Fractured Wings

Yuki Arakawa sat in the corner of of the new dorms common area, her arms folded across her chest, her face a mask of calm. The third year UA student was perched on the edge of the central couch sat beside her classmate Nejire Hado. 

Yuki's sharp purple eyes were fixed on the tablet in her hands, the glow from the screen painted her oak brown face in the faint blue light as she tapped the play button. 

Nejire leaned forward, her wavy, azure hair spilling over her shoulders, her usually vibrant and bubbly demeanour now subdued. Tamaki Amajiki sat on the floor near the coffee table, half-hidden in shadows, fidgeting with the sleeves of his hoodie, he had stayed quiet as they discussed what they had stumbled on. 

"I still think this is a bad idea," Amajiki murmured, casting a worried glance at Yuki. "It's illegal to watch these unless we're working on that case. If we get caught..." 

"We won't," Yuki said curtly, her tone leaving no room for argument. "The network we're using masks our activity. Focus!" 

Nejire's gaze darted between the two. She knew why Yuki was using any means necessary to know what was going on within the game any chance she got. So did Amajiki and Mirio and a handful of people from their class. 

So they felt bad trying to talk her out of it. 

The faint hum of static faded. The broadcast finally opened with a panoramic view of proxy's game world: A near perfect copy of Hosu city. 

The camera feed was still, almost nothing was going on in the first feed she was on, just gusts of wind. That was until she changed over to the center of it all and where all the commotion was ongoing. 

The towering figure of All Might, looking slightly bigger and more menacing. He stood amidst the ruins of a street, his smile sick and twisted with blood splattered on his face. Around him, bodies littered the ground. The camera panned, and Yuki's stomach tightened when she recognized some of the faces. 

Mirko, her right arm hanging limply by her sides as she struggled to rise. Lady Nagant, at a distance, struggling to get herself up and her torso seemed twisted as blood was coming from her mouth like a drain had burst. And Kobe... her brother. 

Yuki's facade faltered for the briefest moment. Her breath caught, and her grip on the tablet tightened. He looked different, but it was even harder to tell under all the blood matting his figure. But there was no mistaking him. 

On the screen, All Might lunged, his fist crashing into the ground with earth-shattering force. The impact sent shockwaves through the street, scattering left arm broke free from a makeshift cast and was dangling uselessly, while his right flared with energy. He launched himself into the air, aiming a punch at the number 1 hero's head, only for him to catch him mid-strike and slam him into the ground. 

"What's going on?" Nejire sounded, panicked. "Why is All Might..." 

She was cut off by Amajiki... "It's not All Might. It was just broadcasted on the news that Daigo Kiyoshi created a replica of All Might while he was nearly caught today and sent him in as a final boss." 

The two girls couldn't hide their shock, their fear at what they believed was coming. Nejire gripped Yuki's shoulders and pulled her in. 

"They're barely hanging on. How will they survive?" 

Yuki's eyes narrowed as she stared at the screen. Her brother, her dumb and angry little brother. He was pummeled to the ground by All Might but a few moments later got back up again. He's going to die. The wicked thought popped into her mind. 

But how could she not believe it. She didn't even know how strong Kobe was. She was just hoping. She was hoping he would have been far from the danger, that he wasn't even in the game, that he just came back home with that same bright eyed look he had when they were younger. 

He didn't... when he came back a year ago, his eyes never held that same radiance, he was never excited to show her something new that he had learned. He didn't seem to care about anything... His eyes always looked past her, even when their gazes locked, it was like he was looking much farther away, to a world she couldn't envision, in those cold, dead eyes. 

How will they survive? That was what Nejire had asked. 

Yuki did not know. 

_____

(Flashback - Midoriya) 

The first sensation Midoriya registered was pain—a searing, all-consuming fire running down his shattered arm. 

His eyes blinked open, dazed and unfocused. The world was a swirling haze of grays and muted sounds, but the urgency in his heart pushed through the fog like a hammer striking glass. 

He saw Todoroki and Iida crouched over him. Todoroki's mismatched eyes were hard, his jaw was set in a familiar line of concern, while Iida's trembling hands hovered near Midoriya's useless limb, whether to touch him or keep back. 

