That night seemed to last forever. It was probably only twenty minutes, but every one of them was filled up with a thousand apprehensions running through my mind - fears for my classmates, my teachers, my school.
Vlad King Sensei, after many false alarms and worried looks as he communicated with Mandalay, turned at last to the ten of us.
"Get together and head downstairs. Stay together. The police are here."
We stood outside in a group. Some of our classmates joined us. The rest were being attended to in the medical vans. Our group stood together surrounded by cops and local pros. But none of us were paying much attention at the time to what was going on. Nobody had said a word since Aizawa sensei told us the bad news.
"I'm afraid the villains were able to achieve their goal. They've taken Bakugou."
We were taken to a nearby hotel on a bus while our parents came to collect us. I was placed in a hotel room with Todoroki, who filled me in on the details.
Our class had failed. Every effort had been made to retrieve him, up until the last moment. Todoroki, his teammate in the test of courage, seemed especially distraught, blaming himself at every step of the way.
"I nearly had him. I almost had the marble in my hands, but that damn villain grabbed it right from out of my hand…"
I nodded. Bakugou, of course, is difficult, but I certainly never wanted any harm to come to him.
Yaoyorozu had received a serious head injury and was in the hospital. Uraraka, Shoji and Asui had been stabbed and were getting bandaged. Jirou, Hagakure, and most of Class 1B were unconscious from a gas attack. But none of them - none of their injuries even compared to Midoriya's.
Midoriya, it seemed, from what we'd all pieced together, had run off to protect the boy Kota. He had fought an immensely powerful villain and broken his arms over, and over, and over again, until they were both reduced to something like splinters. And yet he had still run around for nearly half and hour afterwards, alerting Mandalay about Bakugou and attempting to save his friend - his rival - from the villains. He had, Todoroki said, been seconds from leaping into the Warp Gate Villain's mouth to save Bakugou, and had missed by a miracle.
He was now unconscious and lapsing in and out of fever, undergoing intense care and surgery.
Midoriya, why? Why must you always do this?
I could have stopped him. Back then, I could have…I should have stopped him. One little bit more of effort on my part, and my friend would have been safe…
Mother and Tensei took me home the next morning. Mother was simply relieved that I was all right, but I could tell, though he said little, that Tensei, as a fellow Hero, knew what this meant for UA.
The Media had never stopped speaking about the incident since the moment it had been reported. UA was getting stoned by angry anxious parents, accused of negligence from every corner and attacked by everyone. Nobody was even sticking up for our sensei, who had done everything to protect us - instead they were mad at Sensei for giving us permission to fight.
One whole day of sleep passed at home, interrupted only by my attempts to check up on the media and groggily call my friends for updates on our hospitalized classmates. At last the news came that Yaoyorozu was awake, and we planned the next day to go to the hospital and visit her and - if he woke up - Midoriya.
"Ah, Midoriya! You're awake now!" Kaminari waved at him as we arrived at that hospital room we'd been checking up on again and again, just hoping. "Have you been watching TV? The media's all over UA. It's pretty bad."
"That time in Spring doesn't even compare," said Sato.
"We got you a melon!" piped in Mineta.
"I've caused you trouble, Midoriya," sighed Tokoyami.
"No, I should be saying that. Is everyone from Class A here?" asked Midoriya.
"No…" I said slowly. I wasn't sure if in his delirium he could even remember what had happened. "Jirou and Hagakure still haven't regained consciousness from the villain's gas. And Yaoyorozu suffered a serious head injury so she has also been hospitalized. She supposedly regained consciousness just yesterday, though. Anyway, those three aren't here."
"That still makes just 15 of us," said Uraraka, hesitating. Nobody wanted to tell him.
But Todoroki did. "Because Bakugou's not here."
"Hey, Todoroki!" cried Ashido.
Midoriya's eyes seemed to come back to alertness as he heard Bakugou's name.
"All Might was saying," he said, slowly, "You can't save people where your hands can't reach. So that's why you have to save anyone within your reach. But…I could reach him. I had to save him…that's why I have this quirk. But it turned out exactly like Mr. Aizawa said it would. My body couldn't move." And he started crying.
"Then this time around, let's save him."
Kirishima had spoke, and I turned to stare at him. What are you talking about?
"Todoroki and I were here yesterday….And we happened to overhear Yaoyorozu talking to the police."
Apparently, Yaoyorozu put a tracker on one of the villains back at camp, and gave the receiver to the cops.
You enabling, foolish, destructive idiots…
"In other words," I said, attempting not to scream. "This tracking device - you mean, Yaoyorozu could make us one?"
Todoroki and Kirishima both looked away. I couldn't take it. "It's exactly as All Might said! This is a matter that should be left to the professionals! This is not a situation for students like us to be meddling in!"
"Damn it, man! I know that already!" cried Kirishima, and he clasped his hand to his chest. "But still! I couldn't do anything! I heard my friend was targeted. And I just stood by! I didn't do anything about it! If I don't do something about it here, then I won't be able to call myself a hero or a man!"
"Please calm down Kirishima!" cried Kaminari. "Your determination is good and all, but this time…"
"Iida's right," said Tsu.
"Iida's right, I know!" cried Kirishima. But still!" And he turned to Midoriya, throwing out a hand as if inviting Midoriya to take it. "Listen, Midoriya! Your hands can still reach him!"
I could see the glint awakening again, in Midoriya's eyes, bloodshot with tears and straining from the pain. Oh no…