Author's note:

It's time for my Kacchako Big Bang 2021 submission!

This idea came about as I needed a second pitch for the Crimson Ties magazine. I ended up writing something different for that zine (preorders are still open until the end of September!), but still wanted to do this story too.

HUGE thank you to my beta readers @annaagiri and @anonimarev for helping with this fic, and @sharaidraws_99 for the amazing piece of art.

The Big Bang may be done, but this fic isn't. I have 6 chapters planned, but only 2 were ready for posting. We do plan to keep working together to finish the fic, so stay tuned!

I had a dream I was moving forward
Floating gently to the sun
I've come to see my world rewarded
A new day has begun

A lost bird caught in mid migration
Far away to a foreign land
Offspring of a secret nation
A new day has begun

I can see the earth below me
And I can
Feel it turn

"Feel it Turn" by Great Big Sea

It had been quiet for a while now, but Bakugo didn't know how long. The battle against the transformed Shigaraki had moved down the hill, Deku desperately leading the villain away from the injured.

The only reason that Deku was able to stay in the fight at all was because DynaMight had saved him. Bakugo remembered seeing Shigaraki's evil smile grow on his face as Aizawa-sensei had to cut off his leg because he was shot by a quirk eliminating bullet. It was either the leg or his quirk. Bakugo would have made the exact same decision, even if it meant the advantage the heroes had over the villains disappeared in the blink of an eye.

He coughed, his body aching, then remembered why he was lying on the ground instead of backing up Deku. Once Shigaraki got access to his regeneration quirk, they tried a Hail Mary. DynaMight got Endeavor up high enough, allowing him to use what energy he had left to attack with a massive Prominence Burn. It was the last best idea they had, but it wasn't enough. Despite being charred beyond recognition, Shigaraki had healed almost instantly. He continued his attack on Deku, this time with all of his quirks at his disposal.

Bakugo remembered moving, but he didn't remember deciding to. He remembered pushing Deku out of the way of the black tentacles that emanated from Shigaraki's fingers, only to be impaled by them himself. Two struck him in the shoulder, while the third hit closer to the center of his chest. The way his blood was pooling underneath him, he was pretty sure something important was pierced.

He tried to sit up again, but his muscles refused to move. He was starting to feel cold. His vision was darkening around the edges. He was bleeding out. Shit. He coughed again, but this time the pain wasn't so bad. It almost felt far away from his body. Who knew dying was painless? Now if only the thumping in his head would knock it off, he might be able to die in peace.

The thumping did stop, only to be replaced by the sound of heavy breathing above him. Huh, the pounding must have been footsteps…

"Bakugo!" he heard someone call to him. He cracked his eyes open, and through the blurriness, he saw someone dressed in pink and black, a pair of familiar dots in the middle of their costume. "Bakugo, speak to me!" cried Uraraka.

Since he wasn't going to live long enough for his friends to tease him, Bakugo allowed himself a small smile. "Hey, Cheeks," he croaked. "Fancy meeting you here."

Uraraka had thrown her helmet away and was putting pressure on his chest. However, she didn't seem to realize that the wounds went all the way through. "Shh, save your breath," she said through her tears. Her head snapped up, pivoting around, looking for anyone else nearby. "HELP! MEDIC!"

"Don't bother, it's too late," he croaked hoarsely. "I've already lost too much blood. I'm done for."

"Nonono! No! Don't say that!" Her bloody hands left the wound on his chest, and lifted his head, lying it on a softer surface. He realized dimly that she put his head in her lap. "Don't speak. Save your strength. We're going to get you out of here." She reached up with bloody hands, and removed his mask from his face. One hand started to gently stroke his hair.

Bakugo chuckled darkly. "I've been here a long time already, Cheeks. Been bleeding the entire time. If you had type A blood, maybe…"

Uraraka choked back a sob, and shook her head. "No. I'm B."

Bakugo shrugged with his good shoulder. "Figured as much."

