A/N: Okay, who all is ready to get their emotions run over by a steam roller again? Nobody? Too bad! XD If it makes you feel any better, we've got a sassy Akarui coming in hot, so at least there's that.

P.S. Trigger warning for self-harm in this chapter. Read at your own discretion.

Not Alone

It was raining as three teenage boys stared down at the stone slab that had their family name carved into it. The police force had already given the twenty-one gun salute in farewell of their former leader, and the funeral procession had moved on some time ago. Even their mother had gone to speak with their extended family members that had come to offer their condolences for the family's loss, leaving the trio of young men to say their farewells in private.

All of them were dressed in sharp black suits with fresh haircuts, though one of them was confined to a wheelchair, and another of them with a shock of silver hair had an empty sleeve where his arm used to be. "This takes me back," said the last and skinniest of three, his voice subdued. "Never thought I'd be standing here again- not for a long time, anyhow." The other two said nothing in response, simply letting the rain continue to soak into their already-wet clothes. Shukin glanced at his cousins out of the corner of his eye before he asked, "Should I leave you guys alone?"

"If you don't mind."

Shukin nodded and walked past Kurai, patting him on the shoulder before he did the same to Akarui, murmuring, "Let me know if you guys want to talk."

*Thanks.* Akarui's synthetic voice replied, courtesy of a program that would speak anything that he typed into his wheelchair's tablet.

With that, their cousin was gone, and the two of them were left completely alone in the graveyard reserved for officers that had fallen in the line of duty. Mina had been there with them earlier, but she had to go home in order to sort out some things about UA with her parents, so now it was just Kurai and Akarui. Neither of them moved for a very long time, unable to tear their gaze away from their father's resting place.

The officers that came to tell Kurai about Hogo-sha's death had informed the family that the man had been assisting in the evacuation of a partially collapsed building when the support structure had finally given way, crushing him and thirty-six civilians that had been unable to escape. Despite the fact that he had been in no way obligated to do manual labor alongside his men, their father had seen to saving as many people as he could through both his coordination with the police and heroes, as well as his own physical efforts. If the boys were being honest with themselves, it was hardly surprising that he would die like that, but it didn't make the fact hurt any less, especially with everything else that had happened to them in the last few weeks.

"I don't get it," Kurai finally said, his voice hoarse from disuse. As Akarui turned his chair to allow him to look more directly at his brother, the other boy continued on to ask, "Is there some unspoken law of the world that says that you and I aren't allowed to be happy? Is it wrong for us to hope for that?"

*I don't know.* Akarui replied. *But there's no going back for us, now. With Dad and All Might both gone, things are about to get a lot worse around here. We need to do our part to keep the people safe that they fought so hard to protect.*

"How?" Kurai scoffed as he finally turned to look at his brother, his eyes red from the crying that he had been doing. "I'm down an arm, which crippled my ability to use my quirk in addition to my body, and you're halfway to being a vegetable. Not to mention that neither one of us is close to getting our careers off the ground. What are a couple of kids gonna do for a world without All Might and Dad in it?"

*All Might believes in you.* The younger boy answered. Since he had heard David Shield's confirmation that the former number one hero was losing his power, he had been filled in on the necessary details by his brother and Midoriya, who had been with him at the time. Thus he knew that the two of them were in line to be trained by the man in order to eventually take up his mantle. *We can continue to learn, and grow. I may not have much time left, but you definitely have a long life ahead of you, and I know that Dad would expect you to make the most of it. After all, he didn't try to discourage you from attending UA, despite what happened, did he?*

"No."

*Then take that as a sign that you're still on the right path. If we both keep working hard, and keep doing good, then maybe, someday, we'll be able to find that we are happy with what we've done. Besides.* Akarui's mouth twitched slightly as if he were trying to smile, in spite of the situation. *You still have Ashido. And I've seen enough to know that she would do anything to make you happy, if you just let her help you.* Before Kurai could say anything to the contrary, his brother held up a hand before adding, *You have a bad habit of pushing people away when you're hurting, and putting up a front of being okay. Don't do it this time. Let her in.*

"And what about you?" Kurai sniffed as he wiped at his eyes. "What're you gonna do when the depression starts to kick in, and I'm not around to talk to?" The day after he had been discharged from the hospital, the family had received a letter saying that UA was turning into a dorm school, and that the teachers would be coming around soon in order to discuss the details in person. Kurai's mother had already told him that the decision was entirely up to him, as she did not wish to go back on his father's final wish for him to continue on his chosen path, no matter her own feelings on the matter. It seemed clear to Kurai that she now wished for him to choose a safer path in life, but it was like Akarui said; with their father gone, it was up to the next generation to take up the standard as soon as possible.

*Same thing I always do. I'll talk to Mom.* Akarui replied in answer to his sibling's question.

"Ouch." In spite of themselves, the two of them shared a smile, glad that they were able to- even if it was just for a second- have an interaction like they used to, before everything had gone to hell for them. Beckoning to his brother with his hand, Kurai said in a low tone, "Come on. We don't want Mom to send someone out here to get us."

*But I like being cold and wet. It gives us an excuse to keep being sad.*

"We hardly need an excuse at this point, Brother."

The rest of the funeral was a somber affair that was held at the Hogo-sha residence, with many people- heroes, police officers, and civilians- speaking highly of their father. The biggest surprise to the two boys was the arrival of a scrawny blond man with his arm in a cast and a couple of bandages on his head. He shuffled along more than he walked, but he was standing well enough.

All Might did his best to be unobtrusive, but it was inevitable that he would be noticed, given how his weakened state had been exposed by All For One, and he soon found himself being surrounded by several of the guests that had questions for him before he could reach Kurai and his brother. It wasn't until they heard the quiet clamor that had surrounded him, followed by a couple of his bloody coughs that drew Kurai's attention.

"All Might?" he inquired as he moved to get a closer look.

"Young Hikari?" he coughed again, wiping at his mouth. "Is that you?"

"Yes sir," he answered as he made his way through the group of people. "Excuse me."

"Ah, good, you're here," All Might said tiredly as he laid his hollowed eyes upon his student. "My condolences for your family, young man. Your father was a good person, and I'll miss him and his support for the heroes across our nation."

"Thank you, sir," Kurai replied as he shook hands awkwardly with his teacher, still not used to using his left arm to do so. "I appreciate you coming out here to support my family."

"Of course," the injured man nodded as they released each other. Glancing around at the people with expecting looks, he asked, "Is there somewhere that you and I can talk with your brother in private? I have something that we need to discuss."

"Yes sir," Kurai nodded as he beckoned for his teacher to follow him. To everyone else, he said in a slightly louder voice, "Please excuse us, this is a private affair for my family." The onlookers seemed a little put off that their chance to talk to the retired pro was being denied, but they could hardly go against the wishes of a crippled boy that had just lost his father.

Making sure to grab Akarui on their way, Kurai led them into his father's office, which had remained untouched since his death. Trying to ignore the memories that the room contained, he locked the door behind them, and then turned to face his teacher and ask, "What did we need to discuss, sir?"

"A couple of things, but we can start with the specifics between you and I," All Might began. Glancing at the office chair, he asked, "Is it alright if I sit? I just got out of the hospital late last night, and I'm still pretty beat."

"Of course," Kurai nodded, for which the older man thanked him.

