Prologue: Once Again, For All

Imagine.

All of that strife. All of that conflict, and pain.

And he did have a quirk after all.

He couldn't hear himself laughing. He couldn't hear anything anymore, but he sure felt the warmth of his own life blood, leaking out of his ruptured ears. His body had gone into shock, and was mercifully pain-free in his final moments.

But as his neck went slack, turning his face to one side, the impossibly slow image of his friends, his beloved classmates, racing towards him from beyond the devastation, hands reaching out in the fog of his rapidly failing health, his thoughts faltered at the foreign feeling in his chest.

His best friend was gone ahead of him. He thought maybe it was his emotions getting the better of him. But as it welled up in his broken, fading body, he felt it.

As his gaze faltered, and the headless body of his eternal foe slumped down behind him, he felt it.

As the ghosts of eight other heroes, greats among legends, flickered in and out of his blackening sight, he felt it.

One for All.

A rallying cry of ancient heroes of fiction.

An ethos of the truest heroes of all time.

A genetic trait, passed from generation to generation, to carry the might of ages as a torch, a beacon of hope for all, into the grim darkness of the unknown future.

A quirk that ate, and empowered, the quirks of those that inherited it.

He felt it.

Empowering something he'd never felt before.

It was raining at U.A.. He couldn't feel the cold. Only the impacts on his skin. On the ragged, torn stump of his right arm. On the edges of the hole blown through his torso.

Izuku Midoria, the great hope of the people of Japan, had completed his journey.

All for One was gone, the leeching quirk devourer dissipated like tears in the rain.

And thus the hero Deku, the last wielder of the most legendary power in the history of quirks, passed from this world in a flash of iridescent green lightning, the power of his own, unknown quirk activating for the first, and only, time, building to an impossible crescendo before detonating in a burst of power that atomised the ground around him, leaving nothing of the two dead titans but a perfect scoop out of the ground, and a scrap of green fabric, floating in the slowly filling bottom of the empty space.

It was the utter impossibility of it that stunned him into silence. The darkness, the pressure, the inability to breathe. The sudden light and noise and sensation. The sharp blow on his back.

The sound of his mother's voice.

"Izumi. We are going to name her Izumi."

…

…HER?!

She was always quiet. It worried her mother constantly, her tiny baby girl was the opposite of every terror story she's ever heard from her female friends. Losing her husband had been a blow that had threatened to break her, but the calm, quiet, affectionate child she had brought into the world following the accident was like a balm on her wounded soul.

Inko was also thankful for the new friend she had made in the days following her delivery. Mitsuki was a lively woman, and her little two-month-old was just a lively handful, in for a checkup while she was in recovery. They had bonded, and their babies had gotten on famously. It turned out that they lived in neighboring apartment buildings, and they struck up a fast friendship immediately.

Izumi and Katsuki were perfect opposites growing up, the boy a loud, bold and adventurous type, and the girl a quiet wallflower, keeping to herself and following the older child like a shadow.

She was small, even for a toddler, but she never let it hold her back. As much as she kept to herself, she would also not let herself be stopped at all. She was a brilliant child, miles ahead of her peers in all facets of life. She spoke earlier than most children, and could hold full conversations as a preschooler, with a deep understanding of herself that startled the adults that became involved in her life.

Teachers and counselors alike heaped praise on the toddler for the first five years of her life.

And then they learned she was quirkless.

And then, she was nothing more than a curiously intelligent child with an unfortunate disability.

She took it in stride. In her way, she publicly bore the burden of being a quirkless oddity with aplomb and dignity that far surpassed her years. It was, after all, not the first time she had experienced it. It was very different, though, from the other side of the class this time. Where the boys would shove and hit and laugh, the girls were content to simply shun, and whisper, and giggle. The best part about being a girl, she decided, was that nobody told her she couldn't cry. Not that she would indulge in her darker emotions too often.

Too deep a pit to explore.

Her only friend, once again, was Katsuki. The bombastic blonde boy was a carbon copy of the memory in her mind, save for one thing: This Katsuki did not think down on her. He was not mean, or spiteful. He was not insecure, and boastful. He did not pity her, nor did he berate her.

He was simply her friend.

