Chapter 13
"Any clues?"
"Nothing, yet, Sir."
The smoke was still rising into the bright blue sky the next morning as crews sifted through the wreckage that once was Todoroki Enji's grand mansion. It had completely crumbled to the ground, reduced to nothing but a pile of ash and some framework.
The firefighters did all they could to put it out, but they mostly worked to contain the fire to keep it from spreading to the neighboring homes. Thus, the mansion burned completely down.
Izuku was sifting through the mess, as well, and was exhausted from working all throughout the night. His mother called a few times and practically begged him to go rest, but he refused. He couldn't sleep knowing that Shouto was still in danger.
"What the hell are we lookin' for?" Kacchan grumbled, moving to Izuku's side. He also stayed the entire night, the bags under his eyes a shining testament of his strange loyalty.
"I don't really know," Izuku answered, rubbing his eye absently. "But there has to be something here that could give us a lead."
"You really think there's something in all this mess, Midoriya?" Kirishima asked, saddling up next to them. He had a to-go container of coffees, and he passed one over to Izuku. Izuku hesitated at the offer, but he slowly took the coffee from him.
"There has to be," Izuku said, his voice almost a whisper. He stared down at the coffee lid, his stomach protesting out of both hunger and nausea. He couldn't drink this. Not when Shouto could be…
"Well, we can't be out here for too much longer. Lieutenant is saying we need a break," Kirishima said, handing Kacchan a coffee.
Izuku winced, brows furrowing. He couldn't rest. Not until Shouto was safe.
He opened up the lid for his coffee cup and took a big gulp, the piping hot coffee instantly burning his tongue and the roof of his mouth.
"Ah, M-Midoriya!" Kirishima exclaimed.
"Oi, moron! You're gonna burn yourself!" Kacchan yelled.
Izuku sighed after he swallowed, his tongue stinging and then going numb. But he couldn't find that he cared. He had a job to do.
"Let me know if you guys find anything," Izuku said to them, and he turned away and started walking towards the rubble again.
"Ah, Midoriya…" Kirishima called, but his voice trailed off. For once, Izuku was thankful that he didn't follow. He wasn't sure how long he could keep his composure.
"Tch. Fine!" Kacchan yelled. "Let's keep searching."
"Huh? Oh, uh. O-Okay," Kirishima answered.
They all scattered and went back to work searching through the warm piles of ash. There were still some embers here and there, which was crazy to think about. The fire had to have been extremely hot for it to still burn nearly eight hours later.
Izuku stepped over the hot ash and then knelt down to a particularly large pile. He had been eyeing it for a few hours, but no one had been near it yet.
With a long sigh, he started pushing things out of the way. There had to be something here. There just had to be.
The pile in front of him started to blur, the edges of his vision swimming with tears. He kept pushing the pile around and looking in between each crevice, ignoring the tears that fell down his cheeks.
Shouto couldn't be dead. He had to be alive! He just had to!
He dug and dug until the tips of his fingers hurt, but even then, he kept going. He was desperate to find something, anything!
There was no way that Shouto could be dead. There was no way that he would die before Izuku got to tell him... got to tell him…
"Stop that, damn it!"
A hand floated into his vision and grabbed his wrist, making him stop in his efforts. He froze up, allowing Kacchan to pull him back from the pile. He sat back on his feet, sniffling pitifully as he stared down at the ground.
His heart was aching.
"I love him, Kacchan," Izuku whimpered as he squeezed his eyes shut, the tears leaking out. He felt Kacchan flinch at his words, but Izuku didn't dare look up at his face. "I love him. And I've been such a coward. I couldn't even tell him! And now… he's been kidnapped."
"Oi."
"I have to find him! If I don't, then… then he could die!" Izuku blubbered.
"Deku, don't—"
"And I just… I left him all alone back at the hospital. That was so irresponsible!" Izuku wailed. He shut his eyes. "I can't let him die!"
"Stop it!"
Kacchan suddenly reached up and grabbed Izuku's collar, shaking him hard. Izuku forced his eyes up to look at him, tears running down his cheeks.
Kacchan had an intense look on his face, one that sent shivers down Izuku's spine.
"He's not gonna die, you idiot!" Kacchan yelled, giving him a little shake. "We're gonna find him before that bastard does anything to him, alright?! So stop your blubbering and wipe your face, for crying out loud!"
