If the second holder of One for All had a nickel for every time he'd kicked down a bank vault door looking for Yoichi Shigaraki, then he'd have two nickels. Which wasn't a whole lot, but how seriously bizarre that it had happened twice.
Or at least, Second desperately hoped to find Yoichi inside. If this turned out to be a decoy, then the whole rescue mission would be wasted and he'd have no leads left. With a growl and an explosion, he forced the metal door open.
Only All for One would be crazy enough to think sticking his little brother in a bank vault would be a better idea the second time around. This vault looked quite different from the first one. It was well-lit by sun lamps in every corner. Cheerful blue wallpaper covered the metal walls. Baby toys spread across the floor. A white-haired baby stirred inside a crib and yawned.
Second had been sleeping poorly ever since Yoichi had been taken by All for One. During his week-long tracking mission, he'd barely eaten. So he could be forgiven for asking out loud, "Is this a hallucination?"
Maybe All for One had an unknown son. Who he'd stuck inside a bank vault. That sounded like something the crazy bastard would do.
But Second had another suspicion. The baby looked perhaps one year old. It had been a little more than a year since Yoichi had been abducted from their base by his villainous older brother. The patch of white hair and piercing green eyes with white pupils also bore a stunning resemblance to the adult Yoichi Shigaraki.
The baby giggled. "Hi!" He reached out one chubby hand, trying to grab the stranger's hair. "Spikey!"
That convinced Second. Yoichi's first comment to him had also been about his hair. (Specifically, recommending a better hair gel.)
From his earpiece, his longtime friend and next in command cried, "Leader, All for One is headed to your location. Whether you found Yoichi or not, you need to get out of there."
"I've found him." It would take a DNA test to be sure, but Second was already convinced. He scooped up the baby. The power of One for All danced down his legs. "I'm on my way."
Standing on a rooftop, Izuku Midoriya asked, "Can I become a hero without a quirk?"
All Might barely heard the question. He stared at the boy. Something had seemed oddly familiar about the middle-schooler ever since he'd first laid eyes on him. No matter how All Might wracked his brain, he couldn't figure out where he'd seen Young Midoriya before.
His quirk pulsed under his chest, as if One for All itself recognized the boy.
That gave All Might a large clue. He remembered records left by past One for All users, with pictures of each of his processors. If his hair had been straight and white instead of green and curly, then Izuku would have been the spitting image of the First One for All user.
In a thousand universes, All Might told Izuku that he couldn't become a hero. In this one, All Might asked, "Aren't you a hero already?"
Izuku stared at him through watery eyes. "Huh?"
"Huh?" All Might said.
Inko Midoriya crossed her arms and glared at All Might. "I wish you hadn't said that. How am I supposed to explain this to Izuku? How much did you tell him?" The small woman didn't modulate her demanding tone in the slightest as she started down the Number One Hero sitting in her living room.
All Might said, "I only told him that I recognized him. He kept insisting that I must be mistaken, because he'd remember meeting me. I don't think he knows anything." All Might cast Inko a sideways glance. "I'd like an explanation. How is this possible?"
Inko sighed and closed her eyes. "I suppose there's no help for it now. But you must not tell anyone else. This information was kept on a need-to-know basis for Yoichi's safety—or rather, Izuku's safety. All for One has been hunting him relentlessly ever since the dawn of the age of quirks."
All Might raised his hand like a child in class. "I'm still hung up on how the First One for All user is alive."
"I was getting to that." Inko cowed him with a look. "After Yoichi passed on his quirk, All for One recaptured him. By the time his successor rescued him, Yoichi had been rewound to an infant. He had no memories. The Second user assumed that All for One had regressed his younger brother in order to brainwash him to join his side. But All for One's intentions turned out to be even more horrible. As soon as Yoichi reached age fifteen, he rapidly aged backward. He lost his memories as he regressed. When he turned into an infant, the cycle started again."
All Might shuddered with horror. "All for One wanted to keep him as a helpless child forever. Who would do such a thing to someone they claimed to care about? It's monstrous."
"All for One is a monster," Inko said grimly. "Even though they had no way to cure Yoichi, at the very least, his friends wanted him to live freely instead of being locked up by his twisted older brother. They hid him with a series of caretakers over the years. Most of us have been relatives of past One for All holders. Their families had to go into hiding anyway to stop All for One from coming after us, so they created a fake identity for Yoichi at the same time. We move away every time he starts de-aging. Fortunately, he ages backward quickly enough that we can keep him inside until it finishes. He turns back into an infant in about a month. Then the process starts over."
