Cassia Path (Part 4)

You adjusted the black skin tight fabric once more, the bag on your back feeling much heavier than it actually was. Your throat having to be continually moistened and cleared to rid yourself of the nasty little things that seemed to continually climb up your throat.

You sucked in a deep breath as Bakugou let out a smug sigh, the sounds of chains breaking and hitting the pavement a moment later. Next to you, Kirishima nudged you to follow him and you did so. His single assignment of protecting you and his classmates on his mind, he wasn't going to fail this.

Bakugou and Kirishima walked in, with you and Mina following closely behind. Kaminari and Sero took the rear, each making sure to look and watch everyone's backs. You tapped your finger against your arm as you all walked.

The warehouse looked exactly as you remembered it: old, rusty, mildew-scented and looking ready to topple over with a single powerful gust of air of pressure. And despite all the medical supplies you had packed with you that were resting on your back and tightly tucked away inside a medically issued backpack... you hoped that no injuries would come tonight.

It was nearing 11pm now, the six of you having eaten an early dinner and headed out on the train ride here. Kirishima had joked on the train that the last time he was on a recon mission with classmates, it was to rescue Bakugou. Of course, this lead to much denial that he needed rescuing and Kirishima trying to explain to the explosive teen that he was only trying to lighten the mood

But you knew... you knew how badly things could go. Because they had gone bad before. And now that you stood in this room once more and looked out among the tubes of black bile and the whirling of the machinery... you couldn't control the nerves and headache that was starting to develop.

The past yous telling you to get everyone together and run, to hide... to do something that wasn't standing in an orderly line near the only exit and entrance to this place. You looked like sitting ducks. Colorful, obvious, and easily distractible sitting sucks if you were to go into more detail.

Soon your peers separated, leaving only Mina next to your side and the boys standing and looking around at the scene in front of them. And by the way their eyes seemed to grow wide and how stiff their bodies suddenly became, you had a feeling they were slowly starting to realize and believe all the strange things you had told them. How... you might even be right about doomsday. But then again... the only person you told was Kaminari... and you had no idea how in depth he went with his buddies.

"I don't like this..." Mina mumbles next to you. "This place gives me major creepy vibes..."

You nod slowly glancing in front of your heroic peers wearing the materials you had made the previous day. Your mind and stomach beginning to worry at the possible ways you could have messed up personally for this mission. The costumes were already a bit short.... As you had realized that a few of your allies needed skin access... and thus you cut the fabric off along their wrists and ankles and made it so they could roll it up easily if they needed to.

But looking and seeing their exposed skin and how a needle could easily be shot into it and thus create a bigger problem... you couldn't help but worry. There were too many people, too many ways to fail... too many ways to die...

"Hey." Kaminari chuckled, a hand rubbing your head playfully. "You look like you're taking a test."

"Huh?" You blinked and looked up to see the straw blonde smiling patiently at you from in front of you.

"Only you make a face like that when taking a test, dunce face." Bakugou grumbled, heading one way.

"What does that mean?!" Kaminari followed the blonde wanting to know what kind of face he made while being tested.

Meanwhile, you were puzzled at this little conversation. Turning to the three who still were by your side in this large lab area you gave them a knowing look. Mina giggled and placed a hand on your shoulder while Sero shook his head and tried to contain his own laughter.

Kirishima sighed, seeming to be the only one who had enough control over himself to be able to tell you exactly what was happening. He had a feeling you might be a bit socially awkward like a certain ash blonde and lucky for you, he was good with talking and understanding how people with your personality operated and acted.

"They are laughing cause you were making a face like you turned over an important exam and read every question... only to find out you had no idea how to answer any of them. And Bakugou's insult was more of a fact... as Kaminari does have the lowest grades in our class... so... he makes that face a lot. Except in math strangely enough... he's good with numbers."

"Oh... I think I get it." You nodded to the redhead. "Yes... I get it."

"Good to know." Sero chuckled awkwardly. You truly were out of your element here... weren't you?

Before any of them could laugh at your adorable awkwardness, however, a loud click suddenly bounced off the walls and then came the sound of a scream and a body next to you dropping fast. The image of red staining your clothing and the pavement near you making you hold in a breath.

Your eyes telling you to glance down and look... to see what happened to help whoever had gotten struck. But you found your eyes had closed and your feet had implanted themselves into the ground. Your hearing dulling and only allowing your brain to repeat the instances you had heard that sound before. And the image of his face turning around to look at you on that staircase one world ago. The life draining quickly and then the final gulp he made before collapsing before you. Not again... not him. Not anyone... God no...

