[EDIT: A little editing in this chapter]
"Oh… I, um… Well, I'm looking for my wife," Sandarando replied hesitantly.
"What?" Ochako blinked, surprised. "Your wife?"
"Yes," Sandarando nodded. "She's missing… O-or perhaps taken…" He grimaced, not wanting to think about it, but unable to deny the possibility. "W-We were driving, and… Someone… Something was on the road. I swerved to avoid it, and ended up driving down a slope that led to this town. We crashed into a signpost. When I woke up... She wasn't there. The passenger seat was just… Empty." His face scrunched up as if he was trying to struggle to remember something.
"Oh…" Ochako murmured faintly, looking at the man in concern. He did seem a little roughed up, now that he mentioned it. "So, you crashed near here? Near Chinmoku?"
"Chinmoku? Oh, so that's the name of this town..." Sandarando muttered to himself. "Um, yes. I've been searching this place for..." he glanced at his wristwatch, "Almost an hour now."
"Oh...I'm-I'm so sorry to hear that…" Ochako said sympathetically.
"It's… You don't have to worry." Sandarando assured her, "I'm certain I'll find her…" He frowned. "I have to find her."
Ochako wanted to comfort him, but was unsure how to. After all, she was in the same situation as him- lost in this strange, eerie town, searching for someone and hoping desperately they were okay.
"Hey, you said this town was abandoned?" Sandarando asked suddenly, startling her.
"Oh! Yeah, I did. This whole town is supposed to be a memorial park now, dedicated to 'The Silent Massacre in the Hills'." Ochako said as she gestured to the dark streets and run-down buildings. It was clear that nobody lived here, much less visited the place at this time.
Sandarando's eyes widened. "Oh… Wow...wait, is it really...that town? I mean, I heard about it, but..." He looked at the girl curiously. "Wait, if this place is abandoned, what are you doing here?"
Ochako shrugged helplessly. "W-well, I'm-I'm actually looking for someone, too. One of my friends…" She frowned, glancing down at the ground.
Sandarando's eyebrows raised. "You too, huh?" he asked grimly.
Ochako's gaze snapped back up to him. "Me… Too? Wait, what do you mean by that? Did you meet anyone else before me?"
Could he have found the others?
"Yeah, there was this kid with a giant, blond afro and a bad attitude. Said he was trying to find his classmates," Sandarando said, rubbing his forehead. "What was his name again?"
Bad attitude? Giant afro? "Was his name Bakugou?" Ochako asked hopefully.
Sandarando looked at the girl in surprise. "Uh- yeah! Yeah, I think so!" He still seemed uncertain.
"Oh, he's with us!" Ochako explained happily.
"With… Us? He was alone when I saw him," Sandarando clarified.
Ochako's eyebrows furrowed. "You mean, he wasn't with two others? A boy with red-and-white hair, and a girl with earlobes shaped like headphone jacks?"
"Um… No. At least, I didn't see them…?" Sandarando offered weakly.
Ochako frowned heavily. Bakugou must have split up from Todoroki and Jirou... But why would he do that?
"Who are you and Bakugou looking for?" Sandarando asked.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Ochako said, "Oh, um, one of our friends. His name is Iida Tenya. We were on a school field trip to tour around Chinmoku to learn about Quirk Responsibility, and while we were on the tour bus, he saw… Well, he thought he saw someone he knew," she said vaguely. It sounded rather suspicious when she put it that way. Ochako just hoped Sandarando didn't try to pry any deeper. "Either way, he's trying to find them in this town, and six of my classmates, including me, are looking for him! We don't want him to get in trouble with our school and with the park, or worse, get himself hurt, so we have to find him!"
She then realized that she's telling all of this to an adult, who was probably legally, or at least morally, obligated to report this to the authorities. "Oh! L-Listen, please don't tell our teacher or anyone that works in the park that we were here! I mean, we basically went here without any adult supervision… Well, except for this one guy who worked at the hotel. I guess he took pity on us, and dropped us off and left us to venture the town by ourselves… Actually, now that I think about it, this whole thing wasn't really a good idea. I mean, how are we gonna get back…?"
"...Alright, then," Sandarando agreed, gaze softening in concern, for Ochako and all her classmates. "If I may ask, do you and your friends go to a Hero School?"
Ochako nodded. "Yeah! We're attending UA High!" she cried enthusiastically, quite proud of that fact.
"UA? Wow, that's amazing," Sandarando said, thoroughly impressed. "They turn out a lot of the best Heroes, so you must be pretty good to get accepted."
Ochako chuckled sheepishly, pressing her fingertips together. "T-thanks. The Entrance Exam was pretty hard."
Sandarando smiled softly at the teen. It slowly faded as he recalled a certain part of Ochako's explanation. If what he saw was any indication...
Uraraka noticed the expression on Sandarando's face. He looked incredibly grim all of a sudden. "Uh, M-Mr. Sandarando? Are you alright?"
"...Uraraka, I don't want to worry you, but… There might actually be someone here other than you, me, and your classmates," Sandarando said slowly.
"Uh… I, um… I kind of figured." Ochako's eyes unwillingly slid to the corpse of the creature that had attacked her.
Following her gaze, he cringed at the pool of blood. "I meant, someone else, that isn't… That."
"Oh… W-Well…" Ochako considered the possibility. She didn't like it.
Actually… Yeah. Whatever that thing was, it isn't… It wasn't human… Or, at least, it doesn't look like it was… Did someone create it? Like that Nomu guy from the USJ?
