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

12

Rin ventured into her dorm room later that night. She still sported Deku's royal blue button up, and kept a secure fist around the collar of the shirt. Her free arm hugged around her waist, and once the door was closed behind her, she leaned her back gently against its surface.

A small smile adorned her features as she thought of Deku, and she found enjoyment from the feelings growing in her chest the longer he stayed on her mind. Despite not particularly understanding what the fuzziness tickling her heart meant, she didn't find herself at all alarmed by it.

Her amber hues later drew up from her gaze at the hardwood beneath her, and she quickly gravitated toward the All Might figure she had left on her desk before leaving with Deku hours previously.

She took the figurine up into her free hand gently, and carried it to the bed with her. She crawled atop the mattress toward the wall, and sat down with her back leaning against it. She held the mini All Might in her lap with such care, like the slightest jostle would break him to pieces.

As she spent her time fawning over her gift, a soft knock emanated from the bedroom door. She looked up just as it was eased open, and saw Aizawa poking his head in through the doorway.

"You're awake, good." He said, stepping in and shutting the door behind him.

Rin hummed fondly in response, and said nothing of objection as Aizawa sat on the edge of the bed a few feet away from her.

"I wanted to ask you something," he began, his tone quiet enough to draw in Rin's subtle worry. "I know this is all confusing and scary for you, but..."

He trailed off to throw her a glance, seeing that she was patiently looking at him. He felt his brow twitch to see Deku's doll in her lap again, and eased down his paternal instinct once he realized that she was also wearing his shirt.

"I want to know where exactly you came from, Mazarin," Aizawa watched carefully as Rin's pupils narrowed into thin lines upon hearing her full name. "I —"

"Rin." She cut him off, voice dense as she straightened her back against the wall. Aizawa's expression hardened.

"Look," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I understand that this is hard for you, but we need to know this in order to help you."

"I don't need help," she protested, scowling. "I had it. I'm here. It's okay now."

"That's now how it works," Aizawa stood up to tower over her, fists held at his sides. "For all we know, you're an orphan, Rin. You're a kid all by herself. Who are your parents? Where did you live? Where's the bad place? These are all things we need to find out."

"I'm..." Rin's voice cracked. "Not alone. You're right there."

Confusion was swirling clear as day in her eyes, accompanied by the threat of tears as she gripped the figure in her hands. The sight made an instant wave of guilt wash through Aizawa, and quickly he was sitting on his knees in front of her, his hands glued to her shoulders.

"I know you aren't right now," he began in a softer voice, coaxing her into looking at him again. "But I'm doing this for your own good, kiddo. Because I care about you, understand? I want to take care of you, but I can't do that without knowing all of the details. Understand?"

Rin's lips parted slightly as she looked up at him. There was a detached look on her face as a tear rolled down her cheek, and Aizawa quickly brushed it away with a swipe of his thumb. He pulled her into a hug.

"I want to know because I care, Rin." He concluded, hopeful to God that she would finally ease up and tell him.

Several minutes of silence drawled on, and through the duration, Aizawa held the girl loosely in his arms. Her cheek was pressed against his bicep, and Aizawa began to wonder if she had fallen asleep. Her body was completely still, with her black curls draping over her shoulder and covering the majority of her face. The room had been so consumed by silence that you'd hear a pin drop.

However, that silence was later broken when Rin finally proceeded to pull herself up again. She made no real effort to brush the bangs falling over her eyes out of the way, and sat in a slumped position beside Aizawa as she brought the back of her hand up to her cheek, presumably to rub off the remnants of dried tears from her skin.

"Okay..." she began, hesitant. "Okay."

__________

The next Monday, Aizawa was storming into Principal Nezu's office. He had a purpose to his step as he neared the desk, and slapped down two sheets of paper in front of him.

"I've got it all figured out," Aizawa revealed, a hint of relief to his tone as he sat down across from the principal. "It's all in there. She told me almost everything."

"Did she, now?" Nezu seemed surprised, but didn't hesitate to take up the sheets of paper that had been strewn in front of him, his coal-like eyes skimming the words scribbled onto them. "Her legal guardian as we know is referred to as 'Papa,' did she not specify a name?"

"I asked, and apparently that's the only name she has on him," Aizawa clarified, leaning forward in his seat. "She mentioned that a few others apart of this guy's 'group' referred to him as 'Poseidon,' but I've never heard of a Hero or Villain ever going by a name like that."

"I can't say that I have either," Nezu confessed, and turned toward his computer to proceed in transferring her info into her student file. "This group she spoke of, did she mention whether they were involved in any crimes?"

"She was a bit reluctant to fork up that info," Aizawa said. "But taking that she said the place she came from was bad, I'd say it's safe to assume that whoever he is isn't exactly a stand-up guy."

"That stands to reason," Nezu agreed, and turned his attention back to Aizawa's papers. "'Estimated location is Sakai in Osaka Prefecture.' Do we not have a specified place in which she was from?"

"Rin was clearly extremely neglected," Aizawa reminded, glaring at the thought. "So she wasn't entirely sure of what the name of the Prefecture was. But it's safe to assume that she was from a port city, which narrows down our search."

"I suppose that's true," the principal nodded, tone aloof. "We could try taking her there to see if there is any striking familiarity, with proper protection, of course."

"Sounds like a plan," Aizawa agreed. "But there's one thing that I've been wanting to know."

"And what's that, Eraserhead?"

"Whether or not we can take Rin into full custody," he clarified. "She doesn't seem to have actual parents, and her neglect would be enough to convince any courthouse that it's just, right?"

"Yes, however we must follow every step in order to avoid any roadblocks," Nezu clarified, turning toward his computer once more. "I will look into this Poseidon character  in the database to see if I can dig anything up. For now, we have covered a large sum of ground and can finally get the ball rolling. Great work, Eraserhead."

"I just want what's best for her."

"As do we all," Nezu smiled airily, offering the teacher a glance. "You have been doing an excellent job looking after her."

Aizawa didn't respond verbally as he rose to his feet, and shifted toward the door.

"Oh," Nezu called just as he opened the door. "And, in the meantime, why don't you attempt to draw out the qualities of her Quirk? I would like her experience here at U.A. to be as normal as we can possibly make it for her."

"I'll see what I can do."

He nodded as he spoke, and finally left the room.