TW: this chapter will have some character deaths, references to mental health disorders, such as anxiety, panic attacks, depression, suicide and neurodiversity, as well as internalized ableism, internal invalidation of emotions, remorse and survivor's guilt. So please, if this might make someone feel uncomfortable, don't read this and take care of your mental health.

Recommended OST:

watch?v=i8kEKVrj5TM&ab_channel=KohakuKotomine

Being a hero… A dream that most people from this world had one way or another, the desire to fight against evil and save the day…

Back then, had someone told me I would hurt another person, or contribute into their suffering… I wouldn't have believed them.

But I did.

I'm part of the reason Izuku Midoriya, Tenya Iida and Kyoka Jiro, as well as other people, ended up dying.

And… I think my past self needs to know everything, but this time, I will try to do it at once, so she won't suffer that much anymore.

After all, I'm running out of time.

Ochaco, I know you will probably hate me, but I'm going to implant my memories into your mind, so that way you shall have the experience of both lifetimes to guide you.

I guess you remember everything up to the part where Izuku died… This is what happened afterwards.

Original Timeline's Flashback

"LEAGUE OF VILLAINS BRUTALLY MASSACRED BY FORMER HERO STUDENT IZUKU MIDORIYA!" Presented by Hero News, 04/11/2.170.

The video ended up leaking into some blogs, imageboards and anonymous forums… And it was the worst thing I've ever sawn.

I remember watching it with my friends and classmates in the common room, and eventually it ended up being far too much.

Momo, Minoru, Mina, Hanta and Eijirou passed out from the sheer violence in the footage.

Kouji, Fumikage, Yuuga, Mashirao and Rikido broke up into tears, slowly becoming deep, guttural sobs after learning the consequences of their actions, as well as their indifference.

And finally, Tsuyu, Mezo, Shoto, Katsuki and me… We fell into shock and ended up dry heaving as we couldn't bear that video…

Our former friends were gone… Tenya and Kyoka were killed by the League, and Izuku succumbed to darkness and took revenge.

But everyone would have done the same… It's part of our human nature, after all.

We wanted to save ourselves, and by trying to do so, we killed three people…

I killed my two best friends, as well as a somewhat close one…

I was a murderer.

We were killers.

An old quote used to say: "Those who bear with hatred and mistrust, eventually will be punished for their actions."

And we all paid the price, all fifteen of us, as well as some of our teachers… And many people who didn't deserve it.

"HAWKS REVEALED AS TRAITOR!" Presented by Hero News, 05/11/2.170.

When society found out that their Number 2 Hero was a "Villain", and that a hero school drove someone so mad with grief they ended up killing an entire organization… All hell broke loose.

The Hero Commission said they didn't know about Hawks's true nature, and that he would lose all honor post-mortem, plus their newer heroes would have better background checks just in case.

Twenty Years after that, another investigation proved that Hawks was a secret spy, delivering data to stop their plans. I was glad that he was fully pardoned from everything, as no one deserved to be tricked like that… Even while he was the one who took Izuku's life…

Meanwhile, there were many people screaming outside of Yuuei, with images of Izuku, Tenya and Kyoka, demanding that justice must be served for them, as well as those Shiketsu students, who all died as collateral damage.

"HOW CAN YOU CALL YOURSELVES AS HEROES?!" I heard a reporter growl while he cried. "THEIR DEATHS WERE IN YOUR HANDS; YOU BUNCH OF HYPOCRITICAL MURDERERS!"

"CLASS 1-A DO NOT DESERVE TO BE HERE; WE DEMAND THEIR IMMEDIATE EXPULSION!" I heard a scream from another reporter as her head turned red via sheer anger. "PSYCHOPATHS HAVE NO PLACE IN BEING HEROES!"

"THIS INJUSTICE WON'T STAND!" My ears listened to the demands of another reporter as they took pictures of the movement. "THOSE CHILDREN WILL BE AVENGED, GOT IT MEMORIZED?!"

The guilt was killing me, and Eijirou had to stop me from bashing my head into the wall just as I almost did it…

"Ochaco…" Said the Unbreakable Hero as he tried to calm me down. "Please don't do this…"

I couldn't even nod to him, so he stayed by my side for a few minutes, before going to help others.

He was, or at least could have been a far better hero than I ended up being, as he only wanted to take care of his loved ones… While I wasn't able to leave my damn bed, drowning in self-pity, slowly succumbing to sleep.

