Izuku had always wished to be the one to save the masses with a smile, he worked hard for over a year with his idol to make his dream into a reality and faced countless hardships to reach his goals, even to the point of breaking every bone in his body to just be accepted as a hero. These trials had gained him much respect from those who surrounded him and ire from those he fought against. However one person had taken a shine to the up and coming hero, a very unlikely sort of person who proclaimed his hatred for All Might's successor once before, but as with most things in life, perspectives can be changed when new information comes to light.
And such is the case for our young protagonist.
He raced through the forestry of the training camp with his broken arms flapping behind him as he raced towards his teachers who were engaged with two villains. The pain of his mangled limbs barely registered from the sea of adrenaline that flooded his mind after defeating the muscle quirk villain by sacrificing most of his combat effectiveness to save Kota, however this was a secondary concern due to the fact that he knew why the League of Villains decided to attack.
They were here for him.
He heard Muscular talk about him being the kid that Shigaraki wanted them to get while they fought and that little bit of information almost lost him the battle. He had won but that seemed trivial compared to his current objective of reuniting with his class to ensure that he wasn't captured. The idea of what that depraved mad man would do to him made any notion of going on his own vanish.
The dark woods gave way to the clearing where two villains battled against the teachers while one of the heroes was held hostage by the pair as he rushed by with his quirk propelling him towards the action.
Izuku landed just short of the heroes which placed him between the factions that dueled on the hard soil. He recoiled when the humanoid lizard pulled a gigantic sword constructed of assorted knives and belts while proclaiming himself as the man who would follow Stain's dream yet thankfully One for All was still viable in his other arm and allowed him to destroy the metal monstrosity with a punch. That did little to dissuade the criminals who still fought on to kidnap him.
Izuku sought refuge behind his teacher but he had to jump away when he noticed the glint of a syringe from the corner of his eye, it was aimed for his neck and almost hit its mark if he hadn't leaped away at that precise moment, however there was a strange force that nearly pulled him back towards the pair and suddenly disappeared as if it never existed.
He didn't have time to consider it as he ran aimlessly through the foliage, his mind was ablaze with panic when he saw all his elders nearly get taken down by just two of the villains so if they couldn't protect him then who could?
He was alone with no way to defend himself and his only hope was that one of his classmates would find him before the villains did.
It all left him feeling just as helpless as when he was a kid, back when Kacchan would beat him and he couldn't do anything about it. His stomach suddenly had the phantom pain of a high intensity burn at the memory but it was quickly forgotten as he ran into the disturbing aftermath of a battle.
A girl with blonde hair had Tsuyu trapped on a tree trunk with a knife impaled through her long hair, keeping her immobile while Uraraka tried her damnedest to not get stabbed. All three heads turned to look at his ungraceful entrance and that was all the time the blonde villainess needed to land a quick slash to Uraraka's side, splitting it open with a long, shallow gorge that dripped sanguine.
The gravity quirk user fell to the ground, clutching her damaged torso in silent agony as she was swiftly forgotten by her assailant who zeroed in on Izuku with a predatory gaze that had him freeze up as she approached with the still wet blade in hand.
He trembled uncontrollably when those feline eyes rested on his body, scanning him like he was a piece of meat with a giddy smile that only served to worsen his fear as the girl knelt down to make them both of even height while he was on his stomach.
He could see the pearl white teeth that hid behind the girl's lips when she gave that smile which brought a chill to Izuku's soul.
"So you're the kid the boss man wants. I gotta say you're pretty cute, too bad I'm not allowed to cut you, otherwise I'd see how cute you can really be."
There was a sudden rustling of foliage ahead of the pair that cut the one sided conversation short when Mezo appeared out of the brush. The multi armed mutant rushed over to where his classmate was being held hostage, but a quick blur of motion combined with the sound of steel slicing through air stopped his rescue attempt when he felt a throwing knife penetrate his stomach.
Izuku looked on in horror when Mezo fell to the ground with his hands clutching the blade embedded in his gut. The fear that had consumed him also brought his focus away from the girl who held his life in her hands for long enough to grab him by the hair to bring their eyes to an even level. The sensation of a long, thin needle going into the purple muscle of his arm again and again until it found a vein, overcame his fear and traded it for pain.
