Author's Note: Wow! A crazy soon update! Turns out that a better job makes it so I can actually feel comfortable on my breaks. So over the course of the last week and a half during my work break, this was pumped out. Enjoy! I have a discord server now! Come join it, we're trying to make it a great community!

/GETMQWHQmZ

Mei didn't know what was going on. One second they were fighting, and the next, well… It was strange. In the midst of the battle and the chaos, amidst the copious amounts of bloodshed, there was a moment where everyone stopped and time seemed to stand still. Using Zoom to help her scan the battlefield, she saw Izuku looking in their direction, no doubt having seen what had just happened. He was tense, even from this distance, she could tell. His mind was probably racing a mile a minute. Hers was too, and she didn't even have a quirk that would speed up thoughts like he did. But even with all of that going on, there was just a brief moment of stillness.

And then that brief moment of respite ended just as quickly as it started.

All at once, chaos erupted once more. A lightning bolt struck nearby. As the fog that was her mind cleared up, Mei didn't realize that the lightning strike actually hit one of their adversaries. Nor did she even register the fact that that very same person caught on fire immediately after, despite the rain.

What she was able to focus on, once she caught back up with reality, was the fact that in the sudden chaos, she had grabbed Kyouka and began running her to the van. Himiko had just shed her Hitoshi form and was running beside her, shuffling through her blood vials, presumably to find the one that was Kyouka's blood. Makes sense. She had lost a lot of it already. Mei pushed aside the thought that her best friend was bleeding out in her arms and ran faster to the van.

Bursting through the back doors, the back of the van was immediately turned into a makeshift trauma center. Mei was thankful for the cot she had prepped in here a while back, just in case some trips took too long. Himiko took the reins as far as patching the wounds and administering blood to Kyouka, saying something about her being well-versed in administering first aid due to the last two years of her life. Mei jumped into the front seat and started the van, ready for an immediate escape.

Soon enough, the others began to pile into the van one by one. The last one to get in was Izuku. He sat down on one of the benches that lined the sides of the van, took off his mask, and grabbed Kyouka's hand. Mei could see in the mirror that he wasn't even looking at her. Just… staring blankly.

She could tell that this was affecting him way worse than anyone else right now, especially her. Her mind was in go mode, and she hadn't come down from the adrenaline high to really have it take hold in her mind yet. She was not looking forward to when it did. That was a problem for later Mei.. For now, she had a job to do. Pushing the gas pedal down the furthest it could go, Mei floored it out of the park, heading towards their base.

"Fumikage." Mei said, a tone of seriousness in her voice rarely heard. When she was sure she had gotten his attention, she continued. "Call Inko. She's a nurse. She'll be able to do more than we're able to."

Nodding, Fumikage took his phone out and called the woman. Mei could hear the cries of shock and concern from the other side of the line. Her vision started to blur, and only then did she realize that she was crying. She wiped her eyes and focused back on the road. They'd be back in safety soon enough.

Soon enough wasn't fast enough.

"We need to lay her out as flat as possible!" Inko ordered as Kyouka was rushed in from the van. "Izuku and Mei. You two are too close to this. Go rest."

"But-!" Mei tried to argue.

"No buts, young lady!" Inko responded. "This is something I need, and it's something you need. Go."

The two of them slowly walked over to the couch and nearly crashed down onto it. They sat unmoving as Inko ordered the others around. Izuku was the first to break as his shoulders shuddered. Mei followed shortly after. Hot tears ran down both of their faces and sobs filled the air. A gentle and small hand was placed on both of their knees. Eri had come and sat down in front of the two of them, placing a hand on both them and offering a small smile.

"Thanks, Eri." Mei sniffled.

Eri didn't respond. She just turned around and sat between the two's legs.

"She's gonna be okay." Mei said after a few minutes of silent crying from the two of them.

"I hope so." Izuku said shakily.

"I know so." Mei assured him. "It may not be a hospital, but we have a lot of things here, including an actual fabricator thanks to that Yaoyorozu girl's quirk."

"Yeah… you're right…" Izuku said with a smile, said smile vanished almost as quickly as it appeared. "It's just… I already almost lost her once, and it happened again. If only I was stronger, I could have helped her! If only I was smarter, I could have prevented all of this! The reason she's like this is because of me!"

"Izuku Midoriya, you stop with that 'if only' bullshit right this instant!" Inko yelled from the kitchen. Izuku was taken aback by his mother's sudden use of profanity. "You didn't do this to her; someone else did. And that self-depreciative talk is going to lead you down a spiral you can't afford to go down."

