"C'mon, everybody! Dance!"
Toga's jubilant cry, a mix between a cheer and a demand, reverberated like a sonic wave through the bustling streets, the mass of people lining the city streets recoiling slightly as it washed over them before breaking out into a chaotic frenzy of moving limbs, their bodies overtaken by the desperate need to follow their god's command. The ovation for their beloved god rose like a tidal wave up toward the grand stage upon which she stood, the faintest hint of a smile curling on her lips as their adulation briefly lifted the dark mist blanketing her mind with thoughts of him, letting her bask in this moment for just a bit longer, to let her enjoy her festival of conquest.
Crouching down to Eri's side, shooting her a bright grin, the red-eyed girl could only look up at her with a wide, confused stare, the young child completely unsure of what was happening, the distressed looks on the Class 1-A's faces as they sang and performed song and song that Toga demanded making her believe something was horribly wrong. Flinching slightly as Toga placed her hands on her shoulders, the smile on the godlike girl's face failing to meet her eyes, the orbs of shining gold now dull and stricken with pain, Eri let out a tiny squeak of surprise as the blonde schoolgirl suddenly spun her around.
Spinning around a couple of rotations, her tiny feet tapping softly upon the wooden boards of the stage, Eri slowly came to a stop, the horned child's head lolling gently as she tried to regain her footing and stop the world from swimming. Shaking her head softly, white hair flittering gently over her shoulders, Eri's eyes snapped open as she felt like something was off. Raising her hands up, Eri let out a small gasp of surprise as she felt her hair, the long locks of white now done up in a pair of twin tails, restrained by a couple of hairbands with a cute design of shining, red apples.
Lowering her gaze, the now twin-tailed child was shocked to find that it wasn't just her hair that had been changed, the dance outfit from before replaced with an exact copy of Toga's old school uniform, Eri lightly running her hands over the miniature replica of the godlike girl's soft, cream-colored cardigan. Feeling a pull on her hand, Eri turned her gaze away from her new outfit to the cat-eyed girl, a wide, toothy grin, one that felt strangely hollow, plastered on her face, Toga suddenly lifted the horned child into her arms, leading the pair in a new dance routine as the song Class 1-A was performing changed up once again.
Holding the red-eyed child close, feet expertly dancing across the stage in a dance routine of her own making, members of Class 1-A following dutifully in lockstep with the godlike girl as the invisible strings controlling them pulled them forcefully along, Toga tried to force a jubilant laugh from her throat, the only sound she was able to produce being a pained croak. Placing Eri on the ground, the godlike girl gave the young child a wink before waving her arm in a wide arc, the stage's layout shifting and morphing into a tiered layout, elegant curtains emblazoned with her face unfurling along the canopy hanging overhead, Toga kept adding and changing things to try and make everything perfect, to keep the buzzing in her head from breaking loose, to finally be happy.
Then why wasn't it working?
Why were her thoughts still so focused on him? Didn't she finally slay these foolish desires, stomped them out with every last vestige of her past, of her former hopes and dreams? She had left them there, with the broken bodies of those who stood before her, with Stain's blood-soaked body, with All For One's crushed quirks, and All Might's shattered hope. There was no more need for them, for her foolish attachments to humanity, to shackle herself to what is beneath her. She was finally free to ascend to who and what she was meant to be. A villain. A god.
Alone.
"Stop it!" Letting out a desperate cry of anger, Toga swung her arm's out wide, palms facing outward as she pushed all of the surrounding buildings away, the immense structures sliding across the ground like perfect puzzle pieces, leaving behind large swaths of open space. One by one, several decorations of Toga's liking began popping up in the now empty space, the godlike schoolgirl trying desperately to take the green-haired phantom in her mind from taking over, doing everything in her limitless power to let it finally fade, to keep its spectral hands from crushing her heart into further pieces.
Fountains spewing rivers of blood, each one adorned with cutesy statues of her beloved classmates, led way to adorable kittens and puppies, each the size of full-grown elephants, dancing and playing through the streets as they wore bibs emblazoned with Toga's grinning face. More and more entertainment, more distractions, were summoned to Toga's liking. Knife dancers and acrobats, mutilated corpses performing intricate routines with their exposed intestines, all worked tirelessly to entertain the distraught blonde, to relieve her of her heartache.
