Chapter 1: Days of Future Past

His single emerald green eye scanned a blue holographic projection of a topographical map, points of interest circled in yellow, dangerous areas highlighted in red, and information displayed on every corner. The only region still clear was his current location, and it was rapidly being encroached by threats. Despite the darkness in the room, one could see his forehead creased in frustration, lips curled into a troubled frown, arms tensed with the force of his grip on the metal table, and the large scar running vertically underneath the black eyepatch. His heart steadily dropped and knots formed in the depths of his empty stomach as each blue marker ultimately was replaced by red.

In the background, he could hear radio chatter consisting of commands, updates, and screams disguised with static growing louder and louder until it was almost deafening with its ringing. Along the walls, flat monitors showed footage from a collection of security cameras placed strategically outside, each showing the devastation above ground. Several men and women sat behind high-tech monitors, noses deep in their work, taking in information and requests while issuing orders like machines.

"Mandalay, move Red Riot to A. Grand to D. Have any survivors move to the front gate." He ordered without turning around. Even with the advancements in telecommunications, nothing beats Telepath. Plus, he was a sucker for MILF's.

"Red Riot and Grand both presumed KIA."

"Izuku." A feminine voice knocked him out of his stupor as a firm hand gently placed itself on his calloused one. He tore his eyes away from the map, steely green locked with worried onyx, and instantly softened. With her long black hair styled like that of the red-crown crane, his chief strategist stood next to him, her features highlighted by the dull blue shine of the projector. Over the years, despite the constant conflicts, she'd grown even more beautiful. She still showed the signs of terrible exhaustion, and if confronted about it, she would never admit it. "Izuku, you haven't been answering your radio." She informed him, placing a small metallic transponder on the table.

"Oh, Momo." He lamented as he stepped forward to squeeze her, holding his breath, craving the sensation she readily delivered. Professionality be damned. He needed to feel her warmth in that cold, dark room, smell her aroma amongst the stench of lingering defeat, and ignore his duties just for a while. "It's a massacre. They need me out there." He bemoaned sadly.

"I know." Her voice wavered as his face hid in the crook of her neck, tears threatening to spill, burly arms wrapped tightly around her, long-suppressed emotions ready to burst. Commander of the Heros he might be, a fantastic leader and one of the strongest beings on the Earth, but even he, as mighty as he was, wasn't infallible. "I know." She repeated as her fingers combed through his untamed green hair, brushing his scalp to soothe him. She'd lost count on the number of Hero teams she'd ordered to hold their ground and stall against the forces of All for One that same day. The high-ends and near-high ends were as relentless as they were merciless.

She closed her heart to it. The end justified the means, after all.

"Come on, Commander." The raven-haired beauty patted his back, signaling him to straighten up. With his hands still gripping her tense shoulders like a lifeline, not willing to let her go, his lone eye peered intensely into hers.

"Please tell me some good news." He pleaded, purposely ignoring the hologram beside the two and the "AFO" marker rushing towards their location and wiping out entire swaths of teams along the way. A tiny smile, barely noticeable, graced her face for the first time in a long time, and Izuku felt his heart melt and stomach drop. They were close enough to feel their breaths.

"Bakugo's team completed the mission. She's in the med bay." She took a deep breath, almost in disbelief. The suicide mission entrusted upon the strongest Heros had been a success. Izuku felt time stop as he registered her words. "It's time."

"I need everyone at the front entrance ASAP!" He turned and commanded with a wave of his hand. Quicker than lighting, he leaned forward to peck her cheek with a quick kiss for the final time. "Take over here, and thank you for everything."

"Izuku, wait-"

Before she could finish, the commander dashed out of the room and into a dimly lit concrete hallway, hastily walking deeper into the underground base, his footsteps echoing throughout the empty corridors. Momo stayed behind, equipping his transponder, and began to issue orders breathlessly and with urgency, hoping to buy as much time as possible. Only a few more minutes, and it would be all over. She did her best even as heavy streams of tears poured down her cheeks and chin, dripping onto the cold floor. These were salty tears of hope and regret, for she was feeling both.

"Pull yourself together, man!" Saigoro Banjo manifested by his shoulder ethereally, gripping his goggles, yelling, "This the final stretch!"

"Banjo's right, Izuku." Hikage Shinomori appeared on the other side with his fingers cupped under his chin. Their ability to communicate with him at their leisure was something he'd grown accustomed to; It did lead to some incredibly awkward situations. "We can feel your inner turmoil."

