Hey Hey!!! I'm a fucking week early! I just started the new updating schedule and I've already diverged from it!! Oowee! I'm a mess. Anyways! I really kinda like this chapter and I apologize but it's just a little bit shorter than my regular chapters, sitting at 3,021 words. Sorry about that, but I think it's perfect as is! I really hope you guy's like it and I can't wait for your reactions to the ending! Thanks for reading!
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Tsukauchi propped his elbows upon his desk, holding up his head as he scowled at the bright screen of his fossil of a computer. He searched through his files, looking at all of Endeavor's past crimes and slip-ups the Midoriya boy had compiled. There were a lot, honestly. More than he thought there would be. He meant, yeah, while Endeavor was a little more violent than your average pro and tended to cause more structural damage than what was probably necessary, he was still the 2nd best hero in Japan. Surely it couldn't be that bad. Or, at least that's how he felt before he actually began digging. Reports ranged from minor burns to civilians who had the misfortune of being too close to the battle to full-blown accounts of civilian deaths caused by the hero in events that casualties could've been completely avoided. God, he knew the man was reckless, and even cruel, according to Shouta's kid, but this was just ridiculous.
By 4 a.m. the next day, he had over 400 reported casualties on his hands, but one stood out. It was a long-forgotten official accidentally burned to death in a villain battle. That would be the one they would focus on in court. It'd be the one that the government would care most about.
Most injuries from villain attacks went unreported, especially if the hero was the cause of the injury, either because the victim was too afraid to come out about their grievances or because they thought no one would take them seriously or some other reason. If he had this many reported victims, he couldn't even imagine how many unreported cases were still out there.
But hey, at least they had something to bring the man in for now. Hopefully, the news of his arrest would bring more victims out of hiding, especially with the official's face painted all over the case. That'd definitely help sway the court and convince them that a person like Todoroki Enji didn't deserve a place in their society.
Thoughts of court dates had to wait though. First, they needed to get the man in custody.
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Shouto was in class when it happened. They were working on a tedious algebra assignment when he was called to the office over the loudspeaker, much to his confusion. He hadn't recalled his father saying anything about pulling him out early for an extra training lesson, as he occasionally did after a particularly overexaggerated battle, and he hadn't received any messages from his siblings or the staff telling him that they were going to pick him up. With all this lined up, he suspected that whatever it was probably didn't concern his family. Oh how spectacularly wrong he was.
It was his sister. In all honesty, he hadn't had a real conversation with Fuyumi in years. There was something ironic about the situation, that the person who had caused Shouto to cease his conversation with Fuyumi was the reason they were speaking once again.
Fuyumi explained the situation in full when they got to her car, tears building up in her eyes as she spoke worriedly. Shouto didn't understand how she could still care about him after everything he put them through. She explained that he was arrested on over 10 charges of reckless endangerment from past battles, though why these cases were brought to light wasn't explained to her. She had called Natsuo, who was currently attending some out of country dormitory their father had all but thrown him into after he started getting in trouble at his past high school, and told him about it the situation before calling his school. They had come to the agreement that he would be flown him on the school's expense by the end of the week, to which Fuyumi seemed fairly pleased about.
She seemed to be handling the whole situation well, better than what Shouto thought she would. It went unspoken, but honestly, they were terrified. What would happen to them if Enji was placed in jail? Would they lose their estate? Would Fuyumi be able to take custody of her younger siblings? Would they be questioned? What would happen if he wasn't put in jail? Would he suspect them of contacting the police on him? Would he stop with training and ignore them altogether, or would it only get worse? All the unsaid questions festered up and consumed the car, conquering it in silence. It was like this the whole ride home.
Fuyumi explained the situation in full, including their apparent living situation while their father was in custody. They would be staying in the estate and Fuyumi would have temporary custody of both him and Natsuo, which wasn't too big of a change than usual. Also, the police had yet to disclose the reason behind his arrest. Everyone except Enji, the lawyers, the police, and the government knew why he was behind bars.
The police would be allowed to hold him in custody for up to 28 days, according to their father's lawyer. After he was released, a court date will be scheduled and his father's fate will be decided. A dark place in his mind pleaded to whatever god that would listen to give the man what he deserved. To send him to prison and be done with it, to let him rot in prison for all he's done.
Of course, it was unlikely this would be the case. He was the 2nd greatest hero in Japan so it was unlikely the court would want to put him away. It sucked.
