Shizuoka Shimbum
29 August 2018
Police Discover Man's Ashes, Believed to be BtB Member
By Nakamoto Yuya
MUSUTAFU. Last night, a man's burnt remains were found on the ground in a residential area in eastern Musutafu. Police believe they belong to a thirty-eight year old man named Nakajima Kyosuke. The remains were found directly in front of his house and he is suspected to be a member of the Born-to-Be Villain's Alliance. Police believe he was murdered by someone with a fire-related quirk. The investigation is ongoing...
Shouto stiffens in his seat as Midoriya enters the classroom that morning, Uraraka and Iida trailing in behind him. He looks happy, as he appears to be laughing at something Uraraka is saying. Perhaps he forgot about what happened between them the other day.
He had managed to avoid bumping into Midoriya since their conversation in the courtyard the day before, which was an achievement considering their close living quarters. Luckily, Shouto had been able to get his quirk under control after some time, though he had to spend the rest of the day in his freezing dorm room since he couldn't use his left side to melt the ice. He didn't want to risk setting off the smoke detectors.
Midoriya hasn't looked his way yet, but there is still a good seven minutes before class starts. However, even if he doesn't end up facing Midoriya now, Shouto knows he can't avoid his classmate forever. He can only hope that Midoriya took his warning from yesterday to heart and won't bring up the discussion again. Disclosing the details of his upbringing is not something he ever wants to do with anyone outside his mother and siblings, and even with them he's hesitant.
Uraraka and Iida manage to keep Midoriya distracted for another three minutes before the green haired boy finally notices Shouto sitting at his desk in the back of the classroom. Shouto looks down at his phone and pretends to be busy as Midoriya makes his way towards his desk. He can feel his heart begin to race as his classmate comes closer, he really doesn't want to talk about this again, and certainly not here of all places.
"Todoroki! I haven't seen you since yesterday." Midoriya says, approaching his desk with a smile. "I thought I would at least catch you at breakfast but it seems you were too quick."
Todoroki glances up from his phone, unsure of what to say. He had purposely left the dorms early that morning so that he could avoid this exact encounter and yet here they are.
"Sorry."
"You don't have to apologize, Todoroki." Midoriya laughs. He stops short though as he seems to recall the previous day's events, and his expression turns solemn. "Actually, I should be the one apologizing. I'm sorry about yesterday. I overstepped my boundaries and I know the topic is uncomfortable for you, so I promise not to bring it up again. We're still friends, right?"
Midoriya considers him a friend? That would be a good thing, except Shouto just feels more guilty now for lying to him about everything. Midoriya was telling the truth when he said he cared and wanted to help, but Shouto can't accept his help, even if he wants to. He doesn't know if he wants things to change, but he does know that before change comes awareness, and that is something Shouto does not want. He doesn't want people to know about his family's secrets and he certainly doesn't need the pity and the shame that are bound to come with it.
So, the lid will remain sealed.
"Yeah, don't worry about it." Shouto says, trying to lead Midoriya away from the topic. Maybe if he brushes it off like it's nothing, Midoriya will forget how serious the topic really is.
A smile returns to Midoriya's face. "Good! Now that we're over that, do you want to do some extra training with me after school today?"
Evening training comes after dinner according to his schedule, so Shouto thinks this could count as going against it. Plus it could also be a way to make it up to Midoriya after lying to him so much, even if he doesn't know it.
"Sure."
"Great! I'm looking forward to it."
Mr. Aizawa walks into the classroom at that moment and Midoriya rushes back to his desk. Shouto lets out a small smile as he realizes that he too is looking forward to it. Training with his classmates, or friends he should probably say, is a lot more enjoyable than training with his father. He never looked forward to training with Endeavor, so this feeling is entirely new to him.
As Mr. Aizawa begins the lecture, Shouto moves to put his phone back in his bag. As he does, a slight vibration notifies him of a message and Shouto sneaks a quick glance at it before putting it away.
Dad: I'm coming to get you after school today. You're accompanying me on a job. Don't be late!
