Top pic credit: veve002_oO

Ari POV:

And with Diane Himura having let go of me, I was no longer weighed down.

Seriously. I was no longer weighed down. I mean, sure, it could be a metaphor, or something. But, physically, I felt much lighter now, no longer having the weight of a full grown person and gravity to fight against, in order to pull myself up from the ledge.

Now, it was just me and gravity.

Along with a little, extra help....

"I...I got you now, Chicky. M-My feather. I can...I can help....pull you up now..." Keigo called out breathlessly, too focused on trying to save my life to truly process Diane's suicidal fall to hell a few seconds ago.

And, I guess it's best that I also try not to process it, right now. After all, if I'm unable to pull myself off this ledge in the next few moments, I'll end up having the same painful fate as her.

So, putting yet another insane situation from today on hold until after this war, I forced myself to focus on the task at hand.

Gripping the ledge tighter between my bloody, cramping fingers, I grit my teeth in determination as I began trying to get my last wind of life and pull myself up.

"That's it, Ari! There you go, keep pulling yourself up!" Sammy yelled out to me loudly from across the crumbling room, still being held securely in Dark Shadow's hold to ensure that he wouldn't try to make a run across the unstable foundation to attempt to pull me up.

Tokoyami stared on in wide eyed trauma as he watched me trying to pull myself up from death. I could already see the guilt painted across his face-unnecessary guilt, for not being able to reach me and pull me up on his own.

Not your fault, Toko. You're doing the most important job I could ever imagine right now-keeping my two loved ones safe in your hold.

I opened my mouth to respond to Sammy, trying to reassure him that I'd be okay somehow. But, all that came out was a small wheeze of pain, as all I could focus on was the excruciating burning of my overworked muscles and lungs.

Keigo groaned out in exertion as he continued helping me lift myself to safety with his single, last feather. He tried to force his half lidded eyes open a little more to look at me, hazy golden gaze attempting to find comfort for both of us with whatever look of life I would return him.

But, unfortunately for his nerves, I was only able to meet his gaze for no more than a second before my eyes fell squeezed shut, using too many muscles, nerves, and brain power to be able to focus much on him.

I felt my head starting to spin and my fingers starting to go numb as my energy began to fade. The muscles of my upper body were trembling beyond belief-not to mention that all of the tension and exertion only caused my wounded shoulder to spill more blood. My abdomen was tired of trying to work and I was starting to feel my stomach churn.

And it seems that I was so incredibly distracted by my pain that I didn't even realize I'd finally managed to pull myself back up the ledge until I felt my chest collapse to the cold, crumbling floor.

I'm that out of it now, huh...

Unable to get the strength to even stand for a moment, I couldn't help but let the side of my face fall to the pavement in exhausted relief for my narrow escape of death, already hearing Sammy and Tokoyami's loud voices bleeding into my fading eardrums.

They won't let me sleep. I'm tired. I think...I'd like to rest now.

"Ari, please get up! I understand that there's a hole in the floor that's still separating you from the rest of us, but if you're able to walk yourself-or, even crawl yourself over a few more feet, you'll be close enough for Dark Shadow to reach out and carry you over to our side!" Tokoyami explained over the chaos of the building and the war below.

And, yes. I heard his words. I barely understood them at this point, but my mind somehow still made sense of the jumbled way the information was coming through my head.

But, that's not what caused me to force my body to keep moving. It's not what gave me the strength to turn the direction of my gaze towards Tokoyami and the others.

What caused me to keep going, was the fact that I hadn't heard Keigo speak when I resurfaced to the floor. I didn't hear him reassuring me that I was okay. Or even hear him utter a single word of relief. His feather was still on my shoulder, but it suddenly felt heavier; as if it was starting to become too tired to float around anymore.

And it was when I directed my hazy attention towards my loved ones that I saw Keigo's eyes dulling to half consciousness, coughing up small drops of blood as he leaned his tired head onto Tokoyami's shoulder.

He looks the worst I have ever seen him. And if he doesn't get some medical attention within the next minutes, he will die.

So, that's what gave me the strength to force my body to scramble off the floor. It's what forced me to fight against the unconsciousness that wanted to take me and sloppily crawl to my scraped up knees.

Taking Tokoyami's advice extremely literal, I wordlessly crawled my way over to them, too tired to even respond with anything audible.

On my way towards the boys, I did notice one thing about myself. One serious thing about myself that I did my best to ignore...

I'm starting to lose feeling in the hand Diane stabbed me in. The concrete is still stuck in my bones, as I haven't had time to take it out. It's starting to discolor and I can see that my fingers are starting to swell.

And that's not the only limb I'm losing feeling in. Slowly, I can feel my legs starting to shut down on me, too; too weak from blood loss and exhaustion to push anymore.

But, I can't stop now. I....I have to keep going. For Keigo. For Sammy. For little Tokoyami. I have to keep going and make sure they get out of the building safely.

It's not over until they are out of the building.

Once I reached the hole that was separating me from the rest of the group-and resisting the urge to look down to the fall that would await me countless floors below, I immediately felt Dark Shadow's presence wrap around my body in an instant, before the creature carried me securely over the death trap and back to the safe side with the rest of my group.

It seemed that my mind was starting to slowly shut down as well, considering that every action that was currently happening, was only registering in my mind a few seconds after it had already happened.

Like the sudden feeling I registered of being in someone's arms. And judging by the way they're hugging me shakily, I must have been in their arms for a few seconds now-

"Ari, I said did you hear me? Look here. Hey." I heard my brother Sammy's voice cut through the growing fog in my head, slowly turning my dazed attention to him, before I realized my limp body was within his hold.

Fight it, Ari. You don't die until you know that everyone is safe. That's the rule.

Quickly blinking my eyes and shaking my head, I forced my underwater processing to come back to surface, clearing my throat softly as I tried to get the feeling back in my legs.

"Huh?" I uttered to Sammy tiredly, putting my arm around him to steady myself back to balance.

My brother quickly aided in my support, keeping his eyes on me in concern as he tried to help me get my balance back.

"W-Well, I hugged you, and asked if you were okay. B-But, judging from the way you collapsed into my arms, I'm gonna assume.....nevermind." He trailed off worriedly, deciding that it would be best that he didn't tell me his internal thoughts on how grave my condition probably looked right now.

Yeah. That's for the best.

I opened my mouth to speak, unable to get any words out as I suddenly felt a feeble hand grip onto my arm. The grip was sloppy and desperate-a seeming attempt just to make sure I was really here and alive, and that this person had to grab me to ensure that they weren't hallucinating.

Feeling my vision clearing up with the so familiar touch, I carefully grabbed onto Keigo's hand that was resting on my arm, turning my attention to him.

He was pale. So pale. His eyes, normally as golden bright as the sun had started to dull down into the color of a wilting sunflower. He was shivering beyond belief, with streaks of his own blood littering the sides of his cracked lips.

He was fading, yet he held onto me tightly, forcing his eyes to stay open with life as he looked at me fondly.

"Thank you." He whispered to me weakly, smiling tiredly as he weakly attempted to pull me closer to him.

