Chapter 5

A/N: So I'm amazed that no one caught (or at least that no one commented on) one of the most important changes in Chapter 4. You'll start seeing another random ripple turn into a big consequence next chapter.

Izuku woke slowly, feeling muzzy and exhausted. He was laying down. How had he gotten to his bed? "Hhh... Wha?" He didn't recognize his surroundings; it looked like some sort of clinic.

Something shifted beside him. Furrowing his brow, Izuku saw that it was Kacchan. It appeared as though the other boy had been seated next to the bed, resting his head on it. He was holding Izuku's hand. "Hey Deku," he said quietly.

"Where's… what happened?"

Kacchan looked tense. "You don't remember… USJ?"

Izuku shook his head. "No, I remember that. I mean, what happened after I passed out?"

"Good." Kacchan relaxed a bit. "They said you'd be fine, but you had a concussion, and memory loss is- well, it doesn't matter anyway. You're fine. You had a stupid amount of broken bones and—like I said—a concussion, but Recovery Girl fixed you up. You've only been out for an hour or so."

Izuku rubbed at his eyes blearily. "Is everyone else alright?"

Kacchan nodded. "The teachers had it pretty bad. Aizawa's still in surgery, but they think he's gonna be okay. The docs weren't worried about Thirteen at all. Other than Frog Girl-"

"Tsuyu," snapped Izuku. "She likes…" He swallowed. "She liked to be called Tsuyu."

Kacchan's gaze was downcast. "Yeah, I- Sorry."

He wanted to be mad at Kacchan still, but he was too exhausted to muster up that much emotion. Besides, Izuku could count the number of times that Kacchan had told him 'sorry' on one hand. The blonde must really be off-balance.

"I just mean… you were the only other person seriously injured. No one else needed more than basic first aid."

Logically, Izuku knew that he'd faced the toughest opponents, the ringleaders. Still it was galling to know that everyone else had escaped completely unscathed, while he managed to get someone killed.

"I'm sorry," Izuku whispered.

"For what?" Kacchan squeezed his hand.

"I don't know. I'm really tired," admitted Izuku.

"Recovery Lady's quirk works by taking the energy she needs from your body. She said you'd be exhausted. She only let me stay if I promised not to bother you."

"Huh." That was an interesting quirk. Blearily, Izuku wondered a little bit why One for All's energy couldn't compensate for that, but he was even too exhausted to think about quirks. Kacchan pursed his lips.

"You… you should rest. You look like you need it."

Izuku nodded slowly, not staying awake long enough to feel Kacchan card a hand through his hair.

He went in and out of consciousness after that. At one point, he heard Kacchan swearing, and what sounded like Kacchan's mom cursing right back. When Izuku woke up all the way and didn't see Kacchan around, he figured that the boy had been dragged home by his parents. Instead All Might sat in the chair next to him, in his smaller form. Apparently Izuku had recovered enough strength that the foggy film around his emotions lifted, because his grief suddenly stabbed him like a knife. Izuku's eyes welled with tears.

"I-I'm sorry, All Might. I'm so sorry. I failed you."

All Might looked pained. "No, young Midoriya, the blame rests entirely on my shoulders. Those villains were there for me. I wasted all my energy on matters that didn't need my attention. If I had been there like I was supposed to be, then none of this would have happened. Young Asui paid for my arrogance and irresponsibility."

"Tsuyu," corrected Izuku. "She… she liked to be called Tsuyu."

"Tsuyu, then," said All Might gently. He studied Izuku before speaking cautiously. "You know that what happened to her wasn't your fault-"

"Yes it was!" Izuku was struggling to hold back his tears. Crying wouldn't do anything to help. "Tsuyu… she shouldn't even have been in the line of fire. She put herself at risk to save me."

"Don't disrespect her like that, Midoriya," All Might said sternly.

His head jerked upwards, wide eyes meeting All Might's gaze. "What?"

"What if you'd been the one killed? Would you want your classmates beating themselves up for not acting faster?"

"That's different!" protested Izuku. "I was trying to-"

"You were trying to save your friends, just like Tsuyu was." All Might shook his head. "I heard about what happened. By that point you'd all seen what Shigaraki's quirk could do. Tsuyu wasn't naïve to the danger she was in. She chose to put herself at risk to save your life. And you know what?" All Might finally broke eye contact, turning his head to the side to stare out the window. "I wasn't lucky enough to get to know Tsuyu that well, but even a blind man could see what a kind girl she was. I think that, given the opportunity, she would make the exact same choice a second time."

