Over a week had passed between training and searching the devastated areas around UA for the enemy, although they were only met by petty villains or people who either failed to evacuate in time, or failed to cling to their disapproval of heroes, and were desperate to find a shelter.
Regardless, no one would say it was all for naught, despite them almost having no time for themselves.
The day of their departure was already set, and Sora couldn't leave just like that. So despite being dirty and sweaty after a long day of searching and fighting, she turned away from the inviting warmth of the bathtubs and the softness of her bed to the evacuation area where most of the people mingled together.
Thankfully, she had the insight to change into casual clothes before that, as neither her uniform nor her hero costume would allow her to wade through the streets without incurring attention.
While she kept looking around as though in search of something, a hand bolted up a few meters away and waved her in. Sora saw its owner, and her face beamed as she raced to the table outside of a makeshift cafe.
The other woman hugged the girl tightly, showering her with kisses as if she hadn't seen her for months. It might as well be, given their strict orders of training and keeping away from their families as much as possible for their own safety.
Sora, however, could not leave without spending some time with her grandmother. She knew she would be seeing her off, but that didn't satisfy her at all.
" Come and sit." Yui indicated the seat across from her, and they both settled down, hands still held together as if fearful they might drift apart any moment. " How are you doing? Are you taking care of yourself? Do you eat enough? Oh my god, look at how thin you became!"
Sora fought not to roll her eyes. Her grandmother had every right to fuss over her after all. Instead, she managed a small smile as she patted her hand assuringly. " I'm fine, Grandma, you don't have to concern yourself with me. You need to take better care of yourself. It seems as though you haven't slept for days."
Yui's shoulders slouched as she leaned back in her chair and allowed a long sigh to escape her. " You can bet I didn't. How could I, while knowing you're going to leave soon to face the villains outside?" Yui bit her lip as there was a moment of hesitation before she continued. " Is there no way for you to step back and stay here with me, where it's safe?"
Sora gave her grandmother's hand a gentle squeeze as she smiled softly. " I'm sorry, Grandma, but I can't."
" You've found your answer, Sora," she said, pushing away the girl's hair behind her ear as if to better look at her face. " You've set your father free. Isn't that enough for you?"
" It's not," Sora answered without a moment's doubt. " Because I have so much more I need to fight for. I want to free you, too, Grandma, to bring Japan back to the way it was, for you and everyone else. And to do so, I need to fight alongside my friends."
Yui swallowed and looked down, taking deep breaths. It seemed as if she was about to burst into tears, but she managed to hold herself together and face her grandchild with a warm smile. " If that's what you want, then I have no right to hold you back. However, make sure to come back to me." Yui held onto Sora's hand as if holding for dear life. " It won't go back to the way it was without you by my side."
Sora's smile softened at that. " I promise not to put you through another hardship again, Grandma. I'll do my best to make it home."
They spent another hour chatting about trivial stuff like her grandmother's life within the shelter and Sora's disappointment at having to leave her library behind. They laughed over old antics and reminisced over what they had left back in their house.
By the time Sora was meant to go back to her dorm, she didn't want to leave, and so Yui walked her as far as she could.
" You will come to see me off tomorrow, right?" It was a foolish question, Sora knew.
Yui gave her a pointed look, as if she wanted to express her disappointment in her granddaughter thinking she might not appear. " Have I missed any of your special events ever when you were in school?"
" Nope…" Sora wasn't sure why her grandmother was asking that.
" I didn't. And I won't dare miss this one as well. It might be different, but my feelings are the same nonetheless, Sora." She pulled her for one last hug. " I will always be there to support you, whatever it may be."
Sora shifted to hug the woman back and took a long breath, inhaling her lavender-like scent as if trying to commit it to memory. " Thank you, Grandma."
As they turned to continue their walk, Yui stopped in her tracks. The sudden halt prompted Sora to look back, her instinct as a hero providing the worst scenarios to her mind. But Yui was there, looking at the other sidewalk, and she seemed… befuddled and fearful.
Sora followed her gaze but couldn't spot anything suspicious or out of the ordinary. " Grandma?" At her call, Yui blinked and looked down at Sora with a smile.
" It's nothing. Let's get you back to the dorm." She assured her with a pat on her back. " You have a long day tomorrow, and you need some rest."
