My Green Sun Prince Academia
Chapter Twenty-Seven
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Hero
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The plan germinated in Katsuki's brain, growing from a tiny seed the moment he took stock of the portal-Quirk's potential. This was it, the one and only way to save Whaleface. He needed to stop thinking like a hero for this plan to work.
The villains and their monster-pets below were chasing and cornering their prey, but Katsuki could turn this around. He and Shitty Hair could dive in and save the day. That, however, wouldn't be good enough.
He had to embrace the thought patterns of a villain. They'd need to kill if they wanted to make their threats credible. Otherwise, holding one of the villains hostage would be meaningless. It was the only way to compel the other villain to comply.
He'd often shouted "Die" as a battle cry, but now that Katsuki was confronted with his own resolve to take life, something crystallized inside his heart. It didn't feel heavy, but sharp, like he was about to cut part of himself away to carry out this mad plan.
"Shitty Hair," he called out, roaring his voice to be heard over his explosions. He spoke his thoughts out loud as the plan formed in the base of his skull. "If I launch you down at the Burning Man, the fucker on fire, you can take it out, right?"
Saying "it" somehow dulled the blade inside him, like they were putting down an animal.
Sticking onto his back like a gigantic koala clinging to his body, Shitty Hair was doing his best to ignore how high they were going, or the fact that they had no wings, nor any other method of falling safely once Katsuki ran out of sweat.
"Fuck yeah, bro, I can do it!" the shark-toothed grin he returned to Katsuki would be endearing under other circumstances, but they were about to risk their lives. The guy's eyed betrayed his fear, but the moment passed. This was not the time to get soft.
"Can you kill it?" Bakugou asked grimly.
The redhead's smile vanished. Shitty Hair considered the thought for only a moment. "Yes," he shouted. "I already killed one of them. What's one more, right?"
Katsuki regarded the edge of sadness in his battle-brother's voice. He'd taken human life, though it was twisted and monstrous. That still took a toll, didn't it? "Just one more, and that means there'll be one of them for each of us. I'm going for Mr. Handsy over there. Portal Gun seems bent on saving his ass, so he's the leader."
"Wait, won't that mean you're up two against one? Let me help, bro," the redhead said.
"No time, go get him!" Katsuki called out as he pushed Shitty Hair downward with one arm while detonating an explosion upward with the other, launching them both towards the building below. Katsuki slowed his descend after shoving the dye-job deputy away.
All that was left was to take the leader hostage so that they could hijack a portal to a hospital. Simple, right?
Katsuki grinned as he readied to fight. As long as it was to save people, this was the right thing to do. That didn't mean he couldn't at least try to enjoy himself.
After all, this was part of his promise to be a better hero.
"Right, Deku?" he asked, almost whispering before propelling himself towards his target.
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As Inko looked over the abandoned parking lot, she obsessed over a single thought. Izuku was here, not even that long ago. Her son was alive. Despite the harrowing circumstances, she smiled when she saw his written apology etched into the side of a decimated vending machine.
"Relieve yourselves and replenish your energy," Sondok commanded the two prisoners. Oh, certainly, the alien woman was more polite when addressing Inko, but it was clear that "guest" was just a platitude for what Inko truly was to them.
All Might wordlessly knelt among the strewn snacks and candy bars, picking and choosing for nutritional value most likely before moving on to collect drinks. As his fingers picked up each item, sand coalesced at the point of contact before falling onto the ground. This reminded both Inko and All Might that they were immaterial, but interestingly that didn't leave them as unable to interact with the physical world as they'd guessed.
The neighboring machine kept soft drinks and various kinds of flavored water, but the broken window meant that the beverages were cool at best. None were cold anymore. By the time the beverages transitioned to an ephemeral state for their benefit, they were warm.
"Thank you," Inko said to him as she received his offering. Three fruit-filled bars, some granola, and water. He also gave her the only candy bar he'd picked up.
All Might smiled for her, expressions and gestures being the only form of communication he was allowed until Sondok's burning temper subsided. The black chains connecting his neck, arm, and legs clanked and jingled with each step he took. His burnt stump was painful for Inko to look at.
After a break to the public restroom, the two sat on a bench to eat their makeshift meal in silence. Sondok did not join in. Did her species eat? What did they eat? Inko wasn't sure she wanted the answer.
Instead, she allowed her eyes to settle onto All Might's determined expression. She could see the wheels turn inside his head, and desperately wanted to understand his thoughts. Was he planning their escape? Was he assessing the enemy? What was going on in there?
There's wasn't a way to ask, not without their demonic captor overhearing. Still, maybe, with just a bit of circular conversation, she could surmise if he had a plan.
"You know, for a long time, I was jealous of you," Inko said wistfully after a sip of her water. "My son watched videos of you every day. He wouldn't go to bed without seeing a video of you rescuing people. At that age, most mothers try to read a bedtime story to their son, but all mine wanted was to idolize you."
All Might turned his body towards her and nodded. Perhaps he was desperate for human conversation, or maybe the topic sparked something in him. "His room looked like a museum of All Might merchandise. I said no to the worst possible expenses, but Izuku usually got what he wanted out of me, and what he wanted was more of you in his life."
