No. 1: RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK Search Party Panic Attack "If only we could hold on." (Icysami x Renegaderr, Strangers.)
Warnings: Kidnapping, underground fighting, amputation, death, main character death, violence, loss, angst, Panic Attacks
It had been four months since Izuku Midoriya went missing. U.A. had exhausted everything they had, searching for him. Teachers were constantly switched out on parole, students chosen randomly to join them. It was good hero training, sure, but how could any of them focus on being heroes when their very own classmate was missing?
U.A. had lost many students since the event. Whether from them quitting, like Mineta did, or being pulled like Kaminari, the population of U.A. had gone down ten fold.
If they could lose a hero student, they could lose anyone! Shoji knew the words they spat, both publicly and privately. He didn't care though. He'd get Midoriya back, and then everything would go back to normal.
No, even Shoji wasn't that naive. Tsunotori was beginning to rub off on him.
"Tentacole, come in, copy." His earpiece rang. Bringing his hand up, he pressed the button, one of his other limbs beginning to speak.
"I'm here, copy." Shoji could hear the tiredness in Aizawa's voice.
"We may have found something, but we aren't sure what it is. They say it looks like a young man."
"You don't think…" Shoji trailed off, his eyes going wide.
"We don't know, but you're all we have right now. There was a villain attack over by the subway station, and they needed extra hands."
"Another Nomu?" Shoji already knew the answer. All attacks the past two months had been strictly Nomu-on-Hero. They hadn't seen any actual league members in a while. It put everyone on edge. Aizawa just sighed.
"Yes. Can you check out the area?"
"Got it, on my way." Shoji said, muting his headset once more. Securing his mask around his throat, Shoji pushed off the wall and began to move. Aizawa sent him the coordinates fairly quickly, and Shoji made quick work of sliding through back alleyways and scaling smaller buildings.
The night air was warm and wet, and it made his hero costume cling to his body in the most uncomfortable of ways. He knew that working in such a suit was important, but part of him wished for a pair of cargo pants. He'd be able to move easier that way.
The narrow alleys were dark, cramped, and labyrinthine. The towering buildings pressed in closely, blocking out the light from the sky above. The air was thick with the scents of cooked food and hot garbage, and the sound of voices drifted from the apartments lining the alleys. As Shoji got deeper into the thick of it, the atmosphere quickly changed.
Gone were the semi-cheerful noises of everyday life. Now he was surrounded by quiet moans, cries, and a plethora of other sounds he'd rather ignore. Rats scurried through the trash that had been left in the street, and shadows flickering in the dim light of the streetlamps had Shoji looking over his shoulder. This area…he recognised it.
It was where Midoriya had been kidnapped.
Not this particular street, but around here. Shoji recognised the area quite well. He'd been here four months ago on a mission with Midoriya. They weren't even supposed to go off on their own, and yet they had. Midoriya had heard a scream, and unable to stop himself, the green-haired teen rushed off towards the sound.
Shoji leaned against the wall as memories flashed.
"Deku!" Tentacole yelled, his hand reaching out. It was too late, Deku had started running. "This isn't- where are you going?!"
"Someone needs help!" Deku yelled, and he turned the corner. He only heard the soft thump of Deku's boots and his own beating heart.
He needed to follow him.
"We should at least- damn it," Tentacole cursed, taking off after the wayward hero. This wasn't how today was supposed to go! They had just been put on the same case for a reason! This very reason! How was Shoji supposed to watch him when he was constantly running off?
Another scream rang, and Tentacole pushed himself a little faster, almost barreling into Deku when he arrived at the scene.
The whole area smelt of nothing but blood and must. It made his stomach curl.
"She's- she's already…" Deku was shaking, his hands coming up to cover his mouth as he backed out of the dark street. His green eyes were wide with shock, and Shoji was no better. He gagged, pulling his mask off just in case. So what if Midoriya saw his face, he wasn't going to risk covering himself in vomit.
"We need to call someone," Shoji said quietly, reaching out tentatively. He laid his hand on his friend's shoulder. It seemed to shake him out of whatever he was thinking because Deku nodded a few seconds later.
"Call… call Gang Orca, I'm gonna go…" He unzipped the top part of his hero costume. When had he…? Oh. He'd ripped the top part of his suit off.
He fumbled with his phone, dialling the wrong number twice. When did his hands start shaking? He watched as Deku walked into the dark alleyway. He heard a gagging sound a few moments later, and then a quiet sob.
"Yes, Gang Orca? It's Tentacole and Deku. We found a body."
