A/N: Whew. Alright, we're past the story's prologue! Completely uncharted territory for you guys from here on out! Who knows what I've got up my sleeve?!

Keep reading if you want to find out! Also, go follow me on Instagram if you want a look at each of Kurai's different chakra abilities when they've been enhanced by One For All.

So, let's see how everyone's doing with their dead super saiyan classmate being a thing...

Prior Stories

Your Hero Academia: Evolution

Your Hero Academia: Survival

Your Hero Academia: Unveiling

your Hero Academia: Ipseity

The Path Relit

Silence had never seemed so loud to anyone. Normally, times of quiet allowed one to rest and reflect on the past, but for class 1-A, the silence in the agency building was not only deafening, some of them could swear that it was suffocating, too.

Kai, the mighty Guardian Hero of UA High School, had fallen in battle. Kurai Hikari was dead, a preposterous claim if ever there was one. He had survived more than his fair share of battles, losing an arm, even going so far as to claim that he had touched upon the afterlife for a brief moment once before. Now, however, it did not seem that he would be returning, no matter how impossible his previous feats had been.

The official ruling for his death was asphyxiation, caused by a collapsed lung and other internal injuries leading to his respiratory system becoming completely clogged with blood, and as a result, being unable to breathe at all. Their most powerful classmate had choked to death after fighting to save all of them.

It just seemed such an impossible thought to reconcile with reality for many of them, the fact that they would never be able to see Kurai become the hero that they all knew he would have been. Izuku and Iida had taken the news hard, with both of them shedding many tears for their dead friend. Even though they had each known him for different amounts of time, both could easily say that they had looked to Kurai as a brother, and they would mourn him as such. Ochaco and Kirishima were also visibly distraught, and even Todoroki was seen crying on his own when he thought that no one was looking. Blake had tried to hide the fact that she had been mourning with her own tears in private, but her reddened eyes and flushed cheeks gave it away, though everyone was kind enough not to point out the fact- they all knew that she was blaming herself for what had happened, and they had to let her sort through her grief the best way that she knew how, at least for now. Strangest to the others was the fact that Bakugo seemed equally upset by the whole thing, because there was no hint of his usual blustering or telling other people to get over themselves. He was just as quiet as everyone else, much like when All Might had sacrificed his powers to save him and defeat All For One.

Of course, no one was faring worse than Mina, who had yet to say a word since regaining consciousness and seeing her boyfriend's body covered by a mortician's blanket. What was frightening to her friends was that she had yet to shed even a single tear for the boy that she loved- a sign of an unhealthy mourning process, if ever there was one for people their age. Of course, no one could even begin to think about how to approach her, either. She and Kurai had been together through so much that one was now hardly mentioned without the other. The two of them had even been thought of as the most likely to get married among their friends. How did one go about consoling someone who had just lost what she had, especially when they couldn't even pretend to relate? Izuku and Ochaco were close and liked each other a great deal, certainly, but they had never been as forward in their relationship as their friends', so it wasn't likely that any advice that they could scrounge up would be helpful, if even welcome.

So the silence reigned supreme while the students allowed the teachers and other pro heroes that had come to rescue them take over the handling of Nabu's population and surveying the extent of the damages done to the island. No one wanted the quiet to endure, but no one wanted to be the first to break it, either. All they could do was look at one another with haunted eyes while Mina stared blankly at Kurai's scouter, which he had left behind at the shelter when he went to join the fight. It was one of his only belongings that had survived the storm that Nine had rained down upon them, and Mina had refused to let it go since finding it.

It was supposed to be turned off, so it was nothing less than a fright when it suddenly started beeping with the sound of an incoming call. It startled Mina badly enough that she nearly dropped it, only managing to keep it from hitting the floor when Sero's tape snatched it up and deposited it back in her shaking hands.

"Thanks," she whispered hoarsely, though she made no move to answer the call.

"Who's calling him?" Kaminari wondered.

"Whoever it is probably doesn't know what's happened to him, yet," Asui croaked.

"Should we just let it go to voicemail?" Blake asked tiredly.

They were all a little surprised when Mina- without looking at the lens- hit the call button and said in a dead voice, "Hey, Akarui."

*Hello, Mina.* The robotic voice of Kurai's younger brother came through clearly enough for the others to hear him. *I've seen the news. If you're answering this call, then I'll assume that my brother is either in the hospital again, or he didn't make it this time.* When his only answer was silence, he went on to say, *I see. I just received a handful of encrypted messages from his scouter the minute that communications were restored to the island- seems that he had them recorded and then had the scouter trying to send the data until a successful connection was made. Because he hasn't contacted me to tell me that the delivery of the messages is no longer necessary, I knew that I needed to confirm what I was suspecting. As it stands, some are meant for the police in the event of his demise, one is for me, one is for you, and one is for your class. I haven't listened to that or the one marked for you, Mina, but I imagine that you'll want some privacy when you do hear it.*

"Wait, are you saying that he planned on dying?!" Kirishima demanded. "There's no way! He was always sayin' how he'd fight so that everyone could go home at the end of the day, himself included! He wouldn't just go back on that!"

