The Unchangeable Future

Spoilers for the Current Arc!

"STAY OUT OF MY WAY!"

Overhaul unleashed all of his power in one strike, elongating his unnatural appendage to strike his opponent, the hero Izuku "Deku" Midoriya. Sickening cracks reverberated from his hellish limbs, as he reached out to strike him down. Alas, he underestimated Izuku's new found power that he borrowed from Eri as the boy slipped right by his attack, and readied himself to counter.

'You!'

Izuku's optimal time to strike had come, and he turned his body around in mid air to begin his final assault.

'When you take damage, you disassemble and reassemble yourself to recover. But at 100% speed…'

He used his quirk to send himself flying towards Overhaul at an incredible velocity, preparing himself for impact.

'I can take advantage of that gap! AND NOT GIVE YOU THE CHANCE TO RECOVER AGAIN!'

Izuku's body collided into Overhaul, causing the villain to shoot towards the ground, but he wasn't about to let him off so easy.

'If I can't even save a little girl standing right before my eyes…'

Using all of his might, he began to barrage his enemy with a flurry of punches, each shaking with the power of All Might himself.

'Then how can I possibly become a hero that saves everyone?!'

He readied his fist for one last attack, one final punch to end this fight that has gone on for far too long. He called upon all the power he could muster, and brought his arm back to ready his blow!

That's when he felt something slip from his back.

He was so busy fighting Overhaul that he forgot the only thing keeping Eri, the one keeping himself held together while using 100% of his power, was only secured to him by a tied piece of fabric. Mirio's cape.

'NO!'

His worst fear has been realized. The red cloth that he wore with pride came untied, and the girl that was strapped to his back had begun falling to the earth.

"ERI!"

Izuku quickly turned around and attempted to catch her, but it was far too late. He felt his body crumple up like a piece of paper, like every bone and muscle fiber in his body were being crushed to dust, and he too began falling back down to earth.

Without a word, Overhaul quickly put himself back together, effectively undoing all of his damage. His momentum from Izuku's attack disappeared, and he also fell down towards the ground. But he used one of his unnatural limbs to grapple a nearby building, and he swung himself towards the now falling girl.

Eri was now completely terrified, and she tried her absolute best to avoid being captured once again. The spark that Mirio set inside her heart writhed in desperation, and she felt her limbs desperately scatter to try to grab onto something, ANYTHING that could possibly whisk her away from the demon that now almost had her back in his grasp.

But it was no use.

Overhaul wrapped Eri in the massive palm of his demonic arm, and brought her up to his real hand. He grabbed her, and tightened his grip around the back of her neck harder than he ever has before.

"FINALLY! THIS ENDS NOW!"

She tried desperately to free herself from his clutches, but quickly found herself being engulfed in searing, horrible pain. She cried out in agony, but was quickly silenced. Overhaul used his quirk to disassemble her, effectively rendering her silent and motionless. She was still alive, but he made it so she was just barely able to hold on.

Her screams shot Izuku out of his pained blackout. He blinked his eyes and forced himself to recover from his groggy state, and he leapt back onto his feet.

"NO! ERI! STOP HURTING HER!"

He readied his fists, having recovered from the sudden burst of pain, and prepared to jump back into the fray.

'I can still move! All that pain must have been a side effect of her letting go of me, and me still having 100% activated for a second! She still healed me up until the very last moment!'

"CHISAKI! LET HER GO!"

He activated One for All the best he could manage by himself, 20%, and leapt towards the monstrous horror that now loomed over the surrounding neighborhood.

Watching all of these nightmarish events unfold from a short distance away was a brown haired girl, holding a man who was near death in her arms.

"NO! DEKU!"

Screaming at the top of her lungs, Ochaco "Uravity" Uraraka looked on as her best friend, and her secret love, was going toe-to-toe with one of the most dangerous villains in all of Japan. And he was losing. She placed the man, the pro hero Nighteye onto the ground, and started to run in the direction of the fight.

"I...I tried to tell him."

"H-Huh?"

These grim words that were separated by heavy coughing froze her in her tracks.

