Chapter Text
Izuku owed his life to Bakugou Mitsuki.
Not that the woman or child knew it.
Izuku’s life would have ended before it even began if his mother’s best friend hadn’t announced that she was pregnant just a week after Inko had discovered her own pregnancy and mere days before her appointment at the clinic.
She could have still made the appointment, terminated her pregnancy and gone about her life as she always had, but Inko was nothing if not competitive, especially when jealousy toward her oldest friend reared its head. Mitsuki had it all; a big house, a successful career and a doting husband. Inko lived in an apartment, worked long hours and her husband was a drunk but maybe this was her chance to get one up on Mitsuki.
Her husband breathed fire and with her minor telekinesis the odds of their child having pyrokinisis was high. A powerful quirk perfect for a high ranking Hero. The Bakugou family only had chemical secretion quirks. There was no way any child of theirs would have a better quirk than Inko’s.
“Oh Mitsuki! This is wonderful! I’m pregnant too!” Inko exclaimed.
“Really? Fuck yeah!” Mitsuki cheered. “We can raise our kids together! We’ll be the best damn parents to ever live! How’d Hisashi take the news?”
Inko’s smile froze and her voice became more chipper than was natural. “He’s so happy. He can’t wait for our family to grow.”
---
“I want nothing to do with it.”
And just like that Hisashi was gone to America, leaving behind some loose clothes and the beer and sake bottles scattered across the apartment. No amount of pleading could get him to stay, to understand that the child would be powerful, would make them rich and pull them out of their mundane lives.
Within hours of the door slamming shut Inko was on the phone with Mitsuki. Her voice gasped and her breath hitched but no tears fell as she recounted how she had discovered Hisashi’s infidelity and his escape to America. Mitsuki was enraged for her friend and offered to pay for two month’s rent while she adjusted to a single income. Inko gleefully accepted.
She waited until the next day to call into work and take the rest of the week off. She did her best to sound tired and depressed as she told the gossipy nurse in charge of the schedule that morning all her woes. It would be all over the office by the next week.
Inko milked the sympathy showered on her as the poor, pregnant woman abandoned by her deadbeat husband. Her co-workers took her shifts without fuss whenever she complained about sore feet or morning sickness and people often gave her homemade food or gifted her expensive baby supplies which she sold and replaced with the cheapest options she could find.
She enjoyed the attention, but her jealousy flared whenever she spent time with the Bakugous. Between how attentive Masaru was to his wife’s needs and Mitsuki buying two of everything so their kids could match Inko’s envy deepened and her resentment grew behind big smiles and excited words.
---
At least Izuku was a cute baby with soft squishy cheeks and big blue-green eyes. He lay in the bassinet beside his mother’s bed as she read a magazine. The few times he'd fussed Inko had ignored him until it built to a scream and a nurse arrived to help the seemingly panicked new mother sooth him.
About mid-morning the Bakugous arrived with their 3 month old in a carrier. Katsuki’s eyes had darkened into a deep crimson and his blonde hair was growing into an imitation of his mother’s spiky style. He was a fussy baby that seemed determined to try everything despite his inability to control his limbs.
“How are you feeling Inko?” Masaru asked.
“Alright, doing it alone was hard but I pulled through,” she replied tiredly, doing her best to imitate a suppressed yawn.
“You’re a fucking champ!” Mitsuki exclaimed, unbuckling Katsuki. “You can handle this shit without Hisashi. We’ll do it together.”
With a little fussy whine, Izuku was woken up by his Auntie's usual abrasive volume. Inko almost continued ignoring him but Mitsuki’s sparkling eyes locked on the bassinet as she settled her own baby in her arms and Inko wouldn’t be outdone.
“Shush Izuku,” she cooed, reaching out and placing her hand on his little tummy. “It’s just your Auntie Mitsuki.”
