A/N I don't own Boku no Hero Academia
Chapter 66:
Eijiro Kirishima sat up on a cot and rolled his neck to either side with a couple of cracks. He looked around him and his expression became grim as he remembered where he was, and he was quick to stand up and get into a more focused state. He looked towards an area on the side of all the cots where he saw a pile of U.A. gym clothes, and he headed over to grab a blue shirt that would fit him. He glanced around while putting the shirt on, spotting others from his class still laying unconscious around the area. Bakugo's gonna need surgery someone said. Why's he still here then? Kirishima looked away from his friend to try and look for someone to talk to about that.
As Kirishima looked around, he realized there were not many people around who looked in charge of the situation. Recovery Girl's still asleep, he thought, and he reached up a hand and started rubbing over his shirt where he felt a shallow wound from earlier when he was shot. He brought that hand to his forehead next, but he was careful when rubbing around the white bandage on his forehead. There were over fifty people still on the flat cement surface up at the top of the Sports Festival stadium's south wall. Only three of them were standing like him, two of them going around helping injured who were not asleep, while one was just a hero who glanced back upon seeing him move around. The woman got back to guarding the area with a serious expression suggesting to Kirishima she did not want to be bothered by stupid questions.
"Hey, Class B," Kirishima called over to the two boys who were moving between cots and checking on all the patients there. Kosei Tsuburaba and Hiryu Rin turned towards Kirishima who finished putting on a shirt to cover his muscular torso. There was someone Kirishima did not see in the area whose cot was taken up by someone else, but although that made him a little nervous, he had made sure the other boy was alright before passing out in the first place. "Either of you see where Zach went?"
Rin glanced at Tsuburaba and shrugged, but the other boy with short and spiky brown hair turned his head and looked out past the huge hole in the wall near them. "Yeah. He and Monoma headed over to the hospital as soon as he woke up." Tsuburaba looked back and added, "If you're planning on heading out to help, go mention something to Cementoss sensei at the base camp at the bottom of the steps. He might have something he wants you to do instead."
"Oh, thanks," Kirishima said, as that was some pretty useful information. He rolled his arms a couple of times and then headed for the long cement steps leading down to a much larger cleared area down below. Kirishima froze when he reached the top of the steps, because he was not expecting the enormous crowd he saw down there that he was going to have to walk down to. There were media vans and helicopters parked nearby, pro heroes all over the place, and other students running around. An area was set aside with heroes guarding it and standing close to the doctors working on villains who were hurt badly. Black vans and buses were gathered not far from there, and one prison bus started leaving to take the villains to a holding facility being set up to hold the terrorists while Tartaros was being repaired and upgraded.
There was an eating area established not far from where Kirishima spotted Cementoss, looking like it was built by the teacher down there who was coordinating efforts with Ectoplasm. Kirishima did not see the principal anywhere, nor any of his other teachers, so he started heading down the steps to talk to Cementoss. Really want to go see how Zach's doing. If he went straight to the hospital, it's probably to bring back people still dying… Kirishima frowned thinking about how much Zach screamed when he brought back Shoji, and the pain that covered Monoma's face which he saw from close-up as Monoma brought Zach back to life a few hours ago. Doing that over and over again. At least he has Monoma to help him this time, not like those months of him doing it on his own.
Kirishima looked up as he headed down the stairs, staring towards the eating area where he saw a few students in Class A sitting around. He spotted both of the others who he had his fight with back during the final round of the tournament, and he called down to them while speeding up his descent on the stairs. Uraraka and Yaoyorozu were sitting with Ashido, Sero, Koda, and Mineta and eating some food that Lunch Rush whipped up for them to give them some more energy. Their group looked over to see Kirishima jogging their way with a bandage on the left side of his forehead wrapped up over his red spiky hair, but he was smiling and looking fine to them which they were glad to see.
"I'm starving," Kirishima said as he reached the table, only realizing it as he smelled the great food. He had not eaten since before his fight in the finals earlier, just like his two opponents in it who had tired themselves out before the Sports Festival even got attacked. Yaoyorozu was eating tons at the moment to make sure that if anything else bad happened, she would have a ton of food to be able to sustain her Quirk with. "It's like Aizawa sensei said before the finals," Kirishima said while plopping down on Sero's right side. "About fights happening one after the other. Just hope we've got the night at least," Kirishima reached across the table and grabbed one of Yaoyorozu's plates.
She looked like she was going to complain for a second, then she just hummed and continued eating faster. Yaoyorozu had only gotten up herself thirty minutes ago, after having stayed up an hour later than most of her classmates who fought Inhuman with her. She had created many of the bandages that covered her classmates and others still up at the injury area on top of the stadium before finally reaching her limit and passing out on a cot not far from where Zach had been. Why did you run off like that? I know, it's to save people. Still you should have woken us up and said something. Your eyes barely opened when Monoma… Yaoyorozu shook her head and gulped before reaching forward and grabbing more to shove in her mouth, despite already being way too full.
"You seem, in an oddly good mood," Sero mentioned as he continued eating in a more serious and grim mood. Kirishima stopped grinning as he chowed down, and he glanced around before regaining a more serious demeanor himself. "Not that that's a bad thing," Sero said as he saw Kirishima's expression darken. "Your head doing okay?" He added with a nod up at Kirishima's forehead.
"Barely feel it," Kirishima replied. He reached up a free hand and rubbed his chest, adding, "Could use some of Recovery Girl's treatment though. Hopefully she's up to help everyone soon." Kirishima turned his head to the right and he chewed faster before getting back out of his seat. "Oh yeah, hey Cementoss sensei," he started moving towards the teacher who turned the red-haired student's way instead of walking towards the media circus he was in the middle of dealing with. Cementoss was actually glad he had another moment before having to go over there, and he just nodded at the student who he defeated back during the final exams of the first term. "Do you need me to do anything? Or can I go head to the hospital?" Kirishima asked the second part in a more optimistic tone like he was hoping to be free, and Cementoss rose a hand to his head and rubbed the side of it while sighing.
"What, is it not okay?" Kirishima asked.