I moved with his touch, only needing to crawl a foot or two to get closer to him.

Tokoyami continued holding him up for me, biting down anxiously on his lip with tears starting to fill in his young eyes as he looked at the worsening states of Keigo and I.

And I'm sorry that there's just nothing I could say anymore to ease his worries. I just couldn't find it in me for this moment to think about anyone's well being, other than Keigo's, as I gently pressed my sweaty forehead to his own....feeling the smell of death coating my nostrils. And I don't know if it's him or me.

But, Keigo didn't seem to care about our states or smells, moving his hand from gripping my arm to gently cup the side of my head; reveling in our small touch as we both faded in and out of reality together; both desperately trying to feel the other's presence through our numbing nerves; both of us trying to make good on the promise that we made to each other to stay alive.

"What...are you thanking me for...?" I croaked out a few moments later, feeling Keigo's charred fingers gently stroking back a few strands of my hair as he spoke.

"For livin.' For pulling yourself up. And for still being with me." He drawled out tiredly, causing me to open my eyes slowly and meet his half lidded gaze of dulling bliss.

Ignoring my own pain and trying to keep him alive, I forced my tired hand to lift and gently stroke his ashen face.

"Yeah, well it's not over, yet. You still have to make good on your promise to me, too. You can't die on me, remember?" I urged softly, tone gentle yet firm-as if I had an actual threat for his ghost, in the tragic event that he ended up failing my promise.

A small smile curled up onto Keigo's face as he laughed softly, forcing his fading eyes to stay open as best he could.

"An sa, love. I didn' forget. Your face is too pretty t'never see again. Beauty like that only comes once in a lifetime, and I ain't about to waste my lucky chance with it." The bird boy slurred out cheekily, surprising me as he still managed to try and flirt even on death's door.

His words caused me to laugh a bit in genuine amusement, actually helping me get a little pep back in my step as I gently placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Keigo Takami....you are such a simp." I sighed teasingly, watching him laugh quietly as he weakly held my gaze.

"Ain't no shame in that, little dove. I'll simp all damn day for you." Keigo simped out again, almost opening his eyes all the way as he tried to lighten the mood more.

Only his sudden, suffocating cough put an immediate damper on the not-so-fun fun, causing me to coaxingly whisper a small "shh" to let him know he should start saving his sacred breaths a little more carefully.

He nodded wordlessly in reply, opting to simply grab ahold of my hand now as he couldn't bring himself to fully pull away.

I let him hold it for the time being, giving it a reassuring squeeze and holding onto it as I pulled away from his face and turned my attention back towards Tokoyami and Sammy.

Both boys looked at me in frightened expectance, having displayed an incredible amount of leadership tonight, but still showing me that they were just scared kids who were looking for someone's guidance, in order to get everyone out of here safely.

Looks like that's me. Guess it's not time to rest, yet.

So, letting out a small wheeze, I began to assess the crumbling building once more, noticing the way the shaky foundation only seemed to look worse than it's looked all night.

The addition of Touya's outburst with his blue flames really upped the amount of total destruction, as a lot of the falling bricks are crumbling due to the fire.

And while we were technically trapped on our floor, since all of the escape routes were blocked by debris or fire...

I didn't miss the light at the end of the tunnel-or, in this case, the undamaged parts of the spiral staircase that were unblocked and in perfect condition just a few floors below our current one.

With the way this place is starting to come down even faster, that golden opening won't stay open very long. If we can't get down there quickly, we'll get stuck up here and die.

Having an idea on how to get down to those safer floor levels, I quickly turned my attention back to Tokoyami, gripping my injured shoulder tightly to try and suppress a bit more of the blood flow.

"Tokoyami, see that staircase in the corner? There's a giant piece of boulder blocking our entry from this floor. But, if you look over the balcony, you'll notice that a few floors down, it's perfectly untouched and usable. We just need to get down there, and then we can run out of the building. Do you think that you and Dark Shadow could work together to carry us down to that staircase?" I asked tiredly, feeling an incredibly ugly hack suddenly leave my throat without my permission.

I cringed my eyes shut as I suddenly felt myself suffocating, trying to fight the coughing fit as droplets of black splattered from my mouth and onto my hand.

Smoke inhalation is starting to set in with irreversible effects-

"I-I can do that. Unfortunately, I can't carry you all down, simultaneously though. It will have to be one by one." Tokoyami sighed deflatedly, once again looking guilty as he assumed his lack of physical strength meant that he wasn't worthy of this.

Holding in my coughs to the best of my abilities, I simply shook my head in reassurance to his silent worries, giving him a small smile to try and ease his worries.

"Hey, that's understandable. I'm basically asking you to carry three grown people on your back. Not many people can do that-superhero, or not. One by one is fine, as long as we do it quickly. Why don't you head down first with Keigo, since he's in the worst shape. Then, I'll send you Sammy, and finally myself. Is that alright?" I asked him patiently, doing my best to ignore the new, eery teetering sound that could be heard and felt directly below our feet.

Tokoyami nodded in determination with my point, already gathering up a better grip on Keigo as he got ready to carry him over the balcony.

But, in Keigo's growing state of delirium, Tokoyami was forced to stop his path when he felt the resistance of Keigo refusing to let go of my hand.

"N-No. W-Wait, please no. Don't leave me...don't leave me, Chicky. Don't leave me alone." Keigo uttered out dazedly, gripping my hand tighter in his own to show how badly he didn't want to separate, even if it was only for a few seconds.

And as much as I don't want to let go of his hand, as much as I wanna carry him in my own arms, I just can't. He's dying. We need to go. And there's no time for this.

So, giving Keigo's feeble hand one more reassuring squeeze, I brought it to my lips, placing a chaste kiss on it, before forcing myself to pry his iron gripped fingers out of my grasp.

His closing eyes opened a bit wildly as he felt his arm drop down to his side, quickly searching the area, before he found me directly next to him.

Did...did he just forget where I was?

"A-Ari. I need...her. I need her. Someone get me her." Keigo breathed out softly to himself, attempting to reach his hand out back towards me once more.

But, he couldn't put up much of a fight in his condition. While his determined spirit hadn't entirely fled yet, most of the use of his body had. Tokoyami barely held his limp frame tighter against his chest, which was enough to restrain one of the most powerful heroes of Japan.

"I'm here, Kei. I'm gonna be right behind you, okay. You're alright." I whispered raspily, fighting every urge within my heart to grab his wandering hand in my own.

"Don't worry, teacher. You'll see her in just a moment. I promise we won't leave without her." Bird Boy Junior tried to reassure, giving his delirious mentor a small pat on the shoulder, and cringing in slight pity as he was forced to ignore Keigo's soft, incoherent protests.

Tokoyami turned his sad gaze back up to me wordlessly as Keigo continued mumbling to himself in utter distress, waiting for my go ahead to take the bird boy.

I nodded to him quickly, already ushering them towards the edge of the balcony-or, I should say, what was left of the balcony, before he quickly climbed onto the railing with Keigo in hand.

Dark Shadow hovered to the railing, gripping it tightly to hold Tokoyami's body in place as Bird Boy Junior leaped from the ledge.

