Chapter Three:

Hisashi sat on a bed in the nurse's office at U.A. High School. His legs swung back and forth, too short to reach the floor. Yoichi sat next to him, sniffling. His little brother hadn't let go of his arm since the near-kidnapping. Yoichi clung so tightly, Hisashi probably had bruises there to match the ones on his throat. Hisashi reached over to pet his younger brother's hair. Yoichi coughed and held an ice pack to his older brother's side.

All Might held up another ice pack to Hisashi's bruised throat. "Recovery Girl should be along to heal you shortly. She agreed as a favor to me."

Hisashi didn't understand what that meant, but he nodded. Between his sore throat and his broken rib, it hurt too much to talk.

He kept pondering the words of that brother-stealing villain in the lame mask. I don't need another me. Had the villain said that because he'd noticed a similarity between them? Hisashi knew what he was. His mother had called him a monster a million times. When he'd been seven years old, she'd dragged him by his ear to an old medical textbook, made him read each of the symptoms out loud, and told him that he was a vile existence just like the one described. A sociopath.

According to his mother, being a sociopath meant you were evil from birth, a threat to society, even lower than a metahuman, and someone who should never have been born. Ever since then, Hisashi had tried very hard not to let anyone find out that he didn't see the world the same way as other people. It bothered him that a stranger had been able to penetrate his act so easily and identify him on sight. What if other people realized, too? Would the smiling blond hero still want to treat his injuries if he knew Hisashi was a monster?

"Does it hurt a lot?" Yoichi whispered.

"Your grip on my arm hurts," Hisashi said in a hoarse whisper.

Yoichi immediately let go. "I'm sorry! I feel so guilty. You got hurt because of me!"

"Not because of you. You did good. But no more jumping out of windows." Hisashi's throat completely gave out on those last words. He settled for putting an arm around his little brother's shoulder.

Ever since the attack, Hisashi felt several powers buzzing inside his chest. He believed them to be metahuman abilities—or as people called them now, quirks. He'd taken them from the villain, somehow. It had been an instinct. He didn't know why the villain had so many different powers buzzing under his skin or how he'd managed to steal several. Perhaps this must be his own ability? He was eager to get alone time so he could figure out what they did. If he and his brother were attacked again, next time he wouldn't be so helpless.

A mixture of excitement and nervousness itched under his skin. Hisashi had no intention of telling anyone about this. He'd been told that metahuman powers were normal and no longer discriminated against. But he'd also learned from his conversation with the Hero Public Safety Commission employee that new forms of discrimination had replaced the old. Now the quirkless and people with villainous-seeming quirks were at the bottom of the pile. No surprise, given basic human nature. All the more reason to be glad he wasn't quirkless any longer.

But his new power seemed cool enough to be potentially considered villainous. Better to keep his abilities close to his chest until he understood more about the rules of this strange new world.

"Can I get you another glass of water?" All Might inclined his head at the empty glass Hisashi had downed along with the painkillers.

Hisashi shook his head. Yoichi said, "I could use some water." He coughed again.

As Hisashi took over holding the ice to his strangulation injury, All Might fetched a glass. "Are you feeling ill?"

"No more than usual." Yoichi shrugged. "I have tuberculosis." He enunciated each syllable in the long word carefully. "I thought the coughing had stopped." He pouted.

"You've been stressed out lately," All Might said. "I can arrange for you to see a doctor."

"N—" Hisashi nearly shouted an objection before he stopped himself. All Might was getting perilously close to yet another secret. But if Hisashi had refused the doctor, it would have looked suspicious. His sore throat had saved him just in time. He resolved to think of a better plan. Assuming the blond giant actually did find a doctor. Adults made promises they didn't keep all the time.

Taking the sound for a cough, All Might pushed a glass of water at Hisashi, too.

Hisashi shook his head again. One of his arms had been claimed by his brother, and he couldn't bend the other easily with a knife still up his sleeve.

All Might's smile turned coaxing. "Please, you're going to need to let go of that knife at some point."

Hisashi flinched. "How?" he croaked.

"I have a lot of experience disarming people." All Might's expression remained gentle. "I completely understand why you hid it. You feel scared and alone. But I promise, I'll protect you. I'm here. I won't leave until I'm certain you'll be safe from that villain. Please give me the knife."

How had Hisashi been caught so easily? Was his monstrous nature as obvious as his mother had claimed? Bad. He had to try harder to act normal. His fear of the adults turning on him ultimately outweighed his need to keep the weapon.

Hisashi handed the knife over. "Sorry," he whispered, trying very hard to look cute and pitiful.

All Might's eyes were soft. "It's okay. I understand." He ruffled Hisashi's hair. Hisashi only tolerated this because he was still trying to seem like a regular child.

Suddenly, All Might coughed. A mist formed around his body. There was a sound like a deflating balloon. Instead of a muscular hero, a skinny, sickly man stood before the two brothers.

"Whoa, you can transform?" Yoichi clapped his hands. "So cool!"

