Announcement: This is the final arc for Blossoms of the Dark. I hope to finish the story around Chapter 230 (give or take a few chapters) before working on the sequel. I was going to make spoiler alerts from this part onward, but because of my posting schedule and Season 6 release last year, I am going to assume that you readers are familiar with what happens during the Paranormal Liberation War Arc.

Red sky at night, sailor's delight.

Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.

Today's morning is something like that.

Ominous.

It's been four days since the party. Three days since going home. It's already April 5, and Spring Break is about to end soon. I hadn't realized how quickly the time had flown by. I also hadn't noticed how soon Dad's deadline was approaching.

I reminisce on the discussion that occurred in the late hours of night after rescuing Selene.

Fireflies danced in the night. The darkness made their yellow-green lights glimmer like winking stars descended on earth. I focused on them while Dad applied rubbing alcohol to my wounds. Those flies are luckier than I. They have no care in the world. No responsibilities or burdens. It was a silly notion, but at the moment, I wished I were one of them, too. Dancing like I had achieved nirvana. A particularly nasty sting broke that fantasy.

I hissed, and Dad muttered out a sorry. Snapping my attention away from the window, I looked down at the injury that hurt just now. A set of linear, parallel gouges marred my forearm. They were from when I was defending myself against humanoid octopus's barrage of attacks. Indeed, my arms bore the brunt of the damage in those fights. Damn, they felt like they had occurred ages ago, even though it had only been hours. Guess that's what shock did to people.

"Hey, Shouto." I turned toward the source of the sound. Fuyumi sat on a wooden chair and peeled pomegranates. "Have some more." Occasionally, she brought a few seeds close to my mouth. I accepted the spoonful each time. Their tangy juice briefly scattered my thoughts to places more pleasant. The effect only lasted for a few seconds. Which is why I kept eating more. Anything to run away from the guilt that plagued me deeper than any of my sustained injuries.

Only a few rooms away, doctors shed sweat and blood to resuscitate a nearly dead Selene. And whose fault was it that she almost died? Many people's, actually. One of them was me. My mind kept running through possibilities. Had I come a little sooner would things have changed? Had I refused Hanada-shi she might have been safe? Had I done this or had I done that, none of this would have happened. And other thoughts like that. Problem was, these doubts did absolutely nothing to absolve the regret simmering inside me. If anything, they amplified it.

Dad must have seen the war on my face because he spoke to me for the first time since we stepped foot in the house. "It truly is admirable the lengths you have gone to protect a civilian."

"She's not just a civilian," I reply immediately yet distantly. My mind is still drifting somewhere else.

"She's my best friend."

"And she means a lot to you," he adds.

I let out a noncommittal sound. We have had this conversation before, so I have no idea why he is bringing it up again. Regardless, all strength to argue has left my body. Only after a good night's sleep and a copious dinner will it return. That is, if I can get any sleep tonight.

Just then, Natsuo came out of the bedroom where Selene was being treated. He answered my question before I had even asked it. "Her condition has only improved slightly. Vitals are still weak, but not critical anymore. The doctors said that she should recover completely tomorrow morning. They told me to let Dad know that they will be staying here overnight to monitor her." Then he pulled up a chair beside Fuyumi and assisted with the fruit.

"Where are Sasaki-san and Tsukauchi-san?" I asked.

My brother told me that both men were waiting inside Endeavor's office. Dad had instructed them to wait there until I was properly tended to.

Dad dabs some antiseptic on a cotton ball. "Which precisely brings me to a very important matter. What have you and that girl been up to? You definitely did something. Otherwise, things would have never escalated to this level."

The moment I had holding for forever finally arrived. It was inevitable. Still, I had naive hope that it would never come. It didn't help that my answer was less than satisfactory. "I wish more than anything that I could tell you, but unfortunately, this matter is not about me. It pertains to Selene. So it is her place to decide what to discuss. All I can say is that Hanada-shi abused her, and tonight, he crossed all limits."

Indeed, Endeavor is unimpressed. "Of course, that man went too far. That girl almost became a corpse, and you nearly got killed. But this has been a stressful night for all of us. I notice that you want to avoid the matter, so I'll respect your wishes. However, this is not permanent closure. Tomorrow, I demand an explanation."

"I understand, Dad."

He finished applying the bandages around my arms. That was the last of the wounds that had to be tended to. Then he stood up and ushered his children to follow him into his office. It was time to share full details of the terrible crimes that happened hours earlier on the Hanada grounds.

