Chapter Eleven:
Eri's bedroom was full of toys, but half the games required more than one player. Even dolls weren't much fun to dress up and take to tea parties all alone. Her aching arms could barely handle delicate movements. Yet still the yakuza added more toys to her room after each torture session. Her latest babysitter had the nerve to ask why she never played with them. Currently, Eri had a pillow over her head so she didn't have to look at the unopened toy boxes.
A monster burst through her wall. Half its head was made of exposed brain. Drool slid down from pointed teeth. It reeked like something several days dead. Eri sat up and stared. For a moment, she contemplated letting it eat her. Then there would be no more being cut into pieces and put back together.
Then the monster reached for her, and Eri knew that anything that wanted to take her alive would only bring her more pain. She leapt off her bed, screaming.
A yakuza busted through the door and tackled the monster. Eri ran. More monsters poured in through the hole. Her bare feet slapped against the wooden floor. Yakuza poured past her, but they were attacking the monsters. No one had time to grab Eri. She found a window and scrambled out.
When the sunlight hit her eyes, Eri winced and covered them. After so long, the world outside was too bright and big. The open space made her tense up and clutch her thin dress. Where should she go? In her distant memories, her teachers had told her to find a hero or the police if she was in trouble. The yakuza didn't like the police, but Eri no longer trusted anything the yakuza said since her grandfather had disappeared.
She heard the flap of wings. She looked up. The black figure was distant in the sky, but something was following her.
Eri ran. She ran until the soles of her feet bled. Her throat hurt from gasping. She ducked into an alleyway, hoping to hide. Then she glimpsed a boy in a green costume. A hero! Arms outstretched, she galloped toward him.
Izuku stared down at the scared little girl in his arms. He did not know what his face looked like, but he suspected it was as terrified as hers. The moment he'd long feared had come. With his mother's life at stake, he'd been ordered to harm an innocent person. A child, no less.
"I'm sorry for bumping into you," she said.
On autopilot, Izuku's mouth took over. "Oh, no problem, it was my fault for crouching down behind a trash can. No wonder you ran into me. Uh, I'm sure I must seem like a suspicious person!" So please, run away from me, he begged her telepathically. Izuku had no idea what All for One would want with a little girl, but he was certain it couldn't be anything good. Did she have important parents leading to her being taken hostage? Did she have a valuable quirk? Had she witnessed a crime?
The girl said, "You're not a suspicious person! You're a hero."
Izuku's shaky smile wiped off his face. Curse his costume, engineering trust in innocent children. Judging from the perfect timing of All for One's last text message, the villain had some means of watching him, so Izuku didn't have the option of simply ignoring orders. All for One had specified this as the main mission, and Izuku had learned from U.S.J. and the Sports Festival that defying those would result in someone getting hurt. He doubted that All for One would give him a second chance after another betrayal.
"What's your name?" Izuku did not offer his own name. It seemed impolitic when he might be about to commit a crime. Oh, gods, was he seriously thinking about doing this? How could he possibly kidnap a kid? There had to be another way. Maybe he could attract Shouto's attention. Then he'd have the excuse that he couldn't break his cover. If only Endeavor was close—even All for One wouldn't expect Izuku to fight Endeavor, right?
Nervously, she said, "I'm Eri."
Very slowly, giving her plenty of chances to run away, Izuku took out his phone and texted. Alas, Eri trustingly stared up at him.
Izuku sent the message: Her name is Eri, is that the right girl? Where do you want me to bring her? Hopefully somewhere far away with ample chances to "accidentally" misplace Eri.
All for One replied, Probably, I don't remember names. Just stall her at your current location. My Nomu are following her. I had them drive her toward you so you could keep her in one place.
"Fuck," Izuku said. Face pale, he glanced down at Eri. "Don't repeat that word, ha-ha. It's a bad word."
Izuku sent Shouto a text with only his location. If a hero arrived to witness the kidnapping, then he could get out of this. Then he texted All for One, Why do you want her? This was because Izuku needed an excuse to be typing into his phone if he might be being watched, not because he expected an honest answer.