The girl's eyes became full of glee as the feeling of pain transformed his face into a picture of discomfort that all at once froze when the injection took effect. Izuku suddenly lost all sense of control over his limbs as he felt something go into his arm, they wouldn't respond to his commands nor could he empower them with One For All, he was trapped within his own flesh and unable to do anything about it.
Warm hands grabbed his paralyzed body and dragged him into the woods with his lower torso contacting the cold soil, just as he heard the voices of his classmates from where he was taken. He wanted to scream out for help but his voice was gone and all his motor functions as well, leaving him as nothing but a breathing cadaver.
Time spread out into eternity as he passed rows upon rows of massive trees until he found himself in a sea of blue flame that burned away at the forest. He heard the villainess discuss something with two other criminals, it was hard to make out over the sound of crackling wood and what little he could understand wasn't pleasant.
Izuku hadn't much time to ponder what he heard before he was lifted up into the air by a pair of men dressed in the same grey and black jumpsuits that one of the villains wore and carried him off in a random direction. The trek through the forest was torturous as he tried so desperately to move his broken body, only to earn more frustration at the futility of his efforts which only made his emotions become more frantic once he was brought to the top of a hill which overlooked the surrounding trees.
He saw who was waiting for him at the top and it made him want to jump into the fire that burned around him.
The leader of the League stood atop the slope with his spectral caretaker silently waiting behind him as the remaining members strode forward with their target carried aloft by two clones who held Izuku in a paramedic carry, exposing his damaged body to the host of Villains.
Shigaraki met Izuku's eyes with a slightly depraved shine behind his mask that chilled the broken hero to the bone.
"Glad to see that you're still kicking Izuku, it's been awhile since we last had a conversation and I'm hoping we can pick up from where we left off."
The raspy voice of the villain made Izuku want to recoil but his muscles were completely numb to his demands, yet that fear was overcome by the eruption of an ear shattering KABOOM coming from over the horizon.
The group all collectively looked to the source of the noise and saw the bright reddish yellow of nitroglycerin combusting in rapid succession as the shape of a man came into view.
Shigaraki looked on at the projectile heading for his team and allowed a self-satisfied smile to grow behind his father's hand as he saw the hope forming in Izuku's eyes.
"Looks like Kacchan plans on interrupting our little get together, well don't worry, I've come prepared."
With a snap of his fingers the power tool nomu leaped into the air and attacked Katsuki in order to bring him crashing to the ground.
At the sound of the impact Izuku's last shred of hope died as he saw a portal open behind Shigaraki and swallowed the assembled cast of criminals before anymore interruptions could arise. The next thing that came after the black void engulfed his vision was the dimmed lighting of a bar room that reeked of wood varnish and cleaning products.
The clones set their hostage down on the polished hardwood floor before disintegrating into grey goo, leaving Izuku to try and move away from the people that captured him. He could barely manage to twitch a finger in protest as Shigaraki knelt down to survey the damaged frame before him.
Red eyes flickered behind the fingers of his mask as he noticed every single bruise, broken bone and twisted limb.
"Seems like you really fucked yourself over, but thankfully I planned for this."
Izuku grimaced when he saw his kidnapper pull a thin medical syringe from a bag on the bar top, it was no longer then his hand and dripped a sickly pink fluid from the tip.
"This'll fix you up, but it's also going to hurt like hell."
The needle pierced the tender flesh of his forearm, invading his paralyzed body with the foreign liquid. All at once Izuku felt his pain receptors fire off immediately as the numbness vanished to give way to immense pain as his cells reconstructed around the damaged skin and shifted his bones back into place before mending them back together with appalling speed. The assembled mass of Villains flinched at the disturbing show of regeneration but all Izuku could do was scream as he slowly lost consciousness.
Blinding white light filled his eyes as Izuku slowly arose from where he was laying. He placed his forearm over his brow to shield himself from the merciless shine of the LEDs that hung overhead and tried his best to survey his environment.
The room he found himself in was a concrete box that had three walls of thick grayish stone which had been peppered by sprays of old blood that stained the stone darkish brown in some areas, the cell had some furnishings that would be found in most prisons such as a small sink, a steel toilet and the mattress he was on. But those trivial things were quickly forgotten when he turned his head to the plexiglass barrier that constituted the final wall in that tiny room.
