Hello. Been a while. Over 6 months, in fact.
I really do apologise. I have gone to university. I have very little spare time. I have a reading week and, thusly, have time to write this.
'' = speech
' = thoughts
'' 'quote' '' = one character quoting another previous line
[][][] = little transition
{}{}{}= flashback begins/ends
Enjoy.
The coffee wasn't going down as smoothly as it used to.
The cup didn't feel as warm.
Ochako wasn't as lifeless as she was.
But it was forced. So, so forced.
Ochako was strolling around in a new hero costume, waiting for a call. Anything to take her mind off what happened.
It had been 2 days since Izuku had… died.
Nejire cradled her croissant in her arms as she swirled her cappuccino in her mug.
She wasn't hungry. She hadn't been hungry since she threw up at Tartarus. Ochako was practically feeding her like a baby.
They'd both experienced the death of loved ones. Colleagues. Never both in one.
"Uravity!" Came Uraraka's comm. "Mugging on 3rd."
The brunette briefly glanced at her girlfriend before launching herself out of the window and down into the streets below.
Nejire sighed.
How could she bring herself to use her quirk again?
It wasn't until Aizawa pointed it out that she'd realised she'd stopped hovering everywhere.
How could she be more like Ochako?
[][][]
"Shit!"
Ochako smirked.
Muggings in broad daylight were ill-advised. 10am was also not exactly prime traffic hours; there are less people to use as shields and less crowds to hide in.
The expletive from her target was a good sign… usually. Then he ducked into an alley.
Never a good sign. A trap, almost definitely. Probably multiple assailants.
Ochako pressed a small alarm on her belt and attached her cable to the outside wall of the alley. If needed, she could simply retract it and fly backwards to safety.
She followed down the alley at the best "I'm definitely chasing you like an idiot" pace she could pretend to do.
An arm swung from the darkness, missing by some distance. Then another came slightly closer. Ochako backpedaled, but didn't pull her cord and retreat just yet.
"We caught a big one, boys!" A booming voice from the end of the alley announced.
5 figures emerged from the partial shadow of the morning. Each was branded with a mark. A small wolf on their shoulders. A gang of some kind? A cult, perhaps?
She didn't really care. She flipped her bracket switch and zipped back towards the entrance of the alley.
"Duck, Ocha!" A chipper voice called to her from behind.
Against her better judgement, she did so. A box cutter sailed down the narrow path and into the forehead of the closest gangster.
She recognised the craftsmanship too well.
"HIMIKO!?" She turned back just in time to see the glint of a rifle.
A single shot fired and cracked off the forehead of the second closest villain.
Nagant was here too!?
"Watch it, toots." Dabi rounded the corner and strolled past her, flames licking at his heels. He stamped his foot and sent a fiery trail towards the gang.
In the subsequent screaming and confusion, Stain dropped from his perch on the roof and into the fray, slicing Achilles' tendons and breaking ribs as he forced the gang out into the street. Dabi very casually swept Uraraka out of the way as they stumbled into the waiting arms of-
"POWER!"
Lemillion.
"What the hell is going on!?" Uraraka screamed into the street.
"Ah!" Togata said excitedly as he landed a vicious elbow on the temple of one of the panicked criminals. "Uravity!" Another villain crumpled under the immense power of a boot to the face. "Hi!"
He turned away and let loose a nasty kick into the nuts of the largest guy charging him. Dabi sighed.
"He's a bit of a fucking idiot, sorry." He looked down at Ochako and shrugged. Nagant and Himiko, as well as a clearly grumbly Spinner, joined the pair as Stain threw the last straggler over his shoulder and into the centre of the street with a thud.
"Alright, Task Force V! Nice work!" Mirio grinned as he raised his goggles.
"I didn't even do anything." Spinner said indifferently.
"Mind filling me in on what's going on here?" Ochako scowled.
Togata's mouth gaped. "O-oh! Yes!"
He looked around to see they'd gathered quite the crowd.
"Mayoral building in 3 minutes." He said with a clap of the hands. The villains disappeared into the shadows, leaving Uraraka, standing over the unconscious forms of the gang, alone.
Paparazzi slowly crept towards her as the police sirens blared in the distance.
"Uhhhh…."
[][][]
"Uhhhh…." She felt like she'd been doing that for the whole 3 minutes she had been travelling towards the mayoral building.
