The only sound in the room after her revelation was the crunch of her fried chicken. Satori almost felt pity for the detective, but if she had more energy she might have laughed at his expression.
Clearly, Tsukauchi had registered everything she'd said as true. And he can't even call her any variation of delusional or crazy, because she'd provided him with two juicy tidbits of information that nobody except him and All Might should've known (unless of course, they were from the future). The first was his relationship with All Might as a civilian, and the second was the name of Shigaraki's predecessor, All For One.
Tsukauchi has significantly paled, but Satori can admire how he wrestles back his composure as he stares straight towards her.
"Well, you certainly know information you're not supposed to," he says, and he doesn't even stutter once. It must have taken every ounce of professionalism he had to avoid doing so.
"Ah, well, that's what happens when you're a time traveler! And you—" Satori spins around in the chair, "—Mr. Detective, know that I'm not lying at all. I got this information because I know it from the future, and I am definitely not crazy or delusional." Satori can't help herself as she points finger guns at him after she'd repeated herself.
Okay, maybe she might have overdone it a little. But she didn't want for there to be any room for Tsukauchi to doubt her words.
Still, it seems that hearing her say the words again and having his quirk confirm them as 'true' once again has allowed for the truth to settle into Tsukauchi's mind. He slips back into his chair, and his eyes are a little wide. After all, it's not everyday you get a self-proclaimed time traveler sitting in front of you.
"You're not lying," he manages, but Satori can tell getting the words out was incredibly difficult for the man.
"Nope," she says, matter-of-fact. She takes another bite out of her fried chicken.
"Oh my god, you're not lying," he says, but this time he sounds distressed about the fact. Satori is genuinely concerned about the man. She hopes she didn't break him, because she still needed his help with getting into contact with All Might.
It's at that moment when Eraserhead knocks at the door, startling the both of them. Satori jolts in her chair while Tsukauchi shoots straight up, mental breakdown forgotten by the sound of the hero just a couple of meters away.
"Don't tell him anything," she warns, and perhaps she should've phrased it more politely. But Satori didn't need Eraserhead getting involved in this mess. The last thing she wanted was for the man to get caught up in all of this and suffer. Plus, Satori knew that he'd certainly have his hands full with the mess that was sure to be Fumi-nii's class in just a couple of months. She didn't need to unnecessarily place this burden on the man when it would only make things more complicated.
The walls are sound-proofed, but Tsukauchi pushes some button which emits a small green light on the outside of the room. Eraserhead walks in, and Satori's not sure what he discerns from the both of them. Tsukauchi is still somewhat pale, while Satori has just been enjoying her fried chicken.
"Is everything alright?" he questions, guarded, and Satori can probably guess that Tsukauchi wants to tell the man 'No, everything is not alright!'
But the detective simply puts on a shaky smile. "Everything's fine, Eraserhead. We've figured everything out. You can go now."
Eraserhead wouldn't be a hero if he couldn't tell there was something amiss about the situation. From Satori's darting gaze between him and the detective as well as clearly abnormal state of Tsukauchi, she can tell he's itching to ask about what exactly they'd discussed.
Still, the matter is now officially out of his hands and is now the buisness of the police. Eraserhead walks towards the door, but suddenly Satori loses all sensation in her wings. She tries to stay still and relaxed, not tensing or moving despite how… muted everything feels without her feeling anything in her feathers.
"Are you fine, Tsukauchi?" he asks, and Satori wants to scowl as she realizes what he must have done. He'd probably activated his quirk on her to make sure she wasn't doing anything to the detective. Still, she'd previously told him that she had no intent to harm either of them, so it irks at her that she still can't feel anything .
To his credit, Tsukauchi doesn't do anything too abnormal that would've tipped Satori that Eraserhead was using his quirk behind her.
"I'm fine, Eraser. There are some confidential matters, but I'll call you if I need more information on anything."
Satori can feel the moment Eraserhead's quirk releases, and sensation rushes back into her wings. She wants to flex them and make sure that the feeling is still there, but so far she believes both of the men think that her quirk is a simple mutation.
It's not an assumption that Satori's going to correct yet. After all, it was always best to have an advantage that others were unaware of.
