~BNHA~ The Echoes of Silence

Untitled Part 10

The day started like any other in the mosaic of mundane that painted Katsuki's neighborhood — the rustling of trees from the nearby woods, blending with the rhythmic snips of their gardener's shears as he groomed his mother's prize-winning rose bushes. Katsuki, on his doorstep, breathed in the scent of freshly cut grass, mingling with the warm aroma of his morning coffee.

Just as he stepped forward, determined to head over to Izuku's place, Inasa appeared from around the corner, his enormous frame; cutting an imposing figure against the dappled sunlight. The seriousness etched into Inasa's brow was as out of place in the bright morning as a raven against fresh snow.

"Katsuki," Inasa called out, his voice uncharacteristically grave.

Katsuki's foot hovered mid-step, then settled back onto the welcome mat. His surprise at the interruption flickered over his face, swiftly replaced by annoyance. "What happened now?" he asked, eyeing Inasa's tense posture.

Without a word, Inasa stepped forward, his gaze darting to the street behind him as if to ensure they were alone. "Inside. We need to talk," he said, a command, not a request.

Reluctantly, Katsuki led Inasa to the living room, the privacy of which seemed suddenly paramount. As the door shut with a definitive click, the usual neighborhood sounds muffled into silence, the air within growing thick with tension.

"It's Ibarra. She's... she's been found dead, Katsuki. In the community garden," Inasa delivered the blow with all the gentleness of a sledgehammer.

The news struck Katsuki like a physical force, his knees weakening momentarily as he sank onto the nearest chair. Ibarra, vibrant and brimming with life, now reduced to a past tense. "Dead? But, how? When?" he managed, his voice a raspy whisper.

Inasa, his face a mask of professional detachment that didn't quite reach his eyes, continued, "Last night. And before you ask—there's reason to believe Izuku might be involved."

The shift in topic snapped Katsuki to attention, his grief morphing swiftly into confusion. "Izuku? That makes no sense. Why—"

Inasa pulled out a tablet, tapping through to a paused frame of CCTV footage. It showed Izuku, unmistakable even in grainy black and white, his figure looking out of place with the context. "He was seen near the garden. Around the time we believe she was..."

As the implication sank in, Katsuki felt an icy dread creep up his spine. "That's not possible. He was with me," he started, but Inasa's pointed look cut him off.

"The whole night?" Inasa asked.

"Well.... we met up sometime after midnight." Katsuki relented.

A sudden flashback hit Katsuki—images of Izuku's mud-caked boots. Izuku's excuse of taking a walk in the woods after their fight. His head spun with the dissonance between the Izuku he knew and the one Inasa suggested might exist.

"I... I need to see him. Now," Katsuki decided, standing abruptly. His heart hammered with a mix of fear and defiance, a turbulent storm that refused to settle. Was he about to defend a friend, or confront a stranger wearing a familiar face?

"Your dad is picking him up now for questioning. Let's go then," Inasa said, and together they stepped out, leaving the tranquility of the morning behind.

The world outside blurred into streaks of color as Inasa's car sliced through the city. Inside, the atmosphere was thick with tension, the only sounds the steady hum of the engine and the faint murmur of the city waking up. Katsuki stared out the window, his gaze lost in the passing landscape, but his mind nowhere near the streets they traversed.