Team STIK (Strike)

by Aragon365

One born without the power to make a difference. Another gifted with an incredibly powerful dual semblance. One who wishes to live up to his elder brother. And a faunus whose anger makes him almost as brutal as the Grimm. At Beacon Academy, these four unlikely souls would meet, and forever change the face of Remnant. These are their exploits. (Discontinued)

32. Once Upon a Time

A/N: Guess what time of year it is? KINGDOM HEARTS 3! Holy crap, it exists, it looks awesome, it's real, IT'S COMING!

Anyway, if you can't tell from that, I am a massive fan of Kingdom Hearts. I'd probably place it at number three on my favorite video game series of all time, just under the Jak & Daxter Trilogy at number two and the Persona/Shin Megami Tensei series at number one (because some small part of me will always be edgy).

Although KH isn't really at number three for the story because... well, I don't even have to tell you why, it's basically a meme at this point. I still enjoy the story though! Even if I might not entirely understand everything it throws at me, I can still get most of it.

Either way, I'm incredibly excited for Kingdom Hearts 3. Also, I wrote this whole blurb about the Kingdom Hearts series that was about five hundred words long, but it seemed kinda rude and way too long, so I cut it out. Oh well. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Review Responses:

Team KITS: Yeah, I can see why that'd be. None of their names started with an R, so it just spelled STIK when it's supposed to be a variation of Strike, which I connected to being a particular shade of white or gray. I should probably change the title to something else, though, to make it less confusing. If you have any suggestions, be sure to let me know!

While I could see Bakugo being quite the leader given the chance, his mindset at the beginning of HeroAca, as well as this story, was not that of a leader. He was really out for himself until he learned to respect his teammates and start becoming more of a team player. And while he is more observant in the HeroAca canon, up until the tournament and towards the end of season one, he has a big problem with tunnel vision, and it does still pop up sometimes.

Also, that is actually a really cute team name that I kinda wish I'd taken into consideration.

Guest: What are you trying to learn from these questions?

If you're talking about in this story, they haven't gone through a lot of development as of yet, but I plan to have them do so in the future. And... well, yeah. Unfortunately, it was, particularly with fan-favorite characters. I'm hoping that Volume 6 will be better in those terms. Always stay positive!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or My Hero Academia. They belong to Monty Oum, Kohei Horikoshi, and their respective publishing companies. Please support the official releases.

I do not own the cover image

Chapter 32: Once Upon a Time

"Why are you telling me this?" Pyrrha asked in pure confusion. The Maidens were real? The four women who'd sworn to help the world, to inspire hope and give instead of take: they were real?! How?

A brief but deafening silence passed before Ozpin broke the silence once more, this time with an even more alarming statement, "Because we believe that you, Pyrrha Nikos, are the next in line to receive the Fall Maiden's Power."

That in itself was a shock. Her? Why? She was just a student! Granted, she was a lot stronger than most others, but otherwise, there was absolutely nothing remarkable about her! But something Ozpin had said made her stop and recompose.

"We?"

It was at that ironic moment that one of the elevator doors ringed, then opening to reveal Goodwitch, General Ironwood, and...

Oh my Oum, it's All Might! He's actually here!

Indeed, the smiling giant himself barely fit inside of the elevator, having to duck in order to avoid hitting his head on the doorframe. His iconic blonde hair and flawless white grin had inspired her for several years, and just behind her mother, he was the main reason that she'd aspired to become a huntress in the first place.

"Sorry we were late," Ironwood apologized to his old-time friend.

"No need. Qrow and Peach should be coming up soon," Ozpin said with a casual sip of his mug.

"I really hope that kid takes what he's about to hear as well as me and Glynda did," Aizawa commented with worry in his tone. While they had indeed been surprised at the reveal of One for All and it's origin, the other things they'd heard about from Ozpin made the whiplash a bit more bearable.

"Wait, just what is going on?" Pyrrha asked suddenly with a great deal of confusion in her eyes.

"In due time, Miss Nikos. If you could simply wait a few more minutes, all shall be explained."

"O-of course." He's so much more inspiring in person!

(meanwhile, an elevator, Izuku's POV)

The ride up to Ozpin's office is really intimidating, Izuku thought to himself as he resisted the urge to tap his foot so as to not annoy the other two passengers in the ascending box, who flanked either side of him and, though it wasn't official, they almost felt like guards. Not in an uncomfortable way, but they were just... there. But there was one odd subject that wouldn't leave Izuku alone.

"Hey, Qrow?"

"Hm? Something up?" The old drunk asked in a surprisingly sober voice.

"It's not really that big a deal, but why was my dad nicknamed Jade Dragon Strategist? I mean, I get the Strategist part, but the other two words just confuse me."

"I figured you'd ask that sometime," Qrow sighed in admission. "It was a bit confusing at first, but his favorite color was green, and jade's a fancy shade of that. As for the dragon part... well, you know what his quirk was, right?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure he could breathe... fire..." Izuku then stopped in realization and smacked himself in the forehead. "It makes so much sense now!"

"Yeah, that's pretty much how a lot of us reacted," Qrow said with a smirk.

"Only you doubled over laughing," Peach said with her own silent smile.

"Hey, I thought it was pretty funny," the red-eyed reaper quipped back.