I held my breath as I watched bird boy and his mentee basically having jumped off the balcony to their deaths, but I was quickly relieved when Dark Shadow's iron grip quickly stopped their falls and allowed them to peacefully hover down to the safer floor levels below our own.

Once Tokoyami's feet had securely landed to the floor, he carefully released Keigo from his grasp, ordering Dark Shadow to release its hold on the balcony and make its way towards Sammy.

My brother quickly turned his gaze to me in worry as Dark Shadow immediately enveloped his frame.

Once again, I smiled....honestly unable to even tell how genuine it looked as I just did my best to continue easing everyone's fears, like the hero I am not.

"I'll see you down there, Sam. Probably best to close your eyes, so that you don't see the high drop. Okay?" I uttered to him softly, giving his arm a small pat as Dark Shadow lifted his body off the ground.

Sammy gasped slightly at the hovering feeling, balling his fists tightly as he was floated over the edge of the balcony.

"It's almost your turn, Ari. Just hang in there." Sam called out to me as he was carefully floated down to Tokoyami and Keigo's level.

He was doing his best not to freak out, trying to ease me of my own fears.

But, similar to me, while his intentions are good, the kid's a horrible liar.

Regardless, I gave him a small nod, gripping onto the shaky balcony railings as I patiently waited for my turn to be carried.

And that's when I suddenly heard a very faint crackle in my ear. It was something I only just noticed, but seemed as if it had been going on for a few moments, before it had finally caught my attention.

The crackle was my earpiece. The earpiece that the heroes use to communicate with eachother, but also the same earpiece that seems to have been out of service for everyone using it...

...until now.

With too much chaos heard in the background, I couldn't quite understand the jumbled mess that Fat Gum was yelling at everyone, but judging by his manic tone, I could make out that it wasn't about anything good.

And because I can't hear it, I was forced to ignore it, letting out a small sigh of worry as I hoped someone else heard what he was saying instead.

That's how it is during situations like these, unfortunately. It's happened to me, during this war, too. If you can't hear what's going on, or you're unable to get to the requested area for help, because you're preoccupied with something else, the only thing you can do is wish that person luck.

War is fun, isn't it-

The sudden presence of a purple shadow quickly brought me out of my thoughts, causing me to look up towards the sky and see Dark Shadow looming over me.

And while the creature was certainly intimidating to most, with its haunting, glowing yellow eyes, Dark Shadow's look was one of gentle concern as it quickly wrapped its pillowy frame around me, before carefully lifting me off the ground.

"Don't worry, Ari-san. Tokoyami and I will protect you. We'll get you out of here safely." The gentle creature reassured me kindly, quickly floating me over the balcony and high above the ground.

Making the mistake of looking down, I quickly squeezed my eyes shut to hide my vision from the deathly high height, feeling my stomach lurch as my biggest phobia started to kick in.

However, I couldn't focus on the height thing for very long as I suddenly felt something soft and fuzzy tickling the tip of my nose...opening my eyes to see...

Keigo's last feather. It's still here. Still unburned, and it's giving me a small little brush.

Becoming distracted by the height, I smiled dazedly as I lifted my finger, gently stroking the fragile plumes of red to make Keigo feel me.

And instead of the usually sharp reactions I receive whenever I do such a thing, the feather didn't even respond, just continuing to dazedly trace the features of my face to sense their outline and memorize them.

I sighed softly as I could sense Keigo's deteriorating state, even through the tufts of his feather, gently brushing the feather once more to try and let him know I'm still here with him.

"That's it, Dark Shadow. Nice and easy now." Tokoyami instructed calmly as the creature carefully dropped me into Bird Boy jr.'s arms a few moments later.

And while it was tempting to let my muscles fully give out, now that I had the support of another person's body underneath me, Tokoyami can't carry everyone, and Keigo is the one who needs the assistance the most.

I let out a small groan of exhaustion as I forced myself to gain my balance on the floor again, giving Tokoyami and Dark Shadow a drunk sounding thank you once we'd all made it off the treacherous top floor safely.

Finally.

We all looked up at the place we'd just been in for a moment, wordlessly staring in shock at the horrendous sight of blue fire, falling bricks, and black smoke as thick as a chimney.

Being up in that mess, you don't realize how bad it actually is, until you're no longer in it, anymore. And I know we were all thinking the same thing..."how the hell did we survive up there?"

And as much as I'd like to reflect on the achievement of that impossible feat, we weren't home free, yet. We still have quite a few stairs to climb down, and the place could legitimately collapse at any moment. We need to keep moving.

Giving Tokoyami's shoulder a small pat of encouragement for completing his required task, I felt Keigo's feather stick with me closely, swirling around my wrist, before wrapping around my finger.

The feather pulled my hand back over to Keigo, who was being held up in Sammy's arms now. Even with his eyes closed, I knew Keigo was still conscious when he controlled his feather to carefully place my hand into his own once more, barely twitching his fingers to intertwine with my own.

I sighed softly at his growing state of delirium, giving his hand another firm squeeze to try and keep him present.

But, once again, I couldn't hold onto him, anymore. We needed to let each other go, if we were going to get out of this safely.

"I-I'm here, Keigo. I'm here. I promise. Like I said, I'll be right behind you, okay? B-But, you gotta let me go. Just for a bit, so Tokoyami can carry you to the exit." I whispered a bit shakily, gritting my teeth as I unwillingly pried my fingers out of his own once more to release his grip from me.

Keigo's brows furrowed down in distress as I did so, dazedly shaking his head in disagreement as he blindly tried to reach for me once again.

But, Sammy easily held him back, quickly transferring his limp body into Tokoyami's hold.

"Ari....Ari....I need Ari...where is she?" Keigo continued to mumble incoherently, trying to keep his barely conscious eyes from rolling back in his head as he tried to find me-even though I was right next to him.

And as Sammy and Tokoyami got Keigo situated, I heard the cracking of my earpiece again-raising my brows in surprise at the fact that the sound suddenly sounded a bit smoother than a few seconds ago.

The closer I get to the ground, then the better the reception becomes.

I pressed the object into my ear a little harder to try and make out Fat Gum's words better....

"Mansion....apse.....ki...s....elp-" The hero from the ground was yelling out frantically, causing me to curse in frustration as I still couldn't hear him well enough to understand.

We'll need to keep moving. The closer we get to the ground, the better I'll be able to hear him.

Forced to ignore Fat Gum's pleas for the time being, I turned my attention back to my trio, speaking louder to them now as the building began to practically shriek with it's growing crumbling state.

Being on the lower floors let me know how much the place was legitimately coming down. Giant rocks and fires were showering the mansion at a much more aggressive rate, than I'd realized, from being on the top floor.

"Alright, let's move! Tokoyami, you and Dark Shadow carry Keigo! Sammy and I will be right behind you! Hurry!!" I yelled out loudly, unable to even hear the last part of my sentence as ear splitting crashes began to fill the air.

Are we even going to make it out, before this place goes down?

Tokoyami grit down on his teeth at the incredibly loud sounds, getting a good hold on Keigo before he began running for the spiral staircase with the bird boy in his arms.

