The Original work was written by Op Taipan.
土
BOOK ONE:
EARTH
CHAPTER FIVE:
COUPLED BY FRIENDSHIP
The stars in the sky above the search squad began to disappear in the face of the approaching sunrise. The sky was yet its' normal light blue, still retaining a darker shade as the sun was still unseen in the horizon.
Still. It was clearly visible now where the treetops ended and the sky began, there was enough light now to determine that much.
The chill morning breeze ruffled the squad-mates' head as it blew past, causing most of them to shiver in a futile attempt to get warm.
None came equipped to deal with this kind of situation.
Well… it was obvious they didn't see this coming. No one thought that the search would stretch out the entire night. With it being the middle of summer, no one thought to bring warmer clothing with them either, a decision they all regretted.
To make matters worse, not a single green hair of little Izuku's head was seen by any of them. The only clue they had that they were in the right direction was his discarded pair of red shoes, much to everyone's distraught.
It was unexpected, really. For what reason would the child discard his shoes and walk the forest barefoot. It could only hurt him in the end, after all.
Of course, none was more distraught than the boy's mother, Inko Midoriya. The fact that her son was running around somewhere with no protection to his little feet only added to her list of worries at this point.
She let out a tired sign, her breath visible in the morning cold. This was both the dullest and the most nerve-wracking night of her entire life.
They had walked through the entire forested area, climbing and descending mountains, going over streams, and overall doing nothing but walk around…
Amid this dull activity, however, Inko's mind was going at speeds that would have impressed a certain super-intelligent rodent.
Countless what-if scenarios plagued the poor woman's thought process as she anxiously shifted here gaze around the forest, trying to find the tiniest hint to the location of her beloved son.
Honestly, if anyone were to glance at the older Midoriya they would certainly protectively rub their necks, wincing just by looking at how fast she twisted her neck from left to right.
They spent the entire night like that. Just walking through the seemingly endless woods in complete silence, not wanting to miss any sound that could lead them to the boy. Certainly making it one of the dullest experiences anyone present ever had the displeasure of going through.
Only two instances during the night were worthy of being addressed as something worth paying attention to. One if we subtract the time when one of the officers, who had some sort of wind-based quirk, sneezed so hard he blasted himself into a tree.
That instance was when they found Izuku's shoes.
Now, hours later, having gone through a thorough search all over the mountains, they still couldn't find anything more about the boy.
It was as if the ground had swallowed him up; or as if he deliberately stayed away from them with skills that should have taken years to accumulate.
As such, the entirety of the search squad was in very bad shape.
Inko herself was tired, hungry, her muscles screamed at her to stop, and she looked like she went through hell and back a few thousand times.
How some of the officers still looked none the worse for wear was a mystery to her. In the end, after a contemplation that took more time than it would, she credited it to their training.
These kinds of ideal thoughts were the only thing keeping her standing at this point.
That and thoughts of her son. But she wasn't sure if she could think about him and not break down at this point.
Her inner monologue was continued, undisrupted by the other people present, for a few hours…
…Until she was pushed to safety by a panicking-officer-Tsukachi out of nowhere…
"Stay back!" Tsukachi ordered Inko. The greenette tilted her head quizzically, having been in her head for a couple hours, and turned her head to look at what had gotten the young officer to be so alarmed.
The sight that greeted her explained why very thoroughly.
In front of the squad, standing in low shrubbery, was a giant Ussuri bear that was currently glaring at them with murderous eyes. For whatever reason… The bear was not in a good mood.
Inko held no words of protest and obediently hid behind the armed officers as they aimed their weapons at the brown behemoth.
"What is an Ussuri bear doing here?!" a female officer, who went by the name of Dobutu Risuna*, asked.
"Is it really important what kind of bear this is?!" Dokeshi screamed at his co-worker in panic, displaying his keen ability to be a smartass in the worst situations.
"It is important" Risuna argued back. "Ussuri bears aren't supposed to be in Honshu! They're native to Hokkaido!" Once again Risuna displayed her larger-than-it-was-supposed-to-be knowledge on the animal kingdom. To be fair… When one's quirk was to be able to understand animals it was kind of expected them to know.
"Well, can't you talk to him?!" Tsukachi asked Risuna, not averting his gaze from the bear that was currently scanning them, debating what to do.
"No can do, new guy." Risuna quickly shot down Tsukachi's idea with a shake of her head "You haven't been with us for long, so you wouldn't know. But I can only understand animals, not talk to them."
Tsukachi deflated. It wasn't nice to be called the newbie, no matter how true it was. "So, what do we do now?" he asked. If the bear attacked them, there was no guarantee that they would all escape unscathed, there was no telling what it could do in this day and age. Even if he looked a bit worse for wear. Wait…
"What happened to it?!" Tsukachi wondered aloud. The bear looked like it came out of a war-zone. Dried blood stains were plastered all over its face, teeth and maybe even nose broken. Its fur was messy with the occasional branch or leaf sticking out as if the bear was hurled through the treetops for good measure.
"My god…" the old detective exclaimed in a low tone, finally noticing the shape the bear was in as well. The other detectives soon followed as their faces took on a mask of horror. What could've done this …?
The officer's gasps caused Inko to become curious. Taking a peek at the bear from her place behind Tsukachi, her gaze was locked with the bear's.
As soon as the bear laid its eyes on Inko, its eyes widen comically. Wasting no time at all, the bear let out a frightened yelp before running away with as much speed as it could muster. Leaving behind a confused group of cops and Inko.
"What was that?" Dokeshi asked, saying out loud what everyone was thinking.
"I'm not sure…" Risuna began "But when he ran away… I could've sworn he was saying something that sounded like, and I quote, "Nope-nope-nope-nope-nope-nope-nope…"
Every person present widened his eyes in disbelief, struggling to digest what had just been said to them.
