Unknown Time and Place
Alive. His very being jerks into existence with a sharp gasp. Twitching fingers clawing at the ground under them, nails pushing through grass and soil. His face twisted while desperately trying to put pieces into place.
Where was he?
When was he?
He coughs, spittle ungracefully clinging to his lower lip while slowly opening his eyes. Bright sunlight causes him to wince, the blue of the sky and the green of the land are almost overwhelming. He takes a slower breath now, shakily pulling himself to his knees. He was still dressed in his pressed suit, dark jacket, and white linen hanging from his large frame. Thin white strands of hair stick to his forehead, tickling his eyebrow. He raises a hand, slowly pushing the strands away before a certain observation causes him to pause.
His palms, while stained in emerald from the grass, carry no marks. The recognizable black circles were gone, washed away as if there were no more than splotches of ink.
All for One nods at the sight, rolling around thoughts in his head before he reaches the most logical conclusion he can generate, "I'm in my mind."
No one is around to respond, but verbalizing the thought brings a certain calm over him. He was back in control, no longer lost, vulnerable to the unknowns that were weighing on him like an anvil. With that one certainty, he flexes his hand and drops both arms to his sides.
He had been in his mind before. Often when sleeping, souls from those that he had locked away within his quirk pulled him away from his reality. Working to drag him to a hell of his creation, a fragmented graveyard made by those that he had taken so much from. They would curse him, cry and wail for peace, demanding that he finally put them to rest.
It all terrified him at first, he was still young when he found the first quirk that would fight back. Yoichi was still around at that point, having been freed from the 'care center' Shigaraki had so kindly built for his frail brother. It was a man who spoke to him first. He had found the person bleeding out on the sidewalk, a casualty from the chaos the world fell into during the first generation of quirks.
"Y-You're him aren't you? The one who can give and take?"
"And what if I was?"
"T-Then take it, take my quirk. M-maybe someone can get to use it, maybe it can mean something to someone else."
"What if someone were to use your quirk for evil? To hurt and kill the innocent? Would you still be happy that they're using your quirk to the fullest?"
"Good and bad, does it matter? D-don't make the mistake that I'm doing this for some noble purpose, I o-only seek meaning, I only seek validation."
"Validation of what?"
"My existence. I-If someone uses my quirk in the future, for any purpose, doesn't that prove that I was real? T-That I mattered?"
Shigaraki frowns slightly, recalling the exchange. At that time he was only just beginning to understand the way the world worked, the way people were.
The man's quirk ended up being a mutation, allowing the user to extend their fingers by little more than an inch. It had no real strengths or weaknesses like most first-generation quirks. He had honestly forgotten about it for many years, turning it on subconsciously when he had a need. It should have been the end of the story.
One night though, he 'woke' to screaming, a man's voice ringing through his ears, his pitch cracking and a feeling of such full despair behind the sound even All for One couldn't suppress a shudder.
"KILL ME. END ME. KILL ME. TOSS ME AWAY. I DON'T WANT IT, I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE ANYMORE."
Shigaraki opened his eyes and found himself in a desolate world, so frigid he could feel his very bones rattling. The area was dark, almost as if a heavy smoke hung in the air. In front of him, a hazy image begins to manifest, more smoke swirling around before he makes out the shape of a figure underneath.
After a few more moments, the swirl pulls away and he's face to face with the man he found on that sidewalk all those years ago. Blank white eyes stare back at him, tears rushing continuously down his face with his mouth contorted to almost look like this subject in the 'The Scream' art piece. It was an undoubtedly haunting sight.
"GIVE IT AWAY. LET ME LEAVE. LET ME REST. LET ME DIE."
At the time, it was hard for All for One to wrap his head around the horror in front of him. "Y-You're still here? What is this, where are we?"
"THIS IS YOU. THIS IS WHERE WE ARE. END US. KILL US."
The man screeched in a way that made his teeth rattle.
"This… this is my quirk? Are you what was left of the man that I found?"
"END IT. KILL IT. THERE'S NOTHING HERE. WE JUST ARE."