"I think we need to keep moving, Uraraka," Sandarando told her, interrupting her thoughts. "Whoever's here could send more of these creatures after us."
Ochako's breath caught, eyes widened in shock. "More...?"
"Yeah. I… I actually encountered another one earlier, in an alley… It looked different than this one, though." Sandarando said, heart beating faster at the memory.
"Wait, there's- there's more of those monsters!?" Ochako asked, voice full of dread.
"I hope not, but judging by what I've already seen..." Sandarando glanced around their surroundings. Everything was quiet, but there was no telling how quickly that could change. "We should stick together for now. It wouldn't sit right with me to just leave you here on your own."
"Oh, well… I mean…" Ochako was unnerved by the idea of walking around with a complete stranger in a deserted town.
He seems nice, and he saved me, but… I can't know for sure what kind of person he is...
"U-Um…" She tried to think of some way to say no, but the thought of walking around this place on her own was equally daunting.
Seeing that Ochako looked unsure, Sandarando decided to put her at ease by breaking the ice a little. "H-Hey, so, what's your Quirk?"
Ochako looks up at the man, startled by the sudden change in topic. "Oh, i-it's called Zero Gravity. It's, uh, kind of too complicated to explain right now, but I can basically remove the gravity of anything I touch with all five fingers."
"That's pretty cool," Sandorando complimented sincerely. Then, he looked down awkwardly at his own hands, somewhat embarrassed by how useless his Quirk seemed in comparison. "W-Well, mine are... Flashlight Fingers…" he trailed off, wiggling his digits to show off the bulbs at their ends. The name was pretty self-explanatory.
"Oh! So that's why your hand was warm!" Ochako blurted out. Realizing that that sounded strange, she backtracked hastily. "I-I mean, um, oh, uh, f-flashlight fingers, huh? That's… That sounds like it would come in handy! N-no pun intended!" She flashed him a wavering grin.
Sandarando smiled at the girl's nervousness. "Thank you. It's not quite as interesting and spectacular as yours, but… My Quirk's gotten me out of a few tight spots before, so I can't say it's entirely useless."
Ochako nodded, weaning an actual smile this time. "Yeah! Every Quirk has its uses! Have you ever thought of using it to become a Rescue Hero?"
"A Hero? W-Well, I… Thought about it, once, but who doesn't?" Sandarando glanced at his fingers. "It's not quite suited for Hero work, though. Especially since I can't keep it on all the time," he admitted.
"All the time?" Ochako asked with a confused look.
"Well, to activate them, I have to clench up the nerves in my hand pretty tightly. And I can make them brighter, but that requires even more concentration… Frankly, it takes a lot out of me. That, and… I don't think I'd be able to handle the pressure of being in an active disaster zone. I don't exactly have nerves of steel," Sandarando said with a deprecating chuckle.
"Oh..." Ochako whispered, giving him a look of pity.
"That's not… Selfish, is it?" Sandarando asked hesitantly, not wanting to come across as insecure to someone so much younger than him.
"Huh? Oh, no! I mean… You need to look out for yourself, too, right? Like, physically and mentally!" Ochako assured him.
"...Yeah." Sandarando lowered his gaze to the floor. His face twisted in confusion, and he raised a hand to his head, grunting in pain.
"Are you alright?" Ochako asked him, taking a step forward in case she needed to do something.
"Yeah. I just… Headaches. Probably from the crash." Sandarando said slowly, not wanting the pain to flare up. "It's nothing major, just hurts a bit every now and then."
"Well... If you're sure," Ochako murmured uncertainly.
Maybe I should go with Mr. Sandarando. He says he's fine, but he might not be later, and what if we run into those monsters again? It'd be better if we were together to fight them. Maybe I can even help him find his wife! That's what a Hero would do, right? Help people?
"Well, how about I try and help you find your wife, and you can help me find my friends?"
Sandarando looked at the young girl, somewhat surprised by her resolve. "You would? I mean… Are you sure?"
"Yeah! I mean, you seem like you could use the help right now! And that's what a Hero-in-training should do, right? Help people?" Ochako told him with a comforting smile.
The man's eyes lit up. "Yeah. We can help each other out." Sandarando's smile was full of gratitude.
"Yeah! For sure!"
Chuckling a little bit at Uraraka's infectious attitude, Sandarando said, "Okay then. So, what does your friend look like?"
"Well, he's tall, has short blue hair, and has glasses! He's wearing a polo shirt, some jeans, and uh, sneakers, I think."
"Okay," Sandarando nodded. "Just in case, what's his Quirk?"
"Oh! Turbo Speed!"
"Turbo Speed, huh? Hmm…" That sounded oddly familiar. "Wait. Turbo Speed? Is he related to Ingenium, by any chance?"
"Yep!" Ochako confirmed cheerily. "He's Ingenium's little brother!"
"Oh! Okay… Wow, um… What did your friend see that made him-" Sandarando paused, piecing everything together in his mind. "Wait…" His eyes widened. "You mean… There's a Villain here?"
"Well, we don't know that yet. Iida said he saw him, but…" Ochako glanced down in thought. "He's supposed to be based in Hosu City, right? So, what's the Hero Killer doing all the way out here?"
Sandarando swallowed thickly. "T-The Hero Killer, huh…?" His face contorted with worry.
