Well hello! I'm back with another chapter that will hopefully answer most, if not all, of your questions! I do apologize for the long wait, but I kept writing and rewriting certain parts of this chapter and it took me much longer to finish than I planned. Anyways, I can't thank you all enough for all of the encouragement and support for this fic! It makes me so happy to know you all enjoy seeing Aizawa in pain just as much as I do…I mean….
I do feel the need to add this disclaimer. I have not read the Vigilantes manga, so I don't know a whole lot about Shouta and Hizashi's past, so this chapter may contain content veering off from the manga. For that, I do apologize.
Now, on with the story!
I do not own My Hero Academia.
Where…where…am I….
Shouta started breaking through the haze that threatened to pull him right back into unconsciousness. The numbness coursing throughout his body did nothing to aid him in his efforts, but this realization made his thoughts stop in their tracks.
Why do I feel numb?
He may not have been able to move, but he could feel the soft material underneath him. The familiar scent of disinfectant grew stronger and stronger by the second. Wherever he was, it definitely wasn't in that warehouse.
Click.
A soft creak followed. He could hear whoever opened the door sigh.
"I see he isn't awake yet."
Nezu?
"I told you I'd get you when he wakes up." Came a chuckle from his right. "Considering your quirk, I would've thought you'd know checking up on him won't make him wake up sooner. This is the second time in that last hour you've been here."
Nemuri?
"Has he said anything?"
"Don't try to change the subject." Shouta could hear her joke, but it was weak. He didn't have to see her to know her heart wasn't in it. "I'm afraid not. I don't think he's said a word since we got here. I convinced him to at least change after Ishiyama brought him some extra clothes. His other ones were…." He felt a hand on his arm when she trailed off. "He fell asleep a few minutes ago. He needed to. Once he took the makeup off, he looked like he hadn't slept in days."
"From what I hear, he's been quite the busy man. A representative from his agency just arrived. He wanted to speak with us, but especially Aizawa."
"I see. Did they give you an update on the interrogations?"
"The Musutafu police have made seven additional arrests and they won't be slowing down from the looks of it. They've had to make calls to the forces in Tokyo and Yokohama. I guess some of Yasunari's clients had contacts there."
Seven more arrests?
"And the Ketsubutsu students?" she asked next.
"They're being kept overnight for observation, but they don't look to be harmed. Both students will be able to go home with their parents tomorrow."
There was a brief moment of silence before another soft creak followed along with the click of the door shutting. He willed his eyes to open. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts, he managed to peel them open and had to blink a couple times to clear his vision. His brow furrowed when he wasn't immediately blinded.
"Shouta?"
He blinked again before he slowly turned his head to the right. Despite the dimness of the room, he could see Nemuri's white teeth as she smiled. Her hand gently traced from his arm up to his shoulder. Only then did he discover he was covered by an unfortunately familiar flimsy hospital gown.
"Shouta," she breathed, her eyes tearing up. "You…you're…."
At a loss for words, she carefully embraced him, being mindful to not to jostle him too much. Looking down, he noticed bandages covering both of his hands which were resting in his lap. The bandages continued up his left forearm and disappeared under the sleeve of the hospital gown while his right arm was in a sling. His eyes roamed over the blanket that covered his legs. The blanket was raised around his left leg, outlining what must have been a splint. He shifted his gaze back to Nemuri, finally leaning his head into her neck and taking as deep of a breath as his broken ribs would allow.
I'm actually out.
"Ne…muri…."
He didn't realize until he tried to speak how dry his throat was. Nemuri sprang into action at the sound of his gravelly voice. She got up and fiddled with something next to his bed and a metallic whirring soon followed. Once she raised him up into more of a sitting position, she turned to the table next to his bed.
"Nezu thought you would probably need this when you woke up." She faced him again with a cup of water in hand, carefully placing his hand back in his lap when he automatically reached up to take it from her. "You can't…." Her lips set into a grim line while she stared at his bandaged hand. "Just let me help you."
She lifted his head up and put the cup to his lips. The desire to gulp the water down all in one go nearly overwhelmed him, but he forced himself to take small sips until his eventually drained the cup.
"Thank you," he said as she set the cup back down, his voice not near as raspy.
The bed shifted as Nemuri resumed her place next to him. Her hands clenched the fabric of the dull gray sweatpants she was wearing. Shouta's eyebrows rose.
Nemuri almost never wears sweatpants….
He met her gaze once again, but focused on her eyes. Even in the dimness of the room, he could tell they were bloodshot and a small, dark rim was starting to form under them. Her head suddenly bowed, as if she couldn't look him in the eye anymore.
"It's almost two in the morning on Monday," she started.
He glanced at the window, seeing that it was in fact night.
