Chapter Three:
Izuku opened the vault door. Katsuki was curled up on the floor, clutching his head. Izuku cried, "Are you all right?" His words stuttered out uselessly. He knew full well the other boy wasn't all right. There was no doctor and he wouldn't trust All for One to use a healing quirk if it turned out the villain had one. Izuku looked around, hoping to at least offer a glass of water. Then a pang in his throat reminded him of his near-death encounter. He retreated, cracking the door and ready to slam it. "I'm not your Izuku—"
"I know you're not him!" Katsuki shouted. "He wouldn't be giving me that dopey-looking face!" He clutched his head again and moaned.
Ochaco ran forward, pushing past Izuku. First, she went to the minifridge. Then she knelt down and handed Katsuki a glass of water. "I don't have painkillers, but this will help."
"I don't need help, Round Face," Katsuki grumbled, but he drank anyway.
"I do need help," Ochaco said. "I don't want to spend the rest of my life living inside a vault. Please, Katsuki. I know he brainwashed you. But the chip in your neck is gone. You don't have to obey him any longer."
"There was never any brainwashing," Katsuki growled. "Izu-chan told me to pretend that I'd been brainwashed if the police caught me. But screw that noise. I'll go down with him."
Ochaco pursed her lips. She did not look all that surprised. Oddly, she didn't even look angry.
Izuku supposed this explained the other Katsuki still trying to kill him after the chip had been broken. He did not interfere in the conversation. Ochaco seemed to be doing a good job getting Katsuki to open up. Someone who Katsuki hated speaking up would only provoke him. Izuku retreated out of sight into the hallway. All for One also moved away, inclining his head at Izuku to acknowledge they had the same idea. Izuku hated being on the same wavelength as the villain.
Even out of sight, they could still hear the conversation. Ochaco said, "I know about the Sludge Villain attack. Tenya found records when he was investigating Izuku, and he showed them to me. A villain attacked you. No hero came to help you. Your heart stopped beating. You were pronounced dead by the paramedics. You vanished from the ambulance. It was a brief scandal. Then the sludge villain's corpse was found horribly mutilated in an alleyway, and you reappeared like nothing happened."
Katsuki lowered his voice, "Izuku saved my life. He had to bargain with his father to get the technology he needed to drag me back from the grave. All for One stuck the mind-control chip in me. Izu-chan found out and disabled it."
Wait a moment. All for One had claimed that the other Izuku had created the brainwashing technology, but this directly contradicted his story. Izuku glared. All for One only raised an eyebrow and looked innocent. Izuku ground his teeth. He'd already known that he couldn't trust a word All for One said, but it still annoyed him to have been lied to in such an unbelievably petty way.
"Fuck," Katsuki mumbled, low in the back of his throat. In a louder voice, he said, "That bastard would threaten me to get at Izuku ever since we were little kids. All for One had it out for me before I ever met Izuku—it turns out I'm descended from some family he hates or some other such garbage. Izuku had to go along with all kinds of shit from his dad to save me and my parents' lives. Everything from being his dad's perfect little doll to helping with his villainy. Don't you see why I can't blame him for how he turned out?"
"I didn't know that," Ochaco said softly. "Poor Izuku."
Katsuki said, "Izuku ran into All Might by accident while handling the sludge villain. He tried to get All Might to save me—he knew his shithead dad would never let me walk out of there unbrainwashed. But the plan went wrong, All for One found All Might, and there was a big fucking fight. Afterward Izuku took advantage of his dad's injuries to turn the tables and let him sit in his own vault. I know it looks bad, but Izuku only put All Might in that case to heal from his injuries."
Then All Might and All for One's original fight hadn't happened until recently in this timeline. Come to think of it, All for One had never said when he'd been imprisoned. Izuku had been around nine years old during the battle in his own universe, too young to take over a criminal empire. He should have realized sooner that the fight must have happened differently in this timeline.
Ochaco asked, "Was he planning to let All Might out after he was healed?"
"Uh…you mean the case or the vault?" Katsuki asked in a tone that implied the former more likely than the latter. "I was talking to him about it. I explained that we couldn't get any more All Might merchandise if All Might vanished. He listened to me, most of the time. Hell, Izu-chan only forged the paperwork to let us both attend U.A. because I wanted to become a hero so badly. He did it for me."
"And did you talk to him about me and Tenya being imprisoned?" Ochaco asked, steel lurking behind her soft voice.
