When Ochako awoke it was well into morning, not that it surprised her. Her body was still recovering, although the addition of food yesterday seemed to help a lot. Now she felt like she could actually sit up without it being a monumental feat.

With a yawn, she stretched her legs under the blanket and looked to the spot where Izuku had been. He wasn't there, but she wasn't surprised. In fact, knowing he'd gone off on his own made her incredibly happy. It was a sign that he was willing and able to exist without having to have her by his side all the time.

Certainly, when she woke yesterday, he'd been attached to her, but by the time night fell and they found each other in their cores, that neediness had been replaced with a certain type of calmness she rarely saw in him. He still kept close, but it wasn't out of desperation or anxiety. Now it was simply… affection.

They walked between the cores he had unlocked, talking about them and exchanging notes and observations about the magic, and as they did, she watched him. He no longer kept his gaze constant on her, like he was scared she would slip away. When he did look at her, his visible eye would be bright and curious, and a faint smile would be on his lips. When he talked about one of his cores, his voice was still soft, but he didn't hesitate. His hands moved with his words, animated as he spoke.

She liked seeing him like this. It looked good on him.

Once they took a break from going over the magic, she asked him how he felt. He gave her a warm, sincere smile, hair fluttering in the breeze of the core's landscape as he admitted that being able to care for her had made him feel really happy.

It wasn't hard to understand why that was important to him. They both understood much of their relationship had been her lifting him up from a very bad place. He'd saved her life more than once, but outside of that, most of their interactions were her caring for and supporting him. Being able to finally rebalance the scales of their relationship, even if just a little, was probably huge for him.

And when she responded by telling him she needed that and he made her feel safe, his entire face lit up like she had given him the highest praise.

When he felt his body start to wake up, he said so and turned to her, reaching out with the fingers of his real hand to ask for hers. She obliged him, placing her hand in his, and he tugged her to him, a toothy, boyish smile on his face.

He was…so cute. Even with all of his scars, the pure innocence in his freckled face was as captivating as a starry night sky to her.

"I'll see you when you wake up," he whispered, his fingers curled around hers. "And… I promise I won't spend the morning just waiting on you."

"Good. That would make me very happy," Ochako replied, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek in a preemptive reward.

He sighed happily as she pulled away, and as he began to ripple back into reality, his voice echoed throughout his core. "I like making you happy. I love you."

She was silent for several seconds after he left, letting the winds of Requiem ruffle her hair. Then quietly, knowing he couldn't hear her, she whispered, "I think I love you, too."

The door opening pulled Ochako out of her thoughts, and she lifted her gaze to see Inko coming in with a tray. "Ah… you're awake! How are you feeling?"

The witch smiled, pushing herself up into a seated position with some effort. "A bit better. I'm sure in another day or two, I'll be mobile enough for travel."

Inko gave her a concerned look, brow furrowing as she nudged the door closed behind her and hobbled over to the table beside the bed. From her place on the window seal, Mina stirred, sitting up and stretching. The little ferns atop her hair unfurled with the motion, and without further delay, her wings fluttered and she carried herself over to the bed, coming to rest atop Ochako's hair where she began to comb through it with tiny fingers so she could weave flowers into it.

Inko began to pour tea, speaking as she went. "Forgive me for sounding skeptical, but I don't think you would be back in tip-top shape in two days."

"No," Ochako agreed, nodding her head in thanks as the older woman passed the tea over to her. "But Izuku and I spoke. By then he should be back to himself and can carry me to the Tower. It would be… safer than staying here. For everyone. The castle is not fortified against the kind of magic we're up against."

Inko sighed, taking a seat in the chair next to the bed and stirred her own tea. "I see."

Ochako watched her, tilting her head. "I know this is hard for you. You just got him back, and now it must feel like you're going to lose him again."

The older woman smiled whimsically, the action making crow's feet form at the corners of her eyes. "Well… it is hard. It's a lot all at once, and I'm still trying to accept it all." She paused thoughtfully, then added, "I don't think I'm going to lose him, though. I believe in both of you. That you'll win this thing and come back to us."

Ochako lowered her eyes to her tea, a faint smile touching her lips. "It does seem less hopeless now that our cores are connected. The dread I felt up till now has settled a bit; enough that I can process other things, I think."

