Chapter Text
For a moment, Izuku could not quite grasp the situation he was in. His body felt so relaxed and weightless like never before, as he was looking up to the sky, thinking that this was the most beautiful view he has ever seen in his life – yellow, pink, and orange colors melted together endlessly on the horizon, as the sun was ready to slowly settle down.
He felt a nice, cooling breeze on his exhausted body, it calmed his mind to the point that he felt almost tranquil. His eyes were slightly open, his vision was a little blurry - he was barely conscious and he felt very comfortable with this feeling.
The only thing that ruined this peaceful moment was the rustling sound of the heavily blowing wind - it was so loud that it hurt his eardrums. Before he could return to his tranquil state of mind, the sudden realization forced his eyes open – he was falling from the sky and the ground underneath him was closing in at a frightening speed.
The thought of falling pierced his mind and made him gasp, his bright and green eyes widened in panic - he instinctively twisted his body to locate himself into a suitable position for landing. As the ground got closer and closer, he waited for the last moment before releasing a weak Air Force that lifted his body just enough to prevent him from crashing into the ground, but he still landed so roughly that the sudden hit took away his breath. Rocks painfully cut into his skin as he slid through the fallen debris. His body was weak and tired from the fight against Shigaraki, this Air Force was the maximum output he could force himself to gather the strength for, but it was just enough to save his life, so he was incredibly grateful for it.
But how is this possible? Did he still have One For All? Or was this the remnants of OFA’s power, a small ember like All Might’s, until it was gone?
There was no one around to catch him. He could have died from the crash, but once again - like on many occasions already - OFA saved his life.
He needed a second to process the situation. Just moments ago, he was inside the deepest parts of Shigaraki’s mind, what exactly happened there? He tried to remember, but the pain and exhaustion clouded his mind, as he was laying on the hard, cold ground. Blackwhip was not there for him anymore to support his weakened body, painful and broken from the recoil of using Gearshift and all his quirks on an extreme level.
Right, his quirks…The Vestiges. They weren’t with him anymore. The thought of this clenched his heart with loneliness, but he knew that this was the best course of action they could have taken at that moment. This way, they were able to save Shigaraki’s soul and the Vestiges can also rest in piece.
Shigaraki…Thinking about him and the feelings of their last moment was painful for Izuku. Tears slowly started to run down on his cheeks and temples.
From the corner of his eyes, he noticed a little drone flying around, its camera was focusing on him. He knew that everyone was watching, probably scared out of their minds – the least he could do was to reassure them that everything was all right, just like All Might would do. Izuku gathered all his strength, overcame his pain and very slowly got up on his feet, almost falling back to the ground once or twice in the process. After he found his balance and stood straight, he wiped off his tears, made a fist, lifted his right hand into the sky and shined the biggest and brightest smile he had ever shown to the whole world.
At that moment, it felt like he could hear the entire world cheering for him. There was no one around him, it was only a feeling, but it was more real than anything – people around the world have witnessed his battle, many of them shed tears of relief, while others cheerfully screamed at the top of their lungs – they sat aside their disagreements and differences in this memorable moment, when all of their hearts and hopes intertwined together.
And this is how Deku became the greatest hero of the world.
---
Even though Izuku was smiling, he could not stop his tears from falling. He slowly began to remember everything that had happened inside Shigaraki’s mind. This should have been the biggest victory of his life, but he could not shake off the bitter feeling of losing the Vestiges and Shigaraki. How could he be happy at this moment? Everyone must be so relieved that Shigaraki haddied, but only Izuku saw the little child deep inside him, desperately asking for help. He was a victim. A victim of the serialized incorrect decisions made by adults around him. The thought that people wished for Shigaraki’s death, and the loneliness that he must have felt in his last moments, just broke Izuku’s heart. It felt unfair that only Izuku knew the depths of his heart – the more he thought about him, the more tears he shed for him, slowly losing all his will to smile. He kneeled down onto the ground and gave into his true feelings – grief sunk deep into his heart and shook his body. He started to mourn that little boy who had no one to count on ever in his life, the boy that no one else would truly shed a tear for, other than him.
Izuku was no fool, he will never forget that Shigaraki’s merciless actions have brought death and pain on countless people. He knew that this outcome was almost inevitable, and still, he could not help but mourned the little boy - the person that he could have become if someone have held his hand and lead him on the right path from the beginning.
While they were in Shigaraki’s mind, the more Vestiges entered his soul, the younger and smaller he became. He only needed someone to hold his hand and tell him that it was not his fault – in the end, it was Izuku who held his small, fragile hands, as the chaotic world began to shatter, the little boy’s memories were all over the place around them. Tenko looked up on him with teary eyes, while Izuku felt all his feelings flow through him – he felt his immense fear from his dad; the helplessness and loneliness that came from being abandoned by his own family; the bitterness of Hana’s betrayal; the painful grief of losing everyone; the horrible, unforgivable waves of guilt that finally crashed his soul and sentenced him into madness; the hatred that he felt for everyone, but mostly for himself.
These were feelings of a 5 years old boy.
He should not have felt any of that.
He reminded him of Eri. If only someone, anyone would have found him when he needed most… everything could have turned out differently. This thought made Izuku sour. He was just a little child, who desperately needed help, but was not lucky enough to run into someone good, like Eri ran into Izuku and Lemillion on that fateful day.
He kneeled down to Tenko and hugged him to comfort him. They cried quietly together for a while, until Tenko’s breathing became even and calm. His mind started to clear up, so the world around them became lighter as well – the suffocating darkness and chaotic memories have all disappeared; the surface they stood on was like clear water, mirroring the azure sky above them. This beautiful scenery is the aftermath of the rain, a new beginning.
