Rival Heirs

by D'yavol Lucifer

Izuku Midoriya's dream was shattered by All Might but a mysterious man picked up the pieces and gave him a new purpose. Seeing potential where no one else did he gave Izuku a chance to succeed him. However there was already a candidate for the position and now the two must compete in an elaborate game to find and destroy the other before they themselves fall. Villain Izuku x harem

11. Chapter 9 - Healing Pt 1: Souls

Golden rays from the setting sun filtered in through the half open blinds, dying the bright white room in warm shades of orange and yellow. The only sound was the slow steady beeping of a heart monitor, a dull, rhythmic thumping, and the low breathing of two individuals, the room's sole occupants.

One of the individuals lay in one of the many hospital beds scattered around the room, eyes closed seemingly unconscious. Her pale face was upturned and decorated with a myriad of purple and blue bruises, slightly faded at the edges. Black hair the color of a raven's wings spilled out over the pillow her head rested upon, framing it like a dark halo. A blanket rested across the girl's waist, weighed down by the arms lying limply across it. When combined with the loose bandages wrapped around the young woman's large chest the two pieces of fabric protected the girl's modesty from the gaze of her lone companion.

Said companion sat in a chair beside Momo's bed hunched over, his forearms resting on the top of his thighs while his hands lay firmly clasped between his spread knees. His right foot tapped a steady, if slightly offbeat, rhythm against the cool tile floor but Izuku's emerald gaze stayed firmly locked on the unconscious face of the woman, who, in the last ten months, had risen to replace his mother as the most important woman in his life, the one alive at any rate.

Closing his eyes Izuku took a deep breath before opening them again and letting the orbs wander over Momo's exposed body, the words of the underground private doctor who'd been hired to treat her two days ago, the day after the raid, running through the greenete's head as he did so.

"She's lucky to be alive," Izuku's eyes found their way downward from the ravenette's bruised face to the raw reddish pink skin that covered her shoulders, neck, and upper chest although Izuku knew there was more on her forearms and lower legs, "but even then the damage to her body is extensive. The burns are minor mostly first degree, second at worst and those are simple to treat with some antibiotic petroleum jelly. I'll wrap them in bandages and in a few days they should be good to come off so long as you make sure to keep the skin moist by reapplying the jelly semi-regularly." The doctor had sighed, "That's the easy bit though, it's everything else that you should be worried about."

Blinking Izuku's eyes continued their journey travelling from Momo's collarbone to her left arm, "Broken in two different spots with numerous fractures along the rest of the bone," the doctor had shaken his head, "It'll take her easily twelve weeks to heal and be longer still for her to get it back up to even a portion of how much strength it used to have. As for if she'll ever be as strong as she once was," the doctor had shrugged helplessly, "I don't honestly know, it'll depend on her and her body as well as how far she's willing to push herself."

Izuku's eyes moved from Momo's shattered arm back up the ravenette's body before settling on her bruised face once more, his focus on a particularly large bruise just slightly off her right temple. "Her head's the worst," the doctor had said, opening one of Momo's eyes he'd shined a flashlight into it moving the small device back and forth looking for a response. "She took repeated heavy blows to the head and the computed tomography scan showed swelling in her brain. Her skull has been fractured in two places both in the front and back, likely from where she took the blows and then from where her head slammed into something, hard. She's comatose," the doctor had said bluntly rubbing his eyes, "and only the fact that evoked response testing showed that stimuli was reaching her brain is keeping me from calling her brain dead right now."

"When will she wake up?" Izuku had asked as he held Momo's hand, giving it a soft, reassuring squeeze.

The doctor had given him a deadpan look, "She's comatose and despite what it may seem like medicine hasn't progressed that much the last two centuries, you know with quirks emerging and throwing everything we thought we know out the window."

Izuku had lowered his head letting his veridian hair fall in front of his eyes, he did know. Just like every other kid around the world Izuku had sat in class and learned about how the world had gone to hell when quirks first emerged. Governments had fallen only for new ones to rise and take their place. Some countries had tried to segregate or persecute quirked individuals only to stop as the numbers of the very people they decried swelled as more and more people developed powers of their own. The emergence of villains hadn't helped matters and with heroes at the time only existing in comic books and on the screen vigilantes were the ones to step forward to try and restore order, the only problem was they could be just as bad and in some cases even worse than the villains.

In such an anarchist state the police and militaries of the world were next to useless serving more as targets for weapons and supplies than sources of relief. The decision by most not to use Quirks as weapons due to the majority of Quirks belonging to children had put the forces of justice even more at a disadvantage. However their decision to not enscript the youth as child soldiers ended up changing everything.

According to the textbooks it was the children, raised in chaos and disorder, who had been the ones to restore peace to a broken world. They had watched as the people who risked themselves everyday to help others turned away from the easy choice, passing their problem on to the next generation, in favour of shouldering the burden themselves. They'd watched and observed and in the following decades they had shown how the choice had inspired them. Some went bad but the vast majority helped and became what many considered to be the first heroes, even if it was unofficial.

However even with their help it had still taken decades for basic order to be restored and several more for technology to recover to the level it had been. As it was, the majority of technology nowadays was just slightly above what it had been during the pre-quirk era with some exceptions. There was a reason people still drove cars on the road but prosthetic limbs looked like something out of an old pre-quirk era sci-fi movie, luck of the draw.

Medicine however was an issue that was still rather behind. With every single person's body being different medicines were now more often than not made specifically for the individual and treatments were now as unique as the people they were used on. After all, when one patient had acid for blood and another had the body of a horse from the waist down you couldn't give the two the same tests or you'd be liable to melt yourself and get a horseshoe to the gut.

That's why healing quirks were so heavily desired and those with them were heavily pushed towards pursuing medicine as a career, it allowed the user to bypass all the details and conflicts that were normally there to just fix what was wrong. It was why the Youthful Heroine: Recovery Girl was a name known to most doctors and nurses around the country despite her elderly age, her quirk Heal allowed her to speed up a person's recovery process allowing her to fix injuries that would take months to heal in seconds with a mere kiss. Her retirement from professional practice to take a position at U.A. had been a source of deep sorrow to the Medical community and one quite a few still moaned about on online forums behind the anonymity the internet provided.