Surveying her creations, watching the crowd dance to the Class 1-A's music, seeing a truck-sized cat eviscerate a reanimated corpse, Toga's heart stopped dead in her chest as she stared into a familiar grinning, freckled face, one encased in gleaming bronze. A statue, bearing an unmistakable resemblance to the one she loved, the one person she hoped to never see again, the one who had wrought this unholy pain upon her. The one who she just couldn't forget.
Izuku Midoriya.
Opening her mouth in a silent scream, her anger, her heartache, remaining lodged like jagged razor blades in her throat, Toga pulled roughly at her hair, angry tears pooling in the corner of her eyes as she made the Izuku statue crumble to dust. Pounding her palms against the side of her head in a futile attempt to push his smiling face from her mind, a fire of incandescent rage and agony burned within her chest, her thoughts and emotions growing wild, uncontrollable.
As Toga's emotions grew more and more erratic, the universe suffered the consequences of its owner's breakdown, the laws of physics, the very fabric of reality, beginning to fluctuate wildly as it tore rapidly at the seams. Gravity would fluctuate between great intensity, leaving many plastered firmly to the ground as they tried fruitlessly to move their pinned limbs, while others desperately reached for any handhold as they began floating helplessly into the sky above. Items of all kinds of shapes and sizes, some familiar while others completely alien in design, popped in and out of existence at random, some even appearing where a person stood, causing it to violently fuse with the person's body in a grotesque monstrosity of inhuman construct.
Lost within her own grief, her pain and rage tearing her apart from the inside, Toga was slowly causing the destruction of the universe. The only one who could save it, could save her from her own self-destruction, was the very one who had broken her in the first place.
And that was just what Izuku was planning on doing.
Rushing down the city streets, dodging and weaving through the sea of people, avoiding the various constructs and creations that the godlike girl had conjured up, Izuku was determined to make it to her, to finally confront Toga about what had happened, to apologize for his horrendous mistake. To make things right once and for all.
To save the one most precious to him.
Jumping over a group of people, Full Cowling still radiating off of him in waves of lightning, Izuku's eyes widened when he finally noticed the strange, vacant expression on everyone's faces. Wide, emotionless smiles adorned blank, expressionless faces, their eyes glazed over as they shuffled along like a pack of zombies, dancing to the tune of another. Their gazes were focused solely on the godlike girl standing on the stage ahead of them, their attention belonging only to her, giving her what she had always wanted.
Someone who paid attention to her, who accepted her for who she was, loving and adoring her as she is. It was something she was never given as a child, everyone she met, every relationship she forged, was built upon a lie. They never knew the real her, couldn't accept who she really was, their attachment being to the mask she wore, every one of them abandoning her as soon as it cracked, once the real her shone through. No longer did she have to be someone else, Toga was finally free to be herself, to cast away the disguise that shackled her, to smash that accursed mask into a million pieces.
It left her all alone.
But, now she didn't have to hide to be loved, to pretend to be someone else, to be something she was not. She was Toga Himiko. She was a god. She was the be-all and end-all to them. Even if it was all fake, if their love wasn't real, it was all for her, for the person she was right now. They could never hurt her, never again.
Pushing his way through the endless throng of Toga's devoted audience, trying to keep himself from being noticed by the godly schoolgirl for as long as possible, if she hadn't noticed him already, to make sure his voice was heard, Izuku continued with his singular mission. He had to talk to her. It was the only way to escape this waking nightmare he had created, to wrench Toga out of her excruciating spiral and heal her wounds for good. Wounds he had inflicted upon her, deep and searing, the pain still fresh in the young schoolgirl's mind.
What if he couldn't heal this one? What if she was too far gone? What if there was no getting her back? What if Toga was truly lost?
Shaking his head, determination flashing in his emerald eyes, Izuku pressed onward with continued resolve. No. Never again. He was never going to doubt Toga again. He knew the girl he loved was still there. Through it all, for every vacant smile and mindless cheer of her name, with the whole world finally dancing on her strings, Izuku could tell she wanted more, that she hadn't fallen completely into clutches of villainy.
