Colored Red

by Learlorde

[MANGA SPOILERS] Japan becomes a war-zone after the tragic events of the confrontation with the Paranormal Liberation Front; and with Izuku and All Might absent for sake of the city's safety, Katsuki is left behind - stuck in the hospital after a near death experience at the hands of Shigaraki. But an unexpected event forces Katsuki and Class 1-A on a journey of their own accord.

4. 3) Ghosted

2/02/2022

2/25/2022

03/04/2022

I cannot believe how long this chapter ended up being.

I write and edit these all myself, so that's why it takes so long. Obviously, I cannot guarantee the next chapter coming out any sooner because I am simultaneously writing an original novel.

Also, thanks for the support and reviews. It's much appreciated to hear when people enjoy the work I put into writing.

Oh, and Congratulations! - This chapter does not require any warnings! - Except MANGA SPOILERS

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Colored Red

3 of ?

Ghosted

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The text at 22:13 resolved any tantalizing night of complete insomnia.

Katsuki was at least in the ICU, so Mina did not expect the following text at 09:17.

She rested on her stomach, under the comfort of her bedsheets; her cheek buried in the pillow. The curtains blocked out most of the sun, but the morning light graciously roused Mina awake; but it was dreary…and Mina was so sore that she refused to move from the warmth and security of her bed.

While her forearms laid under the pillow, she mindfully felt for her phone. Slowly, she pulled it out and simultaneously rolled onto her side. Sinking further underneath the covers, to the point where her entire body was hidden, she exhaustively gazed at her phone.

There were a lot of unread messages, especially from Class 1-A's group chat; but suddenly, a different group had been created by All Might seventeen minutes ago. Scrolling through the replies, Mina found the original text: "I apologize for informing you over text about this, but it was the only way I could reach out to all of you at once. Bakugo was taken back into surgery just now."

Mina stared. Her foggy mind caused room for the confusion; and it was tainting with minor guilt, as she realized she had slept through this alert – Katsuki was in surgery again. Right now.

Gradually, she read through the responses of her classmates, seeing their mutual concern and confusion: "Why?" – "Did something go wrong?" – "I thought he was in the ICU?" – "What happened?" – "Why is he in surgery again?" – "Was he awake?"

Shortly after returning to the dorm the previous night, they received word that Aizawa and Endeavor were finally out of surgery, but Katsuki was still in there hours afterwards. It had already been six hours when Class 1-A where told he was taken to the ICU, but they had no other information aside from that; so, Mina, and Class 1-A had no idea…why he was back there.

Mina frowned at the seriousness of this news.

It wasn't over.

Katsuki could still die.

She continued reading through All Might's replies: "I told you everything that I knew at the time of last night, but it seems the surgical team needed to make a decisive decision. They repaired the most critical damage first, but the anesthesia became too much stress on Bakugo, so they pulled him off of it and kept him in an induced coma during the night."

Mina softly muttered to herself, "…oh, Bakugo…" Honestly, she felt bad for him. They had already spent part of the night prepared to receive a phone call telling them that Katsuki had passed away from his injuries – but it didn't happen. Instead, they heard that he was in the ICU. Naturally, they thought that maybe…they could at least talk to him today, but… Katsuki was not okay.

Setting her phone face down, Mina gravely hugged her pillow as last night's plaguing anxieties bleached once again. She gazed at the fabric of her pillowcase with droopy eyes, thinking about Katsuki.

She wondered how the rest of her classmates were doing…

Her thoughts blurred into a numb mind, and she slowly drifted in and out of a light sleep until there was a hush rap on the door. "…Mina?" Ochaco tenderly murmured from the outside. "…are you feeling okay?" she questioned. As Mina barely had the energy to reply, and failed to answer, Ochaco asked again, "Are you awake?"

Quietly, the door creaked open, and Mina heard Ochaco gingerly approach the bedside. "…huh?" Mina sluggishly blinked and tried glancing in Ochaco's direction, but couldn't, so she continued resting her head on the pillow.

Ochaco, wearing a grey sweatshirt and with her hair tied back in a ponytail, sadly addressed her friend, "Do you want to come down for breakfast…? Or…I could bring you something…?"

When Mina finally lifted her head, she partially acknowledged Ochaco with a sigh, "You sure sound energetic this morning…"

"…I barely slept last night," she answered, feeling like a wound-up toy going in circles. "So, I've been trying to keep myself busy." Ochaco met Mina's eye. "Are you hungry?"

"…not really…" she said, nearly losing any appetite after reading that text message.

"Believe me, neither were we," Ochaco replied sympathetically, "…but we made some rice porridge. It's plain, but we set out a station for toppings, so you can dress it to your liking."

Considering a nice hot meal for breakfast, which was tempting, Mina still felt extremely depressed, and could hardly motivate herself out of bed, but the cool morning suddenly brightened up beyond the curtains. "Is it warm out?" she asked Ochaco, though distracted by the radiant sunlight peeking through from the balcony.

"…uh," Ochaco said, glancing at the closed curtains. "I'm not sure." Mina propped herself on her elbows as Ochaco delicately walked to the drapes and opened them – white light blinded both of them.

While Mina rapidly blinked to regain her vision, she heard Ochaco unlock the balcony door and slide it open a few centimeters on its track. Birds were singing and Mina saw Ochaco crack a smile. "It's still a little chilly, but the sun feels really good," she conveyed as she tested the temperature with her hand. "Maybe we could come back up here and sit outside. The balcony looks like it's dry – hopefully it doesn't rain again…It's certainly not helping with the mood..."

Mina coaxed herself onto her knees and took a deep breath. "Give me a few minutes to get ready…," she said as Ochaco leaned her shoulder against the open door, crossing her arms and surveying the outdoors.

" – Alright," Ochaco replied, glancing over her shoulder at Mina, all while enjoying the fresh air.

Sliding off the bed, Mina first hunted her room for new clothing to change into.

Ochaco momentarily watched Mina with a sullen expression. "…hey…Mina…?" Ochaco queried as Mina found what she was looking for.

"Hm?" Mina voiced as she bent over to pick up a piece of clothing from the ground. Her eyes darted over at Ochaco's grim look. Ochaco was now resting her back against the glass door, her arms crossed behind her back.

"…did you…hear about Bakugo…?" she timidly asked.

Standing upright with a crestfallen look, Mina mumbled, "…oh…yeah…I did…"

Mina contemplated Ochaco's dropped gaze from a side-long glance. Both of them remained silent, until Mina finally went into the bathroom and shut the door.

Ochaco didn't move, except when she crossed her arms over her chest again, deeply thinking about Izuku, Shouto, and Katsuki in the hospital…

All Might recently asked Tsuyu, Hanta, and Ochaco (herself), to help give Izuku some pointers during training – for whatever reason Izuku needed their advice… And at that time, Katsuki had already been training with Izuku; and when Ochaco saw how rough Katsuki pushed Izuku during training, jerk was the word she called him, but she now reflected on what she had said to him… It had been bothering her all night, after hearing Fumikage explain to Neito the reason Katsuki was in the hospital: he was protecting Izuku from Shigaraki.

"Are you ready?"

Having not heard Mina leave the bathroom, Ochaco could not find a single word as she glanced at her, distraught.

Mina could figure what Ochaco was obviously upset about – the entire class had to be – but she asked anyway, "…what's wrong?" Something more pressing was clearly bothering Ochaco (Mina could tell).

Almost voiceless, Ochaco replied, "It's nothing…" She didn't even look at Mina. Her eyes were at their corners, in the direction of the balcony. Eventually, she decided to faintly say anyway, "It's just…something I said to Bakugo that I regret now…"

Seriously, Mina eyed Ochaco. "Try not to let it go to your head…" she advised, understandingly. "…In time, as I've gotten to know Bakugo a lot better, I've had to realize that just because Bakugo gets excessive, doesn't mean that he doesn't mean well… He just…communicates in a different way. You know? …or…he doesn't know how to express himself outside of anger." Atypical of Mina, she darkly huffed with amusement. "Honestly…all this time we thought he was taking it too seriously… – heh! – look where we are now!" She gently gestured with her hands to her surroundings. "We're in the middle of a war!" When Ochaco looked Mina in the eyes, Mina looked empty. Her voice was shaving down to an emotional crack. "Bakugo was never crazy… He was the only one that actually knew what this job would actually be like. We were probably the crazy ones! – I'm not saying all of us – and I certainly became a Hero because I wanted to help people, but I'd be lying if I wasn't somewhat fooled into thinking that this would be like how I saw it on television." Since being the first to find Midnight the previous day, Mina had managed to hold it together with a few straying tears – she couldn't stop it this time.

Eerily, Ochaco emotionally watched Mina as she spaciously and strenuously cried; continuously, she wiped her tears, trying to make herself stop. Ochaco stared in disbelief, thinking about what Mina just said to her; and it finally hit Ochaco, too. Of course, she always empathized with Heroes, realizing that they were human too. Humans with everyday problems, just like everyone else; yet some people had the nerve to mock without knowing the true hardships of a Heroes' life.

Yesterday, Ochaco saw Heroes quit on the job.

Every single one of them were under the same pressure of overwhelming stress and chaos, but seeing Heroes walk away was gut-wrenching; and it made Ochaco think that Mina was right… Maybe some people only became Heroes based off of some childish dream of what they thought being a Hero would be like…

Fame. Fortune. Glory.

But when it came down to the end of it, were they prepared to face death?

Katsuki sure was.