Resentfully, Inko avoided looking at Sondok as the monstrous woman strode past them, pacing like an impatient animal in its cage. "In the note he wrote to me before he left, Izuku admitted that he wished I'd encouraged him, that his father was still around. He never talked about those feelings before. Now that I look back on it, I think he was filling that hole inside himself with an idea of what you could be to him in another life. He was focusing on you to make up for how his father and I each let him down."
Inko was surprised when she felt All Might rest a hand on top of hers. The clinking of chains gave his movement away, yet somehow, he caught her off guard. Wordlessly his eyes told her that she didn't fail, that she hadn't let her son down. This wasn't the loud confidence of the hero she'd seen on screen, but the quiet determination of a man who, despite his missing hand and other injuries, was here to reassure her.
Inko turned her hand within his fingers before gripping his hand, hoping to return some of the comfort he shared with her. "He always admired the kind of hero you are, how you save people," she said, but what she wanted to say was how thankful she was that he was there with her, how having just one more person there with her made this all just that much easier to endure.
All Might's eyes tightened up at the mention of Izuku's admiration. Inko caught herself wondering just how badly this man had hurt her son, but it was impossible to be mad at him after everything he'd sacrificed in hopes of correcting his mistake.
Their one-sided conversation was just so frustrating, Inko thought. "Can he please speak with me?" she directed the question out to Sondok.
The red-eyed warrior regarded her charges before raising an eyebrow. "No," she said simply without elaboration. Just as Inko was about to reply, an impossibly loud gonging clamored down the mountain. The noise was sharp, metallic, yet rumbled louder than thunder. The air was thick with sound as if inundating them under a landslide.
Inko hurled herself into All Might's arms as she covered her ears. The man shielded her with his frail frame and limbs, holding onto her head with his only hand while extending his burnt stump somewhere behind her. Inko trembled in his embrace as twice more, the cacophony of noise murdered all peace and quiet.
A lone ape, decorated in greenish-gold armor, rushed down the mountain to them. It called out to its commander, and Sondok replied in kind. Inko felt every muscle in All Might's body tense as he strained his neck, watching the exchange with maddening interest. Was he reading their hand gestures and body language? There was no way he could understand their words.
Ashamed that she relied on him despite his condition, Inko pulled herself out from his reach and stood. She offered him a hand to help him stand, and he took it. One of his ears seeped blood, and knowing that somehow made Inko feel even worse.
With a gesture, Sondok dismissed the great ape back up to the summit. "Change of plans," she announced. "The Prince desires privacy, and we will grant it to him."
Before rising, All Might cast his gaze up the mountain. He focused on the crowd of demons at the summit. He sat there, unmoving, for what felt like a full minute. At last, with Inko's help, he stood next to her. He wasn't steady on his feet, though, and leaned in towards her for support.
"The demons aren't leaving the summit," he whispered to her. Then he backed off, standing on his own.
Inko felt the hairs on her neck stand as she took stock, confirming All Might's observation. So, she couldn't see her son, but the demons up there could. She feigned ignorance, though. "Privacy? Why would Izuku want privacy so suddenly?"
The warrior-woman regarded Inko coldly before shrugging. "The Prince is claiming his first female slave," she said as though describing a dull bit of daily news. "They do that sometimes. I find it's best to let them sate themselves. Your son seems somewhat reserved, even, claiming only one for his first."
Claiming. Inko knew immediately what that meant. It felt wrong for a mother to have this kind of information about her son. It didn't explain why the demons crowded themselves around him. By the look on All Might's face, he wasn't buying it either.
Sondok didn't give either of them time to examine the truthfulness of her words before grabbing each of them, gripping both humans on their shoulders. She pulled hard on them as she took a bold step forward, bending the world around them as they crossed an impossible distance with one step in lock with her.
They were no longer on the mountain. Somehow, they'd relocated at least a kilometer away into the yard of a fine house. The place was abandoned, likely evacuated within the past few hours, but that wasn't what concerned Inko. They were equidistant between the mountain to their west and a hospital to their east, which meant they were taking a significant detour on their journey to see Izuku.
"Why did you take us farther from my son? Why are we here?" Inko asked.
Sondok didn't answer the mother-regent. She simply turned to watch the mountain. The cold anticipation evident in the demon woman's gaze left a cold pit in Inko's stomach.
"Answer her," All Might said, standing defiantly as he addressed Sondok.
Inko regarded him with shock. Was his life worth risking for the answer to a simple question?
Sondok's lip curled with disgust. Then she composed herself and sighed. "I was ordered to keep you both away and dematerialized. I'm just following that order."
All Might, however, didn't buy it. He marched past Inko, closer to Sondok. "You could have kept us in that parking lot, then. Why the extra distance?"
Crimson starlit eyes regarded All Might, his emaciated weakness contrasting with his unconquerable defiance. "I am charged with your safety," was all she said.
The answer confused Inko, but All Might's reaction was something between horror and rage. "Safe from what?" he asked.
"Humanity," was Sondok's smirking reply.
Inko gasped, wondering what or who would make a move against her son. Even if someone targeted an attack against the demons, Izuku would be there at the heart of it. "Please," she began but didn't even know what to ask. "Please tell me Izuku will be safe."
Sondok resumed her gaze at the mountain. "The Chrysalis cannot be harmed by anything your people possess. The Prince's spiritual journey will continue unperturbed by any attack."