Eri. Class 1-A, her classmates, her friends. She hadn't changed them like everyone else. They retained their unique personalities, their independence, the frightened and worried expressions on their faces were proof enough of that. Toga had told him a long time ago that she refused to change him, kept him untouched from her powers, a promise she has kept to this very moment. The same had become true of her classmates, of the white-haired girl she came to adore, their lives have become precious to her.
She had allowed more people into her heart.
Izuku's eyes lit up as he finally caught sight of the front of the stage in between the sea of bodies, his goal finally coming into reach, the young hero's pace speeding up as his heart began beating faster in his chest. He was so close! Just a little further and he will finally be able to talk to her, to make up for what he'd done! He could finally…what did he just step in?
Lowering his head, a quizzical expression etched on his face, Izuku's emerald eyes grew wide as a small squawk of shock passed his lips. The once solid pavement under his feet had suddenly transformed into a dark, slushy mess, several people around him slowly sinking into its gooey depths, the same vacant smile plastered on their faces, oblivious to the strange occurrence happening right beneath them. Strangely, the area affected by this sudden liquidation seemed to be concentrated in only a small area, the rest of the crowd around him still jumping and dancing on solid, un-liquified ground.
Jumping back with a disgusted groan, awkwardly shaking his leg to get rid of the liquid pavement stuck to his beloved red sneaker, Izuku flinched in fright as an angry growl rung painfully close to his ear. Turning toward the source of the sound, Izuku let out another started cry as he narrowly managed to avoid a set of gnashing teeth, the razor-sharp fangs barely missing his nose, his eyes wide and fearful as he slowly backed away from his would-be attacker. That this rabid creature that wanted to chow down on his tender flesh was someone's T-shirt, fabric stretched and contorted into a set of monstrous fangs, was what really shot a bolt of fear down his spine.
Looking around himself, Izuku noted a series of odd and worrying occurrences happening the closer he got to the stage, more and more of these strange events popping up, the young hero noting how they seem to be radiating even further outward with each passing moment, all of them originating from a single point. Toga Himiko.
Pockets of time and space were blinking in and out of existence at a rapid pace, a rolling wave of nausea getting stuck in Izuku's throat as he caught glimpses of alternate timeline's within the jagged cracks before they disappeared without a trace, only to be replaced with a brand new one. Were these timeline's happening concurrently with this one in this very moment or were new universes being created by Toga during her mental spiral? Were they only a glimpse into these other worlds or was each one being created and destroyed in the blink of an eye, entire universes eradicated without a passing thought?
Would the same happen to this one?
"Toga-chan!" Pushing through the last line of people with a heaving shove, determination pushing him forward, Izuku cried out the godlike girl's name, his sharp emerald stare growing soft as he finally laid eyes upon the one who had so invariably stolen his heart. Golden cat-like eyes grew wide as they sparkled radiantly in the midday sun, pink lips parted in an expression of extreme surprise, shaping an adorable o before curling into a brilliant smile.
"Izu-kun!"
A squeal of overwhelming joy passed Toga's lips, her heart soaring with loving affection as she clasped her hands together tightly before her chest, a soft warmth lighting up her cheeks as she laid eyes upon those orbs of dazzling emerald. All of the festering rage, all of the crippling sorrow, were washed away in a torrent of cleansing rain of love and hope, the strange occurrences around them fading away as the looming shadow over Toga's heart began to lift.
His beautiful eyes, his adorably freckled cheeks, that cute little smile. He was really here. Her Izu-kun was here. Grasping her cardigan tight, fingers shaking lightly as feelings of joy overwhelmed her senses, Toga took a tentative step forward, wanting nothing more than to leap into his arms, to feel that protective embrace once more, to let his gentle warmth envelop her. She wanted to hear his voice as it gently whispered into her ear, his nose lightly tickling her skin as she snuggled into his chest, letting the world fade away around them, leaving just the two of them.
Just her and her Izu-kun. The one who declared her as nothing more than a villain. Who had stepped upon the broken pieces of her love, crushing them until they were nothing but shattered, bloody remains in the mud. The one who broke her heart.
All of the rage and heartache, all of the horrible things he said, bubbled up within her chest like a raging torrent, the sky above growing stormy as Toga's emotions darkened, the looming shadows covering her face in an expression of incomprehensible resentment and twisted torment. Clenching her fist, sickening bitterness coiling like razor wire around her heart, Toga's sharp glare radiated with agonizing malice.
