A/N:
Warning: This chapter contains depictions of violence and generally depressing shit.
Usually I don't feel the need for these kinds of warnings in what I write, but I can see the contents of the next couple of chapters being difficult to read. I know writing them sucked away my will to live. So if you find this difficult to read, or if, I dunno, you don't want to read a load of kinda depressing crap in the crossover with the funny haha demon girl game for some reason, that's fair. Thanks for giving this a go, hope you have a great day!
In case you don't want to/find this difficult to read but still want to continue the story, however, I'll include a summary in the ending author's note of the next chapter (or maybe the start of the one after if people request that instead, whichever is preferred) which summarises the crucial information conveyed within the chapter.
Also, so as not to misdirect, I don't think the contents here are particularly, heinously bad or anything. I think I've read way worse in generally light stories without warnings labelled, but so as to ensure everyone feels comfortable, I wanted to put this here.
Anyway, with all that said, on with the chapter.
Faced with the black-and-white mirror of his own face, Izuku simply lost the ability to speak. Once again, he found himself asking a familiar question: What could he even say?
Thankfully, he was far from the only one; his mortal companions had both adopted expressions of shock, though Todoroki's was little more than a pair of raised eyebrows which soon recovered into a visage of sombre respect. Modeus still hadn't a care in the world, her eyes flitting between the phone and the conversation, but it seemed Cerberus at least had enough sense to repress her excitement and keep a hold of Modeus.
"So you're here for…" Justice asked, gesturing to the photo in question.
"Yeah." Uraraka replied with a melancholic sadness, a myriad of complicated emotions passing beyond her eyes. "I always…" she tried to put those emotions into words, but failed to find anything which could describe them. "I… I didn't really know him that well to be honest." she looked down, "I didn't really know any of them that well…" she glanced towards the group, Izuku and Justice in particular as they were the two who'd stepped closest to her, the rest standing a respectful distance to the side. "How about you? Are you here for Midoriya, or…?"
"Ah…" Izuku started, "Well, we're…"
"Family friends of Izuku's." Justice provided, "These two knew Todoroki and Hagakure." she gestured to Todoroki and Hagakure.
Immediately, Izuku felt conflicted about lying.
Terrible, obviously, for lying about their identities, lying to the face of one of the only people Izuku had ever had a positive interaction with. Lying to the face of perhaps the only non-family member Izuku had a positive relationship with in a literal decade (with the possible exceptions that sprang to mind being All Might and maybe Iida, both of whom had initially been relatively non-positive). Not just lying about their identities, but lying to her face that the person she was – apparently – actively mourning was standing right in front of her…
But on the other hand, the prospect of telling the truth could end even worse. Justice had already warned them against telling living souls of their situation, so what would happen if he told her now? Would the demons present be obligated to take Uraraka back with them to uphold the secret? Would she be dragged in chains up to Heaven and put on trial for knowing too much? He was really regretting not asking more questions about the deception now.
How am I even supposed to give power back to All Might? I can't lie to him and give it back… Or can I? Smuggle a strand of my hair into a cup of coffee or something? Or will he be an exception? Will they keep an eye on him until he finds another successor, then drag him down with me? Questions to be asked at a later time, when they had more privacy.
But preferably asked soon.
"I see." Uraraka nodded, "Am I… If I'm in your way-"
"No!"
"Yes." Izuku glared at Justice for her answer, but she simply replied with a raised eyebrow. A moment later, he realised what she meant: They needed to explore U.A., to find out where All Might had gotten to. Uraraka- a 'living mortal soul' would likely just impede that. Logically, they should send her away. The safest solution was to investigate themselves. It could be a risk to let one of Izuku's pseudo-friends continue paying her respects in peace. Sending her away was the best solution.
The look of broken sadness etched onto her face shouldn't have an effect on that choice.
It was for her own good.
And yet…
"You're not in the way." Izuku eventually decided, "We just… Weren't expecting anyone here, is all."
"Right." Uraraka replied. Justice looked at him with exasperation, leaning against the crumbling wall to get a glance inside subtly. Izuku tried to think of something else to say, something that could help Uraraka, or naturally segue way into a question about the current state of the world, and why U.A. was crumbling, and why there were casual Villain attacks in shopping centres… But he was a terrible conversationalist at the best of times.
Standing over his own memorial was not the best of times.
"Can…" Uraraka started, and his gaze quickly shifted back to her, "Can I ask you something?" Izuku gave a nod for her to continue, "So, if you knew him…" she looked towards his photo, "Could I ask what he was like?"
Izuku blinked, "I'm sorry?"
