Chapter One:
Izuku fell through the glowing portal, landing on top of All Might. "I'm sorry!" he cried, leaping off his mentor and landing on his bottom.
"I'm all right, my boy." All Might stood up with a creak and a blood-filled cough that betrayed his lie. He'd shrunk to his skinny form during the middle of a fight with a villain, then got knocked backward into that strange glowing portal. Izuku had leapt forward to save his mentor and fallen through as well.
All Might offered Izuku a hand to help him to his feet. "My apologies, young Midoriya. My weakness and carelessness landed us both…wherever we are."
"You aren't to blame," Izuku said loyally. "Besides, I'm sure we'll be able to return to U.A. easily. We seem to have been transported to another part of town." He looked around, searching for clues about their location. They stood in a downtown area. The shops all had closed signs. Not surprising, given that the sun was only just rising, sending red and purple streaks up the dark sky. His eyes fell upon a poster tapped to a brick building. "All Might, look at this."
All Might bent down to peer at the poster. It had a black background with a huge white eye and read, Report any Metahuman Sightings to the Police. "Metahuman? Is this a prank or a political statement?"
"I've seen posters like that one in my history textbooks," Izuku said. "The cars look older, too. Do you think this means we ended up on a movie set? Or a reenactment town?"
"Do people reenact the dawn of the age of quirks?" All Might asked. "Most people want to forget that time period."
Izuku shrugged. "It certainly wouldn't be as popular as a samurai town. Movie setting seems more likely, but where are the people?" He looked around the dim street.
All Might said, "Everyone must still in bed at this hour of the morning. Let's call U.A." He pulled out his phone. "I don't have any signal." His frown deepened. "That's odd, in downtown Musutafu."
A scream pierced the chilly air.
Both All Might and Izuku moved at the same time. All Might swelled up to his muscular size. They rounded the corner. Two police officers stood over a lump of rags. At first glance, it seemed too small to be a person. Izuku stared. Their uniforms were a different shade of blue and the badges on their caps didn't look like Musutafu officers. Had Izuku ended up in a different place, perhaps even a different country?
One officer grabbed the sleeping bag lying on the ground. He lifted out a boy no older than ten or eleven by his curly white hair. The boy cried out in pain, twisting and trying to free himself. The officer smashed his head against the wall, and the boy fell silent. Forgetting all his analysis, Izuku lunged.
Izuku delivered a chop to the supposed officer's wrist and grabbed the boy. At the same time, All Might lifted up both Izuku and a second boy who'd been lying on the ground, one under each of his massive arms. He moved in a flash, leaping to the other end of the alleyway.
Setting all the children down, All Might hissed at Izuku, "The younger boy had an inhaler next to him. I picked it up." He handed Izuku the inhaler. "I'll protect you while you look after the children."
Izuku dropped to his knees in front of the younger boy, who had straight white hair and a scar over one green eye. The boy clutched his chest, a small cough coming out with each breath. "Big brother…" he whimpered. His eyes rolled backward, and he fainted.
"I'll help your brother too, I promise." Izuku placed the inhaler over his mouth. Then he turned to the older brother. He ripped off his hood to apply it to the bleeding on the boy's head.
Meanwhile, facing the men, All Might smiled in his trademark way. "What seems to be the problem here, officers?"
The first police officer snarled, "Those brats have white hair! They're metahumans! Get away from them. You don't know what they might do. One of them could go berserk and start a massacre at any moment. We'll take them away."
The second officer hissed, "Look at how those two are dressed! They look like villains. Probably more metascum, helping their own kind."
All Might's smile faltered. "I'm the number one hero from Japan. You're speaking Japanese, is this not Japan?"
"Oh, you're one of those metahumans who fancies himself a vigilante." The first officer sneered. "All of your kind are the same—troubling innocent people with your dangerous ways." He pulled out his gun and fired.
All Might caught the bullet and dropped it to the ground. "I see communication has failed." His smile completely vanished. "You're clearly outmatched, why don't you leave?"
The officers stared at the smoking bullet lying on the dirty alleyway ground. Then they both fled, one screaming into his walkie-talkie, "We have a code red!"
