Kacchan landed in front of their group; the flames of his explosions still raged as they caught and spread between them and the heroes. He had sweat sliding down the side of his face, and his breath was deep from possibly running back to them, but his smirk was wide across his face as he crouched forward, ready to attack at a moment's notice. He didn't look back at them, and his eyes shifted across the field to any hero who dared get close.
To Izuku, Kacchan looked, at this moment, every bit the hero he always knew he'd become.
"Hey loud mouth, you out of commission?" Kacchan asked.
Inasa looked up at him for a moment, unsure of who Kacchan was referring to. He glanced over at Izuku, who nodded as a way of answering him.
"Yes, I can still keep fighting." Inasa said.
"Good, cause I think things are about to get interesting." Kacchan said.
Izuku's brows pinched together, unsure of what Kacchan meant. He looked across at the heroes, trying to pinpoint what the blonde saw when he noticed Mr. Inazumi moving through the crowd.
His gait was slow, casual as he walked forward to stand at the edge of the flames. He seemed unbothered by the destruction and injured heroes that surrounded him. Two hero's with water quirks were already working on putting everything out. So Izuku moved to stand behind Kacchan, Chieko stayed attached to his side to keep him upright.
"You lot are quite troublesome." Inazumi said.
Kacchan scoffed, his smirk turning down at the edges as his anger flared, but he said nothing.
Izuku felt the weight of fatigue building, his arms were beyond painful as his body wanted to do nothing more than to shut down from reality, but even as the edges of his vision blurred, he kept his eyes trained on Inazumi. Hatsume moved closer, her face and arms covered in dirt from working on their escape route.
"Everything's cleared, we should go while we still can." Hatsume said.
Izuku agreed. The flames from Kacchan's explosions kept them separated, but it wouldn't take long to remove them.
"Let's go Kacchan." Izuku said.
Chieko moved Izuku back to follow Hatsume, and Izuku was glad to see Kacchan following behind them, though he never fully turned around. His palms were open, trained on the heroes, ready to blast anyone who even attempted to come after them.
Inazumi watched them, his face calm.
"You won't get away, you know." Inazumi said.
Izuku stopped as Inazumi's words reached him. Kacchan didn't stop until his back pressed against Izuku's side. Neither responded to the older man, but they listened.
"You may get through that opening you made, but within seconds I can have every hero here and in the surrounding area chase you down. Eventually, whether it is now or later, we will get her back. " Inazumi said.
Izuku's jaw clenched at his threat. He knew what Inazumi said was true. They barely managed to keep them at bay tonight; even with Kacchan, their numbers were vastly in their favor, and they grew tired with every second that passed.
"So what, do you expect us to give up?" Kacchan asked.
"The original offer still stands. Leave Ms. Miyahara here with us and you are free to go. " Inazumi offered.
Izuku turned to look back at the older man when a whimper from Chieko stopped him in place. Her grip on Izuku's shirt tightened, moving closer to him. He looked down at his friend, her form shorter than his own, but she didn't look back up at him. She was mumbling something, but Izuku couldn't understand what she said, so he leaned closer to her.
"Please.. don't leave me here. Please... please. " Chieko said.
She still doubted them. Izuku brought her closer to him, taking in every shake and whimper she let out. The idea of handing her back to Inazumi. To walk away and abandon her for their own sake. The thought that she still believed there was a chance we would leave her behind.
It was all Inazumi's fault.
Izuku's fist clenched in pain from his broken arms, only sparking the rage burning inside him. Izuku glared back at the man, his eyes moving across the crowd of heroes and police that stood around them. His eyes moved farther back to the civilians who coward behind them, witnesses, naive and trusting that these people they called heroes were doing what was best for them. His anger only burned a darker black at their blind obedience.
"You used Miyahara for your own benefits! You forced her to use her own quirk to heal your heroes, even knowing the pain and suffering she would be in! " Izuku yelled.
The words spilled forth, his voice rising as he let out everything he had been holding back since finding out the truth. The faces of the police and civilians grew white with horror, fueling Izuku forward. He wanted them to know. To learn of their false reality and face the truth of what had been happening right in front of them. He looked past Inazumi, staring at the crowd, his angry words directed at them now more than ever.
