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Mina Ashido stumbled out of the tent, her chest tight and her breathing uneven.
The cold evening air hits her face, but it did nothing to calm the fire of panic that's burning inside her. Every sound; the shouting, the footsteps, the rustle of bandages had blurred into nothing but white noise.
'They're helping her...She's in good hands. She's going to be fine...right?'
She pressed a trembling hand against her mouth as if she could hold the sobs in, but they slipped out anyway, broken and raw. Her vision was blurred with endless tears.
'I can't...I can't see her like that...not Momo. Not her...'
She squeezed her eyes shut, but the image wouldn't fade. Seeing Momo's pale face, her trembling lips, and her hand growing colder in Mina's grasp. That smile.
That final smile.
A wave of nausea rose up, and she bent forward, gasping for air. Her heart was hammering so hard it hurts. Then, she felt someone's strong arms wrapping around her shoulders, steadying her before she could collapse.
It was Kirishima, her old friend back in middle school.
He didn't say anything at first. He just held her. It was solid, warm, and grounding her in the chaos that happening around them. Mina buried her face into his chest, clutching his tattered shirt as if it were the only thing keeping her from completely falling apart.
"I don't want her to die...I don't..." Her voice broke into fragments, each word trembling in her throat.
"I can't lose her, Kiri...I just can't..."
Kirishima's grip tightened, but he was gentle since he didn't want to hurt her injured arm. His own tears silently sliding down from his cheeks.
"She'll be okay," he said, though his own voice quivered, betraying the lie. "She's strong. you both are."
Mina wanted to believe him. She wanted to cling to the hope that Momo would somehow walk out of that tent smiling, calling her name like nothing happened. But hope felt like a cruel joke right now.
'what if that was the last time she looked at me? The last time she said my name?'
The thoughts sliced through her chest.
The tent flap opened behind them. Jirou stepped out slowly, her face pale and streaked with tears. She didn't have to say a word. The look in her eyes was enough. That silent fear, that hollow ache that told Mina everything that she didn't want to hear.
Jirou came closer and leaned into Kirishima's side, one hand brushing Mina's arm. The three of them stood there in silence, surrounded by the sounds of chaos and life and loss.
Mina closed her eyes and whispered, her voice still shaking.
"please, momo...please come back to me..."
The paramedics came out of the tent. They moved quickly, carrying a stretcher between them. The sight made Mina's stomach drop.
"Momo..." She whispered, stepping forward before Kirishima instinctively reached for her arm.
Her body froze.
Momo's body was almost unrecognizable beneath the tangle of wires, tubes, and blood-stained gauze. A small machine clung to her like fragile lifelines, blinking and beeping with an eerie, artificial rhythm. Her chest rose and fell weakly with the help of a respirator, the faint mechanical hiss filling the air around them.
"No! No, No, No!!" She tried to pull free from Kirishima's grip, but he held her close, forcing her to look away.
"Let go of me! She needs me!! She...she..."
He shook his head, his voice low but firm.
"Mina, please. Don't look."
But it was too late.
The image had already carved itself deep into her mind. Mom's pale skin, her lips tinted blue, her body still except for the forced, mechanical breathing.
Mina's knees buckled, but Kirishima caught her before she hits the floor. He held her tightly against his chest as the paramedics rushed past them toward the waiting ambulance.
'she's still alive,' Mina thought. 'She's still breathing. That means she's okay. She has to be okay...'
But her inner thoughts wouldn't stop.
What if she doesn't wake up? What if this is the last time I ever see her eyes open? What if the last thing she remembers is me crying? What if she thinks I wasn't strong enough to save her?
Her breathing quickened and the edges of her vision began to blur.
You're supposed to be a hero, Mina...Heroes don't fall apart...Heroes don't freeze...So why can't you move? Why can't you breathe?
"Mina...hey, hey look at me." Kirishima's voice broke through the storm. His hands cupped her face gently, forcing her to meet his tear-filled eyes.
"She's still fighting, okay? She's not gone."
But the words barely reached her. Her thoughts had already spiraled beyond his reach.
