My Hero Academia: Rise of a New Dawn

Rise of a New Dawn

The wind blew softly through the cemetery, the skies overcast with a gentle gray hue that surrounded him in a shadow in pain. He still couldn't believe what had happened, even when he stood quietly in front of the grave of his former teacher, Kayama Nemuri, better known to the world as the R-Rated Hero: Midnight. The tombstone was simple yet elegant, reflecting the woman who had brought so much life and joy to him and the others in his class. Yet it was a light that fell in one of the darkest moments in their fight against the Paranormal Liberation Front.

His eyes were downcast, staring at the name etched into the stone. His heart felt heavy as waves of guilt crashed over him. It had been the first time that he visited her grave, not having the strength to be there when she was being buried. It was a miracle that he even had a chance to be here, the battle against Lady Nagant left him more tired than what he expected. No words escaped from his mouth, trying to find the right words to say for one of the few teachers that had been there for him. That day would forever be ingrained in his mind, and he was sure that he would have nightmares about it as well.

"I'm sorry, Midnight-sensei..." Izuku Midoriya whispered, his voice shaky. It was the only thing he could actually say, those words being one of the few that he could actually process at the moment. Yet even in his pain, in this suffering, he tried to keep himself up. "I... I should have done more... I should have been stronger!" He only paused for a mere moment, his mind thinking of what she would be doing to him at the moment. He looked down, knowing for certain that she would be reprimanding him about taking the blame and reassuring him that it was not his fault. Yet, it was exactly how he felt, it was his fault for not stopping Shigaraki sooner. "If only... If only I had-"

He choked on his words, disgusted by the train of thought that had entered his mind at that very moment. He hated thinking like that, but others had been telling him those exact words and now it seems that he was also thinking about that option. And while it may still be an option, he knew that those that had fallen would never get another chance to be who they once were. The guilt had become a cloak over his shoulders, one that he kept close to him so as to not burden others with his problems and dilemmas.

"I wasn't fast enough. I wasn't strong enough to save you... or anyone else. You..." His voice crack, the delirious thoughts of murder being forgotten for the moment as he concentrated on his one-sided conversation with his deceased teacher. He could feel just how the skies began to join him in his sorrow, drops of rain starting to fall over him. He didn't know if this was a blessing or not, but it allowed him to not hold back as much. "You were always there for me and I couldn't be there for you..."

A lump formed in his throat as he clenched his fists at his sides, his knuckles whitening from the pressure. He replayed that tragic day in his mind. Shigaraki's merciless rampage, the loss of so many lives; heroes, civilians, and his teacher. The pain of losing her struck him like a sharp blade, deep and unyielding, and it was a pain that he would carry with him till the shadows claimed him as well. He brushed the grave gently, his eyes burning just for reading the words that had been inscribed.

"You... you were like a second mother to me, Midnight-sensei..." He confessed, hoping that his words would reach her in some way. He had been too scared to say these words to her face, to let her know exactly how he felt with her. And now he was regretting the choice of staying quiet, of letting things be. It cut like a blade at his heart, a rusty blade that will forever be impaled over his chest. "Y-You were so kind... Always encouraging me to keep pushing forward... Always there with that smile..." He inhaled sharply, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill over. While the rain was a nice cover for those tears that wanted to escape, he wanted to keep them at bay as long as he could. But memories of old and the sudden pain he was expressing in his lonesome was slowly opening those gates. "And I-"