Izuku checked to make sure everyone was in the small store shop they had found. Someone had already ransacked the place of all items and food, but Denki and Shinso still went through the place to see if there was anything useful among the trash.
"Okay, once me and Kacchan are sure it will be safe, we'll come to get you, so be sure to stay low. Shinso if anything happens, please keep everyone safe." Izuku said.
Katsuki didn't protest of who he placed in charge as he used some of the water from the nearby sink to clean up as much as they could. Shinso looked at Izuku, his eyes uncertain at being given such a responsibility.
"Are you sure? I'm not the strongest int he group." Shinso said.
"It's not about your quirk, if things go side ways I need someone who can keep a level head and get everyone out of here alive." Izuku said.
Hatsume gave him a thumbs up in agreement while Denki smiled at Shinso reassuring. Izuku had seen the calmness that Shinso had brought to the group and while Hatsume was no doubt smart her chaotic nature was on par with Denki's distracting energy, he would need someone who could direct them properly to be useful in a tense situation.
"I'll watch over everyone." Shinso said.
"I'll watch over you both!" Hatsume said.
Hatsume gave a cheeky grin as she brought one of her bees to hide in Izuku's shirt. Although the destruction of most of her bees has been a disadvantage destroyed during the nights, Hatsume still had a handful left of the little spies, which made it useful when they had to separate.
"Don't forget to check in with Inasa to let him know we arrived. It would be best to keep him on standby." Katsuki said.
Izuku nodded and gave everyone a wave as he followed Katsuki out the door. Denki stood nearby by ready to lock the door behind them.
"I'm sure everything will be fine and we'll be right back with good news." Izuku promised.
They two headed out, keeping quiet to make sure there wasn't anyone nearby to hear them. As they reached the closest building to the school, the two hid within the shadows of an alley, their hoodies up to cover their faces as a precaution.
The two guards standing at the gates looked rather young, dressed in their hero costumes.
"Third years maybe?" Izuku asked.
"That'd be my guess. They're not anyone I recognize, so most likely third years or side kicks at best."
Katsuki leaned closer around the corner as he eyed the two guards. They had gone up to the entrance to introduce themselves. If they welcomed Izuku and Kacchan without suspicion, then they would bring attention to their group to request entrance for them as well.
Izuku took a glance at the sun's location. It was roughly mid afternoon so it wouldn't be long before it got dark if they didn't head out now.
"Don't forget if this goes side ways we separate and head to the meeting point got it." Katsuki said.
"Don't worry, Kacchan, I can handle myself."
Izuku pulled his hoodie off to make sure his face was in full view as Katsuki did the same, though he kept his hand stuffed into his pockets as he followed Izuku out into view of the two guards.
The two looked surprised at their appearance, their stances growing tense as they eyed the two boys. They hadn't moved to attack, so Izuku considered that a good sign that they weren't seeing them as an outright threat.
"Hi! We came hoping to find shelter at the school?" Izuku asked.
The older of the two took the lead. He had a broad jaw as two canines extended up over his upper mouth, though he kept his face neutral and nonthreatening.
"Is it only you two?" He asked.
His voice was rough, but cautious. Izuku decided it was best to be honest, though he didn't want to give too much away, so he kept his answer vague.
"No, we have a small group waiting for us, an adult woman and four others that are my age." Izuku admitted.
Katsuki tensed unhappily behind him, but Izuku didn't respond as he kept his attention to the guards. It felt like a standoff of sorts, four people tense and wary of each other as they waited to confirm if the other was a threat or not.
The two glanced at each other uncertainly as the older one motioned for the other, a younger ginger haired boy away.
"We'll need to call for our superior to give approval, but if there's no problem, then you and your group can come in." He said.
Izuku let his guard down enough to smile at the older teen as he nodded in agreement and finally introduced himself.
"Yes! We understand, my name is Izuku Midoriya and my partner is Katsuki Bakugo." Izuku said.
Katsuki nodded in greeting but said little else as he glanced away to the street to wait. The guard, now left alone with his partner's departure, relaxed against the gate, his smile more genuine as he introduced himself in return.
"Its good to meet you, my name is Kohaku Takagi. I'm not sure how quick they'll get here so you may be here a while." Kohaku said.
