Chapter Three:

Izuku's heart burst with joy at his Very Important Mission. Yesterday, Izuku had been a discarded prince with a father who no longer loved him and friends-turned-bullies who'd always secretly resented him. Today, Izuku was a hero on a noble mission to save his gentle uncle from wrongful imprisonment. Just a small change in perspective made him feel like he could get out of bed and face the world.

That morning, Izuku had asked his mother if they might get back their stolen belongings, in particular his favorite book with an emerald cover. He did not tell her about his secret mission. He had promised his uncle.

With a small smile, Inko had revealed that she'd cast a curse on their belongings to find their way back to their rightful owners. Inko specialized in magic that pulled items to her. It was considered a minor gift, but she'd honed it until she could cause pain and misfortune to anyone who stole from her. Izuku had asked to help. Inko told him that he could deliver some letters to their larcenous movers, suggesting that the accidents and nightmares would stop the faster they returned the stolen goods.

Now Izuku flew down the corridor holding a letter close to his chest. He'd already delivered all but one.

A rock bounced off Izuku's wing. He was inexperienced with flying. His wing bent, and before he could right himself, he flew into the wall. In a huddled heap on the floor, Izuku whispered, "Ow." He'd hit his nose on the wall. His scraped knees also throbbed.

"Oops, my hand slipped," Tsubasa called mockingly. The boy with red wings landed next to Izuku. He kicked Izuku's leg. "I slipped again."

As soon as the two boys made contact, a jolt ran through Izuku's nervous system straight up his spine. He knew instinctively that he could steal Tsubasa's gift if only he removed the tiny barrier of cloth stopping their skin from touching. It was only a minor power, but Izuku craved it like water on a hot day. He could nearly taste the sparkly magic on his tongue. As if in a trance, Izuku's hand reached forward.

Then Izuku stopped himself. No one could yet know that he had the ability to break into his uncle's prison. That would ruin his top secret mission.

Izuku leapt to his feet, grabbed his letter, and ran down the hallway. His wing stung, but as soon as he had enough momentum, he took flight again.

Tsubasa called after him, "Yeah, you should run!"

The bully had no idea that Izuku was running from his own urges to steal that lovely, shining gift.

Yoichi had been unable to fall asleep that night, desperately hoping that Izuku would return. Staring into the darkness, his head throbbed from exhaustion. At the first noise from the door, Yoichi whirled to look.

The artificial sun turned on as Izuku stepped into the room. "Sorry for waking you up, Uncle Yoichi."

Yoichi sighed from relief. "I wasn't asleep. Thank you for coming. Just…thank you." Embarrassing tears stung the corners of his eyes.

Running over, Izuku reached through the bars and held Yoichi's hand. "Are you hurt?"

"Not physically," Yoichi muttered. He rubbed his eyes. "I'm just very glad to see you."

"Really really?" Izuku looked surprised and a little overwhelmed to have received such a warm welcome.

"Hey, what about you?" Yoichi peered through the bars, noticing the bruise on his nephew's nose. "What happened to your face?"

Izuku looked away. "I fell down."

Yoichi growled low in the back of his throat. "Someone pushed you."

Izuku's wings drooped. "Huh, Mom didn't believe me either."

"If it weren't for this cursed collar, I could heal you." Yoichi tugged at the gold welded tight to his neck. He'd never been as gifted with magic as his older brother, but he at least knew spells to ease pain. Once, when they'd been younger and innocent, Hisashi had put a bit of his own power into Yoichi. He'd used this to absorb the wards and bust out of his prison the first time, but this time big brother hadn't underestimated him so much and had sealed his magic away. "Did those bastard—bad people hurt you anywhere else?" From his own rough childhood, Yoichi knew how clothing could hide bruises.

"I'm just a little scraped up. I told Mom not to worry. She shouldn't lose her jewelry for another doctor visit. She hasn't much left." Izuku shuffled his feet. In a softer voice, he said, "I made her cry."

Yoichi could also empathize very well with that guilt. When he'd been small and weak, his big brother had taken injuries to protect him. "Let me cast a spell on you." Yoichi laid a hand on the top of Izuku's head. "You're a brave hero, so you no longer feel pain." Okay, it sounded a bit lame but hopefully it would have the desired psychological effect.