She took a sip of her tea, noting how Inko tilted her head, regarding her. Ochako lifted a brow, lowering her cup and swallowing. "Is something on your mind?"

"Oh, many things," Inko replied lightly with a chuckle. "Are you a person open to discussing your feelings, Miss Ochako?"

Ochako blinked at such a question. "I… well. I suppose? Why?"

"Because… I think it would help you and Izuku if you did," Inko said softly, a kind smile on her face. The smile was knowing, too knowing, and Ochako pursed her lips, fingers cradling her teacup. Before she could reply, however, Inko asked, "Has Izuku told you what my magic does?"

The witch shook her head. "No, it hasn't come up. I suppose I might be able to tell using his Hollow magic." She closed her eyes, willing the magic to life, and when she reopened them, she could see the soft pastel magic that made up Inko's core. It was a subtle magic, not loud, nor invocative, and it was always active. Beyond that, Ochako wasn't quite sure what it was, having virtually no experience reading cores like Izuku did. "Hm, well, I can't quite identify it, but I recognize it's a passive magic."

"That it is," Inko agreed, smiling. "I read emotions, Miss Ochako. When I look at someone, I can see what emotions they have at the time."

"Oh," Ochako replied thoughtfully, going to take another sip of her tea. She then paused, the weight of that statement catching up to her. Slowly, she lowered her teacup and looked at the older woman, realizing just what that meant. "...Oh."

Inko nodded slowly, patiently. "I see you and your emotions, Miss Ochako. From the very fear that has gripped you since we first met, to the uncertain love you've accumulated for my son."

Well, shit.

XX

The stone stairs that led to the royal crypt were cold against his bare feet. Izuku barely paid attention to that fact as he followed Katsuki down the wide steps, his mind a myriad of thoughts. Katsuki had grabbed him shortly after he woke up, asking for his help. As they had made their way across the castle grounds, the captain explained what had happened last night.

When Izuku asked why Katsuki wanted him to come see, his childhood friend glanced over at him. "Honestly? You or Ochako are probably the only ones who might have insight into what happened. Maybe the ecosystem could explain. I dunno. The entire royal family is in pieces right now, and anything you can do to help give them answers probably would go a long way."

Izuku may have not understood social nuances well, but he understood that one. Helping the family find answers would make him seem more of an ally. And while the allegedly deceased Todoroki prince was not Izuku's focus, he was still related to the Blackened Core. Knowing what happened might give Izuku insight he could use. So there was really no reason to say no.

Especially also because Ochako wanted him to do things exactly like this.

The torches illuminated the crypt as they walked in, and Izuku followed Katsuki to where the rest of the royal family were standing in a circle. Izuku's gaze fell to the broken ceramic and scattered sands they stood around, then he looked up to the five individuals standing there.

King Enji looked worse for wear, circles under his eyes like he hadn't slept. The Queen was pale, an arm holding her stomach protectively like she might heave. Shouto's older sister, whose name Izuku couldn't remember, looked as if she had been crying, and Shouto's own expression was haunted. The royal advisor, who's name Izuku also couldn't remember, was the most composed of the group, even if he still looked particularly distraught.

Katsuki rested a hand on Izuku's shoulder and bowed his head in greeting. Izuku glanced over at him, not catching the cue to bow as well. The captain straightened up after a moment. "Izuku of House Midoriya is willing to inspect the sand, with your permission."

King Enji stared at them both for a moment before giving a stiff nod, waving for the others to step back. Izuku watched them, then glanced back down at the sands. Actively tapping into divination magic was something he'd not really tried before, so he wasn't sure if it would work. But maybe if whatever happened had used significant magic, there would be enough of an imprint left behind to trigger the core.

He paused at that, remembering what Requiem said about his eye. With a slight mental tug, he pulled away the inky black armor wrapped around his face, letting him see the magic lingering in the world. He sucked in a breath, taking in the sight of everything around him. Thin red vapors of Todoroki magic swirled through the air, coming from the torches. The pale glow of enchantments that kept the crypts in pristine condition clung to corners and thresholds, outlining the space. And through the lens of his new eye, the white sands scattered on the floor smoldered faintly, a hint of darkness clinging to each grain.