He climbed up to his room the second he and Fuyumi finished their conversation, his thoughts only of a song he had been playing a lot as of late. His fingers tapped the handrail of the stairs as he sullenly walked up them. He ended up playing well into the night, falling asleep on the keys of the little acoustic piano tucked away in the corner of his room.
Fuyumi listened from her room, tears falling from her cheeks as she scoured the internet for information about adopting family members. She didn't want to be separated from her siblings if things didn't go the way Enji would want it to. Distantly, as the night grew dim, she thought of Touya. How would he react when he learned of their father's arrest? Would he return to them if he went to prison? It was unlikely, but the hope was there. Oh, how she could hope.
Unlike Shouto, she did not sleep that night.
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The arrest didn't go as smoothly as Tsukauchi would've liked. He knew the hero wouldn't be compliant, but he was this close to adding assault of a police officer to his charges by the end of it. The man apparently didn't understand the concept of restraint, which honestly they should've already known, seeing as he was being arrested on charges of reckless endangerment and at least 30 counts of involuntary manslaughter. Still, he was a pro hero, he should've known better than to attack the police.
Tsukauchi thought back to the end of the ordeal with a grin on his face and a childish giggle escaping his lips. He would never get over the look on the number 2 hero's face when they turned the hose on him. It would go down as by far one of the most exciting days of his life.
Aizawa and Hizashi's son was simply ecstatic when the family of three arrived at the station. He was practically bouncing as they walked into the building a big smile on his face as he learned the news of his arrest. Tsukauchi couldn't blame him, it wasn't every day a kid like him could assist in the arrest of someone, a pro-hero nonetheless!
The arrest was still under wraps, despite the incredible battle that had taken place in Enji's arrest. The hero's PR group was doing a great job of monitoring the media. Really, the team's ability to flag new reports and get them offline within mere seconds of it going up was impressive. They probably had a decent amount of experience, though, considering the hero's aptitude of befouling things. Still, it was a noteworthy skill.
Honestly, Tsukauchi was ready to go home and sleep. He'd had enough excitement for one day.
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Scritch. Scritch. Scritch.
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
Shigaraki had gone to go see him again. He could barely keep himself from watching the boy nowadays. He was growing so fast! He got so giddy at the thought of his little bird that it almost sent him into a fit of laughter. He wanted to run around his room and scream at the top of his lungs when he thought of the boy. Of his fluffy green hair that he wanted to run his hands through, or of his sweet puffy cheeks and pouty lips, or of the freckles pecking his cheeks. Tomura had to watch him. He had to. Everything about him captivated him.
He had just arrived back at home when Kurogiri confronted him. The man had become more distant recently, becoming less like a family member and more and more like a stranger. Shigaraki grew to care less about the mist man's opinion and he no longer allowed his opinions to influence his choices.
He was upset that he was still observing Izuku, much to Shigaraki's annoyance. Who was he to disagree with him? He was the leader. Not Kurogiri. He was. He shoved past the man, spitting out a deadly threat that held more venom than a snake. He glared at the man, hoping that he would get the message. He truly wanted to kill the man. His hands itched.
Kurogiri didn't open his mouth again, and he stalked upstairs in a silent victory. He shut the door to his dilapidated room and fell into his bed, keeping his hands above his head as he did. He eventually fell into the silent serenity of sleep, his dreams filled with memories of his little bird.
An earth-shattering 'smack' echoed through the room, the shock of Sensei smacking him covering up the pain of the actual hit. The hit had enough force behind it to send him to the ground. Sensei had hit him before, but not without warning. Not like this. Sensei was enraged.
He looked up to his idol, who stood above him and glowered. The man spat on him, as though he were nothing but garbage. Tomura hung his head.
"You deserve this," a familiar whisper echoed in his ears. "You deserve this."
Sensei's voice was cold and contained as he spoke. It was a tone Shigaraki couldn't bear to be pointed towards him. He was sorry, he was so, so sorry. He shouldn't have let the boy go.
"I expected more from you, Tomura. To think you've grown jealous of a rat." he shook his head and tsked. A hand landed on Shigaraki's hung head. He knew better than to flinch. "Pathetic."
The freezing cold hit before the pain. A scream encompassed the room and his throat began to ache. "Huh," he thought. "It's my scream."