All Might wiped blood off his face. "Oh, dear, my time limit ran out. I have an old injury that limits my ability to maintain my heroic form. I hope I can count on you two young ones to keep this a secret?"

"Of course," Hisashi said, thinking, Blackmail material. Nice! What a fascinating quirk. I wonder if he'll answer my questions about it later so I can come up with a proper analysis?

Yoichi said, "I can cough up blood, too. Do you think I'll develop a transformation superpower like you if I do it often enough?" He demonstrated by hacking until a bit of blood ran down his chin.

Looking worried, All Might dabbed it away. "I'm definitely taking you to see a doctor as fast as I can make an appointment."

The door opened and an old woman wearing pink hobbled in. "I've already taken care of Izuku. These are the children, Toshinori?"

"Yes. Thank you for coming." All Might leapt to his feet.

Before Hisashi could stop her, Recovery Girl planted a kiss on his forehead.

Energy flowed through him. The pain in his throat and his side vanished. "Cool," he breathed. Now there was an ability he'd love to steal!

"Are you injured, too?" Recovery Girl bent over Yoichi. "There's blood on your teeth."

"Oh, uh, I bit someone." Yoichi flattened his hair over the left side of his face. "I'm fine. Not a scratch on me. I don't think he wanted to hurt me. He wanted me for some reason. I don't know why. I don't have any money." His voice dropped to a mumble.

Recovery Girl asked, "Is your eye injured? Let me see."

Yoichi flinched backward, but not fast enough to stop her from lifting up his bangs. His left eye had a jagged scar running over it, bisecting the eyelid. The cornea itself had a small white scar, partly impeding his vision.

"Oh." Recovery Girl's brusque tone turned gentle. "I'm sorry, I thought I saw a more recent injury."

"It's okay," Yoichi mumbled, parting his bangs to hide his scar again. Hisashi glared daggers at the woman.

Recovery Girl straightened. "I'm a busy woman, more patients to see. Let me know if you need me again."

Yoichi curled up his knees to his chin and didn't speak as she left.

All Might said, "Scars are nothing to be ashamed of. See? I have one, too." He pulled up his shirt to show the spreading wound like a crater in his side. "Battle scars mean you're tough. They mean you're a survivor. That's a very heroic quality."

Yoichi peeked up at him. "Do you really think so?"

"I really do." All Might smiled. (He never seemed to stop smiling, Hisashi noticed. What an idiot.)

Hisashi said, "Both your eyes are pretty, little brother. Not like me—and it's not like I can cover up both eyes." His mother's voice whispered in the back of his mind, Monster, you're a monster. Just look at the television. Only evil people have red eyes.

"Don't say that!" All Might looked shocked. He took a breath and his tone gentled. "Both of you have lovely eyes. Yours are bright like a sunset, Hisashi."

"Sure," Hisashi said, not believing a word of it.

Yoichi said, "The kids at school used to say mean things about my brother's eyes. And both of us for having white hair. They called us metahuman freaks even though we didn't even have powers."

Hisashi glared, conveying with his eyes, Don't tell him that!

"That must have been hard for you," All Might said. "Many eye and hair colors are the norm now. One of my fellow teachers at U.A., Present Mic, has red eyes, too."

"A hero with red eyes?" Yoichi sounded enthralled. "That's great, big brother!"

"I'll arrange for you to meet him, sometime." All Might smiled.

Hisashi would believe it when he saw it. Even if the times had changed, people had only switched to different prejudices. He'd remain cautious until he had more information on which ones. His younger brother was always quick to assume the best. Someone had to be cynical and look out for both of them.

"I'd like to be a hero. I always wanted to, even back when that wasn't a real profession." Yoichi fumbled with the edges of his shirt. "But I don't have a quirk. Does that mean it's hopeless?"

An odd look flashed across All Might's face. As if he was seeing something from the distant past. "Nothing is hopeless. It would be harder with the way the system is currently set up, but if you decide to seriously pursue that goal, I'll support you however I can. As a start, would you be interested in enrolling in martial arts classes?"

Yoichi clapped his hands. "I've always wanted to! But my mother said I was too sickly and weak." His head drooped.

All Might said, "There are many types of classes. I'm confident we can find one that your body can handle. We'll work on making your body healthier, too."

"Whoa," Yoichi whispered, stars in his eyes.

Personally, Hisashi wished that Yoichi would pick a less dangerous dream. But when he saw the happy look on his little brother's face, he closed his mouth. He couldn't bring himself to say anything to ruin that smile.

Being healed by Recovery Girl was already standard procedure for Izuku. Afterward, he was immediately dragged off to give a statement to a detective. Then his mother called, and he had to reassure her. Inko had cried. Lately, she broke down into tears even more easily than usual. She'd insisted he return home at once.

But Izuku regretting not having an opportunity to speak to the two brothers again. He wanted to reassure himself that they were all right. Something drew him to them. He couldn't put his finger on what. A sense of familiarity. Perhaps because they were distant relatives.

