"The point is the same as it has always been." Green eyes zone in on Izuku, holding the girl close to him while talking excitedly with the hero. "Control."
"Ah yes, they're in room 318. Just head through those doors, and take the elevator at the end of the hall. It'll be the first one on your left."
Naomasa Tsukauchi tips his hat at the receptionist and makes his way toward the double doors he was directed towards.
"Tsukauchi." The police detective turns at the sound of his name to see Shota Aizawa walking to him.
"He's with me," Naomasa tells the receptionist who nods and buzzes the door for the two men.
They walk in step down the hallway. Aizawa waits for the doors to close behind them before staring. "So, what was so urgent you couldn't give me any details over the phone?"
"Kidnapping case. We got a little girl. Name, Eri. Age is between four to five. No birth certificate and no missing report cases match her." Naomasa lists off.
"Strange. But not as out of the ordinary as you implied over the phone."
"She was being walked when she managed to get away from her guard, and then rescued by a fourteen-year old. From what I've been told, he handled himself well."
"Who told you that?"
"All Might. He arrived at the end and finished the villains off."
Aizawa sighs. "Of course. He still here?"
Naomasa stops to press the button for the elevator. "No. He had other matters to attend too. He gave his statement and left. His secretary is here in his place." He looks over at Aizawa who gives him a nod. He got the message, Toshinori ran out of time.
Aizawa starts again. "While this is all fascinating, you haven't answered why you asked Nezu specifically for me."
"Officers haven't been able to get much from the girl. But from what they tell me, every time they brought up her quirk, she'd cry and tell them it was a 'curse' and to not get close or they would be 'erased.'"
The elevator door opens and they step in. "So I'm here as a precaution?"
"Yes, and hopefully with you around, she'll be comfortable enough to tell us more about her kidnappers."
"Fair enough. And the other kid? What's his situation?"
"He admitted to using his quirk but considering the amount of villains present, there seems to be sufficient evidence his life and the girls were in danger so we don't plan on charging him."
Aizawa's grunt was his only response.
"Apparently Eri, that's the girl's name, refuses to leave Midoriya's, the boy, side. So we'll be talking to them together." The elevator stops and the doors open, depositing them onto the floor.
Naomasa heads to the first door on the left, nodding to the officers standing outside, he opens the door and walks in.
The room was your standard hospital room, with two beds and curtains to separate for privacy. The kids laid next to one another on Eri's bed, probably not to disturb her IV drip. Eri had been changed into a hospital gown and had had her bandages changed. While he did close his eyes for her sake, apparently Midoriya was next to her the entire time. She wouldn't allow anyone to come near her without him according to the doctors.
When they entered, as he predicted, Eri scrunched up closer to Midoriya for protection. The boy was wearing a pair of basketball shorts and a long-sleeved red shirt that read 'unicorn' on it. Wait, shouldn't he be wearing a gown too? When did he get a change of clothes? Ah well, it doesn't matter.
Midoriya looks up at them and gives a polite smile before looking past the detective. His smile becomes more genuine. "Eraser!"
Naomasa turns, intending to ask how Aizawa knows the kid, but the look of horror on the pro hero's face stops him. Aizawa mutters something that suspiciously sounds like, "oh god, he's real," before schooling his expression back to vague disinterest. He tilts his head at Midoriya. "Hello again…Problem Child."
Midoriya whispers a few things to Eri before getting up and walking toward him. "Hi! I'm Izuku Midor-" the boy is interrupted by his own tripping on his feet. The detective easily catches him while he shakes his head. "Sorry about that, I can be a bit clumsy sometimes."
Truth.
Naomasa smiles. "You're alright, Midoriya." The kid smiles, straightening up. "We don't want to take up too much of your time. You should know, your mom is on her way and should be here soon. I'm just here to confirm some details with you about what happened. And I was hoping to talk to Eri too."
Midoriya's easy-going nature seems to slip. It's barely noticeable, Naomasa probably only can because of his experience. The kid's eyes narrow, looking him up and down before glancing at Aizawa. Just as quick as it was gone, Midoriya's relaxed nature returns. "Sure!"
Naomasa nods, pulling up a chair for both him and Aizawa. "We'll start with you, Midoriya. If you can just give me a recounting of everything that happened today with Eri. And I am obligated to inform you that I have a lie detector quirk. I can't turn it off. So I'll be able to tell if you're telling the truth or not."
Usually, when he tells someone about his quirk, they get nervous. No longer able to look him in the eye. Their responses become very slow, like they're thinking about every word they say, which they probably are. Not with Midoriya though. It's as if Christmas came early.
