Chapter 12: Inside The Nervous Heart
"I have accepted fear as part of life – specifically the fear of change... I have gone ahead despite the pounding in the heart that says: turn back..." –Erica Jong
Hosu City- 9th Street 9:02 pm
"Help?" Izuku repeats, maybe he misheard her. Nobody just decides to walk into a dangerous situation unless they have a trick up their sleeve or are being crazily reckless.
Granted, he can't talk when he's being the latter right now.
A dial tone greets him back; Melissa has already hung up.
'Never mind, I need to focus on finding Iida and stop him from meeting with the Hero Killer!' Izuku reminds himself.
He situates himself back beside the girls, everyone ready for his directions. Though he originally wanted them all to split into groups of two, Melissa's added help has thrown them into an odd number. Perhaps though she was going to take on a role similar to Mei, being their background eyes and ears to everything happening around them.
"Momo, can you create a barrier that helps seal off these streets from civilians even more than these construction and stops signs? We know the Hero Killer was last spotted in this area so we need to try and best keep him within this vicinity and prevent civilians from being and further injured. Then, Tsuyu I need you to get to a higher vantage point of what's within every alleyway and corner before we go in." Izuku begins.
He turns towards Ochako and Mina, directing Ochako to aid in helping get civilians and passengers from the trains out of harm's way and Mina to use her acid to delay any Nomus from getting close to them before heading back their way.
Mei is already hopping up and down by the time their eyes meet, golden orbs sparkling.
"Mei-" Izuku starts only to be cut off by her once more.
"Wait, you don't need to tell me! My babies are already at work notifying the Pro-Heroes of our location and I'm getting a read from one of the street cams that Iida is about give or take 500 feet east! That Mellie girl or whatever her name was is too late to the party of blood and gore we're about to get into!" She rambles out all at once without pause, waving her modified smartphone in the air in emphasis of it's power.
Internally, he thanks himself that he's been around Mei long enough to comprehend her when she's this excited.
She leans close to him causing him to catch a hint of mint before her lips brush against his.
"Don't do anything too wild out there, save all that chaotic thinking to me!" Mei teases with a wink at his surely flustered look.
Mina hums her approval, waggling her brows as she gives Izuku a quick hug from behind letting her breasts press right up onto his back. "Wild, huh? We can save such all that animalistic behavior for the bedroom as well!"
Ochako pushes her to get going before anyone can refute her point, heat splashing at her cheeks as she circles back to him for a quick peck as well.
Momo gives him a brief hug, reminding him and everyone that they need to stay focused and aware of their surroundings.
"Use these, they're most commonly needed in rescue and control operations such as this." She states, pushing into his hands a rope ladder and mini emergency first aid kit.
And with that they all promise each other they'll come back safe.
Because based upon Mei's estimations, that's only a few minutes away if they run.
Iida has most likely met with the renowned Killer now, he should've tracked the signs better when he saw the simmering anger beneath his dark eyes knowing what he did to his brother...
But it's too late for regrets, now all he can do is hopefully prevent another murder.
He gathers energy from the closest objects nearby that can be of use, the metal of twisted streetlights, the sides of bent/cracked buildings, and even the bright scarlet flames of fire until he feels he has stored enough.
Tsuyu leaps ahead of him using the buildings, stopping midway between her 2nd and 3rd building jump. Onyx eyes widen in horror as she peeks into the darkness of the alleyway, face paling to an ashen white.
"Iida's here." She mouths as he turns to meet her eyes.
He uses the rope ladder to get to her same line of sight, preparing himself for the worst as he heads up step by step.
Bile surges up his tongue as he witnesses Iida already bested, the boot of the Hero Killer pressed upon his face. Iida's gaze meets his and a flicker of horror and regret washes over his face that he came after him, that he figured out his plans before he winches and shuts back his eyes.
His whole body stills in shock, paralyzed as his stomach churns violently. The sound of his heartbeat pushes through all the noise, an uneven tempo his breathing can't control.
Stain senses their presence watching him and Iida immediately, looking up towards them with quiet assessment before a cruel grin mars his lips. Is this just a game to him? He pictures the faces of his past victims, enduring his bitter laughter that they too were just another 'fake hero'.
And once he's done toying with them, they are left to bleed out alone.
"You're too late." Stain chuckles, gleam of his katana catching against the moonlight before he plunges it straight down.
Kanbayashi Senjukaku Hotel & Hot Spring-10:51 pm
"Any updates?" Inko repeats.
Hisashi watches as she twists at another washcloth until the ends start to tear from her pressure. He places a hand upon her shaky palms, fresh tears burning at her eyes.
