His glasses are fogging. He takes them off and cleans the lenses with a pinch of his shirt's hemming. That's the fourth time that he's been blinded. He figures it must have something to do with the cleansers and humidifiers stirring air in an effort to keep it sanitary. Such is a hospital. It's been a while since he last visited one. He had wished he'd never have to again. Then he saw the news reports. In the midst of All Might's final battle, a reason not to go anywhere near a hospital, along with the perfect reason. His classmates in critical condition. Then Midoriya. Iida has to rub his eyes before putting the bifocals back on, unable to see clearly with or without the glasses otherwise.
Ending his hero journey had been something that the boy wrestled with ever since making such a huge decision. Now that U.A has been attacked yet again and shut down with such severity, he realizes it never quite mattered at all. Like his brother, heroes are killed every day in the line of duty. He'd have marched right into his coffin along with the rest had he not been so lucky. He only hopes now that the rest can be spared. He may not be Class Rep anymore, but he still feels a responsibility to be there for them and guide them properly.
"Tenya Iida", he hears his name called and stands, "If you'll follow me…" Iida nods when being waved over. There's quite a long list of names he gave the staff for who he'd like to visit that he doesn't really know who he'll be seeing first, but there's still a feeling of anticipation within him.
The walk down the hallway to the patient rooms is oddly quiet. He doesn't know why he had been expecting doctors and nurses to be running left and right. It just seemed to him like more of a hectic time than a calm one. Then again, it also feels suitable as a period of mourning. While All Might didn't die in his final fight, it's still the end of an era. Along with the abrupt halt of the next generation through U.A. Hero society in general is on the verge of collapse. It's quiet. The calm before the storm. Iida fears the storm.
"Here we are", Iida is brought to the first of many rooms. When he peers through the doorway, he's shocked to see Ojiro in a hospital bed.
The blonde boy is wrapped in bandages below the waist. It takes Iida a second to realize why. His eyes widen behind his glasses. "Are you…", Iida swallows his words before he can choke on them. Of course Ojiro isn't okay. But what else is there to say or ask?
"Hey Iida", Ojiro attempts a smile. Despite his efforts, it doesn't work. "Looks like you got out just in time, eh?" And his attempt at humor is just as weak and flimsy.
"It's not so bad", Iida clears his throat before clarifying, "I mean… Not pursuing hero work that is…"
Ojiro scoffs, unconvinced. He glances down at the space between his legs and then cranes his neck to peer over the brim of his bed. "At least you get to keep your calf engines", Iida feels himself physically flinch at the bitter bite of his former classmate's words.
"I can't imagine what it's like to lose a part of yourself like you did… I'm sorry", he moves to take a seat but Ojiro holds up a hand to stop him, "I just wanted to–"
"I need some time alone…", Ojiro turns his head to avoid making eye contact. Iida nods anyways, not sure of what more to say before he gives his old friend the space that's been requested.
As Iida heads to the next room, he can't help but regret coming to the hospital. If Ojiro losing his tail is the lesser of the evil that transpired then he's not sure he can handle what's to come.
And what comes is awful. He sees Ashido next. The girl has dark rings under her dark sclera. She tells him about the nightmares that kept her up. Aoyama's betrayal and Koda's death. It's enough to ward him away. He's unable to visit any of the others after that.
Sorry Midoriya, Iida apologizes silently as he leaves the hospital and his past life behind completely.
Makima opens her eyes. The yellow shading within them matches the ceiling light that she gazes up at. Each lens flare loops around and spirals into the rings that lead to her two sets of iris'. She stares straight into the light, unwavering. But eventually, Makima does blink. And she sits up in her hospital bed. She sees the IV hooked into her left arm and then the handcuffs hooking her right to the bed's bar barrier. Even if it weren't for the television in the corner of the room recapping everything that happened at Kamino, it's quite evident how she got revived and brought here.
The red haired woman smiles, a breath escaping through her parsed lips in some semblance of a soft sigh. If she survived, then so must had Izuku Midoriya – but more importantly, what she witnessed battling All For One. And now with both AFO and All Might out of the way, she can proceed without much of a deterrent. Not even from Nezu now that U.A is being shut down. Yes, The Commission closing is a setback. As is the warrant for her arrest. But that's something she can handle. Makima leans back into the cushioning of her bed. And waits for the calm to pass.
Side by side, nobody would be able to tell the difference. They were never identical twins, but now… Shoto and Touya Todoroki are covered head to toe in burns so damaging that they've been kept unconscious from all the pain suppressants being pumped into them. The medically induced coma is all that's keeping them alive.
Enji wonders if it's selfish to wish that they never wake up at all. If they could be spared of pain from hence forward, he'd… No. That's not the reason he wants them to stay out of commission. The truth is that he's scared. Scared of facing them. Of facing the world and being ridiculed. Because he knows deep down that he's the reason that they're both this way.
And so do his other offspring. Natsuo and Fuyumi made sure to visit during the hours that he didn't. They blame him justifiably for all of this. Enji plunges his face into his hands, falling into that despair that he feels so deserving of.
Kirishima sits at the foot of Bakugo's bed, watching his friend sleep. The usually live firecracker is sleeping off his meds. Broken bones and bruises will do that to a person. Kirishima had tried assuring Bakugo that the injuries made him appear all the manlier but… that sentiment had been kinda lost. Especially when…
"I, uh, I met your parents Bakubro…" Kirishima recalls the way his friend's mom and dad sobbed over the way their son looked. His face had been beaten in so badly it was hardly recognizable to them. "They seemed nice…", but truthfully it was a weirdly sobering situation to be put in.
This had all become so very real to him. It wasn't any longer about appearing manly or charismatic. It was simply about survival.
"You gotta pull through and survive this with me, man…" Kirishima holds back tears as he tries to recognize the face under the bruises that the boy's parents couldn't find.
She can't feel her arm. Or, rather, anything below the tight clench of her upper bicep. When Kyoka reaches over to tenderly touch the area with her other arm, she feels the fabric of hospital bed sheets instead of flesh. The girl's face scrunches up with confusion until she turns her head to inspect it with her eyes. "Oh…", she sees that she's missing a limb. It all makes sense now.
Or maybe it doesn't. None of this chaos makes sense to her anymore. She chokes on a sob of a laugh, the sound some sort of chortle. It's weird. The disconnect of her arm and the disconnect of her mind to the situation currently. It all happened so fast and there's no time to process any of it. There's no time for anything worthwhile at all.
She sees her song book on the nightstand beside her, probably left by her parents. It always helps to write her thoughts down in some form of lyrics. Except, that's not much of an escape now either. The pages are stained red from blood, the paper crusted and crinkled. It's hard to see through the stains and near impossible to read what is written.
It's even harder when her eyes are blurred by tears. Kyoka cries. She cries hard.
Despite not having a heightened hearing quirk like her, Izuku Midoriya hears her. Because he's standing right outside her room's door. He had come to check on her and have a true reunion. Except, with his hand paused mid knocking motion, he now thinks better of himself. He lowers the hand that's shaped in the form of a fist. Now is much too soon. She's not ready. And quite frankly, he doesn't know if he is either yet.
Izuku walks away, leaving Kyoka to cry alone.