All for One replied, Maybe she's my secret lovechild :)
Izuku nearly dropped his phone. He looked directly into Eri's wide, worried red eyes. With her white hair, she looked sort of like the All for One with a face from Izuku's childhood memories. Could it be true? Then everything would be solved, All for One only wanted his daughter back, no children would be harmed—
Cold, hard reality slapped Izuku upside the head. All for One didn't even remember this girl's name. Nor would he be likely to reveal such a secret. All for One was clearly trolling Izuku. The only reason Izuku had believed it for half a second was because he'd wanted it to be true. He wanted a way out of this horrific choice.
Eri asked, "Are you calling the police? I need help. There are monsters chasing me."
Izuku's heart broke. This sweet, innocent girl trusted him to save her. He knew that if he let All for One take her, he'd never be the same person afterward. If only his own life had been at stake, he would have died first. But…his mother…he still had no way to save his mother…
"Eri?" a new voice called from the front of the alleyway. The dark-haired man wore a mask and a fur coat. He held out his arms. "I know you must have been scared of those creatures. Come over here." Directing his piercing gaze at Izuku, he said, "My daughter was the victim of a villain attack. I must take her home at once."
Eri trembled and clutched Izuku's sleeve.
A text from All for One appeared on Izuku's screen: Don't fight that man. It's not worth the risk of losing you.
Izuku could have passed out from sweet relief. He'd been saved. The choice that would destroy him one way or another could be postponed for another day.
Picking up Eri, Izuku placed her into her father's arms. "I'm so happy that you're here." In fact, Izuku could have hugged and kissed the man right on his hideous plague mask. Waterfall tears poured down Izuku's face. "As a hero, I want to thank you for being such an amazing father and finding your daughter so quickly." If this father had been even a moment slower, then the consequences didn't bear thinking about. In Izuku's gratitude, this man's pissy bitch face and terrible fashion sense looked beautiful to him.
Eri clung a little to Izuku, which was understandable after her horrible ordeal, but Izuku quickly pried her loose. Not a moment could be wasted. "Please get your daughter out of here quickly. There might be more villains around." Izuku could barely speak through his tears. He wiped his face. "Sorry, I'm just…so relieved that you're here…and, uh, touched by this heartwarming reunion of a loving parent and child."
"Don't touch me," the father said coldly, flicking a tear off his collar.
Izuku couldn't blame the stranger—with his snotty nose and hysterical words, he must seem like a madman. Yet even through his tears, the biggest smile spread across Izuku's face. He waved. "Goodbye! I'm wishing you two all happiness together!"
Of course, at that exact moment, a Nomu burst into the alleyway.
The father whirled, touching the creature and ripping it to shreds with just one finger.
Izuku froze. Was he expected to help the Nomu? All for One had specifically ordered him not to engage. The message had been ambiguous about if this was out of concern for the man's strength or Izuku's status as a spy. Surely that could serve as Izuku's excuse. He couldn't break his cover. He'd let the father and daughter escape.
Two more Nomu shot forward, one's arm swelling up while the other dripped poison. The father placed his hand on the ground and ripped it to shreds.
The splinters exploded under Izuku's feet. A spike shot directly at his neck. A Nomu with enormous leathery wings swooped down and picked Izuku up, lifting him out of danger.
The stranger had nearly impaled Izuku too! But surely that had been an accident. The man was a civilian, likely not used to using his powerful quirk. Izuku wondered if he should try to escape the flying Nomu's grip. No, it would be better to use this as an excuse not to get involved in this fight.
Two walls clapped together like hands smashing an insect. The father leapt away from the wreckage and ran down the street, Eri in his arms. As the wall came down on him, Izuku fired a laser. He only managed to destroy part of it. His brief, miserable life flashed across his eyes. If he'd known it would end like this then he regretted not asking All for One to kill his father. He wished he could apologize to his mom.
Bricks slammed into the flying Nomu. As it fell, it used its own body to shield Izuku from the impact.
Even so, the shock sent reverberations up Izuku's spine. He screamed. The Nomu had him in a bruising grip. Black, long dead blood leaked over his body. A brick stuck out of the Nomu's head. It gurgled and whispered, "I…zu…" Then it died.
