Defeat. That was the feeling flooding the Professional Heroes present. Anger, sadness, pain, disbelief—those were the emotions that left the other students with empty expressions.
Guilt and disappointment. That was what Tetsumaru and Mei filtered through their unique connection, doubling those already bitter feelings in an uncomfortable escalation and feedback loop.
The fact that they both had a different view of the matter didn't help at all.
The guilt came from Tetsumaru. For the shinobi, they were as responsible for these students as the teachers and other Heroes.
Mei didn't see it that way. She felt sorry, of course, but she couldn't understand Tetsumaru's attachment. He had always been the least expressive, the least emotional. She felt her other half was overthinking things and getting too involved in the role.
They did not belong in this world. It wasn't their responsibility to attend to every little tragedy that occurred, and their presence here, along with the ripples they might have caused in the original storyline, was the fault of the entity that threw them in here in the first place.
—Sensei, I'd prefer to go alone— the black-haired man said to Aizawa. The man looked at him for a couple of seconds before slowly shaking his head, but the shinobi did not board the bus.
—I assume you have an idea about my ability to communicate with Mei. We don't just transmit information to each other, but also emotions. Do you understand?— Tetsumaru insisted.
He no longer cared about revealing this small piece of information. His mind wasn't clear enough to think logically. That was why he hadn't been able to block the link, and Mei refused to do it from her side.
She didn't seem happy with his mood, but Tetsumaru couldn't care less at this moment. He just wanted to get away for a bit and stop receiving waves of bitter feelings that didn't belong to him.
—Tetsumaru, I'm not in the mood for your nonsense. Get on the damn bus, now— Aizawa replied with a touch of coldness in his tone that momentarily confused the shinobi.
A flash of understanding shone in his eyes and he obeyed in silence, taking his place next to a bitter and somewhat disdainful Mei.
The entire vehicle was in a deep silence. His classmates remained still and listless in their seats, some deadly serious, others sobbing.
Losing so suddenly a person you had talked and laughed with only a few hours ago could be shocking in many ways.
—Aizawa doesn't trust you again?— she asked suddenly, her hand resting on her chin as she looked out the window at the absolute nothing.
—No, he doesn't— Tetsumaru replied. —He must be very exhausted, physically and mentally. He has also lost a lot today, Mei.
The kunoichi snorted, letting the conversation die at that point. She had no reason to keep tormenting her already distressed other half, no matter how foolish he seemed to her.
But even she had to admit that the news was a very bitter pill to swallow. Two students dead, one missing along with a heroine.
What if she hadn't just played around with the fat man? What if she had sprayed him with her steam or her lava? Although that might have killed him, given his Quirk, Mei considered that the life of any villain couldn't be worth the same as the lives of the murdered children.
That's what she thought, but would the entity they knew as God think the same? An entity they always heard talked about love, about forgiveness.
Are all lives truly equally valuable? The Law would say yes, some religions would say no. And what would a "good person" say?
This was what bothered Mei. This internal debate about what was right and what was not, what was heroic and what was not. What would ensure her an eternity of peace and what would not.
For the first time in their entire new life, both halves felt disgusted by the presence of the other.
The others weren't much better. The air was heavy, and no one was in the mood to even offer comfort to the person beside them.
The One For All bearer, for once, didn't cry. He didn't shed tears, nor did he collapse on the floor gasping for air. Midoriya Izuku's mind was not agitated, alarmed, or scared—quite the opposite.
It could have been clarity of thought. It could have been deep reflection on his mediocre performance and trajectory in recent events. It could have been the shock of the terrible news about his classmates.
Regardless, something inside the boy was beginning to change. A strong feeling of guilt gnawed at him even more than it did Tetsumaru, given the legacy he now carried and had not employed all this time.
The power of the Symbol of Peace, of Japan's greatest Hero in this era, and he used it only to... To what?
All he has done is be surprised, scared, hide, run.
The idea made him frown and clench his fist, which sent a jolt of pain through the limb, but Midoriya Izuku ignored it. The pain was irrelevant compared to the lives lost due to his uselessness.
***************************
—How was your expedition, Tomura?— All For One asked his protégé, who seemed to be rocking back and forth enthusiastically, like a child who had been bought a new toy.
