Everyone, please wish Good and Evil a Happy Birthday! It's been five years since I first posted this fic and started writing fanfiction. I feel like it would have been finished sooner if I hadn't messed up that one and had repeat exams but it is what it is. Thank you to everyone who followed, favoured, reviewed, and read it. I'm so happy many people have been able to enjoy it since I never expected it to become that popular, literally.
This chapter is a breather.
I forgot to say this last chapter but Yami's name was derived from the kanji for darkness and his surname meaning secret. Hidden Darkness really, given the nature of his character and his life.
Itsuki is an OC I created specifically for "Agatha All Along" which has not been released yet. In that story, the character is a teenager whose personality is largely different to here. I was going to go with an elderly woman to mirror Deku but scrapped the idea because I was trying to get the chapter done quickly.
Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia
The video of All Might's battle with Shiro was everywhere.
Not just on the TV, it was circulating across the internet. It had already reached as far as the US and parts of Europe.
The image of All Might being defeated and Shiro's form towering over him victoriously was viciously burned into the minds of every single person who watched it. Hero and villain alike.
With Hades' forces continuously advancing against them, the Commission and Chief of Police had no choice but to order a mass retreat or else they would lose everyone.
Several were successful in escaping, but many others were not.
The Raid had ended in complete and utter failure as Izuku predicted.
What was even worse was the reaction of the populace.
When the Raid ended, shops and businesses closed up early, children were silently picked up from school by their parents and taken home, and various events were suddenly cancelled.
When everyone arrived home, they locked the doors and closed the curtains as a means to hide. Some made phone calls or sent emails to get out of the country. There was virtually no activity online or physically.
The streets were left empty and quiet.
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So, so quiet.
Before they would have screamed at the heroes for their failure with reporters and civilians alike mercilessly condemning them. But this was so much worse.
Because it meant one thing, they never believed nor wanted to believe possible.
All Might had lost.
The villains had won.
The Hero Commission
The President sighed heavily as she hung up the phone. The evacuation had mostly been successful with some drawbacks. But the result was the same.
They had failed.
Deku had warned them. He had been extremely specific about their opponents and the outcome, but they had been brushed off by almost everyone. The President had expected casualties (no plan was perfect after all) but even she hadn't counted the possibility of All Might losing. He was All Might after all.
'In hindsight, it was never a good idea to rely solely on one man,' she admitted. 'It leads to overreliance by some and a lack of self-confidence in many others. It also degrades the performance capabilities of others like the Police.' She let out another sigh, this time one of exhaustion. 'I suppose its pointless to complain. What's done is done and can't be undone.'
She looked to where Hawks was…or should have been. He was gone.
"You never were one for patience were you," she muttered softly.
Hawks knew what his orders were. How he went about them was another matter entirely.
Perhaps she should consider contacting BUTLER for an extra hand. Such meetings and alignments between them were rare but they did happen. Their members and resources were extremely efficient, and they achieved excellent results in the jobs they were hired for.
Then again, perhaps not. It appeared Razor, Deku's combat instructor, was still in Japan. Vague rumours mentioned she was cooperating with the Hero Killer, although not part of his mission. If Deku could get her assistance, then he could also get Stains.
Morally, she knew it was a bad idea to work with a serial killer and a mercenary like them. Pragmatically however, she knew their skillsets could prove very useful against Hades. As for their body count well, who was she to judge given the Commissions (and by extension herself).
Because blood would be shed in the days to come.
And if they wanted to defeat Hades, they needed Deku and other unsavoury individuals to help with it.
Their former assassin included.
Deika City Central Tower
"Thank you all for coming here on such short notice," Rikiya Yotsubashi (aka Re-Destro) said to his subordinates.
The video of All Might and Shiro's battle, specifically the ending, played on the wall behind them.
It was a shocking sight, even for them.
"If you had told me this would be our main story today, I would have thought you'd gone mad Grand Commander," Chitose Kizuki (aka Curious) said sardonically.
"Believe me I wish that were the case," Rikiya replied grimly.
There was a brief silence between them all.
"Will," Geten paused. "Will this affect our plans?"