"I can't just let everyone go there," Cementoss said. "You're the fifth person to ask now, and I've already made some promises-"
"Cementoss sensei!" a voice called behind the gray teacher. Cementoss looked back, and Kirishima moved to the side a bit to look past him at the blond boy running over looking exhausted with sweat all over his face. Denki Kaminari wiped off some sweat from his forehead and then said, "So I ran those walkies downtown to Fat Gum and Fourth Kind, and they said to tell you that the fifteenth, um, quadrant? They said it's been cleared of civilians and that they're moving over to help Midnight sensei at the twenty-first." Kaminari looked down at his right arm, on his right wrist where he had some notes written down in red marker. "Oh yeah, and there's a bridge that's really unstable they wanted you to go check out. Ms. Joke's over there on what was like, thirteenth street near Capricio's Pizzeria. Though that's not there anymore- but they said the pizzeria's sign is being used as a marker."
Kaminari panted really hard while sliding his blue sleeve back down over the marks on his skin. He looked up and with a hopeful look at Cementoss, then he glanced to the side at Kirishima and said, "Oh hey."
"You're, hard at work," Kirishima said in surprise, not expecting that from the blond. "Wait, Fat Gum and Fourth Kind are both here?" Kirishima was surprised to hear that the heroes he had interned with both in the spring and fall were there. Then he lifted his head and looked out towards Musutafu's destroyed skyline where less than half of the tallest buildings were still standing, and he thought in a more grim way, All the heroes in the country are probably here right now. I wonder how many people…
"Alright, you can go to the hospital. But if there's nothing you can do there to help, come back here," Cementoss said the last part half-heartedly as he doubted there would be nothing to do to help at a hospital right now. Even just regular volunteers would be a lot of help. "The power's out through most of the city. Try to figure something out with that if you can," Cementoss said it and Kaminari's eyes opened wide as he had not even thought about that.
Get the power on? Kaminari wondered. How am I supposed to do that?
"Kaminari, I could help with that," Yaoyorozu shot out of her seat. She looked towards Cementoss who was in the middle of turning around, and Cementoss paused to look at the tall girl with a spiky black ponytail whose cheeks were still puffed out. "No offense to Kaminari, but I think I would be able to do more to get the power back. With Kaminari's help it could go faster, and I could create generators," Yaoyorozu came up with it on the spot but started nodding to herself at her quick thinking. "Perhaps the hospital is using a lot of power-"
"Alright, you can go too. Only the two of you though," Cementoss looked back at Kirishima who opened his mouth to complain. "If you've finished eating, then go with those four to sector twenty-six. There are a large number of civilians trapped underground and rescue operations are taking a while because of the precarious nature of where they're trapped." Cementoss looked towards Uraraka who he did not include in the 'four' he had mentioned, and he said, "Uravity."
Uraraka froze and looked at the teacher in surprise at him using her hero name. "Don't push yourself. I know your power would be of use here, but your left leg is broken. Recovery Girl will have my head if I let you move around any further in this state."
"But I-"
"It's okay Uraraka," Kirishima said towards the short girl with brown hair. He rose his right fist and said with a serious expression, "We'll take care of it." Mineta, Sero, Koda, and Ashido all agreed with Kirishima then started heading off, though Kirishima had to ask where the sector they were going to was.
Uraraka watched them all running off, and she frowned but slouched back into her seat. She poked at the food in front of her but started staring out into the city. Deku. In her head she saw the curly-haired boy when the rest of them were passing out one after the other when they heard how Monoma had brought Zach back to life. "Not yet. I, I have to see. Mom…" I hope she's alright, Deku. No one's heard from you since.
Zach opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling in a dark room. He was laying on a bed, and he started sitting up in confusion while looking around him. On his right side was a wall with blinds shut though some light coming in from the other side, shadows passing occasionally showing people moving back and forth in the hallway through that window. Ahead of him was a doorway also with blinds pulled down over it, though there was another window next to the door where the blinds were down but twisted so it was easy to see through the wide cracks between them. The hallway outside of those blinds was dark too, though Zach was able to make out a person standing there outside his room who made him smile a little.
There's so much work to be doing. I guess, watching me could be considered a job too though. Because of those things I said in the videos… or maybe, to protect me? That seems more likely, if it's Kaminari just- Zach froze and his cheeks puffed out, as Kaminari turned his head to the right and had a blank wide-eyed look on his face. Or maybe they just gave him an easy job, because he made himself stupid doing whatever else he was doing.
Zach looked to his left and sat up more on his comfy hospital bed. "Shouldn't they give this room to someone who needs it?" He muttered under his breath. He stared out the window and saw lights on through the glass out all over the city. There were no fires which he was happy to see, though he could not tell if smoke was still rising from rubble like it was earlier before he passed out. Are rescue operations still going on? With all these heroes in the city, they must have saved everyone who can be saved. I hope they have at least. What are they doing with the villains… Zach opened his mouth and started yawning, and he rose his arms up and stretched them over his head as he let it out. He felt like he needed more sleep, but this was not the time and he slid his legs off of the bed.
As soon as he swung his legs off like he was going to get up, he felt light-headed and his eyes started closing. Might have brought back, too many, too soon after dying, myself. The thought shook Zach awake more, and he rose up his hands and stared down at them. Dead. I asked them to let me die. Monoma brought me back though. Zach clenched his hands into fists and rose his gaze back to the window outside. He stood up, and he wobbled for a second while getting his balance. And the things I was worried about weren't true… Zach brought his right hand towards his own body after the thought, but he hesitated when he was close to touching his chest.
"What if it doesn't work?" He whispered, a nervous tone in his voice as he slid his fingers out of his glove. He gulped and lowered his hand, closing his eyes and breathing through his nose to try and calm down. It will. It has to. Zach looked through the window he took another step towards, and he stared out into the illuminated city at night. Despite many skyscrapers being knocked down, all the ones that were still up had their lights on. It was almost like a message that the city was still there, and Zach smiled at how bright the city was even on such a dark day. How many people died? He thought, his smile going away. How many more, while I was asleep? Because I haven't trained Death hard enough to bring people back nonstop? Zach's fists clenched and he turned towards the door.
