Chapter 7


Izuku blankly stared up at the dark ceiling, his eyes counting the stains and spots that littered the worn-down tiles.

Everyone had gone to bed, so the downstairs waiting area was silent. Izuku was alone, resting along the couch with his hands behind his head in an attempt to get some shuteye.

But his mind wouldn't leave him alone.

"Run, Izuku!"

Izuku's eye twitched. It was already painful to have gone through the whole ordeal. So why was his brain sending him these reminders now?

"Run, damn it! RUN!"

Izuku sighed and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath through his nose. He willed his brain to quiet down so he could actually get some rest, but after hours of staring up at the ceiling, he knew it would be another night of no sleep and complete silence.

Silence was usually a comforting thing.

It meant no one was getting harassed, or fighting anti-quirk groups. It meant that no police were around and no arrests were being made. It meant that no one was crying out in pain from an injury or wailing on their last breath of life.

But tonight, silence was unbearably loud.

Even after the long, exhausting day of dealing with Kacchan and everything that came with it, sleep had evaded him.

"What are you doing here, Izuku?"

Izuku winced, his face scrunching up as if he were in pain. He just wanted to sleep before the sun came up. He only had maybe an hour? 45 minutes?

"You can't stay here, it's dangerous!"

Just close your eyes and sleep.

Sleep. Sleep…

"You have to leave me, Izuku."

I don't want to.

"I-Izuku…"

Izuku sucked in a sharp breath, squeezing his eyes shut. He pulled his hands from behind his head and covered his ears.

Enough, he thought. He didn't want to remember more. He didn't want to hear that pained voice as he—

"I'm sorry."

"What the hell do you want, half 'n half? Can't you see I'm busy?"

Izuku's eyes snapped open at the sound of the far door swinging open, and familiar voices rang from the hall. Kacchan's rugged voice was first, softer than usual, but not lacking its typical bite.

"You came out of your room the same time as me." Todoroki's voice now echoed in the small space.

"Hah? You stalkin' me or something, Clone?" Kacchan asked.

"No. It was coincidence," Todoroki said. "But I do need to talk to you."

Izuku's brow quirked. That was weird. What did Todoroki want with Kacchan?

"Huh? Me?" Kacchan asked. There was a clinking sound—Kacchan must've been grabbing a glass from the cabinet—followed by running water. "About what?"

There was a slight hesitation. "The other prisoners you interacted with…" Todoroki began, and Izuku's heart leapt into his throat.

"What about 'em?" Kacchan asked.

Todoroki hesitated again, and Izuku slowly pushed himself up from the couch to peer over the edge. The two were situated by the sink, a full glass of water in Kacchan's un-mangled hand. Todoroki had a small flame settled in the palm of his hand, illuminating their faces.

"I was wondering if there was a certain person there," Todoroki said.

Kacchan lowered his brows. "Got a name?"

Todoroki shook his head. "No, but I can describe them."

"Go ahead," Kacchan said, lifting the glass to his lips.

"A woman with purple hair, a little tall. She has some type of… reality bending quirk, or something."

Izuku felt his chest flutter. That sounded like the villain he had been talking about before.

Wait a minute, why was Todoroki asking about her? To Kacchan?

Kacchan swallowed. "That the freak who sent you here?" Todoroki nodded, and Kacchan quirked a brow. "The hell do you want to know about her for?"

Todoroki paused for a moment. "I want to see if she's in this world, too," he started. "I want to see if she could possibly help send me back to my world."

Izuku's breath hitched. If that villain was in the prison, then he'd have to go to the prison to talk to her. But it was too dangerous. Was he really going to—

"And you want to break into the prison to do that?" Kacchan asked.

"Yes."

There was no hesitation from Todoroki, and Izuku flinched in surprise, the momentum sending him falling off the couch and crashing onto the floor. He heard a clink, followed by rapid footsteps, and then Todoroki and Kacchan were peering over the back of the couch down at him. Izuku felt his chest burn at the sight of Todoroki, anger boiling up.

"Deku?" Kacchan called.

"Izuku," Todoroki said. "Are you—"

"Like hell are you breaking into that prison!" Izuku blurted out, his hands rubbing the back of his head from when it impacted the floor.

Todoroki blinked at him, his eyes a little wide in surprise. He rubbed the back of his neck and peered down at the couch cushions.

"I just thought it was the best resource we had," Todoroki said.

Izuku pulled himself up from the floor, his hands clutching the cushions. He gave Todoroki an angry look, but he was sure it looked weak with his tiredness.

"It's too dangerous. That place is crawling with guards with quirk-suppressants and cameras," Izuku said. He reached up to clutch his shirt near his heart as a memory bloomed in his mind. "And once you've been suppressed, they'll just flat out shoot you."

Todoroki had the gall to look sorry, which only made Izuku feel more frustrated.

"I'm… just trying to figure out a way to get back home," Todoroki explained. "I fear that if I don't reverse this quirk, it could be permanent."

