Along The Path Of Vengeance(Sasuke/Mha crossover(Naruto)

Chapter LV: All Alone

Midoriya allowed himself to sink into the massive hot bath and took a deep sigh as he felt comfortable for the first time in days. He took a cloth and rubbed hard into the grime that dug into his skin, slowly making it fade away. He also observed Sasuke, Todoroki, and Bakugo and a thought crossed his mind, "Where's everyone else at?"

Sasuke answered, "They're all sleeping right now. Probably too exhausted from training."

Midoriya nodded thinking, 'I'm gonna have a lot of explaining to do tomorrow...' His thoughts drifted while he intently scrubbed at his right arm harder than anywhere else.

Sasuke looked toward Todoroki, "Good call pushing for Uraraka to come, I was getting ready to just barge through that crowd."

Todoroki replied, "Yeah, I'm just glad that we finally got Deku back. We should run him by Recovery Girl before the night ends."

Bakugo remarked, "Totally, he looks like shit. When's the last time you slept anyway?"

Midoriya's tired eyes focused on his already clean right arm while he continued to scrub away something with the towel. Bakugo spoke up, "Hey! Did you hear me?"

Midoriya looked up for a moment, "Huh? Um... a couple days ago... I think?"

"Tch..." Bakugo looked away and Sasuke analyzed him with narrow eyes.

Todoroki tilted his head and asked, "Midoriya... your arms are already clean. What are you doing?"

Midoriya frowned and stopped scrubbing as he stared at his arm still covered with Dictator's insides. "It won't come off..." His arm slowly shook again.

"Huh?" Todoroki and Bakugo looked on with scrunched brows, but Sasuke put a hand on Midoriya's shoulder.

"It won't come off. It'll always be there."

Midoriya's shaking stopped, "If only I could have..."

"You can't change what happened, Midoriya, considering the alternative of everyone else there dying and you getting captured, you gotta realize you made the right choice."

Midoriya looked down with a tense mouth and his hand dropped, "Yeah... I guess... I guess you're right." The blood he saw on his arm became less pronounced.

Bakugo chipped in while leaning back on the edge of the bath, "You don't gotta be proud of it, but quit beating yourself up over it. Besides, there's another issue I gotta get on you for. Do you remember what I said back when Shigaraki swiss-cheesed me?"

"No."

Bakugo's voice was softer than usual, "Stop trying to win this on your own. I had more to say though. Back then, I got stabbed cause my body moved on its own... I always looked down on you since you were quirkless... you know, you're supposed to be beneath me. But I just kept feeling like... like you were above me. I hated it." Bakugo's gaze hardened before softening again while everyone listened intently. "I couldn't bear looking at or accepting the way you were, so I just kept bullying you and keeping you far away... I was acting all superior, but I guess I kept losing that fight. Nothing's worked out how I thought it would since entering UA. All this past year has done has made me understand your strengths and my own weaknesses..."

Something Sasuke said while he was kidnapped by the League of Villains crossed his mind, "That stuck-up shitty attitude is why Midoriya is gonna surpass you."

Midoriya and Bakugo made eye contact, "Now I don't expect this to change anything between us, but I gotta say... Izuku... I'm sorry for everything."

Bakugo did a slight head bow and Midoriya's eyes widened. Silence befell the bath for the next minute until Midoriya laughed lightly. Bakugo narrowed his eyes, "I wasn't joking."