Expect the Unexpected: Mei Hatsume x reader (BOOK 2)

Chapter 37: Ever Yours, Y/N

You took a deep breath as you sat in the forest, hiding behind bushes, waiting for the service to begin.

Midoriya had begun his quest early that morning, acknowledging your progress from the previous day and regretfully agreeing that you could tag along.

However, you wanted to see your friends.

One last time.

"Now that everyone's here, I guess we can begin," Kirishima stammered, unsteady and unsure.

Next to him stood Kaminari and Mei, both clad in black, something incredibly unusual for Mei who'd always had a splash of colour in her clothes.

"I've never officiated a memorial, never been to one, so I don't know how this works. But Y/N is - was - one of my closest friends, so I'll keep a promise I made to her," he continued as he gripped the altar. "She was an amazing hero, brave from start to finish, always ready to jump in to rescue someone. It didn't matter who it was, she was willing to bleed to death just to make sure they'd survive. She was an admirable hero and- and now she's gone- we- she fucking died because she saved someone else!"

"Dude," Kaminari reminded, placing a hand on the redhead's back.

Next to them, Mei was stood evidently trying to hold back tears as she held a crumpled letter in her fist.

Your eyes widened as you recognised it, unsurprised that she'd cracked your code.

Right before you went to war, she'd handed you a knife, to which you'd responded with one simple sentence.

'I'm the number two sidekick remember?' You smiled, handing her your copy of the book Hawks had recommended.

By now, the code had been cracked and it was no longer a secret, though inside your copy,  you'd marked things as well. Sections and paragraphs that would lead Mei to the letter.

"Y/N's last words were for us to tell her story," Mei began shakily as she unfolded the letter, taking Kirishima's place at the altar. "I'll make sure we tell all of it, both the good and the bad. She deserves to be remembered."

You sat at a dimly lit desk, working a late shift at Endeavour's agency, marking pages after pages as you hurriedly scribbled things down on a paper.

"Hatsume-San you don't have to-" Kaminari ushered, clasping her hand, though she shook her head and continued speaking to the crowd.

'My dearest Mei,' you wrote, having come to terms with your fate. 'If you have found and opened this letter it means I am no longer of this world.'

"I apologise for leaving everything behind, though I hope it was worth it in the end," she spoke, voice loud and clear.

'I assure you, I will continue to live a seamless and happy immortality, waiting for you to return to my side,' you continued, the first tears dropping onto the parchment at the thought of being separated from her.

"I will wait infinite lifetimes to be reunited with you, Denki and all our friends," she choked out, though continued for your sake.

'Stay safe, my love, and remember your ideals,' you smiled, thinking about her strong sense of justice.

"Adieu, best of women," she whispered, voice cracking.

'Ever yours, Shirakumo Y/N,' you finished, neatly folding the letter and placing it in an envelope along with your will and testament.

Silence coated the field as numerous people could be seen wiping away tears or sharing sympathetic glances.

"I'll be reading out the last will and testament of Shirakumo Y/N, unless anyone would like to make last minute speeches," Kaminari announced, the second half of your letter in hand.

The students you'd known for less than a year racked their brains, trying to come up with words to say. Though one instantly got up and made his way to the front.

"She told me she didn't have ambition," the blonde began. "She told me she wasn't competitive and didn't hold grudges. I recognised that look on her face, similar to one of an acquaintance. She knew she'd die, she knew she was a pawn. But she still continued marching forward so that we could survive. Doing the queen's work, protecting everyone day and night. She's the reason I'm still alive."

"Bakugo-kun," Kaminari whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save her," he muttered, turning over to Kaminari.

"We'll figure it out, right?" Kirishima smiled sadly. "We're class A, that's how we roll."

"We won't cheer up any time soon, but we'll certainly regain some normalcy," Kaminari agreed, before looking at Mei. "Right?"

"Y/N wouldn't want us to be hung up on the past," she mumbled. "We fought a war, casualties were to be expected. No matter how unwanted they were. Let's put this time to good use and bring things forward instead of letting the sacrifices of her and the other heroes go to waste."

'If I die, will you finally let me go?' You asked, a sad smile playing at your lips.

The answer was no.

None of them had let go, thankful for every sacrifice you'd made as they mourned your supposed passing. It felt wrong to watch from the sidelines, as if you were intruding on something as people began to clear after Kaminari read out your will.

Something you'd written less than a couple months ago, something you didn't believe would be put in action so quickly.

Yet here you were, attending your own memorial service. A secret hidden away from even the majority of the government as you sat behind the bushes, listening to people talk, the morning glow lighting up the field beautifully.

You could see your friends, but they couldn't see you. So you'd taken this as an opportunity to sneak out and see them, one last time.

"Ever yours, Shirakumo Y/N," you whispered, gently touching a nearby tree.

You knew she couldn't hear you, but even so, you wanted to reassure her that everything would be alright, that things would go back to normal. That you'd both finally have a smile on your face after three long months.

But you couldn't.

A/N: memorial is done!

QOTD: two references I made, one direct to this book and one to something else. Any idea what they are?

Have a great day/night :)