Izuku's heart fluttered a little, seeing the slight fall in Todoroki's expression. Next to him, Kacchan clicked his tongue and folded his arms across his chest.

"You're outta luck, anyway. I never saw anyone like that there," Kacchan said.

Todoroki's brows knitted together and he glanced down at the ground. The dancing flame in his hand softened as his shoulders rolled forward in a slump, the room growing quiet.

Izuku grimaced at his expression and he sighed, closing his eyes. He knew that the prison was incredibly dangerous, so there was no way that they could just storm the building to find this villain. And not only that, but the facility was huge. They would waste precious time searching floor after floor in each cell to find her.

It was out of the question. There was no way they could ever—

"So," Kacchan asked. "What's your plan then? Sit here and mope? Cry some more?"

Izuku's breath hitched, remembering this conversation almost word for word. It was the night that Todoroki had been arrested, and Izuku had held himself up in his room, crying and shaking. It wasn't long before Kacchan came to find him, and he spat out those questions while leaning against the doorframe and folding his arms across his chest.

Izuku paused, his arms still holding his knees tightly against his chest. His arms were shaking, but not with sobs.

He was quivering with rage.

He lifted his head and stared up at Kacchan with a look of resolve on his face.

"No," he said lowly. "I'm going to get Todoroki back."

Izuku sighed, shaking his head to himself at his idiotic heroic nature from the past. It was foolish to storm the place. They knew nothing about it.

But Izuku had more knowledge than before.

There might be a way.

"Don't look so depressed," Izuku said, pouting a little.

Todoroki and Kacchan turned their heads to look at him, both curious, and it made Izuku squirm. Once this information was out, there was no going back.

"The prisons keep records of each person they arrest. It gives a description of their appearance along with their quirk," Izuku explained. He folded his arms across his chest. "If we can look at those records, then you might be able to find the villain you're looking for."

Todoroki stared blankly at Izuku's face. "You… You've known about this?"

Izuku sighed. He knew this was coming.

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Todoroki asked. "We could've gone after Kirishima. Hell, you could've figured out where the rest of our friends are!"

"Our friends?" Izuku snapped, suddenly feeling a pang of anger spark in his chest.

Todoroki ignored it. "Why didn't you tell anyone? Why didn't you get a group together to go after them?"

Izuku opened his mouth to speak, to yell, to defend himself, but his eyes caught Kacchan's face. He was wearing a soft expression—understanding and yet a little pained. It made Izuku pause, and he took a deep breath.

"Having a map to the treasure doesn't make the journey easy," Izuku said. "I've… been in there and have found our friends before… but they're so spread out through the prison that it would be a huge risk to try and free them." He glanced up at Todoroki, his eyes pleading. "Please try to understand. It is so dangerous there, Todoroki."

Todoroki hesitated, his face going through several different emotions before he finally settled on a sigh. He looked away from Izuku and huffed out an aggravated breath.

"Fine," he said.

Izuku released a breath and looked at Kacchan, who gave him a firm nod. Izuku nodded back at him, feeling the knot in his chest finally unravel. He looked back to Todoroki, who was obviously still a little peeved by Izuku's answer, and he sat up on his knees on the couch so he could touch Todoroki's shoulder.

"We can go to the record room and see if that villain is even in the prisons," Izuku said. "And if she is, we'll see how we can get in to find her so you can go home."

Todoroki's face hardened, exchanging glances with both Izuku and Kacchan.

"When do we leave?" Todoroki asked.

Izuku glanced to Kacchan, his friend rolling his shoulder in preparation for action.

"Now."


"You sure this is right?"

"Yes, Kacchan. I've checked the guard routes a thousand times. They won't be back for another twelve minutes."

"Tch. Well get on with it."

Izuku swiftly typed in Todoroki's name into the computer system and clicked search, waiting for the program to find his friend's location. Kacchan stood behind him, his arms folded tightly across his chest with his foot tapping impatiently on the ground.

"Is it done yet? Did you find where the bastard is?" Kacchan asked.

"Almost. Just give me a second," Izuku said, waving Kacchan off.

Kacchan growled, exasperated. "We don't have a second!"

"Ah! Here it is!" Izuku said, pointing to the screen. He mumbled out a few sentences about his weight and height and quirk until he got to the section about Todoroki's locations. "It says he was moved to Testing Room 2 about ten minutes ago!"

"And where the hell is that?" Kacchan asked, his patience gone.

"Um…"

"Um?! Are you shitting me right now, Deku?!"

"Just hold on!"

Izuku searched the computer for some sort of map or layout of the prison, his eyes desperately scanning for testing rooms.

"I just heard something…" Kacchan said.

"Almost there…" Izuku said.

"Deku, hurry up!" Kacchan pressed.

"I've almost got it!"

He clicked on a few more icons before a blueprint of the entire prison popped up on the screen, and Izuku was elated.