"Please, take a seat." Mirio suggested.
The benches on the roof were a new addition. She hadn't had the time to visit any tourist attractions since her hero work began, in all fairness.
She sat with a small thud, making Nagant's end of the bench raise slightly.
"This…" Mirio swirled a finger and motioned to the entirety of the group of ex-villains, "Is Task Force V. V for 'Villain.'"
"Uh huh."
"We're a somewhat covert operations unit acting in Midoriya's place whilst he's incapacitated."
"Mirio."
"As you can see, I'm the leader of this little-"
"Mirio."
The blonde paused.
"I know. Hawks asked both mine and Midoriya's mother's permission to form this team."
"Oh." Togata deflated. Dabi grinned.
"Then what's causing the confusion?" Nagant said robotically.
"The whole 'covert operations unit acting in broad daylight' thing?" Ochako said in disbelief.
"Well, we decided that in order to replace Midoriya, we'd need to act in roughly the same time frame to stop similar amounts of crime." Stain perked up, clearly reaching a sudden realisation. He looked to Uraraka.
"But One for All…" His eyes widened. "He doesn't need sleep for several days, does he?"
Ochako snapped her fingers. "One of you gets it, at least."
"So Izu-kun would still out perform us, no matter what?" Himiko gasped.
"Yup." Ochako smiled. "Most crime happens at night, guys. That's when Deku and I are both at our busiest. Spending time dealing with small fry like today is pointless. You're just warning the big fish that there's a superhero squad on the prowl."
"And so long as we have to sleep like normal people, we can never stop as much crime as Midoriya."
"Not so long as we all act as one unit!" Mirio beamed. "Nezu never said I couldn't separate our team into shifts!"
"What's to stop the shift without you causing some mayhem?" Spinner said with a slight hint of optimism.
"I wouldn't recommend that!" A small, squeak of a voice erupted from Lemillion's comm piece. The blonde dug it out of his ear and held it to the group.
"Nezu?" Ochako grimaced.
"You surely don't think we'd allow you to go completely unchecked?"
"Isn't that what Lemon Boy is for?" Himiko said as she stroked Ochako's hair, to the surprise of no one.
"Whilst his quirk is a perfect counter to you all, he is but one man!" Mirio felt his pride take a slight knock.
"What exactly have you done to us?" Nagant frowned.
"Nanites in your bloodstream that can be activated to cause a cardiac arrest." Came the creepily happy reply.
"When do you inject us with those!?" Dabi growled down the earpiece.
"Ohoho! 'Inject!' How archaic! How silly!"
"Then how did you-"
"We put them in the teabags you used at our meeting yesterday morning."
Mirio's forehead gained a slight sheen to it as he clicked his tongue.
"I believe we should be grateful that the principal has the intellect to trust us." Stain began. "A lesser man may have been tempted to kill us immediately."
"The heart palpations are temporary, I assure you! It is only a means of disabling you until you can be apprehended, should you turn on us, of course."
"Good grief." Nagant stood sharply. "I'll lead a team during the day. And I'll take Himiko and Stain."
"And how is that fair!?" Spinner snarled. Clearly he was aggravated at being separated from his idol.
"They're quiet. With no flashy quirks. And efficient. And hard working. And aren't lizards. Should I keep going?" Nagant, despite her jesting tone, was stone faced.
"So the night crew is the "hard and loud" crew?" Dabi said with a chuckle.
"Absolutely not!" Mirio interjected. "We are still covert, everyone! We can just afford to be more… volatile at night when the public are safely tucked away indoors."
"He makes a good point. A lot less nighttime heroes for you guys to get mixed up with too. Less complications and more chances to stay out of the public eye." Nagant seemed almost annoyed that Togata had made a somewhat accurate statement.
"Well if staying out of the public eye is an issue…" Stain held a finger to his earpiece. "Why don't we have costumes to hide the fact that we're villains?"
No reply came from Nezu.
Ochako laughed. "That's code for 'do it yourselves.'"
"Well… do either of you two heroes know a costume maker who can get us something to keep our identities safe?" Himiko tapped Ochako's temple gently.
Mirio shook his head. "My costume is made of my own hair. I have a specialist for that. No standard jobs for him."
Ochako huffed. "I know a guy. Well, guy and girl. Deku and I saved their shop a few months ago. I think I could call in a favour."
