I'll be your island in the raging storm

- Chapter 34 -

"You're going to kill that man too, aren't you."

 Izuku nods again. Mr. Toshinori lets out a deep sigh and it's as if he deflates, curling into himself as he stares at the fire. 

"You know... when I found you in the snow, half dead and ready to freeze, I knew you had drive. After all, you were only eight, and who knows how long you were left alone by yourself. Then i watched as you killed animals without even batting an eye and it..."

 Izuku waits for him to finish his sentence, eyes watching his every move. The man seems to feel him watching because Izuku sees him shiver despite it being so warm in the house.

 "It scared me. What kind of child never threw tantrums? What kind of child never smiled? I was afraid, and thus I have been trying to shield you ever since. I figured that since you have already experienced so much pain, you would give up and stay here with me. But again, I was wrong."

 Mr. Toshinori lets out another deep breath, the smell of meat wafting up to his nose and making Izuku's stomach rumble. 

"So I won't stop you from avenging your mother."

 Izuku doesn't say anything because he knows that Mr. Toshinori couldn't have stopped him even if he decided to. Izuku tells him that he's sorry. He apologizes for saying all of that stuff and for storming off.

 If he had been only a couple minutes later, Mr. Toshinori and the dogs could have lost their lives to those men.

 "You shouldn't have to worry about that, my boy. We would have been just fine."

 Izuku gives him a look and Mr. Toshinori gives him a weak grin. Speaking of which... Izuku stands up and nods at the fire. He tells Mr. Toshinori that he'll be back. The man's grin falls from his face, and he nods, looking back at the meat.

 Izuku leaves, petting the dogs on his way out. The wind is going just as hard as before, and he pulls his scarf tighter around himself. His wound is still slowly bleeding, and he figures he will patch it up when he's done with this.

 Maybe that's what's making him feel kind of woozy. Still tied to the post, the man's flesh is starting to turn blue, and Izuku can see him shaking even from the corner of the house. He walks over and after hearing his footsteps, the man looks up, dried tears on his cheeks. 

"P-Please, let me go... just let me go..." 

He croaks, and Izuku grips the hilt of his knife. He tells him he'll let him go only if he tells him everything he knows. The man weakly shakes his head, wincing. 

"I... I can't... please understand... they will kill me..."

 Izuku takes the blade from his belt and steps closer to the man. He will kill him before anyone else can get to him, so he better start worrying about himself in this moment.