"It's just… Like I said, I didn't really know him that well. We talked a bit, and we seemed to get along, but that was kind of it…" a small smile found its way onto her face, "I was so excited when I found out he was in my class. We met in the entrance exam, you know? Saved me from this massive killer robot by punching it in the face." a small chuckle escaped her, "Broke three of his limbs doing it."
"Yeah, that last part sounds familiar." Justice added, throwing Izuku an exasperated grin.
"And it sounded like he wasn't gonna get in… I even tried to offer my own points to help. But he did! I'd been so nervous about going to a big, fancy school like U.A., so finding out I basically had a friend from day one was such a relief." tears began forming in the corners of her eyes, "And then, the good luck just kept on coming! First Hero exercise, super-nervous in my dumb costume, worried I'm gonna make myself look stupid… and then I get to team up with him! Someone I already know, super analytical, even knows one of the opponent's fighting styles… I didn't even care we had to go first. And then when we get ambushed, he pushes me out of the way like a real Hero… A-and then…" the tears were starting to stream down her face, "H-he tells me to go on… Tells me he can take care of it… You know what I did?" she had to try and wipe the mixture of tears and rain from her face, "I went on ahead." as she briefly shook her head, her smile started to look broken, "Didn't even hesitate. He was facing down an arrogant piece of shit looking like rage incarnate, and I just… left. I didn't come back until an explosion shook the whole damn building. Think All Might was telling me not to, but I was just panicking…" she tried to take a deep breath, but was starting to struggle for air. She leaned forward, grabbing the school gates for support. Izuku went to help her stand, before Justice motioned for him not to. Physical contact breaks the illusion.
"Y- You don't have to-"
"Do you know what happens to a person when nitroglycerin is set off like a bloody cannon at point-blanc range? I do. Do you know what a human face looks like after it's blown apart, melted and partially re-set on the skull? I do. Do you know what it's like to have the smell of your friend's charred brain matter filling your nostrils?" Uraraka put a hand over her face, "I do…"
"That's…" Izuku trailed off, unable to do so much as pat her on the back, "I-I'm sorry…"
"We could've taken him." she flung as much fluid from her face off as she could with frustration, "We could've put that sociopathic bastard down for the count. We would've had time. He wouldn't have been able to fight on two fronts – even if he had, I would've been able to push him" she nodded towards Izuku's photo, "Out of the way. Or maybe throw off that bastard's aim, or levitate a piece of cement between us… I could've done something. Anything…" her frustration melted away, replaced instead with pained regret, "But I didn't. I abandoned him." her voice became clogged, barely able to gasp for breath between the tears to get the words out. "I let him die. I should've stayed… He saved me twice, but when he needed help… I wasn't there." she fell to her knees, unable to even stand, "I killed him."
Izuku looked at her collapsed, broken form with eyes wide as saucers. What… What was she even saying?
"That's not…" he tried to collect his thoughts, "You didn't-"
"It's not your fault." Justice supplied for him. Whether it was out of compassion, or to make sure Izuku didn't say something he shouldn't, he honestly couldn't tell.
"Yes it-"
"No." Izuku continued on from Justice's point, "It's not. We- You were a Hero-in-training. It was your second day of school, and your first combat exercise. E-x-e-r-c-i-s-e, as in practice. Nothing like that's supposed to happen, ever."
"But training accidents-"
"Are incredibly rare, and basically unheard of in first-year regimens. You were just trying to complete the exercise. Heck, you were just listening to your teammate." he took a breath, "It wasn't your fault, Uraraka."
He wished, more than anything, that he could just tell her who he was. How much more comforting would it have been to hear those words from his own mouth, rather than the unknowable ghost, some family friend he had to pretend to be.
"I…" but despite that, Uraraka was still able to stand up. To wipe away the tears, to keep going despite the torrent of emotions undoubtedly running through her. "You're… You're right." she sighed, wiping away the combination of tears and rain. Really wish I'd brought an umbrella-
*fwoosh* Todoroki flash-froze an ice-brella, and passed it to Izuku. Despite the no-doubt freezing temperature, he found it surprisingly ok to hold. Perhaps the suit provided extra cold resistance as well? Perhaps the ice-brella was somehow not that cold? How did that work? Who knows, how were they undead souls? He held the umbrella over himself and Uraraka.
"T-Thanks." she wiped away the last of the rain, "Should've brought another one. And I know you're right, I do… It's just…"
"You still feel responsible." Justice supplied. Her hollow voice betrayed that it was a feeling she seemed familiar with.
"Yeah." Uraraka took a deep breath, "But really, there's only one person at fault."
"Who?" Izuku asked in confusion.
"Who?" Uraraka scoffed, "Katsuki fucking Bakugou. Who else?"
