Chapter 64
.::Panic! in the Chat::.
By the time Deku finally got Kurogiri to send him to Aiko's apartment, the FacePage group chat had become a chaotic mess. Between telling Hatsume, Yaomomo bugging Kaminari's apartment, and Deku's messages about Toga maybe being an ally... Well, they had a lot to talk about. The peak of it came when Jirou confirmed through Kaminari she had to explain some of the truth to Yaomomo and that lizard girl from 1-B for some reason.
At that point, Ochako gave up. The situation seemed to be spiraling out of their control with every new message. It was just too chaotic now, and she figured she could either stress herself to death over things outside her control, or just sit back and enjoy the show.
Which was why she was sitting at Deku's desk with a bowl of popcorn and his laptop open to the chat when he entered. He stopped in the doorway and stared at her questioningly before meekly asking, "Uh, Uraraka?"
"This is horrifying and hilarious at the same time," she announced solemnly, not tearing her gaze away from the chat. Kaminari and Ashido had started feeding off each other's anxieties about Yaomomo being read in on the secret, questioning if maybe he and Jirou should run away after all. The past half hour had been spent planning out new identities for the duo. Without Jirou there to be the voice of reason, their plans had spiraled in some strange directions.
Judging by the very conflicted look on Deku's face, he'd been checking the chat pretty closely too. "Is Todoroki still suggesting one of them try to pretend to be half-Brazilian?" he asked.
"Yep," Ochako confirmed. Somehow Todoroki had also gotten roped into the chaos, probably because he was the only one consistently present who'd disguised himself at Kamino. They all still wanted some more details on those disguises. "They're debating if 'Ernesto' is a Brazilian-sounding name."
"We are so lucky undercover work isn't part of the curriculum," Deku groaned mournfully, and Ochako had to snicker at that. She lowered the lid and spun the chair around while Deku went to sit on his bed.
"So what's going on with Toga, anyway?" she asked, and was rewarded with another groan.
"It's a weird story," he muttered. "Before I say anything, where's Aiko? She wasn't in the apartment and didn't come out when I called her. She's not going to walk in, is she?"
Ochako pursed her lips. "I don't think so. She left around an hour ago and said she had to go buy some clothes for an emergency. She said she'd be back later tonight around dinner if people weren't absolute idiots?" Deku paused at that, shooting her a quizzical look, and she shrugged.
"Why would she need to spend all afternoon buying clothes for an emergency?" he asked after a few seconds.
"I think she's some kind of disguise specialist," Ochako confided, before correcting herself. "Actually, I'm sure of it. I've seen her leave in disguises two times now. I think she might be helping some other people with disguises this time...?" Deku frowned, looking down at his lap.
"Then she might not be back before I have to leave," he mumbled. "In that case, I won't be able to ask her about Aizawa-sensei..." That last bit had Ochako's blood suddenly chilling, cold dread washing over her. They weren't supposed to talk to Aiko about him because they didn't want her to realize Aizawa-sensei might be in Alliance custody, so if Deku wanted to ask her now...
"Deku," she said slowly. "What happened yesterday?" Deku openly grimaced, shoulders slumping as he wrung his hands on his lap.
"Yesterday Aiko snuck into the Alliance and went to see him." Ochako's stomach flipped, gasping quietly in horror as he confirmed one of their worst case scenarios. Before her thoughts could spiral too far he hastily continued, "I don't think she did anything to him. When I arrived she was just sitting on the floor, and she left when I asked her to. But I think her just being there might've triggered something. Aizawa-sensei was just—really shaken up..."
He hung his head miserably, a sight that had become all too familiar over the last week. Ochako could practically hear his guilty thoughts, no doubt blaming himself for not shielding their teacher from Aiko. Frowning, she got up and marched over to the bed to plop down next to him, throwing her arms around him and making him jump. "U-Uraraka?"
"It's not your fault," she said firmly, squeezing him tighter. "You weren't there when she arrived, and you couldn't have predicted she'd show up." She felt him tense in her arms before his whole body sagged.
"I know, but I could've done more," he whispered. "I avoided him all morning yesterday. I even asked Seiko to take him breakfast instead, but she got Toga to do it instead." That part had Ochako flinching, biting down a sympathetic hiss. Both sounded like absolutely horrible options to send his way. "If I hadn't been avoiding him, maybe I would've been there when Aiko arrived, and I could have made her leave..."
It was hard to argue with that, especially with how little Ochako knew about the situation. Still, she pulled away with a firm frown. "You don't know that for sure. And she probably wanted to go there when you weren't there, or she would've talked to you first instead of sneak in there."