Izuku gasped. "I feel better now!"

Yoichi patted the soft curls again. "I'm very happy that you're helping me, Izuku. I feel much better now that you're here. You've saved me. You're not weak or useless."

Izuku puffed out his chest. "That's right! I could have stolen Tsubasa's gift, but I didn't because I have a secret mission."

"That was a wise choice. It would be dangerous if your father knew what you can do." Yoichi's eyes narrowed. "So the brat is named Tsubasa?" He added the name to his shit list. "Even if you can't steal his gift, you can still get revenge on him in other ways."

Izuku said, "I was going to mail him a box of spiders."

"Excellent idea." Yoichi nodded. "Let's go bigger. Have you ever heard of throat spiders?"

"No?"

"They live in people's throats and render them unable to talk." Yoichi grinned wickedly. "I used to have an enchantment to turn regular spiders into throat spiders. You said that you have a lot of my old belongings. Do you have a black box with a red spider on the front?"

Izuku nodded. "Yeah! The movers didn't steal that because it's not shiny."

"Put your spiders in the box for an hour, and they'll turn into throat spiders. Make sure you don't touch them after the transformation. They infect people by skin contact."

Izuku puffed up his cheeks indignantly, which only made him look cuter. "Of course I won't!"

"Be careful not to touch Tsubasa after he's infected too—they're highly contagious. Your bully will probably be quarantined after his infection, so he won't be able to go near you anytime soon. After he gets well, he might come after you for revenge. I'd suggest an anonymous gift."

Izuku stomped his foot. "Then I'll send him more spiders until he leaves me alone."

Yoichi laughed. "You've got spirit!" He respected that. This kid was a lot braver than he first seemed. Yoichi could see the family resemblance now. "You got your stubbornness from me. I used to get beat up as a kid because I couldn't keep my mouth shut. I have scars, but no regrets."

"Oooo." Izuku's eyes widened. "Did people think you were too weak to be a prince too?"

"I wasn't a prince. My brother and I were poor orphans, until he took over his first domain. I'm guessing that Hisashi doesn't let people talk about that these days. He has too much pride." Yoichi shook his head. Personally, he thought it far more impressive that his brother had worked his way up from the bottom than if he'd been born royal. But big brother didn't want anyone to know that he'd once eaten scraps from the trash can. "You're not too weak to be a prince. If people say that, it's only because they don't know about your gift. You have a rare and amazing power."

Izuku looked down. "I'm not very strong or brave."

"You're the bravest kid I know." Not that Yoichi knew many kids, but that was besides the point. "You snuck down here to see me. That was brave. You promised to help save me. That was even braver."

This won a quick smile from Izuku. "I asked Mom about getting our stuff back." Quickly, Izuku explained about his mother's abilities and her plan to curse the objects until they returned.

With a sigh, Yoichi leaned back against the bars of his cage. It was good news, but he didn't want to wait for the movers to return the stolen belongings on their own. He was desperate to contact his husbands right away, before they did something rash. Kaiji would be at the gates of All for One's palace already, if Sanzou hadn't restrained him.

"Oh. You wanted me to get the book faster." Izuku looked up from under his eyelashes. "Uh, I could try to steal it?"

"No, that's too risky." Yoichi hated to wait. Every single second in his brother's loathsome presence was an agony. But a five-year-old wouldn't make a very skilled thief. If anyone realized something was special about the book, then Yoichi's one and only chance at escape would be ruined. It would be smarter to wait. No matter how agonizing it felt. The tips of his wings trembled.

"Mom's magic is strong. It shouldn't take long," Izuku said, speaking with odd gentleness coming from a child toward an adult. "What should I write when I find the book?"

"Tell them that you're my nephew and you're helping me." Secretly, Yoichi knew that if Izuku admitted to being All for One's son, this would clue in Kaiji and Sanzou that they needed to keep their identities secret in their replies. "Tell them that you can bring down the wards on my cell, and you'll do it the first time that All for One is away from the palace. Please ask them to come close but not try to rescue me before then. And please, send the letter as soon as you find the book. You don't need to talk to me first. They need to know about the plan as soon as possible." Otherwise they might do something stupid. Yoichi had regular nightmares about his husbands dying for him.

Izuku nodded. "I'll remember what you told me, I promise." He jiggled, his wings dancing. "I won't let you down! I'll save you and turn everything back to normal."

