✓ My Brother! (BakuDeku)

▪ Chapter 20 (Ϲan't Trust) ▪

    "So, you liking it here, kid?" a kind woman asked, sitting down next to Izuku's chair. "They've been working ya too hard."

      Izuku shook his head, "It's all really easy work. I like it here, too. It's all fresh, even the air."

     "Look, kid," she whispered, looking around anxiously. Nobody was near a few mile radius. She frowned, "Sorry about this. I- My family needs the money."

     "Huh?" Izuku barely had time to ask about the cryptic message when he was hit harshly upside the head. 

. o O o . 

     "Has anyone seen Midoriya?" Aizawa asked the people in the room when everyone was eating, including the staff. 

     Hisako shrugged, "Yeah, he was going to the woods last time I saw him." She had a small smile on her face, but only when she thought nobody was looking. Too bad for her, Katsuki saw.

     Aizawa looked confused, "Did you guys tell him to go get firewood again?"

     The head of staff shook his head, "No, he had gotten enough yesterday."

     Hisako frowned, "He must've gotten lost..." She said innocently batting her eye lashes. 

     Katsuki was the first to get up. He ran towards the door. It was raining now, but he didn't care. Something happened to Izuku. Something that Hisako caused. He ran towards the woods, and before he went in, he heard his friends' footsteps. They all had determination written on their faces. They must've made the same conclusion he had.

     Mina said in a dark tone, "We need to find him. Midoriya did something.... Let's check the woods."

     They all nodded and fanned out into the woods, desperately trying to find Izuku in the rain. The mud was sometimes too deep in areas, and they would get stuck. Other times, they went tumbling because it was slippery. 

     Nobody fell as much as Katsuki did. He was covered in bruises and cuts, but he was also the farthest in. He needed to find Izuku soon....

     He slipped, harder than all the last times combined and went tumbling. He groaned as he tried to get up, but he just realized that he had fallen into the ground. It looked like a bunker with a cozy feeling to it. Katsuki shuddered, what was going on?

     A dark figure approached him and stepped into the light. He raised his hands but stopped when he knew who the person was. She was part of the staff, middle aged. But she was beat up. She had a couple of bruises next to her eye and a cut here or there. 

     Once she saw Katsuki, tears prickled her eyes. 

     "I- I did it for the money," she said without context, but Katsuki understood right away. "When they refused to pay me once I handed him over, I tried to get- I tried to get the boy back..." Her voice cracked. 

     "He was such a sweet boy too.... I tried, but they stopped me. One of them, I don't know how, but she cackled once she used her quirk to-to- "her breathing was ragged.

     "What did she do?!" Katsuki practically screamed. He harshly grabbed the woman's shoulders, squeezing them tightly.

     Her eyes were full of horror as she said, "She managed to attract the boy's heart right out of him.... It was so horrible; I screamed. I- I- had just sacrificed a young boy to villains- I-"

     She hiccupped as she sobbed. 

     Katsuki's heart stopped as he cupped his hand over his mouth to prevent the sour bile from coming out. 

     She was lying, she had to be, right?..... But Katsuki knew that she wasn't.

601 Words