Golden Echo

by ForeverNightlights24_7

Summary:

Kineko, the golden echo. Hizashi died a long time ago, and in his place remained a nomu who's only chance to escape All For One's control was the bright green eyes looking up at him in awe. The eyes of a young child, who will save everyone, like a real hero.

Highly inspired by the Nomu Present Mic design by YourInternetMom on TikTok!

Chapter 1

Yamada Hizashi is dead.

He died the day that building toppled over, flinging debris so fast he didn’t have time to react before the world went black.

He’s dead.

Kineko is alive. As alive as a walking corpse can be.

He’s a nomu. The perfect nomu, according to Garaki at the moment. The doctor was still working on something better.

Kineko is a simple being. He loves cooking, finding the activity calming and exciting. He hates cleaning with a burning passion, even though he’s still forced to do it nowadays. He’s also mute.

Not quiet, not shy, mute.

The doctor took a sick sort of pleasure in slitting Kineko’s throat during his creation, pulling the voice box out before melting his original mouth closed.

He had other mouths now though.

His first quirk, Consume, causes Kineko to create or mutate mouths across his body that let him eat anything with little to no drawbacks and even filter poisons out of his system.

His second quirk was the real reason for his creation. Wormhole, the ability to rip wormholes from one place to another with either past experience in the place or a mental tether occupying it.

The third quirk was… unique. Twisted Damage. The ability to move damage from one living thing to another through physical contact. His time-based limits prevented him from curing the scars littering All For One’s face and the damage to his body, but he was now forced to help Garaki with his experiments.

Kineko didn’t complain. He couldn’t even if he wanted to. He just did his job as asked.

His reward after six years of hard work? Being allowed to finally let his hair grow out to hip length. The golden strands were so close to Hizashi’s, but they weren’t. It wasn’t his.

Looking in a mirror was worse. Kineko hated seeing his vibrant purple eyes, so much so it was part of the reason he hated cleaning.

That wasn’t even mentioning the scars. Distantly, through the buzzing haze that consumed his mind, Kineko wished he could use makeup to hide the disgusting marks etched across his skin. But no, he isn’t allowed to do that. He’s only allowed to wear a simple face mask to hide the scar branded across his lower face. That was only allowed because the scar was ugly, according to Tomura.

Kineko went along his days like a machine. He was a machine. An emotionless abomination that was never meant to exist.

But he does.

He does exist, and he’s alive.

As alive as he can be through the deafening buzz that silences his real thoughts and memories.

Though, on the rare occasion, Kineko sees brilliant sky blue and lovely ink black in his dreams. All warm. All kind. All familiar. All gone.

Kineko didn’t let himself think about it most of the time. He avoided it, because last time it was brought up, he was sent to Garaki for “improvements”

He hated Garaki.

He disliked Tomura.

He DESPISED All For One.

But he behaved. He was nothing more than a servant to the man, like he was meant to be.

He wouldn’t dare go against his programming and training. He knows better.

He KNOWS!

So why is this child, with such beautiful emerald eyes, cutting through that logic and making him question his only purpose?

Chapter 2

Summary:

Kineko and Izuku grow closer.

Izuku was only diagnosed as quirkless two years ago, and his life has gone downhill faster than he ever thought possible in the time since then.

First, his dad left. His mom started overworking herself, gaining weight from the stress. Kacchan started hating him. The school became his personal hell.

Izuku wasn’t sure it could get worse, until the other kids started using their quirks on him. The injuries were bad sometimes, but Izuku couldn’t bother his mom about them after the last time he tried caused her to have a breakdown that lasted hours.

All that to say that what was currently happening wasn’t anything new.

Izuku was running as fast as his little legs could carry him, darting around people in the streets in hopes of escaping Kacchan and his friends at least once this week. He’d already been beaten up five times that week, and it was only Wednesday.

“Get back here, Deku!” The angry blond roared.

