|Chapter 19: A Twist of Events
Nagana General Hospital, Two Days Later
Akira, Mina, Fumikage, Shoto, Kirishima, and Ochako all sat around Momo's hospital bed as their classmate recounted her encounters in the forest to them. After she revealed in their group chat – unceremoniously as well – that she had the whereabouts of both Izuku and Bakugou, the seven had rushed over to her as fast as they could for any news on the situation.
Japan was a mess right now after the disaster at their training camp; all heroes were searching their respective hero grounds for even just a trace of the League in hopes of finding Izuku and Bakugou. But with Kurogiri, a warper of unknown range and power, being on the League's side, the possibilities of where they were could very well not even be in their country.
And the heroes were keeping a tight leash on that particular snippet, especially from the Yuuei students.
Speaking of Yuuei, they were being pressed by the media, but they weren't being pressed as hard since this was the first incident that had gone horribly wrong. Honestly, it was the one thing that – surprisingly – wasn't going up in flames.
At the USJ, Class 1A had easily held off the villains and were praised by the media for their efforts.
During the Stain attack, while the extent of the injuries of the students involved were exaggerated, the main message of them defeating the Hero Killer was still well received, so they were once more trusted to be trained as the next generation of pros.
So, here, after being attacked by a group of elite villains and being defeated, the public did not lash out; they sympathised.
"Poor kids, they just weren't able to do it this time."
"These villains just keep picking on the same class."
"Did you see the reports? Two S-Class villains, two A-Rank monsters, and some C-Class bum couldn't keep up with the kids and got caught."
"They might have 'won,' sure, but they got their asses handed to them."
"Cruel bastards!"
It was a blessing that the staff of Yuuei – Nezu especially – could only thank their lucky stars for.
Despite all of this though, the gathered students of 1A only felt unrest. Two of their classmates, two of their friends, two members of their family, had been taken from them, and they wanted them back. While the efforts of the pros around Japan did not go unrecognised by them… They wanted it done quicker.
And so, that was why they had visited Momo; to get them back now.
"-And then that Nomu fucker started running off, so I did the proper thing and created a tracker bullet that my Grandmother told me about before planting it in the bastard's head!" Though, the onyx-haired girl decided to take the scenic route on getting to her point; a gory one at that. "Alas, the Nomu was unaffected as it regenerated itself and disappeared into a warp gate."
"So… You have the Nomu's location?" Akira asked, hoping he got her point right.
"Indeed." Luckily for him, he did. "The tracer I shot into the Nomu is connected to the Yaoyorozu family satellite." And, leaning back into her more regal stature, Momo explained the situation. "I simply have to track the beast's location, and we can assume that it resides where Katsuki and Midoriya are being held."
Everyone looked at her hopefully and Mina leaned forward while grabbing the onyx-haired girl's hands. "Alright, Momo, now for the important question." The pink girl looked her friend right in the eyes as she spoke. "Could you please – please – help us in going on a rogue, rescue mission to save Izuku and Bakugou?"
At this, Momo's eyes roamed to the desperate expressions on the others before landing back on Mina. "Mina, sweetie, I know how much you love Midoriya." The pink girl didn't flinch and the onyx-haired girl did her best not to smile, keeping up a serious face. "And I know that you want Katsuki back, Kirishima." Kirishima did flinch and Momo let a small smile to grace her lips for a second. "But you all know that All Might was in here not an hour ago asking the same question; the pros are already on this case and are handling it."
"Yaomomo, we understand that, but we just can't trust tha-"
The heiress cut Akira off with a hand and she lowered her head, obscuring her face. "One would have to be truly mad to go behind the backs of every hero in Japan and do their job for them…" Before lifting it, revealing her wide grin and crazed eyes. "So it's a good thing that I'm batshit insane."
"Yaomomo…" Her gathered classmates looked at her with surprised expressions. "Thank you!" Though, that quickly changed to smiles and they all jumped at her with their arms out wide, grabbing her in a large group hug.
"Hahaha!" One that she happily accepted. "Of course I will provide assistance, friends; we are a family after all." Truthfully, she had been prepared to move out on her own from the moment she had woken up; the others tagging along was simply unforeseen – but happily welcomed – security.
Though, Momo was certainly surprised that only six of her classmates wished to stage a rescue.
A sentiment her gathered friends shared.
Soon after the events of the forest, the remainder of 1A had been sent to Nagana Hospital to address all their injuries; mental and physical. Here, after the majority of them had been cleared, Kirishima proposed the idea for a rescue mission to Akira. It didn't take long after for the black-haired teen to call a class meeting to discuss said mission.
Unfortunately, however, most of the class didn't agree. The others wanted to fight, but they were all of the opinion that the pros would execute a rescue operation much better than they would be able to. Even Tsu, battle ready warrior of the ponds, abstained.
The frog girl actually went a step further and called the rescue mission out for what it was, an act of vigilantism; breaking the law. After that, and explaining that it would jeopardize their hero careers, the rest of the class had stood down.
It was a cold, harsh, statement born out of Tsu's worry for her friends, but she couldn't find another way to put it. And, just like she guessed, it didn't stop the six from continuing anyway.
"Seriously, Momo, we can't thank you enough." Mina held the onyx-haired girl's hand tightly and there were tears on the edge of her eyes. "I owe you anything for this."
"Yeah, we didn't know what we were going to do without you." Ochako admitted, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "With Jirou incapacitated, and Shoji abstaining from the group, you were the last person with major surveillance abilities that we could've used."
Momo's grin turned to a soft smile at that and she leaned down to kiss Mina's forehead gently. "None of you owe me anything for this; we're a family, we help each other in times of need." Before bringing up her hands and activating her quirk, forming two technological gauntlets over them and creating a holo-projector that showed a three-dimensional layout of… Somewhere. "Now, based on this information, we can-"
"Woah, woah, woah; pause." Kirishima waved his hands frantically with sparkles in his eyes as he looked at what Momo created. "What in the world is this?"
The onyx-haired girl just looked confused by the interruption though. "It is simply a three-dimensional, holographic, render of the surroundings of my tracker bullet." She explained nonchalantly before using her gloves to zoom in on the red dot in the middle of the hologram. "And the… Tracker bullet."
"…That is extremely impressive./ Cool." Fumikage and Shoto both looked at the girl with amazement hidden by their monotone voices.
Akira just looked confused. "How in the world are you even making all of this? Don't you need food?"
"Right here." Momo simply pointed to her left at that, revealing a state of the art machine that they had somehow all missed with the logos of several infamous fast food and restaurant littered around it. "My parents own a high amount of stocks in many of the companies listed here and invested in a feeding machine for whenever I went to a hospital to ensure I remained fed; I could fit out a battalion worth of soldiers with this."
Kirishima raised an eyebrow. "Your parents invested money in a feeding machine on the small chance you'd go to a hospital?"
"Oh, of course not." Momo was quick to wave her hands at that implication. "No small chances, I've been in and out of hospitals ever since I gained my quirk; Father says I was an extremely wild child that is lucky to even be alive." Before smacking the machine next to her again. "This was not a safety precaution; it was a need."
"Okay…" Putting that small bit of information away for later – seriously, what was this girl's life? – Akira shook his head and got back to the matter at hand. "Now, back to the map…?"
Momo turned back to the hologram with a jolt. "Ah, yes!" Using her gloves, the girl zoomed in on the area surrounding the red dot. "Now, based on this information, my tracker bullet – and ergo Katsuki and Midoriya – are in an abandoned area on the outskirts of the Kamino Ward."