“Aww, he’s precious,” Mitsuki exclaimed. “Look Katsuki, this is your friend Izuku.” She held her son over the side of the bassinet. They stared at each other for a moment before Katsuki blew a raspberry and reached out for the smaller boy. Izuku babbled happily and made weak grabby hands toward the blonde.
“They’re going to be great friends,” Masaru predicted.
---
Unbeknownst to them, the Bakugous continued to save Izuku.
While Inko was indifferent to her son when they were alone, only doing the bare minimum to keep the tiny boy alive, she doted on him when they were with the Bakugous. Mitsuki took her promise that she and her best friend would raise their kids together seriously and never went longer than a few days to a week without seeing her nephew. Those few days would leave Izuku hungry and woozy until the night before the expected visit when he would get a bowl of rice and maybe some raw vegetables before bed.
Whenever Auntie Mitsuki and Katsuki were around Izuku got three proper meals and was allowed to play outside and with the toys that were usually locked away. When they were gone he was basically invisible and his mother went about her life like she was the only occupant of the apartment.
By the time Izuku was three he could make simple meals and get himself cleaned and dressed for the day. He knew how to move silently and how to disappear even within the tiny confines of the apartment’s kitchen and living room where he was most likely to run into his mother. Going unseen was Izuku’s best option, it was impossible to know if his mother would ignore him or torment him.
The boy had an almost permanent bruise in the center of his back between his shoulder blades. Inko had chosen that spot because it was easy to hide and effective since each blow knocked the air from her son's lungs. Of course, that wasn’t the only place she hit him but a few bruises and cuts here and there were explained away by a mother worried for her clumsy son.
Izuku preferred the days she hit. He could take physical pain. Most of the time he felt numb to it as he lay breathless and protected his organs and head the best he could. The words hurt the worst. She blamed him for their poverty, for his dad leaving, for her loneliness that had her inviting a new man or two into the apartment every week.
“You are worthless. Useless. You should have never been born. You owe me everything.” She grabbed him by his forest green hair and dragged him to the closet. “Your only worth is your quirk and until you have that you're just a burden.” The door slammed in his face and the latch clicked.
Home was hell but Izuku’s liked pre-school. There was no mom, a guaranteed meal and Kacchan. Uncle Masaru’s prediction had been correct. Izuku and Katsuki were thick as thieves. They shared everything, went everywhere together and promised that they would be the number one hero duo when they grew up.
“I can’t wait until we get our quirks. I bet they’re awesome!” Katsuki exclaimed.
“Mom says I’ll have pero … pyro … pyronessis.”
“What’s that?”
“Controlling fire.”
“Cool! I wonder what mine will be.”
“Probably something you sweat like your mom and dad. Maybe a stronger version of your dad’s acid.”
“Yeah! That will be so cool! You're so smart Zuku.”
Izuku blushed. “We’ll have the best quirks and be the greatest duo ever.”
“You bet your ass we will!”
“Kacchan! That’s a bad word!”
---
In the spring between Katsuki and Izuku’s fifth birthdays the two boys were running around the park when Katsuki became very interested in his hands, shaking them out like they were numb.
“What’s wrong Kacchan?” Izuku asked, walking back to his friend.
“My hands feel itchy.”
“Did you touch a strange plant again?”
“Shut up nerd! I didn’t touch anything!”
Izuku grabbed the blonde’s wrists and looked closely at his palms. They were a little red and smelled oddly of burnt sugar. Kacchan hissed in discomfort and began squeezing his hands together repeatedly, rubbing his fingers against his palms.
“It’s getting worse,” he said.
Izuku leaned closer and noticed a shiny coating on Kacchan’s hands. The sweet smell grew stronger.
“I think your quirk is-”
There was a loud bang and an orange flash. Izuku screamed as heat seared across his face and his vision went white. The ringing in Izuku’s ears faded gradually and he began to make out the cries of his friend calling for their moms. His head was laying in Kacchan’s lap but the blonde was being careful to keep his hands away as they continued to pop. His left cheek burned, he could feel his pulse throbbing beneath the hot skin making him whimper.
