Chaos whirled around the room as Naomasa held his hands over Izuku's wound like it was the only thing keeping him alive – praying that it was actually keeping the boy alive. He wasn't aware of the arrests that were made, or the concern voiced for Midoriya in passing, it was just him and the boy he was begging to stay alive.

"-ide. Sir! We need you to step aside!" an EMT was saying, shaking his shoulder.

"Oh. Yes, of course," Naomasa said numbly, falling away from Midoriya. He was fairly sure he knew this EMT from somewhere, but he couldn't place it.

While the others strapped a pale Izuku to a stretched, the first one looked back at the detective, torn. "Sir, would you like to ride on the ambulance with Midoriya?"

"Is he the kid's father?" another EMT asked.

The first one met his eyes before nodding. "They're family."

"He's losing blood fast, I don't know if he's going to make it to the hospital," another EMT said as they were loading the boy onto the vehicle. "I don't think we're going to be able to make due with just IV fluids, not at this rate. Do you know what blood type he is?"

"O positive," Tsukauchi said without thinking.

"Do you or any of your people have type O blood? We have everything we need."

"I don't – I don't know," Naomasa said.

"I have O negative," a voice behind them said. "I donated last month, and everything checked out just fine, here's my donor card."

Of all people, it was Mori who stepped up. If the stakes weren't so high, Naomasa could have laughed at the concern clear on the officer's face. Instead, he nodded at the officer before climbing in.

Seated in the ambulance, Naomasa did his best to rein in his emotions, but he couldn't do that while looking at Izuku. The only alternative he found was staring at his hands – his hands painted in the boy's blood.

"Can I have something to clean my hands? I need to make some calls," Naomasa said faintly.

"Of course," someone said before handing him some kind of antiseptic wipe. Naomasa cleaned his hands as best he could, but he knew that the stains would never leave. Those same useless hands dialed Inko's number, and they trembled as they held the phone up to his ear.

"Detective Tsukauchi? Could I call you back in a few minutes? I'm just about to—"

"It's an emergency, Inko," he said, voice hoarse. "You're going to need to come to the hospital as soon as possible. Izuku's been shot."

Her startled gasp nearly broke him, but even worse was her quivering voice. "Is he going to be okay?"

Naomasa closed his eyes. He'd had to tell families bad news before, but it wasn't the same, somehow. A million words ran through his mind, but none of them seemed enough – language was failing him. "They're going to try everything they can, but it doesn't look good. I'm in the ambulance with him now – we just got to the hospital. I'll keep my phone on me and keep you updated until you get here."

He hung up in the bustle of unloading Izuku. It was wrong seeing the boy so still and lifeless, but how Naomasa felt about the situation didn't matter at this point. He merely did as he was told, staying as close to the boy as he was allowed. He kept his eyes trained on Midoriya until the second he literally could not anymore. His stomach clenched as the stretcher Izuku was laid out on disappeared behind the doors that led to surgery. He stood and stared at those doors for what felt like an eternity until one of the janitors asked him to move. He had actually been looking for somewhere to sit when a frantic Inko tore through the front door.

"Where is he, Naomasa? Where's Izuku?" she asked, hands choking her purse.

"Izuku is in surgery right now."

"S-surgery? How badly did he get hurt?"

"Izuku was shot after the heroes and officers arrived on the scene," Naomasa said, the words tasting like ash in his mouth. "It hit his lung, but it also curved at an angle that caused even more damage than it should have. Inko, I… We need to prepare ourselves for the worst, just in case."

He was only able to meet her watery eyes for a moment before she collapsed into him, sobbing into his chest. "Why do we let children fight our battles?" she demanded through her tears, her grip on his trenchcoat tightening. "Izuku just wanted to protect people, to help them! Why is he here?"

"I don't know, Inko. I don't know."

She met his eyes once more, and somehow it was even more devastating this time. "How do I tell Eri? How do I tell Shoto?"

"Say the word, and I can have officers bring them here. I can tell them myself if you want me to."

"They would want to be here. Especially if… if—"

This time Naomasa could feel her tears soak through his clothes. He patted her back and murmured, "Izuku is a fighter. If anyone can survive this, it's him."

"But Izuku has been fighting his whole life. What if he just doesn't have any fight left in him?" she asked, pulling away and meeting his eyes.

Naomasa couldn't find anything to say to that. He could only hold the tiny woman as she cried – that's all there was to do. He couldn't help the young detective stay alive, and he was in no state of mind to go back to the crime scene. For the first time in his life, Naomasa felt completely helpless. Eventually he was able to guide the distraught woman into a chair near where Mori had soundlessly taken residence.

People slowly trickled in, too scared to ask for updates. They merely made eye contact with Naomasa long enough for him to shake his head. Then, without fail they would collapse into one of the nearby chairs. The officers who had been at the scene and were now relieved were first to arrive. Sohma collapsed into the seat on the other side of Inko, while Naomasa sat on the other side of him.