All Might still had trouble wrapping his mind around the abomination that had been done to the First user. Trying not to think about it, he asked a less important question. "You're related to a One for All holder?"
"I'm Nana Shimura's daughter. When I was an infant, she sent me to live with the descendants of the Third in America. They were also raising the latest Yoichi at the time, so the two of us grew up together like siblings." Inko's gaze became distant. "I took over raising him after the last time he lost his memories and de-aged. I dyed his hair green to match mine."
"You're Nana's daughter?" All Might cried. He leapt to his feet. "I-I had no idea. I thought she only had one child. Your mother—I couldn't save your mother—I'm so sorry—"
"I never even knew her." Seeing the look on his face, Inko took pity. "I know that she was a great woman. You've done her legacy proud."
"Nana never wanted to give her children up," All Might said. "All for One would have killed you."
"Trust me, after watching Izuku lose himself, I know how terrible All for One can be." Inko clenched her hands in her lap. "My older brother was a fool. He refused to believe that our mother had given us up to protect us, so he changed his last name back to Shimura when he moved back to Japan. I don't think it's a coincidence that his entire family died in a freak 'accident.'"
All Might shook his head, overwhelmed by this horrible news. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"I miss my sister-in-law, niece, and nephew," Inko said in a tone implying a great deal about who she'd left out.
All Might asked, "Did Nana know about Yoichi? I mean, Izuku?"
"No. All for One hunted the One for All holders relentlessly, seeking information about his little brother. The Fifth decided it would be safer for them not to know anything, so he destroyed all references to Yoichi's existence before passing his records on to his successor. Nana only knew there was a protection network where she could send her children." Inko shrugged. "Unlike my brother, I hold no ill feelings toward my mother. I had a good life with my foster family, and I love them very much."
"Even so," All Might muttered. "I wish that had never been necessary. If the world had been different, I might have been like an older brother to you. I hope we can still get to know each other. I'd love to meet your husband."
Inko smiled at his enthusiasm. "I'd be happy to introduce you, but my marriage with Hisashi is fake. He's actually my foster brother and a descendant of the Third. The two of us have no romantic interest in each other. But having a husband on paper makes me stand out less, thus allowing me to hide from All for One." Inko looked at her hands. "Hisashi has his own family living in America. We've been preparing false paperwork to move Izuku there after he starts de-aging again—which will happen in less than a year."
All Might said, "I want to make Izuku the ninth successor to One for All."
Inko stared at him. "Did you ignore everything I just said? Izuku can't become a hero! He can't age past his fifteenth birthday!"
All Might dropped to his knees and bowed his head to the floor. "That poor boy had his life and his identity stolen from him by All for One! He deserves a chance to live out his dream of becoming a hero! Even if it only lasts a few months before he loses his memories, I want him to have that happiness!"
Inko's face twisted with pain. "I always hated how I could never tell Izuku that he could become a hero. I didn't want to crush his dream, but I couldn't bring myself to lie to him when I knew it could never happen. Forget becoming a hero—he'll never even be able to attend high school. I want him to live out his dream, too. But it's too dangerous for him to be in the public eye. All for One has never stopped hunting him."
All Might kept his head lowered. "I killed All for One years ago. The world is finally safe for Izuku. I'll take back the quirk once his body becomes too young to handle it. But I want him to have it for as long as he can. One for All rightfully belongs to him."
Inko bit her lip. "Well, if you're sure that All for One is dead…"
Spoiler alert: All for One was not dead in this universe, either.
Izuku had been quite surprised when All Might arranged for him to go on missions as his sidekick. He wasn't complaining, but he'd expected to need to complete a hero high school or at least a little training before being allowed into the field. All Might never took him on dangerous missions—they'd cleaned trash around the city and found numerous lost pets and a few lost children. All Might and Inko had worked together to design his rabbit-themed green costume. It was still exhilarating, working alongside the Number One Hero. They'd frequently fled reporters who wanted to know the identity of All Might's mysterious new sidekick.
Although Izuku had assumed he would train for the U.A. entrance exam, All Might kept telling him that wasn't as important as becoming a real hero. Izuku was having too much fun to argue.
