Hey! So, I've received some complaints about two things in particular concerning this chapter:
- Izuku's OOCness
and
- Kira's OPness
And, well, I agree: Izuku was OOC and Kira was OP. So, I've re-written the chapter (again) to change things around a bit. Most of the chapter is the same up until Deku the others show up as reinforcements so for those who have already read it, well, the changes start there. For those who haven't read it yet, well, don't concern yourself with this message.
Anyway, this chapter contains ALL of the Rescue Mission Arc (literally all of it) so if you haven't read it, it's probably best you hold off on reading this chapter. I hope this re-written version will make up for the mistakes I've made in the original one. I deeply apologize for this.
Warning: Kira's language, Kira's stubborness and Kira's pain.
Enjoy!
"You seem anxious."
Coughing, it took Kira a few seconds to find the strength to answer. Shoto had gotten her right in the chest, and it knocked the breath out of her.
"I'm… I'm fine…" Hands over her knees, she took small intakes of breath to calm the wild beating of her heart. "Damn, that… that was a good hit…"
"It shouldn't have gotten you," he retorted, frowning. He crossed his arms over his chest. "You're not focusing."
"Or you're just getting… getting better," she replied.
"You don't leave such easy openings, you're too careful with that. What's on your mind?"
Understanding he wouldn't let it go easily, she sighed, and left the training mat to go grab her bottle of water. He simply followed, knowing she'd answer soon enough. The ginger sat on the bench, wiping the sweat on her forehead, while himself wiped his face with his towel, watching her from the corner of his eye.
"I'm not allowed to talk about it," she finally admitted. "It's an internship thing."
He narrowed his eyes. "Are the civilians still giving you difficulties?"
"No- well, yes, but that's… that's not it. It's just…" Frustrated, she ran a hand through her hair. "Ugh, I really can't tell you. Aizawa-sensei will have my head if I disclose this kind of information."
"I understand," he however assured. "But if you need to talk…"
She smiled at that. At him. "I know. Thanks, Shoto. You're a really great friend, you know?"
Those words were nice to hear, but he didn't want to be just that to her. But, he knew that she had a lot more on her plate to handle at the moment, and himself had his hands full with the extra-lessons. So, pushing down his true feelings –which he still didn't know the full extent of-, he simply patted her shoulder in comfort.
"Anytime."
The smile she offered him at that made all those doubts worth it, though.
Kira woke up, startled.
Her phone's screen, on the nightstand, was lightened and announcing a new message. Frowning, she opened it.
Who the hell… She trailed off, realizing what it was about.
Jumping to her feet, she didn't waste any time in changing and ran to the mess hall. It would usually be empty at that time of the night, but Izuku was already there. As she sat next to him, Uraraka and Tsuyu showed up. Finally, a few seconds later, Kirishima joined them.
"So, you guys got it too?" he asked to confirm.
"Yeah. The day we carry out the plan..."
There's no turning back now.
The next day, everyone was once again gathered at Nighteye's Offices to receive the last details of the mission in person. Kira completely ignored the Hero who kept glaring at her, obviously still suspecting her of being a mole. She couldn't help but smile a little when Kirishima moved between the two of them, though, shielding her from the guy's view.
Once they were done, they wasted no time changing into their costumes.
It's show time!
.
.
Spitfire stared at the building before them, wondering how the hell they hadn't been found out yet. They had literally gathered a police regiment before it, along with numerous Heroes from all over the chart. So, for the Eightfold Cleansers not to react to such a blatant confrontation…
So I was right, she mused. They did know we were coming. Though, they're still inside. What are they planning?
The ginger tensed a little as one of the officers started heading for the gigantic doors. It was a complete waste of time if you asked her but, again, they weren't above the law. So, doing things accordingly, the officer reached the door. As he was about to call for someone, though, the doors were suddenly blown off their hinges by a gigantic fist, blasting some of the policemen away.
"Fire Rocket!"
Spitfire wasted no time in catching one, while Deku caught another, and Eraser Head took care of the last two. They landed back safely, and the girl put him down.
He smiled gratefully her way. "Thanks for the save, Ki- Spitfire."
"Sure thing, Wakaranui-san. Just stay put for a moment, okay?"
"Will do!"
Nodding, the ginger then glanced back to their attacker. He was gigantic, obviously using some sort of super-strength. She was seriously tempted to try and burn him to a crisp but also knew that this kind of opponent was one of the worst the could find herself facing. Plus, it wasn't their priority, and everyone had their roles to uphold.
"What the hell!?"
"Wait, you're saying they caught wind of the operation!?"
"Whatever, people, just pin him down!"
"I'm feeling a little more pumped…" growled their attacker. "So tell me…"
"GET BACK!"
"What is it you want!?"
Before he could reach the officers, Ryukyu used her Quirk and shape-shifted into her dragon form.
"For the time being, we should try not to split our forces," she stated, baring her teeth. "The Ryukyu group will deal with this one. Everyone else continues onward." She suddenly slammed their attacker into the ground, creating an opening. "NOW!"
"I don't really get what's happening, just get in there!" ordered Fatgum. "Go, go, go!"
"Froppy, Uravity, be careful!" And on that note, Spitfire darted towards the doors.
As soon as they stepped inside, they were received by a not-so-welcoming committee, who offered them gunshots and baseball bats. As they kept on moving in, one of the Yakuza tried to use his Quirk, Leaf Manipulation, to stop them. Not wanting to waste any time, Spitfire simply burnt down the tree. The guy gaped as the leaves he had tried to use vanished in smoke.
"That's kind of overboard, Red One," winced Red Riot, next to her.
"Nothing's overboard right now! Shut up and keep on running, Red Two!"
"Make a beeline for the objective!"
Leaving the smaller flies to the police, the Heroes accelerated the pace.
It was a battle of time, now.
They smashed down the doors, breaking into the main building. They were instantly assaulted from all sides by other Yakuza members who kept on playing dumb, but who were also trying to buy time. Spitfire couldn't use her staff or much of her fire, considering how close she was to the other members of the operation, but she could easily take them on with just her fists and a few sparks.
"They're all coming at us to buy time! How spiteful can you get!?"
"Forget about watching out for any 'suspicious behavior', this is way beyond that!" exclaimed Fatgum.
"Yo, I'm getting a real bad feeling about this!" warned Lockrock, the Hero who kept on looking down on the students and on whom the ginger could finally put a name. "Not that we've got any choice but to keep going now that the mission's on!"
"I bet this means the info got leaked from somewhere…" remarked Suneater, uneasy. "And I don't like the looks of all we're all just lumped together…"
"Don't wanna brag or anything—" Spitfire kicked one of the men in the face. "—But I told you so!"
"Then we need to find a way to be smarter about avoiding their attacks," pointed out the officer from earlier. "They must be told to be united in purpose on a routine basis."
"Once they've crossed sake cups, their vows of loyalty to their boss are sealed," explained Eraser Head. "They probably feel inferior so they emphasize the kind of unity you'd see in gangs of bygone days. Given all this commotion… and the fact that neither Chisaki nor his top brass have shown themselves… Then they must be in the basement, preparing to hide everything or to escape."
"You call that loyalty!?" protested Red Riot. "A real man would never push all the responsibility on his henchmen and escape!"
