Chapter 46

.::Rays of Hope::.

Mina had to suppress a squeal as she stood in the bathroom door watching Kiri peer at his reflection. When he came back from the corner store she'd been overjoyed to find he'd bought a bottle of red hair dye, too. She hadn't wasted any time herding him off to the bathroom to get to work. It had taken a while to figure out how to use it, since neither of them had actually dyed their hair before. In the end Kuroe had to step in and help, but after several hours no trace of the original black color remained.

Now he sported a head of hair just as bright red as the Kiri she knew and loved. The shade looked just a little off from her Kiri—really close, but still not quite the same—but it was close enough. Already she felt a huge rush of déjà vu and familiarity, and seeing this Kiri with red hair just made the world finally feel a little more right.

"So, does it look alright?" he asked, turning to her with an anxious smile. Despite her excitement Mina pursed her lips for dramatic effect, studying him more critically.

"The color's on-point!" she said with a firm nod. "But your hair's all limp and flat!"

"Uh, this is how it usually is, though?"

"My Kiri spikes it all up!" Mina told him, tugging at her hair around her horns for emphasis. She stepped into the bathroom and nudged Kiri out of the way a bit so she could open the drawers. "Come on, let's see if we can find some hair gel and fix it!"

"Uh, c-can we maybe... not?" Kiri asked, and she paused her search to glance at him. He wasn't looking at her, rubbing his arm as he looked at the floor. "S-sorry, Ashido, but just dying it is already kinda a huge change for me. I'm not sure I'm ready to, uh, spike it up, like you said..." Mina frowned a little as he rambled, but soon nodded.

"Okay, sure," she agreed, closing the drawer a little sheepishly. "Sorry, I guess I got a little excited..." She had to remind herself that this Kiri had a lot more stress and anxiety than hers did, so she shouldn't push him too fast. Changing it to red alone was a huge image change for him and made him look so much different and better, even if he didn't do anything to style it. The black hair had just made him look so gloomy, he really did look better with red.

And besides all that, he wasn't her Kiri. This was a totally different Kirishima Eijirou, one with his own life and experiences totally separate from the one she knew. He would never be like her Kiri, not because he was lame or anything (and he absolutely wasn't!), but because they were just different people. So she shouldn't try to make him be like her Kiri, but instead help him become the best Kiri he could be!

So with that in mind she pasted on a big grin and declared, "You're one step closer to becoming Red Riot!" He jolted a little at that, eyes widening in surprise, but then he smiled and gave a tiny nod.

"Y-yeah, I guess I am, aren't I," he said quietly, and Mina felt her smile become a little softer. He still had a long way to go, but this Kiri really was on his way to becoming something great, she could already see it now.

She backed off and left the bathroom so he could study his reflection in privacy, heading over to the living room where she'd left the phone to charge. It was now almost five o'clock, and she wanted to check if any messages arrived from Anjou or anyone else.

However, before she could reach it she heard talking in the kitchen. It was too quiet and distant to make out any words, but she perked up as she recognized another voice besides Kuroe's. Mina spun and raced over, sliding into the doorway to see Kuroe standing at the counter, and Anjou standing next to the table where she'd dropped her bag. "An-chan!" she greeted with a cheer, and the other girl nodded at her.

"Hey Ashido," she said, and craned her head to the side a bit before her eyes went wide. "Woah, is that Kirishima?" Mina turned to see Kiri had left the bathroom and followed her, looking at Anjou with a nervous-looking smile.

"Uh, h-hey, Anjou," he said with a small nod. "Yeah, I dyed my hair today... It just finished drying." His comment had Kuroe stepping to the side to get a better look.

"Looks good," he said, and Mina could see Kiri basically sag with relief while Kuroe returned to his original spot. "Red's definitely your color, kid. Wasn't sure how it'd turn out since it's such a big difference from your natural color, but you chose good."

"Yeah... Thanks." Kiri smiled tentatively, looking a bit more confident while Kuroe hummed and nodded.

"Guess Ashido's story had an impact after all, huh?" Anjou asked with a smirk, and Kiri just gave a little shrug.

"I guess so. Plus, I figured it's better for hiding now that we're on the run."

"Have to admit, I'm impressed you managed to pick out a decent brand," Kuroe commented. "The number of times I've seen someone grab the wrong kind..."

