A/N: Good to see so many people enjoyed the return of the fic last chapter- thank you very much for your very kind words.
It gives me an inordinate amount of pleasure to say that as of this last week, if you search Fanfiction for stories of AFO!Izuku (and by extension, stories where Izuku and All For One are tagged together)... this fic is now the most popular AFO!Izuku story by followers and favourites. We're only 10 or so off becoming the most popular by reviews, too. Considering that I started out expecting that I might manage maybe 100 followers in the fic's lifetime (my only popular story before this was an IzuOcha one-shot, Float), I continue to be surprised, baffled and humbled in equal measure by your kindness towards this fic and how much you folks enjoy it. Thank you for everything you've given by way of support.
As I said last week, I am going to re-start doing shout-outs (one a chapter) to spread some positivity. This chapter, the shout-out goes to Vrolonpy, for being incredibly generous towards this fanfic and translating the entire damn thing into Spanish. You can find it on Wattpad, if you're of a mind to read in your native language, and I never imagined I'd get a fic translated like this- thank you, dude. Maybe I can steal the title of Mr Worldwide off of Shigaraki now…
Anyway, Izuku gets some time with the Izucrew now. It's been long enough, don't you think?
(***)
Izuku didn't know how long they'd all been waiting outside of the hospital wing for him. All he knew was that they were there, and he was so glad to see them again. After the trauma of the USJ attack, he had fallen into unconsciousness fearing the worst for Tenko and Himiko, even if he was pretty certain that Setsuna had made it out relatively unscathed. Now, seeing them all together waiting to see him… it was impossible for him not to well up a little as their heads whipped in his direction, eyes widening and smiles threatening to break.
They were the reason he felt he could push to become a Hero, his partners, his rock in times of need. Without them, regardless the questions he had over whether he would believe in himself enough to try, it wouldn't be worth it. No matter what Doctor Garaki had thrown at them, all four of them were able to reunite again, and get back to doing what they wanted to do. His worst fears that something might have happened were fortunately misplaced, in the end.
"IZUKU!"
The yell was deafening, and Izuku flinched, taking a step back. It was fortunate that he did, because the step back accidentally helped him to brace for impact as Himiko sent herself flying at him like a cannonball. All three of his friends had been quick to jump to their feet, but she hadn't held back one bit, almost tackling him into a hug with her arms thrown around him; he was shocked that he wasn't pulled to the floor by the momentum behind her leap, but not shocked by how much it hurt when she hit him square in his sore chest. "O-Ow! Hey! H-Himiko-"
"A-Ah, oops!" Himiko clearly hadn't thought about the consequences of her actions when barrelling forward, and to be fair to her he was glad to see her as well. But there was still a brief moment of panic on her face as she jumped backwards and grabbed onto the sleeves of his gown, making sure he didn't pull over and searching his face. "I… didn't hurt anything did I? Shit, I should have thought-"
"N-No, it's okay! Just a little sore!" Izuku interrupted, trying to reassure her. "I only just woke up, so… everything's still not one hundred percent, I guess?"
"That… yeah, I should have known. You… really went through a lot, huh?" Himiko took a step back from him, and he could see that the worry hadn't quite faded from her eyes just yet. "I'm… so sorry, Izuku-"
"No, what, hey!" Izuku's eyes widened. "Why are you apologising?! Y-You didn't do anything wrong!"
"I jumped in!" He felt her grab at his sleeves, briefly. "If I hadn't gotten taken out so quick, then we could have been four-on-one against Nomu! You and Tenko might not have gotten so hurt if I'd just held back and-"
"No, no, none of that!" Izuku did what he could in the circumstances, before Himiko could go down a rabbit hole and keep blaming herself for something completely out of control. He took a step forward and wrapped his own arms around her, pulling her closer and resting her head against his collarbone in a move that successfully silenced her completely. "You have nothing to blame yourself for, Himi! Y-You saw a chance and you tried to take it, and I would have done the same."
"Really? It… wasn't clever, leaving you guys open like that to have to try to pick up my mess." Himiko sounded slightly muffled, partly because she seemed to have embraced the situation and buried herself further into his chest than he had managed. "I've been taught better, too. My guardian always told me never to leave yourself open like that, never to risk your partners. I… should have known better."
"But we do anything to try to protect the people we c-care about, right?" Izuku wasn't just saying it to try to make her feel better. He knew that he'd done the same before, acted without thinking, acted with no regard for how sensible or safe or clever his actions were. Whenever things got difficult, and those he valued most were in harm's way… "I wouldn't have done anything differently if I were you. I-If I had seen that chance to end the fight before any of you got hurt… I'd have tried it too. None of us would hold anything back for each other… so don't apologise for it. Please."
"You…" Himiko looked up and Izuku felt that he was being searched, like she was surprised that he felt that way too. She clearly found what she was looking for, because of the happy little noise she made afterwards, and the little smile that broke through. "... Thank you, Izu. I don't know what I'd do without ya."
"Hey, I-I'm just glad you're okay-"
"Me too." Himiko's head turned and before he realised it, her lips were on his. Soft, gentle, and only the briefest kiss- enough for him to feel the cracks on her bottom lip where she had nervously chewed on it while she waited for him to wake up. "I didn't wanna miss out on this again, y'know?"
"I…" Izuku felt himself going red, but tried his best to soldier on; Setsuna's light chuckling behind him was enough incentive to not admit defeat. "I'll m-make sure you don't-"
"Oh, smooth." Himiko's eyes lit up with a little bit of mirth, and Izuku was relieved to see that he had prevented her from losing herself, chuckling as she kissed him on the cheek. "Promises, promises, Izu."
Who knew you had it in you to be charming? You're getting a lot better at this.
Izuku inwardly sighed at the voice inside his head, and tried not to let his frustration manifest in a scowl as he turned his thoughts briefly to Shigaraki. 'I thought you said you were going to leave me alone. Let me be with my friends.'
Consider this a proud parenting moment. But of course, where are my manners? I did promise, so... don't let me interrupt you.
