Unknown could no longer tell how much time had passed. The days blurred together in a dull monotony of routine that quickly became rather indistinct. She had been spending a truly atrocious amount of time with Shie Hassaikai, and along with Toga and Twice, she had the constant, unenviable task of being their lackeys. The leaders were certainly making full use of the three, sending them out on jobs every other day, assigning them increasingly petty dirty work, even pushing menial tasks onto them. In reality, it was nothing but dull, meaningless busywork in order to keep them around so Overhaul could learn more about the League's plans. This was mostly carried out through Chrono, whose all-too-frequent questions about the League didn't escape them. At first, it wasn't obvious, as he did a rather good job concealing his true intentions, but they caught on soon enough. Now, it was difficult to ignore.
"Have you spoken to Shigaraki lately?"
"What have you heard regarding All for One?"
"I heard the League of Villains found some new members."
Among the three, Unknown knew the least about the League, simply due to how little time she had spent with them, though that didn't stop the yakuza from questioning her to hell and back. It was a tiring routine that drove her to stay away from Chrono and Overhaul as much as she could, even more so than usual.
The sun was just beginning to set now, a slight hint of orange encroaching on the horizon of the blue sky. Today had once again been uneventful; she had only seen a few of the Eight Bullets during her meandering around the base, and she was lucky enough to slip her way out of having to speak with any of them. At least it had been quiet, mostly.
By the time she reached home, the sky was painted with vibrant pinks, reds, and yellows, and the evening air grew colder with each waning inch of the receding sun. Her shoulders creaked from long hours of remaining idle, and she could feel a dull ache forming along her back. The wind bit at the skin of her cheek, leaving a tingling redness over her ever-stoic expression. She quietly pushed open the unlocked front door and stepped inside.
The light in the living room around the corner was on, as were the ones over the stairs. She could hear a commotion from the other room: a man shouting, glass shattering, a fist meeting a table. She quickly shut her ears, blocking out the unnerving racket as she made her way up the carpeted steps, heading straight for her room.
One of the doors in front of her opened, stopping her mid-step. Horus stepped out from the shadowy doorway, and if the clamor hadn't made it clear what was happening, his expression would have.
"He wants us all downstairs," the boy muttered softly, his tone lacking the usual malice it held towards her. Instead, his eyes were distant with apprehension, and his lips pressed into a thin line.
Unknown only grimaced as she followed him back downstairs, Traceback silently emerging from her room and trailing behind them as well.
Dread pooled in the pit of their stomachs as they neared the living room, the shouts getting louder and louder with every nervous step.
A sharp crack of skin-on-skin filled the air as they finally came into view.
The Manager stood, one tense arm half-raised, a raging sneer on his face, brows drawn and eyes narrowed with unbridled fury. Amnestica stood in front of him, her shoulders low, eyes downcast silently as a bright red mark glowed on her cheek.
"Do you even know how close you were to getting me captured, you stupid girl?! What good are you if you can't even use your quirk correctly?! I told you to make sure you erased the right memory, so how was that man still able to alert the damn heroes?! Can't you do anything right? All the time I spend training you is worth nothing, huh? You're as useless as the day I picked you off the damn street! All you ever do is waste my time, mouthing off whenever you like, disrespecting everything I do for you worthless, ungrateful children!" the Manager spat, his poisonous glare abruptly snapping to the three standing in the doorway.
Their eyes were all lowered, their lips shut tightly as his furious stare burned holes into them.
They always had to remain quiet when he was like this.
"Speaking of ungrateful, we've been getting bold, haven't we, Horus? Blatantly ignoring my orders, always neglecting your quirk training, not to mention that sickening attitude of yours when you think I'm not looking. Do you think I'm stupid? Do you think you know better than me?"
"No, s-"
"Shut up," he spat, eyes narrowing dangerously. His fatally calm tone dared him to utter another word.
The boy immediately fell silent, lips pressing into a thin line as his gaze lingered on the floorboards.
"And you, Traceback," the seething man turned his poison to the girl, "you're certainly relaxed for the runt of the group, aren't you? Why do I even keep you around? Your worthless quirk, your useless fighting skills- what good are you? You'd think with how much you hang around Horus, you'd be at least half-decent at any type of combat, but a pathetic mutt like you can't even get that right, huh?"
Traceback bit down on her tongue, lip trembling faintly as she forcibly blinked away the tears that threatened to burn at her eyes.
