Beta'd and edited by Poliamida and kylekatarn77
70. For The Living
He who fights and runs away
May live to fight another day;
But he who is battle slain
Can never rise to fight again.
-Tactus
In the end, Stain was simply locked in a paddy wagon with two guards posted, as everyone was too tired to deal with him. Izuku ended up going back to sleep, dozing off in the conference room, still dressed in the Power Suit. He jerked awake after an hour so when the door opened. He blinked a few times, then smiled as Mei hurried over, setting down a plate of steaming eggs and rice in front of him.
"Thanks, Mei," Izuku said with a sigh, picking up the chopsticks and taking a bite. "You really are taking care of me now."
"I remember everything you helped me with, so now it is your turn! And you need to take a shower," Mei informed him. "And wash your hair, even if it is Tuesday."
"Is it?" Izuku asked, frowning to himself. He shrugged. "I guess it is. But I'll have to shower later. There's a lot that needs to happen."
Mei frowned, folding her arms over her chest. "Izuku, there are a lot of grownups here. I think they can manage not to do something too stupid while you take a shower."
As that was a point Izuku really couldn't argue with, he did take a short shower and wash his hair. After that, he met with Nezu and some of the pro heroes again to go over their plans to evacuate. Trucks, buses, and other vehicles were being gathered inside of the UA grounds, and already teams were working on loading supplies into them. It was heartbreaking to think that they were abandoning people to the PLF, but it would be catastrophic to fight them in the city, as that would not only lead to massive civilian casualties but also to the likely annihilation of the last of the heroes.
One bit of good news was that several more pro heroes had arrived to bolster their numbers, including the water rescue hero Selkie and his team, along with the well regarded Gang Orca. A few more minor heroes joined as well, but as Fat Gum and Rock Lock had warned, most of the pros were distancing themselves from UA. Several had outright refused to join, some because they saw the UA heroes as having violated the hero code, others for more selfish reasons.
"It brings our numbers up to about fifty pros, in addition to the remaining UA students. There are 52 left, though 14 are too seriously injured to be ready to fight any time soon," Nezu reported.
The losses made Izuku feel sick all over again, but he only nodded. "Anything else?"
"Yes, actually, some good news," Nezu said, smiling. "Aizawa had made contact. He'll be coming in later today, along with several of our teachers. It seems they managed to escape. He wasn't able to tell me much, it sounded as though they were on the run. Some of them are seriously wounded, but they should be here shortly."
"Really? That's good" Izuku said, feeling as though a weight had lifted from his shoulders. Then, he hesitated. Something was off. "Make sure to have a medical team on standby. And we need a reception squad. We'll need to check them over when they arrive."
"We can do that. They're out of contact for now, Aizawa said they were moving quickly and needed to keep transmissions to a minimum, but they'll be here right before the convoy is ready to depart," Nezu explained.
The rest of the last minute preparations were made, with families and support staff and students being loaded onto the vehicles. Many of the general studies students and support course students had departed with their families, with the logic that they hadn't signed up to fight in a war. Izuku was relieved and heartened to hear that none of the Hero Course students had willingly departed, though several had been so severely injured they had needed to be hospitalized and could not make the journey. Izuku only hoped they wouldn't be killed in their sick beds.
Thankfully, Hagakure had been the most seriously injured of Class 1A, and was well enough to travel with them. She wouldn't be ready to fight for at least a week, but that was something to be grateful for.
When the UA teachers arrived, they showed up in a mail delivery van of all things. Izuku hurried forward with Recovery Girl and Bakugo to help them out of the vehicle, which instead of packages contained Aizawa, Ms. Midnight, Power Loader, Snipe, and Vlad King.
"Mr. Aizawa! Are you alright?" Izuku called, hurrying forward to help his teacher out of the back of the van. He was clutching his side, and Izuku could see blood stains on his uniform.
"What does it look like?" Aizawa hissed. "Help me up, Power Suit."
Izuku hesitated slightly. Power Suit? Aizawa never called him that.
"You're gonna be alright, teach," Bakugo said, helping Aizawa down to the pavement and using scissors to cut away at his shirt to reveal the wound. "This looks pretty bad, but the cut isn't too deep. Where the hell were you guys, anyway?"
"Trying to escape from the MLA. It's good to see that you made it out as well. How are the rest of my students?"
"Aw, it almost sounds like you care, teach," Bakugo joked as he quickly and deftly cleaned the wound.
