Chapter 23: Another solution
It wasn't long after their conversation that Shouto had told them he needed to leave, promising to keep an eye on the documents the police had for any updates he should know before he had quietly gotten up and left; giving him and Ochako a small farewell wave while expressing his gratitude for their open honesty.
Ochako had stayed with him, the two of them watching tv and talking about anything other than their conversation with Todoroki, until the time his mother had come back from work. His mother, once again, had been pleasantly surprised to see Ochako again, greeting her cheerfully before inviting her to stay for dinner.
Ochako smiled at the offer but politely declined, quickly saying how she had to leave to catch the last train of the day before she could go home.
Inko had seemed slightly disappointed but smiled as she expected the answer anyway.
As his mother left the pair of them alone to make a start on their dinner, Izuku and Ochako made their way to the front door to share their goodbyes. Just before she turned to leave, she slowly reached out and pulled him into another comforting hug, catching him off guard before he relaxed into the comforting hold, putting her hand on the back of his head ruffling his hair gently.
Izuku had slowly brought his arms up around her, wrapping her in a hug back as they stood in comfortable silence before he heard his mother's voice calling out to him, ending their embrace.
Uraraka had pulled away with an embarrassed fluster, face tinted pink as she gave him another awkward wave goodbye before scurrying off, leaving Izuku in a warm state of shock; his own cheeks beginning to burn as he watched her walk away.
As he watched her walk around the corner at the other end of his street, he slowly closed the door before making his way back towards where his mother was cooking dinner; which Izuku guilty skipped out on. It wasn't long after the two Midoirya had finished clearing up for the night that they both decided to go to bed.
Izuku laid in his cold bed as the moon slowly raised in the sky, unable to fall asleep. As the clock beside his bed finally hit 2 am he gave up trying and silently got out of bed, quietly sliding his shoes on and climbing out his window like he had done so many times before. It wasn't difficult making sure his mother wouldn't wake up as he slid the window shut and jumped down the few floors of the apartment to the ground; his legs jarring as the energy from his fall was absorbed by his feet.
It felt odd, going out, late at night for anything else than to find something to eat. It was just him and his thoughts, no blood, no screams of fear or terror. It didn't take him long to find himself on top of a tall apartment complex on the shader side of town, taking in a deep breath from the chilly air, clearing his mind.
He didn't know how long he had been sitting on that rooftop, as the cold night sky winds breezed past him, contemplating what he was gonna do next when the breeze brought a foul smell to his nose.
He stiffened slightly as he shifted around, the moonlight catching on the shape of a person standing behind him; the smell certainly not smelling human.
"You've really done it now, haven't you..?" a familiarly irritated voice rang out from the other side of the rooftop as they slowly began their approach.
It didn't take long for Izuku to identify Kaneki's face through the shadows, a flicker of surprise soon being replaced by anguish.
"Not only the police, but the whole of Japan and probably the rest of the world knows we exist again..
Izuku shifted numbly, leaning onto his knees, as he stared into the distance, "They were my friends... I couldn't just stand by and watch them die..." He quietly murmured out, staring down over the edge of the building at the empty streets below him.
Kaneki sighs with annoyance before slowly making his way over to the edge of the roof, before sitting down a few feet away from him in silence.
He heard his company take in a shallow breath,
"You need to start moving around more while trying to find food, it's bad enough they know you target people in this area specifically but now every hero in the country knows about your quirk," he began, taking a short pause to sigh, rolling his head slightly into Izuku's direction, " I-mhm... It's dangerous for you to keep hanging around this area, I'm surprised you haven't been spotted and caught tonight just from the number of heroes l've seen wandering around trying to get here." he uttered out quietly.
Izuku slowly nodded his head as he pulled his knees up to hide the shame and discomfort growing on his face.
"I know, but I can't just begin moving places now for food... I still have to stay in this area, I still have to stay near UA..." he muttered out, a little louder thay before.
Kaneki didn't seem surprised at the mention of the prestigious hero school, causing Izuku to look up at him questioningly.
"Did you... you watched the sports festival.?"
The other ghoul nodded only silently in response.
They sat in a weird silence for a while before Izuku chose to speak up again.