[][][]
"This goes a little beyond a favour, don't you think?"
Ochako slumped. "Look, I know that it's quite a few costumes to make, but-"
"But it's definitely not proportionate to the saving of your shop?" Himiko asked with a hint of annoyance.
The brunette behind the counter sighed.
"Maki, please. She makes a point."
Maki, a woman in her mid thirties with dark brown hair in a loose ponytail, turned to her husband.
"Taka. Opinion please."
Taka jumped in his seat slightly. "Hmm?" He lifted his goggles from his eyes and took in the group.
"Lots of average builds. Average height for 3 of them." Taka slicked back his black hair and adjusted his apron. "We have a lot of unsold merchandise to shift…" He flicked the goggles back down and returned to his weaving of bulletproof fibres.
Maki's face lightened. "Oh yeah! You guys don't mind a lack of customisation, nah?"
"No complaints here." Dabi shrugged. "I don't need much of a suit really, I'd likely burn it to a crisp by accident anyway."
Maki rubbed the wrinkles around her eyes. "I take it this is strictly off the record?" She asked Ochako.
"I mean you can always charge this to U.A if you're in a pinch." Uravity smiled slyly.
"Alright then. Follow me." Maki opened the door to the right of the counter and urged the group to follow them into the basement.
"So… fireproof gear needed… something that won't chafe scales… and something that allows for an arm to transform. Alright."
Maki pulled back a curtain and there, on three mannequins, was a selection of similar suits.
"No arms on the furthest one for Nagant. And this one has flameproof arms at least."
Dabi approached. "Black. Decent for night work."
"All of the suits will be black, just fyi." Maki pulled open a drawer and grabbed an armful of leggings.
"So we'll essentially be in uniforms?" Himiko grumbled.
"Being black means they're a blank slate. Nothing to say that we can't customise them." Nagant plucked the armless top of the mannequin and held it up to her chest.
"We'll just have to avoid looking like Power Rangers." Spinner thumbed at a coolant infused fibre.
"You have spare masks?" Mirio motioned to a glass cabinet full of them.
"Uhhhh… you can have a few I guess. They're not really hard to sell so I'd like to keep some." Maki crossed her arms behind her back. "Anyone need anything tailored?"
[][][]
"You all look great!" Mirio beamed.
"We look ridiculous." Dabi looked at their team of reformed miscreants.
The customisation hadn't quite gone as planned.
They'd all ended up in black, skin tight suits with masks.
Himiko had chosen a simple mask that covered her head entirely save for her mouth, which she would certainly need to utilise on the fly.
Dabi had thrown his jacket over himself and chosen to hide his face entirely. His scars were incredibly recognisable. He couldn't possibly be mistaken for someone else if they were on display.
Spinner had no mask. Well, he technically did. An eye mask on a lizard person didn't exactly make someone think they were looking at a dog.
Nagant hid her hair under a beanie and wore a small eye mask. She claimed she had an unremarkable face and that it would be difficult to place her without her hair showing. Ochako had difficulty arguing with that. She could barely tell it was her and she'd watched her put it on.
Stain had taken a crimson jacket from the storage lot and pulled it over himself, managing to keep dozens of blades out of sight it the various pockets and straps.
"Remember when I said we don't want to look like the Power Rangers!?" Spinner rolled his eyes.
"Well let's make these things unique." Nagant strode to an ajar wardrobe and pulled it open.
"H-Hey, that's not the stuff we're throwing ou-"
A small coin purse flew into Maki's open hand as she protested.
Kaina pulled the beanie off her head as she held a pair of pink and purple cargo pants aloft. She quickly reached in and grabbed a vest of a similar design and colour scheme.
"The cash in their cover it?" She asked as she pulled the pants on over her skintight suit.
Maki peered into the purse and felt her eyes bulged out of her skull.
"Oh my-wha-hmm. Yes. Just about." She said as her pupils darted back and forth.
"I could always throw my utility over the suit." Spinner motioned to his patchwork of small compartments and sheaths which lay atop his old clothes.
Ochako looked at each member of the Task Force in turn. "Hey Maki?"
The older woman, distracted by the purse, spurred into life. "Yeah?"
"You got any spray paint?" Ochako grinned.
[][][]
"We somehow look worse." Dabi whimpered.