"I guess," Deku muttered, but didn't look like he believed her. "It's just, you didn't see him yesterday when she was there. He looked like the victims in those training videos we watched about long-term trauma. When I entered he was staring at her almost the whole time, he didn't even look at me. And when I asked him how they knew each other, h-he just..." He swallowed thickly and looked away. "He just shut down. Completely."
That sent a chill down Ochako's spine. Aizawa-sensei was one of the toughest people Ochako had ever met. Even at USJ, he hadn't shown any fear before diving into that crowd of villains. From what Tsu-chan said he didn't even act afraid when pinned by the Noumu, he'd fought until the very last second. When faced with more Noumu at the summer camp, he hadn't backed down then, either.
So if Aiko's mere presence was enough to make Aizawa shut down, then what in the world had she done to him?
It was almost too distressing to think about. "Was she threatening him?" she asked, but Deku shook his head.
"No, I don't think so. I really think just her presence was enough to set him off. He kept spacing out even after she left. I just—I don't know. He just felt so—so fragile," and that was a word Ochako never would have associated with their tough as nails teacher. "I can't ask him anything about it. He said I should ask her instead, so I was going to, but..."
"But she's not here," Ochako finished grimly, and he nodded. She took a breath, collecting her thoughts. So just as they feared, Aiko had done something to Aizawa in the past. They'd probably fought or something, she didn't know what, but the exact specifics didn't matter right now. "Well, we already figured something bad happened between them anyway, and now we know it did. But I guess that does explain her weird mood yesterday?"
That Deku finally looking up. "Weird mood?" he repeated, and she bobbed her head.
"Yeah! When I saw her after lunch she was kinda quiet and thoughtful? It didn't last long once she noticed me, but she was still quieter than usual." Aiko wasn't exactly a super-chatty person when it was just the two of them to begin with, but she usually made some small talk. Asked about Ochako's day so far, if her friends were doing okay, teased her about talking to Deku. The woman was weirdly friendly and supportive for a villain. Yesterday she'd done none of that though, not saying a single word.
That had Deku frowning. "...I still want to ask her what happened. No matter how I look at it, Aizawa-sensei is terrified of her." Ochako had no idea how to respond to that, shuddering as she wondered just what could scare him so much.
Worse: she had to live with Aiko.
"Enough about that!" she decided with a nod. "Wondering about it won't help us figure out what to do!" And would also just make her way too jumpy around Aiko, who she had to live with. "But seriously, what was up with Toga? She knows you're having an episode?"
"Oh, right!" Deku perked up, looking a bit sheepish. "So, uh, yesterday, she kinda gave me... this." He reached into his pocket to pull out... a bracelet? It was a dark, metal band, reminding her of shackles, and had tape around one end.
"Um, what's that?" she asked.
"...The same kind of bomb device they put on Kacchan and Shinsou." That had Ochako slowly raising her head to stare at him.
Fifteen minutes later, Deku had finished explaining the rooftop conversation with Toga from that morning. "I just, she seems really sincere," he said. "So I don't think this is a trap?" Ochako frowned as she eyed the band, a bit wary now that she knew it could explode.
"So you want me to give it to Jirou and Kaminari to give to Hatsume?"
"Yeah, pretty much. It's the next best thing since we don't know where the keys are. Toga said she thinks they're probably in Shigaraki or Kurogiri's rooms."
"Yeah, she's probably right," Ochako agreed after a moment's thought. "Shigaraki doesn't seem like he'd be willing to give those to just anyone. And from what you said, Kurogiri sounds like he might be just responsible enough to take those because Shigaraki can be a bit... childish?" It felt so weird to call the leader of the League of Villains/Villain Alliance childish, but the guy didn't exactly seem mature.
"...It's definitely in one of their rooms," Deku decided with a nod, and then paused. "Maybe... I'll look for it tomorrow?"
"But isn't that risky?" Ochako asked, frowning. "If they catch you snooping in their rooms..." She didn't finish the thought, shuddering. "And even if Shigaraki likes you, he won't be happy if he realizes you're trying to help Bakugou and Shinsou escape."
"Yeah, but who knows how long it would take Hatsume to analyze the band?" he countered with a frown. "It's just... I feel like I've been sitting around in enemy territory doing almost nothing! I'm in the best position of all, I have to do something!"