"Yeah..." Ochako looked up at the man and noticed his uneasy expression. She winced and backtracked frantically. "Uh, I-I mean, yeah, but, he, uh, only attacks Heroes! No worries! I mean, I think… A-and I'm going to be a Hero sometime in the future, so… That makes me a Hero-in-training, and… I could be a target… But, maybe he won't attack me if I don't say too much about it? So, uh… Yeah… Heh." She rubbed the back of her head, nervous and more than a little uncertain that she'd be able to talk the Hero Killer out of killing her, should she come face-to-face with him.
"Well, you're not dressed like a Hero, so..." Sandarando said hesitantly, attempting to reassure her.
Ochako tilted her head pensively, then glanced down to find that she was, indeed, wearing civilian clothes. "Oh! That's right!" she exclaimed brightly. "Thanks for pointing that out, Mr. Sandarando! That's a huge weight off my shoulders!"
"No problem," Sandarando replied with a smile and a nod.
Ochako grinned back, feeling more at ease around the man.
Yeah… Mr. Sandarando seems like a pretty good guy. Besides, he's just looking for his wife. That's gotta count for something, right?
After a moment of silence, Sandarando said, "Well, we should probably get a move on to finding your friends, and..." He trailed off, a frown marring his face.
Ochako noticed his expression and said resolutely, "We'll find your wife, Mr. Sandarando! Don't worry!"
Sandarando snapped out of his sorrow, and looked at the young girl with gratitude in his eyes and a small smile on his lips. "Thank you, Uraraka."
"No problem!"
They turned and looked down the alleyway they stood in.
"Well… We should get going," Sandarando said with determination.
"Mm-hmm." Uraraka hummed, nodding firmly.
So they went forward, leaving the corpse of the monster behind to rot. They took a right out of the alley and ventured onto the street, hoping to find who they were searching for in this old, empty town.
[Midoriya and Yaoyorozu]
-Several Minutes Before-
Midoriya was obviously in panic mode right now.
Taking quick, deep breaths, he held his head between his hands, carding his fingers through his green locks. The motion did nothing to stave off his nausea, and he really didn't want to throw up in front of his classmate.
Yaoyorozu watched his frantic movements with a frown. She was very much so concerned for him, but had no clue how to put him at ease, or if she even could.
Eventually, Midoriya stopped hyperventilating, dropping down to the ground in squat, resting on the back of his heels. His grip on his hair was becoming painful, but he ignored it, mind racing a million miles a minute, overflowing thoughts escaping his mouth in the form of his signature muttering.
"Who? Who? Who could that be? Who, no, why would anyone want to kidnap Mom? Mom doesn't have any enemies, so why would anyone want to kidnap her? She's too nice and kind, she's never hurt a soul! I mean, does this kidnapper know me? Are they trying to get at me through her? But I haven't hurt anyone, either, not enough to warrant some crazy plot for revenge-"
"Midoriya, calm down," Yaoyorozu interrupted. She felt sorry for him, but she also needed to try her best and calm him down, "We have to be rational and think about this. W-What did the perpetrator sound like?"
Midoriya's fingers unclenched, easing the pressure on his scalp. He stared at the ground, taking deep breaths until he fully collected himself. Then, he finally stood up straight. "U-Um… I-I think… I think the person used a, uh… M-maybe a voice scrambler?"
Yaoyorozu tilted her head thoughtfully.
"Hmm…" She narrowed her eyes, trying to think of a quick solution. "...Darn it." She had nothing, yet. "I'm sorry, Midoriya, I-I can't think of anything. But… Are you absolutely sure it's your mother?"
"It is my mother," Midoriya said with such conviction that it startled her. She'd never heard her shy, awkward classmate act so serious. "That voice… She sounded just like my Mom… She sounded so scared…" He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "We...We have to find that apartment complex."
Yaoyorozu understood his thought process, to a degree. However, there was one glaring issue with that plan. "But with this fog, we don't know where it could possibly be. I mean, how are we going to-"
BLIP! BLIP!
The pair paused. That sounded like it came from their phones.
Midoriya fished his device out of his pocket and looked at the screen. It showed a map of where they were, leading to what he assumed was his destination.
"What...?" Midoriya murmured in shock.
Yaoyorozu, who had also received a notification, followed suit, and found an identical map.
"Is this… Is this the way to Asshufirudo Heights?" she wondered out loud.
"Either way, we need to follow this trail!" Midoriya said. "Come on, Yaoyorozu!"
"W-Wait! Who sent us these directions!?" she called before he could start running at breakneck speeds.
"I don't know, but it's the only lead we have! We can't just stand around here!" Midoriya said in a hurry.
Yaoyorozu was hesitant to go rushing off into what was very likely a trap. Who was she kidding, it was definitely a trap. But she also didn't want to abandon her classmate and leave him to deal with whatever popped up on his own.
Besides, what if it actually was his mother on the other end of the line...?
Yaoyorozu took a deep breath, and made her decision.
"You're right, Midoriya. But we need to be careful- there's no telling what might be waiting for us."
"I know," he replied gravely. "Don't worry, I really understand. It's just… I know that's my Mom..." He glanced at the street sign standing at a nearby corner, double checking which way to turn on his phone. "We can't stand here any longer. Let's go!"
"Right," Yaoyorozu nodded, despite her reservations. The young Heroes made their way forward, delving deeper into the mysterious town of Chinmoku.
If not for directions from the mysterious sender, they would've gotten lost ages ago. They had to take countless turns, passing a few blocks and taking shortcuts through dirty alleyways, but they finally made it to their destination.