"… Ah." Izuku replied, "That's…" he coughed, "I suppose that's… One way of viewing things…"
"One way?" Uraraka's tone became incredulous, "What, do you have another?"
"Well…" he rubbed the back of his neck, trying to think how to word this, "… It's just… I mean…" 'he didn't really mean it' probably wouldn't pass muster at this point, "He… He was just training too… I-I mean, when you think about it, he really should've been given a safety briefing on those gauntlets-"
"All Might said, and I quote, 'Bakugou, stop this, you'll kill him.'" Todoroki pointed out, "I'd say that's sufficient briefing."
"Exactly!" Uraraka agreed, before glancing back towards him, "Wait, how'd you know that?"
"… Todoroki told me." Todoroki said.
"Yes, but," Izuku tried to regain control, "I mean, wouldn't you say it's a little much to sincerely believe you'll actually be able to kill someone in your first training exercise? I-I mean, it's supposed to be a safe environment-"
"So you're blaming All Might." Justice made a faux gasp.
"Wh- Of course not! All Might is one of the greatest Heroes in history, obviously he isn't to blame-"
"Then, what?" Uraraka asked, "The institution of U.A.?"
"N-No, they've been training incredible heroes for-"
"Principal Nezu?" Hagakure suggested.
"His intelligence Quirk has ensured U.A. operates at peak efficacy-"
"Then who?" Uraraka pressed towards him, forcing him to take a step back lest he risk physical contact, "Who do you suggest I blame for my friend being murdered?!"
"T-That's-" Izuku scrambled to think, "I-I mean-" he hit upon an answer, "… Izuku Midoriya?"
It was Uraraka's turn to appear shocked beyond belief, "… Excuse me?" she asked flatly.
"W-Well-" he took a moment to think, to really think through this. As he did so, he ended up looking to the floor with a defeated smile, "I mean, it's like I said: U.A.'s been training heroes… basically ever since they were an official concept. Their staff, their course, it's all carefully managed by one of the most intelligent beings on the planet. Everything in the school is expertly constructed, to make sure potential Heroes are trained into Japan's best, if not the world's best. If someone can't even make it past the first training session…" he sighed, eyes glossing over lifelessly as the truth of his words began to wash over him, "… I don't think they were ever cut out to be a Hero-"
*BAM* something smacked Izuku in the face like a gauntlet-fuelled explosion. He flew rocketing back through the rain and along the cement, ice-brella shattering as he lost a hold of it. With a groan he made to get back up, before a shadow fell over his form.
"How dare you…" Uraraka held her fists clenched shut, with one sporting a hint of red from the punch she'd just delivered. She stood over Izuku with a cold, haunting rage in her eyes, "How dare you speak of him like that… How dare you even suggest that… How dare you." she hoisted him up, grabbing him by the collar.
"How could you possibly have any idea…" she blinked at him. Once. Twice. Thrice. The burning rage gradually simmered into quiet fury, before morphing into indignation and confusion. Why would she-
"OH!" Right! Filter breaking! "This, um… UhhhhhIT'SAPARTOFMYQUIRK!"
Uraraka blinked again, "Your… Your Quirk… Makes you look like…"
"Like people who you recognise, yes, that's my Quirk!" he laughed nervously, "So I have absolutely definitely zero idea who you're seeing right now, but-"
"Right." Uraraka dropped him back to the floor lifelessly, taking a deep breath to try and calm herself. As she did, Justice eventually sauntered over to help Izuku back up.
"Thank-" *SMACK* only to slap him hard over the back of the head, sending him down back to the floor, face first this time. He groaned once again, cool concrete and rain serving as the only respite against the throbbing now on both sides of his head, "What was that for?"
"Oh gee, I wonder." Justice replied in a tone betraying little in the way of humour. She turned to Uraraka, "Sorry about my friend here. He and Izuku have a… complicated relationship."
"… Oh." Uraraka looked between the two, "So you… Don't think that-"
"If someone said that, and it was anyone other than this guy," she nodded to the still-floorbound Izuku, "By the time I was finished, they'd be waking up in the hospital. If at all." both Izuku and Uraraka's eyes widened at the statement.
"Ha-ha!" Izuku tried to laugh as he got up, "Good one, I almost thought you were-"
"You'd let them wake up?" Cerberus interrupted.
"Nope, sorry." another Cerberus punctuated the statement with a fast fist to the palm gesture. The third closed her eyes, tilted her head and lolled her tongue out.
"I mean, that's a little extreme," Hagakure proved the voice of reason, "But if I heard someone else saying that, they'd be in for it."