Eventually, Tsuyu herself told me everything that happened in that night, by taking our common room's camera recordings into a laptop.

Neito Monoma broke into our room, and threw the worst insults he could while crying, as some Class 1-B members just stood there, glaring at us like we were the worst of the worst.

And they were right.

"AT LEAST IN MY CLASS WE'RE LOYAL TO EACH OTHER!" They heard Neito yell as he verbally destroyed them. "YOU KILLED THEM! YOU DROVE THEM TO THEIR DEATHS, I MAY BE A FREAKING NARCISSIST, BUT I WOULD NEVER BELIEVE MY CLASSMATES AND FRIENDS COULD HURT PEOPLE!"

He ended up passing out after that final scream.

Itsuka Kendo, who was also there, didn't do anything to stop him, as she gave the coldest glare, they've ever sawn from her. Finally, she approached Neito to defend him, as if they were about to hurt him, before taking a huge breath and speaking.

"Neito has a point, you know?" Said Class 1-B's Big Sis in a venom filled tone. "We will never forgive what you've all done, and all of you are dead to me, and I'm sure everyone from my class will agree as well."

Momo tried to apologize the best she could, as she was our class new president, but Itsuka just enlarged her fist and stopped it a few seconds before it would've crushed her body.

"Approach us again, and we will not show mercy." Said Itsuka again as she carried Neito with her fists, singing a soft lullaby to him to soothe his mind as she left, just as Ibara, Jurota and Juzo did follow them as support.

And it didn't stop there.

Once we finished watching the video, we tried to go to the cafeteria for food in a small group, but were met with insults, had food thrown at us, and a purple haired General Education student tried to punch Shoto before being stopped by another one.

"SHE'S BROKEN!" Growled that student, whom I learned his name was Hitoshi Shinso a few years later, with pure, unadulterated sorrow and rage. "Mei Hatsume will probably never be the same because of this… She's my only remaining friend… YOU TOOK AWAY MY FIRST FRIEND, and BROKE MY SECOND ONE! SCREW YOU ALL, FAKE HEROES!"

A few years later, I also learned that Mei Hatsume had Asperger's Syndrome, something that was hidden to avoid getting a different treatment, like pity or fake concern, but after watching that damned video… She had a meltdown, and was found by Power Loader-sensei, being curled down in a fetal position inside her lab, and had to be sedated with Midnight's quirk as she was scratching her shoulders and almost managed to hurt her own face…

In retrospective, that explained why she looked so… Different in the infirmary, back when our class visited some students like Momo (whom had to be taken there after Itsuka nearly beat her up), Kouji (who couldn't take the guilt of his indifference) and Katsuki…

Her shoulders were bandaged and she had a saline bag connected to her left arm, plus her cross-shaped golden eyes were reddish and puffy… But she didn't respond to any question made by Recovery Girl or Power Loader.

In the end, that meltdown gave rise to a shutdown… As for the remaining days we were in Yuuei, she had very little progress. Thankfully, she somewhat recovered in the future, as she became the Girl in the Chair and Sidekick of the Voice Hero: Echo.

But she wasn't as cheerful or optimistic as she used to be, thanks to our selfish actions that day… And unlike other people who glared at us or hated us, she would collapse into a panic attack as soon as she saw a trigger of Izuku's death, so we always had to avoid her.

Eventually, the Big Three and Wild Wild Pussycats found out… And they weren't happy either.

Kouta Izumi attacked us with water as soon as he arrived to our building, his regret of not being fully kind to Izuku surfacing as tears crawled out of his eyes, while the feline team were extremely disappointed as well.

"You don't handle something like that with cruelty." Said Mandalay as she sent us a message via her quirk. "I hope that you learn every single action has consequences."

And, we eventually learned how much we fucked up after learning what happened to Eri… As her entire world was crushed once more by other people.

"GET OUT!" Growled the horned girl towards some of us with so much hatred that some people fell to the floor via shock, or at least that's how Eijirou described it. "GET OUT! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU ALL! GET OUT!"

"Please…" Murmured Mirio-senpai as he swallowed his anger. "You heard her. Leave."

Both children whom were saved by Izuku's efforts would take far different, yet similar paths in life…

Kouta became a helper of sorts, and eventually turned into a people pleaser, always trying to help even if no one asked for it (in the sense that he always lent his stuff, and focused more on others needs instead of his own), as he didn't want anyone to suffer like Izuku did, but those actions took their toll towards him, because many people ended up using him as a tool and then discarding him… But he still kept going, as he inherited Izuku's Ally of Justice ideals, never having a chance to develop his own.

