into Tartarus Prison.

Izuku shook his head. He kept his eyes front as guard after guard at checkpoint after checkpoint waved them through. He couldn't show fear. He wanted to do this, and if he let on that he was afraid, All Might would call it off.

It had been a few weeks since the training camp and the ensuing incident in Kamino. The news had spent a few days roundly condemning UA High School for allowing a student to be kidnapped, but once it became clear that All Might had resolved the situation promptly the whole thing blew over. Like always the news was far more interested in All Might's triumph than the circumstances. The capture of the leaders of the League of Villains was also a hot topic of conversation, and the police were crowing that victory so loud no one was asking too many questions about specifics. The threat to the fabric of hero society was over, and the perpetrators were somewhere they couldn't do any more harm.

Out of sight, out of mind, Izuku supposed

"Perhaps I should clarify," All Might went on as they were lead down a long hallway that sloped steadily downward. "You know you don't have to do this alone. I can be there with you if you want."

"Shigaraki agreed to talk to me," Izuku reminded him. "Just me, not anyone else. He might not talk if I bring someone in with me."

"Still," All Might pressed. "I feel terrible asking you to do this for me. This is no place for a student to be visiting during his summer break."

"We can't risk annoying him," Izuku said. "We have a plan and we need his consent. I won't do anything without his permission."

All Might sighed but didn't protest any further.

At last the two guards escorting them came to a pair of metal doors that were the only feature in a long metal hallway. One of the guards separated and opened the first door, then ushered All Might inside. Some kind of observation room, by the glimpse Izuku caught of it. The other guard lead Izuku to the far door. This one had to be unlocked, and once it was the guard held it open for him. Izuku glanced once at the door behind which All Might had disappeared, then faced forward and stepped inside.

As the door closed behind him with a loud clang and a scrape of metal on metal, Izuku took in the room before him. It was meant for interrogations, that much was obvious by the one way mirror in

one wall. It wasn't a normal visiting room. He wondered if Tartarus Prison had normal visiting rooms. There was a table in the middle of the floor, with two hard metal chairs, one on either side. The chair nearest the door was empty. In the other chair sat Tomura Shigaraki, staring at Izuku from under his unkept hair.

"Hello Shigaraki," Izuku said, not moving just yet.

"Welcome to Tartarus," Shigaraki said sardonically. Both his hands were encased in metal boxes, and they were bound together on the table in front of him. "So nice of you to come see me, number nine."

"I'm not really number nine you know," Izuku told him, feeling brave enough to walk forward and sit in the chair opposite Shigaraki. "That was a lie to fool All for One."

"Yeah, that kid that looks like a mini All Might told me," Shigaraki admitted. "I hate him."

"You hate basically everything," Izuku recalled from their conversation at the mall. "I don't think you hate Toogata especially, just because he told you the truth."

Shigaraki was quiet for a moment. Just as Izuku was wondering if he was going to have to ask the first question, Shigaraki spoke in the small voice.

"It's true then?" he asked. "All that stuff he said about master?"

"What did he tell you?" Izuku wanted to be careful about what he let Shigaraki believe.

Shigaraki shifted uncomfortably, looking down. "He said that master never cared about me. He said that I was just a pawn. A dramatic reveal."

"It's true that he used you," Izuku admitted. "It's true that he chose to take you in and make you into a villain because revealing that would hurt All Might. I don't know if that's all you were, but I'm pretty sure he didn't have it in him to care about anyone but himself."

"You don't know him like I do," Shigaraki protested weakly. "Master said everything was for me! But then, that's what that half and half kid said his father said . . . I don't understand!"

He rattled the chain of his handcuffs, pulling at them, and Izuku got the impression that if he could, he'd be scratching at his neck.

"Let me put it this way," Izuku said, as gently as he could. "He raised you, right? You were like his child? He had over a hundred children, myself include. He threw us all away like trash."

"Then I must be special," Shigaraki snapped halfheartedly.

"Or he was a monster who didn't care about anyone," Izuku countered.

Shigaraki was quiet for a moment, then peered up at Izuku from under raggedy bangs. "You keep saying 'was.' The cops said, when they brought me here . . . is it true he's dead?"

"That much is true," Izuku told him. "I saw the body."

"How?" Shigaraki wanted to know. "He was immortal! All powerful! Impossible to defeat! Was it All Might? Did he kill my master?!"

"No," Izuku shook his head. "It wasn't All Might. All for One tried to jam a bunch of quirks into me, to make me like the Nomu. When he reached into me, I reached back into him, and I pulled his

quirk out."

Shigaraki stared at him. "You . . . took his quirk?"

"And all the quirks inside it," Izuku confirmed. "Without his immortality quirk he couldn't . . . be alive anymore. So he died."

"That's not very heroic of you," Shigaraki groused.

"Would it have been better if I'd punched him really hard?" Izuku wondered, with a raised eyebrow.

Shigaraki snorted. "You're weird, for a hero," he said. "You talk sense."

"Is that why you wanted to talk to me?" Izuku wondered. "Me specifically, and no one else?"

"Do you know why I lured you to the bar?" Shigaraki asked, head tilted slightly to the side.

Izuku shrugged. "I assumed it was All for One's idea."

"It wasn't," Shigaraki informed him. "It was my idea. I wanted to talk to you."

"What did you want to talk about?" Izuku wondered.

Shigaraki paused for a moment, seeming to gather his thoughts. His gaze rested on the table, on his boxed up hands, and his teeth worried his lower lip. Finally he looked back up at Izuku.

"What do you think," he asked slowly, "is wrong with the world?"

"I think people focus too much on quirks," Izuku said automatically. "I think people judge other people based on what quirk they have, or if they have one at all. I think no one takes quirk discrimination seriously, and they let people with good quirks do whatever they want."

Shigaraki looked disappointed. "Is that all?"

Izuku thought for a moment. That seemed to cover everything, as far as he could tell. What he'd been through, what Hitoshi had been through, what Shouto had been through. It probably didn't cover what Shigaraki had been through, as All for One's ward, but that had been something done to him by a villain, not by society at large.

Then again, wasn't Endeavor also a villain, no matter what society thought of him? He had used his quirk to gain power over others and then hurt them. That sounded like a villain to Izuku. It also sounded like Bakugou, if he was honest with himself. They had both done bad things, but they'd only gone as far as society would let them. The world had enabled them to become what they were.

