That evening I hold tightly to Toshinori-san's words.
I usually start by tracking the location of the crimes and then seeing if you notice a pattern.
If that doesn't work… just focus on what is being done at each crime, are there any similar themes? Trends in the type of crimes, and so on.
As soon as I return to the dorms, I forgo my usual routine, claiming a table instead. Sensei had already warned me he wouldn't be home, needing to start patrol almost immediately. I spread out my things, files ordered the same, paper for notes, and a pen. I start with the timeline immediately.
Except there're no dates. No locations. No names.
I scowl at the sheets, frustrated again at how simple he made it look.
Maybe I can highlight keywords, I decide after several minutes. But what constitutes a keyword, I have no clue. Dead body? Stolen property?
I exhale noisily.
The pale pages staring back unmarked.
I curl my fingers in my hair and try again.
I abandon the highlighter for a pencil instead, deciding to label them. Robbery. Robbery. Vandalism and Auto theft. Which one do I put first? Doesn't that still count as robbery? And vandalism, what did that even mean? Vandalism how? Painting? Tags? Broken and trashed things? The description's missing, because of course, blacked out like with everything else useful.
Why?
I glare.
Smoke, unbidden, rising from my palms.
I shove down my hands and growl.
Stupid quirk!
"Rin-chan?"
I don't jump—not exactly—but the flinch is large and just a little too obvious. I turn, eyes narrowing and Momo frowns back, a pot of tea in hand. She adopts a worried expression. One that makes me feel instantly uncomfortable.
I slump.
"Yes?"
"Would you like some tea?" she asks hesitantly. She raises her pot like an offering, lips twisting tentatively into a smile. "I'm making Earl Grey."
My first response is no.
I don't need tea, I need answers.
But the words swimming across my eyes look less and less like words. And tea does sound nice…
My stomach gurgles.
I flush and nod, much to Momo's amusement.
"I'll make a snack too!" she laughs, disappearing into the kitchen spryly.
So easily satisfied.
I shake my head, fond.
Then, turning back to the pages sigh.
By the time Momo returns, I'm no further along than when she left. I hold my head and try not to groan. Why?
These reports feel like a puzzle. I don't understand why there's so much redaction! Kaito isn't a hero, he's never been out of the country (at least as far as I know), and he isn't… he shouldn't be above regular clearance! So why were so many details erased?
"Here you go!" Momo chirps, sliding a fancy teacup onto the little space left not filled with papers. I regard it strangely, suddenly reminded of the first foster parents I ever lived with.
They drank out of fancy teacups too.
My finger draws across the rim.
Hot steam licking up to the ceiling.
I wonder if that was when Mama got sick.
Something old and hollow aches beneath my bones.
A dark blue liquid seeps to the surface. It clings to the hairs of my arm like dew.
"Rin-chan?" Momo asks, that earlier concern back. "Are- Is everything okay?"
I feel the ridiculous urge to cry.
No.
I swipe at my eyes roughly.
"I'm- It's fine," I tell her softly, swiping away the liquid as well. It's rather stupid though, especially the way it beads its way back up. "I just… I'm just… this is frustrating."
Momo makes a noise, but I don't look to see why, too busy shoving myself back so as not to ruin my pages. Once a decent distance, I inhale deeply. The breath rattles in my lungs, itching in my chest. I hold it regardless, shaking away the dripping fluids and exhaling. I suck another in again. Thankfully, my quirk doesn't puddle. Instead, it almost evaporates a few inches away, dampening my sleeves but hardly anything more.
I exhale, slow and steady.
Repeat. Inhale, calm, exhale. Again.
I don't feel better. It never hurts any less. But the emotions disappear, no longer seeping from my skin.
"Sorry," I mumble, defeated. This isn't getting anywhere. Part of me wishes Kaito would just appear. Just show up so I could have something I could do. Fighting was so much easier than… than all of this.
"If you'd like, I could help?" Momo offers tentatively.
I frown.
Secrets don't stay secret long with your classmates.
But what was the purpose of doing it all alone if all I managed was nothing?
"I… Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
I'll never understand my classmates.
