Chapter Eighty Seven

"The symbol of peace has fallen!"

The television wept for weeks while the public mourned the loss of their mighty hero. After his weakened form was exposed on live tv the number one hero retired.

The moment One for All was placed in police custody should have felt like a victory but, it felt more like the heroes won the battle but lost the war.

While the police were able to obtain dozens of Nomu, Shigaraki with the rest of the League of Villains escaped through pools of blackened water with you in hand.

All Might was beside himself while trapped inside a hospital could do nothing to aid in finding you. A tight pressure built inside his chest that inflated with every passing second.

Katsuki felt like he couldn't breathe, like his lungs had been tied off and no air could grace his body. He failed. He promised he would keep you safe, but he was too weak to prevent you from being kidnapped for a second time. His fist tightened while he laid on his back inside the stiff hospital room.

Your energy was wiped clean, your last conscious moments were inside his grasp, when you awoke only to find yourself still with the league of villains and Katsuki not there beside you...what were going to think? How would you feel?

Katsuki pulled his hands to his face, roughly rubbing his eyes forcing the tears to stay behind the barrier. While he lay inside a room filled with his parents and nursing staff, he never felt more alone and felt he needed his guard up.

For Midoriya and the other upcoming heroes from Class 1-A who snuck out to help find Katsuki and you, they felt uneasy when they returned to the students' dorms empty handed after being questioned by authorities.

"What do you mean she isn't coming home!?" Mina's eyes searched Midoriya's face. "I-Is All Might not letting her or-!?"

"That's not...I-I mean..." Midoriya stuttered, nervously rubbing the back of his neck feeling a thin layer of sweat coating his skin as he avoided Mina's woolly gaze.

"(y/n) wasn't rescued." Shoto bluntly stated, his brain throbbed inside his skull cavity.

"Not rescued?" Asui rubbed her sleep dusted eyes. "What does that mean?"

"She is still with the League of Villains." Ida gripped his fists so tight his knuckles turned white at his side.

"Why?!" Mina screeched her heart skipping a few steps. "How, I-I don't, but you were able to get Bakugo of all people!?"

"Yes."

"Why him and not her!?"

"It-It wasn't that easy-"

"So, you just grabbed the easiest-" Mina accused.

"No!" Midoriya cut, "We-I--of course I wanted to get both (y/n) and Kacchan but (y/n) was taken so fast and I-we just..."

"I-I can't believe this." Mina breathed, running her hands through her messy hair. "Where is Bakugo? What does he say about all this!? What about All Might because apparently that is who (y/n) has been living with and has been lying-!"

"(y/n) was asked-" Midoriya cut Mina off quickly taking your defense, "-to not tell anyone who she was truly living with."

"How the hell would you know that!?"

"I-I just I-I-" Midoriya sighed after a moment of rambling, feeling the effects of the day weighting him. "-I know All Might didn't want his name to affect the people she became friends with. It wasn't easy for her to lie to everyone, but (y/n) did what was asked of her."

"All Might and Bakugo are still in the hospital." Ida breathed through his nose, "They both are just as adamant on getting (y/n) back-"

"Why didn't you grab her?!" Mina shook her head, tears filling her eyes.

"Mina-" Midoriya stepped forward lightly touching her shoulder. "-we are going to get her back."

"I-I-" Mina cried into her hands.

"Mina-" Momo gently spoke, "-we are going to find (y/n) it's just going to take time."

"Yeah." Kaminari stepped up, "(y/n) is crazy strong, trust me before we know it, she will be walking through that door!"

"In the meantime-" Midoriya tried to sooth her; feeling like it was his fault you weren't rescued. "-you can talk to us about-"

"No!" Mina frantically shook her head, the break in her tears nowhere in sight. "I-I just...I want to talk to my best friend..."

Midoriya's positive voice fell flat as everyone was at a loss for words, left only to stare at the floor. No one knew what to say or how to comfort the person next to them. As rain began to drip from the sky, that hellish night with broken sleep grew into a new day and that day melted into weeks of gray.

----

The hallways of UA felt freshly crisp as your footsteps bounced off the empty walls. You glanced out the large windows with a smile on your face feeling a bubbly lightness inside your chest.

Finally.

After weeks of being held captive inside that God offal machine, you were found. Checked out by a doctor you didn't know and sent on your way to school in without a uniform. You swore pants and the hoodie Katsuki made you take from him.

You were practically skipping feeling so excited to see your class, to see All Might and Katsuki. You didn't care every muscle fiber inside your body ached as if they had been pulled from your bones and someone played hopscotch with them.

You let out a relaxed breath, your ribcage ached as you did so. It hurt when All Might and the others weren't at the hospital when you arrived but at this moment, you didn't care. You felt overjoyed to be back inside UA.

Your heart was thumping as you found it hard to contain your excitement walking beside Mr. Principle to your classroom.

"It's good to have you back (l/n)." Mr. Principle grinned upward towards you.

"Yeah." You nod, "It's good to be back."