After the doctor's proclamation, in a brief, uncharacteristic bout of open sadness, as she had been hoping against hope that this life might have something, anything, to let her fit in, he came to her. The gentlest knock on her door, and he came in and sat with her on her bed. He smiled sadly at the decorations all around the room, pictures of All Might mostly, with a small handful of other top heroes sprinkled through them.

Izumi sat on her bed, hugging both her knees and her beloved stuffed bunny tightly. Katsuki sat next to her, words failing his five-year-old mind. After a minute of silence, he felt her lean into him, tiny wracking sobs shuddering across her tiny frame, and he immediately pulled her into a hug.

They sat silently for a time before her tiny voice shook her friend from his thoughts. "Kaachan?" She said quietly, not quite able to keep her voice from wavering slightly. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze in response before she continued. "I… Don't have any siblings…" The older boy blinked in surprise as he felt her shift around and wrap her arms around him. "But thank you for being my big brother…"

Memories of two lifetimes, and the regrets of one, washed over her mind as she buried her face in his chest. It was decidedly unfair of her to dump such a huge emotion on a five-year-old, but Katsuki, being who he was, simply grunted and hugged her even more.

No kid should bear the weight of a lifetime's regret, but if any kid could, it was her Kaachan.

Both of him.

Primary school was difficult for her, mostly due to boredom. She was clearly ahead of her peers, but every time they contemplated advancing her grade, she immediately dropped her scores into the bottom of the class. It was clear to anyone with two brain cells to rub together that she was deliberately keeping herself within her age group, and they stopped trying to advance her after the first few tries.

Middle school was not pleasant either, for a multitude of different reasons, not the least of which being the normal cycle of a young woman beginning her march into adulthood. Izumi took to focusing on her future in this period, involving herself in a handful of afterschool activities to keep herself entertained and to begin to develop herself ever so slowly towards one potential future that she knew was coming. Gymnastics and some basic self-defense, Tai Chi and Yoga, among other things, that would provide her an explanation for things that might slip through from her previous experience.

She grew. And she studied hard, learning all of the things she never thought would have mattered to Izuku. She was taller than she had been, before, but if anything even more skinny than the waifish boy had been. But she also lacked the innumerable scars and burns that had been present in her other life, relics of her rough life under the tender mercies of the boys in her class. She was pale, save for the light dusting of freckles over her nose, and she wore her hair in a long, slightly messy style that further set her apart from the other girls her age, her disregard for her appearance a stark counter to the vanity that was so common among her peers.

And, at age 14, the day came that she heard the familiar sound of a semi-liquid body hitting the ground behind her, just as she passed under the bridge. She had begun frequenting this park on her walks in anticipation of the start of her journey, and it appeared that today was the day.

And just like it had before, the day played out.

"Do you think… A quirkless girl like me… Could be a great hero like you?"

The answer hurt just as much the second time.

And the run, though slightly easier, was just as harrowing.

And the result…

"...My body moved before I could stop it."

Yagi Toshinori stared out over the vast junkyard, watching as the petite girl hauled on the remains of an old motorcycle, dragging the metal frame through the sand, inch by inch. Something about this girl was different. He could feel it in his heart.

Only three months in, and already he could see muscle visibly developing on her thin frame. And the dedication, the drive she displayed humbled even his legendary focus. She never complained. She never questioned beyond curiosity. And she never stopped until the task was complete.

Until today.

He knew something was off when he beat her to the beach. She was almost always either there already for their schedule, or would be running up the street behind him as he made the last turn. Today? She was five minutes late.

And walking.

With her head down.

She looked up before he could say anything and immediately jogged up to him, a masking smile appearing on her face as she dropped her bag by his feet. "Morning, sensei!" She greeted him, the false joy in her voice grating on him more than the constant, throbbing pain in his side. But before he could question it, she hopped over the barrier and slid down to the sand below, moving directly into her warm up stretches.

He watched her moving through her routine, shifting from a set of yoga poses into a brief Tai Chi form, her face settled into a neutral expression as she moved. But he could see it in her movements, in the way her eyes would glance up at him for but a fraction of a moment, in the agitated motions of uneven breathing.

But she moved out of it swiftly, and began her task. The scattered debris and junk on the beach was something to witness, but she simply walked to the nearest large object, a truck tire of some sort, and immediately went to work. And she was a diligent worker, and he was content to observe today. The task he'd set was one that many would balk at, but young Midoriya simply set herself to work, sweat and blood and a limited number of tears all shed to make this beach habitable.

