"Don't let me go."
"Don't worry, I won't ever let you go. I promise."
Ikari's scar is the first thing that people notice. And it drives them away, since it is the symbol of her father, one of the most feared villains of all time... before he died.
...
"I thought you'd never let me go."-- Hebinoya Ikari
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*warning: swearing, mention of death
POV— Todoroki Shoto
Don't let me go.
I am crying, holding onto his body once again,
just like I did eight years ago.
And this time, he is truly dead.
I hold onto Shojiro's body until he becomes cold.
Then, a darkness consumes me too.
Don't let me go.
Ikari.
Don't go. Don't leave me.
"Todoroki—" Nichiya is there again. I take gasps, coughing. Slowly, my limbs relax, finally resting beside me after minutes of thrashing. Nichiya continues to drag me by the collar, scraping my back. The ringing in my ears clears up, leaving only a painful headache in my temple. Police sirens and helicopters wail in the distance. The most painful ache resides in my chest, as if someone had plunged their hand in it and ripped out my entire heart.
I grunt in pain. "Nichiya, Nichiya— I'm getting up. Let go of me."
My voice is a croak. Immediately, the constantly yanking that'd been pulling at my collar releases. I sit up, pebbles uncomfortably poking into my back, and with another grunt of effort I stand.
We're out of the debris. Three paces ahead of me, civilians begin to evacuate buildings, bringing an ambience of panic along. Beeping cars and nervous conversations fill the air.
I blink.
Nichiya stands ahead of me, gasping in air. I didn't even notice how exhausted she was when she was carrying me. She wipes at her mouth with the back of her hand, smearing a streak of grime across her face. Her shoulders sag as she places her hands on her knees, taking in more breaths.
Normally, she would have made a taunting comment, but her flirty demeanor has been reduced to nothing but a shell of exhaustion. I wipe at the sweat trickling down my head. Despite the pain that has made its home in my heart, a new guilt begins to grow.
"I'm..."
Nichiya. The guilt only builds as I watch her wipe away some sweat on her head. She had to drag me all the way here while I was stupidly screaming for... Ikari.
We could've died a long time ago. She could have left me to die.
"...sorry."
Coward. Coward. Look at you— too scared to save Ikari.
