Before my heart gives out (My hero academia)

First meetings

It's been a couple of months since Ryu left and Izuku found himself sinking back into the ever-present darkness. The loneliness and depressing thoughts are slowly creeping back into his mind.

He thinks that somehow, he was destined to go through whatever short life he has, completely alone.

Every day, he tries his best to get by, to keep moving. His life may be short, but he'll do his damn best to live it to its fullest.

It's becoming a sort of routine for him, to sneak out late at night from the orphanage. People don't notice the way he carries himself differently now. Even if they do, they don't mention it.

Although, after a while, Izuku decided that it was time to just leave the place. Denji's tormenting was starting to get out of hand and Izuku didn't have the patience anymore to just take it and move on. So, a couple of weeks earlier, he moved all of his stuff- which weren't many- to the warehouse. Officially making it his home.

He'd go out every night, dancing across the rooftops of Musutafu as he listens for any sign of distress.

It was strange, how calming it felt for him to be out there.

People around the neighborhood where he patrols started to know him, his name quickly spreading across the streets of the prefecture.  Shadow was rapidly gaining the support of the public. However, this wasn't a good thing. With the recognition came the extra pursuit. The police is becoming a nuisance and he hasn't been doing this for more than a few months.

It was all worth it though, knowing that his mother didn't die in vain. He knew he could handle anything the police threw at him. Ryu had taught him the beautiful art of evasion after all.

Izuku started to treat it like a game of cat and mouse, albeit an unbelievably hard, it was fun nonetheless. The police department was getting more and more frustrated each time he got away. Still, he was getting better at it, every time.

The head detective in charge of his arrest was a well-known officer.

Tsukauchi Naomosa is a simple man, respected for his efficiency and dedication. He even came to like the man after a while.

The detective wouldn't admit it but Izuku could tell that the man was having fun too. After all, Izuku wasn't harming anyone, he wasn't even really breaking the law. Since the definition of a vigilante, is someone who uses their quirk, illegally to fight crime. Izuku technically wasn't using a quirk. He didn't know what his powers were but they definitely weren't a quirk. He got used to leaving notes for the detective to find, whether it was clues on cases, leads on some criminals or just some honest to godawful puns, that made him laugh every time as he pictured the detective getting them.

Of course, he couldn't really write them on his own, so he'd usually print them beforehand.

The warehouse, Ryu offered him, was proving to be essential in his late-night escapades. Honestly, Izuku didn't know what he would've done without it.

Most nights, he'd finish his patrols with at least one or two injuries. He was still getting used to the whole fighting bad guys thing, and things didn't always go smoothly. So, having a place to take care of his wounds and rest was a blessing.

Not to mention that the warehouse was a great space for storage, since, his arsenal was only growing. The contact Ryu gave him was more than willing to make him whatever he wanted. However, the man couldn't keep doing it for free so Izuku opted to find a part-time job.

It was hard at first, no one wanted to hire the blind "quirkless" kid but after helping the owner get rid of some less than pleasant customers, the lady gave him a job at her bookstore.