That reverie sparks another memory. One that occurred shortly after narrating the succession of events. The mood was already harsh. It did not help when Tsukauchi-san and Dad had more bad news to share. In fact, it was about something I had not paid much attention to in a long time. Perhaps that was a mistake.

My siblings were sent away. So was Sasaki-san. Private conversation, Tsukauchi-san had said.

"We have found the League of Villains' base," he announced when it was just the three of us in the office. "Rather, the Paranormal Liberation Army's location. They go by that name now." I did not think I could get shocked more than once in a twenty-four-hour period, but clearly I was proven wrong. Stunned to my core, my ability to speak had suddenly decided to take an indefinite leave.

Dad spoke for me and himself. "When did this happen? And where are they?"

"First things first: this information is confidential. Officially, I will be relaying these details three days from now to a squadron of Pro-Heroes. But I am telling you this now because you are Number One, and Shouto-kun is an aspirant hero." The meaning was clear behind that statement: remain quiet and pretend to know nothing. I nodded. Endeavor agreed. Then Tsukauchi-san retrieved his tablet and pulled up a photo. The sterile white falls, grey tile flooring, and unoccupied ICU bed revealed that the photo was taken in a healthcare facility. The blanched color scheme was contrasted with an open doorway that led into darkness. That was hardly the interesting part, though. A man with his back turned toward the camera walked toward the doorway. Bald. Probably old to claim retirement. Wearing a white coat, so a doctor. Tsukauchi-san zoomed into the bottom right corner by the old man's feet. He kept magnifying until Dad and I recoiled at the image. Dad's flame mustache and beard appeared like a wisp before flickering out. My body froze in place.

That was undoubtedly a noumu. Small. No more than half a meter tall. Armless. Two stubs for legs. A vertebral tail. Nothing like any noumu I encountered so far, but its enormous eyes embedded into its massive brain confirmed its identity.

Once Dad and I regained our wits, Tsukauchi-san continued, "This man is Maruta Shiga. But that is only one of his aliases. On April 5, he must be arrested and brought in for questioning."

"That cannot be all," Dad muttered. "You mentioned a team of heroes. And my son being involved."

Tsukauchi-san affirmed that there was indeed more. He intended to kill many birds with one stone. Besides capturing this Maruta guy, on April 5, a wide scale attack would be launched to bring down the noumu, Shigaraki, and the Paranormal Liberation Army for good. To finally bring an end to the reign of terror these villains had sparked since last year. "They have two bases: one at Jaku Hospital, the other at Gunga Mountain Villa. Both areas are surrounded by dense forests."

Somehow, my voice returned to me. "Is this why the villains were silent for so long? I mean, after those assassinations in January, they didn't make another move." Just speaking it brought up the memory of that brief discussion with Tsukauchi-san at the funeral. He suspected that the terrorists were planning something big. "Do you think they're going to resurface soon?"

"Unfortunately, yes. To make matters worse, they have already accumulated substantial power. Their numbers already rank in the hundred thousands. Which is exactly why we should put a stop to them before their strength grows."

Dad walked around his desk to sit in the chair. I understood the sentiment perfectly. Any moment, my legs would have given out. The court summons hasn't even reached Hanada-shi and already there are more problems to greet us. Give me a break. Too bad, reality often defied expectations. I needed an outlet for my frustration. Soon.

"Endeavor, I want you to lead the strike on the hospital. Shouto-kun, you and your peers will focus on rescue at the Villa. It may be isolated enough by the greenery, but the city is close enough that the citizens could get caught in the battle."

"I understand, Tsukauchi-san" I replied listlessly. "A Pro-Hero protects the public first, fights second. I will not fail in escorting the civilians to safety."

He was pleased with my response. Endeavor, however, had his doubts. With narrowed eyes, he voiced the question that had been nagging at me, too. I was simply in no position to bring it up. "Tsukauchi, where did you get this information from?" Then he followed up with another query that implied more secrets were at play. "Was it him? Who got this photo and figured out it was these places?"

I had no idea who 'him' was. Neither did Tsukauchi-san. He responded, "That is classified. Not even something I can tell you. Not that I know who you mean by 'him.'"

Dad's expression was inscrutable. His features had not changed after getting an answer. Still, I suspected that he got what he was looking for. He read into the lines that I could not see. I stared at him. With just our eyes, we had an entire conversation. In short, he told me that he would explain later. Whenever 'later' meant.

