'Despite how often my name is said in the same breath as Titan, I spoke to the man only once. I will tell you that he was a man driven to excess: he laughed louder than all others and his grief was profound in its depth; his rage was an inferno, but his forgiveness came very easily. He was a man of extremes, but never once did I think him unbalanced. He favoured strength and it was built into every part of his rule. To be a mayor was to fight off challengers constantly. To be a General was to defeat your predecessor. Our methods of governance were different and irreconcilable. I suppose I respected him even as I loathed him. How could I not? We are unique as Tyrants and we rose to power at the same time. He is my equal and my peer. Who else can say the same?'
—Excerpt from 'My Thoughts and My Failings' by Luciana Cisneros, the Stormwind.
Shouto Todoroki sets the dinner table with his sister, dancing around her as she carries trays laden with food. It is an exorbitant amount of food even a year after the war but Fuyumi knows exactly how much three hungry boys can eat.
Since his mother is cooking, Shouto plans on eating. It will be the first thing he's eaten in weeks. He's done his best to avoid Fuyumi and her insistent attempts to force him to eat. Most things taste like ash.
"Where's father?" he asks his mother after taking another tray.
She pauses and Shouto sees a spectre of grief in her features. She pauses just a moment too long that things become awkward.
"Long term deployment," Fuyumi answers for her. "Someone has to make money somehow."
Shoto rolls his eyes. "We're rich. Have you seen our home?"
"I've seen the weird materials you used, yes."
After the war and the destruction, rebuilding their home had been Shouto's first task. Whilst the basement was large and Shouto had modified it to withstand nuclear attack it still hadn't been the nicest place to stay in. Better than most people's situations but not great. With building materials being used exclusively for large scale housing, Shouto had gone into the abyss to find materials.
Their home is built from dragon bone ground down to make concrete, iron giant carapace for steel support, and a myriad of other creatures. It's a hodgepodge mix of abyssal materials and human design. Neither of his brothers has noticed exactly what's wrong but Fuyumi is smarter than both.
"He'll be back soon," his mother promises. "He's doing what he can in these hard times. He's doing it for the family."
"Who's doing what for the family?" Natsuo says loudly, entering the dining room. He's just as loud and bombastic as Shouto remembers.
Touya follows behind him. He's still got bags under his eyes and looks skinny as a twig. The year after the war hadn't been good for him. None of the stories he tells of trying to survive is pleasant. Their mother can't bear to listen to the stories and they've hardly gotten to the darkest parts.
"We're talking about dad," Shouto says blithely just because it will piss of Natsuo.
"Oh, that bastard. Why the fuck do you like him again."
"Natsuo," Fuyumi says in warning.
His brother ignores it. "No, really, what good thing has he done for this family? He's not the reason any of us are here."
"No, that would be me." Shouto ambles over, towering over his siblings. He's the only one who inherited Endeavour's height, and whilst Touya is the closest, even he is half a head shorter than Shouto.
"Oh, you think you're big just because you got tall?" Natsuo shares a look with Touya who sighs in resignation. "You better watch yourself."
And then Touya tackles Shouto to the floor. He lets it happen but carefully shifts his elbow so Touya will have a black eye tomorrow. Natsuo joins them on the floor, pinning Shouto in a chokehold. Shouto grunts and bites Natsuo's hand. His brother yelps but only increases the pressure.
"Boys!" their mother snaps.
They all freeze. Their mother looks furious and wields a ladle as a threat, white hair framing her like a vengeful spirit.
"Get yourselves to the table right now."
Even Shouto finds himself intimidated and kneels on his customary cushion at the far end of the table. Usually, Endeavour would sit opposite him. It's insulting to his older siblings, but everyone knows only he has truly inherited the family quirks. That makes him the heir and future head of the household.
Not that anyone cares except Endeavour. Shouto would prefer Fuyumi run the show. She's at least got the disappointed look down. And if either of his brothers has children, he knows Fuyumi will force them to be good dads.
They settle down to eat after Rei sits at the corner beside Endeavour's customary seat. Fuyumi sits opposite her. Despite everything, Endeavour always had a soft spot for his wife and daughter.
"Anyone been paying attention to the spiders?" Fuyumi asks. "They're everywhere now."
"Yeah, the news won't shut up about it." Touya shivers. "I hate spiders. Why can't I just walk down the road without seeing a dozen."
"What happened to that girl of yours?" their mother asks Natsuo, changing the subject abruptly.
It's a pleasant change from dinner with Endeavour. Those are quiet and stifling affairs. His mother has no interest in following that. A few months ago, Endeavour had glared at someone laughing too loud and she had told him off so badly that it had left them all reeling. Shouto doesn't relish the idea of dealing with that again.
"We weren't going to work out."
Touya scoffs. "Sure. That has nothing to do with—"
"Don't you dare. You think I don't have secrets about you."
Fuyumi rolls her eyes. "What, that he's gay and you keep on cheating. I think everyone knows that."
"Oh, we might as well start talking about your abortion then."
Shouto wisely stays out of the fight that breaks out. They go at it viciously and by the end, Shouto's learnt more about his siblings than he ever wanted to know.
"Enough," their mother says. "I can't believe you're all such children."
"Shouto's the only child," Touya mutters.
"He stayed out of it like an adult." She gives everyone a frigid smile before turning to Shouto. "So, anyone special in your life."
"I'm not looking for…" Shouto cocks his head, wondering why Fumikage has just appeared outside his home. "Sorry, one of my friends is here. I need to go check on him."
Fuyumi, unlike the rest, isn't confused by that statement. Of his family, she and Endeavour have the best grip on his powers.
"Invite him for dinner," Touya says. "I want to see little Shouto's friends."
"I don't think it's that kind of visit," Fuyumi says. "Don't do anything stupid."
Natsuo huffs. "Stupid and Shouto go hand in hand."
Despite his annoyance, Natsuo is still family. So Shouto won't mess with him too badly when he gets back. Maybe he'll have it so all the water is freezing cold whenever Natsuo opens a tap.
