Thank you for your comments! Here's another chapter for you :)


Chapter 6


It was dark. Very dark. No matter how much he tried to blink and open his eyes, he couldn't see.

But that was probably due to the blindfold covering his eyes.

Katsuki struggled against the tight ropes over his wrists and ankles. He would not end up like Nagata. He wouldn't.

The worst part about all this mess was that he didn't get a look at his attacker. The bastard got him from behind. The coward.

"What the hell is this? Where are you, you asshole?! I'm gonna rip you apart!" Katsuki yelled at the top of his lungs.

He heard a longsuffering sigh followed by shuffling of feet.

"Geez, are you always this violent? Not very fitting for a cop."

The voice was low and smooth like butter, floating in the air like wispy fog. But it was also laced in thick sarcasm and snark, and it was riling Katsuki up more than anything.

"What'd you say, scumbag?" he yelled.

"I'm saying that maybe you weren't meant to be a cop. You could join me, you know."

The voice was closer now, and Katsuki could sense a looming presence near him. If his legs weren't tied up, then he'd use them to kick the jerk. If he could only get this blindfold off…

"Tch, fat chance of that ever happening, you idiot! I'm not a murderer like you!" Katsuki yelled. He wanted a reaction from the guy—anything that could give him clues as to who the hell he was.

"Hm, but you could be pretty good at it. It's not like you're the world's best cop, you know."

Katsuki grit his teeth. This guy seemed patient, like a tiger enjoying the hunt before the kill. It wasn't making Katsuki nervous as much as it was making him furious. He wanted a chance to fight this bastard.

"Why don't you come say that to my face, asshole?! Quit hiding in the dark!" Katsuki yelled, hoping that if the murderer would get his hands on him, then he could have a chance to counterattack in some way.

"Heh, it's not dark, moron. You have a blindfold on."

Tch. He knew that, dammit!

"Well take it off! And untie me so I can beat your ass!" Katsuki shouted again. He wiggled in the restraints but they were tied so tightly that it only hurt to move.

"Yikes, what a filthy mouth. Do your parents know you talk like this? They must be pretty shitty if you do."

Katsuki was fuming.

"Don't talk to me about shitty parents! It sounds like to me that yours are the worst of all!" he shouted, moving more against the ropes and feeling them dig into his skin.

He heard a huff of laughter and then more footsteps, traveling away this time.

"Ha… you have no idea, kid. You really have no idea."


Shouto could feel his limbs quivering underneath of him as he led a nervous Midoriya and a shaken Kirishima off of the bus.

Midoriya had tried to tell Kirishima to stay at home, but the poor man was desperate, begging that he not be left alone. Shouto wasn't sure if it was out of determination to find Bakugou or out of fear for being next. Whichever the case, Midoriya reluctantly agreed to let him come along to the police station.

Upon arrival, the three quickly went inside and entered into complete chaos. Officers were scrambling about, phones were ringing like crazy, and paperwork had piled up on everyone's desks.

It was a madhouse.

"Deku!"

"Midoriya!"

Shouto saw the same two officers from the diner a few weeks ago scramble over to Midoriya's side, their eyes full of worry.

"Uraraka! Iida!" Midoriya said, taking a few steps to meet them. "What are you guys doing here? Shouldn't you be at your precinct?"

"Our station was called as soon as Officer Bakugou was reported missing," Iida said.

"We came over as quickly as we could," Uraraka said. "The guy is even your roommate, right?"

Midoriya nodded sadly. "We grew up together."

Shouto winced, feeling his stomach flip. It was as if his conscious had just imploded.

It wasn't like he wanted Bakugou gone. Sure, he felt annoyance towards him and how he was always hanging around Midoriya, but… he would never wish this fate on him. On anyone, for that matter.

So, if that were the case… then why did he feel guilty?

"Oh, Deku. It's gonna be okay," Uraraka said, grabbing his free hand. The action made Shouto's eye twitch.

"Thanks, Uraraka. You too, Iida. Thank you both," Midoriya said with a small smile. The two smiled back at him and nodded, giving strained smiles.

"Todoroki. Midoriya."

At the sound of their names, they turned to see Aizawa walking towards them, the bags under his eyes heavier than usual.

