WARNING: There are triggering topics in this chapter involving child abduction and child endangerment.

-Kuri-

Life was good. It was the best thing that could have happened to a kid that was in her situation, but even as a kid, she felt unworthy. After being rejected so many times, it was hard to grasp the concept that she was wanted. That she was loved. Even kids pick up on these kinds of things. Kuri had started school this week and things seemed to be going well. Having two pro heroes for parents certainly helped you become popular with her peers, but what about her birth parents? It had been so long that she barely remembered their faces, their hugs, their voices… in a warm house filled with love, she felt cold and alone.

It was the middle of the night as Kuri got out of bed and looked out the window. She was told her parents had gone away to become angels, but she never understood what that meant. Why would they just leave her here? Didn't they want their baby with them? Did they miss her? Despite not really remembering them too well, she missed them. Tears welled in the little girl's eyes as her mind raced; she made sure to stay quiet so she wouldn't wake either or both of her adoptive parents. She took a deep breath as she came up with a plan to go out and find her birth parents tomorrow.

The morning had proceeded as it usually did: Taishiro woke her up, Hina had picked her outfit for the day, she got dressed and Hina put her hair into the signature twin buns, then they had breakfast and Hina walked Kuri to the bus stop.

"Have a good day, Kuri! Daddy is going to pick you up from the bus stop today, okay? And then you're gonna spend some time at his office, okay? There's a meeting at UA today for teachers, so I'll be late," Hina explained before kissing Kuri on the forehead.

"Okay, Mama… I'll be good!" Kuri chirped, trying to not bring suspicion to her plans for later. And with that, she got on the bus. She smiled until the bus was out of view from Hina. Even at a young age Kuri understood that the teacher would call home if students were not in attendance. She just had to get through the school day and then her plan would be set in motion. The school day would go as planned and she'd get off of the bus two stops before she was supposed to in order to go look for her birth parents. It wasn't much of a plan, but she had a feeling that if she'd see them, she'd know it was them.

The class was boring, having been filled with simple worksheets and conversation. Mindless humdrum chatter filled the room at breaktime. Kuri was zoning out when a young boy with white hair tapped her on the shoulder. Golden eyes met blue. "Kuri? You look upset… Are you okay?"

Kuri jolted slightly at the touch. "Oh! Haru-chan! Y-yeah… I was just thinking…" She smiled at the boy. "Are you okay?"

Haruto nodded, "everything's been good! My mom said I was gonna be a big brother and…" the boy droned on and on to the point where she had zoned out again. Luckily, their break had ended before she had to reply to anything Haru had just said. Kuri was quiet during her classes anyways, so no one became suspicious for the rest of the day.

The bus ride went as well as she had hoped it would. With the driver being an elderly man, he hadn't taken notice that she had gotten off at the wrong stop. Kuri began walking down the street that led opposite to the Fatgum Agency when a man stopped her.

"Hello, little lady… what are you doing all on your own?" The man was scarred all over his face, a mask covering his eyes.

Looking up at the man, Kuri paled and trembled, "I-I'm not supposed to talk to strangers…" His hands were covered in cuts as he grabbed Kuri by the back of her shirt. A squeal escaped the girl as she squirmed shortly before a cloth was put over her face. Her eyes drooped and the world felt like it was spinning before she lost consciousness. The man scooped up the child and made his way back to his car. "Dumbass Fatgum brat…" he said as he dropped her in the backseat and drove off.

-Fatgum-

Taishiro had been looking through some files and paperwork as the time ticked down to when he would pick up Kuri. The kid really seemed to liven up the agency when she was there, and her interactions with his interns were enough to make his heart just turn to a bowl of jelly. The boys would be arriving after the high school let out, so even if he had to do more papers, she'd be able to spend time with Kirishima and Amajiki. Tai would even grab some takoyaki from the place around the corner to surprise her.

With 10 minutes to go, he went to the stand and ordered for himself and Kuri. Carrying two large trays and a small bag with drinks in it, Taishiro sat down on the bench close to the bus stop and began to snack on some of the takoyaki. He watched the people and cars go by, greeting them occasionally.