"I wonder how long humans can beg for mercy before they run out of tears…" Modeus contributed a question that seemed far darker than Izuku had thought her capable of. He looked to Todoroki for some support…
"I'd just freeze them solid." only to provide none, "They'd probably survive." he's probably joking…
"Huh." Uraraka reacted to their groups remarkably excessive threats, "I guess you guys were close." she looked back to Izuku, "U-Um, I guess I should say sor-"
"Don't." Justice interrupted her, "He had it coming." a slight smirk found its way onto her lips, an idea forming clearly even through her sunglasses as she continued, "Unfortunately, this guy's just a little too much like Izuku for his own good. Can't keep his thoughts to himself, too quick to make excuses for others, obsessed with heroes-"
"Gee, thanks…" Izuku sighed. He'd object further, but he had a feeling that would just be met with further torment.
"- overly self-depreciating, suicidally self-sacrificing, cripplingly terrible social skills, absurdly naive, incredibly reckless, remarkably stubborn, pretty plain-looking-"
"That's just mean-"
"- and he's one of the kindest, most wonderful people I know." she turned to him with a smile, "He's someone that can't help but jump into danger if it meant getting someone else out. Who's recklessness comes not from arrogance nor lack of though, but from the earnest desire to help others. Who'd trek through Hell itself if he felt it was the right thing to do." before turning back to Uraraka, "You wanted to know more about Izuku Midoriya? There's your answer. And if he thought for one second you were blaming yourself for something no reasonable person could've ever foreseen?" she sent Izuku a look.
"… He'd… break into some long-winded speech about how you're actually a wonderful person." he picked up on Justice's hint and continued, "About how you couldn't have possibly known something like that was going to happen. About how he was even more excited than you at the idea of having a real friend at U.A.. He'd probably go on to apologise for dying, for the impact it's had on your life- even though that's… not really something you should apologise for." he added quickly at the sharp look he was sent, "He'd ramble about all the possible applications of your Quirk, about how the nullification of gravity gives you remarkable range for all sorts of Hero work – rubble removal for rescue work, a great way to render targets functionally harmless or at least crippled for fighting Villains, oh and the capacity your Quirk would have for adding options to support gear would expand your possibilities even further-" Justice coughed to get him back on track, "And… he'd say that- That he's…" he sighed with a bittersweet smile, "Humbled. By the amount you clearly care about him. That he feels lucky to have ever met someone like you. And that he hopes- that he knows you can go on to be a great hero." he glanced away awkwardly, "I-If that's what you want, I mean…"
"You..." Uraraka had to rub away more tears running down her face, "You seem to know him really well…"
"Y-yeah," Izuku tried to laugh off the comment with a wave, "W-we were really close, so- I mean- you know-"
"I have a question." Todoroki interrupted Izuku before he could crash into exposing their whole situation, "As we've told you a fair amount about Izuku, and we would be willing to share stories on Todoroki-"
"-and Hagakure." Hagakure added.
"-and Hagakure, I was wondering if you could tell us about something relating to them."
"Huh?" Uraraka continued rubbing at her eyes, before Todoroki formed another ice-brella for her and Izuku, "I- I mean, sure, but what could-"
"The USJ." Todoroki interrupted, "Could you tell us about what happened."
"Oh." Uraraka immediately deflated, traces of interest, joy and acceptance replaced with simple sadness, "I mean, most of it was in the news-"
"Yeah, but we'd really like to hear it from someone who was there." Hagakure interrupted, trying to back up Todoroki.
"Yeah." Izuku quickly followed up, realising their intent, "I realise it may be hard, but…" for the greater good, for the greater good,for the greater good,"These were our friends. If you could just tell us about it- anything would-"
"I get it." Uraraka motioned with her hand, "It makes sense you'd want…" she sighed, "Ok. I don't think I can tell you much that you won't already know, but if you really want to know…"
Everything was going wrong. The Villains, their inability to process the situation quickly enough, the teleporter spewing black smoke… Perhaps if she'd been more collected, she could've ducked out of the way. But Uraraka had frozen. It was supposed to be a simple training exercise.
Just like the last one…
She tried to take a breath, only to end up with a shallow gasp, It's gonna happen again, isn't it? Her gasps became frantic, Who do I have to watch die this time? The darkness was closing in, Or will it be me-?
"Uraraka!" the darkness shouted, shaking at her shoulder. Turning to look, she realised she recognised its face.
Will it be Tokoyami? She clutched around her mouth, the familiar taste of vomit creeping up her throat.
"Uraraka, we need to-!"
"T-There a-are V-Villains o-over-!" an unfamiliar voice cried quietly from behind them, fear dominating their tone.
"Oh hey, kids!" an older and harsher voice, full of malice and spite, interrupted with a tinge of sick joy,"And here I was worryin' you weren't coming!"
