Chapter One:
DAWN OF THE AGE OF QUIRKS:
Hisashi Shigaraki paused outside the round metal door to steel himself. Feeding time was always difficult. Every single time he visited his younger brother turned difficult, these days. But this was by far the worst.
As he opened the vault door, his breath came out more rapidly. He barely paid attention to the doctor and two nurses flanking him. His world had narrowed to the person inside.
Yuuto Shigaraki lay strapped to a bed. His painfully thin shoulder blades jutted out of a hospital gown. The cuffs had extra padding to prevent the starved wrists from chaffing. His breathing had a labored quality that made Hisashi's heart twist. His skin had turned yellow and sallow. Pale, greasy hair fell over the blindfold covering his eyes. Hisashi had supposedly added that to try and calm Yuuto down. To himself, he could admit that the ceaseless hatred in his brother's eyes had driven him to desperation.
At the first sound of footsteps, Yuuto stared struggling against his bonds. A futile gesture, since he was tied so tightly he could barely move. An IV attached to one skeletal arm swayed. The heart rate monitor showed a sudden spike.
The doctor went to the table and prepped a feeding tube. Hisashi had been forced to such dire measures after weeks of hunger striking.
Ever since his latest recapture, Yuuto had barely been able to use One for All. Obviously, he'd passed it on to the spikey-haired vigilante accompanying him, the one who'd escaped while Yuuto had made his last stand. Hisashi had hoped that his brother would be easier to contain without his ability. But when he'd passed on his quirk, he'd also lost the will to live.
Hisashi still remembered his first attempt at conversation with Yuuto after securing him in his nice, safe room:
"I won't let you use me as a hostage or bait for my friends." Yuuto had glared at him with such chilling coldness. Before, his little brother's fury had always burned hot, the rage of disappointed expectations and a deep love turned bitter. Now none of that remained. This icy rage was far worse, because it could have been directed at a stranger.
"I wouldn't risk losing you like that, little brother," Hisashi had protested.
"Don't call me that. I'm not your brother any longer."
"That's hardly something you can change no matter how much you—" Hisashi had taken a deep breath to control his temper. "The so-called heroes believe you died. I'll never let them take you away, ever again. If you've stopped eating to protect those pieces of trash, then there's no point—"
Yuuto's laugh had been spine-chilling. A malicious light burned in his green eyes. "If I can hurt you by dying, that's all the reason I need."
Then he'd tried to bite off his own tongue. His muscles had been too weak to succeed, but he'd still bled so much. That was when Hisashi had been forced to add the gag. Now Yuuto's teeth gnashed against the rubber futilely as angry hisses emerged from his throat.
One nurse held him still while another removed the gag. Yuuto had time to spit out one curse before the doctor stuck the feeding tube down his throat.
Hisashi winced at the resulting groan of pain. His hands shook. A large, irrational part of himself wanted to throw the doctor into a wall for hurting his brother.
This only got worse every time. Hisashi kept telling himself that Yuuto couldn't stay stubborn forever. He no longer believed it.
But he had no choice. This was the only way he could force Yuuto to take the medicine he needed to survive, the pills crushed and mixed in among the liquid meal. Horrible sounds came from Yuuto's throat as the concoction was forced down. The moans died into a gurgle then started up again.
Hisashi couldn't bear it any longer. He rushed forward and pushed a sweaty lock off his brother's forehead, touching as gently as if handling antique glass. The poor thing had grown so weak. Veins stood out against the feverish skin. He whispered, "There, there. It will be okay, little brother."
A mistake. Yuuto went mad. He thrashed against his bonds, the tube jostling. Nothing could infuriate him quite like affection from his older brother.
The tube slipped from the nurse's hands. There was a cracking sound from Yuuto's throat.
"Oh, no," the doctor said.
Hisashi's heart nearly stopped. Not just at the words, but the tone of them.
Yuuto made a sound between a cough and choke. The doctor ran to remove the feeding tube.
But something had gone wrong. Yuuto was still choking. The heart monitor went insane.
"What's happening?" Hisashi asked, only a whisper, because he didn't dare disturb the doctor at frantic work, pressing into Yuuto's chest in an attempt to remove the blockage. He didn't want to acknowledge his own fear leaking into his shaking hands and sweaty face.
A sickening gurgle came from Yuuto's lips. The line on the screen went flat. His heart had stopped beating.
In the Void of One for All, the very first vestige opened his eyes.
The doctor grabbed an automated external defibrillator off the wall. A nurse performed CPR. Though Hisashi knew better than to interfere with the professionals, his mind cycled through his quirks, desperate for something to save his only family member.