Izuku said, "All Might, I think we're in the dawn of the age of quirks."
"I've reached the same conclusion." All Might leaned over and checked the two boys. The younger one had fallen unconscious, but he was breathing better. "During this time period, merely being metahuman was a crime. I've already exposed my quirk. We'd better get out of here."
With All Might carrying the two boys, they fled.
The two of them found ragged blankets in a dumpster to hide their telling (and illegal) hero costumes. All Might instructed Izuku, "Wait here with the children while I find a pawnshop. We need money." He pulled out a watch hanging from a chain around his neck.
Izuku flinched. "Didn't you say that Nana gave you that? Surely we can find something else to sell."
With a melancholy look, All Might said, "This has real diamonds. We need to buy a first aid kit for the children, then get them inside. It looks like it might rain." He looked up at the grey sky. "Nana would be happy to have her gift put to such a good use."
All Might returned shortly afterward with cash and a bag of used clothing. Carrying the brothers, they checked into a cheap motel room that reeked of cigarette smoke. Izuku had prepared an excuse, but the man at the desk did not ask them about the children they carried. That said a lot about the quality of this place.
Izuku cracked a window. "I'm worried that the smoke might aggravate the younger boy's condition. How are they doing?"
All Might sat on the bed, applying a bandage to the older brother's head with their new first aid kit. "They both seem to be in no immediate danger. The cut on the older boy's head is shallow, fortunately. Still, I'm worried. Head wounds can be tricky. I wish we could take them to a professional, but I don't know how to find a trustworthy underground doctor."
"We can't go to the authorities, because we've already been labeled villains." Izuku's muscles tensed. He breathed more heavily. "I'm so sorry, All Might. I should have realized sooner that we'd been transported to the past. Now we've been labeled as villains!"
"Please don't blame yourself, young Midoriya." All Might patted him in the shoulder. "Frankly, given that we were transported wearing our hero costumes, this was inevitable."
Izuku tilted his head. "You sound oddly cheerful."
"What, why would I be cheerful about becoming a villain? Clearly that's a bad thing." All Might's gaze became distant. "Just imagine, no more press conferences. No more paperwork. No paparazzi. No more Hero Public Safety Commission, dear god yes. No more signing autographs until my arm feels like it's going to fall off when I could be off doing real work instead. Why, from now on I'll be able to help people entirely according to my own will with no regard for the rules!" The giant smile spread across All Might's face. "I'll need a new costume. I can finally wear black instead of bright, socially acceptable colors." He reached into the clothing bag and pulled out a jet-black leather code with silver studs on the shoulders. "What do you think? It's a good start. I really wanted matching pants, but I couldn't find any."
What Izuku had gotten out of this long speech was that All Might had always secretly wanted to be a villain. Huh. Who would have thought it?
All Might took his new coat into the bathroom to change, muttering excitedly. Izuku sat down in the chair next to the bed and picked up a notepad off the desk. He wrote down everything he could remember about the history of the dawn of the age of quirks. Then he put stars next to the most potentially useful information. The hotel employee had told them what year they were in. Izuku was pretty sure a major riot across Japan would happen soon. But he couldn't remember the exact date. He gnawed at his pen, wishing he was a straight-A student like Tenya or Kacchan.
On the bed, the older boy stirred. The instant his eyes fell on Izuku, he shot to his feet. He jumped between Izuku and his sleeping younger brother. "Who are you?"
Izuku attempted a reassuring smile. He raised his hands to show they were empty. "Don't be afraid. We saved you from those corrupt officers and brought you back here to treat your injuries. We only want to help you. What's your name?"
The older brother snatched a pen off the nightstand and held it like a knife. "Liar. No one helps someone else without expecting something in return. What's your angle? Do you sell kids?"
"No!" Izuku recoiled.
"Then you won't mind if me and my brother leave." The boy jerked his head at the door.
Izuku said, "We're not keeping you prisoner, but it could be dangerous out there. I'm afraid that my mentor and I drew some police attention down on your heads."
