The last thing Hikari saw was fire in the sky.
She didn’t remember falling.
She didn’t remember the fight ending, or All Might’s final roar of triumph, or the way Shoto caught her before she hit the ground.
All she remembered...72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmr90a1DcI
Was giving everything she had to save Bakugo.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNiNiO7pSOo
And then—72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XQZE1uM8Q
Nothing.
She woke to the soft beep of a heart monitor and the sharp scent of antiseptic.
Her body ached in places she didn’t even know existed. Every breath scraped through her lungs like broken glass.
Blinking slowly, Hikari realized she was lying in a bed in U.A.'s Nurse’s Office.
Across the room, Recovery Girl hovered over Midoriya—who, judging by the way his legs were encased in splints and bandages, had once again shattered both legs... and an arm.
"Honestly!" Recovery Girl scolded, wagging a finger.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG82oJffAQw
"If you keep injuring yourself like this, young man, I won’t heal you anymore! There’s only so much this old lady can do without encouraging reckless behavior!"
Midoriya flinched but managed a sheepish smile.
Hikari watched the scene quietly, warmth stirring in her chest despite the pain.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06nAoqAw1G
He was still here.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSmnfqBybO
They had all survived.
Barely.
Her hand twitched weakly at her side—and to her surprise, Midoriya noticed.
He grinned at her, exhausted but bright-eyed.
"Hey, Hikari... You’re awake."
She tried to answer, but her voice cracked into a whisper.
Midoriya leaned closer, his smile softening.
"You did it," he said. "You saved us."
Tears burned the corners of her eyes.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAJEL6PF7N
Not from pain.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoczZgKNyQ0
Because it was real.
Far beneath the city, hidden in a crumbling underground base, two figures stumbled out of swirling mist.
Kurogiri coughed weakly, the edges of his smoky form unstable.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3Y21Eomzz
Shigaraki staggered forward, dragging his mangled legs, blood dripping from fresh wounds.
He slammed his fist into the nearest wall with a roar, the concrete splintering under the force.
"I can't believe it," Shigaraki snarled. "We lost. We lost two kids. To her."
The television flickered on.
Static filled the grim room.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhAjGholAvF
A symbol appeared: thorns coiling around a dying sun.
Then came a voice.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRRQwSD6qy
Smooth. Charming. Cold.
"Is that bitterness I hear, Tomura?"
The voice laughed—a low, amused chuckle that made even Kurogiri, for the first time, visibly stiffen.
"You should be proud," the voice continued. "Look how far she’s come without us guiding her. Without our touch."
The monitor flickered.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4s47nHyFk
Words scrolled across the bottom in crimson:
SOUND ONLY.
The voice grew quieter. Almost tender.
"She’s strong now. Strong enough to stand against even All Might."72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlXyV21TiKU
"And soon... she’ll come back to me. Where she belongs."
Shigaraki’s hands trembled.
"You should have warned me about her," he spat, rage crackling in his voice.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2cKmpyC4nJ
"You forgot to mention she’s just like her."
For a long moment, silence.
Then, almost lovingly, the voice responded:
"I didn’t forget."72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUy3K4grD6o
"I was counting on it."
The screen went black.
Back at U.A., the stars blinked into view above the ruined campus.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfWge4GjxQ
Night pressed gently against the windows of the Nurse’s Office.
Hikari closed her eyes, breathing in the silence.
She didn’t know what tomorrow would bring.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6abz9BZqXN
She didn’t know what enemies still lurked in the shadows.
But she knew one thing:
She had survived.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEmLFLQ4gM0
They all had.
And for tonight—that was enough.
ns216.73.216.236da2
and then Add to home screen.