The Fire In Our Hearts

Chapter 17

Every single time I think something is over, it's not. A perfect example of this would be how I am now sitting in a chair, sandwiched between two pro heroes, shirtless, in a police station right after finally being free of Ryusei.

"...And he just... rode away?"

I didn't know who this guy was, but I assumed he had some sort of authority considering a small plaque that read "Chief Tsuragamae" sat at the edge of his desk.

He also had a dog head.

"Yes." Midnight nodded.

Tsuragamae sighed.

"As of right now we can't really do anything. Neither of you caught the license plate and this guy isn't a citizen of Musutafu so we don't have any useful information on him." He said.

My heart dropped.

"However..." He continued. "We do have a handful of witnesses which we gathered from the scene, and a few of them were claiming they know you." He said, gesturing towards the door which promptly opened.

In walked none other than Ashido, Kirishima, Bakugou, Kabane, a girl with blue skin and a blindfolded girl.

These were definitely people I knew.

Ashido's face was painted with worry and a hint of confusion, Kirishima was mirroring Mina's expression, Bakugou looked pissed as usual, Kabane held a neutral expression, the blue girl looked like she was about to cry, and I couldn't read the blindfolded girl's expression.

I felt my face heat up in utter embarrassment.

I looked over at Aizawa, who's stern expression was unchanged, then looked back at my hands clenched together in my lap.

"State your names please." Tsuragamae stared straight into their souls.

"Mina Ashido." Ashido said as she fiddled with one of her rings.

"Taizaa Kabane." Kabane said in a shaky voice.

"Yui Tsubuki." Tsubuki avoided eye contact as she spoke.

"Eijiro Kirishima." Kirishima's eyebrows creased from the worried position they sat in.

"Ako Yumataki." She said blankly.

"Katsuki Bakugou." Bitch boy's expression was unchanged. "How long are you gonna keep us here?" He asked, rolling his eyes.

"We only need your statements, so not much longer." Tsuragamae responded.

Bitch boy huffed and looked away.

"As for you..." Tsuragamae turned to me. "Since you supposedly lived with the... illegal citizen, we will have to relocate you."

"What!?" I exclaimed in a worried tone. "I have nowhere to go! And the foster care system is an absolute nightmare!"

"I'm fully aware. However, we can't just let you go, considering, as a minor, you can't legally take any action." Tsuragamae stared at me.

I almost started crying.

"She can stay with me."

I looked over in surprise as Kabane raised her hand.

"That is, if that's possible..." She looked away as she brought her hand back down to her side.

Tsuragamae raised an eyebrow.

"It's possible... However, aren't you a student as well." He questioned.

"Well, technically yes, however, in this country, I am a legal adult." She replied.

"You're a legal adult?" Aizawa asked in a judgemental tone.

"Yes, that is correct." She said, nonchalantly.

"If that's the case, then, yes, she can live with you." Tsuragamae stood up. "You will need to fill out a bit of paperwork though." He said.

"That's fine. I just want to help." She smiled.

I could feel the tears well up in my eyes as she spoke, though I suppressed them because the last thing I wanted to do was cry in front of my friends, let alone my teacher.

Tsuragamae led Kabane out of the room and as the door clicked shut, I stood up and got basically tackled by Mina.

"I'm so so sorry Hinaki! I didn't... if I'd have known you were... I just..." Ashido stammered, glued to me in a tight hug.

I sighed.

"It's not your fault." I said as she looked up at me. "It's mine. I got myself into this." I looked away and back into her eyes as she started crying.

"What do you mean you got yourself into this?" Kirishima asked, stepping closer with a single step.

"I don't... want to get into it right now." I said, tears finally spilling down my face.

Everything seemed to stand still for a moment, no one daring to move even an inch. Before anyone else could do anything, The door opened and Kabane and Tsuragamae walked in.
Taizaa walked back over to Tsubuki's side and Tsuragamae made his way to the desk.

"You're free to go." He said and I immediately wiped my tears and gently pulled Ashido off of me. "However, the rest of you need to stay for longer. We still need your statements." He looked at the other people in the room.

Without another thought I stood up and walked out the door, not bothering to look at the faces of my peers out of embarrassment and shame.

Before I got too far down the hall outside Tsuragamae's office, though, a hand gripped my shoulder.

"I would like to apologize for my impulsive behavior back there. It was cruel of me to even assume you'd want to live with me, of all people." Kabane spoke softly and her grip on shoulder softened with it.

"Thank you." I said, turning around, scowling while trying to hold in my tears but failing miserably.

She looked at me like I was a lost puppy and pulled me into a hug though I didn't return it.
"I'll give you a little bit of time, in case you need it." She said, letting go of me and walking back into Tsuragamae's office.

I sat on one of the many benches lining the hallway back towards the lobby and took deep shaky breaths, tears pouring uncontrollably down my face.

"Good job mortal. You only have two more obstacles. Good luck."

This was the first time I'd felt the voice and the only reason I did was because my necklace had heated up against my bare collarbone.

That's when it hit me.

I took off my necklace and stared at the purple tinted mirror shard in my palm.

Wherever this gateway led was where the voice was coming from. But where did it lead?

I didn't have a clue, but I knew one thing was for sure. The voice, or whatever it was, was partially wrong.

There just so happened to be people I could trust.