Ryuunosuke groans as he stares down at his phone. He texted Shouto this morning and he has yet to respond to his message and if his patience wasn't being tested enough already, Rei's therapist had called earlier to reschedule their meeting for the afternoon. He's been sitting in this waiting room for fifteen minutes now. Had he not made it clear that he was a busy man?
He's not going to answer you.
"Shut up, Enji." Ryuunosuke whispers. He doesn't need the woman sitting behind the front desk spreading rumors that Japan's Number One Hero talks to himself.
I just think it's funny that after all this time, I still know my children better than you do.
"Keep talking and I'll walk out of here." He whispers again. "Don't forget, I'm doing you a favor here."
Enji nags him all the time about Rei. He asks about her whereabouts, her condition, both mentally and physically, how she's holding up, pretty much the typical questions one in his situation would ask. It doesn't surprise Ryuunosuke but it still annoys him because one- he doesn't like giving Enji what he wants, and two- he doesn't even have the answers to his questions!
In a last minute decision, Ryuunosuke finally decided to give in to one of Enji's neverending requests: to meet with Rei's therapist. Enji was scheduled to die today, after all, and Ryuunosuke, despite what others may believe, does have some humanity left in him. And if he's being honest with himself, Enji does kind of deserve it. Aside from the constant nagging and complaining, he didn't really do anything to undermine Ryuunosuke's plan.
Before Enji can get another word in, a black haired woman walks into the waiting room, her gaze settling upon him.
"Todoroki-san? I'm Dr. Nakahara, your wife's therapist. If you'll follow me please."
About time, Ryuunosuke thinks as he stands up to follow the therapist to her office. He takes one last glance at his phone and grimaces when he sees no response from Shouto.
Whatever, it doesn't matter much anyway. It's not like he needs Shouto's permission for this.
A familiar feeling comes over Kiyoko as she shuts her office door after letting Enji in. She can sense a quirk being used so when she turns around to find the Number One Hero sitting in the chair across from her desk with no sign of his signature flames, Kiyoko doesn't know what to think.
Not wanting to let this show, Kiyoko keeps a neutral face and walks over to the other side of the desk. She takes her seat and looks over at the man sitting across from her. To the world he is Japan's Number One Hero, but right now in her office he is simply Rei's husband.
Rei had always been Kiyoko's most mysterious patient and after almost ten years of treating her, these past few days had given her more insight into Rei and her family than she had gotten in all that time. With Rei's confession and now a sudden meeting with Enji, Kiyoko feels like she's hit the jackpot. Neglecting this opportunity to ask some of her most burning questions would be a grave mistake.
"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, Todoroki-san." Kiyoko apologizes as she looks for any sign of his quirk. "I have to admit though, I was a little surprised when you called. This is the first time you've requested to meet since Rei was admitted."
Enji's face remains stoic and there's still no traces of his quirk. If Kiyoko understands correctly, his flames would be visible in some form if he were using his quirk. The more she thinks about it though, the more she gets the feeling that this quirk she's sensing is not fire, but something else.
"I'm sure you're aware of what my wife did to my son." Enji says, his blue eyes seemingly glaring at Kiyoko.
The therapist nods, recalling the incident with the youngest Todoroki child and the tea kettle which had sent Rei to this hospital. Kiyoko had diagnosed it as a mental breakdown, a symptom of the depression and anxiety that had been plaguing her for some time and the cause of which, until now, had been unknown. After hearing Rei's story though, the reason is obvious.
"As you can probably imagine," Enji continues, "the incident was traumatic for him and it physically scarred him. I was angry at Rei for a long time because of what she did to him and I felt that if I saw her, I would lash out at her. I stayed away to protect her."
It suddenly dawns on Kiyoko as Enji continues to speak that it's someone else's quirk that is at play here. She can't identify the exact workings of the quirk, but it almost seems like the Number One Hero is speaking through someone else, as if he is possessed! She doesn't want to jump to conclusions, but so many thoughts start running through her head that it's hard not to.