After picking up his backpack, Izuku headed for the door. All Might caught him before he could step outside.

"Young Midoriya!" All Might swept him into a hug.

For a moment, Izuku froze up, then he hugged back. It was still a dream come true to him, that All Might of all people cared about him. Such a change from his days as a quirkless middle schooler who counted himself lucky when adults didn't notice him.

Even in his scrawny form, All Might was tall enough to wrap his body around Izuku. He clung on as if trying to protect him from an invisible danger.

"I'm so glad you're all right." All Might's voice sounded choked. "When I saw All for One fasten his hand around your head, it took several decades off my life."

"I couldn't stop him. I couldn't protect the kids." It burned Izuku to remember how little good he'd done. He'd come up with a thousand plans and distractions he should have thrown at the villain—after the fact.

All Might straightened and grimaced. "No one expected you to stop All for One himself, my boy."

Izuku's heart warmed at the address. "Who is All for One? Why did you look at him like that?"

All Might blew out a breath. "I owe you many answers, as the next One for All holder. Do you have a moment?"

Technically, Izuku didn't, but he was too curious to refuse. "Let me text my mom to tell her I'll be running a little behind."

All Might led him to a deserted classroom. Then he poured out the entire story about the origins of One for All. A villainous older brother. A younger brother determined to stop him. A quirk forced on someone that turned out to be much more. A long line of dead holders, including All Might's teacher, Nana Shimura.

"I'm sorry, young Midoriya." All Might could barely meet his eyes. "I truly believed that All for One was dead. I ripped his head off." He took a deep breath to compose himself. "I never thought you'd have to face All for One."

"You don't think I can do it?" The words slipped out before Izuku could stop them, exposing years of self-doubts.

"No!" The shock on All Might's face was immediate and genuine. "You never should have needed to. I shouldn't have given you a quirk being hunted by an ancient mass-murderer without even warning you."

"That last one, I'll give you. But you didn't know he was still alive, and it wouldn't have changed my decision." Izuku shrugged. "I never thought that being a hero was safe. You gave me fair warning when you first showed me the injury in your side. I decided to pursue my dream knowing the risks."

All Might's face collapsed. "Young Midoriya…" He looked ready to hug him again. Izuku would have been happy to accept, but the hero seemed to remember himself. "I have good news. We've received a report from the police's expert on time-travel. You're in no danger of disappearing."

"Really?" It sounded too good to be true. "How can you be so certain?"

"There are two types of time travel: one that actually reverses time and one that creates parallel universes. According to the expert, if your ancestor from the past had been summoned to the present day, then you would have disappeared on the spot and no one would even remember that you'd ever existed. Since that didn't happen, the quirk must have summoned your ancestors from a parallel universe."

Izuku shuddered at how close he'd come to being erased from existence.

All Might must have noticed. "True time travel is only theoretical. Only the lesser version has ever occurred in real life. That's how the expert was so certain."

"It's a relief. Thank you for telling me." Izuku was also glad the DNA test had turned out not to matter much. He still needed to talk to his mother about that.

All Might said, "Unfortunately, we have no way to return the children to the past. We'll have to settle them into lives here. All for One's attack complicates matters."

"Why did he target them?"

"I don't know. He might be interested in time-travel. He always enjoyed conducting unholy experiments." All Might shuddered. "Remember those undead monsters who attacked U.S.J.?"

Izuku shuddered, too, to imagine children used in such awful designs. "Why did he only want the younger brother?"

"The police speculated that maybe he only needed one of them for his experiments and assumed the younger one would be more pliable."

Izuku frowned. "He seemed very determined to take Yoichi with him and alive. Yet he didn't care about Hisashi in the slightest. I don't think they were interchangeable to him. He even protected Yoichi with his own body—you can't tell me that's typical behavior for a mass-murdering supervillain. Something about Yoichi had to be very important to him. If Hisashi held the same trait then surely it would make sense to kidnap both of them so he could have a backup?" Izuku realized he'd started mumbling. "I'm sorry, I'm sure that must have sounded creepy."

"It sounded like a good analysis of the situation. I'll speak to the police and the expert on time-travel. Better yet, I'll speak to Principal Nezu. No one surpasses his ability to see through schemes."

"Thank you," Izuku said. His phone buzzed. "That must be my mom, wondering where I am. I have to leave, but I'd like to see the brothers again, if possible."

"You'll have many opportunities." All Might's smile looked softer and more genuine than his usual hero face. "I'm going to adopt both of them."

As soon as possible, Hisashi claimed that he needed to use the bathroom, then slipped off to test his new quirks.

From the moment he'd stolen them, he'd instinctively had an understanding of how to use them. Sitting on the toilet seat, Hisashi snapped his fingers. A tiny flame appeared on his pointer finger.

Frowning, Hisashi concentrated harder. The flame remained no larger than a lighter. A mediocre quirk. Hopefully he could expand the fire with practice. He vanished it before he accidentally triggered a sprinkler system.

