Work Text:
In the vicinity of the wasted battlefield, lying alone on the battered grass, laid Nemuri Kayama - the R-rated Hero Midnight. Her cold, lifeless body with mud smeared on her figure, rested in a pool of her own crimson as the world moves on. As pigeons soar across the vast sky and as the conflict between heroes and villains rages on, she closes her eyes for one last time.
Even though she was violently murdered, why was she smiling? Why did the pro hero, though beat up with blood spilling out of the corners of her mouth, still look so beautiful even in death? War is not gentle. War is cruel - the bruises and cuts on her body prove it. So why did she wear the kindest smile as she took her last breath?
Her smile did not falter even as Ashido shook her lifeless body, begging to the merciless sky above for a sign that Nemuri was still alive, that maybe, just maybe, she was only injured and will come back and continue teaching class soon. Her eyes did not twitch open even as Yaoyorozu and Kirishima sobbed and wailed at the sight of their teacher's dead body.
She was flirtatious and playful to an uncomfortable extent, but at heart, she was truly kind. She helped her students choose their hero names, pushing them to be their truest selves. She was a dear friend to many; she's laughed with them, she's grieved with them. She took care of Sushi the Cat after Oboro's passing, even when she herself was still mourning. But at the end of the day, none of that mattered. She was another statistic, one more grave, another number that will eventually be forgotten by the masses.
She was loved by everybody, and she loved everyone as well. So why did she die alone, with not even a hand to comfort her as she took her last breaths?
Now, who will bury her body? Who will attend her funeral? Who will take in Sushi the Cat and tell him that no, Nemuri wasn't coming back? Who will visit her grave, even after years have passed and people have forgotten what her voice sounded like?
The day Nemuri Kayama died, the winter sun glowed unlike any other day. In the end, the sun shone the brightest the day the moonlight cut the night sky for the last time.