Gone With the Tide ((MIDORIYA IZUKU X OC))

6

"There they are!"

Deku landed within the courtyard of 1-A's dorms moments later, Rin held up securely in his arms as the soles of his shoes skidded against the cement. All of his classmates — including Aizawa — were currently outside; Deku guessing that they had been looking for them once their teacher realized Rin was missing.

The look on Aizawa's face was a cross between frantic worry and infuriation, leaving Deku to shoulder in on himself after setting Rin down. She, too, — who usually didn't appear to be taken aback by anything — went rigid once she caught Aizawa's look, and cowered behind Deku as he angrily stomped toward them.

"Where the hell did you two go?" Aizawa barked, grabbing Rin by the arm and pulling her — albeit gently — away from her classmate. The others dawned on in curiosity, surprised to see their instructor in such a frenzied state. "I can understand Rin wandering off, but you? What were you thinking?"

"Sh-she was in trouble," Deku justified, dragging his eyes up to meet Aizawa's. "She was overwrought and picking at her skin — i-it was flaking off, and she said she needed sea water. I didn't know what else to do, I —"

Aizawa's expression, as well as his tense shoulders, softened upon hearing Deku's explanation, and he slowly let out a loose breath. Rin, who had been gripping the wrist attached to the hand clinging to her arm, was finally released from his hold.

"We don't know much about Rin yet," he said, voice calmer this time. "If this happens again, come get me."

Deku only offered an apologetic look in return, and turned in Rin's direction as Aizawa took a look at her torn up arms. The blood that once poked through the slits in her skin was washed away by the ocean, leaving behind pink splices in her forearms and upper-thighs. Aizawa shook his head at the sight, and sent Rin an irritated look as he turned her around toward the dorm entrance.

"Alright," their teacher said as he motioned for the others to follow. "Back inside. It's passed curfew."

Deku trailed along behind everyone else, and kept his eyes trained on Rin's back until she disappeared up the stairs.

Aizawa led her straight back to her room, and upon entering, Rin saw that Aizawa had thrown the clothes he brought for her on the bed and set a tray of sushi on the desk. She felt a strange sensation swirl in her gut at the sight, and looked up at him as he entered her room behind her.

"When I say 'stay,'" he began, sitting her down in the desk chair before opening one of her desk drawers. He pulled out a first aid kit. "I mean it, Rin. If you need to go somewhere, then you tell me. If something's wrong, you tell me. Understand?"

"I-I..." she trailed off, brow scrunching as Aizawa knelt down in front of her, bringing a medicine-covered cotton ball to the cuts on her arms. "I'm.. sorry."

Aizawa looked her in the eye at that, and sighed in defeat.

"It's alright," he replied. "You don't know any better yet."

Rin chewed on her lip, suppressing a flinch as Aizawa cleaned her injuries. The feeling in her gut continued to churn at her insides uncomfortably, and Rin chewed on her bottom lip to prevent it from wavering. She kept her eyes sealed to the top of Aizawa's head, and didn't resist him as he began to wrap her arms in bandages.

She squeezed her eyes shut and ducked her head, and the action elicited Aizawa to stop what he was doing to look at her.

"Rin," he said softly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "What's the matter? Does it hurt?"

He gestured to her injuries, but Rin neglected to acknowledge him as she fought away the tears that wanted to fall down her cheeks.

"Rin, look at me," Aizawa pressed gently, shaking her lightly. "Talk to me, kid. What's wrong?"

Following his simple request, Rin slowly rose her head. Aizawa was taken aback by her glassy eyes, and a rush of guilt flooded his system.

"Why're you crying, kiddo?" He asked another question and brushed a fallen tear off of her cheek.

When she didn't respond, Aizawa sighed for the thousandth time and set aside the first aid kit. He finished applying the last bandage on her wrist before taking her hands, and scrunched his brow as more tears fell.

"Did I upset you?" He asked. "Did I scare you?"

"I..." she muttered, searching for something to say that would make sense to him.

"I'm sorry, Rin," he said, understanding completely by the look on her face. He had frightened her. "You just can't go wandering off by yourself. You're not used to this place yet. It... you scared me too. Understand?"

"Scared you?" Rin tilted her head, confused.

"Yeah," he nodded. "You're a kid and the world on land isn't a nice place. I thought something might have happened to you."

Rin's brow furrowed at that and she looked down again, her hues locked onto the hands that held onto hers comfortingly; apologetically.

"How about this," Aizawa proposed, eliciting her to meet his gaze again. "If you don't run off again, then I won't scare you again. How about that? No running, no scaring. Understand?"

"No running," she nodded gently. "No scaring."

Aizawa smiled at her. "Good. Now why don't you eat your food and get some sleep?"

He gestured to the sushi tray on the desk, and then toward the bed. Rin nodded in understanding, and at the gesture Aizawa cleaned up the medical supplies and set them back in their respective drawer.

He trailed toward the door as Rin turned toward her food, and looked over his shoulder at her before leaving her to her own devices.

"Sleep well, kid." He said, and chuckled to himself as she offered him a grin.

Aizawa shut the door softly behind him and turned down the hall, his destination set for Deku's room. Upon arriving on the first floor, his knuckles collided with his door and shuffling could be heard coming from inside. Within a few moments, Deku's head popped out between the opening of the door, and his wide eyes widened even more upon seeing his teacher.

"Oh, Mr Aizawa," he said, opening his door further. "Do you need something?"

"I have some questions for you," he replied. "About Rin."

Deku's brow twitched, but he stepped to the side to allow Aizawa to enter anyway. He shuffled toward his student's desk chair and sat down, and eyed Deku as he took a seat on his bed.

"So," Aizawa began. "What exactly happened when she got to the water?"

"Um," Deku twiddled his fingers. "The skin on her forearms grew orange scales... and her legs turned into a matching tail."

Aizawa's eyes widened at that. "So she has some type of mutation Quirk?"

"Pardon me, sir... but.." Deku looked at him confusedly. "Where did she come from? And do you not know what her Quirk is? Shouldn't that be in her student file?"

"Look," Aizawa squeezed his eyes shut. "We know close to nothing about her. I found Rin stranded on the beach two days ago. Nezu decided to enroll her into 1-A to see if we could find out more about her."

"Doesn't she have parents?" Deku asked, astonished by the revelation.

"We don't know," Aizawa replied, allowing a hint of his troubled feelings toward the situation show on his face. "Since she's so... well, underdeveloped, we can't be certain where she came from. She calls the ocean her water, but she showed no other attachments for anything other than that. What did she do when you took her back?"

"She didn't resist," Deku replied, bringing his hand to his chin as he thought. "She didn't say anything about where she came from or who she was or who she might've been related to. All she wanted was the water."

Aizawa huffed irritably, the tip of his shoe tapping against the floor. Despite that, he arose from his chair and walked toward the door.

"Hopefully we'll find out more soon," Aizawa said as he stepped into the hall. "Either way, this is a step forward. Thanks, Midoriya."

"Uh, my pleasure, sir." Deku nodded unsurely, and watched as Aizawa left down the hall.