"I'll take my leave then, Tsukauchi," he nods, and quickly steps out of the room.
Well, Eraserhead wasn't one for socializing more than needed.
With the absence of Eraserhead, it was now just both Satori and Tsukauchi in the room. Both of them looked at each other awkwardly before Satori looked down towards her shoes, all muddy and worn.
Satori didn't startle when Tsukauchi leans back into his chair, clearly exhausted.
"So," he began, "you really are a time traveler."
Were they really going to go over the same things, again?
"Mmm," she says, not even deigning to give him a proper response. He looks a little disgruntled at that, but suddenly jolts after looking at his watch.
"It's nearly one in the morning," he says, a little horrified. Satori's touched by the man's concern about her sleep, but it was honestly fine. The soda she'd drunk had woken her up a bit with it's carbonation and cold, but it wouldn't last forever.
"Are you staying somewhere?" he asks her, and Satori freezes.
She really wasn't, but hopefully the tree she was in would count.
"Yeah," she answers, acting disinterested. She mourns the fact that Tsukauchi has probably dealt with evasive answers as he elaborates on the question.
"Where?" he asks, and Satori can at least recognize a lost cause for what it was.
"In a tree near the All Might statue at Sakura Square," she says, and Tsukauchi rubs his eyes at the answer.
"That's not an acceptable place for someone as young as you to be staying," he scolds, frowning.
"It's perfectly safe!" she protests, but Tsukauchi still shakes his head.
"That might be what you think, but as an officer I can't in good consciousness allow a child to sleep outside on their own. Not to mention how late it is. It's not right."
Satori raises an eyebrow. "I've had worse."
Tsukauchi blinks, as if he couldn't understand the idea of a child regularly sleeping in bad conditions. To be fair, she hadn't told him anything about when she'd come from.
But was all this necessary?
" Still—" he begins, but is quickly cut off. Satori was absolutely exhausted, and the detective wasn't making things any better.
"What do you suggest," she asks accusingly, "since clearly every option I have available to me is going to be rejected by you. Unless you want to put me in a cell or something here—"
"No!" Tsukauchi denied vehemently at the very idea. "That won't be necessary. In fact, just give me three minutes to make a phone call."
"I can always sleep in a tree in front of your house or whatever, if that makes you feel any better."
He doesn't even bother to respond to that suggestion as he takes his cell phone outside, and Satori huffs. She sips the last of her soda and finishes the fried chicken as she waits for Tsukauchi to come back in.
He returns to the sight of her throwing the bag and box into the trash can with perfect aim, and Satori has to retract her arm as she almost clobbers the detective with her cup. That would not have ended well.
"You'll be staying with my sister," he says, and Satori raises her eyebrows at that.
She scans Tsukauchi dubiously. He doesn't look like the type of person to have a sister, or any siblings at all.
"Your sister?" she asks, skeptical.
"Makoto. She's my younger sister, and stays in an apartment not too far from here. It's only for tonight, and I'll come back to pick you up in the morning."
Satori crosses her arms. "What's your sister like?"
Tsukauchi blinks. "Oh, Makoto? She's alright, if a little wild." He sighs. "Don't get scared off by her personality. She can be… overwhelming."
Satori is still hesitant about the whole matter. All things considered, she'd much rather sleep in a tree rather than in the apartment of some woman she didn't even know. Still, she didn't want to annoy Tsukauchi too much. An amiable relationship between both of them was what she wanted to keep.
If things went terribly wrong, Satori knew she could protect herself if the need arose.
"Fine," she says, tapping her feet. "Let's go."
"All right," Tsukauchi responds. Overall, after his initial reaction he seemed to have taken things pretty well, considering just what exactly she'd told him. Satori wonders if being friends with All Might required you to be adaptable to new situations.
Probably. She knew how much trouble semi-famous pro-heroes could get into, and it could only be worse the more popular you were.
She's grateful as Tsukauchi stays quiet during the entire drive, despite his incessant tapping on the steering wheel. Satori doesn't have the heart to ask him to stop, though, even if it drives her nuts.
She has to keep digging her nails into her skin to prevent her from nodding off. Satori doesn't want to fall asleep in a vehicle with someone she hardly knows, despite her belief that Tsukauchi is a good man.
