The both of the wandered the dark establishment. Your head hung low as the male ahead of you kept his hand to your wrist, while the other remained in his pocket. It was a little difficult to see, considering that the entire building was enveloped in an ominous void.

You glanced away, the quiet in the air probing for you to broach a subject you had on your mind for a while now. "Katsuki... Before you decide what you want to do to me next... could I.. could I look into Izuku's room? Please?"

The male glanced back at you over his shoulder, although it was brief. His red eyes were placid, as well as his face. It was in times like these you wished you knew what he was thinking.

Returning his gaze upfront, his pace slowed down. "No." He bluntly stated. You expected this response, at least somewhat.. and didn't even hold an argument. Bakugou clenched his teeth. He knew he'd always been selfish, and although Midoriya was long dead, there was still part of him that wished to separate you both to the best of his ability.

His thoughts clashed with one another, and he could no longer decipher just what it was he harbored. He's gotten so used to his jealousy that he'd know if it were his envy in an instant, but that wasn't it at all.

He pursed his lips together, unaware of his burrowing brows as he wondered just what expression you were making behind him. Sadness? Wrath? Hatred? No matter what it was, he couldn't stand it, especially when you directed it toward him.

And so, he made a slight altercation on his path.

Coming to a stop as the both of you met with your destination, you were too out of it to realize where you stood. Bakugou released your wrist slowly, and his head turned away so you could refrain from viewing his expression of distaste. "[Y/N]... Make it quick.."

Eh? What did he mean by that? Looking up, though reluctantly, you noticed where you were immediately, and suppressed a breathless gasp. "Katsuki.. you...-" Glancing to the boy beside you who scoffed, you forced a weak smile, genuinely glad to know he showed some consideration.

It was Midoriya's bedroom..

With great leisure, your hand went to pursue the door knob, and in a gentle twist the hinges would squeal as the door parted slowly, revealing a somber chamber.

Midoriya's room was decorated with the memory of All Might's legacy, down to every corner. And upon seeing it, you remembered just how much that dazzling hero influenced him...

He was still the hero-fanboy you knew and loved.

This revelation made you smile. Taking a few steps in the room to approach his desk aligned with many All Might figurines, you traced your fingers along the smooth surface, unable to hide your subtle grin.

Inevitably, Bakugou noticed this. Having stayed put in the hallway, he tried to convince himself that this was for the greater good. Besides, he knew how much you wanted to see him.. but in spite of his choice, in mere seconds his envy still got the best of him and even impaired his logic. "...I'm gonna go to my room.. head there when you're through."

And with that, your stalker closed the door. You were bewildered. Immensely. Didn't he realize that you could easily run the opposite way..? Or did he trust you that much? No.. he couldn't have, because his actions from earlier proved that.

And in due time, he'd regret to make such a decision.

Returning your focus onto Midoriya's desk, you sighed. Then, eyeing the picture frame portaying him and his mother, Inko, you felt something within you shatter into pieces. You missed him dearly, and your grief only worsened as you stared at that smiling face.

"You idiot.. leaving me here like this.." Whispered [Y/N]. Reaching to pick up the frame, you inadvertently knocked one of Midoriya's most precious figurines to the floor and below the desk, leading to your surprised jerk upwards. "Oh, crap-!"

You crouched down to pick it up, however before you could even grab hold of it, you noticed a crumbled ball of paper resting right beside it. Naturally your curiosity made you take it, as well as the item you were looking for. And as you placed the All Might collectible down, you unraveled the paper delicately, careful not to create any rips. "Eh..? What's this?"

You knew this neat handwriting belonged to Midoriya, however the words scribbled onto the paper threw you in for a loop.

"Rehearsals." It read.

At first, you were dismissive over the note and was about to throw it in the trash bin beside his desk, but your eyes itched to give it a read. And being a slave to your own interests, you willingly obliged.

Looking down below the title, a single sentence hitched your attention, and curiously you raised a brow.

"From me to you, [Y/N]."

Your heart sank in an instant, and you knew that this "rehearsal" was meant to be something more. Chest tightening, you became reluctant in continuing down the lines.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," read the sheet of paper, "I've never done this before; planning out what I should say instead of telling you this directly... I honestly think this method is much better than.. simply passing this off to you as a letter..."

"This is a little difficult for me to even put in words... But.. I really wanna let you know, [Y/N].. about the confusion I feel, and complex emotions I've never come into terms with, even know. Will you still like me ... even after you hear this?"

"Anyways... there's something that's been on my mind. Do you remember that night we played the King's game with everyone else? Well, Ashido's words before the game started had stuck to my head like glue, and ever since then I've been in a really bad dilemma.. Remember what she said? About Uraraka..? It shocked me so much to know that she.. y'know, had a crush on me for god knows long.."

You suddenly lowered the paper in your hands, getting all the more sad as you read this. Stepping back to sit against the edge of his bed, you returned your focus onto the note, continuing the letter.

"And part of me.. felt a bit of both happiness, and guilt. I didn't know what I should think during the moment. I thought about pretending that I never heard any of it, but once that thought came to mind, it pained me so much.

"I could barely even put myself to sleep, and I could barely keep a levelled head. After that night though ... something made me experience a little death inside.."

"I.. I realized that you didn't make my heart race as quickly anymore."

"It's strange, right? How one thought could shift your entire perspective? [Y/N].. what I felt for you was real, trust me.. I actually liked you for so long that it seems a little pathetic. I even tried to convince myself that you would be okay without me, seeing how you had Kacchan, who seems to like you a lot..."