Besides, Izuku had barely needed to practice to use One for All. His very first time, he'd been able to regulate the power to avoid injuring himself. He almost felt like he had used the quirk before.
On Izuku's fifteenth birthday, Inko cooked a giant feast at All Might Tower. Inko had cried up a river, but she often cried tears of happiness, so Izuku didn't think too much about it. It was stranger how All Might kept staring at him with a melancholy gaze.
The next morning, Izuku woke up and headed downstairs. "Mom, I'm off to train with those new weights you got me. Thank you!"
Inko stared at him. "Izuku, you remember your birthday?"
"Uh, yes? I could hardly forget holding my fifteenth birthday celebration at Might Tower! Talk about a childhood dream come true!" Izuku laughed. "I thought my All Might-themed tenth birthday party with an impersonator was the best gift ever. But now I got the real thing."
Inko burst into tears.
This time, Izuku knew something was wrong. He pulled her into a hug. "Mom? What happened?"
Between her sobs, Inko stammered, "It must be One for All. The quirk preserved your memories, somehow. Did it stockpile them so they couldn't be erased? I'm so sorry, Izuku! We didn't know that would work! We could have saved you so much sooner!"
"Seriously, what are you talking about?" Izuku asked.
After Inko poured out the whole story, Izuku took the news calmly. He wanted to be angry at being lied to for so long, but he understood why. Mom had only been trying to protect him. Perhaps he was still in a state of shock, unable to believe it.
They'd hoped that One for All would stop Izuku's de-aging, too. Unfortunately, when he checked his height, he was already an inch shorter. Inko believed that One for All was able to store Izuku's memories to prevent them from vanishing, but the quirk could do nothing about the physical effects.
More memories trickled back to Izuku, of his very first childhood and his older brother. The more he remembered, the angrier he got. The vault memories came with PTSD, claustrophobia, and nightmares. It was almost a pity that All for One was already dead. Izuku would have liked to do it himself.
Izuku had to give up on attending U.A. because by the first day of classes, he would look like an elementary schooler. However, he saw no reason to give up on heroism. No matter the age of his body, his mind was plenty old!
All Might agreed with him. Between the two of them, they persuaded Inko.
David Shield gaped at his old friend. "You want a series of hero costumes and equipment for a child aged—" He glanced at the sheet of paper in his hand. "No, for a group of children from five years old to fourteen? Are you trying to create an army of elementary schoolers?"
All Might shook his head. "No, it's all for the same person: my respected senior as a hero. He was struck by a de-aging quirk."
Surely David could be forgiven for wondering if All Might had hit his head during the same fight where All for One had ripped out his guts. "That's a terrible thing to happen to anyone, but surely it would be better for him to retire before his physical body becomes equivalent to a kindergartner. No matter his mental age, heroics is no business for someone with the size and strength of a child."
All Might's face turned solemn. "I've debated over this long and hard. I know it seems morally questionable. But at the same time, Izuku-senpai has the memories and mind of an adult. What right do I have to stop him? I don't want to treat him like a child the way the bastard who cursed him would have. Izuku-senpai's dream is to be a hero. He's already had his identity and life stolen from him by a villain. He'll never be able to hold a job or have a romantic relationship. I just want him to have this one thing."
David assumed that anyone who All Might acknowledged as his senior must be a magnificent hero. "Then I'll make you the best gear possible." His mind raced, considering the challenges of compensating for a weaker, smaller body.
The reporter ran down the sidewalk, cursing her high heels. "All Might! Wait!" In her determination, she leapt over two bank robbers lying tied up on the sidewalk. She waved her microphone at the back of the Number One Hero and the short figure in a rabbit costume running next to him. "Please, just one question! Can you confirm or deny if your new sidekick is a child?"
When All Might had first appeared in public accompanied by a smaller figure in a rabbit costume, the press had gone wild speculating about if his new sidekick was a teen and the possible ethical ramifications. Then the new hero had started shrinking. This made it seem likely that his short height was actually a quirk, except he only ever got shorter instead of taller. No one knew how that power might be related to his super-strength. The Hero Public Safety Commission had issued a statement saying that the Green Rabbit had a hero license and had chosen to keep his identity private, which had made the media even more fascinated. These days, heroes rarely kept their civilian identities secret.
This particular reporter had already uncovered that All Might had actually blackmailed the Hero Public Safety Commission in order to obtain a license for his sidekick. But she still didn't know why. If only she could answer that question, visions of journalism prizes danced before her eyes.