Izuku swallowed thickly and stared down at the bedsheets. He didn't know what to say, but All Might didn't seem to be waiting for a response. The man sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be scolding you. It's never easy to lose a friend like that."

Izuku nodded miserably.

"If it's any consolation, Aizawa and Thirteen are expected to make complete recoveries. For that matter, the villain with the warp quirk—Kurogiri—should be completely fine also."

He jerked his head up, meeting All Might's eyes. "Why would I care about- about that monster?" spat Izuku. He knew it must be odd to hear such a tone coming from him, but the anger he'd felt at USJ after Tsuyu's death was rearing its ugly head again.

His mentor seemed taken aback at his ferocity. "I'd assumed that it would comfort you to know that you hadn't caused anyone—even an enemy—permanent harm," All Might said cautiously.

"Well it doesn't," muttered Izuku angrily. "I-I wish…" He swallowed around the sudden thickness in his throat. "I wish I had killed him, and Shigaraki too."

"You cannot mean that," All Might protested, stunned.

Channeling his inner-Kacchan, Izuku set his jaw mulishly. He wasn't entirely sure that he meant it either, but he still said: "They deserve it. They're evil." Those people had broken into a school so that they could murder people. They were beyond redemption.

"It's not a hero's job to determine who deserves to live and who deserves to die," said All Might slowly. "Our purpose is to save lives without prejudice. Sometimes, we are forced to use our powers to kill, but only when there is no other option. Killing out of anger or hatred… that is the path that leads to villainy."

"So you think I'm a villain, now?" Izuku muttered childishly. He knew he was being ridiculous and immature, but he was just so… angry. He wasn't even mad at All Might, not that much. It was everything. Shigaraki killed Tsuyu, and laughed like it was nothing, and it wasn't fair. Nothing made sense anymore. The good guys had won, but the cost was too high. Like All Might said, victory at the expense of innocent lives was no victory at all.

"No!" blurted All Might. "That's not what I'm trying- that's not what I mean." The man sighed and covered his eyes with a hand. "I'm not doing this right. I'm sorry, my boy. You deserve a better teacher than me. Nana was so much better than this."

Izuku furrowed his brow. Nana?

Seeing his confusion, All Might chuckled weakly. "Shimura Nana was the seventh wielder of One for All, and my mentor." He hesitated. "More than that, though, she was like a mother to me. In fact… perhaps it's time I tell you that story."

"What story?" he muttered, still feeling a little churlish.

"The story of the man who gave me this injury." All Might patted his left side. Izuku's eyes widened. His mentor had his full attention now. "You see, young Midoriya, I am not angry or disappointed in you. I'm… I'm scared because I've been in the exact same place that you are now, and I know just how very difficult it is to climb out of that hole." All Might bowed his head. "And I fear that my guidance is insufficient. You are such an intelligent, talented pupil; it made me forget that you're still only a boy."

"You're not a bad teacher," protested Izuku weakly, loyal even in his anger. "And… I'm not a little kid."

All Might smiled mirthlessly. "When you're as old as me, you'll realize just how young you are now."

"That doesn't make any sense."

This time All Might's smile was a little lighter. "Well, I did tell you that I'm no good at this. But that's not the point." The man sobered. "Hm. How to begin… I suppose… Shimura Nana taught me that a hero should always smile. No matter how grim the situation, we should always smile, she said, 'because people's hearts need to be saved, too, not just their lives'." All Might grinned fondly in reminiscence. "I thought that was a bunch of crap," he chuckled. "Peoples' hearts? What does that even mean? But she was my hero, my idol. She was so strong, and kind, and wise in a way that I could never possibly live up to. She saw potential in me: a scrappy, delinquent, quirkless orphaned street rat-"

"Quirkless?" blurted Izuku, wide eyed.

All Might chuckled. "Oh yes. There's a reason I chose you as my successor, my boy. You're everything I was, except ten times better." Despite everything, Izuku couldn't help but glow with pride, just a little bit. "But anyway. Yes, when Nana found me, I was nothing but stubbornness and grit. My greatest desire was to be as amazing as her, and so I listened. If Nana wanted me to smile, then I'd smile. But it didn't mean anything; I was just mimicking her. I didn't really understand, not until the day she was murdered by the man who gave me this scar."

Izuku stared at All Might, unable to muster up a word.