"I'll get right to it," the blond man sighed. "I'm officially retired as a pro- my body won't let me fight another battle, and the last of my power has gone. I have no choice now but to entrust the future to you and young Midoriya, as much as I wish I didn't have to." The older man looked at his student with pain in his eyes before he lowered his head to him in a seated bow. "Forgive me, young Hikari. I know that this burden has been weighing on you this entire time, and given what you've had to suffer through, I have no right to ask anything else of you. But still…" He paused to take in a labored breath before he asked, "Will you still allow me to train you and young Midoriya, so that you can become the next heroes that inspire others to fight for peace? Will you take on the burden that I can no longer carry?"

Kurai blinked, in awe of the fact that the number one hero was bowing to him, seemingly intent on staying that way until he gave his teacher an answer. It took him a few moments before he said, "Sir… I won't lie to you. I'm way less than thrilled about taking on your responsibilities. I'm not like Midoriya- I never wanted to be number one.

"That said, I've been getting a lot of reminders this week about why I should keep going on, even if life continues to knock me down. Because I was born with so much power, and because I was raised to do the right thing, I have an obligation to use these skills to the best of my ability. And if that means that the Symbol of Peace is counting on me to take up the standard, then I will. And even if that weren't the case, the fact of the matter is that my father isn't around to keep people safe anymore, so I'll do it for him.

"So to answer your question sir, I will do whatever is required of me," Kurai finished, unconsciously gripping his stump, which had been freed of stitches and wrappings the previous evening.

"Thank you, young man," All Might sighed as he straightened up. "This means a great deal to me, knowing that young Midoriya doesn't have to take on this burden alone."

*Sir, if you don't mind my asking, why am I here?* Akarui's electronic voice asked when Kurai held his tongue, unsure of how to respond. *I knew that you were losing your power, but I don't see what Kurai and Midoriya taking your place has to do with me.*

"Ah, yes, young Hikari," All Might said as he turned slightly towards the younger boy. "I am here… to tell you that your invention was a success. Ingenium's physician contacted me and Recovery Girl, and she's agreed to do the surgery the first weekday after everyone in UA has moved into their dorms."

"Surgery?" Kurai repeated, his eyes going wide. "Did Akarui manage to come up with a treatment for his tumor?" For the first time in a while, he felt hope stirring in his chest that just maybe, things could get better.

"Er… no," All Might answered, causing Kurai to visibly deflate. "The doctors are still working on your brother's case. Actually, he came up with an invention for you, following your injury."

"You did what now?" Kurai asked his brother, who looked suspiciously smug for a paralyzed person. "Akarui, what's he talking about?"

"Your brother knew that any standard prosthetic you received to replace your arm would not be able to handle your quirk, even one of the more high-end products that your insurance would cover," All Might explained. "So he designed one, and sent the blueprints to the Iida family's personal bio-mechanist. He initially claimed that he would not be able to make the thing, but he just found a way to make it work. He's making it as we speak, and Recovery Girl has offered to do the surgery to attach it to what's left of your original arm."

"You're serious?" Kurai asked as he touched the sore spot again while looking at his brother. "You did that for me?"

Akarui managed another one of those lip-twitches that had replaced smiles for him before answering, *Good thing Tenya's dad vouched for me, or else the doctor probably wouldn't have listened to a twelve-year-old.*

"…Thank you," Kurai said sincerely, his muscles shivering at the thought that he might have a complete body again, soon. "One of these days, I'm gonna find a way to pay you back for all that you've done for me. It's cost you too much, in my opinion, but I'm still grateful."

All Might smiled at the two brothers, glad to know that they still had each other to rely on. However, he had one last bit of business to attend to. "Sorry to interrupt you two, but there was one more thing," he told them. "The UA dorms that I mentioned before- the faculty needs to know if your mother is on board with our plans."

"She said it was up to me, and I'm in," Kurai told him. "I understand that you'll probably need a signature on legal documents, but if you don't mind, could you bring them by another day, or email them to her? Now's not really the best time."

"Of course," All Might nodded. "I understand completely. I'll come back tomorrow, but that's the deadline. We're sending movers out this weekend to gather your things, so you'll need time to pack. Young Hikari, given your situation, Cementoss and Power Loader have offered to come by and help you move your things. If you wish to make other arrangements, please let them know by tomorrow."

"Yes sir," Kurai nodded, surprised and touched that the teachers would offer to help him with the transition. Then again, they're probably trying their hardest to get on the parents' good sides. It'd hardly be cool of them to tell a crippled kid to pack up and move just like everyone else.

"Well, I'll take my leave," All Might grunted as he forced himself out of the chair, coughing a little bit as he did. "Thank you both for your time, and once again, I'm sorry for what happened. I wish that I could have been able to save him."

"You saved a lot of people, regardless," Kurai replied, feeling his throat tighten just a little bit. "I know that he gladly traded his life for that outcome."

*Mister All Might?* Akarui's question stopped the man at the door. *Would you mind staying at the house for just a little longer? I understand if you're busy, but I think our mom would appreciate it.*

"…Of course, young man," All Might nodded with a tired smile. "I can spare a few minutes."

"He also wants your autograph," Kurai informed him. "He forgot to ask for it on I-island, and he's been kicking himself ever since- figuratively, of course."

Akarui glared at him before typing out, *I can remotely program your new arm to explode, don't think I won't.*

All Might chuckled at the exchange before he turned back to Akarui and said, "Sure, I'd be glad to sign something for a fellow hero. Is there something in particular that you wanted me to use?"

"I know what he'd like," Kurai said as he moved to unlock the door and quickly disappeared into the hallway.

*All Might?*

"Yes, young Hikari?"

*Did you mean what you said? That I'm a hero?*

All Might gazed at the boy with no small amounts of sympathy and compassion as he answered, "Young man, you've given up your health and free will in order to help your brother succeed on his chosen path. You're definitely a hero in my eyes."

*Akarui dot exe has stopped working…*

That weekend, their mother having signed the paperwork to transfer Kurai into the new dorms, the moving company arrived to take the boy's belongings from the house. Mina had come over during the week with Uraraka and Midoriya to help him pack up his clothes and memorabilia into boxes, since he and Akarui couldn't really do it themselves, and their mother had hardly come out of her room in the last few days except for when All Might had returned to deliver the documents that he needed.

What really surprised him, though, was when more than half of class 1-A showed up on his front doorstep during the late morning that it was time to move out. "Guys?" Kurai asked as he saw everyone but Team RWBY, Todoroki, Bakugo, Aoyama, Hagakure, and Sato on his porch. Behind them was a large moving truck, with two men moving to open the back doors and lower a ramp. "What are you doing here? I thought-?"

"We asked the teachers if it was cool for us to help you move your stuff, and they gave us the green light," Kirishima said with a toothy grin. "We're all here for you, man."

"What kind of class rep would I be if I didn't help my friend in need?" Iida asked earnestly.

"Everyone else lived too far away to help with the move," Kaminari explained. "All of us already sent our stuff ahead to the dorms, and we thought you could use an extra ha- er, help?" He was wary of Jiro's ear jack hovering next to his head, threatening him with a concussion if he said something insensitive again.

Kurai smiled a little bit at everyone before he said, "Thanks, guys. Come on in, my stuff is in the first room down the hall."

"Need any extra tape?" Sero joked as he walked past.