"Overall, it won't," Tomoyasu Chikazoku (aka Skeptic) admitted. "But in the long run, yes."
"All Might's defeat will inspire many villains to rise up again," Koku Hanabata (aka Trumpet) explained. "Some will join up and seize power while at the same time wage war with other villains to establish the hierarchy of top dog. Hades is the biggest contender right now, but groups like the League of Villains and Shie Hassaikai won't sit still. However, while this will cause problems for us, it will narrow down our enemies as they slaughter each other in droves. Additionally, with their war waging many civilians will feel powerless and look to correct that, especially now that faith in heroes and the authorities has dwindled lower than before. It will be the perfect time to rally and recruit them to our ranks."
It was the ideal scenario for the Meta Liberation Army. A chance to eliminate competition, expand their numbers, and gain more power for the day of their upcoming rebellion.
Hades (particularly Shiro) was a major obstacle in their goals. Their previous dealings with them established a neutral relationship between them. However, they knew they would have to destroy them eventually. In a world where humanity was finally free to use their quirks as they pleased, those who practised slavery had no place.
The same could be said for the League of Villains. Shigaraki's faction was a group of children without a cause raising a ruckus. Atrocity's faction was nothing more than a group of psychopaths reaping chaos and destruction wherever they went. Both would be eliminated soon enough.
Other groups like the Hassaikai still had their uses though.
"Right you are Trumpet!" Rikiya applauded. "As troubling as this situation is, it also brings forth many opportunities. With All Might out of the picture, our plans will go much more smoothly." A smile formed at the edge of his lips. "For the time being, we do nothing. Let these villains tear each other apart. And when the time comes, which it will, our revolution will begin!" Placing his right hand on his forehead making a finger gun, the other members quickly followed suit. "For humanity's true freedom!"
"For humanity's true freedom!" they shouted.
Overhaul's Office
Like many others, Kai Chisaki (aka Overhaul) was shocked at the news. All Might being defeated was not something he had anticipated at all. He was not entirely surprised that Shiro had been the one to do it though. Out of all the villains in Japan, he was one of the strongest and most competent that there was. Kai was smart enough to refrain from fighting him and making an enemy out of him. The Hassaikai and Hades occasionally had squabbles, but never anything too serious.
That aside, he'd ordered his men to be on high alert. When AFO died, there was an explosion of conflict in the criminal underworld. Various villain groups rose up to claim power, wanting to become the new King now that the Demon Lord was dead. Himself included. But this! This would unleash Hell on Earth!
A knock at the door brought him back to reality.
"Overhaul," Hari Kurono (aka Chronostasis) greeted. "The underlings are on guard as requested, so no incidents so far."
Kai rolled his eyes. It had only been an hour since the video had aired. Of course, nothing had happened yet. People didn't act that quickly (well, most of them).
"Although, Rappa appears to want to fight Shiro now," Hari admitted.
"Seriously!?" Kai deadpanned. "Is he? Actually, never mind. I already know the answer to that one. Tell him if he even dreams about it, I will obliterate his existence and not bring him back this time. Understood?"
Hari nodded.
"Good. Tell me, when will that man be arriving?" he said gently.
"Three days at the earliest, five at the longest," Hari responded confidently.
"Not perfect, but better than nothing," he said tiredly. "Tatara can keep looking after Eri. In the meantime, we'll continue to do what we've been doing."
Hari nodded before leaving.
Kai sighed to himself. Ever since the Tenome Incident, he had sought out an individual with an ability like that one to make his operation go smoother. He never would have considered it before, but the world was full of surprises.
Izuku just so happened to be one.
Shigaraki's Group
"Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!" Tomura roared with laughter as he replayed the video over and over again.
Shiro standing victorious over Ass Might's beaten body (on live TV no less) was the best thing that had happened to him in weeks.
He probably should have felt guilty considering what Shiro did to Deku, but after the Symbol of Peace smashed his master's head in front of everyone and struck a winning pose like from one of his games, it was extremely satisfying to see him on the receiving end for a change.