"Do you remember what I told you about how our quirk came to be?" asked All Might.

"You- you said that there was a man who had the power to take and give quirks, and that he was evil. You said that he gave his brother a quirk, and that his brother defeated him."

All Might nodded. "That's true, but it's not the whole story. You see, this man was called All for One, and although his brother defeated him, he did not kill him. All for One despised his brother's successors, and made it his mission to destroy us. Every single wielder of One for All has died at his hands, except for me. Five years ago I managed to kill him, but at great cost."

"Your injury," said Izuku softly.

"Yes," confirmed All Might. "However, many years before that, I was there when my mentor battled All for One. Nana had already passed her quirk on to me, and so the villain tried to kill us both when we were weak. To this day, I suspect that even with her power diminished, she would have beaten him if she didn't have to worry about protecting me. She gave her life to save mine, wounding All for One so badly that he was forced to retreat, and she bought me enough time to train and grow into our ability."

All Might ducked his head and gently tipped Izuku's chin upwards so that he was forced to meet the man's eyes. "His injuries were so grave that any other man would've died. However, despite that, All for One looked me straight in the eyes, and he laughed. He murdered the person I loved most in the whole world, and laughed in my face."

Izuku flinched, unintentionally pulling himself from All Might's grasp. He wished that he couldn't imagine what his mentor was talking about, but after Shigaraki, Izuku no longer had that luxury.

"I know how you're feeling now, young Midoriya, because I felt it then. I hated him, more than I ever thought possible to hate anything. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to make him hurt as badly as he'd hurt me. But then, All for One said something that I'll never forget." All Might chuckled mirthlessly. "He was trying to destroy me. It's the height of irony that he saved me instead. You see, he told me 'I thought killing Shimura would be the highlight of my day, but seeing her boy stare at me with my own eyes tops it'."

All Might grimaced. "That was the day I saw the face of true evil, and understood it. For you see, young Midoriya, evil has many forms and facets, but true evil—creatures like Shigaraki and All for One—they are all the same. They may claim that they want money or fame or power, or any multitude of things, but in the end their only goal is destruction. They feel such pain and hatred and rage, and the only thing that gives them any joy is bringing everyone else down to their level.

"All for One saw himself in me, and I realized that Nana had been right. If I had let him, All for One wouldn't have just killed my mentor that day, he would've killed me too, at least in all the ways that mattered. It wasn't just my life in danger, my heart was in danger as well. He almost destroyed me by putting me on the path to become exactly like him. So instead, I swore to take Nana's advice. I swore to always smile even when – no, especially when I felt like crying."

All Might paused. "In one matter, Shigaraki was correct. Violence begets more violence. Killing Shigaraki and people like him will not defeat them. It will only cause more pain, and there will be countless others waiting to take their place. Light is the only thing that can defeat darkness. That's why All for One despised Nana so much, and why Shigaraki despises me. We are symbols of hope. They want the world to think that human beings are ugly and evil, but we make them believe instead that humankind can be good and just. Shigaraki said that heroes and villains are one and the same, but he was wrong. If you truly want to get revenge on him, then prove that he was wrong. Young Midoriya, he came to USJ today to kill me, but it would bring him even greater joy to see you consumed by the same hatred and anger that fuels him. If you want to defeat him, then you must become a beacon of light. You must make other people feel hope. But to do so," All Might tapped Izuku's chest. "You have to feel it yourself."

Izuku opened his mouth, but then closed it and bit his lip. "It's… it's not that easy," he said hoarsely. "I'm so… I'm so mad and sad. How do I make it go away?"

All Might gazed at him sadly. "I didn't say it would be easy, my boy. It might be the hardest thing you ever do. I know it was for me. And there's no one path for everyone to follow, but the first step is to decide not to be consumed by your negative emotions."

"I can't just decide not to feel bad anymore," protested Izuku.

"No," acknowledged All Might. "But you can choose to try, and oftentimes that amounts to the same thing."

Izuku swallowed, and for a long while the two of them sat together in silence. He didn't know how to respond, or even if he was capable of doing what All Might wanted, so he decided to ask about something else that was bothering him. "All Might… you said that heroes are a symbol, and that their, uh, goodness is the only thing that can really defeat evil."

"Yes," All Might agreed, waiting for him to continue.

