"Young Midoriya."

All Might's voice no longer surprised Izuku. Few things did anymore. He looked up from his notes, copied down in the chicken-scratch mess that was his left-handed calligraphy, and looked up at the approaching shape of his mentor. He set his pencil down with a quiet sigh of relief, shaking his hand to rid some of the soreness there. He had never been ambidextrous in the slightest, so adapting to the left-handed life had proven extraordinarily difficult.

All Might sat next to him; Izuku was sat on a bench on the side of one of U.A's many walking paths, in this case one of the asphalt trails leading to the urban training grounds. He meant to catch Tokoyami on his way back from his meditation, hopefully discuss the boy's slipping math grade again and offer some tutoring. Izuku smiled; no rest for the wicked. Or the heroic, it seemed.

"Sensei," He turned toward his mentor, leaning forward a little and resting his elbow on his knee to pin his notebook and pencil in place. "I… it's good to see you."

"And you as well, my boy…" Both of them sounded more awkward than was perhaps necessary, though that wasn't necessarily surprising to Izuku. He had been avoiding this very meeting for much longer than was likely proper, though it wasn't like he didn't have a reason to. Not that it was a good reason, but still…

I am here.

Izuku shook his head.

All Might looked healthier. It was a strange thing, that a man who had been so totally physically destroyed, driven to the limits of his strength, that such a man could somehow look healthier, but he did. His body wasn't quite so skin and bones, his face a little less sallow. Izuku had spoken to Recovery Girl about it in the past; as it turned out, the removal of One For All from All Might's body, and thereby the stress caused by his 'muscle form' had resulted in his broken form actually being able to recover somewhat from his injuries. His stomach was still fundamentally irreparable, but the rest of him was on the mend and making a good show of it, apparently.

Izuku knew he looked much less healthier; his friends worried about him, and he knew they had good reason to. Beyond the missing arm, he was even more scarred than before, with a sort of haunted light to his eyes. Tokoyami had told him he now possessed the eyes of one who 'had come face to face with common mortality, and stared deep into its soulless gaze without fear'. Dark Shadow had quietly translated that Tokoyami meant to say Izuku had both nearly died and taken a life, both very important events in his life.

Nearly dying was fine. Izuku did that all the time. That was part of being a hero.

But taking a life? He knew it wasn't unheard of. Heroes killed villains sometimes, it was almost unavoidable. Some villains couldn't be reasoned with, and in the heat of a great battle with countless lives at stake… few heroes had the power to afford their foes the same consideration as All Might. Izuku looked at the man now, sat beside him, and wondered. All Might knew what had happened to Shigaraki. Everybody in U.A's faculty did, it was something Nezu had decided to make a sort of inside-secret. As for his friends; nobody outside of Kacchan and Himiko knew. Himiko had been there, after all, and Kacchan had found Izuku in the midst of brooding and made him talk.

Izuku was still nursing a sore shoulder from that little impromptu brawl, but he had given as good as he had gotten. Catharsis and emotional stability through pitched combat; Kacchan was almost as good a therapist as Ms. Nyanja, in his own Kacchan-y way.

"All Might?" He was the first to break the silence that had fallen between the two of them. "I… I'm sorry."

All Might looked at him with those black-and-blue eyes and for a moment Izuku was back in the room, his idol beaming down at him, demanding to know why he was so weak. He swallowed, hard, an audible gulping sound accompanying the bobbing of his Adam's Apple. All Might didn't seem to notice, which was fine by Izuku. Instead the number-one hero (Endeavour didn't count, Izuku had decided) looked more confused than anything else.

"Whatever for, my boy?" he asked, voice low and head cocked to one side. "I can't imagine you have anything to apologize for. If anything…"

All Might looked away, visibly breathing in deep and perhaps bracing himself before turning back to Izuku.

"It is I who should apologize to you." he said, but before he could continue Izuku shook his head.