"Zip it." He replied curtly, not interested in a dressing-down at the moment.

"You have to go into his level-headed, or else the results will be catastrophic." En followed the other two, lecturing him as he finally found himself in front of the medical room. The three previous users dissipated without receiving an answer as Izuku opened the entrance with a shove, stepping into the sterile room, surprising the occupants momentarily from the urgency. His tattered cape fluttered behind him as he stood under a bright white light. The top Hero scanned the faces of his best squad and friends, looking at Ochaco Uraraka, Katsuki Bakugo, and Shoto Todoroki, all grizzled and bloody, and then finally: Eri Midoriya. She hastily jumped up from her concrete seat as soon as she realized who it was that stormed into the room.

He noted in the back of his mind that Yui Kodai was missing. Another KIA and another notch in his heart.

"Bro/Sis!"

The two embraced in the middle, the young woman with pale grey hair wailing into his chest as he rubbed the back of her head and shoulders, looking at the others as he comforted his sister. His green orb observed their dismal states, complete with tears on their costumes, blood, bruises, cuts, and other injuries. He nodded, thankful. Katsuki huffed and turned away, continuing to bandage his forearm as Ochaco beamed a radiant smile as bubbly as ever. Shoto was indifferent. Then suddenly, the ground and walls shook from a tremendous blast.

He looked up as the swinging lights shuttered off for one second, wrapping them in total darkness, before turning on again as blood red. He moved the quivering Eri to his side, placing a thick arm over her shoulder protectively.

"Warning: All For One detected. Code red. Warning: All For One detected. Code red." An automated message blared on all channels and speakers. Wordlessly, his three oldest friends stood up, dusted their knees, and headed towards the door, looking worse for wear. There was a fire burning brilliantly in each of their eyes, he noted.

"We'll hold him off, Izuku." Shoto patted his shoulder as he strode by, the ghost of a smile on his usually stoic face. "Good luck, friend. Do your best, Eri."

Ochaco hugged him tightly, squeezing the air out of his lungs, inhaling his scent with a deep inhale. Her hair was so much longer. He reached down to pat her head, his eye feeling unusually misty. Must be the dust, he mused. Still close to him, she leaned up to cup his cheek with her palm, her thumb brushing the underside of his eyepatch as she caressed his cheek. Izuku relished the feeling. It'd been too long.

"Catch you on the flip side, right, Deku?" She asked him with a tearful smile that melted his heart. It took everyone ounce of his unyielding willpower not to cry into her arms and beg for a different method; wish that he was strong enough to win on his own. Fate had other plans.

"Yeah," he whispered, "I'll see you soon, Ochaco."

With a satisfied nod, she said her goodbyes to Eri and headed out as well. Katsuki and his commander stared at each other for a second before the ashen blonde stepped forward with tight lips. A large scar, already healed, ran diagonally across his face and nose. He reached out his right hand, and Izuku seized it, their forearms touching. Ruby red gazed into emerald green. There were no words that could describe the feeling welling inside the two. It was a combination of fondness, sadness, regret, and hope. And then finally: acceptance.

"When I'm gone, no matter what, you will lead them," Izuku told his oldest friend seriously. His voice was dominant and imposing, leaving no room for argument. The ground shook again, this time more furiously. It did not faze the two Heros still locked together, brothers in arms. "Be their shield, Kacchan." He finished softly with a tender smile, using the nickname he had not spoken in years to address his partner.

"Until the day I die, Deku. When you see me, kick my ass this time." He promised and let go. He did not cry, nor did he shy away from the responsibility now weighing down on his shoulders. Katsuki held his head high and left with conviction, ready to fight, defend, and die. As the door closed behind him, Izuku fell to his knees, a sob finally escaping his dry lips as the gravity of the situation grew too much for him to bear. Could there possibly be better friends than them? People who would willingly launch themselves to fight the single greatest threat humanity had ever created, knowing certain death awaited. To fight without even him asking. Just how lucky was he, he asked himself as he held a hand to his aching heart, to know such amazing people.

Or maybe, how unlucky, that he had to watch them all go. Now alone with no one but Eri at his side, he wept. One by one, he'd lost everyone.

Izuku cried into his forearm as his sister. With a troubled smile and tears of her own, she helped move him to a nearby operating table, laying him down and wiping his face. She rubbed the sides of his skull, brushing his green hair as he calmed down enough to look up at her. His lips quivered as he listened. There was no time to waste, and he understood that.