Tenko stepped back and smiled at Izuku, his tears stopped falling.
„Thank you!” he said gratefully. Izuku stood up, but he was still hesitating, fighting with his tears. What will happen now? He could never leave him just like that.
„Don’t worry about Tenko, 9th. He won’t be alone, never again. We will stay with him.” the familiar voice belonged to Nana Shimura. She slowly appeared behind Tenko and gently put her hand on her grandchild’s shoulder. „I can’t thank you enough” she said, looking at Izuku with a heartfelt smile, tears falling from her eyes. Izuku understood what will happen to Tenko and this was the only way to save him – but it still hurt him all the same.
Soon after seventh, all the Vestiges appeared one by one and all of them stood behind Tenko, smiling.
„I am so proud of you, Izuku Midoriya! You became a true hero!” Yoichi said with a bright smile. As all of the Vestiges came together, they all helped to cheer up Izuku and ensure Tenko that they will never leave him, whatever happens. The thought of it lightened Izuku’s heart.
„Will I ever see you again?” Izuku asked, with a little hope in his voice.
Yoichi’s gentle smile and everyone’s sudden silence was enough to understand. He obviously knew that they will be gone once they succeed – the Vestiges deserved to rest in piece after all. He already knew the answer when he asked it, but he was still a sixteen years old boy and his heart could hardly accept the truth. That this journey has come to an end. That his trusted mentors won’t be able to guide him anymore. He felt a little lost at this moment, as he was staring on the ground, and his expression became darker.
Yoichi broke the silence, as if he had heard Izuku’s thoughts and his doubts, aimed against himself. „You are the greatest hero of the world! Don’t ever forget that our quirks were only tools – you were the one who used them in a way that lead you to victory.” he said with an encouraging smile, stepped closer to Izuku and put his hand on his chest, just above his heart.
Banjo also had something to say. „We were only mentoring you, ultimately it was your own heart, feelings and decisions that made you a true hero.”
„You are very talented, never ever second-guess yourself, 9th. You used empowered Gearshift like you were born with it, then found a way to move despite the harsh recoil. It was astonishing.„ - This calm voice belonged to the second user, Kudo. Izuku’s heart filled with joy – Kudo never really flat-out complimented him before like this.
„You also mastered Fa Jin in mere minutes. I was a little offended to be honest, I thought it would take a little more time at least.” Bruce was not the type to make jokes, it seemed like he was really trying to enlighten the mood. The atmosphere of farewell lingered in the air – it made everyone emotional, even him.
„Also, All Might is still outside, waiting for your return. You won’t be left without a mentor!” En said with a smile, pointing at the direction of All Might’s Vestige who was crying with incredibly huge crocodile tears. It was funnily similar to Izuku’s face right now, with the same huge tears falling.
This scene made everyone laugh a bit.
„Like master, like student!” Nana added with a smile, still holding Tenko close to her. His little eyes curiously travelled around between them, listening to their conversation. It was a heartwarming sight, he becoming the innocent, curious child, that he was supposed to be. Despite the sadness of letting everyone go, he was really happy that he could be the one who took his hand and showed him the right path in the end.
„And don’t forget about your amazing friends either.” Shinomori added. „This generation of young heroes is truly a blessing for the society. You will need all their strength to build the trust back up that was lost in the heroes in the past few months. And you won’t have to do it alone.”
Shinomori’s statement raised a question in Izuku that was flickering in the back of his mind for a while now.
„But…how can I continue to be a hero, without a quirk?” he asked. Saying goodbye to the Vestiges meant that he had to say goodbye to OFA...right?
„This power is something that you have mastered on a level that none of us has ever before. It would be cruel to take away it now, would not it?” Yoichi asked with a playful smile. Izuku seemed a little confused, so Yoichi approached the topic differently. „You know, One For All was not really anyone’s quirk to begin with. It was a mutation, the result of the fusion of my own quirk and the stockpiling quirk I have received from my brother. We all received it and passed it on to someone we trusted, and handled it as a tool to defeat AFO. But you, Izuku Midoriya, once swore that you will make this quirk into your own, and you succeeded. You are the last user of OFA and no one can use it better than you!„ - he said with a reassuring smile. What he said made some sense, but it was still too good to be true. Izuku’s mind was filled with happiness. Can he really keep this power?
They couldn’t talk for too long – Izuku noticed that the Vestige’s bodies have already started to slowly fade away. The final goodbye’s time has come.
He looked at them with determination in his eyes, then they nodded at each other - he was ready to let go of them and stand on his own, even if it hurt him.
The Vestiges turned away and slowly walked away on the clear water surface. Tenko looked back at Izuku once more, and that moment Deku exactly knew what he needed to do. He didn’t cry – his wide smile was reassuring, bright and honest, something that this boy would have deserved to see all his life. Tenko smiled back with a bright smile and disappeared slowly, along with the Vestiges.
In the end, Izuku has gained understaing of Shigaraki’s heart and the deepest of his feelings. He desperately wanted to belong, he followed All For One and lead the League of Villains – to belong somewhere. In his last moments, Izuku felt the only positive feeling that resided in Shigaraki’s heart, and that was the connection and affection he felt for his comrades – he really did like them and wanted for their wishes to come true.
Before this world started falling apart, he heard two distant voices talking, but he could not quite catch what they were talking about.
„Are you sure? You really outdid yourself, you deserve some peace. Believe in him!”
„I do believe in him! But another 60-70 years would not make such a difference, right? He is the last OFA user, after all!”
Izuku could only understand half of it, they were too far to understand.
„Fine. Good luck! Take care of him! I will see you on the other side, when the time comes.” this gentle voice unmistakably belonged to Yoichi.
As a familiar figure started to reappear in the distance, the clear water surface suddely shattered into thousands of pieces, and Izuku fell into the nothingness.