He closed his eyes for a long while, making Uraraka fear the worst. "Bakugo?" she whispered.

He licked his dry lips, opening his eyes again. There was something he'd been wanting to say to her for a while now. Well, it was now or never. "You know, I kinda had a thing for you," he confessed. "Eh, Cheeks? Heh. Ochako. Imma call you that since I'm dying anyway. That ok?" He smirked through the blood flowing past his lips.

The hand that wasn't currently brushing through his hair came up to cover her mouth as she looked at him in shock.

"It's true. You're about the only person in class that doesn't annoy the shit out of me." He was interrupted by a wracking cough. Blood poured from his wounds, and started to seep from the corner of his mouth. "Ever since our fight at the sports festival. You pushed me harder than anyone else in that tournament, and I couldn't get my mind off of you."

Uraraka opened her mouth to speak, but she just didn't have the words. Tears streamed down her face, leaving trails in the dust on her cheeks. "Ba—Katsuki..." she managed.

He smiled, a warmth coursing through his chest at the sound of his name in her voice. "I would have asked you out to dinner or something, but you obviously felt something for the nerd. I might be an asshole, but I'm not about to get involved in a love triangle."

Uraraka sniffed loudly, choking back a sob. "I h-had an inkling, but I w-wasn't sure. After you brought me my jacket after our fight I knew you didn't hate me, but…"

Bakugo chuckled darkly. "And here I thought I was being subtle."

That pulled a small laugh from her. "Well, the fact that I was pretty much the only person in class you never told to 'go fuck themselves' was a big hint." She took a deep shuddering breath. "Ask me."

Bakugo blinked slowly, unsure if he heard her correctly "Huh?"

"Ask me out. Now."

For the first time he could remember, Bakugo hesitated. "But what about…?"

Uraraka shook her head. "We're not together. Never have been." She sighed, staring off down the hill towards the sounds of battle, as if contemplating her next words carefully. "Probably never will be." She looked back down at him. "Ask me out. When we get out of here, and you get better, we'll go on a date. Just the two of us."

Bakugo coughed weakly, blood dripping down his chin. Uraraka fumbled in her utility belt, looking for her canteen of water, and offered him a sip. "Thanks," he said after he'd drunk enough. He settled back down on her lap, staring straight up past her head and into the sky. "There's a little tea house not far from campus. Ponytail gets her expensive stuff there. I like to go on quiet days, by myself, and just relax for an hour. Would you like to join me next time, Ochako?"

This time the sob escaped Uraraka's throat. She covered her mouth with one hand, trying to get a hold of herself, while her other hand gently stroked his hair. "Yes. I would like that very much," she managed after a while. "I like hibiscus tea. Do they have it?"

"I should have figured you'd like that floral stuff." He nodded. "Yeah, I've seen it there. It's very fragrant, you can smell it from the next table over."

"I bet you like black teas," she joked. "The more bitter the better."

He chuckled softly, his voice now barely a whisper. "Nah, I prefer green tea. Made the traditional way. I'll… teach you how… O...cha..ko"

Uraraka squeezed her eyes shut tightly as she felt his body go limp, and he stopped breathing. Her tears splashed heavily on his cheeks, as her hand went from stroking his hair, to closing his unseeing eyes. She bent over his lifeless form, and cried wrenching sobs until her eyes had no more tears to give.

The battle was lost.

Unable to defeat Shigaraki before his injuries got the better of him. Deku was forced to let the villain go. Now he was laid up in a hospital bed, waiting on a doctor with a healing quirk to help mend his broken body.

Midoriya sighed as he stared at the ceiling, unable to do much else. He'd had an interesting conversation with his quirk precursors, about whether he was worthy. He thought he managed to convince them. If nothing else, he knew he had six out of eight on his side. But what would his next move be?

A knock on the door interrupted his thought process. "Come in," he called.