But she couldn't run as fast as the two heroes. Cursing her decision to wear high heels, she put her hands on her knees and gasped for air.
In her exhaustion, she failed to notice another bank robber had been hiding in an alleyway. He extended his arm like rubber and grabbed her wrist.
The reporter cried out in pain from the bruising grip. One of her shoes fell off as the robber dragged her toward him.
He pulled out a knife. "Don't struggle! No one move or I'll—"
Before the robber could finish his threat, a green blur dropped from the sky. He karate-chopped the robber's arm, then caught the reporter before she could hit the ground. She stared up into wide, green eyes with white pupils. Astonishingly small hands nevertheless supported her weight. A high-pitched child's voice asked, "Are you all right?"
"Fine," she gasped out, privately resolving that from now on, all her stories would only feature good publicity for the Green Rabbit. His secret could remain his own. "Would you like to offer a statement about what it's like to be All Might's new sidekick?"
All Might landed on the ground, easily tying up the last remaining bank robber. "No, we're partners. I couldn't possibly ask my oldest senpai to be my sidekick! If anything, I should be his sidekick."
The Green Rabbit laughed. "I think you broke her brain, All Might."
Sure enough, the reporter had been silenced. She opened and closed her mouth like a fish, unable to wrap her mind around the Number One Hero claiming to be someone else's sidekick.
Katsuki Bakugo had been feeling poorly ever since he'd woken up in the League of Villains' bar. His head throbbed and his vision felt blurry. Sweat dripped down his face. But with his typical bravado, he refused to show it. He drew himself up to his full height and shouted into Tomura's face, "I'd never join you losers! Because I—"
His dramatic speech was cut off when a tiny figure with bright green rabbit ears shot through the window and landing on Tomura's back. Though the boy looked the size of a five-year-old, he moved too fast for anyone to stop him. Avoiding touching his fingers, he cuffed Tomura's wrists behind his back. "A pleasure to meet you, cuz! Or should I call you nephew? Let's work on figuring out our complicated family tree after I get you into therapy."
Katsuki gaped. That voice had sounded exactly like shitty Deku. When the tiny hero glanced up, his green eyes took Katsuki's breath away. His hair had turned white, but the smiling face was the same one that had given him an inferiority complex in his early childhood. It couldn't be possible. Why would the nerd have turned into a kindergartner? Clearly Katsuki must be hallucinating after those villains hit him too hard over the head.
"Get him!" Tomura growled, thrashing on the floor.
The League of Villains sprang into action. At the same time, All Might burst through the door. Under the cover of the chaos, the tiny rabbit hero grabbed both Tomura and Katsuki and carried them through the window.
Katsuki would normally protest being manhandled by an oddly strong child, but this was all a dream. Also, he felt so dizzy that if he opened his mouth, he'd probably throw up.
The totally-not-Deku hero dropped him on the ground. Katsuki yelped in protest, tasting vomit in the back of his throat. A shadow fell over them.
"Sensei! Get me out of these cuffs!" Tomura screamed, squirming.
But the skull-masked villain paid no attention to Tomura. He seemed transfixed by the small hero glaring up at him. "Yoichi. You…how…how could those worthless heroes use you like this? I was aware of the Hero Public Safety Commission's child soldiers, but this is extreme even for them. I know you don't remember me, but I'm your older brother. Come with me and I'll protect—"
A knife sliced through the air. The villain barely side-stepped in time. The blade chipped the side of his mask.
"Oh, I remember a great deal more than you'd like, big brother," Not-Deku growled. Madness gleamed in his eyes. "Remember how I said I couldn't forgive you all those years ago? This time, I actually mean it. I'll kill you for what you've done to me."
Several more knives rapidly followed. When the villain dodged one, it sent him into the path of another. The blade dug deep into the villain's shoulder. With a grimace, he vanished into black shadows.
"Dammit!" Not-Deku cried. "The element of surprise was on my side! I aimed a little too high to hit his nonexistent heart! Curse these chubby fingers! Are you all right, Walmart Second—I mean, Kacchan?"
Katsuki was unable to reply. His brain refused to acknowledge being called Walmart anything, but he also could not admit to the cruel reality lurking behind that childhood nickname.
All Might ran toward them. "Izuku-senpai! Are you hurt? Was that All for One?"