---
As Izuku slowly came to remember everything, he suddenly felt an excited joy in his chest.
„Banjo!” Izuku shouted happily. He tried to use Blackwhip – a not too long, quite weak whip flickered out of his hands. Yes, it was weak, because his body was exhausted – but it was definitely there! He came back to support him even if it meant that he needs to wait for so many years to finally have his well-deserved peace. Izuku’s heart was filled with so much gratitude. „Thank you!” his eyes were all teary again.
„Hey boy, how can you cry this much? Even I have a headache now.” Banjo asked playfully, but his voice was full of care. „Of course I stayed. I want to see this through!” he said and laughed. He could not help himself, he needed to stay. Somehow it felt right – Izuku emitted this weird „good son” aura, he kind of felt like he is a son to him in a way. Banjo knew that All Might feels the same way. They are both proud of him and they want to see how his life’s course will change in the future, even if he becomes such a wonderful hero that he won’t even need guidance anymore. But for now, he was only an emotional 16 years old, who held his relationships close to his heart and the thought of being there for him and support him made Banjo happy, too.
Izuku wiped off his tears and smiled. Not losing OFA was already a miracle, but having Banjo and Blackwhip by his side again is just too good to be true. His heart suddenly started to be filled with hope.
He didn’t simply want to build back the hero society. He wanted to reform and rebuild it from its very base, shake its core and not only become the Symbol of Peace, but build up something that would never, ever allow something that happened to Tenko. He was sure that it would be incredibly hard to prevent something like this from happening, but he had already formed some vague ideas about how the whole system could be improved. Maybe heroes and the government could pay more attention to orphanages and children overall. Maybe they could visit them more often, hold thorough quirk counseling, help children to explore their own powers and the endless possibilities that come with them. Since Izuku met All Might, Aizawa and the other wonderful teachers and heroes, he has already learned way more about quirks and other important things, than ever before in 14 years. This should not only be a privilige to hero course students, everyone could highly benefit of it to aim for a better future together, filled with people who are more satisfied with their lives, quirks and choices.
It was only a naive wishful thinking from his part right now, but he truly believed that it could become possible, if they put enough thinking and hard work into it.
People’s view about the villains also could be changed. He wanted to listen to the villain’s stories and understand their point of view and the reasoning behind their actions. His positive thinking was naive, he knew that, but he was not a fool. He gets that there were truly awful villains, such as AFO and Muscular, who just enjoyed other’s suffering. He knew that there are people whose actions are irredeemable – still, he believed that most people are just misunderstood and if someone took the time to listen to them, maybe they would decide to change their ways of living.
He could not do it alone, he needed brave, strong and open minded friends and heroes to make his newfound dream come true. After their talk in U.A., he knew that Uraraka felt the same, as him. She also thought that under the villain mask, they are just people, wanting to be heard and understood. Izuku was hoping that there are more people like Uraraka out there. Her kindness is so amazing…
Uraraka! He suddenly realized that the war was not over with Shigaraki’s death. His friends were still out, fighting for their and everyone else’s life. He desperately wanted to know is everyone was all right. Last time he saw them, Bakugo and All Might were badly injured. And he left Uraraka and Asui with Toga Himiko – she was already dangerous by herself, but with Twice’s quirk, the danger multiplied significantly. He wanted to help, but for the first time ever in his life, he understood that he was truly at his limit, this fight with Shigaraki took a toll on him, physically and mentally as well. He was surprised that he had not lost his conciousness already, given the shape he was in. All he could do for his friends at the moment, was believing in them with all his heart.
He heard an air ambulance approaching. It took mere minutes for them to reach him, so they must have been relatively close by. It warmed his heart, as it was really dangerous to be around here, while they were fighting with Shigaraki, however they still sticked around, just in case.
He was thankful when the medical experts picked him up. They looked so relieved and grateful. He insisted that he can walk, so they just helped him inside the helicopter without putting him on a stretcher.
„Thank you for your hard work! We will take you to the closest hospital.”
„By any chance, do you know the U.A. students wherabouts or if they are all right?” Izuku asked.
The medic apologetically smiled, unfortunately he didn’t know. Of course, it is not like U.A. students were all known, but he was hoping for a little information. He was certain that in the hospital he will get a clearer picture how the others are doing.
As Izuku looked out of the window while the helicopter took off, he noticed that Shigaraki’s body had entirely disappeared. It made him remember that while he was falling, he saw Shigaraki falling as well – but his body never reached the ground. It looked like as if his body was destroyed by his own quirk, Decay, but deep inside Izuku knew that it was not the case. In the end, Tenko let all the Vestiges enter his already overengineered body. That body was already only moving because his immense hatred made it move, but once he let go of his hatred and opened up his heart to truly feel his other feelings, his body could not handle it anymore and crumbled away with a peaceful expression on his face.
Izuku will never forget what happened today. Most people won’t find forgiveness in their hearts, but he wanted to let everyone know what led Tenko to live his life like this. He knew that Shigaraki’s actions were unforgivable and there were so many lost lives and this fact cannot be changed. However he wanted to open up the people’s heart and influence their view about struggling people in their society. He became so impatient, thinking about the future and the possibilities that laid around them, waiting to be taken and open up a new path for everyone.
Nighteye told Izuku that he had already changed his own future. Together with Bakugo, they have changed All Might’s future as well. If everyone works together, they will definitely reach their goal together!
His train of thought stopped when he heard the medical dispatcher talking on the radio. She asked for all the available medical units to head to the location that sustained the heaviest damage. Izuku’s stomach twitched with anxiety when he heard that they were talking about Okuto Island – that was the place where he left Uraraka and the others with Toga.
