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Aizawa's POV

Heroes from all over the city sat in one large room. Many of them were underground heroes. Those who worked in the shadows rather than in the spotlight.

Shouta Aizawa sat in the back watching his fellow underground heroes. It was unusual for them to be in one spot at the same time. Many of them himself included hated working with other heroes. Including those who only worked in the shadows. The handful that were underground heroes included Thirteen, Fatgum, and surprisingly Sir Nighteye. As All Might's former sidekick the hero was the most surprising.

There was a single question on all of their minds. What were they doing here? The police had requested their presence but refused to state why. With the compilation of heroes, it had to be something big. There was no other reason for so many to be called like this otherwise.

Everyone's attention was drawn when a detective walked in. He wore a tan overcoat and matching hat, underneath which he wears a black suit, a green tie at his neck with matching slacks and dress shoes. Black hair hung into his tired onyx eyes. The detective was one they all knew and worked with numerous times. Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa well-liked by the hero community for being fair and honest.

Shouta stood just a little taller and more attentive. This wasnt just a waste of time. Tsukauchi definitely had something big lined up.

Tsukauchi said drawing everyone's attention, "Thank you all for coming tonight. You all have your own busy schedules but what I have uncovered affects us all. Each hero tonight has come across a group of thieves. From the information, I have gathered it's all been the same group."

Fatgum continued with a look of interest, "You must be talking about the Lost Children. I originally thought they were a myth but I encountered one last week. It wasnt their leader but the quirk used was distinctive. An explosive quirk that came off of his hands."

"That would be KEM," interrupted Tsukauchi, "From what I have learned he's like a second in command to the leader. He is the only one we know for sure what his quirk is. Their leader is the King of Thieves. While the others wear nondescript black cloaks he wears a gold medallion of a falcon on it. There are rumors of him being followed by a silver winged falcon but these reports are unconfirmed."

The room erupted into whispers. Every hero had their own thoughts on the matter. A silver winged falcon. Those weren't common as pets and almost unheard of in the wild. The wings would be too much of an indicator for predators.

It would take someone with intimate knowledge of animals to tame such an animal. There was no way that the Lost Children were without some kind of adult leader.

Shouta questioned, "What about an adult figure? They are easier to track in this day than the children."

Tsukauchi shook his head as he replied, "From our research and reports on those who have encountered them, most are teenagers. Oldest being between 15-19."

How could a bunch of children outwit heroes? Shouta had encountered thieves before. They fit the description of black-cloaked and being swift on their feet.

Like the others here he never considered them part of a group. Villains and thieves rarely if ever formed groups. Not with All Might being the Symbol of Peace. As much as Shouta disliked the man it was his symbol that kept organized criminals from being prevalent.

Lost Children would not be children forever. Within a few years, they would be adults and that would make them much more dangerous. Which was why they were being called, he realized. Tsukauchi wanted to stop this before it became a problem they couldn't handle.

Fatgum continued, "In order to stop these children we will need to work together. I almost had one of their members last week. In fact, I would have caught him except for the fact that their leader showed up. I believe he has an interference quirk. He was able to stop my quirk and make their escape in an unparalleled amount of time. There is the possibility that he was once a hero course student."

Nighteye noted, "This will make it difficult for anyone to apprehend him. I believe our best bet will be to patrol the sectors that their activity is most common in. Eraserhead your quirk has the best chance at stopping their escape. Fatgum you have the best chance at capture."

Tsukauchi finished, "When you patrol these areas do not engage the Lost Children. Gather information and report back to myself. With more information, we will launch an offensive with Nighteye, Thirteen, Fatgum, and Eraserhead in the lead. Be wary out there. It's not certain as of now how many there are. Or what their quirks are."

The other heroes began to disperse with that. Shouta stayed behind knowing there was more than what was being said. Thirteen was mainly a rescue hero. It wasnt often that he was seen in combat situations. So why was she apart of this?

When the other heroes were gone Shouta made his way to them. Tsukauchi said rubbing at his eyes, "I'm sure you all have noticed that we didnt tell them everything. Eraserhead you remember the fire from last month."

Shouta nodded. Last month a fire had erupted in the warehouse district. It took out four warehouses some of which had been occupied. He had been one of the heroes who sprung into action that night.

One warehouse, in particular, had over a hundred workers trapped inside. Thirteen and Shouta had been unable to get inside due to the blaze. While they were trying to figure out a plan someone had broken in through a window.

Through the broken window a group of people helped the trapped workers. Shouta was the first to notice them coming off. Many had trouble breathing due to smoke inhalation. Leading them to the ambulances was when he caught a glimpse of one of the rescues.

Too young to be a hero or even a student the boy had green hair emerald eyes. On his back was a wooden bow and quiver. He sat in the window frame and was pulling warehouse workers up and out. Then they would be handed off to another that was on the ground.

Shouta had wanted to confront the group but civilians came first. So heroes and the unknown group had worked in tandem to ensure the warehouse workers safety. By the time that everyone had been rescued and looked after the group was long gone.

Lost Children were thieves, yes but it seemed as if there was more to them than that. They would take risks that even heroes would hesitate in taking. Those who had gone in after the workers had more potential to be heroes than his class this year.