In walked Uraraka and Todoroki. He smiled when he saw that she was uninjured, walking in on her own and without a bandage in sight. Todoroki had some bandages, but seemed to be fine otherwise. His expression of relief fell, however, when he saw their faces. Uraraka was staring at her shoes, unable to look him in the face. It was obvious that she'd been crying recently. Even Todoroki, normally stoic and unflinching, seemed to be weighed down by terrible news. "What's wrong?" he choked out past a knot that was rapidly forming in his throat. "Who… who got hurt?"

Uraraka's hands came up to her face, covering her mouth to prevent a sob from escaping. She struggled internally to get herself under control, and Midoriya could see the tears forming in her eyes.

He looked to his friend instead. "Bakugo," he croaked out. His throat must have been damaged in the fight. Instead of elaborating, he looked down, shaking his head sadly.

Midoriya felt like he'd been stabbed. He looked down at his plaster wrapped arms for a long time, saying nothing.

Uraraka finally got herself under control. "I was there when he went," she said softly. "He wasn't alone."

Midoriya nodded. "I'm so sorry you had to be there for that, but I'm glad you were."

There was a scratching sound in the room, then Todoroki snapped his fingers to get their attention. Instead of trying to speak, he'd pulled out a pencil and notebook. So what do we do now? said his note.

Midoriya sighed. "I've got to take down Shigaraki and All For One," he said. "I'm not sure how to do that yet."

The sadness in Uraraka's face quickly changed to hard determination. "I'm coming with you."

Todoroki nodded in agreement, then scratched out his own response. Dabi will be with him. He's my older brother, and Dad can't bring him in. Too much baggage. I'm coming too.

Midoriya shook his head. "No, All For One is my responsibility. I have to do this alone."

Uraraka clenched her fists. "Deku, that's a load of bullshit and you know it."

Both boys stared at her in astonishment. Uraraka can curse?

"If you could do it yourself, you would have won your fight, instead of ending up in here, wrapped up like a mummy," she continued. "You shouldn't have run off by yourself, and left us behind. You need us."

Midoriya stared down at his broken legs, the last words Bakugo said to him echoing in his skull.

Stop trying to win this on your own!

If he'd just let other people help him. If he'd not taken on all of the responsibility for taking down Shigaraki...

Stop trying to win this on your own!

Would Kacchan still be alive?

Stop trying to win this on your own!

Midoriya looked up, his face determined. He nodded at his friends. "You're right. I do need your help. When we get out of here, we'll go get justice for Kacchan, and everyone else who was hurt today."

He received determined nods from his friends. But then Todoroki scratched away at his notepad again. So how do we find them?

Uraraka smiled devilishly. "I think I know."

It was a month before they were ready to put their plan into action.

Thanks to Recovery Girl, Midoriya and Todoroki were healed up and ready for action in a matter of days. In fact, Midoriya's doctors were surprised to find that despite previous warnings, his bones and ligaments were stronger than ever. Midoriya had a sneaking suspicion that One for All had something to do with it, and was grateful.

Midoriya had wanted to leave school immediately, believing that he was too much of a danger to those around him to stay in one place for too long. However, Uraraka's plan hinged on the League of Villains knowing where he was. Or at least, one specific member.

One day towards the end of spring, Midoriya and Uraraka left campus side by side. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and they were walking down to the town below to get some ice cream.

Uraraka looked over at her companion, who walked robotically next to her. She chuckled softly at his expression of sheer terror, and bright red face. Was this really the guy who faced Shigaraki and nearly took him down on his own? She nudged him gently with her shoulder. "Hey," she said quietly. "Relax. It needs to look like we're on a date."

Midoriya swallowed hard. "That's not going to make me relax," he said.

Uraraka hid a laugh behind her hand. "Would it be better if I were someone else? Maybe Todoroki-kun?"