He immediately spoke up. „Can we go there, please?”
The medics were confused. Izuku was injured himself, and the location was quite far away, even with a helicopter.
„We can’t take you there, you need immediate medical attention. The closest hospital is just some miles away.”
„Please!” he begged, distressed. „They need more help over there, than me. I am fine. Really! I can still fight!” he said. The medics looked at each other, confused and unsure what to do. Given their profession, they didn’t really believe that he could still fight in that state, he seemed quite roughed up. But it would not be the first time that this kid got back up on his feet and fought with everything he had, even when he was in a bad shape, and they knew that already by watching his battle against Shigaraki.
„Fine, we will take you there, but only in one condition – you cannot fight. It is clear that you can barely stand on your feet in that state. We will only pick up the injured people and get out of there. Do you understand?” he asked. It really was not something they should do as medical professionals, but this kid was the one who saved everyone and shown the world that there is still hope. He was not in immediate danger, but if they immediately headed to the location without any detours, they might be able to get there just in time and save someone else’s life.
„Yes!” Izuku said without hesitation. He felt a little guilt, since he knew himself enough that he could never sit back and not fight when he saw anyone close to him in danger, but his concern for his friends laid way heavier on his heart, than his guilt about his lie.
During the flight, he received traditional medical care, as he didn’t have enough stamina to be treated with a healing quirk. It was just enough to make him feel a little better, but he felt ashamed for being this weak, after saying that he can still fight. Right now, he felt like he could lose his conciousness at any moment.
It didn’t take too long to get there, but for Izuku, it felt like an eternity. He could not help but thinking about what he could have done better. Maybe it was a mistake to let Toga Himiko go on a rampage with Twice’s quirk? And there were Nomus around as well…But if he didn’t leave, All Might would have died and maybe Bakugo too, or even more heroes. But even Hawks found Twice so dangerous that he had to make that impossible decision to eliminate him. But Uraraka looked so determined to face Toga herself – it was her battle, just like Izuku had his own with Shigaraki, it was meant to be, he had to respect Uraraka’s wish when she sent him away. Even though…did he make the wrong decision when he left them? How bad was the damage anyway? Did anyone die?
His thoughts hurled like a hurricane in his mind. He needed to know what had happened.
Looking out of the window just increased his worries. The damage was heavy indeed, even from that height he could see so many bodies lying around, some only injured, some seemed like they would never wake up anymore. Rubbles and pieces of buildings were scattered all around, the ground was destroyed, leaving dangerous gaps everywhere. Heroes were desperately running around, trying to save as many as possible, some medical tents were already set up. In the distant crowd, between the small figures, he was desperately searching for pink or green costumes. It didn’t take Izuku too long to notice that some people were stuck under debris, however he didn’t see anyone floating them away. His anxiety became overwhelming. The damaged area was pretty big… maybe he just didn’t catch sight of them yet, or they attended the wounded in the tents, he hoped.
The helicopter circled around a bit, it was hard to find a suitable spot to carefully land on the destroyed ground, but close enough to pick up the injured people. Other medical units were closing in too, searching for clear spots to land on. Deku spotted a little green figure, jumping out of one of the tents and before he knew it, he was already almost out of the helicopter’s open door. Izuku apologetically looked back at the medic who asked him not to make reckless decisions. His name tag said „Aoki”.
„Thank you Aoki, I really appreciate that you have brought me here. Please take care of the others, they need your help more, than me!” he said, then he jumped out. They were still quite high – in order to land safely, Izuku binded Blackwhip to the helicopter’s landing skid and descended rapidly. Once it was safe enough, he drew his Blackwhip back and jumped off. Before he could have reached Asui, he met with Gang Orca, who also seemed quite roughed up, but alive. He noticed Izuku as well.
„Deku!” Orca stopped him. „Should not you be at a hospital? You don’t look so well.”
„I am fine, really. Is the war still ongoing? I need to know if the others are okay…”
„I know that the war is finally over here, around the Central Hospital and in Camino ward. Shigaraki’s defeat made many of the villains retreat. It is all thanks to you, Hero.„ - he bowed down a bit, showing his gratitude and respect. Deku was awkwardly scratching the back of his head, not really knowing how to respond. This heartfelt gratefulness somehow made Izuku feel sheepish and blushy. He could not handle compliments well, and Gang Orca was one of the most amazing heroes out there. Did Izuku really deserve something like a bow?
He still didn’t quite understand that defeating Shigaraki was not just a simple accomplishment, it was the greatest deed since the dawn of quirks and heroes. Shigaraki was not only a danger to Japan – his existence was threatening to the whole world. Given Izuku’s young age and being quirkless for 14 years, this achievement was even more astonishing.
Shigaraki was an opponent that everyone feared in the world after Star’s death. Before Star’s sacrifice, some countries didn’t really take the danger seriously, but America’s number one hero had lost her life against him and that opened up everyone’s eyes across the world. The loss was still immeasurable, but without Deku, the damage would be frighteningly unimaginable.
„Unfortunately, I have no information about your friends’ well-being. We need to attend the wounded here, but I will make sure to let you know if I get any information about them.”
Asui must have noticed him already, because she was jumping towards them in haste.
„Take care of Deku, Froppy. He also needs medical attention.” Gang Orca and Deku nodded at each other as a momentary goodbye, then Orca returned to his rescue duties.
„Midoriya!” she croaked happily. Seeing her friend in one piece again eased her worries, but Asui’s eyes were still filled with concern. „I was so worried, ribbit! I could not watch your fight, but I heard that you have won, I am so relieved!” she said with a gentle smile, tears popping up on the corner of her eyes. Izuku felt the same, he was so relieved to see her with slight injuries.