Is it possible that for the past twenty plus years, Enji, Rei's husband, one of Japan's top heroes, was possessed?
Of course, Kiyoko can't tell how long the quirk has been active. Perhaps it's only been in effect for the past few days, or hours, or possibly even minutes. But what if she is right, what if she just discovered the reason behind Enji's drastic personality change in the early days of his and Rei's marriage? That is a big issue and a serious violation of quirk usage. And besides, if Enji is indeed possessed, this isn't just a problem for him and the Todoroki family, but as he is the current Number One Hero, it's a problem for the entire country as well.
Despite the chaos erupting inside her head, Kiyoko maintains her calm expression in front of Enji. "I completely understand your reasoning, Todoroki-san. It was probably best for you to keep your distance during Rei's recovery anyway and speaking of, she is doing very well now. Her health has greatly improved and I believe she could be discharged soon if she keeps up her progress."
Enji's face shows no sign of happiness or even relief at Kiyoko's prognosis, which worries her even more because perhaps her theory is correct. If this were really the man Rei thought she married, there's no way he would admit her to a hospital and then leave her there for ten years without ever visiting, even if he were upset with her at first.
The rest of the meeting goes by quickly with Kiyoko giving Enji some more details on Rei's current condition and treatment. Throughout the mostly one-sided conversation, Kiyoko tried to figure out what to do about her predicament. She doesn't want to confront Enji about it, what if he's under the influence of a villain's quirk? It is best to play dumb, she decides, though figuring out her next move is tricky. She could call his agency, but that process would probably take too long as she would have to go through hours of talking to lower-level employees before she could be put in contact with one of the higher-ups, let alone a pro hero.
She needs a more direct route to someone who could actually do something, a direct connection to a pro hero.
After the meeting ends and Enji leaves the room, Kiyoko is almost convinced that her theory is true. The pro hero didn't seem all that interested in his wife's condition at all, and it made Kiyoko wonder why he even scheduled the meeting in the first place. She has to go with her gut on this, she has to blow the whistle before it's too late, not only for Enji and his family's sake, but for the people of Japan's sake too.
Pulling out her cellphone, Kiyoko opens up her contacts and debates whether she should go and tell Rei. She quickly shoots down the idea though, as Kiyoko barely knows what's happening herself, so it's probably best to keep things under wraps for now.
Kiyoko scrolls through her contacts until her finger lands on the one she's looking for. In the four years since he gave her this number, she had never once used it. He was a busy man and Kiyoko had no intention of keeping him from saving people, like how he had saved her that night.
But there were people who needed saving now, and he was the only one Kiyoko could turn to. Hitting the call button, she placed the phone to her ear and prayed her intuition was right.
"Todoroki!" Izuku shouts down the hall as he runs to catch up to the other boy. He had left the classroom so fast after the bell had rung, but Izuku was pretty sure he had agreed to train with him after school.
Todoroki stopped walking and turned around just as Izuku caught up to him. "Todoroki! I thought we were gonna go train. The gym is the other way."
"Right, about that," Todoroki says, his gaze failing to meet Izuku's. "I can't today. I had a change of plans. I meant to tell you, but I guess I forgot. Sorry about that, maybe we can train tomorrow?"
He was really looking forward to spending time with Todoroki, especially since he still felt the need to make up for his insensitivity from yesterday. It's a slight disappointment, but Izuku understands that things do come up. He can't help but be curious of what could be stealing Todoroki from him though, as he does look a little tense and anxious.
"We can reschedule for tomorrow, no problem!" Izuku reassures him, throwing on a smile to back up his words. "Can I ask why, though?"
Todoroki looks like he doesn't want to tell him and Izuku almost tells him not to, but the taller boy responds before Izuku can say anything.
"I just have to go somewhere with my father." He says, not looking in the least bit excited. "Some mission, or whatever. He's always making me tag along."
