Freeze Frame

Chapter 111

Third person pov

Shota Aizawa, known as Eraserhead to a majority of the public, had just taken All For One down with a single look. He was an underground hero. Never had he been one to revel in fame. Cameras repulsed him, and he'd die before doing any sort of interview. Were this scenario occurring under different circumstances, he would've run and hid immediately. Let the credit fall to someone else while he made his way home. That's just the kind of person he was. It was the type of person he would always be, he was sure. 

This time was different. There was no time to get away from it all or block out the deafening cheers and whoops that erupted around him like lava from a volcano. Everything was a blur. His eyes and stomach hurt more than they ever had in his entire life. His entire world seemed to spin as people jumped to restrain All For One, in case he wasn't completely dead. There was a faint wail of sirens in the distance. Overhead, the news helicopter descended to try finding a place to land. It was loud, and the gust generated by its propellers made Shota all the more dizzy. He couldn't think of a single time he'd been more disoriented. Not even at the USJ. Then, he'd been hurt, but not horribly dizzy or out of it. Just beaten down. Now... he wasn't sure what he felt, but it made him feel like he was spinning two different directions at once.

A hand clamped down on his shoulder, drawing him from his daze somewhat. He came face to face with All Might himself, in his weakened form. His face was streaked with tears that had ripped through the layer of dust on his face, leaving clean tracks behind. Aizawa blinked at him, his throat feeling too raw to force words through. The side effects he felt seemed similar to those of Lillian's, though not entirely. The twisting pain in his stomach, the blurred vision, and drowsiness.

"Lillian..." The dark haired man breathed, blinking. Something in him clicked, and it all happened in an instant. Everything rushed back at him almost immediately at that. His ears popped, and nothing sounded as muffled as it had before. His vision cleared, the fog over his mind lifted, and he was thrust back into the clamor of reality all at once. His entire body seemed to shudder. The air here wasn't clean, but he still found himself inhaling deeply and not reacting much at all to the immense amount of dust that tickled his lungs. He pulled away from Toshinori, who seemed concerned and heartbroken by his successor's actions. "Lillian! Where's my daughter?!"

The same fear that had bubbled within him when he descended to find Lillian gripping Awase's limp body in her arms attacked him with fresh ferocity. His heart rate took off at a dead sprint and left him feeling dizzy all over again. He spun in a full circle, trying to catch sight of her. SHe wasn't where he'd left her. He'd be a little afraid if she were. People began to ask one another where Lillian had gone. That's one of the things that had driven them here in the first place. Her, and Eraserhead's determination to get to her. At first they'd thought it was just because he was her teacher. They could all see it ran deeper than that now. He was her father, and a good dad would go to any length to ensure the health and happiness of their child.

"Eraserhead, this way! She was taken to the healers!" Someone called, and he didn't hesitate to take off in the direction of the voice. People were swarming around, clearing paths for police and ambulances, carrying the injured that had been blown away by All For One's relentless air cannons, and just generally trying to recuperate. A ways away, the news copter finally landed. The reporters jumped out and offered it to the injured. It would be able to fly people in critical condition to the hospital. This would also clear space for other ambulances or police officers to arrive, or even another copter.

Running towards where Lillian had been taken was such a dreadful thing, because he wasn't sure what state he'd find her in. To nearly be shot after being kidnapped and taken into a battlefield was one thing. But to be almost shot by someone she trusted and considered to be a dear friend... It made Aizawa want to scream just thinking about it. His daughter didn't deserve this! None of his students did! Hadn't Shoto and Izuku been in a relationship? He had seen the half-and-half teen stumble by earlier, and it had been obvious he'd bore witness to what happened. It made him sick to his stomach. He wanted to be enraged at Izuku-- he was, to an extent-- but something stopped him from completely losing it. The realization that he still cared for his green-haired student, despite what he'd just done. He couldn't help it no matter how hard he tried.