"No," He raised his hand, cutting off All Might's potential rejoinder. "I… I do owe you an apology. These last months have been hard. Really, really hard. But… I shut you out, and you're my mentor and the reason I can even be here and I just feel guilty for keeping you at arm's length while letting Kacchan and the others get closer and-"

"Breathe, my boy." All Might's hand touched Izuku's back, gentle and warm, and Izuku stopped talking. "I understand. I really do. I too have been making mistakes in these past months. I should have tried harder to connect with you, but… I was ashamed."

Izuku goggled.

"I was so wrapped up in the loss of my power and concern about Shigaraki's origins I neglected to realize just how much you were suffering," All Might continued. "And you have paid the price for my mistake. There was so much I could have done, so much I should have done… but I left it to your classmates to do what I would not and for that I am truly ashamed."

There was silence between the two for a time, a quiet that permeated the air around them and gave them both much-needed time to think. For Izuku, it was a matter of figuring out just what to say and how. He hadn't thought of how All Might might feel, only how best to apologize to his mentor for his mistakes. Hadn't he failed him, after all? He had taken One For All, a power of symbolizing peace, and used it to kill somebody, to drive his hand through Shigaraki's body. Perhaps it was self defence. Perhaps he had saved the lives of others by ending that one. Perhaps, perhaps and maybe. Nothing but possible answers. Nothing concrete, nothing that could truly set him at peace.

So he examined All Might's gaunt face, looking at it and trying to read his mentor's expression. All Might looked thoughtful, peaceful in a way, clearly deep in his own mind. He was gnawing on his bottom lip, and his eyes were narrowed, staring down at a single spot on the cement of the path. Finally, he released his lip, and breathed.

"Young Midoriya, I believe we have both made mistakes." he finally spoke, voice low. "I think I have failed you, and as much as I don't believe it you think you have failed me. As such, we are at an impasse."

Izuku nodded, not sure of what to say.

"Therefore, I propose we both apologize." All Might concluded. "And to decide who goes first… rock paper scissors."

Izuku goggled again, and All Might smiled as he raised a fist. Izuku continued to stare for a moment, before shaking his head and smiling rather reticently, raising his own hand and clenching it into a fist.

"On three." Izuku nodded, and the two shook them three times.

On the third shake they revealed their play; Izuku went with paper, and All Might chose rock. There was a moment of quiet, before All Might nodded. He took another moment to think, before breathing deep and starting.

"Young Midoriya… no, Izuku… I am sorry." he said, placing a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "I failed you, as a mentor, as a hero and perhaps worst of all as a friend. I hope you can forgive me."

Izuku teared up, blinking rapidly before placing his own hand on All Might's shoulder and taking a deep breath.

"All Might… Toshinori, I'm sorry." he said, head bowed "I failed you. As a student, a successor and… as a friend. I-I… I hope you can forgive me."

"You are forgiven." All Might declared, and Izuku felt some of that weight that had been sitting firmly in his stomach since waking up in the hospital for the first time three months ago lift away, gone forever as his guilt and shame was at least partially alleviated.

"And-and I forgive you!" he replied, perhaps a little too loudly, hand clenching tight on All Might's bony shoulder.

"Thank you." they said, simultaneously, before pausing.

Then All Might laughed. It was a familiar laugh, the booming chuckle that heralded his coming so many times in his golden years. And Izuku joined, his own laughter a softer sound. The two laughed together for a few moments, before All Might seemed to sober up, swallowing back the last of his laughter and reaching behind his back.

"There is another matter I must bring to your attention, Izuku." he said, pulling from his back pocket a plain white envelope, quite unassuming but for the familiar scrawled handwriting on the front. "I have here a sealed letter from Aizawa. He requested that in the event of his untimely passing, it be given to you. There's some weight to it, though I'm not sure what's inside."

Izuku took the envelope and held it in both hands, holding it close to his chest. He felt another rush of tears he was forced to blink away, before closing his eyes for a long few seconds. Perhaps… he shook his head. He couldn't delay. This was something Aizawa-sensei had wanted him to see. He reached down and peeled the envelope open, taking care with the letter inside. It was another plain, unassuming thing, once again made special by the familiar shaping of the letters and the cadence of the words within.

Izuku took it, raised it to eye level, and began to read.