Next, Hisashi bent his own fingers backward. They wiggled like rubber. Although entertaining to look at, he considered this one completely useless.

Hisashi tapped his foot on the tiles. At the same time, he focused on enhancing the sound. The tap cracked the air like a gun. Glancing around, he hoped no one had noticed.

The fourth and final ability hummed under his skin, begging to be used as well. But he could tell that one had something to do with electronics. Hacking into electronics? Now that would be the greatest prize of all.

Hisashi slipped out of the bathroom stall before anyone got suspicious. He couldn't afford to seem sneaky, not when he still needed to do something to sabotage his little brother's doctor appointment.

Remembering that thorny problem erased his previous joy for quirks.

Toshinori hummed under his breath as he went to pick up Hisashi and Yoichi. To her great credit, Ms. Sato had been willing to keep looking after the brothers, but the police had deemed it too dangerous. Toshinori agreed. All for One was a ruthless villain who'd clearly taken a personal interest in these time-traveling children. Only a small number of places were deemed save enough for them to stay. U.A. High School had been on that list. So had All Might Tower.

Of the even shorter list of potential foster parents, Toshinori believed himself to be the best possible pick to protect the children from All for One. Among other reasons, it's not as if he can want me even more dead.

In addition, Nezu worried the Hero Public Safety Commission might poke their noses into this matter again. Toshinori had the advantages of being in the public eye and too powerful for the commission to tangle with him easily. He'd be able to keep them away from the children.

The paperwork in his hands listed the brother's names and ages next to their pictures. Hisashi Shigaraki, age eleven. Yoichi Shigaraki, age eight. A nurse had obtained blood types and a preliminary medical profile. She'd found signs of malnutrition and suggested the children be taken for a formal doctor visit as soon as possible. Toshinori completely agreed. He worried about Yoichi's cough. He'd seen signs that their prior living situation had not been stable. As a former street kid himself, he'd have bet money that they'd been homeless.

The brothers' background had been falsely constructed through completely legal means by the Witness Protection Program. They were listed as orphans. The paperwork in his hands formally made him their foster father. However, Toshinori already had adoption in mind.

Toshinori had always wanted children. But he'd never had the opportunity. He'd always been completely uninterested in romance or sexual relationships, the usual methods by which one obtained a family. After what had happened to Nana, he'd been afraid to get close to anyone who might be turned into a hostage against him. He'd given up. He'd poured all his energies into his career instead. Yet that old desire had come back in full force ever since he'd met Izuku Midoriya.

Now, long after he'd believed it too late, he had one last chance to adopt children. The circumstances were rare and unique: these two brothers had already been targeted by All for One, so he couldn't put them in any more danger by getting close to them. On the contrary, he was the best possible person to protect the two of them.

He felt a little ashamed of his happiness. It ought to be considered a bad thing that two innocent children were in danger of abduction or death from a supervillain. Yet their misfortune was his dream come true. They were both such adorable little angels and reminded him of Izuku in different ways. Perhaps because of that resemblance, he felt an instant bond with both of them.

It would take time and effort to win the trust of two street children. They'd clearly lived difficult lives. The scar over Yoichi's eye looked like it had been inflicted by a knife—in other words, probably not an accident. If it had gone a hair deeper, it would have blinded him. What kind of monster would do such a thing to an innocent child? Toshinori hadn't asked, not wanting to press them. Children who'd been abandoned and subjected to discrimination wouldn't open up to adults easily.

Toshinori had already downloaded several books on parenting to his phone. He was going to conquer this challenge with the same passion he dedicated to heroism.

Yoichi could tell that his older brother was in a bad mood.

Hisashi slouched down against the car seat, barely paying attention to the scenery. Normally, his curiosity about the future would have led to him cataloging every sign of technology. If Yoichi had to guess, then he'd say that his big brother was worrying over some problem in the back of his mind.

From the driver's seat, All Might said, "Anything you need that you can't find at the mall, I'll be happy to order for you online. By the time we're done shopping, your rooms at All Might Tower should be ready."

Hisashi jerked back to awareness. "Rooms? Separate ones? I want to stay with Yoichi!"

All Might said, "Of course, it's only natural that you'd be afraid of being separated after what you've been through. I've arranged for two bedrooms with an adjoining door. That way, you can leave it open if you prefer, but you'll also have privacy."

Hisashi slouched back down in his seat, grunting.

Yoichi said, "Thank you so much for your generosity, Mr. Yagi." His brother's bad temper embarrassed him.

All Might laughed. "Please, call me Toshinori. In fact, you can even call me Dad—but only once you feel comfortable. Take your time. It might be too soon to talk about this, but if you're willing, I have every intention of adopting you two."

Yoichi spoke loudly to cover up his brother's groan. "That's even more generous of you. I don't know what to say. I'll try to be good for you."

"And I'm going to be the best father I can. We're both new at this, so let's teach each other."

Yoichi twisted his fingers together. All Might was so nice. He gave off a feeling of safety and security. Yoichi really wanted to make this work, and he hoped his older brother didn't screw it up.

