Chapter 120 - Withering Heart
How many wounds is 'too much'?
~We're switching up our approach, Deku... at this rate you're not going to last much longer. The official dispatch dates for the foreign heroes will be decided soon. That'll mean alot more personal to expand our operation~ Endeavor's voice crackled through Deku's communicator, but he wasn't listening, leaving behind the small encampment of thugs to the police. ~You're the key to all of this, so we can't have you running yourself into the ground~
Deku's mind was to the world beyond the horizon, he had to keep going, there was still unrest everywhere. "I'm still on my feet, I'm fine. And I can't give the villains time to prepare," Keep fighting until they're cornered.
With each step, smoke trailed to form various astral figures of the successors, of them all, the fourth, Hikage addressed the boy. "Listen Ninth. Your wounds are far from healed. Now is not yet the time to throw caution to the wind." But even his words of advice didn't register, he could feel it, Deku was still to caught up in his mission before taking off to the sky.
Inside of One For All, the successors gathered in the midst of Deku's constant fighting since he left All Might's side two days ago. All of them wore solemn expressions with Shimura speaking up with her hands clenched together at what Deku was doing to himself. "My feelings place a heavy burden on him..."
"Naw! The kiddo... sees every cause as a worthy one!" Banjo assumed, scratching his cheek.
"For better or for worse, the manifestation of our quirks has enabled him to act on his primary motivation." Hikage surmised. "Now he seeks to save everyone as a true superhero."
"Kovik was right," En murmured, legs pulled against his chest. "The reality that the girl cannot return has made him restless, it's starting to affect him physically."
"He's choosing the right path," The Second User shut their conversation down, looking away from them.
"You think so, leader?" The Third asked, eyeing his friend inquisitively, watching his serious expression linger elsewhere.
"Inaction is not an option, especially given the circumstances, that's how it is for all of us that bear One For All," He closed his eyes, sighing before passing them a curt glance. "That said..." Yoichi and the Third watched him closely. "If there's anything that can bolster Izuku Midoriya, and free his heart now, it would be..."
How many scars will it take?
Like a gust of wind blown in on the dark day, three civilians were quickly saved from an altercation with a few thugs by Deku, the lead two knocked out with Blackwhip binding them for a connected punch to the gut, the others, frightened, quickly scattered in seconds. In the dust, those saved stared up at the ragged hero, the woman seeing the quirks on display with fear in her eyes. "Are you okay?" Deku asked.
"M-Multiple Quirks...? Are you working... for Kovik!?" She gulped but the boy's eyes flashed in shock.
"What, no!?" Deku exclaimed, shaking his head but the three took off like the villains with their injured friend in tow.
"G-great, glad to hear it!" She yelled back. "We're fine, really! Just dandy!"
He didn't get a chance to explain as a pulse struck his brain, and Deku left the scene in record time, flying over the city ruins. It was another place the Splicers had tried to set up a base of operations since the current Barons were slain, but without their leaders, other heroes, even civilians, had pushed them back, leaving only the villains and scavs to overtake the ruins.
"Everyone's got it rough," Deku noted. "Halimaka and Drevis are still active but their locations shift around too much to pinpoint. What does Kovik want? Where is he now?" His mind flashed with Shigaraki smiling. "I have to put a stop to Shigaraki," Then those that remained of the League. Dabi, Toga, Spinner. "And the League," Then it was of All Might's declaration to Deku mirrored by Kovik's twisted interpretation. "I can't let them hurt anyone else, I have to complete One For All."
Later that day, a skirmish at a local pier by a large shark-like villain was quickly taken care of, Deku evading his spouts of pressurized water to land a powerful kick to the back of the villain's nape. Another assassin sent to subdue him. "...so that everyone can live their lives in peace and safety,"
How many battles can I survive?
Another day Deku wandered the raining woods, biting into an energy bar to keep himself topped up, he didn't even sit to rest anymore. He would keep fighting for his mother so she never had to worry anymore. For Gran Torino who knocked some sense into him when it was needed.
He kept fighting, thinking of All Might's encouragement. Mr. Aizawa's firm lessons in rationalizing his actions. Eri's smile free of suffering. Akame's spirited personality. Yuki...