He took a step towards it, then he wobbled on his feet and stumbled to his right back towards his bed. Zach put his palms down on the side of the mattress, and he started panting while looking down at the blankets with a terrified look on his face. He clenched his eyes shut as he felt his right arm crushing, though it was not the actual pain he was feeling. He just remembered the pain when he used his arm to catch himself, and the memory of that pain brought back so much from before he passed out. "Ah haa ahh haa ahh haa," Zach panted loudly while staring down at his mattress in shock. "I, I can't do this," he gasped out at himself. "I can't handle-" in his head he saw the boyfriend holding his future wife in his arms; he felt the older woman's arms around her whose husband he had brought back eight months earlier. Zach lifted his left hand from the bed and put it over the top of his face covering his forehead and eyes. "It hurts, but…"
His arms were shaking, but he stood up fully and turned towards the door with a determined look on his face. "I can do-" he tried stepping forward, but he tripped over himself and reached out for the bed to grab onto. He grabbed the mattress, and he pulled it off right on top of himself as he used too much weight without actually trying to fall on the bed. "Oh sh-" Thud Clank Clatter! Zach's mattress knocked over some things on a side table including a plate with some food on it he had not seen when he awoke in the dark room. Hopefully no one heard-
The door swung open as Zach was getting himself out from under the bed and blankets. He looked up at the surprised blond boy who did not know how Zach got into such a strange position. "What are you doing?" Kaminari asked, and Zach's eyes widened a bit that Kaminari was able to make out that full sentence. Then again, the blond's face did not look as blank as it had when Zach first looked through the window and saw him. He figured maybe the loud noises shook him out of it a little.
"I have to keep- you mind?" Zach asked, as he struggled some more to push up but was finding it really hard to find the strength.
"Huh? Oh!" Kaminari looked confused at what Zach was asking for a second, then he reached down and grabbed the mattress to lift off of his friend. He put it back on top of the bed frame while Zach was struggling to stand. Then right as Zach got up, he felt a couple arms wrap around his sides.
Zach looked surprised for a second, then he smiled and put his left arm around Kaminari's back too. "It's good to see you're alright-"
Kaminari pulled back, then he pushed hard into Zach's shoulders and knocked him onto his own bed. It was in an upset way, though also pushing Zach down to keep him from falling over again in his clearly exhausted state. Zach had a confused look on his face as Kaminari frowned down at him after that hug. "You died," Kaminari said, frowning at Zach who was still wondering if this was coherent Kaminari or a dumbed-down state of his. He decided it was somewhere in the middle and opened his mouth to answer, but Kaminari continued angrily, "That wasn't cool. I was like, right there. Just ten seconds longer… You suck."
"Sorry, I guess," Zach replied, and he kept sitting where he was since Kaminari was standing right in front of him now. "Next time I'll try to hold out until you-"
"No, not next time," Kaminari said, frowning deeper at Zach who paused with his mouth open. "Never next time," Kaminari said sterner, glaring harder at Zach who leaned back at that look.
"Y-Yeah," Zach said, and he started smiling at Kaminari while shaking his own head. "You got it. No more dying."
Kaminari nodded like that was the right answer, then he turned around and walked over to the wall next to the door. Zach thought he was just going to leave, but Kaminari turned on the light and then closed the door, turning back and walking to Zach's bed again. "Hey," Kaminari began, and he sat down on the bed next to his friend. He looked in at the darker haired boy, then he opened his mouth but froze like he was having trouble saying what he needed to. "There's something…" Kaminari paused, then he rose his right hand and ran it up through his blond hair.
Geez, having a serious conversation with him like this isn't going to be easy. I kind of want to laugh already. "Hey, what've you been doing recently? Before you came here?"
"Lots of electricity," Kaminari replied followed by a long sigh. Zach nodded as he could see that much already. "Villain was hiding. Got trapped under some rubble 'cause of a falling building. Tried attacking during a rescue operation. Other trapped people were hostages. None of them warned us. I got 'im though."
"Really? Nice," Zach said, as he was expecting Kaminari's electricity had been used in other practical ways.
"Then I had to charge batteries, and communicators, and generators, and buildings, and…" Zach stopped nodding after the third thing Kaminari listed, and he sweatdropped while thinking, They've been driving him like a mule. Guess everyone's working hard right now. That's what I should be doing… but if I go out there as tired as I am right now, I won't be able to keep going like I will if I sleep more. Zach argued with himself as standing up again just felt like such a terrible idea. That feeling left a bad taste in his mouth though and Zach turned towards the door past Kaminari, only for that door he turned to to fly open.
Kirishima and Yaoyorozu ran through the door and into Zach's room, and Kaminari turned in more surprise than Zach who had seen them coming a second early. "Zach!" Zach stared towards them with soft eyes and such a big smile spreading over his face at the sight of their faces. He remembered his eyes closing and how they looked in what he thought were his final moments. And he stared specifically at Yaoyorozu whose face he remembered before fading completely, before dying.
"Hey Mo-" Kirishima dove onto Zach and tackled him back onto his hospital bed. Zach got the wind knocked out of him and gasped as Kirishima pulled back with a giant sharp-toothed smile on his face. "Haha! Look who's back amongst the living!" Kirishima jumped off and sat on Zach's left side instead of his right where Kaminari had pulled away to avoid being hit by the diving Kirishima. "How's it feel coming back? The club keeps getting bigger," Kirishima said, before flattening out on his own back on the bed and letting out a long exhausted breath while staring at the ceiling.
Club? The coming back to life club? Weird, Zach was not too into what he was thinking about. He turned his head while sitting up, feeling even more tired after getting hit like that by one of his best friends. He looked back at the tall girl who looked worried like she thought Kirishima might have hurt him. "Hey," Zach said, and he saw Yaoyorozu look back at him and start pursing her lips. She had looked so excited and like there was so much for her to say at first, but she seemed more hesitant now that she was back in the room. "Momo, Kirishima," Zach started, and he lowered his head a little. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have, told Monoma not to bring me back." I made them worry for no reason. I made them watch me die, thinking I wouldn't be coming back. Even Kaminari probably thought I was coming back, if he really did show up that fast and saw Monoma down there-
"Dude don't worry about it," Kirishima said, sitting up fast next to Zach before Yaoyorozu could speak. She spun to Kirishima with wide eyes, just like Zach and Kaminari though Kaminari was looking at Zach more in confusion himself. "I kind of get what you were saying about how your power changes, stuff." Kirishima paused before saying 'stuff' as he did not really understand what Zach had been worried about. Since he didn't know, he decided to ask, "So, did anything change? Monoma checked out the really bad things so we know about that. But, what about when you touch yourself?"
