𝙱𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙳𝚊𝚠𝚗 - 𝚃. 𝚃𝚘𝚢𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚜𝚞 𝚡 𝙾𝙲

Chapter Ten

Toyomitsu didn't know what to expect when Izumiya insisted on showing him why she was arrested instead of just telling him, but his curiosity grew with every block they walked together, trekking deeper into one of the roughest neighbourhoods in central Esuha.

The sun had set during their walk, allowing them to bear witness to the vibrant cherry hues of the sky fading into a kaleidoscope of others before the navy blanket of twilight had taken over. Though their conversations had been light in nature, when Izumiya slowed to a stop in front of a vacant building, Toyomitsu fell quiet and looked over at her.

"Izumiya?"

Steeling her nerves with a deep breath, the brunette reached out for Toyomitsu's hand and tugged him toward it. "Follow me."

Toyomitsu stayed put as he looked at the nearly dilapidated building before focusing on her once again. "We're not gonna go inside, right? It doesn't look safe. I don't want you to get hurt."

"No, we won't go inside, Mitsu," she hummed, her eyes sincere yet holding a vulnerability he'd only seen from her once before in a fleeting moment. "I won't get you into trouble; just...trust me, okay?"

"Okay," encasing her hand within his, Toyomitsu gave her hand a gentle squeeze before using the other to motion for her to lead the way. "I trust you."

Noticing the large cracks that ran up the sides of the building, windows with ratty old ripped curtains, and several lacklustre graffiti tags, Toyomitsu wasn't sure what to expect as they walked around the perimeter of the building hand in hand. Keeping his wits about him, he began to take a mental sweep of their surroundings, looking out for anything that seemed out of place or anyone who could pose a threat.

They turned a corner, finally making it to the back wall, and she softly hummed. "I'm glad they haven't painted over it yet."

Toyomitsu tore his eyes away from the dark alley a few dozen feet away from them and looked at Izumiya and the unreadable expression she held on her face, unaware of the typhoon building inside her from merely being there. Feeling his attention solely on her, the brunette's eyes flickered up and over to his, squeezing his hand gently before looking back at the wall in front of them. "This is why I was arrested."

With bated breath, the pro hero took in the image before him. A life-sized silhouette of a woman was painted on the light grey concrete in shades of black and charcoal. She was captured in motion, taking a step forward while the delicate birds that were once a part of her were now taking flight, stealing the essence of her spirit to bring along with them and leaving her misshapen and incomplete.

Silence hung between them as they both studied the piece, Toyomitsu trying to grasp the depth of the symbolism while Izumiya unexpectedly relived the night it happened.

"My parents died seven years, two months, and four days ago," Toyomitsu felt his heart contract as she spoke quietly. "A few blocks away from here in my mom's office building. Dad used to bring her lunch because she'd always forget it in the morning, and well...I guess no one really could've predicted Storm Spear's attack that day."

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, tearing his eyes away from the building to look at her. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed as she stared blankly ahead. This was the first time she'd ever told anyone what happened, and while she didn't quite understand why she was telling Toyomitsu, Izumiya couldn't stop the words spilling from her lips, nor could she stop the stinging of her eyes while she fought back tears.

"I was at university when it happened. I didn't even know that anything was going on because we were in the middle of a typography class on the other side of town. It wasn't until my phone rang and Itsuo's number popped up that I found out the attack had hit mom's office," Izumiya wiped away the first tear she felt gather in her eyes with the back of her free hand. "I didn't even grab my bag before I left. I just ran and ran until I reached the barricades they'd set up, staring at the wreckage for hours and hoping to see both my parents appear...but they never did."