The Origin of Eclips

by Midoryia-Uzumaki13

(Not my story) In this universe, Izuku Midoriya has telekinetic control over fire, and his father never vanishes without a word.

17. 17

Chapter 17: Embers Remain

Still Izuku was close to falling asleep himself by the time Hizashi came to get him and Katsuki. Hizashi's anger had faded a little; he really wasn't the type to stay mad for long. Now it was just disappointment, and that was so much worse.

"Ready to go home?" Hizashi asked.

"Yeah. Are we taking the train or…?"

Hizashi shook his head. "They've got a car for us. We're getting a whole escort, and they're going to set up guards around the Bakugou residence for a while."

The Bakugou's were going to love that. But, considering that was where his own mother was right now, Izuku was glad they'd have extra protection.

"Are we going there first?" Izuku asked, unable to keep the hope out of his voice.

Hizashi smiled. It was the first smile he'd given Izuku since the fight. "Yeah, we're going there first. It won't look weird at all if we all go inside while we drop him off."

Izuku couldn't wait. He shook Katsuki awake and dodged the instinctive explosion. Mostly. His shirt was a little singed. Katsuki grumbled and glared silently at everyone, still clearly exhausted from the last few days.

They almost made it out the door, but they bumped into Detective Tsukauchi on the way out. "Oh, good, you're still here."

All three of them deflated at those words. Whatever he wanted, it was going to delay their leaving.

Tsukauchi looked at Izuku. "All Might wants to talk to you as soon as possible. He's pretty insistent about it, actually."

"Great, does he want to yell at me, too?" Izuku muttered.

Tsukauchi shook his head. "He said he'd promised to explain something to you."

It took a second for Izuku's sleep-deprived brain to remember. Eating the hair had been such a bizarre, out of place moment that he'd been half convinced he'd made it up. "Oh! Yeah, I would really like an explanation about that."

Hizashi sighed. "Well, makes more sense to stop by the hospital first while we're still in town."

"God damn it, did you losers wake me up for nothing?" Katsuki swore.

"Sorry," Izuku offered.

"You can sleep in the car while we wait for them to talk," Hizashi promised.

Katsuki grumbled about it, but the second they were in the car he curled up in the backseat and went back to sleep. He didn't stir when they arrived at the hospital, not even when Izuku stepped out with Tsukauchi and shut the door.

"He's a tough one," Tsukauchi commented as he led the way inside. "Said he didn't sleep at all when he was taken."

"We kept each other awake the first night," Izuku added.

"I'm impressed he pulled a second all-nighter by himself, and still had energy to fight."

"That's Kacchan for you," Izuku said. His strength had always impressed Izuku.

Tsukauchi signed them in at the visitor's desk and took him to the elevator, hitting the button for the top floor.

"You're pretty strong, too," Tsukauchi commented. "You held your own against Dragon, and you stood up to All for One. That's not easy."

"Someone had to," Izuku said. "He-All Might- He needed help. I know he's the best, but that doesn't mean he didn't need help."

Tsukauchi looked him over. "I think I'm starting to get why he chose you."

"Huh?"

The elevator opened, and they stepped out. Tsukauchi flashed his badge at the nurse's station, and again at the officer outside a room. Then he knocked on the door and opened it at the soft "Come in."

Toshinori Yagi was propped up by pillows. His right arm was heavily bandaged and in a sling, and more bandages wrapped around his head and around his left arm. His hospital gown hung off his gaunt frame.

He smiled at Izuku. "I'm glad you're alright."

Too many emotions. Izuku felt tears building. "Me? You're the one…you're…"

Tsukauchi gently pushed him forward, to the chair, before he stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

"How do you feel?" Toshinori asked.

"I…fine? Tired, I guess, but that's probably expected."

Toshinori leaned towards him, sunken eyes peering over him. "Have you tried to use your quirk lately?"

Izuku furrowed his brow. "No? I haven't needed to."

Letting out a loud exhale, Toshinori leaned back on the pillows. "That's a relief. I'm glad I get to explain this to you first."

"The thing about your hair?"

He chuckled. "Yeah. I…panicked, last night. I was worried I wouldn't make it out of that fight, and then you were there, and it was now or never. I couldn't let this power die with me."

