Chapter 49: The Healing May Begin

Summary:

The Licensing exams have concluded, what next?

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"It's not going to bite you, Izu-kun," Toru said, messing up the fluffy green curls of his hair.

Izuku still just stared at the envelope Eraserhead handed to him. The envelope given to him by Ms. Joke. The envelope that had his name written out in familiar handwriting.

"If you don't want to read it, ribbit, you don't have to," Tsu said. "Save it for later tonight, put it in a drawer for years, burn it, ribbit… Whatever feels right to you."

Mei grinned, "Oooh, if you want it disposed of, I could-"

"Mei," Melissa said sharply, and the pink haired girl collapsed. "But yeah, you don't owe him anything. You don't need him intruding on your life."

Izuku bit his lip, "Maybe I don't… but I'm curious. And ignoring what he has to say entirely feels like a real dick move…" he said as he took a strand of Blackwhip and used it as a letter opener.

Kyuseishu,

You're going to be reading this after getting your Provisional Hero License. I already know you're going to get it, it's not a question.

I'm writing this because you deserve an apology from me. I'm sorry. I want to apologize for each fucked up thing I did, but this'd be the length of a novel and it wouldn't even be complete, because I've probably forgotten half of the ways I was an asshole. So, I'll just say that I'm sorry for everything.

You didn't deserve any of the shit I did to you. I shouldn't have been a fucking villain to you, and if I could go back and do it again, I would. Or I'd just smack the shit out of my younger self.

It's pretty clear that I had no idea what a Hero even is and you did. U.A. made that clear, given how much the school was driving me up the wall, but I was still in denial. Now it's like I thought grass was red, but once I got to U.A., everyone was telling me it was green all along, and now that I got my wake-up call, I'm beginning to learn I was colorblind.

I'm at the point where I'm wondering if I even want to be a Hero, because even if my own fuckups weren't enough to show me I was wrong, it turns out Endeavor had the same goals I had and he fucked everything up.

Part of me wanted to blame our school, because it turns out they did a lot to fuck with both of us (I had no fucking clue how restrictive Quirk-use regulations were until it got drilled into me here at Ketsubutsu. I should have been expelled and brought into custody years ago). But that was just throwing blame elsewhere. If I'd decided that you were my friend the way you thought I was yours, there's nothing any of those bootlickers would've been able to do to change my mind.

I promise you one thing, once I get out, I'm never going to fuck with you again. You've had to deal with enough of my bullshit for one lifetime and I'll be damned if I ever make shit hard for you. I'll never badmouth you to anyone, or let anyone else do that shit. If I do decide to be a Hero, then you won't ever have to deal with me nipping at your heels like Endeavor did to All Might.

One thing that I think you should know is that, when I was in jail waiting for the trial to happen, some suit from the HPSC came to me. Wanted to recruit me into the same Hero training program they used for Hawks and Lady Nagant. Offered to scrub my record. They'd make you and your girlfriend sign a whole bunch of NDAs if you ever want to get a license. Accidentally tipped off that they made my villain rank higher to try and make me say yes. I told them to take a hike to hell, but watch yourself.

Tell your girlfriend that I'm sorry for that whole fight. And that she impressed the hell out of me, for whatever that's worth.

Sincerely,

Kacchan

P.S. - I didn't know what to call you. I lost any possible right to use your given name, using your surname feels surreal, and I'm sure as fuck not calling you what I used to call you. So, I'm using your Hero name. It's the least I can do after all the times I told you you couldn't be a Hero. I'd better see that name at the top of the charts. If I'm going to live with the stigma of being a Villain my whole life, I'd better be the first Villain the future Number One Hero fought against.

Izuku read through the letter once, then twice, then a third time, before he stared into the middle distance processing it. Momo reached for it, and Izuku nodded. She began to read it out loud for the others, but sputtered, blushing, at the first swear word. Toru took over.

At the end of the reading, Tsu and Melissa were hugging him. It made sense, they were the members of the group most extensively bullied besides him.

"Are you okay, ribbit?" Tsu asked first.

"I am," Izuku said. "I… Well, I have something to say and it's kind of cruel…"

"Go for it," The grin Ochako gave him was rather feral.