"Right…" Izuku said softly. "I'm… I'm gonna go lay down, okay?" he called out to his mom, getting up from the couch laboriously.

"Sleep well, honey. She will be okay." Inko said as Izuku walked down the hallway and into his room.

His room he shared with Kyouka.

His room that was empty without Kyouka.

For the second time today, he felt hot tears running down his face.

Fuck.

He wished he didn't cry so easily, but then again most people would be crying at a time like this.

It was all just so confusing.

And he was just so tired.

For the first time in a long time, he fell asleep that night without the scent of lavender to take him under.

There was nothing…

And then there was pain.

The harsh light of the hospital brought Remi out of whatever painful sleep he was in. Even though his eyes were closed, he could see light. He tried to take a deep breath, but a searing pain caught on his side, causing him to cough and sputter.

"Ah," he heard the voice of Onga say. "You're finally awake."

"Hey boss…" Remi said. His voice was harsh and dry. He needed water. "What happened?"

"More than we were prepared for." Remi finally was able to open his eyes and see his leader sitting straight and poised as ever next to his bed. Behind him were a few of the other members of the orchestra. They were all slumped over in various chairs. "After you speared the girl with her own sound waves, their leader, at least I think it was him, had a rather… artistic vision that he executed on you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Remi asked.

"You were struck by lightning, set on fire, and you had an aneurysm all at once." Remi was speechless. How was that possible?

"If it wasn't for the fact that they left immediately after and also for Onryu's help, you would have died." Onga explained. He stood up and began to stretch his back.

"Would've been a life for a life." Remi said dryly.

"I'm not trading any of you for one of them. I've never lost anyone, and that's not going to change just because some upstart vigilantes think they can steal our show." Onga turned around and walked to the door. "Sorry. Just… angry. I'll go let the nurses know you're awake. I'm sure there's a lot of paperwork that needs to be done. I'll be back later. I have some business to attend to. Get better soon, Remi."

"Thanks, boss…" Remi said softly.

It didn't take too long for Onga to get to the HPSC building. Maybe thirty minutes. It took him even less time to board the elevator and ascend to the president's office.

Knocking before he entered because he was ever the gentleman, he waited just a few seconds before he was let into the office.

"Onga. How unexpected."

"Madame president. You and I have some stage notes to go over." Onga said as he sat down in a chair.

"Your artful words are coming out again." The president idly commented.

"I'm aware. I only get like this during the performance. There is simplicity in this." Onga responded.

"So. You're here. I'm here. What notes do you wish to go over?"

"The reports were correct in that they were just kids. I had the leader under my boot, and he was only able to slip out because it had started raining. He got lucky."

"Dear child, didn't you read his file? Lucky is his entire being."

"Of course I read it. I know his quirk is Luck. I just didn't think it would be so annoying." Onga said.

"So tell me about it, his quirk." Shikage said, leaning forward in her chair and steepling her fingers. "I'm intrigued on how it works on the other side."

"You're going to want to ask Remi about that, not I. He's the one that experienced it."

"Right. I saw the video. That ending was gruesome. Of course, Remi will die. He will be missed." The president said with a faux frown. Onga's eyes widened a fraction at that admission by the president, but not enough for her to notice.

"What do you mean he's gonna die? He's in the hospital now. I was just there. He's fine." Onga said, shuffling around in his pockets.

"So that's what it takes to get you to slip out of your little act. Noted." The president said. She stood up and turned around to look out the large window that took up the entirety of her office's back wall. "What I mean by that is that he needs to die. He was fine when you left, but now?"

"What did you do?" Onga stood up now, anger plastered on his face.

"Picture the news story. 'Following battle with vigilante group Societas Requiem, pro hero Supersonic succumbed to his injuries in the hospital The leader of the vigilante group, known as Snake Eyes, now wanted for homicide by the HPSC.' Exciting news, is it not?" She turned back around to face Onga with a smirk on her face. His expression did not mirror hers.

"He is alive." Onga said.

"He won't be for long."

"You can't kill him."

"I'm not doing anything. I just gave an order." She walked around her desk until she was face to face with Onga. "So ready to kill unless it's one of your own." She chuckled. "I thought I raised you better."

"I will not kill my men. I will kill villains as a last resort, but I will not kill my men."

"Last resort? Aren't you the one that begins to cackle like an evil mastermind when I give a kill order? What happened to that Onga? Where is he at? He would understand."

"He is me, and I do not. If you think that's the true me, you clearly don't know me as well as you think you do. If you'll excuse me." Onga abruptly turned around and walked out the door.

"You'll be too late." The president called after him. After the door closed, she sighed. "This is where your loyalty is tested, Onga. Are you a true Hero?"

