Disclaimer: Boku no Hero Academia characters and plot events belongs to Horikoshi Kohei.
To Be a Hero
a hero always wins
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Just minutes before the League of Villains, Bakugou, and Shiro were swallowed up by the murky mass, the Pro Heroes Mt. Lady, Best Jeanist, Tiger, and Gang Orca had surrounded the league's warehouse where dozens of Nomus were being stored. They had captured all of them and were cleaning up the scene.
"These guys are so gross," Mt. Lady stuck out her tongue in disgust as she grabbed a bunch of them in her enlarged form. The Nomus screeched noisily but otherwise made no movements to resist.
"They're docile unless given orders... We got here just in time," Gang Orca furrowed his brows as he tied up the immobile Nomus after hitting them with his Quirk. "Now it's up to the others to rescue the students... Our interns."
Best Jeanist nodded with his perfect brows furrowed. Both of the had been requested to join this rescue mission because of their strengths as well as their relationship with the two U.A. students. "Everything here is under control," he spoke into the police radio to notify Tsukauchi standing by at the hideout location. "We'll check back in five minutes."
Meanwhile, a group of class 1-A students, namely Midoriya, Kirishima, Todoroki, Momo, and Iida had followed the second tracking device that Momo made to the same warehouse. The class president and vice president duo came along to stop the other three from engaging into dangerous situations, but they do want to bring Bakugou and Shiro back. They understood how Midoriya and Todoroki felt, having their friends be within their reach but was unable to get to them on time. Kirishima also felt responsible because he couldn't do a single thing to help his friends.
They all wanted Bakugou and Shiro to come back safely, but they must do it without harming themselves. Iida and Momo will personally make sure of it and protect the three. Currently, they were still hiding within the small alley that had a good view of the warehouse. Tiger had found Ragdoll, the Pro Hero that had lost a lot of blood and went missing after the attack, and attempted to speak to her but she was unresponsive. Everything was under control by the Pro Heroes, and there was no need for the group to take any actions.
BOOOOOM!
A giant explosion shook the entire area and black smoke filled the air. The shock had caused the students to stumble and fall as well, and the overwhelmingly dark and threatening aura of the mysterious man who caused this blast kept their legs from moving.
"As expected of the No. 4 hero, Best Jeanist," the man's ironic clap filled the tense and silent air after the explosion. The smoke cleared to reveal that all of the other Pro Heroes were rescued away to minimize the force from the blast. "I thought I'd blown everyone away. To be able to manipulate everyone's clothes and pull them to the side in an instant... That quick decision-making and skill... You must have nerves of steel."
Best Jeanist used his threads to bring his injured body up from the ground and attempted to attack the villain. A top hero wouldn't make any excuses to protect the people around him!
However, another blast was sent straight to the hero and tore a large hole into his stomach. The group of students could only hear what was happening and hold their breaths. The man was terrifying, and Midoriya had an idea who he was.
"I don't need yours... Your Quirk doesn't go with Tomura's disposition."
Suddenly, Bakugou and Shiro materialized into the clearing where All For One was standing. They coughed and gaged as the disgusting murky mass fell around them and disappeared.
"What the hell...?!" Bakugou wiped his mouth and staggered back.
"I'm sorry about that, Bakugou-kun, Shiragiku-kun."
"Who... Are you?" Shiro narrowed her eyes and took a step back as well. The aura of the man before her was indescribably oppressive. Around them, more of the murky portals appeared and the others from the bar hideout fell out, showing equally disgusted faces.
"Master..." Shigaraki was on the ground as he looked up at All For One.
"You failed again, huh, Tomura? But do not be discouraged. Just try again. I have brought your associates back as well, even this child because you judged that he was an important piece," the man walked closer to Bakugou and Shiro. They were on guard but found themselves unable to do anything against such an oppressing aura, and it gave the man easy access for black talon-like spikes to come out from his fingertips and wrap around the girl.
"Oi!" Bakugou shouted as the girl was carried in the air. He was also kept back by a dark talon and can only watch with panic.
