Swallowed By Darkness

Chapter 31

     All Might blushed but smiled listening to Deku chat away. Deku had boundless energy as he skipped, jumped, hopped, balanced and walked while swinging his arms wildly in the air. "You know Toshinori san, you're like Kachi! He's cool and strong but claims to be someone else. He tried to convince me he was kacchan. Silly him Kacchan is my age!"

All Might stuffed a chuckle, "You think I'm lying?"

"Of course, All Might is big and strong." Deku posed while mimicking All Might's laugh, "Ha Ha Ha Hah! Have no fear All Might is Here!" Deku started to walk backwards, "That's what he sounds like you know."

All Might was ready to die from embarrassment. His face had the complexion of a ripe tomato. It was clear that Deku had been a Hero nerd from the very start. "You'll be an excellent hero." All Might said softly feeling guilty while recalling the time months ago when Deku looked him straight in the eyes and vanished into the black abyss. He disappeared without a trace, without a word, until now.

A loud crash stopped the two, All Might looked at Deku than at the scene of Villains terrorizing the civilians. There were no other Heroes around. He looked down at Deku who wasn't too scared and was looking around waiting with excitement for a hero to appear before his eyes. All Might sighed, he didn't want to let Deku out of his sight especially after everything that had happened and the amount of time they had been apart. A baby cried in the distance and another loud crash echoed. All Might sighed he couldn't give up his hero duties especially when crime happened in front of his eyes. "Five minutes." He told himself All Might could last that long, and he could resolve it in that short amount of time. If he couldn't it would still be long enough to hold off the villains until younger heroes arrived.

He looked at Deku, "Will you be alright for five minutes?" All Might asked while transforming,

Deku, starstruck enthusiastically banged his head up and down. He was at a loss for words but stars sparkled in his eyes.

"Stay here! I promise I'll be back in five minutes!" as All Might told him as he jumped towards the sounds.

"Wow!" Deku squealed, his body shook, and he spun around jumping simultaneously. Deku's fanboying was interrupted by a low grumble. A boy around his age fell out of a bush he tripped into. "Are you okay?" He exclaimed while running towards the boy with silver hair.

The boy looked up at Deku's innocent eyes. He had a menacing look shining under a hand that hid is face. Shigariki slapped Deku's outstretched hand away. Deku smiled sweetly, "Do you need help?" He asked. No answer, "Hey my name is Izuku! What's yours?"

Nothing.

Deku began a barrage of questions. " What is your quirk? How old are you? Are you lost? Can you talk or are you mute? What's with the hand on your face? Why do you wear it? Can you take it off?"

Shigariki eyebrow twitched. He clenched his fist and black smoke started to rise. He swung his little hand into the bush behind him to avoid killing the small Deku. As a result the area where his hand connected with the bush crumbled into nothing. He looked up expecting the overly cheerful boy to become afraid like everyone else around him and run off. This action had the completely opposite effect.

"Amazing!!!" Deku grab the hand that had just destroyed moments ago without hesitation. "Be my friend! You're strong and cool, even though you're a little weird." Deku shook the hands up and down.

Shigariki pulled the hand away cradling it in his chest. It was warm and he blushed, smiling shyly. He stopped smiling Surprised to catch himself doing so. He pulled off the hand on his face without a word he nodded. Shigariki was not used to such boldness, and kindness. His world was cold and unforgiving. The worst part was the eyes. The way people looked at him.

His eyes reflected the cold and empty world, he could see into people's hearts and found it unforgiving. He could see their contempt and fear. When he looked into his mother's eyes all he saw was a vast, unreadable, darkness. They never looked at him the way a mother's eyes should. There were only two people he could look straight into their eyes Sensei and Kurogiri. But this kid who called himself Izuku, Was The third. Izuku had a warm air around him, it was refreshing. There was a connection Shigariki made, a rare one.

Deku pulled off his small backpack and rummaged through a stash of sweets. He pulled out a bottle of lotion and handed it to Shigariki. "Were friends now and friends share and help each other."

A Friend huh? Shigariki thought blinking absentminded.

Deku tilted his head when Shigariki didn't take the bottle. He put the bag on the ground and squeezed out the liquid that smelled like lavender. He rubbed it in his hands and then slapped some on Shigariki's face.

"You can take the bottle it will help, I don't have any chapstick but you should also get some of that."

The lotion was much colder than the boys hands and shigariki nodded submissively to the boys kind demands.

In the distance a voice called out "Young Midoryia?"

Shigariki flinched as Izuku picked up his bag and jumped towards the voice waving. "I've got to go now! Bye-bye! See yah later okay!"

Shigariki smiled and waved slightly as opposed to Deku's wide and exaggerated waves.

Deku ran and jumped grabbing All Might's arm. Shigariki watched as the strong hero deflated into a scrawny weak man and blood started to spill from his mouth. Izuku looked panicked for a moment then with determination he lifted the scrawny hero up trying to support him. Shigariki chuckled, rolling the bottle of lotion in his hand. He turned to disappear before the Hero spotted him.

He didn't see any more of the kind boy, instead he ran into a young man with burned skin. "Ah-ha! Found you!" The man grabbed Shigariki's hand "Why did you run away from Scrap? It was such a pain to go through all this trouble." He let go the moment Shigariki began to activate his quirk.

"Really? Really. I give up. I'm not dealing with this crap Kurogiri can warp us maybe you'll listen to him."

"Kurogiri?" Shigariki spoke softly.

"Oh a response! Yeah let's talk to him you trust him right? " Shigariki nodded as Dabi pulled out his phone.