"Of course I do, Demon. I thought you knew that," Aizawa hissed as Bakugo treated the wound with antiseptic.
Bakugo continued to work, nodding. "Of course. Power Suit was always your favorite though, right?"
"I don't have favorites, though right now you're starting to irritate me. Power Suit at least seems to-"
Bakugo took the scissors, then stabbed Aizawa in the side on his wound. His supposed teacher cried in pain, though it was more one of ecstasy than suffering, then began to melt. His features melted first to those of Himiko Toga, then dissolved into a puddle of grey sludge. Izuku didn't wait to find out though, spraying down the others in capture foam and grabbing Recovery Girl and flying her away.
"What the hell was that?" Bakugo snarled, nudging the pile of goo with his toe as Izuku hurried back, his laser pointed at their captives.
"Twice's quirk," Izuku panted, looking at the struggling teachers. "He must have copied Toga, then had her copy transform into Aizawa. What about the others though?"
"If they're copies, they'll dissolve with just a little punishment," Bakugo growled. "We need to make sure."
"What the devil are you doin', young man?" Snipe cried as Bakugo approached. "What happened to Aizawa? He's been actin' a mite strange lately, and-"
"Your accents off," Bakugo observed as he crouched. "You don't sound like a cowboy."
"Shit. You're too damn smart for your own good," Snipe muttered. Bakugo stabbed him as well, as Snipe turned into goo.
"Hold on," Izuku said, frowning as they looked down at Power Loader. He was already unconscious, and bleeding from several wounds. Izuku reached down, opening Power Loaders eyelid. He shook his head. "He's seriously wounded. I'll dissolve the foam, get him loaded up and treated. Mei! Scan him for any tracking devices. I think this one might be real."
Ms. Midnight wept and pleaded for her life, but she turned to goo after a single sharp kick to her side. Kan just laughed as Izuku and Bakugo approached. "Well, it was worth a try. You know we're going to kill them all now, right? You've just murdered your teachers."
"You bastards were going to do that anyway," Bakugo snarled as he stabbed the thing that looked like Kan. "We're just putting you out of our misery."
That done, Izuku stood, looking around. He found Rock Lock staring at him, his eyes wide. "What the hell, man. How did you- look, even if you knew, you had to doubt! But you just stabbed Aizawa, no hesitation."
"I knew," Bakugo answered. "He never calls any of us by our hero names. Shit, none of us do. That crap's for the press, and Aizawa hates them. He just generally talked wrong. It wasn't him."
Izuku and Bakugo went to join the rest of their team as the last of the civilians and pros loaded on to their truck.
"He could still be alive," Todoroki said, his expression hopeful. "Right? My father, he could still live?"
"Sorry, kid," Burnin said, shaking her head, her eyes haunted and unfocused. "I saw your dad, Shot. What Re-Destro did to him...he was dead. And I...I ran like a coward. We all did. The old boss, he'd told us to run, but...but I shoulda stayed. Tried to help, you know."
"He was nearly impossible to kill in that form," Todoroki said, putting a hand on Burnin's shoulder. "You did the right thing. If my father couldn't stop him...there was nothing you could have done."
Burnin sniffed and nodded, then hastily saluted Izuku. "Everything's packed up and good to go, boss. We're ready to get goin' when you say so."
Izuku nodded, then frowned, looking at the eager young woman. She was young, but still a decade older than Izuku. "Burnin, if you don't mind, I have a question for you."
"Sure thing boss, what is it?"
"Burnin…" Izuku licked his lips, trying to think of the right way to phrase it. "Why do you call me boss?"
The question seemed to baffle Burnin, who scratched at her flaming green hair. "Um, 'cause you're the boss?"
"Right, but, why am I the boss?" Izuku prodded.
"Cause you tell us what to do?" Burnin guessed, now looking thoroughly bewildered. "Boss, if you don't mind me sayin' so, these questions don't really make no sense."
"But you're older than I am, more experienced. You were Endeavor's right hand. Why didn't you, well, be the boss yourself?"
"Oh, 'cause I'm real bad at it," Burnin explained with a shrug. "Like, I'm really good at followin' orders and getting stuff done, but I'm really bad at figuring out what exactly it is that needs to get done. Unless it's a fight or somethin', I know how to kick ass! But you're like Endeavor was, you got the plans and stuff. That's what makes you the boss."
"I mean, we all know that Izuku's the guy who comes up with the ideas, cause he's smart and all," Kaminari added. "You can think on your feet and stuff. And you're organized and can see the big picture. Me? I mean, I can sort of plan ahead if I try, but honestly it's way easier for me to just live in the moment and let someone else worry about it."