Meanwhile, Eri took the opposite direction… She became extremely cold hearted and introverted, being afraid of losing more people close to her. If someone tried to approach her, she would drive them away, but if she saw someone being hurt, she would stand up for them, as her ideals were also those of an Ally of Justice, but the kind that only cared about their closest people instead of everyone else.

Eri ended up becoming Kouta's best friend, and she always protected him from other people's cruelty, but she couldn't understand how he seemed to lose most of his self-preservation… Mirio-senpai, who recovered his quirk and became Lemillion, made them his sidekicks once they started their education to become heroes, and according to him (after he was on speaking terms with Tsuyu, Shoto and me once again), gave Kouta and Eri an extremely long lecture, telling them to both value their lives (for Kouta), and to let new people support them (for Eri), while he would provide anything they could need for that, from therapy to medicine and even a support network, since his dad was a psychiatrist. Plus, he was also Eri's adoptive father, so he wanted the best for his daughter and her closest friend.

I wonder… Maybe they could've become normal teenagers, whose main focus was making friends, studying for high school and finding out their favorite hobbies instead of bearing the ideals of a deceased person, all the way until it stopped into the original Villain Killer.

That's another regret I will take into my grave.

And so, for the next two days, our class kept experiencing that living hell.

It was the same thing Izuku, Tenya and Kyoka had to bear for weeks… Only then, we understood how much we hurt them.

Technically, we only had each other as a support network, as no one else wanted to do anything with us anymore, and not even the teachers were safe, some of them being under intense probation like Present Mic and Midnight, simply because they didn't have enough budget to hire new employees, and without the support from outsiders, Yuuei had to take complex measures to fix the problem.

Nedzu-sensei told us we had to drop out.

"It is the best course of action." Said the small mammal in a neutral tone, lacking his classic gleam. "With the help of Endeavor and his children, as well as the Iida and Yaoyorozu families we bought a small hotel, so all of you can stay safe until your parents and/or legal guardians can bring you all to your homes."

That hotel was in a remote countryside, filled with both physical and mental health professionals, and it also had enough food, water and basic hygiene products for at least six months… Eventually, we agreed, so Yuuei as a whole would be safe.

We were taken into a school bus while Nedzu-sensei announced we all dropped out from Yuuei, and we would never return to it.

I remember most people cheered and clapped after that, many newspapers headlines claimed justice was served, and our former friends were finally avenged. Those five hours of travelling were horrible, as they told us we stopped being a promising generation of heroes.

And instead, we were pretty much considered villains.

"REMAINING CLASS 1-A STUDENTS DROP OUT FROM YUUEI FOR BEING BLAMED BY OTHERS AS THE CAUSE OF IZUKU MIDORIYA'S FALL TO INSANITY!" ALSO, THEY WERE SENT TO AN PSYCHIATRIC HOTEL FACILITY TO AID IN THEIR RECOVERY! COSTS WERE PAID BY THE TODOROKI, IIDA AND YAOYOROZU FAMILIES!" Presented by Hero News, 07/11/2.170.

Things only got worse after that… As our remaining members took different paths, sometimes we never heard about some of them for years or decades.

A few hours after we arrived and settled down inside the building, Minoru's parents were the first to visit, and they agreed to leave Japan and start anew in the United States under new identities, wanting to avoid any reminder of their son's worst mistake… We never saw Minoru again after that.

Yuuga's parents arrived a few hours later, and made a similar choice, leaving towards France, since Yuuga's mom had a French grandmother, so they took the same program Minoru's parents did to leave the country, never to be seen again… Despite their faults, I hope both Minoru and Yuuga managed to make something out of themselves in their new countries.

One day later, Katsuki's parents managed to arrive, and after talking to some staff members (including Nedzu-sensei), they drove him back home, thinking some fresh air and family support would be a good start.

In retrospective, he should have stayed into the hotel… No one expected how much this experience messed him up…

An interview given both by Izuku's mother and his parents, revealed that Katsuki was a bully to Izuku for ten years, hurting him in many ways, from psychological and physical, and he was the main reason Izuku's mindset became so distorted when compared to others… So many years of hearing he was useless, he wasn't worth anything, his mere existence was considered a sin and so on.

It destroyed his psyche.

And now Katsuki, as well as the rest of us reaped the consequences of our hatred and selfishness… Karma didn't have mercy at all.