True to the president's word, Remi was dead by the time Onga got back. He had arrived just as doctors were leaving the room. He barely processed them saying "Time of death: 10:42 am." He collapsed on the nearest chair.

"Boss, what happened?" Another one of his men, Kurosawa, asked as he and the rest of his men approached.

After nearly a minute of silence, Onga spoke."We've been attacked."

"What happened?" Another team member, Onryu, asked.

"Remi… is dead." Onga said slowly.

"Those damn vigilantes!"

"We'll make them pay!"

"They took one of us!"

Onga simply stood up and shook his head. His team stopped talking. He took a deep breath. It was now or never. Either he exposes the truth and does the right thing, possibly endangering his team - his family - further as targets of the HPSC, or he lets them continue to think that the vigilantes killed their friend.

In the end, it was an easy choice. After everything that they had been through, they grew strong together. Losing one of their own hurt, that was for sure, but they were still strong. This family was everything to him.

And that's why, as he let his breath that he was holding out, he firmly made the decision then and there.

"The vigilantes were not the one that killed him."

"What do you mean, boss?"

"He was in decently poor condition today, but he was stable and expected to make a full recovery in a few days thanks to some of the nurses' and doctors' quirks here. The damage done to him by the vigilantes was done and over with." He paused, taking another deep breath. "When I left today, he was even talking to me." He held firm as his voice quivered and tears pooled in the corner of his eyes. "I told him that I hoped he would get better soon." He cleared his throat. "But when I left, I went to speak with the president of the HPSC for more information. While I was gone, her plan was enacted. She ordered him dead, and she's using his death to label the vigilantes as murderers."

"Boss, you know I trust you, but how is anyone else gonna believe this?"

Onga said nothing. He simply took out a small device from his pocket and pressed the play button.

"So that's what it takes to get you to slip out of your little act. Noted." The President's voice began to play out of the device. "What I mean by that is that he needs to die. He was fine when you left, but now?"

"What did you do?" Onga's voice now. A small amount of shuffling sounded out as well.

"Picture the news story. 'Following battle with vigilante group Societas Requiem, pro hero Supersonic succumbed to his injuries in the hospital and has passed on. The leader of the vigilante group, known as Snake Eyes, has been branded a murderer by the HPSC.' Fun, isn't it?"

"He is alive." Onga's voice said.

"He won't be for long."

"You can't kill him."

"I'm not doing anything. I just gave an order." The sound of footsteps. "So ready to kill unless it's one of your own." She chuckled. "I thought I raised you better."

"I will not kill my men. I will kill villains as a last resort, but I will not kill my men."

"Last resort? Aren't you the one that begins to cackle like an evil mastermind when I give a kill order? What happened to that Onga? Where is he at? He would understand."

"He is me, and I do not. If you think that's the true me, you clearly don't know me as well as you think you do. If you'll excuse me."

And with that, the recording ended.

Silence.

Onga looked at each of their faces, expecting to see downtrodden glances, but instead finding faces filled with determination.

"We won't let them get away with killing Remi."

"He's our brother. If we don't fight for him, it wouldn't be right!"

"I'm not sure what you have planned, boss, but we're with you every step of the way."

"We're a family."

"Thank you… Thank you all…" Onga said, the tears that had formed earlier now beginning to fall.

The choice was simple, after all. The president wanted a show? They would give her a show. They were a team - a family. You mess with one of them, you mess with all of them. In their time together, they had grown strong. And now they were going to see if they were strong enough to fight back. And if they weren't, well… then they'd die trying to avenge their fallen brother.

A fitting end.

A final curtain call.

It was three days before she woke up.

After the first night, Izuku had hardly left her side. She had been placed on their bed the next morning, and Izuku usually had to be pulled out of there by his mom.

He didn't even sleep on the bed, not wanting to agitate her wounds even more.

He was a wreck: barely eating, barely sleeping, and at some points, barely conscious of his surroundings. He would just sit on a chair next to his bed, holding her arm and staring.

Thankfully due to this, he was in the room whenever she woke up. It was a gradual process that he didn't notice right away.

Just at the edge of his hearing, he heard "I-Izu…?" His head snapped up, and there she was looking at him. Her voice was weak, and as she squeezed his hand, he realized that her grip was too.

"Kyouka!" Izuku choked out as tears welled in his eyes. "You're awake!" He squeezed her hand gently. Her head rolled back on her pillow, and she closed her eyes.

"I'm so… so tired…" She said.

"It's okay, you can go back to sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up."