He released Izuku's collar, allowing him to sit back on his feet and wipe his face, getting soot all over his freckled cheeks. Kacchan rolled his eyes at the sight, calling him a moron, and then turned to sift through the large pile.
Izuku closed his eyes to try to wipe the endless tears that kept dribbling down his face, sobbing as his hands came back black and wet. He sighed, feeling like a dirty loser. Why didn't he keep better track of Shouto earlier? This never would've happened if he had just called for help. Why, damnit?! Why?
"Huh? What the hell?"
Izuku startled at Kacchan's voice, and he blinked the dirt out of his eyes to look down at him.
Kacchan was holding a silvery bag, barely scorched by the flames. Izuku had seen them before, but only on TV dramas.
"Is this…?" Kacchan started, looking uncertain.
Izuku nodded firmly, feeling his heart skyrocket inside of his chest.
"It's a fireproof pouch."
Shouto had been drifting in and out of sleep, unsure of the time of day. It was so dark in that room that he had completely lost track of how long he had been locked away. The only source of light in the room was the light bulb that hung over his head, but Dabi would turn it off when he left, leaving him in pitch darkness.
He knew that it had been at least a day, based on how long he had counted the seconds tick by. His stomach was grumbling, and his mouth was dry, but he didn't dare ask Dabi for food. There was no way he could drop his pride for that.
Speaking of Dabi…
He had left a while ago, saying he had to check on the delivery of his "housewarming gift" to Enji. He hadn't been back since.
Shouto squinted in the dark. He wondered if Dabi had already killed him. Did the bait work after all? Did he already come by trying to rescue Shouto, but got caught in Dabi's trap?
Or…
Or did his father finally abandon him? Leaving him to die…?
Shouto swallowed dryly, his throat cracked. He hung his head and heaved a soft sigh, feeling hopeless.
His gut squirmed with the possibility of never seeing Izuku again. He was the one light in his darkened life, and without him…
Well. Life might as well be meaningless.
Suddenly, the door jerked open, letting in a harsh flash of sunlight. Shouto squeezed his eyes shut at the brightness, feeling an instant headache coming on.
"Ah, so you're awake."
Dabi stepped inside and slammed the door shut behind him, flicking on the one light bulb above Shouto's head. Shouto blinked rapidly at the light above and focused on Dabi as he made his way over to the center of the room.
"I bet you're starving," Dabi said, grabbing the spare chair and plopping down in it. "Got some meat buns. And fruit juice. Want some?"
He held up the steaming buns in his grasp, the smell wafting into the air. Shouto blinked at it, his belly panging at just the smell. He wanted to eat so badly, but he had no idea what was even in that meat bun. What if Dabi had poisoned it?
He shook his head and turned away, gazing at a crack in the wall.
Dabi shrugged out of the corner of his eye. "Suit yourself," he said, and he brought the meat bun up to his lips and took a bite.
Shouto frowned at that and watched him eat. He wasn't a huge fan of meat buns. Too warm.
But these… looked delicious.
He finished off the meat bun and licked his fingers, humming to himself in satisfaction. Shouto briefly wondered if he had another one with him.
"Here. At least have somethin' to drink," Dabi said, leaning over to grab a water bottle from the bag. He cracked it open and then pulled out a straw from seemingly nowhere. He leaned forward and rested the bottle on the armrest, the straw pointing towards Shouto's cheek. "It's not poisoned or anything. You saw me open it just now, didn't ya?"
Shouto swallowed, his throat still way too dry. He didn't even have spit to swallow down to soothe the ache.
With a soft whine coming from his throat, he leaned down and sucked up some water. After just one swallow, Shouto realized just how parched he truly was. He gulped down the rest of the bottle in no time at all. His bladder would suffer for it later, but he didn't have the energy to care right now.
The empty water bottle clattered to the ground next to his bound feet. He stared at it longingly, hoping that it would magically reappear back up on the armrest with even more water inside.
"Ah, well that was satisfying, right?" Dabi said. "I could use a little gratitude, you know."
Shouto frowned at him, having no desire to say a word to him. He dipped his head and glanced down at the bag sitting next to Dabi's feet. It was a grocery bag—one that he would've gotten from a convenience store. How in the world did he buy that with a face like this?