It was at this moment that their elevator finally reached the top of the building, opening to reveal the entire rest of the ensemble. Ozpin sat behind his desk with a calm yet tense expression, knowing what was soon to be said and asked, and Aizawa leaning on one of the pillars with his Scroll in hand, with Ironwood standing across from him as if objecting to something he said. Goodwitch was there as well, and she looked more than a little angry with Ironwood for saying something that he probably shouldn't have, and All Might stood in the center of the room, not entirely sure how to handle this. And in the chair in front of Ozin's desk, there sat a confused and rather lost look Pyrrha Nikos.

Wait, she's here too? What's going on?

"Gentlemen," Ozpin said firmly. "You shall settle this at a later time. The others have arrived."

Ironwood looked to where the three now emerged, Izuku stepping further into the room and suddenly feeling very, incredibly small and quite intimidated. This look was not shared by Peach or Qrow, but that was likely because they were giving of some of the larger presences. Regardless of this Ironwood straightened himself and greeted them, "Ah. Thank you for coming, Mr. Midoiya. And... you two as well. Qrow. Peach."

"Ironwood," the two synched, their distaste for the man in front of them obviously evident to everyone in the room. This was only emphasized further when Qrow pulled his flask out of his shirt and took a deliberately long and lengthy drink from it.

"Qrow, could you please not drink right now? This is very important," the metallic man berated him for what he was currently doing, only to have the raven-haired man to flip him the bird as he drank.

"Was that really necessary, Qrow?" Goodwitch asked.

When he finally stopped, Qrow responded, "No, but I've never liked him anyway."

"Okay. Now that we've all gathered..." All Might looked towards Izuku for a brief moment, doing his best to put on a brave face before he turned to Pyrrha and continued, "Please try to understand, Miss Nikos, that what we're about to tell you is knowledge the likes of which no one has publicly known for near centuries. These are dangerous secrets, and you cannot tell anyone, no matter how trustworthy you may think they are. Not your family, not your friends, and most certainly not the public. Alright?"

Pyrrha adopted a confused expression at this, not quite understanding what was about to be told to her. But this didn't stop her from shaking herself out of her stupor and nodding too him. "I do."

All Might then nodded back and stood a bit straighter as his form began to steam and slowly shrink down, his clothes loosening, and becoming baggier and baggier, until finally the steam cleared away to reveal Toshinori in all his gangly, deflated glory.

The bronze armored amazon was entirely shocked, her jaw becoming slack upon seeing his true form, a few surprised and exasperated sounds emerging from her throat, unable to speak at the revelation.

"See, this is how I expected you guys to react to what I told you," Toshinori said as he looked to Goodwitch and Aizawa while pointing a bony finger at Pyrrha's shocked form.

"Hey, when you see most of the shit we've seen, something like that's just a memo," Aizawa replied.

"Not that it wasn't shocking, of course. I was rather jarred when I heard it," Goodwitch readjusted her glasses.

"Yeah, that's how it usually goes," Qrow said as he almost took another swig from his flask only to be stopped by Peach, who snatched it right out of his hand and taking one for herself.

"Hey, that's my flask, dammit!" The red-eyed reaper objected, though this did nothing to stop the brightly haired nurse from smirking wryly and taking an even longer swig.

"Now, now, everyone, settle down," Ozpin calmed the rising argument. "I believe you have some questions for us, Miss Nikos?"

Pyrrha nodded, still looking quite bewildered by the revelations, and asked, "I know about the Maiden's tale; I don't know who doesn't; but what is this other tale you're talking about and... why is Izuku here as well?"

The green haired inheritor flinched at that, and nearly began breaking down in hives before managing to right himself and say, "Erm... well, it's really, really long story."

"Longer than you think, actually," Toshinori said as he pulled up two chairs for both he and Izuku. "It might take a while to tell it all, so I'd recommend sitting down."

(meanwhile, unknown location in Vale, Tomura's POV)

"C'mon, c'mon... yes! I finally kicked your ass!" The white-haired man shouted with glee at his gaming handheld, now joyful to have defeated to the boss that had given him so much trouble over the past hour and a half.

"I'm glad to see you're happy, sir," Kurogiri said as he cleaned a glass on his side of the bar at which Tomura was currently sitting. And then, suddenly, a flinch. Not much, not for long, but it was there. "Yes sir, I understand. Please hurry."

"Hm? Who're you talking to, Kurogiri? You finally snap?" Tomura asked with a sarcastic, though still concerned tone.

Only a second later, Kurogiri widened into his portal form and allowed someone quite tall, and equally powerful, to step through him and into their hideout. He wore a dark business suit with a black suit jacket and pants, and a dark gray shirt under it with brown dress shoes to complete the ensemble. This, however, was not what drew Tomura's attention. Instead, he focused on the almost skull-like mask on the man's head, which held symmetrical tubing that almost looked like a collar, which formed the life-support system that allowed him to breathe. This was the man whose name brought pure terror to those who knew it, someone who almost singlehandedly brought Remnant to the brink of destruction so many centuries ago and, some would say, a primary instigator of both the Great War and the Faunus War, simply because he wished to see the aftermath of the battles. This was All for One, the Symbol of Chaos. Tomura's master.

"M-master! You're here!" Tomura exclaimed with glee, like a child seeing their parent for the first time in a very long while.

"Indeed I am. I cannot stay here for long, however. Maybe... forty-five minutes at the very least, or an hour if I have the strength for it," All for One said, his voice almost bristling with his restrained power. If he didn't, it would lead All Might to their hideout. That much power had more perks than just the strength and the physical resistances, much to their frustration.

"Ah. I see," Tomura said. "What's in that case you have?"