"I found it!" he said.

"Great," Kacchan said, his voice loaded with sarcasm. "But I think the guards are on their way back."

Kacchan glanced over his shoulder to look at Izuku, his eyes fierce.

"I'll hold them off while you go get that idiot," Kacchan said.

"W-What?" Izuku asked. "No, I couldn't possibly let you—"

"Not your choice, dumbass Deku!" Kacchan said. He hurried to the door, grabbing a crowbar along the way. He stopped at the door when he saw that Izuku hadn't moved from his spot. "What the hell are you waiting for?! Get going!"

Then, Kacchan ripped open the door and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"HEY, BASTARDS!" his voice echoed. "I'M OVER HERE!"

Then, the door shut behind him.

Izuku's breath hitched, and he stood up to go after him, but he stopped himself. Kacchan was giving him the chance to go after Todoroki, and he shouldn't squander what's been given to him.

With a deep breath and a silent prayer, Izuku turned back to the computer and searched the blueprint for Testing Room 2. He finally found it after a few clicks, next to the other testing rooms on the bottom floor of the prisons.

"Hang in there, Todoroki," Izuku said, his hands curling into fists. "I'm coming to get you."


Izuku shivered from the harsh memory as he led Todoroki and Kacchan to that same building that sat across the street from the prison. Todoroki was in awe at the sheer size of the prison that rested across the street, his eyes wide as he stared up at the many floors.

"It's an eyesore, ain't it?" Kacchan commented.

Todoroki grimaced, and that was all he needed to do to confirm his thoughts on the matter. Izuku knew that once Todoroki saw the mess that was lurking on this side of town, he would be disturbed.

"Let's keep it quiet," Izuku said. "This side of town is really dangerous."

Todoroki and Kacchan nodded, moving behind him towards the records building. Izuku peered around the corner and saw some guards leave out the front door. He waited, thinking back to the old routes from two years ago when he had done this the first time.

"Okay. The room should be open for about fifteen minutes," Izuku said. "If it's still the same, then we should be able to break in through the roof."

"This again…" Kacchan grumbled, fiddling with the bandages on his thumb and wrist.

"It worked last time," Izuku mumbled.

"Yeah and they came back sooner than you thought."

Todoroki narrowed his eyes at them. "Wait. You guys have been here before?"

Izuku locked eyes with him briefly and then quickly looked away. He could feel Kacchan's eyes on him, too.

"Yeah, long story…" Izuku said. "Okay, let's just go."

Todoroki created an ice block underneath their feet that lifted them up to the rooftop of the building. In a flash, Todoroki summoned his fire and melted it, leaving no evidence behind.

Once on the roof, Izuku ran towards a vent. He tugged it off and gestured for the other two to follow.

They quickly jumped inside and Izuku led them down the tight vents.

"Is there no better way to do this?" Todoroki drawled.

"Shut up, Clone," Kacchan growled lowly.

"Stop calling me that."

"Will you two shut up?" Izuku snapped, rolling his eyes. "Unless you want to just barge in, this is the best way."

The other two luckily remained quiet until they reached the right room, and once he was there, Izuku peered through the slits of the vent. He held his breath when he saw one more worker still sitting at one of the computers.

Izuku took a moment to look around the room. It was just how he remembered it, but there was a big difference from last time.

Right next to the vent was a camera that faced the room.

Suddenly, the man in front of the computer released a big yawn and stretched his hands over his head, scooting back in his chair. Then, he stood up and sauntered out of the room, letting the door shut behind him.

"Okay," Izuku whispered. "It's clear, but now there's a camera in the corner."

"I'll melt it," Todoroki offered.

Izuku nodded, agreeing. He quietly tugged the vent off and pointed to the camera in the corner. Todoroki nodded and took a deep breath. He reached out his left hand and held it underneath the camera. The bottom of it glowed red until the lens melted and the wires fizzled out.

Izuku nodded and then hopped down, landing on his feet. Todoroki and Kacchan followed suit, and Todoroki immediately froze the door shut.

"Good thinking," Izuku said as he rushed over to the nearby computer.

"Hurry this up," Kacchan said in a harsh whisper. "Don't want to be here any longer than necessary."

Izuku clicked through the options, his fingers trembling as he typed out the description Todoroki had given him. He began to sweat, and his breaths were a struggle to get out of his chest. His body was starting to shut down.

Don't stop, Izuku told himself. Keep going. Don't think about it.

Don't think about it, don't think, don't think…


Izuku ran down the hallways as quickly as possible, narrowly avoiding a few guards along the way. He was nearly out of breath by the time he reached the Testing Rooms, but his determination had grown stronger with each step he took. When he rounded the corner towards the long array of doors down a darkened hallway, he quickly scanned the doors for the number 2, his chest fluttering as he ran.

Just as he was passing by a door, he heard a scream.

"Stop it!"

Izuku's heart almost popped out of his chest.

It was Todoroki.