If anything, Midoriya's blush deepened. "NO! I mean…" he started twiddling his fingers. "Shouto and I are just friends, and this whole plan depends on her seeing you and me and acting like a couple and…"

Uraraka smirked at her friend as he fell into a spiraling mumble. She nudged him again to break him out of it. "Not so loud, we don't want her to catch on." She reached down, and took his hand. "There. Now we look like a couple." She rolled her eyes as he slapped his other hand over his nose. A quick glance told her it was bleeding.

The pair made it to the ice cream parlor without being waylaid by villains. Despite the chaos going on in other parts of Japan, they tended to stay away from U.A. due to its high concentration of heroes and heroes-in-training. Ice cream purchased, they walked to a nearby park and sat on a bench to eat their cones and make small talk. All the while, Uraraka's eyes scanned their surroundings, but she didn't pick up her quarry.

They finished their treats, and now it was time to put the plan into action. "Thank you for taking me out for some ice cream, Deku," she said a little more loudly than necessary. "It was sure nice to get out of the dorm for a little while."

Midoriya blinked owlishly, before he realized that he'd missed his cue. "AH! Yes! It Was Very Delicious! But Not As Delicious As You!"

Uraraka nearly burst a gut trying to keep from laughing as he robotically tried to woo her. "Should we go back to campus?"

Midoriya held up a hand "Wait! I Have Something For You!" He reached into his pocket, and pulled out an All Might action figure. "I'd Really Like You To Have This, Ochako-Chan! Will You Be My G-g-g-girlfriend?"

Uraraka clasped her hands together, gasping in fake surprise. "For me? Isn't that your favorite figure?"

Midoriya nodded, seemingly forgetting he had another line.

Uraraka shook her head in bemusement, taking the doll. "Thank you, Deku! I will be your girlfriend." She put the doll inside her purse, allowing it to stick out of the bag halfway.

Their little play completed, Uraraka and Midoriya stood and started the walk back up the hill to the school campus. Uraraka put her purse strap over her shoulder, bumping the bag with her hip as it settled, and knocking the doll out of the purse and onto the ground under the bench where they had sat. The pair walked away, not having noticed the doll was missing.

Finally inside the gates of campus, Midoriya breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh man, I never knew acting was so hard!" He looked back over his shoulder. "Think she took the bait?"

Uraraka shrugged. "We'll find out soon enough," she said while pulling a tracking device out of her purse.

The plan was simple: Yaoyorozu created the All Might action figure with a tracking device inside along with the handheld tracker. Midoriya and Uraraka, Himiko Toga's favorite people, would make a big show of going on "dates," and Midoriya would give her the doll as a gift. Uraraka was sure that Toga would eventually be skulking around, and wouldn't be able to resist taking a doll that Midoriya had given "to his girlfriend" for herself. They could then track her back to her base.

Yaoyorozu, having once already bent the rules to save Bakugo—gosh, was that really only last summer? It felt like a decade had passed since then—was willing to help with the tracker, but she wasn't up for going into battle afterwards. "Someone has to stay behind in case you need backup," she said. "Besides, if you're going to take that man down, a small task force might just be what you need. A whole army wasn't enough, and the more people going, the more chances you have to get caught."

Uraraka turned on the tracking device, and watched the screen as the little blip indicating the location of the device lit up. She waited, but it wasn't moving. She sighed, pulling out her phone, and dialing. "Todoroki? Anyone pick it up?"

"Not yet," came Todoroki's voice on the other side. "Not even a nibble."

Uraraka growled in frustration. Todoroki had followed them at a discreet distance to observe the doll, and see if someone picked it up. They'd chosen the park bench where it was dropped because there was a stand of trees he could hide in nearby, and watch the doll.

"All right, wait thirty minutes. If nobody takes it, grab the doll and come on home," she commanded.

"Roger." The line went dead.

Midoriya winced at her expression. "So what do we do now?"

Uraraka shrugged. "We do it again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, until she takes the bait. I hope you like ice cream."