"I-I didn't realize that the soul of one could live in another, are all here? Every quirk-"
He gets cut off as the black mist picks up, swirling at a rate that makes him feel like he's trapped in a tornado. To his left, he sees a pale hand, thin skin stretching over bone reach out and grab his forearm. Shigaraki shrugs in an attempt to loosen its grip when two more hands reach out, grabbing both of his ankles. He stumbles forward, as even more limbs grip and tear away at his body. He fights and screams but all noise is drowned up as he's swallowed but those that he had taken from. Their chanting echoed in his head, shattering whatever peace was still present at that point.
"KILL US. LET US GO. LET US REST. LET US BE."
He chokes and gags but no words come out. He feels his limbs and joints pop and crack as the hands work to pull him apart atom by atom.
Unimaginable pain bubbles to the surface as Shigaraki thrashes once more, failing to pull away from those that he had damned to his own hell.
"THIS IS YOUR FAULT. YOU DID THIS TO US. WE'LL ALWAYS BE HERE UNTIL-"
And then at that time, All for One truly woke up. A sheen of sweat soaks his skin as he gags and coughs up the bile that floods his mouth. The man then stumbled to his nearby bathroom, clammy hands clumsily splashing ice water on his face from the sink.
Crimson eyes flicker up at the mirror, his skin pale and his hair wild.
"A hell like that in my soul?" He asks no one but himself.
Turning the water off, laughter suddenly bubbles to the surface at the thought and the man doubles over. Clutching his sides while his eyes begin to water, he hollers at the world that he lives in. The world he killed his brother in. The world that allows for the souls of his past to remind him of who he is. Who he will always be.
"I must truly be a demon after all, hmm Yoichi?"
Shigaraki blinks again, now back in the present. After all those years, all those memories, it's shocking to see the world that he stands in as his mindscape. He can hear no screaming for his death, ghoulish faces begging for their end. It's all quiet. It's all peaceful.
Still in the meadow he woke up in, the man began to walk. There is no path, no direction, but he knows if he walks for long enough he'll find the answers that he's looking for. After some time, he finds himself on a cliffside, overlooking a stunning manor built next to a lake. The estate looked more like a castle from a fairy tale than one he would find in Japan. Brick and tile exterior with light wood paneling found in specific sections. Wide windows at the front overlooking a lawn and garden, all trimmed with immaculate detail.
It takes longer than he'd like to admit before he figures out how to climb down the cliff. By the end, he arrives at the door in a haggard state, his jacket long gone with his white sleeves rolled up revealing calloused hands. As it is his own mind, he opts to open the large oak door without knocking. Oiled hinges allow for the piece to swing without much effort, revealing a grand interior. An obsidian flooring serves as a stark contrast to the marble walls. His steps echo loudly as he walks further into the room, large paintings catching his eyes, none that he could recognize. In front of him is a large staircase that bends up to a second floor, fit with a terrace that overlooks where he stands. To his right and left are matching hallways. After little deliberating, he takes the hallway to the left which he figures lead shim closer to the lake that he saw originally from the cliff.
Shigaraki takes his time wandering through the manor. He chooses to absorb all that he can, all the intricate details down to the vase that's used for the flowers that grow on the windowsill. He pauses for a moment, standing by one of the windows, and looks out to a large lake that does end up being to the left of the property. Light bounces off the surface as the water gently shifts from side to side. A deep blue serves a delicate contrast to the white sand that circles the outside. The whole scene makes him pause, emotions that are hardly recognizable swirling in his stomach.
Why was it all so pure now?
Where did the souls go that damned my name?
Is this all still me?
"I'm sure you must have questions, so why don't you come down and join me for a drink?"
All for One chokes on his spit, coughing loudly while he looks over the edge of the window to find a patio directly underneath him. At the patio sits a woman, dressed in a pale gown, matching her almost translucent skin color. Wild violet hair falls to her lower back, obscuring her face from his line of sight. Long fingers slowly twirl a spoon in the teacup that sits beside her.
