Chapter 4: Resolve
AN: Hey everyone. Sorry I've not been writing very much. I have been very busy lately and have not been able to write like I've wanted to. I was depressed for a while as well. I will attempt to write more often. Thank you for your patience and your continued support. Don't forget to hit that follow, favorite or hit up that comment! I really do appreciate it! Now on to the story! ^o^
Bakugo woke up feeling better. His brain did not feel like it was on fire anymore and his body was not aching. He expected to feel hungry, but the sensation was not there. It made sense in a way. He was in a coma state after all.
He sat up and saw the door to the tower open. He looked around and noticed that Uraraka was gone. He stood up and made his way to the door. He knew that she would not have gone far.
She was sitting on the ledge that encircled the level of the tower where the entrance sat. Bakugo heard the sound of rain. The sky was still bright as ever and yet it rained. The droplets sparkled against the sky and trees as they fell. Harae had been right about this place. It was beautiful. Even to Bakugo's standards.
"Hey," he said as he felt the droplets touch his skin.
"Hey," Uraraka responded back without moving. "You know, it's really weird. Not being able to touch or feel things. I thought I could feel the rain in this form. But apparently not."
Bakugo stood there not knowing what to say. He could only imagine how she felt. To not be able to feel anything on her skin. To not be able to shine her smile. To not be able to cry.
Uraraka got up quickly from her perch, "Sorry, I didn't mean to be a downer. We've got a whole new day ahead of us after all. I hope the next tower is close by."
"Yeah," Bakugo could not formulate any of his thoughts. She baffled him all the time.
Throughout the years, he had learned a lot about Uraraka Ochako. He learned of her struggle with finances. He saw her strength, determination, and overall positivity. The only time he ever saw her not positive was during the end of their first year at UA. Bakugo prided himself on his ability to push through most things, but Uraraka seemed to be on a different level. Along with his best friend Kirishima, they were both known as the sunshine duo.
When they entered the tower the sheet that formed Michinii's body was floating once again. She waved at them and twirled in the air.
"Morning you two! How are you feeling today, Dynamite?" She asked cheerfully.
Bakugo shrugged, "Better, now can you explain what exactly happened yesterday?"
Michinii bobbed up and down, "Sure, sure! I just thought you figured it out is all!"
"You calling me stupid you damn sheet?!"
Uraraka bumped Bakugo gently as he clenched his fists, "Bakugo, chill out."
Bakugo scoffed, "I am chill. Now explain yourself."
"Alrighty! So, as you probably already figured out, you can exorcise a spirit by accepting your regret. The power of your acceptance becomes the fuel to cast away the spirit. The power is relative to how much you accept it. Keep that in mind going forward. If you don't accept a regret completely you might end up in trouble. I would hate to report you both dead you know."
"We won't die Blanket. So, you can forget about reporting that, because it's not going to happen." Bakugo turned and walked toward the door of the tower.
Uraraka smiled and waved Michinii forward, "Looks like you lit a fire under him. Lead the way please Michinii."
Michinii giggled, "Of course!"
The white sheet rushed forward and spurn past Bakugo happily.
"Why the fuck are you so damn happy? Just do your job stupid." Bakugo barked at the spirit as she floated in front of him.
"Oh, no reason! Follow me closely now. I would hate for you to fall."
Bakugo frowned at the invisible path as Uraraka stepped onto it in front of him.
"Let me see where I'm walking and I won't fall." He angrily mumbled.
Uraraka giggled as he stepped carefully behind her onto the path.
"Hey, Michinii, what's your home like? It is as pretty as this world?" Uraraka asked the spirit as they made their way to their next destination.
"Oh, it's way pretty! There are crystal mountains, we live inside the trees, the clouds are purple, the sky is always changing colors, the most delicious nectar is made there, and so many spirits live there! It's so much fun!"
"It sounds like it. I wish I could visit sometime." Uraraka mused.
"Who knows, you might turn into a spirit when you die."
"If I do, I hope I'm as cute as you are, your spirit form is just so adorable."
"What are you talking about? She's just a white sheet." Bakugo interjected.