There was a second of relative quiet while Kaminari and Sero tried to get Kirishima to settle down before Akarui answered, *Based on his message to me, I don't think he was planning on dying. To the contrary, I believe that he genuinely fought as hard as he could to survive, more for your guys' sake than his own. Even so, he seemed to know that this was a possibility, and he wanted a chance to leave you with some closure.*

"What is wrong with you?" Mina asked, her hands shaking as her vacant eyes locked on to the device that was producing Akarui's mechanical voice. "How can you sound so calm and act like everything is okay right now? Did you not care about him?!"

"Wait, Mina-"

"No!" she shouted, not bothering to see who had tried to reach out to her. Her empty black-and-toffee-colored eyes were fixed solely on the scouter as she yelled, "It's always been like this with you! When your dad died, when your mom went to jail, and now when your brother dies, you act like a friggin' robot! How can you not care about what happened to your own brother?! How can you be so cold about all of this?!"

"Mina, stop!" Izuku shouted as he grabbed ahold of her arm and wrested the scouter away from her, despite her protest. Apparently, even without his quirk and his arms still healing from the backlash of using One For All at full power, he was plenty strong. As she looked up at him with quavering eyes, he softened his tone and said, "Akarui can't express emotions like us, anymore, remember? He sacrificed his life for Kurai's, and now he's done the same for us. He probably understands better than any of us what Kurai just suffered through, and why he did it. Of course he's hurting."

The shaking in Mina's hands began to transfer itself to the rest of her body, and she looked as though she were trying to talk, but no sound came out of her lips as Ochaco moved in close to give the girl a tight hug. Leaving her to it, Izuku looked directly at the device before saying, "Akarui, I have Kurai's scouter. You said that he left us a message in case this happened to him?"

"Yes," the class was surprised to hear Akarui's actual voice coming through this time. He had demonstrated his capability to talk a few times since the concert at their school, but he only did it every once in a while, as it apparently hurt his throat and tired his face and neck muscles exponentially. "I just wanted… to say… I'm sorry… Mina." Now they could detect a hint of huskiness in his voice as an indicator of tears, damaged though his vocal chords were. "I always thought… that my life would… secure… his." There was a brief coughing fit, followed by him saying in a haggard tone, "I'm shorry… He loved you… more shan any…one… elshe…"

There was another brief pause before the electronic voice came back. *Sorry, my throat was giving out. I've set the two messages as voicemails in the scouter. The first one is for Class A, and the second is for Mina. I'll let you all go, now. I need to tell my cousin and aunt.* The line of communication went dead, and Izuku slowly lowered the device to his side, silence settling into the room once again.

"Poor kid," Ojiro said desolately. "I can't even imagine."

Mina flinched at that, but she knew that Akarui was probably suffering even more than she was right then, even if by a little. She had lost her first love in a tragic manner, of course, but now Akarui was bereft of nearly everyone in his family. His mother was in prison, his grandparents were long buried, and now he would have to stand over the graves of not only his uncle and father, but also his brother, whom he had given up everything to save. He had very little left to live for, in every sense of the term.

And yet he still took the time to reach out and make sure that we were okay… she thought dully. Some hero I am. It should have been the other way around. Despite these thoughts, it was not enough to rouse her out of the stupor that made her vision gray and her limbs feel like aching lead. Would she feel like this for the rest of her life? Was life worth living if this was all that it had to offer?

"Shouldn't we listen to what Hogo-sha had to say?"

Everyone was more or less snapped out of a reverie by Bakugo's growl. He was staring at the device in Izuku's hand and as he added, "It's not like the damn thing is gonna play itself, and this'll be the last we ever hear from him. Might as well see what was so damn important that he had to record it."

"Kacchan, maybe we should wait until everyone else has a chance to-"

"Gimme the scouter, ya damn nerd," Bakugo snapped as he yanked the device out of his classmate's hand. "I'm not big on patience."

"No kidding," Kirishima muttered, but nobody made any move to stop him as he pushed a button on the side that was blinking yellow.