"Patience, Tomura. You shall know soon enough," All for One ensured his apprentice as he shifted the black briefcase in his right hand. Tomura didn't quite know why, but he felt some kind of connection to whatever was in that case. But he held himself back. He'd learned to be more preserved since his previous failures. That and Torchwick had been a really good friend to bounce off of and learn from.

Huh. Friend. I... don't think I've ever had one of those. We'll get him back, though. I promised the little ice-cream kid, after all.

"Is something on your mind, Tomura?" All for One asked in a neutral tone as they walked to a deeper part of their headquarters, away from prying eyes and eager ears. They were not to be disturbed during this time.

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine to me."

Tomura still said nothing. All for One simply sighed and asked, "Do you remember that old story I used to tell you?"

"How could I forget? You told it to me every night for ten years," Tomura answered honestly.

"Can you tell me what took place?"

"… okay, maybe I need a bit of a refresher on it," the white-haired man admitted.

All for One chuckled at that, then continuing, "Humility is a good trait to have as a leader, Tomura. Never forget that. People relate more to those who aren't perfect and yet strive on anyway. Especially the downtrodden. Now then, I do believe we have a story to revisit."

(from here it'll switch between All Might and All for One telling the same story with some minor differences. You should be able to know who's telling which parts. Now, without further ado, on to the fairytale!)

"Many centuries ago, before the kingdoms, before the discovery of Dust, and only as the barest hints of Faunuskind began to spread throughout the world, humanity had been pushed to the brink of extinction by the Grimm. Hope was nearly lost and fear was seeping in."

"But all was not lost. There were two brothers, one older and one younger, who'd heard rumors of a being with immense power, one who might help them with their plight and save them from extinction. And so, with hope in their hearts, and support at their backs, they set out to find this being and save what was left of humanity."

"It took many months, but eventually, through hardship and trial alike, they found the being on the island now known as Vytal. They did not have a true form, or a true body, merely existing as almost pure energy. However, they were exceptionally wise and just as powerful, as the brothers soon discovered for themselves."

"The entity knew their reasons for coming to them but was hesitant about giving them shelter and the power to properly defend themselves. They suspected one of them would grow dark and bring much unnecessary suffering to those whom they wished to protect. The brothers assured him that they would do what they had to in order to ensure that this wouldn't happen, and the entity gave that which they'd come for: the shelter they'd asked for, and the power to protect humanity and the growing Faunus population."

"From this came the birth of many things. Aura, the Oaths, Dust, and, with time, the Silver Eyed Warriors, men and women so powerful that they could slay the greatest of Grimm simply by looking at them. But the greatest powers were granted to the brothers who found the entity. The power to give to others and power to take and amass a vast array of abilities, the former given to the younger and the latter given to the elder. And so, with that final act, the entity left them with a final warning and dispersed their energy across the world, allowing everyone, even the lowest of the low, to have the potential to do great things. The Inclined and the Berserkers are two such beings, and, recently, a new power has emerged from this wealth of potential. A fusion of souls, if you will. The concept itself is quite fascinating. That is for another time, however. Moving on..."

"As the years went by, the elder brother became far too curious for his own good. What were the Grimm made of? Where did they come from? Can they be controlled and made into herding animals, or were they simply wild, mindless beasts with the intent to kill and slaughter all that lived. What was Dust, truly? Was it nature's wrath unleashed or simply a naturally occurring resource? And, there came the question that would change the world forever. How far can my power grow?"

"This sparked a revolution, as the elder brother began to gather those with similar mindsets and complacent boredom, ensuing chaos and bringing havoc once more. The Grimm were no longer humanities main threat. But the younger brother was all too objective to this sentiment, despite his lack of destructive ability. The elder brother took pity on him, however, and gave him the ability to enhance that which he already possessed."

"It was here that the younger brother discovered the true power which the entity had bestowed upon him. A seemingly useless power, to pass on that which he had to another of his own choosing. And unlike other semblances, All for One could not take this power form him. It could not be stolen, only given. This battle between the two would continue for centuries, shaping much of history as we now know it. The most recent clash between the two powers was about five years ago, between me and that same man who's lived for far longer than he should've."

"The clash began in the wastes of Vacuo and continued for some time after that. Eventually, the fight brought itself to the Grimmlands, and we were both on our last legs. As you well know, Tomura, that battle left me looking like... well, the helmet isn't what I'd call the most appealing choice of clothing, but it does help keep me alive. And All Might was not so lucky as to leave unscathed. And so, our battle still continues, until the day the other is defeated. Forever."

(And that's the end of the fairytale. I hope you enjoyed it! Please be sure to let me know if it was good!)

(Izuku's POV)

"And that's the story. Any questions?" Toshinori asked the two. Pyrrha looked shocked at this revelation, her jaw hanging open and her eyes going wide. Izuku, while his surprise was far less visible than Pyrrha's, he was still quite shocked as well. That was the origin of the power that now dwelt within him? It was certainly... odd, but it also felt rather grand. Was he really worthy to inherit this responsibility? A Fractured against one of the most powerful people in the entire world?

But he shook these thoughts from his mind and refocused on the topics at hand, and just as he was about to ask some of the things that were currently pressing on his mind, Pyrrha managed to beat him to the punch. "In that story, you mentioned terms like 'Inclined' and 'Berserkers,' along with some kind of soul fusion and something called a 'Silver Eyed Warrior.' What are they? And pardon my repetition, but why is Izuku here as well?"

"Erm... well, the reason Izuku is here is that... he's my apprentice," Toshinori admitted, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. Damn nervous ticks.