"Power?"

"I'm sorry. I was still debating who I wanted my successor to be, and I wanted to give whoever it was a choice. But in the end, I took that choice away from you."

His successor? "I'm confused."

"Ah, it would probably help if I explained my quirk."

The little fanboy in Izuku woke up at those words. No one knew what his quirk really was. All Might was notorious for dodging the question in interviews. Theories abounded on the internet, and Izuku had stayed up late more than once reading through different forums about it.

And now All Might was about to tell him what it really was. He couldn't believe it. Was he dreaming?

Toshinori went on to explain One for All, how it had been passed down through the generations, from master to student, enhancing quirks and abilities people already had.

Izuku wasn't convinced that he was awake, right now. "So…you gave me your power? Is that why you're like this? Is this my fault?"

"No, young Midoriya. I told you my power was weaker, right?" He pulled at the edge of his gown, revealing a wicked scar on his left side. "I got this in a fight six years back, and it handicapped me pretty bad. For the last few years, I've only been able to maintain my muscle form for a few hours a day. The rest of the time, this is what I look like. Fighting All for One, it pushed my limit."

"So…can you… are you still…"

With a grin, All Might, muscles and all, sat on the bed. "I can still hold this form, but I doubt it'll be for more than an hour or two." There was a poof of smoke, and he'd deflated again. "And since the public knows about this form now, they're going to be calling for my official retirement."

His eyes watered again. "No…"

"It was coming sooner or later." Toshinori's smile was bittersweet. "That just gives me more time to devote to teaching, and training you to be my successor. If you're okay with that, that is. You can choose to pass on the power if you don't want it. I wouldn't blame you."

"I still don't understand what it is, exactly."

"It's an enhancer," Toshinori explained. "For me, that meant a boost in physical strength and abilities, since I was born quirkless."

Izuku's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. All Might had been born quirkless? What kind of alternate reality was this? How could he have possibly not had this power his whole life, even a weaker form of it?

Toshinori chuckled. "Yes, believe it or not, I was quirkless."

"Oh my god," Izuku muttered.

"Since you're not quirkless, it will enhance the quirk you already have. You'll still see a boost in your physical strength, but the power will be focused on your fire."

Izuku made a fist with his good hand. He was eager to test this out and see how much stronger it was. Maybe he'd finally be able to create fire. That would certainly surprise a few people.

"Don't use your quirk without me just yet. We don't know what the effect will be, or how dangerous the kickback."

He frowned but accepted that was probably best. He'd be too busy today anyway once they took Katsuki home.

Toshinori sighed, ageing ten years in that instant alone. "You also need to know about All for One."

It wasn't a happy story. Izuku understood what All Might had meant about passing on a burden now. If he kept One for All, he did feel like All for One would be his responsibility, and by extension Shigaraki and the League of Villains. That was a lot, even with the entire hero community and police department helping.

Was he really the right person for this? He was in a load of trouble for his choices last night. Putting the safety of society in his hands felt like a bad idea.

"Well?" Toshinori asked. "What do you think?"

"It's…crazy. I know you aren't lying, but it's unbelievable. I just…are you sure?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…" He looked up and met Toshinori's eyes. "Are you happy it was me there, last night, to pass this on to? This is your power, your legacy. You should decide who holds the torch next. And I'm…well. You know how I spent middle school."

He laughed. "Yes, you're not exactly Mr. Rulebook. And to answer your question…yes. I am happy it was you. I was having such a hard time deciding, but ultimately…I'd be proud to see you carry on my legacy. You've got the guts to finish what I started."

He was definitely going to cry. "Thank you, All Might. I will make you proud." He would do whatever it took to carry on All Might's legacy.

He might have just been in the right place at the right time, but like someone once told him, there was nothing illegal about that.

Xx

Aizawa almost couldn't believe that things turned out as well as they did. Izuku had some minor injuries, and maybe they would keep him from doing anything reckless for a few days, but Bakugou was fine. Exhausted, but that was to be expected.

All Might was the worst outcome of this ordeal. His true form had been exposed, and internet forums were already heating up discussions about it. He browsed through a few early in the morning, just to keep himself informed about what was going on. For the moment, most people still had on their rose-tinted glasses when it came to All Might. The bulk of the forums were just questions, asking if this was permanent.