As they made their way up King Street, they spotted the lonely apartment complex on the left-hand side of the road, surrounded by a rusty metal fence. They jogged up to the gates, panting from running for so long. Yaoyorozu grabbed onto the iron bars to steady herself.
Midoriya, however, didn't bother stopping, slowly hobbling around the perimeter, desperately searching for an entrance to the complex.
Yaoyorozu bit her lip as she watched his frantic movements. It was rare to see him so serious and hyper-focused on anything that wasn't quirks or his studies, and a part of her wanted to giggle at his unconscious mumbling. Had it not been for the severity of the situation, she probably would have.
Well, of course he'd be like this- his mother's in danger. Who wouldn't be stressed in this kind of situation? I've never seen him look so… Determined before, though.
Midoriya continued his dogged investigation, but due to the darkness, he could barely make out anything beyond the gate. The only source of light were the occasional streetlights scattered throughout the town, and even then the bulbs were dim and yellow, hardly much better than the moon. Eventually, his persistence was rewarded as he found the outline of a single gated door. Grabbing it, he shook it fiercely, heedless of the raucous rattling that echoed down the empty streets.
"Yaoyorozu! I found an entrance!"
Yaoyorozu rushed over to her classmate. Midoriya tried yanking it open once more, but something was stopping him. A closer look revealed that the gate was chained shut, a padlock hanging from the links.
"Damn it!" Yaoyorozu flinched at Midoriya's unexpected outburst. "Can you make a key or something to unlock this?"
"Unfortunately, I don't know the shape of the internal mechanism. I-I'm sorry, Midoriya, I don't think I can do it unless I know what kind of lock it is." Yaoyorozu hung her head in shame.
Midoriya's glare turned into a determined frown. "Should I try to use my Quirk? It'd be easy to just rip it off, but..."
The young woman remembered his twisted, bruised, and broken fingers during the Sports Festival, and shivered at the thought of her classmate doing that to himself again.
"M-Maybe I can Create something to cut the chains?"
Midoriya glanced at her, silently urging her to continue the train of thought.
"W-Well, I just remembered how much damage your Quirk does to your body. Ideally, you wouldn't have to use it all, but in any case it'd be better to save it for something more important. Like, maybe saving your mother!"
"...Yeah. That makes sense, I guess." Midoriya relaxed his grip on the chains, and Yaoyorozu let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She hadn't been sure if his protective impatience would flare up, causing him to ignore her entirely and continue on with his original plan. "...I feel a bit guilty for desecrating a historical site. Granted, it is abandoned, but…" He let out a frown, before he shook his head. "Nevermind- it doesn't matter. We need to save my mom!"
Midoriya continued to impress her with his ability to shove aside his own doubts and misgivings. For a boy who typically acted extremely awkward, he had a surprising amount of courage and determination when needed.
It somewhat encouraged Yaoyorozu to be more like him...
If someone like Midoriya can keep moving forward, despite how worried he must be, then I should also be able to as well!
She decided then and there that she would become better, not only to prove her own worth in the Heroics Industry, but for Class 1-A… And she'd do it by helping Midoriya find his mother. It was the least she could do for her classmate, who was now relying on her.
Feeling recharged and renewed, Yaoyorozu nodded firmly. "Alright, then. Give me a moment."
Midoriya grinned at her. "Thanks, Yaoyorozu."
Yaoyorozu found her lips stretching to mirror his smile.
Well, his smile is nice...
She froze for a second, surprised by that thought. She shook her head, returning her attention to the task at hand. So great was her focus that she didn't think twice about lifting the hem of her skirt, exposing the smooth skin of her thighs to the open air. It took a moment, but in a flash of rainbow sparkles, she was holding a pair of shears the length of her arm. Hopefully, it would be able to get the job done.
Yaoyorozu smoothed down her skirt and hefted the shears, turning to her classmate. Midoriya, for some reason, was standing stiff as a board, facing the opposite direction
"Uh...M-Midoriya?" she said to his back
The green-haired boy jumped. "I-I-I wasn't looking, I swear!" he stammered.
"Huh?" Yaoyorozu looked at him oddly. "Uh…" Finally, she realized what he was referring to. Honestly, Yaoyorozu didn't think it was that big of a deal, considering how revealing her Hero Costume was, but it was certainly admirable of her classmate. "Well, thank you for being such a gentleman then, Midoriya," she teased.
"Oh! Uh, no, it's alright! I..." He trailed off, his sudden quiet, startling Yaoyorozu. "I think I see something coming," he murmured, squinting into the fog. The green-haired teen raised his fists in preparation, and Yaoyorozu brandished the shears. She wasn't actually sure how she'd fight with them… Perhaps swinging it around like a club?
Deep within the thick haze, a noise echoed. It sounded like… Footsteps? And… A voice? The voice was grumbling words that they could not make out, but it put the students on edge.
Memories of the Sports Festival flashed through Yaoyorozu's mind. How she'd been so slow to react against Tokoyami, ceding the initiative to him and otherwise being passive for the entirety of that fight, short as it was. She tightened her grip on the handles of the shears. She would not freeze up like that again. If something came charging out of the mist, she would swing at it with the weapon in her hands.
They stood silently, listening as the grumbling grew louder and louder. Any doubts they had that it was approaching them vanished.
Suddenly, Midoriya perked up. "Wait..." he breathed.