„I am happy to see you too, Tsuyu!” maybe this was the first time, when Izuku could call Asui on her nickname without feeling embarassed. He was too serious right now to notice it. „Where is Uraraka? Do you know what happened to the others?”
Tsuyu’s expression became darker, and her tears grew bigger.
„I…she...” she could not really find the right words. Usually she was a very calm and collected person, but right now she felt like the whole world’s weight was lying on her shoulders, seeing her friend in a near-death state like that, having to deal with her own fear, the deaths around her, the war and the horrible consequences of it. It took a moment for her to gather her thoughts, but then she regained her composure and continued. „She lost a lot of blood and her life was in danger. They took her to the closest hospital not a long time ago, but I haven’t heard anything since.” as she saw the terrified expression of Deku, she was not sure if this was the right moment to tell him, given Izuku’s and Ochaco’s relationship. Asui knew that they were very close friends, important for each other, but she still had to be honest with her friend. She knew exactly that he would blame himself for leaving them, but it really had nothing to do with him. If anyone was to blame, Asui felt like it should be her – she could not be there for Ochaco, she was not strong enough to defend her. It also pained her that she could not go with Ochaco to the hospital, but she was needed here to continue the rescuing and help as much people as possible. After a horrible war like this, everyone had their own demons and regrets right now, even the calm and kind Asui.
At first, Izuku was not sure if he heard Asui properly. He needed a moment to process the information. Uraraka? She lost a lot of blood? Her life was…is in danger? Suddenly he felt horribly dizzy, almost falling over. He needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible. He needed to know if she was all right.
He suddenly remembered their last conversation. It was not the last…right? He still needed to tell her so many things, and he wanted to listen to her too…There was so much that they could share with each other. Izuku felt like his heart is being ripped apart. The events of this day started to be too heavy for him, he could not handle another loss, not like this, not her. Before his shaky hand could reach his aching heart, the emotional and physical exhaustion finally brought him down and everything went black.
-----
The next time he opened his tired eyes, he was on a stretcher that was being pushed by none other than Aoki, the kind medic from the helicopter. He gently smiled when he noticed that Izuku was awake. „See? I told you to be careful. But don’t worry, everything will be all right!” – Aoki said, trying to reassure him. Izuku was not entirely awake yet, he was falling in-and out of consciousness. He remembers seeing a lot of injured poeple in the hospital, mostly heroes, but there were a lot of civilians too, people who refused to go to the designated shelters in time. He heard cries around them – caused by pain, mourn and loss. The aftermaths of this war was truly a horrible sight to see and he didn’t even get to see everyhing yet. He saw a nurse who carefully covered a still body with a sheet - he was dead. And that was the last thing Izuku saw, before the exhaustion took over his body once again and forced him back into unconsciousness.
It took Izuku 3 hours to wake up again. His body needed more rest than this, but his mind must have been so restless that it forced him to wake up. He was in a hospital bed, his body was fairly bandaged and he was surrounded by other beds and patients. Looking out of the window, he noticed that it was already dark outside. Hearing a familiar voice entirely woke him up, clearing his mind of the momentary fog.
„You are awake.”
„Aizawa sensei!” Izuku’s eyes immediately teared up, seeing his teacher relatively unscathed.
When Aizawa heard about Uraraka, he made sure that Bakugo and Todoroki were in good hands and immediately headed to this hospital. He needed to be there for his student and provide information to her family as well, since they could not get here yet. Thankfully all his other students seemed to be all right, having to deal with slight injuries, but knowing that one of his students’ life was in danger, almost suffocated him. Aizawa felt powerless and angry for a moment, but he needed to set aside these feelings to be there for his students in this critical period and provide support. By the time he reached the hospital, he got information that Deku had been hospitalized here, too.
„Call me Eraser Head out of school. How are you feeling, Deku?” To be fair, Deku didn’t look quite good, but Aizawa was more concerned about the boy's feelings than his body. He knew exactly that he was a really emotional kid – having to deal with Shigaraki alone…it must be a huge deal to him. He was so proud, but concerned at the same time. He also felt a lingering shame inside of him - as an adult and a pro hero, but most importantly as the kids' mentor and teacher, he could not be any more of help to them. All the adults around Deku could only provide emotional support in the last months, but in the end, it was this young boy’s responsibility to deal with something that the adults should have been able to.
Deku didn’t answer his question. „How long was I asleep? What happened to Uraraka, is she here? I heard that she is in danger. And the others? All Might?” he asked with desperation in his voice.
Aizawa was not exactly happy that Deku knew about Uraraka’s situation. The boy tended to think about everyone else other than himself, overshadowing his own health. He should be focusing on his own emotional and physical healing now.
But Aizawa knew that it would be very unfair to handle him as a child now, by hiding the truth, after everything that happened - his childhood was long gone by now, having to face those impossible responsibilities.
„Your classmates are fine. They are slighlty injured or executing rescue procedures out there. Bakugo’s injury would have been deadly, but Edgeshot’s interference saved his life. Todoroki’s injuries are serious, but he will be fine, he is already taken care of in the central hospital. All Might is also there. Uraraka is alive, she is here in this hospital.” Aizawa hesitated for a moment, then he continued. „But before you do anything reckless, you need to know that we can’t visit her.” he said.
Deku’s silent observation made him realize that he won’t just drop this topic, he wanted to know exactly what had happened, so he continued with a sigh. „She got stabbed in her abdomen. She lost a lot of blood.” saying it out loud and seeing the pained expression on Izuku’s face made him sad, but he continued. This is the least he could do for him, he deserved to know the truth. „According to the witnesses’ report, Toga Himiko used her blood to keep Uraraka alive, until medical help arrived to the scene. They could not save Toga Himiko’s life, though.”