That certainly explains why the room is so dark. There's no sunlight streaming in.
"We raided the warehouse six hours ago. Sho'…I'm so sorry. You were held captive for eighteen hours. I'd heard you were being interrogated, but I didn't know…." She trailed off and bit her lip. After a few shuddery breaths, she continued. "You have a dislocated shoulder, five broken ribs, and more lacerations than I can count. Your tibia is completely shattered. Y-your hands are…did you lend them to Midoriya for a day?"
Her voice shaking ruined the attempt of a joke, but he couldn't help but appreciate it anyway. He supposed it must look that way considering what….
Hizashi.
"Where is he?" he asked, suddenly shifting to sit up.
Nemuri gently pushed him back down. She looked over her shoulder and stepped aside. He tensed when he saw Hizashi fast asleep on the lone couch in the room, his face obscured by long blond locks messily falling in front of it.
"He hasn't left your side since we rescued you. I almost couldn't even convince him to change." She looked back to the erasure hero.
How the hell can he be here?
A soft groan caused the two to look back over at the blond. The man slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. He froze once he caught a glimpse of Shouta. He bolted toward the bed a heartbeat later. He opened his mouth, but closed it almost instantly.
Shouta couldn't remember a time he saw Hizashi at a loss for words.
"I'll let Nezu know you're awake," Nemuri said, turning toward the door.
"Please don't go."
Shouta heard rather than saw her whip back around at the request. He couldn't take his eyes off Hizashi. The blond didn't recoil under the scrutiny. He took a deep breath before marching off toward the door.
"Stay with him. I'll get Nezu."
Nemuri could only watch as Hizashi left the room, mouth slightly agape. She glanced back to Shouta and noticed the tension leaving once the blond was gone.
"Sho', what happened in that warehouse?" she asked. The woman wasn't fazed when she didn't get an answer and returned to her spot next to her friend. "Nezu says there's a representative from Hizashi's agency that want to talk to you. Kan had a bad feeling when you didn't return and called the rest of the staff. His agency notified us that Yasunari had captured you and that Hizashi had the situation under control. I d-didn't think…I…Sho', did you know Hizashi was going undercover?"
Shouta's brow furrowed. While the rest of the staff never divulged any confidential information, they did make a habit of letting each other know if they had to leave for a mission. It'd be irresponsible not to.
But Hizashi didn't say anything and I can't recall him ever expressing an interest in undercover work. Even if it was just for a mission, we were alone. Why did he….
The door opening interrupted his thoughts. Nezu stepped into the room, a smile gracing his face when he saw the erasure hero was finally awake, but there was a tinge of sadness in his eyes.
"It's…it's good to see you, Aizawa." He stepped closer to the bed and looked at the IV next to him. "Your morphine drip looks to be getting low. Do you want me to find a nurse—"
"No."
Nezu whipped his head back toward Shouta. The smile quickly disappeared. He took another step closer to the injured man.
"More pain medication will just make me more tired," he explained. "I hear someone from Mic's agency here to speak with me."
The corners of the principal's mouth slightly quirked into a frown. He glanced at Nemuri, and Shouta could see her nod in his peripheral vision. Nezu sighed before returning to the door. Peeking his head out, he motioned for whoever was waiting outside to enter.
A tall man walked into the room, wrinkles evident on his skin and black hair with plenty of silver streaks pulled back into a bun. A fond grin settled over his face when his eyes fell on the erasure hero. He didn't hesitate to bow.
"It's an honor to meet you, Eraserhead," he said, gratitude palpable in his words. "Mic's told me so much about you. I'm glad I finally get to see you in person."
Hizashi shuffled back into the room, but hung back by the door with his arms crossed over his chest. He met Shouta's gaze for only a split second before staring daggers into the ground. He took a deep breath and finally spoke when the newcomer straightened back up.
"This is Moto Sadaharu," he mumbled. "He was my first supervisor at Uwanga Hero Office."
Sadaharu chuckled.
"I think it's safe to say that I've been retired for a while now, but I do continue to mentor young heroes and help out from time to time if need be." The grin faded into a grim line and the man's eyes noticeably darkened. "Finding Yasunari's ring was one of my last major assignments before I retired. I remember every hero office in Musutafu and Tokyo having at least one hero investigating and looking for any leads on the man."
I remember that too.
Shouta was one of the few young heroes searching for the notorious drug and arms dealer. Before they even were aware of the quirk trafficking, Yasunari had made quite the name for himself, especially amongst underground heroes. He remembered being a part of two different operations to hunt him down, neither of which had been anywhere close to successful.
"Everyone was on edge when the children started disappearing. I know everyone at our office was. We didn't have any idea that the two were connected…." Sadaharu trailed off and looked to Hizashi who still hadn't taken his eyes off the ground and he shifted his stance under the man's gaze. His former superior straightened up even more, the warm grin making a return. "Present Mic, why don't you tell them what happened?"
