Chapter Eighty Nine

"Come on!" Kirishima whined for the tenth time, pulling on Katsuki's arm. "Everyone's already outside!"

"Why the hell should I care about some brat coming to school!?" Katsuki shoved Kirishima back with his shoulder.

"That's not nice man!" Kirishima lectured. "Eri is a sweetheart! Mr. Aizawa is letting her out of the hospital for a couple hours to check out the school and our class is allowed to join her!"

"Yeah, good for you." Katsuki crassly waved, "Go have fun."

"Come on man." Kirishima puffed his cheeks, "You have been stuck inside studying or just training for months...just...come on."

Kirishima and Katsuki locked their similar shadowy red eyes, both knew what the other was thinking, but it was too painful to speak the truth aloud.

After months of Midnight and All Might flipping the city upside down, they had no choice but to conclude you were nowhere to be found. If All Might had not seen the footage himself, he would never have believed you had rescued from the League of Villains.

Mr. Principle had to make the two teachers return to teaching but every night All Might searched your favorite places, hoping, praying to spot you. Katsuki was never the same after hearing the school gave up, doing the same as his idol he searched for you every open chance he got.

Katsuki returned to places he believed were special between the two of you, such as the park where you held your first kiss...the little spot in the mountains not many people knew about where the two of you had lunch when you went hiking together...

"Fine." Katsuki groaned.

"Yes!" Kirishima jumped, feeling victorious.

"I'm not going to hang out with a little kid for long." Katsuki warned following Kirishima outside of their dorm. The air was warm, hugging Katsuki's arms as he rolled his eyes hearing Mina and Momo gushing over the little girl.

"Don't crowd her!" Ida lectured causing Katsuki to sigh, why had he agreed to this?

"It's not that bad." Kirishima playfully pushed Katsuki's arm. "At least the weather is nice, it's been so rainy lately."

"Yeah." The crimson eyed hero agreed gazing up to the sky, taking a break from the dreary weather was kind of nice before pulling his eyes down to earth. For a moment time froze, Katsuki tilted his head, furrowing his brows as he watched Midoriya laugh with the little girl known as Eri, her back facing him.

Katsuki blinked, one, two, three times before taking off into a stomp towards the crowd.

"Hey-!" Katsuki called, glaring down at the little girl who spun around with large doe eyes. "-you there!"

"She has a name Kacchan." Midoriya disapproved.

"Where did you get that jacket!?" Katsuki ignored the greenette, his burning eyes drilling holes into the small fragile kid. "Tell me!"

"Dude!" Kirishima jogged over.

"What is your deal!?" Momo lectured.

"Tell me where you got it!" Katsuki ignored his classmates, his brassie tone and intense glare caused tears to pool into the little girls' eyes.

"You made her cry!" Kirishima gasped sweat bead down his back feeling Aizawa's hard gaze.

"What did you do?" Aizawa demanded walking over to the group.

"Bakugo had a stroke." Kaminari muttered, leaning on the back of his heels.

"Bakugo-" Aizawa sighed, wondering why the angry teen was even out here. "-what did you do-?"

"She has my hoodie!" Katsuki snapped pointing downward where she stood hiding behind Midoriya.

"So what?" Sero shrugged, "She is a little kid, leave her alone-"

"Shut the hell up Flex Tape!" Katsuki bit turning to Aizawa, "That is the same hoodie I gave to (y/n) the night she was taken by the League of Villains, she still had it on when she was dropped off here before going missing." Katsuki stressed, praying his teacher would believe him, Aizawa glanced down to Eri, the hoodie did look familiar, but the cameras were a bit blurry that day and that was months ago.

How could he believe Katsuki's words, what were the chances of this being true?

"How do you know?" Aizawa questioned, "That could be a popular design-"

"Look at the back!" Katsuki snapped, pointing to the kid, "There are holes, that isn't there because of a fucking fashion statement. Those got there when (y/n) was forced inside that machine by the League of Villains!"

Aizawa looked back down at Eri, sure enough three holes resting on the back. With a weighted sigh Aizawa crouched down next to the timid girl.

"Do you think you could tell me where you got this?" Aizawa wondered, lightly pulling on the girl's sleeve. "You're not in trouble, we just need to know."

"It's really important Eri." Midoriya added with a sweetened smile. After a painful moment of Eri looking at the ground, and Kirishima holding Katsuki back from blowing a gasket, Eri looked up at Aizawa with her heart stealing eyes.

"The nice lady..."

"What nice lady?" Midoriya crouched beside Aizawa.