This answer caused Pyrrha's eyes to widen with surprise, only supported by the fact that her mouth was also agape from the answer. Izuku then flinched when she suddenly turned to him and asked, "Is this true?"

"Y-yeah, more or less," Izuku said as he leaned away from the curious redhead.

Pyrrha then sat back and sighed heavily, saying, "This is... a lot to take in. And I still have so many questions. I imagine Izuku does as well, but this is... quite overwhelming."

"Sorry to interrupt this little talk, but we really need to get on with everything else," Qrow said rather impatiently, with Peach and Aizawa nodding to this sentiment as he continued, "There's a lot to cover, and all they need to know are the basics. Save the rest for when we have more time."

"You have a point," Toshinori relented as he stood up and walked to the elevator. "This way. There's something you two need to see."

Although it was a little cramped, the majority of them managed to fit onto the elevator, leaving Peach and Aizawa behind in case anyone decided to go into Ozpin's office while they were down in the vault. Peach had seen it more than enough times, and Aizawa was just kinda creeped out by it.

Izuku's attention was caught once more when they finally managed to reach some sort of bottom floor. They were obviously far below ground level; he'd managed to count the number of seconds it took to get there, but seeing the size and sheer scale of this secret place was quite intimidating, to say the least. The arches that held the place up were massive, and the stonework was, while basic, looked to be made with the sole purpose of withstanding nearly anything.

Ozpin, Ironwood, and Qrow all moved forward with purpose in their strides while Goodwitch and Toshinori stayed to ensure that Izuku and Pyrrha kept up.

"I believe you had more questions to ask?" Goodwitch asked Pyrrha.

"… maybe a few less than before," the redheaded amazon admitted to her teacher.

"Well, we'll do our best to answer them," Toshinori assured her as they followed the leading trio deeper into the heart of Beacon.

"… I don't think I understand. You said that I was next in line for the Fall Maiden's powers, but I still have no idea what you mean by that," Pyrrha said.

"Wait, the Maidens are real?" Izuku asked so quickly and with such excitement that one could've mistaken him for an eager child.

"They're real, alright. I know it might be-"

"This is so cool!"

.

..

…

"… you're a lot calmer about this than I thought you'd be," Toshinori admitted.

"Not calm, excited!" Izuku corrected as he almost began to ask a tirade of questions that had built up over the past few seconds before receiving a rather 'we'll talk later' glare from Goodwitch, quickly calming the boy down (in fear) as he continued, "B-but you can explain that to me later."

Goodwitch then continued with her answer, "Well, the Maidens have been around for centuries, almost as long as One for All and All for One; and no two Maidens are alike. As the seasons change, so too do the Maidens. During the time of the second inheritor of One for All, when the brotherhood was first founded, we learned that the Maiden's powers were always passed on to young women without exception and that those powers stayed with them until their deaths. The powers would then leave the Maiden's body and search for a new host, in order to ensure that the powers would never truly be lost."

"So... how are the Maidens chosen?" Pyrrha asked in a nervous tone.

"Through a serious of incredibly stupid and unnecessarily convoluted rules," Qrow answered with a very, very irritated tone.

"Qrow!"

"Glynda, it's fine," Toshinori said, stopping the inevitable argument that always ensued between the two whenever this particular topic was brought up. "Besides, he does have a point."

Goodwitch sighed in reluctance, saying, "I suppose he does," before turning back to the two newcomers and further explaining, "It was during the time of the sixth inheritor that we discovered more about the process of Maidenhood, mainly because, by some rare stroke of luck that hasn't happened ever since, she was, herself, a Maiden. And it was then discovered that the inheritance process was much more... intimate than we'd first believed."

"… intimate?"

Toshinori then took over, "Well, Nana's predecessor managed to find out that once a Maiden dies, the person in their final thoughts are at the top of the list for potential inheritance."

"Unless it's a guy or some old hag. Because then it'll usually go to somebody random, and then this job gets a lot harder than it needs to be. It's the complete opposite of One for All's inheritance, which is a lot more symbolic and easier to keep track of. But that's also one of the things that makes it pretty vulnerable, especially when compared to the Maiden's powers," Qrow explained.

"Ya got that, kid?" The red-eyed reaper said as he looked to the freckled boy, "If you die, that's it. One for All goes poof, and the world will probably go to hell. I know it's a lot to take in, but that's the gravity of this situation. Okay?"

Izuku nodded firmly, despite the fact that his inheritance now had far more significance than he'd first thought. In truth, he was actually feeling quite insignificant, like he wasn't worthy of this legacy that he would eventually have to carry on his own. But he could dwell on those thoughts later, then asking, "So, why now, specifically? Wouldn't this have been easier once we graduated?"

"If we're being realistic, we're almost out of time. Tensions between the human and faunus populations have been growing ever since the end of the Faunus War, and that's caused the Grimm to get even stronger, more prevalent, and a lot more things than we'd like have been going to shit ever since the sixth inheritor died, and it might not be long before this peace we've been enjoying for so long evaporates and everything goes to hell again despite All Might's damnedest efforts to inspire hope."

"Are you... talking about war?"

"Not between nations, if we can help it," Ironwood said with confidence in his voice, which only caused Qrow to huff in further annoyance, muttering something about his specialists under his breath, before he turned and continued to them, "We'll fill you two in on everything else once you're with us, but long story short, one of the Maidens got attacked, and part of her power was stolen. We don't know how, who, or why, and despite our best efforts, she doesn't have much longer."