"But if you get caught, then we won't be able to save you or anyone else!" Ochako retorted sharply, making Deku flinch. "If Shigaraki realizes something is up with you, he'll lock you up until the 'episode' wears off but it won't! And do you think he'd let Bakugou or Shinsou walk around? And what about Aizawa-sensei?"
"I-I..." Deku faltered as he ducked his head, visibly shaken, and Ochako took a deep breath. As much as she wanted to scold him to not do anything reckless, she could relate to his feelings all too well.
"Deku, I know it sucks to just sit around. I felt so helpless when I realized you were stuck with the Alliance, and I was living safe with my parents. And that's why I ran away. Because right now, you're the one in the riskiest position of all, and I knew you couldn't get out on your own."
She grabbed his shoulders, making him look up at him. "You're always, always running headfirst into danger to save everyone else. That's one of the things I admire most about you—one of the things we all admire. But right now, there's more at stake than ever before. So just this once, let us help you. Okay?"
Deku frowned, still looking doubtful, but slowly nodded. "...Alright," he agreed reluctantly, and Ochako gave him a quick hug. This time he relaxed a bit and returned the embrace, making her smile. When she pulled away he still looked a bit down, but then his expression changed to become more thoughtful. "Wait. Hatsume knows about the other dimension now, right?"
"According to the group chat, yeah," Ochako confirmed with a hesitant nod.
"So then... Why can't she go to Odawara tomorrow?" Ochako stared at him blankly as his words settled in.
1-A_Dancing_Queen: Okay so we're agreed. Chargebolt's new name is Santos Raijin, the full-Japanese son of a Japanese mother who moved to Brazil with her star-crossed Brazilian lover, who adopted him.
1-A_Chargebolt: Si! (That's how you say yeah in Brazil right?)
1-A_Dancing_Queen: (I have no idea.)
halfnhalfpeppermint: sure.
deku_breaks_bones: sorry to interrupt, but could the inventor maybe come tomorrow so Space can just give the thing to her right away?
1-A_Chargebolt: Uh probably I guess?
1A_DancingQueen: dang it now we need to come up with a new identity for her too!
powerofmusic: what the hell did I walk back in on
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: idk but popcorn is great for this
halfnhalfpeppermint: Your name is now Otonashi Ruka by the way.
powerofmusic: I'm sorry, WHAT?
Elsewhere, Takami Keigo had taken his first break of the day since starting his usual patrol that morning. Mainly because Mirko forced him to.
"Seriously, I get tired just watching you!" the rabbit heroine vented as they sat on a rooftop, a bucket of chicken sitting between them. "You're always on the move, Hawks. I felt like I had to chase you halfway across the city to stop you!"
"Well, evil never rests, so I can't either," Keigo replied with a lazy shrug, plucking a chicken wing from the bucket.
"You didn't even stop to get lunch," Mirko snorted, shaking a chicken leg at him. "I had to grab it for you. You work way too hard sometimes, you know that? You at least need to eat to keep up your energy!" She took a large bite out of the leg, tearing off the flesh almost viciously while Keigo ate his at a more sedate pace.
He had to admit, Mirko had a point about needing to at least stop to eat. But he couldn't really cut down on work. At present, he and Mirko were among a dwindling number of heroes who still patrolled in a very public manner. Neither of them had families for villains to target, which was one of the main reasons most heroes left the limelight or worked more behind the scenes.
They didn't stick to one city, either, changing it up every so often to help minimize villains trying to track where they lived and potentially endanger nearby civilians. The Hero Commission chose the assignments, going by wherever they felt needed heroes the most. For the past two months he'd been stationed in Nagoya, and Mirko had been assigned here last month.
Nagoya had cemented itself as the technological capital of Japan, and it showed. His patrol route had him passing manufacturing plants for a variety of industries from cars to airplanes to robots and everything in between. He also saw a lot of robots around the city handling basic tasks like cleaning streets and delivering packages, which was admittedly pretty neat. His main complaint were the number of drones people liked to fly around, making his own flights a bit more annoying.
Maybe he could get assigned to Numazu next. Team Storm Chaser had their Japanese base there, so it'd be way easier to catch Skylight when he was in Japan again. It was too bad he spent most of the year in America. Not many people could fly, and even fewer had hero licenses. Keigo would love to go flying with someone again. Or just talk to someone besides the Commission, or whatever heroes happened to be assigned to the same area. He probably needed some more friends.
That last thought had Keigo pausing, remembering the one other guy he spoke to occasionally. Come to think of it, he still hadn't found any signs that heroes had found Shouto. "Hey, Mirko, have you heard any news about Todoroki Shouto?" he asked, just to be safe.
