Connecting the Dots-Confrontations

Spider-Man, Captain Britain, and all associated characters, are property of Marvel. My Hero Academia and all related characters are property of Kohei Horikoshi

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Yagi, Gran Torino, and Detective Naomasa had other business to attend to after their little ambush/recruitment session. Which left Nezu to lead Keigo and Todoroki to one of the many bolt holes the Quirk Chimera had all over the country, and show-off what information they'd gathered.

Keigo had to turn away from the four-wall tornado of darkness and madness after five minutes (Todoroki just stared blankly at everything).

"Terrifying, isn't it?" Keigo looked to his left to see Nezu staring up at his work, calmly drinking tea. "And yet, impressive."

Todoroki, who was glaring intently on the (large) part of the room dedicated to how All for One recruited followers, whirled around, facial hair sparking, "What?"

Nezu shrugged, "I'm just saying, there's only a handful of people out there that can be attributed to so much chaos and devastation. And all while deliberately sticking to the shadows."

"What, are you a fan?" Todoroki spat.

"Of course not," Nezu replied, putting down his tea. But that didn't keep his lips from splitting into a sharp grin, "Believe me, I'll enjoy torching his corpse and spitting on the ashes." Keigo hummed, staring back at the room—could All for One be linked to the dog-beat-mouse creature's infamous origins? Was that why he was so gung-ho about all this?

Nezu walked over to the eastern wall, tracing a long line of string connecting some piece of information to another, lips dipping into a frown. "Still," he said, "you have to admit, he's put in work."

"He has," Keigo agreed, hands on his coat-clad hips (how he wished to stretch his wings, but it would probably mess up the room, and he didn't want to distract Nezu with thoughts of petty revenge). He walked up just behind the chimera, gesturing to one of the maps, "Any idea where this guy is?"

"Eastern coast of the mainland," Nezu said, glaring up at the map. "Most likely closer to Tokyo than not. But beyond that it gets murky." The quirked animal arched a brow, "Don't suppose you've got some magic trick up your sleeve that can narrow that down."

Todoroki snorted, but Keigo just tapped his chin. "…You got a piece of his flesh."

"No."

"Then I can't help you." Keigo ignored Todoroki's scoff. "I mean, I know one spell, but it only works if I've met the person we're searching for."

Nezu hummed, "Toshinori and Gran Torino have met All for One on a number of occasions. Could you teach the spell to them?"

"Good thought, but no." Keigo sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's a complicated spell, and I'm barely competent enough to perform it, much less teach it to two utter novices." He chuckled, mind flashing back to his early years, learning magic under his family's watchful gaze. "Maybe if I could get Ao or someone else to—!" Keigo stilled, eyes going wide.

Nezu tilted his head at him. Todoroki was more direct, "What is it?"

"Nezu," Keigo said, voice shaking, "how old is All for One?"

The chimera shrugged, "He's been around since World War I, but could easily be older than that."

Keigo nodded absently, "Right, right…I've gotta go."

"Come again?" Nezu asked.

"I…I think I've got a lead. Or not." Keigo made his way for the exit, "I'll tell you all tomorrow." He left the room, ignoring his newfound partners confused (and irritated) calls, something a bit more important filling up his thoughts.

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Ao sighed, staring out into the horizon, the setting sun beating on his back. He couldn't see Kiego just yet, but he could hear him in the wind, wings flapping mightily, heart and mind in turmoil. Last time he'd gotten like this was years ago, when he'd gotten into a rather heated scrap with a handful of Kappa over his decision to become a Pro-Hero.

"What do you think it is?" his uncle asked, stepping up from behind. Ao turned to the side, resisting the urge to stare. Even now, Oda's human face caught him by surprise. His uncle just stared at him, lifting a brow. "Ao?"

"Hm? Ah!" Ao cleared his throat. "Right…I can't really say. A number of things have been on his mind, lately."

"Yes," Odo turned forward, "I imagine so."

They waited in silence for only a few minutes before Keigo was finally upon them.