He heads out and finds Fumikage dressed in casual clothes, black vest and shirt and trousers. He doesn't wear his customary Chrysanthemum anywhere on his person.
"What happened?"
"Izuku." Fumikage struggles with his words, worrying Shouto more. "Inko, she… she's gone."
That knocks the breath out of his lungs.
"Oh." Then he remembers just how much Izuku loves—loved, now—his mother. "Fuck."
They leave together, Shouto only barely remembering to send his family a message that he won't be back.
The funeral is being held in a quiet plot of land away from society. It is silent and empty, not a photographer to be seen. It isn't a bustling affair, nothing like All Might's funeral. He sees some of their classmates and adults with whom Inko was friends with.
The weather should be bright and clear. It is that time of year. Instead, the sky above is slate grey and drizzling.
He finds Izuku standing by a tree, resting in its shade, dejected. Dressed in a pitch-black suit with shadows that absorb the light around him, he looks ominous and entirely appropriate for a funeral. Who better to attend a funeral than a god of death?
"Izuku," he says uncertainly.
There is nothing warm or pleasant in his eyes. "No, Shouto. Just stop."
That hurts more than the time Izuku stabbed him in the gut.
"If you say something, I'll just be angry at you."
Izuku walks past him without another word. Shouto watches him, his throat tight. When did they drift so far apart?
A hand lands on his shoulder. He looks down at Fumikage who exudes neither pity nor platitude. No, all he has is patience. Shouto nods and they find a spot in the back to observe everything. Fumikage is a strong presence at his side. He says nothing but his silence is comfort enough.
Fumikage and Shouto watch the funeral proceedings quietly, removed from everyone else. Their classmates are here as well, at least, those who knew Izuku. Katsuki wastes no time in hugging him and he doesn't let go until Izuku stops crying. Ojiro stands beside him with Momo.
Hiashi speaks for his wife and his regrets and sorrow are clear. Izuku gives a halting speech that haunts Shouto. There is so much raw grief that it infects everyone, drapes them all like a cloak. But there is also love so deep that it can change universes, love that changed the laws of the universe.
No one claps. This isn't that kind of speech. The sky is heavy with storm clouds and sorrow.
The shadows around Kouta are incredibly dark and have a depth to them. They writhe and twitch unnaturally. Others fail to notice it consciously but they give the boy a wide berth in most cases. Kouta himself only smiles fondly at one of the shadows and that is when Shouto realises that they exist to protect him.
Fumikage and Shouto stay away from Izuku as he navigates his other friends. He spends hours with them simply talking. By the end, even Bakugou is tearful. But all things come to an end and, one by one, they leave.
That moment when Izuku thinks he is alone is when they walk towards him. He looks up and his grief leaves Shouto feeling raw and uncertain. They've been through a lot but this is uncharted territory.
And Shouto doesn't know what to do.
Somehow, Fumikage wraps a weird bubble of spacetime around them. When they walk, they travel miles with each step. It's slower than what Shouto does, but it is less jarring. It also doesn't antagonise either Shouto or Izuku. The bubble balances darkness and godflame perfectly.
They make it to the pier they made their promise. It is still damaged from the war and will be one of the last places to be fixed. It doesn't represent critical infrastructure. It will be left broken and unwanted for decades to come.
Fumikage is gentle but insistent as he leads Izuku to the pier. He makes Izuku sit down. Shouto joins them, sitting on Izuuk's other side. He forces his body warmer and eventually Izuku loosens his tightly wound body and leans into Shouto.
Together, they watch the waves.
The storm surrounding Izuku has followed him. The clouds are pitch black and the sky rumbles ominously. A cold wind blows across the pier and Shouto must heat it up before it reaches them. Where the waves had been gentle and tame, now they are picking up in speed and ferocity.
Shouto realises he now has another means to know Izuku. He will learn to listen to the wind and hear Izuku's voice. The sky above will tell him of Izuku's joy or grief or anger. Even the speed of the wind will give him greater insight into Izuku.
"I made a promise to Kouta."
His tone terrifies Shouto. His usual joy and deep-abiding love are gone. In its place is something hard and brittle.
"What promise?" Fumikage asks.
"That no one will ever hurt us again. And if they did then they wouldn't walk away." Lightning arcs around Izuku's body. "I don't mean to break that promise."
"Then don't."
Izuku laughs bitterly. "It's impossible. He's mortals and mortals die."
Shouto understands. He's come to grips with the fact that his siblings and his mother are all going to perish. He'll outlive them and maybe, if he lives long enough, he'll even forget them. Unlike Izuku, he's divorced from humanity. Mortals live and they die. Just like planets. Just like stars. Shouto will stand eternal.
Maybe one day, Izuku will understand that. For now, all Shouto can do is offer comfort. He intertwines his fingers with Izuku and grounds him in the here and now.
"We'll always be here," he ventures cautiously.
Izuku doesn't look at him. "I know. I wish it was her."
The words hurt but they've said much worse to each other. He has forgiven Izuku so many personal crimes since they've known each other.
What is one more injury when Izuku is grieving? The words may cut his heart, but the pain will heal. Izuku's grief will not.
-TDB-
Izuku Midoriya feels nothing but bitterness. His anger and rage have burnt out. His grief is so pervasive that it has stopped being a feeling and become a state of being. The crushing sadness lives in his bones and the world is shades of grey.
Rain pelts his face, unnaturally warm. He knows it isn't natural. The ocean wind is as frigid as his soul but the rain and cutting wind that reaches them is warm. He feels the barrier around them that heats everything up and knows it can only be Shouto. The same person he's leaning into for warmth.
Fumikage is on his other side and only now does he realise that he's been crushing his hand. The sparks of One For All die down and he lets go. His hand is bruised terribly and Izuku can name all the bones that have broken. Fumikage splays out his hand, raw power building up. Between one moment and the next, the bruises fade away.
"I miss her."
As do I, Mikumo whispers. But it is time to get up. You made a promise.
