Beta'd by Poliamida and kylekatarn77
66. Blackest Night
While horse and hero fell.
They that had fought so well
Came through the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of hell
-The Charge of the Light Brigade, Lord Tennyson
No one pursued Izuku and the others up the slopes as they fell back, carrying their wounded as best they could. Looking back, Izuku saw smoke and flames engulfing Deika city. He felt sick, knowing they had left Iida and so many others behind. But he had no time for the dead, only for the living, and those he might yet save. Izuku soared ahead of the others, flying desperately to where he prayed Mei was.
As he drew closer to the clearing, he saw more fire and destruction. Several of the vehicles they had arrived in were in flames, some on their sides, others had been tossed about like toys. There were bodies everywhere, some crushed beyond recognition, others lying in crumpled heaps like broken dolls. He desperately wanted to land and look for Mei, but he forced himself to fly on to where the battle still raged.
A trail of destruction ran away from the ruined convoy, to where death still stalked the hills. Several dozen MLA soldiers were attacking a lone figure that stood at the entrance to a small box canyon, fighting them off. They rushed him in threes and fours, others firing ranged quirks at him. Nothing seemed to land home though, the figure popping into the ground and out again, but always coming back to bar their entrance to the canyon. Occasional spurts of flame licked out at anyone who drew too near the entrance aside from Togata, and Izuku could see a pink haired figure crouched behind a bolder.
No time to think. Izuku slammed down on top of three of the emitters attacking Togata, then fired his grapple through another soldier and into a tree, using it to yank himself forward and bowling down another group. Seeing another hero arrive, the remaining MLA soldiers finally broke and tried to run. Neither Izuku nor Togata let them go. They quickly hunted down the remaining few, breaking bones, heads, and leaving nothing but bloodied wrecks behind.
"Mei, is she alright?" Izuku panted as soon as the last of them were down.
Togata could only nod, gasping for breath. He waved towards the canyon, and Izuku ran forward.
"Izuku!" Mei popped out from behind the boulder, her flamethrower in her hands. Hari slowly stood beside her, holding a large wrench. It had blood and hair caked on the end. Apparently, things had gotten too close for comfort. "Izuku! You are alright! Our baby, it is hurt but ok! Where are our friends? Are they alright?"
"They're coming," Izuku said, kneeling and hugging Mei gently. He didn't get out of the Ultra Armor-there could still be enemies about. "Mandalay, Nezu, are they-?"
"Mandalay's hurt, bad. They targeted her first, and she tried to save us," Hari said grimly. "Nezu and Recovery Girl are with her, trying to keep Mandalay alive. But if Mirio hadn't come when he did...he arrived just in the nick of time."
"That's good," Izuku said. He picked up Mei and Hari. "Togata, get the others! We need to find working vehicles and get out of here!"
"What about Endeavor, the others?" Togata gasped, jogging up. His costume was shredded, covered in blood and gore. At least some of it was Togata's own. Izuku could see plenty of wounds on him, and even though most seemed to be superficial, that many had to be dangerous.
"They're coming. Those that are left," Izuku told him grimly. "We need to get out of here. I killed Re-Destro, but the MLA has thousands of troops left. We fight them now and they'll overrun us with sheer numbers."
"Right. I'll get them," Togata agreed.
When Izuku got back to the vehicles, he found the UA students streaming in, along with a few of the pro heroes. He counted Pixie Bob, hauling an unconscious Kamui Woods, along with Burnin.
"The others?" Izuku asked, setting down Mei and Hari. "Endeavor?"
Burnin leaned up against a tree, hugging herself. Her green flames flickered out, and tears fell down her bloodied face; her nose had been broken and was still leaking blood. "Dead," she choked out. "Re-Destro, he came...he killed Endeavor, then got back in his car and drove off. I...I was the only one to make it out."
"Tiger's dead, so are Mikiro and Edgeshot," Pixie Bob said, looking dazed. Her body was coated in dust, she must have used her creations to escape with Kamui. "I got Woods out, but, Dead Arms, Mount Lady...they're gone too. Hawks betrayed us."
"It wasn't Hawks. It was Himiko Toga. Her quirk lets her shapeshift. She was pretending to be Hawks. I don't know where he is, or what happened to him," Izuku informed them. "But I saw Toga shift back when she landed on Detnerat tower. She played us."
"That explains a lot," Pixie said tiredly, setting a groaning Woods down in the back of a truck. "This has been a disaster. We didn't even manage to destroy the MLA."
"Izuku killed Re-Destro," Mei stated. "He's dead. The MLA is finished. We won." She looked around, her eyes sunken and hollow. "I think."
"Not much of a victory," Burnin sniffed, wiping at her nose. "Let's get out of here."