Momo grins, her entire expression radiating joy. I don't even know why. She doesn't even know what this is. Why is she so happy?
Why does she care?
The dark-haired girl quickly sets aside her own tea, making some space and rearranging a few piles so the pile of printed sheets is closer to her.
"What are you trying to do?"
Toshinori-san's words echo through my head.
"I… I was trying to track the location of the crimes. To see if there's a pattern."
Momo nods, expression schooling into something more serious as she glances at the pages. Her brows furrow a moment later, her fingers rifling through several pages.
"There's no location or date on any of these."
"I know," I slump.
Momo frowns, putting down the pages.
"Rin-chan, how can you-"
"Hey Yaoyorozu!"
"Dude!"
"What?"
"She's busy!"
I blink, focusing past the dark-haired girl and towards the elevator. Kaminari and Kyoka bicker as they approach. Kyoka folding her arms to scowls, her voice traveling across the near-empty room. Something about not being overly reliant.
Kaminari doesn't hear a word.
Instead, he bounds closer, eyes taking in the mess of papers and tea and curiosity getting the better of his sense.
"Hey! What's all this? We- We don't have a project due, do we?"
His expression morphs into fear in an instant, and I snort.
"No."
Kyoka, a few steps behind him, arches a brow at the mess.
"What is this?" she asks, reaching for a page and lifting it curiously. The other brow joins the first. "Police reports?"
This is what comes of working in the lobby.
I scowl.
"And?"
"And why are you two reading through redacted police reports?" the girl asks sharply. She puts the page back and looks through the rest. "Where did you even get these?"
Momo, who had opened her mouth to say something, furrows her brows.
All eyes turn to me, and I try not to twitch.
Damn.
"A friend."
Kyoka scowls. Kaminari, reaching for a sheet as well, jerks back as if stung.
Momo frowns. Expression the embodiment of disappointment. It… It makes something in me twist. My mouth bitter, my fingers curl into fists.
"Rin-chan… Did… Whose report is this?"
Kyoka scoffs.
"If it isn't her brother I'll eat a hat," the musician retorts, arms folding across her chest. "You've been obsessed with him since the forest. Where did you even get these? Does Sensei know you have them? Is this legal?"
I flinch.
Momo's eyes widen.
"Rin-chan!"
I glare, hating the way her hurt scratches at my insides.
"It's- It's not illegal!" I snap. At least, I don't think it is. Kagura got it from the police, and they were the ones that caught criminals. "And I didn't ask for your help! You don't know anything -"
"Are you serious? He tried to kill us!" Kyoka snaps, back straightening. "He almost killed you! Todoroki said the knife he threw at you nearly split your skull."
I snarl.
"Fuck you-"
"Rin-chan!"
Smoke slips past my defenses in seconds, twisting from my palms and leaking out my shirt collar.
"That wasn't my brother!" I snarl. "You don't know anything!"
"Hey guys," interjects Kaminari, eyes widening and voice taking on a slight stutter. "Let's uh… let's just-"
"You know what, you're right! We don't!" Kyoka growls. "And whose fault is that? You don't want to share, fine. But don't- don't drag Yao-Momo in this- this fiasco without being honest!"
"Honest," I repeat dangerously.
I step forward. Shadows swell across my skin, flames licking at my shoulders.
Momo's there in an instant, bodily standing between the both of us. Arms outstretched and feet planted.
"Kyoka-chan!" she chides. "That's- that's unnecessary!"
"What- But-"
"I offered to help Rin-chan, not the other way around. So that's not fair!"
She spins on her feet, lips pursed, hair bouncing behind her. The stare she levels me would have made Yamada-sensei proud. Disappointed, frustrated, concerned.
"Rin-chan, where did these reports come from?"
I glower, not liking the way it aches.
They're just classmates.
I don't care!
"I just told you, a friend-"
"Yeah, but where did they get it?" Kyoka interrupts. She doesn't back down, lips pursed and eyes narrowed. She reaches out and snags one of my sheets, rattling it loudly in my direction. "Your brother's part of an active investigation. Those documents are confidential! Without clearance—clearance you don't have—then possessing them is illegal!"
