Chapter Forty-Two

Can't Hide

"Every night again, dancing with the moonlight,

Somewhere far away, I can hear your call...

I'm out of my head, of my heart, and my mind,

'Cause you can run but you can't hide,

I'm gonna make you mine."

- The Wolf (SIAMES)

Hizashi felt cold.

Eraserhead had stabbed Sekijiro without a single hint of hesitation, and all the blond pro-hero could do was watch. Without his voice or his Quirk or his tech, there was so little he could do. He'd been a deer in headlights.

Then Eraser had turned to him with those glowing red eyes, and all Hizashi's instincts had screamed for him to run.

Had something happened since the USJ? This Aizawa seemed different.

Kan hadn't been knocked unconscious, but Eraserhead had lost interest in him, like a cat turning its nose up at an immobile mouse. This was bad… but Hizashi refused to run as he fell into a fighting stance.

Something flipped in Hizashi's mind. What Vlad had said was true: Eraserhead was a villain, and he had to treat him as one.

Despite his willingness to fight, someone else dropped in to protect him. Hizashi saw weapons and frayed garments and black hair. For a moment he thought he might've been hallucinating past-Shouta again, but this man was too different. No, this wasn't a hallucination.

This was the Hero Killer: Stain.

The man drew a knife and threw it back, successfully puncturing the security camera Hizashi hadn't noticed before, and oxygen flooded his lungs. He'd been right! Giran had warned him about it during their short reunion: All I'll say is stay away from cameras.

Phones struggled to handle the invasive Quirk, thus the sparking, and-

...The Sports Festival! Wait, had Shouta been responsible? Fuck, what was the range on the Quirk?

No, he could think about that part later! Vlad was bleeding out, and between Eraserhead and Mic was the Hero Killer!

Hizashi shuddered. His skin was cold now, his clothes completely soaked through with rain, but he focused on inhaling oxygen while he could. He could scream and take both Eraser and Stain out, but Vlad was in the range, so…

"You," growled the murderer, "won't harm All-Might's chosen one!" ...All-Might's chosen one? "You, villain, will be sacrificed to build a just world!"

Then there was movement: a flash as Stain pulled out a deteriorating sword. He heard the sound of shoes hitting the wet pavement, and then Hizashi couldn't breathe again. Stain and Eraser moved in a blur of blades and barbs, with the clash of metal drowning out even the roars of thunder. They moved so fast, bouncing off walls and knocking over trashcans, but Hizashi didn't have time to waste watching.

With the way cleared, Hizashi ran to Kan's side. He was trying to pull himself up, his hand curled around the knife handle, although he was careful not to pull it out. His other arm was a mess too, and the blood practically poured from the open wounds, turning the rain puddles crimson.

Hizashi couldn't breathe here, so there had to be another camera nearby! He grabbed the discarded knife Eraser had thrown earlier and started searching the alley for the camera. Now he was trying to find it, it wasn't long before he spotted the lens of the security device, the white casing dripping with water. Hizashi climbed onto an old vending machine so he could reach, but before he could puncture it with the knife, dark material wrapped around his wrist.

Barbs bit into his flesh and the whole world tilted as he was pulled from the height. If his lungs had been able to exhale at all, he would've been winded by the fall. His headphones were jostled, but remained in place.

Even though his view was now upside down, he could just make out the sight of Eraserhead through the sheet of rain. The villain was balanced atop the railing of the nearby fire escape, his scarf connecting them like a thorned string of fate.

Where was-

He'd been so focused on Eraser, it took a few seconds to notice Stain only a few feet away from where Hizashi lay, but the murderer's attention was trained on Eraserhead.

"Your conviction is strong!" called the Hero Killer, the compliment directed at the villain. "However, I cannot let you kill All-Might's chosen one! A vile villain, redeemed by the world's greatest hero! A symbol for justice that I can't let you destroy!" To punctuate the statement, he severed Eraserhead's capture weapon.

Hizashi's hand fell to the ground, splashing in the gathered water. The pain of the barbs numbed with the cold, but his eyes stayed on those two red circles that meant Eraserhead.

God, he was being an idiot.

The boots beside him disappeared as the clash of weapons resumed, and Hizashi pulled himself to his feet. He hadn't inhaled in a while now, but he had plenty of time left in his lungs. Kan was near… No, he'd actually managed to stand, although he was leaning against the wall. Blood was pouring from the wounds, and his tough face was pale.

