IIII

Chapter 5: At the Brink

IIII

"What?" Bakugou's eyes widened. "The hell is that supposed to mean?" He grabbed Izuku's shoulders and gave him a light shake to bring him to his senses. "You look fine!"

"No really Kacchan, wait st—stop!" Izuku stammered, caught off guard by the sudden embrace.

"Yeah, what's this all about?" Todoroki shot a look of concern towards the two. It was unclear whether it was intended for the shellshocked Izuku, or Bakugou who was practically crushing the Symbol of Peace in a bear hug.

"His vitals checked out ok," Hawks gathered what he could from the remaining life support machines. What few monitors remained flickered to life once power returned to their intact systems.

"Don't scare us Izuku, you're probably just still in shock," Togata spoke up.

"Trust me," Izuku replied only after Bakugou gave him room to breathe. "It's difficult to describe, but I can feel that something's off."

"Are you sure?" Bakugou's question had a softer tone to it, sounding more like a plea than anything else.

Izuku blinked. "I don't know how to explain it…"

Eri looked up towards him, past the embrace of Aizawa. "I killed him," her voice cracked. "I killed the Symbol of Peace."

"That's not true." Aizawa countered. "He's only alive because of you."

"Eri, don't say that." Togata turned his attention to her. "Everything's gonna be alright."

She pushed them both away and shook her head. Her posture was nervous and trembling. Eyes avoiding contact with the heroes judging her behavior with silent fixed gazes. Eri bolted from the room, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Eri!" Aizawa shouted. Taking after her down the hall.

"I'm going to check and see if they're ok," Togata turned to the others for approval.

They nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Just hurry back when you can." Bakugou replied.

Togata took off. Exiting the ward quickly, more composed than those that had left before him.

"Where were we?" Hawks spoke up. Turning back to Izuku and the others.

"My quirk...I" Izuku could hardly muster the words.

"You look fine. Your vitals are fine. What's the deal?!" Bakugou could recognize an injured person. He had done so a thousand times. And his friend, the Symbol of Peace, looked perfectly fine. Minus the hospital gown and worried expression etched into his features.

"When I was unconscious, when I was in danger, I could hear voices. The past users of One For All." Izuku found it difficult to explain one of the more outlandish natures of his unusual quirk.

"Seriously?" Todoroki found it hard to believe. But considering the extraordinary nature of Izuku and his quirk, he put aside his disbelief to hear his friend out.

"After Eri used her quirk on me...well, I don't hear those voices anymore. I can't feel the energy I once did."

The room went cold and silent.

"Hit me," Bakugou's tone hardened. His face was stone, a set of unflinching expressions.

"What?" Izuku couldn't tell if he heard his friend correctly.

"I said hit me!"

"Calm down," Todoroki interrupted.

"Shut up!" Bakugou refused to even look at Shoto, focusing on Izuku with his frustration.

"I don't think I should—," Izuku was taken aback by the blunt nature of his close friend.

"I want you to hit me. As hard as you can, 100% of your power."

"I don't want to hurt you Kacchan."

"What, do you think I'm a weakling," Bakugou countered, raising his voice and temper. "Do it or I'll kill you!"

Izuku paused for a moment, processing the words over and over in his head.

He stood up. Eye to eye with his friend, he took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, he tried to tap into the power he could no longer feel. And struck the friend he worried he'd no longer have.

The blow hit Bakugou's chest. Forcing him to take a few steps back to maintain his balance.

"Is that it?" Bakugou grimaced before stepping forward. "Harder!"

"I can't."

"Do it!"

Izuku threw another punch. This time the blow found its mark against Bakugou's jaw.

Bakugou was dazed from the blow, but was still standing.

"God dammit! Harder!" He wiped the blood from his lip and grappled Izuku.

"I can't!" Izuku said strainfully.

"That's enough!" Hawks pried them apart with his feathers in an instant, pinning them to the walls across from each other.

Bakugou fell silent, dropping his gaze. Removing the feather from his shoulder, he quietly stormed out of the room. Disappearing into the rest of the ward.

"We'll leave you to sort this out," Hawks spoke to Izuku. "Get some rest."

Todoroki followed Hawks out the door. Leaving Izuku to contemplate his fate.

Izuku tried to steady his breathing. Mulling over Eri's words in his head, I killed him...I killed the Symbol of Peace.

….

Her heart was pounding as she bounded the hall. Her head was pounding with anxiety, guilt, regret.

I killed him, I killed him, she thought to herself. Repeating the words in her head as she rounded past the corner of the building. Zipping past the stray medical personnel wandering the halls idly.

"Eri!" she could hear Aizawa not far behind. "Wait!"