Katsuki hung his head. "I tried. After what happened to Icy Hot…Izu-chan went fucking mad. He stopped listening to me. I had a plan to slip Mr. Aizawa information to get you two out as soon as I could figure out where we were. I always came here via teleportation quirk."
"When I texted him, Mr. Aizawa told me that you at least told him that we were alive." Ochaco sighed. "I get it. If you'd tried to stop him, he would have stuck you in a cell next to us."
"That's not why I stuck with him!" Katsuki's voice rose. "I couldn't have fucking abandoned Izu-chan, not with his shithead father trying to take advantage of him falling into despair. You know how much worse this situation could get if All for One took over instead?"
"I don't want that to happen either, and neither does the other Izuku." Ochaco glanced up, locking eyes with Izuku's through the cracked door. Their glance confirmed it. "But Shouto was my friend, and I can't let another version of him get kidnapped. Especially by our Izuku. Don't you think having our Izuku hurt Shouto again would be too cruel? Please, tell us where to find the machine to transfer between worlds."
Pain filled Katsuki's eyes. Looking away, he mumbled, "There's no fucking machine. He used a quirk—or rather, a combination of three quirks merged together."
Izuku closed his eyes and swore under his breath. There was no way to follow his other self.
All for One murmured, "We can ambush him when he returns, then I'll steal the multiverse travel quirk."
This would leave All for One in control. Izuku didn't like that option one bit. But he didn't see a way besides letting All for One steal the quirk. How to control the villain afterward?
Katsuki leapt to his feet and marched over to the door, yanking it open. Sticking his face in Izuku's, he growled, "If I help you get your fucking Half and Half bastard back, then will you promise that you won't let All for One have my universe's Izuku?"
Izuku leapt backward upon seeing the hands that had nearly strangled him clutching the door. He was in a bad position—he couldn't admit that he'd happily betray All for One with All for One listening.
Katsuki growled, "I'm serious. I'd rather you kill Izu-chan then let his dad take him—it would be more merciful. But don't kill him! I'll kill you first!"
Unfortunately, at that precise moment, bluish light flashed in the air. The hazy outline of Izuku's double appeared, a bigger figure on the ground behind him and a smaller one in his arms.
All for One leapt forward. Izuku moved too, without a plan but with a complete certainty that he couldn't let All for One reach the other Izuku first. Both their hands struck the light at the same time. Blue consumed Izuku's vision.
Izuku dreamt that he knelt on the ground. Shouto lay in front of him, his face pale and still. His chest was a red mess that Izuku couldn't bring himself to look at. A hole had been burned clean through Shouto's torso to scorch the ground underneath him. Even half the head was gone. Blood dropped down onto Shouto's face. It was falling from Izuku's hands. Izuku had done this. Oh, god, they told me that Shouto died, but not that the other me killed him. How could he? HOW COULD HE?
Wearing a U.A. uniform, Katsuki grabbed Izuku under his arms and wrenched him to his feet. "Move! We have to go! There are too many heroes on the way."
A whisper emerged from Izuku's lips. But it wasn't him talking. It was the other Izuku, in his memory, mumbling, "Why did you do that? Why did you jump in between us like that? Dabi tried to murder you! I know you said you didn't want him dead, but I had to kill him in order to protect you. I thought you'd understand after you were safe. Didn't he run off and abandon you? Someone like that doesn't have the right to be called an older brother. He left you alone with your father. He didn't care about you. Not like me."
Katsuki dragged Izuku away. "Come on! We have to get to my bike."
Izuku wrenched free. "No! I have to save Sho-chan! If I freeze the body, then that will buy me time to find a stronger healing quirk."
"Healing?" Katsuki stared at him. "He's gone, Izu-chan. You can't even make a Nomu without a complete brain. We have to go."
Izuku collapsed. Katsuki had to drag his limp form away from the approaching sirens.
Izuku opened his eyes. He stood in a plane of blue light spreading in all directions. He faced another him, with white hair but otherwise identical features. Mirror Izuku cradled Shouto against his chest. He was dragging All Might's limp form behind him, but the weight didn't seem to bother him. It must be a strength quirk.
"Get away from Shouto," Izuku snarled. "You killed him."
Something dark flashed in Mirror Izuku's eyes. "That was all Touya Todoroki's fault. Sho-chan slipped—"
"You mean he jumped in to stop you from murdering Dabi! None of that would have happened if you hadn't tried to murder someone. Stop lying to yourself. You did it with your own two hands."