(meanwhile, undisclosed location in Vale, Tomura's POV)

"Well, that certainly fills in some of the gaps I had," Tomura admitted.

"Good, good. Now, I assume you're wondering why I've brought you down here?" All for One asked his apprentice with his hands, and the case in them, behind his back with casual yet still menacing aura around him. At least, if your name wasn't Tomura Shigaraki. They were currently at the deepest part of the hideout, a rather large and barren space that was mostly used for combat practice. It was how he made the pairs due to combat compatibility. Actually, maybe he should rethink a few of those pairs; it seemed as though Himiko and Twice might make a good stealth/assault team. Or maybe Himiko and Neo, depending on the situation.

"That was on my mind, yeah."

"Well, wonder no longer." All for One raised his left hand and snapped his fingers, revealing a figure in the center of the room chained to the floor by their arms. They were heavily scarred and bald, with their skin pigment being an almost unnatural shade of white.

"Huh. Who's the person that pissed you off?" Tomura asked rather casually.

"A particularly effective mole who'd managed to infiltrate my old league. Truth be told, they're the reason All Might even managed to find us. So, when I found out about that little tidbit... let's just say that for the first time in an incredibly long while, I rather enjoyed placing someone in as much pain as I could."

"Wow. You really screwed up, didn't ya?" Tomura asked the chained figure with sarcasm in his voice.

Instead of responding, the figure only stayed stock still, broken and beaten from unimaginable pain. There were numerous scars located in countless regions on their body, several being wide enough to have likely severed nerves. The white-haired man gave an impressed whistle when he saw this, turning back to his master as he asked, "So, are we here to make this traitor sing a swan song or something?"

"You can call it that, yes. But I shall not be the one writing the melody," All for One said as he placed the case on a nearby table, flicking open the locks in an unintentionally dramatic fashion.

"Oh. Well, why didn't you say so?" Tomura said as he reached towards the traitor's neck to snuff out what little was left of their life-

"Not like that, Tomura," All for One said in his rarely used firm tone, which caused Tomura to pull back his hand almost immediately. Apparently, he wanted it done in a very specific manner, and when he wanted something done like that, you either complied or suffered. The white-haired man then approached the table the All for One had just backed away from, revealing the inside of the case he'd been carrying. It contained a mid-sized, curved, sword with a thick black sheath, a gunmetal grey guard, and oppositely curved handle, which was wrapped in dark blue cord. It was a scimitar. Huh.

From the size of that case, Tomura was actually expecting something a bit different, like maybe an assault rifle or an extendable polearm or maybe a certain sword that perpetuated a very specific stereotype often associated with people who shared his particular hair pigment. Seriously, it was kinda annoying.

"This weapon was made with a particularly rare type of Dust. One that shares properties with your disintegration magic, to be precise. Go on, pick it up."

"Whoa, you used black Dust for this thing?" Tomura said as he eagerly picked up the weapon, careful to not use a full grip and he unsheathed the blade. It was as thick as the sheath had suggested, with a dark grey color scheme and a gleaming edge that looked so sharp that it might've been able to cut through solid iron like warm butter. "It's that super rare stuff you can only find in Menagerie's desert, right?"

"It was the main component, but I used a variety of other Dust types to ensure that it wouldn't destroy everything it touched, though it can still do that via activation. I also used gravity Dust in order to ensure that it would be as effortless to wield as possible."

Tomura gave the sword a few test swings, feeling the balance and seeming precision of the weapon he now held. It was near perfect. But suddenly, his fingers, slipped, causing the white-haired man to have to catch it with a full grip. However, instead of disintegrating, as any other weapon would, the scimitar almost seemed to power up, the color now fading to a full black with a powerful, almost air effective hum.

"Whoa. That's... surprising," Tomura said as the weapon hummed something, almost like a greeting to its wielder. "Wait, did it just talk?!"

"Yes and no. But, save your questions for another time. I believe you have something to do," All for One gestured to the still chained, still lifeless, traitor.

Tomura complied, approaching them with his scimitar clutched in and eager grip giving it a few twirls before holding up the traitor's head and taunting, "Sionara, dumbass," before stabbing them straight through the chest. Blood spurted out of the now gaping wound, finding their marks on the ground as the traitor gasped for the last bit of air they would ever breathe. As the traitor exhaled, and blood dripped down the edge, Tomura pulled the scimitar their body, letting it fall limply to the floor in a most ungraceful fashion. He noticed that the wound was considerably wider than it should've been, likely due to his weapon's destructive properties.

"Hey... I think I've got a name for this thing."

"So soon? Impressive," All for One remarked as he placed his hand where his chin normally would be, giving him a bit if a thinker's pose.

"Oblivion. That's your name," Tomura said as he looked down at the now named scimitar, the blade humming in acceptance of its title.

(meanwhile, Beacon Vault, Izuku's POV)

"We will give you time to think on this proposal. But know that before the Vytal Festival is over, we will need your answer."

That was a lot to take in. As if the origin of One for All wasn't enough of a bombshell on its own, they'd just learned some pretty harrowing stuff. The prospect of Aura transference was particularly disturbing, and Pyrrha was looking incredibly conflicted about the decision before her. Izuku wanted to help her, try and talk her through this. But this was much more serious than just gaining power. If she did do this, there was a chance that she could lose her entire identity. That was not something to take likely, nor something he could advise her with, despite the fact that the green haired inheritor wanted to aid her regardless.

"I'll take you back upstairs," Goodwitch offered. "I imagine you need more time to process this."

