Guilt: The Trial of Izuku Midoriya

Chapter Two: Buried Alive (Original)

Ochako sat up, wincing in pain as she appraised her surroundings. Her ribs stung and she saw an ugly bruise already forming as she brushed brick and stone from her body. She looked around. She appeared to be in an underground space, piles of rubble all around her. From the faint light provided by a small gap in the ceiling, she could see a grate to one side. Combined with the mild smell of sewage, Ochako assessed she must be in a side tunnel of the sewer system. Cutting through the silence, she heard a sound that sounded like the cross between a groan and a whimper. She whipped her head around. That sounded like-

Deku.

The boy lay before her, looking more broken than she had ever seen him. My sweet, sweet Izuku. Her eyes moved down his body, and she couldn't stop a scream from leaving her mouth. When they had fell, large chunks of rocks had landed on his already broken legs, warping them even further. She watched in pure agony as the strongest person she had ever met wept openly, unable to even open his eyes against the pain. In a moment she was by his side, clearing his legs off as gently as she could while he screamed. Soon, her tears built up until she could barely see at all. Cutting through her void of pain, Ochako felt a warm hand, shaking but stronger than it shouldve been, caress her face.

"O..Och..." Their eyes met, seeking whatever comfort they could find in each other. "Are...you...hurt?" Her heart broke again, for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, and she buried her face into his neck and cried. She couldn't take it. It was too much. The boy she loved so much her heart could burst, and he was in so much pain.

"Izuku..." she tried to steel herself. It wasn't over yet. "Let me help you." Ochako began assessing the damage to his body again, and circled behind him. She placed her legs on either side of his torso to drag him away from the crumbling wall, and felt her right leg bump something hard. Confusion gave way to panic when the contact cause Izuku to let out another scream. She looked to see what she had touched, and saw what looked like a black plastic bar laying next to him. No. Not next to him. It's sticking out of him. Fresh pain and horror washed over her as she recognized the handle of the knife she had seen previously. Resisting the urge to vomit, she tore a section of her sleeve and tried to cover the wound without moving the blade embedded in his hip. While she cried harder, the tears distracting her from the nausea, Izuku wasn't as lucky. Seeing the knifes hilt and realizing what it was, he recoiled as if feeling it for the first time, and twisted his head, vomiting.

"Shhh-hh.." Ochako tried to comfort him as she wiped vomit from his shoulder. "You're going to be okay. Izuku, listen. We're going to be okay." She wrapped herself around him as much as she could without hurting him, and slowly completed dragging him to the closest stable wall. Leaning against the wall, she propped him up against her chest, careful to avoid bumping her right leg against the knife. As she reclaimed her spot in the crook of his neck, Ochako continued to futilely attempt to slow her tears. After a few minutes of sharing each other's warmth, Izuku's screams slowly became whimpers, and became quiet groans after a few more. As he started to get a handle on the pain, he began to speak.

"O-Ochako..I-" His sentence was cut off by a rather wet sounding cough. "I'm s-sorry... I cause..d the cave i-in.." Ochako could feel the tremors in his torso as he spoke.

"Shhhh Izuku.." she tried to calm him again. Running her hand through his hair, she raised her head from his neck put her right cheek to his left. "It's not your fault. You saved us. You saved me." If her words provided any comfort, Izuku didn't show it. Ochako decided to change tactics and distract him from the situation. "Just.. just think about how relieved everyone will be once we get back. But don't forget, we still need to stop at the store and grab Sato's stuff!" Her heart fluttered as she heard a quiet chuckle, and felt his cheek rise slightly in a weak smile. My Izuku. She closed her eyes and focused on the feeling of him breathing against her. It was ragged, but not as sporadic as it had been a few minutes ago. When he spoke, his voice was stronger, and she took comfort in the feeling of his back rumbling slightly against her.

"Yeah.. w-we.. can't keep Mina from her dessert." He managed another small chuckle. "She'd make this l-look like nothing." Ochako giggled slightly, happy that he seemed to be improving. A soft rumble swept through the tunnel, putting them both on edge. She looked around, slowly shifting her weight out from under Izuku as she prepared to protect him from any threat the world could think up. Clasping his unbroken hand, she slipped slowly to his side, and leaned him against the wall, biting her lip as she saw a fresh grimace of pain dance across his face.

"Are you okay?" Ochako ran her hand along Izuku's cheek as she studied his face. The soft pads on her fingers trailed across his freckles, almost subconsciously, and he opened his eyes. His eyes. The two emeralds practically glowed as he met her stare and he offered her a smile carrying a thousand words with it. It was a small, soft smile, with the entire history of their friendship sculpted into it. This is my smile. This is just for me. Tears appeared in both of their eyes as she grasped his hand again, squeezing tightly.

"I'm okay." His voice was steadier than Ochako thought would be possible in this situation. "You're here." Her heart and mind exploded simultaneously, and for a moment she forgot where they were or what was happening. Suddenly, she felt herself leaning in, unable to stop even if she wanted to. Her eyes narrowed slightly as the distance between their faces quickly shrank.

"Izuku..I-" Ochako was cut off but another rumble, louder this time. She readjusted back into her protective position, just as a part of the makeshift ceiling crumbled further. She quickly dove across his lap, crying out in pain as she felt the stones intended for him hit the back of her neck and shoulders. She thought she had managed to block it all.

She was wrong.

Now partially laying on Izuku's stomach, Ochako felt the blade of the knife vibrate and shift as a piece of brick landed on the handle. His guttural cry of pain ripped its way through her, and she found herself crying out with him. Moving back to her position behind his as gently as she could, she replaced the now completely soaked through bandage with one made from her other sleeve. Unconsciously, she began littering his head with soft kisses as she continued to whisper comforts into his ear. Despite the insanity of the situation, she felt her cheeks heat up, but she didn't care. If Izuku was embarrassed, he didn't seem able to express it. After a few minutes of laying like this, Ochako comforting him as she held pressure to the wound on his side, they heard what sounded like voices. Without the luxury of caring who the voices belonged to, Ochako did the only thing she could.

"HEEEELP!"