"Our baby is out there Hisashi, I just know it! We have to go there, have to find a way to get to him if he won't pick up his phone! I hate that he keeps things like this from us, even it makes us worry we need to know as his parents. Though none of the police or emergency lines are picking up it seems for outside area codes it seems." She persists again.
At his silence her tears worsen into a sob, body wracking with the guilt that they should've never gone on vacation without him.
Hisashi pats her hands gently until she finally interlaces her fingers with his and catches her breath. They both know that trying to get in isn't an option. Hosu City is on a complete lockdown halting anyone from getting in or out of the city.
If Izuku is there, he went in before the attack on the train station occurred.
The news continues to drone on in the background with repeat coverage from earlier, nothing they haven't already heard or seen dozens of times over these past few hours.
He briefly considers phoning Masaru to see if his son can somehow reach Izuku, but the near constant vitriol Katsuki has a majority of the time wouldn't be helpful for everyone's frazzled nerves right now.
"None of this is easy Dear, but we can't sit here mulling over What-if's. Tell you what, I'll make some calls to our division team in Hosu City to see if anyone has some insider information that the news isn't directly telling the public just yet." He suggests.
Inko wipes at her eyes, verdant eyes brightening at the idea. "Yes, yes. Good idea Dear! Though I imagine they're all boarded up at home or in the office and won't have any information...ah but it's still worth a try."
Up here in the mountains one could briefly pretend there is no chaos or danger lurking below, a sea of bright yellow to sharp white stars run across the night sky with only the waning crescent of a silver moon to greet them.
He takes the long walk to the lobby via the stairs, checking his phone every time he goes down a level.
'No new messages; of course.'
Hisashi snorts under his breath, shaking his head at his inner turmoil. It wasn't like Izuku had picked up for Inko either.
"Who should I try and reach first?" He murmurs to himself, he wishes that he or Inko had at least gotten the numbers from one of the girls that had came by for dinner the other night. They crowded around Izuku with ease, was he that close with all of them during school hours? He couldn't imagine how his son handled the attention, he was just as rambling and frazzled as himself when he was his age.
One of them would surely know where Izuku was.
He heads right outside to one of the patios connected to the lobby, warm night air helping him better gather his thoughts.
He'll try calling Nakajima first, an old colleague of his that started at The Elemental Research and Data Corporation at the same time as him having been assigned to their wind and fire divisions. He laughs under his breath recalling the summers of bar-hopping and ice-breaker activities getting to know the company that years later they both still work in. While Nakajima chose to stay moving between Japan's main bases, he explored how the company worked with heroes internationally across Europe and America.
He might not even answer him knowing everything that's going on, he could have already evacuated or have his phone on silent.
By the 4th ring he's ready to end the call and try a lesser known contact from that section until abruptly he hears a panted out 'Hello' from the other end.
"Nakajima? It's Midoriya! I was err (crap, should've thought of how I was going to start this conversation!) I just wanted to touch base with you seeing all the breaking news coming in from Hosu City." Hisashi stumbles out.
Nakajima pauses for a long second, almost making him believe he's hung up until he blows out a breath.
"Yeah, it's a freaking Hell over here with all the explosions and weird humanoid beasts these villains have unleashed upon the city! Hanami, Maemi, Aika, and I were moved to the safe zone by one of the Pro-Heroes around an hour ago. These villains have seriously become more brazen as of late." He sighs.
They switch to lighter topics of how Aika is faring in school, her quirk similar to her mother's in being able manipulate and create magnetic fields and metals. It's perfect for following in her footsteps as an engineer.
"You know, Aika hasn't decided yet what she wants to do. She's part of her robotics club at school and gets all energetic at times when she and Hanami work on a mother-daughter project together and then other times she says she wants to go to a Hero High School like Maemi. She still has time of course as a 7th grader, but man the things these Pro-Heroes must see on a daily basis; I don't want my youngest daughter to be traumatized..."
Hisashi swallows, Inko thought their son at times too fragile to bear witness to all these terrible, dark sides of humanity as well. Though he's probably already gone through such drills during regular practice/training classes at U.A.
'But was he ready for the real thing?' He wonders.
"Lately she won't stopping talking about wanting to be like her big sis and unlike past fads she's gotten into like with those old samurai/super sentai shows this one is sticking!" Nakajima muses with a low chuckle forcing his mind back to the conversation at hand.
Hisashi laughs lightly too, recalling old clips Inko used to send him of Izuku bouncing avidly watching All Might on the news wanting to act to same events with her via hide and seek.
