MHA: Hands on, Quirks Up!

[Eijiro Kirishima]

Kirishima stared out the window, the daylight bright and steady. The sun was still high in the sky, but it felt dim somehow. Muted. Like the color had been sucked out of the world since they left the USJ behind.

That's his best friend back there. Fighting alone. Bleeding alone. And he left him.

Damnit.

Why?

Why did he leave him?

He thought he was stronger now. Thought he'd changed.

Since the moment he stepped into UA, he'd been training harder than he ever had before. Pushing past his limits every day. And more often than not, Henshin was right there with him. They pushed each other, helped each other get stronger. Not just physically, but mentally. Sharpened their resolve.

He even trained with upperclassmen sometimes—Togata, Amajiki, Nejire. They were busy, sure, but never too busy to offer a word of encouragement. Gave him advice, pushed him to think bigger.

And yet…

When it mattered most, he did nothing.

He clenched his fists in his lap, knuckles bone-white from the pressure. He could still hear Bakugo arguing with Yaoyorozu. Todoroki too. Hard not to, when the rest of the bus was dead quiet.

The words cut deep, but not because he disagreed. He didn't have a strategy, or some calculated argument about what was right.

He didn't want to leave his friend behind.

That's it.

He just didn't want to leave his friend behind.

And yet… he did.

He stayed on that bus. Sat down. Let the doors close behind him.

So for the second time, he was completely useless when things got real.

It happened a few months ago, before he got accepted to UA. There was a giant villain covered in a cloak, stomping through the street. Kirishima saw the figure harassing a group of girls from his school. And what did he do?

Nothing.

He completely froze. Locked up with fear while his body screamed to move. To help.

Ashido had been the one to act. She stood between the villain and the girls. She didn't fight; she just told the villain whatever it took to get him to leave. And once the danger passed, she cried. Right there in the street, tears streaming down her face.

He couldn't forget it. And today, the same thing happened all over again.

This time, Henshin had stayed back. 

Not to show off. Not for praise. Just because someone had to, and he wasn't the type of man who would do nothing.

Not like Kirishima.

Henshin smiled when he made that choice. Confident and unshaken.

He stood there with every intention of fighting until he couldn't anymore.

And Kirishima… left.

The villain wasn't as big. Maybe not as strong as that giant one from before, either. Maybe Yaoyorozu was right. 

But that didn't matter.

Because Henshin still chose to stay and fight. Facing danger, knowing what was waiting for him, and walking straight into it.

That's what it means to be a hero.

Crimson Riot once said something like that, about what separates a hero from just another strong person. He talked about fear. About standing firm even when everything in you screamed to run.

Kirishima never really got it before. He always thought that just meant throwing punches no matter what. Gritting your teeth and pushing through. 

But now he saw it for what it really was.

It wasn't just about facing villains. It was about standing tall when someone else needed you, especially when it scared you. That's what Ashido did that day. That's what Henshin was doing now.

And he'd learned something even more personal.

Kirishima didn't really fear his own death. Not nearly as much as he feared watching someone he cared about suffer, while he stood frozen.

That's what really made him freeze. The idea that he'd fail to protect someone he cared about.

But that's not manly. That's not what a hero does.

He lowered his head, jaw set with quiet determination.

Stay strong. Protect others. Even if it means your life.

That was his new declaration.

I won't regret anything ever again.

I'll do it.

I'll become a real hero.

I'll protect people, no matter what.