A Different Kind of Hero ~ MHA x FMA

Chapter 12

Edward's POV

A couple of days after Eraserhead and Teacher told us the alarming news, I awoke to an unsettling earthquake. I was knocked out of my bed and heard the clattering of Al's armor. Al stayed where he was, not sure what to do. I rushed under my bed to take cover, watching as the lights on the ceiling fell to the floor, shaking and shattering. The bed cracked as the dresser toppled and fell on it, and Al grabbed me out from under the bed before it fell on top of me. Screams filled the halls as others saw their own rooms fall to pieces.

After Al grabbed me, we both decided to get out of there as soon as possible. A few others of Class 1a also ran out into the hall, and we all skipped down the stairs, watching as the walls crumbled and cracked around us. A chunk of the ceiling was about to fall on us until Kirishima ran forward and took the blow with his quirk. "Go! I'll look for anyone on the higher floors." All of us made our way through the falling debris, trying our hardest to keep our balance on the shifting ground.

Everyone reached the bottom floor safely, except Kirishima, Ling, Sero, Todoroki, and Tsu. Deku, Yaomomo, and Iida guided everyone outside, seeing as everything was falling apart and the building no longer looked safe. Bakugo, however, seemed anxious. He didn't want to leave, "I'm going to wait for shitty hair, and you can't make me leave, Deku!" He growled, looking back at the stairs frantically. When the television shattered behind them from a chunk of the ceiling, he sighed and left with a scowl.

I stepped outside, just in time before the whole side of the dorm building collapsed. The ground continued to turn under our feet, but as the building fell to its knees, the earth finally calmed. Eraserhead came running, his arm covered in blood, but I could see the adrenaline in his eyes. He came up to our group, counting how many made it out. "Is everyone all right? Any injuries?"

"We're all ok, for the most part. A few of us have some cuts and bruises, but we're fine. A few others are still in the building, though." Yaomomo pointed back at the collapsed building, holding her head and swaying. "Kirishima came up to the 5th floor to try and get everyone out safely, but he hasn't come back out yet."

Eraserhead didn't even think twice, "Get to the school, everyone. Most of it is intact, and Recovery Girl is healing those who sustained injuries. Hurry up."

"No, I'm staying here to find Kirishima" I looked over to see Bakugo scowling at Aizawa as if he had said something offensive. Aizawa returned the look.

"I can't let you do that, Bakugo. Look at your injuries. I'm sending you straight to Recovery Girl. But he'll still be here when you're healed." He cocked an eyebrow at Bakugo, who blushed softly and looked at his feet. After taking a deep breath, he stomped away, grumbling something under his breath. Aizawa sighed and turned towards the building after saying, "All of you, go. Your classmates will be fine."

Ashido ran to Bakugo's side and said something teasingly, and in response, Bakugo blushed and swore at her. Despite Ashido's energy, she wobbled and almost collapsed. Sato and Yaomomo also didn't look too good. As Yaomomo said, most everyone was all right, but a few people were in shock with labored breathing. Bakugo even had a cut on his arm from the television that crashed behind him.

All around us, trees were uprooted. The ground itself had changed, and parts of the forest looked all too familiar of home. I could tell things were getting worse, and we had to act fast. I stopped and looked up at the sky, contemplating how we would even get home. But by looking up, my neck strained, and a tight pain shot through my head, reminding me of the current situation.

A little farther out, Recovery Girl was walking around frantically, a water bottle in one hand and gauze in the other. She kissed every student that came up to her, taking a drink from her bottle in between kisses. When we got there, there was a line forming. One person after another, all looking like the walking dead. Sunken eyes, tear-stained cheeks, bruises, and the occasional cuts for those that couldn't react fast enough to the earthquake. Some of the younger students even had a few broken limbs. It was a depressing sight.

We each waited our turn to be seen by Recovery Girl, and one by one, she checked each of us out. Bakugo was the only one who was insistent that he was fine. He even tried going back to the dorms against Deku's protests, just to see if Kirishima and the others were all right. Thankfully, it wasn't much longer before Eraserhead came running back, holding Tsu in his arms.