Immediately, a familiar voice began to play out of the speaker, causing everyone to silence themselves. "Class 1-A," Kurai began, sounding tired. "It's so weird to think that you guys are the ones that I want to hear some of my last words, if that's what this turns out to be. I honestly hope that it doesn't, because there's so much more that I want to do with all of you. I'm gonna fight, and I am going to do so with every intention of surviving, because I promised Mina and Akarui that I would never go into battle unless I believed that I had a good shot at making it out on top. So if you're hearing this, it means that the villain had some ace up his sleeve that we just couldn't account for, and I'm sorry that it has come to this."

He coughed a little, and spat something out before continuing with his speech. "You guys were the best friends that I could have ever wished for, and I hope that you'll continue to be there for one another, even after this. Growing up, my most consistent friend was Tenya, and I'm glad that we've been able to mend the rift that grew between us at the beginning of the year. I'll be happy to know that we parted as friends, and not in anger. Eheh… Everyone else, it's your job to look after him now. He may be our leader, but someone has to watch his back, and I'm not around to do it anymore, so I hope you won't mind taking up the slack for me." Iida was, in spite of himself and his tears, managing to smile just a bit as he heard of his oldest friend's concern for him, even after his passing.

"Blake, I told you earlier, but if you're hearing this now, you'll need to hear it again," the recording now said, causing the American to stiffen in place as her dead friend now spoke to her. "This is not your fault. My death is in no way on your hands, got it? If I'm dead, it's because I ignored everyone's advice to stay out of things, not because a villain tricked us. I know you'll kick yourself no matter what I say, but I hope it helps you to know that I don't hold anything against you." Blake's head hung lower in a vain attempt to hide the water falling from her eyes in new rivulets while Yang moved to hug her friend close.

"Izuku, Bakugo might well make it to the top spot before you do, but don't let him get too comfortable, okay?" Kurai said next. "If 'Deku' isn't the number one hero by the time you're thirty, I'm gonna haunt your ass until you join me in the afterlife, and then I'll nag you about it until the end of time itself. So, there." The explosive student, instead of looking outraged, paused the recording and looked over at Izuku, who was staring at the floor, his shoulders slumped.

"What's wrong, guys?" Kirishima asked them. "Is the thing outta batteries?"

"No, Dumb Hair," Bakugo snapped. "Deku lost his quirk in that fight."

"What?!" The rest of the class was shocked.

"How?!" Ruby managed to shout ahead of everyone else. "Did Nine get him?!"

"Something like that," Izuku answered as he stared at his scarred hand. "Kacchan, let the rest play. We don't need to stop because of me."

"Tch, I can't believe he took the time to single you out," the blond student growled, causing many of the others to look at him with disapproval. Before they could act on it, he demanded, "Where's the Deku who said that he would become a hero, even if he didn't have a quirk, huh?! Before your body finally got with the program and manifested your stupid power, you said that you'd still become a hero like All Might, right?! What happened to all that, huh?! Don't tell me you're givin' up after Hikari entrusted you with his job!"

"Bakugo, enough!" Iida tried to say, only to be warded off by Bakugo's palm facing him and sparking dangerously.

"This doesn't concern you, Four-Eyes," the explosive student warned. "This is about Deku and Hogo-sha, got it? I'm just making sure that he gets the message."

"I got it, Kacchan," Izuku said as he took the scouter away from his childhood friend/bully. "I need time to process it, but I won't give up, if that's what he wanted. I promise."

"…Good," the red-eyed hero said curtly. "Now finish the damn message so we can all get on with our lives."

Izuku waved everyone else down before there could be a scene- that was the last thing that any of them needed right now, and besides which he got the message that Bakugo was giving him. We don't have time to be feeling sorry for ourselves, he thought grimly. We're still heroes, and the people under our protection come first, no matter what's happened to us. Even something like this shouldn't keep us down, and Kurai knew that.

After he clicked the 'play' button, they listened to their friend say, "That doesn't mean the rest of you get to take it easy, you hear? I wanna see Deku become number one- sorry, guys, but you gotta have respect for the dead, am I right?" Some of them were mortified to hear him chuckling to himself, but if they were being honest, they weren't exactly surprised that he would crack a joke, even under post-mortem circumstances.

"Todoroki, you're already better than your old man could ever hope to be," the dead boy assured his friend. "Don't let any statistics or billboard chart placings tell you different. If it feels like that's not enough, just remember the kind of hero that you want to be." He paused for a second before he added, "Kirishima, tell Amajiki and Fat Gum that I'm sorry I won't be back for the next semester's work study. It was a lot of fun working with you guys- I wish we'd been able to see Amajiki get over his shy guy act." There was a hint of a laugh in his voice, which brought a reluctant smile to the face of the Sturdy Hero.