Yoichi really hoped so. He'd do anything to escape his fate worse than death. He wanted to believe that things would turn out better for this kid with him gone. He felt a pang of guilt at the thought of Izuku being disappointed if Hisashi didn't turn back to him as a substitute. But on second thought, it would be better if his monstrously possessive brother continued to stay away. Izuku might want Hisashi's love now, but in the long run he would be happier not ending up like Yoichi.

"You look sad." Izuku pouted. "You don't believe I can do it."

"No, no, that's not why. I was just remembering some sad stuff." Yoichi yawned. "You should probably go back to bed," he said reluctantly. "You're a growing boy. You need your rest." He smiled, trying to paint a bright face over his pain. He did not think he'd be able to sleep tonight, alone in his cage.

"I'll come visit you every night," Izuku said, proving his perceptiveness once again.

Yoichi ought to tell Izuku not to come again until he found the book. Each visit was a risk. Instead, he said, "Thank you."

The next time Izuku snuck out at night and opened the basement door, he saw light at the bottom of the stairway. The artificial sun in Uncle Yoichi's room was turned on. Only one other person could visit that room. Izuku had a brief, mad desire to run downstairs and see his father. Daddy hadn't gone near him in so long that it had left a gaping open wound in his chest. But even at age five, Izuku was not that stupid. He closed the door and quietly left.

The next night, Izuku came as soon as his mother had fallen asleep. He felt guilty about not visiting last night and failing to keep his promise. Pushing open the door, Izuku called, "Are you awake, Uncle Yoichi?" He did not step inside. He didn't want to jolt his uncle awake with sudden bright light like last time.

"I'm awake," Yoichi called, sitting up. His wings rustled in the darkness.

The sun turned on as Izuku walked down the pathway to the cage. Uncle Yoichi had grown ethereally pale. His eyes had sunk into his skull. The bagginess of his robe made him look smaller. Even in just two days, he'd shrunk into himself. When people in stories died of grief, Izuku had always thought that sounded very implausible. But his uncle looked like someone who might actually vanish like a cry of pain lost in the wind.

Hunching his shoulders, Yoichi whispered, "It's not safe here. My brother visited me last night, and he might again. I should never have asked you to come. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Izuku cracked a small smile. "Daddy left the palace. Here, you should eat something. I was worried about if you were eating with Daddy gone." Izuku held out a loaf of bread and a water bottle that he'd tucked under his arm.

Yoichi gripped the bars of his cage. "Hisashi is gone? Why? Where?"

"I'll tell you while you eat," Izuku insisted, holding out the bread.

With a rueful grimace, Yoichi took the offered food. "The shriekers came by to feed me, but I…didn't have any appetite. I thought my brother was punishing me with solitude, but you say he's no longer at the palace?" Yoichi took a huge bite of bread.

Izuku asked, "Do you remember the throat spiders?"

Wiping away the crumbs on his mouth, Yoichi grinned. "Yes! Did they work?"

"Tsubasa couldn't say anything except tarantula hissing." Izuku giggled. "Tsubasa infected his grandfather, and Lord Garaki infected half the nobles at court…including my father."

Yoichi whooped and clapped. "Spectacular! You are the best, most brilliant nephew ever! No wonder Hisashi left without saying goodbye to me. He wouldn't want me to see him unable to talk. He knows I'd mock him relentlessly."

Izuku said, "Daddy officially left court on a hunting trip for two weeks. But everyone guesses that he got infected. Mom was laughing about it over dinner tonight."

Yoichi nodded. "The throat spiders feed off magic. If Hisashi wants to get rid of them, then he can't use magic for two weeks. That's why he has to avoid his own court. They're incurable, no matter how many gifts my brother has. In fact, if he uses his magic then it will reset his two week timeline. Ha! That will teach him! Talk about going hunting for a sparrow and catching a hawk. Uh, no one suspects you, right?"

"Nope! I was going to tell Tsubasa what I did to teach him not to mess with me, but after Daddy got sick I thought better about taking respons—responshi—"

"Responsibility. I'm glad you thought fast on your feet. You did good, kid." Yoichi bit his lip. "With my brother gone, this seems like the perfect chance to escape…have you heard anything about my enchanted book?"