Yaoyorozu glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, but kept the majority of her attention on the street in front of them. "What?" she whispered
"That… That voice sounds familiar…" Midoriya took a small step forward.
Curious, but not willing to risk him being wrong, Yaoyorozou kept up her vigilance.
The heavy mist kept their view obscured, until finally, a dark silhouette came into view. It appeared to be a person, walking with their shoulders hunched, swaggering carelessly down the asphalt.
As it approached, Midoriya discovered that what he thought was an oversized head was actually a head with an afro attached- a very familiar afro.
"Kacchan!?"
Yaoyorozu blinked. "Bakugou?"
The figure paused.
"...Ah, shit," Bakugou groaned, words now audible to the two.
"Kacchan!" Midoriya rushed over to him, Yaoyorozu only a step behind him.
"Argh... What the fuck do you want, Deku?" Bakugou growled.
"Kacchan, what are you doing over here? Shouldn't you be with Todoroki and Jirou?" Midoriya asked, looking around as if their errant classmates would suddenly materialize out of the dense fog.
"Did something happen to them?" Yaoyorozu questioned, remarkably concerned. This was not the time nor place to be splitting up.
Bakugou sneered at the mention of Todoroki. "Fuck if I know! They're probably in some corner, suckin' face."
Yaoyorozu scowled at Bakugou, though her anger didn't stop the small blush that rose to her cheeks. "You mean you left them!?"
"If Icy Hot wants to act like the leader, then he can lead himself straight to Hell! I ain't followin' that asshole!" Bakugou snarled.
"So you left them!" Yaoyorozu exclaimed in anger. "We were supposed to stay together as a team! Why would you do that!? What if they get hurt!?"
"Tch, like I know. And you shouldn't be talkin'- where's Round Face and Frog Girl, huh?" Bakugou growled smugly.
"You-!" Yaoyorozu caught herself before some sort of insult could fly out of her mouth. She would not stoop to his level. "We agreed to split up! Midoriya and I did not abandon them!"
"Tch!" Bakugou rolled his eyes. "It's the same shit. Don't act like you're better than me."
Yaoyorozu was seriously considering using the shears in her hand on her classmate, but luckily for the blond, Midoriya cut in.
"Guys!" Midoriya exclaimed, "Not now!" He turned to Yaoyorozu, "Look, even though Kacchan left Todoroki and Jirou alone, I'm pretty certain they can handle themselves. Jirou isn't bad in a fight, and Todoroki's Quirk will be able to keep them both safe, so I don't think we need to worry about them all too much."
Yaoyorozu sighed. "You're right," she told Midoriya, "I'm sorry. I let my anger get the better of me." Despite her words, though, she continued glaring at Bakugou.
Midoriya nodded, "It's okay." He turned to Bakugou. "Look, Kacchan, we have a bigger problem on our hands right now!"
"And? What's that got to do with me?" Bakugou snapped. "Take care of that shit yourself!"
"My Mom's been kidnapped, and she's here in Chinmoku!"
Bakugou's face contorted into an expression that Yaoyorozu had never seen on the perpetually-scowling boy. It was… Fear?
The blond's eyes were as wide as dinner plates, his jaw hanging slack. For a few seconds, he didn't move a muscle. He was frozen, almost like a statue.
"...What? What are you fuckin' saying?" Bakugou rasped, sounding so confused and… Scared.
What? No, there's no way someone with such a brash personality would be scared. But, even then, why does he seem so terrified? Does… Does he know Midoriya's mother? Yaoyorozu wondered to herself.
"You heard me! She's in that apartment complex!" Midoriya cried, pointing at Asshufirudo Heights. "I'm not making this up; someone called my phone, saying they had her! Then, they put her on the line- it was definitely her voice! We have to-"
"Then why the fuck are you standing there, damn Deku!?" Bakugou interrupted, customary scowl back in place. However, his voice shook with barely-concealed panic.
Maybe Yaoyorozu was imagining it. But, in the event that she wasn't, why was Bakugou of all people so rattled?
"I-I was trying to open this gate to get into the complex, but there's a lock, and-" Midoriya tried to explain, but once again, Bakugou cut him off.
"A fucking lock!?" Bakugou shouted at him in disbelief. "My fucking- you have got to be kidding me! You're such a fucking useless piece of shit!"
"Hey!" Yaoyorozu snapped. "Stop insulting him, Bakugou! This is hardly the time!"
Bakugou whirled on the young woman. "And why the fuck aren't you doing anything!?" Growling, he stomped forward, roughly pushing Yaoyorozu out his way, making her lose her balance. Her arms windmilled wildly, and the shears clattered to the ground, sliding down the road a ways. Midoriya rushed forward, catching her before she could eat asphalt.
"Ack!" Yaoyorozu yelped as Midoriya's arms circled around her waist. She, in turn, grabbed onto his shoulders, nearly dragging him down with her. They stumbled around together like a drunken crab, before finally, the two managed to stand upright, no longer in danger of falling. Yaoyorozu heaved a sigh of relief, unaware of how it brushed against Midoriya's cheek due to their close proximity.
Midoriya froze, his face growing hot as the sun. Feeling his shoulders stiffen beneath her fingers, Yaoyorozu focused on Midoriya, only to pause when she realized that his emerald pupils took up most of her vision. They were really close.
His eyes are gorgeous...