Izuku considered why Shigaraki had wanted to ask him. It was because his perspective was unique; that was the advantage that had seen him through every challenge so far. What perspective could he bring to this? The perspective of someone without a quirk. What was this problem without quirks?

"I think people have good ideals," Izuku began carefully. "Truth, and justice, and peace. But those are hard to live up to, so people want heroes to live up to their ideals for them. Heroes are just people though, so it's not any easier for them to live up to their ideals than anyone else. So in the end, we have a world where people talk about justice and peace, but no one really fights for those things. People who need help don't get it, but everyone keeps going on about what fair and

wonderful place the world is."

Shigaraki visibly relaxed. "You do understand."

"Is that what you were looking for?" Izuku guessed. "Someone to understand?"

"I didn't understand myself," Shigaraki admitted. "I wanted someone to explain it to me."

"What about the other members of the League?" Izuku wondered. "Did they feel the same way?"

"I don't know," Shigaraki shrugged. "I didn't know any of them that well."

"So you don't know where they went?" Izuku probed.

Shigaraki rolled his eyes. "Is that why you came to talk to me?"

"No," Izuku told him shortly. "I had a different reason for coming. I do want to talk about the League though. The Vanguard Action Squad?"

"What about them?" Shigaraki said disinterestedly.

"I told you All for One was my father," Izuku reminded him. "He's also the father of Himiko Toga and Jin Bubaigawara. Did you know that?"

"No," Shigaraki admitted, blinking. "Really? Toga and Twice were master's children?"

"No one was more surprised than I," Izuku said dryly, then sighed. "They're my siblings though. My half-siblings. Two of many."

"Do you care?" Shigaraki asked, as though mildly intrigued by the possibility.

"I do," Izuku nodded. "I care a lot, actually. So does . . . so do other people. I want to find all the children All for One made, and their mothers. Do you know where I could find that information?"

Shigaraki shrugged. "You'd have to ask the doctor for that."

"Doctor Garaki?" Izuku offered the name he remember. At Shigaraki's nod he went on. "Do you know where I can find him?"

"If he wasn't at the Nomu factory, then no," Shigaraki said.

Izuku sighed. "Toga and Bubaigawara-"

"Twice," Shigaraki said. "He likes to be called Twice."

"Toga and Twice," Izuku cautiously began again. "I need to find them. They're my next step to repairing the damage All for One did."

"Do you want to find them just so you can lock them up?" Shigaraki demanded.

"No," Izuku said firmly. "I want to help them. They're my siblings and I want to take care of them."

"They're older than you," Shigaraki pointed out.

"I want them to be taken care of," Izuku insisted. "I want them to be in a place where they can heal."

"What about the rest of the League?" Shigaraki challenged. "Dabi? Magne? Spinner? Mr. Compress? Do you want to take care of them too?"

"I do," Izuku told him. "They're people the world has failed. I want to build a world where people like them feel they have a place besides being villains. The League is where I start."

"I guess I'm the exception then," Shigaraki huffed.

"Nope!" Izuku said brightly. He'd been looking forward to this part. "You're my first step! That's the reason I came."

"I thought you came to get information," Shigaraki protested, shying away from Izuku's sunny smile. "Don't look at me like that!"

"I came to offer you a deal," Izuku told him. "Because of the . . . extenuating circumstances of your upbringing, All Might has arranged for you to be transferred to a high security long term care hospital. You would still be confined and under guard, but you would be able to get help, and its nicer than Tartarus."

Shigaraki blinked at him. "You want . . . to get me out of here?"

"The mandate is that you remain hospitalized for at least five years," Izuku explained, "but we think we can get it reduced to three with your cooperation. From there we would reevaluate, but monitored release would be on the table, if you want it."

Shigaraki's eyes narrowed. "What would I have to do?" he demanded. "I don't have any information for you."

"We don't need information," Izuku assured him. "What we need is a solution. The hospital is equipped to handle villains, but your quirk would be particularly troublesome. They don't have the staff or the equipment to contain you comfortably. You can promise to behave, but that's only worth so much; they need a guarantee."

"What kind of guarantee?" Shigaraki wondered.

Izuku put his hand on the table, palm up. "I have All for One's quirk," he said. "I can take your quirk from you, and make you quirkless again."

"What are you waiting for then?" Shigaraki said, frowning in confusion.

"Your consent," Izuku told him. "I won't do it unless that's what you want. I know these aren't the best of circumstances, there's a lot to influence your decision, but I won't be like All for One. I won't take your quirk without your permission."

Shigaraki paused for a moment. He looked from Izuku's face to his outstretched palm and back again. He didn't have a hand to cover his face, but his expression was still hard to read. At long last he spoke, quiet and hesitant.

"What do you think I should do?" he asked.

Izuku took a deep breath. "I think this quirk isn't yours," he said slowly. "I think it was forced on you by someone who wanted you to hurt people who tried to help you. I think its a symbol of how All for One tried to control you, and I think . . . I think getting rid of it will help. In more ways than one."

There was a moment of silence while Shigaraki considered. Then he said, "I have a condition."

"What's that?" Izuku asked warily. He didn't know if All Might would agree to any conditions, but he could at least hear Shigaraki out.

"I want you to come visit me," Shigaraki told him. "In the hospital. My thoughts are . . . jumbled. They don't make sense when I think about them too long. You help me make them make sense. Will you keep helping me?"

Relieved that it was something he could give, Izuku smiled. "Sure," he said. "I don't know how often I can come, but I'll come."

Shigaraki hesitated a moment longer, then nodded. "Do it then."

Izuku was a little nervous about this part. He had an intuitive understanding of how to do this, but this would be the first time trying it out. He didn't think it would hurt Shigaraki, but he wasn't sure.

Hesitantly he leaned over the table and place his hand on Shigaraki's cheek. Immediately he became aware of All for One, the quirk beneath all the other quirks, thrumming and alive inside his core. It whispered to him what he had to do, and begged him to give it a try. He felt for Shigaraki's quirk, probing Shigaraki with his power, until he felt something connect. Then it was just a matter of calling the quirk to him. In a long, slow stream he siphoned it off, then lifted his hand away.

"Are you OK?" Izuku asked, sitting back in his chair and rubbing at his arms. It was impossible not to shiver.