"It is a gift you have," Shoji agreed. "Everyone who meets you can see it. Even the older, experienced pros trust your judgement. From our first meeting, it was obvious you were the motivation behind you and Mei's efforts, even if she was perhaps the creative genius."
"Yes, I am very smart!" Mei agreed. "But Izuku showed me that there is more to life than making super cute babies. Like friends! And also baseball. We're at second base now!"
"You play baseball?" Ojiro asked, suddenly interested. "I was on my junior high team!"
"That's not the sort of baseball he's talking about," Tsu said with a giggle. "She explained it to us girls one time. But don't we have more important things to worry about?"
"Right, sorry, I guess I'm still wrapping my head around being in charge of all of this," Izuku sighed. "Let's get moving. Mei, activate SKYNET protocol when we leave. I want the League to think that maybe we're still defending UA."
Izuku activated his hoverboots, flying up to where Hado was hovering along with a group of other mobile heroes who were on Overwatch duty. "Hado, I want guards at the rear and middle, and a scout force moving ahead to watch for traps. Everyone has a partner to watch their backs?"
"Yep! And we broke into shifts too so that we can take breaks and stuff," Hado agreed cheerily. "This is going to be so much fun! I've always loved camping!"
"We're not exactly going camping," her friend, Amajiki muttered. His odd quirk allowed him to manifest aspects of animals he had eaten, and he seemed to have consumed several varieties of fowl, or perhaps even birds of prey, as he was currently possessed of a pair of large wings that was allowing him to fly.
Hado's face suddenly fell, and she wrung her hands. "I know, I know, it's just...if I stop and think too hard, it makes me want to cry. So instead, I think of things in a happy way, so I can smile! Just like Midoriya!"
With a start, Izuku realized he had on a faint grin. It was more because of his thoughts trending towards Mei's discussion of "baseball" but he decided that wasn't a bad thing. He wanted to be a leader like All Might had, one who always smiled, even in the darkest of times. "That's a good attitude to have, but remember, we're in deadly earnest here. If the League attacks, we're currently sitting ducks. Um, no offense, Amajiki."
"It's OK, it was duck and chicken today, with a little bit of crow mixed in." The older boy blanched. "You don't want to know what crow tastes like."
Izuku landed beside the lead vehicle, which was being driven by Hari and Togata. "We're good to go, let's move out."
"Copy that, heading out," Hari agreed, putting the large military vehicle into gear and pulling away.
Slowly, the long convoy got into motion, an eclectic mix of military vehicles, school buses, tractor trailers, vans, and even a few civilian vans and pickups. They snaked their way along the streets of Mustafu, heading for the highway north. As they went, many civilians stopped to jeer at the departing heroes.
"Go on, get lost, we don't want you around here!" one man shouted, throwing a bit of half eaten food at the passing convoy.
Others looked worried or frightened, parents clutching children or people hurrying away to seek shelter.
"We'll be back!" Izuku promised, his voice modified to project through his suit's speakers. "We're going now to fight the villains! We just don't want a battle to erupt here."
"You're leaving us to die!" one civilian wailed. "The villains will kill us all!"
"If they try, we'll stop them," Izuku promised. "Do not fear."
But his promises felt empty and vain, platitudes instead of reality. It really did feel like they were abandoning the people of this city, but did they have a choice? A battle here really would be incredibly destructive. Izuku momentarily saw the smoke, flames, and carnage that had taken place only a short day ago in Denkai city. He shuddered to think of that happening here.
He landed on top of one of the middle trucks, keeping an eye on the convoy. No one tried to stop them as they exited the city. Izuku saw a few police cars watching them, but more formed up to escort them out of the city, clearing intersections and traffic. Izuku assumed that was Tsuragamae's influence at work. He might have resigned as Chief, but many of his officers were still loyal.
Despite Izuku's fears, their trip to Nagato was relatively unhindered. A few times police made to bar their way, one determined group of officers even attempting to serve an arrest warrant for the participants of the Battle of Denkai, but those incidents were resolved peacefully. The officers quickly saw they had no hope of stopping Izuku's well armed and determined group, and though they did try to barricade the road, Togata was able to easily clear the barricade, and disarm the two officers who attempted to use their weapons with no injuries.
