Days elapsed.
The school that had been in ruins during the fight began to slowly take shape again, towering over the construction site.
Before she knew it, Sora donned her school uniform again and was heading to UA for the graduation ceremony.
They had just finished rebuilding her neighborhood, so she got to leave through her house's door, heading to school again, as if the whole ordeal had never happened.
She allowed herself a moment to imagine it was just a bad dream, but the gaping void in front of the Seijin's house door reminded her that it wasn't.
That the battle truly happened.
That, once again, someone was taken away from her.
Before she could brood on those thoughts, she slapped herself hard with both hands. Probably her grandmother heard the echo from her room.
She could not afford to be sad.
Not on that day.
With a strained smile, she sprinted towards the station...
________________
Graduation ceremony... was too formal a term to describe it.
A graduation concert would have fit better.
And apparently, due to how late it took for them to hold one, Mic was set on making the concert memorable as an apology.
The third-year students collected their diplomas.
Amajiki walked up the stage rather stiffly and could be seen trembling as Nezu handed him his diploma.
Sora couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. For someone who did well fighting against Shigaraki, this is really funny.
Hado demonstrated no such things. She held up her diploma high for everyone to see, bouncing on her feet happily.
Sora felt herself tearing up as she clapped.
Her Senpai worked hard and deserved every moment of it.
The concert was held in the open air, with everyone year grouped together. As the music shot up, the third years, who were probably used to this kind of graduation, were partying the hardest.
The second-year students joined, albeit a bit hesitantly.
The first years only sat dumb founded and clapped politely.
Their class, somehow, was enjoying it as much as the third years, or most of them at least.
Sora could only feel as if everything went back to normal, despite the one empty chair beside her.
After farewells said by the rep of the second years and soon-to-be third years, Togata took up the dias.
Sora had frankly braced herself mentally for some gag or opening joke. But none came.
Instead, Togata was the most serious he ever was.
" Collectively, we've lost so much. And gained nothing at all."
The empty chair beside her...
" The fact is, heroes fight to bring a negative situation back to square one."
Not to bring it back to how it used to be...
Because some things...
Could never be fixed...
" However, we're still not back to square one just yet."
There was still a lot to be fixed...
A lot of healing to do...
" Today was not the goal."
Then where was it...
Where should she be running to...
And for how long...
A snap pulled her attention back to the stage, only to see Togata disappearing from his uniform, just as a huge tank, shaped like a woman's face with ridiculously long eyelashes, broke through the back of the stage, and the third years cheered loudly.
Honestly...
She laughed...
She couldn't help but laugh...
It was a very UA-like graduation...
________________
As they were still building back the school, they were reassigned to their old classroom, which now held a sign with 2-A (temp).
Sora took her accustomed seat, trying hard not to look across from her, only for the door to open, letting in a very tired Aizawa, with his hair neatly tied back.
" Typically, you wouldn't have the same homeroom teacher two years in a row. But circumstances being what they are, it seems you're stuck with me for one more year."
That drew a collective cry of joy from the class.
She couldn't express her gratitude at that. Having their favorite teacher stay with them for another year was a blessing.
Nezu probably realized that, after everything that happened, the students might feel much at ease with a teacher they were used to. And those same teachers might be able to catch on to it faster if any of their students were a bit off.
Regardless...
She could agree with Ashido...
They wouldn't want anybody else...
She took a moment to run her eyes through the classroom. How uncanny that it felt full of memories, although it was built just recently. Perhaps it was the people who occupied it.
Almost everyone was there.
Even Bakugo, although he was supposed to be resting.
His excuse was that it would be wrong not to have everyone back on that day.
She couldn't help but smile at how much he had grown over the past year.
The only ones absent were Yuu... and Aoyama.
The latter took her a moment to register his empty seat.
She tapped Uraraka's shoulder, whispering. " Where's Aoyama?"
Uraraka shrugged just as Aizawa cleared his throat, forcing everyone into silence.
He then turned to the door. " Come on in!"
Through the door frame, Aoyama burst inside, twirling and sparkling, as if trying to flaunt his beauty and rub it off their faces, or perhaps show off his new belt.
They could see he, too, wore bandages and a plaster on his jaw.
What he said contradicted deeply with his jovial actions. " Everyone! I'm here to say adieu! I'm leaving UA!"
The class took a moment to absorb the news, their faces frozen in shock, before they erupted all together.
" What do you mean leave?!" Shot Kirishima as he stood to his full height.
" If it's about All For One, you've helped us a lot against him!" Contested Jiro.
" That's right! The whole plan wouldn't have worked without you there!" Kaminari added.
" You can't be for real, Aoyama!" Ashido stood up too, shaking her head in denial. " We said we'll be attending class again! All together!"
Several more voices raised against his announcement, talking over each other.
Aizawa, for once, didn't try to pipe them down. Was he perhaps hoping they could talk him out of it? Sora wondered.
" But I thought the teachers and police said it's okay for you to stay?" Iida asked, hand shooting up.
" Oui," Aoyama responded, his face calm and poised. But Sora could see it was a front that was slowly cracking. " Sensei and Detective Tsukauchi said I may stay... But, non, I must set matters right."
He dipped his head, as if to apologize to everyone. " As my very matriculation was part of All For One's scheme, I would not be deserving of a graduation like the one we attended today. I will atone, and once more, walk the path of a hero! This sits well with me! After all, I reached out to you all and took your hands in mine!"
He took out a slice of cheese from his pocket and held it towards Midoriya, tears streaming as he struggled to keep his smile.
Sora balled her fists on her desk, struggling to hold back her tears.
Why...
Why should he leave...
