Shinobu can still remember the first time that he and Izuku walked into that house. Shinobu had carried two boxes in and Izuku had brought in a few small trinkets that he'd held on to for the entire car ride up here. He remembers the way that Izuku smiled at him and kissed his cheek after he saw the layout of the house for the first time. He can still see Izuku jumping with glee as he looked at the backyard. And, the muttering, he can hear it. The soft but excited muttering of a man who was already trying to plan a layout for the house and how they would decorate it. Of course, none of it came to pass as Shinobu had already paid someone to make sure it met his own standards, but it's still nice to recall a time when Izuku was excited to be sharing a home with him.
And, now, he stands in the abandoned shell of their old home, wondering where it all went wrong. Why he didn't get to experience things a second time with Izuku? He'd earned it, hadn't he? He'd done everything to make him happy? Why wasn't it enough? He frowns. That's it. It was enough. But, there was something that Izuku wanted something else. Izuku wanted Katsuki . That's where it all went wrong. When was it? Was it when they first got here or that night that Izuku showed up at the house earlier than he thought he would because some stranger had given him a ride? What about Katsuki made Izuku decide that he was better? Whatever it was, Shinobu knew he'd destroy it and make Izuku see how worthless he is without it. He'd have Izuku back one way or the other, but why wait? He can handle more than one task at a time, right?
He rolls his shoulders back and starts to get to work out a plan to make sure he can get Izuku back this time.
*
With Katsuki at an important meeting, Izuku, Ena, and Akasuki are making their way to Ena's apartment, against Izuku's better judgment. Ena needs to gather some pads and tampons, and she says it's better than going to the store. When Izuku said it'd be better to wait on Katsuki, Ena rolled her eyes and scoffed. She said that she wasn't asking that dunce to grab her tampons. So, here they are making their way into Ena's apartment to grab her things. She huffs as soon as she walks in and frowns, "That's weird."
"What's that?" Izuku asks.
Ena looks around the apartment and then at Akasuki, "I turned out the lights when we left, didn't I?"
Akasuki nods, "Only because I yelled at you to. But, you definitely turned them off."
Izuku starts to make his way back to the door and jumps back at the sudden feeling of someone's chest against his back. He looks over his shoulder to see a tall, burly man he'd never seen before standing by the door. He starts to back up toward his friends and he scrambles for one of their hands. "Ena, Ena. We're not alone," he whispers.
"I can see that," she murmurs, not bothering to look in Izuku's direction. Izuku faces the direction that Ena is facing to see more strangers surrounding them from the other side. He can feel his stomach sinking to his feet in a matter of seconds, his blood running completely cold in an instant. He knew this was a bad idea, and now here they are cornered because he didn't bother texting Katsuki to let him know they were leaving. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I should have known better. Okay, this isn't the time for this. Think, Izuku. How do we get out of this? His brain races with thoughts of the apartment, its layout, where all of the windows and doors are located, and anything that might help them make it out of this unscathed. The kitchen .
"Just hang tight," he whispers to his friends. He rushes toward the group standing ahead of Ena and shoves past them with some struggle and makes his way to the kitchen with them hot on his heels. He grabs the skillet filled with food which has since molded over sitting on the stove and throws it directly to the man closest to him and hits him in the head. He next reaches for a knife, granted he won't know how to use it all that well, and another pot, throwing it at the window over the sink. He makes a break for it, not too worried about the glass or the fall. Both of those things have to be better than the alternative. His hands, clothes, and body are all sliced to pieces when he shimmies through the window. The impact of the ground against his body causes his head to spin and his breath to escape him but he has to keep going. He can already hear somebody making their way out of the door along with several of their accomplices.
He pulls himself to his feet despite the pain in his body screaming for him to just lay in place. He doesn't bother looking back as he pulls his phone from his pocket to call Katsuki for help. He's hardly pulled up his contact by the time that he runs into another person. He looks up and doesn't know how it could possibly get any worse. "Hello, Izu. What are you doing here all alone?" Shinobu asks with an evil grin. "I sure hope you haven't run into any trouble." Izuku gulps, his phone falling to the ground beneath him. "Let's go for a walk and check on your friends, why don't we? I'm sure they'll be worried."