Somehow, they found enough working vehicles to load the survivors into. Kaminari managed to give Izuku enough of a charge that he strode along beside them, still in the Ultra Armor. Hado and a few others flew above the convoy, trying to provide air cover, but Izuku knew that if the MLA attacked now, they were finished.
Thankfully, they managed to escape the valley with no further resistance. The smoke rising from Deika stood like a dark monument to their battle, as they bloodied heroes retreated. Perhaps they had won. Izuku didn't know, but he could only hope it had worked.
They managed to get to a small town about ten miles away, picking up medical supplies and pausing to rest, eat, and treat the wounded. Izuku finally dismounted from the Ultra Armor, feeling utterly exhausted. Mei hurried over to hug him, her eyes bloodshot and face puffy from crying.
"I am glad you are OK," Mei whispered to him, embracing the Power Suit tightly. "I heard about what happened to Tenya."
Squeezing her back, Izuku closed his eyes, taking a slow deep breath. "Yeah. And a lot of others too. Endeavor, Edgeshot, Tiger...so many. They're just gone."
"Yes. But it will be OK. You are still alive, and so are many of our friends." Mei looked up at Izuku, her expression determined. "Keep them safe, OK? I will make sure our babies are ready."
"I will," Izuku promised, but he didn't know how he was going to do it. He glanced at Hari, who was weeping in Togata's arms.
"Hey, at least I'm not a student now, right?" he said, his tone trying for jovial, but on the edge of breaking. "So you can't get in trouble now."
"You think I care about that now?" Hari asked, her voice muffled from her face being buried against Togata's bandaged chest. "Tenya's dead. And so many of them are hurt. Hagakure's gut shot, unconscious, we don't know if she'll make it. Christ, I wish my biggest problem was that I'd fallen for a highschool kid."
Togata just rubbed Hari's back, looking pained. After a moment, she called, stepping back and smiling. "No, I guess not. I didn't fall for a highschool kid." For an instant Togata seemed on the verge of tears, until Hari cupped his face in her hands. "I fell for a hero. One of the best. Thank you. For saving me, again." She kissed his cheek, then hurried over to help Mei as they began repairs on the Ultra Armor.
"What's our next step?" Izuku asked a few minutes later, sitting down in the Power Suit. He was meeting with Nezu, Burnin, and Pixie Bob inside of the local police station. The officers were on the streets, but there were only five cops on duty. One had been arrested for being an MLA sympathiser. Hopefully he hadn't gotten a call out.
There was still no sign of the UA teachers. Izuku hoped at least some of them had gotten out, but if they had he didn't know where they were, and they had no one who could search for them. He had Hado and a few others watching their rear, but if the MLA came for them now there was little they could do but flee.
"I don't know," Nezu said with a sigh. "But things are worse than I had feared. I got a news report just now. Tartarus has fallen."
"What?" Pixie Bob demanded. "How? When?"
"At nearly the same time as we launched our assault on Deika, perhaps five minutes after. Toga must have radiod the rest of the League of Villains," Nezu told them, rubbing his nose with a finger in weary resignation. "They assaulted Tartarus Prison. With the strongest heroes all gathered here, the guards could only resist for so long. A few local heroes from Hokkaido came to help, but it was a bloodbath, they were slaughtered. The League broke in, and began freeing prisoners. Once a few of those were out, it was all over. All For One is loose again, as are Stain, Iceman, and dozens of the most dangerous criminals in Japan."
"We have to stop them!" Izuku said, looking around frantically. "We head out to Hokkaido, then get to Oshima island and-"
"Think, kid!" Burnin snapped. "We're all beat to hell! We've got dozens of wounded, some badly. We need to get back to Tokyo and figure this out. Besides, they're likely long gone from Tartarus by now. They've got that warp guy, Kurogiri. He'll have them all out of there in an instant. We need to rest. Recover. And get some reinforcements. Though who that will be at this point...I dunno."
"Who's the new Number One?" Pixie Bob asked, blinking. "Endeavor's gone. Hawks is captured or dead. Best Jeanist hasn't been seen in weeks. Mirko, Edgeshot, they're gone too."
"Crust died at Tartarus," Nezu sighed. "That makes Kamui Woods the new top pro. Will he make it?"
"Recovery Girl says he should live if he survives the night," Pixie Bob said, hugging herself and looking off into the distance at nothing. "Oh my God. So many of us, just...gone. This was all a mistake."
"We knew the risks," Burnin growled. "We went in anyway. It wasn't a bad plan. If we hadn't got lured by Toga...God. What happened to Hawks? She uses her quirk by drinking blood, right?"
"Best not to think about it," Izuku told them. "We have to get back to Tokyo. We can't wait here much longer. If the MLA comes for us now, we're done for."