"That's what Kurogiri called you… the Symbol of Peace. Everyone calls you that. On the news they talk about how the crime rate in the whole country has plummeted since you first showed up. Villains are less willing to commit crime, and people are less willing to become villains in the first place. But… Shigaraki said that he heard you were getting weak. And- and you said that Nana could've defeated All for One 'even with her power diminished'. Are you- I mean…" Izuku couldn't even say it. The words seemed blasphemous.

"Yes, my boy, it's not just my injury. I'm getting weaker by the day. When I passed One for All onto you, it left only a flicker of its light in me. Once I use up all the power that remains, then it will be gone for good," confirmed All Might grimly.

Izuku trembled. "If Shigaraki was willing to attack Yuuei just because of the rumor that you were weaker, then that means… When your strength is really gone, all those people who were too afraid to commit crimes before- they won't hesitate anymore. People like- people like Shigaraki will show up more and more. And they'll spread hatred and despair… and cause more people to be like them."

"No one can say for sure… but yes, it's possible."

Izuku digested that for a moment, before declaring: "I won't- I won't let them. I don't know if I can let go of my anger and smile all the time like you do. I'll try!" he added quickly. "But I'm not strong like you and Nana. I'm just… I'm just Deku." Izuku clenched his fists. "Even so… I want to become stronger. I don't ever want one of my friends to die because I wasn't fast enough, not again. You gave me this power, and I want to be the kind of hero that makes you proud!"

All Might put a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "That's a terrible burden to put on yourself," he said cautiously.

"But it's a burden you gave me." Izuku raised his eyes, determined. "And I didn't know what it meant at the time, not really, but I accepted it. I'd still accept it now." He raised a glowing fist. "This power… it gives me the chance to protect everyone. I wouldn't trade it for anything. When I got into Yuuei… I relaxed, kind of. I stopped working as hard as I was before, but I won't make that mistake anymore. All Might, I'm going to work harder than ever, because I can't afford to just be a kid anymore."

All Might hesitated. "All right, my boy, then I will help you every step of the way." He paused and tapped Izuku's chest. "Just remember that strengthening your body doesn't do you any good if you forget to take care of your heart, too."

Izuku swallowed, but nodded. "I'll- I'll try my best."

Izuku knew that his Mom was worried about him. She cooked his favorite meals for dinner and breakfast the next morning, and acted extra chipper to make up for his silence. She'd picked him up from Yuuei shortly after his talk with All Might, worried sick about her son fighting real villains. It was kind of a mess all around. The teachers held a press conference where they all bowed and publicly apologized for their errors, swearing to enact new security measures, etcetera.

Even though Izuku tried to put on a brave face for his Mom, he knew that she wasn't fooled, especially since he immediately started working out, against medical advice. She had to force him to go to bed once he fell asleep mid pushup. Therefore, on Saturday—the day after the fiasco at USJ—he bid Mom goodbye and jogged a few times around the block before grabbing his training bag and heading to a forested area on the edge of town.

Izuku warmed up with some calisthenics, but quickly got down to business. He and All Might had practiced his martial arts a little during his months of training. Unfortunately, he didn't have his mentor there with a punching bag and pads to practice on, but he'd make do. Izuku gritted his teeth. He needed to start getting tougher anyway.

He bounced on his toes in front of a tree that was an appropriate height, tapping his knuckles against it. Izuku alternated kicks and punches, ignoring the sting in his limbs. At first, he motivated himself by imagining the tree was Shigaraki, but he felt guilty when he remembered All Might's words. He shouldn't be fueling himself with revenge, even if he was still angry. Instead he tried to find alternate ways to pump himself up.

"I've got to be better," muttered Izuku. "I've got to be stronger!" Instead of picturing his enemies in front of him, Izuku imagined that he was punching himself. He was punching weak, useless Deku whose mistakes cost other people their lives. He was kicking out his own weakness. He was-

"Deku!" a voice called, jarring him from his thoughts. Izuku turned around to see Kacchan.

"Kacchan? What're you doing here?" asked Izuku, baffled.

"Your mom called me," Kacchan explained, looking a strange mix of cautious and pissed off. "And I still have that Phone Finder app from the last time you lost your cell phone."

Izuku scowled. "You can tell her I'm fine. There's no need for her to worry." He turned angrily back to the tree, punching it again.

"Deku, stop."

"I'm training Kacchan."

"That's bullshit."

Izuku huffed, but continued punching the tree. "My quirk is limited by my physical strength. I can't keep holding myself back."

"This isn't training, damn it. Stop!"

"No," Izuku gritted out, ignoring how he sounded like a petulant toddler.