Izuku was starting to lose energy, slowing in his run when he slammed face first into someone. Izuku fell harshly to the ground, and the man he ran into dropped the cups he’d been balancing all over the sidewalk.

“I-I’m so s-sorry-” “Deku!” Izuku flinched harshly, instinctively ducking down in preparation for his former friend’s attack. When nothing happened for a few seconds, Izuku raised his head.

The tall, very tall, man Izuku had run into was standing between Izuku and the other children, glaring down at them angrily.

“Thank you.” Izuku whispered when the others eventually ran off and the man turned to face him.

The man didn’t reply, his eyes just sinking down to the spilled drinks. “O-oh!” Izuku jumped up and bowed. “I’m so sorry! Ca-can I help you with yo-your drinks as thanks?” The man nodded once, spinning on his heel to reenter the cafe he originally exited from.

Despite his better judgement, Izuku followed the man in, out, and away from the cafe as he helped carry the large amount of coffee orders further and further into the Red Light District.

As they walked, Izuku took in the man’s appearance. He was tall, Izuku hardly reaching his hip at full height. The man’s hair was long too, the golden strands reaching just below his knees. His outfit was rather proper too. Izuku thought the man looked like a fancy man he saw in those richer parts of town. Someone that Auntie Mitsuki would work with.

They stopped in front of a run down building. Izuku read the sign slowly. “Silver’s… Bar?” The man nodded once, leading Izuku inside.

Once he was in the building, Izuku heard the yelling and cheering. Izuku kept his head down from then on, leaving it to the man when they both entered the bar area and started handing out the drinks.

“Who’s the little brat? He for us?” Someone asked, and Izuku hid behind the tall man’s leg to get away. The tall man shook his head firmly, laying a hand on Izuku’s back to lead him in the back room, which happened to be a kitchen.

Once Izuku calmed down, he looked up. “What’s your name?” The tall man blinked once, twice, then he pointed to a paper on the nearby table. Izuku pulled the paper down, reading the paper carefully. “K-Kineko?” Izuku asked. The man, Kineko, nodded. “It’s n-nice to meet you. Can you talk?” At the shake of Kineko’s head, Izuku smiled. “Tha-that’s ok! I know si-sign language.” Kineko nodded again, signing that Izuku should help with dinner preparations.

And so, he did.

Izuku wasn’t a very good cook at all, but he was a helpful set of extra hands for Kineko as he prepared a rather large helping of spicy hot soba. The smell of it would usually make someone’s eyes water, but Izuku grew up around the Bakugou family too much for that to bother him. It was actually rather comforting.

“Who the fuck is that Kineko?!” Izuku startled hard, jumping back to place himself behind Kineko and the angry teenager that just burst into the kitchen.

Kineko only motioned his hand towards the soba, back at Izuku, then the tray of cut vegetables.

The young man scoffed, strolling over to the pot before huffing. “He’s a mini npc? Kitchen extra?” Kineko nodded again, his steady hands already offering out a bowl of soba for him. “My name is Shigaraki Tomura. You better remember that name, since I’m Sensei’s favorite. Make me angry, you make Sensei angry, and you don't want that, you little brat.” Shigaraki hissed. Izuku nodded frantically, offering out a water bottle while biting his lip. Shigaraki smirked, obviously pleased.

After Shigaraki left, Izuku helped Kineko prepare bowls for everyone else in the bar. Apparently, they were there for a meeting of sorts with Shigaraki and his sensei. Izuku wasn’t too sure.

When all was said and done, Izuku realized he’d been there way longer than he expected.

“I n-need to go.” Izuku said. Kineko shrugged, handing Izuku a small container of soba to go and signing that he was welcome to return any time he liked.

Izuku hugged the container to his chest before giving Kineko a wide smile and a promise to visit sometime soon.

In fact, he’d eventually come to visit every day after school. The bar, specifically the kitchen with Kineko, became his safe haven from bullies, discrimination, hate, and other pain he experienced anywhere that wasn’t home nowadays.

