Top pic credit: (original- Horikoshi) edited version- AizawaShoutta

Ari POV:

A few steps felt like endless miles as I carried Keigo across the room on my back.

And while I was starting to realize that I severely overestimated my physical strengths in being able to carry a full grown man, while I'm still leaking a steady faucet of blood from my gunshot shoulder, and nursing my own injuries from this fight....I can't stop moving.

Not when Keigo's this hurt. Not when Sammy's trapped under the rubble, a few feet away-looking at me in pure relief as he put his entire faith in me to get him out of here safely.

Not when Touya is barely being restrained by my dwindling quirk effects now. And not when Diane is patting out the last of the flames on her leg.

Not to mention, the chandelier that had managed to stay intact above our heads for the time being, was continuing to sway nerve wrackingly fast now, simply making me wonder when it would eventually end up crashing in this room.

Yes. The odds are against us. They aren't looking good for me, Keigo, or Sammy.

But, I can't give up. Not yet. Not when I'm the only one who can save them.

"How....how are you doing up there, Keigo?" I practically choked out through my 110% exertion, furrowing my brows in pure pain as my body was screaming at me to slow down.

"Ah, fine, Chicky. Just fine. I think....I think....I think I can...uh..." Keigo started off in a slur, clearly about to make a suggestion for something before trailing off dazedly.

I bit down on my lip in fear for his condition, making mental notes of how severely his status was fading away.

Up until that comment right there, Keigo's been able to hold normal, aware conversation. That's the first time he's unable to produce enough cognitive skills to speak completely coherent.

It's a horrible sign-

"Walk! That's....I was trying to say...walk. I can....I can walk, Chicky. I'm too heavy for you. Just put me down now." He finished delayed, giving my arm a gentle pat with his burned hand for reassurance.

But, I quickly held his body tighter on my shoulders, giving my head a small shake of denial as I continued walking.

Keigo's the type of person who does best when one is honest with him, so I'm just gonna tell him how it is so he can be aware of his condition, and be mindful in trying to fight it.

"You couldn't even stand back there, and you weren't able to finish a simple sentence just now-" I started off, before his alertness suddenly happened to come back to life for the sake of the small argument.

Typical.

"Nah, nah, nah. I was just....I got-I was distracted. Here, lemme get off-" He started saying, before I lightly slapped the back of his thigh, forcing my walk to pick up the agonizing pace.

"Just relax. I've got you, you're not that heavy. Plus, we're already here." I wheezed out in exertion, finally stopping my path in front of Sammy with slight relief.

Thank goodness we're here. I don't know if I could have carried him by myself, any further in my deteriorating condition.

"S...Sammy." I croaked out, dropping to my knees with Keigo still on my back.

"You're not looking too good yourself, Ari. Come closer, let me help!" Sammy quickly replied, waving his hands frantically as he alternated his terrified gaze from me to Hawks.

His big sister and one of his favorite heroes are both on death's door, and he's not far behind, either.

But, regardless, Sammy's still doing his best to be helpful-even with his crushed foot stuck under the rubble.

Knowing I needed to get closer to Sammy, since he was trapped in his place, I forced myself to crawl a few more feet.

But, my body just couldn't take anymore.

"Okay, Keigo....I'm gonna...I'm gonna drop you down into Sammy's arms, nice and easy." I panted out through my burning lungs, hearing him cough out a small "okay."

However, I was only able to crawl myself a few feet closer to Sammy, before sloppily throwing the bird boy off my shoulders.

And once again, my overestimations suck as I thought I'd been at least close enough to where Keigo would fall into the cushion of Sammy's arms-

"Ari, what the hell's wrong with you?!!" Sammy suddenly reprimanded at the same time I heard a giant thud hit the floor, causing me to quickly lift my sweaty head and see what the problem was.

And there was Keigo laying face down on the floor, groaning softly at the face plant I unintentionally just forced upon him.

"Huh? Oh-shit. I guess I missed..." I breathed out, crawling closer to Keigo.

"You couldn't have walked one more step?" Sammy uttered under his breath, causing me to whip my glare at him in irritation.

"Hey, shut up. I don't need your input." I nagged at my little brother, causing him to roll his eyes.

"Well, clearly you do, since I just saved you from being shot in the head-"

"Guys. Please don't fight, right now." Keigo muffled out in pain from the floor, causing Sammy and I to quickly turn our attention towards him.

"Ah, that's right-Keigo!-Aw, Keigo, baby. I'm sorry, are you alright?-ohh, seee? You're totally okay! Right? Still good looking as ever, h-hah..." I cringed out apologetically, yanking his burning body off the ground not so gently.

He squeezed his eyes shut at my unintentional man-handling, placing an arm around my shoulders to steady himself up to sitting.

"Yeah. I'm all good. Don't worry about me. For now, we gotta get Sammy outta here." He breathed out tiredly, resting his sweaty head back against the giant debris pillar that Sammy's foot was stuck under.

I quickly nodded in affirmation, making sure that Keigo was propped up well enough, before turning my attention to Sammy.

I need to work fast while I've got this small break in attacks from Dabi and Diane.

"Keep watch on those two for me, Kei. I've got Dabi under my quirk, but Diane's unpredictable." I explained, forcing my cut up fingers underneath the debris to lift it off Sammy's foot.

I mentally screamed at my body to work even harder than it already was, straining with every bit of my strength to lift up the heavy piece of debris, so Sammy could slide his foot out.

Keigo nodded softly in affirmation, keeping his eyes on our culprits as he spoke.

"If you need some help with that, I'm hiding a very last batch of emergency-" He started saying, before Sammy's loud sigh of relief broke through his words.

"Ah, thank goodness! I'm free! Thanks, Ari." Sammy groaned in pain, wiggling around his, now free....very broken foot, as I let the debris crash back to the ground with a shaky breath.

My heart rate was through the roof from the amount of exertion I've been doing today. Not to mention, my shoulder is still bleeding from my gunshot wound. My body is internally searing from quirk overuse. Smoke inhalation is filling my lungs.

Keigo is the worst hurt out of everyone. But, to be quite honest, I'm not too far behind him.