"I'm glad he's doing better, but I also… kind of don't feel that strongly about it?" Izuku said, looking down. "I feel like I should. This is a huge breakthrough for him. I wanted to hear this from him for ten years. There was a time when getting an apology from Bakugou would have been the most important thing to me… and now? I'm just thinking, 'Oh, good for him.'"

Yui shrugged, "I mean, I haven't kept in touch with anyone from my middle school."

"Me neither," Toru said.

"I talk to my friend Habuko-chan often enough, ribbit," Tsu said, putting a finger to her cheek in thought. "But aside from her, no."

"It's kinda nuts," Ochako said. "I mean, U.A.'s been such a roller coaster that it's hard to believe it hasn't even been a year since we started."

"Additionally, well, you've grown beyond him," Momo said, as she went into lecture mode. "For the longest time, he was a constant in your life. You were unable to escape his presence and his attention, while negative, was often the only social interaction among people our age that you had at all. While in such a scenario, an apology like this would have a great impact on your life. Now, thanks to your support system and his incarceration, his opinion of you and the actions he takes are far less consequential to your well-being."

Everyone blinked as they absorbed the detail.

Izuku then smiled warmly. Momo's chipper attitude and matter-of-fact tone when describing something like this always made him feel better. Even when she was stating something he did wrong, she did so with minimal judgment.

"So, I think we can file this under 'good news' and leave it at that," Ochako said. "Now, come on, the rest of the class is celebrating! We should join in!"

Everyone cheered at that. Izuku placed the letter on his desk. He was suddenly struck by something. All those years, Bakugou would badmouth people, calling them extras, or bugs to squash, or pebbles on the side of the road for him to ignore. Bakugou was certain that he was going to do great things, and that he would leave everyone, Izuku in particular, behind and forget about them.

"Huh," Izuku muttered. "The universe has a sense of irony."

"Hey, Kendo-san," Itsuka turned to see Denki approaching her.

"Hey, Kaminari-kun!" Itsuka said. "What's up?"

Denki looked a little unsure of himself, scratching the back of his head, "Well, I… You're Jiro-san's best friend, right?"

Itsuka nodded. She wouldn't have guessed that would be the case at the beginning of the year, but the two of them gravitated towards each other. Mostly because both of them had shared an interest in Momo (which wasn't a surprise, anyone who found women attractive, even slightly, would be interested in Momo. So would many people who weren't). But they got along surprisingly well.

It helped that, to quote Kyoka, Itsuka's interests in martial arts and motorcycling were "metal as fuck."

Denki inhaled as he asked, "Did I do something to upset her? Because she's been acting off since before the Finals and I wanted to make sure I didn't make her mad or anything."

Itsuka blinked, "Oh! Well, she's not mad at you, I can tell you that much…"

Denki pumped a fist, "All right, glad to hear it! I… wait, that means there's something else to it, doesn't it?"

Damnit. The electric boy had his moments of insight. "I don't want to tell you anything she might want to keep secret," Itsuka said.

"Well, I wouldn't want you to, either," Denki replied. "But if there's something you can tell me that's not betraying her trust, that'd be great…"

Itsuka brought a hand to her chin, "Can I ask why?"

Grinning, Denki asked, "Well… Now that we have our licenses and can more easily leave campus… I was hoping I could ask her out." He blushed lightly at that.

Itsuka kept a poker face. She thought Denki was a great guy. He was cute, he was surprisingly charming, and while he sometimes acted out of line, he'd learned. It only took a few enlarged chops or finger flicks for any inappropriate comments to disappear (Back in middle school, there were a few obnoxious guys who would constantly talk shit, and she'd had to resort to corporal punishment constantly. She'd be infuriated if that continued at U.A.).

All in all, Denki was a fantastic guy for Kyoka.

So why did her heart just plummet into her guts?

And, before she could respond, she heard a coughing sound from the other side of the room. Kyoka had swallowed something wrong and was trying to breathe correctly.

The two of them rushed over, and asked, "Are you all right?" nearly in unison.