Yuuto had stopped moving. It was terrifying. Hisashi's eyes scanned for any sign of life, finally noticing something sharp poking out of his brother's throat.
Part of the feeding tube had broken off and those worthless incompetents hadn't even noticed! His baby brother couldn't breathe!
Hisashi ran forward, shoving a woman aside hard enough to snap her neck as he clamped his hand over his little brother's throat. There was no time, only desperation. He activated an ability to sharpen his nails and rip the broken piece of tube out, then merged a sealing ability with stasis to halt the flow of blood.
Yuuto's heart rate remained flat. Hisashi would have traded his entire criminal empire for even one healing quirk, but they were unspeakably rare. Instead, he melded together a stamina ability with an ability to share energy with others. Both quirks only worked on living things, and thus resisted going into Yuuto's inert body, but he forced the power in with sheer will.
"Bandages, then the defibrillator," he snarled at the doctor and the remaining nurse. Their eyes snapped away from the woman crumpled against the wall as they sprang into action. Neither of them had long to live either after failing him so badly, but they didn't need to know that yet.
The doctor brought the defibrillator down on the patient's chest. Electricity arced. Yuuto's body spasmed. A line of life appeared on the heart rate monitor.
A whimper escaped Hisashi's lips. His legs went out from under him. Clutching his brother's hand, he sank to the floor. He could feel a very faint pulse in the scrawny wrist between his fingers. Life. He could have cried from relief.
The doctor and nurse rushed around the room, bring bandages for Yuuto's throat and electrodes. The noise and bright lights all seemed faded to Hisashi. Sweat dripped down his forehead. He couldn't stop shaking. The whole world spun.
With painful clarity, Hisashi saw that this couldn't continue. If Yuuto didn't die this time, then he would the next. The last couple months had taught him the futility of trying to preserve someone completely determined to die. Hisashi could keep his brother locked up and safe from everything in the outside world, but still couldn't save him from himself. He was losing this war, and he knew it.
For a moment, Hisashi wondered if he should let Yuuto go. Even if he never saw his little brother again, surely that would be better than watching him die—
Never to see his brother again.
No. If he left Yuuto alone, frail, sickly thing that he was, he'd surely die. He could never survive without his older brother's protection. Hisashi knew it like he knew two plus two equally four. That option wasn't even on the table, but surely someone with his power and resources could think of something else.
Hisashi had always believed that a quirk could solve any of his problems. There had to some ability that would stop Yuuto from fighting him. A way he could save his brother from himself. He'd pay any price if only he could bring back the love his little brother used to have for him into those bright green eyes.
If only he could just reach into his brother's mind and fix the troublesome parts.
Wait a moment. That hidden ability he'd picked up recently…if he combined it with the obnoxious empathy ability he'd discarded as quickly as possible on a minion…he'd have to test it on someone expendable first, of course…but just maybe…
PRESENT DAY (IZUKU AGE EIGHT):
Izuku was walking home from elementary school when his phone buzzed. He glanced home to see a text from his mother: Surprise guest for dinner :)
A grin on his face, Izuku ran the rest of the way home. He tossed his backpack loaded with textbooks in the corner and darted into the living room. "Uncle Yuuto!"
As he'd hoped, his uncle sat on the couch, reading a manga. His green eyes lit up when they fell on his nephew. "I got back from my business trip early, kid. Give me a hug." Standing up, he spread out his arms. Yuuto's voice was soft and raspy, because of the crater-like scar on his throat.
Izuku ran into those outstretched arms. "Yay! Welcome back!"
Yuuto lifted him off his feet and spun him in a circle. "How's school been? No trouble?"
Izuku rolled his eyes. His uncle asked him that every couple days. Just because he'd had some trouble with bullying once when he was younger, Uncle Yuuto acted so overprotective. It had all blown over very quickly when the parents of the main instigators coincidentally got job transfers all at the same time. Such a small thing, Izuku regretted ever letting his family find out, especially with how furious Dad had gotten. "School is great, the teachers fawn over me in hopes of getting more donations from Dad, and if any of my classmates looked at their golden goose the wrong way they'd be in detention all year. You can stop being nosy—I already have Dad to do that."
"You know why I have to ask, kid." Uncle Yuuto bopped him on the nose. "Because you'd try to hide it if something was wrong. And you might be able to lie to your parents, but you can't lie to me. I know all the signs. I was bullied myself when I was your age."
