Chapter Five:

Hisashi had gotten very little sleep after his unpleasant dream vision. Yet he was woken up by his pesky younger brother shaking him. "Big brother! I have sometime important to tell you."

Groaning, Hisashi rolled over.

Yoichi yanked the pillow out from under his older brother's head.

Hisashi sat up with a yelp. "What was that for?"

"This is important, please." Yoichi trembled, his hair falling in a mess over his face. It partly exposed the scar over his left eye yet he didn't seem to care.

The tension in his baby brother's voice completely woke Hisashi up. He looked around the room for a possible enemy. His hand groped for a knife he no longer had.

Yoichi said, "I had a dream where I met my adult self." He bit his lip. "It wasn't merely a dream. It was real. I could tell."

"Oh. What did he tell you?"

"You believe me?" Yoichi looked up from under his lashes.

"I met my adult self, too. I had the exact same feeling as you, that it wasn't a dream." Hisashi hesitated. He didn't want to reveal most of what his other self had said to him.

Fortunately, Yoichi didn't ask questions. He blurted out, "Adult me said that your older self is All for One!"

Hisashi stared. "Who?"

"That man in the black mask who nearly murdered you!"

"Ooooooo." Hisashi winced. "No wonder he asked me where I was! He tried to trick me! Don't worry, I didn't tell him anything." He'd sort of accidentally confirmed that they were with All Might, but the man had already known that, so Hisashi saw no reason to admit to his blunder. "All for One, what a stupid name." Rather like the skull-like mask, Hisashi had decided the name was stupid as soon as he realized he didn't like the man who had it.

"My adult self called himself First, which is even stupider. What kind of a hero name is First?"

Both brothers sighed in disappointment.

Hisashi asked, "Where's your adult self? Can he come see us?" Hisashi was optimistic that an adult Yoichi wouldn't try to kill him. After all, Yoichi was far nicer than he'd ever been. Hisashi didn't like the idea of two of himself running around, but he wouldn't mind two little brothers.

Yoichi looked at his hands. "He can't. He's dead."

Hisashi sucked in a breath. Even with his brother sitting in front of him, alive and well, he still didn't want to think about Yoichi dying. To reassure himself, he took his little brother's hand in his own. It helped his fluttering pulse calm down.

This might explain why All for One had tried to kill him. Hisashi wouldn't have been overly thrilled about sharing his only little brother, either. Though he wouldn't have jumped straight to murder! The situation remained quite bad—his older self had far more power and resources than him.

"How did the other you die?" Hisashi asked.

Yoichi looked away. "I don't know. We got in an argument, so I didn't have time to ask."

"You should have asked that right away!" Hisashi's voice rose. "What if it could happen again?" His breathing came rapidly. He was still freaking out over his little brother dying.

"Ugh, fine, I'll ask if I get another chance. I'll ask why he turned into a ghost, too." Yoichi pouted. "He just made me so angry. He kept saying mean things about you."

Hisashi's heart twisted. He remembered All for One telling him that his little brother would hate him if he ever found out what they'd done. Apparently his adult self had been speaking from personal experience. His brother hating him was almost as terrifying as his brother dying. Hisashi asked, "Would you still love me even if I was evil?"

"Of course I would. You're my brother."

"Would you still love me if I hurt someone else? Would you still love me if I did something bad to you? Would you still love me if—?"

Yoichi interrupted him. "Stop that. I'm tired of your stupid tests about if I'd love you. If you tried to hurt someone, I'd stop you, and if you hurt me then I'd kick you, but I'd still love you. If you do either of those things just to test me, then I'll kick you twice. Even if you turned into a villain, I'd always love you, although we'd have to talk about your bad fashion sense if you start wearing an ugly skull-like mask."

Hisashi snorted. "Don't worry. I'm not sure what All for One was thinking adding all those tubes."