"So we can all..." He kept moving forward like an animal, his quirks persisting constantly through every street. His friends were all he could think of, pushing him until the job was complete, until the clouds finally cleared. "...smile together again."
"Yuki..." He ignored the throbbing in his arms.
"Yuki." The strain on his legs.
"Yuki!" The dizziness in his mind.
Before who I am breaks
Where was he now? Deku wasn't sure but he had lost his balance and fell on all fours. Something was loose and he stumbled, now his arms and legs felt like lead. Worst of all? His mind caught whiff of murderous intent.
"A reckless rampage born from anxiety and impatience," The old, witch-like cackle came from the crowd of people.
Ah, now Deku recognized the area. The collapsed buildings among a large courtyard with a large statue defaced since the Red Glare incident. It was of All Might with his fist raised high, in the exact pose for his final debut against All For One. How had Deku arrived in Camino Ward? When? How? It didn't matter, his eyes rested upon the villain who waited in ambush under rainfall.
A short man with an eccentric appearance. His back appears to be severely hunched over to the point where his head is positioned in front of his stomach. In addition, he has fairly long, lanky arms and extremely short legs. He has a round face, with a wide mouth lined with grooves stretching from his bottom lip to his chin. He has small beady eyes with crosshair-like markings surrounding them, and a small triangular nose.
Wearing a large black coat over a dress shirt. His coat is also stitched with the wires too, waving his arms throughout the crowd who appeared to follow his motions. "You take on the world alone to the point of exhaustion and ruin. Yes, you are just as He described you!" The man proclaimed. "Strength in numbers, I say! Taking you in will bring me security!" He laughed haughtily.
"You're... Dictator!" Deku seethed, bringing himself upright but he couldn't stand, his legs were too shaky. "Another escapee from Tartarus, a hired gun." Much like Nagant, he waited until this moment, when Deku was too weak to stand to intercept. No back-up was coming this time, nor would this villain have the same compassion as Nagant displayed. Clenching his fists, he rose, sparks burning from his ruined form with a brittle wind. "Let's hope... you're the one who tells me... where Kovik is."
"Hohoho! Spoiling for a fight, are you!?" Dictator boasted, sending his meat shield forward. "Very well, fight you shall have! AGAINST THE IGNORANT MASSES THEMSELVES!"
Like helpless dolls, the innocent were sent in a horde to crowd Deku, panic plastered their faces but they were unable to move much else below their necks. "We can't control...!" "Our bodies...!"
As they approached, Deku tried to find a flaw in the Dictator's plan of attack. Crust had used his shields to disperse and intercept those used as shields against him before, what could Deku do to mimic this? "I can't resort to big powerhouse moves. What about Air Force? No, I don't have my gloves... maybe Blackwhip...?"
With a grunt, Deku found dozens of hands gripping his costume, throwing him to the ground as they pulled and shoved the motionless hero around with panic. "This isn't our fault, our bodies aren't listening to us!" "We're not trying to hurt you!"
"I know that... it's okay..." Deku whispered to assure them as his eyes stared between their faces to the rainfall, trying to think of a chink in the armour, a solution he hadn't noticed. "I'll free you of this, and you'll be fine," His arm was the last thing to stay above the flood of bodies. "I just need... a strategy..."
The light, what little there was, began to fade. Deku couldn't move an inch, his heavy eyes lingering on the cracks between the fearful faces.
...
...
...
"ARMOUR PIERCING SHOT!" High above the crowd, a single-point beam of thermal energy flashed, colliding with the top of Dictator's back, knocking the villain out cold in a single blow. Like a snap of fingers, the wires controlling the people severed.
Deku stared up, his mouth agape slightly when an ash blonde raised his phone. "He's here, guys." Katsuki announced, landing soon after.
Sometime before this, the class had discussed the issue concerning their letters from Deku, ever since he and All Might left they hadn't gotten a word on the situation, kept in the dark of their friend's and teacher's involvement with the crisis in Japan. So, Ochaco offered them an idea...
"Principle... this was a trap!?" Endeavor was not happy, to be mild when he came face to face with Class 1-A, technically 2-A if not for the suspended classes. And with them were two first-years. Nana Azuru, and Kairi Takumi, daughter of a Support Item manufacturer CEO. None looked as pleased either.
"I heard the children out and determined this meeting was warranted, I'm always willing to change based on facts," Nezu explained, keeping a neutral stance for the moment.