No matter how annoying having a passenger was at times like this, Izuku couldn't let it get to him or show, so he instead focused back onto Himiko and squeezed, enjoying feeling her pressed against him again. "You took a big headbutt from Nomu… you're definitely alright now?"
"Now? Absolutely." She looked up at him, the smallest smile creeping in. "It knocked me out at the time but besides a broken nose, I was okay. And the docs here did a good job of treating it, I think-"
"Y-Yeah, definitely!" Izuku couldn't see any difference on her face at all. "It's like nothing ever happened!"
"Aw, thanks." She stuck her tongue out at him, so quickly that he almost missed it. "You'd still tell me I looked good even if Nomu left me with half a face, though."
He couldn't really deny that, even if he tried. "U-Uh, maybe-"
"You know, you two can get a room later, but there's two more people who stayed here waiting for him to wake up, Himiko."
Setsuna's little jibe was enough for Himiko's grip on him to loosen, and she finally stepped away. "I guess you're right… hey, Izu? You know she stayed here the whole time with us, so don't let her tell you some bull that she wasn't worried about you, okay?"
"Lies and slander. I knew you'd make it all along." Setsuna's grin was bright, but Izuku knew his cousin well enough to see that it was just brittle enough. "You get discharged, or is this a bid for freedom?"
"Kind of… a bit of an escape, I guess?" Izuku replied, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "I h-haven't seen any doctors, just the girl from the Support Course who's been helping out-"
"Oh, Melissa? She's pretty cool. She was around for each of us too. Knows her stuff, for sure." Setsuna looked at him, a flash of mischief on her face. "She's gotta have some embarrassing secret, surely? She's gonna leave UA with like, five PHDs and three languages under her belt, and she looks like a model, there's gotta be some skeletons in her closet to compensate right?"
Izuku couldn't contain his laugh, but chose not to reply, sidestepping her antics. His cousin did this all the time, even when things weren't going well as a kind of deflection tactic; he had to make sure she was okay. "You… didn't you lose a piece of you at the USJ? I guess Lizard Tail Splitter was able to grow it back alright?"
"Yeah, no sweat. T'was but a scratch-"
"They told me you were missing half your left arm when you dragged me in," Himiko interrupted, shooting a look at Setsuna.
"A flesh wound, and nothing more, I tell you!" Setsuna waved her clearly-whole arm at him as if to prove that nothing was wrong, before detaching her arm and offering it to him like an olive branch. "See? Back good as new. Felt a bit tingly for a couple of days after but wherever that chunk of me is, I've regenerated a replacement. A mere inconvenience."
Izuku batted the arm away as she attached it back at the elbow. It was as much a relief after everything they'd been through to see that no lasting harm had been done to her; even if her Quirk had regenerative properties, Setsuna had never had those tested following a battle with actual villains. "Your Quirk is amazing… to fix what happened so quickly, I-"
"Shh. Not the time for a nerd-out." Setsuna was a pest, a nuisance, a constant tease every second of the day, but Izuku had seen right through her, and when she stepped forward and pulled him forwards into a hug he wasn't the least bit surprised. For all she could make light of anything, the way she'd been holding back… she was checking that he was okay. And right there, he was glad more than anything that his cousin had made it out unscathed as well. "You… I know it made sense to leave you behind and get Himi out. But when I saw the state you two were in, when they brought you back… I wish I'd been there. I'm sorry you had to suffer that without us-"
Izuku moved his own arm around to pat her on the back, accepting the hug from Setsuna. It wasn't often he would see her like this, so genuinely serious about something they'd been through, so all he could do was reassure her. "Honestly I… don't think anything would have changed if you had been there."
"Nah, I know it probably wouldn't have. What the hell could I have done against Nomu? Turn into a load of bits and confuse him by flying around him, and that's about it." Setsuna snorted, no feeling in it, her head balanced on his shoulder. "And I'm glad I got Himi out of there before she could get even more hurt. But dammit, it doesn't make it any easier to see what happened afterwards."
"I-I know. Set, I…" He nudged her briefly, so that she looked up at him; he was grateful that she was keeping her composure and not breaking into tears. If she had, then he would have followed pretty quickly. "I… can't promise we won't get caught up in something like that again-"
"Well, duh. We're training to be Heroes, right? We might have to face something that awful against any villain, never mind the fact that those two escaped and could come back at any time. None of us can promise we won't get caught up in that shit, or hurt again." Setsuna's grip squeezed, harder, full of concern. "Just… even if you have to take a few hits, don't leave me to be the one who has to break it to Inko that you aren't coming home. I can't face that."
"... I'll do everything I can. So that we all make it through." Izuku patted her again, and then broke off the hug, nodding to his cousin. "Promise."
"That's all I can ask." Setsuna stepped away, her face looking a little lighter for having said her piece, before she turned to Tenko and swung a leg out in a kick that was nowhere near hitting the older boy. "Aw, you just gonna stand away from all of us and not get in on this, Ten? If you're trying to look cool by being edgy and distant, that ship sailed a long time ago."
That… wasn't it. Izuku took him in, holding back ever so slightly from the rest of the conversation, and what he saw was something more than Tenko's usual attitude. He was used to his best friend being quite closed-off at times, like how reluctant he had been to talk about what happened with his parents; even when Izuku had triggered Flashback and seen it with his own eyes, Tenko's immediate reaction to that had been to try to duck and run from talking about it. There was… more to the way that Tenko had his hands in his pockets. More to the way that despite leaping to his feet quickly when Izuku came out, he had held back a little while the others swamped him.
Tenko had been there with him, right up until all had seemed lost. Tenko had put himself in harm's way and been taken out before Izuku, seemingly powerless to stop Nomu from obliterating both of them. His Decay, normally such a powerful Quirk, had been completely countered by Super Regeneration, and the last thing he would have seen was Izuku facing off alone against the Doctor's abomination. Inside Tenko, those feelings of guilt and frustration and inadequacy would be battling, and no matter what had saved them in the end from Nomu, the relief at seeing Izuku back in one piece would not crush the feeling of failure inside him.