Shigaraki looked back at, eyes clear and curious. "Are you?"

"I'm fine," Izuku said, letting his hands fall. "Can I call someone in here? To see if it worked?" "Be my guest," Shigaraki said sarcastically.

Izuku looked at the one way mirror and beckoned, and a moment later the door came open and a guard entered. He unlocked Shigaraki's cuffs in total silence, then stood back, still holding them. Shigaraki flexed his fingers experimentally for a moment, then laid one hand on the tabletop, all five fingers pressed to the metal surface.

Nothing happened.

"That's weird," Shigaraki said, frowning at the table.

"I bet," Izuku said, then stood up. "Let's go."

Shigaraki blinked at him. "What?"

"You're being transferred to the hospital," Izuku reminded him, beckoning him toward the door. "Remember?"

"What, now?" Shigaraki sputtered.

"Yes now," Izuku said, rolling his eyes. "C'mon, ambulance is waiting!"

Shigaraki stood, dumbfounded, and the guard ushered him outside. All Might apparently felt it prudent to stay hidden for the time being, and he did not join them out in the hall. Instead two more guards met them, and the three of them escorted Izuku and Shigaraki through hallways that sloped

steadily upward until they were at ground level. They left by the main entrance, walking out into the bright summer sun, to where there was a parking lot between the prison and the bridge back to the mainland. In the loading bay usually reserved for prison transports, an ambulance was parked.

"Ready?" Izuku said brightly as paramedics opened the doors and brought out a stretcher. "I guess," Shigaraki said, nonplussed.

They had to secure him to the gurney, but without a quirk there was no need for the box cuffs. He was loaded into the ambulance, still blinking in bemusement, and the doors were closed behind him. The siren came on, and the ambulance pulled out of the loading bay and drove off over the bridge.

A guard assured him All Might only had a few pieces of paperwork to fill out and would be with him shortly, and he was welcome to wait inside or outside as he pleased. Izuku opted to wait outside. Tartarus Prison was cold and sterile, but the sun was warm and the sea breeze was pleasant. He was just getting lost in the hypnotic way the sunlight dazzled where it reflected off the water when he noticed a familiar classic car pulling into a parking space near the front entrance.

"Aizawa-sensei! Mic-sensei!" Izuku called as his teachers stepped out of the car in full hero costumes. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question, 'lil listener!" Mic said with cheerful curiosity as the two men approached. "We're here to see Shirakumo, but I don't think you've got any friends around these parts."

"Who brought you here?" Aizawa asked, frowning.

"All Might!" Izuku assured them hurriedly. "Tomura Shigaraki asked to see me, so I came to help with the case."

"That idiot," Aizawa grumbled, continuing on toward the door when Mic stopped in front of Izuku. "I'll talk with him."

Izuku winced, then turned to Mic, figuring he'd have better luck explaining to him. "I came to take Shigaraki's quirk. It had to be me."

"I see," Mic said, still looking a bit disappointed. He turned to Aizawa, who had paused at the door. "Go on ahead. I'll be right behind you."

Aizawa nodded and went inside, leaving Izuku and Mic alone.

"I wouldn't have come just for any reason," Izuku insisted. "It really did need to be me. My . . . my quirk was needed."

"I understand that," Mic assured him gently. His expression had softened into mild sadness, but he was still discontent. "You always want to help, however you can. I wouldn't want to change that about you."

Izuku fidgeted awkwardly. This was the first time he and Mic had really had a chance to talk without anyone else around. There was a lot he wanted to say, but he didn't really know how to say it.

"Sensei," he began carefully, looking down. "There's something I want to tell you. I know it's going to sound hard to believe, but I do remember the mental block we talked about, and I have

been working on it, I just-"

"Hey," Mic interrupted, holding up a hand. "Hold off on that for a just a second. I have something to say first."

Izuku looked up at him, surprised. "Really?"

"Yes," Mic said, then sighed. "I really should have told you this earlier, but I guess I didn't want witnesses. I want you to know how sorry I am, for the tracking device in the pocket knife. I got scared, and it made me distrustful and paranoid, which in turn lead to me making you distrustful and paranoid. What happened in Kamino wouldn't have happened if you were able to trust me. It's my fault."

"No it isn't!" Izuku shook his head vehemently. "It's mine! I was the one who was reckless and didn't value myself and put my classmates in danger because of it! I was the one who kept secrets and tried to handle things on my own!"

"That's not your fault either," Mic said, wincing. "Yes, you should have valued yourself more, and yes, you should have told an adult. However, you were being used by Nighteye, and I want to make sure you know that."

"I do know that!" Izuku said earnestly, needing Mic to understand. "I understand that what he did was wrong, and I know why it happened!"

Mic blinked. "I mean, it happened because he's a fanatic, but-"

"No," Izuku shook his head again, "it happened because he convinced me I wasn't worth saving!"

Mic hesitated a moment, examining Izuku in surprise, or perhaps confusion. Then he nodded in agreement.

"That's right," he said.

"At first I didn't think about what you said," Izuku explained. "I didn't think about what it really meant. I thought it meant that I deserve to be protected like everyone else, but that's not all it means. It means that I can't put other people's value above my own. Nighteye convinced me that the risk to myself was acceptable because the people I was protecting were so important. But just because All Might and Toogata are important, that doesn't make me less important. My value didn't go down by comparison to theirs."

Izuku paused, trying to find what he really wanted to say. He knew he was rambling, and Mic was looking down at him in shock. As he watched though, a slow smile spread over his teacher's face. That made it easier to breathe, and easier to go on.

"I should have known the things Nighteye did were red flags," Izuku continued more sedately. "When he dismissed the risk of an attack at home, when he didn't give me any support, when he intercepted my email to Nezu-"

"That really should have been a red flag," Mic interjected, but he was still smiling.

"I know," Izuku assured him. "I would have known it was for anyone else, but for me the rules were always different. I known now the rules aren't different. They're the same."

"They are," Mic agreed.

Izuku took a breath and tried again to find the right words.

"It's not just preferable that I be safe," he said at last. "It's important that I be safe. It's important because I'm important. As much as anyone."

"Yes!" Mic cried, dropping to his knees to take Izuku by the arms. "Yes that's right! You figured it out!"

"I had a good teacher," Izuku laughed as Mic's hands trailed down to grasp his.