"It's fixed. I have Sho-chan back now." Mirror Izuku caressed Shouto's cheek. Izuku longed to lunge forward and drag them apart, but he didn't dare with his other self's hand so close to Shouto's throat.
"Where are we?" Izuku demanded.
"We appear to be between worlds." Mirror Izuku's eyes narrowed. "I felt my father take my multiverse quirk. The bastard stole several powers, unfortunately. He's the one who trapped us."
"Dammit," Izuku whispered. Of course All for One's betrayal came as no surprise. Izuku would have betrayed the villain first if given the opportunity. He'd failed to keep All for One in check. Who knew what might be happening to Mirror Ochaco and Mirror Katsuki?
"You must have let him out, you idiot." Mirror Izuku sighed. "I told Kacchan to knock you out. What was he doing? I suppose you overpowered him. I warned him not to underestimate you."
Izuku growled, "Shouldn't you be worried about your Katsuki, seeing how I'm awake and free?"
Mirror Izuku shrugged. "It's not like you'd ever hurt Kacchan."
This annoyed Izuku all the more for being true. "I thought I'd never kidnap my friends either, yet here you are! The hell are you doing with All Might?"
Mirror Izuku said, "I like your All Might, so I decided to keep him. He makes me bentos and asks me about my day. Mine didn't like me."
Izuku growled, "I can't blame him. I don't like you, and I am you. I'm not letting you keep either All Might."
"How do you plan to stop me?" Mirror Izuku smirked. "I'm strong, you're weak. So I'll be taking what belongs to you."
"He's not your Shouto," Izuku said. "He'll never forgive you for kidnapping him."
Mirror Izuku shrugged. "A little mental adjustment will take care of that."
In other words, brainwashing. Izuku glared with horror and fury. "Both Shoutos deserve better than you."
"So self-righteous." Mirror Izuku bared his teeth. "I'm you, who do you think you're fooling? I know that you only try to save people to increase your own self-worth. You feel like your existence doesn't have value unless you're helping others. Guess what? That's the same reason that I'll break any moral boundaries to keep my loved ones safe. You're not so different from me. I used to have the same feelings, but I'm a step ahead of you, because I already realized that neither of us are fit to be heroes. All your heroism is a fraud, because you're doing it all for selfish reasons."
The words cut into Izuku. Only someone who knew him like himself could hurt him with such laser precision. Izuku had always chased after the dream of heroism to banish the voices of all the people who'd called him worthless. And now, he fought to protect his friends. If he'd lost his Shouto, would he have fallen into despair and lost all conscience like Mirror Izuku? The horror left Izuku unable to retort.
"Your universe is fun, but I'd rather not rebuild my power base from scratch, so it's time to go home." Mirror Izuku dropped both his captives, then lunged forward.
Izuku was caught off-guard. If not for Danger Sense, he wouldn't have reacted in time. Black Whip activated, knocking his other self into the air.
With the aid of a quirk, Mirror Izuku floated down. "Ah, so you do have All for One too! How interesting. Were you only pretending to have a strength quirk at U.A.? If you're strong, then why did you let a bunch of weaklings bully you? I saw a dream of it just now. You looked pathetic."
So they'd both seen each other's worst memories as a side-effect of this strange place. Izuku knew his other self was trying to distract him. Sure enough, lack spears leapt from Mirror Izuku's fingertips.
As he blocked, Izuku asked, "Is that the quirk you used to murder Shouto?"
From the vision he already know Shouto had burned to death, but the words hit their mark. Mirror Izuku's smile faltered. Snarling, he spat fire from his mouth.
Izuku carefully timed his plan. He dodged around the flames, then pretended to slip.
Mirror Izuku grabbed his forehead. "Got you!" He had just enough time to look confused before Izuku punched him in the jaw.
"My quirk can't be stolen," Izuku said, standing over his other self. "I'm the Nineth One for All successor." He raised his foot, about to drive it into Mirror Izuku's throat.
"Stop!" Shouto screamed, sitting up.
Izuku froze on reflex. Then he lowered his foot. He had no idea why, but he trusted Shouto's judgement.
Mirror Izuku did not try to get up and fight again. He seemed to be in a state of shock. He muttered, "Why…how…he never would have given One for All to me!"