She felt she needed to get away from here. Not just the hospital, but the heroes and the people too. I don't want to hurt anyone else!

All that risk had only confirmed her insecurities. The shaking fear that she'd held within her ever since her hero training had been greenlit. That her quirk, the unstable potential it held, was too unwieldy for hero work. I'll never be a hero…

"Eri!" she could hear Togata now. "Calm down, everything's ok!"

She shook her head and closed her eyes. Eri had reached the lobby of the ward, rows of chairs stood idle and several T.V screens were replaying the events of the evening.

"It is unclear how the Hero Commission will respond to the growing crisis in the region after the largest Villain attack in the last decade." The reporter's voice was robotic, and corporate. "To further complicate the matter no one has heard from the Symbol of Peace, who was last seen in Tartarus prison."

Eri understood the words Togata had tried to comfort her with, but she could not turn aside the grim reality. The reality she felt responsible for making worse.

Something forced her to stop. She could feel the arms of her teacher wrap around her.

"Eri, everything is going to be fine. You did great." Aizawa held her close, knowing words alone would not return her to her senses.

"I killed him...without his quirk the Symbol of Peace is—" her words were broken by quiet sobbing.

"Because of you he's still alive, and that's something I couldn't be prouder of you for."

Togata stood back, and gave the two some space. There were things he wanted to say, but they were better left unsaid. Aizawa knew her the best, and that bond was something to place trust in.

""How can I be a hero with a quirk like this, I destroy everything I touch."

"Every hero had their doubts Eri, even me. It's not so much the quirk that makes us who we are," she turned to face him. "It's your mindset, how you apply yourself to make the most of what you're given."

She gazed at him with mournful eyes. Rubbing the tears away with her spare hands.

"When I was your age I lost someone close to me because I wasn't strong enough to make a difference," Aizawa mulled the memory of Shirakumo Oboro in his head. Although it had haunted him his whole life, the tragedy had served to motivate him into becoming the hero he was today. "We learn from our failures, no matter how bad they are, and we find a way to keep moving forward."

She wrapped her arms around him, returning his embrace. "I don't know if I can," she sobbed.

"You will," he placed his hand on her head.

"Umm, sorry to interrupt," Togata broke the eerie silence with a smile. "There are some things I need to discuss with Mr. Aizawa, we'll meet back up with you in the car."

Eri reluctantly nodded, and left the two to their issues.

"How are we going to get her ready in time?" Togata asked, running his hands through his hair in desperation. "How much time do we even have?"

"It's hard to say, especially with how fast things transpired today," Aizawa scratched his stubble. "Likely until Shigaraki realizes that most Pro Heroes are trying to cover ground for Midoriya's absence."

"We can't let the news reach the press, but they'll start to worry after they don't hear from him," he glanced at the headlines lining the T.V screens. "They're already in a panic."

"Most of the country is still reeling from the attack in Chiyoda. While we know it was a diversion, they don't. It buys us some more time, even if it's not a lot." countered Aizawa.

"The Commission will have to hear us out," Togata gestured for good measure. "Officially they could announce Izuku is on some special mission, that would keep the press happy."

"That's not a bad idea, although we'd still need to be quick about getting Midoriya back in action," Aizawa responded.

"And for that we need Eri."

"I can try to get her more training, but with U.A as it is I'll have my hands tied."

"We might be able to get someone else to help out with that, asides with the whole world resting on her shoulders I'm sure we can make a few exceptions to the regulations," Togata reasoned.

"I'll see what can be done," Aizawa gave a parting wave before passing through the lobby doors.

He ran the words through his head: the whole world's resting on her shoulders. And he wondered if things would really turn out okay.

….

The streets were dead. No cars. No people. Nothing. Save for some idle trash drifting with the wind and the occasional police siren.

Most people had heard the news and thought it best to stay indoors. Leaving the nightlife of the city devoid of any real life. It was the perfect night for a pair of Heroes.

Hawks and Todoroki stalked the empty sidewalk, taking advantage of the lack of people who would otherwise crowd their attention with petty questions and admiration. They had left the gloom of the hospital for the glow of the surrounding night, flanked only by shadows and passing silence.

"I'm starving, what about you?" Hawks asked.

Todoroki mulled the question over in his head. Although it had been hours since he had last eaten, he found it difficult to produce an appetite. His senses were still gripped by the shaking feeling of adrenaline and tension.

"I'm good," Todoroki replied.

The two continued walking, not a word passed between them for a few moments. They took the time to absorb their surroundings, a passive skill their job demanded even when they were off work.

"Good work back there," Hawks chuckled. "Pretty sure we'd be dead if it wasn't for you."