Unfortunately Izuku didn't know anyone with a healing quirk nor did All For One believe it was safe to give Momo the Super Regeneration quirk he'd given Izuku to heal him after his ill fated fight with Slugger. Izuku could still vividly recall the conversation the two had had over the phone, Izuku having called the masked man from outside the hospital wing within Cherry Blossom Manor where Momo lay as soon as the doctor had left.

"Izuku, what do you know about quirks?"

Izuku had been silent for a moment, wondering if All For One was testing him again. "A quirk… is a superhuman ability people possess. There are three types and-"

"And what about what makes a quirk? Genetically speaking."

"Umm…" Izuku had racked his brain trying to remember what he'd read over the years in the faint hope that one of the medical textbooks would have told him he had even a chance of developing a meta ability of his own. "There's a term, one that refers to the traits that compose a person's quirk."

"Quirk Factors." All For One supplied, "Plus Alpha Traits is another acceptable term in some circles although I personally prefer the former over the later."

"Yeah," Izuku said, nodding his head even though the man couldn't see it. Everything was coming back to him now, "Quirk Factors are not only the primary Quirk power but also the genetic and biological mechanisms that allow the quirk to function. Overhaul's Quirk Factor is located in the hands which is why once Chisaki," Izuku paused for a moment as his actions to the man's unconscious body rose to the forefront of his thoughts before he shoved them down, "...lost his he couldn't use it anymore."

"Perfect," All For One said, and Izuku could practically feel his mentor's proud smile. "But there is more, information known only to me and a few select others."

"What is it?" Izuku asked eagerly, more than ready to learn anything new he could about Quirks, the powers that made up his world.

"It is possible to manipulate one's genetic structure to have multiple Quirks; to give a person more than one Quirk Factor."

"That's what you do," Izuku whispered at the realization, his mouth falling open in awe at the sheer number of possibilities this knowledge presented.

"Indeed," All For One confirmed, "my Quirk allows me to give and take Quirks, I analyze the genetic structure of a person's Quirk, destroying it in the process, and copy it, graft it if you will, within my own DNA within the genetic information of my Quirk itself. When I give someone a Quirk I do the same thing: copy the Quirk's genetic information from within myself before pasting it on to whomever I am giving it to; passing it along and making the person's body react as if the Quirk had always been there. Unlike an organ transplant where the recipient's body might reject the new organ this process smooths out the transfer, basically tricking the body into believing the Quirk had always been there, that it's a part of them."

"Then you can give Momo, Super Regeneration," Izuku had said excitedly, "you can heal her then take it back and give it to Toga before-"

"No I cannot!" All For One had growled, bringing Izuku's excitement to a halt mid-sentence. Slowly the former king of the Underworld exhaled, "Do not make presumptions when you do not have all the information Izuku," he chided, his voice once more calm, instructive even, "it can cost you everything. It did me." The last part was spoken softly, a whisper but it was still loud enough that it was picked up and transmitted to the greenete on the other end.

"I am able to have multiple quirks because All For One seems to have an infinite space to store the information of the Quirks I steal. However even then there is a limit I am unable to overcome. It's like… like a computer. Picture each Quirk as a file with the size of the file varying between Quirks. The stronger the Quirk the bigger the file. Since Quirks first emerged the size of the files have increased with each generation as Quirks have grown more powerful and complex. I have an infinite memory or in other words I am theoretically capable of obtaining any number of Quirks, storing the information within me to use at my discretion. However my body, the hardware is only able to handle so much power in a file before it gives out and breaks down. While I personally have an incredibly powerful hardware, the hardware of others, their bodies, are unable to keep up if I try to force their 'memory' past what it is capable of."

"And what happens then?" Izuku asked, already fearing the answer.

"What happens to any computer?" All For One said his voice flat, devoid of any trace of emotion, "It gives out."

Slowly Izuku lowered the phone and turned to look through a pane of transparent glass into the room where Momo lay still in her bed, unnaturally still. The faint voice of All For One reached him through the phone, "They become little more than mindless dolls; living zombies with no will of their own. Puppets without string. Even when I take back the quirk their condition doesn't change, it's unnatural as if their very spirit has fled them."

"What about Gigantomachia?" Izuku had asked, raising the phone back to his ear as he tried to hang onto any shred of hope that was left, unaware of the tears that fell from his eyes as he pictured Momo, the ravenette girl, her face devoid of emotion and her eyes blank, unfocused, empty of the soul he'd grown to see within them every time their eyes met. "He has multiple quirks but he's not mindless."

"I was getting to that," All For One sighed and Izuku could hear the man shift in his throne to get more comfortable, "the person breaking upon getting a second quirk is what happens most of the time." All For One said, stressing the word, "However there are exceptions. One thing that I have learned over the years is that a person's ability to handle a second Quirk might be relative to a Quirk's strength as well as if said Quirk compliment a Quirk the person might already have.

Izuku's silence attested to the boy's confusion and All For One gave an audible sigh over the phone, not of exasperation that he'd have to explain but rather, what Izuku presumed, was the fact that the man forgot that not everyone possessed the same information and knowledge that he did. "It's simple for anyone to see that some Quirk's are stronger than others. A flight Quirk like the one possessed by that American hero Captain Celebrity would be stronger than a float Quirk that merely lets someone levitate in midair. However a Quirk that I possess, Air Walk, would be stronger than Float but weaker than Captain Celebrity's Quirk, Flight, as Air Walk lets me stand on and control the air around me.

As for Quirks that compliment one another that is far easier to explain. If someone had a Quirk that gave them limited hydrokinesis their body would likely be able to withstand a Quirk that allowed them to produce water since it would complement their already existing Quirk. However if I gave them a Quirk of the same strength except that it allowed them to produce fire or wind their body would likely shut down from the strain."

