Vigilant - An MHA Alternate Universe Story

Chapter 19: Justice For All

Dust covered the entire construction site. Everything became still and silent.

Shouto was stuck with his arms crossed defensively. A wall of ice blocking himself, Tenya, Katsuki, and those behind them, from the barren stretch of cracked ground, blackened and shattered.

Using his left side, he melted the walls down for everyone to look around.

There on the ground laid Izuku's body, burned from his own explosion.

"NOOO!" Ochako screamed.

Tsuyu wrapped her arms around her friend to hold her back.

Eijiro looked from Mina, mortally wounded in his arms, to Izuku and back to her. "Oh Mina..." He sniffed with tears filling his eyes.

The only thing around the blast radius were bits and pieces of partially melted metals and technology broken apart and charred black.

"Oh shit..." Katsuki said looking around.

"What have we done?..." Kyoka teared up. Denki immediately began to comfort her.

Izuku suddenly sat up and coughed his lungs out, catching everyone's attention. "Maeko! Where's Maeko?" He coughed.

"Izuku, remain calm!" Shouto instructed.

"I-I think..." Tenya looked around. "I think he's gone..."

"Good riddance." Minoru commented.

"Guys, we need to get help for Mina!" Eijiro shouted out.

"The authorities are coming..." Izuku said softly. "Emergency services are responding to the explosion. They'll bring police with them."

Everyone looked at each other worriedly.

"Mina needs us, no matter what it costs. I want her to be saved even if it means I'll be shoved into a police cruiser soon after." Eijiro said. "It's what the best man would do for his lady."

"No. Listen you guys..." Izuku sighed as he stood up and walked to Eijiro and his injured pink friend. "You, all of you, need to get out of here. I'll stay with Mina and make sure she gets help."

"No!" Ochako protested as she stepped forward. "I almost lost you, Izuku... I can't bear the thought of you being thrown in prison for something you didn't do..."

"What are you talking about?" Izuku asked, not looking her direction.

The sharp question made her jolt.

"People are dead because of me!" He shouted and turned towards her. "The entire reason the United Nations has outlawed Quirks is because I misused mine! And because of my mistake, people died!"

Ochako felt tears in her eyes but she listened strong.

"They thought Kacchan was with me so he took the blame while I got put in the police force..." He continued, pointing to Katsuki.

Katsuki was still angry that it happened that way, but he was mature enough to recognize the guilt in his former rival's voice.

"It happened again a few nights ago at my apartment... Maeko triggered me, and I blew up the building with my powers..." Izuku felt tears of his own burning his eyes.

"I never, ever wanted to be responsible for the deaths of anyone. When I trained to become a hero, I pushed myself beyond my limits each time so I could learn to save everyone..."

Ochako lowered her head and put her hand on his shoulder.

"I still can't control my Quirk... I just killed Maeko before we could turn him to the police with the evidence on Mina's phone!"

"That bastard... He planned this whole thing from the beginning." Shouto hissed.

"He played us like a damn fiddle!" Denki yelled.

"We need to make a choice fast, guys! The authorities are almost here..." Kyoka announced.

"Please go. Leave me with Mina." Izuku said kneeling down beside Eijiro and Mina. "They'll save her and take me away. I broke the law. I deserve to be taken away. This is long overdue. None of you are guilty of this so please leave!"

"Midoriya..." Eijiro wanted to protest.

"I know what this means to you, Kirishima but you have to let her go." Fumikage added.

"If you're staying, I'm staying, Izuku." Ochako frowned.

"I promised Eri I would walk her to school..." The green haired man sighed with pure emptiness in his voice. "I want you to promise me that you will do it."

Ochako stopped. She shuffled uncomfortably in place and groaned. "I can't leave you! I don't care that you left me! You're wrong about this! I don't know what's making you lose control of your Quirk like that but I don't care!"

"You think I don't want to be with you again, Ochako? I have never felt lonelier since I felt I had to leave you!" He confessed.

As they argued, the distant sound of sirens was heard and approaching fast.

"Time to go." Katsuki said. "Let's go! We all leave together." He made eye contact with Izuku and simply nodded.

Izuku nodded back. "Go, Eijiro." He said now taking Mina in his arms.

Eijiro started crying and was helped on to his feet by Katsuki and the two left with the others trickling out of the construction site one at a time looking back at Izuku and Mina one last time.

Ochako stood above Izuku looking down at him clutching Mina.

"I love you, Ochako... I-I always have..." Izuku sniffed.

Ochako sniffed and wiped her eyes. "We won't stop fighting until those damn laws are repealed. For you guys..."

"Please go. They're almost here." Izuku said now tending to Mina's wound and making sure she's still breathing.

Ochako backed away. "I wish things were different..."

"W-With y-you all back toge-ther...it will be." Mina said weakly. She forced a smile on her face of hope.

The sirens grew louder, only a few blocks away now. Ochako turned and ran to join the others in escape.

Izuku watched her leave then quickly looked back down at Mina making sure she was stable.

He didn't pay much attention to the blaring helicopters, police shouts, sirens blaring, lights flashing, dogs barking.

He just kept his eyes on his dying friend.

"HANDS UP NOW!"

Izuku threw his hands up still watching Mina. "Please help her! She's been stabbed!"

His eyes never left her as police grabbed his wrists and threw on the heaviest set of handcuffs they have, mainly saved for powerful villains.

He watched as emergency medical finally whisked her away on a stretcher. He started to cry again because her black and gold eyes, although they were awake, were turning to glass.

Only when the ambulance blasted off did he start to listen and comply with the infuriated police officers who tugged him on to his feet and into a large truck, also designed for powerful villains.

It felt like everything in existence turned to black once the world's view from those truck doors was shut with a loud THUD.