After descending the stairs he found next to him, Shigaraki apprehensively approached the woman who made no sign of acknowledgment, rather continuing her gaze out the lake that sat in front of her.
Memories then fall back into place as he recognizes the sharp violet eyes that closely match the coloring of her hair. He knows who this is.
She has high cheekbones that framed her narrow face. Thin lips gently twist upward as he finally sits down across from her.
"I've been waiting quite some time for you to arrive."
All for One looks back down to his hands, still covered in dirt from his climb down the cliffside.
"You've changed things here."
Her eyes finally flick to his form. She studies him for a moment with a blank face.
"Would you prefer I turn it back to how it was before?"
"I'd prefer you to give me an explanation, Revelations."
She looks away, fingers wrapping it around her cup and bringing it slowly to her lips.
"I suppose you could say that I was stronger than the souls that were here. That my will overpowered theirs and created what you see now."
"And how come my soul didn't interfere?"
She places the cup back down, "Are you sure you would have interfered?"
He pursed his lips hiding the frown that almost appeared.
"Don't pretend to know me."
She snorts lightly, "Oh but I do know you, All for One. I know you better than anyone. I've watched you live more lives than you can count. I'd argue that I might even know you, the real you, better than yourself."
His shoulders go stiff at the words, poker face failing to hide the ice in his eyes, "Then tell me something. Who do you think I am? Why do you think I'm here?"
She pauses for a moment, musing his words, "You're a man who has grown tired at winning his own game. You came here because you were bored, simple as that."
He laughs at her words, white teeth reflecting the light. "Is it all that simple to you? There was no other reason for me coming here? For taking the quirk from the girl?"
She takes a second to look at him, really look at him. The violet eyes swimming with knowledge lock him to his chair. Eyes that had seen too much. Eyes that knew too much.
He slowly turns away, a sudden vulnerability creeping in that he did his best to reject.
She looks back to the lake, "No, that's the only reason."
His breath returns to normal at the words. They both know she's lying.
All for One chooses to move on.
"I assume one of the lives I've lived is the reason that I'm here now? Did you see something that you liked?"
She smiles at his words. "You're correct, but I think it might be best to start with some background information. I'm not sure how much Anya was truly able to speak to what I am and what I can do."
All for One nods slowly, "She made it seem like you're prophetic."
"That might be the easiest way to label my abilities, but I'd argue it's not entirely accurate. As you might know, even though most do not awaken their quirk until the age of four or five, the quirk factor still exists in their body from birth. So I've been around since Anya was born, drifting in a brain that was unable to comprehend my existence."
Shigaraki drums his fingers on the table, "Sentient quirks don't exist though, do they? You must have originally been just a piece of the girl, most likely a copy that existed in her mind."
Revelations shrugs lightly, "It's possible. And then after seeing all that I have, I became the being that sits in front of you now."
"And what is it that you can see, Revelation? What's this gift that we now share?"
Her eyes seem to fade slightly, "I'm not sure gift is the word that I'd use. From the time of Anya's birth, I've had an infinite amount of versions of her life play through my mind. I never had control in the matter, no way to turn it off when it first started."
Shigaraki's eyes widened, "You were forced to watch all possible lives of the girl play out before your eyes? Did you have any say in her action? Any access to her thoughts?"
Revy shook her head, "All I could do was watch, and to your point, I did think that the only life I could see was hers at first - but I was wrong. Every so often, Anya would become a hero. Usually prompted by a change when she was little, seeing something that sparked the desire to help others. For most lives, nothing was significantly different. She went to her local hero school and then became a low ranking professional."
Her eyes shift back to him, her lips twitching upward, "But then in one of those lives she ran into you."
All for One failed to hide his excitement at the story, grinning slightly to himself.
"I took her quirk, didn't I?"
Revelation nods, matching his full grin with her own. "Yes, it was quite literally a shock of a lifetime to me when that happened. After the encounter and theft, I suddenly watched your life play out after watching millions of iterations of Anya's life. The change was practically euphoric."
"How do we know what quirk Anya had during the lives you watched? Do we know exactly what I took?"