After several hours, they arrived at the location prescribed by Pixie Bob. It was close to where the Summer Training Camp had taken place, and the vehicles were all parked there. Then they had to unload the supplies and enter into the bunker complex itself. It turned out to be mostly hallowed out of a mountain, being deep within the earth. Izuku didn't know much about nuclear weapons, they were largely a thing of the past since the advent of quirks, but he couldn't imagine the sort of destructive power they would have needed to possess to require such extreme defensive measures.
Still, quirks largely negated the utility of defensive structures, with warping or phasing quirks allowing infiltrators to enter supposedly secure locations with ease. Mei, however, turned out to have a solution for that.
"Izuku, I have been thinking," she informed him as they explored the enormous complex, heading for the power station with the intent of repairing and activating. "I do not remember being kidnapped, but I do know that the bad guys have a warp quirk user, the one with the black mist and yellow eyes."
"Yes, Kurogiri. I don't know exactly how his quirk works, but it's one of the most powerful warp quirks I've ever heard of," Izuku said, shaking his head as they made their way through the dusty, empty halls.
Mei rubbed her arms, looking worried, and Izuku stepped closer, putting his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him, pressing herself against his armored plate. "I think we need to make sure he does not get inside and kidnap anyone. Or bring the Mask or the Hand man or any of the other bad guys inside."
"That's a big problem," Izuku agreed. "Do you think you can prevent it?"
"Yes, it will be very simple. We will make a cute baby like the one I made for Eri, one that suppresses quirk use, but this one will emit the same sort of energy over a large area," Mei explained. "This will be bad for some people, as it will inhibit all quirks not just the bad guys, but it should keep us safe."
That made Izuku grin and exclaim, "Mei, that's a fantastic idea! You think you really can make sort of quirk disruption field?"
"Yes, the principle is very simple. You simply need to prevent the QR.17 gene from activating. I have learned a lot about this by studying biology and those bullets that we got from the yakuza." That made Mei stop though, frowning. "Did He get out with the other bad guys? If he did, we should find him, then kill him. He is very dangerous, and a very bad person. He hurt you, and he hurt Eri. I hate him."
"Chisaki wasn't in Tartarus," Izuku explained. "He's in a lower security prison now because he didn't have a quirk anymore."
"Good. I am not making a baby for him to get his quirk back. He is very bad," Mei said firmly. Then she suddenly smiled. "Ah-ha! There is the power station! Come, Izuku, we shall repair it, or make an even better power station!"
As it turned out, the Pussy Cats had already performed enough repairs on the primary power source that it wasn't very hard to get it up and running. It was a geothermal plant, using the mountain's natural volcanic sources to produce clean, sustainable power in a quantity large enough that it looked to be sufficient for any of the needs they would have. Mei still found several ways to improve it, though she admitted that they would have to wait for later, as there were more pressing concerns at the moment.
They worked late into the night, unpacking all the goods and supplies and storing them inside, as well as getting everyone setup in living quarters. Things were chaotic for a while, especially with all the families that had come along, but the abundance of trained police and pro heroes quickly sorted things out. As it turned out, there was also a secure facility to store the vehicles in, though it had to be dug out and repaired by Hari and Mr. Hatsume before they would be able to put it into use.
Izuku met with his adult counselors, and organized a patrol pattern with police and heroes, set up meal quarters with Lunch Rush, medical facilities with Recovery Girl, and solved a dozen other minor incidents. By then it was past midnight. Izuku stumbled towards his own quarters he was sharing with his mother. Mei came with Izuku as well and she was staying nearby with her family. They were nearly there when Izuku saw Bakugo waiting for him.
"It's time," Bakugo said, jerking his head towards the exit. "Come on. We've waited long enough."
"Time for what?" Izuku asked, his mind dulled by the long day.
Bakugo didn't reply, instead tossing Izuku and Mei each a bottle by way of explanation. Izuku caught it, turning and seeing that it was a bottle of beer.
"Oh." Izuku straightened, nodding. "Yes. I guess it is."
"Izuku?" Mei asked, looking worried. "What is happening?"
"Tenya," Izuku answered, following after Bakugo.
Mei looked at the bottle, then nodded. "Yes. Like Mr. Aizawa taught us."
"Yeah."
He found Class 1A, along with Hari and Togata, who had been adopted in, sitting in a clearing a hundred meters or so from the cave entrance. There was another case of beer nearby, but no one had started drinking just yet.
Bakugo went to sit down with Uraraka, leaning up against her. "Well? We're all here. What the hell are you all waiting for?"
