Secrets Skin Deep

I lost the Game

"Alright team listen up. We have new possible evidence in the nakayara case. They've been using their daughter's quirk to hide their drugs, hence why we've never been able to find any evidence. I've gotten a new warrant, and we're going to be doing a raid in an hour. They shouldn't be expecting us to come back so soon so I hope they'll fumble hiding anything this time. If nothing is found, we have permission to check the daughter. We have the honor of having the Hero, Eraserhead join us in this bust today. Everyone pack up and get ready. We leave in 60."

The chief of police sighs after his speech, watching as his fellow police officers leave to start getting ready. He hopes this will work this time. It's been too long with the Nakayara couple getting away unscathed. It was time for them to pay the price. He just hoped nothing would go wrong, especially with a small child being there.

An hour later, six police cruisers were driving downtown, headed to the Nakayara apartment. They don't bother trying to be quiet, as the couple always knew they were coming for some reason. So they run up the stairs in pairs, with eleven officers and one hero waiting outside the doorway.

The police chief walks up to the door, before banging his hand on the thin wood. "Police, open up!" They wait a minute, hearing the inhabitants scrambling around before the door pops open. Ren Nakayara stands in front of them, his hair a mass as usual, and stained t-shirt and boxers hanging off his frame.

"Officers, back so soon? Thought you would have given up at this time. Please, come in and search for whatever it is you are searching for." The cocky smile on his face set off the dark-haired hero standing just behind the chief of police. Ren walks past the police, with his wife Aya holding onto their daughter.

Aya looked worse for wear, her black hair thinning greatly, with a wild look in her black eyes. The small five-year-old looked tired, her hands rubbing her eyes and hair still a knotted mess. She was in nothing more than a stained t-shirt again, that kept falling off one shoulder. Aya nervously keeps trying to keep the shirt up, which doesn't go unnoticed by the hero, who decides to stay out with the family and three other officers.

"Why so much power today? This is double what came by yesterday. Seems a bit overkill if you ask me." Ren nervously mumbles, looking around at everyone before returning to look at the floor. No one said anything, just kept staring at the small family. This didn't help the nervous parents, if anything it made them worse.

After about twenty minutes, the police officers start to exit the small apartment. "Nothing sir, just like yesterday." One police officer reports, nodding his head to the chief.

"See, I keep telling you you're wasting your time and ours. Now, can we go back inside, please? To keep having you harass us is getting tiring." Ren says, waving his hand back to the door, waiting for his wife to walk in front of him. Only to have their path blocked but the hero.

Eraserhead stops in front of Aya, looking at Reika. "Not yet. We have permission to check your persons as well." The chief walks up to Ren before beginning to pat him down. A female officer comes up to Aya, intending to do the same. "How am I supposed to hold my child and get patted down at the same time?" Aya asks almost hysterical. This just continues to set off red alarms in the police's head.

"Here, I'll hold your child," Eraserhead says, opening his arms towards the woman and child. Aya just holds onto her daughter before almost dropping her as she begins squirming. "Mr. Sketchy!" The child jumps into the arms of the hero, causing a sweat drop to appear on his forehead.

"Mr. Sketchy?" The chief asks humor in his voice. "Yeah, he was just standing out in the street by the playground yesterday. I didn't get his name so that's what I've called him in my head." Reika announces, wrapping her legs around Eraserhead's waist the best she can. He instinctively holds his arms around her back, holding her to him. The police give him humorous looks before continuing to search the parents.

"Nothing on them either sir." The female police officer announces. The couple lets out a sigh of relief, barely heard by the police. "Just one more then. The female officer says, turning towards Reika.

"Is it really necessary to search her? She's just a child!" Aya shouts, reaching for her daughter. Eraserhead easily avoids her grabbing hands, walking back a few steps so the female officer can search the child safely. The other officers hold back the parents. Eraserhead gently puts the child down but remains standing behind her.

"Alright sweetheart, I'm going to search you alright? Can you put your arms out on either side of you? Good just like that." The female officer begins searching the child over her clothes, not finding anything. When she sends a questioning look to the chief he gives her a nod. She turns back to the child before giving her a small smile.

"I'm going to have to lift your shirt just to check your legs alright? I thought I felt something. Is that okay sweetie?" The child immediately looks at her parents, a scared look on her face. she reaches down and grabs her shirt with a tight grip. When she turns back to the officer she shakes her head slightly before whispering, "I can't, then I won't win the game."

"It's okay sweetie, I promise you'll still win the game, it's just my job to look okay?" After a few seconds, Reika nodded, letting go of the shirt she had clenched in her hands. The officer reaches down and slowly pulls the shirt up, just enough to show the top of her thighs. There, tattooed on her skin was a baggie with powder inside, and a lighter.

"What's this? Tattooing a child is illegal." The female officer says outlaid, ignoring the desperate screams from the parents behind her. "It's not a tattoo, they're toys I hide with my quirk. See?" Reika says, reaching down and grabbing the baggie of her skin. She holds it out to the police officer, who takes it with a gloved hand.

"Thank you, sweetie, is there any more toys you have hidden?" Reika nods, before lifting her shirt more, showing off all the tattooed illegal substances. "No, you stupid child! What the hell are you doing? You lost the game, you weren't supposed to show anyone!" Aya screams, breaking away from the officers holding her and racing towards Reika. Reika immediately backs up, bumping into Eraserhead behind her, a scared look on her face.

Eraserhead picks Reika up, before holding her on his waist, turning her away from her mother. "I think that's enough evidence to charge them for now. We'll take everyone down to the station and have the rest of the items retrieved and tested." The chief states, as a couple of officers grab Aya and Ren, placing their hands behind their backs and handcuffing them.

"Aya and Ren Nakayara, you're under arrest for possession of illegal substances, and child neglect. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say..." their voices carry off as they escort the couple down the stairs and towards the cop cars waiting down below.

Eraserhead comforts the crying child in his arms, albeit very awkwardly. He wasn't known to be the comforting type after all. "We'll have you hold her on our way to the station, it'll be easier to get everything there and not risk contaminating anything." The chief tells Eraserhead, patting him on the shoulder, waiting for him to walk first.

"That's fine, I don't think she'd let go of me anyway. I'm just glad we finally managed to catch them." Eraserhead drops his gaze down to the crying child before looking straight ahead once more. His arms tightened around her only slightly, making sure she was secured before walking down the stairs and settling into a cop car.

"Everything's alright now Reika, you're safe." Reika was silent for most of the drive, before burying her face into the hero's shoulder. "But I lost the game."

Word Count: 1413