Chapter 3
Chapter Text
"Young Bakugo!" All Might called through the comms. "Don't do it. You'll kill him."
"He'll be fine…as long as he dodges."
~*~
"Nana, what are the kid's chances of dodging that?" En asked, his face paling as he apparently remembered Midoriya's "training" hauling heavy junk around a beach.
~*~
"Fuck," Izuku thought as he landed in the past, instinctively trying to dodge despite the time traveler's instructions. But this body didn't move the way it did in the future, the muscles all wrong and flexibility non-existent. Was this really the thing that would change everything? Was Izuku's role in fixing the timeline simply to die? But he'd tried so damn hard to be a hero. How could fate be so fucking cruel?
~*~
The blast rocked the whole building.
"Whoohoohooo! Did you see that?" Katsuki crowed victoriously. "These gauntlets are awesome!" He chuckled maniacally, grinning wildly as the smoke cleared. "The more sweat stored in these gauntlets the stronger the explosion is." He laughed again. Hero training was amazing. "Still alive, nerd?"
~*~
Nana reached for the youngest vestige and hugged him close as they all watched the end of their world.
At least All Might had taken out All for One five years ago and their stockpiling quirk had fulfilled its purpose.
But that was small comfort for the fifteen-year-old boy who'd worked so hard just for the chance to be a hero.
Good-bye… One for All.
~*~
The silence was deafening.
"What? Cat got your tongue, Deku?" Bakugo taunted, turning in a circle just in case the nerd was trying a counter attack. "Don't tell me I finally found a way to shut you up?"
"Bakugo," All Might growled, suddenly in the hallway beside him. "Move back."
"What?" Katsuki asked, surprised by their teacher's sudden appearance. "Did we win? Did the time run down?"
"No," All Might snarled, pushing Bakugo out of way a little more violently than he felt was warranted.
"The nerd's fine," Katsuki said, using his now-much-lighter gauntlet to point to the empty hallway. "See? He dodged."
"No. He didn't," All Might said quietly, moving down the hallway, toward the spot where Katsuki had last seen Deku.
Confused, Katsuki followed the hero. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all scorched from the blast, but it was the rusty smears that didn't make much sense.
"Stop," All Might said quietly, holding a hand out to halt Katsuki's forward momentum. He then indicated for Katsuki to look down.
"What is that?" Katsuki asked, unable to identify the strange, hairy-looking chunk of…something.
"That is part of Midoriya's skull," All Might said, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Skull? I… I hurt him?"
"You killed him," All Might said, his voice almost as flat as Aizawa-sensei's usual tone. He indicated the debris littering the hallway. None of it was larger than a baseball.
Katsuki snorted. "Sure. Nice prank, All Might. Is this like a first year hazing or something?"
"I am being deadly serious," All Might roared. "You just killed a fellow student." All Might's earlier monotone was quickly being replaced with anger. Katsuki found himself backing away even before he was able to process the sensation of being afraid of the hero he'd adored and wanted to emulate his entire life. "You ignored a direct order from your teacher and you killed one of the sweetest, most heroic people I've ever known."
"Sweetest?" Katsuki asked, his confusion only growing. "You only just met him an hour ago."
"No," All Might growled. "I spent the past ten months training him to be a hero."
"That's how he got into UA?"
"No, he got into UA because he was willing to work hard and help others. He was the kindest, most dedicated young man I have ever known." He turned fully to face Katsuki, the rage he was feeling very clear in his tone. "And you just murdered him in cold blood!"
~*~
"There's been a training accident at Ground Beta," Nedzu said hurrying through the mostly empty staff room. "Aizawa, with me."
Shota was quick to scoop the principal up as he ran to the nearest school vehicle.
"Chiyo?" he asked as he swung into the driver's seat.
"We'll call Recovery Girl on the way, but it's imperative you get there urgently. You're the only one who has any chance of stopping All Might."
"What?" Aizawa asked, alarmed but managing to keep moving thanks to years of dealing with emergency situations. He started the vehicle and accelerated hard. All Might was supposed to be teaching 1A basic safety protocols in the classroom. What the hell was he doing in Ground Beta? "What's happening with All Might?"
"He is not taking the death of his student very well."
"Death?" Shota repeated reflexively. "Who?"
"Midoriya Izuku."
Fuck.
"How?" Shota demanded. "They were supposed to be learning safety protocols."
"I'm afraid All Might decided to skip ahead to Battle Trials."
Battle trials on their FIRST LESSON?
"Midoriya died in battle?"
"I am unsure of the details," Nedzu hedged, obviously withholding information now that he knew how badly Shota was taking it. In all his years as a teacher he'd never lost a student. To lose one because of All Might's stupidity was infuriating. The fact that it was the 1A student with the most potential made it even more tragic.
"How did he die?" Shota repeated slowly even as he skidded the car to a stop and leaped out of the vehicle. He grabbed Nedzu again and ran full pelt toward the building that was belching smoke into the atmosphere.
"It was an accident, Shota."
"Who? Who killed him, Nedzu? Who am I expected to protect from the number one hero?"
"Bakugo Katsuki," Nedzu finally admitted.
"Fuck," Shota cursed as he ran even faster.
~*~
"Any idea why we're still here, Yoichi?"
"Not sure," the vestige of the first holder admitted quietly. "It is possible that we will stay with All Might until the last embers of One for All fade out, but that doesn't explain how Midoriya is still here. He was never a part of the version held by All Might."
"So you think Midoriya is still alive somehow?"
"Very unlikely," Banjo said, whistling in disbelief at the carnage around them. Midoriya's death would have been near-instant. "Not even a resurrection quirk would work on a body that had literally been blown into hundreds of tiny pieces and chargrilled for good measure."
"Banjo," Nana admonished. "Could you please use a modicum of sensitivity? Midoriya may be a vestige like the rest of us, but he's still only fifteen years old."
"Sorry, kid," Banjo said, suitably chastised. "Wasn't really thinking."
"But I am still here," Midoriya said, scrubbing at the tears falling like a waterfall from his eyes. "How am I still here?"
"Don't know, kiddo," Nana said, pulling the child back into her arms, "but we'll figure it out."