Feral

Back to a place you can no longer call home

Seeing nothing wrong with this, Shouta agreed. Saying that they could pay a visit to his old home during the weekend. And when Hitoshi later hears of their planned trip, the purple haired child pesters the hero and his parents into letting him go, as well.

Cue the weekend rolling around, and Izuku, Shinsou, and Shouta showing up at the forest's doorstep.

And of course, White was here as well. The cat threaded itself between Izuku's legs before jumping onto its favorite spot on the boy's shoulders. Izuku gave the cat a pat with one hand and then turned to his companions.

"This way!"

He turned and followed a trail well known to the green-haired boy.

"It's been a while since I've been in here," Shinsou commented as he ducked under a branch. Shouta glanced at the kid from the corner of his eye.

"You've been in here before?"

Shinsou nodded. "Well, more like I got lost? Some classmates of mine thought it would be a funny joke to dump me in here a few years ago. It was pretty scary, and I was terrified when it started to get dark out."

What is with children being abandoned in this forest?

"Did a search party come looking for you?"

"Oh no," Shinsou laughed. "Only my jerk classmates knew I was in there, and they were too busy being smug at home to bother telling anyone where I was. No, actually, uh," he scratched the back of his neck, "Izuku was the one who helped me."

Shouta's head snapped to his left.

"Izuku?"

Izuku's ears twitched backwards as he listened in on the conversation but still focused on his surroundings as he guided them through the trees.

"He kinda came out of nowhere. I thought it was weird, but at the time I was so relieved to see another human, that I didn't even question it. He just grabbed my hand and led me out in nearly no time at all."

He paused, hesitating.

"And then he vanished."

"You didn't think to tell anyone that there was a little kid living on his own in this place?" Shouta question incredulously.

Shinsou looked embarrassed. "I thought he lived nearby and went home after he dragged me out. It was dark and I was tired, if it were me, I wouldn't want to hang around in a creepy place for longer than I had to either."

Shouta sighed.

It made sense, of course. But it was frustrating nonetheless that someone knew of Izuku's existence sooner and he still had to spend a few extra years on his own.

"How long ago was this?"

"About... three or four years ago, I think? I was seven at the time." Jumping over a fallen tree, he added, "funnily enough, I think Izuku hasn't grown an inch since then."

Izuku finally turned to his friend with a pout. "I have!"

"Your human form hasn't," Shinsou smirked, "you're still as much of a runt you were years ago."

Green eyes whip in Shouta's direction. "What is runt?"

"It means you're tiny."

Izuku whipped back to Shinsou with a glare. "I am not runt! I'm big!"

"Dude you like, come up to my chest and I'm not even considered tall. You are like the height of a doll you buy at the supermarket."

Izuku glares hotly. Then in retaliation, he surges forward and shifts rapidly. His body expands just a little over Shouta's own six feet of height and snaps his jaws around the back of Shinsou's shirt, who shrills in surprise.