Guest: Hopefully, this chapter will answer your question.

Day 343, 4:00 AM

UA Dorms

Kamakiri wasn't sure what it was when he woke up. All he knew was that he had a bad tingling feeling in his fingers, like someone was poking him with a thousand needles. When he wakes up in the middle of the night, he heads into the bathroom to urinate. Flushing the toilet, he turns to the sink but winces as soon as his fingertips touch the nozzle. "Damn," he utters under his breath. "What the hell?" He looks at his fingers to see them shaking. "It's probably nothing." He turns the nozzle with shaky fingers and winces once more. "Shit." Washing his hands without soap, he turns off the light switch before drying his hands on his shirt. He hops into bed and gets back to sleep.

In the other room, Sero sits on the bed until Shiozaki suddenly enters his room. Sero turns on a small camping lantern and focuses on the vine girl. "Hey, Ibara."

"Hanta." Shiozaki hops into bed beside him. "I think that conversation we were talking about earlier is overdue."

"Yeah, I agree." Sero makes room so she can lie next to him.

"Why were you being rude to Midoriya and Kaminari? Why were you taking every opportunity to take shots at them?"

Sero looks away, opting to stare out his open bedroom window. "Does it really matter?"

"I think it does. You went with Iida, Aoyama, and Kaminari to rescue Midoriya so I can't help but wonder if this has something to do with that. Is it possible you feel guilty?"

"About what?"

"Not being able to save Iida or Aoyama? Or Midoriya? If I remember correctly, you were separated from Kaminari and forced to fight for your life. Is it possible you're feeling guilt for what happened?"

Sero finally summons the courage to look at her. "What difference does it make?"

"It makes a huge difference. When Bakugou comes back with Modriya and Kaminari, they're going to wonder why you acted so... uncivilized. Why were you such a prick?"

Sero looks out the window again. "I don't know," he shrugs. "I guess, I'm just pissed they hid something from us."

"And they felt bad about it but they did it because they were scared. Scared of what we might do to them. And it wasn't entirely unjustified; Iida did kill Aoyama after all."

Sero closes his eyes. "I could've been there. I have powers that would make Spider-Man jealous and I got left behind. I was left to fend for myself and even with all my quirk counseling, my quirk training, everything, I could've made it out of there. I could've talked some sense into Iida if I had gotten out of there earlier."

"So you're projecting?" Shiozaki narrows her eyes. "You're projecting your frustrations on them because you were unable to do anything."

"I should've done something." Sero looks at her, regarding her gaze hard. "I wanted to do something but I couldn't because I was so useless, too preoccupied with saving myself from flesh-eaters to do anything."

"So you've been keeping this to yourself for almost a year? So, you were just venting. Yelling at the two was your way of venting?"

"I know, it's not healthy or anything but I couldn't think of anything else. I didn't want to think of anything else. I hate myself so much for being so useless I just wanted someone else to feel just as useless as me."

"It's okay to have feelings, Sero, why didn't you bring this to me earlier? We could've talked this out."

"I can't be vulnerable. In this world, being vulnerable will cost you your life. I was vulnerable and because I wasn't strong enough, I almost died that night and I was too late to intervene. Lives could've been saved if I had just been quicker, if I had just used my quirk more efficiently but... I panicked, I was injured, and the zombies were clawing at me."

"Heroes are scared just like anybody else." She wraps her arms around him. "We can never prepare ourselves enough to not be afraid in the face of death. But it makes everything much more... bearable. Please, don't shut off your emotions." She tightens her grip around him, fearful he might float away if she let go. "Please, losing our friends is hard enough but... if we lost you for who you were, if you end up nothing but a hollow shell of your former self, I don't think I could bear it. The boy who was there to make sure I was okay when I snuck out to put zombies out of their miseries. I want you to still be there. I don't want you to lose yourself. Please, Sero, please Hanta, don't lose yourself. I don't think I can bear it if I lose you. Please." She snuggles into his chest. "Please."

Sero feels himself choke as he reaches around her to pat her head. "I didn't mean to make you upset. I'm sorry... I couldn't help myself." Sero looks forward. "Midoriya and Kaminari were our friends and we just banished them. How did it come to this?" He closes his eyes and snuggles his face against her head. "I won't lose myself again. I..." He chokes again. "I knew what I was feeling when we were voting but I didn't want to. I couldn't control myself. I just... gave in to the worst thoughts of my head. It's easy to hate but it is harder to love. But it's not so difficult if you have someone."

"I'm the moral compass." Shiozaki looks at him. "I have to be. In a world this bad, it's easy to give in to hatred; that's why I'm here. I had my own feelings and reservations but... I'm slipping. I have bad thoughts and I try so desperately to suppress them."

"I'll help you suppress them. Together, you and me, we'll keep each other held up." He strokes her cheek. "I promise... I won't give in to my worst impulse again. And... I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting your feelings, I'm sorry for banishing Midoriya and Kaminari, I'm sorry for everything."

Without any more words to say, the two just sit on the bed and eventually, they fall asleep together. For the first time in a long time, Sero feels as if he can sleep for the first time in a long time without feeling a burden bury him by the shoulders.

8:00 AM

Waking up in the morning, Kendo pulls herself out of bed and stretches. She checks her watch and gasps. "Damn it." She forgot to set her alarm but she pulled an all-nighter after burning and burying the contaminated forester so she figured she get some extra sleep but only by thirty minutes, not by two hours.

As Kendo steps out the doorway, Monoma appears before her. "What's up, dream warrior?"

"Why didn't you wake me?" She rubs the sleep out of her eyes.

"You looked so scary sleeping in after 6:30 so I decided not to wake you. Don't worry, this place isn't going to fall apart if you allow yourself to sleep in. If you want to bother someone about sleeping in, then scold Kamakiri; he hasn't come out of his room yet and Shoji had to do watch duty on the roof all by himself. I hear it gets lonely on rooftops but he has all those dupli-arms to keep him company."

Kendo marches over to the Kamakiri's door and knocks on the door several times. "Hey, bug boy, you're on overwatch duty today." Knock, knock, knock. "Bug boy the dream warrior, wake up." Knock, knock. "Okay, I'm coming in. Oh, and don't be mad at me if I walk in on you giving yourself a handjob; I knocked like seven or eight times."

She opens the door carefully to-

"OH MY GOD!"

Kamakiri lies on the bed, rashes covering his neck along with small patches of black skin on his fingertips and the back of his hand. Kendo's eyes travel from the black patches of skin on his hands to see patches of purple skin on his forearms just under the rashes on his neck.

"I can't feel my fingers," Kamakiri whispers, "help me."

"Oh my god." Kendo steps back, eyes shooting open again. "Oh my god... oh my god!" She closes the door after pushing Monoma back. "Kamakiri's sick; he's caught whatever that guy caught from last night."

Monoma backs away, panting hard. "His skin was black... that... black skin... that's dead flesh!"

"Go tell everyone!"

Monoma runs off as Kendo stays behind. Carefully, she opens the door and peeks in on Kamakiri. "Kamakiri, are you okay?" She opens the door wider. "It's okay, I'm here for you." She slowly steps toward him, averting her gaze on the patches of dead flesh on both of his hands. "It's going to be okay."

Kamakiri convulsed suddenly, vomiting blood in a projectile fashion on the carpeted floor. Kendo leaps back, the blood missing her by a few inches, and hastily backsteps through the doorway.

"Good god." Kendo stays out of Kamakiri's bedroom and holds both hands up. "Stay right there, I'm going to get you something." She turns to the hallway. "Antibiotics! We need antibiotics, NOW!"

Monoma returns with Kuroiro, Komori, Kaibara, and Kodai in two. They gasp at the sight of the bug boy on the bed, blood on the carpet.

"I'm not going in there," Kuroiro says, "no way."

Kaibara and Kodai quickly look at their hands, trying to find any signs of potential infections, and sigh slightly. They look at each other, a silent communication passing between them.

Kuroiro holds up a bag. "I got some antibiotics and painkillers but I ain't going in there."

Monoma grabs the bag. "I'm going in there." He steps forward. "I don't know what he has but as long as I don't touch his blood, I should be fine." Monoma steps in and closes the door behind him. Putting on his shoes to walk over the blood stains, he carefully approaches Kamakiri with silent footsteps. "Hey there, Kamakiri, how are you feeling?"

"Help... me..." Kamakiri whispers. "Please, please, please."

"It's okay, here, I'm going to give you something." He reaches into the bag and pulls out a bag of water. He lays it down on the bedside table along with two painkillers. "Here, take this and you should be fine."

"I can't move my hands." Kamakiri sobs into his pillow. "I can't feel my fingers. Please, please help me. Please, I don't want to die. Please..."

Monoma nods hesitantly. "Don't worry." He grabs the pills. "Here, open up." He flicks the pills into the buy boy's mouth like a ninja before tipping the bottle of water over his mouth and giving him a sip.

Kamakiri sinks his head into his pillow, sighing heavily. "Please don't leave me."

Monoma's eyes land on his fingers once again, nearly losing his breakfast at the sight of the black patches on the bug boy's hand, making him look like a charred burn victim. With careful hesitation, he reaches over and touches the purple skin on his forearm, aiming specifically for the elbow.

Kamakiri screams and jolts, forcing Monoma to withdraw his hand.

"Don't touch me, please!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Monoma looks at the rashes on his neck. "When did you get rashes?"

"I just woke up and... my skin was purple." Every word from Kamakiri's mouth sounds like he is lifting a car with each passing breath. "They're spreading, they're spreading up my arm. You can't leave me, please, my arms are going to fall off. Please, please don't leave me!"

Monoma backs away. "I'm not going to leave you but I am going to have to keep my distance." He reaches for the antibiotics. He removes one pill before tossing it into Kamakiri's open mouth. "We'll figure it out."

"I'm going to end up like that guy, aren't I? Have black patches of skin all over my body, my limbs falling off one by one."

"You're going to be fine. I'm not leaving and... we'll figure something out. We'll, we'll cure you."

With Kendo

After explaining the situation to everyone, Kendo has everyone take off their shirts and pants.

"We need to find out who else is sick." Kendo removes her shirt, leaving her in a sports bra and boxer briefs. "Check me, check me for any signs of red, black, or purple skin."

Shiozaki quickly checks Kendo for any signs of infection while she does the same for her. As the support course students check themselves, they pause for a second.

"You okay?" Hatsume asks as she checks Kimiko and notices her fingers twitching.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kimiko answers, "just, shaken, I guess." She checks Hatsume when the pink-haired girl is done and sees no signs of infection on her.

After the bodily check-ups were done, the students quickly sat down on the couch. Shimamura heads into the kitchen to pull out a can of noodles. He tries to use the can opener but his fingers twitch on them.

"Damn it," he whispers.

Mogami approaches him. "What's wrong?"

"Can't open this can." He gestures to his twitching fingers. "My hands are shaking."

"Arthrists I guess." Mogami snatches the can and opens it with the can opener in quick succession. "There ya go."

"Thanks." Shimamura lifts the can and winces, dropping it at his feet. "Damn it."

Mogami retrieves the can, which is leaking some noodles out but he is a big believer in the 5-second rule and scoops the noodles back in the can. "What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing," he says. "Like you said, arthritis."

"I think I'll carry this from now on. Is this for you?"

"No, I was told to bring some soup up for the bug boy."

Mogami shakes his head. "I ain't going in that room."

"I don't think any of us should." Kendo steps toward them. "Monoma is still up there, comforting the poor boy. I'll take this up to him." She takes the can before turning to the students. "And I think we should all quarantine ourselves."

Kuroiro raises his hand. "None of us are sick."

"We should quarantine ourselves in our room, for one day at least. We don't know what Kamakiri caught or how it spreads so I think it's best if we play it safe."

Komori raises her hand next. "What about Monoma?"

"We'll figure it out with him. For now, everyone just retire to their rooms."

"What about food and water?"

"I'll sort it out for everyone but for right now, we need to focus on quaranting yourself. Everyone, head to your rooms and we'll wait it out for the rest of the day."

"What about food and supplies?" Kaibara asks. "Kodai and I were going on a supply run later."

"I'm going to figure some stuff out and then I can send you guys on a supply run." Kendo wipes the sweat from her forehead. "Please, I know everyone, this is uncomfortable and we're already going stir-crazy from cabin fever but we need to just endure for a few more hours."

"Is Kamakiri going to die?" Pony asks.

Kendo goes quiet. "He won't. Nobody is dying. Now scavenge what you can to keep yourself comfortable and get to your rooms."

Like ants, they scatter, grabbing whatever recreational devices and entertainment magazines they can get their hands on before hurrying off to their rooms.

Kendo leans against the counter. It'll all be alright. We'll figure something out. I'll check on Monoma every few hours or until he calls me. I don't know what we're going to do with Kamakiri. Whatever he has, it's some kinda fast-acting disease. She opens her eyes. We may need a medical book.

She turns to the retreating crowd. "Kodai, Kaibara, come here real quick." She waits patiently as the two students follow her orders. "Do you know any libraries in the area?"

"Uh," Kaibara hesitates, "there's a few libraries but I don't think they're worth scouting for food and medicine."

"Wrong, there is something worth scouting them for. Right now, our classmate is in pain and agony and we have no idea what he suffers from. We don't have the medical experience to deal with this but maybe there's something about this disease in a book."

Kaibra's eyes widen. "You want us to go to the library to get some medical books?"

"Yes, I want you to get every kind of medical book you can find. Everything. Whatever Kamakiri has, chances are, in its a textbook."

"How do we know it's not connected to the zombies?"

"This disease is nothing like the zombie virus or infection or pathogen or whatever it is. The zombie disease turns you into a zombie, this disease... turns... your skin dead black and causes your limbs to fall off. Even if this disease was created after the apocalypse, there's still a chance we can find something useful in the books. In two hours, when you're sure you suffer from no symptoms, I want the two of you to head to a library and come back with all the medical books you can gather. If we're lucky, there is a solution to this disease."

Kaibara shakes his head. "I don't think there is."

Kendo lightly slaps him across the face. "Don't say that."

Kaibara nods. "Okay, okay, we can do that." He nods hesitantly before looking at Kodai, silently talking to her. "Yeah, uh, we happen to know a few libraries within walking distance from here."

"No, take a car; we need you to get to the library and back as fast as possible, do you understand?"

Kaibara nods firmly. "Yes, I understand." He gulps nervously. "It's been a while since we drove and..." He shakes his head. "No, we'll do it."

"Good." Kendo pats him on the shoulder. "Now, quarantine yourself for two hours, just in case. If you see no signs of infection, get to the car, immediately."

"Got it." Kaibra grabs Kodai's hand and drags her away.

Kendo turns back to the counter, leaning against it, nearly vomiting. The sight of Kamkair's skin still burned in her eyes as she closed her eyes tightly. "God."

Shiozaki approaches her. "Are you okay?"

"I don't think Kamakiri's going to make it." She holds a hand over her mouth, punching herself in the stomach to keep her from vomiting over the sink. "He's literally falling apart. Oh god. Something like this would be dangerous, deadly, even before the outbreak when resources were everywhere but in the post-apocalypse where not even hospitals exist..."

"What? So the only solution is to give up? If we do that, we're saying there is no hope, Kamakiri is a lost cause. Even if it's a pipe dream, we still owe it to our classmate, our friend, to look for some kind of treatment."

"You didn't see him, Ibara, you didn't see what was happening to him."

"You're right, I didn't see what was happening to him but what I do see right now is a chance. Even if Kamkiri's going to be dead in five minutes, we can't give up. If we give up, we might as well be killing him ourselves. Even if there isn't a cure, I would rather Kamkakir die knowing his friends fought to the bitter end to protect him and save him from whatever nasty disease this is. Isn't that why you sent Kaibara and Kodai on this mission to the library? You could've sent them anywhere else but you sent them to the library because you knew the library was their best shot. You think Kamkair is a lost cause but you still plan on sending our two scouts to the library. That is hope worth holding onto."

"This leadership role is just too stressful for me." Kendo finally removes her hand from her mouth and gulps hard. "I didn't ask to be the leader."

"You were voted to be class rep back in school because we saw a leader in you."

"I'm not a natural born leader, Ibara, I'm just so... conflicted. It wasn't even my choice to send Midoriya and Kaminari away; that choice was made for me. I just... god. I can't take the stress of it because if someone dies in our class, that's on me. After all, I failed to protect them. Because I let their fate be decided in a democracy."

"That's true, if someone dies, it could be your fault but at the same time, if someone is alive, that's on you as well. If we save someone's life, that's all on you. No one ever said leadership would be easy but.. it's easier to give up than it is to endure and you have the endurance, Kendo. You were voted class rep back in school and you followed through."

"When society was still intact and humans were turning into zombies every twenty to twenty-five hours."

"And you still followed through. Even when the world went dark, you were still there for us with Iida."

"And look where Iida is. He's dead, Kamakiri's going to be dead." She sinks to her knees. "I can't protect anyone. Kamakiri's going to die, you're going to die, I'm going to die... we're all going to die. All of us."

"No." Shiozaki wraps her in a hug. "That's not true. We're going to survive, we're going to pull through. We will beat this world, we will. We will survive and it'll be because of you. You will be a great leader, Kendo, I can see it. Please, you're not in this alone, please, don't think of the world as half-empty, think of it as half-full."

"I'm tired, Ibara." Kendo wraps her arms around Shiozaki. "I'm so, so tired."

Shiozaki strokes her head. "Me too, Itsuka, me too."

With Monoma

"How are you feeling now?" Monoma asks, sitting in a lounge chair in the corner of the room.

Kamkairi looks at him, his eyes half-open. "Like shit. I'm so hungry."

Monoma holds the can of noodles up. "Still hungry?" He gets up out of the chair and heads to Kamkairi's side. "Here you go."

He spoon-feeds the sick boy, who barely chews the food before swallowing. "Thank you. But if you tell anyone you spoonfed me like a toddler, I'll destroy you."

Monoma nods. "Duly noted."

9:00 AM

With Kimiko

After retreating to her headquarters, Kimiko sits at her desk and looks over her personal journal to see what she can distract herself with by building. As she lifts a hammer from the toolbox, she winces and drops it. "Shit." Picking up the hammer, she winces as her fingers clutch the grip and withdraws her hand. "Goddamn it."

Her eye twitches and she rubs her eyes with the back of her hands, wincing again as the arthritis in her hands gets worse.

Wincing again for the umpteenth time, she turns her hand over to look at her palm, her eyes growing to the size of the moon as her fingertips turn light red with rashes.