"Midoriya!" Iida's voice was a near-bark but his panic broke through. "You need to stop moving—you'll make the pain worse!" 

Midoriya's teeth gritted against the pain. "No. We don't have time. My arm... it doesn't matter. We have to make sure we can save as many people as we can." 

"You've lost too much blood, Midoriya, just let me—" 

"We're dying here, Iida!" Midoriya shot back, his voice hoarse but unrelenting. Tears gathered at the edges of his green eyes, his desperation dripping from every syllable. "Please. If I can still stand, I can still fight. I am Champion." He did his best to give off a smile, a smile like the real All Might would, even in this situation. 

Iida recoiled, his mouth opening in protest, but Midoriya turned to Todoroki. "You understand right? Todoroki... we don't win this if I'm out. I'm not asking you to agree with me. I'm asking for your help." 

Todoroki's gaze met his—a cold, assessing stare that burned hotter than any flame he could conjure. For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Then, with a sharp inhale, Todoroki nodded. "Hold still." 

Iida paled, his hands clenching into helpless fists. "This is insanity..." 

But Midoriya braced himself, his good hand slapping against his thigh as Todoroki's freezing touch met his ruined arm. Ice met his ruined arm. Ice formed along the edges of his shattered limb to numb him. And then...

CRACK. 

The scream that tore from Midoriya's throat was something primal—a sound that came from the core of a man who had tasted pain too many times to fear it but still felt it's blade. Iida looked away, his breath shuddering, but Todoroki never flinched. 

When it was done, Midoriya collapsed back onto the ground, sweat slicking his face and neck, his breath ragged. But his arm was set. A makeshift brace of Todoroki's ice and Iida's torn costume now held it in place. 

"Midoriya..." Iida's voice cracked with frustration, shame and guilt. "There's no honour in this. You're destroying yourself." 

Midoriya's chuckle was weak, barely audible. "Iida... there is no honour in dying without trying." 

***

Darkness swallowed me whole. 

It wasn't peaceful or still; it was roaring, suffocating, like the void itself was trying to erase me. My thoughts scattered like ashes in a storm, my mind screaming into the black, And then... 

My eyes snapped open. 

The world hit me in a flash of colour and motion—blinding. I was mid-air, weightless, flung like a broken puppet by a force I couldn't comprehend. All Might's blow had caught me square in the chest. Time twisted cruelly, stretching the milliseconds into eternities. 

The breath was ripped from my lungs, and my back hit solid stone—hard. The sound was monstrous, a thunderous crack that echoed through the ruined cityscape. Pain erupted in my ribs, bright and white-hot. I crumpled to the ground, every nerve in my body shrieking at once. 

But before the killing blow came—before the sky could fall upon me—there was a sharp, familiar crack. A bullet sliced through the air. 

The All Might clone jerked sideways, dodging by reflex as the shot clipped his temple. 

'Nagant.' 

She sat across the field, slumped against a pile of rubble like a broken marionette. Her left arm hung uselessly, shattered beyond recognition. Her torso was twisted in a way no human body should endure, and yet her rifle was steady. The barrel smoking from the last shot. 

Her position looked impossible. Uncomfortable. Yet her focus never wavered. 

"Move." she rasped, her voice like gravel against glass. "Get up." 

"MOVE KID!" She snapped. 

A shadow flashed past me—Mirko. Her grin was feral, her right arm dangling limp at her side, the bones likely pulverized. And yet she moved like a hurricane, her remaining fist slamming into the replica's jaw with enough force to shake the ground. 

But ti wasn't enough. 

The clone hardly budged. He reached out to swat Mirko aside—

Ice. 

A jagged wall of frost erupted beneath the clones feet, freezing his ankle in place. Todoroki stood in the wreckage, his breath a visible mist in the air, flames licking at his other side, ready to counter. 

A green blur flew past me, Midoriya. 

He struck the clone hard, a full-power kick to the back of it's knee. The air screamed from the impact, shockwaves rolling outward like a bomb had gone off. Midoriya hit the ground in a roll, sweat and blood dripping from his face. 

