29/03/2022

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The Emperor's Dragon
Fledgling 59

"My Little Dragon," All For One greeted his son as Kurogiri let Izuku through.

"Dad!" Izuku said. He was getting older but hadn't moved to calling him Father and All For One wasn't sure if he wanted that. Maybe in formal situations.

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to see you lately."

"You've been busy," Izuku said for him and while Sensei couldn't actually see, he could imagine the shrug his son gave to dismiss the matter.

"I have been," he agreed. "But I will always have time for you." As best as he could, he gave Izuku a smile. "Besides, I have to find out if you have decided to return your friend's chocolates," he teased, already suppressing the anger he felt at All Might. He knew there would be subtleties of Izuku's response he couldn't see, such as the blush he was fairly confident was staining his son's freckles.

"Of course I will!" Izuku said but All For One could hear that he was attempting to be nonchalant about it. "Ochaco is my friend."

He chuckled slightly. "Of course she is," he agreed, leaving at that, knowing that Izuku would know that his friendship with the girl was on a time limit. She still didn't see the truth of the world and Izuku was going to have to choose…

He hated that word. For Izuku to truly help him, to stand with him, he could not afford to have a friend who didn't see the world as it was. He could afford her as an acquaintance, an informant but never as a friend. But he was not going to force that choice. Izuku would have to make it for himself.

The same as Izuku would have to choose to be a villa- All For One suppressed that thought before it finished. He already knew where it went. Instead, he cocked his head slightly towards Izuku. "Is there something you want to discuss, my Little Dragon?" he asked.

He saw his son nod gravely and gestured for Izuku to take a seat near him. Izuku moved quickly and while All For One couldn't see the movement properly he could tell enough to know it was smooth. His son's training with Gigantomachia made him confident. When he was settled, Sensei heard Izuku sigh and mentally braced himself. It would be a difficult question.

"Why do people hate our quirk?" The question was asked softly and All For One knew his son was serious about the answer. He'd almost have preferred a question about sex and girls. Those at least, were relatively easily answered.

"What do you mean?" He asked, equally gently, probing for more information.

Izuku sighed again. "When I was young, you never let me tell anyone my real quirk. I didn't know why at first, but as I got older, I could tell that it was to protect me. If I told anyone my real quirk, they'd hate me, even worse than they hated Himiko or Hitoshi or even the other quirkless students. So why do people hate our quirk that much?"

Sensei could tell his son was close to tears but he could also hear the note of urgency in Izuku's question. He desperately needed an answer for his question. "Not everyone hates our quirk," he comforted his son.

"Most people do," Izuku retorted.

"Yes, most people do," he confirmed. There was no point in lying about that. "But not everyone does, do they?"

"Saisho didn't," Izuku replied.

"And some people don't even care about what quirk we have, do they?" He pressed.

"Giran doesn't," Izuku agreed. "But… Most people hate it, even if they don't know about it."

"So why do most people matter?" All For One asked pointedly. He did not need Izuku to be guided by the masses. "Or rather, why do their opinions matter?" he corrected.

Most people didn't matter but Izuku had yet to learn that. He would. When he took his first true steps into villainy, he would very quickly come to that conclusion because on one level he already knew it. He'd seen it in the way his peers treated people.

"They don't," his son replied quickly. "It's just-" he paused. "I was thinking what my friends would feel if I told them about Dragon's Hoard. That's when I realised most people hate our quirk."

"What conclusions did you reach about your friends?"

"Hitoshi probably wouldn't care. He'd understand why I hadn't advertised my real quirk. Himiko would be a little hurt that I hadn't told her but I think she'd get it, especially if I said that being quirkless was better than showing my real quirk. She'd probably want to know why I didn't just say I had another quirk but … if I said that, then I'd have to admit I'd taken a quirk from someone else."

It was interesting that his son mentioned a girl he hadn't been in contact with for the last four years over the girl he had been speaking with earlier today at school. "And Ochaco?" he probed.

At the question Izuku sighed heavily. "I don't know," he admitted. "I think she'd want to trust me, to believe that Dragon's Hoard was a good quirk but…"

"A good quirk?" All For One questioned, a little more sharply than he intended. He thought he'd gone over this with his son. Quirks were neither good or bad. They were either useful or not, and in that, most quirks were useful in the right situation.

Public perception labelled quirks good and bad. Heroic, pleb or villainous.

"I don't mean it like that!" Izuku said immediately. "It's just-" he trailed off again.

"She doesn't quite see the truth of the world?" All For One suggested for his son.

Izuku didn't reply but he saw the nod.

They sat in silence for a few moments. "She may not see it until something happens to her," he suggested to Izuku.

"But, what about what happened to you?" Izuku was faintly outraged.