"Don't! Ugh, let me go!"

Izuku glanced up at the door and saw the 2 on the front, and he quickly jumped into action. He turned the knob and shoved his way inside, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.

But once inside the testing room, he froze in his footsteps.

Todoroki was strapped to a chair, and a man with a lab coat was standing next to him. He had a large needle in his hand, and Todoroki's sleeve was rolled up to his shoulder.

Izuku's eyes burned.

"Let him go!" Izuku shouted, and he started to sprint over to their side.

"W-What the—" The doctor barely had any time to react before Izuku leapt and kicked him in the side.

"Izuku!" Todoroki shouted in surprise.

Izuku used his heel to smash down on the back of the doctor's head, knocking him out instantly. Once he was sure the doctor was down, he turned to Todoroki.

"Are you okay?" Izuku asked, rushing to his side and tugging on the restraints.

"What are you doing here, Izuku?" Todoroki asked, still focused on Izuku's face.

"I'm getting you out of here," Izuku said. "Now are you going to tell me if you're hurt, or not?"

"I… I'm fine," Todoroki said. "My quirk isn't working."

"They probably gave you quirk suppressant," Izuku said, getting one restraint loose. "But don't worry. It won't last long."

Todoroki hesitated, watching Izuku as he struggled to get the other restraint undone. His eyes kept focusing on the doorway behind Izuku's back.

"You really shouldn't be here," Todoroki said. "What they're planning… It's not safe. No one is safe."

"Don't panic, Todoroki," Izuku said, finally getting the restraint off. "We're getting you out of here, got it?"

Todoroki winced, his eyes looking a little wet. But he nodded silently and allowed Izuku to help him to his feet.

"Okay. Let's get back home, yeah?" Izuku said with a small smile.

Todoroki nodded, releasing Izuku's hand. "Right behind you."

And with that, they hurried out of the room and sprinted down the halls, ignoring any shouts that called after them.

"Just keep going," Izuku said. "Kacchan should be holding off any guards outside and he'll probably meet us down there."

"Okay," Todoroki said, a little breathless.

They came to a stop at a corner and Izuku peeked around the corner to spot any guards. There were a few down the hall so he waited for them to leave.

"Sorry about all this, Izuku."

Izuku glanced up at Todoroki and gave him a look of surprise.

"What?" he said. "Don't you dare apologize! None of this was your fault."

Todoroki bit his lip, some of his bangs falling into his eyes. "If only I had been stronger…"

Izuku reached up and pushed Todoroki's bangs out of his face, making Todoroki look at him.

"You're plenty strong, got it?" Izuku said. "And don't ever think otherwise."

Todoroki took a deep breath and nodded, letting Izuku's hand fall away from his face. Izuku took that moment to peer down the hall. The guards were gone.

"All right. Let's keep moving," Izuku said.

They sprinted down the hallway and entered a large, open storage room where Izuku had snuck in. Boxes were stacked along the walls but the room had been void of people. It was only a few steps away now, and they were so close that Izuku could almost taste the freedom.

"This way, Todoroki!" Izuku said, pointing towards a large door.

They were so close.

All they had to do was run towards the exit.

It almost seemed… too easy.

BAM!

Izuku jolted to a stop at the sound of a gunshot ringing out in the room, Todoroki nearly stumbling into his back. They both whirled around and saw a group of guards by the hallway. A tall man stood in the front, his gun drawn.

"Going somewhere?"

Izuku and Todoroki found themselves completely surrounded as more guards rounded them on the other side, their weapons also drawn. There weren't too many of them, but it would be impossible to fight their way through.

"Surrender now and you won't get hurt," the tall man in the front said, lowering his weapon slightly.

"My quirk isn't back, yet," Todoroki said, his voice shaking.

"J-Just keep trying," Izuku said. "We'll figure a way out of this, so don't—"

"Izuku, you should go," Todoroki said, taking a step in front of Izuku. "I'll distract them."

"What?! Are you insane?" Izuku said. "I'm not letting you stay here alone!"

"You can't stay here, it's dangerous!" Todoroki argued.

"I know, and that's why I'm getting you out!" Izuku said.

"Enough talking!" the man shouted, lifting his weapon. "Come quietly now, or we'll shoot!"

Todoroki gave Izuku a sad look and he shook his head. "You have to leave me, Izuku."

Izuku shook his head fiercely. "Not a chance in hell."

Todoroki winced. "Izuku—"

"All right, men! On the count of three!" the man shouted.

Todoroki and Izuku braced themselves, Todoroki flexing his arms in an attempt to get his quirk working again.

"One! Two!" the men lifted up their guns, all aimed at the two.

"Three!"

Izuku and Todoroki braced for impact, but before the men could even fire, a sudden explosion rocked the building, and smoke filled in through the door that led to their escape.

Kacchan came waltzing in, his body littered in painful-looking scratches but a devilish smirk on his face.