I thought this was the end of the bad news. But of course, I was mistaken badly. "There is one more thing," Tsukauchi-san added. "Especially for you, Shouto-kun. Your friends at the work study … your other classmates … the message will be sent out that students in the U.A. Hero Department are going on a trip as part of their work studies. Just like how the Pro-Heroes will learn the truth on the day of the battle, so will your peers. Don't tell Selene-san before then. Please."

It was a difficult promise to make.

Yet as per agreement, I kept quiet for three days.

God, she's going to feel so hurt when I tell her now.

There is no way I am going to meet fear in the eye without informing her first. She deserves to know. The problem is how I should approach the situation. Deliberately fiddling with my hero costume, I buy a few extra seconds before confronting her with a harsh truth. No matter how I imagine it, Selene will not be happy. One way or another, I will disappoint her. So the best I can do is minimize the damage. Guess that makes me a cruel person, regardless.

By the time I have begun wrapping the brown utility belt around my waist, I have not reached a suitable method.

I have also run out of time to think.

Perhaps it is the sound of the metal capsules clinking or the clicking of the wrist guards that stirs Selene. My back is toward her, so I don't know exactly when she awoke, but when I hear a mumbled, "Good morning," coming from behind me, I whip around so fast that I almost knock over my pencil holder. The belt slips from my fingers. She lifts herself onto her knees and stretches her arms out wide. "Did I sleep through the alarm?" she groans, still half-asleep. "Or for once did I wake up before you, Shouto?"

"Good morning, Selene." My tone is the utter opposite of hers: unenthusiastic. Solemn. She must recognize it because she tilts her head before rubbing her eyes.

Once completely awake, her eyes widen. "Shouto … why are you … is there something … Were we supposed to have hero training early in the morning? Did I forget? Am I late?"

At the frantic rate she tries to scramble out of bed, she will end up hitting her head on the floor. I manage to make it to her side of the bed and catch her. "Nothing like that," I say. "You're not late for anything. Actually, it's something I've been keeping from you."

Her silence is my cue to reveal the secrets I kept buried inside me for the past three days. I tell her all about the private conversation Dad and I had with Tsukauchi-san. Her emotions play across her face. First shock. Then horror. Fear. Doubt. Finally, despair. Tears stream from her eyes by the time I finish.

"Hey, don't cry." My fingers rise to brush away the droplets. "I can't leave you worrying like this."

She murmurs something. I lean in closer. Then she repeats, "Then don't go."

"What?"

Selene grabs me by the collar and pulls me on top of her. We crash onto the bed, with her laying below me. She proceeds to embrace me so tight that I am briefly amazed by the sheer strength she exerted. It never ceases to stun me how this girl I bridal-carry all the time has the ability to overpower me when emotions are high-strung. Her tears soak into the dark blue jacket of my costume. I don't care. I have already hurt her. The least I can do is remain steady for her.

So I snake my arms around her waist and reciprocate the ferocity of the hug. Her heartbeat and breathing – which are familiar to me as my own – match mine. Rapid. Anxious. Terrified. Her hair tie came off sometime last night. With my fingers, I undo the braid pattern until long, dark locks easily glide through. Hints of sandalwood and flowers swirl around her, despite the long hours she spent asleep.

"Perhaps it is too late to say this, but I have to anyway," she whispers. "Please don't go to the battle."

Her concern for me is heartwarming. I squeeze a little tighter. "Sweetheart, my job is to just evacuate the civilians. All our classmates and many experienced heroes will be doing the same thing. I'm not going to engage directly."

Selene pulls back just enough to glare at me hard. How someone can look so threatening with red eyes, I have no idea. But she pulls it off perfectly. "You and I both know that a confrontation with the Paranormal Liberation Army never becomes that simple."

That truth hits hard. It is more bitter than the one I shared with Selene because there is no argument that can refute that statement. U.S.J. attack. The villains isolated us into small groups until we had no choice but to fight. Hero Killer incident. It took three of us to bring that brute to his knees, and even then, we barely escaped with our lives. Summer camp strike. Bakugou and Selene were kidnapped despite our best efforts. The rescue attempt. We got dragged in and inadvertently caused All Might's retirement. Then the murders in January. Selene almost died again.

All the times Class 1-A and the criminals formerly known as the League of Villains came face-to-face, our bad luck forced us to initiate combat. Now these criminals have amassed more power, more resources. They call themselves an army. What will happen now?