"Where I've gone, I know I'll be able to watch over you guys," Kurai continued in a more serious tone of voice. "And I will. I'm gonna watch you become the greatest heroes that the world has ever seen, and when we all finally reunite, we're going to celebrate that fact." There was a slight pause before he said, "Alright, it's time to go. Sayonara, Class A." The message ended and the device went silent in Deku's hand, after which Bakugo took it again and approached Mina to hold it out to her.

"Last one's for you, Ashido," he said as she accepted the item without looking up. "Whatever he had to say must've been pretty important, so don't take too long in listening to him." Mina didn't answer with words, but she gripped the scouter tighter than before as she looked out the window while the sun began to descend past the horizon.

"Come on, guys," Todoroki said as he stood up from where he had been sitting. "We're still obligated to help the people on this island. Those of us that can move wreckage should start helping with the cleanup efforts. Those of us that can't should at least try to assist with the census and inventory evaluations."

"He's right," Izuku said as he stood up alongside his friend. "Kurai wanted us to keep being heroes, so let's not disappoint him."

"Yeah," Kirishima agreed, though he lacked his usual enthusiasm as he flexed his rock-hard arm. One by one, every student in class A got to their feet, save for Mina Ashido. Seeing this, her middle school friend said, "C'mon guys. Let's give her some time. She'll join us when she's ready."

Mina wasn't entirely sure of how long she sat, unmoving in the darkening office room that had been given to the UA Hero Agency Program, but it was well past nightfall by the time her fingers finally managed to press the playback button. There were so many memories that she had with Kurai that she just wanted to go back and relive with a greater appreciation, even unto his final moments. He had fulfilled his duty as a hero and defended everyone until his last literal breath. That was a good, noble thing for a hero to accomplish, right? Saving everyone else's life at the cost of only one?

But why did it have to be his life? She thought as her body trembled violently. Why was it always him that had to suffer? Her shaking is actually what triggered the final recording, and when she heard his voice, she froze, unprepared for what was to come, but being incapable of stopping it.

"Hey, Mina." Kurai's voice sounded even more tired than in the previous file, which meant that it was probably the last one that he'd recorded. "I'm so sorry, if you're hearing this. It's not how I thought our story would end. I love you more than anything, and I want to stay by your side until we're old and gray… Good grief, since when did I start thinking about this kind of thing? I sound like my brother." He laughed a little, though the sound was ruined by a slight rattling in his chest and a wet cough that followed. Once he had cleared his throat, however, he admitted, "Actually, that's not really true. I guess I've been thinking about this for a while, now- since the summer camp, if I'm being honest."

Mina's breath hitched at that, but she continued to pay attention as the dead hero kept speaking to her. "You remember how I told you that I saw my uncle, Shiro? He told me that I wasn't crazy for being in love with you, no matter how young we are. I guess I really needed to hear that, because it was only after I woke up that I was able to fully open myself up to you… And I'm glad that I did." She could practically see his grinning face in her mind's eye as he went on to say, "I used to be a pretty narrow-minded guy, Mina. My father's career as a police officer exposed me to a lot of dark truths about the world, and for most of my life, that's all I was able to see in the things and people around me. But then I met you, and you showed me how to see the good in so many things that I would have discounted. You taught me that being a hero doesn't mean that my life loses value in comparison to someone else's, because even heroes have families who would miss them after they're gone." There was another slight pause before he said, "I hadn't ever really thought about having a family of my own, Mina, not before you came along. I suppose I had always planned on dedicating my life to the job, and not much else. Thanks to you, I started to think about life differently- about what it would be like to devote myself to a person instead of an ideal… I started thinking about our future… our happiness… our family." Mina's eyes were burning, so she shut them in a vain attempt to ward off what was coming, but that just made it easier to see what he was describing; the two of standing in front of the gates of UA twenty years from now, watching a young man dressed in their school uniform with black eyes and horns that glowed with starlight as he waved goodbye to them. At her side was a smaller girl with pink hair and her father's smile as she bid her brother good luck on his first day of high school. Grasping Kurai's metal hand was another little girl who looked just like her mother during her grade school years, though she seemed much shyer than she had ever been.

"Losing that future with you, Mina… the thought of it is infinitely more terrifying than I can even begin to describe," the boy was saying now, his voice trembling with enough emotions to match the tempest that was raging inside of the pink girl now. "But if you're hearing this… then I have no choice but to entrust that future to you."

"Don't you dare say it," she whimpered as the burning in her eyes intensified, and the images in her mind grew more vivid. She saw an island home where they were sitting on the front porch, just enjoying the sunset and the sounds of the ocean in front of them. She saw the two of them standing with Izuku and Ochaco, and all of their children playing together in a big yard. She even saw the two men addressing a large crowd with huge smiles on their faces as they were officially recognized as the new Symbols of Peace and Justice.