"I think your quirk's broken…" Eventually, Dokeshi's reply cut through the ice, breaking the stupor everyone was in.
"We need to hurry!" the old detective called out, getting everyone's attention. "We wasted enough time, we have a kid to find!"
Ever the professional, the detective got everyone back to the mission. As the group marched forward once more, however, Tsukachi broke the silence again.
"Sir?" he addressed his superior cautiously, asking for permission to speak.
"What is it, officer?" was the swift reply he got in return.
"You saw the state the bear was in, right?" Tsukachi began.
Upon receiving a nod of confirmation he continued "I've been thinking... what could've been so powerful as to injure a fully grown Ussuri bear like that?"
As soon as the words left the young officer's mouth, everyone felt a chill run down their spines, afraid where he was going. "It's bad enough that there's a bear here, where a child has gone missing… but if something had injured even that threat… what more can be out here …?"
Inko gasped in shock, tears building up as the worst-case scenario played in her mind. "We have to hurry!" She shouted, getting everyone's attention.
Not wasting a second longer the detective gave a new order "We need to double our efficiency, on the spot! We're splitting up! I'm leading group one while Risuna takes the other one. Tsukachi! Dokeshi! Midoriya! You're with me! Everyone else! You're with Risuna! Move out!"
Not even awaiting a 'Yessir!' the mission's leader stormed off towards the unknown. Dokeshi, Tsukachi, and Inko hot on his heels.
Things could have become a whole lot worse…
While the search squad was spending the dawn after a sleepless night anxious and fretting in worry; Izuku and Chima's dawn was a tad bit different.
Both boy and Badgermole were still sound asleep in the time before sunrise, their faces relaxed and showing no signs of worry.
Izuku was gently warped around Chima's legs, an attempt of the Badgermole to keep the boy warm during the night. Hands hugging one of Chima's legs in return, Izuku's cheek was nuzzled against the cub's warm fur.
His tiny breaths barely audible in the morning air, the boy shifted a little in the Badgermole's arms as he subconsciously tried to get into a comfier position.
Having felt the child's squirming, Chima was slowly waking up from his slumber.
Yawing as soundlessly as possible, as to not wake the boy up, Chima lifted his Chin from its resting spot on Izuku's head. Sniffing around himself and taking in the world around him, the Badgermole took a deep breath of the refreshing mountain air.
They were still where they both fell asleep the night before, not being woken up since then except for when Chima woke up to Izuku's shivering. A problem that was quickly resolved when the Badgermole wrapped his frontal legs around the greenette in a hug.
Said greenette was still soundly asleep, not being woken up by the Badgermole's silent morning ritual.
Since the sun was not up yet the boy had no real trigger to be awoken, seeing as the uncomfortable early-morning air that would have done so was currently ineffective thanks to Chima.
Chima sat there silent, still acting as Izuku's pillow/blanket as he took the scene around him in. The chill and humid air were just what the Badgermole needed to get its day started as if simply breathing the fresh air was cleansing his lungs.
Around him, birds were starting to wake up as various night birds were beginning to tuck it in. The chirping of chicks demanding their breakfast felt like relaxing music to the young Badgermole's ears.
Though he couldn't see it for himself, the sky above was beginning to light up as the sun came closer and closer to show itself on the horizon. Clouds were painted with magnificent colors of bronze, orange and yellow, creating a wondrous picture for all those who could see it.
The favorite part of the dawn for Chima, however, was sensing the earth below him waking up. The dawn was a special time in the day for everyone on the planet, it only seemed right for it to be the case for the earth as well.
The low hums of the slithering snakes in their burrows as they prepared to sleep off the day; the tiny droplets of dew hitting the ground from their place on the leaves of grass; the gentle ticks of vibrations from the various insects treading about…
All these different feelings coalesced together, creating a chorus of harmony that sang out to the Badgermole, tickling his feet as he just took it all in. It just felt so right…
…That's exactly why he loved dawn so much.
And let us not forget, the moderate stomping of feet heading his and Izuku's way. They too joined into the harmony, though they were a bit out of tune with it…
Waaaiiiiit…
Chima's ears perked up in attention.
Heading their way, they were a conglomerate of beings, all of which were walking around on two feet as they walked on in a hurrying manner.
The Badgermole shivered in fear and disgust. Humans were heading their way; From the vibrations he was sensing, he could tell that they were about four.
Chima immediately got up, shaking the still sleeping Izuku and causing him to stir in his sleep.
"Ughhh…" the boy groaned, getting Chima's attention. The boy's relaxed expression morphed into one of annoyance and discomfort as he squirmed about like a child that didn't want to wake up...
Well… He was a child that didn't want to wake up.
"Hmmm..." the boy soon went back to his peaceful slumber, though. Humming in bliss as his stirring ceased and he returned to sleep.
The Badgermole eyed the form of the boy that was still sleeping on the ground.
He couldn't leave him behind like this. He was family, one of their own.
Still… There was no time left to wake the boy up and drag him to hiding. Not to mention that the boy was human too.
Other humans shouldn't be a threat to him if humans were anything like them…
That still wasn't an excuse to leave family behind, though…
And Chima would be damned if he did just that.
Running into the forest nearby and hiding in the low bushes, Chima eyed the now shivering Izuku as he stretched his hand and felt the area around him. Trying to find the Badgermole that acted as his bedsheets in his sleep.
"IZUKU!"
A load scream had caused Chima the jump in surprise and the boy to wake up with a yelp.
Rubbing his eyes to get rid of the sleep in them, Izuku looked around groggily and in confusion when he was suddenly tackled by an eccentric Inko.
"IZUKU! MY BABY!" she cried as she hugged her son with so much force he was struggling to breathe.