Mina's shallow crying was short-lived, leaving dried tears and reddened eyes. She pivoted away from Ochaco. "…want to go downstairs now?" she dishearteningly asked, and almost pleadingly.

Ochaco gloomily replied, "Yeah, let's go…"

As they entered the hallway and advanced towards the elevator past Ochaco's room, Mina slowly questioned, "Do the others know about Bakugo?" Mundane, she sarcastically added, "I'd hate to have been the only one that slept in through some critical news like that…"

"It's not your fault, Mina – we're all exhausted after yesterday," she countered. "And actually, I'm not sure… Only some of us were downstairs when Todoroki called us."

Mina glanced at Ochaco. "Todoroki called you?" she asked in surprise.

"Oh my gosh, it was terrible," Ochaco quickly said, suddenly looking extremely unnerved. She started playing with a few strands of her side bangs that didn't make it into the ponytail holder. "He called Iida right before All Might sent the message." The two of them stopped in front of the elevator on the girls' side of the floor, and Ochaco anxiously placed a hand over her heart. "The look on Iida's face…" She nearly went white from the memory. "We thought he was getting the call – " She glanced at Mina, scared. " – like Bakugo had died during the night."

Mina didn't know what to say, feeling superbly sensitive to anything relating to death; something she never had a problem with before. Of course, death was death, but she lived with it just fine without feeling unsettled at the slightest trigger.

Ochaco dropped her gaze, continuing to spiral the strand of bang around her finger while Mina pressed the down arrow button for the elevator. "You're lucky you weren't there," Ochaco quietly said, remembering the icy shock that had momentarily grasped her not twenty-five minutes ago. "…not that being told he was back in surgery was any better. It was still a shock…" Crossing her arms and tightly tucking her hands under her armpits, she mumbled. "Something must be seriously wrong if they needed to stop and then take him back in this morning." With a frail voice, as if she were about to cry herself, Ochaco said, "…like…this is really bad…"

"…well…did Todoroki tell you anything differently than All Might?" Mina asked, shifting her soft eyes to Ochaco, but Ochaco didn't return Mina's gaze.

"Not really…he just told us he was feeling restless this morning…but he was feeling better after yesterday, so he went down to the ICU to see if he could see Bakugo, but instead he ran into Bakugo's parents and Deku's mom." Ochaco rested her hands in her sweatshirt pockets as she finally gazed at Mina. "And the three of them were very upset." She looked forward again. "That's when Bakugo's parents told Todoroki that Bakugo had been kept in a medically induced coma due to his injuries…and that the surgeons were going to repair the rest of the damage today. Of course, his parents were aware of this, but they…had no idea…" With difficulty, Ochaco breathlessly conveyed, "…if he'd even survive throughout the night…" Ochaco intently stared at the ground. "…so, they just told everyone that he was in the ICU, so we wouldn't…worry…"

The elevator doors finally parted open (luckily to an empty compartment); Mina stared at it uncomfortably with a frown. She could only imagine what it would've been like to wait all night with a critically injured son, not knowing whether he'd make it to daybreak or not. The burden Katsuki's parents had spared them from during the tedious hours of the night was now eating away at Mina psychologically. Then, she was wholly disturbed when she realized that he had to have been on a ventilator the entire time.

To save herself from any further torment, Mina snapped her gaze to the boys' side of the floor. "Do you know if Kirishima and Shoji are up here?" Mina absently asked, thinking to herself that she had never thought she'd be this concerned about Katsuki eleven months ago when they first met. Having lived with him for nine months now had changed the entire dynamic, though; and it wasn't just with Katsuki, but the rest of the Class as well.

"I saw them downstairs," Ochaco replied.

Silently, Mina was glad. She couldn't bear another reminder of Katsuki if she had to turn the corner and see the closed door to his empty room; the third from the elevator, and wondering if it would stay empty permanently, or if he'd safely return… Even if he did come back like Mina hoped, would he actually be okay after all of this?

Suddenly, Mina felt weird; like she and Ochaco had been talking about a ghost. She felt a chill, and goosebumps sprung underneath her sweatshirt sleeves as she reconsidered how they were roomed with Katsuki on the fourth floor. He was supposed to be right on the other side of the hall, past the windows that gave viewing to the courtyard on the ground level and in the center of the complex.

A complete blur of surrealism engulfed Mina as she and Ochaco stepped into the elevator. The common area was bleak with barely any students. Whoever was there were lethargically dispersed among the lounges (some were even asleep), and remained mute as Mina and Ochaco dismally walked the ironically sunny corridor. The light reflected off of the windows, making the ground floor look rather cheerful and peaceful due to the green carpet and the warm smells coming from the kitchen, but Mina knew it wasn't true.

Nobody was in the kitchen, except Mashirao, who was serving himself a bowl of breakfast; and Tenya was nowhere to be found. At the lounge by the front windows, the only students that occupied the area were Momo and Fumikage, who were playing a game of chess; but they looked ill-focused and more like they were running on autopilot.

As Mina entered the kitchen, Mashirao exited without a word and barely a glance, either. Mina dished herself a small bowl of rice porridge and stopped at the counter where all of the protein toppings, sauces, and spices were; to make it either sweet or savory. Of course, Mina had a sweet tooth, so she added fruit and spices to it. Then, she found herself staring at the protein options, subconsciously reiterating 'protein before carbs' as she placed two pieces of sausage on top to avoid getting another plate; and as she did, she realized it was something Katsuki had said to her a long time ago –

Mina was staring at her bowl. Trying to remember when Katsuki ever said that to her.

"Want some tea, Mina?"

" – huh?"

Mina broke from her train of thought, snapping a look over her shoulder at Ochaco who had set up a tray with water and tea mugs. "Yeah, sure," Mina mumbled, returning her gaze to her bowl one last time before placing it on the tray.

After Ochaco got a small plate of sliced apricots, both of them return to Mina's balcony with the tray. Ochaco sat against one wall of the balcony, staring at her phone while Mina sat on the opposite side but in the corner (near the shady spot of a large blooming tree that hung over the side), gradually picking at the bowl with a spoon and eating. Deep in the back of her mind, she was mulling over all of her memories, trying to find that particular moment she had with Katsuki; she filtered through every time she had spoken with Katsuki, but she knew it was when they were in the dorms, so it had to be after – Ah ha!

Katsuki had been rather quiet the first couple of weeks after Kamino, but once he started coming around, and during one specific morning when Mina was next to Katsuki in the assembly line for breakfast, he happened to glance at her plate, and forcefully asked, " – what – is that – ?!"

"What is what?" she smoothly replied, not exactly sure what he was complaining about; and not exactly caring, either.

"All the carbs on your plate," he remarked to her pastries.

Her jaw dropped. "Are you calling me fat?" she nearly whined, almost starting a dramatic scene.

Surprisingly startled, Katsuki snapped and pointed, "Don't put words in my mouth – that is not what I said!" He dropped his hand and returned to a casual demeanor. "I'm just saying aren't you going to get sick?"

"…I saw you eating one the other day," Mina retorted with a faint scowl.

"I didn't say you couldn't eat carbs!" he irritatingly sighed and stingily rolled his eyes. "All I'm saying is if I eat sweets alone for breakfast, I'll just feel hungry and lightheaded later. From my experience, if I at least eat protein before carbs, I'll be less hungry and have far more energy. Tch – " Katsuki started tonging two pieces of sausage on Mina's plate, then shoved half of a hard-boiled egg next to it, and stacked a piece of bacon on top. He mischievously grinned, "Ha! See, that's better."

"That's too much!" Mina exclaimed, flustered.

Katsuki huffed in annoyance. He only took the piece of bacon back and put it on his own plate. "Fine!" And he walked away.

Mina listened, though. She never admitted it, but he had been right when she tried it the way he suggested.

This time, though…Mina could barely eat at all.

Instead, she rested with her hands behind her head, staring up at the picturesque sky – she couldn't understand why that little moment had stuck with her…but it did.

Gently, she dozed off under the sun until Ochaco asked, "Have you heard anything about Deku?"

Mina reluctantly opened her eyes. "No…why?" she questioned without glancing towards Ochaco.

"Nobody's heard from him."

" – oh."

"I've sent him all these text messages, and I've asked Iida if he's heard from Deku," Ochaco muttered.

"Did Shouto mention anything about Midoriya?" Mina inquired, realizing they could've been given false information about Izuku like they were with Katsuki.

"He said he tried to go see him, but they still weren't letting anybody into his room," Ochaco frankly noted. "To be honest, I keep thinking that maybe he hasn't even regained consciousness yet."

Mina flicked her eyes over in Ochaco's direction. Ochaco was still looking at her phone. "I'm sure if it was anything serious, they would let us know," Mina reassured. "…All Might said he was okay. I'm sure he's just tired like the rest of us, or depressed about Bakugo…after what happened," she said, referring to how Katsuki got injured in the first place. "…Midoriya can be a little soppy sometimes."

"Mina!" Ochaco scolded.

Still laying on her back, Mina shrugged. "What?!" she innocently expressed. "I'm not trying to sound mean; I'm just being honest."

"How would you feel if I pushed you out of the way and was left dying in the hospital because of it?" she inserted.