"Damn straight!" agreed Fatgum.
"Chisaki's not a man, he's a monster," replied Spitfire, gritting her teeth. "What he's doing to that Eri girl despite actually needing her… What do you think he does to people he doesn't need?"
Red Riot flinched at that but, before they could go any farther into the house, Nighteye stopped before a wall. He found the hidden mechanism under the vase, pushed on the panel, and the wall opened up for them.
"It's like a ninja house!" remarked Bubble Girl.
"If we weren't looking for it, we'd never have noticed," pointed out Centipede.
"Everyone, be wary of the Quirks that have yet to show themselves," warned Nighteye.
A second later, three other enemies showed up. Before they could get any farther, though, Nighteye's sidekicks handled them. For a second, Spitfire stood still, in awe at the sheer reaction time, before Red Riot nudged her back to reality. Shaking her head, she quickly followed everyone down the hallway that had been revealed. However, as they reached the basement, they found themselves facing a wall.
"A dead end!?"
"We were going the right way, right?" panicked the officer.
"Nighteye, explain yourself!" snapped Lockrock.
"If those guys came up those stairs, then they must have come from somewhere," however pointed out the ginger.
"I'll go take a look!" announced Lemillion.
He passed his head through the wall. After a few seconds, he pulled out.
"This wall was just thrown up to block the way! Though it's a very thick wall…"
"Guess even stuff like that is possible if Chisaki can disassemble and reassemble at will," grunted the black Hero.
"Damn cheap trick…" cursed Fatgum.
"It's as good as telling us he'd hate it if we were able to get there!" remarked Deku, starting to power up.
"You're right!" Red Riot hardened his body. "They're taking us too lightly if they think this'll be a hindrance!"
"Less talking—" Spitfire's body was suddenly encased in flames. After a second, it all gathered around her fist. "—and more acting!"
"Full Cowl!"
"Red Gauntlet!"
"Fire Fist!"
The wall didn't stand a chance. It flew in pieces as the three of them burst right through, without even getting a scratch. Landing back on her feet, the fiery teen exhaled softly, letting her fire die down. Her gloves had survived the heat after all.
Gosh, don't I love Hatsume right now…
"And they've gone and done it," mumbled Lockrock. "Not bad…"
"Got to it before us," whined Fatgum.
"Let's move on—" Lemillion was cut off as the ground started moving.
The ginger tensed as the path started shifting. It was twisting, moving, blocking the path they had just opened up.
"This ain't Chisaki…!" exclaimed the officer. "It's warping! And it may seem unthinkable, but it's gotta be Irinaka, the chief of headquarters! But… this is way too much for him to be able to handle! The most he should be able to slip into and manipulate is an object about the size of a refrigerator…"
For a moment, the image of refrigerator attacking them danced in the ginger's mind, who had to refrain from snickering. It probably was just the nerves, but it still wasn't the right time for that.
"If he got a really ginormous boost, then it ain't outta da question!" replied Fatgum. "A Quirk that allows its user ta enter objects and control them freely… Mimicry! He slipped into da concrete that makes up da basement floor and became a living labyrinth! I was watching out for what he might have turned into, but I never thought he'd become da whole basement! The burden on his body won't be small, that's for sure…"
"Can't you try erasing his Quirk, Eraser Head?" wondered Spitfire, tensed.
"Not unless I see the user's body, no."
"If the pathway keeps changing… we'll never reach our goal…" mumbled Suneater, sweating nervously. "And during that time, they can prepare any number of escape routes… Dealing with all of this instantaneously… Deciding a course of action… It's not good, I can't… It won't only be the girl that we can't save! We'll also be—"
"Tamaki!"
The black-haired boy stiffened at being called out as Lemillion stood beside him.
"That's not gonna happen! You are Suneater!" He clenched his fists. "Not to mention, all this is a stopgap measure! No matter how much he warps the passage, as long as I know the right direction, I can get there!"
"Lemillion!"
"Sempai!"
"They're just buying time, 'cause they know as well as we do this is a race!" He started running ahead, already phasing through the warping passage. "I'll go on ahead!"
"Mirio—"
Before anyone could stop him, though, he was already gone. Spitfire cursed under her breath, gathering her fire in her fist once more.
"No matter how powerful, this guy can't keep this up the whole time! The drug's gonna stop working faster if he pushes himself!" she warned, having read up on files that Naomasa had been kind enough to lend to her. "And he still has limited range! If we manage to break up the group, he'll be forced to focus on only one part of it!"
"But only Lemillion has the adapted Quirk!" pointed out Deku.
"That's just the easy way out," she retorted, her flames becoming hotter. "If we wanna pass, then we gotta break through! Come on! Fire Rocket!"
"Wait, Kicchan—gah!"
Spitfire's eyes widened. She was midair, and she could only watch as all of her comrades started falling. Just as she pounced, the floor had opened under them.
In the blink of an eye, it closed, and she landed back safely.
"You asshole…" she muttered. She snapped her eyes to the wall, which was still warping strangely, as if mocking her. "You're gonna regret standing in my way! Fire Fist!"
It flew in pieces. She instantly passed through the opening, ignoring the calls of the police officers behind her. They were no direct threat to their warping enemy and said enemy had better to do than try and keep them occupied. So, not really worried about their safety, the ginger kept on running down the hallway, which had found back a normal shape.
I'm separated from the others. For now, I need to try and catch up with Lemillion. He won't stand a chance alone against Chisaki.
One minute later
"Damn it, I can't help but be worried… Do you think sempai will be okay?" wondered Red Riot as they ran down the hallway. They had just left Suneater behind, and it was eating at his guts. "And what about Red One? We were separated earlier…"
"Yeah…"
…
…
…
"BUT STILL!" Both students jumped at Fatgum's sudden yell. "When a comrade shows ya their back, believing in them is what it means ta be a man! And ya gotta trust your friend some more! If she followed through her earlier plan of action, then she's probably already going after Lemillion. If da two of them work together, then that Chisaki will have a real hard time getting away!"
As Red Riot started gushing about their comrades and their strength, Deku lowered his gaze, still somewhat worried about the ginger. That Irinaka could have made them fall whenever he wanted, but he chose to do so as soon as the girl wasn't with them anymore.
As if he was separating us on purpose…
He didn't like it. It was too coincidental. As soon as his friend jumped, he had felt the shift in the floor. It was too well-timed, too well-calculated. And of course, they couldn't forget the threat of the League getting involved.
If that's the case, then maybe it was Ren's plan all along…
He really didn't want to think about what might happen if it really was.
"Something's not right," then remarked Eraser Head. "The Villain who was warping the basement hasn't shown any sign of movements. If he's not trying to impede us…"
"Then Spitfire was right," nodded Nighteye. "He has a specific range despite the power boost, and considering how we have all been separated, then his focus must still be on the officers who were left upstairs."
"She sure knows a lot for someone who's not from the enemy camp," grunted Lockrock.
"She informed herself," snapped Fatgum, getting tired of that argument. "She's got friends in da police force still. Got a real network, ya know? She asked for info 'bout da boosting drug they analyzed and drew her own conclusions from it. She might be hotheaded and just a student still but, when it comes ta analyzing situations and enemies, she's da real deal."
Before any of them could answer, however, Eraser Head was suddenly blasted into the wall by a surprise attack.