How could Izuku not recognise that? After all, he was feeling it too, because he hadn't been enough to hold out without Tenko. Without intervention from somewhere else… their fate didn't bear thinking about.
Obviously, Setsuna and Himiko felt similar things, and that much was clear to Izuku from their discussions. Himiko would feel it differently, because she was the first to fall, and Setsuna would of course be unhappy that she had left them behind no matter how glad Izuku was that she had rescued Himiko. But Tenko had remained. Tenko had been the one whose Quirk stood the best chance of breaking Nomu's defences, the one who came up with the plans to try to overcome their obscene enemy. The last thing Tenko saw before the blackness of unconsciousness beckoned… was Izuku, about to lose.
Izuku knew that alone wasn't why Tenko was feeling so battered by the whole experience, however. Their desperate fight for survival against Nomu, and the bitter taste of defeat and helplessness, wasn't the only thing that would be eating away at Tenko. The truth about All For One was one thing to hear, but the Doctor had said things to Tenko which none of them could possibly imagine. On the day of Incident Zero, Shigaraki had been coming to kill Tenko and his family, only to be stopped by All Might. For whatever reason, the Shimuras had been targets of the greatest villain to ever walk Japan, and it was clear that the Doctor's sudden bombshell had rattled even Tenko at the time.
A reveal so horrifying and so strange couldn't possibly be brushed aside completely, no matter by someone as mature as Tenko. His best friend was always so supportive of him, and their bond was practically as thick as blood, but the fact remained that Shigaraki's legacy survived, living in Izuku. He was the new holder of All For One, the same Quirk that would have been used to take the lives of Tenko and his family on that day… no matter the strength of their friendship, there was no way that Tenko wouldn't be affected by that in some way.
Well done. I didn't have to feed you anything to help you realise. That cruel twist of fate… like a punch to the gut, in the end. Imagine how much worse things would be if he knew I was still alive in you, from a certain point of view.
Izuku mentally shook himself, putting the taunts of the vestige out of his head as best as he could. Shigaraki wasn't wrong- even if he had not killed the Shimura family himself, it was the stress he had caused on Incident Zero which had led to Tenko's Quirk going haywire. But he… wasn't Shigaraki. Everything that he and Tenko had experienced, growing up together, with Tenko taken in by his mother and looked after… that was who they were, and who they would be. Brothers by any other name, and he for one wouldn't let what happened stop that.
He stepped forward, fidgeting slightly with the sleeve on the gown that he had been dressed in, struggling to find the words. What could he possibly say that did justice to what they had been through together. "I… was so worried."
That was the truth, after all. The noises that had been made as Nomu put Tenko out of commission would be enough to make anyone's stomach churn. Tenko, for his part, chuckled bitterly, finally looking up to meet Izuku; it struck Izuku how brittle his smile looked. "Heh, Tetsutetsu says it's good to have a beasting every now and then. If that's what he meant… I don't wanna repeat it."
On any other day, at any other time, Izuku would have laughed at how genuinely terrible the joke was. Only Tenko and Setsuna could go through something as traumatic and life-threatening as the USJ attack and still come out on the other side, trying to make light of what had been thrown their way. On this occasion, however, he could tell that Tenko's heart wasn't in it; he was making the joke because it was what he thought they expected of him, and not because he meant it. "Ten… I mean it. I…couldn't stop Nomu. I thought you weren't gonna make it. Nomu hit you, and then it was just me, and-"
"I've…" Tenko looked like he was about to continue deflecting for a second, but the subtlest slump of his shoulders gave him away. "I've got… more HP than I thought, apparently."
"What this idiot means," Setsuna interrupted, shooting Tenko a meaningful look and apparently unwilling to let Tenko dance around the subject, "is that whatever you did, you bought him enough time and kept him safe enough for him to return the favour."
"Return… the favour?" Izuku was confused. "Wait, what do you-"
Tenko sighed, unable to avoid Setsuna's prompting elbow anymore. "She means that… by the time that you went down, I was able to respawn. Get back in the fight."
Izuku was more than used to his best friend's gaming terms by now to be able to translate that on the spot. "You… got back up?! So you were able to fight against Nomu again!"
"Yeah, and, well…" Tenko wiggled his fingers, his usual protective gloves back on. "It wasn't invincible in the end. Let's just say that."
Izuku's eyes widened. Tenko… had been the one to save him. He had been the one to identify the weaknesses in Doctor Garaki's monster, the one who could break through and take it down. And somehow he had found strength from the darkest pit of desperation to get back up, beaten and broken, and save them both. "Ten… you-"
"Doc Dastardly didn't stay once his pet got beaten." Tenko was completely oblivious to Izuku's open mouth, carrying on describing the situation. "I dunno how he did it, because I thought you had Kurogiri ability-blocked, but he got warped out of there pretty damn quick. Without him around to give orders, the rest of them-"
Izuku didn't care about what had happened. Shigaraki had already guessed that the Doctor and Kurogiri had escaped, from what he had picked up while Izuku was out cold. What mattered now is that he knew who had saved his life, and that was what propelled him forward, barrelling into Tenko with enough force to knock the wind out of his friend's lungs and clamping around him in a hug. "... Thank you."
There's more to this, Izuku. I have a sixth sense for it, and this boy isn't being honest. He… shouldn't have been able to get up after what you saw. Something isn't right.
Izuku ignored the dark voice in the back of his head. Shigaraki's input on this was not welcome in the slightest. All that mattered was that when everything was at its worst and when his life was on the line, his friend had been there. He was still standing, and still able to pursue his dream, and that was all because of Tenko. "I… I thought we'd lost, but you-"
"Hey, don't… don't act like you owe me for it." Typically, Tenko's arms remained by his side, too awkward to hug back. "You stood up for me and protected me when I needed it. I did for you. That's… what we do, right?"
Izuku couldn't just let that slide. "Don't… play it down like it was nothing, okay? I didn't know if we'd make it out alive, but we did… because of you."