He let her work in silence for the first hour, but she eventually stumbled and fell to her knees, misstepping on a stray bit of debris.

She didn't get up.

He leapt over the barrier and ran to her side in seconds. "Ah! Are you alright, Young-"

She was crying. Not the regular, pained tears of a minor injury. He crouched down, but before he could inquire, she had launched herself into his lap. "Woah, woah! What's all this about?" He asked, trying to reign in his discomfort.

Izumi didn't answer, the unchecked emotions of a life long past boiling over. It was the date, really.

This was the date Izuku had lost him.

Gone before he could tell him how much he meant to the young hero. Gone, before he could thank the man that made him believe in hope, and who showed him that heart, not might, was what it took to be a hero.

Gone, before he could tell his father that he loved him…

This was not him, but at the same time, he was.

A second life, and a second chance, but too many feelings to express it.

She could hear him trying to calm her down, as her emotions ran roughshod over her sore body. The words were unimportant to her as she slowly brought herself down to a regular breathing pattern.

"-see? Already much better." Yagi said soothingly, rubbing her back. "Deep breaths, there you go…"

She sniffled loudly, taking a few more shuddering breaths before she finally spoke. "'M sorry…" She said, cursing herself for the way her voice quivered as she spoke. "I'm not sure where that came from…" She lied.

He knew it, but said nothing. He waited for her to speak.

She shuffled her weight to one side until she was seated in the sand beside him, and he put his arm around her as she leaned into him, staring out at the water in the mid morning sun.

"I never knew my dad." Her voice startled him from his silent contemplation. "He was gone… Before I was even born…" She wasn't looking at him, seemingly deliberately. She pulled off her shoes and socks as she continued, burying her toes in the warm white sand. "I never knew what I didn't have… I only ever say it as something that made my mother sad. And I made it my job to try and keep her happy…"

Memories of another lifetime rose in her throat, hitching her breath before she choked them back down again. "If I do this thing…" She gestured vaguely to the trash on the beach. "I don't know how she'll handle her 'sweet, quirkless baby' suddenly being in a dangerous heroics course." Lie. She flinched involuntarily at the accusation that echoed in her mind.

All Might still hadn't said anything, and she chanced a look up at the look of open confusion on his face. It almost shocked her out of her funk, a tired giggle escaping her. "You know, I thought you were going to teach me stuff while we were doing this." She said after taking a moment to finally find her equilibrium.

The skeleton man sputtered indignantly. "What do I know about teaching?" He complained, hiding a smile when she giggled again. "...You may have a point. But I think maybe we take a break today." His unoccupied hand was typing away on his phone as they took a few more moments to settle, but he put it away before they finally stood.

Early lunch on the beach was definitely warranted, and as they sat, he told her some small stories from his early career, lesser known exploits from his time training in America. She, in turn, opened up a little bit about her concerns about 'suddenly developing' a quirk. All Might, in his naive 'wisdom', hadn't considered the ramifications of the change, and they discussed it at length in the hour that they sat on the beach. Ultimately, he walked her to her apartment building and bade her farewell for the day before turning and wandering off into the city, to be alone with his thoughts.

Izumi, however, channeled the misery of her day into a more productive effort. She sat on the roof of the apartment, enjoying the heat of the sun on her skin as she scribbled away in one of her journals. A fresh one, that she planned to lock away in a hidden spot in her room.

One that would hold her thoughts on plans for the future.

-MOM

-AM learn to teach

-O4A FC?

-USJ

- A + B?

-ERI

Izumi sighed, closing the book on her pencil and laying back on the blanket she'd spread out on the roof. Her mind was racing with all of the things she felt she needed to remember, but it was stymied by her own uncertain realization. She was born different. This world was not a carbon copy of her original one. Some of the kids in her class were different. Not many, but a few. Enough to make a difference.

How many of her class 1A friends would be changed from her memory. Would any not be there? Would their personalities be altered?

Kaachan had changed only slightly, mostly to reinforce her title of 'big brother' on himself. He was as brash and bold as ever, and he still berated her for maintaining her heroic intentions, but it was more out of open concern than any actual malice.