"Agh! Let... Go!"
"Do it over as many times as you need. That is why I am here. It's all for you..." All For One said as he moved the struggling Shiro in front of Shigaraki. "Together, with your dear sister. The heroes kept you two apart, but I am here to bring you two back together. This time, I will save both of you."
Wh...What?
Shiro was wide-eyed in disbelief. She stopped struggling and kicking for a moment, her mind going on overdrive to make sense of what she just heard. The restraints retracted from her body and she fell on her knees.
"What... Did you just say...?"
But as Shigaraki reached over to touch her, she reacted immediately in disgust and punched the man. The hand mask that was covering his face dropped to the ground between the two once again but Shigaraki didn't pick it up right away. Shocked, he raised his face to look at Shiro so she could see him clearly.
"Take a good look at your brother, Shiragiku-kun. Aren't you glad to see him?"
The ruby eyes that were eerily like her own... The mole under the right side of his lips... Other than the hair color, it was very similar to the picture Detective Tsukauchi gave her.
No way... That's not possible!
"Imouto..." Shigaraki mumbled and held her trembling hands. There was a crazy, lonely look on his face, "Mother died when you were born... But she left you... A shiragiku... For me..."
"N-No!" she gasped and flinched away angrily. "I won't believe anything you say! Get away from me!"
"'Get away'?" his ruby eyes narrowed. "She doesn't remember me still. Master... Make her remember!"
All For One chuckled as something needle-like protruded from his index finger. "I took this Quirk just for you, Tomura," he said. "'Memory Needle' will draw out any and all memories, but some may not react well to deeply suppressed memories and fall into a coma. Are ready for that, Tomura?"
"I don't care as long as she remembers!"
Bakugou growled as he tried to lurch forward from the shadow talon that was keeping him in place. Shiro was frozen in her stop, too shocked from the news to move. "Snap out of it! You're better than these lowlifes!"
All For One held him back easily as he went to grab the girl with the other talons. However, the girl suddenly went on alert after hearing Bakugou's shout and quickly moved to dodge the talons with her left dial spinning rapidly. "Oh?" the man remarked with an impressed tone. "Probability Manipulation... I do like the Quirk, but it will have a better purpose for you to have it when you serve besides Tomura."
Serve besides a villain? No! He can't be my brother!
But what if he is...?
Shiro shook her head to force the pounding doubts to leave her mind, Don't think right now. We have to escape! More dark talons shot out from his fingertips and Shiro glanced at Bakugou before using her Absolute Zone to get to him. She was planning on getting the blonde out; if anything, she needed to ensure that at least he can escape.
"Don't be difficult now, Shiragiku-kun."
One of the talons pierced through her upper shoulder in the second that she moved with her zone. Impossible...! Blood from the wound dripped rapidly as she was being hung in the air by the single talon before more wrapped around her torso and brought her in front of All For One. Both of her eyes immediately spun as she attempted to use rewrite to do something about her situation, but the needle was quickly stuck into the side of her head and she cried out in agonizing pain.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Shigaraki stayed motionless as he watched the girl tremble and twist from the pain. He trusted his master with his life and now his sister's life, too, so he wasn't the least bit concerned. He rather didn't like the blonde for being so loud and protective over his sister, even if he was trying to bring the male to the league's side.
"YOU BASTARD!"
"Shut up and let Master do his work," he muttered with his ruby eyes glowering. "This is for her own good."
"Don't fucking joke with me! You don't give a shit about her! Can't you see she's in pain?!"
"New rule. You're not allowed to look, touch, or speak to Shiragiku once you're on our side."
"You're delusional, you dirty rag face! How many times I gotta tell you that we aren't coming to your side!" Bakugou was livid as he ignited a giant blast at the restraining talon to jump at All For One. "I'll make you pay back every drop of blood you made her shed, you fucker!"
BOOM!
