AN: I don't own MHA

I'll be watching

"It's over now." A man chuckled wickedly. At his feet were two sorry souls that dared defy his world order. A ragtag group of like-minded fools daring to mess with his authority. He played with them from time to time. After all, it would be so boring if everything when his way. A little challenge here and there made it all more fun. But then they closed the line when they kidnapped his precious, weak, little brother. How dare they.

With a firm heel, he kicked one of the men in their wounded stomach. Knocking them on to their teammate. "Your little resistance is through. Now die peacefully." His fingernails extended to daggers as he eyed down his targets. They were too weak to fight back so he'll be merciful and end their suffering.

Spat!

It all happened in a split second. His blade like nails cut through flesh. Blood spattered over their fine suit. Only it wasn't the intended target. It was a young man with pale snow-white skin and shoulder-length white hair to match. Their lanky body hunched over the arm that buried itself deep in his body. Their fringe covered half of their face, but there was a gap big enough for a green eye to shine through. It glared at the other with solemn contempt.

"Yoichi!" One of the injured men yelled as they desperately reach out.

Then the stabbed man smiled. He weakly straightened his body while looking at his assaulter dead in the eye. "I won't let you hurt them, brother." With those final words, the young slipped from the blades and fell into the arms of the others. His blood decorated them.

The one held him in shock and horror. The other took this as an opportunity for them to escape. While their opponent also seemed to be frozen. They hooked an arm around their companion's waist. Using their quirk, they hastily jumped the walls of the building for an escape.

Meanwhile, the other held on to their fallen friend's body. Their blood continued to drip. His anger was immeasurable. He yelled a final promise: "You'll pay for this! Hisashi!"

Then the men disappeared. Only leaving a trail of blood behind. A trail of his precious little brother.

"Ahahaha…" the man began to laugh as the numbness in his body had faded. The warmth of his little brother's blood was still fresh in his hands. His brother was always weak. Like a figure piece of glass that could break at the slightest touch. He thought of many ways his brother's life might end. Sickness, a violent mugger, run over by a truck, etc. That's why he'd protect him as a big brother should. He did everything for him, gave him a room where nothing could hurt him, food that his frail body could handle, even a quirk. Never in his life did he think he would put an end to it.

"Ahahahahaahahahahaahaah! Ahhhhhhhahahaahaha!" He laughed like a manic. While tears ran down his face.

Many years past since that day. Close to a century now. Yet he continued along. Many unexpected things happened in those years. The most being his brother's ghost hunting him along with his kidnappers. It appeared his little brother wasn't as quirkless as he once thought. The stockpile quirk he gave him somehow merged with his natural quirk. Now it can be passed to another person. Like a flame to a pile of wood, each time it passed on it grew stronger. What should have ended years ago now continues with that quirk. It was amusing really. A true challenge. Then one the day, he'll be victorious, and his little brother will return to him.

It was one of his many goals. A checklist he will complete before his life came to an end. Nothing will distract him from it. That's what he swore until he met her.

"You dropped this." It was an accidental meeting or perhaps it was fate. An angle of green appeared before his eyes on one of his many walks. It was just that a walk. A little break from all his work yet this break changed everything. He was so used to the darkness he forgot the light. The smile that the woman handed him was brighter than the sun itself. Hand holding his fallen hat "My name's Inko by the way. Inko Midoriya."

"Hisashi Shigaraki." He accidentally blurted out only realise his mistake the second the words left his mouth. It's been so long since he uttered his true name to anyone. Yet somehow this woman coaxed it out of him without even trying. Let alone asking.

With a giggle as sweet as bell chimes, the woman held out her hand to him, "It's very nice to meet you, Shigaraki."

Hisashi couldn't help but try and fail to match that smile. Gladly, he accepted her hand. "Please. I prefer Hisashi."

That one accidental meeting soon become many accidental meetings. Admittedly, a few of those weren't so accidental, but Hisashi couldn't take his eyes off the woman. Was this what they call love at first sight? He had a few dozen partners in the past but never one like her. Someone so kind and pure. Like his brother only without the unbending delusion of justice. Only a simple good-hearted woman who never failed to make his heart flutter. With every touch and sweet word. She was like a drug he couldn't let go of. Always coming back for more with every interaction. Something as simple as a quick hello and how are you. They soon developed into would you like to go to dinner or would you like to stay the night.

