Chapter 61: the informant

"Welcome, little friend." His eyes were large but empty, his voice calm but razor sharp. "Don't be afraid, I'd like to be your friend."

Eri clutched the pants of the teenage girl who led her into the room tighter. It didn't matter how nice he sounded, everything about the man reminded her of father. He scared her, he would not hesitate to hurt her. His eyes wandered from Eri to the middle school girl holding her, then he nodded. Eri was pushed forward, closer towards him. She shook her head, struggled to get free, even tried to activate her quirk, but nothing happened. At last, they reached the man, and a big hand was placed on top of her head, surprisingly gently.

"You don't need to be afraid, little Eri. It is true that I want something from you but believe me, you're not a prisoner. I think we can get along just fine if you stop being scared."

She couldn't do that. He was too much like him, too much like father. So, why… Why did he also remind her of Deku-san…?


Everything was dark. She was running as fast as her feet would carry her, but it wasn't fast enough. Black tendrils wrapped around her ankles, they tore her down, dragged her backwards, she clawed at the slippery ground, but her fingers found nothing to hold on to. A chilliness soaked through her legs, it numbed her feet, wandered up to her tights, paralyzed her, burned her with such a cold it made her screamed-

"It's alright, it's alright, you're safe!"

Hikari's whole body shook. She gasped, a pearl of sweat clung to her lashes.

"You're safe," the voice repeated, "nothing can get to you here, it's going to be okay!" Strong arms wrapped around her trembling frame, they pulled her close, surrounding her with warmth. She still felt so cold.

"It was just a nightmare, they're not here, they can't hurt you, you're still alive!"

Izuku, her brain finally processed the voice. She went limp against his chest and the boy rubbed her back, muttering calming words, but she wouldn't stop shaking. She couldn't.


The next time the girl woke was thanks to the alarm going off. Hikari slapped the clock shaped like a cat head. Another shiver ran down her spine and she buried herself deeper in her covers, but… Something was missing. Why did her bed feel so empty?

She dared to peek from underneath the tangled mess that was her blanket. Her room looked normal. Wait, how was it that bright? Was it already morning? Had she overslept? Something important should be happening, she couldn't recall what, but it was too important to miss…

The heroics student pushed herself up only for something to explode inside her head, strong enough her stomach took a sudden turn, leaving her no choice but to lean against the wall to fight the sickness. She didn't feel like she had rested for a single minute. Waiting for the queasy feeling to pass she reached for her phone, when a blue sticky note on the nightstand caught her attention. Lying back down she started at the rectangular piece of paper, impatiently waiting for her brain to catch up.

Sorry for leaving, you didn't look well so I let you sleep. Call me if you need anything - Izuku

Her strained features relaxed the bit. If she missed anything, he would surely tell her about it-

Izuku. She remembered. That's why her bed felt so cold and empty. That's why- Oh, god, they had… They… Did this really happen? She had been so overwhelmed by everything that happened the past week, what if she had acted too rashly? She shouldn't have let her feelings take over. What if he only acted that way because of what happened with Eri? Eri, oh, Eri.

Not now. She still had an appointment with Recovery Girl, she could worry about that later.


Izuku was the last to arrive in the common area. He had put his school uniform on despite knowing he wasn't going to wear it for long, but Aizawa-sensei had urged them last night not to say anything to their classmates.

"So, what's going on Mr. President?" Kaminari leaned over to Iida. The taller adjusted his glasses.

"I'm afraid I have no idea. All I know is that Yaoyorozu-san and I got a message telling us to keep you here until further notice." Curious glances were exchanged, everyone was visibly on edge. Izuku tried to avoid every single one of them, but it was for naught.

"Midoriya, you don't happen to know anything, kero?" Asui blinked at him from behind Uraraka. He froze.

"Eh?"

"Kouda mentioned you ran out just before curfew yesterday, and no one saw you coming back, kero."

How could he forget? Izuku caught himself flinching. He wasn't allowed to say anything, he couldn't possibly break those terrible news to them, Aizawa-sensei would kill him if he did, but he was such a terrible liar…

"Yeah," Kirishima spoke up, rubbing the back of his head, "no offence, but you're always in the middle when something happens." Next to him, Bakugou glared at Izuku as if he knew something. He didn't, did he? Before the freckled teen could freak out, the door to the common area was opened, revealing the tall figure of All Might. The teacher greeted them, "Good morning, class 1-A, I'm sorry for the delay."