Okay, so maybe it was somewhat downplayed from Atrocity's cheating during it, but still very cathartic, nonetheless.
"Wow, you're happy!" Twice said. "You're the most fucking miserable out of all of us!"
"Can you blame him, darling?" Magne exclaimed. "He hates All Might, especially after Kamino." She swapped to a whisper. "Although I wouldn't be surprised if Atrocity was at the top of his most hated list."
Kurogiri for his part appeared unimpressed. Shiro was a problem to deal with later but right now their main concern was Atrocity.
Right now, Toga was out gathering information about a possible base of his. When she returned, that's when they would decide their next course of action.
Kurogiri had briefly considered going to Dr Ujiko for help, but he had no idea where to start looking for the man. He'd kept his identity secret from all but AFO, and Viper to a certain extent. At the very least, he could count on him not to aid Atrocity.
Gigantomachia was not an option either. Not just because of the level of destruction he could do, but because he was not in the location where Sensei had specified.
It seemed they were truly on their own.
The only saving grace about this situation was Izuku was safe from all this madness. There were many things Shiro and Atrocity would do to him, things he did not want to think about. If was far away or in the clutch of the heroes, then it was a small price to pay.
"I just got off the phone with Toga," Compress announced. "She says she found something."
That put everyone on alert.
Shigaraki stopped looking at his phone and gazed straight at their resident warper.
"Bring her here Kurogiri," he ordered. "If she found something on Atrocity I want to know."
As spectacular as All Might's defeat was, he would not feel truly satisfied until he had put his hand through his master's murderer's head and turned his body to dust.
Atrocity's Group
"Appearing through a screen Deathbolt? How rude!" Atrocity said sarcastically.
When one of his subordinates had been called to talk, everyone agreed it should be Deathbolt since he could safely talk through a phone screen (using his quirk to turn into pure electricity) because he was less likely to be killed.
"After that public shitshow of dick-who-must-not-be-named, can you blame me?" Deathbolt deadpanned.
Atrocity chuckled. "Not in the slightest. If it were me, I'd do the same thing."
Deathbolt immediately noticed something was off about his leader.
"You feeling alright?" he asked uncertainly. "You're calmer than I thought you were going to be."
Correction, Atrocity was acting calmer than everyone thought he would. When the video first aired, they expected loud shouts, swearing, bloody corpses, and even some destroyed property. Instead, they got silence which somehow proved to be worse.
"I will admit, I was unhappy with this little war, all personal reasons included," Atrocity said softly. "But the more I thought about it, the more I realized. Both sides have done us a huge service."
The electric user felt a little confused by that. Luckily for him, Atrocity launched straight into an explanation.
"Hades has taken a massive blow, something that will take time to recover from. The Symbol of Peace has fallen, thus leaving the hero community in a state of disarray. Society itself has become vulnerable and panicked. With these factors in place, the following is possible: the absolute destruction of Hades and Shiro, the collapse of Hero Society, and with AFO gone the chance for a new King to claim the throne and rule everything." Deathbolt was breathing very slowly as he processed the information and its implications.
"When you put tit like that boss, it does sound possible," he said before adding. "But with a lot of."
"Complications?" he promptly cut him off. "I know. But all complications can be overcome with the right plan. Speaking of which, it's time to deal with the complication known as Tomura Shigaraki. I've sent Queen Bee out to leave a trail of breadcrumbs for him to follow." Deathbolts eyes widened. "Once they arrive at the fake base, that's when we strike. First, we'll then down, thoroughly I might add. When that's done, I'll take their quirks and either keep them myself or give them to subordinates that can put them to better use. Finally, after they are made suffer being such nuisances, slaughter them. Not too quickly now, need to set an example after all. I may keep Shigaraki around as a toy for while though, and that Lizard of his. I need to relinquish boredom every now and then."
Atrocity smiled cruelly.
"After that complication, I'll deal with Shiro, then quirkless Deku, next other villain groups, and finally Hero Society as a whole," he listed off. "And who knows, maybe I could get some new toys to replace the ones I broke or lost in the process. One can never have too many."
