Izuku came to slowly. His entire body felt like lead, his brain not much better. He blinked, looking up at the white ceiling, trying to figure out where he was.

"Ah!" an unfamiliar voice said, startling Izuku as the nurse came into view, "You're awake!"

I am, Izuku tried to say, though his mouth refused to cooperate, barely more than a ragged breath escaping his throat.

"I'll get the doctors immediately!" the woman said as she rushed from the room, Izuku able to hear the door slam on her way out.

Izuku was left alone with his thoughts for the moment, eyes moving sluggishly as he looked around the hospital room. There was a table in the corner, piled high with gifts and cards, probably from his classmates, which made Izuku smile. Or it would have if his body would cooperate.

He heard the door open again, hearing multiple footsteps hurry into the room. He looked up as the doctors crowded around him, all talking to each other quickly, too quickly for Izuku to understand. He picked up a few words here and there.

Quirk-exhaustion.

Impossible feat.

Effectively Quirkless.

The last one made him wince. Maybe that was why he couldn't feel them. Maybe that was why he couldn't feel anything, just like when he was in that box. He'd pushed his quirk too far. Broken it. Made himself, as the doctors had said, effectively Quirkless.

"IZUKU!" the sound of his mother's voice made him choke slightly, the woman shoving past the doctors as they tried to stop her, wrapping her arms around her son as she pulled him into a tight hug, "Oh, my baby! My baby boy! You're finally awake!"

What did she mean by finally? How long had he been out?

"Ma'am," one of the doctors said, "I know that you're worried, but you need to allow us time to fully assess your son's condition."

"But he's awake!" the woman sobbed, "My baby is awake!"

"We know ma'am, but you need to leave now, we'll have a nurse call you once we're done."

Three days.

It had been three days since the fight with All for One when Izuku woke up, his body unresponsive and his quirk non-existent. He'd spent a lot of time lying in the hospital bed, quirk specialists and doctors towering over him as they tried to figure out what had happened. He could barely follow their words, no matter how interesting he thought they probably were. The nurses bathed him every day. Changed his colostomy bags, checked his catheter. Fed him. There wasn't much Izuku could do about it, so he just let himself be manhandled. Treated like fine china. Like an invalid.

Now, almost four days later, his voice finally returned. Dry and scratchy, barely even there as he spoke in a raspy tone. The nurses had left him propped up in bed, so he could more easily watch the television in the corner, his mother fretting about the room as she spoke constantly, telling him all about her day. About what was happening at UA. About the Dorms.

"Mom…" he said, the woman freezing as she turned to look at him, tears welling in her eyes as she stepped closer.

"I-Izuku?" she whispered.

"Sorry…" he replied, making the woman burst into tears as she rushed forwards, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Oh, my baby!" she sobbed into his shoulder, "You can talk! You can talk again!"

"Hurts…" he managed, the woman quickly letting go and looking at him.

"My hug?" she gasped, "Or to talk?"

"Talk…" he wheezed.

"I'm sure it does," the woman sighed, wiping her eyes, "But this is good! You're getting your voice back! Soon enough you'll be walking and talking like you always do!"

"Love…you…" he said, feeling the corner of his mouth twitch up slightly, his mother's eyes going wide before she burst into tears again.

"I love you too, Izuku!" she sobbed, "So, so much!"

Izuku flexed his hand, staring at his fingers as he moved them slowly, the appendages still feeling sluggish and tired.

"You've made quite the speedy recovery," the Physio said as he pushed Izuku's wheelchair through the hospital, heading back to his room, "Only two days since you started speaking, and you can already lift your arms."

"Not fast enough…" Izuku rasped, his voice still weak, but at least he could say simple sentences now, "Need to be faster…"

"I understand your frustration, Midoriya-kun," the man said, "But you can't rush these things. You need to take it slow and steady, especially as we have no idea why you lost the ability to move in the first place."

Izuku just nodded as he was wheeled into his room, his mother standing from her seat and thanking the Physio.

"He should be able to get in and out of bed now," the man said, "With help. I think it'd be good for his mind if we let him be a little more independent."

"Of course, Doctor," Inko said as he helped her lift Izuku to his feet, the teen moving slowly as he positioned himself on the bed, "Thank you."

"No problem," the Physio hummed as he pushed the wheelchair into the corner before leaving.

"How are you feeling, Izuku?" Inko asked as she busied herself around the room, "Do you want anything?"

"To see…my friends…" Izuku coughed slightly, making Inko look at him in worry, before he cleared his throat and gave her a weak smile.

"Okay," Inko sighed, "I don't know how easy that will be, but I'll see what I can do."

Izuku was excited. It had been two weeks since the fight, and he was finally strong enough to stand on his own. He still couldn't move like he was used to, but he could take a few hobbling steps before needing someone to support him. Overall, it was an improvement. What had him excited today, however, was the news that he was being moved to UA.

"Can I…see my friends?" he asked Nedzu as the rodent-like principal just smiled at him.

"We'll see," he replied, "Though we're doing this more for your safety. We couldn't move you earlier due to how weak you were, but you've gained enough strength back that I think it's safe."