"Yeah, I think I grabbed a bad one first," Kiri said with a sheepish laugh. "There were some other guys in the aisle, and one of them told me to use this other brand instead." Mina looked at him in surprise. He hadn't mentioned that part earlier. Before she could start peppering him with questions he perked up and added, "Oh! I forgot, one of them said to tell you Kaitou says hi...?" Kuroe paused at that, glancing his way with slightly wide eyes before smirking.

"He noticed the stain on the coat, didn't he?" he asked, and Kiri jolted a little.

"Uh, y-yeah... How did you...?"

"Kaitou hates that stain. Glares at it every time I lend out that coat." Kuroe chuckled while Mina gave them both quizzical looks.

"Who's Kaitou?" she piped up.

"You'll find out later tonight," Anjou replied cryptically, and that made Mina light up with excitement all over again.

"Wait, is he the one you want us to meet!?"

"Not exactly, but he'll be there," she said. "Anyways, grab something from the fridge and eat, we're leaving in half an hour." The abrupt announcement startled Kiri while Mina perked up ever further.

"We are!?"

"Yep. I already told the others we'll meet them at six. We have to walk there so we have to leave at five thirty at the latest."

Mina started bouncing in place, her excitement reaching fever levels while Kiri frowned. "We're doing it tonight?" he asked. "I thought you'd want to wait until tomorrow since it's so late."

"Six isn't that late!" Mina replied with a huff, and he gave her a skeptical look.

"Ashido, it's already dark outside," he said, pointing to a nearby window, and when Mina glanced at it she could see it had indeed already gotten dark. Not pitch black yet, but the sun had definitely gone down.

"...Eh, it'll be fine," she said dismissively, and Kuroe snorted and shook his head.

"It's fine kid, you'll be safe," he said to Kiri. "Odawara's pretty safe crime-wise. Mostly." He paused then, seeming to consider it. "...Okay, it might be a little risky. So if anything happens to my sister, I am obligated to threaten to make you regret being born."

"Sister?" Kiri repeated, and Anjou lifted a hand.

"Yeah, me." Mina gasped, her eyes lighting up.

"You're siblings!?" she blurted, and Kuroe shot Anjou an amused smirk.

"Dang Ran, I know we didn't grow up together, but I thought you would've at least mentioned me," he teased.

"I did," Anjou said with a shrug, flashing a smug-looking smirk of her own. "She just forgot." She snickered while Mina stared between them in wonder. She knew Anjou mentioned being a foster kid, but she never thought she might have actual siblings! Looking at them side by side, she didn't really notice any common features, but it still felt like she should have known this.

"Hold on," she said, focusing on Kuroe as a thought occurred to her. "You're, like, biological siblings, right? And you're an adult now, right? So why didn't she move—ow!" She yelped as Kiri smacked her arm, shooting him a dark look. "Kiri, what the heck!"

"Ashido, you don't just ask people that!" he hissed, and she paused. Oh, right, that was probably—no, not probably, it was definitely very rude.

Thankfully Kuroe and Anjou didn't take offense to it, just snorting. "Yeah, no, the foster system is just screwed up," Kuroe replied casually. "They never really cared about keeping siblings together if it meant one of them could get a home, especially with big age gaps like ours. And in our case, most people don't want to bother with a Quirkless kid." That made them pause, both Mina and Kiri turning to gape at him. He rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah, yeah, I'm a Quirkless freak of nature. Gawk all you want."

"Why would being Quirkless make you a freak of nature?" Mina asked with a frown. "I've never met someone Quirkless before, but it doesn't seem like that big of a deal...?"

"Yeah," Kiri agreed. "That's, like, super uncool to think of yourself that way! And you seem pretty awesome so far, so it doesn't really seem like it matters." Kuroe paused as they spoke, looking faintly surprised, and then his smirk returned.

"Good to see Ran has good taste in friends," he chuckled, and Anjou snorted.

"Last I checked, your friends aren't really paragons of society," she pointed out with an eye roll, and he chuckled.

"Not by a long shot. But hey, they treat me like I'm an actual person and not made of glass or subhuman, so that's a win. Honestly, I'm past the point of giving a fuck about having no Quirk personally," he said more to Mina and Kiri than Anjou, "but other people tend to get stuck on that more than you'd think. After having your whole life repeatedly fucked over because of bigots, you tend to get a bit cynical."