"I-i know the police are onto me... It's only a matter of time till I'm caught and brought into custody..."
Kaneki looked over to him with a slight look of worry on his face as Izuku continued looking out at the city around them, refusing to give him eye contact.
"What are you going to do when that happens..."
Kaneki questioned, almost softly.
Izuku slowly lifted his head off his legs and sighed deeply as he slowly rubbed his eyes, "…..When that time comes, when it really does and there is nothing I can do that won't result in someone's death, I'll admit defeat and hand myself over... Till then, l'll just keep saving people until I can't anymore..
Kaneki leaned back away from the edge of the building, resting on his arms as he looked away from Izuku towards the lights in the city center, far into the distance. Just two people on a rooftop five-foot apart because of the trauma and pain they shared having been gifted a curse instead of a quirk.
Izuku fell into deep thought while sitting awkwardly yet somehow comfortably next to each other in silence. It felt odd to him, he had only met Kaneki once before yet, because of their similar circumstances, he felt as if he could tell him anything and he would understand.
Uraraka had told him time and time again that he could tell her anything and yet, whenever he felt things getting tough, he kept it all locked up inside until the dams began to shatter. He knew she tried to sympathize with him but he knew there was no way she could even fathom the amounts of trauma, horror, and guilt he felt on a daily basis while slowly eating away at him.
Uraraka was an amazing friend to cry on, but she could never fully understand how he truly felt...
Kaneki was the only person he knew who had felt the same emotions as him and fully understood the depth behind them.
"...Two of my friends discovered who I am..." Izuku quietly began with a sniffle, slowly forming in the corners of his eyes, catching Kanekis' attention; who slowly shifted his head towards him, "T-they were both horrified with me... They were so angry at me...
Izuku slowly pulled the edges of his hoodie to his wrists and used the material to dry his tears.
"….. I don't know why~…. B-but neither of them told the police my identity before coming to me for answers, both of them demanding answers and explanations.
He let out a weary wet chuckled as he sniffed back at the forming mucus in his throat.
" hehe... The only reason / know how close the police are to catching me is because one of them has access to the police files on my case, it turns out they thought my friend who discovered who I was first was their main suspect..!"
Izuku missed the way Kaneki had sat up a little straighter at that, staring intently towards him as Izuku moaned with distress; bringing his hands up into his hair grabbing it tightly.
"I'm stupidly lucky I haven't been caught already. It won't surprise me if they figure it out and I'm cornered by the end of the week...
The pair sat in silence as Izuku finished his small rant, allowing the younger boy to catch his breath and wipe his tear stained eyes. The moon, which was way high into the sky twinkling above them, was the only movement they could see when Kaneki spoke up next.
"Do you remember my friend who I mentioned last time we met..?"
Izuku looked fully towards Kaneki for the first time since their conversation began, looking at him questioningly.
"You mean the guy with the regeneration quirk..?"
Kaneki nodded affirmatively.
"His name is Hideyoshi Nagachika, but he prefers to be called Hide... I haven't spoken to him yet about you, but I'm sure he'd figured out long before the media had about your quirk. I haven't told him I've met you either..." Kaneki began with a strange edge to his tone, "I'm meeting with him tomorrow, and I'm going to mention you to him..."
Izuku felt his eyes widen as the other ghoul continued on, tense and on edge, as he didn't know where this conversation was headed. Kaneki started seriously, looking directly towards him; a firm, almost determined look forming in his eyes.
"I'm going to ask him if he would be willing to help you, so you won't have to kill anyone anymore.
Izuku sat back in utter shock, stunned, speechless, in a way nothing as simple as words could describe.
"…..B-but.. I- Why..!" he managed to splutter out as he felt his eyes bulge as he asked the other ghoul the question he desperately wanted the answer for.
Kaneki lowered his head as he replied, "I told you before I know what it's like to live with the constant guilt of having to think of where your next meal will come from..
Izuku lowered his in shame at the reminder, proving Kaneki's statement. Kaneki paused for a bit at Izuku obvious reaction to what he had said before exhaling, " I can't promise anything but I sure he will most likely agree, he had the same will to save people that you seem to have, even though with his quirk he couldn't become a hero."
