A few quick things: I noticed I forgot to fix a change I had made before posting the first chapter. Basically, instead of the newspaper article taking place October 1992, it was July 1991. I'll fix it when I get a chance later.

Also- Dabi is a Todoroki in this! I forgot this site doesn't use tags like how I did on AO3 so I apologize for not mentioning that sooner.


Dabi stands outside the brick building that houses the new League of Villains' headquarters. With their bar in Kamino being destroyed during All For One's battle with All Might, the League of Villains were forced to find a new location.

Shigaraki handled the search and it was only with pure luck that he managed to track down a villain who had formerly been affiliated with the League and request to designate the vacant apartment above his unsuccessful pastry shop as their new official headquarters. Seeing as both parties are fugitives, there is an unspoken agreement that none will rat the other out.

They aren't hiding in Yokohama anymore, rather they're in the city of Atsugi about twenty-five miles west from their former location. Shigaraki insists that they remain in an urban setting and while Dabi understands the strategic advantages to it, he still finds it unnerving how there is only a sliver of empty space between this narrow two-story pastry shop and the two apartment buildings flanking each side.

Dabi peers out of the oversized hood of his jacket at the little boy kicking a soccer ball in front of the apartment building on the right side. If only he knew about his new next door neighbors. Now, that would make an interesting story to tell all the kids back at school.

Shigaraki and the others have been hiding here for the last couple of weeks since the destruction of their former headquarters and the imprisonment of All For One, but this is the first time Dabi has ever layed eyes on the building. After the loss of All For One, who doubled as the League's only major resource, Dabi took some time off to reevaluate how the League of Villains could be of use to him in pulling off the long overdue downfall of a certain pro hero, especially now that they had been largely downgraded.

A clap of thunder causes Dabi to shift his gaze up to the sky where an army of dark clouds move to block the sun. A few drops of rain begin to fall and the little boy grabs his soccer ball and hurries into the apartment building next door. Dabi still isn't even sure if he wants to return to the League, but he isn't either in the mood to make the thirty minute trek back to his apartment in the pouring rain. Another clap of thunder rattles the air and with a groan, Dabi yanks open the door and hurries upstairs.

He can feel everyone's eyes on him even before he steps through the door. The room proceeds to go silent, leaving just the sound of rain hitting the windows and the occasional rumble of thunder. Twice is the first to greet him.

"Dabi, about time you showed up and just in time too!"

"Just in time for what?" Dabi's eyes settle upon an unfamiliar face sitting amongst the members of the League. Did they recruit some new members while I was gone? "Who's he?"

"We have an uninvited guest joining us today." Shigaraki responds, gesturing to the man sitting across from them. "He was just about to introduce himself."

So not recruits. Should've known I was the only one actually doing things around here. Dabi folds his arms and leans against the wall behind where Twice and Toga are seated. Shigaraki turns to their "uninvited guest."

"This is all of us, then. Now, would you care to tell us who you are and why you're so insistent on meeting with the League of Villains?"

Dabi gives their guest a once-over and it takes a lot of effort to keep himself from snorting out loud. His appearance is atrocious and with Dabi's appearance being the way it is, he thinks he's allowed to say that.

To put it simply, the man is dressed like a puppet. He is decked in a suit with a red bow tie and a top hat. His face makeup is the real deal with his dark rimmed eyes, thicker than normal eyebrows, black outlining his jaw and a pink tinge to his cheeks which Dabi wants to think aren't natural but they look too real for him to believe otherwise. He's curious as to whether he reapplies it everyday because there's just no way that stuff is permanent, unless...nevermind. Tattooing your face as a puppet is a bit too weird, even for Dabi.

"You can call me the 'Puppeteer.'" He says, gesturing with his hands. "I'm the leader of the Born-to-Be Villains Alliance, or for short, the BtB. We're an organization for people whose quirks are looked down upon as being villainous by society and as such, eventually come to take it to heart."

"And why should we care?" Shigaraki asks in that bored tone of his. If there's one thing Dabi has learned about Shigaraki, it's that he does not play well with others.

"Well, Shigaraki Tomura, I think you might be interested in the fact that we are employed by All For One and seeing that he's in prison now and you're his successor, that makes you our boss, that is, if you can continue to pay us."

The Puppeteer clearly doesn't understand how the League's finances work because without All For One, they're broke. Looking at Shigaraki though, Dabi guesses he's not going to let him in on that little secret just yet. He wants to hear what their connection to All For One is and what they're being hired to do.

"And what would I be paying you to do, exactly?" Shigaraki asks, proving Dabi's prediction correct.

The Puppeteer smiles, his face paint making it look all the more maniacal. "During the 1980's, All For One began conducting experiments in quirk breeding. His ultimate goal was to find a male and female each with a powerful quirk who would produce a child with a stronger and even more powerful quirk. This child's quirk would then be trained to become even stronger and make him a worthy successor for All For One."

Quirk breeding. Those words make Dabi want to vomit. It doesn't surprise him that All For One's ambitions sound almost identical to Endeavor's. The man who most of society deems a hero is nothing more than a villain in Dabi's eyes.

