Chapter 2 : The Grass Was Always Greener on The Otherside
"So you're going on a trip?"
"Uh-huh."
"And I'm invited?"
"Yes, you are. I'm vouching for you and your teacher agreed since you'll be transferring into the Hero Course starting this coming year."
Hitoshi found a small smile form upon his face. He wiped away the sweat from his forehead and looked at Shōta. "...Thank's Aizawa-san. I honestly don't know how to repay you for wasting so much of your time dealing with me."
"It's not wasted time unless you make it wasted," Shōta exclaimed sternly and crossed his arms against his chest, "Plus, there's always that flaw in the system that misplaces people like you and me. Pitting students up against giant robots? Bullshit. Some people don't have strength enhancing Quirks or mutation Quirks to handle something that large."
Hitoshi nodded in agreement. Shōta was right, the U.A. entrance exam was extremely flawed and only allowed people like Bakugō Katsuki, Midoriya Izuku and Todoroki Shōto to pass with a literal snap of their fingers. It was just like what Monoma Neito said to him, they were the ones looked down upon by society — seen more as villains than anything else.
"So be ready this coming Monday. Have your bags packed with essentials. Don't bring useless items that aren't going to be used or even remotely needed." Shōta spoke up once again as he eyed his pupil, "Have any unfinished homework assignments done and turned into your teachers. I've managed to get them to exempt you from other coming classwork for the next three weeks."
"T-three weeks?!" Hitoshi stuttered out as he raised a single eyebrow, "What could we possibly be doing for three weeks?!"
"Hero stuff. You know the things you'll be possibly doing in the real world."
"Where is this place?" Hitoshi continued on as he picked up his dwindling bottle of water. "Is it another province within Japan? One of the islands off the coast of Japan? China? Korea? A country abroad?"
Shōta's eye twitched a the amount of questions that suddenly poured from Hitoshi. This was something unexpected from such a detached teenager. It was a pleasant surprise; as it showed Hitoshi had more than one emotion.
Shōta smirked, "Well if you want to really know...stop by classroom 1-A. I'll be debriefing the entire class on the details. Debriefing is happening this coming Friday and I'll have a list of items that will be suggestions for you all to pack, okay?"
Hitoshi was one hundred percent positive field trips didn't end with hostage situations. After all, that was only in the movies; or at least that's what he continuously tells himself.
Field trips were fun and exciting. Much like the beginning of their trip was, telling jokes the entire flight and getting to know each other better. Even when they landed the group was still in high spirits and somewhat excited for what was to seen next.
He held his knees close against his chest and wrapped his arms around himself tightly. It was going on their fourth day of captivity and he found himself continuously mulling over the conversation he had with his mentor and future teacher. It wasn't even just the conversation about the trip; it was the first time Aizawa Shōta pulled him to the side after the Sports Festival and all the days he was trained vigorously, all the way until he was told that he was finally eligible for transfer to the Heroics Course starting his second year of high school.
All those interactions and conversations, training sessions felt like a life time ago.
"Shinsō Hitoshi!!"
Hitoshi perked up slightly at the sound of his name. It was obvious as to who was calling him, Iida Tenya, the man made it his job to keep tabs on everyone for the entire trip. Through thick or thin. Even more-so now than what it might have been before. Then again, Hitoshi wasn't certain; he was still getting to know everyone.
"...I'm here," Hitoshi answered and rested his chin upon his knees, "Here and wishing I was somewhere else..."
"Heh, you and just about all of us..." Hanta replied in response to Hitoshi's last comment.
"Honestly, we should really be wondering where Aizawa-san is," Hitoshi pointed out and turned towards the direction he last believed Shōta was in, "He's the only one getting dragged through whatever fucking torture they feel like placing him through and it's nearly every other hour."
"He's right Iida, we should really be focused on Aizawa-sensei's wellbeing rather than our own." Tsuyu croaked rather loudly. Hitoshi was certain she was directly across from him. "As long as we follow what Aizawa-sensei tells us — then we'll have nothing to worry about...but, Aizawa-sensei is going through things that we can't even remotely imagine."