"…I mean…" Mina solemnly glanced down and to her left. "…I guess I would feel bad…but if I was ever in that situation and saved someone, I don't think I'd want them sulking over it. What happened to Bakugo is not Midoriya's fault, and Midoriya shouldn't think it's his fault – you know how upset he got after Bakugo was kidnapped…but Bakugo's kidnapping wasn't Midoriya's fault, either…" Blankly lulling at the sky again, Mina sadly elaborated, "Losing Midnight was terrible, but she died trying to help us take down Gigantomachia…she died a hero… I wish it had been different, and we could've saved her, but I don't think she'd want us dwelling on that sacrifice…" She contemplated and quietly murmured, "…I've realized that so many people want to become a Hero based off of some fantasy – I can't tell you how many guys I saw in middle school fanboying over becoming a Hero." With a despondent tone, Mina said, "Just because someone's career is being a Hero, doesn't mean they're actually a hero. Honestly…now that I think of it…Bakugo was constantly criticized for behaving like a villain…but he never really cared…what anyone thought of it; he just kept pushing forward despite what anyone said. I'm not saying there weren't times when he could've been nicer, but…it's like I said before…maybe he was just being realistic to what was ahead of us…because when it came down to the real thing – a real war – he…was willing to die for one of us…"

Ochaco had no heart for words; she hugged her knees and set her chin on top of them, saying nothing. For some reason, she couldn't help but think about her match with Katsuki at the Sports' Festival, when the crowd was getting angry at him for being too harsh on Ochaco. However, while Ochaco was intimidated at first, later, after she had collapsed from exhaustion, she had to recognized that Katsuki had fairly warned her beforehand, stating that he would not hold back; yet, he never played offense unless Ochaco tried closing the gap between them. Katsuki had given her every opportunity to yield or walk out of the arena, but she didn't want to quit. She chose to carry on, and put forth all that she had, but she just never knew how powerful Katsuki actually was. When he had taken out that entire meteor shower Ochaco had created, she realized just how much he was actually holding back, so he wouldn't accidentally kill her.

Aizawa was right to chide the crowd for belittling Katsuki. Ochaco was always privately glad that Katsuki didn't go easy on her just because she was a girl. He presented a real challenge, but that was how it was always supposed to be. The entire crowd were there for the entertainment, but Class 1-A were there to test their abilities, because one day they would face real opponents…which they had already experienced at the USJ incident…

Then, something unsettling came to Ochaco's mind. It sparked when Mina suggested that Katsuki had always been labeled a villain, because the match between Izuku and Shouto was so out of control that the teachers needed to put cement blocks between them… Katsuki never went overboard to the point of a teacher needing to intervene. Even at the end of the final match, though Katsuki was keen to wake an unconscious Shouto (because he thought that his win was unworthy), Ochaco found it a little unfair for Midnight to force Katsuki unconscious when she could've respectfully asked him to leave. And then, he was forced to accept an award he didn't want, just for the sake of Japan's entertainment and UA's own pride; but nobody batted an eye because of Katsuki's ferocity, or his choice of expression with the way he spoke. Unless, it was simply because Shouto was the son of the Number Two Hero in Japan, which would mean the crowd was completely biased towards Katsuki because he wasn't the son of a celebrity, even though Shouto had the same tendency to go overboard just like Katsuki – Ochaco had seen it.

Ochaco suddenly felt overwhelmed, and slightly sickened as well when she thought about how much their society labeled people or wedged them to the side or compared them to others; there was even a ranking system for Heroes that looked like Villains, like Gang Orca. It seemed like a completely pointless and pathetic thing to do to someone when they constantly put their life on the line to save this society – this same shameful society that Shigaraki was trying to destroy.

Ochaco stared at the concrete balcony, feeling a little scared at these dark thoughts.

Katsuki had nearly become a mystery after the Sports' Festival, because it was like Mina had said: Katsuki never cared what people thought of him; and he never let people's words stop him – He didn't care what people thought – He didn't care about some medal – So what was he actually there for? Ochaco realized that if Katsuki wasn't trying to impress their society (since the festival was on national television) or win some medal for the sake of it (because he was pissed off that Shouto gave up), then the only other option was that he just wanted to know if he was strong enough to beat the strongest of Villains, which was completely rational.

It was like what Katsuki said to Class 1-A when they tried persuading him to be their drummer for the concert: That they weren't there at UA to make friends (or to pander to the rest of the school body) – They were there to fight.

And he was right.

Ochaco was a little simpler with her origins of joining the Hero Course. She just wanted to help her parents, which was a noble cause on its own, but everybody in that Hero Course had signed on to fight.

Whether the rest of society failed to understand, or to sugar coated it – they were there to fight.

Katsuki's heart was set on his own convictions of what he considered a true hero to be; he was not adamant on society's take on what a Hero was, and Ochaco had to admit that that was rare. And she thought that maybe that was why he never seemed to get along with Izuku, who was a beady-eyed optimist to this career versus the starkness of how Katsuki saw it.

It was odd to see, because everyone else Katsuki seemed to tolerate, except for Izuku (and give or take Shouto). Of course, as the year went on, Ochaco noticed Katsuki had become much friendlier towards all of them, and he personally respected Ochaco far more; but…there was something about Izuku that would aggravate Katsuki – Ochaco could never figure it out. But maybe that was it. Whatever the truth was, though, (perhaps it was none of Ochaco's business), but she still felt thoroughly bothered as she thought about how she would feel to be constantly called a villain despite giving it her all to save countless lives and face Shigaraki…

She felt anger simmering somewhere at her core, thinking about the stereotype that the outside had placed on Katsuki, though he was unconscious and under a knife in an operating room because of his heroic actions. Katsuki had to have been very brave to do such a thing. Not that any of the other Heroes that were present were any less brave, but he had to have known that he could've died saving his childhood friend…

Then, there was Izuku.

What exactly happened? Why did he and Katsuki run off together?

Deep down, Ochaco knew that Neito had to be right…there was no way that they didn't know something about what One For All was.

And they were both in the hospital because of it – Who was supposed to save a hero when the hero needed saving? – None of this was fair, and Ochaco just felt angrier when she knew the backlash the Heroes would receive from this. Just like it was before with the USJ and Kamino Ward. She had tried avoiding any scrap of news the best she could, but it was also difficult not to engage the internet because there had been more prison breaks, and they had no idea if Shigaraki would immediately lead another assault.

Feeling extremely stressed and upset, Ochaco rubbed her face and bangs with both of her hands. She took a deep breath. "I'll be back. I'm going to the bathroom," she said, quickly getting to her feet, and anxiously going into Mina's bathroom with a racing heart. She sat on the bathroom floor with her back against the wall next to the closet and across from the sink cabinet. Beside herself, she didn't know whether to cry or shout, and even felt sick to her stomach from being so overwhelmed, but getting overworked also seemed pointless. She didn't know how to help fix all of this. All Ochaco wanted was for everyone to safely return to the dorm and Class 1-A could go back to being normal High School Students…

But that wasn't going to happen.

"Ashido – ?" said a sharp voice that was muffled by two layers of door.

The knocking came from the hall.

"Can I come in?" he questioned respectfully before Ochaco recognized the voice as Eijiro.

Unsure if Mina heard him all the way from the balcony, Ochaco fleetly got to her feet and exited the bathroom, scanning the room to be sure there weren't personal feminine items laying around before she said, "You can come in."

Eijiro cracked open the door and slid halfway pasted it as he looked at Ochaco. "Oh, good, you're here, too," he mumbled with a voice just as gruff as he looked. "I checked your room first."

Alert to the fact that he came searching for them, Ochaco naturally figured that something was wrong (at least more wrong than the day was already going). "Mina is outside," Ochaco replied, gesturing at the balcony behind her before leading Eijiro out there. "Hey, Mina…"

Mina roughly sighed, seeming bother from her exhaustion, but then she saw Eijiro's angst when she opened her eyes. "Sorry to bother you…" he breathlessly said.

Worried herself by how upset he appeared, Mina somewhat sat straight up, but had her palms resting on the ground behind her, propping herself up. "No – it's okay," she stated tenderly.

"So…" he started. Eijiro's gaze shifted from Mina to Ochaco. "…um…"

"I'm still listening," Ochaco said as she returned to where she was sitting before.

Rather tired himself, Eijiro found the opposite corner nearest to the balcony door and leisurely sat down. His gaze became unfocused, and he apologetically sighed, "Sorry…" He rubbed his face with a single hand. "I keep losing my train of thought…" Snapping out of it quickly, Eijiro glanced across the balcony at Ochaco and then to his right-hand side at Mina, who sat a few yards from him in the other corner. "Principle Nezu just came by…he told us the entire city is on lockdown, and the city officials are going to be working with the Heroes and UA to make the city a safety-zone. Classes are temporarily postponed, and while the students will be remaining in the dorms, UA will house some evacuees at the main building on campus. Other secure buildings in the city will also be able to take in evacuees. And he was wondering if we would be up to helping out…like," Eijiro awkwardly blinked, "right now."

"Now!?" Mina remarked with exasperation.

"Yeah, I know!" Eijiro replied with attitude. "I can barely think, and Bakugo's still in surgery!" Furrowing his brow, Eijiro gazed at the floor with a heated breath. "I know that's no excuse not to help because everyone's stressed, but I will literally lose my shit if I'm out there helping someone, and I'm told that Bakugo died." His voice cracked.

"I can't imagine Principle Nezu would force us to go under these circumstances," Ochaco seriously said, knowing that being out in the field when they couldn't focus on the task at hand (especially if there was a villain attack) wasn't optimal; but, if Bakugo wasn't in surgery, it'd be a different story. "What exactly did Nezu say about it?" she asked.

