Deku (narrating):The day after Bakugo got taken by a villain we were fighting at Camp, after everything, I was brought to a hospital close to our Camp. While in the hospital, I fell in and out of consciousness while wracked with pain along with having a high fever. Recovery Girl also came and healed all of my injuries. The police also showed up to question me about the villains who attacked us at Camp, but unfortunately while being questioned about the Camp incident regarding the villains who attacked all of us, I could not remember anything about what happened concerning it.

(Present Time)

After waking up and still being affected psychologically from the incident that happened at Camp, from the corner of his eye, Deku saw a bowl full of sliced apples and a note next to it hand written by what he deemed the font on the note to be his mother's hand writing.

Still unstable psychologically, Deku thought surprised, "That's my mother's handwriting…"

He then heard his mother's voice speak in his mind, "Izuku, enough already… Your mother's heart can't take any more of this…"

He thought about his mother's earlier past words to him regarding what had happened to him and his classmates at Camp. At the moment, it felt very eerie to him that his mother may have been right to worry about him all along.

But then Deku's mind went to thoughts about Kouta. Seeing as he was also affected very badly hurt by the villain Deku had to put all of his strength into to defeating him, he imagined an incident like that would affect a child as young as Kouta for a very long time. But in his heart, he knew that Kouta was a strong boy who would be okay. He would be somewhat battered at first, but he would be okay in the long run.

Deku then slowly looked up above him to the hospital ceiling still lost in thought and asked to himself aloud, "I wonder if Kouta is okay…?"

But at that moment, his previous childhood friend Kachan flashed in his mind.

Deku then thought about his final moment with him before he was taken away by the villains.

(Flashback)

"KACHAN!" Deku yelled out toward Bakugo running as fast as his legs could take him toward Bakugo in that very delicate moment of time.

Frozen in fear from each of Dabi's fingers intertwined around his neck and from the other villains' powers who were beyond his own, Bakugo stared back at Deku who was running at him slightly afraid that what these villains were doing upon him they would do to Deku as well.

Frightened, but in a firm voice, he gave a warning to his past friend that was, "Stay back… Deku."

And just like that, Dabi and Bakugo disappeared as the portal they were both standing in front of swirled away into thin air as Deku and his classmates watched. Deku then fell into the dirt where Kachan was standing previously in complete exhaustion from putting every ounce of his strength and power toward running to Bakugo to save him despite Deku's grave injuries he had received that day. But he was too late.

(End Flashback)

Staring on in the same spot where Kacchan disappeared, Deku then cried out into the night sky above him in frustration, but mostly of shock of what just took place in front of his eyes.

Remembering his scream of frustration that night during Camp rang out in Deku's mind very clearly as he thought back to the memory of what took place a day or so ago since he had been admitted into the hospital as a patient.

"Kachan… I couldn't save him…" He thought to himself as he then stood up with the same stare, but more fixed now. With his mind clearer now, Deku then gritted and scrunched his face in frustration as he dug his fingers and thumbs into his palms inside of his casts.

Deku thought back to what All Might had said to him earlier about him not always being able to save people who needed saving, but only saving people within his reach and who indeed wanted to be saved. … And there was a person who needed saving, which was his past friend Bakugo, that Deku could not reach in time to save him from being kidnapped by a villain.

But then a thought immediately crossed Deku's mind that he was not expecting. It was a thought filled with relief, but also revenge.

Kacchan was gone.

He may have been dead by the same villain's hand who had Bakugo's neck in his embrace or he was entirely unreachable anymore unless a search team by the other heroes and proper authorities were put out into the city to search for him.

With Deku's hands more relaxed at that moment, but then again tightening in gripping his palms as he thought very conflicted, "But didn't Kacchan deserve it…?" Deku then closed his eyes tightly, his hair concealing his vision, and tilted his head down in grief thinking again, "Why…? He…"

Deku then thought back to the times where Bakugo had bullied him throughout his childhood spending time with him and his two other companions. He then thought about how Kacchan got angry with him when he had tried to help him out of the stream Kacchan had fallen into with his hand extending out toward him to help him up. Deku's thoughts then flashed back to the end of his middle school days where Kachan had burned up his most recent hero research book and tossed it out the window into the school's fountain. Even despite trying to help Bakugo with the Sludge Monster incident and everything turning out okay in the end, it still did not erase the painful past Kacchan had caused him to go through throughout his childhood with him. In conclusion, Deku was the victim of bullying and Kachan was the main perpetrator of said bullying.

With slightly hot tears in his eyes, Deku then thought to himself, "He must have surely deserved it, so why…" He started shaking and then asked himself again, "WHY…?"

"Midoriya!" a voice suddenly called out to him.

Snapping out of his thoughts suddenly, he immediately turned his head to the sound where the voice he had just heard was coming from in the room and saw Kirishima standing in front of his hospital room's doorway.

Seeing Deku with slightly red eyes despite being in casts, Kirishima asked him concerned, "Are you okay, Midoriya?"

Slight surprise was expressed on Deku's face at Kirishima's question and from what he had immediately noticed from Deku almost crying at that moment.

Deku then relaxed his expression while looking down at his arm casts and then replied to Kirishima who still had a troubled expression on his face, "Yeah."

"You don't sound okay." Kirishima said pulling up a chair from the corner by Deku's hospital bed and sitting down in it to the left side of his bed. "I imagine you are taking this harder than the rest of us."