Yoichi squeezed his hand. "Don't worry about a future that never happened to us. So you turned into a villain and I turned into a punk-ass bitch who died. We're even." He bit his lip. "Oops! No more cursing, Toshinori said so. I turned into a big stupidhead. He even wanted me to tattle about you being All for One." He snorted. "As if I'd ever."

"We should definitely keep that between us," Hisashi said grimly. "I haven't been in this time period long and I can already tell people despise villains." The news report after their appearance had made it clear a villain was worse than a regular robber.

"I'd die before I'd betray you." Yoichi squeezed his hand again.

"Don't joke about that!" Hisashi yelped.

"Sorry," Yoichi said. "My point was that both of us have reason to be unhappy with our adult selves. I can't believe that loser tried to get me to sell out my own brother. I disown him. We can both resolve to never turn out like that, and then our bond will never be broken."

Yoichi smiled. It was a bright, pure smile. Hisashi wished he could smile back.

But he didn't have a clear conscience. He had secrets. And maybe his little brother would be right to reject him. He knew he was a monster. His own mother had told him so.

That didn't mean Hisashi had any intention of letting his brother go. He just had to be a smart monster, smart enough to protect them both and not to get caught. He'd protect Yoichi no matter what. In that way, maybe Hisashi could make up for the poison he'd unknowingly fed his baby brother with a smile.

And…a few other things.

Hisashi took a moment to compose himself. When he spoke, his voice was light and cheerful. "You're right. My adult self is a jerk and I'm never going to turn into him. He lied to me and tried to kill me. Your adult self is a liar, too. So no matter what he says about me, you won't believe it, will you?"

Yoichi smiled broadly. "I won't believe a word of it. I promise!"

As Hisashi padded down the stairs, he smelled pancakes. All Might stood next to a frying pan. He turned around with a broad grin. "I was just about to wake you two up. Breakfast is ready."

All Might wore an apron with "This dad is flipping awesome" written on the front. A cutesy drawing of a chef cap hung off the second "D." Hisashi internally rolled his eyes and reminded himself how much money this idiot had. Yoichi's school supplies won't pay for themselves. If it means providing for my little brother, I can suck up.

"It smells delicious," Hisashi chirped with his brightest smile.

"Whoa! There are three different flavors of syrup!" Yoichi's enthusiasm was genuine, unlike his brother's. He coughed, raising his hand to muffle the sound.

"Who wants the first pancake?" All Might flipped it onto a plate. He'd crafted two round ears and blueberries forming eyes and a smile.

Yoichi clapped his hands. "It's a mouse." He turned pleading eyes on his brother. "Can I have this one?"

"Of course," Hisashi said, his smile turning genuine.

Placing down the pancake, All Might said, "Inko Midoriya, Izuku's mother, found a very old family album. It turns out that Hisashi is her ancestor. I thought you two had the right to know." Then he turned back to his frying pan.

Yoichi cast Hisashi a confused glance, remembering their earlier conversation about how Hisashi was All for One. Hisashi put a finger to his lips. This lie suited his purposes perfectly, so he had every intention of preserving it. He said, "Thank you for telling us. I'd like to see the album sometime."

More importantly, he'd love to meet Inko Midoriya, the woman his future self had married. And find out why she'd lied to cover up his identity.

"I'll see if I can arrange something," All Might said. "For some reason, when she spoke to the police she didn't seem interested in meeting you. Some people don't like to get caught up in strange quirk accidents—oh, I shouldn't assume, but I simply don't want you to get your hopes up."

"There's no need to press her," Hisashi said. The last thing he wanted was to irritate the person who held such a valuable secret over his head.

All Might brought over a second pancake shaped like a mouse's head with two big ears. "For you, Hisashi."

"That one is super-cute too!" Yoichi said, bouncing in his seat.

All Might smiled. "You're even cuter. Your new hero pajamas look adorable."

Yoichi flinched. It was a small movement, but Hisashi saw it. He was pretty sure All Might noticed it, too. "Thanks," Yoichi said in a small voice.