Shinobu's hand wraps around Izuku's wrist and although Izuku puts forward his best efforts to break free of the grasp, he ends up being dragged all the way back to Ena's apartment by his ex-boyfriend. They walk back in to see the rest of the crowd surrounding Ena and Akasuki who have been bound and placed on the couch. Izuku shudders at the sight and feels tears well in his eyes. Shinobu drapes his arm over Izuku's shoulder and leans on him as he grins at Ena and Akasuki. "Ena, hasn't anyone ever told you that your spare key is poorly hidden? Not that it would have prevented this from happening, you just made it easier," he speaks.
Ena snarls, "I'd like to see your slimy ass do anything without having the groundwork laid for you first. I'd imagine that vermin like you can't tell that their shoes go on their feet without a personal assistant has to do it for you and tie them while they're at it."
"Such a smart mouth for someone who clearly has the disadvantage," Shinobu muses. "I never did like that about you. You see, I'm more than capable of doing things on my own, Ms. Miyamoto. But, there's something wonderful about having wealth and power that you simply wouldn't know about. I have people that are more than happy to do things I'm capable of doing on my own for the right price. See, that way I can get more done. Do you wish to know what I know?"
"Anything you happen to know isn't worth hearing about," Ena answers.
Shinobu laughs, "Interesting you say such things. I feel like you might know some of this too. The rest of it, I think would do you well to hear about, at least a little bit. Come now, why don't we start with the fact that you ran away from home, leaving a brother and your mother behind when you were both 9 years old? Tell me, how did you go about changing your last name so quickly? Were you that easily brought in by a new family or did you do what you and brother always spoke of, just taking on a new name and starting a new life?"
Ena's eyes gloss over. "How do you know about that?"
"It's no matter. Tell me, what about that quirk your mother gave you? What happened to that? As far as I know, you're either a damn good liar or you did what you always told her you would. Did you actually find those bullets and get to use one?" He pauses and waits for an answer that never comes. "Not to worry, we can move on. Have you ever told Izuku about your childhood?"
She shakes her head, "I'm not that person anymore. I'm not that person anymore. I haven't been for a very long time."
"It still haunts you though, doesn't it?" he smirks. "You know as well as I do that the past isn't something that you can so easily run from. You can hide it, you can pretend it isn't what it really is, you can do a lot of things in the past, but running is never an option. The past is what makes you who you are. So, you might not be that person anymore, but you were at one point and that's what matters. Izuku, tell me what you know about your little friend's past why don't you?"
Izuku's words escape him as fast as they arrive. He shakes his head. "She doesn't know her biological parents and she has an older twin brother."
"So you did tell him about me," Shinobu muses.
She shakes her head, "No, because my Shinobu was sweet and kind. My Shinobu would never do what you've done to a person. You don't even look the same."
Shinobu pouts, "You really don't recognize me? Oh, that's just a pity. I was so looking forward to our little family reunion. But, that's okay, because we'll have plenty of time to catch up once we get out of here. Who knows, I might even show you how your brother dearest has aged over the years. We can fill Izuku in on all the family drama along the way, what do you say?"
"You're out of your fucking mind if you think that Izuku or I am going with you anywhere . Katsuki will realize that something is off any minute now," she seethes.
He tilts his head, "Interesting. I thought Mr. Bakugo was at an important meeting. I also believe you came without so much as letting the poor bastard know. I will say that I look forward to having it out with our little hero, but the head start will be much appreciated. It gives me time to get you both settled and prepared, which brings me to my next point." He turns and faces Akasuki, crouching down to her level, "Hi, you've always been so quiet. That's a wonderful attribute you have there, but I'll need you to forget about that for the time being. Think you can do me favor? After we've gone, I'll need you to scream at the top of your lungs for help and when Mr. Bakugo finds you, you tell him about everything that happened here. Tell him he can find me in Tokyo when he's ready. Though, I fear for his sake that all the preparation in the world won't be enough to help him when he gets there."
Akasuki's voice quivers as she answers, "Just take all of us. Why leave me behind?"
"Well, that would be no fun. Then, Katsuki would have to do all the searching and wondering on his own. I need to be able to hear all about how he fell apart at the seams when I see you again." He begins to trail a finger along her cheek. "Besides, I really have no use for you. Now, if you'll excuse us, I believe we'll be taking our leave now."
Izuku tries to break free of his grasp once again causing the man to jerk him back into place as another pulls Ena to her feet. He leans down, his lips brushing against Izuku's earlobe causing his skin to crawl. "Izu it would be unwise to struggle. Everybody in this room is under direct orders to make sure you're both with me by the time we leave, conscious or not. Now, would you rather be awake for the ride or out cold?"
He swallows, "Awake."