Behind the clear wall that separated the cell from the outside world was the girl who attacked Uraraka and Tsuyu, she was seated on a steel folding chair with a butterfly knife twirling around in her right hand as she stared at Izuku with a feral gaze that left him feeling naked.
He froze for a brief eternity until his senses returned, the feeling of unpleasantness didn't go away as Izuku found himself staring right back into the abyss.
The girl gave him a smile not too dissimilar to the one she had when he got stabbed by that syringe back at the training camp, only this time he could clearly make out the fangs that grew in place of her canines. Izuku felt a cold sweat beam from his body, causing him to tug at the collar of his shirt.
The feeling of rough cotton rubbing against his skin brought a startling revelation to the forefront.
These weren't his clothes.
He grabbed the white fabric of the shirt and then felt the cheap cloth of the pants in a panicked frenzy.
What did they do to him? Did they do anything to his body? At least one of them had to have undressed him to put these new clothes on him. So what did th-.
Izuku's inner monologue was cut short when the girl behind the glass erupted into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.
"Oh my God, you should see your face."
Izuku fumbled with his mind missing a beat after hearing the cackle coming from the villainess' mouth but he eventually found his words.
"W-What did you do to me?"
The girl stopped her incessant giggling and plastered a grin in its place.
"I didn't do anything, all that happened was that the boss man ordered us to lock you up after your body made all those pretty sounds and to have one of us make sure you don't die. I naturally took the job, since you were the one who beat Stain and all."
Izuku recoiled at the mention of the Hero Killer, but the sound of a heavy door swinging open from the top of the staircase that led down to where the cell was located stopped any further interaction between the two when the one who opened the door walked down the stairs to observe the situation.
Shigaraki stood at the base of the stairs looking oddly calm as he strolled to the plexiglass wall with a large manila folder set to burst from the massive amount of papers within. His face was bare to the world as he seemingly discarded his mask for some reason, which exposed every wrinkle that lingered under his blood shot eyes and all the cracks that lined his chapped lips.
A chill ran through Izuku when he met Shigaraki's gaze, however it didn't have the same unending malice that characterized their encounters in the past, instead what nested inside of the young villain was a wellspring of pity.
"Toga, you can go now."
The villainess crossed her arms and stayed where she was with a defiant look on her face.
"Why should I leave when I just got him talking?"
There was a noticeable twitch in Shigaraki's left hand but his demeanor remained uncharacteristically stoic.
"Because I'm asking politely, now if you wouldn't mind leaving us alone for a moment so we can get to business."
The blonde's eyes drifted towards the agitated fingers that squirmed in her employer's hand before stealing one final gaze at the green haired hero and leaving the successor of One For All and the successor of All For One to their fate.
Shigaraki sat down in the metal chair with the folder clutched in one of his hands while Izuku stood ramrod straight, trying to call upon his quirk which didn't seem to respond.
There was an overwhelming silence as the two eyed each other, but it was soon broken by the older of the pair.
"You thirsty?"
Izuku blinked at the seemingly random question.
"What?"
Shigaraki reached for a spot beside the edge of the barrier and placed a large water bottle on the built in counter that was stationed under the single hinged door no larger than a human head which served as the only other door to the cell aside from the main one that had been bolted shut by a horde of heavy locks.
"You gotta be dying of thirst after being out for so long."
Izuku wanted to decline the offer but his throat did feel as dry as sandpaper, however Shigaraki pulled a key from his pocket and slid the bottle through the opening without any request to do so.
He picked up the water and thoroughly examined the bottle, it had an unbroken seal with no apparent tampering to the packaging, but that didn't mean anything, they could have poisoned it or drugged with some kind of narcotic or they cou-
"If we wanted to do anything to you, we would have done it by now. Just drink the fucking water so we can talk."
Izuku glared at Shigaraki before opening the bottle and drinking the water. He felt a deep shame at his actions but Izuku couldn't have denied how refreshing the cool liquid was as it traveled down his body.
The two returned to their stand off with Izuku trying to control the fear that ran through him as he looked Shigaraki in the eye.
"Why did you have your henchmen kidnap me? Are you going to use me as a hostage or are you just going to have me killed to make a statement?"
The leader of the League of Villains placed the overstuffed folder on the counter and took a seat in front of his captive.
"No, I wanted to talk and….apologize for how I acted before."
Izuku nearly choked on his water.
"What would a villain feel the need to apologize for?"