Her muscles spasmed, and Yaoyorozu squeaked, tearing herself out of Midoriya's arms and taking a large step back. She directed a fierce glare at Bakugou, who wasn't paying any attention to his steaming classmates. He was standing in front of the gate, holding the padlock in one hand. Then, he slammed his fist down onto the metal, destroying the clasp and turning it into scrap. The mangled remains dropped heavily to the ground.
Wrenching the gate open, Bakugou immediately began tearing through the complex, uncaring that his classmates weren't following.
"Oi, bastard that took Auntie Inko!" he roared into the dark night, "You better hope I don't find you, you piece of shit! I'm gonna fuckin' murder you!"
"...Auntie?" Yaoyorozu murmured to herself, the heat in her face finally receding. She turned to Midoriya, who had not moved. "Why did he call your mother that, Midoriya?"
Her voice seemed to snap him out of his trance. Midoriya blinked and looked at the taller girl. He rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. His grin was weak, though.
"...It's complicated."
The raven-haired girl quirked an eyebrow- that raised more questions than it answered. Yaoyorozu was about to ask for more info, but then she remembered the objective at hand, as well as the fact that Bakugou was currently charging into unknown danger without backup. "Well, looks like the shears won't be needed," she said, glancing at the discarded tool.
Midoriya shook off the last remnants of his embarrassment, scurrying over to pick up the shears. "It might be useful down the line," he explained when he saw Yaoyorozu's curious look.
Yaoyorozu tilted her head in acknowledgment. "Perhaps..." she murmured. "Well, we should get going. Bakugou might need help."
The green-haired boy nodded, his expression as determined as ever. "Right."
The two kids then bolted through the opened gate, entering the grounds of the apartment complex. The instant they crossed the threshold, though, Midoriya's phone began to ring.
Skidding to a halt, Midoriya whipped out the device, answering the call. He put it on speaker so Yaoyorozu, who had stopped a moment after him, could also hear.
"What do you want?" he snapped.
"...You came. Good."
The distorted voice sent chills down Yaoyorozu's spine. Dread pooled in her stomach like lead, and she listened uneasily as the kidnapper began speaking.
"Although, you brought in someone else. And I don't mean the girl, obviously."
"Where is she!?" Midoriya snarled forcefully, sounding so angry that it almost scared Yaoyorozu for a second.
"Calm down, little man. First of all, I don't want that loud-mouthed brat vandalizing this place. It's a historical site, you know? So, you better calm him down, before I get upset. Heh… It's almost like he's trying to save his own mommy. How peculiar…"
Midoriya grit his teeth, fury boiling deep within him. He put a lid on his temper, though. Pissing off the person who held his mother's life in their hands was not a good idea.
"I mean, you'd think he was saving someone important to him. I wonder why… You weren't such a bad son that your mother loved another boy more, right?"
That just made Midoriya even angrier.
How dare he...
"I swear, if you harm either my Mother or Kacchan, then I'll-"
"Oh, don't worry about your little buddy. I'll make sure to give him a brain twister. In the meantime, you probably shouldn't just be standing around. You don't want Bakugou to save your momma and get all of your glory, right? You wouldn't be a very good son if you couldn't save her, you know."
Glory? Midoriya had to wonder what the kidnapper was implying. He also had to consider the possibility that they were just saying random things to throw him off. Either way, he shook with unbridled anger. "Where...are you?"
"...Heh. For a second there, I thought you caught my little slip. How about this? Go on inside… Solve some puzzles without using your Quirk- if you can… And find Room 302. She'll be waiting… And who knows? I might be there to watch the family reunion. See ya!"
The call cut out.
Growling in frustration, Midoriya almost threw his phone at the ground, but thought better of it at the last second. Shoving it in his pocket, he looked up at Yaoyorozu. "We need to get moving!" He rushed ahead, hardly caring if she was following or not.
"W-Wait!" Yaoyorozu called, running after him. As soon as they reached the small courtyard, which was filled with benches, dead trees, and dead shrubbery, they came up to the main double doors. They were already open, the left door hanging ajar.
"Kacchan must've gone through here," Midoriya muttered to himself. He made his way inside.
As Yaoyorozu did her best to catch up, her thoughts went back to the conversation that Midoriya and the kidnapper had.
I wonder why this kidnapper is targeting Midoriya? Do they know him somehow? Do they know his mother? Even Bakugou?
The lobby of the complex was almost pitch black. The only light came from outside the dusty windows and the open door. Most of the room was hidden in shadows, but they could still see that, aside from the dark silhouettes of some furniture, it was barren. An eerie uneasiness settled in their bones. They should not be here, in an abandoned place that was falling apart after years without maintenance.
To think people once lived here...
Midoriya narrowed his eyes, trying to pierce the darkness with sheer willpower, before giving it up as futile. "Yaoyorozu, maybe you can make some flashlights?"
"Yeah, I can do that," Yaoyorozu assured with a nod. As she focused on the chemical formulas of the necessary materials, an ominous creaking echoed through the lobby. Confused, the students turned around, trying to locate the source of the sound, just in time to watch as the door they came in through slammed shut.
They jumped in surprise at the loud and abrupt noise. Midoriya and Yaoyorozu were now surrounded in almost complete darkness, save for some light coming in through the windows…
"...O-Okay," Midoriya stuttered uneasily, "That… That happened." He paused, contemplating something. "The kidnapper must have rigged this whole place with traps." Either that, or… He didn't want to think about the other alternatives.
