50

Deku's POV

We were staying with Aunty Flame while we stayed in Rome but she works most of the time so we pretty much had the flat to ourselves. Hero Fest only lasted for a week but we also have an actual mission for the second week and right now we are scouting the location. Kaminari wasn't doing terribly either, considering he doesn't know Italian and wasn't familiar with the area.

There was a suspected child trafficking ring in the area and it was our job to look into it. Simply put, they don't have enough evidence for "real" heroes to go storming in but if it's us they can say that we are just kids and we are bound to make mistakes. They really submitted a mission request to have us fly almost 15 hours one way just for that reason alone. But if it is a child trafficking ring then it's worth coming out here. I would rather that wasn't the case though but this is the reason for heroes after all.

It was actually Kaminari that found our mark and he and Toshi tailed him while Kacchan and I kept our distance, scouting both ahead and behind them to make sure it wasn't a trap but we didn't find anything. It wasn't until the villain was at the church doors that my heart sank. I have a very bad feeling about this.

Kacchan and I entered through the catacombs, already having a vague understanding of the layout, thankfully it wasn't nearly as extensive as the ones in France or we would be in trouble, sadly though. This is Rome, so they weren't that far off either. In some ways it was worse in others easier, I don't think I could actually pinpoint the differences though.

"Deku!" I heard Kacchan hiss and I stopped dead in my tracks. Sure enough we had stumbled across a burial chamber and thanks to the dark I almost walked face first into a few of them. A shiver passed through my body at the thought of touching the dead corpses. I nodded my thanks before focusing again on our task.

There was a very fresh stench in the stale air that made my nauseous and I couldn't help the unease, knowing that soon we'll come across a body. A fresh one. We rounded a corner and the stench got worse but at the same time we saw children huddled around the small room, many of which were crying while others were laughing.

It was pretty obvious that the ones laughing were trying to cheer up the ones that were crying but it wasn't helping, then they saw us.

"Who are you!?" One boy stepped forward while the rest tried to back away.

"Kid, we're just lost, where the hell are we?" Kacchan groaned and true to form he sounded irritated as hell. "Some test of courage this is, we can't even find the exit let alone the shrine," he added as if we really were here on just a dare. We are in plane clothes because the hero agency wanted us to try and blend in if we could, using our young age. "Izu, why the hell did you have to run off, now we're both lost!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," I whined and it was clear that the kids bought the lie, hook, line and sinker.

"And what is that fucking smell? Did someone kill a skunk or some shit?" Kacchan complained some more. One of the kids nervously pointed at a pile of clothes on the floor but no one said anything so I walked over and flipped the blanket laying on top only to squeal and fall back. That was a corpse, the bones bloody and much of the tissue was left but there were also rats eating on it so I scrambled back as fast as I could until Kacchan helped me up again.

"We have to be quiet or more will come. It's not safe to go outside," one of the children whispered, as if the rats would attack them if they weren't quiet enough. Did they think dead bodies were loud? I don't understand.

"Fuck this shit, I'm leaving. I'll find a way back out of here no matter what! Come on Izu!" Kacchan grabbed and pulled me roughly but several of the kids stopped us, telling us of the monsters further in the tombs.

"You're making shit up now. I'm not staying here with that!" Kacchan pointed at the covered again corpse, who recovered it? When?

"I saw it with my own eyes, there is something walking around and it attacks anything that moves. It looks like it used to be a person but it acts like a rat, trying to eat anything it finds," the boy whispered before stepping back from us.

"How did you get down here in the first place?" I asked confused, it was by no means easy for us and we actually knew where to go and where the key was.

"A man rescued us from some traffickers, the traffickers are still hunting us so the man can only take one of us at a time," a girl answered sadly, and now I understand what's actually going on but I don't understand why. This person obviously bought the children from the traffickers and made it look like they were escaping but what is his plan? Why is he doing it?

"We should leave and get help," I whispered to Kacchan who nodded in agreement, there was no convincing the children to come with us. As it was they were still trying to convince us to stay with them here with the dead body. We left, I saw one person following us but I pretended not to. If nothing else it would be one less child to save later.

After several minutes she couldn't stay hidden anymore and ran up to us. "I shouldn't have left, today was my turn to go home," I heard her mumbling but she didn't offer any other explanation and we didn't ask.