As they got out of the car, Hisashi whispered, "At least he's not taking us shopping wearing that stupid-looking costume."

"I like his costume, big brother," Yoichi hissed.

"You would! You have no taste."

Yoichi sighed. His brother was clearly in a foul temper, and when he got like this, nothing could jolly him out of it. As Hisashi continued to mutter under his breath, Yoichi faked a cough to cover up the stream of complaints.

All Might sprang into action immediately. "I brought along a water bottle for you. Here, we'll walk more slowly."

Hisashi stopped talking when they arrived at the electronics store. After All Might purchased two new phones for both of them, the new technology drew his full attention. He listened raptly as All Might went over the basic functions, focusing particularly on how the children could call for help if need be. Then Hisashi turned to figuring out how his phone worked as they walked through the bustling mall.

"Psst," Hisashi hissed while All Might fetched a cart at the clothing store. "Check this out!" He held up a search on All Might. "Our would-be guardian is the number one hero!"

"He's that cool?" Yoichi felt even more impressed.

"He's that rich!" Hisashi's bad mood had been replaced with glee. "According to this article, All Might has been donating 90% of his fortune to charity, but despite the fool doing everything in his power to give away his money, he's still one of the wealthiest people in Japan. Judging from how he dresses, I don't think he's spending very much of the remaining 10% on himself." Hisashi eyed All Might's ragged jeans critically. "With his money sitting around gathering interest, his fortune must be massive."

Yoichi put a finger to his lips. "Shhh, he's coming back."

All Might pushed two shopping carts. "Please, both of you, get as much clothing as you'd like."

Hisashi's eyes lit up. "Don't mind if I do!" He headed straight for the black T-shirts and equally dark jeans.

When Hisashi returned pushing a cart overloaded with everything from casual wear to pajamas to three formal suits, Yoichi wanted to sink into the floor. Technically, this was a cart's worth of belongings, but big brother was clearly taking advantage of a loophole by piling his cart to the ceiling.

All Might pulled out his credit card without batting an eye. He asked, "Yoichi, since you have less, would you like to add a few more items?"

Hisashi said, "I already have him covered." He tossed a child-sized suit and several hero-themed T-shirts onto Yoichi's cart. "Thank you so much, sir."

"Please, call me Toshinori."

"Toshinori, did I ever tell you how much I like your hero costume?" Hisashi beamed as his purchases were rang up. "It's the best costume I've ever seen, including fictional ones."

"I'm so glad!" All Might laughed. "Many children love it."

"You have a natural talent for fashion." Hisashi used his high pitched I'm-an-innocent-child voice.

Yoichi pinched the bridge of his nose. The blatant hypocrisy was giving him a headache.

"Time to acquire some toys next." After dropping off their first purchases at the car, All Might led them into a gaming shop. "You both deserve a treat, after the ordeal you went through at the hands of that villain."

"It was terrible. I'll be seeing it in nightmares for the rest of my life." Hisashi placed a hand on his brow. "All that can cure my trauma is a new gaming system."

All Might laughed. "No need to be modest, my boy. We'll get two gaming systems so you don't have to share with your younger brother."

Leaning over, Hisashi hissed, "Little brother, this guy is both loaded and gullible. We've hit the jackpot."

"Please, don't phrase it like that," Yoichi said wearily.

Turning his big puppy eyes on All Might, Hisashi said, "I'm so happy that you're adopting us. How fast do you think you can draw up the paperwork?"

All Might beamed. "If you're willing, I'll ask my lawyers to begin the process immediately. There's a minimum trial period, then we can sign the papers."

"I can't wait!" Hisashi said brightly. As All Might filled the cart with games, Hisashi whispered, "Little brother, how old do you think he is? He looks at least in his fifties. I'm not sure the current life expectancy, but I bet heroes die younger. The constant injuries must damage their health."

Yoichi growled, "Big brother, you're embarrassing me and yourself."

Next, All Might took them to a hero merchandise story. Once again, he said, "Please get anything that will fit into your cart." Yoichi had a feeling this limit was more about what they could carry back to the car than anything financial. His big brother must be right about All Might being rich.

It surprised Yoichi to see his older brother loading up his cart with hero figurines as if he didn't always say that heroes were for babies. Until Hisashi dragged him aside and showed him his phone. "Help me look for this list of figurines. These are the most valuable ones."

Yoichi had finally had enough. "You should stop taking advantage of Toshinori this way."

"Hey, I'm looking out for both of us. No matter what he may claim, who knows if he'll actually keep us around? His mood of charity for the poor orphans may wear off. But these figurines are small enough that we can fit them under our clothes. They have high resale value. We'll have something to fall back on if we get abandoned again."

This shut Yoichi up. Though he wanted to believe in All Might, he keenly remembered all the adults who'd promised to look after them, then tossed them aside. Like the uncle who'd taken them in just long enough to loot their inheritance before tossing them out. Like the couple who'd offered to adopt them, then tried to return only Yoichi to the orphanage because they "didn't want a sickly one."