Izuku's heart softened. When Uncle Yuuto put it like that, he couldn't stay annoyed. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."
"It was a long time ago." Humor flashed across Yuuto's face. "You wouldn't believe how long—" His words turned into a cough. He rubbed at the scar on his throat.
"Sit down," Izuku said with concern. He hovered as Uncle Yuuto took a sip of water. "I had an idea for a quirk you might copy next, something to help with your voice."
Uncle Yuuto had the strangest—and coolest—quirk Izuku had ever heard of. His quirk would constantly change, sometimes randomly, sometimes into something he'd picked out in advance. Sometimes he had a couple abilities at a time. Dad had a very similar ability, except his multiple quirks didn't change as frequently. Izuku had pages in his analysis notebook about it, but he never took that notebook to school, because his dad and uncle's abilities were top secret. It had been explained to him that such rare quirks drew attention from human traffickers.
"You've got my love of quirks," Yuuto said.
Izuku sat down next to him. "There's a newer hero called Present Mic. His quirk allows him to increase the volume of his voice, all the way up to a sonic scream. He made the news recently after he used his quirk to blast some trees and stop a forest fire. Isn't that such an original use of a sound ability? That got me wondering what other natural disasters he might be able to stop. He might be able to redirect a typhoon, but there'd be a risk of the water just going around him. I think he'd only make a landslide worse. I'm not sure how his soundwaves would interact with a tornado." Izuku stopped, realizing he was mumbling. "Sorry, I'm getting off-topic again."
"I always like to hear you talk about quirks, kid." Uncle Yuuto smiled.
"I thought if you had an ability like that, it would put less strain on your throat."
"That's a wonderful idea." Uncle Yuuto kissed the top of his head. "I'll try for that one, next."
From the kitchen, Inko called, "Can anyone help me with dinner? I need someone to watch my pot while I cook the meat."
"I'll do it!" Izuku ran for the kitchen.
Mom stood over a soup pot, stirring. She called, "Set time for twenty minutes." After Dad had lost his eyesight, they'd switched to talking household appliances. Braille labels covered the carefully ordered drawers. Though Dad could use infrared vision, they still wanted to make it easier for him.
Turning around, Inko smiled at her son. "I just need you to stir this pot every so often and let me know if it boils over."
"No problem!" Izuku loved helping.
"Am I too late to offer my service?" Hisashi Midoriya stood in the doorway. Scars covered his face and erased his eyes. A wheezing sound came from the breathing equipment around his throat. Izuku had grown so accustomed to the sound that he barely noticed it.
Dad had been accidentally caught up in a villain's attack a few years ago. Back then, he hadn't even told his family what had happened! He'd just stopped coming home and refused to even video-call. Mom had tried to hide her red, puffy eyes, but Izuku knew she'd been afraid that his father's long business trip turned into an overseas transfer was actually an excuse to abandon his family.
Uncle Yuuto had stormed around the house muttering about how his brother was a fool and an ass, then he'd dragged little Izuku aside and asked him if he wanted his dad back. Of course, Izuku did. So he'd agreed to sit on his uncle's lap and record a video of himself saying, "I love Uncle Yuuto more than Daddy."
In retrospect, it had been a very passive-aggressive way of handling interpersonal conflict, but it had worked. Hisashi had been home within the hour holding a huge bouquet of flowers and full of explanations. It turned out that he'd been concerned the villains might have targeted him because of his unusual quirk and tried to stay away from his family for their own safety. Mom had read him the riot act, of course. She'd told him that families had to stay together and protect one another. The household had instituted some rules to keep Dad's quirk and his injuries secret from the outside world. Even though Dad could no longer show up for school activities, he still appeared for dinner every night, and Izuku was so grateful for it.
Inko stood on her tiptoes to kiss her husband and straighten his perpetually messy tie. "Izuku called dibs on stirring the soup, but you can help set the table."
"Of course. It smells delicious," Hisashi said.
Inko giggled. "Do you even have a sense of smell anymore?"
"You wound me! My one remaining nostril is dedicated to detecting your cooking."
Izuku watched them with a smile. He was so glad his family had reached the point where they could even joke around about his father's injuries.
Who cared how his dad looked? All that mattered was that he'd stayed with his family.
Izuku stared at the headline on the computer screen. PRESENT MIC FOUND DEAD IN ALLEYWAY.
His stomach twisted. He looked at the brand-new Present Mic action figure he'd just purchased yesterday. A part of him wanted to throw it away so he wouldn't be reminded. But he'd regret that later. That too-young hero, who'd saved a family of campers just a few days ago, didn't deserve to be forgotten.