Perhaps it was from all the many things on his plate he ignored any thought of slowing down. Play the role of a normal man. It would be too boring he thought. Until he met her. The domestic life soon become a craving so long as she was there. Sharing every mundane moment. A morning coffee and chat. A leisure night-time stroll through a park. Exchanging sweet nothings.

He loved her with every meaning of the world. Enough to slow the progress of his empire just to spare a moment for her. Ever since his brother's betrayal, he never allowed anyone else so close in his inner circle. Expect his beloved Inko. If she wanted the world, he would give it to her, but she wanted something else. Himself. It was a fair exchange since he wanted her as well.

The two quickly got married, and life for a time couldn't be more perfect. However, life loved to be difficult. Then break you when you least expect it.

"Who was it, Inko? Who?" Hisashi yelled in rage. It was supposed to have been a happy day. After living with each other, getting married the next logical step should have been parenthood. It was laid out so perfectly. He made sure everything was ready. The crib, the clothes, milk bottles. All perfectly selected by him and his wife. He was a little busy with a side project and the newest successor of his brother to be with his wife at the birth. So, he arranged everything else to ensure her safety at home.

One look at the child it was clear something was wrong. The eyes didn't match. Nor did the hair. Nothing about the child resembled him aside from the white hair. Perhaps it was instincts or the guilty look in his wife's eyes, but he knew the child wasn't his.

"No one I swear!" That was her reply, but it wasn't enough.

Rage soon blinded his mind causing him to act irrationally. The feeling of unexpected betrayal was too much. After committing to her he thought he found something. He wasn't sure what to make of this something other than he wanted it. He needed it, but now it felt ruined. Like salt in a cake. It may look good on the outside but give it a taste and its sicknesses you. Yet you can't help but feel something sweet still there. Even if it was the untainted icing. Many thoughts rush through his mind but none of them could bear to lay a finger on his precious Inko. Much like his little brother, despite their betrayal, he couldn't lash out.

So, he did the next best thing. He left.

Weeks after his divorce, Hisashi when in a hut. To find the man who took his wife away from him. He couldn't touch Inko even if his base instants told him to strike. He couldn't go through with harming his once-beloved. The man who defiled her will be the sacrificial lamb to quell his rage. The only problem was he couldn't find any leads. He dug into his wife's personal history and tack down every man she came into contact with. May they be a friend from school, or they just happen to give each other a passing glance. No one matched. Red and white hair is fairly common in the range of odd hair colours. In fact, one of his late in-laws had natural white hair like himself. That could explain the child's white locks and single green eye. It's the red hair that caused the problem. No man he found had the gene unless you look down their family line.

He searched, completely forgetting his work all to fill this vengeance. Yet, he couldn't find a man that came into contact with his wife and matched the child she birthed. Perhaps their quirk would lighten some of the mystery. So, he waited until the child came of age and found their quirk was ice and fire. Fusion types are quite rare although ice and fire types of quirks were fairly common. Either the child had very lucky in genes, an unexplainable munition happened, or their father had the lucky gene. It made the search more convoluted.

"Sir, I hate to state the obvious, but hardly anything is getting done." A puggy man with steampunk like glasses and a lab coat walked into the room. Despite the possible harm that could be done to his person. "Project successor has come to a halt and without you, project Nomu has also taken a dip in production."

"Your point. Doctor," Hisashi hissed letting go of his usual controlled calm demeanour. His eyes never left his computer screen.

The doctor needed to choose his words carefully. "Not that I wish to criticize you, but the boy you had your eye on has been alone for several years. I don't know how many accidents and little helping hands we can send to keep the ruse going. Eventually, someone will find him."

"He is not the one I'm looking for," He yelled back. "Now leave."

Defeated the doctor could only bow. He'd be a fool to say there and suffer his lord's rage. As he headed closer to the exit, he stopped one of their newer friends leaned up against the door frame. A patient of his that he had been fixing up for the last year.

Her purple eyes looked at the doctor curiously, "what's with the boss?"

With a heavy sigh, the doctor looked back at their lord. He hadn't been himself since the divorce. Refusing to work on any of his projects and distancing himself from their empire. Plunging further into deep isolation. Days wasted way doing nothing. It was an unusual sad sight. "It would seem even a demon lord has a heart."