"Only if it can be used to tie Akarui's hands to his legs," Kurai answered. "He's been playing death march music out of his wheelchair every time we packed another box."

As his classmates filed into the house, Mina lingered back to give him a hug and kiss on the cheek. "You doing okay?" she asked him softly.

"No," he admitted as he rested his head on her shoulder. "But maybe moving into a new home will help me move on."

"Hmm," she mused as she stroked his hair gently. "Let me know what I can do, okay?"

"Date night." She drew back slightly, surprised to hear him suggest such a thing. Raising an eyebrow as he looked at her, he said, "I'm not kidding. We have the weekend to unpack and get settled in, so let's go out on Sunday. Knowing Aizawa, we're gonna have very little free time this summer, so we'd better take a chance while we can."

"Okay, sure," she grinned happily. "But we'll be living in the same building from now on, so date nights will be mandatory on Fridays, even if it's just a stay-home one."

"Deal," he agreed. "This Friday might not work, though."

"Why, you got plans?"

"Something like that."

"You gonna fill your very cute girlfriend in on it?" She blinked her long eyelashes at him as she threw in a very adorable smile.

However, he wasn't about to clue her in just yet. "It's a surprise," he told her, causing her to pout and bump him in the cheek with one of her horns, and none too gently.

"Hey, Hikari!" Jiro called from up the hall. "Is this a vintage Lisa album?!"

"What?!" he shouted as he suddenly dashed down the hall, leaving an amused Mina standing by the door. "I had that boxed up!" A second later, she started laughing when she heard him yell, "Kirishima, I saw that! Stop using your quirk to open my stuff!"

"C'mon, bro! The box was labelled 'entertainment', how was I not supposed to get curious?!"

"You're lucky I only have one hand right now!"

"Kirishima, stop disrespecting your fellow student's privacy!" Iida reprimanded his classmate. "It is beneath the dignity of a UA attendant!"

As Mina continued to giggle, she heard a slight whirring sound that announced Akarui's presence. *Thanks for looking after him.* The boy typed out the message as soon as he stopped moving forward. *I know you put the others up to this- it's a good way to get his mind off of things for a bit. I'm glad to know that someone who loves him is going to be there to help him out with all of this.*

"What about you?" Mina asked him, looking concerned for the boy. "Are you gonna be okay with him leaving, especially with your Dad being gone and all?"

*Somebody needs to keep an eye on Mom.* Akarui made a slight shrugging motion. *My aunt and cousin might move in with us, but until then, she'll have to make do with me. Also my physical therapist, Nagata.*

"Well, if you ever get lonely, we can always arrange a visit," she promised him. "You probably can't come on campus, but we should be able to come to you."

Before he could type out another reply, they heard Kurai yelling, "No, no, no! Iida can carry that one, you stay out of it, Kaminari!"

"What, why?!"

"Because I don't trust you with power tools!"

"Hey, that time in the support lab was an accident!"

A couple of hours later, everything was loaded onto the truck, and the two men drove off, saying that the boxes would be loaded into Kurai's room when he got there, and that they would even assemble the bed for him, though he would have to do the rest of the actual unpacking himself. "Don't sweat it, dude," Sero told the crippled boy as they drove off. "We'll help you out with that, too. Sato's actually down to help once we all arrive."

"Yes, please don't feel the need to unpack without assistance," Yaoyorozu assured him. "We will be more than happy to get you settled into our new home."

"Thanks," he told them as they started to file out of his house. "Are we all gonna ride the train together?"

"That was the plan, yes," Iida nodded sharply.

"Cool. Would you mind giving me a few minutes to say goodbye?"

"Of course, ribbit," Asui nodded. "The next train doesn't leave for thirty minutes, so we have plenty of time to get there in time to meet the teachers at the dorms."

"Great," Kurai said as he turned around. "Be back soon." With that, he found himself walking down the hallway to his now-empty room, where he stopped, just inside the doorframe. It was bizarre to see it that way, especially since he had never actually seen it empty. This had been his room since the time he was a toddler, and to have it vacant now almost made it feel as though it would be wrong for him to set foot in it- like the fact that since it was now empty of his belongings, it should be void of his presence altogether.

*Weird seeing it like that.* Kurai turned around to see Akarui sitting just a few feet away, an album of some sort held in his lap. *If Shukin comes to live with us, Mom says that it'll be his room, so at least it wouldn't be empty that way.*

"I hope that they do," Kurai said as he walked toward his brother. "I know it'd be good for Mom, seeing as Aunt Sakura knows exactly what she must be going through, and how to get through it." Glancing at his brother's hands, he then asked, "What do you have there?"

*Nearly fell out of my chair getting this.* Akarui held up the album after typing out his message. *It's from Dad's office. It's a photo album, with all of his favorite pictures of you. Mom, he, and I are in it too, but it was his way of keeping track of your growing up. He has others for Mom and me, but I thought that you might like to take that with you- keep him close.*

Kurai was touched by the idea, so he took the album and tucked it under his arm before saying, "Thanks, Akarui. I can hardly believe that I'm actually gonna miss you."

*I'll miss you, too.*

Kurai then leaned down and hugged his brother, careful not to move his neck as he did so. "I'll visit when my schedule permits it," he promised as he straightened up. Sighing to himself, he added, "I suppose that I should say goodbye to Mom."

*Don't bother.* Akarui's message confused Kurai, so the younger boy explained, *I tried to get her to come out once the last boxes were being loaded, but she played deaf.*

"How do you know she isn't sleeping?"

*I heard her moving around in the room. I'm paralyzed, not hard of hearing.*

Kurai felt hurt by this. "Why doesn't she want to come out to say goodbye?" he wondered.

*She probably thinks that it will be less painful for her if she doesn't have to face the moment of your leaving.* Akarui guessed. *I'll see if I can get her to call you later, but she's been pretty depressed. Dad's gone, you're leaving for a fresh start, and she's stuck taking care of me by herself, at least for a while. Can't be easy.*

"No, but…" Kurai sighed again, then decided to leave it be. "All right. Tell her I love her, and that I hope that she'll call me soon."

*You got it. Good luck, Kurai.*

"And to you, Brother mine."

Kurai had to admit, the new dorm building looked impressive. He had half-expected a gray building with the bare necessities inside of it- after all, it had only been three days since construction had begun on the project. What they got instead was what looked like an apartment complex for trust fund kids, and that was just the outside.

This is actually shaping up to be a lot cooler than I thought it would, Kurai conceded to himself while his classmates' conversations buzzed in his ears. Everyone had arrived, save for the American students, but they were expected to be along any minute.

"It's so great that everyone could come back to school," Sato said as he glanced at the heads surrounding him. "I was worried that we'd all get split up."

"Yeah, my parents took a lot of convincing," Hagakure groaned.

"Makes sense, you and Jiro got the worst of the gas attack," Kirishima mused.

"My parents were actually pretty cool about it," the earphone jack girl informed them.

"What about you, Hikari?" Ojiro asked the resident cripple. "I mean, you clearly got the go-ahead, but did it take a lot convincing for your folks?" The group grew so quiet that you could hear a pin drop in the grass in front of the 1-A dorm building. It took the tailed boy a couple of seconds to realize what he had said, and when he did, he got paler than a sheet. "H-Hikari, I-"

"The last conversation I had with my father consisted of him telling me to continue on the path that leads to me becoming a hero." Kurai cut him off tonelessly, which somehow made it worse for the other boy. "My Mom wasn't about to go against that, so here I am."