Pyrrha only nodded in response, her eyes now seemingly fixated on the floor as Goodwitch lead her to the elevator with an apologetic look the whole way. No one should have to bear this kind of burden, especially not someone as young as her. But... desperate times.

Izuku moved to go back up as well but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find Qrow and Toshinori behind him with knowing gazes, the former saying, "Not yet, kid. There are some more things that you need to know."

"And while I imagine that Miss Nikos will likely learn of this later, it's best that we fill you in on some more of the details now," Toshinori confirmed with a solemn nod. Whatever they were about to explain, it was important. Very important.

"Well, before we do that, I think it might do to have this conversation elsewhere," Ozpin said. They then made their way from the center vault and instead walked down the left corridor that had been near the entrance. The space itself was filled with fairly modern medical tech, with a few contraptions that he hadn't seen in Peach's office. Maybe this was what she meant when she kept referring to her 'playroom.'

"Before we begin, Mr. Midoriya, there are a few things that need to be explained," Ironwood said as he pressed a few keys on a holographic keyboard before taking a seat behind the desk, then gesturing to the chairs in front of him. Izuku and Toshinori took their seats, while Ozpin stood near Ironwood and Qrow leaned on a nearby pillar. "The first being one of the terms that Toshinori mentioned earlier: the Inclined. They are, to put it simply, people besides the Maidens who can use magic. Not to nearly the same extent or destructive potential, but it's magic nonetheless. It can be very complicated, with the fact that magic can often be mistaken for a semblance or a quirk, but the real difference is that it doesn't need an outside source to work, not even an Aura in some cases."

"And, this is where things get really weird really fast," Qrow piped in. "It's really just a theory at this point, and we don't have a lot of data to go off of, but it seems like you'd need a complete soul in order to utilize any kind of magic. Which brings us to this part... damn, this is really hard to condense."

"I told you: this is complicated," Toshinori reminded him.

"It is. But that's not the point right now," Ozpin said as he turned to Izuku, then continuing, "Your father, Hisashi, was one of the Inclined. And we believe that you may have inherited his magical ability."

…

"What?"

That was all Izuku could manage to say. As if the other revelations he'd learned not half an hour ago weren't enough, this just shook his whole world even more than it already had been. Qrow had said that his dad's powers were really damn useful, but this...

"My apologies. You must be rather confused about all of this," Ozpin said.

"… why didn't anyone tell me this?" Izuku asked with a scarily neutral tone.

"It's not that we didn't want to, Izuku," Toshinori assured his apprentice. "We couldn't. I couldn't. I only found out about Hisashi just recently myself, and even back then, you wouldn't have believed us. This knowledge would only cause you panic, and... even now, I can tell it hurts. I'm sorry."

A few seconds of uncomfortable silence passed through the room, making the air all the tenser. But he then continued, "Does my mom know?" As he looked Ozpin straight in the eye. The man knew a lot, and something, he wasn't exactly sure what, was telling him that he knew plenty more than what he'd told him and Pyrrha.

"To our knowledge, your mother knows nothing about this. And, if Hisashi did know what he truly was, he didn't want her to know," Ironwood said, trying to draw the heat away from his old friend.

"But let's get to why we're here in the first place, namely this," Qrow said as he walked over to the LED board and placed what looked to be an x-ray picture of a sphere like essence. Izuku could recognize this shape all too well, particularly the eighth of a section which, combined with his double-jointedness in his pinky toes, had spelled out most of his life before meeting All Might. This was the undeniable proof that he was a Fractured.

Qrow sighed in reluctance, having to show Izuku images like this, but he continued anyway. "This was taken about a year and a half ago, just a few days before you met Toshinori." The red-eyed reaper then pulled up another picture, but this one was different. His soul was the same as before, but something seemed a bit off. Like the gap had lessened by just the slightest fraction. "This was taken back when Peach was giving everyone medical exams at the start of the year. It's basically the same, but what's really got us concerned is the next one."

He then pulled up the third picture. Unlike the other two before it, it contained a nearly full sphere. Nearly. Full. And if the caption at the bottom of the picture was true, then...

… it was his.

Izuku went wide-eyed, only staring at the picture without making even the slightest sound. Qrow noticed this, and with a heavy tone, continued, "This was taken just a few days ago, when Peach gave another round of physicals to most of the competitors. If the accuracy is to be believed, then your soul seems to be mending, becoming whole."

"But that's... no way, that's impossible. I'm not... I'm not..." Izuku tried to object to this, but then found that this picture, combined with everything that had been happening recently: the flashes, all the times that everything slowed down, that one vision in the arena when Coco and Yatsu were fighting... well, it was undeniable proof that he wasn't the same anymore.

Ironwood then stood up and took over, explaining, "What has us the most concerned is that despite our best efforts, we haven't been able to confirm very many Inclined in recent years, and even so there has never been anything like this. Truth be told, once your soul truly becomes whole again, potentially anything could happen."

"And it might not leave you the same person when it does," Ozpin finished with an ominous implication now hanging over their heads. Izuku, as Pyrrha had before, now found himself rather fascinated with the floor. This was too much. How was he supposed to handle this? What was he supposed to do? What would All Might do?

As if on cue, Toshinori stood and said, "I think that's enough for one day. He'll need some more time to process all of this."

Ironwood nodded in confirmation while Qrow looked rather... well, pissed off. He really, really didn't want to show Izuku this stuff so soon. It might have the opposite result, and from what Qrow could tell he still wasn't over his dad's death. That was very sensitive, very personal, territory, and they'd just trespassed on it.

