"Izuku! No fair! You're taller than us!" Shoko said, pouting heavily, flashing her bright blue and gray eyes up into Izuku's bright green. She reached up for the large red ball he was holding up out of the reach of Shoko and Ochako, his three inch height difference giving him the advantage as he held it aloft. Even at four years old, Izuku was a big kid; taller and stronger than the others, even Bakugo, who Mitsuki said was growing like a weed.

Ochako followed suit and put on her best puppy dog eyes, "Yeah, 'Zuku, 's'not fair! You can't jus' hold it fo'ever."

Izuku smiled broadly as he looked down at the girls, and felt a tug at his heartstrings as they pouted up at him, their brilliant blue and brown eyes sparkling in the sunlight of the local park they were playing in. Izuku's smile broke slightly, and he looked over at Shoto who was waiting for him to pass.

"Shoko, stop teasing Izuku." Shoto said bluntly, gesturing for Izuku to pass the ball and catching it deftly as it was tossed over, "Play fair."

Shoko glared at her brother, sticking out her tongue and winking her left gray eye. Katsuki, a couple feet away, snorted derisively, earning a glare of annoyance from Shoko as well. He smirked, "She's not playing fair 'cuz she knows that she can't beat me."

"What do you mean?" Shoto asked, frowning slightly as he looked at Katsuki, throwing the ball to him, "We have the same quirk."

"Yeah, but it's nothing next to mine!" Katsuki boasted, thumbing his chest with his left hand and catching the ball with his right. "I'm gonna be the next Number One! And you guys will just be sidekicks!"

"That's not true! Our parents' quirks are way better than your stupid quirk!" Shoko said, turning away from Izuku and Ochako to glare directly at Katsuki. She moved to stand next to her brother, raising her arms defensively.

Katsuki's smirk widened, "Oh yeah? Let's see it then!"

He reeled his arm back and launched the ball right at Shoko, aided by a small explosion, sending the ball rocketing towards her. Her eyes tracked the ball and she reached out to stop the missile, but it passed right through her outstretched hands and slammed right into her stomach, knocking her back a couple of feet and causing her to fall to the ground.

"SHOKO!" three voices called out at the same time.

Izuku and Ochako rushed to Shoko as she was coughing on the ground, rubbing her stomach, and giving Katsuki a death glare from underneath her white and red bangs. Shoto looked back at Shoko with concern for a split second, and then turned to face Katsuki, giving him a similar glare. He raised his frosty right arm, ready to fight, before he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He looked back to see Izuku glaring at Katsuki too.

"That was dangerous, Kacchan! Shoko is way stronger than you think she is!" Izuku called out, pointing back in the direction of where Shoko had landed. Katsuki glared at him, before a look of surprise crossed his face.

"I AM NOT WEAK!"

Shoko jumped out from behind Shoto as she shouted and thrust her right hand forward. Time seemed to slow down for Izuku as he saw her move. A small flame burst into existence before it grew and lept towards Katsuki. Katsuki's eyes caught the movement and he responded, putting his hands up, small sparks and pops bursting out before an explosion formed in his palms.

Izuku reacted, shoving Shoto out of the way of the expanding explosion, and instinctively threw his hands up to block Shoko's and Katsuki incoming attacks. He shut his eyes as he felt the heat of the fire and heard the roar of the incoming fireball, waiting for the inevitable pain. Instead of pain, however, he felt a pleasant breeze, a warm wind rushing over his fingers. He peeked at his outstretched hands, scared of what he might see.

A coil of light, fire, and smoke spiraled around his palms and forearms in a double helix, the light and heat settling into his skin, waves of soft golden light travelling up his arms. He stared in awe as the light spread across his skin, fading slowly as he turned his arms over watching the rings of light dissipate. Disbelieving his own eyes, he looked up at Katsuki, who's face mirrored his own, one of shock and amazement.

"W-what was that?" Izuku stammered out as he glanced back at Shoto, Shoko and Ochako, their faces mimicking Izuku and Katsuki's surprise. Katsuki's surprised look vanished, replaced by a gleeful and excited smile.

"Izuku, that's gotta be your quirk!" He said excitedly, prompting everyone to look at him and then back at Izuku. He put his hands up again with a flair of pops and sparks. "C'mon, let's see how strong it is!"