Kyoka let out a thumbs up as she finished coughing, "I'm fine. Something just went down the wrong pipe." She was still red in the face.

Giving Denki a smile she hoped reached her eyes, Itsuka said, "The two of you should talk. I'll see you around-"

She was cut off as one of Kyoka's earphone jacks wrapped around her wrist, the other around Denki's. "Actually… I should talk to you both," she said

Itsuka and Denki looked at Kyoka, then at each other. Itsuka said, "Sure, maybe we should take it to a conference room?"

Technically, the dorms had no conference rooms, but several unclaimed dorm rooms had been unofficially used for that sort of studying purpose when they needed to work in groups.

Of course, Nezu seemed to realize the issues present and chose to replace those rooms' solid doors with those that had glass windows and no locks. And visible cameras.

The three of them entered one such room on the second floor, which had a few beanbag chairs and a low table. Kyoka was looking down and her jacks were tapping together due to nerves.

"Is everything okay, Jiro-chan?" Itsuka asked.

Kyoka nodded, "Okay, gotta just channel Tsu-chan and cut the bullshit. Kaminari-kun, remember the first Hero lesson after the Internships? The day Nejire-chan became our T.A.?"

"Absolutely, I think I still have a mark from when she blasted me," Denki said.

"Well, that day, I overheard what you said in the locker room to the guys," Kyoka said.

Denki scratched his head, "What was that? I mean, it was a while back, and I don't remember exactly what I-" Denki stopped as his brain caught up to him. "Oh, oh, that…"

Both of them were bright red, as Kyoka said, "Yeah. I didn't mean to… I overhear a lot of things I shouldn't. I try to ignore it, but sometimes it happens…"

As Denki sputtered, she continued, "And both Ashido and Tokage were needling me about it, and they wouldn't let go, so I… did what I did during the Sports Festival and broadcast it through my speakers…" Her voice was low as she said that.

"Ah," Denki said, a little dumbfounded by the circumstances.

"Yeah, I outed Tokoyami and Koda's interest, as well as the enormous vortex that is Green's relationship," Kyoka said. "And then, after that, you asked if you had a learning disability, and then you got your diagnoses…"

"Wait, were you feeling guilty about that?" Denki asked. At Kyoka's nod, he said, "That's great! Wait, no, shit, sorry, it's not great that you feel guilty! You don't need to at all. I'm just glad I didn't do something to make you mad at me!"

"Don't need to…" Kyoka looked confused, "Kaminari-kun, I was dismissing you over a disability that you can't help! I was being a total bitch!"

Denki blinked, "But you weren't? I mean, it's just me!"

Itsuka frowned, "That's not right, Kaminari-kun, you shouldn't be that flippant about it."

"No, I mean… gah, how do I say this?" Denki ran his hands through his hair in thought. "Okay, like, Jiro-san, you snark a lot but you're not doing it to be mean, and you're not doing it to other people about things that really hurt them. Like, I know I'm not the sharpest knife in the Caesar, but that's not a big deal to me?

"And our whole thing is like a tennis game where we lob comments back and forth. And while I don't think it's a big deal, it's really cool how you stopped the second you thought you crossed a line," Denki added. "Am I making sense?"

Kyoka nodded, red as a cooked lobster, "Okay, yeah. All right. But tell me if I'm going too far… but there's more… Kendo-chan?"

Itsuka turned in surprise, "Yes?" She had been wondering why Kyoka had brought her there. She felt like a third wheel.

Kyoka buried her face in her hands, "Okay, time to channel Tsu-chan and lose the fucks I still have to give. I… like you. I like the two of you."

There was a pause as the words landed. Itsuka in particular realized that was the reason her heart sank earlier, and why now it was soaring.

Finally, Denki said, "Awesomesauce!"

Kyoka snorted in laughter.

"Wait, didn't you tell me you weren't into that?" Itsuka asked, confused. "When I asked you about maybe trying to date Yaomomo while she's dating Midoriya?"

"Well, that's different, that's a whole huge thing," Kyoka explained. "There were six people involved at the time, and I heard that there were going to be nine total by the end of it. Not to mention the shenanigans involving Green's Quirk. I wasn't into that specifically…"

Itsuka looked off, remembering that conversation, "Oh… Well, that's…" she began to blush.

