Glimpse of Dust

Even with their eccentricities going overboard sometimes, the three students were sad to part ways with Ragdoll and Pixie Bob at the ladies' stop. Once the pair of heroes were safely zooming away on their train, Izuku and his friends gradually plotted out the route to their own home away from home. The streets were still quite crowded in the waning hours, the sun hidden behind the dominating urban horizon, only allowing blades of light to pass through the break between buildings or the alleyways.

As the three came to a stop at a crosswalk, still idly chatting, Iida suddenly felt a light tug at his pant leg, glancing down to see an elderly woman with a cane, looking up at him hopefully. "Excuse me, young man, could you tell me where the nearest pharmacy is?" Tenya, ever the helpful (whether it was wanted or not), put on a perfect smile and raised a finger, motioning across the street.

"Certainly, ma'am. It is right-." He stopped, noticing how crowded and chaotic the crosswalk running perpendicular to their own path had become. Plotting his next action, the speedster of 1A gave an affirming nod to himself and smiled down to the lady. "I have it in your best interest to do you one better, I shall personally escort you safely through this rush." He offered out his elbow to the elder, who, after a moment of awe at the honorable lad, smiled back and reached up to gently take hold of the bend in Iida's arm, giving him a bid of gratitude. Tenya turned to his friends.

"If you two wouldn't mind waiting a minute." Izuku and Ochaco automatically shook their heads, having grins plastered on their faces for a while now. With that, they watched their companion move into the crossing crowd, soon losing sight as they backed away from the sidewalk edge, not wishing to get in the way of others while awaiting Iida's return. They drifted into the mouth of an alley nearby, offhandedly watching the activity around them, the spark of conversation temporarily lost amidst the din of urban travel.

Ochaco's eyes flickered over to Izuku, that gentle expression that normally composed his face oblivious to her observation. She put her arms behind her back, one hand gripping lightly at the opposite wrist.

"Hey… Deku?" The boy in question quickly faced her, blinking in curiosity at her call.

"Yeah?" Ochaco stepped a bit into the alley, the noise still a bit overpowering. Izuku fell in line soon after. She paused for what she thought was an awkward length of time, but continued nonetheless, her friend patiently waiting.

"I remember when you said how your quirk didn't show up until a little before the entrance exam." Izuku nodded, holding his gaze. "What was it like, living quirkless up to then?" Izuku nearly stopped walking, so surprised by the inquiry. He looked away from his friend, collecting thoughts while staring at the alley's filthy ground.

"It was hard, honestly, and not just because Kacchan would beat me up whenever I got in his way." Ochaco flinched. Bakugo already tried picking a fight with the boy at any opportunity, but to hear he actually pummeled the admirable greenette was shocking. Despite wanting to voice this concern, she allowed Izuku to go on. "I already looked up to All Might and wanted to be a hero before I was four, I'd talk about it nonstop, play hero with my mom, endlessly watch this one clip of All Might's debut on the computer." Despite the somberness of what was likely coming, Ochaco couldn't help but giggle, while Izuku found himself grinning at as well, the effect being contagious; at least with her.

"But then the doctor visit came, when I was told I'd probably never develop a quirk of my own. It hurt, to know my dream was all but unreachable with just a single sentence. I was in shock the rest of that day, even as I watched that same video again. I asked my mom, after seeing All Might smile while carrying a dozen rescued people, if I could be a hero like him." Izuku's voice had become dangerously soft by now. "She didn't answer my question, she just hugged me and apologized, crying along with me." Ochaco had lost any cheerfulness by now, replaced with an urge to reach out and grasp his arm comfortingly.

Evidentially, he didn't need it. Uraraka watched him slowly pull a signature item of his from a coat pocket: the ever within reach and worn Hero Analysis for the Future #13. "In our world of quirks and heroes, anything was possible, even if someone couldn't see it at first." Izuku's lips went from a flat line to a smile. "I started with one, and I smiled every time I wrote in it, thinking how I could use everything I learned to be a hero without a power. I kept going, never letting anyone stop me. Then I met All Might in person, and without even realizing it, I showed him that I had what it takes to follow my dream, running at a villain who had captured Kacchan without any idea what I was doing. He told me himself what I'd been waiting to hear forever; that I could be a hero."