Soon we found where our mark was. It was a large chamber and we didn't enter, something felt wrong about it so we hid outside the doorway and listened in.

"What do you mean you lost her?" A man asked, his voice soft and gentle but there was an unmistakable sense of authority in it.

"She wasn't with the others and the other children said a couple kids had stumbled into the chamber, lost. I brought the boy scheduled for tomorrow though!" One man answered and I covered the girls mouth that came with us. For some reason she hasn't made a sound yet which is a good thing but I can't chance them finding us here.

"I'm sorry, tonight's bus doesn't go anywhere near your home. Your ticket home will be ready tomorrow," the man smiled and the boy was taken out again. Once the door closed the first man grabbed the other by the throat. "Do you think this is a game? That any child will do at any time?" He squeezed, strangling the other. "Well then I guess you will take the girl's place," he smiled and a bright yellow light flashed, the dangling man screamed and it looked like his body was sucked dry, withering until what was left fell and cracked to dust. Leaving nothing behind but his clothes.

"Not nearly as filling as children but I refuse to deal with incompetence," the man looked younger but not by much and it's only now that we saw that the room was filled with people in dark cloaks as they murmur a yes sir. "Find the girl and the lost children, we can't just look the other way when they are so willing gave themselves to us, now can we?" He started laughing and Kacchan and I quickly and quietly pick up the girl and leave.

Would a child trafficking ring have been better? I can't help feeling like it would because then at least we could find the children and save them but there isn't anything we can do if they are all dead already. Nothing at all. We bypassed the chamber with the other kids in it, already knowing that it would have at least one guard now and quickly made our way to the exit. Once we were clear the girl was still quietly sobbing but she also wouldn't let us go.

I pulled out my phone, 505D was all the message I wrote before sending it to headquarters. Backup should be here quickly. It was a code we took from being teenagers in America. 505 looked a lot like sos and the D simply meant death. If they situation was under control we would have sent an angel number like 5555 or 1111 but since we needed back up quickly… well do with what you can with what you have.

"You saw it too?" Kaminari asked and Kacchan and I nodded. I pulled out my phone again and this time I sent RED. In all caps, letting them know the danger level was severe. "How often do you get missions like this?" He asked and I noticed that the color had drained from his face.

"Not often, they don't like sending us because we are underage but now that we are in UA they care less, much less," I answered while I waited for our orders.

"Mission?" A girl's voice asked and it's only now that Kaminari sees that we aren't alone.

"We are Heroes, this is the girl who was going to be killed tonight," Kacchan spoke up while I read our instructions.

"The local hero agency is sending an entire team, we are not to interfere unless something happens. When they get here I'm supposed to brief them and let Flame take the lead," I told them and they nodded.

"Isn't that the hero we're staying with?" Kaminari asked and I smiled while nodding. "It's nice that we aren't the only ones that know Japanese, it was giving me a bit of a headache listening to all the Italian," he smirked and Toshi actually smiled at that.

"I wonder why everyone is speaking in Italian? It wouldn't have anything to do with us being in Rome, now could it?" Kacchan teased, the young girl was holding onto him tightly and even for the short while we were talking in Japanese she still didn't let go of him.

"Don't worry, we're going to get you out of here, safe," I smiled at her and she nodded but I could see her knuckles were still white.

Thankfully this wasn't our first time coming here, maybe that's why I don't feel as uneasy as when we are in the catacombs in France? But then again France in general makes me uneasy. After all, you never know when She will appear so long as you're there. Another shiver passed through me at the thought, that's worse than walking into a corpse. Right, we are in Italy! We should be safe. Last I knew she wasn't allowed in Italy still!

We just need to wait for Flame and the other heroes now.

"Who are you? Trinity? What are you doing up here? You were supposed to go home today," we turned around to see a pink haired boy and my gut twisted. The warning went off in my head again but I still don't know what color the hair was supposed to be. Is this the boy I'm supposed to beware of?

I held my arm up blocking the boy from getting too close. "I think you should take a seat over there," I pointed towards a tombstone a little ways away but the boy looked even more confused and so did Kacchan and Toshi but I can't let the boy come any closer. I just can't.

"Trinity? Everyone has been looking for you! Wait who are you?" I turned my head to see a boy with blue hair. Well fuck.

"Sit over there," I motioned towards another tombstone away from the pink haired boy. One could be a villain but I can't let the other be in danger because I'm being cautious.