"You assholes are messing with the wrong people!" Kacchan yelled, and he launched himself off of the ground with his quirk and came barreling in towards the guards.

He landed in the middle and released a large explosion, one that was uncontrolled but big, sending some of the guards flying back towards the wall. It also sent Todoroki and Izuku flying back a few steps. Once they regained their footing, they pulled each other off the ground.

"You okay?" Izuku asked Todoroki.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Todoroki said.

It was utter chaos for a few minutes as Kacchan kept firing explosions left and right, creating smoke so thick that they could barely see. It was only a matter of time before all hell broke loose. They needed to leave that building and get back to safety now.

"Okay. We need to grab Kacchan and get out of here," Izuku said. "It's getting too dangerous here."

Todoroki nodded. "Right, we should…"

Suddenly, Todoroki stopped and his eyes widened. He lunged forward and grabbed Izuku by the collar and yanked him backwards.

"Izuku, get down!" Todoroki yelled.

"Wha—"

Before Izuku's back could even hit the ground, the sound of gunfire rang out. He glanced up and saw Todoroki's back arch backwards as if he had been struck. His hands reached up to cradle his gut and then he crumpled to the ground.

Izuku's spiraled into a panic.

"TODOROKI!"


"See anything, yet?" Todoroki asked as he leaned over Izuku's shoulder.

Izuku chewed on his lower lip. It was as if he was back in time, sitting in this very chair. But instead of searching for one of his best friends, he was searching for a stranger.

Why did he let Todoroki convince him to go in here? Why?!

"Izuku?" Todoroki pressed, leaning closer to Izuku's side.

Izuku startled and flinched away from Todoroki, letting out an embarrassing squeak and then looking up at him in surprise.

"J-Just give me a minute! Since you don't know her name, it makes searching for people harder," Izuku said.

Todoroki blinked at him and then looked back at the computer, squinting at it like he was waiting to see it talk to him. After a second or two, he tilted his head, allowing his red bangs to fall away from the scar on his face.

"Will you two shut it?" Kacchan growled from the door. He had his ear to the wall, his face scrunched up in concentration. "I can't hear with you two runnin' your damn mouths!"

Izuku sighed and went back to scrolling through endless names that appeared on the screen. It was amazing how many people had purple hair.

"What about searching for her quirk?" Todoroki asked.

Izuku glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "And what's the name of her quirk?"

Todoroki opened and closed his mouth, gaping at Izuku like he asked the hardest question in the world.

"I… don't know," Todoroki said.

Kacchan rolled his eyes and scoffed. "For cryin' out loud…"

"Kacchan," Izuku chastised. He glanced back at Todoroki with a slight wince. "Sorry. This program lists the name of their quirk and organizes them through that."

Todoroki paused to think over Izuku's words. "But didn't you say you could search under the description of the quirk?"

Izuku looked back at the screen and glanced at the searching options. It was possible to type in a description, but Izuku was worried that it wouldn't be enough.

"It's possible, but I don't know how well it will work," Izuku said. "But we can try, I guess."

Todoroki nodded in appreciation and leaned closer, watching Izuku's fingers as he typed.

"Don't forget the smoke," Todoroki added.

Izuku nodded and began typing away, hitting enter, and scrolling. His eyes scanned description after description of several prisoners that had been in the prison for a while. He narrowed down the results by appearance, as well, and the list of results reduced to a mere ten people.

"Are you done, yet?" Kacchan asked. "We need to get the hell out of here."

"Almost," Izuku said. "Just a few more…"

He scrolled to the very bottom of the page and stumbled across a description of a female inmate. His heart lurched at the sight and he immediately opened the prisoner's file.

The first thing Izuku noticed was the picture in the top right-hand corner.

"Ah," Todoroki said, sounding a bit startled. He leaned in closer and blinked, eyes wide. "That's… That's her!"

Izuku sucked in a breath. "Really? This is her?!"

Todoroki nodded. "I mean… Her hair is a bit shorter, but that's definitely her."

"Wow," Izuku said. "That's really good, actually. I was worried we wouldn't find her."

"Me, too," Todoroki admitted.

"Blah, blah, great, whatever. Now can you find where she's located before some guards come in and blow our brains in?!" Kacchan barked, his patience rapidly thinning.

"Oh, right," Izuku said.

He glanced back at the screen and searched for location, just like he had in the past. But when he read the description for her current location, it was blank.

"That's weird," Izuku said.

"What is?" Todoroki asked, leaning close again.

"It says she doesn't have a current location," Izuku said.

Todoroki frowned. "I don't understand."

"Yeah…" Izuku mumbled, squinting at the computer. "Hold on, let me look at something."

He clicked on a few more tabs before he found the word "status." He clicked on the tab and waited a bit. He wondered if she was in a different cellblock, or if she had been transferred to another sector, even. Several possibilities rolled through Izuku's mind as the tab popped open on the computer screen.

"Here we go…" Izuku whispered, and he glanced at the data.