"Y...yeah. A-Any....anytime." I breathed out dazedly, cursing softly as I felt fatigue creeping up on my muscles.

Feeling a wave of dizziness suddenly wash over my head, I abruptly leaned forward and grabbed onto the concrete debris, forcing my rolling eyes to stay open and conscious.

And, while I was hoping the action would have gone unnoticed by my loved ones, I couldn't help but sigh deflatedly as I suddenly felt a gentle hand cup my jaw.

A burnt hand. A shaky hand. But, a hand that was also so familiar and comforting to me, no matter what.

"C'mere, beautiful. Lemme take care of you real quick." Keigo whispered out softly, gently turning my face towards his.

I couldn't help but chuckle softly at his choice of words, imagining the way I probably look right now.

"Mm. If you really think I'm beautiful at the moment, then you may be in worse condition than I thought, Keigs." I uttered teasingly, slowly trailing my gaze over to meet his.

He smiled warmly upon seeing my face, shuffling around in the small compartments that were attached to his belt as he spoke.

"Nah. If anything, it means that I'm in better condition than you think. After all, I think you're beautiful all the time. It would be outta the ordinary for me not to think so." He breathed out through his burning lungs, gently pulling me closer to him.

And even through the chaos, I felt my stupid cheeks heat up in embarrassment to his comment, muttering flustered curses under my breath.

My blush definitely didn't go unnoticed to Keigo as he decided to continue shooting his shot with the girl who already loves him.

"Hmm, and lovin' this new look you've got here, Chicky. All feral looking and hot-I definitely don't mind this version of your costume." He teased, gesturing to my bare stomach that was exposed, thanks to the material I needed for the tourniquet on my shoulder.

And while Keigo was saying this stuff to lighten the mood, I didn't miss the very visible tones of distracted concern hidden behind his voice and his eyes. Clearly, he's also just trying to test out how well I'm hanging on in all of this. If he senses me slurring words or not comprehending what he's saying, he'll deem me as unfit to continue and try to do this all himself.

"Oh, well thank goodness you're okay with it. I was real worried that you wouldn't be." I uttered sarcastically, still managing to flash him a warm smile.

Keigo rolled his eyes lightly as he began assessing my bandages and blood loss, doing his best to keep the cheeky conversation going.

But, Sammy was the one to speak first-or, rather groan exaggeratedly towards Keigo and I's comments as he kept watch on Dabi and Diane now.

"Can you guys, like, not do that whole flirting stuff right now? We're literally about to die. It can wait. Not to mention, it's just gross." He cringed out fakely, sticking out his tongue to emphasize his disgust.

Keigo chuckled softly at Sammy's comment-and my blush, finally retrieving some rolls of gauze and medical tape from his pockets.

"Ah, Sammy boy. I've got so much to teach you, bro. Rule number one is that you should always flirt during situations like this. It totes wins you brownie points with the ladies, for later. Am I right, love dove?" Keigo smirked weakly, mustering all the energy he could with his shaky hands to fix and improve the makeshift tourniquet on my shoulder.

I gently flicked his non-burned cheek in an attempt to reprimand him, but he simply kept that shit eating grin on his face, seeing that his mission of trying to make me blush was already more than accomplished.

"Blegh. No way. I am never getting a girlfriend." Sammy replied with a scrunch of his nose, causing Keigo to shrug his shoulders in understanding.

"Ah, I getcha. Right on, that's cool. I mean, I don't swing that way, but I'm sure I'd be able to show you the basics for a boyfriend, too. After all, I've been told that I'm also quite a hit with the guys-" Keigo teased, causing me to flick him again for his cocky attitude.

But, yeah, he's not wrong. Everyone wants a piece of that birdie ass. I can't blame them.

Sammy pursed his lips cluelessly to Keigo's comment, keeping his eyes locked on Diane and Dabi in focus.

"Can you...teach me how to be a good hero??" He asked innocently, causing me to smile softly at the pure hope and determination in his voice.

Keigo's smirk slowly melted down into a soft smile at Sammy's words, as he continued wrapping the gauze and medical tape tightly around my shoulder.

"Yeah, buddy. Sure thing. When we get outta here, I'll teach you how to be a good hero-the right way. Which means....I guess I might need someone to teach me too, huh?" Keigo asked softly, voice full of knowing guilt and disappointment for all of the things he's done.

And even though Sammy has seen so much in these past countless moments that we've been at the liberation mansion. Even though he's seen Keigo kill someone, threaten to kill Diane with his bare hands and enjoy her suffering, and seen him get tossed around like a dog, by Dabi and Diane....

Sammy's always been a forgiving person. He doesn't hold grudges. Not to mention, he always tries to see the good in others. He always tries to help.

"Well, hey, if you want a teacher, too, I bet my dad could teach you! You said you were a big fan of Thunder Shock, right? I bet he'd be happy to teach both of us." Sammy suggested with a beaming smile, distractedly rubbing his broken foot as he was clearly thinking of home now.

Keigo remained quiet for a moment, lost in unreadable thought as he privately imagined whatever future was currently looming around in his mind.

And while he was smiling softly at his thoughts, I definitely couldn't come to the conclusion that whatever fated future he was thinking about was something happy.

"Well, can't really say that I'm deserving of such a kind offer, after everythin' I've done. But, yeah, Sammy. I'd....I'd really like that, if he'd have me. If-I mean, when I get outta here.....it'd make me really happy to learn from Thunder Shock." Keigo uttered quietly, forcing his tired eyes to stay open as he finished tying my bandage.

"Then, it's settled! When you get out of here, I know my dad would be happy to teach you." Sammy confirmed happily.

But, I know my brother. And while his voice was happy and reassuring, I didn't miss the subtle tones of fear in his eyes as he looked at Keigo's dwindling condition, probably wondering for himself if he would even make it out of here alive.

And, yeah. I definitely don't blame him for thinking that. But, the problem was, I didn't have much time to reflect on it, as the searing pain inside my body became completely unbearable from keeping my quirk activated on Touya.

I couldn't hold on for much longer.

Squeezing my eyes shut tightly in pain, I unintentionally clawed my fingernails into Keigo's shoulder to try and handle the hurt.