"What of the young woman with him?" All Might asked, an edge of fear creeping into his voice.
Inko turned her head sharply to look at him. She hadn't even thought of the girl despite surmising who the slave might be that Izuku was in the middle of claiming. She whipped her gaze back to Sondok. "Will she be alright?"
The demon shrugged. "She's a human and a slave. Does it matter?"
Inko grabbed onto All Might's shoulder before he could say or do something that would only get him killed. His face contorted with rage, breaking whatever composure he had left. "Don't," she said, calmingly as she turned him to face her. "Don't," she repeated while laying a hand on his chest. "Don't," she said one last time as her hand moved up to caress his face.
Something passed between their eyes, a spark. Their desperation fed a longing neither of them could describe with words. Inko and All Might felt the connection, however brief, but could not think about it now. Perhaps in another time, in another world, this spark could light something, but for now, it was as useless as flint and tinder under the sea.
Sondok's eyes flicked upward towards the sky. "It looks like the show is about to start," she mused. "I hope for a better display than the last world we conquered."
Inko broke eye contact with All Might, trembling as she moved past him to gaze at the mountain where her son lay waiting for whatever attack was coming. "Don't," she heard him say to her as he directed her face with his hand, prodding her to keep her gaze locked onto his eyes.
"Young Midoriya will do the right thing. He'll figure it out," he said, though a tremble in his voice made Inko wonder how confident he was in those words.
"He has a good example to aspire to," she whispered in return, praying that she was right, that they both were right, about her son.
Tiny shadows moved against the glowing backdrop of the sky above them, so small they might be mistaken for birds. Silently, they arced across the aurora-lit heavens, promising to test all their resolves.
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Tenya's body responded efficiently to his commands, yet his bones and skin felt alien to him. His eyes, while they saw with crystal clarity, seemed foreign. His brother's armor, while it fit him perfectly, was uncomfortable and awkward.
He wanted his brother back. Tenya, however, received the opposite of that request. Now he'd be reminded of his brother's absence every time he looked in a mirror, as an amalgamation of their faces stared back at him.
None of that meant that he'd throw away what Cecelyne gave him, especially since there would be no refund. The weight of his debt felt like a lead bar in his gut, but he received a considerable sum for that indebtedness. He had his brother's eyes and his Quirk in addition to the one he'd had since birth. Additionally, judging by his armor and how well he moved, his body contained Tensei's muscle-memories.
Perhaps he had enough power to make a difference now. These villains were undoubtedly a good test, but the real trial would be the demons invading their world. Could Tenya fight such monsters now that he had two Quirks?
He dismissed that thought for now.
Even with the weight of Inasa, Tenya outpaced the manmade monsters giving them chase. If not for the teleportation ability of one of the villains, they'd have outrun their pursuers some time ago.
There wasn't time now to think over how he got here, to ponder Cecelyne's parting words, or to let the guilt sink in. For now, all he could do was survive and help Inasa make it as well.
A portal opened in front of them just after he jumped to another rooftop. Swirling black energy gave way to fire as the self-immolating monster emerged.
"Fuck off!" Inasa cried out as he buffeted it back with a strong gust.
Tenya turned to avoid the portal and the monster emerging from it but knew this game wouldn't last. He couldn't maintain this speed forever, despite being enhanced by two compatible Quirks. If anything, that made his situation worse, as it tempted him to use up his internal reserves of energy on obscene displays of speed and power.
Another portal opened, only this time it was the hulking brute that was more mouth than monster. Tenya decided to charge the beast, kicking it hard against the event horizon of the portal. The creature sprayed blood at the point of contact, which fed Tenya's theory that the portals themselves were dangerous.
After learning just how dangerous the portals were, Tenya beat a hasty retreat with Inasa in tow. With four attackers chasing them, each with dangerous Quirks, the two of them were outmatched. The best course of action, as far as he could tell, was to escape to safety.
The enemy, of course, had a different plan for Tenya and his human cargo.
No sooner than after they moved to the next building over, they found themselves surrounded. As Tennya and Inasa looked about, each of the buildings around them had one of their pursuers deployed and ready.
Tenya heaved, trying to catch his breath. He'd run from rooftop to rooftop nonstop, losing all sense of time while adrenaline surged through his body. After stopping, even briefly, his exhaustion caught up with him. How long had this pursuit gone on? Half an hour? An hour? He wasn't sure anymore.
"Give up, hero," an ash-grey figure called out from across the street. "We've killed your work-partner, and you're next. You're hopelessly outnumbered."
"Kamui," Inasa called out helplessly. Tenya couldn't blame him. Kamui Woods was an admirable man. Learning about his death by hearing about it from his murderer was hard on him too.
For Tenya, though, there was an extra bite of guilt. If he hadn't been a fool earlier and prayed to Cecelyne, would Kamui Woods still be alive?
"Why are you going out of your way to pursue us? We didn't know about Kamui Woods. Why tell us?" Tenya called out, shocked by the sound of his voice. Even with the natural distortion of hearing the voice emanating from him as he spoke, Tenya was struck by how much he sounded like his brother. However, the tone was off. No, he realized. He was off. It sounded like Tensei's voice, but it was Tenya driving the pitch, the word choice, the tempo.