"Why have you been ignoring me?" Shoto asked. "I thought we were going to stop Toya together!"
"Shoto, your willingness alone means the world to me," But his son was having none of it.
"Well, it doesn't mean much to me without action. Why is Midoriya the only one with a free pass!?" He wasn't just frustrated about being kept in the dark, but his best friend was out there and he had no clue on what was happening to him. "Endeavor, you're letting Deku and All Might operate together, aren't you?"
His silence was their answer. "Tch, thought so... in any other situation it was the right move," Katsuki glowered, shaking his head in disbelief. "But you don't know the first thing about Deku. He's screwed up in the head, the guy never takes himself into account, just says crap like 'I'm Fine'. All Might became the Symbol of Peace with the same mindset so he won't be the one to stop Deku," He bit his cheek. "And that Mute Bastard isn't here to rein him in anymore, so what do you expect to do about it now?"
Raising his voice, Katsuki shot the Number One Hero a dangerous look. "Listen, Endeavor! You can't leave those two alone with each other! Not them!"
"He said he'd bring them back..." Nana murmured, her hand tight around Kairi's with a mixture of worry and fear in her eyes. "...but I don't want my sister to come back if it means Izuku Sir destroys himself to do it..." She just wanted them to be their corny, love-struck, happy selves again. "It's not fair... that he has to beat himself up about it all the time..."
Endeavor closed his eyes, opening soon after to view the device in his hand. "But..." Considering recent events... what can he do now? And with so many judgemental eyes watching him.
"Yo, does that thing have GPS tracking?" Sero pointed out, and before long, the device was tossed aside, right into the dogpile of arms that scrambled to catch it. Sero was the first to catch it in time, holding it up delicately, "Mind if we borrow this, sir!? Cuz... well... it's only by chance I'd end up in the same class as the guy, but still!"
"I feel the same way, we've only spent a year together... but that's plenty," Kota added gently.
"He never opened up to us about One For All, not even Yuki, and he expected that letter to put us at ease... that came as a shock to us," Shoto's eyes were downcast a moment in recollection.
"I only found out on a fluke, since then, I just about got the gist of what Izuku put himself through to get this far," Kyoka didn't feel relief when she read her letter, only a painful swelling in her chest that something horrible was going to happen.
"We of Class A intend to find him, follow him, and work alongside him," The Class Rep, Iida, was absolute for his friends and their concerns. "No matter how great a burden One For All may be... Midoriya is our friend. And we can't very well be expected to go smiling into the future knowing that our friend is walking this thorny path alone."
Endeavor was still on the fence about this, regardless of their wishes. "It's far too dangerous out there. Law and order is a thing of the past, even you kids will be-"
"Okay, enough of that," The one to speak their mind was the silverette Kairi, the shark-girl's formal face fixed to the Pro. "I may not have been through the same situations as them, nor do I intend to act as if I know what's best, however, from what I've been told and seen, hearing you say that is insulting."
"Uh, yeah, what she said!" Nana blurted out, surprised by her girlfriend's assertiveness. "She's definitely gonna freak out that she said this later."
"Very well said, Miss. Takumi," The principle then eyed the Pro. "You've certainly matured, Todoroki," Nezu smiled. "Given that the villains now pursue him, and that he wished to leave UA, I authorized the team-up, however, he is free to return to us at any time," He stated as though it were obvious, surprising the class. So the principle sat his paws forward. "From the moment a student is accepted into this school, they fall under our protection,"
"But, what about the safety of the evacuees? Among them, there's still..." Endeavor's worries were silenced by a raised paw.
"An evacuation shelter must be more than a plot of land, I shall have to reassure them somehow," Nezu would handle this burden. "Our security system was fortified for the School Festival, though it has yet to see any use, I'm talking about the UA Barrier. It will prove its worth," Then, lastly, he addressed his students. "In any case, All Might attended this school as a student too, you know? So go on, do what you must to bring them back to us."
In seconds, the battle that had yet to begin was cut down in seconds. An ice wall covered the right-hand side of the courtyard while the freed civilians ran and scattered like ants. "Prison Escapee secured, splendid work, Bakugo!" Yaoyorozu exclaimed.
His head shot back like a fiery lizard, "That's Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight to you!"