“Katsuki! What happened?” Auntie Mitsuki cried.
“I don’t know,” Kacchan sobbed. “My hands itched and when Zuku tried to look they exploded.”
Mitsuki knelt beside the boys, carefully turning Izuku’s face and looking at the blistering skin.
“Explosions. That’s a very powerful quirk,” A quiet voice mused.
Katsuki finally looked away from the horrible burn across his best friend’s face to find Auntie Inko standing a few steps away. She didn’t spare a glance for Izuku and was instead gazing at Katsuki. Several emotions flitted across her face as they made eye contact before settling on something that made Katsuki’s skin crawl.
“Inko, he has second degree burns across his cheek. It may even be third degree in the middle. We have to take him to the hospital.”
Katsuki whined. “I didn’t mean to! I’m sorry!”
Several pops sounded as small explosions appeared in Katsuki’s upturned palms.
“I know baby, I know, but you have to calm down. Your quirk keeps activating.”
Katsuki took a couple shaky breaths but his hands kept popping and the more they popped the more panicked he got.
“W-water. C-c-cool down.”
A weak shaky hand gripped the front of Katsuki’s t-shirt. Izuku looked up with glassy eyes.
“Ex-explosive s-sweat. Ne--need to c-cool down.”
Katsuki gently squeezed the greenette’s head with his elbows. “I’m sorry Zuku.”
“S’okay,” Izuku slurred. He tried to smile but hissed as the blisters pulled.
“Stay still honey,” Mitsuki said, rummaging in her bag. She pulled out her travel first aid kit and the sheet they had used for their picnic. Tearing the sheet into strips, she soaked them in water before wrapping the largest strip around her son’s neck and two smaller strips around his hands. The pops sizzled for a few seconds then stopped.
“If you don’t sweat you can’t make explosions,” Mitsuki concluded as she opened her first aid kit and began soaking gauze. “Very smart Izuku.”
Katsuki snorted. “Nerd.”
Mitsuki spread the wet bandages across Izuku’s face until the burn was covered.
“Oh baby, are you okay?” Auntie Inko cried, kneeling down and reaching out to her son. Katsuki felt Izuku flinch.
“Let’s get him to the car.”
“I don’t think I could carry him Mitsuki. My hands are shaking.”
“No worries, I’ll carry him.”
Katsuki allowed his mom to pick up his friend and quickly got to his feet to follow when he felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder.
“Very good Katsuki," Auntie Inko cooed. "You’ll make a great hero with a powerful quirk like that.”
She looked down at him with a smile much too bright for a woman whose son was just in an explosion. Her eyes blazd with the same look that had made him shiver, like she was appraising him. He couldn’t help but notice that her hands were perfectly steady.
----
Katsuki was confused. Everyone said Auntie Inko was the sweetest, kindest, gentlest woman alive, so why did she make Katsuki feel uncomfortable?
After his quirk manifested she had become very attentive to him; making his favorite foods, taking him wherever he wanted to go and listening to him like everything he said was the most interesting thing she'd ever heard. It was often her and not Izuku that would invite him over in the following year.
Meanwhile, Izuku began to close in on himself. When he returned to school with a large burn scar on his cheek a rumor spread that Katsuki had hit him. A few of the other boys began to push him around, calling him names until Katsuki told them to back off. It worked, but only because the other kids thought that Katsuki was beating up Izuku in secret since he'd started coming to school with more bruises and cuts.
“I slammed my finger in the door again Kacchan," Izuku explained the second time he came to school with a missing fingernail.
“And these?” Katsuki gestured to the purple bruises on the underside of Izuku’s forearm.
“Ran into the counter.”
Izuku may have stopped inviting Katsuki over but he would still ask to come to the Bakugou's often. That was fine by Katsuki, he had the better game consoles and the bigger yard, but he couldn’t get Izuku’s little flinch out of his head.