"It's a feeding frenzy," their ashen conversationalist replied. "I've tasted hero's blood, and now I want some more!"
A loud explosion rocked through Tenya's senses. "Eat this, motherfucker!" called out a voice from above. As Tenya looked up, a pair of small figures grew immensely larger as they descended rapidly from the sky above him.
The blonde figure, dressed in burnt casual clothes, descended onto the ashen hand-clad figure. A portal opened between them, but the blonde let loose an explosion from his palms, propelling himself out to the side away from the rift before unleashing another blast towards his original target.
A red-headed figure in finer, but even more ruined, clothes, impacted into the back of the burning monster on another rooftop. He landed with a downward kick, forcing his weight down with crushing force. Tenya tried to calculate how far the man had to have dropped to accelerate to such a degree, only to come to the conclusion that he was launched downward like a projectile pointed to the ground.
The redhead roared as he stood up from the mushy remains of the burning monster. It wasn't until that moment that Tenya recognized Eijiro.
Eijiro killed it in one hit, forcing all of his weight and kinetic energy into a single point. His pants and boots burned from the contact, but his rock-hard skin merely collected ash and cracks as he strode away from the corpse.
Tenya eyed the shadow-wreathed figure as he stood just one building away. The man, at least Tenya assumed it was a man, seemed stretched thin. He was activating portals to relocate the hulking brute towards the rock-hard redhead while also deploying portals defensively against the blonde's explosions against the ashen man.
"Yoarishi, I'm launching you to help out Eijiro against that monster. I'm going for the portal generator there," he instructed.
The shaved-bald teen looked at him with a moment of passing confusion, but he nodded to acknowledge the instructions all the same. Tenya moved immediately, suppressing his need for rest. He ran toward the edge of the building before using jets in his arms to launch the large teen across the chasm between buildings.
Inasa, thanks to Tenya's momentum, flew across that gap before applying his Quirk, controlling the winds around him and buffeting himself to a softer landing.
"Take no prisoners!" the angry blonde called out from two buildings over. He was loud enough to be heard with crystal clarity.
"Kill or be killed!" Eijiro replied, infected with the mood bloodshed was apt to bring.
"No mercy!" the two cried out in unison, as each joined battle against decidedly different opponents.
"No mercy," Tenya echoed quietly inside his helmet before rocketing towards his chosen adversary.
"I heard you died, Ingenium," the shadowy figure called out.
Tenya, rather than responding, moved in with a lightning-fast zigzag pattern, preparing himself for an inevitable portal somewhere in his way. He didn't expect two portals, one above his head and one directly in his path.
Diverting his path would be a trap since the momentary slowdown would let the portal above him envelop his head but entering the portal in front of him could be just as deadly. However, Tenya did not need to slow down just to change directions. That was a weakness he and his brother shared once, but for Tenya it was no longer a concern.
Igniting more precious fuel, Tenya rocketed past the two portals, diving in between them. Each narrowly grazed at him, but he rushed past like a well-steered ship among tide pools. A rocket-fueled punch to the shadow-man's face later, and both portals vanished.
Tenya didn't relent, striking the man hard over and over again. Maybe he was venting frustration or guilt, taking it out on another person when the man he hated most was himself. Maybe he was hoping the bloodshed would sate some primal thirst inside him, ease his mind after losing his brother and his body. Either way, his armor-clad fists coated themselves with blood as he let them feast on the man's face and torso.
The hollow screams of a mindless beast echoed across the rooftops. Tenya spared a glance, and for a moment, what he saw inspired panic.
Eijiro used himself as a human wedge, placing his body squarely inside the gargantuan mouth of the ravenous monster. Rather than be eaten, he stood defiantly, prying the creature's jaws wide open. Inasa took the opportunity to blow enough wind down the creature's throat that its lungs forcefully expanded.
The winds rattle down the monster's throat, creating a wholly unnatural scream. The beast's chest grew and grew, expanding outward as its lungs overfilled with air.
Then it popped. Rather, the abomination's lungs perforated with internal injuries, taking in too much air with too much pressure. Eijiro held his ground at the creature thrashed about, but it was drowning, bleeding out into its lungs. It would take a while longer to die, but the result was already written in stone.
Tenya refocused on the shadow-figure beneath him but was caught off guard when the man wasn't there anymore. A portal threatened to tear Tenya's hand off at the wrist, but Tenya pulled back just in time. Casting his gaze about, he found the shadow-figure across the divide, reappearing next to the explosive blonde and the ash-haired freak with a hand fetish.
Portions of the blonde's arms were bleeding where his skin was missing. Not torn, not cut, but missing. Now it was two against one, and the blonde looked haggard, running on rage more than energy.
Tenya dug deep into himself for more fuel, accelerating instantly to cross the distance at speeds he'd only dreamed of achieving before. Inertia tore through his gut and skull, demanding he never do that again. Despite his splitting headache and the pressure on his new eyes, he moved so quickly that he surprised everyone there, including himself.
Before anyone could react, he punched the ashen figure square in the shoulder. That, however, does not communicate what happened. When an object moves faster than most commercial vehicles are capable of, and that object has the mass of a man in full plate armor, the punch it delivers as it transfers energy from speed into impact is immense.
Time slowed down.