"We understand, if it gets dark though, we may head back to our group and come back in the morning, if that is okay?" Izuku said.
Kohaku agreed, and so Izuku and Kacchan settled against the school wall to wait.
"So, how long have you two been on your own? Hard to imagine a group of kids surviving all this chaos." Kohaku asked.
"We're not weak. We managed just fine." Kacchan grumbled.
Izuku chuckled, patting Kacchan's shoulder. The last thing they needed was to have friction with people they were asking for help from.
"We were mostly in another safe area, a hospital, but things became complicated there, so we moved on." Izuku said.
"There are other safe zones?" Kohaku asked.
Izuku glanced at the boy, confused by his surprise. He remembered the Detective mentioning losing contact with the other areas, but was U.A. So isolated they had yet to make contact with any other safe zones?
Or were they being isolated unwillingly?
"We don't know of any others, but yes, the one we came from is still active. What about the school?" Izuku said.
The boy scratched his head as he glanced back towards the school cautious, Izuku could guess he wasn't supposed to be stating the status of the school to outsiders, but Izuku's curiosity needed to be scratched.
"Well, I'm not allowed to say, but there's been complications."
Kohaku must have noticed something on Izuku's face because he smiled, waving a hand in a nervous gesture.
"But! The school itself is very safe, so if they allow you in, we'll protect you and your group." Kohaku said.
"Hey! Since the place is so safe, let us in!"
Izuku and Kacchan turned at the sudden interruption, and behind a small group of three men had come up to the gates as well. Their clothes had tears and dirt, but Izuku could make out that of a military uniform. Whether they were military or just clothes they had found along the way was up for debate.
They moved forward, their stances made to intimidate as they loomed over the three teens. Kohaku's eyes grew harsh as he eyed the older man, his jaw clenched and lips curled back to show his canines.
"Our superiors will come down and decide if you will gain entry." Kohaku said.
"So what they say, no, and you're just going to let innocent people die out here?" The main said.
"Does the end of the world just bring out all the assholes in the world?" Kacchan muttered.
Izuku flinched as the other man's eyes took a sharp glance over at Kacchan. The blonde didn't look at all worried at grabbing the group's attention as he stood with his ground, arms crossed and chin raised as he glared right back.
"Kacchan, don't start anything." Izuku warned.
The man smirked down at Kacchan. His face was two shades of tan, though Izuku was sure it was mostly dirt from however long they had gone without washing. Katsuki nosed, curled as the man leaned closer, but he didn't move back to put distance.
"Why don't you listen to your friend? You don't want to start anything you can't finish." The man warned.
His friends chuckled, making it obvious they wouldn't be of any help to Izuku at the impending confrontation.
"How about you take a step back, you fucking reek?" Kacchan said.
The man growled as he grabbed the front of Kacchan's shirt, dragging him forward and off his feet until his toes gazed at the surface of the concrete.
"Let go of me!" Katsuki yelled.
Izuku didn't hesitate to move forward towards the man, One for All active and ready to be used at a moment's notice. His teeth clenched as he stood right next to the man, but he held his anger back and his tone steady as he addressed him.
"Let go of him now." Izuku ordered.
His attention redirected towards Izuku and away from Kacchan. Izuku's focus was on his hands, that were still wrapped around Kacchan's shirt.
"And what do you think you're going to do?" The man asked.
"I'm going to ask you to let the boy go. If you continue to escalate, then you won't be permitted entry into our school." Kohaku warned.
'Look out, kid!'
Pain flashed behind Izuku's eyes and he ducked before he could even process what he was doing. Another flash of hot white pain and Izuku rolled away. He heard the thump of someone's shoe stomp down where he had stood only a few seconds after.
"I said get off!"
Kacchan's explosion rang into the air and Izuku glanced up to see the man grab at his face as Katsuki pushed off the man's chest to flip back and land somewhere to Izuku's right.
'Young Midoriya!' 'Izuku.' 'Midoriya.'
Izuku grabbed at his head. This wasn't the time to lose it so he deactivated One for All the voices dimming enough to let him focus back on the group at was standing a few feet away from him. The man's face was an angry red as his hand hovered over his injury. Izuku knew it looked worse than it really was, which only proved that Kacchan had held back from permanently injuring the other man.