Mina shot up; eyes wide. "Kamino; that's a quick train ride from here!"
"An abandoned area…" Fumikage's eyes keenly observed the block in which the League were residing and he sighed. "Assuming that the warehouse shown in a Nomu storage, we are walking into an unknown battlefield of only us and an unknown number of Nomu."
At that sudden truth, everyone else went silent…
Before collectively shrugging.
"Eh, all things considered, it could've been worse." Ochako said dismissively. "I think we'll be fine."
Shoto nodded at the girl's sentiment. "Agreed; I shall burn any obstacle alive."
Mina also nodded. "I can just melt 'em; I have no reservations when it comes to Nomu."
"Amazing!" Grinning widely, Momo threw her hands up in the air with a shout. "We now have a mission objective, the location of our mission, and a plan!" Before deactivating her hologram and absorbing everything back into her body. "This shall be great."
Kirishima looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Wait, when did we come up with a plan?"
An action Akira copied after he finally zoned back in. "Plan? When'd that happen?"
"It is a simple one, friends." Momo answered, not soothing their worries, especially as her eyes glowed and she grinned widely. "We shall raise hell until our friends are safe."
Kamino Ward
In a dark, weakly lit room, there sat a man in a chair. His eyes, wide, round, and blood red in colour, were fixed on a single thing in front of him. So fixated was he, that he dismissed his shaggy appearance, the bags under his eyes, the blood staining his black suit. Only his curly, white hair was clean, but that wasn't saying much since it was an unruly head of hair.
Right now, he simply sat and watched, though he did lift his head in surprised as the back of his neck tingled; he felt danger. 'No, don't get distracted, keep monitoring his vitals.' However, he was quick to shake his head and continue the task at hand.
What was his task, one might ask?
Izuku Midoriya.
On the operating table in front of the man, the greenette laid unconscious, as he had been for the past two days while he faded in and out of a comatose state. The burn wounds on his back were dealt with quickly and had left minimal damage; similarly, the cut on his face had missed both of his eyes – almost perfectly, suggesting purpose – while also not going deep enough to cause damage to the nose.
His stab wound, however, proved hard to deal with. To start, it had shot right through Izuku entirely and had clipped his stomach and large intestine; add on the amount of blood he had lost and it took all the man had to just get him stable enough to operate on. Once he finally began operating, it was a multiple hour operation that got even longer after finding chipped pieces of metal lodged within the boy; the blade had broken lightly on contact with him.
However, now, after countless, restless hours of healing combining both his medical expertise and countless healing quirks, the man had finished his operation. There were scars – of course there were – but Izuku was healed. Now he was just monitoring him for when he woke up.
"Ugh…." And he didn't have to wait long. "Where in the world am I?" Izuku let his hazy eyes drift around his surroundings once he regained his consciousness and groggily sat up. "A hospital?"
"Oh, thank the stars." The sound of his voice and his movements caused the white-haired man to sigh in relief and he sagged in his chair, almost as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "You're alright." Before sitting up again once he saw Izuku looking directly at him. "…Hi."
The green-haired teen in question just sat in his bed, One For All brimming along the edge of his skin. But he didn't feel compelled to use it, even though the quirk itself wanted to shoot forward.
Well, at least, one part of it did.
"Are you… All For One?" Out of context, Izuku would think that was a stupid question, but he thought it appropriate given the situation. "Or are you someone else?"
"All For One?" The white-haired man actually let out a small laugh at that – 'Why does it sound like my laugh?' – and he tilted his head. "Where in the world did you hear that name?" Then his eyes – 'They're like mine, just… Red.' – must've spotted the small glow of One For All as he squinted. "Uh, I mean no harm, Izuku, really. You can put your quirk down… Whichever one you're using."
Not even registering the statement, the greenette just continued to look at the man before he raised him arm up. "Who are you?" His quirk was now actively rushing to try and push out something – anything – at the man in front of them as wind rushed around him but he held it back. "I'm not asking again."
Though, honestly, given how lost – and almost sad – the man looked, the teen was considering deactivating it. "Izuku, please; it's me… Hisashi?" The white-haired man tried to fluff out his hair and smiled widely – 'Sweet stars, it looks just like- Wait, did he say-' "It's me, Son… It's Dad."
….
What?
'Thoughts….' Izuku held his head in his hands at what the man just said to him. 'Neurons firing… Too fast.' At what his… Father just said to him. 'One For All… It's mad.'
….
….
….
And then he passed out.
"Izuku!"
Izuku's Mindscape
"You've got to be fucking kidding me… He's bullshitting."
Voices were in his head.
"I don't know, Niko, the resemblance is a bit uncanny; hell, he's even got the diamond freckles."
But… Well, that wasn't entirely new, even before he got One For All, there was aways something talking up there.
"Indeed, old friend, he is the spitting image of my Brother."
He'd never heard their voices so clearly before like this though; not all at once, at least.
"I'm sorry, Yoichi, Soju, if I'm having trouble with the fact that the man that fucking KILLED us is our latest holder's Father."
He'd never heard these voices before either… Who were they?
"I don't know about the rest of you, but… I've never actually met the guy."
Nana?
"You all described him as a raging monster… He was a hallowed, haunted man when I fought him; he even let me go after failing to take One For All."
That's another new one.
"You wouldn't get it, Banjo."
Niko, Yoichi, Soju, Banjo… More One For All holders?
"You're right, I wouldn't, but it's been actual decades; you need to get over something that really shouldn't-"
…
…
…
'…. They're gone.' Izuku paused suddenly as the voices in his head became background noise and he finally manifested a body. 'I'm back again.' Looking around, it was all the same; a vast infinity of darkness. 'What's… What in the world is that?'
Except for one thing.
A tree.
A giant, oak tree the size of a house and with branches stretching across the eternity of his mind. The roots bore into darkness and stretched on without him seeing it and the trunk was as large as a truck. On each leaf, when he looked closer, he saw himself; younger versions of him…
These were his memories.
But there was one small detail that stuck out from the rest; the tree was chained. Chains made of black steel with cracks emitting a dark purple light wrapped around the trunk and snaked their way up to a particular branch. When looking at the leaves of that branch, Izuku noticed that they were all blurry; he couldn't see those memories.
… Why though?
"Now how in the world did we miss that?"
Oh, they're back.
"WE don't go poking around Nine's memories like you do, Soju."
Hold on, what?
"I've never been able to do that before though! His mindscape is the best one we've ever had; I get to relax on a beach and run through forests here! You all had a sad, one-room apartment that smelled like death."
Holy shit these people are living in his head.
"… Right. Well, whatever that thing is, it looks like it's weakening."
'Is it?' Izuku's eyes wondered along the chains and could see they were straining, his predecessor's – whichever one it was – theory. 'It's… Locking away my memories.' That realisation came next and he quickly became serious. 'Nah.'
"Hold on, can he hear us?"
'Of course I can.' The greenette thought out his response, knowing his mouth didn't work here, before quickly moving to the chains and gripping them tightly. 'That doesn't matter right now though; I'm getting this thing off me.' Heaving with all the strength his… Mind could give him, Izuku tugged, breaking the chains like they were nothing. 'Oh, wow that was significantly easier than I thought it would b-'
And that's when it hit him.