"So a person can only handle so strong a Quirk without their body shutting down." Izuku said slowly, "And if a Quirk is complementary to the one they already have then it is far likelier for the recipient to be able to handle a new Quirk, one potentially stronger than other Quirks they would have been able to stand?"

"Exactly," All For One confirmed, "however neither matters in Yaoyorozu's case. Very rarely, so rare in fact it has only happened twice in my life the second Quirk I give someone will fuse with their original. When Yaoyrozu's ancestor came to me and I gifted him Bloodline the Quirk fused with the man's Creation one combining the two into a single Quirk; one that carries some, if not most, of the powers of the Quirks that created it. So tightly tied to the Yaoyorozu bloodline is the Yaoyorozu Quirk that it is one of the only Quirks I am unable to steal"

"That means you can't take Momo's quirk, replace it with Super Regeneration, and then switch the two back," Izuku realized. "You'd be forced to push another Quirk upon her which would-" he trailed off at the picture his mind presented him with.

"Good," All For One interrupted, "You're beginning to realize the conflict that lies there. However even when I give someone a Quirk that they are able to handle it isn't uncommon for there to be… side effects."

"What kind of side effects?"

"The kind that drastically shortens the user's lifespan while possibly causing the body to physically tear itself apart." All For One said grimly. "This is especially true for children and teenagers whose bodies aren't fully developed, in those cases there has never been anyone who has survived for any real length of time without being modified in some way." Izuku froze and listened numbly as All For One pressed on.

"Another possibility my... associates and I theorized is that Quirks that heal the body or provide energy to the user could potentially counteract the effects of having multiple Quirk Factors. We tested it on Gigantomachia but his body was already heavily modified at the time to help him withstand the strain so while our theory's plausible we would need more information to test it before we could implement it to help Yaoyorozu."

"Then what do I do!" Izuku yelled in frustration, slamming his clenched right fist into the window beside him sending the glass pane wobbling . "Ho- How do I save her?" he sobbed as he collapsed to his knees leaning against the wall for support as his body was racked by heavy sobs, the tears which had been descending slowly now pouring out in a mad torrent.

For a minute All For One was silent and as the time dragged on deep within Izuku, in the darkest parts of his mind where the voices that always told him he was useless dwelled, whispers once again began to emerge, birthed by his insecurities. Ones that whispered to the greenete telling him that just like everyone else All For One had abandoned Izuku too.

"There is hope Izuku," the man finally said, his words were softer, the tone reassuring and despite himself Izuku couldn't help but grasp onto them, "yesterday you successfully captured the vast majority of your targets. Gigantomachia brought me the ones he caught. But Chisaki-"

"He's locked in the dungeon underneath the manor," Izuku interrupted and hadn't that been a surprise, to find a row of prison cells underneath the manor when he'd gone exploring soon after he first arrived. As far as Izuku was aware Overhaul was the first person to actually make use of the facilities although he hadn't asked Momo, it didn't exactly seem like a topic you could bring up in polite, everyday conversation..

"I've looked at your research," All For One said, "Overhaul, the Quirk, is a power capable of miraculous things," for a moment Izuku thought he heard something, a faint tone of… wistfulness maybe, within the man's voice. "It is entirely possible that with it you would be able to heal Yaoyorozu, return her to her natural state. Izuku it is time."

"You mean," Izuku said, tears forming in his eyes as he imagined what was about to happen, what he could soon do to help Momo and Toga, the people he now considered to be his friends.

"Yes Izuku Midoriya, in two days it will be time for you to get Overhaul as your very own Quirk."

Now Izuku sat at Momo's bedside, his eyes drooping from a lack of sleep the last two nights, if the black circles underneath his jade orbs were anything to go by. A yawn forced the greenete's mouth open, lasting for a good three seconds before Izuku managed to wring it in. Shaking his head Izuku tried to clear his muddied thoughts unconsciously causing his feet to cease their constant tipper tap. The soft groaning of a doorway behind him alerted Izuku to someone else entering the room but he didn't even turn, rather feeling their presence walk up behind him where it stopped.

"How is she?" Toga asked, her voice soft. Turning to look over his left shoulder Izuku took in the blonde girl's condition. Like Momo, Toga had been severely injured from the raid, losing her left arm of which the only remnants were a few centimeters of flesh extending from her left shoulder to form a noticeable stump. The girl's choice of a spaghetti strap white tank top - 'no bra' Izuku noted impassively, due to his tiredness, seeing two hard protrusions in the middle of the vampire's fatty orbs - gave the broccoli headed boy a clear view of the injury. The stump was wrapped in bandages but Izuku had not yet spoken to the girl about what she wanted to do about it.

All For One had no end of connections so an artificial limb wasn't an impossibility but truthfully Izuku believed that such a prosthetic would vastly lower Toga's abilities. She hadn't told him in words but he had learned enough about her Quirk in the limited time they'd been around each other to know that Toga's Quirk Factors were spread throughout her entire body allowing her to emit the gray goop that caused her transformation. No left arm, no transformation on that limb which meant while she could transform the rest of her body into whomever's blood she possessed she would always be short a left arm. It might be possible for an artificial limb to emit a 360° hologram of the person's normal arm but a single touch from anything and Toga's cover would be blown. Without assistance and likely within enemy territory the risks of Toga being injured or killed were far too high for Izuku's liking, especially since he'd only learned since the Shie Hassakai raid how much he hated to see his companions get hurt following his orders.

However the missing arm wasn't the only major injury Toga had received during the raid. Looking down Izuku's eyes settled on Toga's left thigh which was wrapped in bandages, concealing the baseball size hole that Izuku knew penetrated through the limb underneath. Sheer luck had caused the spike that impaled the blonde to miss the bone but even then it had torn the muscles and arteries to shreds. It was a miracle Toga had been able to make it back to the mansion before passing out and only the medicine within the hospital wing had kept her alive until the doctor had arrived the next day to see her.

