Drown. Let me drown. Let me die in this water, let me die.
My lungs…. They were suffocating, desperately screaming for air. Screaming for the ability to breathe, the ability to live. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't swim so it's a non-issue. I'm going to die here.
Izuku…
Forgive me.
Forgive me for all the pain and hurt I've caused you.
Izuku…. I'm sorry for making you put up with me for so long.
I love you.
"…'Ki…."
"'Uki…."
"Koruki, wake up!"
Not in control of my own body, I sat up. I shivered at the cold.
I'm alive?... I'm alive. How am I alive?
"Thank All Might! You're okay!" I felt someone wrap their arms around me, then realized it was Izuku.
"Wh… What happened?" I asked, still shaking from the cold and the shock that I was still breathing.
"You nearly drowned. Luckily, I spotted you in time or you might not have made it. Ribbit." I then noticed Asui.
She saved me…. She saved me from drowning. She shouldn't have.
"Just a question though. You're fourteen years old, right?" She asked and I nodded. "Shouldn't you be able to swim by now?"
Right, Asui is very blunt. Have to get used to that.
I visibly tensed up, shaking my head.
"No, I…. My Father never taught me how." I confessed, closing my eyes. "I'm sorry you went through that trouble to save me, Asui."
No need to get mad at her. She was doing what she is training to do. Saving people. I shouldn't have let her see me.
"It's was no trouble at all. I save people who need saving. That's all there is to being a hero, right?"
"Right…" I mumbled, quietly.
What if I didn't want to be saved? What if I wanted to…
To die?
Who would've missed me?
Nobody. They'd find a replacement easy enough. Someone in the general studies, perhaps. They'd be great and be able to excel as a hero. They have stronger quirks than me, for sure. My quirk doesn't matter. It's fucking music. Useless. I'm pathetic. I'm useless.
"You're still freezing…" Izuku stated, rubbing his hands on my arms to provide better warmth, his gentle touch trying to comfort me in case another attack came on.
"Blame that on my incapability to provide body heat, even if I wasn't freezing cold." I shivered, rubbing my hands together. "That's why I'm always wearing hoodies and sweatshirts, I can't provide enough body heat to keep me warm. The extra warmth also makes me feel like I'm safe in them... Like nothing bad will happen."
It was then that I realized we were on a boat, and it rocked.
"Woah!" I exclaimed, slipping from the excess water that had dripped off of me.
What the hell was that?!
"They're still after us!" Izuku exclaimed, leaning over this ship.
"Who are these guys?" I questioned, standing up next to Izuku, then noticing that we were cornered my water villains. "Oh, okay. Sharp teeth. That's welcoming."
"We'll have to fight them." Izuku exclaimed and I blew a strand of hair out of my face, grabbing a hairclip from my pocket and putting it in a bun so it wouldn't get in the way.
"Of course we have to." I commented, making the final wrap around my hair. "You got any ideas, Zu?"
He always has ideas when it comes to things like this.
"Well…. Those guys are clearly suited for aquatic combat. So the ringleaders must have recruited them on their team knowing about USJ's different environments. But one thing stands out…." Izuku looked to Asui. "They zapped you in the flood zone! Which means they must not know our quirks."
"If they'd known about me having frog powers, they'd dumped me in the fiery zone." Asui added on.
"So they know next to nothing about us?" I questioned, earning a nod from the greenette. "Then that gives us an extra advantage. They don't know what we're capable of. And it's safe to say that they don't know about the others quirks as well."
If they know nothing about us and we have an eye on their quirks, we're at an advantage.
"Exactly. I would say their strategy was to scatter us and overwhelm us with numbers. They've got us beat when it comes to numbers and experience, so there's only one way for us to win…"
"Use our quirks to our advantage and fuck them up!" I exclaimed, earning a slight look of amusement from Izuku.
"I like him." Asui commented.
"And look. They're not trying to get on board, that supports the theory." Izuku added on, looking into the zone.
If they're not trying to get on the boat, then they prefer to fight in the water. Asui would be at an advantage for them. Maybe potentially Izuku if he could somehow fight hem with his super strength. My quirk is basically useless here. Besides, if I were to fall in the water, I wouldn't be much help.
"Asui, what's your quirk?" Izuku questioned, looking at the girl.
"I can jump really high. And stick to walls. My tongue can stretch to a maximum of twenty meters. Also, I can spit up my stomach to clean it. And secrete a poisonous fluid… I say 'poisonous' but really it just stings a little." I nodded in awe. That's pretty cool. And kind of gross. "The last two things aren't really useful. Just forget about them. And call me Tsu."
"Wow, you're strong. I underestimated you." Izuku mumbled, then spoke up a bit. "I have super strength, but immediately after using it, it messes me up. My quirk, it's basically a double-edged sword."
"My quirk revolves around music. I call it Soul Force. I can force people or objects backwards based on how powerful the instrument is. I can also freeze them, but only for a short amount of time and I usually get really sick after that. And it has to be music I'm interested it. I can use my voice for the same purpose, but I'll get tired after a certain amount of time and I can't hold my voice as long as an instrument. I can sing and hold notes longer than the average person, but it still wouldn't last as long." I explained, earning a nod from Tsu. Izuku knows all about my quirk, but I still felt the need to explain it.
"Did you happen to bring any instruments with you?" Izuku asked and I hummed, seeing if I had anything in my backpack, I kept on me. You never know.
There has to be at least one instrument in here, even just a small one.
"Let's see…. Candy, water bottle, phone, more candy…. Yes!" I exclaimed, pulling out a tambourine. I drum rolled it quietly, looking towards the aquatics.