Kyoka looked at Denki and Itsuka, "Are you all right with this?"

"Abso-total-lutely!" Denki had a huge grin on his face. "But, how do we want this to work? Cause I've dated a bunch of people before, but it can get messy and we don't have Decade Force to smooth over the rough stuff…"

Itsuka managed to gain her composure, "Well, Kaminari-kun, you're my friend, and a nice guy, but I have to admit that I haven't been thinking of you in that way. I'm not saying that I wouldn't…"

Denki nodded, "Ah, so you're bi as well?" As Itsuka nodded, Denki shrugged, "Me too. Pretty sure everyone in class is, at least a little bit…" he trailed off before shaking his head, "Anyway! So we're both dating Jiro-chan but not each other. Sounds good to me!"

"I… yes, I'd like that," Itsuka agreed.

Kyoka was blushing up a storm, but she had a wobbly smile on her face, "I can't believe you're taking this so well."

Denki looked at Itsuka, "Kendo-san, I think someone needs a hug!"

Itsuka smiled widely, "Kaminari-kun, that's a brilliant idea!"

Kyoka yelped in surprise as the two of them embraced her.

"Once again, I appreciate you doing this, Midoriya-kun!" Tenya stated as they entered the Iida residence the next day. While the house was nowhere near the size of the Yaoyorozu estate, it was still much larger than any other house Izuku had ever seen in person.

"I'm just sorry that it took this long," Izuku replied.

"Well, we weren't letting you out without that License," Eraserhead said from behind them. "Frankly, you're lucky we're letting you out at all, given that I'm certain Danger Sense comes with Danger Attraction."

"If the testing hadn't been so thorough, I'd agree," All Might said, next to him.

Upon entering, a housekeeper with white hair and moth antennae appeared, and bowed, "Ah, Tenya-san, it's good to see you! And with guests! A pleasure to meet you all. Your parents are out at the moment, unfortunately."

"It's good to see you as well, Rinko-san!" Tenya said, giving a bow, eliciting a giggle from the housekeeper. "We're actually here to see-"

He was cut off by the sound of engines rushing forward, as Tensei Iida sped into the hallway on his wheelchair. The engine's on the older man's arms petered out as he braked his wheelchair at high speeds.

"Ha! Still got it!" Tensei said with a flourish.

The housekeeper sighed, "Tensei-san, please tell me you didn't leave skidmarks on the floor again…"

"I've been getting better, Rinko-san!" Tensei grinned.

"That wasn't a no…" Rinko said as she grumbled, going off to check the damage.

Turning his attention to the newcomers, "Hey, Tenya! How's dorm life treating you?"

"I'm doing well, Nii-san," Tenya said.

"Nice meeting you again, Midoriya-kun!" Tensei said, which Izuku tried to suppress a squeal of glee at the recognition. "Shouta! It's been way too long!"

"Not long enough," Eraserhead said insincerely.

"And All Might! I'm honored you decided to show up!" Tensei said, showing a small fraction of his younger brother's propriety.

"No need for the pageantry, young Ingenium," All Might said. "I'm only here as one of the chaperones for this trip. I have mostly retired."

Tensei's smile became more forced, "Well, I understand that feeling. Besides, I'm not Ingenium anymore…" he looked at Tenya proudly.

"I still haven't lived up to your legacy, Nii-san!" Tenya said.

"Native told me otherwise," Tensei said, his grin becoming more sincere.

"Actually, Iida-san," Izuku interrupted. "We're here because I'm able to help you. You'll be able to become a Hero again!"

Tensei blinked, "What?! How?!"

Eraserhead went up to him, "Tensei, we know you're trustworthy, but you're going to have to sign a bunch of NDAs for this…"

From a room over, the housekeeper said, "Make sure you do this in the office! The hallway isn't soundproof!"

"Thank you for the courtesy, Rinko-san!" Tenya said, leading the group their way.

As they made their way, Tensei said, deadly serious, "This has to do with Kamino, doesn't it?"

"Indeed," All Might said.

