Chapter 48 - Echoes of Her Absence

Back at the mainland, the rain poured down in heavy sheets, each drop crashing to the earth with a dull, steady rhythm. Amidst the cold, dreary downpour, Iizuku Midoriya sat motionless, his gaze fixed on the muddy ground beneath him—perhaps staring at his own feet, or perhaps lost in a place beyond sight. The world around him was a blur, the rain masking his tears, though it did little to soothe the aching emptiness in his heart.

Beside him stood All Might, his once larger-than-life figure now a quiet presence, leaning down to look at his young protege with a mixture of concern and understanding. The towering hero had seen the boy go through so much, but this felt different. The weight of absence was a kind of pain even the strongest could not always bear.

"Young Midoriya," All Might said softly, his voice heavy but gentle, "I know you miss L/N, but she's fine, I promise you that."

Iizuku's shoulders slumped even further, the words failing to lift the burden weighing on him. He clenched his hands into tight fists, nails digging into his palms as if trying to keep himself together.

"I know," he said slowly, the words coming out strained, like a confession. "I know, but I still miss her. It's... it's so empty without her." His voice cracked, and his eyes, brimming with unshed tears, looked anywhere but at his mentor. "Why did she leave? Why did we allow her to leave?"

The questions hung in the air, unanswered, just as his pain remained unspoken. Iizuku's chest heaved as the floodgates opened, tears spilling freely down his face. He clutched his hands tighter, as if holding onto the fragments of his broken heart. He hadn't known what to do when she had left—when everything had changed, and she had chosen to return to her own world. All he knew was that it hurt, that it felt like something was missing from him, something irreplaceable.

All Might sighed deeply, his heart aching for the young man before him. He had watched Iizuku grow, seen him face countless challenges with strength and resilience, but this... this was a different kind of loss. It was a quiet devastation, one that no amount of fighting or training could fix.

With a heavy heart, All Might stepped closer, wrapping his arms around Izuku in a comforting embrace, pulling the boy against his chest. "It's hard," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "I know it's hard. But sometimes, people have to follow their own path, even if it means leaving us behind. It doesn't mean she doesn't care about you, or that you weren't important to her."

Iizuku trembled in his embrace, his body wracked with sobs, but the comforting presence of All Might, steady and strong, anchored him. For a brief moment, Iizuku allowed himself to be vulnerable, to lean into the support of the person who had always been there for him.

"I miss her so much," Iizuku whispered through his tears. "I just... I just wish I could've done something."

All Might held him tighter, his own eyes misting over with unshed tears. "You did everything you could, young Midoriya. You were always there for her, just as she was for you. That's all anyone can ask for."

The rain continued to fall around them, but in that moment, Iizuku didn't feel quite so alone. Even in the silence, surrounded by nothing but the soft sound of the rain and the weight of his emotions, he knew he wasn't truly without support. He had people who cared about him. And, in time, the emptiness would start to heal—if not in the way he expected, then in a way he had yet to understand.

For now, though, all he could do was grieve, to mourn the loss of someone so important to him. And in the arms of All Might, that pain felt just a little bit more bearable.