Shigaraki's hands spasmed again before sliding the folder through the plexiglass.
"Let's just call it, misjudging a book by its cover and leave it at that."
Izuku picked up the folder and looked inside, it was filled with countless reports, write ups, and medical documents about him. They all recorded the instances of him being sent to the hospital for burn wounds, broken bones or worse, there was even a journal written by the psychiatrist his mother sent him to when he was younger.
He absorbed the information like a sponge, completely horrified by what was before him.
"Why are you showing me this? Are you trying to make a point or do you just want to freak me out? Becau-"
Shigaraki's eyes became filled with the childish frustration that he usually carried in his soul when he slammed a fist down on the counter.
"No you idiot, I'm trying to show you that I understand, that I know what you are now and what you've been holding inside!"
The semi plastic reverbated from the impact, causing Izuku to flinch at the sudden outburst. Something Shigaraki noticed immediately and leaned back in his seat with his eyes to the floor, seemingly embarrassed by his actions.
The pair made eye contact once again after a moment of silence, prompting Shigaraki to continue with his explanation.
"Look, I...I get where this may sound weird to you after repressing your emotions for so long and being subjected to all that fucking propaganda for most of your life, but I really do see why you fought so damn hard, and I respect your commitment."
Izuku felt a slight surge of anger take root in his soul at Shigaraki's assumption, it was fleeting but controlling as his face grimaced for the barest of seconds.
"If you know so much about me then tell me what you "understand" so well."
A smile crawled across the villain's face when he noticed the emotion in his prisoner flare up.
"I know that you're like me, that you're like everyone else in the League and I know how much you hated the people around you."
The sheer audacity of that sentence made Izuku's blood boil, he felt as if his heart would burst in it's fury.
"I am nothing like you."
The icy tone in the hero's voice did nothing to wipe the grin from Shigaraki's face as he leaned back in his chair.
"You say that but I beg to differ, your entire life has been filled with hardship and until a year ago it seemed like it would stay that way, right?"
Izuku's hands became white knuckled balls of rage as he tried to not give Shigaraki the satisfaction of losing his temper.
"Yeah, my life was hard and I'm grateful for it, because it made me into who I am, and I'm not someone like you that decided to give up on life and dedicate what little bit I have left on ruining it for everyone else."
There was a gleam in Shigaraki's eyes that made it feel like he was waiting for Izuku to say that.
"That's just the kinda propaganda they shoved down your throat since you were in diapers, come on and humor me for a second, let's say your quirk never manifested. Do you honestly think that society would treat you the same?"
The anger in Izuku's heart disappeared as he found himself at a loss for words for a time.
"I...I...Tha-"
The grin on Shigaraki's face grew as he leaned forward.
"Don't bullshit me, you know the answer as well as I do, they all would just write you off as worthless just because you don't have a quirk and you don't wanna accept that fact because they always taught you to ignore it."
Izuku darted his gaze to the side as emotion built up inside him.
"That's not true, lots of people came to help me before then."
The mirth in Shigaraki's demeanor disappeared when he heard that, replacing it with a lethal seriousness that caught Izuku by surprise.
"Nobody came to help you and you know it, there was no uproar when Bakugo nearly burned the skin off your stomach when you were seven, no one cared about all the times you got hurt because you were a quirkless freak that couldn't live up to society's standards. Not even your own mom gave enough of a shit to protect you from getting harassed and maimed nearly everyday of your life."
Something snapped inside Izuku as he slammed his fist into the plexiglass barrier, nearly shattering his hand in the process.
"Shut up! You're lying to get a reaction out of me because you don't know shit about me or what I've been through!"
The show of force didn't phase Shigaraki, who maintained his serious demeanor.
"No I'm not, the only one lying is you."
Izuku's face began to contort into an ugly mask as he bared his teeth with the veins on his forehead throbbing in rage.
"Enough! Tell me why you brought all this up, are you just trying to piss me off or is there an actual reason for all this nonsense?"
Shigaraki looked his captive in the eye, intent on making sure there could be no misinterpretation in what he said.
"I'm trying to help you get those feelings out, all the fear and hate that you keep buried in your soul for the sake of others. I know why you fight like your life depends on it and I know why you would shatter every bone in your body to prove yourself, it isn't because you feel like you have any kinship with those heroes, it's because you wanted to prove them wrong. All your life you wanted to do that, not to show off but instead you do it to hide the rage you feel, because you're scared about what would happen if you didn't focus on that goal of living up to All Might."