"I've got money. Plus, they make masks, so…" Dabi said, twirling the white mask around in his grasp.
Shouto frowned. Obviously not money well earned.
Dabi leaned down to pull another small container out of the bag. He pulled off the lid, and a familiar scent filled Shouto's nose.
"I kinda figured you wouldn't like the meat buns. Too heavy right?" Dabi said, smirking. He pulled out a plastic fork and squished it inside the container. It wasn't steaming. "So, I also snagged some soba. It's nice an' cold, just like you like it."
Shouto's breath hitched, watching as Dabi pulled up some noodles with the fork and held them out towards him, encouraging Shouto to take a bite.
"Don't worry. These are all for you," Dabi said. "I won't gobble them up."
Shouto didn't speak. He couldn't speak. All he could do was look at the man in front of him in shock.
He took a deep breath, trying to process. And once he found the courage to speak, his voice came out quivering.
"How…" Shouto started. "How did you know I liked cold soba?"
Dabi jolted, eyes blinking at Shouto blankly. He leaned back in his chair and looked down at the soba, taking a long pause as he hummed.
"Lucky guess?" he said with a shrug, and he shoved the noodles into his mouth.
Shouto's hands curled into shaking fists. It wasn't the first time Dabi had mentioned knowing something about him. He even said he knew everything about him. What was up with that?
"Cut the crap. You've been stalking me, right?" Shouto accused, trying to wriggle out of his binds. "That's how you know so much, isn't it? You've been learning more about me to get to my father, aren't you?!"
He felt violated, like every piece of his life had been exposed. Just how long had Dabi been following him around? Months? Years?
He suddenly wanted a shower. Or a chance to rip this guy's head off.
"Stalking you? Tch, as if," Dabi said around a cheek-full of noodles. He swallowed them down. "I've only been observing you for a week or two."
Shouto blinked at him, eyes widening. His hands were no longer shaking in anger. They were shaking for a different reason now.
"But… how is that possible?" Shouto asked. "How do you know so much about me then? Why do you know about my upbringing?"
Dabi paused for a moment, taking in Shouto's frazzled state. The silence only made him more flustered, though, and he pulled himself forward at the restraints, his chest heaving.
"Tell me the truth, you freak!" Shouto yelled.
Dabi remained calm, not buying into Shouto's anger. Instead, he gulped down more noodles—more of the noodles that he promised he wouldn't eat.
"My, my. Such anger," Dabi said. He looked up at Shouto through hooded eyes. "I suppose it does run in the family."
Shouto's eyes flashed. He jerked at the restraints.
"I am not my father!" Shouto snarled.
Dabi chuckled, rolling his eyes. "I know that. But you have to admit that there are some similarities."
Shouto narrowed his eyes. "I don't!"
"Oh, but you do," Dabi said. "Like now, for instance. Lashing out when you're cornered."
"Shut up!" Shouto yelled.
"Or should we even rewind to just a day ago? You were too much of a coward to go and visit someone in the hospital," Dabi said, slouching back in his seat and fiddling with the plastic fork in his fingers. "Yes, Enji is a brave police officer, blah blah blah. But he, too, is a coward. Too afraid to even visit his mentally unstable wife."
Shouto squeezed the armrests in a vice-like grip and squeezed his eyes shut. "Stop it!"
"Heh. You're just too afraid to face your past, huh, Shouto? What is it? Can't handle seeing the person who hurt you the most?" Dabi said, pushing his buttons even more. "That hot water really must've been painful that day, right?"
Shouto froze, listening to his words.
"What was she making that day, anyway?" He drawled on, rotating the fork in between his fingers. "Coffee? Her favorite herbal tea to calm her nerves?"
Shouto stared at him with wide eyes, unblinking and unmoving.
"I haven't told anyone about that," he said softly.
Dabi stopped spinning the fork and he tilted his head at Shouto curiously.
"Hah?" he grumbled.
Shouto swallowed, his limbs beginning to shake. "In my whole life, I've only told one person about the night my mother burned me," he explained. "The only other people who know are… are my siblings."
Dabi didn't react—not at first, anyway. He sat still, his lazy, unfeeling eyes blinking at Shouto. After a long moment, he sighed heavily and slouched in his seat.