"The lady...next to me..."

"Next to your...cell?" Midoriya guessed and Eri nodded.

"Do you remember what she looked like?" Aizawa questioned.

"Um...she was...pretty..."

"Ah-" Midoriya lightly laughed, "-I'm sure she was but do you remember what color her hair was, or her eyes or anything that might make her stand out?"

"Does she look like this?" Katsuki asked, shoving his phone past Midoriya's head almost taking him out in the process. Midoriya's heart skipped seeing your picture resting as Katsuki's wallpaper.

"Yeah!" Eri excitedly pointed to the phone, "That's the nice lady!"

"She was next to you inside Overhauls' place?" Mina gasped, instantly turning to Katsuki with a full moon gaze.

"But that place was raided." Jiro shook her head, "Wouldn't they have found (y/n) if she was there?"

"Why would she be there in the first place?" Aizawa asked the better question.

"Maybe..." Shoto licked his lips, "...(y/n) didn't leave that day..."

"Maybe she was taken." Asui finished.

An annoying ping of pain echoed around inside Aizawa's head as he sighed, dreading the words that were about to come from his mouth as he gestured to Aoyama. "Go get All Might."

----

U.A. High School reached out to the hero office with their newfound information about your disappearance. Which they in return reached out to nearby heroes to see if any of them would be willing to return to the Shie Hassaikai Compound and investigate further. Popular heroes such as Ryukyu and Fat Gum agreed to aid All Might, Midnight and Aizawa. The hero offices also allowed the U.A. High School students to participate, with a push of persuasion from Mr. Principle.

"I can't believe they let a few of us come!" Kirishima looked around the Shie Hassaikai Compound as the group walked onto the ghostly grounds.

"Yeah-" Sero agreed, "-because we are awesome!"

"I didn't think I would ever be back here." Ochaco muttered, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves as Mina reached out and took Asui's hand.

"Yeah." Midoriya nodded, looking over to Katsuki who held a tight expression.

"Alright-!" Fat Gum turns to the large group of volunteers behind him. "-you all have your group assignments. We all break off into squads but stay together in your groups! No one goes off on their own and do not touch anything!"

"This building could still be unstable from the fight-" Ryukyu added, "-so be careful!"

"Right!" Everyone called out with a stern nod knowing the dangers as Hound Dog took the lead, sniffing out any possible people still trapped inside the abounded maze.

Ochaco stayed close to Midoriya, practically hugging him as they entered the darkened building lacking light and life. The U.A. teachers clicked on flashlights once the sunlight pooling in from the front door wasn't enough.

"What are we looking for?" Kirishima questioned Fat Gum before he split off, wanting to be the most helpful he could be.

"Well-" The mentor breathed; "-evidence. (y/n) was here, that is obvious. But we need clues on where she may have gone or where she was taken, anything useful really."

"Ok." Kirishima nodded, turning ahead as Hound Dog sniffed around leading his group through foreign doors as Fat Gum and Ryukyu broke off with their people close on their heels.

"It's a dead end." Mina blinked gazing around the stone hallway before turning back to Midoriya.

"No." Aizawa stepped forward, seeing Hound Dog sniffing the wall across from them. "There's a room we didn't know about."

"How's that possible?" Midnight breathed, "The police swept this place clean."

"They didn't have his nose." All Might gestured to Hound Dog who pointed to the wall.

"Here." He grunted, his finger scrapping at the stone sending shivers down the U.A. student's arms.

"What's in there?" Midoriya slowly wondered as Midnight pushed him and Mina behind her.

"Something useful." Kirishima stepped forward, allowing use of his quirk to break a hole in the wall with ease. After a split second, Hound Dog blinked before snapping around.

"Don't-!" He shouted, pulling on Mina and Midoriya preventing them from stepping into the hidden room, he failed at grabbing Katsuki and Kirishima who bounced on the chance to follow their teachers.

"Wha-!?" Kirishima gasped, covering his mouth and nose, the thick stale smell of iron stung his esophagus, it felt like fire was licking at his lungs.

"I tried-" Hound Dog huffed locking eyes with Aizawa who took in the scene around him.

"I know." Aizawa nodded, telling the hound hero to loosen his grip on the two students, who cursorily peeked around the broken wall.

"What the-!?" Mina gasped, covering her mouth as she investigated through the flashlight's beams.

Against the wall was a simple folding table with a neglected computer thick dust loomed in the air as the room was scanned over. In the middle rested a wooden chair, restraints were built into the arms and legs.