A year after Katsuki's quirk manifested Katsuki’s parents allowed him to practice it outside. The explosions were small because of the late winter cold but Izuku insisted it would help him learn control. The shorter boy flitted around like a hummingbird making suggestions and muttering analysis under his breath.
“Hey! Shit nerd! Stop mumbling. I want to hear what you're saying about my quirk.”
“Sorry Kacchan. I was just wondering if you could fly? Rockets use explosions to fly so why couldn’t you?”
Katsuki gaped at him.
“I’m gonna try it!” He yelled. He thrusted his hands downward and jumped letting off the biggest explosion he could manage.
He fell on his face.
Izuku fell on his butt and rolled with laughter.
“Shut up!” Katsuki roared.
“You would need a big explosion to get liftoff,” Izuku explained breathlessly. “Between the cold keeping you from sweating and how new your quirk is there’s no way you can fly yet.”
Katsuki flexed his fingers.
“But when I’m older? I could fly?”
“Sure, I don’t see why not. There are lots of cool things quirks can do. I want to be able to figure out what those things are.”
“When are you going to get your quirk nerd?”
Izuku seemed to deflate. He twisted his fingers painfully.
“I have an appointment with the quirk specialist tomorrow.”
Katsuki frowned. Izuku should have been bouncing on the balls of his feet at the thought of discussing quirks, especially his own, but he was shaking and his eyes darted around often landing on the house where they could see their parents through the window. White steam flew from his mouth and nose faster than was normal.
“Izuku, hey, what’s wrong?” Katsuki asked. He held his friend’s shoulders until forest green met crimson.
“What if I don’t have a strong quirk Kacchan?”
“You’ll get a strong quirk nerd. You have to or we can’t be the number one hero duo.”
A week later he would regret those words.
---------------------------
Katsuki waited by the phone all day Saturday for Izuku to call him with news of his quirk but as the sun set Katsuki’s lungs began to feel like they were being squeezed.
Something was wrong.
Auntie Inko called the next day apologizing for not calling earlier.
“Izuku is just so upset. I don’t think he’ll be going to school for a few days.”
“What happened Inko?”
“The doctor says that Izuku is quirkless. He has an extra toe joint that means he can’t develop a quirk.”
Katsuki’s eyes widened. The possibility of Izuku not having a quirk at all had never crossed their minds. How were they going to be pro heroes together now?
“Oh, the poor boy. He was so excited to have pyrokinesis. Just give him time, I’m sure he’ll find a way to bounce back. He’s a smart boy after all.”
Katsuki remembered Zuku's words from two days before. There are lots of cool things quirks can do. I want to be able to figure out what those things are.
“Yeah, Zuku’s super smart," he insisted. "He’s so smart he probably doesn’t even need a quirk. We can be a hero duo like All Might and Sir Nighteye. Brains and brawn.”
Mitsuki patted her son on the head with a smile.
“I’m sorry Katsuki but Izuku will never be a hero.”
The mother and son froze. Katsuki was pretty sure his mom hurt her face with how fast her smile turned to a frown.
“A quirkless person can’t be a hero," Inko continued. "He’ll only get himself or someone else killed. You have a wonderful quirk Katsuki, you’ll be a great hero without Izuku. It’s better this way.”
“Inko…” Mitsuki started.
“I’m sorry Mitsuki but I have to make lunch. Izuku didn’t eat his breakfast.”
The dial tone filled the living room.
"Mom?" Katsuki's voice sounded wet. His mom knelt and gently held his face. "I can still be a hero with Izuku right?"
Mitsuki sighed and hugged her son.
"Of course you can firecracker. When Izuku comes back to school you tell him that he can be a hero and that you will be the best hero duo since All Might and Nighteye. I'll talk to Inko. She's just afraid. Quirkless people are not treated nicely."
Katsuki knew that. Izuku had once raged about how horribly society treated mutant, villainous and weak quirks. Quirkless people were treated the worst, like they weren't even human.
"I'll protect him," Katsuki vowed. "Until he's strong enough."