"Deku, fucking... Izuku!"

Stunned, Izuku faltered, turning around to face Kacchan. He couldn't remember the last time that Kacchan had called him by his actual name. The blonde was shaking with rage, and stalked over to Izuku's bag, riffling around in it until he found what he was looking for. Then, he grabbed Izuku's wrist and raised it to eye-level.

"Did you even realize that you're bleeding, damnit?"

Izuku blinked nonplussed at his bloody knuckles. "I... sometimes you have to- no pain no gain, you know?"

"Stop fucking lying to me, Izuku. If you were really trying to train, you'd be using this." He waved something in Izuku's face, and Izuku went cross-eyed for a second before he realized what it was. Oh. It was training tape, the kind you wrapped around your fingers and hands so that this exact thing didn't happen.

"You're not doing this to get stronger," continued Kacchan. "If you were, you'd wrap your hands to avoid training injuries. You're just... trying to hurt yourself because you think that you deserve it," finished Kacchan flatly.

Izuku's breath hitched. He opened his mouth to deny it, but how could he? He'd just imagined beating himself up, beating the weakness out of himself. His eyes watered. "Kacchan... I..."

"Look, I get it," Kacchan sighed.

"No you don't!" protested Izuku hotly. "You- you didn't even care about Tsuyu. You didn't even know her name! How could you possibly-"

"It could've been you!" snarled Kacchan. He immediately slapped a palm to his face and turned his back to Izuku. "Fuck!" he yelled, kicking at the ground angrily. "Jesus, Izuku. How do you think I felt that day last year, when you threw yourself into danger trying to save me, huh?"

Izuku flushed. Oh, how could he forget? "That's different," he protested weakly.

"And then yesterday," continued Kacchan as if Izuku hadn't spoken at all. "You told me to wait, but I didn't fucking listen. I was too much of an arrogant fucking brat, jumping ahead just because I wanted to, and got in the way of Thirteen's attack. I got warped off to be babysat by the scrubs while you were fighting for your life."

Kacchan fisted his hands in his hair. "You're sitting here beating yourself up, but you're the one who saved everyone. You beat the warp guy and let Private School get away. And that Hand freak, I was the perfect one to fight him. I could've kept my distance and blown him up, but instead I rushed ahead like an idiot and got warped away, and you're the one who paid the price."

Kacchan whirled around, grabbing Izuku by the shoulders. "You have no idea what it was like, finding you like... You're okay, I know you're okay, but- You looked fucking dead, Izuku, and I've never heard you that scared, not even when you were fighting that slime guy. And then you passed out and I-" Kacchan's voice cracked. "The whole time you were in the hospital, I just thought: 'You got him killed. You were a stupid fucking arrogant idiot, who didn't think, who couldn't stop being convinced of his own superiority for one goddamn second, and you got Deku killed'."

"Kacchan," Izuku said weakly. He felt the tears in his eyes spill over. He'd been repressing them even since he woke up yesterday, but it was finally too much. The thought that he'd worried Kacchan so much was terrible. Izuku had complained that Kacchan didn't understand what he was going through, but that didn't mean that he'd actually wanted the boy to get it.

"Shit. I didn't come here to make you cry. I don't want to make you feel worse."

Kacchan kind of hovered awkwardly around him. Izuku shook his head. It wasn't that Kacchan made him feel worse, per se. He was already feeling as bad as he thought it was possible to feel. It was everything. Izuku grabbed Kacchan before the boy could turn away. He was probably getting blood on Kacchan's shirt, the way he had it fisted in his hands, but Kacchan didn't seem to mind.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry," hiccupped Izuku.

"It's not your fault."

"I kn-know. I'm st-still…" Izuku couldn't figure out how to put what he was feeling into words, so he just bowed his head, resting it on Kacchan's shoulder, and wrapped his arms around the boy. As if he were waiting for permission, Kacchan immediately pulled him closer, squeezing tightly.

Izuku cried harder. It was like he'd been building a dam around his tears since yesterday and Kacchan finally broke it. He kept sobbing harder and harder, but Kacchan didn't let go. He had his face and one hand against Izuku's hair, and the other arm wrapped securely around him. For the first time since stepping into the USJ, Izuku felt safe. It wasn't entirely a good feeling, since being safe meant that he couldn't hold up his walls anymore. Izuku thought that he'd fall apart into tiny little pieces if Kacchan weren't holding him together. It wasn't until he heard Kacchan sniffle that Izuku realized maybe Kacchan felt the same way, so he gripped the boy even harder.