"Well…he's aware of what's going on with Bakugo, so he first gave his condolences and said he was sure this was very difficult for us as he's our friend and teammate. Then, he proceeded with telling us what's been happening outside. He was understanding about…you know…so, he said if we were able to help at all, he'd appreciate it, but if we still needed some rest and weren't at the mental state to return to the field, we didn't have to go. But, all the Hero Courses will be starting on rotations with simple tasks. To make it easier on us, he only asked us to help prepare the school to house the civilians and possibly help direct people on where to go. We wouldn't have to go outside of the campus yet, but Nezu thought having us work the morning shift would be easier than the evening shift," he explained. "So, that's what I came to tell you. If you're able to go, Nezu would like any volunteers from our class to meet him at the front gates at eleven hundred. From there, he'll provide further instructions, but he left us maps on how and where the housing in the school will work." Eijiro sat back, relaxing his tense muscles. Bending one knee, he rested his elbow on top of it. "Shouji is going," he lastly informed, dropping his gaze depressingly, "…but…I… just can't…"

"Kirishima, don't feel ashamed if you don't want to go. Your best friend is in surgery," Ochaco said comfortingly. "It's important to be there for him in spirit, even if we can't go to the hospital right now."

Slowly, Eijiro replied to Ochaco, "…thank you…that makes me feel a little bit better…"

"...none of this is easy," she stated emotionally.

There was a long moment of silence that evaporated any sort of restoration.

The only comfort came from the sun.

Gradually, Eijiro shifted his eyes to Mina. "…are you planning on going?" he uttered as he then glanced towards Ochaco, questioning both of them.

"I'm definitely not…" Mina said, reclining back in a supine position with her arms folded behind her head and one knee bent. She merely yawned and let her eyes drift shut again. She was still very bruised after the altercation with Gigantomachia.

Ochaco glanced at the time on her phone. It was 10:16. "…I think I'll probably go. It'll keep me distracted," she said, rather wanting to avoid all of her torturous thoughts; they were starting to bog her into a depression that wasn't herself…

"Tenya will be staying," Eijiro asserted. "So, Momo is gathering everyone downstairs."

"Is it just you, Iida, and Mina that'll be staying?" Ochaco asked.

"Tokoyami, too. Ojiro is undecided," he answered. "But, I think everyone else was okay with helping out. 1-B is taking the evening shift, while the upper classmen are doing more extensive tasks like watching the perimeter of the barrier and doing patrols outside. Nezu said that once everything at UA is secure and we've accumulated all the civilians that we can hold, we'll be doing field work at other sites that will be able to accept evacuees." Attentively, he added, "They're currently working on a barrier for the entire city, which will be monitored by the authorities. We'll probably get to be there eventually, depending on how everything goes…but it's probably best that we all take this one day at a time."

"That's right…" Ochaco subtly agreed, having to accept that the country was preparing for war against these extremists. Hesitantly, she lazily sighed, "Alright…I should get ready, then…" Mentally preparing herself, Ochaco proceeded to her feet. "…see you later, then."

"…yeah," Eijiro returned as she left her fellow classmates behind on the balcony; but Mina said nothing, away in a peaceful slumber.

When Ochaco was ready, she coincidentally met Mezo in front of the elevator on the boys' side. "It's just the two of us, then?" he queried.

"Yes," Ochaco replied, glancing at him. "At least, those that're on this floor."

"Is Ashido doing okay?"

Ochaco looked ahead. "Not really," she evidently muttered.

"…m'kay," Mezo replied, unfortunately.

Downstairs, the rest of their class was gathering near the main lounge by the kitchen, in their Hero gear. At the lounge by the elevator where they exited, Hanta, Rikido, and Denki were standing with steaming mugs in their hands. The aroma of coffee was strong, and it was not present when Ochaco was down there earlier. " – Oiy! If the tea isn't kicking in, I made a boat load of coffee. Better get some quickly, if you want it – we'll be leaving shortly," Hanta immediately informed Ochaco and Mezo when he saw them, seeming livelier than any of them had been all morning.

"Well, it sure smells good!" Ochaco responded much more enthusiastically.

"I don't know if I'm much of a coffee fan," Mezo informed as they continued towards the kitchen.

"I never really liked it, either," Ochaco stated rosily, "but, High School was a different story – I don't really mind the bitterness anymore!"

"Oh, good, you're here!" Momo gratefully said (with her hair down this time), walking up to Ochaco when she spotted her entering the eating area from the corridor. "I knew Shouji was coming, but not you. Is Ashido staying, then?" she questioned in regard to the missing individual.

"Yes, she is," Ochaco conveyed.

"Alright," Momo said indifferently, looking slightly stressed. "Well, thank you for coming."

"Absolutely," Ochaco intently reassured.

Kyoka wandered up beside Momo with a cup of coffee. She gestured behind her with her thumb. "Sero made some coffee," she said, then gazed at Momo. "Sorry, Momo."

"You, too, huh?" Momo inquired, giving Kyoka's mug a sidelong glance.

"Your tea is still one of a kind," Kyoka thoughtfully commented.

"I'd still pick tea over coffee," Mezo said to Momo.

"I'm glad I'm not alone," she replied before getting distracted again. Momo looked at the time on her phone and then walked off towards the front double doors.

Within another moment, before Ochaco could decide if she'd go for a cup of coffee herself, Mashirao approached the small group of Kyoka, Mezo, and herself. "You're coming, too?" she asked.

"Yeah," Mashirao answered. "I figured we'd need all the hands we could get since we're missing three people – we're not going out for long, either. We're just doing half the day, and 1-B is doing the rest of the shift until curfew…"

During the next ten minutes, Ochaco waited with the rest of her classmates, helping herself to a small cup of coffee (since she didn't have much time to sit and enjoy it), and as it neared fifteen minutes to 11:00, a few students scurried to do a last-minute cleanup of the kitchen. "It's alright, I'll take care of it," Fumikage offered when he arrived downstairs to see them off; he was casually dressed and wearing a zip-up hoodie.

"Are you sure?" Toru asked as she stood in the kitchen with Mashirao, Ochaco, Hanta, and Tsuyu.

"Yeah. You'll be busy as it is," he said encouragingly as he approached them.

"Thanks, Tokoyami," Mashirao raised a hand to Fumikage as he walked away from the kitchen.

" – Alright – ! – Is everyone ready?" Momo projected as she stood between the back of the couch and one of the tables. She had a hand on her hip. Fumikage leisurely lingered near the back of the group as he followed Mashirao, Ochaco, Hanta, and Tsuyu to the congregation. When unorganized responses of agreement went around, Momo said, "Okay. It's time we go, then." She noticed Fumikage and addressed to him with concern, "Keep an eye on Iida, will you?"

Fumikage kindly dipped his head. "Of course…we'll be alright here." The only reason Fumikage chose to stay behind was to be moral support in case Katsuki did, in fact, pass away while in surgery. "I know you'll still be on campus, but stay safe, anyway," he said to the lot them.

"Yeah, we'll see you later," Mashirao replied.

" – hey…!" Denki suddenly said from the other side of the group.

Mina, Eijiro, and Tenya were approaching from the opposite side of the corridor to the front doors.

"Just wanted to wish you luck," Eijiro quietly said. He frowned. "Sorry we won't be joining you."

"But if there are any serious issues, just let us know," Tenya reminded. "We'll come to help."

"Just get some rest while you're here," Momo subtly said with endearment.

A solemn mood had settled as Tenya overlooked everyone that was present; but it came with the weight of still missing Izuku, Shouto, and the unbeknownst of Katsuki. The same thought was clear as day on everyone else, but before the silence became too painful, Mina asked, "Will you be coming back for lunch?"

"I think we have a break at thirteen hundred," Tsuyu said.

"But, actually, it might be best just to come back here," Denki commented with his hands on his hips. "That is, if the cafeteria is overcrowded."

"We'll let you know, though," Toru said.

"Alright," Mina replied. "We can make some lunch if you guys need it."

"Thanks for the offer," Mezo acknowledged.

There was a collective and sparing "Goodbye," from several students as they filed out the door.

When Fumikage, Mina, Eijiro, and Tenya were alone, Eijiro slowly glanced at Tenya and asked, "You think they'll let us go to the hospital later?"

It was Fumikage that answered, "I'd doubt it… I think we'll just have to play it by ear, Kirishima…"

Eijiro gave Fumikage a blank look while Tenya reservedly turned and walked back in the direction that he had come from. Fumikage returned to the kitchen with Mina, leaving Eijiro by himself. He had his hands in his pockets, and he gave the courtyard a sidelong glance. Unsure of what to do with himself, though he wished he were at the hospital, Eijiro sat down with his back against the warm, sunny window pane of the courtyard, staring off into space and unable to tear his mind away from Katsuki.

But, meanwhile, the rest of the class had finally met Nezu by the front gates, where they could hear the rambunctious public beyond the gates in a state of anger, panic, and chaos.

Principle Nezu, the UA staff, and security demonstrated for the students how the workflow would proceed when the evacuees arrived. To ensure the process was quick and efficient, no civilians would be allowed on the campus without a special pass to get past security. Each civilian would need to be thoroughly searched for weapons and must present proper identification in order to be checked-in. The purpose for this would be to prevent overcrowding and thin out any Villains or escaped convicts that would try to slip onto the campus. Any individual that did not have a legitimate invitation or could not present proper identification (even if it were a family), they were to be pulled to the side and security would investigate them. After an individual or family were cleared, they would be taken to one of the classrooms in the High School.