The blond's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.
"I..I really don't think—"
"Nonsense!" Sadaharu interrupted, putting a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Hizashi, this is your story. We couldn't have pulled this off without you."
Shouta's brow furrowed.
What the hell does he mean?
Slowly, Hizashi raised his head to look at the principal and his colleagues.
"Shouta, Nemuri, do you guys remember when I accepted my first internship with my radio station?"
"I thought you were crazy," Shouta deadpanned, voice still slightly raspy.
Nemuri and Hizashi both couldn't stop the snort that followed the blunt statement. The voice hero rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish smile slowly spreading across his face.
"You might have been right about that. I'm pretty sure I only got two hours of sleep a night for at least month during that internship." He took a deep breath before continuing. "One of the other interns, Eiko, and I got along quite well. We both loved music and would talk about it for hours while we worked. We were both struggling financially, though. I think we can all remember enduring those hard days while we tried to make a name for ourselves as heroes. Eiko was a university student, so he never had money either. We both bitched about being broke, but I don't believe I ever told him why I was struggling. I don't think he would have made me the offer otherwise.
"I can't believe it's been over ten years because I remember it like it was yesterday. Eiko invited me out to a club after our show ended for the day. I didn't have patrol and for the first time in weeks I felt like doing something on my day off. He drove me to the club, and everything seemed fine until we got there. He took his backpack with him and he led me to the front of the line. The bouncer just nodded at him and let us in the club. It was insanely crowded, even for me. Eiko reached into his backpack and handed me a pencil case. He pointed out a guy with neon blue hair near the bathroom and told me that was one of his classmates and asked if I could return his pencil case while he got us some drinks. I didn't question Eiko. The guy didn't look much older than us, so I didn't think anything of it until he took the pencil case and handed me forty thousand yen."
Nemuri and Shouta stared down their friend. The three of them told each other everything, but Hizashi never mentioned that to them.
"I was shocked, to say the least," Hizashi continued. "Before I could even try to give it back, the blue-haired guy left. Hell, I didn't even know what was actually in that pencil case. Considering the amount of money I'd been given, it's not too hard to guess. I think it's safe to say I didn't hand that guy some simple narcotics either. Eiko came up to me with one of the biggest smiles I'd ever seen. He said he knew I'd be a perfect partner for him. I didn't question him and did as he asked. He said his boss thought he could use someone to help him deliver the product. I thought about turning him in right then and there, and maybe I should have, but I didn't. I wasn't sure what to think at that point. The more he talked to me that night and tried to 'recruit' me, so to speak, I realized this was a much bigger operation than just a college student selling drugs. At first I found it hard to believe, but looking back, I guess all of us have seen stranger in our line of work."
That's one hell of an understatement.
Shouta had especially seen things as an underground hero that would plague him for years to come. The thought of a college student being involved in a drug ring really wasn't that far-fetched of an idea.
"I advised him a bit on the matter," Sadaharu chimed in. "From the sounds of it, even if Hizashi had turned Eiko in, he only knew about his boss and nothing else, so we probably couldn't have gotten much information from him. We handed the money Eiko let him keep over to the police to analyze for fingerprints in the case it matched anyone they had in their database. We continued this process with all the money Hizashi obtained from the deliveries and transactions he helped with. Whoever was handling the money made sure not to leave any evidence on it, but thanks to the advances in hero support gear, we were able to implant a tracker and microphone into Hizashi's belt to keep tabs on him and listen in during these transactions."
"They were both so small that I couldn't even tell they were there. Eiko and I were searched during our larger deliveries, and no one suspected a thing. Thanks to the microphone, we were able to pick up a few names and run them through the police database during the transactions. The police traced my location and tailed our clients until they deemed fit to make an arrest or call for a raid if need be." Hizashi shifted his footing and mustered up the courage to meet the gaze of the erasure hero. "I believe you took part in a couple of those, Shouta. I know you remember taking down Kamato's ring."
Shouta's eyes stung from how wide they grew. Any sleepiness that started creeping back up on him fled instantly.
Kamato managed to build up the biggest stash of heroin the Musutafu police department had ever seen. My colleagues and I spent weeks trying to track him down. I didn't even ask how we got the lead….
"That was you?" he asked.
Hizashi slightly grinned and nodded.
"The officers following him made sure to wait just long enough to call for the raid so it wouldn't get traced back to Eiko and I. I had my doubts, but it worked. The police kept working with our agency and were able to make several arrests while my cover remained intact."