Kaminari opened his eyes huge, and Kirishima looked past Zach to the blond to explain what they were talking about. "When you touch yourself?" Kaminari asked, his face covered in confusion and making Kirishima freeze with his mouth open as Kaminari totally misunderstood.
Zach's cheeks puffed out and then turned bright red, and he spun to Kaminari angrily while avoiding Yaoyorozu's look as best as he could. The girl standing in front of the three boys turned away and coughed into her hand with a look like she had no idea what they were talking about, and Zach punched his left fist into Kaminari's shoulder. "He means when I go into Nightmare form," Zach said in a frustrated voice, darting his eyes to his left again and feeling a wave of embarrassment at Yaoyorozu's obviously faked expression of not-understanding.
"Ohhh," Kaminari said with his mouth in an 'o' shape, though the corner of his lip curled up after he made that noise. Kirishima started grinning while wondering if Kaminari did that on purpose and was blaming it on his Quirk, while Zach just figured Kaminari thought it was funny in hindsight.
"And no," Zach said, getting a more serious tone because of the question but also to get the subject away from that as quickly as possible. The others all looked towards him in more serious ways, and Zach lifted his right hand in front of him to stare at cautiously. "What if it just does something else, like kills me?" He muttered, though he did not sound like he thought that was going to happen.
"Then don't try it," Kirishima said with a shrug. Zach turned to him in surprise, and Kirishima continued, "I mean if that's a possibility, it's not worth it."
"Well, it's a small chance," Zach countered. "And, if I can't go Nightmare…" Zach stared at his right hand closer, and he brought his left over and grabbed his wrist to steady it when it started to shake. His eyes narrowed at the hand he was trying so hard not to bring towards his chest or head. "If I can't go Nightmare… I don't think, I could still be a-"
"Don't say that," Yaoyorozu cut in before Zach could finish that sentence. Zach looked up at her with some confusion, but mainly just the same hesitation as he pretty much knew why she stopped him from finishing. "Before you knew that form existed, or before you accepted it," she added since she remembered Zach's speech to the villains on the night of Camino Ward. "You were going to be a hero anyway, right? You don't need it."
"Yeah," Kirishima agreed. "You kicked Shoji's butt without it," he mentioned, and Zach turned and started nodding as he did do that. "Though if the next round had happened, I would have won for sure." Kirishima said it in a smug tone, but then his smile started to lower and his face got more grim at something he was thinking about. Zach opened his mouth to retort, but he stopped himself too and looked down as he figured he knew what Kirishima was feeling down about.
So many people got hurt, and I'm getting all down like this just because my power might not work? Zach planted his feet down on the floor off of the bed, and he got up to stand between his three friends. "Alright," Zach said.
"Alright what?" Kaminari asked in confusion, still not really putting together what was going on. "Why wouldn't Nightmare work, by the way?" He cut in, raising his right hand as he was feeling a little lost.
"It will," Zach said, and he moved past Yaoyorozu towards the windows before turning back to his friends. He glanced out the window once to make sure he was not being watched, but he was on the second floor and no one was staring into his room's window, or so he hoped. Zach rose up his right hand and slid his fingers out of the glove while staring at his classmates who gave him reassuring nods or hesitant looks. "Not because I need it to be a hero," he continued, and he smiled a little at the two who tried making him feel better about it. "But because I'll be a better hero if I can use it." Where I can still use my Quirk against villains, he thought while bringing his hand in. I mean, I fought Spinner without using it. I even fought Inhuman for a little without it, and I actually slashed him with a throwing knife before many of the others managed getting good hits in. But with it, I can take on entire enemy bases. I can fight villains like Shatterer, with only Kaminari as backup. I could do so much more, if this just works!
Zach pressed his right hand into his chest. He stared at his friends to see their reactions, and he started smiling in a super creepy way as he saw the way they looked. He could see their somewhat surprised, somewhat creeped-out or happy expressions through black wisps and a vision that was tinting red. Zach pulled his hand back and then touched his chest again, and he removed the Nightmare form from his body. "Awesome," Zach said, and he clenched his right fist tightly in front of him. Nothing changed. Nothing, except I probably won't be able to be brought back again. Even if Monoma copies my power again, it wouldn't work on me a second time. Not to bring me back. Still though, this is, great?
"This is great," Zach said, and he gave his classmates a confused look as the three of them turned to look at each other after Zach's enthusiastic and happy expression.
Kaminari lifted a hand and started rubbing his forehead again, and he looked down while lowering his hand to pinch at the bridge of his nose. Kirishima opened his mouth to say something about Zach's special form, but then he gained that grim look again that Zach was starting to feel like wasn't just the general mood of the day. And then it hit him what could be making the others look like that. He turned to Yaoyorozu who looked the closest to telling him, but she also had her lips pursed again like she didn't want to ruin his mood. "Who?" Zach asked, and the three others opened their eyes wide at the question.
Kirishima bit down hard, and he clenched his hands down on his knees with such a frustrated look on his face. Kaminari lifted his gaze a little to look into Zach's eyes, but he turned away and looked down at the floor instead. So much to do, there's no time to think about it. But, in a time like this. Kaminari rose his right hand and put it over his eyes while letting out a cut-off breath. It's alright now, right?
Yaoyorozu opened her mouth, then closed it, and she saw in Zach's eyes that she did not need to explain or beat around the bush to get to the point. He was ready to hear 'who' just like he asked. She gulped and tried to find it in her to say it without her voice cracking, and she said softly, "Aizawa, sensei."
Zach was expecting to hear the name of one of their classmates. He thought he was ready for anything. He blinked a couple of times though, then his eyes opened huge and he felt wobbly on his legs again. "What?" He whispered, a look of dread crossing his face. "No- when?!"
"Long, long back," Yaoyorozu said, trying to make sure Zach did not get his hopes up. "They found him, at least a few hours after it had happened. He had been missing, but-" Yaoyorozu pursed her lips again, then she ran forward and caught Zach as he started to fall forward.
"Crap, sorry," he whispered, while she pulled him back up and then helped him towards his bed where the others were looking worriedly at him.