The doctor had begun operating immediately on the blonde mere minutes after examining her wound. For five hours he worked to reconnect arteries, muscles, and tendons all in an effort to keep the vampire from dying from blood loss or possibly requiring an amputation. He had emerged exhausted but pleased, and after almost a day and a half of rest Toga was walking on crutches - despite the doctor's clear orders not to - although she made sure to leave her injured leg off the ground, much to Izuku's relief. Like Momo the doctor had predicted a full recovery time of months without a quirk to speed up the process, and like the ravenette Toga's strength after her recovery was uncertain.

Looking back Izuku could imagine a dozen different ways to take down Overhaul without putting either of the girls in danger but despite all his efforts he was unable to come up with a way to do that and capture the organizations other leaders at the same time. The raid had been the best bet but Izuku was still unsure if what he gained would outweigh the costs his two friends had paid.

Shaking his head Izuku turned his head back to Momo as he responded to Toga's question, "She's better, her bruises are fading slightly and her burns aren't as raw as they were." He blushed slightly, "A-and thank you for changing her bandages and applying the burn cream. I know it must be hard doing it one handed but if I did it," Izuku's face went from a light blush to beet red as images flashed through his mind that he didn't want to see but certainly liked.

"It's no problem," Toga said and Izuku shivered as two weights suddenly pressed into his shoulder blades. "We wouldn't want anything inappropriate to happen to poor, defenseless, Momo now would we." Toga purred and Izuku shivered at her warm breath against his left ear feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"T-T-toga," he whimpered.

"Come on Izuku," Toga whispered and Izuku thought he might have felt her lips brush against his ear, "after what we went through I think the least you can do is call me Himiko.

"T-tog- OUCH!" Izuku screamed now wide awake as he turned to look at the vampiress, his left hand coming up to cover his ear, "Did you just bite me?" He asked disbelievingly.

Toga responded by licking her lips and Izuku felt blood rush to his face as his eyes tracked the movement realizing for the first time just how full they were. "You misbehaved," Toga exhaled and Izuku saw something strange in the girl's eyes, playfulness mixed with, frustration? "Now say it with me Hi-mi-ko."

"Toga," Izuku warned but he was unable to react as the blonde pounced pushing Izuku back so he was leaning precariously off the chair; he would have fallen if it wasn't for Momo's bed pushing into the top of his back keeping him semi-upright. Toga leaned over Izuku, her right hand pushing into Izuku's left shoulder and in her eye's Izuku saw that the playfulness was gone, only the frustration remained before the blonde lowered her head, hiding her eyes from view.

"Say it?"

"What?"

"Say it!" Izuku's veridian orbs locked with Toga's gold as the blonde brought her head up and the quirkless boy was surprised to see actual tears in the girl's eyes. "You say her name..."

"Toga."

"You do! You say it all the time: Momo this, Momo that, I know we haven't known each other as long but you trust me." Toga looked at Izuku with clear unbridled desperation, "You needed me for your plan to work. Trusted me. But now, now all you do is sit here by her bed," Toga gestured wildly in Momo's general direction, "and worry about her. The only time you actually checked in on me was when the doctor was here but as soon as he left you went straight back to her."

Tears leaked down Toga's cheeks but the blonde made no attempt to wipe them away, "I have to know," she whispered, begged, "I have to know that all this wasn't meaningless, our time together before I went undercover. Tell me it wasn't an act, that you weren't using me. That- that you actually considered me a friend."

"Toga." Izuku said softly.

"SAY IT!" Toga screamed her face hidden by the wild yellow locks that fell forward to cover it. Tears dripped down onto Izuku's freckled cheeks but the greenete remained motionless. "Please, say it." Toga whispered, her voice broken.

For a moment silence fell over the room, the only sound Izuku's quiet breathing, the beeping of the heart monitor, and Toga's wild pants as she recovered her breath.

"Himiko."

Toga's face sprang up, her hair falling to either side of her head as she looked at Izuku, "Wh-what?"

"Himiko," Izuku said again, his eyes locking with hers which began to tear up once more. "That's your name, the name of a girl I trusted explicitly to achieve my goals and the name of a girl I would be happy to call my friend." Tears fell from Toga-no-Himiko's eyes as her sole remaining hand left Izuku's shoulder to come up and cover her mouth. "Himiko is the name of a girl who tried to hurt me, who's obsessed with blood, and can frankly get a little to excited about the smallest things but," Izuku smiled softly, not All Might's tooth filled grin but a soft one, a simple upturning of the edge of his lips paired with a softening of his cold emerald eyes, "for all her faults I would never change a single thing about her, it's what makes Himiko, well Himiko."

"Izu," Toga sobbed, burying her face in his chest, now broader and more defined due to months of training. "Please," she whimpered, "please tell me I can stay. That you won't send me away now that you don't need me. Tell me that you won't leave me alone."

Izuku didn't speak for a moment, instead letting the question hang in the air. Himiko might not have realized the importance of her request but Izuku did, if Himiko stayed then she wouldn't be able to leave, All For One would make sure of it. However Izuku could also tell that the request was Himiko's worst fear made manifest, being alone, unloved due to her Quirk and the requirements needed both to use it as well as the desires it manifested within her. Izuku might not know the girl's full past but he could hazard a rough guess. Abandonment, a fear of authorities due to actions likely not entirely her own, Quirk Dependency on a liquid that people seemed to fear whenever it wasn't within their bodies. Himiko had suffered just like he had but unlike him she hadn't had someone there to help her, an Inko of her own that offered unconditional love no matter how hard it got or how much the world seemed to turn on you. For a moment Izuku felt the grief that he'd buried deep within him well up but he forced it back down, now wasn't the time he could mourn later, right now he had to focus on Himiko and his answer.

"Yes," he said softly and the way that the girl froze in her crying let him know she'd heard him. "You can stay but if you do," he warned, "you won't be able to leave." Himiko looked up at him confused, "I wouldn't stop you," Izuku said with a small bitter laugh, one that contained his years of torment and abandonment, "but my teacher, my Sensei, he would. He's… protective that way."

