Loss.

Loss is a feeling of emptiness. Of pain and suffering. Of longing and regret. Of vibrant memories and aching hearts.

Loss is truly a nightmare.

Loss is an emotion no one wants to experience, and one everyone wishes to escape when they do.

Loss is also something Ochako has been familiarizing herself with recently.

It has been a week and a half since Deku's funeral. Ever since that day, Ochako worked herself harder to forget Deku's passing, to forget he was gone so the regret and longing in her mind disappeared, even for a moment. To mask the pain in her heart with the aching of her body, and to sleep the night away before she can remember him again. However, she couldn't run away for long (not that she wanted to). She just needed to forget for some time so she wouldn't sob as much. Of course, she did anyway, when she visited his grave to offer flowers to him and to wish him safety, wherever he was.

After the first visit to his grave, Ochako started frequenting Izuku's room. Sometimes to look at it. Sometimes to cuddle the blankets with his scent and sob into them. Sometimes to watch the movies he loved so much to remember him, the feeling of his arms around her as they cuddled and laughed and cried together. Other times, it was to preserve it. Clean off the dust, making sure his room was tidied up just as he left it.

Time seemed to fly for her, and yet every second without him was an eternity. It took time for her to get used to his absence. Seeing the seat he used to be in now empty and desolate made her heart ache. Having him gone hurt even more. She missed him so much… to the point where she could barely get through training at times. Ochako felt so lost, as if Izuku was her guiding light. Her beacon. And in a lot of ways, he was. He was everyone's beacon, and Ochako didn't know how to pick up the pieces now that he was dead.

His absence was almost unbearable for her.

A few good things came out of it, however. Everyone had started to bond more, talk to one another. Mineta for once wasn't as perverted, and Bakugou wasn't as explosive as usual. And yet, everyone was still mourning the loss of Deku. But today, the class president had enough.

"S-so why do you think Iida rounded us here?" Ochako asked Tsuyu, only to get a shrug as a response. As Class 3-A rounded themselves in the Heights Alliance lounge, Iida stood in front of the crowd. He breathed deeply before starting.

"I'm sorry for calling you all so abruptly, but I think as your class representative, I should address this. We can't be going on how we are right now anymore. And before you say I am insensitive, I really want you to think about this. Would Midoriya really want us to mope and grieve so much? Or would he want us to move on, to remember him, to never forget, but to keep pushing forward? Would he want us to stay where we are or give it our all for this one final push to graduate and become heroes? I know for a fact Midoriya would be glad that we lived … even i-if he's-" Iida's voice cracked, as he covered his mouth for a second. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "E-even if he is gone. Even if the world will never know of the hero named Deku, we can honor his legacy. We can fight and become heroes for him. And we will. So we need to give it our all, go beyond and go PLUS ULTRA!" Iida pumped his fist high in the air at his words, smiling through his tears. The rest of the group followed suit, and the atmosphere began to change, even if it went slowly.

Thirty minutes after Iida's speech, Ochako checked her phone, staring at the clock as it read: '2:00 PM'. She sighed, putting her phone in her pocket and grabbing her bag. She walked out of the dorm towards the UA entrance. As she made her way down the hill towards the bus stop, she couldn't stop thinking about all of the good moments she had with Izuku. 'Even if he's gone, I will treasure every moment I had with him. I will never forget you, Deku-kun,' she thought with a sad smile, finally making it to the bus stop. As she boarded the bus and sat in a seat, she remembered a fond memory between them…

… As Ochako approached Deku's door, she hesitated. She was really nervous. It would be the first time Deku and she watched a movie together. Just the two of them. No one else but each other. She was really looking forward to it, even if she was very scared about it.

She knocked on his door, patiently waiting for her best friend to let her inside. She heard shuffling and a thud, followed by mumbling approaching the door. The door swung open, revealing a bed-headed Izuku Midoriya, his eyes groggy and bags under them.

Ochako frowned lightly, concerned about Deku. "Another nightmare?"

He nodded lightly, looking down at the floor and tears forming in his eyes. She hugged him, pulling him close in an embrace he reciprocated moments later. Tears began flowing from his eyes, rolling down his cheeks onto her shoulder. They stood there for a minute or so before separating. He smiled at her, and she beamed at him. As they made their way inside, Izuku sat down on his bed, Ochako joining him soon after.

"Wanna talk about it?" she asked, holding his hand gently. He thought for a second, before sighing and nodding. She gave his hand a squeeze while listening intently to what his dream entailed.

"I-It was All Might's death again. B-But it wasn't just him… Y-You died, and Iida, a-and Mom-" his voice broke, breaking down into sobs and covering his face with his hands. She hugged him, subconsciously nuzzling herself into his side and holding him close, letting him release all of his emotions. "I-I always felt like I wasn't good enough to save him, to save people. I-If only maybe I was better with my quirks, t-then maybe-" Ochako cut him off, gently putting a finger on his lips while cupping his chin with her fingers and turning him to look at her.

"You have always been enough, no matter the circumstances, Deku-kun. But you need to remember that you're still human. Even with your quirks, you can't do everything on your own," she smiled gently at him, patting his head and hugging him one more time. "You'll always be everyone's hero. And my hero too…"

Ochako wiped her tears away, getting out of the bus and walking towards her destination. The Musutafu Hero Cemetery. She walked past countless graves, before making it to All Might's statue. She walked right past it, stopping and kneeling down while reading the gravestone.

Here lies Izuku Midoriya.

A brave and determined hero, with a heart of gold and an unbreakable spirit. May he rest in peace.

July 15th, 2289 - April 22nd, 2307

She gently pulled out a bouquet of flowers from her bag, setting it down in the holder beside the gravestone. She smiled as she replaced the old, dying ones, to bring life and color to the gray environment around it.

"Hey Izuku…" Ochako began, breathing deeply. "Life hasn't gotten much better since you left us. Mina finally stopped trying to bake after the thousands of times we tried to stop her, and now Satou is the only one that bakes at the dorms. He still bakes great muffins though. Y-You'd like them…" she stopped for a second, wiping away the tears that were forming before they were set free. "Iida is still the same, even if he misses you a lot. Y'know everyone misses you. A-and I miss you too-" she broke into a sob, covering her mouth and breathing deeply, trying to calm her mood to keep talking. "A-and we haven't been the same since you disappeared. I-I-I could barely get out of bed," she chuckled. "Right now we are working to graduate, just like you would want us to. A-and even if you're gone, I'll work my hardest to make you proud!" she stated with a smile, before it turned into sobs. She covered her face, crying onto her hands and wailing in pain. "Why did you have to go?! I wish you were here… so I could tell you that I love you…" she cried out and screamed onto her hands, sobbing and shaking. Hours passed, until Ochako couldn't cry anymore. As she made her way back to UA, she couldn't help but think about her Deku, smiling proudly and standing with confidence, and the memory brought a smile on her face.

Elsewhere. Same time.

'...reports say he broke out at 5 PM and headed towards an abandoned warehouse in the area. A squadron attempted to apprehend the villain unsuccessfully, leaving the whole squadron dead. Another attempt was made to capture the villain, with similar results, though only three people perished before the police moved out of the area. We have yet to hear from any heroes who can take him down,' a voice said through the intercom.

'And the villain name?' another voice asked.

The policeman sighed, grabbing the radio and answering his colleague's question. "... Muscular."