Before Bakugou could make contact, he was blasted several feet away towards the members in the Vanguard Action Squad. All For One retracted the needle once the procedure was finished and he dropped the girl towards Shigaraki before turning slightly to the side, "You're here, after all, aren't you...?"
In a blink of an eye, All Might's form was coming at All For One like a launched missile and the man had to block the force of the hero with both of his hands.
"I'll have you return everything, All For One!"
The blow back from two inhuman forces created a giant whirlpool of smoke as air whipped around harshly around the area. To be able to maintain his position after a hit from the Symbol of Peace wasn't easy, but of course All For One had taken many Quirks in combination to create the perfect match-up to the hero.
The group consisting of Midoriya and the others were all terrified for what's to come, but having been rooted to the ground like cowards as Shiro was forced to endure such abuse from the villains was the last straw. They needed to get her and Bakugou out of there, now!
All For One had just blown All Might back several hundred meters and he was forcefully activating Kurogiri's Quirk, despite the man being unconscious, to get all of the villains to escape. Shigaraki was holding Shiro in his arms, but he seemed hesitant since All For One was going to stay and battle.
"He has Shiro-chan and she's unconscious...!" Kirishima gritted, not knowing what to do. It was the worst possible combination. The other villains have surrounded Bakugou as well since they were still trying to take him with. Think! Think!
"We are not allowed to fight..." Midoriya shut his eyes with frustration as he remembered the words from all of his classmates, Aizawa, and Tsuragamae Kenji from the Hosu incident. Is there anyway we can do to save them?! "But we need an opening... Just an instant is enough...!"
"You can't, Midoriya-kun!" Iida was still holding both him and Todoroki back.
"We have to do something!" Todoroki kept his voice low, but he was extremely emotional and angry after seeing what happened to the ruby eyed girl. "I don't care about the rules right now—!"
"No, there's a way!" Midoriya had raked through all of the possible routes and found one opening that will allow for them to rescue Bakugou and Shiro, but they had to time it perfectly. "It won't involve fighting and it'll let us leave this place!"
The tension and urgency from Iida's expression lessened as he released the two.
"Let's hear it," Todoroki prompted quickly. "We have no time to waste!"
"This plan also depends on Kacchan," Midoriya explained beforehand. "First, he needs to be able to get close enough to Shigaraki Tomura and Shiro-san. Shiro-san is unconscious and there isn't much we can do that doesn't involve directly fighting... But Yaoyorozu-san, you can make smoke bombs, right? Kacchan can still fight, and I know he has the same idea as us in getting Shiro-san away from Shigaraki as top priority. Kacchan just needs one second of distraction from Shigaraki to reach Shiro-san, and when he does, that's where the next part comes in."
Midoriya's lips turned into a firm line. Before they had left on the rescue mission, Uraraka had said something that was hurtful because it was the truth:
"I think Bakugou-kun will feel humiliated that he had to be saved by everyone..."
"My plan won't succeed if I do it. That's why, Kirishima-kun, you're the key to increasing the success rate."
"Me?" Kirishima widened his eyes.
"Ever since school started, you built an equal relationship with Kacchan. If you, his friend, called him... Then I'm sure we can do it!"
Bakugou was blasting his explosions left and right to avoid the other villains from coming close to him while his eyes were narrowed in focus at Shigaraki. The anger and resentment he felt for the hand freak was only contained by the rational need to reach Shiro safely. Mr. Compress was the only one he needed to truly watch out for, since a touch from the man will render him uselessly trapped in a marble. He knows that Shigaraki's sick obsession with Shiro will at least prevent the guy from using his Decay so carelessly unless he wanted her to disappear forever, so it all depended on Bakugou to be able to get close enough to them and grab her.
But these shitheads are persistent! he gritted as he let another blast hit Spinner and sent him crashing back to Magne. They're not letting me get close to Rag Face! He jumped over Toga to close the distance between him and Shigaraki, but the girl twisted quickly and threw two knives in his direction. He dodged, and the knives went straight for Shigaraki who stepped to the side to avoid him or his sister to get hit.
"Oops, sorry Tomura-kun! Shiro-chan!"
