Chapter 16
.::One Step at a Time::.
"Are you sure you'll be okay, sweetie?"
"I'll be fine, mom," Ochaco reassured her mother, trying not to roll her eyes at the woman's almost nagging concern. "I know not to open the door for strangers and all that."
"Still, you'll be home alone for most of the day," her mom murmured, frowning as she glanced away. "Maybe I should just reschedule..."
"Mom, no!" Ochaco protested, stamping her foot with a frown. "You've been waiting a full two months for this appointment! If you reschedule now, who knows when they can get you in again? I've stayed home alone tons of times before this! I can take care of myself, I promise!"
"I suppose you have a point..." Her mother sighed, still looking a bit uncomfortable, but she then pasted on a smile. "Alright, sweetie, I get it. You're right, I do need to go today or Doctor Hayashi probably won't be able to fit me in until next year. I just wish the timing was better..." She shook her head before leaning closer to hug Ochaco. "I'll be back in a few hours. I love you, dear."
"I love you too, mom," Ochaco said, relaxing and offering a smile as she tried to ignore the pit of guilt swelling in her stomach. Her mother gave her a quick peck on the forehead before grabbing her coat and striding to the door, and when it closed behind her Ochaco's whole body sagged tiredly, her smile vanishing as she gave a large sigh.
I'm so sorry.
She turned and headed up to her bedroom, her chest heavy and head hanging low. She felt awful talking to her mother like this, lying to her face like that, but she had no other choice. Today her dad would be at work all day, Suimin was busy with something she didn't know, and her mother had a doctor's appointment in their original hometown that would keep her away for a good few hours.
Ochaco wouldn't get another chance like this to run away.
She couldn't stay here anymore. She loved her parents, but these people—they weren't her parents. This wasn't her home, this wasn't her family, this wasn't her life. Right now she was an interloper in another Ochaco's body, and she needed to find a way back to her own world. As long as she stayed in this house though that just wouldn't happen. Her dad and Suimin were too protective, she wouldn't be able to do anything if she didn't leave first.
She'd known that for a while now, but it was now more critical than ever because Deku was here too. While Ochaco was living up a life of luxury he was trapped with the League of Villains. She'd already let him down when she didn't join him at Kamino, and hadn't been able to do anywhere near enough during the raid on Overhaul's base. This time the circumstances were even more impossibly dire, and she absolutely could not afford to leave him alone.
To that end, she went to her closet and all but slammed the sliding door open, pulling out the backpack and clothes she'd prepared the previous night. She had no idea why she had one of her dad's ratty old button-ups in her closet, but she felt grateful as she pulled it over her t-shirt along with a pair of generic-looking gray sweatpants. It should look generic enough to keep her from being identified, the only iffy part the pair of sneakers she'd found in the back of her closet, but that wasn't her only plan.
She headed to her bathroom with an air of determination, opening the cabinet beneath the sink to reveal a box full of brightly colored chalk. Last night while digging through her closet she'd found a hair chalk kit targeted at preteen girls, and she pulled it out along with latex gloves and a spray bottle of water she used to thoroughly douse her hair.
Goodbye for now, brunette hair. Ochaco grabbed the wet ends and began running a dark red chalk over it, twisting the locks to spread the color as much as possible and watching it slowly darken in the mirror. It didn't turn totally red, just became more of a deep auburn, but this was just the first layer of color. She had more to go.
Half an hour of frantic and meticulous hair chalking later, she emerged from the bathroom feeling like a new person. A few layers had left her hair more red than brown, the dye job uneven but good enough for now. She peeled off the gloves and shoved them in a plastic zip lock bag along with the still-damp chalk she'd used, taking the rest of the chalk kit back to the closet and pushing it to the very back behind the empty box she'd found her sneakers in. Hopefully no one would notice one missing.
With her hair now colored and in the process of drying, she turned to the backpack she'd filled last night and checked it one last time. She'd grabbed some extra underwear and bras, her toothbrush, a spare pair of sneakers and a metal thermos, but otherwise she kept it light. She couldn't risk taking much of her own clothing, if she wore them she might get identified and taken back. Instead, she packed cash. Lots of cash.