I was about to stumble my way after him, before I felt someone forcibly grab onto my arm now, feeling them drape it across their shoulder.

Looking over, I saw my brother Sammy was the culprit, not giving me the option to walk on my own as he was already pulling us towards the staircase.

"I got you, Ari! It's a whole cycle, you see! Dark Shadow won't leave here without Tokoyami-obviously, Tokoyami won't leave here without Keigo, Keigo won't leave here without his girlfriend, and I won't leave here without my sister." My brother explained logically, ignoring the limp of his broken foot as he quickly directed us towards the steps of the staircase.

I was in no position to deny his request, and quite frankly, I didn't have enough breath to do so, causing me to simply nod in agreement and keep my eyes on Tokoyami's back just a few steps ahead of us.

"Mansion....llapse.....ids.......elp." I heard Fat Gum repeat in my ear as we descended down another floor closer to the ground, still unable to make out what he was saying as I was forced to press on.

Keigo's red feather nestled itself onto my shoulder, no longer having the energy to hover around in the air, but not wanting to let go of me, either.

A few feet ahead, I couldn't see Keigo's face since he was being carried bridal style by Tokoyami, but I could see his arm that was wrapped around bird boy jr's neck. It was still reaching back towards me in a fit of incoherent desperation, trying to grab onto me even though I was much too far out of his grasp.

And yes, it broke my heart to see him like this, but at least it means he's still conscious.

"I'm....right...here, Keigo. Right...behind you..." I wheezed out to his feather softly, fighting the way my eyes wanted to close as I felt my head veering onto Sammy's shoulder-

"Oop-no, no, no. Come on, Ari. Up we go. Can't go to sleep on me, yet." Sammy's voice nagged in my half conscious ear, giving his shoulder a harsh shrug to force my head up straight once more.

Tokoyami's gaze turned back in my direction slightly upon hearing Sammy's words, trying to get a look at me, yet unable to look too long so that he didn't lose his footing on the stairs.

He surprised me a few moments later when he spoke-and he surprised me even more when I realized who he was speaking to...

"Sammy, I think....I-I think Hawks and Ari are going to lose consciousness within these next few minutes. We need a plan, just in case we get separated. You stick with Ari and get her to the medic tent, no matter what. And I will stick with Hawks and do the same. If we lose each other in this mess, we keep pressing forward with our injured comrades, in order to get them to safety. That's what us heroes do." Tokoyami explained firmly, speaking to my brother as if he truly was a hero in training at UA.

And while my brother normally would have been freaking the hell out that one of the prestigious UA students basically just called him a hero, he was understandably too distracted by our situation to notice Tokoyami's words of respect, frantically nodding his head, before quickly veering our path a few feet to the left as a large block of flaming brick landed on the stairs.

"Yeah! Sure thing, Tokoyami-kun. I'll follow your directions. The injured come first. Let's just hope we all make it out of this together." Sammy stated stressfully, letting out a heavy breath of exertion as he wiped the dripping sweat from his forehead.

Thanks to Touya's falling flames, the inside of this mansion feels like a hot sauna.

"We...we will." Tokoyami stated a bit unsurely, gripping Keigo tighter in his arms as he tried to pick up his pace a bit faster.

I forced my numbing legs to move with Sammy's growing pace, watching through hazy eyes as we descended down another floor closer to the ground.

And once again, the closer we got to the ground, the more clearly the words came through my earpiece.

"Is anyone....ere? Please, this is bad. The...ansion's.....gon.....ollapse, and....ther.....till....ents in-" Fat Gum pleaded again, causing me to press the device harder against my ear to try and desperately make out what he was saying.

I got the first part now. He's saying "the mansion's gonna collapse." And, yeah, that information isn't exactly new to me. Hopefully, the other heroes can hear him and are starting to evacuate, because if they don't, anyone left inside this fiery mansion will die when it crashes down to the ground.

"Shit..." I groaned out in frustration, forced to continue putting Fat Gum's pleas for help on hold since I couldn't understand the majority of them.

Not to mention, any small amount of conscious attention I had left was being utilized to take in the sight of the war that was now only a few floors below our feet.

The closer we got to the ground, the more prominent the smells of blood and dead flesh began to burn my nostrils awake. The more detailed the splatters of death and limp bodies looked in my vision. And the louder the shrieks of hatred and chaos rang through my eardrums.

I felt Sammy's grip on me tighten in fear as he clearly took in the sight below, too. It almost seemed as if he gripped me tighter out of instinct that I would be the one to protect him. But, quickly remembering the useless state I was in, he cleared his throat hesitantly, trying his best to hold things together.

"S-So yeah, it doesn't look too great down there. But, hey, the good news is, we've managed to run down about fifteen floors now. We're no longer at the very top. We're at the fifth level. Much closer to the exit than we were before. That means we're almost there, Ari and Keigo. So, come on. You guys gotta stay awake." My brother tried to reassure, cringing silently in pain for his broken foot as he willed himself to press on.

I nodded weakly in encouragement for his words, barely turning my attention to Keigo's feather on my shoulder to try and let him know that we're still okay.

"Y..You hear that, Keigs? We're already at the fifth floor. So close to the exit now. I think....I think we're gonna be..." I breathed out softly, trailing off my words when I suddenly heard an incredibly smooth radio signal coming in through my earpiece now.

Keigo's feather weakly twitched a bit on my shoulder once the sound waves had come in, making me realize that even in his delirious state, he was still trying to process what was going on down below.

And it seems that now, we were finally close enough to the ground as the desperate pleas of Fat Gum finally came in, clear as day, through my ears.

"I am repeating the message once more-Fat Gum, this is Fat Gum. Is anyone there??? Please!!! The mansion is going to collapse, and there are still students inside! I'm doing my best to gather them up right now. I've got about seven sunk in my stomach, but they are still with me in the building, and I am trying to gather more. I repeat, there are children in this building, who will die when this place collapses in the next few minutes. We need someone to stall time! Please!! Someone who can hold up the building long enough to where I can at least get all of the kids out!!!" Fat Gum yelled loudly, trying his best to make himself heard over the chaos around him.

He did a good job, too, because the information of his explanation caused my blood to run cold instantly, as I immediately scanned my eyes towards the ground floor below.

And, what do you know, kids were running everywhere. I couldn't remember all of their names, especially not at a glance from this high off the ground. But, I definitely recognized the scatter of students that were sprinkled across the lobby, with looks of fearful determination plastered on their face as they did their best to bravely aid in this war.

Students heroes, the same age as Sammy. Student heroes such as Tokoyami. Students who should have never even set foot in this place; ones who should still be sleeping soundly in their beds, safe and sound.

Students who are only here, because Diane Himura dragged them here.

"Fucking hell. This is why you don't bring kids to a civil war, damn it." I huffed out, only meaning my statement halfheartedly, considering Keigo and I are only alive right now because of some kids in a civil war.

But, regardless....even if my one and only dream as a hero has officially been tarnished in my own eyes...