Shouto fixed his eyes on Mirror Izuku. His gaze was surprisingly warm toward his kidnapper. "It was fun hanging out with you, but you're not my Izuku. I doubt my other self is the same as me, either. Don't try to replace him. He deserves better than that."
Mirror Izuku's face crumpled. "But you have to be the same. Otherwise everything is ruined. I'll make you the same."
With merciless gentleness, Shouto said, "Even if you mind-control me, you'll always know the difference. I think you cared enough about him to tell."
Mirror Izuku looked between Izuku and Shouto. "You stopped attacking me when he told you to."
"Yes?" Izuku asked.
"Why didn't I stop when Sho-chan said so?" Mirror Izuku raised his hands to cover his face and wept.
Shouto stood up and squeezed Izuku's shoulder. Then Shouto turned to Mirror Izuku. "Please, put an end to this. Help us stop All for One."
Mirror Izuku rubbed his wet face. "I can break us out of this space. I would have done it sooner, if I wasn't worried about your interference."
"But now you'll work together with us to stop All for One?" Izuku asked warily. If All for One had even a fraction of his quirks back, even all three of them might not be enough.
"You'll just have to find out." Mirror Izuku smirked, a trace of his old cheer back. The blue world dissolved.
Opening his eyes, Izuku found himself back in the circular metal room with doors all around him. Ochaco and Katsuki lay slumped against the wall, but at least their chests rose and fell. They were alive. All for One stood in front of them.
Mirror Izuku and Shouto stood close by, with All Might lying unconscious on the ground. Izuku did not speak a word: that would alert All for One. Instead, he lunged straight for All for One's back.
Without even turning around, All for One formed a metal shield in the air to block his fist. "How reckless. I'm sure you're not the child that I raised." With a gust of wind, he flung Izuku into the wall.
Mirror Izuku's eyes glowed as he touched the floor. A row of spikes shot up toward All for One.
Izuku scrambled to his feet, grateful that Mirror Izuku was cooperating—at least for now. Izuku planned to watch his back (and his Shouto).
All for One flicked his fingers, and a gelatinous material froze the spikes before they could reach him.
Shouto was already moving, sending forward a wave of fire and ice.
All for One simply let the attack wash off his elemental resistance. Then he tossed a dark spike—not at Shouto, but at All Might lying unconscious on the floor.
Shouto leapt in front of All Might. His feet landed straight on a green patch on the floor. As All for One snapped his fingers, vines rose up around Shouto. A flower exploded in his face, releasing a gas. His head lolled forward, unconscious.
All for One crooked a finger, and the vines dragged Shouto toward him. Izuku lunged for his friend, but he stepped on another green patch. He punched his way through the vines.
Mirror Izuku got there first, severing the vines with a spike on his arm. "Stay away from him," he growled, insanity contorting his face. "I won't forgive even you if you hurt him, Dad."
All for One smiled. "I warned you about letting other people become your weakness." He tossed a ball of fire at where Ochaco and Katsuki lay.
Mirror Izuku threw out a blue cloud that extinguished the flames. But this left his back open. All for One leapt forward and picked up his son. Blue light flashed from his hands, and Mirror Izuku's eyes closed. All for One cradled Mirror Izuku to his chest like a small child. A contented smile formed on his lips as he brushed back a lock of hair and grabbed his son's forehead. "Finally," he hissed. Sparks danced from his hand. Mirror Izuku jolted and moaned, but did not wake up.
Izuku's instincts wanted to leap forward and help—but he was not quite as stupid a hero as his other self believed. Izuku had four people in this room who he needed to protect, and Mirror Izuku wasn't on the list. If Izuku attacked, All for One would use his multiple hostages again. Izuku considered his meager resources, then formed a plan.
With false calm, Izuku said, "You've won. I surrender." He raised his hands.
All for One clucked his tongue. "What were you doing, attacking me? I thought we had a deal."
"I thought you broke the deal when you sealed me away between worlds."
"That was an accident. I only meant to contain my unruly son." All for One gently set Mirror Izuku down. "Come over here, and I'll send you and your bipolar quirked friend home. I need to touch you to activate the transfer to your universe."
What a bald-faced lie. Izuku's other self had opened a portal without touching him. In fact, according to the notes he'd found scrawled inside the cell, the quirk was entirely wish-based. It probably combined a reality-bending quirk with a teleportation quirk and at least one other. Obviously All for One wanted to pull more mind-control bullshit. But if the villain wanted to underestimate him, then fine. He'd take advantage of that. Izuku stepped forward and held out his hand. Black Whip formed behind his back. All for One wouldn't know he had the extra quirks inside One for All.