The occasional comment complained that All Might had hid this from them and that heroes couldn't be trusted. It was par the course for any hero discussion forum, really. There was always going to be people who fundamentally disagreed with heroes.

For now, things were calm. But Aizawa could feel the uneasy balance society walked together between peace and chaos. They were at a turning point, and no one would be able to predict what came next.

Disco nipped at his ankle. He glared down at the white kitten, who continued to go after his slippers. "Stop that." He jerked his foot, and Disco fled, taking shelter with the other cats. The pack scattered and ran all through the apartment, and Aizawa sighed and picked up his coffee.

It had gone cold, and was very disappointing. He checked the time on the oven, not surprised it was so much later than he'd thought it was. He'd been sitting at the kitchen table for two hours now, breakfast half eaten, paper still folded up in front of him. The headline, of course, was about Kamino Ward.

At least the article was focused on All Might. Barely any attention was spared to Bakugou and Izuku, for which he was grateful. He'd prefer his students to stay out of the media if they could, and after such a public kidnapping, he'd been worried reporters would be breaking down their doors. But who was going to care about two random kids after the performance All Might made last night? Even if both kids were reckless idiots.

Aizawa couldn't remember the last time he'd been so invested in a fight. Watching from that lounge with Nedzu and Kan, drowning in helplessness. They were too far away to make it in time to help, otherwise they would have. That had been the goal with the press conference, but that didn't make it any easier to put Bakugou's fate in anyone else's hands.

And he'd never been so scared as when those two reckless students came back to the fight, jumping out in front of All Might like they could protect him. He'd thought for sure he'd been about to watch his students be murdered on live TV, but they'd kept their heads long enough for the real pros to actually show up.

He'd definitely lost a few years of his life watching that fight. He really needed to train those vigilante tendencies out of Izuku. He doubted he'd seen the last of them. It was why he wanted Izuku to get his provisional license as soon as possible, so at least he wouldn't have to worry about Izuku facing legal trouble for jumping into fights he should keep his nose out of.

At least he wouldn't be in trouble for fighting Dragon the other night. Considering the circumstances, no one in their right mind would try and press charges on Izuku for that.

Though, thinking of Dragon, there was a whole host of new issues. Izuku's position at UA had been compromised. The school was already being targeted by the League of Villains, they didn't need more villains breaking down their gates.

The smart thing would be to pull Izuku out of school for now, find a new place to hide him. Izuku was going to fight him tooth and nail about it, though. And even if they had Izuku transfer schools, UA would still be a target, so it only partially solved the problem.

He sipped at his cold coffee again. What was the right thing to do? Izuku would be protected at UA, especially with the new dorm system, but if the security wasn't enough he'd be there for Dragon to take, and the rest of his students would be in danger. If he transferred to Shiketsu or something, the security would be weaker, but Dragon wouldn't know to look for him there.

Of course, they'd have to explain Izuku's situation to another school, and there was no guarantee they'd even let Izuku in with his past activities. Izuku would be out of Aizawa's sight most of the day, too, and he wouldn't say he didn't trust Izuku, but. Izuku's past choices spoke for themselves.

Was it selfish to keep him at UA? Or was it the only way to make sure Izuku stayed safe?

Xx

The group chat had been practically nonstop since last night. Shouto should really silence it, but he kept hoping a new message might show up from Sasaki or Bakugou. Everyone was waiting to finally hear from them again. Seeing them at the fight…Shouto couldn't remember the last time he'd been so worried for someone else's wellbeing.

They'd both been in one piece when they were taken from the fight. Shouto held onto that fact.

He held onto the fact that they were okay, and he tried to shove down the voice whispering in his head that he should have been there. Sasaki had been fighting with a broken arm, Shouto could have done something. If he and Kirishima had been there, maybe they could have helped All Might more. Maybe it wouldn't have gotten so bad.

It was stupid to think like that. Their presence would have barely made any difference. He could have just as easily been in the way and made things worse.

That didn't change the fact that he still wished he'd been there. At least then he'd know without a doubt that Bakugou and Sasaki were okay. Their radio silence was driving him insane. Usually he'd distract himself in the gym, but his father had claimed that space when he'd come home and there was no way Shouto was going anywhere near the room if he didn't have to.