This isn't about 'heroism,' anymore. It's about looking down to the scene below, and seeing Denki Kaminari giving it his all on the battlefield; doing his best to save his comrades and back them up. It's about the kids from 1-B on the other side, forced to dodge the flaming pieces of brick that fell from the ceiling, while trying to stop a few villains from overpowering Midnight in her fight against multiple heavy quirks.

It's about giving people a chance. A chance I was never given, thanks to the circumstances that led to my chained life. A chance that Keigo never got, because he was always locked in a birdcage. And it's definitely a chance that Touya never got, because the entire world always ended up letting him down.

That's the chance to live, to truly live. To be saved, because someone actually helped you.

I was never able to be the hero that I wanted to be, because Diane Himura tried to take my humanity. In her eyes, in the eyes of the commission, you can't have humanity and be a hero. I know, that sounds ironic. It almost sounds evil.

But, then again....as my old friend used to say, who said that heroes were always the good guys, right Touya?

Now is not the time to be a hero. Now is not the time to do things for the greater good...

No. Now is the time to be good. Now is the time to rediscover that humanity inside me that feels as if it's been dwindled away into nothing.

Now's the time to do the truly right thing.

I'm sorry, Keigo. I am so sorry for what I'm about to do to you.

I felt my eyes go blank as I slowly began to stop my running pace, watching Sammy quickly turn his gaze to me in question.

And while Tokoyami had told Sammy that they should continue to press on, no matter what, bird boy jr. stopped his path upon hearing Sammy and I stop, slowly turning around to face me with Keigo in his arms.

My heartbeat was calm. My head was clear-or, as clear as it's going to be.

And I wasn't scared.

Avoiding Keigo's gaze for a moment-actually, avoiding everyone's gazes for a moment, that were surely on me in question as to why I stopped running....I couldn't help but stare acceptingly at the ground as I spoke.

"Listen.....you guys go ahead, okay? Take the stairs all the way to the exit, keep running, and don't look back. Don't come back, either. The building's starting to come down now, and there's still students inside. I'm going to keep it steady, while they evacuate. Don't wait for me." I explained clearly, closing my eyes tiredly as I already heard three audible replies of protest all being yelled at the same time.

Even though Tokoyami and Sammy's voices were much louder and more passionate in protest to my decision, it was Keigo's raspy, empty tone that easily cut through everything else.

"No. You cannot do that." He stated, half lidded eyes burning right into me with a new fire as he spoke.

And while he only spoke a few words, the tone of his voice told me everything I needed to understand about his sentence. There was a small shake to his words. He meant for them to come out threatening, but he was just too weak to hold that sternness. But, his voice and his demeanor also looked the same as mine.

Calm. Unafraid for himself.

He looked like he was on his last legs and that however this conversation would end up playing out, it would be the thing to determine whether he gives up on his life, or continues it.

Sammy and Tokoyami quickly went silent upon hearing Keigo's authoritative voice, probably surprised that he still had a bit of fight left in him, even though he was no doubt going into burn shock at this point.

But, I wasn't surprised. His words didn't shake me. Yes, they hurt me, but they didn't catch me off guard in any way, as I slowly slid my gaze off the floor, before finally meeting his eyes.

Suddenly the chaos around us was unheard. I know the noise was ear piercing, I know the pieces of the building were starting to collapse much too close to the staircase we were on now, but it was all white noise to me now as I met Keigo's gaze with silent words.

His eyes mirrored my own, blank and empty. Yet, they were so full of emotion at the same time. So full of hopeless pleading and begging, as he knew he wouldn't be strong enough to stop me this time. He knew he wouldn't be strong enough to protect me and get me out of here.

Golden orbs began glistening with a sheen of tears, as Keigo softly shook his head from side to side, not bothering to stop the pained drops from slipping past his eyelids now.

I smiled sadly at his look, pressing my lips together as I watched him trembling in Tokoyami's arms, weakly trying to reach his hand out to me one more time.

I didn't even look at his hand, only able to continue meeting those angelic eyes I love so much as I spoke honestly.

"You need to fly high though, okay? Please, Keigo. Fly high and free. For both of us. That's what I want for you. That's all I wanted for you. To finally be free." I said to him softly, ignoring the rumbling of the staircase underneath our feet to signal that the building was now going to start its final moment of destruction.

Keigo's breath started to shorten at my words as the panic of what I said finally began to set in for him now.

"N-No. I....I can't, Ari. Do you understand me? There is not a life of happiness and freedom for me, without you. I cannot recover from losing you, Ari. I can't. It will break me. You're too important to me, Chicky. Please, if I can't stop you from doing this....then please, at least let me stay here with you. I know I can't stop you, anymore. I know I'm too weak to save you. So, please, just let me stay. I'm not afraid. I want to stay with you. I wanna be with you. Till the very end, I want to be with you. I love you." Keigo cried out softly, unable to even attempt to hold back his sobs as his entire body began to wrack in agonizing devastation.

Tokoyami's eyes widened in pure panic at the words being exchanged between Keigo and I. He was shocked to see his beloved number two hero crying, especially crying over a woman he didn't realize his mentor had been in love with, until today.

A sniffle from Sammy alerted me in knowing that he was crying as well-and also shaking his head in complete denial for my request.

At this point, he'll be harder to convince than Keigo.

Keigo's delirious now. He's dying. He's too distraught by what I'm doing; too distraught that I'm about to sacrifice myself-truly sacrifice myself for good and leave him behind.

All he can manage to do now, is try to hold onto me in any way he can. All he can manage to do is not let go.

But, I can't let him do that.

"I need you to live for me, Keigo. I need you to live a good life. I need you to be good. I need you to be free. I need you...to let me go. And, anyways, it's as you said, angels never leave." I explained to him through a shaky voice, hearing the floor levels directly above our heads starting to crack and give out.

But, none of the boys seemed to care as they held their ground, refusing to leave without me.

"N-No!! I can't be good without you. I-I can't be anything without you. You are all I have-" Keigo breathed out in panic, starting to attempt to weakly fight his way out of Tokoyami's grasp so he could get to me.

His downy feather on my shoulder attempted to pull me towards him, but he didn't have the telekinetic strength to control it much, anymore.

Tokoyami was torn with what to do, only half heartedly trying to stop Keigo from coming towards me as he was feeling conflicted on leaving, himself.

The cracking above our heads became louder, causing me to step backwards from the boys a few feet as I understood the only thing that would get them to leave-force them to leave, I should say.

"You can, Keigo. You don't need me to be wonderful, because you already are. I love you. I love you so much." I stated emotionally, taking a few more steps backwards before Sammy took a few steps forward.

He was sobbing silently as he looked at me in panic, shaking his head frantically.

"I love you, Sam. I'm sorry, buddy-" I started saying, before he quickly cut me off.

"No! Ari, come on! We're already almost out! We're so close!! You can't give up now. Please! I can't leave you here!" Sammy cried out, getting ready to take a few more steps towards me.

But, a large block of debris finally broke off from one of the balconies above, about to land directly on top of our group, before I forced my quirk to activate.

Out of pure instinct, Sammy and Tokoyami-who was still holding onto Keigo, took a few steps back when they saw the brick fall.

I grit my teeth in pain as I held the debris piece above our heads, taking a few bigger steps back so I'd be able to drop it down without hurting the boys.

