Chapter 2
The bright sunlight stung at glowing green eyes and wind whipped through tousled white hair. He floated there, 60 feet in the air, staring at nothing with wide, horrified eyes. Shouting from below reached his ears, but he didn't hear them. It had all happened so fast. He hadn't had time to think, much less react. And now…
What was he going to do?
A voice broke through his shock and he turned to look at who'd spoken. Shock twisted into confusion and he instinctively hovered back a few feet. The person in front of him was dressed in a blue suit and wore a wooden helm that hid all but his eyes from view. But what confused Danny wasn't the person's clothing, but his arms. What looked like tree limbs and branches extended from the places where the man's arms should have been, clinging and wrapping around the building Danny was floating next to. The figure seemed human enough otherwise. His ghost sense wasn't going off and nothing about this person seemed spirit-like, but what else could it be? The man spoke again, but Danny couldn't understand him. Was that Korean? Japanese? Chinese?
"Uh… I don't… I don't know what you're saying." he tried. He held up his hands, hoping this person wasn't the fighting type. "Look, I don't want any trouble. Ok?"
The man tilted his head slightly. "American?" he asked, pausing for a moment. He gestured to the ground below and Danny could see the scatter hunks of metal and the crowd that was now growing and looking up at them. The tree man said something else, but Danny hadn't a clue what he was saying.
"I-I can pick that up, if you want. Is that what you want?"
The tree guy said more unknown words and Danny's frustration grew.
"Look, clearly I can't understand you and you can't understand me." he said, gesturing between them, as if hand signals would help get the message across any better. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. How about, you just go mind your own business and I'll get out of your hair, ok?" He began to slowly float away and down towards the ground. He needed to retrieve the portal gun pieces if he wanted any chance of getting back home.
The tree man shouted. Danny kept making his way closer to the ground.
"I'm just gonna get my things and-"
A long branch launched from the man's arm and reached out to grab at Danny. Instinct took over and the teen went intangible, the wooden limb passing right through him. He dashed a few feet away and let himself become tangible again.
"Hey! I said I wasn't-" the instant he spoke the tree limbs came at him again. He dodged to the left, going intangible once more and disappearing from view. Clearly this wasn't going to be a situation he could talk his way out of. Then again, he couldn't think of a time when that method had actually worked. With a sigh, he dove for the ground and began picking up the pieces of portal gun that had been strewn across the pavement and sidewalk. A scream sounded from beside him, likely some lady only just noticing the metal chunks floating seemingly by themselves into a hovering pile. Danny didn't bother to look up. He needed to get his stuff and get out of here, asap.
He grabbed a metal tube that had a faint purple glow to it, but the piece was immediately knocked out of his hand by a tree limb. The impact toppled the teen over and he flickered back into sight. Danny looked up. The tree guy was on the ground now, posed for a fight and shouting what Danny assumed to be orders. So much for avoiding a fight.
"Oh come on!" he shouted back, setting the pieces in his arms onto the ground. "I can't understand you! What's more shouting going to do?" He got to his feet and the crowd around them began to back up. Though, they didn't seem to be in any great hurry. There was a nonchalance in the way they moved. As if they were used to a super powered teenager fighting a tree person in broad daylight. He hazarded a glance at the onlookers and for the second time, he was caught by surprise.
Mixed in amongst the average human were figures that stood out like beacons of abnormality. The first one he noticed was a business woman with a snake for a head. Further back in the crowd he saw a man with some kind of pointed growths protruding from his bald head. Others were subtler. A lady with black, metallic hands. A young boy with what Danny could only describe as having bird legs, clinging to a guy whose eyes were a deep, blood red. All around him these odd people were gathered. Watching. And none of the normal people next to them seemed to mind. Everyone was more interested in he and the tree guy. No… no they were all staring at Danny. As if he was the only weird person here.
"What the hell…" Danny took a step back. Within seconds he was consumed by branches, wrapping tightly around him and holding his arms close to his sides. He winced. He'd let himself get distracted. This was no time to think about who or what was watching. Just fight. Get free and fight. Then run the second he had the chance.
Intangibility swept over him and Danny easily phased through the restraints. This time he didn't hesitate. His hands lit up with green energy and he shot a blast at the tree guy's chest. The blue-clad figure stumbled back, taken by surprise. Danny flew upwards and scanned the crowd. He needed something to put the gun pieces in. Something he could carry and keep his hands free. There! A uniformed kid, about his age with a backpack.
Danny dove for him. The student, a dark haired boy with some kind of growth on his arms, realized he was being targeted and turned to run. Danny was faster. He phased through the kid, grabbed the backpack straps and phased the bag off of his shoulders. The kid shouted in surprised.
"Sorry, but I really really need this." Danny said, hastily unzipping the bag and unceremoniously dumping its contents onto the sidewalk in front of the student. "Thanks, bye!"
Without a second to spare, he sped back to the clearing in the street and began to hastily grab at whatever wrecked gun pieces were closest and stuffed them into the bag. A thick wooden limb came for him, but Danny was ready this time. He focussed and summoned an ecto shield to block the attack, allowing him to keep packing the bag. The impact was audible and made Danny pause, but it had done the job. Just a couple more pieces he could see on the ground and then the one he'd seen fall onto that car.
He reached out to grab the still-mostly-assembled back half of the portal gun. Something flickered in the sunlight, reminding Danny of a spider's thread, and then the gun was flung back from his grasp and into the air. He watched as it landed in the hands of a blonde figure, clad head to toe in blue denim.
"Oh great. And who are you supposed to be, The Lord of Levis?" Danny deadpanned.
"English?" the blonde said. "Not my best, but I try. I am Best Jeanist. You have upset peace, attack hero and, attack civilian. Give up now and come quiet."
No, he thought, not the best English, but he got the gist. Danny let his shoulders relax, but kept his guard up. He wasn't about to just ignore the tree guy who was still poised to the right of him. "Ok. My name's Danny Phantom. I didn't mean any harm. I just need to get my stuff," he gestured to the bag and the half of a gun in Jeanist's hand, "and I will leave."
Best Jeanist shook his head. "I cannot do that. You must be detained. Come quiet."
Danny tensed. He doubted these 'heroes' had any way of keeping ghosts restrained, but he wasn't keen on finding out if they had an ace up their sleeves. "Sorry, but I was taught not to go anywhere with strangers. You and Treebeard here certainly fall into that category, so…" he turned invisible and intangible, "later!" Unseen, he sped forward, grabbed the gun and phased it out of Jeanist's grasp. The man whirled around, surprise lighting up his eyes.
Danny flew upwards, this time concentrating on keeping himself unseen and untouchable above all else. He spotted the last piece on the hood of a nearby car and made a beeline for it. The metal vanished under his touch and he quickly stowed it and the main gun part into the bag. Something glittered in the sunlight in front of him. This time he was able to identify it. Thin threads were glinting in the light, moving of their own accord through the air and encircling the space where the last piece had been. His eyes followed the threads back to the denim guy, who appeared to be manipulating the unwravelled strings from the hems of his sleeves. Like everything else they'd thrown at him though, the threads passed harmlessly through Danny. Still, he didn't want to wait around and see if another freak would show up that actually could take him on. He floated upwards, secured the bag onto his back and shot high into the air.
After flying over a few buildings and weaving through some streets, assuming he'd be harder to track if he avoided moving in a straight line, Danny eventually let his invisibility drop. He needed to conserve his energy in case more of those super people came after him. The Jeanist guy had mentioned detaining him. If he was working for the police… heck, he probably was one of the police. At this rate his face was going to be on wanted posters before nightfall. He needed to get out of town and figure out where the hell he was and how to get that damned gun working again.