The last part was mumbled under his breath, but Izuku heard it. His instincts are screaming at him to inquire further, but yesterday's confrontation is still fresh in his mind and Izuku really doesn't want Todoroki to freeze himself again, so he keeps quiet.
"Alright, I won't keep you then! Have fun and see you later, Todoroki!"
Have fun, Izuku thinks as Todoroki walks away, why would you say that? He clearly doesn't want to go.
Izuku starts walking the other way towards the gym, mind set on training alone. He had wanted to practice sparring but he couldn't do that without a partner. Maybe he could ask one of his other classmates, he can think of a few who would be more than willing. It wouldn't be the same though. He had spent most of his free time in between classes that day thinking about strategies and fighting techniques that would be effective against a quirk like Todoroki's.
He had really been looking forward to this!
The small voice in the back of his head is still urging him to do something about this dilemma with Todoroki. Izuku still doesn't know the full story, but it is clear as day that Todoroki was upset about having to go with his father. Did he not have a choice in the matter? As far as Izuku is concerned, Endeavor is not his son's teacher so why is he so adamant about training him, especially when it is obvious that Todoroki doesn't want to.
These thoughts only make Izuku's concern grow and he soon finds himself not at the gym, where he was initially headed, but at the door to Mr. Aizawa's office. As much as he wants to respect Todoroki's request to keep quiet about what he had disclosed to him, Izuku could not contain his growing concern for the boy's happiness and wellbeing. He has to confide in someone not only for Todoroki's sake, but for his own as well. He simply can't carry around this baggage anymore.
The worst that could happen, Izuku figures, is that he'd be wrong and that Todoroki is in no danger, and Izuku really hopes this is the case. But if he's right about this, then he needs to tell someone so that Todoroki can get help.
Izuku takes a deep breath and assures himself one more time that this is in fact the right decision before knocking on the door to Mr. Aizawa's office.
Shouta sighs as he reads the newspaper article for the third time that day. If he had only stayed on watch for a few more hours, he could have prevented this. Villain or not, no one deserved to die and certainly not like that.
His eyes trail back to the beginning of the article for a fourth read when a knock at the door saves him from his brooding.
"Come in."
Pushing the newspaper to the side, Shouta looks up to see Izuku Midoriya walk into his office. The boy looks worried, though Shouta doesn't raise any alarm bells. The majority of his students' problems aren't actually problems, but minor worries simply blown out of proportion. And Shouta prefers it that way.
"Sorry to bother you, Mr. Aizawa. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"Not at all." Shouta responds, gesturing for his student to take a seat. "What can I do for you?"
Midoriya sits down slowly, wringing his hands together out of what Shouta assumes to be nervousness. "I-I'm worried about someone and I think he might be in trouble. I want to help him, but he told me not to worry so I don't know what to do. I thought you might be able to help."
"Do I know this person?"
"Yes." Midoriya says, looking down at his hands. He hesitates, "It's Todoroki."
Shouta immediately recalls the conversation he had with All Might the day before in which he had laid out his concern for the boy. Perhaps Midoriya knows something they don't.
"Did something happen?" He asks.
"Well, not quite." Midoriya says, still not meeting his gaze. "He told me some things, concerning things, like about his home life and his family. He spoke about how his father abused him and pushed him to train as a kid. The scar on his face is from his mother. He said she poured boiling water over him because he looked too much like his father, that's how bad it was."
That...is not what Shouta was expecting to hear. He was never really fond of the current Number One Hero, but Shouta had always just chalked it up to a dislike of his personality. He was aggressive sometimes and maybe a little too arrogant for his liking, but that's just the kind of person he is. Shouta would have never thought that it extended to his personal life, and certainly not to his family.
"And now?" Shouta asks, though he's not sure if he wants the answer. "Is Endeavor still abusing him?"
Midoriya shrugs. "That's the thing, I don't know. Todoroki told me everything's fine, but I think he's hiding something. We were supposed to train together after class today but he had to cancel because his father asked him to go with him on some mission. He didn't seem too happy about it."