"Maybe you can't see it, but without her sheet, she looks like a tiny blue dragon." Uraraka explained as Michinii covered her eyes in embarrassment.
"Uravity, you flatter me too much! I'm not that cute!"
"But you are!" Uraraka was adamant about her statement. She was not backing down.
Little did she realize that Michinii was straying from the path. Bakugo felt his foot slip on the edge of the path. On instinct, he grabbed onto Uraraka's arm.
"Bakugo! Are you ok? You almost fell there." Uraraka's voice sounded worried.
Bakugo panted as he found his balance once again on the path. He was secretly thankful for how sturdy she was in this form.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just slipped."
Uraraka tilted her head, "You know you can hold onto me if you need. I don't mind."
Bakugo's ears tinged pink as he pulled back his hand, "I'll be fine Cheeks. Blanket just moved off the path."
"I'm sorry, it was my fault. I'll do better to pay attention Dynamite." Michinii's voice sounded less cheerful and she floated lowered.
"You better."
The three of them fell silent. They walked for a long time before Uraraka sighed.
"I wonder how the others are doing."
Bakugo groaned, "They're being Heroes while we're stuck in here."
"Come on, Bakugo. It's not that bad here."
"We have no quirks, no communication with the outside world, I can't see where the fuck I'm walking, you're stuck in a form you never fucking asked for, I have to fight these damn regrets, oh and Deku is probably pulling even farther ahead of me. I don't know what you qualify as good about this situation."
Uraraka turned in place, "This world is pretty, we have a great guide, and most of all we're not dead."
Bakugo shook his head, "You're something else Cheeks. I don't know how you and Kirishima do it."
Uraraka giggled, "You do it too you know. When you smile and grin in the face of adversity it's just the most amazing thing. You haven't been the same since the explosion. I know it's one of your regrets. I will find out and finally understand why you're like this. Then you'll accept it with all your heart and we'll go back to the real world. I just know it."
Bakugo smiled for a split second and then rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say Cheeks."
"You both are just too cute!" Michinii squealed with a twirl.
Bakugo growled as his ears flushed, "Keep focused Blanket! If I fall off because of you I'll come back as a spirit and make your life miserable!"
She squeaked, "Yes sir! You got it!"
Uraraka laughed as she continued to follow Michinii.
They continued to trek forward and Bakugo noticed that the rain stopped. He ran his hands through his hair to dry it.
"You know, I always thought that you put gel in your hair for the longest time. Then Kirishima told me that you didn't like gel and that your hair is just naturally fluffy. I didn't believe him for the longest time you know."
Bakugo narrowed his eyes at Uraraka, "Why would I want shitty hair like his?"
Uraraka laughed, "I didn't know. I finally found out about a year ago when you fell asleep on my shoulder during a group movie night. It's no wonder you have such a big fan base."
"Are you saying I'm attractive Cheeks?" Bakugo smirked.
Uraraka shook her head, "Only when you're not being angry."
"That's not a no."
"Oh, hush you."
Bakugo felt happy with the knowledge that Uraraka saw him as attractive. He was confused by this realization. Being a Hero, being number one were always the things he thought would make him happy. Yet, the past couple of years at the agency he had not felt the fulfillment he thought he would. As much as he pushed himself, as much as he got up in hero rankings, he was not happy.
Bakugo often thought of giving up on the idea of being number one. Midoriya was the favorite and he would always be. Because of what happened. Because of the power given to him by All Might.
Bakugo often missed the old symbol of peace. He missed the advice his teacher would give him. He would know exactly what to say to Bakugo. He would help Bakugo understand what he needed to do.
"You ok Bakugo?" Uraraka asked.
Bakugo nodded.
If they were going in order. He had a feeling about what the next regret was.
A pile of All Might merch was the tower they were heading to. The merch was tarnished and burned. Bakugo bit his lip at the sight of it.
The door to the tower was All Might's face smiling at them.
Bakugo felt something heavy on his shoulder. He turned and saw Uraraka. He tried to relax.
Michinii swayed in front of the door, "You ready?"
Bakugo nodded despite the fear building.
Michinii opened the door and the heroes stepped through the door together.
"Uraraka, you don't have to be here," Bakugo stated.