"Not always."
I open my mouth only to snap it closed a second later.
Instead, I jerk towards the kitchen.
Todoroki shuffles in lazily with a bowl of soba, noodles dangling from his chopsticks as he fishes around the bowl. Finding what he wants, he leans in, sucking down another mouthful.
How long…
Has he been there this entire time?
My eye twitches.
There's something wrong with these people.
"Huh? Not always?" Kaminari asks blankly. "What do yah mean? Aren't investigations always confidential?"
Momo, nearest to me, nods as well. She slowly lowers her arms, eyeing Kyoka and I warily.
Todoroki shrugs, slurping noisily before swallowing.
"Not all cases. Some are open to the public for bounty and transparency. Cold cases. Quirkless. Completed investigations."
Kaminari laughs, his voice jarring in the tension.
I sneer, triumphant.
"There. It's not illegal."
Kaminari's laugh stalls, face twisting in confusion.
Kyoka stiffens.
Todoroki just blinks, collecting another mouthful of noodles to slurp noisily.
Momo, eyes wide, is the first to speak. She hesitates, one hand pressing nervously against her chest.
"Rin-chan? Your- Your brother… he's… quirkless?"
I scowl.
Duh.
"Obviously."
Kyoka greens.
Kaminari makes a noise, somewhere between a whine and a groan.
"A-Are you serious?"
The elevator behind us dings. The loud sounds of more classmates. I wrinkle my nose, staring wistfully at the papers strewn all about.
Damn it!
At this rate I'd never finish this.
Not without someone blabbing to Sensei.
"Eh? What's up with you guys?" Sero asks, arms folded behind his head. Kirishima, beside him, grins. "Ya'll good?"
"Rin-chan's crazy, psycho-villain brother is quirkless!"
Sero stumbles.
Kirishima trips.
I wonder if it's too late to just leave.
"He- WHAT!?"
Idiots. All of them.
"What! No way! Didn't he take on Todoroki, Bakugou, and Hoki together?" Sero says, arms waving.
Maybe I can just grab it all and go.
Todoroki shrugs.
"Yeah."
"Dude!" Kirishima exclaims, one hand in his hair. "That's insane! And you didn't even scratch him?"
"I broke his stupid mask," I snap, stomping towards the table.
And like flies, they follow.
Ugh!
"Hey, what's all this?" Sero asks, reaching for a paper as well.
"The crazy, psycho-villain brother's police report!" Kaminari blabs.
My eye twitches.
"He has a name," I scowl.
"He does?" Kaminari asks, bug-eyed.
Kyoka gives him a look.
"You're an idiot!"
"Dude! Look at all of that black!" Kirishima whistles, taking the report in hand before I can stop him. "Dude! Sero-kun, have you ever seen anything this redacted? Damn! Oh, hey! This one's about auto theft! Woah, look at that he stole a—he stole a Hayaiku? Those things are insanely expensive! He must have robbed a millionaire!"
I freeze.
A…
"What?" I ask, snatching the paper back. Kirishima squawks, releasing it, and I skim the description.
Hayaiku?
There's nothing in here-
I find it halfway down. I stare at the word, hands shaking.
Just focus on what's being done at each crime, are there any similar themes? Trends in the type of crimes, and so on.
I'd studied this sheet for an hour.
I hadn't known… I didn't even know that was a car!
A rich person's car.
Was it cruelty? Was it anger?
I remember Ryu's rants, his frustration and anger at our lack—at too small clothes and too cold baths and-
I grab the closest sheet, shoving it in his hands. I can barely breathe.
"Do it again!"
The others stare. Kirishima pinks. For a moment, no one moves.
"Oh! I wanna try!" Kaminari squawks. Reaching forward, he randomly snags a page as well and looks excitedly through. His face falls almost immediately. "It's uh… Look! It's a… a robbery?"
"Really?" Kyoka huffs, leaning over to stare down at the page. Her brows furrow, her lips thin. "It's a vandalism. One with over four-million yen worth of damages. That's insane. What do you do to amass those kind of charges? Burn down a building?"