Izuku crouched down, staring at the sands before him. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he could tell the faint trace of magic was old and not fresh. Whatever spell had been performed on that sand had not been done anytime recently, but what was left had faded too much for him to identify properly. With a soft exhale, he furrowed his brow and reached out, fingers touching the sands.

The world around him went black. His eyes widened as everything shifted and he found himself back in the crypts, but this time, it was like he was everywhere at once. He understood now, having experienced it three times. His divination magic linked him to what the magical plane witnessed, and he relived those memories as if he were part of the ecosystem.

The shadows crawled across the floor, slithering up to form a human shape in the center of the crypts. They surged around the form before melting away to show a man draped in layers of dark, delicate silk. His face was void of all features except a mouth that seemed to be pulled back into a smile too wide to be normal. Black veins pulsed under his skin, moving like worms beneath the earth. The skin of his hands had long since withered away, revealing blackened bones and mummified joints.

He looked every bit like the monster that ripped apart his father years ago, and Izuku began to hyperventilate, eyes wide and body trembling. Fear gripped him, and memories blurred as he overlaid the one seared into his mind with the one presented before him now.

A sharp pinch that came from seemingly nowhere interrupted the spiral, and Izuku swallowed back bile as he tried to force away the traumatic memories and focus on what was in front of him, grateful for Requiem's intervention.

The previous holder of the Blackened Core stopped before the urn that held Shouto's brother's remains. He tilted his head, considering it, and the smile on his face widened, the corners pulling back all the way to where his ears should be.

And with that same smile, he lifted a bony hand, a floating blob of sand swirling into existence over his palm. Then, with hardly any effort at all, the sand became dark ashes and pieces of bone. They floated in the air before he sealed them into a magical bubble that disappeared back into his hand.

He stood there for a moment, then slowly turned, the wide, smiling mouth stretching further as his eyeless face stared in Izuku's direction. "Ho. How interesting. This must mean I kill the All Mighty Mage but fail to steal the core. I wonder which successor are you?"

Izuku sucked in a breath through his teeth, eyes wide, and the Blackened Core's previous holder laughed, the sound echoing through the vaults as he melted back into the shadows.

Reality came rushing back, and Izuku found himself staring up at Katsuki, who was the only thing keeping him from being flat on his back on the floor. He felt cold, and distantly, he realized he was covered in sweat. The captain stared down at him, concern marring his features as he helped Izuku up into a seated position. "Deku, what the fuck happened?"

Izuku whimpered a little, a shaky hand coming up to cradle his head. The room was spinning, although the intensity died down when his arm passed across his face. Realizing the magic in the limb was blocking out the vision of his magic eye, he grimaced and wrapped his eye with a dark extension, shutting off the view and giving his mind a reprieve. "I…" he sighed, rubbing his hand over his face, wiping away the sweat. "...saw the Blackened Core. T-the previous holder."

"The one who attacked your family?" Shouto asked quietly.

Izuku nodded, squeezing his eyes shut. "Y-yeah. Um, he was here. He switched the ashes out with sand and left."

There was a heavy silence before Enji quietly asked, "Do you know when this happened?"

Izuku slowly opened his eye to look at the king, pursing his lips. "I… don't know exactly. It would have been before I got Requiem, though, as that's when he died."

"So… somewhere before the Nomu attacks started," Shouto said carefully. "The sand's been here for at least 7 years…"

Enji pressed, "Did you see anything else? Anything at all?"

Izuku winced, rubbing his temple. "N-nothing that would help you."

"What does that mean?" Katsuki asked carefully, helping Izuku to his feet when he tried to stand. The younger man swayed slightly, but managed to stay upright, hand resting against the wall for balance as he got his bearings.

Izuku sighed, looking over at him. "The Blackened Core can see when I use divination magic on memories involving it. It happened when I touched the Nomu that attacked me and Ochako, and it happened this time. The holders… knew I was there."

"But… those are past memories," Katsuki replied, horrified. "Are you saying those memories get altered because they can sense you?"