"I'm on my way, where's the hero I placed with you?" Orca's deep voice sounded from the other end of the line.
"Reef? I don't know. We heard a scream, and we couldn't find Reef." He smartly left out the fact that they hadn't even looked for the woman.
"You don't have to, you're barely official heroes, but do you have a description of the body?"
"Deku walked over to cover her. He… saw it first-hand. I'll- yeah. I can."
"Poor kid."
Tentacole slowly walked into the darkness, using his phone as a makeshift flashlight. He kept his breathing as even as he could, but he felt his breath catch as he saw the pale hand of the woman. He slowly brought the flashlight up.
The woman was obviously recently dead. Shoji could still see the faint shimmer of sweat on her brow, and the blood by her head. He reached down, touching it. It wasn't that warm, but it wasn't cold either.
"Gang Orca?"
"Still here, kid."
"She's blonde, uh, kinda plumpy, uhm, maybe a head injury. Deku, anything over there?" Shoji turned his phone flashlight up to where Deku should have been standing.
"Deku?"
"Tentacole, what's going on?"
"Deku? Where are you?"
The memories still burned deep in his chest.
Shoji sat on the cold concrete floor of the alleyway, his breathing ragged and shallow as he struggled to catch his breath. His body trembled as if he'd been shivering from the cold, but he was completely numb to the temperature. His hands were clenched into tight fists, and he could feel his heart pounding loudly in his chest.
His vision blurred, and the world seemed to spin around him as he tried to steady himself.
"Someone needs help!" Shoji wished he had never let Midoriya go into the alley alone. He wished he was faster, quicker, wiser. Whatever it took.
A feeling of dread and despair washed over him, and he felt like he was drowning in his own emotions. A wave of nausea hits him, and he can almost taste the bile crawling up his throat. It's disgusting to him, even though he's used to it.. It's the result of his fear, of his weakness, of the skills he lacked.
"Tentacole, calm down," Gang Orca told him. Shoji couldn't, his gaze still flickering to the now covered body of Hinata Nishikawa. She'd only been twenty-two.
"Gang Orca, sir, I-"
"Shh, kid. We'll find Deku. Hopefully he's just… run away."
"Sir?" An intern muttered, capturing the Orca Hero's attention. Shoji leaned against the wall, and he felt like he was gasping for air. All he's been through, and nothing had ever felt like this before. It hurt. It hurt far worse than any abuse he'd faced.
"Shoji…" Gang Orca appeared, his calm attitude replaced with ice. "I need you to call Aizawa."
"Yes sir," Shoji quickly pulled his phone out again, and pressed the contact of his teacher. "Can I…?"
"Miss Nishikawa was found partially decayed. The marks match up to-"
"The league of villains…"
Shoji remembered it like it was yesterday. Tears stung in his eyes, and every breath was like hell. He tried to push off the floor, but his body was weak. He hadn't had a panic attack in so long, he couldn't remember how to deal with it.
He clenched his teeth, trying to steady his breathing. Damn it, he couldn't have this! He needed to get up and move. Yet, his legs felt like lead. His mind raced with horrible what-if scenarios, only making his chest tighten more. In a last ditch effort, Shoji slammed his hand into the wall behind him, cracking it.
His hand pulsed in pain, but at least he could feel his body again. He needed to keep moving.
Finally able to push himself off the stone ground, Shoji was up and moving, following the directions to the address Aizawa had sent him. He'd figure out what the hell was going on.
It took a few more minutes of constant hiding and scaling, but he had made it to the building. It looked normal. All black with a few apartments above the first floor. It wasn't too big or too small, and fit in well with the buildings beside it. Shoji was almost conflicted; had he shown up at the right address? Even after triple checking just to be sure, he still wasn't convinced.
"EraserHead?" Shoji spoke, pressing the button on his head set.
"I'm here."
"Are you sure this is it?"
"Yes. It's been the place we've been getting the most pings about. We had surveillance out there earlier, but another hero went missing, so Tsukachi has been dealing with that. We still aren't sure about the place."
"Got it. I'm going in."
"Be safe, Shoji." Aizawa's voice quickly cut off, and Shoji smiled softly. Aizawa cared deeply about all of them. His smile turned slightly bitter. Shame it took Midoriya getting kidnapped for the man to realise that. He took a breath, forcing his thoughts down.
"I just don't understand why he ran off again," Officer Tamakawa said, his cat ears twitching furiously. "Especially right after Stain!"