Izuku finally stopped in his tracks, feeling a sense of nostalgia rushing through him as he finished his recollection. It took a moment for him to finally turn and acknowledge the girl next to him, thinking she'd be standing there in disbelief at his crazy story. Evidentially, he'd been internally reminiscing long enough for Ochaco's astonishment to pass over, leaving behind shimmering chocolate eyes and possibly the warmest smile Izuku had ever seen from her. His heart skipped a beat, but thankfully his blood remained away from his cheeks.

"I would've loved to know quirkless Deku," she finally said, her own permanent blush marks deepening in color. Although stunned by such a reply, Izuku found the instinct to turn away slightly as the red spilled onto his face.

"Th-thank you, Uraraka." She just smiled brighter, unbeknownst to her companion, who, despite feeling overwhelming appreciation for Ochaco in that moment, was hoping for a change in the mood, his nerves reaching critical mass.

"Mreow!"

The two teens jerked as a stray cat suddenly scampered out from one path in the alleyway to the other, making them realize they stopped just short of a four-way intersection of the path. Moreover, it vented the pleasant but uncharted emotions they were being engulfed by. After a few seconds of silence, the pair laughed for no particular reason, returning to the generic friendly atmosphere they'd been sharing with each other the whole day. This went on until Izuku's eyes caught something emerge from the same corner as the feline.

Black, tattered trench coat, hood up, just barely revealing the ends of disheveled greyish-blue hair.

And red eyes that caused Izuku's to shrink.

The crimson were staring ahead, disregarding the two teenagers even as Ochaco noticed that her friend seemed shaken by something from behind her. The moment she turned to see what it was, the red eyes shifted to Izuku's, reacting in the same way his did. Though the emotion behind them was far different.

The pair were blindsided by a wide swing from Tomura's arm, both knocked backwards by the man's incredible natural speed. While Uraraka skidded onto the ground, Izuku found his back hitting a mound of garbage bags laying against the wall of the alley. When the ninth holder managed to reorient and scan for the sudden threat, he was already staring at Shigaraki's hand reaching towards him, the villain's heinous smile peering out from beneath his hood.

"To think I'd be given this chance again," he hissed in mixed delight and hatred. Izuku's heartrate skyrocketed, his perception of time going haywire as his brain screamed for One For All to surge through him to avoid the impending death inching closer to him frame by frame. He had landed awkwardly; a kick would require too much windup, a punch could be intercepted by Shigaraki's other hand, a haphazard finger flick could hit Uraraka as well as the villain. A stray thought cursed Bakugo for being right about his combat mentality. If another was in danger, he could act without thinking, but for himself, he debated too much. He was going to pay for it now, permanently.

And suddenly Ochaco ignored whatever deluded time dilation Izuku was experiencing, appearing over him as if she'd teleported.

Even Tomura seemed surprised, but clearly he decided there was no reason to stop. Regardless of this, Izuku's attention was taken off the villain, instead his vison boring deep into the face of his savior. She had just stepped between him and an instant death, yet she was smiling. Not just any smile either.

It had the warmth he'd always known her for, but the effect was something that only one other individual imparted onto the One For All user before, the one from his idol and mentor himself. Ochaco was about to be disintegrated, about to never see him or anyone else again, and she was smiling down to him, every feature of her face telling him one very specific thing: "you're safe, I am here."

There was little light in the alley, but what there was of it seemed entirely drawn to her in that frozen moment. Izuku's entire nervous system blared alarms in the background, overlapped by the sheer sense of safety and tranquility washing over him. He knew Uraraka was determined, was strong, kind, bright, cute even, but now he could only call her beautiful, a word he'd add in front of all those he'd considered before.

Reality seemed to decide it had taken enough of a break, as amidst the surreal portrait before him, the boy at last noticed the twitch in those brown eyes, the tension at the edge of those lips. His already overburdened mind opened a new venue of panic.

Shigaraki is using his quirk…

She's falling apart…

One for All…

One For All!

STOP HIM, RIGHT NOW!

Tomura's far more clearheaded and focused mind had enough room to recognize the ominous black mass that suddenly emerged from Izuku's arm. His split-second decision to back off saved him from the full blast of the tendrils that burst forth next, grunting as they sheared off bits of his cloak and hair, as well as punctured his shoulder. Ochaco was lucky enough to avoid Blackwhip's retaliation, knocked to Izuku's side as he cried out from the strain to his arm from the outburst.