Standing upon seeing the bus approach, Fatgum placed the trays and bag on the bench to be able to hug Kuri with both arms without hitting her with a bag or tray. His grin swiftly dropped as he watched everyone else get off without a sign of his daughter. He quickly got the bus driver's attention. "E-excuse me! I think Kuri is on this bus?" He quickly explained, looking at the passengers, but all he got were strangers looking on in awe of a pro hero. His heart sank into his feet as someone explained the girl got off two stops ago. Taishiro had abandoned the food and drinks on the bench booking it to the bus stop that the person claimed she had gotten off on.

He was practically screaming out her name as he hurried about the streets, asking any and everyone he found, all to receive the same response. Tai felt sick with worry as he called the police reporting a missing child. He bit his lip as the alert was sent out and then he paled when he received the notification on his phone.

Shit. Any hero within a 30-mile radius gets the notifications from the police.

-Hina-

Staff meetings were never fun, especially when it concerned budgeting and Class 1-A. It's like damage and that bunch of students went hand in hand with one another. Hina was doodling on a sheet of paper as teachers tried to argue for funding, piping in every now and again when it came to the arts department. Overall, the day was mundane. There was really nothing that seemed too out of place.

That was until the room resounded with pings of police alerts. She had focused in on the doodle she was doing, not noticing all the prying eyes initially. The staff exchanged looks before Aizawa cleared his throat and spoke up, "Artiste, you might want to check the notification." His eyes bore into Hina's as she looked up from her paper and grabbed her phone.

She almost choked on her own spit when she saw her daughter's name and description on screen. The phone fell to the table with a harsh clatter. "I have to go," she said, the panic evident in her voice as she grabbed her stuff and fled from the meeting room. Her hands trembled as she dialed Taishiro, "What happened?!"

"Hina! I went to the stop and they said she had gotten off two stops before! I thought she knew the stop! Did I get it wrong?"

"If it's the one by the takoyaki stand you take her to, no! What would make her just get off randomly?!"

"G-Gummybear! I know you're worried but panicking like this isn't-"

"Our daughter is missing, Taishiro! Of course I'm going to freak out," Hina felt as if she couldn't get enough air, "she couldn't have just up and left! What if something happened to her?!" The conversation continued over the phone back and forward until Hina arrived at the Fatgum agency, trembling and a second away from crying. The lobby was filled with officers getting information from Fatgum before some of them turned to Hina to question her.

"Ma'am, did you know anything about your daughter leaving? I'm so sorry for your distress… When was the last time you saw her? What was she wearing?" A young officer asked her in rapid succession.

Hina had to sit down, getting overwhelmed with everything. She held her head in her hands as a sob escaped her. This had brought her back to the Mayhem incident. First losing her chance to have a kid and now having her daughter stolen away. It was almost too much.

-Kuri-

The girl woke up in a place she didn't recognize. She was tied down to a chair and couldn't escape no matter how hard she tried. Kuri's head was throbbing as she looked around; it felt hard to breathe as she had to breathe through her nose, duct tape covering her mouth. It was dark, but she could make out the man from earlier and at least two others.

"-right here. No, we haven't hurt her yet. Kid's too valuable to get rid of so fast," he was speaking into a phone or a walkie talkie at least, "that fat bastard is gonna learn why you shouldn't mess with the yakuza, that's for sure." The man saw Kuri trembling and looking at him with wide scared eyes. A chuckle came from his chest as he stepped closer, snatching Kuri's chin in his hand, "sorry to get you involved… not really, but hey, it could always get worse- you could be killed!" A wicked laugh erupted from him as Kuri whimpered.

Mama! Papa! Please find me soon!, she thought to herself, tears welling in her eyes. Kuri winced as a newspaper was placed on her lap and a bright flash went off. Within a minute, the "sent" noise from a cell phone sounded and the phone was thrown to the ground and stepped on, ensuring it was destroyed.