He landed so quickly and harshly that even Ao felt his joints ache. But Keigo just rose to his full height, chest heaving, wings beating like a drum. Finally, he said, "All for One." Ao hummed, exchanging a glance with Oda.

"Shit," Keigo said, a quick, broken chuckle bursting past his lips, "you do know him. I…I didn't want to think that you did." Keigo trailed off into silence, wings closing around his body.

Oda and Ao exchanged worried glances. The former stepped forward, "Son—"

"Why?" Keigo's voice came out as a whisper, but it was cold as ice. "Why didn't you tell me that, for decades, probably centuries, a single human practically ran Japan's underworld?"

"Because the information was never relevant to your life," Oda replied.

"And when I told you all about some genetic monstrosity that has multiple active Quirks?"

"Again, it wasn't relevant." When Keigo glared at them, Oda dismissively waved a hand. "Besides, who knows all that humans get up to? We don't keep up with them and all their advancements. And atop all that, we assumed All for One was dead."

"Until Ao had his little chat with Gran Tornio." Keigo hissed, eyes narrowed into slits. "That's when you found out he was still alive, right?" Ao just nodded. "Then why keep it a secret?! All Might and Gran Tornio I get—it's personal for them, and from what little I've discovered of All for One, they should be paranoid. But you, Ao?" Keigo's voice shrank, and guilt wormed its way into Ao's heart. "…You ignored me. Shoved me aside like I was some…annoying child." Keigo was silent for a moment, before gritting his teeth, eyes blazing with fury. "Why didn't you tell me right then and there?"

"I could not."

"Bullshit!" Keigo spat, wings unfurling, lifting him into the air.

"It's the truth!" Ao shouted back, wings beating thunderously as he rose to match his cousin. "Besides the fact that we don't keep track of every megalomaniac human that walks the earth, All for One has never interacted nor interfered with us Yokai. His business is not our business—such is the way of our world."

Keigo's face, previously twisted into a sneer, fell. His wings stilled and he landed in a slump. "Oh…I see…Even now, after all this time, I'm not one of you." Ao winced, falling back to the ground—that wasn't what his meant at all.

But before he could begin to apologize, Oda moved forward. He bent down, picking Keigo up by his shoulders and forcing him to stand up and meet his eyes. Oda took a deep breath. "…You are right. You are not fully Yokai, but nor are you fully human. You are different."

Keigo's shrugged off his father, sneer returning. "I know! Hybrid, remember?"

Oda shook his head. "Not that. I speak of your demeanor—your goal." Oda gestured to the sky, "You seek a world where all people—human, Yokai, or otherwise—can have peace, no? To relax and rest as desired?"

"It's more than that."

"But that is the core of it, Keigo," Oda gripped his son's shoulders, gentler this time. "Before you, hybrid children would choose one world or the other to call their home. But you freely straddle the line between the two worlds. Of your own choice!" Oda thumped his son's chest, "Your mother and I had no grand plans when you were born—to be honest, your conception came as a bit of a shock." Keigo—and even Ao—sent him a flat look. "But," Oda pressed on, "you, of your own volition, wanted to become a Pro Hero; to apply your gifts and talents towards the betterment of all, instead of focusing on yourself." Oda smiled softly at his son, who smiled back.

"Keigo," Ao stepped forward, "you feel like you do not have a place among your father's kind, or your mother's, at times—and that may be true." Both his cousin and uncle tilted their heads at him, brows furrowed. "However," Ao continued, "perhaps that is because you shall light the way into a new world. Drag us all with you, and do away with these current, stagnant ones."

Keigo chuckled, wiping at his eyes, "Good one! I almost believed you." Ao and Oda cracked smiles, the latter stepping back and giving Keigo some space. The young man sighed, wings unfurling, joints popping they let loose a lazy flap. "…Thanks."

"Of course," Oda nodded. They stood in silence for a moment, basking in their shared mood.

Finally, Ao said, "You know…since you're aware of All for One, if you ever did need help…" Keigo stared at him, "I mean, when I met Sora I honestly didn't tell him anything because I don't know all that much, but perhaps Oda—"

"I'd know even less than you," his uncle cut him off.