„Why can’t we visit her?" Izuku asked. He knew something was off – she was alive, but Aizawa still hadn't reassured him. There had to be a reason for that.
„She is still in ICU. They performed an emergency surgery on her and she is under intensive care. This first night will be critical. We can’t enter the room.”
Izuku’s heart painfully ached. He was speechless for a moment, trying to process everything he heard. Bakugo almost died, and Uraraka’s life is still in danger.
„Her parents… Are they with her?” he asked.
Aizawa shook his head. „No, they could not get here yet, given the circumstances. Villains are still lurking out there, and most of the transportation routes are destroyed.” Aizawa knew it was unfair. They can’t in good conscious let them wander here by their own, but they just don’t have enough resources to escort them here. People are still in danger out there and they need to focus all their resources to save as many people as possible.
„I keep them posted.” he added.
Izuku felt sorrowful. Not only she was in danger, but no one was there with her. Who knows what will happen? She is a wonderful person, she really didn’t deserve this. He can’t let her go through this alone.
„I need to see her.”
„Deku…”
„Please!” he begged. He knew that it was unfair to ask his teacher for this – he knew exactly that he was incredibly selfish, and it was an impossible request. Hospitals were very strict when it came to visitor rules. But maybe…maybe this once they will make an exception? She was a young girl, a hero, sacrificing everything to save people around her. He just could not stand the thought of her fighting for her life alone, scared and lonely.
Aizawa sighed. He felt the same as Izuku, he didn’t want to let Uraraka be alone, but he was a professional, and an adult – he could not just barge in and demand things from the doctors, right? They needed to follow the rules. But after everything that happened, why was it so hard, acting like an adult and being responsible?
Then again, this was a request from this young hero, who saved everyone selflessly and never asked for anything in return. And he could not even let himself be a little happy about his accomplishments, while worrying so much about his friends.
„I will see what I can do.”
----
Before Izuku could leave the hospital room, the nurse insisted on checking up on him, too. He was still injured and he should be resting, instead of visiting another patient. He handled pain so well that he didn’t even notice that he had some cracked and broken bones, but other than that and the painfully overused muscles, his life was not in danger. It was time – after his 3 hours of resting, they were able to finally use a cell activation quirk on him. After being treated, he still felt incredibly tired, but at least he could move around freely.
Being able to enter Uraraka’s room lifted the pain from his heart for a moment, but seeing her in that state immediately pulled him back to the cold, hard ground of reality.
She was very pale, even the little pink blushes on her cheeks have almost disappeared. Izuku always found the blushes adorable, but now they were barely even visible. Dark circles framed her eyes, painfully reminding him that her eyes were usually cheerful, bright and kind. Even when she was angry, no one could take her anger seriously, given her soft and kind features. Her weak body was surrounded by tubes and wires that kept her alive and monitored her health, next to her was a patient monitor with different values on the screen, giving off monotone, continous beeping sounds. He was clearly a layman when it comes to medical science, but even for him, her values seemed to be very low and her pulse rate was quite slow as well. Her breathing seemed to be alarmingly weak, her chest was barely rising occasionally.
Before now, Izuku never really understood what it means when someone is in a „critical condition”. The surgery went well, right? The oxygen tube helped her breathing, so why was she not breathing well? She is being stabilized now, isn’t it? So why is this happening?
It just became clear to him that her body went through a trauma, and even with outside help, maybe it won’t be able to regenerate. He sat down on the chair next to her, and turned his face back to Aizawa, who was standing in the door. Izuku’s eyes were filled with tears and desperation. „Can’t someone heal her with a quirk?” he asked.
„She doesn’t have enough stamina.” he said, then heavy silence settled between them, until a nurse arrived.
„I am sorry, but you need to leave.” she told Aizawa gently. He managed to convince the doctor to let them enter the room, as this might be her last night and it would be cruel and lonely to let her die alone. He knew that it was not professional from him, being a pro-hero and all, but he got soft when it came to his students well-being – it felt horrible to let her go in a lonely way like this, and Izuku really wanted to see her anyway.
In the end, they got permission for only one person to enter, with some conditions. Izuku could not stay for more than 1 hour, and he can’t be in the way of the medical professionals, if anything were to happen to her.
He reassuringly nodded at Deku. „Take care of her. Comfort her and talk to her.” he said, then the nurse escorted Aizawa out of the room.
„The doctor said that it might help Uraraka if someone was there with her and talked to her, even if it can’t be a family member.” she said, trying to give them a little hope. They all knew that it was an entirely unproven thing in medical science, but they are all people with emotions and hopes. „But the boy needs rest as well, he has gone through a lot in that battle. I will be back in an hour to escort him out.”
„Thank you. I appreciate your help.” Aizawa sighed then sat down on the floor in the corridor, waiting for Izuku’s return patiently. His leg started to hurt where his prosthetic leg was attached. There were no chairs around, as it was not a designated place for visitors, and the hallway needed to be clear for them to move around patients efficiently. Eventually the same nurse came back with a cup of water and gave it to Aizawa, who nodded gratefully. He was clearly very exhausted. The nurse understood that this girl is not only important to the boy inside, but for this man, too.
----
After Aizawa and the nurse left the room, Izuku wiped off his tears, however doing so was futile, as they kept flowing anyway. He gently grabbed Uraraka’s left hand, holding it in his own hands. The hospital must have been informed about her quirk, since there were band-aids around the tip of both of her index fingers, preventing her from accidentally activating her quirk in her sleep. The band-aids were probably meant for little children, as they had smiling bear figures on it.
He never really held her hands before, without gloves. She had soft skin, especially the little pads on her fingers – touching them felt nice, compared to his heavily scarred hands, which were rough and hard to the touch. Inspecting and feeling her hands made him embarassed for a second, he really should not do this without her permission.