Frustration clearly showed on Deku's face again from Kirishima's comment. Kirishima being the only person close enough in the friend category to Bakugo in their class, he was not surprised to see Kirishima in his hospital room before the rest of his classmates first.

"I'm not okay… I'm confused." Deku said lightly blunt aloud.

Kirishima looked at him in surprise wondering why Deku was feeling the way he was.

"About what?" Kirishima asked.

Deku looked at Kirishima for a moment and then back down at his casts.

"I… I have known Kacchan, or Bakugo, for a long time." Deku started.

Crossing his arms and leaning on the edge of the hospital bed now, Kirishima replied, "Yeah, I heard you guys have a long history with each other. Although Bakugo does not talk very much about it…"

"I should be happy that he is gone." Deku replied.

"WHAT…?" Kirishima replied shocked releasing his posture from the hospital bed, he then retorted immediately, "But you-"

Looking back at Kirishima unphased by his reaction toward his sudden harsh words toward his friend Bakugo, Deku continued, "I don't know if he has told you this yet, but Kacchan used to bully me, Kirishima." Turning away from Kirishima with his hair concealing his vision again, he then added, "Even now."

Kirishima looked at him shocked and didn't understand what Deku was telling him. He had noticed in the past that Bakugo was not the friendliest toward Midoriya compared to the way Bakugo treated him. That he definitely had noticed between Midoriya and Bakugo.

"So…" Deku said before raising his voice shouting angrily, "SO WHY SHOULD I CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO HIM?! AFTER EVERYTHING…" His words rang across the entire room echoing off of the walls as he then gritted his teeth together and breathed harshly out through his nose to catch his breath.

Kirishima then stared at Deku with wide eyes and couldn't think quickly enough about what to say back to him because of Midoriya's harsh tone of voice. But from Midoriya's spoken words, he could not believe all of the pain he was carrying inside of him from his past with Bakugo all of this time.

"BUT YET… I STILL CARE ABOUT HIM. KACCHAN IS STILL IMPORTANT TO ME!" He finished staring at Kirishima with a look of intense grief on his face, but did shed any tears. He then calmed down and put his head down in front of him saying softly, "I don't know why I care about him, Kirishima. But I still do…"

It was a lot of emotion for Kirishima to take in at that moment dealing with Midoriya's reaction and feelings toward his friend Bakugo. But he did understand how Midoriya felt after all of his life concerning Bakugo. Anyone would feel the same way as Midoriya felt if they experienced what Midoriya did with someone who was cruel to them all of their life. The past events that took place between him and Kacchan now buried away in the sands of time.

After a few seconds of silence passed between both of them and after a few seconds of thought, Kirishima said to Deku gently, but lightly, "Bakugo… doesn't know it yet but… He is lucky to have you as his friend, Midoriya."

As if a slight healing took place inside Deku's heart from Kirishima's words, Deku then looked at Kirishima slowly with solemn eyes, but with a slight look of curiosity on his face.

Kirishima continued, "As far as I'm concerned, anyone who didn't consider Bakugo as a friend of theirs, or didn't even cared about him slightly, would never express such passion in their words toward him as a person or a friend. Bad past with them or not."

Deku's eyes widened in surprise at Kirishima's reply.

"And what I think is that even after everything you have been through with someone like Bakugo, anyone would feel the way you do. But still caring about him even after all the pain he has put you through in your life… Bakugo is incredibly lucky to have you as his friend." Kirishima then looked down awkwardly and said, "Even me as his friend as well." Kirishima then looked back up at Deku and concluded loudly, "EVEN IF HE DOESN'T KNOW IT YET!"

After listening to his words, Deku's expression and demeanor were much calmer as he stared at Kirishima.

Deku then turned away while looking in front of himself and then spoke softly, "Yes, it only makes us human." He then grinned and finished looking back at Kirishima, "Even heroes in this case."

"Mm!" Kirishima nodded assuredly.

"Someday..." Deku said smiling, but relieved, "I hope Kacchan will realize that he doesn't have to fight alone. That others can help him along the way. Others can be his friend as well. It's okay." he concluded smiling more softly now at Kirishima.

With his arms leaning against the hospital bed again, Kirishima nodded and replied grinning, "Yeah!"

Deku's smile widened at Kirishima's reply and then said gently, "Thank you for listening to me, Kirishima." He then looked down into his lap and continued, "Sometimes it's hard going at things alone that I have been struggling with all of this time."

"No problem, Midoriya." Kirishima replied back at him still grinning and began again, "Everyone needs friends to talk to. Even Bakugo." He finished matter of factly, but in a humorous and understanding manner.

Deku then breathed out a laugh with a smile at Kirishima's sense of understanding humor. After seeing Deku's newfound joyful demeanor, Kirishima smiled even wider at him.

Deku then asked Kirishima curiously, "Kirishima, did you come and see me alone?"

Still smiling, but not as widely now, Kirishima replied back, "No, I just got here before the rest of the class. I wanted to talk to you first thing as soon as the hospital set up visiting hours for your room here."

Deku looked at him surprised replying, "Oh."

Walking in front of the doorway now was his classmate Kaminari who said aloud, "Hey, Midoriya! I'm glad you're awake!"

Deku and Kirishima looked at Kaminari in surprise as they both watched the rest of their classmates come in to check on Midoriya.

As Deku saw all of his classmates, sadly minus Kacchan, coming in to see him in the hospital, he smiled widely at all of them and said aloud, "Hey, everyone. I'm okay!"

- End -