His phone went off again. Even though he knew it wouldn't be, he still hoped it was Bakugou or Sasaki when he checked. He was left disappointed. Kirishima had sent him a private message.

Kirishima

I guess it was a good thing we didn't go

Everything worked out in the end

Todoroki

I still wish we'd gone

Kirishima

Oh thank god I feel the same

Like I KNOW we couldn't have helped

But they're OUR friends

We should have been the ones saving them

Todoroki

Have you heard from them?

Kirishima

Nothing T.T

They're probably busy with the police and everything, so it makes sense

I don't even know if they still have their phones.

Shouto imagined that if they'd still had their phones, finding them would have been a lot easier. One of them would have responded to the group chat by now, too, at the very least to tell them all to shut up.

Kirishima

I feel like we let them down

Is that what this unhappy feeling in his chest was?

Todoroki

There isn't anything else we can do. We just have to wait

It…sounded a lot more comforting before he typed it out. It didn't even comfort him, so he doubted Kirishima got anything out of it.

Kirishima

Yeah. Hopefully they'll be able to respond soon

Never great at keeping conversations going, Shouto didn't reply. He dropped his phone on his chest and stared up at his ceiling.

Why did he still feel like this? Sasaki and Bakugou were fine, everything had worked out in the end. He should be glad Yaoyorozu stopped him and Kirishima. So why wasn't he? Would he have felt better if he'd been there and hadn't done anything?

The whole situation reminded him of Iida and the Hero Killer. Only, in Iida's case, no one had been able to stop him in time, and he'd needed Sasaki and Shouto's help. He'd expressed massive guilt afterwards, even though everything had worked out and the Hero Killer had been apprehended. Even if meant more heroes would have died, did Iida sometimes wish someone had stopped him beforehand?

He picked his phone back up.

Todoroki

I have a weird question for you

Iida

Oh? Ask away my friend! I'm happy to help!

Todoroki

Back during internships, and the whole thing with Stain, would you have been happier if someone stopped you beforehand?

Even though it ended okay, and it would have meant more Pro Hero deaths?

He wasn't surprised when it took Iida several minutes to respond. It was somewhat of a personal question, and to Iida it would seem completely random.

Iida

To be honest, I don't know. Obviously I wouldn't be happy if more heroes were killed, but I would have preferred if you and Sasaki hadn't been hurt.

Fighting him didn't make me less angry about what happened to my brother, but without the chance to find out I think I would have only grown even angrier about it.

I don't think I would have continued down a very heroic path without the chance to confront him when I did, and without you and Sasaki to point out my behavior.

So, no. I don't think I would have been happier. But I do regret dragging you and Sasaki into it. It was shameful.

Todoroki

Sasaki and I don't regret helping you. There's nothing shameful in needing help

Iida

So you've said. But that's how I feel.

May I ask what brought this on?

Todoroki

Kirishima and I had a plan to try and rescue Sasaki and Bakugou.

Yaoyorozu placed a tracker on a Noumu during the attack, and she could have led us right to them.

She wouldn't give it to us though.

Iida

You should be glad she didn't!!!

You could have gotten into so much trouble!

Not to mention risking your very lives!

Todoroki

Like bleeding out in an alley way?

With a serial killer standing over us?

Iida

Exactly!

I know what I'm talking about!

Your being there could have interfered with the rescue mission, too

Todoroki

I know

Logically I know that

And I know they're okay now

But I still feel…guilty, or something

Like I didn't do enough for them

Iida

You did as much as you could, Todoroki. No one expected you to infiltrate the League of Villain's base and break them out.

Todoroki

We would have had the element of surprise

Iida

NO

That was not my point and you know it

Look, as hard as it was to sit by and do nothing, it was the best option. You and Kirishima could have been badly hurt in that big fight. Sasaki would have been beside himself if that happened. Trust me, having a friend get hurt on your behalf is the worst feeling in the world. Once we can contact Sasaki again, I'm sure he'll tell you he was glad you weren't there.

Todoroki

Maybe

Thanks, Iida

Iida

Of course

And for the record, Todoroki? I'm glad you and Kirishima were safe, even if you didn't want to be.