All Might opened his mouth. Hisashi glared. All Might closed his mouth.

As All Might turned to the stove again, Hisashi slipped over to him and whispered, "Yoichi doesn't like being called cute. He thinks it means weak. Our mom used to call him cute a lot. She wouldn't shut up about his looks." Hisashi regretted revealing that last part. It was a vulnerability, and he'd learned to never expose those.

"Thank you," All Might murmured. "Anything else I should avoid?"

"Telling him he can't do things because of his illness is another sore spot." Hisashi turned away, deciding he'd revealed enough for one day.

All Might brought over another pancake. "Who's ready for the next one?"

"Me!" Yoichi cried, waving his empty plate.

"What a good appetite you have. That's a sign of a strong warrior."

Yoichi puffed out his chest with pride. "That's right."

A small smile tugged at Hisashi's lips. Despite being gullible, perhaps All Might wasn't so bad. At least the hero knew how to listen to advice from a wise source.

Hisashi's bad mood returned with a vengeance after he and his brother were bustled into the car for a doctor appointment. He didn't know if his delaying tactic of canceling the appointment would work. Of course, he covered up his concern with a smile. As All Might drove them down the street, Hisashi took turns with Yoichi pointing out anything unusual out the window and asking questions about the future.

Everyone they saw had a quirk. It was such an interesting change of pace. (The four stolen quirks under Hisashi's skin itched. It felt nice to have a weapon in this strange new world.)

All Might took them through the front door of the white doctor's office. It was showtime. Hisashi's fingers tightened into a closed fist.

Their guardian's voice rose from the front desk. "I cancelled the appointment? That can't be right."

The receptionist said, "The voice did sound a little gruff, like someone disguising their voice. Do you think your kid canceled pretending to be you? Children who are afraid of doctors sometimes do that."

Hisashi controlled himself before he flinched. His overly rushed plan had gone wrong already.

Yoichi tugged on his sleeve and whispered, "Hey, did you do that? Why? You know my cough hurts me and makes it hard to sleep at night."

It would have been smarter to fold now. But then and there, Hisashi knew he couldn't back down. Because he had no explanation to give his younger brother.

All Might returned to where the two children sat on a bench. "Did either of you two cancel the appointment? I won't be angry if you tell me the truth. But if you lie—" It took him a moment to think of a punishment. "Then no cake tonight after dinner."

"I didn't, Toshinori. I promise," Yoichi said. His gaze fell on his older brother with a touch of suspicion.

Hisashi's eyes welled up with tears. He met All Might's blue gaze. "I-I didn't do it. I promise. Please believe me."

Hisashi had been deliberately obvious yesterday whenever he'd lied to or manipulated All Might. In fact, that was his strategy—to convince his guardian that he wasn't a particularly good liar, just a loudmouthed greedy child, so that he could save his best lies for when it counted.

All Might's gaze softened. "Then I believe you. Thank you for telling me the truth." He marched back to the receptionist's desk. "Neither of my kids canceled the appointment. It must have been a mistake."

The receptionist said, "We record all our calls. I can play it back in case you recognize the voice."

Hisashi's mind went blank. He'd screwed up. He'd screwed up big time. He'd completely exposed himself, and he had no idea how to talk his way out of this one. All Might would see him for what he was and ship him back to foster care. Yoichi would hate him. His little brother's eyes bore into him. He had to think fast, come up with some sort of scheme.

While Hisashi remained frozen, Yoichi stood up.

Yoichi cleared his throat. As All Might turned around, it turned into a mild cough. Covering his mouth, Yoichi said, "It was me. I stole your phone and called the doctor to cancel the appointment. I'm scared of doctors. They keep poking me with needles. But I should have said something when you gave me a chance. I'm sorry."

All Might's face melted. "I understand, shots can be scary. You still shouldn't have done that. Since you told me the second time—" His brow furrowed with thought. "I guess just a small slice of cake tonight?"