"It was nothing."

"Same goes for earlier in Chiyoda."

Todoroki didn't reply to that comment. As much praise as he'd received, he couldn't shake the feeling he had let everyone down. Especially Izuku.

"I feel like such an idiot," Todoroki spoke up. "If I was there with Midoriya...things wouldn't be like this."

"That makes two of us," Hawks felt some relief knowing he had another person to share his frustration with.

"You were the one that brought him in right?" Todoroki recalled Hawks' absence in Chiyoda, the more he thought about it the more it unnerved him.

"Yeah, I paid a visit to Tartarus," Hawks shifted his gaze to the ground.

"And?"

"The whole place was a mess, worse than Chiyoda," he paused. "I doubt the news will show pictures tonight, the public isn't ready for that."

Todoroki let the words sink in. Worse than Chiyoda?! To think the disaster at the nation's political center paled in comparison to the breakout at Tartarus. With things shaping up the way they were...

"You don't think we could have another Jakku incident do we?" Todoroki let the worry pass through his mind, and then through his lips. The memory of the past still haunted him, as it surely did other heroes.

So many heroes had been lost that day, and he had almost lost his father. An explosive battle that had served as the graveyard for the vanguard of the previous generation of heroes, and also as the birthplace of the next.

"No. The Liberation Army and its followers are gone, and even with the Tartarus breakout the League of Villains don't have the resources to pull off something like that ever again."

Hawks continued, "But with One For All out of the picture...we'll have something worse."

Todoroki's heart sank deep into his chest. "Then it's up to us to stop that from happening."

Hawks turned to him, nodding his head with a grim expression on his head. "Right."

From then on the conversation went silent, the two continuing the stroll through the night without passing a word or glance between one another. They walked a few blocks passing by enough buildings and street corners until they had reached sight of their destination.

"They're closed," Hawks read the sign with disappointment.

"Seems like it, although I think I can see someone inside," Todoroki observed.

"Ah man, they make the best chicken in town," he lamented clutching his growling stomach. "They should be still open though," he checked his watch and then the sign.

"They must be closing early on account of the Villain attack," Todoroki added.

"I'm going to check it out," Hawks rushed towards the door with a slight wave, trying to get the attention of those inside the idle restaurant.

Todoroki followed close behind at his own pace, in no hurry to disturb them. He wondered to himself, how much of the city was afraid and how much of it was angry. Not towards the villains, but to the heroes who had failed to protect them.

As they reached the door, the person inside greeted them with a gesture that read: 'stop.' His face was barely visible through the shadow of the glass. The heroes could scarcely make out a muffled, "we're closed," before the shopkeeper realized who he was speaking too.

He approached the door, his humble expression and wide eyes in full view of the emerging light. "Come in! Come in!" he gestured first to Hawks and then to Todoroki. "You too."

"Are you sure? If you're closing we understand," Todoroki questioned.

"It's the least I can do to help, I can't thank you enough for your work."

They were led into the restaurant and seated within the quiet and calm atmosphere of the secluded refuge.

"Any drinks to start?" the man asking them was still dressed in his uniform and exhaustion.

"Water is fine," Todoroki responded hastily.

"Any soda works," Hawks answered, placing his menu to the side. He already knew what he was ordering.

The man nodded, and rushed out of sight.

"While we're here tell me," Hawks shifted around in his seat, placing his hands behind his head to stretch his back. "If you were Shigaraki, what would you do next?"

Todoroki took a few moments to process the question, resting his chin on his folded hands. They have numbers now, but limited intel. Would they act again so soon?

The waiter came back with their drinks. "Are you ready to order by any chance?"

"I'll have the chicken karaage," Hawks responded confidently.

Todoroki stood silent, lost in thought.

"And you?" the man asked.

"Uh, cold soba," Todoroki snapped. He didn't exactly feel hungry, but he'd hate to turn down any hospitality.

The man nodded once more and took their menus. Retreating to the chaos of the kitchen out of sight.

"I doubt the villains would attack again, they're still in the dark about Midoriya's condition," Todoroki paused to find his words. "And with the country on high alert, they can't afford to make a mistake."

"Exactly, that gives us some time," Hawks took a gulp of his soda releasing an 'aah' as he downed its contents and placed it back on the table. "They'll have to take time to reorganize, and gain intel."

"And after that…" Todoroki ran the options through his head.

"Gigantomachia," Hawks spoke with grim confidence echoed in his shifting tone.

A few minutes of idle talk passed before their conversation was invaded by a strong smell, followed by the emergence of both their waiter and their food. A steaming plate of chicken and a bowl of cold soba served with tsuyu sauce.

