Uneasiness

Under the pouring rain, they all stood before Midoriya, determined not to let him go at all costs.

" We heard!" Bakugo bellowed. " That you unlocked the Fourth's and Sixth's Quirks! Your look's totally different now! Damn nerd!"

" Thanks... for coming..." That was his sole response before he unleashed a smoke screen of purple fog at them.

" This is..."

" Smokescreen ?" Shoji asked.

" In the documents we got, that's the Sixth's..." Uraraka began, trying to squint through the smoke.

" 'Thanks' isn't enough for us, Midoriya!" Sora shouted, flapping her wings hard to get the mist away.

" Guys, make sure he doesn't get away! Land Mine Blast!" Bakugo squatted before unleashing a strong blast which cleared off the smoke in the area in a second.

Just then, they could see Midoriya hovering above their heads in his attempt to get away. " Trying to run away without even talking?! Now that you can do anything and everything, those around you end up looking like extras, huh?!"

Koda's pigeons ambushed him in an attempt to disorient him so they could capture the running away boy. Koda shouted at the top of his lungs, trying to reassure him that it was fine to come back to UA.

Midoriya flung his black whip to get away from the cloud of pigeons but Sero got him.

" Sora!" The girl snapped her head back at Jiro running towards her and she nodded her head. Hauling the other girl, she flew up towards Midoriya just as he cut off Sero's tape.

" Heartbeat Wall!" Jiro aimed her sound attack at him but he was faster. " He's fast! Midoriya!" Using her amplifiers, she cried out. " This isn't that important, but during the school festival, when you helped me summarize points in my notes, you totally saved me! It was just a small thing, but I was really happy!"

Midoriya looked over his shoulder for a moment then pressed on, not slowing the least. " What was I thinking, he would stop to listen to me?"

" Don't lose hope just yet. Sato-kun!" She swayed Jiro towards the other boy before giving chase after Midoriya. " Full mode!" White feathers covered her skin, her form enlarged, her claws and eyes sharpened. " You're not getting away!" With a single flap of her wings, she was right beside him and she pushed him towards a nearby building, creating a crater as she pressed him against the wall.

" I won't let you bear it all on your own!" She looked down at him. " You did say it before right, that this form is that of a true hero. If I don't use it to help my friend then what's the meaning of it!?"

" You... can't... It's something I need to do..." He pushed against her grasp of him. Even though she was larger than him in that form, even though it was all her strength, Midoriya managed to get past her using Fa Jin.

" Twirling Tail dance!" Ojiro was there to capture him, but even he couldn't hold him for too long Dark Shadow and Tokoyami had to do it.

Sora looked at the building they slammed him into just as she caught Ojiro midair. " He's gotten stronger. To think he could break free from me..."

"And he's getting more stubborn as well!" Ojiro added.

Sato rushed by her side and screamed towards the construction. " Midoriya! Listen! You might have some special powers, but your feelings are the same as ours! What Koda said about the school earlier, too! Hear us out! If you don't, then I won't let you use any of my food coloring when you make candy apples for Eri-chan anymore!"

Sora dropped Ojiro on Sato's and stared up at the building. " Please... Yao-momo, everyone, stop him..."

But Midoriya soon came flying out. " He broke away from Tokoyami and the rest!?" Ojiro had his eyes wide as they followed the boy arching above their heads.

" Fast!" Jiro exclaimed.

" Yuu, Todoroki! It's up to you now!"

Midoriya snapped when he heard thunder rumbling overhead and, from the darkness of the clouds, a yellow arch of lightning could be seen before Thunderbird was right on top of him.

" Todoroki-san!"

" Sky Avalanche!" Todoroki, who was clinging to Thunderbird's leg summoned forth a large wall of ice that fell upon Midoriya like an avalanche and trapped him within. " What's with that face?"

Thunderbird landed on top of the hill of ice Todoroki had just created. " Does your responsibility... not allow you to cry? That responsibility... Let us share it with you."