He was the one who did this to her!
"Toga-chan!" Desperately crying out her name, arm reaching out to her as he tried to get closer to her, Izuku looked on with a worried expression as the world suddenly grew dark, lightning crashing overhead as strong winds began buffeting the hypnotized crowd. "I need to talk to you! Please!"
Clenching her teeth, Toga chastised herself as she was almost swayed by his words, her whole body overcome with a desperate need to hear him out, to believe in him once again. But, should she take that chance? She had trusted him once before, gave full possession of her heart to him, and he had crushed it mercilessly between his scarred hands. She had fought through the demons of her past, crushed the shackles that were holding her down, and ascended the throne which rightfully belonged to her.
So why did he still have such an irrevocable hold on her?
She could just get rid of him. It would be so easy. With just a simple thought he would be out of her life for good. It wouldn't take much, her power vastly exceeded his. He would fall just like everyone else, crushed violently beneath her heel like a pitiful bug, just another stepping stone on the road to ultimate godhood. If she just killed him, erased him completely from the universe, there would be no more hurt. No more thoughts of him. No more seeing his beautiful smile. No more Izuku.
Clasping her chest tight, fingers digging painfully into her skin, Toga furiously shook the thought from her head, the idea of killing Izuku making bile rise violently into her throat. The thought of killing him, seeing the life fade from his eyes, just like after his battle with Overhaul, made the godlike girl's stomach lurch, a rolling sickness permeating her entire being. The idea of taking Izuku's life to save her own, it sickened her to her very core.
"I don't want you in my life anymore!" Clenching her eyes shut, a strangled cry rolled like a shock-wave through the city, briefly knocking Izuku off balance, the distressed blonde grasping her head in agony as her emotions clashed violently within her. "All you gave me was pain! Just like everybody else!"
Toga's words shot through Izuku's heart like a bolt of lightning, the guilt of his actions causing him to briefly falter in his step, emerald eyes glistening with unshed tears of deep regret. A loud crash from above briefly pulled Izuku's attention away from the suffering blonde, his eyes growing wide as he saw the violent storm brewing overhead, a swirling vortex of sickly red and purple hues churning like the godly schoolgirl's frayed emotions.
He did this to her. All of this, all of this pain and despair, it was all his fault. He had to fix it!
Leaping over the security railing, hand stretched out desperately toward the godly blonde, desperation shining brightly in his emerald eyes, Izuku was mere inches away from the stage, from finally being with Toga again, from finally telling her everything she deserved to hear a long time ago. As his fingers lightly grazed the edge of the stage, a spark of hope bursting brilliantly within his chest, Izuku felt the air being sucked from his lungs as he was struck by an invisible force, a desperate cry passing the young hero's lips as he was violently flung backward.
"Toga-chan!"
Flecks of tears flew from Izuku's emerald eyes as he helplessly watched Toga's form grow smaller as she drifted further and further from his grasp as his body continued sailing through the air at incredible speeds. Whipping his head back and forth desperately, mind running a mile a minute, Izuku searched for anything that could stop his reckless flight, the wielder of One For All reacting quickly as he latched on to one of the ropes pulling a Toga-shaped balloon. A searing pain shot through the young hero's arm as his backward momentum came to an abrupt stop, Izuku letting out a grunt of discomfort, his eyes clenching shut in agony, fingers clutching down tightly, refusing to yield their hold upon the tethered rope.
Straining at every ounce of energy in his body, Izuku managed to pull his upper body forward enough to grab a hold of the rope with his other hand, every muscle screaming in agony as he was buffeted by a sudden torrent of storming wind. Forcing his eyes open under the onslaught of crashing gusts, Izuku could only watch on in horror as deep, cavernous cracks began spreading through the ground, large pieces of the city being ripped from its foundation as they got sucked up into a swirling vortex originating from the godly schoolgirl, its size swelling at an alarming rate.
Entire swaths of the city were being torn from the earth like fragile pieces of paper, buildings being torn to shreds as more and more pockets of alternate universes began to pop up throughout the world, a never-ending sea of conflicting timelines converging on top of each other in a cataclysmic burst of destruction. Each new universe, every separate timeline, suffered the same fate of the godly schoolgirl's emotional breakdown, lives being extinguished in the blink of an eye, only to be replaced with another that would befall the same fate as its predecessor.