"You crazy bitch," Shigaraki muttered before Bakugou leaped towards him.
Something small and round like a marble suddenly dropped in front of the two. It took a second before smoke blasted out from the small object and obscured the two. Even without knowing who did it, Bakugou understood it was to help him close in on Shigaraki and he didn't hesitate to send a small blast at the villain's face before ripping the unconscious girl out of his hold. Once secured, he sent a larger blast to keep the man back and ran out as the smoke cleared.
At the same time, the sound of a wall breaking open drew the villain's attention towards the alley where Midoriya and Iida appeared holding onto Kirishima's hardened form. Without missing a second, a wall of ice created a straight path for the three students to shoot them higher into the air.
"COME!" Kirishima shouted loudly as he stretched out his hand for Bakugou.
"You...!" Shigaraki's voice trembled desperately with anger and he also reached for the blonde with his Quirk activated. "Give Shiragiku back!"
With Shiro secured, Bakugou sent the largest blast he could muster with his other hand and propelled himself up into the air to reach Kirishima. "Are you an idiot?" he smirked at the redhead as his hand clasped tightly onto the male's.
"Bakugou-kun," Iida shouted over the wind. "On my mark, create another blast—"
"Don't be stupid! If I do that while holding onto Shiro, it'll scorch her!" Bakugou shouted back.
"Kacchan, pass Shiro-san onto my back!"
"Don't order me around, Deku!"
"Don't fight at a time like this and just do it!" Kirishima urged. "We need the boost!"
Bakugou scowled deeply, but he complied by carefully shifting the girl towards the green haired male's back as best he could in mid-air, "I'll kill you if you drop her!" he warned. Meanwhile, on the ground, the villains watched with slacked jaws. They hadn't been aware of the other students the entire time and it caught them completely by surprise!
"Don't let them get away! Who are our long-distance fighters?!" Mr. Compress shouted.
"Dabi and Kurogiri! They're both down!" Spinner grunted.
"You two, get close!" Magne activated her Quirk, Magnetism, and engulfed them with a magnetic force field to repel one of them upwards. "Repulsion Breakup... Moonlight Flit Cannon!"
"Titan Cliff!" Mt. Lady used the last of her energy to make herself large. Mr. Compress hit her in the nose and she was knocked out, but she was able to intercept the villain before he could reach the kids. "Prioritize... The rescue...! Go... Stupid kids...!"
"We can do it again!" Magne urged as Twice got into position with Spinner again, but they were hit by Gran Torino. With all of the key players out, the students were able to get out of there successfully.
"Shimura's friend, huh?" All For One, who had been hit and sent towards some ruins, got back up and assessed the situation. He will have to make Shigaraki abandon his plan of taking his sister with him this time as there was not enough time before reinforcement came. He needed to get his successor and his followers out, now, and it looked like All Might wanted to fight until the end. So, he will oblige. "They got us. They neatly turned the tables on us in one move... Forcible Quirk Activation! Magnetism!"
The black talons stabbed into the unconscious Magne and his Quirk activated and pulled the others away. However, Shigaraki wasn't finished. He was boiling with anger at all of these heroes and he was going to turn every single one of them to dust before going after the brats to retrieve Shiro again. He'll even kill the blonde; he didn't need anyone who acted out like that to steal his sister right from under his nose. "Turn to dust!" he shouted at Gran Torino as the hero drew close.
"Huh? Huh?!" Toga, who was behind the young leader, saw as everyone including Shigaraki was suddenly sent back towards the giant portal involuntarily. "Wait, if you come at me that fast...!"
"Wait, Master!" Shigaraki grunted, trying to resist himself from being pulled through as well. He grew worried, "You can't...! With that body, you'll... No!"
"You must keep fighting," All For One said calmly as he sent the male away. "Never stop trying. I believe in you, Tomura."
"Master...!"
As Shigaraki disappeared into the portal, All For One was finally able to face All Might and give the hero his complete attention. With the captured students rescued, the hero was able to do the same so he had to tread more carefully. But he knew just the thing that can cause a break in the hero's resolve.