However, the fact that All For One is involved in quirk breeding- in creating children for the sole purpose of being his tools- tarnishes the villain's reputation in Dabi's opinion. When he first joined the League of Villains, Dabi hadn't been quite sure what he thought of All For One. While it is obvious he disapproves of modern hero society, Dabi has always had a sneaking suspicion that his disapproval lies not so much in the society's flaws, but rather in his own selfish need for power. This whole scheme to create a worthy successor doesn't do much to debunk Dabi's theory. If he's correct, then perhaps his ideals don't match up with those of the League.

"Sensei chose me to become his successor though." Shigaraki says and Dabi can hear the jealousy in his voice. "So I'm assuming he never got the child he wanted."

"On the contrary, we've been training this child for the past fifteen years." The Puppeteer says, as if it's an achievement to be proud of. Dabi wants to wipe that ridiculous makeup off his smug face. "When All For One first started this, he hired the BtB to find people who's quirks could be useful to him. Most of you weren't even born yet, so I doubt you'd know of the string of kidnappings that happened across Japan in the late 1980's and early 90's."

Dabi can't recall the story though it makes sense seeing as he was born in 1992. He knows Shigaraki and Spinner are in their twenties as well, so it's unlikely they know what the Puppeteer is talking about either. Toga for sure has no knowledge of it given her young age. That just leaves Twice and Mr. Compress, the only members who were born before that time.

"I was still pretty young," Twice says. "but I can remember something of the sort going on at the time."

"I recall it as well." Mr. Compress agrees. "If I'm remembering correctly, only one person was rescued. The others were never found."

"Ah, yes." The Puppeteer says. "That one girl who the heroes managed to take from us. Unknown to them though, her rescue was actually the catalyst for our success with this child."

Shigaraki narrows his eyes. "But she was rescued. How could she be of use to you?"

"That's when we altered our methods of operation." The Puppeteer explains. "You see, this girl, who had an incredibly strong quirk, was to later become engaged to a powerful up and coming pro hero. Around the same time, our organization got a new member. He had a possession quirk and could possess the body of anyone who's DNA he consumed.

"He was able to possess the pro hero this girl was engaged to and he then proceeded to have children with her. One of these children inherited the powerful quirk All For One had wanted and since his quirk manifested about ten years ago, this member has been training him while hiding under the guise of his father. However, when he possesses someone, his own body goes into a coma. So for the past twenty-six years, we've been keeping his body alive. Now, if you agree to continue giving us support for this operation, then the child is all yours."

An incredibly strong quirk...

Dabi tries to ignore the image of his mother manifesting in front of him, but the memory it's bringing back is magnetic. He can't seem to look away from the ice shooting from his mother's fingertips. He recalls it well, the time Rei once demonstrated to him her power. He was a little boy at the time, a mere four years of age. He had asked her about her quirk out of curiosity, and being the kind woman she was, she showed it to him.

Engaged to a powerful up and coming pro hero...

He hadn't known at the time just how much she resented using her quirk. After she married Enji and saw what he really wanted her for, she had vowed to never use her quirk again. That's what she had told him once he was a bit older.

He had children with her...

Dabi remembers when each of his siblings were born. He also remembers how depressed his mother looked each time she told him she was pregnant. When she was pregnant with Natsuo, he asked her why she kept having more children if it made her so sad. She just smiled at him and told him she loved him and each of his siblings. It wasn't until she was pregnant with Shouto that he finally understood.

One of these children inherited the powerful quirk.

Rei cried when Shouto was born. She tried to hide her tears when Dabi came to visit the hospital, but he saw them. He didn't need to ask why she was crying because when his eyes caught sight of the baby in his mother's arms with the dual colored hair and the mismatched eyes, he felt like crying too.

Dabi shakes his head and tries to stop the memories flooding his vision, but he can't. It all aligns too much and there's a voice in his head screaming at him to reconsider, to stop his denial.

But he can't reconsider because it isn't true! His father is Endeavor and Endeavor is a monster. He's known that his whole life. He knows who his father is. He knows what a horrible person he is. His father is a monster!

"And who is this child?" Shigaraki's voice pulls him back to reality, but only for a second. "Who is this possessed hero?"

The Puppeteer laughs and Dabi swears it's making the room shake, so why does everyone else look so calm? The rain is coming down harder now and a strike of lightning lluminates the room.

"Body Snatcher, a former pro hero now turned villain, he's possessing the current Number One Hero, Endeavor."

###

Being possessed is not a walk in the park, especially when one's possessor is Yamazaki Ryuunosuke.

Todoroki Enji spends most of his days on edge, always alert and expecting the worst. He can't hear Ryuunosuke's thoughts. His words and actions are the only indicator of what horrible pain, both physical and emotional, he will inflict on his wife and children. He can't do anything to warn them, to protect them. All he can do is worry and pray that they'll be alright.

He's driving his car now, or rather, Ryuunosuke is driving his car. Enji takes no part in making the decision to turn right at the intersection. Even if he had wanted to turn left, he wouldn't have had the strength to dominate Ryuunosuke and take control of the wheel.