"No, I still don't know what quirk she had in her life since I had no access to her thoughts, just merely watching through her eyes."
Shigaraki lightly scratches his jaw, mulling her words, "So it was most likely a mental quirk then if you never saw anything? Maybe something similar to her parents?"
Revy's head rises, "Yes that was my best guess as well. Her father does have a minor prophetic quirk himself, so maybe she could predict things that were to happen a moment in advance? In her life as a hero, she was never much of a fighter so it was always difficult to get any clues."
All for One sighs, "Oh well, we'll operate under the assumption it was some minor prophetic ability for now. But back to the story, what happened after I took the quirk from the girl?"
"I followed your life. And when you died, things went back to normal and I went back to Anya, watching another life of hers from her birth. But the craziest thing then began happening after that first swap; you would appear more and more, finding her and taking it as if you thought it belonged to you. It almost became common after a while."
"Do you think your will had any impact on her behavior? That because you wanted to see something else, Anya began to subconsciously seek me out?"
The woman pulls a hand through her long hair, "I don't know for sure. But with you having the quirk more and more, my views changed. And after two more or so years in real-time, I finally saw the life that I had to have for my own."
Shigaraki narrows his eyes, "But it wasn't my life that you wanted, was it? Since the girl said I'm not the main character in this story…"
"Yes, I wouldn't go as far as to call you the main character but you will be instrumental in ensuring that the pieces are in place." She pauses for a moment before the figurative lightbulb goes off above her head, "The opening act if you will."
"Why this particular future? Why after all of the lives you've seen have you chosen this as the one we have to make a reality?"
Her eyes grow clouded, fogged by the memories she was currently reliving, "It was the life that woke me up, the one that finally awakened the quirk for Anya. After 5 years of watching timelines, I was finally free. I finally could make my own life."
"Even so, you hijacked the girl's life, did you not?"
She chuckles, "Harsh words coming from a supervillain. I'm sure Anya will be fine without the quirk. And if not… Well, it was a necessary sacrifice to ensure things go as planned."
"So your goal is to then make this real timeline like the one you saw? To ensure it ends the way you'd like?"
Revelations hums, "That's more or less correct."
All for One's eyes narrow slightly, "You know that things can't go exactly as you plan, yes? As the lives you watched informed you, there are too many outside factors that could throw things in an entirely new direction. And also, your own will was never seen in these lives, so the very fact that you're pulling the strings now could spell disaster for the world you want to see."
"But that's the fun of it, don't you see? A future like this is like reading a book for the first time, like choosing your own adventure! I know the major beats we need to hit to give us a chance, so why not make it happen?"
All for One smiles slightly, "I'm not foolish enough to agree to the plans of a witch for no reason. You keep talking about this life and how it led to the girl's awakening but why does it matter? Why should I pursue it? What's in it for me?"
In an instant her hand shoots across the table, fingers wrapping around his wrist. Her eyes pulse slightly as he feels himself yanked back into the darkness. He doesn't even get a chance to pull away before scenes play in front of him.
He can't hold back the gasp, the man gritting his teeth to stop the stinging in his eyes.
What was he seeing?
What was he feeling?
In an instant, it's gone, and Revy lets go. Shigaraki collapses off the chair, wheezing with shaky hands cupping his eyes. Even with his fingers pressed against his eyelids, he fails to stop them from watering.
Revy gets up slowly, long legs carrying her to the other side of the table where he lays, "I know what you are and what you want. You're not the man you think you are, All for One. You've been playing a role for so long, you've mistaken it for your own identity. A demon? You can't be serious; you're just human."
The man struggles to steady his breath, eyes blinking frantically.
"T-that'll happen in your future? The future that we'll work towards?"
The woman bends down slightly, hand extended toward him with her palm facing up.
"How could I get you to help if there wasn't something in it for yourself? If you play your role, you'll be able to live through what you just saw."
His hand, while still shaking, grabs onto hers. Two beings came together that had the power to decide the fate of the world that they would live in. The world they would act in. At that moment a partnership was formed.