Break time was over.
.
.
"To this girl, you're no Hero."
Spitfire glanced in the hallway. Farther, she could see Lemillion standing before two other guys. She recognized one of them as Chisaki, and the other one was wearing a white overcoat. He was also holding something…
No, not something.
Someone.
Lemillion tensed.
"… That's why I'm here now."
"It seems I'm not getting through to you, so I'll put it simply."
Lemillion started running at them. The ginger forced herself to keep still. Chisaki wasn't about to enter the fray yet, and the blond was much stronger than she was. She currently had the advantage of her presence being unknown, and she had to keep it for as long as she could manage.
"You're just going to die."
Lemillion could handle himself for now.
Eri is the priority.
Her senior suddenly stumbled, as if losing his balance. The ginger narrowed her eyes as harshly hit the wall while trying to stay on his feet.
"Hya~hya~hya! You a little drunk over there~!?"
There were other members of the Cleansers present, then. It would seem she wasn't the only one at an advantage.
"Hya! Your legs are getting unste- hic! Really unsteady, right!? Same here! And that's why you can't- hic! Can't walk! Don't get too close to me, or you might catch the drunkenness!"
I need to move fast, then. If I wanna get passed him, I'll have to protect myself. Is it the smell? The mere presence?
There was a gunshot, making her flinch. When she looked back, she found a cloaked guy now shooting at Lemillion, who barely avoided the attacks.
Real bullets or erasing ones?
"What is your Quirk?"
"It's called Phaser! While activated, anything and everything will slip right through me!"
The fiery teen clenched her fist. The guy could make people talk, uh? But now wasn't the time. She needed to move, and fast. She couldn't waste any more time waiting for the right opportunity, Chisaki was getting away and Lemillion wouldn't get there in time.
Taking in a deep breath, she then braced herself. Charging head on was reckless, but also the best way to get past everyone's defenses since they weren't expecting such a move. She quickly tied a cloth around her nose, before lowering herself to the ground.
Fire Rocket!
She launched herself through the hallway. There was a startled gasp from Lemillion as she passed by him and nearly knocked over the guy with the gun. She kept on sailing through the air, heading straight for the two guys who still had their backs turned to her.
Chisaki suddenly stopped. His eyes widened, but it was too late.
"Fire Fist!"
She got him straight in the guts, sending him flying into a wall. Not waiting to see if he'd get up, she grabbed her staff and hit the other guy right in the face. He stumbled back, his grip on the child loosening, and the ginger wasted no time in grabbing the girl and pulling her out of his arms.
Jumping back, Spitfire finally landed her feet, crouched in a defensive position. Panting a little due to the adrenaline now pumping through her veins, she then looked down at the girl she knew to be Eri. The kid looked terrified, though.
"Why… You can't… Stop… That man- that man will kill you!"
Spitfire wanted to scream. Such a sweet, innocent girl…
Why her? Why anyone, really!?
She couldn't show her frustration, though. Instead, she smiled brightly at the kid.
"Nan, I'm not gonna die here. Don't worry, sweetheart. We're gonna save you, okay?" she assured.
"Tche…" Chisaki slowly rose from the rubbles. His eyes narrowed at Spitfire, who kept still, ready to move at any second. "Oh, you're that girl…"
She smirked at that. "Guess my reputation precedes me, uh?"
"Well, that's a bother all right," he muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "For you of all people to show up… He told me not to kill you, you know?"
"Who? My brother?" she spat, slowly rising to her feet. The girl in her arms was shaking, and her grip tightened. "Don't tell me he's working for the likes of you."
"He's working with us, girlie. And, in exchange for his cooperation, I have agreed to let you live if you ever crossed paths with me. But…" His eyes hardened. "It is not mercy I shall show twice. Go now, and give me back Eri."
"I don't need your mercy, asshole," she retorted, slowly backing away. "And I sure as hell ain't about to let her go. You're going to hurt her again, aren't you? I won't let that happen!"
Chisaki was growing annoyed, that much was obvious. He made an impatient wave of the hand, gesturing for the child to follow him.
"Eri! Come back here, now," he ordered. "Don't you care if I end up killing her after all? How many times must I tell you before you understand? You were born to destroy others."
"M- miss, you can't—! He's gonna—"
"Don't listen to him. Whatever you do, don't listen to a word he's spitting," the student cut her off.
She was growing angry.
"I'm always telling you the same thing: whenever you start acting selfishly like this, I've gotta go and get my hands dirty! Every single one of your actions is destined to kill people." Chisaki's tone turned darker. "You are a cursed being."
"Shut up! How can you do that… say that… to your own daughter…?" Spitfire shook her head, a humorless laugh escaping her. "No, scratch that, I don't need to know. In the end, I see why you and Ren seem to be getting along. You're both disgusting. You have sunk so low…"
"Alright." He slowly took off his gloves.
He then slammed his palms on the floor. Instantly, it broke into pieces, forcing his opponent to jump away. However, the pieces soon were reassembled in spikes, and they were closing in on her. Only her Fire Armor managed to save her life at that very moment, and she barely got the girl out of harms reach, still holding on tightly to her.
Someone suddenly grabbed her collar and literally threw her out of immediate danger. She managed to catch her landing and exhaled in relief when Lemillion appeared next to her.
"Took you long enough," she joked, trying to ease the tension.
"I had too much fun making new friends," he replied in the same tone. "Didn't think I'd see any friendlier face around for a while, though."
"Got lucky, to be honest. A little too much, maybe…" She gritted her teeth. "Take Eri and get her out of here. I can—fuck!"
They were both forced to separate as more spikes shot out of the ground. One pierced her forearm, forcing her to let go of the girl, who soared through the air. She landed a few meters away as the ginger managed to catch her fall somewhat. Her eyes widened when Chisaki suddenly loomed over the child, reaching out to grab her…
No, not grab her. He's going to destroy her and reassemble her out of our reach.
He's going to hurt her again!
The warmth in her legs enhancing her speed, she moved without thinking. She appeared between the two of them, her red eyes blazing.
"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!"
His fingers wrapped around her left forearm.
There was a beat.
Then… her whole arm was utterly destroyed.
"SPITFIRE!"
She slumped to the floor, gasping for air. The pain… was simply too much to bear. Well, that and the shock. She kept trying to ignore it, to push it, but knowing that her arm was just gone it's fucking gone what the hell do I do oh my God is Eri okay fuck it hurts so bad God it's missing—
"Game over for you, Spitfire. You see what you've done, Eri? This is all your fault. If you had just come quietly, that Hero wouldn't have been hurt," drawled Chisaki.
"I'm… I'm…" Eri's eyes were full of barely restrained tears as she stared at the fiery teen lying on the ground before her. "I'm so—"
"Don't," Spitfire gasped out. She clenched her right fist, the only one she had now, clenching her teeth. "Don't say it… It's not your- your fault…" Shaking, she lifted her head… and smiled. As brightly as she could manage. "I'm just- just glad… you're okay…"
"Spitfire!" Lemillion was suddenly next to her, his eyes wide in horror. "You're—"
"Eri…" the ginger groaned, sweat covering her forehead. "G- go… You have to- to get to… safety… Eri's the- the priority…!"
"… Understood." Slowly, he rose back to his feet.