He had no idea how long he cried against Kacchan's shoulder, but eventually—it might've been an hour or just five minutes—Izuku sobs began subsiding. Gradually, his tears slowed to a stop, though he still kept his face buried against Kacchan's body, not ready to face the world yet. He didn't exactly feel better, but he did seem less heavy. Eventually, he spoke. "I'm sorry," Izuku whispered against Kacchan's neck. "I was selfish. I was so absorbed in my own pain that I didn't care how worried you and Mom must be."

"S'Okay," said Kacchan, equally as softly.

Izuku pulled back, wanting to see Kacchan. The boy let him go without complaint, although he did frown. His eyes were red-rimmed but not nearly as bad as Izuku's must be. Izuku sniffled and wiped at his face with his sleeve. "Kacchan… I don't want you to feel all those things-those things you said before."

Kacchan's mouth twisted wryly. "Tough shit, Deku. You don't get to decide how I feel."

"I know that!" protested Izuku. "It's just… I don't like hearing you say that about yourself. You were just trying to do your best."

"My best wasn't enough. It was the wrong choice."

"Yeah," admitted Izuku. There was no way around it; Kacchan shouldn't have done what he did. "But it was a mistake. One mistake doesn't invalidate a lifetime of awesomeness."

Kacchan had a strange glint in his eyes. "It was one mistake that got someone killed."

"That wasn't your fault! It was-" Izuku almost said 'it was mine', but he knew that Kacchan wouldn't accept that. "It was Shigaraki's fault. He didn't have to do any of it, but he did, and we have to live with it."

Kacchan shook his head. "I could've been stronger, or faster, or smarter. I should've been all that."

Izuku wasn't sure how to answer that at first. That was the question that he'd been struggling with this whole time, after all. But for Kacchan, he had to think of something. "You will be next time," he said eventually.

Kacchan smirked a little. "That's really good advice, Deku." Izuku's eyes widened, realizing the trap that Kacchan had led him into. "So you agree that it's not fair for either of us to feel those things."

Izuku gaped. "That's… I'm different."

Kacchan raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Izuku wanted to say that he was different because he had One for All. He was supposed to become the next Symbol of Peace. Except, even if Kacchan knew about all that, Izuku doubted it would change his mind at all. Kacchan wasn't any less hard on himself than Izuku was. They both dreamed of being the number one hero.

Izuku sighed. "I get it, okay. You don't want me to be sad. I know; I don't want you to be sad either. I just… I just don't know how to stop. Sometimes-" Izuku swallowed. "Sometimes… it feels like I can make myself feel so bad that it goes all the way around to feeling good again."

"Yeah," agreed Kacchan grimly.

"But it's not the same as feeling good! It's not the same at all. When I blame myself, though, when I say all those mean and nasty things to myself… it's sort of…" Izuku let out a frustrated huff. "I don't know how to explain it, but it's almost satisfying, like by being terrible to myself at least I'm doing something. It's like this burning fire, right here." Izuku pressed a fist to his sternum. "And it's awful, but I still want it to burn. It's not good, but at least it's warm. It's not happy… but it's easier, because I still don't know how to get back to happy, and I do know how to make myself feel worse and worse."

Kacchan swallowed hard. "I know exactly what you mean."

"I'm sorry," said Izuku miserably. "I don't want you to know what I mean. I don't want anyone to know what I mean." He took a deep breath. "It's just… can we, um, hug again? It didn't solve anything, but that was the closest I felt to good since before this whole mess."

"Me too," admitted Kacchan, before he drew Izuku close again. It wasn't as tight and desperate as last time, their arms wound loosely around each other. Kacchan's lips rested against the side of Izuku's head. It wasn't a kiss, but it wasn't not a kiss either.

"Will you come home with me?" Izuku whispered after a minute. "I want to let Mom know I'm okay, but I don't want you to leave."

"Yeah, Deku. I'll stay with you as long as you need."

It… it wasn't better. Not really, but at least it was a start.

They had school on Monday, just like a normal week. Mom was still worried about him, Izuku knew, but he was a lot better than Saturday. He was still sad, but it wasn't the same crushing, all-encompassing sort of feeling. Kacchan had stayed with him all weekend (except to sleep, Mom put her foot down on that), so any time Izuku started getting too hard on himself, he buried his face against Kacchan and just breathed. He reminded himself about how upset he'd be if it were Kacchan thinking the same things, and that he didn't want to make Kacchan or Mom upset because of him. It wasn't a magic cure, but just like All Might said, deciding to do it put him on the right path. It was like slowly chipping away at a granite block, not easy by any means, but effective over time.