"I… I told him this would happen. That… he would d-die. It's unchangeable, the future c-cannot be altered. Chisaki will kill me first, t-then him, then escape with Eri… D-Don't get… mixed up with f-fate."

"NO! I WON'T JUST LET HIM DIE ALL ALONE LIKE THIS! HE NEEDS MY HELP!"

"U-Uravity… Listen to m-me… nothing you d-do will change his f-fate. I s-saw it!"

"I DON'T CARE! HOW CAN I CALL MYSELF A HERO WHEN I LET MY BEST FRIEND FIGHT AND DIE ALL ALONE? I CAN'T! I WON'T!"

Tears were streaming down her face like a waterfall. She wanted to run out to him, to help him fight, to help him save the day and save Eri, but something was keeping her back. A feeling that she never felt before, and a feeling she wished she could just forget about and throw to the wind.

Fear. Pure, concentrated fear.

Her quirk only required her to touch her target, but so did his. The only reason why Izuku was able to hold his own against Overhaul was because of the girl that was on his back, who allowed him to tap into all of his latent power. The way he was before, she really felt like Izuku could give All Might a run for his money, but her? All she could do was make things defy gravity. Sure, she'd be able to topple most villains who got in her way, but Overhaul? He outranked her in both speed and experience. He'd be able to disassemble her entire body before she could get him 5 feet off the ground. Overhaul could grow massive limbs, so he'd be able to recover from any of her attacks quickly. She was completely, and hopelessly outmatched here.

"O-Overhaul… he's way too m-much for you, Uravity. He'd kill you b-before you could ever l-land a hand on him."

"I KNOW THAT! It… It's just…"

She looked on towards the battlefield, crying at the sight of her Deku struggling hopelessly against a powerful evil.

Izuku pounced at Overhaul, with 20% of One for All surging throughout his body.

"I SAID LET HER GO!"

Before he could get anywhere close to him, Overhaul swatted him out of the air like a bug.

"Idiot. You have NO chance against me now. You have FAILED! ERI IS MINE AGAIN, AND I WILL USE HER TO USHER IN A NEW AGE! AN AGE WITHOUT QUIRKS!"

Seconds before Izuku smashed against the side of a nearby building, a giant fist buried itself in his body, causing him to go completely through the structure. Crumbling like a piece of cake, the building split apart as he was sent hurtling through it.

'No! This can't end here! I have to keep going!'

Still alive but barely holding consciousness, Izuku summoned all of his willpower, flipped himself around, and landed on his feet. This only allowed him to see Overhaul completely eviscerating the building he just crashed through, following right behind him.

"You've really surprised me."

Overhaul wiped away the dirt from his face and mask, and regained his calm composure he kept before his plan almost failed.

"I never would have thought a U.A grunt like you could have caused me so much trouble."

He retracted the horrific mass that surrounded him, making himself revert to his original, human form. He still held Eri in his right hand, who was still unconscious. He threw her to the side like a rag.

"ERI!"

"If only you were as smart as you were brave. Maybe you would be able to see the big picture."

"SHUT UP!"

Izuku knew he couldn't attempt to recover Eri without dealing with Overhaul first. He quickly called forth 20% full cowl, and pounced at Overhaul, ready to deliver a spinning roundhouse kick.

"RHODE ISLAND ROUNDHOUSE!"

What he expected to hear, which was the sound of Overhaul's mask shattering and bones breaking, was instead replaced by the sound of air rushing past his head. The feeling of a hand grasping his leg shortly followed. He was now being held upside down.

"You fool. Don't you remember what happened last time you tried that?"

Izuku felt a horrific, sharp pain creep up his leg, like his skin and bone were melting away.

Overhaul was using his quirk.

"Now that you've lost the power Eri gave you, I can see every one of your movements a mile away, just like before. You're FAR too predictable."

Overhaul violently threw Izuku like a piece of garbage towards the ground, making him roll around like a ragdoll. He was far too weak to make a landing to counter. Once his momentum dissipated and he stopped rolling, he could only grab his leg in pain. And scream.

"How does it feel? Other than Eri, I've never actually used my quirk without the intention to kill. Does it hurt? I hope it does. I want you to feel every inch of your body crawl with agonizing pain for getting in my way."