"Not since he vanished," she said, shaking her head. "Can't believe it's already been a year. Still getting a hard time from the Commission and everyone else about it?"
"A bit," he admitted with a shrug. "Kinda a big deal to lose track of the number one hero's son."
"That's one way of putting it," she snorted, grabbing another chicken leg to eat. Her expression darkened a bit. "There's no ransom and he hasn't appeared in the news, so whoever took him probably offed the poor kid. At least the rest of Endeavor's family is safe."
"Yeah," Keigo muttered softly, frowning. Of course, he knew Todoroki Shouto hadn't been kidnapped by anyone nefarious, or even kidnapped at all, but he couldn't reveal that. "That reminds me. A guy I know lost track of his younger brother. The way he phrased it, the kid woke up one day and attacked him and then just... ran off. No word from him since."
"Seriously?" Mirko turned to him with a frown. "What, did they have a fight or something?"
"Not as far as he can tell," Keigo replied with a shrug. "He's seriously stumped. Everything was fine before they went to bed, and all he said was 'good morning' before being attacked. And I don't think he's lying, either. He seemed pretty genuinely confused and concerned when I talked to him."
One of Mirko's ears began twitching, absently scratching behind it with her free hand as her frown deepened. "Think the kid got hit by a Quirk or something? He got a Quirk that would be valuable?"
Oh, she had no idea. "He does, but I don't think he's been kidnapped," he said. "The thing is, the kid has a phone. His brother's called it a couple times and he never picks up, but it doesn't always go straight to voice mail so it's not turned off. We think he's just ignoring him. And tracing the phone isn't really an option either, so. Kinda stumped."
"Then why don't you try calling him?" she suggested, and Keigo opened his mouth to respond before pausing.
"...Calling him?" he repeated, and Mirko huffed.
"Yeah. Kid's not answering his brother. Maybe he'll pick up for someone else?" She openly rolled her eyes as she scrounged for another piece of chicken. "Seriously, you haven't tried that? That's like, the most basic thing you can do. You really are overworking yourself if you hadn't even thought of that."
She took another big bite while Keigo stared at her blankly, slowly turning to look at his half-finished chicken wing. "Huh," he said.
He wrapped up his patrol soon after that and returned to his apartment, going straight to his bedroom to grab the spare phone he'd hidden under the bed. He used it primarily to speak to Dabi, but he'd also added the number for Shouto's burner. He'd honestly forgotten about that until Mirko's suggestion.
"Well kid, let's see if you pick up," he said, hitting dial.
Meanwhile, Shouto was watching the chat on FacePage with the spare laptop Kuroe lent him. Jirou had returned just in time for Midoriya to explain why he wanted to invite Hatsume, though that got derailed by questions about Yaoyorozu and Tokage, the latter who still surprised Shouto. He hadn't expected anyone else to be in the picture, but he supposed there could be worse options. It seemed their meeting had gone well enough, and they didn't know about Midoriya, so that was good at least.
He was reading an explanation from Kaminari about their new backup identities when his phone suddenly rang. Specifically, the one his counterpart originally owned.
Shouto's mood soured instantly, glaring at it as he waited for Dabi to ring out. However, by the second ring came he found himself hesitating, his mind flitting to the conversation yesterday about subconscious memories. Shouto didn't know how true all that was, since he hadn't noticed any personal examples, but... it did make him wonder about the original Shouto.
Why was he with Dabi? Why did he have a phone with Dabi's phone number saved to the contacts? And why did Dabi keep calling it?
Right now, Shouto only had one way to really find out. After a second of hesitation he picked up the phone. When he looked at the screen he was surprised to see it wasn't Dabi calling for once though, but a number not even saved to the contacts. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but he'd already steeled himself so he warily slid his finger across it to answer the call.
"Hello?" he greeted as he raised it to his ear.
There was a brief pause. "Oh hey," the caller greeted in surprise. "Didn't expect anyone to pick this up."
Well that seemed mildly suspicious. The man's voice sounded faintly familiar, but Shouto couldn't place it. "Who is this?" he asked.
"Before I answer, just to double-check, this is... uh, Yuki, right?" The man hesitated on the pseudonym, and casually added, "I think that's the name, only heard that one or two times." Shouto frowned. If he knew that, then he must be with the runaway network.
"I am," he confirmed. By this point Ashido had glanced away from her own phone to watch him curiously, having probably picked up on the fact he was using his original phone—wait. If this was his original phone, how would someone from the runaway network know the number?