"I'm so proud of you," Mic said, holding Izuku's hands between them like he were making a vow. "I'm proud of what you've accomplished. The obstacles you've faced, the villains you've overcome and the work you've put in to become the person you are. It's amazing."

"Not that amazing," Izuku contradicted shyly. His eyes were hot and prickly.

"Yes it is!" Mic insisted, then looked down at their joined hands. "I admit . . . I was scared you wouldn't learn. That was why I got so afraid I gave you the tracking device. I was scared you wouldn't learn and I would lose you because of it."

Mic lifted one hand and cupped Izuku's cheek.

"I shouldn't have worried," he said, and his glasses shifted in just such a way that let Izuku see his eyes were wet.

"Don't cry Sensei," he warned lightly. "You'll smudge your eyeliner."

Mic snorted. "Don't start throwing my lines back at me just yet. You've still got a lot to learn." "Yes sir," Izuku nodded.

Mic stood, then took Izuku by the shoulders. Izuku looked up into his teacher's face, at how obviously pleased and proud he was. It felt good to know that someone could see how hard he was trying. Someone who knew how far he had already come. Someone who had believed in him from the very start, and been there to support him for every step. Mic squeezed his shoulders once, then made an exasperated noise and pulled Izuku into his arms.

"You did good, 'lil listener," Mic whispered, one hand carding through Izuku's hair.

Izuku swallowed, then said something he'd been waiting to say for a long time. "Thanks, Dad."

The fingers in his hair paused for a moment, and Izuku tensed, wondering if he'd mistepped. Then he felt the hand press on his scalp, clutching him to Mic's chest.

"I'm proud of you, Izuku," Mic said quietly. Izuku clung tighter and tried not to cry.

"SuperWeb held out for a while, didn't they?" Izuku noted, looking over the selection of newspapers spread out over Nezu's desk.

"They certainly took their sweet time," Nezu agreed, tapping his paw on the SuperWeb headline The Shocking Truth: Endeavor's Oldest Son Tells All! "They're the last major hero news source to hold out on defending Endeavor, but it seems they've fallen into line."

"It's a bit hard to defend a hero when he does that to his own kid," Izuku pointed to a picture accompanying another article. This one had been circulating for a while now, a shot of Touya's face and upper torso, more than half scar tissue and held together with staples.

"Yes, Touya Todoroki is a rather dramatic victim," Nezu said critically. "I believe Rei garnered more sympathy though. Remember, a quiet victim will always be more sympathetic than a loud victim, but a loud victim may be necessary to get the required attention. It's preferable to have both."

"I'll remember it," Izuku promised. "You did such an excellent job arranging everything, making sure Touya got off any criminal charges and getting Rei out of the hospital. I have a lot to learn from you."

"I must confess you did most of my work for me," Nezu countered amicably. "It was fortunate that the Vanguard Action Squad only sent clones of Touya to attack the camp, and that the prenuptial agreement documents were still in existence. For the most part though, I was just compiling evidence of the information you gathered, and persuading Touya to testify blew this case wide open. We'll make a character assassin out of you yet, Izuku Midoriya!"

"As long as Endeavor stays in jail and doesn't get his license back, I'll be happy if this is the last one I do," Izuku sighed.

"Come come now," Nezu goaded, giving Izuku a mischievous look over the rim of his teacup. "Surely you don't think Endeavor is the only false hero out there, do you?"

"No," Izuku admitted. "I'd like for you to teach me more."

"Excellent," Nezu beamed. "I thought for our next target we might try Aldera Junior High. I know the effects of emotional abuse when I see it."

Izuku looked down, beginning to chew on his lip. The mention of Aldera brought the other reason he had wanted to come see Nezu to the forefront of his mind.

"Speaking of people from my middle school," he began carefully, "do you happen to know what happened to-"

"Bakugou?" Nezu guessed. Izuku nodded.

"Unfortunately I don't know much," Nezu sighed. "I consider it a personal failing, but I let the boy slip through the cracks in my attention. I would normally have kept a closer eye on him, but with multiple attacks on the school to deal with, his case simply fell by the wayside."

"I should have been keeping a closer eye on him too," Izuku said. "He is my oldest friend after all." "Suicide baiting is not typically a characteristic of close friendship," Nezu put in pointedly.

"I know," Izuku whined. "I still feel responsible for him though!"

"You're not responsible for him," Nezu said firmly. "His actions are his own. The school attempted to correct his behavior, and instead of changing he clung stubbornly to his conviction that he was better than everyone else."

Izuku sighed. "I guess. So what happened to him?"

"Bakugou withdrew from school two weeks after the sports festival," Nezu informed him. "From what I can tell, his parents did not participate in the decision, and didn't even know he'd done it until after the fact. I meant to keep an eye on him anyway, to make sure he didn't go off the rails, but my options were limited once he was no longer my student."

"Let me guess," Izuku said. "He went off the rails?"

"It appears that way," Nezu said resignedly. "He disappeared the same day he withdrew. Apparently he ran away from home and attempted to join the villains. Somehow he must have found a way to arrange an audience with All for One, and then . . ."

Nezu trailed off, nodding at Izuku. Izuku looked down at his hands.

"I can feel his quirk," he said. "It definitely works the way Bakugou's did, with nitroglycerin sweat and a lighting mechanism in the palms. All for One took it from him, and then left him for dead."

"I have no evidence that he is dead," Nezu reassured him. "I've been on alert for unidentified teenagers turning up in hospitals or morgues, and so far there's no sign of Bakugou. I also suggested his parents report him missing, which they did, so heroes and police know to watch for him. We'll keep looking of course, but until such time as we have a lead, he's in the wind."

"Like the rest of the League of Villains," Izuku sighed. "We have a lot of people to find."

"Speaking of the League of Villains, I have found no records on a Doctor Garaki," Nezu told him. "The pediatrician that diagnosed you quirkless has also mysteriously disappeared, and left behind precious few records for police to go through. All Might has asked me to find the children of All for One, but without documentation of his experiments that will be difficult."

"Would it be easier if you had DNA samples from multiple children?" Izuku questioned. "If we find Toga and Twice-"

"I'm afraid that would be of little use," Nezu shook his head. "There is no comprehensive public record of this kind of thing. We would have more luck using the quirk registry to identify people with quirks that could be connected to All for One, and that in itself is a longshot. I have one or two theories, but honestly our best bet is to find this doctor."