He noticed the calluses as well - evidence of her hard work, especially when it comes to her martial arts trainings, which she never stopped practicing. Each time he saw her fight, she was ready to show-off another new, cool move. He always admired her for her enthusiasm. She was the person who didn’t only focus on the present, but the future as well, and her realistic way of thinking was really refreshing to him. Other than her quirk, she wanted to improve her body and her close combat skills as well, and doing so opened up many possibilities for her to be a formidable enemy to anyone. The thought of being beaten up by her, made Izuku smile. He was strong of course, but her technical skills were way better. They should try to fight each other some day, he could learn a lot from her. And hopefully he could be useful somehow and help her learn something new as well…
He gently squeezed her hand. Aizawa told him to talk to her. He should do that, but he was at a loss for words, what should he tell her? He wanted her to feel his presence and calm her, if somewhere deep inside she really heard him. Then suddenly he reminded himself of the reason why he wanted to become a hero in the first place.
„I’m here.” he said, just like All Might always did. „I’m here…you don’t have to worry.” he said with a quiet, comforting voice, but Uraraka didn’t respond, of course. He felt silly for a second, talking to her when she was asleep, but he quickly disposed of this feeling. What if she really heard him? This thought and the hope that came with it, burned his eyes with tears once again. He was so emotional.
At first, it felt strange talking, but soon enough he managed to open up his heart and the words just kept flowing. He recalled their best memories, the funniest, and most important moments at U.A. with the others.
„Eri was really cute in that little santa dress on Christmas. I will ask Aizawa sensei if we can take her to trick-or-treating this year. Would you like that?”
„I have to admit that I have never eaten the sticky mochi that you gave me for Christmas. It was the first present I have ever received from a precious friend, and I always wanted to remember it, so…I just could not bring myself to eat it. I know it’s silly, and you would not approve, since you love mochi.” Izuku said with a smile. That mochi must be expired by now, but it is kept safe in his drawer, next to his bed.
„Do you remember our dance practices for the School Festival? I am still surprised that I somehow managed to learn those moves. Thinking about Iida’s robotics movements are still making me laugh to this day. I am already thinking about what we should do next year. I want to know your ideas, too.”
The one hour that he could have spend with her, has long since gone. But he was still there. The nurse sometimes checked up on them – hearing him talk, his heartfelt stories made her think that he deserves to stay here and both of them needed this. He was not in the way and didn’t do anything to be in the way, so it just felt right to leave them be. She felt so sorry for these children.
Hours have passed, but Izuku didn’t even notice it. He had so much to talk about. At first, he was talking about the good memories they shared together with the class, but later on, maybe out of desperation, he started to focus on things that were the most precious to himself, those feelings which he kept the closest to his heart.
„I never told you, but meeting you at the first day, and you being kind to me made me so happy. You were the first, who actually liked me, despite me being ridiculously timid, weird and nerdy.” he chuckled softly. ”You and Iida are my first friends. I have never really had good times in my previous school…Being the successor of One For All, learning and understanding it has always given me a sense of determination of moving forward. But it was you and the others who made this path happy for me. I enjoyed every seconds I have spent with you guys and there is still so much more we have to do together!”
„You saved me so many times, I can’t even count. I remember the moment, when my Blackwhip manifested and went crazily out of control. But even then, you were there to catch me. You were so brave. Even I got really scared of my own powers, but the danger didn’t stop you from coming… I still have Blackwhip, you know… Banjo stayed with me.” – Izuku smiled.
„When you all came to get me and I finally returned to U.A….without you, I don’t think I could have done that. Come to think of it, there were so many things that I could not have done without you.”
„…You saved me twice that day, during the entrance exam, too… and not only my life. Without you, I would have failed there… you entirely turned the course of my life. You gave Deku a meaning that really changed me. And you are not even aware of how wonderful you are! Your hands and kindess are meant to save a lot more people, so please…” his hands tightened around hers once again. He cried so much today, that even if he was crying inside, his tears just stopped coming. His body and mind were so exhausted.
Despite being tired, he continued. „I heard what happened between you and Toga. We did it, you and I. We successfully reached their hearts in the end, right?” he asked with a gentle smile. „We really are oddballs. I want to tell you what happened and I want to hear your story as well, so please hang in there!”
Sometimes he checked the patient monitor, but the values remained low. He didn’t know if he was just hallucinating it or not, but her heart rate seemed to slow down even more. He looked down on the floor, his hair fell into his eyes as his expression became darker, then the room fell silent.
-----
A gentle touch on his shoulder woke him up. He must have dozed off, because the next time he opened his eyes, the sun was already rising. It was early in the morning, and he never let go of Uraraka’s hand, not even in his sleep. He also had dark circles under his eyes – he looked terrible and so sad, it broke the nurse’s heart. His whole body hurt, and sleeping on a chair didn’t help that. She handed over a cup of tea, which he accepted gratefully.
„You need to rest.” she said gently, but strictly. He was already so thankful for letting him stay for this long, he really could not cause any more problems for her. He obediently stood up from his chair and looked back at Uraraka once more. The nurse continued: „This was a critical night, and she got through it. She looks way better, and her values are higher. You are a wonderful boyfriend!” she said with a smile, trying to reassure him.
Maybe…just maybe, but her complexion really looked a little better? Her cheeks and little blushes seemed to be more pink. His overwhelmed heart lifted a little, filled with happiness and hope. Then he realized what the nurse just said. „N-no, I mean I-I am not her b-boyfr…” he could not finish his stuttering, as the nurse gently pushed him out of the room’s door.
„Shh! Get back to sleep. I need to check on her.” she said, closing the door behind him. He was still a little bit flustered, when he noticed Eraser Head, who was already waiting for him outside. He didn’t look well either - but at least he had happy news.