Shards of glass dug into Izuku's arm. Looking down, he saw the Nomu had been carrying a camera—that must have been how All for One had observed the scene. Izuku desperately wanted to know why the Nomu had said his name, but he had no time to wonder. The pile of bricks he'd landed on teetered precariously. Izuku tried again to push off the heavy body. Sweat drops formed between his fingers. Perhaps he could use his laser, but just burning through the Nomu's body felt wrong even if it was dead. It had saved him.
"Midoriya!" Shouto shouted, waving from the base of the wreckage. With a flick of his hand, he'd frozen the bricks in place. Then he ran up the ice to drag Izuku free. "What happened? I knew you were in trouble as soon as I saw your text."
"Nomu…attacked…" Izuku looked around, but the motion made his head spin.
"They're all dead, I think," Shouto said. "I'm calling my old man. You lie down." He ripped off part of his costume and wrapped it around the cut on Izuku's arm.
"There was a little girl," Izuku said. As sirens sounded in the distance, he barely clung to consciousness. Eri had gotten away. Everything was all right.
Endeavor sat in front of his desk, his expression a little angry but not directed at either of the two interns. He just always seemed to be a little angry. When Shouto was in the same room as his father, Izuku felt stuck between the clash of two temperatures.
Thrusting a picture at Izuku, Endeavor growled, "Is this the girl who you saw?"
The photograph showed Eri sitting on a medical chair with straps on her arms and legs. Her eyes were dull and dead. Izuku tensed. "Yes, that's her. What is happening to her?"
Endeavor grunted. "I received an email from an informant shortly after you two started your internship. It was strange, no message and merely an attachment. The man was found dead shortly afterward. However, the subject line contained our code word so I'm confident that it came from him."
Izuku's blood ran cold. "How soon after we started?" Because this sounded like something All for One could have arranged with the hacking program that Izuku had installed.
"The same day, not that it matters. I've been busy verifying the information through other channels." Endeavor's eyes narrowed. The gruff man looked uncharacteristically subdued. "It's very bad. A yakuza leader has been selling bullets that can temporarily erase quirks." He slid over a picture of Eri's father. "The leader of Shie Hassaikai yakuza goes by the name Overhaul."
"I met him, too," Izuku said. "He's Eri's father." If the man was a criminal, no wonder he hadn't cared about possibly killing a hero student. But villains could be good fathers…right? Izuku had developed a bad feeling in his stomach.
Endeavor shook his head. "I'm not sure yet how this man obtained Eri, but he has no children."
Izuku's stomach twisted.
Endeavor exhaled. "There's no nice way of saying this. Overhaul has a quirk that allows him to disassemble and reassemble anything he wants. He's been taking Eri apart because she has a unique quirk called Rewind that means her DNA can be used to erase quirks. I had trouble believing it at first, even though my informant provided pictures. I won't let you two children see them. I've finally obtained one of the quirk-erasing bullets, and I found human DNA inside."
Izuku might be about to throw up. He clutched his midsection. "I let him take Eri. He's been torturing her, and I let him take her!"
Endeavor cleared his throat. "Midoriya, no one expected you to fight a group of Nomu and the head of the yakuza at the same time. There was no logical scenario where you successfully walked off with the girl. Know your limits."
Shouto touched Izuku's arm and whispered, "See, if even an asshole like my dad says that you're not at fault, then you know it's true."
But Shouto didn't understand. Izuku had seen the bandages on Eri's arms. He'd seen the fear in her eyes. But he'd been so preoccupied with thwarting All for One that he hadn't paid attention. Izuku was a failure as a hero. He'd known that for a while, but even so, this was the most grievous harm that he'd done yet. He'd handed Eri over to her tormenter and thanked him for taking her. Bile rose up Izuku's throat, threatening to explode across Endeavor's desk.
Endeavor said, "You'll have another shot to save the girl. I'm planning an attack on the Shie Hassaikai compound. We have to take them down fast before they become a greater threat. This is such an urgent situation that I've secured permission for you two to assist me."
Izuku could not speak. He wanted to scream that they had to leave him behind. All for One would use Izuku to take Eri. Izuku was the traitor who would destroy them all.