Once I drop this boulder to the ground, I'll have separated myself from my loved ones and the exit. There's another staircase on the other side of the mansion, but I won't be able to reach it fast enough in my condition.

I won't make it out.

Hearing Fat Gum in my ear made me realize I needed to work quickly now. There were too many crashes coming down at once, and I need to help how I can.

Keeping the boulder held high in the air, I finally turned to Keigo one more time, saying the only thing left I could say.

"I love you, Keigo. I know it's hard. But, don't you ever forget how much I love you. Now, it's time for you to live. Please, just live." I stated calmly, watching his eyes widen in realization as he watched me release the boulder from my quirk.

It slammed down excruciatingly loud on the ground, separating the boys and I so that they'd be forced to press on, as I blankly pressed down on my earpiece.

"Fat Gum, it's Hourglass. I'll only be able to hold up the building for a few minutes, before I give out. Get all of the students out of here by then."

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

Keigo POV:

"I love you, Keigo. I know it's hard. But, don't you ever forget how much I love you. Now, it's time for you to live. Please, live." Ari stated softly, smiling at me sadly as I watched her release the boulder from her quirk to separate us.

My fading heartbeat spiked in pure and utter fear at the action, as I immediately found the new strength to tear my body out of Tokoyami's arms.

"NO!! ARI, NO!!!" I yelled out loudly, immediately collapsing to my knees when I fell out of Tokoyami's arms.

But, I didn't give a fuck about that as I began sloppily crawling across the floor, trying to beat the boulder to the ground so I could make it to Ari's side.

"H-Hawks!!! Wait!!!" Tokoyami screamed from behind me, as I heard him running over to stop me.

Not that it mattered. I wasnt.....I wasn't fast enough to reach Ari in time, anyways.

I wasnt fast enough.

The boulder slammed to the ground with a loud crash, and I was completely beside myself as I no longer saw Ari in my sight.

Even through my fading eardrums, I could hear myself sobbing in a way that I have never cried before. As someone who's still learning to express their true emotions, I didn't even think I was capable of making these agonizing whimpering sounds, but here I am doing them anyways.

Doing everything in my power to save her, I dug my fingernails into the thick, heavy boulder, uselessly trying to pry off pieces of it with my bare fingers so I could dig through it and get to Ari.

While my fingers had already started to go numb, I saw splatters of blood landing on the boulder now, making me realize I was practically tearing my fingernails off with how hard I was trying to dig through un-diggable brick.

But, I didn't care. I was frantic. I felt insane. I felt myself dying.

And all I could care about was Ari.

"-ei....Sensei!!! You're hurting yourself!!!" I vaguely heard Tokoyami saying to me, yet I continued to claw deliriously at the rubble.

In the next instant, I felt Tokoyami's arms grab onto my shoulders in an attempt to pull me away, but I quickly shoved him off, trying to focus on my hopeless task.

"No!! Get off me!! Get off, I said!! I-I have to save her!! You hear me!! I can't leave her! I need her, Tokoyami-kun!!! Go without me!! Please, just let me die. I don't care anymore! I really don't. I'm ready to die!!! Go!! Take Sammy, and get to safety!!" I sobbed out pathetically, pounding on the sharp boulder with my fists to try and break it that way.

A few seconds later, I felt Tokoyami's hesitant hand come back to my shoulder, no longer attempting to pull me away from the boulder, but comfort me, instead.

"No, Sensei. I'm not leaving you here. Not to mention, I really care for Ari. Sure, maybe not in the romantic way that you do, but....she's very kind to me. We became very good friends, during my mentorship. I don't know if we'll find a way to move this boulder, but we can sure try. I will try. For my two mentors, I will try." Tokoyami comforted, ignoring the falling boulders around us as he tried to think on how to move the big one.

And as much as I didn't want to absorb his words and continue my suicidal digging, I did hear them. I heard what it was that Tokoyami wanted to do.

And, unfortunately, it helped wake me up and come out of my dying haze a bit.

"No, you can't stay here, Tokoyami. You will die, if you stay here. I'm telling you to leave me here and take Sammy." I explained, quickly returning my attention back to the boulder, before I saw Tokoyami kneel down next to me in my peripheral vision.

No. Don't stay-

"No, Hawks. I am not leaving you here. I refuse to leave you here, no matter what. So, if you stay and try to look for Ari, then I will, too." Tokoyami pushed, causing my teeth to grit down in pure frustration to what he's saying.

Finally turning my gaze away from the boulder, I whipped my wild eyes at Tokoyami, flashing him as much angry intimidation as I could muster, shaking his shoulders roughly.

"Oi, Tsukuyomi!!! I wasn't asking. I am giving you an order to leave me here to die, and take Sam Parker out of this building. So, do it. Now." I seethed out lowly, ignoring the tears that continued to fall from my eyes as I spoke.

But, even so, my hands on his shoulders were trembling in devastation, my bloody fingers gripping onto my mentee tightly at my pure and utter heartbreak.

And as the building continued to fall, Tokoyami held my gaze with determination, placing his own hands on my shoulders as he spoke.

"No. I'm sorry, sensei. But, I do not accept those orders. You either let me carry you out of here, or we stay inside the building together. Those...are your only choices." Tokoyami stated firmly, not even flinching as the area around us began to shower with boulders...

Before the boulders were immediately immobilized, mid-air.

I felt my eyes close in pure pain as I saw the effects of Ari's quirk taking place, but unable to see the woman I love, herself. It was just an action that showed me how committed she was to doing this. To saving people.

But, I'm committed to saving her. I'm her angel of the sky. I'm supposed to protect her. I'm always supposed to protect her, no matter what-

"So, Hawks. What is the plan? Are we staying here to try and retrieve Ari? Or, are we evacuating the building?" Tokoyami asked me once more, pulling me from my thoughts as I was forced to listen.

I looked at him blankly as the entire building began to rumble. Boulder after boulder continued being held up in the sky by Ari's quirk. She was stopping much more than three at a time, giving it her all.

And she was saving people. She just saved three students from class 1-B from getting crushed to a pulp. She saved Fat Gum, carrying ten students in his stomach. She even saved Kamui Woods.

She's trying to save me. She's trying to save Tokoyami, and she's trying to save Sammy.

And if it were just me on this staircase right now, I would have already given up. I would have either been with Ari in these final moments. Or, I'd lie down next to this boulder and go to sleep, the way I so desperately want to.

But....

This isn't just about me, anymore. It's not just about Ari.

It's about Tokoyami, getting his chance. It's about Sammy, going home to his mom and dad and hugging them.

It's about humanity.

It's about thinking of others this time. It's about letting go and trying to save the ones who can be saved. It's about understanding that I can't save everyone. I can't even save myself.

And I cannot save Ari Parker.

As much as my love for her and my delirious mind convince me that I have the strength to break through this boulder and save her, I don't. I don't have that strength. I am dying. I won't be able to reach her.

But, I can save Tokoyami. I can save Sammy. By agreeing to evacuate the building, I can save the ones I'm able to save.