"Pardon me!" She shot back from shock.
Deku just stared around at the fleeing people, the rain pouring down around him and his perplexed face. "Everyone... but why...?"
"We're worried about you," Ochaco confronted her best friend, seeing him like this... it was awful to witness what he's been through.
"But... I'm fine," Deku rasped, pushing himself to crouch while picking up his mask again. He hid his face, "So don't worry... and get away from me."
Katsuki let out a laugh from the gut, standing high and mighty in the rain. "Wow, real inspirin'! All hail the mighty inheritor of One For All!" He applauded, throwing his arms up. "But tell us this, are you smilin' now!?"
Rain dribbled down his mask and mouthguard between the cracks and dents, his eyes disappeared a moment. "Those smiles... everyone's peace of mind... to bring them all back... those are the reasons I need to keep going... so..." His right foot split the tiles below, and a massive surge of light expanded from his body, he looked more like a monster than a human now. "Get Out... Of My Way!"
Katsuki leaned forward with a challenging grin. "Do your worst, you All Might wannabe!"
"We knew Midoriya would be the same as ever! Stand strong, everyone!" Iida announced, staring through the rain at his friend's suffering. "I know that once you set your mind on something, you never stop."
"Yeah," Ochaco nodded in agreement.
"I heard that now you have the quirks from the third to seventh users!" Katsuki boasted, seeing the feral state Deku displayed in his hunched form, sparks and dark whips flying from his body. "You look like a completely different person now, huh!? You damn nerd!"
"...thank you all... for coming..."
A great plume of smoke expelled from his person, cutting off their line of sight.
"You guys better not lose sight of him!" Katsuki grunted, planting his gauntlets against the tiles.
"Smokescreen!" "That's the power of the sixth user!"
Cracks split below Katsuki's feet, and several small blasts erupted from the ground, dispelling most of the smoke to reveal Deku fleeing in the mist. "Blast Landmines! - You didn't even tell us anything before you left, I guess when you start being able to do anything you try, everyone around you starts to look like an extra, huh!?" Katsuki taunted but Deku gave no reply, flying out of range as a flock of birds obstructed his view.
"You can come back, Midoriya!" Kota yelled from below. "The headmaster asked you to come back, so stop running away, okay!?"
Kota... "I'm sorry," Two whips caught the corner of a building, prying him away from the flock. But someone shot behind him, and a line of tape pulled his whips to the left.
"You let your Blackwhip out, that's scary, I gotta be cautious!" Sero smirked, holding the line strong.
Sero... Deku snapped the tape with a chop- "Heartbeat Wall!" - but was hit an invisible wall that vibrated across his whole body, launching him down onto the ground again. Above, two devices plugged into jacks retracted. The ringing in his ears faded, and a voice cut the silence. "That's enough, Izuku Midoriya."
He came face to face with Her. Two purple eyes watching him stand again as rain dampened her hair but she simply flicked the odd strand away to look him dead in the eyes. "Kyoka?" His fists remained taut. "Sorry, I can't."
"Bullshit," She snapped, he didn't even flinch at her tone. "Just come home, you've done en-"
"No, I haven't," He interrupted, the sparks of One For All whirling up inside his chest, eyes luminous in the dark. "I can't stop, I have to keep moving."
Kyoka lowered her arms into fists, raising them with two pale glyphs manifesting around her wrists, "Then I guess I'll drag you back kicking and screaming then, Deku."
Izuku said nothing, his fists mirroring her form. "No... you won't, Earphone Jack."
He ran forward in a blur, evading two Sonic Leaps, diving over her head but her jack wrapped around his left ankle, dragging him back against the wet ground. The jack jabbed and numbed his leg but he swept it off with a whip, binding her wrists but she simply created another glyph with her hands tied. A large Sonic Leap tore up the earth over his shoulder so Deku closed the gap. Kyoka spun herself and Izuku around, the spell distorting the whips enough to slip her hands free, gripping his hands back but her arms clearly buckled. He was much, much stronger than she was.
Gritting her teeth, she glowered back. "So, this is how it is, huh? You honestly thought a stupid letter would be enough?"
"I couldn't let you follow me," Deku argued, throwing her away with a twist, taking her feet out from under her. He turned, but grunted when a sharp vibration brought his right leg out from under him, two arms grabbing his shoulder to throw him around, the rocker trying to pin him down.