"Is this who you call heroes? They imprisoned an innocent girl and tortured her for their own benefits. Are these the people you trust to protect you? To trust they won't do the same to you or those you love? Will they decide the end justifies the means? These people don't deserve the title of heroes! " Izuku yelled.
Everything was silent as Izuku's words echoed in his own ears. The flames were all but gone by now as they all stood facing each other. Izuku turned away from Chieko and Kacchan when no one moved.
"I'm leaving with my friend. Even if you chase us down. Even if we grow tired, I'll fight with everything I have to make sure you never get your hands on her again. " Izuku said.
Izuku only took one step before chaos erupted around them.
"Deku!" Kacchan cries.
Izuku was forced forward when Kacchan pushed him out of the way, Chieko pulled him to the ground.
Izuku sees Kacchan's explosion as he succeeds in protecting them from some kind of projectile.
"Go! Me and the big oaf will hold these bastards off, so get the hell out of here Deku! " Kacchan yells.
Izuku stood back up with Chieko as Kacchan and Inasa teamed up, evading and attacking anyone that got close. Izuku's eyes widen as the crowd of civilians joined in, pushing back against some of the heroes who had broken through. It was hard to know whose side everyone was on as fight after fight broke out amongst the sea of civilians, police, and heroes.
"Midoriya!" Hatsume said.
Hatsume called them over from the makeshift hole; Izuku followed Chieko until they finally stood only inches away from their freedom. Still, he paused, glancing back at Kacchan with a sense of dread at the thought of leaving him and Inasa behind.
"Midoriya?" Chieko asked.
Izuku turned back to her as he tried to step away from her, but she only clung tight to the front of his shirt, her eyes growing wide in alarm.
"I need you to go with Hatsume." Izuku said.
"What? No, you're in no shape to fight! " Chieko said.
Izuku chuckled; he was more than aware of his injuries.
"I've been training to fight with my legs in case something like this happens. I'll be fine." Izuku said.
Chieko shook her head, pulling on his shirt to bring him forward, but Izuku didn't move.
"Please, Midoriya, come with us." she said.
"I can't leave Kacchan behind." Izuku said.
Chieko looked back at him, her brows pressed tight together, and Izuku wasn't sure what she was thinking at that moment, but she sighed resignedly. She moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Izuku wondered if she would try to stop him when she firmly pressed her cheek against his own.
It was an instant sensation as the bones and ligaments fused back to their original state. The soreness of muscles, the mind-numbing pain of broken bones, and the fatigue of overusing his body just washed away as if time had reverted him to a perfect state.
Chieko slumped forward, and Izuku caught her before she dropped to the ground.
"Miyahara?" Izuku asked.
"You have to stay by Bakugo's side, right? Then you might as well be useful to him or he'll get mad. " She said.
She tried to sound light-hearted, but her voice was tight, laced with the apparent pain Izuku knew all too well she was in.
"Thank you. You didn't have to do that, but thank you." Izuku said.
She smiled before going limp in his arms. Izuku had been conscious only due to pure adrenaline up to this point, so he wasn't surprised she had given in and passed out. He looked up at Hatsume, who was leaning in, watching from the other side of their exit.
"Do you think you can carry her?" Izuku asked.
"I can do it."
Izuku turned to the new voice, his stance tense when he found the purple-haired boy standing close by.
The revolt went on behind him, Kacchan's body a blur as he forced his way through one person after another.
Izuku focused back on the stranger's refusal to respond. He didn't know how his quirk worked, but he knew enough that it had taken him over after he had responded to him.
"I'm sorry about before, I saw you fighting the heroes in the cafeteria before and I thought you were a villain." The boy said.
Izuku glares at him, still unsure if he can trust him.
"My name is Shinso Hitoshi, I just want to help you save your friend." He said.
"Don't worry Midoriya, I'll watch over them and if he tries anything, I'll take him out." Hatsume said.
Izuku nods, handing Chieko over to Shinso, who picks her up in bridal style.
"Okay, Hatsume, take them both to the safe house and we'll meet you on the way." Izuku said.
"Got it." Hatsume said.