From his vantage point on his mother's shoulder, he could make up the form of three individuals also approaching where they were, none of them familiar to him.
"M-mo-m" he croaked, trying forcibly to separate the hug to get some air "I-…I ca-*cough *can't… b-reath… "
Inko somehow managed to hear him through her sobbing and lightened her grasp on the boy, though still didn't separate the hug. As if letting him go would mean losing him again.
The other three people stepped out of the woods and stopped there, giving them both some space.
One of them, a tall young man with black hair, said something into his communicator. Whatever that was, the boy had no idea.
"IZUKU! I WAS SO-*sob*O WORRIED!" The Midoriya matriarch continued her crying, producing so many tears that a waterfall began to form over the Cliffside.
Inko only sat there for a couple of minutes, unable to do anything as she continued to process that her missing child was found and in between her arms. All the while sobbing and crying in relief as her son hugged her back, confused but happy to see her nonetheless.
Eventually, Inko finished processing that her child was found and in front of her and immediately shifted into her 'worried parent' mode.
"IZUKU! ARE YOU OKAY?! WERE YOU HURT?! HOW ARE YOU FEELING?!" the mother bombarded the little child with endless questions as she fretted over him in worry, obviously distraught as she checked for any injuries that her son might have accumulated over the night.
Izuku, whose head was spinning from all the questions, was not in the best shape he had ever been in.
There were bruises and lacerations all over the young boy's body, dried blood specking the most serious ones that he had suffered; He was covered in dried mud and dust that was smeared all over his pale skin, painting it in a browner color; His usually messy hair, was somehow even messier with leaves and branches sticking out of it, obviously it would hurt to get them all out…
His clothes didn't escape the fury of whatever happened to him yesterday, either. They were dirty and tattered with one sleeve of his beige T-shirt missing; His shorts that were until now brand-new were now worn-out after the activities he performed the night before; And of course, he was lacking any sort of footwear, standing completely barefoot on the forest floor…
It was that last detail that spiked the mother's (and officers') attention and curiosity.
"Izuku…" the taller greenette begun, having calmed down a bit from her frenzy after a sufficient amount of time. "Why have you taken off your shoes?"
Izuku tilted his head in confusion and glanced down at his bare feet. In all honesty, he had completely forgotten that he didn't have any shoes on the moment he sensed the earth with them yesterday.
That feeling was too overwhelming for him to focus on anything else…
Plus. With him being chased by a bear and all, it was complexly understandable that the existence of his shoes wasn't at the top of his priorities.
"Izuku…" Inko called for her son, snapping the child out of his contemplation before asking him once more "Why have you taken off your shoes?"
"For my quirk." Was the deadpanned reply that came out of the boy's mouth almost instantly.
Inko widened her eyes. Now that the shock of finding her son wore off, she could shift her thought process to the past before it all began.
She remembered how Izuku tried for months to activate a quirk that he claimed he had to little results. All those sleepless nights he tried to push furniture around the house while trying not to alert her; All the times he had begged of her to take him to the doctor and re-do the quirk tests; All the time she didn't support him and left him in his desperation…
Everything.
Inko clutched her hand into a fist behind her back. Averting her gaze from the boy before trying to figure out how she's supposed to respond to that 'With everything going on I almost forgot… Izuku still thinks he has a quirk, telling him he doesn't have one like I did until now will only make things worse…!'
The woman closed her eyes as thoughts ran rampant in her mind, trying with everything she had to come up with a solution that would help her son see reality while also won't cause him distraught. 'I need to support and believe in him. Telling him he's only imagining things at this point would only do the opposite! What should I do?!'
Luckily for Inko, she didn't need to think about what to say to Izuku in a situation like that.
Though she failed to notice it, when she averted her gaze from her son, he too wandered off with his thoughts.
The same statement that he uttered only seconds before echoing throughout his mind. Only now did he realize that his mother -or anyone- (besides Chima and him) didn't know about his quirk.
A wide smile slowly building upon his face, the young boy called his mother excitedly "Mom! Mom!"
Inko was snapped out of her anxiety-filled inner debate and turned to look at her smiling son again.
"I found my quirk yesterday!" he cried out in joy while he walked out to a small boulder that was left from last night's fight on the ground beside them.
"Look!"
Izuku got on all four and closed his eyes, emptying his mind from everything besides the earth between his tiny fingers.
Inko and the officers looked at the boy confused while the familiar vibrations coursed through the boy's body, assimilating him with the earth and imbuing him with its power.
Inko soon regained her senses as Izuku slowly lifted his left hand. 'He's doing it again…' she thought sadly. This is another one of his attempts at activating his non-existent quirk. Soon, nothing would happen and the boy would enter his depression once more.
Something that Inko would give anything to prevent.
The woman stretched her hand forward in Izuku's direction as if she was about to grab him from afar or use her quirk on him, none the wiser to what was about to occur.
She didn't even have enough time to utter the child's name. Only saying "Izu-…" before the boy forcefully thrust his arms leftward and sent the boulder flying over the cliff with a large *Boom! *.
Izuku jumped back on his feet with an excited smile. Turning his head to his dumbfounded mother, he closed his eyes innocently and yelled excitedly "You saw, mom? You saw?!". The boy skipped a bit on his spot, struggling to keep his excitement contained.
As soon as what Izuku had done was fully registered inside Inko's mind, the woman wasted no time and tackled her son into another bone-crushing hug, somehow crying another waterfall of tears in the process.
Seriously, how is she not dehydrated?
The officers in the meantime we're watching the scene play out patiently from the sidelines. The sergeant wore a wistful smile on his face while Dokeshi was openly crying at the emotional scene.
Tsukachi too was smiling. They have done it after all. The child was safe.
Now all that was left to do was regroup with the other team that was already headed their way after he called them and head back to town.