Gritting his teeth, he nonetheless rolled off the pile of trash he'd been laying on and was on his knees beside Ochaco, One For All's latest feature returning to dormancy within his now scuffed arm. Uraraka's brave façade had faded away, her face scrunched up in severe pain, the backside of her coat a mess of decaying fabric and dust. Izuku knew from previous encounters it wouldn't stop, not until she was gone.

Shigaraki growled as he gripped at his injured shoulder, savage red eyes set on the vulnerable pair before him. "No! Not yet, I still have enough for this!" He strode forward, free hand raised, catching his target's attention. Fortunately for the two students, desperation had left Tomura wide open as well.

A turbo-powered kick straight to the head halted any chance of the vile man coming any closer, its executer expecting to see Shigaraki's unconscious form thrown far from his imperiled friends. Instead, Iida's eyes widened in shock when the hooded villain's body destabilized upon impact, then fell apart into a mass of mud-like goop, which the Engine user sailed through with little resistance. Tenya at least had the reaction time to adjust for his landing, coming to a skidding stop as the sludge that was Tomura lay in a puddle at the alley's center.

"A copy?" Iida exclaimed. This surprise was quickly overridden when he remembered his friends, still nearby. He rushed over to assist, already witnessing Izuku turning Ochaco over to inspect the damage. The decaying had stopped, but it was quickly replaced by red soaking into the frayed edges of her attire. "Midor-"

"Hold her!" the other boy interrupted, moving the now weakly groaning girl into Iida's arms. As Tenya watched, Izuku took off his own coat and began tearing it apart. "Get hers off," he instructed amidst his act. Iida did so easily, the material incredibly weak from its ordeal. In record time, Izuku began tightly wrapping strips of clothing around Uraraka's wound as fast and carefully as he could. The two boys didn't even register the small group of people who had begun gathering near them, having heard the commotion from the mouth of the alley.

Ochaco had begun shivering from the cold, only protected by the long-sleeve shirt she'd had underneath. That, in combination with the pain and blood loss, had her nearly passing out. As soon as Izuku had done his best to stop the bleeding, he looked his other friend in the eye, his words coming out shaky. "Iida… hospital. We passed it… on the way." Tenya nodded firmly, understanding. He shifted Ochaco in his grip and stood up, holding her close. With his booming voice, he assertively called for the civilians to clear the way out. As soon as they did, his mufflers extended, then he disappeared in the burst of air and heat that accompanied his Recipro Burst.

Izuku collapsed back into the pile of trash, breathing hard, unblinking, and staring down at his red-soaked hands. He'd briefly seen several people on their phones, likely calling the authorities, at least taking care of that aspect for him. He tried to allow himself to calm down, knowing there was no one that could get Uraraka help faster than Iida, but he didn't know the extent of her injury. The uncertainty kept his heartrate pegged in the hundreds, his panic so clear that a few from the crowd approached to make sure he was okay. He wouldn't be, not until he could give his report to the police and follow Iida to the hospital.

An ambulance had also arrived along with law enforcement. Apparently no one was sure if Izuku himself wasn't injured. On the bright side, after satisfying his duty to both emergency services, the hero hopeful was given a replacement shirt and jacket to cover for his lost and/or blood-soaked clothing, treatment for his arm, as well as a ride to the hospital. As soon as he'd rushed into the lobby, he spotted Iida, jerking to his feet and waving him over in typical Iida-fashion. He instantly led the way towards where they were keeping Uraraka, giving his companion the developments thus far.

"The doctors said the decay didn't spread enough to reach her spine, but she will likely have a numbness on that spot for a few months, perhaps permanent nerve damage as well." Izuku bit his lip, both from relief and concern. She was alive, and for the most part fully functional, but that wasn't a guarantee yet. As the two were within sight of her room, Tenya suddenly stopped. "Ah yes, Uraraka had requested a drink on my way back down to wait for you. Continue on without me, Midoriya, I shall join you shortly."

She was already awake. Another relief. Izuku nodded to his friend, who split off down another hallway towards the nearest vending machine. The ninth holder went on alone, reaching the correct door and taking a deep breath. He knocked a few times, hearing a muffled invitation to enter.

