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

9

"Welcome back, Eraserhead."

Nezu smiled absently that Monday morning as Aizawa trudged into his office. Rin followed silently as she always did, and perked up at the sight of her principal's desk chair being out for her to sit in. She hopped toward it immediately, and Aizawa stood with his arms crossed over his chest beside her.

"What news do you have for us?"

"I have teamed up with the Musutafu Police Station to run an investigation on Rin's case," he began, adjusting on his desk with his paws in his lap. "They will first need a blood sample to run her DNA through the system. If we can find a match, that should tell us where she came from and how to find her the help she needs."

Aizawa felt his eyebrow twitch as the recollection of what Deku had told him the night before resurfaced in his head. He knew that once they found out who Rin was related to, that their situation would grow even messier than it was already.

"Well, in that case, I guess I should tell you this now," Aizawa sighed, placing a gentle hand on top of Rin's head. "The kid told Midoriya last night that the place she came from wasn't a good one. She doesn't want to go back, and I'm not about to force her into a situation she already had to escape from once."

"I completely understand," Nezu replied; steadfast. "However, legal matters still apply. We have to follow the rules in every step before we can make any decisions regarding where Rin will stay."

Aizawa's expression darkened. "Right..."

"I know you have come to care for the girl," the principal sympathized, offering a gentle look. "But this is truly in her best interest."

"I understand," he exhaled, squeezing his eyes shut before opening them again. "Let's just get the sample over with."

"Of course," Nezu nodded once before turning toward the loudspeaker microphone that sat on the edge of his desk. Aizawa watched with narrowed eyes as the principal pressed a small grey button and leaned closer to the mouthpiece. "Recovery Girl, to the Principal's Office. I repeat, Recovery Girl, to the Principal's Office."

A brief sigh escaped Aizawa's parted lips as he glanced down toward Rin. She appeared to be none the wiser toward the situation she was caught in, and focused her slit pupils on a loose thread in the sleeve of her jacket. The fact that Rin was so inherently innocent to the world shattered him to the core when he thought about what she must have been through before washing up in Musutafu. The mere idea alone made giving Rin back the last thing he ever wanted to do.

As he looked at her, his gaze caught Rin's eye. She looked up to him with the gentlest expression on her face. The sight only made Aizawa's brow narrow even more, and her tiny smile didn't change that.

Another moment of silence drew by before Nezu's office doors opened, and Aizawa reluctantly detached himself from Rin's side to make room for Recovery Girl.

"Good morning, everyone," the small old woman greeted, offering a closed-eye smile. "So this is the child I've heard so much about."

As Recovery Girl placed a gloved hand on her shoulder, Rin's tentative state was on her. The girl didn't appear to be put off by the hands-on medic of U.A., and Aizawa saw her shoulders visibly relax.

"You don't have to worry about a thing," Recovery Girl assured, and moved to place her medical pack on the surface of Nezu's desk. "I'll be done in a jiffy."

__________

Lunch hour rolled along with no sign of Rin or Aizawa. Deku had begun to worry about the condition of Rin's situation, and as soon as the bell rang to dismiss the students to the cafeteria, he broke away from the crowd to find his new friend.