Momo's fighting alone...And I can't do anything...I can't save her...I can't...
Her body trembled uncontrollably.
Every breath came out like a sob. she pressed her forehead against Kirishima's shoulder, trying to hold herself together, but she felt like she was already shattering.
Jirou came closer to them, watching helplessly as the ambulance doors slammed shut and the siren wailed into the distance.
For a long time, none of them spoke.
All Mina could think about was the sound of that machine breathing for Momo.
please come back to me...I-I can't live without you...
It was close to midnight when they finally reached to the dorms. Mina's body felt heavy, every step echoing in her mind like a remainder of what she'd seen. From the wires wrapped around Momo's body to hearing the machine that was keeping her alive.
She asked her teacher if she could go to the hospital and see Momo, but Aizawa warned her that it will be a long while before Momo's out of surgery, not to mention that all the students were required to stay inside their dorms for safety reasons. As she was barely out of her homeroom's teacher's office, she saw Jirou making her way to the elevator. Jirou waited for the door to open when she felt someone gently grabbing her sleeve. She turned out, seeing her pink-skinned friend standing there, head down, and her arms shivering.
"Mina?"
"I don't want to be alone..." Mina whispered, her voice barely audible. Jirou nodded, gripping onto Mina's hand in return.
The two girls sat in Mina's dimly lit room, surrounded by silence that pressed down like a weight. Jirou's eyes were red, her face pale and tired. Mina sat by the window, staring blankly at the moonlight spilling across the floor.
Neither of them spoke.
After a long while though, Jirou quietly stood and walked to the desk. She turned on the small radio and let it play. The music was slow and soft; it was enough for them to feel slightly at ease. Mina closed her eyes for a moment, trying to focus on the rhythm instead of the sound of Momo's breathing machine echoing in her memory.
"...Jirou?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah?" Jirou looked over her shoulder.
"What happened...after we left the tent?" Mina's voice shook, barely holding together. "I-I saw her in the ambulance, but before that...what did they do?"
Jirou froze.
She wanted to tell her it wasn't important, that it didn't matter anymore. But one look at Mina's face, seeing the desperation in her eyes, she knew that she can't lie to her.
"They..." Jirou began, her throat tightening. "They...they almost lost her."
Mina turned to her slowly, eyes wide, a soft sound catching in her throat.
"When the doctors came inside, her heart stopped..." Jirou continued. "They used the defibrillator...I-I saw her body jolt when they shocked her...I couldn't stay after that."
For a long moment, there was only the quiet hum of the radio. Mina shook her head, covering her face with her bandaged hands.
"I shouldn't have asked..." Mina whispered. "I didn't...I didn't want to know that..."
Jirou crossed the room and knelt beside her, gently taking Mina's hand in both of hers.
"She's strong," Jirou reassured her. "She isn't going to leave us. Not after everything we've been through."
Mina looked up at her, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.
"H-how would you know?" She asked.
Jirou hesitated, her lips trembling.
"...I don't," She admitted quietly, "But I have to believe it...I have to..."
Mina's hands tightened around hers, the smallest sign of gratitude passing between them. Jirou helped her lie down on the bed, staying close as Mina shifted, resting her head gently on Jirou's lap.
The two sat there in silence, the soft melody of the radio weaving through the room at a steady, and calm manner, almost like a heartbeat.
Jirou's fingers brushed absently through Mina's pink curls, a quiet comfort neither of them had the words for.
Mina's eyes fluttered closed, her breathing finally slowing, her hand still holding onto Jirou's.
The next morning came too soon.
The faint light of dawn crept through the curtains, tracing pale lines across the floor. Mina stirred, her head still resting on Jirou's laps who's also sleeping. For a moment, she forgot where she was as well as forgetting the heaviness pressing down on her chest. But then, the memories came flooding back.
Momo.
She sat up suddenly, her breath catching which caused Jirou to wake up all startled.
"Mina?" She spoke, but Mina's already standing and heading out the door. "Mina?!"
"I need to know!"