My actions immediately got his attention, causing the temporary peaceful look in his eyes to quickly fade away into alarmed concern as the tension began to pick up again.

"Ari, what's wrong-" He started saying, before Sammy's gasp of panic caught both of our attentions.

"Ah-H-Hey, hey-guys!-she's...she's getting up!! Did you hear me? Diane. She's finally getting up. She extinguished the flames on her leg, and she's reaching around for something in the rubble." Sammy narrated, causing my eyes to widen as I quickly turned my attention towards the two culprits.

And, sure enough, there was Diane frantically searching for a particular item in the rubble, with purpose. Clearly trying to find something that she knew would be of use to her.

Unfortunately, I know exactly what that something is.

"H-Her gun. She's...ow....she's trying to find her gun-" I started saying, before a wave of blinding pain shot through my veins.

I couldn't stop the yell of hurt from falling out of my mouth as I felt my quirk slipping on Dabi now, falling forward on my hands as my body tried to give out.

Shit...

The sound of Touya's distorted cackle rang through my eardrums as he realized he could now move, causing me to quickly scramble back up to my knees so I could get eyes on our two culprits.

The stitched man mockingly took his sweet time while Diane searched for her gun, giving his sluggish muscles a small stretch, to rid himself of the last side effects of my quirk.

"Well, that took long enough. I'll admit, you had me tied down a bit longer than I expected, Starry Ari. I underestimated you, being able to hold out for so long. But, as you perfectly know, all quirks....have a limit! Some people's bodies are just too fragile to be able to handle it all...." Dabi started out lowly, grinning ferally, as he alternated his cerulean orbs from me to Keigo.

Touya's unhinged laugh lit up the eery room, as he slowly started to crunch his boots over the burning rubble path towards us, looking with pure glee at how injured Keigo was.

Shit. He's getting closer. Diane's practically running free. Sammy's foot is broken, and Keigo can't walk.

What the hell am I supposed to do now-

"And some people underestimate the weaknesses that they have. They ignore them. Think they're invincible. Think they're big and bad enough to take on the entire world by themselves. But, you've learned your lesson now. Right, Keigo?" The stitched man smiled with eery happiness, blurring the lines of Touya and Dabi with the authenticity of his glee.

Keigo simply cursed under his breath instead of responding, trying to force himself to sit upright and eventually get to his feet as he was well aware of the deep shit we were currently in.

But, instead of focusing on him and Sammy, my mind began churning with a plan. An immediate plan that would simply give us more time to live and keep us safe for this minuscule time being.

And that plan means taking cover, instead of attempting to escape.

No. I'm starting to realize now, that I can't simply escape from Dabi and Diane. That's not realistic. It's not an option. I can't just run away, carrying Keigo and Sammy. I don't have enough back up here to help me do that.

I realize that the only way I'll be able to get everyone out of here safely....is by ending the fight right here.

And the only way I can end the fight, is by not holding back with my intentions. It's a kill, or be killed type of situation.

That's the only way I can save my family.

I don't know how I'm going to do that, yet. The building's still collapsing. Maybe I can use it to my advantage, somehow.

But, I won't let them leave this room. No matter what.

While the thought of killing Diane didn't cause me any grief, I felt a heavy twinge of pain as I thought about having to kill my old friend, Touya. Even though he's currently trying to kill me and my family, it doesn't change the fact that it hurts me to have to do the same.

Because, before he's Dabi, he was Touya. Before he was a villain, he was innocent. Before he was evil, he was a good person. And that's the person I know. That's the person I love. The person who will always hurt my heart from now, until the day I die. The person who will always haunt me, no matter how much I try to move on.

This day has traumatized me, because everything from my past is finally being brought to light.

But, regardless, the time has come where I meet another crossroads path in my life. And, no matter how much it hurts. No matter how much Touya used to be my friend. No matter how much I want to believe that he's still in there, somewhere...

I love Keigo more. I love Sammy more. My dreams don't involve Touya Todoroki anymore, because that boy died. While I will never forget him, he will always be a past memory to me. Someone I grieve. Someone I feel sadness and devastation for.

But, my dreams now involve Keigo Takami. My dreams involve living through this, and being happy. Finally flying high with him, and living at peace.

And I realize today, that I am willing to kill for those dreams. So, I will.

I felt my erratic heartbeats and shaky muscles slowly calming down as I gave myself clearer goals for escape. While heroes are never supposed to kill, I admit that giving myself this new option has awakened a new side of me. A side that doesn't need to hold back, anymore, and can unleash everything I've been trying to hide.

And maybe my lack of nerves to take some lives makes me crazy. Maybe it just makes me hyped up on fight-or-flight survival instinct. Maybe it makes me a villain.

But, regardless of what it makes me, that's not gonna stop me from doing it, anyways.

The rumble of the building became louder as I focused back in on Touya, immediately meeting his eyes to see he was already looking at me.

While his face was dark with a malice and hatred that had consumed him, his eyes were pooling with sadness. Agony. Pain. Possibly even longing.

That was only made more obvious by the way he didn't break my eye contact with another comment. He simply stared at me blankly, wordlessly walking towards me with his face dripping with his own blood.

Seeing the minuscule change in his demeanor, I decided to try one more time.

"Touya, you don't have to do this. Please. This isn't you. I know you're better than this. You're....you're still my friend." I stated blankly, no longer able to even see the image of Dabi, anymore, as all I saw was my friend.

Ignoring the small pieces of the crumbling ceiling that began to gradually shower the room, Touya continued walking, keeping his eyes glued to me as he shook his head in disagreement.

"For you to believe that we're still friends, Ari, makes me hate you even more than I thought possible. Friends are supposed to recognize other friends. Friends are supposed to help eachother, and not make you feel so alone. Friends aren't supposed to betray you. Friends aren't supposed to make you hate the world this much. You aren't my friend. You never were. And, Keigo, you certainly weren't, either..." Touya started out through bloodshot, delirious eyes, sparking more blue flames on his arms and ignoring the smell of charring skin that filled all of our noses now.