Teamwork: Hizashi worked best in a team.

He hurried to Vlad King's side and helped support him as he gestured to the camera he'd tried to destroy before. Some of Eraser's scarf was still dangling from Hizashi's wrist, the hooks safer to leave in his flesh. If they could get rid of that camera, they'd be on firmer footing: Hizashi would be able to breathe and Vlad would be able to stop himself from bleeding out. The two could run, but there was no telling how far Eraser's range was and there were cameras everywhere.

Despite the knife in his gut and his damaged arm, Vlad found the strength to pull himself from the wall with Hizashi's help. Together they reached the camera, and slipped under its gaze…

Oxygen returned to Hizashi's lungs. This was the only camera here!

As he breathed, Vlad didn't waste a single second. The blood on his arm completely crystallised, and when he held it tall, a pillar shot up and pierced the camera. The broken pieces rained over them, but a sense of relief was impossible with the fight taking place so nearby.

Hizashi spun on his heel and had a better time following the blows now he wasn't concentrating on not breathing. Both Stain and Eraser were evenly matched in speed and technique, although the former appeared somewhat stronger. The Erasure villain was forced into parrying his attacks by redirecting them, rather than stopping them entirely. If Stain had had his Quirk, there would've been a clear winner, but the Erasure was enough to keep them balanced.

Thankfully the two phones had finally drowned in the puddles, meaning the sparking had stopped, and there were no more cameras for Eraserhead to use.

A Hero Killer and All For One's henchmen: both had to be stopped, but…

A sudden fear resonated through him.

What if Stain killed Eraserhead?

"Can you fight?" Present Mic asked Vlad King, his voice low.

"With my Quirk… But we won't have that chance for long…" Vlad knelt low and closed his eyes to concentrate on something. "Stain: his blood is type B…" So, the Blood Hero would be able to control it…

Present Mic ripped the barbed cloth from around his wrist, hissing in pain. "One move," Hizashi told him as he offered his own arm. Hot blood flowed from the wounds and dripped into the water puddles below, dirtying it with more red. "You've got three extra donors, all ready to 'help', yo…"

Sekijiro did his best to grin, despite the agony (and despite his impressive teeth). "Let's cross that finish line then…" Vlad King pulled his hands from the ground and raised them high. "PRISON OF CRIMSON THORNS!"

Blood shot into the air as it was pulled from Kan's wounds, the puddles below, and even the lacerations on Mic and the villains. Eraserhead's view was blocked before he had the chance to erase Vlad King's Quirk, and both villains were pinned in a prison of crystallised blood, with spires connecting to the alley walls like spider threads.

Hizashi was lightheaded by the sudden loss of blood, but victory was at hand. They'd captured both Eraserhead AND Stain in one move! The sounds of struggling could be heard as blades clattered against the crystal, but even if pieces were chipped off, Vlad could repair the damage with just a little more blood from the captives.

"It's okay," Vlad said, looking just as exhausted as Hizashi felt. "We've wo-"

The crystallised blood melted.

Sekijiro Kan collapsed without warning. No… He wasn't the only one.

They all collapsed.

What? Was this a Quirk? Whose-

"You combined our blood," growled Stain, "and crystallised it…" Crimson dripped down from the villain's mouth, and an odd image entered Hizashi's mind. Had he eaten some of the crystallised blood? Was this his Quirk? "Usually my saliva breaks down my own, but since it was solid, it couldn't. Even so-"

The sound of shoes scraping could just be made out over the downpour. One of them was-

Eraserhead pulled himself to his feet.

-x-

Everything was red. The smell of blood filled his nostrils and made him dizzy, although the loss of his own blood might've been the reason for the nausea.

The Hero Killer was down. The enemy was down. His Home was down.

There were no more cameras that would be able to see them, so there was no reason to use his full Quirk, and his hair flopped down to covered the left lens of his mask. His feet carried him forward, each step sending ripples through the crimson puddles.

"Eraserhead!" called Vlad King. He started yelling some more, but he'd already stopped listening. Whatever he said wasn't important.

Because his Home was here.

Eraser reached Present Mic, his long blond hair dirtied by the red, but he remained the most colourful thing in his world. "Hizashi," he said as softly as he could as he pulled his paralysed Home into his arms.