Selene raised a question I had been unconsciously suppressing for a while now. And I don't have an answer.

So I evade it. "I have a responsibility to uphold. Toward Dad, toward our classmates, and toward who I am. You said so yourself: I would make an excellent hero. Heroes don't hide from villains. They challenge them upfront. This is simply me working to become just that."

Selene is understandably dissatisfied with the response. I am, too. Again, with that surge of physical strength, she pushes me over. Now she's on top, and I'm the one with my back on the bed. Her eyes narrow, bringing forth more tears. They land on my face. "Have I also mentioned that heroes have a tendency to sacrifice themselves? A martyr complex? You, Todoroki Shouto, are not going to risk your life for duty." The command is hollow. Deep down, she understands why I need to do this. After all, she was the one encouraged me to choose my future over her. She just simply wants me to live.

"Selene?" I begin after a long moment of silence passes.

"No."

"I didn't even say anything!"

"You don't have to. I don't want to hear it."

Cute. But it just makes me feel worse about doing this to her. So I rise until I can lean on my elbows, in spite of her body draped across mine. No. She's not heavy. A gentleman never calls his darling heavy. In turn, Selene frowns at me. It was obvious that she hoped to keep me trapped in bed by enticing me with the rewards of embraces and kisses. Had the situation been different, I might have fell for it. So when she lets out a little puff of annoyance, I find the corners of my lips turning up unwittingly. I tease, "You know, it's actually quite endearing that you care so much about me. To think that you would physically manhandle me to keep me from leaving the room … not me."

If Selene could shove me from her position, she totally would. "Manhandle you?!" Her attempt at pushing me results in her failing and rolling off me. My amusement turns into full-blown laughter. She sits up, gasping at my cheekiness. "You sly fox!" Then she reaches for the pillow behind her and hits me with it over the head. My chortles only intensify. "Teasing me all the time! You think what I did earlier was manhandling? Let me show you manhandling!"

With that declaration, she wields the pillow like a cricket bat. Left. Right. Top. Bottom. Any unshielded area becomes her next target. My stomach can only handle so much entertainment. Just as the cramping begins, I find my opening. There. Her legs are unprotected. Just as she brings the pillow down on my head again, I swipe one arm behind her knees and pull her toward me. Immediately, she lands on her back. And while the element of surprise still lasts, I toss the pillow away and pin her wrists above her.

"Like I said. Adorable." Just because I want to have the last word.

Her crying intensifies. Selene is the type of crier who weeps openly. No crinkling of the eyes or wrinkling of the lips. No sound from the lips. Usually, those type of criers experience such agonizing pain that no facial expression is a proper medium to relieve that pain. It is that realization that absorbs the dredges of amusement. The fight leaves her body. I can feel it in the way her body relaxes beneath me.

I lift her up so she straddles my hips. Cupping her face, I begin a litany of susurrations. "I am an important person to you, sweetheart. You are just as precious to me. My treasure. My moon. Ask anything of me, and I would not hesitate to give it to you. But you have to let me go. Just this once."

Within those silver depths, a resolution begins to pool. She leans forward. I close my eyes, expecting a kiss on the cheek or the head. But no. Selene has other plans.

A press of her lips just pass the corner of my mouth.

When she pulls back, I stare at her in awe.

"The night of your birthday after you painted me, you wished that were the way I looked at you," she speaks, hushed. "Little did you know I looked at you that way for a very long time."

Our roles have reversed. Now it is Selene with the life-altering news and me who is riddled to the core with shock.

But is it truly so surprising?

During the time Tsukauchi-san gave the morbid news, my siblings had prepared a midnight meal for the doctors. Only after they finished their dinners and resumed treating Selene did the six of us have our portions: myself, Dad, Fuyumi, Natsuo, Sasaki-san, and Tsukauchi-san. My family was curious about Sasaki-san. They inquired about him. How we met, what our relationship is, where Selene comes into all this. Stuff like that. He answered as much as he could divulge. I piped in whenever elaboration became necessary.

Ultimately, Dad brought up the problem that had been looming over heads like a thundercloud the whole time but no one dared to speak it.

