My Hero Academia: Next Gen

Chapter 61: No Longer Alone

This pain. This intense, burning, tearing pain. Eri looked down to see sharp icicles sticking out of her thigh, her ankle, her arm... It kept going. Her chest was tight, and when she coughed, a splatter of blood followed. She reached over to try and pull the ice out of her arm but the moment she touched it the pain spread all through her shoulder. She cried out in pain and dropped her hand to the ground. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Akira desperately trying to wake up Chisaki, rocking him back and forth. 

Eri's chest heaved as she fought for breath, not willing to accept that she was as hurt as she was. She was lucky, though. If even one of those icicles had hit her torso, she could have been laying there dying. If one had hit her heart...

She shook her head at the thought.

The copper taste of her blood ran over her tongue, sickeningly hot. She wished so deeply that she could reverse herself.

She wished she could just close her eyes and live in this pain for a moment. Unfortunately, the grating sound of Akira's voice prevented that. Eri grit her teeth and pushed herself up to a sitting position, glaring at where Akira was bent over Chisaki.

"Please, Sir, wake up!"

Eri sniffed. "If he's weak enough now that even I can take him out, I don't know what you're expecting, lady."

The fire in Akira's eyes was nothing like Eri had ever seen before in her life. And that was saying something. The rage. The pain. The absolute desire to murder. It was stronger than any she'd felt, even when Chisaki was fighting against Deku during her rescue. She stared at Eri and she could practically feel the heat of anger radiating off of her.

Fear struck Eri and she fell back onto her elbows. Pain roared up her arm, and she cried out, crumpling onto her back. How would she be able to beat Akira in this state? Would there even be a chance of that?

She stared up at the concrete ceiling, the faraway fluorescent lights flickering and growing blurrier by the second. Her entire body seemed to be shutting down bit by bit. Would she die here? After everything she had gone through. After everything she had done to be able to fight her own battles, would she really lose here? The lights above her dimmed as her eyelids fluttered shut. Maybe this is how it always would have ended. She knew it as a child, and she knew it now: she could never defeat Chisaki. She would never be free of him.

"Eri!" 

That voice... It seemed so familiar. 

"Eri! Are you alright?" 

She forced her eyes back open and let her head fall to the side. A figure was running towards her. Someone with dark spiky hair. Her eyes widened as he came into focus. "Sh-Shinsou?"

He was struggling to run properly, limping one his left leg, but he was working as hard as possible to make it to her. "Eri! I'm here. I'm here, are you okay?"

Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes, and the pain radiating from her body seemed to ebb. He fell by her side and she sucked in a breath of disbelief. "Shinsou. You're okay. I saw them take you away. I saw--"

"Don't waste your breath," he said, softly holding a hand to the top of her head. "You need to focus on just staying present."

She shook her head, dismissing his plea. "How did you get out of..." Then she saw the second figure behind him and the blood drained from her face. "K-Kota?"

The boy limped over to her, a makeshift splint becoming clearer on his ankle. His face was covered with dust, sweat, and grime. His hair was frazzled, but his expression was resolute. At least, it was until he saw the condition she was in. His dark eyes widened and his face flushed with rage. She went to reach for him, but he held out a hand. "Eri, don't move," he ordered, causing her to still. "We don't know how hurt you are. Or if anything internal is damaged."