Mina and Kiri both frowned, neither of them liking the implications of that. "So what, they split you two up just because you didn't have a Quirk?" Mina asked after a few seconds, and he nodded.

"Pretty much. Plus there's that big age gap I mentioned. By the time Ran's current parents came into the picture I was already in my last year of high school, so I was about to age out of the system anyway. They're decent folks at least, didn't try to stop us from having a relationship or anything."

"But yeah, we're not really all that close," Anjou added with a shrug. "I visit sometimes, but our relationship is more business than siblings at this point."

"Man, that sucks," Kiri muttered while Mina's frown deepened. That really was screwed up, but for once this sounded like something she couldn't blame on all the differences in this stupid world. Villains had nothing to do with kids getting separated in the foster system because of discrimination. For all she knew, the Anjou and Kuroe in her world could be in the same situation.

That last thought made her frown vanish, her irritation replaced by mild surprise. Come to think of it, she hadn't ever really thought about what An-chan was like in her world. It was weird to realize that given how much time they'd spent together. Maybe after this all ended and she got home, Mina could try to track her down?

"It is what it is," Anjou said with a shrug, opening the fridge. "But enough of that. We've got less than half an hour before we have to go." She pulled out three premade bento boxes from the convenience store and carried them to the table. "No time to cook, hope you guys don't mind konbini food." Mina broke into a wide grin, her misgivings vanishing as she plopped into one of the chairs.

"Of course not!" she exclaimed, and turned to Kiri. "C'mon Kiri, sit down and eat so we can go!"

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," he said, joining them at the table while Mina tore into one of the bento boxes. As she began gobbling down the contents it took some conscious self-control to pace herself, her whole body buzzing with adrenaline.

It was so close. At five-thirty they'd leave and go off to investigate those leads Anjou mentioned—the whole reason they'd come here instead of looking for Jirou and Kaminari over in Hosu. And then she'd finally, finally have answers!

Just a little longer.

Shouta sat near the center of his cell in silence, glowering at the door as he pondered over when it would open again. He'd heard voices outside earlier, probably hanging around for fifteen minutes or so before leaving. They hadn't been loud, but he'd recognized one as Izuku and then another, deeper one from the day he'd been taken by the Alliance. It had been unusual enough to get his attention; as far as he could tell this cell must be in an isolated part of the building that didn't get much traffic, given he never really heard anyone.

To his frustration, he hadn't been able to make out much of what was said before they left though. Their voices had been mostly quiet, except for one unknown voice which had been VERY loud, and definitely called someone "Ferrofreak." Maybe if he'd moved closer to the door Shouta could have heard them more clearly, but as it stood his broken leg kept him from moving. Now that he wasn't in constant fear for his life, he had little to distract himself from the pain. Damn, what he wouldn't give for some painkillers...

He froze as he heard the door's lock click, sitting up to watch it warily. He fully expected it to be Izuku, but given he'd heard multiple voices earlier he couldn't be sure the kid would be alone this time. Thankfully no one else appeared though and only the green-haired boy scooted inside carrying a plate with dinner, with a faintly... haunted look on his face as he closed the door.

"Something happen?" Shouta asked flatly as the teen turned back to him.

"...Chemistry is terrifying," he whispered, and Shouta arched an eyebrow. He recognized the haunted tones of students who'd just been subjected to particularly enthusiastic lectures by Nemuri back when UA still existed, the memory making him almost snort.

"I take it there's a chemist among the Alliance, then," he remarked casually, subtly digging for intel. He had no expectations of being able to pass on anything he learned in the near future, but he'd like to have as much information as possible for if (when) he got out.

Fortunately the kid didn't notice his intentions, answering with a dazed look as he put down the plate near Shouta. "I don't know. I don't think she works with the Alliance full-time, but she has a lab here. And it is terrifying."

The kid shuddered, which did not help the growing hum of alarm Shouta felt. This was the first time he'd heard of the Alliance having a chemist on hand, and Izuku's reaction did not bode well for what might be down there. The thought they might have some sort of drugs or tools for chemical warfare made his stomach twist anxiously, though he didn't let it show on his face. "What kind of stuff is made in there?" he asked, and the kid opened his mouth to respond only to pause.