When Izuku spotted a shadowy figure following him home, he barely even had the energy to be concerned. His eyes were red and swollen from crying. He'd thrown up in the agency bathroom. The greasy takeout he'd eaten for dinner settled uneasily in his stomach. He missed his mom's cooking and Toshinori's bentos.
The man wore a cold mask and had a hood pulled over low. As they passed a deserted part of the street, he picked up speed. A hand reached for Izuku's shoulder.
Izuku spun on his heel and fired his laser.
"Whoa!" The man dodged. "It's me! Dabi!" He yanked down his mask.
Izuku exhaled. "I'm not going to apologize after you snuck up behind me like a mugger."
"Ugh, this is what I get for playing messenger boy again?" Dabi held up a flash drive. "Ten Finger Death sent another video of your mom. Do you want it or not?"
Izuku ran forward and snatched the flash drive. Yes, he very much wanted and needed more possible clues about his mother's location. "I'm glad you came. We need to talk. Let's go somewhere private."
"Yeah, you still owe me a favor, Green Bean," Dabi said pointedly. "Especially since your 'just one meal' turned into a family disaster that ruined my dance routine reveal."
Dance routine? Did Izuku want to know what the villain was talking about?
Izuku led Dabi back home. Dabi whistled when he saw the angry graffiti on the walls. "I see people never change. And they haven't even found out that you're actually a villain yet!"
"I've been meaning to get that fixed," Izuku mumbled. It should be gone by the time his mom returned home, something that he forced himself to believe would happen. "Do you want any tea?"
"Sure, I'll take a cup." Dabi sat on the sofa while Izuku put on a kettle. "Listen, I'll cut to the chase. Has my little brother spilled the beans to Dad?"
"No, he hates his father. But your siblings know."
"That's something at least." Dabi exhaled. "I'm saving my reunion with dear old Dad for a special occasion."
"Your sister is looking for you. Do you need help hiding?" Izuku offered for purely selfish reasons. He didn't trust Dabi not to talk in jail.
Dabi chuckled. "Word on the street is that my little sister promised some hero chick a date if she caught me. Ha-ha, as if I'd ever lose to a female."
"It's Miruko."
Dabi paled. "I'm fucking dead."
Izuku agreed that Dabi's capture was a foregone conclusion. "Have you considered fleeing the country?" That wouldn't save Dabi from Miruko but it would hopefully delay long enough for Izuku to either rescue his mom or more likely die together with her.
"No, no." Dabi stood up and paced. "I can't pass up this rare chance now that I have a spy inside Endeavor's agency. And I definitely can't risk my little brother blabbing to Dad and robbing me of the chance to see Endeavor's stunned horror as I rise from the grave."
The kettle whistled in the kitchen. Izuku left and returned with two cups of tea. "What was your original plan?"
Dabi blew on his tea, then took a sip. "I was going to use you to collect blackmail material on Endeavor."
"What, like dark secrets about his hero career?"
"No, Endeavor might be worthless as a father but he's always rigidly followed the rules as a hero. I have a bigger target. There's this legendary video of Endeavor getting drunk and trashing All Might at the office holiday party, then admitting he's always been secretly jealous of All Might's ass. I'm pretty sure one of his employees saved a copy." Dabi glared. "But now that you outed me to my brother, you owe me way more than that, Green Bean."
"In my defense, Todoroki already knew your identity before the soba meal." Izuku sighed. "What would it take to make you go away?"
Dabi said, "I want you to help me kill my little brother in front of my father."
Well, this was just exactly what Izuku did not need after his horrible, no good, very bad day. Dabi did not scare Izuku the way All for One did, so Dabi did not get to pull crap like this. Maintaining eye contact, Izuku said, "No."
Dabi growled, "I could blow your cover as a spy."
Izuku crossed his arms. "If you do that, then you'll answer to All for One. If you lay one flame on my friend, then I'll kill you before All for One has the chance."
The teacup in Dabi's hand trembled slightly. He blinked first, looking away. "Why do you care? You're a villain."
"Why do you want to kill your little brother?" Izuku countered. "Todoroki has never done anything to you. He was truly happy to find out that you're alive."
"Because that's the best way to make my father suffer."