First and foremost, the classrooms needed to be cleared (starting from the top of the school to the bottom), and that was the main job that Class 1-A had today. It was simple and something that did not ask much of them after what they had been through the previous day. The goal was to at least clear the top two floors by 17:00 (if they were able too, since UA was a massive High School). However, having thirteen of them to work with, they would split up into groups of two, with one group having three.

"Also, don't forget you'll have to remove any private information on the students or personal items that the teachers may have in their desks. There are boxes you can place the items in, label the boxes with the teacher's name, and set it outside the classroom – staff members will come by to take the boxes to a safe place to be stored until further notice," Principle Nezu concluded with his hands neatly folded behind his back. "Are there any questions?"

Class 1-A gave collective murmurs of understanding.

"Oh!" Nezu remembered, "One last thing: We're working on activating drones to survey the aerial space around the campus. They will be beneficial to alert us to any inbound attacks or in case anyone tries to climb over the walls to get inside." Seriously, Nezu conveyed, "We will help the citizens to the best of our ability, but we want our students to be safe as well. We will not allow any suspicious persons around the dorms where the students are staying." Once that was settled, Class 1-A were off, venturing across the school grounds.

"Looks like some of these floors are reserved for our families," Denki said, holding a modified layout in his hands as they crossed the entryway of the building. The main floor was in disarray with both students and faculty, so Denki and Hanta weaved their Class through the corridors until they located a rarely discovered elevator.

The rest of the students blinked at it.

"I didn't even know this was here!" Toru exclaimed.

"Yeah, how the heck did you find this?" Kyoka asked.

"After being here a year, I still haven't seen the whole school," Minoru commented.

With his hands on his hips, Denki glanced over his shoulder at the rest of them. "Actually…Bakugo found it," he said solemnly. Denki then glanced at Hanta, who stood to his right-hand side. "Towards the beginning of the year, he started wandering the halls after school had ended for the day." He gazed at the elevator doors again. "I asked if he was going to go home, but he said he didn't want to, so Sero and I ended up exploring the school with him. Then, Bakugo randomly stumbled upon it."

" – that's how we beat you guys to class all the time," Hanta retorted, but his voice was without any enthusiasm. It was a strange moment as he pressed the down arrow button; usually, the students had a far snarkier attitude, but everybody was completely null.

In one day, their entire world had flipped upside down, and it was taking its toll…

When they reached the top floor, there were already staff members busy at work, trying to make the area suitable for temporary living. They were putting up signs for directions to whomever was going to be placed there; in addition, they were roping off areas prohibited for anybody that wasn't a student, or they were securing important memos, trophies, or student and alumni artifacts that might be damaged by uncaring individuals.

"I can make more boxes if we need them," Momo said when they found the general workstation on the floor, which had snacks and abandoned coffee cups randomly scattered about. There were unfolded cardboard packing boxes set aside next to the faculty's supply table. "Alright. Pick your partner and decide what tower you'll be working in. I'll stay in the central area, but my team will keep the third person."

"I can stay here with you," Mezo volunteered.

"Me as well!" Toru raised her hand.

"Okay, then," Momo said, and then addressed to everyone else, "Once you've finished your area, let's meet back here, unless lunch hits before then. Does that sound fair?" There were murmurs of agreement. "Okay, let's divide and conquer," she instructed, and their Class split up to work in their respective areas.

Some staff members had already begun clearing a few classrooms of desks and chairs. Signs were hanging on the door handles of the rooms, indicating whether or not they had been worked in. Momo, Toru, and Mezo quickly found a routine upon entering their first room: Momo would find the key for the desk (which had been set out by staff members prepping the rooms), and continued packing away all of the files and belongings, while Mezo and Toru pushed all of the desks against the walls, so the center of the room was an open space. Once they were finished, they stacked the boxes outside of the room and taped the key onto the label like they were told; eventually, staff members would come by to collect all of the boxes on dollies.

On their third room, Momo took a moment to check her phone. There were no messages on it, but she opened her private messages with Shouto. She sent: How is it going? Then, she proceeded rummaging through the desk drawers for files and knickknacks.

As Shouto was in a hospital with nothing more to do, he replied by text: I haven't heard anything. Momo apprehensively stared at the text, a little disappointed. He sent another message: But Midoriya is with me.

Momo sent: That is good to hear. We were getting a little worried. He is doing alright, then?

Shouto replied: Yes. He said he was just extremely exhausted. – How are you guys doing?

Momo sent: We're helping to prepare the school to accept evacuees.

Shouto inquired: Oh?

Momo sent: Basically, we're clearing the classrooms of all the desks and moving all of the files into storage.

Shouto sent: They are making you guys work?

Momo answered: Principle Nezu asked for our help if we were capable, but he was understanding to the circumstances with Bakugo, so we didn't have to go if we were unable. Iida, Tokoyami, Ashido, and Kirishima stayed behind.

Shouto replied: I see.

Momo questioned: How are you feeling, though? – How is your dad?

Shouto sent: Dad's a little rough, but he's trying to push himself to get out of here as quickly as possible to deal with the mess. – There's a mob literally standing outside the hospital... – But, I'm surprisingly feeling alright today; shows you the difference one night can make. There's more aching than actual sharp pain. – I think Izuku and I will be coming back tomorrow.

"Who are you texting?"

Momo nearly jumped. "Oh – I…" she stuttered as she glanced at Toru, who stood by the windows, holding a few stacked chairs. "It's Todoroki…"

"Oh…?" Toru inquired worriedly.

"It's nothing about Bakugo," she confirmed while gazing back down at the phone screen. "I was just asking how Todoroki was doing." She ran a strand of hair behind her ear. " – but, anyway." Checking the time on her phone, Momo then put it away in her back pocket and eyed both Mezo and Toru. "Do one of you two mind running down to the cafeteria to see how bad the lines are?" she asked. "I still have parts of this desk to clean out."

"Yeah, sure. I can go," Toru said.

Quickly, Toru finished her current task and vacated the room. Once she was gone, Momo responded to Shouto's text: Again, I'm sorry about the mess this has caused your family, but I'm glad to hear that you're doing better, and that the both of you will be coming back soon.

Shouto replied: I just wish Bakugo would be coming with us.

Momo paused at the text.

She sent: I know.

Mentally disciplining herself, Momo set her phone down until she received a text from Toru stating: Lunchroom is packed. On that queue, Momo sent a note to the group chat and when the time came, they returned to the dorm for lunch.

Ochaco sat on the top stair of the porch, texting on her phone when Mina walked up behind her eating a bowl of green tea rice. Peering down, Mina teased with a mischievous grin, "Ah! – Izuku finally responded to all of your messages!"

Immediately flustered at Mina's stealth skills, Ochaco fought not to blush. " – It's not what you think! – I am just a concerned classmate, obviously!" she spluttered innocently.

Mina was smirking, totally bemused. "Yeah…suure…" she casually walked away, but was trying to control herself so she wouldn't laugh.

When she re-entered the dorm, Mashirao saw her and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"Aw, Mina…don't get upset!" Toru fleetly soothed, cutting across from the lounge.

That just made it worse, and it was the most inappropriate time to be laughing, but Mina couldn't help it. "I'm not crying," she croaked, and chose to turn the opposite way towards the elevators.

"Oh my gosh," Toru commented when she realized.

"Is she laughing?" Mashirao muttered.

Mina quickly escaped out into the courtyard.

" – Wait! – What's so funny?!" Toru eagerly chased after Mina, disappearing out into the courtyard as well.

Mashirao returned on his route to the lounge with his lunch, where he sat down on one of the stools as Hanta inquired to Tsuyu, "So, you're classified as a D-Ward patient, too?" A few other classmates seemed just as intrigued, standing behind the couch to listen.

"Yup," Tsuyu said while sitting cross-legged next to Hanta on the couch.

"So, why is it not necessarily taught to the general public?" Hanta asked.

"Because…well, there are actually Black Markets that'll sell people to create products that are generally illegal to purchase. Kind of like with Eri, but I don't think she's classified as D-Ward. I'm only classified because of the toxic mucus – sometimes it can have a mind of its own – so if the hospital staff isn't aware of it, I could mistakenly temporarily paralyze them if they ever tried treating me while unconscious. I'm just not highly ranked like Bakugo, because…you know, my quirk can't demolish a building or potentially kill someone," Tsuyu explained.

"A Black Market?" Kyoka repeated, sounding concerned. "That sells people for their quirks?"

"Yup," Tsuyu answered, but then reassured. "There's no need to be concerned, though. It's not like you can't purchase dynamite or make a bomb or find other ways to paralyze someone." She bluntly continued, "Only a real idiot would waste time like that trying to kidnap someone for an ability you can procreate."

Mashirao nearly spit out his drink. "You know…you can really be savage sometimes…" he commented.

Tsuyu blinked at him in surprise. "You think so?" she asked curiously.

It was Rikido that replied, "Definitely," as he stood near the corner of the couch that was closest to the wall.

Fumikage, who had been lingering around the tables, overheard, and skeptically mentioned, "Well, some real idiots already succeeded in kidnapping Bakugo…and they tried taking me with him because they found Dark Shadow rather powerful."

There was a dry moment.