Looking towards the voice, Uraraka found him spreading his arms towards more men and women, leaning against buildings in the rain, perched on rooftops with cocky grins, all eyeing their group with disdain.
Oh god… she couldn't tell if her face was wet from rain or tears anymore, They're really going to kill us, aren't they…? She glanced to her sides: Tokoyami had adopted a combat stance, agitation and concern clear on his face. Koda's was simply fear. They're going to kill all of us…
"Well, boys!" the apparent-lead-Villain didn't give any time to recover, some sort of bones growing out of his wrists as he spoke, "Why don't we roll out the welcoming committee?!"
"Dark Shadow!"
"Right!" Tokoyami's Quirk leapt out to protect them, pelted with projectiles moments later. "Argh!"
"We need to go!" Tokoyami grabbed onto Uraraka and started running away from danger. Koda hesitated for the briefest of moments, and that was all it took for first blood to be spilt.
"R-r-AH!" Koda's ankle was pierced by a sharp chunk of bone, and he stumbled to the ground with a gasp.
"Dark Shadow!"
"Got him!" Dark Shadow grabbed Koda, hauling him along as they tried to evade their pursuers.
Everything passed by in a blur. Uraraka heard a loud, deafening ringing in her ears. Yet everything, from the pitter-patter of raindrops, to the 'thwack' of Dark Shadow being assailed by projectile-Quirks, to the shouting of their pursuers, to Koda's grunts of pain could be heard with crystal clarity. Time slowed to a crawl, and Uraraka had a chance to take in their surroundings: The area was caught in a constant downpour, with an eternal gloom emanating from the dome around them. Dilapidated buildings mimicked a half-ruined city caught in a disaster. The smell of wet concrete filled the air, along with a tint of rusting metal.
Their group dashed into one of the empty buildings in search of cover. With nowhere else to go, they ran deeper into the heart of the structure, seeking refuge from the threat by the darkness within.
"Uraraka!" Tokoyami panted, "I need you to-"
"FUMI!" somehow, Dark Shadow had grown twice over in size since Uraraka last looked. Its form almost seemed to melt into the pitch-black shadows all around them. With its new size came sharper claws and a growling voice, one of barely-restrained rage.
"Wh- Dark Shadow, NO!" Tokoyami's face snapped into full-blown panic, dropping Uraraka as he grabbed Koda from Dark Shadow's grip.
"*RARGH!*" Dark Shadow lashed out viciously all around them. Uraraka had enough sense of mind to jump out of the way, and Tokoyami was able to half-carry, half-shove Koda the other direction. But the weakened concrete of the building around them had no such ability. Within seconds, huge gashes were taken out of the wall.
"STOP!" Dark Shadowed continued to rage despite Tokoyami's cries, and before long-
*crrrrack* A fissure began to creep up the wall, completely independent of Dark Shadow's outburst. *crash* a large window shattered, the weight and warping of the concrete too much for the glass to bare. The creaking of steel beams that Uraraka knew would soon end with a *snap* soon followed.
"R-RUN!" Uraraka reacted almost unconsciously, safety drills from the times she'd visited her parents at work making clear what was to come. Tokoyami reacted with Koda in tow, and the two ran in the opposite direction of the collapsing walls. It wasn't until a second later that she realised she'd dashed a different direction to her two classmates. By that time, the ceiling had already begun to cave in.
The wall's collapse quickly cascaded into the whole building, crashing walls breaking down floors and other walls to bring the entire building tumbling down. Uraraka madly dashed away, dodging debris, vaulting wreckage, slapping large segments with her Quirk to try and keep them from falling just that moment longer.
OhshitohgodsohnoohfuckohshitshitSHIT! her thoughts were a muddled mess of curses, higher brain function sacrificed to focus on the simple yet difficult task of staying alive. Duck. Weave left. Jump right. Punch up with Quirk. Dash forward. Jump over. Roll under. Keep running.
But after the most harrowing run of Uraraka's entire life, she reached the edge of the building. The deluge of rubble slowly became a trickle as it got further from the epicentre. A moment's clarity reminded her that there were still Villains outside, and that hiding under a (broken) window would probably be the safest option from both dangers.
Seconds passed without further disaster, the clapping of debris falling slowly fading away, the sound overpowered by the pelting of rain outside. A cloud of ground concrete slowly spread from the wreckage, and Uraraka had to suppress the urge to cough, holding a hand over her mouth to try and keep out the dust.
Don't make a noise… she tried to breathe slowly and quietly, desperate to avoid further detection, Don't cough… Don't breathe… Don't cry… but the last point was threatening to give. How had everything gone to hell so quickly? Not five minutes ago she was on her way to a class field trip, and now she was a loud sound away from being murdered by Villains.