Tsu sighed, then used her tongue to pop the lid off her bottle. "Tenya was a real hero. When we were stuck together at the USJ, he kept his head. I was worried: we were in that fire area, and well, I'm not very good in fire. But he got us out of there. He had to help carry me for a ways, but he always kept his spirits up." Then she took a long drink.
"Tenya was my friend," Uraraka said quietly, using an opener to pop the top on her own beer. "We met the day of the exam. He was so polite, and kind, and he seemed so calm. I was so nervous, I mean, my family's a bunch of construction workers, his are pro heroes, so I thought maybe he'd look down on me. But he encouraged me, he never even told me it was dumb to want to be a hero to be rich. He was funny sometimes, but he was always there." By the end, Uraraka was crying, but then, few members of Class 1A had dry eyes at this point.
"Speedy was a damn brown nosing nerd," Bakugo said, looking up at the sky. It was a bit overcast, and the moon was blocking out most of the stars, but Mars was clearly visible in the night sky. "I hated his guts for the first few weeks of school. Wasn't shy about telling him that, either. But he never hated me, I don't think. He called me out on my shit, he was the first to do it, even before the rest of you realized what a bastard I'd been to Izuku for years. But then, he was the first to welcome me back, too, after Ochako. He was a good man. Better than I'll ever be." Bakugo took a long pull of his beer, wiping away tears of his own with the back of his hand.
Everyone took a turn sharing memories of Iida. Yaoyorozu shared a story about Iida having her make him a step ladder so he could calm everyone down during the false alarm, which got a few chuckles. Shinso did a spot on impression of Iida trying to get everyone to board the bus for the License Exam in an orderly fashion, which got even more laughs. Others talked about how Iida had fought against the League of Villains at the training camp, or had a word of encouragement for anyone who needed one.
It was only a few hours before dawn when they finally adjourned. None of them were drunk; they knew danger was too close for anyone to have had more than two or three beers over the course of several hours, but Izuku felt relaxed for the first time in over a week. He got to his feet with Mei, ready to head back to his rooms, when Hari stopped the two of them.
"Mei, Izuku, if...if you're going to go back together...I'll cover for you later," Hari said. "I'm not going back to our rooms either."
"Of course I'm going to walk back with Izuku," Mei yawned. "You should go to bed too, Hari. It's late. We have lots of work to do tomorrow."
"I am going to bed," Hari said, glancing at Togata. "Just...not alone. And...shit, this is hard to say. Look, take what comfort in one another you can. God only knows how much longer we all have."
Mei blinked, then frowned. "Wait. Are you saying that you-"
"I'm going to sleep with Togata, yes. And I'm telling you two to do whatever you want," Hari said. "I don't care how old you are anymore. You're both adults. Make your own choices. I've made mine." And then Hari left, walking hand in hand with Togata. Izuku noticed that quite a few of his classmates were leaving together, and not always who he would have suspected. When had Tsu and Aoyama become interested in one another?
Izuku looked at me, who was frowning. "Mei, I…"
"Not tonight, Izuku," Mei said, shaking her head. "Home runs should be happy. I am too sad right now."
Swallowing, Izuku nodded. He was tempted, but he thought Mei was right. Besides, he was exhausted, and that sort of thing would require a lot more energy than he thought he had.
Still, Mei followed Izuku into their quarters. His mother was still up, holding a cup of tea in her hands. She jumped up, looking worried. "Izuku, I-oh, Mei? Oh, um, I guess I'll just-"
"Can I stay in your room?" Mei asked tiredly, interrupting Inko. The bunker room was actually quite large, with a small living room and two bedrooms, along with an area for meal preparation and a bathroom. Izuku supposed that was because most of them had been designed for highly placed government officials, though what once had been lavish furnishings had mostly rotted away, and currently there were only a few cots and blankets, along with bare essentials.
"Oh! I thought, well, I suppose that's none of my business. Yes, of course Mei. Um, do your parents know?"
"They are sleeping, and have each other. I do not want you and Izuku to be alone," Mei stated. "It is a night for sadness, but not a night to be alone."
Inko considered that, then nodded. "Yes, of course. I have a few extra blankets and a mat, we can make something for you."
Izuku lay down by himself, listening to Mei's steady breathing, then snores, through the thin metal walls. He closed his eyes, and managed to sleep. Thankfully, his only dreams were of Mei, and not the horrors in both the past and future.
Authors Note:
The main reason I ship Tsu with Aoyama is because they are both frogs.
I'll see myself out now.