He, however, raised an eyebrow when the boy telekinetically moved a small boulder with his movements 'Wasn't he supposed to be quirkless?' that was unexpected. Then again, it wasn't the most surprising thing he ever saw in his short time on the force.
That title was held by the time he was present at Midnight's debut… Makoto had accused him of being a pervert for months after that...
"MY BABY HAS A QUIRK!" The eccentric Inko yelled as she hugged her son.
Said son was currently hugging her back with tiny tears building up in his eyes, the gravity of the situation finally fully sinking in.
He has a quirk… With this, nothing can stop him from pursuing his dreams of being a hero; He wouldn't be mocked or bullied anymore by the other kids; He's going to be friends with Kacchan again…
Everything is going to be the way it should be… It was almost too good to be true…
This time, Inko took less time to calm herself down. Separating the hug to look into her son's damp eyes, the woman almost couldn't believe what she was seeing.
The light in his eyes finally returned, stronger than ever. After months without this light that used to light up her life, it was finally back! … Her baby was back!
"Wait until we tell your dad about this!" she smiles at her son, whose smile was also widening at the mentioning of his father "He's going to be so proud of you!"
Before Inko or Izuku had the time to continue the moment they shared they were interrupted by a gruff voice that had entered the conversation.
"But before any of that!" The old sergeant interrupted with a strained smile, he really didn't want to ruin the moment "We need to get Izuku-kun back to town. He still needs to be treated for his injuries as well as checked over for anything else that might have happened to him while he was alone.".
Inko nodded, understanding that her son needed treatment for everything that had happened to him while he was missing. Izuku, on the other hand, tilted his head in confusion to the detective's words. Specifically, what he said about him being alone.
"I wasn't alone." was Izuku's comment to the detective's statement. Drawing everyone's attention to him.
"Come again?" the sergeant asked the boy with a bewildered expression.
"I wasn't alone. I was with Chima!" He repeated, his voice becoming more enthusiastic as he mentioned his friend.
Said Badgermole was silently fidgeting in the bushes, unnoticed by the others present. He wanted to go back to Izuku, especially after the boy yelled out his name in such excitement.
"Chima?" Inko asked her son, confused. There was no one with him when she first saw him. He was just sleeping on the ground, shivering in the pre-sunrise cold when she woke him up with her yell.
"Yeah!" Izuku called out with happiness "I met him yesterday and he became my friend!" he explained to his mother who Chima was, his smile never dropping. "He's so big! And brown! And he's also so soft and fluffy! He showed me how to use my quirk and he likes granola even more than you! And…"
The boy stopped. Glancing around him, he seemed to look for something that was obviously not present. "Where is he …?"
"Chima!" Izuku yelled into his hands to amplify his voice. "Chima, where are you?" The greenette paced around his mother and the senior officer, trying to call for his friend that he was sure was with him when…
When… he couldn't remember. The last moments of yesterday night were all fuzzy… The last thing he did remember was Chima slamming into him before it got all dark… Dread was filing the boy's mind as a chill ran down his spine.
'The bear!' he thought in alarm 'Is Chima okay?! I gotta find him!'. And so Izuku hastened. Continuing running around the place and calling out to his friend who was still in hiding, struggling not to jump right on the boy he came to care for over the previous day.
While the boy was running rampant and yelling his new companion's name, Inko and the officers stared at the boy in bewilderment. Whoever that Chima was, he surely meant a lot for the young boy. The big question was 'why?'.
The boy's mother herself thought over the description she got from her son about his friend. Starting to sweat nervously as she pieced the pieces together. 'Brown? Big?! IS HE TALKING ABOUT THAT BEAR!'
Inko almost screamed in panic. Her beloved son was hanging around that crazy bear from earlier?! That would certainly explain exactly why the boy suffered his injuries but that didn't explain how he was still alive.
It was only that contradiction in her theory that separated the poor woman from fainting on the spot. The mere thought of her son around such a creature caused her to shiver in fright, she didn't need to learn that the thought was the reality.
The sergeant, however- not being influenced by over-protective parental instincts that caused him to assume the worst like Inko- came to a different conclusion. Seeing how distraught the woman was and after a few seconds to realize why he got close to the woman and whispered his theory into her ear. "Could he have an imaginary friend?"
Inko signed in relief. 'It just an imaginary friend… nothing else.'.
Tsukachi and Dokeshi came closer as the child continued to yell out the Badgermole's name, obviously curious as to why.
In the meantime, the more professional of the two briefed his superior about the situation. "Sir! I just received a message from Risuna-senpai! She will be here in a couple of minutes and then we can start to head back to town!"
Both mother and detective nodded in understanding. It will soon be time to go back and officially end the search mission in success.
Not a moment too soon for anyone present.
The sooner the better, after all. Inko wasn't sure how well she could handle any more stress today. She might even lose a few years out of her lifespan if anything dangerous popped up around Izuku.
The boy himself was still in a very clear need for medical attention. It would be bad if anything got infected over the night or while they waited. Figures that all their first aid kits were with the other squad.
That was the sarge's B.
"Hey…" Dokeshi entered the conversation, pointing to the still yelling Izuku "How about him? He doesn't look like he'll come quietly with us without that friend of his…"
True to his words, it didn't appear as the child would bulge. It has been a couple of minutes since he began screaming out to his friend, an eternity for a four-year-old. Yet Izuku wasn't in the least bit dissuaded if anything he was calling out with more fervor than before.
"Seems like it…" The "detective" sighed. "Looks like we'll have a very loud trip back home… You still got those earplugs, Dokeshi?"