Before Ojiro could attempt to apologize again, they all heard a higher-pitched voice shouting, "Hey, guys! We made it in time!" The class turned as a collective to see Ruby, Yang, Blake, and Weiss all approaching with suitcases in hand. The two sisters seemed as lively as ever, while their friends remained fairly stoic.

The moment that they came within easy speaking distance, Yang and Ruby walked over to Kurai and surprised him by giving him a bone-crushing group hug. "Er, what-?" he managed to croak out. Off to the side, Mina was looking less than happy about what was happening, but it wasn't like he had any control over it.

"We heard about your dad," Ruby said quietly, though she and her sister did not relinquish their hold. "We're so sorry."

"We lost our mom pretty early on," Yang explained. "We're here if you need anything, man." Mina looked less annoyed now, but she hoped that the embrace wouldn't last too much longer. Fortunately, the two of them had the good sense to put him down soon enough, aware of the fact that his damaged body could only handle so much right then. As they stepped back, the elder sister grinned and couldn't refrain from rubbing the boy's head where his hair had changed colors while telling him, "I'd say that's a fresh look, but I think Smolderoki over there has it patented."

Now that she said it, the rest of the class had to admit that the two boys did somewhat resemble one another when it came to their hairstyles, even though Kurai's was much shorter at the moment, and the discoloration on his right didn't quite reach the halfway point on his scalp. "The two of you almost look like you could be brothers," Asui even commented, causing both boys to blink in surprise as they reflexively reexamined each other.

This was when Aizawa came out of the building, looking as haggard and worn as ever. "Class 1-A," he called out gruffly. "You're all here, good."

"Mister Aizawa!" Kirishima replied as the man came closer. "You're back, too!"

"We were kinda worried that you might not be our teacher anymore," Asui commented as he stopped a few feet in front of them. "The media guys seemed pretty mad at you."

"I was surprised, too," the man shrugged. "But I guess they just decided it would be more efficient to have the same teachers return, regardless of the media outcry."

"In other words, screw 'em," Kurai muttered under his breath. That was fine with him- other than his interview alongside Gang Orca, he had never had a positive interaction with the paparazzi. That feels like it was a lifetime ago, he thought morosely.

"Before we get started, there's something I need to clear up," Aizawa announced, causing all of the students to quiet themselves almost instantly. He glanced around all of them for a few silent moments before he sighed and said, "I'm going to set aside a number of things, and just say this; Kirishima, Iida, Yaoyorozu, Midoriya, and Todoroki. You five broke the rules and went to rescue Bakugo, despite our warning to leave it to the pros." When everyone continued to simply stare back at the man, he sighed again and said, "Based on everyone's lack of a reaction, I'm going to assume that you knew something about this, but chose not to disclose the fact. So if it weren't for All Might's retirement, and the loss of Commissioner Hogo-sha, I would expel every single one of you right now, save for Xiao Long, Bakugo, Jiro, and Hagakure."

Team RWBY looked rattled by this, but the others had more or less expected him to say something like that, so they stayed completely quiet while they waited for him to finish. He didn't take long to say, "You all may have been aware of this plan, but the five I mentioned are the ones that broke the rules. As such, you will need to behave as model students- prove that I can trust you again, or else leave my class. Now, come along- enjoy your new home." Without bothering to see if anyone was following him, he started walking toward the entrance to the five-story building.

The fact that there was absolutely no break in his tone or speech patterns left even his regular students feeling thrown off. We're supposed to get excited about living here after that? Kurai thought as he rubbed his stump again.

"Is he always like that?" Ruby whispered to Uraraka, who nodded a little glumly. "Yikes."

"Tch." Bakugo snorted before grabbing Kaminari by the arm, saying, "C'mere, bolt-brain." He dragged the other student behind some bushes, where they heard a loud yelp, followed by a sharp burst of electricity that spat out a stupefied Kaminari, who immediately began to babble senselessly, and setting his classmates to laughing while Bakugo walked around him with a sullen look on his face.

"Hey, Dumb Hair," he grunted as he stood in front of Kirishima. "Here." He held out a wad of money to the redhead, whose eyes bugged out at the sight.

"Did you shake him down for cash?!" he yelped.

"No!" Bakugo snarled as he slapped the money against his friend's chest before letting it drop, Kirishima barely catching it up in time. "It's my money, you idiot- to replace what you spent. Don't say I never did anything for you." With that, he walked past the others, seemingly intent on following Aizawa.

"What was that about?" Kurai asked his girlfriend, who shrugged helplessly.

"No idea."

"Kaminari!" Bakugo barked over his shoulder. "Show 'em your dumb side."

"Yay!" the blond boy babbled, causing Jiro to double over laughing.

"Man, you're hopeless!" she giggled.

"Hey, guys!" Kirishima said with a large smile as he approached the larger group again. "I know that this won't make up for us getting you all into trouble, but I'll order us all some dinner to celebrate our new living arrangements tomorrow night!"

"Awesome!" most of the others shouted.

"Pus utra!" Kaminari agreed.

As they all started moving to follow their instructor, Kurai was surprised when Todoroki walked over to fall in line beside him and Mina. "Something up?" he asked his friend curiously. After all, it wasn't like Todoroki to be the one to approach others without a specific purpose in mind.

"I'd be proud," the other boy said in a low tone while keeping his eyes straight ahead.

"You'd be proud?" Kurai repeated, his confusion growing. "Proud of what, exactly?"

"Asui said that you and I look like we could be brothers now," Todoroki replied, his gaze unchanging. "I'd be proud if you were. I know Akarui is."

Those words left Kurai so dumbstruck and tongue-tied that he found himself unable to say anything until after they had made it to the building that they would be staying in for the rest of the school year.

Aizawa showed them that the first floor had a common kitchen area that connected to a dining area that could also double as a study hall. Next to that was a nice-looking lounge with several plush couches, a large, brand-new TV and entertainment center that looked like it could hold a lot of movies, or a few game consoles. Down the hall they would find the laundry rooms, bath area, as well as elevators that could take them up to the floors that they would live on. Everything looked like it had been taken out of a 'modern living' catalogue and directly inserted into the place.

"We're living in a mansion…!" Uraraka swooned, prompting Izuku to catch her up before she fell back on her head.

"There's so much space!" Mina laughed excitedly, jumping up and down like a kid in a candy store with their parent's credit card.

"Wait, both bath areas are in the common space?" Yang whispered excitedly to Blake. "This is awesome!" The raven-haired girl could only introduce her hand to her face in exasperation of her friend's antics.

Unfortunately for Yang's plans to catch some of the boys with their pants down, she was overheard by Aizawa, and he made sure that she knew it. "They're separated by gender," he growled as his eyes glowed crimson at her. "And you'll behave yourself."

"Yes sir!" she immediately squawked.

After that, he explained that while there were a total of thirty-two rooms spread across the top four floors, each level would only house six students, and in no particular order. Each one had its own mini-fridge, walk-in closet, toilet, A/C and heating system, plus a balcony with enough room for a small table and two chairs, if a student could get a set.

The only one that seemed apprehensive about the size of the new living quarters was Yaoyorozu- everyone else was incredibly impressed with what they had been given. "This about the same size as the closet at home, but I'm sure I can make it work," she murmured to herself as she looked about one of the rooms that would remain empty, though a few of her classmates heard her.