Izuku's face became a blank mask as he listened to his enemy's tale.
"You and me are a lot alike because I knew something from the first time I saw you, that rage you felt never left even after you got power. It lingers inside you every waking minute just begging you to let it out and get back at everyone that wronged you until there's nothing left."
Izuku slammed his palm against the barrier as his face remained impartial.
"...Just tell me what you want from me so I don't have to listen to this anymore."
The smile returned to Shigaraki's face as he stared Izuku down.
"What I want is simple, you had a glitch in your code that made you like this, so I intend to fix it."
The connotation around that sentence made Izuku's blood run cold.
"How do you intend to fix me?"
Shigaraki stood to his full height with his face becoming as giddy as a child.
"By setting you down the path you were meant to tread, by having you join the League of Villains and becoming who you truly are."
The air in the room became heavy and toxic as Izuku's lungs ceased to function, turning his face white until they forced him to breathe. He saw the glee in Shigaraki's eyes that buried a hole in his stomach. His gaze darted around the room in a vain attempt of finding an escape route to no avail, he was trapped in an almost indestructible prison on the (assumed) basement level of a villain hideout, filled to the brim with who knows how many dangers. It was hopeless, he was trapped like a rat in a cage and the only one holding the key was a certified lunatic.
Fear gripped him like a vice, but another emotion almost as strong pulled at him, it was pride. His hands balled into white knuckled fists again as he decided then and there what he was going to say. He wouldn't allow himself to give up after all he achieved, he was going to be a hero to the absolute end, even if he had to die.
"I refuse."
The smile left Shigaraki's face, yet instead of the murderous rage that would normally result after such an insult, he simply pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.
"I knew you were going to say."
Izuku saw something dance around in his jailer's gaze that almost looked like disappointment as Shigaraki became more stoic in his actions. No twitches in his hands or eyes, just a saddened mask that replaced his usual insanity.
There was a moment of silence before Shigaraki spoke again.
"Just stop and consider why people suddenly value your existence now, instead of when you were younger. It's all because you have a powerful quirk that looks flashy and that's it, they don't value your intelligence or your drive, it all hinges on that little mutation and nothing else."
The tone in Shigaraki's voice left something nagging at Izuku's mind.
"What's your point? That all seems pointless now that I have a quirk."
The young criminal's lips became pursed as he paused for an uncomfortable amount of time.
"If you...lost your quirk, I think it would matter a lot more."
A charter settled in Izuku's chest when he heard that.
"That...you can't…"
It all became clear at once. He had tried to call on One For All multiple times but it wouldn't respond, as if it wasn't within him. He finally knew why.
They had stolen his quirk.
He slammed his fist against the plexiglass again and again until they bled, continually screaming for his power to be returned until he simply ran out of energy as panic and fear drained him of his last reserves of control. He slumped down to the floor as a feeling far worse than defeat consumed him.
All was quiet as Izuku fought down tears threatening to burst forth, until Shigaraki knelt down to look him in the eye.
"I'm sorry, I tried to talk Sensei out of taking your power but he wouldn't listen."
Izuku stayed silent as he curled into the fetal position in an attempt to drown everything out.
"You feel like you have nothing to live for now, I get that because I've been there more times than I can count and you may think you've become worthless now but I'm telling you that you're not."
That brought the green haired captive out of his state of despair for a moment, long enough for Shigaraki to push another notebook through the slot.
"You are more than your quirk, and I want you to help me prove that."
Izuku sat up and opened the notebook...it was one of his old hero journals.
"Why...Why..Where did yo-"
Shigaraki looked him dead in the eye, piercing Izuku's soul with its intensity.
"That little scrap of paper has more information about pro heroes than most of the databases in the world, you have a talent, one that people pissed all over because you were different. Let me help you put that gift to good use so that no one will never look down on you again."
Izuku stared at the journal in his hand as if it was made of slime, it made his body quiver in disgust as he shifted his view to Shigaraki who looked back with a daring gaze that bordered on insanity.
He got to his feet with anger bubbling in his heart when they made eye contact again. His hands nearly crushed the journal in their rage as blood rushed to his head.
"Fuck you, I'd rather die then help villains."