"Don't know," Izuku admitted. He paused, hearing Requiem's voice, before adding, "It could be that, or it could be just the magic in the memory seeing me, and the point in time is not affected. Requiem doesn't know which because it doesn't know what magic is being used by the holder."

"He took my son," Enji said softly, almost unbelievingly. "He took my son and… what, resurrected him? Is Touya alive?"

The room went silent, each person lost in their own thoughts on the answer to Enji's question. Then finally, Shouto looked up from the floor, his eyes full of pained defeat. "Revenant."

"What…?" Fuyumi replied, voice cracking as she dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. Everyone turned to the youngest Todoroki who looked back at the rest of them with sadness.

"The Blackened Core isn't benevolent, and neither is its holder. We also know they can create Nomu from the bodies of the dead. I don't think those ashes were taken to bring a human back to life. I think they were taken to create an undead slave with insight into how Yuuei operates. And… we're fooling ourselves if we think otherwise."

"Then let me be a fool," Enji replied harshly, eyes burning as he stalked off towards the exit, the torches roaring in his wake. The broken family he left behind watched him leave, and even if Izuku wasn't great at reading the room, he understood something between them had decayed even further.

Fuyumi dabbed at her eyes again. "I should… write to Natsuo."

"Don't," Shouto replied curtly.

The princess blinked, giving her brother a horrified look. "You can't expect us to hide this from him!"

"No, I certainly do not," Shouto said, meeting his sister's gaze. "But this news shouldn't come from a letter. I'll travel to the Western Fortress and deliver it myself."

XX

Silence reigned in the room for several seconds and Ochako and Inko stared at each other. Then finally, Ochako sighed. "So which exactly do you want to talk about?" Most likely, she already knew.

Inko thoughtfully sipped her tea, eyes looking out the window. "While I can read emotions, I can't read the mind. I've seen the hesitation in you, and the way it acts like a net around the feelings you have for Izuku. Try as I might, I'm unsure why you're scared to love him, Miss Ochako. I'd like to know why."

Ochako pursed her lips, staring down at her own tea. She was quiet for a minute before she spoke. "Honestly… I'm not sure anymore. Each time I thought about it, I rationalized something different. When I first realized my feelings for him were changing, I panicked because he was still too vulnerable. It would have been easy for anyone to groom him into what they wanted, and I didn't want to be that person. I wanted him to regain his identity, but I was scared I was molding him subconsciously."

She sighed, taking a deep breath and tipping her head back. In response, Mina crawled forward and hung down in front of her face, grabbing Ochako's cheeks and planting a tiny kiss on her nose. "Don't be sad, Ochako! You don't have to brush his hair if you don't want to! I'll keep putting flowers in it so he's pretty!"

Ochako paused, eyes almost crossing to stare at the sprite before her, before she realized what Mina meant. "Oh… it's… not that kind of grooming, Mina."

"Like with your tongue? Like how cats do it? I wouldn't want to do that either!"

"N-no," Ochako stuttered, trying to not laugh because this mental image was not helping. "Just…um, I didn't want to manipulate Izuku."

"Hmm…" Mina scrunched up her face, squinting at the witch she clung to. "Okay then!" And with that, she climbed back atop the woman's hair, going back to braiding flowers through the white locks.

Ochako looked up, spying Inko hiding a smile behind her hand. "As you were saying…?"

"Right," Ochako replied, exhaling. "I didn't want to influence his feelings or cultivate them in my favor. I knew he cared about me, but I didn't understand the depth of those emotions. Or… maybe I chose not to. I didn't think he knew what romantic love was, honestly. Then the other day he told me he loved me. No expectations came with the declaration. He said it and left. That made me realize I was being unfair to him. I treated him like a spirit, incapable of understanding complex emotions, and I think… I knew deep down that wasn't true, but it was safer if I did. If my feelings were unrequited, I wouldn't have to face them."

Ochako sighed again, dropping her shoulders. "But now I know, and with this bond we have with our cores, and knowing it's built upon aspects of love… I just, I don't…"

"You're scared."

The words cut through Ochako's thoughts like a sharp knife, and she froze, staring down at her teacup. Slowly, she lifted her eyes up to Inko, who was gazing at her kindly. Finally, the witch gave a small nod. "Terrified."

