𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝙹𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚕, 𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝙳𝚒𝚊𝚛𝚢, | Izuku Midoriya x OC

Chapter 10 - Dearest Deku, Dear Kiko-chan,

In the final chapter, the point of view will change to 3rd person omniscient for a better story-telling experience.

***

The funeral is a small affair.

Sousuke, his grandfather, a few of his close friends, a handful of UA's staff, and majority of Class 3-A are in attendance. Kiko's parents didn't come, and they aren't planning to. She was dead to them years ago.

After all the traditions are finally fulfilled, and the majority of the people have left, Izuku crouches down in front of her tombstone.

Her ashes were already blown in the wind. Sousuke mentioned that she wished to live in the breeze. That way she could visit the world even in death.

Izuku sighs, fresh tears streaming down his cheeks. She was a true free spirit. He wishes he could've cherished her for longer.

He feels a hand clasp on his shoulder, the grip firm and slightly shaky. From the corner of his eye, he realizes it's Sousuke.

He stands up, acknowledging him with a wobbly smile and a nod of his head. Sousuke returns the nod with a resigned yet grateful smile.

They both stand shoulder to shoulder, staring at the obsidian marble and the etched kanji spelling Kiko Suzuki. The wind blows, whistling and caressing their skin with a cold yet comforting touch. A few moments later, Sousuke expels a deep breath, his shoulder shaking against Izuku's.

"Kiko knew her time was coming near an end." He starts, "She wrote letters to those closest to her. She wanted me to give them." He then pulls out a forest green envelope with Izuku's name written in calligraphy on the back of it. "This is for you."

Izuku stares at the envelope, his hands now trembling as he reaches and finally holds it in his scarred hands that she loved to trace.

Wetness dampens his freckled cheeks once more, his sniffles filling the silence between them.

"Thank you." He says, wiping his cheeks with the back of his hand. "I'll cherish it. Always."

Sousuke nods. Then he brings out a small bundle of envelopes that are tied by a crimson ribbon izuku remembers Kiko used to wear in her hair. Seeing it makes him want to cry even harder.

The bundle is brought to him, and he looks up at Sousuke with a question in his gaze.

"These are the rest. For your friends in 3-A." Sousuke sighs, the exhaustion of this hefty grief taking a physical and emotional toll on him. "I'd give it to them, but-"

"Don't worry," Izuku interrupts, a reassurance bleeding into his expression, into his voice. "I understand. I'll give it to them"

Sousuke simply nods in thanks, wordlessly taking his leave and wishing Izuku well with a squeeze of his shoulder.

And after he leaves, Izuku is hit with an utter loneliness he hasn't felt since his quirkless days. It only makes the mourning harder.

The wind blows again, the cold enhancing the pinks on his nose, cheeks, and ears. He pretends it's Kiko giving him her last embrace before he too takes his leave.

He trudges through the snow ridden streets, his battered hands delicately holding her last words to his chest. He would've read the letter at her tombstone. But the responsibility to give the other's theirs first forces him to hold back from tearing the green paper apart so he could memorize the letter she wrote him.

He thinks of how he'll not only memorize the words, but her handwriting, her eloquence with her words. He thinks of all the ways he'll remember her by, as he walks through the winter laden scape.