"ASHIDO!" Kirishima's voice slices through your panic and your eye finally cracks open.

Laying underneath you, gripping her ankle and scowling through the pain was the pink haired hero herself. You could see Kaminari and Bakugou in front of you, standing still as the woman herself was cornering them from where she had exited from the closet. Your feet suddenly pushed your body forward seeing this. Eyes only focusing on his back, your mind wanting to see him turn around to you and smile without any stains at his core.

"Stay behind Kirishima!" Sero suddenly grabbed you with his tape and pushed you back. "I'll go help Bakugou and Kaminari!"

The black haired male dashed forward, flinging a line of tape near the woman who now had taken out the needle gun and was aiming it towards Bakugou who was the closer of the two.

"If my sight was better... than that easily spottable pink friend of your would be dead..." She muttered, glancing at the ash blonde through her silver hair. "But... you're perfectly close. Trying to destroy my little creatures, hmm? Too bad it made you closer to me than your other friends..."

She smirked and then began to pull the trigger, Bakugou raising his arms and ready to blast whatever she would be sending at him. And right as you all expected the sound to occur, instead you heard what sounded like a mechanical malfunction. The woman blinked, pulling the trigger on her needle gun several more times but realized that nothing was happening.

"Sorry..." Sero smirked, elbows extended and tape holding tightly to the object he had been aiming for. "But... it looks like my aim is better than yours."

The woman growled and then tossed aside her little injection device. Her heels clanking as she reloaded her gun and then aimed towards Sero. In front of you, Kirishima suddenly burst into rough ridges and let out a hollowed cry towards his friends.

"I've got the girls! You guys worry about taking her down and not letting her take you with!" He called, looking back towards Mina who was getting her breathing under control. "Ashido... are you okay?"

She nodded slowly, looking up to see Kirishima turning back to look at the scene at hand. But she could tell he was listening. You could tell how much this group trusted each other... and how even if it looked like they were not listening or caring... they were.

"Yeah... I think it just grazed my ankle. I have no idea how she shot it so poorly... but I'm lucky it's just a flesh wound."

"Yeah... lucky..." You narrowed your eyes and looked back at the scene at hand.

Sero had grabbed onto Bakugou's waist with his tape and was tugging the lean ash blonde back with a force as yet another gunshot sounded throughout the warehouse. The sounds of shattering glass and then flowing water making your eyes lock onto the vats. One of them had been struck and was now spilling its contents onto the floor.

Seeing this as his opportunity while Bakugou and Sero distracted the woman with their strike and then pull away tactic and the sounds of explosions, Kaminari dashed towards where the vats had spilled and smirked.

It looks like the contents had hit all the other machines... meaning if he added a bit of his own power to the mix, he'd be able to create quite the reaction and as a result create an explosion of his own.

Flinging his arms up into the air, a little burst of electricity turning more powerful as they escaped from his hands, Kaminari dipped his fingers into the green liquid and watched as suddenly one machine after another... they all went up in powerful and sudden flames.

The sounds of the machinery whirling to its death and the little creatures making what could only be the sounds of screams made him pause and step back before he could get any closer. It was dangerous putting his exposed hands into an unknown substance already. He could feel the scolding he'd get from you and his friends already... but right now... he was proud of his quick thinking.

"You..." The voice of the woman being much closer to him than he remembered broke his train of thought and he turned to see her approaching with a gun aimed right at his heart. "Do you have any idea what you've just done!"

Her voice was like nails on a chalkboard and the anger filling her purple eye seeming to even out class Bakugou's own angerful stare. Her mouth gone from a sadistic smile to a now displeased frown. Her clicks steady and speedy making Kaminari realize that he was now stuck in a position.

She was too close for Sero to grab her in time... closer than she had been to Bakugou. Apparently, everyone aside from this woman had been distracted by his little actions against the vats and now she was going in for the killer of all her work and research.

"You have no idea what you've just done you son of a bitch! The stakes I've put into this! The reasons why I did this! You and your little bastard friends are going to pay for this..." She growled, pointing her gun at near point blank.

Kaminari blinked, his mind rushing with thoughts as he saw this woman starting to pull the trigger. His eyes met the wet floor, he thought of you behind him having to watch him die again, he thought of Sero who was extending his tape to him at this moment. Bakugou was aiming above him with an explosion that would take the ceiling down. The plan was all set! This was end game right now! He just needed... to buy a single second... so he could survive.