--------------------
Izuku didn't come to school on Monday.
Or Tuesday.
When Wednesday rolled around and Izuku's desk remained empty Katsuki begged his mom to call. It went to voicemail.
"I'll stop by tomorrow on my way to work. I promise," his mom assured him.
On Thursday Katsuki could physically feel that Izuku wasn't present even before he entered the classroom. It was like a hole deep in his core where his soul should be. He tried to tell himself that he would have answers when he got home. His mom would convince Auntie Inko and Izuku that nothing had changed and his best friend could come back.
When he walked into his house after school his mom was on the phone.
"Katsuki's home. Can he talk to Izuku? He's so worried about him."
"..."
"I understand. I'm sure he's tired. Getting introduced to a new school is stressful. Tell him we miss him and I'll call again tomorrow."
She hung up.
"A new school?" Katsuki asked.
His mom looked at him sadly.
"Yes honey. The pre-school you go to doesn't allow quirkless students. If I had known that I would never have enrolled you there."
Katsuki growled. "I'm not going back there. I'm moving schools too right?"
"Baby, you have to finish this week. I'll ask Inko where she's sending Izuku and get you transferred as fast as I can."
Katsuki nodded and went to get a snack. He would see Izuku next week.
____________
Something felt wrong, like a disaster was just around the corner but Katsuki couldn't look away. His eyes found Izuku's empty desk, the void where he usually sat during morning circle, the movement of the pen when the teacher reached Izuku's name during roll call and rather than put an X she crossed the whole line out. Katsuki felt blind terror creeping up on him. Something was wrong, Wrong, WRONG! He asked the teacher if he could go to the nurse and sprinted to the front office to use the phone. His mom must have recognized the number because she picked up on the first ring.
"Hello?"
"Mom," Katsuki gasped, barely able to get the words out while trying to contain his tears. "Something is wrong. With Izuku. I can feel it. We have to go right now."
"Calm down firecracker. You're having a panic attack. Just breath. In slow. 1 2 3. Out slow. 1 2 3."
Katsuki followed his mother's directions and the shaking soon stopped.
"Now, do you still feel like something is wrong?"
Katsuki thought about Izuku's empty locker and his slippers still under the bench.
"Yes, something is really really wrong. I have to see Izuku."
His mom was silent for a moment.
"Okay, I'll pick you up and we'll go to Inko's. I'll call her on the way. Stay in the office and keep doing your breathing. I'll be there in 10 minutes."
Katsuki could hear her keys jingling and the windchime they had hung at the front door over the phone.
"Okay," he said be for he hung up. It sounded like a gunshot.
Mitsuki came into the office like a whirlwind. Much more frantic than Katsuki had ever seen her. She scribbled her signature on the sign out sheet and quickly ushered Katsuki into the car.
"Mom?" Katsuki asked as she zipped out of the parking lot. She started like he had yelled.
"Sorry honey. I tried to call Inko three times on the way here but she didn't answer. She's always home on Fridays."
Mitsuki didn't like keeping things from Katsuki. The kid had spent too much time with the scarily observant Izuku. He would know something was bothering her and she didn't want to trigger another panic attack.
The trip to Inko and Izuku's apartment felt like an eternity. Every stoplight was red for eons. When they finally arrived the car was barely in park when Katsuki scrambled out. His mom yelled at him to slow down but she was right behind him in seconds. He ran up the stairs, tripping half way up and continuing on all fours hoping it would give him an extra boost. When he reached the door it felt so foreboding that he didn't dare knock. His mom had no such fear and pounded on the door as soon as she arrived. They heard shuffling inside and the door was wrenched open by a weeping Inko. A damp handkerchief twisted in her hands.
"Mitsuki!" She exclaimed and fell into her friend's arms.
"Inko? What's wrong? What happened?"
Inko gasped like she had been drowning.
"He's gone, Izuku ran away last night. I only just noticed when he didn't come out for breakfast."