I slid my eyes up to the ceiling watching as bigger pieces of it started to break off now. Then, I turned my gaze to Diane, noticing the way she was still searching her hands through the rubble-

A loud, hot, crashing sound of blue from next to me and Sammy, caused my brother to jump in fear and quickly scramble up directly next to me.

Keigo and I remained unmoving, blankly directing our attention back to Touya as his entire body starting to smoke.

He's overusing his quirk, possibly even more than I am, right now.

"You say 'I don't have to do this,' as if I plan on ever turning back. I don't plan on ever going down another direction, Ari. This is how I plan to die. This is who I am. Who Endeavor, and you, and Keigo, and everyone else made me. This is your fault. This is what you did. And I want you to know that, and blame yourself for it everyday." Touya seethed out, as both of his arms outstretched widely for another flame.

But the sound of a gun cocking up perked my eardrums, causing me to instinctively activate my quirk at the same moment the shot rang through the room.

Instinctively, I closed my eyes with a flinch as I prepared for the gun to hit me, Keigo, or Sammy. But, I quickly opened them a second later to see I had immobilized the bullet, midair.

Seeing the shot was aiming in Sammy's direction, I quickly shoved him to the side, so the bullet would miss his body, releasing my quirk now and letting the shot hit the wall behind him.

The follow up attack from Touya happened too quickly for me to process as I watched him shoot a searing barrel of flames point blank at Keigo, not having the time to activate my quirk and stop them.

But, it didn't matter, because on instinct, I dove over to Keigo, throwing my body on top of his and shielding him without warning as I allowed Touya's blue flames to engulf my entire arm, instead of the bird boy I love so much.

I'm spreading myself too thin here. I can't hold off all of this on my own.

I let out a breathless whimper of pain as the scalding flames quickly began to consume up towards my neck, unable to lift myself off Keigo's body as the hurt was just too much for my body to process.

And that's just my arm. I can't imagine how this felt on Keigo's entire back.

Finally realizing what I'd done, Keigo gasped in pure panic as he quickly lifted me off him, using his bare hands to pat away the flames on my arm frantically.

"N-No-W-W-Why!!!?!? Why did you do that!!??" Keigo stuttered out through his trauma, seeming as if he was about to be physically sick from the sight of seeing me on fire.

I couldn't even respond as the hot heat of Touya's flames began to feel cold on my skin, due to its intensity. But, Keigo-and, now Sammy, did their best to extinguish them as quickly as possible.

While it's not ideal to have my arm burned to a crisp, the lucky fact remains that it was just my arm. I'm still in much better shape than Keigo, and still able to function. Which is why I immediately turned my eyes back towards Touya, trying to prepare for another round of his fire attack.

But, instead of doing that, he simply stared at the scene ahead of him blankly, watching emotionlessly as Keigo patted his flames off my body.

"H..Huh?-No. No. Why....did you do that? Why did you do that, when I was trying to kill him? Why....did you jump in front of him, like that? So willingly? So instinctively?" Touya uttered out completely blank, seeming as if he wasn't even processing the words he just said as he kept his lost blue eyes on me and Keigo.

The flames and crumbling building were his backdrop, while the blood and extra burnt skin decorated his face.

His voice was so much calmer this time, compared to this unhinged demeanor he's had, since arriving here. He seemed genuinely intrigued as to why I just sacrificed myself to save Keigo, either still in denial about the situation, or truly not understanding how someone could do something so selfless.

And for some reason, that infuriated me. It's as if Touya still doesn't understand. Even after an entire year of hiding behind Dabi, and seeing it all for himself. He still doesn't get that....

"IT'S BECAUSE I LOVE HIM, TOUYA!!!" I screamed at him in frustration, feeling my dry throat cracking towards the end at the strain of my voice.

Touya didn't move a muscle upon hearing my words. His dead, dull look never changed as he watched Keigo pat away the last of the flames on my body, before wrapping his arms around me to ensure I was safely within his grasp.

Those familiar blue eyes slowly began to darken, as if his soul was only falling further into the sea of his own despair. His burnt lids fell closed for a second, and the action caused teardrops of blood to drop from underneath his eyes.

"Fine...." Touya started out lowly, slowly opening his eyes to glare at me with a new type of anger.

His palms heated up without warning this time, as he shot both of his hands forward towards me, Sammy, and Keigo, not caring about the way that he was probably killing himself at this point with the way he was recklessly shooting flames.

"If you love him so much, then you can die with him, Starry Ari!!! Cause I'm done waiting for you!!" He grinned out in pure, painful hurt, before the image of his face was blinded by the wall of blue flames that made their way towards us.

Sammy gasped sharply as he saw the flames coming, quickly throwing his arms around Keigo and I in fear as he braced himself for the worst.

Keigo quickly grabbed onto Sammy, doing his best to rotate the two of us in his hold so that he could shield the fire attack with his own body.

But, he was too weak to stop me from breaking free, only able to watch as I dove forward out of his hold, laying face down on the floor as all I could do was extend my hands up and hope for the best with my quirk.

I grit down on my teeth as I heard the scorching sound of Dabi's incoming flames....

Before I suddenly didn't hear them, anymore.

Quickly looking up from my position with wide eyes, I saw the flames had been stopped in their tracks, thanks to my quirk.

My jaw fell open in pure shock that my attempt actually worked, seeing nothing but a frozen wall of beautiful, somber blue blocking our sight of everything else.

"O-Oh, my god...." I whimpered out shakily, feeling the situation of what just happened attempting to catch up with me....

But, I can't let it. Not yet. I can't think about the dangers or the fear, because then I'll be too scared to get out of here.

No. I gotta get up. Gotta stay focused with the plan and get my loved ones out of here.

Remember, Ari, first thing's first, we need to take cover.

Sloppily scrambling to my feet, I turned around to check on Keigo and Sammy, feeling my heart squeeze at what I saw.

Sammy's eyes were clamped shut in pure fear, clinging onto Keigo for dear life with his teeth grit in anxiety.

Keigo held him tightly, keeping his own body rotated towards the flames as a human shield, to ensure that Sammy wouldn't have gotten hit by the fire attack, had I not been able to stop it.

