Izuku's POV

Dreamscape

The memories came back. Distant sounds, distant sights, distant thunder.

"Snake Lady, Snake Lady! Respond! What are your sector coordinates?" shouted a voice in his ear.

Izuku had the only working ear piece. It was ancient technology but still worked to their surprise. The find had been a lifesaver.

Conklin was angry. They weren't supposed to be here.

They were heading into forests of Japan and Delta would not break silence. He knew where they were and that was all that mattered. Command could go to hell, he wasn't about to give the League monitoring posts an inkling as to where they were going.

"If you won't or can't respond, Snake Lady, stay below the 3rd story buildings! This is a friend talking, you assholes! You don't have many down here! Their radar will pick you up over six-fifty."

I know that, Commans, and my men know it, even if they don't like it, and I still won't break silence.

"Snake Lady, we've completely lost you! Can any retard on that mission read a map?"

Yes, I can read one very well, Command. Do you think I'd go up with my team trusting any of you? Goddamnit, that's my brother down there! I'm not important to you but he is!

Gordon Webb was not his brother by blood but they were as good as. He had a small telepathic quirk that gave made them friends. To abandon him was not an option. It was never an option. Even if it cost him his life.

"Snake Lady, Snake Lady! Abort! If you can hear me, get out of there and return to base camp. It's a no-win! Do you read me? Abort!."

"What do you want to do, Delta?"

"Keep flying, mister. In three more minutes you can get out of here."

"That's me. What about you and your people?"

"We'll make it."

"You're suicidal, Delta," sighed the Frenchman.

"Tell me about it.… All right, everyone check your chutes and prepare for cast-off. Someone help Echo, put his hand on the cord."

"Déraisonnable!"

The memories shifted to another.

Madness. The explosions were all around him now, blinding, deafening, punctuated by ear-splitting screeches from the jungle that erupted with each detonation. The jungle!

The wet, hot stench was everywhere, but they had reached it! The base camp was theirs! An explosion to his left; he could see it! High above the ground, suspended between two trees, the spikes of a bamboo cage. The figure inside was moving. He was alive! Get to him, reach him! A cry came from his right.

Breathing, coughing in the smoke, a man was limping toward the dense underbrush, a rifle in his hand. It was him, the blond hair caught in the light, a foot broken from a parachute jump. The bastard! A piece of filth who had trained with them, studied the maps with them, flown north with them … all the time springing a trap on them!

A traitor with a radio who told the enemy exactly where to look in that impenetrable jungle that was their hell It was Bourne! Jason Bourne. Traitor, garbage! Get him! Don't let him reach others! Kill him! Kill Jason Bourne! He is your enemy! Fire!

Madness. The explosions were all around him now, blinding, deafening, punctuated by ear-splitting screeches from the jungle that erupted with each detonation. The jungle!

The wet, hot stench was everywhere, but they had reached it! The base camp was theirs! An explosion to his left; he could see it! High above the ground, suspended between two trees, the spikes of a bamboo cage.

The figure inside was moving. He was alive! Get to him, reach him! A cry came from his right. Breathing, coughing in the smoke, a man was limping toward the dense underbrush, a rifle in his hand. It was him, the blond hair caught in the light, a foot broken from a parachute jump.

The bastard! A piece of filth who had trained with them, studied the maps with them, flown north with them … all the time springing a trap on them! A traitor with a radio who told the enemy exactly where to look in that impenetrable jungle that was this God forsaken forest.

It was Bourne! Jason Bourne. Traitor, garbage! Get him! Don't let him reach others! Kill him! Kill Jason Bourne! He is your enemy! Fire! He did not fall! The head that had been blown apart was still there. Coming toward him! What was happening? Madness. The forest...

End of Dreamscape

Izuku shot up from his sleeping back. Wild green eyes searching for the perceived threat. A threat that was not there.

The only sound was the soft breathing around him. Even Echo was fast asleep as odd as it was. Rest was a weapon. Standing he brushed his hands down his t-shirt and pants.

A part of him wanted to wake his friends. No his brothers and talk to them assuring himself of what time he was in. Such a thing however would be selfish. He couldn't do that not after they finally found rest.

Izuku knew they had not found peace. Peace was an illusion for them. Rest however was a weapon that each of them needed in order to function. So he would go out alone this time and drink until the memories were nothing more than a blur.

Izuku moved over to the bag that was in a corner. It was their alcoholic drinks bags that Echo bought with some of the money he earned. All of them drank it except for Katsuki.

Pulling a bottle of whiskey Izuku headed out of the building. Three blocks away Izuku climbed up onto the roof. There he would wallow in his misery.

Tsukauchi's POV

An annoyed growl escaped him. It was almost 2:30 in the morning and he was having to walk home. His car had chosen tonight to decide to need a new battery. With all the shops closed for the night he was forced to walk home.