"Why…why didn't you tell—"
"Two months later, Eiko got a call from his boss," the blond interrupted. "He didn't tell me much except that word of our successful transactions had gotten around and we had been requested for another large delivery. Just like that first night at the club, I should have known something was wrong when we pulled up into what I thought was an abandoned warehouse. Eiko's car was immediately surrounded and we were yanked out and searched as well as the car. Our cell phones, watches, belts…basically everything but the clothes off our backs were confiscated and we were led inside. A man with long brown hair greeted us the second we entered the warehouse."
Yasunari.
It was the only person Shouta could think of.
"That was the first time I'd officially met Eiko's boss. That was apparently the first time Eiko had ever been invited to the warehouse, too. He walked us over to a stack of boxes. Someone drove Eiko's car and a truck into the warehouse. I was helping Eiko load our next delivery into his car when I saw the men that searched us start unloading the truck. I don't know if we were ever meant to see it. Maybe Eiko's boss didn't care. I'm not even sure Eiko saw it, but someone was carrying a girl out of the truck." Hizashi ran a hand through his hair and his breath hitched in his throat. "She couldn't have been more than twelve. Her eyes were closed, so I could only hope she was just unconscious. I couldn't get her off my mind while we made our delivery. I…I wanted to stop. I wanted to call Sadaharu and the police, but I didn't have my phone. I didn't even have my microphone or tracker. There wasn't much I could do until we finished the delivery and returned to the warehouse.
"That's when Yasunari officially introduced himself to me. He paid Eiko and I and apologized for not giving me a proper introduction, but this was an urgent delivery and he didn't want to leave his client unhappy. He…knew me. He called me by name. I even remember him clapping me on the shoulder and laughing as he paid me, telling me he was glad I started working with Eiko and making real money instead of pursuing hero work."
"He didn't think you truly wanted to be a hero," Nemuri finally spoke up. "He thought you were just in it for the fame or money."
Hizashi bit his lip and nodded.
"Exactly. We all know not every hero has the best motive. Working at a radio station probably gave him the wrong impression. That's the only reason I can think of for him letting me leave that warehouse alive that night. Eiko and I's belongings were returned to us, but I couldn't get myself to call the police. I didn't have the slightest idea what he or his men did to my phone. I left all my stuff at home and ran to Sadaharu's."
The voice hero looked to his former boss, who simply nodded and gave him a reassuring smile before taking over.
"Several of the criminals Hizashi led the police to arresting had some sort of contact with Yasunari. It wasn't until Hizashi mentioned the young girl that I truly realized how dangerous this man was. From my contacts in the police and at other agencies, I knew he was wanted for drug and arms dealing, but I never heard of him being associated with any kidnapping cases. With the kids disappearing around Musutafu, I knew it couldn't be a coincidence and the man had probably decided to broaden his horizons. If I'd known that…hell, if I'd known that Eiko had any connection to Yasunari at all, I wouldn't have let Hizashi to get involved at all."
The blond's breathing started to pick up. Sadaharu put a hand on his back, leaning in and whispering into Hizashi's ear something the other heroes couldn't pick up. Whatever he said seemed to calm the younger man down a bit so he could finally talk.
"I demanded that we move in immediately. Sadaharu worked with the police and called nearly every agency in Musutafu to recruit heroes for the raid. If the missing kids were in that warehouse, we needed all the help we could get. I wasn't surprised to hear that All Might and Endeavor were called in. The police specifically recommended you and Tensei, Shouta. I…I was so proud of you two." His bottom lip trembled just a bit, but he quickly pulled himself together. "Eiko called me a few hours before the raid. Yasunari requested us for another delivery before our shift at the radio station that night. I d-didn't want to do it. I couldn't go back into that warehouse after…." He swallowed and forced himself to take a deep breath. "But I thought Yasunari would get suspicious if I didn't show up. We went to the warehouse and were allowed to keep our phones, which made me think I was right about Yasunari or one of his men messing with them.
"Again, another truck came in. Yasunari's men unloaded several crates while we finished loading up our delivery. Eiko and I had just gotten back in the car when I saw two kids get carried out of that truck. They both looked to be unconscious. At that point, I didn't have any doubts that Yasunari was behind the missing kids. Eiko drove off before I could see if they had any more kids and we made our delivery, but we never made it back to the warehouse. The police had swarmed the industrial park, so Eiko just sped off toward the radio station when we tried to come back. I know the rest of you remember how the raid went…."
Shouta stared at the blond.
There was never an anonymous tip from some workers seeing a truck pull in to the warehouse. Hizashi was the one to find him. After all that time my colleagues and I searched and never could….
"What happened to Eiko?" Nemuri asked.