"I heard you brought back nine people earlier," Kirishima said as Zach got put down back between him and Kaminari. "Not to mention Shoji which makes ten today in total. You ever bring back that many-"
"How?" Zach asked, cutting off Kirishima and looking back up at Yaoyorozu who stared down into his eyes with hurt ones of her own. Kirishima scooted to the side as Yaoyorozu started walking up for the head of the bed, and instead of moving past him to sit down, she sat in the spot on Zach's left now that Kirishima was out of the way.
"You, don't want to know," Kaminari said, and Zach glanced to the right only to see Kaminari shaking his head with a hurt look in his eyes.
"I, don't?" Zach asked, and that only made his chest hurt harder. I didn't always- Sensei and I weren't always… He, he said I didn't have what it takes to be a hero. He said it in court in front of everyone. At the training camp he sent me out on a goose chase with Kuroiro, and when we got back he still made me go to extra lessons. And, and I just, tears ran down Zach's face and he sniffled while letting it sink in more. He was always so suspicious of me after I came back. And after I save Kaminari, he didn't trust me at all. He almost made me miss the Sports Festival, though, though that wasn't all him. He, he was- "That's a good Super Move."
Zach thought about training Super Moves with the rest of the class, how Aizawa had gotten him to show his Nightmare form even in front of all of them. He remembered his teacher looking genuinely impressed, and even shocked when Zach had told them that Ectoplasm would be unconscious for maybe two days. "Good job," the small sentence his homeroom teacher told him at the training camp after he and Kuroiro completed their training against the Earthbeast, the one he knew Aizawa did not want him to beat, it echoed in his mind. I wanted his approval, so much. That's why it frustrated me. That's why, since I'll never be able to show him, though maybe when he saw me fight Shoji- What was it he said up in the booth? I, I can't remember. Zach brought his hands up to his head and put his face in his palms.
The others had not heard about it that long ago either, and none of them had been given breaks from what they were doing to actually think on it. Kirishima thought about the Eightfold Cleansers and the meeting they had before their fight against them. "…just call me Eraser Head outside of class." Sensei really thought of us all, as not just students. Kirishima's fists clenched hard at his sides, his clenched teeth baring even harder as his eyes watered up. But real heroes too! We won't let you down!
"Not bad. Not bad at all… Isn't that how your strategy was meant to go?" Sensei. I had lost all confidence. I, I really didn't know what I could do back during the final exam. And you, I think you let me succeed to boost my confidence. I let myself believe you when you told me that wasn't true, because I needed it at the time. And you told me that though, because you believed in me and wanted me to restore my confidence. Yaoyorozu's hands balled into fists at her sides while tears spilled out of her eyes too. Her hands shook though, and those fists unclenched as such a sad look replaced any anger on her face. Aizawa, sensei…
Kaminari turned to his left at Zach, and he rose his left arm and wiped under his own eyes. Then he put his left arm out and over Zach's shoulders, down on his left one on Zach's other side that he squeezed once. Zach looked at the hand, then to Kaminari who saw the tears streaking down Zach's face while he was keeping at least a somewhat more composed expression. Zach wanted to tell him he was alright and push the hand away, but he leaned back instead with his eyes widening and his breath hitching in his throat. Aizawa, every day. He was always pushing us to be heroes. He, he could have expelled me at any time. Even when he thought I couldn't use my Quirk though, that I was just some Quirkless nobody trying at something too far to reach. Always pushing me. Always expecting more! Sensei! I can't- I, you were like… Two faces appeared in Zach's mind one after the other, faces that made him gasp and then clench his eyes shut hard.
His dad's face, and Mr. Akers' face, and Aizawa's face all faded away in Zach's mind as more tears spilled down his cheeks. "I'm gonna, miss him," Zach whispered.
"Yeah," Kaminari said, and he squeezed tighter on Zach's shoulder before looking down himself towards the floor. "Me too."
"We all will," Yaoyorozu said, leaning straight up and wiping under her eyes with an arm after that moment of silence they just had without saying anything at all.
It seemed like the moment was over, and if they needed more time to mourn they would do it on their own. Kirishima lifted his hands and smacked his own cheeks a couple of times. He turned to the right and tried to come up with something to change the conversation with. When he looked over towards Zach though, rubbing his eyes to try and sit up like the others, he looked a little past at Kaminari who had a frustrated look on his face while glancing back at Zach out the corners of his eyes.
Kirishima's eyes widened at the look on Kaminari's face, and he re-bit down as he thought about something Kaminari told them after Zach had gone on his trip to Kyoto early in the last term. Zach had shown them all a couple of pictures, including one of him with a few cute girls he had met on the train and taken a selfie with. "Bet Jenny wouldn't be too happy about that picture…" "I know his neighbor though, she's his best friend. More like, a sister I guess…" Oh man. Zach was always, always acting weird when Kaminari'd bring her up. "Jenny! JENNY!" Kirishima could see Zach strapped to that chair, drool splashing out of his mouth as he screamed like a madman, with that girl's voice screaming in the background.
"Hey Zach," Kirishima started, and Zach turned towards the redhead who he hoped was trying to change the conversation. "You lied." Zach's eyes started widening, as did the other two next to him who both looked Kirishima's way too. "I, I never told anyone what you told me about your scars. When it was just the two of us." Kirishima got a more frustrated look on his face because it was so hard getting mad at Zach for lying to him about that. "But-" Kirishima clenched his teeth, and then he snapped his eyes open wide and said, "Why didn't you ever tell us, you got tortured?"
"Kirishima," Zach whispered. He saw such a pained look on Kirishima's face even worse than it was a few moments ago when they were all silent. "It's, it's not like…" Zach paused, and he didn't know if he should keep lying or not when Kirishima looked so hurt because of this lie already.
"And Zach, you never said," Kaminari started. Zach froze, and he closed his eyes at what he knew the blond was going to start saying behind him. "I wouldn't have kept, bringing her up," Kaminari stopped and he took in a deep breath, his eyes getting wet again as he thought about the redhead girl he met outside of Zach's apartment back in the fall. "I can't believe, you had to listen to that."