Shigaraki remained even tempered at the insult as he met Izuku's rage with cool reserve.
"You say that now, but give it time and you'll agree with me, just listen to m-"
The plexiglass simmered as the notebook was thrown against it.
"I already told you to fuck off, what more do you need? Do you honestly think I'd betray All Might after everything he's done for me, especially when you steal my quirk and have the audacity to offer me a place in your group, right after admitting to it? No thanks asshole, now be a good toadie and go tell your boss he can kiss my ass."
Shigaraki sat back down in his seat with a sigh.
"I already told you that Sensei took your quirk, not me and yes, you will join me because you don't have a choice if you want to stay alive."
Izuku threw his arms up in the air as rage stirred within him.
"Then I'll gladly die before becoming the very thing I swore to oppose."
Shigaraki's posture became rigid as he leaned forward.
"You don't understand, you won't die per say, what'll happen is that you'll be transformed into a nomu and be used to kill All Might, of course that's nothing compared to what Sensei would do to your mother."
Izuku's face became pale as a corpse at what he heard, robbing him of his tongue for long enough to give his captor a moment to continue.
"You finally see what I mean, and even if you somehow managed to magically escape unharmed, do you think anyone would want a quirkless wannabe hero? Nobody cares about anything other than exteriors, nobody except me and my League."
Izuku shook in his fury that combated his fear, giving him just enough courage to speak.
"W-Why d-do you want me to help you? You said you hated me, you tried to murder me over two times! Now you're trying to act all nice?"
A grin settled over Shigaraki's face once again as he relaxed his muscles when he slumped down in his chair.
"Because you weren't meant to be another cape wearing dumbass, you're too smart and too determined for that to happen. What you were born to do is help me make this world a better place by removing the things holding people back."
Izuku felt his blood boil but didn't retaliate this time, not when All Might and his mother were in danger. He clenched his fists again until he was sure they would shatter and said something he never would have said in his darkest nightmares.
"Fine...I'll join your stupid group, but only if you allow me a few things."
Shigaraki looked ecstatic when he heard that.
"Great, now what are your terms?"
Izuku paused for a moment as he thought about what he could demand.
"I refuse to kill anyone, and I won't help you attack UA or any of my classmates."
Izuku had to resist the urge to try and beat that stupid smile of Shigaraki's face through the plexiglass.
"I can't let that first one slide, you're gonna have to get your hands dirty at some point but as for that second one, I'll allow it. Now do we have a deal?"
The pair stared at each other with blatant animosity dueling against grievance relief.
"...I don't have a choice in this, do I?"
Shigaraki stood up from his chair and proceeded to unlock the cell door, letting a wave of fresh air flood the small prison.
"Not if you wanna stay alive, but think of it this way, you just finished an old game and started a new one that's much better."
Izuku glared at the villain with unconcealed anger but remained silent as he moved towards the stairs, to then swiftly be pulled back by Shigaraki.
"You can't meet the others, not yet anyway."
Izuku raised an eyebrow, but his curiosity became supplanted when he saw Shigaraki pull an object no larger than his palm from his pocket.
"You need to get your hands dirty first."
He handed Izuku the object, it was a metal device painted in chromed gold with a cobalt blue bit of metal sticking out of the right side of the device. His fingers touched the small lever and pushed down on it. A blade no longer then his palm flipped out from the golden housing, exposing the tinted steel to the light.
He looked back at Shigaraki who appeared to be beside himself with glee.
"Come on, let's go start your new game."
That was all Izuku heard before a vortex swallowed him whole and spat him back out in the middle of a decrepit alleyway. It reeked of rotting garbage and old alcohol, which didn't bother the rats that swarmed around the piles of trash at all. He looked around and realized that he wasn't alone, Shigaraki was stand right beside him with that stupid grin still on his face.
"Alright, just go up and stick that NPC until he stops moving and you'll officially be a member of the League."
His eyes followed where Shigaraki was pointing at and saw a man walking along the alleyway completely unaware of them.
Izuku froze as he realised what he was ordered to do. His hands shook as he gripped the knife in his hand like it was his only lifeline and his legs went numb as he stood there, not moving an inch.
"What the fuck are you doing? Just go stab that fucker and get it over with so we can go home."
Izuku turned to the man holding him hostage with his face red with rage.
