Survival: A KiriBaku Story

~Chapter 3~

When Kirishima woke up the next morning, he kept his eyes closed. He ignored the crumpled heat of his clothes, the stickiness of the pine needles beneath him, the sound of birds echoing through the trees. I'm back at the dorms. He told himself. When I open my eyes I'll my ceiling with those cheap glowing stars Kaminari gave me. My alarm will go off then I'll meet Bakugo out in the hallway. We'll go to breakfast with the rest of the class. It was all just a dream. Kirishima told himself all these things until he almost thought they were true, then he opened his eyes. Blue sky, pine branches, dirty uniform. He sighed. It wasn't a dream. Kirishima pulled himself to a sitting position and put a hand on his forehead. Fuck, my head... He looked over and saw Bakugo, still asleep on the ground. Kirishima quietly went through their rations. He drank a little bit of water, saving most of it for Bakugo. We'll need to find a water source today, I'll have to carry him again. He finished off the bag of chips from the night before. After this we can eat pine bark, I read something about that once, what we really need is water. Kirishima looked up at the sky. To his surprise, the sun was almost directly above him. I must have slept in. Kirishima started putting supplies back in the backpack. We need to get moving again, we already wasted a lot of time. He threw some dirt on the fire. Maybe I can pick up Bakugo without him waking up. Kirishima reached out, but as soon as he touched Bakugo's shoulder, his eyes snapped open.

"Hey Baku-" Bakugo started gasping and gagging before Kirishima could finish. He helped Bakugo into a sitting position as the choking continued.

"Baku-"

"Shut up." Bakugo's voice sounded strangely calm, "Kirishima, it's happening."

"What?"

"It's happening Kirishima." Bakugo looked up at him, "I won't get a chance to say this again."

"What are you-" Then it hit him. Bakugo was going to... was going to...

"No! D-don't talk like that! You're, you're going to be fine!" Kirishima found himself crying. Bakugo gasped through a coughing fit.

"Just let me talk Shitty Hair!" Bakugo's voice was weak, "Just let me talk..." Kirishima nodded shakily.

"I like you. I have a crush on you." Kirishima's heartbeat seemed to pound in his ears. A crush on me? I never even thought... His chest felt like it might explode

"I like you too!" As soon as Kirishima said it, he knew it was true. Bakugo's face formed into surprise, then a small smile. The first real smile Kirishima had ever seen on him.

"That's what I wanted, thankyou." He closed his eyes.

"No! Bakugo keep your eyes open!" Bakugo didn't reply. "Stay with me!" No answer. Kirishima felt Bakugo's pulse. It was faint, but it was still there. Kirishima blew into his mouth and pushed on his chest three times. Blow, one, two, three. Blow, one, two, three. He checked Bakugo's pulse again, nothing. He put his ear to Bakugo's chest, no heartbeat, no breathing.

"Bakugo!" He shook his shoulder, "Bakugo!" Tears fell from Kirishima's face to Bakugo's. "Katsuki!" He screamed.

"Please..." His voice was quiet now, desperate. "Please Bakugo, think of your family, think of everyone back at school, you can't... please don't..." But there was no reply, Bakugo was dead.

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They found him with his arms still wrapped around Bakugo's body. At least, that's what his friends told him when he woke up in the hospital. Lots of people came to visit him, but Kirishima didn't pay attention. He knew he was scaring his family and friends with his distant nods and mumbles, but honestly? He didn't care. Kirishima was too busy getting swept up in a sea of his emotions. Turns out, the portals reopened a few hours after the attack and rescue teams went in to get the kids and bring them to recovery. If Kirishima had just waited Bakugo might... no, Bakugo would still be alive, but he didn't. He tried to play the leader and made a devastating decision. Bakugo was dead, and it was all his fault.

"Kirishima." Kirishima looked up and saw Aizawa sensei standing in the doorway. "I need to talk to you." Kirishima nodded absently. Aizawa sat in the chair beside his bed.

"I know what your thinking Kirishima." Kirishima stared at a medical poster on the wall. "It's not your fault." Kirishima shook his head. He felt the tears coming on.

"I probably won't be able to convince you, but know that I know what it's like." That kind of surprised Kirishima, but when he thought about it, Aizawa Sensei had been a hero for years, there was probably someone he couldn't save too. "Use the anger and guilt to push forward. Bakugo wouldn't want you to stop, so don't. Be a better hero for him." Kirishima's head seemed to spin. That is what he would want, he would want me to keep going, but... the image of Bakugo's body flashed in his mind, It hurts so much...

"There is someone else who wants to talk to you." Kirishima looked up for a second, what he saw caused his heart to stop in his throat. Spiky, ash blonde hair. Sharp red eyes. She looked so much like Bakugo, Kirishima almost called her that. It was Bakugo's mom. She had obviously been crying, and was still wearing work clothes, but it was her expression that made Kirishima break down. So sad, desperate, the same expression he would see if he looked in the mirror.

The next thing he knew Kirishima was looking down at the blanket on his lap, watching tears make patterns on it's pale surface. Someone put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," He whispered, his voice cracking with emotion, "I'm so sorry I couldn't... I... I..."
"Stop it." she said "Katsuki wouldn't blame you-"
"That doesn't mean it wasn't my fault!"
She shook her head.
"It was the villains who attacked, it had nothing to do with you." The feelings that had been flooding Kirishima's mind froze into bitter ice. The villains... his emotions seemed to condense, hardening into something much more cold and powerful. They killed him... All through Mrs. Bakugo's visit, the car ride to the dorms, the laying in bed, unable to sleep, one thought rang in Kirishima's mind. I'll kill them. I'll kill them for Bakugo.