"Now, All Might..." he grinned from behind his industrial mask. "Will you like to hear an interesting story about the previous One For All successor, Shimura Nana?"
Oh, All For One knew it was going to throw the Symbol of Peace in an emotional turmoil. After all, the most interesting part of the story will include two little Shimura grandchildren.
We did the right thing, right? We made the right decision to get out of there... Midoriya couldn't help the swirling thoughts consume his mind as he and the others ran away from the fight and finally spilled into the crowded streets in the Camino Ward. He was still carrying the unconscious girl on his back and they were running in hopes of meeting up with Todoroki and Momo soon after they got the chance to escape from their location.
There were already reporter helicopters in the area where All Might and All For One were fighting, and the large screens on the Camino city buildings all broadcasted what was happening minute by minute.
"Alright, first, we need to get Shiro-kun to a hospital or find a Pro Hero!" Iida said as he looked at the girl on Midoriya's back worriedly. "Maybe we can reverse whatever the villain hit her with!"
"There's too many people here," Kirishima grunted. "We can barely move—!"
More and more people crowded around them to look up at the giant screen that was showing the fight. A large attack had just blasted towards All Might, and in the hero's effort to save the civilian that was caught in the rubbles directly behind him, he didn't escape and chose to negate the attack. However, as the smoke cleared, everyone gasped.
The Symbol of Peace, the strongest hero, was left to nothing but his true, emaciated form.
"Um.. What's...? Huh?"
"Is that...?"
Choruses of concern and confusion sounded around the students and only Midoriya realized what wa going on. The form that the hero had kept a secret from the public was now on display. That also meant that the hero was at his limit already.
All Might's secret...!
"Even if you try to expose this form..." All Might winced from the pain but he made himself stand taller. "My heart will remain that of the Symbol of Peace! It's not something that you can steal even a single piece of!"
"Wonderful. I give up," All For One replied helplessly at the hero's determination. "I'd forgotten what a stubborn and naughty child you were. Then perhaps this will not hinder your heart at all either: you know, Shigaraki Tomura is Shimura Nana's grandson! I kept thinking about what you would hate the most. I created chances for you and Tomura to meet. You defeated him, right? You smiled so proudly when you won, not knowing a thing."
"Lies..."
"It's the truth! You realize it, don't you? That it's something I would do," All For One said. He chuckled when he saw the hero falter. He lifted his hands to his face to mimic the smile his predecessor used to make. "Oh, that's strange, All Might. Where's your smile? Hm, maybe telling you something even funnier will get you to smile. You remember that burning orphanage 11 years ago, right?"
All Might's blue eyes swirled with indescribable emotion at the mention and the villain caught it.
"You could say we were both heroes for the day. You saved a little girl named Shiragiku-kun... And I saved her brother, Tenko-kun! Isn't that funny? I raised Tenko-kun and he became my perfect successor... Shigaraki Tomura!"
"You... Bastard..."
"This is really fun!" All For One laughed.
Shigaraki... He's a relative of my master's... And he's the boy who I couldn't save... He's Young Aisaka's brother... If only I had been faster...!
"Maybe I was able to steal a piece, huh?"
All Might staggered back helplessly, the light in his eyes almost diminishing, "What have I done...?!"
"No... No way..."
"All Might..."
"If you can't win, then who can?"
All around the U.A. students, the public was watching the screen with horror at the sight of the defeated hero. All For One was too strong; he had barely seemed to gain more than a few scratches while the hero was beaten and battered, and he was not moving from his spot after being hit with that large shockwave.
"Even though he looks different... All Might is still All Might, right?"
"He's always been able to save us somehow... So please...!"
"Don't give up! All Might!"
"..."
Midoriya noticed a small whisper from behind his back. The others did too despite the loud uproar from the crowd that was attempting to cheer the hero on. They were trying to give the hero a ray of hope, and it seemed that the girl on Midoriya's back had heard the commotion and was trying to say something despite being in her unconscious state.