As the purple-haired teen carried Chieko away, Hatsume leaned over one last time, giving Izuku a stern look.
"You get our boys out of there and find us okay." Hatsume said
"I promise I will." Izuku said.
Izuku focuses on one for all, letting it seep through every part of his newly healed body, careful to make sure it wouldn't take over this time before leaping forward into the turmoil.
At this point, Izuku couldn't tell who's side was in who. So he decided the best course was to evade them as he weaved through the majority. His focus stayed purely on finding his friends.
"Kacchan!" Izuku yelled.
Izuku evaded the crash of bodies and projectile quirks. The crowd only thickened the deeper he searched, the cries of anger and pain drowning out his own as he called out to the blonde.
"Inasa!" Izuku yelled.
"Deku!" Kacchan screamed.
Izuku turned as Kacchan punched the closest hero to him before jumping forward to meet him mid-way. Their backs slammed against each other watchful of anyone who tried to attack them. Things slowed around them; everyone was too busy with the chaos to focus on them solely. For every hero who wanted to attack them, two or three civilians were blocking their path. They kept their guard up, but it gave them the chance to breathe. Kacchan's exhaustion was evident to Izuku, but the blonde kept his cockiness on the surface, his smirk never waning on his face.
"Kacchan, where's Inasa?" Izuku asked.
"Don't know. I lost him early on." Kacchan said.
His voice was overused and forced as he caught his breath.
"We need to find him and get out of here. They've been too distracted by the civilians to follow us, but it won't last much longer. " Izuku said.
"Stay here." Kacchan said.
Kacchan braced his arms down, blasting his quirk at the ground to force him high into the air. Izuku glanced up enough to see him shoot off another repetitive explosion to propel him forward in search of their lost friend.
Izuku focused on staying in one place. He avoided most of the fights. It was hard to keep a straight head in the mass of bodies that surrounded them. He didn't want to risk helping the wrong side, but he could make it enough to know the heroes who soon got the upper hand. Civilians and police alike were slowly being pushed back and restrained one by one.
Kacchan appeared above him, letting him drop down beside Izuku, his knees bending until he was in a low crouch.
"They got him." Kacchan said.
"What! Is he okay? " Izuku asked.
"Yeah, but they got him in the suppression cuffs. We'll need to drag him out. " Kacchan said.
"Take me to him." Izuku said.
They kept their distance when they reached Inasa to figure out what they could do, but even with his suppression keeping his quirk in check, it still took five heroes to restrain Inasa in place; his face pressed down into the ground. Muscles bulged as he thrashed about, making the heroes have to latch on for dear life as they were thrown about.
There were two older men, whose hair was salted grey, that Izuku knew to be part of the Kitchen Crew. Their quirks were all but useless in a fight, being much more suited to their career paths as cooks, but they were helping Inasa with pans in their hands as they swung at the heroes to get them off of their friend.
Izuku didn't hesitate to push forward with Kacchan shooting past him from above. Kacchan landed in front of the most prominent hero, who used his weight quirk to keep Inasa pinned to the ground.
"What?" the hero asked.
Kacchan smirked, slamming his open palms into the hero's gut. The hero's eyes widen, his mouth opened to shout before Kacchan blasts off two power shots, blasting him back and off Inasa. Izuku didn't see where the hero landed, but he didn't have time to question it as he left over Kacchan's shoulder legs straight to kick into another hero who had thought to reach for the blonde.
There was a crunch under the sole of Izuku's shoe, the cartilage of the hero's nose splintering under the force of his kick.
"Inasa!" Izuku shouted.
Kacchan made work of the third while the kitchen crew took care of the other two, who had finally knocked them out after a few good whacks to the head.
Inasa sat, his face flushed as he coughed. The large hero's weight quirk must have cut off his air as the veins around his eyes looked bloodshot from the strain.
"Mid…oriya." Inasa said.
One of the kitchen crew came closer to them, crouching next to Inasa, his face pinched with worry as he placed his much smaller hand against the giant boy's shoulder.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Inasa nodded, doing his best to rub his chest with his cuffed hands.
"Yeah, I'm fine now." Inasa said.