"You have an idea?" Izuku asked and I shook my head.
"I have a distraction." I corrected, looking at him. "I can distract them with my music while you guys could go around and attack them. Tsuyu, you could catch them with your tongue and Izuku, you could knock them out with your strength."
"I don't know…..." Izuku mumbled, looking worried for me.
"Izuku, we don't really have any other options. Let's at least try it." I tried to convince him. And it worked.
"Fine…. But that doesn't mean I'll like it!"
"Wouldn't expect you to." I smiled, trying to hoist myself on the edge of the ship.
"'Ruki, be careful." Izuku warned me and I rolled my eyes.
"Izuku, I'm fine!" I exclaimed, finally able to pull myself up. He handed me the tambourine, nodding at me.
"Be careful." He told me, yet again and I smiled.
"I'll be fine."
I walked along the edge of the ship, until they could see me, and I smiled, shaking the tambourine a few times, adding some confusion and may I say interest?
Perfect….
"Hey, soldier boy, I see how you stare.
Hey, butcher man, I see you admire.
Come gather 'round,
Hey, Jaques and Pierre!
Come see me dance to the rhythm of the tambourine."
I did a dance around the ship, being careful not to fall overboard. Taking a quick look at them, it was like they were almost in a trance.
Weird….
I noticed Izuku and Tsu behind them, and I quickly continued.
"Flash of ankle,
Flip of a skirt.
Feel them excite, enflame, and inspire.
Come see me dance, hey, what can it hurt?
It's just a…. Dance to…... The rhythm of…."
It was then when I decided to feel faint. I didn't know what was happening. Before I could level myself, I fell off the edge of the boat.
"KORUKI!" I heard Izuku's scream. "He can't swim, Tsu!"
I don't really know what happened after that. One moment I was falling, and the next I was flying with Tsu's tongue wrapped around me. And finally, I was in water. Shallow water. I was laying in it, my vision blurred. I managed to make out Izuku and Tsu's worried glances. I groaned, trying to sit up and immediately regretted it.
"No, no! don't get up!" Izuku worried, making me lay back down, running his fingers through my hair.
"The water still might be too cold for him, Midoriya." I heard Tsuyu's voice as I shut my eyes.
"Do you have any sweatshirts or jackets in your bag?" Izuku unzipped my backpack, rummaging through it.
I don't know….
My eyes began to close, but Izuku slapped my face lightly to keep me awake.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't close your eyes, don't even think about going to sleep! Wake up, okay?"
I felt bad for worrying him. I struggled to keep my eyes open, but it was a battle. I heard some commotion in the background, but I barely paid it mind.
"He nearly drowned earlier. He was under water for way too long both times. He needs to go to the hospital. He could be risking hypothermia by now." Tsuyu commented and I blinked slowly, my vision blurring.
"Does it look like we can get to a hospital right now?!" Izuku wasn't mad. He was worried. I felt myself being lifted and something being put on me. I think it was a hoodie. I recognized the feeling. My beloved Hamilton hoodie. It must've been in my bag and I hadn't realized it.
"Izuku…" I whispered, barely above a whisper.
"'Ruki, it's okay." He placed his hand on top of mine. "I'm here."
"I'm sorry…."
"You have nothing to be sorry for. It was a good plan. We beat the villains quicker than we would've with you."
Izuku was trying to make me feel better. I know how this works.
"I barely used my quirk, but…. I over exhausted myself…." I grunted at the sudden and growing pain in my head. "I don't know what happened…."
"It's not your fault, alright? You couldn't have known." I gave a small chuckle in response.
"I really fucked it up this time, didn't I?" I barely mumbled as my eyes started to close.
"Koruki! Stay alive! Please!" I opened my eyes halfway, noticing that Izuku was crying and Tsuyu looked worried.
"You'll be alright…" I mumbled, clasping my hand with his.
"No! You're my best friend! I can't…. Please! Don't leave me alone!"
He'll be fine without you. He'll move on. He'll find a better best friend.
"NO! Don't say that!" Izuku's yell made me flinch slightly. "I could never find a better best friend than you!"
So I said that out loud…
"Koruki! Aizawa is fighting! He's fighting for us!" Those words made me open my eyes a bit more. "C'mon! He's fighting and so should you! Don't give up!"
His words gave me the smallest bit of confidence. I managed to open my eyes all the way to see a tear stricken Izuku. He was worried…. He was worried for me.
Izuku is worried for you and only you in this moment. And you had to go and say all that sappy shit and worry him even more?! What kind of friend are you?! Izuku really would be better off without you.
"Koruki…." The use of my full name brought my attention. "Do…. Do you really think that?"
Right. My mind isn't working correctly with my mouth.
"'Ruki, I love you so much. You're my best friend! Nothing would matter if you weren't here! If you really do think that, then we need to have a serious conversation when all of this is over."
My friendship with Izuku was always been handsy. We never really had any boundaries. We were close like that. We always said 'I love you' when we left each other's houses. We called each other to make sure we both got home safe. We cried in each other's arms when life got rough. To say I don't tell Izuku things like suicidal self would be an understatement. I plan for him to never find out about that
"Aizawa!" Tsuyu cried, I heard a yell and nothing else.
"Oh no!" Izuku exclaimed, worried for our teacher.
I don't know what happened. But from their voices, it couldn't have been good.
A wave of sleepiness took over me and my eyes started to close almost on their own.
"I'm so tired…." I mumbled, gaining Izuku's attention.
"Koruki!" Izuku was kneeling overtop of me almost. "Don't go to sleep. Please, don't…."
Before he could get the rest of that sentence out, the world went black.