Izuku was looking back down at his own hands, when another set lightly rested on his arm, the alabaster skin of Shoko touching him. He turned his gaze to meet Shoko's and was alarmed to see tears in her eyes.

"S-Shoko?" he asked quietly.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." Shoko said through her tears, wiping them away as she held onto Izuku's left arm tightly.

"'Oko, I don' think you hurt him." Ochako said as she walked up next to them, inspecting Izuku's arm and hand, grabbing it and turning it over. "There's not even burns."

Shoto kept his distance, but turned to look at Katsuki, "You're lucky he didn't get hurt. Auntie Inko would have been mad." Katsuki just smirked, "He's got a quirk that made my explosion and Shoko's fire go away! He's fine!"

Izuku smiled as Ochako and Shoko looked him over, "Yeah, see? I'm good!" He looked up from his arm to Shoko, "It didn't hurt either! Just felt warm." She had stopped crying, but still looked scared.

"C'mon Izuku, I wanna test your quirk!" Katsuki said, huffing as the girls finished their inspection.

"We gotta show Auntie Inko!" Ochako said, grabbing Shoko and Izuku's hands, pulling them away towards the park exit.

"Fine! But then we test after!" Katsuki called out, running after them, Shoto bringing up the rear.

The troop rushed back to the Midoriyas' apartment, all of them eager to show Inko what Izuku could do.

A week later, Toshinori arrived at their home after another long day, the fights and rescues weighing heavily on his shoulders and his mind. He sighed deeply as he walked into the cozy apartment, breathing in deeply, the wonderful aroma of Inko's soul-saving cooking almost smothering him.

"Welcome home, Toshi!" Inko softly called out from the kitchen. "Dinner's on the table."

"Thank you, love. It's been a day." He hung up his coat and swapped his boots for his slippers. He never wore his hero uniform at home, the special outfit locked up tight in his agency a couple of blocks away. As he walked towards the kitchen, he noticed Izuku's door, with his son's name burned into an All Might name plate, was closed tight, not a single sound coming from behind it.

Inko stuck her head around the corner to look at Toshinori, who glanced at her, and jabbed a finger at Izuku's door, questioningly. She smiled broadly and gestured to him to join her in the kitchen. He nodded and quietly walked towards her, leaning down and kissing her deeply, relaxing immediately at her touch.

"Hm..." She hummed against his warm muscular chest. "I missed you." Toshinori wrapped his arms around his wife, and picked her up gently, kissing her again. She giggled softly as he carried her into the kitchen, setting her down at the table.

"Izuku's asleep already. He had a big day," she said as she started dishing out dinner, sticky rice, tempura shrimp, and veggies. "The visit to the doctor went quick enough." She set Toshinori's bowl down in front of him, and sat down with her own.

"That's good to hear. What did he think of Izuku's quirk?" Toshinori asked, slightly nervous that he had been wrong about One for All's transference ability. It was only supposed to transfer with intent, but what if it did transfer through insemination? He gave a mental shudder at the thought. His son, four years old, with the ability to punch through entire buildings and change the weather. And he didn't even want to think of what it would do to his small, untrained body.

He glanced up at Inko and they gave thanks for the meal, and tucked into the delicious sticky rice. He sighed with happiness as the warm meal helped him relax even further.

"Well, he did say it was odd. Let me check the notes." She reached for a folder on the counter, and pulled out Izuku's file. "Hm...The doctor seemed to think it was an odd combination of our quirks. Of course, when he asked, I just said you had increased strength. And yes, I left your info off the sheet. Just a strength quirk," she said as she caught his pointed look, smiling as he looked bashful. Not once in the seven years that they had been together had she ever slipped up, and he doubted she would stop anytime soon.

"He said that it did have parts of my quirk, the ability to pull things, but he also saw some markers for an ability to store power, similar to an electricity quirk." She said, reading the notes again. She looked up at Toshinori, a curious look on her face. "Do you think it has anything to do with One for All?"

He caught her gaze and thought back, going over everything he knew. Of course he had told her everything. Being married meant sharing all of their secrets. The existence of One for All and its true nature just happened to be their biggest. A centuries old crime overlord bent on ruling the world was hunting for Toshinori and his power, passed down across generations of heroes from the crime lord's brother. The ability to stockpile power and the ability to transfer the quirk to another melded together to form the world's most powerful quirk. But could it have passed to his son?

"I suppose it's possible. You said he found markers?" Toshinori asked, glancing at the folder.