For a moment Himiko remained still and Izuku braced himself for her to stand up, to leave so he was unprepared when the blonde instead nuzzled herself deeper into his chest like a cat, burying her face against his body. "That's okay," she purred contently, "as long as I have you I'll be fine."

Izuku tried to sit up but Himiko's weight kept him down, leaving the two balancing precariously between the seat Izuku had been sitting in and Momo's bed. "To-sorry, Himiko" Izuku corrected, "can you please get off me now?"

Himkio ignored the boy completely and as Izuku felt his ire beginning to grow he heard a repetitive soft sound emerge from the blonde's mouth. Izuku's left eye twitched as he realized that the girl had fallen asleep on him. Although annoyed Izuku forced himself to take a deep breath before exhaling heavily; letting out a sigh he glanced down at the girl getting his first real good look at her since the raid.

She was clothed in a simple white tank top with spaghetti straps, the top of which was pushed outward due to the girl's ample breasts giving Izuku a nice view of not only Himiko's cleavage but also a few inches of her bare midriff, stopping just over the girl's belly button. Two rather hard spots, one on each of Himiko's breasts reminded Izuku that the girl currently wasn't wearing a bra, which sent the greenete into a blushing storm although it fell away once he realized that no one was there to see him in such a compromising position. It seemed to Izuku that Himiko's outfit showed more of the girl's skin, a warm peach color that contrasted against Momo's milky white, and clung to her body more than Izuku remembered. His opinion wasn't helped by the fact that Himiko has chosen to pair her top with an olive green skirt that fell just below her butt, in fact it was due to how short the skirt was that Izuku had even been able to see the bandages on Himiko's thigh in the first place.

As he looked Himiko over the blonde seemed to shift unconsciously under his gaze, her head slinking back and forth before finally coming to a rest atop his chest, right over Izuku's heart that beat just a few inches below her. The movement brought Izuku's attention to the young vampire's face and once more his eyes found themselves wandering before stopping to rest on the blonde's full, plush lips. For a moment Izuku stared at them but when he realized what he was doing he shook his head and his eyes drifted up to Himiko's own closed eyes. Dark circles underneath them made Izuku shift slightly with guilt but he quickly stopped as his already awkward position caused him to slide a few inches lower towards the ground.

Already on edge, uncomfortable, and frankly just not wanting to hit his head against the tiled floor, Izuku slowly rotated his shoulder blades and elbows in an effort to gain a few more inches of height, all while trying to avoid waking the girl atop him. It took him several agonizing minutes of sheer focused will but Izuku succeeded in raising himself up. Unfortunately the boy hadn't given his impromptu plan as much thought as he had the raid which led to the greenete and the blonde atop him sliding into the already occupied bed at a near diagonal angle to where Momo lay, the two actually lying across her blanket covered thighs and waist.

Once more Himiko moved her arms wrapping around Izuku's chest, hugging the boy in her sleep while Izuku flushed as she unconsciously pressed her body against him. Fortunately for Izuku, although his shoulder blades were now trapped by Himiko's hands, Izuku's arms remained free allowing the greenete to reach out to either side of himself in an effort to escape the blonde's tight grip while possibly allowing the boy to sit up.

However, while his right hand sank into the mattress and the sheets that covered it, Izuku's left hand hit something equally soft, plush, and cloth covered but vastly different in size and shape. Confused, the greenete squeezed the strange spherical mass, his hand sinking into it reminding the boy of the time he kneaded dough with his mother when the two made dinner together. The shape and feel of the mass was strange, unfamiliar, like nothing Izuku could recall touching before. As Izuku continued to finger the soft object his mind ran through the possibilities of just what it could be and as his fingers brushed against a hard protrusion on the mass it struck the boy just what, or rather who he might be touching, and where.

Paralyzed by panic at the thought, Izuku's face turned the same red as the crimson blood Himiko loved so much, said liquid rushing to his face, currently frozen in an expression of horror. Slowly, jerkingly - like a malfunctioning robot, Izuku's head turned to the left and his emerald orbs found his traitorous hand exactly where he feared it might be; groping the bandaged covered flesh of Momo's breast.

'Well, at least it can't get any worse,' Izuku thought with an empty smile on his face, as if his soul had vacated his body. Unfortunately, Izuku like most had not learned the lesson that the universe seemed to take sadistic pleasure in proving statements wrongs as at that very moment black goop forced itself out of the mouths of the bed's occupants. For a brief moment Izuku's eyes met the yellow of Himiko's, now wide awake, seeing the fear in them as All For One's Warping quirk was used on her for the first time. Izuku tried to smile at the girl reassuringly but before he could the black liquid covered his face obscuring her from his view.

---

When Izuku reappeared he found himself on the floor in All For One's makeshift throne room, lying on the floor before the seated man himself. The sound of groaning from his right told Izuku that Himiko lay on the ground beside him while a quick glance to his left alerted Izuku to the fact that Momo was there as well although it seemed the blanket she'd been sleeping under hadn't accompanied her leaving the ravenette clad in only the bandages around her chest and a pair of tight jean shorts that hugged her ample rear quite attractively. Detecting the man's well hidden amusement at the state of his companions Izuku scowled. It seemed that his mentor found humor in the girls closeness to Izuku although Izuku feared that their state of dress might make All For One think that he had been 'having his way' with the two girls, never mind the fact that one of them was in a coma.

"I-Izuku," Himiko said uncertainly as she pulled herself up to sit criss cross on the concrete floor. Her eyes flashed to him for answers before turning to look at the suited masked former emperor of the Underworld, all the while her sole remaining hand remained out of his sight, likely, if Izuku had to warrant a guess, clutching a throwing knife she'd hidden somewhere on her person, "what's going on?"

A simple question but one with so so many possible answers but in this case there was only one part of it that Izuku cared about. "Himiko, this is the man who's going to take Chisaki's Quirk and give it to me."