"I know."
That short affirmation made Bakugo feel better somehow. He remembered her promise to make sure he would not go through this alone. He still wanted to make sure she was comfortable being there with him.
The door slammed closed behind them.
The room shifted to flashes of scenes. Bakugo being kidnapped by the League of Villains and then being rescued by All Might. The battle at Kamino shifted into view.
All Might turned into Toshinori Yagi. Toshinori collapsed onto the ground in a pool of his own blood in front of All for One.
All for One laughed at the sight.
Toshinori reached out to Bakugo with sorrow in his eyes.
"Why did you do this to me? Why did you kill All Might?"
Bakugo cried at the sight of his old teacher before him. The shining hero of peace. The one true hero. Bleeding, dying, for him.
"Bakugo always wanted to take your place. This was a perfect opportunity for him. With All Might dead you can now be the number one hero Bakugo Katsuki. All you need to do now is take my hand and trust that I'll lead you on the right path my child." All for One grinned down at him with an outstretched hand.
Bakugo gritted his teeth in anger as he glared at All for One.
"How dare you?! You dare turn a fucking nightmare on me?! You might be attached to a regret of mine, but you have no idea who you're messing with!" Bakugo's hands began to glow brightly.
"All Might, no Toshinori Yagi, thanked me before he died! He told me I was a great hero! He never blamed me once for what happened! And you! You All for One wanna be! You have never faced the bastard! You've only seen him in my regret! You have him all wrong! Cuz guess what?! He's dead too! All thanks to me! So this bullshit dies now!"
Bakugo punched All for One in the face as hard as he could. The vision of All for One disappeared and was replaced by a wasp-looking creature.
"You're just all words punk! You call that accepting your regret?! You're just lashing out!"
The vision of Toshinori Yagi grabbed Bakugo's ankle and chomped on his leg.
Bakugo yelled in agony as teeth pierced into him.
Uraraka kicked the vision in the throat causing him to let go of Bakugo. The vision wavered but stayed.
"Hey, no fair!" The spirit, still in the form of Toshinori, yelled out as he clutched his throat.
"You keep off of him you parasite!" Uraraka took a wide stance next to Bakugo.
"Uraraka, this is my battle," Bakugo stated plainly as he panted.
"Doesn't mean you should fight it alone."
Bakugo could almost see her determined look on the surface where her face should be. Bakugo felt his heart warm at the sentiment.
He took a deep breath.
"No, Uraraka, this is something I need to do. But... Thank you. I'll let you know if I need you." Bakugo looked at the spirits ahead of him in determination.
Uraraka nodded with a small smile, "Alright, I'll leave it to you then."
Bakugo heard Uraraka step away. He grinned at the spirits.
"Ready to die?"
The wasp spirit laughed, "Really?! That's what I should ask you!"
The wasp charged at Bakugo with its stinger ready to stab. This time both of Bakugo's hands glowed with bright light.
"You wanted acceptance! Here you go you fucker!" Bakugo side-stepped the attempt to stab. He grabbed the spirit by the stinger and punched it in the side.
The stinger broke off with the force of the punch and the wasp bounced on the ground before disappearing. Bakugo tossed the stinger off the side. He cracked his neck as he approached the scared spirit, it had shed its Toshinori appearance revealing itself to be a leech.
"Wait, wait! You don't have to do this! I'm sorry, ok?! It was all his idea! He told me to do it!" The leech squeaked out in fear.
"In your dreams you damn parasite! Get lost!" Bakugo stomped on the leech. The blinding light went into his foot burning the leech. The leech screamed in pain as it burned up.
The ruins of Kamino disappeared around them and turned to white.
Bakugo kneeled on the ground with sweat on his face.
"Bakugo! Are you ok?" Uraraka asked with worry.
Bakugo felt a lighter touch on his arm. He looked down to see her hand back to normal. He smiled at the sight of it. He grabbed it and flipped it over and rubbed her toe beans.
"Better now." He looked up at her still blank face.
He wished that he could see her expression. He missed her smile. Her eyes.
Michinii floated through the opened door happily, "You did it again! You really are just knocking these regrets out of the park!"