"I had to watch," Zach gasped, spinning towards Kaminari and looking the blond in the eyes with a gaze showing Kaminari he did not understand what he was talking about. "I watched it, live. I, I watched her burn. Screaming my name," Zach whispered it while looking into his best friend's huge eyes, a look in his own like he had wanted to tell Kaminari this a hundred times before which he had. "The skin melting from-" Zach froze and he started wheezing, his chest heaving and his eyes shooting open wide. He turned the other way and saw Kirishima, and even Yaoyorozu who had actually known about this before just staring at him in horror. "That's why," Zach started, looking back towards Kirishima while clenching his teeth in such an angry way. "I, I didn't want to see everybody, looking at me like that."
The other three tried to stop looking at Zach, in whatever ways they must have been looking at him. "I didn't want everyone to know I got cut up, because I tried lying about who everyone was and what your Quirks were, even though- they already knew it all." Zach managed to keep himself from mentioning anything about the spy there, though he got a darker look in his eyes as he continued. "And I didn't want people to know, that I couldn't even think the word 'Lifebringer' anymore without flinching." Zach shook his head and looked down at the floor next to his bed, and Kirishima let out a pained breath as he thought about how long ago he first heard Zach shout 'Not Lifebringer' at him.
"And now everyone in the world knows," Zach whispered. "They saw me break. In just six weeks, they turned me into-" Zach closed his eyes and started shaking his head. "They broke me down, and I almost. If they had succeeded… What if they had, made me do those things I told Shigaraki I would have? What if I really had infiltrated?" Zach closed his eyes harder and brought his left hand up to the top of his head while bowing it in front of him. "What if I was here, to kill All Might? What if-"
"Dude, stop," Kaminari said, grabbing Zach by the shoulder closer to him and shaking it. Zach's eyes snapped open and he lifted his head again, and Kaminari said, "Stop talking about 'what ifs.' You didn't do what he said. You held on." Zach looked into Kaminari's eyes and watched the blond wipe his eyes again before giving Zach a small smile. "For six weeks man, you held on when I would've been, well I wouldn't have made it a day."
"Yeah!" Kirishima agreed with a shout, even though they were in a hospital at night and everyone turned to him with somewhat annoyed looks. Kirishima continued strongly though while starting to smile at Zach who he had just been looking at in so much pity. "That was so manly! And when that other video came on, for whatever reason," Kirishima added, which the others nodded along to wondering where it had even come from. Kirishima continued, "And you said that stuff about our class going to destroy the League of Villains. That was so cool! I felt totally pumped up to fight that Inhuman guy. I mean, how could we lose after hearing that?"
"Yeah?" Zach asked, a small smile moving in on his own face as this was actually something that did not completely depress him. I didn't even remember. I thought I was repressing that memory because I had done something really bad, or maybe I was just so far gone. But I think maybe I didn't want to believe that it was my own actions that got him to start the 'Not Lifebringer' conditioning torture. If I remembered that I had done it to myself shouting that at him, I probably would have shattered. All I could think about was not killing anyone the whole time he tortured me after that, so I guess I just buried it. To think though, that I did something so cool- stupid, but definitely cool.
"Getting cut up and stabbed, and spitting in Shigaraki's face anyway!" Kaminari added with a smile himself. "That was pretty awesome."
Yaoyorozu had a small smile on her face to match the boys with her, but although she felt the same way as Kaminari and Kirishima, she could not get too into it. Zach. Kirishima said you lied to him about where you got your scars. Did you actually, tell him something else then? When I asked, you just deflected. I mentioned the car explosion I heard about, but you wouldn't go into it with me. Yaoyorozu looked closer at the side of Zach's face while he was turned right looking at Kaminari. Why? When we talked about the night you went to save Kaminari, I didn't ask any questions about before you got there. I didn't ask, because you didn't tell me. And why didn't you tell me? Is it because it wouldn't match with what the others had heard, because you wouldn't lie to me?
Zach turned left and he met Yaoyorozu's gaze which made her eyes widen since she was not expecting the sudden turn. "I, also thought that was amazing," Yaoyorozu said. She had not been focused much on the video though. It had left a huge impression on her, and she was amazed by Zach during it, but she had been more focused on the Zach on the stage with her at the time. As he was telling Shigaraki Tomura how he wouldn't kill for him, he was taking Spinner's life… Though he would have died anyway, because he jumped in the way to save you. How did you get to know that villain well enough for him to do something like that for you? What were the two of you talking about while you were fighting? Who was the woman you kept shouting about? Why did, the two of you sound close? Why did he sound so betrayed? Why is all of this upsetting me now more than ever?
Zach started getting confused at the expression on Yaoyorozu's face, then he spun before he could ask though as the door to his room opened up fast. The four on the side of the bed all looked to the entrance where a boy with curly green hair just ran in. He was panting and looked around at the four with wide eyes at what he just ran in on. "Midoriya," Kirishima said, grinning and getting up from the bed. "Where you been?"
"How's, your mom?" Yaoyorozu questioned, as she had been there when Midoriya ran off much earlier to go look for his mother.
Zach glanced left at Yaoyorozu, then back at Midoriya worriedly at the question. "She's fine," Midoriya said, and the others all looked relieved to hear that. "When I got to her apartment though, there were still villains in the area. So I fought them with the heroes who were already there-"
"After that fight against Inhuman you still had more in you?" Kirishima asked, his eyes wide as he had passed out almost as soon as Monoma had brought back Zach.
Midoriya scratched the bottom of his right cheek hesitantly, and he said, "Not really. As soon as it finished and I got to my mom, I kind of passed out…" In her arms in front of the other heroes, Midoriya thought with his cheeks getting a little red. He lifted his gaze and looked back towards Zach after a second, "I'm really glad you're alright."
"Yeah," Zach whispered. "Sorry, for telling you to say goodbye. Guess you didn't need to after all," he said it in a half-hearted apologetic voice. He was giving Midoriya a strange look, and he glanced back and forth at the others on the bed with him. "Hey Midoriya, have you," Zach started. He looked over into Midoriya's eyes and saw a confused look on his classmate's face that had the other three in there get such sad looks on their faces again. Oh man, Zach thought, taking a deep breath and lowering his gaze.
"I just woke up, and I thought you might be here," Midoriya started slowly.