"Just go and do what I fuc-"
Shigaraki was cut off mid sentence as Izuku drove his fist into his face, bloodying his lips with the force of the impact.
The older criminal looked up at his prisoner, seemingly pleased by his actions if the mile wide grin was anything to go off of. However Shigaraki's smile would lessen when Izuku placed his knees on his arms and put the point of the knife to his neck.
"I'm not killing an innocent person, you son of a bitch."
For all his bravado, Izuku only received a sigh in return.
"Yeah but this isn't about what you want. I need you to do this to prove to Sensei that you're worth keeping around and if you can't do that, then I can't protect you or anyone you care about. Think for a second without all that heroic bullshit clogging your mind, is one random guy really worth more to you then your mother?"
Izuku felt something die inside of him when he got off of Shigaraki and took a step towards the random individual that was just minding his own business. He stopped when his hands shook, causing the knife to feel uneasy in his grip.
"I...I can't do this, I won't!"
He felt Shigaraki get close as he whispered into his ear.
"You just need to do this once and that's all I'll ask of you for a while, all you have to do is stick the pointy end inside his body and I promise you things will be better and your mom will be safe, just do it for yourself Izuku or if not for yourself then for her. You know she wouldn't survive if Sensei went after her, so do the right thing and save your mother."
The world seemed blurry as he stared at the man who almost walked to the end of the alley, his pulse skyrocketed, his hands sweated and his legs felt like lead. It all seemed so surreal as reality became somewhat dream like.
"I don't know what to do."
He asked the question to no one in particular, just voicing his concern to the uncaring cosmos, when he heard Shigaraki's voice whisper into his ear again like a demon.
"You know what to do Izuku, you've always known but now you have to listen to that voice that told you how to do it."
Something in his mind clicked and in those next few seconds, his fate was sealed.
He ran forward screaming at the top of his lungs, swinging wildly with his knife as the world passed him by. Time slowed to a crawl as he grabbed the man by the hair and stabbed him again and again until he stopped twitching.
The entire alley was covered in blood that sprayed from the man's corpse, marking the place red and caking Izuku head to toe in the crimson liquid.
He dropped the knife as his stomach lurched from the sight before him, causing him to vomit over the body.
"You did great, although you went a little overkill with the stabbing but all and all, not bad for your first body."
Shigaraki placed a hand on the corpse and instantly turned it to dust, completely oblivious to the horror that rocked Izuku's soul.
"How the fuck can you be so calm about this, I just killed someone!"
A shrug was all he got in return.
"Add about fifty more to that and then we'd be about even, but like I said don't worry about it, you'll get used to killing eventually, for now let's go home and introduce to the others."
Shigaraki was about to call Kurogiri so they could get home when he noticed how Izuku shook like a leaf while clutching the knife in his hands. He placed his phone back in his pocket and gave the newbie a soft kick in the shins.
"This isn't an issue Izuku, you will get over it in time, but you need to pull yourself together or these people will eat you alive."
This didn't get a response out of him, so he placed a hand over his neck with one finger raised. That got his attention, and he could see something dripping from his eyes. Izuku was crying.
Shigaraki swiftly removed his hand as he felt tears drip down onto his wrist. He gave another sigh, it was frustrating to deal with something like this but Izuku had made great progress and he needed to keep him motivated with something besides his mother's safety or everything would fall apart.
"Sorry about that, but you need to listen to me when I say this, once we walk through that portal you can not show weakness, or they will break you down and kill you. Do you understand?"
Izuku looked up at the man who tried to murder him multiple times and wanted nothing more then to run back to UA, but he couldn't, not now that he was quirkless again.
"Y-Yes."
Shigaraki smiled once again and called up Kurogiri to warp them back, after he made certain that Izuku was done sobbing of course.
It was an instant walk back to the bar and he felt oddly proud when he introduced Izuku to the others. The League seemed indifferent to his presence, however he noticed two members who took a strange stance at his appearance. Toga appeared awestruck when he walked in and Spinner looked like he wanted to stab him.
Shigaraki hoped that wouldn't lead to any issues down the road, but he knew better than to hope. Yet he felt satisfied with himself after Izuku had formally joined the League despite the friction he knew this would cause. His hands traveled to the bottle of pills in his coat pocket, he would have to remember to thank Garaki for the quirk suppressors, because otherwise this whole plan would have been for nothing.
And he intended to make it last for as long as possible.