Moments later, she was in the hallway, still in her wrinkled clothes from the night before. She nearly collided with Aizawa as he came around the corner, his phone still in his hand and his expression unreadable like always.
"Sensei..." He looked at her for a long moment, seeing the desperation in her eyes.
"Ashido." He spoke, his tone low but firm.
"Is she okay?" She asked, her throat tightened. Aizawa took a deep breath as he stood closer to her.
"I know Momo means a lot to you..." He began.
"Please tell me..." Mina's eyes filled with tears. He crouched down so their eyes meet.
"They've done everything they can, but the damage was already done."
Mina shook her head violently, her curls falling into her tear-streaked face.
"No...No, please, she can't..."
"Listen," He tells her, trying to find the right words so he wouldn't upset her. "They believe that...she'll pass on at any moment."
The world went silent.
Mina stumbled backward, her hands trembling. Then suddenly she began pushing at his chest.
"You're lying! You're lying!!" Aizawa caught her before she could fall. His arms wrapped around her, firm but gentle, grounding her just enough to keep her from collapsing entirely.
"I'm sorry, Ashido." He murmured. Her sobs tore through the quiet hallway, raw and breaking. She clutched his suit desperately, her voice splintering with every word.
"Please...let...let me see her...please sensei...I can't...I can't just sit here...I need to see her..."
"It's not safe right now," Aizawa reminded her.
"I don't care," Mina whispered, her voice shaking. "Please...just one more time..." For a long moment, he said nothing. She thought that her teacher was gonna give her another lecture about safety protocol, but then he exhaled.
"...I'll take you."
Mina's eyes widened. She nodded quickly, wiping at her tears even as more fell. Aizawa let's go of her, pulled out a small tissue bag and hands it to her. She graciously took it and wiped her tears away.
The hospital was cold.
Every step down the hallway echoed. Aizawa stopped at the last door, the one at the end of the corridor where the lights seemed dimmer, softer somehow. Mina stood frozen in front of it, her hand hovering inches from the handle.
Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. She didn't want to see what's inside, but she couldn't just walk away.
'Be strong, Ashido...' Mina thought, taking a few deep breaths. When she finally pushed the door open, the faint beeping of machines filled the room. Momo lay still beneath the sheets, her skin extremely pale, her chest rising and falling in a weak, mechanical rhythm.
Mina stepped forward slowly, her legs shaking until she reached the beside. She sank into the chair, her trembling hand finding Momo's.
It was cold, but it was still hers.
For a while, she couldn't speak. She just watched her, memorizing every line of her face, the many waves of her jet-black hair, and the small scars on the bridge of her nose.
"do you remember...when we tried to bake cookies for the class?" Mina finally spoke, her voice soft. "You said you'd follow the recipe exactly...even Sato showed us how to...and somehow we still burned them..." A small, broken laugh escaped her.
"You looked so embarrassed...but you still smiled anyway..." Her voice wavered as she went on, words kept spilling out in uneven fragments. All the memories, the confessions, pieces of her heart laid bare.
She talked about their first training session, the school festival, even the long nights of studying in the common room.
And then...
"I-I think I loved you from the start..." Her thumb brushing over Momo's knuckles. "...you were so calm, so confident...I just wanted to be near you...I wanted to make you smile..."
She leaned closer as the tears were dripping onto the sheet.
"I wanted us to work together...to grow old together...I wanted a life with you, Momo...I still do..."
She waited for an answered, but she knew that the response would never come. Mina bowed her head, shoulders shaking.
"Please...please don't leave me..."
The only sound was the slow, steady beep of the monitor.
But then...
*beep stops*
Mina's head snapped up, panic started rising.
"No! No, please!"
The flatline cut through the air. She pressed her forehead to Momo's hand, sobbing uncontrollably.
"No... not like this..."
*beep*
The machine flickered. The line pulses again...it was slow, but alive.
"Momo?" her breath hitched. She felt something moving. she looked and saw it.
Momo's fingered twitched, barely, but enough for Mina to feel it. Her eyes widened, tears still falling.
"...Momo?"
"...Mina..."