Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting and DragonRiderSayomi

I am so sorry for the wait, but I have been so busy lately. Done 2 game jams in a row, and been working with a new indie game dev team, so that's taken a lot of time. Promise, I'll try to be faster with the next chapter. But, I swear, I'm not going to abandon this one, and it will get finished.


Moments Earlier:

Hizashi couldn't shake that nagging and off sensation that refused to leave him be. Every step he took farther from class 1-A the stronger and more persistent it became. 'What the hell is wrong with you?' he asked himself with a small shake of his head. However, more than once he found himself glancing behind him as if something was going to change. It was still just an empty hallway, nothing particularly off about it.

Something was definitely wrong, there was not an inkling of a doubt in his mind. Maybe he should go back, he should be more assertive and more or less force Shota, that idiot of a man, to take a break once in a while. The blond was convinced the other was going to end up working himself into an early grave. He paused in his tracks momentarily, lowering his head as he debated the matter quietly to himself. No, going back was out of the question, Shota was too damn stubborn for his own good. What would come out of going back and trying to talk some sense into him? Nothing but headache for the both of them, that was all.

The blond was only wasting time standing around thinking about, and that he knew all too well. Against his better judgement, Hizashi turned back around and picked up his stroll once again, forcing himself to shove his festering concern to the back of his mind. He didn't even manage to take a single step before his ears picked up on the sounds of footsteps rushing towards him.

Instinctively, he stopped mid stride and turned to face the new arrival, but as he gazed upon the terrified and paled features of a young Tsu, he froze. Mouth dry, he glanced the girl up and down when she finally reached him.

Out of breath, and seemingly at a loss for words herself, she resorted to a few incomprehensible hand gestures while she took in deep and inconsistent inhales. Curious, and a little fearful himself, the blond took a couple steps towards the hero-to-be and placed two steady hands on either of her shoulders, trying to calm her what little he could before he asked the question that was burning on the tip of his tongue.

"What's wrong?" he asked, getting straight to the point. He looked her in the eyes, wanting to shake the words from her, but restraining himself.

Nodding slowly, she took one more steadying breath… If she was freaking out, he couldn't imagine what the hell was going on. "It's Aizawa-sensei," she said at last. The gravity in her tone was telling enough of the seriousness of the situation. "S-Something's wrong."

He could feel it, the stopping of his heart which was accompanied by the clenching of his insides. The hero didn't intend to leave the girl standing there in her moment of obvious distress, but there was no stopping himself as he rushed back towards the classroom; he didn't even know if she was coming after him or not. And, honestly, he really didn't care right then. It was taking forever, too long to get back there, but he was running as quickly as his body would allow. If it hadn't been for the pure horror on that student's face, he probably wouldn't have been this worked up about the matter.

His chest constricted the closer he drew to that class, and it all but stopped when he finally had his hand upon it and was thrusting it open without hesitation. Not a millisecond once it was open and the scene before him was revealed did his breath catch in his throat and his eyes widened in absolute horror.

"Shit."

He was down on his knees the next second, instantly by the other man's side. Shota was half way between leaning against the trash can and half way on the floor. Cautiously, he reached out, ignoring the strong scent of sickness that struck him. His fingers barely glanced over the man's cheek and he was able to determine just how dire this was. Heat radiated, almost enough to make him reel from the surprise of it.

"S-Shota?" he called out quietly, getting no response right away. Fear was coursing through his veins by this point, and he quickly fished for his phone. He didn't care anymore, Shota could be mad at him all he wanted; he was calling an ambulance. His fingers fumbled, refusing to stay steady long enough to dial the number.

"Sonuva…" He glanced back to the other's face, noticing how out of focus his gaze was. "Hang on, I promise, I'm getting help. Just hang on for a little bit."

Finally, his hand cooperated long enough to get the call through, but he couldn't focus enough to really concentrate on what they were saying. He didn't give a shit what was being said though. Interrupting the woman on the other end, he blurted it all out, what was going on, the address, everything he felt was needed to know and nothing more. They didn't have time for anything else. The last thing he spat out was a desperate, "Hurry."

Hizashi practically dropped the phone to the floor once all was said and done, his full attention right back on Shota as he combed damp strands of hair from his face. "They're on their way," he promised, unsure of what he was saying was being heard. It mattered not though, he had to say something.

Glancing back, he was reminded that there were others there as well. All of the students, they were still gathered around, none of them saying a single thing. But, they all shared the same expression, and it reflected perfectly the inner turmoil swirling inside him.

"Everything's going to be fine," he assured them, the shaking in his voice betraying his words. "Go have a seat, now." None of them dared to object, mostly due to them not wanting to get in the way, but that didn't prevent them from voicing their concerns, both to one another as well as the blond.