" Midoriya-san." Yuu hopped off Thunderbird's back and pulled up his goggles so he could look down at his friend. " When we first met, you were the one who made me realize my Quirk was built on trust and teamwork. Yet, why are you so keen on doing everything on your own? Can't you trust us!?"

" Midoriya-chan!" Asui jumped to the nearby wall. " I won't let you go. I'm not going to cry like I did back then. You're dear to me... so when it's scary, I'll tremble with you, and when it's painful, I'll cry with you. You're my friend... If you're going to be like a comic book hero, we won't let you go alone!"

The boy was still struggling to get off the ice restraining him the whole thing began to tremble and and fall apart. " Too bad! Thunderbird!"

" Got it!" The large black bird let his lightning loose in an attempt to slow Midoriya but it was to no avail. Not even Todoroki's ice could do as much as hold him.

" Midoriya! This situation might be just what All For One is after! He might go after UA while we're occupied here!" Todoroki tried to get to him one last time. " If you haven't been able to find them even after running around that much, then you need a plan B!"

Waves of lightning and ice fell down upon him but he kept fighting. " If you want to protect UA, then you could also choose to stay by it and not leave!"

" You don't have to do it all on your own! We can be of help to you! Let's protect everyone together!" Yuu joined.

" Let us fight with you!" Todoroki added.

" I can't..." he continued to chip away at the ice mountain.

" Midoriya!"

" Midoriya-san!"

" I can't..." Despite Todoroki's effort, the iceberg was cracking and barely stood. " Because this is a fight between One For All and All For One... You guys... can't keep up!"

He finally managed to break free and the mountain crumbled down, Yuu and Todoroki each grabbed one of Thunderbird's legs as he flew them away.

" Midoriya-chan!" Asui flung Mineta at him and the boy clung to Midoriya using Mineta Beads: Tenfold! He tried climbing to him but Midoriya pushed him off using his black whips, putting him down on a roof before preparing his escape.

" A slingshot..." Yuu thought seeing the black whips extending towards two buildings.

" That thing..." Sora squinted at his legs as they glowed red. " It's from earlier! If he uses it, he becomes stronger and faster!"

" Everyone! Plan B!" Yuu shouted at them and the whole class backed to where Yaoyorozu and the rest were.

Just as Uraraka made for him, the boy flung himself forward and shot away just as she was an inch from him, and he was nothing but a sparking dot on the horizon. " Everyone!"

Todoroki built a slope climbing upwards towards Uraraka.

" Protective Coating Style at 0.1% acidity! Acidman!" Ashido Splashed Iida with the solution while Sora, Tokoyami, Shoji, and Koda pushed him, Bakugo, and Todoroki up the slope. Everyone else let go and it was all up to Sora to give them the needed boost to climb up.

" Max Speed!" All her four wings flapped together and they shot up towards the ice pick. " Now! Todoroki!" She shouted as she let go of them.

" Flashfreeze Heatwave!" Combining his fire and ice together, he blasted them forward

Uraraka, who was waiting for them midair promptly brushed her fingertips against Iida.

" We can't keep up?!" Todoroki looked back at his friend as he backed from the speeding Iida and Bakugo, propelling himself midair using his fire.

" You're wrong, Midoriya-san..." Yuu's eyes focused on that green dot speeding away.

" With everyone's help..." Sora landed on the slope before looking back at Bakugo as he used his cluster explosions to propel Iida even further forward. " We'll walk by your side!"

" Go!" All of them chorused as Iida came out of the acid solution, his armor and glasses breaking. With one last dash from his recipro, he managed to grab hold of Midoriya's hand.

He grasped the boy tightly as Uraraka released her Quirk and they plumped downward. Seeing his mufflers fuming, Sora snapped." We need to get to them!" She turned to Thunderbird just as Yuu stuck his arm before her.

" Someone is already there for them." He pointed back at the ground where Kirishima was waiting to intercept their fall. They were pushed back a few meters but came up sound and safe.

