A/N: Yoichi spends some time speaking with Izuku more in this chapter.

The air was crisp and only a little warmer than the air outside as Izuku stepped back into the abandoned building, huffing and sweating under his sweatshirt. Another successful jog around the city, memorizing landmarks and pinpointing areas of interest.

He counted himself lucky he didn't run into the League this time; even though he was supposed to make nice with Tomura, he didn't expect the others to be so readily willing to call a ceasefire. Especially not Dabi. Something about him rubbed him the wrong way and it, ironically, sent a chill down his spine.

As soon as he pulled off his running shoes and put on slippers, he made his way down the sparse hall into the kitchen, where he stopped short at the doorway.

There, standing by the industrial, steel stove, was Hisashi in one of his mother's favorite aprons, over a skillet of bacon and eggs.

He seemed to hear him over the steady hissing and sizzling of the food, and he beamed a smile at the teenager. "Good morning, Izuku. I'm making us some breakfast while your mother goes shopping."

Those crimson eyes were crinkled in a way that appeared to be truly happy, yet somewhere in his chest he didn't buy it. He didn't know where the intense feeling of hatred came from, but all of a sudden he found it hard to look the tall man in the eyes as he turned and walked away, ignoring the concerned call of his name.

All he could hear was Yoichi's tearful retelling of the night he received his Quirk, and a blinding hot rage clouded his brain at the sorrow that had emanated off of him in waves. Words were difficult enough already when he attempted to describe how he felt about suddenly having his father back in his life, but the revelations from his predecessor somehow made that even more challenging.

Monster, his mind finally supplied in a hiss as he trudged up the stairs and hooked a right to his temporary room. The door swung open and he numbly headed inside, not even bothering to shut it as he flopped onto his bedding. My own father is an irredeemable monster.

"I see…" Yoichi heaved an exhausted sigh as he led Izuku through the monotonous path. "It's likely he doesn't know you've met me. He likely doesn't realize I'm still alive."

"Why is it just me who has to bear this burden? Why couldn't All Might ever speak to you?" He questioned, gripping the vestige's hand tight.

First hummed in thought for a moment, eyes narrowed. "Well… none of us have ever truly been able to figure it out. If I had to make a guess, I'd say it happened when Seventh died."

"Shimura Nana…" Izuku murmured.

"They were very close, as she likes to mention." A mirthful smile spread across his thin, pale face. "He must have been devastated when she died."

The boy paused, looking up at him. "Do you think his grief severed the connection?"

"Perhaps," he admitted. "Then again, that's if I had to guess. Second believes it must have had something to do with how he viewed the Quirk. He didn't have as… youthful of an outlook as you do, for example. He viewed it as more of a responsibility than a gift. There are many instances that I could only capture a glimpse of his thoughts and feelings while using One For All, while with you, the Quirk is almost always active. We are always able to hear you."

"I see…" he hummed, grasping his chin with his free hand. Eyes narrowed, he began to mutter to himself.

Yoichi spared him a glance, but then had to do a double-take. The boy resembled Hisashi so much it almost aroused the latent fear that always seemed to reside in his heart. From the narrowed gaze to his unruly hair to the way he grasped his chin and murmured to himself, everything he saw screamed of his brother - and he wasn't sure what to think.

Blinking, he shook his head and turned back around to face the path ahead. They were growing near to the vault, he was sure of it. They'd made a lot of progress since they first met only a few days ago, and he knew the other users would be eager to meet him soon.

"Izuku," he called softly, breaking the teenager out of his rambling. "Do you believe you're ready to meet the others?"

He had to think about that for a minute. Was he? He had gotten so comfortable with First that it seemed almost unthinkable to disturb that peace with others, but he knew that sooner or later, he would have to speak to them too. It was a small solace that Nana would be among them, but the idea of meeting five other strangers made his stomach churn with anxiety.

Yoichi watched this all, and he pondered to himself.

"I… I think so," Izuku carefully answered, looking up to the man for a reaction. "They aren't… they don't think badly of me, do they?"

"They won't," he promised, squeezing his hand. "They will be wary of you, but none of them hate you - in fact, I think you would be pleased to know that Nana has been anticipating your arrival."

A smile spread across his face at that, tiny but genuine, at the thought of meeting his teacher's mentor. "Yagi-san always talks about her… I've always wondered what she's like."

"She's spirited," Yoichi recalled. "She's got a determination that I haven't felt with most of the others. She's… very kind."

"She sounds so."

"I think," he added, giving the younger a chuckle, "that she reminds me of your mother, actually."

"Ehhh..." His eyes widened a fraction. "That's exactly what Yagi-san said!"

"I believe she'll approve of you." The smile he got made his own turn bittersweet.

"Isn't it ironic…" Izuku sighed.

"Had it been anyone else, I - and the others - would have willed the Quirk to pass on," First reassured, grasping his shoulder. "One For All is safest with you, Izuku - whether you realize it now or not. I'm glad that Toshinori chose you."

"But…" he began to ask, but the entire world around them seemed to begin to fade away, and the voice of a man rang through it - one that made Yoichi freeze.

"Izuku, son, it's time to eat."

Izuku immediately turned to Yoichi, whose face was shadowed by his eyes. His hand was trembling, and his grip on his shoulder was tight.

"Go," he uttered quietly. "Hurry. I'm... I'll be fine."

He wanted to argue, but the look in the older man's eyes made him nod his head in agreement. As soon as Yoichi's grip lessened, he stepped away… and off of the path into the blank whiteness.

The entirety of One For All's inner world faded away into black, and as he blinked back to awareness, he looked up to see Hisashi squatting down before him, hand on his other shoulder.

He instinctively jerked away, eyes wide from the surprise.

"Whoa, calm down, it's just me," he attempted to soothe. "Dinner's ready, son."

He couldn't seem to calm the racing of his heart even after he somehow convinced him to leave the room, something that he felt was resonating within One For All.

A/N: Poor Yoichi. I just can't give him a break.

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