He had remained in his jacket and boots, but now had several pockets on a utility belt that contained throwable items that he could set alight.
Spinner was coated in green and yellow paint in a scale pattern he felt was a little on the nose. His straps and sheath fit snugly over the skintight material without causing the coolant fibres to press too firmly against his skin.
Nagant had painted her boots and gloves to match the purple and pinks of her vest and pants, the skin tight black now barely visible through the small gaps in her clothing.
Stain had covered the entire of the spandex-like material in a red mist, as if he had been hit by a blood splatter. Uraraka wasn't quite sure if he understood that civilians weren't supposed to be able to guess who they were.
And Himiko had-
"Himiko… what?"
The blonde sat cross legged on the floor with her mask in her hands.
"What is it?"
Dabi scoffed. "You're literally just you in black spandex."
"Hmm." He replied immediately.
"You're barefoot. What shoes are you wearing with that?" Ochako asked.
"My school shoes." Himiko said.
"And your mask doesn't hide your hair." Nagant said as she pointed to her beanie.
"Nope." Himiko raised a brow. Was she doing something wrong?
Ochako sighed. "Get up." She offered the blonde a hand which the crazy girl took eagerly.
"I'm taking her shopping and to get her hair done." Uravity said matter-of-factly as she tugged the girl behind her.
Himiko kicked her shoes on and quickly tugged her coat over her arms.
Mirio marched towards the pair. "Excuse me, Uravity, but this operation is mine to-"
Uraraka simply looked at the group leader.
"Say no more." Togata conceded with raised hands. "Just get her back here by nightfall."
"I will." Ochako offered sternly. "Expect a whole new Himiko…"
[][][]
"You sure do know a lot of people." Himiko said as the stylist ran her hands through her blonde locks.
"That's what happens when you don't live in prison or in an abandoned bar for most of your adolescent life." The brunette said sweetly.
"What exactly am I doing after this?" Suzui, the hairdresser, asked as she popped the shampoo's lid open.
"Trim, highlights, braid into twin tails." Ochako looked up from her magazine.
"What colour highlights?" Suzui smoothed the shampoo into Himiko's scalp, earning a small groan of satisfaction.
"I dunno! Let her decide."
Suzui looked down to Himiko nervously. The blonde met her eyes and offered her a fang-filled grin.
"So, uh, Ms Toga… do you have someone special?"
"Ooh, I'm glad you asked! His name is Izuku Midoriya!" Himiko said proudly as she was whisked upwards suddenly to face herself in the mirror.
"Oh, um… are you also his someone special?" The stylist was skeptical, understandably.
"Not yet! But I will be! Trust me!"
"R-Right. I'm just going to take a few inches from your hair, okay?"
"If Ocha thinks it'll look nice, go ahead!"
Suzui ran her fingers through the long blonde locks. Toga's hair easily reached her lower back after going so long without adequate grooming in Tartarus.
20 minutes of trimming reduced that to just below her shoulder blades.
"Now, Ms Toga: what colour would you like for your highlights?"
"We're dyeing my hair!?"
"Only in small strips…" Suzui recoiled from the ex-criminal's overexcitement.
"Oh! Okey dokey! Green please!"
"Green?"
'What a hideous colour to pair with blonde!'
"For Izuku!"
"Not red for blood!?" Ochako yelled from the waiting area.
The young stylist was the picture of shock. Did she really know Uravity at all!?
Luckily they'd convinced Suzui and Hideo, her manager, to close up shop to allow them complete privacy.
"Nope! Blood is secondary to people, Ocha!"
"Good!"
"S-So Green, y-yes?" Suzui gulped.
"Yup! Forest Green, if possible!"
"Oh, we only really have an emerald type…" The hairdresser backed away a step.
"Hmmmm… alright! Hit me with it!"
[][][]
"Hey hey!" Himiko leapt the last four steps and stamped down heavily in the basement.
"Oh, winter boots. Good." Nagant eyed the brown high tops. "It's getting cold out."
"Is your hair green?" Stain chuckled. "You lack subtlety."
Himiko giggled nervously. "No idea what you're talking about."
"Right. Can we finally move past this enormous detour?" Mirio sighed.
"And… do what?" Dabi inspected his nails. "We don't exactly have targets to go after."
Ochako stood at the top of the stairs, listening intently.