Ochaco nodded to herself as she stuffed the plastic bag with the chalk and gloves inside and zipped up the backpack, slinging it over her shoulder and turning to the window. This was it. Time to go. As she walked towards it she paused, casting a glance at her cell phone on the table. Taking it would be too risky, she knew smart phones had built-in GPSs that could be tracked.
It also meant she couldn't talk to Ashido.
That loss probably hit her the hardest. At this point she was certain that Alien_Queen_Pink and Ashido were one and the same, though whether it was her Ashido remained to be seen. But either way, she wouldn't be able talk to her anytime soon. She didn't have a phone number she could use to text her even if she got a cheap prepaid phone; all she could do was hope she'd be able to find a net café sometime soon and message her on FacePage there.
Turning away from the phone for the final time, Ochaco took a deep breath and pushed her window open. Her bedroom overlooked the fenced-in backyard, a chilly autumn breeze blowing in, and she slapped her own arm and jumped.
Cold air assaulted her as she leaped into the sky, the lack of gravity keeping her high above the ground. She kicked off the windowsill and aimed her trajectory towards the fence, but even as she passed over it she kept going. She kept her gaze on a tree at the far end of the road behind her house, ignoring the rising taste of bile in her throat as she flew towards it like an arrow.
When she got close enough she pressed her fingers together and felt gravity take control once more. She shot out her hands to snag a branch and swung herself to the ground, landing on her feet and taking off at a run as she swallowed back some vomit.
Her plan: go to the nearest thrift shop, buy new clothes and change, and then go to another one and repeat the process until she felt satisfied no one would be able to track her by clothing alone. Her parents almost certainly had scary connections in this world given their wealth, so she had to be absolutely sure she wouldn't be found again.
After that, though?
Well, hopefully Deku wouldn't be too far from that shopping center where she met him.
When Shouto volunteered to complete some favors to Shiozaki and Kouda, he hadn't been sure what to expect. He had no information on the runaway network, and had even less of an idea what they knew about him. He at least knew Kuroe hadn't given them his name, so he opted to go by the alias "Yuki" for the time being. The choice got a few strange looks, all directed at his black hair, but once he showed off the cold half of his Quirk they accepted it easily.
So far he hadn't met anyone other than those two, Shiozaki citing the rest of the network as being incredibly wary of newcomers until they'd been "officially inducted". The vague way she phrased that left him wary, but he had no room to complain or ask questions so he kept silent. That said, they had a surprising amount of favors to carry out, and more than one raised a few new questions.
"Why am I buying three boxes of black dye and a box of frozen crickets?" he asked as he met them at their meeting spot, loaded down with canvas bags.
"Some of our members have unique needs," Shiozaki said with a simple shrug as Kouda took the bags. "Quirks tend to have some sort of unique cost associated with them after all, and it can lead to... interesting cravings."
"Right." That did not satisfy Shouto's curiosity, but he didn't push it further as he pulled the change from his pocket. "Here, some stuff was on sale so there was extra change left over." It felt wrong to keep it for himself, even if he needed more money.
"Thank you," Shiozaki said as she accepted it, slipping it into a pocket sewn into her skirt.
"I still don't get why I'm the one who has to do the grocery shopping."
"The local stores are starting to notice us more," Shiozaki explained. "The cashiers seem to be concerned by our... humble clothing. While their concern is wonderful, we'd rather avoid attention." Shouto just nodded, accepting the explanation easily. Given they were a network of runaways, it made sense to want to avoid as much attention as possible. Hopefully Shouto wouldn't be added to some growing list of potential runaways.
While Shiozaki and Kouda began sifting through the bags to double-check everything had been purchased he just stood there awkwardly, unsure if he should just leave or not. After about a minute Kouda glanced up and seemed to notice his predicament, nudging Shiozaki's arm to get her attention before he began signing. Shouto wasn't fluent by any stretch but he vaguely recognized a few of the signs from class, specifically the words, "thank," "ask" and "villain," the last sign making him particularly alert.