"Wasn't Aizawa-sensei supposed to come here?"

"Yes, young Ojirou, but he is very busy at the moment."

Something important was going down, every person in the room seemed to get that by now. If Aizawa didn't make it, and he always made it, the worst-case scenario had to be expected.

"Classes for today are cancelled. You're advised to stay in your dorm and not leave the school ground under any circumstances. If any questions arise, feel free to call any of us teachers. Please use your time wisely and prepare for tomorrow when your classes will resume." The last bit was directed at the three students grinning brightly in the back of the room. Their excited expressions deflated.

Once again, a wave of dread washed over Izuku. Eri had been taken. He failed to protect her. He was supposed to be her hero, and yet, he failed her. His throat grew dry.

"But sensei," Yaoyorozu spoke up, "why these drastic measures?"

"Yeah, you can't just tell us nothing!" Ashido endorsed. All Might sighted and shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't tell you."

Nails digging into his knees, Izuku closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing. He wasn't going to panic, not now. He knew they would pester him with questions as soon as his mentor left, should All Might refuse to say anything. The thought alone had him sweating buckets, he was glad he hadn't eaten breakfast yet because he surely wouldn't be able to keep it in. He couldn't stop thinking about what Dragon was capable of, about what he was going to do to Eri-chan. If he used drugs like Overload and Trade there was no way he wouldn't try to recreate something similar to Overhaul's quirk-erasing bullets, and that meant Eri would have to suffer all of that again.

Something shifted. Iida's full focus rested on him. "Midoriya, are you feeling unwell?" His voice was considerably low, drowned by their classmates' protest. He looked genuinely worried. Izuku didn't know how to respond, he couldn't keep lying- All Might's eyes met his. Within the brink of a second, the retired pro hero knew what was going on in Izuku's head, so he set out, features growing stern, "There are reasons you shouldn't know. I can tell you, but you must swear to me to not let the word get out. Not to any other students, not to the teachers, not even to Aizawa."

No one dared to say a word. Izuku forgot how intimidating his mentor could be.

"Can you agree to that?"

"YES, SENSEI!" Nineteen voices cried in an instant.

"Good. But beware… This might affect some of you on a personal level."

Whoever had been standing by the time All Might entered, they all had found a seat by now. Izuku peeked at Uraraka, Asui und Kirishima, knowing they would be the ones most affected by the news. Uraraka caught his stare and frowned. Guilt spiked in his chest and he averted his eyes.

"There was a security breach last night," the previous number one began, "we are working on it."

"Was something stolen?" Tokoyami threw in. All Might glared at him, his features practically frozen. The uneasiness increased the longer the number one waited. Izuku knew he didn't do it on purpose, bringing these devastating news was hard, even for someone as experienced as him. All Might took a deep breath and hung his head.

"Little Eri has been taken."

No reaction. Iida rose from his chair. "All Might-sensei, with taken, do you mean…?"

"Yes, young Iida. Last night, young Eri was kidnapped."

There was silence. A second later, indistinctive yelling followed. Izuku winced.

"What do you mean kidnapped?" - 'How could this happen?" - "Where is she?!"

"Everyone, please calm down! Let All Might speak!" Iida's outcry excelled all of them. Izuku bit the inside of his cheek, letting the pain ground him. As soon as Shouto spoke for the first time today, he had to close his eyes.

"Do you have any idea who is behind this?"

All Might sighed. "For the moment, our main suspect is… Dragon."


Izuku just stood there. He stared at the mess he should have cleaned up hours ago and couldn't bring himself to step into his room again. He had gone in twice this morning, once to change into his uniform, the second to get some stuff so he could study with his friends, always masking out the chaos surrounding him. But now that he had no task, no reason to be here, he couldn't ignore it any longer. Dragon's threatening presence still loomed over the small space, sending a chill down his spine.

He's not here anymore. He never was, it was just a projection. But even if that's how it was, how could they be sure that his father wouldn't just pop up again any second?