A bond was set.
All for One slowly rises, his hand still locked in Revelation's. He looks down at her, now matching her smile with his own.
"So when do we start?"
~Revelations~
Present Day
"Who are you?"
It was a difficult question. A name alone wouldn't work and he needed the kid to lower his guard. Even if he broke into his apartment and sat down on his couch with his feet kicked on the coffee table, he didn't have any ill will toward him. If anything, it was the opposite.
The son of his very sensei stood only a few free away, he had a wiry frame and soaked green hair that covered much of his face. The suit he wore was large, swallowing up his shoulders and giving the appearance of a blanket that had been draped over his torso. An ultimately unthreatening figure, but Tomura knew better than to make assumptions based on looks alone. His eyes drift further and land on the boy's right hand, which twitched slightly in a black glove.
"Shigaraki Tomura. I knew your father for a while before he went and got himself killed."
The kid's face is blank at the words, no telling whatsoever about how he feels about the statement. He doesn't look much like his All for One. From the pictures he could see, Midoriya bared a much stronger resemblance to his mother. The one who cared for him for most of his life with his father being out of the picture.
The one that was now dead.
Kurogiri had given him the details while on their journey over to the apartment. Midoriya Izuku was a soon-to-be seventeen-year-old senior at the public high school in Nagoya, top of his academic class with a quirk that allows him to manipulate objects on an atomic level.
The son of the greatest villain Japan had ever seen.
Tomura knew that their merry gang of misfits still needed more members if they were to ever truly accomplish anything in what was left of Japan at this point. Sure they could stir a little hell while getting people to see some underlying problems of the society they live in but what was the point? It was like completing a game level without trying any of the side objectives. Sensei left no instructions, no rules, no hints for the mission he was currently on.
Just an address and a time.
Why now?
Did All for One want him to recruit Izuku? To ensure that the son followed in the footsteps of his father? Fight by his side as they take on anyone that stands in their way? Why not have him meet Izuku either earlier or later in life? Maybe things would have been different, maybe if they had met before the beast kaiju incident something could have changed and his mother wouldn't have been killed that day.
Kurogiri's words echo again in his mind.
"The man can see things that you are unable to, Tomura. Trust him and the path that has been set forward."
"My dad? You knew him?"
Izuku's words bring him back to the present. Shigaraki nods slowly.
"He found me when I was eleven. I lived with him until the day he died."
Tomura notices a slight flinch on his face. A slight slip on the mask he was trying so desperately to maintain.
Midoriya struggles to stop the frown from breaking across his face, "So he was just around raising some other kid? That's what my dad was up to when it was just me and her?" The last word comes out more as a whisper.
Tomura hadn't put much thought into it originally but thinking back on everything the situation did seem rather odd. Why had All for One raised him when he had his own family? Why did the Midoriya's live in a tiny apartment when he knew that sensei had an almost infinite amount of funds through his various business ventures? There were no signs of divorce, so what happened?
Maybe it was to protect the family from his way of life and the enemies he had?
Shigaraki eventually sighs, frustrated with his inability to answer any of the questions.
"I guess. He never mentioned a family when I lived with him."
The teens' shoulders stiffen, "So we were just afterthoughts to him?"
"I don't know, but I don't think I'd be here right now if he didn't care about you at all."
"And why are you here?"
"Your father left me a note telling me to be here. I'm guessing he wanted us to meet."
Izuku shakes his head slightly, "You say that like it a perfectly normal thing. He's been dead for four years and he left you a note to meet me at this specific time and place?"
Tomura shrugs, "Things like that are normal for him. His skill set was so OP I stopped being surprised by the things he did a while back. Easier to just accept that he's different from me and you."
"Yeah, I guess I wouldn't know since I never knew him." The venom in the words is eerily similar to a tone he's heard All for One use before when berating henchmen for not doing what they were supposed to.
Tomura frowns at the words, "Again, I'm sorry that you didn't know the guy but how is this on me? Yelling now won't bring him back."
Izuku takes a step closer, the fear he previously had now being replaced with bubbling anger.
