Love through the ages
Chapter 3: "I can't live without you"
Author's note: Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up, but I was just not really in the mood to write anything.
It's been a hard battle for Toshinori, a very hard battle. He almost didn't make it, leaving him with a huge hole on the left side of his torso. Sakura couldn't watch as he was escorted to the hospital, Nighteye standing there, being his calm self. She wanted to touch All Might, she wanted to hug him, she wanted a confirmation that he was still alive.
"Let's get you home, Nightwing. All Might will be fine. Come on, you can visit him tomorrow in the hospital.", he said and guided her away. Nighteye didn't really care about her, but All Might cared, it was almost like he loved her. All Might didn't want her to be there, but Nighteye couldn't keep her from his side. He didn't like to use his quirk when he didn't need to but with All Might regarding her, he had no other choice. Nighteye wasn't particularly fond of All Might's friend, but he was just the sidekick so, who was he to complain.
"Will he really be alright? I'm worried. This wasn't a normal wound you get while fighting.", Sakura was crying like crazy. Nighteye assured her that All Might would be alright, he knew he would. So Nighteye escorted her home.
That night, Sakura couldn't sleep, seeing All Might's pain stricken face was too much for her to bear. Every time she closed her eyes, she would see it, and she hated it. Why did All For One do that to him? Why injure him so much, he can barely live a normal human life again? Would that injury and the subsequent scar have an impact on his hero abilities? Could she do anything to help him? She wanted to do something to help him, she would do anything to help, but it seemed she couldn't. Even though she couldn't sleep well, she soon fell asleep, tossing and turning in her bed. Even her dreams seemed like they wanted to make fun of her, which she had to deal with a lot in her everyday life already. In her dream, a man showed up, looking like a slightly younger All Might with his bangs down. He still had those wonderful blue eyes and that beautiful smile she fell in love with. Wait, love? No, she just enjoyed his company.
"I told you, that we will be together in a next life when we died, didn't I, Madeline?", the man said, smiling, holding out a hand to her. Madeline? Who is Madeline? He must've read the confusion on her face, smiling softly at her.
"I'm sorry for the confusion my love. You don't seem to remember that promise I made to you all those years ago.", the man sighed.
"Don't be sad, Daniel, my love. I'm sorry for forgetting. Now we can finally be together.", Sakura said in her dream, though it seemed it was Madeline.
"Well, it seems we might have to wait yet another lifetime, my love. I'm so sorry to leave you this early.", Daniel stated with a sad sigh and smile. Madeline started crying, ran in his arms and buried her crying face in Daniel's chest.
"No, you can't die now. We have waited hundreds of years, thousand years even, to be together again! You can't just leave me now!", Madeline was upset and angry at Daniel. It all felt so real to Sakura, like they really were connected like this. By taking a closer look at the two you could make out a significant difference in clothing. While Madeline was dressed in fabrics that everyone cold afford at the time they lived, Daniel was dressed in silk and other expensive fabrics, a pretty crown resting on his head, his hands clothed in a pair of gloves.
"You really want us to be together now, Madeline? This wound, that injury….No one could survive this. I don|t want to leave you, I don|t want to live half-heartedly. I was hoping you'd understand, Madeline.", Daniel let go of her and wanted to leave. Madeline was angry with him and cried: "How many lifetimes do we have to live through to finally be together? I'm tired of waiting, Daniel! I'm tired of being reborn over and over again to finally find a lifetime where we could be together!"
Daniel was taken aback, but then smiled and upped the cheek of his lover.
"I'll push through this then. For you, Madeline, or should I say, Sakura.", with those words he placed a kiss on her lips, making her bolt up in bed. Looking at her phone, Sakura saw that it was morning already. What did she dream there? Was that real? The two people seemed to be familiar with each other, it must've been real. Sakura got out of bed, took a shower and got ready to go to the hospital. After yesterday, anyone that was involved in that incident was allowed to take a few weeks of, and since Sakura was involved, she had the privilege too.
When she turned up at the hospital, she was brought to the ICU to where All Might was staying. She was informed that All Might requested her to be there, since he needed to talk to her. She was brought to his bedside and the doctors and nurses left due to it being requested.
"I'm sorry, Sakura. I wasn't strong enough.", All Might whispered. It was clear as day to her, despite the constant rumbling and beeping and heaving of the machines in the room. Sakura placed a hand on his cheek, he looked so frail somehow, yet still proud and stern, like he does as a hero.
"You were strong enough, All Might. You don't have to be strong all the time, dear", she whispered back, running her thumb over his cheek. He stirred slightly in her hand before falling back to sleep.
Over the next few weeks, she visited him every day, until….
"What do you mean you don't want me to be with you anymore? I don't understand! How can you just push me away!?", Sakura was shocked, calling out to All Might, who had trouble standing. Nighteye, Principal Nezu, Tsukauchi and Recovery Girl were there too, watching this whole scene unfold.
"It's not that I don't want yo near me, I just don't want you to get hurt.", He said weakly. He knew about the dream, and the promise, but he didn't want her to hold on to a promise he has given her so many centuries ago.
"One of these days, if you push yourself more, All Might, you'll die! You should retire, All Might!", Nighteye has chimed in, separating the two. Sakura was shocked to hear those news, while All Might was simply annoyed and said that he told Nighteye not to use his 'Foresight' on him.
"Listen to Nighteye, Toshi! Please stop this before you can't anymore!", Sakura begged her friend, who just shrugged it off. He had survived a lot of injuries, this one was not much different.
"If you don't like me doing my duty as the Symbol of Peace, you can leave. I will survive!", as if it was an invitation, she took him up on that offer, turing to leave, but nt before she told him: "I thought you can't live without me, because I told you I can't live without you, but clearly, I thought wrong. Good bye, All Might."
Those were the last words that he would hear from her for years. They met in dreams over the course of the next 5 years, but Madeline was mad at Daniel. They couldn't reconcile, because even though they wanted to hold each other, they couldn't, he made clear that he didn't want to see her. All Might lied, obviously, but he wanted to protect her, and he did it in the only way he knew he could: push her away. It would be several years until they run into each other again.