Inko nodded, and rifled through the pages, stopping at one that listed Izuku's genetic markers, a DNA test results page performed to record and mark quirks. She pulled it out and showed it to Toshinori. "From what he explained, the DNA test showed that eleven of the forty-two markers of my quirk are shared by Izuku. It also shows that the remaining thirty-one markers are from your quirk." She pointed to each of the highlighted markers on the page, her markers in pink, his in blue.

"He also said that the balance of markers means that his quirk will behave differently than we expected. So for now, the doctor labelled Izuku's quirk as 'Energy Absorption'," she said, flipping out a page that listed Izuku's quirk registration, with a short list of abilities noted by the doctor. She continued, "Oh, but you should have seen the look on Izuku's face when the doctor told him the name. Priceless." She laughed softly, "And of course, he's already thinking of hero names, and costumes ideas."

They shared a laugh as Toshinori scanned the list quickly, making note of the rapid regeneration and increased cellular density. His son already had an impressive powerset, one that would make him a great hero one day. He set the page down, and took another large bite of rice and shrimp, thinking over everything.

On the one hand, it seemed One for All didn't fully transfer. He still felt the power flowing through him. But on the other hand, it looked like Izuku got some quirk from him, even though he was definitely quirkless before getting One for All from his master. Perhaps One for All did give some gifts differently. He glanced back up at Inko who was watching him carefully.

"Well, it seems like our boy has quite a powerful quirk. I suppose that's fitting," he chuckled softly.

Inko gave him a pointed look, "You know he is going to need help training it. More than anything, he and his friends want to be heroes just like you."

Toshinori stared for a second, and then looked in the direction of Izuku's bedroom before nodding slightly.

"You're right. And I know just the man for the job," he said with a smile on his face.

"No."

"Thank y-, wait. What? No? Sensei, why not?" Toshinori stuttered into the phone, his look of surprise making Izuku and Inko double over with laughter as they tried to contain themselves.

"Because I'm too old to babysit a bunch of toddlers and I'm retired. Do I need to list any other reasons?" The gruff voice of Gran Torino on the other end of the line had a tone of finality in it that Toshinori didn't feel like pushing further.

"Ah, no. I'm sorry for asking, Sensei."

"Don't worry about it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some pastries that are calling my name. Good-bye, Toshinori. Give my best to Inko."

"I will. Good-bye, Sensei," Toshinori said before hanging up dejectedly. After months of convincing the other parents in their circle to join in, and to work up the courage to ask his old teacher for such a difficult task, he felt deflated, the wind had been let out of his sails. It had been one thing to convince the Bakugos, whose son had them practically forcing him onto Toshinori for training. But it had been an entirely different hurdle for the Urarakas. Ochako's quirk had only just manifested a couple of weeks ago, and they were concerned about the cost, even though Toshinori had made it very clear that he would cover everything.

He sighed heavily and placed his phone back into his pocket, turning to look at his family as they ate lunch together. He smiled as he saw the pure beams of sunshine coming from his wife and son, their smiles driving the negative thoughts away.

"So, Gran said no. We expected that." Inko said as Toshinori sat down. "He was never going to agree to it."

Toshinori nodded, "It was always a long shot. But that just means that we go to Plan B."

Inko raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure you and Enji can handle it? It's not going to interfere with your work?"

Toshinori shook his head as he sipped his tea, carefully setting the cup down. "We'll build a plan for each of them and work on it through the mornings and evenings. It'll be fine."

He looked down at Izuku who was writing in one of his notebooks, the young quirk savant already making notes on each of his friends' quirks and ways they can use them. When Ochako's quirk had awakened, Izuku and Shoko had the misfortune of holding her hands as they were walking home. Izuku had come back excitedly babbling about Ochako's quirk and how they had floated weightless until Ochako got sick and her quirk failed.

"Izuku, my boy," Toshinori said, prompting Izuku to look up at him curiously, his pencil stopping for a brief moment.

"Starting tomorrow, you and your friends will begin training. After all, we can't have the heroes of tomorrow not be prepared, can we?" he said, flashing his massive smile.

Izuku's face broke into a huge smile, "That's gonna be so cool! I can't wait, Dad! What are we gonna do?!"

"We're going to work and train your body and quirk to their limits." His smile took on an almost maniacal look, making Izuku's smile falter a little.