I… I wonder if it'll be quick… she had to stifle a broken laugh at the thought, Of course not, why would they? They're already insane enough to attack a school… What're they gonna do-
"Ho-ly SHIT, that was wild!" a loud voice broke past the rubble and through the rain, soon recognisable as the one that had taunted them earlier, "I mean, I get it, we're pretty damn cool – who wouldn't be scared of fighting us? But bringing a BUILDING down around yourself?" the rest of his words weren't loud enough for Uraraka to hear, too distant and muted by the environment to reach her ears.
Nervously, Uraraka raised her head to look around. No sign of Villains outside, nor the debris-filled corridor she was in, nor any sign they were approaching. Despite that, she sat there. Huddled in the broken building, soaking wet and waiting for the inevitable.
Yet it never came.
What are they waiting for-
"AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Dark Shadow's guttural howl tore through the ruins; it was no longer full of unrestrained fury, but instead screeching in pain. The noise snapped Uraraka to attention.
T-they didn't find me…? The thought took a moment to settle in. Right now, right here, she was safe. With that realisation, so too did she realise that she had a choice to make: Stay where she was, pray the Villains were too distracted to find her until Heroes arrived, or investigate what was happening.
The former was undoubtedly the safest, and sorely tempting. Just wait here, do nothing. No one would blame her for such a choice; they hadn't even finished their first week of school, their lessons had been thrown into disarray since day 2, she was an untrained child up against genuine killers.
But as her brain dredged up memories from three days ago. As she begun to imagine later finding two more classmates' corpses, while she hid like a coward? She began slowly, quietly climbing through the rubble.
Just… Just stay quiet… she crawled over and through the most stable-looking rubble, careful to ensure she couldn't be easily seen from the other side. Slow and steady. She'd heard cries of pain, not sounds of death. All rushing would do is ensure three people would die here.
Gradually she crept over the rubble, eventually finding a chunk of crumbled wall to hid behind. One which was positioned to give her a good view of what was going on thanks to a large, well-placed piece of fractured glass showing a reflection of what was happening.
"Oh, finally running out of steam, eh?" the lead Villain was taunting a bruised and battered Dark Shadow in a small clearing of rubble, his underlings crowded around the edge of the clearing as if watching a show.
"S-S" Dark Shadow hissed in pain, "S-Sorry, Fumi…" the Quirk slumped to the ground, still twitching but most certainly not moving. With it fallen, Uraraka could see her fellow classmates: Koda was sat on the floor, unable to properly stand on his injured foot and instead clutching it in pain. Tokoyami…
Oh god… Tokoyami's right arm was pinned by a rusting rod of metal, piercing through the arm and ground both. One of his legs was trapped under a fallen piece of rubble from the thigh downwards. From the amount of blood seeping out, 'trapped' was an optimistic assessment.
"Whew!" the Villain yelled dramatically, "You know, I heard you Hero kids could be tough, but I was not expecting that!" he grew out another bone spike thing from his wrist and pointed to Dark Shadow, before sauntering over to Koda. He was careful to keep an eye on Dark Shadow's fallen form all the while, "And what can you do, son?"
"I-I-I-"
"We need not feed your darkness with forbidden knowledge, demon!" Tokoyami growled before wincing in pain, his free hand grabbing at the metal bar by instinct but to no avail.
"Oh!" the Villain leaned back theatrically, "An insane Quirk AND a bone-fide Chuuni! The day just keeps getting better!" he faked wiping away a tear, "But I was speaking to him-!" he punctuated the statement by throwing his bone-spike at Koda.
Directly into his throat.
"-?!" he tried to call out, but was only able to gurgle through blood.
"Oh." the Villain blinked in apparent confusion, "That was supposed to be a warning shot… Ah, well." he shrugged.
He shrugged.
Uraraka's silent classmate collapsed, gurgling on his own blood unable to breathe. He laid there, dying, as Tokoyami was able to do naught but watch on in horror, Uraraka frozen to the same. And the man who caused it just shrugged.
He wasn't even looking as Koda stopped breathing.
"Guess I should work on my control." he rolled his shoulders, "Useful note."
"N-NOTE?!" Tokoyami screeched.
"Oh, you were listening?" he grinned, "Excellent. I actually wanted to ask you something." he began pacing back and forth around Dark Shadow, "Y'see, not that long ago I was in a pretty similar spot to you. Bright-eyed, idealistic, hungry to do the right thing. Idiotically naive." he shook his head bitterly, "I even applied to U.A., believe it or not. Aced the theory, too. But, these?" he grew another pair of bone-spiked and brandished them, sending both Tokoyami and Uraraka a ghostly white. How long would it be before he threw them? Where would they end up landing?