A rush of energy; images flashed in front of his eyes and his brain began to throb as memories long lost to the darkness reemerged and stepped back into the light. He saw himself, his Mother… His Father, walking together, hand in hand. Bakugou and himself… Those images were still somewhat blurry.
However, before he could think on it, everything stopped… Then he was gone.
"Aw, man, it was finally getting good."
"Soju, I swear to God-"
Back in the Lab
After Izuku shook his head to readjust to his surroundings, his eyes focused on the biggest thing in the room; Hisashi Midoriya.
Hisashi Midoriya. All For One – probably. Most importantly, his Father.
"… Dad?" Izuku's voice was barely over a whisper, but it carried itself right over to the man's ears all the same.
And Hisashi had never been happier to hear those words in his life. "Hi, Son." He chuckled out, tears pricking at the ends of his eyes as he finally saw his child look at him with familiarity. "It's been a while; hasn't it-"
"Dad!" The man couldn't even finish his question as Izuku burst forward into his chest, arms wrapping around as much of his chest as they could. "D-dad…" Tears lined the greenette's eyes and he held onto his Father tight, as if he would disappear otherwise.
'Sweet stars, he's strong!' Had Hisashi not had a handful of passive strength and defence quirks in his arsenal, he doubted his ribs would still be intact; luckily, he was fine. "It's good to see you finally remember me." He said with a laugh, petting his Son's hair as the teen continued to sob into his chest. "Seriously, if you had called me All For One again I'd have-" However, he stopped abruptly as he suddenly realised the implications of what he just said. "Hold on; how do you even know about All For One?" He could've sworn he kept that a secret.
"Uh…" And, wiping his tears away, Izuku looked up to his Father with a confused expression. "Because All Might told me about it. All For One, the power to take and give quirks as the user pleases; One For All's antithesis."
Hisashi's eyes basically popped out of his head at the end of that statement. "You know about One For All?" Yeah, no, he definitely would've kept that a secret from his Son.
"Of course I do." Looking at his Father like he was supposed to know, Izuku lifted up his arm and let the energy of One For All run through it, making it glow brightly. "It's my quirk."
Whereas before the white-haired man's eyes were wide with disbelief, they were now softened as the glow of One For All and its energy reached him. "One For All…" Sticking his hand out, Hisashi felt around for his Son's quirk factor and eventually found it. 'Wait... This isn't-'
Then he was pulled in.
?
Hisashi's eyes sprung open and he almost stumbled over himself before regaining his bearings. "Where in the hell am I?" He was in a field, just at the front of the beginning of a forest of seemingle endless oak trees illuminated by golden hour's light. "Hm… Izuku?" And, remembering where he was before, he looked around for his Son.
"He's not here." Only to be answered by a loud, echo. "Izuku is still conscious, you just pulled yourself in here on accident." A very familiar voice. "And the others don't want to be here, so it's just us… Brother."
Turning around, Hisashi was met with green eyes that he hadn't seen in decades. "…Yoichi."
"Hisashi." Yoichi Shigaraki looked at his Brother with the same kind smile he wore in their youth; the smile of their Mother. "How long has it been?"
The former lord of darkness sadly knew the number… And the reason for it. "Ninety-one years… Since I killed you-"
"Since I died." However, Yoichi was quick to silence his Brother's tangent before it could begin. "Mochikō killed me, Brother, not you." No matter what, he would never blame him for what happened on that day. "You had nothing to do with-"
"He worked for me." But Hisashi could never forget; the day he saw the apex of his nightmares manifest, the blood of Yoichi spilling out of a fist-sized hole right where his heart should've been. "He was one of my best men." Black spots had covered his body after that and there was one sentence left to him before the life left his Brother's eyes for good; it was the last day he heard his voice.
"… It is already done, Hisashi." Yoichi wasn't caught on the past anymore though; he was quite literally beyond it. "All you can do now is live a better, fuller life." His eyes roamed on his Brother's form and he laughed. "You already look like you've been through the years."
It was true, Hisashi had wrinkles and his pure, white hair didn't help him look any more youthful. "I gave away my longevity quirks when I married… Inko." His eyes went down and he sighed. "And then I gave almost all of them away after Izuku turned four."
Yoichi just smiled. "He's such a brave young one… I'm glad that I'm an Uncle, even in death." Before he lifted his arms, allowing green veins to glow across his body and face. "Especially since he holds the quirk we created together; I haven't spoken to him yet… But I watch."
Hisashi laughed at that. "Looks like One For All found its way back to me in a way I didn't expect." The irony of the situation wasn't lost on him. "… Is this?"
"You knocked on this place's door, but I let you in." Yoichi knew his Brother's question and nodded. "If only to give you closure and speak to you one last time."
Hisashi could only accept it. "I love you, Brother." And, walking up to the man he failed to protect, he hugged him, hard. "… I'm so sorry." Before he felt his mind be pulled back.
"I forgave you a hundred years ago… I'll see you again once you've lived a better life."
Back in the Lab
"-ad! Dad!" Hisashi's eyes fluttered open to the sound of his Son's voice and he looked down to a confused Izuku. "Are you back?"
Holding his head in his hands, he nodded. "I'm fine, Son." Before looking his Son in the eyes, watching them shine the same way his Brother's did. "It's true then… You have One For all."
Nodding, Izuku just restated what he had already said. "Yup! I'm a super powered, teenager, hero-in-training!"
"Yeah." And while he now knew that to be true, Hisashi was still having a hard time coming to terms with that fact. "I looked for it for so long… And now it rests in my Son." There was another fact that was concerning him as well. "Why can't I feel you quirk though?"
Misunderstanding the question, the greenette looked at his Father with a lost expression and a slow shrug. "Uh… I don't know; maybe you can't feel One For All since it's not technically mine?" Before really thinking on it and dissecting the situation. "I mean, from a biological standpoint, while it's infused in my DNA, it's not a part of the original code, so-"
"No, no, no, I perfectly understand that." Holding up his hand, Hisashi stopped his Son before he could continue. "That's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?" Tilting his head, Izuku just raised an eyebrow.
"Your quirk, Son." And then he froze; but Hisashi kept going. "When I was feeling around for your quirk, I found One For All but I couldn't find anything else… Did it assimilate with One For All?" He'd understand if it did; that's how One For All was created, after all.
Izuku didn't understand though, he was lost again. "Dad… I never manifested a quirk." He spoke slowly, trying to reaffirm what he knew to be fact for the past ten years of his life. "I'm quirkless."
"Quirkless?" But Hisashi threw that out of the window and raised an eyebrow right back at his Son. "Power Sharing?" Not seeing understanding on Izuku's face, he sighed and used the teen's name for it. "Sorry, that's not what you call it; you and the Bakugou's boy called it Sharing is Caring."
Somehow, that garnered a reaction from him and the greenette's eyes flashed purple as he experienced a chain of memories hit him like a freight train.
Twelve Years Ago
"Holy crap, Zuku!" Bakugou looked at his best friend with stars in his eyes as the greenette let out sparks from his hands. "You're using my quirk!" Just before this event took place, a strange light had left his chest and threw itself right into the other boy; now the greenette was throwing around mini-explosions that – to Bakugou – made him look cool as hell.
A sentiment Izuku passionately disagreed with as he looked at his hands like they were gonna fall off. "AAAH! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!" Luckily, just as he said that, an orange orb of light left his body before flying back into Bakugou's chest.
"Oh, sweet." Which apparently gave the blonde his temporarily taken quirk back. "That's such a cool quirk! You can mess around with other people's quirks!" The revelation had the boy ecstatic. "We are going to be the best hero team ever!"