I stare.
Sero, not to be outdone, grabs one as well.
Before he can open his mouth, Momo reaches out and snags it back.
"That isn't how you analyze things," she scolds, eyes gleaming. Dragging out a chair, she takes back her seat and flicks back her hair. Collecting my notes, she selects a fresh page and labels it 'timeline.' Then, with the expression of one used to getting her way, levels me with a stare. "Now, Rin-chan, how did you have these organized?"
.
.
.
Talking to my classmates doesn't change anything.
It changes nothing and everything, and despite my best attempt, I can't understand how.
Sitting around that large table, they spar back and forth with ideas. Like this was homework or studying or one of Kaminari's newest obsessions. Not... not my brother. Like they don't even care. Like they want... like they want to help. It isn't like Sensei, who just nods and tries to make things quietly disappear, or Tulutho-san, who wants to examine every hurt, tearing through my aches with blades and precision. They just… talk.
Open and loud and excited, like they do everything.
Eventually, they glean what they can, with Mina and Ochako and even Sparkles glancing through. Iida eventually settles in as well, examining the results with a critical gleam.
Todoroki sits beside me as the others eventually wander away.
I stare at the product of their intervention.
A three-page timeline, complete with actual dates and suggested thoughts and linking articles for newspaper clippings cross-examined with a variety of notes.
Early on, most of his victims were families of the affluent. Some of these reports can't be him. Nobody can be on both sides of Japan at the same time. Most of the stores he vandalized were mailing services. Every vandalism was always burned, usually beyond recognition.It had also become abundantly clear that this was not all of it.
When searching online, the number of mysterious burning mail stores within the time frame was ridiculous. Mina had counted a total of twenty-three. Kaito's file only included six. Sero, who had mentioned hearing about the villain in his own hometown, admitted the villain was renowned for his vicious decimation of a well-to-do family.
Were their records that sloppy?
Was he being framed?
No… he'd probably done it. But why?
What was I missing?
"What are you going to do now?" Todoroki asks, interrupting my thoughts.
I blink and glance over.
That was a terrible transition.
"I don't know," I admit. My fingers brush the notes again and I can't stop the strange feeling they evoke. Some odd mix of melancholy and joy.
Todoroki nods.
I glance behind him at my classmates, loud and carefree. They linger on the couches laughing, chatting, reading. They gather around the tv, jeering and demanding, lost in the fighting game as Bakugou faces Ochaco. Satou and Sparkles noisily bang around the kitchen, some sweet smell wafting around.
I don't understand them.
I wasn't their family. Wasn't even particularly kind.
So why were they?
Why did they… Why help?
"The file's missing pages," the other boy says.
I nod absently.
He isn't wrong.
I just wasn't sure what to do about it.
How do you get a file from a hero, when the first version isn't right?
"The Owl isn't going to just hand it over if I ask. Not to some random person off the streets. They won't care that I'm his sister."
Todoroki's head cocks to the side.
"Why not? He's quirkless."
I think that's supposed to mean something.
Too bad I don't get it.
"Huh?"
He snorts, a smile settling against his lips. It's a strangely transforming, brightening his features warmly.
He's weirdly pretty for a boy.
"Quirkless files are stored separately. They're not online, but if you want to look through them, they're supposed to be open to the public. Endeavor keeps a small room of them."
I gawk.
A small…
"They're separate?" I squawk, surging to my feet. A glow envelops my skin, and I can barely contain myself as wings and hands rupture wildly from my back. A pair of hands haul Todoroki bodily from his seat, enveloping him and dragging him into an embrace. I don't stop them, wrapping my arms deftly about his neck.
"Ah… Hoki-"
"Rin!" I correct automatically, releasing him with a squeak. "Thank you!"
"Uhh…"
Todoroki flushes.
I flutter back and gather up my things.
I'll ask Kagura! I can call and ask if she wouldn't mind scanning them and- and-
And the idea of answers makes me giddy.
I hug the files to my chest.
Someone, I'm pretty sure it's Kaminari, snickers loudly.