If Iida wasn't careful, he was going to take the title for Sweetest Classmate from Sasaki and Kirishima (The class was currently in a draw over who deserved the title).

Todoroki

Thank you

He put his phone down on his chest again. This awful feeling was still crawling under his skin, but he was starting to think it wasn't going to go away until he could talk to Sasaki or Bakugou himself and hear from their mouths that they were glad he hadn't been there. But if both of them had lost their phones, it could be awhile until that happened.

He considered the problem a little longer, thinking over everyone he knew that also knew the two. The list was limited to his classmates, and as far as he knew none of them had any contact with the two outside school and their phones.

Well, Aizawa might, and he seemed to have been involved in the mission last night if the press conference had been a 'logical ruse.'

He didn't lose anything by asking, he supposed.

Todoroki

Do you have any way to contact Sasaki or Bakugou at the moment?

The response came faster than Todoroki expected. Aizawa didn't seem like the type to check his phone often, but he supposed as a hero and a teacher that perception didn't really make sense.

Aizawa

Your classmates are safe. You don't need to worry about them.

Todoroki

Can we speak with them soon?

Aizawa

I can check if they're up for it later. No promises.

Todoroki

Thank you

It wasn't the exact answer he wanted, but it was better than he could have hoped for. It was something at least, a definitive time to wait instead of a vague whenever they'd been operating under previously.

Now he just needed to find something to do until then.

Xx

Katsuki woke up when a car door slammed, but he was still too exhausted to do anything besides glare at the offender.

Izuku mumbled an apology and put his seatbelt on. There was an odd expression on his face, something between pensive and worried. His good hand came up to pull at his bottom lip, and he didn't respond to Hizashi asking what radio station they wanted to listen to.

Katsuki stretched his foot across to kick him lightly in the thigh. "What's wrong?"

Izuku hummed, frowned, and didn't respond.

"Oi."

"Thinking."

Katsuki had vivid flashbacks to an eleven year old Izuku. He'd get like this sometimes, lost in his own head and refusing to explain anything. Now Katsuki had the knowledge that it had probably had something to do with his father and something illegal, but he didn't see any reason why Izuku couldn't talk about it now. It was only the three of them in the car, and they all knew already. Their escorts were in unmarked police cars ahead of them and behind them, so they had privacy in the car.

"Is this about your dad? What did the fucker say?"

Izuku looked over at him a little too quickly, shocked by the question. Had he not expected Katsuki to figure it out?

Or was he thinking about something else entirely?

Either way, Izuku ran with it. "He said…he wanted to be a family again."

"That ship sailed and sank," Katsuki stated.

He earned a wry grin from Izuku. "I know. And I think he knows that now, too, after the other night." He dug the heel of his palm into his eye. "But now he knows I'm at UA, and that's going to be such a mess."

If that bastard thought he could get anywhere near Izuku with Katsuki around…

Hizashi hummed from the front seat. "Yeah, we're going to need to take precautions here. Nedzu talked the board into a dorm system finally, but it'd probably be safer to pull you from the school altogether."

His heart constricted. Safer or not, Katsuki didn't want Izuku to transfer schools. He'd get over it, of course, if he had to. An alive Izuku was better in the long run, no matter what high school he went to. But he was still enjoying the novelty of having his best friend back after so long.

"I don't want to leave UA!" Izuku protested. "Besides, it's like the safest place in Japan, practically!"

Hizashi held a hand up. "I'm just saying it's a possibility."

The way Izuku crossed his arm over his cast and glared at the seat in front of him said otherwise. "Can't we use this, though? We know he knows where I am now, so can we set a trap?"

"Nedzu's probably already thought of a few," Hizashi admitted. "But that doesn't mean we're going to use you as bait, kid. Just Dragon thinking you're at UA would be enough."

Izuku opened his mouth to protest again, so Katsuki kicked him. He left a dusty footprint on Izuku's pants this time. "Don't be a reckless idiot."

Izuku sagged in his seat, losing the momentum of his argument under the heat of Katsuki's glare. "We're not done talking about this."

"Nope," Hizashi agreed, popping the 'p' sound. "But let's at least let you two shower and get some real sleep first."

