Chapter One:

Inko Midoriya had called her husband ten times in the last hour, and all ten had gone straight to voicemail. At this point, concern warred with anger.

It was Izuku's ninth birthday, and Hisashi hadn't shown up. On the one hand, her husband was a notoriously unreliable workaholic who'd repeatedly missed family events for various vaguely explained work emergencies. On the other hand, Hisashi had always shown up for Izuku's birthday every year without fail. The one time his business associates had tried to call him away at Izuku's fifth birthday party, he'd threatened murder into his phone with such cool menace that Inko had nearly believed him serious. Then the emergency had mysteriously vanished.

Inko's mood swung back to anxiety. What if something horrible had happened to her husband? He could have gotten in a car accident on his way home or been caught up in a villain attack. She clutched her phone to her chest and tried not to cry.

Then Inko remembered that this year, Hisashi had offered Izuku any gift he wanted, and Izuku had asked his father to take him to a hero convention where All Might would be holding a handshake event. This had been absolutely no surprise to Inko, but somehow her genius husband hadn't seen it coming. He'd spend weeks trying to bribe Izuku to change his mind with increasingly expensive offers. In annoyance, Izuku had started planning a matching father-son All Might cosplay.

Inko had seen the look on her husband's face when he'd laid eyes on the All Might suit in his size and the blond wig. She could absolutely believe that her husband had faked a work emergency in order to get out of his promise, and was now dodging her calls so he could avoid disappointing his son to his teary face.

A low growl emerged from Inko's lips. If Hisashi didn't have a very good explanation for his absence, then he would discover that All Might hath no fury like Inko Midoriya.

Her phone rang. Her husband's number! She immediately answered it. "Hisashi, where are you? Izuku is in his bedroom crying because he thinks you'd never miss his birthday unless something bad happened to you, which had damn well better be true—"

"Ma'am?" The voice belonged to Kurogiri, one of her husband's business associates. She didn't know the shadow-faced man well, but he'd last-minute babysat Izuku a couple times when Hisashi got dragged away on his frequent business emergencies. "I was wondering who was calling so many times. Only a handful of people have the master's personal number."

All Inko's anger dissolved, replaced by icy fear. She gripped the edge of the kitchen counter. "Why are you answering my husband's cell phone?" Her voice rose. "Where is Hisashi?"

"Did no one tell you, ma'am? The master is in critical condition. He might not make it through the night. I'm sure he'd want to see you and Izuku one last time."

"One last time?" Inko repeated, feeling faint. She slid all the way down to the kitchen floor. How could she have been doubting her poor husband when he was seriously injured and fighting for his life? "Please, what hospital is Hisashi at? What happened to him?"

"The doctor is looking after him personally. We're at—" Kurogiri rattled off an address. "And of course very few people could injure the master, but he got unexpectedly dragged into a fight with A—"

"Who are you talking too?" a voice in the background cried. "Give me that phone!"

After the sound of a scuffle, Dr. Tsubasa spoke into the phone. "Kurogiri was trying to tell you that your husband was in an accident caused by collateral damage from a hero-villain fight. And I'm afraid his condition is far too delicate for visitors."

"Izuku and I will be there within the hour," Inko said, then hung up.


Dr. Garaki (also referred to as Tsubasa and many other names over the years) whirled on Kurogiri. His face reddened. He screamed, "Why would you tell her where to find us?"

"But she's the master's wife. Wouldn't he want to see her?" Kurogiri stared in his usual blank way.

Dr. Garaki took deep breaths, reminding himself there was no point in getting in an argument with a Nomu. "That woman is only the master's pawn! She knows nothing about his true greatness."

Inko Midoriya was Nana Shimura's daughter, given up for adoption as a baby, and Dr. Garaki had always assumed the master had married her as part of another subtle revenge scheme against All Might. But All for One paid entirely too much attention to the arrogant bitch and her pathetically weak whelp. Dr. Garaki had started to suspect the master might actually care about them, which made him more jealous than he would ever admit even to himself.

