There is a blast before Ochako is able to see again. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the rest of the class, stock-still from fear. She is no exception; trembling legs and wide eyes keep her planted where she is. She pushes to move, but can't, and tries to scream.

"Deku-kun!" Her lip is quivering, fearing that it'll be the worst.

Her voice is joined by others around her, and she almost feels comforted by the notion. That feeling soon stops the moment that she sees green hair splayed on the floor. The villain is down as well, long since unconscious by the blast earlier, but the fact barely crosses Ochako's mind, her thoughts only screaming, Deku, Deku, Deku. Her feet are disconnected to the ground, and she thinks she's activated her Quirk, running full speed to the mop of green. She isn't alone, the sound of engines and "Midoriya!" close behind. No one cares about the villain, instead bustling around the unconscious classmate on next to them.

Ochako's heart almost stops as she watches Todoroki hastily checking the boy for a pulse. She doesn't even hear Iida's shouts to tie the villain up, nor does she feel Asui rubbing her back slowly.

"He's still breathing! Just knocked out from the impact. Yaoyorozu, could you make a stretcher?"

Ochako almost faints in relief at the words, letting out the breath she had forgotten she was holding. The others around her sigh as well, and let out small smiles. Mineta is crying in thankfulness, and Tokoyami wipes the sweat from his brows.

It is a minute of "thank God" until a shaky voice in the distance calls a name momentarily forgotten, a name that will soon cast a shadow over Class 2-A in the near future.

"Bakugou…?" The voice is Kirishima's.

Heads turn to the sound of the boy's words. And faces, before still smiling, drop to utmost horror. Still silence follows shortly, and for seconds no one moves, processing what their eyes inform them. When it does, there is screaming, and students all around Ochako; those who caught themselves in time, raced towards what should have been sandy hair.

Kaminari and Kirishima are crying the boy's name, shaking him, pressing their jackets and clothes to keep the wound closed. Shouts for bandages, bandages, bandages fill the air, and Midoriya's miracle is soon lost from minds. Ochako is planted at the boy's side though, frozen, her heart a sickening mess as she gulped in a soundless shriek.

Sandy hair is blood red, as red as the boy's sharp eyes. His clothing is dyed the same color, along with the ground around him. The liquid is wine, pooling in an unrealistic amount.

And where a left leg and arm should have been, is an empty space flowing with nauseating red.

0000

It felt like ages until the rescue team of medics and heroes alike reach the scene. Rather, no one notices their arrival regardless. Whoever was still in their right mind were frantically getting a certain delinquent to wake, to no avail. Tears flowed down several faces, while many others huddled in corners, crying and shaking their heads to wipe reality into a nightmare.

Ochako does neither, and only helps with whatever order she is given, eyes glassy, and face pulled sheet white. The only thing she could think of was how a happy, smile-filled summer break hiking trip with friends in the class could go so horribly wrong.

The medics arrive before the bleeding stops, apparently, as someone tells Ochako later after the incident. She was in no state to care of such details, and so believes the words completely. The rest is a blur to everyone, with both Bakugou and Midoriya transported by helicopter, and everyone else by ambulances or police cars.

Ochako's certain that there were heroes patting her back and telling her it was alright now, but she no longer remembers their faces nor what their voices sounded like. She doesn't go against them when they usher her to the cars, and she doesn't think the others did either. Not a single person had enough energy to do otherwise, traumatized, and tired from hellish scenes that only appeared in whatever midnight movies or dreams could possibly manifest. There may have been reporters, but she doesn't hear any student answering flashes and bombarded questions.

She finds herself dead tired when she's seated, but those are only her body's thoughts. Her mind is crystal clear, and her eyes do not close for more than half a second throughout the trip back to the hospital.

0000

"Uraraka-san, are you alright? Do you think you are ready to tell us what happened at the scene?"

Said girl looks up slowly to the owner of the voice. She sluggishly makes out the features of the man, Officer Tsukauchi, before nodding her head in response.

She does not notice the sigh and the tired face from the officer, who pats her to get up and follow. He leads her through the hospital halls, passing by several of her friends and classmates. Not one acknowledges her leaving, and neither does she acknowledge them sitting on the benches beside.

They are taken to a corner of the waiting halls, where no one sits, before the officers start to question her. They are calm and gentle, careful, as though walking on eggshells, as they coax what she knows out of her.

Ochako spends little time before telling them the incident, although quietly. As she speaks, images and videos of the villain grabbing at Jirou and Hagakure, as well as the furious yells of Bakugou and Midoriya play through like a film in her thoughts.

She does not believe the scenes, and feels not a touch of pain as she thinks of them, and her words are clear and fluent.

0000

Tsukauchi furrows his brows, biting his lip as he listens to the girl as she speaks. His head hurts from the ugly words and mental images of the children's battered bodies. He does not want to push this girl any further, despite the other officers' unending questions.

He feels sick from the sight of them lifeless in the halls.

0000

All of them are told to go home with their waiting parents after everything is settled. Everyone obliges, save for Kirishima, who cries and grips the doctors coats to let him stay and watch the injured. His eyes are watery and bloodshot, his face sullen from the lack of rest despite the many hours of questioning and waiting.

"Let me stay, doctor! Please! ….Just…. Let me stay! I need to see them, I need to know if they'll… they'll… make it!"

The doctors try to pry the boy off, telling him with pitiful eyes that there was not much he could do here, that he would only destroy himself with waiting in anxiety.

"It doesn't matter, doc! Please, this is the only way I could possibly…" The red-haired boy screams, until the quiver in his voice is no longer held back.

"Kirishima. Enough." Todoroki places a still hand on the boy's shoulder, eyes looking downwards at their sneakers, unable to face the other.

"Todoroki…"

"Let's go, Kirishima."

0000

A/N: My first multi-chapter fanfic. This is going to be angst all the way, so… yeah. Please bear with me, and thanks for reading it till the author's note.