Katsuki had been doing a fantastic job of ignoring how gross he felt until Hizashi mentioned that. It had been almost three days since he last showered, and he felt disgusting. All he'd been able to smell for the last day was burnt sugar, and he figured everyone else around him probably could, too. And he was more than ready to smash his face in his pillow and pretend the world didn't exist for a solid twenty-four hours.

Izuku had a twitchy energy to him though, the same energy he'd had at the start of the USJ attack and before he'd run back to the fight the night before. Katsuki was going to call it Izuku's 'Dumb and Reckless' look.

He kicked him again. "I mean it. Don't be stupid. I'm too tired to chase after you right now."

Frowning, Izuku brushed the dirt off his shorts. "I don't even have anywhere to go yet. It'll take a few days of research at least before I can get even a rumor of a location."

At least research meant Izuku wouldn't disappear right away. Katsuki could catch up on his sleep and then worry about tying Izuku down before he ran off.

Satisfied, he let himself start drifting back to sleep for the rest of the ride. He was going to need as much rest as he could get before facing his mother and Auntie Inko again. They were going to be furious he'd kept Izuku a secret.

It felt like he'd barely closed his eyes before Izuku shook him awake. He could see his house through Izuku's window. Despite everything else that had happened in the last week, it looked the same. The walkway leading up to the house still had the cracks from his uncontrolled explosions as a kid. A few shingles on the roof were still missing, also his fault but he'd known exactly what he was doing, just miscalculated the force needed to blast off the roof. His father's prized gardens hadn't changed.

He'd only been gone a week, but it felt like a lifetime. So much had happened, so much was going to happen. He was exhausted just thinking about it all.

Ugh. Everyone was going to be so emotional when he walked in, too. Plus Auntie and Izuku's reunion…there weren't enough tissues in the neighborhood for this.

"Wakey, wakey, listener!" Hizashi turned the car off.

"I'm up," Katsuki grouched. He sat up and rolled his neck around to stretch out the kinks. He hated sleeping in cars, there was never a truly decent position to sleep in, but he'd been so tired it hadn't mattered today. Just one more ache to add to his collection, he guessed.

"Do you need a minute?" Izuku asked.

"I'm fine," Katsuki shot back immediately. He still needed to sleep for a week, but he could function just fine.

Then he looked at Izuku, taking in the slight trembling and the way Izuku stared at his knees.

"…Do you need a minute?" Katsuki asked.

"It's okay to be nervous." Hizashi spoke in the quietest voice Katsuki had ever heard from the man. "I think she's just as nervous to see you."

"I hurt her, so much," Izuku whispered. His signature waterworks started, and Katsuki rolled his eyes.

"Of course you're crying before you even see her." Why had he expected anything else?

"I won't lie," Hizashi started. "She is hurt. But you know what will help her? Walking through that door and giving her a big hug."

Katsuki snorted. Auntie would be hugging Izuku as fast as he could hug her. Really, it would be a race to see who reached whom first. "C'mon, Deku. You've made her wait long enough."

He stepped out of the car and rounded the trunk to the sidewalk, yanking Izuku out when he didn't move fast enough.

How was this the same kid who'd stared the League of Villains down the other day? And ran into the middle of one of All Might's fights? The paradox pissed him off.

He led the way up to his house, trusting Hizashi to keep pushing Izuku forward while he slammed his front door open. "Hey, I'm home!" He hastily took his shoes off, making room for Hizashi and Izuku behind him, but he didn't make it more than a few steps into his house.

"Katsuki!" Mitsuki yelled, jumping up from the couch. An ice pack dropped to the floor, and Masaru threw a bandaid back into the first aid kit on the coffee table. "You brat, I've been worried sick!" She threw her arms around Katsuki and buried a hand in his hair.

"What the fuck happened?" He demanded.

The living room was trashed. The table lamp had smashed to the floor, and the coffee table had a stack of books in place of one of the legs. The TV was suspiciously missing. All the pictures on the wall were crooked, a few of them on the floor.

His mother had a swollen eye and blood crusted under her nose. She moved her torso gingerly, probably something from her ribs or bruising on her stomach, Katsuki wasn't sure. His mind was reeling.

This was not how he'd left his house a week ago.