It was surreal to think that they'd be going to class again. However, with Kacchan holding his hand—or wrapping an arm around his shoulders if he really needed it (or maybe if Kacchan secretly needed it)—Izuku felt like he could at least face the world. That resolve lasted until he got into class 1A.

Luckily there were no longer reporters at the gate. Principal Nezu had been extremely crafty. Even while managing a sincere and heart-wrenching apology, he seeded just enough information for the public to realize that the attack on USJ had only happened because the League of Villains used the reporters rampage through Yuuei as a cover to steal information. It was a brilliant move. Not only did it get the press off of Yuuei's grounds, it also kept them from writing overly critical pieces about the school, lest they be labelled as the Villains' sympathizers.

Izuku and Kacchan got to class a little bit later than usual, so everyone else was already there. Izuku's breath caught as his classmates turned to stare at them. Finally, Iida broke the silence. He walked up to Izuku and bowed low, head below his waist.

"Please forgive me Midoriya!" It sounded like he was on the verge of crying. "You put your life in danger to allow me to escape and I failed you all! If I hadn't hesitated I could've reached All Might sooner. If I had run faster, then All Might would have arrived earlier. It's all my fault."

"No!" protested Izuku, pulling Iida back upwards. Before he could continue, Sero interjected.

"It's my fault Tsuyu d-died!" The boy's breath hitched. "My quirk would've been perfect for that. I should've pulled her back to safety with my tape, but I was too afraid to do anything!" Sero stared at the ground, trembling. "I was completely useless!"

"All of us around Thirteen were useless," cried Ochaco. "Deku and T-Tsuyu were the only ones who weren't total failures!" To his horror, Izuku heard the anger and self-recrimination in her voice that he recognized from his own worst moments.

Izuku watched mutely in dismay as his classmates spoke over each other to try and blame themselves. For some reason Todoroki seemed to be the hardest on himself. It wasn't what he said, exactly, but the look in his eyes when he said it.

"I'm ashamed to pretend that I'm hero material," Todoroki said simply. "I allowed myself to be distracted and neglected my duty." His recrimination was one of the simplest, but it worried Izuku the most. It seemed that the fiasco at USJ had made his classmates suspect the worst about themselves. Todoroki, however, acted like it had merely confirmed his worst thoughts.

"Hey, hey!" shouted a voice from the doorway. Izuku turned and saw Mr. Aizawa wrapped head to toe in bandages. Relief warred with worry. On one hand, it was terrible to see his teacher injured badly, but also it was great to see that he was well enough to return to class so soon. "That's enough. I don't want to hear any of you speaking like that again." The man took a deep breath before heading to the lectern. "Take your seats, everyone. I need to talk to you."

As the students found their desks, the silence and misery was so thick that Izuku felt it was almost a tangible presence. Mr. Aizawa collected himself for a moment before beginning. "To start, I want to say that Thirteen and I are expected to make complete recoveries. I know that you all were worried about Midoriya, too, but as you can see he's just fine."

Izuku flushed and stared down at his desk. Of course everyone would be worried about him, with the way he fainted, especially if he looked as bad as Kacchan had said. He felt guilty for not even thinking about them, but he took a breath and didn't let the guilt get too bad. That'd make Kacchan sad.

"That being said," Mr. Aizawa bowed his head as much as his bandages allowed him. "All teachers here at Yuuei have a duty to ensure the safety of our students. As your homeroom teacher, that goes double for me. More than just your safety, my mission is to see every one of you grow and thrive."

Izuku felt paralyzed in his seat. Oh no. This was just… this was just another self-recrimination. Everyone- every single one of them were blaming themselves for what happened to Tsuyu. Everybody in this room felt that same dark, oppressive despair that had haunted Izuku all weekend. And not just them: the first thing All Might said when Izuku woke up was that it was all his fault for wasting his energy.

Suddenly, Izuku understood exactly what All Might meant by saving people's hearts. All of them were in that bad place, feeling the fires licking at their feet but not knowing how—or maybe not thinking that they deserved—to get back to being okay again. It was just… sadness and anger and self-hatred. It wasn't right. Izuku had no idea how to make it better, but he knew that he couldn't handle hearing his own terrible words coming out of someone else's mouth again. He didn't know if he could fix it but he had to do something.