"Damn. I just couldn't keep my mouth shut, could I?" Dabi asked, looking a little pissed.
Shouto swallowed, his arms trembling almost violently on the armrests.
It couldn't be.
It really couldn't be.
But…
"…Brother?" Shouto whimpered out, voice quivering. "Is… that you?"
Dabi swallowed down a groan and ran a hand down his scarred face. He leaned over on his knees, his hand pressing against his cheek.
Then, he smiled.
"How's it going, little bro?"
Izuku paced back and forth outside of the lab, his still-messy hands wringing together as he walked. He kept glancing in the window, watching the team of specialists carefully open the shiny pouch.
Slowly.
Other officers were also around—Aizawa and Yamada were nearby, waiting for the results.
And of course, Chief Enji was looking on with a pinched expression on his face.
The entire precinct was high-strung and on the alert. It was so tense that if anyone even sneezed too loudly, everyone would flinch.
Izuku bit his knuckle, tasting ash. He groaned and whirled around, grabbing his hair out of frustration and giving Kacchan an exasperated look.
"We don't have time for forensics to process this! We have to open it now!" Izuku said.
Kacchan was leaning his hip against his desk with his arms folded across his chest, his red eyes glaring into the glass window. Kirishima was standing by, tapping his fingers together worriedly.
"I'm sure they're trying to get it done as fast as possible," Kirishima said, trying for a smile.
"Tch. As if!" Kacchan barked, making some of the lab technicians flinch and glance up at the hotheaded police officer. "Their stupid rules make it so that they take forever. Oi! Morons!"
The techs jumped again, looking at Kacchan with fear in their eyes.
"Will you hurry up?! We ain't got all day!" Kacchan yelled. He pointed a threatening finger towards them. "And if Shitbrains dies, it'll be your fault!"
The technicians exchanged wary looks before quickly moving back to the mysterious package left in the rubble.
Izuku sighed and moved to pace around the precinct more, his heart hammering away at his chest. Whatever was in that pouch would change the course of this case. If it's something left behind by the killer, then they could use it to find Shouto.
But… it could contain something more morbid. Like a note saying that Shouto was already dead. Or even… a body part. He's seen enough cop shows to know that deranged killers like to play around. It was beyond creepy and it was making his thoughts spiral out of control.
Izuku stopped in front of Shouto's desk, taking note of the lack of pictures or knickknacks on his desk. It was fairly plain, and it made Izuku feel guilty. He should've bought Shouto something to put on his desk. A mug, perhaps. Shouto liked tea, right?
Izuku sighed and sniffled, a tear falling down his cheek, picking up dirt along the way. This was miserable. Absolutely miserable.
He wiped his face and stood with his hands in fists, staring down at Shouto's desk.
"I swear, Shouto," Izuku whispered, "I will bring you back alive."
"Midoriya!"
Izuku whirled around to see Kirishima waving at him frantically, gesturing for him to come over. He wiped the remaining tears from his face and hurried back over to the labs.
Kendo was standing in front them, carefully holding a crinkled piece of paper in between gloved hands. She had a determined look on her face.
"Inside the pouch was a letter," she explained. She swallowed, a drop of sweat sliding from her forehead. "From the killer."
Izuku's heart leapt. So it was left by the killer!
"Well, get on with it! What does it say, dammit?!" Kacchan shouted. He looked ready to move and snatch it from her grasp.
She frowned at him for a moment but quickly looked down at the letter.
"It says that Officer Todoroki is alive," she read.
Izuku let out a shaking breath, his hand reaching up to grab at his heart. He hunched over and struggled for breath, his eyes tearing up at the relief that Shouto was still alive.
"But, the killer has him in a building somewhere," Kendo said, her eyes squinting. After reading a few lines, she gasped. "Th-There's an address!"
Izuku whipped his head up at that. The rest of the room gasped, elated.
"Then what are we waitin' for?! We can go get him right now!" Kirishima said, his smile wide.
"Yes, I agree!" Iida said from the other corner.
Izuku nodded. He was ready to go and get Shouto back.
"Wait," Kendo said, stopping them from getting too crazy. Her brows pinched as she squinted down at the letter, and the look on her face made Izuku's heart clench. "There's a condition."
"What the hell do you mean?" Kacchan asked gruffly.