Izuku looked down at the desk, where the public condemnations of Endeavor's obsession with getting the perfect quirk were scattered. It was amazing the lengths some people would go to for power. How had quirks become such a cornerstone of their society? How had it become so easy to garner more than just physical power, but money and fame and political clout, by having strong quirks? More than ever it seemed that a quirk like All for One -- which could allow for the giving, taking and hoarding of power -- was a complete gamebreaker. It seemed simply too dangerous to be allowed, the type of power no human should have.

"I'm afraid it would be just as difficult to find all of the original owners of the quirks contained within All for One," Nezu said gently, interrupting Izuku's thoughts. "Most of them are likely dead, and of those that are alive many would be criminals who misused their quirks. It would be impossible or inadvisable to return all or even most of the quirks you have."

"Then, what do you think I should do with All for One?" Izuku wondered. Nezu cocked his head to the side. "What are your options?"

"I could keep it, and use it to become a hero," Izuku ticked his choices off on his finger. "That seems like asking for trouble though, and it doesn't seem right. I could keep it and not use it,

pretend I'm still quirkless, but I don't know how long I could maintain that charade. I could give it to someone, but I don't know who I would give it to."

"Quite a predicament," Nezu agreed. "Who have you thought of giving it to?"

"All Might wouldn't want it," Izuku shook his head. "I don't think my Mom would want it either. I could offer it to Mic-sensei, but I think he has enough trouble with his own quirk. "

A thought struck Izuku, and he looked up hopefully. "Would you take it? I'm sure you could handle it, with your superpowered brain, and-"

Nezu, however, was already shaking his head. "I don't think someone with my vengeful streak needs to be weaponized any further," he said, with surprising self-awareness. "I'm afraid I'm not your mammal."

"What should I do with it then?" Izuku wanted to know.

Nezu considered for a moment, then smiled. "I think you should do whatever you think is best."

Izuku sat back in his chair and sighed.

Whatever I think is best? he thought wearily to himself. If I knew what was best, I'd be a lot smarter than I am.

"So this is a cat cafe?" Shouto remarked, staring at the nondescript building before them.

He sounded somewhat skeptical, and Izuku had to agree. There was almost no advertising for it, no overhead sign or awning, and no window to display the interior. The only thing to indicate they were in the right place was the pastel yellow and blue poster on the door, identifying the cafe as Purr O'Clock. Hitoshi had brought them though, a promised visit long overdue, and he at least seemed excited.

"I like this one because no one knows about it," Hitoshi explained. "It's nice and cozy, but never crowded."

"Sounds perfect!" Izuku chirped. He definitely wanted some privacy today.

"They also get their cats from a local shelter," Hitoshi said as he opened the door and held it for them. "It helps the cats get used to people before they get adopted."

"Ethically sourced cuteness!" Izuku giggled.

"You would know a lot about that," Shouto said, completely deadpan. Izuku blushed. "Let's sit away from the door!"

Inside was a dim, cozy shop with a few low tables scattered around, and cushions for sitting on. In every corner and at a few places near the walls there were tall cat trees, and there were several little cubbies for cats to hide in if they were feeling overwhelmed. There were only two patrons in the shop, at two tables on opposite sides of the room, but the area near the back was completely clear.

The three of them paid their fee at the counter and listened to an employee quietly go over the rules. Hitoshi had a reward card that was halfway to a free visit, and he got two extra stamps for bringing new customers. Then they made their way to the back. Deciding against one of the square

tables they settled on a pile of cushions on the floor, in a lose triangle formation facing each other. If the staff thought anything of how close the three of them were sitting, no one said anything. Instead a woman not much older than them disappeared into the back and emerged with a short- hair cat, black from ears to tail.

"This is Meep," she said, sitting the cat down in Shouto's lap. "She doesn't meow, but she purrs loud enough."

Shouto offered the cat his left hand, which she sniffed daintily, then sat straight and looked him in the eye.

"Meep!" she said, then rubbed her head on his hand.

"I love her," Shouto announced, beginning to carefully stroke the cat's fur.

The employee laughed quietly, then went into the back and came out with an orange tortoiseshell that began to wriggle in her arms when it saw the newcomers.

"This is Tigger," she said, letting the cat jump down into Izuku's lap. "He's very energetic but he loves new people."

Tigger immediately put his front paws on Izuku's chest and stretched up to sniff at his face. Izuku bit back a squeal and offered the cat his hand, but without even sniffing Tigger immediately headbutted Izuku's fingers in demand for petting. Izuku grinned and scratched the cat behind his ears.

The employee went back to the door in the back wall, but as soon as she'd opened it there was a yowl and a gray blur streaked out between her legs. Hitoshi squealed at the sight of it, and it jumped swiftly into his lap, resolving itself into a pale gray cat that immediately began to rub itself against Hitoshi's chest.

"Prettyboy!" Hitoshi cooed, scritching the cat under its chin. "You're still here! And you remember me!"

"Of course he remembers you Shinsou," the employee sighed, but she was smiling. "Prettyboy loves you more than he loves me, and I feed him."

"Sorry," said Hitoshi as he continued to pet Prettyboy, not sounding sorry at all. The employee huffed good naturedly and went back to the counter.

For a while the three of them sat in silence, giving their cats attention. Tigger wandered off Izuku's lap and around their circle, but he came back eventually and demanded more petting. Prettyboy was obviously delighted to see Hitoshi, purring up a storm for quite some time before settling in for a nap. At some point a cat that had been lounging in one of the cat trees came over and cuddled up to Shouto's left hip. It purred in obvious contentment, probably at the warmth, then curled up and went back to sleep. Thankfully Meep didn't seem to mind.

"That's Cheese," Hitoshi supplied when Shouto stared at his second cat. "She was new when last I came here."

"Does she like cheese?" Shouto guessed. "Apparently," Hitoshi said with a shrug.

"It seems like you came here pretty often," Izuku noted, scratching Tigger under the chin.

"Yeah," Hitoshi sighed, staring dreamily down at Prettyboy. "I haven't had a lot of time for this stuff since school started, you know? Living in the dorms its just not practical."

"We made a plan to come here before the dorms were announced," Izuku protested. "I'm sorry I let Nighteye get in the way."