Which brought him back to his main reason for calling.
"Listen, I know this is a lot to ask Nakajima, but I think...I think my son may be out patrolling and aiding the other Pro-Heroes over there in Hosu. He's a 1st year at U.A. now and I don't have the full details, though I have reason to believe he went there to help one of his classmates maybe." Hisashi states quickly.
"Shit, one of his classmates relatives or friends may be connected to the Hero Killer!" Nakajima curses.
'That's what I thought.' However, he can't bring himself to say it aloud.
"I'll ask my connections, all the journalists, reporters, and policemen I know to be on the lookout for a kid with a mug like yours...well minus the wrinkles and bags under his eyes!" He jokes lightly.
Hisashi can practically feel his teasing grin through the phone, picture him brushing a hand through his unruly auburn hair.
"Funny." He snorts back.
"I promise I'll get you an update before midnight." He reassures him and a slight swell of relief fills his chest, providing him with Inko's number as well to give her an update.
"So your son wants to be a Hero, huh? Seems like that's the most popular field for kids nowadays to get into even if their quirks aren't exactly fit for taking out a villain or even a rescue operation." Nakajima considers.
Hisashi kicks up stray pebbles at his feet, looking up as the white of the moon becomes encompassed by clouds.
"Nah, it's always been in style to want to be Hero, especially with how popular the biggest ones are on the news and how lucrative the field can be if you graduate from one of the top schools." Hisashi waves him off.
Izuku's desire to be Hero didn't come from him or Inko though.
'No, just like his quirk, he gets it from his grandfather.' He frowns.
A grandfather who lived hundreds of miles up north towards Sinnoh and perhaps with him now being back in Japan he could come down to the city to visit.
But then again as soon as he saw Izuku had inherited his quirk there would be no telling how he would react. Excitement? Anger?
Or maybe fear history will repeat itself?
He and Nakajima share a final few pleasantries before hanging up, the next hour will be another painfully slow one awaiting updates.
His phone rumbles with another call coming in just as he is about to place it back into his pocket, most likely Inko needing to know what he's learned until he glances at the caller ID.
'Unknown number?'
Hosu City Central Police Station/Hero Office- 11:09 pm
"Do you need another coffee?" Kagami questions at seeing what is surely redness staining the sclera of her eyes.
'Too much caffeine this late will leave me jumpy in the morning.' Melissa notes to herself, recalling the last time she put on a pot of coffee for her and her father while making the finishing touches on a full body armor suit for a prominent firm in Kyoto.
Her fingers start to tremble again in the same fashion as that night, taking a break from the laptop to put her shaking hands out of Kagami's view.
"Maybe some tea instead if you have any?" She suggests and Kagami smiles warmly with a nod.
She blinks away this losing battle she is having with her fatigue, someone has already beat her to it in getting into the street camera's views it seems, live updates coming in minute after a minute to all the police and investigators on standby. A bubby girl with cotton pink hair gives out details in a rapid-fire way they can hardly keep up with through their phones and walkie-talkies and she resists a sigh remembering her promise to Izuku.
'I promised I'd be of help, but how?' She frowns.
It was good, great news even she was on the scene though it did nothing to help in stopping her from feeling utterly worthless!
'A distraction.' Her thoughts intercede before she can start throwing herself a pity party.
Yes, she needed to use her knowledge of how she's interacted with so many Pro-Heroes. How the ones on the more cruel and shady sides tried to cheat or steal their ideas; somehow.
Kagami returns with two cups of tea and she reaches for hers, letting the chamomile and honey blend ease her rising anxiety. Kagami notes her expression with a worried furrow of her brows, plopping down beside her.
"Your Uncle Might is out there I'm sure already taking care of those villains! 'I'm ready to help now!' or something; that's his catchphrase, right?" She guesses.
Oh, Father would get so much mileage out teasing Uncle Might if they were both here to hear that.
Melissa barely holds in a snicker, shaking her head. "No, it's 'I am Here!'"
A smile tugs at Kagami's lips with a shrug. "I was close."
Really, Uncle Might doesn't know she's here. After dropping her off back at the hotel, he expects her now to be resting, especially after the flight and dinner.
Instead she is right here in the midst of the danger.
'Those beast-like creatures rampaging about are the villains main guards and fighters, slowing down all the Heroes from reaching the main threats. The patterns of their movements, they way they act and behave shows they aren't all created the same.' Melissa reviews, rewinding over the footage of the train station attack.
Did they have a weakness?