Hisashi had stuck by Yoichi then, refusing to leave his little brother. After the orphanage had thrown both of them onto the streets because the "white-haired freaks look suspiciously metahuman," it had only been Hisashi's wits and courage that had kept them alive.

Yoichi hoped this time would be different, but he didn't know All Might well enough to be confident of it. Hisashi was only trying to look out for both of them, like he'd always done.

Nodding in agreement, Yoichi helped Hisashi find as many of the figurines on his list as possible. Of course, he added in some that he just plain liked. The dark-haired man with the scarf wasn't very popular as a hero, but Yoichi liked his style.

As they passed a pet shop, Hisashi stopped and tugged on All Might's sleeve. "I've always wanted a pet tiger. A white tiger, to be clear."

More greed? Yoichi's temper nearly snapped. But All Might's smile never faltered. He said, "I'm afraid tigers are endangered animals, and a new pet would be a difficult adjustment when you're still getting settled in. We can talk about a cat after a few months."

"I understand." Hisashi sniffled as if trying to be brave about this grave disappointment. Yoichi knew his brother well enough to recognize his lousy acting. Hisashi's tone turned wheedling. "You know what would soothe my disappointment? A diamond necklace." Hisashi brushed an imaginary tear from his eye. "My last guardian wouldn't let me wear jewelry because it was too feminine…it traumatized me so much…oh, yeah, and diamonds are my birthstone…they remind me of my late mother."

Needless to say, all of that had been lies. Yoichi's eye twitched. Surely this was too blatantly obvious.

But All Might only said, "Of course. Which necklace would you like?"

Hisashi batted his eyes. "Thank you so much, All Money! Uh, I mean All Might."

Yoichi closed his eyes. A small hiss escaped his lips.

At a jewelry store, Hisashi tried on several necklaces, bracelets, and rings with a clear goal of walking away with all of them. Yoichi could tolerate it no longer. He tugged on All Might's sleeve.

When All Might bent down, Yoichi whispered, "You don't need to get him so much stuff. You've done more than enough already. He doesn't actually have a deep emotional attachment to diamonds."

"I know." All Might laughed. "He wants items he can sell later in case I abandon you two."

Yoichi flinched, convinced a punishment for this deception would swiftly follow. But there was nothing but warm understanding in All Might's eyes.

All Might said, "I used to live on the streets, too. My parents threw me out because I turned out to be quirkless—in the reverse of your time period, that's considered bad these days. I had to survive on my own for most of my childhood. I completely understand the coping mechanisms, the distrust of adults, and the hoarding of anything of value. I would never judge your brother for it."

Yoichi's eyes welled up with tears. He choked down a sniffle. He wasn't a baby, after all. "Do you really mean it?"

"Of course I do. I'm prepared to wait as long as it takes to win trust from you and your brother. I don't expect you to give it to me. I expect to earn it."

Yoichi sniffled again.

"Would it make you feel better if I patted your back? You can say no."

Yoichi blinked his teary eyes, surprised he'd been asked for permission. "Yeah. I think I'd like that."

All Might put an arm around him. It felt warm and protecting. "Is this okay?"

"Yeah. Thank you." Yoichi relaxed into the half-hug. "Why aren't you angry that Hisashi is lying to you? Bad kids lie."

"Hisashi lies to protect you and himself. That doesn't make him a bad kid. That makes him a good older brother. I suspect that Hisashi hasn't been able to afford to be nice for a long time now, because he's been alone on the streets protecting his younger brother. He doesn't deserve blame for trying to survive. He deserves praise for doing his best. I can tell that your older brother is a good person, because of how well he looks after you."

This time, Yoichi couldn't help the tears, but they came from relief and happiness. "My big brother is a bit strange. Thank you so much for seeing his good points." There was no way Yoichi could possibly express how much what All Might had said meant to him. Especially when he couldn't stop sobbing.

"I understand. I'll protect you now. I'm here." All Might patted his back.

Until Hisashi stormed over and yanked Yoichi away. "What's wrong?" he demanded, glaring at All Might with a murderousness erasing all his previous flattery.

All Might only smiled, as if he approved of what Hisashi had done, and Yoichi knew that he really did understand.

"Nothing, big brother. I'm just happy." Yoichi rubbed his face.

"Why would you cry for that?" Hisashi looked confused and annoyed. In a lower voice, he asked, "What if he won't let me get the jewelry now?"

"It's all yours," All Might said mildly. "Let's go to the cash register and ring it up."

For the entire car trip back, Yoichi couldn't keep an enormous grin off his face. In the past, he and his older brother had bad luck with adults in general and parents in particular. But this time, he had a strong feeling they'd found a keeper.

Izuku set down his fork after licking it clean. "That was delicious, Mom." She'd made katsudon, his favorite, but it gave him an uneasy feeling, as if she wanted something from him.

Across the table, Inko twisted her hands. She'd barely eaten. That worried Izuku, too. She asked, "So. Uh. That villain you encountered today. Did he seem to…recognize you?"