"And that's all that matters, Zu. I don't give a damn about celebrating it like it's some big achievement, because that ain't a victory. After what we went through…" Tenko's arms finally moved from where they were pinned down at his side, and as his taller friend looked down, Izuku could see his eyes. "I'm… just glad you made it through. After the Doc tried to take you from us, and after what Nomu threw at us, I'm glad you're okay."
Relief washed over Izuku. Not just because of Tenko's words- he could say anything- but how he said it. The look in Tenko's eyes, that glimmer of genuine happiness that undercut everything that he said… it was all Izuku needed to be sure that his best friend was still there, that his fears about All For One driving a wedge between them were unfounded. Even if he could still sense that Tenko was shaken by the whole thing, even if he could tell there was a lot more going on inside Tenko's head than he was letting on… they weren't going to be driven apart. "That's… not going to be the last time we go through that sort of fight, if the Doctor escaped."
"Nah. He'll be back. You nerfed Kurogiri pretty hard, but he won't be happy you turned him down." Tenko nodded, and then surprised Izuku as his head tipped down, his forehead resting against Izuku's. "But they're not gonna break us. Right?"
"... Right." Izuku squeezed, and tried not to cry as he saw how from his stare how emphatically Tenko believed that. "We'll beat them. No matter what it takes."
"Exactly." Tenko stepped back, cleared his throat awkwardly as Setsuna raised her eyebrows at his gesture, and patted Izuku on the back to break the hug- Himiko's snort was enough to let Izuku know that Tenko looked like a dork. "We were never gonna make it through our lives without this sort of shit anyway, come on."
"Yeah, I know." Izuku couldn't argue with that. "Like Set said, we're training to be Heroes at UA. Even without All For One to deal with, there's enough villains out there who we can't avoid fighting, if we want to save people."
"That, and we basically have to tie a rope around you at all times because your self-preservation stat is so damn low."
"H-Hey!"
"Come on, you know it's true." The smallest smile crept through onto Tenko's face. "Why do you think Inko keeps me around? She knows you'd run headfirst into trouble to try and help people, whenever you get the chance."
"That's… not fair." Izuku grumbled, thinking it was unfair given the amount of effort he put into trying to make strategies for their group, but there were things he needed to say. "Can I… I want to ask what's happened since. If that's okay?"
"... Well." All three of his friends shared a look, which was never a good sign, before Setsuna broke the subsequent silence. "Do you want the good news, the bad news or the worse news?"
"Set!" Himiko hissed, clearly as surprised as Izuku was by the way Setsuna put it. "Don't panic him, he's just woken up!"
"Yeah, yeah, but if we don't tell him someone else will. And besides, he's the one that asked to know what's happened. I take it that means everything, Izuku?"
"I don't know what 'everything' means yet, but… yeah." Izuku nodded, ignoring the twinge in his neck as he did. "I would find out anyway, so… I'd rather find out from you first."
"Sure, but…" Himiko trailed off, looking him up and down; he was a little embarrassed about the way her eyes were drawn to the scar on his arms, and roved over the gown. "Are you gonna be okay talking like this? You literally just got up-"
"What I believe Nurse Toga is trying to say is," Setsuna interrupted, taking him by the arm and guiding him down to sit on the floor besides Himiko in a not-entirely gently way, "don't push yourself and make sure you're comfortable before you start interrogating us."
"Right, y-yeah." Izuku leaned back against the wall, quite glad for how cool it felt through the gown as Setsuna collapsed in a heap on his other side. "I'm just sore, not anything else."
"Tell Nurse Toga where and I'm sure she'll rub it better." Setsuna's wicked tongue had returned, now that they had all made sure he was okay. "Sorry she's not in uniform but-"
"Don't give her ideas. There's a lot of shit I don't wanna see, and that's one thing." Tenko ignored Setsuna's overly-exasperated sigh, and the noises of protest from Himiko, opting to remain standing. "So, our dumbass lizard gave you three options. Good news, bad news, worse news. Where did you wanna start?"
"Um…" Izuku paused briefly as Himiko's hand ran through his hair, feeling a shiver down his spine at her touch. She hadn't been around him properly for a week, so when it was clear she wasn't going to stop, Izuku swallowed and carried on, ignoring the teasing look sent his way. "G-Good news, I guess?"
"Our group optimist surprises nobody," Setsuna replied, and Izuku couldn't deny that. "Well, you'll be pleased that once Tenko beat Nomu, that was… kinda the end, as it turned out. Everyone got separated off and ended up fighting those C and D-Rank villains that the Doc bought. Midnight, Monoma and Metalhead ended up fighting Mustard with a few of the others-"
"All the Ms ended up in one place together," Tenko muttered, drily. "Weird, if you ask me."
"But yeah. After Mustard got beat and Nomu fell, that sorta… ended it." Setsuna picked at her skirt briefly as she spoke. "Some of the villains were able to escape and, well, the police don't know what's happened to all of them. Some of them got rounded up, some didn't, but… most of them were arrested. And most of our class ended up alright."
"You're really selling this as good news with the 'most', aren't ya?" Himiko asked, dodging the piece of Setsuna thrown her way by Lizard Tail Splitter.
"I mean…" Setsuna gestured vaguely at Izuku, as if to emphasise her point that not everyone had been alright. "And come on, he saw what happened to Midnight, didn't he? He'd know I wasn't being genuine if I just ignored that she got shot!"
"She's not wrong," Izuku said, being fair to his cousin. "I know Himiko and Tenko spent some time in here, and Thirteen lost an arm… nobody got hurt worse than that, did they?"
"Nah, they made it fine. They're probably a little messed up on the inside, but nobody else got into the red." Tenko slouched to the floor in the middle of the corridor, and tilted his head as if confused. "Say, who told you about Thirteen?"
Watch your tongue, particularly with things I tell you. You're lucky that Melissa girl provides you with a convenient excuse for knowing more than you should.