"I know you must have heard this a hundred times by now, but take it easy-" Mr. Principle said, "-if you feel tired at any time you can go to your dorm-"

"Thanks." You cut him off, your eyes instantly locked onto your class's door. "I'll be ok."

"You always are." Mr. Principle warmly smiled, his arms behind his back watching you placed your hand on the cold doorknob, it sent a chill up your arm. Your heart was pounding so hard, your throat swelled up wondering what everyone would say.

Would they have missed you?

What would Mina or All Might do?

How would Midoriya and Katsuki react to seeing you after so long?

With a breath to steady your overacting mind, you slowly began to pull the door open.

"Man-!" His jaunty voice made you smile, "-I'm so glad (y/n) isn't here anymore."

Your body froze so deep right down to your bones.

"Why are you so happy-?" Mina questioned with a huff. "-you barley did any work."

"I-I did work!" Sero defensive replied.

"Like what?"

"Well...like..."

"Exactly." You could hear the eyeroll in Mina's voice.

"I am going to miss the paycheck though." Kaminari sighed.

"Yeah." A few voices agreed. Your hand slid off the cracked open door, your eyes wide as you stared at the floor title.

"Man-!" Ochaco continued to complain, "-I didn't even get paid that much like you two were!"

"We did more work." Katsuki's deep voice felt like you had been shot at point blank range in the chest.

"I never got the chance to get close with her!" Ochaco groaned.

"Not our problem." Katsuki replied. Your lungs felt like they had been vacuumed sealed, you couldn't pull any breath through your lips as you were stunned in place.

"Smart move-!" Kirishima laughed, "-getting her to date you for a bigger pay out!"

"Of course it as smart, I thought of it." Katsuki smugly replied.

"That was a gambit move." All Might's voice caused tears to fill your eyes.

"It was fine." Katsuki waved off, "She fell for it didn't she?"

You shook your head in disbelief pulling your hand to cover your mouth as you backed away. Fat messy blobs of tears rolled down your cheeks, as pieces of your tired brain fought each other. One side wanted to slam open the door, demand answers and punch a few of them in the throat, but the other piece felt betrayed, broken, you felt exposed and didn't know what to do.

"(l/n)-" Mr. Principle stepped forward, you shot around.

"You knew." You breathed reading his soft furry face.

"I-We..." Mr. Principle stuttered. Your eyes widened, feeling it all click inside your head as you stared off into the distance.

Class 1-A was so stand offish when they first met you. They had no desire to be your friend, it wasn't until you wanted to leave school was when they took an interest in you.

"This was all a set up?" You breathed in disbelief, "A lie?"

"(l/n) please understand-"

"For what?" You furrowed your brows. "To keep me here?"

"You are a danger (l/n)." Mr. Principle spoke his truth, "We had to take measures that would assure the safety of-"

"I-I-" You head felt like it was filling with thick cold fog, muffling up your thoughts.

"You should take some time." Mr. Principle responded, "Rest up for a few days, gather your thoughts, you can go back to the dorms-" Like hell you were going to do that. Mr. Principle saw the sharp look in your eye as you glared down onto him. "-or-or go home to All Might's, it's up to you."

You turned from the school's principal but stopped quickly in your footsteps.

"Was any of it real?" You whispered, staring ahead your sight blurred with warm foreign tears.

"Did it feel real?"

"I... yes..."

"Then those memories are real for you." Mr. Principle placed his arms behind his back once more. You frowned, quickly glancing back at the still cracked door before turning your head and pacing your way down the hall, deciding in that moment you felt to broken down to face any of them.

The bright sun slammed into your eyes scorching them as you stepped out of the school. You felt lost, like you were running around inside a daze unable to wake up from this nightmare.

This had to be a dream, right?

Was none of it real?

Mina...All Might...those adoption papers...your first kiss...the laundry room...lying in Katsuki's bed next to him...Katsuki leading you out of your episodes, promising you he'd keep you safe. Was that why he wasn't there when you awoke inside that fucking machine surrounded by all those villains?

Did he simply cut his losses and run?

The nerves inside your body all turned numb as shock filled you to the brim, your brain refused to believe the cold evidence lying before you as you blindly left the school. For a moment you hesitated at the gate, not feeling like All Might's house was your home anymore...where else did you have to go?

You had nothing and no one...

"(y/n) (l/n)." A course voice called; you craned your neck watching a sleek black car park next to the curb.

"Yeah?" You turned to face the man in a stiff black suit stepping from the vehicle. Quickly using the back of your hand you wiped your face, hiding all evidence of your frazzled emotions.

"I have a propulsion for you." He replied, a thin black object resting by his side.

"You do?"

"Yes." He firmly nodded, "Firearm is interested in you-"

"No thanks." You waved your hand about to walk away, but the man pulled a tablet flipping the screen to life you lazily watched feeling slightly annoyed until Shiro and Gray were sitting on a stone floor, gagged and tied down.

Your eyes flickered to the man.

"You want to try that again?" His pitiless voice questioned.