"No?" Izuku's confusion deepened. "I don't think he cared about me in the slightest, except as an obstacle preventing him from getting to those two children."

"Oh, what a relief." Inko's shoulders sagged.

Izuku found it very strange that his mother seemed relieved a villain had nearly ripped his head off his shoulders. But if she hadn't realized how close he'd come to death, then he wasn't going to point it out to her.

He cleared his throat. "Mom, can I ask why you didn't want me to take a DNA test?"

The sudden spike of fear in Inko's eyes made Izuku feel horrible.

He said, "I won't do it if you don't want me to. I promise. I just want to know…that is to say, it's been bothering me all day…look, I wouldn't judge you for it, I know that a marriage can be complicated and it's painfully clear he was neglecting you." Izuku took a deep breath and blurted out, "Mom, did you cheat on Dad?"

Izuku had been pondering all day, and this was the best explanation he'd come up with: if he wasn't Hisashi Midoriya's son, then Inko might be afraid of losing his money. Not that Hisashi sent money any longer. From the bank statements that Izuku had glimpsed, their small two-person family had been living off one very large lump sum for years. He didn't understand why his mother tried so hard to pretend that Hisashi was only working overseas and might one day come back. His deadbeat father hadn't called or sent a check in as long as Izuku could remember. Izuku had wondered if Inko was trying to keep up appearances for the neighbors, but then why did his mother have to lie to him, too?

Inko giggled. It sounded hysterical. "Oh, honey. If only I could answer yes to your question. I wish every day that I'd been unfaithful to our marital vows and you'd been fathered by the postman."

That hadn't been the answer Izuku had been expecting. "Then why?"

Inko looked sideways. "There was a clause in my…uh…my prenuptial agreement. That you could never get your DNA tested. Funny thing, I don't understand it either. It's a very strict prenup. That's why I've never been able to get divorced, either, even after he's been gone for so many years. I'm stuck with the bast—sorry, I shouldn't talk about your father that way in front of you."

Izuku looked at the shadows and red puffiness around his mother's eyes and declined to expose her obvious lie. "Thanks for telling me, Mom. I'm sorry that my father didn't treat you better. You can say whatever you like about him—I'd agree with it. You deserved better."

Inko stood up. "That reminds me. Even though I'm afraid I must strongly nix the DNA test, I figured out where the Shigaraki brothers came from." She went to the living room and returned with a photo album. "See, this picture? Hisashi Shigaraki is my several times great grandfather." She showed a picture of the two Shigaraki brothers sitting on a park bench. Flipping a page, she said, "Here he is with his daughter Aiko, our ancestor." The man in the picture did look like an older Hisashi, and he was standing next to a green-haired girl.

The pictures looked very convincing. Not that Izuku would know photoshopping if he saw it. However, he did know that if his mother had a photo album going back to the dawn of the age of quirks, she would have shared it with him before. She knew how interested he was in that time period.

Also, he didn't for one second believe it was a coincidence that his father's name was Hisashi and so was the boy who had time-traveled. It was a clearly a family name. Hisashi came from his father's side, not his mother's.

Izuku wondered where his mother had gotten the pictures of Hisashi as an adult that she would have needed to fake this album.

Inko handed him the photo album. "Will you show this to All Might? And all your other teachers and anyone else who is curious? To prove that Hisashi comes from my side of the family?" Her hands trembled. Her smile looked strained.

Izuku took the album. "Sure, Mom. If it's so important to you." His mother had raised him alone for years. He considered himself greatly in her debt. If she needed him to act like he believed this lie, then he would trust her.

Inko Midoriya was a bad liar. It was just that Izuku couldn't tell exactly what she was lying about yet.

OMAKE TIME!

Omake: The Alternative Chapter One

Take One: What if Izuku had summoned Adult All for One?

All for One: Where the fuck am I and who am I going to murder for this?

Little Girl: I usually summon parents, so Mister Potato Head must be yours.

Izuku and All for One: …

Izuku: That's impossible, my dad is a deadbeat named Hisashi Midoriya.

All for One: Hisashi? What an interesting coincidence—that's my name. You look very much like me back when I had a face. And I lost a large chunk of my recent memories a decade ago due to a traumatic head injury.

Izuku: I suppose if you lost your memories, then you're not a deadbeat. Welcome home, Dad!

All for One: I love you already, son.

Later, Inko returns home to find All for One and Izuku sitting at the dining room table chatting.

Izuku: Mom! Get this! Dad didn't mean to abandon us, he just had amnesia after a tragic accident. He's a great guy. He loves quirk analysis, just like me.

Inko: Fuck.

Izuku: Mom, you swore? Not that I mind, it's just so unlike you. Why are you going to the kitchen and getting out a knife? Are you going to cook us dinner?

All for One: I swear I haven't felt this strong a sense of doom since I faced All Might in battle.

Izuku: I think she's just a little grumpy about the abandonment misunderstanding—MOM STOP!