"Wow!" He hears a groan next to him from Aizawa. "That's so cool! Does someone have to directly respond to you for it to work? What about partial truths? Partial lies? Does it work over the phone? What about-"
"Problem Child." Naomasa doesn't have to know Aizawa as well as he does to know the man is contemplating several life choices right now. "You'll be answering the questions today."
And now Modoriya's face is as if Aizawa burned his early Christmas present. The detective chuckles a bit. "How about this? We'll get to more of your questions later once we finish with you and Eri. And no, my quirk doesn't work over the phone." The kid's mood brightens a bit. "So, what happened today?"
And so, Midoriya recounts what happened with Eri. How he was trapped in a tunnel, used decoys and throwing knives to get out, stabbed a villain in the eye, got trapped again, used more tricks to get the villains to fight each other, fought off the last one, and All Might finished them off. Everything rang true.
"You seem to have a very fine tune control of your quirk," Aizawa says once Midoriya is done. "You teach yourself that?"
"Uh, no," Midoriya says, scratching his cheek. "My dad taught me."
Truth.
"Well, just know, you were extremely lucky today. And you should not keep pushing it. Practice restraining yourself from using your quirk in public." Aizawa warns.
"Sounds like a story?" Naomasa asks, raising an eyebrow and looking between the two.
Aizawa shrugs. "Kid used his quirk to get out of my capture weapon."
Before he could get a response off, Midoriya quickly cut in, "I swear I did not use my quirk to get out of your capture weapon."
Truth.
"Huh, I got a truth." Aizawa frowns.
Oh, he does not like the look on Midoriya's face. "Of course, that's assuming I was ever actually tied up in your capture weapon in the first place, Eraser."
"Tsukauchi," Aizawa says in a strained voice. "Ask Eri your questions. Sooner, would be better."
Midoriya nods happily. "I'll let her know you guys are alright." He walks back over to the girl, who had been watching them apprehensively the entire time.
"Hey, Eri," Midoriya says in a lighter voice. "Those men there want to ask you some questions, if that's ok?"
Eri shook her head violently. "N-no! My curse could hurt them! T-they can't-"
"Shhhh." Midoriya gently shushes her, patting her head. "You see the one with long hair and scarf? That's Eraserhead. He's a hero who can turn off other people's quirks."
Eri's wide eyes somehow became even wider. "He…he can turn off my curse?"
Midoriya bends down a bit to look her in the eye. "Your quirk Eri. Your quirk. There is nothing wrong with you. Everything is because of the man who hurt you." She shudders but continues to look at him. "And, with a little practice, I just know you could learn to control your quirk! But Eraserhead can stop any accidents. You can't hurt anyone. Maybe he could show you?"
Midoriya looks at them for silent permission. Naomasa nods and Aizawa gets up and walks slowly over, stopping in the middle of the room. Midoriya waves his hand and an exact copy of him appears next to Aizawa, smiling and waving at Eri. "Hiya!" After a few seconds, Aizawa activates his quirk on Midoriya and the clone disappears.
"See?" Midoriya asks while the little girl looks at Aizawa in awe.
"O-okay. He can stay." Eri finally says.
"It's nice to meet you, Eri. My name is Shota Aizawa."
Midoriya looks like he's about to combust; he's so excited. "OhmygodIknowEraserhead'sname!" Aizawa clears his throat. "U-uh, I mean, g-great job Eri! You're doing so well. And the other man," Midoriya pulls something from his pocket and opens it in front of her, "his name is Naomasa Tsukauchi. And look. You see that? That's his police badge. He's a police officer who also wants to help you. And if Eraserhead likes him, then I think we can trust him." Midoriya smiles more and- wait.
His police badge? That's in his wallet which is…Naomasa gets up and feels around his pockets…which is gone. He looks over to see Aizawa giving him a look that says, 'see?' And he can't help but agree.
Naomasa walks over slowly until Eri nods. Both he and Aizawa walk over to the side of the bed, the detective raising an eyebrow and holding his hand out. The kid at least has the decency to look a bit sheepish. "Sorry." Midoriya apologizes while handing the wallet back. "I thought it would get her to trust you."
Naomasa sighs. "It's…fine kid. Just don't make a habit out of it." He pauses. "Your dad teach you that too?"
Midoriya's smile returns. "Nope!"
Truth.
Alright, not enough time to deal with whatever that means. "Oh, Midoriya. Before I forget. Mr. Yagi, All Might's secretary, wanted to talk to you in the empty room down the hall once we're done here." Midoriya gives him a confused look but nods. Aizawa gives him a look too, but chooses not to comment. "Alright Eri, we're gonna be asking you some questions about the men who took you, ok?" She curls up against Midoriya who holds her close. Eri looks up, and after a reassuring nod from her savior, Eri looks down and nods at the detective.