All for One took the outstretched hand. Sparks danced on Izuku's arm, just like the ones that had touched his other self. Izuku activated One for All. Like last time, it protected him from being brainwashed, breaking the connection. Izuku pretended to go slack-jawed, as if under the influence.
All for One's eyes glowed. Blue light danced around his body. It formed into a circle around him, like a door. Smiling, All for One said, "You sound like you have a lovely world. My power is still strong there. I've got two sons, one of whom took One for All for me. And All Might is currently unconscious and at my mercy. I think I'll go with you to check it out."
Izuku said, "Unfortunately, my universe isn't open for further guests." Black Whip shot forward, pushing All for One into the portal.
The villain's mouth slightly opened as he fell backward.
Izuku thought, Send him somewhere he can't hurt anyone. He hoped that worked.
He hoped even harder that his second wish would work. Grabbing both All Might and Shouto with Black Whip, he thought, Take us back home.
Light blinded Izuku—sunlight. Izuku stood on the grass outside U.A. All Might and Shouto's unconscious forms were next to him. He burst into tears of relief.
Aizawa stepped outside. "Midoriya, why are you flooding our lawn again? What's wrong? I've been looking everywhere for you and Todoroki—" He double-took. "You're our Midoriya? What happened to those two?"
"A lot happened in the other world." Izuku sniffled and wiped his face. "I think they're only sleeping, but please call Recovery Girl just in case. I have quite a story to tell you."
Katsuki woke up just in time to see everyone vanish into the portal. He muttered, "Hope you found your way home, other Icy Hot." Then he punched Ochaco in the shoulder. "Wake up, Pink Cheeks!"
Growling with the viciousness of the semiconscious, she punched him back.
"That's the spirit!" Katsuki laughed.
Ochaco looked around the room, her eyes widening at the spikes, wilted vines, and ashes. "What happened?"
Katsuki explained what he'd seen, finishing with, "I'm not sure where All for One ended up. Not here."
Ochaco shook her head. "I hope that world can handle him."
"Maybe he'll fall into a volcano and die," Katsuki said.
Ochaco said, "I lied to Mr. Aizawa and said that you'd been brainwashed."
Looking away, Katsuki rubbed his hair. "You didn't have to do that. You've got every right to be pissed at me."
"I did anyway," Ochaco said defiantly. "It's a less complicated version of the truth. You were kidnapped by All for One after the Sludge Villain Incident and you felt under threat ever since. If you contradict me, then I'll get in trouble, so keep your loud mouth shut for once in your life."
Katsuki bristled. "I don't need you to tell me that, Round Face!"
A rustling came from Tenya's room. Fortunately, the door had been left cracked open. Ochaco ran over. Meanwhile, Katsuki propped his unconscious Izuku against the wall using a vine as a pillow.
Ochaco carried Tenya into the main room, supporting him with an arm over her shoulder. Between the two of them, Katsuki and Ochaco explained events.
After they'd finished, Tenya asked, "Are you sure I was the one brainwashed? Because it sounds like you two were under the influence of intoxicating substances. Other universes don't exist."
"It's all real, fucking glasses," Katsuki growled.
Ochaco touched Tenya's shoulder. "Everything is over. All for One is gone, and Izuku…I supposed he's been stopped now, too. I used the other Izuku's phone to text Mr. Aizawa, and it worked. He took his phone to Nezu to trace my message. They found our location. U.A.'s forces will arrive shortly."
On the floor, Izuku groaned and opened his eyes. All three lunged for him, hands outstretched to hold him down.
In a confused tone, Izuku asked, "Where am I? Who am I?"
Tenya fell to the floor in his haste to stop. He took Ochaco and Katsuki down with him in a jumble of limbs.
Izuku wobbled to his feet. He held out a hand. "Are you hurt? Do I know you three? I'm sorry, I don't remember anything."
The trio exchanged glances. Hoarsely, Katsuki said, "We're your friends."
Ochaco said, "Your name is…Izuku Midoriya?"
Izuku laughed. "You don't sound very certain about that."
Ochaco laughed in a much more fake manner. "Yup, that's definitely your name. I think I hit my head."
"Oh, no! Head injuries can be serious. Should we call an ambulance?" Izuku looked around. "Where is this place?"