Against all odds, Izuku again summoned his power, and attempted to catch Overhaul with another unexpected flip kick with his one remaining leg. Overhaul dodged, but allowed him to land.

"I will NEVER stop!"

He ignored the searing pain in his leg, leapt at Overhaul, and began throwing a barrage of 20% punches directed at his head and body.

"I will NEVER surrender!"

Despite Overhaul dodging every single one of his punches, he continued.

"I will NEVER give up!"

Despite his leg screaming in horrible pain, he continued.

"I WILL save everyone!"

Despite his arms begging him to stop, he continued.

"I AM DEKU!"

His voice roared throughout the entire city, causing every pro hero and civilian within earshot to freeze.

"AND I WILL STOP YOU!"

He summoned all of the power he could, despite not having Eri tied to his back. His right arm glowed with a yellow light, and his veins started to pulse with a bright red color.

"SMAAAASH!"

He punched the air directly in front of him. He knew he couldn't hit Overhaul directly, but if he could cause a big enough shockwave, he might be able to stagger him for a second, allowing him to counter.

What he heard behind him sent shivers down his spine.

"You're pathetic."

A massive kick connected directly into his spine, sending him flying forwards. His face dug into the pavement, and his skull cracked as he skidded to a halt. Before he could even attempt to get back up, Overhaul quickly pinned him to the ground, and stomped on his head. Repeatedly.

"You're going to pay for trying to interfere with my vision. For making me lose my cool. I'd erase your quirk, but it seems I've lost the remaining bullets."

He let up on Izuku, letting him breathe again. The green haired hero is now covered head to toe in blood, and is struggling for even a single gasp of air. His entire right arm was now shattered, his skull felt fractured, and all the ribs on the right side of his torso were also broken.

"I guess I'll just end this now."

She couldn't take it anymore. The sight of Izuku, the one she cared for so much, being beaten within an inch of his life. She once again finds her legs moving in his direction.

"U-Uravity… I'm telling y-you… Don't t-try."

"I… I can't anymore. I'm so scared, but… I can't just sit here and do nothing!"

"He… He'll kill you b-both. R-Running and interfering w-will only increase our l-losses..."

"I don't care what happens to me. Even If I fail, I'll know I tried!"

"Y-You can't change the f-future. No-one ca-"

"THAT MAY BE TRUE! But… I can't call myself a hero If I don't at least try! I can't let him do this on his-"

Her attention was immediately taken off from the conversation. Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped as she saw Izuku being pinned against a wall by Overhaul, with something sharp in his hands.

Despite being brutally beaten into the ground, despite his shattered right arm and destroyed ribcage, young Izuku defied the odds once again, and managed to move his arms in an attempt to stand. His attempt was futile however, when a hand reached down and grabbed him by the throat. Overhaul picked him up, held him eye level and commenced a haunting, deep eye contact with the boy.

"You've really managed to piss me off. Like I said, I'd love to take away your quirk and watch you hopelessly squirm around like an insect without a purpose. But, I can't. So I'll just do the next best thing."

Overhaul picked up a stop sign that was lying on the ground, and destroyed it.

"I'm not going to use my quirk on you. No, that would be way too good of a death for you. Instead…"

He rebuilt the stop sign, creating an extremely sharp, long piece of metal.

"I'm going to make you bleed."

He threw the young boy up against the nearest wall, and raised his make-shift spear into the air, pointing directly towards Izuku's lung.

"And force you to watch me walk away with her."

He brought his arm down, and lunged his weapon directly towards Izuku's ribcage.

The sound of flesh being ripped apart filled the air.

Izuku couldn't open his eyes. Was he dead? Is he still alive? Was his brain not registering the pain yet? He didn't feel any new sources of pain, but he could feel something wet on his costume. He opened his eyes, and was met with only the color brown. The delightful smell of flowers filled his nostrils, and he instantly felt at peace. Until he looked down.

Pink and red. Those were the first colors his brain registered. Then, he noticed that a figure was standing in front of him, with its arms raised to its sides. His eyes glanced towards a piece of metal sticking from its ribcage, and that the figure was wearing a skin-tight pink and black outfit.