Izuku said, "Mommy tracked down most of our belongings. The movers took them to a broker named Giran asking him to remove her curse. She says he won't be able to get rid of it, and then they'll be forced to give back our stuff. Do you want me sneak into Giran's shop and look for your book?"

Yoichi sighed. "I'm tempted, but it's too risky. My brother should be safely gone for two weeks. That's time enough for you to get my book back the safe way." Yoichi took a long sip from the water bottle. "Waiting is such a bi—uh, a bad time." Yoichi glanced at Izuku, who was listening to him eagerly. He coughed. "Anyway. Thank you for letting me know. And thanks for coming to see me. You don't know how much that means to me."

Izuku pulled out a deck of cards from his pocket. "I brought a game for us to play."

Yoichi's eyes lit up. "Yes! Your uncle plays a mean game of Devil's Hand, just so you know. In fact, it doesn't seem entirely fair for me to play against you. Have you ever heard of the cooperative version of Devil's Hand?"

"I've never played it at all," Izuku admitted.

"In the cooperative version, we win or lose together. Come over here, and I'll show you."

Izuku crouched down and pressed against the bars of the cage, listening.

The first couple games, Izuku wasn't very good. He noticed that when they lost, his uncle always said interesting words but kept cutting himself off before finishing them. Izuku assumed these must be grownup words. It seemed very unfair that grownups had a special set of cool-sounding words that they kept all to themselves. Izuku was determined to uncover all the secret words. He listened carefully whenever his uncle swore, trying to piece together the muffled bits. So far, Izuku had learned the words "fuck," "shit," and "bastard."

Just as they had almost completed the Devil's Hand, Izuku lied, "I'm out of cards. It looks like we lose."

"Motherfu—" Yoichi cut himself off. "Ha-ha, don't worry your adorable little head about it. Want to play again?"

"Oops, I had one more card left." Izuku put it down. "Full hand!" He grinned, pleased both at winning the cooperative game and at the cool new word he'd successfully tricked his uncle into teaching him. Based on having already learned the word "fuck" the correct ending must be "motherfucker." Motherfucker! What a neat word! Izuku loved how it rolled off the tongue.

Yoichi snorted. "You did that on-purpose, didn't you?"

"Who, me?" Izuku widened his eyes in a way that used to trick his tutors (back before they all quit.)

Uncle Yoichi didn't look fooled. He swept up the cards. "Trickery is a good trait for a card-player to have. Next time I'll teach you the competitive version. When I'm done with you, you'll be winning the allowance off all the other kids. You should head back to bed now."

Izuku pouted. "One more game?"

"Don't use those innocent eyes on me. A growing boy needs his sleep."

"No one else will play with me anymore," Izuku mumbled. His friends had all vanished and even his mom was too busy.

Yoichi's gaze softened. "Aw. Don't let those assh—uh, meanies get you down. I'll play with you again tomorrow night, I promise."

Izuku perked up, his good humor restored at the discovery of a new secret word. What did "assh" end in? What words started with h?

As Izuku skipped up the stairs and back to bed, he continued to ponder. Asshoop? That didn't sound right. Asshot? Asshabit? Asshope? Assham? Assheart? That sounded like it might mean someone with a mean heart. That could be right. Hmm, what about assharpy? Everyone said that harpies were the meanest beasts in the forest. That must be it. Assharpy, now there was the coolest new word yet!

Izuku kept visiting his uncle every single night. Yoichi taught him how to play half a dozen different card games and how to cheat. Also, Yoichi had the coolest stories about his other two uncles and their adventures. They lived high up in the mountains where Uncle Yoichi said flying was the best. It made Izuku long to leave the palace, too. In the daytime, everyone treated him coldly. His mother was perpetually sad and tired. Nighttime become the best time for Izuku.

It made Izuku sad to think that Uncle Yoichi would leave. But he didn't want his uncle to be trapped and unhappy either. It was for the best. Then everything would go back to normal. His usual bedroom would replace this creepy garden and terrifying birdcage. His father would love him again. Right?

As Yoichi shuffled the deck of cards, Izuku said, "Tell me another story."

"Of course," Yoichi said. "How about a story about me and your father when we were children?" Yoichi made a point of telling Izuku embarrassing stories about Hisashi. Not only did Hisashi deserve it, hopefully Izuku would come to see that he didn't need the love of such a colossal numbskull. "Did I ever tell you about the first time your father stole a gift?"