Shiozaki nodded and turned to Shouto. "Rockfish says thank you. He also wants to know how long you plan to stay in Odawara." She made no mention of the word "villain" despite the fact Shouto knew he saw that sign—everyone in Class 1-A had been taught it for emergencies—but he decided not to mention it. For now, at least.
"I'm not sure yet," he admitted. "I came here looking for someone, but I'm not sure whether he's actually here or not." The pair not-so-subtly perked up at the admission, and Kouda's hands flew in a flurry of signs, once again flashing "villain" as well as "family" and "friend."
"Is it a relative or friend?" Shiozaki asked curiously, and Shouto paused. Were he and Tokoyami friends? They didn't speak too much, but then again, this was another dimension entirely so they were quite likely strangers.
"I don't think so," he settled, and Kouda shot Shiozaki the most blatantly confused look he'd ever seen. Shiozaki herself kept her own face blank, merely blinking at him.
"Do you... know this person?" she asked. Again, Shouto had to pause to think. Yes, he definitely knew Tokoyami back in his world. But then, this was another world, and he didn't know if this world's Shouto had ever met Tokoyami here.
"Maybe," he said with a shrug. Kouda made a small, whimper-like noise, looking even more confused. Shiozaki just stared at him, somehow even more blank now.
"...Do you know their name?" she finally asked. Oh, good, one he could answer.
"His name is Tokoyami Fumikage," he replied. "I think he's operating under the name Phantom Shadow alongside Gentle Criminal right now, though."
Kouda made a sound not unlike a dying animal, while Shiozaki just blinked and slowly tilted her head. "...Pardon me for asking, but how do you know that, and why are you looking for him?"
...And back to one he couldn't reasonably answer. Shouto frowned as he mulled over his options. Should he explain the alternate dimension thing, or would that be too much? Tokoyami might be likely to believe it, but there was no reason Shiozaki or Kouda would. They might end up reporting him for being mentally unstable or something like that. But that might draw undue attention to themselves, so they might keep it secret and just avoid him.
"It's complicated," he decided with a shrug, and paused upon noticing Kouda's distinctly distressed expression. "K—um. Rockfish, are you alright? You look... upset?"
Kouda released a long, drawn-out whine, while Shiozaki just continued to stare at Shouto with an unreadable look. "...Yuki-san," she finally said, and paused. "Are you planning to join them?" Shouto frowned, confused by the question.
"No? I just need his help."
"With... what, exactly?"
Back to the alternate dimension problem. Should he just explain the alternate dimension theory? Aside from the whole 'might call authorities' thing, they might instead think he was just making it up. It did sound pretty ridiculous. Shouto mulled it over briefly, and once again settled for a shrug. "It's complicated," he repeated, and then frowned. "Rockfish, are you sick?"
Kouda looked worryingly pale now, his mouth open but not uttering so much as a squeak. Shiozaki regarded him for a moment before turning her gaze back to Shouto. "Yuki-san, are you aware of how your answers sound?" she questioned, and he frowned.
"No. Why? Is something wrong?"
"Well..." She trailed off, seeming to consider her words. "To make sure we understand correctly. You are currently searching for the sidekick of Gentle Criminal, whose name you know for reasons you do not share, and who you may or may not know, to ask for help with an issue you refuse to disclose."
"Yes," Shouto confirmed with a nod, and then paused as her words sunk in. "Oh." Right, now that she'd said it out loud he sounded pretty suspicious. He could see why Kouda looked ready to pass out or run away now. It was actually pretty impressive he hadn't started panicking yet, and Shouto should probably clear things up before he did.
To that end he stood straighter and gave a small bow, channeling his inner Iida. "I apologize, I didn't mean to come across that way. I'm not looking to join them or do anything villainous though, and I have no intention of divulging any information about you or this network to anyone."