"Yes, sorry for raising my tone at the stranger who's sitting on my couch, shoes kicked up on my table. I'm sorry that I lived for all these years with a mom who could barely afford a job just so you could get to live a happy family life with my fucking DAD!"
Shigaraki's hands twitch and he feels his neck begin to burn. "Happy family life? What a joke. Do you think that just because I got to live with your father that I lucked out? Got to live the life that I wanted? You're treading on some thin ice there, Midoriya."
The boy takes a step closer.
"Oh sorry for that, but how the hell would I know since I have no idea who you are! What's the point of this, huh? You just listen to what my dad tells you to do even from beyond the grave?"
Shigaraki snaps back, "I'm not a goddamn errand boy. I came here out of respect for your dad and since I know you're in a tough spot-"
"Tough spot?!" Izuku snarls, "My mom is dead, my dad is dead, I have no family, I have nothing but this empty apartment and this ice I can feel in my chest! Are you trying to be the good guy here? To comfort the kid of your teacher? I never asked for you to be here so please get the hell out!"
Tomura gets up slowly, hands up in a mockingly placating manner. "Fine. I'll go. I'll tell 'Giri I tried and that you were too much of a brat to listen to what I had to say." He then suddenly turns, his index finger jabbing into Midoriya's chest, "And if you want to give up on what your father outlined for you to be my guest. I don't need a player two and can figure this shit out on my own."
Midoriya swipes at the finger, knocking the hand away, "Get your hand off of me and get the hell out. Keep talking in your stupid riddles for all I care just leave me out of your shit."
Tomura looks down at the hands that were knocked away, the black glove covering half of his fingers. He could feel the anger boiling in his stomach, mixed with the embarrassment at how poor their meeting had gone to this point. Kurogiri had given him all the key points, he had been so confident he ended up brushing off the caretaker, saying he'd be fine on his own. And now the kid was kicking him out before he even had a chance to say a word.
Did Midoriya think he was the only one to ever experience loss? Didn't he realize Tomura wasn't his enemy? And he just swatted him away like his hand. It was pathetic.
Underneath the freshly applied bandaging, he could feel his skin burn once more, the itch coming in waves he couldn't suppress.
He couldn't hold it back.
"So you'll just stay in this empty apartment, pity party of one, Midoriya? Do you think that's what he would have wanted for you? Or what about what Inko wo-"
The hand came up quick, fingers curled into a fist, his form sloppy overall. Tomura leaned back and watched it pass without connecting before grabbing the wrist and using the kids' momentum to throw him into the kitchen area. Izuku collided with the counter, a sharp gasp at the wind being knocked from his chest before turning and lunging again at Tomura.
"Keep her name out of your fuc-" Shigaraki ducked this time, then drove his elbow into Midoriya's gut before pushing him away. But this time, Izuku stood his ground. With his foot now wedged into the carpeting for support, he locked Tomura in with his lead arm and then drove the opposite hand into the side of Shigaraki's head in an open face slap. As soon as the hit landed the burning pain Tomura felt let him know that the kid must have been holding something sharp, blood already beginning to drip down his neck.
The older boy hissed and shoved Izuku off of him, his right hand quickly prodding the side of his face that was hit. He frowned at the crimson he saw that now dressed exterior.
He glances back to Midoriya who had tripped over a leg from the kitchen table and had fallen on his back. His eyes land on the shiny object in the hand that had hit him, bronze metal twisted into tiny prongs that had then been dug into his ear and cheek.
It took him another moment to realize that the hand that was holding the object was bare, a black glove no longer covering all five of his fingers.
Did he turn his watch into a weapon?
Izuku finally pulled himself to his feet, eyes still wide before jumping at Tomura again. Shigaraki blinks back some of the blood he can feel dribble into his eye before abruptly driving his fist into the teen's face. A dull crack let him know that Izuku's nose was crushed by his knuckles.
Midoriya lets out a curse, eyes blinking rapidly to try to stop the watering that was occurring in his eyes. Shigaraki gave him no time to recover, then shoving him down again, his gloved hand not letting go of his soggy white collar.