Once they reached the house's office, and Tenya shut the door, they turned to Tensei. Tensei said, "Don't tell me more than I need to know."

Eraserhead turned to the two students, "Well, this looks like a decent lesson in opsec, don't you think?"

All Might stroked his chin, "I believe it does."

Looking at each other and feeling a bit more anxious, Izuku shook himself and said, "I recently learned how to use the energy stored by Decade Force to destroy and recreate matter. I can use it to heal people. I can tell what's wrong with a person, then break them down and restore a person's body to perfect health. I can even use it to improve them!"

Tensei looked flabbergasted, before he grinned, looking at Eraserhead, who nodded. "That's amazing!" Tensei said, before looking at Tenya, "So, what was he leaving out?"

Tenya chopped his hand, "I can't believe you would slander Midoriya-kun in such a manner!"

"That wasn't a denial," Tensei said.

"Midoriya-kun has earned my trust!" Tenya stated. "If he has hidden aspects of his Quirk from us, I trust that he has a good reason to do so!"

"Hey, I just want to make sure this is on the up-and-up," Tensei said. "Cause this sounds amazing, but a little too good to be true. I'd rather not end up selling my soul to the devil."

Izuku flinched. This did sound a lot like a gang offering a favor in exchange for something. "Well, I am being taught by Nezu personally, so the argument could be made that I'm in the employ of a devil…"

"This is sounding shadier by the minute," Tensei said with a grin.

"Look, I'm doing this because I want to, okay?" Izuku said. "No strings attached. This technically counts as training the extent of what my Quirk can heal. Besides, Tenya-kun is my best guy friend, and you certainly deserve this after all of the people you've saved over the years!"

Tensei laughed and held up his hands, "All right, all right. You can keep whatever secrets there might be."

"You gave up too easily," Eraserhead grouched.

"Screw it, I was promised a way out of this wheelchair, I'm taking it!" Tensei said. "I mean, it's not terrible, but having the option to walk again is more than I could have hoped for!"

Izuku put a finger to his chin, "You know, Mei-chan would be able to make a wheelchair that could withstand Hero work if you wanted…"

As Tenya froze in fear, Tensei laughed, "I'll leave that to Road Rash." Izuku nodded at the reference to a paraplegic Heroine with a technology-based Quirk. "By the way, if you ever meet her, don't make the same offer. She's big on showing that her disability isn't enough to keep her from being a Hero. Unfortunately, my arm movements were impaired enough that Hero work's outside of my current capabilities."

"Well, then, if I have your permission…" Izuku said. When Tensei nodded, Izuku placed his hand on the older Iida's wrist. Diagnosis made it so easy. A brief flicker and Overhaul had done its job.

"Wow, that tingles. I…" Tensei looked down, and he was shocked. "I can feel my toes again… Oh gods…" He rose up from his wheelchair, in disbelief. "It's like it never happened… Oh wow…" He started laughing, tears streaming down his face.

Soon, he embraced Izuku, muttering his thanks. Tenya joined in, which caused Izuku to begin crying as well. All Might, too, wiped away tears from his eyes. Aizawa didn't weep, but he seemed to be smiling beneath his capture weapon.

As they regained their composure, Tenya bowed to his elder brother, "Nii-san! With this, I will return the mantle of Ingenium to you."

"Nah," Tensei said, shaking his head as he wiped his eyes. "You've earned it. However, Dad's not exactly using the name Celerity anymore, is he?"

Tenya looked shocked, "I… I suppose he isn't, no."

"I'd take Idaten, but I don't feel comfortable taking up Grandpa's name," Tensei shook his head.

Tenya looked pale, "From what I've been told on my internship, if you did, Gran Torino would test you."

All Might also looked stricken, shivering involuntarily. Tensei's eyes widened at the identical reactions of both his little brother and the Symbol of Peace. "Is it that bad?"

"I only sparred with him once for an afternoon," Izuku said. "Trust me, you're not prepared. I don't think anyone is."

Tensei nodded, "Guess I avoided that pothole, then."

"Good, glad that's taken care of," All Might said, holding out his hand and trying to quell his fearful tremors. He was mostly successful. "Welcome back from retirement, young Celerity."