Only, unlike Sammy's, his eyes were opened, locked on me to make sure I was okay, filled with pure fear and concern for my well being.

Not having the time to say much, I stumbled towards the two as fast as I could, quickly kneeling down to their level again.

"Guys, we need to take cover. I stopped the flames for now. But, Diane's still out there with her gun-" I started saying, before multiple gunshots could be heard echoing in our eardrums now.

I groaned in anger for the lack of rest in these attacks, hunching a bit lower towards the floor to ensure I wouldn't get hit.

"Shit. We really gotta get outta here. Definitely, this place, but right now? We just need to get out of this open area..." Keigo groaned, quickly turning his eyes up towards the ceiling as if he was searching for something.

I nodded in agreement, quickly grabbing ahold of his arm to try and drag him up to standing.

"We can take cover behind this giant rock that Sammy's foot was stuck under. It's really thick and hopefully can hold us for a bit." I pointed out, lifting Keigo up to his feet much too quickly.

But, of course, I forgot that he could barely stand anymore, gasping softly when he practically collapsed back to the ground.

My walk immediately faltered as Keigo fell to his knees, causing me to duck as best I could to avoid the gunshots that showered our area.

Keigo grit his teeth in panicked frustration at my attempts of slowing down, quickly trying to push me forward as Diane's gunshots veered closer towards our direction.

"Fuck!! No-listen, this ain't gonna work, Ari! Just go! You gotta let me go! Leave me here, you'll die if you don't!!-" Keigo called out over the gunshots and the rumble of the building.

But, before I could passionately deny his request, Sammy quickly appeared at Keigo's other side, ignoring his own broken, crushed foot as he slung the fallen hero's arm over his shoulder.

"No way. I got you, Keigo. Come on! We're not leaving you! We're not leaving anyone!" Sammy yelled out over the fire of bullets, using Keigo's real name for the first time, instead of his usual fanboy inflection of Hawks.

If anything, he just sounded like a he-

"The gunshots are getting closer!!! Dabi's fire wall is the only thing that's stopping Diane from getting a clear shot, cause she can't see us. But, Ari, you can't immobilize the flames forever!! We need to take cover and form another solution!" Sammy yelled again, looking at me to keep moving so we could all take cover behind the thick wall of debris.

The burning feeling of my muscles quickly reminded me of his point, already feeling Touya's flames slipping from my quirk as I tightened my grip on Keigo.

"Y-You're right. Come on. It's gonna slip from my quirk any second." I huffed out tiredly, forcing our path a little further out of the way before successfully making it behind the temporary safety cover of the debris wall.

I watched as pieces of the ceiling and ground began to break steadily as Touya's flames melted the room, signaling that we'd probably end up falling through the floor again soon.

I don't have the strength to immobilize it all again.

Settling behind our cover, Sammy and I carefully set Keigo down, with all three of us crouching for safety.

I plopped down to sitting, leaning back against the jagged pieces of debris, as I felt my own vision becoming woozy from my constant blood loss.

My eyes squeezed in pain as I decided now was the time to release Dabi's insane wall of fire, hoping that this wall of debris would hold enough to save us for the time being.

"Okay. Everyone duck and brace yourselves for some heat." I warned the boys breathlessly, gritting my teeth as I released the flaming wall of blue from my grasp.

Keigo, Sammy, and I jumped at the horrid, scorching sound of the fire. The lively, roaring and devastated crying of Touya's flames rang throughout the room now, and the area immediately filled with heat as the fire slammed into the wall protecting us.

I hissed softly as the hot air began to circulate closer and hotter towards our position, quickly pressing down on my earpiece as I felt myself becoming desperate.

"H...H-Hourglass. This is Hourglass. Is anyone there? Please. Top floor....on fire. I have a child....and an injured, number two hero. Help...we need....we need help. Is anyone there?" I asked tiredly, quickly listening in for anyone to respond.

But, all I was met with was static, meaning that either everyone had already died, down below, or they were just too busy to answer the call.

For everyone's sake, I really hope it's the latter.

I let out a small sigh of defeat for the lack of back-up, letting my arm fall limp to the ground as I blankly stared straight ahead.

I'm out of ideas.

Keigo narrowed his eyes in focus as the flames continued to hit our wall of cover, instinctively turning his gaze to me with a million thoughts covering his face.

I returned his gaze wordlessly and knowingly, watching a glow of the distant blue illuminate his injured face softly.

His look was calm, yet it was pretty obvious that he had an idea on where this whole situation was going.

Smiling deflatedly, he gently reached his hand out to me, causing me to grab it immediately as I inched closer to him.

His burned fingers wrapped around mine weakly, giving me that soft, familiar squeeze of comfort that I love so much.

He trailed his eyes down to our intertwined hands for a moment, letting out a small, content sigh at the sight, before turning his attention back to my face.

"Hey, M'sorry......that I couldn't protect you, chicky. That's all I ever wanted to do. From the very beginning. That's all I ever wanted. But, here we are. I'm helpless now. I can't protect you. And you gotta carry my deadweight around and protect me." He whispered to me softly, holding my gaze with focus, as he ran his thumb along the top of my hand.

Trying to wait out the aggressive blaze of Touya's incoming flames, I simply scooted closer to him, grabbing his hand more firmly in mine as I shook my head in denial to his point.

Keigo forced his body to gain enough energy to bring me closer, wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulling my head down onto his chest.

I closed my eyes at this nightmare, unable to drown out the hateful yells of Touya and Diane, and the ear piercing sounds of the chaos in this room.

But, even so....being in Keigo's arms made me feel okay. It gave me hope for a beautiful future in a beautiful world.

"You are not deadweight, Keigo. You're simply hurt from trying to protect everyone for so long. You've protected me so much, from everything. From the very first day I met you, you've always protected me. Always. Now, it's simply my turn to return a sliver of your favor. It's my turn to protect you. And I will. And that's how it should be. We protect each other." I whispered back, wrapping both of my arms around his waist as I buried my face into his burnt chest.

His heart was beating calmly as he hugged me tighter, draping a hand on my head since he no longer had his wings to do so.