Shigaraki's input was, this time, helpful. If he wasn't going to arouse suspicion about the voice inside his head, he needed to be a lot more careful about how he used knowledge imparted onto him by the vestige, and fortunately for him there was at least something he could use this time as an out. "Melissa! She said the nurses had got o-overwhelmed-"
"Jeez, you can tell she's Support Course with that bedside manner, can't you?" The twinge of guilt Izuku felt at telling the lie to his friends paled into comparison at the twinge of guilt when he heard Himiko so readily accept the lie. She trusted him so much even despite hiding his true Quirk until the USJ, and withholding more from her… it almost made him feel sick. "Still, at least she can talk with us like we're human. Some of her classmates who came in to help… they make Tenko look sociable."
"Wow. Turns out Himiko doesn't even need a knife to cut me anymore." Izuku couldn't help but laugh at Tenko's response. "She kinda saved our asses, so… put it this way, if she wants me to use some of her gear to advertise the Shield name, she's earned it."
"Shield…" Izuku took a second longer than he would have done normally to recognise the name, and he nearly shot upright when he realised. "SHIELD?! Th-that… you mean she's the daughter of D-David Shield?!"
That's a name I haven't heard in a long, long time.
"Oh look, at least his fanboy brain didn't get damaged by Nomu." Setsuna sent two fingers flying at him to flick him in the forehead. "That's her! Thought the All Might fanboy might recognise the name."
"B-But the Shield family is legendary! They're the driving force behind I-Island, and David Shield designed all of All Might's costumes-"
"We know, genius. Everybody knows. That's the princess of I-Island, all right." Tenko rolled his eyes. "Try not to dribble or break down next time you see her, or Himiko will feel put out."
"He wouldn't dare." Himiko's not-at-all gentle squeeze on his arm was enough to make him flush and Setsuna cackle. "We were shocked, too. Considering her old man locked himself away on the island when All Might died, you wouldn't have thought he'd let his kid go to Japan. Much less go to All Might's old school to study."
"I'm getting a costume made by David Shield's daughter…"
"Hey, Izu, maybe getting a little off topic?" Himiko nudged him, just enough to shake him out of his reverie. "But yeah. She's right. Thirteen was the worst besides you. Everyone else seems… relatively okay?"
"You…" Izuku frowned. "You don't sound sure of that. I thought-"
"Trust me, this is the good news," Setsuna interrupted. "We haven't seen everyone properly since the USJ. They gave the whole class a little time off because of the incident, and we've… well, but for a couple of bits we've not really stopped coming here to check on you, Zuzu."
"We assume everyone is alright, because no news is good news," Himiko added, Setsuna humming in agreement next to him. "With everything that's happened, we'd all be told if we had anything to worry about."
"Right…" Izuku tipped his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. "That… doesn't fill me with hope if that's the good news."
"Hey, if you get dealt shit cards, you play shit cards."
"Oh, and my way of explaining things is bad, Ten?"
Tenko chose to ignore his girlfriend. "You want the bad news, Zu? You're… gonna end up having to speak to the Principal, and the police. We all did."
Izuku's blood could not have run colder if he had asked Endeavor's youngest son to attack him. If it wasn't the 'worse' news, it couldn't have been that his secret was completely out, or he would have trusted his friends to tell him that as urgently as possible. But still… this meant attention. "People have b-been asking questions, then?"
"About all of us. Not just you." Himiko sounded a little more bitter and frustrated than usual. "Remember how everyone got separated? Most of the rest of the class got cut off and sent to fight the third-rate villains. The ones who didn't…"
"Let's just say that the press aren't the only ones speculating about the target of the attack," Setsuna said, shooting him a sympathetic look. "We all got asked to have a meeting with the Principal. Us, and the group that Mustard targeted; Monoma, Shoji, Tetsutetsu, Yaomomo."
"At least it wasn't just us who had to face miniboss Nezu," Tenko said, his face twisting unhappily as he said it. "He's scary when he's polite. The others all got to talk to a detective, and right now I'm wondering if they got the better deal."
"Wh-what did you guys say?" Izuku sat up, looking between his friends. If this was the bad news, he was scared to hear what the worst news was. "Did… All For One get mentioned?"
There was a look between all three of his friends, but thankfully Tenko was quick to reply. "Yeah, but… not in a way you might worry about."
"See," Setsuna said, "the rest of the class heard the Doctor at the start, when he started saying that he did everything 'for his master'. Then one of them found you and Tenko later on, with no sign of the Doctor or Nomu… it wasn't hard to work out who you had been fighting, given the injuries you suffered."
"There's no way we could get away from that, so…" Himiko glanced at Tenko, who said nothing, and then continued. "Do you remember when Sir Nighteye came for the Entrance Exam? What he asked Tenko about?"
"... Your grandmother. Nana Shimura." Izuku put two and two together. "And then the Doctor said a-all about All For One. How he wanted to come and…"
The tragedy of Nana Shimura the brave... It's not a tale UA would tell you.
"Yeah, that." Tenko nodded almost imperceptibly to Izuku, grateful that Izuku had trailed off from actually saying what they all knew out loud. Shigaraki's comment stopping him in his tracks had played a part in it, but Izuku knew better than to say too much about the subject, especially given how inflamed Tenko's feelings on it must have been after the Doctor's comments. "Nighteye said before that my grandmother had fought a villain who took her life. If the rest of my family were targets for All For One… then that surely means that he was the villain."
'What you said just then… it's true, isn't it?' Tenko's brief moment of hesitation allowed Izuku to send a thought to his passenger, in the hope that he might actually get an answer. 'All of it?'
You're not ready. It took every inch of Izuku's willpower to keep his face neutral at the response, at the phantom pressure he felt as if two hands were pushing down. Willing him to go no further. In time, you will learn the rest. The truth is complicated.
He was glad that he tried, but Izuku knew when he would get no further, and nodded, joining back into the conversation. "So the Doctor saying about it… you told the Principal?"
"If Nighteye was asking questions about Nana being killed by a villain at the Exam, then he was being allowed to ask those questions by Nezu," Setsuna replied for Tenko. "That means that Nezu knows about the villain, too. And that means Nezu has some knowledge of All For One. How much, no one here knows. But enough to recognise the name."