"N-No…"

It hit him all at once. His dear friend, the one he cared so much for, who he held secret romantic feelings for, had taken the hit for him.

Ochaco.

"NO!"

He was frozen in place. He could only watch as her limp, pale body fell to the earth below. He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity, barely able to recognize the events that just unfolded. He could barely hear her pain filled screams.

"Well, that was unexpected."

Izuku looked up at Overhaul in complete rage. He felt his mind slip into a hazy, enraged fog, and he couldn't feel his body anymore. Emerald fire leaked from his eyes, lightning arced from his body, and his hair slightly spiked up.

He couldn't speak as his mind was now completely blanketed in a blind fury. Just the sight of someone hurting Ochaco, the person he treasured above almost all others, caused Izuku to completely lose control. Out of anger alone, he somehow managed to activate One for All at 50%. What should have been words instead came out as a bloodthirsty cry.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Izuku shot like a bullet towards the now baffled Overhaul, and connected his fist with his chin, sending him flying like a rag doll.

"YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Not wanting to give him a second to recover, Izuku jumped after him and pinned him to the ground, and pummeled him further into the dirt.

Nighteye and Tsuyu, who was attempting to treat his grievous wounds, were both in complete shock. The sight of an enraged Izuku sent chills down their spines.

The boy who Nighteye thought was far too soft to ever show a killing intent was now truly trying to dismember Overhaul.

Tsuyu's friend and classmate, who was a sweet and innocent boy, was now acting like a bloodthirsty animal. The image of an enraged Izuku terrified her.

Izuku continued throwing wild, reckless punches until he could see the bones poking out of his muscles. The skin on his arms was completely gone, and his raw muscles were exposed. They were bleeding heavily. Izuku ignored his mangled limbs and focused only on his target. He let the dust clear, and felt the anger in his mind subside when all he could see was a massive crater surrounding him, with Overhaul lying lifelessly directly underneath him.

Now able to form rational thoughts again, his mind snapped back to the cause of his episode of pure carnage.

"URARAKA!"

Izuku felt the bones in his legs shutter and crack as he got up to run back to her. He winced at the sudden violent pain, but continued to put one leg in front of the other. He didn't stop until he found himself directly in front of her.

Izuku looked down at his feet, and was sickened by what he saw. His worst thoughts were realized as he saw his beloved friend Ochaco Uraraka, lying down in a puddle of her own blood, desperately gasping for air.

"OCHACO!"

He threw himself at her, and desperately tried to move his arms to hold her up. They wouldn't budge. Instead, he brought his knees to the floor, and used his head to bring hers up to rest on his knee.

"Ochaco! P-Please! Don't go! Please don't go! I'll n-never forgive myself! Please!"

He was crying harder than he ever has before. Harder than when he realized he was probably was never going to see his dad. Harder than when his doctor told him he had no quirk. Harder than when Bakugo turned on him for the first time. Harder than when All Might told him he couldn't be a hero. Harder than when she chose him as a partner during the sports festival.

"Please! I'm so s-sorry! I shouldn't have gotten caught up in this! This is all my fault! I'm so stupid, please don't leave me! I should have just stayed back with the others! I should have-"

"D-Deku…"

Izuku's eyes shot wide open, and his tears paused for just a moment. He looked her in her gorgeous brown eyes, and anxiously listened.

"I...It's n-not your fault, D-Deku."

"Ochaco, please! Save your strength, you're going to be alright! I'll go get-"

"D-Deku, please l-listen."

He wanted to tell her to be silent and save her energy, but something told him that he needed to hear her. He regretfully stayed quiet, and let her speak.

"I...I didn't do this f-for no reason, D-Deku. T-This was m-my choice. I-I couldn't just l-let you die, Deku. N-Not you. Y-You have so much m-more potential than I d-do. T-To me, you're the only one who can replace A-All Might. Y-You're exactly what the w-world needs, Deku. I couldn't l-let him kill you."

"Ochaco…"

"Do you r-remember the first time we met?"

Izuku's mind flashed back to the time he almost slipped and fell at the doors to Yuuei Academy, only to be saved by the quirk of a girl with brown hair. The first girl he ever talked to, and the first girl he's ever developed feelings for. He remembered writing an entire page about her during orientation.