A few seconds later, Kyouka drifted back to sleep, and her soft breathing filled the room again. A few minutes passed, and Izuku heard a rustling behind him. He turned to see his mother standing against the frame as the curtain that was their door was pulled to the side.

"I heard you two talking. She's awake?" Inko asked.

"She was. She went back to sleep, though." Izuku replied.

"Good. She needs it. Her body's been working overtime trying to heal itself."

"I don't think she'd have woken up this soon without that stuff you got from the hospital." Izuku said as he turned back around to look at his girlfriend.

Inko crossed the room to stand next to him. "Not for at least six months, no."

"Thank you." Izuku said as he grabbed his mother's hand with his own and squeezed.

"Of course. Anything for my Izuku." She ruffled his hair which earned a light chuckle from him. "She will be better soon. You know that right?" Inko asked.

"Yeah… but even though I know it, I don't… know it. It's stressful." Izuku responded.

"I know how that is, but the stuff I took from the hospital works. She will be okay. And much sooner than she would have been otherwise. You'll get your girlfriend back." Inko pulled Izuku up from his seat and hugged him hard. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to change her bandages." A groan escaped Izuku's lips. "Nope, none of that. Go on. I'll be done in about 20 minutes. You know the deal."

Begrudgingly, Izuku stood from beside the bed and made his way out to the kitchen. He wasn't sure why the scent of something being cooked only reached his nostrils now, but when it did, his stomach gurgled, alerting everyone else of his presence. Looking out, Izuku saw everyone that wasn't also doing class work at UA out in the main room.

"Well well, the recluse has finally come out of his room. Thought we lost you there for a bit." Hitoshi said, walking up and slapping a hand onto Izuku's back.

"Lay off him, Hitoshi. His girlfriend almost fucking died." Himiko yelled from the couch.

"I'm sure if it were Mei that had been injured, your heart would have sunken that deep into despair as well." Fumikage said next to her. Izuku looked at Mei who just nodded in response.

"Fair fair." Hitoshi said. "Anyway, now that you're out, there's something that I wanted to ask you." He led Izuku to the table and pulled out a chair for him. He then took his place across from Izuku at the table.

"What's up?"

"What the fuck was all of that?" The room went quiet. His tone was… oddly serious, despite how cheerful he sounded..

"What?" Izuku didn't really know how to respond to that. What was all of what?

"All of this… bullshit in the last few weeks. First Overhaul, and now this group of heroes." Hitoshi said. "Why? What have we gained from any of this?"

"Hitoshi!" Mei said from her station.

Hitoshi stood up. "No, I'm serious! Kyouka's been through the most of it! And I've been put through the wringer too! Do you even know how it feels to have part of someone else in your mind? Whispering there and telling you to do things you don't want to? Because that's been the last two weeks of my life! And I'm sure it's been that for Kyouka too, y'know, when she's conscious because she almost fucking died!"

"Hitoshi, that's enough!" Fumikage yelled at him.

"I thought you had actually cared about us when you told Setsuna and Eijirou that we weren't going on any missions soon to recover. But as soon as the pride of you, our illustrious leader, was hurt, it was back to fighting. So I ask you again. What the fuck was all of that? I'm glad the students aren't here because now I can say this: We aren't heroes. We have to look out for ourselves, and not in a prideful way! We have to do what's best for us, and the last few missions have not been what's best for us! Take your head out of your ass and look at us! We're tired, traumatized, and sick of you playing god." Hitoshi finished.

"I… I see…" Izuku said, unable to look his compatriot in the face.. "I'm sorry…"

"Sorry? Sorry?! All of that, and all you can say is you're sorry?" Hitoshi slammed his palms down onto the table, causing Izuku to jump.

A hand grabbed Hitoshi's shoulder and pushed him away. "'Toshi. That's enough." Mei said. Hitoshi huffed and walked over to his computer chair. "Izuku, he doesn't speak for all of us. I mean, of course we're worried about things, but the situation has been out of our hands for a long time."

"All of us walk a dark path. All of us have had great triumphs, but all of us have also had great struggles, and us surviving those dark hours make us stronger for when the light comes up.." Fumikage explained.

"Yeah, what he said!" Dark Shadow exclaimed, appearing from Fumikage.

Himiko turned to Izuku. "I think things have just been hard, and that's just how they are going to be for a bit. We'll get through this." She gave him a wide fanged smile.

"I… I'm gonna go for a walk, I guess. Thanks for trying to cheer me up, guys. I need to clear my head. And I know one of you doesn't really want me here right now." Izuku stood up and walked out the door as silence fell over the common room of the warehouse.

He wasn't ten minutes from the base when he felt his legs fall out from underneath him and his vision went dark.