[The cold is worse than the pain. The pain he can handle. The chill is deep, like the mortal wound in his chest had festered and filled him with an infection that eats at his core. Katsuki coughs with airless lungs and kicks instinctively to swim upwards the surface. With each stroke, his chest is pierced again, and his right arm is stiff and unmoving.

Well, he'd asked for that, he supposes.

When he breaks the surface, he gasps for air out of instinct and a desire to tell the world he hadn't drowned in that river. If there's anyone near him who seems to be struggling, he'll grab you roughly by your arm or clothing with his left hand and start pulling you towards shore.]

C'mon. Let's get the hell outta here.

[When he reaches shore, Katsuki collapses, letting his stiff and unless right arm flop onto his chest. He can feel a knotted scar beneath the fabric of his shirt. It feels old. Way too old.]

Goddamnit. Where the hell are we?

[Another cough. The burning in his chest subsides and he's left staring at dark cavernous walls.]

Izuku? Did you make it...?

[Katsuki's pretty damn sure that he's dead by the time he reaches the lantern. After all, what else was going to happen to him during that all out attack on Shigaraki? He'd known it could have ended like that. Hell, maybe he expected it. He stands in the lanterns glow, staring blankly into the shadows.

The shadows stare back. He keeps watching, catching the flitting movements on the edge of the light, looking for patterns or something to make sense of what he's seeing. If anyone approaches the edge of the lantern's light, he'll scoff that them.]

What do you think you're doing, dumbass? There's somethin' out there.

[He locks onto your gaze for a moment, red eyes narrowed in warning before he slowly turns back to watch the threshold of darkness. He hopes you follow and see what he sees.]

[If there's something to be done, Katsuki is going to do it. No point in sitting around on your ass even if you're dead as hell. He observes the catwalks and writes them off as needlessly slow and safe. So instead he turns to the pulley system and walks towards one of the platforms without hesitation. He pulls on the rope with his left arm and tests how the platform moves with that small amount of force. Good enough.

He tries to grab the rope with his right hand but he can't seem to get his fingers to move and grip the rope properly. He'd known that this sort of damage was possible if he pushed himself too hard but he'd had to do it. It had been worth it... right? He looks at his scarred and stiff right hand and then turns to anyone nearby.]

Oi. Get over here and me with this.

[Once Katsuki reaches the city itself, something catches his eye. A poster of a smiling man in a bright costume.How is this here? Did... other people here know All Might? Were they dead too?Lost to the League of Villains in the war.

A cold sweat pricks at Katuski's neck and he reaches into his pocket to check for his All Might trading card. His fingers brush the inside fabric of his pants and nothing more.]

Huh. Guess I lost it.

[Or is he not worthy of keeping such a trinket after death?]

[Feel free to hit me up with whatever! PM me or hit me up at worldtype!]