I ignore it, racing to my room.
And nearly slam into Midoriya.
He catches me by the shoulders. Eyes wide in surprise.
"H-Hoki-chan!"
I can't help it.
Fireflies dancing across my cheeks, I spin us both around. For whatever reason, he lets me, a shade of pink rising on his cheeks.
"Midoriya-kun!"
"Ah… hey?"
I lean back and grin, my braid swaying behind me and wings fluttering with life. I shift the files, lean forward, and hug him bodily, laughing as he squeaks.
"Welcome back!"
Then, releasing him just as quickly, I giggle and all but fly to my room.
.
.
.
The phone call to Kagura rings twice.
"Hellspawn!"
I laugh at her enthusiasm, cheeks flushing with excitement.
"Nee-chan! What are you doing?"
"Oh you know, just chillin'," she makes a fond noise, the sound of glass clinking in the background. "You've got good timing. Had you called much later, I probably wouldn't have answered. Mashi-kun is coming over."
I pause.
Mashi-kun?
"Your… uh, boyfriend?"
She snorts.
"Cute. No. You've never met him… actually, you probably won't. Ever. He's an asshole."
"Then why is he coming over?" I ask, amused.
"Because I'm lonely and I want dick," she says so casually, I can't help but blink. If she were here, I can easily imagine her shrugging. My glow shifts, swirling pink. My face heats as I remember the last conversation—and the follow-up one with Sensei. "So? What's up? You sound excited. Something good happening?"
The pink disappears instantly.
A powerful golden hue taking its place.
"Yes! Nee-chan, can you do me a favor?"
"A favor?" she asks, clearly amused. "What kind of favor?"
"It's about my brother-"
"Really?"
I can hear her annoyance, can imagine the roll of her eyes.
"Rin-chan, that's dull! I thought you were going to tell me something exciting. That's just more work. Don't you ever play? You know, that thing not involving heroes?"
My eye twitches.
"Yes!" I wrinkle my nose as her tone. "I rode a bike with Hitoshi-kun like a week ago-"
"Hitoshi-kun?" she drawls. "Oh? Tell me more!"
"Nee-chan," I whine, flopping against my bed. She's ridiculous. "I need to get a file from the Owl's quirkless archives."
"Oh, that's easy. Tell me which one you want, and I'll go get it. The quirkless files are open to the public, and damn am I glad mine aren't! It's bad enough I have to add my time in juvie to any of my job applications... But- Hey… is this… is this about your brother or that bastard from the Last One?"
I squirm uncomfortably.
"My… brother."
She hums.
"Alright," she says, pausing after only a moment. "Well I've got to work for a few days, but I'm free Friday. Want me to text you when I get there?"
I nod, before remembering she can't see it.
"Ah… Yes please!"
"Heh, sounds good, later brat!"
She hangs up and I stare at the phone, not really sure I can believe it was that easy.
All I did was ask.
"You don't have to wait for me to offer, Rin. You can ask. You need to ask."
.
.
.
Sensei isn't home before bedtime.
I wrap his dinner in foil and slide it into the fridge. A note and a text to warm it before eating, and then fresh food and water for Miska. When I finally stretch across my bed, hair clean and washed and braided, I glow.
Answers.
I can't keep the smile from my face, warm and sure.
It seems too easy.
My mind keeps wandering, constantly to my classmates, to my brothers, to Mama and Kaito.
I roll over, hands behind my head and daydream.
What would it be like if I found Ryu or Sora or even Kaito again? What if we figured out the answers? What if Kaito came here?
Would I fight him?
Would I cry?
I close my eyes and imagine it, dream up all the ways I'd kick his ass for being so stupid. I'd wrap him in my shadows, shove his face in the dirt, and dig my knee into his back until he told me exactly what happened. I'd grab his hair and shove him into a wall, break all of his stupid machines until he explained himself. I'd make him sit, make him listen.
Why did you do it?
What's wrong with you?
I dream of finding Ryu and Sora too.
I'd beat their ass as well. Shove Sora down like he used to push me, show him I wasn't that idiot little girl that just stood there and watched.