So, closing my eyes once more in acceptance, I felt another wave of life leave my body as I settled on a decision.

Even so, I couldn't take my bloody hand or my gaze off the boulder as I spoke, because I didn't want to say what I was about to say.

I don't want to leave you. I love you.

"No." I started out calmly, feeling a new wave of pure darkness settle into my heart.

Goodbye, Ari, my love. I'll see you soon.

"There's....there's nothing more we can do here. The building is falling, and we need to go. So....come on. Let's go." I uttered emotionlessly, feeling my entire body completely give out as I practically tore my heart out of my chest.

I can't see her anymore. She's not here.

Tokoyami was quick to catch me before I hit the ground, but it didn't matter. I couldn't move anymore now. I was finding it difficult to even close my own eyes. I heard my mentee speaking to me, but the words came out incoherently in my head as if I was suddenly underwater.

I couldn't take my eyes off the boulder in front of us, hearing Tokoyami and Sammy speaking to each other, but not registering what they were saying.

Sam's mouth was moving rapidly as tears went down his face, and it almost looked as if him and Tokoyami were disagreeing on something.

I was too out of it to see how their interaction had ended. My body had gone numb, my vision was fading. But, I realized I'd been lifted into someone's arms, when my hazy sight saw me hovering a few feet off the ground.

Hovering...

My feather. Ah, yes. My feather is still on her shoulder...

"Hawks. Hey, Hawks.....stay......ake. I'm....oing....t..."I vaguely heard Tokoyami say, as I noticed I was moving up and down in his hold.

He'd started running again.

But, I couldn't be bothered to listen to his words anymore, using the last bits of fading strength from my feather to graze across Ari's cheek. I wanted to memorize everything about those perfect features.

That's how I wanted to go to sleep now. Feeling her.

"Hawks!!! Hey!!! No!! Don't-" I heard Tokoyami scream as he continued running, retreating lower down the stairs as he desperately tried to keep me awake.

I couldn't see him much anymore, as my vision finally began to willingly give out now, continuing to stroke Ari's cheek with my feather, before a small smile went onto my face.

"You, Chicky. It's always you. It's always gonna be you." I whispered softly, as I heard Tokoyami's crying screams becoming white noise in my ears.

And as my consciousness finally faded away, I heard my Ari's voice whisper through the plumes of my feather. Her voice so soft. So sweet and so angelic as I finally found some rest...

Live, Keigo. Live. For us."

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

Ari POV:

"Live, Keigo. Live. For us." I had whispered softly, holding the fragile, little feather between my fingers, before pressing the object to my lips for a kiss.

Standing had become too difficult very quickly once I began using my quirk again, leaving me sprawled out on the uncomfortable stairs as I continued flexing my hands to immobilize.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed since I'd started using my quirk. The only thing that even kept me going at this point was the sound of Fat Gum's voice in my ear, keeping me updated on how many students he'd evacuated so far.

Right now, he's up to thirty. He's saved thirty kids, thanks to my quirk, stalling time.

But, of course, while I've stopped quite a bit of debris from falling, the big collapse is well on its way, judging from the way the entire building is shaking and teetering the hardest it has so far.

Keigo's feather had gone limp a few minutes ago. One moment it had been caressing my cheek, and then in the next moment, the movements slowly slipped away as the object peacefully began swirling to the dirty floor.

I held out my hand for it, when it did....catching it in the warmth of my palm, before carefully closing my fingers around it.

I was still holding it now. I won't let go of it. Never.

"Never......Keigo. I'll hold it forever. I promise..." I whispered, as I forced my numbing arms to work harder and immobilize the building.

"Forty kids! Almost done, Hourglass!! You're a true hero!" Fat Gum quickly called in my ear, clearly trying his best to hurry up.

But, he wasn't quite fast enough as the big crash was finally starting to happen now, with giant chunks of the mansion starting to shower the ground below.

I heard the shrieks and bone crunching sounds of people on the ground floor dying now, causing me to flex my arms even harder and hold up the entire top half of the building as it gave out.

Blood poured from my mouth as I did so, before I felt my shivering skin become feverish to the touch.

Hold it up, Ari. Just hold it up.

"Hourglass!!! You just saved us by holding that up! I'm so sorry, I'm trying to go as fast as I can!!" Fat Gum yelled out through my ear.

I couldn't find the energy to respond, blankly staring up at the entire top half of the building I was holding up.

Once it slips from my quirk, it would come crashing down on me. And kill me.

"I got to see my angel of the sky....I got to make friends.....I got to love.....I got to laugh a lot..." I started mumbling dazedly, barely even registering the words that were coming out of my mouth as I emotionlessly stared at the debris covered sky.

However, my sight of the sky was covered a few moments later, by a blurry face. A face I recognized all too well.

Feeling my fading consciousness spiking back in out of surprise, I stared at the savior above me, feeling my bloodshot eyes widen in pure panic.

"Wha....." I started out, unable to speak coherently anymore as I stared up at the person above me.

But, they seemed to sense my question, smiling down at me with tear stained cheeks as they spoke.

"I already told you, Ari. I'm not leaving here without you, sis. That's a promise." My brother Sam stated softly, giving my shoulder a small pat to try and get me fully awake once again.

And I couldn't say that I was fully awake. Honestly, the entire sight of him felt more like a dream. Like I was already dead. Yet, the feeling of his hand squeezing my shoulder let me know that this moment was, indeed, very real.

"S-Sam....how....how did you....get up here? I blocked the staircase, so you couldn't..." I croaked out almost inaudibly, hearing Fat Gum speaking in my ear, but unable to focus on what he was saying anymore.

"It wasn't too easy. I had to run all the way down to the lobby, across the mansion through all the war stuff, and up to the staircase on the other side of the mansion so I could cut across and get to you that way. On a broken foot-Not to mention that Tokoyami and I fought a bit about me going. He was too stressed about Keigo though to notice that I broke away from the group...." My brother babbled out much too fast for me to process, before I felt him slowly hoisting me up to sitting on the stairs.

I couldn't stand anymore though, falling back over before Sam quickly caught me, holding me tightly as he spoke again.

"Listen, we'll get out of here, the same way I just came in. Lucky, we've already gone down quite a few flights of stairs now, so it shouldn't be too difficult-" He started saying, before I found the strength to cut him off.

"No, Sam. I can't leave. I've gotta stay here and give it my all. I've gotta save as many people as I can. That's the only way I can do this correctly." I reasoned tiredly, cringing in overuse pain as more levels of the mansion began to collapse.

Sammy no longer seemed scared of the fiery death that would await him if he stayed here any longer, placing my limp arm over his shoulder so he could prepare to carry me.

"Correctly? And what rule is there that says you can't save as many people as you can, and still save yourself? It's not always a one thing or the other situation, Ari. It doesn't always have to be a self sacrifice." Sammy explained, purposely using the last word as a way to perk me up and remember everything that has happened today.

Self sacrifice. Diane's words.

I felt myself lifted into Sammy's arms, yet he didn't move just yet....preparing himself for the journey he'd have to make with me and a broken foot.

He sighed softly as he tried to get through to me one more time, turning his attention on me again as he spoke.