"Very well. Come along now."
*
It's only natural that Katsuki would recognize Ena's address. It's also natural that he'd be concerned as no one should be there, to begin with. He runs in to find AKasuki crying as she receives medical care. He marches across the room and drops to his knees, looking for any sign of Ena and Izuku before turning his attention to the girl ahead of him. He can't say he's ever seen Akasuki cry, and the thought is quite strange considering the number of times he's seen Ena cry up to now. But, this isn't the time for that. He inhales deeply, trying to level his voice before he speaks. "Su, what happened?" he asks.
She looks up at him and her eyes well up all over again and sobs rack her body as she collapses forward. Katsuki catches her and supports her weight so that she can rest comfortably on the floor and against him. She sobs into his shoulder for a minute before speaking. "He tried. We all did. He even-- He told us we should have called you, but Ena and I thought it would be quick. We--"
"Akasuki, none of that matters, what happened?" he asks as fear grips his entire being. He doesn't like how apologetic she's being off the bat. The waterworks aren't a good sign either. Not to mention, there's still no sign of Izuku or Ena. "Where are they?"
"Sh-Shinobu took them," she cries. "He took them and told me that I needed to tell you that you could find them in Tokyo."
"Did he say where in Tokyo? He asks frantically. "Did he give a precise location?" Akasuki shakes her head. "Dammit," he whispers. "That's more time lost."
"I'm sorry, Katsu. I'm so sorry."
He shushes her for a moment before mustering the courage to say what needs to be said. "I wish you three would have told me, but you tried and that's what matters. What matters is that you didn't take it laying down. Don't apologize, not now. Right now, the best we can do is try to get them back. We have to get them back."
Katsuki knows this well. He also knows that he promised Izuku it wouldn't get to this point. Of all the circumstances and people he could choose to be mad with, he can't help but be utterly pissed with himself. Why didn't I listen to my gut this morning? Why didn't I stay at the apartment with them like I felt I needed to? Now, Izuku is gone and I can't do anything about it right now.
Stupid, making promises you can't keep.
He sighs, "I need to go make a call or two, okay? You stay here with the medics, and if they ask questions, don't answer anything. I'll be back in a couple of minutes, alright?"
She nods and Katsuki rises to his feet, stepping just outside of the apartment. He checks the area, ensuring that no one is outside with him before calling Eijiro. He picks up a couple of seconds later. "Hey, what happened?" he asks.
Katsuki leans against the wall and tries to steady his breathing. Everything that could have possibly gone wrong with this mission has officially happened, save for letting the bastard get away with all of it. That, he refuses to do. "Shinobu and his people ambushed them. He took Izuku and Ena. He left Akasuki behind to tell me about it, and I won't lie. This is giving me an uneasy feeling. I think we need to move things up. Forget about the end of the week. We need everybody assembled tomorrow, or I'll be doing this alone. I'm tired of waiting."
"Wait. Kats, let's not get rash here. You know that time is of the essence. Timing is everything during moments like this. You know it as well as I do. Maybe we should just--"
"Oh, cut the shit, Ei. If this were Shoto, you'd be all over it. At least we both know that he can hold his own. How many times do I have to let Shinobu hurt him before he loses trust in me? How many promises do I have to break? This should have never happened, and yet here we are. I should have been there. I could have protected them, I could have stopped him. But, I was at that stupid meeting hearing all about how we need to wait a little longer to assemble more heroes. I'm tired of waiting." He growls. "I'm tired of losing. I am leaving for Tokyo first thing tomorrow morning, with or without help."
Eijiro sighs and speaks again. "You aren't going alone. What can I do to help?"
"Do you think we can get Akasuki to your mom's place and she can stay there?"
"Of course."
"Great, next I'll need you to get everybody you can together and tell them to start looking around Tokyo for any sign of Izuku, Ena, or the bastard. I want answers first thing in the morning. I want us to get to Tokyo and take that bastard by storm," he seethes. "I'll have them back before the end of the day tomorrow and he'll be behind bars if it's the last thing that I see to."
"Hopefully, it won't come to that."
"It won't because I'm not breaking any more promises." He hangs up the phone and walks back into the apartment to gather Akasuki. He explains everything on the car ride to Eijiro's mother's house. He drops her off, ensuring that she'll be comfortable and safe before making his way back home to prepare for the day ahead. He'll need a little sleep, he's sure, but it's not likely to happen when all he can think about is getting Izuku and making sure that Shinobu pays for all that he's done.