"He doesn't have to do anything," Shouto murmurs. "He's allowed to rest."
Izuku inhales and pulls away from Shouto. "He's right. I can sleep when I'm dead."
He feels relief and resignation from his brother. He also feels an undercurrent of grief just as vast as his own. It makes sense. Mikumo was her son as well. Then Izuku realises Mikumo never truly got to meet her, never got to experience her love first-hand. No, he only saw their mother love Izuku and never Mikumo.
In his distraction, he doesn't notice Shouto touch his face. Shouto traces the outline of his scar. His touch is ghostly and chilling. Izuku closes his eyes and all he wants to do is stop moving. He wants to rest and never wake up again.
"Be with your family," he tells Shouto, pulling away. "Mortals disappear so quickly. One minute they're there and the next… well, I think you know."
He stands up, keeping his heart hard against Shouto's lost expression. He's barely keeping everything together. It isn't fair for Shouto to need Izuku to be an anchor as well.
"But—"
"Just go. I don't have the energy to fight with you."
Hurt flashes across Shouto's face before he disappears in a burst of fire. Izuku inhales and then looks to Fumikage who is still sitting, observing everything placidly.
"You should do the same. Make amends with your parents."
"Later. Right now, I think you need me more." Fumikage offers a tiny smile. "You made the right decision in sending Shouto away. His… unmitigated violence and indifference aren't what you need."
Izuku takes a shuddering breath. "Thank you."
Distance means nothing to them. In a few minutes, they have arrived at Izuku's temporary home. Hisashi is waiting for them and exhales.
"Kouta needs to see you," his father says. "I tried putting him to sleep but he just... he won't believe you're safe until he sees you."
Izuku nods and lets Hisashi and Fumikage speak to each other. Kouta is in his room, eyes dull and indifferent. Izuku sits beside him, breathing calmly. In. Pause. Out. Repeat. Eventually, Kouta mirrors his breathing pattern.
It doesn't take too long before he falls asleep. Izuku tucks him in and heads back down.
Fumikage is silent and seated alone, no sign of Hisashi anywhere. He sips a glass of something golden that smells of alcohol. Worse still, he's halfway through the bottle already. Either Izuku was with Kouta longer than he expected or Fumikage has developed a habit.
"That'll kill your liver."
Fumikage rolls his eyes and takes a swig. "We both know it only affects me as much as I'd like."
You're stalling.
"You're rather insistent that he moves forward," Fumikage says, looking directly where Izuku assumes Mikumo is. "What is it that you need, old friend?"
"Can you watch over Kouta tomorrow? No one is ever going to hurt us again."
Fumikage nods. "I'll introduce him to the kids. I'll remind them that not everyone has their strength."
"If they forget then Kouta will just punch them in the crotch. Or hose them down."
"He'll fit in perfectly."
Izuku prepares a pot of tea. He does it carefully, making a ritual of it. He never cared for alcohol or coffee. Even his feelings for his mother can't change his feeling for the blackened sludge she enjoyed drinking.
His eyes betray him when he opens the cabinet and smells coffee. It isn't her favourite brand or even fresh, but the smell reminds him too much of her.
"Things are changing quickly," Fumikage says as he accepts a cup from Izuku. He downs the tea in one gulp and pours his liquor into it. "The light barrier between our world and the abyss has eroded."
"I know. It was… the spiders hurt her."
Fumikage hums. "That explains their sudden appearance in the light. Have I told you how many regions have been infected?"
Izuku doesn't want to listen, but it is a distraction from his grief. He listens attentively as Fumikage tells him of his journeys to the Amazon and America and Europe. He tells Izuku of finding cultists on tiny islands and the sacrifices they make. He speaks of the abominations and godlings that exist in hidden places across the earth.
"We're overwhelmed with the work. The world governments, at least the highest levels, know about the threat. The threats can't be contained. I've been in Europe dealing with matters there as part of an international task force. I don't get much time to return to Japan with all the… infections, popping up."
"When the void infects the real, all you can do is burn away the infection." He taught Fumikage those words and he's taken them to heart. Izuku would grieve the loss of his innocence if he had any grief left.
With a sigh, Fumikage pours the last of his bottle into the glass. He sips at it, trying to savour the final glass.
"I don't know how long we'll be able to hold it back." Fumikage casts his gaze to the window, the first rays of dawn creeping across the lawn. "The truth will come out soon."
They sit together a few minutes longer. Izuku walks to the kitchen and cooks. Kouta will have to eat regardless of his feelings. Izuku keeps the food simple, disinclined to care for extravagance and simply not having the energy.
He wakes Kouta and forces him through a routine. By the end, Kouta is clean and eating mechanically.
"Kouta, Fumikage will watch out for you today."
That is the first moment of alertness he's seen out of the boy today. "Why can't you just stay?"
Izuku doesn't want to deal with his tears. "I made you a promise. This is part of it. Nothing will ever hurt you if Fumikage is with you."
"I have a family of sorts here," Fumikage explains. "The oldest is fourteen but the younger ones are your age. You'll fit in well. And you can punch them as hard as you want."
"Please, just do this for me. I can't take you where I need to go and Hisashi's busy making sure we have a safe place to go to."
In the end, Kouta has little choice. Even with his eight years, he knows that Izuku will keep his promise so long as Kouta lets him.
When they're done, Izuku showers and changes. He's not certain how Hisashi managed to fully stock his wardrobe as well, but Izuku won't argue with it. He chooses a suit dark as night. The only spot of colour is his thin green tie.
With that ready, he leaves the home. The land of the home is larger than he expects, large enough that he gets lost quickly enough.
Izuku makes a gesture. The presence that has been following him for hours now descends from the skies.
For the first time in a week, Izuku gets a look at his Disciple.
What the hell? Mikumo asks for them both.
The wings are the same shade of green as Shuichi. The scales are vibrant and refract the light almost like a liquid rainbow. They are majestic on him. More importantly is the vast well of power Shuichi holds, nothing close to a godling, but more than enough to face a few abominations.