It took another six weeks before they finally got a bite.

Every so often the doll would move, but it would turn out to be a kid that picked it up. Knowing about Toga's quirk, Todoroki would still follow the doll until it reached the kid's home, but it always resulted in a false positive. Frustrations were mounting amongst the trio, until finally one day a little old lady picked up the doll.

Todoroki didn't know much about action figures, but he did know that little old ladies didn't typically want them. He followed his quarry at a long distance to avoid suspicion, and sent a quick text of a single emoji to Uraraka:

Uravity and Deku dropped out of the sky landing next to Shouto on the roof of a building near the wharf. They'd followed the tracker to a warehouse nearby. Uravity released her quirk, and took a shuddering breath as she tried to calm her nerves. "What do you have, Shouto?" she asked.

Shouto nodded. "An old lady picked up the doll and carried it through that door over there. She came here via a circuitous route, as if trying to drop a tail, but I was able to follow using the second tracker. I haven't seen anyone else come in or out in about forty minutes."

Deku scanned the building. "There's a fan up near the roof, probably for ventilation," he said while pointing. "We should be able to get in and get a good look at what we're dealing with before we attack."

The other heroes agreed with the plan, and all three made their way as quietly as possible towards the warehouse. Deku and Uravity floated themselves up to their point of entry, while Shouto was pulled up by Deku's blackwhip.

The inside of the warehouse was largely dark, but a pool of light filled the center of the room. Boxes and crates were piled up all around, but a space was left empty in the middle of the room, save for a few pieces of furniture and a television. Shouto tensed up as he saw a figure sitting on a couch watching the TV by himself, a white haired person with dark splotches on his skin.

Deku put a comforting hand on his companion's arm, trying to get him to relax. "We have the right place," he whispered. "Dabi and Toga wouldn't be here if Shigaraki wasn't as well. We need to get eyes on the others first, then we'll make a plan."

Shouto blew out a breath through his nose, then nodded. Using tools in his belt, he removed the bolts attaching the fan to the warehouse wall, while Deku grabbed the unit with his Blackwhip, and lowered it quietly to the ground. They floated inside, and landed on the rafters in the ceiling.

The first villain they spotted other than Dabi was Spinner. The lizard man was walking towards the back of the warehouse, possibly to a bathroom. It was the perfect opportunity. Deku looked at Shouto, signaling to him by pointing at the villain, and then grabbing his arms as if he were cold. Shouto nodded in understanding, and Uravity helped him drop gently to the floor.

Spinner grumbled as he washed his hands in the bathroom. He was arguing with himself about the benefits of staying with the group, or packing his swords and getting the hell out of there. Sure, he still believed in what the boss was saying, and wanted him to succeed, but they'd gone from being surrounded by allies to just a few almost instantly. None of the villains who they'd broken out of Tartarus had joined them, instead deciding to go cause their own chaos. Twice was gone. And Magna. Would he be next?

Plus, the boss just wasn't the same anymore since the BIG boss came out of the shadows. And it was starting to put him on edge. There were times when he was certain the man with no eyes was staring at him, trying to decide if he might taste good. He seriously doubted that his motivations aligned with Stain's.

He sighed, drying his hands and throwing the paper towel in the trash. If it weren't for the fact that Toga needed him, he'd probably have split a long time ago. He hardly felt like he could leave her now. Not with the…

A wall of ice came out from behind a stack of boxes, encasing him up to his neck. Spinner took in a sharp breath to scream out an alarm, but it turned into a yawn instead. His lizard biology got the better of him, and the cold instantly put him into a hibernation state.

Shouto came out from behind the boxes, looking back up into the rafters, and giving a thumbs up. Soon, his companions dropped down to join him. Uravity looked at the villain in his icy prison. "Is he dead?"

Shouto shook his head. "Hibernating. We can collect him later." He pushed the block of ice back into the bathroom, locking the door from the inside before shutting it, hiding it from view.