"Shouta," he said back, and Eraserhead listened. "Come home…"

He was Home. Eraserhead carefully took Hizashi's injured wrist and examined the deep lacerations he'd been forced to give him. Father's Doctor would be able to fix those up easily, just like he'd fixed Eraserhead time and time again. Even so, the villain tore off a part of his own sleeve and carefully tied it around the wounds.

With that done, he picked Hizashi up and carried him deeper into the alleyways, away from the red, red, red and the enemy and the Hero Killer. He'd take him to Father and they'd be together, and-

Hizashi inhaled deeply, but his left eye was quickly turned towards him before he could scream with his Quirk…

...His Home had wanted to hurt him. Why? Why didn't he want to go to Father? His Father would-

Eraserhead stopped.

Wait… Father would hurt Hizashi.

Yes, it would be to teach him an important lesson, to make him learn and to be better, but… What if Father's Doctor tried to change him, as he'd changed Eraserhead?

Would the Doctor also turn him into a-…

Despite the brainwashing, Hizashi was perfect just the way he was. He was his Home - his one splash of colour in a red, red world - but would he still be if they changed him? Father might not realise how perfect he already was…

Eraser bowed his head so his hair covered his left eye, and Hizashi could breathe again. "Shouta," whispered the blond, tears of something forming in those green, green eyes… Or maybe that was only rain? It didn't matter, because then he said those words. "I still love you…"

Shouta stared- No, no, no, Eraserhead! He was Eraserhead and…

Shouta was gone…

But…

Eraserhead wouldn't let his father hurt Hizashi Yamada.

He carried him to the entrance of the alleyway, so they were near the busy streets beyond, and he carefully set him down against the wall. The blond was still paralysed, but he'd be able to call for help from here, and Eraser took a moment to gently brush his damp fringe from his face as something soft stirred inside him.

"Love…" he said, although the word sounded so much sweeter from Hizashi's mouth. He ran his thumb over those lips and watched them slightly tremble as a spark ran through his skin. Hizashi … was safe with the heroes?

"Shouta," Mic said, a bit more force in his tone, "ya gotta… save Vlad… You can't just leave him, yo! The… Hero Killer will-... Please," he said with such force is made his paralysed body tremble, "get him someplace safe. I love you." Vlad King: the enemy? He wanted him to… to save his enemy? "Please Sho… Save him, so I can … save you…"

Eraserhead pulled away from his Home and took a step back. Father was going to punish him for this…

He turned and left Hizashi Yamada, racing through the drenched alleyways, planning to do as his love, love, Love requested. However, before he could reach Vlad King, a putrid taste filled his mouth. Grey liquid oozed from his throat, and he was forced to spit it out as it mercilessly engulfed his entire body, although he didn't put up much struggle: he knew this Quirk.

It was a dramatic shift, to go from the cold rain to the dark room, lit only by the screens. On one of the rectangles of light, he could make out his own hand as he collapsed to the floor and immediately kowtowed. The grey liquid disappeared without a trace. Father loomed over Eraserhead, and only then did he realise how badly he'd been wounded.

His entire body was sliced up badly from his fight with the Hero Killer, and he'd lost a lot of blood from both the lacerations and Vlad King's attack. Eraserhead's clothes were torn in far too many places, some of his knives were missing, and even his barbed scarf had lost some length. Red was dripping on Father's floor, as was the water from his clothes, and he couldn't stop his body from trembling.

"I'm disappointed in you, Eraserhead…" Father's heel came up and rested on his scalp, forcing his face against the ground. His mask bit into his forehead, but compared to the wounds across his body, the pain was minor. "And in you, Giran." Eraserhead heard the slight scuff of the information broker's shoes, and his presence didn't bode well for the Erasure Villain's future. "You know what happens when you do something I don't like, like arranging to meet that hero I decided to spare all those years ago… You're both making me want to change my mind…"

In the past, Giran might've said something to defend himself, but those times were long gone. If the information broker said anything, Eraserhead's punishment would only be worse.

"Good," Father said, his voice pleased, despite his apparent disappointment in them. "Now, Eraserhead, you must be punished. I've been far too lax with you lately, and it hasn't been good for you at all. I'm sure I can come up with something … suitable."