"Y-Yeah…"

"And d-do you remember the time y-you saved me from the 0 p-point robot?"

He remembered the first time he used his quirk, to destroy the giant robot that nearly killed her. How he couldn't stop talking about her with his mother in the hospital.

"Y-Yeah…"

"That was w-when I realized how a-amazing you are, Deku."

She winced in pain, and the tears streaming from her eyes quickened their pace.

"A-And… I really wish we c-could have had more t-time together, Deku. A-And had a c-chance together."

Ochaco reached for Izuku's hand, which he quickly did for her.

"I… I'm so happy we m-met, Izuku."

"Ochaco? Please! Don't go, hold on just a little longer!"

"G-Go beyond, Izuku. Do it for me."

"O-Ochaco?"

She managed to smile, just before going limp. Her eyes closed, and her smile disappeared.

"O-Ochaco?!"

He hastily ran his hand through her hair, and gently shook her head back and forth in an attempt to wake her.

"N-No! Ochaco, you can't go! No! OCHACO!"

Realizing his words fell on deaf ears, he couldn't take it anymore.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

He screamed as loud as he could, still leaning on Ochaco's lifeless body. His quirk activated on its own from his sheer rage, causing the ground underneath him to shake and crack. He felt his body shake and quiver in pain, so he quickly let it go. He couldn't take much more damage.

"How sad."

Izuku's eyed shot open. He looked towards the massive dent in the ground where he sent Overhaul. He was standing at the lip of the crater.

"I was going to kill you, but this seems way better. Now you're going to have to live with this guilt for the rest of your life."

He couldn't muster any words. How? How was he still able to move? How was he still alive? He put everything he had into those punches, and more, yet here he was, without a scratch on his body. He only looked back towards his lifeless friend.

"Now, I really must be going."

Overhaul walked away, towards the small girl that was still unconscious on the ground nearby.

"NO!"

How? How could he be so damn stupid?! Eri was there the whole time! He was so distracted by Ochaco that he forgot all about her! He just let Overhaul win!

"Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't recover her. I thought for sure it was over, until I saw how pathetic you were huddled over that girl's body."

"SHUT UP!"

"I could fix her, you know. At least, I could try. She might still have time. But of course, I won't. Just because she's with you."

Izuku grit his teeth, and tried to clenched his fists. He desperately wanted to throw himself at Overhaul again in one last attempt to stop him, but he knew it was far too late. He could barely move, let alone throw a punch. He wasted the last opportunity he had.

"I'll just leave you two alone."

Overhaul slung the unconscious girl over his shoulder, and regrew the horrible amalgamations from his flesh.

"No…"

Izuku slumped down, finally feeling the fatigue from his countless injuries. He collapsed next to her. He shakily turned turned his head to face her, and gently placed his forehead against hers. He shuttered at the feeling of her still warm skin. He loved her, he always had since the first time they met, and now, he would never get to tell her. He was going to live with this regret and guilt for the rest of his life. He rushed into battle with one of the deadliest villains in all of Japan, and she paid the price for his recklessness. He could never forgive himself. Not only did he lose Eri, he lost the most important person in his life, next to his mother.

The last thing he saw before he blanked out was the image of Overhaul's horrific form scuttering off into the distance, clutching a small girl in his hand. His mind has completely shattered. Finally succumbing to his injuries, Izuku passed out next to his dear friend. His first crush, and first love.

No one had any words to share when they found the couple lying down in a pool of their own blood, faces still soaked with tears.

Author's Notes

Special thanks to UpDownLeftRightHenloo, Captain Bloo and Air Quiet Reader for beta reading!

Hey everyone! Back again for day 6! I hope you enjoyed this fic despite it being so sad. I tried really hard with this one, and I'm happy with the way it turned out. Again, a few things before I end it. I've made a Tumblr account for my fics! You can find me on Tumblr with the same name, rumpcrunch! And if you haven't read them already, I wrote two other fics for days 1 and 2 earlier this week! You can find them both on FFnet and AO3! And rest assured, Romance and Heroics is not over! Far from it actually! And as always, thanks for the support and I'll see you in the last Izuocha week one shot!