But... he couldn't think of it! All he could do was raise his arms to shield his core from where the bullet would go.

So when he heard the gun off but the metallic sound of something striking him and nearly making him fall back, he was scared. But as the moment passed and nothing seemed to hurt or feel like he was spilling out... he quickly glanced over himself.

His sun yellow eyes widening as he glanced at his arm and saw that something had acted as a shield for him. The small piece of technology that he often forgot about and rarely used due to this. This situation proving so, as he had forgotten he was wearing his shooter in the first place.

But as he looked at the now broken and cracked machine and how a bullet slowly slipped out and clanked against the floor, he couldn't help but smirk happily. And then suddenly his core was wrapped with a tight tape like substance.

"GET HIM OUT OF THERE!" Bakugou screamed as his palms ignited and rustled the beams above. The sounds of angry creaking and breaking metal heard from directly above Kaminari and the woman who was in arm's length from him.

She growled, tossing her gun away and instead grabbed ahold of the blonde. Her sadistic and evil smile returning. Her single eye meeting his as one of her hands traced his skin. Kaminari held back the vomit on his throat at the sensation of this woman touching him and how slimy her hands felt.

"If this is truly the end... I might as well take a plus one..." She chuckled as the first beamed cracked from above and suddenly began to fall towards them both.

"Then take this as my apology for not being able to make it!" Kaminari shouted, entire body sparking.

The water underneath him lighting up once more and electricity followed freely from his body to the water and onto whoever was on it. Sero had managed to jump back in time and snag Bakugou off the water and away from danger himself. Kirishima, yourself and Mina were never in the water to begin with... so you three only had to worry about stray bullets.

But as Kaminari finally dulled down his power and a glazed look took over his features he could see the woman groaning. His body took off a moment later, and not a moment too late as the first beam made contact with the ground a moment later.

He landed safely not too far away glancing up in time to see what would have happened if Sero had not been as quick on his feet. Or if Bakugou had not been as much of a quick thinker as he was. And then... the pounding and loud, near ear-splitting, the noise of the metal hitting concrete and the damage it caused.

It was enough to shake the entire building, and it did. Each of the teens grabbing onto each other or what was nearby them as to not fall over. Kaminari, despite his slightly off state, even gripped onto Sero's tape as a way of support. You held tightly onto Mina, afraid she would topple over thanks to her weak balance.

And then, just as soon as the noise had come... it had stopped. Dust littered the area and everyone coughed it away, not wanting to inhale what might be in it. Eventually, it cleared and everyone was able to take a peek at what had occurred. One-fourth of the ceiling was entirely gone, allowing everyone to look above and see the clear starry sky above them.

Below, a pile of beams rested against the floor, some last unstable pieces sliding into their new resting places of the floor. Nothing moved, made a sound or looked away for moments afterward. Everyone simply took in the situation, and slowly realized that the woman who posed such a threat moments ago... was no longer standing, or could even be seen under the pile of rusted beams.

"Did we...did we win?" Kaminari breathes out slowly, part of him acting slower than usual due to the overuse of his quirk. His mind not at 'total idiot' level, but rather 'a bit slow' instead.

"The bitch is down for the count...and I doubt she's going to even get back up ever again..." Bakugou growled, seeing a deep red starting to seep out from the stacks of metal beams that lay piled on the floor.

"Dude..." Kirishima touched Kaminari's shoulder and helped him move away from where he had almost had the same fate. "You're not looking so good, so take a seat."

"H-huh?" Kaminari blinked, looking at the redhead next to him. "O-oh yeah... I guess I should."

"Man... Kaminari at 50% juice may be more hilarious than him at 0." Sero chuckled, watching as the blond held onto Kirishima and tried to walk.

It was as if Kaminari was observing everything in slow motion despite the rest of the world around him seeing it in real time and without any issues. This mild frying of his brain seeming to really affect him in various degrees.

But you couldn't be entirely mad at him right now. He had been so responsible today, so much so that at various points, you were trying to figure out if this was even the same golden haired goofball who had taken you out last weekend. He conversed his power instead of putting his faith into a one-hit KO, he made sure the people around him and he himself were safe and knew of the plan before he acted. He wasn't reckless like his reputation said... in fact, Kaminari instead was rather careful and thoughtful when he needed to be.

But seeing as Sero was teasing him about something and then Kaminari not understanding, you couldn't help but laugh at him. This feeling of joy and ease having never been present in this place... but now you could finally allow the emotions that had been repressed to come back in strides. And it was all thanks to him.