All of the destruction, all of the panic and fear fell on deaf ears, the blonde schoolgirl's head lowered to the ground, features hidden behind a shadowy curtain, Toga slowly began levitating into the air, her classmates watching her with fear in their eyes as Eri desperately called out to her, her tiny voice lost within the torrent of wind encircling the stage. Casting one last sidelong glance at her classmates, at the little white-haired girl holding her arms out to her, red eyes pleading with her to come back, Toga lifted her hand to bid her a final farewell before they were teleported away to safety.
"The World can be whatever I want!" Whipping her head around, skin burning as angry tears streaked down her cheeks, Toga's voice boomed through the cacophonous roar of the swirling storm, every aching strain and frayed emotion echoing like thunder through the city. "But all I ever wanted was you!"
A deep, searing pain of anguish and regret enveloped Izuku's body, tears rolling unbidden down his face as Toga's words struck an icy dagger into the young hero's heart, the overwhelming sorrow in her voice bearing down upon him like freezing rain, chilling him to the bone. She was hurting. She was hurting so bad. She was breaking before his very eyes, splintering and cracking like glass put under too much pressure, her heart shattering into unrecognizable little pieces.
And it was all his fault.
Crying out in agony as his body was buffeted by another gust of wind, his grip on the rope loosening, arms screaming from exertion, Izuku could feel his will to keep fighting falter. What could he possibly do to fix this? He had hurt her. He loved her and he had hurt her. No words could hope to make up for what he had done. He was weak. He was too weak to live up to All Might's legacy, too weak to save Sir Nighteye, too weak to protect Toga's heart.
He was no hero.
Gripping the rope tight, fingers burning as they clenched the frayed tether tightly, Izuku felt power well up within him, his skin glowing brightly as Full Cowling crackled across his body. Snapping his eyes open, emerald orbs glowing brightly as One For All burned fiercely within his chest, Izuku gritting his teeth tightly as he unleashed 100% of his power.
'No! I won't give up! I will make this right! I will show her that she is more than a villain! I will cherish and love her every day for the rest of her life! I will tear the world, this entire fucking universe, asunder and reshape it with my own hands if necessary, just to make it a place worthy of her! I will not let it end like this!'
Determination burning like a raging fire within his chest, Izuku grasped the tether tightly as he channeled energy into his legs, the wielder of One For All unleashing a burst of concentrated air through his legs with a powerful kick, the force of which sent his body rotating around the rope. Timing his moment perfectly, Izuku let go of the rope, his body shooting through the air as he headed directly toward one of the slabs of concrete flying through the air, the young hero rotating his body at the last moment, planting his feet firmly as he crashed violently into it. Channeling power back into his legs, waiting for the wind to turn, Izuku pushed off of the slab of floating concrete with all of his might, Izuku flying at breakneck speed toward the godly schoolgirl.
'I will make her happy!'
Golden eyes grew wide with fear as she saw Izuku come flying toward her, Full Cowling charged up to 100%, Izuku's face set in an expression of gritted determination. It had really come to this. Izuku wasn't going to hold back anymore. The Ultimate Villain versus the One True Hero. A clash that was written the moment they first met so long ago in that forest. One she had awaited the minute her world was shattered in that godforsaken moment, when his words had smashed her perfect world to pieces, when her love had become a twisted monstrosity, slowly choking her from the inside.
'I don't want this!' Ascending higher into the air, throwing various obstacles toward the approaching greenette, boulders, cars, and pieces of torn buildings, things that would be harmless to the wielder of One For All, Toga silently begged for him to stop, to not get any closer to her. 'I don't want to hurt him! I don't want to be hurt again!'
But, just as she expected, Izuku tore through every obstacle with ease, using the nearby platforms of floating debris to ascend higher, to get closer to her. Holding out her arm, her hair lashing violently against her cheek, Toga considered sending him away, to keep herself from accidentally hurting him when she inevitably lashed out, the godlike schoolgirl planning on removing him from this timeline completely. It was the only way for him to never hurt her again.
Or she could just kill him. Could erase him from existence forever. He wouldn't be able to find her again. She wouldn't be tempted to bring him back to this timeline. Izuku would be gone for good. She would never have to deal with him ever again.