"Don't worry about the tab, it's on the house," the waiter spoke. "Just worry about keeping the city safe." He wandered off again, leaving the heroes to their meal.

"Thank you so much!" Hawks shouted after him before turning his attention to the food.

"Where were we?" Todoroki spoke up, taking a few bites of his soba. The smell had awoken his appetite, and he could feel his spirits rising.

"Gigantomachia," his voice was muffled and stuffed with food. Hawks swallowed, and cleared his throat, "I know where he is."

"He's not dead? I thought at Jakku—"

"No!" Hawks shouted, mourning the loss of a piece of chicken that had slipped from his grasp. "I dropped it."

He continued, "No, he's not dead. Very alive actually."

"The Commision lied?"

"Same as always," Hawks stirred the ice around in his drink. "You know how it is. 'We have to keep the public safe'." His last sentence was pronounced with a sarcastic tone and gesture. Hawks never could bring himself to agree with the Commission's methods, or their ideals for that matter. But they were his employers, the people who'd enabled him to be what he was today.

"Where? How?" Todoroki couldn't help but feel a bit of anger come through to his voice. It was one thing to lie to the world, the Hero Commission did it often, but Gigantomachia wasn't something to keep even the top heroes in the dark about.

"Shhh, pipe down. This info is top secret," Hawks placed his finger ahead of lip to gesture. "You wouldn't want me to lose my job would you?" He chuckled.

"Hmph," Todoroki wasn't in the mood for any antics.

"Back at Jakku there weren't nearly enough heroes to put Gigantomachia down, so they just had to subdue him. Sedatives. Great work on Midnight, and Creati's part."

"Right," although he wasn't there with the rest of his class during the events that had transpired that day, Todoroki knew full well of their accomplishments. How a group of UA students had acted as the last line of defence between innocent civilians and rampaging villains.

"Anyways, they could never move him from ground zero. Too risky, wouldn't want to wake him up after the damage he'd caused. They buried him alive under the Jakku memorial—"

Todoroki lurched forward, trying not to choke on his soba as he heard the words. "You're kidding."

"For once no. But if I had to guess where Shigaraki is striking next it would be there," Hawks stood up from his seat, and pushed his chair in. "Hit me up when you're free, I can give you a tour of the memorial." Hawks gave a parting smile and waved as he left the restaurant, giving a final shout of thanks for the owner before vanishing into the night.

Todoroki quietly finished his meal before taking after him.

….

It had already been twelve hours since he was checked in. Twelve hours of staring at idle medical machinery, and the drab surroundings of his bed. The absolutely blank, boring, and sterile room he felt stuck in. Interrupted at scheduled intervals only to be checked upon by nurses sent by the Hero Commission.

Izuku sighed. More often than not, he was alone now. Because of a question of national security, his condition had to be kept secret, and the people that should've been here to support him weren't even allowed to enter the room.

"There's someone here to see you," a nurse said. "Said they were a good friend of yours."

Surprised at who it was, Izuku stood up straighter in his hospital bed. "U-Uraraka?"

"How are you?" His old classmate asked him, quietly shocked by his state.

"I'm fine. Eri patched me up. What about you!? You fought in Chiyoda!" he said in his classic worried demeanor, seeing the bandages around her arms a bit.

"I just got released today. My burns were pretty bad."

"Dabi." Izuku surmised correctly, knowing the League didn't have other incendiary Quirk users besides him. "What happened?"

"I was done for until Todoroki and the others showed up. Bakugou needed to save the Diet, so I had to face Dabi on my own."

Izuku looked aside, mentally chiding himself aloud. "I should've seen this coming. Shigaraki would've never disbanded the League like some of us thought, not while All for One still lived."

"I don't think we could've seen this coming." Ochako disagreed. "Police have found evidence that the Nomu used in Chiyoda had been offloaded from the docks months ago, they've already told the Commision as well as the press."

"Does anyone know about Tartarus yet? No one's told me anything since yesterday."

She shook her head. "What's left of the Prison Staff have been told to keep quiet, and the press has known nothing. Apparently a few fishermen who could see the smoke in the distance were told it was a shipping freighter that needed to be abandoned."

Izuku laughed in surprise, actually shocked to hear something uplifting in the past few days. "That worked?"

"Not really, but it didn't get leaked." Ochako approached his bedside. "I heard you almost died. Deku...how could you face Shigaraki on your own like that?" Her voice had a pleading, almost angry tone.

Izuku couldn't meet her gaze. "I couldn't let All for One pass on his Quirk to Shigaraki. Doing so would mean the end of the world."

"So would your death," Ochako spoke bluntly. "Doesn't that matter?"

