In between

Chapter four : Of a Dead Language

As I cradled a hot coffee in my hand and took a sip, my mind started to wander.

'How did Zawa find out where I work?' I thought to myself. 'It's not like he saw my face for very long, it was a spilt of a second in a moment.'   I brushed part of my hair out of my face.

'It doesn't make sense.'

I leaned back into my swivel chair and placed my coffee mug on a cleaned spot on my desk, moving pieces of paper and notebooks to make room.

I open an old document on my laptop and started reading through it to make sure all the information was up to date about the drug ring and Predator.

Coping it into an email I sent it off to Zawa thankful that my laptop couldn't be traced back to me. I closeup all the open tabs and logged off. I span around in my chair checking the open window outside to see I'd been up all night and it was already noon. I yawn while hopping off my chair and flopping on my bed with a thud, hoping to get a before quick nap in before tonight's mission.

When I'd finally gotten comfy and about to slip off into a dreamless sleep a knock on the door resounds throughout my small apartment.

I shoot straight up in bed. My bleary eyes looking around my room. Another knock resounds through my apartment. I sit up straighter and try to slip out of bed. My foot gets caught on the blanket and I face dive into the floor with a loud thud.

"Well that frickin' hurt" I mutter to myself on the ground.

Another two sharp knocks resound through the apartment.

"I'm coming, geez, hold yah frickin' horses I'm coming!" I shout as I stumble through the short hallway towards my front door.

I undo the numerous locks and open the door to be met with Hitoshi with is arm frozen in the position of knocking. His other hand holding a case.

I stare at him in amusement and slight confusion before walking back into my apartment.

"You better have a good reason of being here Toshi, I was about to take a nap." I yell at the purple haired boy who in turn shakes his head like he just realised where he was and walked in and closed the door behind him.

"Trust me Izu," Hitoshi says walking into the kitchen after he finished doing all the locks on the door. I stood on the other side of the kitchen near the stove putting the kettle on and pulling two cups from one of the top cupboards "This is more important than your nap."

"It better be," I mumble after a while and hand him his hot cup of coffee. While I take a sip from my freshly made one.

I walk over to the lounge room and sit down on one of the couches. Hitoshi come's over and sat beside me. He placed his coffee on the coffee table and sank into the couch.  He turned to look at me and pulled out something from his hoodie pocket and placed it on the coffee table away from his mug and in front of where I was sitting.

It was the camera film.

He sat up and brought up the case that had been placed by his feet. He moved the books off the table and stacked some sprawled papers and placed them on the ground. Placing the case on the table he opened it up, I leaned over to see what it was. An old looking film projector lay inside. A folded stand laid on the top portion of the case while the main camera projector laid on the bottom.

Once he'd finished setting up, he looked back to me.

A white bedsheet covered over my tv, held up pieces of masking tape Toshi had found in one of the draws in the kitchen. All the lights were turned off and the camera projector was all set up in front of the white sheet. The film had been placed in the camera and I still sat on the couch very much confused. My coffee was now cold, and my legs had gone numb from staying in the same position for so long.

"Now," said Toshi making direct eye contact with me. "The magic begins." 

"Aha..." I say nodding my head along with his words. "And by magic you mean...?"

"This." He says and turns back to the camera projector and picks up a remote connected by a wire to the camera and presses a button.

"See it actually works!"  he exclaims.

Light projects onto the sheet and a disorientated picture appears.

My eyes widen and my heartbeat rises and thumps in my ears. I drop my mug of coffee, but I don't hear the crash it makes as the mug breaks and the coffee spills on the ground. My chest tightens and breath comes in short gulps as I stare.

I don't hear Toshi ask if I'm okay, I don't feel his hand on my shoulder trying to break me out of my trance.

All I see are five smiling faces...

My dead Mother. Looking at the camera with a smile and leaning on her husband,

My missing Father. Who in turn was laughing while ruffling the hair of his brother,

My dead Uncle. Who's smiling an eye close smile while leaning on his wife,

My dead Aunty. Who is hugging tightly to a little boy who was,

My younger dead self. Who is smiling widely at the camera like life was perfect,

I fall to my knees hugging myself while tears fear to spill. I feel Toshi side hug me while whispering that it was fine and that I was okay. I knew somewhere deep at the back of my mind that Toshi had no idea what he was talking about and had no idea why I was in this state. He didn't know my family or my younger self.

But in that moment, I didn't care that he didn't know. I just hugged him like a lifeline and let his words wash over me.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Soooooo, we finally get a bit of Izuku's past. 'Yay'

Please don't hate me. I know Izuku doesn't have an actual blood related aunty or uncle but in this story he does, it just helps me with Izuku's back story / back ground.
And sorry this chapter is a little short, but I promise I'll try and make next chapter a little longer.

Any who, sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes !!

~ Ki-be 💜