The receptionist said, "We still have your appointment time free. No one else took the slot."

Hisashi could have screamed. All that, for nothing.

All Might put a hand on Yoichi's back. "I'll stay by your side for the entire doctor's visit. It won't be scary, I promise."

Yoichi and All Might left Hisashi alone in the receptionist area with a comic book. All he could do was stew in his nervousness.

After an unbearably long time, they returned. All Might went straight to the receptionist desk while Yoichi sat down next to Hisashi.

Yoichi said, "Would you believe I don't have tuberculosis? The doctor was certain of it! He didn't understand why anyone would ever think I had tuberculosis. But he didn't know what was wrong. Toshinori is going to make me an appointment with a specialist."

Hisashi stared at the floor. Who knew what the specialist might uncover? Even though Yoichi had stopped drinking poison, his cough still lingered. Hisashi didn't understand why and kept hoping it would go away on its own. Would a doctor still be able to detect traces of the poison?

Hisashi was a good liar. He kept his voice mildly surprised. "I don't understand either."

"Isn't it a good thing you didn't cancel my doctor's appointment? Why did you try to do that?"

Hisashi thought fast. "I read some rumors about this doctor's office—"

Yoichi raised a hand to stop him. "Don't lie to me. I'm not in the mood."

Dammit, why was Yoichi so good at seeing through him? Hisashi squirmed. "I don't trust Toshinori," he said, which was true even if not his real reason.

Yoichi sighed. "I trust him." He locked eyes with his brother. "Do you know why I covered for you at the cost of cake? I don't know why you didn't want me to see the doctor. I don't understand why you didn't come clean with Toshinori, when he's clearly a big softie. But I could tell it was important to you not to get caught, so I took the fall because you're my big brother."

This time, the tears stinging Hisashi's eyes were genuine. "I'm sorry."

"Then don't do it again." Yoichi's gaze sharpened, a hardness he'd learned on the streets. "You said it yourself: we have a good setup here with food, shelter and toys. If you want to repay me, don't mess that up. Keep your weirdness under control."

Hisashi winced, not liking the rebuke from his little brother but knowing it was deserved. "I won't do something like this again." He couldn't afford it. He'd have to assume the worst, that Yoichi's new doctor would reveal everything, and prepare a story in advance.

Yoichi sighed. "You can be good weird and bad weird. I like the good kind, okay? I appreciate everything you've done to protect both of us." He patted his older brother's back.

For a moment, Hisashi contemplated telling his brother the truth about what their mother had done and his unwitting cooperation. And what had happened between him and Mom afterwards.

But then he remembered his mother's words: If he ever learns what you've done, he'll hate you and leave you forever. Then his adult self: We're both naturally evil, you and I.

That was the problem with being a good liar. When you did tell the truth, who would believe you?

All Might gestured at the two children. "Meet Hisashi and Yoichi Shigaraki."

Hisashi examined the students of Class 1-A. Several had obvious quirks, like the girl with pale yellow horns, the invisible girl, and the boy with a bird's head. In his time, it had been rare to see anyone with such extreme mutations. He wondered what else they could do. There was something strange about bird-head's shadow—he'd noticed that already.

He wondered if he could get away with "borrowing" any of their abilities just briefly to test them and concluded probably not.

All Might continued, "The brothers are being targeted by a powerful villain. Until I have time to arrange for a secure place for their schooling, they'll be accompanying me everywhere. This is only temporary. They'll be observing class today."

A blond boy with a pretty face waved. "Children, enjoy my show!"

A red-haired boy punched his fist into his hand. "If any villains come near you, I'll protect you."

Other students chimed in with greetings and encouragement. Izuku Midoriya caught Hisashi's eye and smiled.

All Might said, "Today, I'm going to give you hands-on combat training. We'll divide the class into two groups. One group will fight against me while the other group will observe. Then you'll switch places. Afterward, we'll regroup to discuss lessons learned."