Kaminari and you locked eyes for a moment, his eyes blinking as if trying to focus on your figure. He seemed out of it and as a result, you knew you should get moving along with everyone else and soon.

"You okay?" Ashido's voice pokes through your thoughts and you turn to look at the injured pink haired girl next to you.

The bleeding on her ankle seemed to have gone down, thankfully allowing you to see that she truly just had been grazed by the bullet that had been the opening blow in this small but ruthless battle for all your lives and future.

"I should be asking you that..." You mumbled, reaching into your bag after having taken it off. "Mind if I wrap it to stop any more bleeding?"

Ashido nodded slowly, sitting down and you followed her. Taking her pink ankle into your hand, you applied some disinfectant apologizing for the discomfort it made. And then cleaned and wrapped her injured skin with some gauze and bandages before helping her up. Mina rested against you as the both of you carried yourselves over towards where the boys were.

"Let me take her." Kirishima told you, throwing an arm around Mina's other side and allowing her body weight to rest against him.

Kirishima was much stronger than you were, so you were a bit grateful he offered to help Mina walk as you had been having a difficult time even trying to get you both to move and not drag your feet or twist her ankle. Kirishima always seemed to think of those around him and you were glad that at least someone was more selfless than you could ever be.

"Hey... my shooter?" Kaminari mumbled, looking down at his arm and saw that his device was missing. "I swear I had it..."

"Great... where did you put it?" Sero sighed starting to look around for the item that helped Kaminari aim. "I'm sure you had it a moment ago."

"Knowing that idiot... he lost it and just now realized it." Bakugou groaned, starting to glance around as well.

"Or broke it..." Mina chuckled, seeing Kirishima already starting to look around for the object.

"I don't want to build it again..." You groaned, eyes catching onto a certain familiar piece of support tech that was resting by the beams and red soaked ground near it.

Your eyes lit up and you started to lightly jog over to fetch the device. Everyone watching you as you did so and then spotting the device themselves. You approached cautiously and looked at your surroundings and deemed it safe.

"Hey! You shouldn't go over there!" Mina called after you, nerves building up at the thought of you getting hurt or worse.

"Relax... I'm good at reading situations." You waved her off couching down to look at the small machine Kaminari seemed to have dropped at one point during the battle.

Taking the device into your hands you scanned it over, trying to figure out if anything was wrong or broken. An irritated sigh escaped your lips and you turned to look at the blond haired boy who seemed to be regaining some part of his awareness and quickness once more. His golden eyes meeting yours and then he felt a tingle go up against his spine as you narrowed them towards him.

"Are you serious?" Your eye twitched, holding up the broken and frayed machine. "How many times am I going to have to fix this until you get it through your head that this isn't a toy! This is a weapon and targeting assistant that was designed specifically with you in mind! And you go about breaking it whenever you feel it's fit!!"

Your good mood had vanished fast upon realizing you'd need to repair and practically replace his shooter once again. Though... in this timeline, it was the first one, so maybe it was bound to happen? That didn't mean you weren't happy that he was treating it so carelessly though.

Kaminari's eyes held an apology at what he had done and also for the work he had given you to do. He really didn't mean to break it... but with a gun and a crazy woman coming right at him... smacking her with the shooter seemed like the best option. He was alive right now after all...

"You're lucky I like you, dork..." You mumbled, taking the pieces into your arms. "Or else I might not fix it for you..."

A deep and low sound cut through the warehouse before anyone could speak or tease Kaminari any further. The sound of beaten and rusted metal creaking loudly and then the soft but excruciating sound of something sliding. And then... a loud but booming click of whatever had been previously sliding, coming out of its place.

You watched out in front of you, unable to look away as the five figures in front of you suddenly changed. It was your turn to be living in slow motion now... as you watched in confusion as Kaminari and his friends all looked above you at the same time. Their eyes widening and their mouths opening.

They all looked back down at you once more, some with hands beginning to stretch out, others full of energy and drive to scream at you until you heard them. But it seemed like your hearing had vanished in this slowed down realm.

Your head moved up slowly to see what had made the noise above you. Eyes of (Eye color) looking up just in time to see the sight of a large rusted and charred beam falling directly above you. Your heart stopping and adrenaline filling your veins as it neared you. However, your body froze once more, not knowing what to do or act as the beam tumbled closer to you.

And then blackness and the sounds of rumbling, screams, and clanging fading out slowly but surely.