The ginger didn't really know what happened next. Knowing he wouldn't let her sudden state get in the way of the mission relieved her, and the adrenaline that had been pumping through her body all along was starting to wear off, letting the pain become much more intense.
Damn it damn it damn it—
Can't breathe!
God, it hurts, fuck I can't—!
Frankly, she blacked out for a while. She came in and out of unconsciousness, fighting to stay awake. She couldn't allow herself to become a hindrance.
Fuck, what do I do?
—can't move, hurts too much…
Why is it so dark…?
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck—
She tried focusing back on what was happening. Everything was happening too fast, her comrade and their enemy were only blurs, shapes, light, and darkness clashing over and over again.
He's so fricking strong…
Shit, I need to get up, gotta help him—
STOP! DON'T MOVE!
It hurts…
I gotta move… gotta help…!
My arm—
"NEMOTO!"
The ginger forced herself to look up. Her head swaying from side to side, she felt as if she was about to throw up, but then she noticed the gun aimed her way and sheer fear gripped her heart in a vice. Be it a real bullet or an anti-Quirk one, she wouldn't be able to avoid it.
Can't move—
MOVE!
Gotta run, get cover—
—is Eri fine?
Can't leave her side—
But then Eri was up and standing and wait why the fuck is she standing between me and the bullet oh my God no don't do that—
Eri flinched, awaiting the pain she had known her whole life.
Spitfire cursed, unable to will her body to move.
Lemillion appeared before them, smiling brightly.
"I won't let you get hurt again."
And then he was hit by the bullet. Spitfire's eyes widened in horror as she watched his face crumbled under the pain of having his Quirk completely removed from existence.
No no no no no no no—
—can't be happening, should have done something-
Fuck, my body's getting numb—
Lemillion, why—
He saved me and Eri.
Why did he do that?
WHY DID THEY DO THAT!?
"Because people are endowed with Quirks, they can dream," remarked darkly Chisaki.
I was so fucking weak—
Because of me, he...
"Dream that maybe they can be someone that matters… They're all sick in the head!"
I couldn't do anything…
—a liability, that's what I was—
Why couldn't I fucking move!?
"So wipe that smile off your face… Thanks to the power of that girl you were trying to save, everything you've worked so hard to cultivate… has just been reduced to naught—oof!"
He was knocked off his feet as Lemillion moved, throwing his unconscious henchman at him without a single trace of hesitation.
What…?
He's fighting.
He's still fighting.
But how…
"Nothing I've done up to now will ever be useless!" yelled angrily the boy.
He just blew off my arm—
Lemillion lost his Quirk…
How can he still be fighting?
How can he still stand when I can't even muster the strength…
I can't—
"I WILL ALWAYS BE LEMILLION!"
HOW CAN HE STILL STAND!?
Fuck…
Fuck…
What… the fuck…
… am I doing…!?
Lemillion was protecting Eri, and her, at the same time. He kept on fighting back, using his training and his experience to make up for his lack of power. He kept on going at Chisaki, all the while protecting them both.
She didn't need protection, though.
She wasn't supposed to need protection.
"You wanted to be a Hero… and you wanted to save Eri, Lemillion… And your little comrade, who won't be able to get back up again…"
He's right, I'm so weak…
No, I can still fight!
He took my arm… I've lost some blood…
Lemillion lost his Quirk and yet he's still standing!
"It is all because of the sickness plaguing this squalid age! I'll cure all the delusional people like you with Eri's power!"
My arm's missing—
Her sole hand left clenched.
So make another one.
Lemillion was growing agitated. Despite the brave front he was showing, he was extremely worried, and still somewhat under the shock of losing his Quirk. He was trying not to think too much about it at the moment, but then his mind wandered back to Spitfire who was lying farther away and slowly bleeding out with an arm completely missing, up to the shoulder. And of course, there was also Eri, whom they still needed to save—
"Ugh…"
The blond boy snapped his eyes to the ginger. She was facing the ground, he didn't know whether she was breathing anymore, but she just whimpered.
"Aah…" Her whole body was tensing up—"AAAARGH!"
"Spitfire!"
Her back arched violently as she writhed on the ground, her screams bouncing on the walls and echoing like a mad chant in his ears.
He reported his attention to Chisaki. "What have you done to her!?"
But the man simply narrowed his eyes. "Nothing."
Flames started bursting from the girl's body. At first, there was no pattern: the flames lashed out at a random rhythm, with varied heat and length. After a few more seconds, though, her screams died down and so did her flames.
A heavy silence fell on them as none dared to move, unsure of what was happening. The girl was completely still, so much one would have believed her dead. But then, she coughed and groaned and some more blood spurted out and... and then she started getting up. She forced her legs to bend, to support her weight, she wiped the sweat from her forehead as her face scrunched into a pained expression…
She lifted her head. There were tears in her eyes, but also fire.
"You want… you want to know what I think…?" She gritted out, panting. Some bones cracked as she straightened up fully, challengingly. "I think… I think you've got some serious fucking issues!"
There was a flash of light, and it took Lemillion a second to realize it actually was a whip made of fire. It got Chisaki, who was sent crashing into the nearest wall, and the blond boy glanced back at the ginger, startled.
"Spitfire, how…" He trailed off at the sight he was greeted with.
Her left arm was still entirely missing. However, it had been replaced by her fire, which vaguely took the shape of the missing limb. The flames composing it were wild and barely restrained and, looking closer, he could see the burnt flesh under it.
He could smell it too, now.
"Spitfire, you lost a lot of blood—"
"I… I cauterized the wound," she cut him off, gulping. "And- and I'm a little high on adrenaline right… right now. Lemillion… Sorry for getting… getting in the way…"
"You protected Eri," he protested, walking up to her.
"And then I became a hindrance," she snorted, a little bitter. Her arm of fire flickered, echoing her anger. "It won't- it won't happen again, though. I'll handle Chisaki, you… you take Eri and make a break for it."
"I can't leave you—"
"The mission is the priority!" snapped the ginger, a small hiss of pain escaping her as her wound burned some more. "Just look at her! She's terrified! Are you going to let her endure this even longer?"
"… that was a low blow."
Her eyes softened a little at that. "I know. But… I'm not sorry. You're her- her last chance of escape, so- so don't mess it up, 'kay?"
The ground shook. Spikes burst out of the floor, but Spitfire, using her left arm, sliced through all of them in a single blow, as if they were made of butter.
"Go!" she prompted him.
Chisaki pounced at them, extending his hand. He ended up grabbing her fire-arm, but he cursed while letting go.
He can't disassemble fire, then.
Good.
"He can't- he can't get me again," she assured. "I know what- what to do, it won't beat him but it'll at least- at least buy you some time! Go, go! I'll open- open you a path!"
He hesitated one last moment, before gritting his teeth and picking up Eri. Holding the child tightly against him, he then started running towards the blocked exit. Exhaling in relief, Spitfire quickly sliced through it, allowing them to escape.
"What do you think… YOU'RE DOING!? You filthy scum!"
Chisaki's eyes were now wide, bloodshot. He barely avoided her whip in time, and Spitfire started advancing, moving said whip faster and faster. It wasn't her favorite weapon, but it was the best she could manage at the moment. Everywhere it landed, it left a singe on the ground, or a deep, angry mark. It was growing hotter and hotter but, driven by adrenaline, anger, determination and maybe a little despair, the ginger didn't really notice.