It's a relief when they pull up into a parking lot, and Satori is able to make out an apartment complex. This must be where Tsukauchi's sister lived.
A young woman is standing there outside, with a light jacket as she waves at them when she manages to see them. There's a resemblance between her and the detective, with both of them sharing the same black hair and coloring. Despite how late is was, she seemed excited as she gestured for them to come inside.
Despite Tsukauchi's warning, Satori still wasn't prepared to meet the woman for the first time.
"Nao-niisan, you didn't tell me your little charge would be so adorable," she says, moving towards Satori. She takes a step back at the woman's closeness, but that doesn't stop her at all.
"Hi, Makoto," Tsukauchi says, exhaustion seeping into his voice. His posture is a little slumped too, and he's lost the more composed, professional demeanor he'd had back at the station. "Thanks for agreeing on such short notice. I know it's really late too."
Makoto simply slaps him on the back and says, "No problem! I owed you one after you bailed me out of—" Satori thinks she saw Tsukauchi pinch his sister's arm. It's not her business about what they were both up to though.
"Anyway, let's get you inside! It's a bit chilly out here, isn't it? Look at the poor girl, Nao-niisan, she must be freezing! And look at her clothes and face, she definitely needs a shower and I'll see if I have any old clothes that'll fit her."
It's all a bit overwhelming, but Satori watches with amusement as the woman glares at her older brother while he cowers a little.
"In my defense, we were more than preoccupied with more important matters…" he mutters, but then shoots a small, tight smile at Satori.
"Well, I'll be off then. Makoto, don't scare her off."
"Oh, come on! I'm not that bad."
Satori can't help but smile at the banter between the siblings, her lips tilting up without her permission. Being an only child was somewhat lonely, even if she considered Fumi-nii to be equivalent to any brother she could have ever had.
Without him, she wouldn't have even been born.
The thought of her father and what he'd done (of what he would do) sours her mood, and she can tell that Tsukauchi Makoto (who she'll refer to as Makoto in her head rather than having two Tsukauchi's in there) clearly picked it up, and there was a silence between both of them that bordered on awkward.
"Well, come inside. Takami-chan, right?" Makoto said cheerfully, breaking the tension between them.
Satori simply follows her inside without a word and only a nod.
It's sort of weird to hear her be referred to with her surname, as nobody had ever really called her or her dad by that name. Still, it's something that she has to get used to.
As Makoto locks the front door, Satori can't help the rush of euphoria that fills her at the smell of Makoto's apartment.
It's foreign and Satori acknowledge that it was very different from the home she'd had with her dad, but it still filled her with a sense of home.
A place where you could relax when you slept. Not a tree in the woods, a spot hidden by rubble and ruins, or a futon in a cramped room, but an actual home .
She whirls around when Makoto taps her on the shoulder, and Makoto jumps a little at her swift reaction.
Satori quickly backs down, sheepish about her quick response. Before she can apologize, Makoto swiftly moves on.
"So, the shower is over there. You can take it, but just be careful about the bottles, they tend to topple over easily. There should be some shower gel and shampoo in there, just yell at me if there isn't any and I'll get it from the closet. Use the All Might towel on the shelf, I don't think I ever even took off the tag on it. Everything is all standard stuff though, I don't have anything better if you needed something else for your wings, sorry. I'll try and rummage around for an old t-shirt and some pants, but yeah, that's pretty much it."
It's a sudden influx of information, but Satori is able to take it in and absorb it before nodding. She walks in the directions Makoto pointed in, but freezes when she realizes something.
"Tsukauchi-san," she starts, hesistant. "I'm going to need slits for my wings in anything you give me, so I probably won't be able to return any shirts you give me. It's better if you give me something you won't miss."
Makoto only laughs.
"Don't worry, I have plenty of old clothes. More than I know what to do with. Meanwhile, go take that shower. No offense, but you really need one."
Satori huffed out a laugh. After all, she couldn't really deny that.
"Fair enough," she said, and Makoto looked satisfied with that as she went off into who-knows-where as Satori went into the shower.
