present day.
❧
"So he was . . . dissected?"
"Picked apart, piece by piece," Shinso sighs, "when we finally got there, he wasn't the same. We had to rush him to the hospital and stitch him back up again."
"But how'd you know he was there if the mission was a secret?" Shinimi asks him.
"Bakugo and Izuku had tried to enlist Todoroki, but thankfully he had the sense to tell us instead of joining them on their rampage."
You take a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Okay . . . okay. You said you were going to help Midoriya. How so?"
"His body has completely healed. The thing that tortures him now," Shinso explains, "is his memories."
"So you're saying . . . ?"
" . . . we're going to wipe his memories." The hero confirms.
"But you can't!" Shinimi protests, his brows furrowed.
"But we can," Shinso replies, "and he even signed the papers before the mission. We have his consent."
The teenager isn't satisfied by his answer. "But . . . But he . . . "
"Trust me, I don't want this either. I just want him to get better." Shinso sadly smiles, "He's been through hell, but at least he's alive. We can take that hell away for him."
"Can't you at least ask him now?" You argue, "He's different! At least ask him first!"
"We're planning on it," Shinso shrugs, "I think Kirishima is talking to him right now, actually."
You look at Nakano and Shinimi.
"We have to go see him."
❧
"Midoriya!"
You call out to him as you have so many times before, stumbling out of the interrogation room like a newborn calf.
But unlike days prior, he doesn't answer.
"Where is he?" You huff, looking around. "We have to find him."
Nakano and Shinimi agree with a nod.
You run to where he was before, talking with Kirishima and Iida. This time, though, Iida stands alone, his face shrouded in shadow.
"Ingenium?" You question, tapping him on the shoulder. "Where's Midoriya? And Red Riot?"
"They're gone. It was for the best, I suppose."
His voice is sad, like he's mourning for his friends. Why is he acting like they're both dead?
"Hey," you say to him, "where'd they go? What's going on?"
Nakano calls out to you from across the room, drawing your attention away from Iida.
Panic settles in your heart when you turn around, to Shinimi collapsed on the floor. There's no blood, but he curls up, wailing to himself.
You run over to them, watching as Nakano leans over him.
"I'm sorry," she whispers, "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."
Either you find Midoriya, or you help Shinimi.
Midoriya or Shinimi.
You fall as you're running to help him, tripping over your own shoes like a fool. The floor of the police station is cold.
You wipe off your scraped palms, healing them quickly, and stumbling over to the writhing teen.
"Wh-Where does it hurt?" You ask him, "What's wrong?"
"My shoulder," he answers, clenching his jaw, "it hurts so damn much."
You pull down the collar of his shirt to reveal his shoulder; the same spot where he was hit by Nakano's blast. It pulses purple, like a living bruise, yellow at the edges.
"What the hell?" You mutter to yourself, "I healed it before . . . "
You shake your head, pressing your palms to his trembling body.
The pain subsides, and he stands with a sigh.
"Shoot, that . . . that really hurt," Shinimi smiles, but his voice shakes with fear. "I don't know what happened. It just suddenly . . . "
You clutch him in your arms, careful not to touch where he was hurting. A sob rips from your throat.
He tilts his head in confusion. "Wh-Why are you crying?"
"I can't," you sniff, "I can't lose you."
He pats you on the back, a smile on his face. "I'm fine now, thanks to you. We just have to find Midoriya and convince him to keep his memories."
Your tears quickly dry.
Why did you cry, anyways? It's not like he was dying. He just has . . . a bruise. That's what it looked like, anyways.
It just felt like . . . too much. It was like you were saying goodbye to Hiroto all over again.
You take a deep breath. It's all been feeling like too much lately.
"Let's go," you mutter, "Let's go find Midoriya."
❧