AN: Up until this point, the story has loosely been following cannon events. This chapter is where it deviates from that. While there are a few references to some dialogue, nothing should be a spoiler. Enjoy!

"You've gotta go." She smiled, her beautiful face smiled in understanding.

I reached for her wheelchair. "I have to help you first."

She shook her head and I watched her struggle to lift herself from the bench into her wheelchair. "No, you go be a hero. I'm sure there are people who need help. I've got my phone, I'll get someone to pick me up."

I was torn. I didn't want to leave her alone, but the longer I waited could mean the difference in life or death for anyone hurt. She tugged me down to her and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek. "You promised I wouldn't distract you from your hero work."

That wasn't the promise but I understood.

I nodded, her kiss still warming my skin. Next time, next time I would tell her. My hands clutched hers one final time. I had to hurry.

"Please be safe, Ochako."

I charged up One for All, looking at her one final time when I saw her eyes widen in terror at the same time I felt it: All for One.

"Why hello, Midoriya. Who's your friend?" Shigaraki asked, making my blood run cold. How did he find me? And why can I sense All for One with him? "I don't think I've seen her at UA before."

"Shigaraki," I growled, making sure Ochako was directly behind me. "If you want a fight, we'll go somewhere else."

Somewhere far, far away from her.

Shigaraki's grin widened. "I think right here is just fine. You see, I've got this handy little trick now where I can tell a person's weakness when I look at them. And yours is right behind you. It must be fate, really. That I would get so lucky to find the wielder of One for All and their weakness at the same time."

He looked past me and I growled, hunching forward and ready to attack. "If you even think about touching her I will destroy you."

"Oo, feisty, Midoriya," Shigaraki said with a sickening smile. "This will be fun."

He stepped forward and I charged my quirk. I couldn't let him touch us because of his quirk, but I could grab him with black whip and keep him away from Ochako who was dead silent behind me.

"But can you really stop me and save her?" He questioned, charging at me in a blaze. I threw out black whip and he dodged the black tendrils swirling around him. Ochako rolled back in her wheelchair, she was panting and one of her hands was clutching the front of her shirt. She yelled out and I nearly missed her warning as black claws were being thrust at me. I grabbed Ochako from her wheelchair and darted away, narrowly dodging the attack.

At this rate, I would have to try and flee and hide her to keep her out of danger. Shigaraki was adamant about targeting her to weaken me.

"Dammit," I muttered as I pondered my options.

Ochako was pale and starting to form beads of sweat at her temples. I knew she was afraid but…

"Are you feeling okay?" I asked, darting away from another blast and landing us on top of a building.

She nodded her head and tried to even her breathing.

"Talk to me, Ochako," I pleaded, looking around for a place that wasn't destroyed where I could take her.

"Don't worry about me. Remember your promise," she said quietly. "Let me go, I'm just holding you back."

I narrowed my eyes on her. "Stop acting like I'm going to abandon you. My job right now is to protect you and defeat him. My power was made for that. I'll keep you safe, Ochako."

She was still out of breath but managed a smile. "I always knew you'd make a great hero."

Shigaraki appeared in front of us and I clutched Ochako closer to my chest. "I don't appreciate you running away. It's not fair to keep her all to yourself."

I couldn't risk using full cowling or my usual smash while holding Ochako, if he manages to lay a hand on her, it's over. I could call blackwhip again, but I have a short time span of control over it.

"You'll never beat me like this," Shigaraki teased.

He was right but my hands were tied. I couldn't put her down and I also couldn't attack while holding her. I clutched her tightly and used blackwhip to guide us down to the ground. Shigaraki met us in seconds.

"I can use my quirk," Ochako breathed. "I can float away so you can focus."

I shook my head, not taking my eyes off of Shigaraki. "Doesn't that put too much strain on you? We can't risk you falling if your quirk gives out."

"Hey handjob!" Kacchan shouted as he darted toward us in an explosive leap, already in his hero outfit. "Too weak to fight fair?"

"Kacchan?" I asked, smiling. "How did you find us?"

He didn't take his eyes away from Shigaraki. "Ask Uraraka. She did a much better job explaining the situation than when you sent out a text for help."