He managed to reach a quieter part of town and landed on the roof of a building. There was a structure there that likely housed the building's air conditioning unit. Danny ducked behind it and waited. Nothing happened. Nothing continued to happen for a few minutes while he caught his breath. Even if he hadn't had to really fight anyone, going in and out of visibility on repeat and for an extended period of time was still draining. Not to mention the stress of everything that had led up to this crazy encounter. That fight with Technus and the Box Ghost seemed like it happened forever ago. Only now did he notice that his shoulders still hurt when he breathed too deeply. At least in his ghost form he'd heal a heck of a lot faster.
"Kamui Woods said you speak english."
Danny whirled around and stumbled to his feet. A man with long black hair and a ridiculously long scarf was perched on a telephone pole a few yards away. How had he gotten there.
"Let me guess, you're another 'hero person'?" Danny asked, readying himself to take flight again.
"I'm a Pro-Hero, as are the two men who you attacked back there." He tilted his head slightly. "Do you know what the penalty for that can be?"
"Hey, the tree guy attacked me first." Danny defended. "I couldn't figure out what he was saying and I just decided to get my stuff and go. Clearly, he had issue with that and started getting grabby with the branch thingies."
The man listened and waited for a moment before speaking. "You need to come with me. We'll take you down to the station and you can explain yourself to the police. They'll get this sorted out." He was confident as he spoke, as if he'd done this sort of thing many times before. His accent was still present, but at least he was speaking fluently. Still, the last place Danny needed to be was with the authorities.
Danny took a step back. "Sorry, I appreciate you listening to me and all, but I can't do that."
"I wasn't asking."
Danny hesitated. Then he ran. Invisibility flickered up his arm for a split second. Then a number of things hit him like a freight train all at once. His hand instantly popped back into sight, but not his white, gloved hand. His pale, solid, human skin came into view, along with the sleeves of the pajamas he'd been wearing when his ghost sense had gone off. Something heavy hit him in the chest and he couldn't bring his other leg up to keep moving. His body fell lazily and hit the gravel roof, hard, but he didn't feel the impact. His vision was going dark around the edges, like so many other times when he'd been knocked out. But he hadn't been hit in the head. His insides ached and burned. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't get himself to breath. He couldn't move at all. Even his eyelids refused to blink as he lay there, suffocating. The darkness relentlessly closed in around him and terror and confusion blocked out the voice that was calling out from the other side of the roof.
The air stung as it filled his lungs, but he sucked it in ravenously. His eyes watered and he blinked furiously as sight returned to him. He sat up, wavering from the dizziness. His heart was racing, beating furiously in his aching chest. His right hand clutched at his shirt and only then did he realize he was shaking. The familiar chill of his dormant ghost powers faded in like a cool breeze in the back of his mind. Blue eyes blinked at the tears and the sound of footsteps reached his ears. He looked up.
The dark haired man was running towards him.
Danny's eyes went wide and he tried to shuffle backwards, but his limbs were only half listening to him. "sTaY-" his voice was ragged. He grabbed a handful of gravel and threw it at the approaching man. "Stay ba-k."
The man stopped, but didn't take his eyes off of Danny. He was only a few feet away. Too close. Danny continued to try and scoot backwards. "Stop moving and I won't have to come any closer."
"What the hell did you do to me?" Danny choked out, stopping his retreat for fear that whatever had just happened would happen again.
"I cancelled out your quirk. At least, that's what it was supposed to do." His voice seemed… confused to some extent, though he didn't show any emotion on his face.
"My quirk?" Danny coughed. "What's that supposed to mean? What the hell are you people? Where the hell am I?"
The stern, uninterested facade faltered and the man's brow furrowed. "You're in Musutafu, Japan. Were you unaware of this?"
Danny just nodded.
The man paused, thinking. "Where did you come from?"
"That's… that's kind of a long story." Danny muttered.
"Of course it would be… Come with me down to the station. The police will want to hear what you have to say." He held out a hand to help him off the floor. Danny didn't move. "I can't leave you here, unattended. I'm taking you in, one way or another."
A chill ran up Danny's spine. "You almost killed me with that… whatever it was." He let his statement hang in the air before speaking again. "I couldn't breathe… I couldn't... Do you normally threaten death on your enemies so nonchalantly?"
"That's not how my quirk is supposed to function." he stated plainly. "I'm not sure why your body reacted as it did, but that was not my intention. That said, you are an unknown. A threat. If you step out of line, I will do what I must to bring you down. Am I understood?"
He nodded.
"Good." The man rummaged into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. "I need to make a call. Don't go anywhere." He walked over to the edge of the roof, keeping Danny in his periphery at all times. Once he started speaking in Japanese, Danny let himself relax, if only slightly.
For a few moments he just sat there, letting himself breathe while he thought over everything that had just happened. His hands were still trembling slightly, so he laid back flat on the roof. Probably for the best, he thought. It didn't seem like a good idea to get up and try to move around a lot after… that. What was that, anyways? Heart attack? Stroke? He winced at the thought. He'd been beaten, electrocuted, overshadowed and lord knows what else, but something about his own body just… stopping like that. That terrified him. After all, he could fight off ghosts and break out of cells all day, but he couldn't battle his own body deciding to-
"The police are on the way." The man said, still typing something into his phone. He looked down at Danny for a moment, then went back to texting. "How do you feel?"
"Not great, but I'll live." Danny chuckled. "Sort of."
"I'll inform the authorities that you need to be looked at."
"Uh… that's ok. I'll manage." Danny said, waving a hand as if this wasn't a big deal.
"If your reaction was as bad as it looked and you're not faking, then you need medical attention." He stated, plainly.
"I'm not a big fan of doctors and…" he hesitated. Talking about his powers always felt odd. He spent so much effort trying to keep their existence secret that speaking plainly about them was almost taboo in his mind. However, if the heroes here and those civilians were any indication, super powered people were hardly unheard of here. "I don't know if that's the best idea."
The man pocketed his phone, giving Danny his full attention. "Regardless, you need to be looked at. For your own safety." Something in the way he spoke sounded… off. As if he wanted to add something to the end there, but decided not to. What was he thinking?
"What's your name?" Danny asked.
"My hero name is Eraserhead, but you can call me Aizawa."
Danny choked back a laugh. "Eraserhead? Really? Did you pick that one out yourself?"
"A friend suggested it and I didn't really care one way or another." he shrugged, ether not seeing the humor in it, or perhaps too used to the joke.
"Ok, so Aizawa is what? A backup name to sound less silly?"
"It's my surname. Aizawa Shouta is my full name."
Danny's brow furrowed. "Aren't you concerned about people knowing your real name? Secret identity and all?"
Aizawa crossed his arms. "The use of secret identities fell out of style for most heroes decades ago. Now only villains and people with something to hide try to keep their identities unknown. So, who are you?"
"Danny. Danny Phantom, when I'm all ghosty and Danny Fenton when I'm…" he brushed a hand through his black hair, "well, this."
"And you're American, clearly. How did you end up here?"
"Honestly, I'm still trying to figure that one out myself."
"You don't know?"
"Well, it's complicated." Danny sighed. "I know where I was and technically how I got here, but everything happened so fast. I didn't exactly plan on taking a trip to Japan at 3 am in my pajamas, much less getting flung through a portal and becoming an international public enemy number one… again."
Aizawa's eyes narrowed. "Kamui Woods had said you appeared out of a black and purple portal in the sky."
"Yeah. It closed before I could get back through…" Danny said. For the first time since he fell, he realized the backpack wasn't with him anymore. He turned his head and saw it a few feet away, still zipped and secure.
"Kid, eyes on me." Aizawa said. "This is important. Does the name Kurogiri mean anything to you?"
Danny looked confusedly back at Aizawa. "No?"
"What about Shigaraki?"