Zach grit his teeth even harder, as he realized there were a few things he needed to tell his friend now. Zach lifted his head and looked into Midoriya's eyes in a dark way, "Come sit down…"
The days after the Sports Festival were full of work for everyone who lived in the city. For heroes and future heroes who were still students though, the work was multiplied and they were working without rest. Zach stayed at the hospital for three nights straight, and he managed to avoid speaking to the media through that time as the hospital would not let them make a scene there while the place was so busy. On the third day after the Sports Festival though, he got a message to return to U.A. and headed out for campus.
The streets were clear as Zach made his way down them. Most of them were fixed-up too, which did not take long considering the heroes using Quirks to repair them. Musutafu City was rebuilding fast, with construction companies, fire departments, and police forces all sending people to the city to help out make the process as quick as possible. Just heading back towards campus from the hospital compared to three days earlier on his way in the opposite direction, Zach could see a huge difference in the state of the city. It actually, doesn't look that bad. I mean I can still tell there was an attack here recently, he looked up towards a pair of office buildings both under construction with a bunch of cranes at the tops of them, as well as some heroes he spotted climbing up the walls carrying heavy materials. But everyone's working hard, he thought with a small smile.
He had been heading down the road because the sidewalk on his right was still all busted up, but he moved more off to the side into a taped-off walkway to let the trucks drive past him. He watched as six large trucks rolled by, followed by a few police jeeps, and then some vehicles that were striped blue and red and labeled with a hero's name. Star-Spangled Man? That American hero came to help? Zach looked back forward and hummed as he kept walking. Wonder if other foreign heroes are here? I've barely gone out these past few days. The news is pretty grim too and I tried to stop watching.
Things don't seem, too bad, though… Zach looked across the street as he walked. He was wearing a black hoodie one of the nurses got for him to help him avoid being recognized on his way back to campus. He had on his blue gym sweatpants below the hoodie, washed and only with a couple of rips in them. Zach looked across the street and saw a woman holding her son's hand tightly while walking down the opposite pathway on the other side of the road just off the sidewalk. She was pulling him along fast, her eyes darting around nervously. The woman glanced down and said something to the boy while pulling her arm forward some more, and the kid who was looking around sped up to get closer to his mother's side.
Zach continued his walk through the city at a slower pace. He stopped looking around as much at all the damage, the repairing buildings, the vehicles. He just focused on people. By the time he got close enough to U.A to see it, his expression was much more grim than when he left the hospital in a decent mood. People are afraid. I get it. I know why. But just walking down the street, even in a city with so many heroes in it… They're walking around in fear. Despite how fast everything's being rebuilt to make it seem like it's all fine, a lot of life was lost. And how can they believe in the heroes all around them? When so many heroes were killed in the Sports Festival Invasion, which is an even worse thing. Labeling it like that is like saying that U.A. completely failed, that just because it was in the center of it… Our symbols couldn't do anything. The new ANTs, Endeavor, U.A., they all still allowed this to happen.
And even worse than all of this, is the idea that the invasion itself was just a diversion. The idea that the villains did this just to distract us, so that they could free the Tartaros prisoners. And they succeeded. More prisoners escaped than were apprehended during the Sports Festival Invasion. Zach's expression got even darker and he slowed down while nearing the U.A. gates. Diamondfist, Stain, the April Fool's Day villain, Shooter and Hydro, Muscular, the War Boys other than Shatter. So many escaped, though some have already been sent back like that Damian guy. Heroes are active all around the country, not just in Musutafu. Tartaros is being rebuilt stronger, with more protection and backup security measures, plus almost all the villains who attacked U.A. and Musutafu were captured. Or killed… Is that why I'm being called back? Zach shook his head around, then he lowered his darkened gaze to the floor and thought, All For One escaped. Shigaraki broke him out. Dabi, Toga, and Kurogiri too. As much as they lost in the battle, they won so much more.
"I.D.," the security guard in front of Zach asked.
Zach looked up and took his hood off. "Um," he started. Shit. Where did I leave that?
"Hey Zach!" Zach lifted his head and looked past the security guard who was frowning down at him harshly. The guard looked back too, and Zach smiled in relief as he saw the blond boy jogging his way holding up his I.D. "Lucky I got to you when I did," Kaminari said as he jogged up to Zach. "I was about to run to the hospital and get it to you. All Might asked me to," Kaminari grinned as he got out of running across the city with Zach already being there.
Zach lifted the student I.D. to show the guard who hummed and then nodded at the boy, not that he did not already recognize him before seeing the identification. As Zach and Kaminari started walking farther through the entrance towards the school building, they each turned their heads to the right and watched as a boy in between his parents, and a girl next to her mom were walking the other direction. They had bags with them, some rolling suitcases and the others carrying them. The parents and their kids looked towards Zach and Kaminari and stared with wide eyes as the boys walking by, though none of them said anything and just turned away once Zach stared back.
"Whole lot of people dropping out of school," Kaminari said on Zach's other side, giving Zach the excuse he needed to look away from those people. Kaminari looked a little frustrated himself, and the spiky-haired blond continued, "Not a lot of parents want their kids to stay. Haven't heard of anyone in the hero courses dropping out, at least in our year. Though my parents have been giving me a hard time about it." Zach looked at him in surprise, and Kaminari sighed before elaborating, "They were already iffy after I got kidnapped, but since that had nothing to do with U.A. they were cool. But this time, they totally bugged."
"You got them to let you stay though?" Zach asked.
"Let's just say it's an ongoing argument," Kaminari said, though he did not sound too worried about it which made Zach smile in relief. "Anyway, why'd All Might want you to come back? He seemed pretty urgent when he asked me to bring you the I.D.," Kaminari lifted his eyebrows at Zach a few times, but Zach started frowning at the question in a dark way that had his blond friend leaning back.
Is it about Spinner? He shook his head after thinking it and just shrugged at the question, though now Kaminari felt like Zach definitely knew what it was about. Or could it be the things I said, like how I'd kill him? Zach's look got even darker, and a sweatdrop rolled down Kaminari's face.
"Well, I've actually got some other work to do today," Kaminari said, slowing down and putting his hands back behind his head and leaning into them. Zach stopped and glanced at Kaminari who cracked his neck to either side before turning back around. "Good luck with, whatever it is you've got going on," Kaminari said as he started heading off, raising a hand and waving Zach goodbye.