"N-no sir" the officers stuttered, "You said that if I bring them for a mission one more time you would make me work overtime for three weeks in a row…"
"So now you listen…" The detective grumbled. If the kid would be taken away without thinking his imaginary friend was with him, he would surely cry and rampage in a fit of tantrum all the way back. Something none of them were ready to deal with after the sleepless night they just pulled.
They all stayed silent, dreading the upcoming way home that would surely be filled with none stop screaming. May God have mercy on their sleep-deprived souls and help them through this upcoming ordeal.
Soon enough, the second squad came into view and after a quick patch up on Izuku they would begin their way back. 'Well… Better to get this over with' the sergeant signed as he turned to the boy, he did not anticipate what he would have to do next…
But before the sarge could start his way towards the boy to retrieve him and begin the long trek home with a screaming boy, he was stopped by the low whispers of one of his underlings.
"Wait!" Tsukachi half-whispered, getting the attention of everyone present. "I've got an idea… Just play along..."
The young officer took the communicator out of his pocket, after making sure it was off he put it to his ear like a phone and began yelling so that Izuku would hear him. Something that those who were beside him were not happy about.
"WHAT! FOR REAL!" Tsukachi screamed into his turned off communicator in an exaggerated expression, eyes wide open and mouth locked in an artificial smile that was clearly forced.
The officers around him fought the urge to laugh out loud at his terrible acting, some having to face away to hide the huge smiles on their faces as they attempted not to burst into laughter.
The boy, however, having stopped his search for Chima by Tsukachi's yelling, turned to look at him. Izuku looked at Tsukachi forced expression with deep curiosity, buying the terrible acting due to his age.
Upon seeing that he got Izuku's attention Tsukachi turned his attention back to his prop and continued his plan "YOU SAY THAT CHIMICHANGA- "
Tsukachi paused as he felt something tug at his police uniform. Looking to his right he found the culprit to be his boss as he tried to look as discreet as possible and whispered the correction to his mistake" Chima".
"YOU SAY THAT CHIMA… "He corrected himself, the other officers struggling not to explode more than ever.
Izuku's curious gaze had morphed into a glare when Tsukachi uttered his companion's name 'He knows where Chima is!'.
"… IS WITH YOU RIGHT NOW IN TOWN?! AND THAT HE LEFT OFF EARLY TO MAKE SURE IZUKU WOULD GET BREAKFAST WHEN HE CAME BACK?!" Tsukachi continued his act, the other officers still struggling not to laugh as they realized what their kohai had planned.
The man in charge let a rare smile show on his face 'Well done Tsukachi!'
Izuku was watching Tsukachi with a wide smile 'Chima is in the town?! And he's waiting with breakfast?!' The boy ran towards the squad that was now regrouped. Jumping up and down in excitement, he practically shouted at them "CAN WE GO NOW? CAN WE GO?!".
The female officers and Dokeshi were struggling not to coo at the boy as he was acting like an excited puppy. Inko and the detective smiled and silently thanked Tsukachi for his plan to draw Izuku back without any protests from him.
Tsukachi, however, wasn't done.
"HE ALSO ASKED FOR IZUKU TO BE LOOKED OVER AND PATCHED UP BEFORE HE GOES BACK?! ALL RIGHT! TELL HIM THAT WE'LL BE THERE SOON!" As soon as Tsukachi finished his act and 'turned off' his communicator, Izuku was already sitting on a boulder like a statue as he called out to the group "Can we start? Can we?! Can we?!"
Everyone but Izuku looked at Tsukachi in amazement. To think of a plan that not only got the child to come with zero protests was one thing. But to make sure he also gets medical attention and behave while doing so was too much.
Risuna whistled, impressed at Tsukachi's results as Dokeshi went to patch Izuku up with one of the First-aid kits she brought. "Not bad newbie…" she patted him on the back.
Tsukachi rubbed his neck sheepishly and replied "Thanks. I'm not really sure where that came from, but it worked out."
Meanwhile, Dokeshi was almost done checking over the boy, clearing his wounds and bandaging him. Though he did get some protest from the boy when he cleaned the wounds and attempted to take the branches out of his hair. A task that he thought was worthy of a hero considering how tough that was.
Having finished his job, Dokeshi began to pack his equipment as Izuku got up. Glancing towards his mother who was currently conversing with the detective, giving him words of gratitude, he stopped at the sight he saw.
Inko's body that up till now was cast in shadows, much like everything was, was now illuminated by a golden light.
Looking around everything was shining gold for some reason…
Turning around to look at the source, Izuku was rendered breathless. The sun was seen rising on the horizon. Coming out of a sea of greenery below him, it shone golden as it painted the scenery with its color.
The clouds in the sky; The ground he stood on; Even himself! All were painted golden by the sun's rays.
It was the most beautiful thing he ever saw.
"Wow…" was the only comment the boy made. He saw so many beautiful things here: The night sky, The lush forest; And now this…
This would be a day he will remember forever…
...And this would be a place he would forever cherish.
Turning around, his mother and police also watched the sunrise in awe, also captivated by its beauty.
Smiling to himself, Izuku caught up with them and snapped them out of their awe with an excited squeal "Let's go!"
Having been so excited about finding Izuku, none of the officers' present gave a single thought towards the difficulty of the task to return to town. They were now regretting it deeply… At least that way they would've been prepared!
Inko and the police squad, as well as Izuku, were walking through the wild forest on their way back. Feet stomping on overgrown shrubbery and weeds, most stayed silent in an attempt to converse as much energy as possible, which wasn't a lot considering their all-nighter.
Izuku, on the other hand, had no qualms about yelling and laughing excitedly as he jumped happily around the squad with seemingly bottomless amounts of energy. All the while he talked about Chima, heroes or anything to do with quirks really.
'Where are those ear-plugs where you need them?'
For the first time, Dokeshi and his boss' thought processes were synchronized. How though would remain one of the greatest mysteries known to mankind.