"...Win... All... Might..."
With tears in his eyes, Midoriya shouted it louder in hopes of reaching the Symbol of Peace. Next to him, the wide-eyed Bakugou did the same.
"WIN! ALL MIGHT!"
With thousands chanting for All Might, Shiro entered into a dream-like state with the hero in her memories.
"What are you doing, kid?"
Shiro, at four-and-a-half years of age, has lived with the Eraser Hero: Eraserhead for almost half a year since the orphanage fire. She was sitting quietly in front of the computer screen the hero had out in the living room and was watching something on it intently.
"Where is Mic?" Aizawa grumbled as he set down the groceries on the kitchen table and made his way to the little girl. He had went out for barely an hour to get some food since the fridge was empty, and Present Mic had been around the area and pestering him so he asked the loud hero to watch over Shiro while he went out.
"Uncle Mic... Bathroom," Shiro barely replied as her eyes stayed glued to the screen.
The hero looked to see what was captivating the girl so much and realized immediately that it was a video of the Symbol of Peace, All Might, a few years ago when he was rescuing over fifty people from a terrible accident that involved a derailed train and burning buildings. Despite the hard work, All Might had saved everyone with a smile on his face.
"He's a Pro Hero like you!" Shiro pointed at the screen as her ruby eyes stared up at the Eraser Hero. "Do you do that, too?"
"Somewhat... No one can do what he does at that scale," Aizawa replied gruffly. "He's the Symbol of Peace for a reason."
"The 'Symbol of Peace'...?"
"That's what they call All Might. He's the pillar of hope that people could always rely upon during harsh times. He stands up triumphantly no matter the situation and inspires the world... Well, it may be true, but he's too flashy for his own good so we live two different worlds when it comes to media coverage."
Shiro listened intently as her eyes went to the smiling hero on the screen again. Even with a young mind, she felt a deep respect and interest in what the hero was able to accomplish. There was no doubt that he was cool and nothing seemed to be able to defeat him or his bright smile.
The girl turned to the scruffy man with a starstruck look, "I... I want to be a Pro Hero."
"He's really able to inspire anyone..." Aizawa grumbled. "You're no exception I suppose. You want to be like him? Like All Might?"
Shiro thought it over with a disposition that seemed too serious for a four-year-old. All Might was glorious and amazing, but she wasn't necessarily aiming to become him because she felt she couldn't, at least not in the same way. Plus, the other Pro Heroes were like All Might in that they can have profound effects on individuals and the public. For Shiro, her life was changed when she was saved and brought to live with the 26-year-old antisocial hero.
"No..." she mumbled and grabbed onto Aizawa's hero suit with a small blush. "I'm okay with just being like you, Eraserhead."
Aizawa was visibly shocked by the girl's words, but he coughed into his hand and looked to the side to play it cool. "Don't be irrational. If you're aiming to be a hero, then you should aim for the top."
But of course, no one could be a hero quite like All Might. He was truly one of a kind, and even Shiro knew that.
All Might is the greatest hero, and the greatest hero always wins.
Even if All Might couldn't see all of his supporters and those who believed in him, he could feel it within every inch of his being. It was the last burst that allowed him to use his United States of Smash on All For One and ended the battle once and for all.
After the dust cleared, the villain was unconscious in a crater. He raised his arm to signify his victory in his muscular form... It was his final act as the unbending figure as the Symbol of Peace.
As the medical rescue teams and disaster clean-up crews came rushing in towards dawn, reporters also flocked the area. All For One was taken away with a maximum security van, and cheers and shouts of joy for the hero could be heard not just around the Camino Ward, but the entire country that tuned into the intense battle.
The hero took in a deep, labored breath as he pointed to the camera a national reporting crew was holding. This was his last burst. With this ended his time as a hero because One For All had completely left his body. Thus, he needed to send one last message to the future generation and specifically to the bright-eyed boy who was once Quirkless but gained his respect to be a strong, unwavering hero.