"It's just not personal enough," he replied easily. "She knows it happened," he explained. "And she knows it affected you a lot but it's not personal enough for her. It is not that she doesn't care, it's just that the weight of her perception of the world is against you."

Izuku huffed at that but didn't argue. He already knew it was true. "I know," he confirmed. "And one day I will probably have to make a choice with her," he added.

"One day," All For One agreed, managing to sound slightly sad on his son's behalf. "But, my Little Dragon, this is why I advised you to hide what your quirk is."

"I just didn't think I'd have to hide it from my friends."

"Ah," he nodded slightly. "It won't be forever, if they are your real friends," he reassured his son. "And for those who aren't… they don't really deserve to have you as a friend. And enemies… they definitely don't need to know what your quirk is," he added with a chuckle.

"I know," Izuku said seriously. "If I have to show it, I should touch them so that they think it's like yours."

He nodded again. "Indeed. That will give you a huge advantage. But the very fact that you can take a quirk will have people not liking you. People don't, after all, like that their quirk can be taken."

"But if I don't take their quirk, they will still hate me if they know what my quirk is."

"Is that not the same situation your friend Hitoshi found himself in?" All For One asked pointedly. He knew his son had already thought about this and they had just discussed it.

Izuku laughed and somehow seemed relieved. "It is," he agreed before he sighed.

All For One cocked his head slightly but his son wasn't forthcoming so they sat in silence for a while. The sigh told him that Izuku had more questions and really… their earlier conversation were things his son already knew. He listened to Izuku breathe. The sound was surprisingly calming but then Izuku sighed again and he knew his son had made a decision.

"Why did you fight All Might?"

The question wasn't one he was expecting but then Izuku was good at that.

"What do you mean, my Little Dragon?"

"I know you wanted Uncle's quirk back but that day, why did you fight All Might?" Izuku put a bit more padding on his question.

In response he sighed heavily, going against the respirator. "I thought I could win," All For One admitted to his son. "I thought I could get my brother's quirk back then, but… you know, my Little Dragon, I shouldn't have thought about that. I should have thought about you," he said.

"About me?"

"About if the heroes were going to try to find you," he elaborated. He hadn't thought about it at the time. He'd been sure that Izuku was still hidden. He knew better now and it was only from Sir Nighteye's… it wasn't a blessing, rather it was the hero's shortsightedness that Izuku hadn't been taken.

He heard Izuku gulp. "Kurogiri said the Heroes were looking for me," his son whispered.

"They were," he confirmed. This was a good opportunity to tell Izuku about the case being built against All Might by his mother. He'd need to know about it if it became public, and he was so hoping that it became public. "And the mission was meant to go ahead while you were at school, as All Might attacked me but there was a delay."

He heard Izuku shift in his chair and knew his son was uncomfortable at the thought.

"Izuku," All For One said softly. "If they had gotten you, I would have gotten you back. Do not doubt that. Kurogiri, Gigantomachia, someone would have come to get you quickly. Even with me being injured, they would have known to get you."

"But-" The word was confused.

"Hmm?" He prompted.

"That would have taken time from Kurogiri finding healers."

"They would have come to get you," All For One repeated. "But it did not happen," he continued.

"How would they have found me?" Izuku asked.

At that All For One chuckled. "Why don't you ask Gigantomachia next time you see him?" He countered with his own question. Usually the huge man was a silent shadow to their talks but today he was out on a mission. That was common enough so Izuku didn't question his absence and would see him tomorrow for his regular training.

"Now, back to your question," Sensei continued. "I thought I could win, and I know what else you will ask, why didn't I use a quirk on him?"

He saw his Little Dragon nod.

"While All Might is personally quirkless, the quirk he has been gifted with is very strong. As you know it holds the combined power of the users for the last century. It has grown strong. Stronger than I believed. I do not usually match strength for strength, not when there are alternatives, but the sheer strength of One For All means there are not many alternatives.

"And All Might, being the Number One Hero, actually has the best support gear," he added.

"All Might doesn't use support gear," Izuku objected.

"Yes, he does," Sensei retorted serenely. "He just doesn't make it obvious," he explained.

"What equipment does he use?"

"His jumpsuit is a support item," All For One replied immediately.

"His jumpsuit?" Izuku seemed intrigued.

"State of the art, carbotanium weave," he told his son.

"Carbotanium?"

"It's a combination of carbon weave and titanium. Very strong, while still being flexible," he explained.

"Oh."

His Little Dragon was so expressive. "His boots are similar, and, well any time he uses something, it is state of the art. I did not have those advantages," All For One explained. He couldn't see properly but he thought his son took on a thoughtful expression.

"How hard is such equipment to get?" He asked.

"Very difficult. That's why I had to have the Doctor design and build my mask," All For One explained. "Giran gets some equipment but it is only the equipment that goes to mid-level heroes. The top level heroes have equipment designed and made for them personally."