Shouta's phone rings before he has a chance to respond. He pulls it out of his pocket just to silence it, but his eyes lock onto the screen when he catches sight of the name shown on the caller ID. He hadn't received a call from this number ever since that day so if they were calling him now, then it must be urgent.
"Midoriya, could you give me a moment? I have to take this real quick."
Midoriya nods and Shouta answers the call. "Hello?"
"Eraserhead? It's Kiyoko Nakahara, I'm not sure if you remember me-"
"I remember you. I gave you this number four years ago in case of an emergency, but this is the first time you've called. Is something wrong?"
"Yes, I think so. If I'm right about this then there isn't much time to waste, so I'll make it quick. I shouldn't be telling you this but as you know I'm a psychiatrist and one of my patients is Rei Todoroki, Endeavor's wife. I don't have time to give you all the details right now but based on what Rei told me and my observations with my quirk, I have reason to believe that Endeavor might be under the control of someone else's quirk. Calling his agency would take too long so I thought it would be better to call a hero directly and you're the only one I could get into contact with. I apologize if I'm wasting your time-"
"You're not, really, I appreciate you calling." Shouta says, cutting her off. Nakahara's quirk can identify if someone is under the influence of someone else's quirk, so he has no doubt she's correct. She can't know what kind of quirk or for how long, but what matters to Shouta is that Endeavor is under someone's control right now and Todoroki is with him. Finding out how, or even if it connects to what Midoriya was telling him about will have to wait.
"When did you last see Endeavor, Nakahara-san?"
"He came in for a meeting today. He just left my office about thirty minutes ago."
That means he could have picked up Todoroki already.
"Midoriya," Shouta says, holding his phone away for a moment. "Can you go check if Todoroki left yet? If not, bring him back here with you."
Midoriya nods and quickly leaves the office as Shouta addresses Nakahara again. "Thank you for informing me, I'll see what I can do. If you find anything else out, don't hesitate to call."
"Of course, I'm glad I could help."
Shouta hangs up and sighs. He could only hope that Endeavor hasn't made it yet, though it's unlikely. He could call Endeavor's agency but it's likely they wouldn't take it too seriously. Heroes get hit by quirks all the time, though they're usually harmless. What Nakahara had told him though, about what she had gathered from Todoroki's mother, this didn't sound like just a typical accident in the field. This could very well be the work of a villain. As Shouta ponders how to proceed, Midoriya returns back to his office.
Alone.
Shouto sits silently in the passenger seat as his father drives away from UA after picking him up. He didn't even spare his father a glance, let alone a greeting, when he entered the car. He doesn't want to be here and he wants Endeavor to know that.
"We'll be infiltrating a villain hideout," Endeavor begins to explain. Shouto keeps his gaze locked on his window in an effort to feign indifference, though it's only a silent protest since his father probably hasn't looked at him yet either. "It's located about an hour north of the city so it will be awhile. When we get there, just follow me. I'll let you know what we're looking for."
"I didn't bring my hero costume." So much for being indifferent.
"You won't need it. The place should be empty."
The car goes silent again and Shouto is both grateful and ungrateful for that. Silence means that he doesn't have to speak with Endeavor but it also gives him ample time to think, something that Shouto does too much of.
He could've been training with Midoriya right now, having fun, but no, his father just had to ruin it. He thought things would be different once he moved into the dorms, he thought he'd be out of his father's reach. At least, that's what Fuyumi and his mother had told him, that he'd be free. He isn't feeling very free right now. As far as Shouto's concerned, it doesn't matter how far away he is, Endeavor will always find a way to control him.
Shouto's phone buzzes, shattering the silence in the car. As he pulls his phone out of his pocket, he catches sight of his father, eyes widening at the noise. The car swerves slightly as Endeavor tries to regain his bearings, making Shouto wonder why his father looks so shocked at the sight of his phone.
"Turn that off! We can't risk being tracked."
Ah, of course.
"Okay." Shouto quickly shuts down his phone, but not without first checking the message he received.