Todoroki created an ice slope for all of them to join Midoriya and the others and they hurried down it. They all stopped, trying to catch their breath as Ashido looked the boy in the eyes. " Midoriya! I don't want anyone else to go away! Let's stick together! Let's go to class again with everyone!"

The boy stood up to his feet and Sora tensed. Is he going to try running away again? But he simply turned to face them.

" I... Wish I could... But... I'm scared. There are a lot of people at UA. I don't want to cause them any trouble. Things can't go back to the way they were before..."

They understood his feelings, they really did. But also, seeing him the way he was, shivering and hunching over, barely able to stand, there was no way they could let him go.

It was then that Bakugo walked to their front. " When Shigaraki stabbed me, do you remember what I said?"

"No, I don't."

" I said, 'Don't try to win by yourself'. There was more to that. My body moved on its own, and then I got stabbed. I thought I should tell you." Bakugo seemed to marshal his thoughts before he spoke again.

" I looked down on you our whole lives... because you were Quirkless. You were obviously way behind me, but I felt like you were way ahead of me, too. I didn't like it. I didn't want to see you. I didn't want to accept you. That's why I bullied you to get away from you. I tried to feel superior by rejecting you. I was always losing to you. After getting into UA, not a single thing went the way I wanted. Every day, I was made to feel how strong you were and how weak I was. It's not something that'll work itself out just by saying it out loud, but it's how I really feel, Izuku."

Sora's eyes widened slightly, it was the first time he ever called him by his name. And if that wasn't enough, the whole class was taken aback as the boy bowed his head to Midoriya. " I'm sorry for everything."

Am I, dreaming? It was hard to believe that sight. But she was sure of it, every word he had said, Bakugo was sincere in each and every one of them.

" Everything you've done after inheriting One For All has been ideal. You've done nothing wrong. But right now, you're unsteady. There's a wall you can't overcome with just ideals. We'll take care of the things that you can't take care of. In order to surpass the ideal, we need to save you, the refugees at UA, and all the people in the city. "

Bakugo-kun... Sora smiled despite herself. You've come further than any of us...

Midoriya wobbled, his legs refusing to hold him any longer. Before any of them could react, Bakugo rushed over and held him as he fell forward. " I'm sorry for saying... that you couldn't keep up..."

" I know." And like that, Midoriya passed out. That somehow brought a feeling of relief. Midoriya would be coming back with them.

" It looks like we've cleared the first hurdle, at least." Yaoyorozu's face was a mixture of relief and seriousness all the same. " It'll be even tougher from here on out."

Sora looked up at the sky, rain still drenching them. I wonder if Principal Nezu managed to take care of things on his end too... " Regardless..."

She swapped looks with Yuu who needed his head. " We're protecting Midoriya-san no matter what."...

________________

It was upon reaching U.A.'s threshold that Midoriya awoke. Thirteen, stepped up to him so she could check on him and brief him on the situation.

Sora blinked twice when she heard loud voices coming from behind the U.A. barrier and she swapped anxious looks with Yuu. Could it be...

As Thirteen led them inside, they were met with a massive angry mob of people demanding that Midoriya does not get inside UA. Despite Present Mic and the other teachers' efforts, they couldn't calm them down. " This isn't exactly the welcoming we were hoping for," Sora said looking back at Midoriya as he attempted to sneak away just when Uraraka held on to his hand, preventing him from leaving.

" Maybe we should have kept it a secret after all, the fact that we brought him back," Sora mumbled.

" We can't. Everyone has the right to know." Yuu told her. " Their faith in heroes is shaky as its, doing so would destroy what was left of it."

" Even though, I thought there were those who understood the situation." She argued.

" Do you think they can step up?" He asked gesturing towards the crowd. " Against this overwhelming uneasiness, do you think they can step up to the protesting mob? They're surely afraid and can't speak up their minds."

The crowd continued to yell, protesting against letting him in, standing there while blocking the path for him.

" Don't let that boy in here!"

" Shigaraki will come!"

" This is really bad..." Sora muttered under her breath.