Longingly, Hisashi gazed at a picture frame of his wife he kept on his desk. Her smiling face always brightened his mood. He tried many times to get rid of it. Be done with that part of his life but never could. "Inko…" he whispered in heartache.

Project successor. It was a side project he had been working on ever since that blonde-haired hero stirred up the pot in America. Many of his friends found their end in jail. A lot of his empire's production came on hold as well. He needed to deal with his brother's current successor. So why not fight fire with fire and make his own successor. Find a candidate to mould into the role. Any sorry child would do but he wanted to make that successor hurt. Mental war fair was always his favourite pass time. To manipulate and predict his opponent's movements as if he was in control every time. That power was addicting.

He found that candidate in the family line of the previous successor Nana Shimura. She had a son, and that son then made a family. The son held potential. A child that desperately wanted to be a hero, yet was constantly rejected. It was the perfect start to any villain's story. Wanting something so desperately only to be abused and rejected for it. The emotional connection they had with the current successor by being his beloved late mentor's grandson was a plus. He tugged the strings behind the scenes. Manipulate the child's heart by playing with the ones around him. Fanning his father's already strong hate towards heroes by dropping a few words. Convincing the wife, the child wasn't well and allowing them to visit a doctor friend of his. Then finally, giving the boy a gift that was set to open when he wished.

However, all those plans when out the window when his wife betrayed him. He forgot about the boy letting them go through life without further interruption. The gift he gave them did eventually set off as planned even if it was later than he would have liked. He still didn't make a move. Too engrossed in the hunt for the man that took what was his. Eventually, when the search ran dry, he had no choice but to go back to work. Starting with the project successor. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect this.

In search of his half created to be his successor, he found two other boys. It would have been easy to get rid of them and play with the child's memory. That was his first train of thought until he saw him. A boy with brilliant green eyes and matching coloured hair. Messy with short curls. Freckles sprinkled his cheeks and burn marks on his hands. He was a perfect mix of him and his beloved Inko. It stunned him. Why did this boy look so much like himself and his ex-wife?

"Stranger danger!"

The sudden yell snapped him out of his trance but not enough to prepare him for the shoe flung in his face. The next thing he knew the children escaped to the rooftops and he could hear a crowd forming out the alley. While he could chase down the children his mind was too preoccupied with that small green child. He needed to know more.

Izuku Todoroki. That was the boy's name. It couldn't be a coincidence. That was the name he and Inko decided upon if they ever had a boy. Then there was the boy's 'adopted' family. A woman with an ice quirk. A man with a fire quirk. Both had matching features of the baby Inko brought back home. It lined up too perfectly. Was it a simple mix up or was something planned? It could all be one massive coincidence, but could it really? Given the evidence screaming in his face. He had to know more. So, he staged a kidnapping using one of his many friends as a proxy. He provided everything else. Information of the child's routine, a lodging, all decked out with hidden cameras so he could watch the child. He had to know more.

The boy seemed completely normal. A frightened little child in a frightening scenario. It was quite a dull first couple of days. The boy did nothing but write in a journal. Then he did something out of the ordinary. He tired converse in his captures. It was a wonderful performance. He lied right to their face with crocodile tears. He almost bought the act, but he knew better. Considering what their current 'father's' actions. Hunting down and interrogating civilians on the streets. There was no way the man didn't care, but it didn't matter what he knew. What mattered was how the captors would react.

They bought the entire lie. Practically eating out of the child's hand. He watched the child bought their time. Bounced off of opportunities or made an opening himself. Every action he did. Every lie he told. Every sweet little favour or compliment. It was all to soften them up for his grand plan. A premade scenario to allow him to contact the outside world.

It was a marvellous performance.

Hisashi chuckled as he watched the boy make a quick phone call. It seemed like an innocent action, but he knew better. From prior investigation, the boy already had a connection with the business they called. Now they had a chance to find him all before the intended due date to retrieve him. "He played them. Like fools," he sang. He couldn't stop the grin forming on his face. It was all too amusing. Dare he say, he felt some sort of second-handed pride watching his son manipulate his captors so masterfully.