"Hit and Run!" He shouted. 

Iida burst forward next, his engines roaring to life. He ducked low, grabbed Mirko, and dragged her out of the clone's range just before it's massive fist shattered the earth where she'd stood. 

Todoroki's ice froze the ground beneath the replica again, buying us seconds—only seconds. But seconds were enough.

He went further, already moving again, his ice unfurling like a silver tide across the fractured ground, weaving an intricate maze of frozen barriers to slow the replica's pursuit. Frost clung to the air, the bitter cold seeping into the cracks of this ruined section of the city. 

My vision blurred as I pulled myself to my knees, my body groaning in protest. Each breath was a struggle, shallow and ragged. Blood pooled beneath me, sticky against the torn fabric of my clothing. 

Paper swirled around me in erratic spirals, summoned by sheer willpower. Every movement sent daggers of pain through my body, but I forced my trembling hands to work. My quirk flared, the swirling vortex growing dense and purposeful. 

The design came to me in fragments, a broken melody pieced together by desperation. It was no ordinary weapon—it was destruction incarnate. A Mark VI aerial bomb. Massive. Detailed. The kind of weapon that could obliterate not just a monster, but a cityscape. 

"Is that a... bomb?" Todoroki shouted, his voice carrying both awe and dread as the structure of the massive creation took shape above me. It's silhouette hung in the air like a harbinger of death, jagged and menacing, it's sharp edges gleaming against the broken skyline. 

"Hold him down!" I bellowed, my throat raw. 

Midoriya's eyes burned with focus as he leapt forward, his broken arm flailing uselessly, yet he charged ahead, determination coursing through every fiber of his being. With a guttural roar, he slammed into the replica, his remaining strength driving it back, creating an opening. 

"Now!" Midoriya yelled. 

Todoroki's ice surged forward, entwined with a sudden burst of roaring flames. The opposing elements clashed, then twisted together, creating a prison of steam and heat that encased the monstrous figure. For a moment, the clone faltered, struggling against the relentless assault. 

And then... I rose. 

My body screamed in protest, every wound flaring as I launched myself into the air, the massive paper bomb trailing behind me. It cast an ominous shadow over the battlefield, a harbinger of what was to come. 

The air grew heavy, charged with tension, Below, the others moved with frantic precision, baiting and striking, each effort buying me a fraction of a second more. 

The clone's movements slowed, it's body trapped in the debris and ice, the combined effort of quirks and desperation pinning the clone long enough. 

I created multiple small paper planes which all flew down and picking up the players to move them high above ground. 

"Now!" 

With a final surge of strength, I sent the bomb spiraling downward, it's weight splitting the air with a deafening rush. 

For a heartbeat, the world seemed to pause. 

And then it hit. 

The impact was cataclysmic. 

A deafening roar tore through the air as the bomb detonated, a powerful and ending force. The ground buckled and shattered beneath the force, waves of debris spiraling outward like ripples from an unholy tide. Buildings crumbled to dust in it's wake, the shockwave rolling across the city like the wrath of an angry God. 

For a moment, there was only chaos. My mini planes carried each of the people down there like precious cargo. Mirko, Nagant, Midoriya, Todoroki and Iida, away from the blast radius. 

I barely held on, my quirk faltering under the strain. The air was thick with smoke and ash, choking the remnants of what once was. 

When the dust finally began to settle, silence regained. The battlefield was unrecognizable, a desolate expanse of ruin and fire. 

And then came a buzz. 

The Bug materialized in the air, it's glowing eyes fixed on all their respective players. 

"{Times up!}" it chirped in it's hollow emotionless tone. 

We barely had time to process the words before a new voice cut through the haze through the little creations audio. 

"{Congratulations survivors!}" 

Daigo Kiyoshi's voice spilled across the broken landscape, lilting and mocking. 

"{You've thrived in my world. Truly a special breed. To endure, to persevere, to fight... Marvelous.}" 

His tone was light, almost playful, but it grated against every nerve. The other's paid attention, their faces a mixture of exhaustion and barely contained fury. 