Midoriya: Have you left yet? Can you tell me where you're going?
He leaves Midoriya without a response, all the while feeling guilty about it. He knows he can trust him but considering his father's paranoia right now, he doesn't want to take a risk. If telling Midoriya screws up the mission in any way, Shouto would never hear the end of it.
True to Endeavor's word, it takes a whole hour before they reach their destination. The rest of the car ride is spent in silence, though it doesn't seem like it with his father's paranoia and Shouto's own misery filling up the empty space. It is relieving to finally step out of the stifling car after Endeavor parks in front of an old, dilapidated building in what looks to be like the middle of nowhere. Shouto doesn't get much time to observe though because his father is already heading towards what Shouto assumes to be the hideout.
"Follow me."
They walk quickly, or rather Endeavor walks and Shouto runs to keep up. His father doesn't say a word as they enter the building. Shouto follows suit and keeps quiet as he follows him down a darkened hallway, despite all the questions running through his head. He still doesn't know what exactly they're looking for or who these villains even are. When he thinks about it, the whole situation feels rather sketchy but he is with his father, and despite their conflicted relationship, he knows Endeavor would never put him in real danger. Or at least, that's what Shouto assumes. Then again, Endeavor does seem a little more aloof today than he usually does...
The silence. It's making him think too much again.
"Here we are."
The father and son duo come to a stop in front of a closed door. Endeavor grasps the door handle and turns his head to look back at Shouto. He looks at him straight in the eyes, a smile creeping up on his face. In that moment, he looks maniacal and Shouto shivers as a feeling of fear washes over him.
Something's not right.
Endeavor opens the door with Shouto now frozen in place, the gears in his head still turning in his quest to understand why his father, the man who he's stood up to all these years, suddenly instills fear in him. As the door opens and what lies behind it is revealed, Shouto realizes that maybe, just maybe, his father had lied to him about this whole mission.
The room is full of people and Shouto isn't really one to judge based on appearances but if he had to guess, they all look like villains.
"You've finally made it! Welcome, Shouto! So good to finally meet you!"
Someone walks towards him but Shouto doesn't see him because he's too busy staring at Endeavor, his father. He just smiles back at him with that sadistic grin, knowing that Shouto is searching for answers. Shouto tries to speak, to demand an explanation, but he finds that his tongue is tied, quite literally.
"Cat got your tongue, Shouto?" It's that man again. Shouto turns to look at him more clearly. Is he hallucinating now too or is he really dressed as a puppet? "That would be the doing of Ren's quirk." Another man off to the side waves at him, grinning like he's proud of his work.
"You see, Shouto," the puppet man continues, "everyone here has some sort of manipulative quirk. I, for example, can do this."
Shouto gasps as his legs start to move on their own. He turns back to look at Endeavor in a last hope that this is all some elaborate prank, but he simply continues to stand still in the doorway, his maniacal smile now replaced with an almost bored-like expression, as if he's entirely indifferent to what's happening in front of him, what's happening to his son.
His movements are still being controlled by the puppet man and when Shouto turns back around to face him, he's met with a pair of handcuffs.
"These will suppress your quirk." He explains as he grabs Shouto's wrists. "I'll keep you paralyzed with my own quirk throughout the process. Everything's in place now, Body Snatcher. Are you ready?"
Process? Shouto questions in his head. His eyes then widen as he watches his father finally move from his position in the doorway.
"More than ever."
I know it's been awhile, this chapter has literally been sitting unfinished in my docs forever, and I'm very sorry about that. I was going through some stuff, like trying to figure out where I'm going with my life since I'll be a graduating from college within the year. I kind of just had to take a break from things and focus on myself for a bit, so thank you all for being patient!
I honestly didn't intend for this part of the story to take ten whole freaking chapters, but here we finally are! Getting to the good stuff. I hope you guys liked this chapter and while I can't promise frequent updates, I will try my very best to write as often as I can so that updates aren't this far apart :)
Have a great day guys and thanks for reading!
-britishsconesahoy