Grabbing her arm, Toga pulled it tightly against her chest, the godly blonde shaking her head violently, the thought of killing him too painful to bear. She could never do that. The world needed him! She needed him! Why?! Why?! Why?!
"Why?!" Snapping her eyes open, golden orbs wild and frantic, tears streaming down her cheek, Toga's voice cracked painfully as she screamed out toward the approaching hero, arm reared back to send another gust of air toward him. "Why are you so determined to break my heart again?!"
"HIMIKO!"
Freezing in place, golden eyes growing wide in surprise, Himiko's heart fell silent in her chest as a gentle warmth seeped through the darkness blanketing her soul, a soft blush coloring her tear-stricken cheeks. He…he called her by her first name. He called her Himiko.
Kicking off of a nearby piece of debris, Izuku used Himiko's brief hesitation to his advantage, shooting straight toward her. Breaking out of her momentary stupor, seeing Izuku flying directly toward her, Himiko could only close her eyes, awaiting the inevitable blow from the wielder of One For All. The one that would end all hope for happiness for her for good.
As Izuku got close to the blonde schoolgirl, arms protectively crossed over her stomach, eyes clenched tightly shut, the green-haired hero snapped her up into his arms, the pair soaring into the air as they burst through the clouds and into the shining sky above. Holding Himiko close, cradling her smaller body protectively to his chest, Izuku's eyes slid shut in relief as they continued to ascend higher into the air, the sun blanketing them with its warming rays.
He finally reached her.
Feeling his arms envelop her in their warmth, Himiko's eyes shot open in surprise, a soft blush coloring her cheeks as her head rested gently against his chest, a small spark of light piercing through the veil of darkness ensnaring her soul. Lifting her head slightly, looking up at him with a wide, questioning stare, Himiko was surprised by the relieved smile on the young boy's face. He looked so beautiful.
Slowly, with their upward momentum coming to an end, the embracing pair began falling back to the earth below, Izuku's back facing downward as he held Himiko protectively to his chest. Grasping his shirt tight, fingers clawing desperately against the rough fabric, Himiko buried her face into his chest, the entire world coming to a sudden standstill, the pair remaining suspended in the air, floating gently in their embrace.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Himiko's voice was soft, pleading as it was slightly muffled by Izuku's chest, every word tinged with confusion, the godlike girl unable to understand was what happening. The way he was holding her, it was so loving, almost desperate, as if he let her go she'd disappear. The entire world had gone completely still, not a living soul moving as the godly schoolgirl was overcome with shock.
"I'm sorry, Himiko." Himiko's heart skipped a beat from the softness in his voice, the pleading sorrow, the loving lilt as he spoke her name, it filled her with unimaginable warmth. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for how I acted, for everything I've said, for how stupid I was. You were so wonderful to me and I treated you so horribly."
A shot of pain seared through Izuku's spine, the overuse of One For All having damaged his body, but he just held the godlike girl tighter. No matter how much it hurt, how broken down his body became, he refused to let her go. He wasn't going to lose her, never again.
"That can't be true."
Looking down at the girl in his arms with a confused stare, a stab of pain piercing his heart as he laid eyes upon her cat-like orbs, sorrow and pain swirling within their golden depths, her grip on his shirt tightening as she vehemently shook her head.
"I'm a villain." Himiko's words were laced with bitter self-loathing and disgust, eyes hidden behind a veil of hair as she lowered her head in shame, Izuku's words nothing but sweet lies to the godlike girl's ears.
"I've hurt so many people. My motives were insincere from the very beginning. I was never a true hero. I tortured Gang Orca when he hurt you. I threatened our teachers when they snooped on our date. I brutalized the League of Villains, I ,killed!, Overhaul! I'm no hero."
An agonizing silence fell over the pair after Himiko's confession, neither speaking, too afraid to break this fragile moment between them, the godly schoolgirl afraid to face her green-haired love. He had hurt her, yes, but she wasn't innocent, far from it. From the moment they met, when their lives became forever intertwined, Himiko had been a villain. She had lied to him, manipulated the world in her favor, and threatened anyone who dared try and interfere with her perfect world. He had believed in a her that never existed, a girl worthy of being called a hero, someone who deserved to live in the same world as his.
