Consistent (vigilante deku)

Threatening civilian (chap 20)

Izu's pov

I am alive though. I just don't know if I can face him. If I can face them. All of us talked about being underground heroes together. I'm glad one of us got to reach our dreams. Annabelle wanted to be an engineer but once she heard us talking when we were younger she instantly wanted to be a support engineer. She'd make plans and such on certain equipment. I might have used some of her ideas for my weapons. Oh I never really use them much. My mask itself has one of her inventions in it. She designed a voice changer the year I left. Of course it only had vague options as she didn't know much about it and it was very bulky. I took the idea and what she did so far and changed it, improved it to what it is now. The mask is water and fireproof. It has the outer layer then inside is all the machinery and then another layer of metal and lastly yet another layer that touches my face and has padding. Inside is a filtration for gas, a voice changer, a small speaker, and a lock. You can't take off my mask without taking off the first 3 layers. Each layer has its own lock, of course that would be too much of a hassle so I have a bracelet on my wrist that is connected to it. There I can enter one master code and all will come off in one piece. Mind you this is still in the testing phase so it is still very heavy and clunky. If I got the right materials I could probably fix it. The speaker is small and is connected to the voice changer, the voice changer is fixated on one volume so I use the speaker to change it. This makes it seem way more realistic than a robot voice. I could fix it, but if you scream it will glitch and if you speak too low it won't pick it up, leaving an addition the only way. I have a small recorder on my arm, I use this to record incriminating evidence, then I just send the tape to the police. It records volume only, but I have another on my front pocket that takes in faces and such, the camera quality is quite bad though. What did I expect? I'm poor as heck! I get all resources from dumpsters, occasionally from Uncle John if he let's me. I can't ask for much though I don't want him getting suspicious. I'm sure he'd l-

H- "You think they're the same?"

FUCK I FORGOT ABOUT THEM OMG!

EH- "Yeah. I mean it makes total sense, no? I hope they find him. The poor kid is probably alone."

I need to get out of here, I think I've heard enough.

EH- "Well Salvare should be patrolling right about now. We should go and try and talk to him again."

H- "Yeah, you're right"

They returned the books and left the library. My soul almost left my body. I ran out after them making sure they wouldn't see me. I immediately changed into my vigilante costume and tried to make up for the lost time. It was already night and I was stuck inside. Luck would have it I see the duo on top of a roof, I turn around and gun it, hoping they didn't turn to see me behind them. My luck really sucks today.

Zawa's pov

Hawks and I just started our patrol together after the library. We decided to take a break and wait for noise on a rooftop. I turn my back to stretch just to see our dear old vigilante running from us. He totally saw us didn't he.

EH- "HAWKS HE'S RIGHT FUCKING BEHIND US"

He looks at me shocked and we scramble to run after the guy. He's far away by now, quick as ever. He's barely making the distance where he isn't running from law enforcement. Seriously, how does he do it? A scream echoes in the night and Salvare turns to his right and runs towards the sound. He should know we're here yet he risks capture just to help someone. I'm intrigued. We follow after him, when we get to the area the guy is already tied up and knocked out. The man who seemed to be attacked was bandages up leaning against a wall.

EH- "What happened?"

M- "He stabbed me. Then as things were getting black someone came and knocked him out in a blink of an eye. I look up to see him already tied up. The blur is bandaging me up and saying I'll be fine. He calls the police for me and speaks into the phone. He tells me he has to go because people are chasing him so he left."

H- 'Where did he go? What did he look like? Was he small?"

M- "I couldn't see much, everything was blurry and dark. He also asked me not to say much and I'm going to listen. It's not like I know anything anyway."

EH- "Sir, he could be a child. We need to know, maybe we could get him off the streets,"

M- "With all due respect sir, I have just been stabbed. I am holding onto consciousness and you are trying to get me to out the person who has done more for this area in 1 year than any hero has in a decade? I'm sorry but I can't do that."

EH- "Where were you stabbed."

M- "The leg. It's fine now, it stopped bleeding but that doesn't stop the pain."

EH- "Can you tell me more about him?"

M- "No. But I will tell you that everyone in this district and the others will never give any info of him away. We all owe him our lives and we won't betray that. It's not like we know much anyway. He doesn't just fight the crime and leave. He talks to us, makes sure we're okay, walks us home, takes us to where we need to be, he stayed with my daughter for an hour as she waited for me because she didn't feel safe. Have you ever seen a hero care enough to wait out their night standing next to a girl only because she didn't want to be alone? No. All you heroes care about is the fame and money and couldn't bother yourselves with us civilians. Yeah you protect us, but this stupid society makes 80% of the villains you fight. A good amount of them do it because of heroes themselves. That vigilante is no different. I've spoken to him a few times, even given him dinner. He was abandoned by this world and hurt in terrifying vile ways. A hero never helped him, in fact a lot of them watched his suffering in delight. Even wanted it. You all are disgusting. Right now, asking an injured man who's bleeding out about a vigilante who does a hero's job better than them. What a joke."

To say I felt ashamed was an understatement. That man was right. All I could think about was the vigilante, almost ignoring completely the fact that he was stabbed. How did he manage to speak that much? If all of what he said is true then we need to rethink everything about Salvare. Everyone we have ever brought in was tested by Tsukauchi and all told the truth, yet here he is a man of the neighborhood telling us that they purposefully didn't disclose any info. They can't be arrested for they didn't lie. They did withhold information but he also said none of them actually know what he looks like.

H- "We're sorry sir. You are clearly more important as of this moment than the vigilante case. Accept our apologies. What is your name?"

M- "It is Niko."

H- "Okay Niko, well the ambulance is nearby from the sirens. Just hold on and we can get you to safety."

N- "Then you'll arrest me."

EH- "No. We won't do that. You've already answered our questions. It seems he is just a person wronged by the world but was still strong enough to keep fighting. It is a mistake on our part for not knowing the full story. We apologize Niko."

N- "It's alright. He told me how you 2 are alright. I just wanted to let you know what kind of person he is. Don't treat him like a criminal. And if you 2 of all people were to, it'd hurt him far more than you would know. I don't know who he is sadly, I don't know anything about him. Not even his height. He always blended in the shadows or was crouching. He is skilled and self-sacrificing. Hurt him, and no punishment will be fitting for what I'll do to you."

He did just threaten 2 pro heroes but I think I'll let it slide. It is our fault. Without knowing we were treating him like a criminal when all he was, is a hero.

Izu's pov

Okay so I might have stayed near to make sure Niko was okay. I might have also heard the whole conversation. I feel loved, but we all know that doesn't last long. I get up and write down a little note, I let the paper slide down as I run away as fast as I can from the area. Hopefully they'd see the note and leave it at that, not chasing after me.

'Thanks for watching over him for me. Niko! Don't throw your life away for me. You don't even know who I am so don't go leaving your daughter because of a stranger. Thank you for that though, it was nice.

Signed,

Salvare (I like the name already)