It wasn't a familiar feeling, but having his quirk ripped out of him was not a feeling he would ever grow used to. After a never-ending period of agony, the pain dissipated and his scream died down, leaving him shaking and gasping. Sensei lifted his head, inspected his face, which was covered in snot, tears and drool, and smiled a satisfied grin. He lifted Tomura's limp arm and placed a vial into his hand.
"Go get the boy. We can't afford to have his body found if he does manage to kill himself. If for some reason you are unable to retrieve the boy, inject him with this beaut." He gestured to the vial. He tapped his chin twice in thought. "You know what, even if you find him dead, inject him with it anyways. Better safe than sorry." Shigaraki nodded numbly, his body still quaking. His chest felt empty, cold. Like he was missing something.
"Look up at me when I speak, boy." Sensei spat. Tomura's head shot up and he nodded. The man stared at him in the unsettling way he did for a moment, before making a gesture with his hand that said: "leave." Tomura didn't have to be told twice.
He spent the entire night searching for the boy, his body still quaking. He felt feverish like he was going to pass out at any second. He didn't though. Eventually, he did find the boy.
Imagine his surprise to find him not throwing himself from a building, but instead talking to a homeless guy. A shady looking homeless guy, nonetheless. He listened in on their conversation, hiding behind a garbage can. He planned on waiting until the homeless guy went away, but it soon became apparent that the man wasn't going anywhere and Shigaraki decided to instead just kill the man and take the kid back home.
It amused him when the boy jumped into a fighting stance when he spoke. It even warmed his chest a little to see him use a stance Kurogiri had taught him. These warm feelings soon dissipated when the gross old man began talking to him, only to be replaced by amusement. So he was a perv! Or so he thought until the man proceeded to slam his fist into his face.
It caught him by surprise, but the shock didn't last long. He felt the weight on his back first before the pain, but as soon as it hit he fell to his knees. The little bird struck his face over and over again with such ferocity it shocked him. He felt his consciousness slip, and he fell into darkness. It was only for a second, but the second was pure bliss. When he awoke, he decided it was time to go. It was clear he wasn't going to be able to win this, not in his current state. He opted to inject the boy and get the hell out of there, which worked well enough.
He arrived home within a few hours after the battle, barely conscious. He could barely breathe, his breathing was shallow and his vision was blurry. He prayed that Sensei would understand. He was gasping for air like a fish out of water when he opened up the door to the bar, his body going into a kind of withdrawal from the removal of his quirk. Kurogiri rushed to his side and grabbed his shoulders not unkindly, helping him up the stairs to his room. He tried to argue, saying he needed to go speak to Sensei, that he needed to be punished, but Kurogiri refused.
"You can be punished later. If you go now I have no doubt you won't survive. I'll speak to him." Tomura still fought against him but relented when they reached his room. Not because he wanted to, but because his body simply wouldn't allow him to stand. He was too weak.
The punishment did come later, a simple beating, but it came along with the return of his quirk. Sensei lectured him as he through each punch, kick, and hit, telling him how he had failed him, how he had failed Kurogiri, how he had failed himself, and how he had failed Izuku. Izuku was now going to be trapped with the heroes and police, and the quirk he had injected him with he would be in constant misery thanks to him.
Somewhere in his brain, a voice told Shigaraki that, no, it wasn't his fault that Izuku would be in pain. Sensei had told him to inject the boy, and he was just following orders. He repeated it like a mantra over and over until the voice grew dim and silent, and he couldn't help but agree with Sensei. It was all his fault. He failed them. He failed them. He failed them. He was awful. He deserved to die. He wished Sensei would just kill him.
Eventually, Sensei stopped. He lifted the boy's head again and smiled sympathetically.
"But it's not all your fault, is it?" He paused waiting for a response. Tomura tentatively shook his head, praying that it was the right answer. He sighed in relief when Sensei's grin widened and patted his head.
"No, it's not all your fault. It's the hero's fault too. They took your little bird, right?" he nodded again, but he wasn't sure that's what happened. But, if Sensei said that's what happened then that's definitely what happened, right? Sensei kneeled down and placed his mouth next to Shigaraki's ear.
"Make. Them. Pay." He dropped his hands from the boy and stood, calling for Kurogiri to take him away. Shigaraki nodded feverishly at Sensei as he retreated away, all the way until he was sucked into the purple-black portal Kurogiri sent for him.
He fell into the portal, still nodding. He would get his little bird back. He would make them pay.