Deku nodded, then adjusted the throat mic on his neck. "Go to channel eight on comms, and split up. Do not engage if you can't get a quick knockout like that. We'll regroup in twenty."

The heroes nodded in agreement, and quietly slunk off.

Uravity made her way back up into the rafters, figuring an eye in the sky was needed. Keeping away from the center of the room so she wouldn't be spotted, she made her way around the outside of the warehouse to see who else she could find. There was another clearing in the boxes back here, and it seemed like there were beds set up like some kind of barracks. "I've got a bedroom back here guys, northwest corner," she whispered into her mic. "Four beds together, with a fifth behind a wall of boxes."

"The fifth one is probably Toga's," suggested Deku. "Meaning we have four more people to find."

"Wait," said Uravity, peering through the darkness. "I think there might be someone in one of the beds. A man. He's large, bald, but I can't quite make out his features." She activated her quirk, slowly lowering herself to the ground. "I think I can get closer."

"Stand down, Uravity," warned Shouto. "Observation only."

"I'm fine, there's nobody else here."

"I'm coming to back you up," said Deku.

"I'm fine! Keep an eye out for Shigaraki."

The bedroom was dark, and she could hear no other noises nearby. As quietly as possible, she made her way through the makeshift doorway between the boxes, and into the barracks. She suddenly felt exposed out in the open, but nobody attacked her or raised the alarm, so she figured it was OK. She approached the occupied bed, but the person laying in it was still. She winced as she saw his face. It had no eyes or nose, only scar tissue from the crown of its head to just above the upper lip. A tube was installed in his neck, but Uravity could hear no machinery whirring away that would indicate the other end of the tube was attached to a respirator. She put two fingers on his neck, but found no pulse. "I think I've found All for One," she said into her mic. "He's dead!"

Suddenly, she felt arms wrap around her waist, and a head plop on her shoulder. "Oh, he's just merged with Shigaraki now, and this body was no use to him any more," said a feminine voice. "So tell me, Ochako-chan, what are you doing here?"

Uravity tensed, but before she could move, a knife appeared at her throat. "Ah ah ah!" chastised Toga.

Uravity instantly froze, not daring to move a muscle. Deku and Shouto whispered demands for an update in her ear, but Toga grabbed the communicator from her neck, and threw it away. "Well, I must say," giggled the villain, putting her mouth next to the hero's ear, "I was not expecting you to show up. Was it the doll? I probably should have known. But when I saw you left it there, a symbol of Izuku's love, I just had to have it." Her voice turned to steel. "Especially since you damned heroes killed my Jin."

"I don't even know who that is, Toga," Uravity managed through gritted teeth.

The knife pressed harder into her neck, biting into her skin. A bead of blood dripped down to her collar. "Jin was someone who loved me. And you damned heroes took him from me. From us." She let go of Uravity, and turned her around to look her in the eyes, but kept the point of the blade against her throat. "And here I thought today was such a bad day. I didn't sleep well, puked my guts out all morning, and was sent on a food run all alone." She smiled, dangerously. "But now I get to take my revenge for Jin, and I can get you out of the way so that my Izuku will love me best!"

Uravity had one chance, but she needed to get an edge. She schooled her face, smirking at her foe. "Deku? Oh he doesn't love you. He doesn't love me either, that was just a ruse to get you to take the doll so we could track you."

Toga's manic grin fell. "What are you talking about?" she spat.

Taking a risk, Uravity turned her eyes away from Toga, and studied her nails. "Oh, it's just that he doesn't like girls at all. He prefers boys. That other boy that's with us, Todoroki? That's his boyfriend."

"Liar!" Uravity looked back up at the enraged girl in front of her. "My Izuku loves me the best!" She swung the knife dangerously as she ranted. "He wants to be with ME!"