Harbour
BUUUUZZZZZZZZ! BUUUUZZZZZZZZ! BUUUUZZZZZZZZ!
Razor stared down at her phone. She didn't recognize the ID.
It could have been someone from BUTLER, but she seriously doubted it. She knew all the secretary's numbers, and this wasn't one.
Her best bets were someone from Hades or the League, though she was not entirely sure.
Curiosity got the better of her and she answered.
"Who the fuck is this?!" she asked sharply.
"Swearing straight off the bat," a male voice said. "Am I correct in assuming this is Razor I am speaking to?"
"Depends on who the fuck's asking," Razor said softly.
"A hero," the voice answered. "My name is Edgeshot."
Razor raised an eyebrow. Well, she didn't see that one coming.
"Shinya Kamihara," she addressed by name. "How the fuck did you get my number?!"
"Shino." Of course, that bitch! "We need your help." Razor didn't react. "We want to take down Hades."
There was silence at the other end of the line.
"No bullshit! Just straight to the point!" she murmured softly. "I'll admit I like that. Unfortunately, I'm not taking any jobs at the moment. And my partner, well, I don't think you'll want to work with him."
"I'm not hiring you," Edgeshot stated. "But if Izuku Midoriya aka Deku asks you, will you help?"
Razor wasn't phased in the slightest.
"Willing to use a child to get to me now, are you? Gotta say, that does not match up with your profile description," she said.
"I'm not. Unfortunately, that boy is involved in this, voluntarily or not. I won't force him to help us but according to Shino Shiro will be coming after him soon as will others," he said firmly. "She also told me that you would help if he asked. So, cutting all shit as you would put it, will you?"
After a long minute, Razor smirked.
"You've balls ninja boy, I'll give you that," she said amusedly. "If, and only if, he asks me. Free will, no coercion. As for my partner, I still don't think you'll be willing to work with him."
"I think you'll find I'm much greyer than most heroes," the No. 5 Hero declared.
UA Heights Alliance
Izuku stared out into the city from his balcony, as the sun slowly set signalling the end of the (very eventful) day among many other things.
The city was quiet. Too quiet. He couldn't hear any traffic or crowds from outside the barrier, only the sound of birds chirping.
It was unnerving.
While he was not surprised that Hades had won he had clearly underestimated the impact it would have on society as a whole. Not just the heroes losing, but All Might losing. Often he had heard many villains wanting to kill All Might (Tomura included), but had they ever considered what would happen afterwards? He certainly hadn't. The reason was that All Might had never been beaten before. Yes, he was a man. Yes, he had limits. Yes, he was not invulnerable. Izuku knew all of this and yet, the fact that he had lost still shocked him to the core.
The only reason he could think of was that he was still trapped in his childish mindset from a year ago. A mindset perhaps many others shared.
In the aftermath of the Raid, the teachers had not come to check on them. And his classmates, upon witnessing All Might's defeat just sat there frozen, jaws open and eyes wide for what felt like an eternity. Izuku for his part stood up and walked away. There was nothing he could say or do to comfort them. Hell, he was too shocked himself.
Of all the things he expected, the stunt Shiro pulled was not one of them. Izuku had never seen or heard of anything described like that during his time at Hades. However, he was almost certain Rika had been the one to create it or at least aid in its creation. Many villains and heroes praised her abilities at Hades. Shiro himself noted she was one of his best finds and that, literally quoting, "the fucking jackoffs up there were too bigoted to recognize a precious gem when they saw it".
Izuku went to bed without setting an alarm since there would be no classes tomorrow. The only thing he had on was an appointment with Hound Dog.
Dream Sequence
Izuku walked slowly down the black corridor. There was no one around (that he could see).
He was looking for something or rather someone.
He glanced down at the gun in his hand…wait!
When did he get a gun? Where did he get one?
Something was wrong. This was all wrong.
Despite this shock, he continued to walk. He came to a door and peered through slowly as a sign of caution.
Why was he being cautious?
In a split second, the doorway was gone. The corridor was gone. He was in a large area surrounded by nothing but darkness.
He could see the floor clearly as well as his own body but other than those there was nothing.