"I've got a lousy dad, myself. He sold me to All for One. I don't think he'd suffer overly much if I died. Endeavor seems to have the attitude of 'keep having kids until I get one with the right quirk.' What makes you think he wouldn't just replace your little brother like how he replaced you?"
Dabi frowned. "The masterpiece isn't replaceable." But he didn't sound certain.
Izuku didn't know Endeavor well enough to say. Certainly Endeavor's first impression hadn't been great, but Izuku hadn't seen evidence that Endeavor was an evil enough person not to care at all if his son died. But it was in Izuku's best interests to convince Dabi that Endeavor didn't care about Shouto. "What's the point of revenge with extra steps? If you want revenge on Endeavor, then get revenge on Endeavor, not someone else. I don't mind helping you with that."
"Oh, how generous of you." Grumbling, Dabi took a sip of tea. "I want Endeavor to suffer."
How interesting. Izuku asked, "Do you not want your dad dead?"
Dabi choked on his tea. "I want him dead!" But his voice lacked his earlier conviction.
"Have you ever killed anyone before?" Izuku asked.
"Loads of people," Dabi said. "Just yesterday, I stabbed this guy! It's not my fault that he crawled off while I was monologuing."
"…So you didn't actually kill him, then?"
Dabi hissed and cursed under his breath. "If I were to make a television broadcast saying that I'd burned a large number of people alive, I bet no one could prove otherwise because cremation doesn't leave a body."
"Sounds like a good plan," Izuku said because he had no intention of encouraging Dabi to be more successful at murder. Honestly though, that sounded totally pathetic.
"It's not that I haven't tried to kill people! I'm great at murder! But people keep escaping while I'm monologuing, which I think is rude."
"Uh-huh."
"I concluded that my father would suffer more living in failure. Maybe. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to kill him."
"Why don't you work out your daddy issues with a psychiatrist and leave your little brother out of it? Seriously, if you're not even willing to kill Endeavor for whatever legitimate beef you have with him, you shouldn't hurt poor Todoroki who has done nothing wrong."
"Shouto existed," Dabi insisted, sparks dancing down his body.
"Knock that off before you set fire to my mom's favorite couch." Izuku swept away the empty teacups. "You can crash at my place if you need somewhere to hide from Miruko." Normally Izuku would not offer this, but he planned to keep a careful eye on Dabi ever since the death threat against Shouto. No matter how bad Dabi might be at murder, Izuku couldn't chance it. Dabi would need to be dealt with. Perhaps Izuku could find a way to turn Dabi over to the authorities, but he'd need to be subtle so Dabi wouldn't blame him and take revenge.
Dabi frowned and tapped his chin. "You or Decay Hands? I guess you're the slightly better option."
"You don't have any other friends?"
"Shut up."
Izuku rolled his eyes. "Do you have any luggage?"
"Ha! What you see is what I own." Dabi spread his arms wide. Now that he mentioned it, he smelled like he hadn't changed his clothing or bathed recently.
Izuku fetched towels and sheets. "You can sleep on the sofa, but you have to take a shower first. My mom's room is off-limits. I've got some baggy clothing that might fit you. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen."
"Don't mind if I do! You've got some good tea."
"I'll help you take revenge on Endeavor as I promised. Give me a copy of your evidence against him, in case Miruko catches you before you have a chance to release it." Then Izuku could ensure Dabi's silence after he got captured by promising to release Dabi's dirt on Endeavor—or delete it all if Dabi outed Izuku as a spy.
"Humph. I suppose that's not a bad idea. But no one can see my final act before it's ready. I'll send you a password-protected link to the video. Keep in mind that it's just a work in progress."
Izuku stared wearily. "You just said that I couldn't see it."
"Maybe I'll let you look later, after I tweak a few bits. I could use some constructive feedback." Dabi actually blushed like a child presenting his crayon artwork.
Izuku yawned. "It's late, and I'm tired. Goodnight." He was eager to watch the video from his mother. Dabi's video, he didn't care about.