#Keep in mind this happened before Izuku found out about All for One #He just seems like a harmless blind old man with unfortunate-looking life support equipment #All for One's lack of memories also means he doesn't remember why Inko isn't happy to see him

#

Take Two: What if Izuku had summoned both Adult All for One and Adult First?

All for One: Where the fuck am I and—oh. That's my little brother. Clearly this is all just a dream.

First: Holy shit! I have hands! This body is real! What kind of quirk could do such a thing? If you didn't do this, big brother, then who…? I mean, yes, this is all a dream! And to prove it, Nineth and I are about to disappear!

Little Girl: Do you have two Dads or did I get an uncle this time?

Izuku: I don't understand the question you asked me.

All for One: I've run through a dozen possible meanings to that question in the last second, and all of them are quite interesting.

First: Seriously, Nineth, let's run.

Izuku: I don't know who you are or why you're calling me that.

First: (Whispering) I'm the first One for All holder and that's the final boss who you're not even remotely ready to fight!

All for One: I heard that, little brother.

Later, inside a bank vault:

Izuku: I say this with all due respect to my venerable predecessor who might or might not also be my relative: what the fuck?

First: To start with, our possible relation is news to me too. Secondly, we're in a bank vault.

Izuku: No, I get that, I want to know WHY.

#Izuku hadn't dreamed of First yet so he didn't recognize him either #Unfortuantly this blew their small window of opportunity to run #But neither of them went down without a fight #All for One is currently off tending to his injuries

#

Omake: Inside the Void, Part 2

First: AHHHHHHH!

Banjo: What's he screaming about this time?

Second: All Might just adopted child All for One.

Banjo: Nice joke, what actually happened?

First: AHHHHHHH!

#

Omake: Spoilers

Izuku: Mom, if you know why a villain is targeting those children, it could be of vital importance.

Inko: Or it could only put them in more danger from the Hero Public Safety Commission, while also getting you into a boatload of trouble.

#

Omake: Inside the Void, Part 3

Banjo: So, uh, if little First and All for One time-traveled because of a quirk that attracts relatives, and that quirk hit Nineth, then doesn't that imply something?

First: …

En: Honestly, I've suspected as much for some time. It's obvious that Nineth looks like a certain someone—just cuter.

Second: Wait, doesn't everyone know that Nineth is All for One's son?

Third: Yeah, why did you think me and Leader don't like him as a successor?

Hikage: I thought you didn't like Nineth because he looks like All for One.

Third: You were certainly on the right track there.

Hikage: Your reason feels hypocritical after you two rescued First, All for One's brother.

Third: I don't know about Leader, but it's not the physical similarities that bother me so much as the personality ones.

Banjo: What are you talking about? Nineth has awesome vibes!

Third: If you'd ever heard All for One back in the day fanboying over a quirk then you'd see the resemblance.

Nana: At first, I thought that Toshi made Izuku his successor as a power move to get revenge on All for One for stealing my grandson, but eventually I realized he knew about absolutely none of that. He's clueless in general, but that's one of his cute points.

En: Why didn't any of you tell First? Keeping it to yourself seems like a dick move.

Second: He must have already known. Just look at how much he favors Nineth. Hmm, judging from that stunned expression, I don't think he knew.

First: Hey, cool, I'm an uncle—AHHHHHHH!

#

Omake: The Patricidal Method of Getting Rich

Hisashi: My dearest Toshinori, is there any way you can write me and my brother into your will even before the adoption? It would give me such a strong sense of stability and security to know that we'd be looked after no matter what. A security I've lacked my whole life…did I tell you yet about my tragic past living on the streets?

All Might: What a wonderful idea. I'll change my will tomorrow.

Author: You'd better sleep with one eye open, All Might.

#

Omake: Author Suffers

All for One: Do you have the location of the children yet?

Dr. Garaki: Yes, master. Instead of trying to hide them, the authorities choose to place them with All Might instead.

All for One: An annoyingly good strategy. I wonder if it would be better to wait and lure down their guard until they decide there's no need for such a powerful protector. Once All Might sends them to a regular foster home, the snatch will be much easier.

Dr. Garaki: Err…unfortunately, All Might is currently filling out paperwork to adopt them.

All for One: Urk! (Falls over dead from a heart attack.)

Author: You've got to stop doing that. There's only so many times I can resurrect you.

Author's Note:

I probably don't need to say this, but Inko is NOT All for One's descendant. She sold several pieces of her jewelry for that super-fast photoshop job. Why will be explored later, although you can probably guess.

Technically, we've only seen ONE of Yoichi's eyes in canon. He could be covering up a badass scar.

Similarly, I dare you to find one scrap of evidence that All Might isn't asexual in canon.

I see you your fanfics about All Might adopting Izuku then finding out he's All for One's son and raise you to All Might accidentally adopting All for One himself. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll take this revelation calmly and figure out a way to successfully coparent all his adopted kids (including Izuku) with adult All for One…ha-ha who am I kidding?