Who would they end up landing in?
Uraraka soon realised the answer to that question. If she didn't make a move, Tokoyami would be next.
"Not exactly picture-perfect Hero Quirk, right? They're durable, make good throwing weapons," he gestured back to Koda's corpse, while Uraraka tried to think of a counter: They had numbers, deadly Quirks, his backup had the high ground-
"decent melee weapons, and they even give me a slight healing factor. Cover's the damage they do coming out." - what did Uraraka have? A gravity-cancelling Quirk which made her sick before long, and a friend stuck under rubble she'd need to protect-
"But they're pretty gross, even I'll admit. And the kids back in school never let me forget that fact… I thought U.A. could see past that, but back when I was your age?" - wait! There's something there! I could use my Quirk to free Tokoyami- no, wait, that would take pressure off the wound! He might not-
"These things couldn't cut through wood, let alone metal robots… So riddle me this, Hero." Maybe I could use some debris to cover myself and get to Tokoyami- but then what about the backup, they'll be all over me in seconds!
"What, exactly, makes you so much better than me, huh?" maybe use a piece to cover my entrance, throw it at him to make him back off, try to free Tokoyami- but then he'll just hit me in the back!
"'Cause as far as I can see, the only thing you're better at…" he pulled his arms back into a throwing position, Tokoyami's eyes going wide with fear, "Is dying."
Time froze as the scene carved itself into Uraraka's mind. One of her classmates was dead. Another was about to be killed. And Every scenario, every plan she could make, all told her the same thing.
There was nothing she could do.
Despite the horrific catastrophe that constituted her first Hero training session, despite her second day becoming a living nightmare, she'd carried on. Looking back, she didn't even know why. Routine, maybe? Shock? Or was she really just that money-grubbing that even stepping over her friends corpses was a price worth paying? And now, this was the result: If she wanted to carry on, to play at being a Hero, she'd be forced to watch her friends die. One after another.
Would Tokoyami be the last? Or would he just be the next in a long line of dead teammates? Would she be next? Uraraka didn't know.
All she knew was the Battle Trial, the USJ, the thought of watching god-knows how many of her friends laying dead before her…
"RAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"
Made Uraraka snap.
"Wha-" the Villain rounded on himself, shocked to see a small girl rushing at him with a guttural screech, "-was wondering where you'd gone!" but he dealt with the shock quickly, flinging his two bone-spikes at Uraraka in quick succession.
*ping*, *ping* Which were both deflected by the chunk of weightless debris she tossed forward.
"Dammit! How the hell'd you even-" as he began to grow another set of spikes, Uraraka lunged forward to grab onto him. "Wha-!" using her Quirk to make him weightless, she flung him over her head and to the ground with rage. This- This monster just killed her friend! Given his way, he'd have killed another. Uraraka wouldn't let that happen. She'd die before watching someone else do the same. She'd kill this- this creature before she let it hurt another friend.
"A-A-Ack-" the thing before her stuttered on the ground, its entire body vibrating with…
Wait… Uraraka blinked, What…?
She'd thrown him to the ground with her Quirk. She hadn't cancelled it, so shouldn't he have bounced off?
Is it one of the other Villains? Looking up, she found his cohort to be as confused as she was, staring at their leader in shock. Glancing back, she stared in confusion as he failed to get off the ground, trembling as he slowly cracked further down into the concrete.
"P-P-" the rainwater around his eyes began to look suspiciously like tears, "Ple-"
A loud *CRACK* resounded from his body.
The shaking continued, but gone was the semblance of any kind of conscious struggle. What was-
Uraraka felt a surge of nausea come up. Out of instinct, she tapped her fingers together to release her Quirk. And the Villain stopped moving.
What…? She mouthed the thought silently, unheard by anyone else.
What just happened?
It was a question nobody seemed to know the answer to. Despite the crowd of Villains surrounding two clearly-outmatched children, the air was filled only by the sound of rain hitting concrete, metal and glass.
Concrete, metal, glass, and two dead bodies.
"… S-She…" one of the Villains eventually spoke up, "S-She killed him…" the Villain gestured weakly to Uraraka, "S-She's a Hero, and…" looking from the Villain, to the deceased Villain, and back again, Uraraka's pupil's shrank.
"I-I…"
I… I didn't mean to…
She fumbled her speech, unable to put words to thoughts. Instead, she stepped back nervously, glancing behind her-
"U-Uraraka…" only to find Tokoyami. Hurt. Suffering.
Still alive.