Upstairs, Izuku plugged the flash drive into the computer. His mother's face appeared. She looked tired. Had she lost weight? She'd definitely lost too much weight. She must be as stressed out as him. Nevertheless, she smiled at the camera. "I'm grateful to Tomura for this chance to speak to you. I'm proud of you for winning the Sports Festival, Izuku. No matter what anyone else might say—" She blinked back tears. "—I'm proud of you. I know why you had to win. You protected your friends." Her lower lip wobbled. "I swore to myself that I wouldn't cry on this video. I don't want to worry you. Tomura has been looking after me. He's taught me how to play several video games."
She talked a little bit about gaming. Izuku listened carefully, in case his mom left him a secret message.
Inko said, "Did you know that Tomura has an extra toe joint just like you? I thought it was a funny coincidence." Her tone tried to be casual but her hands tensed up. She'd never been a good liar.
Izuku understood immediately. Tomura had also been born quirkless. All for One must have given him a quirk. But why hadn't Inko simply said they'd both been quirkless? Did Tomura not know that his teacher had given him a quirk? How very, very interesting.
Inko continued, "Tomura also had trouble controlling his quirk when he was younger, just like you. It's as if you two boys were destined to be friends." She spoke rapidly, words tripping over each other. "I've been cooking for Tomura lately." She described a meal. Finally, she finished, "I hope you've been eating well. I love you, Izuku."
I love you, too. Izuku touched the screen. Message received, Mom. Thank you. Putting together the pieces of his mother's message, something bad had happened to Tomura in the past because of his quirk. The quirk Tomura didn't know that All for One had given him. Izuku believed that remark about him and Tomura becoming friends had been a hint that Inko hoped Tomura would turn against All for One if he knew the full truth.
Izuku's palms sweated. This was the perfect opportunity. Tomura knew where Inko was imprisoned, and he was trusted by All for One. If Tomura could be turned, then Izuku had real hope of saving his mother for the first time.
But Izuku's optimism didn't last past his first google search. Looking for "quirk accidents" generated too many hits, even when he tried to narrow down the search to decay-related accidents. Izuku had no idea when this supposed incident had occurred. He doubted that Tomura went by his birth name. There was too much information to sort through. Slumping back in his chair, Izuku groaned. Tears stung his eyes. He felt so tired. If only he had someone else helping him…
Toshinori had a very useful network of hero contacts. It would be a risk, but Izuku needed help. Izuku hesitated, then texted the janitor. Could I ask you for a favor? You've done a lot for me already, but I don't know who else to turn to.
The reply came quickly. What is it, my boy?
Could you ask your hero friends to look into male children with quirk accidents, particularly relating to destruction and decay? Izuku hesitated, doing math in his head. I think it would have occurred twelve to seventeen years ago. Tomura couldn't have been too old when he'd been given his quirk, or he wouldn't have been able to pass as a late bloomer.
That's easy enough, but what is this about?
Izuku needed a decent cover story. Could he tie this into his old lies somehow? My mom doesn't have any family, but she had some close friends who moved away when I was young. I don't remember their names, only that she spoke fondly of them. She has no support system right now, no friends sending good wishes, so I thought I would look them up. I just want to make her happy. I found some old rumors that the family moved after their son had a quirk accident, but then the trail goes cold.
Toshinori replied, How kind of you to think of your mother. I'll look into it. How are you feeling? Were you injured by Stain?
I'm fine, I promise. Iida got hurt but I escaped with only a scratch.
You mean Stain stabbed you? Oh, no. Would you like to meet for breakfast sometime before your internship starts? I've been worrying about how you've been eating. I'll be in town on business in Hosu City on Monday. I can bring a bento.
Honestly, that did sound nice. All of Izuku's interactions with other people were full of tension and guilt. Only with Toshinori could he relax. Izuku texted back, I can't turn down one of your homemade bentos! Thank you.
Izuku's tentative good mood was completely wiped away when he received a text from All for One. About what happened today—
Izuku's blood froze in his veins. Had All for One decided that Izuku should have fought off Overhaul after all? Was he in trouble?
All for One's message finished, —did you know a boy named Tsubasa in elementary school?
That was completely and utterly unexpected. Distant memory returned to Izuku, of a short-haired boy with red wings. Yes, why?
No matter, that just explains a bit. It's very interesting from a scientific standpoint. I never ordered my Nomu to protect you.