Feeling a heavy weight pressing him down, Izuku made his way through the mess. He tore the curtains open, bright sunlight blinded him. The sky was too clear, too blue, too happy. Sighing, the teen turned around, dropped to his knees, and grabbed the item closest to him, a water bottle. It was empty, the lid was missing. He let his gaze wander across the room, then bent down and pressed his cheek to the floor, guessing it had rolled underneath his bed. Nothing. With a disappointed groan, Izuku pushed himself back up.

He jumped, almost screamed, surprised by the missing object held into his face.

"Were you looking for this?" Hikari asked, still pale, but a bit better than in the morning. At least she was wearing proper clothing and her hair had been brushed.

"Y-yeah, uh, thanks," he stuttered, fazed by her sudden appearance. he accepted the lid and screwed it back on. A silence stretched between them. Izuku's eyes darted across the room searching for a place for the bottle, avoiding looking at the girl at any cost. Hikari cleared her throat, "Do you need help cleaning up?"

"Yes, please," he answered, still not feeling safe being in here all alone. "Just, uh, if you could help me place everything on the desk, I will put it back where it belongs…"

Their eyes met for a brief second. Heat rushed into his cheeks and he averted his eyes once mor, catching the girl doing the same. Before the situation could get any more awkward the teens jumped into action, both diving for something at the opposite end of the room.

With her help, the job was done in no time. Izuku told the girl to get comfortable on the bed while he took care of the rest. Grin stretching from ear to ear, the unnaturally white teeth of his golden age All Might funko pop flashed at him. It was so quiet the jarring of pushing it over the uneven surface of the shelf board painfully penetrated his ears.

"How are the others taking the news?" It wasn't the first thing he expected Hikari to mention, but up in the top three. He pondered, choosing his words carefully.

"As you'd expect. Everyone's trying not to think about it, they're distracting themselves."

"And you?" This one stabbed deeper. Izuku clenched his teeth, eyes glued to his feet. No answer came to his mind. How was he supposed to feel after failing to protect Eri-chan?

Steps approached, cold fingers reached out and squeezed his lower arm, brushing against the watch his friend had given him last night. Izuku felt awful, his brain wouldn't shut up for a single second, but he wasn't the only one, was he? It was his father who took Eri, but it was thanks to the information they forcefully got from Hikari they made it that far. Another wave of guilt washed over him, he should have considered her feelings as well.

It took quite a bit of effort but Izuku unclenched his fist, removed himself from the girl's light grip and wrapped her in a hug instead. The fabric of her hoodie was soft, and he took in the smell. It calmed him, comforted him. They stayed like that for a good minute until Hikari spoke up, just a whisper beside his ear, "Hey, Izuku? If… If yesterday was too much, if you're not comfortable with this… I didn't mean to force you into anything," her whispering grew even weaker, "I know you were upset and overwhelmed... If you didn't really mean it, I totally understand, I didn't want to take advantage of the situation like that-"

He pulled back and locked eyes with her. Doubt and concern were reflecting in them.

"You didn't force me into anything," he reassured her, "I'm sorry if I made it look like that, I didn't mean to! You didn't take advantage of me, I know you'd never do that! I meant every word I said yesterday. I'm not going to lie, I am incredibly distressed and it's too much right now, everything is but that. Please don't take it back. Please," he begged, "telling you how I feel was the only good thing that happened."

"Izuku…" She sounded anxious, and it tore his heart apart.

"Hearing how you felt made me really happy. I know we've known each other for less than a year but so much happened during that time, what we've built… It's something special to me, no one else could understand that like you do."

Fingers brushed against his palms. Hikari reached for his hands and squeezed them. "It's something special to me too," she admitted, "but… I don't know how to do this. I've never felt like this before, I can't even properly keep a friendship going, let alone-" She stopped herself, too afraid to speak the words.

He squeezed back. "Do you think I do? It's always just been mom and me before U.A… Every day I realize anew how blessed I am to have so many friends, I never even considered I would develop these sorts of feelings for anyone and it still seems unreal, but… If you're willing, I would, I would really like to try, uh, this." He pointed his index finger back and forth between them, face burning. "W-we c-can take thing s-slow, just s-see where this is going, we don't have t-to tell anyone yet…"

The girl let go of one of his hands. A touch ghosted across his front as she brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes, causing his blush to deepen. The anxiety in her eyes disappeared, replaced by look impossible to identify. Hikari studied his face for a good moment until locking eyes with him and she whispered, "If you really want that… It would make me happy, too. I don't want to die with so many regrets again."