"That's not your fault," Shouto corrected immediately. "Besides, we could have come earlier in the summer if I hadn't been staying at home for so long."

"No one blames you for wanting to spend time with your family Shouto," Hitoshi countered. "It's been a while since they were all home."

"All the good ones anyway," Izuku muttered.

Shouto smiled slightly, stroking Meep with one hand. "It has been nice getting to spend time with Mom again," he admitted. "Outside the hospital, I mean. Getting her settled back into the house has been really soothing. At first she didn't want to sleep in her old bedroom, but then she and Touya switched."

"How is Touya?" Izuku wondered. "It's got to be a big adjustment for him, being home."

"He says its weird seeing Fuyumi," Shouto told them. "They're twins, but he didn't think he'd ever see her again."

"You'd think it'd be weirder seeing your Mom," Hitoshi speculated.

Shouto smiled wider, then shook his head. "No," he said. "Apparently Touya was keeping tabs on Mom in the hospital. Remember those flowers on her bedside table?"

Izuku and Hitoshi both nodded.

"They were from him," Shouto told them happily. "Mom thought they might have been from Endeavor, but they were actually from Touya."

"I should do something nice for my Mom," Izuku mused, scratching a purring Tigger. "I'd give her flowers, but her new boyfriend gives her so many already."

"That's gotta be super weird," Hitoshi shook his head. "I mean, he's a teacher! Is that even allowed?"

"I don't see why it wouldn't be," Shouto protested lightly. "They're adults."

"I want her to be happy," Izuku insisted. "I've caused her enough trouble, and I know she doesn't see it that way but I can't help but feel like there's more of my father in me than she bargained for."

Hitoshi and Shouto looked at each other, each with a questioning expression. When they saw each other's faces however, they both grinned. Izuku looked back and forth between them in apprehension.

"What is it?" he asked warily.

"I think I have something that will make both you and your Mom feel better," Hitoshi said cryptically.

Careful not to disturb Prettyboy, Hitoshi dug in his pocket for his phone. He tapped at the screen for a minute, then looking up at Izuku, still grinning. Izuku felt his pocket vibrate and pulled out his own phone. Tigger gave it a sniff, then went back to sleep. When Izuku opened the message, he found a link to an article in the archives of an online medical journal.

"Expanded Brain Function In Children Of Parents With Telekinesis Quirks," Izuku read the title aloud, then looked up at his friends. "What is this?"

"It's the reason you're so smart!" Hitoshi said excitedly.

"Apparently telekinesis quirks require a lot more neural connections than a normal brain has," Shouto explained as Izuku skimmed the article. "Those kinds of quirks require a secondary adaptation that increases the number of neural connections in the user's brain, so it can handle the added stress."

"That adaptation is separate from the quirk," Hitoshi went on, "so it can be passed down to children even if the telekinesis quirk isn't passed down."

"So, when a child has a parent with a telekinesis quirk, but they don't inherit that quirk," Shouto continued, "they can still inherit the adaptation that gives them more brain power."

"It is in fact a well documented phenomenon that children of parents with telekinesis quirks who don't inherit those quirks will usually have higher cognitive functions," Hitoshi concluded.

"So, you get what makes you special from your Mom," Shouto said smugly. "Not your deadbeat father."

As Izuku scrolled through the article, examining the charts and tables, his fingers began to shake. Warmth blossomed in his chest, spreading throughout his limbs until he felt like he was blushing with his whole body. There was a familiar prickling behind his eyes, but he couldn't stop smiling. It was more than a weight being lifted off his shoulders. He felt like he could float away, and had to tamp down the quirk that offered to let him do just that.

"How did you guys find this?" he whispered.

"I couldn't sleep one night, and I ended up going down a bit of a research rabbit hole," Hitoshi admitted. "I'm glad I did though. Does it make you feel better?"

"Yes!" Izuku cried, squeezing his eyes shut tight against the tears that threatened to spill out. "Yes, this means so much to me! I know it's going to mean a lot to Mom too! Knowing that I was able to do what I did because of her . . . oh she's going to be so happy!"

"Are you happy though?" Shouto prompted.

"Yes!" Izuku nodded vigorously, blinking to clear his vision. "Oh gosh, this is so interesting! I wonder if they're still studying this? There probably wouldn't be enough quirkless kids like this for that to be researched, but maybe the effect is enhanced if the child has no quirk at all! Oh, what do you think Hatsume would make of this?"

"I'm surprised you didn't invite Hatsume," Hitoshi chuckled, still grinning. "You've been so eager to show her how grateful you are for the new force lance she's building you caught me off guard just inviting me and Shouto out."

"Oh," Izuku squeaked, surprised to have it pointed out in such a way, then cleared his throat and looked off to one side. "Actually, that was because I meant for this to be a date."

That statement was met with silence. Izuku let the pause drag on, petting Tigger and not looking at the other two. He knew his face was red, but he hadn't expected to get those words out without blushing. Finally Meep said her name in what seemed a concerned way, butting at Shouto's chest with her head, and Izuku looked up to find both his friends staring at him in shock and distress.

"Oh no," he mumbled. "I did that wrong didn't I?"

"N-no?" Hitoshi stuttered. He sounded like he was trying to be comforting, but was still too surprised to manage it. "How did you know we like you though?"

"Oh come on!" Izuku rolled his eyes. "Shouto's been trying to confess to both of us for weeks now, and you've been stopping him."

"You knew?" Shouto demanded.

"Of course," Izuku told him exasperatedly. "What, we get into a perilous situation and suddenly you just have to tell us something right now, and you don't think I can figure out what you were going to say?"

He waved his phone, still displaying the article, in Shouto's face. "I'm not stupid you know," he scoffed.

Hitoshi put his head in his hands. "I had a plan!" he moaned. "We agreed on it! There were going to be chocolates!"

"Oh no!" Izuku groaned, his earlier weightlessness evaporating. "I ruined it! We're not even dating yet and I'm the worst boyfriend ever! Someone actually made the mistake of falling for me and I go and do-"

"Izuku," Shouto interrupted

Izuku looked up to see Shouto watching him with a fond expression. Shouto looked back and forth between Izuku and Hitoshi, a slow, hopeless smile spreading over his face. When it was wide enough that if it stretched any more he would show teeth, he spoke in a soft, sure voice.

"I didn't fall in love with either of you by mistake," he said firmly.