Well, he really was starting to enjoy being in the kitchen rather than his silent apartment with his mom.

She really was a good mom, trying her best, but Kineko was just… warmer. So much warmer.

Izuku was learning a lot too. He learned how to properly cook meals, clean workstations, and even treat wounds.

And somehow, like no time at all, seven months had already passed.

—
“Eko-chan!” Izuku beamed, pulling his personal apron across his chest and making his way over to the sink. ‘Wash the dishes for me. We’re making yakitori tonight.’ Kineko signed. Izuku hummed, starting his now solidified chores of the day.

“H-how are you doing today?” Izuku asked after they worked in silence for a few minutes. Two quick taps on the table, the sign they used for yes. “G-good. I’m doing ok too. Um…” Izuku shot the man a glance before shyly returning to his task as he continued. “I-I have a pro-project in school. I ne-need to interv-veiw a friend. Ca-can I use you as my subject?”

When no answer came, Izuku peered over his shoulder again.

What he found was Kineko staring back at him with wide, watery eyes. Two taps on the tabletop. Izuku grinned.

—
“Eko-chan!” Izuku cried as he ran into the kitchen, blood dripping from the wounds he’d received from a particularly rough beating.

Kineko dropped the items in his hands and rushed to help the small boy.

Izuku, after his presentation all about his best friend Eko-chan who’s his role model and teaches him to cook, was ambushed on his way home from school by a group of the more harsh kids that loved to target him.

Izuku now sported himself a black eye, busted lip, bloody nose, twisted ankle, sprained wrist, countless bruises, and dozens of small cuts since one of the kids dragged Izuku across the cement pathway to give him rugburn.

‘Izu. Calm. Relax for me. Please.’ Izuku sobbed openly as he watched the signs. When Izuku’s tears slowed down, Kineko finally started treating the wounds.

‘Baby hurt. Will you be going home after this?’ Izuku sniffed, his new nickname still making him feel embarrassed and oddly comforted. “N-no. M-Mama can’t s-see me like this. She doesn’t like it.” Izuku sniffed again, rubbing his nose roughly.

‘Stay here. With me.’ Kineko signed. Izuku just cried harder, letting the taller man pull him up and carry him into a nearby room.

Kineko gently set Izuku down, shifting to sit beside the boy as he waited for Izuku’s tears to slow.

“Kineko!” Shigaraki yelled from his room, making Kineko huff silently as he stood.

Rather than leaving Izuku completely alone, Kineko pulled off his vest and wrapped it around the small boy’s shoulders.

‘I’ll be right back.’ He promised.

Izuku ended up falling asleep, his exhaustion finally hitting him all at once now that he felt safe enough to really cry it out.

Kineko returned with a multitude of things in his arms. One of which was a small, battered black cat plushy that Kineko found years ago in a dumpster and just couldn’t let go of. He hid it in his room or even his mouths to make sure no one ever caught a glimpse of it.

‘Izu?’ He signed, which was answered by a soft snore. Kineko’s eyes softened. He moved, shifting Izuku around so he could wrap himself around the small boy and cradle him to his chest. Izuku nuzzled into Kineko, arms tightening on the vest he still had wrapped around him.

Kineko ducked his head down, pressing his face into Izuku’s curly hair. There was the sickening stench of blood, of course, but Izuku always smelled like fruit. A pleasant strawberry scent that calmed the ache that usually consumed Kineko’s very being.

As Kineko drifted off, he could almost picture it. Two people. One with sky blue hair and another with inky black locks. One’s smile was wide and carefree. The other was small and genuine.

Kineko missed them, even if he had no idea who they were.

Chapter 3

Summary:

All Might appears, Izuku and Kineko escape! Shigaraki redemption? Maybe?

“Eko-chan!” Izuku screamed, just in time for Kineko to dodge the huge slab of metal flying towards him.

The day had been peaceful.