"Of course, I am." Bakugo grinned widely as he tried to get up. His leg gave out under him though.
"Bakugo your leg is bleeding! Michinii can you do anything?" Uraraka asked with worry as her hands pressed on his wound.
Michinii scratched her head, "I don't know what to do about human injuries honestly."
"Well, do you know anything that heals? If not do you know of any alcoholic things? I can dress the wound with his clothes if I need to. I just need to clean it."
"I mean, maybe nectar might help. I'll go get some. I'll be right back." Michinii's sheet fluttered to the ground.
Bakugo hissed, "Great, she left us."
"She didn't leave us. She went to get something for your wound. Now lay down." Uraraka lifted his leg up into her lap while keeping pressure on the wound.
Bakugo groaned but laid down nonetheless. The pain was throbbing, but her hands felt good against it.
"Thank goodness I got my hands back." Uraraka looked down at his bleeding calf.
"Yeah, these trails really are bringing you back." Bakugo looked up at the white ceiling. He put an arm over his eyes.
"I thought I would come back at the end of them, but I guess this world already knows your wish. I'm sorry you're having to do all of this for me. Thi-"
"Don't you dare!" Bakugo snapped at her looking at her furiously. "None of this shit is your fault! You have no reason to apologize!"
"But you got hurt." Bakugo could hear her voice cracking.
"I get hurt fighting bad guys every day! Is that your fault?! Hell no! I decided to bring you back because it was my fault! You were right... I never faced my regrets... I just bottled them up. If I had accepted them as shit that happened then none of this would have happened. The fact that you're following me... caring for me... I don't deserve it."
"You're being stupid."
Bakugo cocked an eyebrow at Uraraka as she paused, "Do you think anyone actually feels like they deserve their friends? If they actually think that then they're egomaniacal assholes. The people in our lives, make the conscious decision to be in our lives. If you ever say that you don't deserve it, then you're really saying that their decision to be in your life was wrong. I made my decision, so deal with it."
She flicked him on the forehead and he rubbed the spot as his ears turned pink.
"Fine, do what you want then. Don't blame me if you regret it though."
"I won't."
Uraraka continued to put pressure on his bleeding calf and Bakugo tried to relax. Her words echoed through his head like a mantra. One second, she was crying over his wound, then the next she was berating him. That was Uraraka though. She always knew how to drive him crazy. She also knew how to comfort him. All the years of being partners on the field really helped. They really were friends all along. He just tried to not see it.
Maybe this was a good time to try. He was never good at the friend thing, but she was worth it.
"Since we're on the subject of friends... you can choose to not answer this if you want... but what happened between you and Izuku? I heard from other people, but I never heard from you."
Yet again Bakugo felt annoyed with the fact that he couldn't see her face. She stayed silent for a long while.
"I confessed to him at the end of our third year at UA. He rejected me because he saw me as a good friend. He was in love with Shoto. I knew, but I didn't want to actually accept it. I had to distance myself from him for a while. That's why I took a short contract with Ryukyu. It was really hard being away from everyone for 2 years, but I needed the time away. During that time, I kept in contact. You really helped me a lot during that time."
Bakugo tilted his head, "I did?"
Uraraka giggled, "Yeah believe it or not. Whenever you saw me on patrol you would give me a hard time, like nothing had changed. You would walk with me and talk with me about nonsense. It was refreshing."
"Good to know that getting under your skin is apparently welcome," Bakugo smirked.
Uraraka lightly smacked his arm, "Don't let it go to your head dork!"
Bakugo laughed as the sheet on the ground floated back to life, "I got it!" The sheet was holding a jar of golden liquid.
"You are certain that you have no idea what this does to humans?" Bakugo asked as Michinii floated to his side.
"I have no idea honestly. Most people just die when they encounter a spirit. I'm sorry I don't have more experience with this. I hope this repairs your soul though. It energizes spirits. So, since you're a soul in the realm you might be fine." Michinii handed the jar to him.
Bakugo glared at the glowing liquid, "Alright, I'll give it a shot. We have no other choice. I'll only take a small sip though to be on the safe side."
Uraraka nodded, "Good idea. I hope this works."