"Look at me, Izuku!" She yelled, and through the rainfall, he saw her eyes, they were flooded with pain, dark rings under her eyelids. "I haven't stopped worrying. Me? Of all people, I just... can't stand it, being so weak compared to you, Yuki, Bakugo, everyone... I just had to stand there and let him disappear again," She hated it, seeing everything good and dear to her being ripped apart. She had enough of wallowing in pity to last a lifetime. "I won't let you do the same, you'd come after any of us if we did the same, so why the hell are you so special!?"
"My power... I can't stay..." He pushed her off, leaping away with a gust of wind only to jolt, two arms locked around his neck, the jacks jabbing his chest. "Please, let me go!"
"Fuck your power, who gives a crap if you are the Ninth!? I want my best friends back, so stop being some crappy-ass hero and just be my friend again!" Kyoka screamed, scuffling with him in the air. She didn't even care how high they were, fighting to snap him out of his trance. "Be the dorky, hero fanboy that would mutter all the time. Who helped people with a smile... you can't even do that, can you?" Her eyes trembled before a slap to her gut threw her away, and that same whip caught her, tossing her onto the ground. "Tch, NOW!"
A thick tail caught Deku as he sailed over a smaller building, "Tornado Tail Dance!" Ojiro threshed his friend violently. "Remember your fight at the Sports Festival with Shinso!? You got frustrated at him for me and Yuki, I'll never forget that!" He declared, still swinging Deku around to force him to pass out from the whiplash, "We can't overlook the fact that you're fatigued, fighting alone!" Suddenly, he lost his traction, Deku was forcing his posture to straighten.
"But if I'm around I'll put everyone else in danger!" Deku cried out. Mr. Aizawa passing out. Gran Torino crushed into the ground. Katsuki's impalement. Yuki collapsing before Kovik. It etched into his mind, body, and soul. His mask darkened incredibly. "Kovik is going to take me away... that's why... I left!"
He freed himself but a black mass collided with his torso. "Go, Dark Shadow!" The entity attached to Tokoyami sprang forward, smashing Deku through an office window.
In the air, Sato caught Ojiro by the tail, below, Kyoka called up. "He's gotten far too strong, he might have already mastered One-Hundred Percent!"
"His will's just as sturdy!" Ojiro commented, feeling a shiver at that stare Deku gave him.
"Midoriya, listen to me! You may have a special power but our feelings are the same!" Sato called out to the broken window. "Please, think about what Kota said about to school's side! Or else... I won't let you borrow my food colouring when you make candy apples for Eri!"
Inside, Deku was slumped against a concrete wall, shaking off the debris. "But... Eri... doesn't need them from me specifically,"
From behind the slab, a straight jacket bound him tightly, and a helmet was lowered to cover his face when Yaoyorozu appeared from behind the wall with a firm look of disapproval. "At first, we were going to follow you. But now, with the help of the Endeavor Agency, we are able to make use of our quirks. Our mission is to secure your safety." Translation, they wanted him to just come home.
Then the realization kicked in, "A machine to put me to sleep!?" Deku headbutted the concrete, shattering the helmet before blackwhip wrapped around the straight jacket, tearing up the fibers. Even Dark Shadow looked to be struggling to restrain his arms. "You can stop... worrying about me!" He seethed between his teeth. "Stop following me!" Yaoyorozu flinched a bit. "No one else... has to disappear if you just... leave me alone!"
*Pat!*
An arm caught his shoulders, "Hell no!" Kaminari smirked briefly, dropping it to show his concern. "Midoriya, I know OFA is important, but right now there's something even more important! We have no hobbies in common but you're still my friend! So I will force you to do it!"
Shoji wrapped a fabric around Deku before he could break free. "There's insulated tape wrapped around him now. 'If it's with these people, even All Might seems no longer scary', you said that during the Training Camp Raid,"
"It's nice and dark in here, Dark Shadow..." With this, his Shadow grew exponentially, encasing Deku and Kaminari in the abyss. "Ragnarok Womb! 'To use Dark Shadow's offensive power for defence', that was your idea, wasn't it, Midoriya?" Tokoyami pressed, unaware of the bubbling emotions building inside the shadow sphere.