"I..I honestly thought we'd be back just before the raid or the police would catch him when we'd try to come back. I was lucky he wasn't thinking clearly when he decided to head straight to the radio station. I called the police the second we got there, but by the time the officers arrived, he was long gone. Someone at the front desk said he went out to smoke or something, but he never came back and I never heard from him again." Hizashi ran a hand down his face. "I'm starting to think I should have turned him in before the raid, but I didn't want word getting out of his arrest. He had more contact with Yasunari than I did, so I thought that was the smart decision to make…but I guess the results would have been the same either way."
"Seven kids were saved that night," Nezu reminded.
"It should have been all of them, or we at least should've had someone that might know where they went."
Dread nestled itself like a rock in Shouta's chest.
He blames himself for letting Yasunari get away. For ten years he's thought it's his fault we never found the rest of the kids….
"Mic, you couldn't have known—
"I didn't hear a thing about Yasunari's ring for nearly a decade." The voice hero cut him off again. "Hearing that All Might was at that raid all those years ago had spooked him enough to flee the country, especially since his trafficking ring had been exposed. Only two days after All Might's retirement, I got a call saying I had another delivery waiting for me. Whoever called me hung up, but I got a text of an address a minute later. I guess old habits die hard because the first thing I did was run to Sadaharu. We went to the office to see if anyone could help us trace the number. When that failed, a few heroes and sidekicks volunteered to trail me and even fitted me with a microphone when I went to the address. Sure enough, Yasunari was planning to return to Japan. He was still in London at the time, but his former recruits had him on the phone and he had a couple of assignments for me, the main one being that I give him an inside look at Yuuei. Since I've made a name for myself as a radio host, I guess he thought my motives hadn't changed over the years."
He looked to Sadaharu who then reached into his jacket pocket and took out a couple of bags, each containing a pair of glasses. Shouta's eyes widened when he realized those glasses were bagged for evidence. Sadaharu walked over to the two teachers.
"I can't take these out of the bag. Tsuragamae didn't like the idea of me taking them in the first place and made me swear I'd bring them right back, but all things considered he kind of owed me a favor." The older man handed a pair of glasses to Nemuri. "Yasunari's recruits gave Hizashi these modified glasses."
Shouta's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline when the somnambulist allowed him to get a better look at the bag. In it was a pair of glasses identical to the ones Hizashi wore with his hero costume, but a small red dot in the far corner of the right lens caught his attention. It disappeared, then reappeared just as quick.
Is it flashing?
"Support technology has come a long way since we were in school," Hizashi said, bringing the erasure hero out of his thoughts. "Unfortunately, it seems like the villains haven't had any difficulty keeping up. Yasunari wanted me to use these to get a closer look at the students."
"Sadaharu spoke with me right after this meeting." Shouta turned to Nezu who'd been silent up until this point. "He made me aware of the situation. Since all of our students are exposed to the entire country during the Sports Festival, I didn't see any issues if Yasunari was just getting footage of them during their English class. However, I didn't let him anywhere near the dorms or have him overseeing any training exercises."
The blond's stance shifted and he wrapped his arms around himself.
"With everything that's happened at Yuuei this past year alone, it shouldn't have bothered me as much. Like Nezu said, we showcase our students every year, but it broke my heart to wear those glasses to campus, but if I didn't…I…I just couldn't lose this opportunity. I needed to keep up my role if I had any chance of seeing Yasunari again and finding out what happened to those kids. The man was desperate to get his ring up and going again. He called me the day after I rejoined the ring and said his clients wanted more information on specific students they were interested in buying. That's…that's the first time I'd heard him admit he was selling the kids. Unfortunately, he wasn't back in Japan yet, so there wasn't much I could do except deliver everything he told me to and tell him whatever information I knew on the requested students, which thankfully wasn't more than what he'd already seen at the Sports Festival or what information his contacts could get their hands on."
"How long did you keep this up?" Nemuri asked incredulously.
"Two months," Hizashi answered with a rueful grin. "It…It's been hard, but I couldn't lose this chance. I couldn't even go to Sadaharu this time around. When I returned to my apartment after my first radio show since rejoining the ring, I knew something was wrong. The curtain in front of my living room window was pulled aside, and I know I didn't leave them that way. I saw a pair of glasses similar to my civilian lenses next to my bed, almost exactly like I left them that morning. I think they were hoping I wouldn't notice. Due to the fact I'm a hero, Yasunari probably wanted to keep tabs on me. The microphone implanted in my belt was the only link I had to any other heroes, and I couldn't even hear them."
What if something happened to the….
As if he'd read Shouta's mind, Sadaharu spoke up.
"If something happened to the microphone and we couldn't hear him, we would've ended this operation. Hell, I'd go in myself and get him out of that warehouse if that's what I had to do."