A dark-haired boy pushed up his glasses. "Fighting against one person in a group? That seems unfair."

"Unfair because I should give you an even greater advantage?" All Might's eyes danced with challenge. "If you land even one hit on me, then I'll buy the whole class pizza tomorrow."

The mood shifted as the students chattered eagerly.

While the other students left the room to change into their hero costumes, Izuku approached the two brothers. What a lucky chance, since Hisashi had wanted to talk to him.

Hisashi waved. "Good to see you again, Izuku. Do you have a moment to talk?"

Izuku felt guilty seeing the Shigaraki brothers, as if he'd violated their privacy by peering into their memories. Actually, he had violated their privacy, even though he'd had no choice in the matter. He was still trying to decide if it would make things better to come clean or if that would only serve to make them feel bad. For now, he decided to keep silent. The two of them had already been through so much, he would hate to add to their pain, even inadvertently.

Forcing a smile, Izuku said, "Hello again. I'm in the second group, so I still have a bit of time to get ready. I hoped to have a chance to talk to you two." He stifled a yawn with one hand. His lack of sleep made it harder to think. Where to begin? How to subtly check up on them? "How are you settling into your new home?"

"It's wonderful," Yoichi gushed. "My new bedroom is so big! All Might got me so many toys!" As his hands waved, his hair fell back slightly from his face. Izuku glimpsed the wide scar over his left eye. Then Yoichi flattened his bangs back down. "Sorry," he whispered, glancing at his older brother.

The rage and self-loathing in Hisashi's eyes nearly took Izuku's breath away. That wasn't an expression that belonged on the face of a child—not unless the child had been through far too much.

Yoichi's face further fell at the look. The younger brother held a shaking hand over his bangs.

After what he'd seen last night, Izuku felt confident there was a misunderstanding between the two brothers, and he thought he knew what it was, too. He'd still intended to keep what he'd seen secret, but he also couldn't just stand back and watch them accidentally hurt each other.

Izuku cleared his throat. "Yoichi, there's nothing wrong with showing your scar. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Hisashi thinks so too, don't you?"

"Of course," Hisashi said. "If anyone so much as gives you a hard time, let me know and I'll beat them up." He punched a fist against his hand.

"But!" Yoichi clamped a hand over his mouth. He cast a sidelong glance at his older brother.

"Is there a reason you think you have to hide your scar?" Izuku asked.

"Because our horrible mother told him to," Hisashi growled. "She didn't like reminders of her failures as a person and mother."

"But you—" Yoichi cut off abruptly.

Izuku's suspicions had been correct. He felt certain of it now. "I think Yoichi tries to hide his scar around you, Hisashi."

"That's not—" Hisashi cut himself off as he stared at his younger brother. "That's not right…is it?"

Yoichi looked at his hands. "Big brother, whenever you see my scar, you make a bad expression on your face. You hate seeing it, just like Mom, right?"

"It's not like that!" Hisashi paled. "I feel guilty. You got injured because of me."

"I got injured because our father liked to hit people when drunk," Yoichi said with a chilling maturity. "You were the excuse he used on that particular occasion."

Hisashi whispered, "He always went after you, not me. And I couldn't protect you."

"I wouldn't have wanted him to go after you instead." Yoichi shrugged. "But I get it. In your place, I'd feel guilty too." He put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "I'm just glad it's not because you think my scar is ugly."

"Of course not!" Hisashi reared back, affronted.

Izuku let out a small sigh of relief. At least on this occasion, his knowledge gleamed from his visions had been useful.

Hisashi was still wondering how he'd screwed up so badly. Normally he was good at hiding his emotions. Why had he failed this time and not even noticed it? He hated that his little brother might have imagined him like that woman, who'd obsessed over Yoichi's looks like a child playing with a favorite doll.

He owed Izuku a debt for pointing this out, and he wouldn't forget it.