It was a show of how much Himiko trusted Izuku that the girl didn't even question his statement instead nodding along like the fact that there was someone who could give and take Quirks made perfect sense. "Okay Mr. Masked Guy," she said with a bright smile that displayed her prominent canines, "nice to meet ya."

Izuku was shocked by how casual Himiko was, even though the man had been nothing but good to him Izuku still felt the need to constantly stay on his best behavior around the injured criminal, as if everything that happened in his presence was a test and the slightest mistake or slip up could, and would, lead to his death. Izuku wasn't sure if it was intentional on All For One's part or not but it certainly made him determined to try and meet the man's expectations, after all who knew what could happen to him if he didn't.

After Himiko spoke, All For One stayed silent and Izuku mentally prepared himself to beg the powerful figure to spare the girl. They might not have had the months to build a relationship that Izuku had had with Momo but ever since their initial meeting in that deserted alley there was no denying the connection between them. Izuku had met a kindred spirit for the first time in his life and Himiko had too. Someone who could understand what they'd been through not from reading about it or seeing it but from living it, experiencing the derision, scorn, and hatred of those around them for things outside of their control. People say that monsters live under the bed, or in the shadows of the dark but those who'd lived through hell on Earth knew that the real monsters were the ones that looked human but weren't.

So it came was nothing but a surprise to the greenete when instead of getting mad at the blonde All For One did something Izuku had NEVER seen the man do, he laughed. It was short, strained from the man's wounds, only lasting a few moments before it dissolved into a coughing fit but it was amused laughter all the same. Casting a look over at Himiko Izuku found the girl with her head cocked to the side, her cat-like eyes full of the same confusion Izuku was currently feeling but as All For One's coughing died down Izuku turned his attention back to his Sensei.

"Thank you Himiko Toga," the man spoke, his tone slightly warm if Izuku had to put a word to it although he could only say that because of the months spent with the man, to someone meeting him for the first time the voice would have sounded as cold and devoid of warmth as it always seemed, "it has been too long since I've found something so simple so amusing." He sighed, "It is honestly refreshing to have someone who doesn't fear me on some level but unfortunately this is not the time to get to know one another better; we have much to discuss and much needs to be done. However before we begin Izuku," the greenete stiffened as he felt All For One's eyeless gaze turn to him, "who is this woman to you?" The voice just moments ago slightly warm and if not friendly courteous at least was now as cold as the vacuum of space. It was a voice that belonged to a ruler, one that sat above all others and Izuku could feel his desire to submit, the craziest thing, he suspected that this was not one of All For One's many Quirks, no, this was the man's natural inborn charisma.

"She is a follower," he answered fighting the urge to bow down as he dared to return the man's gaze with his own, "one that I came across when I was recruiting for the raid and it would not be a lie to say that it is due to her that the raid went off as well as it did. Without Himiko I have almost no doubt that Chisaki would have escaped in the confusion and I would have had to waste precious time tracking him down. A pursuit which would have an increased chance of failure due to him now being on the lookout for any attacks or pursuers."

"So she's useful," All For One summarized coolly, giving nothing away when it came to his personal thoughts on the matter.

Izuku felt a bead of sweat trickle down the side of his face but continued on, "Yes," he said nodding his confirmation, despite knowing that All For One lacked working eyes he had no doubt the man could very well see him just fine. "Her Quirk is useful for reconnaissance, spying, infiltration-"

"Ooh, ooh," Toga interrupted with a grin, her hand raised in the air like the schoolgirl she normally dressed as as both men turned to look at her, "don't forget assassinations I can do those too," she said proudly with a nod of her head up and down.

"And assassinations," Izuku conceded. "She's also the only person to return to me from the raid despite suffering the worst injuries - as far as I'm aware - of anyone else besides Momo." Izuku's eyes, despite his best efforts, darted to the left corners of his eyes in an effort to find comfort in the ravenette's, albeit unconscious, presence.

"And what are your plans for her?"

"She's proven her loyalty and her usefulness," Izuku said slowly as he decided to take a risk "so I intend for her to serve me directly. With Momo heading off to infiltrate U.A. I need a lieutenant to assist me. Gigantomachia has proven that while he will do as I command, he does so out of loyalty to you, not to me. I have yet to prove my worth to him and I fear that I will be unable to do so without a Quirk. Himiko though, she trusts me and follows me, she follows my orders even when they endanger her and she has shown that she is willing to do whatever it takes to help me." As Izuku spoke he kept his eyes firmly locked onto his mentor's mask, determined not to see the blonde's reaction to his next words. "To me she is irreplaceable if not for her Quirk, than her personality. She's someone I can see myself coming to like being around."

For a moment silence descended only to be interrupted mere seconds later by a vampire's shriek of joy. "IZU-KUN!" Himiko yelled as she lunged forward wrapping the boy in a one armed hug as she began to run her head up and down against his neck and chin like a cat, the resemblance so uncanny Izuku could practically feel the girl purring. "You were so cool, it made me like you even more!" She leaned into him pressing her chest against his arm, burying the limb in between her cleavage as she looked up at him with admiring, worshipful eyes, "if you keep saying such nice things about me I don't think I'll be able to control myself," she said as a blush crossed her face, her yellow eyes glazing over as if seeing images Izuku felt he would honestly rather not know about.

Izuku blushed too as he averted his eyes away from Himiko's cleavage, where they'd inevitably been drawn. "I-it's nothing," he stuttered, "I was just s-saying what I honestly thought."

A low chuckling interrupted the two and together they turned to face the masked man still sitting in his throne although All For One now leant back to rest comfortably in his chair, no longer sitting up like he was ready to take action if he deemed it necessary. "I see what you mean about loyalty," the man said, his filtered voice filling the room, "she is incredibly attached to you especially for how little time you've known each other. It's almost suspicious..." As All For One trailed off Himiko straightened up. Although she still kept her arms encircling Izuku's she was no longer pressing herself against the greenete, the only way for those who knew her to tell she was on edge.