Tenya said, "We were captured by a villain, but the fight is over."
"Huh. Is that how I lost my memories?" Izuku asked. "Was it a quirk?"
Ochaco and Tenya locked eyes over his head. "Almost certainly," Ochaco said slowly.
"I feel sick," Izuku mumbled. "I'm going to sit down now."
Tenya grabbed Ochaco's arm. "Uraraka, your eyes look unfocused. You should lie down." He took her into his former cell, Katsuki following.
As soon as they were alone, Katuski whispered, "We're all in agreement? Fucking All for One clearly erased his memories?"
Tenya nodded. "It would be just like the villain, based on my past observation of how he treated Izuku."
"The bastard wanted to turn Izu-chan into his perfect little obedient doll again," Katsuki growled.
"We can't let Izuku end up in Tartarus." Ochaco wrung her hands. "You know they'd send him there, with his quirk and his history, despite his age. He can't even remember anything he's done! It would be too cruel!"
From the two pales faces, both of her friends agreed. Katsuki said, "We tell everyone that he was brainwashed. Hell, it's true. You guys didn't grow up with him—you didn't see how his fucked-up dad messed with his head."
Tenya nodded. "We'd be telling the truth if we said he was brainwashed. It would be the only right thing to do." Tenya went to the machine by his former bed and pulled out a spare chip. "If we planted this next to Midoriya, then it would help people believe the truth a bit more easily."
"A less complicated version of the truth." Ochaco met the eyes of the other two. "From the moment we step outside of this room, that's the only truth that we have to say, even to each other."
"I don't need you to tell me that, Round Face," Katsuki growled.
In the distance came the sounds of heroes breaking into the building.
Aizawa had been very, very angry to learn what Mirror Izuku had done. He'd been equally furious at himself for ignoring his suspicions. Aizawa insisted there would be stricter protocols for alternate universe visitors from now on.
Next, Izuku went to the nurse's office. All Might had been drugged. Recovery Girl believed something had been in his food and suggested that it would be better to let him sleep it off since this was the best sleep he'd gotten in weeks.
Shouto was already awake and sitting up in the bed.
Izuku pulled over a chair and sat down next to him. "How are you feeling?"
"My head doesn't even hurt any longer, thanks to Recovery Girl." Shouto rubbed his hair where the lump had been.
"I'm sorry about what happened."
"Why? It's not your fault. I feel a bit sorry for him. Your other self, I mean."
Izuku said, "I can't imagine what it must have been like to lose you. Still, trying to replace the other Shouto with you makes him scum in my eyes. You're not replaceable."
Shouto reached over and squeezed Izuku's hand. "I think the other one knew that, on some level. He was just desperate."
"Maybe." Izuku shrugged. "But I feel sorrier for the other Shouto. He's the one who died."
Solemnly, Shouto said, "There's nothing wrong with helping people because it makes you feel good about yourself. That's why everyone tries to be a good person, basically."
Izuku winced. "Oh, you heard my other self?"
"I heard the tail end of your conversation. He knew exactly what to say to hurt you, but that doesn't make it true." Shouto sought out Izuku's eyes. "Just like I'm not the other Shouto, you're not him. You'd never make the same choices as him."
"Yeah." Izuku swallowed. Maybe he could try to believe that. At the least, he'd always listen to Shouto, because that had been his other self's mistake.
Shouto said, "By the way, your other self confirmed that you're All Might's lovechild."
…Except for listening to Shouto's conspiracy theories. Izuku rolled his eyes. "He couldn't confirm that because he didn't know anything about me and our universe. Besides, his father was All for One. Would you believe it? No wonder he turned out strange. I'm glad that won't ever happen to me."
Shouto's eyes gleamed. "Did you just say that All Might and All for One had a lovechild? This would explain so much about you…"
"Shouto, NO!"
Dabi seethed in his straitjacket. In Tartarus, he had nothing to do but think about his mistakes and regrets. Unfortunately, he kept playing back to that moment when his stupid baby brother had thrown himself in front of a fist for him.
"Hello?" The air glowed. An outline appeared. The curly hair looked a lot like a younger version of Izuku Midoriya, the target of Dabi's eternal hatred. But the figure had skin as dark as the night sky with swirling galaxies inside. Despite the way the air screamed around him, he was no taller than an elementary schooler. He looked different enough that Dabi stopped jerking at his straitjacket.