"And don't think I forgot about you, Unknown. You might just be the worst of all. Spending all day out of the house, always with those dogs from the League or those pathetic yakuza. Have you forgotten who your real family is? Have you forgotten you owe me your life? I think all the attention has gone straight to your head, or maybe you're just stupid enough to think you could survive out in the real world without me? You would be nothing without me. Every single one of you would be rotting in those dumpsters you came from, right next to those worthless families that didn't want you."
His fuming glare clawed over each of them agonizingly slow, his dark pupils conveying a fury beyond even what he could spew. That deep-seated hatred rooted in his very core, a blazing revulsion to their mere existence.
After a tense, scorching silence passed, he finally spoke again.
"Get the hell out of my sight," he sneered, turning on his heels as if he couldn't stand to look at them any longer.
The four hurriedly shuffled out of the room, silently retreating behind the wall and padding up the stairs as quickly as they could, moving quietly with a tense, nervous dread.
Not a word was exchanged between them as they each retreated into their respective rooms, mouths sewn shut, limbs stiff with piercing cold, eyes never meeting each other's.
It was always like this.
"And you're certain this was the man you saw during the attack?"
"Yes."
"Could you see what his quirk was?"
"No."
"Did you ever engage with him at all?"
"No."
"But you did engage with this girl: Unknown?"
"Yes."
"Can you describe that for me?"
"I've already told the other policemen everything."
"I understand, but we're reviewing our evidence; you might remember something that slipped your mind before."
"I highly doubt that's the case."
"Even so, can you please describe what happened during the attack? It could help us catch these villains sooner."
Todoroki sighed as the man in front of him spoke, eyes focused on the notebook he was scribbling in.
"Near the end of the first round of the exam, the three of them broke in through the ceiling of the stadium. Their attack pattern seemed random, as far as I could tell. We were told to stay back while the teachers held them off. I believe some students called the police while they hid. Later on, we were given permission to use our quirks to defend ourselves and to protect the civilians from the Help Us company. The three left suddenly soon after. That's all I know."
"Can you tell me more about your encounter with Unknown?"
"I tried keeping her away from the civilians by isolating her."
"How long were you alone with her?"
"A few minutes."
"And did she hurt you at all?"
"No."
"Not at any point?"
"No."
"Alright. Did you hear the villains say anything else that might help us? Maybe something about their plans or the name of a location, a potential target, anything like that?"
"No."
The officer nodded as he glanced back down at his notebook, his pen scratching something across the page for the hundredth time.
He clicked the back of his pen, sliding it back into his lapel pocket before slightly adjusting his black tie. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Todoroki. You're free to go."
The boy nodded and stood from his seat, offering a brief, polite bow before taking his leave.
Todoroki emerged from the small room, stepping out into the quiet hallway. The air was heavy and warm despite the dropping temperatures outside; the fluorescent lights overhead cast a yellow-tinted brightness over the speckled tile floors. The rattling of an unseen heater was accompanied only by the hushed chatter of his classmates gathered a distance down the hall.
"Todoroki!" Midoriya waved from where he and a few others sat, beckoning for him to join.
The stoic boy made his way over to the small group, taking a seat next to Iida.
"Why did they call us in again? We already spoke to the police after the attack," Uraraka asked quietly, big brown eyes swimming with nervousness.
"I asked, but the one who questioned me wouldn't say. He just kept brushing it off," Yaoyorozu admitted with a slight frown.
"The same thing happened to me. Do you think they have new information or something? Maybe they're going over the attack because they found some new clues?"
"It's possible, but why wouldn't they just tell us, ribbit? It would be easier if we knew what they were looking for."
"This is probably just procedure. They're just doing their jobs," Iida reasoned, though even he found the situation to be a bit unusual.
"But it's still weird, right? It's been weeks since the attack, and suddenly they call all of us in out of the blue? They must have found something!"
"I haven't heard anything about that on the news."
"Maybe it's really important? Maybe they can't tell us because it's confidential?"
"Do you think it has to do with Sacrosanct?"
"Probably? I feel like they were asking a lot of questions about… well, you know."
"Yea, maybe they're close to catching them?"
"I hope so..."
A quiet squeak sounded from down the hall as one of the doors pushed open. Kirishima stepped out from behind it, his eyes scanning the hall before quickly landing on the small group. He smiled faintly, waving as he made his way towards them. His usual cheerfulness, however, appeared strained.
One by one, the doors along the left wall of the hallway opened as their classmates stepped out, slowly filling the narrow walkway with growing chatter.
One particular door at the far end, however, hadn't budged since they arrived.
"Are you done asking your dumbass questions?"
