Aeyo POV: 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟯𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟯:𝟬𝟰

     If someone could please explain to me why I got stuck cleaning up this mess, it would be greatly appreciated.

     Trying to get Rose, the single most stubborn person I knew, to let the pros find her Meister was probably the most difficult part. No matter what I said, she just refused to let go of this. However, she was also exhausted, and it showed. Normally I'd have to try hard to get her to move, but this time it was relatively easy to drag her along.

    The fire started to spread, and it blocked most of my vision from the school. I kept trying to look for Angel's blob of thermal energy, but all I could see was red. After turning my back to our school, what was left of it, I could make out a few people some distance away. I kept a hold on Rose by her arm and tried to move us over there where I saw the thermal outline of my mom. I helped Rose move on her probably hurt leg and led us there.

    Mom didn't hesitate a second to grab me into a tight hug. She usually wasn't one to worry, but then again, nothing like this had happened before. I let her hug me for a second while I tried to scan the area around us. I noticed Mom was standing near Rose's mother. But she wasn't on the ground like the rest of us, so I assumed she was in a car. The car could fit her and Mateo, and the sirens also hinted that it was in fact an ambulance.

    "Are they ok?" I asked her. I doubted they were, but I couldn't hear anyone loudly freaking out, so I hoped for the best.

    I heard Mom sigh while she kept an arm around me. "They're gonna make it out just fine," she assured me. After hearing that, I turned back to make sure Rose still hadn't run off. Sure enough, that pain in the neck I call a friend was still there, but I could tell she was thinking about going in.

    "She needs a doctor," I told Mom and motioned my head towards Rose. My mom gave me a pat on the shoulder and walked over to help Rose to the second ambulance. Hopefully, we would all be ok too.

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    Ten minutes later and it was finally out turn to see the paramedics in the ambulance. Mom was behind me to stand in as the adult present after Mateo's head injury was taken seriously enough to send him to the hospital with Alejandra going with. People like him with serious injuries were already taken to the nearest hospital, which left the rest of us to be checked out. We pushed Rose to go first, of course. Her arm and leg looked horrible, but she also inhaled a lot of smoke earlier. I helped her up inside the ambulance while a nurse with a clipboard sat next to her.

    "Alright, sorry about that wait. I got a lot of people here," the EMT said. He looked like your average paramedic: older than he looks, judging by the cooler thermal outline, and probably Quirkless. Much like him, his questions were standard and a little forgettable. He went through the same phrases he went through with everyone while Rose tried to respond as little as she could. He scribbled down her answers then set the clipboard down. "That should wrap up the questions. Let's take a look at that arm," the EMT turned to sit facing Rose while she held out her right arm to him. I couldn't see it exactly, but it was obviously bad. The intense thermal heat she usually held was faded from her elbow up, and her fingers were almost non-existent. The EMT didn't make a huge reaction, which either meant he was very professional or Rose still had a hand despite it being decayed.

    No matter what the medics said or how long I looked at her arm, I couldn't figure out how it happened. Her arm was gone, and chances are, she won't get it back. Her opposite leg wasn't as bad, but she still couldn't walk and it was likely in a similar situation. All I could hope for was the EMT knowing how to do his job.

    "Well, I'm honestly not sure how to treat you." Damnit. He moved away from Rose as if he was giving up. But before be could say any more about her, Mom stepped in. "Excuse me? You're a doctor. How could you not know what to do?" She had a point.

    The EMT disagreed though. "Her anatomy isn't like any I've seen. I'm guessing her body is entirely composed of this light that I'm seeing, which means it would likely need a different form of treatment that I'm not trained for. I don't think anyone would be trained to help someone like her." A little harsh there, are we? He talked about so calmly, but this was my friend he was just pushing aside. She might lose her arm and he was fine with that. If I'm being honest, it kind of pissed me off.

    "There are people who specialize in Quirk Studies. Can't you just take her there? Her mother is the same way, so there has to be people who can figure something out," I told him. I saw him try to avoid figuring out a solution, but he was dealing with two very stubborn kids and my mother. He wouldn't be getting out of this.

    "I'll see what I can do," he added. "In the meantime, whatever happened that's eating away at her arm isn't stopping."

    "Is she going to be ok?" Mom asked.

    "Again, I'm not a professional in this area, but it looks like the effect of a Quirk. If it continues, well need to stop it from spreading down her body as soon as possible." Mom wrapped her arm around me again, hearing the EMT's statement. "We can go with her to the hospital."

    "I'm not going.." Rose spoke up after being dead silent for a while.

    My mom put her other hand over Rose's and tried to persuade her. "Hun, you have to. We need to get you treated before it gets worse."

    "But she still isn't back yet," Rose argued. Her voice was hoarse and shaky as if she was scared to death. She didn't sound like herself at all.

    "Pros are in there scanning the school all around. They know what they're doing," I told her, but it wasn't enough.

    "I have to be here when they find her!" Darker areas near her face and eyes told me she was close to tears. That was enough for the EMT to step out of the van and speak with Mom in private while I tried to fix this. As usual.

    "Look, Rose," I started and did my best to climb in to sit in the ambulance next to her. "You can't just stay here. Your parents are at the hospital; they'll want to see you."

    She at first didn't reply. The area on her arm where the thermal energy faded was spreading, but Rose ignored it. I waited for what felt like a long while before she finally answered. "She's not coming back, is she?" God, I felt horrible. Those two were my best friends, but I knew they cared about each other more. Seeing Rose so defeated about losing this was heartbreaking, and I'm the last guy to be heartbroken about stuff.

    I did what I could to be there for her and gave her a pat on the back. Then, I realized that was stupid, swallowed my pride, and just side hugged her. She stopped crying, so obviously I didn't make it worse. Good start. I didn't know what to say, so I just stayed quiet and hoped for the best.

    "I don't know what I'll do without her."

    Me neither. "We'll figure it out...and we'll get through it for her." I hugged her a little tighter, not so much because she was upset, but because I didn't want to be. Rose didn't pull away, though (probably the most surprising). There wasn't much else said after that until Mom and the EMT came back.

    The last of the fires were soon put out as we left in the back of the ambulance. Police and other medics cleaned up the scene while we left it. I wasn't sure what would be next, I just knew it would be a long time before things got back to normal.

A.N.
So this chapter was pretty short, but I wanted to give you all at least a little closure on what happened. I figured that since Rose's old flashback ended at the same time in chapter 15, it's likely that she wouldn't remember a lot after that; that means one more, final POV change!

Because this chapter was so short, there wasn't much to make a question out of. Luckily, I have a few back up, random questions ready. This book is based off an existing anime, so what's your favorite non-BNHA anime and why?

While I love shows like Soul Eater, Fairy Tail, and Durarara, my long time favorite has always been Cowboy Bebop for it's awesome story and even better music.

Character Spotlight: Aeyo Phoenix
(Original) Quirk: Thermal Vision; Payback

Fun fact: I'll do two quick facts about him for today. He is a November Sagittarius, and since he was 12, his favorite game has always been pinball. Though he can't see the ball too well, the bells and buzzards along with the heat from the lights help him be pretty good for a blind guy.

That's all until next time, guys, gals, and pals ≈