"It was almost All for One's corpse," Not-Deku grumbled. "Next time I won't miss."
All Might swept him up in a hug. "I'll protect you, senpai! I won't let him come near you!"
Katsuki's brain short-circuited. All Might had just called Deku "senpai." Nope, not possible. This was a very shitty dream, and he'd like to wake up now.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard he pinched his arm, nothing happened.
OMAKE TIME!
Omake: Wait, How is Katsuki Alive in This AU?
All Might: Sure, you can become a hero. Let's go home and talk to your mother.
Izuku: Yay!
Katsuki: Why is no one rescuing me from this Sludge Villain? (Dies.)
#Just kidding, they saved Katsuki on their way home #All Might was very impressed with Izuku's heroism as usual
#
Omake: The Bakugos are Descendants of Second and Part of the Network of OFA Holder Families
Mitsuki: Katsuki, this is Izuku. I hope you two will become friends like me and Inko.
Izuku: I feel a strange sense of déjà vu. Nice to meet you, Walmart Second!
Katsuki: What did you just call me?
Izuku: I'm not sure why I said that either. I had this strong expectation that you'd be a natural leader, brave yet kind. So far you're not living up to those expectations, but I'm sure we can work on that together.
Katsuki: In this AU, I don't think it's just my imagination that the nerd is looking down on me.
#
Omake: I Wrote this Fic so I Could Make All Might Call Izuku "Senpai"
Izuku: This feels so disjointed and confusing. I'm still me, I guess—but there's this big hole missing. A century-long gap where I remember nothing.
All Might: Now that you have your adult memories back, I can't keep calling you "my boy." Since you're my senior as a One for All holder, I'll call you Izuku-senpai.
Izuku: Having my childhood idol call me that feels very weird. Even when I was Yoichi I never felt like I was a true hero. I still would have admired someone like you. Maybe you can just call me by my first name?
All Might: But that feels disrespectful, Izuku-senpai.
Izuku: On second thought, I'm starting to like this power trip.
#Current Izuku only has his memories as Yoichi and his lifetime as Izuku #Because those were the only ones stored inside One for All #The lives in-between were lost
#
Omake: In a Reversal of Canon, Second and Third are Izuku's Biggest Fans and Nana is Like WTF
Third: It's so great to see Yoichi again!
Second: Get in there and stab All for One! I'm so proud!
Nana: Am I the only one upset that our current holder is a five-year-old?
Second: But it's actually First in there.
Nana: Intellectually I know that, but the mother in me just wants to pick up that small child and carry him to safety.
#
Omake: The Line
Izuku: Since my cover has been blown, I just want to ask: what the fuck, big brother? You trapped me as a child forever?
All for One: I'm not interested in you expressing any opinions or independence greater than that of a middle schooler.
Izuku: I'll express a knife to your face, big brother.
All for One: The vault was for your own protection—
Izuku: Forget about the vault and every damned war crime. (Snarls rabidly.) Do you realize how many times you've forced me to repeat puberty?
All for One: In my defense, I didn't think you'd ever remember that. Sorry, little brother, apparently even someone as brilliant as me can miscalculate.
Izuku: You have moral limits? I thought they didn't exist.
All for One: Next time, would you prefer to rewind at age ten? Problem solved!
Izuku: (With an unhinged expression) I also didn't realize I could get even angrier.
#
Omake: Where Izuku Learned His Knife Skills
All Might: (Seeing Inko advance on him with a kitchen knife) I'm so sorry! I truly thought that All for One was dead! Please don't kill me!
Inko: Stop crying, I'm not planning to use this knife on you. I'm going to give you some lessons on how to make sure All for One stays dead next time.
#Ironically another Yoichi under another false name taught Inko how to throw a knife when she was a little girl #Then she later re-taught those skills to Izuku #The family that stabs together stays together
Author's Note: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." -Albert Einstein
Although Izuku is the one stuck repeating the same years of his life, the title quote better fits All for One, who's currently off refurbishing his bank vault.
Thank you to Ilentari for this prompt. Credit goes to Let_The_World_Honor_The_Fallen for suggesting the hilarious idea that Katsuki's new nickname should be Walmart Second. Additional credit to Geo995 for my new additions to "The Line" omake. Also, thank you to a McFanely for drawing Izuku-as-First for my fic "A Rose by Any Other Name." The picture goes excellently with this story as well. Delete the spaces to get the link:
mcfanely.
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