"Lieutenant," Shouto said.

"What's going on?" Midoriya asked, the urgency in his voice.

Aizawa gestured for them to follow him to his office, and the three of them quickly scrambled inside. Once Aizawa shut the door, the noise from the precinct immediately muffled, giving them a moment to breathe.

"I know I told you both not to work, but you two are the best we have right now," Aizawa said. "I had Bakugou working on the case heavily during your absence, but now that he's missing, I'm hoping you guys can come up with a few ideas."

Midoriya's face scrunched up as he appeared to ponder over it, his brain seemingly moving a mile a minute. He began mumbling to himself in a panicked nature, his free hand fidgeting. He was close to spiraling, Shouto could feel it.

So, Shouto moved to press against his side, jarring him from his dazed state. He looked up at Shouto, his face tired and worn, and he gave a small, appreciative smile.

"We should find out what he was doing right before he went missing," Midoriya said. He looked to Aizawa next. "Where was Kacchan last patrolling?"

Kirishima rubbed the back of his neck. "He said something about checking out the old warehouses where Nagata was found."

Shouto and Midoriya exchanged looks. "Then we'll start there," Shouto said, and Midoriya nodded in response.

"You're not going anywhere," Aizawa said to Midoriya.

Midoriya startled. "What?"

"I need your strategy and knowledge of the case, but I don't want you on the field. You're not fully healed, yet," Aizawa said.

Midoriya suddenly looked stricken, fear and urgency in his eyes.

"But, Sir—"

"No excuses," Aizawa said. "You can stay here and be on radio."

Midoriya's face fell, looking hopeless all of a sudden. "But... this is dangerous. I don't think Todoroki should go alone."

Shouto widened his eyes at the sentiment. He knew it was not the time or place, but he felt something in his chest swell at those words.

"He's not going alone," Aizawa said. "I've got Iida and Yaoyorozu from the neighboring station to go with him to inspect the site."

"Ah! I'll go, too!" Kirishima said, lifting up his hand. When Aizawa lowered his brows threateningly, Kirishima scrambled to explain. "I know what path he took to get there. I can lead everyone there and look for clues."

Aizawa hesitated for another moment and then sighed, shaking his head.

"Don't make me regret this," Aizawa said, staring at Kirishima with sharp eyes.

Kirishima nodded. "I won't, Sir!"

"Good. Now, grab Iida and Yaoyorozu and go," Aizawa said to both him and Shouto. "Midoriya, you can go find the audio room and listen in. You're all dismissed."

Midoriya's brows lowered in frustration, but he didn't argue, and he quietly followed behind Shouto out of the room. Kirishima was quick to leave the room, telling Shouto he would find Iida and Yaoyorozu and meet up with him later. When he was gone, the air thickened, making it feel as if it weighed a million pounds.

Shouto swallowed, trying to come up with the right words to tell Midoriya, but they didn't come. He was so bad at this—this comforting thing, this friendship thing. Why did he ever think this could work? He could hear his father's voice ringing in his ears, telling him, "Friends? You don't need friends. They will only be a distraction."

And because of this, Shouto never learned how to be a good friend.

He took a deep breath and tried to rub the nerves away on the back of his neck. He swallowed thickly and turned to face Midoriya, trying to come up with something to say quickly.

"Midoriya, I—"

Before he could speak, Midoriya grabbed ahold of Shouto's wrist and dragged him from the room and down the hall.

"A-Ah, Midoriya!" Shouto called.

But Midoriya said nothing. He just pulled them into a conference room and shut the door behind them.

"Midoriya," Shouto panted, gently pulling his wrist from his grasp. "What're you—"

"I'm going to help you find Kacchan," Midoriya said. "But I need you to help me get this cast off first."

Shouto blinked at him, jaw agape, and watched as Midoriya locked the door and scrambled around the room, looking for something in the cabinets within the room.

"W-Wait… What?" Shouto said dumbly.

"You can't make me change my mind," Midoriya said, snatching up a first aid kit from a cabinet. He plopped it on the conference table and nodded towards his cast. "I'm coming with you and that's final."

Shouto hesitated, swallowing hard. "But… Lieutenant Aizawa said that you have to stay behind."