Uravity moved like lightning as soon as the blade was on the far end of its arc, and put both hands on Toga's arm to prevent her from bringing it back around. She twisted on her toes, driving the arm in her grasp down, and flipping the villain over her shoulder, making her land heavily on her back, knocking the wind out of her. She quickly flipped the girl onto her stomach, and sat on Toga's butt, before she reached into her belt, and pulled out a pair of cuffs, which she used to bind the girl's hands.

Uravity blew out a large breath in relief as the cuffs clicked tight around the smaller girl's wrists. "Be a good girl and stay here, while we round up your friends," she growled. She reached back to get another pair of cuffs to bind her feet, when hot fire bloomed in her back, and lanced up her spine. She looked back behind her as Toga started to giggle maniacally underneath her. Toga's leg was bent up at the knee, and she had driven the heel of her shoe into the hero's back, right above her waist. As the leg dropped, Uravity saw blood on the heel, along with the five centimeter long spring-loaded blade that had pierced her.

"Oh we're not done having fun just yet, Ochako-chan," said Toga as Uravity fell off of her back. She grimaced and groaned as she used one hand to dislocate the thumb on her other hand, allowing her to slide out of the cuffs. The villain stood, popped her thumb back into place with a sickening snap, then picked up the knife she'd lost when she was thrown. She smiled hungrily down at Uravity. "Look at all that yummy blood you're bleeding!" she exclaimed. "I'll have to make sure to collect it all for later!"

Uravity felt like her back was on fire, and she could already tell she was bleeding badly. She found the wound with her hand; it pierced her kidney. That wasn't good. She struggled to her feet, her hand pressed to her back. She had to take this bitch down now.

She turned and limped as quickly as she could towards the wall of crates on the periphery of the barracks, squeezing between a couple of stacked pallets. Distantly she heard an explosion that must have been Deku or Shouto fighting. It was confirmation that she was on her own. She had no idea what was in the crates surrounding her, but she made sure to touch as many as she could, hoping that Toga would take the bait.

"Ooooooochakoooooo!" came a sing-song call from just behind her. "Where aaaaaaare yooooou?"

Uravity looked behind her, but didn't see her pursuer yet. She continued working her way through the maze of crates, until finally she reached the clearing in the middle of the warehouse. Thankfully, it seemed that Shouto had already begun his strike against Dabi, as the fire user was no longer watching TV. This was where she'd make a stand.

She turned just as Toga burst through the wall of crates, a knife in each hand. "There you are!" she laughed.

Uravity held her hands out in front of her, one slick with her own blood. "Give up now, Toga!"

The villain smirked. "I don't think you're bleeding enough yet. Let's fix that!" She darted forward.

Clenching her teeth, Uravity triggered the mechanism in both of her gauntlets that sent out her grappling hooks. Toga dodged to the side, laughing, but Uravity wasn't watching her. She was watching as the hooks grabbed onto the crates she'd just come through—the crates she had touched on her way to this point.

Toga's expression turned from a manic smile to horror as she realized the hero's plan. With a yank, Uravity pulled a dozen huge crates out of the pile, and threw them at Toga. Tenting her fingers, she yelled "Release!" at the top of her lungs, giving the crates their weight back, along with deadly momentum. Touching her own chest, she jumped straight up, out of the way of the crates, as the tsunami of wood overwhelmed her foe.

Toga cried out as she was buried under the massive boxes. Uravity dropped herself to the floor, dropping to her knees. She panted in exhaustion as she waited for Toga to emerge from her cardboard and wood prison, but while moaning could be heard coming from under the pile she never emerged.

Breathing hard, Uravity stood to go find Deku or Shouto—the sounds of battle were still close by—but she immediately lost her footing, and collapsed to the floor. Her head felt like it was spinning, and she was having a hard time catching her breath. A hand on her back indicated that she was still bleeding badly. She was out of the fight. She took a shuddering breath, before closing her eyes. Hopefully the boys could win without her.

It was done. Finally.