„Don’t worry, she won’t be alone. Uraraka’s parents will arrive in any minutes. Iida’s grandparents volunteered to escort them here. They are not active pro-heroes anymore, but it doesn’t make them any less powerful.” of course! Izuku realized, that Iida’s family is full of heroes. Maybe they are not active anymore, but Gran Torino’s example shows that even retired heroes are something to be afraid of. Uraraka’s parents are in good hands.
„Come on now, you need to rest. Looking at you makes me even more exhausted.” he said with a sigh. „And there is someone who wants to talk to you.” on their way back, looking around made Izuku feel so much better – thanks to the hard work of these amazing doctors and nurses, significantly less patients were around. The slightly injured were healed during the night, most of the heroes could return to their hero duties, the civilians were being escorted safely to the closest shelters. Walking past patients and people, Izuku started to feel like he was being stared at. He didn’t realize it yet, but everyone recognized him.
„Mom! Isn't that Deku? He has green fluffy hair and eyes, it has to be him.” a little boy asked this question, his loud voice broke the silence in the hallway. His mother gently sushed him and apologetically looked at Izuku.
„It it fine.” he kneeled down before the boy. „It makes me happy that you recognize me.” he said with a big smile. „What is your name?”
„I am Tenko!” he said with an excited voice. It was just a coincidence, but still made Izuku’s heart a little heavy.
„That is a wonderful name. I knew someone with the same name.” he smiled once again, and patted the boy’s head. It looked like his leg was a little injured. „Woah, that is why you are here? You are a true hero, handling it so bravely!”
Tenko proudly chuckled. „Yes, I can handle pain really well. Once I broke my arm, and I didn’t even cry, ya know? It is nothing, compared to that. I want to be a hero, too. A hero, like you!”
„If you want to be, you will be a hero. Never forget that!” positivity filled his voice as he held up his hand in the air, making a fist. It became their signature pose with All Might. Until yesterday, he would have felt bad for imitating him, but he wanted to become the next Symbol of Peace, and he wanted to radiate confidence and support. Tenko looked super excited - even the other patients’ eyes started to shine again. His mother gratefully smiled at Izuku.
„I hope we will get to meet again, Tenko. Take care of your mom!” he waved at the family and said goodbye. They waved back at him.
On their way back, Aizawa was smiling. Izuku looked at him curiously.
„You know, I never really approved of All Might’s flashiness, but I have always acknowledged his ways with people. Being the light of hope is necessary after all, and looking at you made me certain that you will be a great successor.” as Izuku’s eyes became teary, Aizawa sighed. „But you really need to work on that always leaking eyes of yours, you have a fountain on your neck instead of a head. People won’t be reassured if the hero who saves them cries more, than them.”
Izuku laughed and nodded. It made him feel so happy that Aizawa’s opinion about him drastically changed since the first time he met him, when he told him that he can’t become a hero with this power of his. Izuku has always looked up on his teacher, he was an amazing mentor and hero. Being complimented by him meant the world to him.
After entering a private room, he sat down on the bed. Aizawa handed over a communicator to him and then left the room, letting him talk in private. Right, he mentioned that someone wanted to talk to him…
„Hello?”
„Young Midoriya!” All Might’s familiar voice immediately warmed his heart. He was so loud that Izuku needed to turn down the volume a little. He was so excited to hear his mentor’s voice.
„All Might! How are you? Your injuries?”
„I am perfectly fine, the most important thing is your well-being now. You will need to tell me everything. But I want to talk about it in person.” Izuku realized that he didn’t even tell anyone about him losing most of his quirks yet, and the events in Shigaraki’s mind. He felt the urge to tell All Might, but it was something that they needed to discuss in person. „I am so proud of you, Young Midoriya. Your achievements are already greater than mine when I was in my prime. Never stop growing, and always do your best. You will reach heights like no one ever before!” his voice was full of pride. All Might has always believed in him, never second-guessed his choice of successor. Izuku knew that, but his words still ignited determination in his heart. He will keep going, work even harder to be stronger and he will definitely learn to use OFA at its 100% strength.
They talked for a little while. All Might informed him that his mom was all right, other than being very scared for his son’s life, she was doing okay. She really wanted to visit Deku, but since he was in good health, they convinced her that everything will be all right and Deku will return to U.A. soon, anyway. His classmates are mostly fine – they are restlessly helping out the pro-heroes. Todoroki, Endeavor and their family were badly injured in their conflict with Dabi, but they were treated well and none of their lives are in danger. The war ended finally, as the word of Shigaraki’s defeat spread across the country, the rest of the villains quickly retreated. It was surprising to see that without a leader, how fast their groups dispersed. Right now, the first priority is to find and heal people – after that, they will start planning their next move, probably aiming to catch the dangerous villains, who are still scattered across the country.
Once they hung up, Aizawa came back and handed over a sandwich and a cup of water to Izuku. He gratefully took them from him. He still didn’t feel like he could fall asleep. The momentary distraction was really helpful, but he still could not take his mind off Uraraka. He looked at the clock on the wall – it was just 8:12 am.
„Uraraka has woken up. She is fine.” he said, and Izuku was ready to get up from his bed, but Eraser Head strictly stared at him, commanding him to sit back down.
„Eat that, before you go to sleep. Your body needs nourishment, or you won’t heal completely. You can visit her later – her parents are with her, let them be together.”
The news sent Izuku into raptures. He really didn’t want to intrude, but he just could not wait to see her again. For some reason, this sandwich tasted better than anything he had ever eaten before in his life.
He lied down and suddenly felt like he was being awake for an eternity now – the exhaustion took over his body and it only took some seconds for him to finally fall asleep.