"So we told the miniboss what the Doc had said." Tenko crouched, leaning in almost conspiratorially. "They know that All For One was targeting the Shimura family. They now know that one of All For One's disciples came to UA, and separated a group which contained a member of the Shimura family from the rest of the class. We gave 'em two and two…"
"We just didn't correct them when they added it up to make seven," Himiko said, one of her fangs showing in a sly smile. "They think Tenko was the target, not you. And they have a full explanation why Tenko would be the target, so they won't look to you or the rest of us."
"Not that the rest of us have any secrets to reveal." Setsuna folded her arms across her chest, and raised an eyebrow at Izuku. "Well… I assume Himiko doesn't have any secret connection to All For One or anything. Unless she's about to tell me she's actually a Nomu, or some shit like that."
"Yeah, turns out all those kids who called me a monster were right after all. Sorry guys." It was a dark comment framed by an impish smile, but Himiko clearly wasn't affected. "So… yeah. Your secret is safe, Izu. You just… might wanna make sure that you don't say anything wildly different from the rest of us, when he sits you down for a talk."
"Got it." Izuku bobbed his head in a nod, grateful to each of them for doing their best to keep his secret. "Thank you, all of you. I just…"
"Still want to keep the secret as best as possible? Yeah. We gathered." Tenko nudged him with a toe. "We're happy to help keep it in the party."
"I might want to say something about that in a little while, but… you said there was w-worse news?" Izuku found himself sitting up, back straight, almost as if bracing himself. "How bad can it be?"
"Oh, I dunno. The entirety of Hero society being set on fire and a minor political crisis in Japan while you're asleep… could have gone worse." Three heads turned to Setsuna; one mouth hung open in shock, and two sets of eyes narrowed into glares. "What? How else would you describe it?"
"... More carefully than that." Izuku felt Himiko's hand move from his hair, and judging from the noise Setsuna made, she had been the target of a jab. "Sorry about her. She's-"
"An idiot," Tenko finished, to a squawk from his girlfriend. "But, uh, well… there's a lot that happened since the USJ."
Light a match, start a fire… well done, Doctor.
Izuku finally shook himself enough to speak. "I don't even know where to begin asking questions."
"Lemme just expo-dump on you and then you can ask questions when we're done?" Tenko replied, finally taking a seat on the floor. "It's… well, where do I start? Remember that Endeavor press conference all those years ago? Let's start there, and fill in some gaps from there…"
(***)
Izuku had been stunned into silence, unable to say anything as his friends laid out everything that had happened during the last week. The true measure of how bad things were was that even Shigaraki had gone quiet, absorbing everything with interest as his friends spoke. When his vestigial companion wasn't prepared to mock Izuku or offer input, and was listening intently, that was enough to show Izuku that this was serious.
Endeavor's long-lost son, Shoto Todoroki had resurfaced. So, too, had Endeavor's long-dead son Touya Todoroki. All the eyes of the nation had been trained onto UA in the wake of the Doctor's attack, and the two brothers had taken advantage of it. The shock that Dabi, a wanted criminal on the Hero Commission's 'most dangerous' list, was the son of Endeavor, paled in comparison to the stories he told. Stories which laid bare just how brutal and dark the Number One Hero really was, stories which were validated by his younger brother and expanded upon to show a life of abuse at their father's hands.
The USJ attack on its own would have been enough to stoke unrest with people, to call into question UA's security and strength; it didn't take much effort for Izuku to realise that if the bright hopes for the future were undone so easily, it meant that the public would have even less confidence in Heroes. But on top of that, to have a searing attack on the top Hero in Japan, a man who courted controversy even without his past being exposed for all to judge… the pressure was climbing, across all levels.
The police had already increased their presence outside UA, but that wasn't enough to stop several upperclassmen being withdrawn by their families (or choosing to leave themselves) in response to the attack. Only UA and Shiketsu had remained truly independent of the Hero Commission in the wake of Incident Zero; the Hero Commission's own statement that an independent academy would always struggle for security without the Commission's support was inflammatory, and only added to the voices questioning the abilities of UA and its alumni. Three days later, a statement came from Shiketsu, an announcement that it would be considering all options available to it following discussions with the Commission compounding the criticism of UA and the Principal.
That was more immediately relevant to Izuku than the rest, but the rest was no less horrible to hear. There was already a stiff line of protesters formed outside the Endeavor Agency, and arrests made following an attempted attack on his sidekick Kido; anger was no longer simmering, but boiling over, and so far only a few companies besides Detnerat had stuck by Endeavor.
Even though the allegations of Dabi and Juhyo were aimed squarely at their father, other Heroes found themselves targets of criticism and more, accused of being complicit in Enji Todoroki's actions. It wasn't just the private Heroes who had followed Endeavor's example, the likes of his ally Best Jeanist whose Genius Office was set alight; even the Commission itself wasn't immune. Several villains had attacked a Commission compound on the Hunt for Hawks, in response to historic comments made by the Number Two about 'idolising' Endeavor. The violent defence from the Commission had been so intense that even Himiko had to pause before describing it, and had caused even greater fury when Shoowaysha had published images of the aftermath on the front pages.
All of this, while Izuku lay dead to the world on a hospital bed. The feeling of frustration boiled up inside him as he heard more and more. It seemed like the attack on the USJ was the first of a set of dominoes to fall, a tipping point to bring more darkness to the surface; it was upsetting to think that this was all caused by two fanatics, obsessing over the Quirk he held. Now there was chaos, reports of vigilantes trying to wade in and finding resistance from the Commission, rumours of villains and even Yakuza becoming more bold in their approach. Tenko even mentioned that there were strange whispers online, as people tried to organise protests on gaming forums he frequented, some kind of resistance group-
This all sounds… curious. Familiar.
Izuku blinked, as Shigaraki spoke up for the first time since his friends began bringing him up to speed. 'What… what do you mean? Familiar?'
I've been around since the very beginning, haven't I? Society has… certain trends in behaviour which you notice if you've lived as long as I have. People sense opportunity in times of darkness, and come crawling out of the holes they hide in to try to affect change, to try to come out on top.
'And they'll feel braver,' Izuku surmised, 'because the Heroes are weaker, right now?'