Izuku crouched on the other side of his friend, checking the cuffs, glad to see they were the same type as the ones he had been in earlier that day.
"You think you can get those cuffs off him?" Kacchan asked.
Izuku nodded, pulling out the small kit from his pocket.
"I need some time though." Izuku said.
Kacchan and the other two men nodded, circling them to make sure no one would get in the way as Izuku worked on removing the cuffs.
"The girls?" Inasa asked.
Izuku smiled as he slipped the thin pieces of metal into the keyholes.
"Hatsume and Miyahara are safe. They were able to escape." Izuku said.
Inasa let out a breath; his usual smile grew back on his face, his eyes bright and excited with their mission a success.
"We still need to get out of here too, so we'll celebrate once we're all safe." Izuku warned.
"Of course, but I know we can get out of here together and you look much better than before." Inasa said.
Izuku felt guilt at Inasa's innocent comment about his sudden recovery.
He wasn't sure what to think about what Chieko had done for him. The idea that she was now in pain because of him set heavy inside Izuku's chest. Still, at the same time, Iuku was grateful for what she had done because he was able to help his friends instead of being the burden that Izuku knew he had become as injured as he was.
"It was all thanks to Miyahara." Izuku said.
As the cuffs came open, falling to the ground between them, Inasa rubbed at the red welts that had formed around his wrists, his face thoughtful.
"I'll need to thank her when I see her." Inasa said.
"You two enjoying your little chit chatting in the middle of a literal battleground or can we get the hell out of here." Kacchan said.
"Are you leaving Inasa?" One of the kitchen crew asked.
Izuku had seen the man around during his volunteer work. He was kind to the younger teens, sympathetic, and helped those like Inasa who were on their own. Inasa bowed down to the older man, his forehead slamming into the ground, making everyone around him wince at the sudden impact.
"Ah, yes! Thank you Mr. Ino for everything you've done for me up to this point! " Inasa said.
The man, Ino, looked worried and disappointed as he looked at Inasa's bent form. The other man, who had kept his distance at this point, motioned to Ino.
"Sir, we need to find the others." The other man said.
Ino glanced over at his companion, nodding before looking over at Izuku and Kacchan, who stood close by. Izuku made eye contact with the older man.
"Inasa was a big help around here, but he's a bit on the innocent side.
Please watch over him for me. " He said.
"Yes." Izuku said.
Mr. Ino nodded before patting Inasa on the back a few times in farewell and running off to follow his partner.
"Get up already you big oaf, we're wasting time." Kacchan said.
Inasa and Kacchan agreed to stay above, becoming shadows in the night sky, using a combination of their quirks to make a clearing. Izuku watched as Inasa pulled every last bit of strength within him to build the whirlwind into a tornado. Crowds of people ran in all directions to avoid being sucked in. Kacchan laughed with glee as he fired off using the blast of his quirks as he went headfirst into the tornado swirling around the edges, setting off precise shots to ignite a fire tornado that tore through. Izuku's path was cleared if destroyed, as most were too drained to do more than avoid their approach.
Izuku half expected to see Inazumi appear to stop them, but the man had made himself scarce since the apparent revolt of the civilians began. Izuku couldn't say he was surprised. The man didn't look like the type to join in an all-out brawl.
As they reached the opening, Izuku grew excited about leaving. They had indeed won. The plans had gone sideways at the end, but they made it as Izuku and his friends left the hospital boundaries and out into the dirty alley on the other side.
"Let's make sure they don't even think of following us." Kacchan said.
The two moved their firestorm straight into the wall, making the tall concrete slab break, leaving behind a mound of debris.
They don't celebrate, though, as they break out into a run. Hatsume had drilled the same path into all their heads; they only hoped the girls weren't too far ahead of them.
They had just turned a corner when Hatsume's voice called out to them from a nearby alley.
"Over here!" Hatsume said.
The boys had to backtrack a bit, slowing down to a light jog to find Hatsume waving them over with Shinso sitting propped against the far wall with Chieko's head in his lap as she slept.
"Hatsume! I'm so glad you are all safe." Inasa cried out.
Kacchan moved over to Chieko, his eyes narrowed and suspicious of Shinso as he eyed him.