"My wings, your disciple shall bear," Izuku says, remembering Eao's promise. "I should have known it was being literal."
"You knew."
"Yes. Are you angry with me?"
Shuichi shakes his head. "Your father told me about the abyss. I… I would have been too weak to fight."
Izuku accepts that with a nod. "My mother is dead."
"I know."
"Where were you, Shuichi Iguchi? Where were you, my Disciple?"
Shuichi is a silent presence behind him.
"I was doing as you asked."
The words are soft but they are still a rebuke. Izuku winces because he knows they are true. Inko would have been safe if Izuku hadn't been so paranoid and sent Shuichi on a stupid mission.
He would have died as well, brother.
"I plan on building a support base," he says, accepting the rebuke and Mikumo's logic. "The Lightning Bolts will be the basis of that. But they need funding."
"What's the plan?"
"The League of Villains though I doubt they still call themselves that. I have their data files. I know the names and faces of their agents, even the ones with new identities."
"What will you do with it?"
"The League failed. So did Heroics. I'm trying to create something new." Green lightning strikes the ground. "To do that, I'm going to need all the resources I can get."
Finding the League contact he wants isn't difficult. He's gone through All For One's files dozens of times, committing names and locations to memory. Once that's done, they travel there through the abyss.
Shuichi stares at everything as a child would a shiny object. It is endearing and gladdening. If he can do that with no ill effects then he will be able to serve. The scales on his wings shimmer, imparting some form of protection on his Disciple.
They catch the attention of a dragon that swoops down and flies alongside them for a while. It observes Shuichi and its confusion is evident. It leaves them alone soon enough.
"That was a…"
"A dragon, yes. Not a particularly powerful one." He raises his hand. "The more closely they look like a human the more powerful they are."
Shuichi accepts this with a nod and then they're out of the abyss, the burning heat of the sun bearing down on them. They sneak into the home deftly, evading security systems and personnel. The home isn't particularly extravagant. Certainly, one for a wealthy person, but not horrendously so.
Izuku settles into the lounge. It has the bookshelf and a chair hidden by an incredibly dark shadow. He reads something that won't remind him of his mother, but in the process, he fills in the gaps with her presence. He hears her laughter in the line breaks and sees her smile in the shape of the paragraphs. He closes the book and sets it aside.
He feels the owner enter the home nearly an hour later and follows her shadow as she goes about making a meal. Izuku almost laughs at her obliviousness.
"If I wanted—"
He's interrupted by a gunshot.
Shuichi is there, his lance twirling and batting aside the bullets. It isn't necessary but Izuku learnt the importance of appearance at All For One's heel. To have a follower as intimidating as Shuichi is an asset he refuses to squander.
"Are we done with the theatrics?" he asks when her gun is empty. "Have a seat. And tell your security to stay back."
He gestures to one that is lower than Izuku's. Given that this is her home, the act is incredibly rude. Still, she takes the seat knowing she has no means to fight back.
"Hello, my name is Izuku. I think you know me."
"He said you would show up."
"Who did?"
"Kurogiri."
Izuku brings his hands together, interlocking his fingers. He leans his chin on his extended thumbs. It allows him to look down on her and gives his twitchy fingers something to do.
"Ah yes, the man you reported to directly. He's a worthy adversary. Obviously, his side lost." Izuku forces a smile. "You reported to him directly as the Division Commander of Okinawa. In the aftermath of the war, you inherited a rather sizable block of All For One's conglomerate. Thank you for your rebuilding efforts."
Her neck muscles quiver. "Japan is my home."
"The League of Villains is dead. In its place are legitimate businesses in fields as varies as construction to manufacturing and security."
For added effect, he lists the largest amongst them. The colour drains from her face as he names the leaders and their former identities as villains.
If he gave the same list to the government or the navy, he could negotiate so much for himself. He won't, though she doesn't know that. As far as she knows, these are the last moments of her peaceful life.
"What do you want?"
"I'm not going to coerce you or anything. know you're helping people in need. And I can respect that. So, I will give you the choice to continue your new life uncontested. I'll burn every file we have on you and those who choose to stay with you."
Shuichi's wings twitch, his surprise is evident. The woman makes an aborted motion for her gun before realising the futility of that action.
"And the other option?"
"I want to make a society where another war can't happen. A society where UA and heroes and villains aren't needed. A society without a military junta."
"Why should I trust you?"
Izuku leans back, sinking into the deep chair. He doesn't slouch because only generic villains slouch.
"There's no reason you should," he agrees. "I'm nothing more than a boy refusing to inherit this world. I'm nothing more than a boy willing to stand against the entire world for my beliefs. I'm nothing more than a boy who never wants to see a girl in a sunflower dress gunned down by the police."
"Anyone can say that."
"You're right, anyone can. Anyone can choose to make a bright future. Anyone with the will to live can create a paradise. I don't ask you to trust me, I don't ask you to believe Sensei made the right choice, I don't expect you to care that All Might entrusted his legacy with me. I won't even ask you to trust in the Lightning Bolts who have placed their faith in me. All I ask is that you give me a chance to prove myself. Will you?"
Her features are resigned. They both know there is no choice here.
"Yes."
He gestures and Shuichi takes a step back to lean against the wall. "I'll need your help going forward."
"What do you need?"
"The Lightning Bolt network needs money and supplies. I'll put you in contact with one of them. Do whatever needs to be done."
If he goes through with this, then it means allying himself with former villains.
'You must learn to compromise with those you hate if it means another day of peace,' All For One had told him once. Here he is doing that very same thing.
He doubts All Might would have done the same thing given the same choice. For a moment, he wonders what Toshinori would think if he saw Izuku shake the hand of a villain.
He did not have a brother to protect, Mikumo says. He was free to die and leave no grieving family behind. Toshinori never sought the future. He placed it in your hands.
There is one last place he must visit. One last promise to fulfil.
Vancouver Island would have beautiful weather if Izuku wasn't so bitter. A storm is approaching from the ocean, one that hadn't been there before. It is deadly enough that weather advisories go out immediately.