Someone worthy of his love.
"That may be true, maybe you aren't a true hero." Eyes growing wide, tears pricking in the corner of her eyes, Himiko felt her entire being grow cold from Izuku's words, the only thing giving her pause being the strange gentleness in his voice, his arms only holding her tighter. "But, neither am I."
Pressing the palms of her hands firmly against his chest, Himiko violently pushed herself away from him, his arms never giving up their hold on her, the godlike girl shooting a fearsome glare toward the wielder of One For All.
"How can you say that?! You are the most wonderful person in the world!"
Smiling softly at her, Himiko was surprised by the pained sorrow shining within his emerald orbs, his hands softly cradling the back of her head as he gently placed it back against his chest. Resting his cheek against the top of her head, small wisps of blonde hair softly tickling his nose, Izuku held the godly girl with all the love and reverence in his heart.
"I made the biggest mistake any hero could possibly make." Izuku whispered softly, the godly schoolgirl waiting with bated breath, her heart hammering wildly in her chest. "I lost faith in someone else."
A soft, hiccuping gasp passed Himiko's lips at Izuku's words, fingers digging deeper into the rough fabric of his shirt, golden eyes staring disbelieving into the endless stretch of sky around them. Holding Himiko close, fingers gently running through the shimmering locks of gold, a gentle smile curling on his lips as he thought about the girl enveloped in his arms.
"I've seen the good in you. You have all the power in the world but still let people live their lives. I got to know you, the one who you truly were. Saw all the hurt and pain you endured. Saw the lonely girl who truly desired to be accepted, to be loved. I got to see the hero in you, the one who saved me over and over again, who rescued Eri from her torment. Saw the caring, lovely beauty that resides in your heart."
"I don't want this." Furiously shaking her head, trying to keep Izuku's words from burrowing into her heart, Himiko lightly pounded her fist against his chest, her voice raw and broken as she cried out her sorrow to the world. "I don't want to be hurt again."
"I may make mistakes." Smiling sadly, Izuku's words were soft and gentle, but filled with sincerity and love, the young hero burrowing his face in the blonde girl's hair. "I may act irrational and stupid. I may not be the perfect hero you need me to be. But I promise you that I will always care for you. I will never let you go."
Gently pulling away from the green-haired boy's chest, golden eyes staring up at him silently, pleading, begging for him to be telling the truth. A glimmer of hope shone behind their molten depths, a hope for something more, the one thing she desired over everything else.
"Himiko," Smiling softly, Izuku gently cupped Himiko's cheek with his scarred hand, a soft gasp passing the godly schoolgirl's lips as she instinctively leaned into its warmth, golden eyes staring at him with shimmering hope. "I love you."
A small, heartfelt smile curled gently at the corner of the blonde girl's lips as silent tears rolled down her cheeks, the vile darkness that had ensnared her heart slowly fading away, the fading light beneath, that had valiantly fought against the inky blackness, bursting to life as Himiko wrapped her arms tightly around Izuku's waist.
"That's all I've ever wanted."
Running his rough finger softly against her cheek, Himiko let out a soft gasp as Izuku suddenly pulled her in for a gentle kiss. It was warm, surprising, and just a bit awkward, but it was the most wonderful thing she had ever experienced, Himiko silently staring up at her green-haired love as he slowly pulled away, sheepishly avoiding her gaze as an embarrassed blush colored his freckled cheeks.
Snatching his collar, Izuku could barely let out a squawk of surprise as Himiko pulled him in for another kiss, her lips desperately pressed against his own, the wielder of One For All placing his hands on her hips as he reciprocated with the same intensity. Each time their lips separated, Himiko would pull Izuku back in over and over, each one more wonderful than the last, the godlike girl wanting to imprint every single one of them to her soul, to let them live within her forever and ever. With every kiss, with every loving connection, the storm clouds below them would slowly lift, letting the sun shine upon the world once more.
Pulling out of what had to be their 37th kiss, not that Himiko was counting, the pair merely stared at each other as they held one other close, a small, joyful giggle passing the godly blonde's lips at the dazed and dopey grin on her beloved Izuku's face. Running her hand lovingly over his freckled cheek, imprinting every last dip and curve of his beautiful face to memory, Himiko felt a sense of joy and calm she had never experienced before, her heart feeling light and free. All she could feel was love.