Izuku grimaced at the mention of that.

"S-sorry… We'll just… We can give it a try," she agreed to his offer, "and figure things out? Together?"

Izuku let go of a heavy breath and agreed, "Together."

It felt unreal that he could just lean in and carefully rest his forehead against hers without fearing any consequences. It felt unreal that Hikari answered by loosely wrapping her arms around his middle, asking him if she could stay until dinner. He obviously agreed.

Because maybe, maybe he could have something good after all of this.


Yotsune Maki wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. He had erased every trace of his last attempt, at least he hoped so. He had been doing this for a while and not faced any consequences yet, so either he was doing a decent job or Dragon was a plain psychopath who knew but enjoyed toying with him. Both options seemed equally plausible.

The past month, he had been tasked with helping Tomomo gather all the info the other needed for his missions. Yotsune was glad to be out of the lab, he couldn't bear to hear the screams anymore. He never really cared about other people, but what they did there… It was too much, even for him.

Plus, Tomomo's office had windows. The first rays of sunshine he had seen since his abduction. And last but not least: A connection to the outside world.

Yotsune had never been the most loyal person, he did whatever lay in his best interest. The only reason he stuck with Neko last year was because she had still been the most influential individual at Seishin, and because she had very nice physical assets. Their collaboration abruptly came to an end when he gave away the info about Shikogane after being threatened, which led to the other girl's kidnapping. Since then, he had been utterly alone. Not that he minded being by himself, he didn't like people, but after Seishin closed, everything changed.

No one ever expected something from him. He had no talents aside from tinkering with electronics and hacking, which wasn't exactly legal. He always put just enough work into his grades to pass, he had no friends, he could barely run 20 meters without having to take a break, he liked looking at girls' tights, even his parents considered him a failure. So, instead of trying to apply for another school, he had wasted his time in front of the computer, always looking out for a new challenge. He even managed to hack into a secure database of the public safety commission once, his biggest stunt up to date.

Then Endo Tomomo appeared. He had beaten Yotsune half to death without a warning, dragged him into freaking Dragon's hideout and convinced the supervillain that he could be of use. Why he did so, Yotsune didn't know. All he knew was that his life had become even worse and that he was craving to see the outside world for the first time in, well, ever.

The quirkless teen lost count how much time had passed since then, he only started keeping track again after he was moved to the office. His hair had grown long enough he could barely see out of his eyes, he was sure he had lost at least a third of his body weight - if anyone from Seishin saw him now, they wouldn't recognize him. It didn't matter. He had been missing for months and no one came looking anyway. No one missed him.

Once he sat in that brightly lit office for the first time, all by himself, a spark of hope lit inside his chest because maybe he could reach out. Maybe Neko was still around. She was friends with Shikogane who was with the heroes now, wasn't she? He betrayed her, but as a hero, they surely wouldn't ignore his cry for help, would they?

Nothing. It was as if Neko had disappeared from the face of the earth.

He began losing hope, already mentally revisited his few achievements to feel better should things be over soon, when he got an idea. What if his biggest stunt became his last stunt? He was already done for, sooner or later Tomomo or Dragon would get rid of him. So, if there was no way out, why shouldn't he at least drag them to hell with him?

How to do that? The answer was simple. He repeated his attempt from before his time here but this time around, he made some obvious mistakes. Mistakes that would get him caught. Mistakes that would draw attention, Mistakes that would lead them here. It didn't even matter if Dragon found out, because as soon as he did, it would be too late. Because Yotsune was good at his one hobby, making sure they got close enough before Dragon realised was mere child's play.

That was his plan. Going out with a big, loud bang, so maybe at least someone would remember he existed. The quirkless teen bit down a grin. He hated quirks, he hated the current system, he despised heroes and the public safety commission, but he hated Dragon a lot more.

Watch yourself, he mentally warned Dragon, watching the villain drum his fingertips against the armrest of his chair, because no one toys with Yotsune Maki.