—It wasn't bad at all, Sensei!— the young villain chanted, shaking the screen so All For One could contemplate the captives he had brought with him. It was not what the Demon Lord had expected.
An unconscious blonde woman, dressed stupidly, and a child who was irrelevant to him, so much so that he barely remembered his name.
—What is this, Tomura?— the man questioned with an icy tone, causing his protégé to momentarily freeze in place.
—Uh, w-well Master, we captured Pixie Bob and this student, uh, Sero something...— Shigaraki mumbled under his breath, realizing the problem and blushing slightly. A more than disturbing sight.
He turned back to the screen with a timid expression, his excitement and satisfaction gradually disappearing. Although this operation was entirely his idea, they still had an objective to meet and they failed in that aspect: Ragdoll.
Not only did they fail, but they also lost the armed Nomu in the process.
—Ahem, Master, Dabi reported that Terumi Tetsumaru and Eraser Head defeated and subdued the Nomu you lent me to deal with him. He couldn't capture the PussyCat Ragdoll due to the intervention of the sand boy— Shigaraki said in a rigid tone.
All For One was about to let out a sigh, but for the sake of his image, he restrained himself.
—There will be other opportunities, Tomura. Now, tell me how it went. I doubt that enthusiasm of yours is solely because of these hostages.
—Yes!— the young villain nodded, reporting on his encounters and the confirmed death of a student, Tsunotori Pony, and the seriously injured. They were not yet aware of Ojiro's death, as he perished in a secluded area away from the battlefield.
But they wouldn't take long to find out. After all, such a disaster could never be hidden.
******************************
—What are you doing here?— Aizawa questioned his student, giving him a sharp look. Tetsumaru was unfazed by his abruptness, nor by Vlad King's contained fury.
Behind him, the cars of his classmates' parents arrived one by one, while police patrols took others directly to their homes.
Neither Sakura nor Sasuke were available to pick them up now, so Mei and Tetsumaru were about to be escorted home, but the shinobi disappeared from his spot and followed Aizawa and Kan.
—I also have to report to the Principal. It's my responsibility, given my duties during this incident— Tetsumaru replied in a serious voice.
—You already gave your statement to the police. We'll handle it from here— Vlad King countered, ignoring Tetsumaru and turning around to continue on his way.
—No— the shinobi insisted, stepping forward. —I was put in that position because of my superior abilities compared to my classmates. Eraser Head, Vlad King, I am not just another student until I complete my task and personally report to Principal Nezu. Whether you like it or not.
—And how did that help, brat!?— Vlad hissed with narrowed eyes, looming over Tetsumaru with an intimidating air.
The shinobi raised his head, facing the Hero without any fear.
—I was there as a security measure, Vlad-Sensei. You were, too. I failed in my duty, and so did you. Let me finish what I started, just as you will.
Vlad King leaned slightly, staring intently at Tetsumaru.
—You are not a Hero— he said slowly, his voice heavy with frustration. —Go home, Terumi Tetsumaru. Go to your family, because not everyone has that luxury this time.
Tetsumaru looked at Aizawa, but the man was not willing to support him this time, looking away and walking again. Vlad also turned around, and both turned their backs on him.
—Stop wasting your time. Let's go home— Mei called through their bond. Tetsumaru sighed and returned to the car with Mei.
However, Tetsumaru refused to wash his hands of the whole affair. It didn't seem right, it didn't seem fair.
People died both because of his actions and the lack of them. Even if he didn't care about the Hero thing, even if this whole world seemed absurd and stupid to him, even if he was just half a person with no value in another life, that didn't make him less human.
It wasn't heroism, nor selfishness due to fearing the fate that awaited him after death. It was a matter of simple humanity.
With such emotions crossing the shinobi's chest, something inside him clicked. Something seemed to fall into place, like when one tries hard to remember something and it casually happens.
Without overthinking it, the chakra traveled throughout his body to his lower half, passing through points in a specific sequence, at a calm but swift pace.
And suddenly, Tetsumaru's figure blurred from his initial position, disappearing in a flash and leaving a stunned Mei behind.