Midoriya winced and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "I know," he said. He took a moment and then glanced up at Shouto. "But I can't just let you all go into this without me being there by your sides. It doesn't sit well with me."

Shouto shook his head. "But Midoriya, Lieutenant Aizawa might fire you."

"I know. But I'll do what it takes to keep you all safe, and staying here isn't going to do you any good," Midoriya said. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you were captured, too."

"Midoriya…" Shouto said softly.

"I won't stand by and let that happen," Midoriya said, and he turned back to the first aid kit and flipped it open, grabbing some scissors and handing them out to Shouto. "Now are you going to help me, or not?"

Shouto stared at the pair of scissors being handed to him, not wanting to take them at all. He knew deep down he should report him to Aizawa for misconduct and disobedience, but… those green eyes were cutting into his soul.

Shouto reached out and took the scissors with a sigh. "Fine. But you're not going to be the first to enter in any building. And I'm calling the shots if we encounter the killer. You got that?"

Midoriya nodded immediately, the sadness in his face quickly being replaced by determination and fierceness.

Once they had come to some sort of middle ground, Shouto focused and got right to work, cutting into Midoriya's cast and removing it from his hand. The scars were gnarly—wrapping around his wrist and his now-crooked fingers. It wasn't a pretty sight, and Shouto winced when Midoriya squeezed his hand.

"It's mostly healed," Midoriya said. "But I'll need some medical tape and bandages to rewrap them so they stay stable."

Shouto nodded and reached for the tape and bandages in the kit. "I'll do that."

Midoriya held out his crooked hand for Shouto to take, and Shouto gingerly wrapped each digit in a tight bandage to keep them protected from outside damage. He then continued the wrapping down to Midoriya's wrist, and Shouto could feel his pulse against his fingertips. It was fast but steady.

"This isn't a good idea," Shouto said.

"I know," Midoriya responded. "But I have to do this."

Shouto took in a slow breath through his nose and then looked Midoriya in the eye.

"I know."

Midoriya's eyes shined and he nodded, allowing Shouto to finish up the bandages. When he was done, he flexed his fingers and hummed.

"Thank you, Todoroki," Midoriya said.

"Yeah," Shouto said as he put the bandages back in the kit. "So… what's the plan?"

Midoriya turned to him, his bandaged hand curling into a fist.

"Let's find the others," Midoriya said. "Our first stop is the warehouses."


It was a while before Katsuki could hear the sound of a door creaking open, followed by soft, lazy footsteps that dragged along the ground.

"Ugh, finally! Did you have to take a massive shit or something?!" he shouted. "If you're gonna leave me in here for hours, then at least give me something to listen to! Why the hell are you waiting to kill me anyway, hah?!"

He heard a huff of laughter and then the sound of metal dragging on the ground. It stopped right in front of him, and the footsteps stopped as well.

"Maybe I like the entertainment," the guy said. "You're the first to make things so interesting. You haven't begged for your life or asked for anyone to come save you."

"Tch, as if!" Katsuki spat. "I'm not desperate. And I don't need rescuing!"

"Oh, yeah? No friends back at the station?" the guy asked.

Katsuki could hear something like a match striking, and his body tensed. He took a deep breath, remembering that he hadn't been doused in gasoline yet. So perhaps the killer was just messing with him.

"Just a few idiots I know. I'm sure a lot of them are looking for me," Katsuki said.

Suddenly, a spark of red and white flashed into his brain, and two different colored eyes were staring back at him with disdain. Katsuki huffed, remembering that not everyone at the station was probably looking for him. There were some who were probably dragging their feet.

The bastard.

"Except that Half-'n Half bastard," Katsuki said without thinking. "He doesn't care about anyone but himself."

There was a sizzling sound, and the faint smell of smoke filled Katsuki's nose. He heard nothing for a moment, and then there was a soft shifting, the click of shoes on the floor.

"Half'n Half…" the guy muttered. "What does that mean?"

Katsuki bit his lip. He hated the guy but he wasn't sure if he should sell him out, tell him his name. Curse his tongue for always blabbing out everything on his mind.

"Just some idiot I work with," Katsuki said.

"Right, I get that. But what does the "half'n half" part mean?"