Yes, his son. There was no doubt in his mind. That boy shared many features with him and Inko. He was their true son. He didn't need a blood test to know.

"He's perfect," he said with a smile as he gazed lovingly at the screen. Soon he'll be home, and he could start fixing his mistake of devoicing his beloved. With a little beg and seeing this precious bundle, he was sure his wife would understand. If not, he'll find a way to make it so. He just needed to move the due date a little earlier. A simple inconvenience.

That soon turned into a big one. He didn't expect the heroes to act so quickly. And for that eyesore to be at the charge.

"Sir, we've been found. All Might is here." He heard through the speakers. It soured his mood greatly.

"All Might." There was a possibility that he would get involved given the connection he had with his boy and the kidnappers they called a family. He just didn't expect they'd find them so soon since the boy couldn't give an address. Only a person. How they managed to do it was irrelevant now. Immediate action must take place. He pressed a button by his desk. "Doctor, send in Kurogiri."

"But he's not ready."

"I don't care." He will get involved himself.

He may have forfeited the battle, but the war has just begun. Leisurely, Hisashi read through the adorable notebook his son made. There were some cute misspellings, crossed out words and doddles. Such childlike charm but every child has to grow. Within those pages, he could see a clear evaluation. The further into the book the fewer drawings there were. Replaced with more detailed observations. Such interesting observations. Form quirk analyses to domestic habits. This talent was something worth keeping an eye on and allowed to grow naturally.

Gazing at the footage captured of Izuku in the room he prepared. Affectionally, he touched the screen admiring the boy's sharp eyes. "He has eyes like yours, little brother." His gaze at the picture frame beside his loving wife. Allowing his finger to trace its frame. "Of course, as well, my dear Inko. I should have never doubted your loyalty."

Admittedly, he has made some errors, but what is life if you don't make a couple of mistakes here and there. All that matters was how you adapted to them. Mould a new path. Perhaps better than one you envisioned. And he's seeing something far more worthwhile than his original plan. It will take a lot more recourse and careful management to make this path. He shouldn't break the boy and starting from scratch would be such a waste. Especially with a foundation as strong as this.

"The plans have changed but I do love a challenge." He chuckled to himself. Losing himself more in the eyes of the photo. "Don't worry, Inko. Everything will be as it should be one day. It might take some time to get everything ready. I hope you don't mind."

Everything will come together eventually. One way or another he will get everything that belongs to him back. His little brother. His wife. And his true son. They'll be together again, and everything will be perfect. Of course, he was no fool. He could see it in the child's eyes that he inherited his uncle's foolish sense of justice, as well as that annoying stubbornness. He couldn't simply force the child to accept him. Even if it was his right. He wasn't broken like the other one and he can't break him without risking losing that mind of his. No, this requires a far more delicate approach.

He then pressed a button at his desk. Calling in on one of his many friends. "Doctor, I require an in-depth report on one of the new quirks we obtained. I feel it could be useful with a little tampering. Also, I'll be sending a list with certain specification. Look through our stock or keep an eye out for possible matches."

"I understand, my lord." As a voice through the speaker

With a grin, he looked through the catalogue of pictures he found of his sweet little boy. His eyes landed bitterly on the man who took him. No, he shouldn't blame him. If the notebook indicated anything the person to blame wasn't him. That rage belongs to one other. He'll think of a punishment for that one later, but it still annoyed him the way the hero dared to call his flesh and blood their own. For now, he'll let it slide. The man has been doing well cultivating his boy and the boy's undying affection will be useful.

"You best be careful, Endeavour. I'm trusting you with something very precious." He hissed menacingly. His eyes sharpened at the hero's face. How they smiled so carefree while holding such a treasure. Let him enjoy it unless they prove faulty. For now, he must return to his neglected projects. Even if that means letting go of Inko for the time being as well as the transgressor who started this. He must focus on caving a new path to his ideal future. Still, he'll keep an eye out if anything interface if necessary. "I'll be watching."

AN: you know it's kind of funny to think AFO saw the notebook, looked at Endeavour and thought: free childcare. Anyway, yes this is a DFO fic although most of his schemes won't be realised unless I do the U.A list. Which I don't think I have the energy for. Sorry to disappoint but for now AFO will be the creepy shadow in the background.