After he read the sentence, he sucked in a harsh breath and froze.

"Hm? Izuku?" Todoroki asked. "What does it say?"

Izuku's hand tightened around the mouse of the computer, but he found that he couldn't say a word.

Prisoner #2890

Current Status: Deceased


"TODOROKI!" Izuku shrieked.

He jumped to his feet and rushed to Todoroki's fallen form, sliding down on his knees next to his friend. He gently grabbed Todoroki's shoulders and rolled him onto his back, his breath hitching at the sight.

There were three bullet holes in Todoroki's torso, blood already soaking his shirt.

"Todoroki…" Izuku whispered.

Todoroki glanced up at him, pain laced in his eyes. His body began to tremble and he winced at any sudden movement.

"I-Izuku…" Todoroki rasped, and he tried to grab on to Izuku to pull himself up.

Izuku grabbed his friend's shoulders and held him down.

"Hold on, stay still," Izuku said, his voice quivering. He glanced over Todoroki's wounds and felt his heart tighten in his chest. The wounds seemed to miss anything vital, but Todoroki was still losing blood fast.

"Izuku, you..." Todoroki winced, his eyelids fluttering. His face scrunched up in pain. "You need to get out of here."

"I'm not going without you," Izuku snapped, taking off his hoodie. He quickly wrapped up Todoroki's torso with it and tied it together, praying that it would hold in his blood for now.

Another explosion rocked them, Izuku diving overtop of Todoroki's body to shield him from falling debris, and then Kacchan was trotting over to their sides.

"Your slow asses were takin' too long! We've gotta—" Kacchan stuttered to a stop when he saw the blood that had started to surround Todoroki's body. "Deku, what—"

"Is the path clear?" Izuku asked him, tears in his eyes.

"W-What?"

"The path, damn it!" Izuku yelled. "Can we get out or not?!"

Kacchan sputtered and nodded. "Y-Yeah, the guards retreated for now, and the smoke is thick. We should go now, though, before they get back."

Izuku nodded and then knelt down to Todoroki. He carefully scooped his hands underneath his knees and back and hoisted him up tenderly. Todoroki let out a soft whimper at the movement and his head fell against Izuku's shoulder.

"Let's get out of here," Izuku said, turning towards the doorway.

"Finally," Kacchan said, chasing after him.

Then, they were both rushing towards the exit. They heard shouts call after them, and there were more gunshots that rang out. Izuku could feel bullets whizz past him, one grazing his cheek and making it bleed, but they didn't stop running.

The sky was covered in thick, dark clouds, and thunder rumbled in the distance. The air smelled like rain, and Izuku held Todoroki's quivering body tightly against his own to try to keep him warm. They could still hear shouts following them, and soon after were sounds of swat vans.

"We've got to get somewhere safe," Izuku said to Kacchan.

"Follow me," Kacchan said with a nod.

They darted off of the road and ducked into an alleyway, weaving down the intricate web that was the city until they reached the edge of the town, right near the off-limits district. They stopped to take a breath, Izuku gently resting Todoroki down on the sidewalk and leaning him up against the building.

"I think we lost 'em for now," Kacchan said, looking down the street. "But they'll be on our asses soon."

Izuku nodded, still breathing hard. His muscles had tensed so badly that he could barely feel his limbs anymore. Thunder rumbled again in the sky and a few specks of rain started to fall from the clouds.

"Izuku…" Todoroki called weakly. "You need to—"

Todoroki's sentence was cut off when he coughed up blood, red rivulets sliding down his chin.

"No, no, no," Izuku mumbled, using his sleeve to wipe the blood. He held onto Todoroki's shoulder and peered down at his wounds again, seeing that Todoroki was struggling to breathe. "We've got to get him back to base."

Kacchan winced, suddenly looking down at Todoroki with a worried expression—something he doesn't do very often. It made Izuku's blood run cold.

"Will he survive the trek? We still have to get him over the fence," Kacchan said.

"He will," Izuku snapped. "Now are you going to help me or not?"

Kacchan hesitated, looking over at Todoroki's limp body, the latter's eyes glazing over as he stared up at him. Then, Kacchan sighed and nodded towards the giant fence.

"Let's go, then," he huffed.

Izuku nodded and gently knelt down to Todoroki, scooping him up in his arms once again. Todoroki whimpered, his hand clutching Izuku's shirt.

"I've got you," Izuku said.

He hurried after Kacchan and followed him to the fence. By the time he arrived, the raindrops got heavier, soaking the three of them in an instant.

"All right, we've got two options," Kacchan said. "We could try to carry him over or I'll just blast this thing wide open."

Izuku weighed the options as Todoroki's body shivered against his chest. He knew, after studying with Iida, that the material of the fence was nearly indestructible, even with Kacchan's powerful quirk. But if they tried to climb it, he wasn't sure how much strain that would put on Todoroki's body.