"W-What's going on?" Ashido asked, and Hizashi couldn't find the right words to respond with. He didn't know how to answer that because he had no idea himself. His silence was more than enough.

He swallowed thickly, shoving his overwhelming concern down. "The paramedics are on the way, it'll be alright." In other words, 'I don't know.' Hizashi refused to take his eyes off the other man though, his own dark gaze hazy and steadily growing more and more out of focus. It's couldn't be discerned if he were aware of his surroundings or not, but he could have sworn Shota was looking right at him. "You hear that?" he asked, cupping the side of his face to turn it towards him.

To the blond's surprise, the other opened his mouth, and for a few seconds, there was nothing but silence. Then, just two words, two minor words that caused his blood to run cold and his pulse to cease.

"I'm sorry."

What?

What the hell was he apologizing for? Bright green orbs darted around the other's features. "What?" he questioned, voice low and strained. "Shota...what are you talking about?" But, he got nothing else out of him. He patted the side of his cheek some more, desperate to get some sort of response. However, it was all for naught.

'Dammit, Shota,' he growled to himself, unconsciously pulling the man just a little bit closer. He prayed, harder than he ever had before, that the ambulance would hurry the hell up. "Someone," he called over his shoulder, "go get some water or something, will ya?" The order came out a lot more harsh than he had planned it too. But, if they noticed, they didn't say anything about it.

Momo was the first to react, using her quirk to swiftly procure a bottle of water as well as a washcloth. She had a pretty sure idea what he wanted all this for, and she handed both over instantly. "Need anything else?" she asked, trying her damnedest to keep her tone steady and calm despite the quivering that took place underneath the cool demeanor.

"That's it, thanks," Hizashi brushed off, almost coldly.

The girl instantly retreated back to her seat, wanting to stay out of the way as much as possible. "Should we get someone else?" she asked timidly, still wanting to help despite there not being much she could do.

"There's nothing else anyone would be able to do," he sighed, beginning to get frustrated and annoyed. He knew it was due to his fear, and right now, he couldn't help it. Muttering under his breath, he poured a generous amount of the liquid onto the fabric and began gently dabbing at the other's face, cleaning it of sweat. His breathing was so uneven, and despite being barely conscious, his face was taught with pain. He hated it, despised it, seeing him like this. It wasn't that much different from seeing him after the USJ incident. But, at least with that one, he knew what was wrong. With this…

He just didn't know.

For a while, he sat down there, waiting, pleading with whatever was listening that they would be there any second now. Then, for a moment, he was certain his constant prayers were finally answered when the sound of approaching footsteps echoed down the hall, coming closer until finally a new face peered inside. With one glance at the newcomer, his face fell.

"Nemuri?" he whispered, afraid of speaking any louder than that. She didn't reply, having the same initial reaction as himself when she gazed upon the scene. "The ambulance is on its way," he said before she could have the chance to ask any questions.

"What happened?"

It was asked not a second after he spoke, like she didn't even listen or care what he said previously. Her tone carried with it an edge of uneasiness, not much unlike his own. "I-I don't know," he stammered, slowly losing it as time passed on. "He's sick...or something, I'm not su-" he cut himself off, eyes back on the door as the same sound of steps, this time more of them, called for his attention.

This time, to his utter relief, people in uniform, people that knew what they were doing and could take proper care of things. As soon as they were over, he was ushered away. The man wanted nothing more than to stay be Shota's side, but deep down he knew he would only be getting in the way. They were discussing amongst themselves, things Hizashi either didn't understand or wasn't paying any attention to. He couldn't take his eyes off the other man. Even once they had him set up and on the stretcher, he didn't look away. He didn't even know if he was breathing anymore; he could pass out any second and he wouldn't have cared.

'-ashi!" He blinked, snapping from his reverie. Slowly, he scanned over to see Nemuri staring at him, fingers snapping a few inches from his face. Then, quietly, only loud enough for him to hear, she whispered. "Get it together." Her eyes flicked in the direction of the students, and he glanced over as well.

Right, of course, he had to take care of them. But, here he was freaking out in front of them, probably more panicked than any of them were. Hizashi cleared his throat and looked from the other hero and then back to the class. "You're all dismissed," he announced, having nothing else to say before turning towards the door. He had to get to the hospital; the kids were old enough to get the hint and go home. They'd figure it out.

Nemuri was at a loss for words. She understood the man was scared out of his mind, but he was acting too rashly. Though, if she were being honest, she was just as terrified, her heart was beating at least a thousand times a minute. Taking a subtly shaking hand, she brushed some of the stray strands from her face and spun around to address the room.

