Swan dive (BNHA)

The final end

Rei watched her tears slowly drip onto the floor, leaving two dark spots. She pushed her hair out of the face, not wanting her view to be obstructed for so much as a second.

Her hands balled into fists and she desperately fought the urge to punch everything in sight. Grief she thought was dead and buried, rose up to the surface in a tsunami of emotion that she couldn't conceal, despite her best efforts.

She just sat there, kneeling on the cold, hard floor, staring at what lay in front of her. Something that still didn't quite make sense to her, no matter how hard she thought about it, no matter how much time she had, she just couldn't comprehend it.

Next to her, Mirio knelt, in a similar state to her. Tears stained his face, though they had already stopped running long ago. These stains, he knew, would never wash out. They would always be there, a sign of his constant grief.

In his hands, he clutched a familiar cloak. It was a blue grey colour and was fairly plain on it's own, as though it was part of a costume if sone sorts, like one a hero would wear.

And a hero had worn it.

Footsteps approached behind them, but neither of them had to turn to see who it was. Someone else collapsed to their knees beside them, tears streaming down their invisible face.

Toru sat beside her sister, tears streaking down her face and dripping onto the floor, leaving two more dark spots.

The grief that crashed over them in waves was constant and infinite, something they would live the rest if their lives with, a constant reminder of their own failure.

Of Izuku Midoriya, the boy they failed to save.

More footsteps approached them and Rei looked over her should to see who it was who had come to disturb them.

Katsuki Bakugou stood there, looking down at the three of them with an unreadable expression, bordering on sadness, but mixed in with inconceivable anger, though who that anger was directed at was a mystery. Perhaps it was them, for failing Izuku, or Izuku for getting himself killed, or himself, for the mountains of mistakes he had made.

The mistakes that had lead then to this point in time, where four heroes mourned the lose of a hero far greater than all of them.

Rei wiped her tears and looked up at Bakugou. "I didn't expect to see you here. I didn't think this was your thing."

Bakugou scowled at her. "What's that supposed to mean, ghostie?"

Toru laughed slightly, though it sounded more like she was choking on tears. "Something must be really wrong. He can't even think up a good insult."

Bakugou looked away from the two, and looked at what stood in front of them. The others seemed to get the idea and went silent.

"So, uh," Mirio attempted to spark conversation. "Three years."

Rei didnt even look at him as she spoke. "It feels like it was just yesterday. It feels like just yesterday that I..." she choked out a sob, unable to keep talking.

Toru patted her back reassuringly and took over speaking. "He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve any of it. He was a hero, yet noone knows his name."

They all fell silent again.

"You know, it's been a while since I've seen you, Bakugou." Toru grinned up at him. "How's becoming the number one hero going for you?"

Bakugou's face twisted with rage. "Don't get all smug. You aren't even in the top twenty, invisibitch."

Toru tutted at him. "Oh, but haven't you heard? Me and Rei are the highest ranking hero duo of all time. You, however, are stuck in second place, Bakahoe."

Mirio stepped in. "Okay, guys, let's not bring up hero rankings right now, okay?"

Bakugou just scowled at him. "Easy for you to say."

Mirio sighed. "I may be the number one hero, but I wouldn't be a hero at all if it weren't for Izuku. I wish I had been able to do the same for him."

Rei nodded slowly. "I don't think any of us would be heroes if it weren't for him. Even if I was a hero, me and Toru definitely wouldn't be working together."

"Hey, have you stopped getting questions about why you share a hero name with an ex-vigilante yet?" Mirio asked, clearly happy that everyone has stopped arguing.

Rei laughed. "Nope, still getting those questions. But what was I meant to do?"

"Not use your vigilante name as your hero name?" Bakugou grunted.

Rei shrugged. "Well me and Toru are a duo so we have to have some connection between our hero names. Plus, I like the name Spectre."

Toru laughed. "Yeah, Poltergeist and Spectre. That sounds better than whatever name you think she should have chosen. And you just used your name for your hero name because all your ideas got rejected."

Bakugou opened his mouth to respond but he saw the look Mirio gave him and just gave an annoyed grunt instead.

"Whatever."

Rei smiled widely, tears still streaming down her face. "I know we don't really see each other much anymore, but, thank you for coming. I'm sure Izuku will be happy that we still do something remember him by, even if it is just an annual thing."

"He's probably happier with it just being an annual thing." Toru pointed out. "That way, we spend plenty of time doing hero work and still honor his memory."

Rei laughed. "Yeah, probably." He face then turned more solemn and she reached out in front of her, resting her hand on cold stone. The others seemed to recognise what she was doing and did the same, resting their hands next to hers, slowly warming the cold, smooth stone.

"Thank you, Izuku, for everything you did for us."