Bakugo nodded as he unscrewed the top. He looked at the liquid and gave it a sniff. His eyes widened. The smell of the best Mapo Tofu hit his senses. He took a small sip and the taste filled his mouth. The savory flavor melded with the heat of the spices. It was amazing. He felt re-energized as well.
Uraraka gasped. The wound on his calf was glowing. The bright golden light shined brightly and then disappeared. Uraraka wiped the area with a part of his ripped jeans. The wound was completely gone.
"Holy shit! This stuff is amazing!" Bakugo jumped up with a huge grin on his face. He stomped his foot down to test his leg. It felt better than ever.
"You weren't kidding about how awesome that nectar is! Thank you so much Michinii! You're the best!" Uraraka got up and hugged Michinii enthusiastically.
Michinii hugged Uraraka back, "It was no problem! I learned something new! This is great!"
"Uraraka you're going to rip Michi up if you're not careful!" Bakugo barked at Uraraka.
The two separated and looked at Bakugo, "Did I just hear that right?" Michinii said mischievously.
"I think so Michi. He definitely just sort of said your name and gave you a cuter nickname. He also worried about you." Uraraka nodded with a hand on her blank chin.
"So, this Bakugo when he's actually cute. His acknowledgment is surprisingly warm." Michinii wiggled happily.
Bakugo turned bright red all over his face, "You can both shut it! We got shit to do!"
"His face gets especially adorably red too! Do you live with this every day?! How do you do it Uravity?!" Michinii exclaimed happily.
"Well, I tease him as much as possible of course!"
"Cheeks, Blanket let's go already!" Bakugo stomped to the door of the tower as he slipped the nectar into his pocket.
"And there goes his charm. Right out the door." Michinii whined as she followed behind him.
Uraraka laughed as Bakugo opened the door with his foot. They stepped out into the colorful world once again.
Bakugo's eyes widen as he stared out at the wide expanse. Suddenly, he could see the roads. They shimmered like blue crystals, winding in on each other, making separate paths. They danced across the expanse of towers.
"I can finally fucking see them! Hell yeah!" Bakugo punched a fist into the air.
Michinii floated in front of Bakugo, "Wait, you can see the paths now? You're not joking with me right now, right?"
Bakugo growled, "Why the fuck would I lie about that Blanket? I've been dying to see where the fuck I'm walking for a while now!"
"I know that... but that means that you're a step closer to actual death. I was afraid of this. The nectar does have a side effect. You have to be more careful from now on. You cannot drink any more nectar. If you do... you might become a spirit permanently."
Bakugo paled, "Why the fuck would that happen?"
Michinii sighed, "Nectar is specially made here in the spirit realm. I did not know what it would do to you. I only had guesses. But now I know that any consumption of anything spiritual will make you closer to being a spirit yourself. It makes sense since nectar is specially made here. If you don't want to be tempted by it you should give it to me to hold onto for now."
Bakugo just stared at the spirit, "Are you serious?" Then his eyes narrowed and he bared his teeth, "You have some nerve you damn Blanket!"
Uraraka took hold of his right arm, "She was trying to help, Bakugo. She saved you from a serious wound. We learned something useful and important. We just have to be careful from now on like she said."
Bakugo relaxed a bit, "She should've known about this is all I'm saying! Take your piss back you damn ghost!"
Bakugo threw the nectar at Michinii. She caught it in her sheet and tucked it away.
"I'm sorry, I wish that I had experience with this."
"Whatever, let's just go already."
Bakugo walked onto the path in front of the tower with confidence. Michinii quickly zoomed ahead of him.
"You still need to follow me, Dynamite. You don't want to get lost."
Bakugo scoffed at her and rolled his eyes, "I know that. Uraraka, you coming?"
Uraraka looked up and nodded, "Yeah, sorry."
She stepped onto the path behind him. Uraraka could not help the feeling of unease overtake her. Bakugo was a step closer to death because of her. She stared at the back of his head. She wanted to protect him. The thought of him dying there because of her was almost unbearable. She knew that this whole ordeal was brought about because of his regrets, but she still felt responsible.
Uraraka took a deep breath. She would protect him. She would not let him die there for her.
No matter what.