Midoriya was involved with Stain? Shoji's eyes widened. It made sense. Shoji had seen the clips of Stain getting arrested, and there hadn't been a single burn mark on him! Endeavour's quirk alone would have definitely left something.
"Tamakawa, the hero watching them was gone, and the kid heard a scream. He even had Shoji with him." Aizawa sighed. "Clean this place up, Mrs Midoriya will be here soon. Shoji, you should head out too."
"I'm not going anywhere," the conviction in his voice shocked Shoji, and he cleared his throat. "I was there too, I need to- I need to tell her."
"Kid, it's not your fault he's missing," Aizawa said, voice warm, but still holding authority.
"I know it's not," Shoji said, even though he didn't fully believe it himself. He'd been the one to last see Midoriya, and now he was missing. He could feel the suspicious, and even fearful looks from the other police officers. "He was my friend, Mr Aizawa, and-"
"Where's my son?!"
Shoji gasped, his eyes landing on the short woman. She looked…exactly like Midoriya. From the eyes to the colour of her hair. It was…shocking. Even the tears in her big green eyes looked exactly like Midoriya's.
"Mrs Midoriya-"
"You!" she gasped, her eyes meeting Aizawa. "You said you'd protect him!"
The objects around them began to shake, a few pens even floating straight up into the air. Was this her quirk? It wasn't anything like Midoriya's.
"Mrs Midoriya, you must understand-
"It's my fault, ma'am." Shoji said, looking at the ground. The woman turned to him, her eyes wide and tearful. It made his heart hurt. "I let him go into the alleyway alone, and-"
"It's not your fault," she said instantly, shaking her head. The floating objects clattered back down, but no one paid much attention to it. "You're a child."
"I- well-"
"I won't hear it. You did nothing wrong." She smiled, and Shoji wanted to cry. "It's the adults that should have been watching after my son, not you."
It was quiet for a moment, and Shoji almost gasped as Aizawa slowly sank to his knees.
"We failed you, Mrs Midoriya. Just as we failed your son, but I swear on my very life, I will find your son."
The woman began to cry again.
"Woah, look at that freak," Shoji heard the whispered words as he walked through the building's front door. He'd been used to the jeers and hatred his whole life. He needed a quote, or something big, to cover him, and this was the closest shop around.
"Do you have big coats?" His hand asked the clerk. The girl just blinked, yawned, and pointed somewhere before returning to her phone. Damn kids these days. Shoji placed a few bills on the counter, roughly ¥6000, before he headed to the back and grabbed an overcoat. His third set of arms slowly forced themself back into his body, leaving him with only two pairs. It was weird, he was so used to three, or even four sets. It made him feel weirdly normal. He slipped the beige overcoat on, along with a hat, and left the store.
Now was the time.
After quickly finding his way back to the pinged building, Shoji made his way inside. He didn't look much different to the other patrons inside, which was fitting. This was supposed to be secretive after all.
"Man," a voice mused behind him. "I'm so excited for today's fight!"
Fight? That piqued Shoji's interest. He pulled back, looking at a painting on the wall, and let the pair behind him walk ahead, before following suit.
"Is it that white-haired kid again?"
"Yeah! The feral-looking one. He always looks like he's fighting to stay alive." One of the men laughed.
"Probably how it is! The only people who get into this type of business are no good, anyway. At least he fights well!"
Would Midoriya be here? Shoji didn't know, but he followed the men anyway. Underground fighting was a crime, after all, and as long as Shoji kept Aizawa in the loop he'd find something out. Even if he wasn't finding Midoriya right away, he was still helping.
The men made their way to a bar first, and Shoji sighed. So much for tailing them. He kept following the same path, taking the staircases he came across, and walking lower and lower. The area was well lit, as well as well maintained.
He froze when he heard cheers. He was getting close.
"Shoji?" Mrs Midoriya opened the door. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to check on you. I- uh…" Shoji had never been so lost for words. This poor woman…she'd lost a lot of weight, and it had only been a month since Shoji had seen her last.
"Come in," She smiled softly, and Shoji did just that. He slowly entered the small apartment, his shoulders hunching slightly as he walked through the door. The house was slightly disorderly and smelt of sage, but Mezo didn't mind at all. She was still grieving the loss of her son.
He froze in his tracks. No, not the loss, Midoriya was still alive, damn it! But, yes, that's it, she was greiving him actually being lost.
His heart clenched.
"I don't have much to offer besides tea, I've been a bit of a recloose as of late." She smiled at him, setting two tea cups down on the table. Shoji just nodded, wrapping two of his hands around the warm brown cup.
"Thank you, Mrs Midoriya."
"Oh please, call me Auntie. That's what Katsuki calls me," she laughs softly, pouring her own cup. Shoji stared at the woman. She had lost her son, but she was still able to smile.
"How…?"
"Hm?" Mrs Midoriya hummed, looking up.
"How are you able to smile after losing him? How can you be so strong?" The woman just blinked at him, before her smile turned insanely sad.
"Izuku was always smiling, even when it got tough." She looked down at the table. "I've failed him before, and I will not fail him again."
There was no way a woman as kind or as brave as this would have failed anyone.
"I'll find him, Mrs- Auntie. I'll find I-Izuku for you." Shoji stumbled over his words, never having called Midoriya his first name before. The green haired woman in front of him smiled, her eyes filling with the tears Izuku always cried.
"You're a good boy, Shoji. Izuku always spoke so highly of your attitude and quirk, even if you were quiet. You're going to be a great hero."
And a hero he would be. Stalking forward, Shoji pushed through the sea of bodies standing at the bottom of the steps. He was so large, most people didn't stop him.
"Maybe he's a fighter?" A voice asked behind him. Shoji paid them no mind, and instead pressed forward. He never liked groups of people, and this time was no different, but he was grateful for them. The constant heat of them all, and the feeling of being surrounded, was able to keep him grounded.
"Welcome one and all to today's match!" The crowd cheered. Shoji quickly took an empty seat near the balcony, staring straight down at the pit. "We have something interesting for you all today! Our very own Henka Arisu!"
If Shoji had thought the crowd was loud before, it would have been absolutely deafening now. The cheers shook the very foundation of the enormous basement they were in, and Shoji had a small fear of it collapsing right on top of him.
A chant Shoji couldn't understand made its way throughout the makeshift stadium, and Shoji watched as someone entered the ring.
The man was bare-chested, his back muscles scarred and rippling with every step. He was short though, with stark white hair. He couldn't see much up here, but it seemed the man's arms were covered in scars as well.
On the other side of the ring, a much larger man joined. Shoji felt his eyes widened. That man looked even bigger than Shoji himself!
"I know we're all excited, but remember to place your bets!" The announcer began. "Ready? Begin!"
The white-haired man moved fast, faster than anyone Shoji knew, perhaps with the exception of Iida. The larger man just seemed to laugh, mindlessly swinging, trying to hit the man.
The larger man didn't land a hit once. The fight was over almost as soon as it began. The white-haired man had leapt across the floor, landing a swift kick on top of his opponent's head. The man was out like a light.
Head trauma would do that to you.
The white-haired man looked around the arena, his eyes wide. Shoji peered over, desperate to catch a glimpse. He recognised the scars on the man's arms. Hell, he'd seen a few of them be created! He just needed proof.
And then he got it. Black eyes met bright green, and Shoji knew he had found Izuku Midoriya.
Shoji quickly walks away from where he was seated, desperate to get closer to the cage. Someone on stage grabbed Izuku, pulling him off, even as the crowd cheered for more. All Shoji needed to do was follow them.
He made his way quickly through the masses of people, not caring when he bumped into them or had to push past them. They weren't what was important right now. What was important was getting Izuku.
Shoji pressed himself up against the wall, listening to the voices in the back room. The person who had pulled Izuku back into the room left, leaving Izuku with a stranger.
"Stupid hero!" The voice rasped. "Master told me to keep you alive, and you can't even make me any money! I'd kill you if I could!"
Shoji's blood ran cold. Shigaraki…so the autopsy of that woman was correct. Had it been a trap to lure Izuku? But why?
"Kill me then," Izuku snapped. A slap rang out.
"I should," Shigaraki seethed. Shoji heard commotion, but from his position behind the wall, he couldn't see anything. He heard a metal door ring as it was slammed shut. "You're nothing without your fucking quirk."
"So kill me!"
"Brat!" Shoji heard something in contact with flesh, and then the sound of Shigaraki spitting. "You deserve this damn cage. Stay there until your next fight, and you better fucking lose!"
Shoji held his breath when he heard footsteps. He pressed himself against the wall, trying to mask his large body in shadow. If Shigraki caught him…was he strong enough to take him on? Shoji didn't want to find out.
Luckily, he didn't have to. The villain stomped right past the alcove he was hidden in, cursing and muttering to himself. He had so many questions, but no time for them all. Once Shoji was sure everyone was gone, he sprinted to the room Shigaraki had left.
"Izuku?"
"Shoji?"
Shoji could have gasped at the state Izuku was in. He was scarred from head to toe, his white hair nasty and scraggly. He stunk of body odour, blood, and ammonia. Shoji rushed into the room, pulling open the cage door with his bare hands.
Midoriya was quick to climb out.
"How are you here?" Izuku gasped, feeling himself wrapped in a hug by all of Shoji's limbs.
"I found you, Aizawa was right, you really were here…"
"Shoji?" Izuku asked. "It's not safe here."
"We have to get you out, come on." Shoji agreed, and softly guiding Midoriya, the pair exited the room.
Another pair of people were fighting in the cage, so not many people paid attention to Izuku and Mezo. Shoji ended up passing his hat to the teen, helping to hide his identity. No one bothered them, and they were quick to exit up the stairs and rush out of the building.
"Shoji, wait…"
"Call me Mezo."
"Mezo, then. I need a moment. I'm exhausted."
"Right." Shoji nodded and called Aizawa. The man didn't answer. "I'll call back again in a second. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I am, promise. I'm just so tired. I've been moving from club to club for months."
"Months?" Shoji asked, his eyes widening. "So this whole time…"
"They took my quirk, Shoji…"
"What?"
"The league, their true leader…he can take and give quirks. He stole my quirk. But he wanted to keep me alive. He wouldn't tell anyone why, so Shigaraki forced me to fight for money."
"Izuku…"
"I'm just so tired."
Shoji hugged him softly. He held Izuku close, and quickly called the police, since Aizawa hadn't answered yet.
"Yeah, It's Tentacole. I've found Hero Deku. Yes, we're at-"
Izuku pushed Shoji away. The mutant didn't even have a chance to breathe, before Izuku's ear shattering scream sounded.
Shoji watched in horror as a hand reached where his chest had been, instead gripping Izuku's shoulder. The flesh slowly began to splinter off in greying chunks. They were nothing but flakes of ash when they hit the ground. The tissue and the bone are quick to sever, and Shoji watches as Izuku's arm falls to the ground.
The hand disappeared into the portal, and sirens sounded in the distance. Izuku stared at his bloody arm, eyes wide.
"My arm…"
His gaze turned to Shoji.
"My arm, oh God, my arm!"
The scream he let loose the second time was more horrific than the first.
Izuku was rushed off to the hospital as quickly as they could. Shoji never once let go of his shaking, sobbing form.
"My arm, my arm! I can't be a hero without my arm!"
"You're already my hero, Izuku, you can still be a hero, I promise," Shoji cradled his head. The EMT's in the ambulance had given up prying the two friends apart. Shoji didn't mind.
"He needs extra oxygen," one of them says, trying to put the mask on Izuku. Shoji relented slightly, just enough to watch the mask be placed securely over Izuku's nose. He watched as the clear mask fogged, and Izuku's eyes shut.
"Hang in there, Izuku. You're gonna be okay. You can still be a hero."
The funeral was held just a week later.
Mitsuki Bakugou, Bakugou's mom, helped with a lot of the planning. Poor Inko was a wreck, either crying in front of Shoji or losing control of her quirk. It had been a rough week, for obvious reasons.
"Deku was a hero," Ochako sobbed at the podium. "We'd had- he'd just come, oh god, oh god!"
She was swiftly brought off of the steps by a sick-looking Aizawa. The girl sobbed, sinking to the floor. Shoji watched as her shoulders shook with the strength of her sobs. Her wails filled their ears, and even Shoji winced. Inko quickly made her way up to the podium next, not looking much better than Ochako. Mitsuki stood near, her hand on her friend's back.
"All my son wanted to do was be a hero. He'd done everything he could to become one. Even if… this is how he'd have wanted to go. Saving someone. Saving a friend."
Shoji was going to be sick.
"He wouldn't want us sitting around mourning him. He'd want us to continue on, to live our best life. Izuku was nothing but selfless, and I know he's looking down at us from the stars. Thank you."
Inko barely made it back to her seat before she collapsed.
0o0
Chapter Notes: The title is from the song "Now That You're Gone" by Unlike Pluto! A great song, and I think it fits the one-shot very well.
End Notes: The scene placement might confuse a few people, but I have it placed where Izuku joins Shoji with Gang Orca after Stain! Why? It felt right. For the name the announcer calls, I chose Henka Arisu because it roughly means "changed enclosure" and I thought that was fitting for his circumstances.