"...Wait, I shouldn't tell you," he said, and dammit, the kid figured out what Shouta was up to. Izuku waved his hands as he hastily continued, "Um, it's n-not like the Alliance is using that stuff or anything! I mean, I think you'd all know if they were, b-but... I still don't think she'd like me talking about it to, um, you." The kid fidgeted awkwardly, still looking vaguely disturbed but a bit more aware now.

"Whose lab is it?" Shouta questioned, figuring he might as well just ask directly. The kid kept saying "she" but Shouta didn't know of many females among the Alliance's members. The only one to come to mind was a teenage girl who had only joined in the recent months before his capture, and she didn't seem like the type to care about chemistry.

Once again the kid froze, clearly hesitating. "...I shouldn't tell you," he repeated, voice little more than a high-pitched squeak, and Shouta's eyes narrowed. There was definite fear there.

"Are you being threatened?" he asked bluntly, because even if this kid was an accomplice to his captors he was still a kid.

Izuku winced, looking horrified as he rapidly shook his head. "N-no, not at all! She's just—um, really private, and stuff, and..." He trailed off awkwardly, his eyes glazing over and becoming distant. "...chemistry is scary."

...Shouta had a feeling this wouldn't go anywhere. "I'll take your word for it," he said tiredly, taking the plate. Today's dinner was more sandwiches, along with a rice ball with... some kind of wax paper pouch next to it? "What's this?" The kid jolted back to reality at the question, and his eyes lit up as he saw the wax paper.

"Oh! That's for your mittens, so they won't get sticky from the onigiri! I figured you can't really use chopsticks but you probably haven't had rice in a while, so I thought this would be a good compromise. Just..." He started to approach but then froze, clearly hesitating. Realizing his intent, Shouta sighed before pushing the plate towards him and extending his right hand.

"Here, kid. Just put it on. If you're worried about me attacking or something, you don't need to. I can't exactly make any sudden movements with my leg like this." The kid winced guiltily as his eyes flitted to the splint, his mouth pressing into a thin line before he resumed his approach.

Shouta remained still as promised while the kid worked and soon the wax paper was wrapped around the mitten, crinkling loudly when he picked up the onigiri. It had been a while since he'd been able to eat rice, so he really did appreciate the gesture. While he ate Izuku retreated to the corner like usual, fidgeting awkwardly and clearly trying not to look at him.

After a while the kid started mumbling, too low for Shouta to hear but still clearly talking to himself. He didn't notice Shouta finish eating and push away the empty plate, seeming to be off in his own world. Normally he would be fine with that, but he still had the wax paper clinging to one mitten. As predicted, he could see some grains of rice sticking to it, and he felt relieved he didn't have to worry about cleaning it up.

"Kid, I'm done," he called, and it startled Izuku who quickly scrambled over to peel away the wax paper. Once he put it on the plate he didn't leave like Shouta expected though, seeming to be hesitating about something, and Shouta suppressed a sigh. The kid never just delivered meals, so he shouldn't be surprised. "Is there any other reason you're here, then?" The question startled Izuku out of his thoughts again, the kid blinking in surprise before nodding.

"O-oh, well... I just wanted to know if, since you uh, used to be a teacher, you'd be up to helping us with homework later?" Shouta stared, not expecting that as the kid rambled, "See, you already know I still have to do schoolwork, right? But now we also have Kacchan and Sh—Hijack, too, and Kacchan's been going to school but I guess Hijack dropped out when he ran away...? So after we left the lab Kurogiri said they should both do schoolwork too, but Hijack's way behind, so then I remembered you said you used to be a teacher so I talked to Kurogiri and he said you could teach us—"

"Breathe, kid," Shouta cut in, and Izuku obediently took a large gulp of air while the hero took advantage of the brief reprieve to process the rambling. "You want me to teach you and... other kids?" There were more kids here? Was Hijack another villain? Was "Kacchan" that teenage girl who'd joined this year?

"Y-yeah. I mean, not formally, but just, help us go over schoolwork and stuff. Answer questions and all that. Like I said, I already talked to Kurogiri and he said it was okay." Shouta didn't fully recognize the name "Kurogiri" but it sounded like he must have a position of influence if the kid asked him instead of Shigaraki.