Tsuyu murmured, "…that is true…" To avoid any further awkwardness, she added, " – Actually, some Hero agencies request to know if the applicant is D-Ward. It's not required, obviously, but the hospital does suggest that you receive a special tag once you join an agency to work, so if you're ever injured, they know right away by the tag on your uniform to take you to a certain hospital versus wasting time and taking you to a hospital that can't accept D-Ward patients."

"So…" Mashirao summed up, "Bakugo technically should've been wearing one."

"I mean…eventually," Tsuyu said, "Obviously, neither of us would've expected this to happen in our first year of High School. Especially for him…I mean, who would've thought to be kidnapped and then stabbed in your first year…but, at least Central Hospital was able to take him. Imagine if they had gone to a different hospital that would've had to reject him." Uncomfortably, Kyoka glanced at Momo, who walked away towards the kitchen where Tenya was. "I think a form has to be submitted to request the tag, in addition to the Hero License…but, I think they might be able to tell by the license too, because how would they know if a random civilian was D-Ward or not…"

"They can tell," Tenya articulated from the kitchen sink.

The students glanced at the sound of his voice.

"Huh?" Tsuyu queried, unable to hear. She gazed over her shoulder, past the back of the couch.

Fumikage looked down at her to verified, "Iida says they can distinguish a D-Ward patient based off of the license. But, of course, that doesn't mean it wouldn't be a good idea to have the tag going forward."

"Well, after this, I'll definitely get one," she stated, looking rather concerned. Ochaco had finally come back inside, approaching the lounge from the doors as Tsuyu continued, "I mean, who knows what'll happen next. If something like this happened to Bakugo, it could happen to any one of us…"

There was a moment of silence at this eerie thought.

Mashirao was sitting with his elbows on his knees, and his hands folded out in front of him. Looking slightly unsettled, he carefully said, "…there were students talking about Bakugo."

Hanta stared at him. "Today?" he questioned, knowing that Katsuki wasn't exactly an anonymous student after all the events that had happened that year.

"Yeah," Mashirao replied, "The faculty didn't want any students roaming the halls while we were working, but a few snuck up. I told them that they needed to leave, and then they straight up asked me if Bakugo had anything to do with this."

Eijiro was standing between the arm of the couch and the stool Mashirao sat on. He quickly became irritated upon hearing this. " – what – ? – well – what did you say?" he pressed with a furrowed brow.

"Well, I didn't want to give out any information about Bakugo being in surgery, so I asked them where they got this idea from…and the rumor started from the media, because the press were able to get some footage of the fight, and while there was too much smoke for good visibility, they were still able to identify that Bakugo was with Endeavor during the battle due to the distinctive explosions of his quirk. And, naturally, after what happened at Kamino, some of the press have started to speculate that Shigaraki was going after Bakugo again," Mashirao clarified, and his story called Tenya and Momo back over to listen. "So, of course…now that's starting to make the Press think that was the reason for the USJ too."

Strictly, Tenya concernedly said to Mashirao, "It's not a good idea for us to be led on these assumptions."

"Of course! – I agree!" Mashirao quickly replied, "Believe me, it was ticking me off. Especially, when he's…you know…not here at the moment."

"If it's deemed appropriate, we can ask Izuku when he and Todoroki come back tomorrow," Fumikage advised. "Otherwise, we'll just have to ask Bakugo when we see him."

Dipping his head, and with his hands tucked in his pockets, Eijiro couldn't help but privately add if in his own mind: if they saw Katsuki again.

Fumikage was generally a straight-forward person, so Eijiro was surprised he wasn't franker on the matter, but even Fumikage had no nerve to be insensitive – It had been nearly four and a half hours since they were told Katsuki had been taken into surgery, for the second time. And they hadn't heard a word since.

Eijiro shifted his eyes over to Tenya, and then Fumikage as the rest of the group fell quiet.

Fumikage murmured, "Let's just hope this subject doesn't draw any further attention, for Bakugo's sake…and ours – at least…for peace of mind."

Eijiro could've laughed, but he was too emotionally sickened that he suddenly found himself needing to depart from the group. There was no peace of mind. He had been aimless all day with the most anxious feeling that only built as the day went on. But, all of his classmates were in the same boat, so he couldn't neglect helping with the simplest task of cooking or cleaning. Somehow, he found himself at the kitchen sink, washing dishes in order to fend off what he figured might be a panic attack.

This same feeling he had experienced once before, after Katsuki had been kidnapped. They honestly had no idea whether he was alive or dead…even when he, Izuku, Momo, Tenya, and Shouto went to get him back. Eijiro just never expected something like this to ever happen again…and the stress of the previous trauma, mixed with the current trauma was overwhelming.

"Are you doing okay?" Eijiro heard Denki ask from behind him.

"No," Eijiro admitted.

Today was one of the longest and most painful days of Eijiro's life.

"…neither am I…" Denki muttered.

Eijiro paused…suddenly thinking that this wasn't at all like last time: They couldn't gather a team and go save Katsuki. All Eijiro could do was wait, just like that night in the forest. He felt so helpless, and he hated that feeling. It was so sharp. That moment when they were told that the League of Villains had taken Katsuki. And nobody knew if he would be coming back, or if he was even still alive… Eijiro had often heard that after seventy-two hours, the victim would likely be dead if not found before then.

Those two days were so painful.

All the students were sent home, left wondering if Katsuki was being tortured, or worse…

Every minute. Every hour. It was mental torture all itself.

And it was happening all over again.

"Kirishima…I can wash my own dish… It's okay," Denki said, empathetically watching Eijiro.

"No, it's fine," Eijiro replied. He wiped the back of his hand against his forehead. With a shaky breath, he said, "Just set it down."

"Okay..." Denki promptly said, setting his bowl down as asked before leaving.

Eijiro had to take a deep breath…the others didn't know, but he was there when Momo, Tenya, Fumikage, and Kyoka were sitting in the waiting room and were told the surgeons had a stable heartbeat back on Katsuki. While Eijiro was mortified, the other four were relieved, and he realized that that entire time they had known that burden of knowledge.

They all agreed not to tell anybody else, given it being extremely personal information, but it still ate at Eijiro's mind. He was eager to speak to Katsuki; knowing that, without a doubt, the psychological damage that something like this would cause anyone; or the people in the surrounding, like everyone that had cared to be concerned or had bared witnessed. And all of those feelings never ceased; they blurred to the point where Eijiro barely remembered most of the day.

He found that the time would jump, so he was back in the kitchen before long. Each floor had their turn to either cook breakfast or dinner, and it happened to be the fourth floor's turn, but with Katsuki absent, the rest of the class pitched in when they returned from the rest of their shift.

And at last, by sunset, it was finally over.

Tenya was in the kitchen with Eijiro when he received another phone call. He didn't need to say any words, as he was mentally exhausted himself. Instead, he gave the 'okay' hand signal to Eijiro. Hastily eager, Eijiro waited as Tenya asked a few general questions before finally telling Shouto to get a good night sleep. When the call ended, Eijiro asked, "Is he awake?" A few other students had wandered closer, overhearing.

More calmly, Tenya explained, "They'll need to monitor him, and let his body rest for the night after all of this. Tomorrow they'll wake him up and see how he's doing."

"Okay," Eijiro muttered tranquilly, suddenly feeling what he could've described as the calm after the storm, but he was still left restless the entire night. He laid in his bed, wanting every minute to tick by faster, in order to see if he would be able to go to the hospital the following day. Yet, even though Class 1-A's mood had significantly improved by the morning, the rest of the day was just as long as the previous. Nobody would be permitted to go to the hospital unless it was absolutely necessary, especially when none of Class 1-A were Katsuki's immediate family. The only exception was Shouto (aside from Inko Midoriya), but only in the case that Katsuki was confused and had questions about the order of events.

Tenya fought hard, though, and at 17:42 he rushed over to the kitchen lounge (already wearing his jacket) where Eijiro anxiously sat, watching his phone. Hanta and Mashirao were with him, in a discussion about the state of Aizawa. "Kirishima!" Tenya urgently called. "We're going to the hospital!" Everyone who was present in the common area turned their heads towards Tenya. " – they'll let us see Bakugo, if we're able to."

With a rush of adrenaline, Eijiro flung himself off of the couch. "Just the two of you?" Momo asked from across the room, near the counter.

"At the moment, yes," Tenya swiftly replied before snapping his attention back to Eijiro. " – but we need to hurry – visiting hours end at 19:00 and it'll at least take twenty-five minutes to get there. Kirishima, quick! – go get some clothes and items for Bakugo."

Eijiro had sprinted off towards the elevators without a word, and Denki was following after him. As Tenya waited by the front doors, Fumikage approached him and asked, "You think you'll get to speak with him?"

Frankly, Tenya remarked, "Honestly…I doubt it. Midoriya and Todoroki haven't even said a word today, so I have no idea whether he's even awake or not. But, at least we'll be able to bring him some items to hold him over while he's there." Tenya kept glancing at the elevators impatiently.

"…well…in the off chance that you do speak with him, just…" Fumikage was genuine as the rest of the students gathered. "…let him know that we've been really worried about him…and…" A general term would've been to wish that Katsuki would get well soon, but Fumikage realized that they had no idea what would happen going forward…maybe Katsuki had permanent damage, and in that case…and in the case of how critical the last few days were for him, 'get well soon' didn't seem right. "…uh…well…tell him that…there is no shame in calling on us if he ever needs anything."

"Yeah, really…" Toru agreed worriedly.

"No strings attached," Mashirao said apprehensively as Eijiro came running down the hall towards them, wearing a jacket and Katsuki's backpack.