Eldritch Izuku said, "Through an accident, a human All for One ended up in my universe—"
"We don't want him back," Dabi growled.
Eldritch Izuku said, "Understandable. Really, I don't understand why all the other versions of my father are, as the humans say, such douchebags. My aunts and uncles didn't think it was a good idea to return him until he learned to stop ripping holes into the multiverse. However, the natural order requires that I provide a being to replace the one taken away from this world."
Dabi felt a painful flicker of hope. "Bring my little brother back to life."
The planets around Eldritch Izuku's cheeks sparkled. "The Sovereign of Ice and Fire would be a positive addition to any universe. I already had that idea in mind myself. But it would be another violation of the natural order without a plausible reason for his reappearance. Hence what brings me here."
"You want something from me, eh?" Dabi nodded, as far as his head would move in the straitjacket. It figured. Even eldritch beings didn't give something for nothing.
Eldritch Izuku said, "Considering you tried to kill your little brother, this is a last resort. Now you're the only person who can save him. Your quirk possesses a rare phoenix mutation which, frankly, is the only reason that you're still alive after you've burned up so many times."
"That bastard murderer was researching my genes," Dabi growled. "If you can take my resurrection power and give it to Shouto, then do it."
"Excellent!" The room exploded with light from the force of Eldritch Izuku's smile. "If you would offer up a part of yourself, I would owe you a boon."
Dabi said, "Then get me out of this place. I won't cause any more trouble, I swear. I just want to protect my little brother if he decides to become friends with his murderer again."
Eldritch Izuku smiled, his teeth dripping black ichor. "Done."
In a different part of the same universe, Mirror Izuku had been minding his own business carrying a shopping bag of food to U.A. He had no idea why half a dozen Nomu had dropped burst out of an abandoned building to kneel at his feet. "Uh, hi?" He glanced over his shoulder at his friends. "What is happening?"
With a fake laugh, Ochaco said, "Don't worry about it. You have a quirk that lets you control undead monsters. This has already happened many times, in the days before you lost your memories."
At the same time, Tenya said, "I've heard that Nomu are scared of the color white. It must be your hair."
Cursing Tenya's weak lying skills, Ochaco leapt to the rescue. "The quirk causes your hair to appear a shade of white only visible to Nomu eyes."
"Huh." Izuku rubbed the back of his neck and blinked at the groveling Nomu. "Should we call a teacher?"
"Maybe not!" More nervous laughter bubbled from Ochaco's lips. "We seem to have this under control." She was fifty percent sure that Aizawa had seen through her lies, seventy-five percent sure All Might knew (even though he'd only recently been unfrozen and started teaching at U.A.) and ninety-nine percent sure that Nezu had been actively helping them out. But she didn't want to risk the HPSC finding out. Why did Ochaco and her friends have to pass a suspicious warehouse that coincidentally turned out to be fully of Nomu?
Tenya said, "It would be rude to bother our teachers over nothing."
Ochaco suggested, "Why don't you order the Nomu to go back into the warehouse and not leave or do anything bad?"
"They'll listen to me?" Izuku's face lit up. "Maybe that will be useful later. I can see the benefits of keeping them hidden as a later resource."
The warehouse door opened. Shouto Todoroki stumbled out, wearing only a white hospital gown. He yanked an IV out of his arm, muttering under his breath, "What kind of hospital sticks their patients in creepy glass coffins? I could have suffocated if I handed busted my way out. Where is this?" Upon laying eyes on Izuku, Shouto lunged forward and hugged him. "I'm so glad that you're all right! I was afraid you and Dabi would have killed each other."
Gingerly, Izuku patted Shouto on the back. "Do I know you? I lost my memories recently. You look a tad bedraggled, if it's not rude to say so." His wrinkled nose betrayed that he'd noticed the stench of unwashed hair. "Do you need help?"
Izuku and Shouto were immediately tackled by a crying Ochaco and Tenya in a group hug.
OMAKE TIME!
Omake: The Past Question
Mirror Izuku: All Might, can I be a hero?
Mirror Toshinori: Holy shit, what did you do to that villain? I never thought there would be so much blood inside the sludge…
Mirror Izuku: That's not a yes or a no. I'm getting mixed signals. (Sludge Villain twitches). Oops, I'd have sworn he died a while ago. Give me a moment, then we can get back to the important part of this conversation—your autograph!