"I think stealth is out of the option for me," he tells Shuichi as they wait in the base.
"Perhaps."
Then he realises something. Shuichi's hands are empty. "What happened to your weapon?"
"It's still around. I don't how to explain it."
Izuku cocks his head. The door clicks open just before he can ask his question. It opens with a creak and a man he hasn't seen in a long time enters.
"Hello, again."
Tomura Shigaraki stares at Izuku in bewilderment. Then he turns on his heel and bolts. He gets about three steps in.
Shuichi sweeps his hand out and his lance materialises. The metal shaft knocks Tomura over. In a flash, Shuichi has him pinned to the ground, the sharp point at his throat.
"Do you remember me?" he asks coldly. "Do you remember when you aimed a gun at my brother? Do you remember what I said that day? I told you that one day I would hold your life and remember that day. Today is that day."
There is a frantic fear in Tomura's gaze. "Fuck you," he says defiantly. Then, to Shuichi, "You traitor."
Izuku sighs. "I won't kill you. There's no reason to kill you. Your master failed and now you're hiding like a rat. I just wanted to collect on that promise."
He glances at his disciple. "Let him up."
Shuichi lets his lance dissipate in motes of light, stepping back from Tomura. "It isn't betrayal if you were never trusted."
"Let's skip this please." Izuku rises from his seat. "Tenko Shimura."
"What?"
"That's your name. The name your mother gave you. You're the last of the Shimura lineage. I hope one day you live up to Nana's legacy."
"Who the fuck is that?"
"Nana Shimura the Brave. All Might's mentor. The seventh torchbearer of One For All." He smiles cruelly. "In a way, we're cousins. We're both products of Nana and All For One. Nana was your grandmother and she taught Toshinori who taught me. All For One is the reason One For All ever existed. A hero and a villain brought us together."
"Why did you come here.
"To threaten you. And to ask you for a favour. I want you to go to the VIVA leadership. Give this to the High Council. I want them to know that I don't want them to be enemies." Izuku's smile is blood and crystal madness as he hands Tomura an envelope. "The world is changing. I'm going to drag it kicking and screaming to the future."
"They're villains and you're a..."
"I believe the VIVA and I have similar interests. Give it to them. And Tomura, if you or the Vanguard hurt anyone, I'll kill you. You get one chance and that's it. Tell Kurogiri I said hi."
Izuku pats him on the shoulder as he walks past, head high and back straight. It feels good to be powerful. Maybe if he becomes powerful enough, no one he loves will ever die again.
-TDB-
Eijirou Kirishima's time in China has been spent in meetings, one after the next. He is a source of information on mankind's greatest enemies. He's spoken of every fear Izuku Midoirya has, every belief Fumikage Tokoyami possesses, and Shouto Todoorki's callousness. More than that, he speaks of their quirks and the power they can bring to bear.
That had been all well and good until a city burnt to the ground in hours. One moment, things had been fine, the next there had been chaos. Tianjin on fire had been a priority for his handler, Ghost Fox, and everyone else. Worse still, the Songhua River had flooded at the same time. The flooding had been manmade, a quirk having been used for it. That's the only reason saltwater would be present.
Eijirou does not count the dead. One is too many and it is far more than a million. The skirmish between Russia and China has only added to that body count.
The nature of things bothers him. He's almost immediately brought in for questioning and it relates to Shouto Todoroki. He answers the questions, confused when they ask him about Todoroki's hydrokinesis—Todoroki's never shown that power and Eijirou's told them all about his quirk—but having no time to gain his bearings before the interrogation continued.
Despite everything, he isn't an idiot. And he needs to know what's going on. Finding his way to the database is fraught with peril. Technically, he's allowed in this section of the base. It just requires him to be with his handler. The war has everyone focused on things other than him.
He accesses the database using his handler's authentication codes, glad he took the risk to observe her when she was in a good mood. He sets a broad search for Tianjin, Russia, Shouo's designation, and filters for the last year. The number of files is staggering and he downloads them, tense all the while. If anyone comes in then he'll be shot, no questions asked.
In the comfort of his room, he peruses the files. Rage and hate blossoms in his heart the more he learns.
"You fucking bastard."
He contemplates his choices going forward. The choice unfurls before him: to stay or to leave. If he stays, he'll gain the trust of his Chinese handlers and eventually gain access to them. However, the further down he looks, the more destruction he sees before he disappears completely. If he leaves, they'll want his head but the arc of his life will be longer, even if it is filled with violence.
The choice is simple enough to make.
Getting out is a nightmare, one alleviated slightly by the bigger distraction of war. It doesn't change the fact that he spends two weeks hiding in bogs and forests, filthy and disgusting. He avoids the searches only by the grace of his future-sight and sometimes that doesn't work out well.
Hours after landing in Japan courtesy of a smuggling network, Eijirou is shot. It comes from an unassuming man. He crushes the man's skull on accident, blinded by the pain.
The pain makes it hard to focus but he forces himself to search the man's clothes. He has papers and ID and everything that made him out to be Japanese. Ejirou finds a tattoo under his tongue signifying a deep-cover agent for China.
"Fuck," he hisses, wrapping the wound.
There's one place he knows he will be safe come what may. Eijirou sets his gaze south and heads to his hometown.
Eijirou stumbles into Mina's window bleeding half to death. The only reason he misses a spray of acid to the face is that he collapses immediately.
When he awakens the world is blurry. He forces himself to sit up, fighting through the pain of the wound. He looks around, recognising Mina's wallpaper and bed. He's on her couch by the window.
There she is, watching him cautiously from the chair by her desk. Her cat purrs contentedly in her lap.
"You're lucky the backstreet doctor owes me a favour," she says. "My parents know you're here. No hiding that."
He nods. The Ashidos are good people. Always have been.
"How long?" His voice is clear, not dry in the slightest.
"Four days. Your fever broke last night. You woke up a few times. I laced your water with sleeping meds."
"Why?"