Izuku nodded. "That is something that needs to be changed," he mused. "Maybe the companies still need to be limited to maintain quality and standards, but the user base could be much larger."

That was a particularly astute observation. His lessons to Izuku about business were paying off. "It is one of many things that would benefit everyone and another way that the hero system limits everyone. Though, it must be said that not everyone could afford carbon-titanium suits. There are other things that would be of great assistance."

Again, Izuku nodded and then he sighed heavily.

"There's something else?" Sensei asked.

"Nothing important," Izuku said.

"My Little Dragon, if you are curious about it then it is important," he encouraged his son to ask.

Izuku looked up at him and while he couldn't see he could tell that his son was thinking about his question. "We were doing literature at school," he said softly. "There was a quote in a… French book, I think."

At the word French, All For One knew exactly which quote his son was talking about. "All For One and One For All," he quoted for his son, suppressing the sigh he felt at saying it. Ever since the name of his quirk had settled on All For One, and Yoichi's combined as One For All, those in the know would ask. Even if someone didn't know about One For All, he got asked about the name of his quirk, usually by a rival he was taking out. People tended to think of villains as being uneducated but that wasn't the case. Some were well educated. "What did you wish to know?"

"Is that where the name of your quirk came from?"

Sensei thought back… "My quirk hasn't always been called All For One," he explained. "The very first name it had was Take and Give, and for a very long time I never bothered naming it. After all, why would I need to name something that is a part of me?" He asked. "I think I've told you, naming quirks is a modern affectation. It's only because they are registered now that they are required to be named. My current registered quirk is Fire Breath," he added with a smile. "I think I will change it to Rivet Spike when I change my name."

He saw the way Izuku cocked his head.

"The heroes found me through you but also because I had kept my public name for too long," All For One told his son. "When you live a long time, while your name will always be your name, you can't use the same public one forever. People notice."

"Oh," Izuku said. "What will be your new name, Dad?"

"Sakerarenai, though I have not settled on a surname yet."

"It's kind of long," his son honed in on the one problem he had with the name.

Sensei sighed. "It is. Do you have a better suggestion?" He was curious to see if his son picked up on the meaning.

Izuku gave out a puff of air that almost sounded like a snort but wasn't quite. All For One almost laughed. His son understood. "Hitsuyou?"

"I would like to avoid a name starting with a 'hi' for a while," he indicated.

From the way Izuku nodded, All For One knew his son was ruling out Hisshi and Hitsuzen as well.

"Yamuwoenai?" Even Izuku didn't sound happy with that suggestion. "No, not that," he said a moment later. "Fukahi?" he suggested.

That actually had possibilities. "Shigaraki Fukahi," All For One sounded out the name.

"You will use your real surname?" Izuku asked, sounding a bit surprised.

"No," he shook his head. "But I like the name to flow with it," he explained before spearing Izuku with a sightless gaze. "Have you ever wished to use Shigaraki?" he asked pointedly.

He was pleased when his son didn't immediately give him a glib answer. Instead, he could sense that Izuku was thinking about it.

"No," Izuku said slowly. "I mean I am a Shigaraki but I'm also your son, and I don't need to be called that. It would almost be as if I was nothing more than a copy," he explained.

At that, All For One did laugh. His son was more right than he knew. Tomura would be a copy of him by being him. But Izuku didn't need to know about that plan yet and he did not believe his son would actually understand that.

"What's so funny?" Izuku demanded.

He shook his head. "Something you will understand when you are older, my Little Dragon," All For One said, controlling his mirth. "So how about Fukahi Desuwa for my new name?" He continued with the suggestion to distract Izuku.

It was his son's turn to laugh. It was a somewhat childish name but if it made Izuku laugh then he would use it. After all, what was in a name?

"I will make the arrangements for my lawyers to have Hisashi Riji's assets transferred to Fukahi Desuwa then," All For One announced.

"Won't that leave a trail?" Izuku asked curiously.

"Not one that can be followed. I have done this before, my Little Dragon," he added the reassurance.

He heard Izuku breathe out in relief. "I don't want them to hurt you again," he whispered.

"They won't," he said firmly. "And in a few years, I will be ready to face them again," he added. "Because I will have you by my side."

He couldn't really see Izuku's smile but he knew it was there. All For One nodded in response and said nothing more.

Izuku would choose to be with him. He knew it.

It was inevitable.

-ted-

So Izuku asks a question he probably wanted to ask years back but wasn't prepared to hear the answer. He is now ready.

And some truths about All Might are revealed. Though I rather suspect AFO is fibbing a little and his suit is a bit more durable than mere fabric.

But with this chapter All Might better watch out. Izuku is even more out to get him.

My discord is on this code: ZX2R5h2cEm FFN will remove links but you should be able to figure that out.

-ted-

Loved it? Hated it? Found a spelling mistake? Let me know please!