"Do you only think of us as people you have to protect?" Shoji added, watching Dark Shadow for any issues.
"First off, take a bath, okay!? Midoriya, let's go take a bath!" Kaminari had to hold back a gag at how badly his friend smelled from who knows how long without bathing.
Something snapped. "Please...! Ugh!"
*BOOOM*
"ARRRGGGHHH!" Three stories of windows were blasted outward with the frames supporting them. Behind the wreckage, their efforts to hold Deku down were left shredded and smashed in a heartbeat. Taking in a breath, Deku screamed at the top of his lungs. "UGH, I SAID STOP!"
His heart couldn't take it, everything in his body screamed to accept this and give in but he refused to listen, he had to run as far as possible. Even if it's selfish, even if he's hated, so be it! He'll be the most hated friend in the world! "I know everyone is worried about me! From the bottom of their hearts they are worried about me! I can tell because they should be able to recognize the looming threat of danger but... they're all oblivious to it!"
His mask had fallen in the escape blast, his face dirtied with mud, blood that scabbed cuts, dark rings under his eyes and eyes bloodshot from restlessness, his hair waxy and damp. Deku clenched his teeth, skin burning up with his power working overtime. "PLEASE GET AWAY FROM ME! I SWEAR! I'M! FINE!"
"Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall!" The glacier rose in a sharp, vertical incline, catching Deku's back as rime enraptured his biceps, pinning him against the wall to be overlooked by the one who carved it. "What's with that face? The burden placed on you... it doesn't allow for tears, right? Let us share that burden."
Across from them, Asui appeared from camouflage, sticking to the wall. "I won't let you go, you're important, when scared you're allowed to tremble. When it's tough, you're allowed to shed tears. That's how you become a hero like in the comics," She was absolute in saving her friend from this nightmare. "We won't let you go alone!"
"Midoriya! The current state we're all in could be part of Kovik's plan! He could take this opportunity to attack UA!" If feelings alone won't reach him, Shoto would poke holes in the greenette's logic. "If you still can't find him or his other Barons after searching extensively, consider an alternative plan! So you can protect UA rather than leaving it completely, you can stay by its side!"
"Let us fight with you!" Shoto thundered down.
You're Next. You're Next. You're Next.
"No... this fight... is between One For All and All For One... the only one left Kovik hates… his eyes are always on me!" He shattered the ice with heat alone, straining his arms to wrench his body forward, shooting icicles into the air. His eyes bled cyan light. "You guys can't keep up!" With his palms against the wall, it exploded backward in an avalanche.
"Midoriya!" Asui swung her tongue but Deku evaded, not that she was aiming for him specifically as a body flew into view.
"Gotcha!" "Red Grapple!" The redhead, Kirishima, smashed his hardened body, grabbing Deku's ankle to weigh him down, his face rigid, a familiar, purple sash around his right hip with a dome as the centerpiece. "You said my quirk was great despite not being as flashy as the rest, same goes for you too! Yours broke your body cause you were quirkless before, even before then, you always looked ahead, even in a cold sweat or when your body was busted up!" He raised his voice. "You never let your fear control you, you always led us to victory!"
Deku squeezed his eyes shut, he had to leave now! A thicker Blackwhip slammed into Kirishima's abdomen, releasing him from the stone-like grip. Two longer whips caught the tops of two buildings, stretching to their limits. "I'm sorry, Kirishima, I'm already..." "Faux-"
"We're not letting you go!" Ochaco flew in from above. "Deku, it's not the same as before!" She referred to the day they argued about saving Katsuki. Even she wanted to but fought against her wishes. "I...!" A massive breath of wind flew right by, he had left the edges of the skyscrapers in a blinding amount of speed. "GUYS!" She screamed, a rampart of ice froze in the direction Deku flew.
Everyone stood at the back of a rail track and cart, pushing with all their worth. Those with strength shoved, elements slammed into the back of the cart, Kyoka summoning more glyphs than ever before to apply the greatest force possible. "Go Todoroki!" Shoji declared, the small group setting off.
"Solubility 0.1% Protective Coating Acid Man!" Ashido smothered the vanguard in a bubble of acid.
"We have so many things we want to say to you."