"Hey, Tsukachi?"
The officer perked up immediately by the whisper that called out his name. Turning towards its' source, he was met by the figure of Inko walking beside him.
Though she addressed the officer beside her, the woman's gaze was squarely on the form of her son who was currently marching in the group's front, pretending to lead them forward.
"I wanted to thank you," she said suddenly after a long silence.
Tsukachi raised an eyebrow. Confused as to why the woman would thank him personally like this.
"I've been thinking…" she began, voice a bit mixed with regret. "For a while now… Months, in fact, my son was so sad all the time. He didn't smile; He closed himself off; sometimes I feared he would stay like this forever."
The poor human stopped to even her breathing. After calming herself down she continued. "So when we found him and I saw him smile again I was so happy! I swore to myself that I wouldn't let that smile leave my son's face again, I will do whatever it takes if I have to!"
Finally, Inko turned to face Tsukachi and bowed her head slightly in gratitude. "His smile means the world to me. So when I thought he would lose it when we started to go back that made me so sad…"
Averting her gaze again, Inko shook her head before turning to him once more." When you came up with that plan to get Izuku to come with us quietly I felt so relieved… My son would get to keep his smile for a few more hours thanks to you. I know it will go away once we reach town but I'm still thankful that you gave him this much".
Tsukachi shook his head, flabbergasted at the woman's gratitude. "N-no! I didn't to that much! I was only doing what I needed to do as an officer, really! Besides…"
The young officer smiled to himself 'So they haven't figured it out yet, huh?'
"You see…" Tsukachi explained "That's the thing with imaginary friends. If you believe they are there they will be. Since I made Izuku think that his friend was in town waiting for him, he will believe he is there too and 'see' him there."
Inko widened her eyes. The thought didn't come to her mind. Hearing it from Tsukachi, it actually made a lot of sense.
She smiled at him again. "Thank you so much, Tsukachi! You helped me and my baby so much, today… I hope I'll be able to make it up to you one day…"
"Nonsense!" Tsukachi apposed "I don't work as a cop to get something in return!"
Inko giggled a bit, amused by Tsukachi's earnestness. They just walked there for a while. Completely silent except for Izuku who continued to pretend to be the squad's leader.
It was after a couple of minutes that another thought crossed Inko's mind." Hey, Tsukachi? How come you know so much about imaginary friends?"
At her question, Tsukachi blushed. "W-well…" he stammered. "It's because I had one too." He whispered so that no one could hear him. He didn't need to give Risuna any more blackmail material.
"Huh. That's unexpected." Was Inko's only reply to that.
"Yeah…" he began his explanation "I wasn't the most popular kid growing up. My quirk wasn't really 'hero' material and people were afraid I would tell people when they lied… So I was kinda left out."
"That's horrible…" Inko replied, feeling sorry for the officer's rough childhood.
"That's in the past" Tsukachi reassured. "Anyways, because I was lonely I made myself an imaginary friend as a kid. Tsukachi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly" So I have some experience in that department."
Continuing on their way, both Inko and Tsukachi exchanged pleasantries and small talk at the back of the group as Izuku was jumping around from left to right in joy.
The other officers were either laughing at the boy's antics or tired beyond comprehension all the while.
*Line Break*
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"No, Izuku. we are not."
"So, when will we be there?'
"Soon Izuku…"
The sergeant signed. For the past half-an-hour or so he had played the same back and forth exchange with Izuku.
He would ask if they had made it yet and would always reply with a no. Seriously, if the boy wasn't so young, he would have lashed out at him…
That didn't mean he wasn't irked, though.
While, unlike Izuku, he had a lot of patience that had been accumulated over his long life, even it had limits…
Luckily for him, the back and forth between him and the boy was put on hold when one of his subordinates addressed him in a somewhat choked voice"*Kehehehe*- hey, boss."
"What is it, Dokeshi?" He asked with way more enthusiasm than he normally showcased. Everything to get out of babysitting the kid. He had forgotten how tiring they were at this age.
"Are we there yet?"
Dokeshi snickered, trying with all of his might to not burst out laughing on the spot.
This was too perfect. He had the boss man exactly where he had hoped and fantasied he would be for his entire career. Tired, annoyed as hell and pretty much done with life. Normally he would remain stoic all the time, keeping a mask over his emotions that made him impossible to tease and annoy.
Or in Dokeshi's language: Having fun with him.
'Thanks, little guy!' he mentally screamed. He was certainly going to enjoy this.
"DDDOOOOKKKEEEESHHHI…!"
Or he would have if the sergeant wasn't glaring at him with more hatred than all the villains in Japan had for All Might combined.
'He is so dead.' was the combined thought of every officer present. It appears Dokeshi finally dug his own grave…
Or at least it seemed that way.
All wandering thoughts, cowering, and anger-filled inner tantrums were immediately halted when the group emerged from some low bushes to a familiar location.
Around them, the untrekked ground was replaced with weathered floor that lacked any sort of wildlife growing on it; picnic tables were dotted around in various strategically picked locations and man-made buildings could be seen just around the corner…
They made it back.
"They're here!" a feminine voice soon broke through the silence the squad was currently in, ending their stupor and causing them all to look around and take the full scene before them in.
Approaching them was a young medic who was tailed by a conglomerate of other people, not all of which were professionals entrusted with the resolve of the case.
While some did wear the plain white uniforms of Japanese medics or were obviously people who worked at the reserve, a large number of civilians were also present.
Some wore semi-formal attires obviously meant for work while others had a more casual choice in clothing, probably citizens of the usually peaceful town who walked by and wondered what was going on.
The most energetic of all, however, was a rather small group of people that looked to be hanging between casual wear and semi-professional one in terms of clothing. Holding what appeared to be cameras and notepads they ran towards the police and Midoriya's with a ferocity that looked much more reminiscent of a bull than a human.