Izuku's heart turned abruptly into a bubble, floating on air and threatening to pop at any moment. "I don't think any of this is a mistake," he assured the other two.

Hitoshi raised a hand and rubbed the back of his neck, blushing cutely.

"I've made mistakes," he told them shyly. "This isn't one."

Izuku reached out and took hold of the hand on the back of Hitoshi's neck, pulling it into the space between them and lacing their fingers together. Then with his other hand he reached out for Shouto, who met him in the middle with a cool, soothing caress. Hitoshi and Shouto also joined hands, and for a moment the three of them just sat together, blushing and giggling and unable to hide their faces without releasing each other.

Struck by a sudden need for more, Izuku lifted the hand joined with Hitoshi's and leaned toward it. Hitoshi did the same, and they met in the middle. Izuku placed a light kiss on one of Hitoshi's fingers, and felt Hitoshi's lips brush his own fingertip. They both turned to Shouto, and

immediately he pulled Izuku nearly off balance to bring their joined hands to his mouth, placing a kiss on the back of Izuku's hand. He did the same for Hitoshi, eyes closed as though in bliss, and for a moment Izuku was happier than he'd ever been in his life.

Then Prettyboy meowed loudly for attention, and Hitoshi laughed and withdrew his hands to oblige.

Eventually they all had to go back to petting their cats, but the feeling of their hands in his stayed on Izuku's skin, making his palms tingle. He was sure this wasn't a mistake, was sure of it like he was sure that he didn't need a quirk to be a hero. He knew that if he had nothing else in the world, he had these two. That was more than enough.

Izuku waited until the end of the day, when the sun was just barely above the horizon, to go to the gym where the third years trained and look for Toogata. Thankfully he had been right, and all the other students had cleared out by the time he arrived. He found Toogata near the back, at a line of punching bags that looked like they'd been set up specifically for him. They weren't hanging from the ceiling, but rather wrapped around a series of oddly placed cement pillars. Two of the pillars were already broken, and Toogata was working on a third.

"Hey," Izuku called when he had managed to get only a few yards away without Toogata noticing him.

Immediately Toogata whirled and struck out with one hand. He was nowhere near close enough to hit, but a blast of air knocked Izuku nearly off his feet. He stumbled back several steps before he managed to get a wide enough stance to withstand the pressure. Absently he noted that his force lance would have been helpful.

"Sorry!" Toogata cried once the air had died down. "You surprised me! I didn't mean to use my new attack!"

"Some new attack!" Izuku said cheerfully, adjusting his footing back to something more normal. "You must be getting good with One for All, if you're strong enough to create wind pressure just by moving!"

"Yeah," Toogata sighed, looking down at his hand. "I've been working with All Might, and I think I've just about mastered using 30% of my power."

"It only takes 30% to create an air blast like that?" Izuku asked excitedly, then began tugging on his lip. "That would mean that All Might is really holding back whenever he jumps across a city, otherwise he'd create hurricanes everywhere he goes! I wonder how he's able to get so much height without using the full extent of his power. Maybe he concentrates the blowback in one area? No, then he'd probably damage the ground every time he jumped-"

A laugh interrupted him, and Izuku looked up to see Toogata watching him with a fond expression. "Does your brain ever stop going into overdrive?" Toogata wondered.

"Not really," Izuku said, fidgeting self-consciously. "Still, I could probably help you with the move, if you want?"

Toogata glanced back at the two destroyed pillars. "I guess."

"Is something wrong?" Izuku asked. The question felt a bit disingenuous; he had come here

anticipating that something was wrong.

"I don't know," Toogata said dejectedly. "I know that developing my quirk is a good things, but . . . it just doesn't feel like it is."

Izuku nodded. He walked past Toogata and put his back to one of the punching bag pillars, then sat down cross-legged on the floor, facing the next pillar over.

"Wanna talk about it?" he offered.

Toogata hesitated, then went to sit across from Izuku, with his back to the other pillar. For a few moments silence reigned, Toogata just looking at the floor off to one side. Izuku let him gather his thoughts. This wasn't the kind of thing he wanted to rush.

"I don't know that I want this anymore," Toogata admitted. "What do you mean by 'this'?" Izuku wondered.

"One for All," Toogata told him, still not looking at him. "Being All Might's successor. This legacy that I still know almost nothing about."

"You could ask All Might," Izuku suggested.

"I don't think he knows what I want to know," Toogata protested. "I've asked him about the previous users, but he just said they were all small time heroes who died young. He doesn't even know their names."

Izuku added that information to his own musings, and found that it fit neatly into place. There was an answer to his question hidden somewhere in his thoughts. He just had to carefully pick his way forward.

"I just don't think I'm the right choice for this quirk," Toogata went on. "I think you would have made a better successor. I'd offer it to you, but you've already got All for One to deal with."

"Yeah," Izuku agreed, lifting a hand to examine it critically. "Having over a hundred quirks is . . . definitely an experience."

"Have you experimented with any of them?" Toogata wondered.

"A few," Izuku admitted. "There's a lot of them in here, suited to a bunch of different fighting styles. I haven't found one that really suits the way I fight though."

"Would you use it, if you could find one?" Toogata asked.

"I don't know," Izuku sighed. "I feel like that's a betrayal of the fans I already have. There's at least one little quirkless girl who looks up to me."

"I'm sorry," Toogata said softly. "I know this isn't what you wanted."

"It's what you wanted though," Izuku pointed out, looking back up at Toogata. "One for All, the legacy, being the next All Might. You wanted that."

"Or someone wanted it for me," Toogata said bitterly. Izuku frowned. "You mean Nighteye?"

Toogata closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the pillar.

"I can't help but feel like he lied to me," he said. "I mean, he lied to all of us, but I mean about everything else. He said he saw potential in me, that I could be a great hero if I worked hard. Now I wonder if he really thought that, or if he was only thinking about the legacy."

"You think he only thought you could be great if you had One for All," Izuku surmised.

"I learned so much from him," Toogata recalled. "How to use my quirk like a pro. How to turn experience into power. In a lot of ways all I know about being a hero came from him. Now, after what happened, I have to question all of it."

"I'm sure a lot of it was solid," Izuku said reassuringly. "He made you a lot stronger, even without One for All."