"Not quite, Mr. Bakugo. Can you tell me more about what happened after you made it onto the roof?"
"I fucking told you already: that Icyhot bastard was up there."
"With Unknown?"
"Yea."
"Were they fighting when you first arrived?"
"Who knows?"
"Do you remember if either of them were injured at the time?"
"Icyhot was fine, and I fucking doubt he did any damage to her."
"What about you? Were you injured during your conflict with Unknown?"
"As if. She just kept running- hardly even spared me a damn look."
"So you weren't?"
"That's what I just fucking said. Closest that damn traitor got was ruining my gauntlet."
"I see. Is there anything else in particular you remember about the attack?"
"Who knows? It's been nearly a month; as if I can remember that far back."
"Alright then, let's move on to something else. Can you tell me about what Unknown was like during the time you knew her- when she called herself Ito Naoko?"
"No."
The man looked up from his notepad in surprise. "No?" he echoed.
"No, I'm not going to talk about that."
"Sir, please understand, even the smallest piece of information about her behavior or habits could help us-"
"I said no!" Bakugo snapped up from his seat, slamming both hands down on the wooden table. It rattled loudly under his force, startling the officer. His mask of seething calmness tore away in an instant, replaced by white rage twisting his features, pupils shrunken and lips pulled back in a snarl.
"Sir, please sit down," the officer raised a wary hand, his stiffness betraying his composed tone.
Bakugo only sneered, gritting his teeth as he dragged his seat forward and carelessly dropped back into it. He crossed his arms and threw his glare off to the side, brows angled sharply.
"Not like it would fucking matter even if I did," he growled under his breath, "all that shit was fake. I don't know a damn thing about her."
"It's difficult for anyone to fully get rid of their real personality, regardless of how much they try. It's likely you know more than you think. Try to remember, did she ever mention anything about her family?"
Bakugo sighed heavily, irritation seeping from every inch of his pale complexion.
"She said her parents were friends of mine, but that was obviously bullshit..."
"Anything besides that?"
"I don't fucking know… she mentioned something about having siblings one time."
"Good, that's good. What else?"
He sighed once again, tipping his head back as he racked his brain for the words he could only faintly recall.
...
"Say, 'Suki, what's it like being an only child?" Naoko tilted her head curiously as she prodded his side.
It was another sweltering summer day, and Naoko once again found herself in his room, lazily splayed across the bed as her arms dangled over the side. Bakugo had shifted his desk chair over next to where she lay. He was leaned back, hands behind his head as his feet rested on the edge of the mattress. An ever-present frown rested on his relaxed features as he peered down at her.
"Where did that come from?" he raised questioning eyebrow, swatting her hand away as she again tried to nudge his side.
"Just curious," she grinned innocently, rolling over onto her back. Her head tilted off the side of the bed as she smiled at him, gazing at his newly upside-down form. "Isn't it lonely? I feel like I'd get bored if it was just me..."
"Yeah, no. I'm good," he snorted, "I can barely stand that old hag anyway. I'd probably lose my shit if there was some puny copy of her running around."
Naoko blinked owlishly at him, an amused smile appearing on her lips. "Suki, you know you're exactly like your mom, right?"
"No I'm not! Shut up!"
Laughter bubbled to her throat as she prodded at his leg with uncoordinated, playful taps, "Whatever you say!" she giggled, batting him away as he began kicking at her in protest.
"I didn't know you had siblings, loser," he huffed, retracting his legs defensively as he purposefully changed the subject.
"Oh? Well, I do."
"Older or younger?"
"Well…" she hesitated, glancing off to the side. She seemed to debate something in her head.
"Well what? It's not a trick question, dumbass."
"I know!" she huffed indignantly, "I was just about to answer! They're younger!"
"What, so you're the oldest? Sure don't act like it..."
"That's mean! They're not that much younger than me!"
"Whatever you say, loser."
She huffed again, sticking out her bottom lip as she pulled away from him childishly. She rolled to the foot of the bed, facing the opposite direction as she crossed her arms.
"Oi, I know you don't get offended that easily. Quit pretending, dumbass," he rolled his eyes.
His disregard, however, quickly evaporated as soon as a quiet sniffle reached his ears. His eyes instantly snapped back to her, and the slight tremble of her shoulders sent a chill up his spine despite the heat of the room.
"H-hey, what are you doing?" he demanded, frowning apprehensively upon receiving no reply.
Bakugo quickly sat up and rose to his feet, shuffling over to the edge where she was curled. Cautiously, he placed a hand on her shoulder and gently shook her.