" Doesn't having One For All make him a Nomu?!"

Yuu's eyes twitched at that very comment.

" It's scary!"

" He shouldn't be allowed here!"

" He doesn't need protection with that Quirk! But we're the ones who will be put in danger!"

Yuu's hand clenched tightly as he listened to all of that, he could feel the blood in his vines boiling with each word uttered.

" If you're gonna fight, do it somewhere else!"

" Everyone, calm down!" Present Mic shouted through the speaker to calm them down but to no avail.

" His Quirk is a curse! It will bring about our destruction!"

Hearing that, something at the back of Yuu's mind snapped. Midoriya? A curse? " What the heck..." The boy stepped up next to the blond teacher, glaring down at the crowd with seething anger. " Did you even hear what you've just said!"

For a moment, everyone went silent as he spoke. From the very back of the crowd, right where the students' families were gathered, Yuu's parents stepped up to take a closer look at what was going on. " That idiot! What is he planning to do?! He shouldn't be getting involved in the whole mess!" His father spoke as he made to advance to the front only for his arm to be grasped.

As he looked back, Yuusuke was holding his arm and shaking his head. " Let him speak."

" What do you mean a curse?! What do you mean he doesn't need protection?! Just because he has a different Quirk from the rest of us, he should be shunned and thrown out?! For god's sake, he's just a 16-year-old teenager! Then should we decide who to get into shelters based on their Quirks?! Is that what you want to do? That is no different from discrimination! This is bullying!" Yuu's glare hardened, his eyes flaring furiously. " Since when did people become what their Quirks are? Does having super power mean we're no more humans?! Are you just going to think about his Quirk? Not his own person!! Is his Quirk all you could see about him!?"

" Yuu..." Maybe that was the first time Sora ever saw him that enraged and angry.

Yuu snapped when a hand landed on his shoulder and he looked back to see Best Jeanist standing by his side. " You spoke the truth, Reito. Even for us heroes, we didn't look at Midoriya as a person, but rather at what his Quirk was, for both us and our enemies, and tried to use it. In order to make the first move, our plan was to use Midoriya Izuku as bait to find the villains. However, we were unable to cast a wide enough net to search, and we had very little to show for it. While Midoriya Izuku is a target of the villains, he is also one of our most valuable assets. To wear him down more than this could be fatal! It's true that this isn't the best solution. It's just the next best thing we can do. We understand that there are those who feel uneasy about this, but we wish you to let him rest in this safest of places. In order for him to be ready to fight at any time, we need him to stay as healthy and strong as possible."

A moment passed by with only the sound of the rain pattering the ground. Yet, it soon broke as a man spoke up, blaming everything that happened so far on Jeanist and the other heroes, saying they weren't to stand for their mistakes anymore and the whole mob followed after him.

Sora took a step back as she saw their raging auras intertwin and grow large, swallowing the whole of them and spreading anger and uneasiness everywhere. It was so intense and strong the rest of her classmates could feel it too, every one of the protestors seemed to grow ten times bigger than they originally were.

" The uneasiness is spreading and it will explode... I won't let the threads that everyone span together be cut like that." Uraraka said as she ran past her, grasping Present Mic's speaker and jumping to the top of UA. Turning back to the crowd of people beneath her, she spoke. " D- Midoriya Izuku has a special power."

" And we're saying that a guy like that shouldn't come here just because he wants to rest!"

" No! He left this place because he didn't want to cause any more trouble! We're the ones who brought him back! His power is- um, special! It's a power meant to defeat All For One! That's why they're after him! That's why he has to go! He left, but do you know what he looks like now?" People looked back at the boy to take in his form for the first time. " He's the one who most wants to do something about this situation and is walking down a path where he could be attacked at any time. Will you please look at him?! Even if someone has a special power, that doesn't mean they're a special person!"

" Ochaco-chan..." Sora's eyes widened slightly at her and the principal's words so happened to pop in her head. " The step that should be taken to reach everyone..."