Kacchan surged forward sending blast after blast, effectively making Shigaraki further from us. Even so, Shigaraki didn't look damaged in the slightest.

I gasped at the girl in my arms. "When did you—?"

But my voice caught in my throat as I looked at her. Really looked at her.

Her skin was nearly white and translucent, beads of sweat rolled down her face and her whole body heaved with every breath she took. Panic surged as I realized she was having another one of her breathing episodes while we faced the deadliest villain in the world.

"You need to go back to the hospital," I told her, trying to keep my voice even. Would we even be able to make it in time? I couldn't leave Kacchan. He wasn't strong enough and Shigaraki would likely still follow me.

"Izu—ku," Ochako coughed, clutching her sweater in a vice grip. "Put me down and end it. Please."

I didn't want to listen but I had no other choice. I needed to fight Shigaraki and to stop this now before things got worse. I just wished someone else would show up too. Someone who could get her out of here.

I sat her down while she was trying to regulate her breathing as gently as I could before narrowing my eyes at Shigaraki.

It was time to put an end to this.

"Leaving her behind? That's not very heroic," Shigaraki teased. "She doesn't look so good. Are you sure that's a good idea, little hero?"

I charged up One for All and launched myself at him, activating black whip. As long as he doesn't touch me it's fine, right? Powering up to one hundred percent I charged at him.

"Detroit Smash!"

My arm was purple and hurting but I pushed through, channeling my power into my other arm.

"Wyoming Smash!"

My arms flopped in the wind and blood was running down Shigaraki's cheeks.

"So eager to die, are we, Midoriya?" He grunted as I once again powered up, focusing my energy in my right leg. After this, it would be hard to attack him again but there were no other options.

"Someone I love told me that heroes don't want to die," I shouted at him. "but they're willing to fight for peace with everything they have! So I promise you, Shigaraki…I'm going to end this!"

My leg connected with his face sending us both spirialing to the ground in a wave of debris. Every single inch of my body was in agony as I moved to get a look at him. He was shaking but trying to stand. I cursed. I couldn't walk with only one leg and if I could just get one more hit in…I could do it. We could end this, right here. Right now.

He was nearly to his feet when I felt my body go weightless. My head whipped back to see Kacchan holding Ochako in his arms, her hand outstretched and straining as she fought to breathe and a determined look on her face.

"Make it count, Deku," Kacchan said. I nodded, powering up my quirk one final time. Shigaraki's eyes widened in terror as I flew toward him, One for All coursing through my remaining good leg. It's over. It has to be over.

"SMASH!"

Things started to blur after my attack. I remembered being on the ground and I was surrounded by people. They were talking to me but I couldn't hear what they said. My ears were ringing and it was far too loud. But one face stood out. A blonde but not spikey like Kacchan. Who was this?

"Mirio?"

The ringing in my ears died down as my vision started to clear. Blue eyes and a nervous smile greeted me.

"Hey, buddy. You did it," he told me. "The others are still fighting but it's going to be okay. Because of you."

What did I do?

He shook my shoulder and I grumbled at the pain that it caused to shoot through my body. "Stay awake a little longer, okay?"

I blinked, trying to look around but wasn't able to move my head.

"Ochako?"

His smile dropped. "Bakugo left with her for the hospital. He was going as fast as he could to keep her safe. Sorry I was told to leave you here until the ambulance showed up because of your injuries."

My head started to ache and I couldn't make sense of what he was saying. I was so tired.

"Come on, just a little longer, buddy. Listen, I got my quirk back," he said.

His quirk?

"Eri's been working really hard to get control of rewind. She was able to fix me with no issues. Listen, she wants to help Uraraka too."

My voice cracked as I fought to stay conscious. "Can she…do that?"

"We don't know, but Eri is going right now so she can ask if she can try," he said. "Uraraka told me she put off being seen by a doctor too long and her treatments didn't work soon after. Maybe this way…they can catch it in time. Maybe she can have a chance to get rid of it once and for all."

I tried to smile but I wasn't sure I was able to. "I want her to live."

He nodded and I felt my mind grow hazy again. "She wants you to live too. Don't make her worry too much."