"Well…" Izuku began. "I guess, maybe—"

Suddenly, the sounds of screeching tires echoed down the streets, followed by sirens. And then, in the distance, a swat van cam careening around the corner.

"Shit!" Kacchan yelled. "Well, looks like we don't have much of a choice!"

He turned back to the fence and put out his palms, trying to get it ready for an explosion.

Izuku gently rested Todoroki down a few steps away, leaning his upper body against the fence. He grimaced as the weight shifted, and then he gazed up at Izuku with glassy eyes.

"Don't worry, Todoroki. I won't let them have you," Izuku said.

Todoroki just blinked at him, his eyes blinking slowly as his body started to shut down. Izuku swallowed and stood back up, rushing back to Kacchan's side.

"You almost got it?" Izuku asked, glancing down the street at the van that was rapidly getting closer and closer.

Kacchan swore, pushing out his palms as tiny little sparks fell from his fingers.

"Damn it! All this rain washed away my sweat!" he complained. "I can't get a good blast with this!"

Izuku's heart was hammering inside his ribcage, his head whipping around to look at the van that quickly approached. If they got close enough, they would fire on them. They were sitting ducks.

What would they do now? Perhaps they could scale the fence, but they would have to be careful with Todoroki's injuries. If they jostled him too much then who knows what kind of damage those bullets could do!

Izuku had to come up with a new plan. He would have to fend off the police himself, and—

"K… Katsuki."

Both Izuku and Kacchan turned at the sudden call from a weak Todoroki. He was still leaning against the fence with his eyes fixed on them, his brows furrowed in a determined scowl. It was unusual for Todoroki to call Kacchan by his first name. In fact, Izuku was sure that his name was the only one Todoroki called with familiarity. For him to call Kacchan's first name, of all people, was baffling. Todoroki must be in a lot of pain.

Todoroki repeated Kacchan's name with a cough and then slowly gestured for Kacchan to come closer.

Kacchan's lip pulled to the side and he rushed to his side, kneeling down next to him. Todoroki leaned to his ear and whispered something Izuku couldn't hear. Kacchan pulled back with a surprised look on his face.

"You… You serious?" Kacchan asked.

Todoroki nodded. "Keep him safe."

Kacchan blinked at him for a moment and then frowned, gritting his teeth. He reached up and yanked at his own hair in frustration.

"Damn this!" he shouted. "Screw all of this!"

"Sorry, Katsuki," Todoroki apologized.

Kacchan sighed and growled, standing to his feet. Izuku stared at him as he approached, brows knitted together.

"Kacchan, what did he—"

Before Izuku could even finish his sentence, Kacchan grabbed Izuku by the waist and hoisted him over his shoulder.

"W-Wha, Kacchan! Put me down!" Izuku yelled, struggling in Kacchan's grasp.

Kacchan turned to look at the police starting to get closer and he sent a weak glare in Todoroki's direction.

"I hope this makes you happy, Todoroki," Kacchan said.

Todoroki smiled, small but genuine, and the sight sent tears springing from Izuku's eyes.

"Thank you, Katsuki," Todoroki said. He glanced to Izuku next and his smile grew wider. "I'm sorry, Izuku. Looks like this is where we part."

Izuku shook his head. "Don't do this, Todoroki."

"You were the first friend I ever made," Todoroki said.

"Todoroki," Izuku called, his voice cracking.

"I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to protect you so many times," Todoroki said. He reached up and grabbed on to the fence to hoist himself up onto his feet. "So I hope I, ugh… I hope I can repay you for all those times now."

Izuku cried out, trying to fight his way out of Kacchan's arms. But Kacchan started towards the fence and latched on, making his way up with Izuku still over his shoulder.

"Kacchan, let me down!" Izuku shouted, but Kacchan's arm was strong around his waist.

Izuku glanced down at Todoroki below, watching as the boy struggled to his feet and looked up at Izuku. The van had pulled up to the curb and the police all leaped out of the van, their weapons drawn.

"Todoroki!" Izuku yelled, reaching out his hand.

"Thank you, Izuku, for taking care of me for so many years," Todoroki said, pushing himself from the fence. "Goodbye, Izuku."

Izuku's heart nearly burst, the wind nearly knocking out of his chest as Kacchan's feet landed on the ground below on the other side of the fence.

"Todoroki!" Izuku called, reaching out his hand. "Todoroki!"

Todoroki lifted up his hand in a small wave, his face still filled with pain as he smiled at Izuku. Then, Todoroki turned around and hobbled back towards the police.

"Stand down!" the police yelled.

But Todoroki kept walking.

"Todoroki!" Izuku yelled.

Todoroki extended his right hand, ice crystals starting to form on his arm. The ground beneath his feet turned to ice and the side of his face was covered in a thin layer of frost.

"No!" Izuku yelled. He pounded his fists on Kacchan's back. "Kacchan, we have to go back!"

"Can't, Deku," Kacchan said. "This is what Todoroki wanted."