"This place is the size of my parents' house!" Uraraka exclaimed before she started to fall over again, and this time Midoriya wasn't quite fast enough to catch her.

"Ochaco!" he yelped.

Ochaco? Kurai repeated in his head as he looked on from inside the doorway. Since when does he call her by her first name? He decided that something must have happened between them while he was laid up in the hospital, but he knew that there would be time to ask about it later.

Once they had become familiar with the layout, Aizawa told them that they had the weekend to get unpacked, and that they would find all of their belongings in their assigned rooms. "I'll tell you more about the lessons we have planned for you on Monday," he informed them. "Until then, get to work, and keep the place clean while you do."

As he passed by Kurai, he said in a lowered tone, "Your room was built a little differently than the others, so you'll have some extra room to fit in a work table that you can use for maintenance whenever you need it. Power Loader will also be receiving schematics, just in case you need to alter the prosthetic."

"Thank you, sir."

"Thank Principal Nezu, he's the one that arranged it," his teacher replied. "And, Hikari?"

"Yes, sir?"

"…You have my condolences for your loss," Aizawa murmured before he departed, leaving his students to settle into their new home. Considering that he had never once thought to speak to a student about their private life before, Kurai imagined that this was about all the pity that he could expect from his teacher.

Still, coming from him, it's quite a bit.

The class spent the rest of the day unpacking their belongings, many of them taking fifteen-minute shifts in pairs to help Kurai set his place up. He made a note in his head to get something for the class as a whole to thank them for everything that they had done to help him.

He did insist on unpacking one box himself, a larger one that had gone in a space that the other students realized their rooms were lacking. "Hey, what gives?" Kirishima asked as he took note of the area, which increased the square footage in Kurai's room by about one-third. "Why'd you get such a big place?"

"Some of the equipment in my costume requires maintenance from time to time, and I like to handle that stuff myself," the boy answered with a shrug. "As long as I don't alter anything on my weapon, I'm allowed to do small repairs in my room. I've been doing my own work on my motorcycle for a long time, so I'd like to keep up the habit."

"You ride a motorcycle?" Tokoyami asked in surprise.

"Yeah, it was a gift," Kurai replied. "My dad started teaching me to maintain it when I was seven- he used to ride- but I finally got my license a little while before school started."

"Wait, so what happens to it, now?" Kirishima inquired as he used his quirk to hammer in a nail that would hold up a Kurai's autographed photo of himself and Gang Orca in the hospital together.

"All Might pretty much gave me his parking spot in the faculty lot so that I could bring it with me," Kurai admitted, causing both of his classmates to do a double-take. Seeing the disbelief on their faces, he explained, "It's been here since yesterday evening- it was his idea. He doesn't own a car, and he said that he didn't want the space to go to waste. The only condition that he gave me was that I have to take him places every once in a while."

"Man, between you and Midoriya, I'm not sure who the teacher's pet is," Kirishima joked with a toothy grin meant to take any sting out of his words.

By the time everyone was finished, it was late in the evening, but they were all satisfied at having their living spaces all ready to go. "And now we've even got a day to unwind a little!" Kaminari grinned as he leaned back on the sofa where Midoriya and Kurai were sitting, the latter massaging the irritated tissue on his right arm. "I know we coulda died and all, but it's pretty cool that we all get to live together like this!" All of the boys- minus Bakugo- were now relaxing in the common area, enjoying the new furniture that had been given to them.

"Yes, a unified class is just what we need after everything that has happened!" Iida declared in agreement.

"So, he never relaxes, does he?" Sero asked Kurai, who immediately shook his head in the negative.

"Our families went on a beach vacation together six years ago, he spent most of the time reading on how to care for engines that get clogged with sand and ocean water," the boy chuckled, though he did wince a bit as his severed arm throbbed painfully. "The only part when he actually got in the water was because his brother threw him in, and then he spent the rest of the time checking that his radiators hadn't gotten ruined by the saltwater."

"It could have been a real problem!" Iida protested, waving his arms frantically, irritation plastered on his face. "I hadn't been in the ocean since before my quirk appeared, so I didn't know what it would do!"

"Pretty sure that Tensei tested what would happen to bio-mechanical engines in saltwater before you even got your powers," Kurai countered dryly. To the others, he added, "Spoiler alert- nothing bad happened."

"It could have!"

"Hey guys!" Mina's voice interrupted what was set to become a heated conversation, and the boys turned to see her flanked by all of the girls, except for Asui. "You all done unpacking?"

"Yep!" Midoriya answered with a thumbs-up.

"Sweet," Kurai's girlfriend said with a mischievous smile. "Cos me and the girls were all talking, and…"

"We wanna take a look around and see who's got the coolest room in the dorm!" Hagakure finished, leaving all of the boys dumbstruck.

"For the record, I'm against this nonsense," Weiss informed them from the rear of the group. Blake looked like she agreed, but she said nothing either way.

"Why, cos you think you'll lose?" Ruby snickered, causing her teammate to glare at her angrily.

"It's not a contest, you dolt!"

"Sounds like one to me!" Kirishima exclaimed as he got to his feet, surprising his friends with his enthusiasm. "Let's do it!" Rallying the other boys, he led the way to the elevators and staircase, eager to see what everyone's personal tastes happened to be.

"Hey, Weiss," Yang said in an undertone as they trailed behind the others. "This'll be a perfect chance to see Mister Icy-Hot's private space. Aren't you a little bit curious?"

"No! Don't be absurd!" the pale girl sniffed as she turned her nose up at her classmate. "Such things are beneath me. I don't need to see what Todoroki's bedroom looks like to be peers with him."

"Well, they aren't beneath me," Yang snickered as she went ahead with the others. "Hey, wait up! Don't get to the good part without me!"

Weiss' cheeks heated up before she called out, "W-Wait! Someone needs to go along to make sure that things don't get out of hand!"

The second floor had six rooms occupied, and Midoriya's was first to be inspected. Apparently it only then dawned on him that everyone was going to come in turns once they were at his door, because he suddenly yelled, "Wait, no! Don't! You can't go in there!"

Unfortunately, he was too late, if the laughs from Uraraka and Hagakure were anything to go by. "Deku, you're such a fanboy!" the gravity girl giggled as she made room for a few more of the students.

Upon seeing the room, Kurai turned to his friend and said, "You might have issues, dude." The entire room was All Might-themed; from the bedcovers to the posters covering every other inch of the walls, even the curtains had their color palette taken from the retired hero. There were also several shelves worth of All Might books, action figures, and other collectibles.

"I-I just admire him…" the green-haired boy practically whimpered as he turned bright scarlet while hunching over his desk.

Seeing this, Uraraka moved over and patted him on the back, careful not to touch him with all five fingers, and said, "Aw, cheer up, Deku! Any hero would be lucky to have a fan this devoted to them! I'm sure someday you'll have a fan like this, too!"

"That's… not really what I'm going for," he groaned, though he seemed to perk up a little bit at her words.

"Next room!" Mina sang once everyone else had gotten a turn to check out the interior design, a skip in her step as she moved out the door.

"For the record, I thought your room was totally awesome," Ruby whisper-shouted to Midoriya as they left it behind. "I want half the stuff in there."

"Sis, you worry me," Yang told her.