"Then, could you explain why you're looking for him?" Shiozaki asked, and Shouto frowned as he straightened himself.
"I... don't really know how to explain it, honestly," he admitted. "My situation is complicated, and I'm still trying to understand it myself. I can't go to heroes or the police, and I can't find any information online, so right now I think Tokoyami might be the best option to help me."
Kouda regained some of his color at the stilted explanation, now frowning and looking thoughtful. He gulped and raised one finger to call for attention. "D-does i-it have to be h-him?" he asked, voice shaky and barely above a whisper.
Shouto blinked and opened his mouth to respond but then paused. Actually, did it have to be Tokoyami? Tokoyami seemed like the most likely person to believe his story, but even if he did that didn't guarantee he could actually help. But come to think of it, this runaway network might also have access to helpful information too. He'd been so focused on finding Tokoyami, it hadn't really occurred to him to look for other people.
"...Can I have some time to think about it?" he finally asked. Telling someone he came from another dimension seemed like a big step, and while he'd prepared himself to tell Tokoyami he hadn't done so in regards to Shiozaki or Kouda. He should probably take some time to think it over, just to be safe.
"...Alright," Shiozaki said after a moment, nodding slowly. "But... please tell us if you decide to resume looking for... um, Phantom Shadow."
"I will," Shouto agreed with a nod. They parted ways a few minutes later, Shouto left with a lot to think about.
Unknown to him, Shiozaki pulled out her phone and dialed a number she now knew by heart. "Midori? I think we may need to have an emergency meeting."
Toga Himiko liked to think of herself as a stereotypical high school girl.
She liked wearing cute clothes, she spent her free time writing love letters, and she adored hanging out and gossiping with girl friends. To her delight, her current crush was even in the same building where she lived now! It felt almost like she was living the plot of a shoujo manga.
Alas, Himiko was a villain though, and that put a bit of a damper on her social life. The Villain Alliance had no other regularly-present females besides Magne, and while they got along pretty well, the older woman did not particularly care to talk about romance with Himiko. Along with that, Mr. Compress had ordered her to leave Jackie's room when she tried to take him a homemade lunch.
The blonde pouted as she sprawled atop her bed, scrolling through her phone. Her contact list was abysmally short, and her FacePage profile had barely any friends since everyone was so paranoid about adding strangers. At times like these she regretted her path in life, if only for a lack of company. She really hoped that girl Mido-chan talked to might turn out to be a good recruit, having another girl close to her age would be so much fun!
There was one person though. One name on her contact list that made her pause, a mischievous smile curling across her lips. For you see, while Himiko was one of the only two females regularly present at the Villain Alliance's headquarters, they were not the only ones in the organization. There was a third, a woman who had been in the Alliance long before Himiko had even heard its name.
And Himiko knew for a fact that she would want to hear about this.
She grinned as she hit the call button and held the phone to her ear, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Hello?" a familiar voice greeted, a note of fond exasperation in her voice. "Let me guess, you have some hot gossip that can't wait until my next visit?"
"Aiko-senpai," Himiko giggled. "You'll never believe what Tomu told me!"
Ochaco's first step to help Deku: do something stupid. She can't do anything while locked up at home after all. (Actually, originally I had Kurogiri nab her from her room on Shigaraki's orders, but having her run away works out WAY better.)
Fun fact: Todoroki's part was written back when the chapter with the mock interviews came out. It reminded me how socially oblivious he really is. People always focus on how he's quiet and reserved or moody (and also a conspiracy theorist), they forget he totally misses social cues sometimes. Kid isn't nearly as suave as a lot of fan fics depict him. I had a lot of fun writing him giving Kouda a near-breakdown.
Also, after last time I've decided to keep the title as is. Thanks for the input!
Question for next time: what runaway aliases would you give other members of Class 1-A and 1-B? (Asking partially because I am struggling to come up with names for a bunch of them. I don't think cryptically referencing their Quirks is a good idea if they're trying to keep a low profile.)