"Of Izuku?"

"No. Never," Ochako whispered, shaking her head.

"Are you scared you'll hurt him?"

Ochako sighed. "No, I don't think that either."

Inko went quiet for a moment. "Have you ever been in love before?"

Ochako paused. Then, softly, she laughed. "No. I haven't. That's it, isn't it? I'm scared because I don't know what I'm doing. Magic? Magic is easy for me. I was born with the most versatile core in the world. Even everything with the Blackened Core and Requiem and this war…it all comes back to magic, so at least it's familiar, no matter how bad it gets. But Izuku…"

She trailed off, staring at the pattern of the blankets draped over her lap. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Inko reach over and begin to prepare a plate of food. "Well… I can't tell you what you should do, Miss Ochako, and it's not my place to tell you what's going on in his heart, although I think you already know. But what I will say is that I think running from these emotions is detrimental to your health, and not because of your magical bond. Things stay scary if you keep running away from them. The only way to get over your fear is to face it."

She turned, holding out the plate of food. "And if I can be a bit selfish… I think Izuku deserves to feel the love you have for him, just as I think you deserve the love he has for you."

"You're ruthless," Ochako said warmly as she took the food and balanced it on her lap.

"I lost almost a decade of my son's life. I can't get that back, but I can surely do everything in my power to make the rest of it as wonderful as possible," Inko declared proudly.

XX

It wasn't but an hour later and shortly after Izuku returned to Ochako's room that they were attacked.

He had just finished explaining to Ochako what happened around his vision when the door to the room whipped open, sending the two sprites jumping on the bed next to them shrieking as they scurried behind the curtains.

Izuku whirled, magic erupting out of him in preparation to strike, only to freeze when he found himself staring at Sir Tsunagu. The other man arched a brow at him. "Oh, don't be so dramatic."

Izuku blinked several times before letting his magic fall down. Behind the tailor was an assistant carrying way more than he probably should, and next to him was Katsuki, who looked entirely unhappy about being there.

Tsunagu waltzed in (almost literally), and clapped his hands three times. "Shinya! As I predicted, the woman has awakened!"

"Shouto sent you a letter telling you she woke up," Katsuki said irritably, through ground teeth. Tsunagu ignored him, walking up to inspect Ochako, who arched a brow at him. He placed a hand on his chin, humming. "Slight build. A touch underweight. That should resolve itself soon enough. Ugh, but your hands. I suppose lace gloves are out of the question."

"Yes. They are," Ochako said flatly. "I take it you own Best Threads and Finest Fibers? I see the logo on your collar."

"Ah, a woman of class," Tsunagu said appreciatively. "Yes. Prince Shouto has requested I rebuild your wardrobes so that you are adequately fitted to fight back against this Blackened Core… person. And certainly, I am pleased to have the opportunity to demonstrate to all of Yuuei the quality of my brand against the might of a man who wishes to destroy the world."

"Oh boy…" Ochako said under her breath. Izuku looked at her quizzically, and she shook her head, patting his hand. "I'm not fond of Yuuei fashion. Things like bodices and ruffles are not for me."

"Well, that would be a death sentence, anyway, which would hurt my reputation," Tsunagu replied as he began to sort through the things Shinya had brought into the room. "You'll be on the battlefield, too, I'm told. A woman cannot walk into a war dressed like the Queen on Sunday and expect to be an adequate combatant. Now…" He paused, folding several pieces of fabric over his arm as Shinya pulled out the dressing screen from against the wall and set it up on the floor. "Let's get to work, shall we?"

XX

Ochako stood patiently as Tsunagu measured her, quietly muttering under his breath. She paid him little mind, magic supporting her weakened body and eyes on the silhouette behind the silk screen who was slowly fitting himself with his new clothes. Tsunagu had brought a few sets of tunics and pants that were fit to Izuku's measurements, but now was the 'battle outfit' that the tailor had raved about. When Izuku paused in his movements, Shinya stepped up behind the screen and helped fit the last of the clothes into place.

