All the Light That Can't Be Seen: A My Hero Academia Fanfiction

Chapter Four

Chapter Four.

EVERYTHING feels like it's happening in a fog. Todoroki puts his hand on his shoulder and tries to lead him out of the room, and when that doesn't work, he pushes against his shoulder blades firmly and forces him to turn around and walk away. Silently, Izuku allows himself to be manhandled out of his home and into the courtyard, where he sits and waits.

His mind, for once, is quiet and his eyes are dry, but his hands are trembling. It feels like the world he knew was yanked out from his feet and pulled a one-eighty, and now he lives in this unknown, unfamiliar, dark abyss. The ground is hard and cold underneath his feet. His heart bleeds.

He doesn't understand. He doesn't think. He doesn't want to understand or think. Everything feels wrong, like it's a lie or a bad dream he's going to wake up from any moment now, except he's not waking up when he should.

He hears the wail of police sirens in the distance and he sees cops flood the yard and run up the stairs, but he doesn't understand. Todoroki's tone is icy and his teeth are barred at anyone who tries to interrogate Izuku, but Detective Naomasa, Toshinori-san's friend in the police force, levels Todoroki with a look that quells him. He sits down next to Izuku and regards him with sad, haunted eyes, but he doesn't understand either.

"I'm sorry this happened. Nothing excuses how narrow-sighted we were, to not assume this was a possibility and assign undercover cops to her house or place her into protective custody. I assure you, we will discover who did this and bring them into custody." He kneels in front of Izuku and bows, to show his sincerity, in the same way Toshinori-san had bowed to demonstrate how sincere he was about teaching Izuku to become a better hero, but Izuku doesn't understand.

"Does my friend have to stay here and answer your questions? I was with him, so I can answer them, too."

"No, it's fine. I can answer his questions." Izuku doesn't even recognize his own voice.

He doesn't understand.

"You don't have to."

"Todoroki," he says firmly, "it's fine."

It's not fine, and he wants Todoroki to hear what he's not saying, but Todoroki nods hesitantly. The detective hesitates for a split second, before a mask of professionalism slams across his face and he pulls out a notebook and pen. He asks questions Izuku expected to hear—when was the last time he saw her, under what circumstances, did she have any enemies who disliked her enough to kill her, has she seemed stressed lately. Izuku answers as best as he can and tells him about the League of Villains and how they're always targeting him, and the detective jots everything down.

He still doesn't understand. It's not quite clicking in his head. Everything seems to be passing him by in a blur and a haze of pastel colors that are slowly starting to bleed color, instead of bright and bold colors.

Eventually, Todoroki steps in and answers questions when Izuku's throat stops working and won't let him speak. He sits still, keeping his back rigid straight and his hands folded primly in his lap, the way he always used to sit when he was called to the principle's or councilor's office in middle school. They're manners his mother drilled into him as a child, when he was declared quirkless and helpless. If he doesn't show any weakness, they wouldn't be able to pick him apart.

"Detective," he interrupts when they're quiet, and his voice is calm and level despite the way he wants to scream and rage. "May I ask what's going to happen to me?"

"Under normal circumstances, most children suddenly found orphaned would become wards of the state." Todoroki tenses, and Izuku puts his hand on his knee even though his heart is hammering like a jackrabbit under his chest. Ward of the state, orphaned, normal circumstances. This can't be happening to him. "However, as a student at Yuuei, your homeroom teacher will assume guardianship unless your mother specified otherwise in her will."