Tenya was shocked by the spray of blood as the man's shoulder broke, dislocating until it hung limply behind him. Forcibly moved to follow his useless appendage, the ashen man was carried two meters skyward before falling and rolling along the rooftop.
During his ascent, the man wearing too many hands struck Tenya across the face, activating his Quirk. As his helmet disintegrated around him, Tenya pause long enough to take it off, hoping the distraction wouldn't make him too vulnerable now that the blonde man was alongside him.
It never occurred to either him or his blonde compatriot that the ashen man would, in a desperation move, erode the rooftop beneath himself and sink into the top floor of the building. For that matter, where had the portal-forming shade disappeared to?
Tenya breathed in the cool night air, feeling it on his new face for the first time.
"I thought you died," the blonde said after Tenya got his helmet off.
"It's a long story," was all Tenya replied. "Is it over? Did they retreat?"
"We can't let them retreat," the blonde said, prowling forward, scanning the rooftop like a predator looking for hidden prey.
"What?" Tenya asked, genuinely confused by the idea of seeking combat where it wasn't necessary.
"Gang Orca's not going to make it unless we get him to a hospital," was the blonde's only explanation before unleashing an explosion against the rooftop access-door, blowing it off its hinges. Before Tenya could ask what the man's plan was or even his name, the musclebound man detonated his way to increased speed as he hurtled himself downstairs.
Tenya sighed as he ran after him, kicking against the wall of the stairwell to make his turn into a complete corkscrew, catching up in no time at all. He spared a thought to Eijiro and Inasa, hoping they were still alright.
Even as he hurtled down to find where his battle-eager partner had disappeared to, Tenya was haunted.
"Enjoy your new power, mortal," the pillar of salt said to him before sending him back. "I look forward to the day you'll use it for my purposes."
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After hearing a bit of noise, Katsuki blew a hole through the wall next to him. He stepped forward into a ruined apartment, not caring about the small fires he started or the destroyed furniture. His targets were inside, clumsily trying to relocate the shoulder of the ugly one. Katsuki decided to name him Ass Face.
"You stupid fucking brat," the man lost the hand that covered his face, revealing a visage worn away by stress, time, and agony.
"It's time to retreat," the miasma of darkness called out from behind his companion. "The Noumu are dead, and we have what we came for."
That's the one Katsuki needed, the one with the portals. He'd have to be extra nice to him to get his help, so Katsuki decided his name would be Shit Stain.
It looked like Shit Stain was the smart one, while Ass Face was the hothead. Katsuki knew how hot heads thought. He could use that. "Hey, you there. Ass Face. I see why you cover up with those hands. You're fucking ugly. Stick around and let's make you uglier."
"No, don't!" Shit Stain called out, but it was too late. Ass Face took the bait, charging in with only one working arm and no plan to his name.
Two things happened nearly simultaneously then. First, Rocket Man propelled himself into the room. Second, Shit Stain made a portal directly in Rocket Man's path.
At the speed he was moving, there was no way this guy could have avoided that portal. Katsuki was afraid that Rocket Man, er, Ingenium, was going to die or get seriously injured.
That's when the weirdest thing Katsuki had ever seen happened right before his eyes. Ingenium moved so fast that he vanished. There was nothing but a trail of sand leading from one side of the portal to the other, directly into Ass Face.
Katsuki stood there with a stupid grin on his face, he was sure of it. He didn't care how it made him look, because that was awesome. Ass Face was knocked sideways at an unhealthy trajectory, acting as a speed break for Ingenium's momentum when the Turbo Hero body-slammed him.
In just one motion, the villain was knocked out cold. Katsuki moved before either the other villain or the disoriented hero could act, grabbing Ass Face by his neck. "Hey, Shit Stain. Hold still unless you want Ass Face's head as a trophy."
The cloud of darkness stepped forward. It may have worn fine clothes, but they had seen better days. The man, though blurry from his Quirk, looked haggard. "I thought heroes didn't kill…"
Katsuki smirked. "I'm not a hero yet. I am, however, trying to save one. Here's the deal: you portal us over to Gang Orca, then take all of us to the hospital. After that, you and Ass Face here can fuck off to I don't care where."
The armored hero looked down at Katsuki with shock and horror written on his face. "He killed Kamui Woods. The man is a villain and needs to be arrested! He…"
"Saving people is more important than arresting villains! It's what a hero would do! It's what," Katsuki paused, inhaling hard. "It's what Deku would do!"
The villain warily regarded the hero and deputy as they spoke to each other. He took careful stock of the man he assumed was Ingenium. How was he alive?
"Who's Deku?" the armored hero asked.
"He's the guy you can thank for getting the demons out of the city," Katsuki spoke evenly, calmly. "He's the guy fighting by himself outside the city, trying to keep the rest of us safe while these shit-for-brains villains fuck shit up because they have the worst god-damned timing on the planet."
"You know the boy in the shell?" the villain spoke up, daring to bring attention back on himself.
"He's not a boy!" Katsuki barked back. "Deku's a better man than you deserve to think about."
Tears flowed from his eyes as he admitted that last bit. Damnit. "He's a better hero than we deserve!"
Than I deserve, Katsuki said honestly in his heart.
"So, what's it going to be, Shit Stain?" Katsuki asked. "You want freedom, or do you want me to kill your friend?" Sparks flew from the hand that gripped the back of Ass Face's neck.