Izuku sucked in a breath and held it there.
"Well… it says here that he won't release Officer Todoroki unless… unless Chief Enji comes alone," Kendo said.
The room fell silent as everyone turned to look at Enji. The Chief's stance didn't change—he kept his arms folded across his chest with his same scowl on his face. His eyes narrowed at the news, but other than that, he didn't change.
"It says here that if we deviate from this, then… then he'll kill Officer Todoroki," Kendo said with a quiver in her voice.
Izuku's gut twisted back up as his whole body tensed. He looked at Kacchan desperately, but the other officer didn't say a word. He only had a shocked look on his face.
"This is crazy…" Kirishima said softly. He glanced around the station at the other officers. "We can't agree to this, right? This is way too risky for—"
"I'll do it."
Chief Enji stepped forward, his arms falling to his sides as he huffed out a breath, making the entire precinct look at him like he had two heads. He looked furious, but determined to take on the task at hand. He stepped forward to look down at the paper in Kendo's hands.
"Where is the location?" he asked her.
Kendo blinked up at him, mouth agape. She swallowed and slowly turned the letter for him to see.
"Um… it's here, Sir," she said.
Chief Enji nodded, and then he took out his personal handgun, checking to make sure there was enough ammo.
"Fine, then," he said. "I will deal with the bastard myself."
Izuku's eyes widened, and his body lunged forward before he could even think.
"Wait, Chief!" Izuku called, stepping in front of Enji before he could leave. "I won't let you do this alone!"
Officers around him flinched, and some even began to whisper. But Izuku stood his ground, not backing down even for a second.
"And what do you suppose we do?" Chief Enji asked, eyes narrowing at Izuku like he was nothing but a pest.
Izuku frowned at him, brows scrunching together. He had a bad feeling that no matter the outcome, Shouto would end up hurt or killed. If the Chief went alone, then there was no way of properly rescuing Shouto.
"Since the killer only wants to meet with you, Chief, then you can be the one to speak to him," Izuku said. "And I'll look for Shouto and get him out. That way, you can move in to arrest the killer without any threats coming to Shouto."
Chief Enji frowned, pausing as he thought it over. He took a moment and then sighed, folding his arms across his chest.
"Fine. But you won't do anything without my knowledge of it," Chief Enji said.
Izuku nodded, bowing his head just a bit. "Of course, Sir. I will follow your orders."
"Like hell are you going alone!" Kacchan suddenly piped up.
Izuku whipped his head around. "Kacchan!"
The hotheaded officer stepped forward and poked Izuku in the chest and then sent a glare up at the Chief.
"Your shitty asses will blow it on your own. You'll need more than just one person watching your back," Kacchan said, directing most of his words to Enji.
Enji narrowed his eyes at him, and Izuku worked to try to get Kacchan to calm down before he got himself fired. Or punched.
"Midoriya and Backugou are right," Kirishima added. "We can't let you go in this alone. It's just not safe."
"He's got a point," Aizawa mentioned, shrugging his one shoulder that wasn't in a sling. "We don't know anything about this guy. He's probably going to try to kill you."
The Chief hesitated, taking a deep breath as his eyes traveled through all of the determined faces of the precinct. Izuku stood tall, trying to emphasize his seriousness in the matter and hoping Chief Enji would comply.
It was an agonizing moment of silence before Enji sighed and nearly rolled his eyes.
"Fine," he said. "But if you all blow this, I'll have your heads."
Izuku's hands curled into fists and he nodded. He turned back to the other officers, his eyes landing on Kacchan.
"Let's go rescue him," Izuku said. "Let's save Shouto!"
Shouto could feel his shoulders quivering with each breath he took, but he was too distracted to even think about it.
His brother, the brother he thought was dead, was sitting right there.
Touya. Touya.
He had been dead for years.
Or at least… that's what Shouto was told.
What the hell was going on?!
"No, it's… Y-You…" Shouto stuttered, staring as Dabi—no, Touya—stood up from his chair and walked over to the side of the room, rifling through something. "You can't… You just can't be—"
"What? Your older brother?" Touya interrupted, pulling out some matches.
Shouto's jaw hung open, staring at his brother's back for a long time in silence. He swallowed thickly, gathering his thoughts together.