"Looks like someone left in a hurry." Aizawa muttered glancing at the forgotten computer, this didn't feel like something that should have been left behind.

Midoriya licked his lips feeling disbelief bubble inside his belly, wishing for a sweet lie to be fed to him by the teachers. It wasn't the objects in the room making him uneased, it was the color.

Deep red stained the floor in large pools and splotches.

Katsuki stood beside the obsolete chair, his fingers lightly dragging over the visible nail marks on the end of arm of the chair. He swallowed the lump of emotions back, desperately trying to ignore the bundle of nerves tightly wound inside his gut.

He forced the confounded thoughts plucking around inside his head.

Who was strapped to this piece of furniture?

Whose blood painted this room?

What were the farfetched odds you of all people would be held in a place like this?

Katsuki has never wished to be more wrong in his life. He prayed for the first time ever, he was incorrect about Eri having your hoodie, that her eyewitness to your picture was wrong, and you never came a mile near this place.

"Is this-?" Katsuki dared to ask.

"We need to test whose blood this is before we can be sure-" Aizawa tried to play off like everyone didn't already know the answer.

"It's (y/n)'s blood." Hound Dog didn't catch the memo between the teachers, who were trying to ease the blow of fresh trauma. Midnight shot an annoyed glare to the hound hero.

"How do you know?" Kirishima breathed; the musty air coated in stale iron made his stomach churn.

"She hung around the teachers' lounge for weeks-" Hound Dog rolled his eyes, "-I know her scent."

"So, this is all her..." Mina stared at the patches of dried blood by her foot.

All Might was ignoring the conversation more so trying to desperately ignore the smell as he played on the computer.

The clicking of the key echoes around the room.

"But why?" Midnight shook her head, "Why take (y/n)? Shadow Jack's operation has been shut down; she has no value to her anymore."

"She is a trained killer." Hound Dog just couldn't take the hint to sugar coat. "That never loses its value."

"Thank you." Midnight groaned, rubbing her throbbing temple. "Maybe go check to see if there are any other rooms the police didn't find?"

"Fine." Hound Dog scoffed about to stalk out of the room when All Might figured out the computer and opened a file marked 'Subject 402'.

All Might audibly gasped, earning everyone's attention. His eyes glued to the screen watching a video play out, with you as the star strapped to the nearby vacant chair.

"No!" Midnight dashed over, trying to shut everything down but she was too late.

"Ahh-!" Your gurgled scream filled with agony bounced off the stone halls, cutting through each student like a knife. Katsuki cringed as Kirishima froze in place. Mina covered her mouth as tears dripped from her eyes knowing she was going to hear that sound inside her nightmares tonight.

Midnight scrambled to shut the video off as All Might fought from being pushed away.

"You don't need to see this!" Midnight pushed, soon earning aid from Aizawa who agreed All Might, Katsuki, every person inside this room including them didn't--couldn't see the contents of this computer.

"Hey!" Fat Gum walked into the room, "You guys are gonna wanna see-what is going on?" He frowned, looking around the room filled with sickly expressions and struggling teachers.

"It's confirmed (y/n) was here-" Midnight replied in a breathy tone after a moment of silence.

"Get the students outside." Aizawa ordered Kesagiri Man who simply nodded, not having agreed in the first place for students to be here.

"But-" Kirishima went to argue.

"I'm not leaving!" Katsuki stated, glaring into Aizawa's lazed eyes.

"I wasn't asking." Aizawa replied, "Go-"

"No!" Katsuki shook his head. You had been here, to find you he needed to search for answers.

"-before I have you all expelled from school-" Aizawa threatened, seeing the desperate blind look swirling around inside Katsuki's scarlet eyes. "-go with Kesagiri Man, we will meet you outside."

With a strand of curses under his breath, Katsuki did as told and followed his two classmates.

"We need to call this in." Midnight watched the students shuffle displeasingly down the hall. "This is above our paygrade."

"Before we do-" Fat Gum coughed, "-you're going to want to see this first." Aizawa and Midnight turned to one another.

"All Might-" Aizawa said, "-you should go with the students-"

"Lead the way-" All Might pointed.

"Hey-" Fat Gum caught All Might's wrist, "-maybe Eraser Head is right, this is something you shouldn't see."

"You have no right to hold me back-!"

"You were trying to adopt (y/n) right?" Fat Gum softened his voice.

"Wha-? Y-Yeah-"

"This is something no father should see." Fat Gum wanted.

"Whatever it is, if it will lead me to (y/n) I have no choice." All Might stubbornly replied. After a cold moment, Fat Gum nodded, turning on his heel while Midnight talked on the phone with Ryukyu, relaying what they had found.