Shit Stain raised his hands, symbolically surrendering. "You don't act like you even want to be a hero."
Katsuki smirked. "If I can save one, does that matter?"
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Demons are superior to humans in every way. Just ask them, and that's what they'll tell you. They boast greater strength, cunning, and infinite lifespans, whereas humans are feeble, dull-minded, and live barely longer than insects. Love, for example, is a human weakness they are fond of pointing out, exploiting, and deriding.
Ask Mara, the Shadow Lover, and she'll also tell you that "Love is a Lie" in no uncertain terms. It's a lesson she regularly carves into the hides of her dearest pupils.
When pressed, Mahbagodeth can produce many forms of literature about love but has no useful input on the topic other than how to exploit it wherever found.
If you ask Sondok, she will repeat one of the three great truisms of Malfeas, that "There is no love without pain." She refuses to elaborate further when asked for clarification.
Indeed, the demons are correct, yet they are so incredibly wrong.
Love is a lie we speak into existence, a decision in our heart to raise something, someone, up to become far more valuable than they ever could be unless we declared our love for them. We value them because we love them, and we love them because we value them. Within this unbroken circle, the lie that is love becomes true.
And yes, the denizens of Malfeas speak true. Love, inevitably, contains pain. Nothing lasts forever; neither love nor the people we love. Loss is unavoidable. That, though the demons don't understand it, is what makes love so remarkable: it is the celebration of beautiful, imperfect, and impermanent people and things. The pain, however profound, is a reminder of how wonderful the memories are before we, too, fade away.
Lies can become truth. Pain can contain joy. Though often exploited, love knows that it is vulnerable. It is a great paradox of the heart, a weakness worth fighting for.
For Izuku, this understanding filled him with a resolve unlike any he'd ever known.
Days ago, Izuku was alone on a rooftop, wishing for nothing more than an end to his pain. Now, he was at the mountain's summit, both physically and in power. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that he was Earth's only hope, the hero they needed against forces they all barely understood.
He wasn't alone, though.
Ochako trembled in his arms with tears streaming down her face. Confusion and fear played across her features, shifting rapidly from one to the next and back again. Although he wanted to comfort her, Izuku had other matters to attend. Aided by the power of Cecelyne, he calculated the odds of her survival with each possible decision before him.
To guarantee her survival, all Izuku had to do was surrender to the Yozis. The demons would act, readily trading the servitude of a Prince for the safety of one mortal woman. They'd render her immaterial, carrying her away and out of harm's reach where no bomb could touch her. She'd be safe, and humanity would be doomed.
Would Ochako forgive him? Would she be content to live in the safety of his palace while their planet was torn apart on the forge-fields of Malfeas? Would luxury be a strong enough opiate to dull that pain? Izuku wasn't sure he wanted to know the answers to these questions, as they might make him tempted, or might make him think less of her.
On the other end of the scale lay the decision that would doom Ochako. He could cut away his love for her like an infected wound, ensuring that humanity would still take priority in his heart while he stood defiant against the Yozis. The demons didn't expect him to take that course, but they likely had countermeasures in mind if he did. No, that course involved openly declaring his rebellion. It wouldn't save anyone, least of all, Ochako.
Was there a third choice?
He disregarded the confusion on her face and ignored her questions alongside the smug expression of Mara and the cold mask of Mahbagodeth. Izuku tuned his surroundings out as he calculated variable after variable, moving his mind at speeds the brain could not biologically sustain without Primordial essence.
He couldn't hide her within the time-sphere or the carapace of the Chrysalis. That would kill her. He could dismiss the time-sphere, but that would slow down Izuku's journey through Malfeas and endanger Earth with continued Calibration, drawing their world closer to the demonic realm. What would anyone gain if he did that? No, that course took too long and risked too much.
Moving away from the mountain wasn't an option either. The bombers would simply target the now-mobile Chrysalis.
There was no time, none at all. What was Izuku missing? What razor's edge did he have to dance across to make this work?
That's when Izuku struck it, the plan that would keep his soul independent of debt to the Yozis' while giving Ochako a tomorrow. The cost was dear, but there was no hesitation in his mind.
Ochako flinched as the crystal blade formed in Izuku's palm. It never felt so heavy to him before this moment. "Izuku, what are you…"
The masked demon's intrusive nature silenced her. "This is not the course I predicted, Prince Izuku, but then again, you have proven quite the aberration. Still, you will come to heel before our masters soon enough."
Mara raised a questioning eyebrow. "It appears you're not as stupid as most. So, will you cut your emotional ties with her first, or skip straight to slitting her throat?" The cruel bitch spoke with crystal clear Japanese. There was no way Ochako could have misunderstood her.
"Izu, please," Ochako pleaded, not knowing how things had changed so dramatically in such a short amount of time.
Izuku never gave Ochako the chance to finish that thought. He grit his teeth while holding the dagger between them. Ochako trembled like a rabbit dangling by its ears before the chopping block. "I love you," she whispered as fresh tears spilled from her eyes.
There was no time to comfort her. He could hear the oncoming aircraft. He released quick pulses of light down the chain from his heart, sending the message deep into the Chrysalis. He glanced briefly at the two demons and saw no reaction to his coded communication. Izuku almost wanted to smirk, now that he confirmed the demons couldn't read Morse.