Problem Child,

If you're reading this, then I'm sorry. I told Nezu to burn it when you graduated and were officially out of my hair, so either the mouse is up to something or I'm dead. I doubt even Nezu would be that cruel, however, so it must be fate instead.

And so, I'm sorry. I died on you. I'm not sure how it happened; either the family penchant for liver cancer somehow caught up to me or some villain finally got lucky. I hope it was the latter; at least then it was quick. I hope I didn't die in front of you, but after USJ I don't count myself as being that lucky. If you saw it happen… don't let it haunt you. I have every confidence you did everything you could to save me. That's the kind of boy… no, that's the kind of hero you are.

Don't spend too much time mourning me. Make sure to talk to your friends, handle all the emotional things, but don't get hung up on me. Heroes die. It's a part of life. I'm sorry I died before I could hand you your official Heroics License, but more than that I'm sorry I died before I was done teaching you. You've probably still got plenty to learn, and now I'm not there to instruct you. They've probably replaced me. Either it's Mic or it's Snipe. If it's Mic, tell Jirou I'm sorry. If it's Snipe…

Either way, you're in good hands. They'll teach you what I couldn't, guide you now that I can't. More than that, they'll make sure to work you to the bone. If they don't, tell them they're disappointing me, that'll get them back in gear.

I'm including in this letter a key to my room at the dormitories. Chances are, Nemuri and Hizashi already emptied it out. But they don't know everything. Check the compartment under the fifth floorboard to the left from the window. Right up against the wall. Open it from the wall side, slowly and gently, or you'll trigger the flashbang and alarm. You really don't want to trigger the alarm; it's a recording of Mic singing Celine Dion playing back at max volume through a wireless speaker. Jirou and Shouji would kill you, if Mic's falsetto didn't.

Inside is something for you, something for Eri and something for Mic. You'll know which is which.

Speaking of Eri, I have a selfish request for you. She'll be in Mirio's care; we discussed that ahead of time between us, in case of something like this happening. But… help him take care of her. I know you've got twins to take care of, but Eri deserves all the nice things in the world, including my other Problem Child. If anybody hurts her, destroy them and salt the ashes so I can destroy them again in the afterlife.

That's all I have to write, I suppose. Take good care of those kids of yours. And don't you dare name one after me or I'll find a way to haunt you, I swear. Give Eri a hug from me.

Signed, Shouta Aizawa, AKA Eraserhead.

PS: I will always believe in you.

The letter crumpled in Izuku's hand for a single moment before he forced it open again, fingers unclenching and freeing the now wrinkled paper from his iron grasp. He blinked, once, then twice, cursing the burning behind his eyes as his ever present Midoriya tears began to fall. He felt a hand touch down on his shoulder, long-fingered and bony. All Might said nothing as Izuku's head dropped, his eyes squeezed shut and he began to weep bitter tears of loss and grief.

That hand stayed on his shoulder for some time. When Izuku opened the small metal box hidden in the floorboards of Aizawa's dormitory, fingers squeezed gently to calm the boy's nerves. When Izuku began to cry again, holding in his hand a coiled length of capture scarf bleached the same white as the lines on Izuku's hero suit, All Might's hand was a warm reminder that he was not alone in his grief. When Izuku held in his arms a weeping Eri, mourning with him, All Might held them both in thin arms and wished sorely there was more he could do.

It was hours later, after the sun had set and the tears had all but dried up, that Izuku and All Might sat atop the roof of the Heights Alliance dormitories together. Izuku stared out at the night sky, and All Might at his protege, who rested on the edge of the rooftop with one leg dangling off the edge, the other curled underneath him. His green eyes sparkled with the reflections of the many distant lights, his breathing slow and steady. The capture scarf, his gift from Aizawa, was hung loose around his neck in a style that mimicked his late teacher.

"I am glad I chose you, Young Midoriya," All Might said suddenly, knowing somewhere inside that it needed to be said. "More than you could ever know."

Izuku said nothing, because there was nothing to say. He simply smiled and it was a delicate thing, frail like glass. But it was a smile. A real smile. The sort of smile All Might wore as much as possible when he was a hero.