Katsuki swallowed. "Nothing, man! Just that his hair is two different colors! Like a freakin' hair salon threw up on him, or something."

"Two different hair colors…"

There was another strike of a match, and Katsuki startled when he felt something hot hover in front of his nose.

"H-Hey! Get that away from me, you bastard!" Katsuki yelled.

"The guy's hair. Is it red and white?"

Katsuki's breath hitched.

"What?" Katsuki asked dumbly.

The killer scoffed and suddenly, the heat got closer to Katsuki's face and he held his breath, staying as still as possible.

"The Half'n Half bastard with two different hair colors. Is it red and white? Parted down the middle?"

What the hell? Did he know Todoroki already? What in the world was going on?

"I'll take your silence as a yes, so you can stop pretending you don't know him."

The heat from his nose disappeared, and Katuski let out a breath in relief. The shuffling in front of him returned, and it sounded as if the killer was standing to his feet. There was another amused huff of air, the sound of clothes ruffling.

"His name's Todoroki Shouto, isn't it?"

Katsuki's jaw dropped open. "H-How—"

"Doesn't matter," the man interrupted, and man, he sounded so smug. Katsuki wanted to rip his teeth out. "Thanks for the info, kid."

Katsuki heard footsteps start to walk away from him, back to that door to leave him for who knew how long.

"What the hell?! Where do you think you're going?!" Katsuki yelled. "Aren't you going to finish me off?!"

A door opened and the man chuckled.

"Nah. I think I'll keep you alive for this one."

There was a clink, and the door shut again, leaving Katsuki in total silence.


The five officers were traveling together by van, Iida at the wheel. Yaoyorozu was in the passenger seat, trying to get every little detail from Kirishima about Bakugou's last known whereabouts.

Shouto and Midoriya sat in the back next to Kirishima, squished up against each other. Shouto had tried giving Midoriya as much space as possible, but the man was pressing into his side as Kirishima leaned forward to guide Iida's driving.

Shouto sighed as they hit another bump in the road, making Midoriya rock into his side once again. Midoriya hissed and tucked his bandaged hand to his chest, holding it gently.

"Oh, sorry," Shouto said softly while the other three spoke.

Midoriya shook his head and gave Shouto a tight-lipped smile. "It's okay. It doesn't hurt that much," he said.

Shouto frowned and stared down at his partner's hand, watching as it shook lightly against Midoriya's chest. He reached over and gently wrapped his fingers around the damaged wrist, startling Midoriya a bit. His wide green eyes were focused on Shouto's movements as he lifted Midoriya's hand and pressed it at an angle against his chest.

"Keeping it elevated will reduce the swelling," Shouto said. "It might help reduce the pain some, too."

Midoriya watched him like a hawk as he took his hand back and rested it on his lap. He nodded and held onto his hand.

"Thanks," he muttered.

Shouto hesitated, peering at him from the corner of his eye. "This is reckless, you know."

Midoriya frowned and looked down at his lap. "I'm… aware," he said. "But Kacchan would do the same for me."

There it was again. That painful feeling inside Shouto's chest.

He looked away, peering out the window of the van.

"I guess you two are… pretty close," he said.

"Ah, well… we didn't use to be."

Now that got Shouto's attention.

He turned his head to look back at Midoriya who was now wearing a mournful smile.

"Kacchan actually hated me for the longest time," Midoriya started. "We didn't start being friends until after we graduated from the police academy."

Shouto blinked at him curiously. They had grown up together but they were never friends? How could that be?

"I think we were jealous of each other somehow, and I just got on his nerves," Midoriya said. "But once we both figured out that what we wanted in life was for the greater good, then we put aside our differences and could genuinely be good friends."

Shouto raised a suspicious brow. "Greater good? Is that what all that talk about 'being the best' is about?"

Midoriya chuckled. "Well, we all want to be the best in our field, right?" he said. "But we're not police officers for the glory, right?"

Shouto frowned, turning his head away. Something ugly inside of him was rearing up again.

"Right," he agreed.

Midoriya paused, his smile falling. "Todoroki? What's—"

"Hey, we're here!" Kirishima said to the two of them.

Shouto breathed, deciding to push his personal feelings aside for now and focus on the task at hand. He turned to Midoriya and nodded.