He set eyes on the bed immediately upon entering, greeted by an upright-sitting Ochaco, whose soft smile widened considerably upon seeing who her visitor was. "Deku! You made it!" Izuku could barely handle her persistent upbeat personality, even after the events earlier. She'd already brought him to his metaphorical knees once today.

"Hey, Uraraka," he replied slowly. He began taking steps towards her bedside, seeing her shift uncomfortably. She noticed his concern, waving it off.

"Oh, don't worry, it's just that this huge bandage on my back is itchy." He hummed quietly in understanding, finally taking a seat in the chair next to her. "Iida told me what happened. I'm not sure if I should be glad it was just a clone of Shigaraki or not." Izuku nodded again, his eyes studying her softly.

"So you'll be okay, they said." Ochaco nodded back, sharing the positivity.

"Yep. I'll probably need to stop by Recovery Girl though. She was busy somewhere else right now and I was stable, so they didn't bring her in." Izuku just nodded again, seeming of few words at the moment. Uraraka felt put off by this, thinking how she could move the conversation along. She recalled her treatment earlier, as well as the unfamiliar coat her friend was wearing. "You wrapped me up, didn't you?" He blinked, caught out of his wandering thoughts.

"Oh, y-yeah." He paused, then grinned at her as he rubbed the back of his head. "Just returning the favor, I guess." That got a giggle out of her, his heart enjoying the warmth it brought.

"Alright, we're even," she replied happily. Then her expression softened. "Thank you, for saving me." Izuku automatically held up his hands.

"I-I mean, you saved me first!" Ochaco gave him a toothy grin, rubbing her own head.

"Looks like we're just fated to keep doing that back and forth, huh?" Both teens laughed at that, seeing the humor in their numerous and growing perils. Ochaco sighed as their antics died down, hanging her head. "Although, I don't think I was very smart about it. I should've just knocked Shigaraki away with my quirk. That would've been safer than shielding you, but I was worried he'd be too fast if I attacked him directly, or that he'd still be able to swipe at you before he was floating away." She held up her fists, determined. "I'll get better at decision making, or get faster. Let's try both."

She was surprised when a hand quickly but gently gripped one of her wrists, looking over to see a fierce expression on Izuku's face. "You saved me in more ways than one," he countered firmly, more so than Ochaco would've thought possible. She was too shocked by both action and words to reply right away, allowing him to continue. "When you protected me from Shigaraki, you smiled, the same way that All Might does when he saved people. I felt that everything would be okay, that I was completely safe with you around, and you did that while you were being slowly turned to dust." His grip on her wrist tightened just a notch.

"Uraraka, you're… you're incredible." At that, Ochaco finally reacted, her eyes widening, followed a second later by her cheeks heating up. It was a while before Izuku realized how long he'd been holding onto her, removing his hand before getting embarrassed, or at least more than he already was. "W-we'll both get stronger, right?" he continued, trying to avert any awkwardness. Ochaco slowly nodded, placing her arms back down on her lap.

"R-right," she confirmed. They seemed to run dry on words after that, but luckily Iida made his return to the group not a minute later, entering after a knock at the door. He apologized for taking so long, having not had the correct change for the machine. He'd bought drinks for all three of them, and so the trio sat around chatting for the rest of their visit, putting the encounter with Tomura past them for a time being, even though the effects would endure long after.

I have no idea whether destroying a clone would actually cancel out Decay the same way Erasure erasing it would, but I'm working under the reasonable assumption that it would, since the clone is a separate entity whose quirk factor is "erased" by its destruction. Anyway, I had some sleep troubles recently, hence the long wait for this, but I should be good now.

Karlos1234ify: I'm overwhelmingly happy to hear that!

LordXG3: Thank you so much for that critique! I certainly agree after a quick reread and fixed it up right. I hope for continued in-depth words from you!

HankFlamion18: Yes, I did want it establish early, otherwise it would feel a bit odd with the rest of the plot. Glad you're enjoying it!

Sentinel07: Bless your soul for such kindness, I will strive to keep up to the standard!

Ruler of Nintendo: Izuku's characterization was the critical element here in my eyes, so of course I'm ecstatic that you believe I nailed it. Much gratitude!

Hope you enjoyed and thanks for any comments/reviews!

next chapter: Tertiary Alignment