Rising Smoke || A Radioactive Biohazard

Chapter 7: USJ! Confrontations

Well Hōsha has had enough for one day. He not only helped in planning an attack, but managed to get caught in the fight between the students and villains. Now before him stood about  3 UA students ready to fight and he looked ready to just curl up and die. This wasn't supposed to happen. Hōsha eyed each of them nervously as what Shigaraki said to him rang in his head. 

"I don't expect you to attack them, but if they attack you then you know what you have to do."

Oh god, will he kill someone? Does he have to kill them? This was it, this is where he'll probably be arrested. After confirming that he wasn't a hostage through that display he just did, it was clear that he was a villain. Why else would he be here?  Of course he had to let concern slip through, after all who wouldn't after someone who accepted you possibly got hurt. 

"So they were pretending to be a hostage?! Great job Midoriya!! They're gonna kill us!"

So the ' savior's ' name was Midoriya. Fitting actually- but now they are all staring at him with uneasy looks. Midoriya, however, looked seriously at Hōsha and spoke up.

"I don't think they want to kill us, if he did than he would've done so. Actually, he's been staying by the main villain's side for the majority of the time during the attack but hasn't moved a muscle. I don't think...he wants to be a villain. Why else would he be acting the way he is since he got here?" Midoriya deducted with his analytic skills. Of course a hero student would try to see the good in others at first. It's their mistake. 

"That doesn't excuse anything!! What if that was an act too!? You really think that they aren't a villain? Look at their mask! That symbol is bad news!" The grape-looking kid practically shouted. 

That's true. His mask has a yellow radiation symbol on it, that just screams at people to stay away. Most people, if not all, did stay away. Keeping at arms length or longer, it's just to ensure the safety of others in the world. After all, inhaling radiation alone will make you nauseated and expel your insides. Within a few days it can kill you if not taken to a hospital immediately and sometimes even then it's too late. Hōsha turned his gaze to the ground, no matter where he went he'd be a villain. He practically is wearing a giant warning sign, he felt like he was illegal. That he was wrong. 

How was this any better? Now he no longer felt illegal, he was illegal now that he participated in this attack. He felt sick again, he wanted to go home. His mouth was dry but as he went to speak his mask hissed loudly that made all 4 people flinch.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" The grape-haired kid shouted in fear and hugged the frog-like girl next to him, who in turn pushed him into the water for a bit. Midoriya looked at Hōshasei nervously, wonder if what he said was wrong.

Hōsha held his hands up as if trying to calm a wild animal and he also looked absolutely worried and scared. He couldn't keep up with his emotions, he was tired, scared, worried, nervous and sick. He has had zero social interactions with people his age, the closest being Shigaraki.

"Its just my mask-! Too much smoke has built up for the mask to keep up to convert to oxygen. It hisses as a warning to me to calm myself- honest-! Nothing is gonna happen unless this continues." Hōsha tried to rush his explanation, he actually sounded desperate. It was as if he was pleading with them to believe what he was saying. 

"Yeah right! You're a villain! Why should we trust you?! You're just saying that so you can prepare an attack!" 

Hōsha's heart dropped; it felt like someone stabbed him and squeezed his heart. Of course they won't believe him. Why should they? He just stood there watching the attack happen and didn't do anything besides breathing. He called out for the leader by name, in worry, and here he is asking them to believe him on something like this? His quirk is dangerous. It's just like before. The door had shut in his face so many times, he shouldn't be so hurt when another one closed.

 No one ever believes him.

No one except-

Shigaraki. 

Hōsha made up his mind, he doesn't have time to waste on something so meaningless as a hero to believe him. He has someone who believes him, and that person needs him. Hōsha didn't notice the long stare that held an emotion that couldn't be described that Midoriya had given him as the shorter yelled at him; he turn and ran back to the one who offered his hand. The one who gave him a chance in this cruel and unfair world. Something burned within him, going up in  a raging fire that also burned the child that sat there in a dark world despite the flames. That child watched as yet another hero, another person, had given up on them. The tears in his eyes fell into the abyss as he watched through a glass window. The world has failed him again. His hope was dying faster right before his eyes.

By the time Hōshasei ran back to Shigaraki, the nomu had knocked Eraserhead unconscious. All Might made his entrance not even a minute later. The speech between the two and fight with the Nomu was tuned out in favor of reflecting on what happened. There might not be anyone who believes in Hōsha, but there is two people in this world who do. Shigaraki and Kurogiri, they accepted him. Sure he still had his feelings of being a villain he is dealing with, but he found a new home. This new home welcomed him with open arms, much like his mother did. He tuned back in when Shigaraki jumped forward to grab at Midoriya to turn him to dust. Hōsha felt his eyes widen, when did Shigaraki move? Was he really going to kill Midoriya? The thought of that actually made his heart freeze. Not Midoriya...

He realized something in that moment as the leader and the curly-haired kid in question locked eyes. 

Midoriya..

Midoriya believed him. He defended him against the others. He tried to reason with them. 

He, a hero, extended his hand. 

Hōsha moved, trying to grasp at Shigaraki's clothing to pull him away from the hero-in-training that believed. Everything felt slowed.

A loud gunshot rang through the USJ. Blood was seen, surprising everyone- they realized reinforcements arrived. Hōsha was about to call out to Shigaraki who was shot when another gunshot was heard. Three rounds.

Hōsha inhaled sharply as the words died out in his throat, pain went through him as he looked up at Midoriya who actually looked as shocked as he did. Shigaraki's hand was shot and he immediately backed off- but Hōsha was shot multiple times in different areas. Thank god he wasn't wearing his signature clothing today, otherwise he would've been so pissed and upset. Though the pain was horrible. He couldn't even muster up anything, this isn't what he signed up for. No...it was. He's learning a lot of things today. Though he didn't think he'd get shot. There was talking, but he couldn't hear. Then suddenly Midoriya was putting pressure on one of his wounds for a few seconds, his mouth was moving but Hōsha really couldn't tell what was being said. There was a really loud yell that made him wince hard and squeeze his eyes close as if that'd help; more gunshots came through his ears and he flinched. Too much was happening, he wanted to go home. Oh how he wished to just go home.

Light tears fell from his eyes as his mask hissed loudly, he was breathing too fast again. A click was heard and his eyes shoot open startling a worried Midoriya; a mint green smoke came out from the air filter and fell to the ground since it was heavier than air. Hōshasei shoved Midoriya as hard as he could away from himself. It was just in time as he fell through a portal from Kurogiri. He locked eye contact with the hero who believed.

"S-Stay away from the smoke!"

Then he was gone.