Sora agreed with a yawn and stretched up…
________________
Sneaking out that night was proven to be a wrong choice, as apparently, All Might and Tsukauchi had stopped by to inform them of the plan. Thankfully, Yuu was more than glad to keep her up, especially on the part Shinso was going to play.
Needless to say, Sora beamed with delight when hearing Aoyama had chosen to take their hand and fight alongside them.
The next morning, all of class A stood before the main gate to UA, laden with the meager possessions they planned to take with them, and bowed gratefully to the refugees who came to see them off.
Nezu had declared a few minutes ago that the shelter would be under martial law and the defenses would double for the coming days after class A's departure.
Sora could see that some of the refugees were worried and uncertain about that. Others were visibly grateful to be done with Midoriya, the main target of the villains.
She tried to ignore the latter faction as best she could.
" Sora," as she promised, her grandmother was there to say her goodbye and wish her good luck. Sora knew she might need all the luck her grandmother would wish. " Take good care out there." She gave her a bone-crushing hug, yet Sora could do little to get away from it.
Yui then turned away from her granddaughter and faced off her friend standing there. She gently pulled him in and hugged him as well. " You too be careful, Yuu-kun. Watch out for each other's backs."
" You don't need to tell me twice." The boy assured her.
Every one of their class was saying their goodbyes to their families as well, which ranged from emotional hugs to stoic rebuking when it came to Bakugo and his mother.
As Sora took in the sight, she felt her grandmother's hold on her shoulder tighten. Looking up, she found yet again that Yui's gaze felt off as she focused on something beyond the huddle of people before them.
" Grandma, are you sure you're alright?" Sora was worried. " Maybe you should go back and get some sleep." One thing she couldn't ignore was the dark bags under her eyes that even rivaled Yuu's.
" I'm fine, really," Yui assured with a smile and a squeeze of her shoulder. " You don't bother thinking about me. I'm safe here. You can trust UA to protect us, right?"
Sora nodded.
Yui took in a deep breath and then knelt before her grandchild and held her shoulders tightly. " Sora…" The girl blinked as she looked into her grandmother's eyes. They were soft and full of unspoken guilt. " Was I a good grandmother for you?"
" What's with the question, Grandma?" Sora cocked her head in confusion. " You're the best grandmother anyone could ask for."
Yui's expression softened a little as she hugged the girl again and kissed her head. " Thank you, Sora. Now my resolve is all set. You're the most precious grandchild I don't deserve."
Sora blinked in befuddlement at that, but the tight hug was a more pressing matter for her as she doubted she could make it to their new residence with broken ribs.
What both of them failed to notice was Yuu slipping away and going to the groves that had flanked the main path of the gate. There, standing a little far from the rest of the parents, were Haruka and Satoru, Yuu's parents.
Since they had brought Midoriya back, the boy didn't have a chance to talk to his parents, for better or for worse. But now, they were standing there, waiting for him to notice and approach them.
He did just so.
He stepped before them, his eyes meeting their calculating ones. As they always did, they seemed to gauge him from head to toe, as if ready to point out the simplest flaw in him. " Your collar is folded." His mother pointed, moving to correct the unbearable default in his outfit.
Yuu fought not to sigh visibly. He was leaving, and he didn't know how things would end for them outside the shelter; he didn't want to react that way to his parents in those last minutes together.
One thing he didn't realize, however, was the hand that moved from his collar to his jaw and held his face up. The woman before him took a long look at him; her blue eyes could be glimpsed through her thick glasses, and for the first time ever, she considered him with a soft look. " You have the same look as that person."
" Huh?"
" Daisuke," Satoru joined, stepping up to them. " No matter what anyone else said, he bore a confident look; he never doubted himself or his Quirk. Honestly, I never knew where he got that confidence from. But it seemed he rubbed off you."
It seemed there was more they wanted to say, but the time wasn't on their side. A call from Iida to gather the scattered class 1A got his attention.
" This is your own choice, right?" Haruka looked softly at him. " Hope you don't regret it in the end."
He faced them with the most poised expression he could master. " I won't."
" I should hope so." Satoru looked at the class gathering before the gate and stared at the one person still behind. " You have one thing that my brother didn't manage to find."
Yuu's look softened, and he bowed politely to them. " I'm heading out." With that said, he ran off to join his friends…