It wasn't that the dark made him nervous. Far from it considering his chosen profession. That did not mean he wanted to tempt Fate by being outside at 2am in his uniform. Doing so was begging for for trouble.

Unfortunately for him he didn't have much of a choice. Naomasa had stayed later than most of the precinct. Only officers on patrol were still there. This meant he couldn't get a ride back to his apartment.

Grumbling under his breath as he turned the second to last turn before his apartment his gut suddenly screamed at him. His muscles bunched in preparation for an attack. If there was one thing he learned he learned from his profession was that one did not ignore one's instincts. To do so was as good as signing your death warrant.

Straining he tried to discern what set off his instincts but he heard nothing unusual. The night was still as could be for the hour and that wasn't unusual. Then he heard a faint humming of an unrecognizable melody. No one was around him so where?

Naomasa looked up so fast his neck popped. Above him where a pair of short legs just barely discernable in the low light. A figure sat on the edge of the roof above him humming what seemed to be a sad song.

They wouldn't be... he started to run inside. Precious seconds were wasted in locating the stairs. Desperately he tried to make them up by taking the stairs two at a time.

Please dont let them jump! Please let him save them!

When Naomsa reached the roof access door he pushed it open with more force than necessary. The door hit the side with a loud bang startling the figure on the edge of the room. For one terrifying moment he thought he had caused the figure to fall. From his position and with his quirk he would be unable to save the person.

To his immense relief however the person, a child he realized was able to keep his position. The child was short and scrawny for their age. Which he estimated to be between 11-14. Messy hair fell into the child's glassy green eyes. Then his eyes fell upon the bottle in the boy's hand. That had better not be what he thought it was.

The boy slurred out, "Good morning. What brings you up this way?"

Carefully taking a few steps closer to the child he replied, "I was on my way home when I heard your humming. That was quite a song. I've never heard it before. What is it called?"

The boy turned away from him to look back over the city. He whispered, "It's a lullaby. At least that is what E," the glassy green turned back to him then shook his head, "Nevermind his name isn't important."

Lie.

So what was important about this mysterious E? It didn't seem that the child would be any more forthcoming however. Even if he was drinking what Naoamasa suspected was alcohol.

Broaching the subject with all of the finesse of a bull he said, "That's illegal you know."

The boy snorted, "Your point? It's not like anyone cares."

Truth.

Okay what the hell? Who had hurt this child so much that he believed no one cared?

Naomasa came closer so that he was standing next to the edge. The green eyes had returned to watching the city and humming had restarted. The song soothed frazzled nerves in a way that made him wonder if it was the kid's quirk.

He said firmly, "I care."

That earned another snort from the boy as he said, "No you don't. You just want me to stop drinking up here. You only came up here because you thought I was going to jump. If you knew the truth about me you would probably push me off yourself. No one care about people like me."

Truth.

That stung more than he would like to admit. What could be so bad about him that the boy thought Naomasa would immediately turn him away? What kind of person would do that to a child?

Naomasa said taking the bottle from the boy, "That's enough of that I think. What are you even drinking?"

A small sniff told him it was indeed alcohol. How in the world had a small child gotten their hands on alcohol? If he found the person that bought this he would strangle them.

"Fun police," muttered the child, "What do you want since you are pretending to care? I don't need yours or anyone else's pity."

Truth.

Naomasa was taken back by the child's defensiveness and tried to defend himself, "I'm not taking pity on you. I truly want to help you."

"Bullshit."

Naomasa sighed. His head dropping slightly in exhaustion. He wasn't good at this, not like Sansa. Children seemed to dislike him immensely. Sansa, maybe because he had a cat quirk was almost always able to connect with a child.

Sitting on the edge next to the boy he could feel suspicious green eyes watching him. Naomasa didn't look over at him. Instead he kept his body language welcoming and his eyes toward the sky.

At this point he was willing to try anything to get the child to open up. He still wasn't convinced the boy wouldn't jump given the opportunity. Still he had enough sense not to come right out and say that. That would put the boy back on the defensive and ruin any chance he had a helping the child. He did not want to go into the station tomorrow or the next day and find out this child had jumped. There was no way he'd be able to live with himself.

There they sat for about fifteen minutes the only sound being the hum of the lullaby. Then the boy said, "You shouldn't waste your time on me, Detective. There are more deserving people out there than me."

Truth.

"No one is undeserving of kindness," retorted Naoamsa gently, "I decide who is worth my time. No one else."

"You think the quirkless are worth your time?"

Naomasa hesitated and that was enough for the child. The boy stood and dropped back onto the rooftop. Green eyes no longer glazed met his onyx eyes.

The boy said, "Until you can answer that without hesitation don't pretend you care. It just makes it hurt more."

Then as if he was never there he was gone. This left him feeling confused not understanding what he had done wrong.