"Kimura and Tamakawa are going to handle the station," Sohma said, any spoken words feeling wrong – somehow they should be beyond that. "Everyone else is going to head over here once they get everything finished over there."

Breathing deeply, Naomasa closed his eyes before saying, "Have Saito and Sasaki go pick Eri and Shoto up from their schools."

"Yes sir."

"Just tell them there's been an accident," Inko interrupted in a frail voice. "They should hear it from me."

"Of course," Sohma said before stepping aside to make the necessary phone calls.

As more people filed in and silently joined them, Naomasa decided that hospital waiting rooms were some of the most desolate places on earth. The tasteful decorations and uncomfortable plastic chairs didn't change the fact that someone they cared about was toeing the line between life and death. The more people that came in – some Naomasa recognized, some he didn't – the more like it felt there was no room for emotion. Even Inko had stopped crying. How long had they been there? It could have been hours, or only a matter of minutes. Somehow that felt like forbidden knowledge. But at the same time, it didn't matter. Naomasa didn't care what day it was if they still didn't have news about Izuku.

Eri got there first, fear in her every movement as she followed Sasaki into the hospital. The little girl had healed a lot after her rescue, but it was clear that anything resembling a medical area still set her off.

"Mom?" she asked, releasing Sasaki's hand and crashing into Inko. "What's wrong? Why are we in the hospital?"

"Come here, sweetie," Inko said, pulling the little girl into her lap.

"Mrs. Midoriya? Are you okay? They just told me there was an emergency," Shoto said, stalking his way over to her.

While her tears had slowed down a bit, somehow she stopped them altogether. "Listen kids, there was an accident while Izuku was undercover today, and because of that, he – he got shot. He's in surgery right now."

"But he's going to be okay, right?" Eri asked, eyes wide. "The doctors are going to make him all better."

"They're going to try their best," Inko said with a sad smile. "But Izuku was hurt really badly. They don't know if they can help him or not."

"How did this happen?" Shoto demanded.

"I don't know," Inko said, her voice cracking. "We would have to ask the heroes that were there. They were the only ones who saw anything."

"I'm afraid I'm really the only one who could tell you."

All eyes, including Naomasa's, landed on the tall form of All Might. He was still in his hero costume, and the streaks of blood across it made the detective's stomach turn. For the first time in years, All Might seemed uncertain, awkward. He fidgeted a bit, before saying, "I was standing closest to the boy when he – well, when he took the bullet for me."

Naomasa stared at Toshinori in horror as the hero hung his head in shame. Surely he heard that wrong, he couldn't – All Might was the number one hero! Would he even be hurt by a bullet?

"Excuse me sir, but what?" Shoto asked.

"Ah, young Todoroki. I didn't see you there. You see, I entered the warehouse a bit prematurely, and not everyone was asleep from Midnight's quirk. There was – ah – so much noise that I didn't hear the gun being cocked, but apparently young Midoriya did. He threw himself in front of me just before the bullet hit, and… well, here we are, Mrs. Midoriya. I genuinely apologize for my error," the hero said, bowing even lower in penance.

A crack sounded across the waiting room, and it took Naomasa an embarrassingly long time to realize what had just happened – Inko had just slapped the Symbol of Peace. She stood before him as a completely different woman, eyes bright with anger instead of tears, chest heaving with emotion.

Standing abruptly, Sohma took Eri by the hand. "your mother probably needs something to drink."

"But—"

"We'll get you a treat too. Come on, I need help picking out the best one for your mom."

As soon as Eri was out of earshot, Naomasa turned to the tiny woman. "Inko, I can't imagine what you're feeling right now, but All Might was just trying his best."

"Was he trying his best when he told Izuku he couldn't be a hero?"

"When he what?"

"Excuse me?"

Every officer – every person – in the vicinity hung off of Inko's every word as hot, angry tears coursed down her cheeks. But Inko only cared about the blond man who stood in front of him.

"I understand that you probably don't even remember him, but he idolized you. My baby wanted to be a hero just like you, and he wouldn't let anyone tell him no, not his teachers, not his supposed friends, not even me," she said, her voice fracturing on the last word. "He never gave up until the day that the Sludge Villain attacked, and it was like the villain had really killed him off. I was so scared he would actually… Well, after that day he got rid of all of his All Might merchandise, and some of those things he loved more than life itself at one point. He's just a boy, how much more are you going to take from him?"

The hero worked his mouth open and closed a few times before a familiar hand touched his shoulder – Aizawa.

"I'll give you updates on the kid. This might not be the best place for you to be right now."

"Sit back down, Inko, I'll be right back. I'm going to walk All Might out," Naomasa said, directing her back to her chair. The woman collapsed into it, spent from her bout of anger. Then he walked along with All Might long enough that they could duck into somewhere private enough for the man to transform.