After a moment, both men emerged from behind the screen, the latter who looked a little unsure of himself. The tunic was somewhat similar to the one that had been ruined, but of a lighter green with black trim and gold buttons running down the front. The pants were gray, loose to allow ease of movement, and tucked into a pair of knee-high boots of black leather with gold trim. His good arm was wrapped in a leather glove with reinforced plates, protecting it up to the elbow, and his other arm was hidden under the drape of the black half-cape hanging around his neck. Two leather belts clung to his waist, and finally, a black eye patch was fitted over his missing eye. It didn't hide the scar, and a green burn still glowed from behind the material, but it didn't look bad otherwise.

No, in fact, Ochako felt the entire outfit looked really good on him.

Tsunagu paused in pinning fabric around Ochako's shoulders and pursed his lips. "Good, very good. You look mostly presentable, but please get a haircut before you leave the castle. I have unspun wool that looks better kempt than your hair."

From his place against the wall, Katsuki snorted. Ochako shot him a glare.

Izuku ignored the comments on his hair and pursed his lips, touching the eye patch. "I… won't be able to wear this. It doesn't block out my magic."

In response, the tailor gave a clever smile. "Ah, yes. About that. Please activate your magic - the one you use to cover yourself with. You needn't do anything with it. Just call it forth."

Izuku tilted his head, confused, but after a moment, nodded. Black tendrils and green lightning erupted around him, causing Shinya to yelp as he took several steps back. The magic wrapped around Izuku's body as it usually did, then immediately disappeared into the clothes wrapped around him. Izuku blinked, looking down at himself as the traces of his magic faded. "What…?" He then paused, reaching up to touch the eyepatch, which Ochako noted was now completely blocking out the green glow behind it. "It… absorbed my magic?"

"Mmhmm," Tsunagu hummed, going back to work on Ochako's clothes. "Everything you're wearing now has your own magic imbued into it. The same protections now existed in those enchanted fibers. We'll do the same for the young lady here–" "I'm not a lady." "and you'll both have protections better than anything else crafted in the kingdom."

Tsunagu sighed happily. "Truly, I am as brilliant as a gold-threaded silk brocade."

XX

Tsunagu left some time later, promising to return the next day with Ochako's clothes. Katsuki saw him off, leaving Ochako and Izuku alone as the latter stacked his clothes in a pile atop the dresser. He'd kept the eye patch on, but had changed out of the battle clothes into one of the other outfits, loose black pants and a sage green tunic. He also chose to remain barefoot, despite being provided with socks and a pair of normal shoes.

Ochako watched him from where she was now resting against the pillows. "Are you okay?"

Izuku blinked, looking up at her as he finished stacking his clothes. "What do you mean?"

Ochako smiled slightly. "You told me you saw the previous Blackened Core holder in that vision. The one that attacked you. I imagine that was scary."

His brow lifted in understanding. Quietly, he padded across the floor to sit down on the mattress beside her, crossing his legs and holding his ankles. "It was. I started to see my memories mixed in with the memory I was watching. Requiem… stopped it."

Ochako opened her arms, motioning for him to come to her. Izuku blinked before crawling over and leaning into her embrace, tucking his head on her shoulder as he came to rest against her chest. He sighed softly as her arms wrapped around him, fingers running up and down his back.

"It's okay to not be okay," Ochako reminded gently, pressing a soft kiss to his hairline. He hummed, fingers curling into the fabric of her robe as he held onto it.

"I…think I am," he said quietly, voice muffled against her neck. He didn't sound too sure.

Ochako nodded, cheek pressed to his head as she continued to rub his back. They stayed like that for several minutes, breathing slow and relaxed. Despite her talk earlier with Inko, Ochako wasn't ready to think too hard yet on what she wanted to do with her feelings, especially not until they got some other things sorted around their safety. Maybe she would have time to think once they were in the Tower.

She sighed softly, and Izuku must have been half-way asleep because he jumped slightly from the noise. Ochako chuckled, reaching up to stroke his hair, which was, in her personal opinion, just fine the way it was. "I… wish to go talk to the woman in the royal prison. The one who attacked us. But I don't want you to have to do that after everything else you did today. Would you be comfortable letting me talk to her without you?"

Izuku lifted his head, looking up at her with concern. "By yourself?"

"No. I think I would ask Katsuki or Shouto to go with me. But I think you could use some rest. Would you promise to rest while I go speak to her?"