"And how much more did I absorb while I was learning that?" Toogata demanded, finally straightening to look back at Izuku. "I got stronger by doing exactly what he said, always doing everything how he wanted it done. How much of that is really the best way to do something? And how much of that was just his twisted idea of serving the greater good? What have I learned from him that, even though it seems reasonable, will turn out to be all wrong?"

Izuku could only nod. He knew that pain, the pain of being considered worthy by someone with bad intentions. Izuku had the counterweight of many, many other people finding him worthy at the same time Nighteye had. Toogata, having been brought to the spotlight by Nighteye's influence, had to be feeling much worse.

"I just feel like my place in this legacy was built on a lie," Toogata told him. "I don't want this quirk. I don't want this destiny. I don't want any of this."

Izuku took a deep breath and decided now was the time to speak. "What if you could get rid of it?"

"What, like give it to someone else?" Toogata wondered. "The only person I can think of who's worthy is you. And maybe Tamaki, but this much of the spotlight is the last thing he wants."

"Not give it away," Izuku shook his head. "I mean get rid of it. Make is disappear. For good." Toogata stared at him in confusion. "What do you mean? How could I get rid of it?"

"I have a theory," Izuku began carefully. "All for One and One for All both work by rewriting DNA. However, one of the things I've been thinking about since I learned about Kurogiri, is how the quirks given to people by All for One can combine with their existing quirks to form new quirks. In theory, One for All should work the same way, combining with the user's original quirk to create a new, stronger quirk."

"It didn't though," Toogata looked down at his own hand. "It didn't effect my Permeation at all."

"Exactly," Izuku went on. "The quirks didn't combine, it was like they just stacked on top of each other. For that to be the case One for All wouldn't rewrite DNA, it would just jam in extra DNA where it shouldn't go."

"Wouldn't that be harmful to the user?" Toogata frowned.

"You did say all the previous users would have died young," Izuku pointed out. "All Might would be the exception, since he didn't have a competing quirk factor, but all of his predecessors probably had quirks."

"Oh man," Toogata paled, leaning back against the pillar and closing his eyes. "This just keep getting better and better."

"Hold on," Izuku cautioned. "I'm not finished. If One for All just adds DNA instead of altering it, then if another quirk were to be added using All for One, then it would be that new quirk factor that would be rewritten."

"What would be the point in that though?" Toogata frowned.

"Not much, if it were an ordinary quirk," Izuku said. "However, if the quirk that was added was All for One itself, then something might get . . . broken."

"Broken?" Toogata repeated.

"Think of it this way," Izuku tried to explain. "All for One and One for All are very similar. Trying to rewrite one with the other would be tricky. Some sections would overlap, and if they were rewritten as duplicates, they might add up to a lot of nothing. Using All for One to write over One for All might break the additional quirk factor and render it inert. It might even make the extra DNA stop causing trouble."

"But All for One wanted to steal One for All, didn't he?" Toogata protested.

"The reverse wouldn't work," Izuku shook his head. "One for All would just stack, like it does with a normal quirk. It has to be All for One working on One for All. That's the only way this works."

"So if someone with One for All were to receive All for One," Toogata said slowly, "both quirks would disappear?"

Izuku shrugged. "It's just a theory," he admitted, "but I've been thinking about it a lot. The first One for All user, my Uncle, told me that All for One and One for All are more complicated than anyone thinks. I'd be willing to try though, if you are."

Toogata thought for a moment, looking at the ground, brow creased in concentration. Izuku let him think about it. It was a big decision after all. Even making the attempt could have far reaching consequences. Still, it was Toogata's decision. Toogata's and Izuku's. They were the ones in control of this legacy, from now on.

At long last Toogata looked up at him. "I'll try it," he said, "but I have a condition." "What's that?" Izuku asked.

"If it doesn't work, you take All for One back, OK?" Toogata insisted. "I can't deal with both these quirks at once."

Izuku nodded decisively. "Deal."

They both stood and walked forward, meeting each other in the middle. Izuku held out a hand and Toogata took it. Taking a deep breath, Izuku reached inside himself, down past the dozens of quirks clamoring for his attention to the quirk that underlay all of them. It stuck in place, not wanting to move, and he had to dredge it up like a stone out of thick mud. Finally he felt as though he held it in his hand, a tingling warmth beneath his palm. Then he pushed it into Toogata. He had to clasp their hands tightly for it to work, but finally Izuku felt the warmth pass the borders of his skin and leave him.

As soon as it was gone, the voices of the quirks in his mind cut off, leaving him in blissful silence.

Toogata took his hand back at looked at it. "I don't feel any different," he reported, "but I didn't feel any different when I first got One for All either."

"Try hitting the punching bag," Izuku suggested. "Try using 30%, at least."

Toogata went to stand before the pillar. He rolled his shoulders a bit, more a stalling tactic than anything, then held up a fist. Then with a cry he punched forward, hitting the padded pillar with all his strength.

There was a slap of skin on canvas, but otherwise nothing happened.

"It worked!" Toogata cried gleefully, whirling to face Izuku. "I can't use One for All even a little bit! It's completely gone!"

Izuku gave a shaky sigh of relief, then nodded to the punching bag again. "Make sure you can still use Permeation."

Toogata turned back to the punching bag and rolled up his sleeve. With one brisk movement he swiped his arm across the pillar. It went straight through, offering no resistance, and came out the other side.

"Looks like I've still got that," Toogata said cheerfully. "What about you?"

"I can't feel All for One or any of the quirks," Izuku told him. "They're all gone. I'm quirkless again."

"How do you feel about that?" Toogata wondered, smiling knowingly.

Izuku grinned. "Fantastic!"

Giving Toogata a little wave, Izuku took off running for the door of the gym. "Hey!" Toogata called after him. "Where are you going?"

"To bug Hatsume about my new force lance!" Izuku told him. "If I'm gonna be a quirkless hero I gotta have my signature weapon!"

Toogata's laugh followed him out the door and into the dim twilight, where the stars were just beginning to show in the dark purple sky. Izuku ran toward the school with light feet and a light heart, feeling the wind in his hair and the ache in his muscles from training all day. These last few weeks he'd trained less than usual, but he would fix that, starting tomorrow. He hadn't been using his quirks in normal training, so Hitoshi and Shouto were the only ones in class who would know anything was different.

He couldn't wait to tell them he was quirkless again.