"I had to go see Izuku."
His lips curl in disgust. "He's not your friend," he spits out.
"His mother died. I went to the funeral."
Eijirou shrugs. "I didn't see you when my mother died. Or my grandfather. Or anyone else."
"Did you tell me? Or were you too busy wallowing in your grief like a man, all alone and stoic." She closes her book. "Now you're lashing out like a rabid animal. Worse. At least animals clean themselves. I had to burn your clothes."
He blinks, startled. He looks down and finds he is wearing someone else's clothes.
"Wait, did you see my—"
"How else was I going to get you clean?" Her words are dry. "Your manly virginity is still intact. And, for your reference, you are exactly average."
He flushes. There's a lot he's shared with Mina and a lot of it is embarrassing. It comes from being as close as they were and going through puberty together. They've seen each other naked but that had been as children, not adults.
"Thank you," he grits out, remembering the filth of the shipping container. "You're a good friend."
"How was your trip?"
"Enlightening."
"Are we going to do the fake polite thing?"
He grunts. "Maybe."
"Where were you, Eiji?"
He hasn't heard that in years. No one, not even his family, calls him by anything other than his last name. Except for Mina when they were younger. She was the only one who gave him a nickname.
"China."
He watches as she processes that. Her eyes go wide and her hold on the cat tightens till it claws at her. She lets go and it darts away.
She blinks, focusing on him.
"Why?"
"Selling every secret on Midoriya I have."
"You fucking traitor." She's standing now, furious.
"Call me a fucking traitor all you want but look at this." He throws his phone over to her. "Look at the Tianjin folder."
She has the presence of mind to not simply drench his phone in acid. Maybe it is their friendship that makes her do as he says, unlocking his phone on the second try. It doesn't surprise him. She knows every password he would ever use.
Slowly, the anger drains from her. The tense set of her shoulders loosen before they slump. Horror overtakes her features as understanding dawns on her. It's the same way he felt when he learnt the truth.
"But that's—"
"It's blurry, yeah, but that's Endeavour. And right beside him is his son. Shouto Todoroki started a war between two countries for no reason. Shouto who fucking loves Midoriya. The same guy who's ready to start a bloody revolution."
"How did you get this?"
"Central databank of China's Great Ten. It's a bad name. They should be the Great Five at this point." Eijirou chuckles. "They tracked me for weeks while I fled. I think there's a bounty on my head. They're the ones who shot me."
"Most of my family lived in Yokohama," she says softly. "There isn't even rubble where they lived. Just flat earth, scorch marks, and rips in the ground. They were ground zero for most of the war. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."
That confuses him for a second. But only a second. He knows Mina and will always know how she thinks.
"And Todoroki is going around doing the same across the world." He chuckles. "I'm the only one who sees how dangerous they are. They're monsters and they aren't human. I'm going to fight back and I'm going to make sure they don't take over."
She assesses him, searching him for any falsehood. He's never been able to lie to her. His red hair didn't fool her. She'd seen it and known exactly what he was trying to do.
Eventually, she speaks. "What's your plan?"
"I'm gonna start my own revolution. Against them. I'm going to fight even if I have to do it alone."
"You're not alone."
There is no hesitance in her words. She has made a choice and he sees entire futures collapse around them, dozens of new possibilities opening up. An unwinding golden thread appears and Eijirou sees a chance for victory. It will be difficult; like threading a needle through a haystack without touching the hay. But it exists.
Todoroki showed him a potential future like this when they were younger and innocent. One where he fights the good fight till the very end. But he knows this is the only possibility to win.
Todoroki made a mistake the last time Eijirou saw him, two weeks before the Kamino Ward War ended. Love is the most powerful force in the universe, were his words. From anyone else, Eijirou would have ignored them. But Todoroki is far beyond humanity. Maybe there was power in his words.
I love humanity, you bastard, Eijirou thinks. I'm going to make sure we're free of you.
"I can't promise we'll win," he tells Mina. "We might be fighting a losing war. We'll probably die in horrible ways."
"You can't chase me away that easily."
Right there and then, he remembers just how much he loves her.
-TDB-
Fumikage Tokoyami returns to Europe after an emergency summons from his allies.
It has been a good few days of peace and quiet. He spent time with the kids and even visited his parents which had been horribly awkward. It hadn't involved any screaming so he counts that as a victory. Fumikage had forced himself to be polite despite his mother's fretting, which, after witnessing Izuku's grief at losing his mother, isn't that great of a burden.
When the call comes, he is training some new recruits. One of whom he vaguely remembers from UA. Perhaps from 1-B? Fumikage had only spent a few months of his life there and hadn't interacted with them. It's well over a year since he left UA.
When he arrives in Europe, their temporary command centre is a flurry of activity. He shows his ID badge when needed as he looks for his temporary team or someone he knows.
"Tokoyami."
He stops and turns to meet his liaison from his last stint in Europe. She's picked up a new scar and looks exhausted.
"Hello, again."
"Your… boss is looking for you. The scary lady."
Fumikage chuckles. "Lead the way."
He finds Maya talking to someone else from the Imperial Household. Her face lights up when she sees him. With a gesture, she dismisses everyone in the room.
Then it is just the two of them. He wants to reach out and touch her because it's been months since they last had a real conversation. She smiles, reading his thoughts.
Right now, he's glad he can't blush with feathers covering his face.
Is this really the time? Dark Shadow asks. You think with your dick too often.
"The reunion will have to wait." She slides a folder towards him. "You were right about Greece. We captured a cultist there. Took some enhanced interrogation—"
"Torture, you mean," he says, skimming the executive summary of the file.
"Call it what you will. They're congregating there for something big. We've been assigned Larissa."
They talk a bit longer and he learns that their team isn't the usual multinational group he expects. No, this time it will be him, Maya, and the others from the Imperial Household. Something about international politics has them separated.
They don't go to the city itself. Their helicopters touch down a few kilometres away from a farm on the outskirts of the city. The region is dark. They cautiously disembark.
