Musutafu Police Station

"Whether going ahead or staying behind, it is all the same; I am unable to take you with me, so it seems that this is where we must part."

-Lord Tokugawa's Death Poem

Okay that's nice, but where were you buried, Shogun-sama? And what does it have to do with Hollyhock and Tamaryu? I have only five hours left.

Izuku flipped through his biography on Tokugawa Ieyasu.

It was lucky that he had been reading up on the man before the trip he and his mom were supposed to take.

It was luckier still that he managed to get Tsukauchi-san to pilfer it from his room, along with a change of clothes.

The man was a detective now and, until they could get a hold of someone to take care of him, his guardian.

That was fine with him. The detective had managed to get the boy set up in an old interrogation that wasn't being used anymore and was bringing him food as well.

Speaking of food and Tsukauchi-san…

Creeeak!

"Midoriya-kun, I've brought you some lunch. It's… not much, but it's better than nothing."

Slam!

Izuku heard the sounds of the man coming closer setting something down on the table in front of him.

He didn't have to look away from his reading to know that the man had gone to Smile Burger.

He'd recognize the scent of a Small Might Meal anywhere.

Uttering a quiet 'Thanks' and pulling a burger from the bag, Izuku dogeared the page he was reading before closing the book and asking Tsukauchi a question that he'd been asking for a day and a half.

"Have you found her yet?"

Tsukauchi sat across from the boy and set the small stack of files that he'd been holding down on the table before answering, "Not yet. We've identified a few people from eyewitness reports and have warrants for their arrest. If anyone sees them, we'll know immediately."

"What about Akatani? Who is he?"

Tsukauchi pulled what looked to be the thickest file that he had from the stack and slid it across the table to Izuku, who opened it up and began to skim the first page.

"Mikumo Akatani, age 23. Patriarch of the Yamikumo Clan, a subsidiary of the Omi Alliance. Apparently they're made up of old members of another family called the Go-Ryu Clan, but that's hardly important now. What is important, is that he shouldn't even be here in Musutafu."

"He said… he was here for me."

"Yes, you told us that, but we don't know why, exactly."

"Are there any heroes on the lookout?"

Tsukauchi looked at him, eyes awash with pity.

"Ah, well. We're trying, and we 've gotten a few locals on the line. A lot of the heroes wanted to help, but they're also incredibly busy."

Izuku watched the man's eyes flash silver at the final statement.

His stomach turned.

Is that really how things were?

Musutafu wasn't all that dangerous.

A villain would attack here and there, but overall, it was mostly quirkless crime on the streets.

U.A. was literally right up the hill. A short train ride or a taxi away.

But this is how it goes. Not all men are created equal and those that are lesser get thrown away.

He'd learned that at age 4, but he'd never been truly able to apply it until that point.

The point where it all sat right in his face.

After the news that his uncle was shot, Izuku sat by the radio for hours upon hours.

He waited for something more.

More news on what happened.

He flipped from station to station just waiting.

But just like his uncle, no news came.

The world just moved on.

No heroes on the case.

Didn't seem like the police cared, not really.

It was just a quick broadcast and then… nothing.

And so, he waited. Waited for an uncle who was never going to come.

Not all men are created equal and those that are lesser need to work twice as hard as the norm.

So he would.

He wrapped the half-eaten burger in his hand, and put it down on the table before picking his book back up and opening it to the page that he had dogeared. He never noticed the worried look on Tsukauchi's face.

"350 years after the Shogun's death, a flower bed in the shape of his crest was made using Tamaryu and white and brown gravel at his castle in Sunpou (See image at bottom of page). It is a common misconception that this is where the Shogun was buried when, in fact, his resting place is-"

Izuku skipped the rest of the text, gaze shooting straight towards the bottom of the page.

Bed of Tamaryu and… the Shogun's crest, the Hollyhock.

"Meet me at the place where the Shogun rests under Hollyhock and Tamryu."

That's not where he was buried, but people think it is, so that where he 'rests'.

So that means-

Tearing that page out of the book and closing it, Izuku slid his chair back and stood up.

"Tsukauchi-san, I need to go to the bathroom."

The detective looked up from a file that he'd been skimming.

"Oh, sure. It's just down the hall. Just give me a sec, I'll take yo-"

"No!"

Tsukauchi jumped slightly at the boy's rise in volume.

Izuku composed himself and quickly explained himself, saying, "I'd rather go alone. I can find it myself."

At that, he turned and walked towards the door.

He muttered a soft 'Thank you' before opening it and heading off down the hall.

Never noticing the perturbed frown on Tsukauchi's face.