Izuku had been living with Kineko for seven months by then, his new personal assistant of sorts. Shigaraki was fine with it, shockingly. His only stipulation was that Izuku had to be his player two in games whenever possible. Which was often.

Izuku was also given permission to stay by All For One himself. The small boy had cowered away from the intimidating man, but All For One just smirked. He thought it best to have Izuku stay since a child would make Kineko even less suspicious looking in public. He also secretly saw it as an opportunity to get another possible successor if Tomura failed.

That was exactly why he was offered a quirk at the six-month mark of his stay. Izuku declined the offer, but that just seemed to please All For One even more.

The doctor had to be… warned. Yes, because Izuku stabbing Garaki in the kneecap with a butcher knife when he tried to bring Izuku to the lab was simply a warning. Kineko, despite not showing it, was very pleased by the sight of the doctor’s wound. From then on, Garaki avoided Izuku, and by extension Kineko, like the plague.

Nowadays, Izuku was a little master in the kitchen. He was an expert with knives, so he often cut everything and prepared foods for Kineko to cook and or bake.

They had been doing just that, preparing Shigaraki’s dinner, when the building collapsed.

On instinct, one he didn’t know he had, Kineko tackled Izuku to the ground and covered the small child with his body while rubble rained down on them.

When another earthquake-like blast sounded, Kineko used Wormhole to get himself and Izuku into Shigaraki’s room. The young teen was knocked unconscious, but otherwise unharmed. They moved again, now a few blocks away from their small compound and on a rooftop to see what was happening so late at night.

All Might.

Izuku’s eyes went wide as he watched the Symbol of Peace go toe to toe with All For One.

Izuku then realized something.

This was his chance.

He could save Eko-chan.

“Go! We need to leave! Go!” Izuku cried, pulling Kineko behind him and through the twisted streets while the nomu carried Shigaraki in his arms.

Izuku knows that All For One was being weird with Shigaraki. He knows it’s wrong, because even at seven, almost eight, years old he knows what creepy people are like. He’d seen plenty of them in the bar.

All For One was much more subtle about it. The way he phrased things made it so much easier to trust, but Izuku didn’t. He would never like the man that hurt his Eko-chan.

“Sh-Shigaraki needs a doctor! A brain doctor to work through his trauma!” Izuku said, hoping his plan worked.

Multiple times in the past month, Izuku followed Garaki to his labs and listened as the crazy man talked to himself.

Kineko is a nomu whose only objective is to protect Shigaraki and listen to Sensei. But there’s something wrong with him. Garaki cursed about how Kineko should have never brought Izuku in. It wasn’t in his programming.

Izuku made his mental plan in the last two weeks. He wasn’t expecting the opportunity to come so soon, but he’d never lose this chance.

Izuku needed to get Kineko far away from All For One’s influence and Shigaraki’s voice. When Kineko was free to do as he pleased, he could work on recovering from the damage Garaki did to him.

But, as programming insists, Shigaraki needs to be protected.

“He-he’ll get sick without a re-real brain doctor! We should bring him to one! Like Recovery Girl!” Izuku suggested. Kineko just nodded, his programming already screaming at him to do anything to protect Shigaraki from a potential threat.

The fight between All For One and All Might was getting quieter the further away they ran.

Izuku glanced back only once. Just in time to see All Might punch All For One’s face in.

—
Izuku wheezed quietly, struggling to catch his breath when UA finally came into view. He happily bounced in place, the two-day long trip already catching up to him. “Come on, Eko-chan! Shigaraki is al-almost safe!” Thankfully, said teen had been thoroughly passed out the whole trip. Izuku knows it’s because of the nights he spent awake playing video games before the head wound knocked him out.

Kineko obediently followed after Izuku.

When the time came, Izuku had the nomu drop Shigaraki inside of the UA gates with a wormhole, immediately setting off the alarms.

