"I will just have to steal one more thing from you" came the declaration from All for One.
It fell on deaf ears. All that Deku could notice was the minute change of All for One's stance. A slight shift to aim his backhand towards the blond. Now that the League of Villians have been transported away, Kaachan was left clueless to the threat behind him. While charging up another shot at All Might, the weird tendrils started to leak off of the hand pointing towards Kaachan.
Deku tried to block out the screams of those trapped in the fallout of the attack. He needed focus, not the worry of the countless other lives on the line. He definitely didn't need to think where Gran Torino was right now or what was happening to the other heroes. Focus. He needed to focus. With a hitched breath, the world around him fell dark, seeing only that which was in front of him.
His best friend was about to die. Focus.
A thousand scenarios ran through his head in an instant, watching as All Might's position would leave him powerless to intercept the threat approaching his childhood friend. He saw his first, true friend perish countless times before his brain zeroed in on one course of action. Before All for One could even finish thinking about what he was soon to do, Deku charged his full cowl. Knowing he only had one shot to pull this off.
"Kaachan" cried Deku, being the only thing he could choke out in time.
And quicker than blinking, Deku was soaring. He would never let another person get hurt. What kind of hero would he be, if he couldn't even save one friend. Focus on the here and now. Closing the distance in a flash of green. Deku closed his eyes, bracing himself for the moment of impact.
Slamming into Kaachan, Deku spared him a glance. And the biggest smile he could muster.
"Deku. NO," shouted Kaachan "you idiot."
A shock of pain raced across his body, as he absentmindedly noticed the black and crimson tendrils, that were now sticking out the back of him. He wondered how his mother would feel. Whether it would be anything like when he first lost his dream of becoming a hero. Would the class at U.A. understand what he did, would they blame Kaachan. He hoped not, he made this choice. Not Kaachan.
He hoped All Might wouldn't hate him for this. Surely All Might would understand this sacrifice. He had been on the verge of sacrificing himself every day since he became a hero. Yeah. All Might would understand. Though he would still reprimand him for it.
Deku gave a hazy thought to Iida and Uraraka. He wished he could have said goodbye to them. Iida was just around the corner, he would definitely reprimand him once he sees. Deku starts to wonder if Uraraka would miss him. Definitely should have told her how he feels. He wonders if they could have led a happy life together. Probably not, he would have ended up in this position somehow. That's just who he is. Was.
"Aaaarrrgggghhh" Deku screamed as the tendrils exited his body.
"Deku!" cried Bakugo, as he lifted Deku into his lap. Not even noticing the fight that was still raging behind them.
Wait. Kaachan was crying? Why would he be crying? He was always the strong one, out of the two. So he asked that exact question.
"Baka, you were always the strong one." Bakugo choked out "That's why I treated you the way I did, because you made me feel weak. Even now, you were the one to act."
"Ha, I was only ever trying to catch up to you."
"Shut up! You've always been the hero. So hold on!" Bakugo shouted "Iida, where the fuck are you?"
Not much could be heard over the cacophony of rage that was All Might's renewed attack against All for One. Explosions of violence ringing out across the industrial district.
"Stop crying and listen to me!" Deku said. "You need to be strong now, stronger than both of us."
"What are you talking about?! Help is on the way, I promise."
"We both know how this ends Kaachan." Deku declared, coughing up blood to punctuate his point. "You need to carry on the legacy of One for All."
"What legacy?!"
"The legacy that gave me this quirk." Deku groaned as he lifted a hand to his head and ripped out a hair.
"What the fuck are you doing?!"
"You need to eat this and become the symbol of peace with the power it will give you!" Deku slammed his hand into the open, crying, mouth of the blond.
"I have no idea what the fuck is going on right now!" screamed Bakugo "Just stop talking and wait for help!"
"Ask All Might about One for All, he will tell you everything. He'll take you under his wing like he did with me." Deku said with his eyes starting to close "You know Bakugo. I've always loved you like a brother."
"So did I!" Bakugo choked out "So did I..."
But Deku couldn't hear him anymore, he couldn't hear anything. Neither could Bakugo as he started screaming incoherently for someone, anyone. He couldn't lose Deku. Not now. Not on these terms. Not after the way he's always treated him. He needed help! Why wasn't anyone helping?!
Bakugo touched his forehead to his best friend's. Getting tears all over the other's face. Choking out the last few sobs that his body could muster. The last it could muster before getting into action.
He slowly, carefully, picked up Deku's body. Being more delicate than he had been with anything. Slowly starting to walk. Starting to notice that the fight was over, that All Might wasn't All Might. The skeleton only registered somewhat in the back of his mind.
Bakugo slowly approached the broken man in front of him. Only allowing himself to pass out once he had delivered his cargo.
His best friend was dead. He could no longer focus.
AN: I hope this had the impact that I intended. Any feedback, positive or negative, would be gratefully appreciated as this is my first time uploading on here. Will most likely be updating frequently no matter what attention this receives. So buckle in for some more emotional moments, if you enjoyed what you have already read.