The bathroom was just at the end of the hall and, in it, a window in the corner-most stall.

That was good. At the very least, he wouldn't have to try his chances walking out the front door.

Okay, up and out, right?

Walking to the stall and closing the door, Izuku looked up towards the window.

Yep, up and out.

A quick climb atop the toilet and then a hop and Izuku was on the window sill.

He pushed the window open and was quickly greeted with the sight of iron bars.

Of course.

He could feel frustration and panic building. He needed to get out. He needed to get out soon. If he didn't Tsukauchi was going to come looking.

He grabbed onto two of the bars and started shaking them.

C'mon, come loose.

When he felt that that wasn't working, he shook harder. He could feel the Heat in his body building.

C'mon. C'mon. COME LOOSE, DAMMIT!

And a moment later, he was still holding the bars.

But they no longer connected to wall.

And the bits of the wall that they had been connected to were slowly crumbling onto the asphalt below.

He dropped the bars and clambered out the window after them, falling to the ground with a soft thud! in a crouch.

Okay. First, home. Then I'm coming, mom.

Sneaking in and out of the apartment was easy enough.

He was only there for two things and they were both in his room.

Now he just needed to hop on a train, closest station was Tatooin, and make his way to-

"Hey, brat!"

Dammit, not now.

He started walking faster.

"Don't ignore me, ya little prick!"

And faster still.

He heard a frustrated growl and three sets of hurried footsteps behind him.

Woosh!

He quickly ducked under the fist that came flying at the back of his head.

He knew exactly who it belonged to and felt no remorse when he swung around and lodged his fist into their stomach.

Kōgan-chan fell with a pained groan and the wind knocked out of him.

He stared down Oshiri-chan and Chinpoko-chan, who stopped in their tracks.

Oshiri-chan looked towards his leader, who looked back at him, before he came charging at Izuku with a fury in his eyes.

Chinpoko-chan stayed rooted to his spot.

When Oshiri-chan got close, he threw a punch which Izuku moved to avoid-

Thwack!

Before catching a kick to his side and flying off to the side.

A feint?

Thud!

He hit his head after he fell. Blood filled half of his vision as it spilled from his split crown.

"I-I got him…"

Oshiri-chan couldn't seem to believe his eyes.

While he was seemingly stunned, Izuku picked himself and rushed at him with unbelievable speed.

Crack!

It took a moment for Oshiri-chan to realize that his nose was broken as it began to bleed, and he fell back, too shocked to scream or even groan.

Izuku turned to Chinpoko-chan, who seemed rooted to the spot that he had been standing in that entire, and advanced.

Chinpoko-chan looked like he wanted to run or scream or do anything that would get the boy away from him.

But he couldn't do anything but stare.

Good. Then listen close. I'll only say this once.

He leaned in really close and whispered in the man's ear, before he got up...

And walked away.

Leaving three men, one groaning on his back, another bleeding on his ass, and the last wide-eyed with a dark stain at the front of his pants.

On his way to Tatooin Station, Izuku was stopped once more.

This time by another familiar face.

"Hello, Midoriya-kun."

Crap.

"Tsukauchi-san. What are you doing here?"

"That's my line. I was worried when you didn't come back from the bathroom, so I went to check on you. Imagine my shock when I saw the window open and the bars taken off of it."

"Tsukauchi-san please list-"

"No, Midoriya-kun, you listen to me. I know you're worried about mom. And I know you're frustrated-"

"Tsukauchi-san-"

Tsukauchi raised a hand and Izuku stopped talking.

"But, you should have told me."

What?

"Midoriya-kun, you're a good kid. A really good kid. You help just anybody who asks, and you almost never ask anything in return. And your mother's always been good to me. If you would've asked, I would've helped. Why do you think I set you up in that interrogation room? I wouldn't pull those strings for just anybody, you know. So please, Midoriya-kun. Talk to me. I want to help."

Izuku looked the man in the eyes and saw them flash gold.

He nodded and pulled the page from the book out of his pocket, showing it to the man.

"Alright, so I think I found where they went. Akatani said something about meeting him at the place where the Shogun rested under Hollyhock and Tamaryu. I kept thinking it was the place where he was buried, but that's not it. It's the place where people think he's buried. With his crest, the Hollyhock, made out of Tamaryu."

Tsukauchi's eyes widened.

"So that means..."

Izuku nodded, his gaze steely, "That's right, Akatani took my mother to Ieyasu Tokugawa's castle. And I'll be going to get her back."

"You mean-"

"That's right. I'm going to Shizuoka. And I want you to come with me, Tsukauchi-san."

I need a nap.