He took in a long, steady breath, eye falling closed as he nodded. "I promise to try."

Ochako smiled, cupping his cheek. "That's all I ask. It would make me very happy."

He smiled back, eye opening just a bit to look up at her, the green glow from his iris reflecting off her thumbnail as she stroked the freckles on his cheek. "Okay."

"Thank you," she said sincerely, ignoring how the way he looked at her made her want to close that small gap between them and kiss him.

She couldn't. Not yet. But she wanted to.

XX

"You think this woman will give us any useful information?" Shouto asked as he walked beside Katsuki towards Ochako's room. Honestly, anything to give him a break from his own tumultuous thoughts was welcomed at this point, so he jumped on the opportunity to go with Ochako and Katsuki to speak with the prisoner.

"Hard to say," Katsuki admitted, shrugging. He'd been kind enough to follow Shouto's lead and not speak of anything regarding his family, and Shouto was incredibly grateful for that fact. Katsuki may have been crass and abrasive, but he wasn't without empathy. Shouto loved him for that.

The captain continued. "She indicated she wanted to talk to Deku or 'Chako, so there has to be a reason for it. But I wouldn't trust her at all. Bitch tried to skewer Deku and almost took me out instead."

"Yeah… don't remind me," Shouto said weakly, to which Katsuki grimaced.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. I'm just… a little more fragile than I'd like to be right now."

The captain nodded, pursing his lips, and they both came to a stop in front of Ochako's room. However, before they could knock or come in, the door opened, revealing the witch standing there. Behind her Izuku was asleep on the bed, curled up on his side.

Most importantly, however, was that instead of a sleeping robe, she was wearing Izuku's battle tunic. It was far too big for her, hanging off one shoulder and going down to her thighs. To make it a little less immodest, she had taken his cape and wrapped it around her waist like a make-shift skirt, with one of his belts holding it into place. She also had several flowers still woven through her hair thanks to Mina.

Shouto tilted his head, then realized she probably didn't want to be walking down through the dungeons in a sleeping robe, and she had nothing else to wear. Unfortunate, but she'd probably die before she put on one of Fuyumi's dresses.

Katsuki, however, came to a far different conclusion. "Did you fucking sleep with him?" he hissed, alarmed.

Ochako scowled, closing the door behind her. "No, you asshole, I borrowed his clothes so I have some protection in case that woman tries to attack me."

She wobbled a bit as she let go of the door, and Shouto stepped in, pressing a hand to her back and offering his other arm. Ochako sighed, clearly not liking her weakened state, but took the offered limb. "Thanks."

"Of course," Shouto replied softly, giving her a small smile. "It's good to see you awake. We've missed you."

"I didn't fucking miss shit–"

"I missed you," Shouto declared, giving Katsuki an annoyed look. "Let's catch up after this, if you're able?"

"I'd like that," Ochako replied, patting his arm. "I'm sure we have lots to discuss about our mutual pain in the ass."

"Hey, fuck you both," Katsuki snarled.

"No thanks. You're not my type," Ochako replied.

"Yeah, because I brush my fuckin' hair and wear socks!"

XX

Tomura stared down at the hourglass before him, with its top basin still so far from empty. His hands were blistered and raw from the repeated use of the Time Bubble, and dried drops of blood decorated the floor around the device.

He was running out of time.

The Requiem and the Echo had bonded. Although he could still steal the Echo if presented with a chance, the stronger that bond became, the easier it would be for Requiem to dismantle his core. However, his hands were to the point he couldn't bend the fingers, and he'd only managed to pass a couple of years' worth of the remaining time. There were still probably two decades left, and even if he kept the same speed, it would take almost three months to finish it, and by then he probably wouldn't have any hands left.

The last holder of Requiem had stolen away all of Blackened Core's healing magic. He must have known. He must have predicted. He must have–

"Yo. Got something for ya."

Tomura turned to see Dabi standing at the entrance of the room, expression bored. "Garaki found someone with rejuvenation magic while in Ketsubutsu. Seems kinda weak but better than nothing. They're waiting in the courtyard."

Chapped lips pulled into a terrifying smile. "Wonderful."