"Oi, you're not crying… are you?"
He received only a sniffle in reply, instantly throwing him into an unfamiliar panic.
"H-hey! I didn't mean it like that! Crap, you know I just say shit! Don't take it seriously! C-come on-"
She lifted her head slightly, just enough to peek up at him. A smug, satisfied grin curled on her lips.
Realization dawned on him as his expression visibly morphed from concern to fury in a mere second.
"I always knew you were just a big softie," she grinned.
"I'LL KILL YOU! SHITTY DAMN IDIOT, I THOUGHT YOU WERE ACTUALLY CRYING! WHAT THE FUCK?!"
"Hush now, 'Suki. We all know how much you like me," she teased with a sing-song grin, catching one of his hands between her own and swinging it cheerfully.
She didn't seem to notice the rest of the shouting, nor the explosions going off in his other hand, nor the way he turned bright red at the accusation.
"Oh, don't be like that!" she smiled as he tore his hand from her grasp, stomping back over to the chair and forcefully sitting down, arms crossed with tick marks all over his face. She shuffled back over to him, hands reaching out with a playful gleam in her eyes. "Please don't be mad!" she whined, flashing her best apologetic smile.
"I'm not mad!"
"That's good! Anyway, what were we talking about?"
"Your stupid siblings!'
"Oh, that's right."
"Keep talking!"
"Alright, alright, no need to shout. Let's see... most of us are pretty close in age. One is a year younger, two are two years younger."
"What? They're twins or something?" he grumbled, still glaring down at her. Internally, he kicked himself for sounding more interested than he intended to.
"Yea, something like that," she nodded.
"So there are three more of you? What a nightmare."
"Four, actually. I have another younger sister."
"Gross."
"Katsuki!"
"Yea, yea, whatever... how old is that one?"
"Well, she would've been eight this year."
"Would've?"
"She died a year ago."
"Oh." Bakugo grimaced, suddenly all too aware of his insensitive words. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, throwing a wary glance her way. He noticed she was still smiling, though it seemed heavier than usual.
"It's ok, you didn't know," she waved dismissively. "Let's talk about something else!"
"...right."
"Are you excited for the training camp? I hear it's in the mountains!"
"Sure, but only because I get to kick everyone's asses again."
"As confident as ever, 'Suki- how cute!"
"Shut the hell up! I am not cute!"
...
That seemed like a lifetime ago.
Bakugo didn't notice he was scowling until the officer cleared his throat, drawing his attention back up to him.
"Did she mention anything else about them? Maybe their names?"
"No," he grunted, leaning back in his seat harshly, "that was it."
"I see," the man nodded, making note of something on his memo pad. "That should be all for now. Thank you very much for coming in this time, Mr. Bakugo; I know this can't be easy for you. If you ever recall any more information regarding Unknown or the recent attack, please don't hesitate to contact me," he stated, sliding a business card across the desk. "You're free to go."
The sun had begun to set by the time they were released from the police station. The man that brought them in that morning thanked them once again before announcing they were all cleared to leave.
Uraraka and Yaoyorozu were among the last few in the building, having gone off to search for the bathroom after the man left. It would be getting dark in a few hours; they would have to start heading home soon.
"Hopefully this is the last time we have to come here," Yaoyorozu sighed as she rolled her stiff shoulders, having been stuck sitting for the better part of the day.
"Yea, I've never been in a police station before a few weeks ago," Uraraka agreed.
The hallway was vacant and quiet. Most of the workers had already left for the day. The soft clicking of their shoes barely bounced off the plain walls: the only sound to fill the otherwise silent hall.
They made their way around a few corners and past countless doors as the scenery slowly became less and less familiar. Or perhaps they were just getting tired? Regardless, it took nearly twenty minutes of increasingly nervous wandering for them to realize... they might be lost.
"I could have sworn we came this way…" Yaoyorozu frowned, glancing down an intersecting hall that looked identical to the one they were waiting in earlier.
"I thought so too… maybe we should keep walking? We're bound to find the stairs eventually."
"Right, this building isn't that big. Let's keep going."
The pair continued down the hallways in as straight of a line as they could. They once spotted what looked to be a policeman in a bright orange vest down the hall, but he didn't seem to hear their calls before disappearing into the next corridor, too far away for them to catch up. They ran after him regardless, though as expected, by the time they rounded the corner, he was nowhere in sight.
Once again left with no bearings, the pair opted to continue down the path the man had disappeared to, hoping it would lead them to an exit.
Another few awfully long minutes ticked by, the silence seeping heavy through their skin.