Mina, Mezo, Mashirao, and Rikido were publicly disowned by their families, as Japan is a culture focused on shame and honor, as well as collectivism instead of individualism, so they couldn't forgive their children for taking three lives and causing so much chaos to their country.

Nedzu-sensei decided to take custody until they could be adopted by a family who could love them unconditionally… Even while they made a terrible mistake, they still were children, whom trusted an authority figure and only wanted to be safe.

"FORMER HERO ERASERHEAD COMMITS SEPPUKU OUT OF GUILT!" Presented by Hero News, 09/11/2.170.

No one knows what happened… Or how it happened.

The way our former sensei took his own life out of guilt just two days after we arrived in the hotel…

As an underground hero with lots of stealth techniques, he escaped from that psychiatric hospital while leaving a single note, and they didn't find him until a few days later, in the forests near Yuuei.

Some people said he took pills, others said he hung himself, and there even was a theory that he hired a villain to beat him up until he passed away.

I still remember some contents from that letter:

"If you are all reading this, it means I've already escaped, and am about to end my own life.

I have never been a good teacher, I never truly guided my students, and justified everything in the name of my deceased friend, Oboro Shirakumo, who would probably be severely disappointed after everything I've ever done…

To Midnight and Present Mic, I thank you both for your friendship and support, despite I wasn't a good friend to you two in many situations.

To Class-1A, I'm sorry I caused all the suffering you're all enduring, for not guiding you properly, and for using fear and maliciousness to teach instead of kindness and understanding.

To all the students I unfairly expelled, I'm sorry for destroying your dreams without giving you a fair chance to prove yourselves, and if my actions caused one of the worst grieves of your lives... I'm truly sorry if that was the case.

To the Iida, Jirou and Midoriya families, as well as Tenya, Kyoka and Izuku… I'm sorry I destroyed your lives, for turning everyone else against you, for causing all of you to die… But tonight, justice will be served, as I'm ready to face hell for my sins.

To Oboro Shirakumo… I'm sorry I never understood your kindness, and that I wasn't the hero you thought I could be. Thank you for saving me, and I know people told me otherwise but, had you lived that day, our world could've been way better.

To everyone else I've ever failed, as well as Japanese society… I'm sorry for every single negative action I've ever done, and rest assured, that I won't poison anyone else…"

Signed by: Shouta Aizawa/Eraserhead.

Slowly but surely, the remaining members of our class realized that we could never return to the old days, and our lives would most likely be tied forever to our betrayal.

For years, we couldn't make new friends at all, so we only had support within each other, as well as our remaining family members, alongside Nedzu-sensei's staff from his hotel.

Momo and Mashirao were already friends via Hagakure, but they slowly became closer as they tried to fill the void she created in their hearts, as well as Kyoka's absence… Rikido joined them soon after, thanks to his supportive nature and diverse techniques, from cooking to martial arts, eventually forging the Momosquad. Even both of them were adopted by the Yaoyorozu family, pretty much becoming Momo's adoptive siblings.

Kouji stood by Fumikage and Mezo, making the Mutantsquad stronger than ever. Fumikage's parents even adopted Mezo after a while, despite the latter complains about his unworthiness after sinning so much towards innocents… As they were all calm, introverted and introspective, their friendship endured so many challenges (including Mezo's Survivors Guilt and severe depression), so even decades later they still had each other.

Meanwhile, Shoto and Tsuyu stood by my side as the remaining "Dekusquad", though we rarely used the title after the incident. Somewhat, I think we were extremely fortunate, as our families never threw us apart (even while they were angry for a while), and we could fulfill some goals in our lives… They both married after a few years, and I was named godmother of their twins, Madoka and Yusei Todoroki.

Sadly, the Bakusquad was the most shattered one from all of us… All stemming from the demise of Katsuki Bakugou.

"FORMER HERO STUDENT KATSUKI BAKUGOU COMMITS SEPPUKU AS WELL, BUT LEFT A NOTE AND A PEN-DRIVE WITH EVIDENCE TO HELP IZUKU MIDORIYA'S CASE!" Presented by Hero News, 11/11/2.170.

Remember when I said his parents should've kept him in a safe place? It was because his heart was shattered from guilt, so he stopped taking care of himself, or so said his mother in that interview a month later.

It was like he was on one side of the scales for most of his life, and suddenly his soul was twitched away into the other, draining his self-love and self-esteem, after all… Nothing he ever did mattered, or so he said in his final testament.