Why couldn't they stay together...
Why couldn't everything go back to normal...
" Someday... I promise..." he sniffed, wiping his tears on his sleeves. " I will be worthy of standing beside you, with my head held high."
The scraping of wheels resounded throughout the classroom as Sora bolted to her feet.
She looked at Aoyama and slowly made her way between the rows towards him, under her teacher and friends' gaze.
She didn't want him to leave.
She wanted him to stay.
She didn't want to lose any more.
Still...
The more she looked at him. The more she gazed into his eyes. The more she got it.
It wasn't that he wanted to punish himself.
It was simply... because he wanted to be their equal.
To go through what they had gone through.
To take the same path they took.
He wanted to catch up.
Of his own volition, not by someone else's design.
Defying All For One was merely the first step in that long path.
Sora stopped before him as the whole class held their breath, waiting to hear what she was going to say.
She reached out her hands and held Aoyama's tightly in them.
When she looked up, she was both tearing and smiling at the same time. " Aoyama... Your light has always been dazzling... at the school festival... during the provisional license test... I can't blame All For One for wanting to use it..."
The boy's eyes filled up with more tears at that.
" I'm grateful that he has given you such a great Quirk... That he had sealed his own defeat with it... So please, never look down on it. Let us see it again, someday..." Her hands tightened as her shoulders shook as she swallowed her tears. Her voice cracked even more. " You'll always be class 1-A's sparkle... no matter where you are... so whenever you need our help, you know how to gather us..."
The classroom was filled with the sounds of sniffing and snivelling as everyone wiped away their tears.
" That's right..." Ashido dabbed away at her tears with her bandaged hands. " Aoyama will be a student of our class no matter where he is..."
" Whenever you need us, just call for us, buddy." Kirishima held a thumbs-up.
" Your bright light will always bring us together, Aoyama-kun!" Iida told him with an encouraging smile, pointing his hand in his direction.
Aoyama looked at every single one of them before he returned his gaze to Sora, squeezing her hands. " I will. After all, I know that I'm safe. With all of you."
With one last sniff, he mopped his eyes on his sleeve before embarking on shooting his luminous laser around. Sora laughed as she had to take a step back from the bright show, wiping her own tears.
" Do not cry, friends! No melancholy on my behalf!!"
" It's already done!" The class countered through tears and laughter as they shielded their eyes.
" On that note, there is a surprise!!" Aoyama continued, indicating the door with a dramatic flail of his arm as someone stepped in. " A new member of class A!!"
" How awkward..." a drawl-like low voice mumbled.
" Shinso!"
The whole class was upon him in moments, taking him aback as they welcomed him warmly to the point that Aoyama grew jealous and tried to gain their attention again by shooting more laser beams.
But someone didn't take well to it.
The strong light was making Hagakure glitch as he caught her in the chest, her form faintly visible. Sora caught sight of white skin, rainbow colored eyes, and messy hair.
Huh... what do you know? Being invisible really means one doesn't care about how they look... Sora thought.
Mina was instantly on her, hugging her and telling her how cute she was.
Sora sweated when she sensed the thick, malicious aura swirling around the small frame of one of their classmates.
Mineta was about to jump on her, too. Thankfully, Aizawa dealt with him.
" I have an idea!" Jiro shot from behind the mob. " Why don't we hold a farewell party for Aoyama at our dorm?"
" That's a good idea!" Midoriya nodded his head approvingly.
" When should we hold it? Today?" Kaminari suggested.
Sora and Todoroki flinched as if that had caused them physical pain.
" That would be too sudden!" Ever the considerate one, Iida objected. " Maybe some of us have plans for today."
" What about the weekend? Sounds good, right?" Asui asked, confirming the choice. Everyone nodded their approval, and Sora breathed out in relief...
________________
Next, they had the rep of the new third years, Mawata Fuwa, explaining what would be expected of them during the hard times they were facing.
They would be helped with the restoration and building, as well as maintain law and order.
It was at times like this that people got big ideas about being the next Shigaraki in their heads or tried to hit while the heroes were busy.
" Does that cover it, Era-sen?"
" Era-sen!" The class vocalized their shock. No one ever dared to call him so casually like that, let alone a student.
" I used to be in Era-sen's class myself. I take it he didn't expel all of you? Lucky you!"
Expel?
Sora's mind drifted to their first day of school.
To their Quirk assessment test.
" He said you taught them not to throw their lives away..."
So that's how it was...
Fuwa drifted away, heading to the next class, just as the bell rang, signaling the end of their first day as second years.
They walked out, some heading to the station, some heading to the dorm, talking about the new first years who would be coming starting the next day.
Although it held little meaning to them, there was almost no interaction between the classes. Heck, the first time they interacted with class 1B was during the sports festival.
The talk veered soon towards Midoriya and Tokoyami's new haircuts, though neither was voluntary.
Sora let the words drift, slip away from her mind, and busied herself with other matters.
" Sora-chan..." She looked up as Asui called for her, pointing towards the gate from which she had been walking away. " Aren't you going home?"
Sora smiled as she waved her off. " I have to go see Hound Dog-sensei today."
Uraraka and Asui exchanged a worried look, but Sora gave them a parting hug, squeezing them tight as if to draw strength from them. " I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
" If you say so." They returned the hug, with Asui patting her back.
" See you tomorrow!" She waved at them and headed towards the dorm.
There, she found the black car their school counselor drove, and along with him was someone she didn't expect to see there.
" Todoroki?!"
" Shirogane..." he seemed rather surprised to see her.
" Since you're both here now, get in and let's go." The teacher instructed as he climbed into the car, and they followed him...