"If they aren't gone in twenty minutes, kick 'em out." She said to Maki. "They'll listen."
The brunette ran out of the shop, touched her chest and leapt into the skyline.
'I can't believe I forgot to check on Nejire! I didn't even text!'
[][][]
Hado sat in a crumpled heap in front of the couch, her back resting haphazardly on the edge of the cushions.
She'd tried to put on her hero costume.
Tried.
She had looked to her hands and seen his blood.
She'd felt his brain matter in her hair.
The very sight of herself in the mirror turned her stomach as his headless corpse seemed to float around her.
She had cast the costume back into the closet and ran tearfully into the kitchen.
After dry heaving for a few minutes, she collapsed in front of the TV and found the cartoons channels subconsciously.
She'd get up eventually, she'd just-
"Nejire?"
She slowly tilted her body to gaze sadly at her girlfriend.
"Why are you down there?"
Nejire shrugged.
Ochako hummed sadly. Then withered away into the laundry room.
Nejire turned her attention back to the cartoons. Well, 'attention' was a generous term. She was essentially staring blankly at the screen and gradually processing the shapes and colours.
"Unf." Ochako sat down next to her and pulled her into her chest. Nejre didn't fight it. She simply craned her neck to keep an eye on the cartoons.
Judging by the fact that her cheek was against a softer material, Ochako had changed into casual, lazy, home clothes.
"What do you want for dinner?" He heard her say. She'd only been home for a handful of minutes. Or had she?
She could've been staring at Nejire for any number of hours and she wouldn't have been any the wiser.
"I don't mind." She lied.
"You're fussy. Yes you do." Her lover refuted that very lie.
"Something that I can stab and not break a plate." The bluenette's face twitched and Ochako could feel it against her chest.
"Steak it is, then. I'll order in a little bit." Uraraka slumped against the couch a small amount, making Nejire's head unceremoniously fall into her lap.
As Ochako flustered, she simply turned to look up at her.
"How do you do it?" Nejire narrowed her eyes.
She could see Ochako fight off the urge to say 'do what?' and grit her teeth.
"I'm struggling too. Every time I close my eyes-"
"You see him." Nejire finished.
"Hmm."
"You remember how powerless you felt. That we couldn't control our actions."
"And it doesn't make it any easier to justify."
"Not one bit."
The cartoons sucked both of them in for a moment.
"Do you remember what I said to you after I blew that guy's legs off in the 7/11?" Nejire gulped after throwing it out there.
"I do."
"I knew he'd die. I told you it was my biggest fear."
"You did."
"I don't know if me being the one to do it should be more comforting to me than if a stranger did it." Nejire squinted, deep in thought.
"Why would that affect it? He'd still be gone." Ochako grimaced.
"He would."
.
.
.
"You tried to put your costume on, didn't you?"
"I did. I saw him. His blood on me."
"I saw it on the floor in the closet doorway. I put it back on the display. And covered it with a blanket."
"Thank you, Ocha."
"Now we just have to get you using your quirk again."
"I don't know if I can until he wakes up. I need to tell him what happened."
"Assuming he doesn't remember." Ochako coughed.
"Yeah. I hope he forgives me."
"He will. It's Deku. He'd apologise for being punched if he weren't so high on testosterone."
[][][]
"How is he, Shuzenji?" Yagi poked his head around the doorframe.
"The boy is still as stubborn as ever, even whilst comatose." Recovery Girl said as she packed her things into her bag. "I know that I always busted his chops for getting hurt-"
The grey haired heroine shook her head.
"-but seeing any of my patients in this condition puts things into perspective."
Toshinori took a seat at his protégé's bedside. "How so?"
Chiyo laughed with a hint of subtlety. "He has to be the centre of attention. Were it not for him drawing the hatred of the Dictator, the blind fool could've used his powers to destroy half of the country. Instead, he chose to use our strongest and smartest to beat up a teenager."
Yagi perked up. Then smiled warmly. "The boy is special. I may have pushed criminals into hiding… but this young man may just be able to give them nowhere to run to."
Recovery Girl cupped her chin in thought. "Nowhere to run, hmm…?"
[][][]
"Nowhere to run, evildoer!" Togata bellowed out towards the docks.
Flames circled and enclosed on the lone smuggler as he fruitlessly fired into the dark abyss behind the flames.