"What should I call it?" Izuku wasn't focused on the hero part though; his brain was running through the logistics of things, even if he didn't know what that even meant. "Oooh! I'm gonna call it… Sharing is Caring!"
Back in the Lab
"Wait…" But realisation did dawn on Izuku's face not a moment after. "Katsuki!" His eyes went wide and he scrambled to get out of the bed he was in. "He's still with the League of Villains!"
"The what?" Forgetting about his Son's lack of his original quirk, Hisashi raised his eyebrow. "Is that what they're calling themselves?" He found it a bit stupid and incredibly on the nose.
Izuku seemingly took them serious though. "Could you get Kurogiri to warp him over? They've probably been interrogating him or beating him! What if he's-"
"They want to recruit him, Izuku." Hisashi's statement cut the greenette off immediately and the boy raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, really; that Tomura kid – stole my last name – at least has the restraint not to hurt potential allies. "Well, that's what he was told… Actually, you know what; he shouldn't be risking this. "Never mind, you're right; I'll call Kurogiri right now." Activating one of his technology-based quirks – he still kept a lot – his computer automatically began to ring.
"Yes, Sensei." And was picked up immediately, revealing to the two Midoriya men Kurogiri in the bar with a restrained, unconscious Bakugou. "Is there something you require?" No one else occupied the area though; it was just the purple, mist man polishing his glassware over a bucket of steaming water.
Holding up a finger to his Son, Hisashi silenced the teen's worried chittering and put on a mischievous grin. "Kurogiri, I remember being told that this Bakugou boy was taken to be recruited… How is Tomura doing on that?"
"…" Kurogiri didn't say anything and Father and Son watched the portal man's shoulders sag as he put down a glass. "Truthfully, Sensei, I highly doubt that this boy will ever be turned." He admitted, looking at the blonde with a shake of his head. "Tomura mistook his gruffness for volatility; I fear his only use now would be as a Nomu subject for the Doctor."
Hisashi's eyes suddenly became hard. "That won't be necessary, Kurogiri." The change in tone was obviously evident as well as both Kurogiri and Izuku flinched backwards. "Send him here; I shall personally oversee his… Recruitment."
The sound of glass shattering from the other side caught the two's attention and they saw Kurogiri use a portal to clean up the glass he dropped. "Apologies, Sensei; that surprised me." Before standing up straight. "However, regarding the Bakugou boy… I truly believe that Tomura may be able to turn him given the proper time-"
"Time is of limited supply, Kurogiri." Though surprised by his subordinate's stubbornness, Hisashi pushed through it without a care. "The Bakugou boy shall be turned now or never; so are you warping him here or am I?"
Izuku's eyes widened at that and filled with stars at the revelation. "You can warp?"
"Sh, Sh." And while he loved that his Son kept his enthusiasm for quirks, Hisashi had to make sure Kurogiri didn't suspect anything was wrong and shushed him. "Well?"
"… My apologies once more, Sensei." Bowing, Kurogiri grabbed a remote out of his pocket before pressing its button, releasing Bakugou from his restraints. "He shall be over now." And then stuck out his misty, cloudy arm, letting a portal encase the blonde until he disappeared.
"Ah! Fuck!" Ah, there he is. "Where in the fu-" Luckily, before he could blab about anything, Izuku grabbed the blonde and covered his mouth. 'The shit…?' Which was apparently enough to keep the teen docile.
"Thank you, Kurogiri. That will be all." Hisashi's action of telekinetically throwing the blonde on another bed that he summoned also made him pause even thinking on attacking the man. "Goodbye, for now." Before ending the call and letting himself laugh. "Haha! Easy as ever."
A laugh Izuku copied nearly identically as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Looks like I was worried over nothing then."
"You're just like your Mother sometimes…" Hisashi walked up to his Son and pet his head, a soft smile on his face. "Always worrying; it's what makes you a good person." Before letting his fingers run through the boy's curls. "Haha! Just like mine."
And all of this, their actions, their laughs, confused Bakugou like nothing else ever had. "Hi, Katsuki Bakugou here." What confused him the most though was his lack of bloodlust towards the dangerous, white-haired man in front of him… And a strong sense of déjà vu. "Could I possibly be clued into what the ever living hell is going on right now?" Huh, no swearing either; strange.
Blood red eyes locked onto Bakugou's own and the blonde was surprised that he still felt no danger. "Really, Katsuki? You as well?" Hisashi raised an eyebrow at the other teen and thought for a second before trying something. "Sharing is caring?"
Somehow, those words, spoken with his voice, was enough to cause a reaction from Bakugou as the blonde's eyes flashed purple before he passed out. "Ah, damnit, not again!" And Izuku was quick to start lightly slapping his face to try get him up.
"Shit!" Bakugou was quick to get up again though and looked like he'd seen a ghost. "Damn." Then his eyes drifted back to Hisashi and he let out a breath. "Uncle Hisashi?"
"Well that's better." The action had the man in question smiling before he moved to his computer. "Why didn't either of you remember me? I'd like to think I was important enough to remember…" Ah, yeah, he's searching the web. 'Amnesia in young children…'
As he did so, Bakugou turned to Izuku. "Izuku…" Their eyes met and the blonde struggled to keep them that way as memories continued to flash through both of their minds. "Your quirk…"
The greenette in question just smiled sadly and shrugged before mouthing to him. "Not now."
"Right, almost forgot; your quirk." And, not having seen the moment, Hisashi turned back to the children and away from '.' "I can promise you I didn't take it, Son; I'd be able to feel the quirk of all the Nomu in this room if I did." His words had the teens' eyes shooting around them and they suddenly realised they were in some sort of Nomu factory.
"Wait." Bakugou focused more on what his Uncle had just said instead. "The hell do you mean take his quirk? You can't do that." The look he got in response to his statement made him raise his eyebrow. "Isn't it Dragon's Breath?"
Hisashi just shook his head. "That's just one of them." Before raising his arms, causing a storm of snow, fire, wind, leaves, earth, and lightning to create a dome around him as his red eyes glowed. "It seems as though you require an explanation on who exactly I am." His quirks dropped a second after and he looked to Izuku with thoughtful eyes. "Actually, I think it would be better if we all shared our stories."
Nagano Station
Just as a bullet train began to leave Nagano Station, Akira, Mina, Fumikage, Shoto, Momo, Kirishima, and Ochako all jumped on top of the vehicle and situated themselves on the viewing platform. As soon as they did, the train's speed picked up and shot off at ludicrous speeds.
"Jesus, I forget how fast these things move sometimes." Akira said as he leaned back on the railings after catching himself. "At least we'll be able to find them quicker."
Momo nodded at that, sitting down and opening the tracking hologram for all to see. "Indeed; with the speed at which we are traversing, we shall be at Kamino Station in roughly half an hour." Before zooming in on the warehouse. "From there it shall be an hour of travelling on foot to reach our destination; less if we run."
"Do you think we'll need to get any disguises?" Kirishima asked, looking at their current clothing. "I don't want to toot our own horns, but we are kind of famous; people might recognise us."
"Not if we traverse across the rooftops." Fumikage apparently had a fix for that though. "And if we are to be in an abandoned area, the chances of our spotting is even less likely."
Kirishima decided to give the bird boy that one and raised his arms in mock surrender. "Alright, no disguises then." Before smashing them together, quirk active. "Which means no worries about making some noise."