"Great!" He could hear the man perk up. "Glad to finally hear from you kid." Suddenly Shouto felt highly on edge, aware that this man must have a connection to Dabi.
"Who is this?" he demanded, moving the phone away from his ear to put it on speaker. He kept it close to his face so the quality of his voice wouldn't be too different, but he wanted to have a witness. Ashido had a small frown on her face as she watched him more intently, sensing his seriousness.
"Right, guess you wouldn't have me saved in your phone since we never talked," the man mused. "It's me, Takami." The name felt unfamiliar to Shouto and meant nothing to him, but for some reason he found himself pausing.
"Hawks?" he asked, surprising even himself once he said it. In the corner of his eye he saw Ashido nearly drop from her phone onto the kitchen table, jaw falling open. He saw even Kirishima shot up from the couch in the other room through the doorway, eyes bulging with disbelief.
"The one and only," the number two hero (or was he number one in this world?) confirmed blithely. "Seriously though kid, it's great to hear your voice! Can't believe I didn't think to call you earlier. Your brother's worried sick."
"You know Natsuo?" Shouto asked, eyebrows furrowing. Come to think of it, was Natsuo okay?
"Uh, what?" Hawks sounded confused. "Uh, no, your other brother." Shouto's confusion only grew, because he only had one other brother, Touya, who was—hold on. Did Touya not die in this world? Was he still alive here? All Might could have died in this world before Touya's fatal accident, he couldn't remember a specific date—
Before he could fully ponder the thought, Hawks continued, "You know, Dabi?"
Wait.
What?
"What?" he asked dumbly. Across from him he distantly registered Ashido's face draining of color and her mouth open so wide it seemed like her jaw might dislocate. He paid it no mind though, still reeling from what Hawks said. "Dabi?"
"Yeah, he's been worried sick since you attacked him and ran off," Hawks said, oblivious to Shouto's shock. "Even called me up to ask for help. You two didn't actually have a fight or something, did you?"
Shouto had no idea how to respond, still reeling from the revelation. Dabi... was his brother? Dabi? The villain who attacked the summer camp and kidnapped Bakugou, probably had a double-digit body count to his name, just recently killed a Pro Hero?
Was his brother?
"...Uh, Shouto? You there?" He blinked when Hawks called his name. Oh right, he'd just asked a question. What was it again? He forgot already.
"...No," he said, figuring that was a safe enough answer. "I have to go now. Goodbye Hawks." He hung up the phone before Hawks could respond, and just stared into space blankly.
Dabi was his brother.
...He had a feeling that might not be exclusive to this world.
"Todoroki?" Ashido said gently, and he blinked as the world came back into focus. She was looking at him with open concern, face still unnaturally pale and eyes wide.
"...I think I need to go out for a bit," he said, and left without waiting for her response. Ashido didn't try to follow thankfully, nor did Kirishima, letting Shouto exit the house in peace.
He made his way to the park near the house, cutting through the woods for the tunnel where they'd spoken to the runaways about everything both times. As expected, it was empty, the cement walls making the space too cold and chilly to encourage visits in the winter. Even as he entered the dim space Shouto could see his breath clearly, and only then did he realize he hadn't even grabbed his coat.
Well, he wouldn't need it anyway.
He took a deep breath, and screamed and let his Quirk run wild.
The FacePage discussion had moved on from false identities to finally setting up the details for Hatsume to join the group to Odawara, much to Izuku's relief. Jirou had just confirmed that Hatsume accepted the invitation when Ashido suddenly sent a message for the first time in five minutes.
'Um so guys? Peppermint just got a call from Hawks, and uh... his brother is Dabi?'
There was a full minute of silence, both in the chat and in Izuku's bedroom. "...Oh shit," Uraraka whispered, and Izuku couldn't have put it better.
I think I once asked about the most chaotic way to reveal the Dabi thing to Shouto. I don't think anyone suggested "Hawks casually calling him up and mentioning his brother Dabi." With the group chat insanity of the previous chapters, this was just WAY too amusing of a way to end the whole group chat chaos mini-arc.
Also, just want to point out to certain individuals, I write ahead to keep a big buffer. Draft is currently at 67 for the record, so this was definitely NOT written today or within the last week... c:
Also for everyone on FFN: I think the site's finally fixed itself, so hooray for that at least. Still absolutely no word on the Twitter feed though about what the heck happened. Latest one is still an October 3rd one about an outage that seemed to affect the app, so... yeah. Take that as you will.