"I know things probably look bad…" she started. That was the understatement of the century. "But, he's in very capable and professional hands now." It didn't make any difference, none of them seemed to calm down in the slightest, not that she blamed them. Just from the little bit she had seen, she wanted to follow the blond's example and rush over. But, one of them had to be here…

"So, what happened?"

Again, no one wanted to speak first, no one wanted to think about what had happened. But, it would be forever engraved in their minds from here on out; there was no forgetting it. One of them had to be the one to do it. And, finally, Midoriya built up the courage to come out with it first.

He cleared his throat nervously as he got to his feet. "We don't know," he admitted, head dropped and eyes glued to the floor. For some reason, he was finding it incredibly difficult to look directly at her. "As soon as he came in," he paused to glance over, "that happened." There was nothing else to say, they knew as much as she did, which was practically nothing.

Nemuro only nodded along, wanting more than that, but understanding that was most likely the best she was going to get. It would have to do. "Alright," she replied with a nod of her head. "Like Mic said...you can all go home now," she informed. "You will be notified, I'm sure, the moment we get some news." The truth was, that was highly unlikely, but whatever it took to put their minds at ease and get them out. "Don't worry about any of your other classes, I'm sure it will be understood. And, if not, then I'll have a talk with them myself."

They were reluctant, unsure if it was really alright. The events that just took place were taking their time fully processing. It couldn't have really just happened, it was too much to take in.

One by one, though, they slowly started to filter out until the hero was the only one that remained. Taking a deep breath, she strolled to the first desk she saw and sank into it. Her fingers gradually reached for her phone; the temptation to call Hizashi was almost too much to ignore. Of course he had no news yet, he shouldn't have even arrived yet. Chewing on her bottom lip, she snatched her hand away and jumped back to her feet. She needed a distraction...actually. No, what she needed was to inform the other staff members. Chances are, if they hadn't already noticed the ambulance and Hizashi's rush to leave this place, they didn't know a thing of what was going on.


By the time he arrived at the hospital, the lot of them were nowhere to be seen, paramedics and all were gone; he was never told a single word as to what was going on either. That, to be fair, more than annoyed and infuriated him. There were at least four of them, and not a single one could fill him in? He'd wring some information out of someone if he had to, he didn't care what the rules were or what protocol was. He needed something.

He had to tell himself that it was fine, they were busy, he was sure they had their reasons. As long as they were taking care of Shota and doing what had to be done, then he supposed he could forgive them this time. Yet, that didn't prevent his unrelenting haste when it came to more or less harassing the poor woman at the front desk.

"Aizawa Shota," he blurted out, hands gripping the edge of the counter as soon as he popped up.

Stunned, the receptionist blinked a couple times to stifle her surprise. "Uh...sorry, can you repeat the name?" she asked, just barely missing it. Flustered, the man repeated it, a bit slower this time, but still clearly impatiently. She tapped a few keys before slowly shaking her head. "I'm sorry, but there's no one here with that name."

"He just got here," Hizashi clarified. Maybe he just wasn't in the system yet. To his relief, that bit of info sparked a bit of recognition in her eye.

"Oh, of course." A few more clacks and her features fell for a split second before she could catch and right herself. But, it was too late, the blond already saw it.

"What's wrong?"

The reluctance didn't bode well, but she tried her best to save the situation. "I don't have much information at the moment, but he should be undergoing surgery shortly." She cut her attention back to the other just in time to see the color drain from him. The woman was quick to realize her mistake; he didn't know. "It's a quick and minor one," she assured, waving a hand in an attempt to brush it off. "It's fairly common."

"Surgery?" Hizashi asked, seeking clarification. The rest went in one ear and out the other. The word tasted foul in his mouth, and he had to keep his grasp on the counter just to make sure he didn't collapse on the spot. His mouth instantly dried, but he had to ask. "For what?"

She looked visibly uncomfortable with the inquiry. "That, I can't tell you. I'm...sorry, but you'll have to wait until the doctor's out," she explained. Regret underlining her apology. "But, if you want to have a seat in the waiting room, he'll see you once he's finished up," she offered. "It should be around a couple hours, give or take. So, if you have anything else you want to do, there's time to do so. You know, it might not hurt to find something to keep your mind of it."

He held up a hand to silence her, he wasn't listening anymore. "N-No, it's fine...I'll wait," he muttered, fingers coming through his hair, knocking a few golden strands out of place. It was as if his body was moving on its own, on full autopilot...he couldn't think straight. All he could think was, he shouldn't have let Shota go to work, he knew something was wrong, he knew the moment he saw him. And yet...he just let him go. The blond dropped into the closest chair and leaned his head back.

'This is all my fault.'