"{You've proven yourselves worthy,}" Daigo continued, as if bestowing a twisted blessing. "{But alas, all good games must end. Game over.}" 

His voice grew softer, yet no less sinister. 

"{In Ten seconds, you'll return to reality. Farewell.}" 

"Reality..." Midoriya whispered, his voice trembling. His gaze shifted, searching for answers in the ruin. 

"{I mean exactly what I said,}" Daigo's voice continued, playful yet cruel. "{In ten seconds, the game ends, and you'll all be returned to where you belong—the real Hosu, the real world. Every player will materialize exactly where their body is in the moment. And that includes...}" 

There was a pause, as if he were savouring the moment, the tension thick enough to choke on. 

"{... the dead. And of course the Nomu. Those All For One so graciously provided. Isn't that exciting?}" 

Midoriya's head snapped up, his green eyes wide with barely contained panic. I seen it, and then I seen him change the subject as more fear grew in him. "The... Nomu." he breathed, his voice faltering. 

The weight of Daigo's words crushed down on all of us. The chaos we'd all endured here was nothing compared to the storm that would greet us back in reality. 

"{The countdown begins now. I hope you've enjoyed your stay.}" 

Ten.

The number echoed like a tolling funeral bell. 

Nine. 

My heart pounded in my chest, adrenaline and exhaustion warring for control. 

I turned to Nagant. Her breathing was shallow, her body battered beyond almost any recognition. Blood streaked her face, but he was alive. 

Eight. 

I inhaled sharply as we were still in the air... There was still a piece of paper folded into a letter in my pocket. I said I would get her out of the game. 

Seven. 

I lived. I survived these games. And so many others didn't. A flock of villains still lived but a great lot of them died. 

Six. 

And of the dead hero students, only one concerned me. I could feel myself trembling. The physical pain from the fight was too much.

Five. 

Oh yeah, the fight. No... I got Yui out of the games. She can go back to her family now. 

Four.

I took the piece of paper containing her dead body out of my pocket. I was only able to store objects in my paper in small pieces like envelopes. The dead count as objects. 

Three. 

I looked to Midoriya, who looked like he was fading in and out of consciousness. The back of the paper had a blank white picture of who was inside, crumpled to look like her. 

Two. 

He would make sure it got to the right people. Even in the state he's in. The air buzzed around the unnatural hum of the countdown. The sky was darkening as the sun was setting leaving a bright purple haze. 

I gritted my teeth and flung the piece of paper, directing it into the pocket of the little green. Next I turned in an opposite direction along with Nagant. Getting as far away from the heroes as I could. Flying to the outskirts. There was definitely going to be heroes in the city. 

I'm so tired. 

One. 

And then the world blinked. 

The shift was instantaneous, disorienting. One moment, I was flying through the broken remnants of Daigo's broken game world, the next, the cold air of the real Hosu hit my skin. 

I hovered midair, Nagant cradled in my arms, as I took in the scene below. The city was in shambles, bodies were everywhere, some spawned on the edge of some buildings and fell in front of a walking couple only to splatter on impact. The rest were strewn across the streets. 

Nomu were there as well. Just like he had said there would be. 

Their forms littered the cityscape, their soulless eyes staring into nothingness. They were all moving. Some twitched as though they were waking from a nightmare. 

And I was right too. Heroes were here. Endeavour's flames were the first I had noticed. 

Followed by the giantess, Mt. Lady. All Might, Hawks, Kamui Woods, Ryukyu. 

And many more, a great lot of the nations strongest were here. 

It was crazy to think about but, I only thought of getting out of the city with none of them seeing me. I only thought that I would be arrested, for being Soryu, Nagant was already a prisoner, a disgraced hero. And I doubted she lied about the commissions influence in locking her away. 

Would they want her dead now? 

She wasn't safe here? I wasn't either. 

I made my way out the city, cold, tired and with a new feeling of emptiness. 

My feet ached. And then they stopped functioning. 

I fell over with Nagant on my back. I let the tiredness take over and shut my eyes, ignoring the footsteps that were getting closer. 

I normally would be up, setting up a plan even in this mad tiredness. But I didn't care anymore. 

I'm just so tired. 

And again... the darkness took over me.