"Flashfreeze... Heatwave!" The thermal blast expanded behind him, and the select few that were set after the initial burst of speed. "We can't keep up, huh!?" Shoto dared as Ochaco slapped the person at the front of the acid wall Katsuki stood against.
"But we know they won't reach you."
Like a rocket, they left the ice ramp with a sonic boom, coning at the front of their projectile, but that was just the second phase of their 'lift off'.
"Deku, we..." "Aren't asking to be protected!"
"We're not going against what you want!"
"Explosive Turbo Speed..." Katsuki craned his arms back, unleashing his most deadly explosion yet. "CLUSTER!"
A massive chain of explosions shook the earth and burned the sky orange and yellow, almost enough to clear the clouds that hung in a thick curtain over the sky.
"We just want to be by your side!"
"Deku, there's so many things I want to... no... I have to say to you!" Katsuki knew this, he had come this far to prove as much. Not just to Deku, but to himself that things can change, that paths can be altered. "But the one with the body to withstand such speed... other than yours is..." He stared straight ahead, at the human rocket barrelling down on Deku's position. "Our Class Representative!"
The sheer velocity was overwhelming for Iida, his gums pulled back as his glasses shattered from the whiplash and his armour immediately began to split apart and flake. "You were always ahead of me... that's why I will always..." He reached out his hand in passing, snatching that damaged claw between his fingers, his white armour destroyed in the process. "Continue to challenge you!"
In the back of Deku's mind, an unknown conversation had concluded long before this confrontation began. The Second User closed his eyes, speaking his mind. "If there is anyone that can compete with the current Deku, with the same will, at the same pace. It would be the people willing to run alongside him."
Deku tried but couldn't find the strength to pull his hand free. "But... no let go!"
"I won't! Ingenium is a hero who will run anywhere to grab the hand of a lost child!" Iida smiled back at his friend lost in despair, just as he was when faced with the foolish actions he took against Stain. "Sticking your nose into other people's business is what makes a true hero, right!?"
For the first time in a great, long journey, Deku... finally shed tears. He knew he needed to let go, but... his strength was all dried up, he couldn't do it... he accepted that... he lost.
"Release!" Ochaco tapped her fingers, and the two plummeted toward the earth again.
Iida held onto Deku, adjusting his body to prepare to land... something they didn't really complete in their master plan. "Can I make the landing from this height!?" Then he gasped, catching sight of the arms stretched below. "Kirishima!"
*Thooom!*
The pair collided with Red Riot, flying across the street from the shockwave to supress the fall damage. Nearby, Hagakure and Aoyama rushed over. "Waaah, are you okay!?" The invisible girl waved her gloves frantically, finding Kirishima bent back to the point he almost toppled.
"I won't fall over!" He stood his ground, managing to balance his footing in time to push back and hold the pair upright. Holding Deku, Kirishima cleared his throat after a breath of relief. "Hey, Midoriya, never said it then but... it was you... back when I heard of a kid my age who saved his friend from a Sludge Villain," He patted his friend's back. "Being a hero has nothing to do with being special or strong, I think your attitude from back then is the key to all that's happening now!"
"Your reaction time was incredible, Kirishima!" Iida commended.
"No worries, I landed nearby after Midoriya knocked me off, if Endeavor hadn't asked me to leave early I might not have made it in time to pitch in," He replied earnestly.
Before long, the rest of Class A regrouped to see their friend who leaned against Kirishima. Ashido panted, the mad rush to stop Deku had taken alot out of her. "Midoriya, enough with all this stuff about being alone, come back to us... let's all go back to having classes together,"
"..." He pushed off Kirishima, stumbling forward.
"Hey!/Midoriya!" Kirishima and Iida echoed.
His eyes were devoid of any semblance of emotion, he was still lost in that bottomless sea of sorrow. His Blackwhip weakly came to life, their forms thin and sickly. "I would love to come back... but... it's too dangerous. There are alot of people at UA... I don't want to cause them trouble anymore..." His fists couldn't close properly, the ring on his left hand dirtied as well. "Akio. Rayla. Solaire. Tekres. Velk. Yukino... Yuki... they can't come back, nothing will bring them back now... there's nothing left... nothing I can do... I have to find... I... I... can't go back to how I was before."
The rain continued to fall, Katsuki stood a few meters from Deku, but it felt like the distance was mute. He wore a straight frown on his face, his eyebrows no longer knitted. "Do you remember what I told you and her after Kovik stabbed me?"