All Might was quite a bit less outlandish as well, more content to quietly watch her work than the more cheerleader-ish style he'd used the first time. The workout and diet regimen was the same, from what she recalled, but it was having a startlingly more pronounced effect on her than it had on Izuku. Maybe it's the change in stress? Not having to deal with Kaachan…

It helped her to think of her past life as someone else, she found over time. Being a girl wasn't so different from being a boy, after all. Once you got over the anatomical bits. And she was able to mainly be herself without too much adjustment. But it was easier for her to consider Izuku's life as a particularly vivid story in her memory than anything else.

Helped keep the nightmares down as well.

All Might's was the first dead face she had seen directly. Some of the other pro heroes she had seen on the television, or in the news, but her mentor's had been particularly difficult to face. The only thing that had helped her get through the initial contact was the adrenaline pulsing through her veins.

Seeing him today, though…

It would be impossible to keep his bleeding, shattered body out of her dreams tonight.

And it was.

Pristine, white beach.

Just like the first time, she felt her heart soar up out of the depths at the sight of it. Unlike the first time, she was able to contain the roar of excitement, and instead chose to fall back onto her back and luxuriate in the warm sun. The last truckload of debris was loaded into the small truck, and she allowed herself some time to relax.

All Might found her there a half hour later when he strolled up with lunch for the day. He smiled at the sight of her, dozing in the sun on the hilltop of her accomplishment. The swell of pride in his chest was a silent luxury to the top hero, but he allowed himself to enjoy it as he settled himself on the shady side of the parked truck, leaning against the tire as he allowed his young charge to rest.

She stirred after a few minutes, bright green eyes blearily looking up at him over a sleepy smile. "I did it." She said quietly after a moment.

"You did." He agreed, and enjoyed it as her smile widened.

Lunch was extra large that day, but she finished it regardless, chatting idly through the meal. But when they had finished, it was finally time.

"So… What now?" She asked, and blinked as he held out the plucked hair.

"Eat this."

It was even more awkward the second time.

"...seriously?"

To his credit, this All Might had the decency to realize that his approach was less than graceful. "I, uhh… Should have mentioned that you need to take in my DNA to accept the transfer of power… I suppose…" He coughed slightly in embarrassment, hiding the small flecks of blood that coated his hand. "Look, I was going to give this to you right before the entrance exam next week, but you've completed the task ahead of schedule, so here we are." He held out the hair again, and this time she took it, forcing it down with a swallow of her drink from lunch.

He smiled at her, one hand gently squeezing her shoulder. "Congratulations, Young Midoriya. You are now the tenth wielder of One for All. I hope it will serve you well on your journey."

Izumi felt the blood drain from her face. "T-tenth?"

She sat on the beach alone, later that day, the implications of what it could mean to have had a whole other user's power added to the assimilation process of One for All. She could feel the power as it spread from her core out into her limbs, thrumming in her veins just below her skin. It was familiar, but at the same time, foreign.

Focusing on powering up, she did sigh with relief as it manifested just as it had in her memory, bright red and gold lines under the skin of her arm, with bright green bolts of energy flickering across the top. She held it in her hand for a moment before letting it go, returning to her thoughts.

She had a week. She had her memories. And she had her determination.

She could only hope that it was enough.

After all, this was the start of her new life, as a hero.

A/N: Hey... Uhh... So, sometimes I gotta dump something outta my echo chamber, before it makes me crazy.

And, to be honest, it is easier for me to pick up and run with a new idea than it is to necromance an old story back into my brain. I've lost most of my notes on most of my stories. I can comb the recesses of my memory and frankenstein something together.

But I'm not the guy that started all this, more than a decade ago.

He had his problems and opinions. His goals and ideals.

They are not mine.

I'm a grown-ass man, with old people problems. It would be unkind of me to try and imitate that guy.

And unkind of you to expect it.

I will likely be shutterring most of the other stories on this account. I hope you all understand. There might be some that get resurrected, but most will be closed with a synopsis of the story I had intended, and permission for anyone who wants to scavenge their little hearts out.

But this is something new. And I've been a little more into my writing lately.

You who have followed any of my prior work, might understand what this means.

Don't worry. I have a support system now.

So, yeah. "Deku has/had a quirk" story. Watch and see.