"Honestly...hearing Bakugō freak out like that yesterday has me concerned as to how badly hurt Aizawa-sensei is..." Momo commented from her own cell.
A sound of agreement caught Hitoshi's attention. He was almost positive it was Ojiro Mashirao; the very guy who still seemed wary of being around him. '...I wonder if this situation will change his mind about me? After all, we're in this together.' Hitoshi thought to himself grimly; a frown taking over his vacant feature.
Shōto shifted around uncomfortably and Hitoshi turned his head towards the sound. "...Bakugō, what exactly did you see?"
There was silence after Shōto's question. It was expected, especially since it was Katsuki who was being asked the question. 'Then again...' Hitoshi mulled over in his head; his thoughts drifting towards the merciless beating Katsuki received.
Every time he thought about yesterday — he felt a cold shiver down his spine. He had been looking in that direction when Katsuki was being beaten into a near unconscious state; much to his misfortune he watched as the flashlight flicker from Shōta's battered body and Katsuki's trembling form.
"...It had to have been bad!! Bakugō isn't even the one to freak out like that!!" Mineta nearly shouted in fear.
Denki grumbled something underneath his breath. Just as Hitoshi was certain Denki was about to shut Mineta down — he heard a yelp coming from a few cell down to his left.
"Ouch!! What'd you do that for?!" Mineta whined.
Hanta huffed out of irritation, "You're too loud!! You're gonna get us killed!!" He exclaimed in a hushed stern tone; the annoyance was clear within his words.
"Kacchan...?"
Still Katsuki had said nothing, leaving them all to suffer in his silence. Hitoshi understood and sighed heavily, "Let's all be honest, do we really want to know?"
"No...not really," Shōto answered quietly. "...Yaoyorozu?"
"Yes, Todoroki-kun?"
Hitoshi had to wonder what Shōto was going to ask. He had a nagging feeling that it was the same question that he had wanted to ask but, hadn't mustered up the interest to ask. Figuring he knew the question, Hitoshi slid himself closer to what he believe to be the cell door. He pressed his back firmly against the cold steel bars and leaned his head back.
"Have the effects of the suppressant worn off?" Shōto asked in a curious manner.
Hitoshi was certain he heard shuffling within the cell next to him. Even the silent Katsuki was curious to know.
For several minutes, Momo stayed silent. Hitoshi guessed that was she giving her quirk a try. 'We can only hope for the best...' Hitoshi thought to himself and allowed his eyes to wonder through the darkness.
A clattering sound caused Hitoshi to turn around; he latched his hands unto the bars. Shōto seemingly also made his way to the cell door as well — Hitoshi could feel extra body warmth radiating from the dual quirk user.
Nervously, Hitoshi bit the bottom of his lip and like everyone else he silently awaited a verbal answer. Not even two minutes later, Momo made a small unreadable sound. Hitoshi's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and mild concern.
"Hmm..."
Hitoshi nudged his cellmate "...Is that a good thing?" He muttered underneath his breath in question. He never turned around to see what Shōto's own expression was; mostly due to it being pitch black in their holding area. He was sure that Shōto had his own eyebrow raised.
"Not certain in this darkness..." Shōto quietly answered.
Hitoshi found himself sighing again and leaned his forehead against the steel bars of the cell. He closed his eyes and forced himself to focus on the sounds around him. Although, no sound were being made. '...Clicking...?'
"Oi..." Katsuki grumbled out; it nearly scared Hitoshi from his concentration. "Ponytail girl..." There was a paused, "...You made that fuckin' flashlight." It wasn't even a question, no where near being one. It was almost as if Katsuki was fully aware of what object Momo created.
"How do you know?"
"The fuck do you mean how do I know? You can't fuckin' hear clicking bird-brain?" Katsuki answered. There was an obvious edge to his voice. "Those assholes left me with one good thing and that's these fuckin' hearing aids."