Yoichi coughed. Hisashi was so distracted that it took him a moment to notice. By then, Yoichi had doubled-over hacking and wheezing.

"Deep breaths," Hisashi said, patting his brother's back until the fit subsided. He'd thought this was getting better. Shouldn't Yoichi's cough have vanished after he'd gotten rid of the poison? Maybe it would just take a bit more time.

"Are you okay?" Izuku offered a water bottle from his backpack.

Yoichi took a gulp. "Thank you. Toshinori is taking me to see a super-special doctor. It turns out I don't have tuberculosis, but the doctor couldn't tell what was wrong."

Something flashed in Izuku's eyes. Hisashi couldn't tell what, nor could he possibly imagine why Izuku would have any reason to be suspicious of him. But he still felt a chill of fear. He'd done a terrible thing, and if Yoichi knew, he wouldn't be able to forgive that one so easily.

Desperate to change the subject, Hisashi asked, "Your mother's name is Inko, isn't it? What's your father's name?"

Izuku turned toward him. "His name is Hisashi, like yours."

Hisashi's suspicions increased. Ever since his older self had asked after this boy, he'd made a guess. "What's your father like?"

"I can't tell you much." Izuku looked down. "My father works overseas in America. Or at least, that's his excuse. I haven't seen him since I was very small."

Hisashi's eye twitched. What had his older self been doing, abandoning his responsibilities? How could he possibly leave his family? Hisashi knew All for One had been asking after Izuku and he knew himself, so he was certain this situation was more complicated than Izuku knew. However, whatever All for One's reasons, nothing could possibly excuse a son who couldn't even remember his face. The deadbeat was an even bigger embarrassment than Hisashi had first realized. It would serve him right if Hisashi killed him and took his place, including taking over responsibility for his family. The perfect revenge for trying to steal his little brother would be stealing his son in return. Though perhaps Hisashi was getting ahead of himself there. Surviving was a higher priority.

Yoichi said, "I'm sorry. We didn't have much luck with fathers either. Our dad spent so much money on a woman that we lost our house."

Izuku's eyes shot up. "That must have been a lot of money."

Yoichi shrugged. "There might have been several women. People wouldn't talk about it to our faces. More than one woman showed up at Dad's funeral, and Mom screamed a lot. But she then she said what he did with women was nothing compared to what he did with horses."

Izuku looked ill. "Err, what?"

Hisashi said, "My little brother means that our father had a gambling addiction to horse races. That's where most of our inheritance went." He didn't want to talk about this subject any longer, or remember the unfortunate chain of events after his father's death. The past had been dredged up enough today already. "Hey, could I ask you some questions about quirks?"

Izuku perked up. "Of course!" Leaving aside his obvious interest in quirks, Hisashi had a suspicion he wanted to change the topic from family, too.

Hisashi said, "I'd like to consider the usefulness of some quirks. All hypothetical, of course." In fact, he planned to pick up some tips for his own stolen quirks. "To start with, the ability to form a candlestick-sized flame."

"Obviously not nearly as good as Endeavor, but still useful," Izuku said. "Even a small flame can start a large fire. You also might use it to trigger a sprinkler system or an alarm. With the right hero equipment, your flame could be boosted into a larger explosion."

Unfortunately, Hisashi had no access to hero equipment. "I've heard that practice can also help quirks grow?"

"Completely true. If it were my quirk, I'd also try generating repeated flames in a row to see if I could get them to stack."

"Excellent idea," Hisashi said, making a mental note. "How about enhancing sounds?"

"Like Present Mic's quirk?" Izuku asked.

"He can make his voice louder, whereas this quirk would make any sound louder. But not as greatly as Present Mic, I'm afraid. The sounds aren't powerful enough to create shockwaves or damage eardrums."

Izuku tapped his leg as he started mumbling. "Obviously, the ability would work well as a distraction."

"Yes, I thought the same."