“Trust me.” Izuku said when Kineko kept glaring at the heroes running towards Shigaraki’s crumpled body. “He’ll be better.” And Izuku knew he would, since Kineko didn’t know about the note Izuku stuck to Shigaraki’s back when they dropped him. A quick, detailed analysis of Shigaraki, his connection to All For One, his quirk, and life up until then with a request to let Shigaraki know that his caregiver would be taken care of too.

Nezu found the note, picking it up and reading it quickly. Izuku took that as their cue to leave, pushing Kineko away and pleading with him to make a wormhole somewhere far away.

They dropped into a forest.

Izuku sighed. He really should’ve been more specific.

—
The following months were hard.

Izuku, luckily, got himself and Kineko jobs within a few weeks. They now lived in the spare bedrooms above the cat cafe they worked in every single day.

Kineko was very good at making sweets, and Izuku soon perfected the art of serving people and making recommendations for people with specific dietary needs with their quirks and mutations.

Their appearances had to change as well.

Izuku dyed his hair all black, permanently ridding himself of his mother’s green. He also managed to find special glasses online that change someone’s eye color without harming their eyesight. Izuku got himself and Kineko multiple pairs since they would be much easier to use than contacts. Izuku also started using makeup, covering his freckles and even going as far as giving himself ear piercings.

Kineko had his hair dyed. The once golden strands were changed to a lovely lime green. Kineko actually loved wearing his glasses, so he now always had orange eyes instead. The main issue with Kineko were his scars. Izuku eventually managed to track someone down online with a quirk that let her shift scars around on the body. Not getting rid of them, but moving them. She usually cost a pretty penny, but Kineko paid her by using Wormhole to help her move her entire apartment rather than needing to pay for a moving company. She moved all of Kineko’s scars apart from the one on his mouth, which she just changed the shape of.

Finally, on the last step of the going into hiding to do list Izuku was reading was to change their mannerisms and names.

Izuku learned how to braid hair, taking his time styling Kineko’s hair each and every morning into a wide variety of styles. He also had Kineko start wearing less proper outfits with more jewelry.

Izuku started wearing nothing but overalls and button up shirts. He was a prim and proper young man now. He needed to act the part.

The hardest part from then had to be their names. Izuku really didn’t want to change his name, but he knew he had to. He knew what happened to the people that tried to escape All For One. He heard about it plenty in the bar.

Izuku now went by Kuzuko, nickname in public Zuku. He still went by Izuku in private though.

Kineko didn’t seem to care at all about his name. After spending over an hour scrolling through an online name forum, he finally pointed one out.

Zashi. A brave warrior.

Izuku smiled a little sadly, but he agreed, nonetheless.

When the duo saved up enough money, Izuku had Zashi buy some things to make their tiny apartment feel like home.

Plenty of large and soft blankets, some big pillows, a nicer couch, a laptop, some picture frames so they could hang their pictures together around, and a bunch of real and fake plants. Izuku also made sure Zashi picked a few things for himself too.

Zashi ended up finding his chosen items in the toy aisle. A brand new, far better condition black cat stuffed toy and a large light blue dog plush toy. Zashi, whenever he found the time, was content to snuggle against the dog, which was half his size, while cuddling the small cat to his chest.

—
“Zuku!” Izuku turned just in time to see their boss, owner of the cafe and building, waving him over to grab the order for table seven.

Izuku carried the tray full of coffees and other beverages over to the table of twelve.

“Why, thank you!” Izuku is very grateful he didn’t drop the drinks in his hands when he realized it was Nezu, the principal Nezu, thanking him. Izuku blushed a wild shade of red, but he managed to bow and walk away without making a fool of himself.

But seeing Nezu in person gave Izuku an idea. The nine-year-old knew that Nezu was a vigilante of sorts, doing hero work until he was finally offered an official license and rights like a person. The thing is, what was stopping Izuku and Zashi from doing the same thing?

He needed a plan.

