Ten Days Earlier, Deku's POV

Izuku could hear the commotion nearby. He went to get a closer look and what he saw turned the expression on his face into that of shock and terror.

There, on the ground, he could see Ochako Uraraka, his friend at U.A., writhing on the ground and gasping, her chest rising and falling erratically. One of the people nearby was already calling an ambulance. The green-haired boy ran to Ochako's side almost immediately.

"Hey. Ochako. What's wrong?" Izuku said in a very worried tone. The girl looked like she was on the verge of convulsing. Her hands were scratching her chest as she gasped for what little her lungs could take in. And her eyes. They were rolling upward to the back of her head. A concerned Izuku, worried for Ochako's health, leaned closer to her and placed his ear on her chest.

There, he could hear it. Ochako's heart. It was practically bursting, pumping dangerously fast. Too fast for the poor organ to handle. Izuku's worry turned into horror when Ochako's heart ceased and her body went limp. "N-No," he muttered as he immediately began pumping the center of her chest. Probably a good thing that the U.A. staff were kind enough to teach the Class 1-A students basic first aid skills like CPR.

"Don't die on me, Ochako! Don't you dare die on me!" Midoriya said tearfully, trying to keep it together. Stopping now wasn't an option. She had to live. She had to come back. "Wake up, Ochako! Please! Please wake up!" He continued to give compressions to Ochako as the sounds of ambulance sirens began to draw nearer and nearer.

En Route to Hosu General Hospital

"Just hang in there, Ochako. You're going to be ok," cried a tear-filled Midoriya. The paramedics were just barely able to stabilize Ochako's heartbeat. The beeping from the heart monitor connected to her was slow so the chances of her heart stopping again were high.

Izuku was shaken by the experience. His closest friend was nearing death's door and, in all likelihood, still is. Something had to have been wrong with her, but wha-?

His train of thought was cut short by the long, high pitched beep that was now piercing his ears.

"She's gone into cardiac arrest! We're losing her!" One of the nurses shouted as the paramedics immediately rushed to restabilize Ochako. Panic immediately began to flood Izuku's mind. "Nonononono," he thought to himself as the equally panicked medical staff used the defibrillators on Ochako. "Clear!" Izuku watched as the paramedics give Ochako shock after shock from the defibrillators. Whatever it was that Uraraka was suffering from, it was the first time he felt helpless to stop it.

"Shock her again! Clear!"

Later...

Izuku waited at least a couple days for Ochako to wake up. And when she did, he couldn't help but hold her close to him. "Uraraka!" He cried out. Ochako tried her best to comfort her friend and to let him know that, for the moment at least, she was still here with him.

"Oh thank God. I was so worried," Izuku cried, trying to wipe the tears from his face. "Shh. Hey. I'm alright, Deku," Ochako said, trying to comfort and reassure her best friend. After a few minutes, they broke off the hug and stared at each other.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Deku asked, an assortment of questions taking up space in his mind. "I wish I knew," Ochako answered honestly. She didn't exactly have all the answers. All she knew at that point was that she collapsed while she was out jogging. She didn't even know about her condition until much later.

"I was just out exercising and all of a sudden...here I am, on a hospital bed," she tells him. "The doctors filled me in on the rest. What they do know, at least." Midoriya was understandably worried about Ochako's health. Part of him wishes he had shown up earlier. "I...I'm so sorry, Uraraka," he says. "If I had shown sooner, I could have..."

"Hey. It wasn't your fault, Deku," Uraraka says, trying to reassure him. "You did what you could. It was pretty much out of anyone's control." It really was. No one could have known that this would happen. Still, Deku was reassured by her words. It really was nobody's fault for things happening the way they are.

"I probably get going," Izuku says. "Mom's probably wondering where I've been." As he leaves, he is stopped by Ochako's voice. "Hey, Deku," she says. "Yeah?" Midoriya replied. Her response was rather simple: "Thank you...for trying to save my life." Deku smiled, happy that she was safe...or so he thought.

Present Day, Ochako's POV

It was almost surreal for Ochako to be stepping back into U.A., especially in her current condition. It was a rather terrifying prospect to say the least. She knew all too well that she was potentially walking into what could be her final resting place. Still, she tried her best to put on a brave face.

As she made her way to the entrance of U.A., she tripped and started plummeting to the ground...only to be met with a familiar arm catching her, breaking her fall. "Gotcha," said the all too familiar voice of Izuku Midoriya. "Deku?" Uraraka said as Midoriya helps her regain her balance.

"You really need to watch your step, Uraraka," he says to her. The boy's kindness perplexed Ochako. He always looked out for her much like she looked out for him. Ever since he kept her safe during the entrance exam.

After a few moments of silence, Izuku spoke. "You alright, Uraraka?" He asked. "Yeah. I'm fine," Ochako replied. Except it wasn't true. She was not fine. Far from it. She didn't want Deku or the other students to suspect that something may be wrong with her. Which there was. She didn't want to worry.

"It's good to see you again, Uraraka," Midoriya said, a smile of relief showing on his face. "Me, Iida, Asui, Ashido, we all missed you." That much she had figured. They certainly missed her as much as, if not more than, Deku did. She missed them too. She wanted to see them again. "Well. See you in class," Izuku exclaimed, running towards the entrance.

Ochako followed suit, moving forward to the entrance...and towards an uncertain future.