"I think we entered a different wing of the building at some point..." Uraraka sighed, hands rubbing her forehead in exasperation.
It all looked the same: the same white walls, the same tiled floors, the same scattering of posters and corkboards along the walls.
"Do you think any of the others are still here? Maybe one of them at least remembers the room numbers we were near?"
"Good idea; I'll ask," Uraraka nodded, a spark of hope flickering in her weary mind.
They continued forward as they waited for a response, passing more indistinct wooden doors as they wandered.
Suddenly, a faint noise reached their ears.
"Hold on," Uraraka paused, tugging on the other girl's sleeve to catch her attention.
She strained her ears in the silent hallway.
"Are those voices?" Yaoyorozu gasped, the distant words just barely loud enough to hear.
They glanced at each other, eyes wide with hope as they took off down the hall, listening attentively as they followed the direction of the voice.
The sounds grew a bit louder as they crossed the corridor, now clear enough to make out two distinct voices. They glanced through each open door, leaning close to the wall in search of their potential savior.
"Wait!" Uraraka whispered, peeking through a half-open door a few feet in front of Yaoyorozu. "Momo, come here! Look!"
The said girl dashed to her side and leaned in beside her, following her gaze.
"Is that…?"
"Mr. Aizawa?"
The room behind the door was dark, but there was a connected room with its lights on, the door open wide, giving them a clear view of the familiar teacher speaking with someone they couldn't fully see.
"But Mr. Aizawa didn't come with us when we were brought in this morning," Yaoyorozu whispered, tilting her head in confusion.
Their low yet distinct voices reached the girls easily, allowing them to make out most of their words.
"They're talking about Sacrosanct?"
"And the League too!"
"Hold on, what did they just say? Something about a manager?"
"I think so… that's weird..."
"They're saying something about the attack."
"Wait, no- I think they're talking about a different attack! He said it's going to happen soon!"
"They must have figured out what the League of Villains is targeting next!"
"Huh? What did Mr. Aizawa just say about Unknown?"
They quieted as they leaned in a bit further. They had no luck, however, as the other man's phone rang, interrupting their conversation. After exchanging a brief few words, the man hung up and rose to his feet, motioning for Aizawa to follow as he made his way to the opposite door on the other side of the office.
They watched as the men stepped out of the room, the door clicking shut behind them.
They remained still for a moment, listening to the fading footsteps.
Uraraka stood and quietly took a step into the connecting room.
"Wait! What are you doing?!" Yaoyorozu whispered as the girl cautiously tip-toed across the dark space.
She didn't seem to hear her as she slipped through to the other side, reaching the open door to the office where the men were just speaking. Yaoyorozu bit her lip, quickly glancing around before shuffling after her.
"What are you doing?! They'll catch us!" she whispered frantically, watching in confusion as Uraraka carefully approached the desk.
"I just want to see what they were talking about! Don't you think it was strange?"
"I don't think we're allowed in here!"
Uraraka silently reached the large desk at the center of the far wall. It was unassuming: a computer angled on one side next to a black corded phone, a few small stacks of paper lying about, and the standard array of office supplies scattered here and there. She stopped next to the worn leather chair and leaned forward, her eyes instantly scanning over the stacks of papers.
Expense reports, arrest records, contact numbers… no, that's not it.
Bills, a daily planner, a memo pad… not it either.
Employee forms, some formal statements… a manila envelope.
Uraraka slid the large envelope out from under a pile of police reports. It was thin and light, and on the back was stamped a large red 'Confidential' sign. A bit cliche.
"Ochako, we should leave before they come back! We could get in big trouble for this!"
"Just a second!"
She lifted the small metal tabs sealing the envelope and opened the flap. Tilting the file, a small stack of papers slid out onto the desk.
The very first document made both their eyes go wide.
Yaoyorozu's worry was momentarily forgotten as she stepped closer to the desk, leaning forward as if to confirm what she thought she was seeing.
"...why...?"
New questions flooded their minds as they glanced over the neat black ink printed on the page, seemingly taunting their inability to understand the ones they already had.
"...why… why do they have-?"
The sound of a door closing down the hall jolted them from their trance. They quickly glanced at each other, eyes wide.
Faster than she thought was possible, Yaoyorozu pulled out her phone, angled it over the papers, and took a rapid burst of pictures before Uraraka jammed the documents back into the large envelope, forcing the flap down and shoving it under the nearest stack of papers.
The two dashed out of the office as if their lives depended on it, bolting across the next room and out the way they came just seconds before they heard the office door click open behind them.