There was a loud screech as Izuku's chair scraped backwards. "Mr. Aizawa!" exclaimed Izuku. Their teacher stopped speaking and stared at him. In fact, everyone was staring at him. Izuku was normally a really quiet, obedient student. He'd never been accused of being a problem child. For him to so disrespectfully interrupt his teacher in such a serious moment had likely been the last thing anyone expected.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I also have something I need to say, please."

Mr. Aizawa peered at him probingly from behind his bandages. Izuku tried to convey with just his eyes how serious he was.

"Please," Izuku added. "It's important."

He stared at Mr. Aizawa, refusing to be cowed. After a long moment, the teacher nodded and stepped aside. Izuku swallowed made his way to the front of the class. He looked down at the floor, before clenching his fists. He couldn't afford to be scared. Determined, Izuku raised his chin and stared defiantly at his classmates.

"Everyone… thank you, but… I know you feel like you were useless, like you weren't enough. I know you feel like you weren't fast enough." Izuku met Iida's gaze for an instant before the other boy looked away. "Or that you weren't strong enough." Sato and Shoji stared down at their desks. "Or smart enough." Kacchan, however, held his gaze until Izuku moved on. "I get it, because I feel all those things too!" A tear escaped him before he could hold it back.

"No way!" burst Ashido. "You were the only one of us who actually did anything."

"Yeah," agreed Sero.

"If only I was faster. If only I was stronger. If only I weren't such a useless Deku. If only I were better in every single way, then Tsuyu would still be here," continued Izuku unhindered. "That's what I've been saying to myself this whole weekend." Izuku swallowed heavily. "But then I realized… some people helped me realize… that's not what being a hero is about."

Izuku clenched his fists. "What Shigaraki said—about heroes and villains—that was wrong! Heroes are more than just sponsored violence. We're more than just fighters, more than just our quirks... A hero is a beacon of hope! A real hero makes people feel like everything's going to be okay, just because they're present." No one was looking away from him now. "So I'm going to get stronger. I'm going to work harder and harder, and then work even more after that, because I don't want anyone else to have to feel like this! I'm going to become the kind of hero that makes villains think twice before hurting others, the kind of hero that makes people feel hope. And," Izuku forced a wobbly smile onto his face. "I'm not going to let myself be sad anymore, because Tsuyu wouldn't have wanted us all to sit here and cry."

Izuku looked down, wind gone from his sails. He felt awkward now that he'd run out of things to say. "I just- I thought I'd tell you all that in case anybody else wanted to be that kind of hero, too."

There was a loud bang and Izuku looked up, startled. Kirishima had stood up so fast that he'd knocked over his chair. His fist was clenched in front of him. "I couldn't call myself a man if I backed down from your challenge, Midoriya! I'm with you one hundred percent!"

Iida stood next. "Me too, Midoriya. I want to be a hero that brings people hope, like my brother!"

"And I as well," called Aoyama, who looked uncharacteristically serious. "My lasers will be a shining beacon to the world."

"Deku, I'll keep working until I can float mountains," promised Ochaco.

Todoroki stood as well. "No one will be harmed on my watch ever again." His eyes met Izuku's determinedly.

One after another, all his classmates stood until Kacchan was the only one left seated. "What the hell are all you extras staring at me for?" He scoffed but before anyone could get mad, he continued: "Tsuyu saved the only person in here who actually matters." Kacchan tilted his chin defiantly. "So of course I'm in. For Tsuyu."

"For Tsuyu," the class echoed.

"Well," interjected Mr. Aizawa after the moment had passed. "I had a whole speech planned, but I don't think it's necessary anymore." There were a few awkward chuckles. "Listen up, everyone. The hard work starts now." Izuku sheepishly made his way to his desk. "Oh, and Midoriya."

Izuku turned back to the front of the classroom. "You said you want to be the kind of hero that gives people hope," Mr. Aizawa said. "I can only speak for myself, of course, but I for one think that you're well on your way."

He kind of wanted to duck his head and stutter out a 'thank you', but he understood now that he had to be more than that. Everyone was looking at him, maybe even relying on him. Instead, Izuku raised his chin and met Mr. Aizawa's gaze with as sincere a grin he could manage. He nodded once in acknowledgement, before taking his seat. It was time to start working. He wouldn't stop until he was strong enough to keep the world safe.

For Tsuyu.