To further worsen the doctor's bad mood, he blamed the obnoxious hero-loving brat for his beloved master's condition. All for One had insisted that he needed to distract All Might from attending some insignificant hero convention, muttering something about his son forcing him into a cosplay. Dr. Garaki had warned him that All Might was getting too close to their operations and they needed to pull out, but the master had refused to listen. This recklessness had led to him finally being cornered and forced into a fight with the Number One Hero.

If it were up to Dr. Garaki, he'd have murdered Izuku for being even indirectly responsible for All for One's injuries. However, the doctor knew better than to ever lay a finger on the master's family without express permission. Then what would he do if their impromptu visit made them suspicious? The master's condition was too delicate for him to be moved! Dr. Garaki groaned and clutched his head.

Kurogiri said, "Then we simply won't tell ma'am and the young master what happened. We can maintain your lie that the master was caught up in a hero-villain fight."

"And how will you explain those?" Dr. Garaki jabbed a finger at a Nomu walking past carrying a blood transfusion bag. "Oh, I've got it, we can dress them up in nurse's scrubs and hygiene caps and no one will ever notice the difference!"

From the hospital room, Dr. Garaki's assistant screamed, "His heart rate is rising rapidly!"

Dr. Garaki ran to his beloved master's side, leaving Kurogiri to his own devices. Unfortunately, the doctor had forgotten that Nomus didn't understand sarcasm.


Inko stared at a black muscular monster wearing a nurse uniform and a white cap. A long tongue darted over razer-sharp teeth. A stench of decay drifted off him—was this a he? Inko's nose wrinkled. She reminded herself that it would be wrong to discriminate against someone with a mutant quirk. Just imagine how difficult it must be for this poor man, living with a quirk that made him look (and smell) like a walking corpse. The part of Inko's brain screaming Zombie! Kill it with fire! was her subconscious quirkism talking and she felt very ashamed of it.

"Excuse me?" Inko gazed up at the giant nurse. "I'm here to visit my husband. His name is Hisashi Midoriya."

"Rrrrrrrng," the nurse groaned, sending spittle flying.

Oh, so he was mentally handicapped. Hisashi was a good person to have given him a job. Inko forced her lips into a smile. "May I talk to your supervisor?"

Behind her, Izuku sniffled and clutched his All Might plushie. Her poor son had been distraught the entire car ride over, blaming himself because his father had gotten in an accident on his way home for his birthday.

Dr. Tsubasa rushed over. "Mrs. Midoriya!" He stepped in front of the nurse as if trying to hide it with his body, except he was too short. "I'm afraid the m—Hisashi is in too grave a condition for visitors. You'll have to leave. I'll let you know when you can visit him."

Inko's eyes narrowed. She'd always disliked the doctor, ever since his callousness when diagnosing her son as quirkless. After that, she'd insisted on switching Izuku to a new primary care physician no matter how close this man was to her husband. She'd often gotten the sense the doctor disliked both her and her son despite his outward politeness. She did not think that she'd imagined how he'd tried to exert ownership of her husband just now. In fact, Inko had long found Dr. Tsubasa's worship of Hisashi extremely creepy. She wouldn't put it past the doctor to deny her access to her husband out of jealousy and pettiness.

Inko drew herself up to her full, short height. "Are you refusing to let me see my husband?"

Dr. Tsubasa's mouth twitched. "Refusing is a very strong word—"

"As Hisashi's wife, I'm permitted to make medical decisions for him while he's incapacitated. I never gave you permission to transfer my husband to your hospital. If you deny me access to him, then I must explore my legal rights to move him to another, more cooperative facility. Should I alert the authorities?" Inko pulled out her cell phone.

Dr. Tsubasa sweated. The nurse's spittle dripped down onto his bald pate. "Mrs. Midoriya, please, don't be hysterical. It's not safe to move your husband."

"Once I see his medical records, then I'll know if you're telling the truth." Inko's smile became even less friendly. "This isn't me being hysterical, this is me negotiating. Do you want to see hysterical? Because I can go to the nearest police station and throw a hysterical fit about my husband being kidnapped."

