{ XII }

                                    

                                          

{ XII:I ~The Past Never Dies }
The sun was shining warmly as it masked the odd twinge in the air, much like it did the approaching autumn. There was a knock, the bell positioned on the swinging entrance’s frame jingling as Iida opened the door to see who it was. Their bar was closed on the weekends, and they hadn’t had visitors in years so he didn’t know who would be knocking at this hour. Midoriya was finally starting to recover from the hangover she gained from the night before as she finished the breakfast burrito Todoroki had made her. Preoccupied by the savory wrap of eggs, cheese, hashbrowns and bacon, she didn’t really give the stranger’s shadow in the frosted window much thought or even a glance. 
A tray of beer glasses hit the floor, shattering into a million pieces as the whole room fell dead silent. Iida stared as the door swung the rest of the way open, Bakugo having to tear his gaze away to try and pick up all the glass he had dropped on the floor. His eyes were wide with shock as he fumbled with the broken shards. Midoriya rushed to him first, helping him discard of the mess. 
"Sensei...?", Todoroki’s voice faltered. Midoriya froze, her emerald gaze slowly turning to the door. There he stood, Shota Aizawa in the flesh with his tired red eyes and shaggy black hair. 
“As I live and breathe...”, Midoriya gasped, straightening to stand as Kyoko came flying down the stairs with a new drawing in hand. The child skidded to a stop at her mother’s side as she stared at the stranger in confusion. Iida took a few steps back, Aizawa turning his gaze from him to Todoroki and Bakugo. Then to Midoriya and Kyoko before looking up at the stairs to the approaching footsteps of Ashido and Kirishima, another layer of shock trying to creep over his exasperated gaze. 
"Great god, how many of you are back there...?", he asked as Toga and Dabi peeked out of the kitchen. Midoriya was speechless, struggling to even find the words she wanted to say as she hugged her daughter close. "How long have you lot been here for...?", the old teacher followed up with, gaze returning back to her.
“Five years now... I think..", Midoriya answered in a small voice. She sent Kyoko back upstairs to go play with her little brother. Aizawa took the indirect invitation to come in, sitting down on one of the bar stools as he shifted to face her. 
"And you didn't think to try and come back...?", he inquired. He didn’t think he’d ever see any of his students alive again. The shock was overpowering as he felt like they’d be gone again the moment he took his eyes off them. He had thought the stranger that came across him was just pulling his leg. But here they are... 
"You could have went to the police or the pros, anywhere... We were looking for survivors... All this time and here stand the last of U.A.'s students... Tch...”, he snorted, burying his face in a hand. He couldn't believe his eyes. “I figured you'd be parading around like heroes..." 
"They wouldn't want us... Trust me...", Iida answered, Midoriya hung her head in shame. Aizawa tilted his head slightly with a raised brow as he sat up. "They would try and figure out how... and why... that's a mess we don't want to be in...", Iida added. 
Aizawa stared at him for a moment before giving a heavy sigh, tapping the counter. 
"Vodka... I’ll need it for this one from the looks of it...", he ordered. Todoroki nodded, pouring him a drink as Iida found somewhere comfortable to sit. He started from the beginning. The day they were kidnapped. 
Midoriya’s stomach felt as if it was twisted into knots, the young woman rushing to the bathroom and emptying her stomach. Her anxiety was back and with a vengeance. That's fine. She didn’t think she could sit and listen through that story anyway. She had already had to live through it.