"Izuku's gone? Have you called the police?"
Inko nodded. "They're on their way."
Wrapping her arm around the shorter woman Mitsuki guided her to the living room. Belatedly, Katsuki darted inside and shut the door. His mom was sitting on the couch rubbing Inko's back but Katsuki didn't feel like being still. His best friend was missing.
"That idiot!" Katsuki muttered as he paced the hallway. "We promised. Never do anything alone."
He felt another panic attack coming on and detoured into the bathroom on his next pass. Sometimes splashing water in his face grounded him. As he opened the door he was hit with the strong smell of bleach and other chemicals. He pulled back the shower curtain and found cleaning supplies laying haphazardly in the tub. The bucket was on its side along with a scrub brush. Several bottles of chemicals were present and bleach was still making its way down the drain from an open bottle that had fallen over.
Panic forgotten Katsuki closed the curtain and stepped back into the hallway where he came face to face with the plaque mounted on the door across the hall.
Izuku's Room.
The door was slightly ajar so Katsuki pushed it open and stepped into his best friend's bedroom. It smelled of chemicals in there too.
Izuku's room was a hero shrine. Most of the décor was All Might themed but there were several other Heroes represented. Present Mic, Midnight, Fat Gum, Ryukyu, The Wild Wild Pussycats and Gang Orca were only a few. There was even some custom merch for an underground hero that Izuku had been researching. As Katsuki looked around he tried to pick out pieces he or his parents had gotten for Izuku. A Lunch Rush lunchbox, a "Top Ten Heroes" poster from last year, a rare silver age All Might action figure.
Wait.
Katsuki looked around again.
The action figure was missing. He could see the space on the shelf where it had been sitting still in its original box. Did he take it with him? No, he wouldn't have. He was protective of it. He hadn't even moved it from its spot since he got it over a year ago.
Katsuki did another circuit, this time looking for missing merch. A suspicious space between some posters showed where Izuku’s display of hero pins was missing, so was the framed photo of the two of them meeting Present Mic and several other small figurines were nowhere to be found. It didn't make any sense.
Stepping out into the hallway Katsuki started pacing again. He was agitated, his mind trying to fit the pieces together. He was just thinking he needed more clues when he saw it. A streak of some red-brown substance barely visible on the edge of the closet door.
Katsuki's fingertips felt cold as he reached for the handle but the moment he saw inside he went numb. The floor was covered in the same substance as the door but this was more red than brown. There were streaks on the wall and the back of the door was scared by deep gouges. Something was caught behind a splinter. Katsuki plucked it out and immediately dropped it with a gasp. Three weeks ago Izuku had gotten some of Midnight's non-toxic nail polish. Katsuki would recognize that sparkly blue-black anywhere.
Pressing a hand to his mouth, Katsuki dry heaved. He vaguely heard a knock at the door and Inko squeaked as she dashed to open it.
"Hello, I'm Detective Tsukauchi. We received a call about a missing person."
"Yes, my son has run away! Please, find my baby!"
Suddenly Katsuki could feel again but he was no longer cold. He was filled with fire. It felt like his hands when he used his quirk but through his whole body. A bomb primed to go off.
What had she done?
-------------
Naomasa was tired. He was just getting off the night shift when a call came in from a frantic mother begging for help to find her son. He was six and quirkless and had been missing almost 8 hours. Naomasa knew the statistics. If the kid wasn't dead already he would be soon.
A woman with wild blonde hair was hovering behind the mother, arms slightly outstretched like she feared the greenette would collapse.
"Hello, I'm Detective Tsukauchi," he said. "We received a call about a missing person."
"Yes, my son has run away! Please, find my baby!" the woman cried.
"We will do all we can. These officers will take your statement. Do you object to being recorded?"
"No, no. Please ask whatever you need. Just find my boy."
Naomasa nodded to his colleagues. Normally Detective Tsukauchi would conduct the interview himself since his quirk was perfect for it but in cases like this abuse at home was always an option. He would have to disclose his lie detector quirk if he talked to her directly. The recording would work fine.