"Yeah thanks, see ya' later," Zach said, before turning back and shaking his head around to get those dark thoughts he had been having out of his head. It's not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe All Might's just, maybe he just wants to talk? Though I can't see any conversation we have going anywhere but somewhere dark. Everything's so dark now. People dropping out of school. Kaminari said no one in our year in the hero course, but that means some first years are probably dropping out. Who wants to be a hero in a world where the villains are winning? Who wants to throw their lives away? And after seeing that video, after seeing Shigaraki tell me that he was doing that because I tried to be a hero, that may have been the nail in the coffin. People heard my family dying, so they won't want their kids to become heroes. Existing heroes who think what happened to me might happen to them, will any of them retire? No, how many of them will retire?
Zach walked through the halls of U.A. that were empty as there was still time off before school started. Even if the attack did not happen, there was always time off around the Sports Festival which Zach remembered from how many visits he got the year before in the days following it. Walking around those streets, the world didn't look like the world I love. I know it's so soon after so it's not a good time to judge it, and especially in this city of course people are going to look like that… but still. Zach frowned deeper and his fists clenched at his sides, his right inside the black glove he was wearing. Carefree looks and smiles, laughter everywhere I turn, just happy faces. Things that should always exist, I can't see people living that carefree anymore. People won't think they're safe after this. They won't feel safe in their own homes, at their workplaces, on the streets. Zach felt a pain in his chest and brought his left hand up to squeeze it as he stopped in the hallway. It hurts.
The black-haired boy tightened his hand into the front of his hoodie and glared forward more intensely. I'm going to make things right. Zach started walking again, lowering his left hand back down to his side as he neared the room All Might asked him to meet in. Return it to those peaceful days. I, I'm done with thinking that I'll just save it until Midoriya can be the Symbol of Peace. That's not enough. I have a second chance at life. I spent my whole life until I died trying to make it worth something, and now it is. In Zach's head he saw the people crying as he died, how relieved they looked when he first saw them after coming back. He thought about how many of his classmates had come to visit him at the hospital in the past days while they were out doing work through the city. Monoma had left midway through the day after the Sports Festival, but even right after Zach had been left on his own, some other Class B students had shown up including Kuroiro who said he was glad to see him doing alright. People who care about me. People, who I care about. A life worth living. It's like Monoma, and that woman whose husband I brought back for eight more months said.
I'm going to live this new life to the fullest. I'll keep saving people because I want to make this world better, not to change the answer. That's never been what it was about. Never been the main reason. But now on top of being a hero, there are other things too. Because I can make this world beautiful again, while still having those things I never thought about having. Like, maybe a wife? A family too. My own happiness, not just others.' In his head he saw the countless people diving on their family members after he had brought them back to life, the amount of joyous tears he saw from people who he felt he had saved through saving the ones they loved. And if I have children one day, what will this world's future that my children might grow up in be? I want it to be better than the world I grew up in, not worse. Until it is better, until I make it so, I'll put those things off. So for now, Zach took a deep breath as he stared at the door he had been standing in front of for ten seconds now. He reached his hand out to grab it, I'll just be, a hero.
A/N Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. What did All Might call Zach in for? How will society react to this Sports Festival Invasion? What will the consequences be, and is this world really stuck on a much darker path now? Can Zach do anything about it? The falling action of the Sports Festival is pretty much over, and we're moving on into a new world (arc). Aizawa sensei... ;( I'm surprised I didn't see anything about him in the reviews, after ending the chapter back from the break with his death scene. Confirmed now in this chapter though since I left it hanging there at the end what had happened to him. Musutafu is rebuilding, Zach returns to U.A. after a long stay at the hospital, and school will be starting up again soon (even if a lot of students are pulling out of U.A.). Anyway, review responses below, and leave a review telling me what you think of the chapter!
Bass4penguin chapter 65 . 19h ago
What would stains reaction to Zach be?
Who knows? But maybe now that he's out, we'll find out... XD Could happen. No spoilers though. Thanks for the review!
LilacGene chapter 65 . 17h ago
Who knew April Fool's Day wasn't in April? Well, NOT me! This is a good first "trolled" experience for me, I'm happy I was tricked. Thankyouuuuuu! Gonna go devour this chapter now!
Lol glad you took it well, never thought about trolling my readers but it was pretty fun. Glad I was your first. XD Hope you've been enjoying the new chapters, and Death will continue on! Thanks for reviewing!
diddles321 chapter 65 . 16h ago
Could you list every pro hero that died so far? I've lost track.
I'll list only the confirmed ones so far, since there might have been more in the attacks/invasion. Snipe (got shot by K-Blaster after he took down Bomber), Air Jet (defeated by villains when facing Twice and Ganeshi in Musutafu), Edgeshot and Tora (the interview with the vice warden claimed it), and this time Aizawa is confirmed (scene with him in the hallway getting shot in the back by a "student" and finished off by Killmore). Anyway those were the ones in the Invasion arc, and I don't think I really killed any off before then... Except I guess Sir Nighteye still died? If anyone else remembers another hero I have killed (and kept dead) feel free to remind me!
Shade11224 chapter 65 . 16h ago
I'm really starting to feel weird that they keep insisting on not killing villains when the villains are literally starting to destroy cities and are killing what has to amount to thousands of people. Wouldn't the government have called in support from other countries along with deploying troops.
The world's been too peaceful for too long. People born in times of peace have different values than those born in times of war... but maybe with everything that's happening, feelings may change? Haven't really shown much of the after-effects of this attack yet as we've stayed in the hospital for most scenes following. We'll start to get more into the effects though in the coming chapters. Even at the end of this one we saw some of the "support" you mentioned as Zach saw Star-Spangled Man from America had arrived to help out. Thanks for the review! Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
D-Koy24 chapter 65 . 14h ago
No! Nonononononyesno! Edgeshot no! A badass ninja like him can't die! Zach should go save him and let the internship happen!
~D-Koy, my song for the day? [Edward Maya- Stereo Love]
Nooooooo! Little too late by the time Zach was seeing that news report, and he was up to his neck in dead bodies already. Unfortunately the badass ninja falls to Stain's blade. (Also, love that song. Listening to it now as I reply). :) Thanks for the review, and hope y'all enjoyed the chapter!