Her mind races thinking through past colleagues and speakers during conventions held on I-Island. These Nomu have multiple quirks, completely unheard of in any human. Such topics had been discussed a year or so ago at an autumn conference by guests in the medical and technology fields, theories tossed about of the blending of DNA...
There hadn't been any top Pro-Heroes in attendance for the summit and she clicks her tongue in bereft of her old attitude of avoiding said meetings.
One of those medical professionals in attendance could've been behind this.
And the very thought makes her stomach flip, swallowing back the sour taste of dinner swimming back up.
'Who? There's hundreds of people who go in and out of I-Island's seasonal conventions. I would have to go back through the old records, do we even keep an itinerary from old events?' Melissa squirms, heartbeat thundering in her ears.
Kagami leans in to watch beside her jolting her from her wandering thoughts. Her lips pucker into a grimace at seeing a close up of one of the Nomu before it is blasted into the pavement. "Ugh, those things are disgusting to look at! Not only that, but it seems like some of them can regenerate no matter how many blasts or punches they take from the Heroes!"
"Their brains are the best area to attack for really, that takes out all their central activity and can slow them down enough to be taken out easier." Melissa replies, though saying that feels so obvious when spoken aloud.
She reviews back through the train station footage one more time before moving on to cameras lining each street corner, wincing and pausing the screen at a blotch of red coming from the side.
An alleyway by 9th street.
Unlike the flames that dance across the buildings, fast-forwarding and rewinding makes the crimson spot grow from small to big, pouring out enough to hit against the light of a cracked streetlight.
Chills rise upon her skin, it can't be fire...it's blood.
And then she sees a flash of green hair, a blink and you'll miss it blur racing into the darkness of said corner.
Midoriya's son: Izuku.
Melissa shoots up from chair enough to startle Kagami and the other officers on standby.
She mirrors the same words the pink-haired girl shouts out.
"Get an ambulance and back-up to 9th street; now!"
Hosu City-9th Street 11:55 pm
"Get away from him!" Izuku yells out, diving forward unleashing a bluish white hot blast separating Stain from Iida. He scoffs at his getting involved, licking the remnants of Iida's blood onto his tongue.
"He can't get away, he shouldn't have come in the first place. Eyes like his haunted with vengeance are only doomed to fail and die." Stain smirks, at ready to shove him out of the way as Izuku moves in to block his path.
"Your fight is with me now!" He orders, sending out another blast via his leg. It is enough to at least temporarily knock Stain's katana out of his hands, dark eyes glinting dangerously in amusement.
"So you have a death wish as well kid?" He chuckles.
Tsuyu meanwhile uses the opportunity to wrap her tongue around Iida, getting him for now out of Stain's immediate path. His body has immediately stiffened into dead weight, but she forces herself to focus on keeping them a good enough distance away.
"Iida, stay with me; I need to put pressure on the bleeding!" She explains quickly. Though she only has the force of her hands in trying to stop the wound at his neck.
Iida cracks one eye open, sweat dampening his face. "No...you and Izuku shouldn't have come. This is...my fight."
"It's no longer only your fight." Momo adds in, Tsuyu glancing up in relief to see her already creating bandages and sterilizing supplies.
"What about the barriers? Mina and Ochako?" Tsuyu questions rapidly.
"Mina and Ochako are in route with the other Pro-Heroes, Mei and another woman back at the police station notified an ambulance to come to this area as well. Gran Torino has taken out most of the Nomu in this immediate vicinity." She explains back just as fast.
Momo's gaze flits between Iida and Izuku, panic erupting across her face at Stain's blank look, completely unfazed by the bursts of energy stricken upon him. His dagger slices against Izuku's cheek before he can dodge, Izuku becoming frozen as droplets of his blood hit his tongue.
'He needs more energy, his blasts are getting weaker with each one!' She moves to stand, legs wobbling. Her vision blurs for a second, the knowing she has pushed her Creation to it's limits in such a short period of time. At this point she can make only small items that won't do anything against Stain's power...
Tsuyu lets out a low yelp regaining her attention, blinking back a sting of tears at how pale Iida is getting.
"We're losing him." She whispers, afraid to speak it any louder into this already somber night.
I'm really sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. The death of a close family friend took away a lot of motivation to write and while the death was expected (hospice care after a cancer recurrence), it admittedly took me out harder than I thought it would whenever I tried to start typing and editing.
The themes and ideas I had for this chapter took a while to plan out as well, making sure it runs smoothly with how I want the story to progress overall. Hopefully it didn't disappoint!
Saturn out, send suggestions if you want. I'll try to keep to a schedule of at least monthly updates as long as work doesn't get too crazy.