"What? No. Look, I don't know anyone from japan. The closest is a guy at my school, who's name is Kwan, but I'm pretty sure he and his folks were born in the states."
Mild irritation settled on Aizawa's face. "That's a Korean name. Not Japanese."
"Well, that settles it then. I don't know a single person from Japan."
Sirens sounded from down below. The cop cars were closing in on their location. Aizawa glanced over the edge of the building. Danny pushed himself up onto his elbows and a wave of dizziness hit him. He groaned.
"You should wait here. They can bring a stretcher up and-"
"I'll manage." Danny stated.
"There's no point in trying to act tough. You're just going to chance hurting yourself further."
"I'm not going to be strapped down to a board. I don't do well being restrained."
"It's for your own good."
"I said no."
Aizawa glared back at the teen. Danny's eyes didn't waver. After a long moment the older man sighed and closed his eyes. "Fine then." he walked over to the roof's access door and opened it, looking inside. "Make it down this flight of stairs and there should be an elevator that'll take us the rest of the way."
"Got it." Danny said, rolling onto his hands and knees and slowly trying to get to his feet. His head was spinning like crazy and he was having a hard time finding his balance. In one quick motion he managed to get one foot under himself, but he had to catch himself with an arm to keep from toppling over. He stayed like that for a breath, then forced himself up so that he could properly stand on two legs. He stay upright for all of three seconds before the vertigo pulled him back towards the ground.
Before his face planted into the loose gravel though, an arm caught him around the middle and stopped his fall. He blinked.
"I don't have time for this, kid." Aizawa said, before scooping the teen up completely. Danny wanted to protest, but his head was pounding and the effort it had taken to get this far had already exhausted him. He could feel himself getting ready to pass out again. He murmured something, but he'd already forgotten what he'd said by the time his eyes shut.
Chapter 3
An annoying beeping sound was all he could make out at first. It was faint, but the more he focussed on it, the louder it grew. It brought with it voices, talking in hushed tones, far away. The beeping quickened, though only slightly. Nothing that would have been noticed unless that was all you were focusing on. As he lay there, the rhythmic sound grew almost hypnotic and the idea of going back to sleep for a bit sounded more and more agreeable.
One deep breath and a sharp pain chased those thoughts away and Danny was thrust into the waking world. He groaned and the voices faltered. All the memories of the ghost fight, then the portal and the rooftop standoff, flooded back to his mind. Bleary eyes blinked open. It felt like he'd been sleeping for weeks. He moved to rub at his eyes, but a sharp tugging on his left arm caused him to stop. A thin tube, taped to the crook of his elbow, trailed down the edge of the hospital bed and up to a clear plastic bag. That was a new one. Normally if he got hurt he had to walk it off or make do with home remedies. Being hospitalized, at a real hospital anyways, was something he'd yet to experience. In all honesty it was something of a relief. Being cared for by professionals came with a certain ease whereas having serious injuries tended to by friends or family simply did not.
"Fenton?" a voice sounded off to his right. He turned his head and a dark haired figure came into view. It took a moment of thought to remember the man's name.
"Aizawa, right?" he said, his voice still carrying a sleepiness to it.
"Yes. Glad you're finally awake." Aizawa said, handing Danny a cup of water.
"How long was I out for?"
"36 hours, give or take a few." Another man, standing next to Aizawa and wearing a white coat said something to him in Japanese. Aizawa nodded and turned back to Danny. "The doctors are surprised you're doing as well as you are. I'm guessing you have some sort of healing ability on top of everything else?"
Danny shrugged. "Sort of. I'd heal faster if I was in my other form."
"How do you feel?"
"Sore." He stretched and winced as the familiar but dull pain in his chest returned. "I've had worse though. It'll pass in a day or two."
Aizawa said something to the doctor, who nodded and made his way to the door. "The police have been waiting to talk with you. Do you think you can manage to answer some of their questions?"
"Uh, yeah. Yeah I can do that." Danny glanced around the room, taking in his surroundings. It was exceptionally bare, with only a pair of chairs against one wall and no windows for him to tell if it was night or day. "Uh… where's my bag?"
"The backpack containing the assumed weapon parts has been turned over to the authorities." Aizawa explained.
"No, I need that. It's-"
"Making demands isn't going to get you very far, Fenton. I suggest you cooperate and maybe you'll have your property returned to you."
Danny slumped against the pillows and sighed. "Fine. Could you call me Danny, though? The only people who call me 'Fenton' are my teachers and some jerks from my school."
"If that's what you'd prefer, then fine. Danny it is."
The door opened and a man in an officer's uniform walked in, followed by a woman who had green, cat-like eyes and pointed ears that were at least six inches long. The man said something to Aizawa, who replied in kind, before turning back to the teen.
"Danny, this is detective Tsukauchi and his interpreter, Ms. Oshima." Aizawa introduced. "The detective has a few questions for you. I trust you'll be cooperative and as helpful as possible. Just so you know, the detective's quirk allows him to know if anyone is lying to him, regardless of what language they speak. I suggest you stick to telling the truth, out of respect, if nothing else." Aizawa turned and started making his way towards the door.
Danny nodded. "Right. Um… are you leaving?"
Aizawa turned and glared at danny from over his shoulder. "Do I need to sit here and watch your every move, or are you going to stay there and cooperate?" His eyes were red around the edges and there was an agitation in his voice Danny hadn't noticed before.
"No- er… yeah I'll stay here. I just-" Just what? It wasn't like he'd known the guy for more than a few minutes. Considering what his ability had done to him, Danny should be glad that the guy was giving him some space. And yet, so far he was the only person in this world that he'd had the chance to talk to. Not to mention, he'd actually listened to Danny. And he hadn't had to. He didn't have to tell Danny who he was or answer any of his questions, but he did. He was at least more familiar than anyone else in this place so far. In all honesty, being stuck in a world alien to his own and with no connections to home, quite simply, he didn't want to be alone with a menagerie of strangers poking and prodding and asking questions all day.
Aizawa watched the hesitation and worry flicker across the kid's features and he let his shoulders sag. "I'll most likely be back before they're done. Seeing as I'm the only thing so far that can keep you under control, you're not getting rid of me anytime soon." He continued out the door and Danny laid back against the pillows once more.
The detective spoke up then and once he had finished speaking, the interpreter, Oshima, chimed in. "Hello, Danny. We need you to answer a few questions for us, if you don't mind. The detective will ask the questions and I will translate. If you'd like to ask some questions of your own, please let me know. I will warn you though that the detective cannot guarantee that he will answer any question you have. Now then, your full name is Danny Fenton, correct?" Danny nodded. "And you're American, yes? What is your reason for coming to Japan?"
"I didn't exactly plan on coming here. It was an accident."
Oshima raised a brow at him. "You accidentally crossed the pacific without meaning to?"
"More or less." Danny chuckled, humorlessly.
"I see." She interpreted for the detective and gathered more questions to ask. "Danny, witnesses said you fell out of the sky through a purple and black void. Is this correct?"
"Yeah. It was a portal. It sort of sucked me in, hence the accident bit."
Oshima translated and Danny saw the confusion settle onto the detective's face.
"Where were you when you were pulled through the portal?" Oshima asked. "Where there other people with you?"
"I don't know if you'd call them people, exactly." Danny hesitated. This was the part that was always hard to convince people of. "This is gonna sound completely out of left field, but do you guys believe in ghosts?"
Oshima looked taken aback by the question. Danny waited quietly. Oshima translated and the detective's brow furrowed. "I do not see how this question is relevant, Danny. Personally I do believe in an afterlife and the spirits of those who've died, but it's not something I think about on a daily basis."
"Well, to put it bluntly, ghosts are real and the place where spirits manifest into ghosts isn't as hard to reach as you may think."