"Live enough for the both of us," he quavered. "Become the hero that I always knew you could be. Always remember that you're not just anyone's hero, okay Ashid Queen? You're my hero." He sniffled, drew in a deep breath, and then said, "We'll see each other again, I know it. I love you, Mina Ashido. Goodbye."

As the message ended and the scouter fell to the floor, Mina finally felt the burning in her eyes escape the confinement of her eyelids and seep out onto her cheeks as she vented her sorrows into a haunting, groaning wail of despair. She had been scared and sad before, but that was nothing compared to clawing, ravenous despair that was eating away at her now. There was nothing but the agony of the void left behind by Kurai's death. It wasn't just a pain in her spirit, but an actual physical sensation like her heart was being squeezed mercilessly by a dozen swords from all sides. It left her curled up on the floor, groaning and rocking back and forth as she waited for a reprieve from this awful pain that would never leave her.

Izuku and Bakugo were sitting atop a pile of rubble that had once been the island's middle school as the moon started to climb into the sky. The both of them- along with the rest of their class- had been told to go and get some rest by their teachers. They had been reluctant to let them assist in the first place, but the class had made the points that not only were they contracted to assist the island during times of crisis, they also really had nothing better to do. They were prevented from doing any heavy lifting, but it helped for the lot of them to keep busy with helping the citizens and other heroes begin putting the ruins of the town back together.

Of course, things were harder for Izuku since he no longer possessed superhuman strength and stamina, but he had labored alongside the others without complaint. All Might had quietly informed Aizawa that the boy's quirk had been lost in the course of the battle with the villains, though the man had yet to voice how this would affect Izuku's future as a student at UA. There was the unspoken thought that maybe Eri could rewind him to a time when he had One For All, but there was just too much about the quirk that even All Might didn't know about to be certain that it would even be possible for such a thing to occur.

I don't regret what I did, Izuku thought as he clenched his scarred fist. Kurai was the one who deserved to have the power to save us all. And if my powers were the price to pay for saving all of these people, then that's okay.

"You done giving yourself a pep talk, nerd?" Bakugo suddenly growled, startling his classmate.

"Was I talking out loud again?!" the greenette squawked. He had actually been in the school area first, and had expected Bakugo to tell him to get lost when he showed up, but until now, the other boy had been uncharacteristically quiet.

"No, you just get that annoying look on your face whenever you're trying to make up your mind about something," the blond student shot back. "You made a boneheaded move, giving the power to Hogo-sha, but you can't go back and change it. So stop trying to justify it in your head, Deku, and just move on with your life."

"That's not your place to say, Kacchan," Izuku said in a tight voice. "The power belonged to me, so I decided who was worthy to inherit it, just like All Might and all the others who went before us. And no one deserved it more than Kurai, not even me."

"He didn't agree with that," Bakugo snorted. "Right before he died, he was trying to give the power back to you. I tried to remind him that it didn't work like that, but he didn't seem to care. Not like it mattered in the end, right?"

"He told me that he couldn't stand the idea of making someone else quirkless because of him again, right after I gave him the power," Izuku recounted. "He must have been hoping for some kind of miracle before the end… But you're right- I don't have One For All anymore. I tried to use it earlier, just to be sure, but there was nothing."

Bakugo regarded him silently for a second before asking, "That's it? You lose your power, and you're not even upset about it?"

"Of course I'm upset, Kacchan!" Izuku shouted, slamming his fist into a chunk of rock from the wall while he turned his head to look angrily at his childhood friend. "Our friend is dead, maybe because I couldn't think of anything fast enough to save him! How else would I feel?!" He was about to add more, but then he noticed that Bakugo was staring at something behind him with wide eyes. "What?"

"Deku… Look at the rock you just hit."

"Wha-?" As Izuku swiveled his head to comply with the strange request, he felt his voice die in his throat as he saw the small boulder now broken into several smaller pieces- and flung against what had been the northern gym wall. His gaze dropped down to his right hand, but he saw no sign of One For All residing in his body, nor did he feel the familiar, electric rush of power coursing through his fingertips, "How did I…?"

"What was that, Deku?" Bakugo asked as the two of them stood and began to approach the new rubble. "It didn't look like One For All."

"It didn't feel like it, either…" Izuku muttered as he inspected the damage. "And my arm doesn't hurt at all. At that level, it would have at least caused it to bruise a little, but… nothing."

"Wait a sec." Bakugo suddenly grabbed onto Izuku's arm and forced him to face him directly. "All right, nerd, you're the quirk expert. So remind me again what happens when One For All mixes with someone's original power?"