"No!" Izuku sat up straighter on his knees. His eyes gleamed. "Is it a heroic story? Did he fight a terrible enemy?"

"Nah, it was a total accident. Big brother was mocking a girl who had developed a gift causing her to shed slime all over. The girl slapped my brother—who totally deserved it—and he accidentally stole her gift. Then he hid in his bed for a week and cried because he thought he'd exude slime forever." Yoichi couldn't help adding. "See? He's not as great as he pretends to be. He doesn't deserve a cute son like you."

Izuku looked away and changed the subject. "Will you tell me more about my other uncles?" He loved hearing stories about Kaiji and Sanzou and asked for more nearly every night.

"Of course." Yoichi thought about what he could say that wouldn't give away Kaiji and Sanzou's identities. Nothing about their physical appearances or status. "Your second uncle is known for being a deadly warrior—but he's also a total meathead. When he wanted to court me, he kept giving me different weapons. I thought he was insulting me by implying that I didn't maintain my weapons well enough. It didn't help that he kept scowling at me. It took me a while to realize that his face just looks like that."

Izuku giggled.

Yoichi continued, "Your third uncle is good at everything: he can forge weapons, fight, cook, sew, and come up with the most brilliant plans. If not for him, we'd all have died countless times. And he doesn't hesitate to remind us! He likes to grumble that he must have had bad karma in a past life to have been saddled with two morons in this one, but we know he loves us way too much to ever leave."

Izuku's face fell. "Not even if he met someone better than you two?"

Yoichi winced, realizing that he'd tread on sensitive ground. He leaned down to meet Izuku's eyes. "You're talking about your father, aren't you?"

Izuku shrugged, twirling a lock of hair.

"I'm not better than you, kid. I promise. I was just here first."

"He couldn't love both of us?" Izuku asked.

Yoichi hesitated, seeking the right words. "Hisashi has always been self-centered, ever since we were kids. He has to have everything. He wants everyone else's gifts. He wants power. I don't think he can truly love anyone. Not in the sense of putting someone else first."

"But Daddy used to be so kind to me," Izuku whispered.

Yoichi said, "Even when Hisashi loves, it's all about himself. Look at me." He waved across the fake garden. "My brother pretends to love me, but he locked me up down here where I can't fly or see the sun."

"I'd hate that."

"Hisashi did this to me so that he could always see me whenever he wanted to. Everything is all about himself. When he showered you with gifts, he was also doing it for himself, trying to live out our past childhood again through you. He dropped you as soon as you stopped being useful to him. It was selfish."

"Daddy never loved me?" Izuku asked, tears starting to fall.

Yoichi reached through the bars to brush the tears away. "Hisashi loved you as much as he was capable of. But his love is worth shit—uh, I mean, it's not worth much. This isn't a fault in you, Izuku. It's a fault in Hisashi. You didn't fail him. He failed you as a parent." Yoichi wasn't sure if he was getting through at all. This might be too complicated for a child to understand. "Look, I'm sure your mom—" Yoichi started to say that Izuku's mother still loved him, but Yoichi had no idea if Inko loved her child or only wanted to use him as a political tool. He'd never met the woman, but he knew all about his brother's horrific ability to pick them. He didn't want to offer false hope. "You're a brave and wonderful boy who is worthy of love."

"Do you love me?" Izuku asked through teary eyes.

Damn, what a question to ask when they'd only just met. Yoichi felt like he was standing on the edge of a cliff being buffeted by wind too strong to fly in. He was very fond of Izuku. But it had only been a week. That was rather soon to love someone. He instinctively knew that if he gave the wrong answer—the honest answer—it would destroy this kid. Izuku couldn't take another rejection after being abandoned by his father. And Yoichi just couldn't bring himself to do it. "You're my nephew. I love you." Yoichi had lied many times in the past to save himself, but he didn't like lying about love. Perhaps he could act as if his lie was the truth. They were family, and this child desperately needed someone to step up for his sake.

Izuku beamed and hugged Yoichi, his tiny body pressing close to the bars. "I love you too, Uncle Yoichi!" Children loved so easily.