-x-

Hizashi couldn't bring himself to cry for help, even though he could hear people only a few metres away. His body was hidden from sight by an old, empty dumpster, so no one saw him, and he had no intention of dragging civilians into his mess.

Was Sekijiro okay? Would Shouta really save him from Stain, or would he murder both while they were paralysed?

Had that alleyway now seen the end of two great heroes: Ingenium and Vlad King…?

The paralysis wore off before anyone returned, and Hizashi shakily pulled himself to his feet, but wasted no time in racing back the way Shouta had carried him. However, before he could reach the alleyway's intersection, he heard a shout above the roar of rain: "Yamada!"

"Kan!" he called back, recognising the voice, and as he turned a corner he ran straight into the Blood Hero. Arms wrapped around him as his friend caught him in an embrace, and Hizashi was quick to hug back. "You're okay?"

As they pulled away, Hizashi had the chance to glance him over. Kan had re-crystallised the wound around the knife and across his arm, stopping himself from losing more blood while temporarily patching up any organs that had been punctured in the attack. He was pale, but there were no new wounds on him. "I'm fine," he said at last, although he was wobbling on his feet. "Where's Eraserhead?"

"He left," Hizashi said, although he could barely believe it himself. Why had Shouta taken him away at all when he could've easily killed the other two while they were paralysed? "Something clicked in him, but I don't know what. I told him to go back and save you, because… Where's the Hero Killer?"

Kan bit his lip and shook his head. "He must've known the exact time of the paralysis; he instantly moved when it wore off. Mentioned something about me being worthy of living for now, and hurried off in the direction you'd both gone."

"I haven't seen him… We should look around for Shouta. He might've gone after him when-"

"Hizashi," Vlad said as he put a hand on his shoulder, "Eraserhead can handle himself… We've gotta go to hospital, and report this to Hero HQ. If we run into him again and he erases my Quirk…" He gestured at the wound on his front, and didn't need to explain any more.

Present Mic swallowed but nodded, offering his shoulder to lean on. "Sorry… You're right. We've gotta tell Nemuri… But… Why wasn't Sho paralysed too?"

Vlad shook his head as they started towards the hospital, only stopping to grab their waterlogged phones from the crimson puddles. "Quirk might've been more mutated than we thought… Erasure through cameras: that one sounds like a bad joke against you…"

Hizashi nodded, his fists curling as he remembered the way Shouta had tenderly moved the fringe from his face, just as he had during the USJ. He glanced at the black material around his wounded wrist, and something Giran said stood out without warning:

There ain't much Aizawa left to save. Not really sure exactly how much, but whatever is is centred on you. You gotta be careful though, 'cause he's dangerous. You'll have to be willin' to do things you don't wanna to protect him. He'll wanna go back to his 'Father', and even I ain't sure which of you two holds more sway in 'im. Eraser might end up hurtin' you if it'd clear a route to the Boss.

He remembered the rough, unsure way Shouta had said the word 'love', as if he hadn't known Hizashi still- … God, he was an idiot… Of course he hadn't known - he was engaged! Shouta was still there, and Shouta still loved him, but he genuinely believed Hizashi had moved on and forgotten him! His plan had worked, but at what cost to Sho?

"Nothing's changed," Hizashi said at last as they made their way onto the street. "First chance we get, we're gonna save him for good. Let's hope we got the signal before my phone died." It was less crowded, due to the rain, but some civilians with umbrellas saw them and instantly rushed over to see if they were okay.

However, before anything could really be said, someone else squeezed through the others and held her umbrella over them. "You had me worried sick!" Nemuri said, but paused once she noticed the blood. "You idiots went after the-" She stopped herself before she mentioned the Hero Killer, and quickly took up her post supporting Kan's other side. "Come on, you have a lot of explaining to do."

Hizashi glanced up at the umbrella, and for just a moment he thought he saw Stain himself, glancing at them from a faraway rooftop, but then he was gone. He took Nemuri's phone and quickly called Hero HQ while they walked, to tell them of the sighting and of everything else that had happened, his stomach in knots.

How differently would everything have gone had Stain not appeared…?

Hizashi was 'All-Might's chosen one' apparently, a villain redeemed… Knowing the murderer thought so highly of him was not a comforting thought.

He only hoped, wherever he was, Shouta was okay.