"I…I almost called for a raid the second Yasunari returned to Musutafu and got his hands on those Ketsubutsu students. They weren't being harmed. They were just being sedated. Originally they were only supposed to be there a couple of days before Yasunari's client showed up for their order, but that date kept getting pushed back because he couldn't get anywhere near the dorms. The lab that wanted them also wanted a couple of students from Class 1-A, and they'd rather get their entire order all at once…."
Hizashi trailed off, and Shouta could tell the blond's hands were shaking. That's when the weight of his words crashed into him like a tidal wave.
Lab…what the hell kind of lab is he talking about….
"I…I tried to go to the warehouse as often as I could to keep an eye on them. If I wasn't at Yuuei or the radio station, I was at that warehouse. Being there knowing those kids were there…hearing them talk about selling your kids, Sho'…those kids that I love to see every day…th-that was one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do. I wasn't sure it could get much worse, but Yasunari was growing impatient. His clients were too. They told him to have their orders earlier this evening or they wouldn't continue business anymore."
The trembling in Hizashi's hands grew more violent and he bit his lip. Sadaharu put an arm around the blond, the shaking eventually coming to a halt.
"I f-figured you'd just pick up extra patrols on your usual route. I had no idea you'd be out toward that industrial park. I didn't think anything of it when Yasunari called me after my radio show, the last thing I expected was to find you in that warehouse."
The bed shifted as Nemuri twisted more toward her injured friend. He felt rather than saw her eyes on him. He'd set his sights on the two bags again, now looking at the pair of black frames.
"Nemuri, let me see…."
She lifted the bag with the simple black frames so he could get a better look. His brow furrowed as he scanned the lenses. He completely sagged against the bed when he saw a small flashing red dot within the far right corner of the frame, nearly blending in with the black.
They were watching him.
Sadaharu spoke up.
"As soon as we realized Yasunari caught you, Eraser, I called Nezu. We immediately notified police and gathered enough heroes to raid that warehouse whenever Hizashi called for it. We knew it wouldn't be much longer."
Shit…that whole time…they were watching him.
"Yasunari thought I could convince you to cooperate," Hizashi chuckled humorlessly. "I told him hell would freeze over before you ever did, but that didn't stop him. He gave me a chance to take it a bit easier on you, but he didn't have much patience at all."
All that time I thought we were alone, we really weren't. They were watching him.
"He was desperate. I guess he promised his clients he'd have their orders, so they were already on their way. He'd already chewed me out for sedating you when you first arrived at the warehouse. I had to…no, I didn't have to…at the time, I just couldn't see another way…Shouta, I'm so—"
The erasure hero looked up when Hizashi's voice broke. The blond opened his mouth again, but nothing came out. Nemuri's gaze shifted between her two colleagues.
"Hizashi, please tell me you didn't…."
The tears streaming down Hizashi's cheeks gave her all the answers she needed. She covered her mouth, trying to fight the tears welling up in her own eyes and leaning into Shouta's good shoulder. Nezu's lips quirked into a thin line and he crossed his arms. The tension within the room thickened with each passing second, at least until Shouta broke through it.
"They were watching you."
The statement made Nezu perk up, but his nose was still slightly crinkled.
"Yamada, did Yasunari's clients have access to the recordings from the camera in your glasses?"
He was never truly working with them.
Hizashi swallowed and nodded. It took him a few deep breaths before he could speak again.
"Yasunari knew Shouta and I were good friends from what he'd picked up over the last couple of months. I know some of his men were questioning my loyalty when they first captured you, and I have no doubts his clients probably were too. They were already on their way…I c-couldn't…I didn't know what to do." He summoned the courage to look Shouta in the eye. "I didn't want to do that to you. I'm so sorry that I helped those bastards…but I'm not you, Sho'. You would have known what do. I'm not cut out for this kind of work. All I could think was I could try to take it easier on you, but Yasunari's men didn't allow a chance for that. Th-that cut on your arm…."
The blond gestured vaguely toward Shouta, who automatically glanced down to his bandaged forearm. The memory of the knife digging in and slowly slicing through the flesh resurfaced instantly, and the erasure hero swore the wound throbbed despite the painkillers flooding his system.
"That was dangerous. I can't even imagine how much that hurt, and if my hand had slipped even a little…but there was no way in hell Yasunari was going to let you bleed out. Several of his men were qualified to care for you in case they got too carried away." Hizashi visibly shuddered. "Yasunari was dead set on keeping you for himself. I'd hoped that an injury like that would make him reconsider his tactics and take it easier on you, especially since he took it upon himself to stop me before it could get too serious, but that's obviously not what happened…."
Hizashi was never a villain.
He trailed off and he stared at the erasure hero, and everyone else in the room turned to do the same. Shouta closed his eyes and let the manic grin that often instilled nothing but terror in his students spread across his face. He ignored the tightness in his chest after each nearly silent huff of laughter escaped him.
