Hope Found in Ice and Flames

Chapter 24

Gone.

Izuku ran through the forest, shrinking his wings down to the side of a hand so people wouldn't notice his injury. He didn't realize this attempt was in vain as he was bleeding from his right wing, the blood seeping down his shirt slowly. He gasped, hearing a not-so-distant roar and being pulled behind a tree.

"Shoji? -" He asked, seeing the multi-limbed teen shushing him. "What happened?" He whispered.

"We were attacked, Tokoyami and I, one of my limbs was cut off, I can just regenerate it after a while but... Dark Shadow went mad..." He said, looking at his bloodied and severed limb. Izuku nodded in understanding, thinking. "I think I might have a plan... Did you hear about Kacchan? And the villain's goal?" He asked, Shoji nodded.

"Kacchan and Shouto are together, they were before your group so they shouldn't be far... Dark shadow's weakness is light, if we lure him to them then-" "-They can weaken him with their quirks! Midoriya you're a genius!" Shoji said, watching as Midoriya peeked around the corner where Tokoyami was, then the opposite way where Shouto and Katsuki were. "Let's go-"

"Your back, you're hurt." Shoji interrupted, grabbing Izuku's arm. "Let me carry you, you've lost a lot of blood by the looks of it." Izuku tried to protest but was shot down and forced onto shoji's back, having his large, webbed limbs wrapped around him like a baby carrier. Shoji and Izuku began their way to Katsuki and Shouto, getting Dark Shadow's attention quickly.

The enraged beast roared, chasing after the two boys, they ran and ran, shouting as they saw white and red hair in the distance. Shouto turned, seeing the giant black mass of anger coming their way, then, looking lower he saw his classmate and what looked like another person on his back. "Use your quirks! Dark Shadow went berserk!" He yelled, ducking to the side as Shouto and Katsuki, who was now aware of the situation, got into a ready stance.

Activating their quirks, the forest seemed to light up in a fiery red and orange hue, the area around them heating up as they heard a screeching noise that slowly became quieter and weaker by the second. "Tokoyami!" Shouto called, running to his classmate and kneeling to his side.

"I'm okay...Thank you, both of you." He said, looking at the ash-blonde who stood a few feet away. "I'm so sorry for losing control." Shouto gave him a small smile, standing up and lending him a hand.

"It's okay. This is all kind of stressful." He said, looking at Katsuki who snarled and looked away. The dual-haired boy frowned. "Shoji who do you have?" He asked, causing said teen to flinch and stutter a bit, he peered over Shoji's shoulder, seeing a plush head of green and black hair. "Izuku?"

Shouto went to Shoji's side, eyes widening in horror at the sight of blood seeping onto the back of Izuku's shirt, "It's fine," the freckled boy mumbled. "Doesn't hurt much." Shouto and Katsuki gave each other a glance before sighing.

"So, what's your plan Deku? I know you didn't run into the forest injured without one." Katsuki asked, his hands on his hips as he stood at a slanted stance.

"Well... I want us to surround you as best we can, it's going to be difficult since we only have three of us mobile at the moment, but if we find more people along the way it'll get easier." The ash blonde sighed and nodded, they all got into a formation and began walking deeper into the forest, hoping they wouldn't bump into trouble.

{Meanwhile}

Asui grunted as she was pinned to a tree with a knife in her hair and another against her neck, staring into golden eyes intensely. "Tsu!" Ochako shouted, stumbling to her feet and charging at the blonde girl who had her friend cornered.