"We gave them a hell of a bloody nose at least," Burnin sighed. She managed to smile at Izuku. "And hey, you killed Re-Destro. Maybe the MLA will fall apart now. Endeavor got Slidin' Go, by the way. Burned that traitorous bastard to a crisp. I hear Tiger did for Shishido before he died. That's basically all of the MLA's top brass, since Hanabata's in custody still. Who's left?"
"That woman, Curious. I don't know if she can rally them, and I don't want to find out," Izuku stated. He stood, looking around. "We've got the supplies we need. Commandeer ambulances for the wounded, maybe some doctors or nurses will come along. Then we head back to UA. Anything tries to stop us, we crush them. Questions?"
"No boss," Burnin said, saluting. "I'll get it done."
"I'll see to the wounded. Mandalay's doing alright, I think. I'll go make sure she and the others are taken care of," Pixie Bob assured Izuku, following after Burnin.
Feeling weary, Izuku just stood there for a moment as Nezu walked over to the coffee machine. He poured two cups, coming over and handing one to Izuku. "Have you eaten?"
"I had a cup of noodles and some fried chicken," Izuku said, taking the coffee and raising his visor. He sipped at it, then suddenly started. "Um, sorry sir. For telling you what to do."
Nezu chuckled. "I wouldn't apologize for that, young man. We need a leader now. I'm a lot of things, but a war leader? No. I can help you with tactics, I can give you advice and counsel, but I can't lead heroes into battle myself. The students all respect you, and they're basically all we have left right now. It seems you're in charge, whether you wanted to be or not."
"I just...we needed a plan, so I made one. And then we needed another one, and another one, and I kept making them, and people kept listening. Even the older students, even Monoma," Izuku said, peering into his coffee. He downed it quickly, crumpling the cup in his gauntlet and tossing it into a waste bin. "I didn't want to be in charge. I've always been so hesitant, so unsure of myself. But out there...I just acted."
"Keep doing that. Don't second guess yourself. I and some of the others will let you know if you've gone too far. But you're an intelligent, bold young man, Midoriya. That's what we need right now." Nezu patted him on the back, then hobbled away, favoring one leg. Apparently, he'd been injured in the fighting as well. Were any of them whole, now?
Izuku knew he wasn't. He walked outside, directing a few people to some tasks, answering questions from others about what they should do, reassuring a few nervous or panicking people. Inside, he felt numb, but knew that he would soon be bleeding, at least on the inside. How many had he killed today? Izuku didn't know, and that frightened him. He also knew the killing was likely not done. The MLA was bloodied, but not beaten, of that he was certain. They would come after Izuku and his friends, or he would strike first. Either way, there would be more death. Neither side would back down now.
And then there were the League of Villains. Izuku felt his stump ache, and his long gone arm tingling in phantom pain. All For One. The Villain who had taken Mei's quirk. Who had ultimately killed All Might, the greatest hero of all time. He was free once more. Shigaraki, the man who had threatened Mei's life twice, was out there, plotting. Izuku clenched his right fist, the metal creaking slightly. If there was one more life he had to take, it would be Shirgaraki's. Neither of them could live at peace while the other existed. Izuku didn't know what Shigaraki wanted, but he spread death and destruction in his wake, and that was reason enough to want to stop him.
"Izuku! We're ready," Shinso called.
"Got it. Get moving. I'll be on overwatch," Izuku said. He flicked on his radio. "Hado, we're moving. Rotate your people into the convoy to rest and eat. I'll take watch now."
He lifted off into the sky. With the new power source Mei had developed, he could fly for up to half an hour at a time. He flew for a few minutes, then landed on one of the trucks, crouching and watching over the convoy. He was exhausted, but he didn't let his eyes droop. They had a long drive back to Tokyo.
After a couple of hours, Izuku rotated with Hado, climbing into the back of one of the trucks. He didn't bother taking off the Power Suit, just plugging himself into the generator to recharge, and closing his eyes. He slept for half an hour, until Mei's voice awoke him.
"Izuku, we're home."
Izuku jerked awake, swinging out of the back of the truck. They were back at UA, and it was a bright, clear day. It didn't seem right. They'd been gone for how long? It was only mid-afternoon, but it felt like that morning had been a week ago. He found his mother waiting for him, wrapping him in a hug.
"Izuku! Oh my God, are you OK? They're talking about it on the news! I thought...I thought you were dead!" she hiccuped.
"Talking about it on the news?" Izuku asked, puzzled. "But how? Did Nezu call you?"
"No, Izuku," his mother said, shaking her head. "They're showing footage of...of that battle. They're calling it a slaughter."
"Dammit all," Izuku growled, jerking away from his mother. "Nezu, Burnin, Pixie, I need you, now!"
The others hurried over to him, forming a quick huddle. "What's going on with the news?" Izuku demanded.