"Are you insinuating that you think you know how to reach the afterlife?" Oshima asked.
"Not quite." Danny said, scratching at the back of his neck. "See, ghosts are dead people, spirits, who haven't been able to cross over or move on. But ghosts don't just 'happen', otherwise you'd see them everywhere. They have to manifest in a place where they can absorb energy. My parents are scientists who've spent their entire live researching ghosts and the realm that they come from. That's the only reason I know as much about this as I do. Kind of hard to escape the lingo when the folks work from home, all day, every day."
Oshima took a bit longer to translate and the detective seemed slightly annoyed as he responded.
"This is an interesting theory, but how does any of this connect with the incident you were involved in yesterday?"
"The portal that I came through, on the other side was the same ghost dimension I've been talking about. Before I got here, I was in there. My parents don't just research theories, they actively test them on real ghosts from the Ghost Zone."
"Ghost Zone?" she asked skeptically.
Danny shrugged. "They were the first ones to open a doorway into the dimension and prove that it existed, so they got to coin the term. Dad's not the most scientific or artful when it comes to names."
"So you were in this Ghost Zone, and then you went through a portal and ended up here?"
"That's the basics of it, yeah."
Oshima sighed. "Danny, I don't mean to be rude, but this all sounds quite fantastical."
"I'm not making it up." Danny retorted.
"I didn't say you were lying."
"I'm not crazy ether."
"I didn't say that you were." Oshima ensured, her voice remaining calm and collected at all times. "If what your telling us is accurate, then it is a lot to take in and understand. For now, let's move on. You said you were not alone when the portal opened, correct?"
"Yeah. I was fighting off a couple of ghosts, who stole some old and broken equipment from the lab downstairs. They woke me up, hence the pjs and bare feet." he said, gesturing to his still intact night clothes.
"And you decided to attack these ghosts yourself?"
"Yeah." Danny shrugged.
"Why didn't you alert your parents? They sound like they're experts on the subject, could they not reclaim their own stolen goods?"
"Well…" He had to hold back a laugh. "That gets a little more complicated. Their theory is basically that ghosts are monsters who haunt and cause trouble and have zero redeeming qualities. They don't just research ghosts, they hunt them. And they tend to go a bit overboard… a lot."
"And you disagree with their ideas on these ghosts?" Oshima asked.
"Depends on the ghost. There's a lot that are dangerous, angry and just looking for something to take all that out on, but there's others who are just trying to make sense of their existence."
"So you take it upon yourself to be a neutral voice in the matter?"
"I don't know if neutral's the right word, but I know how to catch them and dump them back into the Ghost Zone without causing as much harm or property damage. Usually…"
"You're just a child though. Even if this kind of ghostly activity is real, then it would fall under hero work. You can't be allowed to use your quirk as you see fit. Every country has laws against such actions."
"Ok, what are quirks?" Danny asked, mild agitation seeping into his voice, though he remained oddly relaxed. "You guys keep using that word and I've never heard it used like that before."
Oshima stared at him. "You don't know what quirks are?"
"No. I mean I know people with quirky personalities, but I'm pretty sure that's not what you're talking about."
She translated and the Detective looked between her and Danny. Then he said something and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Quirks are the term for super powers that most people possess. For example my quirk is Calming Aura. I can influence a person's emotions to make them less likely to act on their emotions." She explained. Suddenly his lack of reaction made a bit more sense to him, despite his less than cheery mood. "Most people have a single quirk or a combination of their parent's quirks, but from what we've gathered, you have quite a few."
"Oh… well, yeah. I can phase through solid objects, turn invisible, create energy beams or ecto balls, make ecto shields, fly. I guess if each one was expected to be its own thing that would add up to a lot. Heh, figures. Even when I go to a place with superheroes around every corner I'm still a freak." He paused, giving his head time to wrap itself around all the information he was taking in. "And, when you say 'most people' have quirks, how many are we talking about?"
"Roughly 80% of the world's population is born with a quirk or manifests one in early childhood." She stated plainly.
Danny's eyes went wide. The strange looking people in the crowd popped to the front of his thoughts. "That… that explains a lot actually." He sighed. "This is nuts. So the whole world is like this? Super powered people, all over the place?"
"Yes. It's surprising that you're unaware of this."
"Not really. Actually, this is all starting to make more and more sense." he said. "The portals that open from inside the Ghost Zone don't seem to abide by any rules or logic. They're impossible to predict or track and they can sometimes open up in different time periods. One minute you're in a plane flying through a storm, the next thing you know you've glided into a portal to the Ghost Zone and get spat back out in ancient Rome. And that's not theory. I've had my fair share of jaunts through portals like that before."
"So you know how to open more of these portals then?"
"Well, no. Back then I had, well… a map that could lead me to the portals and take me home. This time I didn't."
"Then are you trying to say that you think you've come to a different time period?"
"Maybe? But, it'd have to be the future to me and the buildings and tech looks pretty much the same as the stuff back home, so I don't think I've time traveled. I think this is closer to another dimension, like how the Ghost Zone is technically another dimension to our own. Well… my own."
"So you think you're from another dimension?"
"Maybe. Look, I don't know any of this for sure. My parents are the scientists, not me. I'm just trying to come up with an answer that makes sense of any of this."
"I understand. However this is a lot to take on just your word alone. I hope you understand, we aren't trying to say that you're wrong, rather that we are trying to contextualize the information you're providing with what we already know." Oshima spoke with the Detective, who seemed to be thinking a lot between words. Once he was done, Oshima turned back to Danny. "If nothing else we'll take this into consideration. Thankfully your disturbance yesterday resulted in no injuries. The only damage was a small dent on the hood of a taxi. Easy enough to patch up and the owner is not going to press charges. However, seeing as there is no record of you in any national database and no one has come forward claiming to be your next of kin, we cannot allow you, as an underage person, to be left unattended. We're willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, as to your criminal background or lack thereof, but your unregistered quirk and its unusual condition cannot be ignored. Until we know for sure that you are not a danger, we cannot let you roam the streets and do as you please. You'll be assigned a caretaker, who can ensure your safety and the safety of the populous, should you become a threat. Do you understand?"
Danny nodded. "You've clearly done your research while I was out cold. And now you're putting me under house arrest, basically."
"Only for a short time. Until we can come to better understand your quirk and find a way to contain it without causing you any harm in the process."
Danny laughed. "That's a new one. Usually when people want to figure out what makes me tick, my wellbeing is the last thing on their minds."
Oshima gave him a concerned look. "What do you mean?"
Realizing what he'd said, Danny raised a hand as if to wave her worries away. "Nothing. Nothing. It's not important, really."
"Danny, we're not your enemies here." Oshima assured him. "We're not going to hurt you, if we can help it. Our first priority is to help people and that includes you."
Danny shook his head. "Seriously, don't worry about it. I shouldn't have said what I said."
Oshima didn't seem convinced. "Well, the doctor would like to keep you under observation for a few more hours, just to be safe. Normally you'd be kept longer but apparently you're healing at an increased rate."
Danny shrugged. "Just another part of me being me."
Oshima offered him a smile. "Well, so that you are aware, the nurses have run a few basic tests while you were sleeping, just to get a better idea of how your body functions. Nothing more invasive than a simple blood test I assure you. The doctor did want to run some more tests, but he would need patient consent. You are free to decline if you so desire, but if you're hurt again the lack of information could be vital."
"I'll think about it." Danny mumbled. "I'm not really used to telling people about my powers or what I am."
"And what exactly are you, Danny?"
"Somewhere between long dead and still breathing." he gave a stilted laugh.
"Well, you look like a regular teenager to me." Oshima said. "A teen who's had a very long and stressful two days. Dead or alive, this can't be easy for you."