"But friends…" Izuku said in his best whiny voice, which sounded strange with how raspy his throat was.

"As I said, we'll see," Nedzu hummed, "Now, I believe we should also be informing you about the new Dorm system."

Izuku's eye went wide as he looked at the Principal, the man smiling back at him.

"The school board has decided, due to the recent attack against our students, that the dorm system shall become compulsory," he explained, "At least for the Hero Course students. Of course, that includes you as well."

Izuku flinched, looking away.

"My quirk…is gone…" he muttered, "Can't be…a Hero anymore…"

"Nonsense!" the Principal laughed, making Izuku look back at him, "Is that all you think a Hero is? A quirk? No, you are already so much of a Hero that even if you were to stay quirkless, I would ensure that you graduated from the Hero course!"

"Thank you…" Izuku said, feeling the tears burn at his eyes, dripping down his face, his arms still too weak to wipe them away, "Thank you…so much…"

"Not a problem, young man," Nedzu said, taking note of how Izuku flinched at the words, "Now, let's see about you getting transferred, yes?"

"Young Midoriya," Toshinori Yagi said as he entered the hospital room in UA, flinching slightly as the boy turned his head slowly to look at him, before Izuku broke out in a wide smile.

"All…Might…" Izuku croaked, before being gently whacked on the head by Recovery Girl.

"Don't speak!" she barked, "You need to save up as much energy as possible for this to work!"

"Sorry…" he replied, earning himself another whack.

"That's quite alright, Young Midoriya," Toshinori said, adjusting his too large suit, "I think I should be the one doing all the talking."

Izuku just nodded as the man pulled up a chair, sitting in it slightly awkwardly as he seemed to try find the words to say.

"Over all these years, I have had one goal," All Might started, his face going serious, "Find and defeat All for One. I thought I had done it five years ago, but obviously I was wrong."

Izuku just stared at Toshinori as the skinny man continued talking.

"I was…I was unable to defeat him," All Might sighed, "Even when I thought I had, I failed. And I think I know why."

"Toshi, what are you saying?" Recovery Girl grumbled, watching the pair.

"I think…I think it's because I tried to do it on my own," All Might sighed, "I was…I was obsessed with revenge. To the point that I abandoned my own friends just to ensure that All for One was defeated. That was…foolish of me."

"Toshi?" Recovery Girl hummed, walking around the bed to place a hand on his knee, "What are you saying?"

"I am the Pillar on which the current Hero Society was built," the man continued, "A single man, holding up the whole of Japan."

Izuku and Recovery Girl both nodded as he spoke, the old woman looking concerned.

"I thought I could win on my own, but I was wrong. So very wrong. You showed me that, Young Midoriya."

"I did…?" Izuku croaked, getting another whack.

"I think…I think it's time for me to retire."

The room fell silent as the two stared at Toshinori Yagi, the skinny man folded in on himself as he stared at the floor.

"What do you mean by "retire"?" Recovery Girl asked softly, squeezing his knee.

"I allowed the world to be built on my shoulders, but one man isn't enough to hold up the world," Toshinori sighed, "I am going to retire as All Might. As a Pro Hero. With All for One dead…truly dead this time…I think it's time I stepped down."

"What are you going to do then?" Chiyo asked, her voice cracking slightly as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"Continue teaching here," Toshinori hummed, "Hopefully…hopefully teach the students my mistakes, so they won't make them themselves."

"All…Might…" Izuku croaked, ignoring the whack he got, "I believe…in you…"

"I know, my boy," Toshinori smiled, "And thank you. Thank you so much. Without you I would never have truly been able to destroy All for One for good. Whatever you did to his quirk, it resulted in his defeat. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Recovery Girl said, stepping between the two as she put her hands on her hips, "Now, I think it's time you went back to your own room and finished recovering yourself, Toshi. I need my patient to be as rested as possible before I use my quirk on him!"

"WELCOME BACK!" the shout echoed around the common area as Izuku jumped in his wheelchair, looking around at the other students in the dorm.

Mina grinned at him from atop Kirishima's shoulders, Neito and Kendo holding up a large banner that read "Welcome home Izuku". The rest of the dorm students crowded around him quickly, giving him gentle pats on the shoulder and talking happily to him. Izuku even saw Shinso and Katsuki standing at the back of the crowd, the purple-haired boy just giving him a small thumbs up as the blond just stared at him, making Izuku break into a wide grin.

"It's great to be back," he said breathlessly, at least his voice was no longer scratchy after seeing Recovery Girl, "I missed you all."

"And we missed you!" Mina cried as she hopped off Kirishima's shoulders, rushing over to him and grabbing his hands, "You'll be back to full strength in no time!"

Izuku stared at his hands in shock, before looking back up at the girl, a quizzical look on her face as he opened and closed his mouth wordlessly.

"Izuku?" Mina asked, worry in her voice, "What's wrong?"

"I can…feel you…" he muttered.

"Of course you can!" Mina replied, "I'm holding your hands!"

"No…I can feel…I can feel your quirk!" he near shouted, surprising the students and his mother as he gripped Mina's hands tighter, "I can feel your quirk!"