"Are you asking me a question?" the blonde asked emotionlessly, her face blank and eyes dead as she tilted her head slightly to the side.

"No, no, no" All For One denied waving the question aside with a swish of his hand, "merely making a point. I know how much Izuku must trust you to say that but I wonder if you understand just what it is you have at your disposal."

"If you think-"

"But it doesn't matter," All For One said, looking down on the two, reminding them just who was in charge. "Izuku's choices are his own. I am merely here to support him, to act as a guide and mentor when he asks it of me. He will make mistakes but he will learn from them and he will grow. This is a fine example of a choice that could backfire on him or benefit him greatly. Either way he will grow stronger from the experience."

"However," shifting in his seat, All For One bent forward appearing almost eager, "Himiko is not the main reason you are here is it?"

"No." Izuku whispered.

"You're here because you want something, something you worked for months to get isn't that right Izuku?" When the greenete didn't press on instead looking downwards the man pressed on regardless, "I can only imagine what it was like to, after years of abuse for something you had no say in, get a power, a Quirk to call your own."

Izuku heard a gasp of surprise from beside him but didn't turn, he didn't want to see the golden cat-like eyes of his new lieutenant... friend, other? Whatever their newfound relationship was, Izuku didn't think he could stand it if he saw Himiko looking at him with pity. People pitied him and he hated it, they were being condescending ,hypocrites, liars! Looking down on him despite saying, acting like they didn't. They were all fakes, even the heroes. When the #1 hero tells you that you can never be a hero, never save someone, or help just because you lack a Quirk to call your own well, you can't be any more of a hypocrite than that when you proclaim for all to hear that anyone can be a hero.

Letting out a deep breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, Izuku imagined he was breathing out all of his anger. Not forgetting it but rather burying the feelings down to use later. Izuku knew emotions could be a powerful motivation so long as you didn't let them control you and after the life he had, Izuku had more than enough motivation to last him for years.

"It was hard," Izuku reminisced, "and then to lose it all again..." he shivered as he trailed off, remembering the feeling of loss he'd felt waking up all those months ago. Reaching inside for a power he'd had for mere hours only to find it empty, gone. It had been one of the worst moments of his life, as if his dreams were shattering all over again and Izuku could scarcely imagine what it would be like to people who'd had their Quirks for years, it would be cataclysmal, as if a piece of their soul, their identity had been carved out of them and taken away.

"When you offered me a new Quirk, a replacement every part of me wanted to say yes, to accept anything no matter how weak or useless it was just so I could have a Quirk to call my own again but..."

"Yes?"

"That's not what I want," looking up, his head having fallen forward as he recalled his traumatic past, Izuku gave All For One a powerful look. It was unconscious but the grievously wounded lord of darkness couldn't help but smile under his mask. The look was filled with purpose, something Tomura still had yet to find and comparing the two in his head All For One couldn't help but marvel at how much further ahead of his former heir the latter appeared to be.

Focusing back on the greenete All For One managed to hear the boy's next words, "I want to transform society, change it irreparably so that the broken system we have in place right now is nothing but pages in a history book. However you've shown me that nothing can be done without power," raising his right hand, curled into a fist, Izuku stared at the appendage as he continued to speak, his voice soft, a whisper, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. "For so long I've been powerless, useless, nothing but a Deku." He scowled at the last word, spitting it out as if it personally offended him.

It probably did All For One thought thoughtfully, Deku, "useless', it was a childish nickname if it was one. A simple play on the characters that made up the boy's name but one that could be highly effective on the developing mentality of a child, one that was quirkless in a society where your Quirk was everything to a great many. If he had been called that ever since he'd been diagnosed and had years of mistreatment added to it, well, All For One could easily see himself hating the word with a passion if he had been in the boy's worn red shoes.

"However now, now I have the chance to get something I've always wanted and use it to build the world of my dreams. I should be ecstatic, excited, and yet as happy as I am I can't help but feel more scared than I've ever been in my life.."

"That's because you don't know," looking up Izuku found All For One looking down on him as if the man had just noticed something he'd missed before. "Before you knew deep down what the future held for you; your place in the pecking order and despite your dreams you never made any attempt to change that." Izuku's mouth opened at that but fell shut as a look of contemplation crossed his face allowing the centuries old man to continue, "But now, now you don't know what the future holds, what possibilities await you. The world is opening itself to you in ways that it never has before and that newness, that originality, it's intimidating."

For a moment All For One paused, allowing Izuku to think over his words, "However, you need to remember that you are not doing this on your own. I am here, as always, to guide you. Yaoyorozu is there to support you and now Miss Toga is as well. You are no longer alone and with the power that awaits you I truly believe that you truly stand a chance of making all your dreams of a world of equality, fairness come true."

Izuku didn't feel it as he collapsed to his knees. He didn't feel it as Himiko rushed forward, her face panicked as she shouted, asking if he was okay. He didn't notice All For One beginning to rise from his throne in worry before relaxing as one of his many Quirks let him know the reason for the greenete's momentary weakness.

Izuku wasn't aware of any of that, all he knew was that the spot deep inside of him, the one that had been cold and dark for so long, was finally breaking. It was a spot created from a life spent isolated, alone, separate from his peers, friends, and even his own family. A fear so ingrained in Izuku's nature that it might as well have been a part of his soul was shattering apart as the greenete realized that, for the first time in his life, he had people who would stay by him. Who believed in him. That wouldn't leave him or abandon him, at the drop of a hat or a moment of weakness. And as Izuku's brain finally began to understand just what it was he now had the dark voices within the greenete, the ones that had haunted him for years telling him he was useless, disliked, hated; the voices that on the rooftop where All Might had crushed his dreams had yelled out at the boy urging him to take his so called 'friend's' advice and jump finally began to fall away.