A rare flicker of melancholy clouded Danny's eyes as he watched the woman talk to the detective. There was something in the way that she spoke. A genuineness that kept him from retorting with his usual quips. When was the last time someone had said something like that to him? And meant it? A chill ran down his arms and all at once he felt exposed. Like a raw nerve that'd just had the bandage peeled off it. He wanted to take it back. To unsay what he'd said and just give another non-answer. But the Detective and Ms. Oshima were already getting up to leave.
"It was a pleasure to meet you Danny. I'm sure we'll see you again soon." Oshima said. "For now though, you'll be left in the care of Mr. Aizawa Shouta. If you have any concerns or needs, please call this number." She handed him a clean strip of paper with normal, familiar numbers on it, though not in the order he expected. Still, it was at least something he could read.
When Danny looked up the detective was looking at him and then said something. Oshima nodded. "Right, we will be sure to return your property to you once we have confirmed it is not a danger to the populous."
"And if you find that it is, maybe, a teensy bit dangerous?" Danny asked.
Oshima translated. The detective gave a short reply. "We'll let you know as soon as we know something."
"Thanks." Danny watched as they opened the door and stepped out of the room. He could see Aizawa, leaning against the doorframe, listening to the Detective. No doubt being told that Danny was insane and relaying whatever parts of his story that they found important. Aizawa didn't seem too thrilled by what they had to say, then again he didn't really seem like the type to be thrilled by much.
Soon enough the Detective and Ms. Oshima left and Aizawa stepped in, closing the door behind him. He didn't say anything at first, just stared at Danny, as if he was trying to figure him out. Danny fidgetted under his gaze.
"Looks like you'll be staying at my place, until they can find somewhere more suitable for you."
"More suitable?" Thoughts of a ghost-proof cell flickered through Danny's mind.
"This wasn't exactly a job that I was eager to take on, that said my skills are needed and I'm willing to comply." He shrugged. "Besides, I deal with powerful adolescents at my job every day. What's one more to manage at home?"
Danny tilted his head. "I thought you said you were a pro-hero?"
He nodded, taking a seat in the chair next to the bed. "That's one of my titles, but my current paying job is that of a teacher at a prestigious high school, known for its hero training program. One of the best in the nation."
"Wait, there's a school that teaches you how to be a hero?" Danny asked, incredulous.
"There are quite a few actually." Aizawa responded, slouching into the chair, not seeming to care that he looked like a wet rag on a clothesline. "Being a hero in this society is as much a job as being a doctor or lawyer. There are plenty of people with useful quirks who think they can use their abilities to break the law and do whatever they please. Having equally powerful people who are employed to stop these sorts of crimes is vital."
"I guess that makes sense. And there's not like, anti-quirk communities or weapons that can take away a person's powers?"
Aizawa shrugged. "There was some push back decades ago when the first quirks started to appear, but once quirks became the majority it was harder for the opposition to make much of a fuss. As for the other, there aren't weapons so much as quirk suppressing restraints used by the police and, of course, the rare quirk like mine that can temporarily neutralize a person's powers. But no, there's no way we know of to remove a quirk entirely."
"Huh. That's a plus at least." He said, absently fiddling with one of the monitor wires.
Aizawa watched him for a moment. "You told the detective that you're from another dimension." Danny nodded, not making an effort to look up. "Are there a lot of communities that don't approve of abilities like yours in your world?"
Danny's tinkering stilled. "Sort of. It's less that they don't approve of my powers and more that they're scared of what I am." He shrugged. "Can't really blame 'em honestly. Just about everyone's scared of ghosts."
"You call yourself a ghost?"
"If the shoe fits."
"I can understand referring to your powers as ghost like, moving through objects, flying and being invisible, it's a better gimmick than a lot that I've seen, but you're just as much a living person as anyone else."
"That depends on who you ask." Danny grumbled.
Before anything else could be said on the matter, the doctor from before stepped in along with one of the nurses. The doctor nodded to Danny, then turned his attention to Aizawa. Danny figured he was going to have to get used to the feeling of being ignored for a while. He thought about learning some Japanese while he was here, but it didn't seem that important. After all, he wouldn't be here long. He was going to get the portal gun back one way or another and get himself back home soon. He just had to figure out how to get past Aizawa.
Chapter 4
Four hours. Four long, tedious, annoying and tiring hours of basic tests run by the hospital. Just like Oshima had said, it was nothing too invasive. It was leagues better than being strapped to a metal table and being dissected or forcibly having samples taken from his body between morphs. In fact, when he protested about having more blood drawn they listened. They got their vials of blood in the end, but only after explaining why they needed them. Even so, just the fact that they heard Danny say 'no' and stopped was so alien to him.
Most of the tests were things like x-rays, sensory tests, recordings of his vitals and one thing where they had him run on a treadmill while wires were hooked up to him. All tests, of course, had to be done twice. Once in his living, human form and then again in his ghost form. He was as surprised as everyone else when the x-ray of his ghost form came back as an overexposed, white blob on the screen. Seeing that they were being respectful of his space and comfort level he willingly opened up a bit more and explained to them what he knew of how his body functioned. However, he quickly realized he didn't actually know that much about his ghost form, at least not in a scientific way. Like how, he knew he didn't have a heartbeat or need to breathe or eat in his ghost form, but he'd never really thought about why that was. At least not beyond the 'I'm dead' answer. The doctor theorized that in his ghost form he had no organs at all and was almost entirely made up of ectoplasm and his own unique brand of energy. They'd seen something similar in an electricity based quirk before. With a little effort and toning back the radiation on the x-ray, they were eventually able to get a vague look at his ghostly skeleton. Or at least, the structure that kept him more or less humanoid in his ghost form. Ectoplasm seemed to become semi-solid in places where bones should have been, but with little more than a thought from Danny, could easily become gaseous along with the rest of whatever body part he didn't want to deal with at the time.
A lot of the information they learned there was interesting, but for the most part Danny was just tired. After the revelations about his skeletal structure he began to lose focus and wasn't really paying attention. Thankfully, after the treadmill sprint, Aizawa stepped up and said that he needed to get Danny packed up before it got too late. Not that Danny had a lot to pack up, but he was grateful that the poking and prodding was over. When he finally got back to his secure, windowless room though, he was surprised to find a shopping bag on the bed. He looked over his shoulder at Aizawa, who merely shrugged.
"Figured you'd want something besides night clothes to go walking around in while you're here." he said.
"Yeah, actually." Danny grinned. "Thanks."
"Come on out when you're done." Aizawa said, before stepping out of the room and shutting the door behind him.
Danny opened the bag and found a plain, red t-shirt, a pair of black skinny jeans and some white shoes that looked like they'd been worn a few times before. Not an ideal wardrobe, to say the least, but it was better than running around barefoot. If nothing else, the clothes seemed to fit pretty well. The shirt was a bit loose, but that didn't bother him as much. The best part was that the pants weren't too tight. Once he was dressed, he stuffed his pajamas into the shopping bag, ran a hand through his hair and stepped into the hall.
"Fits well?" Aizawa asked.
"Yeah actually. Seriously, thanks. You didn't have to do that for me."
"Don't worry about it, kid. Come on, it's late and I still have to take care of a few things." He turned and started walking down the hall with Danny following close behind. They wove through halls and corridors until they came to a large elevator. A ding sounded and the doors slid open. It was only when they stepped in that Danny realized how far down they were. Not that ten floors underground would be much for him to get through, but then again, this kind of security wasn't made to keep him in.
"Where is this place?" he asked, his voice quieter than usual as they rose up towards the surface.
"It's a just a hospital." Aizawa said with a shrug. Danny waited for him to continue. He sighed. "Because it's the closest one to the police station, the bottom levels were dug out and added to be a secure site to tend to sick or injured criminals. Down here, the security levels match that of some of the top rated high security prisons. Not just anyone gets to walk out of here without restraints or a swarm of armed guards." Aizawa glanced over his shoulder at the boy.