"The MLA released footage of the battle to the news networks, along with a statement," Nezu explained. "They're claiming the government used heroes as a military force to attack a peaceful settlement. They've edited the footage. It looks like we simply attacked, burning down homes and slaughtering families at breakfast. I released a statement remotely, but we haven't had time to put together a press conference. Frankly, at this point, we're in damage control mode."
"Crap. Can you get us a conference?" Izuku demanded. "Get our story out?"
Nexu nodded. "One is scheduled for this evening. Don't worry about it, Midoriya, I'll handle it, along with Pixie Bob. You students, excuse me, you heroes, rest."
"What's the public reaction?" Izuku asked.
Burnin shook her head. "Not good, boss. People are pissed. Lot of people callin' for our heads. A lot of people are sayin' us heroes are to blame, and that we've been to violent. They ain't big fans of you and your friends either. Sayin' that after this, Feel Good, and the yakuza thing, well, they claim you're all out for blood and stuff. It's bad."
"Of course it is," Izuku sighed, rubbing his face plate with his hand. He turned. "Mina! Hado! Shiozaki! Can you three be ready for a press conference in a few hours?"
"Um, maybe?" Hado said, looking nervous as she turned away from her own parents. "But my folks, they want to take me home, to let me rest and-"
"No," Izuku said, thinking quickly. "How many families are here?"
"Most of them," Mina reported. "My mom and dad and brother are here. Um, why?"
"Get the families, as many of them as you can, to agree to stay here for the night," Izuku told them. "Get shelters set up in the cafeteria, or have people share their dorm rooms. There...there might be some openings, now. Get them bunked in there."
"Why?" Shiozaki asked. "I was going to go with my family to church, then home for the evening. I think we've earned a day off…"
"We scatter now, the MLA or the League of Villains will come in and pick us off one by one," Izuku told them. "Things have changed. Tell everyone who can, that their families need to come here, to UA. I don't know for now long. We won't force anyone to stay, but this isn't the time to scatter."
Izuku turned to Pixie Bob. "Get in contact with any pros you trust. Get them to come here as well. We need to plan a counter attack."
"Right, I think they'll understand," Pixie Bob agreed, then hurried off.
"Hando, Shiozaki, Mina, your job is to help Nezu with the press conference. The three of you are all mostly positive and well liked. And, um, you're better at talking to the press than me. Work with him to figure out what to say. Reassure people, let them know what really happened, that we'll still protect them."
The three of them agreed, and went off with Nezu. Izuku went over to Shoji, who was with his own family.
"Izuku. What's going on?" Shoji asked, pushing past his parents despite their protest.
"We're going to fortify here. I need you to organize a watch. We need to patrol the campus, make sure we don't have any infiltrators. You've got one of the best surveillance quirks. Get a few others who can help you, like Jiro, and get patrols going. Groups of three or four, make sure they're all ready to fight. You ok for that?"
"I am mostly uninjured," Shoji assured Izuku. "I'll make sure it happens." He hurried off, reassuring his parents, and directing them to the cafeteria.
Next, Izuku found Mei and Hari with the rest of the Hatsume's. "Get the support courses up and making defenses. We might come under assault here, and the League has a powerful teleportation quirk. Reinforce campus security however you can. Get the training robots up and running, ready to fight."
"You think something bad is gonna happen, son?" Mr. Hatsume asked.
Izuku hesitated, then nodded. "We're weak right now. Vulnerable. We've hit the MLA hard, they might not be able to respond for a while. But if Shigaraki or All For One decide to strike now, and we're not ready, they could crush us."
"Right. Well, I ain't never worked on a robot before, so you girls'll have to show me and your mother what to do," Mr. Hatsume said. "Boys, you run along to the cafeteria where' they're havin' folks go. Behave yourselves. Komaru, keep those damn goggles on or I'll burn all your Izuku toys."
"Yes, dad," the boys chorused, then hurried off. Mei gave Izuku a quick hug, then hurried after her family as they went towards the training grounds.
Letting out a sigh, Izuku turned to see his mother looking at him, tears in his eyes. "Um, sorry mom. I'll need you to stay here for a little bit. You'll be OK, right?"
"Izuku…" His mother suddenly leapt forward, embracing Izuku tightly, though he still had on the Power Suit. "You're a hero, Izuku. I guess I don't have my little boy anymore. You're all grown up now."
Slowly, Izuku raised his arms, embracing his mother. "You're not scared? You don't want me to stop?"
"I'm terrified," Inko whispered. "I desperately want to take you home and never let you fight anyone again. But...that wouldn't make you happy, and I can't keep you safe anymore. You were meant to do this, Izuku. And I'm so, so sorry I didn't support you before."
"You're here, now," Izuku said, smiling despite the pain. "That's what matters."