Yes. I remember the Dawn, and who rose up to try to change the world. They found stiff opposition… in me, among others. Izuku wasn't allowed to digest the thought of the supposed Demon Lord having enemies among other villains for long. It made sense, but it was still strange in a way- Shigaraki might have actually had common ground with some of the early Heroes, in a twisted way. I am surprised that more didn't happen around Incident Zero, with both me and All Might gone. But now, they emerge. I will be curious to see if the same names from my past rear their heads. If they will need to be stopped again.
'Then that's even more reason for me to get things right. To protect people.'
Absolutely, future Number One. He knew that the vestige was smirking, deep within All For One. Before, they had me to reckon with, even if the Heroes failed. Now? It's your turn.
Izuku swallowed, and focused back onto the conversation just in time for Setsuna to finish up. "... so yeah, that's the worse news. The third-years have already been speaking to the Principal about going out to do patrols with Pro Heroes, as some kind of work experience. Metalhead and a couple of the others think we're gonna get asked to do the same, because of how bad things are getting."
"Absolute crapsack world we live in," Tenko added, head hanging and his hair framing his face. "Turns out the main quest just got a lot more complicated, with a lot more mobs to deal with."
"It's always been bad," Himiko said, biting her lip as she paused. "It just… got even worse than any of us expected. Now's the time it really needs true Heroes. It needs people who can change it. Whatever it takes."
Izuku realised that she had been looking directly at him as she said that. Her admiration for him, even after he had kept the secret of his true Quirk from her, filled him with joy so pure that even those nagging doubts at whether he deserved it were silenced. Knowing that she would be a brilliant Hero, as would Tenko and Setsuna… they needed to rise to the occasion and be ready for whatever was thrown at them. And they could.
"Whatever it takes…" Izuku looked down at his hand, willing the black and red sparks of All For One to appear, and looked back up to three surprised faces. "You're right. And that means… I can't hold back with All For One anymore."
That caused Tenko to look up, puzzled. "After everything we just said about how we kept All For One a secret… talk about unexpected dialogue choices."
"No, no! Not like that! I can't just… no, not after the USJ and everything you guys have said!" Izuku waved his arms in a panic, nearly knocking Himiko over. "I didn't mean to start telling people. But this Quirk… I haven't trained in using a lot of the Quirks that are part of it, have I? I use Air Force so much because it was the first one I developed and because I have the best grasp, but… that leaves me open."
"You mean against Nomu. With Shock Absorption." Setsuna was quickest on the uptake. "You know you shouldn't beat yourself up about that, right? That thing was a freak with multiple Quirks-"
"So are you, technically," Himiko pointed out, evenly.
"... You know what, I can't argue with that. But still, you heard the Doc boasting. I don't think he was being too cocky when he said that thing could have taken punches from All Might in its prime. Air Force… just wasn't the tool on the day. Like my Quirk won't be for some jobs. Like Tenko's won't be sometimes. That's half the reason why we went to USJ after all, for training outside our Quirk's natural uses, right?"
"Right, but that means…" Izuku showed her the flickering sparks at the end of his scarred hand. "If I have the tools to be able to adapt, I should know how to use them well enough. That way… if I end up in that sort of situation? Somewhere where I need to use another Quirk in my ability, where that makes the difference between saving someone or defeating a villain… I should be able to do that, shouldn't I?"
"... When you put it like that, yeah. Absolutely, that makes sense." Setsuna watched the sparks die down with interest, the light reflected in her eyes. "You want to master everything you can within your Quirk, so that you can help people however they need."
"You wanna prove the Doc wrong. That it's not a villain's power… it's yours, to use to do good things." Himiko's eyes lit up. "Someone once taught me a lesson about the same sort of thing. Guess you're listening to your own advice, huh?"
"If you haven't worked out by now that our dear Zuzu needs reminding about practicing what he preaches, you will soon." Setsuna smirked. "Good plan. Secret training, to get a grip on All For One?"
They know nothing... Shigaraki's phantom hands patted him on the shoulders again. About just how much grip it really has on you.
"Exactly." Izuku nodded, ignoring the nagging in the back of his head. "I still don't think it's right that everyone knows about All For One, not yet. But it's been… more awake, I think, since the USJ. More Quirks are starting to wake up, so outside of school… I need to get a handle on them. Work out what I can do with them, which ones I can try to work into how I fight now-"
"Combo breakers," Tenko nodded, understanding. "Like what you can do with Inko's Quirk and Air Force."
"Yeah. I have a couple of boosting Quirks which I felt myself use in the Quirk Apprehension Test- I can work those into using Air Force to increase the blast power." Izuku looked down at his scarred arm, picturing the way that the muscles swelled on Nomu's arms. Even if it was nowhere near the level, the sight of his bicep bulking out for just a second was enough to make Himiko gasp, and Setsuna whistle lowly. "I could do it with this too. I… got this from Nomu."
"Muscle growth? Nice. I don't think we'll hear any complaints from Himiko."
Himiko shook her at Setsuna's comment. "Yeah, yeah. You wanna try and use it to get stronger when someone gets up close and personal, right?"
"Definitely! I'm n-not the most physical person in our class. Air Force works best at range, but if I can train this Quirk… not only can I use it to build the strength of how much Air Force I can use, but I can also round myself out so that I naturally improve my body strength. And then, if someone gets too close…"
"Then you've got a trick to rely on then too." Himiko's hand moved to squeeze his shoulder; the warmth of her touch compared to the feeling of Shigaraki's spectral pressure made him shiver. "Sounds like a good plan. And if you want someone to come and help, I'm all in."
"R-Really?"
"You really have to ask that? Of course I'm in! You helped me realise that I shouldn't stop dreaming about doing good shit with my Quirk, so…" Himiko flashed him a little peace sign. "Lemme return the favour, okay?"
"Great!" Izuku could have bounced. "I was thinking maybe we could start tomorrow-"
"Classic Izuku. Just got up from being in hospital and wants to start training his ass off." Setsuna shook her head. "You crazy son of a gun, I'm in. Part of me thinks Tetsutetsu's rubbed off on you a little too much if you wanna start training montages like this, but you've got a good thing going on."