The sergeant internally groaned 'Great… The media is here…'.
True to his assumptions the reporters wasted no time and made their way through every person that got in their way of the group, even the medics weren't spared.
'Typical.' He frowned at the journalists as they finally got in front of them and immediatelystarted bombarding the group with questions. Shoving limbs, recording devices and punches between one another in an attempt to be the one to unveil the reason for this gathering of police and medics.
Who knew? Maybe a hero was involved.
"Sir! Yesterday afternoon there were reports from the locals about a large gathering of policemen as well as medical professionals, would you care to comment as to the reason behind it?"
"Is it true that a child went missing within these mountains? If so, could you tell us what is currently known about his situation?"
"Is there a hero taking part in the rescue efforts?"
The sarge ground his teeth in response to the endless bombardment of questions directed at him. 'How do they even know all that?! I ordered the operation to stay confidential! How do they even know I'm the one in charge?!'
'*Sign* That's the media for ya…' Calming himself down and taking a few deep breaths, the sergeant lifted his head and addressed the crowd of reporters that had certainly accumulated over the night.
"No comment."
He replied dryly and began to walk forward, cutting through them and making a path for the others to follow him.
The reporters glared at his form as he walked between them all and towards the medic, clearly annoyed that he brushed them all without a care.
Not that he minded. If all he wanted to do was talk to the press, he would have become a hero. Let them deal with the pest that was the media…
Though it seemed the sarge couldn't get his break today. For as the reporters eyed the crowd of policemen making their way, the gaze of one of them was locked with an innocent pair of green eyes.
"Wait! Is that the child that had gone missing?!" The female reporter yelled. Soon the questioning bombardment was spurred once more, this time solely targeted at Izuku.
"Is it true that you spent the night in these mountains?"
"Were you rescued by a hero or were you found by the police or the mountain rescue?"
"Why have you run away in the first place?"
All these questions and more were hurtled at the overwhelmed and startled Izuku. Flashes of cameras blinding him, he dug his face into his mothers' leg to protect himself from the terrifying people.
"Enough!" The sergeant's yell silenced all those who were present. Cameras stopped taking pictures and all heads were now turned to the fuming officer.
"This operation has been asked to be confidential and it will remain as such!" He ordered." The family has already asked to respect its' privacy and as such, no information regarding them will be published to the public."
The sergeant eyed the reporters around him, all glaring silently at him for what he was about to do." If any of you do publish it or not delete the photos you have taken now, you can expect a lawsuit against you and the publishers you work for. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a kid that needs to be checked over."
And with that, he walked ahead. Leaving behind the crowd of journalists to delete any picture they have taken as he and Inko brought Izuku in front of the medic.
"Can you look him over?" He asked in a much more composed tone.
The medic only nodded faintly as she and Inko took the young boy to the ambulance that was parked nearby.
The sergeant turned around to look at his subordinates when a thought crossed his mind. 'We still haven't kept our promise to the kid…'. Smiling and turning back to the receding forms of the family, he raised his voice and yelled: "And after you're done with that, would you care to join us for breakfast?!"
Izuku stared blankly at the warm katsudon that he was given only a minute earlier.
Its' taste wasn't bad… Sure it wasn't as good as the ones his mom made, but they were still good.
No. The reason the child was feeling so down was due to the lack of his companion at his side.
He was so sure Chima would be here… Yet the Badgermole was nowhere in sight.
He darted his head from left to right as he looked over the place.
They were currently seated at one of the wooden picnic tables were he and his classmates ate their breakfast only a day prior. He, mom, Keikan-Ojisan, and the other officers were all around the table, digging into a wide assortment of food that was prepared for them.
Around them, the commotion was all over with the reporters and civilians going back to their day and those who participated in finding him also leaving. All who were left were them and a single ambulance that was going to take him to the hospital for a final check -as well as register his quirk- after they finish their food.
Izuku himself got changed into cleaner and more importantly, undamaged clothes. A simple All Might T-shirt with dark green shorts replaced his old and torn attire from the day before, bandages and plasters covering his bruises and lacerations across his face and body.
Yet there was still no sign of Chima…
Did that officer lie to him? He immediately shook his head at that. He was with the police and he helped heroes… There was no way someone like that would lie, would there?
Did something happen to Chima, then? The greenette shivered 'Pleeeease Chima, be okay…' he silently prayed.
The others soon noticed his distress "Hey *munch* kiddo-". Izuku turned his head to face Dokeshi, who was currently munching his way through a chicken wing.
"Why so down?" He asked and was soon smacked on the head by Risuna.
"Don't talk with your mouth open! Even the kid has better manners then you!"
A few chuckles were heard around the table before the focus was back at the boy. Izuku silently fidgeted in his sit under all of the attention when he said:
"Chima's not here…"
'Shit!' Tsukachi internally swore when he heard that. 'It didn't work!'
'Oh boy…' The sergeant-or to Izuku: Keikan-Ojisan- braced himself to what was about to follow. He pitied who was going to tell the kid his friend was imaginary.
"Oh! Hmm…. I-I'm sure he's around, sweetie!" Inko stuttered, trying to play pretend as much as possible.
Little did any of the adults know that the friend they all though was imaginary was very much real, while also very much near them.
Hiding in the bushes, Chima 'watched' his friend converse with the other humans, his mouth watering at the abundance of food that he smelled on the table.
There was definitely meat there... Sweet. Delicious. Meat**. Oh! And Fish too! There was so much tasty stuff there! Fresh fruits, grains and… is that…? It is! Honey-glazed Chicken wings! Oh! How much Chima wanted to just charge in there and take that Chicken away from that goofy looking human…
But he couldn't. He was too afraid. Too traumatized.