"Anyone can be a hero, it doesn't matter what their quirk is..."Izuku said subconsciously, not putting any thought into his words before saying them; the kind words making Kaneki pause before smiling slightly for the first time that Izukus has seen him.
"…I'm sure he could of..." Kaneki began with a quiet murmur before pulling out a small piece of paper and writing something down and passing it towards him. "Here. If you want, meet me here tomorrow after you get out of school, i'll be around this area for the day since it's right next to my University; and if my friend agrees, he'll be there too."
Izuku took the note without hesitation.
The Musutafu police station was in chaos, people running around trying to deliver notes and paperwork, phone lines ringing from all directions, and shouts being called out from all directions.
Outside the station was no better, the pavement outside covered in press and reporters; trying to gather more information on the 'bloody stain' case.
Aizawa could help but become agitated at the thought, the case was meant to be private, the ghoul quirk a secret. He wasn't surprised, however, having seen the number of cameras and reporters at the Stain attack in Hosu a little over a week ago.
With the entrance to the station being overcrowded, he made the decision to make his way inside from the roof, like the anti-social underground pro he was; swinging across the rooftops with his scarf till he landed on the stations' roof before slipping in through the rooftop exit door.
It didn't take him long to come face to face with detective Tsukauchi, who was busy dealing with a phone at the moment of his arrival.
The detective looked up and nodded with acknowledgment at his appearance, quickly returning to his phone call. It didn't take long to finish before he was placing the receiver back down in place.
"We really need to step up our game if we want to have any hope of catching this ghoul The detective began with a deep sigh, Aizawa nodding in agreement as he walked over to his office door and closed it; reducing the amount of noise flooding into the room.
The detective ran his hands through his hair stressfully before returning to his desk, looked through a pile of paperwork, "I'm not sure if Nezu has made you aware of this, but he and the detectives on the case have come to an agreement to some special equipment to try and catch whoever this ghoul is.
Aizawa looked down at the seated detective questioningly, speaking up for the first time since entering the building, "Special equipment..? What does that mean?"
Tsukauchi sighed again as he finally found the paperwork he was looking for, pulling it out and handing it to the Pro-hero.
"We've started to believe bringing out some of the old-fashioned quinques is going to be the best step forward in this case. Some of the tools originally used during the 1st to 3rd generations of quirk users; where Ghoul quirks were most prevalent. We've been searching for some for a while but only recently got the go-ahead to use them on the bloody stain after the Hosu Incident."
Aizawa looked up from the document in his hands which held some of the information the police had collected on these tools, a little horrified at the chances of one of his students having to face one of them; even though the only suspect in his class so far had been debunked.
"Right, so how do these things work then?"
Tsukauchi looked towards the sheet of paper in Aizawa's hands, "You already know that ghouls can't only be damaged or harmed using normal weapons and techniques?"
Aizawa nodded silently, thinking back to his own experiences, the video footage from Kamui Woods attack, and Todoroki's statement from only a few days ago.
"Well, we had discovered something a while ago while reading some of the old accounts we found in our initial research." The detective started again,
" Turns out Ghouls weren't the most habitual with their own kind, constantly fighting over territory for food and power; similar to how wolves behave."
Aizawa cringed at the comparison, even though they were feared, they were still human.
"Apparently lots of ghouls would fight with each other" Aizawa silently allowed the detective to continue on, "and managed to tear through each other's skin with ease. People must have seen that as they began taking the RC cell sacks, which is where their Kagune grows from and used them to make these tools. We're still unsure of the process but if history is correct, that these tools helped bring an end to the ghouls over a hundred years ago, then these tools will be a great breakthrough for us..."
Aizawa stood shocked at the detectives' statements, these tools were made from human body parts..? Parts of quirks being dismembered to be used separately from the body by other people! It denied all common laws they knew about how Ouirks worked!
"People were being harvested for their quirks..!?"
Aizawa said horrified, staring in shock and disbelief at the detective.
Unfortunately, Tsukauchi nodded in confirmation at his question," Yes, they were. But we have no intention of doing that with the Bloody Stain unless absolutely necessary."
Aizawa furrowed his brows," And what do you mean by that..?"
"I mean, the detective began, "If they won't back down, we have no other choice when subduing them..."