"You sure you can't join me?" Tensei asked All Might.

"No, the world needs to learn how to live without me," All Might said. "It's better that it happens now, while I'm still present." And no longer clinging to life by a hair, he thought to himself (though not quietly enough to prevent his predecessors from snickering).

"It was a pleasure to see you again, Iida-san," Izuku bowed.

"After doing this for me, you can call me Tensei," Tensei said, smiling. "I look forward to your Hero career, Kyuseishu."

Izuku blinked back more tears as All Might went to him, "Well, this is where we part ways. Young Aizawa, you and young Iida can catch up. We will see you back at U.A."

"Where are you guys heading?" Tensei asked.

Izuku frowned, "I have… another patient to try and fix."

Tartarus Prison wasn't for the faint of heart.

Few people were ever granted access to the high-security prison. Allegations of abuse and human rights violations abounded. There were almost no instances where a high-school student would have been allowed to visit.

Being escorted by the Symbol of Peace helped.

"You don't have to do this," All Might said telepathically.

Izuku shook his head, "I should try. At the very least, I should see if it's even possible…"

The ten-armed guard escorting them, Briareos, said, "This class of prisoner is quite docile. They don't speak, don't move, don't eat… we're going to be transferring them to a research facility to try and figure out how to possibly restore them… but, if you can do so, we'll have a much easier time."

"We'll see how it goes. Thanks again for the opportunity," All Might said out loud.

"We're just glad you're not trying to speak with Mr. Potato Head," the other guard, Gyges, said, shrugging two of his six arms.

"Yoichi has that covered," Daigoro said.

"He won't be visible, will he?" All Might asked.

"No, only the dickhead will get to see and hear him," Ryouji said gleefully.

"He'll be busy," Hikage said. "He said something about cramming a fortnight's worth of dancing into this session."

Any further discussion was tempered as they encountered a new figure. They were in a holding cell. It wore only pants, as it didn't care about clothing and Tartarus apparently didn't wish to spend money creating a shirt that accommodated the prisoner's two batlike wings. Two wings that were now useless thanks to the fact that their patagiums were torn.

Izuku looked at the thin, lanky creature, its sallow yellow skin, the gas mask surgically fused to its face, the hollow eyes and the exposed brain. The winged Nomu from the USJ stood before him. Izuku had knocked it unconscious, but it had survived their encounter.

Izuku tried to reconcile this creature with the memories of the chubby boy he remembered from his earlier days. Tsubasa had moved away suddenly, along with his entire family, before being declared missing, then presumed dead. It didn't seem like the two were the same…

Except the wings were the exact same shape. And worse, Search pointed out a scar on the Nomu's arm, an incredibly old scar, that appeared to be a burn in the shape of a child's hand.

Izuku was almost sick. He was there when Bakugou gave Tsubasa that scar.

Quirk Understanding gave him a brief list of the Quirks contained within that body. Batlike Wings. Birdlike Talons. Gas Mask, apparently that was a mutant Quirk that filtered its breath and made it survive with minimal oxygen. Weight Reduction, which made flight easier. Vice Grip, which made it difficult to escape those talons. Rough Landing, which specifically shielded it from impacts with the ground from a great height.

Diagnosis, however, even in its less potent form without touch, was able to show Izuku exactly how wrong this thing was.

There was no brain activity. Despite the lungs filling with air and the heart pumping blood, Izuku knew that the thing before him was a walking corpse.

"Izuku," All Might gripped the boy's shoulder. "Do you need to stop?"

"He's dead," Izuku said. "His brain is dead. The doctor killed him. His own grandfather killed him and turned his corpse into… into this…"

All Might embraced the boy. Briareos and Gyges looked at each other, then at Izuku. "We don't have to continue. That much alone…"

Izuku shook his head, "No, I… I don't know what I'm capable of doing. I… I need to try and save him."

Briareos opened a small hatch in the cell's wall. Izuku walked towards it and let out a strand of Blackwhip. It shot forward through the hole and wrapped around the Nomu's wrist. Chisaki was unable to affect Blackwhip when he used Overhaul, but from within Izuku himself, Overhaul saw it as an extension of his hands.