That didn't make the next step of his plan any easier.
"No!" Ochako cried out, her hand shooting forward to stop him. He was faster and stronger than her, though. Before she could interrupt him, before the demons knew what he was doing, Izuku cut the chain leading from his heart.
It was not the chain that linked to his love for Ochako.
Izuku cut the link that bound him to the Chrysalis and the true Prince. The impact was immediate. Already, his near-infinite supply of essence was cut off, rendering him finite once again. His instincts demanded that he re-link the chain, or failing that, his urge for survival screamed that he must conserve his dwindling supplies of power and rest.
Izuku told his instincts to go fuck themselves.
The dagger dissipated in his grip, no longer needed, a waste of fuel. Standing, he grabbed onto Ochako before she comprehended what he was doing, before the demons could process the sudden shift in his essence pattern.
Then, with all the speed Adorjan had bestowed on him, Izuku ran. He sped past the demons, north and away, towards the blinking lights of a distant vehicle even as it flashed warnings of incoming danger.
The masked fiend uttered an alarmed cry while Mara darkened into an oily shadow, giving Izuku chase. The thought almost brought a smile to his face. How can a shadow outpace the wind? He slipped past her as quickly as a cheetah might escape a lion. One glance was all he needed to confirm that she wouldn't reach him or Ochako, not without leaving her minions vulnerable.
Behind him, Mara skidded to a stop. He felt the dagger-sharp hatred in her gaze but pressed onward.
That was one factor he counted on, that the lower level demons would be naked to the bombing run without intervention from their superiors. Devas were cruel enough not to care about casualties, but they weren't wasteful creatures.
No, it wasn't demons that Izuku needed to outpace, but time itself.
Izuku burst through the coronal edge of the anima, out into the twilight darkness of the world. The air he breathed no longer filled him with replenishing essence. Still, he gained momentum, hurtling himself and Ochako down the mountainside far faster than they ascended.
Inside his chest, he felt several Charms shut themselves off before dissipating into nothingness, unable to maintain their existence without fuel for their ephemeral reality. There wasn't any time to track what he'd lost. They need more distance.
"Izu!" Ochako tried to call out to him, but the wind carried her voice away as Izuku ran.
"I have you," he wasted enough breath to shout above the roaring wind as they rushed down the mountainside, hoping the phrase would convey the urgency of their situation to her.
"No! Izu, please!" she cried and beat her fist against his shoulder, but he ignored her. There was no time to stop, to explain, to apologize.
The ground beneath him flattened out before ascending again, moving up and down in curves as he passed among the foothills at the mountain's base. Trees zipped past them, observed one moment, and gone the next.
The wind felt like razors on his skin, like he was brittle and would chip away. Izuku squinted his eyes to protect them even as he felt the skin on his face crack and bleed away along with his exposed knuckles. He just hoped he wasn't too late.
Against the green backdrop of an aurora-lit sky, the world shone red as it cried with rage. Ochako's face lit up with orange-red fire blazing from somewhere behind Izuku. He already knew what it was without looking.
Then the sound and shockwave hit them. They were already moving faster than any human had a right to run, more quickly than a car speeding down the road, but the forceful blast of the bomb caught up to them as if they were crawling at a snail's pace.
The concussive energy lifted Izuku off the ground, preventing him from controlling his run. He had just enough time to re-angle his hold on Ochako before wrapping her in tendrils of energy. The look of pure terror on her face stabbed him like a knife into his throat.
"Close your eyes and hold on!" he called out to her, shouting so she could hear him.
Ochako ducked her face, burying it into his chest as he held her protectively. He rolled with their landing, softening the impact on her as much as possible.
His devil hardened body did not feel as invulnerable as it was just moments ago. The earth hit him like a team of sledgehammers, pounding onto him from below as he rolled uncontrollably, buffeted by the winds emanating from the mountain's remains.
"Keep your eyes closed!" he begged even as he scrambled back onto his feet. He ran again, ducking down as heat-treated rocks and dust fell around them. Several small pellets hit him in the back, tearing into him like bullets. He grunted but bore onward, willing himself to move despite the pain.
His will could only carry her so far, though. Pain caught up with him, as his starving body objected to the torment he inflicted on it. Izuku fell to his knees after running the second time, though he wasn't sure how far he'd made it. Was it far enough?
Lacking any strength, he dropped Ochako and collapsed. He fell back. He realized that he wasn't feeling any pain in his knees despite the odd angle of the fall. Of course, that's because his feet, shins, and now even his knees were gone. He'd laugh, but breathing felt excruciating as if he were gasping helplessly in an alien atmosphere of needles for air.
Ochako crawled over to him. Her collection of bruises increased in the past few minutes. Hopefully, nothing broke.
"Why? How? Why did you do that? Why did you cut away from the Chrysalis? Izuku! Izuku, stay with me. Stay with me, Izuku," she rushed through the words while propping herself up to look down into his eyes.
"There wasn't time for a good plan," he whispered, finding that was the only way he could talk. "I had to save you, no matter what," he said while reaching up to touch her cheek.
"You're the most important one here, you idiot," she wept, raining her feelings down on his face. She took hold of his hand against her cheek, but it dissipated into nothing.