"Who the hell are you." Kacchan asked.
"My name's Shinso…I just wanted to help. " He said.
Kacchan didn't look satisfied with his answer, but he didn't say anything. Kacchan moved to pat Chieko's cheek to wake her up before yanking his hand back. Izuku moved forward, worried.
"What is it?" he asked.
"It felt like she was starting to heal me." He said.
"That's because she was. I can remove the collar, but I need space and time that we can't afford to lose at this point. So, for now, her quirk is active even while unconscious. So be careful because even the slightest touch will activate it. " Hatsume said.
Izuku gazed down at his poor friend. The bags under her eyes had grown darker since he had found her. Most of that had been his fault from the sleepless nights of agonizing over every step of their plans.
Izuku glanced at the time. The sun would begin to rise in a few hours, so they had to reach the safe house before then.
"Fifteen minutes and we'll keep moving okay." Izuku said.
Kacchan let himself fall in front of Chieko, most likely unwilling to leave her alone with the purple-haired boy.
"Kacchan, how was mom? Is she waiting for us at the safe house? " Izuku asked.
Izuku had wanted to avoid bombarding Kacchan with questions. Still, as the adrenaline of the night began to wane and the excitement of their victory increased, he couldn't help but want to hear anything he could about his mom.
Kacchan didn't turn to him like he expected him to. He stayed in place, his legs and arms crossed as he kept his eyes focused on Chieko's sleeping face.
"Kacchan?" Izuku asked.
"She wasn't there." Kacchan said.
Izuku swore he had heard the blonde wrong because they had made sure his mom had been in before they had implemented their plans, so there was no way he had listened to those words leave his friend's mouth.
"I don't understand." Izuku said.
"I said she wasn't there! By the time I got there, she was gone and the hero assigned to her was there waiting for me! " Kacchan yelled.
Izuku shook his head, unable to process what Kacchan was saying. They had been careful to make sure she would be there. If she was taken, then all of this was for nothing.
All the careful planning, the meticulous work, and weeks of research with Hatsume.
They were supposed to save both of them.
Izuku turned. If they had taken her, there was a chance they would have brought her back to the hospital. Izuku would force Inazumi to get his mother back to him if he had to beat it out of him.
He was stopped by Kacchan, who grabbed his arm, yanking it back around to face him.
"Where are you going?" Kacchan asked.
"I'm going back. They know where she is and I'm going to find out and bring her back." Izuku said.
"We agreed, Deku. The moment we put this plan in place, we knew there was a chance we couldn't get them both back. We can't risk going back, otherwise all this was for nothing. " Kacchan said.
"It was for nothing!" Izuku yelled.
"Fuck you! We saved Miyahara! She's safe now. That meant something damnit! " Kacchan yelled.
Izuku pulled his arm back, making Kacchan release his grip. The anger from before boiled inside his chest, gurgling as it tightened to be released. His fist clenched, his jaw tight as he tried to contain it. He had to think through his words.
"I'm going back to find her. You all can continue without me. "
"The hell you are!" Kacchan cried.
Izuku tried to turn, but the heavyweight of Kacchan slamming him into the alley wall prevented him from moving forward. Izuku pushed back, using a tiny bit of one for all to push Kacchan back to the opposite wall.
"Please, friends, don't fight." Inasa said.
The taller boy tried to get between them. Still, Izuku and Kacchan only evaded his attempts as they grabbed onto the front of each other's shirts, pulling and dragging themselves to the ground while ignoring their friend, who continued to try and pull them apart.
"Guys?" Hatsume said.
Izuku ignored her, his vision red as he stared into Kacchan's glare with one of his own.
"Are you both done?"
They all froze. There was a sound that came from Inasa that Izuku could only describe as feral from behind him. Inasa's looming form felt cold as his arms were still around Iuku's shoulders, tense from his attempts to pull Izuku back off Kacchan. Kacchan's red gaze darkened to a dull maroon as they both shifted their gaze to where the voice had come from.
Inazumi was standing behind Hatsume, one arm wrapped across her throat while the other held a gun pressed against her temple's side sand tanned skin.
"If you want your mother so badly, I think we can make a trade." Inazumi said.