"All Might said that it did more than just enhance the wielder's physical strength," Izuku nodded, not quite understanding where the conversation was headed. "He said that his master used to be able to fly, but after she gave him One For All, it started to revert to its basic levitation function-"

"I don't care about what she did with it, you damn nerd!" Bakugo snapped, causing the other boy to yelp involuntarily. "I care about whether or not One For All affected Hogo-sha's chakra powers! It sure as hell kicked Black Whip into a higher gear when you used it!"

"His chakra powers?" Izuku repeated. "What does Black Whip have to do with-?"

"Think, moron," Bakugo snorted as he let the other boy go. "If Hogo-sha was able to enhance the strength of his chakra abilities with All Might's power, then he must've been able to take them to levels way beyond what they were built for, like Float turning into flying and Black Whip spazzing out hard enough to wreck half a city."

"What are you getting at, Kacchan?"

Bakugo folded his arms as he eyed the other boy critically for a moment. "Seriously, Deku, the answer has been staring you in the face, and I'm starting to get real pissed that you're not seeing it, too."

"Starting to-? What answer, Kacchan?!"

"Hogo-sha gave you his powers before he bit it, Deku!" The two boys were now right in each other's faces, which allowed Bakugo a clear view into Izuku's eyes as they widened with the light of stunned recognition. "He had that ability to share part of his power with people he cared about, right?! If he combined One For All with that, then- Dammit, do the rest of the math yourself!"

Izuku slowly backed away from the other boy as he stared down at his hands, which were shaking with some unidentifiable emotion. Was it really possible? Had Kurai been able to use the strength of All Might's old quirk in conjunction with his own to give Deku a chance at continuing his journey to become the world's greatest hero?

"There's only one way to find out, nerd," Bakugo said as he pointed at the sky. "You've seen him do it a hundred times. Shouldn't be hard for a copycat like you to figure out how to repeat it."

"Wait, maybe this isn't such a good idea," Izuku said as he held up his hands defensively. "There's so much we don't know, and I don't want to scare any of the other heroes or islanders-"

"Do it, before I Howitzer you, DEKU!" Bakugo held his hands out behind him as if to instigate a jump, so Izuku reacted accordingly.

"Kacchan, cut it out!" He yelled as he raised his hands to block on reflex, intending to shield himself from whatever blast Bakugo did conjure. What happened instead was that a small barrage of emerald-colored lasers shot out of Izuku's hands and exploded on contact with Bakugo's body, sending him flying into the remnants of the gymnasium with a loud shout of pain and surprise.

"Dammit!" the explosive student roared as he quickly got to his feet with a glare at his stunned-looking rival. "You're lucky I know you did that on accident, or I'd kill you!"

"K-Kacchan, I-"

"Save it!" Bakugo dusted himself off and then stalked toward the clearly startled quirk inheritor before standing at arm's length and growling, "At least we have our answer. You'd better make good use of that power, Deku. Don't lose this one, ya hear me?!" With that, he started to walk away, only to be stopped by Izuku's voice.

"Why are you helping me, Kacchan?" the quieter boy asked. "You've always done what you could to leave me behind. I've had to fight for every inch of acknowledgement that you've given me up until now. So why are suddenly helping me?"

"Hogo-sha went out like a real hero," Bakugo said simply without turning around. "Not many pros these days would have the balls to do what he did, so I can't let him leave anything half-finished. In his last moments, he was desperate to get to you, even though he could have made it Ashido if I'd carried him. Tells me that he must've thought you were pretty damn important, to entrust his quirk to you." He shot a glare over his shoulder as he added, "Don't think you'll get another do-over, Deku. If you're not careful, you'll lose your new powers like you lost One For All, and then who's gonna bail your ass out?"

"I get it, Kacchan," Izuku said firmly as he looked down at his right hand, his palm facing the sky. "I may have to start over in learning how to control my powers, but my goal hasn't changed. I'll become the number one hero- the one who saves everyone with a smile on my face."

"Hah!" Bakugo scoffed as he walked off, his hands in his pockets. "In your dreams, nerd. I don't need to use borrowed powers to take the number one spot, so get ready to eat my dust. With Hogo-sha gone, that spot is wide open, and I'm gonna be the one to take it!"

As he walked out of earshot, Izuku sighed to himself and muttered, "Same old Kacchan…" As he spoke, he concentrated on the image of light appearing over his palm, like he had seen Kurai do so many times before. If he gifted me with his power, then I have a double responsibility to uphold, he thought as his brow furrowed heavily. First All Might, and now Kurai… Both of them entrusted everything to me, and I can't let them down! If I'm really worthy of their powers, then there's no reason for me to take it easy, even now! Even if I have to start over from scratch, I can get started, right now!