Dabi yawned as he turned his wrist, the flames stretching out into cords like jump ropes and threatening to cook their prey.
"Spinner!" Togata called to the lizard. "Disarm!"
The scaly scoundrel leapt through the flames and promptly sliced off the man's hand.
"WHAT!?" Togata phased through the fire and scooped up the screaming, bleeding man. "I said disarm!"
"I did!" Spinner said defensively.
"Disarm means to remove his weapon!" Mirio scowled.
"O-oh."
"Moron." Dabi reduced the roaring flames to a soft, pattering glow. "Get him to the hospital, oh glorious leader. We'll head back to base and rest up."
Togata nodded. "You're right. It's only a few hours until the other three have their shift. We need to be alert."
The blonde boy stood. "Contact me if you see any of the other syndicate members." He dashed for a low rider in the distance, which promptly pulled out of the parking lot towards the city centre.
Spinner looked to Dabi. "Should we start walking?"
Todoroki quickly glanced at the handgun within the Severed hand as they began the journey back.
A clock was engraved on the clip.
[][][]
"How is it?" Ochako asked. Her curry was a little underwhelming, if she was honest.
Nejire, as if she hadn't already had a few mouthfuls, truly considered the taste and texture of her steak.
"Juicy but not chewy."
"So perfect?"
"Hmm."
The sound of smacking lips and clinking cutlery overtook all other noise until they were finished.
Ochako sighed softly as she stumbled on somewhat sore legs to their bedroom. Nejire whimpered to herself.
Had she done something wrong? Should she have been trying to make conversation?
It was true that neither of the two girls were intimate, nor were they truly knowledgeable on the topic of each other. Ochako's favourite things were just as much guesswork to her as it was to a stranger. Well, other than mochi and the colour pink.
Uraraka emerged in her pajamas. Nejire raised a brow before realising just how dark their living room was. She glanced at the clock. Oh wow. It was past nine already. Had she really spent the entire day staring into space and doing nothing?
''It dawn on you?'' Ochako scooped her empty plate up from the table then grabbed her girlfriend's. She dropped them in the sink and let the water fill until they were engulfed.
''Yeah. I'm sorry. This is my apartment and I have done literally nothing today!'' Nejire huffed.
Ochako tutted. ''Nope. None of that. If anything I'm being weird by going right back to hero work so soon.''
''Y'know, I was thinking maybe this was a case of us both expecting to be doing what the other person was doing.'' Nejire smiled.
''Mhmm. Pick yourself up. We'll watch a movie in bed or something.'' Ochako patted her on the back and the pair trudged to the bedroom.
''When do you think you'll be back on patrol?'' The brunette asked as she passed Nejire her nightshirt.
Periwinkle hair cascaded down her back as she undid her ponytail and threw her t-shirt off. ''Honestly, Ocha, I-'' Two pairs of eyes met. ''I don't know if I ever can again.''
''I doubt that. You're likely just feeling that way because of the recency of all this. You'll be missing the work soon enough and jump right back in the saddle.''
''I hope you're right.'' Nejire threw the shirt on and leapt into the covers. Ochako slipped under and grabbed the remote.
''What are we feeling tonight?''
Nejire cupped her chin in thought. ''Something kid-friendly.''
Ochako nodded. 'Less chance of something that would dredge up unpleasant memories. Clever.'
They decided on a movie. Ochako was shocked when Nejire nestled into her shoulder within only a few minutes of screentime. She didn't resist the contact.
Pretty soon the warmth was only seconds away from pulling her into slumber too.
She only hoped that tomorrow would be a better day.
[][][]
''Midoriya.''
Green eyes flew open. A gasping, desperate attempt to suck in air escaped him. He sat up fast.
''Nana!''
Shimura laughed heartily. ''Hi. You got quite the shock in that fight, didn't you?''
Midoriya clenched his face up and rubbed his forehead. ''Wh-What happened? I can't remember.''
He looked around the room. The previous holders sat, either in thrones or on the floor near him.
''Well, think for a second, kid. You're obviously asleep or unconscious for you to be here.'' Banjo chuckled.
''The assault on Tartarus…'' Midoriya mumbled aloud. ''Did we win? I only remember the Warden announcing that he- he was… why can't I remember?''
The Holders looked between each other.
Midoriya perked up as he recognised those looks. Worried. Narrowed.