"Yeah. But....you don' understand. With me.....it's s'posed to be different, little dove. I shouldn't ever need you to protect me. Your hero shouldn't ever need savin'. Your savior shouldn't ever be...so helpless. Cause....cause then he wouldn't be a savior. Saviors....they're s'posed....to be powerful, y'know. They should....make ya feel at ease, and all that." Keigo rambled out softly, words slurring ever so slightly as I noticed he was gradually starting to enter a state of delirium.

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly at the thoughts, hugging Keigo tighter so that he wouldn't slip away from me.

If I don't get him out of here soon, he will die.

Too consumed with my own struggles, I couldn't respond to Keigo's words, simply squeezing him in a tight hug as I tried to figure out what to do.

He chuckled in a random daze a few moments later as he dully stared at the wall with fading life, gently stroking my hair with his fingers, to try and fight the obvious signs of eternal sleep he probably knew he was experiencing.

"Man, oh man......seeing y'that day. Ahhh, just seein' ya. Knew I had to save you. You were so determined. M'so pure and cute. So good and full of kindness. Sure, y'didnt say much...oh, but I could tell. S'easy to tell what a good person looks like when ya never saw one before, cause it makes you stand out. Heh, you probably don' even remember, but it wasn't like anythin' a little bird like me'd ever got to experience. You shone so bright to me that day, trying to save someone else, even though you knew it'd put ya in harm's way. It really caught m'eye. An sa, I never saw kindness, even when I saved people, y'know. Hadn't ever felt so drawn to someone like that. It was just....somethin' about you. Always was, Ari Parker." Keigo drawled out deliriously, slipping into a Fukuoka accent that had never been so strong before.

While I knew he was from Fukuoka, his accent had been very watered down when I met him a year ago. Clearly, Diane had spent a lot of time trying to get it out of him.

But, now, even if it sounded a bit foreign to me in my ears...

I couldn't help but notice the way it also sounded strangely familiar, too. Nostalgic.

Gently rubbing up and down Keigo's chest to bring him back a bit, I lifted my head up to face him, watching the glassy look slowly fading away from his eyes as he became more alert again.

He looked at me in slight confusion now, seeming to not even realize any of the ramblings he'd just said.

"H-Huh? Ari..." He uttered in soft question, breaking my heart as I saw him trying his hardest to hold on.

And, right then and there, I couldn't stop the tears from simultaneously forming and breaking past my lids all at the same time, grabbing both of Keigo's cheeks in my shaky hands as I looked into his vacating eyes, smiling softly through my blur of tears.

"Keigo......listen to me...." I started out incredibly quiet, doing my absolute best to speak steadily.

Golden eyes met mine in focus, trying so hard not to slip away from me so he could hear what I had to say.

"Keigo, please don't leave me, baby. I know it's hard for you to hold on with your injuries. But, please. Please hold on. I'm....I am begging you. You're the love of my life, and I physically cannot take it, if you die. I know that's probably not the right thing to say at the moment. Maybe it even sounds selfish, but....I just love you. So much. I know you're suffering, but you can't die on me. If we're gonna have this happy future, I need you to live. I will do whatever it takes to make sure you live." I whispered quietly, voice calm and tired as I felt the possibilities slipping further out of my reach.

Keigo smiled warmly at my words, lifting his shaky hands to my face to wipe away my tears.

"Shh. Hey, y'know I don't like seein' you cry, Ari. I ain't going anywhere, okay? I realize I'm probably sayin' some crazy things, but I still realize it. M'still here. I'm still holding on. For you. I'm not giving up, cause we gotta have that future together, baby. That happy future. Our future. I can't leave you, alright?" He uttered, cupping my jaw in his hand, before weakly pulling me closer.

Immediately, I went with his motion, closing the distance of our lips as carefully as possible as I kissed him sweetly.

Sammy sighed sadly at the sight, remaining silent this time, and realizing the moment was serious enough not to interrupt it, as he let Keigo and I have this small kiss.

And I savored it. His sweat coated lips tasted burnt and bloody. His mouth felt as if it was burning up, and it was incredibly dry with ash. But, still, I savored every single bit of it, as if it was the only thing I could remember.

Keigo's eyes fell closed as he registered my lips on his, gently gliding his fingers along my skin to engrave my features into his memory.

I could hear his labored breathing hitting my chapped lips with every puff, just a cruel reminder that the man I love is fighting the death that's trying so hard to overtake his body and soul.

And the thoughts made my lips quiver against his own, as I brushed them up to his once more, capturing his mouth on mine as if he was the most fragile thing in the world.

Keigo's hands softly combed through my hair, never once ceasing as we heard Touya's fire continuing to blaze aggressively from behind our cover.

The heat in the room picked up dangerously from the flames. The screams of Diane and Touya taunting us to come out of our hiding place bled louder in our ears. It caused me to barely pull away, due to the anxiety that had leveled up, but Keigo's hand snaked to the back of my neck, keeping me in place.

His dazed eyes slowly opened along with mine, the hazy, delirious look fading away into the lively man I love again, as Keigo came back to me.

"Regardless of what happens today, Ari.....just remember that angels never leave." Keigo stated softly, the gold of his eyes reflecting brightly with the glow of Touya's blue fire.

His words were clear and knowing. He looked as if he wanted to say more, but didn't want to distract me from the important things we're currently trying to survive through.

But, it was very obvious to see that his words had a purpose. A meaning. That he was hoping I'd get something from them this time. If not now, at least later.

And I did get something this time. He said that sentence to me before. He said it when he left me crying in my room, restrained with his feathers.

But, this time. It hit differently. It struck a chord with my heart, as I kept my eyes on Keigo in focus, unable to break his gaze as I watched those glowing, angelic eyes of his illuminate my heart warmly.

The stronger accent. The look. It feels familiar. All of it. All of him. It always feels so familiar with him. So right.

So perfect.

I furrowed my brows in focus as I gently trailed Keigo's burned face. He smiled softly as he saw me do so, looking as if he thought I'd finally figure it out-

"You can't hide behind there forever, Starry Ari!!! You can't save everyone!! You're not a hero, Princess!! You can't have everything you ever wanted! Sooner or later, someone's gonna have to die!! So, who's it gonna be? Your shitty boyfriend? Or your shitty brother?!?" Touya cackled out maniacally, the absolute closeness of his voice causing my heart to leap out of my chest.