He said, "I agreed to your escape plan just because you threatened me with your career, Shouto. Either throw away ambitions or rescue the girl. The girl you claimed to be in love with." He let that statement hang there. Waiting for everyone to register the capacity. Fuyumi glanced at me from the corner of my eye, determining how I felt about having my love life laid out in the open. Truth be told, I was too tired to care. Recovery Girl, Bakugou, Sasaki-san, and Aizawa-sensei already knew. Dad did too. What difference did a few more make? The person I actually had to confess to was not in any condition to listen. "You and the girl almost died. And this isn't the first time you risked your life for her." Now he had my complete attention. "At the U.A. Sports Festival, you personally rushed her to the infirmary when your ice broke her nose. That was not life-threatening, but I was certainly puzzled me why you went to such lengths for her. It was so unlike you. Then when we visited her home for the first time, you accosted me for confronting her. Again, I thought it was strange. She clearly became very dear to you. Then the abduction. Shouto, you almost broke down. At some point, camaraderie turned into love.

"At least, on your end. You were willing to do anything to protect Selene because you love her. I want to know if she would do the same for you."

"Why do you ask?" I answered his question with my own. A hero rescued an innocent person he cared about time and time again. I thought that should have been enough for him, but clearly not. Why was he confused?

Dad took a long time to respond. He ate three bites of mackerel and drank a mouthful of whiskey. Yes, Selene's adoptive father was not the only one who liked alcohol. Finally, "Because I learned this lesson the hard way. Love should go both ways. If you are ready to die for her, will she return the gesture? Does Selene love you?"

Such a simple query. But one that required immense thought. I reflected back to the dream I had of her the evening before the recommendations entrance exam. It was so vivid. Then I met her the next day. She intrigued me. Granted, I befriended her with ulterior motives on the first day of school. But I quickly got over them when I realized that she was a wonderful person. Shy. Reserved. And a little afraid. That was Selene when I first met her. Below all that caution, though, was a subtle strength. She supported me. Brought me back from the dark place in my mind when I wanted to kill myself. Understood me in a way that only a victim of abuse could. When she had briefly ended our friendship, she had vowed to redeem herself to me. Then she came to visit me in the hospital. Brought me sweets. Gave me the best birthday of my life. So many gifts. So many good memories.

I think about the way I have treated her. I think about the way she has treated me. We were each other's moons who shone light in the darkness upon the blossoms that were us.

Neither of us said it to the other, but the feeling had always been there. Deep down, we had always known this beautiful truth.

Meeting Dad's level gaze with my own, I knew what to say.

"Yes, Selene loves me."

If I might have had any doubts earlier – which I did not – they would have all washed away with Selene's proclamation.

She basically confessed to me.

In fact, a single sentence reverberates in my mind, as though those are the only three words that exist in my vocabulary. You love me. You love me. You love me.

For the first time, I hope I had a different quirk. Not fire. Not ice. But time. The ability to freeze time. Because I wish for this moment to last for eternity. I don't want to hold back my restrained emotions anywhere. Forgetting about the world outside and its problems, she will become my only world. I want to shower her with my love. Whisper all sorts of adorations that I had kept to myself for so long. Make all sorts of promises to her. Kiss her on the lips. Ten times. A hundred times. A thousand times. Infinity. Selene is the treasure of my heart, and I want her to know it.

Unfortunately, wishes cannot change fate. But action can.

My forehead touches her. Her breath tickles my face. I love it. And I say, "I will come back to you. Today. I swear it. Come to the gazebo after sunset. There is something I have to tell you, and I want to do it properly."

"Return to me alive and safe," Selene murmurs after squeezing her eyes shut.

"No force on earth can stop me." I briefly let her go to retrieve the necklace on the nightstand. The seven-petal lapis lazuli pendant inlaid with a pearl in the center. A symbol of our love. Opening her palms, I place the jewel into them. "To comfort you until I get back."

She studies it. I expect her to wear it. Instead, she does the opposite. She passes it to me. Presses my fingers against it so it sits firmly in my grasp. "Let this pendant be an incentive to return as fast as you can. I will wear only when you put it around my neck."

"As you wish, Moonflower."

She kisses my scar. I memorize her face with my lips and fingers, stopping just short of her mouth. Not yet. Not until I express to you in words that I love you. As a final promise to myself and a beacon of hope to her, I brush my thumb against her rose petal soft lips. She puckers them just enough to lightly kiss it.

Selene helps me wear the accessories to my costume.

We share countless caresses.

We part with one last hug.

"Can you give me a smile before I go?"

Her tear-streaked, wavering smile is the last thing I see before I close the door behind me.