Danny paled. "That's… interesting?"
Aizawa turned his attention back to the elevator doors. "You were brought here because we knew nothing about you and perceived you as a potential threat. Though you seem relatively harmless for now, I want you to know that you are under observation. You're not off the hook yet and if you step one toe out of line, getting back to your home will be the least of your worries." The elevator dinged and opened onto the ground floor. "I suggest you behave and do as you're told." he said, stepping out into the hall.
Danny followed. The halls here were wider and more colorful, sporting framed artwork on the walls and considerably more people everywhere. They came to a lobby area and stopped at a desk. Aizawa gestured for Danny to wait and began talking to one of the staff.
"Shit." Aizawa sighed. "Ok then. Guess we're leaving from the back." He nodded to the woman behind the counter, who got up and disappeared into a back room.
"What's going on?" Danny asked.
"The press have been waiting out front since yesterday. Apparently, word of your fight with Kamui and Jeanist has been getting around and the media vultures are eager to get photos. Thankfully, your hair color should throw them off long enough for us to get past the crowd." The woman re-appeared from another door and waved them along. "We're going out a staff exit to try and avoid the majority of them. Keep up."
"Sorry for the trouble." Danny said, walking briskly behind the two adults.
"Not your fault that the media can't keep their overgrown noses out of our business." Aizawa said.
The woman led them through the halls, into a section of the hospital that had code-locked doors. The smell of antiseptic chemicals was strong in this part of the hospital. Eventually they made it through a final door that led to the outside. They emerged into a dark parking garage, lit by the occasional, flickering light overhead. Aizawa shook the woman's hand and thanked her, then brusquely wove his way through the parked cars and onto the sidewalk. Danny was struggling to keep up, but made sure not to fall behind. No paparazzi so far. They walked in silence for a few blocks before Aizawa finally slowed.
"We should be fine from here." He said, looking over his shoulder and noticing Danny breathing heavy. "You alright?"
"It's just been a long day." he huffed. "I'll be fine."
"Good. The apartment's not far." Aizawa said.
"I take it you're not the biggest fan of the media, huh?" Danny asked.
"I'm not fond of how they exploit the lives and goings on of heroes, just to selfishly further their own careers. Reporting on incidents and keeping the masses informed of important information is one thing, but dogging heroes for trivial matters and invading their personal lives is something I try to avoid."
"I can appreciate that." Danny said, looking around at the buildings as they passed. This part of town seemed much less busy and bustling than the part of the city he'd first appeared in. The evening hour likely kept most people indoors as well, he thought. It was nice though, walking through the neighborhood and breathing the fresh air. The scent of freshly cut grass was quickly overshadowing the peroxide smell, much to his relief.
The eventually came to a three story complex on the corner of the block. It wasn't fancy or high class by any means, but it wasn't trashy or run-down ether. Just a plain, cream colored building with warm, welcoming lights above every door. There was a considerable lack of trash and litter on the ground and even in the dark of night all the plant life in the little courtyard looked green and full. Aizawa led Danny up a flight of stairs and into one of the last apartments on the floor. Danny stepped inside, Aizawa locking the door behind them.
"Only one bedroom, but the couch is a fold-out." Aizawa explained, pointing out the rooms as he walked further into the space. "Bathroom's around the corner there. Kitchen's over here. You're welcome to anything you find in the pantry. Fair warning though, I haven't been to the store in a while, so there's not much to find." He ambled into the kitchen and pulled a couple of cans out of the pantry. He continued to speak as he scooped some kind of pinkish mush out of the cans and onto a plate, meticulously separating it into tiny piles. The odor of fish wafted through the air. Danny silently prayed that he wasn't going to be expected to eat that. "I'll show you how to use the laundry machines tomorrow and then we'll go get you some more clothes, so you don't have to wear the same thing every day. For now though, let's just get your bed setup and we'll figure out the rest in the morning."
He tossed the empty cans into a garbage bin under the sink and trudged towards a wall with a large curtain covering it. Behind the curtain was a sliding glass door that led out to a tiny patio. On the patio, to Danny's surprise, was no less than ten cats, who all perked up and began mewing the instant Aizawa opened the door. "You're not allergic are you?" He asked over his shoulder as he set the plate of food on the patio floor. Within seconds all the cats were swarmed around the plate, taking their designated places and eating peacefully next to one another.
"Uh… no. Not allergic." He sneered. "Just not a fan of cats, if I'm being honest."
Aizawa glared up at Danny out of the corner of his eye, still petting one of the cats and looking a bit like a very bedraggled James Bond villain. "People who say they don't like cats rarely have good reasons. Usually they have either never interacted with one properly, or they likely have animosity for something associated with cats." she shrugged. "Or a phobia, though I doubt that's the issue in your case."
Danny shrugged. "Bad association then." He didn't bother elaborating.
Aizawa hummed in response. "None of the cats are allowed indoors anyways. The apartment doesn't allow pets."
"Wait… so you just leave them out on your balcony all day?"
"They come and go as they please."
Danny blinked. "We're on the second floor though. How do they-" Before he could finish, an excited, repeating mew came from a nearby tree. Danny watched as a young and thin-looking orange cat came running across one of the branches, stumbling in its excitement, and hopped effortlessly onto the edge of the balcony. Aizawa stood and greeted the kitten with a scratch behind the ears before pulling a tiny handful of dry cratfood out of his pocket. The orange tabby immediately began eating from his hand as if it hadn't seen food in days. Danny watched as the slightest of smiles graced the older man's face.
"Alright then, Cat Whisperer." Danny quipped, turning on his heel and making his way to the couch in the living area. "Everyone needs a hobby I guess."
The living room was mostly bare, say for the old pull-out couch, a side table on either side and a tv on the opposite wall. The kitchen was separated by a raised countertop behind the sink and a few tall barstools. Not very spacious or welcoming, but from the looks of it, Aizawa wasn't the type to be home much or have guests over very often, if ever. It was a far cry from Danny's home back in Amity. Even if they had a ghost lab in the basement, mom at least knew how to decorate and make the rest of the house look nice and normal.
A wave of longing washed over him and he realized he hadn't thought much about his family since he'd gotten here. He'd already been here for two days now. If he was lucky, Sam and Tucker were trying to cover for him, but that wouldn't last another day. Jazz was probably freaking out, like she always did. It wouldn't take long before his parents would realize something was wrong. How long would it take for Jazz and his friends to spill the beans? And what then? Would they all go searching the Ghost Zone for him? Would they stop looking? Would they even care?
He shook his head. No, of course they'd care. They were his family. He'd seen a reality where his parents found out his secret and they still supported and cared about him. They accepted him then, so why wouldn't they if they found out now? A spec of doubt writhed in the corner of his mind, reminding him of all the times they'd threatened him in his ghost form and bragged about the dissections and tortures and devices they were working on in the lab. They had no love for ghosts, only a desire to find out more about them. At their core they were scientists, hungry to see how this little part of the world worked, not caring if they broke or ruined it in the process. Would they really change their thought process, their way of life, for a kid who wasn't entirely alive anymore? A shudder ran up his spine.
None of this would have to matter if he was able to get back soon. He needed to focus on leaving this place, not getting lost in 'what if's. Aizawa had said they'd be going out to get him some more clothes tomorrow. Maybe he could convince the man to take him by the police station. He wouldn't need to set up a heist or act right then, but knowing where it was would be vital.
A yawn rose up in his throat and he set his mostly empty bag down by the couch. He could figure out the rest of the plan tomorrow. For now, he was exhausted. His muscles were still throbbing and he could feel his thoughts gently pulling him towards sleep.