Still. Teaching? "...Kid, I haven't been a teacher in years," he deadpanned. "And my main subject was ethics, which doesn't seem relevant in this place. I won't be able to help you as much as you might think, even if it's just answering questions."

"That's okay, really!" Izuku reassured him. "It'll still be helpful and feel, well, normal, I guess. I mean, as normal as this can get. So, please?" He gave Shouta the most stupidly hopeful look as he asked that, wide eyes and everything, which he returned with a flat look of his own.

"Fine." As it stood, Shouta genuinely had no choice in the matter, whether the kid politely asked or not. He was a prisoner—the kid's prisoner. If the kid said to bark like a dog, Shouta probably would if only to avoid pissing off Shigaraki for disobeying him. Shouta couldn't refuse the brat's requests if he wanted to survive.

Even so, the teen's face lit up as if he'd promised him the world. "Really? Thank you, sensei!"

"But on one condition," Shouta added before Izuku could get too excited. The kid froze, his face quickly becoming serious.

"What is it, sir?" he asked, and Shouta took a breath.

"Today's Friday, right?"

"Um, y-yeah...?"

"Then I want to hear Present Mic's show tonight." Shouta had to almost force the words out, keeping his expression and voice cool and stoic as usual even as his heart pounded. It was a gamble, to make a request so bluntly like that when he wasn't in a position to do so. With how smart and observant the kid was, asking this was exposing a potential weakness to his captors.

But after yesterday, Shouta had to hear Hizashi's voice again.

The kid's face went slack with shock for a moment, but then he lit up with the brightest smile yet. "Of course! I was planning to do that anyway! I always try to listen to it when it's on, so I can just listen to it here instead! Oh, but sometimes I fall asleep listening to it since it runs so late, so..."

Shouta felt some of the tension in his body fade at the easy agreement, a sense of calm washing over him as the kid began rambling about Hizashi's show. He agreed, no strings attached, and that was the best news he'd gotten in months. To him, the show was more than just a way to pass time or hear his best friend's voice: it was a reminder of what Shouta was missing, what waited for him in the world outside this cell.

Right now, things were bleak, but he would get out of here.

(The charity show lasted for a total of two hours. Two blissful hours of relative silence, just basking in his friend's voice. Hizashi didn't play any music this time, just talked to various guests about animals and the importance of donating to shelters or reporting abuse. And at first, and for a long while, that had felt like enough for Shouta.

Then when it ended and Hizashi did the sign-off, he had broken off from the usual script to tack on another message. "And as always, to my favorite listener: I hope you hear this and are doing well! I know it's been a while, but hope we'll be able to see each other again soon!"

Shouta nearly bolted upright at the message, feeling so grateful Izuku hadn't been looking at him at the time. His mouth went dry as his head snapped to the side to stare at the phone, a heavy tightness in his throat as his heart began pounding.

Shouta had no idea how long had passed since his initial capture, but he knew it had been well more than three months. By underground standards, he should now be considered dead. That was why he didn't expect any rescue, why he had given up on leaving that place, why he had doubts he could escape even now. No one would be likely to actively search for him anymore; his only hope was for someone to either stumble on him by chance while investigating his captors, or to escape on his own.

But at that moment, hearing that simple sign-off, he realized Hizashi hadn't given up. The idiot still clung to hope Shouta was alive even though he knew that wishing an underground hero was alive after being missing for so long could be crueler than death. No doubt others would be telling him to give up regularly. But the fact he signed off like that—specifically addressed Shouta, even if he couldn't be sure if Shouta might hear—

Hizashi hadn't given up. He was still looking for him.

And that alone gave Shouta the first true ray of hope he'd had in what felt like years.)

As promised, here's chapter 46! This chapter feels closer to filler even if it's got some important developments, hence why I decided to post this and 45 this week. I am so amused that Aizawa is STILL ending up a teacher for Izuku in this world though. Also solidly confirming this now in case anyone still had any doubts: yep, Kuroe IS Quirkless. Which makes all his actions even MORE ridiculous and risky.

But next time, at long last, the big reunion of Ashido and Todoroki. Strap in, that's going to be a MAJOR ride.

Question for next time is still the same: most chaotic point for someone to be swapped from the canon universe to Ignite. (Also, doesn't have to be ONE character. Could be a whole group swapped!)