Ochako just fiddled with a long piece of chain she had apparently picked up from… Somewhere and activated her quirk on it. "Hmmm…" And after a few experimental spins, she grinned. "Yeah, this'll do just right for them Nomu."
All the while, leaning over the railings and keeping her eyes directly on the train's path, Mina stood. 'We're coming for you, Izuku.'
Hisashi's Warehouse, An Hour and a Half Later
"Alright." Bakugou started with a deep breath as he pointed at Izuku. "You have All Might's quirk." At the greenette's nod, he pointed to Hisashi. "And All Might's quirk is actually your Brother's quirk… Which has been passed down for about a hundred years." Once more at the nod of a Midoriya, he pointed back to Izuku. "And your original quirk disappeared without anyone knowing how…" Back to Hisashi. "And it wasn't Uncle Hisashi, who apparently is a century-old, quirk stealer."
The white-haired man in question chuckled in embarrassment at that, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, I think I'm in my mid one-hundred-and-twenties now; quirk stealer also isn't a title of proud of." His eyes went to the floor at the end of his statement but he brought them right back up again after, smiling. "But, yes, Katsuki; that was a good recap of what we've had to explain to you three times now."
Izuku laughed at that and had to silence himself as Bakugou looked at him with a flat look. "Yeah; I don't know where Sharing is Caring went, but I got pretty lucky with One For All, so it's fine…" However, his brain suddenly caught up to the situation and he turned to his Father with a glare. "Hold on, I only have it because All Might needed to give it away since you crippled him!"
A glare that Hisashi matched with a confused expression. "I haven't fought anyone in decades, Son; four at least." He then raised an eyebrow. "And I wouldn't start again with the Symbol of Peace; I'm strong but that man is something else." While he hadn't met the man in person, his feats spoke for himself; Hisashi was confident that he would be able to last against that man, but he'd never win. "Not to mention I've been in and out of comas for the last four decades and I haven't left this… Place in ten years."
Bakugou digested that piece of information and connected it quickly to every other strange event that had happened in the past year. "Everyone suspected that there was someone behind the League and the Nomu…" Then looked Hisashi right in his eyes. "If it wasn't you…"
"I've been out of my element for more than half my life; hell, I doubt I was ever really in it to begin with." Unfortunately, before Bakugou could take the train of thought he was starting, Hisashi cut in. "I don't know anyone in this so called 'League of Villains' aside from Kurogiri and I don't even know where he came from." His eyes roamed around the warehouse and he cringed at the Nomu. "Or these… Things." He sighed and a large chair suddenly flew in behind him as he sat down. "I just wanted to keep my Brother safe and make a world better for the quirked; we were being oppressed… Then I tried to get back One For All after he died and I just… Spiralled."
Sadness filled Izuku's eyes at his Father's admission and he tried to keep himself from crying. "Hold on…" Luckily, there was just one question that had him curious enough not to. "If you didn't fight All Might; who in the world would be strong enough to do so much damage to him?"
The question left in the air had the three men's minds running wild to even try and comprehend that there was someone else out there with power similar to All Might, but it made sense when they really thought about it.
It was a big world; they were a small country.
"That can be a problem for another day." Hisashi didn't feel like thinking on it right now though.
A sentiment Bakugou agreed with. "Yeah, we should be focusing on what we should be doing right now." At Izuku's confused look, the blonde decided to remind him of their situation. "We've been the victims of a kidnapping that's created a nation-wide manhunt for the past two days, Izuku."
Somehow, the fact that he had been kidnapped had completely escaped the greenette's mind. "Oh…. Hehe, right."
"I don't think you'll need to worry too much, boys." Luckily, it seemed as though Hisashi had a fix. "The heroes know where you are; they're going to be staging a rescue very soon. Tonight, I might add."
"And how do you figure that?" Bakugou, obviously, found that hard to believe. "If they haven't found us yet; what makes you think they'll find us now?"
The white-haired man just smiled with a shrug. "Well… Yesterday, I gave out an anonymous tip to the heroes regarding where the League's bar was." Before holding out his hand, pulling a bullet from on the Nomu. "And it seems as though someone placed a tracker on this Nomu when it attacked you."
Both boys immediately knew who was responsible for that; there was only one person who possibly could have. "Yaomomo…/Princess."
"Yes, I believe that we can just wait out here until they find you." Hisashi finished with a smile. "It shouldn't take them too long, a couple more minutes at most."
Izuku seemed a bit worried though. "Uh, Dad?" His Father looked at him with a raised eyebrow and he tilted his head in response. "From their point of view…. You're technically an accessory to kidnapping and they'll try to arrest you."
Hisashi just shrugged. "Then we'll just tell them what actually happened." He reassured his Son, ruffling his hair again. "Besides, I haven't done any actual crime in decades; the last time I was awake for more than a week from my comas was the first four years of your life and the two years before that when your Mother and I dated." His mind flashed with the picture of a beautiful woman with flowing green hair and he sighed. "Sweet stars, I miss my wife."
He did not say that in his mind like he thought he did. "Oh my stars! We get to be a family again!" Izuku heard him loud and clear. "Mama's gonna be so happy!" And, realising what he just said, his expression switched from excitement to thoughtful curiosity. "How did you even meet Mama?"
An expression that Bakugou copied as he turned to his Uncle. "Yeah, I'd actually like the answer to that one as well." He admitted, sitting up in his bed. "You, a Z-Class villain so elusive you were – and still kind of are – myth, got with the kindest woman in the world, Auntie Inko."
Hisashi smiled at how the blonde put it. "Alright, I suppose it does seem strange." And decided to entertain their question with his love story. "It first started when I first awoke from… My… Coma…" However, he slowly stopped himself as the building around them began to rumble.
"What's happening?" Neither of the teenagers missed that either and quickly jumped out of their beds with their quirks activated.
"Room!" But, before they could do anything else, Hisashi had stuck his hand out and spread his fingers, forging a transparent, blue, bubble around both him and the two boys. "Switch!" And then they were suddenly warped into his arms and being held tight like babies as the bubble condensed around them.
That was when the building came down.
CRASH!
Outside of the Lab
"Aw, man, I wanted to that." Momo said with a pout as she watched the building collapse and reabsorbed the grenade launcher she had created back into her stomach.
"Yaomomo!" Next to the girl, her six friends looked in between her and the now broken building with horror.
"GRAAH!"
"Bragh!"
"Grrrr…"
However, before the students could begin to teach their resident, out-of-touch, rich girl, the screeches of Nomu filled the air. Not that it made them pause, they just activated their quirks and prepared to jump down from the building they stood on.
"The Nomu Factory…" What they hadn't seen coming though, was the calm voice of another person in the area. "Is under our control." Or the sounds of quirks firing and bodies clashing with one another.
"What in the world?" And when they actually looked properly at the scene, their eyes widened at what they saw. "What?!"
Hands crossed and looking fashionable as ever, Japan's number four stood tall. "It is done." Best Jeanist was here and he had four Nomu trapped around him, cutting off their breaths with steel cables wrapped tightly around their necks and chests.
"Huh, that was a lot easier than I thought it'd be." Above him, a gigantified Mt. Lady leaned down with a surprised look on her face. "The news made these things out to be way more dangerous." In her own hands, two Nomu laid, incapacitated.
"I shall admit, I expected more." Similar to the giant lady, a large, whale-man held two Nomu underneath his arms, having choked them out. "Ragdoll, have you anything?" Japan's number ten was here as well; Gang Orca.