During his thoughts, Tsukauchi explained what had happened. The others listening with intent eager to find out more about the group. By the end, they were all on the same line of thinking. It may be possible to reform the children into heroes.

Izuku's POV

Winter was coming again. Already the air was chillier than before. Many of the Lost Children had come down with colds or the flu. Stealing from the pharmacies were out of the question. There were lines that he would not cross and that was one of them.

Many of the pharmacists allowed him to pay under the table for medicine that his group needed. They protected the streets in ways that heroes couldn't. They stole from those that could afford the loss. Never from the smaller businesses. For those that looked after him and his, they gave back in small ways.

Most of them knew him as his civilian identity. They thought that he was just the face of Lost Children. What they didnt know was that he was the King of Thieves. An archer with a penchant for dropping off a rooftop onto heroes. Most thefts were actually done by KEM or Bakugo as was his civilian name. Izuku's main job was to keep the heroes off of the others.

His name wasnt just for show, however. Thieving came more naturally to him than any of the others. His deft hands were able to lift wallets to watches off of even heroes without notice. The main reason he was on the defensive side was because of his quirk.

No Longer Human was the name of his quirk. With physical contact with another person, he could disable their quirks. It made him perfect for dealing with heroes who got to close to where they were stealing. If worse came to worst then he would put an arrow through their knee.

Archery and knife throwing were more of a last resort. They didn't want to hurt anyone if it wasnt necessary. They weren't villains after all. Just kids trying to survive in an unforgiving world.

The door to the pharmacy opened revealing a man in a suit with a lab coat over it. In his hands was a plastic bag full of medicine.

The man said in a low tone so that no one could overhear, "Here I have written out everything for you and your people. Are you well, Izuku?"

Izuku grinned falsely as he replied, "I am well thank you, sir. I have to get these back to the others."

The man sighed but nodded allowing him to leave. People saw him as weak. As a quirkless kid abandoned because he was without power. The truth was he had power it just only came in handy against others. When he fought he had to rely on his speed and mobility rather than raw power.

Katsuki was the powerhouse of the group. They only numbered in about fifteen but that number was always changing. New kids coming in others deciding they couldn't take the life anymore. The core remained the same Izuku, Alec Metz, Katsuki Bakugo, Jason Guggenheim, and Nero Vanetti. The original thieves of the Lost Children.

Jason and Alec had animal quirks which was where their nicknames originated. Nero had a rare quirk of teleporting. For the most part, the older boy refused to use that except within his line of sight. It was for fear of being stuck in a wall. Something that had happened once before he joined up with Izuku and Katsuki.

Even with that limitation, however, they were able to keep up with the heroes. They were able to get in and out avoiding heroes who were hellbent on capturing them. Izuku studied every hero and knew their powers well.

First was Nighteye. If he touched his opponent and locked eyes with them he could see into their future. It was unknown if this could be changed or for how long. KEM and Wolf had several run-ins with this man. It was how he had figured out the other's quirk.

The second was Fatgum. His quirk was best suited for capturing an opponent without doing them harm. If Izuku did not have No Longer Human they would be unable to face down Fatgum.

The next hero was Thirteen. While mainly a rescue hero he was also seen occasionally trying to capture one of the Lost Children. His quirk was good for bringing an opponent in for the capture. Lack of control made it difficult to only capture your targets. The best mode of escape was into a large crowd.

They had been chasing the Lost Children as a group for almost a year. A year of watching their backs the entire time. Waiting for the heroes to jump out and capture them.

Izuku's right hand reached up to scratch the soulmate mark on his chest. Everyone in the world had a soulmate mark. It was the name of their soulmate in the color of their eyes. His was Shouta Aizawa with black and red letters.

Whoever Shouta Aizawa was he didnt want to know. There was no way anyone would want a street rat for their soulmate. Izuku was the King of Thieves and once anyone found that out they would turn him in.

A pop next to him caused Izuku to turn finding the warm brown eyes of Nero staring at him. The older boy must have been following him.

Nero said looking over his shoulder at something, "You're being followed. Looks like a hero."

Izuku didnt pause as they walked down the street. A screech above them caught them by surprise. Katsuki must have sent Aiden to find them.

Izuku let out a sharp whistle and raised his arm. A silver winged peregrine falcon landed in his arm. Aiden was a falcon he had rescued a year ago. Aiden had been abandoned by his mother when he fell from the nest breaking his right-wing.

Izuku felt a kinship with the bird so he nursed it back to health. Like Aiden, Izuku and Katsuki had been abandoned by their respective mothers. Izuku for being quirkless. Katsuki for acting like a villain in his mother's eyes. That's why they stole to survive.

Aiden nipped at his ear as he settled on Izuku's shoulder. A sharp look was sent to the boy's eight o'clock. So Nero was right and they were behind them in the eight o'clock position. Was it worth fighting the person? Or should they retreat?

Fighting would give away his civilian identity. Something that no hero had seen yet.

Izuku whispered to Aiden, "Seek Aiden. Let us find a safe way home," then to Nero, "Nero let's go through the back alleys. I don't want to risk losing the medicine."

Nero held out his hand for the bag and Izuku handed it over without a fuss. His friend could get it back to their hideout without much trouble.

An unfamiliar voice called out, "You there. Stop!"

He and Nero exchanged glances before taking off in opposite directions.