Looking back to the Villains, she wondered how long that would be for. A second? Two? How long until they launched an attack? The moment they did, she and her classmate were dead. But that fact wasn't reflected in their eyes: They were glued to the dead body of their former leader, fear shining through clearly. Fear…
… and hesitation.
"I did." Uraraka swallowed, stepping forward confidently with what she hoped was a confident smile, "What about it?"
"W-What about it?!" one of the Villains echoed back, "Y-You just killed him!"
"Yeah. And?" she shrugged, before grinning fiercely, "You wanna be next?" the Villain's face grew several shades whiter at the statement.
"Y-You can't do that!" another shouted.
"Your friend here begs to differ." she nodded to the body of the man she'd… She swallowed the sick rising in her throat, hiding it with a brief laugh, "I mean, what? You expect us to just sit around and let you kill us?"
"B-But you're not allowed to do that! You're Heroes-!"
"WE'RE STUDENTS!" Uraraka screamed. Rage, disgust, and constant fear boiled together to reach a crescendo.
"You all seem to think you're sticking it to the system or proving you're real villains or something." she stepped forwards, "Are you all fucking retarded?! No, wait, sorry, that's offensive – no way the mentally ill would be as painfully moronic as you shitheads! You think you're some big bad Villain here to end the world or some shit?" she leaned forward, "You're glorified school shooters. You really think anyone's gonna shed a tear for bony boy here?" she gestured to the body at her feet with a scoff, "Please! The only eulogies you'll get when being put six feet under is how lost or misguided you were, and the only people who'll remember you in five years are procrastinating insomniacs browsing wikipedia at 4am!" she broke into a chuckle, which accidentally grew into more of a laugh, every fuck she could possibly give electing to leave her body.
"Hey, you morons wanna know something? Why I want to be a Hero? It's kind of a secret… but… It's money!" she laughed harder, "I'm not here because I was inspired or want to do the right thing or any a' that bullshit. It's because Heroing is the best-paid job in the country. Graduate from U.A.? Set for life, instantly. But here's the thing…" she broke into a loud, faux-whisper, "Even with a U.A. education, if you wanna get into the big leagues? Get those big-bucks sponsorships? You need to be recognised. Need to be marketable." she began strolling back and forth without a care in the world, "So here's what I'm thinking: Survivor of horrific Villain attack? Not bad. But even better? 'Brave, heroic, beautiful girl fights off Villains and protects classmate single-handedly!'. Now that's the sort of advertisement not even money can buy! So, with that said…" she paused her stroll and took a step towards the Villains, over the bone-spike-man's body, "How much do you think your deaths are worth to me?"
At the last of her words, she began making eye contact with every Villain watching them. Almost every one of them stepped back in response, save one.
"Y-Y-You think you scare us?!"
"From you're stuttering?" she casually picked up a fist-sized chunk of debris, "I'd guess so." and said stuttering reminded her of someone she'd known. The memory didn't improve her mood.
"W-Well you don't! I'll take you myself-" as the Villain made to charge forward, Uraraka threw the piece of rubble at them, frustration boiling over and into the attack. Instead of the weightless rubble she'd expected being thrown, the chunk flew fast and started accelerating as it left her hand.
*BANG* smacking the Villain in the head a mere moment later, sending her tumbling to the ground while the rubble carried on in the same direction. Uraraka placed her fingers together, cancelling the gravity and sending hurtling in an arc back to the ground far away. She tried not to think about the noise it had made impacting the Villain's skull.
"Who's next?" she picked up another piece of rubble.
By the time she'd done so, the rest of the Villains were running for their lives.
As they did, Uraraka didn't follow. It was all she could do to even remain standing at this point.
As the sound of their fleeing footsteps rang out, she began to laugh. Perhaps it would serve as a final intimidation?
As the sound became muted by the rain, she continued to laugh. It might carry further, who knew?
Ten seconds later, she continued to laugh.
A minute later, she didn't stop. Couldn't stop.
By the time the real Heroes arrived, her laughter had long since turned into tears.
A/N:
So now we have two perspectives covering 5 of the students which went to the USJ, and they're all doing t. Also Izuku being his usual self-depreceating self hits different when he appears as a third party.
For the record, we won't be covering every single group's experience in substantial scenes like this over the course of the fic, but the two groups we've seen are particularly important. This one was also painful to write and, combined with the former present-day first half and the next chapter and a half, took a while to write 'cause the depressing energy kept getting to me. Thankfully I'm now past that stuff so hopefully writing speed will pick up again so I can stay ahead of releases, but unfortunately I started writing something else because I have the attention span of a goldfish swimming in coffee.
Anyway, that's all I have to say really, please do comment with thoughts, predictions, concrit, etc. etc. you know the drill by now.
Have a great weekend!