Tears stung Izuku's eyes. Clutching his action figure, he buried himself in his pillow and wept.
Yuuto stood outside his nephew's doorway, his hand raised to knock. At the sound of weeping inside, he hesitated. Biting his lip, he shifted from foot to foot.
"You should let him be." Hisashi stepped around the corner of the hallway.
In a normal, if slightly loud, voice, Yuuto asked, "What happened?"
"He saw the news about Present Mic. I think you should stay away for a few days, little brother. Just so he doesn't immediately make the connection with your new voice."
"I never wanted to upset Izuku. Did I do something wrong, big brother?" Yuuto stared up at his brother with wide, innocent eyes.
"Not particularly. He's a child, he'll forget easily." Hisashi tousled his little brother's hair. "Just next time maybe don't discuss the heroes you target with Izuku."
PRESENT DAY (IZUKU AGE FOURTEEN):
Izuku's heart raced with excitement as he headed home from a day of hard work cleaning the beach. After eating All Might's hair, he still didn't feel any different. But his mentor had warned him that it would take time. Hopefully his new quirk would come in before the U.A. entrance exam.
The scent of hot pot hit his nostrils as soon as he opened the door. "Smells great, Mom!"
"Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes," she called.
Izuku ran upstairs to shower. He barely finished in time. His hair dripped water down the back of his shirt as he sat down.
His father was setting the table. Uncle Yuuto was away on a business trip, so there were just three places.
Hisashi's head jerked around as Izuku entered the room. His nostrils twitched. It was so hard to read his facial expressions under the scars, but he seemed either shocked or angry.
"Dad? Is something wrong?"
The tension eased from the air. "Of course not, son." Hisashi sat down. Though his tone had sounded normal, Izuku couldn't quite shake his uneasy feeling.
Inko carried out a plate of ingredients. "Time to start our hot pot!"
Over the meal, Hisashi seemed to be paying close attention to Izuku. Their hands brushed as Izuku reached for a napkin, and he couldn't shake the feeling it had been deliberate. Izuku felt uneasy, but he couldn't put his finger on why.
Hisashi asked, "Where have you been going lately?"
"I told you, strength training."
"Where and with who exactly?" For someone without eyes, Hisashi could still manage a piercing gaze.
Izuku squirmed. "It's sort of a surprise."
"I'm not sure I'd like to be 'surprised' about an adult hanging around my son."
Reasonable words, but why was his father raising this issue now when he'd never cared before? Izuku said, "We're not meeting up again until after the U.A. Entrance Exam. I'll introduce you again." He didn't know why he felt a sudden desire to put off revealing All Might. Nor did he know why he felt like he was walking along the edge of a cliff.
"Ah, that entrance exam." Hisashi's eyes narrowed. "I've changed my mind. I don't think it's a good idea for you to try out for U.A."
Izuku had already fought with his father over the entrance exam. Hisashi had only agreed to let him try for U.A. under the condition that he not apply for any other hero schools and that he have several back-up high schools. Izuku was pretty certain his father had only agreed to let him try because he didn't believe he could make it in. Why change his mind now?
Inko narrowed her eyes as she stared at her husband. "You promised Izuku. You know how much this means to him. It's too late to take your permission back."
"I suppose it is too late," Hisashi muttered.
Why did Izuku have a strong feeling his father wasn't talking about the entrance exam?
That night, Izuku fell into a fitful slumber. In his dream, he found himself standing in a dark place. The shadows crawled all over his body and his mouth, letting only his eyes twitch.
"Nineth? Can you hear me?" His Uncle Yuuto stood before him, wearing the baggy shirt and jeans he usually favored. He had a worried look in his eyes. "Can you nod?"
Izuku nodded.
Yuuto's shoulders sagged in relief. "I'm so glad. We didn't want to try to reach you this early, and it's taking a concentrated effort from all of us to break through. This is an urgent situation. You're in grave danger." He closed his eyes, then opened. "I wanted to break this to you more gently, but I have no choice. Your father is the villain known as All for One, the ancient enemy we One for All users are sworn to stop. Unfortunately, he seems to have noticed us inside of you. He can sense quirks—and we're a quirk he's very familiar with."
Whoa, this was a weird dream. Izuku would have to tell his uncle all about it after he got back. Yuuto would find this hilarious. He always said that his brother would make a great demon king.
"You don't believe me," Uncle Yuuto said sadly, reading his face.
Izuku shrugged.