For ten months, Izuku trained alongside Zashi. They took some self-defense classes, volunteer work cleaning a beach to build muscle, went on runs, and took some free online classes for a variety of things.

Izuku decided to specialize with his knives, since he was already good with them. He mastered the art of throwing knives and got well enough at close combat to keep up with the older kids in his self-defense program easily.

Zashi took a different approach. He seemed to mix well with a boxing and blitz attack style with a pair of lovely brass knuckles Izuku found on sale at a slightly illegal online forum.

Still, after all of that, they were ready.

Their first showing to the vigilante world was a robbery gone wrong.

Three men inside the bank with hostages lined up while one guy stood outside with a small girl in his arms with a gun to her head. The police and heroes didn’t know what to do.

Izuku, in his all-black outfit with armor padding underneath his rabbit eared hood, suddenly dropped out of a wormhole and yanked the gun away from the girl's head while stabbing the man in the kneecap.

He dropped, screaming while Izuku grabbed the girl and pulled her safely through the wormhole that appeared under his feet.

At the same exact time, Zashi appeared in the bank and used a rather large wormhole to drop the remaining robbers outside and directly on top of the police cars lining the area.

Hizashi’s outfit was equally black, but the duo decided to use temporary dye on Zashi’s hair to make it appear silver.

Later that day, the news made their report.

The vigilante pair were given their official names.

Emerald Rabbit and Silver Fox.

Izuku smiled.

Notes:

Hope everyone likes their vigilante names! Any ideas for a hero name for Shigaraki? If I make him a hero at all, who knows...

All Might did not see Izuku or Zashi. I will also not confirm or deny All For One's death just yet :)

Chapter 4

Summary:

Izuku and Zashi run into some potential allies (old friends)

Notes:

Shorter chapter, but it's a snippet that leads to the future!

“Rabbit.” Izuku startled hard at Eraser’s voice, but he thankfully didn’t fall off the roof.

Recently, now that he was older, Izuku had started going out to do vigilante work alone with Zashi one call away.

Izuku was already twelve, and the past years have been amazing.

Shigaraki went by a different name now. He was adopted by the hero Midnight.

Izuku wouldn’t have guessed the woman would be a good parent at a glance, but she really was an amazing fit.

Kayama Takao, formerly Shigaraki Tomura. He was now the beloved son of a successful twilight hero with a stable job at UA and plenty of time to give him the attention he deserves.

Takao reached out to Izuku after a year of therapy in the UA reform program that Nezu set up specifically for him. It was great to hear from him, and Zashi also seemed pleased even if it knocked his recovery back a little.

That was another thing, Zashi’s recovery.

It was a slow process at first with Izuku most often feeling the need to bang his head against a wall, but he kept on. Now, Izuku could see it.

The light in Zashi’s eyes was bright and lively. His smile was wider, more carefree than before. Even his body language was way less tense than Izuku had ever seen him.

It’s not like Zashi could talk, but his expressive nature seemed to revert to what it must have been before Garaki got to him. Zashi’s hands flew through the air when he signed now. His eyes showing his emotions along with his dramatic poses.

Then there was his actual personality.

Zashi loved music. He LOVED it.

Every time Izuku returned to the apartment, music of all kinds would be playing. This was the reason he bought Zashi a pair of headphones and an old go pro for his birthday. Well, they didn’t know his exact birthday, but they decided together to celebrate it on the first of spring. That gift got Izuku one of Zashi’s rare enthusiastic hugs that ended in Zashi spinning them both around as he laughed silently.

Izuku even saved a few people while out on the streets.

Himiko was on the brink of murdering someone due to her starvation when Izuku found her. She calmed down when Izuku let her drink some of his blood, and it was easy to befriend her after.

In less than two weeks, Izuku managed to get Himiko to run into Vlad King while the man was on patrol. He purposefully gave Himiko a few bruises, with her permission of course, on her face and arms, making her seem like the abused victim she was.