"U-Uh, yeah, t-they must have..." Yaoyorozu agreed with a nod, belatedly remembering they were in the dark- he wouldn't have seen the motion. She also remembered that she had flashlights to make. Light and rainbow particles flashed twice as her Creation activated, and a moment later, a yellow beam cut through the shadows, illuminating the area around them.
Midoriya squinted at the sudden brightness, raising a hand to cover his eyes.
"Here," Yaoyorozu said to Midoriya, handing him one of the devices. It wasn't cylindrical like he was expecting, though.
"Oh! These are those clip-on flashlights!" Midoriya realized as he fiddled with it a bit to test it out.
Yaoyorozu smiled, "Yeah. I figured that it would be more convenient if we didn't have one hand occupied all the time. Just hook it to your collar."
"Oh, nice!" Midoriya smiled at that ingenuity. He followed her instructions, tugging at his collar a bit to get used to the feeling of plastic pressing against his skin. "Thanks, Yaoyorozu!"
"No problem," Yaoyorozu said with a nod that Midoriya could now actually see.
No longer hindered by the darkness, they proceeded to go forward through the lobby, flashlights hooked to their shirts and the massive pair of shears still in Midoriya's hands.. They passed a receptionist desk and two sitting areas, before coming across a stairway to the second floor. Across from it was an elevator.
They could take the elevator right to the third floor- assuming it had power- but if they went straight to the room the kidnapper told them to, they ran the risk of missing out on Bakugou, who had no clue where to go. Knowing the blond, he was probably rampaging through the halls, blasting doors open on random.
Thinking about Bakugou, Yaoyorozu couldn't help but recall what he'd called Midoriya's mother. Perhaps it was a strange thing to fixate on, but her mind would not leave it alone. After all, what right did Bakugou have to call the mother of the boy he bullied Auntie? It implied a closeness that no self-respecting mother would have with her son's bully, and from the way Midoriya spoke of her, his mother certainly sounded like she was a good parent.
I'll have to talk to Midoriya about that later…
Midoriya turned his attention to the elevator, humming in thought. Going over to it, he looked at the button.
"Hm… It's worth a shot," he murmured to himself, poking the button.
Absolutely nothing happened.
"...And I missed," Midoriya grimly jested.
Yaoyorozu went over to where Izuku was and observed the elevator door for a second. "None of the lights thus far seem to be working, indicating that this building has no power. Why did you think the elevator would work?"
"Well, I figured since the convenience store where Donburousuki was had power, and the street lights are all on, that there was a chance there was power here. Maybe all the lightbulbs just burned out?"
"Oh…" Yaoyorozu thought about that for a moment. It was peculiar that the convenience store had power, yet this building did not.
BOOM!
Both teens yelped at the thunderous noise, and the floor beneath them trembled slightly. It sounded like it was nearby.
"...Well, I think Kacchan's somewhere close," Midoriya stated with a wince.
"Yeah..." Yaoyorozu frowned, "I hate to say it, but we should find him first. In the event that it comes down to a fight, having him with us would be a major advantage."
Midoriya nodded, agreeing with her rationale. "Yeah, you're right."
And with that, Midoriya and Yaoyorozu headed down a hallway in the direction they heard the explosion come from.
As soon as they went down the hallway, they came across a t-junction. Midoriya peered to the left while Yaoyorozu turned right, the lights on their collars stretching down several meters. Yet, it was not enough to see the end of the hall.
"I'll go left, you take the right," Midoriya instructed Yaoyorozu.
"Got it," Yaoyorozu replied.
"FUCK! Where are you, you bastard!?" a muffled voice roared from down the left path.
Midoriya and Yaoyorozu paused, exchanging glances.
"...Or, we could just follow his voice," Midoriya mumbled.
"Well, it certainly makes things easier," Yaoyorozu said, following Midoriya as he began jogging down the left hallway.
They ran past many locked doors, but stopped when they found one that looked like it had been blown clear off its hinges. Black soot covered the door frame and surrounding wall.
"Kacchan's definitely been here," Midoriya declared.
A label on the wall told them that this was room 112. A quick scan of the apartment revealed nothing immediately out of the ordinary. A living room with a kitchen connected, and a couple more doorways, probably leading to the bathroom and bedroom.
Exiting one of those doorways was Bakugou himself, whose appearance caused two beams of light to suddenly be focused on his face. He held a hand in front of him, squinting through the abrupt assault on his eyes.
"Kacchan!" Midoriya exclaimed, "Just hold on, the kidnapper-"
"Get out of my fuckin' way, Deku!" Bakugou snarled as the light glared onto his eyes. "I heard someone in here."
The other two teens' eyes widened.
"You did?" Midoriya asked in confusion.
Bakugou, of course, took that as a challenge. "Why else do you think I'm here, retard!? I heard Auntie Inko callin' out!"
Midoriya and Yaoyorozu glanced at each other uncertainly, then back at Bakugou. "So... Is she in here?" Midoriya asked, leaning to the side to look over Bakugou's shoulder.
The explosive blonde growled. "Obviously not, dumbass! Do you fuckin' see her?" The blond tossed his arms out wide, clearly indicating that they were the only three in the immediate vicinity.
"Okay, okay," Midoriya said, holding his hands up defensively. "I just… Well, the kidnapper said-"
"What the fuck do you know about the damn kidnapper, you bastard!?" Bakugou hollered at him.
"Bakugou!" Yaoyorozu intervened with a firm shout, "If you would just listen for one second, then we could tell you where Midoriya's mother might be!"