"You were helping me," Shouta said, shaking his head. "I should've known. In the only way you could in this situation, you were trying to help me. I actually thought you—"
"Last time I checked, mutilating someone's hands isn't helping them, Shouta!" Hizashi yelled, frantically wiping at his eyes.
"You could've done a lot worse. Yasunari proved that. You spared me as much as you could while maintaining your cover. Considering the situation, you took the most logical course of action. Did you get Yasunari?"
"Y-yes but—"
"And did you get his clients?"
Hizashi sniffled before slowly nodding.
"Yasunari snapped when his clients arrived. I guess he'd tested the last of their patience. When you still wouldn't give him the information he needed, he lashed out. Once I was sure everyone arrived, I gave the signal for Sadaharu to proceed with the raid. We got everyone that came to the warehouse. The police are interrogating them as we speak and might make even more arrests."
"There's been seven already," Sadaharu chimed in. "Some of those arrested at the warehouse have been quite cooperative with us. Others, not so much, but police are working around the clock until they get some answers."
"But that doesn't justify tor—" the blond tried to protest, but Shouta didn't let him.
"You did what a hero should have done, Hizashi. Even faced with a tough decision, you kept up your role and helped capture one of the most dangerous criminals we'll probably ever see in our time. You saved two students from Ketsubutsu and prevented countless others from sharing a similar fate."
Hizashi opened his mouth, but quickly closed it. For the second time that night, he was speechless. The ringing of a phone cut through the silence. Sadaharu swiftly stepped out, leaving the principal and his three instructors alone. Shouta could only watch as Hizashi wrapped his arms around himself again, as if he were about to fall apart. The voice hero shifted his gaze back down to his feet.
"C-can I have a minute alone w-with Shouta?" he stammered.
Nezu glanced to the erasure hero who was already nodding. He gave Hizashi a small grin.
"Of course. We should probably call Kan and Ishiyama anyway. I know they're wanting an update on Aizawa."
Shouta felt Nemuri's grip on his arm tighten briefly before she finally got off the bed, the two making their way toward the door. Nezu held it open for her, but he paused and looked back to the homeroom and English teachers.
"I've known you both for a long time now, and yet you both never cease to amaze me." The grin split into a fond smile. "Yamada, you completed a mission that very few heroes could ever see through, practically alone. Aizawa, you suffered through more pain than a human should ever have to endure to keep your students safe, and this isn't the first time. You two are incredible heroes, and your students are very fortunate to have you to look up to. I sincerely hope you both can understand that."
Nezu left them alone. Hizashi hesitantly took a step closer to Shouta's bed and tightened his arms around himself.
"Sadaharu is busy for the next few days, but I asked if he would come back when he could or send someone else from the office to discuss your options."
Shouta's brow furrowed.
Options? What the hell?
"Our agency is covering your medical expenses. However, if you choose to pursue legal action against me or my agency, we can—"
"Pursue legal action-Hizashi, that doesn't make any sense!"
"It does!" the blond nearly snapped right back. "You have every right to. I could have called for a raid or rescued you at any time, but I didn't. You suffered as a result of my decisions, and I even inflicted some of your injuries myself. Sadaharu and several others at the agency knew of your situation as well, but chose to wait for my signal. You're a hero, Sho'. You know that it's not intentional, but we sometimes damage property or hurt innocent civilians while trying to do our job. You need to know your options in terms of proceeding—"
"Dammit, I'm not suing you or your agency!" Shouta interrupted again. "Because of you, Yasunari has finally been caught. Yes, the circumstances were quite unfortunate, but you did everything right and even tried to help me the best you could." Hizashi started to protest, but the erasure hero didn't give him a chance to say a word. "I can't imagine how difficult this entire operation was for you to pull off. I definitely don't want to imagine you facing this ten years ago. Nezu was right. You're a true hero, Hizashi."
There was no missing the way the blond stiffened at the words.
"A true hero would have seen the bigger picture and caught Yasunari a decade ago."
Shouta's eyes widened.
That's why he never told Nemuri or I about Eiko or his involvement in this case. He probably considers that his biggest mistake.
"If…if I hadn't called for that raid when I saw the kids…" Hizashi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "If I'd have just thought things through back then and worked my way further into Yasunari's ring, we probably could've caught him and found all of those missing kids and none of this would've happened."
"You were barely older than my own students. You shouldn't have been in a situation to make that call in the first place."
"Maybe you're right, but that doesn't change—"
"Hizashi," Shouta began, fighting to keep the exhaustion out of his tone, "I can't tell you how you should feel. All I can tell you is that I firmly believe you made the right decision. I don't think another hero could have successfully pulled off this operation like you did. I…I hope you can forgive me for some of the things I said to you in that warehouse. We've been friends for nearly half our lives, and I genuinely thought you were a villain. I never should have doubted you for a second."