Aizawa sighed, feeling the headache slowly coming on, first the Nomus with multiple quirks and now quirks which could be dismembered from the original host and used by other people; god what was gonna happen next? Someone who could steal quirks off other people?!
The day that happened would be the day Aizawa would give up trying to understand anything about how quirks worked, mark his words; nothing past that point would surprise him anymore.
Tsukauchi got up from his desk chair and made his way over to a small case on the side of the room," This is one of the Quinques we've had delivered from the other side of the country, hopefully by the time the Ghouls next feeding date comes around, we'll have one for you to take with you; just in case..." He finished, placing the case on the table with a thump before clicking it open.
Aizawa peered in at the small stick with the box at the end of the handle. He didn't know if he could bring himself to use one of these without the lingering thought that they could be one of his students. One of the students from the only class he had yet to expel someone from yet.
But he was a hero, and heroes couldn't stand by while people were being murdered; even if the dead were criminals themselves.
Tsuhauchi took a deep breath in as Aizawa slowly reached in to hold the handle on the side of the Quinque, "With our first suspect debunked, we're back to square one. Are you ready to go looking for them once again?"
Aizawa narrowed his eyes determinedly as he looked down at the dark metal material in the palm of his hands, " As ready as I'll ever be..."
After school the next day, Izuku started his journey in the opposite direction than normal, both lida and Uraraka who normally walked with him to his usual station were both confused till he explained to them that he was going to meet a friend. Izuku had seen the skeptical look in Urarakas eyes but she seemed to come to a conclusion and hugged him goodbye before whispering into his ear to message her later; to which he nodded with agreement.
During the morning before school, he had quickly searched up the address on the small piece of paper; discovering the address leading to the next city which would require the bullet train to get to.
Thanks to the high-speed train it had only taken around forty-five minutes to reach the destination; spotting Kaneki where he promised to be, talking to someone of around the same age with blond coloured hair that was similar to Kaminaris'.
Izuku couldn't help feeling a little relieved at the appearance of the person standing beside Kaneki, hoping it was his friend, Hideyoshi, that he had mentioned before. It seemed as if he had been staring for a while when Kanekis friend noticed him and pointed towards him, catching Kaneki's attention; who turned around to look at him and nod in response to whatever Hideyoshi had said.
He slowly made his way towards them, slightly unsure as Kaneki waved him over towards them.
Thankfully his friend seemed to notice his nervousness and quickly introduced himself.
"Hi there! I'm Hideyoshi Nagachika, but you can call me Hide!" He called out with a bright smile and a wave.
Izuku smiled awkwardly back at the boy, "Oh-I'm Midoriya Izuku, It's nice to meet you.!"
Nagachika just miled brighter at his words before looking up slightly and back towards where Kaneki silently stood, "So, shall we go back to our place..?"
Izuku furrowed his brows slightly, "Our place..?"
Nagachika nodded while being to walk off in a specific direction, Kaneki walking close behind,
"Yea! Kaneki and I are roommates, we have been singe high school."
Izuku's eyes widened slightly with surprise, as he quickly walked to catch up with them, "Oh-Ok, I see!"
Nagachika didn't say anything more, but smiled comfortingly in Izuku's direction before turning forward to carry on his conversation with Kaneki; probably already realising how uncomfortable and nervous he was feeling, while trying not to make his anxiety any worse.
It seemed to work as by the time they had reached the building where Hide and Kaneki lived, he was already starting to relax in Hides' presence; not at all put off by the new stranger.
The trio walked out a couple flights of stairs before Kaneki pulled out a set of keys and walked into the Apartment. Izuku didn't really know what to expect, but it seemed like a very normal looking apartment to him.
As they made their way into the kitchen, Kaneki walked off into a separate room to go do something; leaving Izuku alone with Hide.
"so..." Hide began off slowly, turning towards where Izuku was standing. "When was the last time you ate?"
Izuku jumped slightly at the sudden abruptness of it all, "I- uhh, About a week ago..."
Hide shook his head, seemingly disappointed with his answer, "No, I meant a full meal for you."
Izuku paused as he thought back carefully, when was the last time he had eaten his full amount without being disturbed or having to leave halfway through. He couldn't remember, his eating plan had gotten so messy since he had begun at UA...