"Let's find Bakugou before he decides to murder the killer himself," Shouto said.

Midoriya huffed out a breath and nodded, curling his hands into fists. "Right."

The car came to a stop and the five of them hopped out, staring at the array of warehouses in the area. Shouto didn't realize that there were so many. He had been so focused on the one building where Nagata was found that he didn't think of the others.

"Alright. Perhaps we should split into teams and fan out?" Iida asked.

Midoriya nodded. "That seems like a good plan. Todoroki and I will go east if you three want to go west."

"Huh? Don't you think you should have one more person go with you?" Kirishima asked.

"It does seem a little dangerous," Yaoyorozu said, eyeing Midoriya's hand.

Midoriya was about to protest when Shouto put his hand in front of him to block him.

"I'll protect us both," Shouto assured. He grabbed the gun on his hip and pulled it out, cocking it back to put a bullet in the chamber. "We can handle it."

Midoriya gave him a small smile of appreciation, and Shouto nodded to him in response.

Iida adjusted the glasses on his face and gave a firm nod. "Very well. But keep your radios on," he said, also pulling out his gun. "Report anything suspicious. And call for backup immediately if there is danger."

"We will," Shouto promised.

Yaoyorozu, Iida, and Kirishima went off in one direction as Midoriya and Shouto stayed behind, looking towards the east row of buildings. They exchanged looks and got their weapons ready.

"Okay," Midoriya said, determined. "Let's find Kacchan."


The door to the room creaked open again and footsteps were approaching him rapidly.

"Rise and shine, Buttercup," the killer sneered. "It's showtime."

Katsuki flinched as the man yanked on his hair and pulled his head to the side.

"What the hell?!" Katsuki shouted. "Let go of me, you ass!"

"Sorry, kid. But I've already put my plans into action."

He pulled back on Katsuki's head again, and then something pricked on his neck, making him wince and let out a hiss of pain.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Katsuki yelled. "Let me out of here!"

"Heh. As you wish, your majesty."

Suddenly, Katsuki felt his head spin, and his body felt heavy. He felt his binds being cut but he was too weak to fight back.

"Ugh… You basssard," Katsuki slurred. Dammit, he sounded like a drunk person! "Whaddya do… to me?"

"Oh, no worries," the man said as he picked him up from under his shoulders. "It won't last too long."

Katsuki's head lolled to the side as he was dragged towards the door, stumbling on his feet as he went. The building smelled funny– kind of like gunpowder or something like it. Ugh, but whatever it was, it was making him nauseous.

"Whoa now, hotshot. Don't pass out on me, yet."

"Ge' your hands off o' me," Katsuki grumbled, feeling incredibly lightheaded.

"Ha, don't worry about that!" he responded, shoving him outside. He stumbled forward and fell flat on his stomach, knocking the wind right out of him. "I'm out of your hair now, buddy."

Katsuki reached up to his face for his blindfold, tugging it off. The world around him was dark and muddled, and the dizziness made the ground beneath him swirl nauseatingly.

He let out a soft whine as he pushed himself to his feet, struggling to even stay up. He glanced around him for the killer, wanting nothing more than to tear him a new one. But when he gazed about his surroundings, he noticed that he was too late.

The killer was long gone.


Shouto and Midoriya seemed to search for what felt like hours as they quickly made their way down the warehouses, treading lightly as they walked so they wouldn't make a sound. They even turned down their radios so they wouldn't make as much noise.

They would stop at different warehouses and check the doors and garages to see if any were unlocked, and if they were, they were dark and empty.

"It's going to be difficult to find him in all this," Shouto said.

Midoriya sighed in frustration. "We've got to keep looking."

Shouto blinked at him, barely able to see Midoriya's impatient expression on his face.

"We're not going to give up, Midoriya," Shouto said. "We'll find him."

Midoriya's face tightened and he nodded sadly, and Shouto knew he hadn't done well enough to convince him. He wished he had the words to comfort him.

What would his mother say to him during times like these?

Shouto shivered at the memory, not wanting to delve into that emotional baggage.

Instead, he turned his head to peer down a corner, squinting in the dark. He really should've brought flashlights.