Why didn't you stop him? Why didn't you respond to me? Why can't you idiots act like a real family?
And I guess I fall asleep thinking because I wake to a hand smoothing back my hair, and the bed dipping by my hip. Cracking open my eyes, I blink up at Sensei, his eyes half-lidded and dark bruises lingering beneath them. He arches a brow, pulling back.
"Rin, get in the bed."
Sleep fogs my brain, exhaustion clinging to my bones. I yawn. Stretching until my arms shake. My feet curl, my shirt riding up my stomach.
Sensei huffs, the sound gruffly amused. He moves me, scooping back my legs, shifting me bodily. I glow at the touch, squirming closer, fingers twisting in the soft fabric of his uniform; the familiar scent of his detergent filling my nose. I press my face into him and sigh.
Warm.
Safe.
I fall back asleep to the cool touch of sheets and warm fingers brushing back my hair.
.
.
.
The next morning, Sensei is at the table even before I get dressed.
Wearing his rumpled uniform, I pause on my way to the kitchen to stare.
Is... Is that the same one from last night?
I don't ask.
Shaking my head, I pass his slumped figure and open up the fridge. His covered dinner is exactly where I left it. I pause, brows furrowing slightly.
"Sensei…" I start. I glance back, watching as he swallows from his bowl. One day I'm going to get him a mug.
He lowers it with a sigh.
"Hn?"
"You didn't eat dinner."
He doesn't bother to respond. Picking back up his bowl, he goes back to his coffee.
I scowl.
"Sensei!"
Over the rim, he levels me with a warning stare.
"Eat your breakfast."
Grudgingly, I pour my cereal and put away the milk.
I can't believe he didn't eat.
Shuffling towards the table, I sit beside him with a huff, eyeing him critically. He looks like a hobo. Beard all scruffy and hair in disarray.
What's he been eating for lunch?
I narrow my eyes and shovel cereal into my mouth. He'd had one of those stupid jelly packets Friday. Was he even eating that? Was he sleeping? He certainly didn't look it.
"You can take a nap," I suggest pointedly, gesturing helpfully towards the couch. "I'll wake you up before it's time to leave."
The stare he directs over his coffee bowl is entirely unimpressed.
I wrinkle my nose.
"You're gonna make yourself sick. You're supposed to sleep and eat and-"
"Rin," Sensei interrupts, lips thin and voice cracked with exhaustion. "I'm aware."
I scowl.
"If you know, why aren't you-"
"Rin," Sensei snaps, voice deepening. "Drop it."
I glare.
Shoving away from the table I take the half-eaten bowl and drain it.
Why was he always such an ass?
"Fine," I growl, trying to ignore the hurt as I rinse the bowl.
He sighs dramatically and I pass him grumpily. I make it halfway to my bedroom before glancing back.
His hair really is a mess.
Feeling entirely put-upon, I change directions, slipping into the bathroom and rummaging through his drawers. His brush is by his clippers, wooden and plain with dark black bristles. I grab a hairbow too, just in case.
By the time I return, the man's nearly falling asleep in his coffee.
I roll my eyes, marching up behind him.
The couch would be comfier.
I don't say it though, he's too grumpy for that. Instead, I reach out and collect a handful of hair. He stiffens on contact, shoulders going taunt. I can nearly see them bulge, but I ignore it, running the hairbrush down. It snags against a tangle, and I consider finding a comb before roughly brushing it out.
He slumps in his seat, expression dour.
"You should ask before touching people's hair."
I snag another tangle and glower.
He hasn't brushed this in days.
"Should eat fully balanced meals too," I grumble under my breath.
He sighs noisily through his nose. Tilting back his head, he gives me a look.
"Are we doing this this morning?"
I snort.
Doing what?
"You're the one that's grumpy," I tell him, pushing his head back up and brushing through the last of the tangles with relief. I nearly sigh at it. Instead, I comb through with my fingers. "There. You want it up or down."
He mutters something probably unflattering under his breath. Taking a long sip, he doesn't respond.
I put it up just to be annoying.
.
.
.
It's still there when he wanders in for homeroom.