Keigo's eyes widened in pure shock, and Sammy matched his look. Clearly, we were all thinking the same thing.

There was a wall of fire blocking Sammy, Keigo, and I from Touya and Diane.

The only way he could even get this close, is if he literally walked through his own fire, and practically burned himself to death even more-

My thoughts were harshly interrupted as I watched a burnt, stapled, covered in blood and flames, hand reach over our protective barrier with ease, before yanking me off the ground by my hair.

"No!!!!" Keigo yelled out panickedly, lunging his body forward with Sammy to try and grab me.

But, neither of them were quick enough.

I screamed in pain at the aggressive pull on my scalp, watching as Touya yanked me over the barrier by my hair, before slamming me to the ground.

The air left my lungs much too quickly from the force of Touya's body slam. It was hard enough to cause more pieces of the floor and the ceiling to give out, as giant chunks began crashing down around the room at a quicker rate.

Of course, that wasn't my main concern right now as I looked up to see I was face to face with Touya, watching him grinning down at me maniacally as the blood from his face dripped down onto mine.

"Wai-" I started saying, before his scalding hand wrapped tightly around my throat, causing me to gasp for air as he began to choke me harshly.

I barely had more than a second to glance towards the barrier that Sammy and Keigo were still behind. I had no doubt that they were probably attempting to climb over it right now and help me.

But, I never got to find out as I watched gunshots fly into the ceiling directly above the two of them, causing the concrete to come crashing down in the area they were under with a big bang.

My eyes widened in panic at what I knew was the product of Diane Himura, causing me to start thrashing around on the ground wildly, as I tried to claw myself out of Touya's grasp.

He kept his iron grip on me though, eyes darkening as he slowly leaned in towards my face.

"Man, oh man. You know, Ari.....I've killed more than thirty innocent people, since I left the hero commission, and I never seemed to have a problem with it....." Touya started out with an eery whisper, squeezing my neck tighter, before his hand relaxed a bit.

"But, the funniest part of it all, is that you're not innocent, yet, you're the only one who's giving me a problem." He finished, smiling dryly as he held my gaze.

I wrapped my hand around his wrist, clawing at it in an attempt to give myself more air.

Touya didn't budge though, keeping me in my misery as he couldn't bring himself to kill me, but also couldn't bring himself to let me live as he kept me in this loop of minimal oxygen.

I began gasping for air now, feeling my eyes starting to wander around the area as it was pretty evident that I wanted to pass out.

And, upon doing so, I was able to see a jagged piece of debris lying within my grasp.

Distracting Touya from my moving hand, I quickly turned my attention back to him, attempting to try and bargain.

"M...Maybe you're having such a hard...time....cause....you know.....this is wrong..." I wheezed out, causing him to chuckle softly in denial, yet he loosened his grip on my neck just a little more.

"Right and wrong. Right and wrong. Aww, sweetheart. I am way past the point of right and wrong. What is right and wrong, anyways? It doesn't exist. Nothing's right, because behind every right, there's always a wrong lurking around somewhere. That shit's just in the fine print." He reasoned lowly, yet his cerulean orbs began to swim with more conflicting emotions.

I reached my hand out a little further, keeping my eyes locked on Touya's to hold his focus.

"I....I....I was your....friend, Touya. There's nothing w-wrong about that. I....thought you died and it.....it broke my heart!!" I choked out truthfully, feeling the jagged, makeshift weapon close around my fingers now.

But, Touya didn't notice as he was too consumed with his own pain, keeping that anguished, full of hurt grin on his face as he spoke again.

"Well, too bad, so sad for you. Don't try and say things we both know aren't true. You seemed to move on from me, just fine. You ended up finding your stupid, little idol, after all, and now you simply stay on your knees all day, worshipping the dirty ground he walks on. You're like a fucking dog." Touya spat out at me harshly, giving my throat another rough squeeze that distracted me from his point.

He seemed to be making himself mad now as he spoke, starting to smoke the hand that was around my throat as he leaned in only inches away from me now.

"Here's the truth. I love you, Starry Ari. I've always loved you. And, I'll see you again in hell, where maybe you'll finally love me back." He whispered maniacally, grinning slyly at his own words to show how much he'd really gone insane.

But, the sound of a new voice quickly broke his focus. A new voice, that gave everyone in this room at least one common hatred.

"Touya!!! Stop being so damn worthless, and kill her already!!! You're taking too long!!!" Diane screamed out in pure anger from across the room, sounding as unhinged as I've ever heard her.

It seems that Touya isn't the only one who's losing his mind today.

But, regardless, Touya's body froze upon hearing her words. And instead of doing what she ordered, he grit down on his teeth harshly at her voice, sucking in sharp furious breaths as his hands started to smoke more.

Oh shit. He's getting mad-

Without warning, Touya's other hand came up and blindly shot his flames towards Diane, only looking up to see if he hit her after they'd already been released.

The moment his attention was off me, I gripped the sharp piece of concrete in my hand tightly, shooting my hand up quick as lightning, before slicing the sharp end across Touya's face.

He instinctively cringed his eyes shut at the pain, causing me to kick his body off mine.

Feeling my adrenaline come back to life, I rose to my feet quickly this time as I looked in the direction where Dabi shot his flames, praying that he actually did some good and got Diane.

But, my gaze came face to face with the very much alive bitch, watching the way her gun was pointed directly at me now.

"It seems I have to do everything myself." She spat out angrily, giving her gun another cock as she prepared to shoot.

The rumble of the floor and the ceiling became aggressive and out of control again, and the new blue flames on the remaining pieces of the ceiling made me realize that Dabi had missed his shot and expelled his flames to the breaking building, instead of Diane.

Seriously? Sammy's aim could have done better than that.

But, even though the building is starting to collapse again, there's no cover anymore. There's nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide. No use wasting my energy to try and hold up the floor again.

It's just me and this bitch-a race between me and Diane to see who can kill who first.

And I've been too angry for too long to be the first one to give up.

