Going Beyond the Past

Chapter 83: Awakening

TW: stabbing
Music suggestion: How Do I Say Goodbye by Dean Lewis, Weight of the World by Citizen Soldier(that one's gonna be the next chapter too)
Reminder that all songs are on the Short Temper playlist on Spotify!

"What did she promise you?"

Katsuki's teeth grind together as Touya smirks down at him. He doesn't know what to say. He doesn't know how to respond. They promised each other that they'd always be by each other's side, but where is she now? What does that promise mean anymore?

"You don't have jack shit huh?" he scoffs. "That means she didn't actually love you."

"What the hell do you know about love?"

"I know more than you do. But you won't have to worry, Leinei will be well taken care of by my side.

The flames grow brighter. The fire is heating Katsuki's cheeks, the sapphire glow washing over him. Sweat beads his forehead from the proximity. In that instant, his life flashes before his eyes, flipping through some of the most defining moments in his personal timeline.

The attack by the sludge villain.

Getting into UA.

Meeting the others.

Meeting Lei.

Winning the sports festival, and his first spar with Leinei.

His internship with Best Jeanist.

Midterms.

That day at the mall when he realized he had feelings for her

The summer camp.

Finding out Leinei's past at Shiketsu.

Leinei staying over at his house.

Karaoke and them making their relationship official.

Losing her less than four months later.

Getting his license.

Training with Izuku, Shoto, and Endeavor.

All of the paths he took got him to this point. Each and every twist and turn led to this spot, this point in time where he is staring down a murderer. A normal person would beg for Touya not to kill him, but a dark shadow above them both causes him to smirk.

"I know you're wrong about that," he says, watching Touya's face contort into something dark and monstrous. "Because she promised to be by my side."

He barely pushes himself back in time as Leinei drives her boots into Touya's back, her heel in the back of his neck and her knee in the small of his back. She's breathing heavily, her entire body trembling from adrenaline as Touya growls. Katsuki uses that moment to get to his feet and use an explosion to send himself forward.

Leinei grunts as Katsuki's forearm gets her square in the stomach, the both of them flying backwards as Touya screams. His blue flames explode from his body, going in all directions as they both hit the dirt. He's hovering above the ground again, anger completely contorting every inch of who he is.

"All you had to do was what I said," he says, his voice dangerously low and chilling. Leinei scoffs, getting to her feet as Katsuki kneels and holds his side. "All you had to do was keep up that fucking act."

"I told you," she replies, her voice trembling as she curls her hands into fists. "I told you that if you tried to hurt anyone I loved ever again, I'd make your death the worst part of your life. Guess what? You fucked up."

"Then come on, Little Mouse. You can't use your quirk. How are you going to do that?!"

He barely gives her a chance to open her mouth before he's rushing her. His flames are still exploding from his body, screaming with heat and promising death. She can hear Katsuki screaming for her to run, seeing his frantic look out of the corner of her eye. It makes her heart break. It makes her head explode with pain from the horrible concussion Touya gave her.

Then the pain travels behind her eyes. All of a sudden, she can't see anything but white. Every and all emotion she had inside her is gone, leaving her completely numb inside. But there's no heat. There's no feeling of Touya's hellfire enveloping her.

There's wetness on her cheeks, warm and sticky. Is she really crying now? No, those aren't normal tears. She's shed enough of them to know the difference.

The white fades until everything is a blur. Touya's been knocked backwards, his flames going in an arc around her and Katsuki. A purple film is between them, the cause of the flames' divergence.

Katsuki manages to get to his feet again just as Shoto tackles Touya. The film waivers and disappears, Leinei struggling to keep herself standing. Blood is streaking her cheeks and she's narrowing her eyes to try to make the blurred forms more defined. She rubs them, only to hiss in pain at the slightest touch. The blood is now smeared around her eyes.

He doesn't have a chance to say anything to her as the horde of Nomu starts to swarm them. One slams into her, throwing her backwards a few feet. She digs the broken heels of her boots into the ground, the wind knocked out of her chest. Everything is blurring together, her eyes aching as the sunlight blinds her. She barely has a chance to put her arms up as the Nomu slams its fist into her. The shock reverberates throughout her body, rattling her insides.

She coughs, blood flying from her lips. The Nomu pulls its other arm back, the skin splitting away from the limb and turning into a corkscrew shape. It drives it into her stomach, barely missing any vital organs before exiting through the other side of her. Her back arches, her eyes wide as she looks down.

"For...Akiha.."

The Nomu pulls its hand away, blood streaming from the gaping hole in Leinei's stomach. Her legs give out, her knees slamming into the ground. She presses her hands to the hole as the monster raises its corkscrewed hand. It readies the weapon to drive it into her skull before another surge of pain races through her head, screaming behind her eyes.

Katsuki is barely avoiding the attacks of five different Nomu. He throws off explosions in every direction he can, his injury screeching with each stretch and twist of his abdomen. He catches a glimpse of the Nomu attacking Leinei, seeing her on her knees. He sees the blood streaming way too fast from her stomach. His heart stops for a moment, seeing itself ready for another blow. He throws his arms behind him, catching one of the Nomus in the chest with an explosion as he propels himself forward. He screams her name, his voice breaking.

He's going to lose her before he ever gets her back.

He has so much he needs to yell at her for.

So much to tell her about.

So much to do with her.

Then the Nomu stop. Each one freezes mid attack, several of them twitching and making creaking noises. Blood sprays from a few of their exposed brains before they slump to the ground. The ones that survive break free of the curse that seemed to plague them, retreating without the order as if they could feel fear.

Leinei falls to the ground, laying on her side with her unseeing eyes wide still. Blood is pooling around her as Katsuki gets to her. He can't stand anymore, sitting on his knees as he tries to pick her up. She's limp in his hands, but still breathing.

"No, no, Short Stack, come on, don't leave me again, you dumbass," he hisses at her, putting pressure on her wound. His vision starts to blur from the tears and pain. He rocks back and forth as he fights the exhaustion and the screeching of his own injury.

He loses that fight. His eyes roll upwards as his body goes limp. He doesn't register the pain in his head as he hits the ground. He doesn't hear the villains' parting words. He doesn't hear Izuku's agonized scream.

The last thing he sees before falling unconscious is the sky tinged gray with dust and red from the blood in his eyes.

The last thing he thinks is

Please let her be okay.