"Thanks for the help in there. I really just wanted an update on the boy before I went back to school. I don't have enough to teach, so—"

"Detective."

"What?"

"You called him a boy just now, but Midoriya is a detective," Naomasa said a bit rigidly.

"Oh, my apologies. He seems like a good one."

"Why did you tell him he couldn't be a hero?" Naomasa asked, searching his friend's face. "I'm just trying to fathom what you could have said to leave him as unsure of himself as I found him."

"Well, the boy is quirkless, isn't he?" Toshi asked hesitantly.

"And? Your point?"

"Naomasa, you can't tell me that you would encourage a quirkless teenager to become a hero. It would be far too dangerous, even if he did get into a hero course by some miracle," Toshinori said, eyebrows furrowed. "What would you have had me say?"

"Am I really hearing this? You, Yagi Toshinori, were born quirkless. If anyone should be a quirkless advocate, it's you!"

"I don't expect you to understand what being quirkless is like."

"Apparently I shouldn't have expected you to, either," Naomasa spat, a little unsettled by the rage he felt. "What really happened in there with that gunshot?"

Toshinori closed his eyes, already regretting what he was going to say. "Back during the Sludge Villain incident, Midoriya saw my civilian form. I told him a bit about my fight with All for One and showed him my wound."

Naomasa clenched his hands into fists as every word rang true. He couldn't bring himself to respond just yet, not until Toshi finished.

"The gunshot would have hit the wounded area, and at that point it wouldn't matter if my suit was bulletproof or not. An impact like that would have caused internal bleeding that could have been a death sentence."

Somehow knowing what happened only made Naomasa feel worse. "It's time for you to leave."

"What? Naomasa, we can—"

He held up a hand, cutting the hero off. "I can't talk to you right now. Just… Just go, Toshi. You've done enough."

"Wait, Naomasa. Let me explain—" Toshinori started, but Naomasa was already walking away from his friend. In the hallway he had to take a moment to calm down before he made his way back to the waiting room. His seat next to Inko was waiting for him, and he took it wordlessly.

"Izuku is out of surgery," Shoto informed him in the same monotone voice as normal, but Naomasa could see the emotions boiling in the boy. "They'll be monitoring him closely, but the doctor should be out shortly to give an update."

Eri sat on Inko's lap, fidgeting with the drink Sohma had bought her. "Mom?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Would my quirk help Dadku?"

Inko bit her lip. "Yes, Eri, it might be able to help. But it might also hurt Izuku. That's why people who use their quirks in their jobs have to train for a long, long time. Besides, Izuku wouldn't want you to try if you're scared. He already has a lot of people doing everything they can to take care of him."

"Oh. Okay," she said, going back to fiddling with her drink.

They waited a while longer, quietly murmuring to one another when a frazzled-looking doctor stepped into the waiting area. "I'm looking for the family of Midoriya Izuku."

As one, almost the entire room stood, including an anxious blond girl Naomasa had never seen before.

"Yachi, we're here for your brother, not whoever, that is," her mother hissed, pulling her down.

"So many people are here for him, I'm curious," the girl complained.

Blinking at the mass of people, the doctor asked, "You're all here for Midoriya Izuku?"

"I'm his mother," Inko said, pushing forward. "How is he?"

"The operation was successful as far as retrieving the bullet and repairing what internal bleeding we could. But I'm afraid your son is still in critical condition. It's a complicated injury that could reopen on its own and cause more damage at the slightest movement, even with quirks helping along the healing process."

"So what can we do?" Inko asked desperately.

"We recommend putting him in a medically induced coma. There are things we can do to help along the healing process that we can't do otherwise. After a few days he should be stable enough to wake up and begin a more traditional healing approach."

"Absolutely, I'll let you do whatever you nee—"

"Mrs. Midoriya, before you make any hasty decisions, I'm obligated to tell you all of the drawbacks," the doctor said with an uncomfortable gravity. "While I do believe that the medically-induced coma would genuinely be the best path to take, it is still nothing more than a Hail Mary. Your son flatlined several times throughout the surgery – if he hadn't had the blood transfusion on the way to the hospital, he likely wouldn't have made it to surgery. As we speak he's being rigorously monitored. The odds are not high for your son, Mrs. Midoriya."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that if we put your son into a coma, there's a chance he'll never wake up again."

A/N: Thanks for reading the chapter in which I pretend to have any medical knowledge at all. I don't want to hear it if I got things right, I'm an English major, I study literature, not ligaments. Besides, I'm working with anime medicine, and anime medicine says yes. I don't promise a new update anytime soon, I'm a bridesmaid for a wedding in the next few days, and after that my family and I are taking a cross-country trip to visit my grandparents, a twelve-hour drive both ways. After that I start grad school, so sorry. Anyway, I'm excited to see what you all think of this, I've had certain elements of this in the works since the conception of this story. I'm really proud of the writing, actually, it's a bit different from the normal. Let me know what you think!