The boy's eyes narrowed. His gaze darted around the room, then he adjusted his grip on his pen. Izuku could tell that he was contemplating attacking while there was still only one other person in the room. What could Izuku say to calm him down? "I'm a hero—"
All Might threw open the bathroom door. He wore the black leather jacket and cameo pants. Underneath, he was shirtless, revealing an impressive array of scars. His belt had a cheesy-looking skull. He'd created shoulder pads with spikes using blades from shaving razors. His blue eyes burned through a new pair of sunglasses. "Hey, check out my new villain costume! Do I look ferocious? I'm thinking about calling myself All Smite."
Izuku groaned and pinched his forehead. Out of the corner of his mouth, he hissed, "Don't tell the children that we're villains! I'm trying to calm him down!"
"You're villains?" The boy's red eyes sparkled. "Villains are cool! My name is Hisashi Shigaraki. Are you looking for a sidekick? Because I'm going to be big in the villainy world someday. By the way, I love your skull belt."
All Might grinned and adjusted his belt buckle. "See? Kids love black! But nooooooooo, my publicity team kept telling me that children only like bright, cheerful colors."
Huh, the kid had the same first name as his father. Izuku didn't think much of it. Hisashi was a common name.
Hisashi said, "I have many valuable skills to offer as a villainous apprentice." He counted off on his fingers. "I know how to cook and clean, I can treat basic injuries, I'm brilliant at negotiations, I'm a moderately skilled pickpocket, and I'm decent at calming violent drunks. On no less than three occasions, I've stabbed adults deeply enough to let me and my little brother run away."
Izuku was very, very concerned about how such a young child had obtained that particular array of skills. He also had no intention of letting this boy go off alone. If the police didn't kill him, then living on the streets would. "Great resume. You're hired."
All Might said, "You sound like a talented boy and a great asset to our organization." He winked at Izuku, sharing a mutual look of understanding that they'd only agreed to protect the child. Neither of them intended to let this kid near real fighting.
Hisashi said, "My base minimum salary is five million yen a year. I also want a thirty percent cut of your profits. I require housing and care for my younger brother, Yoichi. Someday he'll grow old enough to be my sidekick, and then I promise he'll be a great asset too."
Izuku's eye twitched. "We don't have any money. You'll get room and board and like it."
All Might said, "But we can give you a thirty percent cut of future profits. Your brother will be considered one of us as well, in a support position."
"Yoichi is strictly a non-combatant," Hisashi insisted.
"Yes, and so are you," Izuku said.
Hisashi clapped his hands. "Done! I'll start off with fashion consultation." He circled All Might. "Black like Batman, good. It's a makeshift costume, but I think that gives it a dangerous edge. The smell…it will help scare off your enemies. But your shoes?" He pointed at All Might's bright yellow boots. "They have to go."
All Might scratched his neck. "Unfortunately, I have trouble finding shoes big enough to fit my feet."
Hisashi tapped his chin. "I bet we could temporarily fix the problem with some black paint. Or even a marker." He looked around. "Does this room have any markers?"
On the bed, Yoichi sat up and rubbed his eyes. He stared at All Might. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Big brother, we've been kidnapped by villains!"
Izuku pointed. "See! That's the normal reaction! Thank you, random small child!"
All Might flashed his usual grin. "Fear not, young boy. We're villains who oppose the strong in order to protect the weak. We fight as allies to anyone suffering under the cruelty of the current regime."
"More like vigilantes, really," Izuku added.
Yoichi crossed his arms. "Do vigilantes wear so much black leather?" He sniffed. "You're both suspicious. I don't trust you."
Hisashi poked around the desk drawer, then held up a black marker. "Found it! Let me see your boots."
"Big brother?" Yoichi asked uncertainly.
Hisashi ran over and grabbed his little brother's shoulders. "How are you feeling? No cough? Do you still have your inhaler? Good. These two are our new employers. I already negotiated the salary on your behalf."
Yoichi rolled his eyes. "I see you signed us both up without asking first. Well, I refuse. How am I going to become a hero when I have a criminal record?"
All Might said, "I think all heroes should start out as vigilantes or at least work with a vigilante a few times. Otherwise, you'll be out of touch with the reality on the streets."