He hated Izuku for no reason at all, abandoned his other childhood friendships, and heavily destroyed his parents design studio, because no one wanted to help people related with a genuine traitor… Instead of being a hero, like he always dreamt about, he only brought suffering to others.

Just two days after Aizawa-sensei passed away, he soon followed after. Nedzu-sensei found his last words, as well as an hour-long video, both being held together by a compressed file in OneDrive, confessing every single mistake he made in his life, as well as apologizing for all of them.

"I know I'm a coward for doin' this instead of facin' my mistakes directly, but the point is… I do not deserve to live anymore. What kind of person just keeps spreadin' pain and misery to others?

I had everythin' in my life for years, from family to friends and so, so much support, that it used to be overwhelmin'… But it wasn't enough for me. Nothin' used to be enough.

My actions contributed into the deaths of three people, one bein' the first friend I've ever made… How can I call myself a good person, a hero, if I couldn't even win against my inner darkness?

This won't change anythin' but… In both this letter (and a video too), I will reveal all the abuse I caused to Izuku Midoriya for the past eleven years, as well as Tenya Iida and Kyoka Jirou since they supported him. Finally, I will apologize to my loved ones as well, so please, listen to my final thoughts.

To my parents… I know you raised a strong person, but remember this, nothing was your fault, as I chose narcissism and near psychopathy instead of the right path. Take care, old man, as well as you, hag, I will always love you, and I'm sorry for never sayin' it directly. Please support Mrs. Midoriya, I know she will need someone in her life, and tell her I was the monster, and you two had nothin' to do with it, okay?

To my remaining friends, Mina, Eijirou and Hanta… Thanks for bein' by my side, despite all my cruel nicknames and indifferent attitudes. I hope you three can find redemption and happiness, and please take this advice from me, there's a difference between one mistake and ten years' worth of them.

To Tenya and Kyoka… I'm sorry for thinkin' the worst of you two, for not stoppin' this whole fiasco from happenin', for all the glares, negative comments and indifference you both endured from me and my friends… Wherever you are now, I'm sure it's far better than our current reality, so please, I hope you both finally have genuine peace.

To everyone else in Class 1-A, as well as Yuuei and our society… I'm sorry for never givin' y'all a single shard of respect, for thinkin' I was better than everyone, when in reality, I'm just a piece of trash whom only cared about himself, and it wasn't until I was partly responsible for killin' people and nearly destroyin' an entire high school, that I realized such a harsh truth.

To Mrs. Midoriya… I'm sorry I broke your son to the point he stopped carin' about himself and only cared about others, for all the beatings, all the burns, all the insults and humiliations he endured because of me, for believin' he of all people could be a member of the League despite knowin' him since we were toddlers… I'm sorry for everythin', and I thank you for your kindness, never lose it, as this world needs more of that, and less self-focus.

To Izuku… I guess I don't know how to start, you damn nerd. It has been just a week for me, and I'm ready to take my own swan dive, and pray to be a better person into my next life, while you endured a lot more pain, and still had enough light to protect others… It took eleven years for life to finally break you, but if you're listenin' to this, you're not a bad person, you never were, and you'll never be, Tenya and Kyoka never died because of you, it was Shigaraki's fault… Honestly, I wish I could meet you again, but if the afterlife is like Dragon Ball Z, my soul will probably be sent to hell to be cleansed after so many sins.

Well, this is the end of the letter, if whoever's readin' this wants to know more, please play the video, it has almost an hour of evidence against Aldera Middle School, as well as some files in the Pen Drive I hid inside my room… Please, make those bastards pay their just desserts… It's all I ask for."

Signed by: Katsuki Bakugou.

His death was recorded by a security camera… Apparently, once he sent the mail to Nedzu-sensei, and hid the Pen Drive as a backup in a secure location, he jumped out of his window and ran towards the tallest building he could find.

Once there, his quirk launched him as high as it could, until his arms weren't able to endure the pain, causing him to fall from an extremely huge altitude, ending his life very quickly.

That event shattered our class even more, but specially Mina… After losing her family, her future as a heroine, as well as her ideals, since she not only acted as a bully, but also befriended one… She tried to take her own life inside the center following a severe mental breakdown, and was swiftly stopped by Hanta until help arrived.