"You're the goddamn scum, Chisaki!" He jumped, but she managed to get a hold of his ankle and harshly slammed him back into the concrete. "You're the disgusting filth! Who do you think you are, to make a child suffer like that!? Who do you think you are, to hurt her and so many more people, all in the name of your so-called justice!? Give me a fucking break! What kind of justice is that… if innocents end up hurt by it!?"
He wasn't fast enough this time around. The whip cracked, there was a howl of pain as the man stumbled back. Then, a sharp laugh escaped him as half of his burnt mask fell on the floor. There was a burn mark crossing his face from the top to the bottom, from right to left.
"Now I see why he wishes for you to join him… Now I see the potential he was talking about…" he muttered, his tone edging on hysteria. A sick grin twisted his lips. "Now I get why he was so confident…"
"What- what are you talking about!?"
"But… if you stand in my way… then I'll have no mercy!"
Taken by surprise by his sudden movement, the to-be Hero barely reacting in time. Focusing, she used her Fire Armor. Her opponent's hand passed right through, and she used the opportunity to kick him aside with her staff. It was by no means easy to wield with one hand, but she could still fight.
"God damn annoying pest…" cursed Chisaki, holding his stomach. At least one rib had cracked under the blow, if not broken, that much was certain. "Just die already! Why can't you get out of my fucking way!?"
"Take- take my arm if you want… take my-my Quirk if you want… Hell, take my life, if you- if you want!" she spat, heat rolling off of her in waves. "But I won't- I won't go down without a fight, you hear me!? I'll die before- before I let you go after them!"
"Then so be it!"
But, just as they were about to clash again, the wall to their right suddenly cracked loudly. Then, it was blown to pieces. Protecting herself from the debris flying her way, it took Spitfire a few seconds to see beyond the dust.
"What…"
None other than Deku burst through, and landed a direct hit on Chisaki, sending him flying down the hallway.
Thank God…
.
.
They broke through. Deku instantly hit Chisaki head on.
"Nighteye!" barked Eraser Head, activating his Quirk to block their enemy.
"Secure the girl!" ordered All Might's ex-apprentice.
"She… she went ahead… with Lemillion-sempai…"
At the voice, most turned their attention to Spitfire. She was shaking badly, her left arm completely encased in flames. Nighteye's eyes widened slightly when realizing that it wasn't encased in flames.
It was the flames.
Her left arm was missing.
"Spitfire—"
"I'm fine!" she barked, gritting her teeth. "Le- Lemillion went ahead with Eri, go- go back him up! He lost… he lost his Quirk in the fight, I- I can't guarantee he made it out… he made it out safely…"
Nighteye shook his head. The news was horrifying, but now was not the time to think about that.
"You need to be evacuated immediately," he replied, finally reaching her. "You are gravely injured—"
"I- I cauterized it… Lost some blood still…" She knew she was close to losing consciousness, but the return of her allies cleared her mind. She couldn't become a liability again, and the pain had numbed. "L- Lemillion-sempai went ahead… I won- I won them some time… as much as I could manage… But…"
She was cut off as hundred more spikes shot out from the ground. Nighteye grabbed her and managed to move both of them out of the way. Chaos was taking over once more, Eraser Head had been taken out, Chisaki was attacking again, this time driven by madness itself. Of all things, he didn't want to lose to Heroes…
Again, Spitfire blacked out a little. She missed a few parts and, the next thing she knew, they were now facing a power-boosted Chisaki. He had apparently used one of his subordinates to gain a new level of strength, something that greatly disgusted the fiery teen.
"W- we gotta help—"
"You need to be evacuated and be given treatment immediately," repeated Nighteye, who tensed as he watched Chisaki lash out.
"We don't have… we don't have people to spare for that…" More time. I can lose consciousness when this is all over. I just need a little more time. "I can- I can still fight!"
Stubborn, and most of all angry, Spitfire's fire-arm flickered aggressively before her whip shot forward. Not expecting it, Chisaki couldn't avoid the hit in time and it pierced his shoulder from side to side. He let out a pained snarl, taking a step back as the smell of burnt flesh filled the air.
"Spitfire!" gasped Deku, falling back.
"Deku! Go after Lemillion and- and cover his retreat!" she ordered, forcing herself back to her feet. "I can handle Chisaki!"
"No way!" he refused, falling back into a stance. "We have to work together—"
"YOU'RE IN MY FUCKING WAY!" she snapped back, flames flaring. "GET LOST ALREADY!"
Deku's eyes widened in mild horror. He had never seen his friend reach such a state with her powers, but he could now see how difficult it was for her to actually control it. She was holding back so as not to hurt him or Nighteye, but she wouldn't last for long.
He couldn't let her hurt herself any longer, though.
"No," he refused firmly.
"Izuku—"
"That's enough!" he snapped, landing next to her. "If you refuse to leave the battlefield, at least stand aside for now. You're barely able to stand on your own!"
"No, no, I can't—"
The slap that followed echoed loudly, and a moment of silence ensued. Stunned, the ginger finally looked at her best friend, rubbing her sore cheek.
"I- Izuku—"
"You need to snap out of it! You're not thinking right now! Please, just- just trust me!" he pleaded, grabbing her shoulders. He could feel the heat emanating from her and already melting his gloves, but he didn't let go. "Please, Kira! At least… at least step back, for a little while. Let me handle him."
"I…" The ginger swayed a little but managed to stay on her feet. The heat distinctly died down as she breathed out. "Fine. Fine! But I'm staying as back up."
"Thank you. Leave it to me!"
The ginger simply nodded, but her attention was soon reported on Chisaki, who was slowly rising back to his feet, his killing intent filling the air. Deku tensed, ready to battle once again, and the girl forced her feet to move so as to stand near enough to interfere if needed.
"This is madness," however cursed Nighteye. "Spitfire, you are to retreat at once!"
"No. Izuku needs me."
The man cursed yet again. Both she and the boy were too reckless. What could they possibly do against Chisaki? But she obviously wouldn't leave unless someone dragged her out by force and he couldn't just leave Deku on his own either. Before he could think it over some more, though, Deku almost got stabbed by those awful spikes and was sent crashing into a wall.
"Izuku!"
She tried to run at him, but Nighteye extended his arm to stop her. "This is my last warning, Spitfire! Retreat immediately!"
"I can't!" she however replied. She then started running. "Cover me!"
"Damn it!"
That girl was too stubborn for her own good. Did she not realize the situation they were in? Chisaki was out of her league! She wouldn't be able to keep up with—
"Take that!"
Her fire-arm took the shape of a blade and it sliced Chisaki's cheek deeply. Their enemy tried to retaliate, but his spikes merely passed through her.
She has the advantage, suddenly understood Nighteye. He can't use his Quirk against her. Even if he tried, he'd end up hurting himself.
"God damn…" Chisaki's eyes were filled with rage. "PEST!"
This time, she wasn't fast enough, he got her in the guts. Thankfully, his extra-power was just as hard to control as hers, so he only managed to disassemble a small part of her costume. The fact that her costume had basically become an armor thanks to the heat she was generating also helped a lot.