Touching it made Diagnosis worse. The Nomu was wrong, completely wrong, there was so much wrong with it, it shouldn't have even been upright… But Izuku tried his damndest to find some spark of life, to try and revive him. If there was any hope, any at all…

Overhaul had improved thanks to its time in One for All. It was quicker and more painless. But this… this required more effort to accomplish. The Nomu exploded like a melon struck with a sledgehammer, but just before it could have painted the cell in viscera, it reverted back into a solid form.

Now, it looked more like a person. Its wings were healed. Its skull was restored, covering the brain with its bald head. The eyes were now darting around, and its breathing was far less even as it took in its surroundings. It looked to each of the people in the room, before its gaze settled on Izuku.

"De… ku…" the Nomu… Tsubasa… croaked out in a voice that seemed so much younger than the body before them.

"H-hey, Tsubasa," Izuku said. Whatever he felt about that old name, he was happy that this had succeeded.

"De…ku…" Tsubasa lurched forward, "Kill…"

The two guards immediately drew multiple weapons. Izuku said, "He can't hurt us, his Quirks are melee-only…"

"Kill… Me…" Tsubasa croaked out.

Izuku's heart sank.

"Hurts…" Tsubasa said, tears forming in his eyes. "All… Hurts… Jii… Chan… Hurt… Me… Kept… Hurt… Ing… Me… Please… Stop… Hurt…"

"No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" Izuku said.

Tsubasa nodded, "De… Ku… Try… Be… He… Ro…" he shook his head. "Can't… Fix…"

All Might flexed into his muscular form, "I can't believe that bastard of a doctor would do that to his own grandson."

Tsubasa strained as he recognized the form, "All… Might…" He seemed to become motivated, "All… Quirks… Grand… Chil… Dren…"

Izuku blinked, "Wait, you mean that Tsubasa-sensei used all of his grandchildren's Quirks to make you."

"One… Batch…" Tsubasa said. "Done… Be… Fore… New… Names… Jii… Chan… Not… Tsu… Ba… Sa…"

"He said that he abandoned that identity," Izuku remembered. "And All for One called him 'Garaki'."

"Kyu… Dai… Ga… Ra… Ki…" Tsubasa said. "Real… Name… Old… As… Quirks…" he winced, in greater pain. "Made… Me… Hurt… At… Hos… Pi… Tal…"

Izuku nodded, "Kyudai Garaki. He's as old as All for One, then. He also has a longevity Quirk. And he's making Nomus at a hospital."

Tsubasa nodded, "All… Know… Now… Please… Stop… Hurt… De… Ku… Please… Stop… Jii… Chan… Please… Kill… Me…"

"I… I…" Izuku broke down in tears.

"Please…" Tsubasa began to cry as well. All Might embraced Izuku, as the guards looked unsure of what to do.

Finally, Izuku let out a yell and Overhaul activated once more. This time, Tsubasa merely flickered, and in his place was the winged Nomu, as it was before they arrived at the cell.

Well, its wings were still healed. Part of Izuku marveled at the absurdity of how he turned Tsubasa back into this horrendous thing, but still left the wings intact. The rest of him, of course, was sobbing.

He was barely cognizant of being led into a waiting area by All Might. When he finally calmed down enough, he noticed that Briareos was there.

"As a Provisional Hero working alongside three fully licensed Pro Heroes, you used your Quirk admirably," the many-handed guard said. "You attempted to heal the prisoner, and restored him to his prior state when it became clear the treatment was hurting him. If you hadn't done that, my brother and I would have told the prisoner to stand down. If he failed to comply, we would have opened fire…"

The implication was clear. If Izuku hadn't done it, they would have.

"Let's go home," All Might said.

"Okay, dad…" Izuku managed to say.

As they left, Gyges whispered to Briareos, "Wait, 'Dad'?"

"Huh. Do you think the rumors that Kamino was just some prolonged custody battle had any merit?" Briareos asked.

The next few days were filled with his friends providing him with distractions, sessions with Hound Dog to better cope, and a whole lot of cuddling.