Dr. Tsubasa blinked first. Growling, he turned on his heel and muttered, "Follow me."

Inko nearly collapsed against the wall. Ever since she'd found out that her husband was in critical condition, she'd longed to cry until she flooded her home. But she couldn't afford to show weakness to the horrible doctor. She also needed to stay strong for her son.

Behind her, Izuku sniffled, then whispered to the nurse, "Psst! Your brain is showing!"

His what was showing? Inko whirled around. But by the time she'd turned, the nurse had adjusted his cap to cover his head.


Izuku had cried so hard that he felt dehydrated. But as he looked down at his father's bandaged face, yet more tears spilled from his eyes.

Hisashi Midoriya lay in a hospital bed. Nearly every single part of him had been wrapped up in bandages like a mummy. IVs stuck out of both arms and a breathing device had been attached to his mouth. They connected to machinery covering the walls from the ceiling to the floor. Stitches showed where Hisashi's arms had been reattached. He lay so still that he seemed dead. There was an unmistakable curve to the bandages in his forehead, showing that part of his head had been ripped off.

Upon seeing her husband's state, Inko had shed enough tears to cover the floor in liquid, then she'd gone off with Dr. Tsubasa to look at medical charts. They'd left Izuku alone with his father. Izuku reached out and took his dad's left hand, the only part of him not covered in bandages. He wanted to offer what meager comfort he could. His poor father must be in unimaginable pain.

Izuku sniffled and clutched his All Might doll closer to his chest. At nine years old, Izuku had grown out of taking Mini Might everywhere with him—but right now, he needed the comfort of the familiar button eyes and yarn hair tufts. "Dad," he gasped out between his sobs. "Dad, please don't die."

Very, very faintly, Hisashi squeezed his son's hand.

It must mean something! Even in a coma, his dad had still heard his voice! Izuku squeezed back.

Something warm slipped under Izuku's skin. He mistook it for joy.

Since Izuku had become convinced that his father recognized his presence, he sat patiently holding his hand for over an hour. Hisashi kept squeezing. Several more warm sparks jolted Izuku's palm. He did not notice.

Left alone in a room silent except for the beeping machines and the sound of his father struggling to breathe, Izuku's grief slowly turned into anger. Why did his poor father have to suffer so much? Who could have done this to him?

Izuku wished he was stronger. If he'd been a hero, then he could have saved his father from ever becoming caught up in a villain attack. When he grew up—no, he refused to wait so long! All Might wouldn't sit around and wait! All Might would go after the villain immediately, before he could hurt more people!

Izuku's resolve solidified. He nestled Mini Might into the crook of his father's arm between the casts. "All Might will protect you while I'm gone, Dad," he whispered.

Then he stood up and marched out of the hospital room, determined to track down the villain who'd maimed his father and bring the monster to justice.


Hisashi Midoriya was in a state of agony. Every single nerve in his body screamed from pain. His eyes were the worst, the delicate sockets a white hot mess. His mind had decayed into a constant wail of Quirks! Quirks! Quirks!

All for One didn't just give him the ability to steal quirks, it gave him a need to steal quirks. Other people had never understood (his brother had definitely refused to understand) that he didn't solely steal quirks for fun or profit—he was addicted to it. Even on days when Hisashi hadn't found a single new quirk he wanted, he would always take a quirk or two from his Nomu, then shove them back before anyone noticed, just to satisfy the hunger itching inside him.

Withdrawal symptoms had started. Every time the doctor entered his room, Hisashi would thrash and try to shout, "Give me a quirk!" But part of this throat had been ripped away, only allowing him to wheeze.

The doctor kept increasing his painkiller medication, but that wasn't what Hisashi needed! His cravings wouldn't be satisfied until he could devour a new quirk. Even with his body on the verge of death, his ability kept striving to feed its hunger. It rose up inside him like a dragon's roar.

Finally, Hisashi felt a warm, small hand slip into his. His lizard brain narrowed down to that one sensation. This quirk appeared to be another version of his own All for One (and if he was in the right mind, he'd know what that meant), so it held no use to him. But he didn't care. He just needed a quirk, please, dear god, a quirk. His palm flashed red. His hand squeezed.