Next up were Aoyama and Tokoyami, both of them truly bizarre in their own way. Their more flamboyant classmate's room was decked out from top to bottom in shiny, sparkling things, including a disco ball that reflected even more light from the ceiling. The girls' opinions differed from not being surprised to somehow actually expecting more.

The boy with the raven's head did his best to keep the others from entering, but Ashido and Hagakure overpowered him, opening the door to a room that seemed to practically swallow any light that entered it. Everything was colored black, or a very, very dark shade of purple, and it was difficult to see anything other than some odd-looking keychains and gothic art pieces. Most of the girls were a little too intimidated to even go inside, but there was a sword in the corner that Midoriya, Blake, and Ruby took an interest in. Before they could get their hands on it, though, Tokoyami shouted at them to leave, and since his voice seemed to be taking on the qualities of his Dark Shadow, everyone decided that they'd seen enough.

Kurai's room was meant to be next, but he stood resolutely in front of the door and muttered one word; "No."

"You don't get a choice!" his girlfriend chuckled as she jabbed him in one of his ticklish spots, causing him to topple over on the floor, his sense of balance still off due to the lack of his arm, all of which served to leave the door handle completely unguarded. Spinning right around the gasping boy, she opened the door and stuck her head in- only to quickly back out and shut the door just as fast as she had opened it. Kurai struggled to rise until Mina moved to help him up and said, "Sorry I did that. I didn't know."

"Next time, just… take my word for it," he sighed as he accepted her help.

"Did we miss something?" Sero asked Iida, who simply shrugged, looking just as confused as they were. "I mean, we helped him move in- it's not like we haven't seen most of what's in there, already."

"True, except for that one box-"

"Okay, guys, let's move along," Mina said to cut off Todoroki as she moved away from the door. "Nothing that we need to see in there."

"Okay…" Ojiro said blankly, reflecting the feelings of most of the class. Now they all really wanted to know; what could Kurai have in there that he didn't want to show anyone?

"I think that's everyone on this floor," Ruby said a little too quickly. "Let's go up-"

"No, it's not," Kaminari said as he crossed his arms. "Pretty sure that there are two people left on this floor."

"No there aren't!" Ruby protested.

"Wait, are the girls getting judged, too?" Blake asked, suddenly looking very worried. "I don't know if that's such a-"

"I'm down!" Mina exclaimed excitedly as she started walking across the hall, toward a door with her name on a plate next to it. "We can start with mine!"

"I don't like this," Kurai said under his breath as everyone else moved to follow the energetic pink girl.

"Why, cos you two won't be alone?" Kaminari teased him.

"Let's be real, that's probably gonna happen at some point in the next few weeks, whether I want it to or not," Kurai deadpanned, though his thoughts continued to wander on the matter. Aizawa has to know that we're together. Seems kind of against his whole 'I-do-everything-that-is-logical' shtick to put us right across the hall from each other. What's his angle…?

"Don't sound so excited about it," the electric boy chuckled. "You're lucky, dude. Girls like her don't come along every day. Trust me, I've looked."

"…Did you just admit to checking out my girlfriend?" Kurai asked the other boy, who suddenly looked very nervous.

"Hey, you know what? I think I'm gonna go weigh in on the whole room contest thing- gotta be thorough, you know?" With a nervous laugh, he bolted for Mina's room, along with the rest of the class.

"That's what I thought."

Mina's room featured a more-than-healthy palette of pink and black coloring that was somehow girly and bizarre at the same time. Upon being dragged over by the others to see it, Kurai turned to his girlfriend and said, "I expected more Ridley Scott." He had been to her house multiple times prior, but he'd always declined to visit her room before now.

"Hey!" she protested. "Just cos I like 'Alien', it doesn't mean I've gotta have my walls covered in the stuff!"

"I feel like that was directed at me, somehow…" Midoriya said under his breath.

After that, Ruby also did her best to block the entrance to her room, but was ultimately defeated by her sister's iron grip dragging her away from the entrance, despite her wails. Once inside, most of the others began to laugh, having a certain sense of 'déjà vu'. Only Midoriya refrained from chuckling, and that was because he understood Ruby's pain.

Her entire room was covered in hero merchandise, but her books and posters were mixed with famous hero gear, mostly of the firearm variety. Americans sure love their guns, Kurai thought as he inspected a poster that included the rough schematics of an anti-tank rifle, titled the 'Hecate Mk. II', capable of punching through military-grade vehicle armor at over a mile away.

The room featured a lot of black and red coloring, which Kurai found interesting. Psychology generally shows that when people are constantly exposed to red, they're more irritable, and prone to violent outbursts. Yet Ruby was one of the most happy, light-hearted people that he had ever met. I guess there's an exception to every rule.

"Hey, this room has more space in it, like Hikari's!" Kaminari pointed out as he moved to a workbench littered with various tools. "What gives?"

"Back at Second Amendment, we were always expected to maintain our own gear," Blake answered him. "Part of our exchange program is that we have to keep that up, so UA has provided us with the necessary tools and space to do so."

"What kinda stuff are you guys maintaining?" Jiro asked as she inspected what looked like a whetstone and oil used to clean a large blade.

"You'll see on Monday," Yang grinned as she popped her knuckles. "Our hero costumes just came in through customs, and I am so ready to be back in action!"

"Your ways are strange," Tokoyami said as he walked out of the room, followed by his classmates.

"I feel so judged…" Ruby whined from next to Midoriya as everyone moved on.

"Join the club…"

The class proceeded to inspect the rest of the rooms (minus Asui and Bakugo), and for the most part, they ended up being what Kurai expected. The only exceptions were Sero, who had a Caribbean-beach theme, and Todoroki, who had so completely remodeled his room in the style of a Japanese temple so that it hardly bore a resemblance to the other units at all.

Sato's room was the last to be visited, and while his decorating skills were rudimentary at best, his baking skills were high-class, if Yaoyorozu and Weiss' reactions to his chiffon cake were anything to go by. "None of my four bakers could make something this delightful!" the American heiress declared while the group was eating the still-warm cake in the common area. "If you don't make it as a hero, you should come to my estate as the head dessert chef, Sato. "

"Uh…? Thanks?" He turned to look at Ruby, who shrugged little helplessly.

"We're still training her out of giving backhanded compliments," the younger girl told him. "They're as close to saying nice things as she can get right now."

While this was happening, Kurai was struggling to use his fork on the fluffy food with his left hand, and he was having limited success. Mina had gone to get a box and slips of papers for people to write down their votes for the best room, so he was by himself at one of the tables- until Yang plopped down next to him.

"Hey, guy," she said with a cheery smile. "Got a question for ya."

"What's up?" he asked, frowning as his stump flared with pain, and he jerked his fork, dropping the piece that he had spent the last two minutes acquiring. "Dammit." Setting down the fork itself, he turned to Yang and asked, "You had a question?"

"Little bird told me that you've got a motorcycle, right?" Yang chose to ignore the frustrated look on the boy's face when she posed her question.

"Yeah," he replied, his expression reverting to a more neutral one. "What about it?"

"Can I borrow it sometime? I've got one back home, and I don't wanna get out of practice."

"No." He turned back to his food and picked up the fork.

"I'll pay for the gas I use."

"No."

"I'll top off the tank whenever I take it out?"

"No."

"I'll wash and detail it?"

"No."

"What if I-?"