"Keep protocol." Tomomo slapped a tablet onto his chest, ripping his train of thoughts. They were down in the labs but in a room he'd never seen before. Dragon sat at one end, sided by Shockwave and his newest villainous addition, Nightmare. Three scientists in sterile white coats were standing in the middle, something whimpered animalistically between them. Yotsune gulped.

The door opened, revealing two silhouettes looking far too small in the ordinary sized doorframe. Two girls walked in, the taller one couldn't be older than fourteen, she looked plain with brown eyes and straight hair. If Yotsune hadn't heard about her, he would have thought she was as quirkless as him. But boy, was he wrong. They called her The Void. One simple touch was enough to erase any quirk, no matter the type or how strong. And that wasn't all. They said she was immune to most quirks as well. If the heroes knew about her, they would be terrified. No wonder Dragon had claimed her at the first opportunity, and not by her will, judging by her dark circles and the haunted expression.

The brown eyed girl stopped by the scientists and spoke in a weak voice, "Look, Eri-chan. We're here."

Eri. No last name. She was small and seemed absolutely mortified. Scars already laced her tiny arms, her long white hair was tied into braids with cute pink ribbons, looking completely out of place.

"Good Morning, Eri-chan." Dragon's calculating voice had Yotsune's hair stand on edge. "I hope you slept well. Please, don't be afraid, my colleagues might look scary, but they're only here to observe."

Eri didn't look reassured in the slightest. Another whimper came from between the scientists.

"Do you hear that? One of my friends stumbled upon this poor puppy this morning. Someone ran it over with a car and left it there to die. But that doesn't have to be its fate, does it? You can help it, can't you?"

Yotsune bit his lower lip. He didn't like children, they were small, loud, and annoying, they asked too many questions, but that was just cruel.

Dragon leaned forward in his chair. "Come on, don't be shy, you can save it. Hiromi-chan will stop you if things get out of hand, won't she?"

The brown eyed girl forced a crooked smile onto her face. She knelt down besides Eri. "Of course, Eri-chan, go on."

A sharp elbow dug into his side. Yotsune duck his head. Tomomo nodded at the still empty document on the tablet in his hands and the hacker went to work. Meanwhile, Eri was pushed towards the scientists and he was glad he couldn't see more than a small, hairy blob between them. Eri's face paled further.

"Go on," Dragon urged her, "I'm sure Deku would be proud."

Deku? As in Midoriya Izuku? No, it couldn't be. Maybe some idiot parents had called their child that, you never knew these days. Yotsune shook the absurd thought out of his head. Whoever that Deku was, it did the trick for Eri. The little one extended a shaky hand. Every person in the room collectively held their breaths, all watching in anticipation. Eri touched the furry blob. The void let go of her. The little girl lit up, the centre of the brightness being her sole horn.

"Very good, Eri-chan, you're doing great," Dragon encouraged her. Tears rolled down the girl's glowing cheeks.

"I c-can't s-stop," she pleaded, "p-please…"

Dragon approved with a nod. The void wrapped her arms around Eri, and the glow died in an instant. The little girl collapsed. The whimpering of the puppy grew louder, it started barking in distress, one of the scientists turned to Dragon and nodded. A wide grin stretched from ear to ear, the villain clapped his hands. "Fantastic! You did wonderful, Eri-chan!"

She couldn't hear him, the little girl had passed out in the Void's arms. Her horn's size had decreased, not more than a bump was left. Yotsune made sure to note that observation on the protocol.


A/N: It's been a few weeks since the last update and the next might take a few more as well. I don't want to bore you with details, but I'm completely burned out. So, probably no more chapters for this year :'( I didn't even find time to reply to your comments and now I'm too scared to answer to them... The least I can do is to thank you Midnight Angels Say GoodNight, Ryu, Nixxon Mysterio and Amajiji. I can't express how much your words mean to me during these dire times.

Regarding this chapter: It's short and not even good but I didn't want to leave you with nothing. Oh, and we have seen The Void/Hiromi before. Does anyone remember?

Anyway, happy [insert your personal holiday] and a happy new year, should we not hear from each other till then! Stay safe, stay healthy, wishing all the best to you and your families.
Again, I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

PS: you can always reach me on tumblr ( mischievousheart for reblogging or mischievoushearty for writing and fic related stuff) if you wanna talk about the recent events in the manga or something!