A brilliant green light flashed to life in his hand, growing larger by the second- too fast for him to control it, inexperienced as he was. Uh oh! Acting on his first instinct, he thrust his hand upward and desperately willed the energy to get away from him, before it could explode and harm him or any others that might still be nearby. Instantly, a massive green laser blasted into the sky, lighting up the island's evening air and drawing the attention of many of its residents, as well as the heroes who had come to help.

"Watch it, moron!" Bakugo shouted from across the street.

"Sorry!"

While many of the people on Nabu were wondering just what on earth was happening, one pair of eyes was drawn down toward the source of the light, instead of up into the night sky. Mina rubbed at her raw eyelids before she stood up on shaking legs and stumbled toward the window in order to watch the laser fizzle out, allowing darkness to fall on the island again. She knew that power well, but she also knew that it no longer belonged to the one who had mastered it. She wasn't entirely sure of how Kurai had done it, but based on the color of the energy that she had just seen, it was obvious to her that her boyfriend's quirk now resided in the body of his brother-in-arms.

Ochaco told me that Izuku lost his powers after he gave them to Kurai… she thought slowly. But I guess Kurai wasn't cool with just taking the quirk and leaving. He made sure that his friend would be able to carry on both of their dreams, even after he was gone. The problem with that was, Izuku would have next to no idea of how to control the power like Kurai had. He had helped his friend come up with ways to focus his powers more finely, but that wasn't the same as understanding the fundamentals of the quirk on an instinctive level.

No one alive knew how to use Energon as well as Kurai had, and unlike when Izuku had received his last quirk, there was no one to teach him how to use it from prior experience. However, Mina was incredibly familiar with Kurai's powers, having discussed them with him many, many times in an effort to better understand the side effects that it could have on him, and how to help him when circumstances had forced him to overuse one ability or another. If anyone had a chance at teaching her friend how to use Kurai's power correctly, it was her.

Mina shut her eyes tight, knowing what this meant for her. In fact, she could have sworn that she heard Kurai whisper in her ear, "I owe him a lot. Please, help him for me."

She shuddered with cold, wishing that the phantom voice would be accompanied by the familiar warmth of Kurai's embrace on a chilly winter's night. Only for you, she thought as new tears seeped out from behind her eyelids. You wanted him to become a hero badly enough to sacrifice your quirk, so I'll help Izuku. After that…

She left the thought unfinished in terms of cohesiveness, but given how gray and painful the world seemed to have become around her, Mina Ashido rather thought that maybe it didn't need a heroine like her trying to protect it.

"Hmm… Most interesting."

"Master?"

A man dressed in heavy red robes looked up from the monitor he had been studying as he recognized one of his more devoted acolytes who had approached the large desk he was currently occupying. "What is it?" he asked abruptly.

"I was about to inquire the same of you, sir," the hooded disciple answered quickly. "It's been some time since I've seen you take such a keen interest in a current news' article."

"There has been a change of plans," his master replied as he stood up from the chair, his blue skin shimmering as he did. "Recent events now indicate that the world's cleansing should begin in a land far from here."

"But master, I thought that-"

"As I said, recent events have necessitated a change in our plans," the leader said to cut him off. "We will begin the purification process in Japan instead of Otheon."

"If I may ask, master…" The acolyte hesitated before finishing, "Why there, of all places? It will be far easier for us to begin closer to home, would it not?"

"Easier, you say?" the man in red robes mused as he looked his subordinate in the eye. "Perhaps if one looks at the immediate consequences, yes. But if you were to look at the bigger picture, you would be able to see that our opening move will be far more devastating if we but alter the plan of our attack, just a little." Making a vague gesture to the image on his computer so that his follower would inspect it for himself, he went on to say, "This event will undoubtedly shake the faith of the unclean in their so-called champions, and I believe it will expedite things to capitalize on their uncertainty."

"Ah, I understand now," the acolyte said as he nodded in agreement. "Very well, sir. I will see to it that our plans are changed according to your designs."

"Good," his master nodded with satisfaction. "Soon, meta abilities will be nothing more than a cursed memory, and true humanity will be able to flourish once again."

Back in mainland Japan, a pair of subdued toffee-colored eyes stared up at a giant television in a public square, tears glistening in the evening light as the owner saw the news coverage detailing the incident on Nabu Island. An agency of young heroes with UA High School had bravely defended the residents of the small land against a villain of immense power and had successfully captured three of his henchman, with the leader himself having apparently been blasted into oblivion. While none of the islanders had come to any serious harm, the hero agency had lost one of their members, the young Guardian Hero, Kai, who had gained a large fan base following his exploits earlier in the year. Apparently the boy had fought against the leader of the villains head-on, in spite of having already suffered severe injuries, all in an attempt to save the lives of his comrades and the people under their protection.