For at least five years, Mina stood inside the center, recovering from the incident and slowly accepting her reality, and it was the support of Eijirou's parents (whom eventually adopted her), as well as Hanta's, and the one from her other friends, that she eventually moved on and managed to mostly forgive herself, albeit depression never left her mind, and instead of being cheerful and shining, she became extremely quiet and withdrawn, rarely smiling or talking, as her deepest fear was destroying someone else with her voice like she did to her former classmates.

Meanwhile, Hanta developed a tremendous fear of conflict, shutting down into himself when things went bad, so he ended up working from his house, rarely leaving it except to visit Eijirou, Mina and some other members of our class, those moments being the light of his existence.

Finally… Eijirou took Katsuki's death the hardest of everyone else. A trait he had was that he cared more for others than himself, so he blamed himself for not helping Katsuki and not noticing he was in a bad place. Sadly, we all were in a horrible place back then, so even if he did something Katsuki would've wasted away until he died from heartbreak…

One week.

It only took a week to change the world beyond repair… Even while technically, it was far safer without Shigaraki and the League of Villains, the cost was far too much to handle.

Izuku's funeral was a quiet one. From what Mrs. Midoriya told some of us in the future once we were on speaking terms again, All Might used his influence as a former Number One Hero to ensure the press didn't get in, as well as no one from our class and almost no one from Yuuei except the following people:

Mei, Hitoshi, Ibara from Class 1-B (whom apparently was quite close with him), Melissa and his father, David, as well as Tenya's, Kyoka's and Katsuki's parents were also present to give Izuku a final goodbye, as well as Kouta and the Pussycats, Eri and the Big Three… And finally, but no less important, Recovery Girl, Detective Tsukauchi, Nedzu-sensei, Hound Dog, Gran Torino, All Might and Mrs. Midoriya herself.

"Izuku Midoriya."

Born in July 15th of 2.154.

Died in November 4th of 2.170.

"Remembered as a caring son,

loyal friend, supportive hero,

and a genuine Ally of Justice."

"May he find peace in his next life."

UNUS PRO OMNIBUS, OMNES PRO UNO.

Four years after he died, in 2.174, I had enough strength to visit his gravesite.

It was spring.

My actions of course were cowardly, as I came to visit at night, so no one could drive me away, but I needed to talk to him…

"He-Hey, Izu-Izuku…" I said to my former best friend and most important person, but I couldn't find the strength to talk, as my throat was closed while my eyes began to drown in tears. "I'm sorry I ki-killed you… Had I belie-believed in yourself, you would be toge-together with all of us, being he-heroes and saving the day, just like you wan-wanted to…"

There were so many things I wanted to say to him.

I wanted to tell him I was sorry for causing Tenya and Kyoka's deaths, and breaking our class, because I had the chance to support him, but I chose myself before him, and now, this silent tombstone was everything that remained of the kindest person I've ever met.

I wanted to tell him I was sorry for ignoring him, for pretending nothing was wrong, for not supporting him and his friends when others were attacking them with indifference and hatred.

I wasn't a hero, and I'm still not a hero. After all, during those weeks I only fought for myself instead of other people, and I will bear that regret for the rest of my days.

Eventually, I decided to take deep breaths, before taking my phone and playing the karaoke version of a song I liked… Even if I couldn't speak properly, perhaps a song would make my soul reach his own.

To that day when we each went our separate ways,
what kind of excuses should I use,
and how should I explain that?

I remembered when Izuku's showed a face filled with fear and confusion, asking why everyone was so different towards him, only to be taken out of the room by Tenya who offered him to eat Ice Cream and talk about everything, just as Kyoka said she would go with them.

I wish I could've gone that day as well.

Every time when I sense my unconcealable weakness
and blindly stumble,
I'd always press hard against my body
this entity, "YOU", from that day.

I remembered the day Izuku returned from the interrogation, with hematomas in his skin and blood in his head, my heart shattering as I found out nothing was true, that he was never evil, but instead, the real evil was born within Class 1-A's doubts and fear.

I didn't know I was slapped in the face until I fell to the ground.

Tsuyu told me I tried to run to help Izuku, but Kyoka hit me in a fit of anger before leaving faster.

I deserved a punch to the face instead.

Resolutely taking a vow on my future,
firmly believing in YOUR powerful eyes,
I will journey through the sky, where solitude and freedom are equivalent.
I simply do not want to turn back.

It took me years of preparation, but my mind was made up.

I would fix my mistake.

I would travel through the world, until I found a way to repair everything.

Tsuyu and Shoto supported me with money and equipment, so I could do this mission… No matter how much time it would take.