"But, what I'm trying to say is... I think I've fallen for someone else. Someone's who's also been supporting me ever since the first day I stepped foot into UA. I know you can easily guess who it might be.."

As you continued reading, you felt a harsh pain within that was hard to settle. You'd also come to notice that his handwriting was getting a little messier, and that there were blotches of dried water droplets which blurred a few words.

"Although I know that I like someone else.. I ... don't want to lose you.. I care about you a lot, until this day. Am I just being selfish?"

"You might remember when Kacchan kissed you, and while I'd already made up my mind then, It was still discomforting to witness it firsthand.. but... I felt relieved at the same time. At that moment I thought maybe he could love you, better than I could, at least.."

"I don't think anyone could amount to the pain I feel. There's so much going through my mind right now, and I can't stand it. Now that I think about it.. I never knew how you felt about me, probably because you've been giving me false hope. I'm right, aren't I?"

"Did you ... love me at all, [Y/N]?"

"Or was it one-sided from the beginning?"

"These tears I'm shedding... are they all for nothing?"

Unfortunately.. as terse as it, was; you reached the end, for blank lines continued down the sheet almost as if it'd been never-ending. You hadn't realized the drops of tears rolling down your cheeks, until they touched the paper. "You're wrong.. Izuku.."

Under the past month you've shed so many tears, and it was astonishing to know that your eyes haven't ran dry yet. You inhaled a gross sniffle, before reaching up to wipe away the tears using your sleeve. "I fell for you.. heavily... but I was too naive, and even tried to ignore it..."

Pressing the crumbled paper up to your chest, you hugged the last memory of your closest friend, and broke down in quiet sobs. "You didn't deserve for your happiness to be cut short... You should've lived a happy life you could've been proud of.."

Looking down, you realized another thing; that he must've written this the very day he died.

If you could swap your life with his, then you would have gladly done so in an heartbeat. Midoriya didn't need to die under so much pressure, and after reading this, you only fell deeper into depression.

You hated this entire ordeal.
You hated yourself.
You hated Bakugou.

He was the source of this madness, and you wanted it to end.

It was as if he read your mind, for the doorknob rattled as it twisted open. You looked up to the door, noticing a familiar face you've grown to hate with a passion. He looked very concerned and even stepped toward you, extending his hand with curled brows. "I knew I heard someone crying.. are you alright?"

Immediately, you slapped his hand away, raising a bit of tension. "I.. hate it when you touch me.. so don't even think about it..." Surprisingly, Bakugou went silent, while he gazed at you with strange eyes. They seemed confused, yet he tried to come to understand you. "What are you going on about? I've-"

"You.. You are a monster. I should've killed myself when I had the chance.." Forcing the paper toward the male who staggered back, he looked to what you forced before him as you stood. "Izuku was going to change! I don't care if he loved Uraraka! I just want him to be alive!! But no.. you're so selfish that you couldn't even stand watching him be happier than you were!"

Your anger intensified to the point you couldn't even withstand the urge to slap him. The noise bounced off of the walls, and you smacked him so harshly that he tumbled to the bed. Bakugou's head cocked away from your view for the meantime, muttering something beneath his breath just before averting his eyes back to your angered figure overrun by tears.

"Do you.. Do you know how much i'm suffering, Katsuki? I can't even think correctly without my thoughts jumbling. I live every second in constant paranoia, i'm a mess without my dad.. and the boy who's been by my side since we were only twelve..." You stepped over to him, "So that's why... I'm going to give you a taste of one of the many emotions.. you terrorized me with.

Confused to what you were getting at, it was far too late for he felt your frigid fingers wrap around his windpipe. Bakugou squirmed beneath your body, and it was at that moment that you realized how much power one could gain when someone had been at their mercy.

Your bloodshot eyes only widened. The tears streaming down tapped lightly against the other's skin, staining his cheeks as you did nothing but wish for his demise. "This is for Izuku.. Kirishima... Uraraka... And anyone else you might've killed all for that messed up heart of yours!" Bakugou scratched his hand along your forearm, silently pleading for you to compose yourself.

"How does it feel, huh?! It doesn't feel good at all!" You continued on a rant, screaming at the top of your lungs until another noise caught your attention. Your fingers slowly slid away from Bakugou's skin, and you panted and huffed as you looked the other way.

His arms laid still near his sides, his lifeless red eyes not only tainted by your tears; but his as well, and there was no longer any noticeable response. Instead of mourning on what you've just done, you peeled your [E/C] irises onto the doorway, and there you became utterly shocked. "Huh?..."

The boy lingering in the hallway was just as confused as you, though once he stepped inside, everything inside of you sank. "..[Y/N]..? What are you doing? What.. happened?"

There was a strong possibility that you might've been hallucinating again. But this time, it felt almost too real. Once he got close enough, he pressed his hands against your shoulders, shaking you away from your blank stare, settling your concerns on whether or not it might've been real. "[Y/N]? Can you hear me??"

"K.. Katsuki..?"

Extremely puzzled to no ends, the one holding onto your shoulders nodded his head. You felt sick to your stomach, wishing this would be nothing more than a dream. Yet, even while realization hit you, you diverted your attention back onto the corpse below you. "...If you're here, then who is..."

You'd been faced with a person entirely different than who it once were, causing you to throw yourself from Midoriya's bed. Meeting your back against the desk, you covered your mouth to prevent a terrified scream. All that ran throughout your mind was answers.

Pinching your eyes closed, you avoided gawking at that pink hair with alien horns, and tearful wide eyes that were full of a black lens lacking sight of her golden pupils, that were pulled to the back of her head. Her body relaxed there idly, and not even a twitch came from her.

Mina Ashido.

[Chapter END]