"You're still thinking like her, you see. By doing this, you're still following her rules. It's not your fault, Ari. Diane taught you that it was, but it's not. Even though she's gone, it's going to take you a while to get out of her mindset, I think. So, let me be the first one to try and help you with that-guess what? You can still be a good person, and save yourself. You can still be noble, and want the best for yourself. And you can still be heroic by living. You don't need to die, in order to do this correctly. And you can't save everyone, Ari. Man, I wish you could. But, that's not reality. That's not the way the world works. If there's anything I've realized here today, it's that you can only do what you can. And now? You've done all you can. You've done your job well. And now, it's time to go. It's finally time to do what's best for Ari, for once. It's time to go home to mom and dad. It's time to go home to Keigo." Sammy stated calmly, voice and mind made up as he lifted me off the ground.

He had to carry me in his arms now, as I could no longer walk.

And even though my conscience was fading, his words still hit me with a very real understanding.

He's right. Even though Diane is gone, I'm still instinctively following her rules. I'm still instinctively doing what she taught me to do, which is always self sacrifice.

I know that, because even as Sammy is starting his walk to carry me out of the falling building, I suddenly feel like a failure. I feel guilt that I'm the one being carried out, when there are good people in here who won't make it out at all. I suddenly hear Diane's voice in my head, telling me I'm selfish. Telling me I'm incompetent and like a drama queen.

But, I'm not. I'm not any of those things. I've never been any of those things.

And while I don't believe it now, while I feel tears falling down my face and incoherent pleas to leave me here, falling deaf on Sammy's ears, I'm not the bad person that Diane Himura always made me believe.

I'm good. I'm a good person, who's trying their best. And sometimes, that's gotta be good enough.

I'm doing what I can. I'm holding up this building with every ounce of strength left inside my body as Sammy's running as fast as he can towards the exit.

I hear Fat Gum in my ear, trying to keep me updated on all the students he's saved.

I hear other heroes in my ear, too, pleading for me to keep my hold on the building for as long as I can, so they can get out safely.

But, pieces of the debris are already slipping through my quirk now. I'm straining everything inside myself just to keep the fallen, fiery brick shower up.

And I can't save everyone. Sure, I can certainly try. I can certainly sacrifice myself and die along with the others who won't make it out.

But, even if I self sacrifice, that won't change the fact that I wasn't able to save everyone. It will only mean that I also wasn't able to save myself.

I let out a small cry of pain as Sammy made it to the staircase. A cry of physical pain, sure. But, also a cry of emotional pain at the people I would not be able to help today. People who are literally begging in my ear for me to help them.

A cry, because Keigo's not the only one who had to let go today. I do, too. I need to let go. I need to finally let go of all the toxic things Diane has ingrained into my head. It will take time. She did a pretty big number on my mental state. But, I'll get there. And I can only get there by letting go, and realizing that sometimes, I need to prioritize my own well being, too.

Because caring for my own safety does not make me selfish. And it does not make me a bad person.

So, one by one, I felt pieces of the building slipping from my quirk as Sammy descended from the last step of the staircase.

And even though I've come to terms with my lack to be the ultimate superwoman, that didn't stop me from sobbing weakly as I heard people getting crushed by the pieces I could no longer hold up, feeling my hazy eyes falling closed as broken apologies left my mouth.

But, Sam Parker was a champ through it all, holding me in his arms tightly as he pressed on. He grimaced in sadness as he saw people getting crushed before his very eyes, but he continued moving forward, like the hero he is.

"We're off the staircase!!! Hold on, Ari!!! We're going through the fight now!! It's gonna get loud! Stay awake!! Come on!!! Keep your eyes open!" Sammy screamed at me stressfully, as the traumatic sounds of dying shrieks and ear splitting crashes fell deaf on my foggy eardrums.

I gripped onto Sammy tighter as I vaguely felt his body trembling, feeling the simple act of breathing becoming too much for my dying lungs.

"S...Sam....I can't. I don't think I can hold it up anymore. I can't.....I can't feel my legs....or my arms...." I slurred out to him as I felt my entire body going numb as I entered a physiological state of shock. Probably from blood loss now.

But, he must not have heard me over the loud pieces of debris that began to crash to the floor from my quirk, choppily veering our path right and left to try and dodge the incoming attacks.

"Ahh!!!! Oh my god-Almost there!!! Stay awake, Ari!!! Eyes on me!! Live!!! You gotta live!!!" Sammy yelled, gritting his teeth together as he forced himself to press forward through the mass of fighting bodies, violence, and showering fire bricks that littered our path.

Heroes began screaming desperate pleas into my earpiece as my quirk was starting to fully slip from the building.

But, all I could register was the fact that my brother was still living. He hadn't been attacked by a villain. He hadn't been hit by flying fire or rocks. He was miraculously still alive. Running as fast as he could towards the exit, as he saw me losing full control of the giant rock shower above our heads.

"Shit!!-Ari, please you need to hold it together, or we won't make it out!! Please!!! Just a little more, Ari!!! I see the door!!! We're almost out of the mansion! We're so close!! Stay alive for me!!!" Sammy screamed, groaning in pain as a tiny brick from above had managed to smack him in the face now.

I forced my dulling eyes to open as I looked up at Sammy now, finding the strength to open my mouth one more time to speak.

"I think...I gotta...let go now, Sam...." I breathed out to him softly, before the dreary collapsing roof of the mansion was suddenly replaced with the blue, serene, beautiful sky.

Outside.

He's outside now. Sammy's outside of the mansion.

He made it.

I saw Sammy's mouth moving rapidly with words as he looked down at me, eyes widening in fear as he took in my state.

And while I know he was talking, my mind no longer allowed me the power to process it.

He continued running. I saw him tapping my face lightly to try and get me to stay conscious, but I couldn't feel his hands on my skin, anymore.

"Good job, kid. I'm....really proud of you, Sam..." I slurred out to him with a small smile, staring blankly in agony as I finally let go of the building, allowing the mansion to collapse now.

"I'm sorry, everyone. I am so, so sorry..." I cried out softly, as the giant crash filled the air space loudly.

All I could do now was keep looking up at the sky. I didn't even realize I had reached my arm up, until I saw my hand come in my line of vision, trying to touch the clouds.

"Keigo. Oh, my Keigo.....Keigo..." I whispered as I felt myself starting to fade.

Sammy continued talking-or rather, crying now in hysterics, trying to keep me awake, but it all came out as nothing now, sounding as if I was underwater, slowly floating down to the bottom of the sea.

I gripped the last, vermillion feather tightly in my bloody hands as I felt my body becoming lighter than air, seeing the beautiful blue sky where I first saw my angel, as my eyes finally fell to rest.

"My angel, Keigo. My angel of the sky. That's who you are. Who you've always been. I am so glad I finally got to know."

And now.....we are free.

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

Next Chapter Title: Fragile Doves.

And with that, the war arc chapters are officially over! Still got more story left to go, but holy hellll, this chapter was 13K WORDS!!! It's by far the longest chapter of the story and it was also one of the hardest to write, for a variety of reasons. I hope I did it justice for you guys ❤️