"No."

"You didn't even let me-!"

"No." With the last utterance of the short word, he clenched his fist and warped the fork beyond use. Glaring at the now-useless piece of metal, he let out a grunt and stood up, dropping the utensil on the table. "I think I've had enough cake. I'm going to bed." As he left, Yang noticed the beads of sweat on his brow that he had to wipe at before he passed her by. "Tell your sister she can have my piece if she wants seconds."

"What was that all about?" she asked of no one in particular once he was gone.

"That motorcycle was his uncle's." Mina informed her somberly, startling the blond girl. She hadn't heard her classmate's approach. "It was willed to him, and his dad taught him how to maintain it. It's one of the only things he has left that connects him to the both of them."

"Oh, shoot," Yang said, feeling like she had just been punched in the stomach by Muscular again. "I had no idea. Now I feel like a total jerk."

"It's not your fault, he didn't tell you," Mina sighed. "I was hoping that he'd stick around for a little longer, but he's been pretty moody the last few days, understandably." She looked at the elevator down the hall, which showed that it was now resting on the second floor.

"That, and I think he might be in pain right now," Yang informed her, drawing the pink girl's attention back to her.

"Say what?"

"He was sweating, and he kept grabbing at his stump."

"Oh, crap," Mina blurted right before she took off down the hall, dropping a box filled with blank paper slips inside it.

"Ashido?!"

"Do the vote without me!" she called over her shoulder as she ran past Yaoyorozu and Uraraka. "I gotta check on something!"

"What was that about?" the gravity girl asked.

"No idea."

"Something tells me that Hikari is involved," Blake commented. "Maybe one of us should go with her, make sure that he's okay."

"We're on it," Midoriya said as he and Iida put their plates down. "We'll be back soon."

"Put our votes down for Todoroki!" the class rep added as he followed his friend.

"Kurai, open the door!"

They found Mina pounding her fist on the last door down the hall, to no apparent avail. "Ashido, what's going on?" Iida asked as he and Midoriya came closer. "Did he lock himself in?"

"Yeah, it's no good," she said worriedly. "I think he's really hurting, but he won't let me in. He won't even say anything."

"I could always break down the door if we need to, but at that point, I feel like it'd be better to get Mister Aizawa," Midoriya told them.

"No," Mina said firmly with a swift shake of her head. "The last thing he needs right now is for the teachers to be doing another psych eval on him. He had to go through plenty of those at the hospital, already."

"Ashido, we need to do something," Iida insisted. "If he won't let us in, we have to get someone to help us."

Mina looked like she wanted to yell at him in frustration, but then an idea presented itself to her. Raising a finger to her lips, she said, "Yeah, okay, I get it. We'll get the teachers." Beckoning the confused boys to follow her, she walked a few paces away and pointed at Midoriya's door, keeping the one finger over her lips as she did. Once they had followed her, she whispered, "Midoriya, your balcony lines up next to his, right?"

"Yeah," the green-haired boy nodded, keeping his voice low. "Wait, do you want us to jump over and get in through the window?!"

"Shh!" she hissed at him, instilling silence in both boys immediately. "We do way more dangerous stuff during combat practice, it'll be fine. And by the way, the only one going in is gonna be me."

"Ashido, I strongly suggest that we-"

"Zip it, Iida." Her sharp tone surprised the both of them- she was always so carefree and happy-sounding. This level of intensity was a little unnerving, coming from Mina. "You're gonna go stand at the door and keep trying to talk to Kurai while I get in the through the window. Midoriya, stay on your balcony until I text you that everything's cool in there."

"Wait, why wouldn't it be okay?" he asked, looking worried for her. "He's not gonna hurt you, is he?"

"No, but if he does need medical attention, I'll need extra muscles to keep him in place until Recovery Girl shows up," Mina answered him. "His quirk can get unstable if he's not thinking clearly, and if he's getting phantom pains again…"

"Didn't they give him medicine for that?"

"He doesn't wanna take 'em," Mina grumbled. "Says that he needs to learn to live without depending on drugs as a coping mechanism."

"An admirable goal, but not one that can be achieved within weeks of receiving such a hideous injury," Iida commented.

"No kidding, class rep," Kurai's girlfriend snapped. "I just wanna see if we can resolve this without getting the adults involved- happy medium for him and us. Now are you two gonna help your friend, or am I gonna have to melt his new door?"

"I'm in," Midoriya promised. Turning to the taller boy, he added, "C'mon, Iida. If the teachers get involved, he won't be able to take steps toward handling this without them."

"…Fine, but the minute I hear the signs of a physical altercation, I'm getting Mister Aizawa," he told them. "People are unpredictable when they're in pain, and I don't want to see one of you hurt, especially by him."

"Thanks, Iida."

"Let's do this, boys. Remember, don't get a teacher unless I call for one, or he's getting out of control. And don't say anything once you hear me talking to him- a commentary is the last thing he needs in all this. In fact, just don't listen in past me getting into the room, okay? I'll yell if I need you."

A/N: Trigger warning for intentional self-harm in the following scene.

Fortunately, Kurai had forgotten to lock his balcony door after opening it earlier to set a lawn chair on it, so Mina was able to get into the room easily via Midoriya's balcony. What she saw once she was she inside distressed her.

Kurai was shivering in a ball on the floor, blood dripping from his stump, over his fingers, and onto the hardwood floor. It was barely visible in the moonlight that was the sole source of luminance in the area, but it was hard to miss once she knew what she was looking at. With a shot of alarm, she realized that he had scratched himself so hard that he was carving furrows into his own flesh. She could hear him crying softly into his shirt, the sound just barely audible when she silently opened the glass doors. I couldn't even hear him from the outside, she thought as she stepped into the new room. I had no idea that the phantom pains were this bad!

"Kurai?" she asked softly. He played deaf, so she tried again, saying, "Kurai, did you skip out on your meds?"

"Go away," he groaned softly. "I'm fine."

"You are bleeding all over your floor from an arm that you lost a week ago!" she shouted at him, not caring that Iida might hear her. "You're not fine! You need to take care of yourself!"

"I am…" he grunted, breathing heavily. "I need to learn…to cope without the damn drugs! Agh!" Clenching his fingers more tightly, Mina felt her heart tear as new cuts began to weep out of the ruined limb.

"Stop, stop!" she begged him as she moved to sit beside him and grab at his wrist with both of her hands, trying to pull his claw-like grip away from his already-ruined limb. "You're making it worse!" Unfortunately, his quirk made him too strong for her to pry his hand loose.

"It can't… get worse!" he spat, his sweat running in rivulets down his body, mixing with the tears coming out of his face.

"Kurai Hikari, if you don't take your meds right now, I will have Midoriya come in here to force-feed them to you, don't think I won't," she growled, feeling her own eyes sting with sorrow and frustration. "You can't move forward if you can't think beyond your ability to feel pain. No one's saying that this is gonna be a permanent solution, believe me. But right now, you still need to heal- from a lot of things besides your arm, and you can't do that if you're like this."

"Mina…" he croaked. "Leave… me… alone!"

"No!" she shouted as she let go of his wrist and wrapped her arms all the way around him, not caring that her shirt was quickly getting stained with his blood. "You're not alone, Kurai, and I'm not gonna let you think otherwise, not even for a second! You're not allowed to go through something like this without me, not anymore!"