"But I gave you every right to."
"It doesn't matter."
"Doesn't matter? I helped interrogate you and worked with the people that were trying to abduct your students, Shouta!"
"Would you have let them?" The blond jolted at the question, a beat of silencing passing between the two. "Would you? What would you have done if I'd cooperated?"
Hizashi winced, but answered nonetheless.
"I would've signaled Sadaharu to raid the warehouse. I wasn't going to let them actually get near Yuuei. Potentially, we could've still caught Yasunari, but we wouldn't know who was going after the kids in the first place. Then there's the possibility that he could have escaped and gone back into hiding." He shot his friend a small grin. "You know, we couldn't have done this without you either, Sho'. You held out long enough for Yasunari's clients to show up. He was so preoccupied with getting answers out of you and dealing with his clients that he didn't pay any attention to me. He pretty much gave up on you too after he broke your—" Shouta didn't miss the hitch in his breath. It took a few seconds before he could speak again. "Anyways, it was pretty easy for me to call for the raid, but it was hell waiting for the heroes to arrive."
"Was that when you sedated me?"
Hizashi's eyebrows rose and he nodded.
"You were drifting in an out, so it wouldn't have been suspicious if you were unconscious if he came to check on you. With the clients at the warehouse, no one was really paying attention to anything my glasses were recording. You had to be in so much pain. I was hoping that sedative would've kept you out until the raid was over and we could get you to a hospital…." He trailed off when he saw the erasure hero's smirk. "I may have tried to help you then, but that still doesn't excuse what I did to you."
"I know it's difficult for you to understand, but I'll say it again: you made the right decision. I'm not going to hold anything against you. I can't say I would've handled this operation any differently. You have my complete respect as a hero, Yamada Hizashi, and I'm proud to call a hero like you my friend."
Hizashi's head bows, and Shouta can see the subtle shaking of his shoulders.
We're finally getting through to him.
He knew it was going to be a long process. It was going to take his friend a long time to truly understand and move past the events of this operation, but maybe this could be a start.
"Th-thank you, Sho'."
The blond raised his hand to tuck a piece of hair behind his ear, maybe a little too fast because Shouta flinched at the movement.
Dammit!
He clenched his eyes shut, almost unable to look up at his friend. When he finally mustered up the courage to do so, he nearly closed his eyes again.
Hizashi's mouth was open, hand frozen in place behind his ear. Fresh tear tracks lined his cheeks, and more started flowing down the exact same path.
You idiot…he's your friend.
"Hizashi, I'm…."
The voice hero slowly stepped closer to the bed, keeping his hands in Shouta's sight. Cautiously, he sat down on the bed. His lips quirked into a thin line. Always maintaining eye contact with his colleague, he gently placed a hand on his arm, trailing it up to his uninjured shoulder.
"Hizashi?"
Shouta let the hand move behind his back and allowed his friend to carefully embrace him.
"We're going to be okay. I…I promise we're going to be okay. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have flinched. I should've—"
"You don't have a reason to apologize," Hizashi whispered, the shaking evident in his voice despite the unusual softness of it. "What…what kind of hero tortures their friend?"
Shouta wasn't sure the blond meant to ask the question out loud. He shifted his only useful arm as best he could around his colleague, letting rest against his lower back.
Hizashi needs this more than anything.
He took a deep breath and found himself leaning into Hizashi's neck.
"You're still my friend. You will always be my friend. Whatever it takes, no matter how long it takes, we're going to be okay." The blond's shaking intensified. "Okay, Hizashi?"
Shouta wasn't sure how long they stayed like that. He wasn't sure how long it took for Hizashi to stop shaking. He wasn't sure how much longer he could fight off the impending exhaustion. He let his eyes flutter shut.
"Okay, Sho'."
The erasure hero fell limp against his friend. Hizashi gently shifted him to completely lie back against the bed. However, the presence at his side didn't vanish. As unconsciousness came to claim him, a gentle hand ran through his hair.
I promise, Hizashi, we're going to be okay. It might take a while for both of us, but we'll be okay.
We always are.
Well, there it is! I hope the length of the chapter makes up for the wait. Again, I have not read the Vigilantes manga, so I do apologize if there were any inconsistencies regarding Hizashi's hero agency or radio work. Seriously. I don't even know if that's addressed or not.
Anyways, I very much enjoyed writing some badass Present Mic. I do acknowledge that this really wouldn't be his sort of hero work, but having him stumble across this whole situation by accident just made my angst-loving heart quite happy. I hope you all enjoyed it too.
One last chapter to wrap up this little tale, then on to another adventure with our favorite heroes. Until then!