The ghostly figure of his uncle closed his eyes and concentrated. Sweat dripped down his face.
The shadows on Izuku's face receded. He flexed his jaw. "Hey, I can talk!"
"I understand that this is hard to believe." Yuuto swayed on his feet. "I'll tell you the whole story. To start with, I'm your uncle."
"Uh, yes? Obviously?" Izuku laughed. "I haven't forgotten your face just because you've been gone a couple days, Uncle Yuuto."
"You know my name?" The ghostly figure recoiled. "Ah, yes, my big brother must have told you. Did he show you pictures?"
"This is a strange dream."
"Please focus, Nineth, this is important. I know it must be hard to believe that I'm your dead uncle—"
"You're not dead. We had dinner together just a few days ago. You gave me some strength training tips."
"Are you joking?" Uncle Yuuto stared at him. "I'm a ghost living inside my former quirk. I'm dead."
"Nope, my uncle is still alive."
The scream shook the Void. "WHAT?"
OMAKE TIME!
Omake: Even While Brainwashed and Crazy, Yuuto Still Has His Brother's Number
Hisashi: Ever since my last battle with All Might, it's gotten too dangerous to remain with my family. I'll have to leave for their own good.
Yuuto: That's crazy talk. Look, I adore my sister-in-law with all my heart in soul, but she is a tad gullible, or she'd have never married you. We can come up with a story about why your face is missing.
Hisashi: Too risky. What if Izuku lets it slip to someone at school that his father came home with his face missing? I have to convince the heroes that I died. It will just be for a short time, long enough for me to handle the All Might situation.
Yuuto: Yeah, I really doubt you're going to be able to deal with All Might quickly. You'll keep on getting close but never quite finishing him off over and over again, until you've spent years away from your family. You'll miss your son's childhood, and I'll become Izuku's favorite.
Hisashi: You will not! He adores his daddy!
Yuuto: You can't possibly expect me to stay away from my wonderful sister-in-law and perfect nephew just because you're acting like a moron. You made me evil, not obedient.
Hisashi: It will be safe for you to stay. All Might doesn't know about you.
Yuuto: You're making a mistake.
Hisashi: Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Yuuto: Ha! That might work for other people, but it won't work for you.
Hisashi: Are you implying something?
Yuuto: Yes, but I doubt you'll ever get it.
Two weeks later, Hisashi receives an email with a video attachment. Little Izuku waves and the camera and chants, "I love Uncle Yuuto more than Daddy!"
Hisashi: KUROGIRI, GET YOUR SHADOWY ASS OVER HERE, I'M WARPING HOME AT TOP SPEED!
#
Omake: Hisashi "Human Disaster" Shigaraki Learns the Wrong Lesson
Hisashi: Instead of smothering my little brother or locking him in a bank vault, I'm letting him help me out with my business. We have a great relationship now that he's, uh, come to see a few things my way. I clearly learned from my mistakes.
Author: Keep on telling yourself that. It won't make Yuuto any less likely to murder both of us for this.
#
Omake: Kazuki = The First in My Star Wars AU
Author: Hey, Kazuki, remember when I promised to give Yuuto a fate worse than death in order to equalize what I did to you in the Star Wars AU? It took me a while, but here you go. You're welcome.
Kazuki: Don't pin this horror on me! I never asked for this!
Author: Sorry, but Yuuto is looking for someone to murder for this, and I need a patsy. I told him you wrote the prompt for this story.
Kazuki: I'm going to help him kill you.
#Yeah, I don't think Yuuto believed me #RIP Author
Author's Note:
Concerning why the First's name is Yuuto: this story uses the same characterization for the First as my stories Custody Battle, Start and End with Family, Karma Quirk, and Save Your Dysfunctional Family, Save the World. The name predates the canon name reveal.
My title comes from the quote "Hell is empty and all the devils are here." –William Shakespeare, The Tempest. Buckle up for a wild ride, because you'll find out later why I picked that title.
Most of my long stories are funny, so I have to warn readers that this one is NOT. The funniest stuff happened in chapter one, and it's all downhill from here. Consider yourself warned. I'll return to writing funny stories after this, assuming my readers don't lynch me.
I have deliberately declined to reveal exactly how Hisashi "fixed" his younger brother's mind. The readers will get to figure it out at the same time Izuku does (cough when his father tries to do the same thing to him.)
Finally, Kayamii drew an adorable little sketch of Evil First for me, which can be found at:
aimportantdragoncollector.
tumblr.
com/
post/657075414000402432/two-adorable-sketches-that-kayamiii-made-for-two