Trust no one. (Sequel to 'What's next?')

Chapter 4

15th January 2250

"Aizawa, it's good to see you." I wrap my arms around him as he does the same to me.

"It's good to see you too Rumi." His voice, once filled with exhaustion, now filled with some life as he expressed more emotion than ever. His dark hair had some grey strands peaking through and the whites of his eyes had started to appear more... white. With less use of his quirk, it must mean his eyes are getting the proper rest.

"How's partial retirement?" He smiles lightly at the question.

"It's been great. Less hours as a hero mean more sleep, more time with Nem, and more time here." He looks up to the building, eyes glossing over as he recalls a memory.

"About that, why did you want to meet here?" Tilting me head slightly, I ask the question in the back of my mind. His head tilts in my direction slightly as he thinks it over.

"Because I'm busy the rest of the day, and this is the only time I'm somewhat not doing anything." I nod my head and walk inside with him.

We take a seat outside Kirogiri's room and I start talking again.

"So what do you want to know?" He lets out a sigh.

"Just give a basic rundown of what you know about Alecto." Sheepishly, I scratch the back of my head.

"That's the thing, we know virtually nothing about him. We've only found out two piece of information about him, one of them being a rumour. That rumour is that he has a sidekick." I shake my head in disappointment. "And even now, I think that was all it was, a rumour. The other was that he walks around with a bow, and Izuku's old sword." His gaze snaps to me in surprise.

"What! How does he have his sword?" His voice was in a hush tone but carried an underlying panic.

"It's as Izuku told me, that blade found him, it chose him to protect Japan. The sword has simply found a new owner." Aizawa lets out another sigh.

"It's like I'm dealing with Izuku again." He brings his head into his hands. He tilts his head up towards me and asks a question. "How are you doing? Regarding Izuku." Leaning back, I look to the roof in thought.

"I'm not too sure. Nezu thinks I'm using this case as a reminder, and I think he may be right. It was only yesterday that I took a 'first step' in moving on but I still want that reminder of him." A sigh escapes my lips.

"Did you know, it was Izuku that told me who Kirogiri used to be." Confusion fills my mind. "In his last message, he told me. And since then, I've been visiting him in case I can bring back even a sliver of what used to be." His eyes seem to gloss over again before snapping back into focus. "What I'm getting at is, he told you to be happy, correct? To not let his death stop you from doing anything?" I give a small nod. "Well maybe, moving on is going to make you happy. Even if it is with another man, I'm sure Izuku will be happy that you're happy. It isn't wrong to have a reminder of what used to be, but we can't stay in the past, otherwise you'll drown in it."

"I understand. I'll always love Izuku, but I can't let that stop me from doing something." He rests his hand on my shoulder.

"I'm glad you can accept that." One of the officers guarding Kirogiri come up to us.

"The patient is ready to see you." Aizawa nods in response before turning back to me.

"I'll see you around. With the Alecto case, I won't be doing as many patrol hours as you, but I'll try meeting any old contacts I used to have. Maybe they'll know something." I nod in agreement and say one last thing before leaving.

"Before I go, how much has Nezu told you?" His eyes narrow as he thinks of a response.

"He told me he's been making progress on the message from Alecto. He also gave a USB on the Alecto case so I'll have a look later." My eyes cast downwards as I take my leave. I give him one last nod and turn around to the door.