"I found Todoroki and Sero, but there's no sign of Kirishima anywhere. I have no idea where he could be. Power Loader, come help me get them out of the rubble." Eraserhead dropped off Tsu, and Powerloader came out of nowhere from the crowd and followed him back to the dorms.

At the news of Kirishima being missing, however, Bakugo exploded. "You better let me come with, old man. I am not just going to stand around and do nothing." Eraserhead glared at him, then looked at Recovery Girl with confusion in his eyes. Recovery Girl offered her hand to Bakugo, who angrily backed down and let Eraserhead go.

"Wait, where's Ling?" I frantically looked around, almost having forgotten about him.

Eraserhead didn't even look back at me, "Don't worry, I found him, too," then disappeared back into the rubble, heading back to the dorms.

A chorus of gasps was heard behind me, followed by, "I'm, I'm fine... I prom-" when I turned around, Ashido was on the floor, unconscious. Her face turned pale, and Recovery Girl shooed everyone away to give her space. She slipped a slab of stone under her feet to elevate her legs and gave her a kiss before returning back to the other students. She made an announcement to everyone, asking those with the worst injuries to come forward. The line got considerably shorter after that, and Recovery Girl made a sigh of relief. Although, that gave me a view of just how bad some kids got injured. One was asleep through most of it and broke his ankle when he left his foot hanging off the bed. So far, thankfully, no one has been found dead. Only injured, and a few more missing.

Another pro hero came to help, as well as some police officers. They each searched for missing students and helped look after the injured with Recovery Girl. With the added help, students started to feel more hopeful. I could tell by the way some of them lit up that everyone was excited to see them. One tall man came flying over the trees with large crimson red wings. A handful of girls, and Deku, squealed at his arrival. The man landed near a group of teachers, not far from where we were. He was briefed for only a minute and got straight to work. His feathers flew off his back one by one, each seeming to have a mind of their own. The feathers moved debris around as he flew in circles around the school, searching for students.

A few kids were unearthed by his attempts, but only a fraction of the missing kids.

I glanced over in the direction of the dorms and saw Eraserhead returning with the others. Bakugo stood up to face them, but no one saw Kirishima. Eraserhead set Todoroki down, and Power Loader helped Sero and Ling walk over to Recovery Girl. Deku looked worried for Todoroki but didn't say anything. Ling sat down on the ground and looked up at the sky, his eyes red and shoulders slumped. I sat down next to him, placing a careful hand on his back. He flinched but relaxed, "I can't wait to get home."

"We'll be home soon. I'll make sure those villains get a taste of me, and I'll fix things." I stood up quickly, but my automail leg collapsed underneath me, causing me to fall into Ling's lap. I heard Kaminari's laughter, and when I got off of Ling, I could see him blushing.

Winry appeared out of nowhere, pushing me back down on the ground, so she could look at my leg. "What did you do this time? Your whole leg is crushed!"

I rubbed the back of my neck, avoiding eye contact, "There was a dresser next to my bed..."

"You idiot! You didn't even think of using alchemy to catch it? How did you even walk all the way over here; this is nearly destroyed." Winry had me take it off, and she began looking at the intricate machinery.

One student with bright pink hair and work gloves came up to Winry and offered her help. "The name's Hatsume. I know quite a bit about inventions. Can I take a look? That leg looks beautiful!" Hatsume barely waited for Winry to respond before snatching the automail from her and examining it. "What did you say this was called?"

"Automail. It's my own work. I made his arm, too." Winry stated proudly, seeming excited to have someone so interested. "It connects to his nervous system. But, I can never make it durable enough-and light enough-for it to last." The two passionately chatted, bouncing ideas off of each other. My interest in them dropped, seeing as I could barely understand what they said, and I looked back at the other students.

Yaomomo was walking over to me with Alphonse. I was confused at first until Yaomomo demanded, "Teach me alchemy."