"I can't really remember, it's been a while since i've eaten without having to stop before i was full..." He murmured out awkwardly, feeling incredibly ashamed and embarrassed.
Nagachika nodded, "That's alright. But we're going to fix that now, alright?"
Izuku nodded silently, understanding what he meant.
Nagachika silently pointed to a chair for Izuku to sit down in as he started wandering around the room, gathering things, "Ok, just so you know what's going to happen, i'm going to explain my quirk to you. Alright?"
Izuku perked up and the mention of Hides quirk, nodding slightly more enthusiastically this time.
"My quirk is a type of regeneration, but it's a bit of a weird one, think of it like a lizard that loses its tail when it's stressed."
Izuky nodded at the first statement, hand twitching slightly as he wanted to grab for his notebook.
"When i get extremely stressed, my limbs or arms start to fall off and slowly regrow. Something similar happens when i get food for Kaneki. I'm not stressed when i do so, so i still bleed for a little bit before the stress in my limb forms and slowly regrows into a stump; just as if i had surgery to have a limb taken off."
Nagachika slowly walked back to the coffee table with some things in his hands, "The stump forms in under a few minutes to stop me bleeding out, but the regrowth of the limbs takes about half a day."
"Doesn't it hurt all the time.?" Izuku asked quietly, catching Nagachika slightly by surprise at the sudden question from the quiet boy, "I mean cutting your own limbs of multiple times a weeks..?!"
Nagachika nodded slightly, "It does a little but i've been doing this for so long now it only makes me tired," He started softly, "But it's better than having people die.
Izuku flinched at that statement, stammering out a quite "sorry.."
Nagachika sighed, "Nah it's fine, it's not your fault," he paused for a moment, thinking over his next WoMs," Kaneki told me two of your friends know, Is that true..?"
Izuku nodded slightly, sighing softly, "Yea they know, one of them actually only found out yesterday..."
Nagachika whistled at that, "Woo, you've been going though one hell of a rollercoaster ride, haven't you?"
Izuku nodded silently in agreement, the pair quietly shifting into an awkward silence.
"Say... Izuku began, "How did you find out about
Kaneki being a ghoul..?"
The word Ghoul rang out though the silent room, as Nagachika paused at the question thinking deeply.
"I….. met Kaneki during our first year of highschool, about four years ago..." The blond haired boy slowly began, his voice deepening from the cheerful voice Izuku had heard earlier, " He was always quite quiet so I tried to befriend him. About a month into the school year he didn't turn up for a week. I had gotten a bit concerned so I had got to the faculty office and asked for his address to check on him. They had been reluctant at first but I managed to convince them." he finished with a weak chuckle.
"Once i had arrived at his house, the door had been locked and he had refused to answer the door. I knew he had been home because i could hear his breathing through the door...'
Nagachika brought his hand up to his face and rubbed his eyes as he took a deep breath.
"I ended up breaking the door down and walking in unannounced."
The blond haired boy paused before shaking his head slightly, seeming contemplating whether he should continue or not.
"He had been trying to starve himself to death...
When i walked in he ended up attacking me and trying to eat me...
Izuku's eyes widened in shock, gasping slightly as he brought his hands up to his mouth as tears began to pool in his eyes; hearing about the consequences of what had happened while knowing how close he had been to trying to do that same thing Hide was talking about right now.
Nagachika looked up at Izuku and gave him a soft comforting smile, "Its alright though, I became so stressed that my limbs began dropping off. It was pretty scary at the time, especially since that was the first time i had used my quirk, but it's the only reason i'm still alive now."
Izuku nodded again, wiping away at his tears, before realising what Hide had said; looking up at him questioningly, "What do you mean that was the first time you had used your quirk..?"
Nagachika smiled more brightly down at him as he picked up the belt from the table of things he had brought over, one Izuku now noticed to be a very sharp knife, "Legally, im quirkless. Until that incident i didn't know i had a quirk."
Izuku sat back stunned, mouth agape, as Nagachika laughed lightly," guess in some ways you could say i'm grateful for that incident, even though i didn't register my quirk. Too many questions would come about how i discovered it if i did that..!"