Fat Gum led the teachers through three doors before coming to a room where he slowly pushed open the wall which revealed a door nearly perfectly blending into its surroundings.

Thick trails of dust fell from the door frame clouding the musty air.

Aizawa coughed, covering his mouth with his arm as his eyes stung as he gazed inside. Light seemed to run for cover leaving the space shrouded in darkness but the contents lying on the ground could still be clearly seen.

"Hound dog." Aizawa turned, "Do you think you can-"

"I can't make out any scent-" Hound Dog shook his head, "-it all smells like decay."

"I'm sure she's not in there." Midnight whispered, touching All Might's shoulder as the teachers struggled to remove their eyes from the bodies wrapped in solid sheets thrown carelessly inside this tomb.

"I know she isn't here." All Might proudly announced. "I would know if she..."

"All Might-"

"(y/n) is stronger than any of us gives her credit for." All Might shook his head, "No way this took her down."

A light chirp of a phone graced the teachers, pulling them from the room.

"Who was that?" All Might wondered as Midnight pocketed her phone, a heavy expression resting on her face dulled her eyes.

"Jaku police."

"Why would you-"

"It's confirmed-" Midnight sighed, "- Shiro and Gray are both missing."

"Missing?"

"Yes." Midnight nodded. "Gray lives with his girlfriend who claims to have not seen him in days. Shiro remains with his brother who says Shiro hadn't been home in a couple days which isn't like him."

"Those two and now (y/n), this isn't Shadow Jack's doing."

"As of two in the morning yesterday-" Fat Gum yawned, "-he was still in lock up."

"Keeping tabs, are we?" Aizawa commented.

"Aren't you?" He replied.

"Are we sure they didn't just leave on their own accord?" Ryukyu wondered, having joined after sending her group outside to wait with the students.

"You shut your mouth!" All Might snapped pointing his finger.

"I am just saying-" Ryukyu raised her hands, "-this could have all been a scam-"

"You know nothing about (y/n)!" All Might bared his teeth.

"Are you thinking like a hero-?" Ryukyu tilted her head, "-are like a victim right now?"

All Might and the others slowly began their way to the opening of the compound.

"You remember that girlfriend of Grays?" Midnight turned to Ryukyu, their footsteps bouncing off the stone walls.

"What about her?"

"She is pregnant." Midnight replied, "I don't know much about Gray, only had a few short conversations with the kid but I didn't get the impression he was the kind to skip out on his unborn child."

The air outside whipped All Might in his face, he did not remember it feeling this cool as the sun began to crawl down from the sky. Midnight turned, the flashing of red and blue caught her eye.

"Who called them!?" Midnight cursed seeing oversized sleek black vans pulling up and parking just outside the compound.

"I did." Ryukyu answered, causing the U.A. teachers to spin on their heels around to glare at her.

"Why would you do that!?" Midnight spat.

"Because you are too close this case." Ryukyu replied with a wave of her hand.

"You called him!?" All Might growled from within his throat as he felt his shoulder tense watching Eizo Tanuma and Officer Maeda stepping into the open gazing around the scene.

"Why would you call them of all people!?" Midnight added.

"Eizo is the best-"

"Eizo is a tart!" Midnight shook her head, "He wants (y/n) and those boys locked up more than anyone else! You just signed (y/n)'s conviction-"

"If she and those two boys are truly innocent-" Ryukyu took a step closer to the rated R hero, "-then you all should have nothing to worry about."

"We don't." Aizawa stepped in between the teachers, "All Midnight and All Might are saying is you just stacked the deck up against (y/n) (l/n). You should have given us a warning you called them in."

"Why?" Ryukyu blinked, "You three are teachers, you stepped down from-"

"Mr. Aizawa-!" The teachers turned to watch the collection of students jogging towards them.

"What is going on!?"

"Why are the police here!?"

"Why is that moron here?!" Katsuki pointed to Officer Maeda.

"They are because they are taking over the case." Aizawa answered.

"Why!?" The students bitterly asked, "We can find (y/n) on our own-"

"You want to find (y/n) right?" All Might place a sturdy hand on Katsuki's shoulder.

"Yeah-"

"We are too close to this-" All Might sighed hating the fact Ryukyu was probably right, "-they are here because we could have missed something looking to close."

"But..." Mina gazed dropped to the floor.

"As soon as they find something-" Midnight weakly smiled, "-they will let us know then we will let you know."

"We are going to find her; it's just taking a little longer than we thought."