The last thing Hikari saw was fire in the sky.
She didn’t remember falling.
She didn’t remember the fight ending, or All Might’s final roar of triumph, or the way Shoto caught her before she hit the ground.
All she remembered...71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4e38auaYMe
Was giving everything she had to save Bakugo.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6TBi9rFT4O
And then—71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4dJ4F9YMPy
Nothing.
She woke to the soft beep of a heart monitor and the sharp scent of antiseptic.
Her body ached in places she didn’t even know existed. Every breath scraped through her lungs like broken glass.
Blinking slowly, Hikari realized she was lying in a bed in U.A.'s Nurse’s Office.
Across the room, Recovery Girl hovered over Midoriya—who, judging by the way his legs were encased in splints and bandages, had once again shattered both legs... and an arm.
"Honestly!" Recovery Girl scolded, wagging a finger.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNdf08JyZP
"If you keep injuring yourself like this, young man, I won’t heal you anymore! There’s only so much this old lady can do without encouraging reckless behavior!"
Midoriya flinched but managed a sheepish smile.
Hikari watched the scene quietly, warmth stirring in her chest despite the pain.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYanGaolBV
He was still here.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡldDPtDyF3G
They had all survived.
Barely.
Her hand twitched weakly at her side—and to her surprise, Midoriya noticed.
He grinned at her, exhausted but bright-eyed.
"Hey, Hikari... You’re awake."
She tried to answer, but her voice cracked into a whisper.
Midoriya leaned closer, his smile softening.
"You did it," he said. "You saved us."
Tears burned the corners of her eyes.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFyDicxXEqT
Not from pain.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLAwvmwqlp
Because it was real.
Far beneath the city, hidden in a crumbling underground base, two figures stumbled out of swirling mist.
Kurogiri coughed weakly, the edges of his smoky form unstable.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSlMX4ZvCv6
Shigaraki staggered forward, dragging his mangled legs, blood dripping from fresh wounds.
He slammed his fist into the nearest wall with a roar, the concrete splintering under the force.
"I can't believe it," Shigaraki snarled. "We lost. We lost two kids. To her."
The television flickered on.
Static filled the grim room.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCRUtp4Hob
A symbol appeared: thorns coiling around a dying sun.
Then came a voice.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2mK8kfxkN1
Smooth. Charming. Cold.
"Is that bitterness I hear, Tomura?"
The voice laughed—a low, amused chuckle that made even Kurogiri, for the first time, visibly stiffen.
"You should be proud," the voice continued. "Look how far she’s come without us guiding her. Without our touch."
The monitor flickered.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3TtPzAeky7
Words scrolled across the bottom in crimson:
SOUND ONLY.
The voice grew quieter. Almost tender.
"She’s strong now. Strong enough to stand against even All Might."71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzPRKbATrMP
"And soon... she’ll come back to me. Where she belongs."
Shigaraki’s hands trembled.
"You should have warned me about her," he spat, rage crackling in his voice.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv38fgXj5iy
"You forgot to mention she’s just like her."
For a long moment, silence.
Then, almost lovingly, the voice responded:
"I didn’t forget."71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXCaLQVwXX
"I was counting on it."
The screen went black.
Back at U.A., the stars blinked into view above the ruined campus.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYXN7Ub2vz
Night pressed gently against the windows of the Nurse’s Office.
Hikari closed her eyes, breathing in the silence.
She didn’t know what tomorrow would bring.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSduRudCza2
She didn’t know what enemies still lurked in the shadows.
But she knew one thing:
She had survived.71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LuKTVI8G0
They all had.
And for tonight—that was enough.
ns216.73.217.14da2
and then Add to home screen.