'Bird-brain is...Tokoyami, if I'm not mistaken.' Hitoshi mused over his current though. Normally, he would be angry when someone broke his concentration; after all it was apart of his brainwashing quirk. Funny enough — he welcomed the distraction with open arms.
"...Hmph, I was expecting a little more sarcasm." Fumikage answered. The sound of his voice was strangely impassive and Hitoshi was trying to remember if the short teenager had always been that way. "Unlike the rest of you, my eyes can easily and quickly adjust to the dark. You're correct, Yaoyorozu-san did create a flashlight. From my angle...it isn't much."
Soon after Fumikage confirmed that it was indeed a flashlight that Momo created, she flicked the small light on. Truly it wasn't much but, it was something; even if it did hurt their eyes a little bit.
"Like Tokoyami-kun said...it's not much but," Hitoshi's eyes followed the light and watched as it was faced upwards by Momo. "It's a start...and plus we haven't really been given much of anything to eat. So..."
"There'll be difficulty in your creations." Izuku interjected.
From what Hitoshi could see, Momo seemed to frown at Izuku's statement. "Unfortunately, you're correct. I can't make anything that would truly help us unless I have a little bit more on my plate."
"Tch...sons of bitches are doing this bullshit on purpose," Katsuki from his corner of the cell. He seemed to have been the only one who didn't scoot closer towards the cell door. Hitoshi figured it was due to what happened yesterday; he couldn't blame him for being overly cautious. "They're aware that you need food to fuel your quirk. Same reason I've got these fuckin' gloves on my damn hands." At that statement Momo flashed the light towards Katsuki; just as the ash blonde said, his hands were specially gloved and cuffed together. "Flash that shit towards Deku...I need to see something."
Hitoshi couldn't help but to break his own silence. "What's the reasoning?"
"Shut the fuck up and watch..." Katsuki grumbled and moved himself from Hitoshi's line of sight. His pained expression wasn't missed by Hitoshi and he couldn't help but frown. He had to wonder how much pain was Katsuki truly in?
Hitoshi moved his attention away from Katsuki and focused on Izuku for a moment. The normally happy go lucky teenager raised his hands towards his face; keeping minimum damage towards his eyes. It appeared that Izuku was heavily chained down. From his hands and arms to his legs.
"Wait a minute..." Denki started off, "Those big ass cuffs...those are the —"
"Same fuckin' things from the Sports Festival..." Katsuki finished as he blankly stared at Izuku.
Shōto hummed intuitively, "They really shouldn't show us off on television." Hitoshi couldn't have agreed more with Shōto's blunt statement.
"...We can tell U.A. that when we have a plan of action." Fumikage responded leaving little room for anyone to ponder on Shōto's statement.
Momo flashed the light all the way down the row; passing Shōto and Hitoshi by and ultimately landed on Fumikage's cell.
Hitoshi thought it to be a sight to behold — yesterday when he heard Kyōka's comment, he had believed her to be sarcastically speaking of their kidnappers. However, he literally had a new light shedded upon the comment as, Mashirao had his tail protectively wrapped around Kyōka and Fumikage sat close by the cell door.
'...They're keeping her safe.' Hitoshi inwardly smiled at his own thought. It was a very endearing sight to behold. It showed him how far comrades and fellow Pro-Heroes in training would go to protect one another. 'This is how it should be, always. We're in this together. No one is alone.'
Fumikage shielded his eyes from the light, "No need for the light. Dark Shadow is trapped within me."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hitoshi questioned as he tilted his head to the side.
"Meaning," Hitoshi turned his head towards Katsuki who butted in as to answer his question. "Those shitheads are keeping his quirk in check. With what? Who the fuck knows...it could be the very cell he sits in that's keeping that annoying Shadow quiet." Katsuki glowered; the way he answered the entire question almost made Hitoshi feel like it was meaningless to ask or it should've been obvious.