Looking closely, Ragdoll searched the rubble as her quirk caused her eyes to glow. "Hm…" Said eyes widened as three lights stood out to her. "I've got three people just behind here." And she pointed right towards them, revealing a make-shift dome formed out of broken wood and scrap metal.
A dome that was easily broken as Best Jeanist's cables snaked and pierced through it before pulling it apart. "It's the boys; a hostile has them!" Revealing a dust-covered Hisashi protectively holding onto Izuku and Katsuki. "Release your hold, villain!" Though, with the information the heroes were given, that protectiveness was perceived as danger, so Best Jeanist worked his quirk and pulled the boys right to him.
"Hey, give me back my-" Hisashi tried to argue at the action but Gang Orca had – somehow – appeared right below him, ready to give him an uppercut that would hit harder than a whale breaching. 'Ah crap.' And Hisashi knew that his quirks wouldn't like that.
BOOOM!
"Agh!"
"Take cover!"
"Incoming!"
A wave of power washed outwards from Hisashi in all directions, creating a crater around him and pushing all else away from him. "Crap…" And, after the wave stopped, Hisashi floated upwards and used a sensor quirk to make sure everyone was okay. 'Oh, wow, they're tough.' He was pleasantly surprised when he found that they were, though was more surprised at the seven, unknown presences on the outskirts of the area. 'Are those kids-'
"Mountain Drop!" Mt. Lady raised her right leg high and dropped it right on Hisashi with an axe kick. "Hn." Only to scowl as she saw the man hadn't been brought closer to the ground and had actually caught her foot. "Peak Press!" So, in response, she took her leg back and threw a charged backfist his way.
'She knows Kung Fu?' That too was blocked by Hisashi, but she had just unknowingly earned a lot of respect from the man. 'All the giants I've seen just use overwhelming power- Focus, Hisashi!' Though, he forgot it not a moment later as he realised he was not being painted in the best light right now. 'How do I clear this up?'
"All For One!"
….
Fuck.
"Fuck." Hisashi barely had the time to brace himself with a barrier quirk when the symbol of peace crashed into him, sending him flying back in the air. 'Son of a bitch, he hits hard.' He was able to stop himself before he flew off into another city, but it hurt.
All Might could see that. "You're getting sloppy, old man." That was both satisfying and mortifying to him; on the one hand, he could see the pain on the man's face, on the other, he could see the man's face... After what he had done, he was a bit scared he wouldn't be able to win. "It seems you've washed off that makeover I gave you though; I thought I'd made a nice donut."
The implications of that statement were not lost on the white-haired man. 'Holy crap he smashed his fist right through the face of whoever he fought.' Or his quirks, as many of them activated on instinct, causing a storm of elements, energy, and everything in between to form and rage around him and his eyes to glow red. "… I feel as though I need to explain something to you."
"Explain what, bastard?" Hisashi really should've chosen his words better and tried to reign in his quirks before speaking, as his voice had just boomed across the area. "I don't care if you healed… Because I did too." Golden sparks began to rage around All Might and his eyes glowed blue as a strong pressure flew off him. "And as I did once before, so too shall you fall here in death. "
Everyone's eyes, all heroes', gathered students', and Hisashi's, widened at the blonde's proclamation. 'Holy shit that was hardcore as fuck.' And on a building above the brewing battle, Akira was floored at how cool his mentor actually was.
Then the fight started… And the black-haired teen really saw the gap between his generation and the older one.
All Might put his entire body behind every hit he threw, knocking Hisashi's arms aside as he pushed his quirks aside and let his martial instincts wake back up after decades of inaction. With every strike the symbol of peace sent out, the snow-haired 'demon' blocked and sent out two of his own.
'Impact Damper. Shock Absorption. Iron Body. Observation. Dodge!' Though, Hisashi was really just playing defensive and was individually activating all the quirks that would let him do so without causing any damage, A.K.A, the last thing he wanted to be doing right now.
"Hmph! Looks like you've brushed up on some martial arts since we last fought." The white-haired man's skill and strategy was not lost on All Might as he kicked off the man's chest and threw himself high in the air. "Sorry to say, but that was a waste of time!" Though, he disregarded it the next second as he turned around and punched the air, throwing him right back at the man. "New Hampshire Smash!"
"Hn!" The blonde's large, muscular, weighted body crashed right into Hisashi and the white-haired man could feel each individual rib in his body break, heal, and then break again. 'Sweet stars he weighs so much!'
And the sight of him holding his bleeding body was what Izuku woke up to after regaining his bearings. "Wait, All Might, no!" The greenette tried to move forward but found himself held tight by a number of steel cables. "Hey! Let me go!"
"Worry not, Midoriya." Unfortunately for him, though, Best Jeanist shook his head. "All Might said you might try this; he told us to tell you that he will finish this for you."
"That's the problem here!" Izuku did not feel reassured by that; loved, sure, but not reassured. "That man is my Father!" And the fact that One For All was trying to stay in its core didn't help in the slightest with his rising anxiety. "Come on!"
Boom!
All Might stood above Hisashi as the white-haired man put his arms up with every defence, strength, and regeneration quirk he had. "This is for all those you've hurt!" The last flames of One For All raged in his fists, making them glow gold with flame-like patterns as he struck. "This is for targeting my students!" His power was far superior to those of 'All For One' and his punch broke the man's guard… As well as his arms.
"Dad!" A sight that did not please Izuku in the slightest as he continued to tug. "No!"
"And this… This is for the woman who took me in!" All Might couldn't hear him though, too lost in his rage as he jumped high in the air, levitating for just a moment as more power raged around him. "The woman who raised me when no one else would; my Mother!" Then he fell in a dive, the stormy sky above flashing him in and out of sight. "THIS IS FOR NANA!"
"Nooooo!" That was when Izuku finally bent One For All to his will and brought as much of it as he could into his body. "Don't hurt him!" The steel threads around him snapped and he rushed forward, placing himself in front of his Father with his arms out faster than anyone could see. "That's my Dad!"
So fast was the greenette, that not even All Might could register him until he was already striking him.
And Hisashi could only watch. "IZUKU!"
BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!
Minutes Later
Dust covered the battlefield and everyone couldn't find it in themselves to move. They had seen that flash of green before pure power and light took over their senses; they knew what it was, but they hoped that they were imagining it.
Hope they may, but it was in vain, for when the dust cleared, their worst case scenario was what greeted them.
"No…" Bakugou was the first to see, having regained his senses first out of everyone else. "Izuku!"
Best Jeanist was next, stirred to look after his youngest protégé's shout. "Oh no…"
Ragdoll's quirk was still active, and while she saw many lights, one was dimming and close to disappearing completely. "Midoriya…"
Above them all, mostly unaffected by the power flash, seven students of Yuuei looked on with tears.
"Izuku…" Mina could feel her heart shattering and she began to hyperventilate at the sight. "No, no, no, no, no…"
"Izuku…" Dark Shadow had come out, but did not rage, instead his hugged Fumikage tightly as the raven boy felt his throat tighten and his eyes burn.
And Akira… "Izuku." His world had crashed and was burning around him. "Izuku!" He saw his best friend's eyes, the eyes of his Brother, slowly roll back into his head. "IZUKU!"