Toshinori is watching the slowly fading sunset from the empty hospital room he's in when he hears the door open behind him.
"U-um, hello, sir. You wanted to talk to me?" Toshinori turns around to see the young man he had requested to see. He was shaking slightly, his eyes darting around the room. But whenever they landed on him, he could tell they were studying him closely. "Ah, young Midoriya. Thank you for seeing me. How is young Eri?"
"As good as she could be I guess." Young Midoriya shrugs. "It's an honor you want to talk to me sir, but I only have a few minutes. Eri is with Mr. A-Aizawa and I told her I'd be back as quickly as I could."
The man gave a deep, short laugh and waved him off. "Of course of course. I wanted to ask you something. But first…" and in a puff of smoke, Mr. Yagi was gone. And in his place…
"A-A-A-A-A-A-!" All Might quickly runs over and places his hand over the teen's mouth, letting him scream to his heart's content.
"Heh, I probably could have done this better…"
After a minute of the boy's screaming being mixed with so many questions, Toshinori could never hope to keep up, he let go of the hyperventilating boy, and deflated, coughing up a bit of blood.
"I-I-I literally have so many questions I don't know where to start…"
"How about I start then, young man? Yes, I am All Might. And what you see is the result of a fight with a villain from five years ago."
"Five years? No way, Toxic Chainsaw did this?"
"You know your stuff. But no. This was a fight that was kept completely hidden from the media. I defeated the villain, but it cost me most of my respiratory system, and my stomach. So now, I can only do hero work three hours a day. And the rest of the day I'm…" he gestures to himself.
"W-wow…is that why you had to leave so fast after the police came?"
"That's right, young man." Young Midoriya's eyes continue to scan over him, his hands are twitching and moving, like he wants to write everything down.
"Wow…" the boy settles on again. Toshinori chuckles but before he could answer, the boy stops shaking and frowns down at his shoes. His face scrunches up. He looks up and opens his mouth, but no sound comes out. Young Midoriya goes back to frowning at his shoes.
"If you want to ask me a question, young man, go ahead. Just try to keep it to one at a time."
Young Midoriya chuckles, but there's no humor in it. "I have too many questions to count, but there's one I think I want to ask. I've wanted to ask you for a long time but now that you're actually here…"
Even though the teen is still looking down, Toshinori smiles. "Ask away."
Young Midoriya takes a deep breath, still looking at his shoes. "So you've heard the story by now about what happened?"
"I did. Detective Tsukauchi gave me the rundown. The use of your quirk was excellent."
Toshinori was hoping the compliment would help calm the boy down, but instead, he flinches. "W-well you see, the thing is, my, uh, quirk, came in a bit late. I actually thought I was going to be quirkless. But still…I wanted to be a hero…to save people like you and someone else…" Young Midoriya takes another breath and finally looks up at him. "Could I have been a hero without any powers?"
Toshinori takes a moment. The silence in the room is somehow louder than anything. "I won't lie to you young man. If you had asked me that this morning, I don't think you would have liked my answer." It's almost amusing how much the boy deflating reminds him of himself. "However." The kid's head snaps back up, eyes sparkling. "While the use of your quirk was impressive. What I saw, was even more."
"I saw a young boy, risking his life to protect an even younger girl. He fought the villain head-on, with no hesitation. Tell me, young Midoriya, at any point, did your body move before you had a chance to think?"
A nod.
"That's what I thought. Do you know what a lot of stories about great heroes have in common? Their bodies move before they can think."
Young Midoriya's body begins to tremble, tears falling from his eyes. Toshinori's not even sure he was aware of it.
"Today, you showed with or without your quirk, you could protect that girl. It's what inspired me to push past my own limits, and step in at the end!"
The boy falls to his knees, tears in full force now.
"Young man. Even without a quirk, you too, could become a hero."
The boy sobs harder. Toshinori smiles, kneeling and placing his hands on his shoulders to act as an anchor. He can hear a mixture of 'thank you's' blended in with the crying.
After another minute of crying, young Midoriya finally gains enough control of himself to try and stand. He was able to with Toshinori's help.
"Are you ok, my boy?"
Young Midoriya chuckles, trying and failing to wipe the rest of his tears off. "What? No, yeah I'm fine. Never better actually. Are you ok, All Might? It looked like you were getting a bit emotional there for a second."
The pro hero chuckles along. "Yes, I think I'll manage." He lets another few seconds pass between them. "Tell me, young Midoriya, what do you know about my quirk?"
As he hoped it would, that seems to sober the boy right up. "That's the thing, isn't it! No one really knows anything about it!"
