STRINGS // KATSUKI BAKUGO [2]

Chapter 29 // Discovery

Tokyo was much busier than Musutafu, and that was saying a lot considering it was bustling back home every day. However, despite the change, you adjusted well just like you had done when moving to America.

As you continued your search for your mother and Bakugo, you did daily exercises to keep your mind functioning.

For example, you'd write a variety of words on a piece of paper, flip it over, and set a timer for five minutes. At the conclusion of the time frame, you'd try to rattle off the words without looking at the paper.

You'd also scroll through your gallery every day to keep your companions' appearances fresh in your mind. However, you were burdened with occasional moments in which you didn't recognize some people nor could you put a name to their faces.

Still, the mind games seemed to help. You only had temporary fits of confusion and forgetfulness such as accidentally putting your phone in the fridge. You overcame them. It was saddening, the situation, but you pushed through it.

It was during an early morning of investigating when the burner phone you had purchased began vibrating against the surface of the living room coffee table, interrupting the silence.

You knew it was Aizawa. He was the only one who knew where you were. He was the only one who called you. He was the one who suggested you get a burner phone in the first place.

"Hey, Aizawa," you said upon answering the call, making sure to include his name in the greeting, so he knew you remembered him.

"Hey," he replied with a relieved sigh, "how's Tokyo?"

"As busy as ever," you answered with a small shake of your head despite the fact that he couldn't see the gesture. "How's home?"

"As chaotic as ever," Aizawa stated with tried sigh. "The class has been training non-stop in preparation to face the Paranormal Liberation Front, which I'm sure you've heard has designated Shigaraki as its new leader."

"It's come across my desk," you hummed. "I've also narrowed down their location further with the help of some sightings, stalking, and sewage surveillance. I'm not gonna storm the place until I'm sure of where it is though."

"Well, you better get sure soon," he responded, "because this war isn't going to wait."

While you proceeded with your work and Aizawa continued with his own investigating, the two of you created a plan.

The heroes would face the Paranormal Liberation Front, trigger the war, and, once the League of Villains was away from their hideout, you'd infiltrate the place and rescue your mother and Bakugo.

Aizawa has done a good job of holding the event off while you continued searching, but he was right. The war wasn't going to wait any longer.

"I'm gonna add to the map the new information I've found. I'm putting you on speaker," you said as you stood, shifting the call to speaker phone before setting it on the table littered with your findings. "There's gotta be something new, another lead."

"We've already discovered there's multiple locations," Aizawa explained, referring to the Paranormal Liberation Front, "but they've got to have a headquarters somewhere, and I guarantee that's where your mother and Bakugo are being held."

You began plotting new points, which indicated sightings of the Legaue of Villains and or appearances of members belonging to the Paranormal Liberation Front.

After drawing the final dot, you stepped back to observe the map, and, upon narrowing your eyes, you realized all of the points trailed back to and circled around the same place.

"The Gunga Mountain Villa," you exhaled, stunned that you had actually managed to pinpoint a specific location rather than general whereabouts. "All of these appearances, all of these sightings, they're all surrounding these mountains. They all trail back to it."

"You're sure?" Aizawa questioned, voice strained as if he was finding it difficult to believe you had actually discovered something.

"I know I'm practically a walking corpse at this point," you joked, yet your voice remained stoic, "but I've never been more sure. This process has taken time, and it's been gruelingly slow, but it's paid off. There's no way this isn't their headquarters."

Aizawa remained silent, surely processing the information on his end of the call, and you took the spare time to look over your map again just to make sure you hadn't misinterpreted anything.

You hadn't.

"Okay," he eventually said, "okay, is there anything else the map shows?"

You observed the map closer, eventually noticing another pattern.

"Yeah, the points may all lead back to those mountains, but there's also clutters of them around the city," you informed the man. "These could be the spots of the multiple other locations."

"Good," Aizawa exhaled. "That's good. [L/N], you've done good."

You managed a smile. It was tired and weak, but you still felt it spread across your face.

"Alright, rattle 'em off."

You read off each location to Aizawa, giving him time in between each one to write them down.

"Okay..." he muttered, and you could hear the writing utensil in his hand scribble something additional onto his notepad. "We'll set up teams to storm each location. This will lure most of the villains out, but I doubt they'll leave their headquarters empty. We'll have team, let's see..." he paused, thinking, "...maybe Edge Shot's team, head to the headquarters and lure as many members as they can out. This should buy you some time to sneak in and locate your mother and Bakugo."

"You're staring to talk like Deku and think like me," you chuckled, earning an amused scoff from Aizawa.

"You problem children have taken a toll on me," he began. "I'll discuss this information with everyone and confirm the plan with you later. I doubt you'll stop working in case there's something else to find."

"There's always something else to find," you replied. "Talk to you later?"

"Later," he promised. "Goodbye, [L/N]."

"See ya, Aizawa," you said before ending the call. You always did. He never ended a call first.

You averted your attention back to the map, the map you had spent weeks making, the map that would help you take down Shigaraki, the map that would lead you to your mother, to Bakugo, and you smiled.

Your peace was near. You just had to grab ahold of it and never let go.

[EDITED]