#belowgroundzero

Ichijiku (Tigress)

"We need to get inside and make sure we find the survivor. That's our priority!" Ashido clenches her fist with determination. "Now, let's hurry! Time is of the essence!"

"Right!" Everyone follows her lead, even though I'm wary and feel a chill down the back of my neck. Didn't Mr. Aizawa say the building was burnt? I wonder if we should check it out to make sure it's stable... But since everyone seems confident, I hold my tongue.

We're already on the ground floor of the building by the time I realize I should have spoken up. I feel a light rumble beneath my feet and dart after my friends, trying to warn them like I should have done to begin with. "Wait, guys! If the building was burnt, it may still be unstable–" No sooner have I said it that the ground gives way beneath me and Toru. I shove her ahead to keep her from falling down with me.

"Tigress!" Their voices follow me as darkness swallows me.

Something cracks against the back of my head and my vision blurs. Sharp pain stabs through my calf as I hit the ground so hard I dry heave in the dirt. For the next few moments - is it five minutes or fifty? - I fight with consciousness. My body from the belly down feels completely immobile, pinned from the rubble.

When my brain finally refocuses, I find enough energy in me to call out instinctively for my boyfriend. "DEKU!"

My default emotion results in tears steaking down my cheeks as I try to analyze my situation. What would Mr. Aizawa do? He's always so logical. See how freely you can move, Little Cub. I grip at the dirt with the claws in my suit, trying to forcefully pull myself out.

A shriek tears through my lungs as my leg throbs from the movement. Dammit...I can't move my legs. Shit. I'm stuck here. I can't free myself. Sometimes, you have to wait for others to help you.  That's only fitting for something as worthless as you. A pathetic failure. Failure and guilt crash around in my head, threatening to break my body more than the building on my back. Mr. Aizawa is going to be so disappointed. I haven't even managed to get through the first quarter of the exercise. And then Dad... A sob rushes out of me as I try to think of something...anything I can do. I can't let him down.

So much for being a hero, huh? You were in the building for all of thirty seconds before it fell on you. Mr. Aizawa is going to expel you when you get out of here...if your own stupidity doesn't kill you first. No wonder your father gave Deku his quirk and not you. My fingers dig into the dirt painfully again, trying to distract from the emotional pain of my doubt, and the physical pain in my legs. There has to be something I can do. Call for help. No one is going to be mad at you. You saved Toru from the same fate.

"DEKU! FROPPY! URAVITY!" I choke out, using the amplifier in my suit to my advantage. "PINKY! INVISIBLE GIRL!" I shove the butt of my palm into my eyes to try and stop the flow of tears. Worthless. Failure. The sound of my doubt is abruptly cut off by the vivid sound of a tiger roaring in my mind.

I keep screaming and calling for help until my voice is tired and I feel my energy waning. What if they've forgotten me? What if they just left me here? I start to worry, calling out every one of my classmate's names at least once.

I'm starting to wonder if I'll die when the sound of footsteps reaches my ears. My breathing is shaky as I look up, and I'm sure my face is a sight, marred by panic, guilt, and blood.

Deku's face isn't smug or disappointed or annoyed like I'd convinced myself it would be. It pulls more tears from my eyes to match his glistening ones as he slides to his knees in front of me.

"TIGRESS!" He exclaims as he assesses the damage. He takes my hand. "The damage looked pretty bad here. Pinky and Invisible Girl said this was the area you'd fallen down. I was hoping this wouldn't be where I found you but–" He looks up at the debris shifting minutely above me, and his eyes widen, but his brows furrow as he takes a determined stance. "I'm going to get you out of here, honeydoodle. I promise. You're going to be okay!" He gives me a smile, and it both mends and breaks me.

He knows how to keep smiling. Why don't you?

"I'm sorry." I choke out. "I'm not...I wasn't...good enough..." I exhale, gritting my teeth. "I'm a monster."

"No, you're not. Don't say that. Invisible Girl said you saved her. I'm proud of you." Deku pats the top of my hair before he calls down the hall of the dilapidated building. "GUYS! SHE'S DOWN HERE!"

More footsteps start approaching. Iida and Tsu are the first ones that come into view, followed by Todoroki, Ojiro, and Ochaco.

I watch them jog closer until there's more movement from the debris above me and I shriek as my vision goes dark again.

"WATCH OUT!" I hear Deku cry and then everything is silent.

Now everything is pinned. There's no way I'm moving.

"DEKU!" I cry through the dusty darkness, coughing out the dirt trying to invade my lungs. "Is everyone okay?!" Please don't tell me others got hurt on my account.

"Tigress! Thank god you're still alive...we're all okay! Todoroki's ice kept the building from falling further. Can you move at all?" He calls.

"No, I can't move anything now, it has me pinned!" And indeed, even as I say this I try. I can't even turn my head; fallen debris renders it stationary.

I close my eyes and try to focus solely on their voices despite a throbbing headache. I listen as they come up with a plan. Iida is to be ready to run and grab me just in case. Ojiro and Ochaco are going to help move debris while Todoroki uses his ice to stabilize it.

The building crushing down on me has me fighting consciousness. One moment, I hear them talking. The next, I can hear the dirt above me starting to shift and settle. The next time I'm awake, I'm already on a stretcher made by Momo.

"S'Invisible Girl okay...?" I grunt out. It doesn't occur to me until I focus on a pounding in the back of my head that my deteriorating status is due to blood loss.

"I'm okay, Tigress." She promises, squeezing my hand.

I blink and then I'm pulled into a warm embrace. I think it's Deku at first, or my dad. But when he speaks, my chest aches as I find it's someone who's hug means that much more.

"You're going to be okay." Mr. Aizawa tells me, squeezing me. I sniffle and let my head rest on his shoulder for a minute. He reads my mind because as he pulls back and catches my expression he meets it with a stern look. "Don't you dare start apologizing. Just let them take you to Recovery Girl."

I'm too tired to fight it, but I have enough energy to huff at him.

The next in line, not surprisingly, is my dad.

"Ichijiku!" He darts over to my side; even he's not wearing his signature hero smile at first, but he grits his teeth and forces it there in the next moment. "You're okay." He exhales his relief. "Recovery Girl's going to fix you up, okay? I'll be right by your side the whole time."

I reach my hand weakly to pat his, again wanting to apologize but not having the energy. The world starts shifting in focus again.

"Can I go with her, Mr. Aizawa?" I hear Deku's voice in the distance and start glancing around for him.

Soon enough, he's jogging by my stretcher. "Ichan, it's okay. I'll come check on you in a little bit, but I have to finish the training...I'll be with you as soon as I can, okay?" Deku's hero smile is gone and fresh tears paddle down his face. He grips my hand tightly and squeezes before giving it a kiss. "We love you."

I love you too. I think, finally feeling content enough to fall asleep.

Want More Deku? Try: Rhythm & Blues