"Don't leave me, Izuku, please, I need you," she begged. "I love you. You're my hero."
He smiled despite the pain coursing through his body. The edges of his limbs were evaporating. It felt like tiny paper cuts were traveling towards the core of his being. "All I ever wanted was to be a hero."
Tears of light formed in the corners of his eyes, wasting precious power on a display he could no longer afford. It was a sign of his impending end, that the Charm that kept his eyes dry no longer functioned. "Listen, Ochako," he started.
"Yes, Izuku?" she said, hanging on every word.
With his remaining hand, he directed her fingers onto, then into his chest. He was permeable. It wouldn't be long now. Her fingers inside him felt like daggers, but he had to ensure none of this opportunity was wasted. Wincing, he spoke through his teeth. "Take hold of the memory stone at my core. Protect it. Hide it. Don't let the demons get it. Keep it, and the one I gave you earlier, safe. He'll need both."
She nodded, knowing who Izuku was talking about. Ochako inhaled a long-labored breath. The jade stone was warm to the touch, freshly formed using the last power Izuku had left inside himself. "Please, please don't die," she begged.
"Do this for me," Izuku stressed the point. "I saved you because I love you. Do this because you love me."
There was no longer enough essence in Izuku's body to maintain his sight. The world darkened around him. Ochako's face was the last thing he saw before blackness overcame him. He gasped but kept his reaction contained. He didn't want Ochako's last memory of him to be one where he was consumed by fear.
"Ochako," he breathed. "Please, just stay with me a moment," he said, not wanting her to know just how afraid he was. He didn't waste his last moments uselessly begging for a life he spent minutes ago. The decision was irreversible and buying her safety, her life, was worth spending his.
"I'm here," she said before kissing his forehead. "I have you."
Izuku smiled. He wanted to reply, but he couldn't anymore.
The last motes of essence drifted away, and with them, he evaporated into nothing: no more light, no more energy, no more of his smirk or strength.
He was gone.
All that was left was a stone in Ochako's trembling hand. Snot dripped down her face, fueled by a never-ending river of tears. Her sides hurt, and her legs felt unsteady. More than anything, though, the wound in her heart was one that would never heal.
She fell in love with him, and before she knew it, Izuku was gone.
Unable to muster enough energy to stand, Ochako laid down on the soft ground and cradled the warm stone against her chest. "I have you," she whispered before her body wracked itself with deep sobs.
"I will always love you," she confessed to the cold night air. No one heard her, though.
Suddenly, heat surrounded her along with light from somewhere behind her. Ochako knew she should get up, that she needed to keep going, but Ochako was so lost and in so much pain that she wondered if it was even worth fighting anymore.
Strong arms picked her up, cradling her like a small child. She, in turn, cradled the stone close, holding it tight. Ochako opened her eyes to look up at a face wreathed in fire, but before she could say anything, she flinched at a slight pinching sensation. Then she, too, drifted off.
Ochako's last thought before unconsciousness overtook her was of Izuku, wondering if she'd see him in her dreams.
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A Note from the Author
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Before everything else, a confession: I cried multiple times over the past several months as this chapter drew closer. I cried while writing this chapter. My wife cried while editing it. However, this was part of the plot for a long time. I knew this was coming, and that it was absolutely necessary for the story. So, if this upset you, please know that you're not alone.
Thank you, all of you, for your continuing interest in this and my other works. My wife and I are extremely grateful for your attention and encouragement. You've given this fic 305 Reviews, 849 Followers, 706 Favorites, 2 Community Listings, and 160,990 Views on FFN. That's nothing short of amazing. You've also given this fic 207 Subscriptions, 16,290 Hits, 409 Kudos, 140 Comment Threads with 439 Comments, and 144 Bookmarks on AO3. This fic has also earned me a number of new friends who I would never have met if I hadn't gotten into writing.
Just think: this all started one year ago. My first chapter was posted on September 2, 2019. I meant to sit down and write out a book that I'd outlined but was struck with a terrible case of writer's block. So, to get over that writer's block, I started writing My Green Sun Prince Academia, and I never regretted a single moment of it.
I've started a fair bit of other projects recently, but this remains my one central fic, the cornerstone of my fanfiction works. I'll continue with my rotation, continuing on to write more The Reflection in the Viridescent Mirror, followed by Izuku's Time Traveling Babysitting Service, followed at last by Midoriya Izuku vs. the Women of Sigma Epsilon Chi (S.E.X.). Then the rotation will start again, right back here where it all started in the first place. I may inject an extra chapter of Izuku's Time Traveling Babysitting Service here and there, but that will mainly be a way of fighting against distractions and schedule issues. So yes, my "catch up" rotation is done, and now we're on regular rotation.
One caveat: my wife's birthday is coming up soon, as is our anniversary. So around then, a period that contains the 11th and 14th, I'll not be writing or posting anything. I kindly ask you all to chill during that period. I'm also taking a short break from writing for the next two or so days just to catch up on reviews and comments since I'm majorly behind in answering people. I normally reply to reviews on FFN directly in the review section, and I've been so busy lately that it just never happened.
If you'd like to contact me more directly, feel free to pop in and talk to me on Discord. discord .gg /25BTet3 (remove spaces because FFN hates links).
Thank you again and see you at the next chapter!