"Are you ready?" Tenya asked him.

"Yeah! – What the hell are you standing around for!?" Eijiro replied with some excitement and was lunging to grab Tenya by the elbow.

"Kirishima!" Kyoka called out, pushing her way through the students and up to the front. Eijiro abruptly paused and looked over his shoulder at her. "Here!" There was a piece of paper, folded up into a square in her hands. "It's a letter for Bakugo – we signed our names on the back." She unzipped the main compartment of the backpack, but only far enough to slip the note in before she zipped it shut, and asserted with consternation, "…good luck…"

"Thanks – Iida, let's go!" he barked, and quickly left with Tenya.

While they were in the back seat of the car, Tenya gloomily said to Eijiro, "Don't get your hopes up, in case we aren't able to see him."

"Tch," Eijiro uttered in frustration, scowling out the car window. "Yeah, I know!" he huffed.

The Press was still at the hospital entrance, being herded by security the best that security could do. In fact, to avoid any possible confrontation with the relentless crowd, Eijiro called Shouto who directed them to a separate door that was locked from the outside. "Hey…" Shouto greeted after he swung open the door. He wore normal clothing, but there was still a wound-dressing patched on his cheek, near his ear.

"Hey!" Eijiro replied, glad to see him, and then saw Izuku standing off behind Shouto. "Oh, good, you're out of bed!"

Tenya asked, "How are you both feeling?" To Izuku directly, he piqued, "Are your arms doing okay?" Izuku was wearing braces on his joints, over his clothing.

Slowly, Izuku replied, "Yeah, they'll be fine…It's good to see you."

"You as well," Eijiro said. To Shouto, he added, "You look exhausted."

"…it's been draining waiting all of this time," he stated, and all of them could imagine as they experienced the terrible wait of the last two days themselves. And Izuku, looking unsettled, eyed their small group and couldn't help but be reminded of the last time they were gathered like this – just them, and Momo: It was for Katsuki. And here they were again. "Alright," Shouto said, "Come on…follow us…"

"Have you seen him?" Eijiro asked as they tried avoiding the hectic hospital – there were children crying or dramatically screaming, adults in arguments, mania, and the staff looked fed up with it. Only a few patients actually looked composed with the situation.

"Only briefly, when they moved Bakugo to a different room, and then the hospital staff got irritated with me lingering and shooed me away," Shouto murmured as they found a quieter route to take to D-Ward. "…but, he wasn't conscious at that time…"

"…they aren't letting us see him," Izuku said, glancing over his shoulder since Eijiro and Tenya walked behind them.

"They only wanted me to stay just in case he…well, I think because of the kidnapping, they were a little concerned about how he would react when he woke up," Shouto noted. "But, they never actually asked for me, so I'm hoping things went okay…"

"…oh," Eijiro said. He dipped his head, depressed. "…well…we brought stuff for him anyway…"

"Good…he'll probably need it," Shouto reassured.

The rest of the walk down to D-Ward was silent, but they were immediately met by security. The security guard recognized Shouto and Izuku, but asked for identification from Tenya and Eijiro. After presenting their license, they continued on through the ward. "God, I hate this place. It makes me think of a prison," Eijiro muttered, reiterating to the fact that D-Ward had no windows. No source of natural light would've caused anyone to go mad after some time.

"Well, you're not far off…" Izuku mentioned, "I was asking some questions about D-Ward, and one of the staff told me this use to be a bunker way back during the wars – before Quirks started…"

Upon entering the sixth wing, the four of them quickly came upon the central registration desk that Tenya had visited before…but, at least these circumstances were far better than they were two days ago. "Will you tell Mister and Misses Bakugo that Katsuki's friends are here to see him, if he's able to…if not, they have some stuff to drop off for him," Shouto requested to the receptionist.

"Of course, just give me a few minutes and I'll check for you," she replied, and they went to sit down in order of Tenya, Eijiro, Izuku, and lastly, Shouto, to wait.

To the west wall of the receptionist desk was a closed hospital room that the hospital staff would occasionally come and go from, indicating that that was where Katsuki was (since he was the only patient in that wing). Tenya eyed the door and then carefully glanced at his left-hand side, past Eijiro, and at Izuku. He studied the bothered looked corrupting Izuku's expression and was tempted to asked about any intelligence Izuku had about One For All. Of course, Tenya suspected he wasn't alone on this, but nobody said a word because it wasn't the place nor the time to ask such a thing. However, Eijiro gently inquired to Izuku, "Do you know how bad it is…? Wasn't your mom the only one Bakugo's parents would allow to see him during all of this?"

Izuku's gaze was on the ground. "Yeah…" he sulked, and it was very difficult for him to say, "I think…he might've been on life support. My mom wouldn't tell me much. She was just very upset and told me that…" Izuku's voice grew very weak and his eyes were becoming glassy. "…they didn't want me seeing him like that…" Tenya, Shouto, and Eijiro watched Izuku with grim looks as he took a shaky breath to steady himself. Izuku gradually looked at Eijiro and said, "He had his stomach ripped open…like…his actual stomach…and his ribcage got messed up really bad…" Reclining back and dropping his gaze again, Izuku mumbled, "…but that's all I know…"

Tenya, Eijiro, and Shouto only listened, for any comfort to any of them was impossible.

Eventually, Katsuki's father, Masaru Bakugo stepped out of the hospital room and shut the door behind him.

The four of them were already on their feet, and they met Masaru halfway, but the look on his face was not reassuring. Past his glasses, his eyes were reddened from his grief, and he looked beyond exhausted. Masaru was collected, though, as he first addressed, "Izuku…and Eijiro…" To Shouto and Tenya he said, "I apologize, I don't know the two of you very well, but thank you for coming…" Masaru miserably sighed and said, "I understand that you were hoping to see Katsuki, but we won't be able to do that today. He is not doing very well at the moment."

They all stared apprehensively. "…what…what does that mean?" Eijiro stammered, suddenly scared at the tone in Masaru's voice.

Tenya lightly smacked Eijiro's bicep with the back of his hand, in warning to be more respectful of the family's privacy.

"Katsuki has obviously been in terrible discomfort…and has been in some distress because of it," Masaru stiffly explained. "They've given him moderate sedatives to help him rest…so it has been difficult to wake him and for him to coherently respond, and when he does, he is in pain and in shock." There was a depressing voidance that had rooted itself, and when Masaru saw it sitting upon the four of them, he consoled them with sorrowed gratitude, "…I appreciate all of your concern for my son, and," he specifically glanced at Tenya, "I thank you for staying with Katsuki when he needed you the most. I know Katsuki isn't always upfront with social manners, but…he knows what you've done for him, and I know that he cares…" Idly, he surveyed the four of them. "Briefly, he did ask if the rest of you were alive and well…especially you," he inclined his head to Tenya. Shouto, Izuku, and Eijiro turned their heads towards Tenya, who stood at the back of their group, now looking plagued by those terrible memories between him and Katsuki. "…but that was a while ago, now…" They returned their gaze to Masaru, who momentarily eyed the ground and took a deep breath before finalizing with glinting eyes, "…there is nothing more we can do for Katsuki at the moment…it'll be best to give him some more time to heal. But, I'll tell him you stopped by when he's conscious."

After a moment of contemplation, and fighting a blanking mind, Eijiro said, "Here…" He slipped Katsuki's backpack off his shoulders and down to his elbow, grabbing it by the top strap. "We brought some stuff for Katsuki." Eijiro held the backpack out for Masaru. "Hopefully, he starts getting better…"

"Thank you," Masaru replied as he took the backpack. "Have a safe trip back to campus."

Eijiro, Tenya, Shouto, and Izuku watched Masaru re-enter Katsuki's hospital room and shut the door behind him.

Nothing went as they had hoped, but at least they were able to leave some clothes and entertainment items for him.

With some time to spare, they visited the other Heroes that were still in the hospital, especially their teacher Aizawa. Present Mic was with him, offering moral support against Aizawa's tragedy: half of his leg was gone, and one of his eyes was permanently damaged. He seemed older than ever, sitting there all bandaged up as Tenya, Shouto, Eijiro, and Izuku offered their condolences, that they were terribly sorry for the losses to his body. "I won't kid myself with stating that I wish things had gone differently…but this is how it is," Aizawa conveyed solemnly. "But don't worry about comforting me…get home and get safe."

"Yes, sir…," the four of them dimly chorused.

When they were out in the hallway, Izuku said to them, "I'll see you back at the dorm."

"Wait," Shouto remarked suspiciously, "You're not coming with us?"

"…I'll be going with my mom for the night, but I need to stop by the dorm to get some stuff."

Eijiro's eyes slightly narrowed. "O…kay…" he said, and suddenly there was an awkward tension as the four of them quietly stood in an odd arrangement of Eijiro, Shouto, and Tenya versus Izuku.

Izuku was clearly anxious, it was warping his vibrant green eyes; they all knew that he was terrible at hiding his feelings. "I'll see you later," he simply said, before nervously taking his leave.

Tenya, Eijiro, and Shouto exchanged skeptical looks, knowing that Izuku had to know something – because this was weird. Brushing it off, though, Shouto said to them, "I'll meet you down in the lobby. I need to get my belongings from my room, and I want to see my dad real quick before I leave."

"Alright," Tenya said, "We'll see you downstairs."