"Next... It's your turn."
To the world, it was a warning to the lurking villains.
To a particular One For All successor, though, he knew what All Might was truly telling him.
"I have used up everything in me."
Midoriya Izuku cried harder than anyone that night.
The next day, All For One was incarcerated into a special prison for criminals. Police officials at Headquarters discussed all that have transpired and the country mourned the loss of the Symbol of Peace as All Might was sent to the hospital as an officially retired hero.
Shiro was also sent to the same hospital after Midoriya and the others were finally able to get past the crowd and bring the unconscious girl to a Pro Hero. They then went with Bakugou to the police to keep him safe. Meanwhile, Aizawa rushed from his conference location immediately after hearing the news and have been by the girl's bedside since.
"She's stable, but the Quirk that hit her was a memory-inducing one and it's exhausted her brain because it went deep into her repressed memories," the doctor said after he walked in on the worried hero with bloodshot eyes.
"When will she wake up?"
"It is unclear for now... I'm sorry. We are keeping a close watch over her to make sure nothing goes wrong. You should eat or get some rest, Eraserhead."
"Thanks," the hero replied gruffly without another look at the doctor and turned back to Shiro. "I'll stay."
"Alright... Take care of yourself."
Aizawa sighed as the doctor walked away. He had already been tense and worried to the extreme after the news of Shiro's kidnap, and this was pushing him over the edge despite the girl having escaped the villain's clutches. His students had been frantic when they explained what happened to the girl, and from what Bakugou had said about how Shigaraki insisted All For One to use a Quirk that may send her into a coma just for his personal gain, he became restless.
It was putting such a strain on his mentality to know that not only could he not prevent the attack on his and Vlad King's students, but that the girl he was entrusted with to take care of was taken and put into this kind of state.
He reached over to brush a strand of her hair to the side, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, kid. I couldn't protect you...
Tsukauchi knocked on the door to Shiro's hospital room to check up on the hero. The room was next to All Might's, and he had come over with Gran Torino to discuss some things with the now-retired hero. "Aizawa-kun, do you have a minute?"
"What is it?" he replied offhandedly without looking at the detective.
"It's about what All For One said to All Might... About Shigaraki Tomura and Aisaka-san," the man explained. "Will you come next door?"
That information made the hero stand up slowly with his eyes narrowed, "Yeah."
As the two men stepped next door, All Might immediately apologized.
"Aizawa-kun, I am so sorry. If I had been just a bit faster, maybe Young Aisaka wouldn't be—"
"Don't apologize," Aizawa said and sat down with Tsukauchi. "You were already fighting in such a state. If it wasn't for you holding All For One back, Bakugou might not even have been able to escape with the other runaways' help."
"Ah, but it is still due to my negligence... It was my fault that All For One even had a chance to plan something so diabolical with Shigaraki Tomura... My master's relative... And Young Aisaka's brother..."
"To think that both of them are Shimura's grandchildren..." Gran Torino said somberly.
"But that's just what All For One said, right?" Tsukauchi asked. "That's not very much to go on. The two of you didn't have any interactions with this Shimura's family? Why is that?"
"Shimura's husband was killed, so she put her child in foster care to keep her child away from the hero world. She told Toshinori and me that she didn't want us to have any contact with the child even if the worst were to happen to her," the old Jet Hero explained. Tsukauchi looked down.
"So your promise to the deceased backfired... That's sad."
"The blood relationship that my master severed for the sake of peace..." All Might muttered. "I have failed too many times. I had a chance to save both of my master's grandchildren, and yet, I only created a rift between the two... For Aisaka's sake and for my master's... I have to find Shigaraki..."
"No, you can't," Gran Torino cut in. "You're not looking at Shigaraki as a villain anymore. You definitely will hesitate. And as for the girl... We have no idea how far into her memories All For One was able to make her remember, but I doubt she will be able to see him as a villain either. By the looks of it, they were extremely close. That's why Shigaraki had stopped at nothing to kidnap her. We cannot let them meet. Tsukauchi and I will investigate Shigaraki from here on out."