After Izuku had left, Yoichi remembered that Izuku's entire motive for helping him had been to get his father's love back. It had been foolish of Yoichi to try and convince his nephew to stop chasing after Hisashi's love. He hadn't acted in his own best interests there. But when Yoichi remembered the small smile that had returned to Izuku's face in the end, he couldn't bring himself to regret it.

Izuku's eyes felt heavy and his head ached as he rushed down the palace hallway. Today, Inko had finally refused to let Izuku play sick any longer and insisted that he attend school. Since Izuku was staying out at night with Yoichi, he felt exhausted every day. But he refused to give up his nightly visits. They were the only time he got to interact with someone besides his mother who treated him with kindness, and his uncle clearly craved the visits too. Also, Izuku had learned two new words: bitch and dick. He would soon collect a complete set of grownup words!

In the days before, a gaping gap in reality that he could barely think about without it hurting, Izuku used to have private tutors. Now he attended classes with a large group of other children around the castle. The other kids pointed and whispered at him. His teacher had accused Izuku of being too full of himself for correcting a mistake in a math problem. At the end of class, a girl had stolen Izuku's backpack. He had a feeling he was going to need to catch more spiders.

"I'm home," Izuku called as he pushed open the apartment door.

Inko was looking at a bill with her forehead wrinkled. As soon as Izuku entered, she put it away and smiled. "How was your first day at your new school?"

"It was great! I like attending classes with other kids. I made a couple friends already." Izuku couldn't let his mother worry any more than she already did, so he lied.

"How wonderful, sweetie. What are their names?"

"Uh…"

Inko's eyes narrowed. "Where is your backpack?"

Izuku needed a distraction. "Look, Mom!" He pulled out a paper and held it up. "My teacher wants me to join the Young Demon Army! He says I'd be a great candid-something. Isn't that where Big Brother Tomura went? I could see him again!"

Back when Tomura had lived in the palace, Izuku had protected the older boy from bullies a few times. Back then, Izuku had been the powerful crown prince and Tomura had been the son of a traitor. Despite their age gap, they'd been friends. They still kept in touch through letters. Now Izuku hoped that Tomura might be willing to protect him in return if they met again. At the least it would be great if Tomura didn't decide to hate him like everyone else. Plus there had been a mention of money for enlisting, and Izuku knew his mother needed that even though she kept trying to hide it.

Inko's lower lip shook. Her eyes widened with horror. Bursting into tears, she flung her arms around Izuku. Through her sobs, he caught fragments of "No" and "Never" and "I'll kill them all first!"

Despite Izuku's best efforts, he'd made his mother cry again.

Yoichi could tell something was bothering his nephew. Izuku seemed distracted as he shuffled the cards. He yawned, dropping several from the deck.

"What's wrong, kid?" Yoichi asked.

Izuku rubbed his eyes. "I'm a bit tired. Mom sent me to school today. But don't worry! I can still visit because she changed her mind and she's not sending me back there. She said she would teach me herself. I'll get to sleep in for at least a few more days while she makes lesson plans."

Yoichi frowned. "Did something happen at school?"

"I don't know," Izuku admitted. "My teacher wanted me to join the Young Demon Army. Mom flipped out."

Yoichi grabbed the bars of his cage. "Like absolute hell! Uh, don't repeat that last word." His fingers shook with rage. He wanted to kill Izuku's teacher. He was shocked at his own visceral reaction. This type of pure rage rarely overtook him off the battlefield.

Sadly, Izuku said, "Mom said that too, except for the hell part. Why? What's so bad about it? Big Brother Tomura is there."

Yoichi took deep breaths, controlling his anger before it frightened his nephew. "It's too dangerous. I didn't even think they took children as young as you. Big brother is even bigger scum than I realized."

"I'm not strong enough?" Izuku asked. His lower lip stuck out.

"You're a kid. You shouldn't be fighting, period. The Young Demon Army, they're…they're trained as spies and infiltrators. They're drawn from orphans and the families of people who offended Hisashi. In other words, they're expendable. They get sent out on missions and they…don't always come back." Yoichi sighed. "You could die."

"Thank you for telling me," Izuku said. "Mom wouldn't explain." He chewed on his lip. "I'm worried about Big Brother Tomura. He made it sound cool when he joined, but I don't want him to die."