"I don't... remember..." Deku murmured.
"'Don't go... playing the hero... by yourselves!'," Katsuki recited, not taking his eyes of Deku. "After yelling that out, my body moved on its own, and I was impaled, yet I knew I had to tell you those words,"
"I always looked down on you because you were quirkless, you were always far away behind me, yet... I felt you were somehow miles ahead of me," The rotten memories flooded his and Deku's minds.
"I hated that, I didn't want to feel like that, and I didn't want to recognize that," A young Katsuki spoke to a young Deku. "It's why I grew so distant from you and always tried to beat you down," He admitted.
"I opposed you, and tried to show my superiority over you, but I always lost," A middle-school Katsuki hung his head while a middle-school Deku raised his, dumbfounded. "After entering UA..."
"...absolutely nothing went as I thought it would," They stood apart in their high-school uniforms, Deku's eyes returned to their normal state. "I spent all my days trying to figure out your strengths and weaknesses,"
Now, Katsuki stood in the present, facing his old friend battered beyond measure. "It probably doesn't mean alot telling you all of this, but... that's what I really think..." Katsuki didn't pause. "...Izuku." And he bowed at his old friend with a hollow heart. "I'm sorry for everything I've done up until now."
Those words. It was a fever dream. Deku had long since accepted Katsuki for who he was. He learned to move past his horrid life before All Might, before Yuki ever changed his future. Now, that past came rushing back, all for it to be settled with the man who brought those dark days, lowering his head to Deku in the cold rainfall. Not an ounce of spite could be traced. Nor a rise in his pitch. Katsuki Bakugo was as genuine as possible.
"The path you took as a successor to OFA is exactly what All Might did, your choices weren't misguided at all. But as of now, you can barely stand on your own, you ideals alone can only take you so far," Katsuki kept his head slightly elevated now, staring at the ground. "If you ever encounter a road bump. You can always count on us for help, to surpass All Might, your ideal hero, we would all have to protect UA and the civilians in there together, it's the only way," To survive the storm coming, no one could wage this war alone.
"Everyone... was already way ahead of me..." Deku sniffed, swallowing a lump in his throat. "'You guys can't keep up', 'You guys can't keep up', I'm sorry... for saying such a terrible thing..." His feet stumbled, he was losing the last of his strength...
But danger would always be near.
His mind burned with pain, forcing what little adrenaline he had into his toes as his dry throat snagged on a breath. "R-R..." He fought against the pain. "RUUUUN!"
"Shit!" Kyoka had heard it, same for Shoji.
Like a deadly sea of dark green serpents, the arcs webbed through the buildings and courtyard like a plague, sweeping wildly, converging on Class A in the middle, turning the sky green with a sickly stench in the air.
*BOOOOOM!*
Without thinking, Blackwhip erupted from every point of Deku's body to combat the horrid wave of deadly poison.
...
...
...
...
...
Deku, struggling as he found Katsuki laying across his stomach, struggled to lift himself upright, hissing from the pain. Katsuki was the same, suffering no fatal injuries aside from a few bumps and scrapes as the two shook off the brief shockwave that washed over them. Everyone else was scattered about the now decimated courtyard, thankfully, the statue to All Might was intact. "What happened...?" Deku croaked, lifting his eyes to come nose to nose with a pale face and two lime green eyes with a black outline burrow into his frightened orbs.
"Wow, I'm impressed you saved them all from that, you really are something, aren't you?" He grumbled, picking away at his neck with his fingers, clutching to kamas in his hands. Then, a toothy smile stretched ear to ear. "Hehehehehahahaha, I'm so glad you get to witness this!" He leaned even closer, forcing Deku's head back. "The deaths of Yuki's closest friends!"
Halimaka, Venom Sickle had sprung his trap.
To Be Continued...
What a huge chapter. These chapters in the manga were amazing to see, here's hoping I did alright, even gave Kyoka and Kirishima a little more light, especially our rocker. Katsuki even apologized but that seems to be put on hold as Halimaka finally returns to finish what he started at Jaku City! I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next chapter, Heroes!
Next Chapter Intermission: Strong Bonds In Mind
"I hope it'll save you as it did me someday,"