"If there was even a chance I could make it in time I had to take it. Waiting for everyone else already tied up in Chiyoda would've let the League, and what's left of the Liberation Army escape."

"What about Iida? And your mom? And all of us!?" Ochako lowered her voice, alarming a nearby nurse who was passing by.

Izuku tightened his lips. She was right, right on all accounts. "One for All...One for All is linked to All for One in a way. I don't know how to explain it, but I could tell something was brewing. One for All was trying to tell me something, that something was about to happen.."

"And you didn't think to tell anyone!?"

"I don't understand it well all right!?" Izuku said, raising his voice. Ochako took a few steps back after that outburst, a look of concern etched into her worried eyes.

Seeing the look on her face he apologized. "I'm sorry I've been stressed, I've had trouble sleeping too. What I mean is that One for All communicates strangely. It's like it has a mind of its own sometimes." He smiled. "I remember a long time ago, back on the island-"

Ochako knew Izuku was ignoring the elephant in the room. "I talked to Hawks. Is it true?"

"What?" Izuku failed to act incredulous.

"Izuku." Ochako rarely used his given name. "Is it true?" she spoke slowly, enunciating as clearly as possible.

Izuku nodded slowly. "Yes. Yes. One for All is completely gone."

"H-How?" was all Ochako could say.

"Eri needed to rewind the damage done to me. In trying to save my life, she lost control of her Quirk. I think...I think she, without trying to, erased One for All from existence."

Ochako smiled, a few parting tears swelled in her eyes. "I'm just glad you're alive."

Izuku gripped his bedsheets. "Forget me. I could be in a coma, I could be dead! All that matters is that One for All needs to be safe. I...I failed All Might. He warned me not to do this."

"What did he tell you?"

"I can't tell you. But I failed him Uraraka. In every way. The same day he died, I went against his word. I'm worse than a failure," he buried his gaze down into his lap. "I ignored All Might's last words. In some vain attempt to be a Hero."

"No," said Ochako plainly.

"W-What?"

"No. None of us," said Ochako. "Not even Bakugou or Todoroki, or any of us would've acted differently. All Might would've been proud. You put your life on the line, you were willing to die if it meant stopping the League. Not many of us can say we'd do anything different."

"But I- But I lost. I lost to Shigaraki. He won!"

"In what sense did he win?"

"Because he got what he wanted! I lost One for All! I might as well have died at Tartarus."

"How could you even say that?" Ochako said in shock. Her quirk had activated, forcing her stray tears to float aimlessly into the air as she shook her head.

"Because All Might was right. It didn't matter if I was strong or not, or if I was a Hero. Don't you get it!? That's not what All Might was about. True strength lied in keeping One for All alive, keeping faith in heroes alive. No matter what. Whatever it took. That's what being the Symbol of Peace meant."

"No one could've stopped Shigaraki. Not even you. You might not have kept One for All alive, but you're still here. Out there." Ochako motioned towards the window. "People are in total shock. Everyone has seen the League of Villains light the world on fire and get away with it. Not even Dabi got captured. There's nothing left to believe in. The Commision has been corrupt for years! The press and the government are completely paralyzed, and half of Chiyoda was on fire! You're all people have to look up to now. You being alive is more important than One for All now. Giving people that hope, that chance that we can win this. That we can come back, is what matters."

"So All Might was... wrong?"

"No. He was right Deku, and you followed him. Better than anyone else could." Ochako sighed, "I bet you're probably wondering why I was allowed to see you."

"Yeah. I'm just happy you're here to be honest," admitted Izuku.

"Well since the League will probably try their best to kill you now in your current condition. Iida and I will take care of you, you're to be placed in hospice in a small estate out in Gifu."

Izuku refused instantly. "What!? Away from everyone? But I'm needed! Here!"

Ochako shook her head. "We need you alive. It's isolated, it's safe, you'll be outside of a small town where the League can't possibly find you."

"But what about you and Iida? Don't you both have families here in the city?" Izuku remembered Iida's wife Mei had a baby shower last year.

"We've already made the arrangements. We drive out tomorrow. The commission will provide the guards and all our supplies."

Izuku loathed the idea that was completely forced upon him. All Might never would've approved. Izuku wanted to be in the thick of it, preparing for war against the League, rallying the country together. Not spirited off to some rural mansion surrounded by a private army armed to the teeth.

Izuku looked aside and sighed. He was sure the Commision had already arranged for someone to go get his things from his apartment. This was already decided, pure and simple. He smiled. At least he'd have his two closest friends beside him while he was isolated far from society. The society that seemed to be on the verge of crumbling around him.