Ozpin, however, walked over to the freckled inheritor, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder as he said, "I won't pretend that this isn't hard to understand. This must be rather jarring for you. But understand that if you ever need to talk, or if you have any questions at all, we'll do our best to answer them. Alright?"

All Izuku could do was give a noncommittal nod to the spectacled headmaster before Toshinori helped him stand from his seat and guided him to the elevator once more, his eyes seemingly glued to the floor the entire time.

(meanwhile, Team STIK's room, Shoto's POV)

"Shoto, are you sure you're alright?" Momo asked through the slightly scratchy signal of Shoto's Scroll.

"… I don't know," was all he could say, because he truly wasn't sure. He had the support of his teammates, and this tournament was rather fun, but Endeavor... he always seemed to find a way to worm his way into most of his life. No matter how far he got, the man was always there. Watching. Waiting for him to use his left side.

"Look, I know it's hard with your father being there, but please try not to think about him. It'll be hard, but I know you can do it. You helped me through my hang-ups, after all. If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you. I promise I'll try." It was all he could do, really. He could try. Whether or not he failed was out of his hands.

"Talk to you later?"

"Definitely. I love you."

"Love you too. Bye," Momo said in longing as she hung up, causing Shoto to fully lean back his chair and sigh. Man, this tournament was getting a lot heavier than he ever wanted it to be. Maybe not the fighting itself, but the context behind it just couldn't let him relax.

He then breathed in heavily to calm his nerves, sitting upright as he did so. There was something that had been bothering him ever since that fight against Hitoshi and Hanta. He'd never really thought much of it before, and he wasn't even focused enough to get a proper feel for it. But now that he could think a bit more clearly, though not to the point he no longer felt stressed, he found that something about the way Izuku had released his power in the ring felt eerily familiar. Like the time he and many others were around to witness the fight between All Might and the artificial Grimm; he remembered it was called a 'Nomu,' or something to that effect.

Then, he made the connection, standing from his seat as he whispered to himself, "Izuku, we are in for a very long talk."

(meanwhile, the sparring ring, Bakugo's POV)

The blonde direwolf faunus breathed out heavily, rubbing his now tender joints from his now finished training session on with various, now broken, shrapnalized, or otherwise brutally mangled training dummies. Goodwitch was going to have a fit, but at the moment, he really didn't care. His pain tolerance was building and his joints were able to handle the explosions a lot better than they had before. Maybe he could try out that one other technique now...

But his ears twitched as his head turned to the entrance of the room, feeling as though someone was there. But all he found was nothing, the entrance being as empty as it had been ten minutes ago. Damn, what the hell's up with my senses today?

"Yo! Bakugo! You okay?" Kirishima called to him from across the arena, where he and his team were also training. Well, Ashido and Tsuyu were having some post-battle banter and Tokoyami was having a discussion with Shadow about what he assumed were better fighting techniques.

"None of your damn business, porcupine," he responded with his usual tone, though it did hold a bit of unintentional playfulness.

"See? He's fine," the wolverine faunus assured his teammates.

"Well then, let's kick it into high gear! Just because we aren't fighting in the next round doesn't mean we can't improve!" Tenya yelled to all the occupants of the arena with Pride pointed skyward.

"Tenya, we're already in high gear," Jaune pointed out in mid-meditation, with Lancelot currently practicing various swordplay techniques beside him. Ren was also meditating, though in a far more traditional sense, with his eyes closed and no disturbances whatsoever.

And then there was Nora, who was currently writing something down in a rather pink and bedazzled journal labeled 'Nora's Book of Explosive Secrets!' She'd taken to writing in it after seeing Deku's own journals one too many times and deciding that it looked like a lot of fun. To their surprise, Nora was surprisingly detailed with her notes, which had proven whenever she decided to share them (which was pretty rare), despite her seemingly silly and nonacademic attitude. In her own words: "I'm hyperactive, not stupid."

Then, Lancelot caught his attention as the white giant suddenly flickered out of sight, causing Jaune to gasp in surprise. What the hell just happened?

"Are you alright?" Ren asked his leader, with Nora taking her nose out of her notebook to observe her seemingly distressed leader.

"I'm alright, but Lance kinda... well, I don't know what happened just now," the blonde knight admitted to his teammates.

"Then start meditating and get some answers outta him, Blondie," Bakugo said in his usual blunt manner. It only took that to get Jaune to close his eyes again and have what was to be a rather lengthy and explanatory conversation with his gigantic armor avatar. Oum, that sounded weird.

As he turned away from this, however, he found Tenya standing behind him with a concerned look behind his glasses, asking, "Are you alright, Bakugo?"

"What'd make you think I wasn't?"

Tenya sighed at his partner's attempted question dodging, continuing, "You've been distracted and rather tense for a while now, and it's starting to worry me. I know that a lot's changed since we were at Torino's, but-"

"But nothin.' Thanks for the concern, Four Eyes, but I'm still in ass-kicking shape, so don't bother wasting your worries on me."

This was only a diversion to what the spectacled boy really wanted to ask his teammate, and they both knew it. But, despite himself, Tenya played along with it, knowing that whatever was on Bakugo's mind wasn't something he wanted to talk about, especially not with everyone present. "Alright. But if you ever need to talk about something, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Can do, Four Eyes," Bakugo said as he stretched his worn-out arms, then turning to the exit and saying over his shoulder, "I'm going into town for a bit. Seeya you later, dimwits."