"You already know what I'm going to do, Mr. I-Make-All-The-Plans, but I'll explain it one more time so you can visualize it better," The young woman let him know, trying to lighten the mood with a small smile. "My Quirk: Rewind, rewinds time around something. If I go too far, then poof." She recounted verbatim like she was reading off a notecard. "Well, with Quirk Evolution, I'm able to rewind space and time, effectively allowing me to transport your consciousness through time and space and back to the past, but leaving your body here."

"I know, Eri, I helped you train it." Her Quirk was the pinnacle of the Quirk Singularity and a godsend. Their only hope in this bleak world.

"Yeah, well, shut up." She stuck out her tongue as the two chuckled in the red room before another thunderous explosion shook the Earth. This time much closer. Eri's expression turned solemn as her eyes steeled, her grip on his head tightening. "I don't know what will happen to this timeline. Maybe it branches and continues. We never experimented so far. Whatever you do in your new present will become history for the rest of us."

"It's the only way." He reminded his younger sister with a sad smile. All other options had been exhausted, and too many innocent lives were lost. The opportunity to rewrite history, right his wrongs, take preventative actions, and save countless lives, both born and unborn, was nothing less than a miracle. A miracle that everyone was currently fighting to achieve. The world above was in turmoil, overrun with Heros, Villains, vigilantism, and everything in between. Anarchy reigned supreme, local governments unequipped for their power, just as All for One in his new perfected body had designed and spread.

"The only person who will remember this world, this war, and us...will be you, Bro."

The fire of hope shined in his eye, contrasting with Eri's mournfulness. There was no time for grief. Not anymore. "Do it, Sis." He ordered in a whisper. She sniffled, swallowing her sadness, and focusing on the objective.

"Alright, I need you to clear your head and stay as calm as possible. I'm going to use everything to give you the most amount of time. Now, this might sting a bit." Eri's palms began to glow bright with energy when he had to force his eye shut and clench his teeth as he felt an invisible spear driven through his skull. He tensed his body, but the pain did not subside. For one reason or another, something denied the relief of losing consciousness. It was torturous. "I love you, Big Brother. Now, PLUS ULTRA!" She finished with a loud shout, done warming up.

Eri exploded with light as her horn, already massive, radiated like fire. Izuku felt his hair stand on end, and goosebumps erupt and crawl up his spine from the residual energy. She was screaming in agony from the stress of her Quirk but pulled through with everything she had. Eri Midoriya was undoubtedly his sister and his source of pride. Suddenly, he felt his pain stop. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a far too familiar room floating within the blackness of his mind, lined with nine embroidered chairs in a semicircle around him.

At least he'd learned how to bring his clothes with him.

"So, I've been summoned?" He asked rhetorically, moving to take the final seat facing everyone else, crossing his legs and leaning back in relief. It sure beat concrete.

"Izuku." Yoichi Shigaraki started, his eye peeking through his hair. "This will be our final meeting, I'm afraid. I've assembled everyone here for a chat."

"I'd assumed so." Even if this outcome was a possibility he had anticipated, the commander was still troubled to know that he was the only one going back. It was too late to stop now, however. "I will reign you all in, even if you don't remember." He managed to catch a few smirks from his bold claim. His single eye turned to his predecessor, his thin face hidden by his folded hands, and he felt immeasurable sadness bubble inside him. "All Might, Yoichi, I'm sorry. Even in the end, I wasn't strong enough." He confessed, bowing his head slightly.

"Don't be, young man." Toshinori Yagi assured him, his voice laced with the power and authority he'd carried in his youth. "All for One's strength inside his new body was as unexpected as it was dangerous. With the death of Aizawa, he was nigh unstoppable. We've already gone over this."

"Yes, Izuku, you must not let us hold you back, for you're standing before eight other failures." The first added.

"Remember one of my first lessons to you? Learn from your defeats, of which there are many, and now, you can take all that to the past." Toshinori patted his bicep, a victorious smile etched onto his face. Everyone sweatdropped at the unnoticed jab.

"I know, I know, it's just, even with all of your help, I could only match his power, never defeat him, drawing out this god-forsaken war, and losing everyone and everything in the process." He eventually mourned, his eye locked onto his thick boots, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.

"During our time, things were similar." The second user spoke up, gesturing to the third, who nodded in agreement. "To win was to survive, and to lose was to die. We've lost more people than we can count. We never had the opportunity to turn it all around like you do now, kid. Despite how much we wanted you to win, end it in the present, don't waste this chance."