"You can't fucking fight. What the hell did you think would happen?"
He yanks the teen closer, his closed fist-shaking slightly. "What's your plan, huh Midoryia? Are you just going to lie down forever and let this world take what it wants from you?"
The greenette's only answer was spitting in Shigaraki's face.
Tomura's eye twitches and he slowly raises the hand that doesn't hold Midoriya to scratch his neck in the area that was still covered in his blood.
"Fucking brat, I swear to god if you weren't Sensei's kid I'd -"
"Kill me?" Izuku murmurs wearily, his eyes watching the hand that Tomura continues to use to lacerate his own neck, "Is that what you do Shigaraki? Do you like to kill innocent people?"
"H-Huh?" Crimson eyes continue to try to blink the blood out, his breath becoming more ragged.
"You're a bad guy, aren't you?"
He flinches slightly at the words.
"I-I'm.."
And then it all begins to grow hazy again.
He can hear their screams in the yard. The smell of blood is thick in his nose. Is it from himself or those memories that continue to loop from his mind?
His stomach swirls at the thought and his shaky hand can't seem to relieve that burning itch he feels under his skin. There was no end to it. There was no-
"Tomura!"
Shigaraki drops Izuku and then stumbles away, falling to his knees. He recognizes the voice.
"G-Giri, I-I don't know…"
The butler was back, now standing in the middle of the room, glancing back and forth between both boys who were both covered in bruising and blood. All for One's son looks to him, nursing a very broken nose, with a glint of recognition.
"What the hell happened here? I leave you two alone for ten minutes and this is how-"
His master's son interrupts, voice weary, "Y-You were in my memory. I remember seeing you at that compound when he spoke with me."
Kurogiri's face remains expressionless as he slowly drifts toward Tomura who seems in a worse state than Midoriya, "You remember that? I thought he wiped your memory from that day."
"I-It came back to me when he died. That's when my quirk came in."
Kurogiri nods slowly and then crouches down next to Shigaraki who stares at his hands. Both gloves were now stained in scarlet, either from his own wounds or from breaking Midoriya's nose.
"Tomura what happened?"
"I-I…" the older boy swallows before shoving his hands back into his pockets, "I got carried away. Might have pushed the kid too far."
"You were just trying to push me?!" Midoriya asks incredulously.
Shigaraki shrugs, breath finally steadying, "I was pissed off. You weren't giving me time to speak and when I did I kept messing up my dialogue choices…" he exhales again, "...I kept saying the wrong shit."
"Why do you keep saying stuff like that?"
"Like what?"
Kurogiri sighs, slowly getting back up after judging Tomura was back in the present, "It's just a part of his personality, Izuku. Now how about we both get you out of here, I can make some dinner at the bar while you both clean up and we can all have a fresh start."
Izuku frowns at the words, "When did I ever say I changed my mind? Why should I come with you?"
Shigaraki slowly pulls himself to his feet, swaying slightly and grabbing the wall for stability. His cerulean hair stuck to most of his face, either through the sweat or blood that clung to his skin.
"Because you don't have any food here."
"Huh? How would you even-"
"I checked. You were taking longer than I expected to get back and I skipped lunch for this."
Midoriya scoffs, white shirt now stained in crimson from the blood that continues to slowly funnel out of his nose, "I'm not following you guys because I don't have food. I'm not leaving here for a stupid reason like that."
Shigaraki looks at him for a long moment and then slowly sits back on the couch the Izuku had found him on originally, "Why not?"
Izuku grits his teeth, "Because this is my life! You think I'd join you, a stranger because you think my dad would want this! I don't trust either of you and-"
"And I don't trust you." Shigaraki jumps back in, one hand trying to push some of the clotted hair that hangs over his eyes out of the way, "And I know I'm not finishing at the top of my class like you are but I'm pretty sure Kurogiri invited you over for a meal and a shower. That's it. I could've done a better job at being clear from the start, but I also don't know you Midoriya. We just want to talk, nothing else."