Izuku gave his back one last pound before he turned back to watch.

Todoroki hurled some weak ice towards the van, coating it in a thin layer but freezing it to the ground. The police dodged out of the way, and the leader yelled for his men to open fire.

Todoroki put up several ice walls to protect himself, but Izuku could tell he was getting tired. The walls shattered as soon as the bullets impacted their weak frame, and Todoroki struggled to keep up.

"Kacchan!" Izuku yelled. "Go back!"

"No, damn it!" Kacchan responded.

Izuku glanced back, holding his breath.

Then, he saw an officer flank Todoroki, his weapon trained on his back.

Izuku felt his stomach lurch.

He gave Kacchan's bicep a swift punch, making the boy yelp and drop Izuku to the ground.

"Damn it!" Kacchan yelled, rubbing his arm. "Get back here, Deku!"

"Todoroki!" Izuku shrieked, running back towards the fence. "Look out! Watch behind you! Todoroki!"

But just as Todoroki turned around, the officer fired, the bullet hitting Todoroki square in the chest.

Izuku's eyes widened and he felt his stomach drop.

"NO!" Izuku yelled, ready to scale that fence and jump down to rescue him. But a pair of arms grabbed him under his shoulders and held him in place, his legs kicking out. "TODOROKI!"

Todoroki gazed down at the blood running down his chest, the red coating Izuku's hoodie. He fell to his knees, looking exhausted. He turned his head back towards Izuku, his face looking peaceful.

Then, Todoroki smiled, wide and genuine, and even bearing his white teeth. Izuku shook his head, the tears just endlessly falling from his eyes.

"Don't," Izuku begged. "Please."

An officer walked up to Todoroki, a pistol drawn. He put the gun against Todoroki's temple.

"No," Izuku begged. "No!"

Todoroki kept smiling at Izuku, though, and then he mouthed his next words.

"I'm sorry."

The gun fired.

And Todoroki's body fell limp to the ground.

Izuku gasped, his chest trembling from the sheer panic that rose to his throat.

"NO!" Izuku yelled. "TODOROKI!"

He barely felt Kacchan hoist him back over his shoulder, his arm trembling as he carried Izuku away from the fence.

"TODOROKI!"

Izuku kept calling after Todoroki's name, his tears blurring his vision.

But Kacchan didn't slow down.

And Todoroki's body didn't move.


Izuku stared at the computer screen with a grim look on his face. His eyes were tired, and his body was exhausted.

Deceased.

Words that plagued and haunted Izuku for two years.

And all at once, Izuku felt his body shut down. His chest felt cold, and his heart rate spiked. He felt sick to his stomach, and he pressed his fists close to his gut to stop it from churning. He wanted nothing more than to just get away from this place as quickly as he could.

But he was stuck, looking at the screen as if it had given him the worst news of his life.

Why did he have to relive this?

Was this his punishment?

For abandoning one of the greatest friends he ever had?

"Izuku?"

Izuku jumped and craned his head to look up at Todoroki, startling when he saw the scar. He managed to hold back a gasp and he turned back towards the computer, reminding himself that this Todoroki was definitely not his Todoroki.

He wished this Todoroki would stop calling him by his first name. It was starting to piss him off.

"What does it say?" Todoroki asked, head tilted.

Izuku frowned, his face falling into a tired glare.

"It says… It says she's deceased," Izuku answered.

Todoroki hesitated, and Kacchan grumbled about this being a waste of time. Todoroki leaned forward and gazed at the screen. Izuku studied his face, watching as his eyes widened as he scanned the screen, looking for more answers.

"No, that's…" Todoroki muttered. "She's… She's dead?"

Izuku sighed and stood up from the chair. "Looks like it."

Todoroki took a step back and shook his head. His hands curled into fists and he looked to Izuku in disbelief.

"This can't be right," Todoroki said. "She's got to be here somewhere."

Izuku frowned, growing tired of this dance. "She's not, Todoroki. It says she's dead, and the system would know."

"But…" Todoroki stood still, his back rigid with frustration. "How am I supposed to get back now?" He turned to Izuku, his eyes squinting slightly. "How am I supposed to get back home?"

Izuku sighed and then winced, giving Todoroki a pathetic shrug. "Sorry, Todoroki."

Todoroki shook his head again. "No, this… this can't be right. There has to be another way."

He turned to Izuku, putting a hand to his head. A drop of blood started to fall from his nose. Izuku's eyes widened at the sight of it.

"Todoroki?" Izuku called slowly, taking a step towards him.

Todoroki began to stumble, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.

"I have to… I have to get back to… I have to…"

Suddenly, Todoroki collapsed, making both Izuku and Kacchan startle.

"T-Todoroki?!" Izuku called, kneeling down to his lifeless body. More blood seeped from his nose and onto the tile floor.

Kacchan, from the door, rolled his eyes and groaned.

"You have got to be shitting me!"