If you think once more about it, we were very much alike,
whether in our contrived words,
or in our departing figures pretending to be strong.

It was spring.

A year passed since I visited him, and the year was now 2.175.

I already traveled through all of Japan, as well as South Korea, but so far, I didn't find someone with a time-travelling quirk.

I left some flowers in his grave, just as Tsuyu and Shoto did, as they decided to come and apologize by their own, before we left to my next flight to Russia.

Momo helped us make a universal translator, so anytime I spoke Japanese it would sound like their own language and backwards, but I also became fluent in both English and Spanish just in case. Meanwhile, Eijirou, Mezo and Rikido taught me to fight better, while the rest of our class cheered me up and gave me small gadgets to make the journey easier.

Confessing our idea to the class was one of our best choices.

I was ready.

Because of that, we must both
have had a lot of suppressed thoughts for each other,
but yet, we weren't strong enough to
be able to voice our anxieties honestly.

It was spring.

Five more years had passed, and the year was now 2.180.

Because Russia and China are some of the biggest countries around the world, I spent a lot of time finding people with time related quirks, but sadly, I couldn't… During the journey I managed to help a lot of people though, from doing small things like taking a cat out of a tree, or digging into the ground to find water.

When they asked for something in return, I just told them to plant flowers… All the flowers they could find, to make the soil fertile and radiant.

After spending two weeks recovering with my friends and family, it was time to start our journey once more.

In the narrow space between dreams and wishes,
I only keep getting buried deeper wondering to myself.
If YOU were here with me now,
would you let me see my reflection in your smiling eyes?

It was spring.

The current year was 2.190, so Izuku, Tenya and Kyoka had been deceased for twenty years.

I visited the Philippines, as well as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand during that period, among other countries, and while I didn't find someone with a time travel quirk, I found someone in Taiwan with a quirk that allowed you to see another timeline, once per lifetime.

All I had to do was ask a single question.

"What would have happened if Izuku Midoriya had never been accused as a traitor?"

In that timeline, Izuku double checked his desk, so the notes weren't revealed at the time, and when it happened, no one thought he could've been evil.

So, we spent that lifetime training to become heroes, as well as normal teenagers, laughing and crying, until the Paranormal Liberation War began. Seriously, that version of Shigaraki could've destroyed the world, but Izuku fought him until they both died together in the battlefield.

Another timeline was at peace, but Izuku always had to perish.

Based on what the seer told me, Izuku was destined to die by Shigaraki's side in many realities, as One for All and All for One were always connected to the other.

In that timeline, All for One ended up brain-dead, so his remains were cremated to avoid any possible resurrection.

Meanwhile, in ours, when they tried to use a quirk-erasing bullet in his body, some quirks remained, as he had a "pocket dimension inside a pocket dimension", to protect the most important ones, like Super-Regeneration, Infrared Vision and Alveolar Breathing, among others.

"ALL FOR ONE AND KUROGIRI EXECUTED FOR THEIR CRIMES USING SPECIAL BULLETS!" Presented by Hero News, 13/11/2.170.

His quirk also had another secondary effect… The more quirks he took, the more psychopathic he would act. Once he had more than fifty quirks, he already was in the point of no return.

The Hero Commission wanted to ensure villains would be scared, so they made his execution public.

Surprisingly, he didn't offer any resistance.

"My empire is gone, my closest friend is gone, my son is gone, my brother is gone, and even if I wanted to escape, I will certainly die in less than two years… I have lived for almost two hundred years, and it is time to accept my defeat." Said All for One in live television as I saw it with my parents back then, revealing the truth about Izuku's quirk.

It explained a lot of gaps I didn't notice back then… Izuku was born quirkless, and despite having a quirk for less than a year, those wounds were barely closed in his heart, and our actions tore them apart once more, killing whatever hope he may have had.

For his last meal, All for One ordered two grilled cheese sandwiches with ham, a huge bowl of tomato soup, as well as apple ice cream and some cookies.

It was his favorite meal back when he was a child, so his parents made it once per month to reward the Shigaraki siblings.

In less than an hour later, Hisashi Shigaraki was dust. Kurogiri was also executed that day, and his body belonged to our former sensei's friend, Oboro Shirakumo.

This time, his burial would be real, rather than just a decoy.

A DNA analysis revealed that Hisashi had living descendants, but for privacy and safety reasons, as well as to avoid those people being harassed or abused, the results wouldn't be revealed at all.

I guess it was for the best.