#
Omake: Curse Your Sudden but Inevitable Betrayal Part 1
Mirror Katsuki: There's nothing you can do to me that would make me betray Izuku, who is like a brother to me.
Izuku: While you were unconscious after the Sludge Villain attack, he stole your entire All Might collection. Even your favorite All Might card.
Mirror Katsuki: That shithead! I'll tell you everything.
#
Omake: Curse Your Sudden but Inevitable Betrayal Part 2
Izuku: I'm glad my other self agreed to work with me to defeat All for One.
Mirror Izuku: Oh, I was totally planning to betray you at the first opportunity.
Izuku: You're still after my Shouto!
Mirror Izuku: No, I successfully learned a very special lesson about not replacing people. I was after your quirk, aka the ultimate piece of All Might merchandise.
Izuku: Valid. I would have done the same in your place. By the way, obviously I had to free the All Might-sicle but I looted your creepy vault of the rest of the merchandise.
#
Omake: Righteous Fury
Izuku: You can't have my Shouto Todoroki! You murdered yours!
Mirror Izuku: It was an accident. I'm sorry.
Izuku: This isn't a situation you can get out of with an apology! Your Shouto Todoroki privileges have been permanently revoked!
#
Omake: The Childrearing for Cosmic Horrors AU, Aka Where Mirror All for One Can't Hurt Anyone
Eldritch One for All: Big brother! Your waste product just landed on my work bench and damaged the latest galaxy I was creating.
Eldritch All for One: Don't look at me, I didn't create this knock-off me. It appears he fell over from another dimension.
Mirror All for One: (Snores.)
Eldritch One for All: Just look how young he is—a baby. Yet he's already ripping holes in the multiverse. Clearly someone needs to keep an eye on him.
Eldritch All for One: Not it. Let's summon the Great Old Ones. Maybe babysitting my fragment will distract them from pestering us.
Eldritch One for All: Agreed. This thing smells like trouble. Let's shaft him off on Cthulhu. I owe the octopus a bad turn after he let our sweet little Izuku get into the sugar last time he babysat for us.
Eldritch All for One: If they're babying my fragment, they won't be babying us.
Eldritch One for All: Exactly!
#
Omake: Loose Ends
Mirror Shouto: I'm glad my friend Izuku is back to normal and there are no more yanderes obsessed with me.
Mirror Dabi: Hi! I'm here to protect my little brother no matter what! This is my reason for living!
Mirror Shouto: I jinxed us, didn't I? That one is on me.
#
Omake: Meanwhile
Mirror Izuku: It sure was strange how that last villain fell on his face as soon as he laid eyes on me.
Mirror Ochaco: I guess he didn't tie his shoelaces. Ha-ha!
Mirror Izuku: He called me "boss."
Mirror Katsuki: Clearly the shithead was mocking you.
Mirror Tenya: Truly, villains are subtle in their ways of mockery. We should think less about such totally irrelevant matters and more about studying for our next exam.
Author's Note: Mirror Dabi won't necessarily be a problem. He only wants to protect Shouto, so he might quit being a villain. Or he might kidnap Shouto to keep him safe from Endeavor and Izuku. It's a coin flip.
Mirror Izuku is not a reliable narrator when he says that his All Might didn't like him. Mirror All Might immediately recognized a very bad case of having All for One screw with your head and felt sorry for Mirror Izuku. But Mirror Izuku couldn't stand to be pitied, especially not by his favorite hero. Mirror Izuku was afraid to wake his All Might up and face what he had to say, so he intended to swap the All Mights and yeet his over to the other dimension. Neither All Might would have taken it well.
It amuses me to imagine Mirror All for One ending up in the eldritch dimension where he's the weak kid on the block and all the adult eldritch abominations look at him like a baby. After how he spent his life infantilizing first Yoichi and later Izuku, All for One will finally get to be on the receiving end. He won't like it one bit. It's the perfect karma. I also considered dropping him into a volcano. But this felt like a fate worse than death.
Finally, I've started another collaboration on Archive of Our Own that will update every Tuesday called "Coming Up Snake Eyes." Summary: The Naga All for One has long been attempting to transform a human into one of his kind in the centuries that followed the extermination of his race. Every attempt has ended in failure. After so long without success, he was nearly ready to give up hope. Until one day, he finds a magicless little peasant boy named Izuku Midoriya.
Delete the spaces to get the link:
archiveofourown.
org/
works/42469188/