There were only two things Chima knew for sure at this point and one of which was to never trust a human. All it will do is make what happened before repeat itself and leave Chima without anything…
"Chima's not here…"
A quiet voice whispered in Chima's ear, jerking him out of thoughts of the past.
The Badgermole cub shook its' head and focused once more on the one he was following for the past couple of hours…
…Because the second thing the Badgermore was sure of was that he could trust Izuku, with his life if it came to it.
He needed to get the boy away from the other humans, but how?
It wasn't as if he could just go there, take him, and then leave as if nothing happened…
Chima couldn't make himself approach Izuku…
… So, he would make Izuku come to him.
'Looking' around himself, it didn't take long for him to find just what he needed.
A tiny pebble rested between his frontal paws, hardly half the size of boy's pinky toe.
It was perfect. It couldn't hurt the boy if he hit him with it, but it was still strong enough to be noticeable. All he needed to do is to be precise enough so that he would only get Izuku's attention.
A child's play for Chima, really. Ever since he first started walking on his own feet, one thing made itself clear: He might be the most prodigious Badgermole in the last thousand years for all any could tell.
Despite being less than a year old, he was already proficient enough in Manipulating the earth that he could pass for a Badgermole far older than him in terms of skill. Heck, the rest of the Badgermoles his age were still stuck at learning how to sense things through the earth.
A simple flick of one of his claws was all it took for the pebble to be sent flying forward. Directly towards the form of his target.
"Eh?" Izuku got out of his musing by the tap he felt against his chest. Looking down, he saw the culprit was a tiny people that was now resting atop his right thigh.
Picking it up, Izuku got it in front of his eyes to get a closer look. The pebble was nothing special, just your run of the mill piece of earth that anyone could have picked from the side of the road…
'But how did it get here?' Izuku -ever so curious- asked himself, ignoring the gazes that were directed at him from the others at the table.
"What is it, sweetie?" Inko's voice directed her son's attention to her.
"N-nothing!" He stuttered in reply, trying to get the attention directed at him to shift someplace else.
Said attention was immediately off of him the moment one of the female officers came back with the take-way doughnuts Tsukachi ordered for them all.
It may be cliché, but who doesn't like doughnuts?
With the adults fighting one another for their right to eat the deep-fried treat (Something that Izuku found weird considering the first thing he was taught at kindergarten was that everyone will get their treat as long as they waited patiently and behaved. Adults were weird…) Izuku was left to go back into his musings in peace.
Glancing around him to try and figure out where the pebble came from, it didn't take long for him to look directly at the bushes his companion was currently hiding at.
Seeing his chance with the other humans distracted, Chima quickly poked his head out of the shrub, enticing a surprised gasp out of the boy, before disappearing back into the shrubbery.
Izuku just stared stunned for a moment at the spot he just saw his friend's head just a couple seconds ago, before shaking his head and walking towards the bushed himself.
"Izuku?" Only to be stopped by the voice of his mother.
Turning around he was met with every adult in the area staring at him, looks of concern on their faces.
"Where are you going?" The mother asked her son. The last thing anyone there needed was for him to go wandering off again.
Before the greenette got the chance to reply, however, the least interested adult in the area quickly dismissed the entire situation.
"Re~lax, guys…" Dokeshi lazily sang to the others present "It's probably just nature-calling. It's not like there are any bathrooms here, right?"
"Besides…" he continued "It looks like the little guy really needs to go."
Pointing at the spot Izuku was supposed to be, the other adults looked as well only to see that he was gone. A rough outline of the boy's form made of white lines flashed on and off, replacing him.
Having all attention directed away from him, Izuku wasted no time before running towards the shrubbery.
Pushing away branches and leaves from his way, he was soon past the plant-made hurdle and found himself right in front of the form of his new best friend.
"Chima!" He let out a joy-filled yell and tackled the Badgermole's snout in a tight hug, Chima returning the gesture by melting into it and purring like a cat.
Licking his face and getting a giggle in return, Chima danced happily around the excited Izuku before coming back to another hug. This time wrapping one of his paws around one of the boy's shoulders.
"I was so worried about you!" Izuku smiled at him before putting a hand on the paw that rested on his right shoulder. "Let's go! I want you to meet mom!"
Starting to push both himself and Chima out of the shrubbery, Izuku was quite surprised to feel Chima's resistance.
"What happened Chima?" Izuku turned around to face him and asked with a worry-filled tone.
Chima simply gestured towards the direction of the crowd of adults currently sitting at the picnic table, before shaking his head with a lot of fervor, a look of fear evident on his face.
"You don't want to meet them?" Realizing what the Badgermole was telling him and getting a nod from Chima for confirmation, a pit was beginning to form in the boy's stomach.
"Does this mean you're not coming with me?" Tears were already building up and falling on the boy's cheeks, unsuppressed sadness at the thought of leaving his friend behind.
Startled, Chima violently shook his head to signal the boy that wasn't the case, making him somewhat relaxed.
"But how can you come with me without meeting them? We will stop at the hospital and then go home from there…and they are both very far from here… Can you follow us?"
Snorting Chima simply stretched and let a confident expression show on his face, as if saying 'Of course I can! That's gonna be easy!'.
Smiling Izuku brushed his hand across Chima's forehead before energetically replying "Right! I'll see you soon, Chima!".
Turning around to leave, however, the boy stopped when he felt Chima tugging at him before he could enter the shrubbery.
Turning to look back, Izuku gave the Badgermole a confused expression when he saw the look on Chima's face.
The Badgermole cub was salivating in hunger. With a growling stomach, Chima gestured with his head towards the table filled with food, licking the sides of his mouth in anticipation.
Giggling at Chima's antics Izuku simply nodded his head and said: "I'll leave you some food behind, Chima."