"I'll get you for that, you dumb brat."
Kacchan crouched down, ready for them to attach again, but the crackle of his quirk abruptly stopped. Kacchan frowned down at his hands as he clenched them closed. The other three had equally confused looks on their faces.
"What the hell?" Kacchan asked.
"That's enough."
Standing at the gates next to Kohaku stood Eraserhead, his quirk active as the ends of his long raven hair defied gravity around him. The other group didn't look at all pleased.
"Who the hell are you and what did you do to my quirk?" The man yelled.
Eraserhead had his hands tucked away in his pockets as he ignored the other group to focus on Izuku and Kacchan. From Izuku's research in the past, Eraserhead wasn't the most well-known hero, but he could be just as lethal as the more popular ones.
"I have it in mind to reject both of your requests for entry."
Izuku stood up, his palms out, as Eraserhead watched him unbothered. They couldn't afford to lose their chance over this. Even Kacchan looked worried as his jaw clenched to restrain himself, face red.
"No please, I'm sorry we caused a disturbance but we really need entrance into your school." Izuku pleaded.
"And why should I give entry to a couple of troublemakers?" Eraserhead asked.
Before Izuku could respond, Eraserhead motioned to a woman who wasn't far behind him towards the group of men. Their leader's body was tensed as he paced like a caged animal watching them.
"I got the kids. You deal with those three." Eraserhead said.
The woman plastered on a flirty gaze towards the group, a smile teasing her lips as her hands clenched around her whip
"Oh, don't mind if I do." She said.
Midnight was a hero that Izuku was much more familiar with since she had no problem being the center of controversy back in the day. As she moved towards the men, their eyes lingered on everything other than her face, their earlier anger forgotten by the sway of her hips. Izuku looked away, embarrassed. He remembered a time when he would have been gushing over seeing such well-known heroes, but he just wanted their acceptance into their school.
"Please, my mom's sick. Even if you don't approve of us, if you could let the others in?" Izuku asked.
Kohaku moved closer to Eraserhead and whispered into his ear. The older man's brow arched as he glanced back at them, his eyes more observant at what he was told.
"Take me to your group and I'll decide after we talk." Eraserhead said.
Izuku sighed, his brain overworked with trying to focus on everything around him. Katsuki's shoulders dropped along with his head as he rubbed at his hair to let out some of his relieved frustration.
"Young Midoriya."
Izuku ignored the All Might voice, as turned to walk back to their hideout.
"Thank you, sir." Izuku said.
The man said nothing, as he followed them and only a few minutes out they had reached the empty building. Before Izuku could reach the door, the others had already opened it their bodies falling out in a rush to check on them.
"You two okay?" Chieko asked.
She reached out to Kacchan, but he brushed her hand away, his tone soft as he reassured her he was fine.
"What about your mother?" Eraserhead asked.
"She has another fever." Hatsume said.
They brought the older man inside, and Izuku could see his mother resting in the corner. Her face looked flush but her breathing sounded better than before.
"I just gave her some of the marshmallow tea. It helps with the cough, but her fevers keep spiking." Chieko offered.
Eraserhead kneeled down next to his mom, checking her temperature with a light press of his palm on her forehead. He lifted her wrist to check her pulse before moving away to face Izuku's small group.
"I'll allow you all temporary access while we check your mother's health. I warn you though we lost Recovery Girl, so we only have an intern nurse that had been on site when the attacks happened." He said.
Izuku bowed, his eyes wet at the corners. This was the best he could hope for at this point. Whatever happened after they would deal with.
"Thank you, Eraserhead. I'm sure that will be enough to help my mom." Izuku said.
"Like I said, this is temporary. If you can earn my trust, then you can all stay." He said.
Everyone nodded in agreement as they all rushed to pack their things up.
"We'll do whatever it takes." Izuku promised.
The man nodded as he lifted his mother into his arms. Her frame had become frail in the last few days, not at all like her usual hectic self.
"Call me Aizawa, and when we get back to the school, you can start earning that trust by telling me more about the hospital you came from."