𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐀 | bnha oc.

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟓: the usj incident (2)

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KOEMI SMILED IN SUCH A WAY THAT TODOROKI NEVER COULD. Cordial and careful, it captured her temperament far more than the reserved coolness that encapsulated her fingertips. He looked at their interlaced hands for what felt like millennia and debated to himself on how, for someone so warm, had limbs as cold as a preserved corpse.

"I-It really is a drawback, don't worry!" she fretted, seeing his crunched up brows and scowling face, "My blood just happens to be more sensitive to weather compared to others. It's not a big deal."

Todoroki glanced up to meet her gaze and sighed. An ice Quirk with a Quirk user who's weak to ice. They weren't a very good pair to get mixed together with.

His usual cold silence fell over the two, but there was a subtle heaviness to it that managed to sink the girl's heart.

She pulled away in a single skittish swipe. "I'm sorry. I was being silly," she said. Her cheeks prickled with heat as she turned away. "We should return to Thirteen-san. There must be people stuck there right now."

"Right," he mumbled, his eyes already trained on the puff of smoke that appeared at the top of the large stairs.

From there, they saw the emerging silhouette of a familiar pro-hero. A dense fog of smoke and mist engulfed the being, but his build was memorable even from afar. Their eyes lit up in an instant.

Todoroki parted his lips. "That's..."

"All Might," Koemi whispered, "But... he isn't smiling."

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It didn't take long for Aizawa and the students to get rescued by the Symbol of Peace. The greatest contender was what laid ahead of him. A looming creature with insurmountable power, comparable to that of the pro-hero's own physical prowess. It was something intimidating. Something unnatural.

Before long, All Might was trapped in between its fingertips, waltzing between life and the brink of death.

"Is... Is that how it is?"

Pain flowered the side of his abdomen. Hues of red blossomed throughout, spreading like a drop of paint on a cup of clear water. He found it hard to breathe—every breath he sucked in was a knife that fought back against him.

"This is an unexpected opportunity, right, Kurogiri? He expected to keep Nomu still... but he seemed to underestimate his strength."

All Might felt the fingers of death latching onto him tighter. He raised himself and held on to Nomu's grip, trying to pry it off with whatever strength he had, to no avail. It was futile—he felt like a rat trapped in a small cage.

"Is this... your first offense?" All Might gasped out, "You'd better prepare yourselves..!"

The masked villain slowly reached up and scratched at his neck. Just hearing the sound of All Might's voice disturbed him. Grating, he thought, like metal carving against a chalkboard.

"...Kurogiri."

"I would not be pleased to have blood and guts flowing within me, but I would be honored to welcome someone as great as you," Kurogiri remarked, "Restraining you was Nomu's job. When your body is halfway in, to close the gate... tearing you apart is my job."

The more the creature's fingers curled into his wound, the more it sounded like rubber. He wanted to break free immediately, to rid of the impending doom that washed over him. He refused to allow himself to be taken down so easily.

Then, footsteps. Followed by the sound of a child's desperate cry.

"ALL MIIIGHT!!"

He turned to look. Void clouded the hero's vision. Midoriya had reached out to him.