Keigo smiled, before setting his face into a frown, "Can you track him?"

"Do you have—"

"Don't have anything physical," Keigo cut Ao off with a roll of his eyes, "otherwise I wouldn't be asking."

"Right," Ao chuckled. "Then, sorry, can't help you."

Keigo hummed, "Do you know anybody that's met him before? He's so old, influenced so much, he has to have had meaningful interaction with some Yokai."

"Perhaps," Oda nodded. "He's something of an open secret among us older Yokai—like you said, he's so old and done so much, we couldn't help notice him. But I can't think of any significant interactions with our kind."

"Please look," Keigo bowed his head slightly.

"Of course, son," Oda bowed in turn, a smile on his lips. "It's the least I can do."

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Enji was on autopilot when he left Nezu's conspiracy room. There was just…so much. So many things that, though insane and perhaps terrifying, made sense. Little details that filled in holes he hadn't even known existed.

But there was one piece of information that stuck out to him, even as he was drawn further into madness.

'All for One's most popular recruitment method was 'fixing' people. He would either grant Quirk's to the quirkless, swap Quirks between two or more people, or grant some secondary Quirk that would complement a current Quirk.'

It was with those words bouncing around his head that he marched himself before Toya's shrine, staring at his son's picture. All for One, he'd been told, didn't discriminate in his followers. He'd search high-and-low and, if he found a useful person, would discover and then pounce on whatever weaknesses they possessed.

He tended to attract a lot of young lackeys, Nezu had scribbled into the margins of his reports.

Enji let loose a sigh, reaching out and picking up Toya's picture. His son, however unintentional, had the kind of weakness All for One would prey upon.

A soft creak sounded from behind, his wife's voice quickly following. "Enji?" she said, "what's wrong?"

Enji was about to deflect the question, but a single thought forced him to stop. That thought being: could he really lie to his wife about something as dangerous as All for One? But it wasn't his secret to tell.

Thus, he turned away from his son's shrine, holding up a hand as he pulled out his phone. "Give me a minute," he said, stepping out of the room.

He sent Nezu a quick text. 'I'm telling my wife.'

He expected a coy, or perhaps even crass remark. But that was giving Nezu too little credit, especially over something so terrible.

'Must you?' the chimera sent back. 'Do you absolutely have to?'

'Yes.' Enji immediately replied. He didn't survive nearly twenty years of marriage without learning to be honest with his wife. Especially after they lost Toya.

Nezu's reply was much slower. 'Can she keep it a secret from your children?'

Enji had to think a little longer on that one, admittedly. But in all their years together, she never betrayed his confidence. There was no reason for her to start now.

'She can,' he sent back.

He had to wait a bit for Nezu's final reply. But eventually, he received, 'Ok. But don't tell her anything specific about Toshinori.' Enji nodded absently—though All Might—Yagi's—whole…thing…still weirded him out. That done, he put his phone away, returning to his wife.

Rei arched a brow, but it did little to hide her worry.

Enji decided to just rip the bandage off. "I was approached by All Might to assist him and a few others in eliminating the threat of a decades old, perhaps immortal, Villain."

"…What?"

Enji pressed on, walking in front of Toya's shrine. "That Villain—called All for One—has the ability to steal and redistribute Quirks. Something he was fond of doing on children that he would then force into working under him."

He didn't have to look over his shoulder to know that Rei was wide-eyed and stock still. But then she gasped—his final words sinking in—and she stepped up beside him, kneeling down and tracing Toya's face in the picture, shivering. He wrapped an arm around her, and she leaned against him, letting his natural heat seep into her bones.

Rei gulped, voice quivering. "Do you…Do you think Toya would have…" she couldn't finish her thought. But it was the same one that had been plaguing Enji's mind. And one he didn't know the answer to. To be sure, be believed their son, even at a young age, would have rejected such an offer. But he also knew, saw and smelt, how desperate he was to prove worthy of Enji's legacy.

In the end, he just sighed, holding onto his wife.

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A/N: I've basically rewritten Hawk's and the Todoroki family's backstories. Which was…fun. Be sure to leave a review. Later.