Guilt: The Trial of Izuku Midoriya

Chapter One: The Attack (Original)

By the time Ochako fully realized they were being ambushed, it was over. She had only caught a quick glimpse of a knife as a villian had charged out of an alley, completely ignoring her to rush her companion. Without thinking, all she could do was call out to him.

"DEKU!"

The panic in her voice caused the young hero to snap his head towards her, and she saw his eyes fill with terror as he looked slightly to her left. In her rush to warn her friend, Ochako hadn't noticed the second villain emerging from the alley, this one coming for her. She froze as a large hand wrapped around her shoulder. She turned, trying to twist her body from his grasp, but her eyes fixated on the villian's other hand, transformed into a ugly point as he cocked it back to strike. Before her brain could process anything else, she found herself on the ground, the hard pavement scraping her back and arms.

What?

She looked up, and found herself 20 feet from where she had been previously standing. In less than a millisecond, she had been thrown backwards by an enormous amount of wind pressure. And that could only mean one thing.

"DEKU!" Ochako screamed again, coughing at the dust and dirt kicked up in the air. She rose, limbs shaking, and stumbled forward. Trudging through the dust, she spotted the form of her best friend, lying prone on the ground. She kneeled by his side, trying to assess his condition.

"Deku, are you okay?" She hoped her voice didn't sound as worried and scared as she thought it did. She needed to be strong.

"U-Urara-raka..." he choked out weakly. "Are you hurt?"

Ochako laughed despite the situation. Of course he would ignore himself to ensure her wellbeing. As the dust cleared, she got a better look at him, and stifled a gasp. Her mind went back to their disastrous summer training camp, when Deku had broken both his arms.

This was nothing like that.

Izuku lay before her, his face twisted in pain as he sat up slightly to assess his shattered legs. He mentally cursed his stupidity. Of course you cant walk after that! You fucking idiot, broken arms is one thing but how do I move now? He hadn't had time to think after hearing Uraraka's voice, turning quickly when he noted her fear. He had seen someone running at him, but what had caught his eye was the second man, lunging for his friend. His love. His mind had gone blank, except for the overwhelming need to save her. He looked at his legs again, now paying the price for his emotional outburst. You fucking stupid piece of shit, fucking idiot, how can you fight now? How can you protect her? You're weak and your kick was weak and he's going to get up and kill her and it's your fault because of your stupidity and-. His train of thought broke as he felt something wet hit his face. A tear. He remembered that Uraraka hadn't answered his question, and looked up to see her crying.

"U-Uraraka, are you okay?" He repeated, his voice slightly stronger. He saw her face scrunch up, and the volume of her tears increased. After a pause, she offered a sad smile.

"I'm fine, Deku. I'm okay. But you aren't." She gestured towards his shattered legs. "We need to get you help."

"But.. the villians!" Izuku was sitting up, seemingly ready to fight. The dust had almost completely cleared, revealing the aftermath of his attack. Farther down the alley, one of the villians was face down, unmoving. Searching for a sign of the second, all they found was a large hole in the alley's brick wall, the assailant nowhere to be found. For a moment, they allowed themselves to breathe.

Ochako tried to process the attack, thinking of the circumstances that had led to it. It was saturday night, and class 1-A had been preparing for a group dinner to celebrate Eri moving in with them. In the short amount of time she had known them, she had already made quite an impression, and the class was delighted when Aizawa had announced she would be moving into an unoccupied room. As this was her first night staying with them, the whole class had assembled for a group dinner. When Sato had announced they were missing a few key ingredients for the dessert, Deku had been quick to volunteer to get them. Asking if anyone wanted to go with him, he soon departed with only Ochako in tow, after she had shot a few choice glares to would-be volunteers when she knew he wasn't looking. They had made light conversation while walking, smiling and laughing in the orange glow of the setting sun. As they had walked, Ochako had been gathering her courage to confess something.

He looked so cute. Ochako's chest warmed even now when she remembered how Deku had welcomed Eri to her new home. She knew that they were close after Deku had rescued her, but even Bakugo could admit that he already seemed like an older brother to Eri, or even a father. Deku had quickly helped her settle in, and had spent the day giving Eri the so-called "Midoriya's famous U.A Tour". They had only returned 15 minutes before dinner preparations had begun, Deku running into the common room spinning and laughing, with Eri on his shoulders. Ochako tried to hold the memory of their faces then in her heart, to both comfort her, and to give her strength. She remembered Eri's smile, wider than it had ever been, tears of joy in her eyes. She remembered Deku's matching grin, and his emerald eyes glowing with pride.

She had tried to broach the subject, dancing around what he wanted to ask. "So what do you think of everyone in the class?" He had immediately launched into a thesis on each of their quirks, much to both her amusement and chargin. "No Deku, like, as people? You like everyone right? Is there anyone...special?" A red and sputtering mess, he had only responded to point out an alley that would make a good shortcut. Her face fell as he changed the subject, but she had resolved her self to be more direct on the walk back that hadn't came.

Collecting her thoughts, Ochako looked back at Deku's current expression. His face was contorted in pain as he tried to find a way to move.

"Don't worry Deku, I'll call some-" Ochako was cut off by a shout. A rather hostile shout.

"I think they were over here!" A man's voice tore through the night, bouncing off the alley's remaining walls. "There should only be two, even if they're U.A brats!"

With that being all the confirmation they needed, the pair locked eyes, new worry painting their faces. There were reinforcements. They needed to move. Now.

"I'll help you Deku!" Ochako helped the boy sit up, and wrapped her arms around his chest from behind. With a final word of preparation, she activated her quirk, making Deku weightless. Immediately after lifting him, his involuntary shrieks of pain rang through the night. Ochako looked down in horror. Without any stabilization, his shattered legs started moving freely in the air. Fresh tears filled her eyes at the raw pain in his voice as guilt welled in her chest. You idiot! You didn't think about him enough, and now you've hurt your friend. Your love. Ochako quickly deactivated her quirk, and assessed the situation. Turning quickly, she hoisted Deku on to her back, attempting to ignore his shuddering body. Bending forward at the waist so his feet didn't drag, she began awkwardly moving forward, trying to go as fast as she could.

The voices were getting louder. Ochako knew that Deku's scream had revealed their location. They had to move. Before long, the footsteps of their pursuers rang out clearly. Ochako began weaving through alleys, trying to make up for their slow pace. Rounding a corner, she came face to face with a wall. A dead end.

No...

She turned and saw the line of people blocking their only exit. Gingerly placing Deku down, she then sank to her knees, as all hope drained from her body.

No...

A large man with rocks protruding from his shoulders stepped forward, wearing a smirk. The leader, probably.

No...

Izuku sat up as much as he could, unable to keep a grimace from his face. His heart broke as he saw Uraraka kneeling, blocking him from the villians. He could see her back shaking with silent sobs as the villians leader approached.

NO.

He was going to save her. He was a hero. Her hero. He would never let someone hurt her. Mind racing, he tried to think of a way out of this. Eyes darting around, they finally settled on the ground between the two groups. Without any time to plan further, he quickly leaned forward, wrapping one arm around Uraraka's waist. He turned, pulling her behind him, and he clenched his teeth as he slammed his other arm on the ground in front of them. 100%. He cried out as he felt his arm break , and for a split second, everything froze. Then, just as fast, the ground collapsed. The last thing Izuku remembered was pulling Uraraka close to him before they were falling down, and everything went black.