Midoriya swallows, "Just talk? Just eat dinner and talk, that's it?"
Kurogiri nods, "We owe it to the man that brought us together to at least make an effort to get to know each other. We know you're grieving Izuku, it'll be an easy dinner. That's all it has to be."
Tomura nods slowly while rising to his feet, "I pay a debt to my sensei and Kurogiri can take you anywhere you want after we're done."
Izuku considers the words, "What if I just want to come back here?"
Shigaraki snorts, "You want to come back to this? I saw it in your eyes when we first met, you can't stand being here anymore, can you? It makes you feel hollow and I bet you get that awful feeling in your stomach, right? Being in a place you don't belong…" the boy trails off, eyes appearing to be watching something that no one else can see, "...I know all about that."
Izuku looks away and back to his hands. He had overhauled the watch back into its original shape and had reclasped it onto his wrist. His clothes were still damp.
As much as he hated to admit it they were right. All that they said, all that they were implying was exactly as he felt. All he wanted to do now was leave this building and never come back, to break free from these suffocating memories that keep playing on repeat in his mind.
Memories of her, who was now buried in the ground.
He knew deep down that if he went with these two strangers, he'd never come back to this place. That he'd never come back to the same life again. On his walk back from the cemetery he was silently pleading for this, an opportunity to shatter what was left of himself and start anew. He didn't trust either Shigaraki or Kurogiri but he was smart enough to know that neither were malicious. Maybe neither were good, but were they as bad as Midoriya previously believed?
He guessed there was only one way to find out.
"Fine. Let me write a quick note and then we can go."
Tomura nods and begins to move closer to Kurogiri as a portal begins to open.
"You expecting someone to come by?"
Midoriya shrugs before finding a pen and paper and writing a few sentences in scratchy handwriting. "Maybe."
Only one person would be by. He'd be sure in a few days the door would be jammed open and someone would find the mess left by his and Tomura's brawl and think the worst.
He at least owed him an exclamation, right?
Izuku leaves the pen and paper on the counter and takes one last look at the place he called home for the first seventeen years of his life. Thinking back he wasn't sure what to think of the time. It's as if time slipped away, memories he should have made with friends or his family all nonexistent. The relationships he did have felt hollow, either both hiding secrets or both unwilling to truly accept all of the other. It was all just shades really, simple feelings of enjoying one's company and lacking any of the complexities that are found in true bonds.
Nothing was genuine in that apartment.
Nothing was truly genuine in his life.
He looks back to Shigaraki who leans against the wall, arms crossed and hair obscuring much of his scar and blood-covered face. The boy that had lived with his father for all these years. It only took a few minutes to know how much he was locking away under the surface, his episode at the end of their fight showcasing the choppy waters that he was trying desperately to keep at bay. He was messed up. Maybe even broken.
But he was also real.
Maybe it was just a dinner. Maybe they'd share a few stories and then Kurogiri would drop him in the United States and Izuku would start over like half of Japan seemed to be doing.
Or maybe it was something else entirely.
"You ready?"
He feels the crimson eyes on him and turns toward Tomura and the smokey portal that gives no clear sign of what lies on the other side.
"Yeah. Let's go."
Author Notes:
We're back and are finally kicking off Act Two with key introductions between All for One and Revelations (back when he was first given the quirk) along with Izuku and Tomura! I'd consider this as a bit of prologue for Act 2 and look forward to what's to come!
In case I wasn't able to articulate clearly in the story, Revelations can see many versions of the future, but cannot see the future of this current world. She and All for One's goal is to try to make this timeline mirror one she saw in the past to reach the future they both want.
As a defining relationship in the story, I didn't want the first scene between Tomura and Izuku to go smoothly. Izuku is grieving and has just lost his mother. Tomura isn't the best-spoken person in general and still has a bit of the Shigaraki in him that we see more in canon. We'll see how things go in round two when they finally have dinner with a few more guests joining in.
As a quick note, chapter names will now just reflect the name of the current arc that we're on.
Thanks for reading and see you all next time!