But none felt the despair of Hisashi Midoriya. "Izuku…" The snow-haired man held the broken body of his Son in his arms like he was just a newborn baby. "No… No, no, no, no!" Tears like a river washed out of his eyes and he slowly began to realise what was happening. "Son! Izuku, Son, wake up! Wake up!" His heart hammered in his chest and each breath he took stung. "My baby boy… Izuku…"
And as he cried, poured his heart out, the heroes no longer saw a villain. 'No…' Nor did All Might as he dropped to his knees and looked at his blood-covered fist with horror. 'What have I done…'
All anyone could see was a grieving Father living their worst nightmare; outliving their child.
"Please, God… Please! Don't take him away from me! I just got him back!" Hisashi's begging was heard across the entire prefecture and a pressure unlike anything anyone had ever felt washed out from his cries. "IZUKU!" The ground shook and the man began to glow golden as he tried to heal his Son…
But it failed.
Fluids continued to pool the ground around the two Midoriya men as the tears of the Father mixed with the blood of the Son.
"Izuku!" The golden light of a healing quirk had finally spurred Akira back to his senses and he suddenly jumped off the building he was on, right down towards Hisashi. "No! Shit!" His eyes were quick to roam over the greenette's form before snaking towards the man holding him. "What are you doing?"
Evidently, that was the wrong question to ask, as Hisashi yelled at him. "I'm trying to heal him!" His shout had the teen flinching back and he quickly recomposed himself before going back to concentrating on his Son. "But my healing quirks aren't enough… They're not working." The realisation had already hit him but he continued to try.
And while his admittance to owning more than one quirk immediately told Akira who the man was, he looked past it due to the desperation and despair he saw in the man's eyes. This was his Brother's life on the line, he'd be damned if he risked it by arguing with someone that probably wasn't even their enemy.
"Move aside then; I can heal him." Placing his hands on Izuku's injury, Akira felt pain shoot into his chest. 'No…' He felt it all, and by that, he felt nothing. No heartbeat, no breaths; a death-like state. "Are you his Father?" But that's what it was, death-like, there was a small light of hope, and that lied in the man holding his best friend.
"I-" Hisashi, confused, took a second to actually process the question. "Yes, I am." Before nodding, shaking the tears from his eyes as he did so.
Which was all Akira needed from him. "Then put your hand on my shoulder and let me take some of your lifeforce to heal him." And while his question may have taken some off guard, Hisashi was more than prepared to answer.
"Yes! Please!" The snow-haired man held his Son carefully and laid him down before putting his hand on Akira desperately. "Anything you need; take it all. Even if it kills me; don't stop."
Akira wasn't planning on it but he'd listen if it came to it. "Wait, let me help!" But, before he could start, All Might cut in, dropping down on his knees next to them. "I shall give all I have as well." One For All, the flames of it left inside of him, came forward slowly out of his arm and he placed it on Akira. "Whatever you need, have it; just heal him."
"Akira!/Hikaru!" Bakugou and Fumikage both were next to join the circle, putting their hands on both of their friends with pleading expressions.
Bakugou's specifically looked unnatural to Akira. "You have to let me do this." And yet, despite that, the black-haired teen could see the sincerity in the blonde's eyes. "I'll give whatever I need to." Confusing, but… Again, this was Izuku's life on the line. "Please."
"As will I." As for Fumikage, there was no argument when both he and Dark Shadow placed their hands on the black-haired teen's shoulder. "As will we both."
If the situation wasn't so dire, Akira might've laughed, but that wasn't the case, so he steeled himself and let his quirk out. "Alright then…" When he did, he let his Chi spread out and hook onto the four around him as well as himself. "Hn…" Before anchoring them all onto Izuku. "I've got it, get ready." And pulling.
The effect could be felt immediately in the atmosphere as a powerful yet soft and calming wind picked up around the five; they all began to glow with the brightest being Hisashi and All Might. From the former two, a rainbow of essences wisped off their forms as thick as tree trunks before circling down into Izuku. From the three students, smaller veins of light floated away from them softly before crashing into the greenette's chest.
And while it took a moment, they soon all saw it; a forest green light in Izuku's chest. It was small but slowly grew, and grew, until it was a shining beacon of hope.
Then, in an instant…
Life blossomed.
A fast-growing dome of golden light shot out in all directions from the five, stemming right from Izuku's heart, and everyone in a three-kilometre radius felt it. They felt the soft touch of life caress their skin for a moment before wisping away; any pain they had decreased ever so slightly, and their minds became clear.
And only after that dome dissipated into the wind, did Izuku's chest rise. "Ugh…" Then, slowly but surely, he stirred awake. "Uh…" To be met with a strange sight. "Hi?" His Father, mentor, Brother, rival, and best friend.
"Son!/Young Midoriya!/Izuku!" All of whom immediately crushed the greenette's newly healed body with great strength at his words, tears filling their eyes as they did so.
"Woah!" And while Izuku appreciated it, he felt just the tiniest bit fragile at the moment. "Hey, guys, I love you all as well, but please! My chest!" Evidently, that was the right and wrong thing to say; they let go, but that also dropped him into his butt. "Oof!"
Ignoring that, All Might took a knee next to his protégé and bowed his head low. "I thought I had killed you…" Tears freely flowed out of his eyes as he sobbed and he was quick to get into a seiza position. "Please, forgive me for being a worthless mentor…"
A position that Hisashi also got in as he cried an even larger river than All Might. "It was you who had to protect me, Son; I have failed as a Father."
"Hey, wait! Get up! Get up! Get up!" The gestures honestly gave Izuku anxiety and he began looking around to make sure there were no cameras. "I swear, everything's fine… I think?" Though, he was a bit confused at their forms. "You should really be worrying about yourselves; it looks like you both shrunk."
That got the two to get up and they looked at each other with wide eyes. All Might, while still incredibly buff and muscular, was just the tiniest bit smaller in both height and build than usual; his hero costume sagged ever so slightly around him. As for Hisashi, the man's aura of power had been stripped away from him and he seemed a bit shorter. "Huh?"
It all confused Izuku as he tried his best to fill in the holes of his memories. "What in the world happened?"
"You died." Luckily, Akira, Bakugou, and Fumikage were there to fill him in.
"I what?!" Though, they could've had a bit more tact to it; that certain revelation had Izuku finally realising he was dressed in a surprisingly sturdy pair of pants… And a brand new, x-shaped scar spreading out from the middle of his chest. "Sweet stars… Am I a zombie?!"
The question made the three laugh. "No, Izuku, you're not a zombie." Bakugou answered with a shake of his head; though, there was a small smirk there as well.
One that Fumikage shared. "Indeed, you are merely a once fallen brought back from the land of the dead."
"I took as much of their lifeforce I could and forced it into you." Akira simplified it for the greenette as he pointed to Hisashi and All Might – not that he needed to – before pointing to Bakugou and Fumikage. "And I also took some from these two as well."
"Oh…" Despite the several life-changing revelations Izuku had just learnt about – literally in this case – he seemed surprisingly calm about it all. "Then that small light must've been-" Before suddenly turning to his two best friends with a tilted head. "Hey, hold on, what in the world are you two doing here?"
It was a question the two were more than happy to answer. "The seven of us came here to rescue you two." Akira admitted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly when All Might gave him a mini glare. "Sorry, Sensei, we got impatient."
The black-haired teen's choice of number was not lost on Izuku or Bakugou. "Seven?"
"Katsuki!" Kirishima suddenly appeared out of nowhere and crash-tackled Bakugou. "Don't ever get kidnapped and make me worry like that again." Before kissing his cheek.