The strength of the blow, however, knocked the air out of her lungs and sent her flying. Flipping midair, she managed to land safely back on her feet, right next to her friend.
"Ki- Kicchan!"
"You okay?" she gasped.
"I'm fine, but I can't find an opening!" replied the boy, rising back to his feet.
"Let's try- let's try going at him at once!" she suggested. She no longer felt pain, only sheer numbness, and some aching burns, but it was probably the best she'd get. "We can—"
"Get to safety."
She was cut off as Nighteye suddenly ran past them, his order echoing behind. Her eyes widened in horror as he dashed straight towards Chisaki. It took her a second to process what had just been said before understanding dawned on her.
"NO!"
"Sir!" exclaimed Izuku, horrified.
Nighteye reached their opponent. He knew he was going to die, he was willing to sacrifice himself in hopes that the students would take that opportunity to flee…
Spitfire couldn't let that happen.
"STOP!"
Not thinking straight, she dashed forward. Her speed greatly enhanced by her Quirk, she propelled herself right into Sir Nighteye. She slammed into him with the strength of an enraged bull, thus sending the two of them crash into the rubbles farther away. At that point, though, Spitfire couldn't really feel the pain anymore, her senses numbed and her mind foggy. So, she slowly rose back to her feet, shooting a worried glance at the Pro. He wasn't getting up, wasn't moving, a few spikes had managed to pierce his arms and legs oh God I'm too late too late too late—
"Kicchan!" The ginger snapped her eyes to the hole where Deku had suddenly reappeared. "Is- is he okay?"
"I don't- I don't know! I'm sorry! I didn't think, I just- I just—"
"Kicchan!" he called, keeping a careful eye on their enemy. "You need to get him out of here. The both of you need immediate treatment!"
"What? No way! I'm not leaving you—"
"It's- it's hopeless…" then mumbled Sir Nighteye, coughing. "C- can't win… saw it… The future- the future can't… can't change…"
There was a moment of tense silence.
"… so what?" then replied Spitfire, her voice barely a whisper. It became louder, though. "So what!? You know, I'm growing really- really tired of people telling me what I can and- and can't do. You think you know better all- all the time… You say that the future is set in stone? I- I call bullshit!"
"Im-impossible… to change…"
"Shut up! You say that its fate or- or destiny…" The ginger was shaking by now. "Well, fuck them both! I'm fucking sick of- of people telling me how to live my life! I make my own damn future, got it?"
Deku couldn't help but snort in mild disbelief, before shaking his head. "You need to go now. You—"
"As if… I'd let you… AS IF I'D LET YOU ESCAPE!"
Both students tensed at Chisaki's threatening shout. Before any of them could react, the hole through why reinforcements had barged in earlier closed up because of their enemy's Quirk, trapping them once again. Spikes started bursting out all around and Spitfire didn't think twice before grabbing the Pro Hero and jumping out of the way. She knew moving him so roughly wasn't exactly ideal, but it's not like she could let him become a porcupine either.
"We can't- we can't leave," she gasped, a knee on the ground. She carefully laid down the now unconscious man as her friend arrived next to her. "We can't let him escape and take Eri back, I can't leave with Sir Nighteye without injuring him further and I can't fight Chisaki on my own in this state—"
"Then let's fight together." She snapped her attention to him, her eyes wide. Deku smiled. "Let's beat him, Kicchan."
"… Aa."
She couldn't beat him on her own, but if they worked together, then maybe, somehow, they'd manage. So, rising back to her feet, she exchanged a determined glance with her friend.
They could do this.
They had to do this.
Chisaki growled once again. He wanted to go after Eri but those two damn brats simply didn't know how to give up, disillusioned and full of idiotic dreams. He'd take care of those annoying insects standing in his way, and then he'd go and crush the rest of them before stealing Eri from their still warm corpses—
"Well, let's get to it, shall we?"
The ginger and the green-haired boy vanished from sight. Then, Spitfire suddenly was above him, her foot falling upon him and encased in flames. He barely avoided it, sending his spikes, but she sliced through them with her fire-arm as if they were made of butter and managed to get one of his tentacles. He hissed in pain, growing more and more agitated. Even if he knew where she was going to attack, her fire was volatile and unpredictable. And even then, he couldn't touch her unless he took her by surprise too!
He couldn't ponder over it any longer, though. Too occupied by the ginger, he failed to notice the boy in time as he attacked from behind, kicking him in the back. He felt his spine splinter under the strength of the blow as he crashed farther away and howled in pain.
He was taking damage. And, even though he could simply reassemble it, it still hurt.
He's distracted!
Spitfire propelled herself at him. At the last moment, though, he rose back to his feet and fell into a defensive stance instead of attacking. She simply braced herself for another set of spikes… but collided with a wall. Startled, she failed to pass through and smacked straight into it. The wall crumbled as she crashed into it and Chisaki instantly sent his damn spikes. Izuku, however, arrived in time to destroy most of them, but a few still managed to pass through his defense, lacerating the girl's body. The pain, while greatly tamed compared to what she had gone through earlier, managed to snap her out of her daze (she had just smacked into a wall) and only fueled her will to fight. She sent some fireballs his way, creating a cloud of smoke. As soon as he lost sight of her, she disappeared.
"Deku!" He could hear her, but he couldn't see her. "At once!"
"Right!"
The boy disappeared too. The man cursed when understanding they were using the pieces of ground that were broken into fragments as a mean to hide from him.
Where are they!? Chisaki tensed. His eyes were darting from one side to the other. Right? Left? Behind? His eyes suddenly widened as the ground started shaking. Under!
He jumped as the floor cracked. Flames erupted from the cracks, the heat licking his skin… but the girl wasn't there, and neither was the boy.
"Got ya! Fire Fist!"
"Full Cowling: 20%!"
Two fists landed once more on his face. There was a definite 'CRACK' as he crashed into the ground, the floor caving under him. His mask was half falling off as he difficultly rose back to his feet. Using the opening he left them, Spitfire was about to blast a fire wave… when the corner of his lips twisted into a sickening smirk.
"YOU SEE!?" he suddenly yelled, startling her. "BECAUSE OF YOU, I HAD TO DIE AGAIN!"
"What are you—"
"IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED, ERI!?"
The two students stiffened at that. He was trying to bait the girl into coming back and, for all they knew, Eri was near enough to hear him. Not listening to their silent prayers, fate decided to be a bitch and none other than the little girl showed up barely five seconds later.
She started running towards Chisaki.
"No!"
Horrified, the fiery teen instantly started running after her. She managed to catch the child barely in time, but it was still too late.
"T- that's not what I wanted…!" protested Eri, struggling against the ginger's hold.
"What are you doing!? Why'd you left Lemillion?" gasped Spitfire. She had tried to buy them time, damn it! "Why'd you come back here!?"
"Eri…" Chisaki seemed to calm down once seeing her. "Do you think this girl and this boy can overcome this situation on their own…?"
"… no." Spitfire stiffened at Eri's answer.
"In that case, what is it you should do?" taunted Chisaki.
"Come back… and in exchange… you need to fix everyone back to normal…!" The little girl knew that speech by heart, now. "L- let go! Please!"
But ignoring her pleads, the teen merely tightened her grip on the child. It was kind of hard, considering she only had one arm to do so, but she managed.