"Again." The gruff and demanding voice of Enji Todoroki called out as he observed the sparring match in front of him, Izuku and Katsuki facing off in the ring, marks of explosions littering the room. They had been training in earnest, all of them, for the last six years. Every day workouts, sparring, learning martial arts and fighting styles, and the beginnings of some of their own styles based on their quirks. All of the work was paying off, though most of that effort was shown in the well used dojo in the middle of the Todoroki house.

Katsuki nodded and dropped his hands, panting heavily, and turned from his friend to walk to the starting position. Izuku followed suit, but was hardly out of breath. "You know, Kacchan, you are getting faster." He reached the position and formed his stance opposite Katsuki.

"Hmph…" Katsuki harrumphed, a confident smile on his face, "Don't sugarcoat a turd, Izuku. You're the one who's made the most progress."

Izuku couldn't argue with him on that point. At the age of ten, Izuku already stood a full eight inches over the rest of them, with the lean musculature of a high school athlete. He was outpacing Katsuki even on his best days, not only in speed, but in raw strength. Toshinori and Enji had to buy additional weights for the young boy, just so he could keep up with his growth.

Izuku smirked, still focused on his opponent, and shifted in his stance slightly, adjusting for Katsuki's telegraphed right hook.

"Sensei, they've been at it for three hours. We do have school today." Ochako, her shoulder length brown hair bouncing a little as she spun to look at Enji, interjected from the sidelines, her eyes on Izuku, the small bead of sweat on his brow not unnoticed by her. She had noticed the changes in him as well, and was fighting alongside the others to follow suit. Lean and fit, with practiced form in her stances and walking, she was training herself to be an expert close quarters fighter.

Enji gave her a sideways glance, looking down at his young student. "If they can't fight for more than three hours, then they need to work harder. Just because All Might isn't here to help, doesn't mean that any of you can slack off." He glanced at the clock, however. Cursing under his breath, he realized she was right, with his students only having two hours until school started.

"...But you're right. Fine. Midoriya, Bakugo, that's enough for today. Go get showered. Uraraka, grab the twins and have them get ready too," Enji ordered, turning towards his office as the phone rang. Ochako bowed respectfully, and bounced lightly over to the other side of the dojo where the workout equipment and the twins were, Shoto working on weight training, Shoko focusing on her breathing and cardio. She called for them to stop and get ready, and bounced away, the twins following her to the bathrooms and showers.

Enji watched them go as he picked up the phone, "Todoroki speaking."

"Enji, my friend. I found him. I need your help." Toshinori's tone carried the importance of the matter over the phone.

"Shit."

Enji looked up towards the bathrooms, verifying his pupils were not present. He turned back to his desk, and pulled out a notepad.

"Give me the details."

The mood in the car was subdued, fear and worry permeating the atmosphere as Mirai expertly drove Inko and Izuku through the city, going just over the speed limit, his expert timing and ability allowing them to weave between traffic with ease. Despite the rain and the darkness of the night, he was transporting them with skilled ease.

Inko glanced back at Izuku, the tears rolling down his face as he stared at his notebook, Studies of Heroes, Volume #1. His first, containing his evaluations of Inko, Katsuki, Ochako, Shoko and Shoto's quirks, as well as his father's. He was looking over his sketch of his father, the man he idolized above all others.

"Ten minutes from the hospital, Inko." Mirai said, glancing back in the rear view mirror to look at Izuku. Inko turned to look at Mirai and nodded, holding back her tears as best as she could. The call from Enji only an hour ago had shocked both of the Midoriyas, but Inko needed to be strong, as her husband was. There would be time for tears later.

The rest of the ride went by without incident, and they piled out of the car quickly, walking into the hospital with a rapid pace. Nighteye took the lead, using his intimidating glare to stare down anyone who might stop them, quickly escorting the small family through security doors and into a hidden wing of the hospital, one reserved for heroes and government officials.

Izuku and Inko kept pace with the taller man, keeping on his heels as they wove through the hospital, until they came to a stop outside a door that said 'Observation'. Nighteye turned back to them, and regarded them carefully. "He's not in good shape, to say the very least. I do have to warn you. It's gruesome. Are you sure about this?"

Inko steeled her resolve and nodded, giving him a fierce look that he knew was bravado and nerves. He nodded and reached out to open the door, and allowed the family to go ahead of him, Inko taking a deep breath before walking in slowly, Izuku right behind her, his fear etched on his face.