He got no say when Ryuunosuke used his money to buy this car. Enji finds its beige exterior to be quite ugly and somehow, he thinks Ryuunosuke knows that. If there's anything his former classmate and ex best friend likes to do, it's doing things just to spite him.

Enji knows where they're going, it's a trip Ryuunosuke makes often. He also knows that for the moment, his family isn't in any danger. He can let down his guard for now, conserve his energy and just allow Ryuunosuke to keep driving towards their destination.

During these times, Enji likes to relive the few good memories he has. Ryuunosuke is cruel, Enji can't deny that, but there have been a few times where he had allowed Enji to indulge in his family, though under strict terms and conditions.

If he ever tries to tell anyone anything about his situation, then Ryuunosuke wouldn't hesitate to seriously hurt one of his children other than Shouto. Ryuunosuke had made it clear that Enji's three older children are of no use to him and getting rid of them would have no effect on his plans. For their safety, Enji remains silent.

He remembers when each one of them were born. Ryuunosuke allowed him brief control of his body when he held them each for the first time. They were too young to notice anything, so Ryuunosuke didn't mind too much. It's not like he wanted to hold Enji's children anyway.

He remembers meeting Touya for the first time. His turquoise eyes locked onto his own as he smiled down at the tiny bundle in his arms. He looked so much like him. For a moment, Enji forgot all about Ryuunosuke and his current state. He brought his newborn son closer to his chest and told him everything they were going to do together and what a great father he was going to be. He would teach him to play baseball, how to ride a bike and if he wanted, how to be a hero.

Enji spent a good twenty minutes describing to Touya how wonderful of a life he was going to have. He was forced though to stop when an all too familiar voice spoke up in the back of his mind.

"Don't lie to the boy, Enji. We both know there's no rainbows and flowers in his future."

And before he could say anything else to his dear, little boy, Ryuunosuke had kicked him out of the controls. Touya must have sensed what was happening because he suddenly started to cry. Enji could only watch as Ryuunosuke gave the baby, his baby, back to the nurse. He begged Ryuunosuke to at least just let him look at his son, but the villain ignored his pleas and left the nursery.

When Fuyumi was born, Enji was ecstatic at the prospect of having a little girl. Ryuunosuke, not so much. It was obvious he had envisioned his "weapon" being a boy and Enji couldn't help but find relief in that. Ryuunosuke allowed him the brief return to his body again and Enji devoured every second he had with his newborn daughter. She looked so much like Rei with her big grey eyes and beautiful white hair. There were some specks of red thrown in as well, proof that she was indeed his child. This time, he hoped his words regarding her wonderful life would turn out to be the truth. For her sake, he prayed Ryuunosuke would ignore her and leave her to her own devices.

Natsuo was by far the largest baby. Like Fuyumi, he had grey eyes and white hair with a few streaks of red. He looked up at his father with a face full of innocence and Enji had to look away. He couldn't look his son in the eye and tell him what a great father he was going to be and what a wonderful life he was going to have when there was a good chance it wouldn't happen.

Touya hadn't been what Ryuunosuke wanted. His fire quirk was strong but the boy was weak. His body couldn't handle that amount of power. Ryuunosuke had tried to train him, to condition his body to control his flames but after many burns and much pleading from Enji and Rei, Ryuunosuke decided he wasn't worth his time. As he rocked the baby in his arms, all Enji could manage to tell him was that he better not have a strong quirk.

Enji cried when he saw Shouto for the first time. With his red and white hair evenly split down the middle and his beautiful yet such disappointing heterochromatic eyes, Enji knew he was the one. Natsuo's quirk hadn't turned out to be very powerful and for that Enji was grateful, but he feared Shouto wouldn't be that lucky. He wanted to tell him everything would be alright, that he had nothing to fear, but he couldn't find his words. All he could produce were tears and muffled apologies. He couldn't even manage an "I love you" before Ryuunosuke snatched his baby away from him again.

His cellphone rings, pulling him out of his memories. Ryuunosuke answers the call and Enji listens to the conversation.

"Hello?"

"Ryuunosuke! Where are you? We need more blood. You're running low!"

"I know, I know. I'm almost there. How'd the meeting with the League of Villains go?"

"Shigaraki said he would find the funds, though seeing as they're broke right now, I'm not sure how he'll obtain them. But I think he'll find a way. He seemed pretty eager to get his hands on Shouto."

"I can't imagine anyone not wanting him. His training will be completed soon and then we can hand him over to the League."

"We'll have to get rid of Enji, though, too."

"I know. We will. It's only a matter of time."

It's only a matter of time, time Enji doesn't have. He needs to do something and he needs to do something fast. He has to protect Shouto, but how?


I posted this in a rush so I didn't have time to proofread. Apologies in advance for any typos.

So this chapter was really painful to write because it was so sad. And poor Dabi! He's so confused (more of him later).

Thank you guys for all your feedback last chapter. And 32 followers already! Thank you all so much! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think :D

-britishsconesahoy