She grimaced at how cramped it was, but it was better than nothing. But Satori's wings would never be able to fit into there, and she sighed as she mentally detached most of her feathers and set them on top of the clothes she'd discarded. She'd have to find some other way to get them clean.
As she grabbed the shower gel, Satori felt relaxed as she settled into a rhythm along with the hot water hitting her, easing some of the tension that had been wound up inside of her.
How long has it been since I could take a hot shower without worrying about the time?'
Even so, Satori still felt uneasy at using up Makoto's hot water for too long, so she finished up and dried herself with the mentioned All Might towel. She attached her feathers back, but grimaced at the knowledge that she'd need to preen them. It would be a real bitch of a task, but she didn't exactly trust anyone here to help her, no matter how good of a person Satori knew they were. It was a matter of knowing them personally, and she had never really known any of these people.
Opening the door slightly, she called out, "Tsukauchi-san?"
Quick footsteps came running towards the door, and she almost closed the door so that only a sliver of the other side could be seen.
"Don't worry, Satori-chan," she heard Makoto's voice from the other side. "I got you covered."
Was that a touch of amusement she heard in Makoto's voice?
Makoto held the clothes through the crack in the door, and Satori grabbed them before closing the door. Unrolling the top, she grimaced as she realized why exactly Makoto had sounded so amused.
The shirt was a golden yellow, with the words 'Pretty Bird' spelled out across it in bright navy blue.
"Really?" Satori muttered to herself, even if she found the shirt amusing. Grabbing a feather, she sharpened it and cut out the necessary slits in the t-shirt.
Putting on the undergarments she'd been wearing before (she was glad Makoto had never brought up the subject, even if she'd deal with the hygiene issues later), she found herself drowned by the t-shirt as it came down to her knees.
At least, it explained why Makoto had never worn the shirt, and how it felt brand-new to her skin.
Unrolling the pants, she froze when she saw the scissors that were nestled inside.
She hadn't even considered that Makoto wouldn't have known about her feathers being able to sharpen themselves (or being capable of detaching themselves in the first place).
Well, at least she had an explanation for how she was able to cut the slits in the shirt.
Putting them on, she noticed how the pants at least were breathable, but not too loose that they'd be a hindrance if she wanted to run. She wondered whether or not Makoto had considered that before giving these to her, but it was still considerate of her either way.
She hung out the towel to let it dry, and then came out of the bathroom. It was eerily quiet, so she had to try very hard not to jump when Makoto came out of the bathroom.
"Like the shirt?" she asked, cheekily.
"I think it fits," Satori said without thinking, but her face turned red after realizing what she said. But Makoto only roared with laughter as she found the comment funny.
"Ah, you're a fun one, I can tell already," she said. "But young chicks like you should be sleeping since way before now, so I left a water bottle and some blankets near the futon out there. Just shake me awake if you need anything."
"Thanks," Satori said quietly, a mix of tiredness and bashful gratefulness coming through.
"No problem, Satori-chan. You need to be well rested for tomorrow anyway. My brother texted me about how he'd arranged for a meeting between you and one of his friends. He said something about you knowing who it is?"
Satori froze. There was absolutely no way that the detective had managed to set up a meeting between her, him, and All Might on such short notice.
But if he'd actually done so, it spoke volumes about how close both men were as well as the number one hero's sleep schedule.
While Satori knew that she was a hypocrite regarding sleep, she still thought that someone as important as the Symbol of Peace would be sleeping at such an hour. After all, a hero couldn't perform adequate work without adequate sleep.
Either way, Satori knew that she'd meet the larger-than-life figure eventually. She just hadn't expected it to take place so soon.
"Yeah, I know who it is," she said weakly.
"Well, as long as you're aware. Good Night!" Makoto responded, before dashing away into what was presumably her room.
Satori yawned, realizing the full extent of her exhaustion with the futon and cozy blankets on the carpet calling out to her. Grabbing the water bottle, she washed away the lingering remnants soda and chicken as she curled up onto her side, wings draping over her.
She positioned a blanket so that it was nestled under her wings, allowing for her to be draped protectively but still leaving her wings uncovered as well.
Satori's eyes drooped as she curled into the blanket a little bit more. Once again, she fell asleep, but this time she wasn't greeted with simple darkness.