The blood hero took Himiko in immediately, and Nezu was still enjoying his little mission to ruin the lives of each and every person who hurt Himiko while she was on the streets and in her parent’s care. Old parents, he supposed, since Vlad was her dad now.

Back to the task at hand.

“Eraser!” Izuku replied with a wave, keeping his distance from the hero.

“I need to ask you a few questions-” He started to say, only for Izuku to cut him off. “I know nothing and have done nothing!” “Kid.” Eraser sighed, and Izuku giggled.

“Kid, there was an entire sector of the CRC found bloody and tied up in their warehouse base. Did you and Fox do it?” Izuku hummed at the question. “I will neither confirm nor deny, Eraser. Anything else?” “Actually, yes.” Izuku paused at the man’s words.

“My name is Aizawa Shota. What’s yours?”

Izuku stared.

“What?” “Kid, you and Fox have been doing a lot of good these few years. I know you two are responsible for the brats my coworkers keep picking up.” Eraser said. Izuku kept staring.

“Look, I want to be an ally to you and Fox. You’re two of the few vigilantes I would be willing to trust with my life if push comes to shove. I want to get to know you two better. In return, I’ll give you pieces of information about me first.”

“You can call me Zuku.” “Alright, kid. I know Fox is mute but let him know I understand sign language so we can talk as well.”

“You’re not going to just ask me his name?” Izuku asked. “That’s not your secret to share. If you’re willing to tell me, I’m all ears. Otherwise, I’m perfectly fine with talking to him about it myself.” Eraser shrugged. Izuku felt his shoulders relax. “Um… Thanks…” Izuku whispered.

“Sure, kid. You both still have my number?” Izuku nodded. The hero had given both Rabbit and Fox his number one of the first nights he actually got close to them.

“Good. Let me know if you need anything.” “Ok…” Izuku whispered as he watched the hero leave.

And just like that, he was alone on the roof.

—
“Hey, man.” Loud Cloud laughed when Silver Fox jumped, whipping around into a fighting stance.

“No need to fight, dude. I’m just here to talk.”

Zashi narrowed his eyes.

Something about Loud Cloud always threw him off. Something was just odd about the hero. Not necessarily in a bad way, but not a good one either.

“I wanted to let you know about Eraser’s offer from the two of us if Rabbit didn’t tell you.”

Zashi titled his head as he signed his question. “I know sign language! Don’t worry!” Loud Cloud laughed again, leaning back casually against his cloud. “Did Rabbit tell you about Eraser’s offer? I know the tired idiot didn’t mention that I was a package deal with him.”

Zashi tilted his head again, almost like a bird.

‘Why are you two always trying to get close to us?’

Loud Cloud’s eyes followed the signs closely before his face went almost somber.

“I’ll be completely honest with you. Rabbit reminds me of an old friend. One who died a long time ago.” Zashi couldn’t pick out a hint of a lie in the other man’s words. Nothing but sincerity and pure honesty.

‘I’m sorry for your loss.’ “Thanks. It’s alright though. Back to your question, I really do want to get to know you two better. Rabbit is just a kid, who deserves help. I think you need help too. I want to be the one to provide that. For the both of you. After all, it’s a hero’s job to save people.”

Zashi’s hands froze.

“Um… Did I say something wrong?” Loud Cloud asked. Zashi didn’t move apart from the mouth under his jaw tightening.

‘No. You just reminded me of someone too.’ “Oh! I see. Well, did Rabbit tell you about Eraser’s deal or no?” ‘He did.’ “Cool. Let me know if you need my help too. Here’s my number. My name's Shirakumo Oboro.” Zashi felt a pang in his chest. Something similar to when he saw his light blue dog in that store. ‘Ok.’ “I’ll see you around, man. It was good talking, or well, communicating with you.”

Then he was gone.

Zashi frowned.

Notes:

Next chapter? Perhaps... USJ? Maybe not, who knows.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 2 of Alternate Nomu Fics