"I'll show you how to make up the bed." Aizawa said, coming in from the patio and closing the door behind him. "But first, I have a few ground rules that you will need to follow while you're staying here. Number one; You do not leave this apartment without my permission. You're under house arrest, for now."
"Yeah I kinda figured that." Danny said.
"Number two; Avoid making contact with neighbors and other civilians. Even if the news only got shots of your white haired form, bringing attention to yourself will only increase the likelihood of you getting recognised and starting a fuss."
"No leaving the building and no talking to anyone. Got it."
"There's one more thing. Less of a rule and more of a request." Aizawa said. "I'm keeping you here, because the alternative would be a prison cell. Judging by how my abilities affected you, police chose not to try and cuff you with quirk suppressing restraints when you were in the hospital. Such precautions would be unavoidable if you were kept in police custody. From where I stand, you're a confused kid who's out of your element. That shouldn't be a reason for treating you like a criminal. However, I am taking a considerable risk by keeping you in my home. If something happens or you decide to do something stupid, the blame falls on my head as well. I do not give opportunities like this lightly and I am even less likely to give second chances. I have to trust that you'll do as I say. So, do me a favor, and don't give me reason to rescind that trust."
A heavy weight pulled at Danny's stomach, though he made an effort not to let it show. "Ok. I'll keep that in mind, then." He said, scratching the back of his head. "And, thanks."
Aizawa shrugged. "Don't mention it. Now come over here and give me a hand."
A grand total of thirty minutes later and the bed had been made, lights were out and Danny was snoring lightly in the nearly silent apartment. Aizawa watched from his bedroom door, making sure the kid was deep asleep before retiring to his own bed. He knew when he accepted this task that he wasn't likely to get much sleep, but at least the kid wasn't spending the night in jail. He set his alarm for 7:00 am, curled up under a mountain of blankets and settled into a light sleep.
The sound of glass shattering on the tile floor in the kitchen, wrenched Aizawa from his dreamless slumber. Light was flooding in through the curtains and next to the bed on the nightstand his alarm read 6:50. He cursed at the few, precious minutes of lost sleep, shuffled out of his bed and peered around the corner of his doorway. Danny was already up and dressed and hastily attempting to clean up whatever it was he had dropped.
"The broom is in the closet by the door." he said.
Danny jumped and looked up at Aizawa. He stood there, like a deer in the headlights for a moment before speaking, in english.
"Uh… sorry I didn't catch that." he said.
It took a moment, in his half-awake state for Aizawa's brain to translate and he realized he'd initially spoken in his native tongue. He sighed and rubbed at his eyes. This was going to be annoying.
"Broom. Closet by the door." he said, pointing this time. Danny nodded and went to clean up the mess, while Aizawa went back to his room to get dressed. When he reemerged and made his way into the kitchen he found Danny staring into the pantry, hand on his chin, likely trying to make sense of the few cans labeled with japanese kanji.
"Don't bother, kid. Nothing much to eat in there, trust me." he said.
"Oh…" Danny said, closing the door to the pantry.
"What were you trying to make earlier?"
"I wasn't- I just took out the jar of bean-looking things to look at what was behind them and it sort of… slipped." He hesitated on the last word, as if trying to hide something. Aizawa looked down, noticing a few of the 'beans' Danny had missed.
"Well, first off," he said, picking one up off the ground, "these are lentils, not beans. Try to be more careful next time, okay?"
Danny nodded, a hand going to the back of his head. A nervous tell, Aizawa had noticed. "Yeah. Sorry."
"Well, no time like the present. Let's head out. We can grab breakfast at a cafe nearby." he said, making his way to the front door.
Danny followed. "So, what do you guys usually have for breakfast around here?"
Aizawa shrugged. "Rice. Salmon. Soup. Basic stuff, but it's filling. You'll see." He locked the door after Danny stepped out, then looked over his shoulder at the teen. "You're not a picky one are you?"
"So long as it doesn't have mushrooms and isn't still alive, I'll try just about anything once." he said with a shrug.
Aizawa grumbled, shoved his hands into his pockets and started trudging towards the stairs. The sun was already casting morning shadows across the city and the sound of morning commuters could be heard from two blocks away. Even though spring was ending, the weather remained blissfully temperate. He knew it wouldn't last though. Give it a week, maybe two and the summer heat would start to show its face soon enough. And then the camp would be starting as well.
Now that his class' finals were complete, the students were eager to take a break. However, recent events meant that such a luxury was implausible. Aizawa had been making calls and planning the camping trip for a few days now. The Pussy Cats had already confirmed and were saving space for them and 1-B's teacher, Vlad King was determined to get his students up to 1-A's standard and join them at the camp. Aizawa doubted they would rise to the challenge, but he wasn't their teacher and he didn't know how determined the students of 1-B would be.
Of course all of this had ground to a halt when a portal resembling those used by the League of Villains had been seen downtown and a teenager came tumbling through it. He'd been on his way to the school when he saw the kid fly off after clashing with Kamui and Jeanist. If he'd known then the mess that this would turn into, he would have kept walking. But, now he was involved and he had to babysit this kid until the authorities could figure out what to do with him. No telling how long that would take.
The sound of quiet footsteps patted along steadily behind him. At least the kid wasn't wandering off or trying to run away. Then again, if his story was true, he would have no place to go. The absurdity of this teen's story was only outshined by the number of abilities he had exhibited and the ease with which he had escaped two capable pro-heroes. And yet, here he was, following along like a lost puppy and looking like any other, normal teen. A normal teen who was currently staring at individuals who had rather obvious mutations and making no effort to hide his shock.
"Stop staring." Aizawa hissed. "You're being blatantly rude."
Danny seemed to shrink back a bit, gluing his eyes to the sidewalk as they continued on their way. "Sorry." he mumbled.
"No need to apologize to me. Just be more conscious of what you're doing, got it?" They rounded a corner and a little cafe came into view. "We're here."
Aizawa walked in and took his usual seat at a booth by the window. The room was small, hosting only five tables and about as many seats at the bar-top counter. Only a couple other customers were there, quietly conversing or eating their meals in silence. As Danny sat across from him a voice rang out from behind the main counter. Aizawa looked up and caught sight of a bouncing wad of curly, gray hair coming out from behind the counter.
"You're an hour early, Aizawa." Said a little old lady, whos squinting eyes were magnified by a pair of thick glasses. "And you brought a friend? And it's not that blonde one, for once." She looked Danny up and down then looked back to Aizawa. "Your usual?"
"Two, please, Tanaka." Aizawa said, holding up two fingers.
"I assumed as much, dearie." she said with a dismissive wave as she turned and walked back into the kitchen. "You're lucky I always save you a couple slices of salmon. That blue haired one up the street came in here earlier and just about cleaned me out. He had some sort of party, though he didn't say who it was for, I think it's-"
Aizawa stopped listening, having grown used to the old lady's ramblings years ago. He turned his attention back to Danny, who had been quietly watching from his side of the booth.
"Should she really be working the kitchen?" he asked. "She looks like she might keel over any minute."
"Miss Tanaka has been running this place for well over fifty years. If she knew what you just said, she'd probably beat you with a spoon."
Danny shrunk back in his seat a bit. "That was rude again, wasn't it?"
"Not necessarily." Aizawa admitted. "A blunt observation of an individual, yes, but that's not why she'd be upset. She, like many from her generation, is proud of her work and she would not give up the opportunity to continue cooking for anything. She'll likely keep working behind that counter until she does pass and she will be glad to have been healthy enough to keep this all up for that long."
"So, she really loves cooking then." Danny stated.
Aizawa shrugged. "Possibly. She is a great cook. Although I think it's more to do with the work and the time spent well, rather than the task itself."