"I'm worried about your friend, too." Yoichi hadn't told Izuku that the Young Demon Army got brainwashed and trained to kill. "Do you know why they took him? Big brother uses it as a punishment for families who have defied him."

"Tomura doesn't have a family. He used to be Tenko Shimura, but no one is allowed to say the name Shimura anymore."

"TENKO SHIM—" Yoichi clamped a hand over his mouth to stop his scream. Even if big brother was temporarily gone from the palace, he shouldn't get in the habit of being so careless. His heart raced a mile a minute, a mixture of rage and grief and a little bit of hope all tangled up under his chest.

Izuku tilted his head. "You know Tomura?"

"I knew his grandmother." Yoichi swallowed. "She, uh, was a good friend of mine." His voice cracked. "She helped me stay free from my brother the first time." Nana Shimura had been a high-ranked Demon Lady in the federation. The very first time Yoichi had run away, he'd traded information about his brother for shelter. But he'd always known that Nana had helped him out of compassion. From a strictly utilitarian perspective, it would have been more profitable to take Yoichi hostage.

Hisashi had always despised Nana, but he'd gone after her even harder because she'd stolen his precious little brother. During the same battle where he'd recaptured Yoichi, Hisashi had killed Nana. Yoichi had watched it happen before his eyes. He had nightmares about it. Nana had been like family to him.

After Nana's death, the Shimuras had declined drastically in power. Hisashi had lured Nana's very foolish son Kotaro to defect and join All for One's side. Then the entire Shimura family had been executed on charges of treason. This had happened shortly after Yoichi's fake death. Yoichi had always strongly suspected that Hisashi had faked the accusations to have an excuse to wipe out the Shimura lineage. Hisashi had been gone into an insane state after his little brother's death, determined to kill everyone with even the smallest hint of blame. Yoichi had been devastated with guilt. No matter how Kaiji and Sanzou tried to comfort him or tell him that Kotaro had made his own mistakes, Yoichi still knew that Nana's family had died because of him.

Why had Tenko been spared? If Yoichi had to guess, he would say that his brother had decided to turn Nana's grandson into his minion as the ultimate middle finger to her legacy. This could not stand. Yoichi owned Nana. He would save her grandson.

In a shaking voice, Yoichi spoke rapidly. "Izuku, please tell your other uncles about Tomura in your future letter too. I believe that he's in a great deal of danger. They'll find him and save him."

"They will?" Izuku asked hopefully.

Yoichi nodded frantically. "They were friends with Nana, just like me. We'll protect and look after Tomura like family. He'll live together with us at our castle in the mountains where big brother can't find him. I promise."

"That's good. Since what you said, I'm scared for Big Brother Tomura." Izuku twirled a lock of hair. "I'll be able to send your letter very soon. Mom struck a deal with Giran to return our stuff for a pittance. What's a pittance?"

"It's a very small amount of money."

"Giran couldn't sell any of our stuff because he couldn't get her curse off. Mommy is too strong! We're getting it back tomorrow."

"Thank hell." Yoichi sagged down in his cage. With this news about Tenko, he was even more frantic to escape. Even though intellectually he knew that a few days wouldn't make a difference when Tenko had been missing for years, he wanted to leap into the skies and find the boy at once.

Izuku bit his lip harder, drawing a tiny drop of blood. "Daddy shouldn't have hurt Tomura."

"No, he shouldn't have. He's a bad man. He treats everyone like that, not just you. Really, you're better off without him." Yoichi hoped he hadn't pressed too far with that last sentence. He'd been trying for the last week to subtly lead Izuku to the notion that he didn't need his father, so the kid wouldn't be too devastated if Hisashi didn't turn back to him after Yoichi escaped.

Izuku nodded. Slowly, he said, "Daddy used to be nice to me, but he's not nice to other people. That made it easy for him to stop being nice to me when I wasn't useful to him any longer."

Yoichi wanted to leap up and down and applaud. He only restrained himself because he would hit his head on the top of the cage. (He'd done that before. The birdcage barely had enough height to let him stand up, and the cramps in his legs proved it.) Izuku had figured that out much faster than Yoichi himself. Back in childhood, pointing out his big brother's flaws just made Yoichi defensive. Yoichi had to give his nephew credit for his brains. "That's right. It's not your fault. It's because your dad has a hole inside him that nothing and no one could ever fill."