"How... are you alive?" Shouto asked, voice shaking. "I thought you died when I was a kid. Because of… Because…"
Touya glanced over his shoulder, smirking at Shouto with a knowing look.
"Because of a fire?" he finished.
Shouto snapped his mouth shut, his eyes going wide.
"But you survived," Shouto said.
"Obviously," Touya responded. He leaned over and grabbed a can of gasoline. "Geez, you're not too bright, are ya, kid?"
He walked over to the door of the room and plopped down the can and the matches, the liquid sloshing around violently. He stretched briefly, letting out a long sigh, and then came back to sit down on the chair in front of Shouto again and slumped, reaching for some cigarettes in his long jacket pocket.
"But… father said you died in the hospital," Shouto said. "After an accident."
Touya lit the cigarette and took a long drag, blowing smoke out between his lips. He ran his hand through his unruly black hair—which, now that Shouto thought about it, used to be white—and stared up at Shouto with sharp eyes.
"So that's what the old bastard told you, huh?" Touya said, letting out a soft chuckle. "Sure. I died that night. In a way."
Shouto leaned forward in his chair. "But, Touya-nii, you—"
"Don't you dare call me that."
Shouto snapped his mouth shut, his back slowly moving to rest against the chair once again. Touya was staring at him with such hatred in his eyes that it sent a shiver down his spine.
Was this really the same person that would wake him up to go look at the snow outside?
"S-Sorry," Shouto found himself saying. "I… I just don't understand. What… happened to you?"
Touya's glare slowly faded, his hand twitching slightly as he puffed more of his cigarette.
"Well, I was bein' rebellious, just to piss off the old man," Touya explained. "After a particularly rough night of beatings, I then, of course, started a fire in his training room."
Touya smiled—a little creepily, but also a bit nostalgic—and looked down at his scarred hands and arms.
"I was trying to burn it down to the ground. Destroy all evidence that there ever was a training room," Touya continued. "But, of course, being a stupid teenager, I let the fire get out of control. About eighty percent of my body was covered in burns."
Shouto winced, taking note of the scars on his face and neck. It had to have been painful. The scar on Shouto's eye was just a touch of what Touya had been through.
Why was the world so cruel?
"And, of course, our father being perceptive to a fault, figured out what I was doing. Must've been all those years of detective work, ya know?" Touya said with a bitter laugh. "Anyways. I found out that he tried to conceal it so the media wouldn't find out the son of a glorified policeman was a murderer."
Touya laughed to himself again and leaned back to look up at the ceiling.
"His way of concealing it was telling the media that his eldest son died in a horrific fire," Touya said. "So once I was healed enough, I escaped the hospital."
"Y-You ran away?! Just like that?" Shouto asked. He strained against the binds around his wrists and wriggled his legs. "What about us?! What about your family?"
"What family?" Touya sneered. He sucked in on his cigarette and puffed out smoke right in Shouto's face, making him wince. "I have no family, anymore. That all disappeared the moment that bastard decided to consider me dead."
He flicked the cigarette to the ground and stood to his feet, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.
"All right. Enough chit-chat," Touya said. "I've gotta get going." He smiled, almost to himself. "Don't want to be late to my old man's funeral, right?"
Shouto's eyes widened. "Wait. You're meeting him?"
"Oh, yeah! I gave him the address and everything," Touya said. "Wanted him to come and meet me so I can end things myself."
Shouto shook his head. "You're really going to kill him?"
"Duh," Touya said, rolling his eyes. "He's gotta pay for his crimes, little bro."
"But we can deal with this peacefully," Shouto said, desperation in his voice. He struggled against his restraints. "If you kill him, you'll be arrested! You know he won't come alone!"
Touya rolled his eyes again and started for the door. "Don't really care," he said. He picked up the gasoline and matches and pulled open the door. "As long as he's dead, my life will be complete."
Shouto's wrists were starting to sting as the binds cut into his skin.
"Touya-nii! Don't go!" Shouto yelled.
He just got his brother back. He didn't want to lose him again.
Not like this.
"Touya-nii!" Shouto called again.
But, in response, Touya lifted his hand into the air and flipped him off.
"Told ya not to call me that, brat," Touya said.
He disappeared behind the door and it slammed shut behind him, leaving Shouto in absolute silence.