The other person's All for One reared up like an affronted cat and clawed away his thieving attempt. Then the bastard took one of his quirks away from him.

If Hisashi still had lips, he would have screamed. If he could move, he would have ripped free of all the tubes and wires attached to him and murdered this thief. Having his precious quirk hoard violated brought him to new heights of agony. This almost felt as painful as the first moment when All Might had ripped off his face.

His All for One had turned into a beast consumed by hunger, entirely outside his control. Throwing aside all rationality, it tried to steal again.

The other person's All for One was younger and weaker, but it fought back with vicious, feral energy. In Hisashi's injured state, he couldn't overcome the young one. More of his quirks were ripped away from him.

Hunger and pain erased all rational thought. Hisashi didn't know how long he stayed like that, in a state of madness and agony. But finally, the vile thief left with his spoils of war. Hisashi's muscles strained, desperate to rise and chase after him. His All for One screamed of rage and vengeance.

Something soft squished in the crook of his arm. It fell over sideways. Hisashi felt the distinct sensation of All Might's hair tufts touching him.

The heart rate monitor went insane.


Tomura Shigaraki stalked down the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets, muttering to himself. How could Sensei be injured, perhaps even…dying? Unthinkable. Sensei was untouchable and indestructible. He couldn't die. He couldn't.

Everyone had been too busy to even explain to Tomura what had happened. The doctor had said something vague about All for One getting into a fight with All Might. How dare his teacher enact out the dead mentor trope before Tomura was even old enough to play? If only All for One had taken Tomura along to his fight. Then everything would have turned out differently. (Deep down, Tomura knew this wasn't true, but his helplessness only worsened his mood.)

Kurogiri had been so busy that Tomura had been forced to walk to the underground hospital like some kind of no-name NPC. He kicked a rock. It bounced off the curb and struck his own thigh. Hopping, Tomura swore.

A giant man sat outside the hospital with his knees pulled to his chest, sobbing. His spiky brown hair rose above the building roof. His skin looked jagged and rocklike. He wailed, "LORD! LORD! I HAVE FAILED YOU! YOUR LOYAL GIGANTOMACHIA WAS NOT THERE TO DEFEND YOU AT YOUR GREATEST TIME OF NEED! NOW I CAN'T EVEN FIT THROUGH THIS DOOR TO RUSH TO YOUR SIDE! I HAVE BEEN DEFEATED BY A DOOR!"

The tears from the giant's cheeks had flooded the doorway. Tomura shuddered to think of wading through that. Stomping over, he growled, "Get out of my way, and clean up your mess before you go, whoever you are. Gigantomachia, was it?"

Gigantomachia sniffled and scowled down at him. "I DON'T OBEY PUNY INSECTS."

Tomura stomped his foot down. "I'm All for One's successor! The man who gives you orders."

"I'VE NEVER HEARD OF YOU." Gigantomachia's tone implied a great deal.

Tomura desperately wanted to take his foul mood out on someone. "I've never heard of a background character like you either." He yanked the glove off his hand. "The man who adopted me and who I love like a father is dying, and I'm going to make everyone responsible pay for it. Get out of my way, or I'll start with you."

Gigantomachia stood up, and up, and up. Despite his foul temper, it occurred to Tomura that he might have made a mistake.

"Whoa there! Let's deescalate this!" A new voice cried. A young green-haired boy wearing jeans and red sneakers leapt between Tomura and the giant with his arms outstretched. "We're all on the same side here."

"A LITTLE LORD!" Gigantomachia cried reverently. He sank to the ground and sniffed around Izuku. "THIS IS SUCH A BLESSED OCCASION! I'M SO HAPPY!" He started crying again. "HOW COULD LORD KEEP SUCH A SECRET FROM ME? OH, NO! HE MUST NOT TRUST ME BECAUSE I FAILED TO PROPERLY PROTECT THE IDIOT BROTHER! WOE! I WILL MAKE UP FOR MY PAST MISTAKES AND GUARD YOU WITH MY LIFE!"