"I will, too," Aizawa said definitively.
"Aizawa-kun..."
"It doesn't matter to me if they are siblings. I will not let him harm Shiro again."
"No, it's better if you continue to keep an eye on Aisaka, and you must continue with All Might to do what you need to do in U.A.," Gran Torino shook his head. "Think about it rationally. That is what you must focus on... To raise the next generation, and to educate Aisaka. With the news of her villain brother, she may not trust heroes so easily anymore... But she trusts you the most. All For One may have left us devestated with the news of Shigaraki, but we still have Shimura's other grandchild on our side. She will be the beacon of light, the push we need to keep going as long as we can keep her from going into the villain's side. You understand this, right?"
Aizawa lowered his lids and nodded. He couldn't beat rationality even if his mind was in a jumble right now. He couldn't disagree that this arrangement was most beneficial for Shiro. U.A. was planning on bringing the students into school dorms now, too, so it was crucial for him to be there to watch and help them grow.
"Going to the villain's side..." Tsukauchi furrowed his brows at the dreadful possibility. "Is that a possibility?"
Aizawa wanted to say no, but he knew the girl was ruled by strong emotions despite a great sense of loyality. If Shigaraki has truly been wronged by the hero society in some way, she may find it hard to go against him.
"The bonds of siblings are sometimes the strongest..." All Might whispered tensely. Gran Torino sighed.
"Then let's hope the bonds she's made with us is stronger."
THANK YOU ALL for the overwhelmingly kind reviews! I'm truly blessed to have such amazing readers who uplift me! I'm feeling so much better, and I've even started to get into the habit of reaching out to people more as well working on myself (exercising, self-care! hehe). I hope you all enjoyed this chapter because it was fun and intense to write :)
To the guest reviewer who asked some interesting questions ("...I'm thinking you may have forgot their sister Hana? She is pretty important to Shigaraki quirk activation. If not I really hope you go back and add her in, it would be great for the whole family to be in this story. I'm just wondering... if Shiro and Bakugou had kids, what would their quirks be? Another quirk question... Wasn't Shigaraki's hair naturally black, only tuning light blue due to his quirk awakening? So shouldn't Shiro have dark hair too (like both her parents and her brother had before his quirk manifested) or did her hair turn white because of her quirk also?") - here is my response since I can't PM guests!
1) I agree that Hana is pretty crucial to Shigaraki's Quirk activation in canon, however, in my version I had Shiro replace Hana's role completely. She is the loving little sister that Shigaraki was wary of because of favoritism but Shiro has a way of getting him attached to her (more on this in later chapters - yes, more flashbacks muahhaha)
2) I love me some ShiroBaku trivia crack! I'd think their kid (or kids - won't put it past Bakugou to want to progenate multiple times with his 'superior genes' XD) could have a terrifying combo of both where the kid can activate a zone of explosions that they can control remotely to explode at the opponent with precision (as long as they are trapped in the zone). The Quirk will be called 'Minefield'. Of course, there'll always be the chance that a new Quirk arises in the kid that is completely different from both of them cuz that's just how random selection of genes works. There are many possibilities!
3) Yes! In the manga Shigaraki's hair was black and turned silver-blue after he activated his Quirk... But again, since I'm twisting the story a bit (in that he actually started having the Quirk a little earlier but it was super weak until that night he killed everyone except Shiro, and that from the traumatic experience of being separated from Shiro he grew an obsession towards her), Shigaraki's hair color stays black and instead he bleaches it to make it look like Shiro's. This change is mainly to emphasize his obsession with his mother and Shiro (who had showed him the same warmth that his mother did before she died - note that the mother in my version also had silver-blue hair).
- Thanks for asking! I hope I answered them well enough :)
Now on an ending note... I'm glad that most of you aren't turned off by Shigaraki's obsession and are intrigued! He's very messed up but it's expected since he's been beat around and then manipulated by All For One.
That's all for now :) Please continue to leave reviews!