"Deku," a familiar frightened voice whispered. Izuku turned and found who he had been looking for held back by a white cane strangling him by the neck. "Run."
Izuku tried to speak only to find that he couldn't. Why couldn't he speak?
"It seems my message has not gotten through that thick stupid skull of yours yet," a condescending voice sneered. "This is my property, which means I can do whatever the fuck I want with it. If I tell it to kneel it will kneel! If I tell it to kill it will kill! If I tell it to spread its legs open as it should, it will spread its legs open! Because it's my property, it does whatever I want whenever I want! It belongs to me and not you. Do you understand?"
This wasn't Hades.
Izuku what this was, and who this was.
And he knew what he wanted to do to them.
Raising the gun, he glared at the man hatefully.
"Jin isn't property!" he snarled. "He's a human being!"
BANG!
Dream Sequence end
Izuku shot straight up grabbing the nearest object and throwing it straight at the wall in front of him. It was just a pen, however, the way he threw it and the strength he used left it embedded in the wall.
He panted heavily as he let his rage and hatred fester. It had been a very long time since he thought about that monster.
Izuku hated many individuals, but that man was unique in that he had only known him for a short amount of time, and yet he managed to become someone Izuku hated way more than his childhood bullies, and even Shiro. Tenome members came close, but they were all dead now (the one good thing Shiro had done).
Izuku lay flat on his back as he thought about the other aspect of his dream. A sad expression came to his face.
"Twice," he murmured softly. "Are you okay?"
Later
When he woke up again later Izuku immediately decided to hit the showers. God knows he needed one.
"So, do you want to talk about it?" Kai asked sounding concerned.
"No need," Izuku said firmly. Hot water crashed down his hair and flowed down his body. "I will be talking about it with Hound Dog later. And also, is there a specific reason you are naked right now?"
It was true. As soon as he entered the shower, Kai appeared right next to him wearing nothing.
"My outfit changes depending on the situation," he shrugged. "And your psyche. You were having a shower, so I changed to match that."
"Joy," Izuku responded sarcastically.
Izuku suddenly found himself trapped against the wall with Kai's hands planted against them to prevent an escape. Kai stared deeply into Izuku's eyes, his voice neither cruel nor compassionate, just serious.
"Look Izuku, this is going to keep happening until you sort out your shit, deep as it is. I might look like Kai Chisaki but my personality and mannerisms are made up of other bits and pieces from you. You want my advice? Get to it!"
Izuku scowled while crossing his arms. "Easier said than done."
"I know," Kai agreed. "But sitting on your ass while other shit is going on isn't going to do you any favours now is it?"
Izuku said nothing.
"By the way, why is the naked aspect of me annoying you? it's nothing you haven't seen before, well, maybe not from the real one. Or is it to do with what happened when the elevator collapsed?" Kai mused.
"Okay, no. Not doing this," Izuku finished up and grabbed a towel. "That's one thing I never plan to discuss with anyone." Kai opened his mouth only to be swiftly cut off. "Nothing happened between us. We just… you know… ended up in some awkward positions. That's all."
Kai started laughing hysterically, causing Izuku to leave the shower in a hurry.
Hound Dog's Office
"Okay, I know you probably want me to talk about Hades and how I felt during it but after the dream, I had last night I just don't want to," Izuku deadpanned. "So, can we talk about something else please?"
"Sure," Ryo shrugged. "I wasn't going to anyway."
"Huh! Seriously!" Izuku's eyes widened.
"Of course," Ryo nodded. "I've learned from experience that making someone discuss something traumatic that happened to them will not help them heal. Coax them into doing so maybe, but otherwise never force them."
Well, Izuku's opinion of him just skyrocketed.
"Great," he said before looking down. "What I want to talk about is related to the dream."
Izuku took a moment to compose himself.
"As a hero, have you ever let anyone die before?" Izuku asked slowly.
Ryo's eyes widened. Where did that come from?
"And I don't mean you couldn't save someone, I mean you literally left them to die," Izuku explained somehow managing to remain calm despite severity of his question. "Either you just left them there, or you let someone else kill them?"