"What Bakugō says could very well be correct," Fumikage lowered his hand and glanced at the bars he leaned against. "It could be the cell itself or they could've possibly..." He paused for a moment. His eyes began to widen in realization, "...That's right, I remember now. I was shot in my arm when I shoved Serō to the side. Almost immediately, I felt odd...and I heard Dark Shadow but, he wasn't around."
Hanta grabbed a hold of the bars. He stared long and hard at Fumikage, as if trying to remember the moment itself. "...Holy shit, that was you!! I was trying to remember who it was that shoved me. I didn't catch myself in time to avoid a hit to the head though." He pointed towards the dried blood on the side of his head; a smile of embarrassment colored his cheeks a light shade of red. "I don't even care that I got a bump on the head, if I had caught that bullet...I'm sure I would've probably been dead." His smile fell quickly, "Thank's, Tokoyami. I really do owe you."
"Hmm...I wonder if it's similar to those quirk destroying bullets that Overhaul had created..." Izuku questioned out loud. "If it's as strong and potent...Tokoyami-san," Fumikage looked toward Izuku and could see the fear and concern within his eyes. "Are you...able to communicate with Dark Shadow still?"
Fumikage gave a solid nod, "I am. The only issue is not being able to materialize him. He can also communicate with me as well...he wanted me to tell you that."
"That's a relief..." Izuku visibly relaxed.
Hitoshi frowned, remembering the day the news aired about what happened to Nighteye and Kai Chisaki's arrest. Chisaki was the man responsible for not only killing a well known Pro-Hero but, creating and distributing drugs to destroy many people's lively-hood; quirks. He was also the man responsible for ruining Togata Mirio's future standing as a Pro-Hero by taking away what he had desperately built up and abused Eri since she manifested her own quirk. It was scary when Hitoshi thought about it. Losing his quirk. Sure it wasn't the most ideal quirk to have but, he knew that without it — he wouldn't be the same.
'How does Togata-senpai manage...his entire life as a Pro-Hero, just...gone.' Hitoshi frowned deeply and looked worriedly towards Fumikage. 'If these guys really have something similar or an exact replica of that bullet...he's no — we're all in trouble.'
Shōto nudged Hitoshi lightly, trying not to startle the teen. "You alright?"
"Mmhm...why?" Hitoshi whispered loud enough for the dual quirk user to hear him. For a moment he found himself just staring blankly at a quiet Shōto — who appeared to be in thought, "Todoroki?"
"...You just had this look on your face is all." Shōto finally answered with a single brow raised.
Hitoshi looked to the side, "Oh...yeah, just...Midoriya's got me thinking about the drug bust news on Overhaul."
"It is scary to think about...I'll admit that much."
Hitoshi found himself surprised and looked towards Shōto; a questioning look covering his most previous expression. From what he learned from the rest of the class, Todoroki Shōto, was as awkward as they came. The boy knew little on how to communicate with his peers; until the heart to heart session during the Sports Festival. He was quiet and was an obvious loner. Nearly everyone was aware that Shōto was the son of the major secondary Pro-Hero, Endeavor. Of course, everyone around him thought it was cool; except himself. Hitoshi had found that odd — to be the son of a widely known Pro-Hero should've been exciting. That was what he believed until he overheard Izuku mumbling to himself about Shōto's issues with his father. Since then, it was much more obvious at how Shōto's interactions with anyone always ended so awkwardly. '...But now, he's learning. He's...not as heartless as everyone at school makes him out to be.'
"Just another thing to be concerned about!!"
The sound of fist hitting the steel bars of a cell caused Hitoshi to jump. His eyes narrowed in on Rikido. The large teen kept his fist against the bars and leaned his head forward.
"Now now!! We must keep calm," Tenya spoke up from his silence. "There will be no hope in panicking...if we can just figure out a plan of escape..."
'...A plan of escape...' Hitoshi thought to himself quizzically and turned his head towards Fumikage. 'Our plan of escape...'