Arcade

Chapter 7 -Author-

Keigo was too engrossed in your last moments to notice the group of heroes that have gathered, once dead or wounded, they made their way towards you and Keigo. You, yourself too weak to open your eyes to notice.

"Hawks." One of them managed to cut in, hesitating to interrupt sensing the serious situation. "Is that the villain that-"

"Shut up." Keigo cut him off, his eyes leaving your own, meeting the other hero's with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Don't come any closer-"

'Load complete.'

"Keigo..." You snapped his attention back to you. "I....lo...v..e...y...ou..."

"Baby bird! I-I love you too! I love you more!" He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that you were now gone, gone from this world, right there in his arms you passed away.

"Hawks, did she-"

"Yes she did, I don't know how her quirk works but she gave her life to 'restore' everything, revive the dead." Keigo's head hung low, his forehead against yours, feeling the last bit of your warmth before you slowly turned cold.

"Is that even possible?"

"Look around. Look at yourself; she healed your wounds didn't she?" Keigo grit his teeth and snapped at Endeavour, whose sins against his own children have been revealed during the war. "You didn't deserve it. Nor did the people of the damn commission deserve to be healed and brought back to life. I should've fucking known how fucked up and corrupt the hero society really is."

"Hawks, you're just distraught over that girl-" Endeavour dared to step closer to Hawks, ignoring the warning looks he was being given.

"Get the fuck away from me, get your filthy eyes off of her!" Keigo lashed, his wings expanding, feathers ready to slit Endeavour's throat.

In his outburst, he failed to notice the frail little girl now making contact with you. Eri, was her name. She crouched down and her hands hovered your body, blood everywhere, more internal injuries then external. But in contrast to the severe injuries, your face looked peaceful, a slim crack in between your lips forming a smile.

"She looks so peaceful." Eri's eyes were slowly forming tears, "Mr. Hawks, was she someone important to you?"

Hawks turned back to see Eri slowly crying. "She was, and she still is..."

Hearing his answer, Eri turned to Aizawa searching for some kind of approval, which was granted with an affirmative nod. Just as Eri was about to activate her quirk, Endeavour cut in.

"You can't bring her back to life, she's a villain." A frown of disapproval on his face, he crossed his arms over one another.

That comment was all it took for Hawks to lash out, his reasons completely snapping into two.

"You of all people! You don't have the fucking right to say that! You should be put in jail and for all your crimes against your own family. You didn't deserve to be spared!" Keigo was outraged, he cursed your kindness to the people.

"I want to bring her back, she seems like a kind person. She fixed everything the villains destroyed and brought every fallen hero and villain back to life." Eri cuts in before the two adult men start fighting. "If she's alive and is with us, she'd be a really big help to rebuilding the hero agency and the commission."

Keigo didn't know whether to agree to it. Yes, he wanted you alive and with him but, he didn't want you to become a dog for the commission like himself. He knew you valued your freedom, and he didn't want to take that away from you. 

He didn't want to be selfish.

"Promise to make a lot of selfish decisions okay?" You once said to him, "at least when your with me, make the most out of it and throw away those selfless instincts of yours!" and he did promise you.

"Eri, please bring her back." He was set. He'd be selfish. He decided to bring you back.

"She's a villain. No matter her last actions of restoration, doesn't justify her crimes against humanity."

That was it. Hawks clenched his fists, and his whole body shook visibly. "That's fucking absurd! I told you, you don't have any fucking right to push your stupid opinion in to this conversation!"

"How unethical. That's not very heroic of you, Hawks."

"Ethics? Oh! You wanna talk about ethics?! Fuckers like you deserve to burn in hell!" He no longer carefully chose nor filtered his words, even if he was in the presence of a child, he didn't falter.

"M-Mr. Hawks, I'd like to bring her back if you would let me." Eri cut in, she was visibly shaken by Hawks who was acting out like a madman.

"We need to vote on this."

"Fuck you." Maybe this was a sign, maybe it was your way of telling him that his selfish decision wasn't a good one. "I've changed my mind. I no longer want a part of this nonsense. I quit."

"Quit what?"

"Everything. I don't want to be a hero in this corrupt society." He leaned over your body to pick you up, to take you to your resting place; wherever his wings would take you two.

"Hawks, you can't take her! You wanted me to-"

"Bring her back, now." Hawks lifted your body and directed it back to Eri. "Do it."

"O-okay." As baffled as she was, still in shock, she activated her quirk.

Keigo watched over the progress, as your dried blood seeped back into your cuts and mouth, as your breath returned. "Thank you." Then, to everyone's dispute, he flew up into the sky, with you in his arms.