"That's right. And what if I told you I could give you my abilities?"
"What? Like a present? That doesn't make any sense…"
"But it's true!" Toshinori cuts in, hoping to stop a question storm before it starts. "I could give you my awesome abilities. You see, my quirk is a sacred torch that is passed down from one person to another. And you can be next."
Young Midoriya looks like what he imagines a computer would look like if it was a person and crashing. Maybe he should've waited a bit before dumping this on the kid? He's had a long day. But it still felt right to do this now.
Toshinori realizes while in his thoughts that young Midoriya's mouth had started moving again. There's barely any sound but he probably couldn't understand even if he could hear it. "Stop nerding out!" That brings the boy back again. "You see, my quirk is a torch that is passed from user to user. One person improves the power before handing it to the next and so on. It is called, One for All."
"One…for…All…"
"Yes. I still meant what I said earlier. Without mine or your quirk, you could still be a great hero. But the truth is, I've been on the hunt for a new successor for a while now. And I think that person is you. What do you say?"
Young Midoriya smiles, a bright one. He looks down at his shoes before looking back up. "It means so much you'd give something like this to me. And I know if I was still truly quirkless I would've said yes immediately. But…" Toshinori tilts his head in curiosity. "I have powers already. And your quirk should go to someone who would need the help more than me. So thank you All Might, but…" another deep breath where young Midoriya looks away. "But no…"
Toshinori smiles and waits for the boy to chance a glance at him. He does a few seconds later and he's satisfied to see the relief wash over the kid. "S-sorry. I thought you might be mad…"
"Nonsense Young Midoriya!" Toshinori reassures. "A noble reason to decline that only serves to reaffirm me that you will make a great hero." The tears start to form again. "But we may have to work on the waterworks kid…"
Young Midoriya laughs. "Yeah I know, it's- w-wait. We?"
All Might laughs, he's never gonna get tired of seeing the kid's shocked face. "Yes, we! Just because I won't be passing my quirk onto you doesn't mean I don't want to help you become the best hero you could be!" The old pro smiles deviously, knowing what this will do. "We should exchange numbers."
As he thought, young Midoriya nearly falls over before nodding so fast, he's a blur. He probably can't form words right now. After switching phones, in which the green-haired boy holds his as if it's some lost treasure, Toshinori looks away coughing a bit into his hand. "You know, young Midoriya. When you were getting ready to ask me your question, I thought it'd be for a-" Toshinori looks back to see the boy nervously scratching the back of his neck holding a notebook and pen.
All Might smiles, taking the book.
Shota closes the hospital door behind him, sighing. He walks up to Tsukauchi as he is finishing a conversation with one of his officers. "How's it looking in there?" The detective asks him.
"Mother's in there. Had to leave before I drowned." The other man gives him a quizzical look but doesn't ask.
"Alright, next we should-" the man is interrupted by his phone ringing. "Oh, excuse me." Tsukauchi answers and Shota doesn't pay too close attention before the detective loudly exclaims, "what?! When?!" A pause. "Who authorized that?!" Another pause. "Alright, I'm coming down there." Tsukauchi trots over to the elevator and pushes the button, waiting impatiently for it to come.
"What happened?" Shota can't help himself.
"Those two mask-wearing villains? Apparently their paperwork was pushed through immediately and they were allowed to leave on bail."
"Smells dirty," Shota states the obvious.
"That's what I'm gonna figure out."
"Wait wait wait wait wai-!"
The man is cut off by his own body exploding, his blood joining his partners in painting the once pristine wall. Overhaul pants. The blood on his hands not so much dripping off, more shaking off due to his quivering rage. He had lost Eri. On top of that, having to soil his hands.
The yakuza boss is barely able to get his hands in the sink to wash them, while the ever loyal Chrono waits silently with towels.
"I want all of our contacts in the police force looking for Eri." Overhaul says while scrubbing his hands.
"Already done, sir." Overhaul knows the man well enough to know he wants to say more so he waits. "Sir, may I speak freely?"
Overhaul hums, taking the towels and wiping his arms. "Our businesses and reserves of Eri's blood won't keep us going forever. We may have to consider…looking for beneficiaries to fund us."
Overhaul knows this. Chrono does as well. But there's no reason to pretend like the possibility isn't there. "We focus on Eri for now. When I believe we should look for others to help us monetarily, we will. And not any sooner. Make sure everyone understands this." Chrono agrees.
"As for right now." He looks back over the blood splattered wall. "It appears I do not have as much control as I had thought. Get someone to clean this up, and bring me Nemoto. Let's see if any others in our ranks…share their opinion on quirklessness."