''Please!'' Midoriya lowered himself into an impromptu bow. ''If you know what happened, tell me! I must know!''
Nana stood from her crouched position and offered her protege a hand. ''Come with me.''
Izuku took the hand shakily, alarmed by her tone.
Surely he couldn't… No. He wouldn't die there. Not without passing on One for All. He - He couldn't.
''Now, Mido- Izuku.'' Again, Nana's tone shook him. ''We can store your memories in One for All. Anything we deem important, we keep here.''
Shimura waved her hand and an endless tunnel of images appeared. He recognised some. His battle with Shigaraki. His entrance exam. The first time he activated Float. They seemed to have no chronology or filter to their appearance.
''Why was I not told of this before?'' Izuku asked in curiosity.
Nana laughed briefly. ''Well, we never needed to access your memories before. You seemed to have a photographic memory of quirks and villains anyway, you little hero nerd.'' She jabbed in jest.
Izuku stayed silent as he allowed Nana to lead him along the… hallway? The further along they trod, the more developed the passages became. From a tunnel like that a train would pass through to that of a castle's well furnished and decorated halls.
''We're here.'' Nana walked behind Izuku and placed both hands on his shoulders.
The image was black. Nothing. Just a vantablack square inside a frame formed from what seemed to be brain matter, unlike the other memories, which had a golden, seamless frame.
''Are you ready?'' He heard her ask.
''I guess I have to be.''
''You can always turn back. Wait until you wake up to learn.'' She muttered.
''Oh thank god. That must mean I'm not dead.''
He felt Nana shake a little in amusement. ''Are you so sure?''
Izuku turned his head to view her face. She had no expression. No readable one, at least.
''I'm ready.'' He said sternly as he faced the portrait.
''You're a strong boy, Izuku.'' Was the last thing he heard as Nana pushed him towards the frame. His vision blurred. His body felt lighter.
Then he 'awoke.'
He turned around to see the crowd of heroes he had taken back Tartarus with. He was asking Kirishima if he was alright-
No.
No.
They hadn't.
They hadn't killed him.
They hadn't killed him.
The barrage continued. The injuries racked up. He couldn't feel them as his memory self could. It was odd. It was as if he was currently occupying his mind alongside himself in this particular moment.
The Dictator revealed himself, to the equal shock of both Midoriyas. The typical evil plan continues, yada yada.
Then Nejire was brought before him.
He could hear his own words, spewed through broken jaws and missing teeth. His girlfriend's tears poured as she raised her hands to his chin.
Then it all went dark. His vision in this blackness blurred further.
Nana's grip on his shoulders returned.
''Izuku. Are you alright?''
He looked back at her, wordless. Banjo hovered at the end of the corridor, expression glum.
Izuku growled inwardly as he shook with anger and frustration.
''Good. Use this, Midoriya.'' Daigoro said as he approached. ''Use it to wake up.''
Izuku nodded. The crackling of One for All's lightning filled his ears and the bright lights filled his vision.
[][][]
''Good lord!'' Shuzenji barked in surprise as she quickly evacuated the hospital room.
''What's wrong!?'' All Might jogged to her side.
''It's the boy! He's… I don't know what he's doing!''
Toshinori peered around the doorframe and was forced to squint as the emerald lightning grew around his apprentice. Soon, Midoriya was surrounded by a green bubble-like creation of his own making.
The exterior was smooth to the touch but, inside, Midoriya was expelling lightning to the bubble's interior which reflected back into his skin, only to be expelled again in a different spot.
''I-I don't know what this is.'' Yagi placed a hand gingerly on the bubbles surface. He was surprised by the lack of pain but, most surprising, was the hard nature of this casing. It was more like resin around a fossil than a liquid bubble.
Midoriya's face was peaceful. He was evidently not in pain or discomfort as his body floated above the bed sheets.
Yagi turned to Inko, who was slowly marching into the room.
''Inko, dear; get me my costume please.''
Dun dun duuuuuuuuun. Only joking. I'll likely have a chapter to follow this much faster than the gap between my last and this one, that's for sure.
I must apologise again. I really didn't intend to leave this story without an update for so long. Life has been rather hard and rather hectic of late. I will definitely have plenty of time to update in the summer between my first and second year.
I'm also writing a new story too, so if you're a fan of my writing as well as this story, please look out for that.
Thank you for reading!