"Izuku, is that you?" Mitsuki all but threw Katsuki at his father while she attempted to crush Izuku in her arms. "You're a real bastard, you know that?"

"Uh, hi, A-auntie," Izuku stuttered.

"What happened here?" Hizashi asked. "Are you all alright?"

"Ah, we'll be fine," Mitsuki said. She pulled back a little from Izuku and fondly ruffled his hair. "You're still as tiny as ever, you hellion! At least you're in one piece, mostly." She tapped his cast.

"Did someone fucking break in?" Katsuki demanded, pushing out of his father's hug. His mother was avoiding the question. He didn't like that. She was as straightforward as he was.

"It wasn't a break in," Masaru sighed. He rubbed under his eyes. "They knocked and we let them in."

"That doesn't make it better," Katsuki spit. "Who the fuck was it?"

Mitsuki hugged Izuku again. "I'm sorry. I tried to stop them."

Izuku stiffened, watery eyes traveling around the room until landing on Katsuki. "Auntie, where's my mom?"

Blood rushed through Katsuki's ears. No.

Mistuki tightened her arms around Izuku, biting her lip.

"Dragon's men, right?" Hizashi asked softly.

Mitsuki nodded.

"We were ready to fight, but after Mitsuki took a few hits, Inko…" Masaru shook his head. "She didn't want to see us hurt, so she walked out with them."

"Did you call the police yet?" Hizashi asked.

"They've been and gone," Masaru confirmed.

Katsuki stumbled back into an arm chair, head in his hands. Of course Dragon would choose now to grab Inko. He'd failed at getting Izuku, so he came for his wife. He probably specifically came when Katsuki wasn't back yet, so his men wouldn't have to fight against Katsuki's much more powerful quirk.

Izuku squirmed out of Mitsuki's hold. The tears had stopped, for once in their lives. Izuku was breathing heavily, and Hizashi reached out slowly to put a hand on his shoulder, but Izuku twisted and slammed the side of his fist into the wall. Another picture fell, shattering the glass. "What did they say?"

"Izuku…"

"What did they say?" he repeated.

Masaru answered, scooping up the ice pack from the couch and walking it to Mitsuki. "According to the men who came, Hisashi missed his wife. They said if you wanted to join them-"

Mitsuki elbowed him hard and shushed him.

It was too late. Katsuki could see Izuku seize the words. "Well?"

"No, Izuku," Mitsuki said. "I'm not telling you where to go be killed."

"He has my mother." Izuku's eyes flashed dangerously.

For a wild moment, Katsuki thought that fist would hit something softer than a wall. He surged to his feet to step between Izuku and his mother. "Oi, calm down."

"Not until I save my mother," Izuku promised. He looked past Katsuki at Mitsuki and Masaru. "Tell me the rest of the message. I'm the only one who's going to know what he meant, right?"

"Hold on," Hizashi said. "I need you to promise me you're not going to go after him."

"Fuck no," Izuku said. "I'm going after him before he hurts her!"

"Then I'm not letting them tell you the message." Hizashi crossed his arms. "You have a broken arm, and you're already on thin ice with law enforcement, remember?"

"I don't give a damn about the law!" Izuku yelled.

"Then why do you want to be a hero?" Hizashi refuted. "You think there's any hero above the law? Do you think All Might would behave like this?"

Invoking All Might's name got a bigger reaction than any of them expected. Izuku gripped at his hair with his good hand and crashed to his knees, the tears coming back. "Fuck…I forgot…I can't…fuck."

And that made absolutely no sense. It must have had something to do with his talk with All Might this morning. Katsuki had slept through the entire trip to the hospital and hadn't really been aware of why they were there in the first place, so he'd forgotten to ask when they were in the car.

Hizashi kneeled down next to Izuku. "We'll find your mom. From what you said about your dad earlier and what Masaru said, I don't think he's going to hurt her. We've got time to make a proper plan, probably time for you to actually earn that provincial license, too."

Izuku wiped his face and took a deep breath. "Okay. But the second I have that license, I want the rest of the message."

"Only if you promise not to vanish off the face of the earth again," Katsuki growled. "I told you I'm not mourning you again."

Izuku grinned up at him. "Don't worry. I don't have any plans to go anywhere."

Why did he have the horrible feeling that his best friend just lied to his face?