As they walked up to the glass in the elevated observation booth, both of them let out strangled sobs, Inko's tears finally breaking the damn. She wailed, touching the glass and sinking to her knees, the sight of her husband overwhelming her. A massive hole on his left side, right through his abdomen, his hero uniform shredded and burned. He laid on the table in the operating room as surgeons worked on him, his chest rising and falling sporadically, spurts of blood gushing through the foot wide hole in his belly as they rushed to repair the damage.

Izuku's eyes were wide with shock and terror. His father, his idol, the strongest man on earth, and the Symbol of Peace for all of Japan, laid out like a tragic accident victim. What could have possibly done that to him? He collapsed into one of the chairs, unable to pull his eyes away from the terrible sight in front of him, his whole body shaking with shock and fear.

Mirai watched the family as they sobbed, and then helped Inko a chair, giving her a hug as he sat her down. "I wish there was more I could do. But he insisted," Mirai said softly as their tears started to slow. He pulled out a handkerchief and passed it to Inko, who smiled softly as she dried her eyes.

"I knew something was going on when he left suddenly, but he promised he would be careful," Inko said, sadness filling her voice, more tears threatening to break through. She held the handkerchief tightly, staring at her husband's pale face, the smile missing as he was unconscious on the table.

Izuku sat silently, etching his father's form into his memory, making himself a promise.

'I will be stronger. I will be faster. I will be the best. I will be the hero that makes everyone feel safe. I will make sure no one else feels this ever again.'

Several days later and after many sleepless nights, the Midoriyas finally went home after Toshinori had stabilized. He was resting in his hospital bed, reading the newspapers from the last couple of days, most of the headlines saying something about All Might taking a small break and that other heroes like Endeavor and Blizzard were increasing their patrols. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, laying back down and wincing at the pain in his side.

"Easy, Toshinori," Mirai said, walking into the room, carrying a tray of food and water. He placed it down beside Toshinori and gave his friend a hand with adjusting the pillows as he settled down.

"Thank you, old friend," Toshinori said weakly, his breathing shallow and labored. He was really missing that second lung right now. He glanced at the tray of food, and rubbed his belly gently. Even without his stomach, he still felt hunger. He turned away from the food wistfully, and looked to Mirai.

"Do you know if Torino is coming?" he asked.

Mirai glanced at his watch and nodded, "Any minute now, I suspect."

Sure enough, not ten seconds later, the short and wizened form of Toshinori's old teacher walked through the door. He took one look at Toshinori, gave a harrumph, and walked up to the side of the bed.

"So, Toshinori. Bite off more than you chew?" Sorahiko Torino, a hero known as Gran Torino though now retired, asked, a small smile on his face. "I seem to remember telling you not to go rushing in."

Toshinori smiled weakly, and nodded, "I'm sorry, Sensei, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity. He's been beaten. At great cost, yes. But at least he is dealt with."

Gran Torino harrumphed again, "Yes, well… we'll see about that. You said on the phone that you had something important to talk about in person. What is it?"

Toshinori looked at both of the men in front of him, his mentor, and his closest friend, appraising them. He tried to take a deep breath, but the soreness of his muscles prevented him from completely filling his one good lung. He exhaled, letting the pain wash away.

"What do you think about me giving One for All to Izuku?" he said, carefully keeping his voice steady.

The two men stared at him for a second, before Mirai spoke up, "What is your reasoning?"

Toshinori continued, "I think that, with the training we are putting him through and his unique quirk, he would be an excellent bearer of my power. If the need should arise for him to take on someone as dangerous as All for One was, then I see him doing wonderfully."

Mirai and Sorahiko had thoughtful expressions on their face, and it was Sorahiko that spoke up next, "I agree the boy has potential. From your news about him, and what I have seen, he would make a decent carrier. But he's not ready. Not yet. Not by a long shot." Toshinori and Mirai nodded in agreement, giving each other a glance.

"Then we are agreed? When Izuku is ready, he will gain my power, and add it to his own," Toshinori stated, the other two men nodded.

"Just be sure to train him properly. We don't know what will happen when his power and yours are combined." Mirai stated, staring at Toshinori with his intimidating glare, "He needs to be as prepared as possible."

Toshinori smiled weakly, "He will be. I know my son. He will rise to the challenge and meet it head on."