Author's Note:

*PLEASE MAKE SURE TO READ THE FIRST AND FIFTH PARAGRAPHS OF MY AN,

BOTH CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THIS STORY*

Okay, first things first for those of you who just care about Eri and don't give a hoot about anything else I might say; as I said last chapter in the AN THERE IS A REASON ERI IS WITH THE HEROES! Yes I know you might not like it and you want daddy Izuku, mommy Momo, and chibi Eri right now but I have a plan and Eri needs to be with the heroes for it to happen. So either deal with it like a grown ass adult or suck it and buzz off. I'm NOT saying Eri will be with Aizawa and Nagant permanently, I'm NOT saying she'll leave them next chapter. What I AM saying is that there is a good reason for what I'm doing so let me do what I want before you all go tearing into me. Jeez Louise you all made me mad and now I'm yelling at you. Sorry for those of you who didn't complain about what I did and thank you to those of you who supported my decision or decided to keep your opinions to yourselves to see what I do, thank you and trust that your patience will be rewarded (at least in my opinion).

Next order of business the harem poll for 1-B. Man this one was close, for a while Yui and Ibara were tied and Pony (my vote) was up there in the top two for a while as well. Oh well without further ado here's the results for those of you who wanted to know:

Yui Kodai - 18 Votes (22%)

Ibara Shiozaki - 17 Votes (21%)

Setsuna Tokage - 16 Votes (20%)

Pony Tsunotori - 13 Votes (16%)

Reiko Yanagi - 10 Votes (12%)

Kinoko Komori - 6 Votes (7%)

Total Votes: 80 (I know the percentages don't add up to an even 100% but I did the math, apparently fanfic rounds down instead of to the nearest number in their polls so even though 10 votes might be 12.8% and would normally be rounded up to 13% fanfic would round down to 12%. Learn something new every day I guess)

So round of applause to the kuudere Yui Kodai as Izuku's newest conquest target *insert cheering and applause sound effects here*. Thank you to all of you who voted and it is now time for the last poll, this one focused on pro heroines. Lots of options and some of them only appear in movies for brief moments such as Cow Lady & X. I gave a brief description for any you might not know and there are some minor heroines in there to such as Bubble Girl and Burnin if that's who you go for. If you don't know who someone is just google their hero name + MHA and you'll likely get a wiki page on them. I also included the new #1 American heroine introduced only two chapters ago (at the time this chapter is released), Star and Stripe. This poll, unlike the others comes with two votes which means two heroines will join Izuku on his rise to power. My personal favorites are Miruko & Midnight followed by Cow Lady but hey, you vote for who you want to. Anyway vote by going to my profile and to answer a question someone asked me yes I only think you can vote from a computer, sorry for those of you reading this on your phone just set a reminder to do it later. I mean it. Yes do it, you know you'll forget otherwise. Yes you will. Just do it, you're mentally arguing with your phone, imagine how ridiculous you look right now. Just do it so we can move on.

Moving on (lol) I apologize for this chapter being more about character development than action and putting off Izuku receiving his new Quirk once again. This chapter and the next one were originally supposed to be a single chapter called Healing but I split it up for two reasons: First together the chapter was to long and in my opinion to many things were happening for it to flow smoothly. Secondly this is the end of the second arc. No don't panic not this chapter but the next one. Once it's done the arc is officially over. There will be an interlude chapter (this one will probably look at what's going on with Aizawa, Nagant, and Eri) but after that arc three begins and we go back to the story of class 1-A. I have plans to majorly change things up so you all aren't just reading repeats for the millionth time of how the battle trial went or USJ or even the Sports Festival. This story isn't just about Izuku's personal change it's about how the class and world change as well without him there. Also all the medical stuff was found courtesy of Google as were recovery times and treatment methods so take it up with the website before you get mad with me, that means you aspiring doctor or nurse that wants to seem smart by saying I'm wrong about blah, blah, blah; keep it to yourself.

Anyway look forward to that but last thing here bombshell news. Once the next chapter is up I will be going on hiatus until next year. This is due to two things first one of my jobs is, in the middle of November, going to be entering prime holiday time which means I might be moving to working six days a week there while still having a second job I need to do in the mornings. In other words I'll be exhausted so until that's over I'm just not sure how much writing I'll be able to do in my free time so it's unfair on both my part and to you guys to promise you something and then not deliver it. Secondly and a more personal reason, I want to work on my other works. Rival Heirs while something I love dearly has been my full focus for more than three quarters of a year now. Not that that isn't a bad thing or anything but I do have other stories and ideas I want to work on, try to get at least a chapter or two up before I come back to this. I appreciate your guys understanding and I promise you here and now THIS STORY IS NOT BEING DROPPED OR ABANDONED! I will be back come 2022 to bring you guys the next part of Izuku, Kendo, and Bakugo's misadventures (also does it feel to anyone else like 2020 was yesterday, I mean I know it was a year and a half ago but damn I swear... anyway here's to 2022 being better than the last two). The next chapter, and the final one of arc II, will be posted either at the end of October, sometime in November, or whenever we hit 1000 followers on the story just to make it so that the break doesn't feel as long to you all. As for the interlude that will likely go up in January which means arc III will begin officially in February. Of course chapters will be up on P-atreon for those of you who don't feel like waiting that long.

As always make sure to leave a comment as I love reading them and enjoy hearing your feedback. Also new chapters both for Rival Heirs and my other works will be posted on my P-atreon page during my hiatus. It's under D'yavol Lucifer so a simple search online with my name + P-atreon should find it easy enough. You can also follow me on Twitter dyavolucifer to be notified of updates, release dates, and other information first before anyone else.

That covers everything I think so thank you once again to everyone who supports me. I appreciate your understanding and make sure to leave a comment or review for the chapter as I do read them all. Anyways until next time this is the devil that wants to hibernate until spring but needs money signing off,

-D'yavol Lucifer 3:)

*IMPORTANT NOTICE*

All the cover art for my stories are ones I found online. I am really interested in using fanart provided by you the readers to replace them. If you're interested draw something up and pm me so I can send you the details on where to send it or pm me and I'll give you some details so you can draw one. As I say in my bio if I use it I may add you as an oc in one of my stories! Isn't that exciting!

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