Bakugou glared at the young woman, but for once didn't immediately snap back. With a growl, he directed his scowl back to Midoriya. "Alright, fine. Where the fuck is she then, shitty Deku?"
Midoriya sighed in relief, grateful that Bakugou was finally giving him a chance to speak. "Okay. Well, the kidnapper called me and told me she's in Room 302. So, we need to get up there right away."
"Then let's fucking go already!" Bakugou exclaimed, shouldering past his classmates and charging out of the room.
"Ack!" Midoriya fell to the floor, landing on his rear and dropping the shears on the ground next to him.
"Agh!" Yaoyorozu stumbled a bit, but managed to catch herself on the wall. She turned to watch Bakugou's fleeing form and frowned, clearly unimpressed with his lack of basic human decency. "...I have never met a person more rude than him," she grumbled.
"Heh. Kacchan is pretty serious when it's time to act like a Hero, though," Midoriya said as he picked himself up.
"Acting like a Hero, huh?" Yaoyorozu repeated skeptically. Even in Costume, he was generally quite disagreeable.
"Hey, he may be… Well, harsh, but he really wants to be a Hero..." Midoriya mumbled, dusting off his jeans.
Yaoyorozu turned to glance at Midoriya. "...You and Bakugou seem to have some history."
Midoriya froze. "...Yeah… Kind of," he admitted softly.
She was incredibly tempted to press for more information, but promised herself that she would do so later. This was hardly the time for her to satisfy her selfish curiosity. There were much more pressing matters to be dealt with.
"I wonder..." Midoriya muttered to himself.
"Hm?" Yaoyorozu looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
"...Did Kacchan actually hear…?" Midoriya shook his head. "Nothing. We should-"
Then… There a low pitch noise echoed throughout the building. It was like a whining howl, and it instantly set their teeth on edge.
"Huh?" Midoriya stopped moving, trepidation settling deep within his bones.
Yaoyorozu wrapped her arms around herself, an instinctive fear making her shiver. "What the...?" She began glancing around wildly, as if expecting something to pop out of the shadows.
"What is that?" Midoriya groaned, cradling his head between his hands.
It sounded like a tornado siren, warning them of an impending disaster.
The ominous noise steadily began to increase in volume, reverberating inside their skulls.
Midoriya dropped into a crouch, hiding his head between his knees, while Yaoyorozu clapped her hands to her ears, to no avail.
"M-Midoriya… What is this sound?" Yaoyorozu tried to ask him, but she could barely hear herself think, let alone speak. There was no chance he heard her.
She began to stumble over to classmate, intensely disoriented. Her vision was spinning and shaking, but she kept moving, focusing on his green hair, illuminated by her flashlight.
She stumbled, legs giving out just as she reached him, causing her to collapse right on top of him.
Midoriya, dizzy and nauseous as he was, barely felt the impact. "Tired…" he murmured, feeling like there was cotton in his mouth. His vocal chords vibrated, but nothing reached his ears over the piercing wails of the siren. Finally, he gave in to the pressure bearing down on his brain, and succumbed to unconsciousness.
"Gah… What the…?"
Bakugou, who'd abandoned his classmates without another thought, was already on the second floor. He'd located the door to the emergency exit staircase, and was making his way towards it, when the siren went off.
"The… The fuck is happening...?" Bakugou slurred, no longer able to walk in a straight line. He shook his head rapidly, but that only made his disorientation worse by magnitudes. He felt sluggish… Sleepy.
"Shit…" Bakugou reached for the handle, but his knees collapsed from underneath him. His face nearly smashed into the door, only prevented by him slamming his palms against the metal.
"What… What kind of bullshit is this...?" Bakugou tried to get up, but his body wouldn't cooperate. It felt like something was weighing him down. Fatigue? But even when he'd pushed himself to the limits training for the U.A Entrance Exams, he'd never felt this drained...
He pushed against the door with all his might, trying to prop himself up, but it proved futile. Despite his best efforts, he kept slipping lower and lower, until he was lying prone on the floor. The whole time, the sirens kept blaring, endlessly assaulting his ears.
He weakly reached for the handle of the door, but face-down on the ground as he was, there was no hope.
His arm flopped to the floor bonelessly, and he simply laid there, feeling like the world was spinning around him. Vertigo made everything feel unreal, ephemeral.
"Fuck…" Bakugou's eyes slid shut, and he drifted off into the realm of dreams.
In the distance, the sirens screeched without end, drowning the world in a mad cacophony of bloodcurdling wails.
Then, suddenly… Everything faded into white noise.
...It stopped.
I told you not to vandalize the place. It's history, ya know?
Now…
What shall I have you 'dream' of tonight?
...Heh-heh...
Thanks to Lucius Walker and CrazyClouds for beta-ing this one! 8D
Alrighty then! Well, I finally updated this thing! Hooray! :D
So, we have the infamous Silent Hill sirens going off! Just to let you know, this won't let the other kids fall asleep when they go off. This is just for these three characters. ;) Also, who is the mysterious person on the other line? :O
But yeah, sorry if this one was a little shorter than the last one, but I have other chapters to write, so I might need to lessen the length of these chapters. ^^;
But other than that, what do you think of the chapter so far? Is it getting interesting? I love to know what you think! :D Until then, tell me with a review, as well as a fave and a follow if you haven't!
Thank you for reading and keep on rocking everybody! :)
-TSP