I'm still too late, the onlooker thought despondently. Even after everything, I didn't make it in time… The caramel eyes looked down to stare at pale hands, which trembled in response to the emotions coursing through their owner. I was given this chance to make everything right, but I still failed. They chose wrong after all…

Those who give in to despair so easily cannot hope to master their own power, much less ours'. The voices that rumbled in the head of the pale figure caused her to give a start of surprise, still unused to the presence of others within her thoughts. This did not keep the voices from saying, Go to your masters, and trust in our hearts, for they are the true source of your new strength.

What will happen when I go to see them? The onlooker asked as she began to walk down the street, trying to put the thought of Kurai Hikari's dead body out of her mind. How will I even explain all of this?

Trust in our hearts, the voices repeated. Even now, we are all connected, and they will know the truth through it.

The host of the silent voices let out a long sigh before lifting her head and quickening her pace, making all possible haste toward UA High School, an old red cape fluttering in the breeze behind her.

Litrosh: Who's the blue guy?

Mataras: A blue meanie.

Litrosh: Really?

Mataras: No. You know I've never watched a Beatle's movie in my life. The only reason I know what those are because of my wife.

Deadwood: So... Do I need to be here?

Mataras: Not really, but that's the definition of your name, isn't it? You're an excess. No one needs you.

Deadwood: You mean.

Litrosh: Yeah, that's kind of his default.

Mataras: Hey!

Litrosh: I don't hear you denying it.

Mataras: That doesn't mean you have to point it out!

Deadwood: Can we just get Kurai back here to fill out the roster?

Mataras: Uh, no. Pretty sure half the audience would kill me if I brought him back for that, because they really wanted him dead. Also, I think he'd be on their side.

Litrosh: Moving on, do our readers at least get a hint about how long this phase will go on for?

Mataras: What? No!

Deadwood: Why not?

Mataras: Because like I said before, it's uncharted territory for them from here on out. I'm not letting them know when a phase is going to end ahead of time!

Litrosh: You haven't decided how long to make it, have you?

Mataras: ...Do you always have to call me out like that?

Litrosh: It's basically my reason for existing.

Deadwood: Wait, so Mataras here has writer's block?

Mataras: No, I'm just trying to figure out when would be a good cutoff point for this phase/arc concerning artwork and the music videos I've been designing.

Litrosh: It's more on the YouTube side of things than this site. So no, he's not stalling in production output concerning his written material.

Deadwood: Oh, cool.

Mataras: Next time- My Hero

Deadwood: Academia?

Litrosh: ...I'll give you a ten-minute head start.

Deadwood: Thank you. You have wings, which means you can fly a lot faster than I can run. I'm going to need those ten minutes.

Mataras: Will Akarui be ready to Go Beyond?

Deadwood: Wait, what was that about not spoiling stuff?!

Litrosh: Nine minutes!

Mataras: Plus Ultra!

Deadwood: This is not! This is NOT plus ultra!

Next time on Your Hero Academia: Renewal...

He looked at his mother with such lost eyes that she could only see the little boy who had clung to her at his father's funeral, trying desperately to understand why his daddy wasn't going to make it to his ball game. "Are people just gonna show up at his funeral, say some nice stuff, and then move on? Is everyone gonna forget Kurai and what he did for them?"

"…I don't know," his mother answered through a sniffle, her mind scrambling desperately to come up with some kind of reassurance for Shukin, and finding nothing that he might want to hear. "I hope that people remember him. I know that we will, if nothing else."

"But that's not enough!" Shukin insisted as he grabbed at his hair in frustration, his breath coming out in ragged gasps. "He did… He did so much for people! He suffered so much pain and isolation, and he never even complained about it! He gave up everything, and I know that he did it without a second thought when the time came! He was a real hero!" His hands fell to cover his eyes as he murmured, "Do people even… remember? What a real hero looks like? Not some flashy smile and a top-of-the-charts ranking, but… Someone who'd… do anything to save the powerless? Will people like Kurai and Dad ever be worth remembering to the world, again?"

Sakura wished once again that she could give her son the answer that he wanted, but she was not in the habit of lying to him, even in an attempt to ease his suffering. So she remained silent and allowed him to begin the process of venting his frustrations and sorrows, as she always had before. As she listened to his anguish, her mind took her back to a time where a similar sorrow had gripped the Hogo-sha household…