"Heh, well…" Both of them turned to Himiko, who looked a little sheepish. "I'm totally onboard, but… not tomorrow night. I… may have plans? Sorry-"
"But you don't socialise with anyone that isn't us! Unless you traded us for new friends?!" Setsuna's hand detached itself to point at Himiko. "Traitor!"
"No, no! I love you guys too much to do that!" Himiko swatted the jab away. "But no, I'll come any time, I just can't tomorrow! Blame my old man-"
"Oh, your guardian, right?" Setsuna balled her hand into a fist. "If he tries to pull you out, I swear, I'll fight him!"
"Trust me, you do not want to make that threat." Himiko looked half-serious. "Nah, he made some plans for us tomorrow. Me, him and my bro. Family stuff, you know?"
"Yeah, yeah. You can make up for it when you next come to Zuzu and Set's Dojo of Dreams. Drop and give me fifty then, and we're even." Setsuna smirked at her boyfriend. "You're not gonna bail on us though, right Ten?"
"Uh… not completely."
That caused Izuku to look up, and look Tenko in the eyes. That was a lot stranger than Himiko being absent for her own stuff. He and Tenko were always inseparable… or they had been. "You… have plans too?"
"You… didn't say." Setsuna shuffled, awkwardly. "It's not… I didn't forget a date night or something, did I?"
"No, that's not it. Just… I'll come. But I kinda told myself that when Izu woke up, I'd…" Tenko took a deep breath and then groaned, bashing his head back against the wall. "It's gonna sound lame when I say it."
"Then say it. We all think you're lame anyway."
Tenko glared at Himiko, before realising she was completely ignoring it. "Whatever. I just… a lot came up because of the USJ. A whole new side-quest… I don't know anything about my family. About Nana. I… wanna find out. There's nothing much out there online, but I've found a couple of places I might get some info. I wanna go and check 'em out. See what I can learn."
A waste of effort, if he has worked out that I killed her.
Shigaraki's unwanted input was brushed aside by Izuku. "You… yeah. Go for it."
That caused Tenko to stir, surprised. "You… aren't gonna tell me not to go looking? I thought you'd be more upset. Partners, and all."
"We still are. Nothing will ever change that." Izuku nodded to him. "But if you want to do this, there's no way I'd stop you. Take however long you need to figure it out, and we'll be here waiting for you when you're ready. Right?"
"R-Right." Setsuna hesitated. "Unless… I could come with you? Help you look? Many hands make light work, and all-"
"Nah, I… dammit." Tenko swallowed. "Thanks, Set, trust me, I appreciate it. But… this is a single-player sorta thing. Something I've gotta do on my own. I'll… tell you when I've got my own head figured out, okay?"
"... Oh." The light seemed to fade slightly from her eyes as she said it, even as she nodded her head. "Yeah, I'll… guess I'll see you once you come back to the main questline, Ten."
"Hey." Izuku squeezed her leg. It wasn't easy to see her like this, normally capable of wandering off carefree without a worry in the world. The hardship of the USJ had brought them all a lot closer together, and no doubt it was hard for her to see Tenko down about something without being able to help herself. "If there's anyone who can sort this and come back even stronger, it's Tenko. Y-You know that, right?"
"Yeah… yeah, I do." She nudged him with her foot. "Just… throw lots of shit at me in training to distract me while he's gone, alright?"
"I can do that." Izuku looked over to his best friend. "Let us know what you find, okay? And if you need anything."
"Heh, yeah. Will do." Tenko shot him a small smile, his cracked lips brimming full of so many conflicting emotions. "Promise I'll get back soon. Can't leave you too long, or these two will tear you apart."
"Probably!" Himiko yawned, arching her back like a cat, before springing upright. "Say, I know the world is pretty shit out there and all, but… we should probably get a wheelchair or something for Izuku? So we can take him home?"
"B-But…" Izuku paused, confused. "Don't we need to go to class-"
"Seriously? That's what you're worried about now? If you wanna come in tomorrow, then fine, but right now…" Setsuna kicked him, not gently at all, as she got up. "Auntie Inko needs something to stop her worrying."
"If you bring him home in a chair, that is not gonna stop her worrying." Tenko laughed bitterly, and bumped his side against Setsuna as he did. "Let him walk a little."
"You're kidding? After he just got up? Remind me never to let you look after me when I'm sick-"
As his friends bickered, Izuku couldn't help but breathe out and relax a little. There was… so much wrong with the world right now, what with everything they had told him about the world outside. His own Quirk was waking up properly now, Shigaraki celebrating every step of the way, and he would have to master whatever he could if he was to prevent All For One from consuming him. But with these three around…
Tenko reached down and held a gloved hand out to him, inviting, ready to pick him up. "Inko and home first, school and the collapse of society later. You coming?"
As Izuku reached up with his own hand, scarred by Nomu and his use of All For One, nothing in the whole world could have sounded better.
(***)
A/N: I love these four, together. There's a lot of narratives going on in this story, obviously, but I have nothing but fun when I'm writing these four bouncing off each other. Four musketeers, together for whatever the world throws at them. One for all and all for one, eh?
Speaking of multiple narratives, clearly the USJ wasn't just going to have an impact on Izuku. There's so much with Tenko that needs unpacking about his past, and the Quirk he holds, and so it's another layer to come- Tenko and Izuku's bond is too great to break apart after just one day, but that doesn't mean Tenko won't go looking for answers about everything. More to come on that front, and in respect of Himiko's 'family activities'; Stain has plans after the USJ, and I can't wait for you to read them come to fruition.
In the meantime, as ever, thank you for your support. Please favourite and follow if you have not done so already; in any event, I am always grateful for reviews, even if I know I need to catch-up thanking people for their reviews on the last chapter (exams have been hard to balance with writing). Please review, and if you want to discuss the fic more, please join the Ignite to the Call server where you can find lovely people, great fics, and an IZ channel- join code is mRr5DHRJ.
Peace, y'all.