Danny looked confused and was about to say something when a young woman walked up to their table and placed the food Aizawa had ordered in front of them. She gave a slight bow and walked back to the kitchen without a word.
"Dig in." Aizawa said, already reaching for his chopsticks.
He was pleasantly surprised to see the kid could eat with chopsticks, even if he wasn't holding them quite right. Still, he wasn't making a mess or a fool of himself, so he didn't bother to correct him. Danny took his time trying everything on his plate at first, but at some point his hunger clearly got to him and he was soon wolfing it all down.
"This is really good." he mumbled between bites.
"Just a basic breakfast." Aizawa said. "After this I need to run by my office at work and check a few things. By then the stores will be open and we can get you some more clothes. Then it's back to the apartment for the rest of the day."
Danny nodded and took a swig of miso. "So, um…"
Aizawa looked up and waited. He'd been teaching for far too long to not recognize that tone. This was ether going to be a request or some sort of unorthodox question.
"Is there any chance we could, maybe go by the police station? Just to see how they're coming on the portal gun. Maybe get a date for when they think they'll be done with it? I mean it's not even put together or anything. Basically just a pile of junk that-"
"No."
Danny blinked. "I jus-"
"The detective said he would call when his people found out anything. We will wait for him to call." Aizawa stated.
Danny glared. "Come on, it's just stopping by and asking a question. It's not like the police could be all that busy with super heroes handling all the crime around here."
Aizawa set down his chopsticks and looked Danny in the eye. "That's not how our justice system works, kid. Heroes capture and take down dangerous criminals, yes, but it's the police who handle all the legal affairs that go along with any official arrest. With crime on the rise lately, heroes and police both have been kept quite busy trying to keep the public safe and ensure that panic is kept to a minimum." He paused, letting his words sink in. "You came here at a bad time. Things are beginning to change around here and your sudden appearance has a lot of us on edge. The last thing you want to do, is look too trigger happy in front of officers who already don't agree with letting you walk around freely. Your existence is suspicious enough. I suggest you don't add to their concerns by asking too many questions."
Danny stared down at his food. He was upset, clearly, but was likely having trouble thinking of a good enough argument to get what he wanted. A part of Aizawa thought of offering the kid something else to distract him, but he didn't have the energy to make any other promises today. Instead he finished his meal in silence and watched the kid, sulk in the booth across from him. Aizawa thanked the owner for the meal and escorted the teen out onto the street once more. They walked for a few blocks in silence, nether very eager to start up conversation. The city bustled around them, people rushing to get to work on time and stores prepping to open for the day. More of the usual routine.
"So, we're going to your school next?" Danny asked.
"Yes. The students just started their summer break, so it'll be fairly empty." He sighed. "There's a few things I can't handle over the phone, but it shouldn't take long. Don't wander off and try not to make a scene."
"Stay on the leash and don't 'go ghost', got it." he grumbled.
Aizawa sneered at the attitude. He was about to chastise the kid, when they came around the corner and his focus shifted entirely. "Shit."
A few blocks ahead was the gates of UA High and in front of the gates were a few determined looking people with microphones and news cameras. None of the teachers were out trying to shoo them away, likely because the heightened security meant they were no real threat to anyone inside. Getting past them however was going to be a different story.
"We'll have to circle around back and take one of the side entrances." Aizawa grumbled.
"And how long is that going to take?" Danny asked.
"About two kilometers down the road. Why, do you have somewhere to be?"
"No, but there's an easier way to get passed them." Danny stated, crossing his arms over his chest. "Or through them, in my case."
Aizawa's eyes narrowed. "You are by no means permitted to use your powers in public. I would have thought I made that clear."
"It wasn't in the rules you listed."
"I didn't think it needed stating." Aizawa seethed. "Start walking."
"Just hear me out, for once, ok?" Danny said. "I go invisible and keep a hand on your arm at all times, so you know I didn't run off somewhere. We get up to the group, you squeeze your way though, I'll phase through them and by the time they realize the sudden chill in the air we'll already be inside. 'Kay?"
"And what's there to ensure you don't actually run off?"
Danny shrugged. "Guess you'll just have to trust me." he held out a hand. Aizawa didn't move. "It's not like I have anywhere I can go." Danny added, rolling his eyes. "Come on, it's easier. It's faster. No one's gonna get hurt and I promise I'm not going anywhere. Deal?"
Aizawa waited. It was a good plan, he had to admit. Letting him willingly drop out of his line of sight however, was a risk. He'd let the kid sleep without supervision, only because he knew Danny had been exhausted the night before. Even if he didn't have his eyes on him all day, he'd been keenly aware of where Danny was at any given moment since the scene on the roof. Allowing him to slip out of that awareness, even for a few seconds, was a bad idea.
And yet… the side entrance was tragically far away…
"If you make one wrong move, you're done. Do I make myself clear?"
Danny nodded. "I'll be right next to you the whole time."
Aizawa sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Fine. Let's go." He shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking. Once they were about a block away, Danny put his hand on Aizawa's arm and vanished from sight. He could still feel the kid's hand, but he knew his quirk couldn't work if he couldn't see the kid.
It took only one reporter noticing Aizawa to set the whole flock into a frenzy. They crowded around him, but he made no move to slow down. He saw one camera man step into the space where Danny should have been, but nothing happened. He didn't bump into anything or look around like he'd seen something. Intangibility was quite useful indeed. Aizawa continued to weave his way through the small crowd, always aware of the slight pressure on his arm. They were almost to the gate when a woman stepped in their path, shoving a microphone in Aizawa's face.
"Eraserhead! People are eager to know. How did you subdue that villain? What really happened on that rooftop? And where is the delinquent now?"
It took him a moment to realize they were talking about Danny. He hardly thought of the kid as a villain, but he wasn't stupid enough to try and correct them ether. Give 'em an inch and they'd take a mile.
"Get out of my way or I will be calling the police." He warned.
"Do you think this has anything to do with the League of Villains? Was this one of their members?" she continued.
Aizawa didn't answer and tried to step around her. She cut him off. "There was an escort to the hospital after the fight but none to the jail or prison after. I have a source that says the villain is no longer in that hospital, so where did he go? Why haven't we been given any answers? The public needs to know-"
She froze. A glazed look came over her eyes and Aizawa realized that the pressure on his arm was gone.
No. Not gone, but lessened. Like the kid was just barely touching him with a finger.
A chill ran up his spine and Aizawa watched as the woman stepped out of his way and began methodically flicking her microphone on and off again with one hand, the other hung limply at her side. The cameraman next to her asked if she was alright, but she didn't respond. Suddenly, all attention was on her and the odd behavior. Everyone stared, wondering what she was doing and why she looked so… out of thought.
Then, as suddenly as she had began, she stopped. She swayed where she stood, but was quick to catch herself and straighten up. The pressure returned to Aizawa's arm and he felt a distinct shove. He moved passed the dazed reporter and walked through the gate with ease. The reporter could be heard talking with her cameraman, asking what happened and why hadn't anyone else stopped Aizawa from passing through. They knew better than to try and follow him into the school's yard.
Once they got inside and the door shut behind them, Aizawa whirled and Danny came into view, holding his hands up in surrender.
"Okay, I know that was a little off script, but I kept my word and no one's hurt and we're inside the school."
"What the hell did you do to her?" he asked, not taking his eyes off Danny.
"It's called overshadowing. It works better if I can use all of me, but I promised not to let go of you, so… that's the best I could come up with."
"You were controlling her?"
Danny moved his hands like he was comparing the weight of something. "Sort of. Yeah. Not something I do a lot, but it got her out of the way at least. And, like I said, I kept my word."
Aizawa sighed. "So it would seem."
Danny smiled.
"Come on." Aizawa said, turning on his heel. "Hopefully we won't run into too many people while we're here."