I'll be your island in the raging storm

- Chapter 69 -

- Izuku - 

Izuku never thought he would be able to get a messenger bird from this town. It did kind of make sense, with all of them going back and forth, they had to be coming from somewhere. The bird looks up at him with its glassy black eyes and hops again. Izuku tightens his grip on the handle of the cage. 

Kacchan doesn't seem to like it that much, but he thinks it's amazing. He can send letters to Mr. Toshinori now, and the dogs! That homesickness that he has been feeling slowly ebbs away, leaving him feeling slightly lighter. 

"Can he carry items too?" 

The woman nods again, still not completely meeting his eyes. 

"Yes, but not ones that are too heavy. Due to his size, he can carry heavier things than most, though I wouldn't push it." 

Then maybe sending the jam is out of the question... Still, letters would be more than enough until he finishes what he came here to do. 

"Then, I'll take it." 

The woman rests her hand on her cane again, beginning to get some stuff off of the counter. 

"Very well. Show me the location you want the messages to be sent, and where you will be."

 Izuku pauses before marking his home on the map, looking at kacchan. He wouldn't do anything if he knew where his family lived, would he? He hesitates for a moment before marking it down. Then, picks the area where his next location will be. 

Around the next town from here, another circled spot on his own map. 

"Good. Write what you want to send, and I promise it will be back to you with a new letter." 

The thought makes his heart speed up slightly, but kacchan folds his arms and looks at the women with narrowed eyes. 

"How the hell do we know we can trust you old hag? Who says you aren't going to use this information to get the bounties on our heads for yourself?" 

The thought didn't occur to him. The woman didn't look like she would betray him, just like Katsuki. There was a feeling deep in his chest, much like the feeling he gets when he's around Mr. Toshinori. This woman was giving him a chance to talk to him, even if it wasn't in person. 

The woman slowly turns her head to look at Katsuki, her dark eyes still looking unfocused. 

"I have been alive for a long time. I have used that time to hone my skill and my practice, both in being able to read people, and in training my birds. To think I would betray good customers is an insult to my character. But I will forgive you." 

She slowly turns her head back to Izuku, lifting a hand towards the bird in the cage. 

"You have my word. All of the information you share with me will be between just us three here."

 Katsuki still doesn't look convinced, eyes watching every move the woman makes. Izuku nods, confirming his trust of the women to those present. The blonde next to him gives him a look, but he ignores it, focusing on the women. 

"Do I just write what I want to say?" 

The woman nods and gestures a wrinkled hand to a clear spot on the counter, the clutter around it mostly paper and quills and ink. He walks over to it and begins to write. He can feel Katsuki's eyes still on him, but only a bit, putting all of his focus on writing, the bird cage next to him. 

This is the first letter he's going to send. This is the first letter Mr. Toshinori is going to get from him. He won't be able to send another one for who knows how long, and he doubts one letter is going to give him enough space to write all that he wants to say. 

Before he can start overthinking it more, he picks up one of the quills, dips it in ink, and begins to write, his handwriting slanted and messy. 

'Dear Mr. Toshinori, I'm doing well. I hope that this bird got to you okay, and you are able to read this. It's pretty cool, I didn't know that they had birds like this. I don't know what kind it is, but it's pretty convenient.'

'I'm traveling with Fenrir, a wolf that I named after that story you told me about, and someone I met searching the black market. I can't spell or say his name right, so I call him kacchan. He says it's a nickname, and he calls me Deku, which means useless.'

'Don't worry though, he's not a bad person. He helped me a lot on my way over to the town I'm in right now. I have been making some progress in finding the head of the Paranormal Liberation Front, mostly with Kacchans help.'

'We are heading to a different town, though I'm not sure if we will be splitting up or not. Also, I learned what a cat is, and I got to try orange, strawberry, and apricot jam. I wanted to bring you some, but the bird won't be able to carry it. I promise to bring some when I get back.' 

'I hope the dogs are doing okay, and that you aren't going hunting as much. There isn't that much snow over here, which makes me miss home, but I will get used to it. Kacchan makes the meat I got taste really good, i would love for you to try it.' 

'I'll ask if he can teach me how to make it taste like that, and I will send you another letter telling you what I learned. I also saw this big yellow backpack, but it was too expensive. Fenrir helps me pull the sled when i need to do something else, so he's a big help.' 

'I will be back home soon. Take care of yourself and the dogs, and I will wait to hear from you.' 

'Your son, Izuku.'