Quirkless, huh..?
Nagachika continued on with the conversation, not really noticing the inner shock he had placed on Izuku.
" I don't want to see my friend trying to starve himself and getting himself into situations like that again, or situations like you yourself seem to be in," He began seriously.
"I know Kaneki lives with the guilty and thinks about it almost everyday that he almost killed me, I don't care about what happened anymore. I know he feels like he owes me so much but this is the first time he has ever asked me for anything.
Nagachika began wrapping the belt around his forearm tightly as he continued speaking.
"The police are hot on your tail right? And you want to be a hero, don't you? You saved your friends from Stain the hero killer of all people didn't you..?" He asked carefully.
Izuku nodded slowly, not really knowing where the question was going.
Nagachika nodded his head back with a cheerful smile, "Right, well we can't have you getting caught then can we..! This world needs more heroes who do their work just for the sake of saving people."
Izuku sat back in surprise as Nagachika lifted up the knife and point it towards Izuku before pointing it over to the door, pulling the belt around his arm tightly, "Right.." Hide managed to mutter out past the thick layer of leather, "... go out and wait in the other room, i don't want you seeing anything for your and my own piece of mind, you see enough blood as it is..."
Hesitantly, Izuku nodded before quickly scampering out of the room; almost too soon a plate was before him, a fresh, lifeless, bloody arm sat right on top.
Izuku sat frozen at the sight of the arm before him so suddenly, everything was happening so quickly he didn't know how to feel.
Was this real..? Had this all really just happened or was it all a dream...
He didn't even feel the tear begin to pool in his eyes, all too stunned as his mind was slowly processing it all, until they began to fall and soak through his school trousers.
This was real... It was real.! He didn't have to kill anyone this time around..!
His slow tears quickly grew to happy cries and sobs, his hands reaching up to his mouth as he tried to muffle the loud cries of euphoria he was feeling; waves of relief and pure joy flooding his body for the first time in his life.
This was a way out..! A way to a new life ..! A way to live without regret!
A way to finally become a true hero..!
Izuku knew his past would never leave him, the guilt would always be there, plaguing in the back of his mind but this..
This was a start..!
It didn't take him long to scoff down the blooded arm, choking on it slightly as he swallowed some bits without chewing. Once he had finished and wiped off the blood from around his mouth he walked out of the room he had been left alone into where he had last seen Hide.
Nagachika sat on the sofa watching the tv, slowly nursing the now newly formed stump like it was nothing, slowly looking over at the sounds of the door opening. Concern flickered over the blond haired boy's expression as he saw the tear stains which littered over Midoriya's face, seemingly looking as if he was going to burst into tears again.
"Midoriya? Are all right-"
He was quickly cut off as Izuku burst up into tears and ran towards the blond haired boy, hugging him tightly as if he would disappear and muttering out phases so quickly he could hardly register them.
" T-tha nk you..." He gasped out, sucking in a shaky deep breath before muttering on, " Thank yo u so much... T-thank you..!" Izuku sobbed hard into the blond-haired boy's shoulder, shaking harshly in the embrace.
Nagachika smiled and brought up his remaining arm and hugged him back, slightly ruffling Izuku's green hair, "Oh it's alright... It's going to be alright, ok?"
After Izuku had settled down, almost an hour later, he left Kaneki and Hide's apartment with a wide happy smile. The two boys waved him off as they watched Midoriya head towards the train station.
They stood in silence at their front door, watching him walk off, before Hide quietly spoke up.
"You know..." He began softly, slowly turning towards Kaneki, "He reminds me of you, when I met you all those years ago..
Kaneki turned to face Hide with a look of surprise,
"Huh.?" Kaneki's response made Hide laugh out loud.
It didn't take Nagachika long to settle down again, slowly lifting his only hand up to hold his other forearm, as he looked out towards the sun which was slowly beginning to set.
"Midoriyas a good kid and I'm sure he will become a great hero one day... Hopefully with the right guidance and help, he will be able to achieve it, especially now that he won't have to kill people to eat anymore.."
Kaneki looked at Hides wistful face as he turned to face the setting sun as well, smiling softly at his friends optimistic words,
"Yea, I hope so too..!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone