Chapter Text
“Let me through.” Tenko snarled at the hero in front of him, baring his teeth viciously. All Might just stared down at him resolutely.
“I cannot let you do this.”
“ That man deserves to die-”
“We don’t make those kind of decisions.”
“He hurt Aki and Deku! He killed my grandmother!”
“He will be facing the justice system.”
Tenko spat out a bitter laugh. “The justice system won’t be able to touch him. He’s gotten away with worse.”
“He isn’t untouchable.” All Might reassured him, patting him on the shoulder. “Besides, vengeance isn’t the path that we have to take. We can always-”
Tenko jerked himself away from the hero. “You don’t understand. None of you heroes ever do.” He put his hands into the depths of his hoodie.
“Tenko, I-”
“No. You’ve made your stance clear. But mark my words, as soon as he gets out, I won’t take orders from you. If I want him dead, I’ll kill him where he stands.” Tenko’s eyes blazed with anger. “Once you heroes realize you can’t touch Sensei, I’ll be there to pick up your trash. And I won’t let you stop me. Even if I have to kill you.”
The teenager stalked off.
***
Deku snuggled further into the heat lining his front side as he pushed away the gentle beeps and whirs of the hospital machines. He moaned a bit as the warmth jostled a bruise on his side. A low growl erupted from the warm figure below him, making him stir some more. “Kacchan.” He muttered softly, as his fingers sought purchase of the t-shirt.
“Deku.” A rumble answered. It sounded like Kacchan just outside of a berserker episode, drawing Deku’s attention. Forcing his eyes open, he looked up to see the blonde’s red eyes boring into his own. There were traces of fogginess in them. “You’ve been asleep for two days.” The boy muttered. Brushing his hand against Kacchan’s cheek, Deku took in their surroundings. They were definitely in a hospital room. Or at least, he thought that was the case until he eyed a snoozing Recovery Girl in the far corner, and a (basically unconscious) Shouto in the chair beside them, sleeping in a way that was sure to give him a nasty crick in his neck. It took a moment, but he started to remember. Being taken. His father. The rescue. Kira-
“Aki!” He spurred into action, before feeling his limbs give out from beneath him. Kacchan was there, pulling Deku against his chest so that he acted as a human chair on the bed. There was an IV in Deku’s arm, the needle pulling at his skin painfully, and making him whimper a bit.
Kacchan’s eyes furrowed. “Do we need to make you resurrect again?” He asked, reaching for the back of Deku’s neck.
Deku quickly shook his head. He had to tell him. “I- I no longer have… Sensei took my quirk away. No more second chances.” Kacchan’s eyes widened before narrowing in anger. Soon, the blonde’s chin was digging into Deku’s head, his overprotective urges kicking in full force. “Where’s Aki?” He asked once Kacchan had settled.
There was a pause of silence before Kacchan muttered. “To your left, dumbass.”
Deku turned a bit to see the hospital bed right next to them. He had only glanced right before, and hadn’t caught sight of the girl lying. Aki didn’t look like she had been sleeping well. Her face was pinched with a mix of fear and pain as she tossed and turned, even while the IV stayed in place. It had layers and layers of tape on it. She had probably torn it out a few times while sleeping, if he had to guess. Her hands and wrists were wrapped in gauze, and a few butterfly stitches lined a thin gash along her cheek. What was more, was the obvious exhaustion haunting her frame. There was also a quirk suppression cuff wrapped around her upper arm. Deku winced at the sight.
Shuffling slowly, so Kacchan wouldn’t freak, he reached out towards her. Kacchan huffed and rolled his eyes as he got the signal. Putting Deku down on the bed, but keeping an eye trained on him and Shouto, he carefully maneuvered his body so that he could pick up Aki, along with all the medical equipment attached to her, and place her on the bed beside Deku. Then, with one movement, pushed them so that he could crawl in on the other side of Aki and grabbed both of them tightly. Immediately, the lines of fear and pain on Aki’s figure drained away, only leaving the exhaustion behind. Deku smiled a bit, wrapping some of his fingers around her wrist. There was a soft tug that he had always associated with her quirk curling around something warm in his chest, but it soon faded, along with some of his energy.
Exhausted himself, after being used by Aki, Deku almost missed Kacchan’s next words.
“Onee-chan and Nana are gone. They sacrificed themselves to stabilize One for All.”
Deku looked at him in confusion. “What?”
“Heard Aizawa and Aki talking a little while ago before Recovery Girl gave her something to sleep. Apparently Aki used the life force that All for One had built up with his quirk, and transferred all of it to All Might. All for One’s basically quirkless now. Serves him right.”
“His quirks gone?!” Deku gasped in surprise. Shouto made a noise at Deku’s side but was soon drifting again.
Kacchan nodded. He eyed Aki carefully. “I didn’t even know she could do that.”
“Neither did I.” Deku replied softly, brushing his fingers over Aki’s wrists. “But it makes sense. There was always something different about All for One and One for All. Those quirks were more than the usual stockpiling quirk and absorption quirk. It wouldn’t be too far off to say that One for All and All for One gained a life of their own over the last century of use.” Deku realized he was mumbling now, but Kacchan didn’t seem to be as irritated as usual, so he figured the other boy had missed him. “Aki’s quirk must have latched onto that connection when she was gradually healing All Might. Who knows?”
The thought was terrifying, and Deku was too tired to think of the implications of a power like that. Kacchan pulled Aki closer to himself, and then crowded Deku as close as he could. A callused and warm hand gripped Deku’s throat, and the boy found himself relaxing. “Thoughts for later.” He muttered, as he went lax.
Kacchan purred in agreement as the three, once again reunited, fell to sleep.
***
“How are they?” Kurogiri asked as soon as Kira and Mr. Compress returned. Kira gave him a soft, pained smile.
“They’ll be okay.” She replied. “They were resting when we left them.” Compress left them alone as Kurogiri went into a mental checklist of whether or not she was okay. She looked tired but not to a point that he should be worried. She had a few bandages on her arms and her face. She leaned against him. “Gods I’m so tired.”
“Of course you’re tired.” He wrapped his arms around her. “So you succeeded?”
She growled. “Hisashi is still out there though.” She looked at him worried.
“We’ll deal with that when we get to it. For now let’s just accept the victory we just had.”
“I can’t help but feel that this isn’t the end. Only the beginning.” Kira murmured, even as Kurogiri pulled her closer. Her eyes seemed to grow distant. “Something big is about to change. And we’ve just caught ourselves up in the middle of it.”