It was her and her dad, standing in the kitchen together as she watched him make pancakes.
By all rights, it should have been an innocent scene. But everything felt cold as Satori knew what would come next.
Her dad was humming along to some song, distant and unfocused on the pancake he's been frying.
"Dad, you burnt the pancake!" she cried, trying to grab his attention.
He quickly snapped back into focus, but she could still see a far-away look in his eyes.
"Burnt," he muttered, tasting the word on his tongue. It sounded wrong, the way he said it, and Satori remembered how it had felt so uncomfortable when she'd heard it before.
"Dad," she asked softly, "are you okay?"
"It's burnt," he gritted out, between his teeth. "Completely useless."
"Dad!" she cried out, now very concerned about him.
He seemed deaf to her cries, however, as he continued to stare at the ruined pancake.
Suddenly, his gaze snapped downwards, towards the blue flame of the gasoline stove.
"Dad?" she whispered, as soft as a feather drifting through the wind.
His screams of anguish as he looked between the blue flame and the burnt pancake would forever haunt Satori.
She gasped as her eyes flew open, breathing heavily as she took in her surroundings. She was still in Makoto's apartment, and there was nothing wrong.
Get a grip , she told herself, even if heart thudded heavily in her chest.
She still remembered how in the following days of the incident, Fumi-nii had decided that it would be better if they replaced the gas stove with an electric one instead. After all, there would be no 'blue flames' to shock her dad (discounting, of course, her very existence ), but it did seem to help.
Still, Satori gulped down some water as she curled back into the blankets, too awake now to fall back asleep.
From her estimate of the light entering the windows, it was around 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning. Makoto seemed to still be sound asleep, as Satori had woken up pretty early.
Well, one thing was for sure. She wasn't going to get anymore sleep for now.
Satori curled back into the blankets as a sense of dread washed over her, sending chills down her spine. Today, after all, was the day she'd be talking with All Might. Everything seemed to be moving so quickly. If she closed her eyes, she could perfectly visualize Aizawa Eri's face in her last moments.
Satori couldn't bear staying buried within the blankets anymore. Shooting up, she downed the last of the water bottle and moved to toss it into the recycling.
From what she could see through the window, it was light outside, but there wasn't much. There was a beautiful tree nearby— perfect for lying on.
Satori found herself moving towards the door before freezing.
Ah, don't want to worry Makoto.
Looking around, she found a discarded spiral notebook, with plenty of empty pages inside. Ripping one out, she used a nearby pen to write out the following message.
In the tree outside. Call me when you want! :D
The face at the end was her own personal addition, taken from her dad.
Putting the note on the futon she'd slept on previously, she quickly arranged the blankets so that they weren't horrendously messy. Then, she moved towards the door,careful and light on her feet to avoid creating a disturbance.
Satori didn't stop to take her shoes, knowing that she didn't need them. Besides, it would be nice to be outside for a while without any footwear.
Scanning the surrounding areas, Satori flew up into the tree and settled down. While she hadn't seen anyone, she still couldn't allow herself to stretch her wings properly. It felt far too dangerous for her, despite knowing that she could probably leave the majority of pro-heroes in the dust. Satori, after all, was the daughter of the fastest Japanese pro-hero in recent memory.
Settling into the tree and shifting so that her limbs were in a comfortable position, Satori hummed to herself as she closed her eyes and allowed herself to take in the sounds all around her. There were cards driving in the distance, birds shifting and moving, animals chattering and squeaking— she was able to sense everything with her feathers.
Satori allowed herself to be in a sleep-like state, with her eyes closed but her mind aware of her surroundings. She allowed herself to push everything she took into the background, while still allowing her feathers to remain alert.
It would be in this trance-like state that Makoto would discover Satori in.
Never read Vigilantes (but I'm planning to), so my portrayal of Makoto might be totally off here. Doing my best, but consider her an OC if you must. Thanks for reading!
By the way, check out this rough art I created of Satori on my Tumblr with Artbreeder. Hopefully, that give you a sense of what she looks like visually!
user: justwannabeoutthere + post/636075769729368064/oc-from-my-fic-satori-takami-i-made-her-with