Tomura had no idea why Gigantomachia was suddenly fawning over a random child encounter who'd spawned out of nowhere, but he could only conclude the giant must be stupid and somewhat mentally unstable. Ugh, at least now he didn't have to fight the buggy minion. (Not that he was relieved, nope, he totally could have taken the giant.)

"What do you want?" Tomura grumbled at the kid, which translated to I'll hear you out because that's as close as I'm capable of coming to saying, "Thank you for saving my skin."

"My name is Izuku Midoriya, and my father is currently fighting for his life in this hospital." Izuku's eyes blazed with an anger that Tomura respected. "He was injured because he was caught up in a hero-villain fight. The same one as your father and this man's employer, I believe?"

Oh, so this boy must be the son of one of Sensei's minions. No one except a villain would be treated in the doctor's illegal experimental facility. Tomura nodded. "That's right." He didn't have the heart to contradict the pretty lies this kid had been fed about what had happened.

Izuku said, "I've been researching the most recent villain incidents, trying to figure out who hurt my father. I've come up curiously emptyhanded. However, All Might recently vanished from the public eye. He canceled his attendance to a hero convention where he would have held a handshake event. I know he wouldn't disappoint his fans without a very good reason. No one has seen him at all, which is unusual, because All Might doesn't take vacations. I'm not even sure if he sleeps. Even on low crime days, he can be found rescuing a cat from a tree or—"

"Get to the point," Tomura growled, tired of listening to praise for All That Was Wrong with Hero Society.

"Sorry, am I mumbling again?" Izuku flushed. "Right. Back to the point. I believe that All Might was injured fighting a villain. It must have been a major incident to even take All Might out of action. Both of our fathers were injured in the crossfire. I want to find the villain responsible and turn over information about him to the authorities in order to avenge my father!"

Tomura snorted. Boy, was this level one player ever off on the wrong track. "Stay out of it, kid. You're in over your head."

Izuku pouted. "I'm not planning on attacking a villain who could defeat All Might. I'm not stupid! I just want to find out the truth about what happened. But a kid wandering around alone would look like a truant. I need an adult with me." He looked over Tomura. "Or at least someone who looks old enough to be plausibly babysitting me."

Tomura bristled at being identified as a teenager, even though it was true. He liked to think of himself as more mature than his years. Even though Kurogiri had laughed a lot when he'd said that. "I don't babysit NPCs!"

"You certainly don't need the money," Izuku said. "Those pants are designer and from the material on your gloves, they must have cost a fortune. That's why I need you. I'll be the brains, Gigantomachia will be the brawn, and you'll be the wallet. What do you say?" With an infectious grin, Izuku held out his hand.

Gigantomachia bellowed, "I WILL OBEY THE LITTLE LORD."

Tomura's stomach sank. Alone, this pint-sized bug in the game could investigate all he wanted and not find anything, but now the crazy giant had decided to tag along, there was a real risk Izuku would get himself into trouble.

If Izuku found out anything related to All for One, then he'd die. His beloved father would probably hand him over for execution personally. All for One's followers were fanatical like that. Tomura had witnessed the doctor turn his own grandson into an experiment just because Sensei had made an offhand comment about little Tsubasa having an interesting quirk.

Normally, Tomura wouldn't have cared what happened to some dumb All Might-loving brat. But Izuku looked sort of like Hana Shimura. (Actually, Izuku looked more like Tomura himself, but it was his sister who Tomura saw in him.) In a rare fit of compassion, Tomura decided that he didn't want the brat to die.

So Tomura took that outstretched hand in his own gloved one. In order to sabotage the investigation and ensure Izuku Midoriya didn't find out anything that would get him killed. "My name is Tomura Shigaraki. Welcome to my party, Player Two."


Author's Note: Here's a Thanksgiving present for my American readers. This is one of my personal favorite AUs, even though it's not actually my AU, Gentrychild came up with it. Thank you for letting me write this cool idea! Delete the spaces to get the link to the original tumblr post about this AU:
gentrychild.
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