"I'm sorry," Midoriya suddenly apologized, his voice sad.

Shouto glanced back at him, and he could see Midoriya's cheeks reflected by the moonlight above. They were wet with tears.

"Midoriya," Shouto called, moving back towards him. His hand reached out on its own to touch his shoulder, but Midoriya moved to the side and leaned into Shouto's chest instead. Shouto thought he was going to explode. "M-Midoriya—"

"I know I'm being crazy. And I know it was selfish of me to tag along. I mean… You could get in so much trouble, too." Midoriya began to ramble. Shouto assumed it was the panic starting to take over. "I just want everyone safe, and I want this guy behind bars and to pay for what he's done. It's not right! We're the good guys! Why is someone attacking us? What did we ever do to—"

"Midoriya," Shouto interrupted, grabbing his shoulder with his free hand. He quickly put his gun back into his holster on his side and then held onto Midoriya's other shoulder. "Calm down. You're letting it get to you. That's exactly what this guy wants."

Midoriya was trembling under his palms. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Shouto said, squeezing his shoulders. He gently pushed Midoriya back and glanced down at his wet eyes, making sure they made contact. "We'll find Bakugou in one piece. But we can't do that if we just stand here, right?"

Midoriya sniffled pathetically, and Shouto felt his heart squeeze. How in the world did this guy become a cop with how much he cries?

"Okay. We should do that," Midoriya said.

Shouto nodded and let go of Midoriya's shoulders, allowing him the space to wipe his face and nose.

"There are a few more warehouses this way," Shouto said, pointing down to a row of buildings. "Why don't we check out those, next?"

Midoriya finished wiping his face and he looked up at Shouto. "Yeah, that sounds—" Suddenly, his eyes went wide. "Todoroki, behind you!"

Shouto felt a presence lurking behind him, and a hand latched onto his elbow.

He whipped around, his fists ready to strike, but he froze when he was met with spiky blond hair.

"B-Bakugou?" Shouto stuttered.

Bakugou stumbled into him, his eyes looking up at him blearily.

"You… idiots…" he mumbled, sliding down to his knees. "…the hell're you doin' here, hah?"

"Kacchan!" Midoriya shouted, rushing over to his side.

He grabbed onto Bakugou's limp body and guided him to the ground. His good hand pressed over his torso in search of any wounds.

"Kacchan, are you hurt? What happened?" Midoriya asked.

Bakugou looked as if he could barely keep his eyes open. But he lolled his head to the side to stare up at Shouto, his face stricken. He opened his mouth to speak but then his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

"Kacchan!" Midoriya yelled as Bakugou slipped out of consciousness.

Shouto knelt down and felt along Bakugou's pulse on his neck. He breathed out in relief when he found it beating steadily.

"He's fine, but it looks like he was drugged," Shouto said.

"Drugged?" Midoriya asked. "Did the killer let him go?"

Shouto shrugged. "Either that, or he escaped." He stood to his feet. "Which means, the killer could still be here."

Midoriya inhaled sharply and glanced around nervously, his hand reaching for the gun on his side. Shouto did the same, watching the area closely.

"Maybe we should call the others and get Kacchan out of here," Midoriya said.

Shouto nodded, keeping his hand to his side. "Yeah, sounds like a plan," he responded. "And I'll radio Aizawa and—"

Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook violently as an explosion rocked into the air.

Shouto whirled around and saw a large fireball floating into the sky. It was coming from one of the warehouses on the end.

His chest tightened. The killer. It had to be him.

"Call the others and go back to the van," Shouto told Midoriya, and then he took off down the walkway.

"What?! Wait! Todoroki!"

Midoriya's voice called after him but he sprinted towards the fiery mess anyway, going as fast as his legs could take him.

When he reached the warehouse, he was amazed to see that the flames had diminished, and a large part of the warehouse was left intact.

It was as if… the explosion was controlled.

Shouto entered inside and drew his gun, pointing it around every corner.

"Come out!" Shouto yelled. "Don't make me shoot!"

There was an eerie chuckle, and he spun towards the one wall left standing.

His breath hitched, and his chest sunk as fear gripped him.

On the wall were words written in blood:

How sad, Shouto Todoroki.