The Eyes That Make the Storm

77) Together

"Last chance," Antoine said, extending out his hand.

In her dazed state, she could feel herself reaching out for him, but before she even got close, blood that wasn't her own dripped on her face. He was still standing right in front of her, but his arm was fifty meters away.

"Stasia!" someone screamed.

She quickly whipped her head around to see Midoriya, Todoroki, Kirishima, Mina, Karminari, Jirou, and Bakugou, who slowly lowered his arm.

"Oops."

Stasia scrambled to get up, kicking Mei in the face as she tried to stop her. She ran as fast as she could to her friends, practically collapsing in Midoriya's arms.

"You're-"

"You're a dumbass, you know that?" Bakugou asked as he fired off an explosion at Mei.

Todoroki placed his hands on the ground, making a wall of ice separating them from the Mortelle.

"We don't have a lot of time, we need a game plan," Todoroki told them.

"Kacchan you go in first as a distraction. Mina, you and Karminari come at them from behind, Jirou you go with them. Karminari comes with me. Todoroki makes as many ice shields and structures as possible. And Kirishima- um stay with Stasia," Midoriya ordered, "all good?"

"No-" Stasia protested.

"Wasn't asking you. Go!"

Midoriya handed Stasia off to Kirishima and everyone dispersed out per instructions. Todoroki made a perimeter around Stasia in Kirishima keeping them out of sight for the Mortelle and hopefully, keeping them safe.

"How bad does it hurt?"

"It wouldn't be that bad if I didn't waste eighteen percent on clones that didn't do shit."

"Why would you-"

"I know, I know," she admitted, nodding. "But I need to help them."

"You need to rest."

"Kiri, I need to help."

Kirishima knew Stasia well enough to know that, once she had her mind made up, there was no stopping her.

"Fine," he reluctantly agreed.

"Tha-"

"But whatever you do," he interrupted, "you do it from here."

"Okay."

He helped Stasia down to her knees and despite the pain, she clasped her hands together tightly, "amplify, amplify. Amplify."

She just needed a little bit more time and right now she couldn't slow it down. From the sounds of her friend's battle cries she could only assume things were going in their favor. Just a little more power and a little more time. She just needed to hide for a little while longer.

The more she sat there whispering to herself, the more she started losing consciousness. Kirishima noticed how she started to sway and put his hands on her shoulders for support.

"You good?"

"Yeah-

A lightning bolt then strikes down, splitting the ice structure that shielded them in two.

"There you are," Antoine exclaimed. "Oh, is this your boyfriend?"

"Touch him and I'll kill you."

"Woah there, that's not very heroic Yama."

"Apologies," she said as she sparked up her hands and the sky then cackled.

"Stasia, don't," Kirishima begged as it started to rain.

"I gotta finish this, let me finish this."

Before he could answer, she ran towards Antoine, the two engaging in intense hand-to-hand combat despite them both having a handicap. Stasia kicked Antoine's leg out from underneath him, and he fell down quickly. She was the one who stopped over him this time and formed a bolt with her hands.

"You wouldn't."

"You're right, I won't. I'm not a killer Antoine, I'm not you."

She knelt down, whispering something in his ear, and maybe from far away, with the hand that held the bolt being so close to Antoine's chest, Mei got a much different picture from what was really happening. Because soon, there was a bolt sent down from the sky, so hot it was fatal. So out of control that it missed. Stasia could only assume it was meant for her as she heard the heartbroken scream after Mei realized it had hit Antoine.

Everyone stopped moving. Stasia almost stopped breathing. Mei then charged towards her, throwing bolts with every step, some hitting Stasia, others not. Mei tackled her, her charged hands wrapped around her throat, strangling and electrocuting her all at once. Stasia could see out of the corner of her eye, her friends trying to come to her aid.

"Stay back!" she ordered.

Knowing that if they got too close they could get struck and there was no guarantee they would survive that as now, Mei's lightning was white; and after a while so was her's.

Finally, she was able to throw her off, rubbing her hands together as quickly as she could to try and get another charge, ultimately failing under the pressure. But, she looked up seeing a lightning bolt coming down and despite her better judgment she grabbed it.

Everything went so fast.

Before Stasia could reposition, and before Mei would notice what she was holding, Mei lunged back onto Stasia, and right onto the bolt.

Stasia's breath hitched as her eyes traveled down to where the blood dripped out of Mei's abdomen and onto her. Stasia cringed at the sound of her biological mother's skin searing as she was impaled by her own creation. Mei eerily smiled down at her just as Stasia absorbed the bolt into her hands and Mei's body dropped on top of her before she pushed her off and backed away.

She began hyperventilating until she felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned around, saw Kirishima, and leaped into his arms.

"I'm right here, right here," he promised and unbeknownst to Stasia, looked towards Bakugou, his eyes stricken with fear.

When she pulled away, he didn't have time to change his expression and her lips slightly parted, confused by how he looked at her.

"What?" she asked and he didn't answer. "What!"

She turned back to her friends who each held back gasps as their eyes started to water.

"Wha-" she was going to ask again until she realized. Her eyes.

She took a sharp inhale, clearly embarrassed, bringing her hands up to her face to shield herself from their gaze but as she did, she felt something sticky.

She pulled her hands away in horror.

They weren't freaked out because her eyes had turned purple. They were freaked out because her right eye was melted, and daring to pop out of its socket.

-End of Part 2-