So, ignoring Dabi's falling flames. Ignoring the rumble and shower of concrete from the ceiling, and ignoring wherever Dabi was behind me, I began sprinting towards Diane as fast as I could, gripping the bloody, jagged piece of concrete in my hand tightly.

Too focused to speak, Diane stood in her place as she ignored the crumbling floor that was gradually coming down around her, sending out her first shot towards my running body.

I didn't slow down my pace, running in a zig-zag to throw off her aim and get to her faster.

Come on, Ari. Just get to her before the building collapses. Get to her, and stab her in the fucking jugular.

Another gunshot.

But, it was another miss.

I yelled angrily now as I picked up my pace, leaping over the growing holes that had formed in the floor from the crumbling room.

"Come on, Ari. Come get me, honey. I'm right here." Diane taunted angrily, shooting another shot out towards me as she watched me get closer.

Another miss.

And it only brought me closer.

Close enough.

Now, the only question is if my distance was close enough as I watched the entire ceiling starting to come down now, yet I ignored the pieces of concrete that slammed into my arms and my head as I threw my entire body at Diane.

She kept her gun aimed at me again, grinding down on her teeth angrily as she saw me going for a stab to her throat.

But, neither of us were quick enough as the entire room collapsed once again, causing Diane and I to lose our grip on eachother before we began free falling through the floor.

No. Keigo. Sam. Where are you.

I yelled in pure maniacal anger at the ear piercing crash of the room, forced to shield my face as we collapsed down to another floor below.

Actually, that blast was much bigger. We probably went down a few extra floor this time.

My back hit the ground with a hard thud, before the pieces of concrete from above showered my body relentlessly.

I shielded my face wordlessly as bricks repeatedly knocked into my body unforgivingly, mentally begging and begging for it to be over.

And a few eternal seconds later, it was over. The debris had stopped falling. I was still alive. And the only piece of rubble that was holding me down was a small piece of concrete splayed across my midsection.

The sounds of my heavy, labored breathing and settling dust filled the collapsed room, as I felt myself too weak to move just yet.

So, for these few seconds, I couldn't help but keep my eyes closed as I felt myself so incredibly tired.

Darkness.

A sea of nothingness. A blank canvas. That's all I could see.

My muscles ached, and my head was pounding. The faint sounds of the war and flickering flames echoed into my ringing eardrums.

I felt myself slipping in and out of consciousness, as something warm and wet seeped into the lids of my closed eyes.

Must be blood.

And I was here. I was hurt. And I felt myself truly slipping away.

"S...Sam....Keigo.....Sam......Keigo......I'm......I can't.....do this....Sam.....Keigo....." I rambled out incoherently, as I finally lifted my hand off my eyes to force them open.

My vision blurred in and out, as flecks of white light began to consume me in a way that made me wonder if I was dying.

I stared at the nonexistent roof up above blankly, giving me a perfect view of the fluffy clouds and glowing sun from the outside above.

I noticed the only piece of the ceiling that stood left was the part that held up the heavy chandelier that had been hanging in the room we'd just been fighting in.

It was still a few floors up, but it's hinges could be heard cracking now. It was going to fall any second.

Directly on top of me.

It will kill me. Because I can't bring myself to move.

I stared at the chandelier lifelessly, feeling empty tears running down the sides of my face at the sight.

"N-No. Sam.....Keigo.....Sam.......Keigo......Keigo....... help me......Keigo........please....help me....Keigo....i don't wanna die......Keigo.....I don't wanna die. I'm scared." I repeatedly with dazed incoherence, as I watched the chandelier finally come free off its hinges before it began hurdling rapidly towards my body.

I couldn't even find the strength to react as I watched it fall, looking up in pure catatonic fear as the sharp, heavy crystal structure came for my life.

However, the sight of this chandelier was suddenly blocked from my sight as a blurry silhouette appeared directly in front of my face.

The sun from the ceiling-less sky was reflecting behind this figure, blinding my vision and making this silhouette completely dark.

No. It can't be.

The sight caused my eyes to widen in awe as I saw a showering batch of flaming feathers come down from their hiding place above, fighting through the licks of blue destruction that tried to ruin them as they quickly directed themselves to the falling chandelier.

The figure above me never moved as the chandelier continued falling towards both of us, keeping their body over mine to shield me.

I let out a small gasp as I saw the....the feathers stop the chandelier from falling, holding it up with the very last run of their strength, as it had been halted in midair.

And, now. It's happened again.

Just like it did when I was a girl.

Just like when my angel of the sky saved my life.

I continued staring at the hovering chandelier in blank shock, unable to take my eyes off the feathers that continued holding up the incredibly strong object.

Feathers that I never knew.....had been feathers this whole time. Feathers that I never knew....had been red this whole time.

Red.

Savior.

Fukuoka.

Boy with 'wings.'

"Angels never leave, chicky."

"Your savior shouldn't need protection."

"I just want to be your hero."

"I'm supposed to keep you safe. That's my job."

I...

I turned my attention back to the silhouette in front of me, unable to look at him for too long as the sun from outside shone too powerfully behind his body.

My eyes instinctively fell closed to shield my vision from the brightness, before I felt a warm hand from above gently cup my jaw.

The moment the hand touched me, I felt a soft, knowing whimper fall from my mouth at the touch I knew I recognized so well.

The touch I've been longing to feel for years, yet it was right in front of me the whole time.

Immediately I began to cry my eyes out now, as I kept my them closed, feeling his thumb gently swipe underneath my eyes as he knew.

"Open your eyes for me, Ari." My angel of the sky whispered to me softly, continuing his words a few moments later.

"Fwoop, flutter 'em open." Keigo Takami whispered to me softly.

************************************************

Big, BIG thank you to my friend levisbench for making this stunning picture of Keigo and Ari's big moment. It's everything I could have hoped for, and MORE. Your art is always out of this world, and I am so grateful that you take the time to make these wonderful treasures❤️

Big, BIG thank you to all of the readers for getting this story to 600,000 reads. I am so grateful and touched that you take the time to read my work. I hope this reveal was worth the wait, and I promise there will be more to it to come. Thank you ❤️

Next Chapter Title: A Sight To See