While the officers took the mother's statement Naomasa looked around. The apartment seemed cozy. There were plump pillows and a soft blanket on the couch and quaint knick knacks on the shelves but something felt off. There were no kid’s toys. Several breakable decorations were sitting too close to table edges and there were no photos of a child. If he didn't know any better he would never have guessed a six year old lived there. Moving to the kitchen he found it spotless. Naomasa opened the fridge but couldn't find any kids snacks like juice boxes or yogurt cups. He opened a few cupboards and found one low down full of miss matched plastic dishes and cutlery. Everything you would need to make a basic meal.
Naomasa turned around and nearly jumped out of his skin. A little boy had just appeared from the hallway. He looked remarkably like the blonde woman so he assumed it was her kid. He was still as a statue and pale enough to actually be stone but his red eyes burned with rage. Naomasa followed his gaze and found them locked on Midoriya Inko.
"Hey kid, you okay?"
The kid stayed silent but his hands balled into fists. Small pops sounded and smoke curled up from between his fingers.
"Kid?"
"Katsuki?"
The blonde swept over and knelt in front of her son but he didn't seem to notice. All eyes had turned to the source of the popping sound.
"What did you do?"
It was barely a whisper but in the silence that had fallen it might as well have been shouted.
"What did you do to him?" the kid repeated louder.
"W-what do you mean Katsuki?" Midoriya-san asked, her voice shaking.
"What did you do?" he screamed, stepping forward and releasing small explosions from each hand. Naomasa was thankful this was a child or those explosions would have been like grenades. "You hurt him! How dare you? What did you do? Where is Izuku?"
The child, Katsuki, tried to rush forward but was caught by his mother.
"She hurt him! She did something to him!" he shrieked.
"Katsuki! What are you talking about?" His mother asked, holding him gently but firmly by the wrists and directing his explosions away from causing any harm.
"The hall closet. Check the hall closet."
Naomasa slipped past the kid and marched down the hall to the still open door but faltered as he got close. He recognized blood when he saw it. The lower half of the door was painted in it. Clawed ridges marred the wood and the detective's stomach flipped as he looked inside and saw the dried pool of blood and a single human fingernail.
He heard desperate sobbing as he marched back to the living room. The blonde mother had scooped up her kid and held him to her chest. She retreated behind the counter that divided the kitchen and living room, using it as a shield and keeping her wide eyes on her friend.
"Arrest her. Now!" The detective barked and his colleagues quickly complied.
"What?" Midoriya-san gasped as quirk suppression handcuffs clicked into place. "What are you doing? You need to find my son! He's out there and helpless. I've done nothing wrong."
A small twinge in Naomasa's head told him that was a lie.
"Midoriya Inko. I am duty bound to inform you that my quirk is called Lie Detector. I will know if what you say is a lie or the truth. You are being questioned on suspicion of child abuse at minimum and murder at worst."
There was silence for a moment, no one seemed to breathe, then Midoriya Inko scoffed and squared her shoulders. It was like a mask coming off. Suddenly the veneer of a worried mother peeled away leaving something cold and cruel.
"You'll never find him."
A quickly stifled sob sounded from the kitchen.
"Inko? Why?" The blonde woman asked.
"He ruined my life! He had one purpose, to manifest a powerful quirk and become a hero. He was supposed to overtake Katsuki so I could have just one victory over the perfect Bakugou Mitsuki but the brat was quirkless. He was useless to me so I got rid of him."
"All true. Or what she believes to be true," Naomasa confirmed for the record.
"But you loved Izuku," the woman that Naomasa assumed was Bakugou Mitsuki said. "You always doted on him."
"I couldn't stand the brat. Putting on the devoted mother act in public made me sick."
"She's been hurting him his whole life mom," a small voice said. Katsuki gripped him mom's shirt tightly as he looked up at her. "Those bruises and cuts she always claimed were his clumsiness got worse after I got my quirk. I asked him once but he made excuses."