"Of course, and thank you for all your help these past years. I wouldn't have survived without your knowledge and experience." He nodded.

"That's why we're here." The third waved with a small smile. "To be honest, you did way better than we did."

"Heh, not like we had a choice in the matter," Daigoro admitted with a shrug only to receive a smack to the back of the head by Hikage in response to his words. "Huh?" The two engaged in their usual one-sided battle of tag as everyone else rolled their eyes, even Izuku, although he did find their relationship entertaining. En just winked at him, their silent conversation more than enough. There is one more topic left to discuss.

"Nana." He turned to the only person he had not spoken to yet. His voice was as icy as his eye. A chill crawled up everyone's spine at the shift in tone and posture. Izuku was leaning forward, elbows on his knees, back hunch, and shoulders tensed. He looked every bit the commander he was. His eyepatch was pretty badass too. "Your grandson...I will kill him this time."

"I-" Her voice faltered at his imposing declaration. Could she even pretend to be surprised? How many of Izuku's friends, family, and lovers had died because of the actions of All for One within Tenko's possessed body? From within his eye, she'd seen the horrors of war like no other. She'd watched as the ninth user courageously lead a resistance force and fought toe to toe with the vilest being on the planet. No, she told herself, it was the only logical conclusion. All she could do was accept it. "I understand. History can not repeat itself."

"Thank you for understanding." He released a sigh unknowingly. Whew, death was a touchy subject. An odd sensation made him look down at his palm, only to see it transparent and spreading down to his forearm. He was finally fading from the ethereal realm. "Well, it appears I'm out of time. Everyone, despite our shortcomings, thank you all once again." He stood up to bow deeply at the waist, arms at his side, his body slowly vanishing before the previous users.

"Well, we're dead already, so might as well make it official this time. Ow!" Daigoro was slapped this time by En.

"Young man, raise your head." All Might spoke up loudly. Izuku did.

"No matter the time and place, we will always be there for you." Yoichi let him know with a ghostly smile.

"Give them hell, kid." The second user said.

"I will make things right or die trying. Plus Ultra." He proclaimed, straightening himself to raise a fist high with a bright grin splitting his face. At this point, his entire body had disappeared except for his head. What a fitting way for a man of his stature to leave, Yoichi mused. A commander until the end. "Oh, and don't think I didn't know you perverts watched me in bed. Nana, you couldn't look me in the eye for a week."

The eight users trapped within his consciousness paled at the announcement. Izuku blinked. The ability to travel back in time was everyone's wish at one point or another, and now, it was time to make that wish a naked, his mind seemed to travel through a wormhole of colors and sounds, making him nauseous, although he forced himself to stay awake or float into nothingness. There was a bright light quickly approaching from the ground as he continued to plummet.

Just how far did his lovely little sister send him?

The halo of light blinded him as he closed in, forcing him to close his eye, and as his feet passed through, he felt his senses return to him. He opened his eyes, terrified, wondering what he would see, where he was, and who was alive. The first thing he noticed was that he opened two eyes, and not just one, which was a definite plus. The second was that he was standing in front of his old class back in 1-A. His voice escaped him as he opened and closed his mouth like a gaping fish struggling to breathe. Sunlight beamed into the quiet classroom as everyone gawked at him. It worked. The plan had worked. Decades gone, just like that.

Sitting in front of him and wondering about his change in demeanor were his old classmates and friends, looking at him from their desks. Every single one was young, alive, and whole. Despite his wide green eyes, tears leaked from his ducts, cascading down his face at all their surprised faces. He did not dare blink, soaking the sight he'd taken for granted all those years ago.

"Fine, so your class president is Midoriya and VP is Yaoyoruzu. Now let's continue class, and hey, is this something to cry over?" Aizawa questioned from the front of the class as he crawled out of his yellow sleeping bag, surprised. Izuku hiccuped, covering his face with his forearm, chest heaving and fearing his knees would give out. Momo took a cautionary step back. "Izuku, get a hold of yourself."

"I-I'm sorry, sensei, I'm just, I'm just so happy." He finally managed to say, taking a deep breathe to fill his lungs with much need air. His heart, overflowing with happiness, threatening to beat out of his chest. He wiped his red eyes with the sleeve of his shirt and raised his head to smile radiantly, catching everyone off guard. Just what was going on? Regardless, he bowed with enthusiasm. "Everyone, my name is Izuku Midoriya, your new class president. Nice to meet you."

And thus, Izuku Midoriya traveled back in time to save the future.

END