Yoichi sneered. "I know all about the reality on the streets. I've lived through it. We need a hero out there."
All Might handed Hisashi his boots. Then he grabbed a chair and pulled it over to face Yoichi. "Please tell me all about the current conditions."
Yoichi stuck out his lip. "I don't talk to villains."
All Might assessed the child with his gaze. Then he said, "I need help."
Yoichi stared. "You? An adult? Need help from me?"
All Might said, "Actually, my student and I were transported here from the future by a strange quirk—I mean, metapower. The police immediately decided that we were villains because of our clothing and powers, even though we hadn't done any wrong."
Holding the marker cap between his lips as he drew on the boots, Hisashi said, "What a cool villainous backstory! With your knowledge of future events, we'll be unstoppable!"
All Might continued, "We need someone to explain to us what's going on. Why are the police attacking people with metahuman abilities?"
Biting his lip, Yoichi said, "All right. There's this new law that all metahuman children have to be taken away to a facility that supposedly has the resources to look after them…us."
"Why only children?" Izuku asked. It seemed pointlessly cruel.
All Might said, "Because children make up almost all the metahumans in this time period. Right now, I'm the oldest person with a quirk in the world."
"People say that we're dangerous. But my brother and I don't even have powers." Yoichi's shoulders sagged. "I'm hoping my metahuman ability will come along any day now, but no luck."
Hisashi said, "Unfortunately, if you have white hair, people assume you're metahuman. We don't even have powers to defend ourselves, so we get the worst of both worlds."
Yoichi said, "At first, I thought the facility sounded better than the streets, because at least they'd feed us. But big brother said we shouldn't let them take us."
"It's suspicious," Hisashi said. "They probably want to experiment on us." He held up All Might's boots with skulls drawn on them. "Do you like them?"
"I love them," All Might said sincerely, patting the boy on the head.
Yoichi looked at his hands. "The police started rounding up street kids with powers. Our friends were taken away."
Hisashi snorted. "Friends would be overstating it. Let's call them allies. Or maybe pawns."
Yoichi's shoulders shook. His eyes welled up. "What if something bad happened to Second and Third?"
"Your friends' names are Second and Third?" Izuku asked. Whoa, did their parents hate them?
Hisashi said, "We went by numbers because we didn't want to give our real names. Not even to each other. We all had something we were running from. I picked Zeroth because that's the coolest number and my brother went by First. I was the oldest and the leader, of course. Even other street kids didn't want to go near metahumans or presumed metahumans, so the four of us banded together. It was an alliance of mutual survival. Those two…they weren't so bad. Smart and knew how to follow orders. Helped me look out for Yoichi." His shaking hands betrayed more emotion than his words claimed. His eyes said that he didn't expect to ever see his friends again.
Yoichi burst into tears. "I-it's all my fault. Hisashi was away getting medicine because I had another attack. I-I tried to run, but I passed out when the police stormed our hideout. When I woke up, I was inside a trashcan. Second and Third must have hidden me there. There was blood on the floor." He sobbed some more. "I'm the only one who got away. I feel so ashamed."
Hisashi went over and put his arms around his younger brother. "It's not your fault, little brother. The police had found our hideout. They wouldn't have left without someone. Second and Third did the only thing they could and hid you."
Between sobs, Yoichi said, "I'm sure the reason they didn't try to hide themselves was so that the police didn't find me. They got caught protecting me. I'm always so useless! I hate it! I'm scared for them!" He wept while his brother held him.
Izuku desperately wanted to help these kids. But what would happen if they interfered with the past? Would it have ripple effects to the future? If only he knew more about what was going on and what would happen to the children taken by the authorities. He mumbled under his breath, trying to connect this to a historical incident. But nothing came remotely close. There had been tensions during the dawn of the age of quirks, but he couldn't recall a single mention of metahuman children being taken away from their parents. Surely that would have been a big deal. "I should have studied more."
All Might said, "No, this wouldn't have been talked about during class. History got whitewashed by your generation. Many incidents were removed from the history textbooks. I know exactly what they're talking about."