Inko huffed angrily. "You weren't supposed to have a powerful quirk. Your parents have weak chemical quirks. When you manifested Explosion I had to make sure Izuku would manifest something better and until then I would spoil you as a backup plan."
"You bitch!" Mitsuki spat. "That's why you suddenly babysat more. You were trying to groom my child."
Inko grinned evilly. This woman was a worse sociopath than most of the villains Naomasa dealt with.
"Did you hurt your son? Answer verbally," he demanded.
"Yes."
"True. Did you kill your son?"
Katsuki whined and his mom shushed him quietly.
"No."
Naomasa allowed himself to breathe a little easier.
"True. When did you last see your son?"
"Last night."
"True." he confirmed.
Not good, he's been gone for longer than 12 hours.
"Where is your son?"
"I don't know."
"True. Where did you last see your son?"
"On the corner across the street."
Neomasa paused. That rang true but it made no sense. The woman wanted him gone for good so why would she kick him out in an area he knows well? Where he could ask someone he knew for help? A quirkless kid and a narcissistic mother that only cares about something if it has value... Naomasa did not like where his mind had gone.
"Did you sell your son?"
The question took everyone by surprise. Inko's eyes went wide and she shut her mouth with an audible click.
"Did you sell your son to the Shie Hassaikai?" Naomasa clarified.
"I'm not saying anything else."
"True. Midoriya Inko you are under arrest for child abuse, child abandonment and suspicion of human trafficking. Take her to the precinct and call in the task force."
As Inko was led away Naomasa turned to the mother and son still standing in the kitchen.
"I'm sorry you had to witness that. In cases like this it's best to get answers quickly. We will do everything to find Izuku."
"How did I not know?" Mitsuki asked in a shaky voice. "Inko is my oldest friend. We met our husbands on a blind double date in college."
"People like her are master manipulators and actors. If she didn't want you to know her true nature you would never know."
Mitsuki nodded miserably and hugged her son tighter.
"May I ask your son a few questions?" Naomasa asked.
The mother hesitated but her son wiggled in her arms to turn and look at the detective.
"Hey, you were very brave to confront her. Can I ask you how you found the closet?"
"I saw bl-blood o-on the door." the boy shivered and leaned closer to his mom.
"I'm sorry you had to see that kid."
"There's cleaning supplies in the tub and stuff missing from Zuku's room. Does that mean anything?"
"It could. Cleaning supplies could mean she was trying to hide the evidence but was interrupted."
"We weren't meant to come over today," Mitsuki revealed, "Izuku had been missing from school for a week. Inko said he was upset about his quirklessness diagnosis. Katsuki got so worried he had a panic attack in class today so I drove him over here to see Izuku. I got worried when she didn't answer my calls."
"You rushed her. She probably wasn't planning on calling the police until after she cleaned up but when you called repeatedly she had to speed up her plan or you would be suspicious."
"What is the She Has … Hasi … ?" the kid stumbled over the word.
"That's the Yakuza, isn't it?" his mother supplied.
Naomasa nodded.
"They're involved in quirk trafficking but lately they have been offering a premium on quirkless people."
"Will Zuku be okay?" Katsuki asked.
"We'll do our best to get him back. There's a whole team of police and heroes that have been investigating them. We've already started looking for your friend. Trust me, I literally cannot tell a lie."
He offered a friendly smile and the kid returned it weakly.
"Zuku would have loved your quirk."
The detective tilted his head curiously.
"Zuku loves all quirks," Katsuki claried. "He would be asking you a million questions. He would want to know what it felt like when someone lies, if you can detect half truths, if it works on recordings."
"Sounds like a smart kid."
"Zuku is the smartest. We're going to be a hero duo. He'll be the brains and I'll punch the bad guys just like All Might and Sir Nighteye," the kid’s eyes darkened. "Please bring him back."
"I'll do my best."