Ryo stared at Izuku with an unreadable expression. The question caught him off guard, but years of practice enabled him to keep calm.
"No," he denied. "I have not. Nor have any of my colleagues. I'm a hero, after all, such behaviour would be unbecoming since we are supposed to save others."
"Even if you think they deserve it, or maybe because them dying would stop a lot of future problems?" Izuku pressed.
"Even then," Ryo confirmed. "I'm supposed to stop them, not kill them. I don't have that right, nor does any other hero."
Izuku stared down at his lap with an expression Ryo could only assume was either shame or uncertainty.
"Fair enough," he admitted. "It's just something I've wondered about before so."
"So?" Ryo repeated.
"My dream, well, maybe not dream more of a memory," Izuku explained. "Just before Kamino there was an incident. Unlike Hades, I remember this one quite well, though there are moments I wish I didn't." Ryo tensed. He hadn't heard of anything like this from the police. "One of my colleagues, Twice, he had a difficult time before the League and he…he." Izuku started to clench his fists tightly. "Anyway, he had this job… which he left." He felt sick describing it as that. "And his boss, he wanted him back." Ryo flinched at the tone of Izuku's voice. It sounded angry, very, very angry. "Twice didn't want to, and we, the League, didn't want him to. It led to a dispute that got resolved… violently." Izuku couldn't believe how much he was downplaying the events but remembering how he ranted around the Yagami he wanted to make sure his counsellor wasn't disturbed. "It was resolved but I swear that man, I actually wanted him to die, and I almost let one of the others do it for what he did to Twice." Izuku could still see Toga holding the knife to his throat. Why he stopped her, he couldn't remember. "Even now, I still think I should've let them."
Ryo observed Izuku with a mixture of curiosity and fear. Compared to other moments when he talked about someone he disliked, this one he showed nothing but pure hate.
It was almost unnerving.
He knew the person Izuku was referring to. Jin Bubaigawara aka Twice. He vaguely knew his record, but not much he was considered a small criminal until joining the League. Just what sort of relationship did he have with Izuku?
"Letting him die wouldn't have solved anything," Izuku gave him a pointed look. "Your friend was still in trouble, right? Killing that person might not have been the best way to help him."
'Debatable,' Izuku inwardly muttered.
"There are people who deserve to die. People who represent the worst humanity has to offer be it villain or something else entirely," Ryo said softly. "But you shouldn't have to be the one who has to make that choice."
"And who should?" Izuku asked almost half-heartedly.
"I can't answer that one, unfortunately," Izuku rolled his eyes. Of course.
"Well, thanks I guess," Izuku stood up. "If you want the full story, ask Tsukauchi and Yagami. I may have given them an honest account, a bit too honest maybe, of what went down. Thanks for listening."
"It's my job kid. It's my job," Ryo waved goodbye. "Midoriya if you don't mind me asking." Izuku stopped at the door. "Whatever happened to that person?"
"Last I heard he was dead. Killed by one of his own men," he said. "Never found the body though so I doubt it."
Izuku's Room
Izuku lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
Following the session, he'd gone to the gym where the punching bags took the brunt of his frustration. The illusion of Kai had been surprisingly quiet since the showers though he wasn't sure why.
Izuku's phone started to ring. Checking the ID he noticed it was his mother. He didn't really want to talk with her right now, but he also didn't want to worry her. Holding it up to his ear he pressed the answer button.
"Hey Mom," he murmured.
"Deku," a very familiar voice answered.
Izuku's blood froze. His breathing began to slow as the temperature in the room rapidly dropped.
"Shiro?" he whispered.
"Good to see you remember me kid," Shiro responded merrily. "I figured it was time we talked."
Hi there! What did you think of that?
I bet you didn't expect to see the MLA or Shie Hassaikai in this chapter. Though they won't be doing much for the story.
Sorry I haven't updated in a while. My job takes a lot out of me and I've gotten into Resident Evil (playing all the games) recently which inspired me to incorporate some horror elements into my stories.
Also, groups in Hades will not be shown for a while because I want to focus on Izuku's for a bit.
Hope you enjoyed reading it!