"Later, ya pyromaniac!" Nora yelled after him in jest as he exited the arena, briefly cracking his neck before texting Mint on meeting up in town. He wasn't sure why, but he felt like she was someone he could at least talk to about his problems and not judge him for them. Not that Tenya wasn't a good guy, it just seemed like she understood his thought process a bit more than his friend did. Even though he didn't exactly trust her.

Man, what is wrong with me?

(meanwhile, undisclosed location in Vale, Neo's POV)

Seriously, what is wrong with me? Neo thought to herself as she texted the direwolf faunus back. They'd met up again briefly about two days ago, during which she'd taken the liberty of snatching Bakugo's Scroll and swapping their respective numbers. It was also fun to annoy him, so that was a plus. There was also something that was kinda comforting about having a friend outside her criminal life, for the first time in... well, ever, actually.

Though she definitely wasn't going to share this information with anyone else at the base. If they found out, they'd try to exploit it. Especially Cinder, who she didn't really have the highest opinion of. Or Tomura, who, despite almost being like a surrogate uncle to her, wouldn't exactly take the news of her... acquaintance in a very calm manner.

"Yo!" Neo looked up to see Spinner emerging from the lower floor, probably cleaning up after Tomura and that rather terrifying man had finished doing... well, whatever the hell they were doing. "What's up?"

"Going into town for a bit."

"Awww. Again?" Himiko said as she peeked out from where Spinner had just emerged with her flick open knives bound to her arms with chains. Huh. He really did tie them to her. "Why can't we come with you?"

"Because you'd try to kill the first cute guy you saw and Spinner stands out like a sore thumb. No offense."

"None taken. Besides, you're not wrong, I do kinda stand out," the iguana faunus admitted with an awkward scratch on the back of his head. "And don't you have some stuff to do with Twice or something?"

"No, we don't!" They heard Twice yell from the basement, causing all of them to sweatdrop as Spinner commented, "I can barely understand what he says half the time."

"Oh, come on, he isn't all that bad. And his clones make for some great shows," Himiko said with a sadistic smile on her face.

"Well, see you guys later!" Neo typed to them as she headed to the exit of the base, briefly taking a moment to snap her fingers and change herself into Mint Chip before finding her way through the city with one particular thought on her mind.

I need to warn Bakugo about this. I don't know how I'm gonna do it, but I know that I don't want him to die.

(meanwhile, undisclosed location outside Vale, Adam's POV)

Just a few more measly days and they would finally have what they desired. Humanity would pay for every slight, every jaded whisper, every crack of those unspeakably painful whips, they would finally pay! And it would be glorious. But first...

"How are the prosthetics?" The bull faunus asked his old-time ally, Serpent Saw, now fitted with a black jumpsuit and violet trench coat, the former with the sigil of the With Fang emblazoned onto his chest in their iconic crimson while the trench coat held a symbol of a cobra's head emblazoned onto the back in white. Now, he also had three state of the art Atlas prosthetics, which had been painted purple and black and modified to his liking.

"They'll take some adjustment, but I believe I'll be able to make full use of them by the Fall," the serpentine faunus admitted. A dull click and shifting gears caused his right hand to open and bring out a built-in chainsaw the length of his arm. "I do believe that I'm a bit rusty when it comes to combat, however. Would you mind a quick spar?"

Adam chucked at that. "All you had to do was ask."

(meanwhile, the Fairgrounds, Izuku's POV)

"Well Barty, those last few fights were quite entertaining, were they not?"

Izuku still sat motionless in the Fairgrounds bar with a glass of water in his hand and looked at the monitor with an emotionless stare, still processing what had been said to him two hours ago. He didn't know what was supposedly truthful anymore. And that brotherhood that All Might was a part of. They seemed to mean well, but he had no idea if he could really trust them. And there was so much that he just didn't understand.

The broadcast then caught his attention once more when Oobleck announced, "Now that the finals are almost underway, it's time to see which pair will be dueling each other in place of Team MTN! And the randomization process begins... now!"

Izuku sighed as he thought, Maybe this will help me get my mind off of things, while taking a sip from his glass and the roulette spun and spun and finally stopped on...

…

"And there you have it folks! Be sure to tune in tommorrow afternoon to witness the duel between two of Beacon's best and brightest: Izuku Midoriya and Shoto Todoroki of Team STIK!"

… and everything just got worse.

As if on que, he felt a hand tap on his shoulder. He turned to find Shoto standing next to him with a conflicted look in his eye, then saying, "We really need to talk."

Izuku simply nodded and followed his partner and leader back to Beacon proper, wondering all the way there, Okay, I've just had to deal with learning that the Seasonal Maidens are real, One for All having a lot more historical and mythical significance than I thought it did, some kind of semi-deity giving humanity the power to fight back, there are three terms from that story I still know nothing about, Pyrrha having a potentially life altering decision to make, my dad being one of the very few people who can use magic, me possibly inheriting said magic, and that there is a potential time limit on my life or worse, my sanity. How can things possibly get any more complicated?

A/N: Oh, you have no idea...

Well, this is the longest chapter that I've written in a long time. Be sure to ask me questions in the review if I need to clarify anything, though I will try to explain this stuff in future chapters the best I can. If you need a simpler explanation for what happened: the Inclined can use magic to an extent and they need a full soul to utilize it properly, though not an Aura.

Well, I certainly hope you enjoyed! Feel free to complain about how complicated I've made this in the reviews!

Next Chapter: June 17th

Seeya in the next one!