What the hell did that mean? Should Izuku take that reminder of his expendability as a veiled threat? Surely All for One wouldn't dig up the names of Izuku's old childhood friends and threaten them. The villain already had plenty of potential hostages. Izuku texted back, I haven't seen Tsubasa in years.
I'm quite certain that you haven't. Keep me updated on Endeavor's plans for the yakuza. I've also been monitoring all communications from his agency using the virus.
In other words, it would be futile for Izuku to lie. Yes, Sensei.
Didn't it turn out as I promised you? My plans for Endeavor won't be hurting anyone who doesn't deserve it. You'll be helping take down a yakuza organization and rescue a suffering little girl. If you follow my plan, you'll come out of this looking like the hero of the day. I promise that any mistakes will be blamed on someone else. But keep in mind, this mission is one you're not allowed to screw up. Goodnight!
Izuku felt sick. What mistakes did All for One refer to? If Izuku had to guess, the heroes would be losing Eri during the mission. Izuku was quite certain that All for One wanted Eri's quirk to heal himself. And the villain probably wouldn't give it back afterward. That was bad, but frankly Izuku would count himself lucky if he escaped this mission with no further damages than one missing quirk. Maybe Eri wouldn't even want her quirk after it had brought her so much suffering. (Izuku knew he was justifying himself. It sucked to be quirkless.) All for One being healed and restored to full power would be very bad for the world. But Izuku had been clearly told that he couldn't let this mission fail. He'd been warned after U.S.J. He'd been lucky with Stain. He did not expect that he would get away with a third strike. If Izuku betrayed All for One again, his mother would die.
At the end of the day, one little girl's quirk did not outweigh his mother's life. Izuku was not naïve enough to believe he could survive without making any sacrifices. He was close, so very close, to having a plan to rescue his mother. As long as Eri would be rescued from Overhaul, Rewind was an acceptable loss.
Why the hell had All for One asked about Tsubasa?
Izuku googled his childhood friend. The first search result was an obituary. With trembling hands, Izuku clicked on it.
Tsubasa had gone missing nearly a decade ago and was presumed dead. Media coverage had been minimal. Tsubasa had been an orphan. His adopted grandfather had departed the city shortly after the disappearance.
His throat dry, Izuku remembered the winged Nomu whispering his name. Suddenly, he knew exactly what had happened to Tsubasa. After all, he'd understood for some time how Nomu were made.
The shells had fallen from Izuku's eyes, and he could no longer pretend that it would be harmless to hand over Eri to All for One. This was what All for One did to children. If Izuku carried out this mission, then he'd be crossing his line. Eri would become his sacrifice.
Izuku's childhood friend was dead. Tsubasa had died saving Izuku, and had died long before that, in horror and pain.
Izuku threw himself onto his bed and wept from grief for his old friend.
OMAKE TIME!
Omake: Oopsie Part 1
Izuku: I'm delighted to return Eri to her wonderful father.
Canon Izuku: (Feral screaming.)
Eri: My belief in heroes has been crushed.
Izuku: Would it make you feel better to know that I'm a villain in this AU?
#
Omake: Oopsie Part 2
All for One: (lying) Eri is my secret lovechild so you don't need to worry about me harming her.
Izuku: Great, I'll bring your daughter back to you at once. Even if you're a villain, I'm sure you're a great dad.
Dad for One Izuku: (Feral screaming.)
#
Omake: The True Tragedy of this Chapter is Shouto Missing Out on a Conspiracy Theory
Izuku: Did you come because you saw my text?
Shouto: No, I telepathically detected someone talking about a secret love child within a hundred meter radius of me. Eri and All for One, eh? Give me a minute and I'll whip up a conspiracy theory cork board.
Author's Note: Let it be clear that Eri is NOT All for One's lovechild. All for One was being a troll. This is another way All for One treats Izuku differently compared to my Dad for One fics. All for One doesn't have an image as a father to maintain, so he plays around like a cat with a mouse.
All for One is the reason we're starting Eri's arc early. I don't understand why All for One never went after Eri in canon. Her quirk would be perfect to heal himself. In this AU, All for One has a spy in the number two hero's agency, so of course he can't resist using this to set the heroes and the yakuza against each other early and steal the prize.