"You do?"
All Might jerked his head at the bathroom. Presuming his mentor didn't want the children to overhear, Izuku followed him.
In a low voice, All Might said, "It's the Great Tokyo Disappearance. Eighty-six metahuman children were seized by the government whether they had parents or not, then put on a truck to a facility that supposedly would protect the public from whatever threat they were supposed to pose. They never arrived."
Izuku gasped. "The government made the children disappear?"
"Tricky to say. It might not have been them. Later unsealed records revealed government plans for a prison-like facility and doctors to experiment on the children. There was also talk of brainwashing them into soldiers. Which is horrific, obviously. But it doesn't seem like the government would have incentive to make their own truck disappear. Historians speculated about a hate group attacking the children or someone's metapower going out of control. Regardless, at the time, people in Tokyo believed the government had massacred the children. It led to widespread riots across Japan." All Might's face was grim. "This was the start of chaos across the nation that would last for decades. An unofficial civil war, though no one calls it that. Enough people died for a war. A decade before you were born, the Hero Public Safety Commission decided that talking about this incident was 'preventing Japan from moving on from the past.'" The scorn on All Might's face said what he thought about that. "They removed it from all grade school history books."
Izuku shook his head. "No one knows what happened to the children even in modern times?"
"Oh, we know. Fifty years ago, eighty-four of children were found in a mass unmarked grave outside the city. We just don't know who killed them."
Izuku's body froze. There was a sound like screaming between his ears. An inferno of rage consumed him. All concerns about the timeline vanished. He locked eyes with All Might, and a shared resolve passed between them. Neither of them needed to speak it out loud. They both knew. The timeline was about to get wrecked.
Izuku walked back over to the bed where Yoichi sniffled. He patted the younger boy's back. "I'm going to get your friends back. I promise." His voice was gentle. There was nothing the remotest bit gentle or even sane in his eyes. "All Might, I'm feeling some villainy coming on. Do you have a black leather coat for me?"
All Might beamed and reached into the clothing bag. "Of course I have a black leather coat for you, my boy."
Author's Note: Second and Third are who you think they are. Eighty-six children were taken, eighty-four dead bodies found.
The children's nickname system is my convenient excuse to avoid having to guess the Second and Third One for All holders' canon names. The future holders escaped the massacre, but they weren't able to find the two brothers in the chaos. Both sides presumed the other two dead. In this AU, Second and Third busted into the vault to kill All for One's brother, but they stopped because they recognized Yoichi as their childhood friend. (Technically they were also childhood friends with Hisashi, to the extent that Hisashi could be said to have friends.) Prior to the vault incident, they didn't recognize Hisashi because he called himself All for One and frequently wore a mask in public. Hisashi never met the two insignificant vigilantes face to face before.
Second and Third were slightly younger than Hisashi and used to idolize him as kids, so the reveal of All for One's identity came as a genuine blow. Tragically, at one point Hisashi cared about them, too. It could have made a difference if he'd found out sooner. But by the time he'd vaulted his little brother, he was too far off the deep end.
This fic takes place before Izuku met the vestiges in canon, so he doesn't recognize Yoichi's name or notice his resemblance to a certain ghost.
I won't be using the same rules of time travel as my past stories. I like playing around with different kind of time-travel. Readers will have to wait until the last chapter to find out what happens when the timeline changes in this AU, but don't expect it to be the same as "I'll Be Back." That would be boring.
This fic was inspired by a tumblr post by Polarbaronness suggesting a reversal of my fic "Forgiveness is the Attribute of the Strong. Polarbaronness has also written a hilarious fic using this premise called "The Weak can Never Forgive" on Archive of Our Own. Both fics can completely stand alone from Forgiveness is the Attribute of the Strong and have no connection to the series other than the basic premise.
Finally, gojifan97 drew a comic for Chapter 27 of "Forgiveness is the Attribute of the Strong" that absolutely blew me away. I'm shaking from how much I love it. From the expressions to the dialogue to First's final smile, everything is perfect. Delete the spaces to get the link:
gojifan97.
tumblr.
com/
post/683080150472179712/the-final-duel