"Stop…" he begged, his grip on his stump loosening. "You're gonna… get bloody…"

"Like I care," she said as she hugged him tighter. "My shirt can be replaced, dummy. You can't, and like I've told you before, I have a very strict policy concerning dead boyfriends."

"I'm not-"

"Maybe not today, but someday, if I let this go right now," Mina answered, feeling his grip weaken further. "I'm here to keep you going, Kurai, not let you sink. I love you too much to let you get hurt, especially when you're the one doing the hurting."

"Dammit, can't I…? Can't I just… mourn in private?!" He was crying again.

"Not like this, no," she said stubbornly, finally managing to grab his remaining hand and hold it in her own. "Once you've come to a good place, you can mourn for everything that you've lost on your own. But for now, I'm gonna be here for you, whether you like it or not."

"…I'm sorry," he whimpered.

"There's a lot of things you should be sorry about," she teased him lightly, her tears turning into ones of relief as she felt the mood in the room change just a bit. "What are you sorry for, exactly?"

"I ruined the day for you by… being selfish," he hissed as more pain shot throughout his ghost of an arm. "And I was… rude to everyone… when they wanted to see the room."

"Well, I wasn't exactly the most respectful girl when I made you move outta the way," she half-laughed, still feeling the tears sliding out of her black eyes. "So let's just get you your medicine, wash up in the sink, and get you to bed. Where's the stuff?"

Over the course of the next twenty minutes, Mina helped Kurai to take his medicine, change into fresh clothes, and clean his stump's cuts before bandaging him up with stuff from a first-aid kit that he had in one of his drawers. Once he was settled into bed, she kissed him on the head and asked to borrow one of his shirts, since her top was more or less ruined by bloodstains. She didn't want to call unnecessary attention to him if someone happened to see her in a bloody shirt, so he agreed to loan her one of his t-shirts.

Fortunately, they wore a similar size, so once she had changed, she went out into the hall, immediately shutting the door behind her with a long sigh. I thought the girlfriend was supposed to be the high-maintenance one in the relationship, she groaned inwardly. Not that she regretted her relationship with Kurai- she was just stressed and worried for the both of them at this point.

"Is he okay now?"

"Gah!" Mina yelped as she turned to see Iida still standing by the door. "Jeez, Iida, you're gonna give a girl a heart attack! I thought you'd have left by now."

"My apologies, but I wasn't going anywhere until I was certain that he was alright," the tall boy replied. "Also, I'm pretty sure that Midoriya is still out on the balcony, per your instructions."

"Oh, crap!" Mina swore as she yanked her phone out of her pocket and punched in a few words to Izuku. "Poor guy's been out there the whole time!"

"Kurai?" Iida reminded her. "What's the situation with him?"

"It was like I thought," Mina half-lied, not wanting him to know that Kurai had unintentionally injured himself- apparently the class rep had honored her request not to listen in on whatever was said between the two of them. "He really just needed to take his meds to help with the pain. He's actually sleeping now, so thanks for not calling someone over. He needs all the rest that he can get right now."

"Excellent," Iida smiled, looking relieved. "I suppose I'll head off to bed, myself. Good night, Ashido. And… thank you, for looking out for him." Mina felt a little bad for keeping the whole truth from the class rep, but she also knew that if he saw the blood, he would get the teachers involved, and she didn't want that just yet.

If he does it again, I'll have to at least consider it, she thought as she watched Iida leave. But for now, I just want to give him the chance to rest in safety…

Her phone buzzed, alerting her to the fact that Midoriya had come inside, and was now getting ready for bed. Sending a reply to apologize once again, Mina then hesitated in front of her boyfriend's room. She had originally been planning to spend the night in her new room, enjoying the fact that she had a place that she could truly call her own, but now she wasn't so sure that she wanted to do that.

He does sleep better when I'm with him, she thought as she reached for his door handle. And he definitely needs his rest after what just went down… But if Aizawa finds out I spent the night in his room, he might kick us out… Although he didn't actually say anything about us having sleepovers.

True, he had told Yang off about the showers, but he hadn't said a word when it came to visiting privileges between rooms. Ah, screw it, she decided. If he chews me out later, I'll just remind him that he wasn't specific about it.

With that, she opened the door, ducked inside, and locked the door behind her. Kurai hardly stirred when she slid in under the covers with him, except to mumble something unintelligible. Kissing him on the head once more, she laid her head down and whispered, "Sleep well, Kurai. You're not alone."

And sleep well, they did.

Kai: Good grief, are you done beating the pulp outta me and my emotions?

Mataras: For now, yeah.

Kai: For now?!

Deku: I'm just glad to see you finally get on your way to recovery.

Kai: I know, right? Feels like I've been dying for months now.

Mataras: Well, it had been more than two months since Moonfish went 'chomp chomp', so...

Kai: I'm gonna ignore that and move on to the little PSA that we had planned for this part.

Mataras: Good idea.

Kai: To our readers, we feel obligated to say that it's important to bear in mind that you should not do what Izuku, Tenya, and Mina did in the story when it came to my character's self-mutilation. If you know someone in the habit of inflicting self-harm, it's imperative that you alert either a parental figure, or if the situation is dire enough, the authorities.

Deku: We're not sure of the laws concerning the world over, but where Mataras lives, withholding knowledge about such matters can lead to being charged with endangerment, or even being regarded as an accomplice in attempted suicide.

Mataras: For the purposes of the story, I felt it would be best to have the characters act in this manner, simply based on the fact that they are teenagers, and teenagers do stupid things. Don't be stupid.

Kai: What's the saying? 'Play stupid games, win stupid prizes?'

Deku: Uh... I think there are people who don't like the person who originally said that...

Mataras: Since when do I care? Besides, it's one hell of a quote.

Kai: So, what happens next?

Mataras: Next, I break character and show a little mercy to my readers, for once.

Deku: Huh?!

Mataras: You heard me. The next chapter will contain fluff and fun, with absolutely no cause for worry for any parties involved.

Kai: ...You're setting us up for something.

Mataras: Nope.

Deku: Really?

Kai: Don't take him at his word!

Mataras: Again, when have I ever lied to my readers? I use sleight of hand, sure, but I am promising that there is no cause for concern for anyone who wants to read it. Your guys' emotions have been beaten over the head enough that even I think you all deserve a break.

Kai: ...I still don't believe you.

Mataras: Fine, I'll let next chapter's preview do the talking for me.

Deku: Next time- New Start

Kai: Go Beyond!

Mataras: Plus Ultra! Especially if you're Deku!

Deku: Wait, what?! Why?!

Next time on Your Hero Academia: Survival...

"Midoriya and Uraraka," Kurai said as he peeked back toward his girlfriend, her dark eyes narrowed in concentration as she worked at peeling away the stubborn bandages without causing him further harm. "What's the story there? I noticed that they've been closer since I woke up from my injury. Did something happen between them?"

"Nothing official, as far as I can tell," Mina giggled. "You know how they both are when it comes to this stuff. I mean, Midoriya is shy on a good day, so it's no surprise that he'd tiptoe around this kinda thing."

"So they're not dating."

"No, but I'd love the chance to change that," the pink girl said with a devilish smile that Kurai couldn't deny being attracted to. "You wanting to play matchmakers?"

"If you're down for it, let's drag 'em both along for our date, make it a double," Kurai replied as the first sore was finally freed.