Fumikage sends his crows to scout the area. The central farmhouse and the outhouse nearby show signs of disturbance and struggle.
"I'll deal with the outbuildings," Maya says. "My powers aren't good for stealth."
"The moment we go loud, take them down."
They set forth, Fumikage at the front of the pack. Though it is dark, his powers let him see as well as if it were noon. It is why he can so easily mark the two guards for his squad to deal with.
In the central courtyard, there is a giant blood splatter. Fumikage grimaces because They move quickly, darting into the farmhouse. It has been ransacked; the windows shattered. The floor is covered by bloodstains that only come from dragging someone unconscious.
They search the building quickly, finding no one. There is a hatch in the central room. With no other choice, they descend.
The silence is eerie and it makes Fumikage twitchy. He's ready to summon his sword but no one appears as they descend deeper and deeper into the base. It is when they are five stories down that he fully understands what is happening.
"Spacetime has been distorted," he says over the radio. "Expect abnormal geometries going forward. Maya, take them down."
He isn't sure what will happen if he reverts spacetime to its original state. Maybe it will all snap back and crush the humans with him. Perhaps it will block off those below them. Either way, Fumikage can't risk it.
Then they are at the bottom. It is dark and dingy, stone walls and floors and nothing that should be under a simple farmhouse. The vaulted ceiling is nearly three stories tall and decorated by paintings of drowning gods.
The floor is drenched in fresh blood. So much of it that could only have come from dozens of humans. He wades into the blood. They have no other choice.
The group splits up into teams of two. Fumikage gives each group three crows whilst he alone moves forward.
Around the corner, he finds a horde of vampires. Fumikage rolls his eyes and sends forth his remaining hounds. The beasts tear through the vampires as he walks past the fighting and enters the main chamber.
He ignores the corpses—twelve of them hanging from the ceiling, a different body part removed; one has his eyes gouged out and another his intestines hanging loose; another with bloody genitals and another with missing ears—because that's something he doesn't want to confront for a bit longer. Not when there is a living man in the centre.
He fits everything Fumikage expected out of a cultist. Purple robes and a deep hood, a bloody knife in hand as he stands in the middle of a summoning circle of some kind.
Between one moment and the next, Fumikage crosses the distance between them. He grabs the man by the throat and slams him into the wall. It dislodges the man's hoodie showing someone not much older than Fumikage.
"What were you planning?" he roars
The man laughs at him. "I know you, little boy. I know your name, false god."
For a second, he can't even think of any words. "What?"
"The slaver, the false prophet, the demon soul." The cultist grins. "You are a false divinity. We've outsmarted you time and again. It's over, boy."
"Tell me what you're planning."
"Our god will rise," the cultist continues, ignoring Fumikage. "This is only the beginning."
He glances at the summoning circle. It is still incomplete. At the very centre, there should be some object of power if he truly wanted to summon something meaningful. The best this will do is summon a parasite… which could go on to infect and mutate humans. Just like the vampires outside.
Fumikage slams the man into the wall. It shatters and the man gasps blood.
"Tell me everything!"
"Everything ends, boy. This is just one part of the circle."
The cultist's eyes turn an incandescent red. Fumikage tosses him aside moments before his head explodes, blood and viscera spraying everywhere.
He blinks but puts the sight to the back of his mind. There are more important things to do.
"Maya, get here now," he orders into the radio.
He waits a moment before she appears in a burst of light. "What?"
"Every site is part of a summoning circle."
Her eyes widen and then she's gone. In a few moments, she returns alone. Then she grabs his hand and they're moving. She dumps him outside with the rest of the team. They look disorientated but that's not important.
"Contact every team," Maya orders. "Find the point every site intersects. I need to know where they're summoning it."
They wait a tense few seconds as orders are given to HQ. Then the analysis comes in. Lines converge and intersect over one location on the map.
"Thessaloniki," Fumikage whispers.
That's not a remote village or abandoned farm. That's the second-largest city in Greece.
"Let's move."
He takes Maya's hand and another's, glad that they ask no questions. He knows where the city is. About a hundred kilometres northeast. He can make that distance in about two steps.
He only makes it one step.
He slams straight into a barrier and they fall out of his bubble of distorted spacetime. Fumikage stares at the ground in shock. Something had completely altered local spacetime.
A thrum of something malevolent hits him in the gut. He splutters, staring at the city in the distance. It's coming from there, whatever it is.
"Inquisitor."
He just shakes his head. "It's bad."
They only get half a step forward before he's booted out of his bubble once more. They crash on a beach, sand flying everywhere. Fumikage gasps feeling like someone just reached into his soul and plucked something out.
One look reveals why he is so revolted. Lines of anathema energy are coursing to the city from each location they attacked. They are thick and made up of human suffering; blood sacrifice unwillingly given.
The others might not see it but Fumikage can see the entirety of the plan. Deep in his soul, he can feel the grotesque and angular shape of the summoning circle. He can feel its power surround the city. Most of all, he can tell how much time they have left.
None.
"No, no, no."
A purple wall surrounds the city for a split second. No one breathes and the air is silent. Then the wall shatters into millions of pieces.
Two million people live in Thessaloniki. Two million men, women and children who were enjoying their day. Two million people are suddenly killed by the jagged shards of the purple wall.
The psychic death wave of nearly two million inhabitants is engraved in his soul. They howl in anger and revulsion and despair. It hits him right in the gut, sending him to his knees. Fumikage vomits, unable to process this loss of life.
The blood floats up, collecting in a dozen streams directed by something ominous. The shadow of something massive appears in the air even as buildings rise from their foundations. The sky darkens unnaturally, purple lights appearing and disappearing in multiple locations. Diamond dust falls from the sky like snow.
Finally, a portal appears in the centre of the city. It occupies the space next to a skyscraper and towers over it, resembling nothing more than an eye. The portal is the largest Fumikage has ever seen. Larger than anything that should exist on the earth.
The blood flows through the portal.
All of this, everything so far, has occurred in less than a minute. A minute ago, the world still made sense. A minute later, it emerges.