We may become stained and tainted,
and we may be flushed away,
but this is for sure not a mistake,
and I'll believe so again and again.

It was spring.

Thirty years had passed since our friends died, and we were now in the next century…

Twins Madoka and Yusei grew up to become really kind hearted people. Madoka focused on helping children survive traumatic events, building her own mental health clinic, focused on her motto:

""If someone ever tells me it's a mistake to have hope, well, then, I'll just tell them they're wrong. And I'll keep telling them 'til they believe! No matter how many times it takes."

Yusei instead became a politician, desiring to change his city for the best, stop corruption and conflicts around it, based on his own philosophy, which said bonds were the strongest thing humanity had, and together we were invincible.

"Let's Accel Synchro our thoughts, so we can Clear our Minds from corruption and create genuine light instead!"

In my case, I managed to trave through most of Asia's other countries, as well as many African ones, including Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa and Madagascar… But I couldn't find the answer we all desired so much.

Still, thanks to everyone's help, I managed to improve some small parts of the world with flowers, while I supported those who needed food, water or shelter… Somehow, I was called the "Pink Wanderer", someone who was there for others.

Heh, I'm the worst of the worst… Aren't I? All of this journey was just to fix a mistake we all made, and helping people could've been seen as something secondary, or an afterthought of sorts.

Stain would've killed me.

It's true my actions are selfish… But just as selfishness can be born from selflessness, I think the opposite could happen in some situations.

Honestly, if Kami had a place in hell for me, I was ready to accept it.

For now, I had to continue this journey.

If I can reach my boundless ideals
and the world I've been sketching,
then there everything will surely be rewarded
with YOUR unchanged radiance.

It was spring.

The current year was 2.210, and I was fifty-six years old.

I managed to travel through the entire American continent, from Canada to the States, México, Guatemala and Panamá, as well as Colombia, Brazil, Perú, Argentina and Ecuador, among other countries.

It was the same story, as I couldn't find that quirk, but I still made a small difference in various communities.

During that time, I also started travelling Europe, starting with Portugal, Spain, France, Germany and Italy, before heading to the United Kingdom… It was there where I found someone who could somewhat help.

But it wasn't what I expected.

Margaret was a psychic whose quirk was called "Past Catharsis", in the sense that it allowed people to travel into an alternate timeline, just like Future Trunks did in that classic Dragon Ball Z anime, but our current one wouldn't change at all.

I could go and save them somewhere else… I remember falling to my knees and sobbing like a child, after thirty-six years of travelling, I found my answer.

But like every wish, a price had to be paid.

For each year, I had to sacrifice a year of my own lifeforce.

Somehow, I was destined to live until I was ninety-eight, but since I wanted to go back four decades, I would probably die in less than two or three years.

I didn't care, so I accepted.

I wonder what Denki and Hagakure would've thought about it… The last time we heard of them, they were released around 2.180, but they never talked to us again, maybe out of shame or guilt… Who knows? Even Minoru and Yuuga would've been happy about us.

We never told anyone else this secret, because giving false hope to grieving people would've been beyond cruel.

At some point in my wandering journey,
I was injured by broken shards of regret,
but the answer that I have been looking for is now right here,
tightly gripped in your small hand all this time...

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Asked Margaret in a serious tone. "Once we start, there's no turning back… You will die in less than three years, and there's no guarantee you can truly save them."

"I have spent almost forty years travelling around the world, so if I can save everyone else by doing this… I will do so."

Having your lifeforce ripped apart from your body hurts more than you could think about.

I felt how my body was freezing, far worse than Shoto's ice powers, as well as a void inside my heart.

Once I closed my eyes, I returned to that dreaded day, so I entered my younger counterpart's mind and spoke with all my might:

"PLEASE, HAVE FAITH IN HIM, HE WOULD NEVER HURT YOU NOR ANYONE…"

And now… All it's up to you, my younger counterpart, as well as your friends and loved ones… Thanks for believing in Izuku, for saving Tenya and Kyoka, and for giving our class another chance to fully heal and move on.

Once again, I apologize for this burden… I have to leave back to my own timeline, so I wish you the best, Ochaco.

For you're already a better person than I was, than I am, and then I will ever be.

FUTURE OCHACO WILL RETURN IN THE EPILOGUE.

Hello, the author here!

Thanks for the support in the A/N comment, as promised, I deleted it to upload this new chapter! There are some anime references hidden there, and we're almost ready to arrive into the third and final arc! :D

Please take care and have a good night! :D