"Let me go back…!" begged the child, eyes watering. "You were hurt because of me… He can give you your arm back…!"
"So what?" replied Spitfire, a little harsher than intended. Eri startled at her tone. "Why should I care? I still got another one, don't I?"
"But—"
"Eri, I chose to give it up. Chisaki is the one who took it. You are not to blame," assured firmly the ginger, straightening her back. She glared at their enemy. "He's not going to hurt you again, got it? Not for as long as I, or any of us, are here! No one will die today! And I will save you!"
Pain flared despite her bravado. Spitfire ignored it.
Just a little more time.
Just a little more—
"Kicchan, watch out!" then exclaimed Deku.
The roof suddenly caved in. The green-haired boy instantly jumped and grabbed both his friend and the little girl, landing behind some debris. The ginger protected the child's body with hers as the whole basement shook violently. A cloud of dust rose, making them cough and also slightly burning their eyes.
"Right on target!" suddenly roared a family voice.
Startled, the red-eyed girl dared to glance back to the battlefield. There, none other than Team Ryukyu had stepped in, and hope swelled in her chest.
"Ry- Ryukyu!" gasped Deku, relieved. "Uravity, handle Sir Nighteye!"
"R- right!" nodded their friend.
However, their relief was of short notice as new voices echoed from above.
Way too familiar voices.
"The League of Villains!?" gasped Spitfire.
No way! Not now!
"Eh, oh, Usagi-chan~!" Toga waved cheerfully from above. "Wow, you're so bloody~ It suits you!"
Just fucking perfect—shit!
The ground under them shook violently once more but, this time, she was the very target of it. It caved under her, and Chisaki was instantly on them. Grabbing the child before she could hold on properly, he harshly pulled her out of Spitfire's hold. The ginger's eyes widened in fright as she watched him escape through the hole in the roof, taking Eri with him.
"NO!"
She jumped at the same time as Deku. Her fire flickered, flared, it sprouted and burnt the walls as her arm turned into a wing, and she propelled herself at Chisaki. Her despair fueling her strength, she extended her hand towards Eri. They flew out of the underground passage, at last, the sunlight momentarily blinding the teen. The higher they got, the harder she tried to catch up, still reaching out.
Just as she thought she had her, though, her flames flickered out. Her eyes widened as she started falling.
"Kicchan—"
"GET HER!"
She had pushed her limits too far, but she could still handle her landing. They needed to get Eri, no matter what, and Deku was her last chance. As she fell, she saw Eri suddenly slip out of Chisaki's grasp. Deku managed to catch her, but their enemy instantly turned on him, obviously intent on fully tearing him apart. Just as Deku was about to kick him, though, an explosion of light blasted him all the way up… and blasted Spitfire all the way down.
Crap!
She tried using her fire, but she could barely summon some sparks, too exhausted. Just as she was about to crash, though, an arm wrapped itself around her waist. She closed her eyes tightly, holding on to none other than Izuku and Eri as all three of them crashed on the ground. She hissed in pain, but it was soon forgotten as she realized Deku had taken the brunt of it all.
"I- Izuku!" she gasped, horrified. The boy was unconscious, some blood trickling down his forehead. "No! Damn it! Wake up!"
He didn't even stir as she shook him, though. Still fighting to stay conscious herself, it took her a moment to notice that the lacerations covering her body… had simply vanished.
"My injuries are healing…" she realized, turning to the little girl Izuku was still holding. "Eri, is that your power…?"
The small horn on the girl's forehead had grown, and there were flashes of light emanating from it. Her face was scrunched up in pain though, and understanding dawned on the teen.
She can't control it yet. She never learned how.
The ground started shaking again. Spitfire's eyes widened in fright as none other than Chisaki showed up once more, his whole body now reassembled with debris and other weird stuff. He was now gigantic, a true monster in body and in mind.
"You don't know how to stop it, do you, Eri!?" exclaimed Chisaki, suddenly attacking again. Spitfire managed to raise a wall of fire in time, but it wouldn't last for long. "With Eri's Quirk, she can rewind humans. Depending on how she uses it, she could probably revert a person to a monkey if she tried. If you continue to hold her like that, you'll disappear! She can rewind anything she touches to nothingness. That Quirk of hers is cursed! She is cursed!"
"Shut up! Can't you see?" she spat. "She has such an amazing, wonderful Quirk… She just healed me, she's always trying to protect us even though it's our job as Heroes to protect her, and yet you still dare to say that she is cursed!?" Red eyes blazing, she extended her hand, and her fire sword appeared. "Trust me, Chisaki: the only cursed being here is you! Hell Blaze!"
She summoned as much power as she could manage. The blue fire gathered in a single point and struck the gigantic monster their enemy had become smack in the middle. It dealt a great deal of damage, the hellish creation cracking from all places, but it wasn't enough to fully destroy it.
Another one!
More time, just a little more…
"Hell—" Her attack was stopped as she started coughing out blood.
I-I've pushed my limits too far… again… But Eri… Eri needs me…
"H- Hell…" She fell to her knees. "Hell—"
A hand suddenly fell on her shoulder. Startled, she looked up to find none other than Deku, now conscious and standing. His forehead had stopped bleeding and, had it not been for the trail of blood adorning his face, she wouldn't have known he had been injured in the first place.
"I- Izuku…"
"It's okay, Kicchan." He offered her one of his usual, cheery smiles. He propped Eri on his back "Everything's gonna be fine. I know what to do. Please, just leave it to me."
She tried to protest, but it was drowned out as she literally vomited blood. Understanding it truly was too much, she simply nodded. He exhaled, obviously relieved.
"Neither you nor Eri understands… the value of her power," growled Chisaki. "By developing a Quirk, you make leaps forward. Through extensive research, I have—"
"Okay, don't you start a Villain monologue!" snapped Spitfire, rising back up. She wiped the blood off her chin. "You want to- to destroy the world we're currently living in? Return it to the way it was before- before the Quirks came along? Bullshit!" She took a step forward, fists shaking. "There's no going back, there never is! All we can do… all we can do is keep moving forward instead of staying stuck in the past. Chisaki!"
Her red eyes were burning as a feral grin stretched her lips.
"You're- you're going down. Go get him, Deku!"
He nodded firmly—"One For All… 100%!"—and he was gone in a flash.
"Man, that's one fight I wasn't expecting to see," mused Toga.
"He's just a brat, nothing impressive," replied Twice. "He's so fricking strong!"
Toga narrowed her eyes. "Something's happening. Should we call Hagane?"
"Nan," shrugged her partner. He then nodded vigorously. "Totally!"
As she was taking out her phone, though, it started ringing. She answered.
"Yeah?"
"No need to call. I can see everything."
"Ooh? Enjoying the show, Hagane?" mused the girl.
"Quite. Though, would you mind confirming something for me?"
"Uh? Sure, what is it?"
She had to refrain from shuddering as his killing intent suddenly reached her. "Is my Little Spark actually missing an arm?"
Gulping, the blond reported her attention to the fight. She couldn't see much because of the flames still blocking the ginger from view, but she recalled spotting the missing limb earlier.
"… yes?"
The killing intent became almost too much to handle, and she sank to her knees, choking. After a few seconds, though, it vanished as soon as it appeared.
"I see. Thanks, Toga-chan! See ya later~!"