"What if you carried a device that produced loud sounds? Perhaps if you started with an eardrum-piercing sound then you could enhance it into something even more dangerous. You'd need to wear earplugs, which could be a hazard in the field."

"Still an excellent idea." Hisashi smiled. His suspicions had been confirmed. This boy was definitely his son.

"Let me join in too!" Yoichi tugged on his brother's sleeve. "You could use the quirk for spying. Enhance the sound of a conversation that you're overhearing."

"Except the people talking would be able to tell that their voices had gotten louder," Hisashi pointed out.

"Oh." Yoichi drooped.

Izuku said, "But you enhanced sounds around a general area, you could use that to detect intruders."

"Mmm, yes, that would take—" Hisashi almost said practice, but he was pretending this was a hypothetical. "Take the cake as a great idea. Along that vein, the ability might be used for medical purposes to detect an irregular heartbeat."

Yoichi jumped up and down. "Ooo! Create loud sounds as a cover to disguise a private conversation."

"Yes, that would work," Hisashi said, smiling at his younger brother. Yoichi flushed with pleasure.

"Potential to distort or disguise voices, crying for help, perhaps creating an avalanche under the right circumstances." Izuku ticked off each one on his fingers.

"Here's a trickier one to make useful," Hisashi said. "Flexible fingers."

Izuku considered. "How flexible?"

"Capable of bending in all directions like rubber."

Yoichi cried, "You could use it to get out of handcuffs."

"Oh, that's a good one," Izuku said.

"Well-done," Hisashi agreed. "I thought it also might make it harder for someone to peel off your grip."

"It might," Izuku said. "That would require testing. Along the same vein, you could pull off a surprise eye poke in a fight. It would also be an amazing skill for sleight of hand—though that's more of a reconnaissance skill than a combat skill."

"It still counts," Hisashi said. "That's all the quirk ideas I had for now." He had no intention of bringing up his hacking quirk. That was too useful as a secret.

All Might strode back into the classroom. "Is everyone ready? Time to head out in the field."

Izuku looked around as his fellow students filed in wearing their costumes. "Is everyone else already changed? I should get changed too." He tossed a smile at the two brothers. "I'll be right back."

As Izuku headed for the door, a spikey-haired blond boy called, "Why the hell are you so slow, Deku? It's bad enough that I got stuck on the same team as you, but try not to get in my way, shit nerd."

Deku? As in useless? Hisashi's smile froze on his face.

Izuku's shoulders hunched over and he walked even faster.

Hisashi watched very carefully. He owed Izuku one for helping him settle the misunderstanding with his little brother. Here, he saw a chance to repay his debt. Besides, destroying bullies was his pleasure.

OMAKE TIME!

Omake: Inside the Void, Part 5

Hikage: What happened when you talked to your younger self?

First: AHHHHHHH!

Hikage: What does that mean?

Second: His younger self spills anything he says immediately to Child for One.

First: AHHHHHHH!

#

Omake: In the Other Part of the Dreamscape

Hisashi: Other me, from one Hisashi to another…are you a deadbeat dad?

All for One: Of course not.

Hisashi: Then why hasn't Izuku seen your face in years?

All for One: I might have sorta misplaced my son.

Hisashi: Don't you have any bank vaults, you incompetent?

Author's Note: FYI, Child Hisashi is not a reliable narrator: not everything he says about himself is charitable or true. Hisashi became mature at a young age because he had to grow up too fast in order to protect his younger brother from their father's abuse. When his mother told him that his coldness meant he had no empathy, he believed her. Hisashi gave up on ever becoming a good person because his mother told him that he couldn't. Unfortunately, the fastest way to turn into a monster is to keep telling yourself that you already are one.

While the flashbacks will explore Hisashi's early childhood, I've also started a pre-canon prologue about how the First One for All user ended up in the vault. "Kill What You Love" is canon for this story and will offer some more context as to how All for One and First's relationship deteriorated.