All For One had fully merged with Shigaraki shortly before the heroes had found the base, but it seemed that Shigaraki hadn't taken kindly to being taken over. The two fought internally as Deku fought them externally. It was the distraction he'd needed to be able to take them down.

He looked down at his blood soaked gauntlets. He'd had to break his promise to Nana Shimura and end their lives. But the look of thanks that had been in Shigaraki's eyes as his heart was pierced for the final time made Deku think that maybe he'd still saved her grandson after all.

Shouto came staggering back into the warehouse, his clothing mostly burned away, and his left arm bloodied and broken . Deku had seen the bright light of Shouto's Prominence Burn off in the distance as he fought All For One. The fact that his classmate was still standing likely meant that Dabi was no more as well.

Midoriya walked over to Todoroki, and wrapped his compatriot in a hug.

Todoroki was stunned as Midoriya squeezed him tightly, sniffling into his shoulder. He wrapped his good arm around his friend. "We did it," he said quietly.

Midoriya sniffed loudly as he pulled away, wiping his nose. He had a smile on his face, though. "Where's Uraraka?" he asked, looking around. "I haven't seen her since the fighting started."

Todoroki pointed off into the distance, where a floating crate could be seen stuck in the rafters. "If she couldn't join your or my fights, she might still be over there."

The boys hustled through the maze of crates until they found themselves in the clearing in the center of the warehouse. A mountain of toppled crates to one side was the indication that a battle had gone down here. Midoriya gasped when he saw one of the combatants a little off to the side, lying face down on the floor.

"URARAKA!" shouted Midoriya as the boys raced to her prone form. He dropped to his knees, skidding on his knee pads as he approached her. The wound in her back looked bad; her costume was caked with blood. He looked up at Todoroki who was already pulling out a first aid kit from his belt and handing it to him. "Hold on Uraraka! We'll get you to a hospital!" As gently as he could, he removed her helmet before cutting her costume away from her wound using the scissors in the first aid kit.

"De...ku?" said Uraraka, so softly the boys almost didn't hear her. Her head shook slightly. "'S too late. Lost too much blood. Got me in the kidney."

Midoriya ignored her, and started to stitch. "Hang on! The ambulance is on the way!"

"Toga's under that pile. Make sure she gets on the ambulance."

"Don't worry about that right now," said Todoroki while digging through his various pouches. "Damn it, where is my emergency transfusion kit? I'm O! I can donate!"

Finished stitching, Midoriya flipped Uraraka onto her back, and placed her head on his knees. "You're going to be fine," he said as he ran his hands through her hair. "Just hang on."

Uraraka blinked slowly, looking at him through lidded eyes. Her complexion was so pale. "I'll take care of him," she whispered.

Midoriya blinked at her. "Who?"

"Kat...su...ki."

And with that final word, she was gone.

In a nebulous place, the kami gathered.

"Hah! I win the pot!"

"What are you talking about? The heroes won!"

"Yeah, but she died!"

"But she won her fight!"

"The other one is still alive, therefore she lost."

"Look, if it means this argument will be over, I'll give you a third of the pot for that fight."

One of the Kami sniffled.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Why did they have to die?"

"Who?"

"Bakugo and Uraraka!"

"Because all of their blood leaked out?"

"You know what I mean!" it blubbered. "He was finally getting over himself just as she was ready to be receptive to the idea of them dating!"

"Oh, not this again…"

"This was supposed to be an exciting adventure story, not a romance!"

The entity pouted. "Well I appreciate the characters and their growth more than the main plot!"

"It wouldn't have been a good story if they didn't die!"

"I don't care!" The entity rummaged around in what could only be called a pocket, and pulled out a card. "I'm playing it."

Vision receptors rolled.

The card was held up. "Soulmate card. These two were meant for each other. They deserve to be together in the next life."

"Ugh. Fine." Fingers snapped. "There. It's done. Happy now?"

"Yes."