As they returned to UA, Eijiro, Tenya, and Shouto re-met Izuku at the drop off to the path that led to Heights' Alliance. He stepped out of his mother's car with his backpack and a pot. "I'll be back shortly," he said to Inko, so he wouldn't keep her waiting. Izuku shut the car door with his foot before turning to walk with Eijiro, Tenya, and Shouto.

Eijiro inquired to the pot that Izuku was holding, "What's that?" It was getting dark, so he couldn't read the post-it-note on the pot lid.

"Oh," Izuku replied, glancing down at the pot. "It's for Kacchan, for whenever he gets back to the dorm…"

"Oh…" Eijiro said, pivoting with the others as they started to walk in a misted ice rain, which made it cold enough for them to see their breaths. "…do you want me to carry it for you?" he asked, seeing Izuku become a little out-of-breath due to his damaged arms.

"It's okay…I've got it," Izuku reassured. "My mom says it can be put in the freezer, just in case he's at the hospital for a while."

"Is it soup?" Tenya assumed.

"Yeah."

Shouto input, "It smells good."

"It's just a noodle soup with quail," Izuku murmured. "But my mom left out the noodles because she didn't know if he'd be able to eat them or not. She would make it for me sometimes when I was sick, and Kacchan really seemed to like it whenever he came over to my house – but, that was a really long time ago…"

"The two of you have known each other a really long time, then," Eijiro guessed. "I know you've mentioned you were childhood friends, but – "

"Since we were toddlers – yeah – "

" – wow – " Eijiro expressed.

"Yup."

"That is a really long time," Shouto muttered.

"Yeah," Tenya agreed.

Taking heed, Eijiro sullenly said, "…I'm sorry…I'm sure this isn't easy…" Then a thought came to Eijiro's mind, "…but…and, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but…Bakugo couldn't really stand you at the beginning of the year – why's that? Did you have a falling out or something?"

Izuku sighed and started to look a little sour from the memory.

"It's a little complicated…"

"…you don't have to explain," Shouto stated comfortingly.

"You know…" Izuku slowly said, "…at one time, Kacchan and I got along really well…we used to play together a lot and catch frogs in the creek…" Losing himself in a memory, Izuku began trailing off into a trance. "I was pretty bad at it at first, but Kacchan would always teach me how to do things…and, actually…he's a year older than us…so, I just sort of…saw him like an older brother…because neither of us have siblings…" Izuku stopped right in the middle of the path, making Tenya, Eijiro, and Shouto eye him with concern. "But…something happened…I don't know what, but he started to change…and he started getting angry all the time…and I could never figure out why…"

Considering what Izuku was explaining, Tenya questioned, "You mean…he wasn't always like this?"

Izuku glanced up at Tenya. "No…he was actually really nice, but at some point he started getting really mean all of the time, and I started to frustrate him really bad." Dropping his eyes to the note on the pot lid, which read For Katsuki, he continued, "…I always tried seeing what was wrong, but it would always make things worse…and he would keep trying to push me away…so things got rocky between us for a while. Sometimes it even got really messed up, like to the point where we actually really hated each other, but…" He looked at Tenya again with sharp eyes. "…I just can't ever forget when things were good between us…" Izuku sanctified. His voice started to break, "…and things were finally starting to work out between us again this year…" Staring down in shock, Izuku meekly said, "…I still can't believe all of this happened…no matter, he's still always been there in my life, and…I told him that, back when we got into that fight…" Despair had grabbed ahold of Izuku. " – I can't believe he's in the hospital like this!"

Eijiro stepped in front of him, taking the pot from Izuku when Izuku's hands started to shake. Calmly, Eijiro asked, "Midoriya…you don't blame yourself, right? …I may not have been there when it happened, but I've heard the story." Izuku was partially avoiding eye-contact, looking awfully guilty.

Emptily, Izuku responded, "…I can't believe I let that happen to him…if I had been faster…or was paying more attention…"

"Midoriya – " Shouto attempted to interject.

"…he's not doing well…" Izuku softly repeated what Katsuki's father said and glanced at Eijiro with wet eyes. "I'm supposed to be there," he heavily expressed. "…This quirk is to help me save people, but Kacchan is there because he needed to save me." Grievously and angry at himself, Izuku stated, "It wasn't supposed to be like this…"

"…But, this is how it is, Midoriya…" Shouto remarked.

"Izuku…" Tenya soothed, and Izuku glanced over his left-hand shoulder to look at him. Tenya was fazed after Masaru had confirmed that Katsuki had asked about his health, so he had a haunted look in his eyes, but steadily advised, "…I was with Bakugo the entire time…and I…I was there for a long time…thinking that he was really dead." Izuku listened with wide eyes, while Shouto and Eijiro sympathetically watched Tenya. "Honestly, I was feeling really guilty…" Tenya took a deep breath. "Obviously, Bakugo has survived…but when all of it was happening, I was truly led to believe that Bakugo had died at my hands…and do you know what All Might came to tell me?" Gently, Tenya conveyed, "He told me that I did everything right…even if Bakugo had died…because, All Might said…" Tenya's voice became strong. "…that Bakugo knew what he was doing… Of course, none of us would've wanted this to happen to Bakugo, but All Might told me to look at everyone that's still here because of his courage."

"Exactly…" Eijiro agreed. "I mean, what happened to Bakugo is terrible, but…he saved a lot of lives, and that is something very honorable… If he had died, he would've died a Heroes' death, and honestly, I'm pretty sure he would prefer that…so don't feel ashamed or guilty that he saved your life, or dwell on what you wished had happened, because…this is how it is, just like Mr. Aizawa said… It's not how we wanted it to go or imagined it to go – this is what actually happened. We just…have to learn how to accept it…"

There was a long pause.

Shouto softly added, "I know how upset you are, but Kirishima is right, Midoriya. You understand, don't you?"

Sounding unsure, and more so in a state of denial, Izuku mumbled, "I guess…"

After studying Izuku for a moment, Tenya said, "…let's go inside, it's getting cold out." None of them had gloves and they were standing outside in a sinking damp cold that was drawing fog to the campus.

With all of them in agreement, they continued forward until they finally made it to the dorm, where they met a warm welcome from the rest of their classmates, who were eager to reunite with Shouto and Izuku. However, the reunion was not one of cheer as they all stood there with a throbbing Déjà vu of Kamino Ward due to the absence of Katsuki; and it was short-lived as Izuku was quick to avoid any pending questions, especially when Ochaco meant to simply check on his mental health, but he slipped away to the elevators.

Eijiro made his way to the kitchen, where he put the pot of soup in the freezer. He only stayed downstairs until Izuku finally left the dorm to return to his mother. Immediately, after Izuku was gone, several classmates began expressing their suspicions, and some were even slightly irritated that they didn't ask him about whether he and Katsuki knew what One For All was; especially, if it was the reason that had left Katsuki in critical condition. Given Izuku's grief, though, they had let him be.

Everyone was burnt out. Mentally and physically.

War; Death; Chaos; Injury.

The last couple of days were brutal, and they didn't know what was going to happen, but they took it one day at a time. That's all they could do, but they were finally past the hardest part. Now, they just had to keep looking forward. But, for now, Eijiro finally laid in his bed, finding himself winding down after the terrible ordeals they had been through. He laid on his stomach, staring at the open conversation with Katsuki on his phone. Though Eijiro's mind kept expecting Katsuki to respond back, he knew it wasn't fair to put that pressure on his friend. When Eijiro was in the hospital after their raid to rescue Eri, he remembered how exhausting it was just to pick up a phone, and it was even more exhausting to send a reply.

Eijiro just wanted his friend to be okay, so that everything could return to normal…but his friend wasn't okay, and that was reality. He laid there, trying to imagine what it would feel like to have his stomach speared through and out the back. Suddenly, he remembered that he heard that Nighteye was killed the same way… Eijiro grimaced and managed to cease his thoughts. He simply sent to Katsuki: Please, message me when you are able. We've been really worried. Then, unable to fight his own sleepiness, he set his phone down and started to drift into an almost dream-like rest.

Something was strange because through his partial consciousness, he finally realized that the hallway light was on – It wasn't supposed to be on…and it was making him lose track of time because he knew it had to be around midnight or at least one o'clock in the morning.

But it was suddenly dark again, and Eijiro abruptly opened his eyes, remembering that he heard footsteps.

Somebody was in the hallway.

He sat up, feeling a little spooked as he stared at his closed door, which was marked by shadows from the spacey moonlight. Rigidly, he checked his phone, and the time read 03:15. Using the flashlight on his phone, Eijiro sat at the edge of the bed and cautiously got up. First, he glanced out the door to his balcony, past his opened curtains, wondering if he was just crazy.

Did Mezo hear it? Eijiro knew there would be no reason for Mezo to walk the halls at night; he was in the room nearest to the elevator and always went to bed before Eijiro. And, of course, Katsuki wasn't here… – Eijiro's eyes widened – was someone in Katsuki's room!?

As Eijiro moved forward, feeling an eerie chill, he finally ran the flashlight over something that had been slipped underneath the door, and discovered that it was a letter from Izuku.

---

I still cannot believe how long this chapter ended up being. Honestly, I feel like I'm on chapter 8, but it's only chapter 3. Some things I didn't even plan, my fingers just kept typing, and I'm not even close to being done.

But, anyway, the ball is about to rolled. Next chapter's ending will be pretty wild, so keep in touch. There's going to be a lot of great things coming from this story. I won't say what they are, because I want people to read it themselves and be surprised, so I guess you'll just have to trust me. The best things come to those who are patient.