"Furthermore," All Might continued. "Should you ever need assistance of any sort with… the twins, would be honoured to do whatever I can."

Izuku nodded.

"Shouta." he said suddenly, voice soft and full of a strange sort of wonder. His expression had shifted, from a smile of gentle joy to a look of slowly dawning realization. "His name is Shouta. And her name is Inko."

"Fine names," All Might declared. "Very fine names."

"And if I ever have another son, I'll name him Toshinori." Izuku added, looking now at All Might with a hint of mischief on his face. "That way, I cover the three greatest heroes of my life."

"I suppose I could not ask for a better legacy," All Might replied, clapping a hand against his protege's shoulder. "Young Shouta and Young Inko…"

Izuku turned his eyes back to the stars.

"My joy from the pain," he said, voice soft. "Like mama always said."

"Your mother used to say what, exactly?" All Might asked, and Izuku closed his eyes and remembered.

"Pain comes from joy," he recited. "And joy comes from pain. Two sides to a single coin. It's the way things work, she said. When you're happy, the pain hurts more. When you're suffering… the joy is all the sweeter. Dad leaving was the pain after he got her away from her family. And then I was her joy, she said… after my dad left."

"I had always wondered why I had never met your father," All Might reflected. "I thought it impolite to ask, however."

"He left when I was two," Izuku said, a curious nostalgia in his voice. "I don't really remember him. I remember warmth, and a crackling fire, and arms around me. Not my mom's arms, though, these were harder and stronger. Mom said that we had a fireplace in our old house, before he left; it was his favourite place to sit with me, in front of a big fire, nice and warm. She said he would stare into it for hours, while I napped on his lap…"

Izuku trailed off, and All Might noted that the reflections of stars weren't all that were glinting in his eyes now. The boy blinked away the building tears, however. All Might was perhaps a little grateful; he was quite fond of Izuku, and his affection was perhaps rather fatherly by now, but the frequency of his tears was simply absurd.

"I won't be like him." Izuku said suddenly, voice wrought with a conviction All Might recognized quite well. "I won't leave them. Even if they… even if Shouta is Quirkless, I won't leave them. I'll do what my dad couldn't."

"You are a good man, Izuku." All Might replied, patting his protege's back. "And I daresay you will be a good father as well."

The two sat there in silence for a time then, quiet and reflective. All Might was, for his many talents, not particularly gifted in the art of psychoanalysis, so he wasn't able to simply read Izuku's expressions. But even in spite of that he knew worry when he saw it; it was deeply familiar to him. He said nothing, however, for there was nothing much to say. This was not a battle he could guide Midoriya in. This was ground he did not know; All Might had no children, he had never been a father.

But he had faith in Izuku Midoriya. He had chosen the boy, who had more than proven equal to the task at hand. Now he simply had to keep that faith, hold to it, and trust that with the help of his friends Young Midoriya could pull through.

After all, Izuku was a Hero. The Hero That Can Do It.

And finally, he was here.

End Part One: To Suffer the Most

AN: And on to Part Two! That's a wrap, folks, at least for now. This story was just about always planned to split into different parts, each focused on a different primary arc for the sake of storytelling efficiency. Consider this the end of Season One, in anime terms, with Season Two starting soon-ish. There's a couple other projects I will want to work on first, like as not.

Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to read this far. I never really expected this story to amount to much; it was a dark idea I came up with on a whim and started putting to digital paper while sat on a bus. That it has gone so far as to reach over 380 followers, 277 favourites and 184 reviews, not to mention the almost 75,000 views…

It's pretty crazy to me that something like From The Joy could have reached this level. So once again I thank you all, each and every one of you from random internet browsers perhaps confused as to how you got here to my most dedicated reviewers.

Also, big thanks to Unsettling-A.I.R for putting up with wildly different time zones and my nonsensical work schedule to help me edit this mess. These last few chapters would have suffered without his feedback, I think, and the story is better for having him.

Well… that's all I've got, folks. Once more I thank you all, and I hope you'll come back when we continue with From The Joy Part Two: To Play With Fire!