Izuku said, "If you leave, maybe Daddy will love me again. But I don't want to stay here, with a dad who turned his back on me when I needed him the most and friends who secretly hate me. I want to go to the pretty mountain castle and live with you and Mom and Big Brother Tomura." Izuku gazed up with wide, pleading eyes. "Can I run away with you?"

Yoichi's brain sputtered to a halt. His plan had worked a little too well. Now he had no idea what to say. Izuku was gazing up at him with such trusting hope. If he took too long to reply, then the trust in those eyes would change to disappointment and maybe even anger. A panicked thought flashed across Yoichi's mind: If I tell Izuku no, then what if he abandons me? What if I'm trapped here alone in the darkness with no escape and no one but my brother forever?

From there, Yoichi's lips moved on their own: "Of course you can come live with us! We'd be delighted to have you."

Izuku smiled and bounced from foot to foot. "Yay! I can't wait to tell Mommy!"

Yoichi paled. "You can't tell your mother about our plan, remember? Not until after you contact my husbands. It's not safe for her."

"Got it! I'll send your letter soon, and then my other uncles will arrive and we'll tell Mommy about our new home."

Yoichi nodded, largely because he hadn't yet figured out how to reply.

After Izuku left, Yoichi collapsed to the floor of his cage. What had he done? Why had he said that? Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Yoichi had no objections to taking Izuku back home. In fact, Yoichi very much liked the idea of having a nephew around to dote on. It nearly made him smile, imagining introducing Izuku to Kaiji and Sanzou and taking his nephew flying to his favorite spots. But there were two major problems with that peaceful daydream. Number one: Inko. Yoichi still didn't trust her not to kill him or turn over his escape plan to his big brother. Frankly he didn't even know if Inko wanted to leave the High Lord's castle. But Yoichi couldn't possibly take Izuku without his mother. Unlike big brother, Yoichi wasn't a kidnapper. He wouldn't take a child away from a mother without proof of abuse.

Problem number two: it was dangerous for Izuku. Yoichi had planned to leave without anyone realizing Izuku had been involved in his escape. Ideally, Izuku's role would be small enough that he stood a very low risk of getting caught. But if Izuku escaped with Yoichi, that was a whole different story. He would become a known accomplice. If they got caught, Hisashi's wrath would be terrible. Tomura/Tenko's fate stood out keenly in Yoichi's mind, as a reminder that Hisashi did not even spare children. Yoichi knew that Izuku wasn't happy at the palace, but he'd be in an even worse position if he tried to escape and got caught.

Yoichi had been a fool to make a promise to a small child that he couldn't keep. Children believed what adults told them with unconditional faith. He'd agreed too quickly in his desperate panic not to lose his only hope. He could have said he would try, but he shouldn't have promised. Izuku would be destroyed by yet another betrayal.

Perhaps this was still salvageable. The next time Izuku returned, Yoichi would explain they needed to get Inko's permission first before making any moving plans. Inko would also have a better idea of much danger she and her son were currently in, and whether it was worth the risk to escape. They could talk it out between the adults. Now Yoichi just needed to figure out how to communicate with Inko, but in a way that didn't completely screw himself over if she betrayed him.

He sat up late at night, trying and failing to come up with a good plan.

It really would be a lot smarter for Yoichi to escape first, then contact Inko later. He wouldn't risk a betrayal. Izuku and Inko wouldn't be implicated in his escape. If Inko didn't want to leave, then Yoichi could offer her money and other subtle means of support so that she and her son could live a better life. If she did want to move then he could arrange for her transportation out of the castle, but ideally at a later date so no one connected their departure to his own. Izuku and Inko were under much lighter security than him and it would be easier for them to sneak off without the number one most wanted prisoner in tow. That way Hisashi wouldn't have reason to seek revenge on them.

But if Yoichi broke his promise, would Izuku understand?

Author's Note: Kotaro got his family killed out of sheer stupidity in this fic, and I firmly believe he did the same in canon. Why did Kotaro use the last name Shimura when Nana tried so hard to hide him? Personally, I believe Nana changed her son's last name, but Kotaro changed it back because he refused to believe his mother had been telling the truth about being hunted by a powerful villain. This made it easier for All for One to find him.