And he hung up. Gasping for air, Toga put back her phone. Hagane might be her comrade, but he was one scary guy too. Frankly, she didn't want to be in Chisaki's place when the irate brother got his hands on him.
Spitfire could only watch as her friend used One For All to the maximum of his abilities. Thanks to Eri reversing the damages he inflicted on his body, he could use it to a hundred percent without risking his own life. It was a dangerous gamble, of course, considering Eri couldn't control her own Quirk and risked reversing him to nothingness, but it was a risk he was willing to take.
And it was working.
Izuku… I'm sorry… The ginger couldn't really move but still refused to give in to unconsciousness. I should have trusted you earlier… I should have listened and followed orders… I'm just a liability to everyone, aren't I? First Mirio-sempai, then Sir Nighteye, and now you… I keep on trying to protect you, but you don't need it anymore, do you?
"YOU HEROES DON'T GET THE BIGGER PICTURE!" snarled Chisaki.
Chisaki could reassemble himself every time he took some damage but, now that Deku could use his 100% speed, he could use that gap to his advantage to land the deciding blow.
"IF I CAN'T EVEN SAVE A LITTLE GIRL STANDING RIGHT BEFORE MY EYES, THEN HOW CAN I POSSIBLY BECOME A HERO THAT SAVES EVERYONE!?" yelled back the boy.
You're so strong, Izuku… You've grown into such an amazing Hero… I'm sorry for not seeing this sooner… But I'll do better next time, I promise.
His fist got Chisaki right in the teeth, the strength of the blow knocking him unconscious. The monster was sent crashing farther away. What was left of the monster crumbled to pieces, and Chisaki's original body separated itself from the rest. Now that he was knocked out, the fusion created by his Quirk was undone.
Kira couldn't stop the smile from spreading on her face. We might not see the bigger picture all of the time, Chisaki, but at least we're not blind enough not to see what's right before our eyes either. From the moment you challenged Izuku's will to save Eri and fight for what's right, you lost.
I'm so proud of you, Izuku.
The boy landed a few meters away. Before he could do anything more, though, there was a flash of blinding light and he let out a yelp of pain. The ginger stiffened when realizing that while Eri had helped him beat Chisaki, she still couldn't control her Quirk, even less stop it.
Spitfire managed to force herself back to her feet, though she stumbled back a little. She felt dizzy, her head was heavy, but her work wasn't done yet.
There was still something she could do, at least.
"Eri…"
She didn't notice as Uravity arrived to take a hold of Chisaki and hold him down in case he woke up. She didn't notice Ryukyu or Fatgum or any of the Pros as they started coming out of the mansion to take control of the situation. She didn't notice the ambulances in the distance or the evacuation that was now taking place. All she could see was Deku trying to deal with Eri as her Quirk got more and more out of control, to no avail. Both of them were obviously in pain, and Spitfire couldn't tear her eyes away from the tears rolling down the cheeks of the little girl.
"Eri…"
Not really thinking, Spitfire started running towards them. She stumbled a few times on the way, but finally managed to reach them. As soon as she did, she grabbed Eri and pulled her off of her best friend. The little girl was crying as the ginger, gritting her teeth, held her in a tight hug.
"W- what are you doing!?" cried hysterically the girl. "Y- you're going to die!"
"I- It's called hugging, sweetie." She offered a wobbly smile. "'Cause right- right now, you seriously n-need a hug… Argh!" Pain flared in her shoulder, where her missing arm should have been. She could feel her muscles shift and tear and it was all too much to take—"Eri, y- you can control this… Come on, just breathe o- okay?"
"LET ME GO! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"
"You're not!" Spitfire tightened her hold. "You- you're not, don't worry… Look at me, okay? Just l- look at me, Eri…"
The kid did as told, obviously in pain too.
"Stop it…" she pleaded.
But then Spitfire hugged her even tighter and kept on smiling as if nothing was wrong, as if she wasn't hurting too, as if she wasn't about to be killed because she couldn't control her cursed Quirk—
"Breathe."
So Eri breathed. Shaking violently, the child ignored the ginger's pained moans and focused on her voice instead, her words. She breathed in, and out, and her heart started to slow its pace. Her tears stopped falling as she suddenly felt exhaustion took over. Her eyes rolling in their sockets, she slumped in the fiery teen's embrace, no longer able to stay conscious.
Her Quirk stopped instantly.
"Breathe… Just breathe, sweetie… in… out… Everything's fine, so breathe… in… out…"
Spitfire was completely out of it, though.
"Ki- Kicchan…" The ginger's sight was blurred now. She could make out a green spot not too far from her, though. "Your arm… it's…"
Feeling a little sluggish, her mind growing kind of hazy, her mutters died on her lips as she refocused a little on reality.
Her left arm was back.
It really, truly was back.
"Eri…" Spitfire gently kissed the girl's forehead. "Thank you…"
She stopped fighting back the darkness, and let herself slip into the bliss of unconsciousness at last.
The battle was over. And they had won.
Pulling Eri out of Spitfire's grasp proved to be a task harder than first thought. The ginger held on tightly to the child as if hanging to a lifebuoy, and she possessed much greater strength then they believed was possible for someone as exhausted as she was. When they finally managed to separate the two, though, she didn't even stir.
"Kicchan…" Deku simply watched as she was taken in an ambulance. Even unconscious, the smile on her lips was unmistakable. "Good job."
.
.
A few hours later, Izuku was finished with his medical examination. Aside from his arms, which had taken serious damage back at the training camp, there was nothing wrong with him. Thanks to Eri's powers, he had managed to use a hundred percent of his abilities without sustaining any serious injury.
He was about to leave his room when he ran into his teacher.
"Aizawa-sensei! How are you?" he greeted. "How are the others?"
"I got ten stitches," flatly answered the man. "And I just went to check on the others. Now come on."
They stepped out of the room and they started walking down the hallway.
"Kirishima has immense bruising and lacerations all over his body, but it's not life-threatening," he then started explaining. "Amajiki has a large fissure-like wound on his face, but apparently it'll heal up without a trace, given time. Fatgum suffered numerous bone fractures, but he seemed to be doing fine. Lockrock was very fortunate. The blade missed all of his internal organs, so none of his injuries were serious. Nighteye… He'll make it out. We don't have any details yet, but he'll survive. As for Suttoki—"
There suddenly was a loud crash from one of the farther rooms on their right.
"What do you mean, I'm missing a finger!?"
…
…
…
"FUCK YOU, CHISAKI!"
Aizawa-sensei facepalmed while Izuku chuckled nervously.
It would seem things were going back to normal after all.
So... yeah. As said before, I've received a few complaints and, looking back, I realized they were right and decided to correct things. I'm afraid I can't do much more than that, though, so I deeply apologize if it's still not enough. Hopefully, you'll still enjoy my story and keep on reading.
On another note, in case some haven't noticed, I suggest you read Aizawa's report on the medical status of everyone. A special someone is going to stay alive after all~
Well, that's it for now. Again, I wish to everyone an amazing Christmas and I'm looking forward to your reviews. Thanks for all the support you've given this story up until now!
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PS: I have watched the movie. I've got a few fun ideas, but I'll wait until it's available for everyone before working on it. Kind of like a bonus chapter, you know?
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That's all for now.
Plus Ultra!