It is vaguely bipedal. It has legs that resemble a raptor and dozens of tentacles for arms that somehow all end in human hands. In each hand is an orb that spins around its hands idly, gushing forth blood and energy. Its head might be constructed to look like an antler if someone saw a negative image of one that had been disfigured and crossed with a serpent. Those antlers spew a miasma of inky darkness upwards, darkening the sky above.
He stares at the towering creature in horror. It stands taller than a skyscraper and there is no hiding this. The world itself will know now.
A godling walks amongst mankind. One that could eliminate all human life without issue.
"Inquisitor, your orders."
It is Maya asking. Her features are hard and she seems composed, but Fumikage knows her well enough to know she's about to break. They're all about to break. He most of all.
He forces himself to stand.
"We must assume everything within a fifteen-kilometre radius is plagued or will be before I can deal with the threat." His throat is tight, dry. "Contact whoever runs the EU's military. Tell them it's Priority One, Code White."
That's the order to carpet bomb the entire city. Fumikage isn't sure if that will be enough. It probably won't.
One of his men recoils. "Sir, that's insane. We can't—"
"What choice do we have?" he asks sharply. "Do you see that creature? Do you see how it distorts the fabric of spacetime? Do you see how with each step it's leaving behind openings to the abyss?
It is doing all those things and more. Given an hour, Greece would be nothing more than a massive spawning ground. In a day, nuking continental Europe would do no good. Those are the stakes.
"I will burn Greece to the ground if it means keeping Europe intact!"
And he means it. That option is one he's willing to do gladly. Because if he fucks up, if he can't contain this threat properly, then he runs the risk of Europe becoming a new breeding site for abyssal monstrosities.
Already, reality is distorted. The sky has giant rip from which purple ichor spews forth. The kind that will mutate life in the region. The furthest is some ten kilometres away and in the middle of the bay. If Fumikage doesn't do something quickly then it will spread through the water to the Mediterranean Sea. Once that happens, it's game over.
"Now tell them to aim every missile battery and jet In South-eastern Europe. Scorch the city. The hospitals, The orphanages. The schools. Scorch everything to the ground!" He summons his sword for emphasis. "Quarantine everything within a thirty-kilometre radius. Shoot anyone trying to leave that exclusion zone on sight."
It's the best he can do. They've failed, utterly and completely. Now it is a matter of damage control. If they do their job right, Greece might still exist as a nation.
Dark Shadow cloaks him in a mantle of strength, his divinity empowering him to greater heights.
His first goal is to bring the godling down to ground level. With one giant step, he finds himself on the roof of a skyscraper staring at the godling.
His dragons go forth, Watatsumi at their head. It drains his power greatly to maintain their size but he can't afford to hesitate.
It will die, Dark Shadow whispers.
"At what cost?"
It doesn't have time to react before it is set upon by dragons each as large as it. Fire coalesces from his dragons and then they breathe flames hot enough to melt metal.
The godling roars as its flesh burns.
The portal expands suddenly to cover the entire city. Fumikage stares at it in horror as he sees something from beyond, something that cannot be allowed to enter this realm.
Before he can move, the godling's head twitches unnaturally. It raises its head and fires a beam of purple light through the portal.
Fumikage doesn't know what it is doing but he refuses to allow this to go on. He summons more of his power. Chains rise from the ground. They wrap around the portal and force it shut.
The dragons bring the godling to the ground. Fumikage takes a deep breath and summons his strength.
He summons forth so much power that his blade glows like another sun. He charges more and more even as the godling fights his dragons.
Missiles rain down on the city, one explosion after another. Fumikage doesn't notice them. Their power is too minuscule to harm him or his dragons or the godling.
The godling roars and throws off his dragons. They crash through building and land with a thunderous quake. Bloody and burnt, missing dozens of arms and half its torso, the godling stands triumphant.
A missile hits the godling in the face.
It stumbles back, unharmed. But it falls to its knees, disorientated.
Fumikage watches this with grim amusement. He can't attack just yet. It isn't just the power to kill this creature that he needs. No, it is far more. He needs the power to cleanse the earth and air and ocean.
And then it happens. His sword stops being a physical entity. Instead, it becomes a manifestation of his divinity, heat and light and misty darkness all wrapped up in the shape of a sword.
With one giant step, he crosses the distance between them and plunges the blade into the godling's singular eye.
"Burn in my light!"
The blast is large enough to put every nuclear weapon to shame. Heat and light vaporise the godling without mercy. He channels the energy into the ground, not caring that the concrete and stone melts immediately. It isn't enough.
With one final push, he shunts the energy straight to the ocean.
This is what it means to be alive on the day the secrets of the dark below are brought to light.
This what it feels like to be Nkeyshi Abe, an immigrant living in New York and trying to make a living. It's been tough trying to find an acting troupe but you got lucky playing a lead role in a retelling of the Vanguard's Last Dance. The situation in Greece is momentous enough that the show doesn't go on.
This is what it feels like to be Tomura Shigaraki, born Tenko Shimura, currently hiding in Botswana after your hideout was compromised. It isn't the monstrosity or the dragons that have you so shocked. That's terrifying, yes, but it's what came after. The blast of raw power capable of vaporising part of the ocean shocks you. The sight of the ocean with a chunk taken out of it will forever stay with you.
This is what it feels like to be Eijirou Kirishima, still recovering from a gunshot wound. You watch the monstrosity walking the earth now. And all you can think of is Izuku. All you see is the monster he became that day so long ago. This is what you are fighting. You'll put down every monster no matter how human they look.
This is what it feels like to be Kohei of the Horikosh Culti, first amongst equals. Today, you have summoned a being of true power. It does not matter that the Emperor's foolish crow has slain it. The damage has been done. The barrier between the earth and the abyss has been weakened. Each slaughter and sacrifice over the last two centuries have all been to create a blood beacon. It is now time to summon the true gods. They have waited for aeons and now they shall return. Oh, how they will sing.