And if that wasn't a shocker, what happened next definitely was. "Katsuki!" Momo ran up to the couple and wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck. "I am glad you are okay."
It was a bit confusing for Bakugou. "I actually don't know what to do here." His hands – against his will – had automatically snaked its way around both of their waists and he looked stumped. "Princess, you confuse me sexually, but I-"
"Katsuki, sweetie." Luckily, it seemed as though Momo could put their problem to rest. "You need not say anything." Oh, never mind, she just kissed him. "Hmm…." And…. Still goin-They're done. "What we feel is merely a mix of appreciation, mutual respect, and passion that can be confused for lust."
Bakugou surprised himself when he nodded. "Yeah, no, you're right." He laughed and turned to Kirishima before kissing him. "Yup! I'm definitely gay!" And then turning to a staring Izuku and Akira with a smirk. "Alright, Izuku, your turn."
"Huh?" Obviously, that took Izuku off guard, but he realised the blonde's true meaning after he gestured to behind him. "What-"
"Izuku!" And saw a crying Mina running towards him.
She didn't need to as the sight of her was enough for Izuku to power up and speed over to her. "Mina!" His form crashed into her and he lifted her up with a smile before hugging her tightly. "Thank the stars, I didn't actually know if you were alright or not from the forest…" Only to look down in worry as he felt tears on his bare chest. "Mina?"
"I-I-I thought… I thought you were gone!" The pink girl, usually a happy ball of energy, was snivelling and held Izuku tightly, as though she might lose him. "I couldn't even move to try and help you… My heart couldn't take it!"
Her words hit Izuku hard and he held Mina's waist tight before resting his chin on her forehead. "I'm sorry, Mina… I said I'd try to be more careful." He sighed out as he realised he'd broken his promise to her; his mind hadn't even registered how she would've felt. "I'm so sorr-"
"No!" Mina apparently didn't want to hear an apology though. "No sorry this time, Izuku!" She ducked her head out from under the greenette's chin and hooked her arms around his neck before looking him right in the eyes. "Look at me." Her starry eyes bore right into the lush forest of green that was Izuku's and she steeled herself. "Can't you tell how much I love you? I know I haven't shouted it from the rooftops but I haven't hidden it either!"
Those words certainly tugged on many of Izuku's heartstrings and his eyes widened. "Love?"
"Yes, love, you stupid, sweet, adorable, kind, amazing, dork!" And while the greenette still processed that, Mina continued to rant. "I love you so much that I could barely breathe when you jumped in front of… That guy! The thought that you died before I could tell you just what you do to me when you're around was killing me!" Tears were freely running down her face at this point and her cheeks were a dark purple. "I don't… I love you, Izuku, and I don't want to hide it anymore, not when I know you could-"
Though, those tears were quick to be wiped away from Izuku once he finally regained his bearings. "Mina…" His thumb stayed on the pink girl's cheek for a moment and she saw tears in his own eyes. "I love you, too." Tears which she again felt at his words. "You've lit up my life ever since you danced your way into it… And I've been a coward by hiding it behind fear of change and rejection. I love you-"
Anything else the greenette wanted to say, however, was cut off as Mina pulled and crashed their lips together in a passionate display of requited love. "I love you so much…" She whispered those words into their kiss, words she had been keeping inside of her for what felt like eternity.
"I love you, too…" And words that Izuku happily repeated back to her as they continued to kiss like they didn't want to stop.
They didn't.
Off to the side of the moment, Hisashi and All Might both watched the two with proud grins. "That's my boy." Their simultaneous statements had them both looking at one another and the latter of the two frowned.
"Huh… I suppose that he is your boy." All Might admitted – it looked like it was hard for him to do so – before staring the white-haired man down with a serious look on his face. "And while I don't want to take away his Father, I can never overlook the chaos you caused all those decades ago… And what you did to Nana-"
"Okay, nope, I'm gonna stop you right there." Hisashi's hand went up in a pause gesture and the large blonde tilted his head in surprise. "Respectfully… I don't know who you or this Nana person is; this is my first time meeting you." His words obviously confused All Might and the snow-haired man nodded. "Look, I'm confused as well, but the last fight I had was – if I have my dates right – forty-six years ago."
That math didn't sound right for the events All Might had in his head; he would've only been three if that were true. "But that would mean…"
Hisashi nodded. "That man I fought… I never even saw his face; all I remember was fighting for twelve hours without rest." The fight would always be in his memories as the second of four times he had his world flipped upside down. "At some point after that, I was defeated; ever since, I've been in coma after coma that's left me bedridden for a short lifetime."
All Might had trouble wrapping his head around that, but he could see the truth in the man's blood red eyes. "IF what you are saying is to be true…" And the fact that he believed him terrified him. "Who did I kill…? And are they even dead?"
"Not a clue in the world." Hisashi, in a rare show of uncertainty, just shrugged nonchalantly. "And I'll be honest, I no longer care; your students are going to be more powerful than both of us in a few years' time…" His eyes went back to his Son and the pink girl he was with and he smiled. "The world's in good hands."
"Ha! That it is…" A smile All Might copied as he looked on to his other students that had gathered around Izuku to give him hugs. "Japan's greatest hero and Japan's most mysterious shadow stepping down from their spots; the media is going to have a field day with this." Bright lights caught his eyes after he said that and he smiled even wider. "Speak of the devil."
?
"And so, All Might has announced his retirement, giving the last of his power and energy to save the kidnapped Izuku Midoriya." A static voice from the T.V called. "We will always remember you, All Might. Thank you, for all-"
Crunch!
The T.V suddenly caved in on itself and turned into a crushed ball of scraps as an old, large man with gear-like goggles stretched his arm out at it and clenched it in his enlarged fist. His white coat, usually pristine and clean, had a small blotch of blood on it and the entire lab around him was a mess.
"One-hundred-and-four-years… Wasted!" The stale air around him vibrated and he stomped the ground, causing the room he was in to shake. "Ungrateful bastard, can't ever stick to a plan, no ambition for greatness, only-"
"AAAAHHH!" However, before he could continue his rant, the screams of six rung out through the laboratory.
The screams caused him to look at the six cryostasis pods in front of him that he had just deactivated. "I really am bringing you out of the ice; I never thought I would." He shook his head in exasperation. "Two-hundred-and-eighty-five years later… By Buddha am I an old crow." However, he suddenly laughed. "Looks like it can't be helped… What will they think when they see Oboro?"
12,123 Words! Sweet F*$!%, this one took me longer than I thought it would.
Who saw Dad For One coming? A good chunk of you, it was in my last fic, and I'm sure I made it obvious enough at the end of last chapter. But you know what wasn't?! Just this last segment right up above this! Still kind of the same as the last one but also not because I added details that will make sense later in the story!
Now, let's sort out this chapter, shall we?
Izuku dying; kind of the only way that I would've been able to have One For All finally leave All Might while also taking away a massive chunk of quirks out of All For One. Also, just like last time, I still cried while writing the segment where he holds a dying Izuku; shit messes me up.
And… Ships! They sailed! Izuku and Mina are officially a thing now! And Bakugou has finally decided to give into Kirishima instead of dancing around Momo! What they had was just confusing for them, now they've made out and made up their minds.
Now, the next arc we have on the list – after a small exposition chapter – is one of my favourites; The Provisional License Exam Arc! Seriously, writing about the entire class or writing out Izuku and Fumikage at their internships are my favourite things to write; absolutely love it!
Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, let's get to the next!