Love for her Izu-kun.
Momentarily lowering her gaze downward, prepared to bring them back down to earth, both figuratively and literally, a cold, sinking feeling coiled in Himiko's stomach as she laid eyes upon the wasteland below. The city sat in ruins, entire swaths of land having been decimated during her emotional turmoil, the once brainwashed masses, now free from her control, crying out in pain and fear as they were left to deal with what had happened to them.
The feeling of searing bile rose in her throat as she remembered all of the pain and suffering she had caused, the malice with which she had assaulted the world, the terrified faces of her classmates, of Eri, seared into her mind's eye like a hot knife. All of this. This was all her fault. Her breakdown caused all of this suffering. She could have destroyed everything, hurt those she cared about the most, even the one she loved more than anything.
She…she had to do something.
"I have to make things right."
Looking down at Himiko, Izuku felt a fearful chill roll down his spine when he saw the sorrowful expression on her face, a strange foreboding feeling washing over him.
"Wh-what do you mean?" Izuku nervously stuttered out, fear evident in his voice as he desperately searched her eyes for answers. Smiling sadly, Himiko gently placed both of her palms on either of the green-haired boy's cheeks, her thumb lightly grazing over his freckled skin as her fingers idly traced the soft contours of his face. Oh, her sweet Izu-kun.
"If only I had met you earlier. Things may have been different then."
Whispering softly, her breath lightly ghosting across his skin, Himiko silently lamented everything that had happened as she looked up at him with overwhelming adoration. Softly, almost reverently, Himiko pulled her beloved in for another kiss, pouring every bit of herself into it, every last ounce of love she held for this sweet, beautiful soul that had graced her life.
Closing her eyes, Himiko shared with Izuku a series of memories that had yet to come to pass, times they would spend together, the great heights he would climb as a hero, of a young girl with red eyes who was allowed to grow up free, a future so bright and full of excitement and love. A love that would never fade, through all the missteps and all the pain, that love never faltered, only growing stronger through the years.
They were moments that never happened or ever will.
"But," pulling out of their kiss, her whole body yearning to remain here, to stay in his embrace forever, Himiko knew this was what had to be done. "I have to be a hero and defeat the villain."
Giving her beloved one last loving smile, Himiko gently let the boy go, Izuku crying out her name as he desperately reached out toward her as he slowly fell to the ground below, the godly schoolgirl remaining suspended in the air. Tears fell from his eyes as he cried her name out over and over again, his voice cracking as he desperately called out to her, the smile on her face never fading as Izuku's vision and the entire world turned white.
Only to be replaced with one where she never existed.
"Goodbye, my Izu-kun."
Floating gently in an empty void, darkness stretching endlessly around her, Himiko took her last moments of existence to share with the universe her final farewell, wanting to imprint upon it one last cherished memory, one that would hopefully live on for eternity long after she was gone. Closing her eyes, letting her consciousness fade away, a lone tear fell from her cheek as the entire world went dark.
"I'm so happy I was allowed to love you."
Waking up with a start, sweat plastering strands of green to his forehead, Izuku stared around his dorm room with a wide, unfocused stare. Something felt off. Something was horribly wrong. It felt like something important was missing.
A/N: Farewell.
With happy reunions, there is bound to come a painful goodbye. Though their relationship may have been repaired, the pair finally able to share their love with each other, Himiko knew what she had done could not be so easily fixed. She finally learned what it meant to be a true hero and the sacrifices it came with. But, for Izuku, for everyone she came to love, she would gladly make that sacrifice.
Next chapter: The End.
So, so sorry for the long delay. With writer's block, dealing with a new job, and just trying to focus more on mental health, on top of all that I was also struck with a bout of Covid that left me unable to do anything for a while. Though the small consolation would be that since the next chapter is the final one, I will be momentarily taking my other stories out of rotation to focus on getting it out as soon as possible so that I can finally finish this story. So, I hope that is something you all can look forward to!
As always, I want to give a big thank you to anyone and everyone who has supported me and this story for so long. It really means a lot to me and I am excited to finally see this story reach completion after all of these years. It has been really amazing and I hope you all enjoy it! Have a wonderful day and I love you!